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Roger W. Hicks  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

One of the great pleasures of photokina is finding really brilliant new accessories. Some are completely unexpected. Others, you’ve wanted for years but have never been able to find—often because until now, the technology needed to build them has not been available.

A shining example (literally) of the latter, and the accessory hit of the show as far as I am concerned...

Peter K. Burian  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

With the growing popularity of D-SLR cameras with sensors of various sizes, most of the manufacturers are working to expand their line of lenses. As expected, many of the latest products are “digital only”: designed for the majority of D-SLRs with the APS-C or Four Thirds size sensor. But (as specified in the text), some are multi-platform products suitable for all 35mm and digital...

Peter K. Burian  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

Whether you own a 35mm or digital SLR camera, a dedicated external flash unit can be a valuable accessory. Not many new models were unveiled at photokina, and three of the four were macro ringlights. These have been gaining in popularity for extra lighting in extreme close-up photography of products, nature subjects, and medical/dental applications, but they can also be useful for some...

Jack Neubart  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

Studio lighting comes in all shapes and sizes, and the lights that are new to photokina certainly support that contention. Our primary focus here is on strobe lighting, but that includes a mix of monolights and power packs (generators), and select flash heads that attach to these generators. If we can see any trend in studio strobes it is the increasing reliance on electronic components and...

Peter K. Burian  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

Although digicams with built-in lenses still outsell D-SLRs by 10 to 1, market research indicates that 20 percent of consumers are planning to upgrade to an interchangeable-lens camera. As a result, most manufacturers are devoting significant R&D efforts to the D-SLR category, and we found some really desirable new cameras at photokina. The trend was toward more of the high-tech...

Peter K. Burian  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

Because of the increasing resolution and burst speed of some new cameras, the capacity and speed of memory cards continues to increase. While a super-fast card cannot boost a camera’s maximum framing rate, the extra card speed can provide greater burst depth (more frames in a long series) and shorter data recording times. A high-speed card is also ideal after a long trip, when you’re...

Peter K. Burian  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

As the price of D-SLRs and high-resolution digicams drops to more affordable levels, an increasing number of families and serious photo enthusiasts want a better photo printer. We found lots of new machines at the photokina show, some with high-tech features such as Wi-Fi and Ethernet compatibility. Lack of space precludes coverage of every new product, but the following printers are worth...

Peter K. Burian  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

The primary emphasis was on D-SLRs during the photokina 2008 show, but many new digicams with integral lenses were introduced, including some inexpensive models strictly for quick snapshooting. While those may find eager buyers, I’ll concentrate on cameras intended for the photo enthusiast. In these categories, only a few trends became obvious, starting with resolution: 13- and 14-megapixel...

George Schaub  |  Jan 01, 2009  | 

The photokina trade fair held in Cologne, Germany, every two years has a solid reputation for previews and announcements meant to shake up the practices and worldviews of photographers, be they amateur or pro. This can come in the form of products real and imagined, with some making it to shelves and others just a wistful dream of designers and engineers who hope what they propose will become the...

Jason Schneider  |  Jun 01, 2008  | 

One of the coolest things about wandering the cavernous halls of PMA is having the opportunity to snoop around and discover fascinating items where you'd least expect to find them. Just keep your eyes peeled and you'll be rewarded with fascinating tidbits, ranging from strange photo accessories to clever upgrades of traditional items, to exciting new technologies, some...

Jack Neubart  |  Jun 01, 2008  | 

This report covers back-up systems and all sorts of storage devices, beginning with USB flash (thumb/pen) and handheld devices. In terms of backup, there was only one hardware solution worthy of note, plus a related product that uses DVDs. Beyond that, there are the plethora of digital photo frames, making it one of the hottest product categories at this year's show.
...

Ibarionex R. Perello  |  Jun 01, 2008  | 

As I walked the trade show floor at the recent PMA, it was interesting to see how much software was being offered to meet specific needs, rather than attempt to be the end-all and be-all. I discovered software that offers solutions not meant to replace Adobe's Photoshop, but rather help photographers improve their ability to achieve common and specific tasks.

...

George Schaub  |  Jun 01, 2008  | 

As is our wont each year we take to the aisles of the PMA Show, the annual and largest photo equipment show in the US, in search of new and innovative products for photographers. This year we had six reporters, including Jon Canfield, Jack Neubart, Jason Schneider, Robert Mayer, Peter Burian, and, new with us at PMA this year, Ibarionex Perello, covering their respective beats;...

Jon Canfield  |  Jun 01, 2008  | 

There may not have been many new printer announcements at PMA this year, but that certainly didn't affect the paper vendors from going all out with new products. It's clear that old is new again, as many of the surfaces shown mimic those of traditional darkroom days. If you're a lover of fiber-based papers, this is a great year for you with plenty of new options...

Peter K. Burian  |  Jun 01, 2008  | 

As digital camera resolution is increasing, memory card manufacturers are keeping up, releasing new products with greater speed and storage capacity. Whether you shoot raw or the finest JPEGs, there's definitely a benefit to using the fastest memory card. The extra speed is useful primarily for greater burst depth--more frames in a long series--but also for shorter...

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