The strap that comes with your new camera is almost never the best way to carry it. So we've reviewed four of the newest camera carrying systems - the Peak Design Capture, Spider Black Widow Holster, Lensloop and Split Strap.

Photographer and film-maker William Klein will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award at the 2012 Sony World Photography Awards. He will be honoured at the annual gala award ceremony on 26 April at taking place at London’s Park Lane Hilton Hotel. An intimate exhibition of his work, curated by Michael Benson, will be shown as part of the Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House in London from 27th April – 20th May.

Lomography has announced the Diana F+ Sahara special-edition medium-format film camera. Decorated with palm trees and pyramids, the Diana F+ Sahara is wrapped in printed leather and comes bundled with a flash unit. Using 120 Film, you can experiment with multiple exposures, long exposures and even pinhole shots. The Diana F+ Sahara is available for €99 from the Lomography Online Shop.

Seim Effects Photo Tools has announced complete updates for its collection of Lightroom toolkits designed for use by photographers. The company’s Power Workflow 3, Silver Shadows 2 and Color Fantasies are now fully compatible with Lightroom 4, including a dedicated set of every effect for Lightroom 4 that takes advantage of the new 2012 process version. In addition, Seim Effects is offering the updates free to all existing users of the current product line. New customers can purchase the toolkits through the website below.

Sony has issued firmware updates for the Sony A65 and the Sony A77 digital SLT cameras. Version 1.05 adds several enhancements to both models, including faster auto review response, shortened power-off times, improved front/rear control wheel response, enhanced auto focus accuracy in high-contrast situations and improved AF speed with the new Sony 500mm f/4 lens. Additionally, both cameras can now intelligently correct vignetting, lateral chromatic aberration and distortion for a total of 11 A-mount lenses. Click through / scroll down for the download links.

Jessops today launched the Spring edition of its Image magazine, available free at Jessops stores across the United Kingdom. This edition showcases new products and latest technologies that are stocked by Jessops and includes some handy guides and in-depth features on the latest products from leading manufacturers. Sean Emmett, Marketing & E-commerce Director at Jessops commented “We feel that the new magazine is a valuable asset for our customers because as well as being packed full of the latest technology and photographic innovation it also offers lots of advice and useful features to help our customers get even more from their photography.”

Nikon UK has announced a cashback offer on the Nikon D3100, D5100 and D7000 cameras. Customers buying a Nikon D3100 body only or in a single-lens kit can claim £30/€35, those getting the camera with two new lenses are entitled to a cashback of £45/€50. New Nikon D5100 buyers get £50/€60 (body only / single-lens kits) or £65/€75 (camera plus two lenses), while those purchasing a new Nikon D7000 can claim either £80/€95 or £100/€115, depending on the number of lenses bought together with the camera. The offer is valid on purchases made in the UK or Ireland between now and 30th May. All claims must be received by the 30th June 2012 in order to qualify. For more information on the cashback offer, visit the website below.

The Nikon Coolpix P510 is a new super-zoom compact camera that features an incredible 42x zoom lens with a massive focal range of 24-1000mm. The 16 megapixel bridge-style Nikon P510 can also capture full 1080p high-definition movies with stereo sound, has a back illuminated CMOS sensor, 3-inch 921K-dot tiltable LCD screen, built-in GPS, electronic viewfinder and fast 7fps burst shooting. Priced at £399.99 / $429.95, read our expert Nikon Coolpix P510 review to find out if that 1000mm zoom is too good to be true...

Congregational & General have launched a UK-wide photography competition which showcases the positive impact of faith in the community. The competition, now in its third year, has three categories including Community Spirit Against the Odds, A Year of Service and Moments of Faith. The winning photographer in each of the three categories will receive a prize pack valued at £1400, which includes a Nikon V1 camera. Winning photographers can also nominate a faith, charity or community group to receive £1000 of audio-visual or photography equipment of their choice. For further details of the competition, including prizes and entry requirements and to upload your images visit the website below.

Manfrotto has won two prestigious accolades at the 2012 Red Dot Design Awards. The two winning Manfrotto products include the modular SYMPLA Rig System designed for video-enabled digital SLR cameras and the 502HD telescoping video kit incorporating the MVH502A fluid head and the MVT502AM tripod. In addition to Manfrotto’s accolades, the Imaging & Staging Division of the Vitec Group was honoured with a prize for the Gitzo Systematic tripod range, having introduced a completely redesigned range of supports in January 2012.

Land Rover North America has launched on Tumblr with “Five By Five,” an innovative photography project that “reflects a unique approach to the creation and distribution of content”. The company selected five socially-connected photographers in five different cities and granted them access to different Land Rover models. “Land Rover is excited to launch on Tumblr with Five By Five because it is such a unique project that highlights our vehicles in a creative and artistic way,” said Ken Bracht, Marketing Communications Manager, Land Rover North America. “We chose to maximize Tumblr as our new social media channel because it fosters engagement, and with this project, allows enthusiasts to share and follow the journeys of each photographer as they experience our vehicles through the eyes of a lens.” To view the photos visit the website below.

SmugMug has announced a major update to its Camera Awesome app. Currently the #1 iPhone photography app in 55 countries, Camera Awesome allows users to “awesomise” their photos and then instantly share them on Instagram with one simple tap. Additionally, the Camera Awesome app now comes with an in-app getting started guide, easier and more intuitive pinch-zooming, a white balance lock feature and a smoother way to set the self-timer. Plus you can now purchase all add-on filters as a single package for $9.99. If you’ve already bought a few effects, the company will bill you the difference rather than the full amount.

Canon today announced that the Canon EOS C300, the first model from the new Cinema EOS System, has met the standards the BBC requires from cameras tested to the EBU recommendation EBU R118. The approval allows both internal and external BBC production teams to use the EOS C300 for the production of a variety of programmes to be broadcast on the BBC’s range of HD channels. The EOS C300 is the third professional camcorder from Canon to be approved by the BBC since the start of 2011, joining the XF305 and XF300 Full HD camcorders, which were approved for use in January last year.

proDAD has announced that Corel is including 3 video effects technologies from proDAD with its newly announced VideoStudio Pro X5 Ultimate software. The proDAD technologies with Corel VideoStudio X5 Ultimate include the Mercali V2 Pro post-capture video stabiliser, TravelRoute Designer and VitaScenee V2 LE professional-grade effects. “We’re thrilled to once again be chosen by Corel to provide video effects technology for VideoStudio” said Andreas Huber, managing director for proDAD.

The Wacom Intuos5 is the latest version of Wacom's popular graphics table, offering multi-touch gesture support for MAC and Windows, an Express View display and optional wireless connectivity. Jon Canfield takes a closer look in our Wacom Intuos5 review.

North Carolina based Carve Gybe Software today introduced SuperPhoto, a new iOS Universal App designed for ease-of-use. The app simplifies the iOS camera to just three buttons and also follows Apple’s Accessibility standards. “We created SuperPhoto for everybody - kids, parents, and grandparents who want to enjoy the moment and share it,” says founder John Alexander. SuperPhoto is available on iTunes for $0.99.

Canon U.S.A. today announced that the Canon Pixma MG8220 and MG6220 Wireless Photo All-In-One inkjet photo printers now support Google Cloud Print. This service allows users to print from Gmail and Google Docs on a mobile device and from the Google Chrome browser for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome devices. A third printer, the Canon Pixma MX892, is also scheduled to provide the same support in May.

Custom SLR has today launched the M-Plate universal camera tripod plate. Billed as the world’s first universal tripod plate to offer built-in Manfrotto RC2 and Arca-Swiss connections as well as attachment points for accessories, the M-Plate enables quick release from virtually any tripod head. “Crafted in the USA from aerospace grade aluminium, the M-Plate is sturdy, steady and lightweight, and works with any camera strap system including the Custom SLR C-Loop strap mount, BlackRapid,  Spider Holster, Sun Sniper, Cotton Carrier and virtually any system that would typically occupy the camera tripod socket,” the company claims. The M-Plate is available starting today for a MSRP of $74.95. You can buy the M-Plate through the website below.

The 17th annual Project Competition recognises gifted photographers working on documentary projects or fine-art series. The 2012 prize package offers a two-person exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Art. The Project Competition and Project Launch winning work will be on view at the NM Museum of Art, June – August 2012 during Center’s flagship portfolio review event, Review Santa Fe, where many renowned curators, editors, publishers and collectors will be in attendance. This year, the award attracted hundreds of entries from 34 countries, with the first prize being awarded to Anastasia Taylor-Lind of the UK.

The FOTO8 Summershow is back this summer (7th July – 19th August) for its fifth annual celebration of photography. The Show provides an international window for new, emerging and established talent and the stories they have captured. Photographers of all levels are encouraged to enter – the only remit is that the images should provide a window on life, convey powerful stories and evoke questions. The deadline for entries is 14th May. For collectors, the Summershow provides a chance to invest in new photography with prices for prints starting at £75. Of the 3,000 photographs usually entered, just 150 will be carefully selected for display in the Summershow and offered for sale. A panel of internationally respected judges will select an image to be Best in Show for which there is a £2,000 prize. The winner will be announced at the FOTO8 Summershow party, on 6th July.