Pixel 20th May 2013 by Life Media Group

ISSUE NO. 895

Connect and Print in an instant from your smartphone

Kodak Kiosk Connect App

PHOTO - IMAGING - VIDEO - AUDIO - TV - PRINT - MOBILE - STATS - PEOPLE - RETAIL - BUSINESS - NEWS

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News New Finance for Jessops V12 Retail Finance is to provide in store and online point of sale finance to support the re-launch of Jessops under Peter Jones’ ownership. Nick Davies, Chief Executive Officer of V12 Retail Finance, said: “We are delighted to support plans to rebuild the Jessops business. Our finance options will assist Jessops to achieve their sales volume targets. As part of a wider banking group we have very considerable funding available to support the growth aspirations of Jessops and other retailers. “We wish Peter and his team the very best of luck.”

You’re Sticking Around! Great news for the UK’s high street retail! The latest statistics on administration appointments, issued by the Insolvency Service, reveal that in the first quarter of 2013 appointments are down 28% on the previous year. Retail administration appointments are hugely down - by 47%. Richard Fleming, UK Head of Restructuring at KPMG, commented: “While there were a handful of high profile retail administration appointments in the traditional annual crunch point of January this year, the volumes tell a different story. “Some retailers are undoubtedly benefitting from the demise of those who have fallen in the last two years. These numbers suggest that we have reached the bottom of the market, setting the agenda for a gradual return to growth.”

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New London facility to impart the knowledge of expert photographers to Nikon devotees and enthusiasts. Nikon’s new Centre of Excellence, London, is now ofﬁcially open! The combined school and showroom will offer a range of photography courses and workshops from beginners to advanced. Mr Tanaka, Nikon UK President; John Walshe, Nikon UK General Manager and Arthur Edwards, Royal Photographer at the Sun, opened the centre to a crowd of retailers, photographers and journalists - including Pixel - at the launch party that took place on 30th April. Nikon also used the opportunity to introduce ﬁve Nikon Ambassadors, all professional photographers at the top of their game who will work with Nikon to inspire photographers and help them achieve stunning images. The Pixel team were very impressed by the centre and what it offers in terms of inspiration

and an enriched experience for Nikon users. Pixel speaks in depth with Nikon’s UK President, Mr Tanaka, about what this means for the brand’s UK customers in our Big Interview on page 14.

When the Going Gets Tough The tough get muddy! Olympus complete gruelling challenge for charity. A team from Olympus UK recently undertook a Tough Mudder challenge and raised around £5000 for Cancer research. Tough Mudder events are hardcore 12 mile-long obstacle courses designed by the Special Forces to test the all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Participants from Olympus were a mixture of consumer, medical, industrial and administration staff. Head of Consumer Business Pete Dudderidge said: “From the Consumer arm of Olympus, there was Dave Ivins and myself. It was a very tough 12 mile ordeal including a 10,000 volt

electrocution and physically gruelling tasks such as swimming through dumpers full of ice! “We are very battered and bruised but all for a great cause.We survived and so did our Tough cameras!” Don’t forget, Pixel’s own Simon Skinner is soon to take part in a London to Paris cycling challenge, and is looking for sponsorship which will be donated to children’s aid charity Action Medical Research. If you or your team are doing something heroic (or stupid!) for charity, drop an email to laura@ lifemediagroup.co.uk and you might join the trade’s other brave souls in the pages of Pixel.

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Kodak Express Kodak Picture Kiosk helps Helpingkick-start Retailers new get ConnectedRetailer Independant Pixel may2_new.indd 1

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Decades of Inkjet expertise in a professional production machine. It has to be Epson. When it comes to Inkjet you immediately think Epson. All their experience and expertise has now been harnessed in a production machine - the new Epson SureLab D-Series. From a professional production perspective, the Epson SureLab offers you total flexibility, including: • Epson Micro Piezo drop-on-demand inkjet technology • 3 stunning print finishes - Matte, Gloss & Lustre • Prints from 4" to 12" • Large prints up to 48" in length including Panoramic • Trusted Epson UltraChrome ink set • Available in single or twin roll configuration Visit our dedicated Epson showroom to experience the SureLab for yourself along with the rest of our Epson Inkjet printer range. With a history dating back to 1847, we have the experience, knowledge and expertise to help you maximise the profit potential from your photographic services.

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PHOTO

For the Love of Photo News Digital Distribution runs national press campaign to drive awareness of independents for ex-Jessops regulars. DDLtd’s Fall in love with Photography campaign was featured in the Express and the Independent, along with Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera. The ad features offers available through independents with whom DDLtd deals, and a list of locations at which they are available. “We wanted to promote the specialist Independent retailer as a substantial body of stores that offer a true alternative to customers who may have previously only shopped at

Bresser: Now Available through Marchwood Marchwood UK are now the distributors of Bresser optics, along with National Geographic products. Between these brand and those already distributed by Marchwood including their own brand, Forest retailers have the opportunity to stock quality optics at a range of price points to appeal to entry leven and enthuaist consumers alike, with substantial margins open to the dealer.

“It gives a powerful message to the public that there are knowledgeable and friendly stores around the UK” Jessops,” explains Digital Distribution’s Ron Duprez. We are looking at further support opportunities for later in the year. “We have 138 stores featured in the ad and I would like to thank everyone involved in offering their support. It gives a powerful message to the public that great product is available from knowledgeable and friendly cameras stores all around the UK”

CSCs Number 1 at Nikon

Digital Distribution are also pleased to inform Pixel readers that Sony cameras will now be avalable from them, in addition to their already comprehensive portﬂio of imaging products.

A Little Something for the Summer Canon announce cashback deals...

...and so do Pentax Ricoh!

Canon’s summer cashback offer, gives customers the opportunity to claim up to £55 cashback on a range of DSLRs and lenses, compact cameras, inkjet printers and camcorders. Those purchasing two promotional products within the same transaction are eligible to claim one additional £30 bonus payment. This offer is available until 31st July 2013 - to see the entire range included in the offer, visit www.canon.co.uk/ summercashback

Pentax Ricoh is also helping consumers get in to the summer spirit with the launch of a cashback promotion across its range of DSLRs, mirrorless and compact cameras. The cashback campaign will run until 27th July 2013. Amounts for individual cashbacks vary between £25 nd £80. Consumers can visit www.pentax.co.uk/ cashback to download all the information they need, and there’s a full rundown of the products eligible and how much for, too.

Nikon posted an income rise of 12.5% in its latest yearly financial results, and cited growth in demand for the Nikon 1 compact camera system and other interchangeable lens models for the increase. Nikon sold nearly 10% more cameras than the preceding year - a fine figure of approx. 24.1m cameras up to 31st March. Nikon’s net sales also increased, to 751.2 billion yen (around £4.9 billion) for the year.

The Cooke Look Cooke Optics have been awareded the Cine Gear Expo 2013 Technical Lifetime Achievement Award. “We’re honoured to receive this accolade celebrating our 127 years of innovation,” said Les Zellan, Chairman and Owner, Cooke Optics. “I like to think the original founders of Cooke lenses would approve of what we are doing today, following in their footsteps to create the best possible lenses for today’s ﬁlm makers.”

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PHOTO

TIP(A) TOP News Dreading the question “what’s the best...?” from a customer? TIPA have the answers!

The Technical Image Press Association have released their picks for the best photo and imaging products of the last year. Samsung picked up Best Imaging Innovation for their 2D/3D lens; Best CSC Advanced for the Smart Camera NX300 and Best Mobile Imaging Device for the Galaxy Camera, plus a couple you’ll find in other sections of Pixel. Sigma won Best Entry Level DSLR Lens and Best Expert DSLR Lens. Canon were awarded for their lenses too, scooping Best Professional DSLR Lens. However, they really swept the board for high end cameras, taking home the awards for Best Digital SLR Entry Level for the EOS 100D; Best DSLR Expert for the EOS 6D and Best Video DSLR for the Canon EOS1D C. Panasonic excelled in key catagories, taking home the Best Rugged Compact Camera for the Lumix DMC-FT5 and Best CSC Professional for the Lumix DMC-GH3. Sony won Best Premium Camera with the Cybershot DSC-RX1; Best Pro Camcorder for the Sony NEX-VG900 and Best CSC Expert Lens for the E-mount 10-18mm f/4 OSS. Nikon celebrated the Best Superzoom Camera for the COOLPIX P520; Best Digital SLR Advanced for the D7100; Best Easy Compact Camera for the COOLPIX S01 and Best CSC Entry Level Lens for the NIKKOR 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6. Fujifilm’s X20 won Best Expert Compact Camera, and Best CSC Expert went to the Fujifilm X-E1. Best CSC Prime Lens went to the Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R, making it a hattrick for Fujifilm. Lastly for the cameras, Best CSC Entry Level went to the Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Best Professional Camera went to the Leica M. Given current trends, all eyes were on the Best ActionCam award, which was given to the GoPro Hero 3.

New Ezybox Octa Kit The Ezybox II Octa Quad Kit incorporates the Quad Bracket and the new Ezybox II Octa softbox, allowing the photographer to attach up to four ﬂashguns to the bracket along with one of the Lastolite softboxes or umbrellas. The Ezybox II Quad Bracket can be used with various ﬂashgun triggering systems. The Kit includes 1 Ezybox II Quad Bracket, 1 Ezybox II Octa, 1 Spigot Tilthead and 2 four to one sync cables. The Medium kit retails for £240 and the Large for £265.

Olympus: New Flagship PEN The retro designed E-P5 offers the world’s ﬁrst 1/8000th second shutter speed in a CSC and a 16-Megapixel Live MOS sensor that emulates the OM-D camera. The lightweight E-P5 offers FAST AF and easy-access manual controls via metal thumbwheels, plus WiFi that allows remote camera triggering from smartphones, with syncing that means the user can see the camera’s LCD on their phone – and control the PEN by touching the smartphone display.

Watch the Birdie! Keep your eyes on optics specialists Bushnell for new trade deals and consumer-facing activity The Bushnell’s Free Backpack offer is back as part of a new marketing splash for the 65 year old brand. Retailers will get a quality Bushnell backpack with every H2O 8x42 Roof Prism and 10x42 Roof Prism binocular purchased when ordering ten units or more. “In previous years these backpacks have been a fantastic sell-through incentive, and we’re excited to offer them again,” said Andrew Grose, Managing Director. “I am excited that the Bushnell 2013 range reﬂects the UK’s passion for the great outdoors.

Our technologically advanced equipment, is simple to use and sensibly priced for active families through to exploration teams. “We are committed to supporting our retail partners. Wide-reaching marketing campaigns are underway to build the brand’s proﬁle and drive sales to outlets. In 2013 the Bushnell brand will continue to be visible as a leading name in the birding/wildlife, outdoor, camping, marine and gardening sectors.” In support of their marketing investment, Bushnell will be communicating with consumers via social media. Retailers can connect with @BushnellNature for collaboration and support.

In the Pink Samsung launches the NX2000

Samsung’s new NX2000, with a large 20.3MP ASP-C CMOS Sensor and DRIMe IV engine reduces noise, improves speed and enable superior colour reproduction. With 8fps of fast continuous shooting, a wide ISO range, 3.7-inch WVGA Full Touch Screen and 14 different scene modes, Samsung’s NX2000 is designed with versatility for step-up photographers in mind. The 3D Still and Movie recording capabilities, when coupled with Samsung’s 45mm 2D/3D lens (sold separately), create images which can be replayed and enjoyed on compatible 3D. TVs. It also offers Full HD video recording Enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity offers a host of

functions which make it easy to share and store images directly from the camera. The Samsung SMART CAMERA App, available on both Android and iOS platforms, provides a streamlined way of linking smart devices, ensuring that treasured memories are stored without fuss. AutoShare sends photos, as they are taken, directly from the NX2000 to a smartphone or tablet, via a direct Wi-Fi connection.

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ADVERTORIAL

Get Connected with Kodak Kodak Kiosk Wi-Fi Connect functionality will now be rolled out to the entire fleet of Kodak kiosks installed within Tesco stores, nation-wide. With more and more consumers using their smartphones as their primary camera and billions of photos already stored on phones, it’s increasingly important for photo retailers to offer their customers a quick and easy way to make prints and photo products using smartphone photos. In order to capitalize on the full potential offered by the huge quantities of photos being taken on mobile phones, retailers need to offer a service which removes the ‘hassle’ that consumers perceive as being part of the mobile printing experience, and that’s just what the Kodak Kiosk Connect app allows retailers to do. A great smartphone service is important not only in addressing the needs of current customers but is also provides a relevant offer for younger age groups and an opportunity for impulse-driven promotional offers, as customers always have their phones to hand. With Kodak Kiosk Connect, potential customers do not need to have already made a conscious decision to buy photo products and remembered to put their memory card or USB stick in their bag or pocket. They can make spur-of-the-moment decisions or embark on their shopping trip without any additional fuss, because they’ll have their phone with them anyway and that’s all they need, which is why this offering is such a good fit for Tesco. Tesco’s customers choose convenience when using the supermarket they want to be able to fulfill as many of their shopping needs as possible in one trip. Their photo printing requirements are no different from this, but have continually been challenged by the need to remember to carry your camera or memory card when visiting a photo kiosk. For many within the key target audience of the young family group, this extra hurdle could prevent them from buying photo products that would otherwise appeal to them. Regular shoppers have of course taken advantage of the in-store Kodak offering for their photo needs, but it’s increasingly crucial to target impulse shoppers.

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With ownership of smartphones continuing to increase and a well-documented shift towards phones as a primary photo-taking device, the introduction of the Kodak Connect functionality allows Tesco to target this huge opportunity. The addition of this feature ensures a level of convenience with the KodakPicture Kiosk that they have come to expect in all areas of Tesco stores. Kevin Martin , Commercial Operations Manager at Tesco commented:“Tesco is always looking forward to developing our photo offering by encompassing new ideas that match our objectives for convenience and quality, the Kodak Connect Wi-Fi functionality delivers this in abundance” “We have been delighted by the level of support from Kodak throughout the installation, ensuring delivery of a mobile printing solution that fits the needs of our customers” “The Kodak Connect Wi-Fi functionality delivers an impressive mobile printing solution that addresses the needs of our customers to print their ever increasing catalogue of smartphone photos” The Kodak Kiosk Connect App provides a quick and easy way to wirelessly transfer photos from a Wi-Fi enabled device like a Smartphone to a Kodak Picture Kiosk, allowing the consumer to make prints using the photos on their phone. The app encourages consumers to print more by removing the time consuming process of transferring all their photos from their phone to the kiosk and then selecting the photos they want to print. Instead, it allows them to pre-select the images they want to use whenever is convenient for them – perhaps even before they come into store! – and transfer just those they have selected to the kiosk. In order for the App to work the kiosk needs to be Kiosk Connect Wi-Fi enabled and thanks to the latest rollout, this is a feature that can now be offered to Tesco customers. Phil Donnelly, Business Manager for Kodak Kiosks says: “This is yet another milestone in our retail partnership with Tesco and we’ve been extremely pleased with the initial consumer uptake since launch.” With smartphone penetration set to reach 78% in 2016 and an increasing proportion using their phone to take pictures, there is a huge opportunity for photo retail to develop and grow. Kodak’s Kiosk Connect App is aimed at iPhone and Android smartphone users, efficiently targeting two most popular mobile operating systems. With 8MP cameras with autofocus and flash now commonplace and the growing uptake of creative photo Apps such as Instagram

and Hipstamatic, smartphones are fuelling a new boom in photography across a wide demographic. Kodak fully intends to keep up with these consumer trends by offering new and exciting product innovations that allow Kodak Kiosks to remain the leading photo retailing kiosk. By installing Kodak Connect Kiosk functionality, you ensure that your customers demands for a mobile printing solution are met and that you have the perfect opportunity to keep up with their needs – just like Tesco do.

To find out more information on the great benefits KODAK Picture Kiosks can deliver your business visit www.kodak. co.uk or call us on +44 (0)1442 261122.

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News

Hello/Goodbye

Connect Or Else.

Ricard Fearns is retiring from his position at Digital Distribution, having worked for the company since it was formed eleven years ago. He started in the industry at Johnsons Photopia, staying with them for 19 years before moving to Vivitar for 8 years. He will be replaced as salesperson at DD LTD by Roy Kilbride. Roy started his career in the trade in 1989, spending eighteen years with Konica Minolta before moving to Casio for four years as Key Account Manager, then working with Alpha for two years. We wish them both the very best.

Connected and smart cameras receivied the highest interest ratings of all the product concepts presented in a recent Infotrends consumer study. “Digital camera vendors need to make sure the sharing feature is simple and easy to use to guarantee consumer adoption of this function,” say Infotrends’ experts. “The camera phone continues to steal more and more photo taking activity away from traditional cameras. Vendors cannot rely on image quality alone to compete with camera phones.” In 2012, less than 15% of all camera models introduced featured connectivity. In 2013, that will likely be closer to 30%, while 100% of camera phones are connected.

Familiar faces on the move at Digital Distribution

New Canon L-Series Lens Canon has added a new category to its supertelephoto lenses, with the introduction of the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x to the L-series. The EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x features a flexible 200-400mm focal range with a fixed f/4 aperture, 4-stop optical Image Stabiliser and for the first time in a commercially available lens, a built-in 1.4x extender. These features combine to provide an outstandingly versatile lens for professional sports or wildlife photographers. The EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM will be available from June, RRP £11,999.99.

New Nikon Flagship 1 Lens Nikon has launched the ultra-fast 1 NIKKOR 32mm f/1.2 lens, bringing large-aperture portrait photography to the Nikon 1 system. With a focal length that’s ideal for portraiture and a compact design, this CX-format lens is the ﬁrst 1 NIKKOR ﬂagship lens to be announced this new lens marks an expanding line-up. From candid shots to compositions, the lens allows sharp focus on the subject with smooth bokeh, and captures crisp images and movies even in low light. The lens will sell for £799.99 from 13th June.

Download an Experience Experience Seminars

Experience Seminars has teamed up with Alpha Duplication to offer its entire range of tutorial DVDs for download via the sales page of its website. The downloadable versions of Experience Seminars’ (all still available as DVDs) can be downloaded onto three separate devices, such as PC, Mac, IPad, Tablet, iPhone and so on.

2011-12 Canon Digital EOS Training Programme • Canon EOS camera training seminars • Software and workflow seminars • Hands-on technique training • Hands-on photographic training • Training DVDs

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Cameraphone competition is getting tougher, say Infotrends.

TECHNOLOGIC

Christopher Wood, Account Executive Photo, GfK, on touch screens, superzoom and Daft Punk. As Daft Punk scored their ﬁrst number with Get Lucky, I was reminded of another Daft Punk song titled Technologic as the lyrics contain some insight into March’s digital camera market. The main drivers inside of the digital camera market are new technologies that differentiate products from previous models. Most consumers will not buy a replacement product unless it has better features or the owned product is broken. Touchscreen digital cameras have grown in sales volumes by 12% since March 2012 which has translated into a 47% value gain. Cameras with over 10x optical zoom are also growing,14% in volume and 3% in value since the same month the previous year. Superzoom cameras are quickly becoming the norm within the ﬁxed lens camera segment and GfK data reveals that retailers are rapidly

stocking higher optical zoom cameras. Of course this is leading to price erosion with the average price of a Superzoom camera falling by 10% over the past year. Although I ﬁnd myself talking about WiFi connected cameras almost every month, I cannot fail to mention that this remains the highest area of growth for a digital camera feature. But with every growth, an older feature must decline in uptake.With the rise in action cameras, tough cameras have begun to fall into decline. Waterproof cameras fell by 49% in sales volume during March, whilst shock proof cameras fell by a more modest 8%. Christopher.wood@gfk.com +44 870 603 8286, www.gfk.com/uk

CPI Files for Bankruptcy

Bid for a Bailey!

Studio operator CPI, which recently closed its franchises in huge US chains Sears and Walmart, has now ﬁled for bankruptcy. The local newspaper to the St Louis company reports that it will turn its remaining assets over to a court-appointed trustee for liquidation. CPI listed $10.4 million in assets and $135 million in debt. CPI once had more than 2,700 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Samsung has once again teamed up with David Bailey to create an online exhibition in association with eBay for the launch of its new NX. The auction will feature twenty photographs, one taken by the David Bailey and the others taken by 19 of his namesakes who were recruited by Samsung last year in a campaign that aimed to show the professional quality and simplicity of its new NX Smart Camera range. Photography lovers were then encouraged

Samsung drives NX awareness with charity auction to guess which is the real David Bailey and bid, with all proceeds going to Marie Curie Cancer Care. Nick Porter, Samsung, said: “The aim of our previous campaign with David Bailey was to show that everyone can take fantastic photos, whoever they are.” David Bailey said: “With all proceeds going to Marie Curie I am delighted to offer one of my photographs to such a great cause.”

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SPECIAL REPORT PHOTO

They’re Back!

Surf’s Up!

New look website for Kenro! Kenro has launched a brand new website, promising an improved online experience for the customer. Kenro Managing Director, Paul Kench commented: “Our customers’ needs are at the forefront of every decision Kenro makes, and our new website has been designed with their needs very much in mind. We hope the features on the new site will make it far more useful.” The website features all the products from Kenro’s roster including Benro Tripods, Nissin Flash equipment, Marumi accessories and Reﬂecta digitalisation products; frames and albums; ‘Kenair’, plus improved navigation and faster loading times. Users can now also share their favourite products by using the new ‘Click and Share’ tool. A handy stockist locator has also been included, meaning consumers can ﬁnd where their favourite products are being sold in the UK quickly and easily.

News

The End of the ‘V’ Era Hasselblad is to cease production the last V System camera, bringing to an end over a half century of the company’s original camera line. Dr. Larry Hansen, Hasselblad Chairman and CEO said: “Everything has its place in time. There has been a substantial decline in demand for this camera over the past ﬁve years or so and the time has now come for us to reluctantly consign the V System to history. In so doing we would like to thank all fans and customers .”

As we suspected when the store remained untouched after the liquidation, Pixel’s local Jessops branch in Eastbourne has now been reopened.. New Jessops Boss Peter Jones announced back in March that he intended to have 36 shops reopened in short order. 19 stores are now open, with more (including the one just along the coast in Worthing) springing into life as we go to press.Opinions vary on what imact reopened Jessops stores have on local photographic dealers, but with a complete absence of any independent photographic stores in Eastbourne, the town’s photographers are sure to welcome back their only local retail destination. Jessops currently has stores in Aberdeen, Basingstoke, Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Eastbourne, Glasgow, High Wycombe, Leeds, London, Manchester, Redditch, Shefﬁeld, Shrewsbury and St Albans.

New US Stores for Calumet Calumet’s US arm purchased three locations of Penn Camera stores in the Washington DC area when Penn was in bankruptcy. Since the acquisition, Calumet has continued trading from the stores, and has now announced that they will be rebranded under the Calumet name. Calumet reports that the three new stores have become some of the most successful in the chain.

One compact printer. Two print sizes. One roll of media. Mitsubishi Electric’s CP-K60DW-S is a compact, lightweight and durable dye sublimation printer that requires minimal installation space. With 4x6" and 6x8" prints available in either gloss or matte finishes the newly developed image processing method allows for the reproduction of excellent, high resolution, true to life prints. What’s more, users can produce 2 different print sizes from 1 roll of media with minimum waste within seconds. The CP-K60DW-S is a truly versatile printer that is compatible with the Mitsubishi Click and Kiosk systems along with Windows PC.

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SPECIAL REPORT PRINT

A Giant Leap for Kodak

Huge double-settlement prepares Kodak to emerge from Chapter 11, as Laura Quatela, Kodak’s President of Personalised Imaging explains to Pixel. Eastman Kodak has organised a settlement with the U.K. Kodak Pension Plan (KPP), its largest creditor, which provides for the spin-off of Kodak’s Personalized Imaging and Document Imaging businesses to KPP for $650 million. Certain proceeds will be used to support the emergence of Kodak from Chapter 11 and the growth of its remaining Commercial Imaging business. The agreement also settles approximately $2.8 billion of claims by KPP against Kodak.

Laura Queatela said: “It’ll be business as usual as far as UK retailers are concerned. “KPP are the largest remaining creditor in Kodak’s bankruptcy, so a settlement with them is required to emerge from it. Kodak also needed to sell the personalised and document imaging business, so this deal settles both of those remaining steps and prepares us to emerge from Chapter 11. “The imaging business will continue under KPP, with a new name that may well involve

Money Matters in Print

Cost IS the deciding factor for business and home users buying printers. Business inkjet printers and multifunctional peripherals have surpassed laser devices in sales by unit shipment volume. In fact, InfoTrends estimates that business inkjet will represent 56% of all devices by 2016, compared to 44% for laser. For many years, the prevailing sentiment in the industry was that customers believe laser

Best on Paper

TIPA’s choice from the world of print.

Ilford’s Galerie Prestige Gold Mono Silk has been awarded the 2013 TIPA award for Best Inkjet Photo Paper. TIPA praised the new Gold Mono Silk for bringing out a rich, vibrant tonal range and transition in black and white prints. Best Photo Service went to WhiteWall for their online photo lab concept, which offers ﬁnishing options that stress premium quality Quarter Page Ad.pdf 09:30:40 with numerous surfaces, 15/5/13 framing and ﬁnishing options in a huge variety of sizes.

devices are most appropriate for ofﬁce use, whereas inkjet technology is best suited to the home and small business environments. Survey respondents were asked why they chose an inkjet device over laser printing. 77% of respondents choosing an inkjet device over a laser device do so for some form of cost/price/running cost reason. This is a crucial insight. While customers are looking for certain levels of product performance, such as speed, reliability, and output quality, it would appear that the compelling reason for ﬁnally selecting inkjet ahead of laser is a desire to lower costs.

Harman Order Window Open

Team up with other retailers to secure this opportunity! Harman is once again opening a sales window for its ultra large format sheet ﬁlm and other specialist products, that allows customers to order without the constraints of the usual minimum order quantities. Instead, Harman will combine orders from participating dealers across the world to ensure production runs remain viable, then produce the products to order. The ordering window will run until Friday 28th June 2013. Orders should arrive with dealers in September.

the word Kodak so that it will be familiar to consumers, allowing them to make the best use of the brand. “Because of who KPP are, we can Laura Quatela, President be assured that the Personalised Imaging, brand is in the safest Eastman Kodak. of hands. We’re really pleased, we’ve not lost a single major customer through the bankruptcy prodceedings and there should be no disruption that will affect the retailer’s business.

News InPrint: Tesco Exclusive Inprint magazine recently conducted and exclusive interview with Kevin Martin, Commercial Operations Manager at Tesco about the supermarket’s Photo Centre business model. Make sure you don’t miss it in Issue 8!

Ilford Chosen for Photo Art Ilford and Metro Imaging are to support the Photo Art Fair: a four-day exhibition of carefully curated, collectable works from 50 international photographers. Photo Art Fair’s central manifesto of ‘intelligent collecting’ will connect photographers with established and potential collectors, for whom black and white silver gelatin prints remain ﬁrst choice.

USA Boost for Print-on-Demand Photo merchandise supplier RPI has acquired Atlanta-based DPI, an on-demand printer with customers such as Nestle. Executives from both companies have described the deal as “a win-win situation” as it expands RPI’s private label business to the East Coast.

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Impossible Shots Made Possible

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SPECIAL REPORT

MOBILE DEVICES

Smaller, Better, Faster, Stronger: New Galaxy Tab 3 Version 3 is smaller and features faster processing.

News NeroKwik for Windows 8

camera, tailored to the situations most consumers use their tablet for photography in. Combined with the latest Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), it allows users to share and edit photos and videos in an intuitive manner. The GALAXY Tab 3 7-inch WiFi version will be available from beginning May and 3G version will follow in June. The product availability varies by market and will be rolled out gradually.

The free NeroKwik mobile photo service is now available to Windows 8 users. This latest installation with the addition of Windows 8 functionality now means the users from the three big mobile platforms can access the photo libraries stored on their PCs and external hard drives from nearly any mobile device, including iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones and Android tablets. “Users expect their mobile devices to give them full access and control over all their content,” said Nero’s Martin Stein.

Photography Boosts Phone Sales

Galaxy S4 Rumours Abound

Samsung has announced the introduction of the new GALAXY Tab 3. The 7-inch tablet features a smaller form with easier grip, a 1.2GHz Dual Core processor for faster downloads and sharing, and 64GB of expandable memory. Once again, Samsung has made good use of its imaging prowess here and The GALAXY Tab 3 7-inch offers a 3-megapixel camera rear camera and 1.3 -megapixel front

Ability to capture and share sets smartphones apart and boosts sales A new report from IDC shows that smartphones have outshipped “feature phones” (phones with cameras, mp3 but no expandable operating system) for the ﬁrst time. “The days where phones are used primarily to make phone calls and send text messages are quickly fading away,” says the report. Vendors shipped 418.6 million phones in 1Q13

compared to 402.4 million units in the first quarter of 2012 and 483.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012. This year, 216.2 million of those were smartphones - more than half of the total. Samsung lead the market by a large margin, shipping more phones than the following four brands combined, according to IDC’s figures. Apple’s smartphone shipment volume grew 6.6 percent year over year. Interestingly, the others in that top five were LG, Huawei, and ZTE: no space for Nokia, BlackBerry, or HTC at the top.

Less is More? HTC wades into MegaPixel fray

Trend Alert: Shoot First, Focus Later

The resolution competition that long engulfed the camera business also crept into camera phones, with 5-, 8-, 13MP and higher resolutions stuffed into small sensors. HTC says: “The smaller the pixel, the less light each one collects. This results in more visible noise and defects in still images and video.” HTC’s One phone settled on just 4MP for its camera but offered 2–micrometer “UltraPixels” which effectively have twice the surface area of pixels found in competing sensors. “There are less megapixels, but the quality of each pixel is substantially higher than the industry average.” With lower resolution, the ﬁle size of each image is smaller, “requiring little, if any, compression when sharing, uploading, backing up, or storing in the cloud,” the company says. “This maintains the captured image’s inherent quality.”

You may remember reading in the last issue of Pixel that Argball had hopped on the bandwagon for using multiple-capture technology to offer focus alteration after the picture has been taken. It appears that Nokia is now seeking to include this technology in its phones as it has made a bid for Pelican Imaging. Pelican’s camera uses an array of microcameras to capture images that can be refocused later for some interesting effects. According to Bloomberg, Nokia Growth Partners (the investment side of the company) is planning to support the start-up company with investments. Nokia owns just 3% of the smartphone market right now, but has been investing heavily in imaging technology as a USP, as evidenced by the groundbreaking cameras seen in the PureView phones.

Post-capture focusing technology comes to the fore

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is the rumoured name for a new camera focused smartphone from Samsung, which has appeared in the Bluetooth SIG - reinforcing popular assumption. The device is listed as a ‘Samsung Mobile Phone’ and has been widely rumored to feature a 16 megapixel camera and a large HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. Other rumours include generous storage capacity, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, A-GPS and Android Jelly Bean, possibly Android 4.3. Nobody has yet stuck their neck out to speculate what processor will be included.

Older Generation to be Next Tablet Audience?

Refurbished iPads recommended by leading care advice website Research shows that touch screens and apps can enrich the lives of the elderly far more than PCs as they require little muscle mass or hand-eye coordination and are easy to understand, facilitating access to Skype, Catch Up TV, games, researching interests and online shopping. Now a prominent advice website aimed at the families of the elderly, myageingparent.com has produced simple guides for people introducing their elderly parents to tablet use. One of the companies myageingparent.com is working with is Alive!, who focus on accessing inexpensive refurbished iPads. As more experts advocate computer usage for the elderly, this converges with computing clubs and other services that will encourage use and prompt a spike in devices - particularly second hand being bought by and for the older generation.

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News Corel £275 Software - Free! Corel is offering a free download of Corel Painter 12 (SRP £274.79) to customers buying a full version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 until 30 June 2013. Coordinating the promotion, Senior Marketing Manager, James Phillips said: “We’ve initiated this offer as we’re seeing designers use our software as part of their creative toolkit. Each programme is often used to complement the other, expanding a designer’s creative horizons. Many artists and businesses use both tools and we feel this offer will beneﬁt those most.”

Our Man at NAB Reports Andy Marken reports from the National Association of Broadcasters event in Las Vegas

Everybody’s been talking about 4K at NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), and there were interesting offers from a host of broadcast tech experts. The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K, is a high-resolution 4K digital ﬁlm camera with a Super 35-size sensor with a professional global shutter and all kinds of stuff that videographers really love. And with cameras normally in the $25K range, it caught a lot of attention with its $4K price. In addition, Blackmagic’s new compact digital cinema camera had all of the shooting features and capabilities professional videographers would want in a shoot-

A New ViewPoint from DxO DxO Labs has launched DxO ViewPoint v1.2, the new version of its software dedicated to correcting distortions caused by wide-angle lenses and to redressing keystoning and other perspective problems. DxO ViewPoint v1.2 offers a new save feature that provides a more ﬂuid workﬂow for users of Adobe photoshop and Lightroom and has added more sample images to help less-experienced users get started more quickly. DxO ViewPoint can be used as a standalone application for Mac and Windows and as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom.

LG: Ahead of the Curve LG Electronics has unveiled its 55-inch Curved OLED TV (Model 55EA9800) TV, priced at around the £9,900 mark. This makes LG the first and only company to commercialise both the flat screen OLED TV and the Curved OLED TV, giving LG a significant lead in the OLED segment that is expected to grow to 7 million units by 2016, according to DisplaySearch. The new EA9800 model features the industry’s first curved screen design, for an “IMAX-like” viewing experience. The entire screen surface is equidistant from the viewer’s eyes, eliminating screen-edge visual distortion and loss of detail. LG’s Curved OLED TV produces vivid and realistic images thanks to WRGB technology. The unique Four-Color Pixel system features a white sub-pixel for accurate reproduction, making it an ideal screen for viewing and displaying in the professional imaging market.

anywhere camera, for a price of around $1000 which is bound appeal to a lot of the indies and YouTube folks. But Blackmagic’s real surprise was the Pocket Cinema Camera that offers full-sized cinema quality and has a ridiculous sub$1K price that is cheaper than a really good DSLR camera. Red always seems to have a way to drag you into their NAB booth and a cleanroom set-up. This year, they showed us how they upgrade their 4K sensors to 6K right before our eyes. It’s nice to see they’re thinking about how the pros can extend the life of their shooting investment since most of the cameras at NAB aren’t cheap. To show Hollywood a little love, Intel announced the next-generation of their Thunderbolt interface that will double the throughput and expand their 4K support. LaCie took advantage of Intel’s Thunderbird announcement to show off its newest family of personal and workgroup storage units designed for media and heavy workload applications.

Keep Up with USB 3.0 USB 3.0 is truly here, so where does that leave those still working with older technologies? As USB protocol evolves, there is a need for computing and imaging accessories which are cross-compatible with the new standards AND older technologies. Fortunately for both retailers and professionals who have spent out a great deal of money on kit which would otherwise become obsolete very quickly, manufacturers seem to be facilitating a very reasonable transition period.

Sitecom has just introduced two lightweight HDD enclosure for SATA hard drives which offer USB 3.0 SuperSpeed standard, allowing users to transfer HD ﬁlms and images at data transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps, ten times faster than the USB 2.0 They also offer maximum compatibility in terms of operating systems and older USB technologies and work with all Windows and Mac operating systems, including Windows 8. They also don’t have an HDD capacity limit.

AOC in the Game Professional display manufacturers team up with expert gamers.

AOC, MMD and Infused Interactive have announced plans to intensify their collaboration in 2013. The partnership is a clear sign of AOC’s commitment to take a step forward in the gaming-imaging market. AOC has already sponsored Team Infused over the last three years, beneﬁtting from detailed feedback on the operational experience with different displays. Although various AOC models enjoyed considerable success and popularity throughout the

gaming community, none of them had initially been designed speciﬁcally for gaming – until recently. Backed up by mother company TPV, the world’s largest display manufacturer, AOC has made use of its access to the latest display technologies and high-grade materials to create the ultimate gaming monitor.

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SPECIAL REPORT

AV & COMPUTING

Future-Proof UHD? Sony and Samsung to Upgrade UHD TVs?

Samsung has hinted that their R&D department don’t believe any of the current 4k UHD (Ultra High Deﬁnition) televisions from the other manufacturers are really future-proof, as none of them are equipped with HDMI 2.0. The updated HDMI technology, which is still in development, and will make it possible to play UHD video at 50, 60 and even 120 frames per second. The current HDMI ports on current UHD TVs from

Covergence of Concepts New branding represents convergence of Samsung’s imaging, computing and mobile devices. Samsung is expanding its connected ATIV brand to include Windows PCs. ATIV, previously the brand for the company’s Smart PC hybrid devices, now represents the convergence of PC and mobile technologies and brings all of Samsung’s PCs and devices under one cohesive brand. Along with this brand evolution, Samsung is introducing SideSync technology to all Windows-based PCs, which enables users to

switch from working on their PC to an Android-based Samsung smartphone to respond to a text; view maps, photos and multimedia displayed on both devices to make editing ﬁles even easier; and back up devices.

THE INSIDER

Saying what you’re thinking and asking the difﬁcult questions. Each Issue, the Insider reports from the front line of our industry. I heard a rumor… Now, I know that the imaging industry is often shrouded in rumours. Many a rumour site has sprung up online… Almost every manufacturer has its very own, dedicated rumour site now, not to mention the generic versions. Gossip (as it was traditionally labelled) has become increasingly more rife and accessible since the emergence of the internet and it seems that people love to question what might be around the corner, what new gadget might be next or what new function will be offered with the next upgrade. So forgive me for using my soapbox for gossip this week but I have heard a couple of interesting things lately. Namely that Anthony Jacobs could be heading back into the imaging fold. One wonders what the offering will be – some may feel that the timing was unfortunate (the demise of Jacobs ahead of Jessops). I for one am keen to see what emerges here. Also, rumours that Park Cameras might be opening another bricks & mortar store too, suggest that the shifting of power continues. Lastly, I hear that John Lewis has plans to aggressively expand over the next few years and has plans to double their stores (and therefore, consumer electronics depts). All makes for an interesting week, gossip-wise. Don’t you think? Join me to discuss online at www.pixel.co.uk

Samsung, LG, Toshiba and Sony are able to receive full resolution UHD signals, but at no more than 24 frames per second. Future UHD broadcasts will almost certainly be in 50, 60 or even 100 or 120 frames per second. The current generations of Smart TV om sale will be compatible with those signals without an upgrade but Sony and Samsung have both hinted at upgrades for older models.

The Best Photo TV It’s TIPA-Ofﬁcial!

Samsung was awarded Best Photo TV at the TIPA awards for its F8000 Smart LED 2D/3D TV as it changes the way users view images on their TVs by allowing them “to interact with the images and share them on social networks, work with apps, and use the TV as an image hub with numerous devices,” as stated by the TIPA judges.

Operations Support Manager Kenro are the UK distributors for Nissin Flash, Benro Tripods, Marumi Optical and Reflecta Audio Visual together with Kenro Photo Frames, Albums and Accessories. We are looking to appoint an Operations Support Manager for the ongoing development of our Trade, Dealer and Online Retailer operations. Applicants should have a solid background in the photographic trade with a good technical knowledge, sound internet sales experience and should have held a previous managerial role within the Photographic Industry. The position will be based at our Swindon Head Office. Apply with a current CV in the first instance to: Mrs Joanna Jarvis, Kenro Ltd Greenbridge Road, Swindon SN3 3LH Or alternatively email: jojarvis@kenro.co.uk

Kenro Ltd, Greenbridge Road, Swindon, SN3 3LH t: 01793 615836 f: 01793 530108 e: sales@kenro.co.uk

www.kenro.co.uk Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook

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SPECIAL REPORT FOCUS

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Pixel speaks to Mr. Hidehiko Tanaka, President of Nikon UK, on the occasion of the opening of Nikon’s new school and Centre of Excellence.

The Pixel team recently attended the grand opening of the Nikon School of Excellence, and were very impressed by what the centre offers. There’s sure to be a high level of interest from the UK’s photographers. How do you intend to market your training activities, and who will be the main target audience? Thank you for the positive feedback! We are very excited about the new facility. The primary aim of the Nikon School Nikon’s new training programme based at the new Centre of Excellence, London - is to inspire and encourage photographers of all levels to develop their skills and reach their creative potential. We currently offer a range of courses, focussing on product and skills for amateurs, right through to professional photographers. In terms of marketing the training courses, we will be using our CRM, social media and PR programmes to inform and update photographers about the Nikon School, and also have an advertising plan in place to reach photographers via the photographic and regional press. A new web site will also be launched shortly. How many schools of excellence does this bring the total to, and how does the London venue and offering differ from the others? There are similar dedicated Nikon School venues in France, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo which have all been received very well. The Nikon School is also available in many other countries, but is run from the country headquarter ofﬁces, so the operation models there are slightly different. With Nikon’s latest and most popular DSLRs putting emphasis on video capablties, will the School be teaching

CREDITS & CONTACTS

“It is important that our customers maximise their creative potential when shooting movies, and we are currently working with third party experts to develop a video/filmmaking course.” filmmaking as well as still image shooting? The Nikon School training portfolio currently includes product- and skills-based photographic courses to suit photographers of all levels. We are keen to expand and develop our training offering, and will listen to customer feedback, to ensure we continue to offer training that is relevant, appealing and relates to the cutting edge technologies found within Nikon products. Whilst video is a relatively new feature in DSLR cameras, it is a growing area that is becoming more popular with photographers. With this in mind, we feel it is important that our customers understand how to maximise their creative potential when shooting movies and are currently working with third party experts to develop a video and film making specific training course. Keep an eye on the web site for new courses and announcements www.nikon.co.uk/training What potential benefit does the opening of the School of Excellence offer to Nikon retailers in and out of London? At Nikon, we are keen to ensure that customers get the most from their purchases, that they fully understand what they have to offer so that they are able to explore their creative potential and develop their interest and skill level, growing through the range. Access to the Nikon School will help consumers to expand their knowledge and enthusiasm, encouraging their hobby to grow, furthering their loyalty to Nikon.

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

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Accounts: Clare Fermor Amelia Wellings 01323 411601 clare@lifemediagroup.co.uk amelia@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Will the School be selling Nikon products directly to consumers at any point? If not, what will be suggested for students who wish to buy additional equipment? The Nikon Centre of Excellence is home to the Nikon School, a product showroom and NPS contact point. There is no retail facility to purchase products in store. Tell our readers a bit about the ambassadors that will be working with the School of Excellence and what each means to the project and Nikon? Nikon UK is working with five leading photographers, each a leader in a different field of photography. We are working with the ambassadors with a view to inspiring photographers, to demonstrate the results that can be achieved using different products. We find that our customers really respond to working photographers and are keen to find out more about their photographic experiences and equipment. Some of the ambassadors will be giving talks at the Centre of Excellence, whilst others will be inspiring photographers through media and marketing activities. The Centre of Excellence will be open from Tuesday – Saturdays and is located in central London making it more accessible to photographers.

www.nikon.co.uk/training

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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 2013 ©

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