Innehållsförteckning för 233 från Pro Photo

Revealed in May as a development announcement, Panasonic has officially launched the Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.7 ASPH in the M43 mount. The new lens has an effective focal range of 50-100mm and joins the existing f/1.7-speed 10-25mm model (effectively 20-50mm) in Panasonic’s G series lens line-up. The two lenses share the same barrel dimensions (including a screwthread filter fitting of 77mm) and control ring arrangement for easier interchangeability in a video rig. Designed for both photography and video applications, the 20-50mm supports Panasonic’s current 240fps speed DFD (Depth From Defocus) autofocusing which drives an internal focusing group. Panasonic says the lens’ focusing mechanism is designed to minimise focus ‘breathing’ (an important consideration for video-makers) and its optical construction gives enhanced barycentric stability in order to minimise image shifts when…

As part of a global effort to be pro-active about climate change issues, Epson has launched a new range of EcoTank inkjet printers. Epson is promoting the lower energy requirements of inkjet printers in general (compared to laser-type models) and the reduced wastage associated with the EcoTank printers in particular. Epson’s EcoTank printers use refillable ink reservoirs rather than disposable cartridges, and the company has developed the technology to now include photo models. While the printers themselves are more expensive to purchase initially, the long-term savings on ink costs are significant. The new EcoTank Photo ET-8500 and ET-8550 use a six-colour ink set and can print up to 2,300 postcard-size photo prints or 6,200 colour document pages on one set of ink bottles. An estimate of the cost-per-print reduction (for…

In my role as editor of Australian Camera (my ‘other job’), I was invited to join TIPA’s Technical Committee in 2019 so, over the last two years, I’ve become much more intimately involved in the Awards. As it happens, of course, for the last two years the Technical Committee has had to conduct all of its discussions and debates via emails and Zoom meetings. Likewise, the final judging has also had to be via‘remote control’ rather than at a face-to-face gathering that had been the case annually up to 2020. Because of the logistics of online voting, it again fell to the TIPA Technical Committee to come up with a more refined list of categories and eligible candidates than would usually be the case. Essentially we look at everything that…

Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is the replacement printer for the A3+ format PIXMA PRO-10S. At first encounter, it looks a lot like a scaled-down version of the A2 format imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 model, so it’s no great surprise to discover that the ‘PIXMA’ title has been dropped and the pro-level ‘imagePROGRAF’ branding adopted instead. Existing owners of the PIXMA PRO 10S will note significant changes that'll surely appeal when it’s time to upgrade. The imagePROGRAF PRO-300 retains the same low-profile shape as the PRO-10S, but is both smaller (at 639x379x200 mm) and lighter (14.4kg). There’s a revised Lucia Pro ink set – including a denser matte black (better even than the PRO-1000’s) – more accurate paper transport, a built-in nozzle recovery system, ink agitation and a handy colour LCD touchscreen. Even better,…

Due for launch imminently, Canon’s EOS R-series flagship will be the full-frame mirrorless equivalent of the EOS-1D X Mark III. In the details that Canon has released so far, the emphasis appears to be on speed, leaving room, presumably, for an ultra-high resolution ‘EOS R1’ model. The target audience for the EOS R3 will be primarily sports/action and press photographers, and Canon says it will have the same level of weather protection as the 1D X III. It will also have Canon’s first ‘inhouse’ backside-illuminated (BSI) and stacked CMOS sensor to enable a top shooting speed of 30fps with full AF/AE tracking when using the camera’s electronic shutter. Canon claims the stacked sensor design will “significantly reduce” rolling shutter distortion (presumably, as per Sony’s A9 models, via on-sensor correction processing).…

Following in the footsteps of the Df retro styled DSLR, Nikon has introduced a mirrorless camera body that pays homage to its classical 35mm SLRs. The new Z fc is essentially built around the APS-C format Z 50, but is styled to look very much like the hugely popular FM2 that was introduced in 1982. The Z fc’s retro styling elements include the EVF cover – which is virtually the same as the FM2’s pentaprism cover including leatherette inserts and a period ‘Nikon’ nameplate – and classic dials hewn from aluminium for setting shutter speeds, the ISO and exposure compensation. The standard model has black leatherette inserts, but a choice of six alternative colours is available, including mint green, coral pink and amber brown. While the FM2 was a mechanical…

Canon has introduced the widest-angle RF mount lens to date, the RF 14-35mm f/4.0L IS USM zoom. It completes the trio of more affordable, compact and lightweight f/4.0 speed zooms, joining the RF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM and the RF 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM. As can be noted from these model designations, all three are equipped with optical image stabilisation which, in the case of the new 14-35mm zoom – gives up to 5.5 stops of correction for camera shake (and up to seven stops when combined with in-body stabilisation). The optical construction comprises 16 elements in 12 groups, including three aspherical types and three made from optical glass with ultra-low dispersion (UD) characteristics to minimum chromatic aberrations. One of these elements is both aspherical and an UD type. Both…

The inaugural International Portrait Photographer Of The Year competition has been won by Forough Yavari, an award-winning portrait and fine-art photographer based in Brisbane. After studying art at university, photography turned from a personal hobby into a professional challenge for Forough. The result of her endeavours over those years has been her presence in multiple painting and photography exhibitions, as well as winning several national and international awards. Her works have been exhibited in venues and galleries internationally. Forough was awarded the Master Of Photography by Australian Institute Of Professional Photography (AIPP) in 2018 and the WPPI Master Of Photography in 2019. In 2020, she achieved her Double Master Of Photography from WPPI. Her winning photograph is titled Solitude, which also won the competition’s Portrait Story category. The three other…

Reasserting that it’s “absolutely invested” in the Micro Four Thirds sensor format, Panasonic has introduced the GH5 Mark II and confirmed that a GH6 pro-level flagship model is on its way. The Mark II model shares the same body as the GH5, but has a new processor, a revised sensor design and a number of hardware revisions to enable features that could not have been added via a firmware upgrade. Noting a massive increase in the requirement for live video streaming, Panasonic has equipped the GH5 II with direct-to-platform wireless live streaming, while wired IP streaming and tethered mobile streaming to be available via a firmware upgrade due by the end of this year. The GH5 II is the first Lumix G series model to offer high-quality wireless live streaming…

EXHIBITIONS – EVENTS – WORKSHOPS – SEMINARS Current to 31 October: Exhibition. Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2020. Winners and finalists – 100 images in all – displayed on special light panels. At the Australian National Maritime Museum, 2 Murray Street, Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW 2000. Ticketed event now temporarily cancelled due to Sydney’s lockdown. For more information and bookings visit https://www.sea.museum/wildlife. Current to 24 October: Ballarat International Foto Biennale. At various venues around Ballarat. Includes the Linda McCartney Retrospective exhibition at the Art Gallery Of Ballarat, 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, Victoria 3350. Entry fees apply, but the exhibition is included in a 3 Day Festival Pass that covers all core indoor exhibitions. A number of events are being held at the new National Centre For Photography, 4 Lydiard Street…

Epson has kicked off a new generation of P-series SureColor wide-format photo printers with a 44-inch model, the P8560D. These are production level printers and the line will expand over the next year to include a 24-inch model and a version of the 44-inch machine with 1.6 litre ink packs. The new SureColor P8560D has a dual media roll capability with automatic roll loading and automatic switching between media types or sizes. Alternatively, the second roll can be used as a take-up reel for roll-to-roll production. The P8560D uses Epson’s 2.64-inch ‘PrecisionCore MicroTFP’ print head and is claimed to be 2.3 times faster than the previous SureColor P8070 model. It also has a smaller footprint with all operations performed at the front, so it can be pushed against a wall,…