The Olympus SP-590UZ ultra-zoom digital camera has a 26x wide-angle optical zoom lens that covers an amazing 26-676mm focal length. Add the optional TCON-17N Teleconverter and CLA-11 Adapter Ring, and the SP590UZ can reach up to 1149mm. The 12 megapixel SP-590UZ also offers a 2.7 inch LCD screen, Dual Image Stabilisation, P/A/S/M exposure modes, and built-in flash and wireless flash control. The Olympus SP-590UZ will be available in early March 2009 for $449.99 / £360.

Canon have released a new firmware update for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera. Version 1.0.7 improves and mitigates the following two types of image quality phenomena that occur under certain shooting conditions.

  1. “Black dot” phenomenon (the right side of point light sources becomes black)
    When shooting night scenes, the right side of point light sources (such as lights from building windows) may become black. The phenomenon may become visible if the images are enlarged to 100% or greater on a monitor or if extremely large prints of the images are made. This firmware improves and mitigates this phenomenon.
  2. Vertical banding noise
    If the recording format is set to sRAW1, vertical banding noise may become visible depending on the camera settings, subject, and background. The firmware improves and mitigates this phenomenon.

Website: Canon EOS 5D MarkII Firmware Update

The Sony W220, W210 and S950 are three new additions to the Cyber-shot range of compact digital cameras. Both the Sony W220 and Sony W210 offer 12.1 megapixels, 4x zoom lens, 2.7 inch LCD LCD screen, maximum ISO 3200, Smile Shutter, Face Detection and Intelligent Scene Recognition. The W220 features an Optical SteadyShot stabilisation system and 430 shot battery life, and the W210 has an Electronic SteadyShot system and 370 shot battery life. The entry-level Sony S950 has 10.1 megapixels, 4x zoom lens, 2.7 inch screen, Easy Shooting mode and 330 shot battery life. Sony have also unveiled a new GPS unit kit (GPS-CS3KA) features higher sensitivity, built-in memory card and SD slots and an LCD display. The Sony Cyber-shot W220, W210 and S950 will be available from February 2009 for £176, £157 and £118 respectively.

The Sony Memory Stick format for Extended High Capacity is the tentative name for a brand new memory card format. Offering a a maximum storage capacity of 2-terabytes, Memory Stick format for Extended High Capacity expands the existing Memory Stick PRO format. In addition, SanDisk and Sony have announced the joint development of “Memory Stick HG Micro”, a format expanded from “Memory Stick Micro” (M2). Format licensing corresponding to the “Memory Stick format for Extended High Capacity” and the “Memory Stick HG Micro” is scheduled to start in 2009.

The new range of Sony S-Frame digital photo frames boast HD picture quality plus a wide range of fun, easy-to-use viewing features. Available in three different series (X, V and D), Sony S-Frames’ offer a choice of screen sizes from 7 to 10 inches, BIONZ imaging processor , auto-orientation sensor and Auto Touch-Up feature. The range-topping X-Series models feature a Super Photo LCD panel for deeper, richer colours and opulent shadow tones. The Sony S-Frame digital photo frames will be available from April 2009.

The Samsung ST10 is the world’s first digital camera to feature face recognition. The ST10 can recognize the people you’re taking photos of, prioritizing friends, family and those you photograph most, and classify photos according to the most recognized faces. The 9 megapixel ST10 also features a 3 inch hVGA Touch Screen LCD, in-built PMP (Personal Multimedia Player) with integrated MP3 player, Digital Image Stabilization, Smart Scene Recognition and Angle/Composition Guide. The Samsung ST10 will be available from February 2009 in various colours, priced at £179.

Compact Camera Armor is a new range of protective silicone skins for point and shoot digital cameras. The protective silicone skins are custom fit for each model, provide complete shock absorbing protection, and allow full access to all buttons and controls. The Compact Camera skins, retailing for $14.96, are available now for the Canon SD1100 and Sony DCS-W120 cameras. Camera Armor are also introducing the Extreme, a weatherproof DSLR camera and lens polycarbonate case, which will be available in Spring 2009, and newly redesigned ToughStrap and SafeGrip system.

The MagBag and Cammock from Trek-Tech are new portable stabilisation devices for cameras. The MagBag can be used indoors or outdoors as a stabilisation tool for a camera on flat or uneven surfaces. The MagBag 2 costs £34.99, and the lighter MagBag 1 is £22.99. The Cammock is a universal tripod shelf designed to work with any tripod. It can be filled with heavy items to provide stabilisation and can also be used as a camera rain cover or ground sheet. The Cammock costs £19.99.

Memorex LifeShow is a new range of digital photo frames with an advanced user interface design and added functionality. The specially designed user interface utilizes a combination of proprietary software and a custom “scrolling” selector button that allows the user to command all of the frames’ functions right on screen, from a single control. Memorex LifeShow digital photo frames are offered in two models to complement both traditional and modern home décors, both available in March 2009 for $129.99.

The Samsung HZ10W is a new 10 megapixel digital camera with a 10x, 24mm wide-angle zoom lens. Offering both Optical and Digital Image Stabilization, the HZ10W (also known as the WB500) has manual controls and can also capture 720p high-definition video. The Samsung HZ10W / WB500 will be available in black or silver in January 2009 for $299.99 / £229.

The Samsung TL100 is a new slim and stylish 12.2 megapixel digital camera. Measuring just 16.6mm thick (excluding the lens), the TL100 (also known as the ST50) features a 2.7 inch LCD screen and 3x optical zoom lens. Smart Auto automatically selects one of the TL100’s 11 scene modes, while Smart Album automatically organizes your images. The Samsung TL100 also offers Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection, and Beauty Shot technology. The Samsung TL100 / ST50 will be available in Spring 2009, priced at £179.

The Samsung SL420 and SL102 are two new entry-level digital cameras. Both the SL420 (also known as the PL60) and SL102 (also known as the ES55) feature a resolution of 10.2 megapixels, offer Face Detection and are powered by rechargeable Li-Ion batteries. The Samsung SL102 / ES55 has a 3x optical zoom, Digital Image Stabilization technology, and a 2.5 inch LCD screen, and will be available from February 2009 priced at £79. The Samsung SL420 / PL60 features a larger 2.7 inch LCD display, 5x optical zoom and Dual Image Stabilization, and will be available from March 2009 at £129.

The winners of the December 2008 PhotographyBLOG Competition have been selected by a panel of judges. The theme for December was “Christmas” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
An Age Old Tradition by steve cherry

Prize: ShutterPoint.com one-year subscription with 100Mb of storage space
Kindly donated by ShutterPoint.
http://www.shutterpoint.com

SDXC is a next-generation memory card format, with up to 2 terabytes storage capacity and read/write speeds of 300 megabytes per second. SDXC (eXtended Capacity) will provide maximum speeds even when it achieves its maximum 2TB storage capacity. “SDXC is a large-capacity card that can store more than 4,000 RAW images, which is the uncompressed mode professionals use, and 17,000 of the fine-mode most consumers use.” said Shigeto Kanda, general manager at Canon. Developed by the SD Association, specifications for the new SDXC standard will be released in the first quarter of 2009.

Eye-Fi is is developing a way for users to wirelessly upload full-resolution HD videos from their digital camera to YouTube. “We’re aiming to do for video what we’ve already done for photos: provide the easiest, simplest way to save and share your digital memories,” said Jef Holove, CEO for Eye-Fi.  “Our wireless technology makes it effortless to upload videos to YouTube using the digital camera you already have, without the fuss of special software.” Eye-Fi will preview the technology at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The new LensAlign Focus Calibration System makes it easy to test cameras for front or back-focus problems. Lens Align will be available in two different configurations, LensAlign Pro and the portable and less expensive LensAlign Lite. Both LensAlign models are comprised of a focus target and a companion depth-of-field ruler, together with a sighting system that ensures accurate parallelism between the LensAlign focus target and camera sensor/film plane. Lens Align ships with a companion DVD tutorial series and is available now for $139.95 (Pro) and $79.95 (Lite).

Two new books, “Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual” and “Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One”, are making their debut at Macworld 2009. Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual by Lesa Snider King ($49.99) covers the newest version of Photoshop and teaches you everything from editing photos to creating beautiful documents. Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One by Deke McClelland ($49.99) contains a unique combination of step-by-step text lessons, DVD-video demonstration, and real-world projects.

The new TrekPod XL is a monopod, tripod and hiking staff all in one. Weighing just over 600g, the height-adjustable TrekPod XL is made of carbon fibre with a quick-release MagMount Pro system. The TrekPod XL with MagMount Pro and travel case costs £279.99. The new MagMount Pro is Trek-Tech’s largest MagMount ball head and has a load capacity of 6 kilos, priced at £74.99.

SanDisk’s new Ultra Backup USB Flash Drives allow you to backup critical files with the simple touch of a button. Critical work files are protected with a dual layer of both password protection and AES hardware encryption. The SanDisk Ultra Backup drive will be available in capacities of 8GB-64GB with prices between $39.99 and $199.99. Also the SanDisk Cruzer range has been redesigned with a more contemporary look, available in capacities of 4GB-32GB with prices ranging between $24.99 and $99.99.

Pandigital’s new PanTouch Clear line of digital photo frames creates the perception of “floating” digital images. The range of PanTouch Clear frames feature a 800x600 high-resolution display that appears to be floating in the surrounding glass. Users can select and view their photos and control the frame’s functions with icons that can be touched directly across the entire glass surface of the frame. The Pandigital PanTouch Clear frames come in two sizes - 8-inch and 7-inch - priced at $139.99 and $119.99 respectively.