Benro has launched a pair of special-edition tripods.The new iFoto kits come in two versions – a super lightweight carbon fibre model weighing in at just 1.41kg and an aluminium version coming in at 1.64kg. Both models – which come complete with a Benro ball head – are capable of supporting up to 8kg of camera equipment – so suitable for both DSLRs and CSCs. Mark Hoskins, Benro Brand Manager said: ‘These special-edition iFoto tripod kits offer amazing value for money whilst retaining all the features and benefits of more expensive travel tripods. So if you’re in the market for a new tripod, don’t miss out on these great kits – but don’t hang around, availability is limited and they will sell quickly!’ Both models feature 5 leg sections making them even more compact when stowed, boasting a folded down length of just 36cm. The Benro iFoto also comes with a special price tag – with suggested prices for the aluminium kit available for around £130, and the 8-layer carbon fibre version at around £230.

With Macphun expanding to the Windows platform by bringing Luminar and Aurora HDR to Windows users, the company has felt compelled to change its name in order to reflect this development. The new name is Skylum. "We think that this name is a better fit, since we’re no longer a Mac-only developer," says Alex Tsepko, Chief Executive Officer. "It’s also closer to where we want to go in the near future. We will continue to use Macphun name this year, and early in 2018, we'll completely switch to Skylum."

Cézanne Canvas is the latest addition to Hahnemühle' s range of high-quality canvases for digital FineArt Inkjet printing. This natural white 100% cotton 430gsm natural white 100% cotton canvas contains no optical brighteners (OBA's), and features a finely woven, elegant surface structure. The matte coating provides a first class printing result with a wide colour gamut and deep, rich blacks. The Hahnemühle Cézanne Canvas 430gsm provides extraordinary elasticity, making it ideal for stretcher frames. As with all Hahnemühle products from the Digital FineArt Collection, the new Cézanne Canvas is acid-free and archival, in accordance with ISO 9706 standards. It will be available "soon," in three different sizes.

X-Rite have announced the i1Studio, an all new start-to-finish colour management solution that delivers expert results from capture to print. The package comprises the i1Studio all-in-one spectrophotometer, i1Studio software; X-Rite’s market leading ColorChecker camera calibration tools and the ColorTRUE mobile app for iOS devices. “Photographers tell stories with their pictures. Along with light, colour plays an essential role in telling these stories. We want to make sure that story is told as perfectly as possible, whether it’s colour, or black and white,” said Liz Quinlisk, Marketing Director Photo & Video, X-Rite. “Managing colour should be easy with getting accurate repeatable results every time as the ultimate goal. i1Studio provides an intuitive, start-to-finish colour management solution for every device in our users’ workflow so they can easily achieve this goal and get amazing results.”

Picfair is seeking a fresh generation of female photographers to share their perspectives on the world. The competition is open for entries from 26 October till 26 November 2017 and women of all nationalities and levels of experience are encouraged to enter. An esteemed panel of judges from across the industry will shortlist competition entries in four categories: Nature, Portrait, Architecture and Street Level.  All winners and shortlisted photographers will have their work shown as part of Women Behind the Lens exhibition at the Guardian Media and News Gallery from 11 December to January 2018. 

SkyPixel, in cooperation with DJI, have announced their 2017 SkyPixel Photo Contest. Running from October 26 to December 29, the SkyPixel 2017 Photo Contest welcomes submissions from both professionals and enthusiasts, who are invited to enter one or more of the three categories including Landscape, Portrait and the brand new Story, which calls for photographers to share not just the images they capture, but also the stories they curate. This year’s Grand Prize winner will receive a reward worth over €12,500; including a DJI Inspire 2 with Zenmuse X7 DL-S 16mm F2.8 ND ASPH, an iPhone X 256G, a Nikon D850 FX-format Digital SLR Camera Body, a Lowepro Pro Runner RL x450 AW II, a Manfrotto MKBFRC4-BH Befree Carbon Fiber Tripod with Ball Head, and more. Professional and Enthusiast groups will have a First, Second and Third Prize in each category, with rewards up to €5,500. SkyPixel will also give out a Popular Prize reward to the top ten most liked entries and an additional nine will stand to win Nominated Entries rewards. The deadline for entries is 29th December.

Synology today launched DS218play, DS218j, and DS118, three NAS servers with media streaming, file sharing, and data backup features. The DS118 (pictured) is a new 1-bay tower NAS, equipped with a 64-bit quad-core 1.4 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM. With its hardware encryption engine, the DS118 ($179.99) offers encrypted sequential reading/writing throughput at over 110 MB/s. It also supports 10-bit H.265 4K video transcoding on the fly. The DS218j ($169.99)features a dual-core 1.3 GHz processor with a hardware encryption engine and 512 MB RAM, delivering sequential reading throughput at over 113 MB/s and writing throughput at over 112 MB/s. The DS218play is equipped with a 64-bit quad-core 1.4 GHz processor with a hardware encryption engine and 1 GB RAM, delivering encrypted sequential reading/writing throughput at over 110 MB/s. Powered by a hardware transcoding engine, the DS218play ($229.99) supports real-time single channel 10-bit H.265 4K Ultra HD or single channel full HD video transcoding. The new NAS servers are available worldwide immediately.

The new NEX-RETRO reversing adapter from Novoflex enables users with Sony E-Mount cameras to reverse mount their existing lenses to achieve closer focus. The Novoflex NEX-RETRO transfers all electronic functions such as aperture control, EXIF data and autofocus, from the reversed lens to the camera body as if it were mounted directly. In addition to reversing the lens on the camera, NEX-RETRO allows the Sony E-Mount system user to incorporate Novoflex bellows systems for even closer focus and greater magnification ratios. Available now, the Novoflex NEX-Retro reversing adapter carries a recommended retail price of $450.

Manfrotto has released Befree Advanced tripod collection. The tripods are sturdy yet portable with easy set-up and operation. They are built with the goal of providing a professional, sturdy solution for photographers using their CSCs and DSLR cameras on the go. The new Befree Advanced Collection has been designed with exciting features and includes two new models which feature the M-lock (twist lock) and the QPL Travel (lever lock). The new Befree Advanced M-lock (twist lock) is the brand-new tripod locking system built to provide a fast, easy to use and compact solution. The Befree Advanced QPL Travel lever lock is a brand-new, lighter version of the locks used by the 190 & 055 collections. These new leg locks make set-up and adjustment easy and secure, providing full stability in all configurations. Both tripods feature new ergonomic leg-angle selectors that are smartly positioned to enable right and left-handed photographers to change shooting perspectives intuitively. The new spider is designed to give maximum stability on all types of terrain whilst ensuring that the tripod is compact enough to fit perfectly into any travel luggage. The new Befree Advanced Collection is available at SRPs ranging from £174.95 to £219.95.

Ricoh today announced a new generation of high-performance Star-series lenses optimised for high-megapixel digital SLR cameras. The first two lenses developed for the new-generation of Star-series quality—the HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW and the HD Pentsx-DA* 11-18mm F2.8—will be on display as reference products at Photo Plus Expo 2017 at the Javits Convention Center in New York (October 26-28) and SALON de la PHOTO 2017 in Paris (November 9-13). The HD-Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW is an all-weather full-frame standard prime with a newly-developed Supersonic Direct-drive Motor for faster, quieter AF operation. The HD-Pentax-DA* 11-18mm F2.8 is an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C cameras. The full-frame lens will be available from spring 2018, while the zoom lens will hit the shelves in summer 2018.

The Hasselblad X1D-50c (read review) has achieved the highest DxOMark Sensor Score of 102 points for any commercially-available sensor the company has ever tested. The X1D-50c excels in all three of DxOMark’s measurement categories, achieving either the top-ranked or a podium position result in each. At base ISO, the X1D-50c offers outstanding colour depth (Portrait score) of 26.2 bits and a dynamic range (Landscape score) of 14.8 EV. In low light, the X1D-50c achieves the highest-ranked low-light ISO (Sports score) DxOMark  has tested to date (4489 ISO). "Image quality on the Hasselblad X1D-50c is outstanding, crashing through the 100-point barrier to become the highest-scoring commercially-available sensor we’ve tested," DxOMark says. "At 102 points overall, it also achieves either the best, or very close to the best results for both colour depth and dynamic range. Combine that with its 50Mp resolution and mirrorless design, all packaged at a more realistic price tag, the X1D-50c starts to look like a tantalizing prospect."

Tamron today revealed a new ultra-telephoto zoom lens, 100-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD, for full-frame Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras. The lens delivers fast and precise AF performance and 4 stops of image stabilisation (Vibration Compensation in Tamron parlance) thanks to the manufacturer'shigh-speed Dual MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) control system. The optical formula comprises 17 elements in 11 groups, includinglens elements for optimal optical design and aberration correction; and an electromagnetic diaphragm system in both the Canon and Nikon versions. The lens is compatible with Tamron's 1.4X tele converter and the Tamron TAP-in Console that enables lens customisations for focus adjustments, VC mechanism adjustments and more. Additionally, an Arca Swiss compatible tripod mount is available as an optional accessory. The new Tamron 100-400mm will be available in both Canon and Nikon mounts from 16th November for $799.

Olympus Japan have released a pair of high-resolution sample photos captured with their brand new M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO lens. Taken with the lens mounted to an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II compact system camera, these M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO samples were taken at f/1.2 and f/1.6.

Website: Official Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO Sample Images

Olympus Japan have released a couple of high-resolution sample photos captured with their brand new M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm F1.2 PRO lens. Taken with the lens mounted to an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II compact system camera, these M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 PRO samples were both taken at the lens' maximum aperture of f/1.2.

Website: Official Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 PRO Sample Images

The autumn edition Lomo'Instant Automat Dahab is a new edition of the Lomo’Instant Automat instant film camera (read review).

The Lomo'Instant Automat features a 35mm (eq.) lens with a 43mm filter thread, a simple 3-step zone-focusing system, a built-in flash with a guide number of 9 (in metres), an LED frame counter, unlimited multiple exposures, automatic shutter speed and aperture settings, and an exposure area of 62mm x 46mm. Inspired by beautiful bronze beaches and opulent Egyptian jewellery, the Lomo'Instant Automat Dahab is available as a Single package for £139, or a Combo package, which includes four additional lens attachments, for £169.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony A7R III camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony A7R III camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the previous A7R II model and a look at the internal component parts.