To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Tenba have announced the addition of two Special Edition versions of their DNA 8 & DNA 15 Slim messenger bags. The Tenba Messenger DNA 8 (£80) holds a compact system camera, 2-3 lenses and a tablet such as an iPad Mini. Capable of carrying a mirrorless or DSLR camera with 4-6 lenses, the much larger Messenger DNA 15 Slim (£120) is able to take a DSLR with 70-200mm f2.8 lens attached – PLUS 15 inch laptop or tablet. Both of these limited-edition bags are available now from selected retailers.

Macphun (Skylum) today announced Luminar 2018. This edition offers everything a modern photographer needs for photo editing, including new filters powered by artificial intelligence, major speed improvements, a dedicated RAW develop module and a forthcoming in 2018 digital asset management platform. Users will also benefit from the new intelligent Sun Rays filter, LUT support and real-time noise removal. Luminar 2018 has been re-built from the ground up for dramatic performance boosts. Existing filters deliver richer colors and depth in less time. A brand new streamlined user interface speeds up working with presets, filters, and masks. With full support of pro options like layers, masks, and blending modes, complex repairs and photo composites can be easily accomplished. Luminar 2018 will become available in November 2017, and in 2018 a free update will provide a new image-browser / digital asset manager to help photographers manage their image libraries. Pre-order for Luminar 2018 will run from November 1 until November 16. New users will be able to purchase Luminar 2018 for $59, and current users of Luminar may upgrade at a special price of $39.

Leica today announced a Silver Anodized version of the Leica Q full-frame compact camera. "A silver top plate, silver baseplate and silver lens create a striking appearance for this new version of the Leica Q, while the rear of the camera is a sleek and refined black – achieving a modern take on the classic silver and black two-tone look," the company says. The technical specifications of the silver Leica Q are identical to those of the standard black model. It has a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with no optical low pass filter, an image-stabilised Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 lens with 11 lenses in 9 groups (including 3 aspherical lens elements), FullHD 1920x1080 video at 60/30fps in the MP4 format, and a touchscreen 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040,000 pixels and 100% field of view. The Leica Q in Silver will be available at Leica boutiques, stores, and dealers at the end of November.

The Polaroid photo booth kit is an all-in-one instant-set-up photo booth that brings the party everywhere you go. From after-school events to celebratory office gatherings, the Polaroid photo booth kit cranks up the fun atmosphere and keeps everyone entertained for hours by providing a dramatic red background, oversized (28.0"x17.5") retro Polaroid picture frame, erasable coloured markers and dozens of props for unique photo snapshots. The picture frame is large enough for group shots and can be customised with colour designs and entertaining captions. The erasable picture frame enables multiple re-use opportunities when used with the included set of brightly coloured markers which come in five colours. The Polaroid photo booth kit is available now for $39.99.

Manfrotto have announced their 2017 festive giveaway promotion. Available on selected products across the Manfrotto and Lastolite by Manfrotto range, the Christmas promotion starts on the 23^rd October and will run to the 31^st December 2017. The offer spans a range of products and is available from all qualifying Manfrotto dealers in the UK. Click through / read on for the full list of free gifts available on the Complete Christmas offer.

Peak Design have launched the smallest bag in their Everyday line. The new Everyday Sling 5L, which can be used as either a fanny pack or - as its name suggests - a sling, can accommodate a CSC kit, a DSLR with a single lens, or a DJI Mavic/Spark drone (though obviously not all of them at the same time). A weatherproof zip provides quick inner access without removing the bag from your body. FlexFold dividers allow customisable organisation and protection. A padded tablet sleeve holds most tablets up to 11" and the inner flap compartment contains 4 small stretchy pockets for batteries and cards. The Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L bag is available for $99.95.

Via DPReview

Nikon today announced that operations of their consolidated subsidiary Nikon Imaging China (NIC) will be discontinued. In practice, this means the closure of a factory in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, which used to manufacture digital compact cameras, as well as lens units. Nikon says, "due to the rise of smartphones, the compact digital camera market has been shrinking rapidly, leading to a significant decrease in operating rate at NIC and creating a difficult business environment." In future, the Nikon will focus more on high value-added products - which probably means DSLR cameras, flashguns and interchangeable Nikkor lenses. The closure of the Wuxi City plant is effective today. Nikon Imaging (China) Sales Co., Ltd. (NICS), the company’s sales subsidiary in Shanghai, continues in full operation as normal.

This November, Proud Galleries will present Picturing Prince: Photographs by Steve Parke, a collection of rare and intimate prints to coincide with the recent launch of Parke’s acclaimed photobook. Prince and Parke met in the late 80s at the artist’s renowned private estate and recording studio, Paisley Park, described by the latter as a ‘mecca of creativity’. Their partnership was consolidated when Prince requested Parke to be his official photographer, a creative alliance that produced an extensive archive of over 500 photographs. Impromptu shoots from around the Paisley Park site offer a glimpse into life off the stage and the drive behind Prince’s ambition. Whilst an employee, Parke was also a trusted companion of the icon and it is evident throughout the shots that the pair shared a unique connection. Proud will be commemorating the genius of a man whose creative expression continues to unfold. Picturing Prince (9th November – 3rd December 2017, Proud Central 32 John Adam Street London WC2N 6BP) will be accompanied by the fully illustrated book published by Parke in collaboration with Octopus Publishing Group.

Benro has launched a pair of special-edition tripods.The new iFoto kits come in two versions – a super lightweight carbon fibre model weighing in at just 1.41kg and an aluminium version coming in at 1.64kg. Both models – which come complete with a Benro ball head – are capable of supporting up to 8kg of camera equipment – so suitable for both DSLRs and CSCs. Mark Hoskins, Benro Brand Manager said: ‘These special-edition iFoto tripod kits offer amazing value for money whilst retaining all the features and benefits of more expensive travel tripods. So if you’re in the market for a new tripod, don’t miss out on these great kits – but don’t hang around, availability is limited and they will sell quickly!’ Both models feature 5 leg sections making them even more compact when stowed, boasting a folded down length of just 36cm. The Benro iFoto also comes with a special price tag – with suggested prices for the aluminium kit available for around £130, and the 8-layer carbon fibre version at around £230.

With Macphun expanding to the Windows platform by bringing Luminar and Aurora HDR to Windows users, the company has felt compelled to change its name in order to reflect this development. The new name is Skylum. "We think that this name is a better fit, since we’re no longer a Mac-only developer," says Alex Tsepko, Chief Executive Officer. "It’s also closer to where we want to go in the near future. We will continue to use Macphun name this year, and early in 2018, we'll completely switch to Skylum."

Cézanne Canvas is the latest addition to Hahnemühle' s range of high-quality canvases for digital FineArt Inkjet printing. This natural white 100% cotton 430gsm natural white 100% cotton canvas contains no optical brighteners (OBA's), and features a finely woven, elegant surface structure. The matte coating provides a first class printing result with a wide colour gamut and deep, rich blacks. The Hahnemühle Cézanne Canvas 430gsm provides extraordinary elasticity, making it ideal for stretcher frames. As with all Hahnemühle products from the Digital FineArt Collection, the new Cézanne Canvas is acid-free and archival, in accordance with ISO 9706 standards. It will be available "soon," in three different sizes.

X-Rite have announced the i1Studio, an all new start-to-finish colour management solution that delivers expert results from capture to print. The package comprises the i1Studio all-in-one spectrophotometer, i1Studio software; X-Rite’s market leading ColorChecker camera calibration tools and the ColorTRUE mobile app for iOS devices. “Photographers tell stories with their pictures. Along with light, colour plays an essential role in telling these stories. We want to make sure that story is told as perfectly as possible, whether it’s colour, or black and white,” said Liz Quinlisk, Marketing Director Photo & Video, X-Rite. “Managing colour should be easy with getting accurate repeatable results every time as the ultimate goal. i1Studio provides an intuitive, start-to-finish colour management solution for every device in our users’ workflow so they can easily achieve this goal and get amazing results.”

Picfair is seeking a fresh generation of female photographers to share their perspectives on the world. The competition is open for entries from 26 October till 26 November 2017 and women of all nationalities and levels of experience are encouraged to enter. An esteemed panel of judges from across the industry will shortlist competition entries in four categories: Nature, Portrait, Architecture and Street Level.  All winners and shortlisted photographers will have their work shown as part of Women Behind the Lens exhibition at the Guardian Media and News Gallery from 11 December to January 2018. 

SkyPixel, in cooperation with DJI, have announced their 2017 SkyPixel Photo Contest. Running from October 26 to December 29, the SkyPixel 2017 Photo Contest welcomes submissions from both professionals and enthusiasts, who are invited to enter one or more of the three categories including Landscape, Portrait and the brand new Story, which calls for photographers to share not just the images they capture, but also the stories they curate. This year’s Grand Prize winner will receive a reward worth over €12,500; including a DJI Inspire 2 with Zenmuse X7 DL-S 16mm F2.8 ND ASPH, an iPhone X 256G, a Nikon D850 FX-format Digital SLR Camera Body, a Lowepro Pro Runner RL x450 AW II, a Manfrotto MKBFRC4-BH Befree Carbon Fiber Tripod with Ball Head, and more. Professional and Enthusiast groups will have a First, Second and Third Prize in each category, with rewards up to €5,500. SkyPixel will also give out a Popular Prize reward to the top ten most liked entries and an additional nine will stand to win Nominated Entries rewards. The deadline for entries is 29th December.

Synology today launched DS218play, DS218j, and DS118, three NAS servers with media streaming, file sharing, and data backup features. The DS118 (pictured) is a new 1-bay tower NAS, equipped with a 64-bit quad-core 1.4 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM. With its hardware encryption engine, the DS118 ($179.99) offers encrypted sequential reading/writing throughput at over 110 MB/s. It also supports 10-bit H.265 4K video transcoding on the fly. The DS218j ($169.99)features a dual-core 1.3 GHz processor with a hardware encryption engine and 512 MB RAM, delivering sequential reading throughput at over 113 MB/s and writing throughput at over 112 MB/s. The DS218play is equipped with a 64-bit quad-core 1.4 GHz processor with a hardware encryption engine and 1 GB RAM, delivering encrypted sequential reading/writing throughput at over 110 MB/s. Powered by a hardware transcoding engine, the DS218play ($229.99) supports real-time single channel 10-bit H.265 4K Ultra HD or single channel full HD video transcoding. The new NAS servers are available worldwide immediately.