The Zeiss Batis 2.8/18 is a new full-frame UWA lens for Sony E-mount cameras. Featuring eleven elements in ten groups, the new lens offers a diagonal angle of view of 99° and a close-focus point of 9.8". Four of the lens elements are aspheric on both sides and seven are made from special types of glass. Weighing in at 330 grams, the Zeiss Batis 2.8/18 has an innovative OLED display showing the current focus distance and depth of field. The lens will be available from May at an SRP of $1,499 + VAT.

Manfrotto have announced their new Off Road Stunt Bag Collection. Dedicated to action camera lovers, the range includes several new products that securely organise action photo-videography equipment: the Manfrotto Off Road Stunt Backpack (available black and grey/red), the Manfrotto Off Road Stunt Case (available in Small and Medium) and the Manfrotto Off Road Stunt Roll Organizer. Prices start from £34.95 for the Stunt Case, £34.95 for the Stunt Roll Organizer and £119.95 for the Off Road Stunt Backpack.

Tenba today announced a sneak peek of the new Cineluxe video camera bag collection at the upcoming NAB Show. The first to bring the “doctor bag” style opening to backpacks and rolling cases, Tenba’s new collection features novel "Flex-Core" dividers, a waterproof “Body Armor” bottom panel, and a selection of protective padded wraps and pouches that allow sensitive equipment to be safely stored alongside larger cameras and rigs. Each bag includes a WeatherWrap rain cover and trolley straps to piggyback onto larger rolling cases. Cineluxe bags will be available in July.

The Blackmagic Industrial Design Team, led by Simon Kidd from Australia, has been named the Red Dot Design Team of the Year. Dynamically emerging from a tech start-up to become a global industry leader, Blackmagic Design's cameras and software have been used in many acclaimed Hollywood films including The Martian, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furious 7 and Avatar. “Simon Kidd’s team has developed a reputation for combining user-centred design with highly innovative engineering to consistently deliver products that not only challenge, but change markets,” said Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, founder and president of the Red Dot Award. “Their strong product language is backed by a deep-rooted design philosophy that is focused on use and function in an uncompromising way. That makes Blackmagic Design the deserved recipient of the highest Red Dot title in 2016.”

Aimed at both hobby and pro photographers and videographers in the UK, Lens Lab is primarily an equipment hire business - with a twist. Photographers can hire equipment for 1 day or 1 year to complete a paid photography assignment or just to have some fun. The twist is that the company also offers events such as meet-ups, photo walks and equipment tryout opportunities. Additionally, photographers can sell their gear or lend their gear out through the website. As part of their launch programme, Lens Lab is running a competition to give away £2000 of equipment.

Benro have added two new tripod kits to their video lineup. The new Pro versions of the Benro BV4 (8.8 lb payload capacity) and BV6 kits (13.2 lb payload capacity) incorporate the eighth generation two-stage aluminium tripod. This professional tripod is a double tandem leg design that uses an adjustable, removable spreader, a metal 75mm bowl, oversized quick positive leg locks and dual spike feet with pads, making this kit perfect for heavy loads and rigged cameras. Both kits are designed for more demanding filmmakers and videographers - allowing for precise control over the counterbalance, pan drag and tilt drag. Both sizes will be on hand for live demonstrations at NAB this week (Central Hall Booth #C1307).

Intro 2020 has been appointed the sole UK distributor of Cullmann products. Cullmann tripods include a range of flexipods available in three sizes and three colours, plus mini tripods, full size tripods and the top of the range Titan 935 tripod, a large photo/video tripod that supports 21kg of equipment. Tripod prices start from £13.99 and rise to £399.00 for the Titan 935 model. The Cullmann bag range includes the Sydney PRO Action zoomster, the Ultralight Sport and Lima backpacks and two more traditional camera bags – the Ultralight PRO Maxima 120 and 300. There are also two messenger-style Madrid bags and the new Sydney Maxima 425+ Pro bag. Cullman bags start from £35.99.

The new Lytro Cinema is billed as the World’s first Light Field solution for film and television. With Lytro Cinema, every frame of a live action scene becomes a 3D model: every pixel has colour and directional and depth properties bringing the control and creative flexibility of computer-generated visual effects to real world capture. The system opens up new creative avenues for the integration of live action footage and visual effects with capabilities like Light Field Camera Tracking and Lytro Depth Screen -- the ability to accurately key green screens for every object and space in the scene without the need for a green screen. Lytro Cinema comprises a camera, server array for storage and processing, which can also be done in the cloud, and software to edit Light Field data. The entire system integrates into existing production and post-production workflows, working in tandem with popular industry standard tools. The system is capable of recording 755 raw megapixels at up to 300fps and offers up to 16 stops of dynamic range. Lytro Cinema will be available for production in Q3 2016 to exclusive partners on a subscription basis.

Lensbaby today announced the availability of their new Twist 60 lens. This metal-bodied 60mm f/2.5 lens with gold anodised accents creates powerful portraits, spotlighting subjects by freeing them from their background and surrounding them with swirly blur and enhanced vignette. The brighter the aperture, the greater the swirl and the greater the vignette. The optical formula comprises 4 elements in 3 groups and a 12-bladed iris diaphragm that can be stopped down all the way to f22. The Twist 60 lens retails for $279.95 and is available via pre-order beginning today. Shipments commence on 5th May. A Twist 60 Optic ($179.95) will also be sold separately for use with other Lensbaby Optic Swap System-compatible lenses.

Leica have released a new firmware update for the Leica S (Typ 007) medium-format DSLR camera. Version 3.0.0.0 adds automatic lens update, whereby lenses with older firmware will now be automatically recognised and updated. Further optimisations include customisability of the Live View button, as well as the shutter release, which can now be programmed for AE lock. Also new with this firmware are improved symbols for camera settings. Registered Leica S customers in the UK can log in to the Leica owners’ area and download the firmware or take their camera to a Leica Store or Leica Customer Care for a complimentary update service.

Photography Blog attended yesterday’s European launch of the new Hasselblad H6D medium format camera in London, upgrading the previous H4 and H5 models, and got to spend some time with, and take some exclusive hands on photos of, both the 50MP and 100MP versions – outwardly identical apart from their model numbers, but inwardly quite different.

Introducing the new digital medium format camera in its two iterations – the company’s first launch this year – Hasselblad’s CEO Perry Oosting told those in attendance that this was “a completely new electronic platform. We started from scratch and are very proud to launch our first product of 2016.”

Intro 2020 has been appointed sole UK distributor of Beastgrip Pro, the World's first universal lens adapter and camera rig system for smartphones. Featuring an adjustable lens mount with spring loaded clamps, the Beastgrip Pro is a modular rig system with a removable lens mount assembly and handle. It comes with industry-standard photography mounts and an ergonomic grip, allowing users to attach all kinds of photography gear and take a better shot. There are 3 kits in the product range, including the basic Beastgrip Pro Rig (£139.99), the Beastgrip Pro Rig plus Wide Angle Lens (£169.99) and the Beastgrip Pro Rig plus Wide Angle and Fish-eye lenses (£199.99).

The Metz mecablitz 26 AF-2 is a new flash with a guide number of 26 (in metres at ISO 100/21°). Features include a wide-angle diffuser (24mm), up to 85mm illumination with the included telephoto diffuser, a vertically tilting reflector for an indirect flash and an adjustable LED video light, which creates additional illumination when shooting video. Depending on the camera, the Metz 26 AF-2 also offers wireless TTL flash. To ensure that the unit is always up to date, firmware updates can be downloaded via USB. The flash will be available from the end of this month.

The British Journal of Photography (BJP) is inviting photographers to be a part of a nationwide public exhibition entitled Portrait of Britain. Visible on the nation's high streets, roadsides and in transport hubs across the length and breadth of the country throughout September 2016, the exhibition will be showcased on JCDecaux digital screens. Photographers may submit portraits of family, friends, themselves or simply people they find interesting. The photos must have been taken after 1 January 2010 and depict subjects living in the UK. Portraits can be shot using any camera model, film or digital, and images may be portrait, landscape or square in format. The submission deadline is 20 June 2016. The BJP will select 100 images for the exhibition.

Hasselblad have launched an all-new medium-format camera. Rather than an improvement on the existing H-series cameras, the H6D range has been completely rebuilt with new technical components and an all new electronic platform. The H6D range introduces the H6D-100c, a 100MP option (pictured), and the H6D-50c with a 50MP CMOS sensor. The new models feature a wider range of shutter speeds from 60 minutes to 1/2000th of a second, increased ISO range and a faster shooting rate along with a USB 3.0 Type-C connector. The high-definition rear touchscreen LCD delivers a pin-sharp live view experience and Wi-Fi as standard, a HDMI connector, for external monitor connectivity, completes the tool set. Built-in dual card slots allow enhanced media capability; a CFast slot allows for high-speed capture and an SD card slot enables maximum compatibility. Additionally, the H6D-100c brings 4K video capability to the medium-format world. The Hasselblad H6D-50c is priced at €22,900. The H6D-100c will be available for €28,900.

Epson. today introduced its next-generation Expression Home XP-430 Small-in-One ultra-compact printer. The new device supports Wi-Fi CERTIFIED and Wi-Fi Direct for printing without a router or wireless connection, and comes equipped with Epson Connect to print and scan from a tablet, smartphone or computer. The Expression XP-430 features a high-resolution 2.7" colour LCD screen and built-in memory card slots for easy PC-free photo printing, scanning and copying. The XP-430 Small-in-One is now available for $99.99.

Macphun Software have today launched a major update to Tonality, their award-winning black-and-white photo editor for Mac. Users will now have access to a free preset library, created by professional photographers from around the world. Additionally, Macphun have teamed up with 500px to allow users to easily export images directly from Tonality to the global online photography community. Raw image file support has been extended to include files generated by the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II, the Fujifilm FinePix HS50EXR 100, the the Leica Q (Typ 116), Leica SL (Typ 601) and Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246), the Nikon D300S, the Panasonic DMC-G7, the Sony A700, Sony RX100 III and the Sony RX10 II. To celebrate the update, Macphun are offering a 50% discount and a free batch processing in the MAS version of Tonality for one week only (7th14th April).

Ricoh have added a number of new, full-resolution sample images to their Pentax K-1 gallery. Originally comprising four photographs, the expanded gallery now contains 7+2 pictures including a demonstration of the camera's pixel-shift super-resolution and skin tone adjustment technologies, and a newly added image captured at a sensitivity setting of ISO 400/27°.

Website: Ricoh Imaging Japan

At the 2016 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Canon U.S.A. will showcase its full line of professional 4K and high-definition imaging equipment for video content creation and still photography at booth C4325. Additionally, there will be presentations and panel discussions throughout the show featuring Canon Explorers of Light, ASC members, and other emerging voices in imaging culture. A unique, immersive event, 8K Ride Experience showcases Canon’s innovation in current, emerging, and future technology by providing a simulated journey through a realistic, panoramic landscape powered by Canon 8K imaging technology. “The NAB show is Canon’s opportunity to show our valued customers and the industry our latest technology as well as the multitude of ways that Canon digital imaging solutions can help them achieve their vision,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A. “NAB is an amazing show for us to connect with professionals in all aspects of video creation, editing, and distribution.”

Huawei have launched the new P9 and P9 Plus smartphones with dual-camera modules featuring lenses designed in collaboration with Leica. One of these modules is a conventional 12-megapixel smartphone camera that takes 12-megapixel colour photos through a 27mm (eq.) f/2.2 lens, while the other boasts a 12-megapixel monochromatic sensor. Users may opt to use the two camera modules in tandem - in which case the device combines the two images to create one colour photograph with superior detail and low noise - or use the second camera on its own to take high-quality black-and-white photographs with no Bayer interpolation involved. The P9 supports auto focus based on three focusing technologies – laser, depth calculation and contrast detection – and automatically selects the one that yields the best result in any given environment. The Huawei P9 offers a 5.2" Ful HD display and comes with either 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (€599) or 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage capacity (€649). The Huawei P9 Plus (€749) has a larger frame with a 5.5-inch screen and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, plus dual-IC Rapid Charge.