Sigma today revealed the recommended retail price and availability of the new Sigma sd Quattro H digital camera. The SIGMA sd Quattro H is the first camera to feature the newly developed APS-H size Foveon X3 Quattro direct image sensor with a resolution of 25.5 megapixels, which Sigma claims to be equivalent to a 51-megapixel Bayer imager. Building on the concept of the SD1 Merrill, the Sigma sd Quattro H features a Sigma SA lens mount, making them compatible with all of the Sigma GLOBAL VISION lenses in the Contemporary, Art and Sports lines. The camera offers a combination of contrast-detect and phase-detect auto focus, plus a focus peaking function for manual focus enthusiasts. The high-resolution 2.36-million-dot electronic viewfinder features near-100% viewfinder coverage and a 1.09 magnification ratio. O-rings and environmental seals around buttons and seams prevent the intrusion of dust and water, making the camera suitable for use in adverse weather conditions. The RRP of the SIGMA sd Quattro H is £1,499.99 and availability is slated for January 2017.

DJI have just launched their Christmas promotion offering price reductions, free accessories with purchases and special holiday gifts. Running until 5th January, the promotion features price reductions of up to £340 on select Phantom drone models, a free high-capacity intelligent battery with the purchase of the Osmo+ handheld stabiliser, a 12% discount on all DJI Care service plans, and a free Intelligent Battery and Osmo Base with the purchase of the Osmo Mobile. The Phantom discount and Osmo bundle promotion will be available at authorised DJI dealers and in the Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul and Hong Kong DJI Flagship Stores.

The line-up has just been revealed for the Behind the Lens Theatre at The Photography Show 2017. Wedding and portrait photographer Ryan Welch will share his experiences so far of building a highly profitable photography business through, ‘Shoot more. Edit less,’ while fine art and fashion photographer Bella Kotak will delight the audience with tales of her whimsically inspired portraiture in her talk, ‘Capturing the magic’. Clare Louise will explore the challenges often faced by creatives and offer her stance on why it’s best not to ‘fit’ in ‘Turn on the light – your passion is calling: A creatives guide to authenticity.’ Other sessions on the Behind the Lens Theatre line-up: ‘Close-up and macro photography’ (John Humphrey), ‘Capturing time – the art of long exposure photography’ (John Miskelly) and ‘Social media – are you selling your soul to the devil’ (Emma-Lily Pendleton). Sessions are included in the show entry ticket fee and will take place on all four days of the show (18-21 March 2017 at The NEC, Birmingham).

Zoer has released the first major update to Zoner Photo Studio X. The Editor now offers deeper work with layers and masks, and several old functions are back in an improved form. Additionally, the Develop module has a new radial filter and an advanced noise removal algorithm. All of the new ZPS X features now come in the form of a prepaid yearly subscription license for a fee of $95.88.

ExoLens has announced the availability of the ExoLens PRO with Optics by Zeiss Wide-Angle and Telephoto Kits for the Apple iPhone 6 family and the iPhone 7. All PRO Kits come with the new machined aluminium ExoLens Edge mount, which features an integrated cold shoe accessory mount (compatible with accessories such as external video light) and key ring loop. Available now, the ExoLens PRO Wide-Angle Kit ($199.95) with Optics by Zeiss includes a Zeiss Mutar 0.6x Asph T* Wide-Angle lens, which provides virtually no distortion and exceptional edge-to-edge contrast, resulting in an image quality that is unmatched by any other iPhone accessory lens. The ExoLens PRO Telephoto Kit with Optics by Zeiss, also available now, features a Zeiss Mutar 2.0x Asph T* Telephoto lens, and sells for $249.95.

Affinity Photo is now available to buy for Windows. The software offers raw image processing, PSD import and export, 16-bit-per-channel editing, colour management,camera lens and exposure corrections, accurate adjustments, live filter layers, high-end controls for channels and masks, advanced layer handling, and built-in frequency separation editing. Other features include andvanced HDR exposure blending, a novel way to edit 360-degree images, tone mapping, batch processing, focus stacking and macros. In addition to the brand new Windows version, Serif have also released Affinity Photo 1.5 for Mac, which represents the biggest single update to the app since it was launched over a year ago. Both versions are available for $39.99 / £29.99 / €39.99 until 22 December 2016. The usual price will be $49.99 / £39.99 / €49.99. Existing owners of the Mac version can download the 1.5 update free of charge.

Adobe Camera Raw 9.8 is now available through the update mechanism in Photoshop CC and the Creative Cloud application. This update adds support for the Canon EOS M5, Fujifilm XA3, Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, Hasselblad X1D, Leica TL, Nikon D5600, Olympus EM1 Mark II (preliminary), Olympus PEN EPL8, Panasonic LUMIX DMCFZ2500 (DMCFZ2000 and DMCFZH1), Pentax K70 (pictured), Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Sony Alpha a6500 (ILCE 6500), Sony Alpha a99 II (ILCA99M2) and Sony DSCRX100 Mark V cameras, and dozens of new camera-lens profiles. Creative Cloud users can select Help>Updates to use the update mechanism in the Creative Cloud app.

Adobe Lightroom CC 2015.8 is now available. This version introduces a new view mode witin the Develop Module called Reference View, which allows you to compare 2 different images in order to make them visually consistent. This is helpful when making a group of images from a single event look similar or setting the white balance appropriately in mixed lighting conditions. Additionally, Adobe Lightroom CC 2015.8 adds support for raw image files generated by the Canon EOS M5, Fujifilm X-A3, Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, Hasselblad X1D, Leica TL, Nikon D5600, Olympus E-M1 Mark II (preliminary), Olympus PEN E-PL8, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ2500 (DMC-FZ2000 and DMC-FZH1), Pentax K-70, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Sony Alpha a6500 (ILCE­-6500). Sony Alpha a99 II (ILCA-99M2) and Sony DSC-RX100 Mark V cameras, plus tethered shooting support for the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV SLR. Creative Cloud users can select Help > Updates to use the update mechanism in the Creative Cloud app.

Adobe has released version 2.6 of Lightroom 2.6. This update brings a new Edit interface, a new info section, a new capture interface with a brand new professional mode, bug fixes and improvements. The company has also added new functionality such as the often requested ability to add in titles, captions, and copyright from mobile devices. You can download Lightroom for iOS from the iTunes App Store.

Meyer-Optik USA has announced the 50mm f0.95 II lens designed for use on full-frame compact system cameras with a Sony E-Mount. The optical formula comprises ten elements in seven groups and a near-circular iris diaphragm with fifteen steel aperture blades. The clickless aperture ring and smooth focus control operate in near silence, making this lens especially attractive for videographers. Weighing in at 680 grams, the manual-focus Meyer-Optik Nocturnus 50mm f/0.95 II has a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m (19.7") and takes 67mm screw-mount filters. The lens is expected to begin shipping in January at an estimated retail price of $2,999.

Issue 59 of David Noton’s Chasing the Light Online Magazine is now available. In this month’s Behind the Lens article and accompanying Video Blog, David presents the second instalment of his recent trip to Ontario, Canada, this time exploring the unique photo opportunities he discovered around Charlton Lake in the autumn. Then in this month’s Field Trial he puts the Canon EF 16-35mm f2.8 L III lens through its paces, considering his options as he scrutinizes the possibilities of this wide-angle zoom. For How It’s Done, David takes us on a shoot on a seasonally frosty morning, and he also presents two of his Fundamentals of Post-Production Videos. Donote that the full contents of Chasing the Light Online Magazine is available to full f11 subscribers only. However, non-members can purchase individual issues of the magazine at a price of £4.20.

The new Camslinger Streetomatic+ by CosySpeed is billed as "the fastest camera bag of the World." Providing quick, one-handed access to your camera, the Camslinger Streetomatic+ can be worn at the hip or over your shoulder. The quick-access, comfortable way of wearing and the protection against rain and bumps makes the Camslinger Streetomatic+ the perfect bag for street and travel photographers. Capable of accommodating an SLR as large as Canon's 5D series, the Camslinger Streetomatic+ is available for €/$129.99.

As of 2nd December, WD extended the warranty period for the new My Passport, My Passport for Mac and My Book drives from two to three years.This change applies to those who purchased a model with a 2-year warranty imprinted on the packaging. For more information, visit the website below.

BenQ today launched the 31.5" SW320 UHD monitor featuring a true 10-bit IPS panel, hardware calibration, 99% Adobe RGB colour space coverage and a 14-bit 3D look-up table. The Gamut Duo feature allows users to view content side-by-side in various colour spaces on one screen. The Hotkey Puck can assign colour spaces to preset buttons and switch between them quickly and conveniently. HDR has been introduced to offer higher contrast, vivid colours and brighter images, and to allow professionals to display true-to-life video with the same accurate colour and detail it was captured with. The Technocolor colour certified monitor has its own SD memory card slot and offers fast USB 3.0 connectivity. The BenQ SW320 is available for £1,245.60 including VAT.

The new Lomo'Instant Automat instant film camera is now available for purchase. 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. Pricing for the Lomo’Instant Automat starts at £129/€149/$149.

Ricoh Innovations today launched Keenai, a smart photo management service that keeps digital memories safe and organised. Available immediately in eight languages on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows and Windows Phone, Keenai is billed as the only photo service that connects all your devices and cameras, and unifies all your photos and videos for viewing and sharing on any device. Offering automatic cloud backup of unlimited, original-resolution photos and videos, Keenai enables sharing of stories as gorgeous albums that combine photos, videos and even 360° images. Albums can be privately shared with friends and family via email or shared links, and accessed via any web browser. “Consumers are struggling to keep track of all the photos and videos they capture using the different devices they own,” said Toshinori Arita, senior vice president, Ricoh Innovations. “Keenai provides a smart solution to this problem, and is designed so that non-technical people can gain control of all their photos, share them with friends and family, and feel confident that their memories are safe.” Members start with a free trial of 30 days. Thereafter, membership costs $4.99/month or $49.99/year.

Infltr 2.5 is the first iOS camera app to enable iPhone and iPad users to apply millions of filters to their photos in Apple’s Messages app. Additionally, infltr can also apply photo-style filtering to iPhone videos and Live Photos. Users can change the filter throughout their recording, scroll through the finished video to find moments to filter, or for the first time ever, actually play the video and change the filter at the same time. Available in 22 languages and priced at £2.29, infltr today boasts over seven million filters. “Using the same old filters as everyone else won’t cut it with today’s creative consumers but unless you are a professional, there are very few tools that work easily, effectively and effortlessly to create beautiful moving images that you can proudly share with your fans and followers,” says infltr founder Philippe Levieux. “IThat’s where infltr comes in. We are pushing the boundaries of what is possible with an iPhone. We are filtering stills, video and Live Photos using cutting-edge software, working with the very latest Apple camera technology. With the new version of infltr, we are making our millions of filters available for iMessage, Live Photos and Video in real time, so that iPhone users can create beautiful filtered videos, easily and instantly.”