Innehållsförteckning för March 2020 från Smart Photography

As we go to press, the ominous shadow of the corona virus seems to be spreading its wings. A number of imaging industry players have operations in China and they are bound to get affected. It is also possible that new product launches will get delayed, photofairs may get postponed and demand could take a temporary knock. Of course, the imaging industry is not the only one to take a knock; others are affected as well. This issue contains detailed coverage of the Smart Photography Awards which were declared on February 5. Our heartiest congratulations to Sony for winning the Award for CAMERA OF THE YEAR for the second year in succession!…

Nikon USA has introduced a limited-time upgrade with its D780 “Trade Up” Program, giving its customers the opportunity to trade any working camera from any brand at a fair value with an additional US $300 towards the purchase of the D780, its latest flagship full frame D-SLR. The offer is applicable for both the camera body only kit and lens kit configurations at Nikon authorised dealers or through the Nikon store. This offer went live on February 3 and will continue till March 29.…

Lomography has launched the Petzval 80.5 mm f/1.9 MKII Art Lens for Canon and Nikon DSLRs as a part of its twelfth kickstarter campaign. The lens features a 13-blade stopless aperture diaphragm that goes from f/1.9 to f/16 in addition to the Waterhouse Aperture slot that lets you drop in plates for “unique Bokeh effects”and a modern helicoid focusing mechanism. Two versions of this lens has been released, a “Basic” version and “Advanced Bokeh Control” version that features a Bokeh Control Ring. This control ring enables users to adjust the swirly bokeh effect of their images across 7 different levels ranging between ‘barely noticeable’ and ‘very distinct’. The Lomography Petzval 80.5mm f/1.9 MKII Art Lens is available in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts and comes in satin, black painted…

Sony has announced the release of a new software development kit (SDK) that enables third party developers and integrators to access control of Sony cameras. Sony is releasing the SDK based on extensive interest in their camera lineup from commercial customers. With the new SDK, key camera controls and still image data captured will be available for remote access, including adjustment of camera settings, shutter release and live view monitoring. These control capabilities are appealing to the workflow of a wide variety of industries including security, entertainment and many others. One of the companies having high expectations from Sony’s SDK is Telemetrics Inc., a company that specializes in robotics and camera control systems, selling complete packages including a weather resistant housing unit on a remotely controlled pan/tilt head compatible with…

Moondog Lab’s new Multi-Camera Filter Mount allows you to attach photo filters such as neutral density or polarising filters, not only with your D-SLR or mirrorless camera lenses but also to your smartphone camera, with a standard 52mm filter holder. The holder can be used with any phone that fits on bayonet mount cases from manufacturers like Moment, Rhinoshield or Sirui. It is also compatible with large filters that can be attached with a step-up ring. The Multi-Camera Filter Mount is now available for US $35 on the official Moondog Labs website.…

According to recent reports, Sony has filed a patent for a folding camera drone suggesting that the company might be toying with the idea of entering the drone industry. Sony Alpha Rumors first discovered a patent for the drone in October 2018 and according to them, Sony has submitted another patent with more details which was published recently. The folding drone features Sony’s ‘Eye-AF’ technology and the images from the patent suggest that the drone will be compact and will contain a range of control features on a touch-screen. Other features include zoom, detachable cover and gesture control. The patent filing is now available for viewing on Scribd.…

Shivendra is an IPS Officer with Delhi Police and is based in Delhi. He has been a nature lover since childhood. His foray into photography began with his travels all across the globe with the President of India. He has been dabbling into all genres of photography, but his favourite genre is wildlife. Photography acts as a stress buster for him, apart from bringing him closer to the nature. Camera: Nikon D500Aperture: F/8Shutter Speed: 1/800 secFocal Length: 500.0 mmISO: 400 Camera: Canon 1DxAperture: F/4.5Shutter Speed: 1/1000 secFocal Length: 500mmISO: 800 Camera: Canon 1Dx Mark 2Aperture: F/4Shutter Speed: 1/1600 secFocal Length: 500mmISO: 1250 Camera: Nikon D500Aperture: F/7.1Shutter Speed: 1/4000 secFocal Length: 750 mmISO: 1000 Camera: Canon 1DxAperture: F/5.6Shutter Speed: 1/1250 secFocal Length: 500mmISO: 640 Camera: Canon 1DxAperture: F/4Shutter Speed: 1/640 secFocal…

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…

GoPro dropped its second annual Million Dollar Challenge video,a crowdsourced product-highlight video to celebrate its new HERO8 Black and MAX cameras. Owners of GoPro’s new cameras were encouraged to submit inspiring videos of activities or subject matters they are passionate about. The best shots were selected by GoPro to be included in its GoPro Million Dollar Challenge product-highlight video and the featured submitters received an equal share of one million dollars. Participants from 104 countries sent in their HERO8 Black and MAX content for consideration that resulted in 42,000 video clips. GoPro’s internal video production team selected the best entries and integrated them into a celebratory GoPro anthem. Ultimately, 45 creators were selected for the final video earning $22,222 a piece i.e. an equal share of $1 million. The complete…

Nomad has announced new smartphone cases for all Apple iPhone 11 models and Google Pixel 4 in its Rugged line. The new cases feature an integrated mount for Moment lenses. The lens mount enables the use of any lens from Moment and comes with an 18mm wide-angle, a 15mm fisheye, an anamorphic lens, a macro lens and a 58mm tele lens. According to reports, the cases can withstand drops from up to six feet height and are available in two colors, black and brown. The Nomad smartphone cases are available now on their official website at a price of US $50.…

Leica has released a firmware update for its Q2 compact camera that addresses a wide range of features such as shooting modes and mobile transfer speeds. Leica has added changeable AF field sizes i.e. small, medium and large, that can be activated with a long tap. The new update also contains Touch AF + release feature that makes face detection and AF tracking easier. Other major updates include faster speed and a top menu screen that has adjustable exposure feature.…

Vazen has announced the pricing and shipping availability of the Vazen 28mm t/2.2 1.8x Anamorphic Lens for Micro Four Thirds (M43) cameras. The new 28mm is the 2nd member and the widest of their 1.8x anamorphic line-up. The whole set will contain 3 focal lengths (28mm, 40mm and 65mm). The Vazen 28mm features a compact and lightweight(720g) design. Its compactness allows the lens to be used on gimbals or even handheld shooting without a rig. The lens is designed with a 77mm front filter thread for installing ND filters or diopters easily. The entire lens is made of aluminium and the independent aperture and focus rings are incorporated with 0.8 mod cine gears. The Vazen 1.8x anamorphic lenses feature a front anamorphic design. It delivers a smooth oval bokeh, signature…

Rokinon has announced two new carbon fiber lenses, a 16mm T2.6 and a 35mm T1.5 to its XEEN CF Professional Cine Lenses series for Canon EF, PL and Sony E mount camera systems. The 16mm T2.6 and 35mm T1.5 completes Xeen CF series along with the 24mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 and 85mm T1.5 lenses. The CF in the name suggests carbon fibre used in the manufacture of the barrels and the use of carbon fibre reduces the weight of the lenses compared to metal housing, with the 16mm and 35mm primes weighing 0.9kg and 1.1kg, respectively. The lenses feature an eleven-blade aperture, a 95mm front filter thread, a 200-degree focus throw and dual-side focus scales made of luminescent material for easier viewing in low-light conditions. They also use X-Coatings for…

Instagram has allegedly surpassed Youtube and Facebook advertising revenue for the year 2019. According to sources, the platform has become increasingly central to Facebook’s future, with users and advertisers flooding the app even as sales growth slows at the main social network. According to Bloomberg, Instagram’s alleged revenue represents more than a quarter of Facebook’s 2019 revenue. However, Facebook does not officially disclose Instagram’s ad revenue separately from its other products. Prior to its acquisition by Facebook, Instagram had no model for bringing in revenue. Now, the app makes money by selling advertisements via posts in the app’s main feed and in disappearing “stories”. Facebook has increased the frequency of ads on Instagram in the past couple of years, to boost the company’s sales as Facebook’s own news feed has…

OPPO announced the appointment of Elvis Zhou as the President of its India Operations. In his new role, Zhou will be spearheading OPPO’s business strategy in India. Zhou has spent over 11 years with OPPO in various roles starting as the regional manager of OPPO East Guangdong wherein he was responsible for sales in the region. He was a critical player in the global expansion of OPPO to the Indian market in 2013 and has been associated with OPPO India for over 6 years now. He also served as the general manager of OPPO Mumbai.…

Nitish is an adventurer, traveler, biker, explorer and photographer who believes that hard work, a little dirt under your nails and unlimited patience and persistence will yield amazing results. He is a self taught wildlife and landscape photographer based in Bangalore, India. “I look for mood, emotions and most importantly storytelling in my photography. Photography has helped me accentuate my childlike passion for nature and wildlife.” says Nitish. Camera: Nikon Z 7 Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/30 sec Focal Length: 500.0 mm ISO: 500 Camera: Nikon D5300 Aperture: f/5.0 Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec Focal Length: 62.0 mm ISO: 640 Camera: Nikon Z 7 Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter Speed: 1/100 sec Focal Length: 600.0 mm ISO: 800 Camera: Nikon Z 7 Aperture: f/4.0 Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec Focal Length: 600.0 mm ISO:…

“Ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon and welcome to the 15th Smart Photography Awards. I thank you all for gracing India’s premier imaging awards event. Speech given by Hoshang S. Billimoria, CEO, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd.at the 15th Smart Photography Awards, 2020 2019 was both an exciting and disappointing year for the imaging industry. Exciting, because of the number of launches in the full frame mirrorless segment. Indeed, 2019 will be recalled as the year of full frame mirrorless cameras. Four major manufacturers are now present in this segment. 2019 was also a good year for innovations. The year was disappointing for a number of reasons. Compact cameras continued their downward slide in the world market. So did D-SLR cameras, although at a much lower rate. Mirrorless cameras grew but…

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.…

Camera type: D-SLR Sensor format/Size: Full frame (FX)/ 35.9 x 23.0 mm Effective pixels: 24.5 million File formats: Raw:12 or 14 bit (lossless compressed or compressed); JPEG: Fine, Normal or Basic; Raw+JPEG Storage media: 2 slots. SD/SDHC (UHS-II compliant)/SDXC (UHS-II compliant) Shutter type: Vertical-travel focal-plane shutter, Electronic Front Curtain Shutter, Electronic shutter Shutter speeds: 30 sec-1/8000 sec, extendable to 900 seconds in Manual exposure mode; Bulb, Time (1/200 sec) Frame advance rates: CL: Approx. Up to 6 fps, but in Live View, up to 3 fps. CH: Approx. Up to 7 fps, but during silent photography, the frame advance rates vary with the shooting option selected. Metering mode: Matrix, centre-weighted, spot, and highlight-weighted Shooting mode: Auto, P, S, A, M, User defined U1 and U2, EFCT (special effects) Exposure compensation:…

Effective pixels: 24.2 million Image sensor: 23.5 x 15.7 mm (APS-C) CMOS with primary colour filter Sensor cleaning system: Ultrasonic vibration Storage media: SD / SDHC / SDXC Card (UHS-I) File format: Still image: JPEG / Raw (RAF format) / Raw+JPEG, Movie: MPEG-4 Movie video compression: H.264 Audio: Linear PCM Stereo Lens mount: Fujifilm X mount Sensitivity: Auto (3 settings), ISO 200 to 12,800 (extendable up to ISO 100, ISO 25,600, ISO 51,200) Exposure control: TTL 256-zone metering Metering modes: Multi, Spot, Average Exposure compensation: Still: +/-5.0EV(1/3EV step) Movie: +/-2.0EV Face / Eye detection AF: Yes Shutter type: Focal Plane Shutter Shutter speed: Mechanical shutter: 30 to 1/4,000 sec., Bulb (up to 60 min), Electronic shutter: 30 to 1/32,000 sec. Flash sync speed: 1/180 sec. or slower Max. continuous shooting:…

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 SP never disappoints! Dear SP, Every month I wait for the magazine to be delivered at my doorstep. I keep telling my wife, “SP never disappoints!” Recently, she has taken to garden photography and every time she captures an image of an insect or a colourful bird she is filled with so much excitement looking at her creation. We spend hours discussing the tricks of the trade that we cleverly pick up from your magazine. We hope we continue learning and polishing our skills with Smart Photography. Looking forward to the next issue. With warm regards, C K…

Venus Optics unveil the pricing and availability of Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X macro APO. It is the first macro lens that Venus Optics has designed for mirrorless cameras with APS-C sensors. The lens offers a 2:1 maximum magnification ratio along with a minimum focusing distance of 6.7 inches and weighs 335g. The Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X macro has 14 elements in 10 groups with 3 extra-low dispersion glasses to minimize chromatic aberrations across the frame. It has maximum aperture at f/2.8 and minimum aperture at f/22. The lens is optimized for APS-C systems and the APO feature lifts up the overall clarity, contrast and color fidelity throughout the entire frame. The Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X lens is available at an ex-VAT price of US $399 and comes with Fuji X,…

Samsung has introduced a new range of smartphones that include Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip offering up to 108 megapixels, 100X zoom and 8K video. These devices come with a 120 Hz OLED display on the front, 3200 x 1440 pixel resolution, and a screen size ranging between 6.2 inches to 6.9 inches. The S20 devices have a 12-megapixel F1.8 main camera with dual pixel AF, a 12-megapixel F2.2 ultra-wide, and a 64-megapixel F2.0 ‘telephoto’ camera. According to reports, all S20 phones come with an improved night mode, with an average of up to 30 frames to decrease noise. The S20 models are all IP68 water-resistant, include wireless charging and have an ultrasonic fingerprint reader. The S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra are available for US…

Kenko has released the AB600-R AI flashgun for Canon and Nikon hot-shoes. According to reports, the flashgun features an Auto Bounce head that automatically adjusts the head for the optical bounce flash angle. The AB600-R has both landscape and portrait orientation. It features an Auto-Lock function which saves preferred adjustments for future use. Other features include optical and wireless control, zoom adjustment, optional battery pack and micro USB port. The AB600-R flashgun is available now for GBP 399.…

Nikon has announced the release of 20mm F1.8 S and a 24-200mm F4-6.3 S with built-in stabilization. The 20mm F1.8 S is the widest prime lens in the Z-mount series and the 24-200mm F4-6.3 has the widest focal range in its FX Z series. The Nikon Z 20mm F1.8 S weighs 505 gm and is composed of 14 elements in 11 groups, including three ED and three aspherical elements. It has a nine-blade aperture and Nano Crystal Coating. The Z 20mm F1.8 can mount on 77mm filters. The Z 24-200mm F4-6.3 S comprises 19 elements in 15 groups with two ED, two aspherical and a single aspherical ED element. It has built-in stabilization rated to 4.5 stops and the lens comes with seven-blade aperture. The Arneo coating provides reduced flare…

Sony reportedly told investors that the Coronavirus outbreak in China could disrupt its operations, despite having strong revenue from its image sensor business. Japanese suppliers of smartphone components are facing huge challenges due to the epidemic and unless these supply chains start functioning normally soon, Sony will not be able to carry out business smoothly since China houses four of its major factories. Despite making huge efforts to gather information about its factories and workers in China, Sony is still facing difficulty as authorities in Hubei and other provinces have extended the Lunar New Year break to the end of this week. According to reports, the epidemic outbreak may impact the image sensor business as well as Sony’s PlayStation 4 production. Additionally, Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment may also…

Photographic Society of America (PSA) declared Suniel Marathe as the youngest Indian to be conferred the title of Grand Master (GMPSA). A Scientific Officer by profession, Suniel gained experience and expertise in photography from the Photographic Society of India (PSI). He is a regular participant in most national and international level photo contests across the globe and has received several awards, honours and distinctions from recognised photographic bodies across the globe.…

Born and brought up in the beautiful city of Dibrugarh, Assam, Saurav has been fascinated by photography since childhood. He pursued bachelors in engineering from Dr. MGR University in Chennai and now works as an Asst. Manager at a tea estate in Assam. “My journey as a landscape photographer began during school days. I remember it was the year 2006, when I went for an excursion to Guwahati and Shillong. My grand mother gifted me my first film camera, a Kodak KB10. That was my first step into photography. However, it wasn’t until my trip to the Nilgiris that I realised that a combination of nature and work is the perfect sit for me.” says Saurav. Camera: Nikon D7000 Aperture: f/3.5 Shutter Speed: 15.0 sec Focal Length: 18.0 mm ISO:…

Camera: SONY ILCE-7M3 Lens: 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN | Art 019 Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec ISO: 200 Sigma 14-24 mm F/2.8 DG HSM Art ₹1,39,900 The Sigma 14-24 mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art lens is designed for high-megapixel interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. Sigma’s Art-series lenses provide a very high level of optical performance. The lens under review had a Sony E-mount and hence it was reviewed using a Sony A7II camera body. The lens is also available in Leica L-mount. It is a perfect companion for travel, landscape, wedding, architecture, interior and nature photographers and for photographing in low light. Design & Build Quality The lens under review is designed for Sony E-mount interchangeable lens full frame mirrorless cameras. The lens feels ‘professional’ all the way with its…