Lensbaby has announced the PL mount version of the Lensbaby Muse selective-focus lens. The new Muse PL features the Lensbaby Optic Swap System and is specially designed for use with PL mount motion image capture cameras. The Muse PL allows for highly creative focusing effects on any 16mm or 35mm PL mount movie camera, as well as several PL to video camera adapters such as the P+S Technik, Redrockmicro M2, Brevis35, Letus35, and SGpro.  The Muse PL creates a sweet spot of focus by using optics that feature a curved field of focus, giving cinematographers a unique way to control depth of field that is different from what is possible with existing tilt-shift lenses. The Lensbaby Muse PL is available for $300 from lensbaby.com.

Website: Lensbaby Muse PL Sample Clips

Photobucket today announced the availability of a native photo upload solution for the new Palm® Pre™ phone. As a pre-installed photo upload partner, Photobucket lets Palm Pre users easily send photos taken on their mobile device to a Photobucket album without having to download an application. To set up a Photobucket account on Pre, select “Photos” from the launcher, tap “Preferences and Accounts” from the application menu and select “Add An Account.”

A new range of stylish summer camera and accessory bags is now available from Orkio. Aimed at “photography enthusiasts and those looking for a stylish bag without compromise on protection”, the Orkio branded bags are claimed to be all about fashion and function. The ranges are available from the high street and online in a choice of several colours and patterns starting at £9.99 for compact cameras and £42.99 for DSLRs.

Photodex Corporation has released the ProShow StylePack Volume 2, a new collection of pre-made slide enhancements for use in ProShow Producer slide shows. The ProShow StylePack Volume 2 features 25 new styles, including styles like Old Film Projector, Slot Machine, Merge Madness and Blow Out Cascade. The product is available now for $19.95 from www.photodex.com.

Zacuto have released three new DSLR Gunstock Shooter rigs and a new video, “Introducing DSLR Gorilla Kits”. The Rapid Fire, Quick Draw, and Tactical Shooter are innovative lightweight DSLR Gunstock Shooters which are part of the new line called Gorilla Kits. Designed for photojournalists, event and indie film shooters, the new rigs are lightweight, inexpensive and infinitely adjustable, the company says. The Rapid Fire kit has 2 points of contact by using the gunstock in your shoulder, hand on the camera and eye in the viewfinder, and costs $580. The Quick Draw kit has 2 points of contact by using the handgrip in one hand, your other hand on the camera lens and eye in the viewfinder ($715). The Tactical Shooter rig has 3 points of contact and a list price of $1176.

For the month of June, the Hasselblad H3DII-50 will be bundled with the new HCD 4.0-5.6/35-90 zoom lens at a price of $29,995 in the U.S.A. This special offer is said to represent savings of almost $3,000. The H3DII-50 is a 50-megapixel digital camera sporting a 36x48mm Kodak sensor. The Hasselblad HCD 4.0-5.6/35-90 zoom is a new, designed-for-digital lens that normally sells for $6,996 by itself. The bundle includes both the camera and the lens plus a viewfinder. The offer is available on orders placed for delivery from June 1-June 30, 2009, by citizens of the U.S.A. / Canada only

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has announcedthe launch of this year’s RSPCA Young Photographer Awards. The aim of the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards (YPA) is to encourage young people’s interest in photography and show their appreciation and understanding of the animals around them. There are two age categories, a Pet personalities category plus the so-called Olympus portfolio category. There are a number of prizes up for grabs in YPA 09, including £1000 worth of Olympus vouchers, Olympus digital cameras, an exclusive RSPCA photoshoot and the chance to attend an invite-only awards ceremony where all shortlisted entries will be on display. The deadline for entries is midnight on 7 September for those submitted via www.rspca.org.uk/ypa or 5pm on 24 August for postal entries.

AKVIS Software has released AKVIS SmartMask v.2.5, an image selection and masking plugin for Windows and Mac platforms.  Version 2.5 makes the eyedropper tools more flexible; adds new interface languages (French and Portuguese) and improves compatibility with Photoshop CS3,CS4 on Macintosh. Upgrade for registered users is free. AKVIS SmartMask sells for $120.00 USD. Upgrade to version 2.5 is free for registered users of earlier versions.

Today LaCie announced LaCinema Classic Bridge, billed as an economic way to add media player functionality to existing storage devices. Simply connect the Classic Bridge to a desired TV, add a storage device, and play libraries of movies, music, and photos in flawless 1080p HD resolution. You have two options to do this: option one allows you to connect an external USB drive to the front of the device for easy access to their multimedia content. Option lets you simply insert an internal hard disk directly into the device. Users may also choose to implement both options for expanded capacity. LaCinema Classic Bridge is available now and retails for £69 including VAT.

Apple has released a Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update along with updates to the iLife Support software and three iLife ‘09 applications. The Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update adds support for the Canon EOS 500D, the Nikon D5000 and the Olympus E-30 (pictured). The iLife Support update (version 9.0.3) improves the stability of the Media Browser, addresses certain compatibility issues and contains some additional, minor fixes. iPhoto 8.0.3 embeds GPS co-ordinates in emailed photos and exported JPEGs, improves slideshow playback and fixes a few other issues. iMovie version 8.0.3 adds AVCHD Lite support, while iDVD version 7.0.4 addresses general compatibility issues.

Website: Apple Support Downloads

Canon has revived its plan to build a new camera factory in Nagasaki, with construction starting in July, according to Reuters. The plan was shelved a few months ago due to the crisis of the world economy. Canon now says that strong demand for its DSLRs makes the investment economically viable, although the construction of one of the originally planned three facilities might still be delayed. Reuters quotes a spokesperson as saying that the Nagasaki plant, which is to have an annual capacity of 4 million cameras inlcluding both SLRs and compacts, would start production in March/April 2010.

Via Reuters

Update: Canon has just issued a press release, which you can read below.

Ritz Interactive, Inc., the e-commerce network that includes RitzCamera.com, WolfCamera.com, BoatersWorld.com and other online shopping sites, has announced the launch of their newest website, ScrapbookingAlley.com. “Scrapbookers represent a lucrative segment of the photo market,” claims Ritz Interactive President and CEO Fred H. Lerner. ScrapbookingAlley.com carries over 11,000 products from most major scrapbooking manufacturers. Such well known brands as We R Memory Keepers, Spellbinders, Ellison/Sissix, Provo Craft, Making Memories, and many others are available for purchase. Moreover, the website offers users project ideas from Ranger and Kaisercraft, the ability to shop products by theme, a quote and sayings library and many other community features.

Website: ScrapbookingAlley

FolioLink, an online website service for photographers, has announced the immediate availability of scaling technology in their latest FLASH design. With scaling websites, photographers no longer have to choose between large or small images for their online portfolios. They can upload full-resolution photographs, which are seamlessly scaled down to fit the viewer’s monitor if needed. According to FotoLink, past arguments that most web visitors do not have sufficient bandwidth to view large images or that most screens are 15 inches or smaller no longer apply. Technology trends have led to the use of large, high resolution screens and increased Internet bandwidth. To see the scaling feature in action, visit http://www.joelgrimes.com

LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph has opened submissions for YourSpace Online - a new feature that will enable photographers worldwide to participate in this year’s festival. Photographers everywhere may submit images to be projected live via large screens at the festival and displayed in online galleries as well. Submission is free and requires a free PhotoShelter Starter account. Participants may submit up to 3 images for consideration and should represent each photographer’s interpretation of this year’s theme, which is “fortune.” Submissions will be accepted and reviewed through 11:59 PM on June 13, 2009.

Website: Instructions

LaCie have announced the latest products to expand their range of Wireless HD media players – LaCinema Black PLAY and LaCinema Black RECORD. Designed with High Definition in mind, LaCinema Black PLAY and RECORD allow users to watch downloaded HD movies and television programmes directly on the television. Promoting a greater use of HDTVs, these new products are capable of decoding 1080p resolution movies, HD JPEG photos and 1080i upscaling of Standard Definition movies. LaCinema Black RECORD features Digital Video Recorder (DVR) technology, which allows users to record, pause, and rewind their favourite TV shows with the support of a connected set-top box or cable converter. The LaCinema Black is available through the LaCie Online Store or LaCie resellers at the suggested retail price starting at $429.99.

Viewbook.com has released a plugin for Adobe Lightroom2, allowing professional photographers to deliver presentations with ease. Photographers that use Adobe Lightroom2 can now export their images directly to Viewbook.com and create professional online presentations instantly from their Lightroom2 library. At export, Viewbook automatically creates two sizes for web and converts the photos to sRGB for optimum display in browsers. The originals are stored untouched and can be used for visual high-resolution client delivery. Photos in Viewbook can be simply added to portfolios, to project sites or promotional widgets in a few easy clicks.

Website: viewbook.com