Silver to Silicon is a new book that takes you through 25 years of photography change from analog film to digital chips. Veteran industry consultant and journalist, John Larish, takes you from the early mystery days of capturing, processing, showing/sharing and archiving images to today’s high tech, high fun digital image experiences. Silver to Silicon is available exclusively from Amazon.com for $18.

At this year’s PhotoPlus show in New York, Kodak will highlight the work of professional photographers on the Kodak Times Square Gallery. Throughout 2009, visitors to Times Square can experience the work of some of the world’s top photographers and learn more about their work. At the Kodak booth, Kodak will showcase its new Ektar 100 Film, the enhanced Network of Professional Photographers program and Kodak’s Pro Lab Locator, and new professional papers.

The new UniWire3 Calendar Kit allows you to create perfectly-bound 100% lay-flat calendars. It punches up to 25 sheets of paper at a time and binds up to 120 sheets of paper for easy-to-read calendars, featuring a thumb-cut punch for hanging. In addition to calendars, UniWire 3 also creates professional wire-bound hard and soft-covered books using Unibind’s “Your PhotoBook” covers. UniWire 3 is available immediately, priced at $599.

O’Reilly will be showcasing their latest photography books at this week’s PhotoPlus Expo, as well as hosting a full schedule of author presentations. Derrick Story, Rick Sammon, Stephen Johnson, Mikkal Aaland and others will be preseting sessions on Thursday and Friday. In addition, on Saturday at 3:45pm, O’Reilly Media authors will be presenting a session on Lightroom Adventure: Tasmania.

Motorola challenged 8 photographers around the world to capture 24 hours in 8 of the worlds cities, using the new 5 megapixel Motozine ZN5 camera-phone. The Motorola ZN5 is the first mobile phone to combine Motorola’s ModeShift Technology and Kodak Imaging Technology. It features a high-resolution landscape screen and one of the fastest click-to-click times available for 5 megapixel camera phones. Auto-focus locks in less than one second and there are no delays when taking one photo to the next. With one touch, users can view all their photos right from the home screen, and the ZN5 is optimized to work with Kodak Easyshare Software and provide one-touch access to Kodak Gallery.

Website: Motozine ZN5

X-Rite will be showcasing its innovative line of color control solutions at this year’s PhotoPlus Expo show in New York. ““Our products reflect the digital imaging gamut – responding to our customer requests by offering high-performance solutions that include all the components necessary to meet their specific workflow and budget needs,”” comments Iris Mangelschots, X-Rite senior VP of global sales and marketing. The Coloratti speaker program features renowned photographers John Paul Caponigro and Andy Katz, offering advice on how to achieve excellent fine art print results.

Animoto for Photography enables professional photographers to easily create unique, professional-quality videos. “Animoto for Photography takes the heavy lifting out of video creation, allowing photographers to create stunning video in minutes and spend more time taking photos,” said Brad Jefferson, CEO & co-founder of Animoto. “Until now, the process of editing photos into professional videos has been time-consuming and difficult, requiring expensive software. Animoto changes everything…” Animoto subscriptions cost $99 per user for three months, or $249 per user for one year.

The Digimarc for Images plug-in has been enhanced to coincide with the release of Adobe Creative Suite 4. Digimarc for Images enables content owners to place a persistent, invisible digital watermark into photographs and other images. It then reports to image owners on both authorized and unauthorized use of images online. New features include the addition of seven new languages, improved search and better image format transformations, resizing and compression. Digimarc will offer a free Webcast on November 13th for users interested in learning more about digitally watermarking their images.

We’ve just published sample photos and a video taken with the brand new Canon PowerShot G10 compact camera. The Canon PowerShot G10 features a 14.7 megapixel sensor and 5x, 28-140mm zoom. There are 40 full-sized JPEGs, 9 RAWs and 1 video for you to download. Our full Canon PowerShot G10 review will be published very soon…

Website: Canon PowerShot G10 Photos

We’ve just published sample photos and a video taken with the brand new Nikon Coolpix P6000 compact camera. The Nikon P6000 is a 13.5 megapixel compact camera with built-in GPS and RAW support. There are 40 full-sized JPEGs, 9 RAWs and 1 video for you to download. Our full Nikon Coolpix P6000 review will be published very soon…

Website: Nikon Coolpix P6000 Photos

Adobe has added RAW file support for 15 digital cameras to Lightroom 2.1 and Camera Raw 5.1, including the Nikon D90 and Canon EOS 50D. The Lightroom 2.1 update also includes improvements to Photoshop integration, Web module stability for Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit operating systems, performance with 64-bit Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh computers, and Keyword migration from Lightroom. In addition, Adobe has released a new set of camera profiles available on Adobe Labs.

DxO Optics Pro v5.3 is a major new release of the automatic image quality enhancement solution for digital SLR and compact camera users. DxO Optics Pro 5.3 adds more RAW support, 64-bit Windows compatibility, support for Adobe Lightroom 2, and new DxO Optics Correction Modules. “The noise removal technology for RAW images featured in DxO Optics Pro 5.3 opens up exciting options to photographers providing them with up to a 2-stop gain at photo capture, as if digital grain never really existed,” says Cyrille de La Chesnais, director of the photography business at DxO Labs. “This translates into a dramatic increase in capture flexibility.”

The second annual Photographers of Tomorrow student photography contest has just started. Open to certain US universities, the theme of this year’s contest is “Your World: The Art of Technology Through Your Eyes”. “The Photographers of Tomorrow contest is a way for the next generation of pro photographers to showcase their work nationally, build their portfolios, and be recognized by their peers and critiqued by some of the world’s most accomplished photographers,” said John Knaur, senior marketing manager, Digital SLR, Olympus Imaging America Inc. The grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship and an Olympus E-3 camera, ED 12-60mm f2.8/4.0 SWD Zoom lens, ED 50-200mm f2.8/3.5 SWD Zoom lens and gadget bag.

Hoya has launched a brand new range of High Definition lens filters. Available in Protector, UV and Circular Polariser types in sizes from 52mm through to 82mm, the Hoya HD filters feature 99.35% light transmission from an 8-layer anti-reflective multi-coating. The HD coating also makes the filter water and oil repellent and scratch and stain resistant. pricing starts from £32.99 for the 52mm Protector filter.

SeeHere.com is a new website from Fujifilm that allows you to share and manage your images, and order prints, photo products and gifts. You can create personal web pages from your photos and share them easily and safely with family and friends. “The launch of SeeHere.com is consistent with Fujifilm’s long-held belief that, as a leader in the imaging industry, we have a responsibility to promote the enjoyment and power of the photographic image, and to stimulate photo printing.” said Joan Rutherford, Vice President, Marketing Web for the Imaging Division of FUJIFILM U.S.A. Inc.

Corel are giving away a Sony A300 DSLR in the ‘Before and After’ photo competition. To enter, you have to improve your most dreadful photo using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 and then submit both the ‘before’ and ‘after’ image. Corel have provided some video tutorials for that extra bit of help. All entries must be submitted by Thursday 18th December 2008.

A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting is a new instructional DVD about Nikon’s Creative Lighting System. National Geographic Traveler photographer Bob Krist and photojournalist and lighting expert Joe McNally guide viewers on advanced creative lighting techniques. Krist and McNally teach viewers how to get the most from their Nikon Speedlights. “A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting” presented by Nikon School will be available from November 1st 2008 for $39.95.

Apple has just updated Aperture, its pro photo management and RAW conversion application. The Aperture 2.1.2 update improves the printing quality of books, cards and calendars ordered through the Aperture printing service. The update is recommended for all customers using Aperture 2.

Website: Apple Aperture 2.1.2 Update

Olympus have reduced the price of the E-420 DSLR camera to less than £300 in the UK. Greg Connell, General Sales Manager - Digital SLR, said of the new price structure: “The price drop for the E-420 shows Olympus’ determination to offer the consumer an award-winning product at an even more competitive level. Consumers will now be able to enjoy an Olympus D-SLR at a similar price to some compacts.” Effective from today, the E-420 will cost £289.99 body only, £349.99 with the 14-42mm kit lens, and £449.99 with the 14-42mm and 40-150mm kit lenses.

Blurb has added a new Premium Paper offering to its range of photo books. Aimed at professional photographers, the 100-pound text silk-finish paper features improved opacity and superior print quality. Premium Paper is available from October 23rd to all Blurb users across Blurb’s Global Print Partner Network, which supports over 60 countries with access to 80 HP Indigo presses. “This is a big deal for Blurb users – many of whom are professionals who use our platform to create portfolios and to sell books to their clients,” said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO of Blurb. “Premium Paper is yet another example of our commitment to these people, and to delivering superior quality and consistency. Our users can now make higher quality books than ever before.”