This weekend, five local Canon dealers across the US will host “Canon Experience Days” featuring well-known local photographers who will teach new parents how to get the most out of their DSLRs as well as their best tips and tricks on how to capture great family photos. Participating retailers include CameraLand in Old Bethpage, Christian Photo in Urbandale, RockBrook Camera in Omaha, Tempe Camera in Tempe and Kenmore Camera in Kenmore. Click through / scroll down for the exact times and dates.

Zeiss have posted several high-resolution sample images taken with their new Batis 2/25 and Batis 1.8/85 lenses mounted to a variety of bodies including a mysterious new Sony camera. The pictures can be downloaded from Carl Zeiss Lenses' Flickr photostream and one of them is an 56-megapixel portrait taken with the Batis 1.8/85 telephoto prime. The pixel size is 8910x6300, with the aspect ratio being 1.41:1, suggesting that the photograph has been cropped to this size from an even higher-resolution original.

GoPro has announced an agreement to acquire Kolor, a leader in virtual reality and spherical media solutions. All Kolor employees will join GoPro and will maintain operations at their headquarters in Savoie. “We are excited to welcome Kolor to GoPro,” said Nicholas Woodman, GoPro’s founder and CEO. “GoPro’s capture devices and Kolor’s software will combine to deliver exciting and highly accessible solutions for capturing, creating and sharing spherical content.” Spherical media enables a range of immersive viewing experiences and is an essential building block of virtual reality technologies. “Kolor’s mission is to enable the ultimate visual experience - to transport an audience to another time and space. Joining GoPro makes this possible,” said Alexandre Jenny, CEO of Kolor. “When the best spherical media software is combined with the world’s most versatile capture devices, our imagination become our only limitation. We’re excited to see what the world captures and shares with GoPro and Kolor.”

The Wapping Project Bankside has announced its participation in Photo London, a unique photography event that will feature a major international photography fair for up to 70 of the world’s leading photography galleries. Showing works by Elina Brotherus, Lydia Goldblatt, Alexander Gronsky, Jacqueline Hassink, Abbas Kowsari, Juul Kraijer, Edgar Martins, Stephen J Morgan, Jeffrey Stockbridge, Mitra Tabrizian, and Thomas Zanon-Larcher, The Wapping Project Bankside wishes to make evident the interesting dialogue that can be achieved when seemingly disparate works are brought together. Photo London will take place from 21 – 24 May 2015.

TomTom today launched the all-new TomTom Bandit action camera, which makes editing and sharing videos quick and easy. Billed as the first-ever camera to come with a built-in media server, the TomTom Bandit action camera works with a companion app (iOS only for the time being), making it possible to create and share videos in a matter of minutes. In editing mode, a simple shake of the smartphone instantly creates an exciting movie. Users can then easily make changes, add music and add overlays of favourite metrics. In addition to capturing HD, Full HD, 2.7K and 4K movies, the TomTom Bandit can also shoot 16-megapixel stills using a CCD sensor and an UWA lens. Connectivity options inlcude Bluetooth, Wi-fi and USB 3.0. The TomTom Bandit action camera will be available in May priced at £299.99.

LG has announced its latest smartphone, which features a 16-megapixel camera module with an external white balance sensor and an f/1.8 lens. The LG G4 has a 1/2.6-type image sensor capable of recording raw images, and offers a wide range of manual adjustments including shutter speed, focus and ISO sensitivity, as well as optical image stabilisation, laser auto focus and a live histogram. Other photography-related features include a Gesture Shutter function, 4K movie recording, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera and a 5.5” IPS Quantum display.

MindShift Gear has launched a new range of GoPro camera cases and bundles. The series includes carrying cases for single or multiple cameras and provides easy organisation for all the mounts, screws and accessories. “MindShift’s action camera cases are built for flexibility and accessibility,” said MindShift Gear’s CEO and lead designer Doug Murdoch. “We’ve designed the different cases and bundles with single camera or multi-camera users in mind. With MindShift’s action camera cases they can craft the GoPro kit that matches their own vision.” Prices start at $16.50. Click through / scroll down for the details.

April 23rd marked the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards, with a glamorous ceremony held at the Park Lane Hilton, London.

Now in its eighth year, this free-to-enter competition showcases the best contemporary photography across a range of genres and is open to photographers of all abilities.

We take a look back at the winners...

The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) and The Open University are launching a unique online digital photography course. Digital Photography: Creating and Sharing Better Images is a 10-week course designed to help people new to digital photography and those looking to improve existing skills – and to see the world in a new way. It will develop participants’ technical and visual skills through weekly practical assignments. The 10-week course will cost £200, and all students who successfully complete the course will be entitled to an RPS Certificate in Photography.

DJI today announced the DJI Ronin-M camera stabiliser is now available for pre-order. Featuring a unique, lightweight (5lbs) magnesium frame, the DJI Ronin-M opens up new Small enough to carry in a backpack, the DJI Ronin-M incorporates DJI’s signature SmoothTrack system, allowing operators to easily track action on a multiple or single axes. The quick-release system for the top handle allows users to mount the DJI Ronin-M easily to jibs, cranes and tripods. Capable of stabilising camera setups up to 8lbs, the DJI Ronin-M camera stabiliser is available for an MAP of $1,399.

Color Confidence today announced that they will be attending a number of roadshows and open days across the United Kingdom over the next few months. Showcasing a lineup of innovative photography products such as BenQ’s first colour critical monitor, DxO’s newly updated image editing software, X-Rite‘s colour management solutions, Rogue’s new and improved FlashBender 2 range and NEC’s latest 4k colour critical monitors with new built-in Spectraview II calibration software. There will be professional product demonstrations and best practice tips, as well as special offers on purchases made on the day. Color Confidence will be exhibiting at shows as part of the Bigger Picture Roadshow, Calumet spring open days, London Camera Exchange Pro Show, Photovision Roadshow, WEX Workflow event and Park Cameras Imaging festival. Click through / read on for dates and locations.

X-Rite is hosting a free webinar with X-Rite Coloratti, fine art and commercial photographer, and professional photographic trainer, Mark Wood. Taking place from 5:30pm – 6:30pm GMT on 14th May, this Photoshop and Lightroom masterclass will demonstrate the importance of colour management, image editing and the new features of Lightroom CC. Topics to be covered include tips for importing into Lightroom CC, dealing with tone and colours that can not be displayed or printed, round tripping images via Photoshop, an introduction to Smart Objects, and more. “For many photographers, the work behind the lens comes naturally. Mastering the digital workflow, with tools such as Photoshop and Lightroom can take a bit more time and effort.” commented Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director of X-Rite Photo Europe. “We have partnered with Adobe to create the ultimate photographic workflow with our recent special offers on the ColorMunki Display, i1Photo Pro 2 and the i1Display Pro, and crucially we want to help people get the most from this workflow.”

Spider Camera Holster today announced the availability of their newest product, the SpiderPro Hand Strap. Following the success of their Tilt crowdfunding campaign, which raised over 180 percent of their monetary goal, the SpiderPro Hand Strap can now be purchased at select retail stores and directly through the company website . “Over the years, our loyal customers have regularly sent us feedback on what they desire in a hand strap. We listened, and we’ve come up with a strap design that fits our customer’s needs while also meeting Spider Holster’s rigorous product standards,” said Shai Eynav, founder and president of Spider Holster. Billed as the world’s first truly universal hand strap, the SpiderPro Hand Strap’s thin and extremely durable materials slide in between the camera body and tripod plate, making it adaptable to any camera system. The standard black leather SpiderPro Hand Strap carries an MSRP of $65. Colour Hand Straps will be available in retail by summer of 2015.

Adaptalux is an adaptable, miniature portable lighting studio designed for macro and product photography. "This lighting system for macro photography is all about innovation and creativity, both in the product design and the incredibly creative pictures and videos it allows photographers to make without having to travel the world," says Martin Brenig-Jones, Co-Owner and Business Director, Adaptalux. "Macro photography subjects are everywhere and look amazing with the right lighting!" Adaptalux is split into three main parts; a control panel, a set of lighting arms and a set of effect components. Currently seeking funding through Kickstarter, the Adptalux project has raised over £93,000 of its £100,000 goal so far, with 4 days to go.

Ricoh has published seven high-resolution sample photos captured with the new Pentax K-3 II digital SLR camera. Taken by Mitsuo Suzuki, these Pentax K-3 II samples were shot at sensitivity settings ranging from ISO 100 to ISO 400, using an array of lenses including the HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mmF4.5-5.6ED DC AW telezoom, the HD PENTAX-DA 35mmF2.8  Limited macro lens, the smc PENTAX-DA★55mmF1.4 SDM prime, the smc PENTAX-D FA MACRO 100mmF2.8 WR telephoto lens, the HD PENTAX-D FA★70-200mmF2.8ED DC AW telezoom and the HD PENTAX-DA 16-85mmF3.5-5.6ED DC WR standard zoom.

Website: Ricoh Imaging Japan

Outdoor Action and Adventure Photography by professional adventure sports photographer Dan Bailey is a new title from Focal Press. This book teaches photographers how to think geometrically and how to pull together the elements that make for a successful shot, all while being immersed in the action. “Few styles of shooting bust your photography chops like adventure and action photography,” Bailey says. “You have to be on top of your game, because you might only have one chance to get it right. This kind of shooting requires skill, focus, and confidence, because in a span of split seconds you can do one of three things: miss the shot, get the shot, or actually nail the shot. Which one would you rather do?” The 312-page paperback is available for £21.99/$34.95.