PhotoKina, the photography industry’s extravaganza of products and announcements, went down last week. Every two years, the tribes gather in Cologne Germany to showcase the latest and greatest and give us a peak into the future. I did not attend this year. To be straight-up, I’m not a big fan of trade shows. No offense to anyone who digs the gadgetry and flood of products and promotion, but these fluorescent-lit extravaganzas sort of give me the willies. But that’s just me, and the gear that bubbles up from the secret technology labs of the best and brightest camera equipment manufacturers is enough to make any photographer drool a little bit. The tools and technology being unleashed on the world make an undeniably exciting time to be a visual artist.
So here are 8 new products that caught my eye. Full disclosure, I have not tested or even handled any of these products yet. I have included links to more comprehensive hands-on reviews when available for those of you who want to go deeper.
Of everything announced at Photokina, this is the camera that I’m most excited about. Full-frame in a true compact with a 24.3-megapixel sensor. The only problem is that at present it’s just a big expensive toy to me. The fixed lens kills its potential for professional use for photo or video, but it looks like an amazing walk around camera for photo hobbyists… with some disposable income ($2800). Everyone should buy it to show Sony how much we all want a compact full-frame camera, then maybe (definitely) in the future they’ll make a version with interchangeable lenses.
Review
Review
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Broncolor Move 1200L Flash Power Pack
I’m excited about this new pack. This battery-powered flash pack is definitely in the high end category with a retail price of over $5,000. Full disclosure, I am a long-time committed user of Broncolor. But for the serious studio photographer check this out:
_160 full power pops on a single charge
_takes just 90 minutes to recharge
_light and small
_1200j power, max flash duration of 1/20,000th of a second, weighs just over 13 pounds in weight and has LED continuous light
No reviews out yet.
The Hasselblad Lunar:
Hasseblads new luxury camera is perfect for those high rollers who want something totally different than the rest of the crowd. Word on the street is that it’s a tricked out Sony NEX-7. But if you want the panache of the Hasselblad brand, sell your car and hang this bling around your neck.
Review
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Fujifilm X-E1
This smaller and substantially cheaper little bro to the recently announced X-Pro1 has some interesting features. I dig the specs on this camera and the look of it, but I’m still a little Fuji-shy after how disappointed I was with the X100. Is anyone out there in love with their Fuji gear? I honestly wanna know. Good from afar for sure. But jury is still out for me on Fuji.
Review:
Leica M
The new M camera has a 24-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor that allows it to shoot video and use livemode. It’s f-you money expensive of course. It’ll cost around $7,000 here in the US. But, that’s no surprise coming from Leica. Great for the fantasy quiver.
Review
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Nikon D600
I already did a post when Nikon’s new DSLR hit a couple weeks back. Tons of feedback and discussion in the comments here. At $2,100 the D600 beat Canon’s 6D to the punch by a few days when it comes to the entry-level full-frame category. The Canon vs Nikon debate rages on.
Review
Credit: Popular Photography
Canon EOS 6D
The $2,100 Canon 6D, falls into the “entry-level full-frame” category along with the D600. I would love to try out the WiFi-based iPad app that lets you control the camera using your tablet. But this won’t be released to the public until December.
Review
Panasonic Lumix GH3
Panasonic seems to have nailed it with this one. I love the videos specs on this camera: 1080/60P video, high bit rates, timecode, seamless files for continuous recording, clean HDMI out. Our video guru Erik Hecht told me, “This camera is making me seriously consider selling all of my photo/video gear and going to the micro 4/3 format full time.” On par with the best DSLRs out there, that’s something to consider at $1300.
Review
Credit: Popular Photography
Chase?
I’ve been a Pro in Calgary for 21 years, I’m also a ‘Certified Photographic Counselor’. It’s a PMA thing, so I’ve got a vague inkling about stuff I say before I say it.
I bought an X-100 just a shot time after it came out.
Here’s how it boils down.
Imagine being Married to the World’s Most Beautiful Woman. In every respect, she’s absolutely P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
With me so far?
Now…imagine that she has the most severe LISP (*Lithp) you’ve ever heard, and every single time she opens her mouth to say anything, you’re reminded of that, over and over again.
The Beauty? Is in the files. I always shoot RAW for work and JPEG for toolin’ around.
These are always JPEGS.
They aren’t good. They’re not Great… They’re UN-Believable.
They have the most incredible colour and ‘feel’ you’ve ever seen.
I have never seen a digital file in any comparable resolution that can begin to hold a candle to it, including my Mark III
The LITHP?
The entire UI.
Spell ‘Stinker’.
Absolutely frustrating, clumsy, and yeah you’ve read it : QUIRKY
I hated it when I first got it, but I couldn’t punt the damned thing because the files were out of this world.
Every time I’d get home from using it I’d swear it was going on Craigslist, and then?
Uh huh.
Fuji would issue a new Firmware Update, the owners would all scream about how much it improved the horrible interface and, I’d back off and give it another chance.
It’s like an incredibly fun friend that you can only ever handle in limited doses.
——
I asked Russell Brown, recently, if anybody had an idea how to build a Picture Style for my Canon that would mimic the colour that I get out of the Fuji. It’s incredibly c-l-e-a-n, and skin tones are the best I’ve ever seen.
So far?
Nothing, but never give up hope.
I’m resigned to be an X100 owner forever. There is no finer ‘toting around’ camera to be had.
Street shooting, in Monochrome — is incredible because it can be completely silent, and looking like a P&S, nobody considers ‘threatening’.
You get away with MURDER with this thing…
It’s a little Stealth Bomber.
When I grab my keys , I grab my Fuji.
Cheers, my Brutha’
John Sharpe
Tell Erik he can’t have the GH3 because I’m going to buy THEM ALL! MINE, MINE!
I’m also in love with my X100, hope one day they make it full frame, this is the camera that i always carry with me and gave me a lot of keepers. the ovf is great, the lens is superb and the jpg out of the camera is fantastic. the autofocus was a problem on the beginning but today it just work fine.
Greg
The Hasseblad Lunar is the joke of the year.
Chase: is there a new Polaroid ZINK printer? I’m disappointed with the quality of the current model, but love the feel of the prints.
Fuji: since the X-Pro1 got it’s 2.0 firmware update it’s where you’d expect it to be. It’s not that you will be surprised it’s more – like I said, something you’d expect. It still got the shutter lag, not too bad and the focus improved a lot. Especially after moving up to the D800 and the huge files, I now leave the DSLRs home for anything that’s not work. Wouldn’t have done the same on the old firmware.