Looking for new products. Have you seen any? McRitchie tried using this telescope to find them.

 

Ahoy there, matey! Up periscope! Have you seen any new products?

 

Honors to Cambo and Rene Rook. He was gracious and forthcoming in discussing the new products, including some that are not yet ready. Cambo rocks.

 

Cambo WRC400 with Palissander Wood Handle. 20mm shift plus separate tilt and swing on a body that weighs 29 ounces. Another sure hit product from Cambo.

 

Sneak peak at the upcoming Cambo Wide something, something. A technical camera with 60mm rise/fall, 50mm shift, and a sliding back.

 

Leaf Credo 80 on the AFi Mod 2 Camera (in all black). A great marriage of traditional and modern medium format.

 

Umm...this looks really nice.

 

Broncolor showed a new battery pack, the Broncolor Move L. 1200ws, 13lbs, up to 1/20,000th second flash duration, as fast as 0.02 recycle.

 

Broncolor Para line has been updated. Expanded metal construction, modified rear handle for easier setup/tear down, metal spokes that allow easier mounting of diffusers.

 

The Hensel EH Pro Mini P Lamphead. Solid construction and small size. I believe there is room in the market for a good 3rd option for those who cannot afford a Broncolor or ProFoto lighting system.

 

Security was tight in the Sony VIP section.

 

Samsung's security was a little more accommodating.

 

In the something old/something new category, the Lomography section's tag line was - "Leave the digital grind behind!"

 

And definitely something new. Automation is coming.....

 

How about this - a computerized camera (CapCam) that automatically adjusts the camera for control of depth of field. Believe it or not, this is not the first time this has been attempted (Sinar E, 1988).

 

Back to fundamental realities. Zeiss had a very nice exhibit that showed the step-by-step evolution of the manufacture of a lens. I believe everyone should see the process (and perhaps sit in a pre-design meeting) to see just how difficult it is and how long it takes to create an excellent lens product.

 

Speaking of lens products, not a lot of earth shattering news from medium format, but the new Schneider 28mm LS Lens for the Phase One/Mamiya 645Camera will be very appreciated by users. The calculations for this lens are different than for the Phase One/Mamiya 28mm D Lens. The new Schneider 28mm T/S for Canon/Nikon is actually the same optic as the Schneider 28mm LS for Phase One/Mamiya.

 

Hasselblad showed the updated H5D, which has some welcome enhancements compared to the H4D. I have to say, it looked better in person than what I had seen in product photographs. While some have snipped at what they see as modest enhancements, the cumulation of improvements make it a better camera.

 

Comebacks - Sinar showed some nice products, including the new 192 Megapixel Sinar eXact, new Sinar CaptureFlow software, and the Sinar LanTec technical camera, an update to the ArTec. Don't count Sinar out.

 

In addition to an upgraded Leica S2 camera, and 2 new M cameras, (the Leica M-E and Leica M), some color options made their appearance for collectors of all things Leica. This model would be the antithesis of the Leica MP, which was a basic black, and eliminated the red dot so as to make the camera less identifiable to would-be thieves.

 

Speaking of collectables, without a doubt, the most controversial new product announcement was the Hasselbald Lunar, via Hasselblad's collaboration and partnership with Sony. 47 customized versions of a Sony NEX 7, with some hand-built elements, and the potential for Hasselblad specific functionality. While it may seem like a Sonyblad roadmap, don't be surprised if the paths diverge in the future. This may just be a starting point.

 

But ultimately, no matter what, the staggering Leica Gallery space showed that the camera is only important in that it is the device that you deliver this with.

 

Ah, found it! The new Arca Swiss eModule Cloud. Shipping........soon, very soon.