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Posts Tagged ‘owner’

Elderly camera store owner suffers broken arm during violent robbery

24 May

K&R Photographics, located in Crescent Springs, Kentucky, is the latest camera shop to report the theft of expensive camera equipment. According to store co-owner Rob Kumler, who spoke with Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO, his 70-year-old wife and shop co-owner Wilma was attacked by masked, armed men who broke into the store on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22.

According to Kumler, Wilma was thrown to the ground roughly and suffered a broken arm as a result. ‘Tens of thousands of dollars’ in high-end camera equipment was stolen. In addition to harming Wilma and stealing the hardware, the robbers accidentally dropped and destroyed a $ 12,000 camera.

The masked thieves were reportedly armed with a gun and a hammer; they are said to have immediately moved toward the most expensive equipment in the store, indicating that at least one had likely been in the store prior to the robbery. Four security cameras were live in the store at the time of the assault and theft.

Kumler points out that due to the expensive, high-end nature of the stolen equipment, the thieves will likely struggle to find buyers who both need the gear and are willing to purchase it without asking questions about its origins. ‘High-end cameras,’ Kumler said, ‘that’s a small market.’

The store maintains a Facebook Page, but hasn’t yet posted about the robbery; it’s unclear whether police or Kumler plan to publish a list of the stolen equipment’s serial numbers. The public is encouraged to contact Villa Hills law enforcement with any information related to the violent robbery.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meyer Optik Görlitz brand lives on under a new owner

14 Dec

A few months ago NetSE, the German company behind the Meyer Optik Görlitz, Emil Busch A.G. Rathenau, Oprema Jena, C.P. Goerz, Ihagee Elbaflex and A. Schacht brands filed for bankruptcy, leaving many consumers who had backed the company’s brands on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms out of pocket and without a product.

It looked like NetSE’s iconic brands would vanish for eternity but now it appears at least the Meyer Optik Görlitz brand will survive. Another German company, OPC Optics (Precision Components Europe GmbH), announced it has acquired the trademark rights to Meyer Optik Görlitz at the insolvency procedure of NetSE in Koblenz.

OPC Optics, a manufacturer of prototypes and small series of spherical and aspherical lenses, is planning to use the brand as a vehicle to enter consumer markets. The company says it will streamline the current Meyer Optik Görlitz lens portfolio and market lenses through traditional sales channels, so no more crowdfunding or pre-ordering.

In a press release the company also says that unfortunately it can’t take on any of NetSE’s obligations which means if NetSE hasn’t delivered your crowdfunded lens, OPC won’t do so either. It’s good to see a traditional live on but given all the negative news around Meyer Optik Görlitz in recent months, OPC’s move could be a risky one.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panono’s new owner offers camera to original backers at production cost

23 Dec

Despite raising about $ 1.25 million in a crowdfunding campaign, now-defunct company Panono GmbH went bankrupt after failing to deliver its 360-degree camera to many of the people who had backed the product. The company was bought by the Swiss-based private equity investor Bryanston Group, which acquired most of its assets but none of its obligation to Indiegogo backers.

Bryanston Group AG has brought back the Panono camera under a new holding company called Professional GmbH. Despite stressing that it doesn’t have any “liability or obligation” resulting from its assets acquisition, the company has said that it feels it has “a moral obligation to compensate the project’s early supporters.” For that reason, the company is offering the project’s original backers the opportunity to purchase the resurrected Panono camera at production cost.

The production cost is about half-off
the camera’s retail price

About 2,000 Indiegogo backers who received neither refund or camera have been sent this offer, according to the company, which says the production cost is about half-off the camera’s retail price. In addition, these former backers are also offered unrestricted access to Panono’s cloud features, which is said to have about a $ 600 value.

According to the Verge, this discounted rate means backers who take up the offer will pay around $ 1,120 to $ 1,240 for the production-cost camera bundles available. This is on top of the $ 500 or more these backers already spent on the camera (they never received) as a pledge during the original Indiegogo campaign.

Professional GmbH is limiting discounted Panono camera sales to 50 units per month; customers are limited to one discounted camera each. The Panono website lists the Panono camera set, which includes a case, stick, tripod adapter, and messenger bag, at 1899€ / $ 2,250. Cheaper alternatives exist, though not necessarily with comparable specs, such as the Ricoh Theta V.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Polaroid sold to new owner

13 May
Photo by Martin Martinsson licensed under Creative Commons

PLR IP Holdings, LLC, the company that owns the Polaroid brand, is under new ownership. Wiaczeslaw (Slava) Smolokowski is a Polish investor and businessman who owns a majority share in the Impossible Project, the company that continues to produce Polaroid’s legacy instant film. A press release issued today mentions that Polaroid headquarters will remain in Minnesota and maintain its Hong Kong and New York City offices, with ‘plans for expansion into other international offices.’

Polaroid first filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001. It was acquired in 2005 by Petters Group Worldwide, but more trouble followed and the brand filed for Chapter 11 again in 2008. It was acquired as a joint venture by Hilco Global and Gordon Brothers in 2009. Since then, the company has overseen licensing of its name on a range of digital cameras and accessories, from colorful action cams to an ill-advised Nikon 1 imitator. 

Polaroid Acquired by New Ownership Group

Minneapolis, MN—May 12, 2017— PLR IP Holdings, LLC, the owner of the Polaroid brand and related intellectual property, has been acquired by a group of investors led by the Smolokowski family. The new owners acquired 100% of the shares, effective May 5, 2017, from the Pohlad family, Gordon Brothers, Hilco Global and others.

The lead investor in the new ownership group, Wiaczeslaw (Slava) Smolokowski, is a Polish businessman and investor with holdings in the energy, biotech and real estate sectors. He is the cofounder of Mercuria Energy Group Limited, one of the world’s largest commodity trading houses.

Mr. Smolokowski is also the majority shareholder of The Impossible Project, the company that purchased the last remaining Polaroid factory in 2008 and continues to manufacture instant film for legacy Polaroid cameras.

Polaroid is an iconic brand known the world over for pioneering and perfecting instant photography – both in the analog and digital eras. 2017 marks the 80th anniversary of the venerable company’s founding. Today, Polaroid products are sold in over 100,000 retail stores in more than 100 countries throughout the world.

“I’d like to thank the outgoing board members and shareholders for their outstanding leadership and support over the last several years,” said Scott Hardy, President and CEO of Polaroid. “Under their stewardship, we achieved the tremendous growth and success that has led us to where we are today. We are also very pleased to welcome the new ownership group to the Polaroid family, and excited to begin writing the next chapter in the story of the Polaroid brand.”

“We are very pleased that this strategic transaction unites the Polaroid brand with its heritage – a move that’s exciting for both the buyer and the Twin Cities-based Polaroid team,” said Jann Ozzello Wilcox, chief investment officer for the Pohlad organization. “It was important to us that the headquarters remain here, and that management and the employees not only retain, but expand their roles with the new owner’s exciting plans for the brand’s future.”

“The transformation Polaroid has achieved is a credit to the brand’s strength. We’re proud to have been a part of it and know it will be in good hands under its new ownership,”said Ken Frieze, CEO of Gordon Brothers.

Polaroid’s headquarters and management team will remain in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The company also maintains offices in New York City and Hong Kong, with plans for expansion into other international offices.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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D500 owner formally accuses Nikon of false advertising

17 Jun

A disgruntled D500 owner has taken out a legal warning against Nikon advertising the camera as offering ‘integrated Wi-Fi.’ In the equivalent of a cease-and-desist order. Andreas V, from Butzbach, Germany says, that the term is misleading, given there are unusual restrictions to using the function.

In the case of the D500, you need to use a compatible Android device with Bluetooth LE and the Snapbridge app to enable Wi-Fi: a restriction that is not commonly shared by other cameras, including Nikon’s own D750 and D7200 models.

The D500 does have integrated Wi-Fi, but you can’t necessarily use it in the way you might expect.

As highlighted in our review, although the D500 does have integrated Wi-Fi, it is distinctly reluctant to make use of it, mainly relying on the low bandwidth ‘Bluetooth LE’ technology for file transfer. At present even this system is available only to users of compatible Android devices, since an iOS app will not be available until later in the year. Unlike the D7200 and D750, there’s no way to directly make use of the camera’s Wi-Fi: it can only be initiated using Bluetooth from the Snapbridge app.

Part of the customer’s complaint was that it was reasonable to assume he’d be able to use his camera in the same manner as he had his D7200, and that the labels on the box indicating compatibility with Apple devices implied the function was already available to users of such devices. He goes on to highlight that it would be possible for Nikon to offer a simpler (and more readily accessible) Wi-Fi system via a firmware update.

The story, first reported in the German magazine Digitale Fotografie, and subsequently on Nikon Rumors, has attracted mixed responses. While there have been plenty of predictable ‘he should have done his research’ comments, there have also been words of support from people who believe Nikon should have made the system’s limitations clearer (or made the Wi-Fi simpler). What do you think?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lily Camera flies itself and follows its owner

14 May

Lily Robotics has unveiled Lily Camera, a self-flying drone designed to autonomously track and record its owner. Once it’s thrown into the air it begins automatically following its target, which is anyone in possession of the accompanying GPS tracking device. Its camera captures 1080/60p HD video and 12MP stills, and the device itself is waterproof to 1 meter underwater. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Waterproof camera returns to owner after being lost at sea

04 Apr

Lost-camera.jpg

An Olympus camera lost by a Finnish diver on a trip in Thailand has made its way back to its owner. Reported by the travel site Sail In Finland, in January the Finnish diver’s tethered camera floated away after some rough weather. The point-and-shoot was found the next day by Krzysztof Torzynski, a Polish diver from Denmark who was in the same waters. He then used photos on the camera to look for the owner. Learn more

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lost camera reunited with owner after six years drifting in the ocean

27 Mar

htcamera1.jpg

A photographer has been reunited with her Canon PowerShot camera, six years after losing it in the ocean off Hawaii. The camera, which was in a waterproof housing, drifted for thousands of miles to the coast of Taiwan, where it was picked up by an employee of China Airlines. The airline identified its owner, Lindsay Scallan of Georgia, USA from photos on the memory card. Click through for pictures and more details (Hawaii News Now via Petapixel)

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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