Panasonic today announced wildlife camerawoman Tania Esteban as their newest Lumix ambassador. A graduate from the University of Leeds with a 1st class Zoology degree, Tania recently completed her MA in Wildlife Filmmaking in partnership with the BBC, where her final film titled “A Lions Tale” was nominated for a student BAFTA award. Barney Sykes, Head of Imaging at Panasonic UK said “We’re delighted to have Tania on board as a Lumix Ambassador. Her innovative documentary work with wildlife makes her a perfect fit to put the Lumix GH5 through its paces and we are really excited to see more of the fresh and creative digital and virtual reality filmmaking she has become well known for.” Tania will be using the Lumix GH5 on upcoming documentary work and creating content for the Lumix UK social channels.

Western Digital today unveiled their My Book Duo storage system, with capacities ranging from 4TB to 16TB. It comes with RAID-optimized WD Red hard drives inside to deliver high speeds of up to 360 MB/s sequential reads, and RAID-optimised firmware which is perfect for two-disk array systems with auto management of drive operations to help ensure read/write cycle data integrity. “As a creative professional, I constantly have several photo and video projects in the works. With the way files sizes are increasing and demand for higher-quality content is growing, I need a reliable, massive storage system that I can quickly and easily access while managing my business. The My Book Duo combines the speed, capacity and features I need to help keep my content in control and securely backed up,” said Trevor Traynor, Director, Photographer, and Producer. The My Book Duo storage system has an MSRP of £559.99 (16TB), £479.99 (12TB), £359.99 (8TB), £299.99 (6TB) and £269.99 (4TB).

Canon have released two new 4-in-1 Pixma Home Office printers with print, copy, scan and fax functionality as well as WiFi and Bluetooth LE connectivity. Improved UI allows workers to optimise the capabilities of the new printers’ functions by easily navigating through the controls. The Pixma TR7550 (£179.99/€199.99) and TR8550 (£199.99/€219.99) printers have larger touch screens, 3.0 inch and 4.3 inch screens respectively, the front panel can be tilted to suit the user’s eye line. Pixma Cloud Link is compatible with the range enabling working users to print and scan documents from and to online services such as GoogleDrive, Evernote and Dropbox for increased speed and share-ability. For users wanting more from their printer, the Pixma TR8550 can be connected to an Ethernet cable for the printer to be wired to a whole network meaning users can print and scan from multiple printers at any time. This model also has the added benefit of a built-in SD card slot which gives users the flexibility of scanning and printing directly to and from the SD card so there’s no need to connect to any other device. Both printers will be available from September.

Canon has today unveiled the new 3-in-1 multifunctional inkjet printer range for users to print, scan and copy at home. The updated Pixma TS Series features Wi-Fi and BLuetooth Low Energy connectivity, a smart user interface and Auto Duplex Printing. On top of the high quality prints the Pixma TS Series allows families to get creative at home with a range of fun new features from hidden message printing to square photos straight from Instagram. The four new printers in the range include the Canon Pixma TS5150 Series, a practical and affordable model (£89.99/€99.99); the Pixma TS6150 Series, a compact and high performing 5-colour ink model (£159.99/€179.99); the TS8150 Series, a stylish printer featuring the brand new 6-colour ink system(£199.99/€219.99); and the Pixma TS9150 Series, the top-of-the-range premium model perfect for beautiful photo prints (£249.99/€279.99).

Canon has been awarded three accolades from the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). The EOS 5D Mark IV (pictured) has been named ‘EISA Professional DSLR Camera 2017-2018’, the EOS 77D has been awarded ‘EISA Consumer DSLR Camera 2017-2018’ and the Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8L III USM has won the ‘EISA Professional DSLR Lens 2017-2018’ title. “Canon has a long-standing reputation within the industry for delivering high-quality products that enable users to tell the best story of their lives through unlocking their creative shooting potential with the support, reliability and consistency needed,” commented Lee Bonniface, Marketing Director, Consumer Imaging, Canon Europe. “Feedback on our products through award recognition such as EISA, is paramount as we strive to produce pioneering and class-leading solutions that enable photographers around the world to discover, capture and share their own unique stories through photography.”

The Nikon D7500 (read review) has won the European Prosumer D-SLR Camera 2017-2018 award, presented by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA)..Upon presenting the award, the Association commented: "The D7500 is an advanced D-SLR camera that packs much of the innovation of the acclaimed D500 into a lightweight, robust and more affordable body. Using the same 20.9 million pixel image sensor, processor and wide ISO range as the D500, the D7500 is a capable and versatile tool in the hands of a passionate photographer. With a burst speed of 8 frames per second and Nikon’s proven 51-point AF system it is well suited to capturing fast action. Thanks to Nikon’s SnapBridge technology, transferring images to a smart device is fast and seamless."

Corel have released Pinnacle Studio 21 Ultimate, the latest version of their flagship video editing software that's been redesigned to offer an easier-to-use and more creative video editing environment. New features include a redesigned graphical user interface, wide-angle lens correction, Paint Effects, Morph Transitions, a 3D title editor and a host of premium video effects from NewBlueFX, including selective focus, colour, and tint. "With a smarter and beautifully redesigned UI, Pinnacle Studio 21 Ultimate offers a unique video editing environment where professional-inspired tools don't need to be complicated or hard to learn. If you're looking for a more powerful video editor where you can grow your skills, Pinnacle Studio takes you closer to pro, without the expense or complications. And if you're already familiar with the Pinnacle Studio environment, you'll be blown away by the speed, simplicity, and control of your new workflow," said Michel Yavercovski, Senior Director of Product Management for Pinnacle. Pinnacle Studio 21 Ultimate is available now in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. The suggested retail price of Pinnacle Studio 21 Ultimate is $129.95 / €129.95 / £114.95.

Samsung have launched the Samsung Portable SSD T5, built with Samsung’s latest 64-layer V-NAND technology. Delivering speeds of up to 540 MB/s, the new T5 is designed especially for content creators, business and IT professionals as well as mainstream consumers to give instant, easy access to data. Also, the T5 is smaller than an average business card at 74 x 57.3 x 10.5 millimetres and incredibly lightweight at a mere 51 grams, comfortably fitting in the palm of your hand. The aluminium exterior comes in two distinct metal finishes – Deep Black (1TB and 2TB models) and Alluring Blue (250GB and 500GB models). With no moving parts and a shock-resistant internal frame, the T5 offers users peace of mind as it can withstand accidental drops of up to 2 metres. The Samsung Portable SSD Software for PCs and Macs based on the AES 256-bit hardware data encryption makes it easy to configure security settings and receive the latest firmware and software updates. A mobile app is also available for Android smartphones and tablets for even further convenience. In addition, the T5 includes two connection cables – USB-C to C and USB-C to A – for enhanced compatibility across numerous devices. The T5 comes with a three-year limited warranty and will be priced from $129.99 for the 250GB model.

Macphun today announced the upcoming release of Aurora HDR 2018, a one-stop solution for HDR photography. Aurora HDR, co-developed with the renowned HDR photo grapher Trey Ratcliff, Aurora HDR became the industry standard for HDR photo editing on Mac and reached 1.7 million downloads since its launch in November 2015. In less than 2 years over 100 million photos have been edited in Aurora HDR and 72% of current users have made Aurora HDR their primary HDR photo editor, switching from other software. “Since the launch of Aurora HDR, Macphun has released more than 10 updates containing tons of new features and improved performance, ” commented Trey Ratcliff. “Today, I'm very excited to announce the launch of Aurora HDR 2018. It's completely new, significantly faster and has even more powerful tools. Plus the BIG news is that it's now available for Microsoft Windows as well.” New features in Aurora 2018 include a Lens Correction filter, an improved graphical user interface, significant speed enhancements, and much more. Interested readers are encouraged to pay a visit to the application's home page.

We've teamed up with Manfrotto to give away a Shoulderpod G1 to five lucky winners!

The winners are: Kristy Leanne Brown, Melanie Yaffie, Timothy Millar, Mark Barber and Hairial Witherington. Congratulations!

The Shoulderpod G1 is a strong and reliable grip that can mount your smartphone onto a tripod. It is fully adjustable meaning it can mount any smartphone with or without a case, and also works as a portable stand for holding your phone when you are travelling. The wide rubber pads and thumbscrew make it ultra secure, and the rubber pads fit your smartphone without scratching it. The Shoulderpod Grip features a universal tripod ¼” screw connection to allow it to be mounted on any tripod or rig. The Shoulderpod G1 is a pro-grade tool built to last a lifetime. For more information please see www.manfrotto.co.uk/shoulderpod

The Photographers’ Gallery has announced a new exhibition offering a rare opportunity to see the personal and previously unseen Polaroid work of Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Wim Wenders. Whilst his larger photographic works are well known, this is the first time he has shown a selection of the many thousands of Polaroid photographs taken, both on and off location, between the early 1970s and mid 80s. The exhibition Instant Stories presents over 200 of Wenders’ Polaroids encompassing portraits of cast and crew, friends and family, behind-the scenes, still-lives, street-photography and landscapes. Alongside diary-like impressions and homages to his artistic inspirations, including Fassbinder and Warhol, the small format images take us on a literal and metaphoric journey through Europe and the US. From his first trip to New York, his fascination with American TV, views from rooftops,, shop-fronts, roads, cars and many other visual recordings, Wenders’ Polaroids reflect a distinctive and lyrical vision -  at once both intimate and portentous. The exhibition will also feature a selection of moving images from his films, reflecting moments in Wenders’ canon, where Polaroid cameras and still photographs form a vital part of the narrative, such as the photo-obsessed protagonist in ‘Alice in the Cities’ (1974). The Photographers' Gallery is located at 16-18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW.

Adorama will partner with renowned photographer Tamara Lackey to host an exclusive, one-night-only gallery event at the Union Square Ballroom in Manhattan to support the work of non-profit organisation, Beautiful Together. "Join Adorama and Tamara Lackey to see some of the recent projects Beautiful Together has taken on with the help of generous supporters, such as building an orphan prevention care center or a disaster relief center," the company says. "Tour the gallery of Tamara Lackey’s moving imagery of children whose lives have been deeply affected and changed with the help of Beautiful Together and hear from Tamara about the inspiring work still to be done for this worthy cause." Free to attend, the gallery event will take place on the evening of Thursday, August 17th. Guests can purchase prints, products and gear during the event to support Beautiful Together, all while enjoying wine and hors d'oeuvres. The exhibition will take place at Union Square Ballroom, 27 Union Square West, New York, NY 10003.

Focus Clinics have collaborated with photographers from all over England to create The Best of English Views directly through the eyes of its residents. From Yorkshire to Essex, and Norfolk to Cornwall, they From Yorkshire to Essex, and Norfolk to Cornwall, we asked each of the photographers to contribute an image of the landscape from their county that they feel captures it in its best light. The Great British countryside dominates the photographic contribution - 24 of the photographs feature the woodlands, countryside or rivers of that are scattered throughout England. Other iconic scenery captured within the piece has another focus; England’s historic coastline. But the shocking thing is, that the majority of Brits cannot see these views without glasses or contact lenses. Over two million people in the UK are currently living with sight loss. With The Best of English Views, Focus Clinics want to raise awareness of eye health in the UK and to encourage the population to regularly undergo thorough eye teststo catch prevalent sight-stealing conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma before it’s too late.

Venus Optics have announced the World’s widest rectilinear f/2 native lens for Sony full frame E-mount cameras, the Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D. Despite the extreme specifications, Venus Optics have successfully minimized the weight of the lens to around 500g (~1.1 pounds) and 8cm long. The optical fromula comprises 12 elements in 9 groups with 2 aspherical elements and 3 extra-low dispersion glass elements. Unusually for an ultra-wide lens, the Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D has a flat front surface and a 72mm filter thread so polarisers ND grads and other filters can be mounted easily. Additionally, the lens is specially designed with an aperture switch which allows users to quickly switch between click-less and clicked aperture. This added feature will be extremely useful for videographers. The Laowa 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D is currently available to pre-order in the official website of Venus Optics and their authorised resellers. The recommended retail price id $849.