Kwento #4.5: Gearhead-gasm at ManilaPhoto

ManilaPhoto was more than just a string of talks and a fine gallery of masterpieces - it also served as a platform for camera and related accessories manufacturers to strut their stuff and attract potential markets. Numerous gizmos made it to the stand both for consumer- and commercial- level photography, and I believe many enthusiasts had the time of their lives testing out different cameras and lenses made available for the occasion.

Look at all those shelves. Drool.

Limited in time and funding (for dinner lol), I made the most out of exploring the gear gallery of the exhibit at the 3rd floor of SM Aura Premier.

Jump!



So what's the catch? For anyone interested in getting their dream gear, exhibits like these are the best times of the year. From promos to awesome discounts, manufacturers and stores really pull down prices to their most attractive deals. Stores like Camerahaus also give out freebies and huge discounts for purchases made at ManilaPhoto. Personally, I was just there to browse... and test.

Nikon: All the juicy stuff

Curious looking G. We'll get to that later.

SALE: the most dangerous word for the wallet

As a fan of the more under-appreciated stuff, I took a good look at the Panasonic GH4 (just launched) and the upcoming Pentax Q-S1. Why not Canon and Nikon? Well.. everybody knows what they are and what they offer so no big deal to me. The little boys can make a good kick too, though they're usually left out in the field. I could've looked at the BlackMagic Design booth but it's empty when I visited.

First off is the diminutive but dexterous Pentax Q-S1, which sits in the lower bracket of the Pentax lineup. Sporting a tiny 1/1.7" sensor, many see this camera more as a toy fit for kids. While its size does connote (and deliver) fun at its best, inside it packs a lot more than just lomography-ish photography.

Boring and basic: black

for the suave and svelte: white

It's not officially on sale yet the time I tried it at the Camerahaus booth, but the units I tried are production units. It's a whole universe faster than the original Q (this being the 4th generation of Q cameras), sports a larger sensor (the earlier Q and Q10 models had a 1/2.3" sensor), and now features a wider array of lenses. Unless you're trying to shoot a football game, the Q-S1 can do almost everything in style. Without the spooky security guard suddenly whistling his way to you to announce the world-famous "bawal mag-shoot dito" ("photography is not allowed here") line they tell every Filipino in public places.

Like Ed and Alphonse Elric*. 'cept they're not missing body parts.

Black version compared to standard SD card and Pentax K-01. Yes it's THAT small!

White version compared to Pentax K-01

The Q-S1 allows shooters to use RAW files to capture more detail (needs post-processing though) and some of its lenses have leaf-shutters, allowing to sync with the flash even at speeds of up to 1/2000s. Talk about freezing stuff in motion! As an added bonus for the lazy, the terrific camera also contains heaps of pre-installed effects and modes that are all customizable too. Neat! One caveat though, aside from its small size making it hard to hold for large hands, is the short battery life. Don't expect the Q-S1 to last a whole day of shooting.

Estimated launch price would be around Php 22,000 with bundled 5-15mm f2.8-4.5 (23~68mm equivalent in 135 format)

Behind the giant G

Moving on to the latter but not the least, is the GH4 - Panasonic's flagship beast. Offering an alternative to the usual DSLR system, the GH4 is probably the most impressive mirrorless camera I've so far seen, with exception to the Fuji XT-1 and X-Pro 1. The world's first SLR-style camera to offer native 4K video, it also offers a plethora of other things, mostly video-related.

The Panasonic booth also covered the more pro-line cameras which I will not mention here, as they're the kind of stuff reserved for business talks and proposals not blogs lol.

fantastic glass behind glass. Too bad couldn't test them.

One great thing about Panasonic's take on cameras is their partnership with Leica - allowing some lens designs from the great German god-of-a-brand to bestow its otherworldly gift of optics for the use of mere mortals. Although some lenses are just rebadged to have the Leica name on it, the mirrorless flange distance allows for the use of true Leica lenses, those... monstrous-looking beautiful cylinders of glass with names like "Summilux" "Nocticron" and other tongue-twisting-alien-sounding ones. Of course, that counts Canon/Nikon glass too... if you wanna.

As the (once again) king of micro four-thirds (m4/3) format, Panasonic takes the limelight away from competitor Olympus and its OM-D with the GH4's impressive handling, specs, and overall performance. While the ink on paper indeed is drool-worthy, the GH4 proves better in actual use. The fluidity of its focusing, especially when coupled with a specialized rig. It also allows for an additional accessory that doubles as a battery grip that allows for more input, turning the GH4 into a powerhouse production camera that shouldn't be heavy on the shoulders (but still heavy on the pockets lol)

That, my friends, is a Zeiss lens. There seems to be alien markings on it. =))

Looks like a Transformer from this angle.

However the dilemma comes as to what truly the GH4 is: a videocam or a stills cam? Its form dictates it's a stills cam, but function-wise, it seems optimized for video. But anyways, as they say, the best camera is the one you have. It still shines in whatever it does, unless one uses it improperly.

The Panasonic GH4 was launched during one of the ManilaPhoto live shoots featuring Xander Angeles as the photographer and model/actress Daiana Menezes as the model.

Summing up the gear experience at ManilaPhoto is like passing by your favorite theme park without taking the ride - you enjoy the sights, and probably the feel of the place, but can't enjoy it more than that. Hope to immerse myself more next year, if there would be another one.