The Canon Connect Station CS100 is a unique photo-storage device that allows you to quickly and easily save, view and share your photos and movies, all from one single accessible location.

Over the next 6 days we’ll be revealing our favourite products from last year in our annual awards, looking back at the essential photography kit that helped to define 2014.

Kicking things off is the Software of the Year 2014 award, which goes to Corel PaintShop Pro X7.

“Corel PaintShop Pro is a system that gets better with each release and X7 is arguably their best yet.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Corel and PaintShop Pro X7!

We've teamed up with Goodprint to give away 50 double-sided gloss business cards to 5 lucky winners!

The 5 winners are: Stevo Odinson, Angus Holmes, TIA, Emilio Alvarez Rodriguez, Markos Doulgerakis. Congratulations!

Goodprint is an online printing company dedicated to helping businesses spread the word about what they do. We offer templates to help you create beautifully-made business cards, letterheads, compliment slips, postcards and labels, or you can upload your own designs. We’re very passionate about print, and work to create stand-out designs that are easy-to-use.

AKVIS have announced the release of AKVIS SmartMask 6.0 for Windows and Mac. This edition adds an option to drag the splitter between the before and after states, expands the list of supported raw files, adds Dropbox to the list of the publishing services, fixes bugs, and adds official support for Mac OS X Yosemite. Registered users of SmartMask can upgrade to the new version free of charge.

Venus Optics have launched the Venus 60mm f/2.8 Ultra-Macro lens, which is billed as the World's first 2:1-magnification lens with infinity focus. Users can easily adjust the reproduction ratio from 1:10 to 2:1 without installing any extension tubes. The optical construction features 9 lens elements in 7 groups and an aperture diaphragm with 14 rounded blades. The Venus 60mm f/2.8 Macro is available in Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony fit, at a recommended retail price of $379.

Users of Aviary's Photo Editor for iOS app have until tomorrow, 6th  January, to download the company's entire collection of photo editing supplies - valued at $200 - free of charge. The add-ons will be yours forever, and you can even sync them to Adobe's Creative Cloud, and restore them anytime. To take advantage of the offer, all you need to do is sign in with your Adobe ID - or create one in the first place - directly from the app.

Software developer Kolor has just launched Kolor Eyes, a web platform for viewing, sharing and hosting 360-degree videos. The platform was designed around three major concepts; quality, multiple players and community. Visitors can easily "like" and share the videos on social networks or embed them on their websites or blogs. The hosting service is currently provided for free. Paid plans offering professional features will be offered soon.

To celebrate the release of the Fujifilm X-T1 Graphite Silver edition (read review), Fujifilm and Globe-Trotter have joined forces to create an exclusive mirrorless camera kit. Handcrafted at the Globe-Trotter workshop in Hertfordshire, England, each bespoke, 21’’ Trolley Case features a Fujifilm X-T1 camera body in Graphite Silver, a range of hand-picked Fujinon optics, dedicated accessories and an engraved Apple iPad Air 2 16GB. The set also includes a unique handmade Day Bag, featuring leather straps, plush internal dividers to protect the X-T1 and its accompanying lenses, beautifully embossed with the iconic Globe-Trotter logo. The limited edition run of 10 handmade travel cases is available exclusively at Harrods from Saturday 20th December 2014.

Sigma UK have announced the UK availability of the LCD Viewfinder LVF-01, which has been developed as a dedicated attachment for the dp Quattro camera series. By attaching it to the dp Quattro camera’s LCD display, the LCD Viewfinder cuts off outside light and magnifies the LCD display by 2.5 times to allow photographers to check the live view feed for critical focus more easily. Similar to using a viewfinder of a DSLR, holding the viewfinder to your eye allows more stable handling, thus reducing camera shake, and enables the photographer to see more detail in the image.  The Sigma LCD Viewfinder LVF-01 will be available in the UK from January 2015 with a suggested retail price of £179.99.

Samsung has unveiled its highest storage capacity for its EVO MicroSD memory cards. Boasting Ultra High Speed (UHS-I) Class 10, Grade 1 level performance, the new EVO 128GB MicroSD card offers read speeds of up to 48MB/s, can survive up to 20 hours in sea water, endures operating temperatures from -25 – 85 °C, can resist over 10,000 gauss, and is also protected from damage caused by airport X-ray machines. The new Samsung EVO 128GB card is available for £92.99 (£93.99 with an SD card adapter that allows it to be used in digital cameras).

To show how your smartphone can be used as a tool to photograph the pre-Christmas festivities, photographer Mike Buck took a series of photos on the Sony DSC-QX30 Lens-Style Camera at various locations in East London including the new Winterville festive experience in Victoria Park. The images depict various subjects ranging from the fairground stalls and their owners to the bright neon of the Waltzers and Ferris Wheel, as well as some extreme close ups of crackling winter fires. Click through / scroll down for the gallery.

Phase One has started shipping the first A-series medium format camera systems. "Blending the best of Phase One and ALPA technology through highly-integrated precision components, these cameras are designed to capture outstanding images with greater ease, convenience, and fun," the company said in a statement. The three Phase One A-series models include the A250, A260 and A280. They are based on the ALPA 12TC camera body, plus a Phase One medium format IQ2 A-series digital back -- the 50 megapixel CMOS-based IQ250; the long-exposure-capable 60 megapixel IQ260; or the highest-resolution 80 megapixel IQ280. Each model comes with the 4.0/35mm Rodenstock Alpar lens. There are two optional lenses available, including the ultra-wide 23mm, and the all-round 70mm, ALPA HR Alpagon. The three A-series Rodenstock Alpagon/Alpar lens profiles are factory calibrated, so photographers simply select the lens used and corrections are then automatically processed in camera and when importing to Capture One Pro 8.1. Photographs taken with the new A-series cameras can be wirelessly transmitted to an iPad or iPhone to check for critical focus. The Phase One A250 is priced at €36.000 / $47,000. The A260 is €38.000 / $48,000, and the A280 is €43.000 / $55,000. These prices include a 5-year warranty. Estimated pricing for the optional Alpa lenses is: ALPA HR Alpagon 5.6/23 mm €7.110 / $9,070,00; ALPA HR Alpagon 5.6/70 mm €3.510 / $4,520.

Canon has released an updated version of its Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software. DPP 4.1.50 adds support for the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS 70D, EOS 7D Mark II (pictured), EOS 7D, EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 700D and EOS 100D dSLR cameras and the recently launched EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM and EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM lenses. The update also delivers faster adjustments, an improved raw image file workflow, enhanced highlight and shadow recovery, compatiblity with 64-bit native environments, and much more. You can download DPP 4.1.50 now, free of charge, from Canon Europe’s support site here.

Phase One has released an update to Capture One. Version 8.1 incorporates the following feature enhancements: incremental camera controls, up to sixteen adjustment layers, additional TIFF processing options, LiveVIew support for select models of Sony cameras, the ability to edit images in external applications, and much more. The upgrade also adds support for a range of Canon, Fuji, Leica, Panasonic and Sony cameras; and fixes bugs.

In February, Think Tank Photo will release their most travel friendly, comfortable, and reasonably priced backpack for users of DJI Phantom 2, Phantom 2 Vision or other similar sized drones.The Airport Helipak will easily hold a drone plus a 15” laptop, controller, GoPros WiFi range extender, charger, spare rotors, extra batteries, and a Delvcam Camera-Top 7" HDMI LCD Monitor, while still complying with airline carry-on size requirements. “As with all Think Tank gear, the Airport Helipak will be backed by our commitment to using only the highest quality materials,” said Think Tank Photo’s president and lead designer Doug Murdoch. “These include YKK RC Fuse zippers, 1680D Ballistic nylon bottom panel, metal hardware, and nylon webbing that are the most durable, longest lasting materials on the market. The last thing drone users want to worry about is if their backpack will hold up in rigorous outdoor conditions.”