The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS is a new, 12.1-megapixel digital compact camera with a 20x wide-angle super zoom lens. The versatile camera, a successor to the SX10 IS, now features HD video (720p) to ensure you capture video in the sharpest detail. The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS also has a 20x optical zoom, which zooms from 28mm to 560mm equivalent. The lens features both an Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and a Voice Coil Motor (VCM) for fast, silent focus and zooming – making the camera unobtrusive and easy to use, whether shooting stills or video footage. To help users make the most of these creative possibilities, the Canon SX20 IS includes a vari-angle 2.5 inch PureColor VA LCD display. Experienced photographers will appreciate the full range of manual controls, while beginners will be pleased to learn about the onboard Hints & Tips. Furthermore, the PowerShot SX20 IS can record HD video at 720p resolution and includes a dedicated movie button for instant access to movies in still mode and instant stills shooting during movie recording. The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS will be available from late August 2009 priced at £399.00 / €459.00 RRP inc. VAT. The US price is $399.99.

The Canon PowerShot SX120 IS is a high quality, easy-to-use digital compact camera with a 10x optically stabilised zoom lens.  To capture every detail, the PowerShot SX120 IS includes a 10 Megapixel sensor with Canon’s powerful and intelligent DIGIC 4 processor – ensuring superb response times and natural colour reproduction. DIGIC 4 also takes care of difficult lighting conditions with i-Contrast – a technology which prevents highlight blowout, whilst retaining shadow detail. For trouble free shooting the Canon PowerShot SX120 IS includes Smart Auto and Easy modes with Scene Detection Technology. More experienced users can choose their settings with additional shooting modes such as Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority. A full manual control mode is also provided – perfect for users who wish to experiment with their shots. The camera can also shoot VGA movies with sound. The Canon SX120 IS is available from early August 2009 priced at £229.00 / €269.00 RRP inc. VAT. The US Price is $249.99.

The new, ten-megapixel Canon PowerShot S90 marks the return of the Canon PowerShot S-series of truly compact digital cameras featuring full manual control. One of the highlights of the new Canon S90 is the lens - it is a 6-22.5mm f/2.0-4.9 zoom with optical image stabilisation. The PowerShot S90 also features an intuitive lens Control Ring, which enables users to adjust the settings of various functions by twisting the selector at the base of the lens barrel to the left or right. The Control Ring can be used as a quasi-manual zoom offering a closer view of subjects in 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 105mm steps.  Additional settings can be assigned, such as ISO, shutter, aperture, focus and exposure compensation. Also on board is Canon’s Dual Anti-Noise System for enhanced low-light performance and the improved Intelligent Contrast Correction technology that attempts to make the most out of the dynamic range of the sensor. The Canon PowerShot S90 also features a 3.0 inch LCD display with a resolution of 461,000 dots. The PowerShot S90 will be available from early October 2009 priced at £449.00 / €519.00 RRP inc. VAT. The US price is $429.99.

The Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS (also known as the PowerShot SD940 IS Digital ELPH) is the slimmest wide-angle IXUS / ELPH to date. Small and perfectly formed - ideal for slipping into handbags and pockets – it can be taken anywhere to take capture important moments with its 28mm equivalent wide angle lens, 4x zoom and 12.1-megapixel image sensor. Technologies like scene and blink detection are on board to help novice users. The Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS / PowerShot SD940 IS Digital ELPH also includes a ‘Hints & Tips’ system so camera settings are clearly explained within the menu. Finally, the new Canon can capture 720p HD videos and output them via its HDMI port..The Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS / PowerShot SD940 IS will be available from early September 2009 priced at £299.00 / €349.00 / $299.99.

The 12.1-megapixel Canon Digital IXUS 200 IS (also known as the PowerShot SD980 IS Digital ELPH) is the first-ever touchscreen IXUS / ELPH and, quite unusually for a compact camera, it features 24-120mm equivalent 5x zoom lens. The touchscreen system is allegedly easy to use: simply tap the 3.0 inch screen to ‘point’ at the face you want to focus on, and the Canon Digital IXUS 200 IS / PowerShot SD980 IS Digital ELPH will do the rest - automatically tracking your subject and keeping them in perfect focus. When reviewing your images a simple movement of your finger on-screen allows you to erase, protect, rotate or tag your favourite photos so you can easily review your favourite shots. 720p HD video recording rounds off the feature set of the new IXUS / ELPH. Scheduled to be available in September (Europe) and October (USA), the Digital IXUS 800 IS / PowerShot SD980 IS Digital ELPH camera is projected to retail for £329.00 / €379.00 / $329.99.

The Canon SELPHY ES40 is Canon’s first compact photo printer featuring voice guidance. Instructions such as “select a colour” or “select the area for printing” make the creation of individual prints easier than ever. Voice guidance is also provided to overcome common printing problems – such as informing a user when the ink cartridge or paper needs replacing. The SELPHY ES40 features a bright 3.5 inch 230K dot LCD screen, Easy Scroll Wheel and large, tactile buttons to provide swift and easy controls when reviewing and navigating through images before printing. In Creative Print mode you can use 12 templates to create colourful calendars with your own images, add stamps, speech bubbles or clip art to photos, or frame your prints with artistic borders. The SELPHY ES40 is available from mid September 2009 priced at £179.00 / €209.00 / $149.99.

Canon today announced the launch of the PIXMA iP4700 A4 printer.  Finished in smart gloss black with gunmetal highlights, the PIXMA iP4700 delivers several new or improved features for 2009. These include intelligent, easy image correction with Auto Photo Fix II, smart and simple webpage clipping with Easy-WebPrint EX, faster, better photo lab quality prints and advanced media handling and connectivity. The iP4700 is available from late September 2009 priced at £109.00 / €129.00 RRP inc. VAT.

The team at Annabel Williams’ Contemporary Photographic Training has announced a new course called Flawless Digital Enhancement. Trainer and photographer Stewart Randall will show you how to work within the digital darkroom to retouch an image without overdoing things.With the approach that ‘less can be more’ you will learn the tricks of the trade – enabling you to remove the odd wrinkle or eye bag easily and quickly, whether it’s for the perfect wedding portrait, or for those clients who want high fashion, super-model style. The seminar takes place at the brand new Annabel Williams studio at Staveley in the glorious Lake District on 13th November 2009. For full details visit www.annabelwilliams.com or contact the studio on 01539 821791.

Fodor’s Travel and Tourism Ireland have announced the co-sponsorship of a travel photography contest, “Show Us Your Ireland.” From August 17 through September 21, North American visitors to Fodors.com will have the opportunity to upload and share their favourite photos and experiences of the Emerald Isle with other travellers. One grand prize winner will have his or her photograph featured in the next edition of Fodor’s Ireland and will receive a suite of Fodor’s latest full-colour guides. Ten runners up will win two Fodor’s guides of their choice and all winning photos will be featured in an online gallery at Fodors.com. Photo submissions will be accepted at Fodors.com through September 21, 2009. The contest is open to legal Canadian (excluding Quabec) and US residents aged 18 or older only. As always, you are advised to read the rules before entering your work.

In the UK, the blue version of the recently announced Fujifilm Finepix A170 will be sold exclusively by Jessops. Priced at £79, the Fuji Finepix A170 in blue is a 10.2 megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom and 2.7”LCD screen. Encased in a stylish bright blue body and powered by two standard AA batteries, the A170 comes fully equipped with automatic scene recognition, face detection, picture stabilisation and panorama mode which allows up to three consecutive images to be seamlessly stitched together to create a single photo.The Fuji Finepix A170 in blue is available now at your local Jessops store or online at www.jessops.com .

Internet Archive has announced that high resolution files are available for download directly its the NASAimages.org website. The improved download features offer a choice of high or low resolution files for still images, allowing users to select the version best suited for their needs. NASA signed a Space Act Agreement with Internet Archive to create NASAimages.org so that NASA’s vast imagery collection would be more accessible to the public. Internet Archive’s NASAimages.org allegedly offers the first comprehensive collection of NASA imagery in a single, searchable on-line location, providing enthusiasts, researchers, news media and the general public easy, no-cost access to NASA’s vast collection of still and video imagery.

Website: NASA Images

Datacolor is offering all users of its Spyder3 colorimeter system a discount on its Spyder3TV software to properly calibrate their colour TVs. Whether your TV is a flat screen LCD, plasma, RPTV, DLP, conventional (colour tubes) or projection, users can now get the same colour accuracy in image reproduction from their television using the special SpyderTV software application. The Spyder3TV software kit includes a software CD, test pattern DVDs (for PAL and NTSC) and a Quick Start Guide at retail outlets for $79.00 or as a download option direct from Datacolor for $59.00.  Users who purchase the download version can burn the software and test images directly to a DVD. Note that the Spyder3TV software kit (retail kit or download) can only be used by customers who already own a Spyder3Pro, Spyder3Elite, or have access to either.

Direct Source Marketing, the sole U.S. distributor of Horseman photo products, has announced the Horseman VCC Pro, a device that offers full bellows function, a variety of technical movements, and gives a DSLR large format view camera functions. The VCC Pro is described as a breakthrough because it does the only thing DSLR’s can’t do—technical movements. Compact and lightweight, the new Horseman camera converter comes in models for Nikon and Canon Digital SLR’s. Both VCC models give the end user control of both the front and rear standard, and allows them to use tilt, swing, shift, fall, rise or any combination of these. The VCC also provides four-frame stitching with a full-frame / FX imager. This makes for extremely high resolution images equivalent to those produced by professional high end digital backs. Inaccuracies between successive pictures are held to an absolute minimum, making post-editing an easy task. The Horseman VCC Pro is manufactured in Japan and will be available at professional photo dealers.

Prestigio has announced the return of its International Photographic Award. The contest is open to amateur and professional photographs from all backgrounds, ages and levels of experience, and will be held from September 15th until November 30th 2009. To be eligible, all pictures must illustrate one of Prestigio’s brand values: Elegance, Performance or Inspiration. All pictures will be evaluated by a panel of professionals, and the most creative work will receive the Prestigio Grand Prix, $1000 cash prize. The Prestigio Corporate team will also decide upon the best picture in each category, and each winner will be awarded with $300 cash prize and a selected Prestigio product.

In the wake of the recent price / availability announcements, Leica now unveiled the full specifications of the Leica S2 and four S-system lenses. The Leica S2 is a new interchangeable-lens DSLR with a sensor that is 56% bigger than a conventional “full-frame” imager. The first prototypes were shown to us at Photokina 2008, and availability is now slated for October 2009. Highlights include a 37.5-megapixel Kodak CCD with a claimed 12 stops of dynamic range, a metal focal-plane shutter with a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 second, fast auto-focus, a large and high-eye-point TTL optical viewfinder with 0.86x magnification, interchangeable focusing screens, CompactFlash and SDHC compatibility, an HDMI port and a 3-inch rear screen with 460,000 pixels and optional sapphire glass. The Leica S2 will be available at an SRP of £15,996 from selected authorised dealers. The Leica S2-P, which includes the sapphire glass display and comes with a Platinum service package, is priced at £19,092.

Casio have revealed the twelve-megapixel Casio EX-Z90 and Casio EX-Z450 digital compact cameras with Intelligent AF and improved Dynamic Photo functionality. In addition to usual face detection, just by pointing the camera at a desired shot, Intelligent AF automatically detects non-human photo subjects in the whole composition and determines the focus and exposure area. So when taking a picture of a pet or even scenery, Intelligent AF can help minimise the number of photos that have an out-of-focus subject, thanks to the high-speed image processing technology and image analysis technology of the EXILIM Engine 4.0, the company claims. Compact enough to fit into the palm of a hand, the Casio Exilim EX-Z90 (see picture above) has a 3x zoom lens; while the Casio Exilim EX-Z450 boasts a 28-112mm zoom lens plus a 3” rear screen, and throws CCD-shift image stabilisation into the mix. The EX-Z450 will have an MSRP of $199.99 and will be offered in champagne. The EX-Z90 will have an MSRP of $149.99 and will be available in pink and black.

Casio Europe have just announced the twelve-megapixel Casio Exilim EX-Z280 digital compact camera with a 26-104 mm equivalent zoom lens and CCD-shift image stabilisation. The Casio EX-Z280 also offers face detection, complemented by a “make-up” function, an AF tracking function that can remember faces and resume tracking them even if the subject leaves the frame and then reappears, and HD movie recording at 1280x720 pixels. The EX-Z280, available this September 2009, will have an MSRP of $179.99 and will be offered in a silver body color.

To offer a greater selection to suit the diverse needs of different customers, Transcend Information, Inc. recently released a brand new Anti-Shock USB Flash Drive—the JetFlash V70. The drive is made out of a durable eco-friendly rubber that makes it highly resistant to survive shock, splashes and dust. Currently available in 16GB (Red), 8GB (Orange) and 4GB (Purple) capacities, the JetFlash V70 carries Transcend’s lifetime warranty.

Verve Gallery of Photography has announced Reverie & Rhapsody, an exhibition exploring “dreams, memory and time, and the rhythm of contemplation and mystery that is held within all three”. The three-person exhibition includes Verve gallery artists Susan Burnstine, Susan kae Grant and Beth Moon. The Opening Reception is held on Friday, August 28, 2009 from 5-7pm. There will be a Gallery Talk with Photographers Beth Moon and Susan Burnstine on Friday, August 28 from 3-5pm, and with Photographer Susan kae Grant and Composer Sarah Alexander on Saturday, August 29 from 2-4pm. The exhibition is on view through Saturday, November 7, 2009.