MeFOTO today announced the launch of MeVIDEO, a new sister company focusing on the film and video market with a travel video tripod available now on Kickstarter. The MeVIDEO GlobeTrotter tripod features reverse folding legs to allow for a more compact folded form that makes it perfect for travelling, an Integrated Levelling Platform for precise, intuitive positioning of your camera on the centre column without needing to adjust legs, and a Removable Flat Base Head offering ratchet-style metal adjustment knobs for levelling. Available in anodised aluminium and carbon fibre versions, the tripod converts easily to a monopod - simply unscrew the centre column and combine with the padded leg. MeVIDEO launched their Kickstarter campaign today, with the goal of raising $50,000. Backers will receive a discounted rate of $349 for the aluminium and $499 for the carbon fibre model.

In partnership with academics from the University of Oxford, a London start-up has condensed the power of cloud based visual search technology to the size of a book. The Pholio device, which can safely store or access your media all in one place, allows an incredible level of search and discovery across your photos and home videos. The software in Pholio automatically checks all images in your collections against 20,000 in-built search terms, from ‘birthday’ to ‘christmas’ and ‘house renovation’.  By keying a relevant search term into a browser on a connected TV screen, tablet, phone or laptop at home, families can search for all sorts of things in their own photo collections – from day trips to Bangor to bungee jumps in Niagara. What's more, the technology within the Pholio box will evolve for individuals based on their specific interests and collections - each box will end up understanding different things depending on its owner. The basic Pholio device can store up to 500 gigabytes of data, whilst Pholio Pro offers a storage capacity of 2TB. Prices start at £199.

DJI have introduced the Zenmuse X7, the World’s first Super 35 digital camera optimised for professional aerial cinematography. The device comprises a gimbal and the camera itself, which features a Super 35 video sensor offering raw video capture with 14 stops of dynamic range, plus an entirely new DJI-DL lens mount with an ultra-short flange-back distance. Available with focal lengths of 16 mm, 24 mm, 35 mm, and 50 mm, each new DJI lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and is crafted out of carbon fibre, making them durable and lightweight for high-performance aerial cinematography with the DJI Inspire 2 drone. The Zenmuse X7 camera is priced at $2,699. The 16 mm, 24 mm and 35 mm lenses will be available for $1,299 each, and the 50 mm for $1,199. Customers can purchase the Zenmuse X7 prime lens combo including all 4 lenses for $4,299. The Zenmuse X7 will start shipping in early November 2017.

Hahnemühle have just added the new Goya Canvas 340 gsm to their Digital FineArt Collection. Goya Canvas - an acid-free, natural white, poly-cotton canvas - guarantees archival standards.  With its premium satin inkjet coating Goya Canvas meets the highest industry standards regarding density, colour gamut, colour graduation and image sharpness. The product is available in four different sizes.

The Drone Major Group is the first company in the world to provide an integrated suite of products and services to every part of the rapidly-evolving global drone industry. Central to Drone Major Group is the launch of a new portal - Drone Major, the World’s first online portal which will provide critical connectivity to one of the fastest growing industries predicted to reach $100billion by 2020. The new portal facilitates the sale of drones and drone-related equipment and services throughout the world.

Jessops now offer a personalised advent calendar service. Customers can personalise their calendars with their favourite photos from the year for £6.99-£29.99. Designing an advent calendar is easy: simply select your size, format and chocolates and then add your favourite photos. The company offers a total of seven different designs and sizes to choose from.

Caldwell Photographic and Metabones have announced the Speed Booster Q666, also known as “The Devil’s Speed Booster”, exclusively for Pentax Q series cameras. The unusual nickname apparently stems from the fact that the new adapter boasts a record-breaking f/0.666 aperture and a 0.5x magnification. Like all Metabones Speed Boosters, the Speed Booster Q666 is optimised to fully account for the camera’s filter stack located near the sensor surface.  This is especially critical at the maximum aperture of f/0.666.  As a result, a huge range of optics, from vintage film lenses to the latest digital designs, will function flawlessly when adapted to any Pentax Q camera.  Planned lens mounts for the Speed Booster Q666 include a Pentax-K version and a Nikon F/G version with what Metabones claim to be "the most advanced Nikon G aperture adjustment mechanism in the industry." The Speed Booster Q666 is available from the Metabones website and its worldwide dealer network for $489.

Via Pentax Rumors

Designed for owners of fixed prime lens cameras and the growing range of CSCs, Billingham today announced the Billingham 72 camera bag. The Billingham 72 will come in five colour combinations, including Sage FibreNyte and Chocolate Leather, Khaki Canvas and Tan Leather, Burgundy Canvas and Chocolate Leather (pictured), Black Canvas and Tan Leather, and Black FibreNyte & Black Leather. 

Made in England at the Billingham factory, the 72 offers extensive protection thanks to a newly-designed arrangement of structured, highly dense foam in a continuous double layer around the whole body of the bag. This special fortified padding safeguards the entire camera and lens, keeping all edges and corners fully protected. The bag’s Quick Release System comprises a strong leather tab and brass ClogBall, enabling fast opening with one hand to retrieve the camera, while securing the equipment in transit. The Billingham 72 is available to order now for £100 (including VAT) from Billingham stockists in the UK.

Manfrotto today announced a new range of smart traveller tripods. The Manfrotto Element Carbon range currently includes two models. Both feature a compact and sturdy carbon fibre construction that makes them strong but still very portable. The three leg-angle positions mean they are highly versatile. The twist lock mechanism enables photographers to get into the right position fast, in a few, easy moves, while the aluminium ball head is designed to deliver the fast movement when framing and a firm lock for setting equipment up exactly as you need it. The ball head mounts an Arca-type quick release plate with a 1/4"-20 camera screw on top that ensures equipment is balanced even when using zoom lenses. The Element Carbon Tripods have a payload of 4kg on the small tripod, and 8kg on the big tripod and feature a branded Manfrotto bag, an additional set of spike feet (big tripod only) and an Allen key to fix and tighten your gear. In addition, the Element Traveller Carbon Big Tripod features a detachable leg which, when removed and attached to the centre column, becomes a full-size monopod. The Element Carbon Tripods are available from £174.95.

DJI launched a new Local Data Mode that stops internet traffic to and from its DJI Pilot app, in order to provide enhanced data privacy assurances for sensitive government and enterprise customers. “We are creating Local Data Mode to address the needs of our enterprise customers, including public and private organisations that are using DJI technology to perform sensitive operations around the world,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI’s Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs. “DJI is committed to protecting the privacy of its customers’ photos, videos and flight logs. Local Data Mode will provide added assurances for customers with heightened data security needs.” Local Data Mode will be available in the next update on the DJI Pilot app on CrystalSky and for select Android tablets.

Tether Tools have announced that they will be assuming exclusive manufacturing, global sales, and distribution of TetherBlock products. Created by professional photographer David Blattel, the TetherBlock is a well-designed solution that helps tethering cables stay connected and secure. The TetherBlock’s patented cable-channeling design prevents accidental removal of a cable from the camera's data ports by routing a USB, FireWire, or HDMI cable through the TetherBlock’s S-channel. From there, a photographer can either shoot hand held or attach the TetherBlock to their camera's tripod mount or with the TetherBlock Arca, directly to an Arca Swiss compatible tripod. “I originally created TetherBlock to solve a challenge I had in my own photography work,” Blattel says. “I never intended it to replace my photography career. Tether Tools is the premier provider of tethering solutions and TetherBlock will reach many more photographers through their efforts than I could through my own.”

Designed for smartphones, the Quadralite A1 combines the functionality of a flash, LED lamp, and a wireless trigger. Promising to "transform your smartphone into a professional studio camera," the Quadralite A1 acts as an independent, wirelessly triggered flash as well as a wireless trigger and controller for additional Quadralite lights (both flashes and LED lights). A companion app converts your smartphone into an impressive control centre allowing you to take the entire studio under your control.

Synology today launched their DiskStation DS418play, a 4-bay NAS ideal for serving as a home multimedia center. Equipped with a dual-core 2GHz processor capable of bursting up to 2.5GHz, it comes with 2GB DDR3L memory by default, which is twice the size of its predecessor, and expands up to 6GB to enhance multi-tasking operations. Powered by a new hardware transcoding engine, DS418play supports up to two channels of H.265/H.264 4K video transcoding. "Mobiledevices supporting 4K video recording are becoming increasingly popular. However, since 4K video clips are capacity-consuming and not all TVs at home support 4K video playback, users tend to record videos with lower resolution as an alternative," said Michael Wang, product manager at Synology Inc. "With DS418play supporting up to 40TB of raw capacity, users can store their favorite videos in ultra-high definition, organize and share videos with families and friends effortlessly, and transcode videos on-the-fly to allow video playback on devices that do not support 4K."

MindShift Gear have just announced their new BackLight 36L photo daypack. The backpack holds two gripped DSLRs with lenses attached and 4–6 standard zoom lenses plus a flash, or two gripped mirrorless bodies with lenses attached and 6–8 lenses plus a flash. Additionally, the BackLight 36L has 11 litres of daypack capacity providing plenty of space for personal gear, including separate dedicated compartments for a 10” tablet and 15” laptop. The back panel opening allows access to all of your gear when taking the pack off is not an option. The zippered rear opening reduces the amount of dust, mud, ice or other elements coming in contact with your gear or the pack, while keeping your shoulder harness clean. The BackLight 36L photo daypack is available for $289.99.

Manfrotto Distribution UK have announced that as of 14th September 2017, they will be the exclusive UK distributor for broncolor. Commenting on the partnership Chris Carr, Vice President for Lighting, Partner Brands and UK, “broncolor is one of the most recognised and reputable lighting brands in the UK and is the perfect fit within our portfolio. We are proud to offer to the market broncolor’s range of premium lighting products, combining outstanding technological innovation and superb quality that you would expect from product produced by hand in Switzerland.”

Polaroid today announced the Polaroid flexible LED lighting panel, a lightweight, bendable light source for photographers and videographers. Measuring at 12x12” and just 16mm wide, the the super slim Polaroid flexible LED panel mat weighs a mere one pound, making it easy to arrange and mold the light into your ideal position. Even at this ultra-portable size, the Polaroid flexible LED lighting panel delivers superb colour reproduction similar in comparison to a 5600K natural light source; with 256 LEDs it can produce up to 4500 Lumens. Anyone from professional photographers to casual enthusiasts can use the simple wireless remote control to quickly dim the daylight balanced light source. Photographers and videographers can purchase the Polaroid flexible LED lighting panel from Amazon for $124.99.

Fantasea Line have unveiled the rugged and stylish FA6000 underwater housing for the Sony A6000 compact system camera. Depth rated to 60 metres / 200 feet, the Fantasea FA6000 housing features an ergonomic design with access to all essential camera functions. It is shock resistant and protects the camera from water, sand, dust, frost, impact, as well as other damaging elements and harmful occurrences. The FA6000 Housing was designed to be compatible with a complete accessory system, enabling photographers to enhance the quality of their images. Retail price of the FA6000 housing in the USA is $780.

Manfrotto has added five new models to the Manfrotto NX and Street Bag Collections. The new models in the Street selection include the Sling/Waist  pack (£59.95), which holds a premium CSC or entry-level DSLR with standard zoom lens attached and two additional lenses. This carrying solution is also perfect for a DJI Mavic Pro drone with remote control and small accessories. The Street Pouch (£19.95) is a highly versatile solution that safely holds a CSC with lens attached and up to 2 additional lenses, depending on size, or an entry-level DSLR with standard zoom lens attached. The Street Strap (£9.95) is billed as the most lightweight solution for carrying a premium or standard CSC, and features a lens cap (up to 58 mm) or extra battery holder. There are also two new models in the NX collection, including the NX CSC backpack (£59.95) - a highly comfortable solution for carrying a premium CSC with a standard zoom lens attached and up to three additional lenses - and the NX CSC Messenger (£39.95), which holds a standard CSC with standard lens attached and two additional lenses.

Techart has unveiled the World’s first autofocus adapter for Canon EF lenses and the Fujifilm GFX 50S camera. The Techart EF-GFX adapter provides autofocus function as well as in-body aperture control for using Canon EF-mount lenses on the Fujifilm GFX body. It currently supports AF-S mode for shooting, and in-lens image stabilisation where applicable. Focal length and aperture data will also be communicated to the body via the adapter. Priced at $499, the Techart Canon EF – Fujifilm GFX Autofocus Adapter is now available for preorder at the website below.

Lensbaby have announced the launch of the Composer Pro II with Sweet 80 Optic, an 80mm f/2.8 tilting lens designed for portrait photographers or anyone looking for selective focus at longer focal lengths. By bending the depth of field around photographers’ subjects, the Sweet 80 achieves Lensbaby’s classic “sweet spot” effect of sharp focus on the subject while the surrounding area fills with compelling streaky bokeh. The new optic features an internal 12-blade aperture which can be stopped down all the way to f/16. The Composer Pro II with Sweet 80 Optic will be available for purchase in early October 2017 for $379.95. For those who already own an Optic Swap compatible Lensbaby lens body, the Sweet 80 Optic will be available separately for $199.95.