Wacom today started shipping Wacom Colour Manager, the company’s new colour calibration solution designed for photographers. Offering specific performance advantages to users of Wacom’s highest colour performance displays - the Cintiq 27QHD line -, the new Colour Manager is also engineered to provide calibration to the rest of the Cintiq family as well as other LCD, LED and wide-gamut display technologies. The Wacom Colour Manager calibrator, the instrument that rests on the screen and reads colours, and the accompanying profiling software developed by X-Rite work together in either a basic or advanced mode. Basic mode calculates colour profiles for the user and requires no prior knowledge of colour calibration. Advanced mode gives users control over a variety of facets critical to colour balancing such as luminance, white point, contrast and gamma levels. Current Cintiq owners can purchase the Wacom Colour Manager, available now, from Wacom’s eStore for €229.90 / £199.99.

Professional and amateur photographers from around the globe can now submit their images to the Red Bull Illume 2016 sports photography contest. Entrants have until 31 March 2016 to submit their shots for a chance to earn great prizes, priceless exposure and be part of the worldwide Red Bull Illume Exhibit Tour. Photographers can enter up to 5 in each of the 11 categories, including the all-new Mobile category. The finalist images will be unveiled at the Red Bull Illume Winner Award Ceremony in the autumn of 2016, before travelling to capitals and cultural hubs across the world as part of a nighttime photo exhibition.

The major updates to Adobe's Creative Cloud (CC) apps that were unveiled at Adobe MAX 2015 are now available to CC members worldwide. Describing their vision for Creative Cloud as a “connected creative canvas” where people create and share their work from anywhere, Adobe have added new Touch capabilities to their desktop applications including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC and Premiere Pro CC. The recently launched Adobe Stock marketplace now supports the download and purchase of video content and enables users to search for and browse assets directly from Creative Cloud Libraries. Premiere Pro CC adds comprehensive native format support for editing 4K-to-8K footage, while Photoshop CC now allows you to customise your toolbar.

Phase One have today released Capture One Pro 9. This edition introduces many new image quality precision tools, including a completely updated contrast engine, a new brush pack, Luma curves, a battery status toolbar for tethered cameras, new asset management tools and more. Capture One Pro 9 is available now for Mac and Windows. New with this release, each license permits three activations to support on-location activation management as requested by photographers. New customers can purchase Capture One Pro 9 for $299 or €279. Owners of previous versions of Capture One Pro may upgrade for $99 or €99.

Ricoh have reconfirmed the launch date of their first Pentax branded DSLR. According to the company, the much-awaited camera is "coming up in spring 2016." Ricoh have updated their teaser website, and released a new product image (reprinted above) as well as a press release enumerating the most important milestones in the history of Pentax SLRs but providing no information on the specifications of the new model.

The D1 Drone Backpack is the first all-in-one carry system in Manfrotto's brand-new range of products designed to carry a quadcopter and its remote controls as well as a DSLR camera, laptop and tripod. Part of the Aviator Collection, the Drone backpack is dedicated to professional and advanced photographers and videographers looking for a solution to carry their flying cameras, mount them quickly and change location fast. The drone safely attaches onto the outside of the pack by simply opening the front zip, making it very easy to quickly get out or put away when necessary. The camera stays safely inside and the propellers fit outside the bag. The Manfrotto D1 Drone Backpack is available for £159.95.

A hand-picked selection of 80 of the world’s top galleries will participate in Photo London 2016, exhibiting photography for sale from all periods and genres in the spectacular setting of Somerset House, Photo London’s central campus (pictured), over a period of four days from 19 – 22 May 2016. The list of exhibitors announced today includes galleries from Berlin, Cologne, Helsinki, Lisbon, Zurich, Tehran, Minneapolis, New York, Palm Beach, Santa Monica, Singapore, Tokyo, alongside the pick of London’s top photography galleries, with an extended ‘Discovery’ section for new and emerging galleries. Click through / read on for the details.

Manfrotto have launched the new RedBee-210 photo backpack. Adding to the Pro Light collection, the RedBee-210 Backpack offers easy access to gear from both sides, back and top depending on the user’s preference. It can be used to access 2 cameras with lenses at the same time or to hold up to a 400 mm lens attached to the body. The bag’s interior features Manfrotto CPS (Camera Protection System), the fully padded and warranted protection solution boasting 3-D shock-absorbing foam that provides the highest levels of safety and resistance. Th Manfrotto Prolight RedBee-210 photo backpack is available for £139.95.

Wex Photographic has launched its ‘Win Christmas’ campaign, giving away three camera bundles that are featured in their ‘Which Photographer Are You?’ Christmas adverts. Each of the three winners will pick up a complete camera-and-accessory kit, featuring either the Canon EOS 5DS R, the Fuji X-T1 or the Sony HX90V. To be in with a chance of winning these prizes, entrants need to fill in their details online and answer a simple question on Wex's Win Christmas page.

Barber Shop is a brand new collection of Italian leather bags and accessories for photographers, which includes five bags in various colours, plus a range of straps, memory card holders and leather organisers. Every single piece is handcrafted in Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza) by skilled artisans. As the company points out, "every detail of Barber Shop products is designed and tailored to fit the needs of photographers, without giving up style, elegance and the uniqueness of a hand-crafted product." The bags and accessories are now available on the Barber Shop website.

White Knight Press have released their newest camera guide book, Photographer’s Guide to the Sony DSC-RX10 II: Getting the Most from Sony's Advanced Digital Camera. This publication, by Alexander S. White, is a complete guide to the operation of the Sony RX10 II. The book covers all of the features that are new for this model, including its electronic shutter, faster continuous shooting, 4K video recording, and ability to shoot video at up to 960fps for super slow-motion playback. In three appendices, the book discusses accessories for the RX10 II, including cases, power sources, remote controls, and external flash units, and includes a list of websites and other resources for further information. The paperback version is available now for $26.95 through Amazon and other online sellers. The book is also available in PDF format and in downloadable versions for the Kindle, Nook, and iPad for $9.99 each.

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Samsung have confirmed today that they are ending camera and camcorder sales in the United Kingdom, including their flagship NX1 mirroorless camera (pictured). Here's the official statement from Samsung:

“We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In the UK, we have seen a gradual and sustained decline in demand for standalone digital cameras and camcorders and related accessories. For this reason, we have taken the decision to phase out the sales and marketing of these products. This is a local decision, based on local market conditions.”

This follows a similar statement for the German market made last week.

Leica Camera is hosting an exhibition of street photography by Colin O’Brien at its new gallery space above the Leica Store City at 18 The Royal Exchange, London. The photographs, which have been selected from O’Brien’s award-winning ‘London Life’ project, were taken over several decades on his Leica rangefinder cameras. The collection will be available to view at Leica Store City until 29 January 2016, and Colin will also be holding an illustrated lecture at the gallery on Thursday 3 December. Colin will talk through the photographs he shot on his Leica camera and the stories behind them. Attendees at the event will receive a copy of Colin's famous Clerkenwell Car Crash poster. There will also be the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of the publication, London Life.

Entries are now being accepted for the International Images for Science competition 2016. Organised by The Royal Photographic Society, the contest is supported by Siemens as part of the Curiosity Project, a three-year programme which aims to engage young people with science and engineering. Entrants are required to take a visually appealing picture that tells a science story. The top 100 entries will be chosen by an expert panel to be exhibited at the British Science Festival in Swansea in September 2016 and then across the UK. The competition is free to enter, simply register online and upload your images to the website. Closing date is midnight on 1st May 2016.

The team behind The Photography Show has announced that the regional event Capture Birmingham is set to take place from 19-20 March 2016. The event will see photography and arts organisations from across the city invite the public to celebrate the world of photography through a series of exhibitions, photo walks and workshops. Already confirmed on the schedule as an official event location is the Ikon Gallery, hosting an exhibition from ex-Birmingham University student Janet Mendelsohn and photo walks led by Hidden Spaces, which offer people the chance to take unique shots and discover Birmingham’s lesser known architecture and history. In addition, the Forward Photography Festival, hosted by Instagramers of Birmingham and Visit Birmingham, will host a series of InstaMeets, each with a different focus and location to test photography skills. The full programme for Capture Birmingham will be released over the coming months.

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