Today Wacom launched Dropzone and Control Room, two new cloud based services that offer fast and easy access to images and personal settings. Offering up to 2GB of free storage, Dropzone enables users to easily store and access their images on any computer or device, at any time. Control Room offers a storage service for individual Wacom pen, tablet and display settings, saving the user time on configuration when they want to use their familiar settings on a different device of the same type. Both Dropzone and Control Room are easy to use, free of charge and work independently from existing services or operating systems. Note that a Wacom Cloud account is required for both services.

Phottix have launched two new Mitros TTL Flash units for use with the proprietary Sony multi-interface hotshoe.The Mitros and Mitros+ units share many significant features including a guide number of 58, full TTL functionality as well as manual and multi modes, Auto/Manual Flash Head Zoom with 180 degree rotation and 97 degree tilt, High Speed Sync and Rear Curtain Sync, Manual and bracketed Flash Exposure Compensation, and a Quick Flash Mode: with 0.1-2.5 second recharge times and much more including a USB port for future firmware upgrades and a 3.5mm sync port. The Phottix Mitros+ adds significant functionality, allowing photographers to not only use the Mitros on or off camera for lighting, but to also control and trigger remote flash by radio signal. The new Phottix Mitros is now available for $299 and the Mitros+ is also now available for $399.

LightRocket has launched a new free membership plan, which includes 5GB of cloud storage, the ability to publish a collection of images on LightRocket's commercial archive, a configurable portfolio website and a host of other professional media management tools. For those who want to go to the next level, LightRocket's 'premium' members pay a little less than a dollar a week for their first year which gains them access to an even broader array of tools while offering greater visibility on LightRocket's consolidated media archive.

Kwilt is a new iOS app billed as the first mobile application to automatically create a personal and complete live digital photo stream by seamlessly gathering users' digital images from Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Google+, Google Drive, Dropbox, iPads, iPhones and DLNA Ceritified servers. "Today's user is storing photos across so many social channels that it's impossible to keep track," says Kwilt founder and veteran photo entrepreneur Marc-Antoine Benglia. "Kwilt breaks the barriers between sources. Where your files are stored becomes irrelevant. All of your images are now available at your fingertips, streamed from your favourite platforms in real time." Kwilt streams users' pictures from all of their media sources chronologically, by location or by theme, using a unique cloud-indexing engine and optimised streaming technologies to ensure photos are indexed and dynamically available in real time, in one place. The app is available now as a free download from iTunes.

Canon China has posted six high-resolution sample images taken with the new Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. This super-telephoto zoom lens from Canon boasts a completely redesigned optical formula containing one Fluorite and one Super UD lens element - a combination unique to lenses in this focal range - to help deliver sharp images with high resolution and contrast. For photographers who want to work as closely as possible to their subjects, the minimum focusing distance of the lens has been reduced to just 3.2 ft. (0.98m), resulting in a maximum magnification of 0.31x. The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L II USM Super-Telephoto Zoom Lens is scheduled to be available in December 2014 for an estimated retail price of £1,999.99 / €2,499.99 / $2,199.99.

Website: Canon China

The Essence of Photography by Bruce Barnbaum is a new title from Rocky Nook. Included in the book are in-depth discussions on topics such as defining your own unique rhythm and approach as a photographer, the differences between realism and abstraction, translating the scene in front of you to the final photograph, the differences and similarities between how amateurs and professionals approach photography, learning to expand your own seeing and creativity through classes, workshops, and associating with other photographers, and much more. The 196-page volume will be available from 26th November for $39.95.

The winners of the UK’s ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year’ competition have been announced. All of the winning and commended photographs from the competition can be found in the Awards book ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 8’ by AA Publishing. The overall winner is Mark Littlejohn and his photo of a small, transient stream created by heavy rain and dwarfed by the might of Glencoe’s mountains. “When I got the call, I was in a cafe in Tynemouth and it was a surreal experience to say the least," Mark Littlejohn said. "When you enter the competition you hope against hope that you will get an image in the book and you can't really consider the possibility that you will win." The exhibition of winning entries will be held on the recently-built Mezzanine at Britain’s busiest station, London Waterloo, which will showcase the very best of the British countryside in the very heart of the capital. Not only will the photographs appear on display stands across the balcony but will also make an appearance on Motion@Waterloo, a 40m wide LCD screen which is the largest single indoor screen in the UK and spans the station from platforms 7 to 11. Opening on Monday, December 1 st 2014, the exhibition is hosted by Network Rail and will run for nine weeks, closing on January 31st 2015. Admission is free.

Canon has announced the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. This super-telephoto zoom lens features Canon L-series weather resistance and rugged magnesium housing to meet the needs of wildlife and sports photographers or photojournalists working out in the elements. The new Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L II USM boasts a completely redesigned optical formula containing one Fluorite and one Super UD lens element - a combination unique to lenses in this focal range - to help deliver sharp images with high resolution and contrast. For photographers who want to work as closely as possible to their subjects, the minimum focusing distance of the lens has been reduced to just 3.2 ft. (0.98m), resulting in a maximum magnification of 0.31x. The original EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM was known for its push-pull zoom adjustment, but the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L II USM uses a much more conveniet rotation-type zoom ring. The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L II USM Super-Telephoto Zoom Lens is scheduled to be available in December 2014 for an estimated retail price of £1,999.99 / €2,499.99 / $2,199.99.

According to new research by Nero, the creator of BackItUp, 44% of 'smartphone mums' admit that they would lose all of their photos if their phone was lost or broken. The study has revealed that 92% of UK mums are using smartphones to photograph their children, and 49% believe social media pages are the safest place to store photos. “We would urge parents not to play roulette with precious memories when backing up securely is such an easy and simple thing to do,” comments Charly Lippoth, Vice President Business Development at Nero. “Children grow up so fast that losing even a small amount of images can cut out a large chunk of a child’s life. Backing up is simple and easy, so there really is no excuse to forget.”

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LockCircle has announced its latest BirdCage for the Panasonic Lumix GH4 and the Sony A7/A7R/A7S compact system cameras. Billed as the first Modular Production Cage System in the market, the BirdCage by LockCircle weighs in at 51 grams and features an integrated LockPort micro-to-full-size HDMI adapter and a system of plates for different setups and Positive-Lock Mounts for precise follow-focus work. Designed by Dante Cecchin, the BirdCage by LockCircle is available from $399/€379. Availability is slated for 20 November 2014.

NEC Display Solutions of America announced today several affordable product bundles with SpectraViewII calebration software. The SpectraViewII EA Kit, which includes SpectraView software and a Spyder colour calibration sensor, is now available as a separate option or bundled with the the 24-inch MultiSync EA244UHD (3840 x 2160 resolution, pictured), 27-inch EA274WMi (2560 x 1440 WQHD resolution), and 30-inch EA304WMi (2560 x 1600 WQXGA resolution) displays. “These latest bundles offer affordable colour management and colour accuracy, and also leverage the NEC hallmarks of great ergonomics and eco-friendly features,” said Art Marshall, Product Manager of Professional and Medical Displays at NEC Display Solutions. “NEC has built its MultiSync PA Series as the standard for colour-critical professions. Now, it’s bringing that same expertise for colour accuracy to the wide gamut EA244UHD and EA304WMi models, and standard gamut EA274WMi display.”

Ricoh UK has today launched its Winter Cashback promotion. Running until 10 January 2015, the promotion enables customers to claim up to £70 cashback on selected Pentax DSLR bodies and kits. Eligible products include the Pentax K-3, K-S1 (pictured) and K-50 digital SLR cameras. Note that with every K-S1 purchase you will also receive a free Flucard worth £99.99. For further information on the cashback offer, visit the website below.

The Lume Cube is a powerful and ultra-portable LED lighting tool that's controlled by a smartphone app. Promising toopen new creative possibilities for photographers of any skill level, the Lume Cubeis a compact and versatile LED light for capturing both stills and videos, and is compatible with camera phones, action cams as well as more traditional digital cameras. Measuring only one-and-a-half inches, the water resistant Lume Cube produces 1,500 lumens of light in either video mode, for a continuous light source, or in strobe mode. Encased in a colourful rubber shell, the Lume Cube can magnetically attach or suction to just about any surface. The commercial launch of the Lume Cube will be funded through a Kickstarter campaign. To find out more about the device, visit the website below.

Issue 34 of David Noton’s Chasing the Light Online Magazine is now available. In this month's Behind the Lens feature and Video Blog, we join David and Wendy on the first part of their recent trip to California’s Sequoia National Park in September, sharing the pain of roadblocks that prevent photographers reaching their location in time. In Stepping Back, David considers the best locations for shooting autumn colours, while for his Fundamentals of Post Production section he presents one Video Tutorial, along with an article on the Ten Commandments of Editing a Photo Shoot. The magazine's New York-based contributor James Maher explores the story behind his iconic shot of Bow Bridge in Central Park in How It’s Done. In The Storyteller, Chris Weston considers the convergence of stills photography and video in the world of modern media, and how he has taken advantage of this to indulge his passion for storytelling.Do note that the full contents of the magazine is available to full f11 subscribers only. Non-members can purchase individual issues of the magazine at a price of £4.20.

Breakthrough Photography has announced a new line of 3.2mm ultra-slim ‘Traction’ filters featuring glass from Germany and Japan, advanced coatings and weather-sealed construction. The brand new X-Series filter line-up consists of three different models; the X1 Flat Black Filter (UV only), the X2 Traction Filter (available in 3-stop and 6-stop Neutral Density and UV variants), and the X3 Traction Filter (also available in 3-stop & 6-stop Neutral Density and UV versions). The X1 Flat Black Filter features an ultra-slim 3.5mm standard flat black frame, the X2 Traction Filter features a 3.5mm ‘Traction’ frame CNC machined from aluminium, AGC glass from Japan, MRC8 and dual nano coating layers, and the X3 Traction Filter features the company's signature 3.2mm ‘Traction’ frame CNC machined from brass, SCHOTT B270 glass from Germany, MRC16 and dual nano coating layers. The X-Series filters can now be pre ordered on Kickstarter.