The Vanguard Alta Pro AB100 combines the Alta Pro 263AT tripod and SBH-100 ball head, providing unmatched stability and flexibility and enabling more shooting angles than ever before.

Olympus has announced a silver OM-D E-M1, version 2.0 firmware upgrade, super-fast 40-150mm telephoto zoom lens and 1.4x teleconverter booster. The 2.0 firmware upgrade delivers tethered shooting, on-camera Digital Shift and Live Composite. The extremely fast M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm 1:2.8 PRO (80-300mm*) is available with a booster for ultra-high zoom photography: the M.ZUIKO Digital 1.4x Teleconverter.

The silver Olympus E-M1 upgrade goes on sale in early October – at £1099.99 for the body only, or £1799.99 in a kit with the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm 1:2.8 PRO lens. The new 40-150mm PRO zoom lens and 1.4x Teleconverter both follow in early November. The Olympus 40-150mm lens will cost £1299.99 with the 1.4x teleconverter priced at £299.99. Alternatively, they will be available together for £1499.99.

The Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm 1:2.0 lens is now available in a classic black metal finish. The black Olympus 12mm lens will be available from late September for £739.99.

Zhongyi Optics have announced two new lenses, the 42.5mm f/1.2 and 24mm f/1.7, for mirrorless cameras. The new Zhongyi Mitakon 42.5mm f/1.2 Lens features an incredibly fast aperture of f/1.2, making it ideally suited for low-light conditions shooting, greater control over selective focus and shallow depth of field imagery. The new Zhongyi Mitakon 24mm f/1.7 Lens is a fast prime wide-angle lens that provides a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 35mm, making it ideally suited for everyday shooting applications. The recommended retail price of the 42.5mm f/1.2 is $359 and the 24mm f/1.7 is $289.

The Phottix Indra500 TTL Studio Light offers a new level of power for photographers on the move. Use TTL to shoot during fast moving events like weddings. Shoot on-location, under the harsh sun and control ambient light with high speed sync. Shoot wide-open with shutter speeds up to 1/8000s. The built-in Phottix Odin Receiver for Canon and Nikon makes the Indra500 TTL easy to control and trigger.

The Indra500 TTL Studio Light, Indra Battery Pack and Indra AC Adapter will be available in October 2014. A Indra 500 TTL Light and Battery Set will be priced at $1295 USD.

The Epson Expression Photo XP-860 printer delivers ultra-powerful performance in an ultra-slim design. Ideal for families and photo enthusiasts, the Expression Photo XP-860 outputs stunning, professional-quality photos with smooth gradations and amazing skin tones – up to 8" x 10" borderless – with six-color Claria Photo HD Inks. It also comes equipped with Epson Connect for the ability to access, print and scan documents, photos, emails, and web pages from a tablet, smartphone or computer. The Epson Expression Photo XP-860 ($299.99) is now available via select photo and other specialty retailers.

The Profoto Air Remote TTL-N allows Nikon shooters to do TTL metering with the Profoto B1 off-camera flash. Air Remote TTL-N is a small, wireless radio transmitter that attaches to the Nikon camera’s hotshoe. Attaching the unit enables TTL metering with the B1. The Air Remote TTL-N can also be used to manually control and sync the B1 or any other Profoto flash with Air built-in. Air Remote TTL-N is sold separately. The recommended sales price is €295 / $395. The already released Air Remote TTL-C has the same price.

Lowepro has unveiled the newest generation of its beloved expedition backpacks from the Professional Collection: the Trekker Series. "Trekker is our largest capacity backpack line, so our number one goal in refreshing the design was to improve the premium suspension system and offer a best-in-class solution for carrying a heavy load," said Tim Grimmer, Lowepro brand director. The new Pro Trekker 650 AW ($429.95 / £365), Pro Trekker 450 AW ($379.95 / £325) and Lens Trekker 600 AW III ($299.95 / £265) offer improved comfort, superior protection and a versatile organization system.

The Lowepro ProTactic Series is a groundbreaking, professional camera backpack. These packs are built for photojournalists, documentary photographers and urban shooters who rely on mission-critical access and on-the-fly versatility to get them behind the lines and into the action. "From the design table to field testing, ProTactic has generated more energy and excitement internally than any other product I've been involved with," said Tim Grimmer, Lowepro brand director. "We can't wait to see where photographers take it and how they'll set it up." The Pro Tactic 450 AW costs $249.95 and the ProTactic 350 AW $199.95.

The Lowepro Toploader Pro is a new compact and flexible toploading camera bag. Sports, event and active photographers will benefit from the updated features, including four wearing options. "We looked at how people carry and work with their bags and designed a flexibility strap and harness system that lets photographers wear it four ways," said Tim Grimmer, Lowepro brand director. The Toploader Pro 75 AW II costs $99.95 / £85 and the Toploader Pro 70 AW II $89.95 / £75.

The Lowepro Hardside Series is a game-changing line of impact-protective, hard case solutions. Tested to a rating of IP67, which translates to 100% protection against the ingress of dust and sand, and makes it watertight for at least 30 minutes under 15cm to 1m of water, these hardworking cases double up on protection and versatility with a tough outer shell of formed ABS resin and a removable, soft-sided insert with a padded divider system. The Hardside 400 Photo retials for $249.95 / £215, the Hardside 300 Photo £199.95 / £170, and the Hardside 200 Video $169.95 / £145.

Schneider-Kreuznach has unveiled the Xenon 1.6/35mm Xenon 1.4/50mm and Macro Symmar 85mm, three new lenses for full-frame single-lens reflex cameras. The Xenon 1.6/35 mm and Xenon 1.4/50 mm lenses are equipped with an electronic interface to the camera and a mechanical automatic iris for Nikon cameras. The Macro Symmar on display with an 85 mm focal length and a maximum aperture of 2.4 has a motorized iris and an electronic interface for the Canon EOS system. The automatic aperture function is driven exclusively by the camera. All lenses will be available for Canon EOS and Nikon-F systems. Pricing and availability to be confirmed.

JOBY has unveiled four versatile, durable and compact accessories for professional photographers that help improve workflow and increase efficiency. The Pro Sling Strap ($69.95 / £57) is a low profile, high-strength camera strap designed for professional DSLRs with zoom lenses and battery grips. The UltraFit Hand Strap with UltraPlate ($49.95 / £41) is a useful combination of a streamlined hand strap and universal quick-release plate. GorillaPod Focus + Ballhead X ($149.95 / £140) is the strongest and largest GorillaPod, designed with the professional photographer in mind. The Flash Clamp & Locking Arm ($39.95 / £35) helps transform everyday objects into lighting assistants.

The JOBY Suction Cup & Locking Arm and Suction Cup & GorillaPod Arm are two new accessories for GoPro and action cam shooters. Scheduled to launch in November, they deliver fast set-ups, unique perspectives and provide the ultimate hold on all kinds of smooth surfaces. The Suction Cup & Locking Arm will retail for $39.95 / £33, while the Suction Cup & GorillaPod Arm will cost $29.95 / £25.

G-Technology today announced the first extension of its Studio line, the G-Speed Studio XL, which holds up to eight removable enterprise-class 7,200rpm hard drives. Offfering up to 1,350MB/s performance in RAID 0, the G-Speed Studio XL Thunderbolt 2 storage solution comes in a high-quality, black enclosure with integrated cooling technology. It also supports 4k workflows with user-configurable RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and 60, and can be daisy-chained via dual Thunderbolt 2 ports to boost storage speeds. The G-Speed Studio XL will be available in November in capacities of 24TB for $3,599.95, 32TB for $4,599.95, 40TB for $5,499.95, 48TB for $5,999.95 and 64TB for $6,999.95.

Nikon will exhibit its remote camera system at IBC and Photokina 2014. Developed by Nikon and Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) as professional equipment for the imaging industry, this remote camera system uses Nikon’s digital camera and imaging solutions and MRMC’s robotic heads. Nikon has been working with MRMC in the UK for some time, allowing professional photographers to use remote systems set up at major sporting events such as Wimbledon and The Open Golf Championship, as well as at some of the world’s other big sporting events. Earlier this year the partners installed a bespoke remote set-up using Nikon DSLR cameras in the London Live studio, the first 24-hour entertainment TV channel dedicated to London. The studio operates a fully automated set-up using the Nikon D4 and Nikon D800 cameras and a nine axis, state of the art, custom-made robotic arm to produce the desired full-frame 35mm cinematic effect.

Nikon today announced the inaugural Nikon European Film Festival in association with Raindance and Asia Argento (pictured). The contest challenges enthusiasts and film professionals alike to create a short film of up to 140 seconds in length around the theme ‘A Different Perspective’. Asia Argento, Chair of the Jury for the Nikon European Film Festival and award winning Italian actress and director commented “I’m thrilled to be part of the Nikon European Film Festival and look forward to judging the incredibly well-thought out creatives that the short, 140 second format demands. Modern technology has opened up filmmaking to more people than ever before and Nikon, inspiring established and breakthrough talents alike, is an increasingly influential part of this development.” The Grand Prix winner as selected by the judges will receive a Nikon D810 and an all-expenses-paid, one week networking trip to the Cannes Film Festival in May 2015. Click through / read on for the details.

Corel is growing its photo software lineup with the introduction of a new member of the Corel AfterShot product family. Based on the already existing AfterShot Pro 2, the new AfterShot 2 for Windows is billed as a powerful raw photo editing and adjustment application at a highly affordable price. “With the launch of AfterShot 2, Corel is addressing three trends. One, enthusiasts today have thousands of photos and need better ways of managing them. Second, everyone who’s truly passionate about photography should consider a leap to RAW for the quality and superior results it can deliver. Finally, the high price and subscription push of Lightroom restricts many entry-level enthusiasts from getting into a legitimate photo workflow product,” said Greg Wood, Product Management, Corel Photo Editing. “AfterShot 2 changes this by delivering a powerful and creative feature set that’s based on the impressive power of AfterShot Pro, but available at price of just $39.99—an incomparable value.” Corel's new AfterShot 2 application is available for $39.99.

SLR Magic has unveiled a brand new cine lens. The APO HyperPrime CINE 50mm T2.1 is an apochromatic lens featuring a completely new optical and mechanical design, which meets the demands of high-resolution cameras including those with 4K and 6K sensors. The lens comes standard in PL mount and can be easily adapted to numerous camera systems. Optional mount adapters will include a PL-mFT adapter, a PL-E adapter, and an EF mount conversion adapter. Featuring a standard focus rotation angle of 300 degrees, the SLR Magic APO-HyperPrime CINE 50mm T2.1 will be on display at Photokina, Cologne 16th to 21st September 2014. The SLR Magic stand is located in Hall 5.1, Booth L-011. SLR Magic will start shipping the APO-HyperPrime CINE 50mm T2.1 in early 2015. Pricing to be confirmed at a later date.

Sony today launched the PXW-FS7, the first 4K XDCAM camera to feature a Super35 CMOS sensor. Capable of shooting in 4K Quad Full HD (QFHD) and super slow-motion Full HD, the latest member of the XDCAM family has an 11.6 million-pixel Super35 ‘Exmor’ CMOS imager and can record QFHDi with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling up to 600 Mbit/s, with support for a variety of recording formats including XAVC Intra, Long GOP, MPEG HD422 and Apple ProRes 422 available early 2015 by firmware update.  The new camera features 2 XQD card slots that support simultaneous recording and relay recording. It also includes a low-pass video filter, progressive pixel reading and advanced camera processing.  The supplied grip, easily adjustable viewfinder and fully-sealed, die-cast magnesium chassis have been designed to provide robust usability in dusty or humid environments and for ‘run and gun’ applications. The PXW-FS7 features Sony’s α Mount System, which benefits from Silent Focus Technology and Electrical Iris Control. The camera will also be available in a bundle with the new FE PZ 28-135mm F4 G OSS power zoom lens.