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The PDN/PhotoPlus Expo, held this year on October 28- 30 at the Javits Center in New York City, is a consumer oriented show where you get a chance to see the offerings from various manufacturers of camera and video gear, plus items from things that relate to the gear, from storage devices to software. Though it is not diving centric, there are many things that are of interest to divers, for both shooting underwater (the images need to be stored somewhere, right?) and of interest to the time we may take a break and shoot above water. Hey, it is rumored to have happened at some point or another.
There are also seminars from some of the leaders in the industry on subjects ranging from things such as shooting video with dSLRs to using Lightroom. As for those of us with a bubble centric leaning, Stephen Frink, the reknowned underwater photographer and publisher of Alert Diver, had a seminar. More on that later.
When we walked into the show, the first vendor was Canon, which warmed Drew's heart since he shoots Canon. (Drew - Okay, I will give time for the Nikon users and others to boo me here. Done? Good. Let's continue.)
The biggest news out of the Canon Camp recently for UW imaging is Canon's EF 8-15 f/4L fisheye lens which will work on Canon's Full Frame cameras. Though it is not shipping until January, Canon's movie "with," which was shot soley with the 8-15 on 5D Mark IIs and 7Ds, has caught the attention of UW shooters, particiarly since "with" includes UW footage. There was a display showing "with" during the show, and if you have not yet seen it, "with" and the Making of "with" can be seen here.
Right nearby was Nikon, and we were under orders to make sure we went there. No need to order us, we have shot enough Nikons and enjoy them. Nikon had a fashion runway set up, which is always very cool and a great way to get a chance to test cameras out. As we headed over, shooting some video, there was a tap on Drew's shoulder and he was told by someone that security said that Canon cameras were not allowed to be used in the Nikon section.
It was someone we did not know, and we paused for a bried instant, then we both started laughing with the new found Nikon friend. Turns out he teaches photography and shoots both. After a few moments of talking, we moved on. We wanted to see the newest Nikon making a buzz - the D7000. After shooting off some shots with it, we were both very impressed. Really a joy to handle and was very quick to focus. It definately felt light to handle, and Sandrah could easily hold it in one hand. Very nice. From the way it handled and from what we have read and heard so far, Nikon users are going to be very happy with this offering.
The NEX-5 also features sweep panarama and 3D imaging. Though the 3D does not work in movie mode, the photo side of things was fairly easy to use. And the size and weight are small. If you are kicking around the idea of a 4/3rds camera from travel consideration, you really owe it to yourself to check out the offerings from Sony and others.
Then we went towards the Olympus booth. We are both very fond of Olympus cameras. Drew's first digital cameras, and first UW digital cameras, were the 3040 (with which I used the Olmpus Housing) and then the 8080. Both served well, and then served Sandrah very well as hand-me-downs. We both have had are eye on the Olympus PEN E-PL1 since the announcement of the Olympus PT-EP01 Housing. (More information on the housing can be found in this DPG Article) The camera and the housing each list for $599, so for under $1,200 you are in good shape. Then we made the mistake of letting Andy pass us the housing. Incredibly light and small. It is a truly portable set-up and you can get it all, including a strobe and arms, into a carry on backpack with room to spare. Sigh. Looks like the credit card will take a hit sometime in the not so distant future.
We also had a chance to use the Olympus E-5, which had not shipped at the time we held it. It is another very light offering and built tough according to the material that Olympus had on hand, including being weatherproof and sealed against dust.
It was also good to get a first hand look at all the luggage offerings to transport gear to destinations. We have a ton of luggage, and have been meaning to check out the ThinkTank line some more since it is recommended so often. We are glad we did. The Airport International V2 (which is carry-on size for international flights) and the Urban Disguise 50 V2 looks like a good combination. The Urban Disguise 50 V2 is top loading with room to grab things easily (camera, laptop up to 15.4 inches, couple of lenses) and would be a good walkaround bag, with plenty of room in the international for a housing and port. The ThinkTank people were happy to answer any and all questions to find the right bags, plus they put on amusing demonstrations of their products with one person acting as the MC and the other as a model. Looks like another potential charge there.
Many traveling photographers are familiar with ThinkTank and LowePro brands of camera bags. Another brand at the expo was one we had never heard of, AirBak. AirBak offers three models of photography backpacks ideal for day trips, or a carry on for those who carry a limited amount of equipment. What makes AirBak unique, and what caught our attention, is their patented technology air filled bladder found on the back of the backpacks. The bladder offers 100lbs of pressure resistance and sits comfortably in the lumbar region of the wearer. The packs also have extra thick padded straps and cushioning for your shoulder blades. The air filled bladder relieves much of the strain on a wearer’s back and shoulders usually experienced when carrying a loaded up backpack. The packs are light weight (around 2lbs each), offer multiple compartments for cameras and accessories, and the Focus Tech model accommodates a 15 inch laptop. Their photography backpacks ranged from $79-99.
Storage is something we always worry about, and it is not practical to bring all the hard drives and configurations that you want. For video editing, you want the speed of the RAID 0, for redundancy, RAID 1, just to have drive space, maybe JOBD (just a bunch of discs) Wiebetech
Wiebetech makes various enclosures (We have a few and have packed them up and taken them with us on more than one occassion) where you just slip hard drives in and out like floppies. The ToughTech Duo is the same thing, with 2.5mm (SATA or SSD) drives in capacties of up to 750 Gigs. (Technically the unit supports 2 9.5mm drives and does not support 12mm, hence the 750 Gig limit. Things may change on final release.) The unit supports RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD. With two drives the unit was not too heavy, but for what you have at your disposal it is well worth it. It is bus powered, with FW 800, USB and eSATA connections. The unit is Bus Powered via the FW 800, and that will power the unit when using the eSATA connection since the data will go through the eSATA, while the FW800 provides the power. has delivered (or actually will be delivering later this year) a product that address the issues and fits in a laptop case - the Weibtech ToughTech Duo.
In addition to cameras, lighting, photo software, media storage, printers, etc., PhotoPlus also had a wide array of accessories and photo display options on exhibit.
For the environmentally conscious photographer who would still like to print their images, Hahnemuhle Finart offers two, archival quality, acid-free, environmentally friendly paper stock choices - Bamboo 290, made of 90% bamboo fibers and 10% cotton, and Sugar Can, 75% Bagasse fiber (the waste product when sugar cane is processed) and 25% cotton. Both papers are sold in cut sheets and rolls.
Two particularly eye catching options for displaying photographic works were also on display - Metal Mural and Gallery Blocks. Metal Murals are created by “reproducing high quality images on metal in a modular design.” They can be created using one image or a collage of images. The 12”x12” squares are connected with c-hooks and the completed piece is then hung from a metal rod. The metal is scratch resistant and UV treated. Indoors, a Metal Mural will last a lifetime. If displayed outdoors, the life span is approximately 4 years. Metal Murals are available with either a glossy or matte finish.
Gallery Blocks are a modular presentation of a different kind. As the name implies, your images are printed on blocks (that look similar to a “gallery wrap”), then the blocks arranged to “float” on a background block which is also a print of your image. Display designs can range from just one block (in any one of the 12 available sizes), to a “Floating 9-up” configuration. For the underwater photographer, one option could be to use water, dive’s bubbles, or an image of a swim through as the background, and individual fish portraits or coral shorts at the floating block images.
It turns out the best thing for an underwater shooter was the last thing we did at the show - a seminar conducted by Stephen Frink on underwater photography and his experiences. If you have any interest in underwater imaging, or diving at all, you have seen Stephen's work. (His shot of the sharks is featured in the Canon Gallery and is posted above.) One tip that we would like to pass on, which he mentioned, is regarding hand holding strobes. If you are shooting one strobe, you can adjust the effective light by up to a stop and a half. As Stephen mentioned, it is alot easier just to move your hand as oppossed to moving arms or twirling dials on strobes or cameras to change the exposure. If you have a chance to catch Stephen speaking at a dive show or photo show, or attend one of his classes that he gives when in the water, we highly recommend doing so. And make sure to ask questions during seminars or afterwards during the Q&A. He is a wealth of information and graciously answers them all.
Here is a short video that gives you a feel about what it was like at the Expo.
Looking forward to next year's show and seeing what other things may go on the shopping list.
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