Microsoft and Thomson Reuters Foundation are partnering Talenthouse, a global community of artists, to present photographers with a series of career opportunities as part of this year’s Trust Women Photo Award. Photojournalists and other photographers around the world are invited to submit images capturing the lives and stories of remarkable women around the world, who are achieving "incredible things" in their communities. The selected artist, as chosen by a judging panel which includes Finbarr O’Reilly, Reuters photographer and World Press Photo winner, will have their photography showcased in London at the Trust Women Conference, the annual international event organised by Thomson Reuters Foundation which is dedicated to the advancement of women’s rights and the fight against human trafficking and slavery. Photographers have until Thursday, 19 February 2015 at 6 p.m. GMT to submit their images through the website below.

Olympus has released a comprehensive firmware update for the Olympus Stylus 1. Version 2.0 adds compatibility with the WCON-08X Wide-angle Converter and CLA-14 adapter that together convert its lens' widest focal length to 22.4mm (eq.) without affecting the f:2.8 aperture. The new firmware upgrade also adds new Interval Shooting and Time Lapse Movie modes and compatibility with OI.Share v2.5, which adds remote wireless shutter release from a smartphone. Version 2.0 is available free of charge for download via the Olympus Digital Camera Updater.

MMD has added a new 27" IPS-AHVA display with factory-calibrated colour and Adobe RGB support to its line-up of Philips branded monitors. Using 10 bits to describe each colour, the new 27-inch Quad HD display can represent over one billion colours simultaneously – when connected to a PC via a DisplayPort cable. Pre-calibrated to render colours accurately, the 272P4APJKHB display supports 99% Adobe RGB and 100% of the sRGB colour space. With MultiView on board, the display connects to multiple sources simultaneously. The new Philips monitor is now available in major electronics stores at a suggested retail price of £649.

Alex White has just published his latest camera guide book, the Photographer’s Guide to the Panasonic Lumix LX100. The 248-page book shows beginning and intermediate photographers how to capture excellent images and video sequences with the LX100. The book explains the camera’s controls for autofocus, manual focus, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, white balance, and ISO, as well as many other settings. In three appendices, the book provides information about accessories for the LX100, including cases, external flash units, and other items, and includes a list of web sites and other resources for further information. The Photographer’s Guide to the Panasonic Lumix LX100 is on sale for $9.99 in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats at the website below; with the paperback version being available for $29.95 through Amazon.

Adobe today released Lightroom mobile for Android phones. Lightroom mobile is a companion app to Lightroom 5 desktop software, available as part of Adobe Creative Cloud. First released for iPad and iPhone, Lightroom mobile allows you to utilise your Android phone to review and edit your images and have the changes sync back to your Lightroom catalogue at home. Lightroom mobile for Android requires a device equipped with a quad-core CPU with 1.7 GHZ ARMv7 architecture, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage and Android Jellybean, KitKat, or Lollipop. Do note that it may take up to 24 hours for Lightroom mobile to be available in your local Google Play app store.

Fuji have published seven full-resolution sample images captured with the just-announced Fujifilm X-A2 compact system camera and new Fujinon XC16-50mm II & Fujinon XC50-230mm lenses. Shot at sensitivity settings ranging from ISO 200 to ISO 800, these Fujifilm X-A2 samples span a variety of genres including wildlife, landscape, portraiture, street and architectural photography.

Website: Fujifilm X-A2 Samples

Fuji have posted 12 high-resolution sample photographs taken with the Fujifilm XQ2 digital compact camera announced today. Shot at various sensitivity settings ranging from ISO 100 to ISO 800, the sample images were made by photographers Issaque Foujita, Tomasz Lazar, Yukio Uchida and Paco Navarro. You can download these Fujifilm XQ2 samples from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm XQ2 Samples

The new Fujifilm X-A2 is an ultralight, "selfie-ready" compact system camera featuringo a 175° tilting LCD, a 16.3-megapixel APS-C sensor and newly-developed Eye auto focus (AF), Auto Macro AF and Multi-Target AF technologies. Other highlights include on-board Wi-Fi, in-camera raw processing, a sensitivity range of ISO 100 – ISO 25600, a start-up time of 0.5 seconds, new Classic Chrome and other film simulation modes, Full HD videos, and a multiple exposure mode. The Fujifilm X-A2 ships with the newly-developed Fujinon XC16-50mm II (24-76mm) F3.5-5.6 OIS zoom lens, for a kit price of £449.99 / $549.95. Availability is slated for February in the USA and March in the UK.

The Fujinon XC50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS II is a new, optically stabilised telezoom lens for Fujifilm's X-series compact system cameras. Featuring a 35mm equivalent focal range of 76-350mm, the Fujinon XC50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS II's optical formula comprises 13 all glass elements in 10 groups including 1 aspherical lens and 1 ED element. Availability and pricing to be confirmed..

The Fujinon XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS II is a new 24-76mm equivalent, optically stabilised zoom lens for Fujifilm's X-series compact system cameras. The lens consists of 12 all-glass elements in 10 groups including 3 aspherical elements and 1 ED element, and an iris with 7 rounded aperture blades. The lens can be purchased in a bundle with the new Fujifilm X-A2 compact system camera.

The Fujifilm XQ2 is a premium pocket-sized digital camera with a bright 4x zoom lens, an advanced 12-megapixel 2/3” X-Trans CMOS II sensor with phase detection, and the EXR Processor II that delivers the fastest auto focus speed in its category. Key highlights include a 25-100mm (eq.) f/1.8-4.9 lens, built-in WiFi, Full HD movies with stereo sound, a sensitivity range of ISO 100 - ISO 12,800, and a 3" rear screen with 920,000 dots. The Fujifilm XQ2 will be available in black, white and black-and-silver in February (March in the UK), for an MSRP of £329.99 / $399.95.

Fuji has announced a duo of superzoom cameras; the Fujifilm FinePix S9900W with wireless connectivity and the Fujifilm FinePix S9800, a near-identical model sans Wi-Fi. These camreras feature a 16.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor with a maximum ISO sensitivity of 12,800, and deliver rapid focusing speeds for beautiful high resolution images. Both cameras also give users an f/2.9-6.5 lens that offers a 35mm equivalent focal range of 24-1200mm while going all the way down to 1cm in Super Macro mode. The cameras each have a startup time of just 1 second, autofocus in as little as 0.15 seconds, and are ready to take another shot in just 0.6 seconds. Those wanting to capture a burst of full resolution images in quick succession can do so using the continuous shooting speed of 10fps for a maximum of 10 frames. The Fujifilm Finepix S9900W / S9800 will be available in March 2015 for £299.99 / $349.95 and £259.99 / $329.95.

Waterproof to 15m, shockproof from 1.75m and freezeproof to -10 °C; the Fujifilm FinePix XP80 is Fuji’s toughest camera to date. Key features include a 16.4-megapixel 1/2.3” CMOS sensor, a 28-140mm equivalent lens with optical image stabilisation, Full HD movie capture at up to 60 frames per second, and wireless connectivity for instant image and movie sharing. Other highlights include a high-speed 480fps movie mode for slo-mo playback, an LCD screen with anti-reflection coating, and a dedicated HDR mode for shooting in contrasty light. Available in Blue, Yellow, and Graphite with green accents, the Fujifilm FinePix XP80 will retail for £199.99 / $229.95, starting March 2015.

Gary Fong today introduced his new Interactive Virtual Camera Modules. With a model-specific virtual camera, photographers have the ability to intuitively navigate through information-packed Premium Video Tutorials that directly reflect what each button does. The Premium Videos behind each press of the virtual camera’s buttons contain extended, carefully-detailed tutorial courses from Gary Fong himself. “Customer education is the cornerstone of our business,” Gary says. “It is imperative we explore new approaches to learning, such as the Interactive Virtual Camera Modules, to teach our customers how to bring their cameras to life.” The Interactive Virtual Camera Modules are currently available for the Sony a6000 and the Sony A7 II. Modules for the Canon 7D Mark II and Nikon D750 are coming soon

Photo Productions, a UK company that produces Premium Photobooks for the public and professional photographers, have just launched its January sale and new permanent offers. During the sale, Premium Pocket Books and Parent Books can be ordered at a 50% discount. The permanent offers include a '50/50 Cashback' scheme on trade sample albums, a 'Double Discount' on additional copies of albums and a free Premium Pocket Book with every 12x15" and 12x18 album. To learn more, visit the website below.

The category winners in the latest Outdoor Photographer of the Year (OPOTY) have just been announced. Shaun Walby, from Leeds, scooped the prize in the At the Water’s Edge category with his exquisite capture of a misty morning on the river Wharfe (above). Greg Whitton from Solihull won the Light on the Land prize with his evocative photograph of a fleeting moment of stunning light illuminating Icelandic peaks. Craig Parry from Byron Bay in Australia picked up top prize in the Under Exposed category, for underwater images, with his wonderful half-submerged shot of a humpback whale swishing its giant fin through the blue waters of the South Pacific off the coast of Tonga. Stefan Gerrits from the Netherlands, triumphed in the Wildlife Insight category, Johannes Klapwijk won the Small World prize, while Sandi Bertoncelj captured the essence of what it feels like to be on a high mountain in adverse weather with his gritty black & white image of two ski tourers climbing a Slovenian peak, winning the Live the Adventure category. Ten-year-old Josiah Launstein, from Alberta, Canada, was crowned Young Outdoor Photographer of the Year for his image of bighorn sheep going head to head in battle.

Nikon has unveiled three new digital compact cameras. The 16-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L31 (£79.99) is an easy-to-use and affordable shooter with 5x optical zoom, and one-touch HD movie recording, in-camera special effects and AA batteries. Fitting easily in a pocket, the 20-megapixel Coolpix S2900 comes in a range of colours, and also features a 5x zoom lens, HD movie recording capabilities and a handy Panorama Assist feature. The range-topping Coolpix S3700 (£99.99) also has a 20-megapixel CCD imager, but comes with 8x optical zoom plus Wi-Fi and NFC technology on board.

The winners of the South Downs photo competition have been announced. An ethereal photograph of a dew pond at dusk by Andy Flowerday (above) has been chosen as the overall winner. “I have been past this dew-pond on several occasions and thought there could be potential for a nice image of it,” says Andy. “The sunset wasn’t going to give the glorious colours I had hoped for; however the cloud cover that was increasing led to some lovely soft shades of colour. I used a special filter to blur water and cloud movement. It was a very still evening – I used a four minute exposure and the tree didn’t move at all during that time.” A partly hidden cyclist resting in the shade of a leafy wood, taken by Neil Hulme in Eartham Woods, came close second place; and a surprising shot of a surfer wading into the sea at sunrise has won third place for Ivan Talboys.