Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2021 i Smart Photography

No year could carry such horrible memories as 2020. Last year, when I penned the ‘Welcome’ section for January, there was not even the faintest inkling of how our lives would change so quickly. Stress has become an inevitable factor in our lives and we are lucky, that with our interest in photography, we can reflect and reconnect with nature and enhance our creativity. All best wishes from the SP team for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2021! Like the imaging industry, media has also been facing challenging times and we all pray that a turn for the better is on the cards. On the product front, the second half of 2020 saw a flurry of launches. The trend seems to be towards smaller and lighter bodies, fully articulated LCDs,…

WPPI has announced the postponement of the 2021 Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Trade Show (WPPI), which was scheduled for March 2021. The show has been moved to August 2021 owing to concerns over safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to reports, the event is scheduled to take place starting August 15 through August 19, 2021 at the Mirage Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The report also suggests that participants who are already registered for the WPPI 2021 will receive an email regarding the details of the event.…

Viltrox has announced the release of its new 85 mm f/1.8 STM autofocus prime lens for Nikon Z-mount mirrorless camera systems. The lens is constructed of 10 elements in 7 groups, including 5 ‘short wave length and high transparency’ elements and 1 low-dispersion element. It uses a stepping motor (STM) for driving the autofocus elements and is compatible with Nikon’s Eye-AF technology. It also sports an aperture range of f/1.8–16, a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, an 80 cm minimum focussing distance and a 72 mm front-filter thread. It measures in at 92 mm long, 80 mm in diameter and weighs 540 g. The Viltrox 85 mm f/1.8 STM is currently available for purchase on Amazon at a price of USD 399.…

Nikon has announced that it has been selected for the highest rank ‘A-List’ by the CDP’s climate change questionnaire, for the second consecutive year, recognising it as one of the highest performing companies in its efforts against climate change and its disclosure. Nikon has reportedly contributed to building a sustainable society by positioning the realisation of a de-carbonised society, a resource circulating society and a healthy and environmentally safe society as Nikon’s ‘Long-Term Environmental Vision’. Based on this vision, the company reports that it has been working to respond to international initiatives, such as setting SBT (Science Based Targets) and implementing various measures to achieve it, as well as disclosing information in accordance with the TCFD (the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) recommendations.…

Tamron has announced the launch of the 17-70 mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (Model B070), a high-speed standard zoom lens for Sony E-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras. This is Tamron’s first high-speed zoom lens for mirrorless cameras with APS-C size sensors. It features a maximum aperture of f/2.8 across the entire 4.1x zoom ratio that covers a focal length of 17-70 mm and is ideal for regular use and high optical performance. It is a small, lightweight lens that is also equipped with Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism to minimise camera shake. This VC mechanism leverages AI technology when shooting video. The lens features Moisture-Resistant Construction, Fluorine Coating and a 67 mm filter size – the same as the Tamron series of lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras. The lens is…

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…

Write to us at: Smart Photography, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 105-106, Trade World, B-Wing, 1st Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400 013 E-mail: sp@nextgenpublishing.net Entertaining Dear SP, I’m a regular reader of your magazine and I am always amazed by the collection of images that you feature in your articles. It is very entertaining for me to browse through your magazine while sipping my morning or evening tea. It’s the perfect way to spend some time by myself. Regards, Swati Shukla Learning a lot Dear SP, I am learning a lot about photo editing software and post processing of pictures. Earlier I used to keep all my images in my hard drive or post them on Facebook directly, without editing them. But,…

Venus Optics has announced the launch of Laowa 10 mm f/2 Zero-D MFT ultra-wide compact lens. Offering a 96° Angle-of-view and equipped with 46 mm filter threads, the 10 mm Zero-D lens offers a full-frame equivalent focal length of 20 mm. It is constructed of 11 elements in 7 groups, including three extra-low dispersion elements. This manual focus lens is equipped with a CPU chip and motor, and allows the user to control the aperture ‘in-camera’ and record all the metadata in the EXIF. It comes with a five-blade aperture diaphragm, a minimum focussing distance of 12 cm and weighs 125 g. The Laowa 10 mm f/2 Zero-D MFT lens is currently available for purchase on the Venus Optics official website at a price of USD 399.…

TTArtisans has announced the release of a 50 mm f/1.2 APS-C lens for Canon M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds and Sony E mount camera systems. The lens is constructed of 7 optical elements in 5 groups and sports a metallic design. The lens is fully manual and uses a ten-blade aperture diaphragm, with a minimum focussing distance of 50 cm. It uses a 52 mm front filter thread, measures 60 mm long, 62 mm in diameter and weighs 336 g. The 50 mm f/1.2 APS-C lens is available for purchase at a price of US $98.…

Profoto has announced the launch of its Beta App for Android. The Beta app has been released with additional functionalities for AirX Smart-TTL. According to its newsletter, the Profoto Camera AirX technology enables users to create professional images with full flash tube sync. Smart-TTL, enables you to point-and-shoot with smart automatic exposure algorithms. The app is compatible with Profoto A10, B10, B10 Plus, C1 and C1 Plus flashes. It is also compatible with selected Samsung phones. The Profoto Beta App is available for download on Profoto’s official website.…

Sony has announced that it has been included in the CDP’s Water A-List, recognising Sony as one of the highest performing companies in the area of water resource management. This is the fourth time following FY 2016, 2017 and 2019, that Sony has made the Water A-List. According to reports, Sony continues to promote environmental initiatives from a long-term perspective. The company has adopted a “Road to Zero” longterm environmental plan that plots the course to a zero environmental footprint for the company’s operations and across the lifecycle of its products, by 2050. Sony is reportedly, taking a range of responsible actions at its plants all over the world to preserve local water resources and promote recycling of wastewater. Its manufacturing sites in Japan are working to reduce the amount…

On December 19, 2020, the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, supported by DSP Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd., IndusIand Bank and Greenko, in partnership with Delhibird Foundation, announced the results and of the Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 online, at a virtual ceremony held over the video conferencing software Zoom at 7.00 p.m.. This year, the audience attending the live event was given the opportunity to vote for the Sanctuary People’s Choice Wildlife Photography Award as well. The Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards were instituted two decades ago to recognise and honour those, who bring wild nature into our lives, through images that have changed human thoughts, ambitions and even national policies. The jury for this year’s Awards included Bittu Sahgal, Steve Winter, Dr. Anish Andheria, Nayan Khanolkar, Prasenjeet Yadav, Himanshuu Sheth, Dr. Parvish…

Optoma has introduced the P1 Pro and P2, the next-gen smart true 4K ultra short throw laser projectors as an addition to its CinemaX series. Both projectors come with advanced features. While the P1 Pro has elevated its brightness, the P2 has enhanced its colour with the new 6-segment colour wheel. Continuing the design with DuraCore Laser technology and ultrashort throw lens, they also deliver up to 120-inch images. The company has reported that its built-in Dolby Audio 2.0 soundbar completes the all-in-one entertainment experience for movies, media sharing and gaming. CinemaX Series comes with the TapCast app, allowing users to share their photos and videos onto the big screens. Both devices sport Smart+ Technology and deliver integrated services with smart home devices such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and…

Kazi is an English (lit.) teacher from West Bengal, with a passion for photography. “As a serious enthusiast, I journeyed from a hired (friend’s, of course,) Zenit SLR via my own Nikon f/80 to D-SLRs of modern time. I witnessed and joyfully embraced the swift transition from film to digital, since digital darkroom, I perceived, opened up a new possibility – a possibility perfected only by photoshop. I have always believed that photography is an art form since it has the ability to change the chaos and meaninglessness of the world into a self-sustaining structure and rhythm. Camera is a painter’s brush, except that, a camera has too much limitations; photoshop has liberated camera from such limitations. As a photographer, I always concentrate on familiar objects of everyday world and…

Abhishek is a software engineer from Jodhpur who pursues photography as his second profession. He is an avid traveller and loves to click genres like travel, street, wildlife and wedding photography. He is a member of the Federation of Indian Photography and a recipient of the honour of AFIP (Artist OF Federation of Indian Photography) and EFIP (Excellence in Federation of Indian Photography). He has also received AFIAP and EFIAP distinctions, from the Federation International de l’Art Photographique [FIAP] in France. Prudhvi is a travel and landscape photographer by passion and the Chief Photography Officer (CPO) of Picxy (a major stock photo company in South Asia), by profession. His photographs have been featured by National Geographic India, Canon Asia, Conde Nast Traveller India, BBC Earth, Lonely Planet India, 121Clicks and…

Effective pixels: Approx. 26.1 million Sensor size: APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) Type: X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor Storage media: SD/SDHC/SDXC cards Lens (Fixed): 23 mm f/2 Sensitivity: Still: ISO 160-12,800; AUTO; Can be extended to ISO 80, 100, 125, 25,600 or 51,200, Movies: ISO 160-12,800; AUTO; Can be extended to ISO 25,600 equivalent Metering: 256-segment TTL metering. Multi, Spot, Average, Centre-weighted Exposure control: P (with Program Shift), A, S, M Movies: +/- 2 EV Shutter speed: Mechanical shutter: Mode P: (4 sec - 1/4000 sec), Mode A: (30 Sec – 1/4000 Sec), Time: 15 min-1/4000 sec, Bulb: Max. 60 minutes, Electronic shutter: Mode P: (4 sec – 1/32,000 sec), Mode A: (30 sec – 1/32,000 sec), Time: (15 min – 1/32,000 sec), Bulb: Fixed at 1 sec, Mechanical + Electronic:…

Sensor type: 1.0-inch type (13.2 x 8.8 mm) Exmor RS CMOS sensor Effective pixels: Approx. 20.1 MP Lens type: Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens Lens construction: 10 elements in 9 groups (with 9 aspheric elements including AA lens) Aperture range: f/1.8 to 11 (W), f/2.8 to 11 (T) ND-filter: Auto / On (3 steps) / Off Focal length: 24 to 70 mm equivalent Focus range: W: approx. 5 cm to infinity T: approx. 30 cm to infinity Clear Image Zoom (Still Image): 20M approx. 5.8x / 10 M approx. 8.2x Clear Image Zoom (Movie): 4K: 4.35x, HD: approx. 5.8x LCD type: 3.0-inch, 921,600 dots Xtra Fine TFT Touch LCD Adjustable angle: Fully articulated LCD Image processing engine: BIONZ X Image stability: Still: Optical SteadyShot Movie: Optical SteadyShot with electronic compensation, Anti-Rolling…

1 Which of the following mounts is not a full frame mount? a) L mount b) Z mount c) F mount d) EF mount e) EF-S mount 2 Which Japanese Camera Company took its name from “ripening rice fields”? a) Minolta b) Nikon c) Yashica d) Canon 3 Which was the world’s first 35 mm SLR with a built-in cadmium sulphide (CdS) exposure meter? a) Nikon FT b) Minolta SR-7 c) Olympus OM 1 d) Topcon RE Super 4 America’s first spaceship, the Friendship 7 carried a Japanese camera. Which one? a) Nikon F b) Canon F1 c) Minolta Himatic Rangefinder d) Miranda Sensomat 5 Rokkor lenses were the brand used for lenses by which camera company? a) Minolta b) Miranda c) Petri d) Tamron 6 When Minolta exited the…

The Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) has announced that the CP+ 2021 will be conducted in a new form. The show will be held on-site at Pacifico Yokohama and also online as an international world premiere show for camera and photo imaging to introduce the latest products and technologies as well as to communicate the future of the industry. However, in view of the fact that the number of COVID-19 infection cases has recently been soaring once again, the association has decided to cancel the on-site organisation of the event and host CP+2021 online. According to reports, measures have been taken to ensure that the event can be participated in by maximum number of exhibitors. The online event is scheduled to take place from February 25, 2021 to February…

Skylum has officially announced the launch of its software Luminar AI. The latest software comes with many new features and AI tools for creating a smooth workflow. One such example is the new Templates feature wherein the software automatically checks for problem areas in each of the pictures and recommends specific templates or solutions, using 3D mapping. It gives the user the option to eliminate or skip the time-consuming process of processing and retouching without compromising the quality of the images. The tools included in Portrait retouching process include Face AI, Iris AI, Body AI and Skin AI for retouching target areas. Similarly, for retouching landscapes, tools such as Sky AI and atmosphere AI come in handy. It enables the user to change or enhance specific details of the image…

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (“SPE”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and AT&T Inc. (“AT&T”), have announced that Funimation Global Group, LLC has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the equity interest in Ellation Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of AT&T, which operates the anime business Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll is a premier anime direct-to-consumer service within AT&T’s WarnerMedia segment with more than 3 million SVOD subscribers and growing. It serves 90 million registered users across more than 200 countries and territories offering AVOD, mobile games, manga, events merchandise and distribution. The total purchase price of this transaction is 1.175 billion U.S. dollars subject to customary working capital and other adjustments.…

Mivi, a home-grown electronics brand, has launched its first Made in India product. Roam 2, which is an upgraded version of Roam 1.0, is the first Bluetooth speaker which has completely been made in India. The company has also announced the launch of its new unit in Hyderabad, reportedly marking the beginning of a new journey for Mivi to build locally while also competing at international standards. The new speaker and has 24 hours of play time at mid volume, Aircraft grade aluminium grill, Bluetooth 5.0 among other features. It has a HD Stereo Sound and powerful bass that has been fine tuned for the Indian audience’s preference of music. The device is available in four metallic colours and is dust-resistant and waterproof. The company remains confident that the customers…

Nilakkhya is a wedding and landscape photographer from Delhi. “My photography journey started around 8 years ago, when I quit my corporate job and decided to pursue photography full time. Over a period, I developed my own brand in wedding photography and film making by the name ‘Nilakkhya Weddings’ and moved ahead. However, my love for the Himalayas made me make a lot of trips to this wonderland and in the process, I slowly developed an interest in landscape photography. Over this period, I have extensively travelled across the Himalayas and have tried to capture the beauty and vividness that it sheds, through my camera. I wish to continue this journey lifelong till my health and support system permits and promote the concept of landscape photography in the Himalayas so…

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…

Camera type: Mirrorless, with interchangeable lenses Effective pixels: 24.5 million Sensor type/size: CMOS/35.9 x 23.9 mm. Full frame BSI sensor: Yes, Back Side Illuminated File format: 12 or 14-bit (lossless compressed, compressed, or uncompressed). Large, Medium & Small Raw available, JPEG Fine, Normal & Basic. Raw + JPEG. Memory card slots: Two Storage media: SD / XQD or CFexpress ISO sensitivity: 100-51,200 Monitor size: 8.12 cm (3.2”) diagonal Shutter speeds: 30 sec – 1/8000sec; 900 sec -1/8000 sec in M mode Active D-Lighting: Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, Off. D-Lighting bracketing: Yes White Balance: Auto (3 types), Natural light auto, Direct sunlight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Fluorescent (7 types), Flash, Choose colour temperature or Preset manual WB Bracketing: Yes Video: 4K UHD and Full HD at various resolutions Camera body…

As vloggers and bloggers fast become major content creators, cameras are quickly turning into versatile video and still devices. There are a few devices that stand out in the crowd, catering to the ever-growing demands of the vlogger and home content creator communities. The Sony ZV-1 is one such camera that is primarily aimed at vlogging. Design and Build Quality The Vlog Camera ZV-1 is a compact and lightweight device made specifically with vloggers in mind. The fully articulated LCD allows you to include yourself in the video while vlogging. It has a well-defined textured grip. The grille by the side of the accessory shoe encloses a directional three-capsule mic that is optimal for recording sound from the front of the camera. The package includes a furry windshield, which when…