By contributing editor Chuck Fadely in New York:
PDN’s PhotoPlus Expo was celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It’s the big show in the U.S. for photographers. I’m sure the folks at the show 30 years ago couldn’t imagine what photography would look like now.
One turning point in the past 30 years was the transition from film to digital. And another turning point happening now is the transition to motion. It’s mostly a show for still photographers but almost every booth had video gear and a lot of the seminars addressed motion.
Canon and Nikon have been the major players in the photo industry in recent years. But the biggest message I took away from this year’s PhotoPlus Expo was that Sony is gunning to take away their cheese.
The Sony booth rivaled Canon and Nikon’s, with top-tier pros giving constant presentations and seminars on several stages. But more than that was the breadth of offerings Sony had out on the floor. From the FS700 video camera on down through action video cameras; from point and shoot cameras on up to pro level DSLRs; along with a new line of mirror-less high-end E-mount cameras and hybrid all-in-one still/video cameras, Sony had items for every segment of the market. And perhaps most telling was that they’re obviously listening to their users. New cameras have necessary video features, extraordinary lenses, and reasonable price points.
But the big news from Sony is that they’re planning on starting a pro service unit along the lines of CPS or NPS. They won’t say when it will be up and running nor do they have a name for it yet, but it’s in the works. This is a clear sign they’re going to compete head to head with Canon and Nikon.
The times they are a-changing.
