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Picture the future [New Straits Time (Malaysia)]
(New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NEW imaging gadgets and gizmos thrill at Japan's biggest international camera and imaging show, writes Siti Syameen Md Khalili.
The recent Camera & Photo Imaging Show (CP+) 2012 was a hit with shutterbugs of all ages. Held in Yokohama, the city touted as the birthplace of commercial photography in Japan, the event was open to all photo and video lovers with the aim of developing the industry, as well as enrich the culture of photo imaging.
Visitors, young and old got hands-on with new imaging gadgets and gizmos, and colourful, imaginative accessories. There was a showcase of cameras - digital SLR, system camera and digital compact cameras - as well as complementing products such as tripods, lens, flash kits, filters, batteries, chargers, studio lights and bags. Peripherals such as printers, scanners as well as binoculars completed the offerings at the event.
Manufacturers target wider appeal
The Nikon booth, which featured a private photo gallery, a seminar area and a colourful stage with models and artificial snowfall, was one of the crowd's favourites due to its launch of digital SLR models Nikon D4, D800 and D800E.
The D800 and D800E generated high interest as they featured an effective count of 36.3-million pixel. The models' lightweight, water-and-dust-resistant form factor and high-end features came under the scrutiny of photo enthusiasts and Nikon fans. Nikon's showcase also involved its 12 latest digital compact camera models, P510, P310, S9300, S9200, S6300, S4300, S3300, S2600, S30, L810, L26 and L25.
Olympus previewed its new generation system camera, the Olympus OM-D, a model fully compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System standard. Fashioned after Olympus' memorable OM Series, the 16.5- megapixel model wowed audience with its 5-axis image stabilisation feature and FAST AF autofocusing system.
Olympus' show included its new interchangeable lenses for Micro Four Thirds System. Mock-ups of M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm F1.8 and M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm F2.8 Macro stood in glass cases as final working units were slotted for launch only by the end of the year.
Canon fans got up-close to the Canon 1DX, its top offering to date. Though not a debutante at CP+ 2012, this 18.1-megapixel full frame model, which offers 204,800 ISO support, attracted both professionals and regular shutterbugs.
More contenders
Though in Malaysia, brands like Pentax and Sigma may not set tongues wagging as often as other leading brands, at CP+ 2012, these held their own in the imaging industry. The same seemed to be the case with Casio and FujiFilm, each emerging with colourful booths and exciting promotional activities.
Better known for its highly durable accessories, Sigma announced its 46-megapixel models - Sigma SD1 Merrill, a digital SLR, and new generation compact models, Sigma DP1 Merrill and DP2 Merrill.
Pentax shared news of its upcoming models which are still under development. The manufacturer exhibited seven reference products alongside interchangeable lenses and camera accessories.
In the accessories segment, visitors marvelled at the innovations of brands such as Lowepro, Marumi, Cabin, King, Hugger, Profoto and Sirui.
Storage card technologies
The Nikon D4 stood out as the only model to support the super fast XQD (Externally Quick Data transfer) memory card to work with Nikon's FX-format CMOS sensor. The model was also part of the CompactFlash Association booth's exhibits, along with Sony's 16GB and 32GB XQD cards, XQD ExpressCard adapter (model Sony XDA-EX1) and Sony USB reader/writer (Sony MRW-E80).
The development of the new type of memory card is spearheaded by CompactFlash Association members Nikon, Sony and Sandisk.
The card is likely to be part of the specifications for future high-end cameras.
"More high-end cameras will support XQD card in a couple of years and the card is also compatible for use in camcorders. It may not be a feature on compact camera models as compact camera users rarely need functions such as high-speed continuous shooting or full HD video recording, which XQD is designed to deliver," says Hitoshi Kimura, memory strategic manager at Sony Corporation.
SD Association marketing committee co-chair Kazunori Nakano said the new UHS-II standard for SDXC and SDHC products triples the card's speed to make it comparable with XQD. "It is up to the manufacturers to decide which card technology to use in their products. It is not just about performance, it is also about flexibility, ease of implementation, noise and, more importantly, power consumption."
Multi-facet exposure
Apart from products, one of the highlights included the Elliott Erwitt Talk Show, a Photo Yokohama presentation in support of the expo.
A panel discussion involving top engineers from companies such as Olympus, Canon, Seiko Epson, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic and Ricoh showed off future camera design trends.
(c) 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.
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