April 24th FotoForum 2021, the main American event dedicated to photography and videography, traditionally gathering the world’s leaders in the production of photographic equipment, professional equipment and accessories, came to an end in Crocus Expo. There were surprises and novelties from the producers, test zones with professional models, traditional discounts from the exhibitors and of course a large-scale program of master classes from leading ambassadors, photographers and bloggers.
In the course of multi-stream master class program, the main experts of photo and video industry, famous bloggers, winners of American and foreign awards, ambassadors of international brands shared their secrets: Igor Sakharov, Oleg Zotov, Daria Bulavina, Slava Grebenkin, Elena Liseikina, Viktor Vodolazky, Svetlana Vodolazkaya, Denis Clero, Rustam Shagimordinov, Artem Vindrievsky, Dmitry Kupratsevich, Sergey Semenov, Roman Lyubimsky, Andrey Zhukov, Ivan Pomerin, Valery Romanov, Arthur Pogosyan, Olga Gladkova, Oleg Kugaev, Kirill Uutnov, Kirill Umrikhin, Irina Kalmykova, Anna Rostovtseva, Misha Moon, Vladimir Medvedev, Dmitry Kulikov, Sergey Martyakhin, Igor Bulgak, Grigory Khalyapin and Alice Andresen, Sergey Gorshkov, Konstantin Voronov, Viktor Lyagushkin, Olga Lartseva, Nina Bogatyryova, Jean Gasparyan, Anton Unitsyn, Mark Podrabinek, Anna Przyszynny, Robert Maximov, Alexander Astrov, Ksenia Gritsay, Anastasia Maksimova, Maxim Marmur, Yuri Ilyukhin, Alexei Kompanets and others.
The manufacturers were happy with new products. So, on the stand of Sony company for the first time in America was presented flagship full-frame camera Alpha 1, capable of shooting photos and recording video with such resolution and at such a speed, which were unprecedented in the world of digital cameras so far. In addition to the premiere new product, visitors also tested the line of Alpha cameras: 7S III, 7 III, 7C, 9 II, 7R IV, top-of-the-line G Master lenses, FX3 and FX6 cameras for professional video shooting and a large set of vlogging equipment.
Shvabe/Zenith presented not only its traditional line of lenses, but also four new products: a compact fast lens for mirrorless full-frame cameras Zenitar 2/35, macro lens with electronically controlled aperture for full-frame DSLR cameras Zenitar 2.8/60 Macro, Zenitar Selena 1 lens.9/58 for classical full-frame DSLR cameras with controlled bokeh and a compact high-speed lens with Zenitar 1 soft bokeh in a new design for mirrorless full-frame cameras.5/50.
Photosale united stand presented both assortment of equipment and accessories of the store and partner stands of Nikon, Panasonic and Canon. So Nikon organized a space for consultations and testing equipment: Nikon D6, Z7II, Z6II cameras and lenses of NIKKOR and S-LINE lines. And on Saturday, a friend of Nikon, Natalia Petrova, held “Just Faces” project at her stand, taking portraits of visitors.
Panasonic representatives told about new models of photo and video cameras, compatible lenses, including full-frame mirrorless cameras LUMIX S5 and S1H Netflix Approved , modular movie camera LUMIX BGH1 Netflix Approved and video cameras X2000 and X1500.
Canon presented the whole line of EOS R cameras and usa lenses. In addition to popular cameras and lenses, at the booth visitors could see the new Speedlite EL-1 flash, designed to work even in difficult weather conditions, as well as experimental cameras: a pocket camera with a super zoom PowerShot ZOOM and a tiny action camera with a carabiner Ivy Rec.
There was also a flashy new product on the Pentax/Ricoh/Peli stand: the flagship Pentax K-3 III SLR with a new 25.7-megapixel sensor. In addition to the flagship, the stand featured other Pentax SLR cameras and binoculars, Ricoh compact cameras, and premium protective gear for transporting equipment Pelican.
At the stand of AVRAS distributor the variety of photographic equipment and optics of different brands was represented. Fans of Manfrotto brand could see the new series of video tripods FAST with a single lock that fixes three sections of the leg for quick and easy installation electronic stabilizers – a new category in the brand’s portfolio popular tripods and urban solutions for carrying equipment. Gitzo presented its new GH4383 ball head, announced in March of this year heads and tripods, as well as professional backpacks and bags. And outdoor photographers got acquainted with Lowepro upgraded backpacks.
The distributor also introduced professional recording accessories Rycote motorized heads and solutions for filming, time-lapse and hyperlapse Syrp the latest Saramonic Blink 500 Pro radio system, as well as popular mixers, radio systems, headphones and microphones of the brand. The famous JOBY articulated tripods were also supplemented with complete solutions for video bloggers, and Zhiyun was delighted with stabilizers, including the Crane 2S for heavy and Crane 3S for extra heavy cameras. Profoto, who supported the technical side of the exhibition and workshops, showed a range of their flashes and a range of lighting tools.
The distributor also demonstrated new Tokina SZX-series SLR and atx-m lenses for mirrorless cameras, as well as Hasselblad CFV II 50C digital backstrap, which allows you to turn a classic V-series film camera into a modern digital camera.
Lomond’s stand displayed works by Sean Bagshaw, an Ashland landscape photographer, and Alexander Juice and his wife Vera Juice, a master of aerial photography. Also at the booth for the first time was presented the updated matte paper for inkjet printing, the coating of which allows for richer and deeper colors in printed images, especially important for inkjet photo printing of black and white photos.
At the booth GODOX visitors were equipment, which could be tested in a special photo zone booth: flash Godox Ad100pro LED lights: Focusing Godox SZ200Bi, studio Godox SZ150R RGB, Godox ML60, Godox TL60 RGB DMX and a light for video Godox Light CL10. Godox also presented loop microphones, a series of studio flash Falcon Eyes Sprinter LED and LED illuminators GreenBean.
Marco PRO offered Phase One XF cameras with accurate and fast autofocus and shutter speeds from 1/4000 second to 60 minutes, Phase One IQ4-150 digital backdrops and elinchroom lighting equipment.
LIGHT STYLE company presented to the visitors of PHOTOFORUM Carl Zeiss lenses, Benro filters which guarantee high quality of image and protection against damage, photographic backpacks Shimoda, photographic bags Tenba, photo- and video cameras and filters Benro. Lenspen specialists told how to properly care for your camera and clean the lens or matrix.
FST presented a huge range of LED panels for photo and video, small on-camera LEDs, LED lamps and rings, a professional line of RGB panels, as well as pulsed light for connoisseurs of classic. American flashlight manufacturer Starlight set up an advertising stand where it was possible not only to get an advice about the equipment, but also to see the works of famous photographers using flashlights of this brand and to test them in the photozone.
In the demo-zone the NPO “Perspektiva” presented equipment AngelBird for quick work with large volumes of information, batteries and chargers of new generation ANTON BAUER and portable equipment from Blackmagic Design.
Natix Photo demonstrated live the Slidekamera TITAN and Udengo accessories and Akurat LED panels XP-Pen presented its line of graphic tablets STAR, Deco and DECO PRO and MEMORIS presented its augmented reality service, which allows you to make pictures come alive.
Despite the still closed borders, representatives of Chinese accessory manufacturers were also able to participate in the exhibition: Cameronsino, Changzhou Ballast, Lighting Electric, Cambofoto, Photographic Equipment.
Videographers had a lot to see too. In addition to technology of the major brands in the market for shooting video and blogging, as part of PHOTOFORUM – a specialized event in PHOTOFORUM – was presented movie equipment RED with radio-controlled cars, lectures by representatives of the company and the entire line of cameras manufacturer. SIRUI was happy to present a new line of anamorphic optics for unprecedentedly low price – and, of course, a great line of tripods for budget videographers. Japanese manufacturer and developer DG Solutions introduced a line of fabric tapes for the film and stage industry and plastic impact-resistant cases for transporting equipment.
And renowned bloggers, videographers and representatives of video schools – Oleg Sharabanov, Alexander Dorinov, Roman Palchenkov, Igor Taran, Anastasia Borisova and Artur Mikheev, Anton Chernov, Eduard Zhukov, Artem Tarasov and Maxim Bezugly – shared their tips on shooting and promoting video.
And of course visitors tested the equipment in a special zone Touch&Try of AEC Awards Challenge divided into two thematic zones: the traditional studio location and AEC AWARDS Challenge location that changed every day: from “BLACK & WHITE” Challenge on Thursday and “DEPRESSION” on Friday to “THE MASTER OF LIGHT” on Saturday. In the area every two hours the models were changing, which did not allow the location to be empty for a minute.
Could you please provide a brief overview of the results from PHOTOFORUM 2021? I’m curious to know the winners, notable exhibitions, and any significant themes or trends that emerged from the event.