Colorama has announced the launch of Translum, a polypropylene backdrop-cum-diffuser designed to transform light. Lighting Translum from behind creates a soft, white background with an even, smooth look similar to seamless paper. Photographers can also position a subject and lights behind Translum to create a silhouette. When not being used as a backdrop, Translum’s versatility as a diffuser means it can be hung from ceiling to floor to create a large softbox, placed in front of a window or doorway to diffuse natural light, or easily cut into any shape or size from the roll. Because it bends, Translum can be manipulated into nearly any configuration needed – and can even be used to tailor the correct sized tent needed for your shoot. Translum comes in three grades; Lightweight, Medium and Heavy, and is available to buy as a roll, or as a set of 6 sheets including 2 of each of the different grades.

A new fundraising photography competition is challenging individuals across the UK to take and submit images that Celebrate Life in the Face of Death. The goal of the contest is to encourage people to engage with death, dying or bereavement through photography. Competition judge and celebrated photographer Rankin says “Art is a different way of seeing and talking about things we’d rather not discuss. The challenge of this competition is to look at the reality of death for all us, and then to celebrate the life we have. We all carry cameras with us these days, so I hope people will bring all their imagination, joys, fears and creativity to this. I hope to be astonished by the responses.” As this is a fundraising competition, it costs £15 for each photograph entered, with no limit on the number of entries. There will be a first prize of £1,000 for the best photograph, one runner-up prize for amateur photographers and another for professionals, and ten highly commended photos. The prizes donated include the opportunity to observe a photography shoot with Rankin, a visit to an advertising shoot, portfolio reviews, a day in a professional studio, a Polaroid Camera+ packs of Impossible Project film, and photography handbooks  The winning and highly commended photographs will become an exhibition, which will tour nationally.

Schneider Kreuznach have announced that their Xenon 18mm T2.4 Full-Frame Prime lens is now available to preorder. Adding to the current Full-Frame Prime line-up, the 18mm is available in feet and metre scales, and in Canon EF/Nikon/PL/Sony E Mount fittings. Weighing 1530g, the 18mm lens is the fastest in the market at T2.4 with a close-focus point of 0.4m. It is identical in size to the rest of the Full-Frame Prime lens range, which allows for quick swapping of the lenses with no adjustment to the rig. The 18mm Schneider Xenon Full-Frame Prime lens carries a recommended retail price of £5499.95.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX15 compact camera has just arrived with us for testing. The new Panasonic LX15 (also known as the Panasonic LX10) is the latest premium compact camera to hit the market, boasting an f/1.4 high-speed lens and a 1-inch MOS sensor. Before we bring you our full Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX15 review, here's a look at what's inside the box...

Want to see exactly what the new Fujifilm X-A3 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Fujifilm X-A3 compact system camera, which will be sold in the UK exclusively through Jessops for £599.

Want to see exactly what the new white Olympus PEN E-PL8 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the white Olympus PEN E-PL8 compact system camera, which will be sold in the UK exclusively through Jessops for £499.

Manfrotto has announced a new product range featuring high-performance monopods for professional videographers and photographers: the new XPRO Monopod+ family. This range comprises six monopods featuring an exciting market-first: 3D fluid movement – on pan, tilt and swivel – for compellingly smooth video footage, powered by Manfrotto’s new Full Fluid Base, a pioneering technological innovation based on a spherical system located inside the base. The Manfrotto XPRO Monopod+ family also includes different camera connections, i.e. simple plate with 1/4”-3/8” thread, sliding plate system, 2-way fluid head and video head.The Full Fluid Base is available as a kit with all the new XPRO video Monopod+, but also available as an accessory (£74.95/$99.99) to convert the new XPRO Photo Monopod+ to video monopods. The XPRO Monopod+ kits start at £144.95/$189.99.

YI Technology has announced that its YI M1 compact system camera is now available to purchase. Featuring a 20.2-megapixel FourThirds sensor, a Micro FourThirds lens mount, a 3" touchscreen, an 81-point CDAF system, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE connectivity and 4K video recording capabilities, the YI M1 offers a mostly touchscreen-based user interface and comes in two single-lens kit (either with a 12-40mm f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom or a 42.5mm f/1.8 portrait lens) and a double-lens bundle. Pricing starts at $499.

The Nikon KeyMission 360 action camera has just arrived with us for testing. It's fair to say that Nikon are pretty excited about their venture into the world of VR, holding a swish event for retailers and press last night at The Science Museum in London. Before we bring you our full Nikon KeyMission 360 review, here's a look at what's inside the box...

Canon has announced the winners of its New Cosmos of Photography 2016 competition. This year, the work of German photographer Benjamin Breitkopf was presented with an Honourable Mention Award. His entry is a visual essay looking at the political, historical and cultural situation surrounding the 2014 revolution in Ukraine. The judges were captivated with Breitkopf’s presentation approach, which utilises a three channel video installation that reflects the many layers and voices featured in his project. “We are delighted to see an increasing number of international photographers entering the New Cosmos of Photography competition,” commented Junko Kimura, General Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, Canon. “Every day, we are exposed to hundreds of images, and in this competition, we are pushing the boundaries of photography. It’s amazing to see the creative ways and unexpected points of view participants use to convey their ideas through imagery.” The 2016 New Cosmos of Photography Tokyo Exhibition, showcasing the prize-winning works of the contest, will be held from Saturday, October 29 to Sunday, November 20 at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum.

With the new Leica Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6, Leica is expanding the lens portfolio of its celebrated M rangefinder system with the modern reincarnation of a classic lens. First introduced as a screw-mount lens in 1955, the predecessor of this new lens is still one of the most compact wide-angle lenses in the Leica M-System and is famed for its characteristic visual signature. Its exceptionally short length of less than two centimetres makes it incredibly unobtrusive, and together with the inherent unassuming nature of a Leica M it is an ideal lens for street photography. The optical design of 6 elements in 4 groups, arranged symmetrically around the iris of the new Leica Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6, is identical to that of its ancestor. The combination of a large depth of field, natural contrast rendition, excellent resolution of details and a slight visible vignetting create a unique visual signature, and lend pictures a special classic look reminiscent of earlier days of film photography. Customers wishing to purchase a Leica Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6 lens must place a pre-order with a Leica Store, Boutique or Dealer.

Akvis have announced the release of SmartMask 9.0 for Windows and Mac. This update adds a new Chroma Key mode that allows users to quickly and accurately remove a monochrome background, and a Custom Background mode that enables you to place your own background image behind the cut-out object. Additionally, the enhanced Refine Edges mode now preserves more fine details than ever before, whilst the Quick Selection tool has been improved to produce more precise selections. Version 9.0 is a free upgrade for everyone who bought the product in the last 12 months. The software runs on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10; and Mac OS X 10.7-10.12. The product is available as a standalone application and as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Corel PaintShop Pro.

The Bullitt Group, based in Reading, UK, has licensed use of the Kodak brand in production of its own smartphone: the 2016 Kodak Ektra Smartphone to be precise. This interesting and (arguably) brave development is said to take its name and inspiration from Eastman Kodak’s rich history and its original 1941 issue Kodak Ektra camera – as well as the classic advertising slogan ‘you press the button and we do the rest’. Photography Blog attended the official London launch of the Android Marshmallow powered device and was able to get hands on with an early sample.