Now the Photokina 2014 has come to an end we can conclude with a roundup of the things we have seen there.Ă‚Â One of the main trends one could see at the Photokina was the release of high-powered strobes with lithium ion packs. Most of these monoblocs feature also some sort of high-speed sync and a few even an automatic exposure mode (TTL).
Without doubt the biggest surprise was the announcement of the Phottix Indra500, a lithium-ion-powered HSS TTL monobloc. After the Cononmark K4T they are the second on the market to have a functioning HSS TTL monobloc. Personally I have seen the devices and used them at their booth and I have to say these units are quite impressive. I cannot wait until we at LightingRumours are able to obtain an unit for testing.
Godox also showed a working unit of the Witstro AR400, which seems to be a very versatile ringflash. The attached camera bracket functions as umbrella bracket as well, so the flash is not just limited to serving its purpose as a ringflash. Combination of an AD360, AR400 and a Ving V850 seems very appealing, since for not so much money you can get a great HSS lithium-ion powered flash set.
Besides this I have also seen some new lightmodifiers, such as the Elinchrom Litemotiv. There were also numerous Chinese flash manufacturers, which all seemed to sell exactly the same flash, but then rebranded.
Of course I also made some pictures during my time at the Photokina, which can be seen in the gallery attached to this article.
The main entrance of the Photokina 2014, the weather was perfect for spending a whole day inside
Lots of various lighting accesoires could be seen
Zack Arias was present at the Phottix stand as well to check out the new Indra500. Sorry Zack, there are no TTL triggers available for Fuji yet
One of the many HSS monoblocs that could be seen on the fair, the Falcon Eyes MQ-600C
Various companies gave demonstrations of their products as well, this was at the Phottix stand
Some stands even gave the opportunity to shoot yourself a bit as well
The Phottix Indra500, notice the big and bright LCD display
The new FS30 fresnel lens from Elinchrom
In order to support all the heavy light modifiers a new bracket for the Elinchrom Quadra was announced, as can be seen here
Elinchrom Litemotiv 190cm
Interfit TLi-N, a rebrand of the Godox V860N
Profoto also showed the new Nikon TTL triggers for the Profoto B1. No word on HSS availability yet.
A demonstration at the Mamiya Leaf stand
The renamed Multiblitz flash, which is now called Profilite
Multiblitz also showed their new LED light, called the V6
Clellan also showed ZR45 for Nikon, but now with HSS TTL triggers as well. These triggers are also available for Canon
Multiple known photographers could be spotted, here is Benjamin von Wong talking with the people from Triggertrap
The Broncolor Siros
Broncolor HMI F1600
Also the Cononmark K4T could be seen at the Cononmark stand
Besides the K4T, a prototype of the ‘Frankenflash’ was on display as well. This flash never went into production, but it does look interesting for sure!
The Godox AR400 ringflash
The plastic diffusor of the Godox AR400 can be removed
It features an internal battery pack
Noticed the camera bracket which can fold flat for transport. This camera bracket also services as umbrella bracket (see the middle bar)
A number of high powered LEDs can be found as well. These can be turned on either on 30% brightness, 70% or 100%. Output seems to be equivalent to a 10W LED.
Phoebus managed to surprise me with a TTL flash with touchscreen. Release date is end this year.
At the Yongnuo stand the YN600EX-RT could be seen as well
Meike displayed the MK320, a variation of the MK300, but now with tilt and swivel
The MK320 even features a LED for AF assist
Nissin told me that the Fuji version of the i40 should be available within 1.5 months, just after Fujifilm released the firmware which enables Fujifilm cameras to do HSS. A rep told me as well that they are working on a higher powered version of the i40, with only a slight increase of size
Kickstarter-funded project BounceLite was also present at the Photokina
Even on a weekday, there were a lot of people looking at the various booths
The Triopo TR120, a barebulb TTL speedlite
I also talked with IC12, the company behind the LED light cube, which currently has arrived at the various backers of the Indiegogo. New orders will directly ship as well.
