This contest has now closed. The lucky winners are:

Mike Gimblett has won a Sony NEX-3N compact system camera and a place at the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Workshops

Olexander Demchenko, chris mockel, Nick Berry, Trygve Lydersen, Ilian Stamenov, Florin Cristea, Tom Bekiaris, GJ de Koning, and Napoleon Stratogiannakis have each won a place at the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Workshops.

With the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards taking place this month we’ve teamed up with headline sponsors Sony to give 10 lucky readers the chance to win a place at a series of workshops taking place at Somerset House, London from 26th April – 28th April 2013.

One winner will also receive a NEX-3N compact system camera to test out their new skills. Featuring the same image sensor that you’d expect from a DSLR camera, the NEX allows you to take professional standard pictures, even if you’re an amateur, providing the best results and picture quality on the market. With a selection of 15 e-mount lenses available you’ll discover the ideal lens to bring your vision to life.

The workshops will cover a variety of topics suitable for camera enthusiasts from beginners to budding professionals and will coincide with the opening of the Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition on 26th April. 

There are three separate workshops covering a range of topics. From showing beginners how to improve picture quality, providing an understanding of commercial photography and turning a hobby into a career, or looking at the developments in full-frame photograph over time, there will be something for any photography enthusiast.

Speakers will include Michael Wayne Plant who specialises in work around identities and social landscape and Magdi Fernandes who works across fashion, music and sports. All attendees will be entered into a prize draw each day for one lucky winner to receive an NEX.

With Sony’s ongoing development of its camera portfolio, from point and shoot Cyber-shot cameras to entry-level interchangeable lens NEX and Digital SLT Alpha models, Sony is serious about photography and proud to sponsor the World Photography Awards.

For further information about the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Workshops or to book your place on one of the sessions, visit http://worldphoto.org/worldphotolondon/sony-workshops

This contest has now closed. The lucky winners are:

Beth Leek, ADEINNE TONNER, Eric William Sandiego, Roger Phillips, kerry day, Inga Andersen, Mark Gould, Julie Picton, L Francois regis Harvengt and KRZYSIA BIALESKA have each won a pair of tickets to the Sony World Photography Awards’ exhibition.

With the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards taking place next month we’ve teamed up with headline sponsors Sony to give 10 lucky readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the awards’ exhibition, which will take place at Somerset House, London from 26th April – 12th May 2013.

Curated by Candlestar Director Michael Benson, this year’s exhibition offers a snapshot of the world in 2012 as seen by the winning and shortlisted photographers of the Sony World Photography Awards.  It will reveal the very best international contemporary photography across 25 categories, including fashion, travel, wildlife, landscape, portraiture and current affairs.

With this year’s awards receiving a staggering 122,000 entries from 170 countries, its evident just how popular photography continues to be, around the world.

Sony is committed to providing a camera solution for everyone and every budget, empowering people to take professional quality pictures, whether an amateur or an expert.

With Sony’s ongoing development of its camera portfolio, from point and shoot Cyber-shot cameras to entry-level interchangeable lens NEX and Digital SLT Alpha models, Sony aims to make photography more accessible to all and educate people in the art of taking pictures.

For further information about the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House visit http://www.worldphoto.org/2013exhibition

We've been hard at work on a fresh new look for Photography Blog.

We've concentrated on making the site simpler, cleaner and easier to use, with an up-to-date design that looks equally at home on a large monitor, smaller laptop screen and the latest Retina devices.

We've also placed more emphasis on what we do best - bringing you in-depth reviews of the very latest cameras, lenses and accessories - something that we'll continue to do in the future.

If you have any suggestions for how we could improve the site further, or any specific likes or dislikes, then please let us know via the comments form below.

Likewise, if you experience something that doesn't work in the way that you expected, please leave a comment.

In the meantime we hope that you enjoy the new Photography Blog!

When: April 4th 2013, 7:00pm (GMT)

What: This is an exclusive webinar for Photography Blog readers with Oliver Mews, Global Service Manager and Trainer at Datacolor. The webinar’s topics are: general color management, Photoshop settings and some tips and tricks on how to make sure to work with correct colors for different purposes. Get the chance to ask live questions at the end of the webinar!

Where: http://spyder.datacolor.com/webinars/photographyblog-uk

This month we’re giving away 3 copies of Cyberlink Power Director Ultimate 11!

The lucky winners are Christopher Powell, Sergio Garcia, and Edward Mackiewicz. Congratulations!

Cyberlink is pleased to offer 3 lucky Photography Blog readers the chance to win the new Power Director Ultimate 11, the perfect software for enhancing photos and videos.

Power Director Ultimate 11 is award-winning software designed for Photo-Enthusiasts. It combines powerful pro-level features and intuitive functionality in a complete post-production video editing solution. It can be easily installed on a home PC allowing photographers of all abilities the chance to edit their masterpieces. From the novice shooting family movies on a smartphone up to a professional making a music video or a short film with high-end digital equipment Power Director Ultimate allows them to truly create. It can import over 50 different RAW formats onto the timeline and create 4k/2k quality photo slideshows, the slideshows can then be burnt to CD/DVD and Blu-ray for sharing with friends and enjoying for years to come. Power Director Ultimate is award-winning software that is 38% faster than the previous version.

This month we’re giving away a Capdase mKeeper camera backpack!

The lucky winner is Keith Pollard. Congratulations!

The Capdase mKeeper is a ultra portable sling style back pack which allows you to get instant access for your SLR camera and any accessories. You can simply swing it around and you’re ready to shoot. The unique sling design means that you can swivel the back round to your front to gain instant access to your camera, rather than having to take the backpack off and removing your camera, saving you time and making sure you’re ready for that perfect shot.

The mKeeper features a large compartment which easily houses any lenses, flash, or any other accessories which you need to carry around with you. The compartment features a zipper which ensures that all of your accessories are protected when they’re not in use.

Sponsor LoveCases also sell iPod Touch 5G cases.

We’ve now announced all of our award winners for 2012. Just in case you missed any, here’s the full list:

Camera of the Year 2012
Olympus OM-D E-M5

DSLR Camera of the Year 2012
Nikon D800

Compact System Camera of the Year 2012
Olympus OM-D E-M5

Compact Camera of the Year 2012
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Lens of the Year 2012
Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH

Printer of the Year 2012
Epson Stylus Photo R2000

Accessory of the Year 2012
Spyder4Elite

Software of the Year 2012
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

Our eight and final award is for Camera of the Year 2012, which goes to the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

“Image quality is where Micro Four Thirds cameras have traditionally lagged behind their APS-C sensor rivals, but the OM-D E-M5 is the first MFT model to equal the results from leading cameras like the Sony NEX-7. Noise doesn’t rear its ugly head until ISO 3200 for JPEGs and even the faster settings prove eminently usable, although the E-M5 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean as shown by the much noisier raw images. We never longed for a camera with a bigger sensor, and you’d have to step up to a full-frame DSLR to see an appreciable leap in image quality.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Olympus and the OM-D E-M5!

Our seventh award is for DSLR Camera of the Year 2012, which goes to the Nikon D800.

“On the resolution front, the Nikon D800 delivers images with a truly stunning amount of detail, comparable to what you can achieve with a number of medium-format digital cameras and backs. The 7360×4912-pixel photographs print to 24”x16” (60×40cm) size at industry-standard 300ppi with no interpolation required, which also means they are ideal for double-page spreads in a large-format 12”x12” photo book.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Nikon and the D800!

Our sixth award is for Compact System Camera of the Year 2012, which goes to the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

“The OM-D E-M5 is the best Olympus compact system camera to date, and also a strong contender for best compact system camera full stop. It delivers a compelling mix of classic looks, excellent image quality, an extensive feature set and immediate responsiveness, with the camera so well designed that it rarely gets in the way of the creative process. The E-M5 may hark back to a bygone era, but it’s definitely bang-up-to-date in all the places that count.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Olympus and the OM-D E-M5!

Our fifth award is for Compact Camera of the Year 2012, which goes to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100.

“Sony have not only blurred the lines between compact and compact system in terms of the RX100’s features, performance and image quality, but somewhat inevitably perhaps also in terms of its price. $650/£550 is more than many mirrorless cameras and even some DSLRs too, but on the other hand this is no humble compact. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 is the first truly pocketable camera to offer a DSLR experience, and in that regard it could almost be seen as something of a bargain - it’s certainly deserving of our highest Essential! accolade.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Sony and the Cyber-shot DSC-RX100!

Our fourth award is for Lens of the Year 2012, which goes to the Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH.

“The LUMIX G VARIO 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH standard zoom offers a versatile focal range and a fast maximum aperture in a relatively small package, backed-up by excellent image quality throughout the focal range, the best build quality of any Panasonic Micro Four Thirds lens yet released, a tactile manual focusing system and impressively fast and quiet autofocusing.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Panasonic and the LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH!

Our third award is for Printer of the Year 2012, which goes to the Epson Stylus Photo R2000.

“For the intended market, the Epson Stylus Photo R2000 is the clear leader in quality and value. This is a printer that will give you years of quality output, even if you do eventually grow into a larger printer.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Epson and the Stylus Photo R2000!

Our second award is for Accessory of the Year 2012, which goes to Spyder4Elite.

“For those that want more control, the Spyder4Elite is an excellent option that will give you everything you need to the best possible color fidelity. It’s hard to find fault with the Spyder4Elite. The advanced features take a bit of exploring to fully understand, but if you’re willing to read through the online help, which is excellent, you can learn enough to impress any of your photography friends.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Datacolor and Spyder4Elite!

Over the next 8 days we’ll be revealing our favourite products from last year in our annual awards, looking back at the essential photography kit that helped to define 2012.

Kicking things off is the Software of the Year 2012 award, which goes to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.

“Lightroom is a class leader in both sharpening and noise reduction, and the new Process 2012 tools are extremely well done. For things like HDR, compositing, and similar editing needs, you’ll still find Photoshop or any number of plug-ins useful, and if you’re into video editing beyond the basics you’ll want to add a standalone program to your kit, but Lightroom 4 can handle most all of your organizational and editing needs.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Adobe and Lightroom 4!

This month we’re giving away a fantastic Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens worth £629!

The lucky winner is Sheryl Mitchell. Congratulations!

With its effective focal length range of approximately 16-35mm in 35mm format, the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is a remarkable lens with outstanding image quality that will take your photography into new dimensions and areas of dramatic expression.

The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is an ultra wide-angle zoom lens with dynamic expressive capability for all EF-S mount EOS cameras; exceptionally small and lightweight for maximum mobility.

This month we’re giving away a fantastic Steadicam Smoothee worth £169!

The lucky winner is Martin Conaghan. Congratulations!

Based on the same technology as the big $60,000 rigs used in Hollywood, the Smoothee allows you to capture incredible video without the shakes normally associated with hand-held video shot on the go, right out of the box, the very first time.

The Smoothee let’s you “fly” wherever the scene takes you—up and down steps, indoors and outside, through crowds—almost anywhere, with precise, elegant control and ease.

Manfrotto is giving away FIVE of its fantastic new ML120 Pocket LED Lights each worth £40.00!

The 5 lucky winners are Candy Johnson, George Smietana, Rona Gough, Mike Swift and Edmund Jones. Congratulations!

The ML120 Pocket LED Light is the smallest and lightest in the Manfrotto range of compact continuous LED light units, ideally suited for use with compact cameras and smartphones when additional light is needed for shooting video or stills. It can be hand held, mounted on a flash hotshoe or fitted to any number of Manfrotto supports via its standard ¼” thread.

For more information or to buy Manfrotto products online visit: www.manfrotto.co.uk

We’re giving away a Tamrac Evolution Speed Roller Backpack worth $499.95!

The lucky winner is Malcolm Veale. Congratulations!

For over 35 years, Tamrac has been manufacturing innovative products based on photographers’ needs and requests, maintaining the strictest quality standards. Tamrac’s extensive line of protective carrying systems includes backpacks, shoulder bags, point & shoot bags, rolling cases, and laptop compatible bags.  Tamrac’s numerous design inventions and innovations make them the best on the market.

With a unique combination of wheels and a backpack harness, Tamrac’s versatile Evolution Speed Roller Backpack (Model 5797) is ideal for getting around town or traveling around the world.  This rolling backpack has two compartments to hold camera gear and a foam-padded pocket for a laptop.  Whenever possible, you can roll your heavy photo gear on smooth ball-bearing wheels. The telescoping handle opens and closes with the push of a button. The bottom compartment holds a DSLR with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens attached (up to 8”), several extra lenses and a flash. A Windowpane-Mesh™ pocket inside the front panel keeps accessories like memory cards and batteries organized and visible.

We’ve teamed up with PENTAX RICOH IMAGING UK LTD to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a fantastic PENTAX K-30 worth £649.99!

The lucky winner is Paula Hepburn. Congratulations!

The K-30 has been developed to help SLR beginners capture high-quality images with ease. Packed in a compact, weather-resistant, dustproof and lightweight body, the PENTAX K-30 offers a range of advanced features, including a 16 megapixel sensor, optical viewfinder offering almost 100% field of view, high-speed shooting and a full-HD movie function.

The K-30 is available in a choice of three colours: Crystal White and Crystal Blue, with brilliant, glossy finishes; and Classic Black, for a more traditional SLR look.