Show report: Canon Pro Photo Solutions 2009 (UK)
CANON PRO PHOTO SOLUTIONS 2009
Canon’s blurb billed their Pro Photo Solutions as an unmissable event [in the UK] targeted specifically at professional photographers. Designed by Canon to demonstrate the total workflow process from input through to output, the show will feature a number of specifically chosen partners. This event will not only offer advice from industry experts, hands on demonstrations, informative seminars and portfolio reviews, but will also provide professionals with techniques on how to maximise profit in the current climate.
The show was very well supported by Canon with a raft of dedicated stands and staff available. A mix of independent retail and manufacturing companies were also exhibiting and offered useful connections to make. Of particular interest were Cameras Underwater, Adobe, Animoto (slide show generating), Apple, Bogen Imaging (Manfrotto), Blurb (publishing), Nik Software (Photshop plug-ins), Sandisk (media), Wacom (graphics tablets) and X-rite (Colormunki).
Long lenses to try
An array of fifty five 450Ds
Cameras Underwater had a small stand to present underwater housings and environmental protection to an audience who would not normally be familiar with these products. DSLR housings by Aquatica, Sea & Sea and Ikelite were on display plus some compacts. Duxy, Spencer and John where on hand with advice.
Duxy offering good advice
Adobe were running a series of seminars throughout the show, were very well attended and if I had the time, would have dramatically increased my ability to efficiently use CS4.
Photoshop seminars
Animoto were there promoting their online photo slide show generation. Impressive, quick and get a thumbs up from me!
Bogen had everything from Manfrotto and I asked whether there were any salt-water resistant balls heads available. Alas, not.
Blurb produce very nice bespoke coffee table books. Yup. Worth more than a passing look I’d say.
Nik Software produce a range of PS plug-ins. I use a few and the teach-in I had from Julia showed just how impressive this software is for speeding up PS workflow. Weekly ‘webinars’ are online. I’m in!
The excellent Nik Software teach-ins
Sandisk produce, I guess, the media of choice. Their latest top end offering is the 90mb/s write speed UDMA 6 Extreme Pro. Available in 64gb, 32gb and 16 gb, they carry a 30 year warranty.
Wacom have always delivered great graphic tablets and I’ve been using them for the last 10 years. Their latest tablets are truly amazing and mind-bogglingly expensive. I’ll stick with my old Intuos PTZ-630. :)
Xrite’s Colormunki is a top end photospectrometer and produces superb monitor and printer calibration. What Chris Halford on the Xrite stand didn’t know about white balance wasn’t worth knowing. As he has been approached frequently on the subject, he is taking a keen interest in the complexities of underwater white balance. We may see him on Wetpixel soon!
Also, Eric asked me to ask the Canon reps the following questions, to which we were given answers:
Q. confirmation that the 1D Mark IV body is exactly the same as the Mark III bodies were.
Very, very similar. The only significant difference will be the hieght of the control buttons requiring shorter control rods. The functionality of some controls may also change.
Q. timeframe for 25p/24p video support in the 5D Mark II via firmware update
Expected first half 2010
Q. whether 720p / 60p video will be supported in the 5D Mark II via firmware update
No information available.
Author: Tim Moran
Tim (Timmoranuk) started diving more than twenty years ago but took up with an underwater camera system in only the past four and now is inseparable from his Canon G9, Ikelite and INON glass. Christopher (Cjmoranuk), is Tim’s twelve year old son and frequently partners Tim on his Egyptian Red Sea safaris. CJ also sports a G9 system like his father’s and both father and son share a Flickr site. Tim recently contributed a series of Red Sea trip reports to Wetpixel:
