Fujifilm will release a free firmware update for the GFX 50S (GFX 50S) medium format mirrorless digital camera in May 2018.

Fujfilm will release free firmware updates for the  X-H1, X-T2, X-Pro2, X-E3 and X100F X Series digital cameras in late April and May.

Canon is accepting entries for its New Cosmos of Photography 2018 (41st edition) competition from 18 April. The New Cosmos of Photography is open to entrants globally and is Canon’s cultural project to discover, nurture and support new photographers.

MindShift Gear’s new Exposure shoulder bags are storm-resistant carrying solutions for the active photographer in virtually any outdoor environment.

The new Bexar Vagabond Leather Camera Strap is made by hand in America.

Elinchrom have announced that they will not be exhibiting at Photokina 2018 in September. “After close to 30 successive participations we feel this is a transitional year for photokina and this break will help Elinchrom to analyse and refocus on what is really important for our customers in the coming years.” said Simon Whittle, CEO of Elinchrom.

PolarPro QuartzLine Camera Filters are new professional-focused filters for DSLRs, mirrorless and cinema cameras. Constructed of 99.9% pure fused quartz, the QuartzLine Filters set a new bar for light transmission and purity as the rare, fused quartz element delivers an extremely low refractive index compared to traditional filters. QuartzLine is available in a full collection of UV filters, polarizers, neutral density filters, and hybrid polarizing/ND filters. Filter sizes range from 37mm up to 82mm, and an array of step-up rings are offered to ensure shooters are able to use the glass on any of their lenses.

LG Electronics has announced that it will formally unveil its premium LG G7 Thin Q smartphone on May 2 in New York City and May 3 in Seoul. This will be the first G series smartphone to adopt the ThinQ name, which denotes devices that utilise artificial intelligence to deliver practical, consumer benefits.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K features dual native ISO, full 4/3 HDR sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, and ProRes or RAW recording to internal SD/UHS-II and CFast cards, or even external USB‑C drives. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will be available from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide later this year for US$1,295.

DaVinci Resolve 15 fully integrates visual effects and motion graphics, adds even more audio tools plus hundreds of new features and improvements that editors and colorists have asked for. A public beta of DaVinci Resolve 15 will be available today and for immediate download from the Blackmagic Design website.

The Z CAM E2 Cinematic Camera is a Micro Four Thirds camera that can shoot 4K video at 120fps. Priced at $1,999 USD, the Z CAM E2 uses the Micro Four Thirds lens mount and has a 4/3" Sony CMOS sensor.

Sony is expanding its Large Format Sensor category with the new XDCAM handheld camcorder FS II. The Sony FS5 II features an all-new look with a refined picture tone to capture natural highlights, subtle, alluring and well rendered facial tones and a softer tonal look emphasising the portrayal of a person. Complete with 4K HDR and 120fps performance and RAW capabilities, the new Super 35mm camcorder combines outstanding image quality with an ergonomic modular frame. In addition to S-Log 2/3, the FS5 II supports Sony’s Instant HDR Workflow to produce HDR content for quick post-production without the need of grading.

The FS5 II is planned to be available in June, with expected pricing as follows:

• PXW-FS5M2, body only — $4,750 US and $5,940 CA
• PXW-FS5M2K, with lens — $5,250 US and $6,560 CA

The OWC ThunderBlade is the fastest external drive available, with almost unheard of transfer speeds up to 2800MB/s Read and 2450MB/s Write. It is now shipping in four capacities, from 1TB to 8TB.

The LaCie Rugged RAID Pro is the next generation of its popular Rugged RAID solution. Encased in the famous orange rubber shell, the Rugged RAID Pro offers up to 240 MB/s in RAID 0 and RAID 1. With the integrated SD Card Reader, creative professionals can quickly offload content with the quick import toolkit. The Rugged RAID Pro is designed with the latest USB-C connector and compatible with next-generation Thunderbolt 3 computers but also backward compatible with USB 3.0. LaCie Rugged RAID Pro will be shipping this quarter with an estimated suggested price of $349.

The Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16–35/3.5–4.5 ASPH. is a new wide-angle zoom lens for the Leica SL camera.

The Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16–35/3.5–4.5 ASPH. will be on sale from 23 April priced at £4500 / $5495. A new firmware version (3.2) for the Leica SL will also appear at the same time as the new wide-angle zoom lens.

ProGrade SDXC UHS-II V90 premium digital memory cards offer a sustained read speed of up to 250MB/second and sustained write speed of up to 200MB/second. ProGrade Digital SDXC UHS-II V90 memory cards in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities will be available at the start of May.

ProGrade Digital are the first company to publicly demonstrate the CFexpress™ 1.0 technology with 1TB of capacity. ProGrade Digital demonstrated performance benchmark speeds exceeding 1,400MB/second and burst write speeds of greater than 1,000MB/second–nearly three times faster than CFast memory cards and more than four times those for SDXC™ UHS-II.

The highly-anticipated Huawei P20 Pro is now available to buy in the UK. The P20 Pro is available to purchase from all UK carriers and retail partners including Carphone Warehouse, EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 and is priced at £799. The device will be available in two striking colours, Midnight Blue and Black.

NiSi has announced the launch of a dedicated premium filter kit solution for photographers using the forthcoming Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art lens.