FXB International, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to lifting people out of extreme poverty, today launched a global photography competition to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The competition will see one talented amateur photographer win a half-day photography masterclass with world-renowned photographer, Jillian Edelstein and the chance to have their winning image featured alongside Jillian’s as part of an international exhibition launching at London’s prestigious gallery@oxo in August this year. The exhibition, Framing Hope: Celebrating 25 Years of Poverty Eradication with FXB International, will feature 25 inspiring images shot by Jillian Edelstein, capturing the stories of hope and success of families in Burundi, China, Colombia, India and Rwanda who joined the FXBVillage programme. To enter, amateur photographers will need to submit a single photograph that best conveys the theme "Framing Hope". Whether a striking portrait, a beautiful landscape or a single moment in time beautifully captured, we’re asking people to let their creativity flow and submit their defining image of hope.."  All entries will be displayed in an online gallery, with the five most-voted for, shortlisted for judging by an expert panel who will select the overall winner. The submission deadline is 25th July midnight BST.

Lytro today announced the Lytro Photo Adventure, ­ a chance for five U.S: photographers to win a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid trip to Iceland to take part in an exclusive photo shoot with Chris Burkard, a premier adventure lifestyle photographer. By pre-ordering the Lytro Illum light field camera (pictured) before 31 July 2014 and submitting a photo shoot idea, photographers will be eligible to win a spot in the challenge. "I have shot Iceland many times, but never in the way that Lytro Illum will allow me to," said Burkard, winner of the 2010 Red Bull Illume Image Quest. "I cannot wait to experience this new photographic canvas with other photographers and capture the beauty of Iceland in its purest form." In addition to the five grand-prize winners, twenty first-place winners will be selected for an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the Medium Festival of Photography in San Diego. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering the competition.

Ichikawa Soft Laboratory has begun sales of Silkypix Developer Studio Pro6 Download Version (Mac OS). New features include improved noise reduction, a new soft proofing function and portrait beautification effect and improved processing speed. Silkypix Developer Studio Pro6 Download Version (Mac OS) is compatible with OS X v10.6 - 10.9, and requires a processor with 64-bit support, a minimum of 2GB of RAM and at least 10GB of available hard-disk space.

Communication Arts magazine has published the results of its 55th annual photography competition. Of the 5,223 entries submitted to the 55th annual photography competition, only 155 were selected by a jury of respected creative professionals. The selected projects are handsomely reproduced in Photography Annual 55, the July/August 2014 issue of Communication Arts, both in print and on the iPad, and online at the website below.

The Sony versions of the Metz mecablitz 44 AF-1 digital and 52 AF-1 digital now come equipped with new feet for cameras with “Sony Multi Interface” flash shoes. New Sony digital cameras incorporate new “Sony Multi Interface” flash shoes, which has made it necessary to adapt Metz's Sony-compatible flash units accordingly. With the new editions, it is no longer necessary to use a hotshoe adapter for mounting the Metz mecablitz 44 AF-1 digital and 52 AF-1 digital flashes on the new Sony cameras.

Adata has launched an industrial CFast card, which combines the form-factor of a Compact Flash card with a high-speed SATA interface for both high reliability and secure operation. Compatible with CFast 2.0 and SATA 3.1, the ISC3E CFast memory card offers sequential read/write speeds of up to 435/120 MB/s (MLC) and 165/170 MB/s (SLC). The card comes in capacities of 4GB-128GB (MLC) and 4GB-64GB (SLC) and features ECC (Error Code Correction) and S.M.A.R.T technology for high reliability of data transfer and security.

Benro's UK and Ireland importer/distributor, Kenro, is now supplying the new Hyacinth photo bag series in a range of colours - Blue, Pink, Grey and Black. Designed for SLR and CSC users, the Benro Hyacinth range of shoulder bags are easily distinguishable from traditional bags and can be carried either by the strong carry handle or the shoulder strap. The bags are available in two sizes, priced at £38.40 and £43.80.

Calumet Photographic has launched a new ‘Assistant Finder’ tool on its rental website. The easily accessible platform allows assistants to upload a bio, including information on their experience, specialities, location and examples of their work.. The system also allows for reviews and ratings; helping assistantso build their profile and with references from industry professionals that they have worked with. “We are very excited by this online tool; it is going to be invaluable to many of our customers,” says Jon Warner, Managing Director at Calumet Photographic. “So far, we’ve had over 65 assistants register from across the whole of the UK - this is a great start and we’re confident that this service will grow very quickly.” Use of Calumet Photographic’s Assistant Finder is completely free for both professionals and assistants.

Canon has launched a new microsite devoted to camera lenses. "Visitors will be enlightened about the possibilities unlocked through the many different kind of lenses available to them: macro, zoom, telephoto, prime, wide-angle, STM, tilt-shift and fisheye," the company says. "Through informative videos, sample imagery, and educational video content, photographers and videographers from entry level to advanced amateur status will learn how to determine which Canon EF or EF-S Lenses will best help them create more powerful images with their EOS digital SLR camera. Additionally, visitors will find helpful quick tips for shooting with each category of lens, from fisheye to telephoto."

The Sony a7/a7R: The Unofficial Quintessential Guide by Carol F. Roullard and Dr. Brian Matsumoto is a new title from Rocky Nook. Guiding the reader in using both the camera’s automated features and manual controls to take photographs that are a unique reflection of his or her creative personality; this book covers the features of the a7 and a7R, including automatic stitching to create panoramas, and multi-shot noise reduction that allows the use of extremely high ISOs. The 384-page volume is available for $39.99.

Nikon's new Capture NX.D software will be available as a free download from Tuesday 15th July. Capture NX-D enables high-quality photofinishing of images captured in raw format by Nikon digital SLR cameras (including the latest D810 model), Nikon 1 compact system cameras, and Coolpix compact cameras that support this capability. The application will be compatible with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista/7/8; and OS X 10.7.5, 10.8.5 and 10.9.2-

Nikon France has posted 35 high-resolution sample photographs taken with the brand new Nikon D810 full-frame digital SLR camera. Captured with a variety of lenses, these Nikon D810 samples were shot by an assortment of high-profile photographers including Natalie Dybisz (a.k.a. Miss Aniela), Lucas Gilman, Hisao Asano, and JunjiTakasago. You can download the official Nikon D810 sample photos from the website below.

Website: Nikon France | Flickr

Want to see exactly what the new Nikon D810 DSLR camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the new Nikon D810 DSLR camera.

The Nikon D810 is a new DSLR that "offers the highest image quality in Nikon's history". According to Nikon, the D810 has a brand new 36.3 megapixel sensor with no optical low pass filter that delivers image quality that rivals medium format cameras. In addition, the Nikon D810 has an ISO range of 32-51200, 1080/60p video recording, Expeed 4 image processing engine, 51-point auto-focus system, 5fps burst shooting at full resolution, and an improved LCD monitor (3.2-inch with 1299K dots).

The Nikon D810 will replace both the D800 and D800E models, and will cost £2,699 / 3299Euros / $3,299.95, available from the 17th July.

Intro 2020 has announced the UK availability and RRPs of the three new Tamron lenses unveiled last week. The Tamron 14-150mm f/3.5-5.8 Di III Micro Four Thirds lens (pictured) and the 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Di lll VC in Canon M mount will be available in July for £389.99. The Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD full-format lens will also go on sale next mont, priced at £619.99.

MDL Marinas have launched their annual photography competition. Openn to both amateur and professional photographers alike, the competition closes at midnight on Sunday 10th August, with the winning shots set to be unveiled at September’s PSP Southampton Boat Show. The winner of MDL’s Photographer of the Year will receive a boat portfolio taken by professional marine photographer Brendan Fitzgerald of Fitz Marine Photography, presented in a handcrafted, leather bound album worth £700. The runner-up will enjoy a magnum of Champagne. In the Under-16 competition, the winner will be presented with a Nikon Coolpix AW120 digital compact camera, whilst the runner-up will be awarded £50 worth of Amazon vouchers. Dean Smith, Operations and Marketing Director at MDL Marinas, said: “ We want entries to show our berth holders and visitors enjoying their boats in the marina and out and about on the water – and the more adventurous and quirky the shots, the better!”

Zenfolio has launched Photographer Central, billed as the most comprehensive online directory of professional photographers of all genres. “The photography industry is fragmented, and part of the problem is the absence of one definitive source for hiring the right professional,” said Alex Peyzner, founder and CEO of Zenfolio and Photographer Central. “In building this new resource, we’ve set out to change the way people find photographers. It simplifies the process by providing clients with the complete and visual profile they need to make a decision; and provides photographers with marketing support so they can focus on the art of photography.”. Potential clients can filter photographers according to their preferred location, budget and style. They can save “Favourites” into a group that can be easily accessed at a later time. Clicking through to a portfolio brings up a simple, streamlined presentation of key information and a photography portfolio. From there, they can compare, contrast and immediately contact the right photographer. A single listing on Photographer Central costs $400 annually, but is available for $300 annually as a limited-time promotion.

Manfrotto has launched  the new Xpro Fluid Head, the new Manfrotto head designed for photographers who are starting to exploit the potential of their HDSLR video capabilities. The new head, part of the Xpro collection ensures portability thanks to the compact and lightweight body that makes the head weighing only 700g (1.54 lbs), versatility and convenience. A new fluidity sensor enables users to control the flexibility of the tilt movement and choose the right level of fluidity. The Manfrotto Xpro Fluid Head is available now and priced £119.95.