‘A masterpiece for creating your own masterpiece’ is the confident pitch for the latest Micro Four Thirds compact system camera from Olympus: the Pen-F.  Rather than replace the formerly range topping E-P5 in the Pen line up however, Olympus suggested to Photography Blog at its London preview that the new rangefinder-styled camera – if successful – should form a new, independent strand on its own.

The Olympus PEN-F is the most powerful ever PEN and one of the most beautiful system cameras Olympus has ever produced. The PEN-F inherits much state-of-the-art optical technology from Olympus’ larger, high-end OM-D camera family, including its world’s best 5-axis Image Stabilisation system (worth some 5 EV stops when shooting at low ISO), a 50-Megapixel high resolution shot capability, and a built-in electronic viewfinder with a real-time preview of settings adjustments.

The Olympus PEN-F is available in black or silver from end- February 2016. PEN-F body only £999.99, PEN-F and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1-3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake lens kit £1099.99, PEN-F and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm 1:1.8 lens kit £1199.99.

Manfrotto UK have announced the extension of the 190go! range with a new lightweight and compact carbon fibre tripod. Now available in carbon fibre, the 190Go! Carbon is 18% lighter than the current 190 range. When the tripod is closed it measures only 45cm (17.70") and weighs just 1.67kg. The 90° column and the leg angle selectors enable photographers to get low down to the ground, reaching a minimum height of 7cm (2.5"). The 190Go! also includes an Easy Link attachment in the top casting which enables instant connection between the tripod and a variety of accessories, including LED lights, reflectors and other pieces of gear. 

Hahnemühle have added two panoramic formats to their FineArt Photo Rag papers. The matte-coated Photo Rag 308 and the high-gloss Photo Rag Baryta are now available in 21x59,4cm (8.27"x23.386") size. The moderate 21cm width of these papers ensures that most LTR size fine art printers will accommodate this format.

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.