A quick glance at my PMA report reveals that no less than 127 major new products were showcased at PMA 2007 (not including the multitude of announcements from the smaller companies).

So how come the stars of the show, the products that got everyone excited, weren't even real? In an industry where future plans can be just as important as what's released now, several savvy manufacturers have taken to displaying early mockups of their future big money earners.

Sony surprised everyone by literally unveiling a large glass case containing two new DSLR bodies and an assortment of lenses. What looked at first glance like the real deal turned out to be very early prototypes with no names or features, other than "Pro" and "Advanced" for the two camera bodies. They were principally revealed to prove that Sony are in the DSLR space for the long haul, and to reassure Alpha users that something better is on the way, of utmost importance in a cut-throat market.

Likewise, Olympus were proudly showing off an advanced prototype (they'd already shown a rudimentary version at Photokina) of their new pro DSLR, the P-1. Except I shouldn't really refer to it as the P-1, because that's just a code-name that will probably change when the final product is released "towards the end of 2007".

The fact that two companies are intending to release new advanced DSLR cameras is exciting news. The fact that these products arguably proved to be the most interesting of the whole show is something of a sad indictment and perhaps the inevitable result of the ludicrous six-month product cycle that the industry seems to be stuck in. Surrounded by minor upgrades of existing products, how could the Sony and Olympus vapourware products fail to stand out?

Mark Goldstein
Editor, PhotographyBLOG
http://www.photographyblog.com