Panasonic has announced a preview campaign for the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 compact system camera.  Three GH4 units will be in the UK and Ireland for this weekend only for the preview campaign to be held exclusively at three camera shops, for three days at each store. The preview campaign will start this Thursday at Conns Cameras, 54 Clarendon St, Dublin 2; continuing at Jessops, 129-131 Oxford Street, London, W1D 2HU and Park Cameras, Victoria Business Park, York Rd, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9T. Each store will have a working sample of the camera for users to try, as well as a dedicated Panasonic expert to talk through product features and answer any questions.

Kenro has expanded its digital photo frame range with three new products. The new additions are the DF71, DF7040 and DF1580 models from Braun Photo Technik. The stylish black matte DF71 has a high quality 7"digital TFT LED screen with LED backlight technology and a resolution of 480x234 pixels. The DF7040 has a similarly sized display with a resolution of 800x600 pixels. The Braun DF1580 has a 15" LCD screen with 1024x768 pixels and built-in stereo speakers. SRPs range from £40.50 to £160.80.

Case Logic has launched a new collection of camera bags and cases. The Luminosity collection consists of a range of cross-body bags and backpacks that provide both protection and versatility. There are thirteen products in the collection; two messenger-style cross bags, available in small or large; one large action camera bag; three full backpacks (2 Medium + 1 large) two sling-backpacks,three holster bags available in small, medium & Large, and two lens exchange cases. For more information on the Case Logic Luminosity range, visit the website below.

Photojojo is now carrying the Oh! Wow. Ring Light and a new Focus Shifter accessory for SLR users. The Oh! Wow. Ring Light ($99, pictured) is a ring flash and continuous light that fits in the hot-shoe of your Canon or Nikon DSLR camera. The Focus Shifter ($49) gives you creative control and gives your videos a more cinematic look, by making manual focus smooth and easy. It features a handle for smoothly adjusting your focusing ring, and a marker board to help you track just where you want to focus. You can use a dry erase marker to keep track of several focus points or use clips set hard stops. Both products are 

Canon U.S.A. is recalling about 14,000 PowerShot SX50 HS cameras because, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, "a chemical used in the rubber part of the viewfinders on the camera can cause skin or eye irritation or an allergic reaction to the user." Canon says the phenomenon only affects "certain lots from September 1 through November 15, 2013."  The affected cameras have serial numbers beginning with “69”, “70” or “71” and have “1” as the sixth digit of the serial number. If you own one of the affected cameras you ought to contact Canon USA's Customer Support Centre.

X-Rite are offering £30 cashback on every X-Rite ColorChecker Passport purchased at the same time as either X-Rite ColorMunki Display or X-Rite i1Display Pro. "The cashback offer is an excellent opportunity for photographers that are looking to invest in colour management in order to get the best from their images," says Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director at X-Rite. "The ColorChecker Passport is imperative during image capture to ensure consistency for example, the challenge of ensuring that the bride’s wedding dress is the same colour under different lighting conditions during her wedding day. Whereas the latest calibrators from X-Rite go on to ensure that images viewed on a monitor are profiled for maximum colour accuracy as well as consistency.” With a retail price of £83 the ColorChecker Passport (pictured) can effectively be purchased for just £53 during the promotional period. Note that all claims must be received by 14th August 2014 in order to qualify.

Brindleyplace has launched a special photography competition that aims to celebrate the traditional Japanese festival of Hanami. An annual event, Hanami is the Japanese tradition of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers and is celebrated to coincide with the flowering of cherry blossom across the country. Organised in partnership with Ikon and Café Opus at Ikon, the Hanami Photography Competition is targeted at amateur photographers with a passion for photography in Birmingham and will be officially launched when the first cherry blossom flowers on the trees in Oozells Square in Brindleyplace. “Hanami seemed like the perfect festival for Brindleyplace to celebrate as, each year we have so many people comment on how beautiful the cherry blossom looks in Oozells Square," says Lydia Ellis, Marketing Manager at Brindleyplace. "By launching a photography competition we will be able to create a lasting memory as well as encouraging artistic talent in Birmingham." From when the competition is launched – the blossom typically blooms at the end of March –participants will have until 13th April to submit their entry.

Kenro, the official UK and Ireland distributor for the Benro range of camera bags and tripods, has introduced the Falcon series of robust backpacks for outdoor photographers. Manufactured from abrasion resistant PT1200D PU and water repellent materials, the bags feature adjustable shoulder, chest and waist belts. There are two choices in the series, the Falcon 400 and the Falcon 800, both available in a camouflage finish. The Falcon 400 (£169.80) is capable of carrying up to one SLR camera and 1x400mm lens plus accessories.  The 800 version (£180.00) has the capacity to hold one SLR and 1x800mm lens plus accessories.  A pro lens cushion is built into both backpacks to protect your lens from moving. Both bags are available now.

Panasonic and Sony have jointly announced a new standard for professional-use optical discs. The announcement follows the signing of an agreement between the two electronics giants in July 2013. Named Archival Disc, the new storage medium will be capable of storing a minimum of 300 gigabytes per disc. In addition, both companies plan to leverage their respective technologies to further expand the recording capacity per disc to 500GB and 1TB. Availability of the 300GB discs is slated for summer 2015.

Panasonic has confirmed pricing and availability details for its flagship Lumix GH4 compact system camera. In the United Kingdom the camera will be available from 5 May 2014, priced at £1749.99 (single-lens kit with Panasonic's 14-140mm lens), £1299.99 (body-only) and £2499.99 (body only with the DMW-YAGHE interface unit). A pre-order offer will be available, with participating retailers. Those ordering the camera between 10th March until Monday 2nd June, will receive a free battery grip and battery with their purchase. In the U.S., the Pansonic Lumix DMC-GH4 will be available in late April / early May for $1,699.99 (body only) and $3,299.99 (body only with DMW-YAGHE interface unit).

The Annenberg Space for Photography has announced its next exhibition, Country: Portraits of an American Sound. This exhibit presents images of the pioneers, poets and icons of country music, and will be offered free to the public 31 May through 28 September 2014. Country: Portraits of an American Sound uses historical and contemporary photographs to explore how images shape the public identity of country music performers and of the genre itself. The photographers include the late amateur photographer Elmer Williams; the late studio photographer Walden S. Fabry; veteran Grand Ole Opry staff photographer Les Leverett; the late Los Angeles-based photographerLeigh Wiener; Boston-based documentary photographer Henry Horenstein; iconic entertainment photographers Henry Diltz, Raeanne Rubenstein and Ethan Russell; and contemporary photographers David McClister and Michael Wilson. The Annenberg Space for Photography is located in Century Park at 2000 Avenue of the Stars in Century City, Los Angeles, California.

Rift Labs have announced the UK launch of their latest pocket size camera light, KICK. Distributed exclusively by Color Confidence, the KICK camera light was shown for the first time in the UK at the Photography Show. Offering an output of 400 lumens, KICK emits the full colour spectrum and has an array of controls including brightness, colour, animated lighting, built-in video effects and sampling. The KICK camera light can be mounted on a tripod or used as hand-held device; and multiple KICKs can be connected via WiFi for more elaborate and creative lighting. “When I first saw the extensive capabilities of the KICK camera light, I knew that it would have great appeal to our customers looking to push the boundaries of creativity," Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director, Color Confidence said. "I was delighted that Rift Labs selected Color Confidence to be the exclusive distributor for this product." The KICK camera light will be available from leading photo dealers at a retail price of £135.

Launching at Crufts, the Kennel Club is urging budding and experienced photographers to submit their canine images to the annual Dog Photographer of the Year competition.  Heidi Hudson, Kennel Club Picture Librarian, said: “The Dog Photographer of the Year competition is the biggest canine photography competition in the world and we are looking for stunning images that capture a wonderful moment and that reflect our contemporary experience of living with dogs." The competition, which is exclusively presented by Samsung, is now open and free to enter.  The overall winner will receive a Samsung Galaxy NX camera and will have VIP access to photograph the Crufts Best in Show winner in 2015. The submission deadline is 5p.m. (UK time) on 10 November 2014.

Adorama has released the Flashpoint StreakLight, a brand new portable strobe light for on- or off-camera use. Offering adjustable output from 1/128 to full, in 1/3 stop increments, the Flashpoint StreakLight features high-speed sync, built-in optical slave functionality, four shooting modes and auto-focus assist.  The StreakLight flash has two sync jacks and overheating protection circuitry, and also features a USB port for a wireless remote receiver.  The Flashpoint StreakLight 360Ws is available now for $549 or bundled with the Blast Pack battery for $749.95. The Flashpoint StreakLight 180Ws is available now for $405.95 or bundled with the Blast Pack battery for $599.95.

The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers (SINWP) have announced the winners of their Spectacular Landscapes Photography Competition. Adrian Rohnfelder from Bad Homburg, Germany’s image (above) was chosen from over 370 images entered.  2nd place was Hamish Burson from New Zealand and joint 3rd places were Lisa Katharina Schaefer from New Zealand and Tomasz Janicki from Worcestershire.

The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation (KKF) today revealed the shortlisted entries for its annual photo book awards. Established in 1985, the KKF Book Awards are the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image and the two winners share a £10,000 prize. The winners will be announced on 30 April at the Sony World Photography Awards gala ceremony held in London. Along with 14 highly commended titles across the two categories, the shortlisted books will be displayed at Somerset House, London from 1-18 May as part of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.

The Photographic Museum of Humanity (PMH) has announced an extension to its PMH 2014 Grant, which is now officially set on 12 March 2014. The PMH 2014 Grantan international photography contest offering $4000 in cash prizes. The jury features Alec Soth (Magnum Photos), Iata Cannabrave (Brzilian curator, creator of the Latin American Photography Forum of Sao Paulo), Olivier Laurent (Associate Editor for the British Journal of Photography) and Diana Markosian (PMH 2013 Grant New Generation Prize winner). To participate, you have to submit a series of maximum 15 photos. The contest has no entry fee.