Imaging USA 2009 Photography Expo

Imaging USA 2009 Photography Expo

Attended the Imaging USA 2009 Photography Expo in downtown Phoenix on Sunday and one thing is for sure, this event is a photographers dream. It certainly exceeded my expectations. I figured I would see many booths with over zealous vendors trying to sell me photography equipment I do not need. It was anything but that!

It was a well organized 223,000 square feet showroom floor featuring the biggest players in the photography industry. This expo gave you the opportunity to try out any camera out on the market, from least to most expensive. No point & shoot’s here.

Best Buy or Circuit City don’t display the high-end Nikon and Canon cameras. Here you can try everything hands on. I mean everything. The digital explosion of photography has taken over! I don’t think I saw one thing that involved film. 

Green Screen

It’s amazing how the big companies like Sony, Canon and Nikon try to entice you to purchase their product. They do it in such a professional & convincing way, I almost dropped $4,000 on Canon XH GI HD Camera. I wish!

Here’s a brief summary of what I saw at some of the biggest booths. No surprise that Canon and Nikon were the most popular at the expo because of their elaborate setups. It was a toss up between those two on how well they used their floor space to encourage you to hang out.

Sony

I was disappointed with Sony’s space, since they only had 1 camera with various lenses. 1 camera, come on Sony!

They were featuring their new SnapLab™ Digital Photo Printer which was fun to play with. Wasn’t too impressed with the quality on some prints we got off our SD cards on sight.

We participated in their green screen presentation with a quick lesson in an after-effects software called eXpress Digital. Green screen looks like a fun way to photograph with the ability to manipulate backgrounds. The photographer presenting this session was from the UK and was very engaging. He was using a Canon.

That’s about all Sony had. Oh and the cool lanyards they were handing out.

Canon

I enjoyed the presenters Canon scheduled to display their work in a small, intimate setting. Had the opportunity to see Joe Buissink, the photographer that shot Jennifer Lopez’s wedding. He explained how a photographer should make his photos count and how important it is to sell yourself. After all you are the image of the company. Very interesting speaker. Had me sold!

Canon also had on display every camera they make. One could go up to the representatives and ask any questions while you play with the camera that interests you.

The workshops they had with live models were quite informative and onlookers paid close attention to the tips the Pro’s were giving. Bob Davis, famous for photographing Eva Longoria’s Wedding and others, was doing one-on-one with anyone who stopped by the booth. Time well spent for those people!

Every color printer Canon makes, big or small, was available for you to test and compare print quality. I believe we spent the most time in this booth!

Nikon

One thing caught my eye right away as we got closer to the Nikon booth. It was the enormous LCD screen they were using to display photographs. At the time, Jim Reed was presenting his unique weather photographs. Simply said, they were beautiful photographs of nature in action. He is a well known storm chaser.

Jim Reed Presenting At Imaging USA Nikon Booth

Nikon also had all their cameras on display for us to play with. One of my friends fulfilled his goal of using the Nikon D3, the hottest camera on the market. The smile it brought to his face was worth price of admission. Easy to see why digital has replaced film, the quality is unmatched. I tried some of the Nikon cameras with the long-throw lenses. The clarity you can get from a distance is unbelievable. Those things can get heavy carrying around.

Summary

All in all it was a fun way of spending a Sunday afternoon with friends. I should also point out that MacBook Pro’s and iPhone’s were being used by everyone. They were either displaying or instructing with a MBP or running through a gallery on their iPhone. I guess if you want to be a photographer, those two items are a must!

Our next stop will be CES 2010, where hopefully Apple will show up, Steve and all!

The LCD Killed The Overhead

Very popular song lyrics, “video killed the radio star!” Those lyrics definitely apply to this post, “LCD Projector killed the Overhead Projector!”

I don’t know about your school, but less and less teachers are using an overhead projector. Our school is fortunate to have been fitted with hanging NEC VT800 LCD Projectors.

The overhead projector has ran its course and has served  us well since the 1970’s. During my high school years, they played an important part in classroom instruction. I will never forget the sounds and awkward smells that radiated from these metal monsters. I’m sure you won’t either. It’s bittersweet to see it go, but I am happy with the replacement.

LCD Projectors are so useful in a classroom. Having sat in classrooms where these are used dynamically for educational instruction justify the cost of this technology. The internet provides so much useful content for projection. The ability to project videos, pictures and text in large format make an impact on how a lesson is taught. At least I believe so. The LCD Projector should be used as a compliment to any teaching method.

Here are some websites that can be useful for projection:

• Google Earth
• YouTube Videos
• Wikipedia

There are so many websites out there! Do your research beforehand and bookmark those sites you plan to use. Have fun using your LCD Projector as another teaching tool. Sometimes larger is better…

Apple TV Impressions From A Non-Apple Fanboy Perspective

For awhile now I have had the idea to see my movies, pictures and music from one central location that would connect to my big screen TV and home theater system. I figured I would rip my movies so the kids could watch them without having to handle the DVDs and scratch them all up. My wife would be able to listen to her music on our stereo system while doing house chores and not have to be changing CDs every time. We could show our pictures to family and friends when they came over to the house without having to connect a laptop to the TV every time. What a concept, a device that does all of this with ease of setup, no hassles. High on the list of importance was this device has to be easy for the kids or wife to operate.

I had looked up various methods of accomplishing this with Windows Media Center, Media Extenders, Software, all kinds of hacks that would deliver on the promise of consolidation. However, none of these options was easy to setup, or required too much work for someone that might not know too much about technologies.

A friend of mine and my brother, that happen to be Apple Fanboys, had told me I should get an AppleTV. That this was the device I was looking for and that it would do the things I described. Well after several months of not wanting to give in, I finally bought the AppleTV. I’ve now been using it for several weeks. I want to share my thoughts and impressions on this wonderful device.

Impressions of the installation

The AppleTV has a very nice form factor. It is square, about the size of school book, but half as thick. It looks very elegant and does not take up much room on your entertainment center. (You got to give it to Apple; they put a lot of thought into the product design.)

The connections are very straight forward and easy to hook up to the TV and stereo. It took me about 2 minutes after I rolled the big screen TV to reach the back of it.

After turning on the power it boots up and shows a welcome screen. You then connect it to your home network over a wired or wireless connection. (This sounds complicated but it’s not.) I connected mine through a wireless connection. All you need is the network name and your password. Then, you take a code that the AppleTV gives you and enter it into you iTunes account on your computer. After that, the AppleTV starts synchronizing with your computer. It’s that easy.

Let the fun begin

Now that it’s all set up, you can begin having fun. First of all, you get access to the iTunes store through the AppleTV.

MOVIES – You can:

1.      Watch the movies you own that you have ripped to iTunes

2.      Watch movie trailers of upcoming movies.

3.      Rent movies in Standard definition or High definition

4.      Buy movies instead of renting them

MUSIC / AUDIO – You can:

1.      Listen to your music library in iTunes

2.      Buy music directly from the iTunes store

3.      Listen to Podcasts (or watch Video podcasts)

OTHER – You can:

1.      Look at your pictures that are on your computer

2.      Look at pictures that are on Flickr and MobileMe

3.      Watch YouTube videos

So far, I haven’t rented any movies with this. I’ve seen a couple of movie previews and they look good on my TV.

My favorite features so far…

My wife started using the music library right off the bat. This is saying a lot, since I had not had a chance to teach her how to use it. She really likes being able to listen to the music from the home stereo.

My kids like being able to pick the movie they feel like watching and have it playing without having to mess with DVDs.

I have really enjoyed watching YouTube videos and pictures from Flickr, especially the ones from my friends and family. Last weekend we were able to show some pictures to our family on the big screen without any hassles and had background music playing with the slideshow to boot. Totally awesome!

I would definitely recommend getting one of these if you are like me and trying to have easy access to your media from one place that is easy to use, easy to keep synchronized, and easy to manage.

Couple of things to keep in mind

I regret getting the 40GB AppleTV. It just isn’t enough space for my media. This is not a problem since AppleTV will stream the files from your computer. But it’s much nicer to have them on the hard drive that comes on the device. Apple sells a 160GB model; I should have got this one instead. I have checked on the Internet for ways of expanding the capacity, but have not found a way that doesn’t involve hacking it.

Overall, I am happy with my purchase of the AppleTV. (I hope I don’t end up being a Fanboy. Is this a bad thing?)

Clean That LCD Projector Filter

From time to time you will notice that your LCD Projector might be a little dim or the unit is running hot. This usually means it’s time to clean the foam filter located on the side of your unit.

How, you ask? With projector OFF, I clean it by running my fingers over the foam above a trash recepticle. If you have a small brush or dry cleaning towel, you can use that too. Don’t be so rough because you may tear foam. Slip back in the appropriate slot.

Can I use water? You can, but MAKE SURE foam is completely dry before inserting it back in slot!

Clean That Filter!

The unit pops up an automatic warning when it needs to be cleaned. Get in the habit of cleaning it once or twice a month. You will extend the life of the bulb and the unit.

Note: Some units have more than one filter.

How Do I Get My LCD Or Overhead Bulb Replaced?

LCD Bulbs

These bulbs usually last about 2 – 3 years, depending on use.  We have replacement bulbs in stock for several types of projectors in case yours goes out.  You can always check your bulb life by clicking on the Menu button on the top of the projector and going to the Information section.

Bulb Life

If your bulb goes out unexpectedly, bring it down to the AV Office after powering off as usual.  It usually takes about 5 minutes to diagnose or replace.

How can you extend your bulb life?

• Do not unplug your projector until after the lamp has properly cooled. After switching your projector off, the fan may keep running for as long as five minutes in order to cool the bulb evenly and guards against bulb failure.
• Avoid turning your projector unit on and off frequently during presentations. Turning the power on causes a surge of energy to the lamp, exciting the bulb’s filament. Doing this multiple times in a short period of time causes stress on the filament and will result in early failure of projector bulbs.
• Avoid moving your projector unit until the lamp has properly cooled. Hot bulbs are extremely fragile and the vibration caused by movement can cause the lamp’s filament to break.
• Always clean your projector’s filter(s) once a month, depending on how frequently it is used. Clogged filters do not vent heat properly, causing the projector to overheat leading to lamp failure and the need for a replacement bulb.
• Utilize “low lamp” or “economy mode” functions whenever possible. These options allow the lamp to run at a lower brightness, thus extending lamp life.
• Picture a little fuzzy? Clean your projector’s lens regularly with a soft cloth. This will guarantee the best image quality.

Overhead Bulbs

Overhead bulbs are much easier to replace.  If you can handle the following instructions, it’s a simple fix you can do yourself. Replacement bulbs are available in AV Office.

1) Unplug projector from wall.

2) Open projector lid. Usually a release button on the side of lid or a screw on the fron of lid.

3) Remove bad bulb from projector with release lever carefully. Some projector don’t have this release lever.  On these you simply detach bulb from socket carefully.

Release Lever On Most Projectors

4) Using a glove, tissue or soft towel insert new bulb into place or socket. Try not to touch bulb with bare hands.  Oils on your skin can cause your bulb to burn out prematurely.  Quick tip: Same applies to bulbs at home.

5) Close projector lid and test it.  Your done!

For best performance on overhead projectors, try to keep lenses and mirrors clean.

How Do I Request A Screen Install?

I know some classrooms still have the original screens from when the school was built in 1956. 

With the recent remodels at the school, some classrooms have been equipped with new screens.  If yours hasn’t and you feel your screen has seen better days, submit a Work Order with the Facilities Office to get a replacement. 

Screen c.1956

It usually takes about 1 week for us to get to your classroom.  It could take longer, depending on stock available.  I will email you with day and time we will visit your classroom.  

Clearly indicate where you will want screen installed with a note.