Manfrotto today launched the 190 go!, a new product in the 190 tripod series. The 190 go! is the lightest and most compact 190 in the aluminium range, weighing just 1.7kg. Folding down to 45cm in length, the 190 go! is extremely compact, allowing more room for extra gear. Despite its compact size, the 190 go! extends out to a maximum height of 146cm. The new twist locking system allows the easy opening and closure of all sections at once with a single hand. The twist lock system adds to the 190 go!’s slim line profile making it even more portable. The 190 go! is available now and priced at £159.95.

The British Photography Industry News, a monthly trade magazine edited by regular PhotographyBLOG contributor Gavin Stoker, is celebrating the launch of The Photography Show with a one-off special consumer edition. With a print run of 6000, the magazine is being given away for free across the four days of the show. The electronic version, which includes a useful floorplan, is available online allowing you to plan your visit ahead of time.

Website: BPI News

The B-Grip UNO is an advanced multi-purpose camera holster designed specifically for compact system cameras. Fitting any backpack, belt or bag; the B-Grip UNO keeps the camera comfortably and securely connected to your body when you are active. Using the UNO, a camera attached on a backpack  is extremely stable when moving. The UNO main body is made of Durethan, the bolts are made of steel, and the ¼” screw of the quick release plate is made of solid brass in order to protect the camera tripod thread. Manufactured in the EU by CPtech, the B-Grip UNO will soon be available from photo specialty stores across the US.

Bits&Coffee have released PhotoMarks 2.0, a batch photo watermarking program for Mac and PC. Enabling photographers, web designers and families to protect their copyrighted images quickly and efficiently on any computer. Version 2.0 adds drag-and-drop support for the Logo, Text watermark filters, and also for the Resize, Crop filters, compatibility withOS X Yosemite, Retina support for Macs and an improved user interface. The program can completely customise the appearance of text and logo watermarks, as well as perform additional edits like resize, rename, auto rotate, or decorate photos with frames, all in the same session. PhotoMarks runs on Mac OS X Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion as well as Windows 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. One license costs $29.95.

X-Rite Coloratti Adrian Weinbrecht & Frank Doorhof will be leading live model shoots, photo walk and seminars at The Photography Show. “Securing two premier photographers to be live on stand F21, during the Photography Show is an exciting development and we expect their sessions on stand to be packed,” commented Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director of X-Rite Photo Europe. “In addition we have also created a fantastic opportunity for 20 lucky attendees to get one-on-one advice and guidance from Adrian, during a Photowalk in Birmingham during the show. We’re confident there’s no better line up at The Photography Show 2015.” During the exhibition, X-Rite’s team of experts will be demonstrating the capabilities of X-Rite’s colour management solutions, including monitor calibration, printer profiling , mobile device calibration and capture control with the ColorChecker Passport (pictured)

Wacom will be showcasing its new mobile Cintiq Companion 2 (pictured), its range of Cintiq creative pen displays including the new Cintiq 13HD touch and the new flagship Cintiq 27QHD touch for high-end photography as well as its Intuos Pro range at The Photography Show. Wacom ambassadors Ian Sayers and burlesque photographer/retoucher Tigz Rice will also be present on the stand, providing expertise and knowledge to visitors on how to get the best out of leading digital imaging software packages using a Wacom tablet. The Photography SHow 2015 will be taking place from 21-24 March at the Birmingham NEC.

The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography by Glenn Randall is a new title from Rocky Nook. In this book, there are discussions about exposure and composition — providing the best techniques to calculate exposure in even the most challenging lighting conditions. Randall also dives into compositional techniques, moving beyond the basics to discuss colour, balance, and depth. He addresses key scientific concepts that impact landscape photography, such as geography, optics, vision, and psychology. The 240-page softcover is available for $39.95.

Digital Film Tools have released version 3.0 of EZ Mask,an easy-to-use interactive image masking tool. The application iteratively estimates the transparency value for every pixel in the image, based on a small sample of foreground and background pixels marked by simple strokes on the image, and is capable of extracting almost any object even if you are dealing with fine hair detail, smoke, or reflections. Version 3.0 adds support for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

Defrozo is a free, all-in-one platform that helps photographers better market their work online. Currently raising funds on Kickstarter, Defrozo combines image hosting, website management, CRM, ecommerce, and workflow organisation tools in the integrated WordPress-based platform, all for free. Premium packages will also be available for those who require more storage space and advanced customisation options. By pledging $15 or more, Defrozo’s backers receive significant discounts on the premium subscription plans, as well as private access to the highest-level package during the entire development time. Currently in beta, Defrozo will be available to the general public in autumn.

The new Zeiss Education Programme is targeted to US-based students, educators, plus accredited institutions and workshops teaching photography and film-making. Developed in response to numerous requests especially from students, the Zeiss Education Programme is a purchase incentive plan that enables pre-approved students, accredited schools and photo educators to purchase Zeiss camera lenses at a fixed, discounted price. Once your application has been approved, you will receive a certificate that entitles you for the student discount. The discount can be claimed with an authorised Zeiss dealer.

The ArtGemini Prize has issued the Call for Entries for the Third Edition of the international Art and Photography Prize. Open to all photographers and painters form anywhere in the world, the ArtGemini Prize is described as "a celebration to promote international contemporary art for emerging and established artists." A cash fund of £6000 will be awarded to the winnersin 4 categories, Photography, Painting & Sculpture, Young Artist and Public Choice. In addition to the “open” theme, there is a special bursary prize sponsored by PhotoAid Global for the best “social or environmental documentary” image submitted. Do note that entry fees apply. The deadline for entries is 7th July.

Manfrotto has just added the Off Road 30L Hiker Backpack to the Off Road Collection. Designed to meet the needs of photographers who are looking for compact and lightweight accessories ideal for action and adventure photography, the Manfrotto Off-Road 30L Hiker Backpack features a fully removable internal camera case and an innovative solution for keeping the camera secure on the chest whilst walking. The camera case can carry a pro SLR, 70-200mm lens plus an additional lens, and features the Manfrotto Protection System which is specifically designed to ensure maximum protection. Available now through selected stockists, the Manfrotto Off-Road 30L Hiker Backpack is priced at £169.95.

YouTube has added support for 360° spherical videos, including those created with the Ricoh Theta m15 camera (pictured). "With the announcement of YouTube’s 360 degree spherical video support, the world of content sharing is much more accessible worldwide," Ricoh says. Theta users simply create their 360 videos, upload MP4 video files generated with Windows and Mac software and share with family and friends

Epson today added the Epson Perfection V39 to its line of Perfection flatbed scanners. Featuring 4800 dpi hardware resolution, no warm-up time and buttons to scan directly to e-mail and PDFs, the compact Perfection V39 allows consumers to scan and share photos to Facebook, Google Drive and other cloud services. The USB powered scanner requires only one source for power and connection to the computer, with no AC adapter needed. The removable lid makes it possible to scan bulky photo albums. The Epson Perfection V39 ($99.99) is now available through major retailers across the USA.

Byron Dilkes has been named as the winner of the UK National Award, part of the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards. His image “Tantalizingly Tropical” was chosen as the single best photograph taken by a British photographer entered into any of the ten Open categories of the awards. Dilkes has won a Sony RX100 III camera and his image will be shown as part of the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House, London from 24 April – 10 May. Runner-up positions for the UK National Award were given to Simon Morris and Antony Crossfield.

Lowepro today unveiled the next generation of its travel-focused camera and laptop backpacks, the Fastpack II series. Improving protection levels while providing great internal carrying ‘zones,’ the Fastpack II series includes two new packs for the DSLR photographer: the Fastpack 150 AW II and the Fastpack 250 AW II. Each pack features a padded easy-access compartment for a DSLR camera with lens. New additions to this generation include an all-weather protective cover to keep gear safe, and the ability to secure the pack to rolling trolleys at airports. The Fastpack 150 AW II (£96) is designed to hold up to an 11-inch laptop in a built in padded sleeve, and one to two extra lenses or flashes in the camera section of the backpack. The larger Fastpack 250 AW II (£120, pictured) can hold a 15-inch laptop, plus up to three additional lenses or flashes. Both packs come complete with a padded, removable waistbelt for extra comfort – which can be stowed during travel.

Daminion's digital asset management software has been updated to version 3.7. This edition improves the user experience in both the Standalone and the Server versions, and integrates with the Active Directory to save time on server administration. A new Grouping feature and added functions in the Lightbox panel enable digital assets to be classified more accurately in version 3.7, and huge image files in Camera RAW, PSD, TIFF and BMP format can now be viewed much faster. Integration with the Windows Active Directory enables Daminion Server to sync with a company’s existing  user database without having to manually entering user names and passwords. There’s also added support for MXF videos and Samsung SRW images.