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written by the New York Institute of Photography, America’s oldest and
largest photography school. NYI provides professional-level training via home
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As
promised, Ronald Johnson filed this voluminous report on what he found
at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) 2004 Trade Show and Convention
held at the Las Vegas Convention Center February 12 - 15. In his report
Johnson describes a number of new products that we'll see come to the
market over the coming year. If you haven't done so already, we recommend
you read this installment in conjunction with his report from the January
Consumer Electronics Show that was also held in Las Vegas.
PMA 2004
Changing of the Guard By Ronald
Johnson
![]() This and other matters concerned the photo industry gathering at this year's Photo Marketing Association meeting in Las Vegas, the biggest photo trade show in the U.S. Dealers, students, photographers and assorted national and international press dashed about the smaller than usual but no less intense show to see what’s in store for an industry going though transition, one akin to the days when typewriters in offices around the world were being replaced by word processors. While many announcements of earth-shattering importance are being held in abeyance until this year’s Photokina, the world-wide show in Germany in the fall, there was enough to keep everyone amused. One of the trends here was the push toward higher megapixel counts in digicams, and the continuing emergence of the digital SLR. Megapixels Up, Prices Down If megapixels determined picture quality all everyone would need do is run out and buy one of the new 8-megapixel cameras from Sony, Minolta, ![]() So what's to worry about? Isn't the image quality issue over? Does this leave film cameras, surely 35mm and now medium format cameras, in the dust? The question no longer is whether or not you can have enough megapixels in your digital camera — it becomes, just how many megapixels do you need, and what’s the price you pay (not dollars) in terms of all those pixels on such a small chip? ![]() Do You Need Eight Megapixels? As to need, most folks get very decent 8x10 inch prints from 4 MP cameras. And if the shots are for the Web, or for smaller snapshot size prints, then choosing a lower than maximum resolution from those cameras will do just fine. And you don't need TIFF or RAW files to get good results - JPEG at 1:4 compression for small prints and certainly for Web images will definitely get the job done. Does this mean that you might be wasting your money on an 8MP digicam? Well, the answer might just be how you finally judge image quality and how big you need to make prints. If you are the kind of photographer who started out shooting with an APS camera, moved up to 35mm and still weren't happy, and then went to medium format, then take the 8 MP leap. If you see a lot of your images going bigger than 8x10 inches, or are shooting for full-page magazine repro, then be our guest. But it isn’t so simple as a larger number of pixels — some issues have emerged that question whether going from a 6 to an 8 MP camera is nothing more than horsepower game, and in fact may be opening a Pandora’s Box. Not that we want to pour cold water over the idea, but word is that packing that many pixels on a small chip (as opposed to the larger pixels on lower MP chips, or larger pixels on a larger chip) accentuates any glitches that may be present, which means the likelihood of less sharp images and more artifacts, or digital 'noise.' It might also add to what some feel is the falloff at the edges, known as vignetting, that comes when you use super wide lenses with digital SLRs - that's why the cutoff for most of the integral lens 8 MP digicams is 28mm. Some makers even put angled light collectors over the edges of their sensors to help correct this problem, which of course can create other problems that must be solved by the camera’s image processor. Granted, all this is some much tech speculation, but only testing will reveal whether the 8MP rush is a true breakthrough, or just the industry giving into the horsepower race. APS: The Final Round But before we delve too much into digital let's play taps for a few film items. The first is the now late (un)lamented APS format. The flight away from APS began way before Kodak made their announcement. A number of companies, part of the initial APS league, made this move last year, or even earlier. Film sales and film processing numbers for APS never came up to expectations, and even in the early stages of the format there were strong indications that growth would never match predictions. Some companies, not part of the ![]() But some companies are sticking with the APS route, and Fuji, in what can only be described as a pointed response, said they would introduce a new APS camera here and that they were dedicated to APS and 35mm film photography. What they did show was very quiet in this realm, an updated model that puts APS squarely into the novelty act circuit. In all, the show was what could be described as the last goodbye to APS. For those who never bought into the APS deal it's easy to say, "I told you so." But smugness is a dangerous attitude in this fast changing world. For example, the digital realm cannot long abide as many digital memory card formats as we have today, and a few years hence we might have a similar obituary for some of the formats we have with us today. The same goes for many of the concepts, designs and even playback devices that have been floated for the digital photographer to consume. If anything, the digital imaging world should look closely at the APS decline and fall and start to think about standards that will not leave consumers today high and dry in the days ahead. Medium Format: The Digital Challenge As to the abandonment of the medium format digital back business, at least with Kodak branding (though Kodak is still in the sensor business) the one in the Olympus E-1 and a new large sensor back from Sinar Bron both being of Kodak make — there are many who have questioned how long this film format will survive. With the host of 8 megapixel digital cameras that showed up at PMA, and even higher chip counts in high-end digital SLRs (such as in the 8.2 MP Canon EOS 1-D Mark II), medium format has lost more market share in the pro segment than most care to admit. New entrants here at the show go head to head with medium format for the hearts and minds of pro shooters, particularly those in the wedding and portrait business. Although priced at around $4500, the new Canon digital SLR might have some folks pondering it rather than a medium format film camera as the way to go. It being one of the stars of this show, I thought it worthy of more than a passing nod. Canon Speedster ![]() The camera is truly geared to the sports journalist with construction to back up the high-speed capture. The camera's exterior and chassis are constructed of a rugged yet lightweight and weather-resistant magnesium alloy. The body is weather-resistant with more than 70 gaskets and seals, and the camera’s lens mount is made of stainless steel (and is fully compatible with all Canon EF, TS-E and MP-E lenses). While the field appeal of the camera seems great, Canon is actually positioning this camera as being the new tool for portrait and wedding photographers. It can capture smaller JPEG files simultaneously with large uncompressed RAW files, which will speed postproduction workflow and make providing prompt proofs an alliterative snap. Canon’s new Digital Photo Professional software is especially designed to speed up the workflow of wedding shooters and provide much more comfortable operation than ever. With the Direct Print function, clients can see a printed image on site. Like the company's EOS-1D, the Mark II has a 35mm focal length conversion factor of 1.3x. It also has what the company calls its next generation DIGIC II image processor, which is twice as fast as the image processor used in the EOS-1D and four times faster than the DIGIC chip in the EOS 10D and EOS Digital Rebel. The Mark II has two card slots, one for CompactFlash (Type I or II as well as MicroDrives™) and another for SD cards. It can also deliver sound clips up to a maximum of 30 seconds per image. Also completely redesigned is the camera’s E-TTL flash metering system. Here's what Canon says: "Though still compatible with all EX- ![]() Shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/8000, plus bulb (with user-set adjustments of 1/3, 1/2, or full stops). There's also a 45-point AF system that is said to provide faster "read and react" times in One-Shot AF mode and takes twice as many readings between shots as the EOS-1D with moving subjects in AI Servo AF, allowing for more effective sequential shooting. Of course, a digital camera that outputs at such rates will need powerful software, so Canon has included their new Digital Photo Professional (DPP) program that is said to offer users high-speed processing of RAW images. Features include instantaneous RAW image adjustment display and support for .CR2 and RAW .TIF as well as Exif TIFF and JPEG formats as well as the capability to save multiple adjustments to an image as a "recipe" that can be reloaded and used again or applied to other images. In comparison mode, original and edited images can be compared side by side or within a single split image. ![]() Cameras like the Mark II and others that are sure to follow have sounded the bell for 35mm film SLRs. The question is: will they do the same to medium format film cameras? While medium format scanners combined with the beauty and resolution of medium format film makes for an image quality combination that’s hard to beat, simple economics may prevail. Many pros and avid amateurs have to make the choice between a high megapixel digital SLR and a medium format camera, and increasingly the winner is digital. It will take some very clever marketing, and a very strong message about ultimate image quality, to keep medium format afloat. True, large format cameras are still sold, and there will remain a dedicated core of enthusiasts who will stick to their medium format guns. But the numbers are not, as of today, sufficient to keep every medium format maker viable. New Digicam Technology ![]() One company, which has been making mass market digicams for a while, HP, came to the show with some very interesting camera features that they call "HP Real Life" technologies. Their first model to include all that follows is the HP Photosmart R707, a 5-megapixel camera that goes for about $349. These include HP Adaptive Lighting technology, which is said to automatically adjust high-contrast photos to bring faces out of shadows and details out of backgrounds. This is sort of an in-camera Auto Levels control, but it seems to do more by comparing prime subjects to backgrounds and attempting to solve one of the oldest problems in photography — backlighting. The prototype we worked with seemed to do the job, although details on what contrast range was required for this to kick in were sketchy. ![]() The Megapixel Horse Race We all thought that the megapixel horse race, now defined as 8 megapixels for medium to high end digicams, would stop at 5 or 6, but now that 5’s are going for what 2's sold for a few years ago and 6's for what 4's brought not so far back, everyone questions when it might end. As one company spokesman frankly put it, “People will always respond to higher megapixel counts, at least in a certain segment of the market. If we can differentiate our products with those higher MP counts, we will.” Perhaps "must" would be a better way to put it, as there are so many companies now with 5 MP cameras that they are fast becoming a sub-$400 item. Indeed, product differentiation will tell the tale, as will feature sets that improve the reliability and quality of digital images. ![]() Transition and Compatibility Another factor that will change how you might decide to get into digital is just how you can transition, or adapt from one system (film) to another (digital). It might become easier for owners of Minolta and Pentax SLRs, now that both companies have, or have announced digital SLRs that will take their previous lenses. The Pentax *istD is already available; the Minolta announcement at the show was that they will have a digital SLR with Maxxum lens compatibility ready in the fall. And Leica R owners will also have a digital back for their current R bodies. Digicam Highlights ![]() The Casio EXILIM PRO EX-P600 is a 6-megapixel digicam with a Canon 4X optical zoom that will run you about $649.99. The camera is said to have a start-up time of approximately 2-seconds and approximately 0.01 second release time lag with a high-speed continuous shutter for 3 photos per second with up to 6 photos in succession. Among touted features is something they call multi-bracketing, which allows you to set up variations of combined settings including shutter, exposure, white balance and focus position. What About 35mm SLRs? For those who thought that all this digital action would spell the end of 35mm film SLRs, think again. Just about every major camera maker is bringing new film SLRs to the show. They are mainly characterized by advanced technology with "transparent" ease of use — n other words, customers will be getting a lot for their money, but the feature set will be simplified to the point of "point and shoot" ease. The average price even for "kitted" 35mm SLRs will be between $250 and $350, an amazing price. Will there be a market for these cameras, given that digital has made such strides? Sellers don't expect them to break records, but for those hesitant to get into digital, and who want to get great value for their photo dollar, these new cameras will have very high appeal. Canon and Minolta both showed inexpensive, high tech film SLRs at this show. If you want to get into film with some great SLRs and have a limited budget, now’s the time! Film Facts While we're on the subject of film, Kodak did actually intro some new silver halide products here. Though a lone voice in the crowd, these new films were actually quite beautiful. While the company is decidedly digital these days, they brought both color and (sort of) black-and-white films to PMA. Their Pro Ultra Color films are said to offer vibrant color saturation while maintaining exceptional skin tones. Featuring extremely fine grain, these films are touted as the perfect choice for enlargements or for scanning negatives and integrating images into digital workflows. (Notice the nod to digital even in the midst of their film intro.) The films are available in both 100 and 400 ISO speeds. ![]() And, to those naysayers who say darkroom (chemical at least) is dead, Kodak also brought their new Polycontrast IV RC Paper to PMA, all for the professional fine art or commercial photographer who appreciates the artistry of black-and-white, or the photography student developing a first portfolio. It’s said to have improved highlight detail and printing latitude. We’d love to test it, but just have to find somebody who still has a chemical darkroom to do so. Phone Pics What about camera phones, or phone cameras? A number of companies now offer mobile services, with a special pavilion here dedicated to this growing trend. Frankly, this reporter thinks that print quality from camera phones is abysmal, but that hasn't stopped some folks from pushing this “new format” anyway. These devices do, industry insiders point out, make the general population more cognizant of digital imaging, and that should raise all boats. ![]() Digital Darkroom One area that got a lot of attention was the home printing of images from digital cameras. There were more companies providing products, services and software for that market here than ever before. Just about every company that was and is in the film business offers printing paper, plus there are many “third-party” paper providers that brought a host of new surfaces to the show. New to me were digital ink jet papers from Fuji and the now re-named Konica Minolta company (don't ask). Also new at the show was a brewing storm over inkjet paper standards, caused by Kodak claiming 100-year print life for their Ultima inkjet paper for every printer. Other paper manufacturers, and particularly independent tester Henry Wilhelm, were fairly incensed by the claim. Wilhelm, in fact, at the pre-show DIMA conference (Digital Imaging Marketing Association) lambasted Kodak about this, and said that if Kodak's testing methods were applied to certain other papers they’d have a life of over a thousand years! All this pointed out the need for some testing standards for these papers, which, as of now, don't exist. If you want to learn more about image permanence in the digital age, visit www.wilhelm-research.com. ![]() Following the "everything but the kitchen sink" principle we’ve seen in numerous desktop digital devices of late, the Epson scan-print-copy device, the Stylus Photo RX600 also can help you restore old slides, negatives and traditional printed photographs. All of these functions and more can be done without turning on a PC. The printer also has memory card slots and a 2.5-inch high-quality color LCD viewer, all for about $349. Memory Cards ![]() Perhaps the most interesting storage device at the show, along with all sorts of USB tie pins and "lanyards" (USB nooses) was PNY Technologies’ Executive Attaché and Executive Attaché Signature Series devices. These are functional ballpoint pens with “inside” USB 2.0 flash drives that store and transfer large files quickly and easily from one computer device to another. The Executive ($99) offers a hidden USB 2.0 512MB drive and the Attache ($79) comes in 128MB and 256MB capacities. Sort of like spy drives for the "must-have" set. ![]() The Lens Uptick The influx of digital SLRs and all the accessory sales this engenders will be good for those folks who offer add-on optics, at least that was the feeling here at the show. We will even see the beginnings of independents offering the "digital-dedicated" lenses that project a smaller image circle and offer solutions to some of the problems of the 35mm to digital SLR lens swap, especially in the super wide arena. And the digital SLR upswing will also drive more lens sales for camera manufacturers as well, with many here offering new additions to their "digital SLR' only lens lines. ![]() Pentax U.S.A. announced one of many coming lenses for their *ist D digital SLR. The smc PENTAX-DA 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL lens delivers an angle of view equivalent to 24.5mm-69mm in the 35mm format. The DA-Series lens features a responsive “Quick-Shift Focus System” that allows you to instantly switch the focus mode from auto to manual with a slight twist of the focus ring. The lens also incorporates an Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass lens element and two aspherical lens elements. The image circle in DA-series lenses, including the smc PENTAX-DA 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL, are designed to match the 23.5mm x 15.7mm size of the CCD used in PENTAX digital SLRs. By the way, you can also use just about every Pentax and Pentax mount lens from past SLRs on their digital camera, albeit without some functionality. While many might question the optical quality of such a choice, it sure opens up many interesting possibilities. Image Fixer ![]() According to the company, DxO Optics Pro corrections are objective and 'real' and are calculated by an analysis of the physical characteristics of the optical system. DxO Optics Pro image correction relies on a physical model called a DxO Profile, which is specific to each lens and camera model used. In addition, corrections are fully automatic with no settings and no manual user intervention required at any stage. This allows for seamless batch processing of images. All this works because of a profiling system the company uses and the fact corrections operate locally, on each pixel: Optical flaws impact each point of the image differently -so DxO Optics Pro adapts the correction to each pixel in the image. The software is also said to automatically integrate relevant capture settings (i.e. aperture, focal length, focus distance, etc.): DxO Optics Pro uses EXIF data to fine tune the correction to the exact shooting conditions. ![]() The company has promised DxO profiles for all significant professional and prosumer digital camera bodies and lenses. The first DxO Profiles available (JPEG/8bit mode) will include: Canon EOS 1Ds, Canon EOS 1D, Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon EOS 10D, Canon EOS D60, Canon Digital Rebel (300D outside the U.S.) with a selection of Canon branded and Canon compatible lenses; Nikon D100, Nikon D1x, Nikon D2H, Nikon D70 with a selection of Nikon branded and Nikon compatible lenses; Fuji S2Pro, Olympus E-1, Pentax *ist D, Kodak DCS Pro 14n with relevant own-brand or compatible lenses. Others will follow. All DxO Optics Pro components will be available on DO Labs' e-commerce store, which can be reached via www.DxOPRO.com. Pricing to be announced. ![]() In the End So, as the guard changes, with what we thought would be here forever going away, there’s no reason to doubt that what at first was a chipping away at film has become a major change in the tools we use to capture and share images. The "threat" of digital has become reality, and everyone is scrambling to get in on the game. In short, the industry has something new to sell, and we’re just about at the point where we can buy it with the confidence that it will actually work. While the road has been rocky, with many ideas, products and promises left in the ditch, we can now simply state that digital's day has arrived. |
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