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.

Novo is offering a completely new range of photographic filters including what they call the World’s first filter to use Sapphire Crystal glass. The Sapphire UV filter (pictured) boasts a 2.39mm thick brass frame with laser engraved text, and is made with Sapphire Crystal glass offering 99.9% transmittance and 99.95% UV blockage. The Endura line uses ACG and Gorilla glass and includes UV, variable neutral density and protective filters as well as circular polarisers. Novo filters will be available to view and purchase at the forthcoming Photography Show 2015, 21st-24th March, at stand F134.

PNY Technologies will showcase the latest in Flash technology and host conferences with its PNY Photo Ambassadors Luke Massey and Andy Kruczek at The Photography Show. Among the products to be presented at the trade show are a number of micro SD cards designed for use with up to 4K cameras and action cams, a new line-up of photo accessories and an all-new range of Turbo Performance SD cards with 80Mb/sec read speeds. The Photography Show will take place from21 – 24 March 2015 at the NEC in Birmingham.

On 8 April 2015, X-Rite  is hosting a free webinar with X-Rite Coloratti Master and one of the most decorated photographers in the UK, Kevin Wilson. In this free, 60-minute online seminar, Kevin will guide participants through how he gets the most out of his portraiture and wedding photography weddings in natural light. Leading viewers through his use of reflectors, lighting, posing, space creation and image refinement to achieve the kind of image he is known for, he will also demonstrate how Capture One, Adobe Photoshop, Lastolite and X-Rite colour management products combine to make the final picture. You can register for the webinar here.

In April, Think Tank Photo will release the Urban Approach 15, its first backpack designed specifically to hold a complete mirrorless kit as well as a 15” laptop, up to a 10” tablet, smartphone and more. “For quick and complete access to gear, we designed the zippers to open wide,” said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank’s president and lead designer. “This allows for unencumbered access to gear. Its low profile and yet high quality design and materials allow Mirrorless users to feel confident that their compact cameras and personal objects are cradled, safe and at the ready.” The Urban Approach 15 backpack accommodates up to two big compact system cameras with lens attached, 5–8 additional lenses, up to a 10” tablet and a 15” laptop. One example would be a Sony Alpha 7R with 24–70 f/4, 70–200mm f/4, 55mm f/1.8, 35mm f/2.8, plus a Sony A6000 with 16–50mm f/3.5-5.6, 55–210mm f/4.5-6.3, 2 HVL–F43M flashes, a tablet and a laptop. The Urban Approach 15 backpack will be available for $169.75.

In April, Think Tank Photo will be releasing the Urban Approach shoulder bag series. Available in two models, the Urban Approach series is specfically designed for compact system camera kits. The Urban Approach 5 holds one medium to large camera body with lens attached, one to three additional lenses, and an 8” tablet. The Urban Approach 10 (pictured) accommodates one medium to large CSC body or compact DSLR with lens attached, two to four additional lenses, and up to a 10” tablet. The smaller model will retail for $119.75 and the larger one will cost $134.75.

Think Tank Photo is set to release a new CF/SD + Battery Wallet, a lightweight, secure, and convenient wallet for carrying a spare memory card and battery. Accommodating a back-up camera battery and a CompactFlash or Secure Digital card, the Think Tank Photo CF/SD + Battery Wallet is crafted from premium, long lasting materials and features a durable water-repellent coating for superior water resistance. The wallet is priced at $9.99.

Lightricks have launched a new photo editing app for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch devices. Billed as a "groundbreaking photo editing application that is poised to revolutionarise mobile photography," Enlight builds on state-of-the-art image processing technologies first implemented in Facetune by Lightricks' founding team, which includes four former computer science PhD students. Enlight is claimed to integrate the largest amount of features within a single mobile editing application, including features currently unavailable even on desktop. Enlight 1.0 is $3.99 and requires iOS 8.1 or later.

Sony Imaging Ambassador Joe Cornish went to capture the eerie beauty of Deception Island on the Sony α7 II and Sony α7R cameras. Completely abandoned in the late 1960s as a result of volcanic destruction, the remote island is part of the South Shetland Islands archipelago in Antarctica. Cornish's photos capture - largely black, white and orange colouring - perfectly capture the leftover remains of the structures and devastation.

Adorama has added the Flashpoint Ring Li-on ring flash to its collection of battery-powered flash units. The Flashpoint Ring Li-on is a 400Ws lithium-powered, self-contained ring flash system that produces even illumination and shadow-free light. A compact, cordless flash system, the Ring Li-on can easily be used with any DSLR or medium-format camera equipped with lenses up to 3.5" in diameter. Thanks to its generous internal interchangeable 11.1-volt lithium ion battery, this model from Flashpoint can deliver approximately 450 full power flashes per charge with a recycle range of .05 to 2.8 seconds. The Ring Li-on Ring Flash is now available for $499.95 from Adorama.

UK Optics have been nominated as the exclusive UK distributors of lenses manufactured by Venus Optics including their new brand Laowa (formerly branded Venus). This includes the recently announced Laowa 60mm f/2.8 Macro 2:1 lens. End users will be able to purchase the Laowa 60mm Macro lens direct from the UK in a range of mounts including Canon, Nikon, Sony A and Pentax. The suggested retail price is £299. The 60mm f/2.8 Macro will be available to view and try at the forthcoming Photography Show 2015, 21st-24th March on stand F134. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: UK Optics

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin will enjoy a sentimental reunion with a Hasselblad 500EL ‘moon camera’ next week on live UK television. Aldrin will be part of the BBC 2 Stargazing Live show with Brian Cox and Dara O Briain – and he will use the specially adapted 500EL Data Camera, complete with a 39 Mpix CCD digital back, to take pictures on location at Jodrell Bank and in the studio. The programme will also mention the $30 million Google Lunar X competition in which private teams must land a robot on the moon and send back HDTV ‘mooncasts’ – by the end of next year. The show will air on BBC 2 on Wednesday, 18th March.

The new Joby Action Grip and Action Grip & Pole are the latest Joby accessories designed to work with any action video camera. Weighing in at 90 grams, the Action Grip (£22) comes with a wrist strap and built-in standard GoPro mount and thumbscrew, and a Top Pin for use with any other action camera. If you get separated from your camera while in the water, the grip will float to the surface, with the red end cap making it easy to spot and enable you to retrieve your gear. The Joby Action Grip & Pole kit (£30) gives you two additional feet of reach, to get your whole body into the frame.

Lytro has launched the world's first light field imaging studio in Tokyo. Providing rich, dynamic exhibitions of living pictures and 3D images captured with the Lytro Illum camera (read review), the Lytro Studio in Tokyo allows visitors to render multiple outputs from a single exposure by adjusting aperture, point of focus, tilt, perspective shift, depth of field and animation. "Lytro Studio transports the flourishing light field ecosystem we have cultivated into a physical experiential space," says Jason Rosenthal, CEO of Lytro. "With its culture of innovation and active photography, fashion and creative communities, Tokyo is the perfect city to host this studio and illustrate the intersection of technology and imaging." The Lytro Studio is located at Nichihata Bldg., Floor 1 2-32-3 Jingumae, Shibuya.

Eyefi today announced its Eyefi Mobi Pro, a new 32GB WiFi SD card. Billed as the most powerful WiFi SD card ever, the Eyefi Mobi Pro combines advanced wireless transfer features with photo apps and integrated cloud services. Building on the success of the Eyefi Mobi, the Mobi Pro gives photographers control over which images transfer from their camera to their mobile device or to their computer for editing, sharing and syncing. It also offers the option to send JPEG images to your mobile device for easy sharing, and transfer raw image files directly to your desktop computer for post-processing. Away from home, Mobi Pro creates its own WiFi hotspot to enable instant transfer. At home, Mobi Pro connects to a local network to transfer images at high speeds. Priced at ￡65.99 the 32GB card comes with one full year of membership to Eyefi Cloud with unlimited syncing and storage worth ￡34.99.