PMA 2009 was slower than recent years. But all visitors seemed to be in good spirit and there are always some new interesting things to find.

Uwe Steinmueller demonstrated his innovative new tonemapping technique.

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PMA 2009

Cameras

Leica

• S2 prototype with amazing viewfinder. Planned for summer.

Olympus

• E-620 4/3 DSLR
  • seems to be the same 12MP sensor as in the E-30)
  • Swivel LCD
  • Sensor IS
  • Very small

Sigma

• DP2. like DP1 but with 40mm f/2.8 (35mm equivalent) lens

Micro 4/3 and similar designs (cameras with interchangeable lenses and no mirror)

Panasonic

• Lumix GH1: G1 with HD video 1080, 24P, continuous f-stop, servo AF during filming, external microphone option
• 7-14mm f/4 lens

• 14-140mm lens

Olympus

Seems that Olympus plans to launch a Micro 4/3 camera and lenses in 2009. They showed mockup versions.

Samsung

• NX concept camera (APS-C size camera). Samsung's answer to the Panasonic G1. No details and dates available.

Digicams

Canon

• PowerShot SX1 IS comes now with RAW support

Fuji

• FinePix F200EXR (new EXR sensor for high dynamic range and high ISO)

Nikon

• COOLPIX P90 (24x ultra zoom)

Panasonic

• Lumix ZS3 (includes HD 720p video. effective 25-300mm optical zoom )
• Lumix TS1 (rugged, HD 720p video)

Sony

• HX1 Cyber-shot: Sweeps panoramas

Lenses

Canon

• New TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II and the TS-E 17mm f/4L Tilt-Shift Lenses

     

• Featuring Canon's SubWavelength structure Coating (SWC)

The TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II is expected to ship in May for an estimated retail price of $2,199.00. The TS-E 17mm f/4L is expected to ship in May for an estimated retail price of $2,499.00.

These lenses are clearly quite expensive. Only tests can tell about the optical and mechanical quality. A 17mm TS lens seems to be a first and is likely welcome for architecture photographers.

 

Nikon

• AF-S DX NIKKOR 35MM f/1.8G (estimated selling price of $199.95)

Tools

Datacolor

• Spider Cube white balance tool

X-Rite

• ColorMunki Photo now includes Unlimited Seat Licensing (also for existing users)

Hoodman

• 3" camera LCD loup with diopter (Great for inspecting photos or liveview)
• HoodEYE camera eyepieces (sealing off ambient light)

Think Tank Photo

• Pixel Sunscreen V 2.0 (get products with bonus gift)

Novoflex

• Innovative tripods with 4 legs, monopods and ball heads

Printing

Canson

• Old French company getting a more visible brand for fine art papers (Canson Infinity/Arches). We plan to look much more into these papers.

Hahnemuehle

• Gallerie Wrap: Unique simple solution to stretch canvas onto a frame (in about 5 minutes)

     

Software Solutions

Nik Software

• Nik Viveza works now also as Lightroom plugins (get products with discount).

HDRSoft

• Lightroom plug-in for Photomatix streamlines your HDR workflow (get products with discount).

Misc

You know some latest news?

If you hear any news then please send us a note: uwe@outbackphoto.com

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