Pentax USA have reduced the price of the Pentax K20D by $200. Effective immediately, the K20D is now available at these prices:

K20D body only - $799.95
K20D with DA 18-55mm II lens kit: $879.95
K20D with DA 16-45mm lens kit: $1199.95

Pentax are also extending the free Three Year Warranty on all K20Ds purchased by March 31st 2009.

US retailer Ritz Cameras has today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Chief Restructuring Officer Marc Weinsweig commented “The loss of revenues and profit margins from the diminution in the photo-finishing business proved too much of a burden, coupled with the losses experienced by the Boater’s World business in 2008.” Ritz are attempting to obtain $85 million of financing to keep operating.

Website: Ritz Camera files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The Quik Pod Explorer and Precision are two new handheld extendable tripods. The Quik Pod Pro Precision features a Universal Two Axis Leveling Adapter, which can be used for handheld and tabletop tripod use. The Quik Pod Explorer is the longest compact handheld extendable, extending to 38.5” (98cm).

The 13th edition of PhotographyBB Online Magazine is now available for free download. The February 2009 release features techniques on shooting concert photography along with issues to consider when shooting in concert environments, a photographic view of skiing in Italy, and an article for the aspiring pro-photographer entitled “How to Get Your Photos Published.” “This issue marks a major milestone for PhotographyBB; our one year anniversary issue. Our team has worked so hard over the past 12 months with their informative and thoughtful contributions to the magazine, and the reader feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.” commented Editor in Chief, Dave Seeram.

Aaduki Multimedia Insurance is offering 10% off their insurance policies for photographers. The 10% discount will only be available from the Aaduki or SWPP stands at the Focus on Imaging show, and will be valid on quotes issued at Focus up to the end of March 2009. Vince Brown, Sales Manager said, “ We are offering the additional discount to attract photographers that may have seen our name but never received a quotation off us to come and get a price to see how it stacks up against their renewal. We are confident that not only do we offer good value for money in these times of economic hardship, but we have a great service too.”

The Sony Cyber-shot T700 is a stylish 10 megapixel compact camera with a massive 4Gb of internal memory. Available in red, champagne gold, pink, dark gray and silver, the Sony T700 is almost completely controlled via its 3.5 inch, 921,600 dot, touch-screen LCD panel. Other stand-out features of the Cybershot T700 include intelligent scene recognition, Smile Shutter and face detection with child and adult priority, high sensitivity shooting (up to ISO 3200), anti-blink function, and optical image stabilisation. Zoltan Arva-Toth finds out if the Sony Cyber-shot T700 is worth the £290 / $400 asking price.

Website: Sony Cyber-shot T700 Review

The Samsung TL320 is a new 12 megapixel camera with a 5x, 24mm wide-angle zoom lens and 3 inch OLED screen. The TL320 (also known as the Samsung WB100) has a a 3 inch, 460,000 dot HVGA AMOLED screen, offering a high contrast ratio of 10,000:1 which produces darker black levels, more vibrant colors, and a brighter display that can be reviewed at any angle. The Samsung TL320 also features high-definition video recording at a resolution of 720p and HDMI connectivity, plus aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual shooting. Available in black or silver, the TL320 will be available in May 2009 for $379.99. In the UK the Samsung WB100 will be available in black and silver for £329 from April 2009.

The Samsung HZ15W is a new 12 megapixel camera with a 10x, 24mm wide-angle zoom lens. The step-up model from the HZ10W, which was introduced in January, the Samsung HZ15W (also known as the Samsung WB550) offers a larger 3 inch LCD screen. Just like the HZ10W, the HZ15W model has a 24-240mm lens, Dual Image Stabilization, Smart Auto, Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection, Self Portrait and Beauty Shot modes. It can also record high-definition video at a resolution of 720p and connected directly to an HDTV via the HDMI port. The Samsung HZ15W will be available in March 2009 for $329.99. In the UK the Samsung WB550 will be available in black and dark grey for £299 from April 2009.

The Samsung PL10 is a new 9 megapixel multimedia digital camera. The PL10 (also known as the Samsung Samsung CL5) features a 2.7 inch LCD screen and PMP (Personal Multimedia Player) with integrated MP3 player. Other standout features of the PL10 include Face Recognition, Perfect Portrait System, Smart Auto and Frame guide. In the UK the Samsung PL10 will be available from April 2009 in silver, royal black, arty red, candy pink and purple for £179.

The Olympus X915 and X890 are new digital cameras exclusive to UK retailer Jessops. The Olympus X915 (pictured) is a 12 megapixel camera with a 5x optical zoom and 2.7 LCD screen. The Olympus X890 has 10 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and a 2.7 LCD screen. The Olympus X915 and X890 are available now from Jessops stores or online for £299 and £259 respectively.

The Leica SF 58 is a new powerful flashgun for the M, R and S systems. The SF58 has a guide number of 58 and can cope with everything from subtle fill-in and indirect flash light using the tilt reflector, to decoupled flash operation in slave mode. It features a main reflector that is responsible for the indirect flash, and a secondary reflector that can be used to lighten up the dark areas. The Leica SF58 also has an integrated USB port for firmware updating.

The winners of the Urban Encounter competition, organised by Lonely Planet and Pikeo, have been announced. The four winners each won free trips to India, Russia, Morocco or Kenya. The twenty seven runners-up also received a selection of prizes. From 10th-14th March 2009, the free Urban Encounter exhibition will be displaying the winning images, runner up images and judges’ choice images at Host Gallery in Shoreditch, London. Special guest and professional photographer Pete Seaward will be giving a short talk at the opening night on ‘capturing the urban environment’.

The PDML Photo Annual is comprised of artwork from 59 photographers from around the world, with 100% of the profits being donated to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation. The PDML (PENTAX-Discuss Mail List) is an email list of photographers all over the world. This project brought together 59 artists in 15 countries to create the PDML Photo Annual, which was assembled electronically and uploaded to the online publishing site Blurb. The PDML Photo Annual costs from $32.95.

Nikon UK is set to increase its prices for the second time in 2009. Effective from 1st March, the price increase is being blamed on “the relative weakness of Sterling and the continued strength of the Yen”. Better news for photographers is that Nikon’s Coolpix compacts and some DSLRs won’t see an increase.

National Geographic’s new Walkabout Photo Bags is a range of stylish, everyday personal bags with protective accommodation for photographic gear. Standard features such as waterproofed material, a rain cover and padded compartments ensure that your gear is looked after. A combination of cotton and leather are merged with aluminum accents to create the sleek design of the National Geographic Walkabout collection. When not in use as a photo bag, many Walkabout models can be converted into everyday carrying bags.

Get 10 sheets of A4 Galerie Gold Fibre Silk paper free when you buy a Galerie A4 100 sheet pack. A special limited edition promotion while stocks last, the offer applies to 100 sheet packs of Smooth Gloss and Smooth Pearl papers, which cost £49.99. The free Galerie Gold Fibre Silk paper is worth £13.99.

If you haven’t yet gotten the chance to open up a copy of Picture magazine, now’s the time.  Hailed as a creative force for the emerging photographer, the bi-monthly Picture is also a valuable industry resource for the professional shooter. The magazine has been nominated for a “Lucie Award” for best photography magazine by the International Photographic Awards, and continues to shine with its clean design and editorial vision.

A new firmware update that adds RAW format to the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS camera will be released next month. The firmware will be available for download from mid-March. In the mean-time, take a look at our in-depth Canon PowerShot SX1 IS review.

The Ricoh CX1 is a new compact camera with a 9.29 megapixel CMOS sensor. Offering a dynamic range of 12 EV, the Ricoh CX1 also offers a Dynamic Range Double Shot mode that shoots two images with different exposures, and then combines the properly exposed portions of each image, giving an almost naked-eye impression. High-speed continuous shooting at 4 frames/sec at full image resolution is available, and the CX1 can even shoot at 120 frames/sec (640x480 pixel images). A 3 inch, 920k dot LCD screen and 7.1x, 28-200mm lens complete the headline features. The Ricoh CX1 will be available for £299 from 13th March in the UK.

The WD My Book World Edition automatically backs up multiple computers on a home network. Just plug the My Book World Edition drive into a network router, click a few buttons and the My Book World Edition storage device backs up the files from all the PCs and Macs on the network. Any changes to the files on these computers are automatically and continuously backed up to the drive. The new My Book World Edition drive will be available in 1 terabyte and 2 terabyte capacities and is compatible with PC and Mac computers. prices for the My Book World Edition storage system with 1 TB is $229.99 and 2 TB is $449.99.