As the opening week of Photokina 2014 moves towards its final days, we present a few more highlights from the world’s largest photography trade show.
Lexar has announced a new professional line of memory cards – the 2000x SDHC™/SDXC™ UHS-II cards – “the fastest UHS-II memory cards available on the market today,” according to the company. Offering transfer speeds of up to 300MB per second and write speeds up to 260MB per second, the Lexar Professional 2000x cards will be able to capture and transfer 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video, as well as high quality stills images. They will be available in 32GB (£77.99) and 64GB (£135.99) capacities from the autumn.
[bjp_ad_slot]In addition, Lexar is to release a complementary range – Professional 1000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II memory cards, which offer read transfer speeds of up to 150MB per second and write transfer speeds up to 95MB per second. Also available from the autumn, the 1000x cards can be purchased in sizes ranging from 16GB (£24) through to 256GB (£401).
Both the 2000x and 1000x cards are backwards compatible with older cameras and readers performing at UHS-I and Class 10 speeds.
A new Lexar SD UHS-II USB 3.0 reader – the Professional Workflow SR2 – compatible with both the new 2000x and 1000x SDHC/SDXC lines, is also available.
New from broncolor is the Siros monolight, available in output versions of 400 and 800 joules, and as a high-end and basic model. Featuring the company’s ECTC technology, the Siros allows aperture adjustments in 1/10 steps, and is compatible with bronoclor’s range of light shapers including two specially developed for Siros: an umbrella reflector, and an L40 reflector. An app – bronControl – for use with the new Siros has also been announced, which will allow remote control of the monolight’s functions via wifi using a smartphone or tablet. In addition, the company is to release a new HMI 1600 light system, which will sit within the broncolor 200-800 watt continuous light range, and can be used with both flash and daylight.
Elsewhere, Lowepro has joined forces with Underwater Kinetics to launch a new Hardside Series of camera cases for professionals. With a tough ABS resin cover, the new airtight cases provide “100%protection” against dust and sand, and are watertight for 30 minutes in 1 metre of water, according to Lowepro. Three designs are available: Hardside 400 Photo (£215) and 300 Photo (£170) for DSLR kits, and Hardside 200 Video (£145) to house action cam kits such as GoPro.
Joby also announced new accessories in the form of the Joby Suction Cup & Locking Arm – a mounting solution for use on surfaces prone to vibration, priced £33 – and the Joby Action Series Suction Cup & GorillaPod Arm (£25) – for use on surfaces with little vibration. Both are available from November. For professionals seeking absolute stability and support, there is the Joby GorillaPod Focus + Ballhead X (priced £140), and the Joby Flash Clamp & Locking Arm (£35).
Image © Gemma Padley
Elsewhere, Leica Camera AG’s exhibition, themed around music and photography, featured work by enthusiast photographer Jamie Cullum, among many others, as well as images by Thomas Hoepker, who was awarded the Leica Camera Hall of Fame Award. 2014 Leica Oskar Barnack Award winners Martin Kollar, and Alejandro Cegarra, who won the Newcomer Award, also had their work on show. A moving tribute to Anja Niedringhaus who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this year, was also on display.
Image © Gemma Padley
We’ll also be publishing our pick of camera products and software from Photokina 2014 in our October print and digital issue, which goes on sale on Wednesday 1 October.
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