The next Photokina trade show in May 2019 just got cancelled. The new annual cycle of Photokina will start in May 2020. The decision was mainly based on giving the exhibitors more time to better prepare for the next trade show. Since the beginning of its history in 1950, Photokina has always been a biennial trade show. We at cinema5D have been present at the last few Photokina shows to bring you, our readers, the most informative product news and interviews, of course always in relation to budget filmmaking, or “budget cinematography”, with tools that cross the blurring lines between photo and video. (In case you missed it, here’s a link to our entire extensive coverage of this year’s event.). From next year, however, the promoters decided to switch to an annual cycle, and we were quite surprised to hear that the next Photokina was supposed to take place in May 2019 already. It would have been quite a steep change to only leave 8 months between two trade shows instead of 24 months. It turns out many exhibitors thought the same – some major big camera manufacturers had already decided to skip 2019’s Photokina altogether. Photokina 2019 2020 Yesterday, an official press release was published on the Photokina website, announcing that the next Photokina trade show will take place in Cologne only in May 2020. The decision to start a new annual cycle in May 2019 was reversed and the show will be relaunched one year later. The exact reason to postpone the next Photokina, quoted from the press release: The decision to postpone the start of the announced annual cycle by one year is intended to give all participants the opportunity to further develop the new concept for photokina and to tap into new target groups among exhibitors and visitors in order to heighten the status of the trade fair as a global platform for the photography and imaging industry. It is unlikely that, in May 2019 after just over seven months, we will once again be able to create the same enthusiastic atmosphere that characterised photokina 2018. This is why we have decided to start the planned annual cycle in 2020. For Koelnmesse, promoter of Photokina, it is important to provide enough time for technology companies to bring innovative products and technologies to present during the next Photokina trade show. In our opinion, the real reason to postpone to 2020 stems simply from the pressure that big manufacturers applied. We know of at least two large Japanese camera manufacturers that would have skipped the 2019 show altogether, and that could have been a death nail for a show which has been considered the most important photo exhibition in the world for many decades. After all, the big camera companies are the show’s biggest draw. It’s absolutely the right decision to skip 2019. Photokina already tried to increasingly involve new exhibitors from innovative areas such as mobile, imaging analytics, digital workflow and moving images, and something they call a “stronger focus on experience for visitors” (we’re not sure how it was any different this year from last time though). The newly created Imaging Lab, in which start-ups, investors and scientists presented and discussed new imaging applications, is also part of the new concept. I know that the importance of trade shows like Photokina is not only about the exciting announcements – there are lots of nice workshops, visitors can talk with manufacturers, try out gear, and so on. I can’t help seeing however, that when it comes to new exciting product or technology announcements, the importance of trade shows has slowly declined over the last few years. Many tech companies decided organize their own events to announce new products in order to gain more attention. What’s your take on this – where do you see the future of such industry trade shows? And what do you think of this decision to cancel Photokina 2019? Let us know in the comments below.

New Insta360 ONE X camera has just been announced. It brings 5.7K video, very capable image stabilization and high frame rates for slow motion clips. This VR 360 camera is designed for “shoot first, point later” style of editing – it lets users choose the right angle after the video has been shot. We talked with Max Richter from Insta360 during Photokina to get more information about their new ONE X. Insta360 counts as one of the biggest inovators in the field of VR 360 video. They offer great image quality VR video for professionals with their Insta360 Pro (our video and article from Photokina 2018 with the new Insta360 Pro 2 can be found here) as well as portable solutions for smartphone use like the Insta360 One for iPhones (or Insta360 Air for Android). Now they are introducing the new consumer flagship model – the Insta360 ONE X. Image Quality of the New Insta360 ONE X Unlike its predecessor, the Insta360 ONE X now works as a standalone device. The company wants to sell it as a “new generation action camera”. That means the company is really emphasizing the ability to choose the right angle after the 360 footage has been shot. “Shoot first, point later” is the philosophy behind this new 360 camera. It lets users choose the best way to frame an experience after it’s over – that means missing an important shot because of the bad framing should be history (given it is happening in the nearest surrounding – as with every action camera). Using the ONE X’s editing app, which is available for both iOS and Android, users can easily reframe and re-edit the best parts of a scene. The GoPro Fusion is actually already offering this kind of feature. It would be interesting to compare the capability of this feature between both cameras. The Insta360. For perspective, GoPro Fusion comes in at a higher price and shoots slightly lower resolution. The Insta360 ONE X’s new TimeShift feature lets users easily adjust the speed of different parts of a clip – slow or speed things up with stabilized hyperlapse. The combination of TimeShift and the ability to frame the shot in the postproduction gives users lots of possibilities for editing process. In the world of VR 360 video, high resolution is an important aspect of camera. Especially as cropping and zooming in the image happens all the time when editing VR 360 footage. The Insta360 ONE X records at 5.7K (at 30 fps). For dynamic scenes with slow motion possibility it also shoots at 4K (50 fps) or at 3K (100 fps). The camera also shoots 18MP photos. Concerning low light capability, we were told there are now new bigger sensors from Sony, so the camera should produce cleaner footage in low light. Image Stabilization and Other Features It seems like the perfect marketing term for a really good stabilization is “gimbal-like”. We have seen it recently with the new GoPro HERO7 and now the Insta360 ONE X is bringing it too – very capable “gimbal-like” stabilization. The ONE X uses the upgraded FlowState stabilization algorithm which analyzes movement in all directions to achieve a high level of stabilization. Reminds me again of the new GoPro HERO7. The ONE X app can automatically remove a selfie stick from the filmed scenes which creates a “floating camera” effect. Pairing the camera with Insta360’s customized 10ft (3m) long selfie stick can help create aerial shots without actualy having to use a drone. Insta360 Drifter camera dart for throwing the ONE X around The Insta360 ONE X can be mounted into the new Insta360 Drifter camera dart and users can throw the camera around to create like a fly-through videos. This is demonstrated in the video below. It looks quite cool, but my concern is if the camera’s lenses are protected well enough not to suffer serious damage while throwing the camera around. Also, the “bullet time” slow motion clips in the video look cool, but there are very visible artifacts from stitching. Users can connect to the ONE X via WiFi to preview and control the shots in real time. WiFi can also be used to transfer footage to the phone for editing and sharing. Additionaly, the camera can be connected with a data transfer cable to transfer the footage. Lightning, USB Type-C and Micro-USB cables are included with the ONE X. The camera has removable 1200 mAh battery, which means users can carry spare batteries for long shoots. The image settings like ISO, exposure value, white balance and shutter speed can be manually tweaked. The ONE X is also ready for HDR photos, timelapses, hyperlapses, interval shooting and timed shots. There are two rugged case options for the Insta360 ONE X. The Venture Case is a tough shell designed for above-water shooting, which offers splash protection and waterproofing to 5 meters. The Dive Case with specialized dome lenses allow for underwater 360 shooting down to 30 meters. Two types of housings – Venture case on the left and Dive case on the right. Source: Insta360 The optional GPS Smart Remote lets users control the ONE X, while automatically recording GPS data for video and photos. This data can be used to easily upload video and photos to Google Maps Street View, and to add a customizable journey-tracking dashboard to video clips – overlaying speed, direction, elevation, location and route info. Insta360 ONE X Specifications Aperture: f/2.0 Weight: 90.9g (Without battery), 115g (With Battery) Dimensions: 115mm x 48mm x 28mm（DxWxH） Photo Resolution: 6080 x 3040 (18MP) Video Resolution: 5760 x [email protected], 3840 x [email protected], 3840 x [email protected], 3008 x [email protected] Photo Format: insp, jpeg (can be exported via App), RAW(dng) Video Format: insv, mp4 (can be exported via App), LOG Video Coding: H264 Photo mode: Standard 360 photos, Timed 360 photos, Interval 360 photos, RAW 360 photos, HDR 360 photos Video mode: Standard 360 video, Time-lapse mode, Bullet time, Log 360 video Live-streaming: 360 live-streaming, FreeCapture Live (user controls visual perspective) EV: -3EV~+3EV Exposure modes: Auto, Manual(Shutter 1/8000s-120s, ISO 100-3200), Shutter Priority(1/8000s-2s), ISO Priority(100-3200) White Balance: Auto, Cloudy, Sunny, Fluorescent, Incandescent Stabilization: Built-in 6-axis gyroscopic stabilization Battery Capacity: 1200mAh (5V2A) Use Time: ONE X lasts roughly 60 min. while continuously shooting [email protected] or [email protected] video while connected to a phone via WiFi Charging Time: 100 min. with a 5V2A charger or 60 min. with the 9V2A Insta360 Dual Battery Charging Dock Charging method: Micro-USB Bluetooth: BLE4.0 Wi-Fi: 5G (Standard range of approximately 20 meters) USB: Micro-USB SD Card: Recommend UHS-I V30 speed class, exFAT(FAT64) format; max storage capacity is 128 GB The new Insta360 ONE X is available now for the price of $399.95 USD. You can find our partners’ buy links for the camera underneath the article. Do you use any 360 VR camera in your production? What do you think of the new Insta360 ONE X? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

At Photokina, we talked with Mister Dayong Li – chief lens designer of Venus Optics, the company behind Laowa branded lenses. Well known for their unusual unique lenses, they recently introduced their first cinema zoom lens. The company wants to further specialize in deveolping unique lenses for photographers and filmmakers. The company Venus Optics (full name – Anhui Changgeng Optics Technology Co., Ltd) was established in 2013. Their headquarters and manufacturing facility is in Hefei, in the eastern part of China. They are mostly known for their line of lenses called Laowa. We previously reviewed some of their popular lenses. Last year, we took a look at their micro four thirds ultra wide angle 7.5mm f/2 lens (link to our review). This summer, my colleague Nino reviewed the unique 24mm f/14 snorkel macro lens, which took Kickstarter by storm and it should ship this fall (link to our review). The widest full frame zoom lens for E-mount – Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 These two examples are somewhat communicating, that Venus Optics focuses on unique and unusual lenses rather than introducing classic focal lengths. This year’s Photokina was a very important show for the company behind Laowa lenses. They announced many new lenses. We reported about their first cinema zoom lens – The Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T/2.9 and four new lenses for micro four thirds (MFT) and Sony E-mount. We had an interview with Dayong Li – the chief lens designer and engineer from Venus Optics. Mister Li told us about the birth of the company. Their team of optical designers has more than 20 years experience and previously designed lenses for japanese and german manufacturers. Dayong Li himself has more than 15 years of experience designing lenses in Japan. He did not like the fact that the decisions about new lenses were coming from the management only and therefore he decided to start the Venus Optics. The widest circular fisheye lens for MFT – Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Laowa lenses are being mainly designed based on the ideas from the photographers community. Mister Li tries to keep in touch with the community, listens to their needs and ideas and transforms them into new unique lenses designs. We talked about new trends in the lens industry. Mister Li acknowledges there is a big growth in smartphone photography nowadays. He still sees a high demand and bright future for professional cameras with bigger sensors and Laowa will continue to produce unique lenses for these cameras. Especially, Mister Li sees big potential in the mirrorless cameras. They are getting smaller and better and Laowa will focus on this segment of cameras. Laowa’s first cinema zoom lens – Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T/2.9 Another core trend for the company is growing cinematography market and therefore Laowa will further focus on development of cinema lenses with high quality and high resolution. The OOOM 25-100mm T/2.9 cinema zoom lens is Laowa’s first try to position themselves in the area of high quality parafocal cinema zooms with no focus breathing and great build quality. In the future, Laowa wants to develop a wide angle and telephoto cinema zoom lenses as well. The company also wants to develop a good autofocus technology for their zoom lenses. Do you own any lens from Laowa? How are you satisfied with the optical quality and overall usability of the lenses? What do you think about their newly announced products? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

On Photokina, Vitec Group introduced their new Gitzo 2 Way Fluid head. It offers fluid movement on both pan and tilt axis and maximum payload of 4 kg. All that in a lightweight magnesium body, which makes it a very interesting head for traveling filmmakers – despite the fact that it’s actually made for birdwatchers. Gitzo is a tripods, monopods, heads and accessories brand managed by Vitec Imaging Distribution. Vitec Group also includes six other brands (Manfrotto, JOBY, Lowepro, Colorama, Lastolite and Avenger) in their portfolio. On Photokina, among other products, the company has introduced their new Gitzo 2 Way Fluid Head. Funny enough, the Gitzo 2 Way Fluid Head is mainly marketed towards birdwatchers and wildlife photographers and videographers using DSLR or mirrorless cameras. We were told, however, that basically every filmmaker can benefit from using this head. The Gitzo 2 Way Fluid Head is a very compact fluid head (on both pan and tilt axis) with an ergonomic design. One of the advantages for wildlife applications is its reflection-free surface which offers good camouflage. Gitzo has been popular for their extensive use of carbon fibre whch results in a lightweight but sturdy tripods. The key innovations of this head are the fluid cartridges and the precise inner mechanism. The Gitzo 2 Way Fluid Head has a stiff and lightweight magnesium body, which weighs less than 0,6 kg (1.3 lb) and can safely support a payload of up to 4 kg (8.8 lb). The lightweight design matches well with the carbon fibre Gitzo tripods making it an interesting travel tripod-head combo. The head will of course fit any other legs too as it is equipped with a standard 60mm base with a 3/8″-16 screw. On top of the Gitzo 2 Way Fluid head, there is a long rubberised Arca-Swiss compatible plate. The head also has an adjustable and accurate counterbalance system, which allows for precise balancing of the camera setup. The fluid cartridges in the Gitzo 2 Way Fluid head guarantee smooth and broad movements without stick-slip during observation and shooting even over a wide range of temperatures. It offers -60°/90° tilt movement and 360° pan movement. The Gitzo 2 Way Fluid head should start shipping in November 2018 and it can now already be preordered. The price is €319 including VAT in Europe and around $319 in the USA. Links to the products can be found underneath the article. What do you think of the new Gitzo 2 Way Fluid head? Have you ever had an experience with Gitzo products? Share with us in the comments underneath the article.

Photokina has ended this past weekend and the cinema5D team has agreed on the three winners for this year’s awards. FUJIFILM, Panasonic and I’m Back. Without further ado, let’s dive right in! “Reviving the Past” – I’m Back The guys from I’m Back delivered the most surprising device at Photokina (read our full post here) – a digital back for all kinds of older analogue 35mm cameras which works just like a 35mm adapter: Basically a small-sensor GoPro-sized camera is filming a plate, onto which the image from the lens is projected. Samuel Mello Medeiros from I’m Back accepting the cinema5D Photokina Award Certainly not a professional device (yet), but a really fun and relatively inexpensive way to revive your old 35mm cameras that might not get much use otherwise in those days of digital photo and video. They deserve the award for “Reviving the Past” because of a fun and unconventional approach, and we look forward to photos and videos from the device, as well as future versions that might deliver higher quality video (and photos). Check out the video we did about them below:   “Back in the Present” – Panasonic S1R and S1 Best full frame camera announcement – Panasonic announced their full-frame cameras, the S1R and S1 (read our full post here). They showed only mock-ups and things are not finalized, but the last time they did this, we got the GH5 only a few months later, the first mirrorless to deliver such a high color bitrate. Yamane Yosuke-san from Panasonic accepting the cinema5D Photokina Award This prize is to acknowledge their bold step back into the present, meaning the reality that full-frame is really becoming the norm across photo and video cameras. It’s a bold step because they are basically neglecting their own standard MFT, which is still widely used. Their Alliance with Sigma and Leica to make the L-Mount an industry standard is a bold and smart move which will mean they won’t have to push a new standard alone relatively late in the game when the E-Mount and EF-Mount are already firmly established in the field. We wish them the best and BEG them to put 10-bit into their new full frame cameras. Check out the video we did about their new cameras below: “Into the Future” – FUJIFILM 100Megapixels 4K 10-bit Medium Format Most promising future camera announcement – FUJIFILM also showed a mock-up, but they leaped ahead and announced what we we only dreamed about: a full-frame 4K camera that will be capable of recording in 10-bit (read our full post here). Makato Oishi-san from FUJIFILM accepting the cinema5D Photokina Award. With their X-T3, they already proved that they aren’t afraid of shaking up the mirrorless market in terms of delivered video quality (400 MBits were unheard of before with the exception of the GH5 which has a considerably smaller MFT sensor). It looks like they are going to skip the full-frame craze that everyone else is jumping onto and will do medium format immediately. Check out the video we did about the announced FUJIFILM medium camera below:

Swiss manufacturer ALPA is showing off the ALPA PLATON, a camera cage for medium format video at Photokina 2018. The cage works with the Hasselblad H6D-100c, making it able to shoot 4k RAW video at 3.2 Gbps. Here’s what you need to know. Who is ALPA? ALPA got their start in the late 30’s manufacturing 35mm SLRs and continued to do so till the 90’s, when the company had to declare bankruptcy, having produced more than 40000 cameras over the years. In the late 90’s the brand was bought by a Swiss company and returned to Photokina 1998 presenting two new medium format film cameras, mainly for industrial usage. Today, twenty years later, ALPA has reestablished themselves as a maker of premium bodies and accessories, housing the digital or film backs of other medium format manufacturers, such as Hasselblad, Pentax and Phase One, without producing their own sensors. Medium format video Technically larger-than-35mm video is nothing particularly new or special in itself of course, having been around since the earlier days of cinema in the form of 65mm or 70mm film, while the Arri Alexa 65 and the RED MONSTRO present currently available digital options. So what’s special about the ALPA PLATON using the Hasselblad H6D-100c back? Well in regards to sensor area it even out-measures the Alexa 65’s huge ARRI A3X sensor by over 30% and it shoots 16bit RAW video. All of this in a small package and on CFast 2.0 cards, or to SD cards if shooting HD in H.264. Any more questions? Of course the Hasselblad H6D-100c has its own set of problems, which we’ve talked about at length in our initial review as well as our workflow review, but it produces stunning imagery nonetheless. See some footage below (used in the initial review by Christoph Tilley): What does ALPA PLATON do? To clarify: the ALPA PLATON doesn’t add shooting capabilities, a new interface or a recording solution. As is customary with medium format cameras the back (the back being the sensor, all the circuitry behind it, as well as the touch interface and main button controls of the camera) can be rehoused into the ALPA PLATON, which is effectively a new body, providing the following features: Lens mount: in this case a PL-Mount Power supply: NP-F style battery solution Cage with lots of 1/4″-20 and 3/8″-16 attachments and an ARRI Rosette on each side Integrated monitor sun shade Flap to access the controls on top of the camera 15mm rod system (which the power supply unit is mounted to) The overall goal is to make the Hasselblad H6D-100c’s back into a more workable production camera, for example as a B-Camera to a 65mm system. To achieve that goal, ALPA is also cooperating with Erns Leitz Wetzlar (the newly rebranded lens division of Leica), as well as Hasselblad and the ETH Zurich. New mounts under development In addition to the already developed PL-mount version, there will be versions of the ALPA PLATON in Canon EF mount and also Pentax 67, further opening up the possibilities for video usage  (edited  due to outdated information – to clarify: there are currently no other mounts under development). A V-Mount battery solution is also in development. We will keep you posted. What do you think about the ALPA PLATON? Do you think it will be part of a new medium format revolution? Are you even interested in medium format video, and why? Let us know in the comments!

Laowa extends their wide angle lens range with four new models for E-mount and Micro Four Thirds. We caught up with Kevin from Laowa at Photokina 2018, and discussed their four new wide angle lenses for both E-mount and Micro Four Thirds. As always, Laowa continues to surprise us with innovative lens designs while ensuring a high quality construction and the best possible resulting images. Here is a round up of the four new lenses. Laowa 10-18mm F/4.5 – 5.6 C-Dreamer for full frame E-mount This lens is the widest rectilinear lens for full frame E-mount available on the market, and has been designed for landscape image capture. Its angle of view is 130 degrees, at the edge of the frame there is little to no barrel distortion or heavy vignetting, a trait of very wide angle lenses. The 5 blade aperture can create sun stars very easily, and the lens itself is very small and light (500g) in comparison to ultra wide angle lenses from Sony or Sigma. An additional feature is the click and de-click aperture switch, located on the lens barrel. No screwdriver is needed to make the change between hard stops and de-clicked. What is very appealing about the Laowa 10-18mm F/4.5 – 5.6 is that it has a screw in 37mm filter at the mounting end of the lens, this allows for ND filters or polarizers to be used without the need for a large filter holder at the front of the lens. Laowa is developing a 100mm filter holder if you wish to use filters at the front of the lens. Laowa 4mm F/2.8 Circular Fisheye for MFT This interesting tiny lens creates the iconic circular fisheye effect, with a super wide 210 degree angle of view (that’s wide enough to nearly see your fingers holding the camera)! The wide F/2.8 aperture ensures that bright images can be captured in lower light conditions. It is 8mm full frame equivalent focal length. Laowa 12mm F/1.8 for MFT This is one of the widest F/1.8 lenses for Micro Four Thirds, and is also rectilinear with little to no barrel distortion. The 12mm focal length is equivalent to 24mm in full frame, and has a 46mm filter thread for applying screw-in filters. Laowa 17mm F/1.8 for MFT The Laowa 17mm F/1.8 matches the popular 35mm full frame equivalent focal length, while achieving a shallow depth of field with the wide F/1.8 aperture. It also includes a 46mm filter thread for any ND or polarizer filters. Both the 12mm and 17mm lenses are very small, light and compact. At present, there isn’t any concrete pricing for the lenses, but we expect to see the Laowa 10-18mm F/4.5 – 5.6 C-Dreamer lens available around November, with the Laowa 4mm F/1.8, Laowa 12mm F/1.8 and Laowa 17mm F/1.8 becoming available in early 2019. Unlike the snorkel macro lens, all of the above lenses will be available to purchase from retailers rather than crowdfunding campaigns. Do you love shooting with wide angle lenses but want to achieve even wider shots? What new Laowa lens would you like to try on your next shoot? Let us know in the comments.

SIGMA has announced interesting news at Photokina: The development of their own SIGMA full frame camera, joining the L-mount alliance and is introducing five new lenses. We interviewed SIGMA’s CEO Kazuto Yamaki and asked him about the future of the company. During Photokina, SIGMA  announced joining the L-Mount alliance (our article here) together with Panasonic and Leica and they released five new lenses (here’s our post). Furthermore, they are developing their own full frame camera. The CEO of SIGMA, Kazuto Yamaki, shared some interesting information with us, about the current and future projects of his company. SIGMA Full Frame Camera Having a full frame camera in the portfolio kind of became fashionable for big camera and lens companies this year. So many companies are either releasing their full frame camera or announcing the development. It was interesting to hear that even SIGMA will be joining the full frame segment. Kazuto Yamaki told us, that SIGMA already started this project three years ago when they decided to develop their own full frame sensor. The sensor is still in development, but it seems like it will be used in the upcoming L-mount cameras. In regards to the video capabilities of SIGMA’s new camera, we were not able to get any information due to the early stage of development. It is, however, planned to be released in 2019. L-Mount Alliance For their upcoming full frame sensor, SIGMA initially wanted to develop their own mount with short flange focal distance (for slim mirrorless bodies). In the end, SIGMA decided to join forces with Panasonic and Leica and work on the L-Mount together. All three companies of the L-Mount alliance – Panasonic, Leica and SIGMA – are manufacturers of both, lenses and cameras. We were informed that each company in the alliance is in the process of developing their products separately, not disclosing their product roadmaps to each other. However, they work together on making the L-Mount robust and providing enough lenses and accessories for it. In regards to new Nikon and Canon mirrorless mounts, SIGMA is interested in producing lenses for those in the future. For now, the L-Mount lenses are a priority for the company. New SIGMA Lenses Last but not least, SIGMA announced five new lenses here at Photokina 2018. Three prime lenses – 28mm, 40mm, 56mm and two telephoto zooms – 70-200mm and 60-600mm. We published a separate article about them with more information (link here). What do you think of SIGMA developing their own full frame camera? Do you plan on buying any of SIGMA’s new lenses? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.