Nikon Europe have released a 4K sample video recorded with the new Nikon D5 digital SLR camera. Entitled 'My Nebraska,' this 5-minute short film was directed by Nikon Ambassador Bill Frakes. Click through / scroll down to watch the movie.

Sigma have announced availability and pricing information for the Sigma Water Repellent Ceramic Protector filter. With many applications in aerospace and other industries, glass ceramic is an extremely tough type of crystallised glass that serves as the foundation for Clear Glass Ceramic. While featuring the high transmittance required of optical devices, this advanced new material combines greater hardness than chemically strengthened glass and greater flexibility than sapphire crystal glass. These qualities make Clear Glass Ceramic the ideal material for protective lens filters. The Sigma Water Repellent Ceramic Protector filter is offered in the most popular filter thread sizes, and is compatible with all lenses that accept front filter threads that are 67mm-105mm diameters. The product is available now, priced from $130-$441 depending on the corresponding lens size.

The prestigious Leica Oskar Barnack Awards are returning for the 36th time this year. Opening for entries on 1 March 2016, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award is one of the industry’s most prestigious photographic competitions. The winner in the main category will be honoured with a cash prize of 25,000 euros and Leica M-System equipment (a camera and lens) with an additional value of €10,000. Photographers interested in taking part can submit their applications and photographic projects online, with a closing date of 15 April 2016. The recipients of this year’s Awards will be honoured at an official prize-giving ceremony in Germany.

The Lomographic Society has announced a new version of the classic Jupiter 3 lens for rangefinder cameras. Featuring an L39 screw mount, the 50mm f/1.5 Jupiter 3+ Art Lens ships with a Leica M mount adapter for use on bayonet-mount cameras. The optical formula comprises 7 elements in 3 groups, and the lens takes 40.5mm filters. In addition to having a modified 0.7m closest focusing distance (an improvement from 1m on the original lens), the New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens is much more durable than the original Jupiter 3 as it is constructed from chrome-plated solid brass. The new lens is available for £499.

Nikon Europe has released a 4K sample video recorded with the new Nikon D500 DX-format digital SLR camera. Showing dramatic scenes from a mountaineering / rock-climbing / cave trekking / rope-walking adventure, this spectacular short movie titled 'Exposure' was filmed exclusively on the Nikon D500 by National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Keith Ladzinski. Click through / scroll down to watch the video.

HDRlog has just released HDRinstant 2.0. The software allows photographers to extract stills from video clips and turn them into high-quality photos, even if the moving scene was in bad lighting conditions. In addition to working with video clips, HDRinstant also works with series of camera images shot in high-speed burst mode. New features include improved design and ergonomics, faster processing and an expanded range of tone mapping algorithms. HDRinstant is available in three editions; a free version with limited functionality, a Light version ($25) with a slightly expanded feature set, and a Professional edition ($89), which gives access to HDR image creation.

Leica Camera has unveiled its first camera designed specifically for outdoor and underwater photography - the Leica X-U (Typ 113). The waterproof Leica X-U is made in Germany in collaboration with Audi Design and features a Summilux 23mm f/1.7 ASPH. lens with underwater protection filter, a large 16.2 MP effective APS-C CMOS sensor, and Full HD movie recording.

The Leica X-U (Typ 113) is available now from Leica stores and authorised Leica UK dealers, at a suggested retail price of £2,400 inc VAT.

In the US, the Leica X-U (Typ 113) is priced at $2,950 and will be available by the end of January at your local Leica Store, Leica Boutique or Leica Dealer.

Gary Fong has launched a new flash kit comprising a Nissin i40 flash and a Gary Fong LightBlade flash diffuser. Attached using the Gary Fong patented strap and band mounting system, the LightBlade Diffuser mounts directly onto the flash head and is then secured with the included Gary Fong Velcro Cinch Strap. This allows photographers using the LightBlade Diffuser to conveniently shift shooting between a horizontal and vertical orientation without changing the light angle or having to remove the diffuser. The LightBlade Flash Kit for Sony, LightBlade Flash Kit for Canon and LightBlade Flash Kit for Nikon. The three LightBlade Flash Kits are available exclusively on the Gary Fong e-store for $295.95.

A recent survey conducted by X-Rite with almost 500 participants found that photographers in the UK are, on average, losing nearly £10,000 per year by not using colour management. A lack of monitor calibration is proving the most costly with an average of £5,200 per year lost in editing time, compared with a lack of white balance control costing £3,700 per year and wasted ink and paper from inaccurate prints accounting for £1,000 per year. “Talking to our customers, we have known that the benefits of superior image quality, consistency and peace of mind when editing are all powerful reasons why photographers and videographers use X-Rite’s world leading colour management solutions,” says Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director at X-Rite Photo Europe. “This survey has, for the first time, given us clear data on how much time is being lost by photographers who aren’t using colour management. It shows that photographers at all levels should realise the benefits of time and money savings when they start utilising colour management in their workflow.”

Manfrotto has announced three new-generation compact LED lights for professional and advanced hobbyist photographers and videographers. Powered by Litepanels, the on-camera Croma2 (900lux), MicroPro2 (940lux) and Spectra2 (650lux) LED lights offer the latest surface-mount LED technology available in a portable size. All of these light sources are dimmable. The Croma2's colour temperature can be regulated from 3100K to 5600K, whilst the other two lights are fixed at 5600K. Prices start at £154.95.

We've teamed up with Totally Rad! to give away Replichrome I, II and III presets to one lucky person.

The lucky winner is Ralph Wisor. Congratulations!

For more information on the Replichrome presets, visit: https://www.gettotallyrad.com/replichrome

Visit Totally Rad! Inc. at: https://www.gettotallyrad.com
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Replichrome I: Icon

A direct plug-in for Adobe Lightroom, containing 152 total presets based on the most iconic, modern films ever made, such as Fuji 400H™, Kodak Portra 400™ and Kodak Tri-X™, featuring versions of these films as scanned on both Noritsu™ and Frontier™ scanners.

•    Noritsu- and Frontier-scanned versions of 13 different films
•    Includes a preset toolkit to customize your look
•    Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw compatible
•    Contains custom camera profiles for over 400 camera models for consistent results across all platforms

Replichrome II: Slide

A collection of 199 presets inspired by both modern and discontinued slide or reversal films. Includes the beloved Fuji™ slide films, such as Velvia™, Provia™ and Astia™, as well as discontinued Kodak™ and Agfa™ slide films.

This set contains multiple versions of each slide film, using both Nortitsu™ and Epson™ scanners. Slide films are known for their exceptional color quality and high contrast and are particularly well-suited for landscape, fashion and reportage photography.

•    Noritsu- and Epson-scanned versions of 19 different films
•    Includes a preset toolkit to customize your look
•    Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw compatible
•    Contains custom camera profiles for over 400 camera models for consistent results across all platforms

Replichrome III: Archive

183 total presets based on 22 rare, expired and eclectic films from across the world, to give photographers a collection of film emulation presets not found anywhere else.

•    Noritsu- and Frontier-scanned versions of 22 different films
•    Includes a preset toolkit to customize grain, tone and sharpening
o    Includes multiple versions of each film, using both Noritsu™ and Frontier™ scanners, to give photographers unlimited control over their photos
•    Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw compatible
•    Contains custom camera profiles for over 400 camera models for consistent results across all platforms

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kenko's RealPRO filters are now available in the United Kingdom. Sold exclusively by WEX Photographic, the range consists of three types of filter: UV, Circular Polarisers and an ND1000 Neutral Density filter with prices starting from £33. Both the UV and Circular Polarising filters feature an Anti-Stain Coating (ASC) which represents a new generation of Kenko coating technology. Thanks to this new formula of coating material, the surface of the UV and Circular Polarisers cause moisture and water droplets to bead up and slip away, leaving the filter clean. Due to the smooth filter surface, dust and smudges do not stick to the glass and can be wiped away smoothly and easily. Kenko RealPro UV and Circular Polarising filters are available in sizes from 37mm to 82mm and the RealPro ND1000 filter is available from 49mm through to 82mm sizes.

Ballads of Shanghai is a solo exhibition by photographer Graham Fink, opening at the Riflemaker gallery in London on 1st February. Over the course of five years, the artist has documented various demolition sites in and around Shanghai - the largest city in the world. The matte and gloss treatment in the series gives each image a painterly quality - shaping the human aspects, stories and ‘ballads’ that pervade these demolition sites. The Riflemaker gallery is located at79 Beak Street, London.

As well as being shown the production of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 camera, we were also lucky enough to find out how the XF 35 f/2 and new XF 100-400mm X-series lenses are made at Fujifilm's Sendai factory.

To avoid contamination of the lenses, a strict Cleanroom Suit protocol is followed in this part of the factory, causing much mirth among the assembled journalists.

Again, the production process is surprisingly manual and labour intensive, with a small team of workers (one line for each lens) taking around 3 hours to produce the XF 100-400mm lens from start to finish, and around half that time for the less complicated XF 35mm f/2 lens.

The completed lenses are then laser-engraved, inspected, spot-checked and finally packaged up, again all by hand.

Fujifilm also conduct their own in-depth target testing of sample lenses, which we weren't allowed to photograph for confidentiality reasons.

Fujifilm have been remarkably candid about just what's inside the new X-Pro2 compact system camera, sharing exploded views of the camera and key component parts at their 5th Anniversary of X-series press event in Tokyo.

They also showed us some intriguing early prototypes of a camera that has taken more than 3 years to develop, including alternative designs for the dioptre control, ISO dial and rear control layout. Fujifilm even went to the lengths of articificially weathering the X-Pro2 to show what it might look like after a few years of hard service!