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.

LockCircle have released a new camera cage for the Panasonic Lumix GH5 compact system camera. Dubbed the "Robot Skin GH5," this new camera cage a natural extension of the original camera design. Available from the middle of May, the new Robot Skin GH5 is CNC machined from aircraft grade aluminium and offers innovative SFA Straight Function Action with DTV Dials Total View design concept, Top Grip handle and Boombooster compatible accessories, MultiPort HDMI/USB/Audio port savers with connector locking, an adjustable Meta-Block mount for Metabones monolithic mounting, and much more.

Velapp is a new iOS app that allows you to edit your iPhone videos on the fly, taking advantage of Apple's 3D Touch technology.. While filming, users press on the screen to mark the moments they believe are the best. This assigns the frames a rating between 0-10. The harder the press, the higher the number assigned. Once they’ve finished recording, Velapp’s technology automatically pulls together the highest-rated scenes into edited footage and users can then choose how much of it to play back and export. Velapp is available in a free version, which creates watermarked videos each with a one-minute maximum, or a £1.99 paid-for version that removes the watermark and offers exports of any length.

Calumet Photographic has announced the first-ever National Photographic Survey in the UK. The questions have been carefully selected to address different areas of photography from video and drones, to mirrorless cameras and storage. Photographers who would like to be part of the first ever photographic survey on a national scale, can do so online via the Calumet website. Those who participate will also be automatically entered into a prize draw where a Fujifilm X-Pro2 is up for grabs, worth over £1,000.

Atomos have launched the new Ninja Inferno 4Kp60 10-bit ProRes recording and HDR monitor. Just as the original Atomos Ninja broke open DSLR filmmaking by giving the Canon 5DMKIII professional Apple ProRes recording and the original Atomos Shogun pioneered 4K with the Sony a7s and Panasonic GH4, the Ninja Inferno now arms the Panasonic GH5, with HDR Apple Pro-Res 10-bit 4:2:2 4Kp60 over HDMI 2.0 – a feat not possible internally on the camera itself. Apart from being an obvious companion for the new GH5, the Ninja Inferno is the world’s first HDMI monitor-recorder to accept 4K DCI signals from cameras like the Panasonic GH4 / DVX200 / HCX1000 / UX180 / HCX1, Sony FS7 / Z100 and the JVC LS300. Support for the 4096 DCI standard unlocks cinema recording from these 4K video & mirrorless DSLRs. The Ninja Inferno is shipping now for $995.

LaCie's new #PushPlay competition gives burgeoning film makers the opportunity to submit a short film with the ultimate prize of winning a £10,000 state-of-the-art production suite from LaCie and an in-depth two day mentor session with Michael Paleodimos, Cinematographer for the Oscar-winning short film Stutterer. In order to take part, participants will have to create a short film up to ten minutes long, to showcase a strong emotive performance, an exceptional plot, outstanding and imaginative skill in visual interpretation, all tied together by first rate technical effects – from lighting through to post-production. Emerging film makers will have until 17 April 2017 to submit their entries. The shortlist of the best films will be handpicked by industry experts based on those that deliver the most spellbinding, spectacular, clever and moving content. By putting a film forward, the competition entrants will have their films seen by not just industry experts, but they will also be available for the wider creative professional audience on the competition microsite.

Husband and wife team Anthony Epes and Diana Bird are marking the launch of their new book, East London at Dawn. "The project is inspired by many other books and projects Anthony has done on cities at sunrise, including a book on London at Dawn,  as well as Havana, Paris, Istanbul, Venice etc," Diana says. Anthony connects us to the atmosphere of sunrise in the city and takes us on a unique exploration of the places in East London that fascinate him. From the stark brutalist architecture of the Balfour Tower, to the misty banks of the Thames with Canary Wharf rising up in the background, to the vibrant edgy street art that appears and disappears at random, to the imprint of new communities, foods and cultures that make up this ever-changing part of London. Limited to 1,000 copies, the 80-page hardback will be available from 29th March, priced at £35.