INSIDE
ISSUE NO. 922
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www.pixel.co.uk
AUGUST 2014
David bell exits leica, pixel trade awards 2014, digital distribution golf day, fespa africa review, canon launces two new bridge cameras plus much more...
BIG INTERVIEWS • As MD Chris Bowen leaves Sony UK for a career in travel, we ask him to reflect on a rapidly changing industry. • Planning for next year’s Photography Show is underway! We speak to Head of Events Jonny Sullens to find out more. • Is connectivity the way forward for digital photography? Barney Sykes, Head of Imaging at Panasonic thinks so.
Samsung launches entrylevel Galaxy Young 2 The entrylevel Samsung Galaxy Young 2 smartphone will go on sale in the UK mid-August. This basic, lower priced device is powered by a single-core 1GHz processor and runs the Android 4.4 KitKat OS. It has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, three megapixel camera, video playback in HD, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory that can be expanded by 32GB with a microSD card. It will be available in white and ‘iris charcoal’. Pricing TBC. Photo -
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Miss Aniela - Nikon D810 (non-final sample)
Nikon D810 – A Retailer’s Guide Camera giant claims new high-end DSLR is its best camera yet, so how can counterstaff get this across? In its latest bid to storm the higher end of the UK DSLR market, Nikon has launched the D810 – the almost identical-looking successor to the D800 and D800E that, as Jeremy Gilbert (Marketing Manager at Nikon) told us, boasts the ‘best ever stills image from a Nikon camera’, with ‘sublime’ movie recording. Know What’s New The D810 looks just like its predecessors, so why should customers choose this model over the others? Low ISO This is the first DSLR in Nikon’s history to offer a minimum ISO 64, enabled by the new FX-format CMOS sensor and by increasing the volume of light information that can be accumulated. video
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According to Nikon: “This enables suppression of loss of detail in highlights (blown highlights) and beautiful rendering of subjects with rich tones, even when a fast lens is used in bright surroundings.” New processing functions A new “Flat” Picture Control option has been added, which applies less in-camera processing to images. Nikon said: “The Flat setting prevents loss of detail in highlights and shadows, as well as oversaturation of colours, enabling adjustment of image quality and post-processing for richer tone characteristics, including contrast and colours.”
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Precise AF and vibration suppression The 51-point AF system has
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been increased with adoption of the autofocus sensor module to make the most of the 36.3-million effective pixels. Nikon has also made improvements to the focusing algorithm, ensuring more exact pinpointing of the subject.
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Welcome To Pixel Magazine I admit it. I am a member of Generation Y. I am a Millenial, an Internet Baby: a terrifying product of the digital age. I am younger than the first commercial digital camera – by almost a decade. I was given my first computer game (Noddy’s Adventures in Playland, no less) when I was just three, and thanks to my computer scientist dad, I grew up surrounded by technology – including an early laptop that was only a fraction lighter than a desktop computer. Today I Facebook, I tweet, I take thousands of photos on my smartphone, and (gasp) I rarely print anything out. In short, I represent a growing problem in the industry. But as we report in this issue, the good news is that brands and retailers are finding innovative ways to adapt to these consumer changes. Manufacturers are recognising the need for ‘connectivity’ in their products by producing cameras equipped with WiFi and accompanying apps. Print companies too are harnessing the ‘power of online’ by making it easier than ever to print smartphone
photographs and choose from a wider range of personalised photo products. Advancements in technology may be the downfall for some products, but it opens up a host of opportunities for new products that satisfy a brand new generation of tech babies... Now, it’s just a matter ot taking those opportunities. Zoe, Editor, @pixelmagazine
Site Redesign for Tamron UK
User-friendly and compatible with mobile devices
Tamron UK has launched a new responsive site design, enabling it to be easily browsed on devices of all sizes. The site has a number of new features, including a blog offering tips for taking good photographs, as well as a ‘Lens Selector’ to
help customers pick the right Tamron lens for their needs. Other features include a Tamron UK Facebook feed and a Dealer Search facility. Visit www.tamron.eu/uk to see the new site
Argos Appoints Head of IT to Help Chain Become ‘Digital Retail Leader’ Argos has created a brand new role to assist its new mission to become a ‘digital retail leader’ in the UK Henrietta Baring will bring 25 years of UK and international business experience to her new role as Head of IT at the retail chain. Her LinkedIn profile states: “I am an Influential and results-oriented professional with exceptional rapport building, management, presentation and communication skills.” Her main goal will be to implement the company’s core strategy to become a leader in digital retailing, living up to the slogan ‘More Choice, Available Faster’. Ms Baring will focus on systems that show real-time product
availability, intended to reduce lead times to customers. The announcement comes as Argos announce that tablets and mobile phones made up more than a fifth of their sales in the first quarter of this year.
Which? Awards 2014 Winners Revealed
The best in business have been celebrated at the Which? Awards 2014 in London This year’s Which? Awards, launched in 2007, were co-hosted by TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky and Which? Group Chief Executive Peter Vicary-Smith, with a keynote speech from CBI Director-General John Cridland. Best Retailer went to John Lewis for the second year running. For the second year running, Panasonic was named ‘Best Photography Brand’ at the Which? Awards 2014. Samsung was awarded the Best Audio-Visual Brand for delivering quality and good value consistently, and newcomers Giffgaff won the Best Telecom Services Provider for
offering excellent value for money. The theme of this year’s event was consumer trust and this was recognised In CBI John Cridland’s speech, where he acknowledged that businesses have a huge mountain to climb to rebuild public confidence. He said: “Businesses of all sizes, in all sectors and in all regions of the UK are the driving force behind our economic recovery, delivering growth and more jobs. They do this by providing excellent products and services that customers want and we should shout about their successes.”
Calumet Customer Open Days ‘A Success’
Calumet UK recently launched six spring open days across the country, offering customers a chance to get hands-on with some of the store’s new cameras and equipment, which included the flagship Pentax 645Z Stores in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Belfast attracted over 1,000 visitors by offering one-to-one sessions with experts from leading brands including Nikon, Canon and Manfrotto – as well as exclusive
offers, free sensor cleaning and competitions. In an official statement, Jon Warner, Managing Director, said: “Our open days are instrumental to what we do, it’s so important to be able to connect our customers with
the brands they admire so much. It provides a great opportunity for our suppliers to showcase new product launches to a very niche and captivated audience. We have been really pleased with the turn-out at each of our spring open days and
we can’t wait for the autumn ones now!” For further information on Calumet Photographic and for news on upcoming events, visit: www.calphoto.co.uk
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PHOTO An Action Cam for the Summer The new Sony Action Cam HDR-AS20 comes with a wide-angle ZEISS Tessar lens boasting a 170° field of view, allowing users to take in more action than ever. In its official press release, Sony said: “With its slim, lowprofile design, Action Cam goes wherever you go… from surfing trips to skate parks. Its thin aerodynamic design carves through the air, cutting wind pressure when you’re streaking downhill by bike or taking the plunge in your first parachute jump.” The new device features Sony’s Steady Shot technology to eliminate blur on fast moving subjects. It can also shoot full HD 50p video with its Exmor R CMOS sensor and inbuilt microphone. The battery life is longer than its predecessor, allowing shooting for up to 130 minutes with Wi-Fi on and 150 minutes with Wi-Fi off. The WiFi itself is yet another selling point, allowing users to share their footage and stills immediately with the rest of the world. Available: Now
Firmware Corner Sony Action Cams Sony has launched a firmware update for the Sony Action Cam, offering both AS100V and AS30V users a number of new features. The most talked about is an exclusive update for the AS100V – the more expensive of the two models. The update allows users to live stream video on Ustream, plus it adds a new Motion Shot Mode, which automatically merges a sequence of images into one. For the AS30V, the update allows multi-camera control via an optional remote, plus improvements to the automatic exposure and WiFi. esupport.sony.com
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Decline of Digital Compacts ‘Will Continue’, says GfK Sales of digital compact cameras have halved in five years Analysts at GfK expect sales of non-changeable lens cameras to keep depleting due to the rise in popularity of smartphones. In 2008, the number of digital cameras sold in the UK reached its peak at just over 6.5 million units. Nine out of ten cameras were fixed lens, accounting for 77% of the overall digital camera market value. Now, they account for just 63% and the number of units sold has halved. Richard Gregory, GfK Consumer Electronics Account Director, told Pixel: “The decline of the basic point and shoot compact camera will continue, due in part to the rise of the quality and number of smartphones that are being purchased, but also because of a very high ownership of these basic
cameras.” Smartphones are rapidly catching up with digital cameras in terms of lens quality, with some taking pictures as good as entrylevel cameras. Richard told us that the areas of opportunity for retailers are in premium products, or those with
new innovation such as integrated WiFi, in order to give existing customers a reason to upgrade. “There needs to be a compelling reason for people to take a camera with them every day – as we see that those items that are ‘every day’ items are those that have survived the recession the strongest,” he added. While basic compacts may well be on the way out, interchangeable lens cameras appear to be doing much better. According to GfK data, more of them were sold in 2013 than in 2008. In the first 5 months of 2014, one out of every five cameras sold was a changeable lens one, which represented more than half of the market value.
Go Wild for New Africa Bags Manfrotto and National Geographic team up to produce camera bags Manfrotto and National Geographic have teamed up to produce camera bags for those who want to explore the ‘Urban Jungle’ – and look good while they’re at it. Serious photography is becoming more popular with the younger, more style-conscious crowd. Thanks to the rise of digital photography, it is now easier than ever to pick up a camera and start taking and sharing photos. The New Africa range of camera bags from Manfrotto and National Geographic targets this new customer-base, with practical yet fashionable leather and washed canvas exteriors for a rugged look.
Bags in the new range include: Midi Satchel and Tote Bag – stylish day-trip bags The midi-satchel has a large photographic compartment and, for extra practicality, also room for a tablet computer. The Tote Bag is designed to provide space for personal belongings and small accessories. Sling Bag and Backpack/ Sling Bag - comfortable and compact for everyday use The Backpack/ Sling Bag can
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The firmware will be available from late June.
Nikon has launched Firmware Update C 1.01 fixing just one small bug: previously, the display would turn white if the display brightness was set to negative value, obscuring everything on the screen. Now all is dandy with this new update.
Fujifilm has unveiled a new firmware update for its XQ1, X-M1 and X-A1 models, enabling users to send images via WiFi to the Instax Share Smartphone Printer SP-1. This makes it quick and easy to print credit card sized photos on the spot.
be worn as a backpack or a sling bag, depending on the occasion. Small and Medium Backpacks – for all the essentials These backpacks can be divided into upper and lower sections due to a hidden, removable pocket. Equipment can be stored in the lower compartment, which is accessible from the front pocket. The bags also have space for carrying a tripod and a laptop computer. Available: Now RRP: From £79.95
The Ricoh GR
Update 4.0 gives better autofocus speeds with the addition of a High Speed AF mode. Other improvements include a shift crop effect, new delete options for binning various combinations of JPEG or RAW, and changes to operational performance with the addition of aperture preview and better stability when connecting to a Mac via USB.
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Canon Goes Further than Ever
New MD for Nikon UK
New telephoto zoom lens EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Canon has unveiled the latest addition to its EF-M lens range, adding to the three existing lenses designed for the brand’s M generation of compact system cameras. The new telephoto zoom lens will join the current range: EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM EF-M 22mm f/2 STM EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 It will attach to Canon’s 18-megapixel EOS M compact system camera, marketed as: ‘A
new breed of camera for a new breed of photographer’, offering young, creative enthusiasts portability with the power of a DSLR. The new lens features Canon’s Optical Image Stabiliser and STM technology, designed to deliver clear detail and reduce shake when shooting stills and movies. Top selling points:
• Stylish metal exterior that has become a trademark of the EF-M range • Lightweight and portable for everyday use • Manual focus ring offers greater creative freedom to adjust focus during shooting • Smooth, near-silent STM focusing. Availability: From July RRP: £329.99
World’s First 4K Bridge Camera
Panasonic launches premium bridge camera FZ1000 Panasonic has said the LUMIX DMC FZ1000 is its most ‘advanced bridge camera to date’, with 16x optical zoom, Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens and a 20.1MP 1” sensor all packed into a light camera body offering manual zoom and focus. At an exclusive press preview of the new model, Panasonic’s new Head of Imaging Barney Sykes said: “More and more people want to shoot video with their compact cameras. This is the first compact camera in the world that shoots 4K. We believe 4K will have so many benefits for photography in the near future.” Panasonic hopes the idea of choosing and extracting the ‘perfect
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still’ from 4K footage will help boost the demand for 4K in the photography market. “We want people to achieve great photography,” Barney continued. “We are trying to encourage them to have fun with it.”
RRP: £749.99. Those who pre-order the LUMIX DMC FZ1000 get a free battery case, as Barney explained: “We want to reward people who come in early.” www.panasonic.com/uk
Five New lenses from Samyang The Korean lens manufacturer has announced the expansion of its portfolio with the addition of five new lenses Two of the lenses are for DSLR cameras – the 35mm f/1.4 Canon AE and a 300mm f/6.3 Mirror lens, while the other three are for VDSLR – the Samyang 10mm T3.1, 12mm T2.2 and 7.5mm T3.8. 35mm f/1.4 Canon AE: This new lens fits on Canon digital reflect cameras equipped with full-frame and APS-C sensors. It features an Auto Exposure (AE) function and a microprocessor. RRP: £569.99 inc VAT 300mm f/6.3 Mirror lens: This lens fits DSLR cameras in Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony A and Micro 4/3 mounts. It is light and compact, with
anti-reflective coatings to minimise light reflections and boost contrast. RRP: 479.99 inc VAT Samyang 10mm T3.1 and 12mm T2.2 for VDSLR: A month after the market release of the DSLR 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS and 12 mm f/2.0 NCS CS DSLR lenses, Samyang announce the release of their cine versions: Samyang 10mm T3.1 Cine and 12mm T2.2 Cine. RRP: £389.99 inc VAT.
Samyang 7.5mm T3.8 for VDSLR for MFT cameras: The cine version of the manual focus fish-eye lens for DSLRs. It provides diagonal field of vision equal to 180 degrees and despite its small size, the Samyang 7.5mm T3.8 Cine produces vivid images and has a minimum focusing distance of just nine centimetres. RRP: £329.99 inc VAT Intro 2020: 01628 674411
Nikon’s General Manager John Walshe has been promoted to UK Managing Director, as current MD Hidehiko Tanaka moves to Nikon Germany. On his LinkedIn page, Mr Walshe describes himself as: “An experienced Managing Director, with blue chip FMCG experience and a track record of working across functions and industries. A visible leader with a strong combination of sales and marketing skills, combined with financial acumen and excellent strategic thinking capabilities.” In an official statement about his predecessor, Mr Walshe said: “Mr Tanaka has had a tremendously positive influence in the UK, both with employees and trade partners. I look forward to building on his contributions as we continue to work with our trade partners to establish Nikon as the leading imaging brand in the UK and across Europe.”
New Gossen Digital Lightmeter Intro2020 has been announced as the official UK distributor for the new Gossen Sixtomat F2 digital lightmeter. The new device helps photographers find the correct exposure and depth of field to create the perfect mood without a long process of trial and error. It can be operated in two modes: corded flash or uncorded flash, and multiple exposure calculations can be achieved in the meter without the need for a reference chart. RRP: £199.99 inc VAT Available: Immediately www.intro2020.co.uk
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SPECIAL REPORT PRINT
Epson Joins the Fashion World High Street stores Topman (Oxford Circus) and Liberty London (Regent Street) have teamed up with print specialists Yr Store to open pop-up T-shirt design and print services within their flagship stores. The service will use Epson 44inch SureColor SC-F6000 roll-fed dye-sublimation printers to apply bespoke designs that are ready to take away within minutes. Customers can create one-off patterns in-store from an archive of designs and images. Output speeds of up to 16 to 57m2/hr make the SC-F6000 ideal for ‘on-demand’ printing in the retail environment, allowing for impulse buys without long queues. The SureColor printers can also be operated by just one person, meaning stores can continue to operate as normal without hiring more hands. Yr Store’s Time Williams said: “The future of fashion is in carefully curated live garment creation. Working with Epson technology means we can provide the highest quality product in super-fast time, offering customers a great retail experience and their own unique garment.”
New Printing Site Retrotagram Launched
A new website has been launched to help smartphone photographers bring Instagram images to life Facebook feed. We’ve launched the site to help people show off their Instagram archive and turn their special moments into permanent works of art!” Products on offer include posters featuring 80 or 160 small photos, Poloroid-style prints and framed prints in a variety of sizes.
New site Rertogram will ship photo products to countries across the globe, enabling smarphone users to create wall art with the photos they take. Pedro Monteiro, Founder says: “Retrotagram came to light when we realised that despite the huge popularity of the Instagram app, the colorful, artistic and creative photos rarely made it past a user’s
www.retrotagram.com
3D Printing Space to Double at 2015 CES The ‘3D Printing Marketplace’ set to grow at next year’s show
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that the 3D printing footprint at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is set to double due to a rise in applications for 3D printing technology. The 3D Printing Marketplace, presented by TCT Magazine and Personalize, will host more than 30 companies showcasing the latest innovations in 3D printing. According to CEA’s U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast report, 2014 should see sales of desktop 3D printers rise 43% to 67,000 units compared to last year, earning a total of $76 million in revenue. 3D printing exhibits at the 2015
CES are expected to cover more than 14,000 net square feet of exhibit space, compared to 7,200 net square feet at the 2014 CES. Karen Chupka, Senior Vice President of International CES and corporate business strategy, CEA, said: “With huge advancements in digital technology, 3D printers are moving toward more compact units that are more suitable for consumers and capable of printing a variety of consumer goods, from toys and electronics to clothing, shoes and even food. “The vast expansion of the 3D printing footprint at the 2015 CES speaks of the category’s potential to become a major disruptor in the global economy, and confirms that
Ekocycle 3D Printer 3dsystems ©
CES is the platform to see the future of printing come to life.” Major exhibitors located within the 3D Printing Marketplace include: 3D Systems, Autodesk, Stratatys, XYZ Printing and MakerBot. The show will run from 6-9 January 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information on the 2015 CES, visit CESweb.org
ASDA Launches 3D ‘Mini Me’ Printing Service 3D scanners will ‘tour’ 50 stores across the country
subject for two minutes, measuring numerous points across the body to render a 3D representation, before being built layer upon layer in ceramic. Customers then wait for two weeks before collecting the finished product from their ASDA store. The cheapest models are priced at £60.
After receiving positive response from its first ‘3D printing tour’ last winter, ASDA is planning a second. 3D scanners will visit 50 stores across the country to give customers the chance to create 8” 3D models of themselves in intricate detail. Pitched as the ‘ultimate selfie’, the product is created by scanning the
Easy E-commerce for Print Companies Brighton-based Printergage site enables online sales 24 hours a day
A new website has been launched that allows print companies to upload unlimited products that customers can search for and buy. Founder Bradley Jones told Print
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Weekly: “I saw that there was a problem with printers not generating enough business. They’re very busy working in their factories, so they’re not focusing enough on sales
“In addition they often can’t afford to employ a sales rep, so this bridges the gap by allowing them to increase sales and revenue without breaking the bank.”
Printergage is available for a fixed monthly rate on 30-day terms because, according to Bradley: “We found that printers didn’t want to be tied into long and lengthy contracts which is why we give them 30-day terms.”
MOBILE
Samsung Launches Campaign for Galaxy K Zoom
‘Setting the bar higher’: Samsung Galaxy Tab S
The mobile phone giant is launching a campaign to promote the new Galaxy K zoom smartphone in the UK
events that happen in real-time over the summer. Ines van Gennip, Marketing Director, IT & Mobile Division, Samsung UK & Ireland said: “Our strategy with this campaign is to highlight the unique camera capabilities of our latest smartphone, the Galaxy K zoom. We know
To showcase the new device’s high quality 20.7 megapixel, 10x zoom camera, Samsung will launch a photo and video campaign called ‘100 Days of Family’. A total of 50 families from all over the country have been invited to tell their ‘stories’ through the lens of the Galaxy K zoom, documenting interesting
from our research that families especially are looking to combine the practicalities of a smartphone with the benefits of a very advanced camera that capture those special moments of their lives.”
Prestigio Announces Slimmest Smartphone Yet
New slim device features two cameras
The new 5.5mm thin ‘Grace’ from Cyprus-based company Prestigio is launching in the UK. This up-and-coming brand is expanding rapidly throughout 85 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, offering premium, stylish products to consumers with the slogan: ‘The Art of High Tech’. The Prestigio Grace will take
on industry leaders such as Apple and Samsung with a streamlined glass and metal finish, a 5” HD display, the latest Android 4.4 KitKat and a 13x megapixel camera (with HD recording), plus a 5 megapixel
selfie camera. The camera and other widgets can be immediately activated even if the screen is locked, using the ‘Presigio Lock Screen MultiStart feature’. RRP: £279.
Amazon to Launch Smartphone
Carphone Warehouse sales boost 59%
The Internet giant may have started out as an online bookshop, but it’s quickly diversifying into other areas of retail – predominantly in the consumer electronics sector With the Kindle Fire bridging that gap between ebook and tablet, it seems a logical step for the company to branch out into mobile devices. The new Fire smartphone was unveiled by The company’s Chief Executive, Jeff Bezos, in Seattle a few weeks ago. He controversially stated:
“It’s time to whip the crown from Apple.” The new device will feature a 13 mega-pixel camera, a higher specification than that featured on the latest iPhone. The Amazon Cloud will provide smartphone photographers with unlimited photo storage. Stuart Miles, the Chief Executive and founder of technology website Pocket
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Samsung Electronics has announced the release of the Galaxy Tab S, which combines the latest display technology with premium content encased within a thin, light and stylish exterior. JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics, said: “The tablet is becoming a popular personal viewing device for enjoying content, which makes the quality of the display a critical feature. “With the launch of the Galaxy Tab S, Samsung is setting the industry bar higher for the entire mobile industry. It will provide consumers with a visual experience that brings colours to life, beautifully packaged in a sleek and ultra-portable mobile device.” RRP: The 8.4-inch Wi-Fi version is priced at £319.00, and the 10.5-inch Wi-Fi version is priced at £399.00.
Lint, said: “Amazon’s move into the smartphone arena is a logical one, but one that will be challenging as it tries to compete with established bigger brands like Apple and Samsung. The Fire will be available in the US on July 25. The 32 gigabyte model is priced at $200 (£118), while the 64 gigabytes version runs to $300 (£176). UK availability has not been confirmed.
The mobile phone retailer has posted a 59% rise in annual earnings, just weeks after the merger with Dixons Retail was confirmed. The group’s main business made pro-forma earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of £151m vs. guidance of £145-155m. Carphone’s retail operation reported like-for-like revenue growth of 5.3%. Carphone confirmed it would merge with electricals retailer Dixons on May 15 2014. The group said the proposed merger is progressing in line with the anticipated timetable.
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AV & COMPUTING STM Unveils Annex Bags Australian brand STM has launched a new range of laptop bags targeted at the ‘urban, fashionoriented customer’. According to the brand’s website: “Annex is the result of a re-think, a different approach to your everyday carry. We’ve created some of the most stylish, comfortable and organised bags you have ever seen from STM. No matter what your daily commute or your travel plans, an annex bag is waiting to make your life a bit simpler.” The bags were recently showcased at CE Week (Consumer Electronics Week) held in New York. Four new styles are on offer, including: Drifter – Equipped with a 15” padded laptop cell and plenty of main compartment capacity for various items. It also features a bottom zip pocket that holds a detachable rain cover. Trust – Available in small to fit most 13” screens and medium to fit most 15” screens, the trust contains a protective front flap with lined pocket for smaller items and a dedicated laptop compartment. Sequel – Available in small to fit most 13” screens and medium to fit most 15” screens, the sequel features a main flap secured with light, but durable brushed aluminum buckle, as well as a laptop compartment. Link – Designed to carry any 10” tablet with room for additional items in various pockets. Equipped with a magnetic closure drop pocket for easy access to your phone and a shoulder strap for cross body and shoulder carry. www.stmbags.com
4K Projector from Barco New device launched for the rental and staging sector
The new HDQ-4K35 is a three-chip DLP projector with a brightness level of 35,000 center lumens, showing 4K content at 60 Hz frame rates. It features a compact design with internal power supply, rental frame and no external chimney fan. The HDQ-4K35 can project onto Barco’s 4K screen management system, which allows native 4K
projector blending – a first in the industry. Bill Morris, Vice President Venues & Hospitality at Barco, said: “Barco has been the industry leader in high-brightness and high-resolution projection technology for decades and with the introduction of the HDQ-4K35 projector we
continue to raise the bar for image quality “Thanks to its 4K resolution and 60 Hz frame rate, it delivers razor-sharp images to boost live events with stunning visuals in vibrant, rich colours.” The projector will be commercially available at the end of 2014.
AV Expert Joins Midwich Management Team Midwich, the trade only distributor for brands across audio visual, digital imaging and consumer electronics industries, has hired a new Director of Solution Sales Jon Dew-Stanley joins the team with 13 years of AV management experience at audio specialists Polar Audio under his belt. He is also a past winner of the coveted AV Awards technical person of the year award. Jon said: “I am delighted to be joining the Midwich group in this new and exciting role. I’ll be assisting our client partners
to successfully design and deploy innovative technical audio visual solutions using the latest technologies available from our vendors. “Midwich are a company I know well from my time in the industry and I look forward to contributing to their business objectives.” Iain Campbell, Sales Director at Midwich, said: “We are delighted to
welcome Jon to Midwich in what is an important new role to the business. Jon brings many years of experience and an unrivalled expertise in his field. Coming from a background in commercial audio, he is well known throughout the industry – having strong contacts at all levels.”
Preserve Your Digital Library My Book Duo from Western Digital Western Digital, a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life, has recently unveiled the newest member of its awardwinning portfolio of desktop storage solutions. The My Book Duo has two drives, hardware-level RAID and USB 3.0 to deliver high capacity file transfer speeds that are not available on single drive devices. The new drive comes with free software to create secure cloud, local and system-level backups for
complete protection. Jim Welsh, Executive Vice President of content solutions and worldwide sales at WD, said: “From creative pros and expert consumers to everyday content creators – people with large amounts of data will find My Book Duo the fast and reliable way to offload content
from their computers, organise it in a single location and protect it with backups, passwords and encryption. “My Book Duo offers superfast transfer speeds, massive capacity and integrated WD Red drives to provide the ultimate desktop storage solution for all your digital libraries.” Available: Now RRP: 4 TB £279.99, 6TB £349.99, 8TB £449.99.
Pioneer to Sell Struggling AV Division Pioneer focuses on portiable car navigation and audio sector The Japanese electronics manufacturer, known best for its speakers and home theatre systems, has announced it will focus its efforts on the more profitable car navigation
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and audio sector. The company said it has agreed to sell a 51% stake in its unit, Pioneer Home Electronics Corp., to Baring Private Equity Asia and an unspecified stake to Hong
Kong based audiovisual rival Onkyo Corp. The companies hope to reach a final agreement by the end of August. Pioneer generated 70% of
its revenue last year from car electronics, while its home electronics division only accounted for about one fifth of its $4.8 billion revenue.
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“I Will Always be Proud to Say I Was Head of Sony UK” As MD Chris Bowen leaves Sony UK for a career in travel, we ask him to reflect on a rapidly changing industry Since taking on the role of Managing Director 18 months ago, Chris Bowen has helped turn Sony UK and Northern Ireland into one of the company’s most successful territories globally. Leading a talented UK-based team, Chris has grown Sony’s market share in almost every category the company trades in, including TV, mobile, gaming and some sectors in imaging. Now, the long-serving industry expert will step down from his role at Sony in order to become Senior Vice President of Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a corporate travel agency. “I know you will expect me to say this, but this really was a tough decision for many reasons,” Chris started. “Firstly, there is probably nowhere more exciting to work than consumer electronics. The people are all passionate and interesting, and the events… well, enough said! “I truly believe that in the UK we have built a very secure growth base for Sony with a fundamental belief throughout the team in the retained margin strategy, which is working well, with the momentum continuing to build.” Keeping retailers at the heart of business Chris believes that Sony’s success in the imaging sector will continue to grow due to the team’s strong strategy that places feedback from retailers and customers at its heart. The company’s ‘retained margin strategy’ involves delivering in-store and online demonstrations to help retailers understand and sell new products more effectively.
“It is about listening to the retailers and the consumers, devising a strategy that addresses their needs, then communicating and reinforcing this at every opportunity. Retained margin has long been a challenge for all in the consumer electronics and photo industry, and came up time and again when talking with retailers. At Sony we put in measures to address this, adding value back for our partners and therefore ensuring the consumer received the best possible experience and demonstration of the benefits associated with the superb range of Sony products.” Innovators in new technology Over the past two years, Sony has launched a long list of groundbreaking products in the UK market, including the popular PS4, a 4K TV lineup and a number of award winning cameras and lenses. Chris assured us that Sony’s UK imaging team, led by Fred Lange, is ‘very strong’ with a ‘clear sense of strategy and direction’. “Since 2012, Sony has been the Imaging brand with the strongest year on year growth in the market,” he said. “This has clearly been aided by the research and development teams in Japan providing some amazing products and technologies. Sony will therefore continue to focus on the growth areas in the DI market (this means premium compacts and CSC interchangeable lenses) and continue to lead through product innovation. “Sony has already established itself as the undisputed world-wide leading manufacturer of imaging sensors – the key ingredient for superior image quality – and achieved engineering miracles in miniaturisation with the HX50, HX60 30x zoom, RX series and first full-frame compact camera RX1.”
It’s time to adapt to survive While Sony has undoubtedly carved a prominent name for itself in the history of digital imaging, the rise of competing technologies – namely the constantly improving quality of smartphone cameras and their resulting ‘connectivity’ functions, has thrown the future of the photographic industry as it stands into doubt. “I have seen so much change since I first came into the industry back in 1987, when pricing was driven by the Jessops flyer,
complete with free magnifying glass. There were over 3,000 independent photo stores and the mobile phone was something featured on Tomorrow’s World, and it certainly couldn’t take pictures. So one thing I can predict is that the industry is bound to keep evolving. “Photography - either as a form of art, self-expression or a way to keep life long memories, will always be a demand in the future. The question is: with which device and how?” While the general camera market continues to decline, the
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high quality shots. “Sony, as an electronics company, is in a unique position in the Imaging market because they can connect with other product categories. A great example in recent times was the QX range of smart lenses – I am sure we will see more products like the QX series in the future, perhaps with a stronger emphasis on content through links with Sony Entertainment and services like playmemories camera apps.” While perhaps not all manufacturers will be able to adapt to emerging market changes, Chris believes Sony is strong enough to survive. By recognising the changes early, the business has been able to innovate in new solutions and gain momentum before the big problems arise. He said: “As an example: the Sony Compact system camera range offers the same, if not superior, image quality than more established, traditional DSLR products but in a smaller, lighter and more modern product body. No surprise then that the A7 has been awarded product of the year 2014 – and the recently launched A6000 is the world’s fastest autofocus camera. “At the end it is very simple,” he continued. “Consumers will only continue to purchase and
through Sony’s UK team over the past 18 months, helping it to become a strong, future-facing brand in a struggling sector. His decision to leave at such an apparently positive time may raise a few eyebrows, but as within the photographic industry itself, opportunities for change in life inevitably arise, and it’s important to know when to take them. “An opportunity was presented to me by an ex colleague in a totally different industry, which gives me a completely new challenge,” he explained. “After spending most of my working life in consumer electronics and or imaging, this appealed. “I believe my core skills of clear communication, commercial experience and ensuring operational excellence are extremely transferable. I have also done a huge amount of travel throughout my business life, especially during my time at Kodak when I was based in Geneva with responsibility for 109 Countries. I also know that I have a fantastic team already in place, which is bound to help.” As of 1 July 2014, John Anderson will replace Chris as Managing interchangeable lens and premium The future is smart Director after a month-long transition DSC market is growing in quantity Chris revealed that in the future, period. John, who joined Sony year-on-year. Chris believes this Sony will focus on a combination in 1990, has performed a variety growth will continue over the coming of quality and connectivity. For of senior marketing, sales and years due to a rapidly changing and example, this year will see new operational roles at a Pan-European expanding market. products with enhanced focus and country level. He has an MA “Old ways of thinking are speed – a feature that is, according from Oxford University and an MBA changing,” he enthused. “It is no to Chris: “Important for the from Warwick Business School. longer about the Chris has traditional DSLR nothing but user: an old praise for his “I believe my core skills of clear communication, commercial experience fashioned malesuccessor, dominated world of adding: “John and ensuring operational excellence are extremely transferable. I have photo geeks. We also done a huge amount of travel throughout my business life, especially isto committed can see more and building on more young and during my time at Kodak when I was based in Geneva with responsibility the progress female consumers the Sony UK for 109 countries. I also know that I have a fantastic team already in getting interested in team has made place, which is bound to help.” photography. These in the last two new consumers years, and with take more pictures his extensive than the old generation experience I think he is the ideal and interact differently with the pay a premium for a dedicated customer to ensure they don’t candidate for driving further cameras. They share more pictures imaging device if it offers superior miss the moment, and also critical growth in our mutual Home online, use new interfaces with image quality and experience. The to keep up with the size of data Electronics businesses. touch screen, picture effects and so Imaging industry will have a bright and quality captured on the new “Of course, I have been and on – and most importantly, require future as long as brands like Sony sensors.” always will be, extremely proud to new products and features adapted continue to invest and innovate.” In the longer term, the company say I was once Head of Sony UK.” to their modern lifestyle, such as will continue to invest in user weight, design and WiFi. Taking New beginnings experience (dubbed UX) to pictures is now more trendy and There is no doubt that Chris’ offer customers new ways of fashionable than ever.” passion and positivity has filtered communicating and sharing their www.sony.co.uk
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Photography Show
After putting on a successful first-time show at the NEC in Birmingham in March, the organisers of The Photography Show are already preparing for something bigger and better in 2015. Here, we talk to Head of Events Jonny Sullens about what to expect
How do you feel about Leica exhibiting in the UK for the first time in 10 years? We’re very pleased to have Leica on-board for the 2015 event, and after a 10-year absence from exhibiting in the UK, it’s fantastic that they’ve chosen The Photography Show for their return to British soil. I’m also confident that our attendees will be just as excited as I am to see this luxury brand among the exhibiting companies on show, it will really add another dimension to the event. Leica’s MD David Bell recently described the 2014 show as ‘fresh and alive’ - what do you think makes it so? There was so much happening at the show, meaning that there was something for everyone, from early photography enthusiasts right through to professionals. In total there were over 450 sessions to choose from so the variety of content and the interactivity stood out for visitors. We find that, increasingly, event attendees expect to have an opportunity to touch and feel the products in front of them and that possibility is a massive part of the beauty of live events. The industry got behind The Photography Show and supported it in a big way, our exhibitors made a huge effort with their stands and activities which makes the difference, all of this combined created excitement in
the community and a real buzz on the show floor. How will you ensure next year is just as (if not more) successful? After this year’s event we communicated with all visitors and exhibitors to get their feedback and received over 4,500 responses, which were really encouraging and positive. The key things that our customers want to see improved for next year are more space in the hall and more places to eat. Both of these have been addressed. We are moving into a larger hall where we will have space to grow and have wider aisles and we have introduced a dedicated food village within the hall. Having a continuous dialogue with the community we serve
new stages and conferences which we will share with you in the months leading up to the event. Watch this space! Will there be a particular theme/ emphasis next year? One of the best things about The
“There was so much happening at the show, meaning that there was something for everyone, from early photography enthusiasts right through to professionals.” is of paramount importance for the development and long-term sustainability of The Photography Show. We will continue to get feedback from our exhibitors and visitors as we develop plans to ensure that the 2015 event is even more successful than this year’s one. What else will be different? We’ve already made quite a few changes. As mentioned we will be moving to hall 5, the biggest hall at the NEC. As well as a food village providing plenty of catering and seating options for our visitors, we have introduced an exclusive lounge area just for exhibitors. We will see the return of popular features such as the IGPOTY Garden and the Super Stage but we have plans for some exciting
Photography Show is its breadth and diversity so that’s something we’ll be focusing on maintaining for next year. We will provide a wide variety of content across all genres that supports and inspires photographers at any level of their journey. How important is it to have regular events such as The Photography Show in the photographic industry? I think any opportunity we have to showcase what the industry has to offer can only be a good thing. An event like The Photography Show brings the industry together, whether it be to do business, network or share creativity but it’s also a chance to raise the profile of photography on a national and international scale. The Photography Show lends
itself to being the perfect four-day pop up shop for retailers, with a targeted audience ready to spend. The retailers at the show see this as an important part of their marketing and sales activity. Why should manufacturers exhibit? The Photography Show is the largest UK event for the photographic industry, giving suppliers the perfect opportunity to reach an engaged audience of over 30,000 professional and enthusiast photographers. The show is a great platform to launch new products, let existing and potential customers get hands on with products and keep the industry updated on what they’re up to. Will there be any special events for retailers during the show such as a meet and greet/ networking room/ talks and seminars aimed at retailers? Retailers will once again have access to the exclusive Pro and Retailer Lounge where they can take a break from the exhibition floor, have meetings or just grab a coffee. This year we ran dedicated seminars for retailers and we are planning to do the same again in 2015, we’ll keep you posted once the programme is ready later this year. www.photographyshow.com
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David Bell Exits Leica Since our recent interview (issue 916) with Leica UK Managing Director, David Bell, we have learned that he has exited the company It’s a great shame that David Bell is no longer at Leica UK. He added a certain sparkle to a company that many saw as all beards, socks and sandals, and was a part of one of the most impressive and definitive brand transformations I have witnessed in the photo trade. Some would argue that the company has swung a little too far towards being a luxury Bond Street label instead of a proper camera maker, but no one could suggest that the about-face hasn’t Since joining the company eight years ago, David has been at the forefront of Leica’s camera activity, steering the brand through a volatile market in recent years. In an exclusive conversation with Pixel, we learned that Commercial Director Jason Heward has been named General Manager, effective immediately. Heward joined Leica
been impressive. In a situation that has been predominantly about queue management and dealing with back-orders for both bodies and lenses that couldn’t be had for love or money, David has done a great job of adding some excitement to Leica while maintaining the heart-breaking prices of its products. He’ll be missed. Damien Demolder, Pixel’s Editorial Consultant Camera Ltd in 2012 as a Director. Before joining the company, Heward had worked across a number of industries, and brings a breadth of experience to the role. Commenting on his new appointment, Heward told us: ‘I am delighted to accept the challenges offered by this new position. This is an exciting time
for the company and the industry as a whole. I am looking forward to working closely with our partners in the UK to drive brand growth, through new and existing opportunities. The priority is to maintain the position of the brand above and beyond the shrinking traditional consumer camera market’. Mr Alfred Schopf, CEO of the Management Board of Leica Camera AG, observed: ‘David has made countless contributions to Leica in the UK; I am grateful for his passion and commitment to the brand over the years.’ Pixel are also hearing of an
agreement being settled with reseller powerhouse, CVP Group. Let us know your thoughts @pixelmagazine.
LEICA’s Musical Exhibition Concept For Photokina 2014
Leica Camera has confirmed its exhibition concept for this year’s photokina between 16-21 September.
The focus of the Leica exhibition, to be located in hall 1 at the Cologne Exhibition Centre, will be on art photography from the world of music. Collections by renowned artists and photographers will be curated by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Director General of Leica Galerien International, and Inas Fayed, editor-in-chief of Leica Fotografie
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International (LFI). In a recent press release, Leica said: “The exhibition builds a bridge between two worlds that enrich and enhance each other: both music and photography communicate without words. In its own way, each appeals to the senses, awakens emotions and transports us to states of
euphoria, sadness or meditative contemplation. Together, they reveal new perspectives in the respective contrasting genres.” This concept will allegedly be reflected by the variety of the exhibition portfolio, which will embrace ‘all facets of music photography’, including gig images, personal portraits and reportage photography from behind the scenes. The photographers selected include US rock photographer Jim Marshall (1936–2010). A total of three of his projects will be shown: photos from the last Beatles concert and the Rolling Stones tour from 1972, as well as a collection of images captured in the summer of love in and around Haight Street, the legendary quarter of San Francisco.
In addition, the exhibition will also showcase the work of musicians who have embraced photography as a second passion. They include the English jazz-pop singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum, who captured impressions of his most recent US tour in June 2014, and Georges Yammine, the violinist from Qatar. He captured everyday scenes of rehearsals and musical snapshots during his engagement with Daniel Barenboim’s WestEastern Divan Orchestra. Bryan Adams, the Canadian rock singer, composer and photographer will be presenting ‘Wounded: the legacy of war’, his portfolio with a series of portraits of wounded combat veterans. Till Brönner, trumpeter, singer and composer, will be showing portraits of his musical friends and colleagues.
TRADE
AWARDS
2014 10TH ANNIVERSARY
2014 charitable benefactor of the Pixel Trade Awards
PIXEL TRADE AWARDS 2014 24th October 2014 Park Plaza Riverbank, London
Join us for the 10th annual industry awards at this fantastic London venue, where we will recognise and congratulate the elite in our industryand where we will present the 2014 winners with the all important Pixel Trade Awards Main categories will be voted for by the readers of Pixel Magazine and the wider industry, with sub categories being shortlisted by our esteemed panel of industry experts.
BOOK A TABLE NOW (spaces are limited)
We have various options for seating, accommodation and sponsorship for 2014. For more information please contact Samantha Ash, on 07800 919519 or samanthaash@outlook.com. www.pixel.co.uk
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Digital Distribution Golf Day Last week, 20 photographic retailers and manufacturers descended upon Heythrop Park for a day of golf and networking on the resort’s acclaimed 7088 yard par 72 course. The event, which included an overnight stay at the Oxfordshire hotel, was organised by digital photography distributors Digital Distribution. This year marked the fifth year the event has been held, and according to Sales Director Ron Depres, it offers retailers the opportunity to meet manufacturers such as Fujifilm, giving everybody a chance to network. He said: “The golf day offers an excellent a chance for us to invite our customers and suppliers to enjoy a day away from the office, networking and enjoying a great game of golf. “We have people who come back year after year – I think people like it. We put people into teams so it’s good to mix people who we think would enjoy getting to know each other.”
Open 365 days of the year the Bainbridge Course at Heythrop Park was redesigned in 2009 by Tom MacKenzie the golf course architect responsible for many Open Championship venues. The 7088 yard par 72 course weaves throughout the 440 acre Heythrop estate and provides the perfect challenge for all golfers. The 18 hole course meanders over ridges and through valleys that are studded with ancient woodland, lakes and streams. The course is quintessentially English and has several signature holes notably the 6th hole where the green nestles besides a fishing lake, the 14th which sweeps leftwards around an ancient woodland and the closing hole which is straight as a die and has the impressive mansion house as its backdrop. - Heythrop Park Resort Hotel
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Tim Walker, Maplin, off the first tee
Dean O’Shea of Dean and Smedley being supported by Stuart of DDLTD
Paul Edmundson of Wilkinson Cameras pitching to the green
Overall winners Jon Difford and Theo from Fuji
Steve Waldron comes up short
Winners Overall: Jon Difford – Fujifilm Second Countback – Theo Georghiades – Fujifilm Nearest the Pin – Mike Kelly – Chris Goodhead Photographic Longest Drive – Jon Difford Team Event – Dean O’Shea – Dean & Smedley, Phil Wilson – UK Camera Store, Time Thurlow – Low Price Memory, Tim Thurlow – Digital Distribution. Lee Mansfield of Pixel Magazines putts one close
Mike Kelly from the edge of the water
Interview: Digital Distribution Pixel speaks with Matt Paine, MD of Digital Distribution, to find out more about how the company is coping as digital camera sales decline
Digital camera sales have gone down around 20% in the UK this year - how is DD coping with this drop? With manufacturers offering affordable smartphones with reasonable quality-integrated cameras, most people, me included, will use this technology almost daily for different reasons. Unfortunately this has resulted in a drastic reduction in the compact cameras available from our traditional manufacturers and as such we are naturally witnessing a decrease in sales volumes, fortunately this has not resulted in a decrease in sales value. At Digital Distribution, we look at the smartphone market in a positive way with consumers of all ages now embracing digital photography and becoming more creative. I have friends and family approach me asking for advice on higher end cameras for their children as their
interest in photography grows, so surely capturing this new generation must be an objective for our channel and positive for us all. So how do we address this drop in compacts sales? As the latest GfK figures show, the CSC segment continues to grow so this helps but it is not just about replacing a product from one segment with a product from another, the big challenge is ensuring retailers achieve an acceptable margin whatever the style of camera on offer. This is always in our mind when putting together promotions, be it with the use of additional accessories, or where we can, increased margin with our exclusive camera deals. The site mentions that DD offers full support for retailers, their business and their customers – what kind of support does this involve? It has always been our focus at Digital Distribution to offer the independent dealer our full support using an experienced internal and external sales force; we look to build relationships with the independent retailer offering regular store visits, listening to their concerns and trying to address them as best we can. Collectively the independent photo channel is still a very strong and positive sales stream with the ability to move large volumes of cameras
and accessories, and as such we need to offer a level of service that makes dealing with us not only enjoyable but also profitable. As our customers will already know, we work closely with our manufacturing partners to secure exclusive deals to allow the independent to be competitive, feel protected, and more importantly: make a decent margin. As you supply such a fastmoving industry, how do you ensure you keep on top of all the latest innovations in technology? Keeping an eye on technology and searching for innovations is extremely important for our business. We are always looking for that new product, and it’s up to us to go searching for it on behalf of our customer. This means visiting as many trade shows as possible in hope of finding that new idea. Thankfully, that effort has brought its rewards with a number of exciting products, most recently with the XShot ‘Selfie’ poles. The XShot has been a very popular product for us and been embraced by many of our customers who have witnessed excellent sell through, after all the selfie has become a global phenomenon! What is your best selling category at the moment?
Our exclusive camera deals are always very popular and the new range of Samsung Media cards are also doing very well but our largest growth category has definitely got to be our range of British-made photo frames. In fact the ongoing growth in this area has resulted in a move today to a new larger production facility very close to our main offices. This gives us the space required to invest in additional machinery to allow greater capacity and further expansion of our range. Are there any plans to branch out into mobile technology, seeing as smartphone cameras are rapidly catching up with compacts? Whilst we are always looking to branch out, we must not lose sight of our core customer base, that being the photomarket. Rather than looking to expand into the mobile market we would prefer to try and attract the younger techie customer into the photo market. Samsung seem to be the one manufacturer with the closest connections to the mobile generation and although it is still early days with our Samsung stockist program, we have been delighted with the support we have received from both Samsung and the trade. www.ddltd.co.uk
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MeMories Are MAde of This
20th My wife and I go to see the Oscar nominated film, The Wolf of Wall Street; it’s three hours long. We prepare in Pizza Express with a Peroni each and share a bottle of Prosecco. En route to the cinema, a bottle of Rioja is purchased from M&S. Half way through the film, the wine runs out, a rookie mistake. I first took alcohol into the cinema [when alcohol wasn’t welcome in the cinema] aged 14, to see the premier of Crocodile Dundee, a screening to which my friend, Dave Thomas, had won tickets in a competition. We drank a four pack of Fosters lager in homage to it’s Australian on-screen-star, Paul Hogan. The first time I experienced a bar actually in a cinema, was inevitably in Germany, where cans of Heineken were efficiently dispatched to accompany the black and white Beatles film, A Hard Day’s Night being shown in a Berlin cinema adjacent to the best known Berlin wall crossing point, Checkpoint Charlie. As the Wolf of Wall Street credits roll, I shake the final flecks of Rioja from my groin, and head into Villiers Terrace for a bottle of house red and a bullet shot of bourbon and reflect on how expensive the cinema experience has become. I read a report that hidden sugar in food significantly increases the risk of heart disease; I start reducing my sugar intake. 24th After a meeting at Getty Images London HQ, I decide to walk home and plot the route on walkit. com; it informs the distance is 3.5 miles and the estimated time, 56 minutes burning 385 calories, all of which sounds agreeable and I begin the romp towards Crouch End. Three hours and six pints of cider later, I arrive home feeling refreshed. March 2nd I’m running, running as fast as I can; children are overtaking me to the left and children are overtaking me to the right. I can see the soles of my
Downtown © Alex Webb
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nine year old daughter’s running shoes. I shouldn’t be running, I should be lying in bed on this Sunday morning with a cup of coffee watching AFC Bournemouth thrash Doncaster Rovers 5 - 0 on the BBC’s, The Football League Show. My body feels hijacked; black dots plot a route across my eyeballs and brown mud speckles my shiny white 100% polyester zip up Fila tracksuit top. Grace completes the Bath ‘fun’ run in six minutes 55 seconds raising over £350 for the RUH Forever Friends appeal; I finish 5 seconds behind her, raising serious doubts about my mortality. 4th I receive a letter from HM Revenue & Customs; ‘Our records show that you have a new overdue Self Assessment tax payment’ [they’re not wrong]; ‘If you do not pay or contact us, we will take further action to force you to pay. We could visit your home to view your possessions and arrange for them to be sold at public auction.’ I have a look around the home at my possessions that could be sold at public auction, it could do with a bit of a de-clutter; there’s an old dehumidifier, unused electric heater, wonky chest of draws, redundant exercise weights and a framed Paul Reas print. I read a report that regularly drinking alcohol can significantly increase the risk of developing melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer; I start applying a high SPF daily sunscreen. 5th In February the KTLA television anchor Sam Rubin, confused actor Samuel L. Jackson with Laurence Fishburne; outrageous! (Five weeks from today, football referee Andre Marriner would send off Kieren Gibbs for a deliberate handball actually committed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; disgraceful!) Today, I’m at White cloth Gallery for their launch of a Slim Aarons and Gered Mankowitz exhibition, talking to who I assume is Scottish photographer Niall McDiarmid, only to realise after lengthy dialogue that it is in fact Scottish photographer Colin McPherson; easily done. 6th In 2013, the publisher of my first photo monograph, England Uncensored, went into liquidation. I was one of the more fortunate
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maker. Recent assignments have preferred the pen, the iPhone and the Autographer, a small, wearable, hands-free and fully automatic camera, you don’t even have to put down your pint to take a picture; that’s my kind of camera.
THE DENCH DIARY
Interview: PhotoBox
From selling the ‘lottery dream’ to driving photo product sales: a Pixel exclusive with the new UK Managing Director of PhotoBox, Robert May day for a brand whose products bring true joy and pride to its customers. “The personalised photography products that I’m developing and promoting at PhotoBox may be far removed from selling the dream of a lottery win, but my experience of building customer focused teams to develop strong brands in consumer markets has provided me with a skill set that is definitely transferrable. I will be utilising my previous experience to expand PhotoBox’s UK footprint, customer-base and awareness.” Part of Robert’s strategy will be to build a solid online community, based around social media, to encourage customers to exchange ideas, recommend product changes and help with product research and development. “Many of the fans that participate in conversations on our social media platforms are very loyal customers,” Robert continued. “Listening to what our buyers truly want and desire from our products has, without a doubt, added to PhotoBox’s sales, growth and online popularity. “Our fans and followers are
PhotoBox started in 1999 when two young men – Graham Hobson and Mark Chapman, decided to set up an online digital print service from a small with the community it serves. It garage in Clerkenwell. As digital started with a promise to treat photography boomed, so did customers like friends and family their business and today the which is, he said, “something company owns four brands that we continue to strive for (PhotoBox, Moonpig, Paper throughout all areas of our Shaker and Sticky9), employs business today. 700 people, and has 7 million The company’s Facebook active customers around the page currently attracts 923 likes world. Former Betfair and a month, adding to its current Camelot employee Robert May 185,800. By posting photo has recently been appointed as competitions and other interactive the UK Managing Director of statuses, Photobox aims to PhotoBox. Here, spread across the web Pixel finds out where and build a reputation as Robert hopes to the go-to site for photo take the company, products. “Listening to our customers’ feedback and how he will “Listening to our and needs has resulted in constant ensure it remains customers’ feedback the leading online and needs has resulted product innovation, a timely service digital photo centre in constant product and rigorous attention to detail when it in Europe. innovation, a timely Having spent comes to product quality.” service and rigorous nearly 10 years attention to detail when developing market it comes to product and branding quality. These are two of strategies in the betting industry, the many reasons why we are the extremely important to us and moving to photography seems market leader. we value their opinions. We often like a big step in a new direction. “This year, we are continuing to ask our communities questions “It’s actually been great to step innovate our service and products around our products and get them into an industry that celebrates to adapt with our customers’ involved in the product naming personality,” Robert told us. lifestyles. We are heavily investing process, or even the design or “PhotoBox provides customers into the development of mobile feature-sets of products in the with the tools they need to create platforms and applications to bring pipeline.” products that hold a positive and an even more pleasant brand Robert believes PhotoBox’s personal value; it feels good to experience to our customers, from continued success can be know that I’m going to work every wherever they are. We will remain attributed to its first-hand contact
the market leaders in Europe, as we truly listen to, and respect the market in which we operate.” New products in the pipeline include a new ‘Photo Books by PhotoBox’ iPad app, which has a different interface to the current desktop photobook studio, making it more specific to the mobile platform and allowing customers to create photobooks on the go. “New features include the ability for creators to work on their Photo Books even if they are offline – making it possible to edit books while travelling. A new chaptering feature helps to display a book’s narrative, while the easy photo drag and drop process means that customers don’t need to spend hours to create something truly inspiring for themselves or their loved ones,” explained Robert. “Another major focus of mine this year, will be leading the team to develop strategic, integrated marketing campaigns that represent our core values, through mediums such as TV, online, outdoor, social media and PR. I want to showcase our fantastic product ranges to a wider audience and show the entire UK what PhotoBox is all about.” www.photobox.co.uk
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Connectivity is the Future of Photography says Panasonic Barney Sykes, Head of Imaging at Panasonic, reveals his vision for the company’s future
WiFi has become a popular if not standard feature on most higher end compact cameras and DSLRs. It allows users to wirelessly upload files at the touch of a button, gives them quick access to storage and, thanks to ‘the cloud’, frees up space for images on the camera itself. Panasonic, which already has an extensive line-up of fully connective cameras, believes the application of WiFi goes further than simple image sharing on social networking sites. Barney Sykes, Head TZ60 of Imaging at Panasonic said: “We’re really keen on developing WiFi – in particular how to make a good WiFi connection between cameras and smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.
“We’ve established the fact that we have WiFi, and we’ve been doing a lot of consumer research into how people use it with their smartphones. We’ve found that some of our ambassadors are really big fans of it because it allows them to remote control the camera from a different location using a smartphone or tablet.” Barney revealed that one of the things his team is working on currently, is how to simplify the way a connection is made between a camera and a smartphone. “For example, I’ve got a puppy at home and I take photos on a – for want of a better term, ‘proper’ camera, and I send them to my smartphone,” Barney explained. “But when I set the camera up, I have to manually enter the SS ID and the password – and that takes time. So we’re trying to find ways of making the connection much easier. “The other way of doing that of course is NSC but I’ve got an iphone and they haven’t adopted NSC yet. With that all you have to do is touch the devices
together and the images get automatically transferred. Although there are lots of rumours that the next generation of iPhones will
Lumix G1
“We’ve found that some of our ambassadors are really big fans of it because it allows them to remote control the camera from a different location using a smartphone or tablet.” have it.” As technologies develop at lightning speed, it seems manufacturers have no choice but to constantly play a game of catch-up to ensure their devices are compatible with technology customers want to use. Currently, WiFi connectivity on cameras has a number of limitations in these early days, including encryption and privacy problems and the fact that WiFi connections aren’t always available or reliable. Also, cameras don’t have browsers so a connection with a smartphone is becoming increasingly important for photo sharing. Barney said: “We have our own app called the LUMIX Link – if you
download that then you can simply send your photos from your camera to your smartphone or tablet so they can share it with the world using the browser on their phone. “We actually trialed a camera with a browser in the US many, many years ago by introducing a 3G version. Technology wise it was a great statement but the practical application of it at that time was limited. However, developments in 3G and 4G technologies mean obviously these are much quicker and much faster today. Samsung of course have got that already with 3G connected cameras so it’s something we’re watching.” www.panasonic.co.uk
18 www.pixel.co.uk
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31/07/2014 09:26
First FESPA Africa, Branded a Success The first FESPA in Africa has been branding a sucess and the feedback has been positive from its debut
FESPA Africa, formerly Sign Africa, was held at Gallagher Convention Centre in South Africa from 2-4 July 2014, attracting 5,460 visitors from across the continent. The trade event covered all aspects of signage, wide format digital printing, garment decoration and screen printing. Compared with the previous year, the event attracted 11% more visitors from outside South Africa, with the top five countries being Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Statistics showed a bigger turnout than ever, with over 67% of visitors being owners and from senior management and over half having final purchasing authority. Dyelan Copeland, Event Organizer, said: “Exhibitors also reported onsite sales, quality leads and positive
20 www.pixel.co.uk
feedback both on the new venue, and overall feel of the event, which contributed to its success.” Raymond Waldeck, Managing Director at Antalis South Africa,
interacted with business people from around the African continent, which shows the credibility of the FESPA brand.” The show hosted an array of
guru Charlie Taublieb with some hands-on experience to take away a screen printed t-shirt. The Speedwrap Challenge, delivered by expo Platinum
“The show was very dynamic, there was a great deal of energy and many new technologies were shown. We made many sales at the expo and generated real leads. The quality of the visitors was very high and we interacted with business people from around the African continent, which shows the credibility of the FESPA brand.” supports this view. He said: “The show was very dynamic, there was a great deal of energy and many new technologies were shown. We made many sales at the expo and generated real leads. The quality of the visitors was very high and we
educational programmes to give attendees insight and inspiration. The Explore Technology Conference delivered 20 sessions covering industry trends, a daily debate and CorelDraw sessions. Attendees could also gain t-shirt printing tips from
Sponsors Roland and Avery Dennison, was a vibrant feature where Vaughn Repsold from Kacoon Vehicle Branding won the competition, winning a trip to FESPA 2015 in Cologne to take part in the FESPA World Wrap Masters Final for
the global title. Lorraine Harrow, Marketing Manager at FESPA, said: “It has been a great launch event. We have seen printers from across Africa and speaking with them during the expo has reinforced the reason why FESPA has come to the African continent; through our events we are able to provide regional printers with access to a world class exhibition where they can explore a wide display of innovative technology and listen to educational content to inspire them and their business.” Exhibition Manager, Michael Ryan, added: “We are pleased with the first edition of FESPA Africa and have learned so much in our first year. Exhibitors have given us their feedback and the results are encouraging for next year’s show. Our unique reinvestment programme and unrivalled knowledge of our industry gives us the resources to further strengthen our brand throughout the African continent, attracting even more visitors to FESPA Africa next year.” Mike Horsten, General Marketing Manager, Mimaki EMEA
agrees with this statement: “I’m very happy about the FESPA and Africa Print partnership. I think it’s a great step for the African continent to have its own FESPA which addresses the continent’s unique challenges and needs. For Mimaki, it’s really important to be present at FESPA and that is why we were at the expo in full force. We believe in what FESPA does in terms of investing profits from the show into local communities and education for the printing and signage industry.” “The FESPA Africa exhibition gave us an excellent opportunity to showcase our products and capabilities to the digital market in Africa. We were very pleased with the numbers of high quality visitors who visited our stand and the number of valuable new contacts we made,” said Tony Cox, Business manager, Sun Chemical Limited. “The show was fantastic! The leads are already paying off and we sold out during the show,” said Chayce Strydom, Marketing and Support, Modico Africa. “We thank the FESPA Africa team for their brilliant organisation of the event. It was a huge success,” said Neal Oliver, IPEX Machinery.
“The FESPA Africa exhibition gave us an excellent opportunity to showcase our products and capabilities to the digital market in Africa. We were very pleased with the numbers of high quality visitors who visited our stand and the number of valuable new contacts we made,” Major highlights at the event include:
Platinum sponsor Roland unveiled the VersaEXPRESS RF-640, which prints up to 48.5sqm/h, approximately twice as fast as the previous model, and is perfect for banner production. From signs and banners to vehicle graphics and wraps of all kinds, the RF640 delivers exceptional results throughout the longest production runs. Platinum sponsor Avery Dennison exhibited its Supreme Wrapping Film with new finishes, including a Satin finish in black, white, Carmine Red, Bubblegum Pink and new Blue Chrome. Graphix Supply World showcased the latest Fujifilm Acuity F Series
and the brand new Mimaki JV300130/160, which offers customers greater speed, quality and flexibility and its compact design and affordable price make it an extremely attractive option. Midcomp launched the latest HP Latex 300 series. The HP Latex 360, HP Latex 330 and HP Latex 310 help sign shops, quick printers and small to medium PSPs to easily expand large-format printing capabilities, offer new application areas and build a healthier production environment. The next FESPA Africa will take place from 22-24 July 2015 at Gallagher Convention Centre www.fespaafrica.com
www.pixel.co.uk 21
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• Instant print 6x4 inch, 6x6 inch and 6x8 inch all in one media • ID photo printing • EasyGift creation • Download of images and designs from social media sites • NEW Magic Foto activated • Professional point of sale • Full support and installation package, up to 3 years support available
22 www.pixel.co.uk
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Featuring M itsubishi ’s NE W
With the Magic Foto app installed, users are able to view video messages embedded within any photo created for use with the Magic Foto feature. Once a video file has been uploaded, the user is able to pick any frame from that video to use as the photo. This image can then be used by any device with the Magic Foto app installed to play back the embedded clip. Friends and family can now get the most from your photos. When using Magic Foto for the first time, the user will need to sign up in the application. This is a simple process and can be done through Facebook or email.
vis.mitsubishielectric.co.uk t: +44 (0) 1707 278684 f: +44 (0) 1707 278541 e: printer.info@meuk.mee.com www.pixel.co.uk 23
18/07/2014 14:12
24 www.pixel.co.uk
107691 Which Award Ad 2014 GX7 Pixel 320.1x232.8.indd 1
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Nominated, Voted and Chosen by You!
The Pixel Trade Awards gives the UK’s imaging retail trade the opportunity to come together and support and recognise outstanding achievements in the sector at a ceremony held on Thursday 24th October at the Park Plaza River Bank - London Categories confirmed for this year include: • HARDWARE ACCESSORY MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR • PROCESSING MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR • OVERALL HARDWARE MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR • INDEPENDENT RETAILER OF THE YEAR • MULTIPLE RETAILER OF THE YEAR • MASS RETAILER OF THE YEAR • INDEPENDENT PRINT/LAB OF
THE YEAR • ONLINE RETAILER OF THE YEAR • MULTIPLE PROCESSING RETAILER OF THE YEAR • CONSUMER MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR • CONSUMER IMAGING WEBSITE OF THE YEAR • CONSUMER MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR • OVERALL INNOVATION IN IMAGING • DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR • REP OF THE YEAR
• RETAIL SALES PERSON OF THE YEAR As normal there will be a staggered voting schedule, with dates being announced soon - Don’t miss out on having your say in who the winners are this year! For further information on attending this year’s event please contact Samantha Ash on 01323 411601 or samanthaash@outlook.co.uk
Photovision Equipment & Technology Shows New Photovision Equipment & Technology shows (previously Photovision Roadshows) offer new events for imaging professionals. A host of new visitor attractions have been organised by family-run Forward Events, including: • Photographers Equipment Fair • Studio Area Live, Turning Pro Advice Centre • Cameras and Equipment Area, Printing Zone • Photographers Work Gallery • Camera Cleaning • Discount Vouchers • Live Demos. These one day events will take place across the whole of the UK, attracting thousands of photographic professionals. Tickets are free and you can register at www. forwardevents.co.uk/registerfor-free-tickets.html
Panasonic ‘Best Photography Brand’
Masterclasses at Milton Keynes
Digital Imaging Roadshow at The Ridgeway Centre
Alongside exhibitors including Fujifilm and Bowens, talks will be given by three key speakers, including:
Dennis Orchard: 09:00-10:00 Dennis Orchard – Lucky Photographer Dennis believes that you create your own luck. In this talk he will show his work and explain his own very special definition of success.
Charlie Kaufman: 12:30-13:30 Making more Money and More Profit from Photography Charlie will discuss all aspects of running a successful photographic business. Discover new ways of attracting business, pick up some valuable sales tips, get an insight into pricing your services, learn new ways to increase your profits and get motivated by an industry expert.
Marko Dutka: 15:30-16:30 6 Portraits in 60 Minutes No nonsense, hands-on demonstration of 6, (COUNT THEM), portrait lighting techniques in less than 60 minute.
For the second year running, Panasonic has been named ‘Best Photography Brand’ at the Which? Awards 2014. According to Which?: “Panasonic won because of its outstanding number of Best Buys, its value for money and its excellent reliability and customer scores.” Barnaby Sykes, Head of Imaging, Panasonic UK said: “Panasonic is extremely proud to have won Best Photography Brand for a second year. A Which? award is not an easy win and as such is a huge honour to receive as an extremely well renowned accolade – one of the most respected awards for excellence.”
When? 04/11/2014 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Where? The Ridgeway Centre FREE entry to both the Trade Show and Masterclasses.
www.pixel.co.uk 25
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New Function for Flagship Pentax K-3 DSLR Pentax has released a new firmware update for its flagship K-3 DSLR: v1.10, which adds diffraction correction to the lens corrections menu. The new firmware also rectifies sluggish processing times when Digital Filters and Color Fringe Correction are applied, improves AWB performance and tweaks exposure bracketing in TAv mode. Main improvements include: • Added Diffraction Correction on Lens Correction. • Shortened processing time for Digital Filter and Color Fringe Correction. • Improved stability for AWB (Auto white balance) performance. • Changed to ISO Bracketing when using Exposure Bracketing on TAv mode • Improved stability for general performance.
Limited edition Pentax K-3 announced Only eight months after the launch of the simple but powerful K-3 DSLR, Ricoh Imaging has launched a limited edition Prestige Edition to ‘commemorate its success’. Just 2,000 units will be released worldwide, each sold with an exclusively designed presentation box. Earlier this year, the Pentax K3 was awarded Best Digital SLR Expert at the TIPA awards. Ricoh Imaging has recognised this win by embossing the words ‘2014 TIPA BEST DIGITAL SLR EXPERT’ on the special edition’s faux leather strap. The Prestige Edition comes with all the high specs that impressed photographers the first time round, but it also boasts a camera body and battery grip finished in a high-grade gunmetal gray coating Price: £1,099. Availability: TBA.
26 www.pixel.co.uk
New Video Tripod from Manfrotto The big-brand photography equipment provider has released a new product Manfrotto has unveiled the MTV535AQ – a single-tube leg aluminum tripod for videographers who want a sturdy, compact and portable tripod for their work. According to the press release, the new product has: “Single-tube legs for faster setup, angle selectors for versatile operating heights and very competitive pricing.” The legs compact into four sections to make it as small and
portable as possible, while a 75mm half bowl (60mm with the MVA060T adapter) allows for quick levelling. The new 535-aluminum tripod is also available combined with the 500, 502
and 504 Bridging Video Heads. This solution allows users to avoid buying or carrying extra video heads so they can use the heads with other products such as a slider or a jib. RRP £269.95 www.manfrotto.co.uk
Online Retailers Should Answer their Phones More A study has revealed that customers convert more quickly after a phone call Call tracking software company Mediahawk tracked online retailers’ phone calls and website visitors for three months, and found that callers who talked for longer were more likely to make a purchase. According to the data, those who called and then went on to buy something spent five times longer on the phone than those who didn’t go on to buy
anything. Researchers also found that 60% of callers who went on to make a purchase called either on Thursday or Friday, making up a third of overall sales. While it may be tempting to shut up shop early on Friday – this could be prime sale time. Mike Morrell, Mediahawk’s Managing Director said:
“Phone calls provide the most valuable leads for the majority of businesses, but they’re especially important for the online retail sector because consumers want to be able to discuss a product with a human being before parting with their cash.
Pentax launches 52x zoom bridge
The new PENTAX XG-1 offers a relatively low-cost solution for customers who want better quality images but perhaps don’t feel ready to invest in an expensive DSLR.
An impressive-souding 52x optical zoom lens with 24mm ultra-wide angle enables users to capture a wide variety of subjects and situations without having to lug around different lenses for a DSLR. The 16mp CMOS sensor also allows for good quality high definition images that can easily be viewed on the 3.0-inch LCD monitor. Customers interested in nature and wildlife will enjoy the 1cm Macro Mode, which enables them to take close-up photographs from just one centimetre away.
Families with young children in particular should like this light, durable camera, as it has super high speed continuous shooting mode with a maximum speed of (approx) 60 images per second, as well as another mode with (approx) 30 images per second. Teamed with the Auto Tracking AF function, users should find it easy to keep fast-moving subjects in focus – ideal for pets and children. With more and more people using their cameras for shooting video now, it comes as no surprise to hear that the XG-1 has a HD movie
recording mode with a choice of eight digital features (such as black and white and sepia), plus ten shooting modes for extra creativity. And Ricoh Imaging hasn’t missed the boat on the connectivity front: the new bridge comes fully equipped with Eye-Fi wireless LAN SD memory cards for instant sharing online. Price: £279.99 Available: Mid-August 2014.
LG Launches ‘Downgraded’ Version of G3 The new LG ‘G3 Beat’, or G3s as it will be known in Europe, is a smaller, downgraded and ultimately cheaper version of the company’s flagship G3 The G3s’ screen is only half an inch smaller than its flagship predecessor’s – which explains why LG hasn’t named it the ‘G3 Mini’. However, the downgraded specifications put this model well and truly in the mid-range market. The primary camera is 8mp instead of 16mp, but it still comes with the same laser-AF system providing faster and more precise focusing. It also
boasts the same Touch & Shoot function found on more high-end devices. The 1.3mp Selfie Cam is a cut above the rest, due to its gesture recognition function, which means users can make a fist in front of the screen to trigger a 3-second timer. Internal storage has been reduced from 16GB to just 8GB, but the phone does have an SD card slot for users who need more memory for
music, photos, videos and apps. The G3s is a design replica of its bigger brother, with the same ‘floating arc’ look and thin bezels. The G3 Beat will be available in Europe from August for €349. Key-specifications: • Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (1,2 GHz Quad-Core) SoC • 5-inch 720p IPS display (294 ppi) • Android 4.4.2 KitKat • 8MP camera with laser-AF • 1.3MP front camera
Industry Leader Nicki Zongrone Joins Kodak Alaris Kodak Alaris (KA) announces that Nicoletta (Nicki) Zongrone has joined the company as President of the Retail Systems Solutions and Event Imaging Solutions businesses, bringing a unique depth of industry and customer experience to the organization.
“Nicki has unparalleled industry experience and customer knowledge, raising ability to serve and solve the needs of consumers and retail partners,” said Ralf Gerbershagen, CEO of Kodak Alaris Holdings Limited. “She brings an incredible passion to our ongoing transformation.” Along with this appointment, the company is also dividing the personalised imaging business into two units to accelerate execution and innovation in key markets. Dennis Olbrich moves
to the role of President of the Paper & Output Systems and Film Capture businesses. “Nicki and Dennis’ leadership will help us to provide creative new products and services for our diverse set of customers,” said Gerbershagen. The Retail Systems Solutions team under Zongrone will focus on delivering world class solutions that make it easy for consumers to enrich, share and re-live their stories, their moments, and their lives. “I’m thrilled to join Kodak Alaris
The Last Survivor: Premium Compacts Prove Popular in a Dying Market
in its entrepreneurial startup phase,” said Zongrone. “It’s a truly unique opportunity to shape the consumer imaging experience of the future as the billions of images captured yearly continue. I look forward to working with our retailers, suppliers and strategic partners to bring our vision to life.” If you would like to know more about Kodak Alaris retail printing solutions please visit www.kodakalaris.com
The ‘premium compact camera’ market is growing, according to data collected by gfk analysts. Despite a 25% value decline in the digital camera market in the first six months of 2014 compared to the previous year, one category of fixed lens cameras is reigning strong: those with large sensors. In fact, premium digital cameras are enjoying a 6% value growth year on year according to Gfk Senior Account Manager Aline Marchal. So why are customers being drawn to the more high end models? The researchers came up with three main reasons: 1. Choice: More products are available in the compact premium category than before 2. Affordability: The average selling price is 10% lower between January and June 2014 than in the first 6 months of 2013 3. An interest in high quality pictures which are not possible with a smartphone at the moment
Hasselblad Breathes Life into Old Cameras
Hasselblad has announced the launch of a new ‘back to the future’ CMOS sensor-based digital back, targeting its legions of dedicated V-System photographers worldwide The new CFV-50c, which will have an €11,000 price tag, is engineered to work on almost every V-camera made by the company since 1957. The state-of-the-art back will have the same functionality and performance level as the acclaimed H5D-50c camera, providing V-System users with an opportunity to benefit from latest digital capture technology, including improved ISO capability. The announcement comes as Hasselblad underpins its sharp focus on core customers in the
medium format sector. Ian Rawcliffe, Hasselblad CEO said: “We have experienced a substantial resurgence of interest in our iconic V cameras – users love the traditional ergonomics and the unique appearance. Our research has shown that although we no longer manufacture V models, there is a big demand from our dedicated V-System users who want to be able to continue to use their classic cameras but also desire access to our latest technology. The new CFV-50c, with its
supreme image quality, is our response to that demand. Photographers using V-System vintage cameras can now realise the true potential for these definitive capture devices.” He added: “This new unit is just part of our ongoing product development strategy. We have produced V Systems for over fifty years and now customers can really benefit from Hasselblad advanced digital engineering know-how with the CFV-50c.” www.hasselblad.co.uk
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New Braun Scouting Cam for Nature Lovers With a relatively low price tag of £160 including VAT, the new Braun Scouting Cam 300 could entice nature-loving customers to make an impulsive purchase while in-store. The camera, which shoots both stills and video, can be attached to a tree or post and preprogrammed to capture images at timed intervals. Alternatively, it can be programmed to take photos automatically when it senses movement – ideal for covertly filming any garden wildlife. The Scouting Cam 300 has a camouflaged and water resistant exterior with a 2 inch colour LCD that can be used for previewing images and video as well as adjusting the camera’s settings. Paul Kench, Managing Director of Kenro, the camera’s official distributor, said: “This is a very interesting field camera for both stills and video. It can be set up and left to record images for extended periods of time. The night vision distance is 20m and there’s a stand by time of 6 months! Contact now on: 01793 615836.
Pixel Half Page.pdf
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04/08/2014
Digital Frame Doubles as Weather Station
Braun launches DigiFrame 800 ideal for homes
For customers who like their interior decorations to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing, the new DigiFrame 800 might just tick all the boxes. The frame comes with an 8 inch digital LED screen for displaying photos, an in-built weather station, and functions for playing music and videos. It also has a calendar and clock for those who need to be organised,
making it an ideal desk gadget for workers. Paul Kench, Kenro’s managing director, said: “This model goes way beyond what you’d expect from a digital photo frame... as well as a full function weather station it also plays music and videos, displays your photos as well as a useful calendar and clock. This is a unique gift with a difference!”
Technical Features: • PC independent Digital Photo Frame and full function weather station • High quality 8” (20.3 cm) digital TFT LED screen with LED Backlight technology • Checks Indoor/Outdoor Temperature and Humidity with Calendar Interface SRP is £104.82 including VAT For further information call Kenro’s head office on 01793 615836, or www.kenro.co.uk
Case Remote: Power Your DSLR with Your Phone New wireless controller for DSLR cameras A new device has been launched that allows photographers to take high quality photos on their DSLR cameras…without having to use their DSLR cameras at all. The Case Remote is aimed at people who tend to take photographs with their smartphones, but who now want to progress to a better quality
device without necessarily having to know what all the various knobs and dials do on a DSLR. The device allows users to completely control and programme their cameras via an app on their smartphone. This also allows them to share DSLR images
instantly via Facebook, twitter or Instagram. The app shows a live view of the scene showing through the DSLR’s viewfinder, enabling photographers to set up with a tripod and then control remotely from afar. Currently, the Case Remote is going for US$79 (£47) plus an additional US$20 (£12) for shipping outside China.
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Canon Launches Two New Bridge Cameras
Last week Pentax released a 52x zoom bridge camera for £279.99. This week, competitor Canon has launched two new bridge cameras: a 30x zoom for £259 and a 42x zoom for £299
The two new PowerShot cameras, the 30x SX400 IS and the 43x SX520 HS, both incorporate Canon’s optical ‘Image Stabilizer’ with ‘Intelligent IS’ technology – which analyses the scene and automatically adjusts the stabilisation mode to produce crisp, clear images. According to Canon, the two new cameras are ‘ideal for capturing hidden details, both near and far’. The SX520 HS’s 24mm wideangle lens and 42x zoom offers versatility, enabling users to capture plenty of detail without having to swap lenses. This model also has improved Zoom Framing Assist Auto mode which automatically adjusts the zoom to
New Range of Tripods with Pistol Grip Heads The new Alta CA range of tripods from Vanguard feature heads with multi-angle handles and ball-and-socket movements for extra maneuverability. Aimed at the enthusiast photographer, the new range includes four models set at different prices ranging from £109.99 to £169.99. All of them feature the company’s latest pistol grip style GH-30 head. Features: • Compact, lightweight, Aluminum Tripod • Legs adjust to 20, 40, 60, and 80-degree angles • Quick-flip leg locks
Credits & Contacts
maintain subjects at a pre-set size within the frame. The camera detects when a subject is close to moving out of the frame and automatically zooms out, keeping the subject in frame. It also smoothly pulls back as a subject comes towards the camera to maintain their face at the same size. This model is powered by Canon’s acclaimed HS System, which combines a DIGIC 4+ processing engine with a 16 megapixel, back-illuminated CMOS sensor. The cheaper model, the PowerShot SX400 IS, still houses an impressive 30x optical zoom in a
light compact body that is easy to carry, and a large, comfortable grip that makes the camera easy to hold like a DSLR (also included with the HS). There are plenty of creative options on the HS with Creative Shot, a mode that automatically applies any one of 46 special effects to a photograph, while creating five copies with different effects. Meanwhile, the IS features a range of Creative Filters, including Monochrome and Fisheye. PowerShot SX520 HS key features: • 42x zoom • Easily keep distant subjects in
‘Well-Priced’ Film Scanner Launched by Kenro Kenro has announced it will distribute the new Reflecta x8 Film Scanner The new x9 Scanner can digitize slides and negatives in one second at 1,800 dpi 5mp, with a colour depth of 24 bit, without the need for a computer. Due to the included Li-Ion Battery, the scanner can be used everywhere. The scanned images are saved to an SD/SDHC card (not included) and can be viewed immediately on the 2.4” LCD display. Negatives are converted automatically to positives. Using the USB cable, users can read the scans straight to a computer where you can edit
them with image editing software as required. The matching slide and film holders are included. The maximum scan size is 24.3 x 36.5 mm. With 450 grams, the weight of the new reflecta x9-Scan is conveniently low. The concise dimensions of the compact unit are only 108 x 106 x 143 mm (L x W x H). The offer also includes the ArcSoft Media Impression image editing software,
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Accounts: Amelia Wellings 01323 411601 amelia@lifemediagroup.co.uk
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the frame • Enjoy steady, comfortable shooting • Create superb images with HS System & Intelligent IS • Shoot Full HD movies • Explore the world of Full Manual PowerShot SX400 IS key features: • 30x zoom • 16MP & Intelligent IS • Have fun with creative filters • Comfortable ergonomic grip • HD movies PowerShot SX520 HS will be available in the UK and Ireland from August 2014 with an RRP of £299/€359. PowerShot SX400 IS will be available in January exclusively from Argos with an RRP of £259/€315.
Printed by: Gemini Press Unit A1 Dolphin Way, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex BN43 6NZ
which can be used both under Windows and Mac. Managing Director of Kenro, Paul Kench commented: “This scanner is ideal for those with film collections that want to digitize their prized images with minimum cost and fuss. The quality is excellent and we think that this model will be a hit with photographers.” SRP is £95.76 including VAT.
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 2014©
Christmas Gifting Merchandisers 2014 Two options to suit your budget and maximise profit
Christmas Gifting Range 2014
Description
Snowflake Ornament
Merchandiser 1 Quantity 27
Merchandiser 2 Quantity 45
Normal NET/DDP Value EACH £1.07
SRP Each exc. print £1.99
Star Ornament
15
25
£1.07
£1.99
Round Ornament
12
20
£1.07
£1.99
Bauble Red
16
16
£1.39
£3.25
Bauble Clear
16
16
£1.39
£3.25
Seasons Greetings Cards 6 Pack x 10
10 x packs of 6
10 x packs of 6
£1.72 per 6 pack x 10
£2.99 per 6 pack x 10
Desk Top Calendar
25
25
£2.67
£5.49
Choose from 3 Christmas Merchandiser options!
Spend and receive 5% off! 4 x 6 Visioblox over £150 5on mixed 10 loose stock £5.11 £8.99 6 x 8 Visionblox
5
5
£8.26
£13.99
Snow & Glitterblox
10
14
£2.71
£4.99
Glitter Blox
10
14
£2.71
£4.99
Snow Dome
14
14
£2.22
£4.89
Floor Standing Display Units create an in-store focal point and can have a positive effect on your photo gift sales during the Christmas period. Please note that Merchandisers are available in limited supply. Merchandiser 1 - DDP £299 ex VAT Contents Total SRP £661.77 inc vat Merchandiser 2 - DDP £399 ex VAT Contents Total SRP £833.23 inc vat We also have standard stock items from both Adventa and Shots2Go. so give us a call and have a chat about your specific requirements.
• Adventa • Shot2Go • Speciality Gifts & Frames
Call Mark Wilkins on 07860 240 244 for further information.
All prices shown are DDP and subject to change without notice and excluding VAT & delivery. E&OE TEL: 0116 289 3644
E-MAIL: uk@tetenal.com
0116 289 3644
www.pixel.co.uk 31
WEB: www.tetenaluk.com
uk@tetenal.com
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