Photogaphy technique site diglloyd.com has published an online guide entitled 'Making Sharp Images'. Billed by author Lloyd Chambers as the 'missing guide' to understanding and combating the many possible sources of blur, it covers a wide range of topics while aiming to be both accessible to beginners and technical enough for experts. It's available by subscription only at http://makingsharpimages.com, priced at $44.95 for one year.

The UK Guardian features documentary photographer Marcus Bleasdale in its latest addition of My best shot, a multimedia presentation in which the photographer describes the circumstances behind his images.

The App Store℠ has revolutionized the way mobile applications are developed and distributed. With over 250,000 apps and 6.5 billion downloads, the App Store has become the world’s largest mobile application platform and App Store developers have earned over one billion dollars from the sales of their apps. We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year.

Pentax has unveiled the Optio RZ10 compact superzoom digital camera. It features a 28-280mm equivalent stabilized zoom lens and 14 megapixel CCD sensor. It can shoot 720p HD video and up to 9.1 five megapixel frames per second. It also includes a 2.7" 230k dot LCD and comes in a variety of vibrant colors and is designed to be compatible with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards.

Pentax has announced the Optio RS1000, a compact camera with interchangable, user designable covers. It comes with a 28-110mm equivalent unstabilized lens and is built around a 14.1 megapixel sensor. It offers all this season's standard compact camera features such as 720p HD movie recording and digital filters such as fish-eye and toy-camera. The RS1000 is available in white or black with the option to download or create your own cover that secures behind a transparent front-plate.

Pentax has released the SMC-DA 35mm 1:2.4 AL, a lightweight inexpensive 'normal' prime for its APS-C SLRs. With an angle of view roughly equivalent to a traditional 50mm standard lens, it becomes one of the lightest SLR lenses available at a mere 124g, and is also compact at just 45mm in length. The design includes a hybrid aspherical element to minimise aberrations, and has a minimum focus distance of 0.3m. It will be available from mid-October at a price of $219.95 / £179.99.

Pre-Photokina 2010: Pentax has announced the K-r, its latest mid-level DSLR. Initially sitting above the K-x in the range it offers more angular, K-7-esque styling, 6 fps continuous shooting and HD movie recording. It also regains AF-point illumination in the viewfinder. It features a high-res 920k dot (VGA) LCD display and the ability to shoot at up to ISO 25600. Unusually for a Pentax at this level it uses a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack but can be used with AAs via an optional adapter. We've had a chance to get to grips with the K-r and have prepared a brief hands-on article discussing its features and additions.

Think Tank Photo has unveiled a new series of sling bags called Sling-O-Matic. Described as "the photo industry's first sling bag that can be easily switched back and forth to either shoulder," the Sling-O-Matic will be available in three sizes when shipping commences next month. The company is also commemorating five years of operation with a photo contest featuring a US$5000 top prize.

In its Framework, The Los Angeles Times features an interesting gallery of Pictures in the News to Sept. 7. 2010

Always a favourite, MSNBC features This Week in Sports Pictures, a selection of the best sports images from around the world.

A six-minute Reuters video offers a look behind the scenes with stories about some of the month's best images.

Nikon USA has launched the Coolpix S8100. It closely resembles the S8000 but makes use of a 12MP back-lit CMOS sensor in the place of the 8000's 14MP CCD. In most other respects the cameras are similar, with the S8100 retaining the 30-300mm equivalent stabilized zoom lens and 3.0" LCD. The CMOS sensor helps it offer 10 fps shooting and 1080 HD movie recording. The model is currently only being released in the US.

Carl Zeiss has announced that its CP.2 compact cine lenses with interchangeable mounts will become available for the Micro 4/3 and Sony Alpha systems. The already announced Nikon F mount versions will be available in the fourth quarter of 2010, the company says. In addition to the seven focal lengths already publicized, Zeiss says it will introduce a 50mm T2.1 macro lens and a 100mm T2.1 in the Nikon F mount.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has published a special report on how crime, violence, and corruption is destroying journalism in Mexico at a time when drug traffickers, violent criminals, and corrupt officials have killed, terrorized, and co-opted journalists.

NPPA believes that giving government officials unfettered ability to search journalists' laptops and other electronic devices at the border will have a chilling effect on our ability to gather and disseminate news, especially once it becomes widely known that any information we gather may be subject to search and seizure without probable cause or suspicion. That's just one of the reasons NPPA has joined in a federal lawsuit that is a constitutional challenge to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's laptop border search policy.

Nikon has unveiled three new compact digital cameras. Leading the pack is the Coolpix P7000, which is perhaps Nikon's strongest answer to date to the popular Canon PowerShot G series. In a body that's reminiscent of the G11, the P7000 features a 10.1MP sensor, 28-200mm (equivalent) zoom, ISO 100-6400 standard ISO range and a 720p/24fps video mode that can record audio through an external stereo mic connection. The Coolpix S8100, a 12.1MP camera, can capture up to five full-resolution still pictures in succession at 10fps, or at 120fps at a lower resolution, and offers in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) merging as well as 1080p video recording. Rounding out the trio is the S80, a 14.1MP model with an OLED touchscreen.

Nikon has announced the Coolpix S80, a touch-screen card-style compact camera. It features a multi-touch OLED screen to offer both improved responsiveness and image contrast. The 17mm deep S80 is based around a 14.1MP sensor and a stabilized 5x optical zoom that offers a 35-175mm equivalent range. It also includes stereo microphones to complement its 720p movie recording capability.

Nikon has launched the Coolpix P7000 high-end enthusiasts' compact camera built around a 1/1.7" sensor and featuring a 28-200mm equivalent image stabilizaed lens. Coming over two years after the P6000, the P7000 is a considerably larger camera featuring bulky, faux-rangefinder styling that is more than a little reminescent of Canon's G Series. The P7000 has a 10MP CCD sensor, VGA-resolution fixed LCD and a usefully bright F2.8-5.6 aperture range. We've been able to borrow a P7000 and have prepared a hands-on preview.

Eye-Fi, maker of SD memory/wireless combo cards, began life as a company five years ago today, and launched its first commercially-available Eye-Fi card almost three years ago. Earlier this year, the original series was succeeded by the faster Eye-Fi X2. And today, the company has unveiled a program that will enable software developers to more readily build support for Eye-Fi cards into their products.

Pentax today announced the Pentax-D FA 645 55mm f/2.8 AL[IF] SDM AW, the first lens designed for use with the just-announced Pentax 645d medium-format DSLR. No plans to sell it in the U.S., though.