Fotodiox Pro have announced the FACTOR series of high-output, bi-colour LED light panels. Designed for spot illumination, studio-style shoots and area lighting, the series contains nine models in various sizes and shapes that are built to use an assortment of creative, series-specific modifiers for shaping and directing the FACTOR lights’ soft beams. “At the core of the new FACTOR series is our Factorsoft technology,” says Bohus Blahut, marketing director for Fotodiox Pro. “Factorsoft refers to our unique use of LED chips, which are set deep in the body of each FACTOR light and produce a soft, beautiful beam with no hot spots and a single, clean shadow. We’ve also built the lights to have fully adjustable color temperature – anywhere from 5600 Daylight to 3200 Tungsten – without sacrificing their fantastic output.”

Sigma today announced the availability and suggested retail price of the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens. Boasting an optical stabiliser, fast AF and a dust- and splash-proof construction, the 100-400mm F5-6.3 Contemporary also features Sigma’s unique macro function (with a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:3.8), and a push/pull zooming mechanism for ease of use. The all-new Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG HSM OS Contemporary lens supports Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts and works with Sigma’s MC-11 Sony E-mount converter. The Nikon variant features a brand new electromagnetic diaphragm. The SRP of the 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM will be £799.99 / $799.00 and will be available in April 2017.

B+W Filters have launched a range of new ND Square Filters and XS Pro Screw-in Filters. Guaranteeing excellent image quality due to the finely ground, polished special glass that is used as the base, the new ND filters do not have any adverse effects on a correspondingly high-quality lens, the company says. Resistant to scratches, they will last significantly longer than plastic filters. The new B+W Square Filters are priced at £129.95. B+W have also announced the launch of the XS Pro screw-in ND filters, entry-level Exacta filters and GoPro Filter Holder Sets.

AOC have announced the availability of the U3277PWQU Ultra HD monitor. Featuring a 31.5” VA panel with 3840x2160 pixels, the AOC U3277PWQU comes equipped with VGA, DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI-MHL and four USB ports, and offers both PiP (Picture-in-Picture) and a PbP (Picture-by-Picture) functionality. The display also comes with a 60 Hz refresh rate and a short response time. The AOC 32-inch 4K UHD Display has an MSRP of $699 and is now available on Amazon and B&H Photo Video for a special promotional price of $499.

Now in its fifth year, the ArtGemini Prize will open for entries on 3rd April 2017. Open to all photographers and painters form anywhere in the world, the ArtGemini Prize is described as "a celebration to promote international contemporary art for emerging and established artists." A cash fund of £5000 will be awarded to the winners in three categories, Photography, Painting & Sculpture and Public Choice. Do note that entry fees apply. The deadline for entries is 3rd July.

Samsung today announced a new Samsung Gear 360, a 4K resolution 360-degree camera offering enhanced features for producing high-quality content. When paired with the Gear 360 application, users can control the camera remotely as well as stitch, edit and share content on the go. Equipped with 8.4-megapixel image sensors, the Gear 360 can also capture 15-megapixel high resolution images. Whether creating a 360-degree video or still image, users can access various viewing modes, and editing tools to use on their own content. “As consumers turn more to video to share their experiences, we want to deliver accessible and innovative products to make digital content easier to create, share and stream. The Gear 360 is no exception,” said DJ Koh, president of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “The updated Gear 360 continues to expand the horizons of what consumers can experience and share.”

YI Technology have launched the YI 4K+, the first action camera to capture 4K video at 60 frames per second. Available now for $339.98, the YI 4K+ is the first camera to use an Ambarella H2 SoC offering a maximum bitrate of 120Mbps and a low power consumption enabling the YI 4K+ to maintain a battery life of approximately 71 minutes for 4K 60fps video mode. In addition, the 4K+ includes Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) support for 4K/30fps and high-quality outdoor audio. A future firmware update will offer live streaming, RAW image format, and voice command technology for hands-free control. The YI 4K+ is backwards compatible with all the YI 4K accessories.

Akvis have just released Refocus 7.0, an application designed to improve the sharpness of out of focus images and apply lens blur effects to your photos. This update adds two brand new modes - Motion Blur and Radial Blur - allowing you to create the natural-looking illusion of movement - either linear or radial. Additionally, Version 7.0 offers an enhanced Background Defocus effect and an array of new presets. Akvis Refocus sells for $39 (Home license) / $49 (Deluxe license) / $72 (Business license). One license key allows activating and using the software on two computers.

ExoLens today announced the retail availability of the ExoLens Case, which allows photographers to use their ExoLens PRO with Optics by ZEISS mobile photography lenses while protecting their devices from drops and scratches. “Many of our customers use our mobile accessories to shoot beautiful images in adventurous locations, where drops and scratches are common. The availability of our new ExoLens Case means they can enjoy professional-grade mobile lenses, without the risk of damaging their phone,” says John Fellowes, Chief Executive Officer of Fellowes Brands. “We believe that protecting our customer’s phones while they shoot will give them the freedom to capture even more exciting imagery.”  The ExoLens Case is available for $49.95 at Exolens.com and select camera specialty stores globally.

Hasselblad today announced that world-famous commercial photographer, blogger and former Hasselblad Ambassador Ming Thein has been appointed the company's Chief of Strategy. Based out of Kuala Lumpur, Ming specialises in representing the lifecycle of a company – from the people behind the creation to abstract beauty of the finished product – be it massive civil engineering projects, interiors or precision timepieces. In his new role as Chief of Strategy at Hasselblad, Ming will use his customer experience insights to influence the future product roadmap, while helping to strengthen Hasselblad’s market position and meet the needs of semi-professional and professional photographers.

Ten extraordinary photographs from across the globe are today revealed as the winners of the Open categories of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards. Winning photographers include  Tim Cornbill from the UK (Architecture), Jianguo Gong from China (Culture), Lise Johansson from Denmark (Enhanced), Camilo Diaz from Colombia (Motion), Hiroshi Tanita from Japan (Nature), Alexander Vinogradov and Sergey Dibtsev from Russia (Portraits and Still Life respectively), Constantinos Sofikitis from Greece (Street Photography), Ralph Graf from Germany (Travel) and Alessandra Meniconzi from Switzerland (Wildlife). Each winning photographer receives a Sony α7 II with lens kit and will now compete to win the coveted Sony World Photography Awards’ Open Photographer of the Year title, a trip to the winners' awards ceremony in London in April and $5,000 in cash prizes.

Alien Skin Software today announced the Advanced Layers Update for Exposure X2, their non-destructive raw photo editor. Free free for owners of Exposure X2, the Advanced Layers Update takes a bold step forward by adding advanced layering tools that enable stacking of effects for added creativity. Layers can be copied and pasted, turned on and off individually, applied to multiple images, and more. “Exposure now offers an advanced layering system that provides photographers with limitless stacking capabilities, so they can precisely blend multiple looks in their images,” said Alien Skin CEO Finley Lee. “And Exposure’s fast, catalog-free approach runs circles around traditional photo editors.” The Advanced Layers Update for Exposure X2 may be used as a standalone program or as a set of plug-ins to Photoshop and Lightroom.