Pixel.co.uk has launched its inaugural photography competition. Comprising five categories, the competition is open to registered users of the website. "We have a great prize lined up for the winner of each of the five categories, kindly donated by our overall Sponsor, Fujifilm UK," the company said in a statement. Fujifilm are going to be offering the winner of each category a 24”x 36” print of their winning image, made at one of London's most prestigious labs. We'll invite them to the lab for a tour and to see their own print being made. The print will then be presented to them along with their award at the Pixel Trade Awards ceremony in London on the 2nd December. Now open for entries, the first category is all about landscape photography. The submission deadline is 15th July.

Fujifilm have announced that two new colours will join the Mini 70 instant film camera range later this month. Compact, stylish and lightweight, the Mini 70 produces credit-card sized photos within seconds, providing snapshots of life that are instantly tangible. According to the company, the  new colours, Passion Red and Midnight Black give users even more options to "represent their personality and put the fun back into photography." The Mini 70 has a retail price of £99.99 including 10 shots of instax mini film.

Cokin and OmegaBrandess have announced their new Neutral Density (GND) filters. Dedicated to landscape photography, NUANCES Graduated Neutral Density filters allow a balanced brightness between two parts of an image by efficiently keeping details in overly-bright part of a scene. The transition between the dark and light areas is soft, making it easier to use in most situations. Designed to fit Cokin’s range of CREATIVE filter-holders, from M to XL sizes, the NUANCES GND filters can be combined with other filters from the CREATIVE Filter System range. L and XL sizes to begin shipping in late June with M sizes expected to hit the stores in late July.

Canon have launched four new large-format media options, including three media for the fine arts and photography market. The Photo Paper Pro Platinum  (300gsm), Photo Paper Pro Luster (260gsm), and Photo Paper Pro Premium Matte (210gsm) media, previously available in cut sheet for the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer users, are now available in 100-foot rolls for those images that were meant to be printed in large format. Leveraging the image performance of the newly developed LUCIA PRO pigment ink, these new media are great for customers with 12-channel models, including the new imagePROGRAF PRO-2000 and PRO-4000 (pictured) printers. These new media are now available for purchase through authorised Canon dealers.

Canon’s Destination Workshops bring users to some of the most beautiful and picturesque locations in the United States and provide an opportunity to learn more about photography with access to some of the manufacturer’s latest gear. Featuring small class sizes and the chance to develop your photography skills while shooting side-by-side with a professional photographer, these workshops inspire you to shoot pictures you’ll be proud to share, print, frame and hang on your wall. Click through / read on for the details.

Polka Galerie (12, rue Saint-Gilles, 75003 Paris, France) will be showcasing Sebastião Salgado’s photographs of the Tour de France over the month of July. Salgado accepted Liberation’s request to shoot the event in 1986, following each stage of this famous French event to photograph the racers and the audience alike. Sometimes he would go on site way before the race, just to “watch” people. In the end, Salgado was more interested in men on the sides of the road than in the great champions of the Tour. “His innocence made him capture things on camera that we simply did not see”, says Patrick Le Roux, a journalist for Liberation. Polka Galerie will showcase eighteen of Sebastião Salgado’s pictures from 2-30 July 2016.

ExpoImaging has today announced availability of the new Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Reflector - Super Soft Silver, Frank Doorhof edition. “We pride ourselves on our ability to create innovative lighting tools for photography professionals,” says Erik Sowder, ExpoImaging CEO. “When Frank [Doorhof] suggested we tailor the XL Pro, to help him get more creative with the Rogue kit, we jumped at the chance to help. Our custom Super Soft Silver fabric gives more light and contrast than white fabrics, with a softer and more even light than highly reflective shiny silver fabrics which are prone to producing hot spots.” The FlashBender 2 XL Pro Reflector - Super Soft Silver is priced at £52.99.

The Panasonic LEICA DG SUMMILUX 12mm F1.4 ASPH is a new ultra wide-angle lens with a fast maximum aperture of f/1.4. It also boasts 15 elements in 12 groups, including two aspherical lenses, two UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) lenses and an ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) lens, a rugged splash/dustproof design, an aperture ring for direct, intuitive aperture control, 9 aperture blades, and smooth, silent operation. The Panasonic LEICA DG SUMMILUX 12mm F1.4 ASPH lens is priced at £1199.99 in the UK.

ExoLens have announced three new accessory lenses for the Apple iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus smartphones. Leading the collection is the new ExoLens with Optics by Zeiss Mutar 0.6x Asph T* Wide-Angle lens. The lens is virtually distortion free thanks to its aspherical design, has exceptional edge-to-edge contrast and a picture quality unmatched by any other iPhone lens in the world. The wide-angle lens (18-mm equivalent) is ideal for landscape, architecture as well as creative shots with unusual perspectives. The Telephoto Mutar 2.0x Asph T* lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 56mm and an optical construction featuring 5 elements in 3 groups, while the Vario Proxar is a 40-80mm equivalent zoom lens designed for close-up photography. An optionally attachable and semi-transparent diffuser serves as a spacer, allowing light to shine evenly on the object and enables convenient focusing. ExoLens with Optics by ZEISS wide-angle lens kits are available today for $199.95 at Apple retail stores. A la carte macro and telephoto lenses will be available for purchase later this summer.

Muhammad Ali: Fighter's Heaven 1974 is a new title from Reel Art Press. On 11-12 August 1974, photographer Peter Angelo Simon was invited to experience the private world of Muhammad Ali as he prepared mentally and physically for the biggest challenge of his life - an attempt at regaining the world heavyweight boxing championship title that was stripped from him when he refused the Vietnam draft seven years earlier. This two-day photo-essay includes many previously unpublished photographs and a foreword by D.A. Pennebaker, the foremost chronicler of American counterculture in the 1960s. “I shot 33 rolls in the two days,” the photographer says. “Ali said nobody had ever taken so many pictures of him. I believe these photographs reveal aspects of Ali’s fascinating character not previously seen.” The 176-page hardback will be available from 23 August 2016 for $49.95.

Tether Tools' Aero LaunchPad is a stable portable and elevated platform designed for drone enthusiasts. Easily attaching to tripods and stands, the Aero LaunchPad is made of lightweight T6 Aerospace aluminium. On takeoff it gives drone pilots peace of mind that dirt and grass won’t be sucked into the motor bearings, protects rotors from hitting grass and pebbles, and keeps the camera lens clean. The Aero LaunchPad is available to purchase for $229.99.

The Jessops Training Academy has introduced its first ever ‘British Wildlife Experience’; a new one-day course designed to provide wildlife and photography enthusiasts with the opportunity to capture animals in their natural environments. “This new photography experience provides an amazing opportunity to encounter a variety of wild and beautiful creatures that are often too difficult to even catch a glimpse of in person, let alone by camera,” says Ian Savage, Head of the Jessops Training Academy. “Delegates will be able to enter into many of the animal enclosures and get closer than ever.” The British Wildlife Photography Experience will run at the Westcountry Wildlife Photography Centre in Devon. The centre homes a variety of species from the rare Muntjac Deer, to the European Otter and Beaver, Polecats, Scottish wild cats, Pine Martin, Edible Dormice and many more. Priced at £125, the new course will run on various dates throughout 2016 and 2017, starting 3 July 2016.

DNP today introduced its new DS-RX1HS dye-sublimation professional photo printer. Boasting increased print speeds, the DNP DS-RX1HS allows users to produce 4”x6” prints in 12.4 seconds or up to 290 4”x6” prints per hour. It offers print capacities of 700 4”x6” prints and 350 6”x8” prints, with the ability to print 2”x6” photo strips. The printer also includes improved operational support with the addition of USB iSerial for printing to multiple DS-RX1HS printers and a new Status App for Windows OS for real-time monitoring, including media type loaded, prints remaining, printer status, total print count, firmware version, serial number and colour control data. The printer requires the new RX1HS media for printing, as current-generation RX1 media is not compatible. The DS-RX1HS printer and media set will be available in North America from 20th June.

Alpine Labs have announced the upcoming launch of their "Pulse" camera release. Offering a pocket-sized solution to wireless control of DSLRs and CSCs, Pulse facilitates remote control from your mobile device using Bluetooth connectivity and a free mobile app. Unlike other remotes that utilise a camera’s trigger port, the USB connection allows Pulse to wirelessly control ISO, shutter speed, aperture, start / stop video, preview images on the screen of your device, and boasts an operational range of up to 100 ft. Expected to retail for $99, Pulse is currently available to preorder via the website below.

Opening on 17th June at Gallery 7 – Pie Factory, 7 Broad St, Margate CT9 1EW; River Stories, Unseen Landscapes is an exhibition by London-based artist Mandy Williams. Work on display will be taken from her Riverbed Stories photographs and video which document the riverbeds beside the industrial areas of Erith, South London and Dartford, Kent, and show the environmental damage to these places of natural beauty. Williams will also be showing for the first time some photographs from Unseen Landscapes, which use Google StreetView as a starting point to create somewhere otherworldly.

Due to celebrate its 100th anniversary in three years’ time, Olympus has announced two versions of its latest digital audio recorder, the LS Pocket, that can also be hooked up to your digital camera (including its own PEN and OM-D models) for more professional audio when shooting video. Photography Blog was at the London launch to get hands-on and trial the device…

XPD have announced a cashback scheme on purchases of the X­-Rite ColorMunki Display calibrator. Customers will be able to claim £25 back on purchases of the product made between 8th June and 1st September 2016 with a valid receipt and qualifying box sticker. Cashback claims can be made at the website below.