JVC have just released the JVC Xiview LT-42WX70, an ultra-slim, wide-gamut flat-panel LCD monitor targeted at DSLR users. The 42”, 120Hz 1080p LCD TV monitor features expanded colour space capacity encompassing 100 percent of HDTV broadcasting’s sRGB.904 colour space and a coverage rate of 96 percent for Adobe RGB.  Digital photos taken using the Adobe RGB colour space and displayed on the LT-42WX70 in the Adobe RGB mode will allegedly be reproduced with colours faithful to the original. Moreover,  the LT-42WX70 also features 52 picture-quality adjustment properties for tweaking both still and video images to the exact colours and tones the user prefers. For example, individual colour management settings of red, yellow, green, cyan tints and colours, as well as skin tone tint can be adjusted on-screen using the supplied remote controller. The JVC LT-42WX70 is available now and is priced at $2,399.95.

Pentax Japan has posted a selection of official sample images taken with the recently announced Pentax K-7 DSLR. You can download four full-resolution sample photographs taken with three different lenses, the smc PENTAX-DA?55mmF1.4 SDM (pictured), the smc PENTAX-DA?50-135mmF2.8ED[IF]SDM and the smc PENTAX-DA 12-24mmF4ED AL[IF]. All of the photos were captured at ISO 100.

Website: Official Pentax K-7 Samples

Blue Earth and The Ansel Adams Gallery have teamed up to bring the work of eight fine art landscape photographers to the Mumm Napa Gallery in Rutherford, California, for an exhibition entitled “Changing Earth: Photographers’ Call to Action”. The exhibition opens on 19 September 2009 and will be displayed for six months. The works depict endangered cultures, threatened environments and topics of social concern.  Their subjects include the Amazon, Colorado River Delta, wildlife corridors, the effect of climate change on local people, wildlife rescue, Siberia defrosted, animals in captivity and Earth as inspiration.

The top 100 finalists in the Hasselblad 2009 Masters Awards Competition have been selected and their images are now online for viewing and voting by the public. Photographers from China, Japan, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, India, Canada, the United States, Italy, Australia, Germany, and other countries have captured images that reflect 10 categories: architectural, editorial, fashion/beauty, fine art, general, landscapes/nature, portrait, products, upcoming, and wedding/social. This year, for the first time, judging is open to the public. A special online gallery and voting area allow website visitors to vote for their favorite photographers and images. The public will serve as an additional “jury member,” helping the Masters Jury select semi-finalists and finalists.

Website: Hasselblad Masters 2009 Online Gallery

Hi-Den Vision has introduced the Tiny Hi-Def Photo Player, claimed to be the smallest photo / media player for viewing photos in large HDTVs of up to 1080p resolution. Measuring just 48x101x16mm, the Tiny Hi-Def Photo Player accepts external hard disks and flash drives via its USB 2.0 port and allows photographers on the go to play back their shots on the TV set in their hotel room. The player is available now and costs $42.99 plus shipping.

Panasonic has released a firmware upgrade to the Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega O.I.S. lens. Version 1.1 improves AF performance when taking still photographs in continuous AF mode, and also enhances the performance of the AF and Mega O.I.S. (optical Image Stabiliser) systems while reducing noise of aperture control for taking movies. The latter improvements apply to those cases when the lens is mounted to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1.

Website: Lens Update Service

Nik Software has announced that Dfine 2.0, its plug-in offering photographers advanced and powerful noise reduction for their digital images, is now available for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 and higher. “Dfine 2.0 now joins Sharpener Pro 3.0, Viveza, Color Efex Pro 3.0 and Silver Efex Pro and completes the Lightroom update for our entire line of software plug-ins for photographers,” said Michael J. Slater president and CEO of Nik Software. This update, like previous Lightroom compatibility releases, is offered to Dfine 2.0 users at no additional cost.

Website: Dfine 2.0

“The Obama Time Capsule”, billed by its producers as the first customisable photo book ever, is now available for purchase. HP and Against All Odds Productions (AAO) have teamed up to produce “The OBAMA Time Capsule”, chronicling Barack Obama’s journey to the White House through the first 100 days in office. HP’s “Print on Demand” technology allows users to upload their personal photos, personalise a dedication page, add themselves as one of the authors of the book and personalise pages with their own thoughts on this time in history. Copies can be ordered starting today exclusively on Amazon.com. The book retails for $65.00 but is $39.95 for the first 10,000 books purchased.

Website: The Obama Time Capsule

The final submission deadline of the DK Travel PhotoBritain competition is getting closer and closer, so enter your photos while you can. The competition spans 4 categories; Iconic, Heritage, Wild, or My Britain and it encourages UK photographers to submit photos that showcase what Britain has to offer. Submissions close on 31st May.

Website: DK Eyewitness Travel PhotoBritain

Panasonic has announced that it will launch new SDHC memory cards with Class 10 speed specification in Europe and other markets from the end of May, 2009. Class 10 is a new speed specification standardised by SD Card Association as part of SD Card Specification Ver.3.0 to meet the requirement for higher resolution consecutive shooting and large-sized high definition video shooting. The Panasonic GOLD line series are set to become the world’s first memory cards to adopt this new speed class. A large volume of AVCHD Full HD video data fully written on a new Gold card can be transferred to a PC approx. 40% faster compared to the current Class 4 card, Panasonic says. The new cards will be available in the UK from June 2009.

Adobe has released its Photoshop Camera Raw 5.4 Release Candidate, available immediately as a free download for existing customers of Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Elements 7, Premiere Elements 7 and Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac. The Camera Raw 5.4 Release Candidate extends raw file support to an additional 26 camera and camera back models including the Canon EOS 500D (EOS Rebel T1i), Epson R-D1x, Kodak EasyShare Z980, Nikon D5000, Olympus E-620, Olympus E-450, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1, Sigma DP2 and 18 Hasselblad models.

Website: Adobe Camera Labs

Samsung have released the Samsung SPF-87H, an ultra-thin digital photo frame.  The Samsung SPF-87H is only 23mm thick and features an 8-inch wide screen and 1GB of internal memory plus an SD slot for expanded storage. The screen boasts a contrast ratio of 500:1 and a resolution of 800x480 pixels. In addition to running photo slide shows in a variety of formats, the SPF-87H can be linked to a computer and serve as a secondary mini-monitor. With its Power Saving feature, the photo frame runs on minimal power through its USB cable. With an MSRP of US$129, the SPF-87H is now available from Fry’s Electronics and Amazon.com.

Gitzo has announced its support for the Wild Wonders of Europe - a photographic project set to reveal the amazing natural treasures of this continent to over 700 million people worldwide. The project celebrates the joy of wildness, reminding us all about why nature matters in our lives, and why we need to protect it. 66 European photographers are participating in Wild Wonders and they will complete very different missions before the conclusion in 2010 which will then see the launch of informative books and outdoor exhibitions that will tour Europe. Gitzo has provided a number of the photographers, who are based in various countries including Italy, Sweden, Russia, Norway, Hungary, Spain, UK, Holland, France, Poland and Germany, with equipment ranging from tripods and ball heads to apparel.

Rocky Nook has published a new book entitled Mastering the Nikon D700. This book is another title in the Nikonians Press series—the new, joint venture between Nikonians and Rocky Nook. Co-authored by information engineer and avid photographer Darrell Young and technical writer / Nikon photographer James Johnson, Mastering the Nikon D700 explores the features and capabilities of the D700 in detail, surpassing basic user manuals by providing step-by-step menu setting adjustments coupled with illustrations and logical explanations for each option. Frequent references to user manuals provided by Nikon (complete with specific page references) are included. The book is distributed internationally by O’Reilly Media and costs US$39.95.

Olympus has announced a prize draw for new owners of certain Olympus products, giving them an opportunity to win a limited-edition Olympus Space Kit. The kit comprises two transparent lens caps (ø 67 and 72mm), an earthgreen camera strap and an exclusive Olympus Space Project 2009 card with Space Project logo. In the course of the Olympus Space Project, the Japanese astronaut Dr. Koichi Wakata took an Olympus E-3 and a range of Zuiko Digital lenses to the International Space Station ISS to shoot images of the Earth. Only new owners of an E-3, E-30, 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD or 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 lens are eligible to enter, by way of registering their new camera or lens. The promotion runs from 20 May until 30 June. Click through / read on for details.

Nik Software offers free webinars are facilitated by Nik Software’s product specialists and highlight all Nik Software products as well as special topics. Furthermore the attendees are invited to interact with Nik Software’s experts: subsequent to a 30-45-minute presentation there is a live chat for asking and discussing questions. The trainings are in English and German language and highlight all software products developed by Nik Software, including Dfine, Viveza, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro (pictured) and Sharpener Pro as well as Nikon’s Capture NX 2. The webinars are subdivided into beginners-trainings for photographers with little or no previous knowledge and advanced-trainings starting in October 2009.

Website: Nik Software Webinars

ACD Systems International has opened beta testing for its new ACDSee Pro Photo Manager for Mac, the first version of the company’s Pro Photo Manager software for Mac applications. Already, more than 2,800 devoted Mac users have signed on to participate in the beta period and provide feedback to ACD Systems developers. To further bring Mac enthusiasts into the development process, ACD Systems compiled an advisory panel of 50 users to solicit insights on key workflow features that professional and advanced amateur photographers want and need. Beta downloads of ACDSee Pro for Mac are available at www.acdsee.com/proformac and the final version is set for release in 2010.