Luminar, Macphun’s first all-in-one photo editor, is now available for pre-order. Introducing a brand new personal darkroom approach to photo editing, Luminar addresses the many varied needs of photographers of all levels through an innovative user experience which adapts to the capabilities and knowledge of the user. Personalised workspaces, a bevy of creative filters, image correction tools, layers & masking, and extensive file import/export capabilities make Luminar a compelling solution for anyone interested in editing photos on a Mac. The pre-ordering period runs from 2-17 November 2016.

Olympus have announced the recommended retail price of their flagship OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera. Equippedwith a 20.4-megapixel sensor, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIreaches sequential speeds of 18fps with continuous auto focus enabled, and 60fps in S-AF mode. A completely new on-chip, phase-detection AF system offers 121 all cross-type AF points and a high-speed algorithm powered by the new TruePic VIII AF processor. With an EVF that offers a response rate of barely 6ms and a smooth frame rate of 120 fps, it’s easy to keep up with fast-moving subjects. Additionally, the innovative Pro Capture shooting mode on the OM-D E-M1 Mark II exploits the virtual elimination of shutter lag by recording up to 14 sequential frames before the shutter release is fully pressed. The redesigned 5-axis image stabiliser now offers a6.5-stop advantage when paired with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm1:4.0 IS PRO lens. In addition to capturing 20-megapixel stills, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II can record 4K movies at 24fps and 30fps and a bit rate of 102Mbps/237Mbps. The camera body will be available from December, priced at £1849.99/$1,999.95. A kit including the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm 1:2.8 PRO lens will be available for £2399.99.

Iridient Digital has released version 3.1.2 of Iridient Developer, a raw file conversion and photo processing application for Mac OS X. This update brings support for the Hasselblad X1D-50c, H6D-50c, H6D-100c, True Zoom, Flextight X5 and Flextight X1; the Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, the Fujifilm X-A3, the Panasonic FZ2000 (DMC-FZ2500) and the Yi M1; and resolves an issue with potential overcorrection in the extreme corners with the automatic lens vignetting correction used for Fujifilm X models. This release also restores support for the the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 and the Mamiya ZD. The update is free for all users who have purchased a new or upgraded license after 20 September 2014.

Tenba have announced the addition of two new sizes to their DNA Messenger bag range. The Tenba Messenger DNA 10 (£99) is designed to stylishly carry and protect a compact system camera, 2-3 lenses and a small tablet, while the Messenger DNA 15 Slim (£120) is capable of carrying a mirrorless or DSLR camera with 4-6 lenses, as well as a 15" laptop or large tablet. Available now from all good photo retailers, both bags come in a choice of colours including Graphite, Olive, Cobalt and Dark Copper.

The 53rd Wildlife Photographer of the Year photography competition is open for entries until 11.30am GMT, Thursday 15 December 2016. There's a range of categories, from to surprising animal behaviour. Judged by a panel of industry-recognised professionals, images are selected for their originality, artistry and technical complexity.  Joining the panel this year are photographer Daniel Beltrá, wildlife photojournalist Britta Jaschinski, National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Mattias Klum, wildlife photographer Jasper Doest and wildlife writer Rosamund Kidman Cox. Entrants get the chance to take centre stage at an awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum, London in the newly unveiled Hintze Hall where a vast blue whale skeleton will be on display. They will also see their image tour across the world and reach an audience of millions in the annual exhibition. Award-winning images will also be published in a limited edition hardcover book, which is translated and sold across the world.

Forces Mutual, a not-for-profit financial services company committed to improving the lives of the UK Armed Forces, has launched the Genuine Moments photography competition for photography enthusiasts in the military family to win almost £4,000 in prizes. Themes for entries include Everyday life on duty, Everyday life working with the UK Armed Forces personnel, R&R on base, My life as part of the military family and Animals in the military. Eligible photographers include serving members of the UK Armed Forces, civilian contractors, children aged under 16 with one or more parent or sibling who is a fulltime or reserve member of the UK Armed Forces and family members of serving UK Armed Forces. Entries must be submitted before 30 November 2016 to be in with a chance of winning nearly £4,000 in prizes including £750 photography vouchers to the overall winner and a further 13 category prizes ranging from £50 Amazon vouchers to £300 photography vouchers.

Akvis have rolled out Version 9.0 of their Magnifier application. Available as a plug-in or a standalone application, the software is claimed to “deliver good results” when ‘uprezzing’ a photo to create poster-sized enlargements. “Resizing pictures with Akvis Magnifier yields a much higher quality image than simple bicubic interpolation,” the company says. Version 9.0 offers enhanced configurability and customisation options including an expanded pixel limit, new resolution values, support for Ultra HD displays, and other improvements. The update is free for users who bought Magnifier within the last 12 months.

SkyPixel is calling for all creators to enter its 2016 annual aerial photography contest in conjunction with DJI. The competition, which runs from 26th October to 30th December, is open to all entrants and features both “enthusiast” and “professional” groups to which users can submit their photos. Entrants can choose between the categories of “beauty”, encompassing natural landscape and urban architecture and “360-degree aerial panorama,” which showcases immersive 360-degree views from above, aided by Virtual Reality (VR). Photos can be taken with any aerial equipment. A final category, “Drones In Use,” features photos taken from any device of drones in flight. This year’s Grand Prize will be a DJI Mystery Box, a DJI Mavic Pro, Epson Moverio BT-300 smart glasses and Epson SureColor P400 Wide Format Photo Printer and a one-year Adobe Creative Cloud Photography membership.

The Lomographic Society has announced a new holiday edition of the Lomo'Instant Wide instant film camera. Inspired by the city lights of the spectacular skyline seen from Hong Kong island’s highest mountain, the Lomo’Instant Wide Victoria Peak stands out from the crowd with a navy blue colour and a glittering silver detail. Like the original Lomo'Instant Wide, the Victoria Peak Edition comes equipped with a 90mm lens, a built-in flash with a guide number of 13 (in metres) and a motorised ejection mechanism. The Lomo’Instant Wide Victoria Peak is available now for £179.

Nikon UK has launched its Winter Cashback promotion offering up to £510/€600 on selected Nikkor lenses and DSLR cameras. The promotion runs from 27 October 2016 – 15 January 2017 and all claims must be received by 13 February. Simon Iddon, Head of Product Management at Nikon UK says: “Our Winter Cashback promotion is designed with Christmas shoppers in mind, as it’s the ideal promotion for those looking for that special gift for a loved one this year.” Click through / scroll down for the details.

Apple today introduced a significant update to its professional video editing app, Final Cut Pro X. This new edition adds new editing features for the Magnetic Timeline, support for the new Touch Bar on the latest-generation MacBook Pro and a redesigned interface with full support for wide-colour workflows. The Touch Bar replaces the keyboard’s traditional function row with a Retina-quality Multi-Touch display that dynamically adapts to Final Cut Pro X by putting intuitive, context-sensitive controls right at the user’s fingertips. “This is our biggest update to Final Cut Pro X since we completely redesigned it five years ago,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Apps Product Marketing. “The new version features a sleek interface and adds powerful new editing features that go far beyond what’s possible with traditional, track-based video editing apps; and integration with the revolutionary Touch Bar gives professional video editors a whole new way to interact with Final Cut Pro X.” Apple also released updates to Motion and Compressor. All of these upgrades are free for new users.

Apple today introduced the thinnest and lightest MacBook Pro ever, featuring a new Retina display supporting a wider colour gamut plus, on selected models, a Retina-quality Multi-Touch display called the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar places controls right at the user’s fingertips and adapts when using the system or apps like Adobe Photoshop or Apple's own Final Cut Pro. Additionally, the new MacBook Pro features an entirely new enclosure design and all-metal unibody construction. The 13" MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar starts at £1,449/$1,499, features a 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage, and ships today. The 13" Touch Bar model starts at £1,749/$1,799, and boasts Touch ID functionality, a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.5 GHz, 16GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage, and ships in two to three weeks. The Touch Bar-equipped 15" MacBook Pro starts at £2,349/$2,399, and features a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.5 GHz, 16GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage, and will be available in two to three weeks.