More than 40 different Schneider lenses for view cameras, ranging from 24mm to 1100mm, are eligible for instant rebates through 30 September 2009. The amount of the rebate varies between $200 and $400 depending on lens purchased. The offer is valid on 45 different Schneider lenses in the Apo-Symmar, Apo-Tele-Xenar, Fine Art, Macro-Symmar, Super-Angulon, Super-Symmar, Apo-Digitar and Macro Apo-Digitar designs.  Photographers should contact or visit any participating Schneider dealer found on the list at the website below. After getting a price quote from a dealer that meets their needs, photographers then tell or give the dealer the Instant Rebate Code Number 27686.

Website: Schneider Optics

‘How to Market Your Photos’ by Rohn Engh is a new eBook / eCourse on CD. The eCourse consists of 21 units and pulls together new strategies that successful photographers are using to take advantage of the Internet as a tool to make more sales. “Photobuyers have learned to circumvent the large stock agencies and use search engines to go directly to a photographer’s website who has the exact picture they need,” Engh says. “The secret to getting this photobuyer traffic is in knowing how to position yourself.” Engh’s e-Course, ‘How To Market your Photos,’ is priced at $89.95, and he is having an Early Bird sale up until 7 August making the eCourse available at $69.95.

Website: How to Market Your Photos

International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) has revealed the results of its Early Bird Competition, which was announced earlier this year. The theme of the 2009 contest was “In Full Bloom”, and the jury announced five talented photographers as winners: Anne Gilbert for her entry “Flowering Fruits’ (see above), Sharon Perrett for her work, ‘What a Beautiful Morning’, Sheila Sim for her image, ‘Kew Gardens’, Ariann Isaakson for the photo, ‘Summer Heat’ and iRon Tear for a photograph entitled ‘‘Bluebell Field’.

Website: IGPOTY Early Bird Competition 2009 Winners

Epson America today announced the Epson Perfection V500 Office scanner that effortlessly combines the productivity features of a document scanner and the image quality of a photo scanner into a compact package. The Epson Perfection V500 Office inherits some of the features, functions and characteristics of the existing Epson Perfection V500 Photo scanner, such as a resolution of 6300dpi, a transparency unit for film scanning and Digital ICE Technology for dust and scratch removal in film scans. What the new scanner adds is a 30-page automatic document feeder with scan speeds of up to three pages per minute, which makes for quick document scanning and thus for certain users eliminates the need for separate document and photo scanners. The Epson Perfection V500 Office will be available in September 2009 for an estimated street price of $350.

Toshiba have announced the launch date of the world’s first 64GB SDXC Memory Card capable of operating at the world’s fastest data transfer rate for reading and writing to a flash memory card. The new card is compliant with the new SD Memory Standard, Ver. 3.00, UHS104, boasting a maximum write speed of 35MB per second, and a read speed of 60MB per second. Mass production will start in the spring of 2010. Note that SDXC Memory Cards are interoperable only with an SDXC host device, which implements the exFAT file system, and do not work with existing SD and SDHC host devices.

Zacuto has announced the ZGrip iPhone Jr., a more affordable version of the ZGrip iPhone Pro handgrip for shooting stable video using the iPhone 3Gs. The iPhone 3Gs snaps into the iPhone cradle which is attached to the handgrip. The ZGrip iPhone Jr. has a ¼ 20” thread on the bottom so you can mount it to a tripod. It also has a ¼ 20” thread on the top for mounting accessories such as a light. The ZGrip iPhone Jr. will be available for $69 including a lifetime warranty, but by pre-ordering it until 15 August 2009, you can get a $10 instant rebate.

Pentax Imaging has announced that Camera Repair Instrument Service (CRIS), a provider of camera repair and imaging device maintenance, will partner with Pentax to provide factory repair service for Pentax cameras in the US. In this agreement, CRIS will act as the “factory service facility” for dealers and consumers in the United States. More information is available at www.criscam.com or visit www.pentaximaging.com for CRIS customer service contact information.

Samsung has launched a teaser campaign called ‘Tap and Take’, to draw attention to its new range of ‘Smart Cameras’, scheduled for launch on 13 August 2009. The Korean company has created a promotional website, called TapAndTake.com, which teases visitors with a host of short, intriguing videos (with more to come). The ‘Tap and Take’ campaign also has a presence on Twitter and Facebook.

Website: Tap and Take

The Times has launched the eighth Times Young Photographer of the Year competition, sponsored by Canon - this could be your chance to win a Canon EOS 5D Mark II (pictured) with two L lenses and a flash. In order to be able to enter, you need to be between 18 and 26 years of age and a legal resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. Entrants will need to submit one photograph in each of three different categories; Lifestyle, Portraiture and Reportage. The winning photographer will win a six-month full-time contract with Times Newspapers and a year’s membership to the British Press Photographer’s Association, in addition to a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera body, a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 L standard zoom, a Canon EF 70-200 F/2.8 L IS telezoom and a Canon580EX II Speedlite flash. The closing date for entries is midnight Saturday 12 September 2009. As always, we suggest that you read the Terms and Conditions before entering.

Website: The Times/Canon Young Photographer of the Year
Review: Read our in-depth review of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon has revealed the twelve-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S70 digital compact camera that features a newly developed 3.5” touch-sensitive OLED screen and 720p HD video capture. Along with the new screen comes a new generation of touch-screen controls that offer an enhanced shooting and playback experience. For example, using the Touch Shutter feature, users can have a completely “button-free” experience and focus on and photograph a subject by simply touching it on the camera’s display. The touch-screen also makes viewing and retouching images more efficient, Nikon claims. Additional new touch-screen controls include on-screen sliders for adjusting brightness and Scene Effect Adjustment, which offers controls specific to the scene mode in use. Other features include a 5x zoom lens with optical vibration reduction, Subject Tracking, Scene Auto Selector Mode and Nikon’s Smart Portrait System. The Nikon Coolpix S70 will be available in September 2009 for $399.95 MSRP in a choice of colours and textures including Red & Red, Champagne & Beige (pictured), Black & Black, or Champagne & Light Brown.

In addition to the innovative Nikon S1000pj and the ultra-fast Nikon S640, Nikon has also introduced the “elegantly simple” Nikon Coolpix S570, intended for the fashion-conscious photographer. With the Nikon S570, the keyword is ease-of-use. Intelligent scene mode selection, face detection, smile recognition, a “blink-proof technology” and a Skin Softening function are all on board to help “even those with no photography experience” capture pleasing photos. Like the other two Coolpix models announced today, this camera also boasts a 12-megpixel imager, a 2.7-inch rear screen and a 5x zoom lens (though apparently without lens-based vibration reduction). The Nikon S570 will be availablein September 2009, for $199.95 MSRP.

Nikon has unveiled the Nikon Coolpix S640, allegedly the “world’s fastest Coolpix”, which is claimed to deliver autofocus speeds comparable to the Nikon D40 dSLR. Other highlights include a 28-140mm equivalent Nikkor zoom lens featuring optical vibration reduction, a 12-megapixel sensor and a 2.7” LCD screen. The all-metal Nikon Coolpix S640 will be available in September 2009 for $249.95 MSRP.

Nikon UK has announced the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj, billed as “the world’s first camera with an integrated projector”. The built-in projector projects an image size from approximately 5 inches up to 40 inches. A supplied remote control allows you to wirelessly operate both the projector and usual camera functions, and a simple projection stand is supplied for optimal viewing. The more conventional features include a twelve-megapixel sensor, a 5x zoom and a 2.7” wide viewing-angle TFT LCD monitor. With the purchase of a Nikon Coolpix S1000pj digital camera, you also get 2GB of space on ‘my Picturetown’, Nikon’s online digital photo storage and sharing service. The RRP is £399.99 / €485.00, and availability is slated for September 2009.

Epson will stage a number of events and activities to coincide with the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Prior to the event, Epson will sponsor an almost 700km charity run from Epson Germany’s headquarters in Meerbusch to the Berlin Olympic Stadium, the setting for the world championships. Epson will also turn one of Berlin’s main thoroughfares into a giant street gallery, featuring an international collection of photographs, inspired by athletics, and crafted by some of the most famous photographers of the past 125 years. To ensure high-impact, high-quality, memorable prints, the 200cm x 135cm images will be printed by Epson on a Stylus Pro GS6000 large format printer.

iSyndica, a cloud-based digital media distribution platform that simplifies online selling by syndicating, promoting and tracking user content on multiple established channels, has announced a reduction of its subscription prices. The new prices, which start at $4.99/month, is expected to help attract even more customers to iSyndica’s growing distribution platform. To date, iSyndica has already distributed more than 110GB of photos and 60GB of videos to stock photography and footage sites, the company claims. As a complement to its new pricing, iSyndica has also introduced an affiliate programme designed to encourage existing users to promote iSyndica to their friends and colleagues. It gives existing users the chance to gain credits, which they can use to distribute more media through iSyndica, and even share revenue.

Kodak has released an updated free version of their Kodak EASYSHARE Software, which promises to deliver easy and fast upload to Facebook, YouTube and the Kodak Gallery. Kodak’s EASYSHARE Software is an award-winning, full-featured photo software applications that consumers prefer to use to organize, edit, share, create, and print from their digital collection.  The software is free and works seamlessly with Kodak cameras, printers, digital frames, and Kodak Gallery. Version 8.0 is available via download for free at the website below.

Website: Kodak EASYSHARE Software

AdoramaPix have announced the availability of high-quality hardcover photobooks, printed on real photo paper. Pages and covers are printed on Fujifilm Crystal Archive Album paper, and the books also have lay-flat bindings for seamless double page spreads and panoramas. AdoramaPix also offer an online book creation program called PixPublisher, which boasts features such as a colour-picker to precisely match background to images and an “entire library of backgrounds, frames, fonts and embellishments”.

Sony Hong Kong has quietly made available the English-language instruction manual of a new, 24-megapixel full-frame DSLR, called the Sony A850. According to the specifications listed on pages 154-156, the Sony A850 is very similar to the existing A900 model we reviewed earlier this year, except that it has a slower burst rate of 3 frames per second, and a somewhat lower viewfinder coverage of approximately 98%. Most other features and functions of the Sony A850 appear identical to those found in the A900, including mirror lock-up, AF micro adjustment, intelligent preview, 9+10 AF points, dual CompactFlash/MemoryStick slots etc. Like the A900, the A850 appears to lack live view and video recording functionality. At the time of writing, the manual is still available for download at the website below.

Website: Download the Sony A850 manual from Sony Asia Pacific
(Select “Digital SLR Camera” from the first drop-down list, then pick “DSLR-A850” from the third.)

Via Engadget

Update (3 August 2009): After being available for about 24 hours, the manual appears to have been pulled.
Update 2 (27 August 2009): The Sony A850 is officially announced.

Synology America Corp. has announced the availability of their new iPhone application, DS photo, which is available to download for free. DS photo provides Disk Station users the ability to use an iPhone or iPod Touch to upload photos to their Synology Disk Station, or browse photos stored directly on their Synology Disk Stations remotely. Users can upload their photos to an existing album or create a new one, and customise the photo titles and descriptions. Uploaded photos are instantly available through the web-based Synology Photo Station 3 and can be viewed with a desktop computer, iPhone, or Windows Mobile phone. DS photo is available for download on the Apple App Store.

The Nature Conservancy invites you to enter your nature photos to their 4th annual digital photography competition. The contest is open to all participants aged 18 and older regardless of residence or citizenship, so long as the laws of their jurisdiction allow participation. Photo submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on September 30, 2009. You retain ownership and full rights to all images submitted, but grant The Nature Conservancy the right to use your images in support of the Conservancy’s mission. As always, we encourage you to read the rules before entering.