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.

A model being photographed by Clay Blackmore during a demo of the new Phottix Indra500 TTL AC/DC flash. photo © Andrew Darlow

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.

A comparison of prints made with the new Epson SureColor P600 compared with the Epson Stylus Photo R3000. Photo © Andrew Darlow

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!