XP Distribution have announced that they will be debuting the new X-Rite ColorChecker Video Targets in the UK at this month’s BVE show at the ExCel London (23rd – 25th February). X-Rite’s ColorChecker Video Targets are available in two versions. The pocket-sized X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Video (£126) comes in a rugged hard case, and includes four different targets - a colour reference card, a white balance tool, a three-step greyscale target and a focus calibratio tool. The X-Rite ColorChecker Video (£110) offers a larger form factor and includes 2 series of greyscale patches, a range of skin tone patches, a series of saturated and desaturated chromatic colours, and a full-size white balance target on the reverse side.

The Photography Show today announced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, in partnership with Training byLUMIERE, for one emerging talent to be fast-tracked into a pro career in the photography industry, winning a package worth £15,000. The competition will seek to find one talented individual, who wants to make the transition to becoming a professional photographer, with access to advice, six months of training, a brand, website and essential kit plus a real understanding of what it will take to make it as a professional photographer. Entrants are asked to submit a 60 second video demonstrating why they think they should win. The first deadline is 1 March 2016, after which a shortlist will be announced, and the winner revealed on site at The Photography Show on Tuesday, 22nd March.

Techart has unveiled the World's first autofocus(!) adapter for Leica M lenses that allow them to be used on Sony E-mount cameras. The Techart PRO adapter is able to driving the manual Leica M lenses using z-shift technology making the Leica M bayonet capable of extending and retracting in order to acquire focus. The mechanism is similar to the Contax AX system where the flange distance is changed for autofocusing. The Techart PRO has electronic contacts to communicate with the Sony A7II and Sony A7RII and uses its PDAF system to measure focus. The built-in motor will then drive the bayonet forward or backward as needed. The Techart PRO supports both AF-S and AF-C modes and it can also serve as a close focusing adapter capable of reducing the minimal focusing distance of the lenses. The recommended retail price is $349.

The new Sony A6300 compact system camera can shoot at 11fps in the Hi+ option with continuous autofocus, or a slightly slower 8fps in the normal Hi option - the key difference is that shooting at 11fps causes the electronic viewfinder to black-out.

Here are a couple of video clips showing the A6300 in action on both settings until the camera's buffer is full (using the Fine JPEG setting).

Want to see exactly what the new Sony A6300 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony A6300 compact system camera, including an exploded view of the magnesium alloy body.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens, including a side-by-side comparison with the Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS lens and a sliced-through view of the interior.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS lens, including a side-by-side comparison with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS lens, the Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II A-mount lens, the new 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, and a sliced-through view of the interior.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM lens, including a side-by-side comparison with the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens and a sliced-through view of the interior.

Ricoh and Spinnable have entered into a strategic alliance. Spinnable, an immersive technology company for 360 social sharing, and the Ricoh Theta S (pictured) make it easy for anyone to create and share content in full 360 degrees, capturing what is going on all around them, not just what is in front of them. Spinnable users can use the Ricoh Theta S to capture and then directly upload images to the Spinnable app, which is currently available for iOS, and will soon be available for Android devices. Once in the app, the media can be moved with the swipe of a finger, or by panning, using the phone's gyroscope. The Ricoh Theta S camera can also be purchased through the app.

Panasonic UK is offering consumers up to £100/€140 cashback with the purchase of select Lumix G compact system cameras and Lumix compacts. These include the Panasonic GH4, GX8, G7 and GX7 (£100 cashback), the LX100, FZ100 and FZ330 (£50 cashback), the FZ200 and FZ72 (£30 cashback). The offer is available from 10th February - 30th March 2016 from participating retailers and is claimed via consumer redemption at Panasonic.

London-based Nikon-only store Grays of Westminster have published a superb 208-page full colour hardback volume to mark their 30th anniversary. Written by Gillian Greenwood, Grays of Westminster… Exclusively Nikon: The Legend and The Legacy chronicles the story of the world's only camera shop to have been granted a Coat of Arms by Her Majesty's College of Arms. The legendary shop, based in London, was founded 30 years ago by Gray Levett. Illustrated with over 180 images, many by master photographer Tony Hurst, the book includes contributions from major names in the world of photography and film production such as Heather Angel, Jim Brandenburg, Neil Lucas, Mike Maloney, OBE, Joe McNally, Tristan Oliver, Moose Peterson and Richard Young as well as celebrity customers such as Michael Bond (creator of Paddington Bear), Stanley Kubrick and David Suchet, each giving their impression of the shop and the level of service and help they have received over the years. There is also a chapter on the history of photography and the development of the Nikon brand, as well as a biographical profile of Gray Levett.

Redrock Micro today announced the new retroFlex-S, a unique retro-inspired handheld video rig for Sony Alpha A-5x000 cameras. The precision machined aluminium camera cage wraps the camera with protection while adding convenient attachment points for on-camera accessories including microphones, LED light panels, and recorders. The magnetically attached loupe features high-grade optics, while the handgrip’s integrated camera start/stop easily connects to the camera for convenient shooting. Pricing for the complete rig is $545 and is available immediately from the Redrock Micro store.

Photography Blog has teamed up with X-Rite to offer 3 entrants the chance to win a new i1Display Pro – professional calibrator (worth £207 incl. VAT) and Colour Management Pro eBook (worth £18 incl. VAT) by Ashley Karyl.

The 3 lucky winners are Mary O'Reilly, Dimitris Alexopoulos and Panos Str. Congratulations!

The X-Rite i1Display Pro is the ultimate solution for creative perfectionists that demand speed, options and flexibility to achieve colour accuracy.

Colour perfectionists know that a calibrated and profiled display is a critical element in an efficient digital workflow. Nobody wants to spend hours at their screen perfecting images or video only to find that their display wasn’t accurately representing their digital files. What you see on your monitor, mobile device or projector has to match your digital file or you will never be happy with the result, no matter how much time you devote to perfecting it.

The 600+ page Colour Management Pro eBook gives a great insight into just how easy colour management can be and covers a wide range of topics with useful tutorials, demo videos and expert insight that will also help you save time and money.

Ashley Karyl is a professional photographer who has worked internationally with some of the world’s most renowned brands such as Microsoft, Adidas, Colgate, and Marie Claire to name but a few.

How to enter the competition

To be in with a chance of winning one of the three X-Rite i1Display Pro’s with eBook, all you have to do is sign up to the Photography Blog newsletter by Monday 8th February 2016 using the form below.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Peter Marlow’s photographs depicting all 42 of the cathedrals of the Church of England are to be exhibited inside The Chapel of Christ the Servant at Coventry Cathedral. This is the first time that the Magnum photographer's work has been displayed in one of the spaces featured in the series, and the first time the project has been exhibited outside of London. Marlow developed the strategy of shooting a majority of the cathedrals from the same position: looking east towards the altar as the natural light of dawn broke through the main window. This viewpoint and lighting adds depth to the visual experience of the building, and the discipline of this strict approach allowed the power of the spaces to unfold in the dark. Each cathedral was shot on large format film, bringing into sharp relief the splendour of the architecture, regardless of the style. The exhibition opens on 29 April and runs through 5 September 2016.

Nikon UK today announced their speaker line-up at The Photography Show, an exhibition dedicated to photography and open to all, from 19th to 22nd March 2016 at the NEC in Birmingham. Central to the Nikon stand will be the Nikon School stage, where a host of prominent photographers will be giving talks, including Nikon UK Ambassadors, Kate Hopewell-Smith, David Yarrow, Bob Martin and Leon Neal. The stand will also play host to speakers including Game of Thrones stills photographer, Helen Sloan and wildlife photographer Richard Peters. Visitors to the Nikon booth will be able to get their hands on the recently launched D5 and D500 dSLRs, as well as a range of Nikkor lenses and Coolpix cameras.

Nikon Japan have announced that the launch of the Nikon D500 DX-format digital SLR camera has been postponed. Originally scheduled to be available in March, the camera and an assortment of accessories - including the WT-7 wireless transmitter, the MB-D17 Multi-Power Battery Pack, the CF-DC8 semi soft case and more - are now expected to hit the shelves in "late April."

Adobe has announced the addition of 100,000 native 4K video assets to Adobe Stock. Available for licensing on stock.adobe.com, these videos can also be searched and purchased directly from the Creative Cloud Libraries panel in Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC and from there dragged directly into an open project. These new 4K assets are available today for $199.99. HD versions of the 4K clips are available for $79.99.