Sony Corporation today announced that it has launched a new type of lithium ion secondary battery that combines high-power and long-life performance. By combining a new olivine type lithium ion phosphate acting as the cathode material with Sony’s proprietary particle design technology that minimises electrical resistance to deliver high power output, and also leveraging the cell structure design technology Sony accrued developing its current “Fortelion series” lithium ion secondary battery line-up, Sony has realized a high power density of 1800W/kg and extended life span of approximately 2,000 charge-discharge cycles. Moreover, the new batteries can be charged to 99% of their capacity in half an hour. The new Sony batteries come in a capacity of 1,100mAh and have a nominal voltage of 3.2V.

Athentech Imaging Inc. has announced an iPhone / iPod application featuring the company’s Perfectly Clear image correction technology, which has been used successfully in retail photo kiosks, minilabs and online photo sites. Athentech Imaging’s “one click” Perfectly Clear iPhone application assures that the millions of photos being taken by iPhone and iPod users can be simply optimized for exposure, colour accuracy, sharpness and “depth” with a single touch, the company said. Perfectly Clear iPhone is available as an online download via the Apple iTunes App Store for $2.99.

Dive Photo Guide has announced a series of online underwater photo contests, organised monthly. This contest is geared to promote friendly competition, to push photographers’ skills and to give photographers specific themes or subjects to shoot on their next dive. The monthly contest is free to enter and Dive Photo Guide will be giving away valuable prizes each month and a grand prize at the end of each year. Head to the website below for the details.

Website: Dive Photo Guide’s Monthly Underwater Photography Contest Series

Wi-Pics Mobile is a new product billed as an advanced solution designed for the professional photographer that provides the ability to data associate and wirelessly transmit their images at point of capture. Wi-Pics Mobile features a small, light and compact design that mounts under the camera with a custom designed bracket that allows easy movement and does not impede the photographer or camera performance. Alternatively, you can purchase it with a quick-draw hip-mount. Click through / read on for the details.

The new Mamiya M18, Mamiya M22 and Mamiya M31 digital backs, which were announced two months ago, are now available in the United Kingdom. The M series digital backs have all been designed for compatibility with the Mamiya 645AFDIII medium-format SLR body, as well as the soon-to-be-released 645DF, which was recently show-cased at the 2009 Tokyo Photo Expo. Through use of the specifically designed digital back adapter HX701, the backs can also be attached to the Mamiya RZ Pro IID. The M18 has a resolution of 18 megapixels and a CCD size of 44.2 x 33.1mm. The M22 has a resolution of 22.1 megapixels and a CCD size of 48.9 x 36.7mm while the M31 has a resolution of 31.6 megapixels and a CCD size of 44.2 x 33.1mm. Each digital back can be purchased separately or in a system kit with the Mamiya 645AFDIII camera and Sekor 80mm F2.8 D lens (see picture). Mamiya Digital products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Johnsons Photopia.

The lucky winner of our fantastic July 2009 Newsletter contest has been randomly selected from the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscriber list.

Kathryn McGrath wins a Billingham Large Hadley shoulder bag in Khaki/Tan finish, worth £125.99, kindly provided by Billingham.

The winners of the July 2009 Photography Blog Competition have been selected by a panel of judges. The theme for July was “Heat” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
The Sparks are Flying by Jackie

Prize: ColorMunki Photo
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.colormunki.com

Following the success of their six previous Teaching Seminars, the Imaging Science Group of the Royal Photographic Society is organising another of its 1 day tutorial seminars this year on Saturday 12th December 2009. Entitled “Good Picture - 2009: Making Imaging Work” and taking place at the University of Westminster, the symposium is open to all. The £60 admission fee includes buffet lunch plus morning and afternoon coffee & biscuits. Click through / read on for the full programme.

JP Distribution has announced the launch of the new Lastolite School of Photography website. The aim of the Lastolite School of Photography is to provide free of charge video and written tutorials for photographers on a monthly basis, building an ‘industry leading’ library of tutorials. The new site has launched with six, twenty minute video tutorials featuring five of Lastolite’s new products. There are also 10 ‘back to basics’ PDF tutorials available.

Website: Lastolite School of Photography

Datacolor, a global leader in digital colour management technology, has brightened the lives of underprivileged children in Chile with the production and sale of the photography book, “Colors of My Life.” This is an 80-page hardcover photography book, which began as a simple photography contest sponsored by Datacolor’s European office.  As part of the contest, consumers submitted two photographs that incorporated colors they felt best depicted their lives or personalities.  The final images—60 images total—worked so well as a single body of work that Datacolor decided to create a portfolio in the form of a book. “Colors of My Life” can be purchased through Blurb at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/750811 for $22.82.

FotoMuse for iPhone is an application that promises to transform snapshots into “artistic renderings” in just a few simple steps. The FotoMuse app enables users to import any photo from their iPhone album and “transform it into a work of art” in under 20 seconds. “People can crop, resize, and mix images with artifacts from old photos, vintage-edged film, and other media,” said Kris Gebhardt, developer. “After adding contrast, selecting a border, and choosing a layer, it’s easy to save the image – without actually changing the original photo.”

Website: Kris Gebhardt

JP Distribution has announced the UK launch and pricing of the new MiniTT1 & FlexTT5 ControlTL System from PocketWizard. Since the first introduction of PocketWizard, professional photographers have demanded a TTL flash controlled PocketWizard system. PocketWizard has made it possible with “Slide-n-Shoot” simplicity by utilizing their new ControlTL system featuring the MiniTT1 Transmitter and FlexTT5 Transceiver dedicated for Canon camera/flash systems. The MiniTT1 has a recommended retail price of £209.99, whilst the FlexTT5 costs £229.99. These prices include value added tax.

Red Bull is looking for a reporter to head to Switzerland to capture the twists and pikes of the amazing high divers, the breathtaking location and the all round excitement of the Red Bull Cliff Diving event. The Switzerland stop will be the seventh in the Red Bull Cliff Diving series, and will take place on 5 September 2009 in Sisikon. To be considered for this assignment, head to http://www.redbullreporter.com and keep uploading examples of your best photos. Tag your uploads ‘Cliff Diving’.

Ritz Camera & Image have introduced their new “MY SHOW” DVD that allows customers to watch their digital photos and digital video clips on the family TV.  Ritz takes all of their customers’ photos and video clips from any digital media card, and puts them on a “MY SHOW” DVD.  The “MY SHOW” DVD service is available in 1 hour at all Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Inkley’s and Kits Cameras locations or may be ordered online at RitzPix.com and have it mailed back to your home.

FlipGloss Media, the web’s first photo programming network, and Variety, a global publication for entertainment business news, have launched FlipGloss-powered photo features on Variety’s “Emmy Central”.  Using FlipGloss’ pioneering “Digital Glossy Insert” technology, Variety now offers a visually rich, interactive presentation of Comedy and Drama nominees, just in time for Emmy voting. FlipGloss’ unique ‘Flip, Hover, Discover’ navigation experience lets Variety.com users flip through high quality Emmy images, hover over points of interest and click to discover more information on nominated shows, actors, related content and show credits or previous wins.

N-Tonic has released the availability of SnaggleFind, a platform which allows iPhone users to complete and share photographic scavenger hunts.  Users can simply complete SnaggleFind hunts and share their photographic interpretations with others, or take it a step further and create their own hunts to share a particular passion, educate and/or challenge others in the SnaggleFind community. They compete by accumulating points based on the difficulty of the hunt and user ratings. Once a user accumulates enough points, prizes or bonus hunts will be made available for them to complete. Completed hunts are rated and commented on by members of the SnaggleFind community. iPhone users can download SnaggleFind from Apple’s App Store or from www.SnaggleFind.com for $1.99.

Brando WorkShop has in stock a unique-looking 3-point hand/wrist strap, designed for use with cameras and camcorders. The accessory, which features a wrist support as well as a somewhat surprising tripod socket, retails for $16 and is claimed to be universal.

Website: Brando

Via Bigyóblog

Fodor’s Travel has announced the latest in their series of travel photography contests, “Show Us Your Argentina,” where visitors to Fodors.com will have the opportunity to upload their favorite photos of Argentina and the chance to win prizes. One grand prize winner will have his/her photograph featured in Fodor’s Argentina and will receive a suite of Fodor’s latest full-color 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 www.Fodors.com.  You have until 17 August 2009 to submit a photo. As always, you are encouraged to read the rules before entering.

Olympus have published their financial results for the quarter ended 30 June 2009, which show that the company is still making profits - but a lot less than a year ago. The company’s net earnings after taxes have shrunk to 1.8bn yen from 6.5bn yen in the same period of last year. The imaging business was particularly badly hit by the global economic crisis, as European and North American sales practically halved versus basis. Most of Olympus’ other businesses also saw a decrease in sales, though it was not quite as drastic as that of digital cameras. Domestic sales of diagnostic systems, surgical and endo-therapy appliances as well as infocommunication solutions have enjoyed some modest growth.

Website: Olympus Financial Results

Super Talent Technology has succeeded in squeezing 32GB of NAND Flash storage into a thumbnail sized USB drive that is water resistant and supports data transfer speeds up to 200X (30MB/sec). The Pico C drive measures only 31 x 12 x 3 mm and weighs less than an American nickel (~5g). Super Talent uses a COB manufacturing process for its Pico series to achieve the smallest possible size. The 32GB Pico C is offered in either a nickel plated or 24K gold plated steel casing, while the 32GB Pico E, with a patent-pending sliding lid, is available with 24K gold plating. The Pico series 32GB USB drives are expected to retail for $85 each.