ICELAND. An Uneasy Calm is a new hardback coffee table book featuring 98 toned black-and-white photographs taken in Iceland over the last eight years by landscape photographer Tim Rudman. Tim, who describes his fascination with the country as “a land of myth and magic, of fearsome subterranean power and spectacular scenery,” is well known internationally for his pioneering work in Lith Printing and distinctive toning methods of black-and-white silver gelatine prints, authoring a number of books and hundreds of articles in this field. The images featured in his latest book were captured on Ilford film (mostly Ilford Delta Professional 120) and printed on Ilford Multigrade FB Warmtone paper developed in Ilford multigrade developer, processed using a variant of the Ilford Archival Process. ICELAND. An Uneasy Calm is available to preorder from the website below. The standard edition costs £45 + shipping (regular price: £55), and the Deluxe Collectors' Limited Edition, which comes in an elegant black silk-bound clamshell box with a handmade limited edition silver gelatine print, is priced at £285. Shipping is anticipated mid September 2015.

This weekend saw the first of five ultraviolet art murals appear across London as part of a collaboration between Sony Mobile and a series of street artists to bring to life the low-light photography capabilities of its Xperia Z3 smartphone. The project was kicked off by artist Dan Kitchener, well-known for his modern impressionistic street scenes at night. His mural adorns the Hat and Feathers Pub at 2 Clerkenwell Road and has already sparked considerable conversation on social media. The next seven weeks will see five artists in total take to the streets of the capital and create murals around the theme of ‘I Can See in the Dark’ which aligns with Sony’s latest ‘I Can’ advertising campaign. The second mural, created by artist Zina, will be live from 20th July on the Great Eastern Bear Gallery in Shoreditch.

Defrozo have just started a photography portfolio contest. Offering four winner spots, the Defrozo portfolio competition provides each winner with a prize bundle consisting of 5 premium photography resources. The deadline for entries is 31 July 2015. Click through for the details.

JP Distribution have been appointed as the UK distributors of UKPro, the manufacturer of various GoPro accessories including cases, poles and lighting. San Diego based company Underwater Kinetics was founded in 1971 by Alan Uke who created hand held flashlights and accessories for the dive and industrial market. Now “UK” have over 160 individual products which are distributed in over 68 countries. UKPro is a division of Underwater Kinetics that is dedicated to GoPro accessories. The UKPro range of products will be available through JP Distribution with immediate effect.

Manfrotto have added the Off Road 20L Hiker Backpack to their Off Road Collection. Designed for transporting your gear while hiking outdoors, the Off Road 20L Hiker Backpack will hold a mid-sized SLR with lens and accessories, while providing a quick side access to your camera. Similar to the Off Road 30L Hiker Backpack, the 20L Hiker Backpack can be used to carry your personal gear and camera, or it can be converted into a total hiking backpack by unzipping the internal divider and removing the camera bag. The straps on the backpack are ideal for carrying the Off Road walking sticks and tripod, making the Off Road 20L Hiker Backpack the perfect choice for trekkers who wish to capture and record what they find on a hike, but don’t need the extra space the 30L Off Road Hiker Backpack gives. Available now through selected stockists, the 20L Hiker Backpack is priced at £129.95.

Sigma has revealed the suggested retail price and launch date of the full-frame Sigma 24-35mm F2 DG HSM Art lens. Featuring a constant maximum aperture of f/2, the Sigma 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM Art lens has 18 elements in 13 groups and an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades. The lens incorporates large-diameter aspherical lens elements, which require advanced technologies to manufacture; one FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass and seven SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements, of which two are aspherical lenses. With a minimum focusing distance of 28cm and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4.4, this lens is suitable for close-up shooting, environmental portraits with an attractive bokeh and deep-focus landscape photography. The Sigma 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM Art lens will become available in late July for £949.99 / $999.00. (In the UK, this launch date is valid for Sigma- and Canon-mount versions of the lens only. The availability of the Nikon variant has yet to be communicated.)

Sigma UK have announced a new dp0 Quattro kit, comprising the ultra-wide-angle dp0 Quattro and LVF-01 LCD Viewfinder. Featuring a 14mm F4 lens (equivalent to a 21mm lens on a 35mm camera) and a Foveon sensor, the Sigma dp0 Quattro (read review) is perfectly suited to landscape photography - while the addition of the Sigma LVF-01 LCD Viewfinder cuts off outside light and magnifies the LCD display 2.5 times, allowing photographers to check focusing and composition more easily. The new kit has a suggested retail priceof £999.99.

Want to see exactly what the new Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX8 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX8 compact system camera, which features a new 20.3-megapixel sensor, including a side-by-side comparison with the previous DMC-GX7 camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ330 compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ330 superzoom camera, which features a 25x optical zoom lens with an effective focal length of 24-600mm.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX8 compact system camera offers Panasonic’s first Dual I.S (Image Stabiliser), a 20.3-megapixel sensor, large tiltable LVF and 4K capability. The LUMIX DMC-GX8 integrates a 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor to achieve superior image quality. With the combination of a Lens Optical Image Stabiliser and a Body Image Stabiliser, even severe hand shake can be corrected to provide consistently blur-free images. The Venus Engine image processor with a quad-core CPU also enables high speed signal processing at 8 fps (AFS) / 6 fps (AFC).

UK Pricing:

DMC-GX8AEB-K  (Black kit with 12-35mm/F2.8 lens) - £1699.00
DMC-GX8AEB-S (Silver kit with 12-35mm/F2.8 lens) - £1699.00
DMC-GX8HEB-K (Black kit with 14-140mm lens) - £1399.99
DMC-GX8HEB-S (Silver kit with 14-140mm lens) - £1399.99
DMC-GX8KEB-K (Black kit with 14-42mm lens) - £1099.00
DMC-GX8KEB-S (Silver kit with 14-42mm lens) - £1099.00
DMC-GX8EB-K (Black, body only) - £999.99
DMC-GX8EB-S (Silver, body only) - £999.99

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ330 is a new super-zoom camera with a LEICA DC lens boasting an F2.8 aperture throughout its 25-600mm zoom range. With the new addition of Panasonic’s latest 4K technologies, the DMC-FZ330 will put 4K shooting in the palm of your hand. The LUMIX DMC-FZ330’s 12-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor and new Venus Engine maximise the sensitivity and speed of image processing. The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ330 will be available in August for £499.99.

Panasonic is developing the LEICA DG 100-400mm / F4.0-6.3 telephoto zoom lens. Offering an effective focal range of 200-800mm in 35mm terms, this is the first LEICA DG zoom lens in the lineup. The LEICA DG 100-400mm / F4.0-6.3 will have a splash/dust-proof design, POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), and excels in size and weight. Details of the product specifications, the date of release and the price of the LEICA DG 100-400mm / F4.0-6.3 are yet to be advised.

Panasonic is developing a LUMIX G 25mm F1.7 single focal length lens. This lens is a 50mm (35 mm camera equivalent) single focal length lens with large diameter. Details of the product specifications, the date of release and the price of the Panasonic LUMIX G 25mm F1.7 are yet to be advised.

Panasonic is developing a new technological function called ‘Post Focus’ which enables photographers to select alternative parts of the image they want to be in-focus with easy one touch operation. The function has been developed by further innovating via Panasonic’s existing 4K Photo technology and not only prevents out-of-focus misshots but also offers greater creative freedom in all areas of photography.

Bridges of Paris is a new large-format photography book by photojournalist Michael Saint James. Boasting over 350 original images of Paris and the bridges that lay at its heart, the book features glorious portraits of each bridge as well as intimate riverside moments. Themes explored in the book include Paris bridges as destinations, the history of Paris as told by the bridges, experiencing a ‘Parisian State of Mind,’ and much more. “My passion for Paris and my art compelled me to spend a full year living in the city. I was able to develop an intimate relationship with the culture, people and bridges that Paris has to offer,” says Saint James. “I hope my book helps people experience a new culture with an open mind.” The 280-page hardback is available for $85 from Amazon.

Canon have partnered with the British Red Cross for this year’s Humanitarian Citizenship Awards photography competition. “Our competition theme this year is ‘Celebrating your community’. Often, humanitarian action starts at the heart of communities, and we are asking young people to reflect this in their photography,” said Robin Wells, youth development co-ordinator at the British Red Cross. “Through this theme, we want to encourage young people to celebrate their own communities, and the contributions made by communities and individuals within them.” There are two age categories, 17 and under, and 18 to 25. The overall winners in both categories will each receive an EOS 760D plus lens. The British Red Cross is accepting entries at the website below.

Toshiba today announced “T4KC3”, a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor for tablet- and smartphone camera modules. This 1/2.7"-type chip has a pixel pitch of 1.12 microns, and allows 30fps recording at full resolution. Phase-Detection Auto-Focus achieves quick focusing, and makes it easier for mobile devices to capture high quality images and movies, the company says. “T4KC3” also incorporates Toshiba’s Bright Mode technology, which boosts image brightness up to four times and enables HD video capture at 240fps equivalent, and supports high dynamic range imaging. Additionally the new sensor incorporates 16Kbit OTP (one-time programmable memory), which can store lens shading correction data for four conditions at maximum, such as indoors and outdoors, daylight and sunset. Sample shipments are scheduled to start in September this year.