Pixel - Issue 910 - 2014

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ISSUE NO. 910

NX300 - WINNER BEST ADVANCED CSC

NX300 - WINNER BEST ADVANCED CSC www.pixel.co.uk

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

News A Very Mulitchannel Christmas December’s sales figures make the case for retailers to get online or miss out. Helen Dickinson, British Retail Consortium, said: “The last-minute rush arrived as expected, giving a major boost to sales after a fairly flat mid-month.

Multichannel is the other big story.

We’ve seen retailers using click and collect and to make a virtue of both their website and their physical shops and that’s something we see growing in importance.” David McCorquodale, KPMG, said: “December 2013 was all about nerve, margin and multichannel. Those retailers who held their nerve and provided a seamless service between channels will feel pleased, whilst those who discounted heavily to force sales will count the cost in margin.The new year will lead retailers to invest more in multichannel capabilities and many will use the quieter first quarter to do just that, or face the prospect of losing out further.

CSCs for the Smartphone Generation JK Imaging is to launch a Kodak-branded CSC in April. The PixPro S-1 will follow the Micro Four Thirds format and is expected to land in April. It will feature a 16MP sensor and faclity for connecting to a smartphone for image transfer. JK Imaging Sales and Marketing Director Austin Kazami has called it “a CSC for a smartphone audience”.

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MITSUBISHI ESTABLISHES DEDICATED PHOTO DIVISION Mitsubishi responds to reports of closures and redundancies amidst business reshuffle

supported by Veritek.

“It’s a great addition to our services and will help us increase the Mitsubishi Electric photo profile further in both the UK and parts of Europe,” explains Mitsubishi Sales Manager Paul Jones. Mitsubishi say this move will also benefit a growing number of international customers who will be able to take advantage of Mitsubishi’s new pan-European Service set-up.

Pixel spoke exclusively with Paul Jones to find out the implications these changes will have on Mitsubishi’s role in UK retail.

Mitsubishi has announced departmental reorganisation, resulting in a dedicated Photo Imaging Division which the company believes will enable it to capitalise on the global demand for professional-quality photo printing. Mitsubishi’s new Photo business will be headquartered in Barcelona Spain, where much of the research and development for its photo systems and print devices is already conducted. Order processing, sales support and servicing will continue to be provided by Mitsubishi’s UK team, based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

As of mid-January, installs, on-site maintenance and repair work will be

Continued on page 14

DSLR VS CSC - Is the Fight Over?

Will these recently developed segments converge into one market?

Manufacturers need to hone a focused, consistent and targeted message for selling interchangeable lens cameras if the market is to capitalise on its full potential: that’s the conclusion of a new report by Infotrends. Following late 2013 sales figures demonstrating that, whilst the camera market overall was in decline, interchangeable lens camera sales were increasing but the borders of these markets are not clear, particularly for consumers.

It is important for vendors and retailers to understand how buyers of DSLRs and compact interchangeable lens cameras are evolving so they can develop the right products and target their marketing messages to the right buyers.

Ed Lee, Worldwide Group Director of

InfoTrends’ Consumer and Professional Imaging Group says: “As the products evolve and physical distinctions diminish, InfoTrends believes that the segments will converge back into a single category.

When this happens, the issue surrounding segment names will finally be resolved.

Until then, consumer confusion will remain one of the factors that will affect sales of CILCs.” Among the terminology used today to describe the segment, Infotrends found that the term “compact interchangeable lens camera” scored the highest in awareness (48% of survey respondents were familiar with the term), although in the UK the term ‘CSC’ seems to be the dominant monicker.

“Digital SLRs,” rang a bell with 77% of respondents, fortunately.

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RETAIL

THE INSIDER

Saying what you’re thinking and asking the difficult questions. Each week the Insider reports from the front line of our industry New Year Discounts?

So the Christmas madness has been and gone. We’ve all had floods of customers rushing in to clean the shelves of all of the promotions, expertly lined up and marketed for the festive season. We’ve all been exhausted, fried, hung over (and a little fatter) after the big day and thoughts of heading back in for the January sales were never far from our thoughts.

My question is this… Is there such a thing anymore? Pretty well every customer that I know expects this sales period to run from December the 1st, through till Jan 31st. How and when exactly has this trend emerged and who is responsible?

The Christmas rush and the January sale used to be so very different, so separate from each other. Right up until some bright spark decided to stick the sale signs up at the beginning of December!

I get the point that sales are there to drive business and that they are effective (blah blah) but surely buying into this trend will only serve to halt interest in sales from Jan 1st. Call me simple if you like but is it not better to offer bundles, special ‘Christmas’ offers and the like during the run up to the big day. Saving the ‘clearout’ sale untill the New Year when lots of ordinary bods are still littering the streets?

Please - Join me to discuss on the Pixel Magazine LinkedIn group.

Titans of Innovation

2014 CES has broken records with new product releases and the sheer scale of technlogical innovation on show. Here’s what you need to know

The 2014 International CES hosted more than 3,200 exhibitors across the largest show floor in history Major product announcements included: LG - LG G Flex – curved OLED display with world’s first curved battery Sharp – Aquos HD TV lineup including new Aquos Q+ with 10 million more sub pixels, built in upscaling, audio and Bluetooth streaming (first on market to play UHD content); Hulawei - Ascend Mate2 4G Smartphone– curved shape, with multi-screen tech, 4050mAh battery (two days performance), reverse charging to charge other devices, , 5MP front camera and panoramic selfie.

Tarsier – MoveEye – 3D glasses with stereo cameras that allow interaction with what’s on the screen.

Panasonic – Toughpad FZ-M1 7 inch rugged tablet; 4K Ultra HDTV the new “Life+Screen” AX800 series; first waterproof 4K professional camera; Toughpad 4K tablet with 20-inch LCD display – first to offer 4K resolution.

Intel – New brand RealSense – revolves around a thin, embedded 3D-sensing camera

UK’s No1

that can be embedded in desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.

RealSense 3D cameras will scan objects for 3D printing.

TouchJet Pte. – TouchJet – A precise touch enabled pico projector with a built-in Android OS that transforms any empty wall into an interactive 80 inch tablet.

Samsung – 105” curved UHD TV – world’s first and largest curved UHD, has 11 million pixels with auto depth enhancer giving a 3D effect without glasses; Bendable TV – 85” push button Ultra HD turns from flat panel to curved; New PRO tablet series 12.2” MakerBot – Replicator 3D printer series with full color LCD displays, app and cloud enabling with onboard camera options for print monitoring and sharing.

Sony – First in-home video download 4K service; 4K Handicam; Life Log smart wear experience; Xperia Z1 compact smartphone with 20 megapixels. ...some of which you can read highlighted in greater detail throughout these very pages.

Keep an eye on pixel.co.uk for more in depth product info too.

Good Tidings We Bring Growth returns to the high street over Christmas John Lewis, often held up as a ‘barometer’ for UK retail said it had broken records in both “bricks and clicks”. Other retailers doing well included House of Fraser and Dixons, whilst Debenhams, M&S and even Tesco struggled.

For the five weeks to 28 December 2013, John Lewis’ total sales were £734m, 7.2 per cent up compared with last year. Click & Collect orders were 61.8 per cent up on last year.

Mobile shopping truly hit its stride as the sales began. On Christmas Day, traffic from mobile phones and tablets made up three quarters of total traffic, overtaking that from desktops by a considerable margin.

Andy Street, Managing Director of John Lewis, said: “This Christmas has seen trade take a different shape to previous years, with an early peak driven by ‘Black Friday’ and a huge surge in the final 10 days. Shops were packed in the last-minute rush on ‘Manic Monday’ (23 December) when we saw our city centre shops record peak days.’

What you’re Saying...

Ron Deprez, Sales Director, Digital Distribution “I am very pleased with how 2013 panned out, witnessing steady growth particularly with our ‘bricks & mortar’ customers. The X series cameras from Fujifilm have proven very popular and although everyone seems to want to write off the lower priced compact we have continued to enjoy buoyant sales throughout the year. Our acquisition of Evergreen silver frames in November along with the launch of Ballpod has resulted in a very busy time this Christmas and we have plans to expand our product range further in 2014.

I very much hope photo retailers experienced a great Christmas and wish them all a very successful 2014.

Top Selling Duracell Lithium Camera Batteries Black 9 135492 White Nikon Coolpix S01 135491

Battery Brand FREE Merchandiser 135332 When you purchase the following batteries At Cost £294.16 At Guide £659.64 46% POR

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Telephone 01485 536 200 or email: sales@swains.co.uk Pixel January 9th 2014.indd 3

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PHOTO

Sony’s Drive to Sell Incentives boost sales of Alpha Cameras and Bravia TVs

Sony has awarded Steve Jones of Barlows, Whitchurch and Carl Cresswell of Sussex Camera Centre with a brand new Alfa Mito after they successfully completed the sales incentive programmes ‘Drive4Colour’ and ‘Alpha=Alfa’.

The results have been impressive – • ‘Drive4Colour’ has seen 177 independent retailer stores take part. This has had a direct correlation with sales, over 60% hit targets for sales of W8 and W9 televisions • With the Alpha=Alfa programme, 23 stores achieved their lens and non-lens sales targets, 31 stores achieved their lens targets, and 25 stores achieved non-lens targets.

Chris Bowen, Country Head for Sony UK and Ireland, commented: “Both Drive4Colour and Alpha=Alfa have been some of the most successful and rewarding sales incentives programmes we have run in the UK to date. It is important for us to recognise and reward the hard work put in by our retailers.

These two key schemes provide greater training; through broadening the knowledge of our sales staff about Sony products, it enables them to confidently communicate the benefits of our innovation and technology such as 4K. It provides an opportunity not only to sell but also to inspire and guide our valued customers in making a fully informed purchase.”

Ready to Wear

Sony’s new action cam balances pro features with accessibility Sony’s latest wearable Full HD video camera, the all-new Action Cam HDR-AS100VR, has a slim, waterproof design to carve through air and water with less resistance.

For the first time, up to five Action Cam AS100VR units can now be controlled wirelessly with the wearable wristwatch-style RM-LVR1 Live-View Remote, which is supplied in the box. In another first, Action Cam can now capture Full HD footage with high bit-rate recording at up to 50 Mbps, using the efficient new XAVC S video format.

New Interval Still Recording adds even

Braun’s new Vidi Proof camera is ideal for hobbyists and families Designed with watersport enthusiasts in mind this camera records action and shoots photos with clarity. Waterproof to a depth of 3 metres, it can be used for for snorkelling, surfing, kayaking and so on.

As well as making video recordings of up to 60 minutes, the device can also take photos with a 5 megapixels CMOS sensor and 4x digital zoom.

Other features include a self-timer,

Tracey Fielden – Trade Marketing Manager, Canon UK

Kenro have just announced the availability of a new range of binoculars. Braun Binoculars are now available in: Standard; Premium; ED Series Premium; Ultra Compact; Universal; Opera; Waterproof; Waterproof Trekking; Zoom and Monocular, offering a diverse range with varying price points and specifications (including weatherproof outdoor models) suitable for a huge audience. All are supplied with a case, cleaning cloth and instruction leaflet. With SRPs between £13.26 and £367.08, there’s a pair of binos here for every customer.

more creative options. The camera automatically shoots a sequence of still photos at selectable intervals between 1 and 60 seconds, which can be replayed in sequence, time-lapse style.

For pro-focused film directors, Action Cam now records video with time code.

NFC allows fuss-free hook-ups with Xperia and other compatible smartphones and tablets at a single touch. Scheduled as a user update for Summer 2014, live video streaming will allow Action Cam users to share their experiences in real time.

The new Action Cam HDR-AS100VR wearable video camera by Sony goes on sale in the UK from April 2014.

Pocket Full of Action

What you’re Saying...

Golden Optics Opportunity

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Christmas 2013 for Canon was about our Winter Cashback. The promotion was a great tool to assist conversations with consumers and with an increased ‘Mix and Match’ bonus of £35, retailers had even more to talk about to help drive additional sales. The period started slowly, however, it built up nicely as we got closer to Christmas.

As the leader in imaging at Canon we have high hopes for the industry this year. With some markets in decline, we expect the industry to face some challenges. But we’re looking forward to the things on the horizon in 2014, for example our newly announced sponsorship of The Ryder Cup in September. This year is shaping up to be an exciting one for both Canon and the industry as a whole in 2014.

image playback and a 2.0 inch LCD screen. It holds a Micro SD card up to 16GB and runs on 2x AA batteries.

Paul Kench, Managing Director of Kenro (Braun’s UK distributors) commented: “This is a wonderful camera to take on adventures and is really fun for kids too. This robust little device films the action in high quality and is great for taking pictures and making movies whatever the conditions.” SRP is £103.80.

New Coolpix and a UK Exclusive!

Super convenient, stylish and accessible new models

Four more additions to Nikon’s COOLPIX family are the L830 with an ultra-powerful 34x optical zoom with up to 68x Dynamic Fine Zoom*; the 16-megapixel L29 with simple controls and a wideangle NIKKOR 5x zoom lens; the 20-megapixel L30 with NIKKOR 5x zoom lens and the high performance 26x zoom lens and 20-megapixel L330. These new cameras work with convenient AA batteries .

James Loader, Senior Product Manager for Consumer Products at Nikon UK, comments: “The COOLPIX L830 is a has Dynamic Fine Zoom that brings you 68x closer to the action and a vari-angle tilt screen for unique angles.

We’re expecting people to really have some fun with it.”

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PHOTO What you’re Saying...

Barney Sykes, Lumix G Camera Product & Marketing Manager, Panasonic UK Christmas sales went very well this year, going into a strong start to January - the DMCGX7 and DMC-GM1 in particular are enjoying strong sales. For the first time this year we’ve seen the effect of black Friday in the UK with sales having a strong uplift. In terms of shopping trends, we have noticed that there is a year on year shift towards consumers doing their Christmas shopping later each year.

Looking into 2014 we would like to see retailers continue to listen to what customers want from a camera and how they intend to use it. This allows the retailer to recommend a camera for their individual needs, whether it’s a Compact System Camera, DSLR, bridge, high zoom or compact camera, ultimately ensuring the customer will be satisfied with their purchase.

Paul Channell – ANSMANN UK LTD. “2013 has seen a 20% increase for ANSMANN in our battery and charger sales in the UK. Most of the growth has come from the new more sophisticated intelligent chargers and higher capacity batteries, where technical retailers, (such as photographic shops), can use their expertise to explain the advantages of ANSMANN products over the cheaper supermarket brands, that are generally sold with hugely discounted prices and offer little profit for the retailer.”

Better Connected Samsung Launches the NX30 Camera Alongside First Premium ‘S’ Lens Samsung has launched a ‘’professionallyinspired’ compact system camera NX30, featuring high quality images and with faster performance. Samsung also expanded its line of NX lenses with the introduction of its first ‘S’ Series premium lens.

High quality images with rich colour are guaranteed with the advanced 20.3MP APS-C CMOS Sensor. The NX30 offers exceptionally fast 1/8000 sec Shutter Speed and the 9 frames per seconds (FPS) Continuous Shooting function and the 80 degree tilt means that different viewpoints are simple to achieve.

The new powerful TTL external flash with a Guide Number of 58 makes it simple to capture perfect shots, allowing light to travel

further and wider. The high-speed flash sync mode allows for flash with shutter speeds faster than 1/200th of a second, ideal for brightly lit scenes with selective depth of field.

The new Samsung 1650mm F2-2.8 S ED OIS lens’ versatile zoom angle allows for flexibility to take photos at frequently desired angles and vantage points, without limitations on what is captured. The 16-50mm has an extremely bright aperture (F2.0 at 16mm; F2.8 at 50mm) making it the brightest 3x zoom, in its class adding value to the overall picture taking experience and imaging results. Splash and dust proof, this lens is designed to deliver quality results even in extreme, harsh conditions. www.samsung.com/uk

Mum’s the Word

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Canon’s new LEGRIA models are ideal for new parents Canon unveiled two new easy-to-use consumer camcorders at CES. The LEGRIA HF R56 and the LEGRIA HF R506 combine Canon’s Full HD video system and optical Image Stabilizer technology with intuitive audio functionality, offering natural progression for those currently shooting movies with smartphones and compact cameras. The inclusion of an enhanced Baby Mode allows parents to register profiles for up to three children, with personalised baby albums storing each video that features the child to document their growth. It also allows users to get creative thanks to an even bigger range of animations

Tamrac Continue to Supply through Chapter 11

Accessory brand voluntarily enters bankruptcy protection Tamrac has voluntarily filed a petition for Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code so that it can restructure its debt. As it stands, Tamrac say it’s business as usual and they will continue to supply their camera bags to distributors and retailers worldwide. Tamrac President Jesselyn T Cyr has cited the weakening demand for

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low-end compacts (and as such, their cases) and declinging numbers of specialist retail outlets for the need to restructure.

LEGRIA HF R56

LEGRIA HF R506

and stamps that can be added to footage, including birth weight, height, and special dates and milestones, as a child grows up.

On top of that, every story captured on the LEGRIA HF R56 can be easily shared with friends and relatives thanks to enhanced Wi-Fi functionality. As well as the ability to share videos to iOS and Android devices, expanded Wi-Fi support now also makes it possible to remotely monitor and control live footage with Canon’s free ‘CameraAccess Plus’ app.

Both models are available this month, SSRP £329 for the LEGRIA HF R56 and £239 for the LEGRIA HF R506. www.canon.com

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BIG & sLOW

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*Similarly priced DSLR vs. LUMIX G6, correct as at 14/06/13.

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You can't send that quantity of products without the quality of your packaging being up to scratch. Now you can package your photobooks, prints and gifts to the same high standards used by the market leaders.

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AND THE REST FROM CES

Both Sides to Your Story

A double screen first from Canon

The new PowerShot N100 is Canon’s first compact camera to feature both front and rear facing cameras, the user to simultaneously capture their view and their expression behind the camera. The camera also features optical technologies similar to those found in the PowerShot S Series.

Canon’s Smart Auto technology automatically determines the best settings to capture the perfect shot from 58 different scenes. The PowerShot N100 also intelligently combines Hybrid Auto and the Dual Capture functionality to automatically record the expressions behind the camera

two seconds before and after image capture. At the end of the day, the clips are merged into one 720p resolution movie to tell the behindthe-scenes story of the shooting experience.

The new Story Highlights Mode automatically edits all the images into one video album. The PowerShot N100’s Wi-Fi functionality allows wireless connection to social networks, and Connecting to smartphones is easy – the customisable Mobile Device Connect Button with NFC support allows connection via Canon’s CameraWindow app, in quick and simple steps.

Twice as Nice

In addition to new Lumix models, Panasonic introduced five new full-HD camcorders. Tailored to suit different users, the HC-W850, HCV750, HC-V550CT, HC-V250 and HC-V130 offer HD image quality, portability and user-friendliness.

The key talking point of the flagship HCW850 is its Twin Camera function which enables users to capture two scenes at once.

Made possible by the rotatable sub camera on the side of the LCD screen, users can shoot using this sub camera while also shooting with the main camera at the same time. The video recorded by the sub camera appears in a small window on the screen. The Twin Camera enables users to simultaneously capture two scenes at once, such as a close-up shot and wide angle shot in the same direction.

Best of Both

The Galaxy Camera 2’s revolutionary technology, which includes an upgraded 1.6GHz QuadCore processor and the Android platform, makes it faster and easier than ever for users to shoot, edit and share high quality images.

The Galaxy Camera 2 lets users enjoy the full benefits of the Android platform with image quality unrivalled by smartphone photography. Its 16M BSI CMOS Sensor produces vivid images which are 09:30:40 both rich inQuarter colourPage andAd.pdf sharp in15/5/13 detail, allowing memories to be captured and reproduced in

Dual camera innovaion from Panasonic

New camera makes the best use of Samsung’s smartphone expertise

perfect clarity. With a huge 21x Optical Zoom, photographers can get closer than ever to their subjects. This internal memory is supplemented with the pre-loaded Dropbox app, an exclusive offering which provides 50GB of free cloud storage for up to two years, so that passionate photographers need never worry about running out of memory ever again.

Sharing is made simple with advanced WiFi and NFC capabilities that accompany the Galaxy Camera 2.

High Perfomance HD Mushkin Enhanced MFG has been demonstrating several new product models at CES 2014. Their range of high-performance external memory options are ideal for professional photographers and graphic designers, and now especially image makers working with HD video as they allow massive data storage and faster processing, for an efficient workflow and safety of data.

Highlights of the new Mushin ranges include the New Helix Product Line; the Latest Scorpion PCIe SSDs; new Enterprise Class Solid-State Drives; next generation USB 3.0 drives.

In the Pink (or Plum) Nikon has added two new Wi-Fi enabled compacts to its COOLPIX line up, both with highly efficient backilluminated 16-megapixel CMOS sensors for detailed images, even in low light. The 16-megapixel S6800 offers 12x optical zoom and up to 24x Dynamic Fine Zoom; and the 16-megapixel S5300 with 8x optical zoom and up to 16x Dynamic Fine Zoom.

The S6800 will be available in black, red, white and pink, RRP £199 and the S5300 will be available in black and plum, for £169 (RRP) from mid Feb.

What you’re Saying...

Paul Davey, Kodak Alaris, Marketing Manager As the founding year for Kodak Alaris, we are delighted that 2013 finished so positively with a number of Kodak Express partners seeing strong sales increases in premium products, such as photobooks.

Mobile will continue to grow strongly in 2014 with more customers wanting to utilise images from their smartphones and tablets. After successfully launching the KODAK Kiosk Connect App in 2013, this year we will be introducing more apps, designed to help our partners grow their businesses and target new customers.

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Impossible Shots Made Possible

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MOBILE

Mobile Printing Gets Real

News

Fujifilm launches Instax printer - with accompanying app

Fujifilm is launching a smartphone printer, the Instax SHARE SP-1, that enables easy creation of Instax prints using images sent wirelessly from a smartphone.

Fujifilm’s range of Instax instant cameras has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity recently. This has led to requests from users who wish to produce ‘Instax-style’ prints from their smartphones. Together with the release of the printer, Fujifilm is also unveiling a free Instax app that is compatible with iPhones and Android models. This app enables users to send their smartphone images to their Instax

SHARE SP-1 wirelessly and then print them in Instax frames. A wide range of templates is also available: The Real Time Template, on which the date, time, place, and temperature are printed on the photo. With the Limited Edition Template, each print is marked with a serial number which is perfect for parties or nights out. On SNS Template, images uploaded to Facebook and Instagram can be printed with the profile photo and the number of likes.

The Instax SHARE SP-1 will be available in the UK from early March, with an RRP of between £140 and £150.

The Ultimate Tablet for Image Makers?

Better Graphics from Prestigio The Prestigio Visconte tablet series offers 3x better graphics performance of previousgeneration Intel Atom processors. and is oriented towards active users looking for an all-in-one device for work, play and on-the-go. The Prestigio Visconte has a 1200x800 resolution, up to 64GB internal storage, is available in both Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Pro, in Wi-Fi and 3G enabled versions.

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1billion Android Shipments Gartner say 2014 will be the year when Android shipments top 1.1 billion. This represents a 26% growth for Google’s device ecosystem, which is likely to be 2014’s biggest selling by quite some way.

Microsoft Windows shipments, which include desktop and mobile devices, will chase their market share with an estimated 360 million devices (including desktop machines too). This is a predicted growth on their 328 million in 2013. In third place, Apple shipments combined are likely to top 344 million this year, up from 267 million last year.

All these figures are only set to rise by 2015.

”Defining a new standard” for imaging on tablets.

Samsung’s new line-up of GalaxyPRO tablets includes the largest displays for tablet PCs in the world, with a 12.2-inch screen, incorporating more than 4 million pixels and a viewing area that is 48-per cent winder than traditional 10-inch tablets.

A large display combined with Multi Window, a mode that allows users to split the screen into as many as four different windows, as well as an innovative virtual keyboard, the Galaxy TabPRO and the Galaxy NotePRO are

designed to be outstanding devices for multi-tasking. Samsung is also defining a new standard for viewing experience on tablets by offering a WQXGA display with four megapixels, which boasts a clear resolution of 2,560x1,600 pixels.

Samsung continues to let consumers choose which size of tablet they want, offering its range of PRO tablets with 8.4” and 10.1” WQXGA displays. All Note models feature the S-Pen for extra responsiveness, productivity and creativity.

A Mini Mobile Marvel

400,000 at £120

Olloclip’s iPhone lens is half the size and weight of a car key Olloclip now offers the 3-IN-1 clip-on photo lens solution in five hot colors for iPhone 5c owners who want to take full advantage of iPhone’s 8-megapixel iSight camera. The olloclip for iPhone 5c combines fisheye, wide-angle and macro lenses in one small, convenient package. Retailing for £59.95, Pixel the quick-connect photo14:53 lens 1 Nov.pdf 1 olloclip 25/10/2013 fits into a pocket or palm of the hand.

Despite not quite dazzling in the figures stakes over Christmas, Tesco managed to rack up 400,000 Hudl tablet sales since September 2013. Tesco’s tablet model outstripped Argos’ and Aldi’s models in terms of sepcification, although it was also more expensive.

Figures suggest that some 10000 of these tablets were sold in December alone, and provided a highlight in Tesco’s otherwise disappointing Christmas sales figures.

The olloclip makes it easy for iPhone 5c mobile photographers to enhance their shots and videos and it’s compatible with all favourite apps including Instagram, Facebook and iPhone’s Camera, iPhoto and iMovie built-in apps.

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

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News Smarter Power for Smart Products Powerocks have raised the bar for colourful, portable and light-weight power banks that charge smart phones, tablets, and other devices. Smart Power includes an iOS & Android App that precisely analyzes a device’s battery life for ultimate user convenience. With its 5200mAh capacity, Smart Power doubles the battery life of devices.

Smart Power provides the exact battery status on any Apple and Android device’s screen while charging, and indicates remaining power. The power bank’s remaining battery capacity, status, voltage, charging time, remaining time, power evaluation, use frequency, percentage of remaining capacity, temperature, average current, and health index is displayed.

What you’re Saying...

Craig Bird, Marketing Manager, Tetenal Ltd Looking forward towards 2014 we are excited and confident of the opportunities which lay ahead. Tetenal has always tried to keep one step ahead of the market and the trends so we have been able to continue our growth across the photographic and print markets.

In 2014 we will aim to create more opportunities for consumers to realise what they can do with their images.

To help our customers maximise these opportunities we will continue to develop our range of gifting and display products whilst we will also be looking to expand our inkjet business. All businesses face challenging times in the current economic climate but maintaining a positive outlook is always a key factor in bringing success and from our point of view 2014 will be no different.

Are You Listening?

Better imaging and mobile connections drive audio growth: Sony and Samsung leading the pack The worldwide home audio market - comprising wireless speakers, speaker docks, A/V receivers, integrated audio systems and speakerbars - is on target to achieve 10% growth in 2013 and continues to exert a positive force on the home consumer electronics segment.

Rasika Iyer, Research Analyst at Futuresource Consulting says: “This year we’re going to see home audio products ship around 60 million units worldwide, with a trade value of 7.3 billion dollars. At a time when many segments of the CE industry seem to be driving with the brakes on, home audio represents an enormous opportunity for manufacturers and retailers alike.”

Wireless speakers and speakerbars lead

the charge, growing at 181% and 81% respectively. The market is also witnessing a transition away from docks to wireless speakers, with dock shipments expected to decline by nearly 20%.

Driving this is the fact that consumers can connect wireless speakers to smartphones for music listening, while at the same time not having to part with their smartphones; contrary to speaker docks, where the consumer cannot use the phone when it is docked. Due to its prominence in all product areas, Sony continues to remain the leading brand in home audio in unit terms, though Bose and Sonos are growing due to their strengths in wireless audio. Looking to the future, for brands to succeed they will need to focus increasingly on wireless connectivity.

Creative Filming Needs Amazing Audio

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A new angle on creative camcorders from Canon Canon’s new LEGRIA Mini X is a brand new creative camcorder that delivers professional quality audio alongside stunning HD video. The LEGRIA Mini X merges Canon video quality with advanced sound thanks to a new large built-in stereo microphone. An improved two-layer structure of mesh cloth and sponge within the microphone reduces background noise and static – making it ideal for recording conversations or interviews on location.

Additionally, new terminals for headphones

and external microphones provide increased recording flexibility.

The device’s unique combination of an f/2.8 170° ultra-wide angle lens, built-in stand and vari-angle 6.8cm (2.7”) touchscreen LCD screen makes it easy to capture footage from a range of angles. With the flexibility to record completely hands-free, it enables users to easily participate in their own work, or simply gives greater freedom in directing and shaping scenes.

The LEGRIA mini X is available from February 2014 with an SRP of £349.

More job Cuts at HP

The World’s Fastest Memory Card

HP will be cutting up to 34,000 positions worldwide. The company had previously estimated it would need to cut 29,000 positions but it has now increased this prediction to 11% of its global workforce.

“Due to continued market and business pressures, as of October 31st, 2013, HP expects to eliminate an additional 15 per cent of those 29,000 positions, or a total of approximately 34,000 positions,” said the statement.

Lexar has announced the availability of the Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 cards and the Lexar Professional Workflow CFast 2.0 USB 3.0 reader for the Lexar Professional Workflow Reader Solution. The CFast 2.0 specification is the next generation of high performance memory cards designed for professional applications in still imaging and video capture.

With capacities available for sampling in 256GB, 128GB, 64GB, and 32GB, the Lexar

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Lexar keeps up with imaging’s pace Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 cards demonstrate new speed thresholds to capture high-quality images and 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video.

The new cards provide a read transfer speed up to 3333x (500MB per second), which is three times faster than any CompactFlash card. Additionally, the new cards will support the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-65) specification for professional-quality video capture, and includes the latest version of Image Rescue software.

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20/01/2014 09:22

AV & COMPUTING

The Future is Here

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Samsung move the big screen goalposts yet again!

In addition to showing its ‘Bendable TV’ concept at this year’s CES, which allows viewers to switch between a curved and flat screen at the touch of a button, Samsung has unveiled a new range of UHD smart TVs. The world’s largest curved UHD television – with a 105-inch screen (U9000) – pioneers a 21:9 aspect ratio and doubles the enhanced contrast ratio of a flat TV. Additionally, viewers can experience a 3D effect without glasses with the new Auto Depth Enhancer feature. Samsung’s UHD TV experience is further enhanced through new proprietary technologies that provide incredible image

depth, detail and colour, including PurColour technology and a UHD upscaling process that converts HD and Full HD content to near-UHD quality.

Research shows that a majority of potential TV buyers worry that they might shop at the wrong moment, just before new technology becomes available. Samsung demonstrated that it still is the only company that offers truly future-proof TVs, releasing its first ‘evolution kit’ for UHD televisions. The evolution kit – available both for selected HD and all UHD TVs – is effectively a brain transplant for the TV, to make sure it works with the latest standards and is powered by the newest technology.

‘4K’, 1/4 Size!

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Top imaging quality and easier TV and Mobile connection than ever

Sony’s newest 4K Handycam, the AX100E, is ideal for people with a 4K BRAVIA TV. 75% smaller and 66% lighter than the FDR-AX1E for comfortable one-handed shooting, it packs in a large backilluminated 1.0-type Exmor R™ CMOS sensor. The 4K sensor is paired with Sony’s ultra-powerful BIONZ X processor, which employs area-specific noise reduction and detail reproduction technology for incredibly vivid, lifelike footage.

The Handycam AX100E uses a newlydeveloped ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 12x optical zoom that’s been fine-tuned for 4K

shooting. Definition is finespun right into the corner of the frame, thanks to the 11 group/17 element lens that incorporates AA (advanced aspherical) and ED lens elements.

Playback of video and still photos on a 4K TV is as simple as connecting the supplied HDMI cable and built-in Wi-Fi and NFC allows wireless transfer of movie clips and photos. Wi-Fi also allows wireless playback of content stored on Handycam on a networked TV. The new FDRAX100E 4K camcorder by Sony is on sale in the UK from May 2014.

An Insight Online Learning about the workflow of today’s professional photographs

Photo-website leader SmugMug is launching a brand new film series that will provide a unique snapshot of the working lives of some of the world’s best photographers. Chris MacAskill, SmugMug Co-Founder and President said: “Photography is our passion. This is why we have created this new series which will be an ongoing project documenting some amazing photographers from around the world. It will be an insight into who they are, their work and what drives them.”

“We hope it will inspire passion, ignite possibility and encourage us all to throw our own shutters wide open to the wonders of the world.”

Photographers can see the trailer for the world premiere of the new series on SmugMug’s YouTube channel and at www.pixel.co.uk

Trade Watch

Pixel’s Lee Mansfield has his say on the trade’s hot topics

I’ve been keeping a close eye on new imaging product releases coming over from CES, though I think it will take a while for those of us who aren’t there to wade out and pick our favourites.

Fortunately, the actual physical releases are fairly staggered, so we’ll be kept in new innovations to talk about with customers for a while. One trend I have noticed is instant uploading to connected storage like DropBox accounts, so the manufacturers can say there’s no need for consumers to worry about running out of memory. All well and good and potentially a great selling point, but where does this leave memory manufacturers? As picture and video qualities have been increasing, high quality and high capacity memory have been a big earner for retailers, an easy ‘no brainer’ as an add on sell for anyone purchasing a camera. Will these developments eliminate this market?

Probably not. If anything, I think it’s likely to bite into the lower end of the market but the high speed professional cards - where the big profit is - will still be called upon by enthusiasts and professionals.

DxO Optics Supports Nikon Df and Sony Alpha 7 16,800 DxO Optics Modules now available Special Holiday Season sale on all DxO products through December 25, 2013 DxO Labs’ new Pro v9.1.1 upgrade allows DxO Optics Pro 9 to provide support for the Nikon Df (Elite Edition), the Sony Alpha 7 (Elite Edition), as well as for the Sony DSC-RX10 and A3000, the Pentax K-3, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1. The image processing software of reference for all exacting photographers, DxO Optics Pro 9 integrates powerful tools for processing RAW and JPEG photos so as to bring out the best in photos in just a few clicks. Furthermore, the software offers the revolutionary new PRIME denoising technology that recovers details; DxO Smart Lighting, an intelligent tool that optimizes exposure and contrast; and powerful lens and geometrical corrections.

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SPECIAL REPORT FOCUS

THE BIG INTERVIEW Contiuned from page 1...

So Paul, in layman’s terms, what exactly has happened?

“Quite simply, we’ve always been part of Visual Information Systems, which covers everything from huge display screens through to photo.

Photo was one of the larger businesses, along with the projector and public display businesses, which also came under Visual Information Systems. Mitsubishi, as a company, made the global decision to withdraw from the projector market. In a nutshell, this is because the high-end stance we had cultivated in this sector was unable to compete with the flood of sub-£100 models available from discount retailers. These two elements made up a large part of the VIS business.

The other bit – and the exciting bit as far as you and I are concerned – is the new photo business, which will be headquartered in Spain.

This means we have a European base for this dedicated, photo-focused business, which dictates the product and marketing roadmap to the R&D department in Japan and manages all the contracts.

What difference will this make to your customers, in real terms?

At a local level, for our customers not a lot will change. I’ll still be working here in Hatfield with a team, but reporting to Spain and obviously travelling to and from sometimes.

The great news is it means Mitsubishi is taking a step back and looking at photo in its own right, specifically from a centralized European perspective. This will offer us a better and more consistent brand message – we’ll all truly be singing off the same hymn sheet for the first time!

I’ll be blunt. For us as a photo business, and for imaging retailers, this is actually a good thing. Obviously there is still fall out, but once the business is reorganised and seeing its potential fulfilled we hope to look at expanding again.

But there have been redundancies at the UK offices?

There have been losses, yes. It has been incredibly painful for us as people and a team, but it will be good for the business and for the UK photo trade. We now have to utilize

CREDITS & CONTACTS

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

Spain for marketing and other areas previously cared for by the UK offices, so there has been a considerable impact on the team here, but it will be centralised and strengthened which ultimately will be for the good. But yes, as we regroup there has been a reduction in headcount. For those of us left, we’re certainly going to be very busy!

than others, of course, but our photo business has always been in growth.

How large a change is this move, on the scale of Mitsubishi as a whole?

It’s important to remember that Mitsubishi has enormous diversity. We’re not like Apple, who have a couple of dozen SKUs that are really identifiably branded products. We have scores of thousands, spread throughout many, many Will your offering remain the same? Might areas of business and changes happen to it grow as a result of these changes? different parts all the time, some of which will We are definitely looking at an increased pop up on your radar and some won’t. photo output from Mitsubishi because of this There are two key areas for our photo decision. We’re just putting finishing touches to business. One is retail, where we continue to the catalogue now, and it’s more extensive than see great growth in the UK. We have a couple it’s ever been. of huge projects in the pipeline and if they happen, our gifting Are we talking about Mitsubishi branded “Some years have been products will be in some very prominent high street locations. products, or OEM/ better than others, of We’ve also got a remarkable white label? course, but our photo product in the pipeline that’s A balance of both. We’ll be business has always going to totally change and particularly focused on retail, been in growth” reinvigorate photo – it’s going gifting and software. It’s an to keep the market alive. I know interesting and promising that’s a bold claim, but it’s a strategy, and one we’re truly amazing innovation… I cant hoping will really be the beginning of a new era wait to show you and your readers in the new for Mitsubishi’s photo business in the UK. year. The second key market is events and We’ll also be putting effort into increasing leisure site imaging. We include everything support and value to our distribution network. from one-man-band event photographers and They’ve got behind us, and we’ll work with huge theme parks and football stadiums under them on targeting retail and the public sector. that banner. It’s a area of our business and It’s been a great opportunity to regroup and one that we’re well placed to keep growing – refocus. On the back of this, there’ll be huge especially now. We will be continuing to export opportunities for our retail partners as we’ll from the UK too. have better marketing so there’ll be more support for them.

So, in conclusion…?

All in all, this is us almost taking Mitsubishi’s So Mitsubishi still sees photo as an area photo business – not the products but the worth investing in? organization – back to the drawing board Our photo business has actually always been and redefining it in a way that’s much better good, and a profitable part of the business for for today’s market, and in a way which I think us. For Mitsubishi as a whole it’s not as large will be particularly beneficial for the UK. I a part of the business as things like, say, air think it’s very exciting, because it means our conditioners but as far as we’re concerned, the growing and active photo business can stand market is there and it’s one with potential. We’ll on its own merit and not be dragged down or always be in it. As a company, we actually propped up by any other areas of the business. came to the photo market late when you Mitsubishi Photo is strong enough to do compare us with brands like Kodak, but we’ve that, and I’m looking forward to this new era always been good at identifying new markets of our business. to expand into. Some years have been better

Design: Harriet Weston 01323 411601 harriet@lifemediagroup.co.uk Accounts: Amelia Wellings 01323 411601 amelia@lifemediagroup.co.uk Subscriptions: subs@lifemediagroup.co.uk

Published by: LMG SE LTD (Life Media Group) Park View House 19 The Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3YD 01323 411 601 Printed by: Cliffe Enterprise Unit 6F Southbourne Business Park, Courtlands Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 8UY 0845 601 9478 | www.cliffe-enterprise.com

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17/01/2014 12:39

digital redefined With groundbreaking technology, classic design and brilliant optics, Fujifilm’s X Series redefines digital.

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Find out more at fujifilm.co.uk/x-series

Pixel January 9th 2014.indd 15

BEST CSC

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@fujifilm_uk 15 www.pixel.co.uk 20/01/2014 09:20

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

Buy the Samsung NX300 SMART Camera and you can get a FREE 50-200mm lens worth £249. Plus you’ll also receive 3 years’ warranty. Everything you need to share life’s fastest moments in perfect detail.

• 20.3MP high resolution images • Wi-Fi for instant sharing • Compact design • Fast shutter speed for action shots Visit samsung.com/uk/nx300

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

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02/10/2013 16:27 14:58 27/08/2013