DxO Labs have released DxO Optics Pro v9.5.1 for Mac and Windows. This update adds support for the new Sony Alpha A7S (Elite Edition only - pictured) and for four other cameras: the Sony DSC-RX100 III and SLT-A77 II, the Nikon 1 J4, and the Samsung NX30. Additionally, it gains 376 new Optics Modules offering support for Canon, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Samsung, Sigma, Sony, Tamron, Tokina, and Zeiss lenses for many Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony cameras..

Fine art and photography printer Point101 has launched its new website. The site, which features Point101’s industry-leading image upload and room preview systems, has been refined and streamlined to give visitors a more enjoyable browsing experience, the company says. s “We’re delighted to have launched such an intuitive, engaging revamp of Point101” said Kerry Keays, director of Point101. “We’ve updated our products. We’ve cleared the site of clutter. Our clients have been asking for features — we’ve added them. Now, we can do our products justice, with all new product photography and large images as a central part of the site."

Newcastle-based pro lab Digitalab is set to stage a unique six week exhibition of latest work from multi-award-winning Tim Wallace. The lab will display around thirty images shot by Wallace using just one Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera and one 14mm lens in Darwin, an abandoned ‘ghost town’ in the hostile Death Valley desert.: “The sheer scale and beauty of the Death Valley wilderness has always held a fascination for me and the idea of a photographic expedition to an abandoned town in its very heart was irresistible," Tim Wallacce says. "Darwin is a very long way off the beaten track and it actually took two trips to even find it.” The Wallace exhibition prints will be galleried on Fujifilm’s Crystal Archive paper, and will go on sale when the exhibition opens on 7th August. Digitalab's F Stop Gallery is located at 8 Stepney Bank, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 2PW.

Switronix has announced newr power solutions for the Panasonic GH4 compact system camera. Delivering 6 times more power than the battery supplied with the camera, the Switronix PB70-GH4 PowerBase-70 Battery Pack is a 77Wh, 14.8V Lithium-ion battery designed to extend HD recording time for the GH4. The PowerBase-70 mounts under the camera and doubles as a grip, or can be attached to a camera support via its 1/4"-20 release plate or V-mount. Wired as a 14.8V battery pack, it can provide extended power for up to two additional 12VDC devices such as lights, monitors or HD converters as well as other devices requiring lower voltage. Other GH4-compatible Switronixnovelties include the Bolt 220 LED light, the JetPack X XLR power pack and the P-Tap Regulation Cable that enables users to power the GH4 camera off of any P-Tap power source.

Singh-Ray Filters have just launched a new website showcasing close to 1000 photographs by over 50 major landscape photographers, including Art Wolfe, Ian Plant, Brenda Tharp, Tony Sweet, Jack Graham, Don Smith, Tom Till, George Lepp, Nevada Wier and Gary Hart. “Our new site celebrates the amazing work of photographers who use our products, in addition to being a site where you can find out about and purchase our filters and accessories," says founder Bob Singh. "Our blog will also include frequent posts by photographers who will share tips and techniques about their photography and how they use filters.”

Akvis has released version 5 of SmartMask, an image selection and masking application for Windows and Mac OS X. Available as a standalone program and as a plug-in to a photo editor, the software is especially useful when you need to create photo collages with numerous objects from different images that don’t have clearly defined edges and fade into a background. This latest update fixes minor bugs; adds a Share option that lets you quickly publish images on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Google+; increases the maximum size of the Eraser and History Brush tools; optimises the performance of the Magic Brush; adds support for additional raw image file formats (standalone version) and compatibility with Photoshop CC 2014 (plug-in version). Registered users can upgrade to the new version for free.

X-Rite has announced the extension of their cashback offer until 30 September 2014. Those who buy an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport (pictured) at the same time as either X-Rite ColorMunki Display or X-Rite i1Display Pro can claim £30 cashback - meaning that with a retail price of £83 the ColorChecker Passport can effectively be purchased for just £53. Note that all claims must be received by the Friday 14 November 2014 in order to qualify.

Olympus has announced the UK launch of the previously Japan-only PEN E-PL6 compact system camera. This exquisitely designed, small and lightweight camera boasts an all-metal finish and comes bundled with the world’s slimmest pancake zoom lens for go-anywhere creativity. Other key highlights include a 16-megapixel MOS sensor, TruePic VI image processor, a large, tiltable and swivelling high-res LCD touchscreen, Full HD movies, interval shooting and a useful electronic level gauge. Together with the FlashAir card and pancake lens, the Olympus E-PL6 will be available in beautifully designed packaging from mid-July 2014, for £429.

Macphun has announced the UK launch of a new range of imaging software specifically developed for the professional photographer. Exclusively distributed by Color Confidence, the product range is available as an electronic download or on a 4GB SD card. The lineup includes Snapheal Pro (£29.99), Intensify Pro (£44.99) and Focus 2 Pro (£29.99). Each application runs as standalone or as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Macphun also offer a Creative Kit (£59.99), which includes Snapheal Pro and Intensify Pro, and Creative Kit Plus (£74.99), which includes all three products.

LightRocket, an online photo platform targeting professional photographers and serious enthusiasts, now offers its members up to five times more default cloud storage and expanded 100GB storage units. "Our goal is to make photographers' and visual artists' lives easier and more profitable by simplifying the process of backing up, managing, promoting and selling one's work," explained LightRocket CEO and Co-Founder Peter Charlesworth. "If you make just one sale from LightRocket, you'll probably cover the cost of your subscription for years." The company is currently running an introductory promotion, offering an initial year of 'premium' membership (including 100GB of cloud storage) for $49. New members can try the service free for 30 days.

Seamless, an online supplier of photo equipment, camera accessories and photo presentation products, has announced the Emily Soto Seminar taking place on 11th September in the Morrison Hotel, Dublin. Based in New York, Emily Soto is among the top names working in the fashion industry today and has been at the front line of the instant film revival. While she is best known for her high-fashion work, Soto’s style follows a more personal, artistic approach to photography making this a not-to-be-missed event for photographers from all walks of life. In this 3-hour seminar participants will learn how Emily started with photography and how she broke into the fashion industry, her favourite lighting techniques, her equipment overview, witness a live photo shoot demonstration, discover her start to finish retouching workflow and get a walkthrough of her Fashion Actions. To book your place, visit the website below.

Impossible has launched a black-and-white instant film in which each pack of eight images are framed in eight different vivid colours. Designed to be used in any Polaroid 600 type camera, B&W 600 Hard Color is the latest in a series of Impossible Special and Limited Edition films that offer not just alternatives to a white frame – black, silver, gold, various colours, and even animal skins – but also different coloured film emulsions, including cyan, magenta and sepia. B&W 600 Hard Color matches frames in rich variants of red, yellow, blue, orange, purple and green with warm, high contrast black and white images. The new Impossible Special Edition B&W 600 Hard Color for Polaroid 600 cameras are now available for pre-order.

Inspiring Photography Workshops have announced a new photo adventure in Venice, Italy. "Venice is undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man and it definitely is one of Europe’s most romantic cities," says photographer Dimitri Vasileiou, owner of Inspiring Photography Workshops. The Venice workshop will run from 19 to 26 January 2015, and there are two options: Package #1 includes 4 nights accommodation with breakfast, airport transfers, one-to-one tuition and a daytrip to Burano for £995. Package #2 includes 7 nights accommodation with breakfast, airport transfers, an additional day on Burano island, food and wine tasting, an 18th century Venetian style dinner night with traditional Venetian food and dressing, and plenty of opportunities to photograph locations off the tourist path for £1,795. For more information and to book your place, visit the website below.

Astrobphotography by Thierry Legault is a new title by Rocky Nook. Legault teaches the art and techniques of astrophotography: from simple camera-on-tripod night-scene imaging of constellations, star trails, eclipses, artificial satellites, and polar auroras to more intensive astrophotography using specialised equipment for lunar, planetary, solar, and deep-sky imaging. The 240-page volume is available for $39.95.

Bonhams is to sell the Leica camera with which Russian photographer Yevgeni Khaldei took Raising a Flag over the Reichstag, one of the most famous photographs of World War II.  Khaldei’s image was taken on 2 May 1945 shortly after the Reichstag had finally fallen.  It is a restaging of the moment when Red Army fighters had first flown the flag over the building two days earlier before the Germans fought back and dislodged them. The camera that was used to take this photographt is being offered at Bonhams Leica Centenary Sale in Hong Kong on 30 November and is estimated at £230,000-340,000. Bonhams  Head of scientific instruments Jon Baddeley said, “It is a great privilege to be selling a  camera with such evocative associations. Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is a defining image of victory over evil which affected people deeply at the time and has continued to resonate for later generations.”

Transcend has launched two CFast 2.0 memory cards. Designed to support high-end 4K cameras and camcorders and to meet the extreme demands of professional cinematography, Transcend’s CFX650 memory cards feature the fastest transfer speeds available in the market, while its CFX600 media boast the highest storage capacity. Supporting the next generation CFast 2.0 specification with a SATA III interface, CFX650 memory cards offer read and write speeds of up to 510MB and 370MB per second, respectively; while CFX600 cards offer vast capacities of up to 512GB, surpassing the capacity limit of any existing card. Transcend's CFast 2.0 CFX650 memory cards are available in 128GB($499) and 256GB($949), while the CFX600 cards are available in 128GB($249), 256GB($499) and 512GB($949) capacities.