The Leica Store Mayfair is celebrating 100 years of Leica photography with a number of special consumer offers running until 31 March 2014. During the promotional period any new D-Lux 6 camera purchase comes  with a complimentary handgrip (valued at £70) and soft leather pouch (worth £60). Customers who buy a new Leica X Vario large-sensor compact camera (pictured) may choose from two complimentary accessory sets. Option 1 includes a tan leather protector (SRP £90), tan leather wrist strap (£60), spare battery (£80) and Neoprene case (£50). Option 2 includes black handgrip (£100) and black handgrip finger loop – small or medium or large (£90), spare battery (£80) and Neoprene case (£50).

Young Photographers Alliance has announced the signing of Vanguard USA to a two year sponsorship deal. “We believe that the future of great photography rests in the hands of students,” said Doug Feldner, Director of Sales and Marketing for Vanguard USA, “and fully support YPA in their efforts to prepare young photographers to continue the legacy of our industry’s top shooters.” Bob Hendriks, YPA President, adds, “YPA could not be more thrilled with this new partnership. We graciously accept and look forward to collaborating with Vanguard in the future.”

The Texas Beef Council has announced a a ‘Table for Two’ photo competition. Beef lovers aged 18 and older from around the USA are asked to participate in the contest by posting pictures of their favourite dishes and explaining who they are sharing their meal with on the Beef Loving Texans Facebook Page. Judges from sponsor, Texas Beef Council, will individually evaluate and score all eligible entries received and select one grand prize winner, who will receive four 16oz T-Bone steaks valued at $99. The competition runs until the end of this month, and the winner will be contacted on 10 March 2014.

The jury of the 57th annual World Press Photo competition has selected a picture by American photographer John Stanmeyer of the VII Photo Agency as the World Press Photo of the Year 2013. The image shows African migrants on the shore of Djibouti city at night, raising their phones in an attempt to capture an inexpensive signal from neighbouring Somalia in order to get in touch with relatives abroad. The picture also won 1st Prize in the Contemporary Issues category, and was shot for National Geographic using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with a Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM lens. The image was taken at an aperture f/1.4 and 1/40th second exposure and ISO 10,000. Canon, the competition's worldwide sponsor, congratulated Stanmeyer on winning the contest.

Cool Photo Effects for Windows 8 is a new application that allows you to apply 300 different effects to photos. The range of effects/filters includes black and white, bi-colour, cinema, cross processing, old film, and much more. Cool Photo Effects for Windows 8 is available for $2.99.

Data Protection for Photographers by Patrick H. Corrigan is a new title from Rocky Nook. Explaining current data protection and storage technologies in everyday terms, this book offers critical information about the best hardware, software, procedures, and practices for storing and preserving images and other data. The 176-page volume is available for $32.95. 

The winners of the third annual Mobile Photography Awards have been announced. Photographers from nearly 75 countries submitted over 7,000 images, the highest in the three year history of the awards. The $3,000 Grand Prize has been awarded to Cedric Blanchon (France) for the image above. The MPA/DIPTICAPP Photo Essay 1st Place winner is Cesar Rodriguez-Becerra of Mexico.

G-Technology is now shipping its new G-Drive with Thunderbolt and G-Drive mobile with Thunderbolt external hard drives. Both of these 7,200-RPM drives come with a sleek, durable aluminium enclosure; and are plug-and-play on Mac but can be easily reformatted for Windows. The new 4TB G-Drive with Thunderbolt ($399.95) delivers up to 165 MB/s sustained data transfer rates. It also features an integrated heat-sink that enables a cool and quiet operation, making it an ideal solution for storage-intensive applications like audio/video editing or digital photography. Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 cables are included. The bus-powered G-Drive mobile with Thunderbolt ($219.95, pictured) offers up to 1TB capacity and delivers up to 136 MB/s sustained data transfer rates using Thunderbolt or USB 3.0.

Cosina is set to release an updated version of the Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0l95 Micro Four Thirds lens. This revised edition benefits from a new aperture control mechanism which allows the user to switch between "clicked" and stepless operation as required, just like the Voigtländer Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95 and Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95. Otherwise unchanged from the previous version, the Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f0.95 II is a manual-focus lens with an optical formula comprising 11 elements in 8 groups and a 10-bladed iris diaphragm. The new lens will go on sale in March 2014, priced at 105,000 yen.

Youframeit, a company specialising in in photographic canvas printing, is offering winter scenery and wildlife fans an opportunity to win over £500 worth of canvases, plus a Canon EOS M camera. To participate, simply email your winter wildlife & nature photographs to [email protected] The deadline for entries is 12 March 2014.

Update: Due to the popularity of the contest and demand for more time, the company has extended the competition by one week. The closing date is now the 19th of March with the winner being announced on the 22nd.

Kolor has released a new version 2.0 of its virtual tour software, Panotour & Panotour Pro. The programs, which allow users to create virtual tours "of another kind," are available on the Kolor Store. Current users can upgrade for free or at a reduced upgrade price depending on the date of their purchase.

Photographers who buy a Samsung NX300 will receive £30/€35 cashback and a free camera case. The offer is available by redemption on purchases made until 31 March 2014 at participating retailers. The promotion can be activated online at the website below.

Intro 2020 have added new Interceptor camera bags to their product portfolio. Constructed from special ‘Tarpaulin’ cloth material that has superb strength and waterproof properties, the bags are available in a range of bright colours. There are four models in the series, including the Interceptor Messenger Small, the Interceptor Messenger Medium, the Interceptor Sling and the Interceptor Tote. With the exception of the Interceptor Messenger Small, which costs £39.99, each bag in the Interceptor range is available for £49.99.

The CompactFlash Association (CFA) today announced the XQD Ver.2.0 specification. The new specification leverages the dual PCIe Gen2 x 2 and USB3.0 interface for higher performance, and provides an interface speed of 1GB/s. This speed enhancement enables a new generation of higher performance cards to meet requirements for professional 4K video recording requirements. Tsutomu Ando of Canon and the CFA co-chairman of the board said; “The higher performance provided by XQD Ver.2.0 will further increase the capabilities and value for photographers, videographers, and cinematographers. I am very pleased and proud to see the CFA creating standards that address new professional market segments for CFA.”

As part of a technical collaboration begun in 2013, Hasselblad has integrated the software development kit for EIZO's ColorEdge monitors into Phocus 2.8, the latest version of Hasselblad's imaging software. Phocus 2.8 activates the built-in calibration sensor housed inside select ColorEdge monitors. This allows photographers using Hasselblad cameras and ColorEdge monitors to view and edit photos as well as calibrate their monitors with one piece of software and no external calibration device. This new feature is currently being demonstrated at the Hasselblad (G-11) and EIZO booths (G-10) at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show at Pacifico Yokohama, Japan.

Lastolite has just launched its innovative magnetic background support in the UK market. The unique Magnetic Background Support is designed to provide photographers with a convenient and portable solution. Reliable magnetic connectors provide an instant connection; they grip the background in two positions thereby eliminating yaw and increasing stability.Compatible with any traditional lighting stand with a 5/8 spigot connector, the Magnetic Background Support is available individually (£60) or as part of a kit which includes a lighting stand and carry case (£108).

Billed as the world's fastest SD card, the SanDisk Extreme PRO SDHC / SDXC UHS-II memory card offers up to 250MB/s (1667X) write speeds for continuous burst mode shooting and read speeds of up to 280MB/s (1867X) for fast file transfers. “The new SanDisk Extreme PRO SD UHS-II card shatters the existing barrier of UHS-I limitations, delivering speeds up to three times faster than current cards,” said Susan Park, director, product marketing, SanDisk. “As leaders in the flash storage industry, our goal is to deliver the fastest memory cards on the market, enabling next generation cameras to take advantage of new levels of performance. This is another example of our legacy of innovation and technology leadership in the digital imaging and video industries.” SanDisk Extreme PRO SDHC/SDXC UHS-II cards are available for preorder from the website below, in 16GB to 64GB capacities carrying MSRPs of £59.99/$119.99 to £192.99/$299.99.

Images by the very best established and emerging contemporary photographers from across the world go on show this May as part of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition. Held at Somerset House, London, the exhibition showcases photography from across all disciplines, from fine art to photojournalism to lifestyle. The winning and shortlisted images featured were selected by a panel of industry experts from submissions by photographers from 166 countries. The final exhibition prints will be provided by Metro Imaging, the official print sponsor of the event.The exhibition opens on 1st May and runs until 18th May.

Canon Japan has published four high-resolution sample images captured with the new PowerShot G1 X Mark II large-sensor compact camera. Taken at ISO 100/21°, these photos demonstrate the camera's capabilities as a portrait and close-up photography tool.

Website: Official Canon PowerShot G1 X Mk II Sample Images

Sigma has announced the release of the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM lens in Pentax and Sony mounts. With an optical formula comprising nine elements in eight groups and an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades (and no “EX” designation in the name), this lens features a completely different design to the older Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM, which was introducedback in 2005. It also has a shorter close-focusing distance of 30cm and a higher maximum reproduction ratio of 1:6.8. The filter attachment size is unchanged at 62mm, as is the 30mm focal length that translates into 45mm on Pentax and Sony cameras with APS-C size image sensors. As part of the manufacturer’s ‘Art’ line, the new 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM is compatible with Sigma’s separately sold USB dock accessory and Sigma Optimisation Pro software.