Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Smart Photography

The event of the month clearly was the simultaneous worldwide announcement of the EISA Awards on August 15. The Covid pandemic made physical meetings impossible, but, the juries rose to the occasion and met virtually, a number of times. Our heartiest congratulations to Fujifilm, for winning the Camera of the Year Award with the excellent X-T4. There were several other excellent cameras in the running, like the Sony A7R IV, the Nikon Z50 and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, and all of them have won in their respective segments. We also congratulate Huawei for winning the best camera in a smartphone award. Full details of the awards are available in this issue, as also on our website.…

Vazen has unveiled the 85 mm T2.8 1.8X anamorphic lens for full frame PL/EF cinema cameras. The T2.8 is a new LF line-up released by Vazen and is designed to cover large format cinema cameras like Red Monstro, Alexa LF, Kinefinity Mavo LF and Z-CAM E2-F8 fully. A 55 mm and 105 mm lens are also in works to complete a 3-lens set. The new 85 mm features a super compact and lightweight design. It weighs 1.49 kg and measures 6.89 inches long. Its compactness allows it to be balanced on gimbals and rigs very easily. The lens is designed with a 86 mm front filter thread for easy installation of ND filters or dioptres. The front diameter is a standard 95 mm for matte boxmounting. The entire lens is…

Tamron has announced the development of a new telephoto zoom lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras, the 70-300 mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD (Model A047). The lens is scheduled to launch towards the end of 2020. While Tamron has manufactured a number of telephoto zoom lenses that extend to 300 mm for D-SLR cameras, the new 70-300 mm f/4.5-6.3 is reportedly, the world’s smallest and lightest 70-300 mm zoom lens, measuring 14.7cm, 544g and a maximum diameter of 77 mm. Its moisture-resistant construction provides greater protection when shooting outdoors and the lens shares the 67 mm filter diameter common to all members of Tamron’s lens series for full-frame mirrorless cameras. The 70-300 mm also features an AF drive system that is powered by Tamron’s RXD stepping motor unit for…

Venus Optics has announced the release of Laowa 50 mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO Lens. The new 50 mm lens is specially designed for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras and features an apochromatic (APO) design. The 50 mm offers a 2X maximum magnification ratio along with a minimum focussing distance of 5.3 inches (13.5cm). The lens is designed with 14 elements in 10 groups, three out of which are extra-low dispersion glasses to minimise chromatic aberrations across the frame. It inherits the APO design from Laowa 65 mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO and measures 3.1 inches (79 mm) in length and weighs around 240g and is specially developed for MFT mirrorless camera users. It can be used on Panasonic, Olympus, BMPCC 4K among others. The Laowa 50 mm…

Sony has released the financial results for the first quarter (Q1) of FY 2020. The consolidated sales have increased by 2% as compared to the first quarter of previous year, resulting in a total of JPY 1968.9 bn while the consolidated operating income has decreased by 1% (y-o-y), resulting in a total of JPY 228.4 bn. Under its Imaging and Sensing Solutions segment, the net sales for FY20 Q1 has decreased by 11% (yoy) to JPY 206.2 bn while its operating income has decreased by JPY 24.1 bn resulting to a total of JPY 25.4 bn profit. The company attributes the decrease in its sales and profits to the ongoing pandemic, causing a decrease in end-user product sales, a deceleration of the smartphone market and a shift to midrange and…

Fujifilm has announced the launch of Shoe Mount Flash EF-60, adding another accessory for the X Series and GFX Series of digital cameras. The EF-60 is a compact hot-shoe mount flash, offering the maximum guide number of 60. It can be combined with Fujifilm’s Wireless Commander EF-W1, to enable wireless off-camera flash operation. This allows users to control lighting for creative photographic effects. The EF-60 measures 97 mm x 73 mm and weighing 300g. The output can be precisely adjusted to add dimensions to various situations with light and shade. The flash can be combined with the EF-W1 to enable wireless off-camera flash operation, allowing users to position the flash beside or behind a main subject to provide lighting from various directions, or sync and fire multiple flash units simultaneously…

Professionally, Pulak is an art director associated with the Mumbai film industry, since 1999. A Fine Arts graduate from Assam University, he hails from Silchar, Assam, and has a keen eye for art and photography since his early boyhood days. During his early film photography days, he would go to his uncle’s studio and spend most of his time in the dark room. He has done publicity photography for the film Makdee, in 2002, which was directed by Vishal Bharadwaj. He started photography with Pentax K1000, from which he upgraded to the Nikon F60, F90 and later shifted to Canon 450D. Having used almost all high end Canon cameras, he now uses the Canon Mark IV. His company, Annu Creations, deals with art direction, architecture, photography, music videos etc. “Though…

The Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) has announced the annual awards and being the sole representative of EISA in India, Smart Photography is pleased to bring you the results in real-time. The EISA is a collaboration between 61 of the most respected international specialist consumer electronics magazines. Once an exclusive club of European publications, EISA has now extended beyond Europe to over 30 countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and India, and contribute their experience to one or more of EISA’s six Expert Groups: Photography, Mobile Devices, Hi-Fi, Home Theatre Audio, Home Theatre Display and Video and In-Car Electronics. Every year, the EISA Awards celebrate those new products that combine the most advanced technology and desirable features with class-leading performance. Award categories change from year to…

Ajay Sood (Travelure) OSM (Outlook Social Media) Shutterbug of the Year 2016 • 2018 Photoblogger of 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) • TBEX Europe 2018 (Ostrava, Czech Republic) 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 Mumbai’s northern suburb of Vasai is a quaint amalgam of old-world charm and modernity. Over the years, people have called it Baxay, Bassein, and Bacaim (all of them pronounced Basai). Today, the ruins of the massive Bassein Fort, a few churches and…

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…

Effective pixels: 32.5 million DIGIC 8 Sensor: APS-C (Approx. 22.3 x 14.8mm) Image format Still: JPEG, Raw (14-bit Canon Original), C-Raw Video: MP4 (Movie: MPEG4 AVC/H.264) Max. recorded pixels Still: 6960 x 4640 White Balance: Auto (Ambience priority, White priority), Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten light, White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom, Colour Temperature Viewfinder type: Eye-level SLR with fixed pentaprism LCD: 3.0-inch 1040,000 dots AF Points: Up to 45 points (Cross-type AF points: Max. 45) Focusing modes: One-Shot AF, AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focus AF Area Selection: Spot AF, 1-point AF, Zone AF, Large Zone AF, Automatic selection AF (all AF points) Focusing method: Dual Pixel CMOS AF Movie AF modes: One-Shot AF, Servo AF, AI Focus AF (with Scene Intelligent Auto), One-Shot AF, Movie Servo AF, Manual…

1 The drug Favipiravir that is being used to control the Covid virus was in fact developed by the pharma department of a camera manufacturer. Which one? a) Nikon b) Fujifilm c) Zeiss d) Sony 2 When you change the aperture from f/11 to f/2.8, the light reaching the sensor increases by: a) 2 times b) 4 times c) 8 times d) 16 times 3 What does ISO stand for? a) International Organisation for Standardisation b) International Standards Organisation c) Immediate Solutions Organisation d) International Sensitivity Organisation 4 Which type of lens is suitable for shooting monuments avoiding converging verticals? a) Wide angle b) Fisheye c) Tilt & Shift d) Macro 5 Who amongst the following is known for wildlife photography? a) Ian Pereira b) Rajeev Asgaonkar c) Ashok Dilwali…

WE ARE GLUED TO THE GLOBAL IMAGING INDUSTRY Our team is updated with all the benchmarks and road blocks that the field of photography and imaging across the globe experiences. This helps us record the changes in the global perspective, thus making us the first to predict which products will be a rage in the Indian markets. WE’RE IMPARTIAL Loyalty towards our readers is a given, and their best interests are always on our mind. Every verdict is honest and not influenced by advertisers or personal favourites. So when we say a product is a ‘BEST BUY’, then, it is just that! OUR TESTS ARE CONDUCTED BY EXPERTS All equipment go through a series of tests at the hands of our experts. Our reviewers are experts in the field of…

Sigma has announced the 85 mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens, which is a completely new design for full-frame mirrorless cameras, as the “DN” designation indicates. Offered in both L-Mount and Sony E-Mount, the lens features a new optical formula that includes five special low dispersion elements and one aspherical element for edge-to-edge image sharpness. This new optical formula also corrects aberrations, resulting in visually pleasing images with no colour bleed, even at maximum aperture, and the 11-blade rounded diaphragm ensures smooth, attractive bokeh. The lens comes with a dust and splash-proof design, aluminium and TSC (Thermally Stable Composite) construction, a brass bayonet, along with well-damped switches and rings, demonstrating the level of build quality that the Art name represents. Additional benefits include an aperture ring that allows for clicked…

Oppo has released its next generation hybrid zoom technology. The company has included three groups of periscopic zoom lenses for a 7-lens total combination for delivering superior optical performance and image resolution. The lens groups work together to adjust the focus. The technology achieves optical zoom at equivalent focal lengths of 85 mm and 135 mm. Using f/3.3 and f/4.4 apertures, the groups fully utilise the optical capabilities of the lenses. The large sensor incorporates Fusion technology, multi-camera field-of-view alignment technology, and super-resolution algorithms to deliver a focal length coverage of 85 mm to 280 mm. The medium-focal length imaging system includes a custom-designed 16-bit high-precision driver IC and corresponding auto-focus and optical stabilisation modules. According to Oppo, this technology will deliver a sharp, lossless image experience across all focal…

Canon has published its Q2 financial results for the second quarter of 2020, from April to July. Under the section Key Message, the company has declared a sink in business performance owing to a rapid decline in actual demand and restrained business activity. For its Imaging System Business Unit, due to the cancellation of events, camera sales were less than half of those in the same period last year. The Net Sales saw a decline of 30.8%, whereas operating profit was down by 93.9%, as compared to 2019. Despite this, the company was able to secure an operating profit of JPY 800 mn by steadily capturing demand for home printing through inkjet printers. Under FY 2020 projections, the company expects a constrained pace of economic recovery in the second half…

Hemant is a travel photographer and a storyteller who was born in Udaipur and raised in different parts of India. “After graduating from IIT Delhi, I got a chance to present my research paper at Cappadocia, in Turkey, and I decided to take the opportunity to see various parts of Europe. Ever since, I have been hooked to travelling to different parts of the world, from Hallstatt - a small flamboyant town painted with Van Gogh colours, to the huge and gnarly landscapes of Nepal. I like to spend my time looking for places and perspectives in places that evoke an emotional connection to nature and our place within it. To me, clicking photographs is a form of self-care and it teaches me to slow down and focus” says Hemant.…

Rajiv is an electrical engineer by profession with a passion for photography. He loves to travel and explore the world. Photography gives him an excuse to travel and capture nature and landscape. Due to his immense love for travelling, his friends have named him “Ghummakkadswami” which is also his Instagram handle. He started his photographic venture with Nikon D3000 in the year 2011 and fell in love with Nikon cameras. Presently he is using Nikon D850, D750 and Z6. Despite his busy work schedule, Rajiv makes it a point to travel to at least two destinations in a year. Hailing from Jharkhand, he has travelled to quite a few places like Iceland, Denmark, Netherlands and Switzerland. Apart from travelling and photography, he loves teaching. He has trained over 2000 budding…

Final Rankings Recommended ..................... 75-80% Best Buy.....................81% and above D-SLR/ILCC Design & Build Quality.......... (out of 20) Key Features ....................... (out of 20) Ergonomics......................... (out of 20) Performance Autofocus ......................(out of 5) Metering.........................(out of 5) Noise control..................(out of 5) Distortion/Sharpness......(out of 5) LCD/Viewfinder ..............(out of 5) Auto White Balance........(out of 5) Value for Money ............ (out of 10) Grand Total ................. (out of 100) LENSES Design & Build Quality.......... (out of 20) Key Features....................... (out of 20) Ergonomics......................... (out of 20) Performance Autofocus ......................(out of 5) Sharpness......................(out of 5) Distortion control............(out of 5) Aberrations ....................(out of 5) Darkening of corners......(out of 5) Extra Features ................(out of 5) Value for Money................... (out of 10) Grand Total ....................... (out of 100) COMPACT CAMERAS Design & Build Quality.......... (out of 20) Key Features…

Re-ignited my love for photography Dear SP, It was so good to browse through the latest issue of Smart Photography. The cover image of the bird was really eye-catching. I recently caught up on my magazine subscriptions and discovered this magazine. I instantly found it interesting and went through about 6-7 issues. I have already chalked out a plan of starting photography again. It has been a long time since I used my Canon digicam. Browsing through your magazine re-ignited my love for photography and I am really excited to begin yet again. Regards, Ravi Alagh Perfect evening Dear Smart Photography, The latest copy of the magazine proved to be a perfect way to spend a perfect evening all by myself. I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful images and even…

Zhiyun has announced the launch of the Crane 2S gimbal. The Crane 2S comes with optimised motors that handle larger cameras such as the BMPCC 6K, Panasonic S1H, EOS 1DX Mark II with ease. The 9 Instune Algorithm ensures smooth and reliable performance and the lightweight but strong carbon fibre handle of the Crane 2S adds to its key features. The gimbal features Flexmount System which simplifies the setup process while securing the camera gear with a double safety mechanism. It comes with a quick release mount along with a safety knob on tilt axis, which allows users to switch to vertical shooting in a snap without need of additional accessory installation. The brand new axis lock system ensures that the axis remains absolutely still, without any swinging, even while…

Sony has announced the world’s first CFexpress Type-A memory card, in both, 80GB and 160GB, (CEA-G80T and CEA-G160T) as the most recent addition to Sony’s Tough specification cards. Both variants use the latest flash memory-control technology to achieve write speeds as high as 700MB/s and read speeds as high as 800MB/s, reducing buffer clearing time. The memory cards are equipped with a heat sink to transfer heat generated by the card to the exterior when transmitting large amounts of data at high speed, using Sony’s original alloy with thermal conductivity. This enables users to record for long periods of time even when recording 4K 120p video internally. Keeping up with Sony’s ‘Tough’ specifications, the new CFexpress Type A memory cards feature bending and impact resistance as well as IPX7 water…

Adobe recently announced the release of Lightroom 5.4 for Windows and iOS through the update mechanism in Adobe Lightroom. Though the update provided major bug fixes for Windows as well as iOS, however, shortly after the update was released, Adobe’s forums started filling in with complaints from iOS users that the update deleted many of their photos, presets, edits and watermarks. The issue has affected a lot of free as well as paid users of Lightroom. Soon after, Adobe released a 5.4.1 update to prevent the bug from affecting additional users and announced that as of now, none of the lost data has been recovered and while the 5.4.1 version prevents the bug from affecting additional users, it does not restore missing photos or presets for customers affected by the…

Hasselblad has announced the launch of the 907X 50C mirrorless medium format digital camera. With a medium format 50-megapixel CMOS sensor, the CFV II 50C digital back enables use with most V System cameras in addition to third party technical or view cameras. The device features a 3.2 inch 2.4M dot tilting rear display with full touch support and Hasselblad’s user interface for settings, image review, and menu navigation. It features a chrome edge body finish and is Hasselblad’s smallest medium format camera body ever. It can capture 16-bit raw images and full-resolution jpegs as well as 2.7k (2720 x 1530) video and full HD (1920 x 1080) video that covers full sensor width in a 16:9 ratio. The 907X enables compatibility with a wide range of third-party adaptors and…

Sony has announced its collaboration with Raspberry Pi for developing and spreading packaged solutions for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) and computer science education. Sony Global Education has proposed the need for STEAM education, which develops the basic skills for Information Technology and the importance of training in the field of Computational Thinking. In preparation for the “coding education”, which has been mandatory in elementary schools in Japan, since the academic year 2020, the company has been providing educational services such as KOOV, a robotics coding kit and PROC, a hands-on digital learning content. As the so-called Society 5.0 (where IoT, AI, and Big Data are utilised to create new value) is pursued, the company regards STEAM and computer science to be the core education curriculum for developing…

Samsung has introduced a new suite of power devices in its Galaxy Note20 series. The Note20 series comes with an all new S pen, Samsung notes app, Nearby Share, Microsoft’s Your Phone app and advanced gaming features that extend to Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+. The Note20 series feature advanced gaming features and an 8K camera with 21:9 aspect ratio and 24fps recording, for ultra-high resolution and a professional quality video experience. The Note20 Ultra offers a bright Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh rate and sports an intelligent battery with super fast charging capabilities. The Galaxy Note20 will be available in Mystic Bronze, Mystic Green and Mystic Grey colours while the Note20 Ultra will be available in Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black and Mystic White. Samsung has also revealed…

All businesses are going through a tough phase in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. What are the new challenges brought forth by the lockdown situation? What are Canon’s plans for business continuity in imaging sector during the lockdown? The current situation has impacted all of us and we are now facing one of the biggest challenges from the growing effect of this pandemic. Our topmost priority as a brand is to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, partners, customers and the community where we live and work. While there has been an influence on consumer sentiments, however, this evolving landscape has also led to an increase in demand from content creators and vloggers and the category is expected to grow substantially in the coming year. This is…

Soumya Ranjan Bhattacharya is from Bandel, near Kolkata, which is famous for its 400-year old Portuguese church. Soumya teaches Physics in a college and in his spare time, is an amateur wildlife photographer. Each year, he undertakes several photography trips in search for the perfect shot. His go-to gear at the moment is a Nikon D750 and a D500 camera with a Nikon 500mm prime lens. For macro and close-up shots, he uses a Tamron 90mm macro lens. You may check his work at www.instagram.com/mssrb1981…

The Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) has announced the winners of Photo Maestro 2020. The contest was started with a view to encourage both amateur and semiprofessional photographers creating series of pictures who are connected to each other. The international first prize winner receives €1500 and the EISA Photo Maestro 2020 Gold Trophy, the second prize winner takes home €1000 and the EISA Photo Maestro 2020 Silver Trophy, the third price winner is awarded €750 and the EISA Photo Maestro 2020 Bronze Trophy. The Facebook Public’s Choice Award 2020 winner receives €1000. Apart from the prize money and trophies, the winners are invited to attend the Maestro Award Ceremony in Berlin. This year’s theme was Movement. The International contest was judged by all 16 editors-in-chief of the EISA Photography…

✓Aluminium and carbon fibre for durability and extreme mobility, weighs 1.84 kg ✓92% display-to-body ratio with 4-sided InfinityEdge display providing up to HDR400 ✓Up to UHD+, 3840 x 2400, anti-reflective, low blue light, touch, display ✓Gorilla Glass for protection ✓Top bezel infrared camera ✓Camera shutter to physically block the camera ✓10th Gen Intel Core vPro and Xeon processors ✓Up to 64GB , DDR4, 2933 MHz, ECC SDRAM ✓Up to NVIDIA Quadro T2000 (4GB) graphics ✓Up to 4TB of M.2, Gen 3 PCIe x4 NVMe SSD ✓2 x Type C Thunderbolt ports for superfast data transfers ✓SD Card reader ✓Fingerprint reader on power button ✓Dual integrated high quality speakers, noise cancelling digital array microphones…

Canon EOS 90D ₹97,495 for body only Canon announced the EOS 90D, a replacement to the 80D, with a new and more powerful DIGIC 8 processor worldwide, by mid-2019. However, the roads to the Indian test benches seem to be a challenging one for some devices to traverse. We are glad to finally be able to get our hands on this important upgrade from Canon. Here are our observations. Design & Build Quality The Canon 90D is built similar to its predecessor, the 80D. The camera has an aluminium alloy chassis along with polycarbonate finishing. It features some weather sealing, though it is not completely weather-sealed. The camera features a fully articulating LCD and controls similar to the 80D, while the 90D gets an additional joystick at the rear, which…

Nikkor Z 24-200 mm f/4-6.3 Zoom Lens ₹70,995 This is the first super-zoom, all-in-one type lens that Nikon introduced with the Z mount. Unlike the other full-frame lenses introduced so far with the same mount, it is not a part of the premium ‘S Series’. What does that mean to us as users and how does it perform? Let’s find out. Design & Build Quality The lens feels solid in hand, with an excellent finish. The barrels have a perfect fit and there is no wobbling anywhere. Nikon says that this lens is drip and dust resistant and there is a rubber gasket around the lens mount, as with S lenses. There are two rings – one for zooming and the other is a customisable multipurpose one that is common…