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
[see photo tabs above for more images]
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
[see photo tabs above for images]
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
I’m 100% in love with my X100, but not interested in the Xpro-1 or XE-1 (whatever it’s called). I love the idea RX-1 — dont even mind the fixe lens (part of what I love about the X100) but the price needs to come down. Plus, no OVF? If i’m paying that much for a camera I should have an optical viewfinder that isn’t an add-on.
Meant to add — ideally Nikon (or Canon, if you prefer them) will create an XPro-1 / RX-1 camera soon. I’d love to use my Nikon primes on a full frame compact camera!
I guess I’m the opposit. While I love the pictures it takes, as a camera I couldn’t hate the X100 more. Every time I pick it up I hate it even more by the time I put it down.
I have no problem with a fixed lens camera. I only shoot primes anyway and 90% of the time I’m shooting an 80mm (medium format) lens. The Fuji is wider than I usually shoot but I actually like that for how I want to use the X100 (or similar) type of camera.
Something full frame like the Sony would be great but I need a viewfinder and great manual focusing.
About the Fuji…
I have the X100, and there are features on it that are fantastic. Others are downright idiotic (a camera should focus, after all, right?). I had the “sticky shutter” issue, and after dealing with the attitude of their customer service, I will never, ever buy a Fuji product again.
Close, kids. But not close enough. If you want to play with the big kids, you have to act like one.
My experience with their customer service in Canada has been good. Really. They fixed / replaced the lens.
Yeah. They fixed mine too. After 4 days of arguing with them.
X100? Yeah. They fixed mine too. Three times. Each time it took about three weeks. No arguing necessary though…
I love my X-Pro1. Mostly because of the OVF. Not sure I’d have bought it had it been the X-E1. If I was in Seattle I’d be happy to loan it to you if we are interested to give it a try.
Any word on if the app for the 6D will have any kind of liveview function?
I love my Fuji X100 … great images, small, pretty to look at, can sync flash at 1/1000 (maybe more?), good low light performance.
If you can overcome the little stuff – useless manual focus, slow AF, etc – its a fantastic camera (assuming your firmware is up to date).
I synched mine at 1/4000.
+1
I pretty much hated the X-Pro1 to start with. But, it’s become my go to camera for personal photographing around town.
I dig the form, the OVF & the exposure compensation wheel. Oh & it works a treat for amazing Infra-Red images.
But, what I’m really hanging out for is an FX mirror less dSLR. The live will go to whomever does it (c’mon Nikon).
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.
The Hasseblad Lunar is the joke of the year.
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
Tell Erik he can’t have the GH3 because I’m going to buy THEM ALL! MINE, MINE!
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
As for Fuji, I never bought into the x100 thing. But as soon as I saw the specs for the X-Pro1 I knew my dream camera had arrived. Sure the AF was quirky, but it’s been fixed with the latest firmware update. I love the Fuji glass, the OVF, and the size and feel of it. The X-E1 is smaller and cheaper, but having the OVF is critical for me. If it’s not critical for you then the X-E1 is definitely a shoo in.
Chase, you need to give the X100 another shot. Your buddy Zack Arias calls it the best digital camera he’s ever used. The firmware updates have completely changed the camera.
And the X-Pro1 is a beast now with the 2.0 Firmware, which will also be in the X-E1.
Fuji really gets it.
Absolutely love my Fujifilm XPro-1. Image quality is off the chart. After I got it I sold my beloved D700 – that’s how good the images are!
It is quite funny to see all these really good “retro” cameras pop up now. My issue with those is really that they got to a point where image quality is too good for personal stuff. To me that is almost a burden as it raises my expectations for the final product. I don’t want to go through lots of raws, edit them, go to PS, edit more for holiday pictures. If I wanted to do that I would use my work camera, a D800 usually. For personal stuff I will keep using a FE with very limited amounts of film to protect me from myself… Does that make sense?
Anyway, my personal highlight this Photokina has been the Profoto Pro-B4! Can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Greetings from Vienna,
Ronnie
All crap!
Why did Nikon dropped the sync speed to 1/200 on D600 ? NOT GOOD!
Another one for the Fuji. Have you noticed more or less every single comment on this post is raving about Fuji’s?
I’ve got an XPro1 with the 35mm f1.4 lens. The images I get from this camera are quite surreal. It’s quite hard to describe. More than any other digital camera I’ve used, portraits just jump out of the screen. They make you want to reach out and touch them! It’s like 3d but not.
The new firmware has improved the response of the camera significantly. It still hunts a lot in low light but it’s much better. Manual focusing is improved ten-fold. Auto focus is better at least by 100%. But the image quality.. like everyone has said above, is just surreal. It’s leaps and bounds above any comparable camera.
Actually, I’m not sure there is a comparable camera.
Totally agree about the Sony Cyber-shot RX1–would love to have one of these, but with interchangeable lenses. But maybe they’ll be doing like Fuji did by starting with the fixed-lens x100, then rolling out an interchangeable version.
I for one am really interested in the xe-1….the x-pro1 was a bit of a non starter as the ovf was useless as you couldn’t actually focus with it. I use old mf glass, so I really couldn’t give a damn about the af speeds, and the iq is simply gorgeous! Definitely think it’s going to be my go everywhere, do everything camera. Just waiting to see if it plays nice with strobes.
The Leica M has got to be the best cause its got a cute lens hood..
What? you where is Cologne( how i live) and we don’t drink a beer ? I’m very disappointed of you ;p
I wonder how you put the Sony in there. Sony’s have poor reliability.
I’ve got the X100, X-Pro1 and have pre-ordered the X-E1. I love the Fuji cameras and lenses.
Try the X-Pro1 with the 35mm at 1.4 and you’ll be blown away by how much better the Senson is to a DSLR!
Derek.
Unfortunately, the D600 is not outputting a full 100% HD stream through the HDMI output, contrary to what Nikon is advertising. I’m hoping this is merely a bug or an oversight. If you care about using the D600 with something like the Atomos Ninja or BM HDS, then you’re going to need Nikon to address this asap: http://blog.iamron.com/general/nikon-d600-nikons-worst-best-camera-ever?
Little correction in favor of the new Broncolor generator. It lasts 160 pops of full power in Speed mode (the generator recycles faster). In Eco mode, the generator should last about 240 pops at full power. This all according the Broncolor sales rep. Does look like a very interesting little generator though, felt incredibly lightweight!
Leica M would be my first choice. There is really nothing else to say other than get Leica M. I am seriously considering it.
Fuji-shy…agreed whole heartedly. Doesn’t focus well and no firmware permanent fix so I’ve let it go. Unfortunately, the lacklustre client care sees me move away from the X series though the styling is retro-gorgeous. I’ll not close the door entirely as one day those idiosyncrasies may well fade into mist and I’ll change my mind. For now, too much money for a half-cocked camera.
The Sony…interesting but I think the manufacturer that can produce a FF camera at a price that feels sensible, especially in today’s economy, will get a huge jump on the marketplace. Marry great style, a FF sensor and a camera that performs at a price that is sensitive to a Global audience and watch them fly from the shelves.
The Broncolor Move L , sounds very impressive, but only adds one feature we haven’t seen before, and that’s the long lasting LED modeling light that will fill the need for a constant light source off battery alone….
But, what does the “L” stand for? …Oh, I Know,..”LATE” because for anyone that has needed 1200ws in a less then 13 Lb. pack that will also fully charge in 90 minutes, recycle at full power in 1.9 sec. and get an extra 25% more pops per charge than this new Broncolor 1200 Move L…………………..Would just buy the Awesome “Hensel Porty L1200″ !!! We have lots of Porty’s, but the latest L1200 & L600 packs Rock!! Oh, and the Hensel’s can not only be controlled in every which way with their own “Strobe wizard Transmitters” but will work with your Profoto Air Transmitters as well !!
http://www.hensel.eu/en/products/power-packs/porty/porty-l-1200.html
Just use that $2,000 you saved on this pack and buy yourself a Hensel Mini Speed head & their AC Mains unit, then you will rule your studio as you do the location shoots!
http://www.hensel.eu/en/products/accessories/electric-equipment/porty-l-mains-adapter.html
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