Innehållsförteckning för July/August 2018 från Camera

THE PHOTOGRAPH REPRODUCED HERE was taken nearly 89 years ago. The subject is my mother-in-law – then aged one – who will turn 90 at the end of this year. The image (as a scanned file) is one of a number being incorporated into a quilt which will be presented to her first great-grandchild and so will span four generations. Apart from the ageless nature of this picture – it could have been taken yesterday – and how the little print itself has survived all these decades in exceptionally good condition, there’s all the interest that it’s now creating among my wife’s family and friends. Where was it taken? Is it an inlet, lake or a pond? And why is she seemingly on her own, although of course, there must…

FUJIFILM has released an extensive firmware upgrade for its X-T2 ‘APS-C’ mirrorless camera. Firmware Version 4.0 adds no fewer than nine new features or improvements, including F.Log internal recording for video, Full HD recording at 120 fps (for slow-mo effects), increased low-light sensitivity, upgraded continuous AF operation, focus bracketing (for up to 999 frames with an adjustable shift), flicker detection and compatibility with the new Fujinon MK series of X mount cinematography lenses. For more information visit www.fujifilm.com.au We’ve always maintained that SONY has its eye on the number one spot in the interchangeable lens camera (ILC) business and this has been confirmed at a recent presentation by the company in Tokyo. Interestingly, Sony says it aims to get there by the end of 2020, which really isn’t all that…

MAXXUM PTY LTD has been appointed the exclusive Australian distributor for the Litra LED LitraTorch which serves as both a handy torch or a compact and versatile LED light source for photography and video (visit https://litra.com). It is also now handling the Gripgear micro dolly system – for super-smooth camera tracking – which is specifically designed for use with compact mirrorless cameras, actioncams or smartphones (visit https://gripgear.com).Maxxum is also the Australian distributor for Samyang lenses, Tenba camera bags and photo backpacks, Benro tripods and Hama accessories. Visit www.maxxum.com.au…

JUST FOR STARTERS, Wooden Camera doesn’t make wooden cameras, right?Yes, we know, it’s a tad misleading and we’re sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting a nice Cherrywood view camera, but in fact, the company makes high-end accessories for video and cinematography camera systems. It’s part of the Vitec Group which also owns Manfrotto, Lastolite, Lowepro and Joby. Kayell Australia has been appointed the Australian distributor for Wooden Camera products and the range includes an extensive choice of camera cages for Arri, Blackmagic, Canon, Red, Panasonic, Sony and Nikon bodies plus follow focus kits, handles, shoulder rigs, matte boxes, monitor cages, and cables. Kayell has showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne, but you can also purchase Wooden Camera products online. Kayell Australia is also the Australian distributor for a wide…

Not entirely surprisingly, the EOS 3000D’s video story is a pretty brief one. It records Full HD video at 25 or 24 fps and in the HD resolution at 50 fps using H.264 interframe (IPB) compression in the MOV format. The NTSC recording speeds are also available.The built-in microphone is mono and there’s no provision for connecting anything else, but you can adjust the recording level manually and there is a wind-cut filter… so it’s possible to tweak the sound quality a bit. Manual exposure setting is possible prior to commencing recording and both the AE lock and exposure compensation are available if using auto control. The ‘Picture Style’ presets (including Monochrome), white balance controls, grid display and corrections such as the ‘Auto Lighting Optimiser’ (ALO) and ‘Highlight Tone Priority’…

Type: Fully automatic digital camera with Micro Four Thirds bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic 49-point wide-area system using contrast-detection via imaging sensor. Single focus point – with variable area size – can be moved around the image frame. Manual or automatic switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes, the latter with a subject tracking function. Face detection and recognition. Sensitivity range is EV -4.0 - 18 (ISO 100). AF assist provided by dedicated illuminator. Manual focus assistance via magnification (up to 20x, either full image or picture-in-picture) and focus peaking displays (Blue, Yellow, Green, Pink or White; High or Low intensity). Metering: 1728-point multi-zone, centre-weighted average, spot and TTL flash. Metering range is EV 0 to 18 (ISO 100/f2.0). Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priority auto, aperture-priority auto, metered…

Because the Chinon name more or less disappeared from the front of cameras in the early 1990s, there’s a chance you’ve never heard of it, but the brand was a major player during the glory dates of 35mm film, both in SLRs and compacts. Established in 1948 in Tokyo by a young entrepreneur called Hiroshi Chino (then aged 28), the company was first named Sanshin Seisakusho and made the main physical components for camera lenses, such as barrel tubes and internal sleeves. These parts were supplied to Canon and a number of other leading Japanese camera manufacturers. The company then branched into making the lenses for 8mm movie cameras and, in 1959, produced the world’s first 8mm zoom lens. In 1962 the manufacture of 8mm movie cameras began, and the…

1 YASHICA MAT 124G 1970 Enduringly popular because of its price, quality and reliability which made it an affordable entry-point into medium format photography, Yashica’s last 6x6cm TLR model stayed in production until 1986. 2 YASHICA AUTO FOCUS MOTOR 1981 One of the first fully automatic 35mm compact cameras, the Auto Focus Motor is great-granddaddy to a long line of Yashica 35mm compacts which lasted until the company’s demise in 2005. 3 YASHICA FX-70 QUARTZ 1983 During the late 1970s and into the 1980s, Yashica and Contax 35mm SLRs were developed alongside each other and, of course, shared the same lens mount so the former benefited from technologies such as quartz-timing for the electronic shutters. 4 YASHICA FX-3 2000 1986 Another long-serving Yashica camera, the FX-3 Super 2000 – so…

The Rollei story is quite typical of nearly all the major European camera makers – reputations largely established between the wars in the first half of the 20th century and mostly built on one very successful model concept, followed by years of complacency which left them exposed to the twin threats of the rampant post-WWII Japanese camera industry and the development of the microchip. The inevitable financial difficulties subsequently hobbled any meaningful R&D, and then digital imaging delivered the final blow. Let’s face it, this would almost certainly have also been the Leica story, but for the intervention of a well-financed enthusiast, and thankfully for Leica, because the final decade or so of the original Rollei operation – with a pass-the-parcel parade of owners – was painful to watch. The…

1 MAMIYAFLEX C2 PROFESSIONAL 1958 The first 6x6cm twin lens reflex (TLR) with interchangeable lenses. 2 MAMIYA RB67 PROFESSIONAL SD 1990 The last of the long-lived RB67 line of 6x7cm SLRs remained in production until 2012. 3 MAMIYA M645 1975 The world’s first 6x4.5cm format SLR camera was designed to increase the appeal of medium format photography beyond professionals by being smaller, lighter and more affordable. 4 MAMIYA 6 1989 The Mamiya 6 model name was revived on a 6x6cm rangefinder camera with interchangeable lenses, another world first. 5 MAMIYA ZE AND ZE-2 1980 Mamiya’s Z series of 35mm SLRs introduced the concept of an all-electronic lens mount so information such as the focal length could be relayed to the camera body.…

ANNOUNCED A FEW months ago, Tamron’s first accessory lens for Sony’s FE mount is now available in Australia. The 28-75mm f2.8 RXD zoom is a Di III series lens (Tamron’s designation for lenses for full-35mm mirrorless cameras) and employs a new autofocusing drive called ‘RXD’ which stands for Rapid eXtra-Silent Stepping Drive. Stepping motors are becoming more frequently used for autofocusing systems because they’re not only very quiet, but provide the smoothness which is especially important when shooting video. The Tamron lens supports Sony’s ‘DMF’ (Direct Manual Focus) function which provides a full-time manual override of the autofocusing. It also supports Sony’s in-camera corrections for vignetting, chromatic aberrations and distortion. The minimum focusing distance is 19 centimetres at 28mm and 39 centimetres at 75mm which gives a maximum reproduction ratio…

Here’s an interesting time line. Back in 1995 Canon introduced the EOSDCS 1, its second D-SLR based on the 35mm EOS-1N, but using Kodak digital capture technology. It cost $55,000 and, we were told much later, just one was sold in Australia. In 1998 Canon launched the EOS D2000 – another collaboration with Kodak – which was a 2.0 megapixels D-SLR costing $32,000. Then, in 2000, came the EOS D30 which was Canon’s first ‘home grown’ D-SLR, but more significantly, it was more compact than anything that had been seen before and was priced at a more ‘affordable’ $6000 for the body only. That money bought you 3.25 megapixels of resolution, continuous shooting at up to 3.0 fps and a massive 32 MB of buffer memory. Luxury! At the time…

Type: Entry level digital SLR with Canon EF-S bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic via nine-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CMOS sensor. Central point is a cross-type array. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically. One-shot and continuous modes (the latter with a predictive function), with manual or automatic switching. Sensitivity range is EV 0 - 18 (ISO 100). AF assist in low light/contrast situations is provided by the built-in flash. Face detection AF/AE and ‘FlexiZone’ AF point available in live view and a magnified image (5x/10x) for manual focus assistance. Metering: 63-zone evaluative (using iFCL dual-layered sensor), selective area (10.0% of image area), centre-weighted average and E-TTL II auto flash. Metering range is EV 1 to 20 (50mm/f1.4/ISO 100). 315 zones in live view. Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program…

At one time the vast majority of 35mm SLRs would have been sold fitted with a 50mm lens which, as a result, became known as the ‘standard lens’. The word “standard” has subsequently often been interpreted as meaning that the 50mm focal length (on the 35mm format) best represents the way we see the world, particularly in terms of the angle-of-view and perspective. This is partially true (in fact, 40mm is arguably the closest to the human eye), but the 50mm focal length is a standard for a variety of other reasons, most notably for how it covered the 35mm film frame, firstly in movie cameras and then in still cameras. The world’s first 35mm still camera, Leica’s I, had a fixed 50mm lens because it was this focal length…

1 CHINON 35F-MA 1979 Chinon was the first Japanese camera maker to develop an active autofocusing using near-infrared triangulation, and it made its debut on 35F-MA compact which also boasted a motorised film transport. 2 CHINONCE-4S 1980 The infrared AF system was also built-into a couple of accessory lenses for Chinon’s 35mm SLRs, including the 50mm f1.7 model shown here on the CE-4s body. The lens incorporated the bugeyed AF module, motor and the power supply so it could be used on any K-mount SLR body (but Chinon’s later CE-5 model included an in-focus indicator in the viewfinder). 3 CHINOBN CP-7M 1986 Chinon was never far behind any of the major developments in 35mm SLRs, the CP-7m joining the growing ranks of models in the mid-1980s with built-in autowinders. 4…

Compared to the small group of brands around now, medium format photography was once the happy hunting ground of many – Bronica, Fujifilm, Linhof, Kowa, Mamiya, Norita, Rollei, Hasselblad, Polaroid, Pentax, Plaubel, Pentacon, Kiev andYashica. The end of the TLR era saw many camera makers abandon rollfilm in favour of 35mm, but the arrival of Hasselblad’s revolutionary 6x6cm SLR sparked a revival in medium format photography and convinced others they could do even better… among them ZenzaburōYoshino who established Bronica in Tokyo in 1956. Initially the company made hand-crafted luxury goods – including watches – but Yoshino was a keen camera enthusiast with a penchant for the prestige European brands, and he soon began working on his own design for a modular rollfilm SLR to compete with Hasselblad. Bronica’s first…

1 ROLLEIFLEX 3.5F 1960 From 1929 to around the end of 2014, the Rolleiflex 6x6cm TLR is the longest lived camera ever, even if the last few decades were mostly stop-start production of very low volumes. 2 ROLLEIFLEX SL66 1966 Rollei’s answer to the Hasselblad 500 series never achieved anything like the same success and production volumes were low. 3 ROLLEIFLEX SLX 1976 Extremely advanced for the time, the SLX was the first 6x6cm SLR with a built-in autowinder, an electronically-controlled shutter and auto exposure control. It paved the way for the later 6000 series models. 4 ROLLEI 35S 1974 Rollei’s classic 35mm sub-compact was first introduced in 1966 and still remains one of the smallest 35mm cameras ever made. In one version or another, it remained in production until…

How readily would you change camera brands? We’ve discussed brand loyalties here before, but camera makers seem to gather ‘rusted on’ devotees more than just about any other category of consumer product, even cars. So what does it take to make a loyal user finally jump ship? A lot, it would seem. I suspect there’s a fair amount of angst among the owners of Australian-made Fords and Holdens now that their next purchase will have to be an import. If you were buying Falcons or Commodores because you really liked the fact that they were locally built – and so had a unique element of ‘Australianness’ – you’d now be tempted to apply some other criteria to the selection of your next vehicle… well, every model on our market is…

HASSELBLAD HAS introduced its widest-angle prime lens ever, a 21mm f4.0 XCD mount model for its mirrorless digital medium format camera system. The new ultra-wide lens is equivalent to a 17mm in the 35mm format and gives a diagonal angle-of-view of 105 degrees. It’s the first of six new XCD lenses planned for 2018 which will bring Hasselblad’s mirrorless medium format lens system up to ten models. The optical design comprises 13 elements in nine groups, two of which are aspherical types to correct for distortion. The new XCD 21mm has an aperture range of f4.0 to f32 and a minimum focusing distance of 32 centimetres which gives a maximum magnification ratio of 1:10. The focusing group is internal. As with all XCD mount lenses, it has an electronically-controlled leaf…

Current to 8 October: Exhibition. Wildlife Photographer Of TheYear. One hundred images from the finalists and winners in the 2017 edition of the world’s biggest wildlife photography competition. At the Australian National Maritime Museum, 2 Murray Street, Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW 2000. Entry is $20 which includes admission to the permanent galleries. Museum hours are 9.30am to 5.00pm daily. For more information telephone (02) 9298 3777 or visit www.anmm.gov.au 26 – 29 September: 2018 Photokina World Of Imaging. The world’s largest exhibition of new imaging products and processes. At the Köln Messe, Cologne, Germany. Visit www.photokina-cologne.comfor more information. 8 – 11 May 2019: 2019 Photokina World Of Imaging. The world’s largest exhibition of new imaging products switches to a yearly cycle with new dates in May. At the Köln Messe,…

Yes, we know Canon’s reflex camera model numbering can be confusing, but it’s always been this way… ‘1’ always symbolises the flag-ship and then the numbers get progressively greater as we head towards entry-level. So, 1500 is greater than 3000, OK? The EOS 1500D will cost you around $100 more than the 3000D and for this you get, most importantly, a higher-res sensor (at 24.7 million pixels), but also a bigger LCD monitor screen (with a decent 920,600 dots resolution), the convenience of NFC for connecting to WiFi, an accessory input (for either a remote trigger or GPS receiver), a stainless steel lens mount and various other enhancements such as much faster start-up. Worth it? Depends, as the AF, AE and white balance functionality are all the same as are…

Flash: Built-in with GN 9.2 power (ISO 100/ metres), 17mm (equivalent to 28mm) angle of output and E-TTL II exposure control. Auto pop-up. ISO standard hotshoe. Flash compensation up to +/-2.0 EV in either ½ or 1/3 stop increments. Auto, red-eye reduction, fill-in, first/ second curtain sync modes. Built-in red-eye reduction lamp. Viewfinder: Optical penta-mirror type. Coverage = 95% vertical/horizontal. Magnification = 0.80x (50mm lens at infinity). LCD displays and LED focus point indicators. Fixed focusing screen with AF point markings. Eyepiece strength adjustment provided. Additional Features: GRP bodyshell and stainless steel lens mount, wired remote trigger input, 11 custom functions. DIGITAL SECTION Sensor: 24.7 million pixels CMOS with 22.3x14.9 mm area and 3:2 aspect ratio. Sensitivity equivalent to ISO 100-6400 (extend-able to ISO 12,800). Formats/Resolution: Two JPEG compression settings…

Similar to its photographic capabilities, the GX9 has been stripped of some of the key video-making features of its predecessor which, consequently, may well have potential buyers looking elsewhere. The most significant omissions are a stereo audio input and the ‘Cinelike D’ and ‘Cinelike V’ gamma profiles which optimise the dynamic range for colour grading in post-production. Now it’s just possible Panasonic has determined that serious video-makers are all heading straight over to the GH5/5S models which is probably true, but aspiring practitioners would undoubtedly still like to have these features too. It all seems a bit contradictory because, otherwise, the GX9 has plenty going for it as a compact video camera, including 4K recording in the UHD resolution (3840x2160 pixels) at either 25 or 24 fps, Full HD recording…

Resolution: 12 megapixels (4032x3024 pixels). Aperture: Fixed at f1.8. Focal Length: 3.99mm (28mm – 35mm format equivalent). Lens: Six elements, Sapphire crystal lens cover. Flash: Quad LED ‘True Tone’ flash with slow-speed sync. Sensor: Backside Illumination (BSI) CMOS. Image Formats: HEIF and JPEG. Other Features: Optical image stabilisation, panorama stitching (up to 63 mega-pixels in size), 5.0x digital zoom, ‘Hybrid IR’ filter, autofocus with focus pixels, tap-to-focus control, ‘Live Photo’ capture, wide colour, body and face detection, noise reduction, auto HDR for photos, auto image stabilisation, burst capture mode, timer mode, photo geotagging, time lapse recording. Video: 4K UHD at 24, 30 or 60 fps; Full HD 1080p at 30 or 60 fps, HD 720p at 30 fps, slow motion 1080p recording at 120 or 240 fps, continuous autofocusing, still…

Vital Statistics – Format: Full-35mm and ‘APS-C’ format digital sensors. The focal length is equivalent to 80mm with a 1.6x focal length magnification factor. Angle-of-View: 46.6 degrees (diagonal on 35mm). Construction: 11 elements/8 groups. Minimum Focus: 45 cm. Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:5.8. Aperture Range: f1.2 to f16. Overall Length: 117.4 mm. Maximum Diameter: 93.0 mm. Filter Diameter: 86 mm. Weight: 1.2 kilograms. Lens Mount: Canon EF. Features: Aluminium alloy barrel tubes, manual focus, one aspherical element, one high-refractive index glass element, ‘Ultra Multi Coating’ (UMC) anti-reflection coatings, nine-blades diaphragm. Bayonet-fit metal lens hood and carry pouch supplied. Price: $1399 Distributor: Maxxum Pty Ltd (03) 9314 4979 www.maxxum.com.au…

Yashica is another of the Japanese camera makers that flourished during the golden years of the 35mm film format, producing long lines of rangefinder cameras, SLRs and lens-shutter compacts from the end of the 1950s through to the middle of 1990s. It all began in Nagano, Japan, in 1949 with a small company called Yashima Seiki which began making the components for clocks. In the early 1950s it expanded into making parts for cameras and, in 1953, launched its first complete camera, a 6x6cm twin lens reflex called the Yashimaflex. Later that same year the company name was changed to the Yashima Optical Industry Co., and the subsequent TLR models were known as Yashicaflexes, including the S (1954) which was the first Japanese camera to have a built-in selenium cell…

1 BRONICA S2A 1971 The elegant S2A featured highly-polished stainless steel trim and was the last of the company’s fully mechanical 6x6cm SLRs with a focal plane shutter. 2 BRONICA SQ 1998 The next generation of SQ series 6x6cm SLRs switched to using leaf shutters which allowed flash sync at all speeds and made them popular with wedding and portrait photographers. 3 BRONICA ETR-SI 1989 Following Mamiya’s pioneering 6x4.5cm SLR system, Bronica responded with the ETR line. It finished with the Si model which added TTL flash metering, mirror lock-up, a bulb timer and a revised film magazine design 4 BRONICA GS-1 1993 A fine camera with excellent lenses, nevertheless Bronica’s 6x7cm SLR failed to challenge Mamiya’s dominance in this format. 5 BRONICA 645RF 2000 The only new camera launched…

While the Mamiya Leaf operation is still part of Phase One, not very happening Mamiya brand and it’s certainly a mere shadow of its former self — which is why it’s included here. Because the history is certainly glorious. While a new chapter in the Mamiya history would be very welcome, the marque’s list of major achievements is already very long, and this for a company which was only established in 1940. At the height of its powers in the early 1980s, Mamiya was making 6x4.5cm SLRs, 6x6cm TLRs, 6x7cm SLRs, 35mm SLRs, 35mm compact cameras and a 6x9cm format press camera. It had been first with interchangeable lenses on a twin lens reflex (TLR) camera, first with a 6x4.5cm SLR camera, first with a rotating film back on a…