The Vanguard Alta CA 234AGH is an aluminum tripod that combines 4-section aluminum legs with the GH-30 pistol grip head.

OmegaBrandess has announced the acquisition of the assets of the Gigapan hardware division of Gigapan Systems. Gigapan, which was formed in 2008 as a commercial spin-off of successful research collaboration between a team of researchers at NASA and Carnegie Mellon University, manufactures Gigapan EPIC Robotic Mounts. Part of a fully integrated solution, the Gigapan EPIC and EPIC 100 are compatible with a broad range of point-and-shoot cameras and small DSLRs to capture Gigapans, quickly and accurately. The EPIC Pro is designed to work with DSLR cameras and larger lenses, features advanced technology to deliver stunning performance and precision. OmegaBrandess is now in the process of transitioning the operation to their facility in Hampstead, MD where they plan to be in full production as soon as possible.

Bowens has been appointed exclusive UK distributor for the LED Light Cube, billed as the world’s first high-end, portable and interlocking LED flash and constant light source. Australian developers and manufacturers IC12 say the unit’s zero recycling time outperforms any camera or radio trigger in the market today. “The key Light Cube features are unique in the marketplace right now,” said Nathan Oxley, Managing Director at IC12. “We developed this product after documenting photographers’ ongoing and very real frustrations with their hardware limitations. Our engineers worked for fifteen months to deliver this hybrid light, which now enables both photographers and videographers to capture their moments without concerns about flash recycling times.” The new LED Light Cube will be available for £430 excl. tax.

Canon UK has just launched its winter cashback offer, which enables you to receive up to £80 cashback on a selected range of Canon products including DSLRs, lenses, compact cameras, camcorders and printers. The offer runs from 29st October 2014 to 21st January 2015 for eligible products purchased from UK or Republic of Ireland retailers. Click through / scroll down for a list of all eligible cameras, lenses, printers and accessories.

Epson today announced the Epson SureColor P600 13-inch photo printer. Designed for creative professionals, fine artists and advanced amateur and pro photographers, the SureColor P600 combines an advanced MicroPiezo AMC printhead with next-generation Epson UltraChrome HD pigment inks driven by enhanced AccuPhoto HD imaging technology to produce exhibition-quality black-and-white prints with "never before seen" pigment black density and "stunningly vivid" colour prints. The Epson SureColor P600 also offers new ease-of use features and capabilities, such as a 3.5-inch tilting colour LCD and a variety of connectivity options including USB, Wireless n, Wi-Fi Direct and Ethernet. Currently on display at PhotoPlus Expo, the new printer will be available for purchase in Q1 2015 through authorised resellers for $799.

Corel today released CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X7 – Small Business Edition. “Marketing is key to the success of any small business, but it doesn’t have to break the bank,” said Gérard Métrailler, Vice President, Product Management, CorelDRAW. “CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X7 – Small Business Edition gives business owners an easy and affordable way to create their own professional marketing collateral and grow their business while minimising costs.” The suite provides access to three full licences of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X7 with a single purchase. It is priced at £699 (excl. VAT) and is available in both a box and download version at the website below.

Samsung announced today that it is now shipping its EVO 16GB and 32GB memory cards in twin packs. There are four new twin packs available in time for Christmas, including the EVO Micro SD Twin Pack 32GB (£44.95), the EVO Micro SD Twin Pack 16GB (£28.95), the EVO SD Twin Pack 32 GB  (£47.95) and the EVO SD Twin Pack 16GB (£28.95). Both EVO cards boast Ultra High Speed (UHS-I) Grade 1 level performance and offer read speeds of up to 48MB/s.

Vanguard are showcasing their latest award-winning products at the annual PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo. Their latest tripods, heads and bags are currently on display at the Javits Convention Center (booth #1045) in New York City. The newest additions include the Havana, Oslo, Sedona and Reno bags, and the Alta CA and Espod CX series tripods. Click through / scroll down for more information.

Gary Fong have today introduced their Studio-To-Go range, which is exclusive to the Gary Fong e-store. There are four Studio-To-Go Kits to choose from, each offering the ability to create dramatic studio-like lighting effects in practically any location. These include the Studio-To-Go Wedding & Event Kit, the Studio-To-Go Portrait Kit, the Studio-To-Go Fashion & Commercial Kit and the Studio-To-Go Flash Kit. “The new Studio-To-Go systems are the most complete kits we’ve ever offered. The contents of each were carefully tested and selected to closely replicate the compact systems I use when traveling all over the world photographing and teaching lighting,” Gary Fong said. “Each Kit is supported with countless tutorials to help users master the many techniques. The ultimate goal is to give photographers the confidence to control the light versus the light controlling the photographer.” The Studio-To-Go Wedding & Event Kit is available for $423.95, a $100 savings versus purchasing products separately. The Studio-To-Go Portrait Kit is available for $529.95, a $130 savings. The Studio-To-Go Fashion & Commercial Kit is available for $544.95, a $150 savings. The Studio-To-Go Flash Kit is available for $1021.95, a $250 savings.

Ricoh have announced the Ricoh Theta M15, a 360-degree camera with built-in Wi-Fi and video recording capabilities. The new model can capture up to 3 minutes of spheircal video footage with no stitch lines. Just like its predecessor, the new Ricoh Theta M15 can also record 360° stills, which can then be shared on the theta360° website. The new camera will be available in a variety of colours from 14th November, priced at £269.99.

The Outdoor Photographer of the Year (OPOTY) 2014 Competition is now open for entry. This year, there are 6 categories including "Light on the Land," "Wildlife Insight," "Light the Adventure," "At the Water's Edge," "Small World" and "Under Exposed." There is an £8 fee for entry into each category. You can enter as many categories as you like, but each entrant is limited to eight images per category per entry fee – you can enter a category more than once if you wish to submit more than eight images to a category. Photographers aged 18 or under can enter their pictures in the "Young OPOTY 2014" contest free of charge. The closing date for entries is 14th December. The overall winner of OPOTY 2014 will be off to the Arctic on the Fjällräven Polar dog sled expedition in spring 2015. As always we suggest that you read the terms and conditions before entering your work. Photograph: At The Water's Edge by David Baker

The organisers are reminding interested photographers that there is still time to enter this year’s South West Coast Path photo contest. Amateur and professional photographers are encouraged to enter their best pictures of the Coast Path in this annual photo competition, which closes on 31 December 2014. Prizes include a One Night Luxury Spa Break at Carbis Bay Hotel & Spa, Cornwall and a gift voucher towards products from the website of the contest's professional judge, David Noton.

Macphun Software have launched the Macphun Marketplace, and with it, a selection of creative preset and texture packs from some of the world’s leading photographers. Designed to work within Macphun Intensify Pro and Macphun Tonality Pro, these packs promise to give photographers the chance to achieve a similar look and feel in their images as some of finest photographers in the world. “The great photographers often become synonymous with a specific genre or style of photography,” said Paul Muzok, CEO of Macphun. While we can’t teach everyone to recreate those images overnight, implementing a preset or texture from one of your favourite or inspirational photographers can give you that look and feel straight away. “The features in Tonality Pro and Intensify Pro are designed to give the user more creative enhancements than ever before, and these preset packs enhance that capability, all in a simple click.” Preset packs are priced at $5 for 5 and $10 for 10. New sets of presets and textures will be available each month on the Macphun Marketplace along with helpful training materials.

Canon Watch reports that Amazon UK now has the Canon EOS 6D listed as "discontinued by the manufacturer." This applies to the body-only configuration as well as the single-zoom kit that comprises the EOS 6D camera and EF 24-105mm f4L USM lens. On the other hand, Amazon US still has the camera listed as current, making us wonder if the company's UK branch simply made a mistake.

CameraPeddler.com is a new online marketplace designed for photographers. Developed by Jorge Torralba - the man behind ZeissImages.com, JustNEX.com and other photo related sites -, CameraPeddler.com offers the ability to focus strictly on photographic equipment from individuals and trustworthy reliable dealers. "The intent was to develop a site where buyers and sellers can trust each other and feel comfortable with the transactions they engage in while utilising the features of the site," Jorge says. Click through / scroll down for more information.

Autographer has created a three-day timelapse of FinDAC at work on one of his signature pieces of urban art in London. It is the latest entry in Autographer’s Behind the Scenes series — an ongoing project designed to showcase never-before-seen views on some of the best alternative artists’ work. The video was made using four Autographer devices, two of which were mounted overlooking the work and two worn by FinDAC himself, offering a unique perspective of the process. “Organised through a mutual friend and coinciding with the one year anniversary of their business opening my latest project was painting the DayTrue external wall in Maida Vale," FinDAC says. "We wanted to capture the whole thing as a time-lapse, so it was great that Autographer helped out with this." Click through / scroll down see the time-lapse video.

Canon will demonstrate its latest digital camera optics and printer lineup, including the recently announced EOS C100 Mark II digital video camera (pictured) at PhotoPlus Expo 2014. Visitors to the Canon booth can try the powerful new EOS 7D Mark II Digital SLR camera, the full line of Canon EOS and Cinema EOS cameras, EF and CN-E lenses, Canon’s professional and consumer camcorders, and the latest in PowerShot cameras including the new PowerShot G7 X. Canon will continue its Live Learning Stage educational series with a combination of lectures and live photo shoots featuring professional photographers, videographers and Canon Explorers of Light. Professionals such as Scott Kelby, Alex Buono, Peter Read Miller, Adam Jones and Michele Celentano will discuss and demonstrate their personal expertise and share their experience with audiences. Canon will also host demonstrations of portrait lighting using Canon’s Speedlite system, time lapse video shooting, 4K video for still-frame output to Pixma Pro 100 and imagePROGRAF iPF6400 printers, and an EOS 7D Mark II demonstration. PhotoPlus Expo 2014 will take place from 30th October to 1st November in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

The Pixelmator Team has released Pixelmator for iPad, an image editor featuring advanced editing tools such as layers, non-destructive layer styles and a collection of professional-grade selection tools. "We are super excited to introduce a powerful, fast, yet very easy-to-use image editor that has everything you need to create, edit, and enhance images on iPad. It looks amazing, and it's a real iOS 8 app," said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team. "We think everyone, creators at home and professional image editors, will find Pixelmator for iPad incredibly useful, capable and fun." Pixelmator is $4.99 and available worldwide exclusively through the iTunes App Store in the Photo & Video category.