Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Smart Photography

Will video become more important than still pictures? This is a question frequently asked by enthusiasts who are concerned about the direction in which their hobby is going. Camera and mobile phone manufacturers have hedged their bets by providing both in their products. However, all cameras are not equally proficient in still and video reproduction. It is therefore essential to clearly determine where your real passion lies. Also, remember that video editing is relatively a less explored field and can pose extra challenges. To answer some of your questions, we are carrying a special article on the best mirrorless cameras for video.…

Sigma has announced the upcoming release of the 18-50 mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens. The lens covers 27 mm to 75 mm in the 35 mm format, and has an aperture of f/2.8 throughout the entire zoom range. The lens is constructed of 13 elements in 10 groups, with 1 SLD and 3 aspherical elements. According to Sigma, the use of in-camera aberration correction further eliminates optical imperfections such as distortion and vignetting. The lens has a maximum diameter of 65.4 mm, a length of 74.5 mm and weight of 290 g. The barrel is constructed from a polycarbonate called Thermally Stable Composite (TSC), which is reportedly sleek, robust and has a thermal conductivity close to that of aluminium. It boasts a fast and near-silent AF and uses a…

Rotolight has announced the next generation of its LED lighting products, i.e. the Rotolight Neo 3 and Aeos 2. These two fixtures are available for pre-order exclusively through Rotolight’s Kickstarter campaign, which will run through until November 16, 2021. The Neo 3 is a bright LED, which is available as an individual light, a three-light kit and with a rechargeable lithium battery, while the Aeos 2 is a lightweight and ultra-thin LED with a 1 x 1 panel and weighs 1.4 kg. Both products reportedly, come with flash of 16.7 million colours or 2,500 digital filters, with zero recycle time. Other features include a full-colour 2-inch touchscreen display, an iOS and Android native app, easy switch between lighting modes to adjust colour, power, SFX etc. and a Universal Speedring adaptor.…

Nikon has unveiled Z9, a full-frame Z series mirrorless camera. Reports suggest that the specifications include simultaneous subject detection, increased 405-point auto-area AF, 3D-tracking for still image shooting, EXPEED 7 processor, 120 fps continuous shooting, Dual-Stream technology with 45.7 effective megapixels stacked CMOS sensor, a viewfinder equipped with a Quad-VGA panel and four-axis vertical and horizontal tilting image monitor. Other features include in-camera VR, dual coating for dust prevention with image sensor cleaning and the ability to operate in temperatures as low as -10C°. The device also includes in-camera Wi-Fi and utilises programs like NX MobileAir and NX Tether. We will come back with a more detailed report later.…

Sony Semiconductor Solutions has announced the decision to change its organisational structure, planned for Sony Semiconductor Solutions and Sony LSI Design. The announcement states that Sony Semiconductor Solutions will absorb and merge with Sony LSI Design on April 1, 2022, and integrate their business. This decision is intended to further strengthen the business by establishing a structure that enables integrated operation of semiconductor design and design operations within the Sony Semiconductor Solutions group in response to changes in the market environment surrounding the Imaging and Sensing Solutions business. The summary of the companies’ business integration includes scheduling of the business integration, effective from April 1, 2022 and the method of the business integration includes an absorption-type merger in which Sony Semiconductor Solutions is the surviving company and Sony LSI Design…

Fujifilm has launched a series of digital ads as a part of their campaign, which focusses around a young household celebrating Diwali and the daughter creating memories that would last a lifetime using the Fujifilm Instax, termed as “the perfect gift for every occasion”. These digital ads showcase the offers by Fujifilm India on the Instax special gift box this festive season along with a range of other products. The digital campaign is based on the idea of “gifting instant memories”, where a young girl who resides in a joint-family household brings everyone together using an Instax instant camera. According to the company, the ad highlights the paramount feature and utility of the Fujifilm Instax Mini. Speaking about the campaign, Koji Wada, Managing Director, Fujifilm India said, “India represents a…

Manuj is a Delhi based travel and lifestyle photographer and a documentary film maker. He has worked with a number of social and environmental organisations and has covered assignments for Indian Railways, Airtel, Rajasthan Rural Development and Euro RSCG (Havas Creative). He was nominated as one of the best street photographers of India by Street Photography India Organisation and has been featured in magazines like Daily Hunt, Startup India Magazine, Google News, Flipbaord and Indiatimes Network. Manuj is currently working with New Delhi YMCA as a Technical Officer. He also lectures on photography and documentary films in YMCA, Carmel Convent and IIMC Delhi. His images of Kashmir and Rajasthan fetched him the Samsung Story Award and an association with NFDC (National Film Development Corporation) for documentary films. He has been…

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…

Cosina has announced that the new Voigtlander 90 mm f/2.8 Apo-Skopar lens for M-mount cameras is now available for pre-order. The manual lens uses an apochromatic optical design and is made up of 7 elements in 7 groups, 5 of which use Abnormal Partial Dispersion (APD) glass. According to reports, the lens uses a ten-blade aperture diaphragm, has an aperture of f/2.8 through f/22 and comes with a minimum focussing distance of 90 cm. It measures 53 mm in diameter, has a length of 60 mm and weighs 250 g. The lens is available for pre-order from authorised retailers at a price of USD 799 in Black and Silver colours.…

Irix has announced the release of its new 30 mm f/1.4 lens for Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K-mount camera systems. The lens is based on the 30 mm Cine model, and therefore intended for the film industry market. While the entire optical structure of the lens is identical in both versions, the photographic version has a completely different housing. Its key features include weather-sealed construction, aperture control from the camera, compatibility with PASM semi-automatic modes, Focus Lock function, 140-degree rotation angle of the focus ring and an 86 mm filter mounting front thread. The lens features an optical design that includes 3 ultra-low dispersion glass elements, 2 high reflectance glass elements and one aspherical lens. It has a total of 13 elements in 11 groups, works with 35…

Fujifilm has announced the launch of its Instax Link Wide Smartphone Printer, the latest in the Instax line-up of instant printing devices. “This product came to life, thanks in part to tremendous positive feedback from our Instax community,” said Manny Almeida, division president, Imaging Division, Fujifilm North America Corporation. “After enjoying all the image printing capabilities available from their Instax Mini Link Smartphone Printers, so many of our consumers reached out, enthusiastically requesting an Instax Wide photo print option as well, in order to print their Smartphone or digital camera images on a larger scale. With its updated features and ease-of-use, we’re confident that Link Wide will delight our consumer base while satisfying their desire for a wide option for printing their images.” Link Wide creates instant prints from the…

Nikon has announced the Nikkor Z DX 18-140 mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens compatible with APS-C size (Nikon DX-format) mirrorless cameras. It is a high-power compact zoom lens that measures 90 mm long and weighs approx. 315 g. It has a minimum focussing distance of 0.2 m at the maximum wide-angle position and realises high vibration reduction (VR) performance with an effect equivalent to a 5.0-stop increase in shutter speed. The lens covers a focal-length range of 18 mm to 140 mm (27 mm-210 mm, 35 mm angle of view equivalent) and has a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.33x. It comes with select functions that can be assigned to the control ring for stills and video. The fast, precise and quiet AF operation is attained with the employment of an STM…

Sony Pictures Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony, and Scopely, has announced that Scopely has agreed to acquire GSN Games, a division of Game Show Network, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPE. The consideration of this transaction is approximately 1 billion U.S. dollars, subject to customary working capital and other adjustments. SPE will receive half of the consideration in cash and the remainder in preferred equity. This transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Sony expects to record a gain resulting from the transfer as operating profit upon its completion, and Sony is currently assessing the impact, including the amount of such gain and other factors, on its forecast for consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.…

Canon has announced the launch of its first innovative and futuristic format, Canon Image Square (CIS) 4.0 in Andheri West, Mumbai. The “experience store” aims to bring together technology, lifestyle and innovation to its consumers. With the launch of CIS 4.0, Canon has embarked on a paradigm shift in its retail strategy, persuading professional and semiprofessional photographers to experience the brand’s end-to-end photography solutions. The stores will also have service collection and CPS registration desks to cater to consumer demands. The new CIS Version 4.0 store aims to deliver an immersive experience to the consumers, thereby making it relatable to their existing workflows. The stores will include four interactive zones, i.e. Wedding, Wildlife, Vlogging and the Family zone, enabling the customers to simply walk-in and engage in roundtable discussions with…

You took over the reins of Canon India at a very difficult time for the imaging industry. What did you find different in the Indian imaging industry, compared to other parts of the world? Yes. It was a very unique time when I joined the organisation. But even before I took over this new role as CEO, I have had the pleasure of visiting the market about four times previously through the Asian community since I was in charge of the Asian market. So, I knew a little bit about Indian market as well as the future expectations towards the market. Maybe if you discount these eventful months of the Covid situation, we have high expectations towards Indian market. In terms of the sheer size, it is still in the…

Umesh started his journey as a freelance photographer in 1998 and has since, photographed many commercial and tourism assignments for his clients and Government departments. He considers travel, landscape and nature photography as his foremost passion. Seven years (2008-2014) as a mentor, he conducted workshops for Canon India and is currently a brand ambassador and mentor for Sony Alpha. These days, he is involved in astro photography and conducts photography expeditions and master classes. “I have spent a lot of time in documenting the cultural and architectural heritage of Rajasthan and the Himalayas. My work has been published in several books on these subjects. Rajasthan’s royalty, fairs, festivals and colours are the subjects of my coffee table books on Pali, Jalore and Jhalawar” says Umesh. His list of accolades include…

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…

Write to us at: Smart Photography, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400 013 E-mail: sp@nextgenpublishing.net Interesting and insightful Dear Editor, I really enjoyed going through the travel and landscape photographs in the Showcase and Mastercraftsman section of your last edition. I was really taken aback with the beauty of the places portrayed and it was very interesting to read about what goes into the procedure of photographing different places through the eyes of the masters of the craft. Mr. Hirak Bhattacharya’s interview was definitely an interesting read and I found it very insightful. Yours thankfully, Regards, Rajesh Malhotra Detailed and easy to follow Dear SP, The learning section from the October edition…

Sony recently participated in the CEATEC 2021 Online event that was conducted from October 19 to October, 22, 2021, offering an exhibit on the theme of “see, sense and fascinate the world with clarity.” This year, CEATEC was held online based on the theme of “Connecting Society, Co-Creating the Future.” The exhibit showcased imaging and sensing technologies, which have helped achieve Sony’s Purpose, to “fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology.” The 22 videos available for the event included six mobility-related videos, eight videos on social and environmental initiatives and eight entertainment-related videos. The videos were offered in advance to the media on October 18, 2021, post which, they were made accessible for viewing by registered guests of CEATEC from October 19 to 22.…

Sony has announced the commercialisation of the IMX487, a 2/3-type CMOS image sensor for industrial equipment, which is compatible with the UV (ultraviolet light) wavelength and comes with global shutter functionality and a pixel count of approximately 8.13 megapixels. According to Sony, the pixels capture UV light with high efficiency, resulting in high UV sensitivity as well as a compact form factor and high resolution made possible by 2.74 µm square pixel size. It utilises Sony’s Pregius S global shutter technology, which employs a back-illuminated pixel structure on a stacked CMOS image sensor. Sony expects the new sensor to be useful in a variety of applications, including semiconductor pattern defect inspection in the existing UV camera market. The product reportedly employs material with a high level of UV transmittance for…

Fujifilm has announced the creation of the Sustainable Data Storage Initiative to highlight how tape technology can significantly reduce electricity consumption and CO2 emissions related to data storage. The initiative launches with a white paper termed “Accelerating Green Datacenter Progress with Sustainable Storage Strategies”, published by technology research firm IDC, and sponsored by Fujifilm, providing an in-depth analysis of the significant energy savings and resulting environmental benefits of moving more data to tape storage. “We’re proud to launch the Sustainable Data Storage Initiative to help spread awareness of today’s modern data tape technology as a solution to reducing CO2 emissions from data storage operations while simultaneously reducing costs,” said Hironobu Taketomi, President, Fujifilm Recording Media U.S.A., Inc. “Beginning with this study, Fujifilm’s global initiative will help companies around the world…

Canon has announced the launch of the EOS VR System, a new virtual reality (VR) video production system. The system includes one lens and two computer software applications, which will be available from December 2021. The new EOS VR System consists of mirrorless cameras, a dedicated lens and computer software. Users can capture VR videos by attaching the dedicated lens to the camera, and then utilise the computer software to convert the resulting image files to a standard VR file format, making the post-production process easy. Commenting on this launch, Manabu Yamazaki, President and CEO, Canon India said, “We are constantly pushing technological boundaries by anticipating both current and future needs. With the launch of Canon EOS VR System, we are bringing the power to create incredible 180° VR content…

Fujifilm has announced the elevation of Arun Babu from General Manager, EID and Optical Device to the Head of Division - Electronic Imaging, Optical Devices and Instax Division. The elevation came into effect on October 11, 2021. In his new role, Arun Babu will be responsible for the general management of all the three divisions and looking after the end-to-end operations of the combined divisions. Commenting on the elevation, Koji Wada, Managing Director, Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Under the leadership of Arun Babu, our camera division has witnessed tremendous growth over the years. In this new role, he will be looking after our complete camera offerings and scale the business to new heights. I wish him all the best for his new responsibility and look forward to working with…

Aradhana is a self-taught freelance photographer based in Delhi, who has recently graduated from Delhi University. “Photography was always my hobby, until two years ago when it turned into my passion. Since then, I have been a part of various Photo-walks conducted by local groups, which has given me exposure and experience. As the pandemic hit, I dived deep into photography and learnt from online platforms such as Youtube. I haven’t discovered my main genre of interest yet, but I have a keen interest in street, travel and portrait photography. I have also been a part of maternity and pre-wedding shoots. Overall, I have found photography to be a fun journey filled with challenges that help me grow” says Aradhana. Instagram : @lens_ throughme…

The Instagram Photo Feature is for all you photographers and photography enthusiasts on Instagram who caught our eye! Follow @spmagazineofficialon Instagram and tag us in your posts to get a chance to be featured in Smart Photography. Sajeesh, commonly known as ‘Blackstone’, is a professional photographer based in Thrissur, Kerala. His photography team, ‘The Frame Hunters’ are involved in fashion, wedding, culture and wildlife photography. “I first fell in love with photography when I was in Dubai and started to click photos of birds and wildlife. Upon my return to Kerala, I shot the Theyyam festivals in Malabar and conducted many exhibitions showcasing my collection of wildlife and Theyyam photographs. My goal is to show the beauty and grace of the people. I also shoot a lot of portraitures and…