The Canon PowerShot G3 X is Canon’s first superzoom compact camera to feature a 1.0-type back-illuminated 20.2 MP CMOS sensor. Other key features of the Canon G3 X include a 25x, 9 blade f,/2.8-5.6 aperture zoom lens, continuous shooting at 5.9 shots a second, Full HD movies with variable frame rates from 24p up to 60p, a 3.2” tilt touch screen, dust and drip-proof body, and wi-fi and NFC connectivity. The Canon PowerShot G3 X retails for £799 / $999.

The Ricoh GR II is a new compact camera with an APS-C sized 16-megapixel imager, 18.3mm f/2.8 lens, Wi-Fi and NFC. Providing a range of smartphone-support functions, including wireless image transfer and remote shooting; the Ricoh GR II comes with an improved white balance algorithm and enhanced noise management, as well as new creative tools including six effect modes and wireless flash support.The GR II’s high-speed AF system captures a subject in focus in a mere 0.2 seconds,thanks to the optimisation of its lens drive mechanism and AF algorithm and the high-speed readout of image data obtained by the image sensor.

MeFOTO has launched a new BYOT (Build Your Own Tripod) service for its RoadTrip Travel Tripod. Now, photo enthusiasts can choose from an array of 12 colours to design a unique tripod that reflects their individual style. The MeFOTO Build Your Own Tripod lets you design a unique, creative tool in the colour of your choice. The BYOT service is available now and starts at $249 (which includes free shipping) in the US only.

Lasersoft has announced a new, paid upgrade for its SilverFast software, which incorporates a printer calibration tool. The ICC printer calibration utilises a flatbed scanner, whose colours are first adjusted with SilverFast’s patented auto IT8 calibration method, as a measuring device for profiling the printer. Users simply print a test chart using their printer and scan this chart with their IT8 calibrated scanner. SilverFast then calculates an ICC profile for their printer and the paper and ink combination. Those who already have SilverFast 8.5 for their scanner can purchase the upgrade for $99.

Think Tank Photo’s new Trifecta backpacks are specifically designed for the working pro’s three workhorse lenses: their ultra-wide, mid-range, and telephoto zooms. The Trifecta 8 Mirrorless Backpack accommodates a medium to large compact system camera with lens attached, 2–5 additional lenses, up to an 8” tablet, plus personal gear. The Trifecta 10 DSLR Backpack fits a standard size SLR body with lens attached, 2–4 additional lenses, up to a 10” tablet, plus personal gear. Both backpacks sling for side access from both the left and right. The rear panel opening offers complete access to gear. The additional top compartment fits lunch or other essentials, while the included tripod attachment strap secures a tripod to the front panel. BOth models include a seam-sealed rain cover.

Sony have issued firmware upgrades for their A6000 (pictured), A7S, A7R and A7 compact system camera models. Available now as free download from the Sony website, firmware version 2.00 reduces the time between switching on the camera to viewing a picture on the LCD screen or OLED viewfinder by 30%, and enables high bit-rate movie recording at 50p/25p in PAL and 60p/30p/24p in NTSC in XAVC S format. You can download the updates from the website below.

The Olympus Stulus 1s, a premium compact that was first announced as a Japan-only model back in October, will soon be available in the UK. Essentially an evolutionary upgrade to the venerable Stylus 1 (read review), the Sylus 1s features a new step-zoom function, a smaller auto focus target, plus focus peaking and interval shooting functionality. It is powered by a BLS-50 battery that provides enough power to take 450 shots according to CIPA standards. Most of the other technical specifications - including the 1/1.7-type 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, the 28-300mm (eq.) f/2.8 lens, the 7fps continuous shooting mode, the ISO 100-12800 sensitivity range and the 1.04-million-dot, 3" touchscreen - are unchanged versus the Stylus 1. The new Stylus 1s comes with the latest Stylus 1 firmware, which adds compatibility with wide-angle converters to deliver greater focal range with constant brightness, starting with the impressive wide-angle potential of 22.4mm (in 35mm terms). The Stylus 1s premium compact goes on sale from early summer for £429.99.

The SoloCam is a new tool that promises to "change the concept of selfie sticks as we know them." According to inventor Benny Goldstein, the SoloCam strives to upgrade the features of the old selfie stick, allowing everyday users to make quality videos using a high-definition microphone, a joystick controlling the stick's functions and a designated app featuring a teleprompter, karaoke, special effects and additional features that'll be revealed only on the day of the launch itself - 22nd June. The SoloCam is priced at $49.

Adobe today launched Adobe Stock, which is billed as "the industry’s first stock content service to be integrated directly into the content creation process and the tools creatives use every day." Available through Adobe Creative Cloud, this new service is a curated collection of 40 million images, which is deeply integrated into the latest releases of Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC. Designers can launch Adobe Stock directly within CC desktop software, add watermarked images to their Creative Cloud Libraries, and then access and work with images across multiple desktop tools. When they are ready to license the image for finished work, they can do it directly within the desktop software they are working in. Thanks to Creative Cloud’s CreativeSync technology, all edits made on a watermarked image are automatically applied to the newly licensed image, saving hours of potential rework. Pricing for Creative Cloud individual and team customers is £7.19 incl VAT for a single image; £23.99 per month for 10 images monthly (with rollover of unused images); and £143.99 incl VAT per month for 750 images monthly. Separate pricing is available for Adobe Stock customers who are not Creative Cloud members. Adobe also announced it will offer industry-leading rates, to photographers and designers contributing content to Adobe Stock.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony A7R II, RX10 II and RX100 IV cameras look like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony A7R II, RX10 II and RX100 IV cameras.

Eyefi announced today that its Mobi Pro photography solution now integrates both GoPro and Olympus Wi-Fi cameras. With Eyefi, photos from these cameras are instantly transferred and automatically organised alongside the ones from their smartphones. “No one uses just one device for taking pictures anymore,” said Matt DiMaria, Eyefi CEO. “We understand that photographers want to choose any camera... and still have instant access to all their photos all together in a single collection without having to go home, upload them into a computer and manually merge each one. We’re giving photographers the flexibility and convenience to share images from all their cameras and the insight to discover more about their photos.” Eyefi apps and cloud service automatically organise these images and make it easier than ever to find and discover more about them. Eyefi’s Wi-Fi camera solution is available to all Eyefi Cloud members as part of their £3.49/$4.99/monthly subscription service. Non-Eyefi Cloud customers can purchase it through the Eyefi Mobi app on their phone or tablet for £3.49/$4.99. This feature is currently available for Android devices and is planned for iOS devices later this year. Eyefi’s Wi-Fi camera connectivity is available for use with GoPro Hero+ LCD, Hero 3, GoPro Hero 4 and Olympus Stylus 1, Olympus PEN E-P5, Olympus Stylus TG- 860, and Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II cameras.

The Hasselblad Lusso is a new full-frame, E-mount compact system camera based on Sony's A7R model. While the headline specifications are the same - including the 36.4-megapixel sensor, the 2,359,296-dot EVF, and the 3-inch 921,600-dot tiltable rear display, among others -, the Hasselblad version boasts an ergonomically sculpted wooden hand-grip and redesigned, "Lunar-style" controls. The Chinese edition of the Hasselblad website has an entire section dedicated to the Hasselblad Lusso, and you can also download the camera's English-language instruction manual as a PDF. The Lusso will be available in a bundle with a 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, delivered in a luxurious box. The kit is already available in Hong Kong at a price of HK$40,000 (~US$5,160).

Via PR

Triggertrap have released a new version of their Triggertrap Mobile app, enabling users to trigger their dSLR camera from an Apple Watch. The update applies to the recently introduced 'Wearables' mode, which originally offered support for Pebble smartwatches only; and allows photographers to trigger the cable release modes, long exposure modes, and timelapse modes from their wrist. The Apple Watch app also features a customisable trigger delay of up to 10 seconds. The company has also rolled out a new version of Triggertrap Timelapse Pro. This update brings Apple Watch triggering to the modular timelapse app. Both updates are available to download on the iTunes App Store.

Canon have posted a firmware upgrade for their GP-E2 external GPS receiver. Version 2.0.0 adds support for the Canon EOS 5DS, EOS 5DS R, EOS 760D and EOS 750D cameras, and fixes bugs related to signal acquisition and the saving of log files. You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Canon U.S.A.
 

Tiger Stores have launched a photo competition. Tiger Camera began in 2012 as a place for people from all over the world to share their visions in the form of photographs of the things they love – the things they find beautiful, meaningful and important. The competition is free to enter open to absolutely anyone who can pick upa camera and take a picture. This year, Tiger Camera is looking for personal, creative, and inspiring interpretations of the theme Borders. The competition is judged by an internationally acclaimed jury, and the main prize is a trip to Japan. The closing date is 1 July 2015.

Sigma Corporation of America today announced the pricing and availability of the Sigma dp0 Quattro large-sensor compact camera. The dp0 Quattro incorporates a fixed 14mm f/4 lens, which is equivalent to a 21mm lens on a 35mm camera; and features four “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) glass elements, two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements, and two aspheric lenses. The image sensor is a three-layered, panchromatic Foveon chip with green-sensitive middle and red-sensitive bottom layers each having 4.9 megapixels, plus a top layer that captures 19.6 megapixels of blue-channel chrominance and resolution/luminance information for the red and green channels. The Sigma dp0 Quattro camera will be available in the United States in late July for the street price of $999. (The UK RRP was already announced back in May.)

Ricoh Japan have announced that the launch of the HD PENTAX-D FA ★ 70-200mm f/2.8ED DC AW lens has been pushed back to autumn 2015. Officially unveiled on 5th February, the HD PENTAX-D FA ★ 70-200mm f/2.8ED DC AW telezoom was supposed to be available this spring, but Ricoh says the design needs to be modified in order for the lens to perform as expected.

Movavi have launched Photo Studio for Windows, a new photo retouching and management suite that combines a photo editor, a slideshow creator and a batch image processor. Movavi Photo Batch offers basic editing functions such as rotation, renaming, image conversion, and automatic adjustment that can be applied to as many pictures as you want. Renaming offers multiple options: Add index, Add date, Add free text, and more – all very useful for organizing photo albums and folders on your hard drive or in the cloud. Adjustment options include MagicEnhance, Auto Contrast, and Auto White Balance. Image conversion enables you to transcode images between JPEG (with customisable image quality levels), BMP, PNG, and TIFF. The main module – Movavi Photo Editor 3 – now includes a number of ready-to-use effects and textures ranging from subtle colour scheme changes (Nostalgic, Sepia, Vignette, and more) to complete image transformation (Oil Painting, Pen Outlines, and more). The third app in the package, Movavi Slideshow Creator, offers an easy way to turn edited photos into a slideshow. The apps in Photo Studio can be downloaded and activated separately - click through / read on for pricing details.