Welcome to the Imaging Resource's coverage of the biennial Photokina Show, held as usual in Cologne, Germany! Photokina, described by its creators as "the world's leading trade fair for the photographic and imaging sector", is so large that it is hard to comprehend - the show encompasses 14 different exhibition halls this year, and in 2000 there were a colossal 162,000 visitors from 138 countries meeting with 1,633 exhibitors from 45 countries. By comparison, the PMA Spring 2000 show in Las Vegas, Nevada had 788 exhibitors and 30,561 attendees.
As you've no doubt noticed, an amazing number of new cameras have already been announced in the last few weeks, and are making their first appearance at the show. Add to these the announcements that are likely still waiting in the wings, and we think this could be a very exciting show! As a first for the Imaging Resource, our very own Dave Etchells will be covering Photokina live, with reports from the show floor on the latest imaging products, be they targeted at the Pros, the home user or somewhere in between. You, too, can participate in our forums, where you can discuss the announcements and just what they mean! Also, we've got News Editor Michael Tomkins back in the office to help us keep on top of what's likely to be a flood of press releases - he'll filter the wheat from the chaff and make sure nothing's missed.
The show itself runs from Wednesday September 25th to Monday September 30th - and Dave will be there for a significant portion of that. Want to know more of what to expect? You can find a full list of exhibitors on the Photokina website... Stay tuned for a very interesting show week!
Click on the links below to read our live Photokina reports throughout the week:
