The Canon XF305 and XF300 (pictured) Full HD camcorders have now been added to the BBC list of approved HD cameras. This means that they can be used to produce an entire HD programme for broadcast on the corporation’s HD channels. Following recent testing, the broadcaster has opted to buy XF305 camcorders, the first of which were delivered in December 2010, Canon said in a statement.

Laplink Software today released Laplink DiskImage, an advanced backup and recovery package that protects users from unforeseen data loss. “Using Laplink DiskImage doesn’t just secure data, but the entire PC, including the operating system,” the company says. The package also features PCmover Image Assistant. This allows users to restore the hard drive contents of an old PC to a new one without overwriting anything, even the new operating system. Laplink DiskImage is available now for £29.99 from Amazon UK and play.com.

To raise the final portion of funds to transform its Ramillies Street Gallery, The Photographers’ Gallery will stage a charity auction at Christie’s South Kensington on Thursday, 17 February 2011. The event will comprise a Live and Silent Auction, offering nearly 70 lots. From Helmut Newton to Rineke Dijkstra, Sebastião Salgado to Corinne Day, the works on sale will reflect some of the extraordinary talents who have exhibited at the Gallery during its 40 year history. The works will be on public display at Christie’s South Kensington from Saturday 12th until Thursday 17th February. Christie’s South Kensington saleroom is located at 85 Old Brompton Road, London.

Sony Ericsson has launched a Facebook competition to find “the most creative, cutest or crazy photos of all things miniature”. After an entrant has uploaded their photo and it has been approved they can share it on Facebook and Twitter to encourage their friends and followers to vote. The top ten photographs will be chosen by Sony Ericsson on 17th January. Each winner will receive either an X10 mini pro or an X10 mini handset.

Website: Sony Ericsson Mini Magic Facebook App

FORMAT 2011, the UK’s leading international festival of contemporary photography and related media, has announced its programme for its 5th edition. Taking place at various venues in and around Derby, from 4th March until 3rd April, FORMAT 2011 is curated around the resurgence of street photography. The Festival is organised in two strands, FOCUS and EXPOSURE. FOCUS will show curated exhibitions and new commissions by leading international artists, whereas EXPOSURE will feature work by some 50 of the most exciting new photographers from around the world.

Cypress Innovations has released piRAWnha 1.1, an iPad app that enables raw image file processing. piRAWnha features both raw developing and post?processing options, including exposure compensation, white balance correction, highlight recovery, denoise operations, gamma correction, saturation?hue?brightness adjustment, contrast adjustment and sharpening. The update brings about a host of new features, including the ability to import photos via iTunes, the ability to set and save presets for faster processing of raw images, support for JPEG/PNG/TIFF editing, the ability to create thumbnails when not automatically generated by the iPad, and more. piRAWnha is available in the App Store for $9.99.

Polaroid have unveiled the Polaroid GL30 Instant Digital Camera and GL10 Instant Mobile Printer at CES 2011. The GL30 Instant Digital Camera is an all-in-one digital camera, instant photo printer and digital display that uses next generation ZINK Zero Ink Technology. The GL30 Instant Digital Camera will be available later this year, at a price to be announced. The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer uses ZINK’s second-generation thermal technology, delivering image quality that rivals a photo-lab. The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer will be available in May 2011 for $149.99.

The JVC GS-TD1 is the world’s first consumer camcorder to offer 3D recording in Full HD. The new GS-TD1 uses two camera lenses and two 3.32 megapixel CMOS sensors – one for each lens – to capture three-dimensional images. JVC have developed a high-speed processor that can produce two simultaneous Full HD images. JVC’s other new HD Everio with 3D capabilities is the GZ-HM960, which turns any 2D footage into 3D. The JVC GZ-TD1 Full HD 3D camcorder will be available in March for $1,999.95, and the HD Everio GZ-HM960 will be available in February for $949.95.

JVC have unveiled ten new HD Everio Camcorders at CES 2011. The new line includes technologies that deliver outstanding low light performance, superior image stabilization and advanced scene analysis for optimum image quality. Other features found on most models include 40x optical zoom and touch panel LCD screens. The line’s top model, the JVC_GZ-HM960, offers on-the-fly 2D-to-3D conversion for 3D viewing on the camcorder’s LCD screen or any compatible TV. Prices range from $229.95 to $949.95.

Want to see exactly what the new Olympus XZ-1 premium compact camera looks like?

Then check out our hands-on photo gallery of the Olympus XZ-1.

The Olympus E-PL2 is a new interchangeable lens compact system camera. The EPL2 features a larger 3 inch display, Live Guide access in HD Movie mode, handy Live Wheel feature selector and a faster, lighter, virtually silent M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm 1:3-5-5.6 II lens. The E-PL2 is available from January 2011 for around £500 / €599.

The Olympus XZ-1 is a new flagship compact digital camera. Targeted at amateurs and professional photographers looking for a second camera, the XZ1 features a 10 megapixel 1/1.63 inch CCD sensor, fast f/1.8-2.5, 4x wide-angle i.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens, 3-inch OLED screen and 720p HD movies. To further boost the quality of stills and movies, users can add an external flash, electronic viewfinder or external stereo microphone, with more accessories still to come. The Olympus XZ-1 will be available for £399 / €449 from January 2011.

The Olympus SP-610UZ is a new ultra-zoom digital camera. Sporting a 22x, 28mm-616mm zoom lens, the SP610UZ features a 14 megapixel sensor, 720p HD Movie recording, 3 inch LCD screen, Dual Image Stabilisation, and Eye-Fi Card compatibility. The Olympus SP-610UZ is available in black for £180 / €189 from February 2011.

The Olympus TG-610 and TG-310 are two new tough digital compact cameras. Waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof, the TG610 and TG310 can shoot 14 megapixel still photos with the dramatic realism of 3D, have 5x and 3x zooms respectively, and feature Eye-Fi card compatibility. The TG-610 also comes with automatic Underwater Snapshot Mode and a large, 920,000 dot, high-resolution HyperCrystal III LCD. The Olympus TG-610 is available in silver, black, blue and red for £250 / €249, and the Olympus TG-310 in silver, blue, red, white and orange for £200 / €199, both available from February 2011.

The Olympus VR-310 is a high specification compact camera with a low price. The VR310 offers a 10x super wide 24-240mm zoom lens, 14 megapixel sensor, 720p HD movies, 3 inch LCD screen and Dual Image Stabilisation. The Olympus VR-310 is available in silver, black, red and purple for £130 / €129 from January 2011.

The Olympus VG-130 and VG-120 are two new entry-level digital compact cameras. Billed as the ideal all-rounders, the VG130 and VG120 both offer a 5x wide optical zoom, 14 megapixels, 3 inch LCD screen, instant Movie Rec button and Digital Image Stabilisation. The VG-130 also offers a full-metal body. The Olympus VG-130 is available in silver, black, red or pink for under £100 / €99, the VG-120 in silver, black, red or blue for under £100 / €89, both from mid-January 2011.

GE has introduced 7 new digital cameras - the DV1, X500, E1680W, E1450W, J1470S, A1456W and C1433. The GE DV1 is the first GE?branded handheld, HD digital video camera, available now in 5 bright colors for $129.99. The GE X500, GE E1680W and GE E1450W are new additions to the Power and Power Pro Series. The GE J1470S, GE A1456W and GE C1433 are new Smart Series cameras.

The SanDisk 128Gb Extreme Pro is the world’s fastest high-capacity CompactFlash card. The new card features 128 gigabytes of storage and up to 100 megabyte per second write speeds. The 128GB SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash card is ideally suited for imaging applications requiring Full HD 1920x1080 resolution, up to 50Mbps bit rate and 4:2:2 color sampling, or to capture more frames when shooting in continuous burst mode. The 128GB SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash card is available now for preorder for $1,499.99 / £1,229.

The Sony DSC-TX100V, DSC-TX10, DSC-HX7V, DSC-WX10, DSC-WX9 and DSC-WX7 cameras offer 3D still photos and Full HD videos. All four models feature a 16.2-megapixel sensor, 3D Still Image mode using only one lens and imager, and movies at 50i in 1080 AVCHD. The TX100V is the first Cyber-shot camera with a 3.5-inch OLED with touch screen. With a Sony G lens with 10x optical zoom in a compact camera body, the HX7V offers built-in GPS and Compass which records the location and direction of where photos were taken. The WX10 features a 7x, bright F2.4 24mm wide angle lens and high-speed linear focus, and the DSC-WX7 camera has a 5x 25mm wide angle lens. The TX10 is water-proof, shock-proof, dust-proof and freeze-proof. The Sony DSC-TX100V, DSC-TX10, DSC-HX7V, DSC-WX10, DSC-WX9 and DSC-WX7 will be available in a range of colours from March 2011.