News
PMA 2010 Coverage
By Matt J. Weiss, March 1, 2010 @ 08:55 PM (EST)
The PMA 2010 show in Anaheim California was a well-attended event. Most of the big names in the photo industry came out to play. All except one, that is. Amazingly enough Canon decided to take a sideline.
The big vendors this year were of course Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, and the biggest presence at the show, Sony.
The big vendors this year were of course Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, and the biggest presence at the show, Sony.
Nikon had all of the DSLR's from the entry level D3000 through the D3x available, just step up and ask to see any of the rigs you like for a hands on demo. Nikon also had a feature HD video running, shot exclusively with the D300s and I must say the quality is quite sharp.
Behind the counter was the largest selection of lenses I think I have seen to date, including the new 16-35mm lens. Beautiful lens but a little large to squeeze behind a dome port.
The most noteworthy new product releases came in the compact camera arena. Several waterproof cameras have been released, most good to 3 or 10 meters. The new Coolpix s1000pj, although not waterproof, comes with a built in projector for quick show-n-tell.
Olympus showcased their Micro-Four Thirds technology with the release of the new E-PL1 camera that also shoots 720p HD video. But more importantly, Olympus seems to have embraced the underwater photographer like no other company out there. In addition to some rather nice housings and proprietary strobes, Olympus has made a housing, the PT-EP01, for the E-PL1.
The polycarbonate housing has a fixed lens port that allows for the 9-18mm wide angle lens and the 14-42mm lens to be used. You can see a hand's on demonstration of the PT-EP01 in the Our World Underwater Coverage.
Sony on the other hand had a strong showing with a live fashion shoot demo, combined with their assortment of D-SLR's, Cybershot cams, consumer and prosumer high-def video systems and more.
Some of the other major camera booths included Samsung, Panasonic-Lumix and even General Electric.
SanDisk had some of their new lightning fast memory cards on display, boasting 90MB/s read/write speeds in both 32 and 64 gig cards. Perfect for the new wave of HiDef video D-SLR's on the market.
Delkin Devices showcased their 2900amh batteries along with they're Combat disc memory cards. 32gig weather proof, water proof, heat proof, dust and shock resistant monster memory cards.
Delkin also has about the coolest battery charging system on the market. Dual sided for AA or AAA, also Camera Batteries. Comes with either Canon or Nikon battery trays in a kit or sold separately. I was given one to use on my last trip and I loved it. The batteries allowed for fast full dumps and the charger is compact, light and perfect for travel as it allows me to charge 4 AA's and a camera battery at the same time or whatever else I need to charge.
Epson still leads the charge with their line of enlargement printers. Talk about delusions of grandeur, I would love to have one of these beasts in my garage.
Wireless downloaders made a nice splash but I think we will have to wait a while before we see one inside of a camera housing. Sigma, Tamron and Tokina all had a plethora of lenses to display including Sigma’s new 8mm super wide angle lens (Not available for Nikon mounts until May)
Overall for this underwater photographer the PMA show seemed a little anticlimactic. I had expected dueling castle sized walkthrough kiosks with Canon and Nikon lobbing new product bombs over each other's hulls (Editor's note -- It sounds like this happened at CES, so maybe they were tired). I imagined Nikon releasing something like a D400, with 15mp, full 1080p HD video with onboard image stabilizers. I imagined Canon releasing yet another relentless wave of high performance budget friendly cameras. But instead I was met with hybrid point and shoot cameras, gadgets fun for walkabouts and tripods...lots of tripods.
Some of the other major camera booths included Samsung, Panasonic-Lumix and even General Electric.
SanDisk had some of their new lightning fast memory cards on display, boasting 90MB/s read/write speeds in both 32 and 64 gig cards. Perfect for the new wave of HiDef video D-SLR's on the market.
Delkin Devices showcased their 2900amh batteries along with they're Combat disc memory cards. 32gig weather proof, water proof, heat proof, dust and shock resistant monster memory cards.
Delkin also has about the coolest battery charging system on the market. Dual sided for AA or AAA, also Camera Batteries. Comes with either Canon or Nikon battery trays in a kit or sold separately. I was given one to use on my last trip and I loved it. The batteries allowed for fast full dumps and the charger is compact, light and perfect for travel as it allows me to charge 4 AA's and a camera battery at the same time or whatever else I need to charge.
Epson still leads the charge with their line of enlargement printers. Talk about delusions of grandeur, I would love to have one of these beasts in my garage.
Wireless downloaders made a nice splash but I think we will have to wait a while before we see one inside of a camera housing. Sigma, Tamron and Tokina all had a plethora of lenses to display including Sigma’s new 8mm super wide angle lens (Not available for Nikon mounts until May)
Overall for this underwater photographer the PMA show seemed a little anticlimactic. I had expected dueling castle sized walkthrough kiosks with Canon and Nikon lobbing new product bombs over each other's hulls (Editor's note -- It sounds like this happened at CES, so maybe they were tired). I imagined Nikon releasing something like a D400, with 15mp, full 1080p HD video with onboard image stabilizers. I imagined Canon releasing yet another relentless wave of high performance budget friendly cameras. But instead I was met with hybrid point and shoot cameras, gadgets fun for walkabouts and tripods...lots of tripods.
RELATED ARTICLES
LATEST EQUIPMENT
Be the first to add a comment to this article.
You must be logged in to comment.
Sponsor
Newsletter
Travel with us
Featured Photographer
Luis Quinta
Expert Photographer
Luis Quinta was born in Lisbon on March 6, 1965. When he was 14, he began wandering underwater in Sesimbra and in 1988 he took his first underwater photos. During his 18-year career he published around a thousand articles,...
Sponsors
