The Societies - including the Society of International Wildlife Photographers, the Society of International Commercial and Industrial Photographers, the Society of International Travel and Tourism Photographers, the Society of International Sport & Leisure Photographers and the Society of International Fashion and Glamour Photographers - have launched five photo competitions for the month of July. These include a panoramic photography contest, a "people watching" competition, a boudoir photography contest, an aerial photo competition and a sports photography contest looking for images that depict decisive moments in sports. Click through / scroll down for the complete list.

A Denver-based startup called Lumenati is is launching a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the commercialisation of what they call "the world's first cinematic smartcase." The Lumenati CS1 "cinematic smartcase" will combine the technological features of a digital device (film-free shooting, instant sharing and an editing app) with the cool design, ergonomic ease and "natural narrative" of a classic Super 8 motion picture camera. The lightweight, portable unit allows anyone to frame and film a steady, stable shot with the pull of an intuitive trigger. A cold shoe allows filmmakers to attach lights, microphones and extra handles for sport shooting. The low-light, real-time viewfinder allows WYSIWYG capabilities even in bright light, a feature that is elusive to modern mobile devices. Conversion lenses can be swapped to shoot in wide angle, fisheye and telephoto. Going live on 13 July 2015, the campaign will enable early birds to buy the Lumenati CS1 at a 20% discount.

GoPro have announced HERO4 Session, which is billed as the smallest, lightest, most convenient GoPro yet. Fifty percent smaller and forty percent lighter than GoPro’s HERO4 Black and Silver cameras, HERO4 Session benefits from a durable waterproof design that eliminates the need for a separate housing, and features simple one-button interface. An expanded set of controls and settings can be accessed when using the GoPro App or Smart Remote. The new action cam captures 1080p60, 720p100 and 1440p30 video along with 8-megapixel photos in Single, Burst and Time Lapse modes. HERO4 Session is compatible with existing GoPro mounts and will retail for $399.99

Hasselblad has revealed its plans for this year's free shootLDN autumn imaging show. Originally established by Hasselblad USA in New York six years ago, the ‘Shoot’ event concept is an exciting, informative and inspiring event based on the premise of building a photographic community. The company's UK branch has now brought the ‘Shoot’ concept to London, labelled as ‘shootLDN’, following on from not only the original NYC events, but from other ‘Shoot’ events that have also previously been held in cities such as Los Angeles, Paris and Amsterdam. And for the first-time the interactive imaging forum (October 8/9) will be held in conjunction with The Association of Photographers who will use the shootLDN venue to host their annual awards exhibition and ceremony. Both shootLDN and the AOP Awards will still be regarded as separate events and maintain their own brand identities, but the two events have been arranged to coincide on the same dates at the same venue, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane E1 6QL London, with adjoining rooms to join the events together. The Hasselblad seminar speaker list already includes Charlie Waite,, Tim Flach, Sean Conboy, David Stanbury, Nicola Selby and Karl Taylor. Event partners for the 2015 shootLDN show include: broncolor; Epson; AOP; EIZO; G-Technology; Metro Imaging; HardSoft Computers; Pro Centre; Lux-S; Linhof Studio; BeExposed; Datacolor; Professional Photo Magazine and Old Truman Brewery.

Kenro have announced the UK a new Sony fit for the Nissin Di700A with Commander Air1 Flash Kit (£239.94). The Nissin Commander Air1 can control 3 groups of Nissin Di700A flash (with a maximum of 21 NAS guns), making it an ideal controller for photographers who wish to simultaneously fire multiple strobes at various distances and without the need for cables. The Commander Air1 (pictured) is also available to purchase separately, for £59.94. "We're very excited about this new addition to the range," says Paul Kench, Kenro's managing director. "Sony is a major contender in the digital camera market - dominated by Canon and Nikon - and Nissin has recognized this by now making all their new flash systems compatible with Sony cameras."

Accessories being the lifeblood of the photography business, not to mention essential tools for photographers themselves, UK distributor Intro2020 offers a many and varied selection – covering 26 brands and product lines in all. Here’s part 2 of our round up of their new products for summer 2015…

Peak District Through The Lens by James Grant is a comprehensive photography guidebook that provides information on where and how to take the most beautiful photos in the national park. Due for release on 15th July, the book is designed to aid readers in everything from teaching photography to revealing some locations they you may not realise exist. Photographic walks will also be included, to allow readers to make full days out with the camera. The recommended price of the book is £23.95.

Photography Blog was recently invited to view a comprehensive new line-up of photo products hitting the UK market from all over the world – courtesy of UK distributor Intro2020, which currently looks after 26 different brands and product lines.

X-Rite have announced June’s winners of the global social competition 'Capture the Colour,' and also unveiled July’s theme colour. The winners are Carlos Robles, Tomasz Dzubia, Inga Linder-Kopiecka, Jarosław Godowski and Vito Netti. The theme colour for July is Pantone 14-0848 Mimosa. Best illustrated by the abundant flowers of the Mimosa tree and the sparkle of the brilliantly hued cocktail, Mimosa is a versatile shade that coordinates with any other colour and "translates to both fashion and interiors," the company remarks. Entrants can submit their photographs via X-Rite’s Facebook Competition page.

The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers have announced the winners of Discovering Wildlife Photography Competition. Marc Mol from Laufen, Switzerland was chosen as the winner from over 325 images entered in to the competition. Marc tells us ''What a nice and welcome surprise! A herd of elephants cast incredible shadows across the dry Luangwa River floodplain as they journey to the refreshing waters of this dwindling river. The looming shadows of the herd led by the matriarch are clearer than the animals themselves, who seamlessly blend in the textured patterns of the sand below them. Captured from a microlight at early light over the Luangwa River floodplain in Zambia's South Luangwa National park." Marc used a Nikon D3S camera and an AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II lens to capture the winning shot. The runners up are Mario Gustavo Fiorucci and Karin Horstman.

The Wandle Valley Forum (WVF), Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust (WVRPT) and Living Wandle Landscape Partnership (LWLP) are launching a photographic competition to capture all aspects of the Wandle Valley. There are four categories to enter, each representing a key aspect of the valley’s rich diversity: Natural Wandle, Urban Wandle, Wandle Folk and Working Wandle. The competition is open to amateur photographers of any age, living or working in the in the boroughs of Wandsworth, Sutton, Merton and Croydon. The closing date for entries is midnight on 16 October 2015. The winning images will be used on the new WVRP website and in its digital archive; the overall winner will be used on the website home page.

Shortlisted entries to the Hasselblad Masters 2016 competition are now awaiting votes from the Hasselblad Public Jury. The public vote provides photographers worldwide with the opportunity to influence the result of the competition, with the Public Jury carrying one vote on the main Masters Jury panel. Members of the public are invited to help select a winner from each of the ten categories. The Public Jury vote works by using a rating system that allows you to award 1, 2 or 3 stars to an image in each category. The images with the most stars in each category at the end of the voting period will then gain the public vote as part of the main Masters Jury panel. It is not possible to vote more than once on an image, and once the 6 allotted stars are used up, that image category is considered closed and you can move on to the next category. It is not mandatory to vote in all 10 categories. The voting period ends on 30 September 2015.

Nikon UK today launched a new promotion offering UK and Republic of Ireland residents a free battery grip with purchases of selected Nikon digital SLR cameras. Those purchasing a Nikon D7200 are able to claim a free MB-D15 (pictured), whilst customers considering the Nikon D610 are entitled to a free MB-D14 battery grip. The promotion runs to 2nd September.

Barber Shop is a brand new collection of Italian leather bags and accessories for photographers, which includes 5 bags, 1 hand- and 1 wrist-strap, a single and a double bridle and two different sizes of leather organisers. Every single piece is handcrafted in Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza) by skilled artisans. As the company points out, "every detail of Barber Shop products is designed and tailored to fit the needs of photographers, without giving up style, elegance and the uniqueness of a hand-crafted product." The bags and accessories are now available on the new Barber Shop website.

MindShift Gear have launched a new line of dual-purpose photography backpacks. The First Light series addresses the most pressing needs of outdoor photographers who travel and trek, especially those who carry their 200mm to 600mm “Big Glass” lenses. These high-capacity backpacks come in three sizes and feature contoured, adjustable torso harnesses with 11 adjustment points for extreme comfort whether running through an airport or traversing a mountain. Designed to comply with airline carry-on size requirements, First Light backpacks are built with ballistic nylon bottoms for durability, and room for a laptop. The FirstLight 20L is available for $229.99, the FirstLight 30L for $279.99, and the FirstLight 40L for $329.99.

George Eastman House's Technology Collection has been recognised as an Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for its historic significance as the world's leading collection of photographic and cinematographic technology. The vast collection includes a daguerreotype camera signed by Daguerre, an original 1888 Kodak, Ansel Adams's first cameras, a Technicolor camera that filmed MGM classics, the NASA Lunar Orbiter, the Speed Graphic camera that captured the flag-raising at Iwo Jima, and many other technical marvels. "The collection at George Eastman House promotes the legacy of a great inventor while telling the story of an industry that has brought fun, leisure, and entertainment to many," said Madiha El-Mehelmy Kotb, past president of ASME. "This landmark designation pays tribute to the mechanical engineering ingenuity that has been incorporated in these devices." ASME has designated landmarks, sites, and collections of historic importance to mechanical engineering since 1971 through its History and Heritage Landmarks Programme. Landmark status indicates that the artifact, site, or collection represents a significant step forward in the evolution of mechanical engineering and is the best known example of its kind.

Yuneec International have just launched the Typhoon Q500 4K quadcopter, which offers 4K movie recording and 12-megapixel still image capture. The newest member of the Typhoon family offers up to 25-minutes of flight time while filming with its CGO3 4K camera.  The unit comes ready to fly with a standard ST10+ Personal Ground Station featuring a 5.5-inch touchscreen, while the 3-axis anti-vibration CGO3 gimbal camera comes with a fixed-focus UWA lens and is capable of recording Full HD videos at 120fps for slow-motion playback. Stills can be saved as DNG raw files or JPEGs. The Typhoon Q500 4K system is available for the suggested retail price of $1299.