Canon has announced the winners of its New Cosmos of Photography 2016 competition. This year, the work of German photographer Benjamin Breitkopf was presented with an Honourable Mention Award. His entry is a visual essay looking at the political, historical and cultural situation surrounding the 2014 revolution in Ukraine. The judges were captivated with Breitkopf’s presentation approach, which utilises a three channel video installation that reflects the many layers and voices featured in his project. “We are delighted to see an increasing number of international photographers entering the New Cosmos of Photography competition,” commented Junko Kimura, General Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, Canon. “Every day, we are exposed to hundreds of images, and in this competition, we are pushing the boundaries of photography. It’s amazing to see the creative ways and unexpected points of view participants use to convey their ideas through imagery.” The 2016 New Cosmos of Photography Tokyo Exhibition, showcasing the prize-winning works of the contest, will be held from Saturday, October 29 to Sunday, November 20 at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum.

With the new Leica Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6, Leica is expanding the lens portfolio of its celebrated M rangefinder system with the modern reincarnation of a classic lens. First introduced as a screw-mount lens in 1955, the predecessor of this new lens is still one of the most compact wide-angle lenses in the Leica M-System and is famed for its characteristic visual signature. Its exceptionally short length of less than two centimetres makes it incredibly unobtrusive, and together with the inherent unassuming nature of a Leica M it is an ideal lens for street photography. The optical design of 6 elements in 4 groups, arranged symmetrically around the iris of the new Leica Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6, is identical to that of its ancestor. The combination of a large depth of field, natural contrast rendition, excellent resolution of details and a slight visible vignetting create a unique visual signature, and lend pictures a special classic look reminiscent of earlier days of film photography. Customers wishing to purchase a Leica Summaron-M 28 mm f/5.6 lens must place a pre-order with a Leica Store, Boutique or Dealer.

Akvis have announced the release of SmartMask 9.0 for Windows and Mac. This update adds a new Chroma Key mode that allows users to quickly and accurately remove a monochrome background, and a Custom Background mode that enables you to place your own background image behind the cut-out object. Additionally, the enhanced Refine Edges mode now preserves more fine details than ever before, whilst the Quick Selection tool has been improved to produce more precise selections. Version 9.0 is a free upgrade for everyone who bought the product in the last 12 months. The software runs on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10; and Mac OS X 10.7-10.12. The product is available as a standalone application and as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Corel PaintShop Pro.

The Bullitt Group, based in Reading, UK, has licensed use of the Kodak brand in production of its own smartphone: the 2016 Kodak Ektra Smartphone to be precise. This interesting and (arguably) brave development is said to take its name and inspiration from Eastman Kodak’s rich history and its original 1941 issue Kodak Ektra camera – as well as the classic advertising slogan ‘you press the button and we do the rest’. Photography Blog attended the official London launch of the Android Marshmallow powered device and was able to get hands on with an early sample.

The KODAK EKTRA is a new photography-led smartphone designed for those with a passion for photography, from enthusiasts to experts. At the heart of the KODAK EKTRA Smartphone is a 21-megapixel fast focus camera sensor with f2.0 aperture, and an industry leading 13-megapixel front-facing camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus PDAF and f2.2 aperture. The KODAK EKTRA Smartphone will be priced at £449 and available across Europe later this year.

The new PC Nikkor 19mm f/4E ED is Nikon's first FX-format tilt-shift lens to employ two perspective control rotation mechanisms. This means that the lens now allows independent rotation of the tilt and shift axes, which wasn't the case with the previous generation of Nikon Perspective Control lenses (see our review of the PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED lens, for example). With an angle of view of 97 degrees, the PC Nikkor 19mm f/4E ED is Nikon's widest PC lens to date; and offers up to +/-7.5° of tilt and +/-12mm of shift, plus up to 90° of rotation in either direction. Two aspherical lens elements greatly reduce coma, whilst three extra-low-dispersion glass elements minimise axial chromatic aberration. Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat virtually eliminates ghosting and flare throughout the frame, even in backlit situations. Weighing in at 885 grams, the Nikon PC Nikkor 19mm f/4E ED tilt-shift lens will be available from November, priced at £3,299.99/$3,399.95.

The AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a new professional telephoto zoom lens from Nikon. Offering improved AF tracking, exposure control and edge-to-edge performance, a new VR SPORT mode and configurable buttons on the barrel; the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is lighter and more portable than its predecessor. The new optical design includes an electromagnetically controlled diaphragm, six ED glass elements, a fluorite lens element, and a High Refractive Index (HRI) element. Nano Crystal Coat reduces ghosting and flare for greater image clarity, whilst colour fringing and distortion are controlled throughout the zoom range. The closest focus distance is now an impressive 1.1 m, and the maximum reproduction ratio has increased from 0.11x to 0.21x. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR will become available next month, priced at £2,649.99/$2,799.95.

Manfrotto have annouced the new Pro Light 3N1 Camera Backpack. This three-in-one carrying solution comes in two versions that can be carried in 3 different ways and holds 3 types of gear by configuring its flexible internal dividers: photo, video or drone equipment. This multi-purpose backpack is designed for professional gear, i.e. models like the Canon 1Dx mark II or Nikon D5, Canon EOS C100/300 and the DJI Phantom 4 or 3DR Solo. Both versions feature a padded device protection pocket (for a 10” tablet in the Manfrotto Pro Light  3N1-26, and a 15” laptop in the 3N1-36). The Pro Light 3N1-26 and 3N1-36 backpacks are available from £149.95.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony A6500 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony A6500 compact system camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V compact camera.