Sleek, slim and supremely stylish – this new camcorder from Sony would suit the fashion-conscious blogger. It’s the size of a camera phone and closely resembles one, too. This latest model sports a 3-inch touch screen interface and a supplied add-on lens that enables 360-degree panoramas. Video capture is Full HD 1920x1080 and there is a HDMI port for hooking it up to a HD TV to watch your movies.

Aimed at the Internet savvy blogger, there is a built-in USB and sharing software for easy online upload. This flip-out USB also charges the battery, so there are no CDs or complicated cables cluttering up the beautiful presentation box that it arrives in. Just drag and drop to upload videos to sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Flickr. The only downside for bloggers is that you would need to invest in a tripod or have a willing friend to hold the camera, because the camera phone appearance means it needs propping up.

The touch screen is very responsive and easy to use without consulting the manual. You can capture up to four hours of video on its 8GB internal memory, and result is top quality. However, the zoom is rather jerky as you slide your finger across to the telephoto end and this sliding and prodding leaves the screen noticeably marked with fingerprints.

This pocketable bloggie also doubles as a camera. Stills have the support of a 12.8-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor, a huge leap forward from the 5-megapixel camera of its predecessor. Macro lovers can only focus at 10cm distance though, and lack of internal flash means images suffer from noise in dim light. You would probably yield better results from a compact camera, but as a camcorder the Sony Bloggie Touch delivers.

Overall Rating 4 / 5

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Blurb has released Bookify, an online application for designing photobooks. Made with the intentions of streamlining your book-making process, Bookify uses a basic interface with a maximum page count of 160 to keep things as straightforward as possible. No download is necessary, just upload images into a 'filmstrip' and then drag and drop each one onto pages for your layout. Bookify can be told to do all the work for you, by laying all your images into a template automatically.

 Bookify works smoother with the fewer images you upload, and a fast connection is recommended. Books can be designed and ordered with little hassle, and even join Blurb’s growing community of photobook artists, to upload your own book to sell and gain feedback. Head to the company's website to see what all the fuss is about.

Overall Rating 4 / 5

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Colour correction and calibration should no longer be the cause of problematic shooting scenarios. Datacolor’s SpyderCheckr Pro is designed, from the offset, to provide you with colour- accurate results. The calibrator makes sure the white balance setting on your DSLR is working at its best, and you can also record colour samples for different subjects, such as portrait models for capturing the colours of skin tones.
The calibration equipment comes with the SpyderCube, or you can buy the kit without it for £103 from www.colourconfidence.co.uk. The SpyderCube lets you take into account a wide range of colours and exposure settings in a single shot, to apply quickly to a batch of images. The set is also supplied with the Black Trap and Chrome Ball to control shadows and highlights in your scene. Whether you’re shooting at a wedding or on a sunny holiday, the supplied grey will make sure you hit mid-point grey each time.
The SpyderCheckr Pro contains 48 precisely engineered colour patches, which talk to the accompanying software to lessen the strain of post-production colour correction. Built with a tough exterior for taking from location to location, this has proved its worth on photography excursions.

Overall Rating 5 / 5

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So you've taken a series of photos on holiday and want to show them off to friends and family back home. But how is this possible, when email holds only so much? Eye-Fi, a company best known for its Wi-Fi enabled memory cards, has developed an exciting way of transferring high-resolution photos to any device using a connection to the web. Email certainly isn't a new concept, but Eye-Fi has fashioned its own way of emailing high-resolution photos without taking up precious inbox space. Receivers don't even need an Eye-Fi account to view images. The new feature creates a single link for the contact on the receiving end to download and enjoy the slideshow of images from your travels. If you're an Eye-Fi user, you can try out its email feature straight away.

 Wi-Fi enabled memory cards cut-out the middle-man from camera to computer, and this seems to be the underlying ethos for the company. Along with its email feature, Eye-Fi has released View, available to Eye-Fi account holders for free. Images can be uploaded and shared with friends anywhere in the world with any device, to view and enjoy, and publish online too, all with a steady internet connection. View's interface is very easy to use and images are tiled down one side of its interface, with a large, excellent resolution version of the selected one displayed. Full resolution images are available for seven days through View, and no login is required.

Overall Rating 4 / 5

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Bring the magic that is green screen into your home studio using this lighting equipment by Westcott. The Green Screen Digital Lighting Kit 405 from Photo Basics is out to make special effects easily achievable for photographers and videographers, and takes the hassle out of post-production editing and gives a more creative output on studio photography.

 Green screen is recognised in the film industry for creating dramatic backdrops, so why bring it to the photographer? Well, when it comes to special effects, a green screen is what you'll need. This kit comes with two uLite Constant Lights, two 500-watt Photoflood lights, two 20-inch collapsible softboxes, and two 7-inch stands for keeping your lights upright. But the learning doesn't stop there, as you can enjoy DVDs to teach you about the important parts to green screening, as well as 10 photo and animated backgrounds to use your images. The green screen itself is 9 x 10 feet, and is compact enough to transport and put up quickly, and to drape over obstacles.  

 It took us a bit of getting used to at first, but a green screen is surprisingly easy and fun. Treat it like an ordinary backdrop, and the selection process, using its software, is quickly applied to its green surroundings. Once you've got this far, it's a case of applying a special effects background.

 So forget about going to an exotic or far-reaching location for that unique view, you can use the wonders of green screen technology - all for £288. The Kit also comes with free trials of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere to meet your post-editing demands, whether that’s for photography or creating your own movies. The Green Screen Digital Lighting Kit is available from JP Distribution. Call the above number for your nearest dealer.

Overall Rating 4 / 5

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This software is designed to ensure your photography workflow runs like clockwork. Organise your images and keep on top of your albums and shots with this new image processor. It offers fast viewing, searching and tagging facilities all for a very reasonable price

Overall Rating 3 / 5

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Ideal for the micro compact DSLR such as a Nikon D3000 or a Sony A330, this top-loading bag offers protection and easy access for your camera.  It offers extra space for small accessories, cords and batteries as well as extra memory cards too. A great bag for carrying your camera with the lens attached.

Overall Rating 4 / 5

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If you have yet to invest in a memory card reader and CompactFlash cards are you storage format of choice, then take a moment to contemplate this particular gadget. The Lexar Professional ExpressCard CaompactFlash Reader is designed to transfer your files from card to computer at speed. With a transfer rate of up to 133MB a second, you can have a whole day’s shoot backed up in no time.

This reader works with both PC laptops and Macs that offer a 54 or 34mm ExpressCard slot. Simply insert your CompactFlash card into the chunky end of the reader and in turn insert the skinny end into you computer. This cable free option is the ultimate in card reader convenience and its diminutive dimensions mean it will not affect desk space.

Built with the pro photographer in mind, this card reader comes with a two-year warranty as well as free customer support as standard. When you use it in tandem with a UDMA CF card, pro photographers can expect heightened speed and performance, so it’s well worth investing in the card if your budget will allow.

Obviously this is a premium product and it will only appeal to a certain level of photographer, but there’s no denying the quality of this kit and pros will find the speed of transfers is hugely beneficial to improve workflow efficiency.

If you have yet to invest in a memory card reader and CompactFlash cards are you storage format of choice, then take a moment to contemplate this particular gadget. The Lexar Professional ExpressCard CaompactFlash Reader is designed to transfer your files from card to computer at speed. With a transfer rate of up to 133MB a second, you can have a whole day’s shoot backed up in no time.

This reader works with both PC laptops and Macs that offer a 54 or 34mm ExpressCard slot. Simply insert your CompactFlash card into the chunky end of the reader and in turn insert the skinny end into you computer. This cable free option is the ultimate in card reader convenience and its diminutive dimensions mean it will not affect desk space.

Built with the pro photographer in mind, this card reader comes with a two-year warranty as well as free customer support as standard. When you use it in tandem with a UDMA CF card, pro photographers can expect heightened speed and performance, so it’s well worth investing in the card if your budget will allow.

Obviously this is a premium product and it will only appeal to a certain level of photographer, but there’s no denying the quality of this kit and pros will find the speed of transfers is hugely beneficial to improve workflow efficiency.

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Overall Rating 5 / 5

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The Samsung Full HD Memory Cam is a sleek robust model with a comfortable grip and a button layout that is simple enough to use for even the biggest of technophobes. Drenched in a high gloss plastic body and chrome effect buttons, it looks good for an entry-level model.

Equipped with a separate button for shooting stills, this offers enough versatility for the beginner user, without becoming cluttered with lots of gimmicky functions and features. Looking at the streamlined feature set available though, you will be more than happy with what’s on offer. First up is a 20x optical zoom, which is operated by an easy-to-reach top lever. This is coupled with a fantastic optical image stabilisation system to help smooth out the wobbles when zooming and keep bumpy footage to a minimum. This is most effective at mid-zoom although at full range it goes a long way in helping produce smooth footage.

This camcorder shoots at 1080i at 50fps and manages to yield pretty pleasing quality movies. The noise is well controlled and the only problem we found in lowlight was a slight reluctance when it comes to autofocus. The focusing system is pretty basic, so don’t expect any sort of tracking or detection – it’s a bog standard focus system with this model.

That said though, there are plenty of other great things to shout about including the rather impressive sound quality. The top mounted mic picks up audio well and the wind-cut feature is on handy to help you out in windy situations.

All in all this is a great piece of kit to add to your camera bag for times when a single image is just not enough. It’s not the best in terms of build or quality, but at this price a lot can be forgiven.

Overall Rating 4 / 5

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Super slim, stylish and available in three hues, this little camera case is ideal for storing and protecting your compact cameras. Maximum camera depth is 22mm so it’s ideal for superslim offerings and the leather style finish gives a pro feel to the product. Easy access via the Velcro strap and bright inner lining complete the package.

Overall Rating 3 / 5

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