Pixel Magazine - 31st August 2012

ISSUE NO. 880

The magazine that understands the world of imaging, past, present and future

News Jessops Opens New Centre of Excellence Jessops has unveiled another Centre of Excellence store, located in York, following the re-launch of its London Flagship store.

The store showcases a customer friendly layout enabling customers to test and trial a vast portfolio of cameras, camcorders, accessories and Jessops photo products.

Customers will be encouraged to trial the products and staff will happily demonstrate key features such as low light, Wi-Fi cameras and superzoom.

The shop-in-shop design allows the customer to browse by brand, there is also a designated area for bags and cases making navigation around the store accessible and enjoyable.

Jessops offers the facility to set up a new camera for free and its experts are on hand to offer any assistance required. www.jessops.com

Sekonic Product Giveaway Promotion For a limited time, JP Distribution will be offering a free Sekonic Exposure Profile Target worth £124.99 Inc VAT with any meter purchased from the L-758 Series.

Choose from the L-758D, L-758DR and L-758Cine meters.

A dedicated UK network of Sekonic retailers will be supporting this promotion. The Sekonic L-758 Series Promotion will run from 1st August and will be available whilst stocks last.

In addition, don’t forget that all UK sourced meters now come with a 5 year warranty. www.sekonic.com

®

www.pixel.co.uk

31/08/2012

no BusIness like Show Business!

Autumn’s key imaging events are set to demonstrate the direction of our industry.

Once every two years, autumn brings not one but two crucial imaging events to retailers: photokina in Cologne, and the UK’s very own Retail Imaging Show.

2012’s photokina, held from 18th to 23rd September, will centre heavily around the influence of mobile technology and video on the imaging market, and you can read more about this in our special report on page 6.

As always in photokina years, The Retail Imaging Show will offer a recap of all the news and products from Cologne for UK visitors who didn’t make the trip over to Germany. Hosted at Mercedes Benz World in Weybridge, The Retail Imaging Show has

been carefully designed to bring maximum benefit and opportunity to UK retailers. This year, the show will tie in with Pixel’s stance as the magazine that understands the world of imaging retail, multiple and independent, past, present and future, with exhibitors from all walks of imaging, electronics and more. Look out for our special edition on 11th September for all you need to know on this year’s event.

Also taking place on 12th October at Mercedes Benz World is the annual Pixel Trade Awards ceremony, where brands and companies are awarded accolades voted for exclusively by Pixel readers. and you will find all the details for this year’s awards on page 5. Happy voting!

Nikon Expands 1 Range Another model and accessories added to Nikon’s Compact Sys-

Re-affirming their commitment to the CSC market, Nikon have released the J2, a new addition to the Nikon 1 system. Designed to “act fast”, this simple-to-use and stylish camera has all that is needed to capture stunning photos and movies in the ultra-portable body whch makes the category popular.

Staying true to the Nikon 1 concept of small and stylish cameras, the Nikon 1 J2 is being launched alongside the new 1 NIKKOR 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which also comes in a range of colours and the WP-N1 waterproof case that allows photographers to take the camera to new underwater frontiers.

Simon Iddon, Product Manager for Nikon 1 at Nikon UK commented: “We’re delighted with the success of the Nikon 1 and are very proud of this latest iteration. The new model combines the super high-speed performance, image quality and system size that the Nikon 1 series is known for, and is

tem.

available in a number of new colours to fit in with even more photographers’ styles”.

For full details, see our Launch Pad section on page 13. www.nikon.com

reacts quickly, misses nothing

16

Capture all the action with 12 framesper-second shooting, 1080 Full HD movie capture and continuous autofocus for movies and stills. www.pixellive.co.uk www.sony.co.uk/alpha57

BEST IMAGING INNOVATION Sony SLT, Translucent Mirror Technology

www.pixellive.co.uk 1

2 www.pixellive.co.uk

The Insider

Saying what you are thinking and asking the difficult questions. Each issue ‘The Insider’ reports back from the frontline of our industry.

It’s been a good summer for royalty, a good summer for cycling, a good summer for torch bearing and a good summer for pretty much every Olympic sport (I’m not mentioning the football deliberately, I haven’t forgotten the Euros although I wish I could!).

It’s also been a good summer for the word ‘legacy’. It’s become the buzzword for sports, education, architecture, and social regeneration and for the brilliantly funny television programme 2012. With all of these photo opportunities it has also been a good summer for photography, both professional and amateur but I sadly and perhaps somewhat surprisingly haven’t heard the ‘L’ word used in the context of our industry, within our industry or in connection with photography.

We all know from experience of watching all of the events I have outlined that they were captured by thousands of devices capable of creating photographic images but what will happen to those memories now? Will they be printed to be placed carefully into albums or picture frames? Or are they more likely to be lost in the digital stratosphere, deleted when more memory on their chosen device is required?

What will happen to those who enjoyed capturing those moments and found that they could create better images than they ever thought possible? Will they now be encouraged by our industry, the people who rely upon them within a retailing context to see their images as the beginning of a new hobby, past time or adventure? Will the images they have created and seen this summer provide a photographic legacy? If not I want to know why not?

This summer has been a tough one within the retailing sector and surely none of us (no matter how large or how small) are in a position to miss an opportunity to promote and market what we have to offer. And yet I have seen nothing from anybody within our sector recognising the opportunities these events have presented.

Instead all of the talk I hear is of photokina, an event which I believe is of no relevance to our existing or potential customers.

It seems to me that we have lost sight of what is important and what is important is photography and the customer and how those two elements come together. This has happened repeatedly over the last few months and we have watched it happen and done nothing about what it could have meant for us, our businesses and our industry as a whole.

We all understand the importance of young people watching sport and then wanting to get personally involved, so why are we unable to see a parallel with photography?

New Kata Premier Dealer Scheme Manfrotto Distirbution offers extra support for dealers selling Kata bags.

Kata bags, owned and distributed

by Manfrotto Distribution Ltd, has recently been the focus of an extensive project designed to deliver further value into proactive independent photographic retailers through the creation of a national network of official Kata Premier Dealers.

Leveraging traditional independent retail values such as unrivalled customer service and

product knowledge - two key ingredients when it comes to effectively passing on the features and benefits of a Kata camera bag over its rivals - retailers signing up to the network are able to take advantage of a number of benefits designed to assist with the sales cycle.

Commenting on the increasing number of retailers signing up to the Network, newly installed Manfrotto Distribution Managing Director, Chris Carr, stated, “The Kata brand has gone through a huge transition and we are delighted this range has been welcomed with very positive feedback and an array of awards.

To go along side this we have also developed a Premier Dealer Scheme to allow those that invest in space and training to gain improved support including Premier Dealer promotions, training, web support and specific promotional advertising.” www.manfrottodistribution.co.uk

FOCUS

News CorelDraw Membership Program Announced Corel has announced its new Membership Program where CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 users can connect through a new cloudbased environment to leading edge graphic design tools and digital content. The new Membership Program will officially roll out today across multiple regions and will offer two membership levels.

Standard Membership gives users product updates, as well as online access to digital content. Premium Membership provides exclusive digital content and early use of new product features before they are introduced to the broader CorelDRAW community in future product releases. In addition, Premium members will receive major product upgrades as they become available. www.corel.com

I AM: photokina Nikon will once again be the premier booth at photokina, bringing the theme ‘I AM Life’ to the world’s leading imaging show. Expect hands-on access to the latest products and exciting presenters in the most spectacular booth in Halle 2.2 at the Koelnmesse.

Central to the Nikon booth will be a giant interactive multimedia ‘heart’. In addition, visitors will be able to enjoy the huge I AM Nikon video screen and presentation area throughout the day. Nikon Europe has assembled some of the world’s finest photographers and filmmakers, including Sandro Miller and Anthony Arendt, who will be presenting their Nikon D800 ‘Joy Ride’ video. Adventure sports photographer, Rainer Eder, and renowned pet photographer, Carli Davidson, will also introduce their work, educate, entertain and inspire visitors with their presentations.

This year, Nikon is planning to surprise guests once again, taking over the South Entrance to offer more photo fun, with the option to email, print or share the results on the Nikon booth.

Furthermore, Nikon will be showcasing its full range of products. www.nikon.com

www.pixellive.co.uk 3

www.pixellive.co.uk 22 www.pixellive.co.uk 4

SPECIAL REPORT

YOUR Trade Awards 2012

Nominated, voted for and chosen by Pixel readers every year, the Pixel Trade Awards ceremony gives the UK’s imaging retail trade the opportunity to recognise its heroes.

Don’t miss out on having your say in who wins this year... find out how to vote below.

Pixel magazine is delighted to announce the categories for this year’s Pixel Trade Awards, which will take place on 12th October.

Regular readers and those who have voted in previous years may notice that there is a category missing this year, and no, it’s not an oversight - we have dropped the award for Film/ Media supplier of the year.

Commenting on the choice to remove this award from the running, Simon Skinner, Director of the Pixel Trade Awards, said: “As we all know, our industry has been in a constant state of change since the Pixel Trade Awards were established. We recognised this in recent years by adding categories such as Online Retailer of the Year and Innovative Product of the Year, which obviously extended the amount of awards given out.

“We have thought carefully about removing another award so that the list does not keep getting longer, and it is with some regret we recognise that there are no longer enough manufacturers actively working with film to warrant a Film Manufacture category. The ‘media’ part of the title referred to memory when these two means of recording images were sharing the same task, but we have seen from the nominees in recent years that our readers and voters place digital memory firmly within the ‘accessories’ bracket, so this part of the defunct award is already covered.

“This leaves us with a list which is once again clear and concise, to give voters a comprehensive chance to name the businesses and people they value the most under each relevant category without confusion.”

Without further ado, the categories are: 1. Accessory Manufacturer of the Year 2. Processing Manufacturer of the Year 3. Hardware Manufacturer of the Year 4. Independent Retailer of the Year 5. Multiple Retailer of the Year 6. Mass Retailer of the Year 7. Online Retailer of the Year 8. Independent Minilab of the Year 9. Multiple Minilab of the Year 10. Consumer Magazine of the Year 11. Distributor of the Year 12. Innovative Product of the Year 13. Rep of the Year 14. Retail Sales Person of the Year 15. Outstanding Contribution to the industry Once again, the Pixel Trade Awards will implement a staggered voting system to ensure the whole trade gets a chance to vote. Each set of categories will be open for votes on

designated dates, and then close in time for the next categories to open. Once the last category has closed, all the votes will be collected and counted, revealing the winners for the first time to Pixel’s staff, who are then charged with the task of keeping the results under wraps until the big day.

How to vote: Visit the website at www.pixeltradeawards. co.uk and enter your details. There’s no long form to fill out, just your email address for identification purposes (which will, of course, be kept confidential and not connected with your votes).

Then enter who you would like to win the selection of awards displayed: there are no shortlists or options to restrict you to a selection of nominees, whoever you register your vote for will be automatically nominated. As the votes are counted by humans, not computers, you don’t need to worry about how you enter a company or individual’s name as long as we can identify who you mean (for example Pixel, Pixel Magazine, Pixle, Pixel Ltd would all be recognised as this magazine). This system has been developed in order for the awards to truly represent the free opinions of their voters - a tradition on which the Pixel Trade Awards prides itself.

TRADE

AWARDS

2012

The dates the respective categories are open are as follows: Monday 27th Aug - Sunday 2nd Sept: The Suppliers: Accessory Manufacturer of the year, Processing Manufacturer of the Year, Hardware Manufacturer of the Year, Monday 3rd Sept - Sunday 9th Sept: The Retailers: Independent Retailer of the Year, Multiple Retailer of the Year, Mass Retailer of the year, Online Retailer of the Year, Monday 10th Sept - Sunday 16th Sept: Distributor of the year, Consumer Magazine of the Year,

Monday 17th Sept - Sunday 23rd Sept: Independent Minilab Retail of the Year, Multiple Minilab of the Year Monday 24th Sept - Sunday 30th Sept: Innovative Product of the Year, Rep of the year, Retail Salesperson of the Year The winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award has already been chosen by Pixel’s team and advisors, and we look forward to sharing this accolade with its receiver so that we can all celebrate their hard work and the influence it has had on so many businesses.

But, it’s being kept under wraps for now, to be revealed on the night, so in the meantime make sure you stay tuned and vote for the companes, individuals and products who have impressed you in the last year.

The Pixel Trade Awards are every imaging retailer’s opportunity to make their voice heard, and to recognise their industry winners. Every vote is counted and the awards are given to the nominees with the most votes - that’s it.

No judging panels, no editor’s choices, no advertiser-giveaways, nothing but the opinions of Pixel’s readers. www.pixeltradeawards.co.uk

www.pixellive.co.uk 5

SPECIAL REPORT

photokina For a New World photokina 2012 will focus heavily on mobile imaging and filmmaking, thereby demonstrating the impact these trends are having on the current and future nature of the imaging retail market. Here’s what the influence of these sectors is bringing to this year’s event...

Smartphones with camera and video functions are increasingly enriching the photography and imaging sector and are largely responsible for the tremendous increase in the number of image-capturing devices in use today.

Mobile terminals that are equipped with eight megapixels and more, BSI sensors, extensive camera software and many apps are regarded as “always available” cameras whose resolution meets photographic standards. photokina will address this theme and present the various aspects of mobile imaging in a special area that offers visitors lots of infotainment and many opportunities for interaction. Smartphone manufacturers, network suppliers and app producers will all be presenting their portfolios in the photokina activity area. The well-known Smartphone producer HTC will be presenting its product range as a premium partner of the Mobile Imaging special area.

For Martin Kang, Head of Marketing at HTC explains, “photokina is an ideal platform where professional photography experts as well as passionate amateur photographers from all over the world can share ideas and find out about the current trends and latest technologies in modern photography. One of these trends is without a doubt mobile imaging, which is driven by the growing demand for high-performance and well-equipped smartphones. This is where HTC comes into play. One of the features of the smartphone innovations we are focusing on this year is the camera function. The HTC One product family is exploiting the potential of the camera function to the full - and we want to demonstrate that to all the visitors at photokina.”

The Mobile Imaging area will be located at Stand D10/D12 in Hall 5.2.

At photokina 2012, two of the trend themes are taking movies with digital still cameras and photography with mobile telephones or smartphones. A large amount of exhibition space, where trade visitors can get more information, is being dedicated to both of these technological trends, which are having such a significant impact on the imaging sector.

Market observations reveal that most of the digital still cameras sold are capable of taking HD quality movie sequences. This is especially true for single lens reflex (SLR) cameras and system cameras. Today 9% of professional photographers consider the movie function essential, over 50% consider it to be useful, and three quarters of professionals think it’s at least relevant. In order to highlight the growing importance of filming with digital SLR (DSLR) and system cameras, photokina 2012 is

6 www.pixellive.co.uk

“An increasing proportion of professional photographers are taking advantage of the possibilities offered by the moving image.” dedicating a showcase area to this segment in Hall 4.1. Under the name “shoot movie”, this space offers suppliers an optimal setting for presenting their products to the trade public. Because filming with DSLR and system cameras is increasingly becoming a necessity for professionals users, special attention will be given to their needs. The presentation will be supplemented by a stage program that is tailored to the needs of the imaging professional.

The program will consist of discussions, lectures, and workshops. Among other things, these activities will address the issue of what today’s professionals can and must do in order to win new clients.

Photography with mobile telephones and smartphones is the theme of the showcase area in hall 5.2. Largely driven by the success of the iPhone and its like, this segment is widely regarded as an important segment of

the photography industry. Experts believe that worldwide around 700 million smartphones will be sold in 2012. These days, every third mobile phone sold in Europe is a smartphone and of course, lots of pictures are taken with these devices. In the USA, the portion of pictures that were taken with smartphones grew from 17% to 27% in 2011.

The showcase area at photokina will enable smartphone manufacturers to present their products under the same excellent conditions as those enjoyed by network providers and app creators.

An increasing proportion of professional photographers are taking advantage of the possibilities offered by filming with still cameras in order to broaden their creative horizons and move into new areas of business. At the “shoot movie Park” in Hall 4.1, photokina will offer this target group a special theme area tailor-made for their needs, where suppliers will have an optimal location to present themselves to a trade audience. As premium partners, the Canon and Zeiss companies will present Richard Walch and Sebastian Wiegärtner live on the shoot movie stage.

“Making high-quality movies is one of the growing challenges faced by photographers.

Everyone - from the DSLR beginner to the professional film and TV producer - is looking for practical support for the realisation of their creative ideas,” explains Nikola Tillmann, Product

www.pixellive.co.uk 7

Manager SLR and System Cameras at Canon Germany. Richard Walch, sailor, snowboarder and photographer, will be one of the representatives of Canon at the shoot movie Park, presenting his film about cycle ball that was made with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and, as part of his presentation, he’ll report on his experiences with filming using a DSLR. Impressive works of photographic and film art such as “The King’s Speech” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy have been shot using ZEISS lenses.

That’s reason enough for Martin Dominicus, Head

8 www.pixellive.co.uk

of Marketing of Carl Zeiss AG to make a presentation at the shoot movie Park for his company. “Carl Zeiss cooperates closely with photographers and filmmakers when it is developing its lenses. That’s why it’s important for us to participate at the shoot movie Park during photokina 2012 in order to get more feedback and interact with suppliers and other interested parties,” he says. Cameraman Sebastian Wiegärtner will be on hand to contribute to the Carl Zeiss presentation.

Trade visitors to photokina will also have access to the International Buyers’ Lounge, located directly at Entrance North of the exhibition centre. With its extensive range of information packages, conference rooms (including an optional interpreter service) and a relaxation lounge, this site will offer all of the services that trade dealers need in order to prepare perfectly for their day at the fair.

During the entire trade fair, trade dealers can visit this area to find up-to-date information, prepare for their upcoming meetings and receive help from the knowledgeable trade fair team in order to make new business contacts or coordinate appointments. The International Business Lounge will thus act as a back office for its users.

The lounge is open exclusively to registered trade dealers. Registration can be carried out at the fair or in advance on the Internet. The International Buyers’ Lounge at Entrance North will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in other words, from one hour before the start of the fair until one hour after it has closed.

Despite the heavy emphasis on the wider digital future of imaging, analogue and print technologies will be making a strong appearance at this year’s photokina.

Subscribers to InPrint magazine, who will have received an issue along with this edition of Pixel, can read all about photokina’s print focus on pages 22 and 23. www.photokina.de

www.pixellive.co.uk 9

10 www.pixellive.co.uk

THE BUSINESS

Jacobs’ Stock Auction Assets to be made available from 28th August via Jones Lang LaSalle.

The assets of Cecil Jacobs Ltd. have been put up for sale after the firm went into administration earlier this year.

More than half a million pounds of the firm’s assets will be made available to buyers by Jones Lang LaSalle on behalf of joint administrators PKF LLP. Over 2,000 lots will be offered to bidders during a five day online auction which will begin on the 28 August.

Approximately 400 lots of both branded and non-branded assets will be made available each day, with the auction already attracting significant international interest.

Items of note include a Leica M9 camera which retails at more than £5,000, in addition to hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of SLR and digital cameras and lenses from retailers such as Sony, Panasonic, Leica and Sigma.

The Leicester based camera specialists who at one point were the largest independent camera retailer in the UK - struggled during the economic downturn with their demise accelerated by a rise in the market for quality camera phones and a surge in online competition.

After diminishing sales the firm finally went into administration on the 1 June, resulting in 158 job losses.

The family-run business, founded in 1939, had operated 19 UK stores under the Jacobs brand, including branches in London, Leicester, Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Birmingham.

Mike Hanson, director of machinery and business assets at Jones Lang LaSalle’s Nottingham office, says the sale offers an attractive proposition for potential buyers both in terms of the quality and range of assets on offer.

Mr Hanson said: “It’s never good to see an established family-run company go out of business, especially when jobs are lost, but we’re confident of realising a substantial amount from the sale of a wide range of high quality electronic products.

“There were a lot of factors working against the firm that lead to their eventual administration, and we hope some positives can come from the sale by finding new homes from a vast array of quality goods.

“We’re braced for substantial interest throughout the five day online auction and would expect to sell the vast majority of lots on offer to both domestic and foreign buyers.”

Bidding will open at 10am on the 28 August and begin closing at 10:30am on the 4 September. www.joneslanglasalle.co.uk.

A Summer Washout?

Summer 2012 fails to be the ‘perfect storm’ of retail that was exected.

After a wash out June, with dull sales compounded by wet weather, UK retail sales values were up 0.1% on a like-for-like basis from July 2011, when they were up 0.6% on a year ago. On a total basis, sales were up 2.0%, against a 2.5% rise in July 2011.

Helen Dickinson, Head of Retail, KPMG, said: “Sadly July was a lacklustre month and it’s doubtful this trend will change as early expectations that the Olympics will raise retailers’ fortunes look to have been wide of the mark. Central London’s retailers are already being hit hard by shoppers actively avoiding the capital, so I think it’s likely that any blip of benefit the games bring will be short lived.

“The lack of any feelgood factor encouraging consumers out into the shops has provided a set of figures much more indicative of the true underlying trend. These show weakness in sentiment as disposable incomes remain squeezed, despite the fall in headline inflation.

It’s a real challenge for retailers to grow sales and many are only achieving this at the expense of margins.”

Warm weather in the final week of the month, combined with the start of the Olympics, helped support food and drink sales and injected a bit of life into the high street but the sharp fall in food inflation has dampened top line growth.

Word Up Word Up is Pixel’s eye on people on the move in the imaging trade.

Nik Proctor has joined One Vision Imaging.

Derek Poulston, One Vision’s Managing Director said: ‘I have known Nik a very long time and his passion for delivering a first class service will suit us perfectly’.

Nikon UK has announced that Mr Michio Miwa, President of Nikon U.K. Limited, will be leaving the company at the end of September. Mr Miwa joined Nikon UK in July 2007. Mr Hidehiko Tanaka will replace Mr Miwa in mid- September to attend photokina.

Pentax Ricoh Imaging UK has appointed three new Area Sales Managers to support the company’s continued expansion throughout the UK. Ben Derham will support the South East, Mark Elshaw the Midlands and the North and Stuart Inwood will cover the South West.

Former Photomart sales Manager Mark Amies has left the company after eight years with the company. Pixel forum users will be familiar with Mark as one of the forum’s top contributors, and he has frequently commented in both Pixel and InPrint magazines. At the time of Pixel going to press, Mark said he had not decided where he was going next, but we wish him the best of luck.

Paul Genge has left Sony and has started his own business, Cameradiner.com.

Prior to his six years at Sony, Paul had worked at Minolta and Castle Cameras, among others. CameraDiner will launch in approximately two weeks, and we’re all excited to see what Paul’s next photographic venture will bring.

Discretionary and big-ticket items continued to struggle with sales growth promotion-driven.

Online (including mail-order and phone) sales of non-food items showed stronger growth, up 15.6% against growth of 9.6% last year. This marks the strongest growth this year.

Stephen Robertson, Director General, British Retail Consortium, said: “July was clearly not a golden month for retail. Like-for-like sales were virtually flat compared with a year ago and total growth of two per cent was still behind inflation as consumers, dealing with squeezed budgets, prioritised their spending on essentials.” www.kpmg.com www.ons.gov.uk www.brc.org.uk

Canon and Calumet Launch Competition Calumet and Canon are searching for the summer’s best sports photographs – and they are offering big incentives in order to track them down.

In a joint ‘Spirit of Competition’ promotion, photographers are invited to submit up to three of their best sports shots before September 17, to be in with a chance of winning a share of prizes totalling over £1,200. Images must be no larger than 500KB www.calumetphoto.co.uk.

www.pixellive.co.uk 11

THE NEW WORLD OF IMAGING

The Rumour The Rumour is a round up of gossip and hints currently circulating the internet. The views here are not necessarily those of Pixel Magazine and have not been communicated through official channels, they are simply things we have heard from those who may know!

Rumour has it that Sony is poised to launch the NEX-6 and NEX-5R cameras to their range of translucent mirror models. The designs are thought to be similar to the NEX-7 and NEX-5N. Leaked images appear to show an interesting asymmetric design.

Via Photorumors Rumour has it that the large megapixel count model anticipated from Canon at photokina will be called the EOS-3D X. Despite the name, it’s not expected to be a 3D camera, but could feature a 40 to 46 megapixel sensor, industry-leading low ISO performance and a design similar to the 1DX. Via Canonrumors.

Rumour has it that Leica’s expected M10 model will feature Live View and HD video.The new Leica M10 is expected to be launched at photokina and then will become available early next year. Leaked info suggests a 24 megapixel CMOS sensor, an external electronic viewfinder attachment, HD video recording, and improved high ISO performance.

Via LeicaRumors

‘Exploding’ Smartphone Adoption to Continue

New InfoTrends report finds that the smartphone market is still growing despite already having passed the “saturation” point for most technologies.

According to InfoTrends’ research on the mobile imaging market, smartphone adoption is currently exploding.

The share of respondents whose primary phone was a smartphone with a camera nearly doubled year-over-year, jumping from 24% in 2011 to nearly 46% in 2012. InfoTrends’ Spotlight on Smartphones report explores the current smartphone market, considers the directions it may take in the future, and discusses the impact that smartphones are having on feature camera phones and digital still cameras.

According to InfoTrends’ survey data, over half of smartphone users are still on their first smartphone. With replacement cycles averaging every two years, some of these respondents might soon be ready for an upgrade, particularly if they bought their handsets in 2010 or earlier.

Replacement smartphone purchasers will seek features above and beyond what their current handsets offer, including smoother interfaces,

improved battery life, higher resolution displays, and better cameras.

To encourage replacement purchases, InfoTrends recommends that marketers take advantage of word of mouth among satisfied smartphone owners. A fair amount of smartphone users reported that a recommendation from a friend or family member influenced their handset purchasing decision.

According to InfoTrends Director Ed Lee, “Consumers who are considering the purchase of a smartphone seem to place a lot of stock in others’ personal experiences and opinions, and handset vendors can use this to their advantage by offering ‘refer a friend’ programs to their existing customers. For example, customers who are approaching the end of their wireless contracts could be offered a special price on a new handset for recommending a particular brand or model to someone else.” www.infotrends.com

Sony Crosses Camcorder Border New Pro Video camera also takes DSLR quality stills.

Rumour has it that GoPro is to go public with an initial public offering of between $300M and $500M some time next year.

Based in Half Moon Bay, California, GoPro is known for its small, wearable, Sony’s new NEX-EA50 Full HD Pro weatherproof, and shockproof cameras Cinematic event videography camcorder that are used by extreme athletes around 16:44:24 with 18-200mm servo zoom lens is the first of Fuji Quarter Page Advert.pdf 18/11/11 the world to document their activites.

Sony’s new EA Series of camcorders designed Via PetaPixel for cinematic event videography. The camera

includes an 18-200mm servo zoom lens, the first E-mount lens with servo zoom. NEX-EA50 features a new Exmor APS-C CMOS sensor and delivers Full HD 1080p at 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames per second.

The NEX-EA50 combines an APS-C sensor, E-mount lenses and the ability to produce DSLR quality still photographs with a camcorder form factor, servo zoom lenses, timecode and professional audio recording capabilities, plus a mechanical shutter to eliminate rolling shutter artifacts, and a hot shoe for using traditional flash units. It’s really designed to be the best of both worlds, for the photographer who needs to record professional video or the videographer who wants to take professional quality stills. www.sony.co.uk

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

Frontier Series

DryMinilab Series

Epson Wide Format Printers

ASK Instant Printers

K

12 www.pixellive.co.uk

Call Fujifilm Photo Imaging on 012354 217724 or email photoimaging@fuji.co.uk

Quick Print Station

Xerox Phaser

THE LAUNCHPAD LAUNCH PAD

Name: Nikon 1 J2 and accessories RRP: From £499 as kit Release Date: September The J2 adds to the Nikon 1 range a dedicated function button which gives easy access to a range of photography modes, filters and shooting settings that can be applied to a preview, allowing users to see how an effect will look before they shoot. Also new is Motion Snapsho, which simultaneously records a slow motion movie and a still image, then instantly combines the two to deliver an evocative moving photo.

Another innovative feature enabled by the model’s speed is Smart Photo Selector: Press the shutter button once and the camera records 20 high resolution images and automatically selects the five best shots based on facial expressions, composition and focus.

Equipped with two powerful engines that can process images at an incredible 600 megapixels per second, the camera has been designed to offer superior noise reduction.

The high-speed AF CMOS image sensor offers the ideal balance between system size, speed, light sensitivity, resolution, and depth-of-field. and enables detailed 10.1-megapixel images of even fast-moving subjects in any light. Once again, the J2 allows users to capture a full-resolution photo while filming, without interrupting recording. www.nikon.com

Name: The TriPad RRP: £69.99 Release Date: Immediate

Name: Harman Titan Accessories RRP: Varies Release Date: Immediate

The Tripad has been designed for one simple purpose: to provide a portable workspace for creative professionals that protects their valuable equipment and promotes efficiency.

The TriPad is lightweight and compact and allows photographers to place their laptop, lenses or gadgets in a safe place, just like they would in their own studio or home.

Made from 100% recycled plastic, The Tripad weighs only 1.59kg yet can hold up to 3.6kg depending on the tripod they’re using.

The simple design allows Photographers to mount the Tripad onto their tripod in just a few seconds and makes it easy to carry wherever their job or passion takes them. The pull out extensions will ensure they can have your essential tools safely within reach without the need of an extra table. www.gotripad.com

Following the successful launch of the HARMAN TiTAN 4x5 inch Pinhole Camera in October 201, the following range of accessory items are now being made available: - 110mm Focal Length Cone with f250 pinhole - 150mm Focal Length Cone with f288 pinhole, which is the same focal length as the standard lens on a 4 x 5 camera - Blank Pinhole. An adaptor that can be used to replace the pinhole in any of the focal length cones and hold pinholes specially made by the camera users. www.harman.com

Name: Canon Powershot SX500 RRP: £279 Release Date: August

Name: Nikon Coolpix L610 RRP: £199.99 Release Date: Late August

The PowerShot SX500 IS is the world’s smallest 30x optical zoom camera giving you the flexibility to capture subjects in the far distance, in an astoundingly sleek and compact body.

With Canon’s advanced optical Image Stabilizer with Intelligent IS, pictures will be crisp and sharp, regardless of the scene. With a fun range of Creative Filters, different effects can be added to stills and movies instantly. www.canon.co.uk

If the J2 wasn’t enougn, Nikon have also announced the L610. With a 16-megapixel backlit CMOS image sensor, full HD movie recording, Lens-Shift Vibration Reduction and Easy Auto mode with an intelligent AF control system and a NIKKOR 14x optical zoom lens.

Now you can get Full HD filming on demand, with a dedicated movie-record button which instantly switches from photos to video. 14x optical zoom and autofocus are available during recording and enable you to get closer to the action.

The COOLPIX L610 makes it simple to get creative with your images and movies. The Quick Retouch Menu lets you enhance the photos you have taken without the need for a computer, offering a range of filter effects such as Selective Colour, which converts your image to monochrome and adds a splash of colour to an area of your choice, or Cross Screen, which adds a starry effect to bright objects. www.nikon.com

www.pixellive.co.uk 13

INSIDE TRACK Fotosource and IPI form Strategic Alliance Independent Photo Imagers (IPI) and Foto Source have formed a strategic alliance for the benefit of their members.

The alliance will provide Foto Source Members with IPI Membership and access to the IPI Marketing Solutions Program and IPI Members with additional educational, training and networking opportunities and resources with fellow service specialty retailers.

“Over the past few years IPI has developed and built for its Members a marketing program without equal for the service specialty retailer. IPI members who have implemented the program have seen sales growth and profitability increases as recently verified at the IPI Member Retreat, an international gathering of service specialty retailer movers and shakers,” said Don Spring, Foto Source President.

Photos Inspire Hollywood Team of celebrities to produce films based on contributed photos.

For a new photography-inspired film festival, five celebrities - under the tutelage of director Ron Howard - will create short films inspired by consumer-contributed photos.

Canon’s “Long Live Imagination” campaign and “Project Imaginat10n” will inspire Hollywood films with photographs, the company says.

Anyone can submit photos, and the selection will be narrowed down by Canon, Ron Howard, and community voting. The films will be produced on the Cinema EOS System.

Participating in Canon’s latest project are Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, fashion designer Georgina Chapman, musician James Murphy, and actors Eva Longoria and Jamie Foxx.

Another five film directors are to be announced later.

James Murphy, founder of LCD Soundsystem, says his first camera was a Canon AE1-P “that I saved up and bought

myself in the 80s — and I’ve been a Canon guy ever since. I now have about eight or nine Canon cameras, including a mint 1014XL-S super 8 sound camera that I’ve had modified for crystal sync!

“I’m really excited to direct something narrative, and really looking forward to working with Ron Howard, learning as much as I can.” www.pmanewsline.com

Putting Photography on the Map Instagram launches version 3, with new geotagging feature.

Spring continued, “The Foto Source Board of Directors and I have seen firsthand evidence of those results. And, thanks to our good friends at Fujifilm Canada for their funding and IPI’s Strategic Partner Fujifilm North America, the Foto Source Board of Directors and I made the decision to provide IPI Membership to our Members and thereby providing the exclusive use of the IPI Marketing Solutions Program which IPI Members enjoy.”

Brent Bowyer, IPI Executive Director, said, “The IPI Board of Directors, IPI staff and I are extremely pleased to have forged this relationship with Foto Source Members and have the opportunity to have fellow service specialty retailers join IPI Members in shared success. It’s very important for independent business owners operating in our space to have the marketing, education and training, and networking resources provided by IPI, ones that have a track record of growing sales and increasing net profits for members.

It’s also gratifying to see the North American support for the service specialty retailer by Fujifilm.”

Credits & Contacts

The 14 developers at Instagram haven’t been idle while awaiting acquisition by Facebook: Instagram 3 is available now with a new focus on geotags and Photo Maps, billed as “a new way to browse photos on Instagram.”

“With every major release, we pick a theme,” the company says, “and for this one we’ve focused on the browsing experience. We’ve introduced a new and unique way to browse your photos and others’ photos on a map, which means you’re no longer constrained to browsing through page after page of photos.”

As the company notes, when you take a

Pixel’s offices, added to Instagram’s map of the UK

Editor: Laura Knight 01323 437946 laura@lifemediagoup.co.uk

Editorial Assistant Harriet Weston 01323 411601 harriet@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Subscriptions Leanne McConnell 01323 433708 leanne@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Editorial Director: Grant Scott 01323 437941 grant@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Managing Director/Publisher: Lee Mansfield 01323 411601 lee@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Production Design: Laura Knight 01323437964 laura@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Marketing Director: Simon Skinner 01323 433700 simon@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Accounts: Clare Fermor Amelia Wellings 01323 433708 clare@lifemediagroup.co.uk amelia@lifemediagroup.co.uk

14 www.pixellive.co.uk

photo while connected via Wi-Fi or 3G, your phone logs the coordinates where the photo was taken. Utilizing that information, “you now have the ability to add that photo to a Photo Map. It’s an easy way to add context to photos, document travels, and see pictures other Instagrammers have taken nearby.”

By default, adding location, or adding to your Photo Map, is turned off for all photos you upload, Instagram states. “This means that no photos will appear on your Photo Map without your explicit permission.”

“We say making the new functionality optional is a good move, as many photographers don’t want to broadcast their location.

“However, geotagging can add a lot to photography, and location can be a better way to select images than chronology — places, not dates and times. We agree with the company’s conclusion that “Maps take you beyond recently posted photos and let you rediscover previously Instagrammed memories. It’s a beautiful new way for you & others to view your Instagram photos!”

Instagram reports more than 80 million users. www.instagram.com

Published by LMG SE LTD (Life Media Group) Park View House 19 The Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 3YD 01323 411 601

Printed by Ambassador Bristol www.ambassador.co.uk

All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved.

Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in Pixel Magazine do not necessarily represent the view of Life Media Group LTD. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers of Pixel Magazine assume no reponsibilty for any damage, loss or injury arising from the participation in any offers, competitions or advertisment contained within Pixel Magazine. All prices featured in Pixel Magazine are correct at the time of going to press.

Copyright Life Media Group LTD 2012 ©

www.pixellive.co.uk 15

16 www.pixellive.co.uk