PMA Exhibition - report!

We went to the PMA Exhibition in Melbourne this morning (in Jeff's Shed), somewhat gloomily titled this year "Digital Life Expo". It was difficult finding anything film related, but the Fujifilm stand had a display case full of film and the Kodak stand had a few rolls of 400 ISO 35mm film. Another stand had some Alpa and Cambo 6x9 view cameras, and the Hasselblad stand had a single historic 500 slr in a display case. The Camera collectors society had a stall with some beautiful ephemera, and that was about it really. Still some interesting things - I can't see 3D TV or still 3D picture frames really taking off any more than any other time in history - the technology is "cool", but kind of uncomfortable after a brief period (the glasses AND the 3D-ness) - it is almost a real "mental commitment", more so than just staring at a print, or slumping in front of the telly after a hard working day...

Oh, and you get a lot more friendly attention at stalls wearing a "professional photographer" lanyard. I felt quite special for two hours...

Marc!

A "Digital Life Expo"? What is that, prey tell? An industry euphemysm to "o escape now — hand over your cash for the latest and greatest every 6 months!"? Alpa and Cambo 6x9 would have had a commanding visual presence — were they actually being used or samples of images created from them?

Just a "single historic 500" from Hassy?? Would have been much better to have Hasselblad corral pro and amateur photographers who have created artworks with their cameras and display one beautiful print each, rather than have a lone harkness of a camera to what seems (to Hasselblad and all the others) to be a 'bygone era'. Which it is not.

Alice in Wonderland is extra special in 3D in big screen cinemas, but TVs? Weren't there experiments for 3D TVs a decade or more back? And who will stock up on the expensive 3D glasses needed to view the dang boxes??

Active photographers down here today with no digitals anywhere! Me and SMBooth spent an enjoyable morning landscaping at Dog Rocks here in Geelong, getting alternately lashed by gales, pelted by rain then warmed by sun. Atmospheric stormy skies and clouds and pink-tinted granite — great for any film and format (pinholes got a work out too), with rainbows bang on cue; not sure how SMB's rainbows will come out in B&W...

I can't understand why they would have promoted such a fad as digital photography........

OK, I know, I am cynical, but really I wouldn't expect much more from PMA.

As for 3D TV, I don't think I am cynical when I say that is just a fad.....YUK

I went to PMA the other day & was disappointed like the other time I went. For starters I hate pushing & shoving people, then the tossers running about with there cameras like they are the worlds greatest photographer.

Ok now my cry is over.

I was keen on seeing the Fuji 3D camera. It's nice but a bit hard to handle, not very ergonomic. As for 3D pictures they tend to make me nautious so 3D will not be making its way to my home.

Seeing I have a Nikon DSLR I was keen to check out the FM10. Only to be told they didn't bring any for the Nikon stand.

FujiFilm did have the best stand in my eyes. They did have a display that represented all the areas they cover & showed there commitment to photography. Also I got a great show bag from Fuji with stuff that is usable, a pen, lanyard, & a lens cloth on a key chain.

Kodak on the other hand was such a disappointment. There representatives were retards in Kodak geek uniforms. But they have nothing & what they do offer, they cant seem to supply you consumables to keep using.

Others I know who also went noticed how the quality of gear has gone down.

I forgot to mention Polaroid was there. They had there new 300 camera, which they took my picture with. But they couldn't give any firm comment if we will get film from the impossible project, others were asking them for film also. So Polaroid does have users out there in this digital world manufactures are pushing on us.

Did you notice any new consumer (EpsonV750 type) scanners on show?

The highlight for me was to see the Focal Press stand. They had copies of the Focal Encyclopedia there. I thumbed through a copy and thought it was good, but it wasn't good enough for me to upgrade from my two volume version, which is decades old.

I enquired about Way Beyond Monochrome Two, but was told Australia probably wouldn't be getting it. Nobody purchases film based books it appears, or at least according to the Australian branch of Focal Press.

They couldn't find anything about it on their blackberry type telephones in their Australian inventory, nor on their coming later list, which was apparently right up to date.

I saw a brand new German 35mm slide projector, not sure if it was old stock, but it was there.

I was shopping for a new camera bag to replace my 25 years plus Lowe Pro, manufactured in Ireland bag. Didn't find what I would like, unfortunately. I spoke to Kurt Rogers (co-founder of Think Tank photo bags) who had come from California, along with his wife, to flog their product.

Nice product, nice prices, but the slightly bigger bags that could carry my 4x5 equipment all have internal space for a computer, robbing Peter to pay Paul really. There generally wasn't quite enough room for photographic equipment of the lens, body and film holder type, without having to purloin space allocated to a computer and it's accessories, which one couldn't do anyway!

I asked why the wheels on their trolly like bags were so miniscule as they just attract ruts, cracks and dirt like a magnet. His reply was most interesting, "we are getting quite a few requests for larger pneumatic wheels".

I also asked this question at the Lowe Pro bag stand, their reply was nearly identical. Seems that in the not so distant future, we may see larger bags with real wheels designed to traverse something larger than a tiled floor space, without having a breakdown.

The show has effectively turned into a computer show, that is, computers with an optic or bubble jet printer attached.

I agree with Marc, the Canon New F1 with the 800mm lens attached, was the nicest looking piece of equipment there.

Mick.

Mick Fagan said:

I saw a brand new German 35mm slide projector, not sure if it was old stock, but it was there.

Mick.

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I have been reading slide or transparency is booming in Europe.

I was all booked in to go, and keen to attend the talk by Ellie of Gold Street Studios, as well as a couple others, but some big family events saw my priorities shift... doesn't sound like I missed all that much though. ...and 'yes', the 'digital life' bit did have me a bit miffed too...

Mick said:

Mick Fagan said:

The highlight for me was to see the Focal Press stand... I enquired about Way Beyond Monochrome Two, but was told Australia probably wouldn't be getting it. Nobody purchases film based books it appears, or at least according to the Australian branch of Focal Press.

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How the hell can we buy it if they wont import it!!

They couldn't find anything about it on their blackberry type telephones in their Australian inventory, nor on their coming later list, which was apparently right up to date.

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And this from a specialist photographic publishing house! Sometimes they dont deserve to exist. I assume they'd rather stuff the shelves full of yet another "how to capture Yosemite on your blackberry type telephone" book. Jeez this is depressing.

(Rant over)
Carey

I thought Way Beyond Monochrome could be ordered direct from Amazon.com?
Many people in Australia do order stuff from them.

Gary, the first edition has sold out, so only old stock, or secondhand.

For the next edition there is a thread on APUG regarding when it's happening (September this year), where it's happening and most importantly, how one can get a copy.

I have signed up for a copy, when it becomes available I would hope and/or expect to see it in my hot little hands before the Summer holidays.

I believe it is 500 + pages which will be read under the shade of the camper awning, it will be a perfect summer holiday, especially when one will have time to pull the camera out and experiment on what I may have just read in the book.

I bought my copy of the book from a dealer in Glasgow, possibly the best general book of photography I have read since reading Ansel Adams trilogy of books. In quite a few aspects, better than Ansel's books.

Mick.

Poisson Du Jour said:

I thought Way Beyond Monochrome could be ordered direct from Amazon.com?
Many people in Australia do order stuff from them.

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It'll no doubt be available from a number of online resellers when published (refer Mick's earlier post). But I shouldn't have to resort to using those distribution channels. I should be able to hold the book in my hands first (and confirm quality, content etc) before dropping a not-inconsiderable sum of cash on it.

Moreover, if focal press have an already established infrastructure to import books to Oz, what is the marginal cost of adding another title to an existing range? I would have thought more titles would mean fixed costs could be spread across an even greater volume of sales?

(Having said that this does look like a no-brainer purchase decision for any "real" photographer.)

Cheers

Carey Bird

Epson Scanner

SMBooth said:

Did you notice any new consumer (EpsonV750 type) scanners on show?

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They had a V300 and a V700 there and a LOT of huge inkjet printers.
Jackson