Photokina Large Format

[Frank Petronio]

Oh I didn't know that... I'm stuck with a Droid ;-/

[jeroldharter]

As long as you buy a day or a full show ticket anyone can go. It is always everyoter year in Cologne. So the next one wll be in Sept 18 to 23 in Cologne Germany where it has always been. This year's show was Sept. 21 to 26. Unlike US shows this takes place in multiple trade halls, many on two floors so it is many times larger then the largest US show in space, number of exhibitors and attendeeds and in number of show days.

However, if you want to go check the Cologne Messe (the show site) at http://www.photokina-cologne.com/thefair/
and start looking for hotel rooms now. They sell out fast and you can end up a train ride away from the show area.

Thanks Bob.

[D. Bryant]

Now make it so it can display the images on an iPad....

I see that several of the European medium format digital manufacturers are moving towards iPod-Droid controllers, which make a lot of sense in terms of upgrades and modularity.

I wish our Japanese DSLR makers would get the hint. I much rather use a Droid or Apple interface (and DNG files) than Canon/Nikon proprietary crap that is much clumsier. Imagine a DSLR with a Droid touch screen that you could also run and preview images with from a hi-res tablet like the iPad....

It's a bit odd you mentioned this Frank as I was thinking about the same thing earlier this week, I hope if someone does this it will be wireless.

Don Bryant

[Frank Petronio]

Thom Hogan, the blogger who writes about Nikon mostly, brought the idea to mass attention. But I suspect Nikon management doesn't even read his blog. It's a shame, I think he is right on most of the time.

http://www.bythom.com/

[maurits]

Frank, Alpa showed one of their camera's with an iPhone stacked on top of it.

According to Alpa it can be used as an electronic viewfinder. They had Viewfinder Pro running. For wide angle work the iPhone needs an adapter lens though. But also as a GPS logger and as a control unit for electronic shutters. Other apps are under development, says their website.

I think they could have added the compass function of the iPhone, the bubble level app, the vibration sensor etc. because these apps already exist. If the light meter function was better that could be useful too. There are apps that tell you exactly when and where the sun rises or sets on any given location on earth. These apps also tell you the sun's elevation angle etc. An app that records and stores the exact route you walked through the woods or in the city would be convenient too. These exist, of course. Your camera could tell you the closest place to buy beer...

While Alpa's solution is not really mature yet, they do recognize the multitude of possibilities a small computer/phone brings when combined with a camera. Imagine having the same interface for all your camera's. Or as a data recording device when shooting film.

Cheers, Maurits