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.

We've teamed up with Samsung to give away a fantastic 60mm F2.8 Macro ED OIS SSA Lens (Black) worth £500!

The lucky winner is Dimitris Tsanaktsidis. Congratulations!

Here’s a lens ready for its close-up: the Samsung 60mm macro lens. It comes equipped with a supersonic actuator for fast, silent and precise auto focusing — perfect for the amateur entomologist looking to capture an amazing image of a fluttering butterfly. And thanks to its internal focusing system, the lens barrel remains fixed. So you can get right up close to your tiny little subjects without startling them and capture stunning details that can’t be seen with the naked eye.

The Leica X Edition Moncler is a new special-edition model limited to only 1,500 copies worldwide. Finished with a premium leather trim in a triple-colour scheme of blue, white and red, as an homage to the French origins of clothing company Moncler, this silver version of the Leica X comes complete with a matching camera strap in genuine leather bearing the inscription Leica & Moncler to highlight the collaboration between the two brands. The technical specifications of the Leica X ‘Edition Moncler’ are identical to those of the standard production model of the new Leica X camera. The Leica X ‘Edition Moncler’ is now available from Leica authorised dealers at an RRP of £1,952 - a reference to the year Moncler was founded.

Robots for Your Photos is a new service aimed at photographers, which automates the photo-sharing process across multiple social media platforms. The service basically takes care of the most boring tasks by automatically uploading your photographs to various photo servers and online galleries (such as Flickr, Facebook, 500px etc.) and publishing each photo at the optimal time of day to ensure it’s seen by the highest possible number of viewers. "Monitoring the reaction to your published photos closely is part of our job," the company says. "We therefore know quite precisely what is the best time for you to publish in order to get the most feedback. And that is when we always publish - at the best times." Moreover, Robots for Your Photos collects all likes, favourites and comments from all services and presents them all in one place. Note that the project is still in the development phase - but you can sign up now to be among the first to try the service once it's launched.

Tiffen has announced the Steadicam SOLO camera stabiliser and monopod. Billed as "the most versatile Steadicam available today," the SOLO features a three-axis gimbal design, ergonomic foam handle and grips, a quick-release camera mounting plate, push-on lock, push button release, positive positioning clamping, standard ¼-20 and ⅜-16 camera mounting, and simple dual knob fore-aft vernier adjustment. The maximum load capacity is 4.53kg. The SOLO is available as an upgradeable hand-held camera stabiliser or as a complete system with sled, arm and vest, shipping early 2015. UK customers can get hands on the SOLO by heading to the Jessops flagship store on London’s Oxford Street.

Renowned photographer and lighting guru Damien Lovegrove has announced a 50% discount on his photography training videos. The videos available in this limited-time offer cover everything from getting the most from natural light portraits to lighting winter weddings. Damien’s Lightroom tutorial will give your images that extra punch, and his advanced portrait lighting techniques set the standard for even the most experienced of photographers. To benefit from the 50% discount, add the video to your basket and apply the coupon code lovepb before final checkout. The offer is available until 28 February 2015.

Manfrotto's BeFree, Pixi, Pocket and Compact Light tripods are now available in a variety of colours. Offering a maximum load capacity of 4kg and a maximum height of 144cm, the Befree tripod comes in white, red, pink and black. The Pixi - a mini tripod for compact system cameras - is available in white, red, pink and black. The Pocket series(pictured) can be purchased in pink, red, white, black, blue, grey and purple versions. Finally, the Manfrotto Compact Light tripods come in black, white, red and pink colours.

Fantasea Line has released the FRX100 III Housing for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III digital compact camera. Providing access to all camera-essential functions with ergonomically designed and labelled controls, the Fantasea FRX100 III has been successfully depth tested to 80m and is certified to a maximum depth of 60m. Additionally, the FRX100 III is shock resistant and protects the camera from water, sand, dust, frost and other damaging elements. The new underwater house is available for $789.95.

Lensbaby has released new versions of its 5.8mm Circular Fisheye lens. The company now offers the product in Sony A and E, Micro Four Thirds, Samsung NX, Pentax K, Canon EF and Nikon F mounts. This all-manual lens has built-in aperture control ranging from f/3.5-22 and can focus from 1/4" in front of the lens to infinity. Thanks to its 185° angle of view, the Lensbaby Circular Fisheye lens can "look" slightly behind itself. Available now, the lens retails for $299.95.

Samsung has posted a firmware update for the Samsung NX Mini compact system camera. According to the company, version 01.08 brings "improved Wi-Fi connection." You can download the firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Samsung

The winners of the 'Seasonal Snaps' photography competition organised by the New Forest National Park Authority have been announced. The contest attracted over 4,300 votes across 222 photos between 6 and 20 November, and the winners were chosen by a public vote on the National Park Authority’s Facebook page. Alan Sutton, from Pennington, near Lymington, won the main prize for his picture of a stag among bracken named ‘the roar of the wild’ (above). Second prize went to Karen Woodward, Sandy Bemister came third and in fourth place was Linda Lucas-Kenny.

Sony UK has announced the recommended retail price of the new, full-frame Sony Alpha A7 II compact system camera. Billed as the world's first 35mm full-frame mirrorless camera with 5-axis image stabilisation, the Sony Alpha-7 II has a new front dial, an enlarged right-hand grip, a repositioned shutter release and a reinforced lens mount. In addition, the Sony A7 II boasts faster auto focus and better subject tracking capabilities than its predecessor, and benefits from XAVC S and S-Log2 support. In the US, the Sony Alpha-7 II will be available for £1,500 (body only) and £1,700 with the Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens.

Sergio Bonagamba has been chosen as the lucky winner! Congratulations!

We’ve teamed up with online photography supplies and electronic store, 7DayShop for a 1 terabyte SD Card and Micro SD Card product bundle giveaway featuring:

7 x 128Gb Cards
1 x 64Gb Card
1 x 32Gb Card
1 x 8xGb Card

Worth a total value of £250 for one lucky winner!

Founded in 1998, 7dayshop has become an established household brand and online retailer of photography, electronics and computer accessories.  

7DayShop’s dedicated team of professional buyers source the highest quality products at the most competitive prices for well over a million happy customers. 7DayShop also manufacture own-branded SD memory cards, batteries, ink cartridges, photography accessories and equipment and many other gadgets, household electronic devices and accessories.