Zhongyi Optics (ZY Optics) has officially announced the Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95 MFT lens, which was first unveiled a week ago by way of the company's Facebook fan page. This tiny yet ultra-fast manual-focus lens features 11 elements in 9 groups, and a diaphragm with 11 aperture blades. Weighing in at 230 grams, the Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95 takes 43mm filters, and offers a close-focus point of 25cm, measured from the sensor plane. Equivalent to a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera, the Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds lens is available to pre-order for $399.

Exhibitr is hosting a competition to discover the best photographers in the student community. The theme of the contest is ‘Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle,' and the  overall winner will receive an Olympus OM-D E-M1 compact system camera (pictured). "The opportunity to give students a chance to show off their best work, whilst being in with a chance of winning some brilliant prizes provided by Olympus UK is incredibly exciting for us," says Exhibitr founder Harry Hanlon. "We’re looking forward to seeing the most creative and original take on the competition’s theme." You can submit as many entries as you like, using any make of camera equipment, and the competition is open from now until 8 January 2016.

Sony today announced that user selectable compressed and uncompressed 14-bit-per-channel raw image capture will be featured in the new A7S II full-frame compact system camera. Additionally, they have announced plans to add this feature via firmware update to additional cameras, beginning with the recently introduced A7R II. Until now, Sony camera users have had to make do with raw files compressed using a lossy algorithm, leading to sub-optimal results (as compared with other manufacturers' cameras equipped with similar Sony sensors).

CyberLink today launched the latest versions of its Director series multimedia editing software applications. PowerDirector 14 (priced from $69.99) features flexible video editing modes, more than 500 effects and templates, improved 64-bit video rendering with TrueVelocity 5, precision motion tracking and a new Action Camera Center. PhotoDirector 7 ($59.99) adds support for a wide variety of new cameras and raw image formats, introduces a fresh approach to layer-based editing, and features new face and body beautification and content-aware object removal tools. ColorDirector 4 Ultra ($129.99) offers intelligent motion tracking, post-production colour grading and HDR video editing.

Epson today announced the 24-inch SureColor P6000 and P7000, plus the 44-inch SureColor P8000 and P9000 printers. The SC-P7000 and SC-P9000 are available in a Commercial Edition featuring an all-new Violet ink for expanded color gamut delivering output matching 99-percent of the PANTONE FORMULA GUIDE Solid Coated. In addition, the printers are configurable with an optional Epson SpectroProofer UVS in-line spectrophotometer designed to provide automated colour management and verification-related tasks for a range of proofing applications. The SC-P6000/P8000 leverage the eight-colour UltraChrome HD ink and the SC-P7000/P9000 use the 10-colour UltraChrome HDX ink. Both professional ink sets deliver improved black density: the new Black ink is 1.5 times denser than previous ink formulation, providing significant improvements to overall contract ratio and optical clarity, the company says. The Epson SureColor P-Series will be available in October 2015.

Hobie by Overlab Designs is a new tool for creating time-lapse videos with smartphones. Available in four colours, Hobie is a simple, fully mechanical device that works with any phone that's less than 8cm wide. Comprising a modified kitchen timer, a crossbar and a large wheel, the ingeniuous device is highly portable and features 36 different point-of-view setting options for both static and 360-degree time-lapse sequences. Interested readers are encouraged to pay a visit to Hobie's Kickstarter page for more information.

Leica Camera has announced a new programme of photography training courses and workshops at its London-based Akademie. This includes the Leica Masterclass Series (starting with a street photography workshop held from 3-4 October 2015), the Learn With Leica course designed to move novice photographers away from the ‘Auto’ setting and unleash their true potential, several one-day "Leica In London" events, a personalised one.hour workshop called "Leica Bespoke," plus several complimentary workshops aimed at Leica M and T system photographers. The Leica Akademie UK is located at the Leica Studio, 27 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London W1J 6NQ.

Schneider-Kreuznach are showcasing an FF-Prime lens with Sony E-Mount for the first time at the International Broadcast Conference (IBC). Up to now, Schneider-Kreuznach's Xenon-branded FF-Primes - which were first announced in 2013 - have been available in Canon, Nikon and PL fit. The FF Prime lenses with Sony E-Mount will become available later this year in 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 100mm focal lengths (all with a maximum aperture of T/2.1), priced from €2,998-€4,320.

EIZO is expanding its warranty to cover bright pixel defects on select FlexScan, ColorEdge, and FORIS monitors. Under this warranty, no bright sub-pixels are allowed for six months from the date of purchase. This expanded warranty is valid on the EIZO FlexScan EV3237, EV2750, EV2736W, EV2730Q, EV2455, EV2450, EV2436W and EV2336W, ColorEdge CG318-4K, CG248-4K, CG277, CG247, CX271, CX241, CS270, CS240 and CS230 (pictured), plus the FORIS FS2735, FS2434 and FG2421 models.

The next Magnum Professional Practice event will be held from 3 - 4 October 2015 in the Magnum Print Room in London. In this two day event, leading figures of the photographic industry will deliver presentations and advice on the realities of working in their sectors. Confirmed speakers include Hannah Watson, Hamish Crooks and Neil Wissink. The tuition fee is £200 including lunch.

Atomos are showcasing the 4K/HD 3RU 2ch dual 7" Shogun Studio and the Ninja Assassin at IBC 2015 in Amsterdam. Shogun Studio (£2,595/$3,495/€3,495) is the world's first all-in-one 4K & HD, 2ch, dual 7" 3RU rack recorder, monitor and playback deck. The dual record channels provide the ability to simultaneously record 2 separate inputs in your choice of resolution up to 4K 30p or HD 120p or 2 versions of the same input for parity. Ninja Assassin (£895/$1,295/€1,295) delivers 325ppi monitoring functionality and the 7" size needed to truly master 4K along with the only true 10-bit 4:2:2 professional recording solution for Apple, AVID & Adobe workflows and all with a price & weight the lowest in the market. New pricing on Atomos's HD range has also been announced at IBC. The Samurai Blade, Ninja Blade, Ninja 2 will see a price reduction in excess of 50%, taking the Ninja 2 to the lowest price seen for a Recorder-Monitor (£209/$295/€295).