Sony roll out Pro support in Europe

Professional photographers in Europe can benefit from valuable help and extra peace of mind with the launch of Sony Imaging PRO Support. There’s no membership fee for the service, which is offered to professional photographers who own qualifying Sony α camera bodies and lenses.

Following its successful launch in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Sony Imaging PRO Support makes its official European debut in Germany from April next year, followed by rollout in other countries.

A dedicated telephone help desk gives professional photographers expert support with using their camera equipment.

There’s a free collection and return service for units requiring repairs, plus a free back-up loan unit which helps to keep professional photographers up and running.

In addition, enrolled Sony Imaging PRO Support customers can benefit from a free twice-yearly image sensor cleaning service and firmware check-up to keep their cameras in top condition.

To be eligible for the service, professional photographers must own multiple Sony high-end α cameras such as α99, α7 series and Sony G or Carl Zeiss lenses. The details about the application and service will be announced closer to launch date.

Nikon to sell direct to consumer in Europe

Following the lead of Sony Style – the direct selling mechanism which allows Sony to retail direct to on-line customers – Nikon is to roll out a brand new on-line dealing platform, with a channel for retailers ordering Nikon gear but also a direct shop for consumers.

The company has signed a deal with hybris, a supplier of multichannel vendor software, to install hybris Multichannel Commerce Suite for Nikon Europe (www.europe-nikon.com).

Nikon made the following statements through a press release issued by hybris (www.hybris.com)

Laurent Christen, Head of Direct Sales at Nikon Europe, explained, “This is our first official pan-European-driven direct sales initiative. It’s a strategic tenet of Nikon’s commercial strategy that enables our loyal dealers to purchase Nikon gear online, provides our assortment of imaging products directly to consumers across the Continent, and supports better our nationally based distributors. This is a truly multichannel scheme – not only does it underpin our online B2C and B2B businesses, it also includes sales over the phone and our internal Nikon store which provides merchandising and PoS materials to our multiple European geographies.  For a multichannel program on this scale, hybris was the ideal technology partner for us to help facilitate this.”

‘Nikon DealerNet’ provides dealers across Europe with their own personal B2B purchasing solution fully equipped with critical product and personal pricing information in real-time. In addition to the eCommerce solution, ‘Nikon DealerNet’ also offers dealers a new streamlined ordering process and enables them to see and manage orders, track shipments and invoices. The ‘Nikon Store’ is a series of online stores for consumers enabling them to purchase Nikon’s high quality imaging and sport optics equipment directly from the Company.  Working in fair alignment with Nikon’s commitment to its business partners, these stores offer a response to consumers seeking direct interaction with the Nikon brand.  It provides an additional choice for consumers to order their favorite gear, accessories, software or merchandise products.

Nikon has also confirmed, today, that the company will be at Focus on Imaging and will for the first time concentrate entirely on professional equipment, showcasing the D4 and D800 and new lenses. Focus has previously been seen as a 50/50 consumer and pro show.

 

 

Gary Friedman photo trip to Latvia

We are announcing a very unique trip for budding travel and reportage photographers out there. This is a “Photo Expedition” – different from a traditional tour package – put together by professional photographer and camera system e-Book manual author Gary Friedman (who runs the stock photo website www.FriedmanArchives.com ).

Latvian Church

Says Gary: “Photo Expeditions are guided travel programs which cater to the unique needs (some people might say “eccentric needs”) of photographers. Getting up at 4:00am in order to catch the sunrise is not out of the ordinary. Taking you to landmarks only when the light is right makes perfect sense to us. Taking you to places off the beaten path and leave you free to roam and photograph a fishing village is exactly our itinerary. And you’ll be with fellow photographers who love to travel, make new friends, and tell the story via pictures. The whole tour is based on the premise that nobody ever took a National Geographic quality photo from the window of a moving bus.

“The event will be taking place in the beautiful Republic of Latvia on July 13-20, 2008. UK readers can book low-cost flights from Ryanair, typical costs for the return journey from Stansted and various other airports to Riga are around £130-£200 on the dates involved, including taxes.

“Where…? Not many people have heard of Latvia, but it was one of the most beautiful of the Soviet Republics. You can see pictures and read a detailed itinerary at
http://friedmanarchives.com/expeditions/latvia/ .
“The trip is all-inclusive – once you get your self to Riga, we take full care of you from start to finish. We have room for only 14 people, so if you’re thinking of going, signing up sooner is better than later!

“I feel especially proud that we were able to secure as our “home base” one of the best retreat properties in Latvia. From the website:

This property was once an exclusive retreat for KGB VIP’s where satisfaction was guaranteed for the Soviet elite: Deer were tied to a tree so old Generals could shoot it, and divers would secretly hang fish onto submerged fishing hooks to please their high-ranking vacationers.

“The new facility built to European standards and situated on Valguma lake where you can sit at breakfast and enjoy the view of the hills and woods.

“If you’re even thinking you might want to join us, please send me an email at [email protected] to let me know your intent and I can let you know when spaces are about to run out. This is going to be a fun trip!

“Check out the details at www.FriedmanArchives.com/expeditions/latvia and let’s hear from you!”