Fotomessen 2012 (Photography Convention)

While not exactly Photokina, the annual photography convention in Lillestrøm attracts several thousand eager photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, each year. This is my 3rd year to visit this exposition. And today's visit was even special, as it has been several years since the top camera producers have upgraded their professional SLR lineup. With the announcements of new models, like the Nikon D4, D800 and the new Canon EOS 1DX and 5D Mark III, I knew I just had to be there to see these new models for myself!

And not surprisingly the "Canikon" stands were the busiest, with everybody clamoring for the prototypes of the new models. It was a good thing I was there early! Canon, like every year, has the biggest stand and all of their photography products were showcased. I was once again able to hold the EOS 5D Mark II in my hands. It was heavy, but it felt right still. So my colleague wasn't at all mistaken when he told me that I should go for this camera again, rather than investing on the highly expensive Leica M9-P (more on that later).

And here it is folks! I was able to ask an eager spectator to kindly put this baby down so I could take a picture of it. This is Canon's soon to be bestseller, The EOS 5D Mark III! 22 megapixel full-frame sensor, 61 AF points, wider LCD with higher resolution, faster frame rate than the Mark II, etc. I was able to hold this camera in my hands, look through the viewfinder and  snap a few pictures (though it did not come with a memory card so I was not able to take home some samples).

So the big question is: did I like it? Well, I loved it! It was a tad heavier than the Mark II. Blockier too, but this was intentional as I felt that the Mark III handled better than its predecessor, though not a huge lot. It felt stable in my hands, and I had no fear of it slipping off. The viewfinder and AF was probably the biggest positive surprise with this camera. It focuses super fast, even with the EF 17-40mm F4.0L USM lens which was attached to it. The viewfinder seemed humongous, though this is probably just me not getting used to it anymore since I am using a cropped sensor DSRL at the moment. The shutter was also different than the Mark II. It is not an enthusiastic "click" rather than the hearty "clack" of the Mark II. I preferred this one but I am sure others will not agree.

So the question is: is it worth it? The asking price of this camera is NOK 30,000 body only, TWICE the current price of the Mark II, and nearly NOK 8,000 more than the Nikon D800! I think Canon is in over their heads on this one. Those who are already devoted to the Canon system have, of course, no choice. But for semipros like me who are looking for a camera to re-enter the full-frame game, the price is off-putting. These people will probably rather invest in a D800, as it is cheaper, has loads more resolution, and, otherwise, MATCHES THE EOS 5D MARK III in every respect. Watch out, Canon!

Another popular camera was of course the EOS 1DX. They only had one prototype of this camera to go around so I was not able to scrutinize it properly. Not that I would hold it for longer periods of time either, this camera weighs a ton! It feels very solid in the hand too, like a huge chuck of precious metal. I was not able to get this "bonding" chemistry unlike what I felt when I held the EOS 5D Mark III. It didn't feel like the camera I could see myself ENJOYING using. And it's also very expensive, similarly priced like the Leica M9-P body only. But of course Canon lenses are thousands of kroner cheaper than Leica's.

I also checked out the "professional" stand of Nikon but it was a big disappointment. They only had one D800 to show and it was almost always in the hands of their representatives. So unfortunately I was not able to take pictures of it nor had the opportunity to find out how it handles. But hopefully my dealer will start to have this camera soon, so I will check it out then.

I also took a short visit to the Fovi stand. Fovi is Norway's official Pentax distributor. There wasn't so much going on in this stand. And most of the people manning the stand, in stark contrast to the "Canikon" stands, were "quite" old men as opposed to the young, good looking and energetic crew of the former. There weren't many cameras on display either. But I felt really welcome here since I had Pentax K-5 around my neck. They showed me the new K-01, the latest in the K series of DSRLs. This camera is small by DSLR standards and almost felt like a toy. But it also felt very solid and would have been PERFECT had it only had an optical viewfinder (I am dependent on OVF's and don't really care or Live View)! But what attracted me to the K-01 wasn't the camera but rather what was attached to it: the spanking new DA 40mm F2.8 XS pancake lens! This is probably the TINIEST lens ever made for the K lineup. And there were kind enough to let me attach the lens to my camera!

There wasn't much interesting to take a photo of but it's not the subject that is important here, but rather the output. Since the 40mm is a prime lens, there is no distortion. The colors are true to life. I am starting to become a bit of a Pentax pro as I have been using both the K-r and the K-5 and I know these cameras have a tendency to over-exaggerate greens. With the 40mm at F2.8 everything seems to be naturally rendered. And the thing I miss the most about prime lenses: my K-5 took this shot at ISO 200 and 1/60th of a second. The built-in image stabilization of the camera ensured a sharp picture. Since I am using a F4.0 lens most of the photographs I took during the convention were taken at ISO 3,200 or higher (thank goodness for the K-5's brilliant noise handling capabilities!). So now I know: I want a fast lens with my new camera! If only Pentax made a full-frame DSLR! But alas in life you can't get everything.

There were other exhibitors too, but Canon and Nikon definitely stole the show this year. Two hours after I visited the Canon and Nikon stands more and more people started to show up, so I retreated and headed for the photo exhibits. Lots of interesting photographs from Europe's top photographers. I hope to have some of my photographs hanging in exhibitions like these one day! That is the dream.

And what about Leica? Well what about it? I was able to hold a Leica M9 briefly but the Leica representative looked at me with skeptical eyes so I had to give it back. Now I know what they meant about the feel of this camera. It is definitely NOT featherweight! It felt rock-solid, even more solid than DSLRs. It's my first time to ever hold a Leica M in my hands so I can't really describe how it felt. The camera felt exclusive. It felt even more durable than the pro-grade DSLRs. I am just not sure that it can justify its price tag anymore. The digital revolution has once again evolved. Producers like Canon and Nikon have come up with upgraded cameras, equipped with higher resolution sensors boasting high ISO performance and higher resolution. The Leica "digital M" has a 3-year old 18 megapixel full-frame sensor which, while adequate, cannot really compete with the latest in sensor technology when it comes to noise. Sadly! But the "digital rot" phenomenon is indeed true.

Well that's it for this year's photography convention in Norway! Now I have to burrow through all the camera literature I took home with me and finally decide where to invest the photography money I am so diligently saving. I am still quite undecided unfortunately! But I consider that a good thing. It's quite inspiring to read about camera reviews and look at sample photographs on the internet in between my photography walks. Hopefully soon I will be able to decide which will be my new "weapon" of choice.