Canon China has released six full-resolution sample photos captured with the new EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, Canon’s first ultra-wide L-series lens to feature image stabilisation. The lens’s optical formula includes two UD elements to minimise chromatic aberration. Super Spectra Coatings reduce ghosting and flare, while fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements prevent dust and water drops sticking to each element. The newly-designed IS system features a number of additional improvements, including gyro sensors for greater accuracy in traditional shooting or when capturing panning motion. The EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM will be available from June 2014 with an SRP of £1,199.99 / €1,399.99 / $1,199.00.

Website: Canon China

Nikon France has posted eight high-resolution sample photos taken with the brand new AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR super-telephoto lens (pictured). These sample images were taken at various sporting events using an AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR attached to a full-frame Nikon D4s digital SLR camera.

Website: Nikon France | Flickr

Canon UK has launched its summer cashback promotion giving you the chance to.get up to £100/€120 cashback on a range of selected Canon products across DSLRs, compact cameras, lenses, video cameras and printers. The offer runs from 15 May 2014 to 13 August 2014 for eligible products purchased from UK or Republic of Ireland retailers. Canon is also taking its cashback offer on the road this summer, visiting locations across the UK. To learn more, visit Canon UK’s Facebook page.

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a new full-frame super-telephoto lens for professional photographers. Offering improved auto focus and superior exposure accuracy owing to an elecro-magnetically controlled iris diaphragm (hence the E designation in the product name), the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is almost 2lbs lighter than the company's previous 400mm f/2.8 lens. In addition, the lens features a new VR Sport mode, nine rounded aperture blades, two fluorite elements two Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements and Nano Crystal Coating. The AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens will be available in August 2014, and will have a suggested retail price of £10,399.99 / $11,999.95.

Ricoh UK has announced the repositioning of a number of its key products. The compact, lightweight and fully weather-resistant PentaxK-3 is now available at £949.99, the K-50 can now be had for £499.99, the weather-resistant DFA 100/2,8 MACRO WR lens has a new RRP of £549.99, the Pentax Q7 (pictured) has a new price tag of £339.99 - and the list goes on. Click through / read on for the details.

The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is a new ultrawide-to-wide zoom for dSLRs with APS-C sized sensors. Offering a 35mm equivalent focal range of 16-29mm, the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM features both a UD lens element and a range of optimised lens coatings, as well as a quiet STM focus motor, 4-stop image stabiliser and a circular iris diaphragm. The EF-S 10-18mm IS STM will be available from May 2014 with an SRP of £299.99 / €349.99 / $299.99.

The Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM is Canon’s first ultra-wide L-series lens to feature image stabilisation. The lens’s optical structure includes two Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) elements to minimise chromatic aberration. Super Spectra Coatings reduce ghosting and flare, while fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements prevent dust and water drops sticking to each element. The newly-designed IS system features a number of additional improvements, including gyro sensors for greater accuracy in traditional shooting or when capturing panning motion. The EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM will be available from June 2014 with an SRP of £1,199.99 / €1,399.99 / $1,199.00.

The white-grey edition of the Canon EOS SL1 camera (originally launched in Japan as the EOS Kiss X7 White) will be available in the USA from the end of June. The white EOS Rebel SL1 camera is complemented by a matching white EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. "[N]ew to the U.S. market, the white EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR camera with its companion white lens, provides users with high-quality images in a small, compact body that is easy to bring along on all their summer adventures," says Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A. The Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens kit in white will retail for an estimated retail price of $749.99.

MxCamera has started taking preorders for the manual-focus Mitakon SpeedMaster Series FE 50mm f/0.95 full-frame E-mount lens. Developed for Sony A7 and A7R users, the Mitakon SpeedMaster Series FE 50mm f/0.95 has an oprical formula comprising 10 elements in 7 groups, including 4 ED lens elements and 1 high-refractive-index element. Other key features include a stepless aperture control ring, a 9-bladed iris diaphragm and a close-focus point of 50cm. Weighing in at 720g, the Mitakon SpeedMaster Series FE 50mm f/0.95 features a distance scale with depth-of-field marks, a metal barrel, 58mm filter thread and a metal bayonet mount. The lens sells for $799.

Canon today celebrates the achievement of a new lens manufacturing milestone, with the production of the company’s 100 millionth EF-series interchangeable lens. Over the past 27 years, since the launch of the company’s proprietary EF lenses and EOS SLR cameras in March 1987, Canon has developed a wide range of innovative technologies and world’s firsts, such as the lens-based Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Image Stabiliser (IS) technology, and a multi-layered diffractive optical (DO) element. Recent innovations have seen the EF range extend into new fields, with the launch of the company’s EF Cinema lenses for digital cinematography in January 2012, and EF-M lenses for its Compact System Camera, the EOS M, in September 2012.  More recently, Canon’s EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x (pictured) became the world’s first super telephoto zoom lens to feature a built in 1.4x extender; at least among interchangeable lenses designed for SLR cameras.

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) has honoured the dust- and water-resistant Fujifilm X-T1(read review)  with its Best Expert Compact System Camera Award. The Fujinon XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS lens (read review) has been named 2014's Best Expert CSC Lens. This 15-36mm equivalent lens incorporates optical image stabilisation and has a newly designed optical system using 4 aspheric lenses and 3 extra low dispersion glass lenses.

According to their Facebook page, Samyang will release 5 new lenses tomorrow. The new products include three cine lenses - an 8mm T3.8 and a 12mm T2.2 lens for compact system cameras, and a 10mm T3.1 for VDSLRs - and two photographic lenses, a 35mm f/1.4 for Canon and a 300mm f/6.3 mirror lens.

Panasonic has released a firmware update for the Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH MFT lens (read review). Version 1.1 improves video quality when used on the Panasonic Lumix GH4, with a high sensitivity setting dialled in. You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Panasonic Japan - Update Contents for H-NS043

The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD lens (read review) has received the 'Best Expert DSLR Lens' award from the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). The Tamron 150-600 mm lens incorporates VC (Vibration Compensation, Tamron’s image stabilisation technology), a fast USD (ultrasonic silent drive) motor and eBAND (extended bandwidth and angular dependency) coating, for flare and ghosting reduction. The lens employs 20 elements in 13 groups, with the front group containing 3 ED glass elements. The included Silkypix Developer Studio for Tamron uses optical data to correct any distortion, light falloff and chromatic aberrations.

Sigma has announced that the “Sigma Mount Conversion Service”, “Sigma dp Quattro camera series” and “Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM / SIGMA 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC Macro HSM” lens have all won TIPA Awards. The Sigma Mount Conversion Service has been named 'Best Photo Service' by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). The Sigma dp Quattro (pictured) has won the 'Best Design' category, and the Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM has been crowned Best Entry Level DSLR Lens.

Canon has been awarded four honours by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). The EOS 70D was named Best Advanced DSLR, the title 'Best Expert Compact Camera' went to the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x (pictured) was dubbed 2014's Best Pro DSLR Lens, while Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology won the Best Imaging Innovation category.

Lensbaby have announced that their Sweet Spot Lens, originally developed for the Apple iPhone, will also be available for certain Android handsets. The company has added a $50 Android pledge level to the project's Kickstarter page and vowed to commence development on an Android app "shortly." The Android version of the lens and associated smartphone app will be available in October.

Samyang Europe has posted a new teaser ad on its Facebook fan page. Hinting at an April 28 product announcement, the company accompanied the advert with the following words: "The journey to the next level of creativity starts now. Stay tuned for more."

The Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 is a new ultra-fast full-frame lens for Sony's E-mount compact system cameras. Manufactured by the Chinese company Zhongyi Optics, the manual-focus Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 features 10 elements in 7 groups, weighs in at 720g, and has a distance scale with depth-of-field marks and a 58mm filter thread. According to MXCamera, Zhongyi's Hong Kong based distributor, the lens will retail for approximately US$800.

Via PR

Fujifilm has posted 7 high-resolution sample photos taken with the new Fujinon TCL-X100 teleconverter mounted on a Fuji X100 camera. Depicting a variety of subjects ranging from flowers to landscapes to people, these TCL-X100 samples were captured at sensitivity settings extending from ISO 200 to ISO 1000.

Website: TCL-X100 Sample Images