Hey guys,

Long time no see, sadly, I don't feel like writing a huge reports like I did two years ago but just a few thoughts just back from Köln.

Overall, I feel there was some cool down on the innovation front. Maybe my interest is shifting to some other things : film photography, less pixel peeping, ...

Anyway.

Canon

Just wanted to taste a 6D +40mm f/2.8 as a possible "cheapest" replacement for my E-m5 + 20mm f/1.7. I love 40mm focal length

Didn't work. That 6D is utter trash, no joystick to select AF point quickly, shutter speed limited to 1/4000 and AF speed not so impressive. I know 6D is old news.

The quest for a nice "small FF reflex" is still on. And no, I just don't like Nikon :-/

Canon G 7X, I was very impatient to see it. Its user interface & touch screen would in principle win me over a RX100 MIII but I found it was kinda slow (especially the motorized zoom) and the lack of that cool popup viewfinder from Sony showed. That thing in the RX100 MIII is very nice. Yes I'm looking for a super excellent compact. Good transition to Panasonic

Panasonic

A good excellent compact in the LX100 ? insanely fast and zippy to focus. Like very very good, insane (I think it's the GH4 thingy working there?). Overall good ergonomics. Nice EVF. Lens seems nice. Pretty solid product ! But, for me, totally let down by a slow motorized zoom. Too slow. really. The lack of touch screen is slightly less irritating than expected. I'll have to think about this thing replacing quite a bit of my kit.

GM5 : the EVF sucks so much it defeats its purpose. Overall, the GM5 is just too small for my tastes and kinda doesn't work as well as "real compacts".

Nothing else to see IMHO. Oh no, the Cellphone with the 28mm was pretty damn convincing. But it looks too much like a lumix than a phone. Somehow it's troubling.

Fuji, VERY strong

X100T hybrid EVF is terrific. That Optical + tiny digital corner embed is nothing short of amazing. That thing is coming to the X-Pro 2, you can be sure. Very nice camera. You can see they're improving on the UI too, over the years.

X-T1, superb but still puzzled by the little glitch every time you focus. Frustrated by the locked switches (seriously, who thought it was so useful?).

EVF superb, lenses are superb, zippy etc... That focus glitch & switches still is a big showstopper for me but I can't deny they're the ones to follow.

Sony

Overall, nothing impressed me really. I liked the rx100 miii but I find its UI impossibly stupid. Same for A7x's.

For A7x's; I just don't trust them, I feel the vibrations issues reported on the web got to me and I can't look at them as viable solutions. Sad because they are very effective.

Oh their 4K TV are absolutely stunning.

The big cool thing came from Zeiss for me this year, to save the Sony Alpha... the Loxias !

Zeiss

Loxia lenses are very very well made. The focus path lengteh is totally ideal and the focus peaking of the A7 mate very well with them. Superb package. As I said, I'll wait for "issue free" A7.

Otus Pocus are just too big and the focus ring is just too wide to balance well for me. It's a benchmark horse and I can imagine it's possible to get used to but It's a less than optimal configuration.

Again, Loxia impressed me in terms of handling. Hope the results will adequately follow.

Leica

Too much ado about nothing. Really. They've been excellent at building anticipation but in the end. They really have nothing for very little people. The S kinda works for me, remotely.

Nikon

Didn't even visit them, they haven't had anything for me in a long while.

Olympus

40-150 is everything they say about. 12-40 also.

Silver E-M1 has to be seen to be believed. Damn ugly piece.

Nothing really interesting this time :-/. Momentum fading?

Sigma

Quattros are un-usa-ble. Totally.

Samsung

NX1 is one hell of an impressive piece of gear. I didn't really configure it so well so results were mixed but the feeling of potential is immense. Extremely Zippy thing. Curious to see how it will be assessed. Disappointed by the "mirrorless as big as reflex" story though. Looks like Samsung really absolutely means business with this thing. I see it as a last call. If they fail with this, I can imagine them slowly preparing their exit.

Ha-Hasselblad

Voigtlander

minuscule booth. Seriously, it's really sad. It's a good brand.

Hmm rest was accessories, papers & the likes. Some nice things.

Not the best Kina but Fuji is attracting me more and more. IMHO, my eyes will be watching Sony & Fuji. Fuji is this close to convince me I will not need a FF ever again (that xtrans is black magic) and Sony is this close to convince me, thanks to Zeiss, that a very small FF punching hard is indeed possible.

A kina opening to 2015 rather than advertising for 2014 products would be my conclusion.

Greetings;