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PhotoPlus Expo 2015 – Day 2 Observations and 20 Quick Booth Suggestions

A few days ago, I posted this pre-show article about the 2015 PhotoPlus Expo, in New York City. I spent the whole day at the expo on Friday, 10/23, and even though I am very tired as I write this, I feel that it would be a shame not to recommend some booths to visit and specific things to see before the show ends on Saturday, 10/24.

There are some things that you can’t easily experience on a website or even in a camera store, so I’ve put together a list of companies in booth order in case you’d like to treat this like a scavenger hunt. I list odd number aisles from low to high numbers, and even number aisles from high to low since that’s how you would normally walk up and down the aisles. If you attend, please consider commenting below about what you found interesting and/or inspiring.

There are many more booths I could mention, but I need to go to sleep sometime! Booth numbers follow each company listed below, and I Highly Recommend Checking Out…

1. Canon (#121) for their compact and impressive PowerShot G3 X digital camera with a 24-600mm effective focal length (35mm equivalent), and the G5 X (24-100 mm), which has a super-sharp EVF (Electronic Viewfinder). I was also impressed by the capabilities of Canon’s new 430EX III-RT Speedlite. The prints in the Canon gallery are also stunning. Thank you to Syl Arena of Pixsylated, and this episode of the TWiP podcast for the tip (I probably would not have known about the new flash had I not listened). On the page I linked to, you can also find a link to Syl Arena’s presentations at the Canon booth, and more information about the new flash.

2. G-Technology (#149) for their many well-made storage options. I learned that all of the enclosures they ship contain HGST hard drives, which have an excellent reputation in the industry.

3. Museo (#169) to see some incredible prints by Les Picker on matte and fiber-gloss papers. Picker’s work has appeared in hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, including National Geographic Society publications.

4. OWC Digital (#170) for their many storage options, and a dock called the Thunderbolt 2 Dock that can turn one Thunderbolt port into a wide array of inputs, including Ethernet, FireWire 800 and three USB fully-powered 3 ports (no external power needed).

5. Digital Silver Imaging (#173) for their true black and white digital silver prints and a new, easy print ordering system via their soon-to-be released iOS app. They are a pro imaging lab based in Massachusetts.

6. Peleman Industries/Unibind (#258) for their instant book binding and print mounting options. If you want to make a book quickly, they have some excellent options.

7. Sigma (#337) to see their many lenses and the impressive exhibition of backlit prints of various “critters” by David FitzSimmons.

8. Moab Paper (#354) for their “wall” featuring the same print made on different papers, as well as a beautiful presentation of face mounted prints on acrylic using their very unique paper, Moab Slickrock Metallic Silver.

9. Polar Pro (#361) for their new product, PowerGrip H20, a innovative tripod/extension arm, as well as a huge collection of GoPro and Drone accessories (GoPro users should definitely see their case with a built-in battery charger for two different GoPro battery types).

10. LensBaby (#372) for their many impressive lens offerings, including the new Composer Pro II with Edge 50 Optic. Definitely bring your camera to get the most from your visit there.

11. MagMod (#562) for some truly innovative magnetic shoe-mount flash accessories.

12. WD (Western Digital) (#573) for their many storage products, including the bus-powered WD My Passport Pro 4TB portable RAID storage with integrated Thunderbolt cable.

13. Peak Design (#669) for a look at their Everyday Messenger bag. The bag, which comes in two styles, was recently launched via a Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly five million dollars. The company has quite a few other new products worth a look as well, including The Field Pouch, three new waterproof camera covers called Shell, new and improved Peak Design anchors (if you know their products, they look like thumbnail-sized round disks with a cord attached), and a new system for changing lenses called CaptureLENS.

14. Hahnemühle (#655) for a look at all of their papers, including their newest Baryta paper called FineArt Baryta Satin. They also have artist signings each day.

15. Miller’s Professional Imaging (#701) for their many offerings, including small wood photo boxes that holds 4×4 inch mounted prints and matching stands. Very simple, yet elegant.

16. Epson (#707) for their amazing print gallery, and for a look at their newest line of fine art papers, called “Epson Legacy Papers.”

17. Blazing Editions (#859) for their truly jaw-dropping print samples. The company is a professional imaging lab based in Rhode Island.

18. Professional Graphics Systems (#933) to take a look at their impressive printed samples on different media and to see a sample of a removable, repositionable fabric material I had never seen before called Photo Tex. This material seems ideal for when you don’t want to use adhesives on walls when hanging prints.

19. LumeCube (#959) for their incredible new super-compact, powerful and waterproof LED external flash and video light (and companion iOS app).

20. WANDRD (#1227) to see their very innovative backpack, the PRVKE Pack. You can check out the company’s Kickstarter campaign here (ends 11/5).

I hope that you enjoy the show if you plan to visit. You can always check the companies’ websites for more info and updates (they are all linked above).

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Two Fantastic New York City Photo Events on 9/24/2015, Plus Upcoming Events in Toronto and LA

On Thursday, September 24, 2015, there will be two big photo- and imaging-related events happening in The Big Apple. Both are free to attend, though some seminars at the first event are fee-based (about $12 per session). Below are the details:

FIRST EVENT: The Stand Out! Photographic Forum

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2015
Time: 9:30am – 7:00pm
Location: Hudson Studios, New York City
Overview: This event is a combination trade show and series of seminars by some incredibly talented photographers and photo industry leaders.

Owners of medium format cameras can have them cleaned for no fee if you register in advance on the website. Mamiya Leaf and Phase One camera system owners can have their equipment both serviced and cleaned for no charge.

For more information or to register for either the trade show (free) or a seminar (about $12 ea), Visit This Page.

On that page, you will also see information about other Stand Out! Photographic Forum events happening in Toronto (9/29/2015) and Los Angeles (10/15/2015).

SECOND EVENT: Synchronized Swimming in Times Square, NYC

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2015
Time: 9:00am – 5:45pm
Location: North end of Times Square between 46th and 47th Street, and Broadway and Seventh Avenue (next to the TKTS ticket booth).

This free event, called “Swimming In Ink,” looks like it will be a great opportunity to experience something rarely seen in the middle of New York City. The U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team, sponsored by Epson and Staples, will perform a series of synchronized swim routines in a 17,000 gallon swim tank...I hope it’s heated :). The swimmers will be performing hourly in swimsuits printed by Epson dye-sub printers. The 2016 Olympic Synchronized Swimming Duet will also be in attendance.

The athletes will also be available for autographs and photos with attendees throughout the day. If you can’t be there in person but if you’d still like to see the event, performances will stream live at www.epson.com/SwimmingInInk. The event is being produced in part to highlight the arrival of Epson’s new family of innovative EcoTank printers.

If you’d like much more information about the event, visit this multimedia news release page.

QUICK TIP FROM ANDREW

I should note that it’s very easy to attend both events. I recommend checking the seminar schedule first (you can find it here), then find some time to see at least one of the performances in Times Square.

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PhotoPlus Expo 2014 Day 1 Quick Review

It’s late October, and that means the candy store of all candy stores for those who love everything related to photography and video (a.k.a. the PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo) is open for business at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Before Day 2 begins, I wanted to get a quick post out about my thoughts on the show, and highlight a few things that I highly recommend seeing.

To sum things up in a few words, the show (as usual), is amazing. There are about 220 vendors, representing virtually every photo and video product category imaginable. My favorite thing to do at the show is see the prints on the walls, whether they are from printer manufacturers, paper manufacturers, contest winners in various galleries on the trade show floor, or companies who specialize in fine art printing, and there are many opportunities to do that at this year’s show. Here are just a few specific booths that really impressed me, and I recommend checking out this post from last year with many booth reviews, since most of what I wrote about the companies last year is still valid for this year’s show. You’ll just need to find their booth number for this year’s show. I will also restate one quick tip that I cover in this other article (along with information on the PhotoPlus Mobile App, which is fantastic) and that is to bring a few SD and/or CF cards with you so that you can put them in various cameras and “pixel peep” later on. The miracle of metadata inside the files will give you a lot of information about the images.

A Few Highlights From the Show Floor

1. LED Light Cube (Booth #1073): This was probably the biggest “jaw dropper” that I saw at the show. Imagine a powerful, battery-powered portable light that’s about the size of a square tissue box that can produce both continuous light and flash using LEDs (with no recycle time). You can also dial in the flash duration from 1/8000 to 1 second. Cost is about $600 and there is a show special available from Adorama and possibly other vendors who sell the product. For more information, visit this page.

2. Phottix (Booth #1025): Phottix is known for its wireless triggers and other flash accessories, and this year they announced an impressive 500 watt second portable AC/DC strobe unit with battery pack called the Phottix Indra500 TTL Studio Light. Here’s a good overview of the product, with a video and list of booth presentations for the rest of the show.

3. Epson (Booth #701): Epson’s booth is always filled with incredible photographs made on its printers. This year the company is highlighting a new 13-inch-wide printer, the Epson SureColor P600. The main improvements you’ll see when viewing prints is that the black density has been improved, which allows for better Dmax (maximum black levels). Also, the amount of ink used when switching between the photo and matte black inks has been reduced significantly. The prints on display (especially those made on Epson’s different canvas media) are stunning. There are nine cartridges in total (8 used at any one time), and each holds 25.9 ml of ink. MSRP is US $799. For more information about the new printer, visit this page.

4. Unique Photo (Booth #937): Unique Photo always has a big booth at the show, and the main reason I mention them is that their booth presentations by working pros are always very informative, and their stage with body-painted models offers a great opportunity to get some great photographs without having to hire an artist and models. For more information, including a schedule of booth talks, visit this page.

5. Panasonic (Booth #837): I mention Panasonic’s booth for a few reasons. First, they, like a number of other camera manufacturers, are offering free clean and checks of their cameras during the show. Also, in the booth this year will be Frederick Van Johnson, host of This Week in Photography (TwiP). The show is one of my favorite photo-related podcasts, and it’s one that I have had the honor of being a guest on a few times over the years. Frederick will be conducting interviews with Pros who use Panasonic gear. The interviews will also be recorded, and you can find a link to them (as well as a contest to win a Lumix GM5 camera) on this page.

There are many other booths I could highlight, but I want to make this post live ASAP, so I’ll be back soon with more of my suggestions.

Enjoy the show if you plan to visit!