Leica haven’t unveiled any new products at PMA, so we haven’t got a booth report for you. We are hearing exciting reports however that a full-frame Leica digital rangefinder camera will possibly be launched in 2008! According to a report by UK magazine Amateur Photographer, Leica’s chief executive officer, Steven Lee, hinted that a new Leica rangefinder based on a full-frame CCD sensor could appear at Photokina in September 2008. Click the link below to read all the details about the full-frame Leica digital rangefinder.

Website: Full-frame Leica Digital Rangefinder

German manufacturer JOBO are featuring the new Energy PREMIO Battery range at PMA, developed specifically for use with digital SLRs. Also new are a range of 3 digital photo frames (the ubiquitous product of PMA 2008), plus the return of the photoGPS device, which first surfaced at PMA last year.

Website: JOBO PMA 2008 Booth Tour

As usual, the Crumpler booth is by the most imaginative of the show - it’s worth a visit all on it’s own! Crumpler have a couple of new products at PMA. The stylish and practical Cork & Fork is a padded photo backpack designed to slot inside Crumpler’s brand new carry-on roller luggage piece, The Period Charmer. Very neat. The Industry Disgrace is a camera neck strap designed for professional photographers carrying heavy camera equipment.

Website: Crumpler PMA 2008 Booth Tour

LowePro have a couple of cool new products on their PMA stand. The Flipside bags allow you to remove your camera without having to take the bag off, with no accessible zips when it’s on your back for added secutiry. The FastPack series lets you access your kit from the side while the bag is on your back. Thanks to product manager Tracy Daly for the demo and modelling!

Website: LowePro PMA 2008 Booth Tour

A number of memory card companies have announced new products here at PMA, with SanDisk and PNY both introducing 32Gb SDHC cards. I’ve rounded-up the standout products in one gallery.

Website: Memory Cards PMA 2008 Booth Tour

Delkin Devices have some of the more imaginative products on display at PMA. First up is the Dual Universal Battery Charger, which charges any two batteries at the same time, even different sized ones. The new ImageRouter, a four-slot, USB 2.0 CompactFlash UDMA card reader with a built-in powered hub. Also on display are the improved Sensorscope, Snug-It LCD shades, and LumiPrint backlit photo frames. A very refreshing change from all the compact cameras…

Website: Delkin Devices PMA 2008 Booth Tour

GE are showcasing their 2nd generation of impressively-specced compact cameras at PMA. With no less than 8 new models to choose from, the flagship is the E1050, with 3 inch touchscreen LCD, HDMI connectivity and built-in GPS.

Website: GE PMA 2008 Booth Tour

Fujifilm might not have any new DSLRs at the show, but they are showcasing their most advanced DSLR-styled camera to date, the impressive Fujifilm FinePix S100FS. Also on show are the S8100fd and S1000fd superzooms, the F100fd, plus a range of sparkly compacts.

Update: I’ve now added some pictures of the mysterious medium format camera that Fujifilm are displaying in prototype form behind glass.

Website: Fujifilm PMA 2008 Booth Tour

The Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG is the world’s first Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens that offers a fast aperture of F2.8 at 500mm focal length. It covers widely used focal lengths from 200mm to 500mm and has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range. The 200-500mm lens is so big that it has its own dedicated Li-ion battery BP-21 to power the zooming and AF operation! The Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG will be available in April 2008 for a whopping £16,000.

The Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM is a new ultra telephoto zoom lens covering a telephoto range up to 500mm. Sigma’s original OS (Optical Stabilizer) function offers the equivalent of using a shutter speed approximately 4 stops faster. The 150-500mm lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF as well as full-time manual focusing capability. The Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens will be available in April 2008.

The Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM is a new telephoto zoom lens incorporating Sigma’s original Optical Stabiliser. This offers the equivalent of using a shutter speed approximately 4 stops faster. The 120-400mm lens also incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF as well as full-time manual focus override. The Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM will be vailable in April 2008.

The Sigma 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM is a high ratio zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras. The new 18-125mm lens incorporates Sigma’s original OS (Optical Stabiliser), which offers the equivalent of using a shutter speed approximately 4 stops faster. The Sigma 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM lens will be available in May 2008, price to be announced.

SanDisk have unveiled 3 new memory cards at PMA, including the 32Gb Ultra II SDHC Card. Also announced was a 16Gb Ultra II card and an 8GB SDHC Plus card. The new cards offer faster read and write speeds of 15 megabytes per second. “These mega-capacities in our SanDisk Ultra II line give users the worry-free ability to capture thousands of their memories and hours of HiDef video on a single card, while the faster write speed can reduce the time between shots and the faster read speed reduces time spent waiting to copy those images to a computer” said Susan Park, senior product marketing manager for SanDisk Ultra II cards. The 32GB SanDisk Ultra II SDHC card with MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $349.99. The 16GB card with reader has a suggested price of $179.99, and the 8GB SanDisk Ultra II SDHC Plus card has an MSRP of $99.99. The 16GB and 8GB cards are expected to be available worldwide in March, with the 32GB slated for shipping in April.

Leica has unveiled the M8 Upgrade Programme, a series of chargeable upgrades for the M8 camera, at PMA 2008. Available from March 2008, you can pay Leica to upgrade your M8 with either a further reduced shutter sound, a scratch-proof sapphire glass cover for the LCD monitor, the installation of latest firmware or a fresh two-year warranty. The first upgrades are due to be available from August 2008. From August the upgraded LEICA M8 is due to be available as a finished product option to compliment the current M8.

Kodak is increasing prices on some of its consumer and professional still films and One-Time-Use Cameras. Beginning in the first quarter of 2008, the increases are blamed on increased costs of raw materials and escalating oil prices. Kodak has reiterated its commitment to its film portfolio, and to future investment in film.

The new Kingston 16GB Class 4 SDHC card is the largest capacity in Kingston’s line of SDHC cards. “Our new 16GB Class 4 memory card answers the performance needs and expands Kingston’s product line to provide a memory solution for every application.” said Jaja Lin, Flash memory marketing manager, Kingston. The Kingston 16GB Class 4 SDHC card will cost $231.00.

Tamron are showing their new lens line-up for 2008 behind glass, including the 70-200 f/2.8, 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 and a couple of lenses featuring a built-in motor for Nikon DSLRs.

Website: Tamron PMA 2008 Booth Tour

I’d already seen Panasonic’s new line-up for 2008 earlier in the week at their Spring Launch, so I won’t bore you with more pictures of the same compact cameras. Panasonic are demoing the prototype of a wireless camera, which was first shown at the CES show at the start of January. This version didn’t look any different, still being based on a modified DMC-TZ3, and Panasonic don’t have any further details on when we might see a final product.

Website: Panasonic PMA 2008 Booth Tour

We also have some exclusive photos from Panasonic’s PMA product launch, which took place at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas at the start of the week. Panasonic announced no less than 8 new compact cameras, including the successor to the popular TZ3, the DMC-TZ5.

Website: Panasonic 2008 Spring Launch

We also have a selection of 36 photos taken with a pre-production version of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5, 10x zoom compact camera.

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 Photos

As usual Kodak have a huge booth at PMA, but once again very little of interest unless you’re in the photo-finishing business (which to be fair, a lot of visitors to the show are). The brand new Kodak Easyshare Z1012 IS ultra-zoom compact plus 3 more compacts that were first announced at CES were pretty much it for Kodak this year.

Website: Kodak PMA 2008 Booth Tour

Casio’s PMA booth is centered around the incredible EX-F1, which can take 60 frames in 1 second at the full 6 megapixel resolution - you really have to try it out to believe it. Also featured are the pre-requisite incremental compact camera updates in a range of glaringly bright colours, inlcuding the Casio EX-S10, the world’s smallest and thinnest 10 megapixel digital camera.

Website: Casio PMA 2008 Booth Tour