Industry notes for the week of April 25

The Dead Pixels Society podcast

Photo specialty survival with Brenda DiVincenzo of IPI Member Network

Gary Pageau interviews Brenda DiVincenzo, vice president of member success, at the IPI Member Network. Brenda shares with us the latest news from IPI, plus shares tips and tactics photo specialty firms are using to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pro Photography news

How Covid-19 is Affecting the Photo & Video Industry, via Lens Rentals

Lens Rentals conducted a survey among 1,000 professional photographers and videographers about the state of their business during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Unsurprisingly more than 96% of respondents suggested their income and or work had been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with on average 78% percent of bookings for April canceled. The next series of questions looked to determine the monthly breakdown of the continued impact. While April can be written down as devastating to a majority of individuals, projecting forward to May looks bleak with approximately 60% of photographers and videographers reporting that almost all, or more than 80%, of their jobs had canceled for the month of April and May.” Read more here.

App News

Perfectly Clear for Business improvements

EyeQ announced several updates to Perfectly Clear for Business, including more language options (QuickDesk and QuickServer are now localized in French, German, Spanish, Chinese, and Russia); improved quality, JPEG handling and default red-eye reduction.

Insta360 GO Now Records 5-Minute Videos with New FPV Camera Mode

Insta360 announced a new FPV camera mode for the Insta360 GO iOS and Android apps. With the latest version of the app, users can record up to five minutes of video continuously when GO is mounted on an FPV drone.

Panasonic will release the firmware update program for the LUMIX S1H Full-Frame mirrorless camera

Panasonic will release the firmware update program for the LUMIX S1H Full-Frame mirrorless camera to enhance its performance and usability.

EasyCut updates vinyl cutting software, EasyCut Pro 5.1.02

EasyCut announced EasyCut Pro 5.1.02, an update to the 32-bit and 64-bit vinyl cutting software for Windows and macOS. The new version now supports 64-bit systems, offers a streamlined workflow, user-friendly UI and faster processing speeds (up to 20 percent faster).

Printing News

Photos make a happy home – why we should be displaying more to boost our mood

Leading psychologist reveals how photos in our homes can positively boost our happiness, via the U.K.’s Ideal Home

Events

Printbox launches online events about photo products market

Poland-based photo printing technology company Printbox has announced three online events to share insights about online photo products business and making the most of current market opportunities. The series caters to companies of all sizes, from large printing houses to online stores looking to add a new category to their catalog.

Cine Gear Expo LA has moved to Oct. 1-4

Cine Gear Expo, the premier event for professionals engaged in the film and entertainment technology industry, will take place Oct. 1-4, at The Studios at Paramount, Hollywood, Calif.

Sponsored posts

4 ways to modernize your photobook printing business, via Mediaclip

as the photo album market is reaching maturity, vendors need to keep their business up to date in order to retain their share of the pie. As this day and age is encouraging digitization of the photo album industry, let’s look at 4 ways to modernize your photobook printing business. Click here for more.

Interesting reads from around the web

Rivaling the Human Eye: How Samsung is opening up the possibilities for image sensor technology

Human eyes are said to match a resolution of around 500 megapixels. Compared to most DSLR cameras today that offer 40Mp resolution and flagship smartphones with 12Mp, we as an industry still have a long way to go to be able to match human perception capabilities, according to Samsung.

Swiss high-end camera maker Alpa wins copyright suit against Chinese company

ALPA announced a Chinese court ruled in favor of the company in its three-year-old copyright infringement suit against GuoZh, a Chinese company.

Financial news

Kodak annual report reveals company “doubtful” as a going concern

Will Shipton of Inside Imaging observes Eastman Kodak’s crushing debt, as reported in the company’s annual report, reveals “substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.”

Canon’s first-quarter net profit drops 30%; 2020 outlook withdrawn

Canon Inc. said first-quarter net profit dropped 30 percent through March, and withdrew its full-year earnings outlook due to economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital camera and printer maker’s net profit in the first three months fell to ¥21.91 billion ($203 million), on sales of ¥782.31 billion, down 9.5 percent from a year earlier.

People on the Move

PastBook announces Wouter Staatsen as CEO; Stefano Cutello moves to chief product and innovation officer

Amsterdam-based PastBook announced several changes to its leadership team. Wouter Staatsen, a senior executive with proven track record in the online photo printing industry, is the new CEO.

Idealliance appoints Dick Ryan acting CEO

Idealliance, the leading developer of specifications and certifications in the graphic communications industry and a global association of brands, printers and technology companies, announced, effective immediately, appointed Dick Ryan, former vice president, Sales, at LSC Communications, Inc., and a former chairman of the Idealliance Board of Directors, as acting CEO. The former Idealliance CEO, Timothy Baechle, has no further connection with Idealliance.