Schneider Kreuznach's newest leaf shutter lenses are now available to purchase through Phase One photography partners worldwide. Like the 35mm and 120mm lenses introduced simultaneously with the Phase One XF System, these Schneider Kreuznach lenses - including the 55mm LS f/2.8, the 80mm LS f/2.8 and the 150mm LS f/3.5 - are built to a new and more robust quality standard. The new lenses feature a metal focusing ring and AF/MF selector ring of precision milled aluminium and a new metal lens hood with anti-skid rubber edging. The 55mm LS f/2.8 lens is available for €3.990 / $4,990, the 80mm LS f/2.8 costs €2.490 / $3,290, while the 150mm LS f/3.5 (pictured) sells for €4.490 / $5,990.
.

Western Digital and SanDisk today announced that Western Digital will acquire all of the outstanding shares of SanDisk for a combination of cash and stock. The offer values SanDisk common stock at $86.50 per share or a total equity value of approximately $19 billion. "This transformational acquisition aligns with our long-term strategy to be an innovative leader in the storage industry by providing compelling, high-quality products with leading technology," said Steve Milligan, chief executive officer, Western Digital. "The combined company will be ideally positioned to capture the growth opportunities created by the rapidly evolving storage industry. I'm excited to welcome the SanDisk team as we look to create additional value for all of our stakeholders, including our customers, shareholders and employees."

Phase One today released the first major XF Camera System update. The update adds a Seismographic Vibration Delay function that ensures camera stillness at the moment of capture, introduces a BullsEye Level tool on the XF OneTouch UI to enable easy camera alignment, and adds a Hyperfocal Point Calibration feature, which allows photographers to use Capture One PRO to calibrate and store their perfect hyperfocal point. Additionally, Focus confirmation on the XF OneTouch UI now gives full focus control in the Waist Level Finder workflow, and Focus Step enables focus control directly from Live View in Capture One PRO for ultimate focus accuracy.

The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is a new professional grade photo printer designed for art schools, graphic artists, designers and professional photographers. Boasting an advanced 12-ink pigment based system, as well as a new 1.28” print head and processing engine, the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 produces outstanding quality prints up to A2 in approximately just six minutes.

The imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 will be available from the end of October with an MSRP of $1299.99. This will be the first in a new series of professional grade printers from Canon.

If you're interested in how much bigger the new Leica SL mirrorless camera is than the Sony A7R II, then look no further, as we've compiled a gallery of side-by side product shots of the two cameras.

As you can see, the Leica SL body isn't that much bigger than the Sony A7R II - it's the Leica SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens that was launched alongside the SL camera which really skews the comprison between the two systems.

Fujifilm have announced a new, weather- and dust-resistant standard prime for the company's X-series compact system cameras. The Fujinon XF35mm f/2 R WR features 9 elements in 6 groups, including 2 aspherical lens elements, and an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades for a pleasing bokeh. At just 45.9mm in length and with a diameter of 60mm, the slim and stylish design allows comfortable operation and draws minimum attention to the photographer; whilst the all-metal construction of the lens exterior ensures it is durable enough for a wide variety of shooting situations. An inner focusing system, which moves the lens elements, is combined with a stepping motor to produce quiet, accurate and fast autofocus capable of locking on to the subject in as little as 0.08s. The lens will be available from November for £299.

Fujifilm have announced a new weather-resistant teleconverter for their X-mount compact system cameras. The Fujinon XF1.4x TC WR is capable of multiplying the focal length of compatible lensesby 1.4x. When mounted, the teleconverter reduces the lens’ brightness by one f-stop, however its optical design constructed of 7 elements in 3 groups maintains the optical performance of the original lens. The camera’s auto focus performance is unaffected by the addition of the teleconverter. The Fujinon XF1.4x TC WR will go on sale next month, priced at £329.

Want to see exactly what the new Leica SL (Typ 601) mirrorless camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica SL (Typ 601) mirrorless camera with the 24-90mm f/2.8-4 and 90-280mm f/2.8-4 lenses.

Leica have released 7 full-resolution sample photos taken with the brand new Leica SL compact system camera. Available to download in raw Adobe DNG format, these Leica SL samples were captured by professional photographer Callo Albanese at a varety of sensitivity settings ranging from ISO 400/27° to ISO 6,400/39°.

Website: Official Leica SL Sample Pictures

The Leica SL (Typ 601) is a new mirrorless system camera that marks "the beginning of a new era in professional photography". The Leica SL features the fastest auto-focusing of any full-frame system camera, a 24 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, 4K video with a frame rate of 30 frames per second, 4.4million pixel electronic viewfinder, 2.95” back panel display with a viewing angle of up to 170°, Maestro II Series processor, 11fps burst shooting, built-in wi-fi and a highest ISO setting of 50,000.

Three new lenses have also been unveiled alongside the Leica SL - the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24–90 mm f/2.8–4 ASPH. standard zoom, Leica APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90–280 mm f/2.8–4, and the Leica Summilux-SL 50 mm f/1.4. In addition, all lenses for the Leica T camera can be used without an adapter as they share the same mount. In addition, appropriate adapters allow almost all Leica S, M, and R system lenses ever made to be mounted on the Leica SL, as well as lenses from other manufacturers.

The Leica SL (Typ 601) body is scheduled to be available in the UK from authorised Leica stockists from 16 November 2015, at a suggested retail price of £5,050 including VAT.
The Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24–90 mm f/2.8–4 ASPH. zoom lens is scheduled to be available at the same time, at a suggested retail price of £3,150 including VAT. The Leica APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280mm f/2.8–4 will be available in Q2 2016, and the Leica Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. will be available in Q4 2016, pricing for both to be confirmed at a later date.

In the USA the Leica SL (Type 601) body (SRP: $7,450) and Vario-Elmarit-SL 24–90 mm f/2.8–4 ASPH zoom lens (SRP: $4,950) will be available beginning November 16 at your local Leica Store, Leica Boutique or Leica Dealer.

Gary Fong today launched a new Dramatic Lighting Kit, which includes two Speed Snoots, two PowerGrids, a Coloured Gel Kit, and a custom Gary Fong Gear Bag. The Speed Snoots boast a newly designed mounting system for quick, easy attaching and detaching along with a collapsible design for easy storage. The Speed Snoots block light spill, allowing photographers complete control of the light emitted by off-camera flashes. The Dramatic Lighting Kit is offered exclusively on the Gary Fong e-store and is available for $119.95.

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.