Next week, the annual PhotoPlus Expo takes place from 22-24 October in New York City. In these non-Photokina years, PhotoPlus is often the first place many new products are first available to see and try. Many manufacturers have already announced new products, with many more announcements expected in the coming week. Admiring Light will be at the show, and I’ll be bringing you hands-on reports from the show floor, with all the latest thoughts on the latest photographic gear. If you followed my coverage from Photokina last year, you know I’ll focus predominantly on new mirrorless gear, but I will try to take a peek at the major news from the rest of the industry as well as look for hidden gems at this year’s show.
Today, I want to give a quick preview of the most recent announcements, as well as what to expect from the next week.
Sony
I’m discussing Sony first, as they have gotten the ball rolling, and in conjunction with Zeiss and Voigtlander, the E-mount system has had the greatest volume of news the past few weeks leading up to the Expo. Sony recently announced their A7s II, giving the low-light champ the IBIS treatment that the R and regular 7 received earlier in the year. Additionally, Sony announced the brand new 42 megapixel RX1R II just last week, updating the unique full-frame compact with the latest ultra-high resolution sensor. I’ll have hands-on reports with both cameras next week.
On the lens side, things are quite exciting Zeiss announced the brand new 21mm Loxia, and initial image samples look incredible. This is one of the first small ultra-wide lenses to come out for the E-mount system. Voigtlander also made news in the past weeks by announcing three ultra-wide angle E-mount lenses, with modified versions of their M mount 12 and 15mm lenses, and introducing the widest rectilinear lens ever made with their 10mm f/5.6 for FE mount cameras. I’m not sure if the new Voigtlanders will be on display next week, but if they are, I will do my best to get my hands on them.
There’s some thought that Sony may not yet be done with announcements, as they hope to really make a splash this year at Photo Plus. Some new FE mount lenses may be announced for the next year.
Fuji
Fuji shooters have been waiting for years for an X-Pro 2 with a new, higher resolution sensor. Rumors put that release in the early winter, so we may not hear an announcement for Photo Plus, but I wouldn’t rule it out either. The new 35mm f/2 WR should be announced tomorrow, while the 100-400mm zoom should have details confirmed and a newer mockup. A 1.4x teleconverter should also be announced early this week. Other than that, however, things are fairly quiet on the Fuji front.
Micro 4/3
The Micro 4/3 system has seen some recent releases such as the Panasonic GX8, which has been out for a few months (I hope to review it shortly). I know some of you already own the camera, but I will get some hands on time with it this week. Unfortunately, it looks to be a quiet show from both Panasonic and Olympus. Neither are expected to release a new camera, and the only lenses that we can expect to see are mockups of the new Olympus 300mm f/4 (which I first saw at Photokina last year), and the Panasonic Leica 100-400mm.
Leica
Leica could make waves this year, as their full-frame mirrorless system is expected to be announced in time for the show. I’m sure this won’t be cheap, but the quality will likely be outstanding, and I’m hopeful they have samples available for some hands-on play at the expo.
In addition to the mirrorless players, I’ll check out the Canon, Nikon and Zeiss stands for other new releases as well as explore the small booths on display for some hidden gems. The news will start flowing fast and furious later this week, so please visit regularly for all the hands-on reports!
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