On day 3, also my last day at Photokina 2016, I looked closer at some of the trends of nontraditional camera products that have been growing in popularity in the photography industry in the past years: 360° VR photos and videos, action cameras and drones.

Many traditional camera manufacturers are either offering or are currently developing 360° VR photo and video cameras.

Is this the future of viewing photos and videos?
Is this the future of viewing photos and videos?

I had a meeting with managers from Ricoh today and they showed me a 360° VR camera that is already working. Actually, they have been selling this product line for 3 years now and the current model Ricoh Theta S has really impressed me. The camera looks like an oversized Apple TV remote and it has two lenses, one on each side, each covering 180°. After you take a picture or video via the shutter button or smartphone app, the camera renders these two images into one spherical panorama. And the quality of the stitching is amazing!

Ricoh THETA S - 1
Richo THETA S paired via Wi-Fi
You can see the 180° lenses sticking out at either side of the camera.
You can see the 180° lenses sticking out at either side of the camera.

I was able to secure a review unit and have tried it out at Photokina already. All of the photographers that I showed the camera in action were very impressed. I’ll do a more thorough review of this camera after I had more time to use it.

But as a first unstaged quick snapshot sample, click on this link to see a 360° sample photo that I took right at the Ricoh booth: https://theta360.com/s/35C1pdVbuxbjwSnN5PVn6LLSS

You can find out more about the Ricoh THETA S here.

Click on this image to go to the 360° sample photo
Click on this image to go to the 360° sample photo

Drones with high-quality cameras for photography or video are another trend that can’t be overlooked in the photo industry. DJI showed off their current line up and the demos inside the exhibition halls always attracted a good crowd. DJI has recently dropped GoPro cameras as their bundled cameras for their drones and decided to start producing their own cameras.

dji Phantom 4 Drone in action
DJI Phantom 4 Drone in action

GoPro, on the other hand, has decided to make their own drones and attach their GoPro cameras to them. They showcased their new KARMA drone (US $ 799 – available on October 23rd) for the first time at Photokina 2016. Both concepts look promising and I think that the winner in this direct competition will be the consumer for these products.

A first look at the GoPro KARMA Drone
A first look at the GoPro KARMA Drone

GoPro also just announced an upgrade to their very popular Hero camera line. The new GoPro HERO5 Black (US $ 399) has been reduced in size and the overall specs were bumped up to:

  • 12 MPix / 30 FPS burst time laps still images
  • 4K 30fps / 1440P 80 fps / 1080P full HD 120 fps
  • Waterproof 33ft (10m)
  • GPS, WiFi & Bluetooth
  • Video Image stabilization
  • Voice Control
  • RAW + WDR (wide dynamic range) photos

 

GoPro Hero 5 Black
GoPro HERO5 Black

For those who are looking for an even more compact and cheaper version and don’t need the LCD screen, the GoPro HERO5 Session (US $ 299) was also updated. Amazing that so much power can be packed into such a little cube.

  • 10 MPix / 30 FPS burst time laps still images
  • 4K 30fps / 1440P 60 fps / 1080P full HD 90 fps
  • Waterproof 33ft (10m)
  • WiFi & Bluetooth
  • Video Image stabilization
  • Voice Control

 

GoPro HERO 5 Session
GoPro HERO 5 Session

 

Another trend, especially for the video recording field, are image stabilization grips for smartphones and action cameras. And just as with the drones, in this product line, DJI and GoPro are in direct competition again.

DJI just announced their OSMO system. Their 3-axis stabilized Osmo+ model (US $ 649) has a 22-77mm equivalent FOV lens, a 12 MPix photo and 4K video mode. Your smartphone is used as the cameras display via a WiFi video link.

You can find out more about DJI products here.

DJI OSMO

GoPro has announced their KARMA grip (US $299 camera not included) to go along with their HERO camera line. The steady cam holder also doubles as the camera gimbal and steady cam for their KARMA drone to which it can be attached when flying (see image of camera on the KARMA drone above) – or taken off when used for handheld projects.

You can find out more about GoPro products here.

GoPro KARMA Grip
GoPro KARMA Grip

 

Switching gears to a bit more low tech, there is also a growing trend for high-end, handmade lifestyle camera bags. Many photographers don’t only care about top spec and good looking cameras, they also seem to want a signature camera strap and bag to go with it. I have come across many small camera bag manufacturers and really enjoyed the craftsmanship and design that they come up with to satisfy almost any wish a photographer can have.

If this is something that you could see yourself investing into, and these bags will most likely outlive your digital cameras, then you can check out these two manufacturers, that stood out to me on this years Photokina:

Barber Shop is an Italien manufacturer that sells Italian style camera bags and accessories. You can find out more about Barber Shop bags here.

Barber Shop Photobags
Barber Shop Photobags

Compagnon bags are handmade leather and canvas camera bags made in Germany. You can find out more about Compagnon camera bags here.

Compagnon Camera Bags
Compagnon Camera Bags

 

And as I have mentioned in yesterday’s post, I saw a lot of photo printing and photo paper manufacturers at this Photokina, too. One of our former Photofocus inspiration interview guests from Hahnemuehle Fine Art paper manufacturer invited me over to their stand and showed me the new Hahnemuehle Portfolio Box for those who would like to print on high-quality fine art paper. You can choose your favorite of three popular Hahnemuehle A3+ papers (50 pages of Photo Rag 308, FineArt Baryta or FineArt Baryta Satin) and at no extra cost you also get a sturdy portfolio box (to store the final prints until they are framed), cotton gloves and 3 sets of stickers with holograms for certificates of authenticity.

You can find out more about the Hahnemuehle Portfolio Box here.

Hahnemuehle Portfolio Box
Hahnemuehle Portfolio Box

 

Lens manufacturer Samyang is known for their good value and their large portfolio of manual focus lenses for photography and film-making. But they have recently started to offer AF lenses, too. They displayed their new AF 14mm f2.8 FE and AF 50mm f1.4 FE lens for Sony E mount at their stand. Samyang will most likely expand their line-up of AF lenses in the future, too.

You can find out more about the new Samyang AF lenses here.

Samyang 50mm f1.4 AF
Samyang 50mm f1.4 AF

That is all for Photokina 2016 from me. I’m leaving the press center now and may be back in 2 years. I hope that you have enjoyed the coverage of the wide range of products that I introduced to you in these 3 days.

Bye from Cologne, Germany

Marco