Arsenal, the World's first smart camera assistant that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to control your digital SLR or compact system camera via a smartphone app, has raised more than $1 million on Kickstarter in just two weeks, exceeding its initial fundraising goal by 2,000%. "With a single tap, you can activate Arsenal’s settings assistant AI," says Arsenal inventor Ryan Stout. "The settings assistant is trained on thousands of great photos. It can determine the optimal settings for the scene you're shooting. Next it fine tunes those settings using 18 different environmental factors. The result is great settings for any shot." After surpassing its original campaign goal of $50,000 in less than nine hours, Arsenal has now reached two stretch goals: the first at $300,000, and the second at $1 million. Each goal enabled Arsenal’s creators to fund the development of additional features in time for launch. These additional features include a laive histogram, an intriguing Night Shot feature, and new video control and playback functions. According to the timeline published on the project's Kickstarter page, Arsenal will start shipping in January next year.

Benro today announced the new Aero 7, a compact and portable video tripod capable of supporting up to 15 lbs. Featuring a reverse-folding leg design, Benro’s Aero 7 is a clear evolution from its other Aero siblings. In addition to its standard ability to reverse-fold to a smaller, more compact size and transform into a video monopod, the inclusion of the removable flat-base S7 video head and the new 2-in-1 centre column makes the Aero 7 a great travelling companion for filmmakers and videographers needing a fully featured tripod for their medium-sized rigs. For even more versatility, one of the Aero 7’s legs can be unthreaded and joined with the tripod’s centre column to become a fully functioning video monopod. The suggested retail price of the Aero 7 is $399 for the aluminium version, and $599 for carbon fibre.

OmegaBrandess has announced the upcoming launch of a new remote shutter release cable for the GigaPan Epic Pro and GigaPan Epic Pro V (pictured) that will be compatible with newer generation Sony cameras using the Multi-Terminal connection. The 510-3501revA Cable will be available for $45, starting July 2017.

Several rare Leica cameras and accessories will be auctioned off tomorrow at the 31st Westlicht Photographica Auction in Vienna, Austria. These include a very early Leica I with an Elmax lens, a black-paint Leica M3 from one of the first series from 1959, a Leica MP-292 and a 1944 vintage ‘Rundbild’ outfit for 360° photography, complete with a matching tripod. Amongst the ‘Leica Copies’ is the extremely rare WICA (Wiener Camera) from 1948 with a starting price of $2,250 and an estimated hammer price of between $3,900 and $4,250. Bids can be placed online, on the phone, by fax or in person in the WestLicht auction rooms at Westbahnstrasse 40.

Tenba has updated its Roadie line of rolling cases including a new checkable, uncrushable flagship model. Tenba Roadies are sleek, discrete cases that include some key “industry first” features like a removable camera insert, an exterior pocket for a portable battery. Roadies were designed with a high-end luggage aesthetic to ensure they look professional yet don’t draw unwanted attention to the gear inside. One model in the Roadie Collection, the Roadie Air Case Roller 21, utilises Tenba's patented layered wall construction to provide the protection of a hard-shell case at a fraction of the weight. It can withstand more than 400 pounds stacked on top, so it will ensure equipment protection when the case needs to be checked unexpectedly, like when airline overhead space has filled up, or when flying on a small regional jet.

To celebrate the new SW320 monitor, BenQ have launched the new ‘Get Creative in Venice!’ promotion that will offer one lucky winner a 6 day, all-expenses paid photo trip to Venice, Italy. The trip is worth approximately £4,000 and will take place from 8th – 13th July 2018. The photo adventure is designed not only to guide the winner through the most photogenic locations carefully planned for the best light, but will enable them to mentally visualise a scene before capturing the perfect moment. To be in with a chance of winning this once-in-a-lifetime prize, entrants simply need to fill out a short form on the company's website. Featuring a true 10-bit IPS panel, hardware calibration, 99% Adobe RGB colour space coverage and a 14-bit 3D look-up table, the 31.5" SW320 UHD monitor comes with BenQ’s Palette Master Elements software for hardware calibration. The Gamut Duo feature allows users to view content side-by-side in various colour spaces on one screen. The Hotkey Puck can assign colour spaces to preset buttons and switch between them quickly and conveniently. HDR has been introduced to offer higher contrast, vivid colours and brighter images, and to allow professionals to display true-to-life video with the same accurate colour and detail it was captured with. The Technocolor colour certified monitor has its own SD memory card slot and offers fast USB 3.0 connectivity. The BenQ SW320 is available for £1,245.60 including VAT.

Benro have announced the ProAngel, an ultra-lightweight and compact family of travel tripods and monopods for photographers on the go. Ideal for nearly any camera from smartphones (Series 0 tripod,) and compact system cameras (Series 1 & 2 tripods), to full frame DSLRs (Series 3 & 4 tripods), ProAngel tripods are portable enough to fit inside most small and medium sized bags. Utilizing an advanced single leg locking mechanism, all the tripod’s leg sections open with a single twist. This makes ProAngel lighter and decreases set up time considerably when compared to traditional tripods. Height can be set to any position and secure locking only requires a simple half turn. The two-section telescoping center column provides additional height when needed and has a standard 3/8"-16 thread to attach a photo tripod head. Available in kits with a reliable B1 Ballhead, ProAngel is also offered to photographers in unkitted tripod and monopod options. For transportation and storage, every ProAngel includes a protective bag with a carrying strap. The monopods are priced from $49-$59, while the tripods can be yours for $99-$249 depending on the model.

XP Distribution today announced it is offering a 25% discount to students on all X-Rite colour management products. X-Rite’s complete range of colour management devices delivers solutions to every creative level, from the entry level ColorMunki Smile, intermediate level ColorMunki Display and professional level i1Display Pro. X-Rite also supplies the industry-standard ColorChecker charts for photo and video, which celebrated its 40th Anniversary last year. In order for students to claim their discount, they will need to visit the promotion's website, fill in details and upload a scan or photo of student ID card or similar document, wait for their discount code to arrive via email, and then use this discount code when buying X-Rite equipment.

Apple has unveiled an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro and a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, featuring a new display with ProMotion technology and a 64-bit A10X Fusion CPU. The new 10.5-inch model reduces the borders by nearly 40 per cent to fit into a compact package that still weighs just one pound. The redesigned Retina display in iPad Pro features ProMotion, a new technology that delivers refresh rates of up to 120Hz for fluid scrolling, greater responsiveness and smoother motion content. True Tone dynamically adjusts the white balance of the display to match the light around you for a more natural and accurate viewing experience. A wide colour gamut enables iPad Pro to deliver digital cinema-standard colours. The A10X Fusion chip provides performance that is faster than most PC laptops shipping today, so tackling complex tasks like editing photos and 4K video, rendering 3D images or playing games feels effortless. A six-core CPU and 12-core GPU deliver up to 30 per cent faster CPU performance and 40 per cent faster graphics performance than the A9X chip, while delivering all-day battery life. The iPad Pro features the same advanced front and back-facing cameras as iPhone 7, including a 12-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation, along with a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera. A new full-sized Smart Keyboard has been custom designed for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, offering a thin yet durable keyboard that never needs to be charged or paired over Bluetooth and is easily foldable into a protective Smart Cover. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro comes in silver, space grey, gold and rose gold and starts at £619 for the 64GB with Wi-Fi model and £749 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is available in silver, space grey and gold and starts at £769 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model and £899 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

Apple have previewed their new iMac Pro, an entirely new workstation-class product line designed for pro users. Billed as the most powerful Mac ever made, the iMac Pro features a 27-inch Retina 5K display, up to 18-core Xeon processors and up to 22 Teraflops of GPU performance. iMac Pro also supports up to 4TB of SSD and up to 128GB of ECC memory, and with four Thunderbolt 3 ports can connect to up to two high-performance RAID arrays and two 5K displays at the same time. For the first time ever on a Mac, iMac Pro features 10Gb Ethernet for up to 10 times faster networking. The new iMac Pro is scheduled to ship in December starting at $4,999.

Apple has updated its iMac line with up to three times more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3, faster storage options and brighter Retina displays. The updated iMac features faster Kaby Lake processors up to 4.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz and supports up to twice the memory as the previous generation. Fusion Drive is now standard on all 27-inch configurations and the top-end 21.5-inch iMac, which also features a Retina 4K display and discrete graphics. SSD storage options are now up to 50 percent faster. The updated iMac is available to buy in Apple Stores starting on Wednesday, June 7.

Venus Optics have announced the Laowa Magic Format Converter (MFC), the World’s first Fujifilm GFX adapter with optics allowing the expansion of the image circle of Canon/Nikon full-frame lenses to match the size of the medium-format sensor. The MFC has a focal length multiplier of 1.4x and reduces the maximum aperture by one stop. It opens up a lot more ultra-wide angle lens options for the new Fujifilm GFX camera and increases the compatibility of full-frame lenses with medium-format cameras. The Laowa Magic Format Converter (MFC) will come in 2 variants, Canon EF to Fujifilm G & Nikon AI to Fujifilm G. They are expected to start shipping in July 2017. Pricing will be announced later.

LPA Design has announced the new FlexTT6 Transceiver for Canon. With new under-the-hood technology, it is compatible with the Canon 5D Mark IV, 1D X Mark II, 80D, 77D, T7i and T6 cameras, along with Canon’s 600 EX II-RT and 430 EX III-RT flashes. “Owners of newer Canon cameras can now access the remarkable wireless TTL technology pioneered and patented by PocketWi zard,” comments Karen Marshall, CEO of LPA Design. “Our engineering team was able to conquer the challenges presented by faster camera sensors with this hardware solution.” The FlexTT6 is forward, backward and cross-compatible with the PocketWizard family of wireless radios. This includes compatibility with the FlexTT5 as a receiving radio, as well as the entire line of Plus radios, the MultiMAX, MiniTT1, AC3 ZoneController and Control TL receivers. The new FlexTT6 for Canon will be available at retail and on line in the US and Canada starting June 8, 2017.

Photographer Linda Köhler-Sandring set the Bounce-wall Speed Shooting record on Saturday, 27 May 2017: in only 7.092 seconds, the she shot 888 professional outdoor portraits in Zingst, Germany. With the help of an assistant and the right Sunbounce equipment, Linda Köhler-Sandring achieved what no one else has done before: Using the "mobile portrait studio,” consisting of a Bounce-Wall and a Mini Sun-Bouncer Black-hole as a neutral background, she took successive pictures of Zingsters and visitors in just a few minutes. The Berlin-based photographer was delighted with her success: "The Sunbounce Speed Shooting was a significant event for all of us! We didn’t know if we could really do it. It was quite a feat for the whole team. All the more reason we are happy to have sent home beautiful portraits with so many people.”

The updated version of Think Tank Photo's TurnStyle sling bag series offers a new stabiliser strap that holds the bag steady while actively shooting and tucks away when not in use. The TurnStyle 5 ($74.75) fits a compact system camera body plus two to four lenses, and an 8-inch tablet. The TurnStyle 10 ($84.75) fits a standard size DSLR plus one to two lenses, and an eight-inch tablet. The TurnStyle 20 ($99.75) fits a standard size DSLR plus one to three lenses, and a 10” tablet. These new version releases come in the traditional Charcoal and in a new colour, Indigo Blue. “This new version of our popular TurnStyle sling bags reinforces their reputation as the ideal ‘grab and go’ camera bag,” said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank Photo’s CEO and lead designer. “One thing we’ve learned from serving professional photographers for so long is that they always need one, pre-conformed gear kit that gives them access to their core gear. The TurnStyle is that bag.”

Think Tank Photo has announced the new StreetWalker Rolling Backpack V2.0 ($299.75), featuring the ability to switch from a backpack to a roller. The bag will fit two DSLR bodies with lenses attached (including a 200-400mm f/4), and a 15” laptop, and offers a tripod mount on the front panel. Also released are upgraded versions of all three classic StreetWalker backpacks. The StreetWalker HardDrive V2.0 ($229.75) fits two bodies with lenses attached or a gripped body with a 200–400mm f/4 attached, a 15” laptop and a 13” tablet. The StreetWalker Pro V2.0 ($199.75) accommodates two bodies with lens attached or a 400mm f/2.8 unattached, and a 10” table. And, the StreetWalker V2.0 ($169.75) fits one gripped DSLR with 70–200mm f/2.8 attached, one standard DSLR with 24–70mm f/2.8 attached, a 16–35mm f/2.8, and a 10” tablet. “With the release of the new StreetWalker Rolling Backpack and the new versions of the three classic StreetWalker backpacks, we made three of the best pro-level backpacks in the photo industry even better,” said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank Photo’s CEO and lead designer. “The one thing we’ve heard over and over since they first launched is how comfortable and durable they are. Now, with the hybrid rolling backpack and the upgraded core backpacks, we’ve integrated even more photographer feedback to expand their functionality.”

DJI has launched the DJI Spark, an easy-to-use, fun-to-fly mini camera drone that lifts off from the palm of your hand. According to the company, Spark is the first drone that users can control by hand gestures alone, successfully removing the barriers between them and their camera in the sky. Even if you’ve never flown a drone before, flying Spark is easy because the only remote controller you’ll need is your hand. “Controlling a camera drone with hand movements alone is a major step towards making aerial technology an intuitive part of everyone’s daily life, from work and adventure to moments with friends and family,” said Paul Pan, Senior Product Manager at DJI. “Spark’s revolutionary new interface lets you effortlessly extend your point of view to the air, making it easier than ever to capture and share the world from new perspectives.” The DJI Spark houses a 1/2.3” CMOS sensor that captures 12 megapixel photos and shoots stabilised HD 1080p videos. The drone's 2-axis mechanical gimbal and UltraSmooth technology reduce shake and rolling shutter. The retail price of a DJI Spark, including an aircraft, a battery, a USB charger and three pairs of propellers, is £519 (€599).

The COOPH Photographer Apron combines art with craftsmanship, giving users a professional yet stylish look. The front pocket is perfectly designed to hold a light meter and the two side pockets are made for your lenses, or even just your hands. The rustic-style leather belts on the back ensure a rugged but fashionable look. They are worn across-the-body, which makes the apron very comfortable to wear on the neck. The COOPH Photographer Apron is available for €99 on the COOPH Store.

The team at Db has unveiled the Hugger; a lightweight backpack that will hold and organise everything you need on the go. The bag is unique in that it features an ultra-light rib cage which protects your photo gear while still providing quick access to your camera. In case you're booked for a longer trip, the Hugger is designed with a hook-up system that allows you to take multiple bags with ease. The entire front of the main compartment unzips completely in one motion, so you never have to dig for anything. There are mesh pockets on the side for organisation but the main compartment is big and open for any type of gear you need to carry.In addition to the main compartment, the Hugger Collection also features a top compartment with easy access to rail passes, camera lenses, wallets or keys. The water resistant exterior ensures the safety of any belongings you keep inside. THe total capacity of the backpack is 60 litres. The Db Hugger bag is available for €159.

Manfrotto has launched the new Manhattan Camera Bag Collection. Comprising three models – a backpack, a 3-way shoulder bag and a messenger - built to seamlessly blend in with city life, Manfrotto’s Manhattan range is made of high-quality materials, with meticulous attention to detail. Designed to be highly functional, the bags effortlessly transform from photography to media carrier, comfortably holding all the equipment you need on an action-packed day around the city. The new removable Manfrotto Insert System safeguards photography gear at the heart of the bag, whilst the Flexy Camera Shell divider system combines uncompromising protection with never before seen flexibility, keeping your DSLR/CSC safe. Prices start from £79.95. Click through / read on for the details.