Photokina closed yesterday (Sunday 26 September), following its week-long return to the vast Kölnmesse exhibition halls in Cologne, during which pretty much everyone who is anyone in the photographic industry made their most significant product announcements of the year.

Everybody’s talking about…

Photokina always throws up at least one major surprise, and this year it was Fujifilm’s turn, unveiling the X100  – a “proper” digital compact camera that sports an APS-C sensor, fixed wide-angle lens, retro styling and an all-important optical viewfinder.

Another shock came from Sigma, who more than trebled the resolution of its top-range digital SLR to deliver 46 megapixel output (if you count up its three-layer 15 megapixel sensor).

Leaf turned up with an 80-megapixel back that delivers stunning colour and detail, designed to make multi-shots redundant.

Hasselblad’s answer? A 200-megapixel multi-shot camera…

And there’s good news for V-system users too, plus the chance to get a new H camera for under €10K.

Oh that’s nice!

Schneider Kreuznach? Three new tilt/shift lenses? Yummy!

Horizon returns in a joint venture between Zenit and Silvestri: they’ve come up with an amazing looking three-lens digital panorama camera.

And there’s two new R-system cameras from Arca-Swiss, plus a 3D leveling head from Linhof.

You’re having a laugh!

Leica has collaborated with Italian car designer Walter de Silva to come up with a titanium version of the M9. It’ll cost you close on £20K.

And Hasselblad have hooked up with Ferrari to create a limited edition version of the H4D.

Welcome back

Pentax 645 – a digital version, now definitely coming to Europe with a keen price.

Instant film – Impossible has two more.

Remember the Hy6? Thought it had gone away? Perhaps not. Watch this space…

Getting in early

Much was revealed way before the doors opened at Kölnmesse, including a highly covetable 85mm Nikkor prime and Nikon’s latest bid for Europe’s best-selling DSLR. A couple of weeks later, in a second pre-Photokina announcement, Nikon introduced the D7000 and two more primes.

Canon confirmed leaks about the D60, along with details on its latest G-series compact, plus news of two telephoto primes.

Further news that caught our eyes included: Profoto’s built-in wireless flash trigger designed for Phase One and Mamiya cameras; Sony’s translucent mirror technology; and a new 48.8-megapixel back from Sinar. Plus, Pentax has a new flagship, weather-proofed DSLR, and an affordable 35mm prime, and not to be outdone, Olympus has its own new weather-sealed, top-of-the-range E-series camera, but the E-5 could be its last to use a mirror mechanism. Kodak has a new Portra 400 neg film, but is dropping 400NC and 400VC. Fujifilm had already announced that it has dropped Sensia, but there was small compensation for analogue enthusiasts with the promise of a wide-angle version of its medium format camera.

On press day, just before Photokina opened, Samsung held a conference talking up the future of mirrorless cameras (with much mention of its latest, curvaceous model being designed to look like a water droplet falling from a leaf…), and introducing its iFn lens technology, allowing you to control camera functions from the optic itself (which is more ergonomic, apparently).

What’s missing?

The rumour sites mostly got it right, but a couple of much-anticipated announcements failed to materialise. Canon didn’t reveal an EOS 1Ds Mk IV – yet. And neither it nor Nikon came up with mirrorless cameras. But, as these micro cameras are taking the interchangeable-lens camera market by storm (with 40 percent of all sales, an Olympus spokesman claimed), how long can they hold out? The rumour at Photokina was that Canon was showing something behind the scenes…

There wasn’t too much from Leica, besides the aforementioned titanium M9 and a couple of new lenses for the S2, but in an exclusive chat with BJP, the company said it would focus on developing wide-angles for its medium format camera, figuring no one else is yet delivering ultimate optical quality in these focal lengths, and it’s hoping that the system will take off with the arrival of shutter lenses next year.

And we haven’t even got onto writing up the latest lighting products. More soon…

In numbers

Photokina says there were more than 180,000 visitors from around the world for its 31st edition – an increase of seven percent on 2008.

A total of 1251 exhibitors attended from 45 countries.

And there’s more

Learn more about Fujifilm’s X100 in our video reports here and here.

Sony explains where it’s going with NEX and Alpha, revealing its translucent mirror technology will be introduced to its DSLR cameras next.

Robots take over still life and car photography.