In reply to a question raised by a commenter on the company's lens-themed microsite, Zeiss has confirmed that "[t]he next lens of the ZEISS high-end lenses family will be the Otus 1.4/85." Posted via Facebook, the enquiry originally concerned the company's plans on wide-angle lenses but the company would only confirm the planned release of the Otus 85mm f/1.4 - saying it "will be available at your local dealer in the course of the year 2014" -, declining to comment on "possible other focal lengths."

The Great Photo App by Baglan Dosmagambetov is a photo education app for the Apple iPhone and iPad. The app teaches users about the concept of exposure and its main variables - aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity - as well as depth of field, camera lenses and much more. The Great Photo App is available on iTunes priced at $0.99.

Olloclip has launched a new Macro 3-IN-1 photo lens solution for Apple iPhone 5 & iPhone 5S users. Experiment with the three different magnifications (21x, 14x, 7x) to photograph small objects like coins, stamps, rocks, relics, insects, plants, gems, circuit boards, and even your own skin. Small enough to fit into a pocket or palm of the hand, the olloclip Macro 3-IN-1 clip-on photo lens ships with bespoke "Instafocus" hoods that are specially designed to diffuse the light and facilitate focusing. The lens will be available from 20th December for £59.95 / $69.99.

The winners of this year's Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) prize have been revealed. The top prize – the Cutty Sark Award for the Travel Photographer of the Year 2013 – goes to British photographer Timothy Allen for his B&W images of the mud mosque replastering festival and Dogon life in Mali, and his studies of individuals in Wales and Bhutan. The Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2013 is 14 year old Jonathan Rystrøm from Denmark, while the 14 and Under Young TPOTY category was won by 10 year-old Patria Prasaysa from Indonesia.

The Instagramers Gallery - billed as the world's largest online photo gallery that also has two physical locations in Miami and Madrid - has announced the Instagramers Photo Prize featuring a grand prize of $100,000. Open to all Instagram users worldwide registered with InstagramersGallery.com, the Instagramers Photo Prize also offers daily prizes worth $1000 every day from now until 30 April 2014. The overall winner will be chosen from the daily Photo of the Day finalists.

Akvis has released version 5.5 of its NatureArt for Windows and Mac OS X. This update adds a Share option that lets you post your images from the program to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Google+, changes the installation process for Windows, adds support for raw images from various cameras, fixes bugs and adds compatibility with Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Additionally, the plug-in variant gains compatibility with Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Photoshop Elements 12, and Corel PaintShop Pro X6. Pricing for Akvis NatureArt starts at $72.

Kenro has announced the UK availability of a waterproof digital camcorder, the Braun Vidi Proof. In addition to recording Full HD videos, the Braun Vidi Proof camcorder can also capture 5-megapixel stills. Other features include a self-timer and a 2.0 inch LCD screen. The camera is powered by two AA-sized batteries, and records photos and videos on microSD memory cards. The suggested retail price is £103.80.

Kenro, the UK and Ireland distributor of Benro products has announced the availability of the Benro Smart Series Shoulder Bags. Manufactured from 1000*1000D PU coating material, the bag is highly durable The Smart Series is available in three variations (10, 20 and 30), the largest of which holds a capacity of 1SLR, 3 lenses, 1 flash plus most 12 inch laptops. Prices range between £35.34 and £48.

The Fantasea FG16 underwater housing is now available in a bundle with the Canon PowerShot G16 digital compact camera. The Fantasea FG16 maintains full access to all camera controls and functions while providing waterproofing down to depths of 60 metres / 200 feet. The Fantasea FG16 is available now for $575 / €530. The camera+housing bundle retails for $999.95.

FLTR, the world’s first-ever weekly magazine dedicated to smartphone  photography and published exclusively on the iPhone, has launched today. Created by the team behind the British Journal of Photography, FLTR includes exclusive interviews with both amateur and professional photographers highlighting the latest techniques, apps, devices, trends and accessories in smartphone photography. Edited by Olivier Laurent, associate editor of British Journal of Photography, FLTR is now available to download from the Apple App Store.

Mastering Photoshop Layers: A Photographer’s Guide by Jürgen Gulbins is a new title from Rocky Nook. The book teaches readers about building and working with multiple layers, creating and using layer masks, using layers to retouch your images, blending modes, Smart Objects/Filters, timesaving shortcuts, and much more. The 300-page volume is available for $44.95. 

Tamron has announced the launch date of the new Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD ultra-telephoto zoom lens. This all-new ultra-telephoto zoom lens features Vibration Compensation, an Ultrasonic Silent Drive focus motor, eBAND coating and a 4x zoom ratio. Mounted on APS-C DSLR cameras, it has a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 233mm to 930mm. The optical formula incorporates 20 elements arranged in 13 groups and an iris diaphragm with nine rounded aperture blades. The Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD lens will be available in the USA on 17 January 2014.

Leef has announced its new PRO line of memory cards. Featuring a processing speed of 300X, Leef PRO microSD and SD memory cards comply with the UHS-I specification, and come with a 5-year limited warranty. Each Leef PRO microSD memory card includes an adapter for compatibility with SD slots. Leef PRO SD and microSD cards are available for pre-order now.

The Photographer’s Guide to the Fujifilm X100S is a new title from White Knight Press. Written by Alexander S. White, this book is a complete guide to the operations, features, menus, and controls of the camera. Covering topics such as autofocus, manual focus, depth of field, aperture priority, shutter priority, HDR (high-dynamic-range) and macro photography; the Photographer’s Guide to the Fujifilm X100S also includes discussions of the camera’s special features, including its hybrid opto-electronic viewfinder system. The 399-page volume is available in a paperback edition for $24.95 and as an ebook priced at $9.99.

SLR Magic has announced the latest addition to its portfolio of Cine lenses, the SLR Magic 17mm T1.6 prime lens. Designed exclusively for the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount, it offers a 35mm equivalent focal length of 34mm. The optical formula includes twelve elements in ten groups, and an iris diaphragm with ten aperture blades. Other highlights include a minimum focus distance of 17cm and a 52mm filter thread that does not rotate on focus. The SLR Magic 17mm T1.6 Cine lens will be available from  the end of December 2013. Pricing has yet to be confirmed.

An entry for the upcoming Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 lens has appeared on the Fujifilm UK website. This super-fast portrait lens will offer a focal length of 84mm in 35mm terms. Details are still scarce, but apparently the exciting new Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 prime lens will be available sometime in Spring 2014.

Source: Fujifilm UK

Eye-Fi has just announced a beta Windows desktop receiver for the Mobi card. With pricing yet to be announced, Eye-Fi’s new desktop receiver for Windows will be free to all customers during beta and gives Mobi users more choice in where their high-quality photos can be transferred, stored and shared. Mobi users will now have the option to transfer to mobile for on-the-go sharing or to the desktop for greater archiving and editing ability – all without the hassle of wires. The beta Eye-Fi desktop receiver for Windows is available for Mobi users to download now, with a Mac version coming soon.