Tamron has announced the pricing of the new Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II Macro lens for the euro zone. The lens, which shall become available at retail a week from now, has a suggested retail price of €699 including VAT, according to a German-language press release issued in Cologne today. As we wrote earlier, main features of the Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II Macro lens include 1:1 magnification, maximum aperture of f2, and a minimum focusing distance of 23cm. The lens is constructed of 14 elements in 10 groups, has 7 diaphragm blades and a filter diameter of 55mm. Other highlights include an internal focusing system and full-time manual control. Note that this lens is not meant to be used on full-frame DSLRs and 35mm film SLRs, because its imaging circle is smaller than that required to cover these formats.

Via photoscala.de

Manfrotto has completely renewed its i-Family range of remote controls. They improved the current firmware and the internal electronic components in order to make these new products more user friendly and cover all the new features of the newest Sony and Canon cameras. The 521Pro-i and 523Pro-i are compatible with auto focus and AF/MF switch functions of the latest video cameras. Moreover, the i-family top product, the 523Pro-i, features also the useful functionality of REC review. All of the new remote controls come with a longer coiled cord cable that allows a greater distance of the remote control from the video camera.

Ricoh has issued a firmware upgrade for the Ricoh CX1 digital compact camera. Version 1.24 fixes issues related to recording the correct orientation information when using slow shutter speeds and printing via certain PictBridge compliant printers.

Website: Ricoh CX1 Firmware Upgrades
Review: Read our in-depth review of the Ricoh CX1

Nikon UK is celebrating 50 years of its pioneering F-Mount lens system by offering up to £75/€90 cashback on D5000 and lens combination purchases. The promotion begins today, and runs until 31 August 2009. All claims must arrive by 30th September in order to qualify. The £75/€90 offer is valid for double-lens kits, whereas there is £50/€60 cashback available for single-lens kits. The promotion does not extend to body-only purchases.

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Nikon D5000

Olympus has issued updates to its Olympus Master and Olympus Studio software packages. Versions 2.2 and 2.3 (respectively) bring about the following improvements: E-P1 raw support, art filter options for raw images, improved use of e-Portrait and Beauty Fix through possible function and level selection later on a computer, and a novel Video Editor.

Website: Olympus Software Downloads

Lexar Media, a subsidiary of Micron Technology, has introduced the Lexar Platinum II 32GB SDHC and the Lexar 16GB microSDHC memory cards, which utilise Micron’s new high-capacity 34nm NAND chips. The newly architected 32Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND chip is 17 percent smaller than Micron’s first-generation 32Gb chip. The 16Gb MLC NAND chip, at just 84mm², provides high-capacity in an ultra tiny package. Lexar is taking advantage of Micron’s new 34nm NAND products by delivering a 32GB SDHC and a 16GB microSDHC card, with plans to significantly expand the line by September. In addition to its high capacity, the new Lexar PLatinum SDHC card is speed-rated at 60x (Class 4), offering a minimum-sustained write speed of 9MB per second. The Lexar Platinum II 32GB SDHC card is available now from tne Lexar Online Store at $139.99. The Lexar 16GB microSDHC mobile memory card costs $99.99.

Talenthouse, a purpose-built online platform for all artists and creatives, launched today at www.talenthouse.com. Artists can log onto talenthouse.com and create a profile that showcases their talent, including a brief description of history and past work experience, a profile picture as well as links to personal Web sites and other social networking pages. Most importantly, Talenthouse provides easy access to samples of an artist’s work, which are uploaded and presented in a unique 3D timeline. The site has already recruited more than 25,000 members in a closed Alpha release, with the goal of signing up more than 1 million before the first anniversary of the site in June 2010.

In his brand new exhibition, photographer Richard Nolan-Neylan explores the Danish bicycle as an art form. The vibrant culture surrounding the relationship between the Danes and their bike has allowed for richness in colour, shape and form. Richard has observed that the practical perspective with which this mode of transport is viewed has lead to inspired designs. All the images were taken over 2 days in July 2008. The random nature of the pictures and the places they were taken in is reflected in the bikes. The exhibition, hosted by Alternative Arts Photo-space at 530 Commercial Road, London E1 0HY, runs from 3 July to 1 August 2009. The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am to 6pm and admission is free.

A new incarnation of Cooliris, the free plug-in that transforms your browser into an interactive and infinite 3D Wall of content, has just been released. Version 1.11 changes the way Cooliris interacts with you “in some really fundamental but really important ways”, the company says. A big change is that Cooliris now features tabbed browsing. This enables you to run multiple instances of the app, and lets you jump freely between Cooliris, other tabs, and desktop programs such as email clients and iTunes. Furthermore, full-screen is now an option rather than a default, allowing you to make Cooliris your centerpiece or just another window. The new version can be downloaded from www.cooliris.com for Firefox (Windows, Mac, Linux) and Internet Explorer. A beta version for Safari (Mac) is also available.

E-pens Create is a new digital pen designed for drawing, handwriting and easily editing creative projects and photos on a PC or laptop. It provides a solution to converting hand drawn illustrations to a digital format for further editing. Users can clip the e-pens base unit to a normal paper notepad and connect it via the USB cable to draw directly into their PC. Furthermore, the digital pen can be used to easily and accurately amend photographs by removing red eye and improving colours and clarity. Manufactured by Apcom Limited, e-pens Create is available for £59.99 from Amazon.

From almost 8,000 outstanding entries, 12 successful images have been chosen as winners of the DK Eyewitness Travel PhotoBritain Competition. The overall winner of the competition is London-based amateur photographer, Frame Muller. Frame’s image - entered in the Heritage category - captures the magnificence of Leeds Castle at sundown. This shot will be published on the front cover of DK Eyewitness Great Britain Guide 2010. The successful applicant has also been awarded £100 worth of DK books, £1,500 Landmark Trust holiday voucher, £100 of PhotoBox vouchers and a PhotoBox canvas of their winning image. A selected collection of entries will be exhibited at the Waterstone’s flagship store in Piccadilly, London from 6th-31st July 2009.

Burrard-Lucas Photography has launched a new travel photography competition with over $2,000 in prizes. The theme is ‘Mysterious Places’, and is sponsored by Lensbaby and Smugmug. The competition isopen to participants worldwide, aged 18 or over on the closing date, whichis 31st October 2009. We encourage you to read the rules at the bottom of the competition page.

Seagate has introduced an advanced line-up of mobile and desktop FreeAgent for Mac storage solutions and accessories. These include the FreeAgent Go for Mac with USB, FreeAgent Go Pro for Mac, the 2TB FreeAgent Desk for Mac and FreeAgent Go Dock+, a powered USB hub and dock for the FreeAgent Go. All Seagate FreeAgent for Mac solutions come formatted as HSF+ for Mac OS X and are Time Machine ready.

Flip Video has announced that its revamped Flip Ultra and Flip UltraHD pocket video cameras are now available for purchase in the United Kingdom. As with the original Ultra, the cameras provide simple, one-touch recording and the signature flip-out USB arm connects directly to any computer. Key advances for both the Ultra and UltraHD include a doubling of the internal memory capacity, allowing users to capture up to two hours of footage on the camera without the need for costly additional SD cards. The Flip Ultra’s viewing screen has also been significantly expanded to two inches. The Flip Ultra is available in black, white, pink, and yellow and is available at just £129.99. The Flip UltraHD comes in black and white complemented by a chrome trim and is available at £159.99 from Amazon, Play.com, Dixons, Currys.digital and PC World.

1clickactions have released their latest set of Photoshop actions for photographers, called 1clickPRO. Using a combination of traditional actions and javascript, 1clickPRO offers a higher degree of versatility and control than has previously been available, the company says. The 1clickPRO series is compatible with Photoshop CS2 and later on both Windows and Macs and is available now from http://www.1clickactions.com.

Issue #17 of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine has been released. The June 2009 edition features articles on composition and how keeping things simple can lead to great photography. The issue also examines how to overcome “photographer’s block” when lack of inspiration occurs. Included is also a Photoshop tutorial on creating an urban “grunge” type effect for dramatic impact. In the Photography Around the World column, photographer Ian Miller takes readers to Cambodia, a place of interesting history and rich culture. The magazine also has some tips on how you can make money with your photography, an editorial for the film purists, a look at 50mm prime lenses, and an interview with one very talented photographer. PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download from http://www.photographyBB.com/magazine.

Plawa-feinwerktechnik GmbH & Co. KG has just announced the AgfaPhoto DC-600uw, a compact digital camera that is waterproof down to a depth of 10 metres. The manufacturer has apparently resisted the urge to put a ten- or twelve-megapixel sensor into the DC-600uw, equipping it with a more reasonable-sounding 6-megapixel CCD instead. The other highlights of the new camera include a moderately wide, 36.5mm equivalent prime lens, a 2.4” TFT LCD screen, a sensitivity range of ISO 100-1600, ten scene modes, a custom white balance option,  32MB of internal storage plus compatibility with SD/SDHC memory cards. In addition to taking still photographs, the AgfaPhoto DC-600uw underwater camera can also capture 640x480-pixel videos at 30 frames per second. Weighing in at 131 grams, the camera runs on two AA-sized batteries and is available now for €149 including German VAT in Europe. The MSRP in the U.S.A. is $199.