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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
02-24-2017, 11:57 PM
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As for the last couple of years, I went to Yokohama for CP+ today. Most things have been covered already, but I'll add my thoughts, observations and a couple of bits of information I gleaned.
CP+ 2017
The show was as big and busy as usual on the Saturday. One thing that struck me this time was the diverse nature of the visitors. Of course, the vast majority if people were Japanese, but the crowd had a pretty good age and gender balance. There seemed to be a lot of young couples, many of whom seemed equally interested in the show and were talking knowledgeably about cameras and photos. Having seen pictures of Photokina and Photo Plus, it's a different crowd altogether. Also, the range of cameras being used was very broad. I saw a lot of K-1s, and a surprising amount of Nikon 1 and Canon M mirrorless.
The Ricoh booth
I think Ricoh had the best booth this time. It might not have been the most immediately impressive, because it was divided into lots of little zones, but it really showed what a range of products they have, and you could stay there for while exploring the various exhibits.
- There was a counter to try out most of the current models under supervision. I didn't bother because I've tried them all already.
- A full range of current products was displayed in a long glass cabinet. In case you are wondering, The Q-S1 was there, along with the lenses, as were the WG cameras. However, they were rather tucked away.
- I had a close look at the DFA 50mm mockup and it is definitely more than just a 3D printed model, but it did not have glass elements in it.
- The person I spoke to would not let on to any additional information, but I asked whether the Large Aperture Wide Angle on the roadmap was a renewal of the FA31 Ltd. and he categorically said it is not. It's a new design.
- They had a demonstration of Keenai the photo hosting service. It looks like good value. The main selling point seems to be that you can upload to the cloud without storing locally first. To be honest, I was just surprised to see it was even there, because some had suggested it was nothing to do with Ricoh Imaging.
- Theta had a strong presence at a prominent corner of the booth. What was interesting was the technical demonstration area. They had a video showing how 4K video looks better than standard HD. When I asked about this, I was given a strong hint that a 4K Theta is on the way.
- They had a small "Business Solutions" counter that had a 645 IR model, and there was a demonstration of how it could be used to read faded manuscripts. This counter also featured the Theta and G800 construction site camera.
Other booths
- Fujifilm: It was all about the GFX, but not very eventful otherwise. There was one very big print (4.5x3.5 metres). Ricoh should be doing that at every show for the 645.
- Nikon: "I AM HISTORY" if you believe some commentators, but the booth was getting big crowds for the presentations by photographers. Nikon certainly is putting some mileage on their "I AM" branding.
- Olympus and Sony both decided to have basketball players slam dunking to show off their continuous autofocus. It must have been a bit embarrassing when they saw each other setting up their booths with the same thing. At least Sony also had their comedy mechanical bird that has been wobbling around above their booth for the last three years.
- I went to Tamon, Sigma and Cosina, but no word on K-mount. Kenko-Tokina only had Samyang stuff in K-mount.
- Hasselblad: I got to try out the Mirrorless MF camera. It certainly is small, but the first thing I noticed was the heat it was producing. I thought it might have been heated by the lighting from the cabinet it had been sitting on, but it was the camera. This can't be a good thing. I bet this is why they've been having trouble with availability. The other thing I noticed was the strange behavior of the EVF. It does this strange thing where it goes all noisy just as you take the photo. I was both impressed and shocked at the same time. I think Fuji is going to eat them for breakfast.
- Panasonic: Average overall, but there was a very impressive demo of how their DFD focusing technology works. A video screen was showing the image as it is analysed, with arrows superimposed showing the direction of movement detected. So as you wave you hand in front, arrows appear in realtime, as if they were indicating wind on a weather map.
- One unwelcome trend for me was how many brands were showing off photography on 4K screens, backlighting, or otherwise illuminating prints to such a degree that the look like they are glowing. It takes all the subtlety out of the colours. Fortunately, Ricoh was not doing this.
That's it. If I think of anything else, I'll add it later.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-25-2017, 08:21 AM
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Kenpro also said primes in 2016 and how'd that work out? He's not a Ricoh employee and Ricoh, as a company, seems to turn on a dime.So, when, he learned this it was probably true. But things change.
---------- Post added 01-25-17 at 09:22 AM ----------
The bottom line is a car is just a tool to get from A to B. Forget if it is uncomfortable, doesn't handle well, breaks down often...
No, there are more aspects to a product than the bottom line.
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