Day 1 Edition - 2018 Edition

NOMADIC LIFESTYLE / IMAGING
C+A develops instant success
Photographic brands like Polaroid and Kodak are benefitting from
instant photographic trends, says C+A co-founder Chaim Piekarski
Chaim Piekarski
C+A co-founder
THERE’S AN
ENTIRELY NEW
GENERATION
OF CONSUMERS
EXPERIENCING INSTANT
PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE
FIRST TIME
With a portfolio of businesses that includes Polaroid and inflight
publication SkyMall, New Jersey-based company C+A
Global arrives at IFA 2018 with exciting new photographic
products to launch. We asked C+A’s co-founder and CEO
Chaim Piekarski about how the company has become an
e-tailing powerhouse:
C+A Global operates several
e-commerce platforms, including
RitzCamera.com and LyxPro.com
and is also the official licensee
of Polaroid instant products as
well as select Kodak products.
Strategic partnerships, focused
brand development, a worldwide
network of suppliers, and
thousands of product offerings
has skyrocketed the company to
where it is after just fifteen years.
What are you launching at IFA?
We’re very excited to launch two
new innovations in photo printing
– the Polaroid Mint 2-in-1 Camera
and Printer and the Polaroid Mint
Pocket Printer. The Polaroid Mint
Camera simplifies instant printing
with a sleek and modern design,
making it the perfect companion
for on-the-go instant picture
taking and printing. The Polaroid
Mint Pocket Printer taps the
latest technology for faster, more
powerful printing capabilities in
one of the slimmest formats on
the market.
What are the key trends in
photography?
In an age when Instagram has
altered the photography world,
there’s a significant interest in
the instant-print camera. There’s
an entirely new generation of
consumers who are purchasing
instant print cameras and
experiencing instant photography
for the first time. Millennials are
infatuated with the photographic
experience the instant camera
affords them. I don’t see any signs
of instant camera sales slowing
down anytime soon: it’s projected
that the market will reach $1.8
billion in revenue within the next
three years.
Polaroid is more than 80 years
old, what are the challenges
for a brand with this type of
longevity?
The challenge is to remain current
with the latest technology and still
have the ability to innovate while
remaining true to the handson
fun of the initial Polaroid
experience. Diversification is key:
not relying on any one single set
of customers or any one single
product category is a healthy
position for the brand’s future
growth
» HALL 25 / Stand 108
New depths for marine
drone cameras
Shenzen-based underwater
tech company Geneinno
has a brand new piece of
marine camera kit to show
off at IFA 2018. Called Titan,
it has already created quite
a buzz with a successful
Kickstarter campaign,
an iF Design Award for
outstanding design and
performance and a Red Dot
Design Award.
An underwater drone
camera which represents
a significant evolution
from Geneinno’s previous
product, Poseidon, the
Titan can function at
greater depths than any
other submarine drone
currently available – down
to 150m – and is powered
by six thrusters and a selfbalancing
algorithm which
helps protect it against
threats to its stability, such
as underwater currents, sea
creatures, and unmovable
objects, moving at speeds
up to 2m/s. Its 4K UHD
camera with 1080p
livestream capability and
160degree ultra-wide-angle
lens has red and purple
filters to provide colour
correction, plus powerful
LEDs to illuminate deeper
darker waters.
The rapidly-growing market
for submarine filming –
whether for underwater
photography, documentary
cinematography, scuba
divers, marine naturalists,
drone enthusiasts, fishing,
shipwreck exploration,
salvage research or simply
leisure users – means
the demand for a nextgeneration
product like
Titan is high. The operator
monitors and pilots the
drone through a smartphone
app, with up to four hours’
rechargeable battery life.
Other features include a
Bluetooth controller and
an interface where users
can install a robotic arm,
underwater microphone,
or other accessories. The
drone can even recognize
fish in the water and share
impressive images on social
media with just a single click.
According to Geneinno,
Titan is the most affordable,
portable and user-friendly
underwater drone on the
market and has the highest
rate of withstanding water
pressure.
IFA 2018 also offers a
first glance at Geneinno’s
new leisure product – the
Trident. A departure for the
Chinese marine equipment
pioneer, Trident is an
underwater scooter with
dual thrusters, driving a
diver for one hour with up
to 12km/h speed down to
a depth of 50m. A GoPro
camera can be attached and
easily operated with a finger
trigger control
» HALL 11.1 / Stand 105
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