PhotoPlus Expo opened today at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, and runs through Sunday. It’s a great show and a wonderful peak at the maturing convergence of still and motion pictures. The production value was high, with Sony Samurai and Nikon Ballerinas and Canon Models. Fast moving action, still cameras that shoot video, video cameras that capture stills, sharper finders, no blur. Lines were long to look through Canon’s new 1D X with its nocturnal 204,800 ISO, 14 fps stills, 1080 30p full HD.

Nikon’s models and ballerinas were on stage with the new System 1, but lurking under glass was a tempting display of Concepts for the Future which included what included perhaps a video camera.

Schneider showed swing-tilt lenses with Canon and Nikon mounts and their high quality iPro wide angle lens and mount for iPhones.

It was the worldwide launch of new Distagon T* 2/25 ZE and ZF.2 SLR lenses from ZEISS. Their booth doubles in size every year and Richard Schleuning’s staff seems to be multiplying exponentially .

Finally–a backpack that accommodates the tripod inside: Manfrotto’s new Veloce VII backpack with Compact MKC3-P01 tripod. And…finally a tripod that’s built like the best high-end avalanche-probe ski poles with Manfrotto’s new MHV502 Bridging Head–shown here for the first time, modeled by Wayne Schulman, below.

 To be continued…