The C-Loop Mini by Custom SLR is a tangle-free camera strap mount for mirrorless and point-and-shoot cameras. Building upon the success of its first product, the C-Loop, which was launched through Kickstarter, Custom SLR designed the C-Loop Mini to have all the same functionality, with the added benefits of being lightweight and small enough to work perfectly with compact cameras. With its 360-degree swivel, the C-Loop Mini rotates to provide smooth panning and prevent tangled camera straps.  For tool-free installation, the device can be tightened by hand, and also features a slot where it can be tightened with a coin for added security. The C-Loop Mini is available for $24.95 on the website below.

Olloclip has officially launched its new website, designed to serve as a social hub for the mobile photography industry. The new website offers an integrated European web store which allows olloclip lenses to be shipped directly from within Europe. This allows local European customers to save up to 25% on their purchase and benefit from fast delivery within 48 hours from placing their order. “The olloclip brand was built on the idea of minimalism and ease of use while pushing the lines of innovation. Our mission is to continually extend the parameters of what is possible in mobile photography, but our website up to now did not reflect that,” said Patrick O’Neill, CEO and founder.  “There was a need to simplify the shopping experience while efficiently telling our brand story in an engaging and meaningful way. While the revamped site itself doesn’t introduce any new programming innovations, it is more responsive and visually appealing and functions easily on everything from a smartphone to a computer.”

With just over one month remaining for photographers to enter the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards, the World Photography Organisation has announced the Honorary Judging Committee for this year’s Professional competition. The jury comprises of industry leaders inducing: Joanna Milter, Deputy Photo Editor, New York Times Magazine (USA), Matthew Leifheit, Photo Editor, VICE Magazine (USA), Enrica Viganó, Curator and Writer (Italy), Xingxin Guo, Vice Director of New Media Department of Photo Center of Xinhua News Agency and Editor-in-Chief of CICPHOTO (China), Oliver Schmitt, Photo Editor, Spiegel Online (Germany), Maria Pieri, Editorial Director, National Geographic Traveller, (UK) and Sasha Erwitt, Picture Editor (USA). Entries to the Open and Youth competitions of the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards will close on 5th January 2015, followed by the deadline for the Professional competition on 8th January. All competitions are free to enter via the website below.

Adorama today announced the availability of the brand new Aries Blackbird X10, a professional, remotely controlled aerial quadcopter that captures photos and movies from up to 1,500 feet. With its on-board camera, the Blackbird X10 is capable of recording up to 1080P/30fps Full HD video as well as 16-megapixel still images. The drone features integrated flight and camera control, 6-axis gyro stability, GPS accuracy, advanced intelligent flight control systems, a weather-protected build, and a wide, stable landing base. Perfect for advanced hobbyist or professional photographers and cinematographers, the Aries Blackbird X10 features simple and flexible operating controls and a flight time of up to 25 minutes per charge. The Aries Blackbird X10 is available now for $799, exclusively from Adorama.

The shortlist for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2015 has been announced. This year’s selection showcases a diversity of photographic approaches, which include video and object/text based works and encompass social documentary, portraiture and contemporary art photography. The shortlisted artists include Nikolai Bakharev for his exhibition at the 55th Biennale of Art in Venice, Zanele Muholi for her publication Faces and Phases 2006 – 2014, Viviane Sassen for her exhibition Umbra at Nederlands Fotomuseum, and Mikhael Subotzky & Patrick Waterhouse for their publication Ponte City. For more information, visit the website below.

The Casio Exilim EX-MR1 is a new 14-megapixel compact camera featuring a 21mm equivalent lens hidden behind a large mirror whose unique coating allows light to pass through to the lens. When looking into this mirror, the user can easily take a self–portrait with just a press of the shutter button. Of course, you can also use the Casio EX-MR1 in a more conventional way, by composing your photos on the 2.7" rear screen. Other highlights include face detection, Full HD movie recording and Wi-Fi. The camera is compatible with the EXILIM Link smartphone app, which enables users to view and share their images on their favourite social networks. The Casio Exilim EX-MR1 will be available in green, pink and white. Pricing to be confirmed.

Instant film manufacturer Impossible and handbag designer Nora Hänska have teamed up to create a modern, stylish, adaptable solution to travelling with your  Polaroid camera. The Hänska X Impossible collaboration was born from a shared desire to create something useful yet beautiful for the everyday urban instant photographer. This first bag has been designed to safely store a Polaroid 600-type camera or Impossible Instant Lab and up to four packs of Impossible film. The body of the bag is made with high-grade aryl, a water-repellent fabric used to construct boat sails. The Hänska x Impossible is available now from the Impossible shop and selected retailers for €100.

Transcend has launched a range of UHS-I Speed Class 3 SDXC memory cards. With a wide range of capacities from 64GB to 256GB, Transcend's UHS-I U3 cards make extended video recording sessions possible thanks to the use of the exFAT file system that allows users to exceed the 4GB size per file limit of FAT32. The largest-capacity 256GB SDXC UHS-I U3 card can store more than 40,000 high-resolution JPEG images (12 megapixel camera, 6MB file size), over 16,000 raw image files (based on 14MB file size), or a full 16 hours of 4K video footage (4096x2160 35Mb/s H.264 AVC compression). The new memory cards are capable of reaching read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 60MB/s.

DxO Labs have just launched DxO OpticsPro v10.1. The program is now compatible with Lightroom and other third-party software’s star ranking systems, has improved the speed at which it displays its visual presets in Windows, and has enriched its DxO FilmPack and DxO ViewPoint plugins. This update also allows DxO OpticsPro 10 to support the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and PowerShot G7 X (pictured), the GoPro HERO4 Black Edition, the Panasonic Lumix DMC- ZS40, and the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

PSKiss hsd released its Faces & Places Colour DNG profiles for Lightroom and Photoshop. The new profiles include Dark Skin 2, Lights On, Man's World, Vintage 2, Tanned Bride and Vivid Landscape 2. The Faces & Places pack, which is part of the growing PSKiss Looks Series, is available for $14.90 per camera.

Phase One has launched a photo contest that asks entrants to submit one photo illustrating their concept: “What the world’s best [__________] is made of.” The competition is open throughout December, one entry per person. In January, ten finalists will be announced, and their work will be featured on Phase One social media sites. From the 10 finalists, a panel of three judges, including pro photographers Tim Kemple, Michael Woloszynowicz and Paul Reiffer, will make the final selection, and the winner - will receive a Phase One IQ250 medium format camera system to use for one month - will be announced during the first week of February.

Issue 35 of David Noton’s Chasing the Light Online Magazine is now available. In this month's Behind the Lens feature and Video Blog, David continues the account of his trip to California in September, which includes bears, cubs, giant trees, and a waterfall dunking. For The Low Down, he starts a new mini series on the topic of Exposure; in this piece he starts right at the beginning with metering. And for this month’s How It’s Done, David explains how he captured the full expanse of La Grotte Sarrazine in a vertical panorama during his recent trip to the Jura. Guest contributors include Ross Hoddinott, Chris Weston and Jonathan Andrew. Do note that the full contents of the magazine is available to full f11 subscribers only. Non-members can purchase individual issues of the magazine at a price of £4.20.

The Camera Caddy II is a new a tripod mounted gear bag that holds extra gear for quick access and stabilises your tripod. Compared to the first-generation Camera Caddy, the new version features deeper pockets, easier-to-use slider buckles, additional colours and a centreclip to hang extra weight when the pockets are full of gear. The Camera Caddy is now available in 5 colours including Silver, Black/Silver, Yellow, Lime Green and Universal Camouflage. The recommended retail price is $44.95 but the Camera Caddy II is now available at an inttroductory price of $35.00.

MMD has added a new 40" UHD monitor to its line-up of Philips 4K Ultra HD displays. Offering four times the pixel count of Full HD, the massive Philips BDM4065UC display provides plenty of room to spread out on, so users can navigate multiple applications and windows simultaneously. The display features true 8-bit colour per channel and a refresh rate of 60 Hertz, while the VA panel technology ensures exceptional contrast. Moreover, the ultra-narrow bezel design makes it possible to place two 40-inch displays side by side without the distraction of physical bezels. The DisplayPort 1.2 digital PC-to-Display link supports data transfer speeds of up to 10.8 Gbps, for faster imaging and zero-latency refresh rates. Also upping the connectivity choices are MHL support for enjoying mobile content on the big screen (while charging the mobile device at the same time), superfast USB 3.0, and HDMI 1.4. The new Philips 40-inch BDM4065UC display is now available at a suggested retail price of £549.