RED have announced their newest 4K camera, the RED Raven. Featuring an 8.8-megapixel RED Dragon imager with a dynamic range of 16.5+ stops, the Raven is capable of shooting 4K footage at 120 frames per second and 2K video at 240fps. With the ability to record in REDCODE raw (R3D) and Apple ProRes, simultaneously, the RED Raven supports a wide range of workflow options. Weighing in at 3.5lbs, the Red Raven camera "brain" will be available for £4,210 / €5,850 / $5,950 from February 2016. You can pre-order the camera by making a deposit of $500 now.

Adobe has released Photoshop Elements 14 and Premiere Elements 14. The former now features a camera shake compensation function, a Haze Removal tool, enhanced Guided Edits, a friendlier Quick Edit mode and more precise selections. The latter adds 4K video editing, new and professional-looking motion titles, a selective-colour mode and slow-motion effects with enhanced guidance. Adobe Photoshop Elements 14 and Adobe Premiere Elements 14 are immediately available for purchase for $99.99 each. Upgrade pricing is also available for $79.99.

The HD Pentax D-FA 24-70mm f/2.8ED SDM WR is a full-frame standard zoom for Pentax K-mount SLR cameras. Designed with Ricoh's new 35mm full-frame DSLR (currently under development) in mind, this zoom lens is constructed of 17 elements in 12 groups, including 3 ED glass elements and 4 aspherical lens elements. The built-in SDM (Supersonic Direct-drive Motor) provides a quiet, high-speed autofocus operation. The lens comes equipped with the Pentax-developed Quick-Shift Focus system, which allows the user to instantly switch to manual focusing as needed. The HD Pentax D-FA 24-70mm f/2.8ED SDM WR features a weather-resistant construction with special seals to effectively prevent water reaching the inside of the lens (despite having an extending zoom mechanism). The lens will be available from late October for £1149.99/$1,299.99.

The Photographer’s Guide to the Sony DSC-RX100 IV is a new title from White Knight Press. Available in paperback and ebook formats, the book explains all shooting modes, menus, functions, and controls of the camera in clear language, accompanied by more than 450 colour photographs and illustrations. The Photographer’s Guide to the Sony DSC-RX100 IV is available now for $9.95-$9.99 in PDF, iPad, Nook and Kindle formats. The paperback version sells for $26.95.

Manfrotto has launched its Advanced Travel Backpack in three new colours. Featuring new, lockable zips and multiple carrying options for tripods; the backpack is divided into two main parts: personal items to be included in the top section and photo gear in the bottom compartment. An extendable side padded pocket is specifically designed to carry a BeFree travel tripod. The Advanced Travel Backpack is now available in blue, brown and grey for £109.95.

Lowepro have launched four new models as part of their ProTactic series of camera bags. The expanded line now includes the ProTactic SH 120 AW shoulder bag ($99.95) designed for mirrorless camera kits; the ProTactic SH 180 AW mid-sized shoulder bag ($129.95) that fits a standard SLR with a 24-70mm lens attached, one to two extra lenses, a tablet, smartphone and small personal items; the photojournalist-style ProTactic SH 200 AW bag ($169.95) designed to fit a professional SLR camera with a classic 70-200mm lens kit, two to three extra lenses or speedlights, up to a 13-inch laptop and tablet, smartphone, and accessories; and the ProTactic BP 250 AW backpack ($189.95).

Phottix has unveiled a new wireless flash trigger system designed to work with Canon’s E-TTL and RT flash units. Allowing users to control both radio-enabled and non-radio flashes from Canon, the Phottix Laso Transmitter can trigger up to 5 groups (15 units) of Canon system flashes and supports multiple flash modes, including E-TTL II/E-TTL, Manual, MULTI, Ext.A and Linked Shooting. The Laso Receiver can also be connected to studio lights, offering the ability to mix hot-shoe flashes and studio strobes. The Phottix Laso system is now available in the United States.

Leica will open a second London-based store at The Royal Exchange. Following the success of its Mayfair store, Leica is expanding its retail presence with this new outlet – known as the Leica Store City – enabling customers in The City and East of London to experience the German brand’s full range of photographic and optics products, as well as providing access to the company’s services, such as its Akademie creative photography workshop programme. Opening on 5 October 2015, the Leica Store City is located at No.18 The Royal Exchange, London, EC3V 3LR.

XSories have announced the new Bendy range of flexible tripods for smartphones, action cams and regular cameras. Available in three sizes, Mini Bendy (£15.99), Bendy (£19.99) and Big Bendy (£23.99), the tripods come in six vibrant colours: red, green, blue, orange, black and grey. Each Bendy model features an adjustable ballhead, flexible legs, non-slip feet and a ¼-inch universal screw

Cokin and Omegabrandess have just introduced the NUANCES Limited Edition ND1024 Z-PRO (L) 100mmx100mm filter kit. Available for Z-PRO Series (L) only, the kit includes the ND1024 10-stop neutral density filter, Z-PRO (L) filter holder with foam mask, 4 adapter rings; 67, 72, 77 and 82mm, and a soft filter case. The kit is available for $421.50 via the Omegabrandess website.

This October, Triggertrap are calling on photographers from around the world to create time-lapse movies featuring the cities they love. The clips will then be combined to create a powerful crowdsourced time-lapse film. From famous monuments to bustling crowds to office blocks, Triggertrap wants photographers to capture the local views that matter to them, and paint an honest picture of the photographer’s environment. The events will take place in London, Cape Town, New York City, San Francisco, and Milan, kicking off with this year’s LapseLondon event on 11 October 2015. The events will all be free to attend. The finished timelapse films and documentary of the events will be available online in November via Triggertrap’s Vimeo page and website.

Magix have released the latest version of its video editing solution, Movie Edit Pro. Boasting a multitude of unique features, ranging from HEVC/H.265 support and high-quality video stabilisation to working with footage from 360° cameras and action cams; the Movie Edit Pro 2016 product family offers beginners and more advanced users a range of practical tools. Movie Edit Pro is available online from £49.99.

PhotoSpring 8 is a new-generation digital photo frame billed as the World's first completely automated digital photo album. The device features an 8" touch-screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, built-in SD, microSD and USB slots, as well as WiFi connectivity. It automatically gathers photos from various sources, and organises them in a single, easy-to-access location. Facial recognition technology automatically identifies and tags the people in each photo. The search function can find photos by people, location, date, or any combination of the three. Photos can be automatically shared with designated family and friends based on the people tagged in each photo. PhotoSpring 8 also includes an integrated voice-activated digital assistant to help with everyday tasks and information requests. The product - which is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter - shall be available from April 2016. Pricing for the base model with 16GB of memory will start at $199 but "early birds" can get it for $99 by backing the project now.

Photography Blog has teamed up with ExpoImaging to offer you the chance to win the new and improved Rogue FlashBender 2 Portable Lighting Kit.

Geoff Vago has been chosen as the lucky winner - congratulations!

The Rogue FlashBender 2 range of unique light modifiers for speedlight flash units, allows photographers to direct and shape light. The range has been created by ExpoImaging to meet the needs of location photographers, and is made up of strong, durable, lighting tools that can be flat packed for easy storage or transportation.

The FlashBender 2 range has a patented design, giving the photographer complete control over the shape of the reflector.

The innovative Rogue FlashBender 2 Portable Lighting Kit includes everything you need to unleash your creativity in one practical kit.

Portable Lighting Kit includes:

FlashBender 2 – LARGE Reflector
FlashBender 2 – SMALL Reflector
LARGE Diffusion Panel
SMALL Diffusion Panel
Rogue Flash Gels - Combo Filter Kit
Rogue 3-in-1 Flash Grid - Stacking Grid System
Rogue Grid Gels - Combo Filter Kit
Rogue FlashBender Travel Bag

Key features:

Soften light with soft boxes on-camera or off-camera
Shape bounce flash and background light
Snoot hair light
Focus light with the Rogue Grid for dramatic effect
Add theatrical accent colour with Rogue Flash Gels
Colour correct flash for improved colour balance
Total Kit Weight: 19 oz (540g)

The Rogue FlashBender 2 Portable Lighting Kit is available to purchase through leading photography retailers and is distributed exclusively by Color Confidence. For further information and to purchase your Rogue FlashBender 2 Portable Lighting Kit, visit: www.colorconfidence.com

How to enter the competition

To be in with a chance of winning the Rogue FlashBender 2 Portable Lighting Kit, all you have to do is sign up to the Photography Blog newsletter from 20 August to 21 September 2015 using the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Metabones have released a firmware update for their EF-mount Speed Boosters and Smart Adapters. Version 1.8 adds support for the on-sensor phase-detect auto-focus (PDAF) function of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Sony Alpha 7R II compact system cameras. In addition, this firmware upgrade provides support for the fast contrast-detect auto-focus (CDAF) feature of the Olympus E-M5II, E-M5, E-M10 and E-P5 models. Click through / scroll down for the details.

Samyang have introduced four new manual-focus lenses for compact system cameras with APS-C and FourThirds sized imagers. The Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS (£279.99/€349.00, pictured) is a moderate wide-angle/normal lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4 and an optical formula comprising 8 lens elements in 7 groups, including one extra low dispersion lens (ED) and three glass aspherical lenses. The Samyang 50mm F1.2 AS UMC CS (£309.99/€399.00) is a short telephoto lens with a bright f/1.2 aperture with impressive bokeh, incorporating 9 elements in seven groups with two glass aspherical lenses. For an extra £30/€50, both the 21mm and 50mm lenses will be available in cine versions featuring quiet and smooth de-clicked focus and aperture gear rings and maximum apertures of T1.5 and T1.3 respectively. These new lenses will be available from mid-October in Sony E, MFT, Fujifilm X and Canon M mounts.