Want to see exactly what the new Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 lens, a professional standard zoom lens for Micro Four Thirds compact system cameras.

The range-topping Olympus OM-D E-M1 is a 16-megapixel compact system camera with hybrid contrast- and phase-detect auto focus, 5-axis image stabilisation and a high-magnification EVF with a resolution of 2,360,000 dots. Other highlights include a splash-, dust- and freezeproof construction, a tiltable touchscreen, a PC sync terminal, Full HD video recording capability, built-in Wi-Fi, re-assignable controls, 10fps sequential shooting, new HDR Preview Mode, focus peaking, and a newly developed "Colour Creator" that lets you intuitively play with colour by tweaking dials on top of the camera. Prices start at £1299.99 / $1399.99 for the body only, £1499.99 for the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 lens kit and £1949.99 for a kit that includes the new M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 12-40mm 1:2.8 lens.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro is a new splash-, freeze- and dustproof standard zoom lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. Covering a 35mm equivalent focal range of 24-80mm, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens offers a constant  maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout its zoom range. The optical formula comprises 14 elements arranged in 9 groups, including 1 aspherical element, 1 dual-sided aspherical element, 2 ED glass elements, 2 HR glass elements, 1 EDA glass element and 1 HD glass element. Other highlights include a manual focus clutch mechanism, a 62mm filter thread and a customisable L-Fn button which, by default, allows users to temporarily suspend continuous auto focus when something suddenly comes between the lens and your intended subject. Initially, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 will be available in a bundle with the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 compact system camera for £1949.99. In the US, the lens will be sold separately for around $1,100.

Olympus is developing a professional-grade telephoto zoom lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f:2.8 Pro will cover a 35mm equivalent focal range of 80-300mm, while offering a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout its entire zoom range. Currently, no further information is available on the lens, other than that it "will be ideal for capturing pro-standard shots of moving subjects," but we fully expect it to be weather sealed just like the newly introduced M.Zuiko Digital 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro.

Getty Images have announced the recipients of its annual Grants for Editorial Photography programme. This year Getty Images received almost 500 grant applications, a record number, from over 60 countries. The projects selected examine a range of thought-provoking and moving issues from drone strikes to consequences of the war in Iraq. The winning photojournalists include Eugene Richards from the USA for War is Personal – Part Two, Samuel James from the USA for The Water of My Land, Tomas van Houtryve from France for In Drones We Trust, Marco Gualazzini from Italy for M23 – Kivu: A Region Under Siege and Matt Eich from the USA for Sin & Salvation in Baptist Town. 

Hasselblad's firat-ever retail outlet will open for business in Tokyo's fashionable Harajuku area on 14th September. The new store - a one-stop-shop of all things Hasselblad - is located adjacent to the Hasselblad Japan offices and close to a number of well-known retailers and trendy fashion boutiques. ""This is the first time in our history that we will be providing direct sales in store as opposed to the standard commercial protocol with partners, distributors and dealers," says William Penrice, president, Hasselblad Japan. "This store launch is a brand new challenge for the company and we are all very excited and enthusiastic about its future. We want people to just drop by whenever they can and browse, not just our latest cameras, but also enjoy a snapshot of our heritage and history."

Leica has unveiled the first model of a new line of Leica digital compact cameras, the Leica C. The easily pocketable Leica C has a 1/1.7" MOS sensor with a resolution of 12 megapixels, and comes equipped with a fixed-mount, 28-200mm (eq.) f/2.0-5.9 lens and an integrated electronic viewfinder (EVF). Other highlights include Wi-Fi connectivity with Near Field Communications (NFC) and a programmable ring around the lens that makes it easy to manually control aperture, shutter speed and zoom. The Leica C will be available in the UK from authorised Leica dealers, starting mid-September 2013. The suggested retail price is £550 including VAT. Registered Leica C owners will be able to download a fully functional copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom free of charge.

We've been hard at work behind-the scenes making our Camera Reviews index easier to use. You can now search for a camera by date, the manufacturer and the camera's final rating, or a combination of all three. So if you want to see the 5-star cameras from Canon, all the Sony cameras, or the 4-star lenses from Nikon, simply use the various "filter by" buttons.

And don't forget that we also have our Best Digital Cameras guide which makes a great starting point to choosing the best camera for you.

Let us know what you think of the new look in the Comments section...

The Federation of European Professional Photographers (FEP) has announced the "World Photographic Cup" competition. Photographic associations are invited to send a team entry from their nation to represent their highest standard of photographic excellence and style for the inaugural World Photographic Cup. The deadline for submissions is 31 October 2013.

Diana Bird and Anthony Epes have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the publication of two new photography books, London at Dawn (revised edition) and Paris at Dawn. "We have paid for half the printing costs and are now looking to raise the other half," the authors say. "If the campaign is successful we will then be exhibiting the project and launching the books at St Pancras Station in October." If you are interested in making a contribution, visit the website below.

Serif has just launched PhotoStack, an all-in-one photo organiser, editor and library. Designed with speed and simplicity in mind, PhotoStack will help budding photographers quickly and easily enhance, sort and share their entire photo collection, the company promises. Users can import thousands of photos from their camera, smartphone or tablet straight into PhotoStack and organise them in seconds. Once uploaded, photos can be tagged, rated or grouped into photo stacks – a feature which makes it easier for users to find their favourite version of any photo. With just a few simple clicks, users can take care of imperfections, such as red-eye, spots and blemishes, and even erase unwanted background objects. There are also dedicated tools to recolour and sharpen images, plus features for cropping, cloning and straightening pictures. Once editing is complete, users can see their entire collection in the library and use simple drag and drop tools to quickly create bespoke photo albums. PhotoStack is compatible with Windows 8/7/Vista/XP and is optimised for 64-bit operating systems. It retails at £49.99 and is available directly from Serif.

MindShift Gear have released a new Lens Switch Case, a lightweight and versatile unpadded modular lens/accessory pouch that can be carried on the belt of MindShift Gear’s rotation180° Professional backpack. “The Lens Switch Case solves one of the biggest problems nature and outdoor photographers face,” said MindShift Gear’s Product Manager Jerry Dodrill.  “By mounting it on the rotation180° pro backpack’s belt, photographers can quickly access their telephoto lenses, filters, and other equipment on the fly.” The Lens Switch Case is available for $42.50.

Limelite has appointed MAC Group as its exclusive distributor in the US. Under the new agreement MAC Group will become a shareholder in the UK-based lighting company. Jan Lederman, President of MAC Group, has been appointed President of Limelite USA. He said: “Limelite is a new and exciting challenge for us. With new and innovative products in the continuous lighting field, Limelite represents the future of the lighting business whether it is for filmmakers or photographers. Our goal will be to establish it as a leader in the advanced LED, fluorescent and tungsten lighting business.”

During its keynote at the Photoshop World conference in Las Vegas, Adobe has announced its new Photoshop Photography Programme, which gives users who own Photoshop CS3 or higher the opportunity to use both Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 for $9.99 per month. The offer additionally includes 20 gigabytes of online storage, access to Creative Cloud Learn's training resources, Behance ProSite, and ongoing upgrades and updates. Note that the $9.99 offer is valid in America, Asia (with the exception of Japan), Africa and European countries outside the EU. Japanese users pay ¥1,000, Australians AU$9.99, UK citizens £7.14 and the rest of the EU €9.99 per month. Also note that while these are not introductory prices, you do need to sign up before the end of this year to take advantage of this special offer, which will be available at the same time as Lightroom 5.2 - i.e. within a couple of weeks.

Corel has released Paint Shop Pro X6 Ultimate with 64-bit support, a refined user interface, new quick-selection tools and improved workflows. Performance gains include faster operation, accelerated file opening and saving, and enhanced support for 64-bit Photoshop plug-ins. For the first time ever, Athentech's Perfectly Clear plug-in is included in PaintShop Pro X6 Ultimatem along with FaceFilter3 Standard, a versatile photo retouching and beautifying toolkit by Reallusion.

Wacom has introduced a new line-up of Intuos and Intuos Pro pen tablets. The products have been re-designed in terms of ergonomic and technical features. In addition there is a slimmer design and improved multi-touch functions and wireless capabilities. The Intuos Pro comes in four Pen & Touch sizes– small (£199.99), medium (£299.99) and large (£429.99), as well as the silver framed Intuos Pro Special Edition (medium size), priced at  £319.99. There are four Intuos models available including the Intuos Pen (£59.99), Intuos Pen & Touch Manga (£84.99) Intuos Pen & Touch S (£84.99) and Intuos Pen & Touch M (£169.99). The optional Wireless Accessory Kit for Intuos tablets is priced at £34.99.

Version 8.3.1 of DxO Optics Pro adds support for the Panasonic Lumix GF6 (pictured) and G6, Olympus PEN E-P5, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, and Pentax K-50 II cameras. The program also benefits from many new DxO Optics Modules. 490 new camera/lens combinations have been added to the library, which now counts more than 14,000 modules. This upgrade is free for all owners of DxO Optics Pro 8, as well as for all photographers who acquired a DxO Optics Pro 7 licence on or after 1 September 2012.