Pixel Magazine 21st October 2013 by Life Media Group

ISSUE NO. 905

NX300 - WINNER BEST ADVANCED CSC

Photo - imaging - video - audio - tv - Print - mobile - stats - PeoPle - retail - business - news

News The Big Interview With the Pixel Trade Awards rolling up fast, Dave Rasch of Phoneix Photographic - last year’s Minilab of the Year - shares the winning formula, the diference a Pixel Trade Award has made to his business and his hopes to get his hands on another one!

The Best of Both Worlds Samsung’s Galaxy Camera offers superb imaging with the power and convenience of the Android operating system. Jon Penney, Senior Product Manager, Digital Imaging at Samsung UK explains the benefits of this hybrid.

Too Many Pics? Photographers may not be displaying their images because they just have too many to know what to do with, it turns out. A recent survey conducted on behalf of photo printing company SnapBox, almost 20% of casual photographers don’t display their images because they have too many to choose from. Further to that, 28% of respondents had lost treasured images after dropping and damaging their phones. Unsurprisingly, 28% of 18-24-year-olds store most of their images on sites such as Facebook and Instagram and almost a third of British consumers confessed to uploading images whilst still on holiday!

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21st October 2013

AwArds HOSt ANNouNced!

we’re biased, of course, but the host of this year’s Pixel trade Awards is a definite winner! Following the announcement of this year’s prestigious Pixel Trade Awards - Friday 15th November, The Park Plaza Riverbank, London, if you mised it - we can now reveal that the host of this year’s event will be Christian O’Connell. Our esteemed host is a DJ, TV presenter and writer who currently wakes up 1.5 million people every morning hosting the national breakfast show on Absolute Radio. His feature ‘Who’s Calling Christian…’ attracted a host of celebrities and even received a phone call from Tony Blair during his time as Prime Minister. This autumn sees Christian return to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk, which he first hosted during the

2004/2005 season. Christian took his debut stand-up show ‘This is 13’ to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival this summer to extremely positive reviews - no small feat for a newcomer at the notoriously tough comedy festival. On TV Christian has appeared on ITV Two’s ‘Back on the Job’ where he went back to being a bin man, local radio presenter and telesales operative, and made guest appearances on Loose Women, Something for the Weekend, and The Weakest Link. Now, Christian is bringing his hosting skills and comedic touch to the Pixel Trade Awards, to help us as we recognise the star performed of the trade this year - people, brands and products alike. Will you be there?

Full-Frame For everyone Nikon brings full-frame photography to enthusiast photographers with the new NIKoN d610 Nikon’s new D610 is a 24.3-megapixel D-SLR builds upon the legacy of the D600. Continuous shooting speeds have increased to 6 frames-per-second compared to the camera’s predecessor; Nikon’s new Quiet Release burst mode allows for near-silence at 3 fps, and a robust, lightweight build allows photographers to explore the advantages of full-frame in any environment. The Nikon D610 is packed with technology inherited from Nikon’s pro D-SLRs, including the same EXPEED 3 image processor and AF sensitivity as Nikon’s flagship D4. Designed to

ensure large-format movie shooting at its best, the Nikon D610 features the same multi-area Full HD D-Movie as found in Nikon’s acclaimed D800. The camera offers a wide variety of movie applications, a comprehensive variety of frame rates and convenient custom controls which enable full control over live view operation when filming. A microphone jack allows use of an external stereo microphone and there is an audio out for external headphones. The D610 also offers in-camera tools such as time-lapse shooting, HDR mode; picture controls; scene modes and incamera editing. It’s available body only for RRP: £1799.99 or a D610 with 24-85mm lens kit for RRP £2299.99.

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The wait is over. A new 16M Live MOS sensor and a TruePic VII image processor takes the performance of Zuiko lenses to new heights. An innovative Dual FAST AF system applies ultimate auto focusing technology to both Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds lenses. A state-of-the-art, interactive large EVF gives you the power to see exactly how your image will appear before you press the shutter release. Introducing the OM-D E-M1. A mirrorless camera beyond a DSLR.

Find out more at your local dealer or visit: olympus.co.uk/e-m1

Register now for your opportunity to enhance your E-M1 FREE battery grip and MMF-3 Adapter when you pre-register* 2 HLD-7 www.pixel.co.uk

*While stocks last. Available on redemption. Terms and conditions apply. Visit olympus.co.uk/buy-OMD for full details. MMF-3 Adapter only available to existing MyOlympus registered E-System users.

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THE INSIDER

Saying what you’re thinking and asking the difficult questions. Each week the Insider reports from the front line of our industry Be Excited! Is it just me, or are cameras absolutely brilliant nowadays? I mean, just this week, I’ve been lucky enough to have been presented with the new Lumix DMC-GM1, Sony’s three new (excellent) treats and Nikon’s new, 24-milion pixel sensor, D5300. All of these recent launches, represent significant jumps in technology, connectivity and usability. Ultimately, though, they represent, significant advances for creativity. We’re all sitting at a time of year, where we hope to push our businesses into the fray. Christmas is still a key event for every retailer, bar none. So my question to you all is this… How are you going to drum up the business this year? How are you going to relay these exciting advances to your existing and future

customers, and why should they come to you? All important questions and ones that you should (as I do) consider when prepping for the Christmas onslaught! Let’s get our customers excited about this technology, let’s spread the word about what we can do with it. Let’s involve our community! See you at the Pixel Trade Awards on the 15th November in London (if I’m invited). Join me to discuss online at www.pixel.co.uk and also on the Pixel Magazine LinkedIn group.

“Flawless in the Field” The new flagship of the K range brings brand new technologies to market Ricoh has unveiled the Pentax K-3. Developed to be the flagship of the Pentax K digital SLR camera series, this new model features a host of advanced functions and user-friendly features to optimise image quality and performance when shooting outdoors. The K-3 provides high-resolution image reproduction with approximately 24 effective megapixels; a 27-point AF system; highspeed continuous shooting at approximately 8.3 images per second; high-precision exposure control with a newly designed 86,000 pixel RGB light-metering sensor; a new, large, high-resolution LCD monitor; and an optical viewfinder with the largest, brightness subject image in its class.

The new anti-aliasing simulator — a highly innovative function developed specifically for the K-3 — allows the user to effectively minimise moiré without the installation of an optical anti-aliasing filter in the camera, providing a choice of filtered or filter-free shooting for a given scene or subject. The K-3 also offers greatlyenhanced movierecording features and smartphoneaccessible functions. The time-proven dustproof, weather-resistant body construction ensures dependable, flawless performance in the field. The K-3 Premium Silver

New Motorola MF801 - 8” Slim Digital Frame 8” TFT Screen Super Slim 6mm Thickness Clock and calendar functions

N.A.S £37.49 Guide £59.99

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with slide show

PHOTO

News Christmas Cheer for Retailers! Verdict forecasts that Christmas 2013 is set to be the best Christmas since the recession started, with consumers spending at least £2bn more than in 2012. Maureen Hinton, Research Director at Verdict says: “Though consumers will still be looking for value and discounting will continue to be rife in non-food sectors, there will be an increase in volumes this year, which will boost their total sales by £600m.”

The Next Generation A team at the University of Exeter are developing what may become the next generation of image sensors — a living module based on bio-engineered, lightsensitive bacteria. The project is about modifying common E. coli bacteria with genes for lightsensitivity and pigment production. The team points out that bacteria are much smaller than any electronic circuit, so the development could lead to image sensors with much high pixel density/resolution than current electronic designs, but we’re a very, very long way from anything that could be implemented in a camera or smartphone. Edition* will also be simultaneously launched—but in a limited run of just 2,000 units around the world. This limited-edition model has a silver body and silver grip, making it a perfect match for the silver versions of the high-performance Limited-series lenses, designed for unrivalled image rendition. The K-3 body RP is £1,099.99; lens kits from £1199.99 to around £1500 RRP and the K3 Silver Limited Edition at £1,399.99, starting from November.

Buy 3 at Special N.A.S £31.25 allows

£49.99

• 8” TFT Screen with vivid colours (800 x 600 pixels, aspect ratio 4:3) • Automatic power saving mode via light sensor • Auto-play slideshow • Rotate, zoom, and transition effects • Thumbnail Mode • Landscape orientation • Photo format: JPEG • Memory card slot: SD/SDHC/MMC • Matt Finishing Telephone 01485 536 200 or email: sales@swains.co.uk

don’t miss out this christmas limited stock available

guide

With 25% Margin

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PHOTO

News No Compromises The new ZEISS Otus 1.4/55 offers ambitious photographers the possibility for a more compact gear. DSLR cameras, with high resolution 35mm sensors, put enormous demands on lenses. The Otus1.4/55 can deal with these demands thanks to its outstanding sharpness, high image contrast and no visible chromatic aberrations. It creates the highestpossible image quality, even with an open aperture. The new ZEISS lens is especially suited for advertising, fashion and studio photography.

Freedom Through Photography

Fujifilm’s new Accessory partnership Fujifilm UK is launching an exclusive range of camera bags for its X-Series cameras in collaboration with Lake Districtbased outdoor and travel bag brand, Millican. Currently, the new range of bags is exclusive to John Lewis stores. Millican is becoming increasingly renowned for their highly functional outdoor and travel bags. The bags are made using durable, sustainable materials, and reflect the vintage-inspired, classic appearance of the X-Series digital camera range. To promote the collaboration, Fujifilm and Millican will accompany the launch of the new camera bags with a marketing campaign called ‘Freedom Through Photography’ which will involve award-winning photographers who use the cameras and the bags to showcase imagery that will inspire others to make the most of this new, ultimate toolkit for the modern photographer.

The Industry Benchmark of the Future A small step for Manfrotto... a giant leap for tripods

the mechanism appears from the main casting of the tripod allowing the column to tilt. Both the new column mechanism and 4 leg section models have a more compact closed dimension, which allows for easier portability. Thanks to these features, the new 190 offers substantial space saving over other models, in addition to its impressive technical speciﬁcation. RRPs range from £184.95 to £359.95

Aimed mainly at hobbyists, Manfrotto’s new 190 series is a unique tripod that provides greater compactness and portability, plus offers versatile settings that help to release the imagination, and creativity, of every photographer. One of the most innovative aspects of the new 190 is the mechanism to operate the new 90° column. It is accessed only when needed and with a quick ‘one ﬁnger’ operation, at the bottom of the centre column,

New Lens from Ricoh

Ricoh has launched the new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mmF4-5.8ED WR interchangeable lens, designed for use with K-mount lens-interchangeable digital SLR cameras

In addition to its approximately 5.5 times zoom ratio covering focal lengths, from medium telephoto to super telephoto, the new lens features Pentax-original HD coating* to deliver sharp, clear images, even under such demanding lighting conditions as backlight. Its weather-resistant construction also

enhances reliability and durability during challenging outdoor shooting conditions, allowing the photographer to capture high-impact telephoto images. The HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mmF45.8ED WR’s RRP will be £399.99 and it will be available from November 2013. www.ricoh.co.uk

On The Ball Following the assertion that Ballpod, now available from Digital Distribution LTD, made an excellent display solution as well as a stand out product in its own right, Chiswick Camera Centre were kind enough to share these pictures with us. As you can see, Chiswick are using their Ballpods in a section of the window as well as on one of the shelves in the shop. Andy Sands from Chiswick Camera Centre, said: “It really brightens up the camera display and, although I only have one section where I

Ask the Expert

See DDLTD’s new hero product in action

use Ballpod, it has become very noticeable that this is now the ﬁrst area of the shop that customers are drawn to. It really helps to have an eye catching window display to draw in passing trade. Ballpod is also a nicely designed and well-made product.” Ballpod is an innovative camera mount which is ideal for photographers of all levels and to be combined with all sorts of hobbies and interests. Its unique design allows cameras to be positioned easily and effectively on all sorts of surfaces. Available in a wide range of attractive colours and with its lightweight, moldable form, it ﬁts in with any camera kit and, as Chiswick Camera Centre have proved, with any imaging display!

New role for familair face in the imaging industry DayMen International has appointed Paul Genge, formerly of Sony and the Camera Diner, as their new EMEA Product Manager for 3rd party brands. Paul’s responsibilities will include the development of Giotto’s, Tokina and ExpoImaging. ‘I have known a number of the DayMen team

for quite a few years and I am very excited to now have the opportunity to work with them. DayMen has an impressive stable of photographic brands and I’m looking forward to expanding the business into new areas within the photographic and videographic industries.”

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The Art of Books Bespoke printing service uses HP Indogo Artisan Books, a new company utilising HP Indigo printing technology to produce affordable high-end books for creatives, artists, architects and corporate, has been ofﬁcially launched. The new company is holding a celebratory event tonight showcasing, for the ﬁrst time, books printed for its earliest customers renowned contemporary painter, Humphrey Ocean, and one of the biggest names in British

photography, John Swannell. Orders of these ﬁrst publications, entitled Humphrey Ocean: A Collection and John Swannell: Portraits have already exceeded targets set by Artisan Books founder, Francis Atterbury, for the ﬁrst year. In addition to founding Artisan, Francis Atterbury is also a partner in high-quality book printing consultancy, Hurtwood Press.

Upgrade and Save!

GMG promotion encourages upgrade to new M1 standard for better prints

GMG has announced that customers, who own X-Rite i1 measuring instruments, can purchase the new i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer at a discount and with an extended warranty as part of a campaign that will end on November 30, 2013. To get the i1Pro 2 at the reduced price, the old i1 device has to be returned to

GMG via an authorised dealer. The attractive bundles comprise a ProofControl update and the new i1Pro 2, which features new measuring technology that supports the M1 measuring standard. To be able to use the new measuring standards, users will have to replace their current measuring devices and software with new technology.

Next Generation Labels Xaar 1001 printheads have been specified by FFEI Ltd for the nextgeneration Graphium digital inkjet UV press The FFEI Graphium will be distributed by Fujifilm, in Europe and North America, with Fujifilm Uvijet Graphium UV inks. The FFEI Graphium, designed for labels, packaging and speciality print, is a modular, 4-colour narrow web, digital UV inkjet press with additional high-opacity digital white ink and flexo varnish capability. The press combines innovative prepress software, UV ink and Xaar 1001 printheads, with cutting-edge printhead calibration

technology to deliver consistent print quality and reliable production. During development of the new press, FFEI worked closely with the Xaar R&D team to ensure that Graphium maximises the full capability of the unique Xaar 1001 printhead technology. The press uses specialist Fujiﬁlm Uvijet Graphium UV inks which have been carefully speciﬁed and matched to the Xaar 1001 to deliver reliable jetting performance.

News All White Now Fujiﬁlm and Inca Digital Printers have announced the 4-colour plus white Inca Onset S40i large format ﬂatbed UV inkjet printer. Following the launch of the Onset S40i last year, the new Onset S40i now includes a double white ink capability, resulting in excellent print speed when printing white onto premium quality substrates. The new Onset S40i with white is the ideal solution for businesses producing high-value backlit/frontlit and double-sided day/night POS display graphics.

The Mobile Print Alliance Xerox has joined with other print providers to launch the Mobile Print Alliance: a non-proﬁt membership organisation focussed on making it easy to print from any mobile device to any printer. Karl Dueland, Vice President, Solutions Delivery Unit, Xerox, said in his blog: “In a move towards establishing industrywide mobile printing compatibility on all printing devices, the MPA designed a single mobile print platform that will be adopted by its members and embedded into their products.

Instagram Prints Worth $720m CanvasPop co-founder, Adrian Salamunovic, has calculated on his blog that if Instagram were to include a ‘print’ button within its app, it’d bring in revenues - and he stresses that these are conservative estimates - of $60 million a month.If Instagram’s print service saw only a 1% conversion rate, that would equate to an average monthly transaction of $40 per customer, presuming that Instagram would take a cut of this revenue from a third party.

Become an Authorised Samsung Reseller Today! How you can benefit:

-Receive Demo Units from the latest Samsung Camera Range -Receive In-Store POS including product stands, posters, leaflets* -Receive AVIOS points* when you buy Samsung Cameras from DirekTek** **Visit www.avios.com to find out what flight deals you could spend your points on!

Call Sales on 01494471100 C

Visit: www.direktek.co.uk Email: sales@direktek.co.uk Fax: 01494 768668

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*Terms and Conditions Apply. Images are not representative of the actual product - Trade Only - While stocks last - All prices exclude VAT and delivery

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MOBILE DEVICES

News BlackBerry Buy-Back? Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin, the original founders of BlackBerry, are amongst the parties putting in a bid to buy the company. The duo founded RIM, as BlackBerry was then known in 1984, and as it stands today own approximately eight percent of the company. At the moment, early-doors bids are almost up to the $5bn mark.

Watch this Space Although the SmartWatch market is in its infancy, rumours of an Apple iWatch suggest that the market may be about to bloom. A product from Apple would be almost guaranteed to lead the pack from the front and prompt investment and faster releases from other companies. It’s rumoured that Apple’s offering allow control of lighting, music and videos in the home - perhaps even your central heating.

Prestigio: New Quad-Core Tablets

Quantum MultiPad range boasts super-fast processor, crisp display and sleek design at affordable prices Prestigio’s new Quantum collection features three different sizes of tablets, 10.1”, 9.7” and a new size for Prestigio, 7.85”. The tablets all feature quad-core processors, and are the fastest available in the Prestigio MultiPad range. The new Quantum tablets come with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean installed and feature a bright, crisp screen thanks to IPS technology, giving consistent, accurate colour

from all viewing angles without blur. “We’re really excited to launch our new quad-core MultiPads to the UK market,” comments Martin MacNamara, UK Sales Director at Prestigio. “These tablets offer brilliant value for money with great hardware, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, affordable prices, and our unique warranty and technical support offering.” RRPs are between £139.99 and £169.99.

Hikes on the Horizon

Mobile networks are speaking out as Ofcom stands by its plans to raise the licensing fees they pay to use the UK’s existing mobile networks

The price hikes will affect companies such as Vodafone, O2, Three and EE as they use the part of the spectrum affected to provide some of their 3G and 4G services. On the BBC report, Vodafone said: “We are disappointed that Ofcom is proposing a 430 percent increase in the fees we pay for our existing spectrum at a time when we are investing more than ever in vital national digital infrastructure.” Ofcom is, at the moment, maintaining that competition at service provider level should mean that these costs aren’t passed on to consumers.

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Refocussing on Cameraphones Lytro-style ‘take now, focus later’ technology may soon be available in smartphones...

...It just depends what company gets there first! Toshiba announced a refocusing module a couple of weeks and now OPPO has announced a similar feature for future cameras. DigitalOptics’ MemsCam offers refocusing and lightning fast autofocus thanks to the built-in MEMS (microelectromechanical silicone system) whilst using a fraction of the energy of traditional camera sensors. OPPO have now been announced as exclusive launch partner for the new technology. There’s no word yet on when the first generation of refocusable cameraphones are going to make their debut, but we expect it to be soon!

DigitalOptics MemsCam

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TRADE

AWARDS

2013

PIXEL TRADE AWARDS 2013

15th November 2013 Park Plaza Riverbank London

Now in their 9th year, the Pixel Trade Awards have been extended to include various subcategories for 2013. Guests at this year’s awards ceremony will be invited to join us in celebrating our trades recognition of the elite in technological innovation and service across the imaging industry, and our overall winners will be announced on the night. Voting for these sub-categories will be cast by a panel of expert judges from all areas of our industry, whilst the overall categories will, as always, be voted for by the readers of Pixel Magazine, and the industry at large.

VOTE NOW*

via pixeltradeawards.co.uk website Week 1. 7th - 11th Oct Hardware Accessory Manufacturer of the Year. Processing Manufacturer of the Year. Overall Hardware Manufacturer of the Year. Week 2. 14th - 18th Oct Independent Retailer of the Year. Multiple Retailer of the Year. Mass Retailer of the Year. Online Retailer of the Year. Independent Print/Lab of the Year. Multiple Processing Retailer of the Year.

Week 3. 21st - 25th Oct Consumer Magazine of the Year. Consumer Imaging Website of the Year. Consumer Marketing Campaign of the Year. Overall Innovation in Imaging. Week 4. 28th Oct - 1st Nov Distributor of the Year. Rep of the Year. Retail Sales Person of the Year.

Sponsorship opportunities, seats and accommodation for the ceremony are also available. All enquiries: Simon Skinner – simon@lifemediagroup.co.uk Tel: 07811 303 606 – 01323 433700

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SMART THINKING

Samsung’s award winning Galaxy Camera has shown just what can be achieved when you combine superb camera capability with the power of the Android OS platform. We caught up with Jon Penney, Senior Product Manager, Digital Imaging at Samsung Electronics UK to ﬁnd out more

What sets the Galaxy Camera apart from typical superzooms? Like many superzoom cameras, the Galaxy Camera combines a large sensor with a powerful zoom lens, but it offers owners an unrivalled experience thanks to its massive 4.8” screen, Android OS platform and incredible connectivity, which means customers can shoot, edit and share their images and movies from anywhere. A super-bright 16M BSI CMOS sensor is paired with an powerful 21x zoom lens with optical image stabilisation, to capture outstanding results. With a 35mm equivalent range of 23 to 483mm, the lens can take everything in its stride, capturing stunning landscapes, cityscapes and portraits, or getting you right into the heart of the action with a quick press of the zoom control. The lens can also be controlled via the touch-screen or even using voice controls too. What beneﬁts does Android provide? Android is what truly revolutionises the photography experience for owners. By incorporating an Android™ 4.1 Jelly Bean OS and wireless connectivity, we opened up the device to applications for photo-editing, sharing and much more. Using Android, together with the wireless connectivity, the internet capabilities of the Galaxy Camera are equal to those of the latest smartphone, so that users can get even more enjoyment out of their device. In addition to the pre-installed applications from Samsung, users can browse the web and enjoy any applications from Google Play or Samsung Apps stores, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Skype. If users are not sure which app to download, they can use ‘S Suggest’, to help them discover a new photo editing app or fun game to download. Rather than simply use their camera to

capture images, customers can utilise the apps to edit and share images and movies, bringing a whole new depth to their photographic experience. Whether it’s simply applying colour effects or ﬁlters, to editing their movie footage, owners can explore their creativity to the full, with the 1.4GHz Quad-core processor ensuring it’s a super-smooth experience. What are the Smart features? There’s a host of Smart features on the camera, to help make the experience more fun and more rewarding. For a start the camera has Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can easily share your shots with your friends or backup to the cloud, for example. Customers get a free Dropbox account - complete with 50GB of storage for two years, making storage worries a thing of the past. Besides the regular PASM shooting modes, there are 19 Smart modes helping owners get

“Customers get a free Dropbox account - complete with 50GB of storage for two years, making storage worries a thing of the past”

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SAMSUNG

the best results every time, including hard to capture scenes like sunsets, night scenes and ﬁreworks. Selecting the mode is simplicity itself using the touchscreen. Can you tell us more about the screen? We really wanted to make using the Galaxy camera a rewarding experience, and the screen is a key part of that. It’s a 4.8” HD Super Clear Touch Display, which is far larger than rival products and is a great place to frame, review and edit your shots. The 1280x720 HD display offers superb movie playback and whether you’re surﬁng the web, checking the weather or using a map, apps and the internet is quick and easy, with all that screen space helping to enrich the experience. You can just touch the screen to determine the focus point for your shot, or even take the picture itself. You can preview any of the Smart modes and get a real feel for the effect they’ll have on your shots, and it’s quick and easy to navigate through your shots just by swiping the screen, and of course it really comes into its own when you’re using apps like YouTube to view content in stunning HD. Do customers need a data plan to fully take advantage of the features? Not at all. We offer two versions of the Galaxy Camera, one has Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing customers to utilise available wireless networks for sharing images and accessing online content. For complete connectivity, customers can also choose a 3G version which will allow them to add a data SIM. Both models come with 8GB of builtin storage, which can be used for storing captured stills and videos. This is also shared by the camera for the Android OS and apps. There’s also a microSD card slot that supports cards with capacities up to 64GB, so if your space requirements grow you can simply insert a memory card and save your photos directly onto it. Am I right in thinking you can control the camera using voice commands? Yes you can. Being an Android device, the Galaxy Camera comes with great features like S Voice, which let you control the device and launch apps simply by speaking to it. You can say “launch calendar” to check your diary or “open music” to play a song, for example. The camera itself also has voice control,

“There’s been plenty of customers who have bought it that haven’t owned an Android device previously, and have found it a real eye-opener. With Google and developers working ﬂat out to add even more functionality all the time”

which lets you operate it using spoken commands. You can simply tap the microphone icon at the top of the screen to enable voice control, then use your voice to instruct the camera. There’s a list of commands provided on the screen so you don’t have to remember them all, but you can use words like “Smile”, “Capture” and “Shoot” or even just say “Cheese” to take a picture. You can also tell the camera to start recording video, use the 10 second timer, revert to Auto settings, zoom in or out or turn the ﬂash on or off. It’s really simple and can prove very useful when you want to put yourself in the shot and activate the camera remotely, for example. What has the reaction from customers been like? It’s been really positive. From a volume

perspective we’ve seen strong sales from the outset as customers have been keen to get their hands on something so different. It’s also been great to see the huge array of shots uploaded to our Flickr site, showcasing the best moments that the Galaxy Camera has helped people to capture. I think the camera has been a great showcase for the Android platform too – there’s been plenty of customers who have bought it that haven’t owned an Android device previously, and have found it a real eye-opener. With Google and developers working ﬂat out to add even more functionality all the time, we’re really excited and thinking about how can we use it to help photographers even more in the future. www.samsung.com/uk

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News Eye Candy BenQ, the global LED monitor manufacturer, announced the availability of fourteen Flicker Free, Eye-Care monitors in its product range - ideal for those who work with computers all day, including imaging and graphics professionals. The BenQ Eye-Care series with models from 20” through to 27” inch screens enables computer users to improve their productivity by reducing eye strain and unwanted headaches from heavy screen usage. BenQ’s new Flicker-free monitors adopt a unique De-flickering Backlight Circuit Controller, for a zero-flickering viewing experience, and in turn help reduce the eye health concerns raised by a fastflickering display and/or prolonged usage of PCs and notebooks.

Goodbye Google TV? Google may be about to rebrand the Google TV operating system as Android TV. Co-developed by Intel, Sony, and Logitech, and launched in 2010, Google TV has since been adopted by other manufacturers. LG and Sony, amongst other manufacturers, have released Google TV-based hardware, but it’s generally gathered that the platform has not matched up to expectations in terms of market penetration. It was also rumoured that the Chromecast TV streaming dongle was expected to mark the end of Google TV, but it’s since been touted that the two were always supposed to work alongside each other. If the rebrand goes ahead, we could be looking at Android TV based models coming onto the market very soon.

Extreme External

WD has redesigned its popular My Book and My Book for Mac lines The My Book range is designed provide up to 4TB storage capacity and enhanced data protection for those who create and collect large volumes of video, music and photos. The new drives’ data protection features are perfect for backing up content collections. WD SmartWare Pro automatic back-up software, with Dropbox integration offers cloud backup capabilities, and the WD Edition of Acronis True Image enables users to execute a full

system backup and securely delete digital files and programmes. To protect files against theft, fire, flood or other natural disaster, My Book integrates Dropbox to store files in the cloud. The WD My Book for Mac will also incorporate SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and UAS connectivity for increased speed and flexibility. MSRPs will be £79.00 for the 2TB, £99.00 for the 3TB, and £149 for the 4TB. MSRP for My Book for Mac will be £99 for the 2 TB, £129 for the 3TB.s

BVE Goes North

Predicting future trends for imaging and broadcast professionals

BVE North 2013 has secured a great line-up of industry talent to share their expertise, opinions and advice at the North’s essential broadcast event, which returns to Manchester Central on 12-13 November 2013. James Rowley-Ashwood, Event Director, BVE North, said: “The calibre of speakers, that BVE North has attracted, serves to underline Manchester’s growing importance

as a broadcasting centre. Visitors to the show will learn global truths and be able to implement them locally as this key region continues to develop. As well as high-level strategic sessions and practical technology-base workshops, we are particularly proud of our Skills Zone, which offers free invaluable advice to help content creation professionals develop their careers.” Details can be found at www.bvenorth.co.uk

Ultra HD in Vegas 2014 CES to feature latest advancements in Ultra HD

The next generation of television will take centre stage at the 2014 International CES, January 7-10, Las Vegas, where the latest advancements in Ultra High-Definition technology will be showcased. Ultra HD is the next generation of display technology for the home and delivers four times the resolution of

today’s full High-Definition TVs, with more than eight million pixels of resolution. Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Sharp and Hisense are a few of the manufacturers who will be showcasing this technology. CEA forecasts Ultra HD unit shipments to increase eightfold to reach 450,000 in 2014.

3DTV to Grow 166% by 2017 Extra dimension of engagement continues to drive sales Consumer uptake of 3D hardware continues apace, with the market on track to achieve 157.7 million 3DTV sales in 2017, up from a forecast of 59.3 million for 2013, says a new report from Futuresource Consulting. “In 2017, 3DTVs will account for 58% of

all TVs sold across the globe, rising from 18% last year,” says Sam Leech, Research Analyst, Futuresource. “Growth in the delivery of 3D content to the home is less apparent, with a varying array of broadcaster strategies - some are

ending current commitments whereas others continue to increase output. What is clear is that 3D content will become increasingly restricted to premium and on-demand offerings.”

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AV & COMPUTING

Travel in Style

Premium accessories for protecting those high-end laptops on the move

The latest addition to Booq’s premium range of laptop bags, backpacks and iPad carrying cases is the Boa nerve, graphite. The new messenger bag has been designed to hold and protect a 15” laptop and all day-today equipment, making it the perfect ﬁt for today’s graphics professional. Designed to be tough and sleek, the innovative Boa nerve, graphite comes packed with an abundance of cool features. The Boa nerve, graphite has a strong, denier nylon exterior with water-repellent coating and an extremely durable, water resistant, rubberised bottom to help protect possessions from every

News On the Up at Altium

day elements. The densely padded interior laptop compartment has been lined with ultra-premium herringbone lining to keep gear safe and scratch-free. The Boa nerve, graphite also features three, quick access exterior pockets on the side and top of the bag, providing easyaccess to users most needed accessories such as a phone, U-lock, water bottle and keys. The bag comes with a trolley pass-through on the back which also doubles up as a zippered pocket for document storage when not in use. RRP around £110. www.booqbags.com

Altium Limited has announced the promotion of Martin Harris to Chief Sales Ofﬁcer (CSO). Mr Harris has previously held the role of Senior Executive Vice President, Global Field Operations. As the CSO he is a key member of Altium’s Executive Team, leading the global sales management team of Altium. Altium’s ﬂagship product Altium Designer is currently being prepared for the next major release. Called Altium Designer 14, it is expected to be rolled out within the next few weeks.

Corel Cashback!

Beta’s Better for OnOne A public Beta is now available for Perfect Photo Suite 8. This is a first for onOne! “We believe it will lead to the most successful launch we have ever done. We are fully expecting to find bugs, and the purpose of this exercise is to iron them out before the launch,” said a OnOne’s Douglas Campbell. “If you do download and test the product, it would be wonderful if you could report your findings, and give us general feedback,to myself.” ononebeta@ononesoftware.com

Considerable incentives for those purchasing software through authorised resellers

Corel announced an exclusive cashback promotion on CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6, Small Business Edition and Corel Photo & Video Suite X6. Customers who purchase a full version of the software are entitled to claim up to £90 cashback. The promotion is available from Saturday 5 October until Tuesday

31 December 2013. This range is popular with graphics professionals and enthusiasts/ budding pros alike. To be eligible for cashback, users will need to purchase a full standard version of the software through one of Corel’s authorised resellers or the Corel Store and complete an application form at www.corel.com/cashback

A Ready-Made Site Solution Finally, you can sell your photographer audience a website for their business With Incomedia WebSite X5, no programming skills are required: all it takes is ﬁve simple steps for anyone to produce an effective websitewhich is ideal for start up businesses, ‘one man band’ organisations... in short, ideal for those making their photography hobby into a career Users simply choose a design from the

1,500 templates available, or create a new one from scratch. They can then create the site’s structure, adding as many pages as they need, before uploading their content. It’s easy for users to make their pages professional, thanks to features like: online stores, blogs, RSS feeds, members’ areas, multi-language sites, etc... lastly, they can launch their website online

using the built-in FTP engine. Users are free to sign up with the web provider of their choice, however, WebSite X5 also includes registration of a domain name and 30 GB of web space for 12 months. Incomedia WebSite X5 Compact 10 is available at MSRP £33.99 and WebSite X5 Evolution 10 at MSRP £59.99.

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SPECIAL REPORT FOCUS

THE BIG INTERVIEW Pixel spoke to Dave Rasch of Phoenix Photographic, 2012’s Pixel Trade Awards MiniLab of the Year, to find out what it means to be a winner Dave, it’s that time of year again and people may be looking to you as they consider their own hopes of a Pixel Trade Award… what do you think were the keys to your success? Ultimately, we pride ourselves on keeping our customers happy. To an extent we hope the products speak for themselves, but being primarily trade-based awards, and with us being a consumer-facing business, we did work hard to let people know they could vote for us. Promotion was a big part of it: luckily we have substantial online presence so we could send the link out to customers who were already online and could vote there and then. Customer service is still key though - we offer the best product and service we can, and then when we asked people to vote for us, they were happy to. I can only imagine the response you’d get if you asked the same of customers that weren’t pleased with their experience! I don’t think we’d have won without promoting… we serve too small an area, and when people are walking into the store, remembering to log online and vote for you when they get home is not a priority for them, even if it might be for you! 25 percent of our business is online, but in terms of people who potentially could, and did vote for us, that’s a very significant amount. I am definitely making sure people vote for me again this year! What has the award meant for your business? We have milked it for all we can! We worked hard for our award and really, other than the glow of recognition, its worth is in using the title in promotional materials. Profile is very important, people do take notice of your standing amongst rival businesses, and when

CREDITS & CONTACTS

Managing Director/Publisher: Lee Mansﬁeld 01323 411601 lee@lifemediagroup.co.uk Commercial Director: Simon Skinner 01323 433700 simon@lifemediagroup.co.uk Editor: Laura Knight 01323 437946 laura@lifemediagoup.co.uk

you can say that the trade has recognised you as the best in your field, that’s a useful and definitive selling point: that makes you the people to go to. We do advertise the fact we won and commercially people take us a bit more seriously. It’s also quite some title to defend, and of course I’d love it if all our hard work this year was recognised with Phoenix being crowned Lab of the Year for 2013 too! It’s something to strive for. What developments have you made to your business since you won your award? We’re about to launch a new website that we’ve been working on for almost a year now… it’s very exciting, it’s been built from scratch to make it as easy as possible to order from us online, which is increasingly important. Product wise, ‘Instagram prints’ are incredibly relevant right now… They’re basically square prints we’ve designed specifically to match up with Instagram proportions as those sorts of images are so popular and work so well as a stand alone piece of art. We’re just grabbing that part of the market early – I’m sure everyone will be doing it soon. Talking of which, what impact HAVE cameraphones had on your business? Only a positive one, really. As camera technology on phones is getting better, the images captured on them are more printworthy, so every day more people are printing from their phones. It must be a nightmare for manufacturers but for a print business, it doesn’t matter what device an image was captured on if it’s of a good enough standard to print, and you can easily get a great largescale canvas print from an iPhone now. There was a time when people were taking photos on their phone that were good enough for keeping as memories and posting online but not really print-quality, but now consumers are seeing the quality of print that can be made from phone photos and it’s easier than ever with cloud-based printing, so the growing number of pictures being taken on phones means great things for us.

Production Design: Laura Knight/Harriet Weston 01323 411601 harriet@lifemediagroup.co.uk

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

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

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Printed by Cliffe Enterprise Unit 6F Southbourne Business Park, Courtlands Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 8UY 0845 601 9478 | www.cliffe-enterprise.com

What else is new and how are your hopes for keeping the title Minilab of the Year for 2013? I’d say business has been on the up for last 18 months. Last summer was great, we had the knock on effects of the Olympics and another long summer this year, with plenty of people taking plenty of photos and they’re coming our way. Whenever there’s a recession you find the not-as-well-run businesses close and if you can hang in there, you will reap a share of the business they had. We gained a little bit more trade from Jessops closing, and funnily enough I would have said film was down but since Boots closed their film processing labs we have reeled in a larger share of that business… also we find we can charge more for it, because there are so few places you can get film processes these days. We offer a premium service, so it does not need to be the cheapest! And of course the award backs us up. We’re now offering photo archival, scanning in old prints and things to upload them to DVD, which is a new service and, really, a whole new area of the industry for us. The new website will be exciting. Personally, I think if you’re ignoring online business, you’re mad. Without our online presence, I reckon we would be struggling by now. We’ve always been forward thinking: we’ve been around 20 years and were early adopters of APS, digital, printing from the cloud… nothing really changes. It’s still people taking photos, whatever they’re doing that with or on, and you give people what they want or you will lose them. And if you do give them what they want, you might even win a Pixel Award!

www.phopho.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.

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PIONEERING PERSPECTIVES

See things from a different angle with the new LUMIX GX7. Combining a classic elegance with head-turning innovation, its revolutionary tilt view lets you shoot the world the way you see it. With outstanding performance and the option of a compact 20mm f/1.7 lens delivering fantastic low-light results, it will soon become your favourite camera.

THOMAS DWORZAK

See how the GX7 inspired Magnum Photosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thomas Dworzak at panasonic.co.uk/lumixgx7

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Get closer to the action with a FREE 50-200mm lens worth £249, plus 3 years’ warranty.*

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*Free lens: RRP £249. Purchase from participating retailer required by 31 October 2013. Claims by redemption. Claims must be received by 30 November 2013. See samsung.com/uk/lenspromotion for further information and for full T&Cs. 3-year warranty: Purchase from participating retailer required by 31 December 2013. Registration required within 30 days of purchase. See samsung.com/uk/nxwarranty for further information and for full T&Cs.

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