Canon today announced that they have developed Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR), a new optical element that corrects chromatic aberrations at an extremely high level. Offering characteristics that significantly refract blue light, which lies within the short-wavelength range, the BR optical element is making its debut in the new EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM wide-angle lens, which is scheduled to go on sale in October 2015.

The winners of the 2nd International Landscape Photographer of the Year (ILPOTY) competition have been announced. The overall winner (based on a folio submission of at least 4 images) is Luke Austin from Australia. Luke uses a Nikon D800E with the Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8, 45mm f2.8 Tilt Shift and 70-200mm f4 lenses, and an assortment of Feisol Pro and Tournament series tripods. The runner-up International Landscape Photographer of the Year is Ricardo Da Cunha from Australia..

Canon has announced the CJ12ex4.3B portable 4K 2/3-inch broadcast lens, the world’s first 4K wide-angle lens for use with 4K broadcast cameras featuring 2/3"-type imagers. Designed as a portable wide-angle 12x zoom lens, the CJ12ex4.3B supports framing of scenes containing large amounts of image detail. The form factor for production shooters will be very similar to shooting with Canon's HD lenses in size, weight and controls. Its light weight of 4lbs, 10oz. and compact size make it ideal for shoulder-mounted Electronic News Gathering applications. “With a 96.3 degree angle of view, our best-in-class wide-angle lens will allow broadcasters to capture more of the scene in stunning 4K quality,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A. A built-in 2x extender allows more telephoto operation without sacrificing 4K image quality. The CJ12ex4.3B portable broadcast lens is scheduled to be available in December.

The Olympus Global Open Photo Contest is accepting entries through to 05:00 am GMT on Friday 20 November. Entries are invited in four categories which are offered under five thematic headings: Life (“Birth”), Future (“Places to Preserve”), People (“Smiles”), and Technical (“Macro” and “Art”). Up to 5 entries per theme can be submitted, and entrants are free to amend entry descriptions, take down entries or add fresh photos at any time during the competition period. The total value of the prizes on offer is approximately €30,000.

Wilkinson Cameras have launched a competition to win the latest Sigma 24mm f1.4 DF HSM I Art lens worth £699. To enter, all you have to do is visit Wilkinson Cameras' Facebook page and answer a simple question.One lucky winner will be taking home this Sigma lens, in their choice of either Canon or Nikon fit. Two runners up will win a year’s free membership to The Guild of Photographers, each worth up to £120 each.

X-Rite are hosting a free webinar in conjunction with DxO. Award-winning professional photographer Mark Lawrence will deliver a lecture demonstrating how he uses DxO and X-Rite software alongside Adobe Lightroom to create powerful wedding and portrait photos. Walking attendees through his workflow of editing of fashion and wedding photography using the various modules of DxO Optics Pro, Mark will highlight the main differences between DxO's application and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. The online seminar is free to attend but advance registration is required.

Want to see exactly what the new Leica S (Typ 007) medium format camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica S (Typ 007) medium format camera.

The Leica S (Typ 007) medium format camera combines outstanding image quality with maximum speed and flawless handling. The new Leica S brings together maximum burst rate, exceptional sensor sensitivity and an extensive range of capture modes for photos and – for the first time – video footage. With a burst frequency of up to 3.5 frames per second, full-HD video in full-frame medium format sensor size, 4K video recording in Super 35 format, fast Live View mode and exceptional image quality at all ISO settings, the Leica S (Typ 007) reinforces its status as the benchmark in the medium format category.

The Leica S (Typ 007) is available in the UK from selected Leica stockists, at a suggested retail price of £12,900 including VAT, and in the US it's priced at $16,900.

Olympus Japan has posted seven full-resolution sample images captured with the new OM-D E-M10 II compact system camera. Taken at sensitivity settings ranging from ISO200/24° to ISO1,600/33°, these photos were shot with a variety of Micro Four Thirds lenses including the M.Zuikod Digital 25mm F/1.8, 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO, 60mm f/2.8 Macro, 45mm f/1.8, 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO and 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ. You can download these Olympus OM-D E-M10 II samples from the website below.

Website: Olympus Japan

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II is a new compact system camera with a 5-axis image stabilisation system, a brand new 4K time-lapse movie mode, and a large real-time EVF featuring a resolution of 2.36 million dots and 100% frame coverage. It also boasts an electronic shutter with a top shutter speed of 1/16,000 sec, plus a new AF Targeting Pad function that works similarly to Panasonic's venerable Touch Pad AF. This feature enables you to select and modify the position of the AF frame by touch even when using the eye-level viewfinder. The retro-styled chassis, tiltable touchscreen, Micro Four Thirds lens mount and 16-megapixel Four Thirds sensor have been carried over from the original E-M10. The recommended kit includes the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm 1:3.5-5-6 EZ pancake lens and will cost £649.99/€799.00/$799.00. The body-only configuration is available for £549.99/€599.00/$649.00.

The Family Travel Show 2015 has just launched its Young Travel Photographers Competition. This photo contest has one simple aim - to celebrate the skill of young travel photographers as they capture their adventures while exploring the world with their families. There are two age categories, 11 & under and 12-17, and the winner of each category will win a £150 voucher for CEWE Photobook, a Panasonic A100 wearable camera and a 40 x 60cm acrylic print of their photograph. The winning images and further selected entries will also feature in the Young Travel Photographers Exhibition at the Family Travel Show, Olympia London, held from 31st October – 1st November. The deasline for submissions is 14th October 2015.

On Saturday 12th September The Miniclick Photography Talks - founded by Jim Stephenson in 2010 - will celebrate their fifth birthday with a day of free photography events in Brighton's Unitarian church. Throughout the day, 16 Miniclick collaborators will be taking part in the popular ‘Soapbox’ talks. Each photographer will be given seven minutes to discuss whatever topic they wish. Confirmed speakers include Ewen Spencer, Annie Collinge, Juno Calypso, Natasha Caurana, Ally Lethbridge and Stuart Griffiths. In the ‘Illustrator’s Photo Booth’ visitors can describe their favourite photograph and it will be drawn by a team of illustrators including Billy Mather, Anthony Atkinson, Joey Ellen and Lauren Holder. Visitors will also be able to dissect prints from famous photographers to make unique badges, make a collage as part of Miniclick’s ‘Don’t Cut Me Out’ project and have their photo taken by Sean Hawkey using the tintype process.

Less than a year after its UK launch, calendar publishing platform Calvendo has reached the 1000-user milestone. As a professional publishing platform for wall calendars, Calvendo offers a unique service: creative users can design their own calendars online, and sell them on Amazon and other retail platforms. Before release, each calendar goes through a quality assessment process to ensure that products are fit to go to market. The service is free of charge, and Calvendo self-publishers get royalties for each calendar copy sold. The company’s UK division now has almost 1100 registered users and around 4500 calendars. “We’re very happy that so many English-language photographers and artists are already creating and publishing calendars with us, “ says Calvendo Managing Director Hans-Joachim Jauch. “We see a similarly successful development as when we initially launched in Germany in 2012 and are excited about our platform’s development for the upcoming calendar season.”