Alphabetical list

Note: Some of the stand photos were taken before the show was open to the public (hence the lack of anyone at the stands).

ACD Systems

ACD Systems stand was designed to deliver live demos of their software to an audience seated in the center. They were demonstrating ACDSee 5.0 PowerPack and ACD mPowerTools. Version 5.0 of ACDSee was announced at Photokina last September and we are so impressed with it we had to review it (see below). mPowerTools delivers much of the functionality of ACDSee but fully integrated into the normal Microsoft Windows Explorer interface (right click shell extensions, list view extensions etc.).

ACD Systems stand	ACDSee PowerPack 5.0
Site links • ACDSee 5.0 news article • ACDSee 5.0 PowerPack review	External links • ACD Systems
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Adobe

Adobe's most important new product at this years show has to be Photoshop Album which is aimed squarely at the home digital photography user. Album's easy to use interface, quick categorization and advanced browsing / searching capabilities meant that it went down well with visitors who could get both live demos and hands-on training in a large seated training area to the left of the main stand. Adobe were also giving away copies of Album at the stand 'in exchange for your details'.

Adobe stand	Photoshop 7.0 live demo
Site links • Adobe Album 1.0 news article • Adobe Album 1.0 review	External links • Adobe
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Asimex (123di)

On a small stand on the second floor of the show was the Asimex (123di) stand, Vincent Bockaert, dpreview contributor was showing his hugely comprehensive e-book called 'The 123 of digital imaging Interactive e-book'. This 2000 page e-book covers almost every detail of digital cameras and digital imaging in minute detail and I can whole heartily recommend anyone to try it by downloading a copy from his website.

Asimex stand	The 123 of digital imaging e-book CD-ROM
Site links • The 123 of digital imaging e-book news article	External links • 123di.com
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Canon

As with previous PMA's Canon had pride of place to the right of the main entrance, directly opposite Fujifilm. Stand layout was logical, there was plenty of hands on as well as a live studio shooting session towards the back of the stand. Canon's biggest news at the show was the six megapixel EOS-10D digital SLR, a vastly improved EOS-D60 at an amazing expected street price of US$1500, this was by far the biggest news of PMA 2003, with the pricing at least (nevermind the improvements) sending shockwaves through the industry.

We must not however forget the other Canon announcements, five new PowerShot digital cameras (A60, A70, S50 and S400) as well as a new EF lens (17 - 40 mm F4.0 L). My favourites out of those would be the A70 (essentially a new PowerShot G1 at a lower price) and the clean lines of the S400 (Digital IXUS 400). I also got a chance to take a sample shot with a pre-production 17 - 40 mm F4.0 L lens, it is very sharp, we're hoping to test a production lens in our EOS-10D review.

Canon stand	EOS-10D
EOS-1Ds (most people just stared in awe)	New EF 17 - 40 mm F4.0 L lens
PowerShot A60 (2.0 mp, 3x zoom)	PowerShot A70 (3.2 mp, 3x zoom)
PowerShot S400 (4.0 mp, 3x zoom)	S400 in WP-DC800 waterproof case (in water)
PowerShot A300 (3.2 mp, fixed lens)	PowerShot S50 (5 mp, 3x zoom)
Site links • Canon EOS-10D news article • Canon EOS-10D preview • Canon EF 17-40 mm F4.0 L news article • Canon PowerShot S50 news article • Canon PowerShot S400 news article • Canon PowerShot A60 & A70 news article • Canon PowerShot A300 news article • Canon EOS-1Ds review	External links • Canon USA • Canon Europe
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Casio

This year Casio expanded the successful Exilim range with the new fixed lens, three megapixel EX-S3 (which looks similar and is just as slim as the EX-S2) and the three times optical zoom, three megapixel EX-Z3 which utilizes the same Pentax lens used in the Optio S, thus the EX-Z3 is also impressively slim. Both cameras have large LCD monitors which makes composing the scene and reviewing a much better experience. They also had the EWC-1 waterproof case which is perfect for taking your EX-S2 to the beach.

Casio stand	Casio Exilim EX-Z3
Casio Exilim EX-Z3 (rear, note large LCD)	Casio Exilim EX-S3
Waterproof case EWC-1	Waterproof case EWC-1
Site links • Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z3 news article • Casio Exilim Zoom EX-S3 news article	External links • Casio USA
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Contax / Kyocera

Contax / Kyocera had an attractively designed stand with their full range of products on display. Behind closed doors we got our hands on the new Kyocera S3x and S4 ultra-compact digital cameras. These two models, based on the S3 have a variety of improvements not least of which is the new 3x optical zoom lens (the old lens was the major gripe of my S3 review). The size of the new lens has pushed the viewfinder window up into the corner of the body and the flash into a new pop-up mechanism.

Also available for a hands-on was the long awaited N Digital D-SLR. Weighing in at an expected $7,000 this six megapixel beast (literally, it's surprisingly heavy) looks as though it may well make it to market some time this Summer. The bad news for Contax is that for less than half the price you can pick up one of the new six megapixel D-SLR's from Canon or Nikon.

Contax will argue that you can use your excellent Contax N System lenses (seven total) as well as all eight Contax 645 system lenses using an adapter. Plus this digital SLR is the only one (at this time) with a 1x focal length multiplier (it uses the 36 x 24 mm Philips 6 mp chip). To my mind it's simply 12 to 18 months too late and overpriced.

Contax stand	Kyocera S3x (3 mp, 3x zoom)
Kyocera S3x (3 mp, 3x zoom) - rear	Kyocera S4 (4 mp, 3x zoom)
Site links • Kyocera L3V / L4V news article	External links • Contax Cameras • Kyocera North America
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