Founded after the fall of the Berlin wall, the German Ostkreuz photo agency is celebrating its 25th birthday with an exhibition in Paris. Organised by the Goethe Institut, this retrospective will present the best works from the Berlin-based agency's history at two venues: the Goethe Institut Paris will showcase the founders’ GDR-era photography from 13 November-18 December 2015; while the Galerie Passage du Désir will tell the story of the past 25 years (on show from 13-29 November 2015). Images of forced evacuations of occupied houses in East Berlin after the fall of the Wall are contrasted with glimpses into contemporary patrician residences in the West. Polaroid photos from a time when the city reinvented itself on an almost daily basis are juxtaposed with places where the ghost of the East German secret police seems to linger to this day. The exhibition catalogue will be published by Hatje Cantz.

PhotoShelter has released a new PDF guide entitled, "The Professional's Guide to Food Photography." From this free publication, readers can learn about the secrets of shooting great food photos, the benefits of entering contests, plus how to build a portfolio to showcase their unique style and appeal to an audience. Additionally, the ebook contains several in-depth interviews with food photographers succeeding in this specialty, including tips to break into the food photography industry, inspiration for creative food photography projects, and a look at shooting in-house for Bon Appétit. To claim your guide, simply visit PhotoShelter and provide your email address.

The Adventure Travel Show 2016 has announced its Strange World Photography Competition. The contest has 4 categories including Extreme Selfie, Signs, Animal Antics and Best of the Rest, and the winner of each category will receive a £150 voucher for a CEWE photo book, a 40x60cm acrylic print of their winning image, plus a Panasonic A100 Wearable Camera. Winning images and further selected images will also feature in the Strange World Exhibition at the Adventure Travel Show, Olympia London on 23-24 January 2016. The deadline for entries is 4 January 2016.

The Adventure Travel Show 2016 has announced its Strange World Photography Competition. The contest has 4 categories including Extreme Selfie, Signs, Animal Antics and Best of the Rest, and the winner of each category will receive a £150 voucher for a CEWE photo book, a 40x60cm acrylic print of their winning image, plus a Panasonic A100 Wearable Camera. Winning images and further selected images will also feature in the Strange World Exhibition at the Adventure Travel Show, Olympia London on 23-24 January 2016. The deadline for entries is 4 January 2016.

The Lomographic Society has introduced a new 35mm film with a sensitivity of ISO 6/9° and one of the highest resolutions ever found in a colour negative film. The KONO! Donau's atypically low speed makes it perfect for experimenting with long exposures in broad daylight. An additional feature of this new film is the lack of an orange mask, which may make it easier to scan. When printed traditionally, the film washes photos with extremely blueish tones and renders all colours in a unique way for a captivating look. Because of its boutique nature, the KONO! Donau is available in very limited quantities on a first-come, first-served basis, priced at £27 / €35 (for a 3-pack).

DxO will be attending events across the United Kingdom this autumn demonstrating the brand new DxO ONE camera. Exhibiting at the Bigger Picture Roadshows, PhotoVision Roadshows and events with key resellers, the company is providing an opportunity for users to get hands-on with the Dxo ONE, while learning how the DxO software suite -  DxO Optics Pro 10, DxO FilmPack 5 and DxO ViewPoint 2 - can improve their photographic workflow. Click through / scroll down for a list of events where you can see DxO live in action.

Fotodiox Pro has announced four new models in its expanding Sharkcage line of custom-fit, fully-configurable camera cages. Designed for the Panasonic GH4, the Samsung NX1, the Sony A7, A7R and A7S, and the Sony A7 II and A7R II compact system cameras; the new Sharkcages are crafted entirely from aluminium and are available in Samurai Silver and Pitch Black. “Similar to our Sharkcage model for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, these new models come equipped with tons of accessory mounts, an integrated cable pinch system and a complete rod mounting system - everything you need to transform your camera into a powerful, portable video production powerhouse,” said Bohus Blahut, product consultant and marketing director for Fotodiox. “What’s more, because our camera-specific designs mirror the silhouette of each camera, all of the flexibility of a much larger rig system fits into a more efficient and compact footprint.”The complete Sharkcage camera cage kits are available now for $329.95 each.

Elinchrom has announced a new Quadra flash head for the ELB 400 and all previous generations of Quadra packs, featuring a new Hi-Sync mode. The Quadra HS Head is a powerful, full-functioning minaturised flash head weighing only 0.28kg and integrating a daylight balanced LED modelling lamp that produces the equivalent of 50W of Tungsten light output. The HS designation denotes the unit's compatibility with High-Sync flash photography, especially in combination with the also-new EL-Skyport Transmitter Plus HS radio trigger. When used with the ELB400 battery pack (also pictured above), the Elinchrom Quadra HS can output a maximum of 424Ws of power for a guide number of 90 (in metres at ISO100/21°, with a 48° reflector fitted). Pricing for the new Elinchrom flash head has yet to be communicated.

The EL-Skyport Plus HS is Elinchrom's most advanced Skyport flash trigger to date. The large LCD display of the Skyport HS features two-way control via a new Visual Feedback Interface that lets you see the exact power of every light in your setup right on the transmitter. Users control each light’s power level and modeling lamp setting directly from the Skyport transmitter, which instantly shows the updated power settings. Additionally, the transmitter offers a HiSync mode giving users access to sync speeds up to 1/8000s to freeze motion, overpower the sun, darken backgrounds or use a wider aperture when used in combination with the also-new Elinchrom Quadra HS flash head. The Skyport HS is also compatible with Elinchrom's three previous generations of flash units (including the EL- Skyport Transceiver RX module for Style RX, Digital RX, and Ranger RX systems, and the integrated EL-Skyport modules for the BRX, D-Lite RX, ELC Pro HD, and ELB series.) Offering a working range of up to 200 feet, the EL-Skyport Transmitter Plus HS is currently available for Canon and Nikon for $249.95 / €249.00 / £199.00.

Ashampoo has released Photo Commander 14, the latest version of its photo storage and editing software. New features and enhancements include perspective correction, improved Scan and Save dialogs, enahnced photo imports, an intuitive metadata editor, and much more. Various filter and group settings help you keep track even of huge photo collections and allow you to perform multiple image optimisations and conversions in parallel either manually or automatically. Experts will appreciate the gradation curves, the extensive raw image file support and the powerful photo tagging system. Ashampoo Photo Commander 14 is available for $ 59.99. Owners of a previous version can upgrade for 17.99.

AEE Technology has launched its newest action camera: the S60 Plus. Created for adventurers, hikers, and active sports enthusiasts, the S60 Plus features a detachable 2" TFT display for composing shots and accessing the menu. The camera records Full HD 1080p movies at up to 60 frames per second and takes 16-megapixel stills through a 130-degree UWA lens. The AEE S60 Plus also syncs to a coordinating iOS or Android app which remotely controls the device from up to 328 feet via Wi-Fi. Available for $250, the AEE S60 Plus comes with a wide range of accessories including a waterproof housing, flat adhesive mount, quick-release mount, plug bracket unit and much more.

WANDRD have officially launched their Kickstarter campaign for the PRVKE (pronounced "provoke") Pack, a purpose-built backpack designed for photographers, hikers and travellers. With multiple access points throughout the pack - a roll-down top load, clamshell zipper for easy packing, and a side-access zipper to the camera compartment - every segment of the interior storage space is easily accessible. Fully-loaded for a day of shooting, the PRVKE Pack has capacity for an SLR camera, up to eight lenses and other accessories, and a 13”-17” laptop. Offering "massive savings" from anticipated retail pricing, Kickstarter backer packages start at $195, and backers can expect delivery around April 2016.

Manfrotto have just launched their Compact Extreme 2-in-1 monopod / selfie stick. It boasts four-section tubes and a small ball-head that allows the monopod to be turned into a pole by simply moving it from the top of the handgrip to the bottom of the tubes. Weighing just 280g, the Compact Xtreme is quite lightweight but can hold a payload up to 1kg thanks to its Adapto and aluminium construction. The pole features a ¼ thread on both the top and bottom, and also includes a GoPro adaptor. The Manfrotto Compact Xtreme is priced at £39.95.

The new Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art is billed as the World’s first f/1.4 ultra-wide-angle lens for full-frame digital SLR cameras. Constructed of 15 elements in 11 groups including two FLD glass and five SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements, the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens also features an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades for a pleasing bokeh. Allowing the photographer to leverage the perspective provided by the wide-angle and the shallow depth of field provided by the large aperture, this lens is ideal not only for such ultra-wide-angle subjects as landscapes and starry skies, but also for snapshots in low light, indoor photography, environmental portraits and more. Weighing in at 950 grams, the new Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens carries an MSRP of £849.99.

The GoPro Awards is an ongoing programme that rewards the GoPro community for sharing their best GoPro photos and videos. GoPro encourages all GoPro customers, be they enthusiasts or production professionals, to participate by pursuing their interests, capturing their experiences with a GoPro and submitting their most compelling moments tothe awards website. GoPro Awards will be given for memorable photos ($500), raw video clips ($1000), and video edits ($5000) in a variety of genres including Action, Adventure, Animals, Family, Motorsports, Music, Sports, Science + How-To and Travel.

Manfrotto has launched its new NX bag collection. Aimed at beginner and enthusiast photographers, the NX range is a collection of stylish, versatile everyday bags designed to contain the most popular camera types. Consisting of 9 models, the NX collection ranges from a small, simple pouch to a highly-organised, comfortable multipurpose backpack. Prices start at £15.95.

The Lexar Professional 2933x XQD 2.0 memory card is the World's fastest XQD card to date. Available in 32GB (£139.99), 64GB (£255.99) and 128GB (£479.99) capacities, the new XQD 2.0 cards deliver read transfer speeds up to 2933x (440MB/s), enabling an accelerated workflow that allows users to quickly capture and store high-quality images and 4K video. The company has also introduced a duo of 1400x XQD 2.0 cards in 32GB (£96.99) and 64GB (£149.99) versions. These new rugged, high-speed cards support both PCI Express Gen 2 and USB 3.0 interfaces.

Iridient Digital has released Iridient Developer 3.0.5. This update adds support for the DxO One (pictured), the Leica S (Typ 007), the Olympus OM-D E-M10 II, the Panasonic Lumix GH4R and the Sony A7S II cameras. Additionally, this release now includes an editing extension for Apple Photos on Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) that provides "external edit" like functionality for opening images from the Photos library into Iridient Developer. Support for some uncommon DNG v1.4 options has been added including all DNG opcodes, ZIP compression for some DNG file types and support for per channel white levels with DNG linear format images. Black level handling for RAF images from the Fujifilm X100 and some other non X-Trans models has also been improved. This update is free for all previously registered users who purchased a new or upgraded license after 14 April 2013.

Sony has unveiled the release date of the previously announced firmware update that will add uncompressed 14-bit raw image capture to the A7R II compact system camera. Version 2.0 will be available for download through Sony's e-support site from 19th October. In addition to uncompressed raw capture, which will become a selectable feature within the menu system for updated cameras, the firmware also adds the ability for the A7R II to output video via HDMI during use of the Remote Camera Control software, which enables remote capture from a connected computer.