In Pictures: Top sights of Photokina 2016
As one of the largest photography exhibitions in the world draws to a close, we do a quick round up of the most interesting exhibits we saw.
Photokina was truly a photography wonderland for enthusiasts and professionals alike, as all manner of exhibitors descended upon the Koelnmesse, Cologne to show off their latest products. Here are some of the products that left the deepest impressions.
Probably one of the biggest announcements we’ve had for a while, Fujifilm made waves with the announcement of the GFX S50. Their concept is that the larger medium format sensor allows for a variety of formats and aspect ratios, so you can choose what best suits your subject.
The A99 II proves that Sony’s SLT series is far from dead. It’s the first SLT to get a back-illuminated, full-frame sensor, and pairs that with a 5-axis in-camera stabilization to achieve incredible 4K movie recording without pixel binning.
The Canon EOS M5 features a 24MP Dual-Pixel APS-C sensor, an integrated EVF, and a tilting rear touchscreen that acts as a touchpad to allow you to move the focus point easily. Add quick focus and the ability to do 7fps continuous shooting, and you finally get a serious DSLR competitor.
The Lumix GH5 is the first mirrorless camera to offer 4K 60p/50p recording and a new 6K photo function. This draws out an 18MP equivalent still image from ultra-high quality 6K video that’s approximately 9x higher resolution than Full HD.
The Orah 4i is purpose-built to capture VR video, with four cameras and Ambisonic ‘3D’ sound capture for 360o sound and video. It comes with a live-processing box that stitches 360-degree video in real time and streaming out to your destination of choice.
The only units at the show were kept behind locked glass, but the OM-D EM-1 Mark II takes movie making further, being the first camera from their stable that records to Cine 4K (4096x2160). Add their 5-axis in-body IS to the mix, and you have the makings of a serious video ILC.
Nikon’s 360 action camera has a 20MP sensor on each side, with both able to do 1080p and 4K. It’s touted as being built for virtual reality, but it’s also well able to withstand the elements, being waterproof to almost 100 feet, shockproof from over six feet, and freeze-proof down to -10C.
Yes, that’s a Hasselblad camera on the back of the Motorola Z droid smartphone. Designed as part of the MotoMod line-up, the Hasselblad True Zoom adds 10x optical zoom, a Xenon flash, and an actual shutter button to turn your Moto Z into a true camera.
Yes, it looks suspiciously like another high-end mirrorless camera, but this is Xiaomi-affiliate Yi Camera's Yi Mirrorless Camera M1. It holds a 20MP Micro Four Thirds sensor, and is capable of 4K/30fps video, while having a multi-touch rear panel that lets you control the phone like you would a smartphone.
GoPro’s entry into the drone market folds away to fit nicely into your backpack, and comes with a video-game style controller with touch display. What’s nice though, is that you can remove the 3-axis camera stabilizer and mount it onto the included Karma Grip to get an Osmo-like device for stabilized handheld footage.
When grounded, the PowerEgg looks more like a desk lamp than a drone, but fire it up and it just takes to the skies. There’s a 4K camera on a 3-axis gimbal below, and the drone has a maximum flight time of 23 minutes thanks to efficient use of the 6400mAh battery.
Love the smooth, steady footage achieved with the use of gimbals and steadycams but not the cost and training needed? The UltraLuuv action changes all that, combining a mechanical steadycam with a lightweight gimbal to give you 2x3-axis stabilization for incredibly cinematic effects.
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