Adorama has released the Flashpoint StreakLight, a brand new portable strobe light for on- or off-camera use. Offering adjustable output from 1/128 to full, in 1/3 stop increments, the Flashpoint StreakLight features high-speed sync, built-in optical slave functionality, four shooting modes and auto-focus assist.  The StreakLight flash has two sync jacks and overheating protection circuitry, and also features a USB port for a wireless remote receiver.  The Flashpoint StreakLight 360Ws is available now for $549 or bundled with the Blast Pack battery for $749.95. The Flashpoint StreakLight 180Ws is available now for $405.95 or bundled with the Blast Pack battery for $599.95.

The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers (SINWP) have announced the winners of their Spectacular Landscapes Photography Competition. Adrian Rohnfelder from Bad Homburg, Germany’s image (above) was chosen from over 370 images entered.  2nd place was Hamish Burson from New Zealand and joint 3rd places were Lisa Katharina Schaefer from New Zealand and Tomasz Janicki from Worcestershire.

The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation (KKF) today revealed the shortlisted entries for its annual photo book awards. Established in 1985, the KKF Book Awards are the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image and the two winners share a £10,000 prize. The winners will be announced on 30 April at the Sony World Photography Awards gala ceremony held in London. Along with 14 highly commended titles across the two categories, the shortlisted books will be displayed at Somerset House, London from 1-18 May as part of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.

The Photographic Museum of Humanity (PMH) has announced an extension to its PMH 2014 Grant, which is now officially set on 12 March 2014. The PMH 2014 Grantan international photography contest offering $4000 in cash prizes. The jury features Alec Soth (Magnum Photos), Iata Cannabrave (Brzilian curator, creator of the Latin American Photography Forum of Sao Paulo), Olivier Laurent (Associate Editor for the British Journal of Photography) and Diana Markosian (PMH 2013 Grant New Generation Prize winner). To participate, you have to submit a series of maximum 15 photos. The contest has no entry fee.

Corel has released VideoStudio Pro X7 and VideoStudio Ultimate X7. The new version adds an updated creative library, new touch-friendly instant movie creator and 64-bit architecture, and features faster 4K support, enhanced one-step sharing, motion tracking, HTML5 authoring, a new favourite filters list and a wide variety of creative editing tools. Suggested retail pricing of VideoStudio Pro X7 is $79.99 / €69.99/ £59.99. VideoStudio Ultimate X7 is available for $99.99 / € 89.99/ £79.99

Ricoh has posted firmware updates for ten Pentax cameras. Applicable to the Pentax K-01, K-3, K-5, K-5II, K-5IIs, K-7, K-30, K-50, K-500 (pictured) and K-r; the upgrade adds compatibility with the new HD Pentax DA AF 1.4X AW Rear Converter. You can download the updates from the websites below.

Pentax K-01 | Pentax K-3 | Pentax K-5 |
Pentax K-5II/s | Pentax K-7 | Pentax K-30 |
Pentax K-50 | Pentax K-500 | Pentax K-r |

Reflecta has launched a new device that enables users to digitise prints, negatives and transparencies with their smartphones. All you need to do is place the smartphone in the appropriate smartphone cradle and insert the photo, slide or negative into the appropriate holder. Place both the cradle and holder into the correct compartment and touch the camera icon to capture the image. using a simple dedicated app. You can even tweak the image brightness and colour, and share the "scanned" image on Facebook. The new Reflecta Smartphone Scanner is now available in specialist shops across the UK at an SRP of £40.50.

Kenro has announced the UK launch of two new cost-effective LED video lights by Reflecta. Available in two models - RPL170 and DR10 (pictured), featuring either 170 or 5 power LEDs respecively; the new Reflecta LED video lights allow colour temperature to be easily adjusted between 3200K to 5500 or 5800K. The RPL170 is dimmable, and features a rotating metal ball head with a hot-shoe and two included Sony adapters to enable it to fit nearly all camera / camcorder shoes. The LED Video Light DR10 is equipped with a soft filter and a daylight filter, and offers 2 brightness levels. The light beam can also be regulated with the two integrated barn doors. The Reflecta LED Video Light RPL 170 and DR10 are both available now with an SRP of £128.28 each.

WD has expanded its prosumer personal cloud solutions with My Cloud EX2, a high-performance two-bay NAS system. My Cloud EX2 provides several capacity options for customers to choose from, including a diskless enclosure allowing users to build their own NAS with the drives of their choice, as well as populated systems in 4TB, 6TB or 8TB capacities. Additionally, you can attach compatible USB 3.0 hard drives to the USB expansion ports. My Cloud EX2 is currently available for $199.99 for the diskless My Cloud EX2, $369.99 for 4TB, $469.99 for 6TB and $569.99 for 8TB.

Want to see exactly what the new Nikon Coolpix P600 compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the new Nikon Coolpix P600 compact camera, which has a whopping 60x zoom lens.

Want to see exactly what the new Nikon Coolpix P340 compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the new Nikon Coolpix P340 premium compact camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Kowa Prominar lenses look like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the new Kowa Prominar 8.5mm f/2.8, 12mm f/1.8 and 25mm f/1.8 Micro Four Thirds lenses.

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the exciting new Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens for full-frame DSLR cameras.

Want to see exactly what the new Carl Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8 lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Carl Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8 lens mounted on a Sony A7R.

Want to see exactly what the new Nissin i40 flashgun look like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the new Nissin i40 flashgun. The pocket size Nissin i40 weighs just 203g but still offers a flash output of GN40 at 105mm and the ability to tilt the head horizontally 180° to right and left and up 90°.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 is now available in the UK. Unveiled in the run-up to this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the Galaxy Camera 2's upgrades include a faster 1.6GHz Quad Core processor, 2.0 GB of RAM, enhanced battery life, Android 4.3 and NFC connectivity. The Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 (£399.99) is now available from Dixons, with selected online and high street retailers including John Lewis to follow in two weeks time.

MindShift Gear has just released the UltraLight Camera Cover, which is billed as the lightest, most compact camera cover for outdoor photography. This “skin-style” camera pouch/cover is designed for outdoor, nature, and action photographers who wear a normal or pro DSLR camera with small to medium lens out on their chest, ready to shoot. “It is a super lightweight cover that offers protection against scratches, dust, moisture and debris while stabilising the camera on the chest, waist or over the shoulder,” said MindShift Gear’s founder and president Doug Murdoch. "It is ultra-compressible for easy stowing and its integrated belt supports the camera around the photographer’s waist.” The UltraLight DSLR Cover is available in three sizes, priced at $29.99.

MindShift Gear has released the first case designed for quick access to round, square, and rectangular camera lens filters: the Filter Hive. The case resembles a bee hive with padded, felt-lined slots that protect delicate glass and resin filters. The Filter Hive’s padded exterior case and accordion-style removable insert holds up to six flat graduated neutral density filters up to 4x6” (100x150mm) and six round filters up to 82mm diameter, including the thick 1.5cm variable neutral density filters. Priced at $54.99, the Filter Hive is available via the website below.