Kenro has announced the immediate availability of the Benro GH2C carbon-fibre gimbal head in the UK and Ireland. Ideal for long distance and wildlife photography, the Benro GH2C is a specialised head for heavy-duty telephoto lenses. It is supplied with a 100mm lens plate and is compatible with the International QR system and optional Benro PL series special lens plates. Weighing 1.30kg, the Benro GH2C has a load capacity of 25kg and comes in at £563.94 including VAT.

Adobe today released version 12 of Adobe Photoshop Elements (PSE) and Premiere Elements. New features in PSE 12 are mobile access; Twitter integration, pet eye correction; 64-bit support for Macs; guided edits; quick frames, effects and textures; plus Straighten, Auto Smart Tone and Content-Aware Move tools. Premiere Elements 12 also offers guided edits and Auto Smart Tone, and adds scores, sound effects, film looks and motion tracking. Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 and Premiere Elements 12 are immediately available for purchase or £78.15, with upgrade pricing of £63.49.  The Photoshop Elements 12 & Premiere Elements 12 bundle is available now for £117.22, with upgrade pricing of £96.71.

Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1 by Rico Pfirstinger is a new title from Rocky Nook. The book guides you through the features and capabilities of these cameras, allowing you to will discover numerous tips and tricks for how to maximize their potential. Lenses and key accessories are also covered in detail. The 284-page volume sells for $29.95.

Canon today unveiled a new programme designed to help aspiring photographers studying photography or equivalent courses to take their next step with imaging. The Canon Student Network (CSN) rolls out to 11 universities across the UK and Ireland and provides tailored experiences, opportunities and offers to help the students develop as their course progresses. Education including tips, tricks and business advice from noted professional photographers via seminars around the country and online are also available along with unique offers. Access is easy and free for eligible students. Those in first year simply need to be studying photography or equivalent course, within one of the initial 11 roll-out universities and sign up to the free Project 1709 – Canon’s beta online imaging management system. Students in their second year will also be required to own a current Canon DSLR and lens.

EyeTime 2013 invites students and young professionals or enthusiasts to submit a collection of up to three digital images. The competition is supported by the ICP (International Center of Photography), APA (American Photographic Artist), ADC (Art Directors Club), and is hosted by The Morpholio Project. The jury includes participants from Wired Magazine, Resource magazine, Light Stalking, Shutter Sisters, Psychology for Photographers, and the ICP. There are two categories, Emerging Talent and Future Voices. The competition is free to all entrants.

To support the UK launch of the new DMC-FZ72 and the existing DMC-FZ200 Lumix cameras, Panasonic will be rewarding every customer who purchases one of these two models with a complimentary membership to the National Trust. The new Lumix FZ72 (read review) boasts 60x optical zoom with focal length ranging from 20mm ultra-wide angle to 1200mm ultra-telephoto. The Lumix FZ200 features a maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout its zoom range. During this promotion, which runs until 31 December  customers will be able to choose between a single, joint or family National Trust membership. To find out more, visit the website below.

Lowepro has just announced the Streamline 150 & 250 shoulder bags (pictured) and the Streamline Sling bag. "With their lean and modern design, the new Streamline shoulder bags are perfect for carrying today’s array of delicate gadgets," the company says. The StreamLine 150 (£33) & 250 (£37) feature two easy access, padded, soft-lined zip pockets on the front of the bag – ideal for CSC camera and extra lens, or a CSC camera with kit lens attached, or a smartpone –, and also include an expandable main compartment for personal essentials plus a separate padded compartment designed specifically to hold a tablet. The Lowepro Streamline Sling (£41) – as the name suggests – takes the super slim design and combines it with a cross-body sling strap for comfort on the go and easy access to your camera gear without having to take the bag off. Ideal for CSCs the slightly larger sling bag can also accommodate smaller entry level DSLR cameras – with a small kit lens attached.

Nikon has officially been named a CoolBrand, in an influential annual initiative to identify the UK’s coolest brands. Now in its twelfth year, the CoolBrands list follows a vote by a combination of 3,000 consumers and a panel of 37 designers, style experts, media personalities and prominent figures from the worlds of TV, fashion and music. The results are published every September and a selection of the country’s coolest brands are featured in a luxurious, hardback format book, available from all good bookshops (RRP £55), or which can be ordered by contacting 020 7079 3310 or at the website below.

Kenro, the UK and Ireland distributor of Reflecta photo products, has announced the immediate availability of a new studio flash kit for semi-professional photographers. Complete with sturdy carry-bag, the Reflecta Visilux StudioKit 180 comprises three compact 180Ws flash lights, together with three light stands which extend up to 220cm. There's a 70x50cm softbox with intermediate diffuser, giving the ability to diffuse the light even further. Also included is an 84cm white translucent umbrella so you can either shoot through or reflect from it, plus there's a silver umbrella of the same size to give a brighter reflective surface. The package even comes with a handy radio trigger, meaning the photographer doesn't need to use a flash synch cable to fire the lights. The Reflecta Visilux StudioKit 180 is available now with an SRP of £477.60.

Linquet is an innovative product for iPhones, iPads and Android devices that promises to not just find missing objects, but actually prevent them from getting lost or misplaced in the first place. Simply attach Linquets to your valuables - including photography accessories - and link them to your phone through Bluetooth. When a piece of gear goes out of range, an alarm will go off both on your phone and your "linqued" possession, preventing you from forgetting / losing it. From a photographer's point of view, this invention seems most useful for those who do not like to leave home without their camera - but in a more general sense, it can prevent you from misplacing or forgetting about your valuables such as your purse, tablet, keys and the like. The commercialisation of Linquet is backed by a crowdfunding campaign, which reached its goal on the very first day. The Linquet device and associated smartphone app will be free, with the company charging a monthly fee of $2.99 for the use of the service.

Pixite has released Flickring 2.0 for iPhone and Flickring HD 2.0 for iPad. These Flickr photo viewing apps take full advantage of the new look of the iOS 7 update, and can sync your Camera Roll to your account, completely in the background. Flickring for iPhone is $2.99 and Flickring HD for iPad is $3.99. Both are available now through the iTunes Apps Store.

The Delkin CF 1050X UDMA 7 Cinema is a specialised memory card that's designed to excel in high-end recording equipment, such as 4K cameras and medium-format digital backs. Capable of recording data at speeds up to 120 MB/s, the 1050X is the company's fastest card to date. This write speed is necessary to record 4K footage with cameras such as the Canon 1D C, which requires memory cards that are UDMA 7 and have a minimum write speed of 100 MB/s to avoid dropped frames. Additionally, with a read speed of 160 MB/s, the Delin CF 1050X allows for fast image transfers from card to computer, saving valuable time. The CF 1050X Cinema card is now available and comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities for $149.95, $349.95 and $699.95, respectively

AppCam today announced that it had acquired the rights for Virtual Grid, a new technology which makes it possible to replace the mechanical dials of digital cameras with sensory optimised, virtual dials directly on the touchscreen. The term "sensory optimised" means that a 3D line pattern is pressed into the glass screen above the touchscreen field which gives the fingertips a sensory feedback. This feedback, in conjunction with acoustic clicks, allows the user to handle the camera as accurately and reliably as with a mechanical dial. With the Virtual Grid technology it is now possible to replace these dials more than adequately with a touchscreen solution, clearing one of the major obstacles from the introduction of the AppCam Control System for digital cameras.

2013 is the 30th year of The AOP Photographers Awards. To coincide with this special anniversary, a free exhibition will be open to the public for one weekend this October. Images from this year’s finalists of The AOP Photographers Awards - open to AOP photographer members - and The AOP Open Awards - open to everyone - will be on display at The Truman Brewery, off Brick Lane and opposite the legendary Rough Trade East record store, right in the creative heart of London’s East End. Do note that the exhibition is open for one weekend only - Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October 2013.

Triggertrap has released version 2.0 of Triggertrap Mobile. "With this new version, Triggertrap Mobile gets a fresh, modern look that makes it easier for each photographer to realise their unique vision," the company says. "The new interface has been dressed down and simplified, making it easier and faster to switch between triggering modes - this means no more missing awesome photographic opportunities because you’re futzing around with dials." Triggertrap Mobile 2.0 is available to download from iTunes now, and will be available from Google Play soon.

Canon U.S.A. has announced the five winning consumer directors of the “Project Imaginat10n” film contest. The challenge was to create a short film inspired by ten crowdsourced photos in ten storytelling themes: Character, Mood, Goal, Backstory, Setting, Obstacle, Relationship, The Unknown, Time and Discovery. From hundreds of film submissions, twenty finalists were selected by a panel of judges. From there, Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard selected five winners to be part of “A Ron Howard Presentation.” The five Grand Prize winners include Kálmán Apple, Ronnie Allman, Julian Higgins, Arrius Sorbonne and Jared Nelson. The winning consumer-directed films can be viewed at the website below.