The winning images in the 2016 international Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards have just been revealed. Joel Santos has become the first-ever Portuguese overall winner in the awards' 14-year history, beating photographers from 123 countries to take the title of Travel Photographer of the Year 2016. His winning entry features a portfolio depicting traditional fishing in Ghana and – in another first for TPOTY – an aerial portfolio captured using a drone, giving a bird’s eye view of one of the hottest places in the world, Ethiopia's Danakil Depression. In addition to the significant international exposure that comes with winning TPOTY, Joel Santos receives £4,000, a selection of StaaG luxury leather travel goods and sterling silver accessories (worth over £1250), £500 to spend on the Páramo clothing of his choice, and a Plastic Sandwich personalized leather portfolio case. The Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2016 is 14-year old Darpan Basak from India, 18-year old Courtney Moore (USA) won Young TPOTY 15-18 and Ankit Kumar (India) won Young TPOTY 14 and Under.  Basak receives £500, Photo Iconic photography tuition and a Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio case. Each Young TPOTY age group winner receives £250 plus Photo Iconic photography tuition.

DxO has announced a major update to its DxO ONE camera app, introducing what it calls "the World’s first pro-level multi-camera solution for Facebook Live." When combined with full Wi-Fi remote control, the DxO ONE will operate as a remote broadcast camera, giving users the ability to experiment with camera compositions and placements that are impossible to achieve with the iPhone’s built-in cameras alone. The DxO ONE Facebook Live solution provides a sophisticated set of controls, including an elegant multi-camera source panel, that lets users preview all three camera views at once­ — DxO ONE, iPhone front and back — so they can recompose the shot, adjust the lighting, or prepare their subject before going live with any camera view. The audio feed can be sourced from the DxO ONE’s internal microphone, the iPhone’s microphone, or set to automatically switch between the two as users cut between cameras. “Because it’s so incredibly compact, the DxO ONE has been my go-to camera for pro-quality video whenever and wherever I need it most,” said Nathan Yamniak, Film Director. “Now with the addition of a multi-camera broadcast control panel, and deep support for Facebook Live, it has become for me and my clients the ultimate pro-quality live broadcasting solution.” Available to all DxO ONE users free of charge, the update is expected to be available in early 2017 via the iTunes App Store.

Leica announced today the release of its Summilux-SL 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens and Firmware Version 2.2 for the Leica SL compact system camera. Available from today, the Leica Summilux-SL 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. is the first prime lens for the Leica SL-System and sets a new standard on the market. Its large maximum aperture makes it the ideal partner in situations with challenging light, enabling the use of shallow depth of field as a creative tool. Fast, precise and reliable autofocus helps guarantee optium sharpness, leaving photographers free to concentrate on composition and creativity.  The combination of its resolving power and soft bokeh in out-of-focus areas clearly isolates subjects from their surroundings, particularly when shooting at maximum aperture. The suggested retail price is £3,850 including VAT. Firmware version 2.2, the latest update for the innovative Leica SL mirrorless camera system, provides improved support for the Mac versions of Leica Image Shuttle 3.5 and Leica Tethered Plug-in 1.1.0. It also supports the new Microsoft Windows version of Leica Image Shuttle 3.5, improving compatibility and workflow efficiency for tethered shooting with the Leica SL. Image Shuttle 3.5 also allows users to control the camera from a computer via a USB 3.0 cable connection and manipulate shutter speed, aperture, ISO value and autofocus, displaying images directly on a large monitor screen for assessment. Registered camera owners can log into the Leica Owners’ Area and download the new software and firmware updates.

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.