I went to the PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits convention center yesterday and managed to get a few sample photos using the absolutely massive Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens via the provided Sony A9. I also checked out the show and looked around at a bunch of the new gear, from all the different manufactures that were on the seen including tons of tri-pod companies, printers, lighting, drones, filters, usb key solutions, video rigs, and on and on… I didn’t take photos of everything, but I got enough from the trip to give you a good taste of it I would say.
I took all the images from the trip with the Sony A6500 and Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Lens mostly, and a few with the 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Lens as well.
So please come along for the ride if your not able to get to the show yourself, and you will get a good look at what the show was offering. I will also be putting up a video on my youtube channel covering the event, but just to let you know, I did not take that much video footage so this article is going to have way more information compared to the video itself. Once I get the video done. I will add it to this article… Hopefully that will later tonight or tomorrow.
All PhotoPlus Expo Deals @ BHPhoto >>
The Trip Itself
I’m going to explain the trip logistics in detail, encase you are like myself and a little nervous about making such a trip. If you are unfamiliar with such traveling it can be a daunting task that is just not worth the aggravation. However, if you are a seasoned traveler, you are most likely going to be laughing at my total rookie knowledge and mistakes as it pertains to this sort of thing, so please enjoy!
I live about 2 hours north of NYC, so this was a pretty decent adventure for somebody like myself. I live in upstate, NY and it’s very rural as you probably know based on the sample photos I share in my reviews and what not over the years. So for a trip like this I usually go with somebody that is familiar with the city and how to navigate in such areas, because I am newb in this regard and not very good at navigating, especially when driving under pressure.
Therefore, the thought of driving to the city is a nightmare for me. Tolls, parking, crazy aggressive driving is also required, navigating while driving is extremely difficult when cars are honking etc… Plus I suck at navigating. Again, it’s just not my thing, because I have very little experience doing it. My Dad for example, is a black belt in this area, because he worked in the city for 20 years. Same with my brother, but not me. We all have our strengths and weaknesses 😉
I have driven to the city in the past, and I got lost everytime, plus got crazy stressed out to the point I wish I didn’t drive. This time, being fully aware of my shortcomings in this area, I decided to take the train and take all the stress of driving off the table. I must say, the train was awesome!
I went with my very good friend Jim and we got on the train in Harriman NY. Well, we got on the second train, because the first one we missed. We did not realize the train only stops for about 60 seconds, so we were not on the platform waiting. We thought we would have time to walk from the car, but were sorely mistaken as the train pulled away in our totally rookie move surprise… So we had to catch the next train which came in about an hour. We got some food in the meantime…
Once aboard, the train ride was great and I really enjoyed it. We had to change trains in Secaucus in order to get to Penn Station and we managed to miss the connecting train, because we took 30 seconds to long to get to it. Again, shocked at how little time you have to switch. You literally need to walk fast from one train to another, or you will absolutely miss the connecting train. No time for the bathroom, no time to even tie your shoe, it’s that crazy! Again, rookie mistake, but now we know for next time. In fact, next time will be really easy I think.
NYC
We arrived in NYC at about 11Am and I took a few photos as we walked from Penn Station to the Javits Center which was about 4 blocks away or so… It was a nice walk, and from my perspective insanely busy in all directions. Construction everywhere and hurds of people walking briskly in all directions. Total chaos at first glance, but it really wasn’t. Everything was working and just seemed chaotic from my upstate NY mindset. The hustle and bustle of NYC is a real thing and it’s amazing to actually be in the hive itself for a change.
Here is the walk we had to make:
When we popped out of Penn Station which is underground, we were greeted with this cool old looking station elevator or whatever it was…
Walking along we saw some pretty cool tower cranes, buses, and building architecture…
And then we arrived at the Javits convention center:
In the PhotoPlus Expo
Once inside we had to pay a crazy $75 dollar ticket fee which I was sort of shocked by honesty. What are we paying for? The venders have to pay to be there, and last time I was there we did not have to pay and just walked in. So I’m not sure if we just got lucky last time or what. In any event, be pre-paired to shell out some cash!
In any event once inside we walked over to the Sony area first and here is what I saw first. Basically a clear wall of all the Sony E-Mount lenses with the FE 40mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens in the top center area.
Sony also had every current camera on display with various lenses mounted so you can hands-on play with them. This was worth some of the admission fee I guess, but still not worth $75 in my humble opinion.
Sony also had video cameras set-up all decked out with huge monitors and a Avatar themed scene that you can film and photograph. Sony also had tons of really knowledgeable people walking around eager to offer help and advice. I spoke with several people and they were all really cool.
It was really fun playing with the pro grade video camera gear all decked out I must say! I believe this was the Sony FS5 II.
This was a Sony A7s II I believe, set-up for real deal filming.
Next we found the really cool demo area where Sony had a bunch of A9’s packing the big guns in several configurations. One had a FE 100-400mm GM OSS Lens (Review Here), another had the A-Mount 400mm with a LA-EA3 lens adapter, another had just the FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens, and the one I played with had the FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens w/ FE 1.4X Teleconverter on it.
Here is a better look at the Sony A9 w/ FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens w/ 1.4X Teleconverter that I used:
Here are a few sample photos I took with the Sony A9 w/ FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens w/ 1.4X Teleconverter. So, this was an effective 560mm with the teleconverter. Also, be sure to click on the images http://sexhatlari.xyz for a larger version and I must tell you this lens is absolutely incredible! These images are razor blade sharp with insane micro contrast and color straight off the camera, even shooting raw quality. This really should be the case considering the $12k price tag, but I was still super impressed.
Sony also had some boxers posing for an Eye-AF proving grounds.
Moving on from the Sony section we ran into the Zeiss area, oh yeah! I love looking at the lens cut in half so you can see the guts of it…
And here is the new recently announced Zeiss ZX1 camera.
It has a very interesting kink in the screen on the back which doubles as a touchpad. This camera seems more like a novelty item though to me at this point. Basically a Sony RX1R II in a new Zeiss camera body.
Walking around a bit more we saw some amazing prints and printers.
We also came across some really nice tri-pod, mono-pods, and ball head solutions.
These below were from a company called Sirui, and they offer some really nice gear for a fairly reasonable price point considering the quality.
Here are a few more super high quality ball head solutions from Feisol, and FLM.
Moving on we saw an interesting USB key made out of wood from this company called Premium USB.
Next we came across the Atmos area, and they make awesome monitors for when you want to record using the clean HDMI output on the Sony and other cameras, plus have an awesome high resolution display to work with.
Check out this super high quality leather from HoldFastGear.com..
More random shots from the Photoplus Expo…
Olympus in the house.
Nikons lens line-up looked well posed.
A huge Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 L IS III lens cut in half for your viewing pleasure.
Conclusions
Well, that is about it for my brief coverage of the 2018 PhotoPlus Expo in NYC. I hope you enjoyed the photos and a sneak peak into what you can expect if you decide to go to one of these shows. It’s certainly an adventure from my perspective and I had a lot of fun looking around at the big boy toys for lack of a better phrase 😉
Please let me know what you think and if you plan on going or if you went? If you have any questions, be sure to ask.
This particular show is going on from October 25-27th, so you can go today as I write this article, or tommaw which would Saturday. Be prepared for a walk, because finding parking is not easy. If you take the train it’s not to bad of a trip, but if you are a newb traveler like myself, I hope you learned a thing or two from my rookie mistakes!!
I hope you all have a great weekend, and I must say as a closing note, the Sigma 16mm and 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Lenses (Review Here) paired with the Sony A6500 (Review Here) is a killer combo for this sort of coverage! The f/1.4 speed is awesome for low light and the depth of field play really gives you a killer 3d look to the images. They remind me of my old school 50mm f/1.4 Rokkor-X lens mounted to my A7r which I used last time I went to the Photo Expo in 2014 (See Here).
That is about all for now, but please sure to check out My Youtube Channel Here for the latest reviews, tutorials and more!! Also, if your in the market for a lens, be sure to check out my Sony E-Mount Lens Guide for the mirrorless cameras, and my Sony A-Mount lens guide for those using Sony DSLR style cameras…
All the best,
Jay
All PhotoPlus Expo Deals @ BHPhoto >>
Recommended Memory Cards: https://bhpho.to/2MxSu0g
Sony Tuff Cards: https://bhpho.to/2PpTwMC
Recommended Tri-pods for Mirrorless Cameras: https://bhpho.to/2OZ8jtU
Camera shoulder bags for Mirrorless Cameras: https://bhpho.to/2Mx3I5d
Camera back packs for Mirrorless Cameras: https://bhpho.to/2P36zj9
Camera Sling Bags: https://bhpho.to/2MuCkFh
Sony How-To Videos:
Sports Photography Camera Settings: https://youtu.be/jHm2viW2cgs
Drive Modes, Self-timer, & Bracket Settings: https://youtu.be/m8hGFNEcVrs
Recording Video & Movie Mode Settings Explained: https://youtu.be/ozvV5e31p3I
Creative Modes & Picture Effects Explained: https://youtu.be/T6Wj_-5B368
Focus Area & Focus Modes: https://youtu.be/rJ5vnpgbdSQ
More Focus Settings – Pre-AF, Eye-AF, Back Focus, and More: https://youtu.be/7-0FjKWBCoA
Metering Modes Explained: https://youtu.be/TeyQvs2y4MY
Tip Jar: https://www.paypal.me/SonyAlphaLab
Patreon Fan Support Page: https://www.patreon.com/SonyAlphaLab
Thanks again,
Jay
