BosStrap have added two new straps to their line of Sliding Sling Straps. Available in two widths, the BosStrap Sliding Sling Strap with a Side Release Tail uses a Side Release Buckle to release the camera from the diagonal strap, satisfying customers’ requests for a connector that can be operated with one hand. The 1-1/2” wide strap is designed for SLRs, while the narrower 1" strap is ideal for lighter cameras. The 1-1/2” BosStrap Sliding Sling Strap with Side Release Tail is $53.95, while the 1” version is $52.95. Both include free shipping.

Leica Camera have expanded their Leica à la carte programme – a special concept for personalising your Leica camera – and will be offering a selection of styling options for the Leica M (Typ 240) from the end of this month. The Leica M à la carte programme includes various finishes for the camera body itself, with the choice of black or silver chrome, or black enamel. Customers can also select a top plate featuring a Leica logo, or a classic version without the ‘red dot’. As well as the standard black leather trim, the programme offers a further 11 full-grain cowhide options plus classic variations embossed with distinctive lizard- and ostrich-effect patterns. Furthermore, you can personalise the technical specifications of your camera, including a frame selection lever, with which bright-line frames for six different focal lengths can be simulated in the viewfinder. In addition to all the technical features of the Leica M (Typ 240), the Leica M à la carte camera comes with a two gigabyte buffer memory, delivering twice the capacity of the standard model. The price for camera body ranges from £5,100 - £6,050 including VAT. In the United States, the Leica M (Typ 240) à la carte will be available from $6,380.

Leica today launched the Leica M (Typ 262) digital rangefinder camera. Featuring a near-silent shutter, a quiet shutter-cocking motor, a 24-megapixel CMOS sensor and a Maestro image processor; the Leica M (Typ 262) is a dedicated stills-only camera offering no video recording capabilities. New to the Leica M (Typ 262) is the use of a streamlined two-page menu system, which promises to simplify the way you use the camera. Priced at £4,050/$5,195; the Leica M (Typ 262) is the least expensive full-frame M-mount digital Leica to date, and at 600 grams without a battery, it's also the lightest digital M camera in production. The newest Leica is scheduled to be available later this month.

This October, Triggertrap called on photographers from around the world to create time-lapse movies featuring the cities they love. The photographers captured over 65,000 frames between them, amounting to almost an hour of video footage. These clips were assembled to form LapseWorld - a three-minute film highlighting the hustle and bustle, atmosphere, diversity, and pace of the five featured cities - London, New York, San Francisco, Milan and Cape Town. Each city is also featured in its own separate timelapse movie, highlighting what makes that city unique within its country and continent.

The judges of the 9th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards have been announced. The 2016 Honorary Jury, judging the Professional competition, includes David Campany, Karen Knorr,Jean Jacques Naudet, Mariko Takeuchi, Dominique Green, Emma Lynch, Julien Jourdes and Fiona Rogers. The Open competition will be chaired by Jael Marschner and the Student Focus competition will be judged by Simon Bainbridge, Mark Murrmann, Mother Jones and Matthew Tucker. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 21 April. Prizes include the latest Sony digital imaging equipment, inclusion in the 2016 awards’ book plus cash prizes of $25,000 for the overall Professional winner and $5,000 for the overall Open winner.

Squadrone System has launched the first autonomous drone to the US market. The Hexo+ flight system can take off, follow and frame its user while filming with predetermined camera movements, and safely land. These processes are entirely automated and simply initiated with the HEXO+ smartphone application. This allows users to capture the moment hands-free, as no bulky remote control is needed. Compatible with most GoPro camera models, the HEXO+ has a maximum speed of 45 mph and an operating altitude of up to 16,000ft. “HEXO+ was built with outdoor adventurers in mind, allowing them to live in the moment and not behind a lens,” says professional snowboarder and HEXO+ cofounder Xavier de Le Rue. “It enables you to capture incredible footage of yourself — by yourself. As a snowboarder, this gives me unprecedented freedom to create and share footage without the expense and constraints of helicopters and a film crew.” HEXO+ is currently available to purchase for $1,349.

Panasonic UK are offering a double cashback on the latest 4K cameras and camcorders. If you purchase an eligible product from a participating retailer between Wednesday 18th November and Sunday 6th December you will be able to claim cashback up to £300 (€400). To claim the cashback on qualifying Lumix, Lumix G camera and camcorder models, participants (aged 18 or over only) must complete an online registration form 28 days after product purchase. The last date for registration will be 7th March 2016. Click through / scroll down for a list of eligible products.

Canon have surpassed a new camera-manufacturing milestone as combined production of the company’s film and digital EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras surpassed the 80-million mark on 10 November 2015. Introduced in March 1987 as a new generation of AF SLR cameras, EOS (Electro Optical System) cameras were the world’s first to incorporate an electronic mount system enabling complete electronic control not only between the lens and body, but throughout the entire camera system. Following the introduction of digital SLR cameras in the early 2000s, production of the EOS-series cameras rapidly increased, surpassing the 70-million-unit mark in February 2014 and now, approximately one year and nine months later, reaching the 80-million-unit threshold.

The HD PENTAX-D FA645 35mm F3.5AL[IF] lens is now available in the US. The 27.5mm-equivalent prime adds a new wide-angle option to the Pentax 645 digitalmedium-format camera system, and combines a newly designed, high-grade glass-moulded aspherical element with a high refractive index low-dispersion glass element plus a hybrid aspherical element to effectively compensate for chromatic and spherical aberrations. An inner-focus mechanism keeps the lens’s total length the same during focusing, which allows the photographer to maintain stability during handheld shooting. The HD PENTAX-D FA645 35mm F3.5AL[IF] lens is available now for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,599.99.

Nikon is developing the Nikon D5 digital SLR camera, which "represents the next generation of professional Nikon FX-format models," the company says. Further details including features,release date and suggested retail price will be communicated at a later time. Alongside the new flagship dSLR, Nikon is also developing a new top-of-the-line flashgun (the Nikon SB-5000) and a wireless transmitter (WT-6).

AOC have announced a new space-saving 23.6" UHD display with a 3,840x2,160-pixel PLS panel. Offering wide viewing angles of 178°/178°, the display exploits 100 % of the sRGB colour gamut and comes with HDMI 2.0, MHL 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 connection ports. The AOC U2477PWQ will be available later this month, priced at £289.

Bowens is set to launch a number of new products in 2016, including innovative lighting equipment the company believes will be ‘game-changing’ in the industry. "New product development is the number one target for us," said John Gobby, Managing Director. "Our R&D team is expanding and not only are we going to be launching exciting new products but we are going to be launching them much faster." New technical director John Gass, added: "We are working more closely than ever before with photographers on focus groups and already as a result of this we are planning new and different products that will appeal to diverse segments of our market. Our professional photographer customers worldwide will see that Bowens is in the business of providing genuine design innovation and functionality across its portfolio."

DxO has released DxO OpticsPro 10.5.2, DxO FilmPack 5.5.2 and DxO ViewPoint 2.5.10 for Mac and Windows. These applications now support seven additional cameras - the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the Pentax 645D, the Panasonic Lumix GF7, Lumix G7, Lumix GX8, and DMC-ZS50/DMC-TZ70 - and add 787 more modules to the DxO Optics Modules library, which now contains nearly 28,000 combinations. DxO OpticsPro, DxO FilmPack and DxO ViewPoint are available in the DxO online store and at photo resellers at a special discount price through 25 December 2015.

Schneider Kreuznach has appointed Klaus Stephan as the distributor of its Exakta branded lens accessories. The Exakta range currently includes UV filters, circular polarisers, fold-up lens hoods, lens caps as well as lens care products. The filters are designed by Schneider-Kreuznach and made with high-quality optical glass and a mount made of black anodised aluminium. Prices start at €24.95 for the UV filters, €59.95 for the polarisers and €7.95 for the lens hoods.

Adorama has joined forces with Canon to support the Heart Gallery NYC and the NYC Department of Homeless Services initiative “Through the Eyes of the Homeless” by providing 25 Canon PowerShot G7-X compact cameras and photography training to homeless. Under the mentorship of professional Canon photographers, 14 currently or previously homeless individuals were asked to photograph the city, capturing their unique perspectives of New York City. The strongest photos were chosen for a gallery presentation that will be on exhibit to the public at the Prince George Ballroom (15 East 27th Street), opening today, and subsequently featured in City Hall.

Magix have released the latest version of their slideshow creating application, Photostory 2016 Deluxe. This edition has a number of new features including beat-based editing, dynamic new editing templates, virtual tours in 360° recordings, improved travel route animation, new title templates, post-capture image stabilisation and compatibility with a range of new video formats. Magix Photostory 2016 Deluxe is available now for £69.99.