Lytro has released a firmware update that enables the Wi-Fi chips inside its 8GB and 16GB light field cameras. The San Fransisco-based company has also announced a new iOS companion app called Lytro Mobile, which allows you to browse images from the camera on an iOS smartphone or iPod Touch. Replicating some of the functionality of Lytro's existing desktop app, the mobile app allows you to refocus and change the perspective of your images and share the 'living pictures' via social media. Click through for more details. 

Leica has announced a special edition of its D-lux 6 high-end compact camera, in collaboration with clothing manufacturer G-Star RAW. The special D-Lux 6 (itself arguably a 'special edition' Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7) will be available from Leica Stores and Boutiques worldwide, and is expected to cost around $1300. What do you get for your money? Well, 'a new dot structure on the leather body trim' and a leather case with 'exclusive carrying strap'. Excited? Click through for more details. 

We've posted the first in a series of six reviews of rugged/waterproof compact cameras. First up is the Canon PowerShot D20, whose fish-inspired design can go for swim, get dropped on the floor, and shoot in freezing temperatures. Once we've completed our reviews of all six cameras, we'll put together a comparison, so you can find out which is best-in-class. Follow the link to see how the PowerShot D20 performed in our tests.

DxOMark has just reviewed Nikon's latest budget full frame wideangle lens, the AF-S Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED. As part of our ongoing collaboration we've added the test results to our lens comparison widget, along with other Nikon-fit full frame wide zooms. You can compare it to its predecessor, the AF Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF ED, the AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR, the legendary AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, and the Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX. Click through to see the comparisons in our lens widget, and for the full data on DxOMark.

The 6th Annual iPhone Photography Awards has announced its winners, celebrating smartphone images across 16 categories of mobile photography. The top three winners of the Photographer of the Year category each received an iPad Mini while the top entry from each category won a gold bar. We take a look at the award winners on connect.dpreview.com.

Adobe has released the latest version of Photoshop: CC for 'Creative Cloud'. It's the first to be made available solely though the company's controversial subscription-only model, that requires users to pay an ongoing monthly charge of £17.58 / $19.99 for access to the software. New features include a revised 'Smart Sharpen' function, a 'Camera Shake Reduction' filter, and the ability to apply Camera Raw edits as layers. The latest versions of other Creative Cloud apps such the video editor Premiere Pro are also now available to download.

Olympus UK is offering a free M. Zuiko Digital 17mm 1:2.8 Pancake lens to anyone who buys a PEN E-PL5 or PEN E-PM2 from an authorised UK stockist. The lens can be claimed though the the company's website, and the promotion runs until 15th September 2013.

Just Posted: Canon EOS Rebel SL1/100D studio samples and good light samples. We've just got hold of a production version of Canon's miniaturized DSLR and, as part of the process of reviewing it, have shot our standard studio scene. We've also taken it out to see how it performs away from the studio lighting and have put together a series of daylight samples. Click through to see how it fares.

The Plugin Site has created the MetaRaw plugin for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements that allows the conversion of Raw files not supported by the associated version of Adobe Camera Raw. The MetaRaw plugin offers access to three Raw conversion methods - ACR, DNG Converter or its own, dcraw-based converter. It also allows Elements 10 and 11 users to access ACR's lens correction and chromatic aberration tools.

Our friends and collaborators over at DxOMark have been looking into how lenses score on specific cameras, and most recently they've been examining Canon's latest SLR, the EOS 700D / Rebel T5i. In an ongoing article they investigate how 130 lenses from Canon, Carl Zeiss, Samyang, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina measure up on the 700D's 18MP sensor. As this is essentially a variant of the sensor used in every Canon APS-C camera since the EOS 7D in 2009, the article could be of interest to a lot of Canon users. Click through for the links.    

The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM has garnered a huge amount of interest from our readers, as the fastest zoom lens ever made for SLRs. UK residents can now win one courtesy of Sigma UK's latest competition, along with a two day landscape photography workshop in Dartmoor with pro photographer Lea Tippett. For a chance of winning, submit your best landscape photo, along with 80 words saying how you'd benefit from the workshop. The closing date for entries is 31st July 2013: click through for full details.  

We've just posted the first in what we hope will be an ongoing series of short videos aimed at the novice photographer. In this first segment our hosts Jordan and Mark compare the results from a smartphone and an entry-level digital SLR in everyday shooting conditions such as low light, moving subjects and the challenge of capturing a flattering informal portrait. In future spots we'll be covering more practical shooting advice and diving into creative techniques in an effort to help beginners choose the right gear. Click on the thumbnail to watch the video.

We've updated our review of the Canon EOS 700D / EOS Rebel T5i with lens data and analysis of the camera's EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit zoom, as usual tested in partnership with DxOMark. We've also looked at the effectiveness of its IS system and shown an example of its AF performance in video mode. As this lens is about the only change of significance with the EOS 700D release, we thought we'd incorporate our findings directly inside the review for your convenience. Click through to find out what this updated kit zoom offers.

The GigaPan EPIC Pro is an affordable motorized panorama head for DSLRs, built to create high-resolution images from multiple frames. In this article, Ireland-based landscape photographer Carsten Krieger takes the device out into the field to put it through its paces. Click through for a link to the full review. 

Sigma USA has announced its 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens for APS-C DSLRs - the world's first constant F1.8 zoom - will be available from July at a street price of around $799. Meanwhile the recommended retail price will be £799.99 in the UK, and €999 in Europe. The company has also said the lens will be available for Pentax and Sony mounts, as well as the Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts originally announced. It covers a 27-52.5mm equivalent range and offers the depth-of-field of a constant F2.7 lens on full-frame. Click through for more information and to link to our first impressions of shooting with the lens.

Week in Review: From our full reviews of the HTC One and Sony Xperia Z cameras, to a do-it-yourself smartphone stand/tripod-mount/lens-mount case to an assortment of image-centric apps, we've rounded up a week's worth of can't-miss stories for mobile photography enthusiasts. Click through to connect.dpreview.com to catch up.

We've been fans of Aaron Johnson's comic strip 'What the Duck' for years. 'WTD' is one of the best satirical comic strips in the world, and it's published here every week, as well as being included in our weekly newsletter. Barbed, topical and always amusing, we hope you enjoy WTD as much as we do. Click through for this week's strip.

Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sigma have released firmware updates, for the EOS 650D / Rebel T4i, 1 System cameras, Stylus XZ-2 and DP Merrill-series APS-C compacts repectively. The EOS 650D gains several bug fixes, mainly related to the use of STM lenses. Nikon's 1 System cameras have been updated to add support for the new 32mm F1.2 lens and continuous AF with the Nikon mount adapter FT1 and AF-S lenses, among other refinements. The Olympus Stylus XZ-2 has been updated for support with the new VF-4 electronic finder, and Sigma's DP Merrill-series benefit from several performance and stability improvements. Click through for details. 

Samyang has announced two manual focus lenses for cameras with APS-C or Four Thirds type sensors, a 16mm f/2.0 wideangle for SLRs and mirrorless, and a 300mm f/6.3 for mirrorless. The 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS offers a 24mm-equivalent angle of view with an unusually bright maximum aperture, and comes in a wide range of mounts to fit almost every brand of camera. Its RRP is £419.99 / €395, or £459.99 / €435 for the Nikon mount 'AE' version. Meanwhile the Reflex 300mm f/6.3 ED UMC CS is a compact catadioptric or 'mirror' lens to fit Micro Four Thirds, Canon, Sony and Fujifilm models, and comes in a choice of silver or black for £289.99 / €259. Both will be available in July.

Now that he has his own copies of the new Zeiss Touit lenses, Roger Cicala of Lensrentals decided to crack into the Planar 32mm F1.8 lens. His mission was to see if the renowned build quality of Zeiss optics was compromised to make the lenses more affordable. His teardown detailed the Touit's polymer construction and its use of a DC motor. Click through to see what he thought.

As if the plethora of blurry cat photos flooding social photo sharing sites weren't enough, a new app promises to deliver even more by helping furry felines capture their own self-portraits. Snapcat is the result of a 24-hour coding spree during EyeEm's Photo Hack Day 3 in Berlin. You just have to laugh, and for a few more giggles, click over to connect.dpreview.com to see how Snapcat works.

Fotodiox has announced the new DY-200 LED-based Fresnel Light for film work and studio photography. The lamps use very little power, are cool to the touch, and are flicker-free. They can be controlled via a built-in LED display, wireless remote, or with a DMX-compatible lighting control system. The DY-200 is available in daylight or 'W' tungsten versions, and is now available for $1199.95.

The Berlin Foto Festival is again highlighting mobile photography at this year's show. A new exhibition, Berlinstagram, features the work of Berlin smartphone photographer and prolific Instagrammer Michael Schulz. Schulz uses a smartphone to capture both the street scenes and architectural structure of Germany's capital city. See more of his striking photos on connect.dpreview.com.

We've just deployed an update to the forums that adds tabbed filtering by thread type and a new 'photo post' option, designed for users wanting to share images. We've also added filtering by product (to the product forums) and a swanky new 'grid view' for browsing forums by images (rather than thread titles). Finally we've fine-tuned the 'classic' skin and deployed some fixes and enhancements to the text editor.

Fresh from the Pentax Ricoh launch event in New York, we've put together a real-world samples gallery from the Pentax K-50. The 16MP mid-range DSLR builds on the very likeable K-30 and promises improved image processing. We take a closer look at the K-50 and its similar sibling, the K-500, to see just what they bring to the table, as well as presenting a selection of full-resolution sample images.

Pentax has refreshed its entry level DSLR lineup with the announcement of the K-50 and K-500. The K50 is an update of the K-30, featuring less controversial styling and slightly tweaked processing, helping it offer a maximum ISO of 51,200. The K-500, meanwhile, gets most of the K-50's features - the main loss being weather sealing - in a less expensive package. While not radically different from the K-30, both cameras bring twin dial controls and 100% glass prism viewfinders to price points ($799 and $599 respectively), where both those features are rare. Alongside the cameras, Pentax is launching revised, DA-L versions of its 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 WR and 55-200mm F4-5.6 WR lenses.

Pentax Ricoh has announced the Q7 - its latest Q-mount camera and the first to feature a larger, 1/1.7" type sensor. The 7.44 x 5.58mm, 12MP BSI CMOS sensor is the same size as the one used in many enthusiast compacts, with the company claiming a 60% improvement in S/N ratio over the existing Q10. This improvement also allows the camera to focus faster in low light. The Q7 will cost around $500 with the '02' 5-15mm zoom lens and can be custom-ordered in any of 120 color combinations. The company has also introduced a body-cap 'Mount Shield' lens for the Q system - the 11.5mm F9 lens will cost around $80.

Just posted: Our review of the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens. In the latest of our lens reviews brought to you in partnership with DxOMark, we take a look at Canon's slimline 'pancake' prime for its APS-C and full frame SLRs. It's one of the smallest and cheapest lenses currently on the market, and includes a stepper motor for silent focusing during movie recording. But does its small size and low price result in compromised optics? Read our review to find out. 

Sony’s flagship Xperia Z offers some head-turning specs, including a 13-megapixel primary camera and a high-definition 1920x1080 443 ppi display on its 5-inch screen. It's even water- and dust-resistant — the ad campaign shows users rinsing the Xperia Z off by pouring water over it. We were eager to see if these exciting features make for a quality mobile camera. See our findings on connect.dpreview.com.

Samsung has officially unveiled the Galazy S4 Zoom - the nearest thing yet to a true camera / phone hybrid.  The 'camera side' features a 24-240mm equivalent F3.1-6.3 lens with a zoom ring around the barrel, in front of a 16MP 1/2.3" CMOS sensor. It includes optical image stabilisation, a built-in xenon flash, ISO 100-3200, 4 fps continuous shooting, and 1080p30 HD video; images are stored to internal memory or microSD. On the 'phone side' you get a 4.3" Super AMOLED display, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and all the other features you'd expect of a modern smartphone. The S4 zoom will go on sale this summer.

In a world that can feel visually oversaturated with images, some photographers are seeking solutions that draw viewers' attention and ask them to linger a little longer. Model Coco Rocha recently shared her take on the dynamic image trend, exploring how animated GIFs, Cinemagraphs, Lytro images and interactive 360-degree panoramas are helping photographers stand out. We take a longer look at connect.dpreview.com.

Fujifilm and Panasonic have announced the joint development of a sensor technology that combines a light-sensitive coating on top of a CMOS chip. The companies claim higher dynamic range and sensitivity than current CMOS sensors, along with the ability to receive light at steeper angles - making it easier to design cameras with wide-angle lenses and allowing lenses to be mounted nearer to the sensor. The announcement extends from the work Fujifilm has been conducting on organic (carbon-based) photo-senstive materials and combines it with CMOS underpinnings developed by Panasonic. The result is a chip that uses CMOS technology only for circuitry - with the organic layer taking over the role of converting light into electrons.

A new smartphone gadget promises to use your mobile device to digitize your 35mm film. Compatible smartphones snap photos of backlit film inserted into the device while an app automatically inverts the negative image. See the Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner in action on connect.dpreview.com.

Microsoft has announced a Raw compatibility update for Windows Vista, 7 and 8, adding support for 22 cameras. This includes the previous generation of Canon Rebel cameras, along with the Pentax K-01, Sony RX100 and the Fujifilm X10. It also adds support for the Canon EOS 6D and Nikon D600, along with 'richer' support for images shot in AdobeRGB.

Apple updated its Raw engine to include more cameras. The new update applies to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11. Cameras now supported include the Canon EOS-1D C, Canon EOS Rebel SL1 / 100D / Kiss X7, Canon EOS Rebel T5i / 700D / Kiss X7i, Hasselblad Lunar, Nikon Coolpix A, Nikon D7100, Nikon 1 J3, Nikon 1 S1, and Sony Alpha NEX-3N.

Leica has officially announced its much-teased (and leaked) X Vario - the world's first compact camera with an APS-C sensor and fixed zoom lens. Its Vario Elmar 18-46mm 1:3.5-6.4 ASPH lens offers a 28-70mm equivalent range, and sits in front of a 16.1MP CMOS sensor. Viewing is via a 920k dot 3" LCD, or the same optional plug-in EVF as used by the M Typ 240 and X2. The camera has control dials on the top plate for shutter speed and aperture, and zoom and focus rings around the lens barrel. The price tag is a hefty $2850/£2250.

Samsung has announced a 10mm F3.5 Fisheye lens for its NX mirrorless cameras, which it says is the smallest and slimmest of its type. It offers a 180 degree diagonal angle of view, and includes Samsung's unique 'i-Function' button that allows the manual focus ring to re-purposed to operate other camera controls. It's just over 26mm / 1" thick, and is a featherweight 71g (2.5 oz). It'll be available at the beginning of July, in black or white.  

Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin have won the 2013 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize for their War Primer 2 publication — a collection of screen grabs and smartphone images paying homage to Bertold Brecht's original War Primer project from 1955. "The jury awarded the prize to Broomberg & Chanarin for their bold and powerful re-imagining of Brecht's War Primer," said Brett Rogers, director of The Photographers' Gallery. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com.

Do-it-yourselfers will love our instructions for a scrappy smartphone case that better serves your photography needs - complete with a tripod mount - which can be built for the bargain price of $7.38. A trip to the hardware store, some super glue and these directions will help you create a case designed with the serious mobile photographer in mind: click through to connect.dpreview.com.

Just Posted: Our review of the Canon EOS 700D / EOS Rebel T5i. The 700D may be a near-identical twin of the short-lived EOS 650D, but it's still a worthy option for novice DSLR upgraders, combining high image quality and an articulated LCD with a comprehensive touchscreen interface. This new model also ships with an STM version of the 18-55mm kit zoom, providing another welcome option for faster, silent AF. What else does the 700D have to offer? Read our review to find out.

As expected, Apple revealed iOS 7 today at the 24th annual World Wide Developers Conference, and there's plenty for mobile photography enthusiasts to be excited about. From photo filters built into the Camera app to better automatic organization within the Photos app, we take a look at Apple's forthcoming revamped mobile operating system and what it will bring to photographers on the go.

We've just published our first impressions of shooting with the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art lens. We've tried to express just why we're so excited about this lens, which offers APS-C DSLR users access to some of the depth-of-field and low-light capabilities that full-frame shooters get from their F2.8 zooms. We're hoping to hear about pricing and availability soon so, in the meantime and in the light of our first impressions, what would you expect to pay for this lens? Click through for a link to the article and for your chance to comment. 

Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad is finally shipping the 'Lunar'. This 24 megapixel camera - essentially a rebadged Sony Alpha NEX-7 - was announced at Photokina last year and comes with your choice of grips: black or brown leather, carbon fiber, and wood: mahogany or olive, to be precise. The Lunar includes an 18-55mm lens and is priced at $6995/£5280. 

Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 5, the latest version of its workflow and image editing software. Available as either an individual license or as part of a Creative Cloud subscription, Lightroom 5 adds a more advanced healing/cloning tool, automatic image leveling and perspective correction, a new selective editing tool and the ability to edit files that are offline. US pricing is $149 for new customers and $79 for the upgrade. Click here for more information, including our features preview and download links.

Adobe has released Camera Raw 8.1 and DNG Converter 8.1, as final versions of updates that were originally posted as 'release candidates'. ACR 8.1 is designed to work with Photoshop CC but, as promised, is also compatible with Photoshop CS6. It brings support for 7 additional cameras, including the Olympus PEN E-P5 and E-PL5, Ricoh GR and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6, along with profiles for 16 more lens, including Sigma and Zeiss's latest models. Click through for more details and how to download.

We've been fans of Aaron Johnson's comic strip 'What the Duck' for years. 'WTD' is one of the best satirical comic strips in the world, and it's published here every week, as well as being included in our weekly newsletter. Barbed, topical and always amusing, we hope you enjoy WTD as much as we do. Click through for this week's strip.

In this article, photographer Erez Marom explains how he created his image 'Dark Matter', which was captured at glacier beach in Iceland earlier this year. Marom sheds light on everything from from composition and gear choice to post-processing, and finally, what to call the final, dramatic picture. Click through for a link to the full article.

Photographers and star-gazers in the upper United States were treated to a rare display of Aurora Borealis when the 'Earth passed through a region of south-pointing magnetism in the solar wind,' according to spaceweather.com. More aurorae are expected in the late hours of June 8 or early June 9, with NOAA forecasters estimating a 65% chance of geomagnetic storms. Click through for images and more details.

A new app asks users to step back into the darkroom as it offers digital equivalents of the developing process. Koloid is inspired by 19th century's wet-plate collodion photography. The app creates a unique texture and exposure on a black and white image. Koloid takes a little longer than most camera apps but it also gives the satisfaction of using something other than a one-touch filter. We give it a go on connect.dpreview.com.

Rumors are flying about a supposed Nokia EOS smartphone that would surpass even the 41-megapixel Nokia 808 PureView model. Reports indicate that the 'EOS' will sport the same size sensor that made the Nokia 808 so remarkable. Photos of a purported EOS prototype also show a similar raised camera profile as the 808. See what other speculations are likely by clicking through to connect.dpreview.com.