Manfrotto have launched Version 2.1 of the Manfrotto Digital Director app, new Digital Director models compatible with iPad Pro 12,9“ and iPad mini 4, and a range of new accessories. Digital Director is the only Apple certified (MFi – Made for iPad) electronic device that connects your camera (select Canon and Nikon DSLRs) and iPad allowing you to shoot, check, edit, share and manage your pictures. The new Digital Director App V. 2.1 adds an intervalometer and time-lapse controls, bracketing, DoF preview, a simplified workflow, automated playback, the ability to download raw images for sharing via Wi-Fi web server, e-mail and FTP, and more. THe company has also launched a new semi- rigid case designed to organise and carry Digital Director for iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2; a Sunhood for iPad mini 4, mini 3 and mini 2; plus a number of frame inserts for the iPad Air, Air 2, mini 2, 3 and 4, and iPad Pro 12.9”.

The exhibition 'Exile,' at Visa Pour L’Image Perpignan (29 August - 2 September 2016), will bring together work of 22 Magnum Photographers to present a visual representation of nearly 70 years of international migration and displacement. Providing a historic context to the current migration crisis in Europe, Exile will include images of civilians returning home following World War II by Robert Capa; Philip Jones Griffiths’ Vietnamese woman fleeing a US bomb attack; and John Vink’s documentation of the displaced in South Sudan. Presenting coverage of conflicts ranging from the Six Day War, Iraq, Rwanda and the Arab Spring the exhibition also includes work by Abbas, Bruno Barbey, Chris Steele-Perkins, Thomas Dworzak, Alex Majoli, Susan Meiselas, Paulo Pellegrin and Jerome Sessini amongst others. Alongside the exhibition, Magnum Photos and Canon are organising First Impressions, a free 5-day portfolio review event at Visa Pour L’Image for photographers wishing to gain an insightful and honest critique of their work.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a new phablet with a 5.7" Quad HD Dual Edge Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 5, USB-C connectivity and a water-resistant chassis. In terms of photography-related features, the new Galaxy Note 7 gets the 1/2.5"-type 12-megapixel image sensor and bright f/1.7 lens of the Galaxy S7, combined with on-chip PDAF technology for fast and accurate focusing. There's also a front-facing camera with a 5-megapixel imager, a microSD memory card slot, a water-resistant S Pen stylus and an intriguing iris scanner. Additionally, the Galaxy Note7 can be used with the new high-resolution (3840×1920) Gear 360 camera, to capture, edit and share 360-degree images and videos on the go. These memories can then be shared with friends via platforms including YouTube 360 and Facebook.

The Priolite Ultra is the World’s smallest Li-ion battery powered, metal-body, metal-hardware, and metal-mount monolight for high-speed flash photography. The new flash enables Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and Sony photographers to synchronise their cameras with the help of the Priolite HotSync System at up to 1/8000th of a second; allowing them to shoot with wide-open apertures in sunlit environments, freezing motion of fast moving subjects. Unlike other solutions, the Priolite HotSync System works over the entire power range of the strobe. “Priolite offers the only solution for High-Speed Flash photography with up to 1000Ws per light, and is the only professional lighting manufacturer with HotSync support for Pentax medium format cameras and DSLRs from Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Pentax, but when I first saw Priolite Ultra, I was very impressed,” says commercial photographer Alex Munoz. “The ridiculously small size enables me to take multiple lights, even if I have to hike, drive, or fly. What's even more impressive is how Priolite was able to retain the metal body, metal hardware, and metal mount, thus not compromising on durability and quality.” Interested reeaders are encouraged to pay a visit to the Priolite Ultra's Kickstarter page.

The Samyang 35mm T1.3 AS UMC CS is a new cine lens for compact system cameras with APS-C sensors. Like the also-new 35mm F1.2 ED AS UMC CS photography lens, the Samyang 35mm T1.3 AS UMC CS features 9 elements in 7 groups including 1 extra-low-dispersion and 2 aspherical glass elements plus an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades. Other features include quiet and smooth de-clicked focus and aperture gear rings. Additionally, the distance scale and T numbers are marked on both sides of the lens barrel for convenience when filming. Pricing and availablity to be confirmed.

The Samyang 35mm F1.2 ED AS UMC CS is a new standard prime for compact system cameras with APS-C sized sensors. The bright f/1.2 maximum aperture allows users to isolate their subject from the background and enables hand-held shooting in low-light conditions. Available in Canon M, Fujifilm X, Sony E and Micro Four Thirds fit, the manual-focus Samyang 35mm F1.2 ED AS UMC CS has 9 elements in 7 groups, including 2 aspherical lens elements and 1 ED element, plus an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded aperture blades. The lens boasts Samyang's Ultra-Multi-Coating to minimise flare and ghosting, and takes 62mm screw-on filters. Pricing and availability have yet to be communicated.

The Nikon Coolpix W100 is a new shock-, dust- and waterproof digital compact camera with a 13.2-megapixel CMOS sensor. Equipped with a 30-90mm (eq.) f/3.3-5.9 lens, the Nikon Coolpix W100 is shockproof to 1.8m, cold-resistant to -10°C and waterproof to a depth of 10m. Utilising Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology, the camera automatically transfers images to your smart device for easy storage and social sharing while on the go. Full HD movieswith stereo sound are recorded at the touch of a button, with Electronic VR keeping videos smooth and clear. The Nikon Coolpix W100 will become available on 8 September 2016, priced at £129.99 / €159.00.

Akvis have announced a major update of their most popular artistic plugins and standalone applications. The new versions - Akvis Sketch 18.0, OilPaint 5.0, AirBrush 4.0, Draw 4.0, Charcoal 2.0 and Points 2.0 - bring frames for artworks, new effect presets, an innovative user interface with support for Ultra HD displays, and a number of other changes. Customers who bought or upgraded their licenses during the last 12 months can update to the new versions for free.

Leica has announced Magnum photographer Ara Güler as recipient of the 2016 Leica Hall of Fame Award. Arguably Turkey’s most eminent photographer, Ara Güler is world famous for his incomparable black and white images of Istanbul and his work as a reporter and photojournalist covering political affairs around the globe. “In his own unique way, Ara Güler documented everyday life and captured moments of change, both big and small, in the only city in the world that sits astride two continents, and thus earned the nickname ‘The Eye of Istanbul’. The power of Ara Güler’s images of his city, and his photographs documenting important political events of recent history, clearly illustrate the decisive role he has played in the evolution of 20th century photography," says Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, chief representative Leica Galleries International. “We have therefore chosen to honour his notable and outstanding work as a photographer with the Leica Hall of Fame Award.” The Leica Hall of Fame Award will be presented to Ara Güler in Istanbul at the end of this year. Visitors to photokina 2016 will have the opportunity to view the exhibition celebrating the photographer and his work in the Leica Masters of Photography Gallery (Hall 1).

Ricoh have released "THETA+ Video" for Android, an Android version of the THETA + Video app for editing video captured with the Ricoh THETA 360° camera. This application makes it easy to edit and process 360° video captured with the Ricoh THETA S and RICOH THETA m15 and enables actions such as trimming, switching the view, changing colour tone, and inserting background music. Video can be cropped to the preferred angle then posted and shared on social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook. The "THETA+ Video" app is available as a free download from the Google Play Store.

Terence Donovan: Portraits is a new title from Damiani - the first book dedicated to the portraiture of legendary British photographer Terence Donovan. Along with his iconic portraits, this book features unseen work from Donovan’s archive, never previously published or exhibited. It also reproduces magazine spreads, contact sheets and pages from diaries -- rare ephemera that provide a unique insight into Donovan’s working practice. The 176-page hardcover is priced at €45 / $50.

Adobe have launched Lightroom for Apple TV. This release allows users to view and share all of their synced Lightroom photos - including images they have uploaded via Lightroom CC on their desktop, Lightroom on mobile, or Lightroom on the web. Lightroom for Apple TV requires an Apple TV 4th Gen as well as a Creative Cloud subscription to login. The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store on your Apple TV, and is available now.

Leica has announced that firmware update 2.1, along with Leica Image Shuttle 3.4 and the Leica Tethered Plug-in 1.1.0 for the Leica SL are now available to download. The Leica Image Shuttle 3.4 software improves workflow efficiency for tethered shooting with the Leica SL, and allows the camera to be controlled from a computer via USB. Additionally, the Leica Tethered Plug-in 1.1.0 establishes a direct connection between the Leica SL and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 / CC via USB cable. The shutter release can be activated from the plug-in and the images captured can be displayed immediately in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 / CC. Firmware Version 2.1 is required to take advantage of these software updates. Registered Leica SL owners can opt to download the new firmware and software from the Leica Owner’s Area, or take their camera to their nearest Leica Store or Leica Customer Care in the UK for a complimentary update service.

Nikon has announced that total production of Nikkor and 1 Nikkor lenses for interchangeable-lens cameras has reached one-hundred million in June 2016. As the 95 millionth interchangeable Nikkor lens was manufactured in July 2015, this means that Nikon produced no less than 5 million interchangeable lenses in less than a year. The company's line-up of Nikkor lenses currently consists of more than 90 different models, including primes covering ultra wide-angle to super-telephoto angles of view, fisheye lenses, zoom lenses, micro lenses, and PC-E lenses that support a wide variety of applications, as well as 1 Nikkor lenses for compact system cameras.

ADATA have unveiled the SE730, SC660, and SV620 external SSDs. From the USB Type-C SE730 with its IP68 dust- and waterproofing and 500MB/s read/write speeds to the cost-effective SC660 and SV620 (410MB/s), each offers at least four times the performance of an external mechanical drive while consuming far less power and operating in total silence. The SV620 and SE730 are available from early August and the SC660 will be available from later in the month. Prices start from £72.

360fly has announced the launch of its new 360fly 4K camera. Unveiled at CES, the 360fly 4K camera boasts a higher resolution than its predecessor, intuitive filming and editing advancements and live mobile streaming capabilities via the LIVIT mobile app. The new sensor quadruples the resolution of the first-generation 360fly camera, producing 2880x2880, 360-degree 4K video. Additionally, the 360fly4K camera will allow users to record in a 16:9 aspect ratio at 2560x1440 resolution with an angle of view of 178x100 degrees (204 diagonal). Other features include a 360° time-lapse mode, motion and audio detection mode and an Accelerometer Activated Record Mode. The device boasts 64GB of internal memory, a GPS module, plus Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The 360fly 4K camera is available immediately and has a suggested retail price of £599.99.

The Family Travel Show 2016 has just launched its Young Travel Photographers Competition. This photo contest has one simple aim - to celebrate the skill of young travel photographers as they capture their adventures while exploring the world with their families. There are two age categories, 11 & under and 12-17, and the winner of each category will win a £150 voucher for CEWE Photobook, a 40x60cm acrylic CEWE print of their winning image, a Canon EOS M10 camera and a Canon PIXMA iP8750 printer. The winning images and further selected images will also feature in the Young Travel Photographers Exhibition at the Family Travel Show, Olympia London on 1st October – 2nd October 2016. The deadline for entries is 14th September.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, on tour from the Natural History Museum in London, will open at the National Museum of Scotland on Friday 16 September 2016. Launching in 1965 and attracting 361 entries, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition receives almost 50,000 entries from 95 countries every year. The 100 award-winning images from the fifty-first competition have embarked on an international tour allowing them to be seen by millions of people across six continents. The National Museum of Scotland will be the only Scottish venue for the exhibition, which runs to19 February 2017. Admission is free.

XP Distribution has announced an update to the X-Rite i1Profiler software, which is featured in the i1 line-up including i1Display Pro, i1Basic Pro 2, and i1Photo Pro 2. The update adds calibration support for professional video colour workflows Rec. 2020 and DCIP3, expanding the range of broadcast video standards which the i1Profiler software already supports; NTSC, ITUR Rec.BT.709 and PAL SECAM.

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/1.4E ED is a new full-frame telephoto prime lens with a class-leading maximum aperture and electronic diaphragm control technology. The optical formula comprises14 elements in 9 groups, including three ED glass elements, and an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades. The lens also features Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat technology to significantly reduce instances of ghosting and flare. The AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED will be available in late August for a suggested retail price of £2,049.99 / €2,419.00 / $2,199.95.