Roland Ramanan has been unveiled as the winner of this quarter's theprintspace PhotoVoice Awards. Roland has won a £250 print credit to use at theprintspace, participation in a group exhibition and a feature in PhotoVoice’s quarterly publication for his project Gillett Square. Focused on a vulnerable group of people in a corner of East London that is undergoing rapid change, this project has been ongoing since 2012. Roland's pictures attempt to create an encounter with the viewer that shows them in different lights and raises questions. Roland and the shortlisted artists ‐ Jacek Obloj, Laura Marques, Elisabeth Blanchet, Camille Mack and Piotr Karpinski ‐ have their work up in a group exhibition showcasing their photography. The exhibition takes place at theprintspace Gallery (74 Kingsland Road, E2 8DL) and will continue until Monday 16th November. Admission is free.

Plustek have announced a new 35mm film scanner with motorised film transport for automated batch scanning. Offering a maximum input resolution of 3,600ppi; the Plustek OpticFilm 135 comes with Plustek’s new QuickScan Plus utility which allows users to apply a variety of automatic image enhancement tools as well as preset filters and effects. Users can also upload images directly to Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Picasa. The Plustek OpticFilm 135 is priced at $399 and is available exclusively through B&H Photo Video and Adorama in the United States. UK availability and pricing to be confirmed.

The University of Derby plays host to INFOT 2015 – a conference for commercial and industrial photographers – this weekend. Taking place at the University’s Markeaton Street Campus, the event includes seminars, talks and practical workshops by some of the UK’s finest commercial and industrial photographers. To book your place at INFOT 2015, visit the website below.

Photocrowd is an online community that's on a mission to rethink the humble photo contest and turn it into a truly rewarding experience. Founded by professional photographers Mike Betts and Liam Bailey, Photocrowd offers a novel approach to rating images, and a variety of "challenges" that harness the power and opinion of the crowd. As well as the crowd ratings, challenges are judged separately by an expert chosen from their panel of over 100 distinguished professionals, including well-known names such as Matt Kloskowski, Jack Hollingsworth and Robert Caplin. The expert also writes a series of informative image reviews, which are devoured by the site’s users who enjoy the insight into how professionals’ brains work. Winners get exposure that can’t be bought, on sites such as The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and The Daily Mail Online, and prizes come from photography brands like Lowepro, Alamy, B+H, Manfrotto and Peak Design.

Eyefi has acquired OKDOTHIS, the mobile app that pioneered idea-sharing for photographers with its unique way of inspiring photographers to stretch their creativity. The app is designed to get photography out of the rut of taking the same picture over and over again by providing a “DO” - a specific idea of what subjects to shoot and what mood, topic, theme or attribute to highlight. OKDOTHIS encourages photographers to ‘stretch’ beyond their standard shooting styles. Photographers can simply browse, select a DO, and use their phone to take and post the photo on the spot. With the Eyefi Cloud integrated with the OKDOTHIS mobile app, photographers can now use photos from their digital camera (with a Mobi WiFi SD card) or their WiFi camera to submit a photo for one of the challenges. The terms of the Eyefi-OKDOTHIS transaction were not disclosed.

The winners of the second international Felix Schoeller Photo Award have been announced. The Award, which kicked off on 1st January, has received 1200 entries from 65 countries around the world. The Gold Award went to Karolin Klüppel from Berlin, for her work entitled “Mädchenland 2013-2014.” The other prizewinners are Sandra Hoyn with her work “Displaced by Palm Oil: Indonesia‘s Last Orangutans” in the landscape/nature category, Sebastian Mölleken with his work “Kitchen in a Home for Asylum Seekers” in the architecture/industry category, Christian Werner with his photo series entitled “74.” in the photojournalism / editorial category (reprinted above) and Thomas Friedrich Schäfer with his work “Experiential Spaces” in the free choice / conceptual photography category. The Emerging Photographer Award sponsored by Phase One went to Mohammad Fahim Ahamed Riyad from Bangladesh for his “Children of the Dead River.”

The World Press Photo Foundation has announced the members of the 2016 Photo Contest juries. The general jury will be chaired by Francis Kohn, photo director Agence France-Presse, and will comprise Tim Clayton, Michaela Herold, George Steinmetz, Narda van ‘t Veer, Vaughn Wallace and Huang Wen. The contest will open for entries on 2 December 2015. The deadline for submissions is 13 January 2016, 23.59 CET. The winners will be announced on Thursday, 18 February 2016.

Leica and Magnum Photos have unveiled an exciting new body of work by Magnum photographer, Olivia Arthur, in collaboration with Philipp Ebeling, entitled ‘Sound of Harris’. Named after the stretch of sea that runs directly below the Isle of Harris in Scotland, Sound of Harris is a photographic journey into the Outer Hebrides, guided by centuries-old stories of the land and tales of the sea. The project was commissioned by Leica and shot on the Leica M (Typ 240), and will be exhibited at the Leica Studio in Mayfair (27 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NQ) from 2-10 December 2015.

Reza reazie golghand is the lucky winner of a fantastic new Ikigai Rival Backpack with its unique pro Camera Cell system worth £229.99!

IKIGAI Bags is giving away one of its fantastic new medium Rival Backpacks, featuring its amazing Camera Cell system worth £229.99!

IKIGAI BAGS – STRENGTH FROM WITHIN Ikigai's (medium) Rival Backpack and Camera Cell delivers a fresh look and premium performance to the photo bag market. It offers both simplicity and configurability, allowing you to quickly and easily pack exactly what you need for each shoot’s requirements. Designed for photographers, by photographers, the Rival series ensures a great fit and all day comfort while making it easy to access your essentials and providing unrivaled protection as well. But the feature photographers will appreciate the most is what we call our “Strength from Within” - the removable, configurable camera cell with its own carrying handle and adjustable, Velcro® liners that securely protect your most prized possessions. The medium camera cell fits right into the medium Ikigai backpack. For shoots that are more gear intensive, the large size may be the right choice for you. The medium Backpack and Inner Cell kit can hold your DSLR, up to 7 Lenses and Accessories.

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Ricoh has announced a new wide-angle lens for the Pentax medium-format DSLR camera system. The 27.5mm-equivalent HD PENTAX-D FA645 35mm F3.5AL[IF] combines a newly designed, high-grade glass-moulded aspherical element with a high refractive index low dispersion glass element and a hybrid aspherical element to effectively compensate for chromatic and spherical aberrations. The lens coating and reflective material used for the interior of the lens barrel are optimised for the distinctive characteristics of digital imaging, and promise to minimise flare and ghosting. This lens features a nine-blade, rounded diaphragm to produce a smooth, beautiful bokeh effect. Available from mid-December, the lens will retail for £1,549.99.

Zeiss has launched a new international photography contest in cooperation with the World Photography Organisation (WPO). Running in parallel to the Sony World Photography Awards, the 2016 Zeiss Photography Award's central theme is Seeing beyond – Meaningful Places. In its first year, the Zeiss Photography Award invites photographers to give meaning through their creative work to special places and to express this meaning. Different perspectives are desired, as well as a free interpretation of the term “meaningful” and “location/place”. It can be about places that possess a special historical or future value, places of adventures, scenic places in nature, or a trip to a special distant place. Photographers from anywhere in the world can submit a series of three to ten images that match this theme for free at the WPO website. The deadline for submission is 5 February 2016. The winner will be announced in April 2016.

Canon U.S.A. has announced the CJ20ex7.8B portable 4K broadcast lens for use with broadcast cameras featuring 2/3"-type sensors. Featuring With a focal range of 7.8-156mm, the lens features a 20x zoom range, while a built-in 2x extender allows more telephoto operation without sacrificing 4K image quality. A 20-pin connector, capable of reading out the high-precision position information of the zoom, focus and iris are provided as a standard feature. Coming standard with another two 20-pin connectors for zoom and focus control, virtual operations are possible in the full-servo mode, and use of a 16-bit absolute value encoder in the digital drive unit helps eliminate the need for any initialisation, meaning users can simply turn on the camera and begin shooting. The CJ20ex7.8B portable broadcast lens is scheduled to be available in June 2016.

Canon has announced the new Canon XA35 and XA30 full HD professional camcorders. Both models feature a 20x optical zoom lens and a new, advanced HD CMOS PRO image sensor with low-luminance noise of +3dB for improved low-light image capture. The duo also boasts two new video-recording modes: Highlight Priority and Wide DR, the latter of which achieves a dynamic range that has been expanded to 600% compared to the 300% on the predecessor Canon XA25/XA20 camcorder models. Other highlights include variable frame rates of 60fps and 24fps, dual SD card slots, AVCHD (28Mbps) and MP4 (35Mbps) compression and an HD/SD-SDI output (XA35 only) to feed video directly to a microwave van, satellite uplink, or other TV transmission system. A wireless remote feature also enables users to control the XA35 and XA30 camcorders via a web browser on the user's compatible PC or mobile device.The Canon XA35 and XA30 HD camcorders are scheduled to be available the end of November 2015 for an estimated retail price of $2,999 and $2,499 respectively.

Leica Camera today introduced a collection of premium accessories called the '0.95 Collection'. As an homage to the Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. – the world’s fastest aspherical lens – the name 0.95 represents Leica’s commitment to technical excellence. For the 0.95 Collection, Leica has partnered with S.T. Dupont, the French manufacturer of premium luggage and accessories, to create a series of elegant pens, a stylish gas lighter and a distinctive key ring pendant. Each product in the ‘S.T. Dupont for 0.95’ Collection is manufactured exclusively from the finest materials, and embellished with a hand-engraved ‘0.95’ logo. A limited edition of 95 of the special Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. lenses will also be released globally to celebrate the launch of the new 0.95 brand. The lenses are distinguished by their unique engraved, white-filled ‘0.95’ motif, denoting the maximum aperture, while all other engravings are highlighted in dark grey, blending discreetly into the matt-black anodised finish. Unique design features include distinctive knurling and gloss-finished elements on the lens barrel and front lens cap. The collection is available exclusively from selected Leica Stores

Leica Camera has introduced a new model in its compact camera range – the Leica D-Lux ‘Solid Gray’. Styled in a two-tone finish, with silver lens and control elements complementing the gray enamelled body; the Leica D-Lux Solid Gray is a variation on the current black D-Lux. Offering the same specifications as the standard model, the D-Lux Solid Gray includes an extensive feature set within its compact body, combined with intuitive handling. Key highlights include a fast, Leica DC Vario-Summilux 10.9–34mm f/1.7–2.8 ASPH. lens, a 13-megapixel FourThirds sensor, a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, Wi-Fi connectivity and 4K video recording capability. Included with the camera is a Leica CF D flash unit, also finished in silver, and a specially-designed, matching carrying strap. The Leica D-Lux Solid Gray will be available later this month for £825/$1,095.

Moleskine have launched their newest handcrafted leather albums. Handbound in quality Milano leather, these beautifully made albums are available in black or ivory and created individually to order on the Moleskine + MILK online platform. At 13.5 x 10.26” / 343 x 261 mm, the Moleskine Leather Album comes in 20-, 30-, and 40-page versions; and launches tomorrow, 11th November. All purchases made before 21 November 2015 will receive Moleskine’s new Classic Leather Backpack free with every album.

Pakpod, an "adventure-friendly" tripod that is lightweight, nimble and can attach to virtually any surface, has finished its Kickstarter campaign with $123,937 in funding - more than four times its original pledge goal of $27,000. Designed by a freediving filmmaker in Maine, Pakpod is a durable, waterproof, freezeproof tripod that weighs in at less than a pound and is notable for its patent-pending staking feet. Not only can Pakpod stake into and onto almost any surface, its independently swiveling legs and one-handed locking mechanism make it easy to mount on fences, trees, signposts, ceiling fans, car hoods, kayaks, rock walls, bicycles, hammocks and more. After hitting its goal more than 4 times over, the Maine-based company has announced that pre-orders for its tripods are now being accepted on the website below.