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PhotoPlus Day 3 and Wrap Up

Cameras, Industry news, Lenses, Photography, Storage, Trade Shows 1 Response »

Oct 272012

PhotoPlus finished up today with me wandering around seeing if I missed anything while scurrying from interview to interview the previous two days. There were a couple things that I did manage to notice.

Storage Vendors

In previous Expos the only storage vendors to show up were Drobo and LaCie (who were there) but at this show storage companies Synology and QNAP were there showing their network attached wares along with direct attached storage (DAS) vendor CruDataPort.

The Synology unit pictured above has dual Gigabit ethernet ports and can handle up to eight SATA drives in a classic RAID configuration or Synology’s Hybrid RAID (similar to Drobo). The system is designed for business class use so it has a ton of features that pro photographers can really use. Multi-unit backup, offsite backups, cloud backups and Dropbox like services are just some of the features offered.

QNAP, like Synology, makes business-class NAS devices with a ton of features useful for pro photographers. These are networked attached devices and the eSATA and USB ports on the back are for attaching external single drives or for daisy-chaining units together.

CruDataPort makes some of the studiest data enclosures on the planet. This is military-grade stuff. I had reviewed one of the products a few years ago. This particular model supports RAID right in tthe device itself. No special card needed. Just jack it into the USB 3.0 or eSATA ports. For the record, I forgot to photograph the new model of the above pictured unit which has eSATA and USB 3.0 ports.

Carl Zeiss

Carl Zeiss had their new X-mount and E-mount prototypes on display on their intended camera bodies. These lenses are autofocus and on the X-mount lens there is an aperture ring. I, for one, cannot wait for these lenses to arrive in May.

Schneider-Kreuznach

The iPro System is a lens system for the iPhone 4/4S. It is a case and lens combination that adds a super-wide and telephoto adapter to the iPhone 4/4S. There is an optional fisheye lens as well. A new case is being designed for the iPhone 5.

The item on the bottom is a polarizing filter for the iPhone (all models). A small metal ring is attached to the body of the iPhone with adhesive tape and the lens is attached via magnets. This will also take care of any flaring that has been reported on the iPhone 5.

Cambo

Digital Transitions had several high-end medium format digital systems on display. Pictured above is the new Cambo WRC-400 compact technical camera. This is my dream camera. Never going to happen to me unless a miracle occurs to the tune of $20,000.00 (including the IQ140 digital back).

Lensbaby

Creative lensmaker Lensbaby was there with new Composer Pro body, Sweet 35 and Edge 80 optics. The Sweet 35 and Edge 80 differ from their other optics as the actually have internal apertures instead of the washer system used by the rest of their line. Alpha mounts are now available so that means that Sony users can feel the Lensbaby love as well. I will posting a review of the Sweet 35 and Edge 80 on the A99 in the near future as well.

That wraps up the show reports. Please visit this site for updated reviews and information. If you enjoyed reading these reports or have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment and don’t forget to share this with your friends.

Thank you and take care.

PhotoPlus Day 2 Report

Cameras, Lenses, Lighting, Photo Software, Trade Shows 1 Response »

Oct 272012

October 26, 2012 - Day two of the 2012 PhotoPlus Expo started of with SpinLight360, a small company that produces a light modifier system for SpeedLight strobes. The system looks very versatile allowing for blocking as well as diffusion. The SpinLight360 system includes tungsten filters, but there are plans to expand the filter selection. Filters may be used with diffusion domes and blockers freely. The system is not vendor specific and can be used with pretty much any brand of SpeedLight. Contact http://www.spinlight360.com for more information.

Next, I trotted over to the Mitsubishi booth to have a little chat about dye sublimation printers. According to Wikipedia dye sublimation is a

printing process that uses heat to transfer dye onto medium materials such as a plastic card, paper, or fabric. The sublimation name is applied because the dye transitions between the solid and gas states without going through a liquid stage.

These printers are mostly used for event photography that requires fast, high-quality prints available on site. Historically, dye-sub printers were notorious for poor image quality and high consumables cost, but that has changed in recent years. Mistubishi has constantly improved the image quality of their printer line and lowered the cost of their consumables below the level of some professional print laboratories. Dye-sub printers also have the advantage of consuming ink and paper uniformly making budgeting of consumables easy and predictable.

Mitsubishi had two new models on display: the CP-D70DW (above, left) and the CP-D707DW (above, right). Both units are deisgned for high-speed printing of smaller print sizes (2×6, 4×6, 5×7, & 6×8) with the CP-D707DW capable of printing a 4×6 in 5.9 seconds (after data download). The printers are direct attached (no built-in network connection) but can be shared on a print server. I will be reviewing one very shortly.

Next on Hill Street Blues, I made my way to the Brenthaven booth to check out their new line of BX2 camera bags.Brenthaven has been around for 30 years making bags for mountaineers and have now expanded into the photography space.

Decked out in a sedate gray color that is a fresh departure from the black or brown ussually reserved for pro bags, the BX2 line (pictured above) includes an amazing new foam lining that disperses energy extremely efficiently. This was demonstrated at the booth by the dropping of a 1 inch steel ball bearing onto both standard foam liner and the BX2 material. The ball bearing bounced as expected on the regular foam lining (both were about 1/4″ thick), but landed with almost no rebound on the BX2 liner. I will pop a video of this test here tomorrow. The bags are very reasonably priced and I will be reviewing one of their backpacks very shortly as well.

Next, the Manfrotto family of companies gave me a tour of their rather extensive booth showing off the new product from theor various brands. Under their own brand, they showed me their new 290 series of affordable carbon fiber tripods. Then I was bustled over to Elinchrom and Lastolite where I saw some very interesting pieces of gear.

The Elinchrom D-Lite RXOne studio flash is the new low-end starter light system. While there are less expensive startes lighting systems, none that I know include all of the features of the Elinchrom lights. Even this basic model includes a SkyPort receiver built-in. Another nice touch is that the accessories for this light can be used on all of the higher end models. Truly, this is a system that can grow with you. I will be testing the RXOne Starter Kit in the near future as well.

Lastolite had two new products to show me: the Strobo Kit for SpeedLights and the EasyBox II series of light modifiers.

The Strobo Kit (pictured above) includes filters, grids, gobos, barn doors, collapsible snoots, multi-flash brackets plus a host of other features. The components adhere magnetically to the base unit which is held on the SpeedLight with a Velcro strap affair. Very flexible.

The EasyBox II pictured above is not some weird asymmetrical design. It can be easily converted from a strip light to a moretraditional shaped softbox. Just zip/unzip a couple of zippers and swap out some tension rods and you are good to go. Again, the EasyBox II can be used with any light in the Elinchrom family.

Over at the Sigma booth, I ogled at their 120-300 mm f/2.8 zoom. The new version of this lens will be the flagship of the S line. Currently available in the Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts, I inquired as to the future availability of other mounts like the Sony Alpha A-mount or the Pentax K-mount. I was told that negotiations were under way with Sony, but there is nothing definite at this time.

Afterwards, I trundled over to Times Square to check out the new Microsoft Store that opened there.

The Store is located next to Forever 21 and was quite full even at that late hour of the day. Plenty of Surface Tablets were on hand and all were packing theofficial release of Windows 8 RT. I have personally been using Winddows 8 for the last nine months at my day job and while it can be quirky on the desktop, it is right at home in the touchscreen powered world of tablet computing. The Surface Tablets are solidly built and I would get the fullt keyboard cover over the Touch keyboard. The difference is $30 and totally worth it. Microsoft elect not to offer a 16GB model, instead opting for a base 32GB model at a starting price of $499. The MS App Store is still a little empty compared to the more mature App Stores from Apple and Google, but MS is heavily pushing for Modern UI application development. Expect the quantity of apps in the Store to rapidly increase. Interestingly enough, the Surface Tablet ships ships with Word and Excel 2013 built in. Looks very nice if they can get more apps out there for photographers.

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for the Day 3 report tomorrow.

PhotoPlus Day 1 Report

Cameras, Industry news, Lenses, Lighting, Photography, Technology, Trade Shows 2 Responses »

Oct 262012

October 25, 2012 – PhotoPlus Expo 2012 opened formally this morning to fairly sizable crowds. As usual, the main entrance was dominated by the Big Three (although Canon and Nikon would call it the Big Two Plus One). Needless to say, the Canon, Nikon and Sony booths were completely stormed by the early onrush.

To be perfectly honest, the Canon and Nikon booths garnered the lion’s share of the visitors. The Sony booth saw a fairly steady stream of visitors. Not surprising considering the number of new products they introduced recently.

Nikon 1 Models V2 & J2

As you can see from the photos, the cameras were under glass. All of the V2′s & J2′s were prototypes and none were availble shots or even handholding. Diasppointing, really.

More frustrating though was the interminalble crowds clogging the Canon booth. If I had to call it, it would be Canon, Nikon, and then Sony.

Undaunted, I proceeded to my first interview of the day:

Datacolor

I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. David Tobie, Global Product Technology Manager for Datacolor. This man loves color. The product he was so passionate about is the Spyder Capture Pro.

The Spyder Capture Pro is an end-to-end color management solution consisting of the following products:

Spyder Lenscal – Camera lens focus calibration tool. David explained that with Spyder Lenscal you can adjust a zoom lens very specifically. For example, a 70-200 lens can be adjusted to front-focus at the short end for portrait work and back-focus at the long end for landscape work.

Spyder Checkr – is the ultimate color patch tool. Combined with software, the SypderCheckr will profile your camera’s sensor giving you a preset that can be applied to all photos from that body. This assists in correcting the dynamic range of a photo.

SpyderCube – this is a white balance adjustment tool for color correcting your shots. According to David, most shots only really need adjustment of their dynamic range rather than their color balance.

Spyder4Elite – this is Datacolor’s best known product, their monitor calibration tool.

These four components, when taken together, allow you to control and calibrate the one piece of the image capture workkflow that was never previously calibrated: the camera.

I will be providing a complete review of the product once my review sample arrives.

Cullman Titan Tripods

On my way to another interview, I passed the Cullman booth where they were showcasing the Titan line of tripods. The Titan tripods are kind off unique that the lower leg sections are thicker than the upper pieces. The leg segments are not round but rather a gentle curved trapizoidal shape. When put together, the three legs form a cylinder, making it easier to store.

Tiffen

Tiffen is an umbrella company for a large number of brands. I will need to go through their press releases when I get home to properly report on all that I saw.

Fotodiox

Camera accessory maker Fotodiox introduced two new productsL the WonderPana Filter System for super wide-angle lenses and the WonderBurst wireless photo/flash trigger. The WonderPana comes in two models: the WonderPana 145, which sports 145mm circular filters; and the WonderPana 66 (pictured above) which adds on to the WonderPana 145 and allows it to mount square filters. These square filters can be used alongside the 145mm circular ones.

The WonderBurst also comes in two flavors: the plain WonderBurst for NEX cameras without a standard hotshoe and the WonderBurst HS8000 for cameras with a standard hotshoe. The latter has been tested on Canon and Nikon cameras and it is highly llikely that it will work with the Sony NEX-6 and SLT-A99V. I will test the HS8000 on those cameras once all of that kit arrives.

Sony

Sony had all three of its big Photokina announcements present and available to touch/fondle/drool over. Pictured above is the SLT-A99V aka the Alpha A99. Currently the “king of the hill” in Sony’s SLT offerings, the A99 is made for professionals. I will be providing a full review of this product in the near future.

The Alpha NEX-6 is the newest member of the NEX family, sits squarely between the NEX-5R and the NEX-7. However, is sports some features that the NEX-7 does not have like built-inn WiFi and camera apps.It does have a built-in electronic viewfinder like the one in the NEX-7 and A99. The sensor is 16 megapixels instead of 24 megapixels and has much better high-ISO characteristics. Again, a full review is pending once my copy arrives.

The Sony Cybershot RX1 is a bit of an odd duck. A point and shoot camera with a full frame sensor (the only P&S camera with a sensor that big) a super-high quality fixed Carl Zeiss lens (35mm). I think that this is a marketing experiment on Sony’s part to gauge the market’s receptiveness to a full-frame interchangeable lens camera. I say bring it on.

Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm shook the photographic world up with their X-series of digital cameras. Last year they introduced the X-Pro1 a surprisingly high-end model. This year they brought us the X-E1, a camera with all of the best parts of the X-Pro1 minus the really expensive bits. I hope to have a review sample sometime in the future as well.

That’s it for Day 1. Stay tuned for Day 2.

Photokina 2012: A Vicarious Attendee’s Review

Cameras, Industry news, Lenses, Trade Shows No Responses »

Sep 202012

Another Photokina has come and gone and I have still not been able to attend one. Sigh. Maybe 2014. In the meantime, I have been getting all sorts of press releases, reading show reports all over the place, and have pretty much devoted myself to filtering out all of the cruft that shows like this generate. Here’s my take on this year’s show.

SONY
Sony had three major announcements for Photokina:

Sony CyberShot DSC-RX1
The RX1 is fixed lens compact camera that sports a full-frame 35mm digital sensor. While full-frame sensors have been around for years, this is the first compact camera equipped with one. Did I mention that is a 24MP sensor (the same one in their flagship Alpha SLT-A99 – see below)? This is not some cheaply built point and shoot for soccer moms, but a high precision photographic instrument. Packing a Carl Zeiss 35mm f/2 lens, this little bad boy weighs in at a whopping $2,800 USD. Finally, a point-and-shoot for serious photographers!

Sony Alpha NEX-6
Still recovering from the NEX-5R announcement, Sony fires another shot across our bow with the NEX-6, a high-end NEX camera which greatly resembles their top-of-the-line NEX-7. However, there are several key differences:

16.1MP CMOS Sensor
ISO 100-25600
ISO Hotshoe with additional contacts
Built-in WiFi
Proprietary in-camera apps

Best of all is the price: $999 USD with the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Power Zoom lens. This is one to watch!

Sony Alpha SLT-A99
Sony finally unveiled the successor to their Alpha A900 DSLR. In keeping with the promise they made last year, the A99 uses SLT (Single Lens Translucent – aka pellicle mirror) technology with a full-frame 24MP sensor. However, unlike the 24MP sensor in its APS-C sized sibling, the A77, the A99’s sensor contains 109 phase detection AF points in addition to the 19 points in the dedicated AF sensor. This means that at no time does the camera not have phase detection sensors tracking your subject(s). Like the A77, the A99 is weather and dust sealed. The A99 has two card slots which is a must for all serious pro shooters.

24MP full-frame CMOS Sensor with on-chip phase detection AF
Fixed-mirror design SLT
2.4M dot OLED electronic viewfinder
14-bit Raw output
ISO 100-25,600
Up to 6 frame-per-second continuous shooting with AF
ISO-compatible flash hotshoe with ‘multi interface’ expansion connector
Pull-out three-hinge tilt/swivel 1.23m dot RGBW LCD screen
Top panel LCD
Microphone and headphone sockets
Built-in GPS
AF Micro Adjust

Priced at $2,800 USD (body only)

This camera is a serious contender as a replacement for my aging D700. My only qualm is the sharpness of the lenses. I would certainly get the CZ 24-70 f/2.8 but the jury is still out on the Sony G 70-400 f/4-5.6 Telephoto Lens for ballet work.

HASSELBLAD
Swedish camera maker Hasselblad made a pre-announcement about their flagship H camera series introducing the H5D which is an evolutionary (read: not earthshaking) upgrade to the H4D.

They also introduced a 24mm H lens which is ridiculously wide for a medium format system. Still, this lens will be a boon to landscape photographers.

NIKON and CANON
The top two camera makers were also on hand and low-end full frame cameras were on both of their playlists. Nikon announced the D600, a 24MPx FX camera in a body that is even smaller than the D800.
wpid-D600_24_85_front.high-2012-09-20-22-13.jpg
Not to be left behind, Canon announced the Canon EOS 6D, a full frame 20.2MPx DSLR.
wpid-20120917_hiRes_eos6d_lensfront-2012-09-20-22-13.jpg

LEICA
Leica had many announcements, but the one that caught my eye is the Leica M.

This latest update to the M series of rangefinders brings significant changes to the 5th generation of digital M cameras. Gone is the CCD sensor of the previous 4 models replaced with a 24Mpx CMOS sensor surprisingly not made by Sony. Leica hired Belgian chipmaker CMOSIS to design and manufacture the MAX sensor for the new Leica M. This change adds a raft of functionality that was missing from previous digital M’s including Live View, Focus Peaking, video recording, better high-ISO performance, and much, much more. Leica also released a series of accessories to further enhance the M photographic experience including:

An M Handgrip that adds GPS, various access ports and a place to connect a second hot-shoe, without adding a lot of bulk to the camera.

An Electronic Viewfinder to allow you to focus and compose via Live View, focus peak and waist-level shoot thanks to its tilt mount.

And an R Lens Adapter which allows R-mount SLR lenses to be used with the Leica M. Focus is achieved using Live View either via the rear display of the OLED Visoflex EVF.

By doing this, Leica has transformed the M from a niche camera to a really amazing and flexible general purpose camera. Albeit, autofocus is not available but the hi-res EVF and focus peaking make the task of focusing fairly trivial except for the most demanding action photography. Leica and inexpensive are basically antonyms and the Leica M is no exception. Base price for the body alone is $6,950 (which is $1000 less than its predecessor the M9-P) and Leica lenses start around $1300 USD all the way up to $12K. Still doesn’t stop me from lusting after one.

FUJI
Fujifilm announced two new cameras of interest: the X-F1 premium compact point and shoot camera

This little guy will retail for $499 and has a 12 Mpx EXR CMOS sensor and a fast 6.4-25.6mm lens (f/1.8-4.9). An interesting feature carried over from the other X-series fixed lens cameras is the lens mounted activation ring.

However nice the X-F1 is, the real star of the show was the Fujifilm X-E1 CISC camera. Younger sibling to the X-Pro1, the X-E1 packs the same 16 Mpx X-TRANS CMOS sensor in a smaller all metal body. Instead of the Hybrid Viewfinder of the X-Pro1, the X-E1 has a 2.36M dot EVF builtin. This is the same EVF found the in the Sony NEX-6 & SLT-A99.

The X-E1 is available in black or silver accents and there is a bundled kit zoom, the Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS, which has to be the fastest kit lens ever made. Autofocus speeds have been greatly improved with this model. On a side note, Fuji also released a firmware upgrade for the X-Pro1 (v2) which addresses many of that model’s performance issues. Early reports say it is like getting a whole new camera. This camera (X-E1) is generating a lot of buzz and I already have one on pre-order, so expect a full review as soon as it arrives.

Lenses, lenses, lenses!

There were a plethora of lens announcements at PK this year including:

Carl Zeiss

CZ showed off a couple of new bits of glass, but announced some major news in the mirror less market. CZ lenses for Fuji X-mount & NEX E-mount were prominent.

CZ also announced a new line of lenses for super hi-res 35mm full frame DSLRs. Aimed at cameras like the D800/D800E, these lenses will be of the highest quality to maximize the effectiveness of the new sensors.

wpid-High-end_SLR_lens_prototype_01_sm1-2012-09-20-22-13.jpg

wpid-PI_0081-2012_High-end_SLR_lens2-2012-09-20-22-13.jpg

Cosina Voigtländer

CV was there as well showing off their new 21mm f/1.8 Ultron lens in M-mount. A reasonably priced alternative to the Leica 21mm Summilux? I have to get one in for testing!

wpid-21-mm_f1.8_ultron-2012-09-20-22-13.jpg

Zeiss to Develop Lenses for Fuji X-Series and Sony NEX

Industry news, Lenses, Photography, Trade Shows No Responses »

Sep 182012

Today on the Zeiss Camera Lens Blog, Dr. Michael Pollmann, Consumer Lenses Product and Program Manager in the Carl Zeiss Camera Lenses Division, gave an interview regarding Zeiss’ entry into the mirror less system lens market. Fueled by the success of the Sony NEX-7 and Fuji X-Pro1, Zeiss is developing three primes: 2.8/12, 1.8/32 and 2.8/50 macro. There are no plans for μ4/3 mount lenses.
These lenses will be autofocus designs that can be focused manually. Additionally, the X-mount versions will have a manual aperture setting. Unlike the ZM, ZF.2, & ZE lines of lenses, these lenses will be made of lighter materials and super high quality glass. Think of the Zeiss 1.8/24 offered by Sony for the NEX and you will have an idea of the quality of construction. I personally hope they use a better design for the hood. Mine fell apart a few days after I got it.

Lenses are expected to ship spring/summer 2013 and will be around €1000.

Sony Announces the NEX-5R with Built-in WiFi and Apps

Cameras, Industry news, Lenses, Trade Shows No Responses »

Aug 292012

Sony today announced the NEX-5R digital camera at IFA in Berlin. The latest member of the NEX family retains the 1.5x crop of its predecessors but adds phase detection cells to the main sensor, built-in WiFi, and downloadable camera apps to extend the functionality of the camera even after purchase.

The NEX-5R brings Sony one step closer to perfecting the mirror less camera as I had previously predicted. By incorporating phase-detection cells into the main sensor, Sony as begun to overcome one of the shortcomings of mirror less cameras – less than stellar AF performance. I say “begun to overcome” because the “Hybrid AF” system of the NEX-5R only works with four Sony lenses. According to Sony, firmware updates for other lenses will allow Hybrid AF to function with then as well. I have no idea if that applies to third party AF lenses.

Here is the full press release:

Corel Releases New Photo Workflow Solution: Corel AfterShot Pro

image processing, Industry news, Photo Software, Photography, Trade Shows No Responses »

Jan 142012

CES - Las Vegas, Nevada – January 9, 2012 – Corel is pleased to announce the exciting expansion of its digital photography portfolio with the introduction of Corel® AfterShot™ Pro. The total photographic workflow solution for professional and enthusiast photographers will be displayed today at Pepcom®’s Digital Experience!® and tomorrow at ShowStoppers® at CES. Providing complete RAW workflow, flexible photo management, advanced, non-destructive editing and breakthrough performance, AfterShot Pro offers a powerful and affordable alternative to products like Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® and ACD Systems ACDSee™ Pro. Based on technology from Corel’s acquisition of Bibble Labs, Corel AfterShot Pro provides Windows®, Mac OS® and Linux® users with the tools they need to get the most out of their photos.

“Today’s photographers, whether they’re professional or enthusiast, are coming from shoots with hundreds, if not thousands of photos,” said Chad Kinzelberg, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Digital Media at Corel. “They want to be able to bring in their photos and get right to work finding their best shots and making them better. With AfterShot Pro we are delivering a powerful RAW workflow solution to help photographers power through their photo workflow and get back to doing what they love – taking great pictures.”

Flexible Workflow Gives Photographers Great Results – Fast

For laughs – Ultimate NEX Rig

Cameras, Humor, Trade Shows No Responses »

Nov 152011

Here’s something that caught my eye over at the Arca Swiss booth at PhotoPlus: The Ultimate NEX Rig

This contraption mates the NEX camera to an Arca Swiss F-Camera System giving you the ultimate in tilt/swing/shift controls. Add the NEX’s focus peaking to the mix and you have a badass landscape/panoramic setup. Pity the setup costs 10x the price of the NEX ;P

PhotoPlus Expo 2011 Show Report – Part 1

Accessories, Cameras, Industry news, Lenses, Lighting, Photography, Trade Shows No Responses »

Oct 292011

The PhotoPlus Expo 2011 was held once again at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. With the absorption of PMA into the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), PPE has become the last major standalone photography exposition in the U.S. I once again took up my annual pilgrimage to the Big Apple to see what the camera makers had to offer.

PDN PhotoPlus 2010 Show Report

Accessories, Cameras, Lenses, Lighting, Photo Software, Photography, printing, Storage, Technology, Trade Shows No Responses »

Nov 022010

Another PDN PhotoPlus show has come and gone and, once again, I slogged my way through the amassed crowd of photographers, photo buyers and journalists to bring you highlights from the show.

This year’s report will be separated into two sections: Cameras & Lenses/Accessories. But first, as always, an Animoto video of the show highlights.

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