Dave’s CES Update

Each year the Consumer Electronics Show is held in Vegas to showcase the latest in technological innovations. I attended CES again this year and spent some time reviewing the latest cameras and TVs.  And at the end of this missive I pass along the experience of a Canadian photographer who flew into Las Vegas with his camera gear through the tightest security yet!

Canon showed the new 1DS Mark IV, with its 2/3 sized sensor and 10 fps burst speed.  Be careful not to melt the inside of your flash with 30 shot bursts, as happened to the Canon rep.

The exciting news from Canon, and a bit of a teaser to you, is that they have indicated they will provide an Explorer of Light to instruct our Danita Delimont photographers in how to shoot HD video with the 5D Mark ll at our upcoming “Footage Forum” scheduled for late March in Seattle.  More on this in my next post.

I got to try the Steadicam Merlin unit at the Teffin booth.  The handheld units were very pricey at $850 and it takes some practice to get the delicate balance required to use them.   They only support up to 5 pounds and a supplementary vest unit is recommended for a DSLR with a big lens or a standard video recorder.  Their Marilyn Monroe model was creating quite a draw. (links throughout?)

Panasonic 153" LCD

3D HD TVs and 3D HD BluRay players were all the rage in the Central Hall.  Every major manufacturer showed their 3D offerings, literally hundreds of models.  I feel like I saw Avatar all over again!  They actually look quite good, although special glasses are required to watch them.  While manufacturers are settling on standards now, there are still several ways to create the 3D effect and all were touted as the best.  If a format war can be avoided, and if sufficient programming is forthcoming, I think they will be taking over the HDTV market in 2-3 years.  ESPN announced a 3D sports channel that will feature the upcoming World Cup in 3D for the millions who don’t watch soccer now, as well as NBA games.  There were many 3D moves previewed for release this spring and summer.  Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp anyone?

While most of the 3D fare to date has been animation and CGI material, I foresee a market for 3D stock footage developing in the years ahead.  Canon had no knowledge of any 3D products in the pipeline.  Panasonic announced availability of a 3D Video Camcorder for professional use with a list price of $21,000.  We will be monitoring the progress towards 3D and keep you informed.

Nikon’s big announcement was a CoolPix camera that can project images up to 40 inches in size (and as low as 5 inches).  There’s also a remote control in the package, so you can set up your own image slideshow on the go. The camera has a 12MP sensor, 5x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch TFT LCD. ISO levels can be cranked up to 3200 at full res.  The Nikon S1000pj “procam” is scheduled to be out in September and will probably set you back about $600.

Microvision, a Seattle based company,  demonstrated their WVGA resolution “Pico Projector”, about the size of a pack of cigarettes, with a spicy video by a Dr. Evil impersonator, and LG showed their projector attachment for a cell phone.  I played with a similar prototype cell phone HD projector at the IMAX theater in Seattle a few months ago.   I think they may be cool for small business presentations in dark meeting rooms, bars, caves, etc.

At the other end of the spectrum, Panasonic showed their 153 inch plasma with 3K resolution.  Very impressive!  It uses “mother glass” which is the full size sheet of glass that is cut into pieces for their smaller models.  The Mitsubishi 155” OLED was not on display at the show.

Ford/DeWalt Truck

I also marveled at the Ford/DeWalt Contractor truck which can take inventory of all the tools at the push of a button to be sure none are left at a job site, the Chevy Volt and its iPhone app with remote start, car location monitor, and lots of details on car status, and my personal favorite the MakerBot which is a 3D printer that can make parts (including its own replacement parts) out of ABS plastic for only $750!  An inventor’s dream come true.  The new $10 billion City Center development financed by Dubai was even more impressive than the show.  It is so big it has its own monorail, Dale Chihuilly store, and two world class hotels.

Finally, while dining with a Canadian photographer who flew into Las Vegas from Vancouver, I was filled in on the new security precautions for flights coming into the US.  He could not bring his camera gear as a carry-on and had to put his camera around his neck.  Fortunately he was traveling light and got everything else onto his person to avoid the restriction.  After practically being strip searched, he is now in favor of whole body screening equipment and profiling.  He thinks next time he may choose to FedEx his gear in advance!  Since the rules are still very much in flux at the moment and each airport is likely to have different policies for some time, you might spend some time researching this issue before you leave the US on your next trip.  If you have flown back to the US with your gear since December 24^th, PLEASE leave us a comment on this blog and let us know the details of your experience.