Kenro has announced the UK availability of a series of multi-picture frames, the Bergamo range. Manufactured in wood with a high gloss lacquer finish, the 6-picture wall frames are supplied with double picture mats allowing two sizes of photos to be used. Managing Director of Kenro, Paul Kench commented: "These contemporary frames would show off a collection of professional photographs beautifully. The versatile and ultra-smart series are a must have for retailers, galleries and studios."

Sony has announced its new, professional UWP.D wireless microphone series designed for compact camcorders and interchangeable-lens cameras. Small and lightweight, the UWP-D series are available in three packages, including the UWP-D11 belt-pack transmitter and portable receiver set, the UWP-D12 handheld microphone and portable receiver kit and the UWP-D16 bundle, which includes a plug-on transmitter, belt-pack Transmitter and a portable receiver. The UWP-D receiver is equipped with a variable output level control, so even if the camcorder or camera does not have input level control, users can easily adjust to optimise recording levels. The new UWP-D series is planned to be available in March 2014.

This week we’re revealing our favourite products from last year in our annual awards, looking back at the essential photography kit that helped to define 2013.

The Accessory of the Year 2013 award goes to the NEC MultiSync PA242W monitor.

“Sure, the NEC MultiSync PA242W costs a lot more than most 24-inch monitors, but if colour accuracy is paramount, you can't do much better than this...”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to NEC and the MultiSync PA242W!

Acratech’s new Video Ballhead is a sturdy, lightweight tripod head that is a ballhead for still photography and a fluid dampened pan and tilt head for video. Weighing in at 1.5lb, the Acratech Video Ballhead Model #7100 features an oil- and grease-free ball which will not attract dirt and debris, and will not shift once tightened. Compatible with Arca-Swiss type quick release plates, Acratech's Video Ballhead Model #7100 also works as a long lens head as well as a panoramic head. Manufactured in the US, the new ballhead retails for $599.95.

Mountainsmith has launched an assortment of redesigned camera bags for the photographer seeking to capture the experiences in the great outdoors. Designed with the consultation of National Geographic photographer Andy Mann, the new bags offer a better fit through correct load dispersion and serious protection for your photographic equipment. There are five bags in the range including Parallax, Borealis, Spectrum, Descent and Tour FX (pictured). For more information, visit the website below.

Hahnemühle has expanded its Digital FineArt canvas collection with the 350gsm Hahnemühle Canvas Metallic poly-cotton inkjet canvas. This bright white, metallic fine-art canvas has a one-of-a-kind surface with an elegant pearlescent silver gloss, extremely high density for dark colours and a wide colour gamut. Hahnemühle Canvas Metallic 350 gsm will be on display at Imaging USA (booth#239) in Phoenix, 12-14 January.

Manfrotto has introduced a full range of compact LED panels for videography and photography: Spectra. Designed for professional videographers, Spectra is also claimed to be perfect for photographers who use LED lights as a secondary light source for portraits or product images. The dimmable lights have a colour temperature of 5500K and are free from flickering and colour casts. Additionally, some models have a Tuneable white option, which allows you to dynamically change the light temperature of the LED, from cold white to warm white, providing a superior level of light quality with precise colour control. Spectra is available in different sizes with different beam angles to accommodate different needs.

Manfrotto has launched a new range of colours for PIXI, an innovative support designed specifically to work with compact system cameras (CSCs). Engineered according to the latest premium Italian style, PIXI is lightweight, intuitive to use and easy to carry in any situation. "The proposal of a new range of colours comes from Manfrotto’s objective to serve, support and satisfy the demands of every character and preference, giving an answer to the ever increasing demand of more stylish products in the world of photography," the company says. The new colours include white (pictured) and a pink/anthracite combination.

Lowepro has launched a new range of shoulder bags called Nova Sport AW. Available in three sizes, the Nova Sport AW is an outdoor friendly shoulder bag perfect for day-long adventures, or longer travels. The Nova Sport AW fits on SLR in the smallest model, through to two pro SLRs in the largest model. All three models include space for extra lenses, flashes and accessories, plus a tablet (7L and 17L) or laptop compartment (35L). 

Manfrotto has announced the KLYP+ photographic solution for the Apple iPhone 5/5S. Billed as the "first all-in-one photographic set for iPhone 5/5S to shoot extraordinary images," the Manfrotto KLYP+ includes a bumper case with a tripod mount, three different add-on conversion lenses and a brand new LED light. The KLYP+ is available now in Manfrotto's online shop.

Toshiba has announced the development of “Bright Mode”, a CMOS image sensor technology that allows smartphones and tablets to record Full HD video at 240fps. CMOS image sensors incorporating “Bright Mode” can playback high-quality video in slow motion, giving smartphone videographers new creative opportunities. Sample sensors incorporating “Bright Mode” will be available in Q1 2014.

Tiffen today announced that its Steadicam Smoothee is now available for the iPhone 5S smartphone as well as the GoPro HERO3/3+, Drift Ghost-S and Drift HD Ghost action cameras. “The Steadicam Smoothee continues to hold onto its title as the most popular handheld camera stabiliser for action cameras and Apple iPod Touch and iPhone products,” comments Steve Tiffen, President and CEO. “As the perfect companion to some of the hottest consumer video capture devices on the market, CES is the ideal venue for showing off Steadicam’s latest Smoothee developments. Plus, with our booth located right next to GoPro, visitors can see first-hand how tremendous the movie making experience is when you combine the Hollywood shooting techniques of Steadicam with the action adventure capture of GoPro HERO.” The Steadicam Smoothee retails for $149.

Tiffen is showcasing at CES 2014 its latest ten-stop neutral density filter labelled Tiffen ND 3.0. Offering an incredible 10-stop exposure absorption, this high-density block allows photographers to add an additional layer of creativity to their work through the use of much slower shutter speeds or a wider aperture than would normally be required without the use of a filter. In this way, the photographer can employ a long exposure time to blur any movement within the scene or use a smaller depth of field for more selective focus through the choice of a wider lens aperture. Tiffen’s ND 3.0 is available in sizes 52mm to 82mm.

Tiffen is showcasing its brand new Domke Next Generation camera bag line at CES 2014. The new range includes the Journalist Series, the Adventurer Series, the Metro Series and Viewfinder Series. Each series offers several purpose-designed models, materials and colours. Shooters can customise their Domke bag using the new PocketFlex storage component system, an ingenious system of pockets, patches and pouches that keep accessories such as lenses safe and secure. The GearProtex system lets photographers organise bags into compartments of any size or shape using bendable, self-adhering separators. The bags are currently on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, booth C9143.

Adorama has recently released its new Flashpoint Budget Studio family of monolights and lighting kits. With options of 120, 160 and 300 watt-seconds, the AC-powered monolights recycle rapidly with little amp draw. The lightweight monolights can be used on household circuits without blowing fuses, and are compatible with Adorama’s new Flashpoint Power Station, making them the ideal on-the-go lighting solution for any photographer, the company says. All Flashpoint Budget Studio lighting kits come with the monolight with watt-seconds of your choice, a 40” white/black umbrella with removable black layer from Glow by Flashpoint, and a 6’ Flashpoint three-section light stand. Both the Flashpoint Budget Studio monolights and Flashpoint Budget Studio lighting kits include free shipping in the US as an added bonus. Flashpoint Budget Studio monolights and lighting kits are now available online at Adorama.com.

Lexar has announced the immediate sample availability of the new Lexar Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 card - the fastest memory card in the world. With capacities available for sampling in 256GB, 128GB, 64GB, and 32GB, the Lexar Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 cards demonstrate new speed thresholds to capture high-quality images and 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video. Designed to maximise the capabilities of the next-generation of high-definition camcorders and high-resolution digital SLR cameras, the new cards provide a read transfer speed up to 3333x (500MB per second), which is three times faster than any CompactFlash card. The company has also introduced the Lexar Professional Workflow CFast 2.0 USB 3.0 reader for the Lexar Professional Workflow Reader Solution.

The new Lexar Professional 1066x 256GB CF card offers a read transfer speed up to 160MB per second and write speeds up to 155MB per second. Additionally, it supports the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-65) specification for professional video capture streams at a minimum guaranteed write speed of 65MB per second for compatible host devices.

The new Lexar Professional 800x Compact Flash card is the industry’s first memory card to be offered in a capacity of 512GB. Also available in a 256GB version, the Lexar Professional 800x Compact Flash memory card supports the VPG-20 specification with a minimum guaranteed write speed of 20MB per second. Compatible with all CF devices, the cards help accelerate the digital photography workflow, especially when paired with a compatible card reader, such as the Lexar Professional Workflow Reader Solution. The Lexar Professional 800x CF card will be available in the first calendar quarter of 2014 with MSRPs of £1,099.99 (512GB variant) and £479.99 (256GB).

Eye-Fi is launching Eye-Fi Labs, an experimental platform for customers that want to preview and test new Eye-Fi technology. Eye-Fi Labs will host new mobile apps and beta product features for its popular wireless memory cards before they are available to the general public. Eye-Fi’s product development teams monitor and engage directly with Lab participants to further refine products based on customers’ needs and desires. Users can register for the Labs programme by visitibg the website below. Additionally, Eye-Fi is also announcing beta Mac desktop receiver software for its Mobi card, following the release of its Windows desktop receiver last month.

Transcend has launched a new line-up of Premium Series 800x CompactFlash cards. Available in capacities ranging from 64GB to 256GB, Transcend’s new 800x CompactFlash cards boast transfer rates of up to 120MB/s (read) and 60MB/s (write). Featuring full support for the VPG-20 Video Performance Guarantee that guarantees enhanced video recording at a minimum write speed of 20MB/s without dropping frames, Transcend's 800x CompactFlash cards are now available for $179 (64GB), $349 (128GB) and $699 (256GB).