Lastolite has added inspirational new textures to their Urban Backgrounds Collection. Now available in Derelict Wall/Wooden Fence, Shutter/Distressed Door and Tarnished Metal/Container, the backgrounds have been designed using crease resistant fabric, allowing photographers to create the outdoor look in an instant, whether it’s in the studio or a client's home. Each reversible background has a unique urban feel and can quickly add a new dimension to any portrait sitting. The new Urban Backgrounds are available for £165 each, in a size of1.5m x 2.1m.

Canon UK has launched its Spring 2014 cashback promotion. Customers can claim up to £210 cashback on a range of Canon products including DSLRs, lenses, compact cameras, camcorders and Pixma PRO printers. The offer runs from 1 March 2014 to 7 May 2014 for eligible products purchased from UK or Republic of Ireland retailers

Manfrotto has just revealed its new 055 collection of tripods. Featuring a Quick Power Lock system, which applies significantly increased locking power to the leg section cuffs, the new Manfrotto 055 tripods have a vertical-horizontal column mechanism hidden inside the tripod’s top casting until it is needed. Both the head and the camera are now closer to the central casting, making the tripod even more rigid and further improving image sharpness, the company says. When required, the touch of one-finger lifts the 90° column mechanism out of the casting, allowing the centre column to swing to the horizontal position, with no disassembly and without removing the head or camera. Supporting up to 9kg payload, the new Manfrotto 055 is available from £199.95 SRP.

Manfrotto has released its new Spectra 1x1 panels aimed at professional videographers. These versatile LED units provide a soft light with high colour rendition (CRI>90); thereby all colours are reproduced accurately, with no tone shift towards green. A knob on the back panel of the Manfrotto Spectra 1x1 LED panel allows users to regulate the light output level from 0 to 100%. The sister model Spectra 1x1 FT additionally enables videographers to toggle between cold white (5600°K) and warm white (3200°K) colour temperature settings. The Spectra 1x1S and Spectra 1x1F panels are daylight-balanced fixtures, emitting light respectively with a narrow and wide beam angle. The LED lights mount easily on light stands through a removable yoke with a standard 5/8” attachment and are compatible with all Manfrotto Baby Light stands. The Manfrotto Spectra 1X1 panels are available from £719.95 SRP.

Manfrotto today launched its new X-pro 3-way head (£114.95) for photographers who want maximum precision from a compact size. "Carrying a complete tripod and head takes up a lot of space in a photographer’s bag and means extra weight to carry," the company says. "This is why the new X-pro 3-way head has been designed to occupy as little space as possible, with retractable levers that can be extended when needed, but remain extremely compact when not in use." Measuring 13x13.5x13.5cm, the Manfrotto X-pro 3-way head weighs in at 1kg and has a maximum load capacity of 8kg.

Twenty years after launching the Mountaineer tripod family, Gitzo unveiled an updated version of the range. Now stiffer and stronger than ever, with newly developed Carbon eXact tubes and a refined top spider design; the new Mountaineer tripods are also faster and easier to use with evolutions in the G-lock system, Ground Level Set mechanism, and leg angle selectors. The new models feature G-lock Ultra, a redesigned version of Gitzo’s signature leg lock system G-lock. G-lock Ultra has even more comfortable operation and reduced risk of debris entering the tubes and locking mechanisms. There are ten tripod leg sets and three complete tripod and head kits in the new Mountaineer range, covering Gitzo’s Series 0 (the smallest) up to Series 3. Each series has three and four section models available, priced from £479.95 SRP.

Nikon UK today launched its spring consumer promotion offering up to £120 cashback. Eligible products include selected digital SLR cameras, selected DX lenses, plus the SB-300 Speedlight. The offer is valid through 28 May 2014 and all claims must be received by 30 June 2014. For more details, visit the website below.

Gary Fong today launched an addition to its line-up of flash diffusers with the introduction of the LightBlade Diffuser.  Designed to accommodate nearly all spedlights, the new LightBlade Diffuser softens the harsh light emitted by the flash tubes, minimises shadows and reduces glare. Attached using the Gary Fong patented strap and band mounting system, the LightBlade Diffuser mounts directly onto the flash head and is then secured with the included Gary Fong Velcro Cinch Strap. The LightBlade Diffuser is available for $34.95 MAP.

The new Gary Fong Lightbulb adapter kit contains a Gary Fong Lightsphere adapter, which secures to a light socket adapter with AC power plug or Europlug. Compatible with the new Lightsphere Collapsible Speed Mount (Generation 5) and the new SpeedSnoot the Gary Fong Lightbulb adapter kit fits on any standard-mount light stand. "By taking advantage of the continuous source to pre-visualise the effects of various lighting setups, photographers are provided the professional look of a diffused strobe light without the confusion of syncing, metering and modelling," the company says. The Lightbulb adapter kit will be available in April for $53.95 MSRP.

In a joint announcement, Bowens, PocketWizard and Sekonic have teamed up to create a complete wireless triggering solution for electronic flashes that will be first introduced in the US market. Most Bowens Gemini monolights will accept an optional PocketWizard module, which enables photographers to wirelessly trigger their flash with PocketWizard radios and Sekonic light meters. Compatible components within the system include Bowens Gemini 500R, 500Pro, 750Pro, 1000Pro & 1500Pro series of monolights with PocketWizard module, all existing PocketWizard radios and the Sekonic L-478DR and L-758DR exposure meters. In addition, other (earlier) Sekonic meters can be used with an optional PocketWizard transmitter. To commemorate the alliance, PocketWizard is introducing a new Plus III Transceiver in the "Bowens' signature yellow" colour.

The Fotospeed Photo Smooth Pearl 290gsm is a natural white, heavyweight and instant-dry, resin coated, inkjet paper. " The beautiful pearl finish matches that of the widely acclaimed, and now discontinued, Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl paper; a crisp finish with a superb color gamut," Fotospeed says. "It has a unique ink receiving layer giving an instant dry result straight from the printer." The Fotospeed Photo Smooth Pearl 290gsm will be on display at The Photography Show, along with two other new offerings, the Fotospeed Metallic Pearl 295gsm and the Fotospeed Platinum Etching 285gsm.

Nikon has launched  two new products developed in cooperation with BlackRapid. The Quick-Draw Strap and Quick-Draw Strap S offer great mobility by allowing the camera to slide diagonally up and down the shoulder strap; and a great sense of security with a safety strap that prevents the camera from falling in the unlikely event the fastener comes loose, and a cover that prevents the carabiner that connects the strap to the camera from scratching the camera body. The Quick-Draw Strap, with a wider shoulder pad, is suited to use with digital SLR cameras. The Quick-Draw Strap S, with a narrower shoulder pad, is suited to use with Nikon 1 System cameras and Nikon Coolpix series compacts.

Lowepro will set up a 'Loweprofessionals' wall at The Photography Show to wow visitors with an array of beautiful shots from professional photographers. Additionally, there will be two Lowepro-sponsored events at the show, including a talk by photographer Colin Prior and a seminar by Rebecca Litchfield. Throughout the day there will be a chance to win spot prizes on Stand E10, simply by wearing your Lowepro bag to the show and/or picking up a badge from the stand. Opening tomorrow at Birmingham's NEC, The Photography Show is a major new UK event dedicated to the imaging industry.

Transcend has released its SATA III 6 Gb/s N8S750 M.2 and MSA340 mSATA solid state drives (SSD). The N8S750 SSD's space-saving 80 mm M.2 form factor is designed to meet future market demands of ultra-thin and light mobile devices that require an SSD, including Ultrabooks, notebooks, tablets and smartphones. The company's MSA340 mSATA SSD is 78% smaller than a standard 2.5" SSD and measures a mere 50.8 mm x 29.85 mm x 4.0 mm. As a result, manufacturers can benefit from greater design flexibility when developing space-restricted mobile solutions. Transcend's SATA III 6 Gb/s N8S750 M.2 SSD is available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities while the SATA III 6 Gb/s MSA340 mSATA SSD is available in 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB editions.

The Kenro team will be exhibiting a range of new products at the inaugural Photography Show in Birmingham. Visitors to the stand will have an exclusive preview of the Nissin i40 flash, the new Braun ActionMaster Camera (pictured), a collection of Benro Falcon Camouflage Rucksacks, a smartphone scanner and a Super 8 film scanner from Reflecta, and much more. You can meet the Kenro team at stand L65.

Eizo has launched two updated 27” monitors, the ColorEdge CG277 and CX271. The EizoColorEdge CG277 is targeted at professionals in digital photography, prepress, video editing and post production. It features a sensor that is housed inside the monitor and swings up onto the screen for self-calibration. The ColorEdge CX271 houses an internal correction sensor that maintains the calibration results after the monitor has been calibrated with an external sensor. The ColorEdge CG277 and CX271 include the advanced features of their predecessors while offering a new wide-gamut IPSpanel that reproduces 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space. Other common features include a10-bit display, 16-bit look-up table, DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI-D input terminals, stable brightness chromaticity and tone characteristics within seven minutes after power on, and an ergonomic stand with 25° tilt, 344° swivel, portrait mode, and 151.5 mm height adjustment. The ColorEdge CG277 and CX271 will be shipping in the UK from 1st April 2014 Both monotors will be on display at The Photography Show.

NEC has announced that the 6th NEC Solutions Showcase to take place at The Velodrome, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th May 2014. Collaborating with over 50 hardware manufacturers and software providers, NEC hosts a unique opportunity to get hands-on with display solutions representing the future of the industry. At the event visitors will experience bigger and higher resolution displays, multi-touch displays, multi-screen and interactive projection, 4K ultra-high definition (UHD) displays as well as laser and laser-hybrid projectors and much, much more. For more information and to register, vist the website below.

Elinchrom has launched two new mains flashes for professional photographers. Billed as the world's most complete, feature rich compact studio flash units, the ELC Pro-HD 500 (£699) and 1000 (£899) boast recycle times of 0.6s and 1.2s to full power, respectively. Furthermore the super fast flash durations (up to 1/5000s / 1/5260s, t0.5, ELC 500 / ELC 1000) enable you to freeze motion like never before. These are the first units to incorporate OLED screens that displays every control for the most professional user experience. As well as Elinchrom’s stop-based power scale, you will now be able to see the power in Joules, flash durations and many other settings. A jog wheel provides easy navigation of the new menu.The new Elinchrom ELC 500 and 1000 will be shown for the first time in the UK at The Photography Show in Birmingham (Flash Centre, Stand P60, Hall 12).

Hama has announced a new focusing hood with an adjustable eyepiece, which allows you to use the rear monitor of your camera as a viewfinder - even in bright sunshine. The lower part of the “Smart Viewer” can be used as a focusing hood; the upper part can be used separately as a magnifier and offers a magnification factor of 2.75 for checking the image quality of printed photos, for instance. Designed in Germany, the Hama Smart Viewer attaches to your camera using a click-frame with special adhesive strips which can be removed anytime without leaving any residue. Priced at €59.99 Hama Smart Viewer is available for cameras with 3.0" and 3.2" screens.

SanDisk today announced the new 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I memory card, billed as the world’s largest capacity microSD card. “SanDisk’s high-performance 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC memory card will reshape the way users interact with their devices,” said Stuart Robinson, director, Handset Component Technologies, Strategy Analytics. “Until now, consumers had to spread out their content between multiple products because the memory on those devices was not able to hold enough data in one place. This 128GB microSD card is going to be popular as the preferred removable storage option, giving users fast, secure and reliable access to their personal data archives.” The 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card is available for €149.50.