Leica have announced the first-ever special-edition Leica lens in a red anodised finish. Renowned for being the World's sharpest standard lens, the Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH. is recognised for its exceptional imaging performance, outstanding reproduction of fine details, and high  contrast rendition from corner to corner of the image frame at maximum aperture. The use of a floating element in its design ensures that this is also maintained at close shooting distances. Three of the eight lens elements emplozed are made from glass with high anomalous partial dispersion for apochromatic correction, and two have a particularly high refractive index.  The Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f.2 ASPH. in red anodised finish is scheduled to be available from 9 December 2016, at a suggested retail price of £7,575 including VAT.

Scott Sinden, who is living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Brian Adam, a limb amputee, are among the winners of this year’s Disabled Photographers’ Society’s (DPS) annual competition. Scott’s winning image (above) was of a solitary poppy, which he captured in front of a sunset. Taking a picture so low to the ground was particularly challenging for the budding photographer due to the deterioration of his muscles, which is a symptom of MND. Brian, who is 72, uses crutches to move around but does not let that hold him back when it comes to his photography. His winning image entitled My First Paddle, was a close up of an avocet chick taken in Norfolk. Altogether, there were more than 150 entries and the winners were presented with a certificate and medal at an awards ceremony which took place at Calumet Photographic’s London store on Drummond Street. Some of the shots will form part of the DPS Exhibition, which will be displayed in store until Friday, 25th November.

Version 1.7 of slimRAW, a fast CinemaDNG compressor which saves storage space and reduces storage bandwidth requirements for CinemaDNG raw video production, is now available to download. This update adds the ability to downscale CinemaDNG raw video to half its original resolution: slimRAW can now produce 2K CinemaDNG from 4K CinemaDNG, 2.3K from 4.6K, and so on. Together with the previously available raw compression functionality, this allows huge data size reductions (up to 20:1 or more) and facilitates a raw proxy workflow for high resolution CinemaDNG production. slimRAW is available for Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X.

Paris Photo and Aperture Foundation have announced the winners of the 2016 edition of the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards. Libyan Sugar by Michael Christopher Brown (Twin Palms) is the winner of $10,000 in the First PhotoBook category. The selection for Photography Catalogue of the Year is Wojciech Zamecznik: Photo-graphics by Karolina Puchała-Rojek and Karolina Ziębinńska-Lewandowska (Fundacja Archeologia Fotografii). ZZYZX by Gregory Halpern (MACK) is the winner of PhotoBook of the Year. A Jurors’ Special Mention is also given to Taking Stock of Power: An Other View of the Berlin Wall by Annett Gröschner and Arwed Messmer (Hatje Cantz). A final jury at Paris Photo selected this year’s winners: Paul Graham (Photographer), Jens Hoffmann (Director of Special Exhibitions and Public Programs, Jewish Museum, New York), Agnès Sire (Director, Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson), Katja Stuke (Artist and Designer, BöhmKobayashi, Düsseldorf), and Thomas Zander (Gallerist).

Glasgow’s first ever Photography Crawl - celebrating an exhibition by Emma Latimer - is taking place in Shawlands on the south side of Glasgow on Saturday 19 November. The photography on display focuses on old historic buildings which are now home to popular pubs. Photography Crawl participants will have the chance to learn a bit about the history of each building housing the pub, while enjoying some drinks. The official Photography Crawl event is taking place at 6pm on Saturday 19 November and is free to join.

Leica UK has today announced the transformation of its Mayfair flagship store in historic Bruton Place. The expanded retail space enables photography enthusiasts of all levels to discover the entire Leica range, from professionals looking for a point of difference, to those wishing to explore their creativity with the Leica Q, or simply looking for Leica’s fun new instant camera. Vijay Sebastian, manager, Leica Store Mayfair, commented, “We are excited to have made our retail destination even more special for our customers. As well as accommodating our growing portfolio, this unique space ensures that visitors can experience the brand – and our full range of iconic products – in a beautiful, engaging environment, with plenty of room to test products thoroughly, and, at the same time, receive advice from our expert team. Leica stores are communal places where photographers and Leica owners with similar interests can share their experience and knowledge. We look forward to welcoming the first visitors to our store.” Leica Store Mayfair is located at 27 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NQ.

Issue 58 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 shares his travelogue that sees him journeying from Quebec into Ontario, relishing the photo opportunities that the area’s various parks have to offer. Then in this month’s Field Trial he reviews the new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Meanwhile for Nikon users, this month Ross Hoddinott uses his Hangout feature to test-drive the Nikon D500, giving us his thoughts on this camera’s performance. David also presents two of his Fundamentals of Post-Production Videos. Do note 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.

Seagate has announced the launch of Backup Plus Portable 5TB external hard drive. Billed as the World's largest-capacity mobile storage solution, the Seagate Backup Plus Portable 5TB drive is the first device to ship with the new BarraCuda platter technology, and offers quick file transfers with USB 3.0 connectivity, a sleek 20.5mm form factor and customisable backup options with Seagate Dashboard software. The Seagate Backup Plus Portable 5TB drive will be available this month for an MSRP of $189.99 in black, silver, red and blue colour options.

DJI has updated the capabilities of its largest drone series by introducing the new Matrice 600 Pro. Offering improved flight performance, a more powerful battery charging system and better loading capacity; the DJI Matrice 600 Pro’s A3 Pro flight controller comes with triple modular redundancy and diagnostic algorithms that compare sensor data from three sets of GNSS units, which enhances precision control while improving overall safety. Vibration damping balls have been added to the flight controller’s redundant IMU module and main controller, absorbing more shake and reducing more noise. The DJI Matrice 600 Pro is compatible with DJI’s Zenmuse camera series, the Ronin-MX gimbal and DJI Focus. It effortlessly supports a payload of 6kg, meaning it can carry a range of cameras from Micro Four Thirds CSCs to the Red Epic.

Sony is expanding its FS Series Super 35mm professional family with the addition of the new FS7 II camcorder. Featuring Electronic Variable ND technology, a lever lock type E-mount, and a new mechanical design for faster and easier set-up, the Sony PXV-FS7 II camcorder uses a Super 35 type sensor and takes Sony E-mount lenses (as well as A-mount lenses via an adapter). Variable ND mode (clear + 2~7 stop range, in seamless transition steps up to 1/128) allows the user to vary the density of the ND filter during shooting and to transition seamlessly between steps. This also ensures an optimum motion delivery by maintaining desired shutter speed. The FS7 II's lever lock type E-mount gives users the ability to change lenses by rotating the locking collar rather than the lens itself, which means that in most cases lens support rigs don't need to be removed, saving time during a production. a production. The camcorder supports the XQD memory card format, designed for capturing and transferring high-bandwidth, high resolution files. The Sony FS7 II is planned to be available in January 2017. Pricing to be confirmed.

A new grey edition of the Canon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR camera has cropped up in Canon's online store. The camera features a brown faux-leather finish on its hand-grip, and comes complete with a black EF-S 18-55mm lens and a grey 'EOS DIGITAL' neckstrap. The kit is available for $549.99.

CMOSIS - the company that supplied Leica with sensors for their Leica M (Typ 240) digital rangefinder camera - have launched the CMV50000, an industry-first global-shutter full-frame (36.43 x 27.62 mm) CMOS imager offering a resolution of 48 megapixels and 8K movie recording at 30 frames per second. Featuring 4.6-µm sized pixels using a patented 8-transistor pixel architecture to offer low noise and excellent electronic shutter efficiency, the CMV50000 operates at 30fps with a 12-bit pixel depth at full resolution or a binned 4K mode, and at up to 60 frames/s with pixel subsampling to 4K resolution. Its pixels offer 64dB optical dynamic range at full resolution and up to 68dB in binned 4K mode, and the imager benefits from the implementation of sophisticated new, on-chip noise-reduction circuitry such as black level clamping to enable it to capture high quality images under low-light conditions. A High-Dynamic Range mode is supported by an odd/even row dual-exposure operation. Priced at €3,450, this sensor is unlikely to crop up in consumer-grade digital cameras - it's mostly aimed at high-speed machine-vision systems, as well as TV broadcasting and high-end security cameras - but it's possible that the technology will eventually trickle down to the professional DSLR/CSC segment.

An unusual view of the Mediterranean Biome has won Devon-based photographer Flick Cowley a Costa Rican getaway for two as part of the Eden Project’s Twitter and Instagram photo competition. His image “Bench of Biomimicry” was awarded top prize among more than 13,000 entries. The competition ran from May 2016 to September 2016 and entrants were asked to either Instagram or tweet as many photos as they liked and the only rule: it must feature Eden. It could be a picture with family or a simple plant, as long as it was capturing an Eden moment. “I feel proud and overjoyed that my photo was selected among so many other fantastic images," Flick said. “I love photography and everybody knows me for always having a camera in my hand. I’m inspired by what I see and I wanted to put an image together which represents what the Eden Project means to all those who visit.”

OmniVision have announced new PureCel Plus and PureCel Plus-S pixel technologies promising better light sensitivity, increased signal-to-noise ratio and a wider dynamic range. More specifically, the company’s second-generation PureCelPlus technology delivers a 20% increase in full-well capacity, a 10-lux improvement in SNR10, and increased pixel quantum efficiency thanks to a newly introduced composite metal grid structure. OmniVision’s second-generation PureCel Plus-S technology will empower new families of compact 20-megapixel and 16-megapixel sensors for camera phones and other camera-equipped mobile devices. The new 20-megapixel OV20880 and OV20880-4C and the 16-megapixel OV16885 and OV16885-4C are currently available for sampling and are expected to enter volume production in the first quarter of 2017.

Canon has announced firmware upgrades for both the Canon EOS C300 and EOS C300 Mark II digital cinema cameras. These updates add support for the Canon EVF-V70 OLED Electronic Viewfinder, WFT-E8 Wireless File Transmitter, Shutter Angle Priority, and a variety of lenses. The upgrades are scheduled to be available on December 13, 2016.

DxO today released a major update to its DxO ONE miniaturised camera. Less than three months after the release of a 2.0 update that brought Wi-Fi as a new feature, DxO is now introducing what it calls the World's first seamless raw workflow, direct from the DxO ONE to your iPhone or iPad. Version 2.1 takes full advantage of raw support in iOS 10, enabling a one-touch transfer of DxO ONE raw files to the iOS Photos library where they can be processed on-the-go. Available to all DxO ONE users free of charge, the update also enables direct Wi-Fi remote control, and adds other performance boosting enhancements.

Windows users can now download a free beta version of Serif's professional image editing application, Affinity Photo. 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. Interested readers are encouraged to pay a visit to Serif's website to download the free beta version of the program.

The Nikon D5600 is a new entry-level DSLR camera with a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor and a vari-angle touchscreen. Other notable features include built-in Wi-Fi, SnapBridge compatibility (which utilises Bluetooth low energy technology to let the D5600 maintain a constant, low-power link with a smartphone or tablet), a viewfinder with ~95% frame coverage and ~0.82x magnification, and a sensitivity range of ISO 100-25600. During viewfinder shooting, the refined touch Fn function offers an intuitive alternative to using the command dial or multi-selector: now photographers can operate the Auto Sensitivity control, as well as selecting the focus point or adjusting other important settings, via the touchscreen. And a frame advance bar, inherited from Nikon’s professional D5 and D500 cameras, makes it possible to quickly scroll through images in playback mode. For movie shooters, the Time-Lapse Movie function makes it simple to transform slow-moving scenes into high-speed sequences. The camera will go on sale on 24th November, priced at £799.99 / €949 in a kit with the AF-P 18-55mm VR standard zoom, or £989.99 / €1,179 with the AF-S 18-140mm VR lens.

GoPro today announced the recall of the approximately 2500 Karma drones purchased by consumers since 23rd October. The recall was announced after GoPro discovered that in a very small number of cases, Karma units lost power during operation. Owners of Karma can return their units to GoPro, or their place of purchase, for a full refund. GoPro plans to resume shipment of Karma as soon as the issue is resolved.

Fuji have issued firmware updates for the Fujifilm X-T1 and X-Pro2 compact system cameras. Firmware version 5.00 for the Fujifilm X-T1 and X-T1 Graphite Silver models (pictured) adds support for the new EF-X500 electronic flash and a few new Function and Quick Menu items. Firmware update 2.01 for the X-Pro2 brings a number of bug fixes related to the XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens, the Nissin i40 flash and the PC Auto Save setting.