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Focus On Imaging - February 2008 - Highlights to look out for

Starts Sunday 24th in halls 9 and 10 at the NEC Birmingham and runs until Wednesday 27th.

Four days of photographic heaven where you can get to see what gizmos and gadgets are on offer as well as getting the chance to preview cameras, lenses, printers, software, papers, inks, organisations, magazines available, books and all your photographic needs, whether professional or enthusiast, all under one roof. It is too late to pre-register now but you can still go along, it costs just £6 on the day.

Highlights to look out for include:

Nikon on stand D40 in Hall 10 - As well as showing off its latest professional digital SLR's the D3 and D300, you will also be able to see the latest DSLR model, the D60, as well as the range of new lenses. They will also be hosting a range of 45 minute seminars throughout the show on their stand covering practical and technical aspects of photography. Guest speakers include Andy Rouse (wildlife photographer), Will Cheung (Photography Monthly magazine Editor), Steve Davey (Travel Photographer), as well as talks from Wacom on Photoshop, advice and tips on Capture NX and live demonstrations of the D3. The last slot of each day is labelled 'An Audience with Nikon' which will give visitors the chance to quiz the Nikon team about Nikon's latest products. See this link for schedule details.

Epson on stand C10 - will be showing their new 64" Stylus Pro printer, the 11880. But the will also have their smallest photo printer PictureMate260 and demonstrating for the first time their latest A3+ Stylus Photo R1900 printer, with it's 18,446,774 trillion colours. As well as being able to see their latest Ultrachrome K3 inks with vivid magenta. There will be short talks on the stand on subjects such as using colour profiles and the advanced black and white driver, fine art printing, Epson media choices and much more. They will also be showing for the first time the new DiscProducer a compact disc duplication solution designed for photographers amongst others that need to create professionally quality customised CDs or DVDs on demand, whether for a digital portfolio or to produced archive discs.

Adobe and Corel will be demonstrating their latest software offerings. While OnOnes software products include Genuine Fractals and Mask Pro latest versions will be on show at stand N1, including those versions that are now compatible with the new Apple operating system, Leopard. PXL Soft will be showcasing Dg Foto Art a digital tool that enables you to crate albums, they say in minutes. It's a stand alone package not needing any third party tools or plug-ins and comes bundled with over 1700 ready to use templates. Phase One will demonstrate its latest Raw Workflow software Capture One 4.

Innova Art (stand C30) will be showing is range of inkjet printer products which are compatible with the Epson, Canon and HP printers. Whilst Hahnemuhle Fine Art (stand F28) will be showing two new papers, Bamboo 290 a fine art inkjet paper made from bamboo fibres and has a natural white appearance with a warm tone, and FineArt Baryta 325 a glossy surfaced paper ideal for black and white prints.

Lowepro will be showing it's two latest ranges of bags for DSLR's, the Flipside and Fastpack backpacks which provide protection for your equipment but quick access when needed. They will also be showing the new range of tripods, heads and accessories from Giottos.

Berbatech will be promoting it's fade-free UV stable inks that print directly onto a wide range of materials including canvas, wood, carbon fibre, aluminium, textiles, glass, walls and ceilings.

System Insight (stand D31) will be demonstrating many new products in their Dye Sub range, including the Mitsubishi 'Click Lite' and CP3800DW printers - the complete Event Photography Solution.

The 'hub' is back this year, where some companies grouped together to have their exhibition stands around a central hub area that hosts a programme of free seminars - this will be found at stand Q26.

Eizo (stand C3) will be unveiling the Eize Colour Edge LCD range of monitors including a 30" widescreen monitor.

Amongst Delkins (stand N4) offerings is a New and Improved SensorScope cleaning system. The SensorScope makes cleaning your cameras sensor easier and quicker. Apparently they have improved the wands making them more absorbent and non-fibrous and enhanced the solution to be quick drying and more effective at dust removal. The new system will be shipping in early March. We bought the SensorScope last year and many of you may have had it demonstrated on one of our Hands On A Nikon training days.

Colour Confidence (stand C22) will be launching a portable natural light solution called the GrafiLite, priced at £60. It delivers natural light for accurate colour and image assessment. It comes with a neutral viewing mate, providing a surface for image viewing which will not affect the appearance of colours, to this end the lamp surround is also designed in a neutral grey. They will also have a range of colour management solutions on display.

There will also be companies, such as GraphiStudio, Atech, All Styles Design showcasing their latest Digital Album offerings. As well as companies offering binding systems and print your own albums.

Another way to get your images on display apart from printing is to display them in Digital Frames. As more are coming on the marketplace prices are dropping and sizes are increasing. Look out to see what the latest designs, sizes and prices are. We will be running a feature on these at a later date.

This is just a smidgeon of what will be there to see and don't forget many of the stands will be having demonstrations, talks and there are seminars you can attend to find out from those who know who to go about running your photography business as well as of course lots of opportunities to buy something at show offer prices.

For more details on exhibitors and what you can expect to see visit their website here.