The new Lexar Professional 3400x CFast 2.0 card is now available in the US. Offered in capacities up to 256GB, the Professional 3400x CFast 2.0 memory card boasts read transfer speeds up to 510MB per second, and comes with includes the latest version of Image Rescue. The SRPs are $999.99 (256GB), $599.99 (128GB), $329.99 (64GB), and $162.99 (32GB).

Vanguard has unveiled its new VEO Collection of travel tripods, moonopods and camera bags. Rather than the traditional design of reversing each of the three legs one by one, the VEO tripod collection introduces an innovative rapid column rotation system to achieve incredibly quick fold down or set up. Another industry first on a travel tripod is the ability to set the legs at three different angles, maximising the tripods versatility. There are four models in the range, three aluminium models and one carbon-fibre tripod. RRPs range from £100 to £250. The collection, which will officially launch at The Photography Show, also includes seven monopods and two camera bags.

The Philips Two-in-One Monitor (Model 19DP6QJNS) has received the 2015 iF Design Award for outstanding innovation. The world’s first virtually seamless Two-in-One monitor combines two 19-inch screens into one large panoramic display with a minimalist 3.5 mm narrow border and multiple connectivity options including 1 DisplayPort and VGA input on the first display, and 1 VGA input and one MHL-enabled HDMI input on the second one. Supported by one space-saving stand and designed with maximum adjustability both screens tilt forward and backward up to 22.5 degrees to accommodate preferred viewing angles. The Philips Two-in-One Monitor is now available for purchase at Newegg.com for $499.

The new Tenba Switch is billed as the World's first customisable first customizable professional camera bag sized specifically for mirrorless cameras and accessories. The innovative bags include all of Tenba’s hallmark features plus unique removable flaps that come in a variety of colours and patterns. The flaps include a silent, magnetic closure that allows for quiet, instant access. In addition, the flaps extend over the bag to provide weatherproof coverage at the corners, and small adjustable weather flaps for additional protection. Switch 7 accommodates a mirrorless camera with 3-4 lenses. Switch 8 allows room for a mirrorless camera with 3-5 lenses, plus a tripod. Switch 10 provides the maximum amount of storage space with ample room for a mirrorless camera with 3-5 lenses or a DSLR with 2-3 lenses (up to 70-200mm f2.8), plus a tripod.

DxO has released version 10.3 of Dxo Optics Pro, along with DxO FilmPack v5.1.1 and DxO ViewPoint v2.5.3. These updates provide support for new cameras such as the Nikon D5500, Canon PowerShot SX60 HS, and Olympus PEN E-PL7, as well as new correction tools. A new search engine has been added to the Source Browser to help users easily find and load any folder available on the operating system by simply typing its name. The OS X version also offers a new drag-and-drop feature that allows photographers to directly open a folder by dragging it into the Image Browser, providing quicker access to images. Additionally, the DxO Optics Modules library benefits from the addition of 422 new camera/lens combinations.

Successor to last year's Stylus SH-1 (read review), the new Olympuis SH-2 is a raw-capable compact camera with a 16-megapixxel imager and 24x optical zoom. Other highlights include a 3-axis image stabiliser for photos, hybrid 5-axis image stabilisation for movies, a useful Nightscape Mode, 120/240fps high-speed Movie, Photo & Movie Capture, Time Lapse Movie modes and built-in WiFi. The Olympus Stylus SH-2 goes on sale from mid-March 2015 for £249.99 / $399.99.

The Photography Show will be hosting Lynsey Addario on the Super Stage on Monday 23rd at 16:00 to discuss her book, 'It's What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War' and some of the images featured in it. Lynsey will share the realities of working in a war zone and explain what it is that keeps her going back. In addition to Lynsey the other Super Stage speakers this year will be Martin Parr, Don McCullin, Tom Stoddart, Mary Ellen Mark, Tim Flach, Michael Kenna, Susan Meiselas and Simon Norfolk. Tickets for the Super Stage is £10 per session.

PNY have introduced their Photo Ambassadors for 2015. Each year, PNY sponsors and supports the efforts of a select number of photographers from diverse focus areas, ranging from sports and adventure photography to nature and photojournalism. This year, the lineup of PNY Photo Ambassadors will include Laurent Masurel, Jacopo Pasotti, Scott Gilmour, Sébastien Montaz-Rosset, Sébastien Montaz-Rosset, Andy Kruczek, Luke Massey, Charles Ricque, Sergey Gorshkov, Markus Reugels, Pierre Pellegrini and Didier Bizos. Click through / read on to learn more about these photographers.

The winners of the Syngenta Photography Award 2015 were announced this evening at an awards ceremony at Somerset House, London. German photographer Benedikt Partenheimer was announced as the winner of the Open Competition, and Berlin-based American photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz was selected as the winner of the Professional Commission category. Partenheimer received US$5,000 for his winning image in the Open Competition. Shijiazhuang, AQI 360 is a panoramic shot of the barely visible Shijiazhuang skyline disappearing in its own air pollution. Taken from the series ‘Particulate Matter’, the acronym AQI used in the title of the photographs stands for "Air Quality Index" and indicates the degree of air pollution – in this case 360, which is a ‘hazardous’ level. Mustafah Abdulaziz was selected by an international jury chaired by photography writer and curator, William A. Ewing for his ongoing Water series – a photographic exploration of a natural resource in crisis. Shot in India, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, the project has received support from United Nations, WaterAid, and VSCO, amongst others. In addition to the US$15,000 cash prize, Abdulaziz will receive a grant worth US$25,000 to complete a new commission in which he will extend his study on the depletion and misuse of water in his home state of California.

The Royal Photographic Society’s International Print Exhibition is now open for entries. Now in its 158th year, the contest has a reputation for showcasing a wide range of genres and styles of photography. Entry is initially online as a submission of up to 4 digital images. The selectors will create a shortlist with the final selection of 100 images being made from prints. The selected images will be shown at the opening exhibition (19–25 October 2015) at London’s Old Truman Brewery as part of PHOTOBLOCK 2015 Festival. The Gold, Silver, Bronze and Under 30s Gold medal winners will receive cash prizes, and the Under-30 winner will also be offered a one-year mentorship courtesy of Metro Imaging. The closing date for submissions is 1 June 2015.

Toshiba has revealed a new 13-megapixel, 1/3.07"-type image sensor for camera phones and tablets. Aside from its unusually low power consumption and ultra-high pixel density, the main selling point of the new imager is its clever Bright Mode, which boosts image brightness up to four times while capturig Full HD movies at 120 frames per second - an important feature given that exposure times tend to be short when recording video at such a high frame rate. Integration of the sensor into smartphones and tablets will allow them to record high quality video at high speed, which extends imaging capabilities into such areas as slo-mo playback.

The Lenovo VIBE Shot is new camera-smartphone crossover device featuring a 16-megapixel imager with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a 6-element lens with optical IS. The camera's tricolour flash enables photographers to shoot in low-light conditions while matching the colour composition of the light emitted by the flash to that of the ambient light source. Another standout features of the Lenovo VIBE Shot iinclude an infrared AF system which is claimed to be "twice as fast as normal autofocus," a 5" Full HD display and a physical shutter release. The Lenovo VIBE Shot will be available starting in June, starting at $349.

The Apple Watch is a wearable smart device that syncs to the user's iPhone via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The new smart watch features Digital Crown, an innovative way to scroll, zoom and navigate fluidly without obstructing the iPhone's screen. The Retina branded display with Force Touch on the Apple Watch senses the difference between a tap and a press, providing a new way to quickly and easily access relevant controls. The device is available in two different sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm, and in three distinct collections — Apple Watch Sport ($349/$399), Apple Watch ($549-$1,099) and Apple Watch Edition (starting at $10,000). Apple Watch Sport features a lightweight anodised aluminium case in silver and space gray with a Retina display protected by strengthened Ion-X glass and matching high-performance fluoroelastomer Sport Band in five colours. The Apple Watch collection features highly polished stainless steel and space black stainless steel cases with a Retina display protected by sapphire crystal. The Apple Watch collection comes with a choice of three different leather straps, a stainless steel link bracelet and Milanese loop, and a black or white Sport Band. Apple Watch Edition features cases specially crafted from custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys.

Apple today updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with a new Retina display, 5th-generation Intel Core processors, Intel Iris Graphics 6100, up to two times faster flash storage and longer battery life. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available today through the Apple Online Store with a 2.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starting at $1,299; with a 2.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,499; and with a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage starting at $1,799. Apple also today updated the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air with 5th-generation Intel Core processors, Intel HD Graphics 6000, and Thunderbolt 2, and added up to two 2x flash storage to the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Apple today unveiled a new line of notebooks billed as "the thinnest and lightest Macs ever.". The new MacBook features a 12" Retina display, a full-size keyboard, a USB-C port for data transfer, video out and charging in a single connector, and a new battery design. Measuring just 13.1 mm at its thickest point, the new MacBook is 24 percent thinner than the 11-inch MacBook Air. The display has a 16:10 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2304x1440 pixels. The new MacBook comes with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.4 GHz, 8GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300 starting at $1,299; and with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6GHz, 8GB of memory, 512GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300 starting at $1,599.

Livestream has launched a miniature live streaming encoder called the Livestream Broadcaster mini. At about ⅓ the size of the original Broadcaster, it is small enough to fit in a pocket, and despite its size, it features fast and reliable 5Ghz WiFi, streaming up to 1080p, an internal rechargeable Li-ion battery, full control and setup via the free Livestream app for iOS or Android. The Broadcaster mini is priced at $295.