Jessops Academy has introduced its first ever outdoors photography experience in Scotland. Under the guidance of a Jessops Academy tutor, participants will be supported with the expertise of a professional with a broad knolwedge of all cameras to take impressive landscape, wildife and macro images. Set at the field studies centre in Kindrogan, Blairgowrie, delegates will have special access to a carefully located nature hide for photographing red squirrels. Here students will have the chance to experiment in taking close-up and moving shots of the squirrels in their natural habitat. The course is aimed at students with a previous knowledge and experience of using exposure including Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. On the day, delegates will need to bring a camera, fully charged batteries (including spares), memory cards, lenses, and it is advisable to bring waterproof clothing and protective footwear. Click through / scroll down for the details.

Fujifilm today announced the upcoming release of new firmware updates for their X-Pro2 and X-T2 compact system cameras. X-T2 version 2.00 and X-Pro2 version 3.00 enable users to use the cameras' raw image file formats when shooting not only in AE Bracketing but also in other Bracketing modes (ISO, Dynamic Range, White Balance, Film Simulations) and also in Advanced Filter modes. Additionally, the updates add ISO125 and ISO160 to the list of extended ISO levels available, increase the maximum exposure time in T mode from 30 seconds to 15 minutes[!], add an AUTO option for the minimum shutter speed in the ISO Auto setting, enable the use of Phase Detection AF for faster performance in Face Detection AF, reduce focus hunting in AF-C mode, add a smaller Focus Point size in Single Point AF bringing the total number of available sizes to six, enable users to move the position of focus frame while enlarging it in Single-Point AF-S mode and during manual focusing, allow you to assign a specific name to Custom Settings 1 - 7, and much more. Click through / read on for the full list of improvements.

Fotospeed have announced their Photographer of the Year at The Photography Show (TPS) 2017. Alan Leightley has been chosen by the Fotospeed team as their Photographer of the Year. He submitted the winning image (reprinted above), which shows of the Milky Way over The Duke of Portland Boathouse, Ullswater, in the Lake District, to Fotospeed’s weekly #fsprintmonday Twitter competition in August last year. Leightley, who is based in Northumberland and is a self-employed joiner by trade, drove over 4 hours each way to capture the image after using a photography app to find out where the Milky Way was going to appear. He said, “I often go across that way and knew of the boathouse. I use Photographers Ephemeris, and so I knew that the Milky Way was going to line up with the boathouse.” As winner of the competition, Alan will be receiving a Canon A2 printer, £500 worth of Fotospeed inkjet paper, and a day of one-to-one bespoke tutoring with award-winning photographer and photography journalist, Doug Chinnery.

The overall winner of the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition has been revealed. Chosen from the category winners, Stian Nesoy, the Overall Winner, was announced live on stage at The Photography Show at the NEC, Birmingham on Saturday 18th March 2017. Stian’s photo of a windswept arctic scene (above) was taken Hardangervidda National Park, Norway, after days of frigid snowstorms. The photo also won the Light on the Land category.

Ammonite Press has released Outdoor Photographer of the Year: Portfolio II (£25), collecting over 160 of the best photos submitted to the competition.

Lexar today announced the Lexar JupDrive Tough, a high-performance USB 3.1 flash drive created to withstand life’s challenges. This stylish, lightweight drive is impact/pressure (up to 750 PSI), weather (-13°F to 300°F), and water (up to 98 feet) resistant. The drive comes equipped with EncryptStick Lite software, an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption that helps to securely protect files against corruption, loss and deletion. This tough USB 3.1 flash drive allows users to securely transfer photos, videos, and files with speeds up to 150MB/s read and 60MB/s write. The new Lexar JumpDrive Tough is available now at MSRPs of £21.99 (32GB), £36.99 (64GB), and £61.99 (128GB).

Akvis have introduced the beta version of their new AliveColors image editing application for Windows and Mac OS X. The software offers a variety of image editing tools and effects that lets users create new images from scratch or touch up existing ones. AliveColors allows you to manipulate pictures in a number of ways: it retouches and repairs photos, reduces digital noise, improves focus, applies blur effects, colourises black-and-white photos, corrects colour and tone, improves detail, performs all necessary prepress adjustments, creates HDR images, extracts complex objects, adds text, edits raw files, combines images into collages, applies a variety of unique effects etc. Along with the image enhancement features, the program provides users with an array of artistic brushes and easy-to-use shape tools. The fully functional beta version is available for download at the website below.

Zoner Photo Studio X has received its second major update in six months. Adding a new Filter Brush (for localised non-destructive edits), this update additionally offers an easier way to make complex selections. For travelling photographers, the Spring Update brings the opportunity to work with tracklogs so they can see photographs right along the route of their trip in the Map view. Auto-completion for photo titles, descriptions, and locations speeds up work for anyone who wants to have their photo collection well-organised. Batch edits to labels, ratings, and GPS data are now done in the background while you work. The program’s sharing options newly include the ability to share photos directly to an administered Facebook page, or in a message on Messenger. Zoner Photo Studio X is available as an annual subscription license at a price of $95.88.

Apple today updated its 9.7-inch iPad, boasting a brighter Retina display and improved performance. Featuring an Apple A9 chip with 64‑bit desktop-class architecture and a large screen with over 3.1 million pixels, the new iPad is somewhat thicker (7.5mm) and marginally heavier (469g) than the iPad Air 2 model it replaces. According to the company, the front- and back-facing cameras offer "exceptional low-light performance." The new iPad comes in silver, gold and space grey and starts at £339 for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and £469 for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version.

Apple today announced iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition in a vibrant red aluminium finish, in recognition of more than 10 years of partnership between Apple and (RED).
“Since we began working with (RED) 10 years ago, our customers have made a significant impact in fighting the spread of AIDS through the purchase of our products, from the original iPod nano (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition all the way to today’s lineup of Beats products and accessories for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The introduction of this special edition iPhone in a gorgeous red finish is our biggest (PRODUCT)RED offering to date in celebration of our partnership with (RED), and we can’t wait to get it into customers’ hands.” The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition will be available in 128GB and 256GB models starting at £699. Both special edition models will be available worldwide beginning Friday, March 24, and start shipping to customers by the end of March in the US and more than 40 countries and regions.

Want to see exactly what the new Pentax D FA 50mm f/1.4 prototype lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Pentax D FA 50mm f/1.4 prototype lens for Pentax's 35mm full-frame DSLRs (currently just the Pentax K-1).

Pentax are also showing a cut-away/exploded version of the new Pentax KP APS-C DSLR, which we reviewed last week.

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma 14mm, 135mm, 100-400mm and 24-70mm lenses look like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art , Sigma 135mm F1.8 DG HSM Art, Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG HSM OS Contemporary and Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG HSM OS Art lenses.

Canon are showing their new clothing collection at The Photography Show in Birmingham, UK. Available to buy now from the Canon UK store, the collection includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, a photographer-friendly rain jacket, with designs drawing inspiration from the original company name, Kwanon, which began in 1934. There are even some cute bibs for the little ones in your life...

Want to see exactly what the inside of the Panasonic GH5 camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the inside of the Panasonic GH5 camera.

Panasonic are showing a cut-away/exploded version of the new GH5 camera, which we will be reviewing very soon.

Want to see exactly what the new Kowa Micro Four Thirds Cine lenses look like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Kowa Prominar Micro Four Thirds Cine lenses

Want to see exactly what the new Laowa lenses look like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Laowa lenses, including the Laowa 15mm f/2 Sony FE, Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT and an intriguing 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x super macro lens.

Meyer-Optik has announced that its new lens, the Trioplan 35+, will be available in five different colours. Besides the traditional black, the Trioplan 35mm f/2.8 will also come in red, green, blue and Titanium -- but only in limited numbers as a special reward option on Kickstarter. “Photography is more than black and white and so these new lenses are more than that, too,” said Dr. Stefan Immes, CEO of Meyer-Optik-Görlitz. “The new colours are strictly limited in quantity and, therefore, a real collector’s item.”

Luxury bag maker Oberwerth is expanding its accessories range with the Donau lens case series. Hand-made in Germany, the Donau case is available in four different sizes, S, M, L and XL. Soft, smooth cowhide leather gives each case an unrivalled look and feel, and an ultra-delicate finish adds effective stain protection, preserving the shine of the leather and protecting its natural cell structure. Thoroughly lined with natural, non-pilling wool felt the cases offer reliable protection against dust and scratches. Pricing starts at $149.