Adobe today announced a major update to its Creative Cloud Photography plan with the release of an all-new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC. This is a subscription-based desktop application that boasts a number of new features including HDR Merge, Panorama Merge, Face Recognition, advanced video slideshows and various performance/GPU enhancements. Automatically synced with Lightroom CC on the desktop, Lightroom on mobile devices lets users access and edit their catalogue of photos across a full range of iOS and Android devices. This release includes a major enhancement for Android with DNG raw file support on compatible Lollipop-enabled devices. The Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (£8.57/$9.99 per month) includes Lightroom CC across desktop, Web and mobile, Photoshop CC and Photoshop Mix (for iPhone and iPad). All products are also available as part of Creative Cloud complete plan.

Totally Rad! announced today the launch of Replichrome III: Archive, a new collection of presets for Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw. While Replichrome I and II concentrated on modern and semi-available films, Replichrome III: Archive introduces photographers to 22 different films and 183 different presets, based on rare, expired, discontinued and eclectic films from across the world. “With Replichrome III, we wanted to give photographers a palette of choices that they wouldn’t have access to anywhere else,” said Doug Boutwell, CEO of Totally Rad! Inc. “We tracked down these expired and outdated films for years, and recreated the vintage looks with Replichrome III: Archive. Offering more unique choices than ever, if photographers are looking for timeworn, perfectly weird and rare, dramatic looking film, then Replichrome III is for them. We’re excited to offer emulations of this kind, which can’t be found on the market today.” Replichrome I and II are available now for $99 each. For a limited time, Replichrome III: Archive will be available at a discounted price of $69.

The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) has announced four bursaries to help students and other photographers to realise projects across the still and moving image. These include the Joan Wakelin Bursary, the Short Film Award, the Postgraduate Bursary and two Environmental Awareness bursaries. Click through / read on for more information.

Manfrotto are running a series of pop-up events across Britain in April and May. At these events, Manfrotto will be your local photographic store for one day offering customers the chance to come along to free photography talks, take advantage of special discounts and exclusive offers plus free demonstrations and the chance to view all of their latest products. Click through / scroll down for a list of dates and locations.

The winners of the Event Photography Awards 2015 were announced at a cocktail party in the Barbican’s Garden Room. Professional photographer Miles Willis scored a double win for his artful capture ‘Portrait of a flyman at Hackney Empire’, taking home both the ‘Behind the Scenes’ category title and the overall accolade of ‘Best Event Photograph of the Year 2015’. Amateur talent Ocean Belcher, from New Zealand, transported judges to a passionate rendezvous between two lovers at a party, as they found themselves lost in the music surrounding them. Her image was named winner of the ‘Music Events’ category. Other winners on the night included Antony Alexandrou in ‘Private Events & Weddings’, Martin James in ‘Corporate Events’ and in ‘Experiential & Trade Shows’, and Steve Fleming in the ‘Sporting Events’ category, who wowed judges with the grueling drama and beautiful scenery captured in his photograph of two cyclists tackling The Fred Whitton Challenge in the Yorkshire Dales (above). All the winning photographs will be displayed, with the help of sponsor Perton Signs, at Square Meal’s Venues & Events Live exhibition at Old Billingsgate in September 2015.

Broncolor has launched the new FT System, an advanced addition to the existing family of Broncolor continuous lights and Para products. The Broncolor Para is a true parabolic light bank that provides focus and the control to create a sculpted soft and beautiful effect not possible with a simple umbrella or reflector. As part of the Broncolor family, the new Para HR (Heat Resistant) reflectors support the most powerful lighting options and the new Para FT (Focusing Tube) lamphead design allows the use of HMIs, tungsten heads and strobe heads in parabolic light banks that can be setup in just minutes.The broncolor HMI FT1600 is dimmable, and provides constant colour at all times. New heat-resistant materials make it possible for both the 88 HR and 133 HR Paras to handle the high output from the new HMI 1600W FT and 2000W tungsten-halogen light sources. The new Para 88 HR and Para 133 HR kits will be available in June 2015. The complete broncolor FT System will be shipping September.

Hama has added the new Traveller Premium Mono 170 monopod to its product range. Like its sister product, the Traveller Premium 144 Ball tripod, the monopod features an extremely light and sturdy aluminium design and screw clamps for quickly locking the leg at the required length. The Hama Traveller Premium Mono 170 has a minimum height of 45cm and can be extended to 170cm. The maximum load capacity is 8kg, making the monopod well suited for larger cameras and lenses. The Hama Traveller Premium Mono 170 is available for €69.

Olympus have issued a firmware update for their OM-D E-M5 Mark II compact system camera. According to the company, Version 1.1 incorporates the following enhancements and fixes:

• Audio can be faded out of movie files created with My Clips editing.
• Speed at which information is displayed when the camera is turned on has been improved.
• The issue of noise appearing in images captured while shooting with High Res Shot has been corrected.

You can install the firmware upgrade via the Digital Camera Updater utility.

Zhongyi Optics have announced the full-frame Mitakon Speedmaster 85mm f/1.2, an ultra-bright short telephoto lens ideal for portraiture. Available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony FE mounts (with the Sony A and Pentax K editions coming later this year), the Mitakon Speedmaster 85mm f/1.2 has a circular aperture with 11 diaphragm blades, and incorporates 9 elements in 6 groups, including 2 extra-low-dispersion elements and 4 high-refractive-index elements. "Manual focus design and a click-less, silent aperture ring promote smooth handling and are especially well-suited to video applications," the company says. The lens weighs 921 grams, takes 77mm filters, and focuses down to 1m. The Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 85mm f/1.2 is available for $799.

Nikon has posted a service advisory concerning the Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF ED VR telephoto lens. The company has confirmed that when the lens is used with the D800, D800E or D810 cameras, images captured at shutter speeds of around 1/125 s with the VR (NORMAL or SPORT) function enabled sometimes exhibit noticeable blur. To reduce the occurrence of this, Nikon will offer a service for updating the lens firmware. D800, D800E and D810 users who are concerned about this issue may take or send their lens to an Nikon Service Centre, where their lens firmware will be updated free of charge. Note that firmware for lenses with a serial number of 205101 or later have already been updated.

Macphun today launched their latest application, Noiseless. Using newly developed imaging technology; Noiseless provides a one-click solution for eliminating the noise generated by every camera when shooting in low-light situations. Advanced users can use the “Adjust Panel” of Noiseless for even greater control, including unique detail preservation and selective reduction tools. The program is available in two versions, a standard version, sold exclusively through the Mac App Store; and a Pro variantsold on Macphun’s website.

The Canon SELPHY CP1000 is a new compact photo printer that allows you to print lab-quality photos at home and on the move. With an elegant, compact design, the Canon SELPHY CP1000 has a 2.7" tilting screen and an optional battery pack accessory. With the ability to control the heat applied to the ink ribbon on the print head, the Canon SELPHY CP1000 offers four print finishes without ever having to use a different paper or media type. The SELPHY CP1000 also allows for ID Photo Printing at 43 pre-set sizes with the ability to print two different ID image sizes on one sheet. The Canon SELPHY CP1000 will be available from early July for £89.99/€109.99.

CheeringTech has released Version 2.0 of its CASE Remote iOS app. Designed to work with CASE Remote hardware, the smartphone app enables you to wirelessly control DSLR camera from your mobile devices. "CASE Remote is the best solution for tethered photography with live view function,." the company says "It does not only add WiFi function to your camera, but also introduce more advanced photography functions, making your photography much easier!" New in Version 2.0 adds focus peaking and video recording capabilities, and delivers an improved user experience. You can download the free app from iTunes.

Fujifilm officially announced the availability of the Fujinon XF16mm f/1.4 R WR (Weather Resistant) lens, which first appeared on the X-mount lens roadmap in July 2014. Equivalent to a 24mm lens in a 35mm system, the Fujinon XF16mm f/1.4 R WR features 13 lens elements in 11 groups, including two ED and two aspherical elements, and an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades. The lens itself will be available from mid-May, priced at £729.99. A premium-quality metal lens hood (LH-X16, optional) will be released in September.

Benro today announced the expansion of their S-Series with the S7 Video Head and Tripod Kits. The S7 video head offers a maximum load capacity of 7kg, a 65mm flat base, a 4-step counterbalance, independent pan and tilt locks and a 501 compatible QR6 plate. The flat base provides much needed versatility for mounting on sliders, jibs and half ball adapters. Available in carbon-fibre and aluminium versions, the S7 Tripod Kit includes an S7 Video Head plus a tripod that folds down to 29cm and extends to 161cm.

X-Rite has launched the X-Rite ColorChecker Classic Mini ($70), which has been specifically designed to help photographers specialising in capturing fine art and heritage artwork. Measuring 6.3cm x 10.6cm, the ColorChecker Classic Mini offers users a flexible solution for situations where a more lightweight colour chart is required. When dealing with valuable and often delicate artwork, the ColorChecker Classic Minican be positioned against the delicate surface of the painting whilst it is being photographed. Each of the 24 colours represents the actual colour of natural objects and reflects light just like its real-world counterpart. Since they exemplify the colour of their counterparts and reflect light the same way in all parts of the visible spectrum, the squares will match the colours of representative sample natural objects under any illumination, and with any colour reproduction process. The ColorChecker Classic Mini can also be used to create a white balance with your digital camera to guarantee precise, uniform, neutral white under any lighting condition.

DxO have released DxO OpticsPro 10.4, DxO FilmPack 5.1.2 and DxO ViewPoint 2.5.4 for Mac and Windows. These new versions add support for the Nikon D7200 and the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II (pictured). To further improve workflow, the DxO OpticsPro interface now offers a new “Reset” button that lets users cancel in just one click all of the manual corrections made to an image and to return to the default preset corrections, and includes support for several DxO optics modules offering support for Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Sigma, Sony, Tamron, Tokina, and Zeiss lenses for many Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony cameras.

Garmin has announced two HD action cameras, the VIRB X and the VIRB XE. Waterproof to 50 metres, theVIRB X and XE boast a plethora of built-in sensors and wireless functionality options, which can be utilized through the new G-Metrix feature for a wide array of data overlays and a richer viewing experience. The VIRB XE is designed to shoot professional HD footage at 1440p/30fps and 1080p/60fps with super slow-mo, image stabilisation and different zoom levels. The VIRB X shoots crisp HD footage at 1080p/30fps and 720p/60fps with slow-mo and zoom options. Both versions can capture 12-megapixel stills, and the XE version has a Pro Mode with more advanced manual camera adjustments such as white balance control, sharpness control, colour profile control, ISO and exposure compensation. The Garmin VIRB X will have a suggested retail price of $299.99, and the VIRB XE will have an SRP of $399.99.