Celebrating 25 years since the introduction of Canon’s first EOS Rebel SLR camera, Canon U.S.A. has introduced its new “Rebel With A Cause” campaign. For the first video from the campaign (see below), Nik Wallenda - the first and only person to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon - encourages a group of senior citizens to check items off of their personal bucket lists. After visiting a senior centre in Florida, he sent one senior citizen into the sky and one to the racetrack to inspire them to finally make their dreams come true. The campaign, shot entirely on Canon EOS Rebel T6i DSLR cameras, is about showcasing modern-day rebels entirely through the eyes of a Canon EOS Rebel camera, encouraging people to take their creativity to the next level. Every rebel has their own unique story, and the campaign will encourage everyone to find the rebels within themselves.

Phase One has acquired the assets of Mamiya Digital Imaging (MDI) and has appointed Makoto Honda as the new president of Phase One Japan.  As a 45 percent shareholder in MDI since 2009, Phase One has developed detailed insight into the camera and lens design and production process and engineered important improvements through its close collaboration with the MDI team in Japan. With this transaction, Phase One now also takes total ownership for all aspects of design and development of medium-format camera systems, central shutters and lenses.

The World Press Photo Foundation has issued the call for entries for the 59th annual World Press Photo contest. Entries may only be submitted online via the entry site, which closes on 13 January 2016, 12.00 (noon) CET. This year, the World Press Photo Foundation has released a code of ethics, revised entry rules, detailed information on the judging process, and guidance to the new verification process — including four video examples of what is and is not considered to be manipulation. The contest’s categories have also been adjusted. In particular, a new category, Long-Term Projects - Groups, has been introduced and Portraits has been renamed to People. In addition, story entries (except for those in the Long-Term Project categories) will now have a maximum allowance of eight photos. The results of the 2016 photo contest will be announced on Thursday, 18 February 2016.

Iridient Digital has released Iridient Developer 3.0.7 for Mac OS X. This update adds support for raw image files generated by the Leica M (Typ 262, pictured), resolves an issue with El Capitan, and fixes an issue where the Clarity adjustment was not being correctly saved to preset or settings files when the value was negative. This upgrade is free for customers who have purchased a new or upgraded Iridient Developer license after 14 April 2013.

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.