The new Phottix Indra 500 TTL studio light is now available in the United Kingdom. Offering a new level of power for photographers on the move, the 500Ws Phottix Indra500 TTL studio light features through-the-lens flash exposure control with Canon and Nikon cameras, high-speed sync, manual power adjustment in 1/3EV increments, wireless radio control with Phottix Odin and Mitros+ systems, and a maximum recycle time of 2 seconds. The Phottix Indra500 TTL studio light is priced at £699.99 (head-only), £929.99 (AC Adapter Kit) and £999.99 (Battery Adapter Kit).

The Association of Photographers (AOP) has announced its Student Awards photography competition is to launch on 20 February 2015. The Awards will be open to all students who are studying a course that includes photography as a part. There will four briefs, each set by a leading professional photographer. The briefs will be announced when the Awards launch. This year, London prolab and art printer, theprintspace are to partner the AOP for the Awards. The deadline for entries is 30 April 2015.

ReaSoft has updated its reaConverter 7 batch image conversion and editing program, adding the Watch Folders feature which facilitates easy automation of most image conversion tasks. The new feature says just what it says on the tin - it monitors folders containing images for new or modified files and instantly applies predefined actions to them. Working invisibly in the background, reaConverter´s Watch Folders feature allows a user to resize, crop, adjust brightness and colours, add watermarks and otherwise alter images of 400+ supported formats found in the user-specified Windows folder. reaConverter 7 is available for Windows XP through Windows 8 in three edititons; Lite (Free), Standard ($49.99) and Pro ($99.99).

The World Photography Organisation (WPO) today launched a new award dedicated to mobile photography at the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards. Photographers of all abilities have one month from today to submit their best image which answers the brief "You get out of life what you put in." The twenty best images will be shortlisted by a judging panel, and showcased on the World Photography Organisation website. The one winner will be chosen via a public vote running on the website from 10-17 March.

Athentech today launched Version 4 of their Perfectly Clear App for Android and iOS. Both apps include Next Generation Beautify with new algorithms that automatically detect gender, age, and facial features to apply "just the right amount of correction." The new versions boast five additional features: Blemish Removal, Face Slimming, Eye Circle Removal, Shine Removal and Catchlight. Plus, the iOS edition also gains some of the features that have been available for Android for some time, such as a new noise removal algorithm, multi-image selection for batch photo corrections, and the ability to zoom into the full-resolution photo so you can view your results at 100%. The Android and iOS versions are available for $2.99 each

DNP today introduced its new flagship DS620A dye-sublimation photo printer for the event photography and photo retail markets. As the latest addition to the company’s DS Series printers, the DS620A is billed as the world’s most compact professional-grade photo printer, capable of outputting up to 400 prints per hour. At 10.8-inches wide by 14.4-inches deep by 6.7-inches high, the DS620A is 14 percent lighter than its predecessor. The printer’s design also features improved aesthetics with a new white color scheme and rounded corners. The DS620A is capable of producing 2”x6”(2-up) photo strips, 2”x6”(4-up) photo strips, 3.5"x5”(2x), 4”x6”, 4”x6”(2x), 5”x7”, and 6”x8” prints as well as new 5”x5” and 6”x6” square prints in a newly improved gloss or matte finish. A new standby mode lowers costs and increases profitability by making the most efficient use of energy (<0.5W). The printer also provides advanced status information from the driver, enabling users at any time to check remaining media, media format, printer status, printer life counter, color control data, firmware version and serial number. For more information, visit the website below.

Samsung has issued a function-enhancing firmware update for the Samsung NX1 compact system camera. Version 1.2, which was pre-announced two weeks ago, incorporates a variety of movie mode refinements, several interface upgrades and expanded connectivity options. Other updates include Trap Shot, an addition to the Samsung Auto Shot mode. Users can now adjust the settings so that when a moving object hits this line, the camera will automatically take a picture. PC tethering via USB is now a reality for those using Samsung Remote Studio software and developers can take advantage of Samsung’s Software Development Kit for Windows PC, meaning they have remote access and control software for the Samsung NX1. The firmware update will be available later this month. Click through / scroll down for the complete list of feature improvements.

Website: Samsung

JP Distribution has announced the UK availability of a number of new accessories made by Westcott. These include the 38″ x 45″ Omega Reflector (£120), which can be used as a standard reflector or as a shoot-through unit with an easily convertible 2:3 centre frame with easy to attach/detach Velcro panels; the durable and stable Illuminator Arm Extreme (£95) that combines two grip mounts and a telescopic all-metal arm giving photographers the ability to mount their reflectors and boards effortlessly; the Rapid Box 32" Duo (£320, pictured), which offers the same amazing features as our other Rapid Boxes with the added ability to mount up to two speedlites; a 40˚ Grid for the Rapid Box 32" Duo (£420); the Westcott LampGuard (£60), which is a compact protective case for CFL lamps, speedlites, bulbs, and compact light-heads; and the Westcott Pocket Pack (£24), a compact reflector and 1-stop diffuser combination that pops open instantly to a full 12 inch diameter.

The 2015 olor Panobook Contest, a major panoramic photography competition, is about to open. The entry period will begin on 2nd February, and photographers have until 3rd March to submit their best panoramic images to the competition. As in the previous years, the best entries will be published in a photobook called the Kolor Panobook 2015. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work. For more information and to enter, visit the website below.

Website: Panobook

Calumet Photographic has just launched its new Student Photographer of the Year Award for 2015 in partnership with a host of major photographic brands. Designed to recognise photographic talent of students and to provide them with a platform for their work to be recognised, the award is open and available to any student in the UK. Prospective entrants are invited to submit a single photo of their best work - or three if they are a part of the Calumet Student membership programme - and up to 20 words explaining their chosen image. A panel of four judges, including Calumet’s Managing Director, Jon Warner; Professional Photographer, Rory Lewis; Canon’s Product Intelligence Professional, David Parry; Professional Photographer, Tom Barnes, will view all entries and shortlist 10 runners-up and one overall winner who will win an array of prizes worth over £11,000. The deadline for entries is 13 March 2015 and the winners will be announced shortly after.

According  the National Press Photographers Association, Sports Illustrated has made all of its remaining staff photographers redundant. In speaking with the News Photographer Magazine, SI director of photography Brad Smith blamed the move on the current "economic circumstances," adding that the lay-offs were part of a company-wide restructuring effort. Effective March 2015, the staff cuts do not necessarily mean that the six photographers - seasoned veterans including Robert Beck, Simon Bruty, Bill Frakes, David E. Klutho, John W. McDonoughand Al Tielemans - will no longer be able to work for the magazine. "I hope that they may continue to [contribute to the success of the magazine] under slightly different circumstances," Smith told the NPPA.

Via IR Photo: Wikipedia

Tamron has announced pricing and availability for the Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD wide zoom. Featuring an optical construction comprising 18 elements in 13 groups including an XGM (eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical) element placed at the front group and several LD (Low Dispersion) glass elements used throughout the optical system, the Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD is billed as the world's first full-frame f/2.8 ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with image stabilisation. Tamron's acclaimed BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) coating is further refined to render uniformity in transmissivity across the critical bandwidths. Coupled with the eBAND coating, ghosting and flare typically observed on ultra-wideangle lenses are efficiently eliminated, resulting in crisper and crystal-clear images, the company claims. The lens will go on sale on 30th January, priced at $1199.

Olympus has released a teaser video entitled The Future of Award Winning Photography. Evoking the most important milestones in the history of the OM-D line, such as the launch of the E-M5 in 2012, the release of the E-M1 in 2013 and the addition of the E-M10 in 2014 - as well as some of the best photographs taken with these cameras -, the video closes with the mysterious promise: "The Future of Award Winning Photography - Coming February 2015." Click through / scroll down to watch the video.

Adobe has announced that Lightroom 6 will require Mac OS X 10.8 or above, or a 64 bit version of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. "If you are on Mac OS X 10.7, or a 32 bit version of Windows, you will continue to be able to install and run Lightroom 5 and use Lightroom mobile," the company said in a statement. "However, you will not be able to install Lightroom 6 until you upgrade to a supported operating system."

ioSafe has launched the ioSafe 1515+: a fire and water-resistant 5-bay expandable NAS powered by Synology’s DiskStation Manager OS. Featuring an Intel Atom C2000 family 2.4GHz quad-core processor that provides accelerated encryption, the has a RAM module expandable up to 6GB, quad LAN ports supporting automatic failover and Link Aggregation and built-in redundancy. Its capacity can be scaled up to 90TB of raw storage using N513X expansion units. “The new ioSafe 1515+ is simply the most capable product we’ve ever built. We continue our partnership with Synology to deliver our most technologically advanced product ever.” said Robb Moore, ioSafe CEO. “Along with our unmatched physical protection against fire and water, the latest Synology platform enables blazing hardware digital encryption at up to 448 MB/s reading and 191 MB/s writing. For even faster performance, choosing not to encrypt increases throughput to 450 MB/s reading and 396 MB/s writing.”

The Activeon DX is a compact Full HD / 60fps action camera that comes with an 8-element f/2.8 lens and a variety of accessories including an underwaterhousing that is water-proof up to 196 feet. The camera has a 12-megapixel imager. a body-integral LCD monitor, a WiFi module and an ultrawide lens with a 152-degree angle of view. The Activeon DX is powered by a 1200mh Li-ion battery which is capable of providing up to 120 minutes of recording time when recording video at 1080p/30fps.

Renowned news photographer Mikael Buck used the Sony QX1 to capture a series of striking macro images, using only the lens-style camera attached to his smartphone to show the breadth of photography that it can produce. Crisp icy crystals can be seen close up in the frosty scenes - the combination of the lens style camera paired with a macro lens reveals the intricate ice structures. The second in the series of shots were also captured with a QX1 using a macro lens, and show the beauty of insects, beetles and butterflies in microscopic detail. Shots include the cellular structure of a Golden Ring Dragonfly's wings, hairs on the bottom of a Common Green Birdwing Butterfly's wings, close up of a Purple Emperor Butterfly's eyes and the iridescence on the wings of a Purple Emperor Butterfly. Scroll down for a gallery of photos taken by Mikael Buck.