Apple has just announced the iPhone 4S, featuring an all-new camera module. The Apple iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a 35mm (eq.) f/2.4 auto-focus lens comprising 5 precision lens elements, and features improved white balance, face detection and 1080p Full HD video capture with audio. Additionally, the new iPhone 4s inherits the LED flash and tap-to-focus functionality of the iPhone 4. The first 7 countries - including the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, France and Germany - will get the iPhone 4S on 14th October. The device will be launched in 22 additional countries on the 28th. In the US, the 16GB version will cost $199, the 32GB model will be available for $299, while the 64GB iPhone 4S can be had for $399, all on a 2-year contract.

Toshiba today introduced a trio of Full HD camcorders. The Toshiba X416 ($319.99) is a top-of-the line CAMILEO camcorder that offers 23x optical zoom, electronic image stabilisation, 16GB of built-in memory and SDXC memory card support. The Toshiba CAMILEO X400 ($279.99) offers a similar feature set sans the 16GB on-board storage. Both camcorders come equipped with a 5-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor that’s also capable of capturing stills. The third model, called the Toshiba CAMILEO X200 ($229.99, pictured), offers 12x optical zoom, an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, 128MB of built-in memory and SDXC support. The CAMILEO X400 and X200 camcorders are now available for purchase, while the X416 will be available starting on 10 October 2011.

Lowepro has expanded its Fastpack line with the release of the DSLR Video Fastpack AW series. Developed for fast-moving multimedia photographers, the series consists of three dual-compartment models that fit a wide-ranging capacity of pro-sized gear, plus a laptop and accessories. The lower compartment of each pack protects a pro-sized DSLR or HD video-enabled DSLR within padded and adjustable compartments. A fast-access, side-entry pocket allows the photographers to quickly get to his or her gear by rotating the pack to the front and unzipping the camera compartment. A separate and padded compartment accommodates a laptop and keeps it within easy reach. The Fastpack 350 AW is the biggest model, measuring 26x17x24.5cm, while the Fastpack 150 AW is the smallest at 20.5x12.5x23cm.

The Lowepro DSLR Video Fastpack 150 AW sells for $119.99, the 250 AW for $149.99, while the 350 AW is available for $169.99.

Sigma has issued a firmware update for the Sigma SD1 digital SLR camera. Version 1.03 improves auto white balance accuracy, image quality at ISO 3200 and ISO 6400, the accuracy of evaluative exposure metering and flash output control, and fixes bugs. The firmware update can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Sigma SD1

HP has announced the availability of free, downloadable software applications for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that enable professional photographers to generate large-format photo negatives for the production of high-quality, black and white silver halide photo prints. Available now, the Large Format Photo Negative software package includes a paper preset for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that allows photographers to print a digital negative from a film, scanned or digital capture file onto a transparent substrate. Once printed, these large-format photo negatives can be used as masters to produce high-quality black and white fine art prints through a contact process. The HP Large Format Photo Negative solution for silver and platinum processes will be shown on the Picto booth at Le Salon de la Photo, 6 -10 October, Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, Paris.

At its MAX 2011 technology conference, Adobe unveiled Photoshop Touch, a new app for Android tablets running Honeycomb 3.1. “Adobe Photoshop Touch lets users transform images with core Photoshop features in an app custom-built for tablets,” the company says. “With simple finger gestures, users can combine multiple photos into layered images, make popular edits and apply professional effects… With Refine Edge technology from Adobe Photoshop, even hard-to-select areas with soft edges, such as hair, are easily captured when making selections.” The app will be available shortly, priced at $9.99. An iPad version is also in the making, although it will only be released after the Android variant.

Website: Adobe Photoshop Touch

DxO Labs have published their detailed findings on the raw sensor performance of the new Nikon 1 J1 and V1 cameras. Although the two models share the same 10-megapixel, CX-sized sensor, the overall DxOMark Sensor Scores are slightly different (56 for the J1 and 54 for the V1). The company notes that “these differences are so small that they are well within the limits of measurement uncertainty and variances in manufacturing quality”. Interestingly, the Nikon 1 J1 achieved the exact same score as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, despite having a significantly smaller sensor. A look at the individual components of the overall score reveals that the Panasonic G3’s imager has a lot better high-ISO performance but the Nikon sensor boasts a somewhat wider dynamic range and a slightly greater colour depth.

Website: DxOMark

The winners of the September 2011 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for September was “Little and Large” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
An Illusion of Scale by archipirata

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

Ian Whiting is the lucky winner of a B3 personal server worth £295!

Whether you are a serious photographer or just a shutterbug, you’d want to keep your photos safe and share them with the world without too much fuss. This is where the B3 personal server can come in rather handy. You can use this nifty little machine to store your photos in one central location and access them from any computer on the local network or even on the Web. The built-in photo album software lets you easily generate slick web-based galleries from JPG and PNG images in a matter of minutes, and you can limit access to the galleries to specific users or open them to the entire world. B3 features a built-in and user-friendly backup tool which you can use to easily back up your photos and other data to an external disk or a remote storage solution.

If the built-in photo album software is too basic for your needs, you can easily deploy a third-party solution like Piwigo (http://www.piwigo.org) or Gallery (http://gallery.menalto.com/), as B3 comes with Web and database servers. B3’s minute size means that you can hide the server in any corner you like. Thanks to its fanless design, B3 is virtually silent, and the robust aluminium case ensures that the server survives harsh treatment.

There is, of course, much more to B3 than the described features, and we encourage you to take a look at Excito’s website (http://www.excito.com) and see for yourself what this little guy is capable of.

Tenba has announced another expansion of itsDiscovery collection of lightweight professional-level camera bags. The Discovery Top Load is a clean and simple carrying solution for a single DSLR camera body with a mid-size zoom lens, while the Discovery Messenger fits a larger multi-lens camera system plus a tablet or laptop computer up to 13 inches. As with all Discovery bags, the Top Load and Messenger have a waterproof bottom panel for protection when the bag has to be put down on a wet surface, and they include Tenba’s exclusive WeatherWrap fast-deploying all-weather cover. The new Discovery Top Load and Messenger bags are available now at suggested retail prices of $69.95 to $109.95 respectively.

The Outdoors Show in London has announced that it will be launching a brand new element within the 2012 show – a dedicated Photography Village. Geraldine Reeve, Show Manager of The Outdoors Show said: “Whether photographing landscapes, wildlife or outdoors pursuits, the coming of digital cameras and camera phones has meant that photography in the great outdoors has never been more accessible or popular. Photography has always been an important part of The Outdoors Show, and this year with the Photography Village there will be more than ever for photography enthusiasts.” In the run up to the 2012 show, The Outdoors Show is also searching for the UK’s best outdoors photographers. The competition will be launched on The Outdoors Show website later this month.

Tamron USA has launched the “My Macro Exhibit” photo contest for Tamron lens users living in the US. Entrants will create a 3D virtual exhibit on MyPhotoExhibits featuring 8 to 14 of their best macro images shot with Tamron lenses. The winning entry will be featured on Tamron’s website in February 2012. The winner will also receive his/her choice of one of four Tamron lenses: the 18-270mm Di II VC PZD 15x superzoom; the SP 17-50mm f/2.8 VC professional standard zoom, the SP 70-300mm VC USD telephoto zoom lens or the SP 60mm F/2.0 1:1 Macro. The deadline for submissions is 31st December. For more information including terms and conditions, visit the website below.

Ricoh has announced the establishment of Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company as its wholly owned subsidiary. Ricoh’s acquisition of Pentax’s camera business from Hoya had been made public earlier this year. Today’s announcement means that the deal has now been completed-

Internationally renowned Bangladeshi photographer, writer, curator and teacher Dr. Shahidul Alam, will lead a free public talk at the National Geographic Store in London next week. Taking place on 4th October from 6pm, the 40-minute talk will focus on his 30 year career in documentary photography, as well as his role as one of the most respected photography educators in the world. The National Geographic Store is located at 83-97 Regent Street, London.

At the Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum held in Taiwan, Samsung announced its new, fast 1/2.3-inch 16-megapixel CMOS image sensor. Featuring backside illumination technology and a 1.34-micrometre pixel pitch, the Samsung S5K2P1 sensor is designed for high-performance, advanced smartphones as well as digital still cameras and camcorders. The new imager supports native 16:9-format video at up to 8.3Mp resolution at 60 frames per second and maximum 16-megapixel-resolution for stills at up to 30 frames per second. Mass production is scheduled to start in November.

Interealtime has launched a major update to its photography app for the Apple iPad 2, Camera Boost. Version 2 can now record video in HD, at full speed, with the ability to apply effects in real time, as the footage is being captured. For example, it is now possible to change colour balance and lighting contrast during recording, apply color filters or reduce image noise, plus use a range of advanced effects. Camera Boost 2 can be purchased from the iTunes App Store for $4.99.

Version 16.53 of PhotoLine is now available for download. Improvements versus the previous release include Type3 font support, 32-bit image support when using plug-is, an ability to create a rectangle for the colour picker by holding down the Ctrl/Command key, WIC import under Windows, dcraw 1.444, and more. To download the program, visit the website below.

Website: PhotoLine

Independent developer Ken Tidwell has introduced DSLR Mega HD for iOS, another in his series of popular Min-U Guides to Nikon DSLRs. Containing no less than eleven camera guides, DSLR Mega HD is billed as a convenient alternative to carrying bulky printed manuals. The main camera-related menu chapters include: Playback, Shooting, Custom Setting, Setup, Retouch and My Menu/Recent Settings . There is also an additional chapter, [More], containing miscellaneous info like camera specs, buttons and dials diagrams, glossaries, error messages etc. DSLR Mega HD is available now on iTunes for $8.99.

Lomography has introduced a new collection of colourful Diana F+ and Diana Mini cameras, hand straps and accessories. The Diana F+ is now available in “Buttercup Yellow” and “True Blue”, while the Diana Mini comes in “Fern Green” and “Twilight Blue”. The camera and flash cases are also available in yellow and green, as well as “Peacock Blue”.

Website: Lomography