One of the bigger surprises at Photokina is Sigma’s new flagship DSLR, the SD1. Featuring a 46 megapixel 24×16mm APS-C X3 image sensor that took subsidiary company Foveon 2 years to develop, and a weather-sealed magnesium body, the Sigma SD1 will be launched in February 2011 at a very rough price of around £1,800-2,000 in the UK.

We grabbed some hands-on time with the new Sigma SD1, and also both variants of the new Sigma EF-610 DG flashgun and the 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM, which Sigma claim is their best-ever telephoto lens. Here are 17 hands-on photos of the Sigma SD1 DSLR camera.

At Photokina 2010 Epson have unveiled three new large-format printers aimed at photographers, the 4900, 7890 and 9890 models. Featuring 98% Pantone coverage and an optional built-in spectrometer, the Epson 4900 costs £2295 and will be available in November. We grabbed a few photos of the 4900 and its much bigger siblings, the 24 inch 7890 and the 44 inch 9890. Also on show at the Epson stand is a large area devoted to th company’s recent Signature Worthy and Digigraphie Workflow initiatives.

Kodak have a comparatively small stand at Photokina this year, especially compared with the massive presence that they had at the last show in 2008. Digital cameras only play a small part in Kodak’s line-up, with the expert-led K-Zone techniques area generating the most interest amongst visitors. Also on show is the new Kodak Portra 400 film emulsion, photobooks and photo finishing printers, and an impressive interactive touchscreen display showing off the company’s product range.

General Imaging have a large but relatively quiet stand that’s mainly concentrated on their fashion-focused Jason Wu range of stylish point and shoot cameras. We did find a new product hidden away the back of the stand - a Nikon wannabe in the form of the PJ1 camera featuring, you’ve guessed it, a built-in projector. Also on display are the DV1 waterproof model, the X5 superzoom, and for some reason a Formula 1 video game simulator.

What does it feel like to hold a £20,000, limited edition camera? We found out as Leica showed off their new M9 Titanium camera, lovingly created by the chief designer of the Volkswagen Group, Walter de’Silva. The hand-crafted box itself is a thing of beauty, with an accompanying book detailing the design process of the M9 Titanium in intricate detail, including 5 early designs. With virtually every part milled from solid titanium, a scratch proof glass LCD screen and a special fingerprint-proof finish applied in Switzerland, the Leica M9 Titanium should look as good in 100 years as it does now.

The out-of-reach M9 Titanium isn’t the only new product that Leica are showcasing at Photokina. They’re also featuring two new compacts, the D-Lux 5 and V-Lux 2, which are “heavily influenced” by the Panasonic LX5 and FZ100 cameras. Key differences between the look-alikes include a different finish, modified firmware with simpler menus, Leica’s own RWL RAW files format,tweaked JPEG output. and that all-important Leica red dot. The D-Lux 5 also includes a full copy of Lightroom 3 in the box, which may persuade you to pay the price premium over the regular LX5…

Here are 16 hands-on photos of the Leica D-Lux 5, V-Lux 2, and X1 Black digital compact cameras.

The two main attractions of the Olympus booth are the super-tough Olympus E-5 digital SLR and the PEN system of compact interchangeable-lens digital cameras. A fairly large area of the stand is dedicated to the E-5, with an Olympus representative demonstrating the ruggedness of the camera. When we were there he was standing on three layers of large glass plates supported by four Olympus E-5 bodies, and held a fifth one in his hands, holding it under a shower of water droplets. The camera was turned on and set to Playback mode, with the rear LCD screen showing an image, evidently unaffected by the water falling on it.

Nikon’s bright yellow stand attracts a huge crowd, with most of the visitors being eager to get their hands on the new Nikon D7000 digital SLR camera and some of the company’s legendary long telephoto lenses. But while the D7000 is clearly the most popular camera with the press and public alike, visitors also seem happy to try out the Nikon 3100 and the company’s older cameras as well. As to the lenses, there is a small stand sporting cameras equipped with telephoto lenses including the new AF-S DX 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR, 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II and 70-200mm VR II offerings.

The Fujifilm stand at Photokina is buzzing, with the surprise unveiling of the X100 generating a lot of interest amongst the press and public alike. A large section of the Fujifilm booth is dedicated to the X100, with three prototypes on display - we can confirm that the X100 has a 23mm lens in digital terms that is equivalent to a traditional 35mm focal length. The other big attraction was 3D, with the recently announced Finepix W3 gathering large crowds eager to see the improved on-screen 3D effect and the more refined body. We think that Fujifilm could be onto a winner after the false start of the W1, especially now that 3DTV support has grown exponentially this year.

Casio have a couple of key new products - the EX-H20G and EX-ZR10 - which introduce GPS and HDR respectively to the Exilim, although sadly not in the same camera. Casio’s stand at Photokina is almost exclusively dedicated to these two models, with a big gallery of photo art showcasing the HDR effects that the ZR10 can produce in-camera. Other attractions include Casio’s all-action compact range and their projector lineup.

Want to see what the new Casio EX-H20G and EX-ZR10 cameras look like in the flesh?

Here are 20 hands-on photos of the Casio EX-H20G and EX-ZR10 digital compact cameras.

Hasselblad today unveiled a limited-edition Hasselblad H4D produced in cooperation with Ferrari. Finished in a new Ferrari colour called rosso fuoco, or fire red, the Hasselblad H4D Ferrari Edition has been created in celebration of two of the most iconic European brands, both of which started their career in the 1950s. Limited to just 499 cameras worldwide, this special edition camera was unveiled this morning at the Photokina trade show, and we were there to snap a few pictures of it for you.

Sigma has a bright all-white stand at Photokina, with a mock-up of the new Sigma SD1 digital SLR taking centre-stage. The camera body, which is displayed in a glass showcase, is a fairly hefty affair; this should be good news for any photographer with large hands. Also on display is the new APO MACRO 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM, which is a new version of Sigma’s highly regarded telemacro lens, updated with a quiet “hyper-sonic” autofocus motor and optical image stabilisation. In addition to seeing the new products in the flesh, visitors can also try out some of Sigma’s current offerings, including the giant olive-green Sigma APO 200-500mm f/2.8 EX DG telezoom. The stand has a stage where demonstrations of various kinds take place on a regular basis.

Ricoh has a rather small stand at Photokina, but it has something new and exciting to offer to visitors. The centre of attention is the newly announced Ricoh GR LENS A12 28 mm F2.5, a new lens-sensor module for the Ricoh GXR system. Having an actual focal length of 18.3mm and an APS-C sized sensor, the new module offers an angle of view similar to that of a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera. The samples displayed at the booth are working prototypes rather than production units, meaning visitors are not allowed to save shots on their own memory cards, but the modules are still worth trying out.

Leica has a mid-sized stand in a corner of Hall 2.1, featuring the company’s M and S series products as well as its compact cameras. New products of note include the Leica M9 Titanium, displayed under glass with a matching Summicron

Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens and accessories, an all-black version of the Leica X1, and the D-Lux 5 and V-Lux 2 compacts co-developed with Panasonic. Samples of all of these - excluding the M9 Titanium - are provided for people to try out. Visitors to the stand also have the chance of getting some hands-on time with current M series and S system cameras and lenses. In the back of the booth there is a gallery of large prints of photos taken by Leica photographers.

Panasonic has a large and spacious booth at Photokina, and we were there to show you what’s on display. The new Panasonic GH2 is of course the centre of attention, along with the three new lenses announced yesterday. The 14mm f/2.5 pancake is an extremely tiny affair that makes Panasonic’s other pancake lens - the 20mm f/1.7 - look bulky in comparison. By contrast, the 100-300mm telezoom is a rather hefty piece of glass - at least for a Micro Four Thirds lens. One does have to remember though that this is a lens that covers a focal range similar to that of an imaginary 200-600mm lens in 35mm format - with that in mind, it does not look all that big, actually. The third new lens - the Lumix G 12.5mm f/12 - is the first 3D offering for the Micro Four Thirds mount. This is a tiny and very exotic-looking lens that allows the Panasonic GH2 to take 3D images that can be played back on 3D television sets and viewed with the help of special glasses.

Panasonic announced the new Lumix DMC-GH2 yesterday, and we got a chance to try out a working product at their booth. Our first impression was, “wow, this thing is really fast to focus!” Panasonic claims AF speeds as fast as 0.1 second with the 14-140mm lens set to its widest setting - and indeed, we found that focus acquisition was basically instantaneous at that focal length, even in the relatively dim lighting of the stand. What was possibly even more impressive though was that it focussed almost as quickly with the lens zoomed all the way in to 140mm - it was almost scary to see a completely blurred subject standing at the other end of the room snap into focus in a fraction of a second. Of course further testing needs to be done to see if this blazing speed doesn’t compromise accuracy, but our first impressions were extremely favourable.

The Canon stand dominates Hall 3.2 at Photokina, with the imaging giant using an origami theme to showcase its latest products, Chief among them is the EOS 60D DSLR and the usual array of super-telephoto lenses, along with the recently announced G12, SX30IS and new lenses. Canon are also providing an interesting glimpse into the way they develop products with a display of EOS 7D concept drawings and early mockups, along with an exploded internal view of the G12. As you’d expect video is also featuring prominently, alongside new PIXMA printers and the ever-popular expert techniques sessions that always draw big crowds.

Want to see exactly what the new Canon EOS 60D DSLR digital camera looks like?

Then check out our hands-on photo gallery of the Canon EOS 60D DSLR.

Want to see exactly what the new Canon Powershot G12 compact digital camera looks like?

Then check out our hands-on photo gallery of the flagship Canon Powershot G12 compact.