Nik Silver Efex Pro is a brand new software plug-in that promises to make creating black and white images easier and more effective. Silver Efex employs Nik’s innovative U Point Technology to allow for precise selective tonal and contrast control, as well as offering a range of different film types, 20 one-click preset styles, and a Grain engine to emulate the grain properties of film. Silver Efex Pro costs $199.95 / 199.95 Euros - Jon Canfield discovers if Silver Efex Pro is the black and white conversion tool that we’ve all been waiting for…

Website: Nik Silver Efex Pro Review

The Imaging Source have launched a new series of affordable telescope cameras for astro-photography. Starting at $350.00 / EUR 290.00, the telescope cameras use low noise CCD chips from Sony, which have an exposure time of up to 60 minutes and a maximum frame rate of up to 60 fps. All camera parameters, such as exposure, sensitivity and frame rate, can be set using the graphical user interface. The Imaging Source telescope cameras ship in blue and black anodized aluminum and zinc housing, measure 50 mm x 56 mm and weigh 260g.

Samsung have released a firmware update, version 1.01, for the 14 megapixel GX20 DSLR camera. The new firmware minimizes image noise when using the 2 second self-timer.

Website: Samsung GX-20 Firmware Update 1.01

The Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009 will be open for entries from 1 September to 30 November 2008. The theme for this year’s competition is At the Heart of the Image, with two categories, ‘Free Subject’ and ‘My Planet’. Last year’s contest attracted over 16,000 entrants from 135 different countries. There will be an extra prize awarded to an outstanding entry, in addition to the 54 regular prizes and the Grand Winner.

Quarter of a million stock images were captured during PhotoShelter’s Shoot! The Day event, held on July 20, 2008. It is believed to be among the largest single-day contributions to the stock photo supply in history. Over 300 attendees joined a live event in New York, while an estimated 4,200 photographers shot images in hundreds of cities in more than a dozen countries worldwide. All photographers who took pictures in the five Shoot! The Day categories are encouraged to submit their work to the PhotoShelter Collection.

The-Digital-Picture have reviewed the new Tamron SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD (IF) MACRO, a fast tele-zoom lens for digital SLRs with with 35mm full-size image sensors.

“Overall, and especially for the price, I’m very pleased with the image quality of the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di Macro Lens. On the wide end (70mm), this lens is sharp wide open (f/2.8) across the entire 35mm frame. Stopping down only makes a small improvement in sharpness - reduced vignetting is the primary difference seen. By 100mm, the center is still sharp wide open, but corner softness is setting in due to a slightly curved focus plane. Stopping down to f/5.6 results in excellent image quality across the frame. “

Website: The-Digital-Picture - Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50, a new 9 megapixel, 10x zoom compact camera with built-in Wi-Fi.

“Bottom Line - the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 is an outstanding little super-zoom. While this model is very similar to its siblings, the addition of the 9-megapixel imager, huge 3.0-inch LCD, 720p HD movie mode and Wi-Fi capabilities are greatly accepted and appreciated. If you are one who is in the market for a compact powerhouse, look no further.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 Review

We recently tested out the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 in sunny Monaco, Europe, and today we’ve published a selection of 33 JPEGs for you to evaluate. Take a look to see the image quality from the new 10 megapixel sensor and Venus Engine IV processing engine.

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Photos

Eye-Fi have added two new online sites where users can upload their photos - Adobe Photoshop Express and Nikon’s myPicturetown. In addition, you can also now purchase Eye-Fi Cards from any Circuit City store in the USA. “The integration of Adobe Photoshop Express and my Picturetown adds two rich online photo options – from two of the best brands in digital photography – to the Eye-Fi Service.  And, the addition of Circuit City stores is a major step in the expansion of this new category being created by Eye-Fi.” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi.  The Eye-Fi family of products range in price from $79-$129.

WildPhotos is the UK’s largest two-day photography symposium dedicated to exploring the power of wildlife photography. The event brings together photographers, both professional and amateur, editors, publishers and conservationists. Participants take part in discussion and debate, giving them the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by the best in the business. WildPhotos takes place on 31 October – 1 November at the Royal Geographical Society, London. Tickets cost £165 (standard rate) / £125 (conc. rate) for the two-day event, or £95 (standard rate) / £75 (conc. rate) for Friday or Saturday only.

Sony have identified a problem with the DSC-T20 camera, where photos can’t be taken because of vibrating of the camera body. This is due to a mechanical problem with the lens. The problem only applies to DSC-T20’s with certain serial numbers. Sony are offering a free out of warranty repair to solve the issue.

The Genuine Men Project celebrates everyday men who define what it means to be a person of character, strength and authenticity. The project includes a photography exhibition and book, Genuine Men: Journeys in Stories and Stills, which feature candid black-and-white photographs and life-defining stories of 35 men. Photographer and author Nancy Bruno uses black and white 35mm photography to capture the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life. The Genuine Men Project expands on Bruno’s most recent community art project, The Beautiful Women Project, which encourages women of all ages, sizes and backgrounds to embrace a healthier notion of “beauty.”

Thom Hogan has reviewed the Nikon D3, a full-frame, 12.1 megapixel DSLR camera that offers 9fps continuous shooting and a 51 point autofocus system.

“the D3 simply blows away any DSLR Nikon has previously produced. I’m almost tempted to say that you can shoot at any ISO up to 1600 at any camera setting (sharpening, JPEG compression, etc.) with impunity. I said almost. As with all digital cameras, increasing ISO does have other impacts, most notably on dynamic range and noise. If I really work at it, I can force JPEG compression artifacts into the faint noise and make them visible at 100% view at as low as ISO 800. But I have to select the worst possible JPEG compression (Size priority and JPEG basic) and push the contrast and sharpening to do that. So, here’s how I’ll put it: if you don’t overdo the camera settings you can shoot at impunity through ISO 1600.”

Website: Thom Hogan - Nikon D3 Review

Website: Read our Nikon D3 Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is a new compact digital camera offering what Panasonic claim is “the highest image quality in compact camera history”. Successor to the popular LX2 model, the Panasonic LX3 features a 2.5x, 24-60mm wide-angle lens with a bright maximum aperture of F/2.0 at the 24mm setting. The LX3 features a 10.1 megapixel, 1/1.63-inch CCD developed specially for the new model, which offers around 40% greater sensitivity and 35% saturation when compared with ordinary 10-mexapixel compact cameras. The DMC-LX3 can reproduce images shot with the lens set from 24mm to 60mm in any of the three aspect ratios; 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9. It also offers the new Venus Engine IV processing engine, a large 3.0-inch LCD screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and high 460,000-dot resolution, RAW file format support, ISO 3200 mode, 2.5fps continuous shooting, a Film mode with 6 color types and 3 types of monochrome, and a multiple-exposure function. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 will be available in August in black and silver, priced at £399.99 / $499.95.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is a new 10 megapixel digital camera with an 18x optical zoom lens. Successor to the FZ18, the Panasonic FZ28 adds the new Venus Engine IV processing engine, 10 megapixel sensor, wider 27-486mm lens, 2.7 inch LCD screen and updated iA (intelligent auto) mode with newly added AF Tracking function. The FZ28’s manual controls are more versatile than in previous models and the control layout has been improved, and it can shoot high-definition 1280 x 720p video at 30 fps. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is available in August in black or silver, priced at £329.99 / $399.95.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 is a new 14.7 megapixel digital camera with a 3.6x, 28mm wide-angle lens. The FX150 offers easy manual control, letting users adjust the shutter speed as desired, the new Venus Engine IV image processing engine, RAW format support and a 2.7-inch Intelligent LCD screen. A new color bracketing function can record color, monochromatic and sepia shots of an image at the same time with a single press of the shutter button, and the multi-exposure function that superimposes up to three consecutively shot images. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 is available in August in a silver, black or gold finish, priced at £299.99 / $399.95.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX37 is a new 10 megapixel camera with a 5x, 25-125mm wide-angle lens. Successor to the FX35 model, the Panasonic FX37’s iA (intelligent auto) mode has been upgraded, now incorporating an AF Tracking function. The FX37 can shoot high-definition 1280 x 720p video at 30 fps, which can be output from the FX37 directly to a TV for large-screen viewing. New Pin Hole and Film Grain scene modes create film-camera-like effects, and Flash Burst mode allows continuous emission of flash on burst shooting. The DMC-FX37 is available in August in silver, black, blue, pink, white and brown, priced at £249.99.

The new Panasonic 12GB and 6GB SDHC memory cards are ideal for video recording with High Definition camcorders. The RP-SDM06G (6GB) and RP-SDM12G (12GB) SDHC Memory Cards are highly reliable products that offer superb performance with AVCHD recording. Panasonic SDHC Memory Cards are designed to be resistant to bending and twisting, protecting important data stored on the card, and can function in temperatures ranging from -25C - +85C. In addition the 12GB and 6GB SDHC cards preserve data even when power is turned off during access.

Photo Safe II is a new portable storage device for photographers. With an 80GB or 160GB hard drive and built-in memory card reader, you can quickly and securely save your digital photos wherever you go. Photo Safe II features a new compact design,support for MS Duo and miniSD, a safer card slot and easier-to-use battery slot. Photo Safe II is available now, priced at $139 for 80GB and $189 for 160GB.

LightBox is a completely free image editing program for Windows. With an emphasis on image quality and ease-of-use, LightBox is great for beginners and experienced users alike. Lightbox performs all actions in 16-bits-per-channel to achieve high-end quality, supporting 48-bit tiff and 48-bit RAW files, in addition to standard jpeg images. LightBox Free Image Editor never expires, has no adware or spyware, and is not crippled in any manner.