Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Smart Photography

Wildlife photography is very popular with our readers. This issue covers the intricacies involved in wildlife photography and features the work of leading wildlife photographers. Additionally, we list the winners of the SP Awards for 2019. The jury had their task cut out and the final results are now before you. Our congratulations to the winners. The contest for The Camera of the Year was also well fought by three leading brands. Images of the event will be included in next month’s issue.…

Olympus has announced the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 (35 mm equivalent: 24-400 mm). This 16.6x high-magnification zoom lens conforms to the Micro Four Thirds System standard, offering an optical design with depictive performance across the entire focal length from 24 mm wide angle to 400 mm telephoto in a compact, lightweight package. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200 mm lens has a dustproof and splashproof construction. It features high-speed precise AF performance and is equipped with the Movie and Still Compatible mechanism that uses an inner-focus system which moves a single lightweight cemented lens for focussing. This creates a shorter lag time, allowing for split-second photo opportunities.…

Canon has announced that it is developing six RF-series lenses, further displaying its commitment to the EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera system. The six RF lenses under development are RF 85 mm F1.2 L USM, RF 85 mm F1.2 L USM DS, RF 24-70 mm F2.8 L IS USM, RF 15-35 mm F2.8 L IS USM, RF 70-200 mm F2.8 L IS USM and RF 24-240 mm F4-6.3 IS USM. Details of the Canon RF lenses are: The RF 85 mm F1.2 L USM is a large aperture mid-telephoto prime lens. It has a widely popular focal length and aperture speed combination, making it ideal for advanced and professional portrait photographers. The RF 85 mm F1.2 L USM DS, with Defocus Smoothing lens technology, is a lens that offers a…

Fujifilm has announced that it will launch a new version of its Camera Remote (Ver. 4.0) app for smart devices which supports all Fujifilm wireless-equipped digital cameras. The Fujifilm Camera Remote app can operate wireless-equipped digital cameras by remote control to shoot images and movies in the camera and to transfer them direct to your smart devices. It can also download location data from a smartphone, shoot images remotely and download and check the latest firmware for bluetooth-enabled cameras. The app will feature improvements such as a newly designed interface for easy operation, ‘Album’ function to allow you to browse images imported from the camera and a more stable connection between the camera and smart device, even when switching menus within the application. The updated iOS version of the app…

GoPro has announced financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended 31 December 2018. The company posted a revenue of USD 377 million, up 13 percent year-over-year. Its GAAP gross margin was 38 percent, up from 32 percent in the previous quarter. Its net income was USD 32 million. Cash and investments totalled USD 198 million at the end of Q4 2018. GoPro’s portfolio captured more than 80% of the Action Camera category by unit volume in the U.S . Full year revenue was down three percent year-over-year to approximately USD 1.15 billion. GoPro stated that if their aerial business were excluded, the company would have seen a three percent year-over-year increase. GoPro managed to capture 97 percent dollar share and 87 percent unit share of the action…

The Photographic Society of India, one of the oldest photographic societies in the country, organised its 17th International Salon of Photography at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai from 22 to 28 January 2019. The competition, under the guidance of Salon Chairman Dr. Avanish Rajan and Salon Secretary Vaibhav Jaguste, had five sections: Open Monochrome, Open Colour, Nature, Photo Travel and Photojournalism. About 6,000 entries were received from 423 photographers from 36 countries. The judging of the entries was done by Anil Risal Singh, Subhash Jirange, Venkateswarlu Kola and Mayuresh Moghe. The chief guest for the exhibition was Dattatray Padsalgikar, Director General of Police, Maharashtra, while the guests of honour were Dr. Jatin Shah, IVF specialist and Rashmi Mehta, CEO, Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. Five entrants won the FIAP Gold Medal.…

Soumabrata Moulick is a professional nature photographer and trainer based out of Mumbai. Primarily interested in behavioural and conservation photography, he devotes most of his time to observation, study and documentation of the natural world. Love for the outdoors makes him strive to spend most of his time on field. Having a flair for teaching, he is associated as a Panel Expert with DCP Expeditions and believes that knowledge should be shared with no holds barred. His work has been awarded by various prestigious institutions and published in various national and international media platforms.…

DCP Expeditions LLP is a photography training academy based in Mumbai. They are the first in the country to create a nationwide community platform for wildlife, nature, travel, food and street photographers. Besides their various programmes, they select the best images posted every month on their Facebook platform. Members are allowed to post their images for the following categories: 1. Editor’s Choice 2. Best Upcoming Talent 3. Best of the Team 4. Natural History 5. The Strokes of a Stalwart 6. Genius Juniors 7. The Scintillating Seniors 8. Mobile Phone Photography Since this is our Wildlife Special, we felt these images would inspire all budding wildlife photographers. The images that you see here were the winners for the period of 1-31 January 2019.…

Best Photography Monitor NOMINATIONS Asus ProArt PA27ACAsus ProArt PA329QBenQ SW240 This 27-inch professional photography monitor offers 100% sRGB colour gamut along with hardware calibration and WQHD resolution at a competitive price. WINNER : ASUS PROART PA27AC Best Camera in a Smartphone NOMINATIONS Apple iPhone XS MaxGoogle Pixel 3 XLHuawei Mate 20 ProSamsung Galaxy Note 9 Successor to the popular P20 Pro, the Mate 20 Pro offers an innovative triple camera system co-designed with Leica. A beautiful design, IP68 certification and SuperCharge feature make it all the more attractive. WINNER : HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO Best Prime Lens for D-SLRs NOMINATIONS AF-S Nikkor 105 mm f/1.4E EDYongnuo YN 35 mm f/2N A portrait photographer’s delight, this lens produces sharp images with very smooth bokeh. The lens also offers excellent edge-to-edge sharpness…

While many may think that the Zone System is archaic and is not relevant in the digital age, this is not true. There is really nothing as precise as the Zone System for determining the exposure. Plus, it is unparalleled for the flexibility and control it gives. This, when coupled with pre-visualisation, can give you the best results. Also, precise determination of brightness range will help you to get a proper HDR stack. The only thing needed is that the photographer should have a good grip on identifying the zones and pre-visualise what he wants in the end. Try out this technique. We at Smart Photography will be glad to hear your experiences.…

Third-party lens manufacturers have scaled up their products by incorporating superior optics and premium features. The revolution that started with Sigma Global Vision lenses has now caught up with their competitors. Tokina has christened the new crop of premium full-frame lenses for D-SLRs as ‘Opera’, implying that photographers can make every picture a work of art with these lenses. The 50 mm f/1.4 FF is the debut model in the Opera series. Design and Build Quality The 50 mm Opera lens is sturdily constructed with engineering plastic exteriors reinforced with metal, especially in the lens mount. The lens offers dust resistance along with advanced weather sealing. It is sealed at eight areas most vulnerable to dust and water penetration. However, Tokina clarifies that though the weather sealing enhances the water…

Write to us at: Smart Photography, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai - 400 013 E-mail: sp@nextgenpublishing.net Nostalgia Dear Editor, Smart Photography’s February ’19 Issue made for nostalgic reading. The article “The Unpretentious Guide to Wedding Photography” by Jessica Jones has broadened my vision with good tips for Wedding Photography. I am thankful to the entire SP team for giving such an excellent article. I must say that every new issue of SP is superior in content and presentation than the earlier and is more reader friendly, soothing to the eyes and interesting. Entire editorial team deserves much KUDOS. Yours faithfully, Vinod C. Dixit, via email Mesmerising Still Life Respected Editor, I had a…

Canon has announced the second camera in the EOS R lineup, the EOS RP. The EOS RP is designed for photographers looking to step up from Canon’s APS-C cameras: the EOS Rebel, EOS M and the EOS 80D, to full-frame mirrorless cameras. It weighs just 17.29 ounces and measures approximately 5.0 in (w) x 3.77 in (h) x 2.36 in (d). The EOS RP full frame mirrorless camera is built around the same 54 mm mount diameter and short-back focus as the EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera and is compatible with the complete lineup of RF lenses and is compatible with the existing collection of Canon’s EF and EF-S lenses with the use of one of three optional RF also features Dual Pixel CMOS Auto Focus. With f/1.2 lenses, the…

The World Press Photo Foundation has announced the six selected Asian talents for its 6x6 Global Talent Program which selects six under-recognised photographers from six global regions who present diverse stories with different perspectives. Of the six selected visual storytellers from Asia, two, Senthil Kumaran Rajendran and Saumya Khandelwal, are from India. The other selected talents are Amira Ahmed Yahya Al-Sharif from Yemen, Azin Anvar Haghighi from Iran, Shahria Sharmin from Bangladesh and Yan Cong from China. Nominations for visual storytellers from Asia were made by the international community of over 100 6x6 nominators. With Lars Boering, Managing Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, as chair, the online selection committee comprised Ammar Abd Rabbo (Syria), photographer and journalist; NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati (Nepal), photographer and curator; Claudia Hinterseer (Netherlands), Senior…

Nikon has announced the release of its NIKKOR Z 24-70 mm f/2.8 S, a standard zoom lens compatible with full-frame (Nikon FX format) mirrorless cameras which have adopted the new larger diameter Z mount. The lens uses two ED glass and four aspherical lens elements. The NIKKOR Z 24-70 mm f/2.8 S demonstrates high resolving power that maximises the potential of high-pixel-count digital cameras like the 45.7 MP Z7. Colour fringing is significantly minimised. Furthermore, the combination of the larger Z mount with its inner diameter of 55 mm, and a short flange focal distance of 16 mm allows the lens to achieve superior optical performance, as well as compactness and lightness for portability. It also offers outstanding movie recording performance with focus breathing control and quiet operation. A multi-focussing…

DJI has unveiled hardware and software tools to give professional drone operators improved control, safety, and security for high-stakes missions. The Matrice 200 Series V2 drones are redesigned with better reliability, safety, and security features, while the FlightHub drone operations management platform gives organisations more implementation control and data security assurances. Improvements include reliable transmission, data security, flight safety, flight performance and data accuracy. Combined, these improvements enable commercial firms to scale and manage their drone programmess while laying the technical foundations for Beyond Visual Line of Sight and nighttime operations. DJI FlightHub software enables organisations to efficiently manage all aspects of their commercial drone operations from a single platform. As a web-based service, FlightHub Basic and Advanced have provided the capability to oversee live operations, manage flight data, manage…

Canon India hosted the ninth edition of its live photo contest, Canon Photomarathon in Kolkata on 9 February 2019. This was the first time the contest was held in East India. The theme-based, day-long event saw participation from over 500 participants. The event was flagged off by Eddie Udagawa, Vice President, Consumer Imaging and Information Centre, Canon India. The participants were judged by an eminent jury panel, including Ravi Dhingra, lifestyle and commercial photographer; Rambabu Dhanishetty, wedding and fashion photographer; and Tejas Soni, renowned wildlife photographer. Sammya Brata Mullick won the contest and will get to attend the Canon PhotoMarathon Asia Championship 2019 in Japan as part of an all-expense paid photography trip grand prize. The second and third place winners won the EOS 6D Mark II (EF 24-105mm f/4L…

We are sure that all of you have a few pictures that you think are prize worthy. It happens very often that you don’t know where to send the image that could put a feather in your cap. If you have such images (we’re sure you have many!), send us ONE such horizontal image. If it qualifies, we shall publish it as a double-spread. a.You have to guarantee that the picture was shot by you b. If there are people in the picture who can be identified, we’ll need a model release c. The picture should not have been printed elsewhere (magazine, newspaper, or offered to any publication) d. Mark the entry as “Picture of the Month” and rename the file using your name e. You may send images via…

Khushboo Sharma is one of the few ladies in India who are into birding. She is extremely passionate about photography and is famous for her ability to spot owls and partridges. With around 800+ species spotted till 2015, Khushboo is among the leading birders in India. With over 300 trips to the Himalayas, she is one of the most frequent visitors to the region. Rahul Sharma, a passionate photographer, is a storehouse of knowledge about places to travel, especially those inaccessible remote areas which are full of wildlife – be it for tracking the rare red fox in the Hikkim region of the mighty Himalayas or for locating the desert fox in the Thar desert. His love for photography started during his childhood days; he finds immense pleasure to be…

The Sigma 60-600 mm Sports has a multi-material build, which enhances strength and durability, while also making it lightweight and portable. Sigma uses magnesium alloy for the barrel at the base and the tripod mount, where the lens experiences maximum strain. The intermediate section is constructed with Thermally Stable Composite (TSC), which exhibits less thermal expansion and contraction compared to similar polycarbonate materials, thus keeping variations to a minimum even at extreme temperatures. The focus and zoom rings and the lens hood are made with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic, which is a light, yet strong material.…

Olympus has launched the Olympus OM-D E-M1X interchangeable lens camera. The camera conforms to the Micro Four Thirds System standard and incorporates an integrated vertical grip, providing secure holding and high operability. It also offers the highest image stabilisation performance of approx. 7.5 steps of shutter speed. The camera has a comfortable AF system with the AF multi-selector and All-cross-type On-chip Phase Detection AF sensor, a Pro Capture mode and 60 fps sequential shooting speed. It features Double TruePic VIII image processors. The OM-D E-M1X has a 5-axis IS and electronic stabilisation to enable handheld 4K and cinema 4K video recording. It also supports OM-Log400 shooting, which allows for shooting without loss of details in shadows and highlights, and without blowouts. The camera will go on sale from 22 February…

Fujifilm has announced the release of the Fujinon XF 16 mm f/2.8 R WR, a compact and lightweight wide-angle lens. This lens will join the lineup of interchangeable lenses for the X-series of digital cameras. The new lens has the maximum aperture value of f/2.8 and a focal length of 16 mm (equivalent to 24 mm in the 35 mm film format), delivering edge-to-edge sharpness. The lens consists of 10 elements in eight groups, including two aspherical lens elements, to effectively control field curvature and spherical aberration for better image sharpness across the frame, making it capable of fully utilising Fujifilm’s proprietary X-Trans CMOS sensor. Its inner-focus AF system uses a stepping motor to drive the focussing group for silent and fast autofocus. The aperture ring and focus ring have…

George Mendonsa, the sailor kissing nurse Greta Friedman in the famous end of WWII photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt, has died, aged 95, just two days short of his 96th birthday. Mendonsa was a sailor in the US Navy, when he was photographed on 14 August 1945, at the Times Square, New York, celebrations marking the end of WWII following Japan’s surrender. Mendonsa died of a siezure at the assisted living facility where he lived with his wife. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.…

The second edition of Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB), an international biennale of photography, is being held at large scale exhibitions in a variety of public spaces in Chennai till 24 March 2019. The biennale will show works by over 50 artists in print from 13 countries. Alongside the exhibitions, the Biennale will include an extensive programme of artist talks, workshops, films, projections, residencies, skill development in photography and much more. The Biennale, co-founded and co-organised by the CPB Foundation and the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai, has chosen renowned sculptor and photo performance artist Pushpamala N. as the Artistic Director for the second edition. The philosophy for this edition is Fauna of Mirrors, an old Chinese myth that talks about an alternate universe that exists behind the mirror, another dimension which…

Amal George is a wildlife photographer who loves to capture wildlife in their candid moments amidst their natural habitat. He believes in the philosophy of ‘responsible photography’ and ensures that his pictures speak for themselves. Says he, “Responsibility does not end when you trip the shutter, it actually begins”.…

Ajay Sood (Travelure) OSM (Outlook Social Media) Shutterbug of the Year 2016 • 2016 OSM (Outlook Social Media) • Shutterbug of the Year • 2018 Photoblogger o f the Year (Gujarat Tourism & ICIT) Pro Travel Photographer. Photo Jurist. Photo Educator. SPEAKER (Architectural & Travel Photography): • TBEX Europe 2016 (Stockholm) • TBEX Asia 2016 (Manila) · • TBEX International 2017 (Jerusalem) • TBEX North America 2017 (Huntsville, AL) WINNER: • India’s Biggest Blogging Contest - Cox & Kings’ Grab Your Dream (Season 2) • National Geographic Traveller’s • GetOutThere Photo Essay Contest Web: http://travelu.re Israel is known as the Holy Land. It is considered sacred in Judaism, Christianity, Bahá’í and Islam. All across, there is a strong imprint of Jesus. As I travelled through Israel, I felt I was…

Date Thursday, 28 February 2019 Venue Banquet no. 1, Hotel Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, NCR Every year, Smart Photography rewards the best products available in the photography market, and we are back with yet another edition of the Smart Photography Imaging Awards. In this 14th year of awards, we celebrate the best products that our team reviewed during 2018-19. The most coveted of these, the Most Prestigious Camera of the Year, has been deliberated by a jury comprising eminent photographers, Ian Pereira and Dr. Caesar Sengupta along with Hoshang Billimoria (Editor, Smart Photography and CEO, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd.), Rohinton Mehta (Technical Editor, Smart Photography) and Sujith Gopinath (Assistant Editor, Smart Photography). Smart Photography congratulates the winners and wishes good luck to the nominees, most of whom missed the…

Ashok Kandimalla has been in the photographic field for over three decades and has extensive experience in both film and digital photography. Being an electronics engineer by profession and a photographer, he possesses a unique and deep insight into the technical aspects of digital photography and equipment. He has published more than a 100 articles on photography and some of his writings have also been published in the well-known international magazine Popular Photography. An avid collector of photographic books and vintage cameras, Ashok has a keen interest in the history of photography and a passion for sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He is the only Indian photographer to be featured on the Nikon Centenary website. He is presently working as a Management and Engineering consutant. He…

Some photographers dislike shooting in Manual exposure mode, while many others hate shooting in Auto ISO. You may have your own reasons for your likes and dislikes. Manual exposure takes a bit longer to set up; chances are that you may miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while trying to fiddle with the shutter speed and the aperture. The reason why many photographers hate Auto ISO is obvious – noise level can shoot up when the camera automatically boosts the ISO, depending on the lighting conditions. Combine the two and you have a recipe for disaster. Or do you? While your reasons for not using a combination of manual exposure mode and Auto ISO may be valid, when photographing wildlife, do you want your concentration on the subject or do…

PLUS • Sturdy build quality • Weather-sealing • Sharp across the zoom length • Dual zoom • Arca Swiss type tripod foot • Versatile zoom range MINUS • Heavy • Slow VERDICT The Sigma 60-600 mm f/4.5-6.3 Sports lens is a slow, yet versatile lens that offers focal lengths suited for portraits, events, right up to wildlife and sports. The lens produces excellent sharpness across the zoom range. Considering that this lens retails at the same price as the 150-600 mm Sports lens, it all comes to your choice, whether you want to spend more and buy a fast medium telephoto up to 150 mm along with the 150-600 or choose this slow but sturdy all-rounder and save a considerable amount of money.…

PLUS • Great sharpness • Good build quality • No distortion MINUS • Heavy flare and purple fringing • Heavier than competition VERDICT The Tokina 50 mm f/1.4 Opera lens has almost the same quality as that of the Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 Art lens, though the Tokina is a tad heavier. The lens performed well in our tests, except for heavy chromatic aberration at f/1.4. We will not be able to say how good this lens is till we get a chance to compare it with the Sigma Art lens. Till then, we would reserve our critical verdict and stop by saying that this is certainly one of the top normal lenses to consider.…