Photokina 2010 Show Report
 Welcome
to the Digital Photography Review Photokina 2010 show report. The Photokina 'World of Imaging' Trade Show is held every two years at the Cologne Exhibition Center, Germany.
The first Photokina was held between 6th and 14th May 1950, and over the years Photokina has been the place manufacturers have announced some of their most significant new products.
The last Photokina, in 2008, marked the launch of Panasonic's first Micro Four Thirds camera - the pioneering Lumix DMC-G1. Other stars of the show included the video-enabled Nikon D90 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II, as well as the first tantalising glimpse of Fujifilm's 3D system. This year has been touted as 'the year of 3D', with a dedicated 'World of 3D' area showcasing the possibilities of this emerging technology. If 3D isn't your thing, 2D will be pretty well represented as well, in the form of several new releases from the major camera manufacturers, including Canon's EOS 60D and the Nikon D7000. We also hope to get a hands-on glimpse of the new Fujifilm X100.
As usual (this will be our sixth Photokina) we will be providing frequent and detailed coverage of product announcements as well as a live 'from the show floor' report which will appear here and subsequent pages during the show. (We were the first to do live wifi-from-the-show-floor reporting way back at Photokina 2004).
Jump to:
Live Show Report
The most hands-on previews and samples galleries, anywhere
We've been working flat-on over the past couple of weeks to bring you the best informed, most complete coverage of the latest camera releases. Many of the cameras we've tried have been pre-production but, wherever possible we've also gone out and shot a selection of real-world images to give a good idea of how these cameras will behave:
The unfolding story of Photokina 2010
Below you will find the 'New Product Index', this constantly updated list provides a very quick overview of products announced either for or during Photokina. During the show itself this page will also carry an index to our live show report (one page per stand, following on from this page).
New Product Index (83 total)
All of the above products are brand new and just announced,
a 'NEW' indicator simply marks those
products which have been added to this list within the last three days. As usual we have also included several products announced during the build-up to Photokina (stretching back to July), these products join those announced at Photokina to make up a manufacturers new line-up.
Photokina 2010 preview / predictions / hopes
- More Mirrorless Large Sensor Compacts - Star of Photokina 2008 was Panasonic's G1, and in the past 2 years Pansonic's G-series Micro Four Thirds cameras have come on in leaps and bounds. We expect to see updates from at least one of the existing players, and hope to see bigger hints of what's to come from those that have yet to join the party.
- 3-D - As mentioned above the 'next big thing' to hit digital photography (whether you like it or not) is 3D capture, driven by the arrival of 3D movies/broadcasts and compatible flatscreen TVs. We suspect that 2011 will see a lot of talk but very little action, but once 3DTVs go mainstream the flood of compatible cameras that follows is all but inevitable. Expect to see lots of intention this year.
- Compact cameras- It looks like we're finally getting our wish for more exciting compact cameras and more to choose from at the high end of the market, with large sensors, photographic controls and high quality lenses marking a welcome return of the 'enthusiast' flagship compact. Further down the ranges expect to see even more HD movie capture, even more fancy gizmos (face recognition, GPS, touch screens, ultra fast CMOS-powered burst modes etc), but little in the way of genuine innovation in mass market compacts.
- Lenses- They seem to take forever to develop, but we certainly expect Photokina to see new lens announcements from all the major manufacturers. This is especially important for the new mirrorless systems, which lack the support of a legacy lens system to bolster their lineup. They need fast, small lenses to entice system buyers.
- Surprises?- These days it's rare for there to be any really big surprises during the show itself (though it's not unheard of). We do know of a couple of announcements due on the opening day, but we pray for a genuine surprise. Will Olympus announce that the E-5 is the last Four Thirds camera with a mirror (as they've been hinting)?, will Canon and/or Nikon surprise us with a mirrorless system camera or large sensor compact? Will Fujifilm announce a new film camera? (oh, yeah ,that's right, they did that last time), will there be a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III or Nikon D700 upgrade? Only time will tell, and we'll be on the show floor to ensure you get the very latest news as it happens.
Other show reports
Our previous Photokina show reports
Our PMA show reports
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