WANDRD have officially launched their Kickstarter campaign for the PRVKE (pronounced "provoke") Pack, a purpose-built backpack designed for photographers, hikers and travellers. With multiple access points throughout the pack - a roll-down top load, clamshell zipper for easy packing, and a side-access zipper to the camera compartment - every segment of the interior storage space is easily accessible. Fully-loaded for a day of shooting, the PRVKE Pack has capacity for an SLR camera, up to eight lenses and other accessories, and a 13”-17” laptop. Offering "massive savings" from anticipated retail pricing, Kickstarter backer packages start at $195, and backers can expect delivery around April 2016.

Manfrotto have just launched their Compact Extreme 2-in-1 monopod / selfie stick. It boasts four-section tubes and a small ball-head that allows the monopod to be turned into a pole by simply moving it from the top of the handgrip to the bottom of the tubes. Weighing just 280g, the Compact Xtreme is quite lightweight but can hold a payload up to 1kg thanks to its Adapto and aluminium construction. The pole features a ¼ thread on both the top and bottom, and also includes a GoPro adaptor. The Manfrotto Compact Xtreme is priced at £39.95.

The new Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art is billed as the World’s first f/1.4 ultra-wide-angle lens for full-frame digital SLR cameras. Constructed of 15 elements in 11 groups including two FLD glass and five SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements, the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens also features an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades for a pleasing bokeh. Allowing the photographer to leverage the perspective provided by the wide-angle and the shallow depth of field provided by the large aperture, this lens is ideal not only for such ultra-wide-angle subjects as landscapes and starry skies, but also for snapshots in low light, indoor photography, environmental portraits and more. Weighing in at 950 grams, the new Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens carries an MSRP of £849.99.

The GoPro Awards is an ongoing programme that rewards the GoPro community for sharing their best GoPro photos and videos. GoPro encourages all GoPro customers, be they enthusiasts or production professionals, to participate by pursuing their interests, capturing their experiences with a GoPro and submitting their most compelling moments tothe awards website. GoPro Awards will be given for memorable photos ($500), raw video clips ($1000), and video edits ($5000) in a variety of genres including Action, Adventure, Animals, Family, Motorsports, Music, Sports, Science + How-To and Travel.

Manfrotto has launched its new NX bag collection. Aimed at beginner and enthusiast photographers, the NX range is a collection of stylish, versatile everyday bags designed to contain the most popular camera types. Consisting of 9 models, the NX collection ranges from a small, simple pouch to a highly-organised, comfortable multipurpose backpack. Prices start at £15.95.

The Lexar Professional 2933x XQD 2.0 memory card is the World's fastest XQD card to date. Available in 32GB (£139.99), 64GB (£255.99) and 128GB (£479.99) capacities, the new XQD 2.0 cards deliver read transfer speeds up to 2933x (440MB/s), enabling an accelerated workflow that allows users to quickly capture and store high-quality images and 4K video. The company has also introduced a duo of 1400x XQD 2.0 cards in 32GB (£96.99) and 64GB (£149.99) versions. These new rugged, high-speed cards support both PCI Express Gen 2 and USB 3.0 interfaces.

Iridient Digital has released Iridient Developer 3.0.5. This update adds support for the DxO One (pictured), the Leica S (Typ 007), the Olympus OM-D E-M10 II, the Panasonic Lumix GH4R and the Sony A7S II cameras. Additionally, this release now includes an editing extension for Apple Photos on Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) that provides "external edit" like functionality for opening images from the Photos library into Iridient Developer. Support for some uncommon DNG v1.4 options has been added including all DNG opcodes, ZIP compression for some DNG file types and support for per channel white levels with DNG linear format images. Black level handling for RAF images from the Fujifilm X100 and some other non X-Trans models has also been improved. This update is free for all previously registered users who purchased a new or upgraded license after 14 April 2013.

Sony has unveiled the release date of the previously announced firmware update that will add uncompressed 14-bit raw image capture to the A7R II compact system camera. Version 2.0 will be available for download through Sony's e-support site from 19th October. In addition to uncompressed raw capture, which will become a selectable feature within the menu system for updated cameras, the firmware also adds the ability for the A7R II to output video via HDMI during use of the Remote Camera Control software, which enables remote capture from a connected computer.

The Sony RX1R II is a new "palm-sized" digital compact camera with a 42.4-megapixel full-frame sensor, a variable optical low-pass filter, a Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2 lens and a convenient retractable XGA OLED viewfinder for eye-level shooting. The three settings for the AA filter include “off”, which provides comparable effects to having no low-pass filter and is suitable when prioritising resolution, “standard”, which strikes a balance between resolution and removal of moiré and colour artifacts, and “high”, which places more emphasis on reducing moiré and artifacting. The RX1R II model is the first in Sony’s acclaimed RX line of compact cameras to feature Fast Hybrid AF capabilities. The camera’s sensor features 399 focal-plane phase-detection AF points that cover about 45% of the image area – the world’s widest AF coverage on a full-frame sensor – that work together with 25 contrast AF points to achieve focus response that is about 30% faster than the original model. Offering uncompressed 14-bit-per-channel raw image capture, the Sony RX1R II will be available in December 2015, priced at £2,600/$3,299.

Canon are offering up to £75 on selected products in the United Kingdom. The cashback promotion runs from 14th October 2015 to 13th January 2016 for eligible products purchased from selected UK or Republic of Ireland retailers. Eligible products include seven SLRs, twelve lenses, two flash units, half a dozen compact cameras, six camcorders and four printers (click through / scroll down for the full list). Registering with Canon to claim cashback on any of these products will give you the chance to win a luxury trip to St. Moritz in Switzerland.

Lexar has announced two additions to its CFast memory card line: the Lexar Professional 3500x CFast 2.0 card and the Lexar Professional 3600x CFast 2.0 card. The Lexar Professional 3600x CFast 2.0 card provides read transfer speeds up to 540MB per second, and comes in 256GB (£739.99) and 128GB (£394.99) capacities. The 3500x CFast 2.0 memory card will be available in capacities ranging from 32GB to 256GB (£129.99-£739.99) and provide read transfer speed up to 525MB per second. “More and more cinematographers and videographers are embracing cutting-edge video cameras for important shoots,” said Steffi Ho, product marketing manager, Lexar. “The goal in developing the Professional 3600x and 3500x CFast 2.0 cards is to provide them with the fastest memory cards available to capture high quality 4K video and beyond.”

The Lomographic Society has just introduced the Lomo'Instant Wide instant film camera. Featuring a moderate wide-angle 90mm lens, the Lomo’Instant Wide uses Fujifilm Instax Wide film, which has an exposure area of 64mm x 99mm. The lens cap of the Lomo’Instant Wide doubles as a remote control that allows easy and convenient self-portraits, group photos and long exposures. The camera has three different shooting modes including Auto, Bulb and a Fixed Shutter Speed mode for studio settings. The Lomo'Instant Wide comes with a built-in flash as well as a standard Prontor-Compur sync terminal, allowing users to attach an external flash unit to the camera. This latest Lomo model is being produced in small batches, one edition at a time, which means pre-orders will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Delivery for the first batch is estimated to begin early December 2015.

Lexar has just announced a new 128GB version of its Professional 2000x SDXC UHS-II memory card. Launching later this month, the 128GB Lexar Professional 2000x SDXC UHS-II card will be the fastest UHS-II memory card available at this capacity in the market. Offering read transfer speeds up to 300MB per second and write speeds up to 260MB/s, the new 128GB memory card includes an SD UHS-II reader for high-speed file transfer of photos and videos. The card also comes with a limited lifetime warranty and includes a lifetime copy of Image Rescue software. The suggested retail price is £224.99.

The ZEISS Otus 1.4/28 lens offers unrivalled image quality unseen until now in wide-angle photography, even with a wide-open aperture. Even with a maximum aperture, the corners of the image are completely usable, so there are no limits to composition. In poor light combined with fast-moving objects, the lens also excels due to its high speed of f/1.4.

The ZEISS Otus 1.4/28 ZF.2 and ZEISS Otus 1.4/28 ZE will be available worldwide starting in the second quarter of 2016. The lens shade is included with delivery. The retail sales price is unknown to date.

Apple today updated the entire iMac family. The 21.5-inch iMac is now available with a display featuring a 4096x2304-pixel resolution and 9.4 million pixels, 4.5 times more than the standard 21.5-inch iMac. The Retina 5K display that now comes as standard with every 27-inch iMac offers a staggering 14.7 million pixels of resolution. The new Retina panels feature a wider P3-based colour gamut that provides a 25 percent larger colour space than standard sRGB-based displays. Two Thunderbolt 2 ports now come standard on all iMacs and deliver up to 20Gbps data transfer speeds for external drives and high-performance peripherals. And three stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi allows every iMac to support up to 1.3Gbps wireless networking. The 21.5-inch iMac is available with a Retina 4K display starting at £1,199. The 27-inch iMac comes in three models starting at £1,449, £1,599 and £1,849.

Canon have posted 8 full-resolution sample photos and 2 reduced-resolution sample videos captured with the new Canon EOS M10 compact system camera. Taken with a variety of lenses including the EF-M15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM, EF-M11-22mm f/4.0-5.6 IS STM and EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM; these Canon EOS M10 samples were captured at sensitivity settings ranging from ISO100/21° to ISO400/27°. You can download the sample images and videos from the website below.

Website: Official Canon EOS M10 Samples

Canon Japan has released 4 high-resolution sample images captured with the new, 20-megapixel Poweshot G9 X digital compact camera. Spanning a variety of genres incuding still life, macro, landscape and portraiture, these Canon PowerShot G9 X samples were all taken at the sensor's base sensitivity of ISO 125/22°.

Website: Official Canon PowerShot G9 X Sample Photos

Canon Japan has published four full-resolution sample photos taken with the brand new PowerShot G5 X compact camera. Captured at a sensitivity setting of ISO 125/22°, these Canon PowerShot G5 X samples span a variety of genres including product photography, landscape and portraiture. You can download the G5 X sample images from the website below.

Website: Official Canon PowerShot G5 X Samples

Want to see exactly what the new Canon EOS M10 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Canon EOS M10 compact system camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Canon PowerShot G5 X compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Canon PowerShot G5 X compact camera.