Intro2020 today announced the immediate UK availability of the Metz mecablitz 44 AF-2 flash. Featuring a guide number of 44 (in metres at ISO 100/21° and 105 mm), the mecablitz 44 AF-2 has a bounce-and-swivel head with a motorised 24-105mm zoom function, plus an integrated (12mm) wide angle diffuser and flip-out bounce reflector card. A built-in LED light - with an output of 100 Lux at a distance of 1m - creates additional lighting opportunities for moving images. The Metz mecablitz 44 AF-2 flash can be synchronised to the first or second shutter curtain and supports High Speed Synchronisation (HSS). The unit's firmware can be updated via the integrated USB socket. Available for Canon, Four Thirds, Fujifilm, Nikon, Samsung and Sony cameras, the mecablitz 44 AF-2 carries a suggested retail price of £179.99.

Samsung today announced the Samsung Portable SSD T3, a premium, palm-sized, external solid state drive that offers multi-terabyte storage capacity. Equipped with the company's proprietary Vertical NAND and SSD TurboWrite technology, the T3 drive is currently on display at Samsung’ booth (#11906) during CES 2016. Available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities, the Samsung Portable SSD T3 offers sequential read and write speeds of up to 450MB/s with a USB 3.1 interface. The new SSD will be first launched in February, 2016 in countries including the United States, China, Korea and select European countries.

ShooTools have launched their latest joined solution, the Slider ONE eXtension Track 240. Joining three 80 cm tracks through a junction plate, the Slider ONE eXtension Track 240 is a handy, portable soluion for time-lapse photographers and videographers. The ShooTools Slider ONE eXtension Track 240 is available now for € 1,390.00 + VAT.

Adorama is now taking pre-orders for the Flashpoint StreakLight TTL, a 360Ws TTL barebulb strobe designed for on- and off-camera use on Canon or Nikon models. Evolved from the original Flashpoint StreakLight, it produces all of the TTL functions of a proprietary flash, including exposure bracketing, high-speed synchronisation, ratios, remote manual control and more. The StreakLight TTL also features a built-in R2 radio system for manual or TTL control of other R2-enabled units or TTL flashes mounted on an R2 receiver. With more than 30 channels, it allows for interference-free shooting regardless of other photographers or equipment in the area. Its internal transmitter ranges 300+ feet for larger venues. The Flashpoint StreakLight 360 TTL retails for $489.95.

MindShift Gear today launched three UltraLight series photo daypacks. The UltraLight Sprint 16L ($116.99), UltraLight Dual 25L ($169.99), and UltraLight Dual 36L ($199.99) side-panel designs allow quick access to cameras, lenses, and accessories without first having to take off the bag. The backpacks also offer generous space for personal belongings, tablets/laptops and hydration reservoirs. Additional features include an integrated tripod mounting system and highly breathable shoulder straps. Click through / scroll down for the details.

Seagate has launched the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim, the World's thinnest 2TB mobile hard drive. At just 9.6mm, the Backup Plus Ultra Slim external drive employs Seagate’s latest 2.5-inch HDD technology, making it more than 50 percent thinner than other 2TB drives on the market. The new drive comes with 200GB of free Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage for two years, which lets users share and access their favorite files anywhere. The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim gold and platinum finishes will be available this quarter.

Lexar have announced the Lexar Professional 1800x microSDHC and microSDXC UHS-II cards. Offering read transfer speeds up to 270MB per second, the new cards are designed for sports camcorders, aerial cameras, tablets and camera phones. Available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, Professional 1800x microSD cards leverage Ultra High Speed II (U3 technology) to provide faster capture, playback, and transfer of high-quality videos and photos. The cards are currently available with an MSRP of £65.99 (32GB), £109.99 (64GB), and £219.99 (128GB).

Lexar has revealed the Lexar Portable SSD, which is designed to deliver read transfer speeds up to 450MB per second. This compact and durable portable solid state drive features an LED capacity meter to easily gauge available storage space. The Lexar Portable SSD will be available in Q1 2016 with MSRPs of £120.99 (256GB) and £200.99 (512GB).

Sony is expanding its lineup of memory card options to include newer and faster XQD and SD media, as well as card readers for the XQD and SD formats, and an XQD USB adapter, all designed to support the latest high-performance DSLR cameras like Nikon D5 or D500. Sony’s XQD-M series provides users data transfer speeds of up to 440MB/s (read) and 150MB/s (write) for stable burst shooting, and the ability to backup 64GB of data in approximately 3 minutes when using Sony’s newest card reader. In addition, Sony’s newest SD cards, the SF-M series, are UHS-II supported media promising read/write speeds of 260MB/s and and 100MB/s, respectively. In conjunction with the new card options, Sony is introducing the World’s first XQD/SD card reader, the MRW-E90 (pictured), which supports, ultra-high speed data transfer to a PC from all XQD series and UHS-II SD cards, eliminating the need for multiple adapters and readers. The new card reader also supports SuperSpeed USB (USB3.1 Gen. 1).

Felleowes' ExoLens brand and Zeiss have announced their collaboration in the design and development of accessory lenses for camera phones. The companies presented the first jointly developed accessory lenses at the Fellowes booth (no. 31016) at CES 2016. The first three lenses – wide-angle, telephoto and macro (pictured) – are scheduled to be launched later this year. The new lenses can be used on the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus with customised mounting brackets (the companies plan on releasing brackets for more devices in future). The ExoLens bracket features a standard tripod mount (1/4”-20) as well as a cold shoe for mounting accessories. All lenses incorporate the T* anti-reflective coating from Zeiss, which minimises reflections at the glass-to-air surfaces and improves the transmission of light.

Nikon today officially revealed its SB-5000 Speedlight, whose development was first announced back in November. The SB-5000 is the first Nikon flashgun to be equipped with a radio-controlled Advanced Wireless Lighting function (with a communication range of up to ~30m), and is also equipped with a cooling system that enables more than 100 continuous full-power flashes. Radio control makes wireless multiple flash photography easier in situations where conventional optical (infrared) control is difficult, such as when remote flash units are positioned behind objects or at greater distances, or when ambient lighting is very bright. The tilt-swivel flash head can be zoomed to match the angle-of-view rage of a 24-200mm lens. The guide number is 34.5 (in metres at ISO 100) in FX format and 41 in DX format, at the 35mm zoom head position. The Nikon SB-5000 AF Speedlight will be available in March for the SRP of £499.99/€659.00/$599.95.

X-Rite and Pantone have announced that Color Finale from Color Grading Central is the first colour grading solution for video to fully support X-Rite’s new ColorChecker Passport Video target. When the target is included in shot setup, the Color Finale plug-in for Apple’s Final Cut Pro X can automatically perform colour corrections to adjust for color temperature issues, variances among cameras and other colour biases that can occur during video shoots. “We are very excited to be the first color grading solution for video to support the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Video targets,” said Denver Riddle, President of Color Grading Central. “By simply inserting the ColorChecker Passport Video into the frame prior to the ‘take,’ Color Finale removes all of the guesswork from colour correction in post so that filmmakers can feel confident that they are achieving a good, colour-accurate starting point from which they can then apply a creative look.”

Booq have just released their latest backpack for photographers: the Slimpack. Accommodating to SLRs, up to four mid-sized lenses or one large zoom lens, a 12” notebook or 10” tablet and a tripod. The spacious interior features a cushioned, non-scratch lining and densely padded dividers that can be configured to fit users’ gear of choice, while a variety of pockets with concealed interior slots keep accessories safe and organised.  The Slimpack boasts two entry points, making quick shots easy to capture, and is available now for $195.

Sigma have announced the new Sigma Water Repellent (WR) Ceramic Protector, a lens filter that features new Clear Glass Ceramic material and provides enhanced protective qualities. With many applications in aerospace and other industries, glass ceramic is an extremely tough type of crystallised glass that serves as the foundation for Clear Glass Ceramic. While featuring the high transmittance required of optical devices, this advanced new material combines greater hardness than chemically strengthened glass and greater flexibility than sapphire crystal glass. These qualities make Clear Glass Ceramic the ideal material for protective lens filters. The Sigma Water Repellent Ceramic Protector filter is offered in the most popular filter thread sizes, and is compatible with all lenses that accept front filter threads that are 67mm-105mm diameters.

Samsung today unveiled the PRO Plus 128GB microSD memory card. Built with Samsung’s advanced MLC NAND flash chip, this product is the newest addition to Samsung’s PRO Plus line-up, which was first introduced in 32GB and 64GB versions in May 2015. The 128GB microSD features UHS-I 3 (U3) and Speed Class 10 support, offering read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 90MB/s, respectively. It comes with a 10 year limited warranty and is guaranteed to survive operating temperatures from -25°C to 85°C (-13°F to 185°F) and non-operating temperatures from -40°C to 85°C (-40°F to 185°F). Data stored on the card will not be affected by X-rays and will resist up to 15,000 gauss magnetic force.

Transcend has released a duo of industrial-grade wide-temperature SDHC memory cards featuring SLC NAND Flash technology for superior reliability. The Transcend 8GB and 16GB SDHC100I cards provide transfer speeds of up to 20MB/s and operate effectively from -40°C to 85°C. Compliant with SD Specification Version 3.0, these new memory cards carry a Class 10 speed rating and guarantee higher stability in data retention and longer endurance than cards equipped with MLC flash chips to meet the demanding standards of industrial-grade applications. Additionally, Transcend SDHC100I memory cards feature multiple built-in technologies for optimum protection, including Error Correction Code (ECC) that helps detect and correct potential transfer errors, S.M.A.R.T. function to efficiently monitor the health conditions of the cards, power failure protection to timely protect cards from damage in the event of abrupt power failure, and wear-leveling algorithm to select the block with the lowest erase count for the next write.

Manfrotto has launched a new compact and foldable Lastolite by Manfrotto EzyBounce bounce card. Featuring a secure fixing system, the Lastolite by Manfrotto EzyBounce is made from impact resistant ABS (glass re-enforced plastic) and fits all standard flashguns available on the market. With a wide white surface for maximum reflection when opened (18x19cm), the card collapses to a third of its original size when closed (11x7cm). The Lastolite by Manfrotto EzyBounce bounce card has a RRP of £24.95.

Hoya have anounced a new filter line. The new Fusion Antistatic filters feature a new antistatic coating that acts like a force field around the filter to repel dust. Perfect for environments where dust is common, these filters require less frequent cleaning and maintenance than traditional filters. Additionally, the hardened, antistatic top-layer is water repellent, stain and scratch resistant and cleans easily when smudges or fingerprints are introduced to the surface. Made in Japan, the filters feature a lightweight, low-profile aluminium frame to house the glass. The low-profile frame eliminates vignetting when used on wide-angle lenses. Fusion filters are available in UV, Circular Polariser and Protector versions and in sizes from 37mm through to 82mm. Prices start from £26.99 for the 37mm protector filter.

Canon USA has issued a product advisory to owners of the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT flash and ST-E3-RT wireless transmitter. The company has discovered that with certain units, wireless flash shooting with radio transmission will not work in some setting modes when 7 or more units are linked. Photographers owning one or more of the affected flashes and/or transmitters are encouraged to contact Canon to have their unit(s) inspected and serviced for this phenomenon at no cost.

Really Right Stuff have announced the PG-01 compact gimbal head. This patent-pending modular head is perfect for shooting both single- and multi-row panoramas. The PG-01 is designed to support smaller camera setups, such as CSCs or SLRs with lenses up to a 70-200mm f/2.8 tlezoom. An option for an integrated levelling base makes it the smallest, complete gimbal system for its load capacity. Depending on configuration, the Really Right Stuff PG-01 Compact Pano-Gimbal Head retails for $180-$435.