The Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD lens (read review) has won the EISA Award for 'European DSLR Lens 2016-2017.' Introduced in February, the Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD is the World's first image-stabilised 85mm f/1.8 lens for SLR cameras. Using LD (Low Dispersion) and XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) glass elements, the award-winning lens is constructed with Tamron’s new SP design, incorporating a new look and feel which includes larger and more tactile switches, together with Tamron’s Moisture-Resistant Construction. VC (Vibration Compensation) is also included in the lens design to help reduce camera shake making it easy to take handheld photographs in low light. USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) focusing is also a key part in delivering sharp and precise focus every time, with full-time manual override for extra creative control.

The Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art lens (see our full-resolution sample images) has won the “EISA EUROPEAN DSLR ZOOM LENS 2016-2017” Award. Equivalent to a 75-150mm lens in 35mm terms, the Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM features an internal zoom mechanism and an aperture diaphragm with nine rounded blades. Weighing in at 1,490 grams; the Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM has an optical construction comprising 21 lens elements in 15 groups and a minimum focus distance of 95cm. The lens is available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma fit.

The Teds, a series of photographs by Chris Steele-Perkins, will be exhibited in the UK for the first time in nearly 40 years at Magnum Print Room, London, from 21 September – 28 October 2016. Iconic vintage prints from Steele-Perkins’ series documenting the uniquely British youth culture of the Teds will be shown alongside eight previously unseen photographs from his archive, and a platinum print of the cover image from his landmark book, The Teds, first published in 1979. The exhibition will coincide with the launch of a new, re-designed version of this book by Dewi Lewis (£25).

Fotospeed have announced Foto Fest 2016, a free festival taking place on 3-4 September 2016 at The Pound Art Centre, Corsham, Wiltshire. Billed as "a celebration of photography and printing," Foto Fest 2016 features events for photographers of all backgrounds and interests. Entry to Foto Fest 2016 is free but for an additional £25 for a single day, or £45 for the weekend, you will be given entry to Fotospeed Presents – an opportunity to hear the event’s guests talk further about their work, covering everything from wildlife and sports, fine art nudes, to panoramic and street photography. Photographers speaking at Fotospeed Presents include Mike Birbeck, Andy Beel and Bob Ryan, Colin Westgate, Chrissie Westgate, Tom Mason, Anne Sutcliffe, Derek Doar, Tony Dudley and Joe Cornish.

XP Distribution, the specialist distributor for X-Rite’s range of colour management products aimed at photographers and filmmakers, has announced its attendance at Photokina 2016. X-Rite will return to Hall 4.1, Stand J029 from 20th to 25th September, to demonstrate solutions for achieving accurate colour in both photo and filmmaking workflows. The company's experts will be on hand throughout the event to offer visitors colour workflow advice on everything from capturing to viewing colour, all the way through edit and print. In addition, X-Rite will be showcasing their full range of colour management products including ColorChecker Passport Photo, ColorChecker Classic and ColorChecker Video; ColorMunki Photo, ColorMunki Smile and ColorMunki Display, as well as i1Display Pro. As part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the ColorChecker Classic, visitors to the X-Rite stand can enter a giveaway to win a five-day, all-inclusive workshop with Frank Doorhof in the Netherlands, worth approximately £5,000.

Cascable, an iOS-based remote control app that works with a number of Wi-FI capable cameras, has just been updated to version 2.0. Now supporting 50 models of camera from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus, Cascable enablesfull remote control as well as copying and exporting full resolution photos, including raw files. The basic edition of Cascable 2.0 is available for free from the iTunes App Store, with Pro feature packs being available at $9.99 each.

“All that Life can Afford” is a new solo show featuring the photography of street photographer Matt Stuart. Hosted by East London's theprintspace gallery, the free-to-attend “All that Life can Afford” exhibition features images selected from Stuart’s extensive archive of photos, captured during the 20 years he’s been shooting in the genre. His pictures are full of clever juxtapositions of comedy, wit, and masterfully timed moments, cutting through the urban noise, ebbs and flows of human traffic to reveal witty, tender, magical moments which are gone as quickly as they appeared. The exhibition, which runs from 19th – 26th August, is accompanied by Matt’s first book : All That Life Can Afford (£30), published February 2016 by the Plague Press.

Calumet have announced their second Student Photographer of the Year competition to celebrate World Photo Day, which takes place on 19th August. All UK students are invited to submit a single photo of their best work along with up to 20 words explaining their chosen image. People who join Calumet’s Student Membership can submit an additional two images to the competition, with the scheme costing £25 and members receive free gifts worth over £150. Images need to be no larger than 2MB. The overall winner will be presented with their award at Calumet’s ‘Encounter More Open Days’ taking place in October and November across the company’s eight stores. The closing day for entries is 14 October 2016.

The O2 is inviting budding photographers to enter a competition for the chance to be an official photographer for an upcoming event at the venue. To get involved, simply head over to The O2 to enjoy one of the many fun and unique things to do, take a picture of your experience and share it on Instagram using #SummerOfFun and @theO2london. The deadline for entries is 22 August 2016. The prize will be a meal for four at one of the restaurants at The O2 to the value of £100 and a climb Up at The O2 for four people.

Macphun have revealed a sneak peek at Aurora HDR 2017, which introduces a number of new tools and improvements including batch processing, reworked Tone Mapping and Bracket Merging technologies, a Polarise Filter, plus new presets created by HDR professionals. Additionally, the rendering of raw files will now be much faster. Aurora 2017 will officially launch on 29th September, and will be available for pre-order from 14th September.

Panasonic have announced that their Lumix GX80 compact system camera will be used by official photographer, Warren Little, to capture images at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Having worked for Getty Images for 18 years, Warren is now covering the games with the GX80 and a selection of Lumix G lenses suitable for capturing a wide range of scenes. The camera features a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor, 5-axis Dual Image Stabilisation and Panasonic’s 4K Photo technology, which lets you take a complete 4K video of an event and then select a single still frame from the footage. Images taken by Warren using the GX80 will be showcased on Panasonic’s social media platforms and across Panasonic’s website

Samyang have just introduced a new ultra-bright, ultra-wide manual-focus prime lens for full frame DSLR cameras. Featuring an optical construction comprising 13 elements in 12 groups - including 3 extra-low-dispersion and 2 aspherical glass elements - and an iris diaphragm with 7 rounded blades, the Samyang 20mm F1.8 ED AS UMC offers an angle of view of 94.8° and a close-focus point of 20cm/8". The lens will be available in Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony Alpha, Canon M, Fujifilm X, Samsung NX, Sony E, FourThirds and Micro FourThirds fit; at a recommended retail price of €499.00.

Hama have launched a three-in-one lens set for smartphones and tablets. The Hama Uni set comprises a 180° fisheye lens, a 0.67X wide-angle lens and a macro lens. Thanks to the universal lens clip, the lenses fit all smartphones and tablets with a lens diameter of up to 13 mm. The new three-in-one set is available for €12.99.

Sony have issued a firmware update for the Sony A6300 compact system camera. According to the company, Version 1.10 "improves stability in picture shooting mode by optimizing temperature control" - i.e. addresses the camera's widely reported overheating issue - and improves overall operational stability. You can download the firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Sony eSupport

Canon’s team of over 70technicians and support staff will be in Brazil for nearly a month to support professional photographers and broadcasters covering the Summer Olympics. “Canon is proud to offer professional photographers and broadcasters high quality image-making solutions that are thoughtfully designed and versatile so that they can capture sharp, clear, detailed images and video,” said Elizabeth Pratt, director, Professional Client Development and Support, Canon U.S.A. “Knowing that iconic images will be captured, seen and shared by people around the world really drives Canon to provide professionals with not only high quality equipment but the customer support they need to help ensure they never miss a beat if anything happens to their equipment.”

Manfrotto has announced the addition of four new camcorder cases to its Pro Light Collection. This new Manfrotto bag range fits all the most popular camcorder models on the market. The special shaped foam contained in the internal Manfrotto Camera Protection System (CPS) safeguards the equipment stored inside the bag. It closely surrounds the camera, lenses and accessories, providing softer cushioning that also functions as strong storage protection. The Manfrotto Flexi divider enables users to make the most of the space available inside the bag and create multiple configurations according to the specific camera and accessories they are using. Prices for the new Manfrotto Pro Light camcorder cases start from £119.95.

The Laowa 12mm f/2.8 from Venus Optics is now available via Kickstarter. Billed as, the "World’s Widest f/2.8 Lens with Close-to-Zero Distortion," the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 lens comprises 16 elements in 10 groups, including 2 aspherical elements and 3 elements made of glass with anomalous dispersion. This manual focus lens offers a field of view of 122°, 7 aperture blades, minimum focusing distance of 18cm, and an aperture range of f/2.8 - f/22. The recommended retail price is $949.00. Along with the new Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Lens, Venus Optics also announces the Laowa Magic Shift Converter which is able to enlarge the full frame image circle to provide a sufficiently large image field for shift movements. It will transform the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 lens into a 17mm f/4 Shift Lens with +/- 10mm shift capability for Full-Frame E-mount cameras.