Some thoughts from focus on imaging 2009

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Some thoughts from focus on imaging 2009

We went focus on imaging for the first time on Wednesday, it’s a bit of a drive from Wales, and both liz and I took a day off work to make the trip – we have been working very hard for the last few months setting up a new wedding photography business and we needed to do the “touchy feely thing” with some wedding album suppliers – to finalise some of the options we want to offer our clients.

So some random thoughts from the show/trip – sorry if I offend – I like to speak as I see, all too often people are afraid to offer constructive criticism :shake:…

The car park and the show is big, but the staff are well organised to cope :clap:

Sony needs to sort out the ergonomics of their lenses and cameras:shake:

The tip from TP “take some memory cards but leave your camera at home” was a good one- thank you – I was glad not to carry it:lol:
All the models at the show were horny :nono:…. As hell (Why didn’t I take my camera?)

Spicer hallfield are overpriced, and some of the sales staff need to.........

do some product training –

the biggest photo show in uk and you cant tell me anything about matts and overlays…?.. and you have no samples to show me? – I spoke to another (older) rep and he had better product knowledge, but even so – too pricy..

Sigma 120-300 f2.8 is a great lens but the zoom ring is too stiff when new (a fault noted when they were first reviewed)
The sigma 200-500 f2.8 is sooo sloooow to focus – I had to laugh – really – well I gave up and focused the damm thing manually
The Sigma 300-800 F5.6 – er very nice (add to shopping list)

The Nikon D3 is the doggy’s bits – with knobs on – when is Canon going to make a camera like this?

The Nikon staff need to learn the cameras better….to be able to assist Canon users – the guy “helping me” knew less about the camera then me

Bookedimages (storybooks) are overpriced and disappointing (sorry)
Redwood staff and products are fantastic – currently working on an order
Bobsbooks were great – nice product – an order will be placed soon
Sim 2000 products were nice but I thought the schoolgirl outfit was off putting (and cheap):gag:

The man (English) selling slate frames that come from the far east (why not from Wales?)– YOU ARE A VERY RUDE MAN… you will never get business from me:bat:

Diddy Dave – sorry I did not call – we ran out of time:shrug:

I nobili albums – look great in the photos – but cheap in the flesh – sorry £300+ are you kidding? – the cases they sell with a photo on are great idea though

The canon 400mm f2.8 IS is sex made of glass – very fast, sharp
Canon put a cheap and nasty DSLR on the 200mm f2 – why? why? why?
Gfsmith could not have been more helpful – thank you
Manfrotto again very helpful – thank you

I love good customer service – some of the stands were far better then others – the show is worth a visit – we went on Wednesday – if you want a quiet show then that is the day to go, but not if you want lots of seminars – there are less on Wednesday


One last thought

All the drivers on the M42 are Nutters….:bang:
 
Disagree on the Sony comment. You cant handle a camera at a show for a short period of time then slate it, you need prolonged use and the Sony cameras are superb.
 
I must admit, the D3 I had a quick look at seemed like a great piece of kit...shame the chap demonstrating it didn't know much about the specifications or indeed how to change a few bits and bats :(
 
sportysnaps said:
Some thoughts from focus on imaging 2009

we have been working very hard for the last few months setting up a new wedding photography business

The Sigma 300-800 F5.6 – er very nice (add to shopping list)
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Is this covert wedding photography:D the outdoor show was on as well you could have picked some combat clothing while you were there:nuts:
 
sportysnaps said:
Spicer hallfield are overpriced
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Agree with that. I've found them difficult to order from too through their website and susequently don't use them for albums.

sportysnaps said:
The Nikon D3 is the doggy’s bits – with knobs on – when is Canon going to make a camera like this?
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Oh Canon please make a 5D 2.1 that can compete with the D3 ISO.

sportysnaps said:
Bookedimages (storybooks) are overpriced and disappointing (sorry)
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Don't be sorry. They are. For wedding albums I don't think they'd last the year out.

sportysnaps said:
Manfrotto again very helpful – thank you
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Yep:thumbs:


Were you looking at those lenses for personal photography? I've not found many reasons to use such reach at a wedding.
 
Diego Garcia said:
Disagree on the Sony comment. You cant handle a camera at a show for a short period of time then slate it, you need prolonged use and the Sony cameras are superb.
Click to expand...


i only had a limited time with Nikon (new to me) sony (new to me) sigma(new to me) and Canon lenses that were new to me but the basic logic was not new to me - of the three (nik/sig/son) the Sony seemed the least thought out - it can only be first impressions at a show like this - sony produce great lenses for video (the bbc apopted standard) so there is no reason to question the quality - i can only go on first impressions at the show (for all the products i looked at)
 
Maybe because its the 4th time of going or maybe I wasn't looking for anything particular
But there was nothing that really grabbed my attention (apart from the models that is) and the Munki colour management.
I did but the Artic butterfly and the loupe magnifier and another memory card.

Yes it is a great show and everything is there to look at under one roof but go with an objective in mind be it demos - cameras or gear. I did find that things were expensive apart from Nikon NX2 which was up for £50 against the normal retail price. This makes me wonder if a new version is going to be launched and they wanted to get rid of old stock.

One of the thing I did like is being able to talk to other like minded people, who were visiting, and getting their thought on products I might buy in the future.


Realspeed
 
TBH I was a bit surprised/disappointed no-one wanted to meet

But I did meet up with AliB, lovely lass, and her (and my) SWPP colleagues - so if you were just too busy, no worries mate - that's you being time efficient = good :clap:

Some things impressed and disapointed me too - but one thing did surprise me (again, as in all other years too!) and that was the number of people busy shooting other people's sets - seems wierd to me - but hey, if it rocks your boat I guess :shrug:

Glad it was useful to you m8 :thumbs:

For my part - I bought more than I went for for less than I expected to pay - hence a good result :)

DD
 
Travelled up from Wales as well, Overall I was impressed. I didn't go to purchase unless I saw a real show bargain, which sadly I'm not sure I did.

However, its a brilliant show to actually talk to representatives, try out products and see the whole range and what options are available. Certainly got me thinking a bit!

Some of the lectures/talks were educational too.

I enjoyed!
 
I loved being able to get my hands on the various albums and some impressed more than others so I'll be looking more in depth at one that I had not really considered.

I loved catching up with DiddyDave again, always a pleasure :)

I bought a rolling case from Calumet who delivered it the very next day FOC. That's service!!

I *******ed the poor guy at Canon for not supplying me with the 85mm f1.8 that I paid for in January. b****r all point in showing off 600mm exotica at £6K if you can't supply a sodding £250 lens!

I bought some lovely fine art paper that I know I'll truly enjoy.

I found some really cool acrylics that I'll be adding to my own range. Sample time again!

I really enjoyed it, met some more lovely people and was rather foot sore at the end of it.
 
Third visit from me

Plus points,

Blown away by some of the prints on show, we are so used to viewing our work on an LCD screen/monitor, that we (or I) forget just how much an emotional impact a good print has.

Some of the prints from the various colleges/universities were very impressive, exciting and creative, bodes well for the future of photography.

Mercifully I only saw two HDR prints out of the hundreds that were there.

Some of the software displays/demonstrations were informative and enjoyable.

Enjoyed the model shoots, didn't learn anything, just enjoyed them for what they were.

Pleased Canon were there, spent some time drooling over their wares.

Negatives

Too many salesmen in shiny suits, with gelled spiky hair-sorry when you are 56-gelled hair does not make you windswept and interesting.

At times it seemed a big paper chase, with mountains of bumph for even the slightest bit of info.

Some of the good talks (David Noton for example) were oversubscribed, so didn't manage to see.

No real bargains to be had.
 
I knew Warehoue Express were not going to be there but I was surprised Loxley didn't have a stand. I wanted to have another look at their new style of Belissimo albums and see when they would have a 'grandparents album' version of their new 14x10 album.
 
I found that many speakers were very quiet, in need of turning their sound up. I know i'm not going deaf particularly because some I heard very well, from the back :P

Many suppliers were missing, some only come every other show and some just didn't feel it was financially worthy.

Not enough bargains, last years memory card madness had changed to basically costing more than play.com.. grrr.. I would've picked some up otherwise.

One or two exciting new faces there, nubu and kubota both IIRC new to Focus. Was great to meet them and chat.
 
ranarama said:
I knew Warehoue Express were not going to be there but I was surprised Loxley didn't have a stand. I wanted to have another look at their new style of Belissimo albums and see when they would have a 'grandparents album' version of their new 14x10 album.
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from what i could see the Belissimo albums were every bit as good as everyone else with two advantages
price
the fact that they are uk based ( a good selling point in these times)

which is why we are going with this range - the only ones that got close were redwood (imho)
 
sportysnaps said:
from what i could see the Belissimo albums were every bit as good as everyone else with two advantages
price
the fact that they are uk based ( a good selling point in these times)

which is why we are going with this range - the only ones that got close were redwood (imho)
Click to expand...

I didn't see the Redwood range unfortunatley. I use the Belissimo albums almost exclusively and I saw the new range at the SWPP event in London but wanted to look again. The other really big advantage for me is they can get the album delivered within a week of ordering. The others don't even get close to that.
 
AliB said:
I loved being able to get my hands on the various albums and some impressed more than others so I'll be looking more in depth at one that I had not really considered.

I loved catching up with DiddyDave again, always a pleasure :)

I bought a rolling case from Calumet who delivered it the very next day FOC. That's service!!

I *******ed the poor guy at Canon for not supplying me with the 85mm f1.8 that I paid for in January. b****r all point in showing off 600mm exotica at £6K if you can't supply a sodding £250 lens!

I bought some lovely fine art paper that I know I'll truly enjoy.

I found some really cool acrylics that I'll be adding to my own range. Sample time again!

I really enjoyed it, met some more lovely people and was rather foot sore at the end of it.
Click to expand...


:love::love::love: For comments on my good self - and this lass cuddles nicely too :)

But :(:(:( on the 85mm f1.8 Canon - as my mate attended on Tuesday and bought said lens for a price he was happy with from Jacobs (I think he said)

DD
 
Oh I liked how one suit called me young man in a very condescending way.. .I'm 31 and shot my first wedding in 1997 thank you very much ;) I just ignored it, got straight to the point I was there for and left him alone!
 
Shiny suits and slicked gelled hair? :puke: and :runaway:

I was going on Wednesday but opted not to in the end, partly because of some of the opinions posted on TP. Think a quick trip to WHE in Norwich might yeald better results for what I was going for.
 
What is it with all the old blokes with their big lenses in a bloody 5 man deep scrum, just to get a photo of a half decent, bored and slightly freaked out looking girl?

We were talking to one of the girls, and she was uncomfortable with it all to say the least. Strange breed!

Picked up some very good ideas and a bit of inspiration for new products. Did anyone see the Digital express Darkroom stand? anyone used this processing software?

Lee
 
sportysnaps said:
from what i could see the Belissimo albums were every bit as good as everyone else with two advantages
price
the fact that they are uk based ( a good selling point in these times)

which is why we are going with this range - the only ones that got close were redwood (imho)
Click to expand...

ranarama said:
I didn't see the Redwood range unfortunatley. I use the Belissimo albums almost exclusively and I saw the new range at the SWPP event in London but wanted to look again. The other really big advantage for me is they can get the album delivered within a week of ordering. The others don't even get close to that.
Click to expand...

These are the main reasons I use Bellissimo almost exclusively but I am also going to try some of the SIM2000 offerings.


Leeb said:
What is it with all the old blokes with their big lenses in a bloody 5 man deep scrum, just to get a photo of a half decent, bored and slightly freaked out looking girl?

We were talking to one of the girls, and she was uncomfortable with it all to say the least. Strange breed!

Lee
Click to expand...

:lol: Glad it wasn't just me but it did look like a convention of pervs at times (apologies to any of those on here who took shots of the models) and I thought the models coped well with it.
 
I never see the point in ogling these girls as if they're items.

Just like I never see the point in strip clubs. It's effectively the same thing.

You can look, you can't touch, and you still come away feeling empty, no doubt having the girls laughing their arses at you for being such a loser!
 
I was going to go with a trade pass from Jessops, but then we couldn't get cover because 3 of my other colleagues were going.

(they then didn't go, because since it was being paid for them, all their expenses, they weren't losing out on anything, and so they couldn't be bothered. I was furious, to say the least.)
 
i went for my first time, on the monday school was closed so i took a bus to focus and loved it. i never had no cash but i loved the experience and playing with the sony camera's and lenses. i will be going next year with enough for a nifty 50mm f/1.4, tripod and a camera bag for lightweight gear ( i looked at the crumpler messenger boy).
 
The Nikon D3 is the doggy’s bits – with knobs on – when is Canon going to make a camera like this?

It did take Nikon 5 years to catch up with Canon though.
 
I went on Wednesday, my 4th visit.
Here are a few of my observations.

Show "special" prices - RRP minus show discount = Actual "street" price - some discount:shrug:

Models on stands - Some were fantastic, others were just walking attitudes, i know they're not paid for our benefit, but its nice to go and get a few shots of the models. (This is purely from an amature togs point of view.) the majority of them posed fantastically between seminars, but there were a few that just didnt want to know.

Hasselblad stand - Fantastic studio set up

Ignorant people - We stood at the hewlett packard stand for 20 mins befroe the demo started, when it did, some people just barged in in front of us and stood on the stand, meaning we couldnt see what was going on. Next time ill just wait until the demo is 5 mins in, then walk on and stand in front of everyone, it seems to be the norm.

It was a good show, with some excellent exhibitors, maybe im getting old and grumpy:shake:

Dean:)
 
sounds like we found the same acrylics that ali b did.
got annoyed at the spicer albums bods. no clue. got expensive again.
although the colourworld poeple were as cooperative as always.and there quality has improved too.
we had a quick look at redwood . mmm. not sure.
were realy impressed by the "on one" editing software display, and demo.(£300 later).
nice to bump into a few faces we new.
realy pee's off the salesman/********s when me and the wife wander in tollok at something.
both have "rainbow photography" badges dangling . mine says "ASSISTANT photographer"

they walk up to me , and say" CAN I HELP YOU SIR?"
"talk to the boss" i say, pointing to the wife.
gives me a huge laugh every time.
most of the models are 12 and skinny.
the tweed wearing fiftysomethings falling over themselves to shoot em is hilarious too.
not as many good deals as last year, but a lot less carp on sale.
could i hell as like get a 52 mm lenscap?
 
Was disappointing Loxley weren't there as I wanted to see the new metal covers. I did drop by the Nubu Album stand though. Very nice and I've ordered the starter pack from them.

I was in seminars pretty much all day, so only got the odd hour to walk around. Didn't spot any bargains though other than cut price D3x's... Credit card was so close to being flexed, it's lucky I hadn't had the interest free letter I got a couple of days after from the card company :lol:
 
It's weird that a couple of you have said that the spicer guys were unknowledgable.. When we were there they knew more than we needed to know, and were very friendly in helping us.

Guess it depends who you see :)
 
Regarding the girls it did get OTT but thats the only chance many photographers would get to shoot girsl like that in a situation they could manage. I did not but was more concerned that they were not managing light !!!
 
Diego Garcia said:
Disagree on the Sony comment. You cant handle a camera at a show for a short period of time then slate it, you need prolonged use and the Sony cameras are superb.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I used my first A900 at Focus and I was surprisingly impressed by it.
 
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