Hasselblad has released the 1.20 Firmware Update for the X1D and H6D cameras. New features include Instant Preview and Imaging Browsing through the X1D EVF, creative Selectable Crop Modes including the popular XPan Ratio (65:24), and back-up to secondary card.

The Nikon Storytellers Scholarship is open to undergraduate or graduate students in the United States or Canada pursuing degrees in visual arts, fine arts, journalism, film, photography and multimedia/content creation. Eligible students can apply to be one of ten individuals awarded with an academic scholarship of $10,000 USD, to help foster their growth as visual storytellers and content creators. 

Apple today released iMac Pro, an entirely new product line designed for pro users who love the all-in-one-design of iMac and require workstation-class performance. With Xeon processors up to 18 cores, up to 22 Teraflops of graphics performance, and a brilliant 27-inch Retina 5K display, iMac Pro is the fastest, most powerful Mac ever made. iMac Pro is available on December 14, starting at an Apple retail price of £4,899.

The Synology FlashStation FS1018 is a powerful and compact 12-bay, low-latency, all-SSD desktop NAS. FS1018 is a blazing fast and compact 12-bay, low-latency, all-SSD desktop NAS. It is powered by an Intel Pentium^® D1508 dual-core CPU and 8GB DDR4 EEC memory, expandable up to 32GB. It’s designed for work groups and small businesses that need powerful file storage and sharing, such as creative agencies, in a smaller, more convenient package. It retails for £1436.73 (inc. VAT) in the UK.

The Leica M (Typ 262) ‘red anodized finish’ camera takes the classic styling of the Leica M and couples it with the bold statement of a bright red hue. This special edition is limited to just 100 cameras worldwide, each with a unique serial number.

The Leica M (Typ 262) ‘red anodized finish’ will be available exclusively at Leica Stores and Boutiques for the price of $6,995.00.

AKVIS MakeUp 5.0 is easy-to-use portrait enhancement software. Version 5.0 offers the brand new portrait retouching algorithm with significantly improved results. Also, it provides the updated list of ready-to-use presets, the improved Vignette effect, the Crop tool, some interface changes, and other improvements. The update is free for users who bought MakeUp in the last 12 months. Users, whose license is older and is not valid for the new version, can get MakeUp 5.0 for only $14.95.

The winners of the 2017 international Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) have been revealed. More than 20,000 images were submitted by photographers in 129 countries, and entrants from 24 countries received awards.

The Synology DiskStation DS218 is a feature-rich 2-bay NAS that provides media streaming, file sharing, and data backup features in a desktop form factor. The DS218 is also optimised for 10-bit 4K H.265 video transcoding, and retails for £246.55 (inc. VAT) in the UK.

Adobe have updated the entire Lightroom CC ecosystem, including for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and the web, as well as updates to Lightroom Classic CC and Adobe Camera Raw. The new Auto Setting creates a better photo by using Adobe Sensei artificial intelligence to analyse your photo and compare it to tens of thousands of professionally edited photos. The Tone Curve has been added to Lightroom CC on desktop, along with split toning.

Photographers using lighting equipment from recently liquidated Bowens International have been thrown a service and repair lifeline by Fixation, who have set up a dedicated team of lighting equipment experts to deal with all Bowens kit repairs and service requirements.

PortraitPro Body 2 is a new standalone full body retouching software and plugin for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Elements. Version 2 of the industry’s first and only dedicated body contouring software offers Warp Fixer controls, Photoshop Smart Filter, Lite Mode and is the fastest and most accurate PortraitPro Body ever.

Leica recorded revenue growth of more than 6% from April 1st 2016 to March 31st 2017, bucking the overall downward trend in the global camera market, which declined by around 10 per cent in the same period. Leica's overall revenue figure of almost 400 million euros was achieved by a systematic realignment of the company that has taken place in recent years, including the setting up of an in-house retail distribution division, and a focus on the Chinese market, with plans to open 20 to 30 more stores.

The Video Tripod Manager 44 Rolling Case from Think Tank Photo is designed to hold cinema-sized tripods, stands, sliders, and/or modifiers up to 40” in height. The well-cushioned, highly rigid rolling case provides hard case protection with soft case convenience. The Video Tripod Manager 44 retails for $349.75.

We were at the global launch of the Honor 7x and the Honor View 10 smart phones in London last week. During the event, Honor CEO George Zhao took us through the key features of the two new phones.