Canon U.S.A. has just released its inaugural Photography Trends Study. This survey of 1004 adult U.S. consumers has revealed a surprising degree of self-confidence among amateur photographers, with 80% of respondents claiming to have "good-to-excellent" photography skills, and 62% boasting that their snapping skills have improved in the past two to five years. Food photography appears to be one of the favourite genres, with more than half of consumers taking food photos to show off a personal creation or new recipe. More than one in four respondents admit they share photos of food to brag and to give friends and family "FOMO" (Fear Of Missing Out). The survey has also revealed that more people take photos of their pets than of themselves, even as 57% confess to taking selfies on a regular basis. Less surprisingly, the majority (80%) are capturing photos during family gatherings and holidays. Interestingly, photos at the gym are only taken by 16% of U.S. consumers.

COOPH has added a new garment to its catalogue of specialist photography gear – the Field Jacket. Made from EtaProof, a 100% cotton fabric from Swiss weaving mill Stotz, the COOPH Field Jacket holds a variety of inner and outer pockets to stash photographic accessories and even has a quick access pocket to store a smartphone. Ulrich Grill, founder of COOPH and a professional photographer himself, said: “We are pretty stoked to add this all-year jacket to our growing range of photography apparel. The Field Jacket is hardwearing and feature-packed, but it doesn’t look like your typical photographer’s vest. That was planned. We partnered with the finest mill in Europe to help realize our idea – and I’m eager to see people wearing the jacket.” The COOPH Field Jacket is available for €398.

Fantasea Line has launched the new FG9X underwater housing for the Canon PowerShot G9 X camera. The housing provides full access to all camera buttons with clearly labeled controls and features a new touch-screen technology, providing access to essential contact points on the camera's touch-sensitive screen. Depth rated to 60 metres, the Fantasea FG9X offers a moisture detector, double O-ring protection and an M67 thread on its lens port. The Fantasea FG9X housing is now available for $400.

Corel have released AfterShot Pro 3, which adds an all-new highlight recovery algorithm, comprehensive watermarking, layer-based blemish correction, as well as dynamic update abilities. "Collectively, we’re now capturing trillions of photos each year. Photographers need a simpler and more agile way to manage and edit their photos," said Greg Wood, Senior Director of Photo Products at Corel. "AfterShot Pro 3 is a faster and more affordable solution for photographers looking for high-quality results. It doesn’t lock you into catalogues or a subscription and is focused on photographers' common need: great images in less time.” AfterShot Pro 3 is available now for Windows, Mac OS and Linux for £69.99/€89.99 and existing registered users can purchase for the upgrade price of £49.99/€69.99.

Issue 52 of David Noton’s Chasing the Light Online Magazine is now available. This month David Noton kicks off with a Field Trial to evaluate the new Canon EOS 1DX Mark II. David also starts a new series entitled Photo Essentials, which is designed to refresh our basic photo skills – the first instalment begins a detailed exploration of camera settings. He then starts a new occasional series Location Report, this time giving readers his thoughts on Iceland as a photo destination. In Hoddinott’s Hangout Ross Hoddinott rediscovers polarising filters, whilst for this month’s edition of the Pipeline, we join Ben Pipe on his recent visit to Seville where he shot the Semana Santa festivities.Do note that the full contents of Chasing the Light Online Magazine is available to full f11 subscribers only. However non-members can purchase individual issues of the magazine at a price of £4.20.

Canon U.S.A. is continuing its Rebel With A Cause campaign by launching a contest to find the next individual to "challenge the status quo in positive ways to further their passion, belief, or cause." Participants are encouraged to submit a photo or video essay to share what makes them a Rebel With A Cause. One Grand Prize Winner will be presented with the opportunity to have their cause brought to life with their own documentary production, similar to those of previous Rebels Nik Wallenda and Swizz Beatz. In addition, they will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T6i DSLR camera and lens package, $10,000 in cash prizes to support their cause, as well as press and media exposure. The deadline for entries is 17th June.

Samsung has unveiled its newest memory card globally – the EVO Plus 256GB microSD card. Offering the highest capacity for a microSD card in its class, the Samsung EVO Plus 256GB microSD memory card delivers fast speeds of up to 95MB/s and an expanded memory storage for use in premium smartphones and tablets, 360-degree video recorders, action cameras, and drones. Samsung will offer the EVO Plus 256GB microSD card with a limited 10-year warranty in more than 50 countries, including the USA, Europe, China, and other regions starting in June 2016.

Canon today announced the PowerShot SX620 HS, a compact superzoom camera with a 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and 25x optical zoom. Other highlights include Full HD movie capture with Dynamic Image Stabilisation, a range of creative effects and filters, as well as WiFi and NFC. For direct uploads and new ways of sharing, the PowerShot SX620 HS is also compatible with the Canon Connect Station CS100. The Canon PowerShot SX620 HS will be available from June with an RRP of £219.99/€299.99.

The Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM is the world’s first autofocus lens which is capable of focusing at both infinity and at 1.2x magnification. With a close-focus point of 13mm, the lens may cast its own shadow on the subject, but counters this with a built-in Macro Lite, which can be controlled by a switch letting you change the lighting intensity and direction on one or both sides. Giving you the flexibility to shoot handheld without camera shake, Canon’s optical Image Stabiliser also corrects angular camera shake, usually seen when shooting macro. For smooth movies, near silent focusing from the lens’s STM removes the worry of noise interruption as you shift focus. The Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM is available from June with an RRP of £289.99/€389.99.

Canon today announced two new accessories for the EOS system – the Speedlite 600EX II-RT flash (£549.99/€749.99, pictured) and the DM-E1 Directional Stereo Microphone (£279.99 / € 389.99). Firing up to 50% more flashes continuously compared with its predecessor, and a 100% increase when used with the new CP-E4N battery pack; the Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT has an improved heat measure technology which prevents overheating and allows longer bursts of flashes. A guide number of 60m at ISO 100 allows you to creatively light your subject over a wide range of distances and large areas, ideal for capturing the whole congregation at a wedding. Thanks to a wide lens coverage, from 20mm to 200mm, or to 14mm via the built-in adapter, photographers can easily control how light is spread across a subject. The radio control function provides further creative freedom. The DM-E1 is a compact stereo directional microphone featuring a classic shotgun design with three directional sound pick-up modes. Switching to the 90- and 120-degree modes provides stereo sound for sources that are spread over wider areas, such as an orchestra in a concert hall. Both new accessories will become available next month.

Now available to purchase, the Manfrotto Advanced Rear Backpack can be used as a camera backpack, a laptop backpack, or just as a protective camera case. Featuring the Manfrotto Protection System, the lower part of the bag is dedicated to holding photographic equipment, and will hold a professional SLR camera body with up to 3 lenses. The front pocket can store a 13” laptop, A4 documents, 10” tablet and small book and can be opened separately without affecting your camera equipment. The side pocket is suitable for a notebook and water bottle and the upper compartment can contain other documents and personal items. The camera compartment is completely removable, meaning the bag can be transformed into a spacious daypack. The Manfrotto Advanced Rear Backpack is available at £119.95.

COPTRZ is a brand new venture specialising in the sale and hire of drones. "COPTRZ are able to deliver a unique bespoke service: whether a production company needs to buy a drone, take training, or hire a commercial drone pilot - or all three! - we're able to help create a package that suits any budget," the company says. "UAVs such as the DJI Phantom 4 are not only affordable, but carry high definition cameras that rival any traditional stills or video equipment. Wide angles and panoramic views make for stunning landscape shots, and the possibilities available thanks to the versatility of drones is almost endless."

X-Rite Coloratti Kevin Mullins will host a free webinar guiding you through how you can create an Adobe Lightroom workflow which works for professionals. "If Lightroom is your chosen imaging application, having a robust workflow should be important, whoever you are," Kevin says. "This webinar will give you a thorough understanding of the application from importing, through to using smart collections to help editing, colour correction and monochrome work." Taking place on Thursday, 19th May from 5:30pm, the one-hour webinar is free to attend but advance registration is required.

Peak Design have unveiled The Everyday Messenger 13 camera bag. The new compact bag promises to deliver the same design and functionality as the original Everyday Messenger (renamed The Everyday Messenger 15), but scaled down to fit smaller loads (13-inch laptop, compact system camera kits) and smaller body frames. “The response to the original Everyday Messenger Bag was unprecedented,” commented Peak Design Founder and President Peter Dering, “To say fans loved it is an understatement. But we also knew that a smaller version would be well received by mirrorless camera enthusiasts and anyone of smaller stature. We’re very excited to offer a 13-inch version.”

Lomography have decided to make their Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens available for Pentax K-mount cameras. Funded through a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, the Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens has been designed by Lomography’s technicians based on an 1839 design – and condensed into a bold brass lens for modern analogue and digital cameras. Originally planned for release in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts only, the lens will now also be manufactured in Pentax fit.The Daguerreotype Achromat Lens works with a Waterhouse Aperture Plate system, which allows full creativity with a variety of depth-of-field and bokeh effects. The Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens is available through Kickstarter.

The Leica SL mirrorless camera system has been honoured as ‘Best Premium Camera’ in the 2016 TIPA Awards. Featuring a full-frame, 24-megapixel CMOS sensor and matching system components, ranging from lenses to an electronic viewfinder, the Leica SL can capture full-resolution stills at rates of up to 11fps and 4K video with a frame rate of 30 frames per second. The presentation of the 2016 TIPA Awards, now in their 26th year, will take place on 20 September during the Photokina exhibition in Cologne, Germany.