Best Of Show; Shutterbug’s Picks Of PMA 2006
While each of our reporters had their own beat and covered the show from a product category perspective, we also asked them to tell us about their favorite product or products overall. That product did not have to be within their assigned coverage area. The only criteria were excitement, new breakthroughs, and products that would have a positive effect on Shutterbug readers' work and creative endeavors. While we did have some overlap and agreements, there were enough diverse products to make this year's Best of Show picks interesting.
The huey Color Calibration Device
Almost the size of a pencil, the huey makes calibrating any monitor easy. It
works with CRT and LCD monitors or laptops. At $89, this is the lowest-priced
calibration system we've ever seen, especially for the Mac (10.2 or higher)
where nothing has been available for under $150 in the past.
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In my initial test on my laptop, installing the software and calibrating went
smoothly. First you set the huey to measure ambient room light then hang it
over the monitor against the on-screen template. Everything else is automatic.
After calibration there is a before-and-after button, which allows you to see
the improvements in your on-screen colors. An added bonus is that if you leave
the huey connected in its stand it will constantly monitor ambient room light,
adjusting the monitor accordingly at predetermined intervals that you can set.
After calibration is complete the default choice is the viewing images and web
browsing setting which sets the gamma to 2.2 and the color temperature to 6500,
which is the default for the sRGB color space.
A few tips about using the huey. If you're calibrating an LCD or laptop,
tilt the screen back so you don't have to adhere the huey to your expensive
screen. Professionals may choose to not have the huey adjust the monitor as
ambient light changes but rather keep the ambient lighting constant, as screen
brightness variations may effect their color or density decisions.
You can read more about, or purchase the huey from http://pantone.com.
--Larry Berman
Yellow Machine
I'll leave it to my colleagues to make the more obvious choices for Best
of Show because not everybody needs a new digital SLR and they may be perfectly
happy with all of the lenses that they already own. What some readers are looking
for is better digital workflow, a streamlined operation, and the answer to the
never-ending question of "where in the heck am I gonna store all those
files?" Enter the Yellow Machine (www.anthologysolutions.com).
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Inside this yellow submarine are multiple solutions to many photographers'
problems starting with a terabyte (1000GB) of image storage. This is not just
disk space but RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drives) storage that provides
automatic backup for all of those shooters who somehow never get around to it.
Don't worry; the Yellow Machine does it for you using EMC's Retrospect
Professional software that's bundled with the hardware. At the same time
the Yellow Machine uses disc-scrubbing technology that monitors and fixes data,
preventing hard disk errors before they occur. Surge protection is built-in
to guard against power line spikes and an intelligent UPS system offers "graceful"
shutdown in the unexpected case of a power outage. The Yellow Machine contains
a wireless VPN (Virtual Private Network) router so it replaces another piece
of desktop gear besides your external FireWire drive. Because it's wireless
you can copy and transfer files from anywhere in your office/studio. One small
yellow box; lots of functions and protection. If you shoot lots of pictures
or just want to protect the ones you have, get a Yellow Machine.
--Joe Farace
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-L1 Digital SLR With Leica-Branded OIS Lens
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 received more attention than many of its competitors
during PMA 2006. Granted, Panasonic had announced a joint venture with Olympus
a year earlier for a new Lumix Four Thirds format digital SLR, but they kept
the specifics a closely guarded secret until the show. The response was overwhelmingly
favorable.
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In his report on new digital SLR cameras, Joe Farace provides specifics on
the various DMC-L1 amenities, including the single Live View mode designed in
conjunction with Olympus. The features are certainly interesting, but it's
design that really sets this camera apart from its competitors. In some respects,
this is a "back to the future" system. In spite of a great deal
of advanced technology--some shared with the EVOLT E-330--the Lumix
body and its gorgeous kit lens feature a surprisingly traditional design. It's
not quite "retro" as some reports have suggested. Still, the rangefinder
styling, top-mounted shutter-speed dial plus the mechanical aperture ring on
the lens combine to make an appealing package.
The rangefinder design was primarily achieved through the use of the side-swinging
reflex mirror and Optical Porro Finder developed by Olympus for the EVOLT E-300
and E-330 bodies. These features allow for "flat-top" SLR cameras
without a penta-prism hump. But the Panasonic designers went a step further
to create a metal body that would more closely resemble a large 35mm rangefinder
model. And their first zoom lens--manufactured by Panasonic to Leica specs,
under Leica supervision--is equally solid as well as traditional in look
and feel. The built-in Mega OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer) is a definite bonus.
Its Mode 1 (continuous stabilization) will work with EVOLT cameras, too, but
Mode 2 (stabilizer activated just before shutter release) operates only with
the Lumix DMC-L1.
At the time of this writing, prices had not yet been set, but the Lumix kit
was expected to be more expensive than the EVOLT E-330 kit ($1099) with its
non-stabilized Zuiko Digital 14-54mm zoom. That's understandable, because
the Panasonic/Leica products boast a more prestigious look and feel, in addition
to the Mega OIS system. Aside from the lower price, the EVOLT model does boast
at least one advantage: a more versatile Live View system with two distinct
Modes, including full-time live preview. Meanwhile, the Lumix camera includes
only one; it's similar to the Olympus B mode but (unlike the E-330), it
allows for limited autofocus operation. Consequently, the EVOLT E-330 will be
more popular, especially among those trading up from a compact digicam.
But experienced photographers who developed their skills on a traditional camera
will definitely want to save up for a Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 kit. While a flash
unit and additional lenses may not be available for some time, the Lumix body
accepts the Sigma Four Thirds and Zuiko Digital zooms as well as the Olympus
FL flash units. That compatibility assures great versatility immediately. It
allows for building a full system that can be expanded later if desired, with
more of the handsome Leica-branded OIS lenses. If the performance/image quality
factors live up to my high expectations during testing, the Lumix digital SLR
system will have earned its Best of Show designation.
--Peter K. Burian
The Affordable And The Dear
My Best of Show picks fall into two categories: inexpensive and expensive. Most
inexpensive of all was the $12 rubber chicken (with squawk) from American Photographic
Resources, but the Kaiser folding studio from HP Marketing Corp., is a mere
$70 and incredibly useful for small product shots--which are exactly what
you want to shoot, all the time, at a trade show. It's going to photokina
with me and I've suggested to Bob Salomon that they try to get as many
of them as possible on the manufacturers' stands before the show. At the
other end, I would have loved to go home with two new cameras and a new camera
back: the new Horseman 35mm stereo ($5000), the Tele-Rollei TLR (no price yet,
but several thousand more), and a top-end BetterLight back for my 4x5"
cameras at around $20,000. The last really does deliver better-than-film quality,
but of course it's a scanning back, so it can't shoot moving subjects
(even snails) and you have to have a good-quality 4x5" camera and lens
to begin with. If I had $30,000 to spare I could probably buy the lot--but
I fear that there are quite a lot of other calls on the next 30 grand I earn,
and that several may take priority.
--Roger W. Hicks
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New Pigment Ink Printers
My pick for Best of Show at this year's PMA is actually a category. With
the introduction of the HP B9180 and the Canon Pro9500, digital photographers
now have real choices when it comes to pigment-based inkjet printing.
Pigments have a large advantage over dye-based inks in both longevity and in
the media selection available. Epson has had a lock on this market for several
years now. The HP and Canon printers, both 13x19 format in size should spur
more innovation and competition, which is always good for the consumer.
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The HP Photosmart Pro B9180 is an eight-color printer with the new Vivera
pigment inks. Black and white prints are excellent thanks to the three shades
of black. Color quality should be consistent and on par with HP's professional
Designjet series thanks to the built-in closed-loop color calibration system.
HP uses individual ink tanks and four print heads in the B9180 to keep the print
speed up and minimize waste of ink. I'm constantly impressed by how frugal
the HP printers are with ink use, and this should be no exception.
The Canon PIXMA Pro9500 is a 10 (yes 10!) color printer using the new Lucia
pigment inks that are also used in the larger imagePROGRAF iPF5000 printer,
and is a complement to the new Pro9000 dye-based printer also announced at PMA.
The Canon offering includes four shades of blacks, similar to the Epson R2400
that it competes with. Unlike the Epson though, there is no need to swap out
ink cartridges when going from photo black to matte black. The printer also
includes dedicated red and green inks for more saturated and accurate colors--particularly
nice for landscape photographers.
Both the HP and Canon printers now support a variety of fine art papers, and
in fact, both are selling Hahnemühle Photo Rag under their own name. Print
life estimates for both models are over 100 years for color, and 200 years for
black and white prints, depending on the paper used.
--Jon Canfield
UP-CR10L Digital Photo Printer--Sony's SnapLab
Among the usual crowded crop of new innovations, products, and alliances, the
capabilities of the UP-CR101 digital printer "SnapLab" caught my
attention. It offers creative, real-life solutions to dependably and quickly
supplying quantity and quality images on location without a major dollar investment
and without the need to transport a lot of equipment. While printing without
a computer has been available in a slew of consumer products, this is the first
product that combines photo quality, quantity (up to 300 3.5x5" prints),
and speed--3.5x5, 4x6, and 5x7 prints in 13, 16, and 17 seconds respectively
for about $1600.
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Advertised as an "undersized, stand-alone professional photofinishing
solution," the SnapLab Digital Photo-finishing system is based on dye
sublimation technology and is operated via an 8" color LCD touch screen
and very intuitive Graphical User Interface. If you are printing proofs, image
numbers can be printed as barely visible on the front of each image for ordering
purposes. There are numerous on-board image enhancement tools (zoom/crop, redeye
reduction, color adjustment, black and white/sepia), as well as custom borders,
text/logo, and layout options. Images can be downloaded from a variety of media,
including Memory Stick, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, SmartMedia, CompactFlash,
and Microdrive. The unit weighs only 24 lbs and stands approximately 11x12x15".
The only immediately apparent downside is that the consumable cost of a 4x6
print is approximately .25 and that the thermal print head is warranted for
only 10,000 sheets. Replacement cost, however, is quite reasonable at $207.31.
--Ingrid S. Krampe
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