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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from CNET Asia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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Photokina 2008 show report
By Leonard Goh
23/09/2008 URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39001469,62046286,00.htm One of the largest biennial photo-imaging tradeshows, Photokina, is taking place right now in Cologne, Germany and it will run till September 28. The organizers are expecting to see more than 160,000 visitors for this event with the show space divided into five areas: Visual Gallery, Image Input, Image Processing, Image Storage and Image Output. Besides showcasing the latest imaging technologies and products, the fair will also exhibit prints by renowned and upcoming young photographers.
 Announcements and launchesGet our quick roundup of all the announcements made before and during Photokina.  CNET Asia Crave
Shooters at a glanceExpect to see these cameras on the showfloor of Photokina. PredictionsHere are what our tea leaves say could possibly be seen at the Photokina event.  Panasonic and Samsung have a couple of cameras with ultra-wide-angle lenses, and it has proven to be quite popular with shutterbugs. Although Sony, Nikon and Canon may not have similar shooters under their belts now, they have begun to introduce more standard wide-angle (28mm) shooters, so ultra-wide-angle point-and-shoots from these companies may not be far off the horizon.
1) Finger-trippin' shooters  Another thing to note is the size of the touchscreen LCDs. To maintain a compact footprint and incorporate touchscreen features, the displays' dimensions are capped at 3.5 inches currently. Will any manufacturer break the convention?  Although geotagging was one of the more talked-about features at PMA earlier this year, it somehow didn't catch on with users. Nikon has implemented GPS hardware into its latest P6000 prosumer-grade point-and-shoot, but it doesn't seem to be fuelling the trend. Whether or not it becomes an essential feature will depend on the response from consumers. Panasonic and Samsung have a couple of cameras with ultra-wide-angle lenses, and it has proven to be quite popular with shutterbugs. Although Sony, Nikon and Canon may not have similar shooters under their belts now, they have begun to introduce more standard wide-angle (28mm) shooters, so ultra-wide-angle point-and-shoots from these companies may not be far off the horizon.  Although Olympus and Panasonic jointly have announced the Micro Four Thirds Standard, it was the latter which stole the thunder and introduced the first camera-the Lumix DMC-G1--utilizing the new imaging format. We think Olympus shouldn't be far off, and we have a tingly feeling that it may style the new camera similar to its Pen-series rangefinders. Samsung has announced plans to compete against the Micro Four Thirds Standard, in the shape of a new shooter that will be seen only in 2010. There is a slight chance we may see a mock-up of this system at the event.  Chances are, more budget dSLRs will be seen on the showfloor. First up would probably be an update to the way-overdue Nikon D40. The Nikon D3 is also scheduled for a new version, as we've seen from previous iterations (D2, D2X and D2H). However, there are rumors online that this model may not make an appearance in Germany, but would debut later this year instead. We anticipate Canon and Nikon to implement HD-quality movie capture in their budget dSLRs soon, since their midrange shooters already have this technology. We can also expect a new EOS 1D-series pro-level dSLR from Canon. There's word that it may showcase another of its mid-level shooter, too. Samsung told us earlier this year that we can expect to see the successor to the GX20 at Photokina, so we'll be keeping tabs on the Korean chaebol for more updates. On Sony's end, the Alpha DSLR-A900 will probably be the star at its booth. We don't expect any more units to come from the Japanese company. 6) Shoot the high-life with a branded camera  We're guessing that some brands may work with renowned designers to make their shooters more visually appealing. Olympus has done it before with artist Matei Apostolescu. Another possibility would be the manufacturers working with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel to create an exclusive limited-edition lineup for collectors. 7) Camera-phones or phone cameras?  So will we see Canon working with handset manufacturers? Maybe what we'll see are the imaging brands providing infrastructural support such as the image-processing engine (Canon's DIGIC or Nikon's EXPEED) to camera-phones, rather than a direct partnership. Don't be surprised to see the image resolution skyrocket if this happens, or handsets with HD-quality movie capture mode. 8) Snap and project  Battery life is another issue, but that's not for us to worry about right now.  Panasonic's Lumix DMC-LX3 has an optional leather carrying case which resembles the cases manufactured for Leica's rangefinders in the 1960s. Retro has been a strong influence in camera designs (we predict Olympus' Micro Four Thirds camera will sport a 1970s styling) in recent years, and it does deliver a different kind of feel to the shooter.  Wi-Fi functions on compact shooters are not new, but their uses have been quite limited. For example, Nikon's Coolpix S52c could link up only to the company's online gallery, myPicturetown, to upload pictures. However, we think there could be more functionality added to the wireless feature than just transferring images. There is already a mobile version of Opera (Web browser), so we won't be surprised to see Wi-Fi-enabled point-and-shoots shipping with an Internet browser for surfing the Net. |
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