Show Reports

Must-Have Photo Gadgets
Another edition of the biggest photo show in the U.S.A. has come and gone. As always in recent years, it was huge with thousands of products being hawked for photo buffs of all types. Even so, a number of people I spoke with thought this show was noticeably smaller in size than prior annual PMA trade shows and I would have to agree...

Manufacturers And Distributors

AgfaPhoto USA Corp.
100 Challenger Rd.
Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660
(800) 243-2652
(201) 440-2500

While the latest generation of ink jet printers continue to astound us with their enhanced printing technologies, ink jet media--primarily papers--do not fail to grab our attention for one reason or another. While the industry still has not firmly established a uniform testing standard across international lines (British paper manufacturers, for instance, adhere to...

Although compact digicams with built-in lenses remain hot sellers, many photo enthusiasts prefer SLR cameras that accept a full line of lenses from ultra-wide to super telephoto. The majority of new models shown at photokina were digital of course, but two new 35mm SLRs were also introduced, including one that came as quite a surprise. Nikon's new professional F6 left some...

The Changing Market
As of November 1st the Agfa Imaging division will be carved out of Agfa Gevaert. It will become a new independent company named AgfaPhoto. Forecasts show the new company in a very strong position. Dan Unger of Agfa U.S.A. assured me that they retained an enthusiastic commitment to film in general and black and white film in particular.

Education, it is said, is what is left after you have forgotten everything you learned at school. Spotting trends is somewhat the same. You have to study something closely; then try to ignore all the details; then make sense of what you remember.

On this basis, I saw three trends at photokina. The first is that the center of gravity of the whole...

Whether you own a 35mm or digital SLR camera, a dedicated external flash unit can be a valuable accessory. Offering higher power output, and often extra features such as a bounce/tilt head, the optional units can help to produce more sophisticated flash lighting effects. Even if you already own a flash unit that's compatible with your camera, it may not support all of the...