Sigma Corporation of America today announced its “Total Solar Eclipse” promotion that features instant rebates for the following Sigma Global Vision telephoto lenses and mount converter: the Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary and Sports lens models, the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens, and the Sigma MC-11 Mount Converter for Sony E-mount camera systems. The new Sigma instant rebate programme pays homage to the rare total solar eclipse phenomenon taking place on 21 August 2017. Sigma customers will receive a $200 instant rebate off the purchase of a Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens (normally $1,999 USD) and a $100 instant rebate off the purchase of a Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens (normally $1,089 USD). Sigma customers will also receive a $50 instant rebate off the purchase of a Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens (normally $799 USD). The promotion features an additional $100 instant rebate off the purchase of a Sigma MC-11 Mount Converter for Sony E-mount, full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras (normally $249 USD) when purchased with either of the 150-600mm F5-6.3 or the 100-400mm F5-6.3 lens models. The “Total Solar Eclipse” promotion ends on 21 August 2017.

The new Sirui NT-1005X is a compact travel tripod that features an integrated monopod, the Sirui E-10 ball-head and an extendable centre column. From its collapsed length of just 36cm to its fully extended height of 148.3cm, and weighing in at only 1.44kg (E-10 head included), the NT-10005X features non-slip twist locks that open the leg sections with just half a turn, non-slip foam rubber leg-grips, a reversible mounting screw and a stabilising load hook. The integrated monopod is easily removed from the main tripod and can reach a working height of 154cm (including E-10 ball-head) by attaching the NT-1005X’s removable centre column. Sirui's E-10 ball-head, included with the NT-1005X, has a load capacity of 8kg, making it ideal for using mirrorless cameras and small DSLRs, and features a spirit level, 360º panning and a safety lock mechanism. The Sirui NT-1005X is available for £179.99.

LG has announced it will incorporate an F1.6 aperture glass lens in the dual camera of its upcoming V30 flagship smartphone. LG’s first F1.6 lens is also the largest aperture among existing smartphone cameras, delivering 25 percent more light to the sensor compared to an F1.8 lens. The glass Crystal Clear Lens also delivers greater light-collecting ability than a plastic lens as well as better colour reproduction. “LG boasts an unrivalled heritage in smartphone photography and our decision to adopt glass in the V30 camera is specifically because this has traditionally been the realm of DSLRs,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications. “For the users for whom the V series was designed, this kind of innovation is significant.” Additionally, the camera in the V30 cuts edge distortion by a third compared to the V20 when capturing wide angle shots, making it ideal for group selfies, spacious interiors and expansive landscapes.

Manfrotto today unveiled the brand new 360° Virtual Reality range, which includes bases, accessories and extension booms that make it easier to create 360-degree videos and photos. Manfrotto VR bases provide reliably stable support and are compact enough not to show in 360° shots. They guarantee the stability photographers and videographers need to get a few metres off the ground and are available in a variety of sizes and materials to suit individual creative requirements. The company’s VR accessories range makes 360° shooting quicker and easier. Last but not least, Manfrotto’s VR boom extensions maximise camera height when required. They can be connected to all the bases in the Manfrotto VR range, enabling users to achieve a wide variety of heights. Prices range from £29.95 to £634.95.

Canon UK today revealed the recommended retail price and expected availability of their new Selphy CP1300 wireless compact photo printer. This lightweight, mobile and Wi-Fi-enabled printer can be used virtually anywhere, anytime, thanks to its optional direct-connect battery, to print the perfect photos. The Selphy CP1300’s Party Shuffle Print function is designed to allow Wi-Fi connected users to connect multiple compatible mobile devices to the same Selphy CP1300 unit for everyone to enjoy creating a print layout made of combined images from family and friends. Images are now displayed on a reader-friendly 3.2” tilt-type LCD monitor, while image searching is improved with the ability to filter by date and browse by page rather than one image at a time. The Selphy CP1300 printer will be available from September 2017 in Black, White and Pink with an RRP of £129.99/ €164.99.

Corel today released PaintShop Pro 2018, a complete photo editing and graphic design suite that promises more speed, flexibility, and creativity than ever before. This latest version offers shorter launch times, a simplified graphical user interface with a new Dual Workspace Environment, customisable toolbars, improved Crop, Text, Selection, Clone Brush, Gradient Fill, Eraser and Dropper tools, ten new colour palettes, thirty new brushes, thirty new gradients, thirty new textures and fifteen new patterns. Choose PaintShop Pro 2018 Ultimate includes a collection of add-ons including Painter Essentials 5, Perfectly Clear 3 SE and After Shot 3. Also introduced today, the Photo Video Bundle brings together PaintShop Pro 2018 and VideoStudio Pro X10 for a complete photo, design, and video editing package. PaintShop Pro 2018 & PaintShop Pro 2018 Ultimate are available now in English, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese. Suggested retail pricing (SRP) for PaintShop Pro 2018 is $79.99 / €69.99 / £69.99 / $99 AUD. SRP for PaintShop Pro 2018 Ultimate is $99.99 / €89.99 / £89.99/ $129 AUD. SRP for PaintShop Pro 2018 and Video Studio X10 bundle is $159.99 / €139.99 / £139.99/ $199 AUD.

Ricoh today announced the upcoming release of a limited-edition 360-degree camera  called the Ricoh Theta SC Type HATSUNE MIKU. Based on the Ricoh Theta SC, this limited-edition collaboration model features an official Hatsune Miku illustration specially drawn by the illustrator KEI on a turquoise body, the theme colour for Miku. The shutter sound has also been modified, to replicate that of a traditional camera. Images shot in 360° can also be imported into the dedicated image editing application “Ricoh Theta Type HATSUNE MIKU” so that Miku can be part of your shot. In addition, this product includes a “dog tag key holder” printed with a serial number (on the first 3,939 units) and an exclusive colour ABITAX case in a presentation box. The dog tag key holder and presentation box feature an illustration by fuzichoco, exclusive to this limited-edition package. Priced at  £269.99, the camera will be available from the end of September.

Cascable, an iOS-based remote control app that works with a number of Wi-Fi capable cameras, has just been updated to version 3.0. This update includes support for nearly 50 new camera models from Fujifilm and Panasonic on top of the Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus models already available. In addition, Cascable now contains a set of geotagging tools which enable photographs to be geotagged without a GPS-enabled camera, alongside numerous optimisations and workflow improvements. The app is available from the iOS App Store. Cascable's Pro features come with a free trial when subscribing from $2 per month, or can be unlocked with a one-time $29.99 purchase.

Hireacamera.com has announced that from now onwards, all camera loans of 4 days or more will benefit from savings of up to 30%, as compared to daily hire prices before July 2017. "Instead of hiring on a job by job basis, it’s now more cost effective to hire for longer, bridging the gap between jobs and giving you the opportunity to use a camera more and get the absolute maximum value out of every hire," the company says. "We have reached a level where we are now able to pass on extra cost-savings to our customers and offer them some of the most competitive rates in the camera hire market."

Miggo has announced the expansion of its AGUA line of storm-proof camera bags. The three new bags announced today – the Versa ($169), Sling ($139) and Drone Lander ($129) - are designed for holding everyday gear and provide support for DSLR cameras and the popular Mavic and Spark drones. The company has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the commercialisation of the new bags, which are IPX3-standard storm-proof and carefully designed from durable tarpaulin with an impressive and unique matte finish. "This is miggo’s fourth crowdfunding campaign,” said Guy Sprukt, Marketing Manager and miggo co-founder. “The crowdfunding arena is the place where we bring products to life and is also a way for a young brand like ours to gather real feedback from consumers and implement changes before the final product is brought to market. The new bags we’re announcing today are backed by significant R&D offer a completely different approach to carrying photographic gear and drones."

Hasselblad have posted a firmware update for their X1D-50c medium-format compact system camera. Version 1.17.0 adds a visual overexposure warning, an overlay for the spot metering area, a grid overlay and a clickable White Balance icon in Video Live View and recording; and fixes bugs. The firmware upgrade can be accessed via the website below.

Website: Hasselblad Support