Leica have created a new Professional Business Unit, which has been designed to expand and combine integrated product solutions and innovative applications for professional photography and video production. From 1 September, Stephan Schulz (pictured) assumed the function of "Global Director Business Unit Professional" and is now responsible for the activities of this new unit, which combines marketing and sales activities in the business-to-business sector. This includes the Leica S medium-format system, the mirrorless Leica SL-System and the entire product portfolio of Sinar, a leading manufacturer of view cameras. In addition to this, the newly created business unit will also strengthen the strategic collaboration with Leica affiliate, CW Sonderoptic, which manufactures cine lenses for film and TV production that are marketed under the Leica brand name.

Within the next 18 months, Leica SL photographers can look forward to the expansion of the SL lens portfolio with the addition of an ultra-wide zoom and four prime lenses. The Leica Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. is scheduled to be available in January 2017 at a suggested retail price of £3,850 including VAT. This will be followed by the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 75mm f/2 ASPH. in Summer 2017. The Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f/2 ASPH. and the Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH. are scheduled for Autumn and Winter 2017 respectively, followed by the Leica Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH. in Spring 2018. Pricing will be announced nearer to each launch date. The Leica SL Handgrip is available now in the UK at a suggested retail price of £600 including VAT.

The PocketWizard FlexTT5 TTL Radio System is the first TTL radio system specifically for Panasonic ‘s mirrorless cameras. Panasonic photographers can now benefit from PocketWizard’s wireless transceiver radio technology for remote TTL flash and camera triggering. With the FlexTT5 for Panasonic, GH4 photographers can now trigger any number of remote flashes without line of site limitations. PocketWizard is also currently developing a remote camera cable which will allow Panasonic photographers to trigger a remote camera with their FlexTT5 or any other PocketWizard radio.  

The PocketWizard FlexTT5 Transceiver for Panasonic will be available at the end of October, 2016.  Photographers will have the option of purchasing individual radios or a set of two. The US MAP price of a single FlexTT5 for Panasonic radio will be $186.00 and a set of two radios which includes a PocketWizard G-Wiz Trunk bag will come in at $299.00 US MAP.

Hasselblad have announced that the Hasselblad X1D-50c camera is now shipping. The X1D is the World's first compact system camera with a medium-format sensor. In a tweet issued this morning, Hasselbald said "The first batch of #Hasselblad #X1D-50c has left our factory in Gothenburg, Sweden!".

Photokina 2016 is almost upon us, and Photography Blog has just arrived in Cologne, Germany to cover the biggest photography show on the planet.

Tomorrow is Press Day, with conferences from Panasonic, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm and Olympus running from 12.30 local time (CET) through to the early evening.

Then the show proper gets underway on Tuesday, with no less than 10 gigantic halls stuffed full of the latest and greatest photography gear.

So stay tuned to Photography Blog this week for all the news, previews and interviews that we can bring you!

The new BlackRapid Breathe range of camera straps that have been designed to deliver a higher level of comfort and performance. A new shoulder pad design allows for a better weight distribution and strap position across the body, and also features a removable underarm stabilising strap. The new shoulder pad also features an ‘airmesh’ grip layer, that fixes the strap’s position on the shoulder more firmly, and increased ventilation that means you can wear the strap for extended periods without compromising on comfort. BlackRapid Breathe camera straps are available from £40.

The Leica SL mirrorless camera has played an important role in NASA space mission. On 17 August 2016, a sounding rocket from the RockSat-X program launched from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (Virginia, USA) – also on board was a Leica SL camera. The task assigned to the camera was the documentation of the flight in Ultra High Definition (4K) video. The special control algorithms required for the Leica SL on its mission were programmed in collaboration between the students and Leica Camera AG.

Earning over $6.5M from more than 26,000 supporters in the company’s latest crowdfunding effort, Peak Design officially became the overall second most crowdfunded brand. Over the course of six years and six consecutive campaigns, Peak Design has collectively raised more than $13.7M via crowdfunding efforts. In 2015 Peak Design broke into the top 12 Kickstarter campaigns of all time with the unprecedented success of the Everyday Messenger Bag: a successful redefinition of the classic messenger bag guided by the company’s roots in photography. This summer, the company was back with a full line of packs that included two backpacks, a sling and a tote, under the expanded Everyday Bag Line.

ACDSee Ultimate 10 combines RAW and layered photo editing with powerful digital asset management in a single piece of software. ACDSee Ultimate 10 is now available via a lifetime license key for $150, or via an annual subscription starting at $69, which gives users access to regular updates and upgrades.

The Epson FastFoto FF-640 is the World’s fastest photo scanner to scan, restore, rrganize, and share printed photos. An innovative alternative to flatbed scanners and costly third-party scan services, FastFoto can scan photos as fast as one photo per second and easily restores faded photos to their original color to share with family and friends via the cloud and on social media. The Epson FastFoto FF-640 (MSRP $649.99) is now available.

The new Leica SOFORT instant camera combines the world of Leica inspiration, creativity and expertise with the fun and fascination of instant film photography, for the very first time. Different from other instant cameras in many ways, the inimitable, timeless style of the Leica SOFORT was created specially by the Leica design team in Germany, uniting the retro-modern magic of instant photography with the renowned quality and originality of the Leica brand. The Leica SOFORT instant camera in a choice of white, orange and mint is scheduled to be available from November 2016, at a suggested retail price of £215 including VAT / $299 in the US.

The ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 is a new portrait lens for Sony mirrorless full-frame cameras with E mount. The new Loxia 2.4/85 with its seven lens elements in seven groups has been designed for digital sensors and is based on an optimized ZEISS Sonnar design. The lens has a minimum object distance of 0.80 meters. The manual focus ring has a rotation angle of 220 degrees and enables the subtlest variations of focusing. The large aperture of f/2.4 combined with the high-quality optical design ensures an appealing bokeh. The electronic interface transfers lens data (EXIF) as well as focus movements. Global delivery of the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 will begin at the beginning of December 2016. The recommended retail sales price is 1,399 euros (including 19% VAT in Germany) or 1,399 US$.

The new Profoto D2 monolight can freeze action at up to 1/63,000 of a second, shoot bursts of 20 images per second and sync with camera shutter speeds as fast as 1/8,000 of a second. The Profoto  D2 brings pin sharp clarity with a flash duration of up to 1/63,000 of a second, which makes it faster than most high-end studio packs on the market. Better still, it offers super short flash duration across the full energy range. In terms of output, the D2 is available in 500Ws and 1000Ws versions. The Profoto D2 is released Sept 15, 2016. Both the 500Ws and 1000Ws versions are available in different kit configurations.

The new Canon EOS M5 compact system camera features a 24.2 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and Dual Pixel CMOS AF. The EOS M5 also has a DIGIC 7 processor, DSLR-level AF speed and accuracy, 9fps continuous shooting, and Full HD 60p movies. The EOS M5 body only will be available from end-November 2016 with an RRP of £1,049 / $979. The EOS M5 with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens will be available from end-November 2016 with an RRP of £1,149 / $1099. The EOS M5 with the new EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens will be available from mid-December 2016 with an RRP of £1,399 / $1479.

Also introduced today, the EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM is the ideal all-occasion lens for EOS M cameras, with a versatile 8.3x optical zoom and 4-stop Image Stabilizer for sharp, handheld shots. The EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens will be available from mid-December 2016 with an RRP of £429 / $499.

Canon has  launched the EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM with fast, whisper quiet Nano USM for wildlife and sports. Replacing the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, the sleek and compact EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM has an impressive 70-300mm focal range, helping you capture a variety of subjects from a distance, and whilst on-the-move, whether you’re looking to shoot sports, wildlife, action or movies. The EF 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS II USM will be available from November 2016 with an RRP of £499 / $549.

The Tether Tools Case Air Wireless Tethering System is an innovative camera controller that connects and transfers images instantly from a camera to a smartphone, tablet or computer. Case Air offers remote control of advanced camera settings including focus adjustments, exposure settings, bracketing, time-lapse, HDR, and more. View images on a larger screen to check critical focus and composition or use live-view or movie mode for real-time capture to share and collaborate as images are created. The complete system and accessories will be globally available through Tether Tools’ authorized resellers and at http://www.TetherTools.com in late October.

Formatt-Hitech have announced the Firecrest 100mm filter holder. It features new top and bottom covers to almost completely eliminate light leakage when shooting long exposure, with interchangeable end caps for use with 100x100 filters or 100x125/150mm graduated filters.