Reviewed: SamSung DV300 l Canon EF 24mm F/2.8 IS uSm Issue 6 Volume 08 september 2012
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TITANS Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Nikon D800
LeaRnings Basics of Photography: Smartphones in Photography n Face Swapping - No Surgery Involved n Time-Lapse Photography
Editor Hoshang S. Billimoria Technical Editor Rohinton Mehta Executive Editor Mathew Thottungal Senior Correspondent Sujith Gopinath Copy Editor Aswathi Nair Photography Mahesh Reddy Creative Director & Head Production Atul D. Bandekar Design Ajit Manjrekar, Sanjay Awad, Ajay Paradkar Production Dinesh Bhajnik, Deepak Narkar, Ravi Parmar Product Manager Perseus Master Publisher Girish Mallya Circulation and Subscription Sanjeev Roy (Asst. Operations Manager) Sachin Kelkar (Subscription Supervisor) Head Office - Mumbai 2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013 Tel: + 91 22 43525252 Fax: + 91 22 24955394 Email: sp@nextgenpublishing.net Subscription Tel: + 91 22 43525220 Fax: + 91 22 24955394 Email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net News Stand Distribution India Book House, Mumbai 400 002, Tel: +91 22 2284626 Fax: +91 22 22835099 Marketing Offices Ahmedabad Chandan House, 3rd Floor, Mithakhali Six Roads, Ahmedabad 380006 Tel: + 91 79 40008000 Fax: + 91 79 40008080 Bangalore #903, 9th floor, ‘B’ Wing, Mittal Towers, MG Road, Bangalore -560001 Tel: +91 80 - 66110116 New Delhi Plot No.225, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III, Okhla, New Delhi 110020 Tel: + 91 11 42346600 Fax: + 91 11 42346679 Chennai Unit No:20,Third floor, Modern Towers, 35/23 West Cott Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600 014 Tel +91-44-39149889/90/91 Fax +91-44-39149892. Pune 401B, Gandhi Empire, Plot no.2, 5th floor, Sareen Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune 411040 Tel: + 91 20 32930291 Fax: + 91 20 26830465 Hyderabad
Richard G.C. +9199492 17127 Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Ltd. Next Gen Publishing does not take the responsibility for returning unsolicited material sent without adequate postal stamps for return postage. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the prior express written permission of the publisher. Printed by Girish Mallya, Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Published by Girish Mallya on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-1-60/5 RTCX Roads, Hyderabad - 20. Published at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Copyright 2006 SMART PHOTOGRAPHY All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. Smart Photography does not vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. The editor, publisher, printer and employees of the publication shall not be held liable for any consequence in the events of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only. Editor – Hoshang S Billimoria
Welcome
B
y the time you read this, all eyes will be set on Photokina and the products that it will showcase. The current Photokina is an extremely important one because it will indicate: 1) The future of D-SLRs – our guess is that D-SLRs will gravitate more and more towards the professional and serious enthusiast, leaving the amateur field to ILCCs.
2) The future of ILCCs – with all the major players having a product in this segment, ILCCs are poised to grow and gain market-share at the expense of low-end D-SLRs and high-end compact cameras. 3) The future of digital compacts – this is a more uncertain area and manufacturers will have to use all their energy to prevent erosion of market-share at both the upper and the lower ends. 4) The future of smart phones with capable cameras inbuilt- That smart phones are getting increasingly popular is not in doubt. Whether they will be competitive enough to eat up market share is another issue altogether. One thing is not in doubt. The future of imaging is not in doubt – it is very bright. H. S. Billimoria
Here’s What Makes us
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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.
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 photography across the country and have many years of experience. That gives us the foresight to distinguish between a passing trend and a big change in the field of photography and imaging. And finally, our reviews are not extended to just fill up the pages!
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 favorites. So when we say a product is a ‘BEST BUY’, then, it is just that!
WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU There is no debate on why we are here. Our sole goal is to provide you options and better your judgement in product purchase while, sharing tips and tricks to improve your images. Our biggest joy is in building a bridge between you and your perfect picture! September 2012 Smart Photography
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Contents september 2012
Reviewed: SamSung DV300 l Canon EF 24mm F/2.8 IS uSm Issue 6 Volume 08 september 2012
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BATTLE OF THE
Regulars 10 Mail Bag 12 News Watch 31 Industry Opinion - Tadato Kimura, Sony India 32 Kaleidoscope
issue 6 | volume 08 | september 2012
TITANS Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Nikon D800
LeaRnings Basics of Photography: Smartphones in Photography n Face Swapping - No Surgery Involved n Time-Lapse Photography
36 Picture of the Month
38 Showcase - Masood Hussain
44 If I Were You
48 Ask Uncle Ronnie 52 Master Craftsman - Dinesh Khanna
59 Accessories Special
Storage
Just a moment!
Readers can find the updated Buyer’s Guide, log on http://smartphotography.in/ news/monthly-special Smart Photography thanks the readers who participate in the Picture of the Month contest. We would like to bring to your attention a few changes in the rules for submission. From now on, you may send in your images with the longer side measuring atleast 17 inches. Please note that the images have to be horizontal. This permits readers to submit panoramic shots, which was not possible with the current size of 17 x 11 inches.
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Rechargeable Batteries & Chargers
Camera Bags
Tripods & Ballheads
Binoculars
Lighting, Reflectors & Diffusers
Filters
Printer, Inkjet Papers & Photo Albums
Flash & Meters
Miscellaneous
146 Tidbits
Contents September 2012
52
92 LEARNINGS 86 Basics of Photography: Smartphones in Photography 92 Face Swapping - No Surgery Involved 96 Time-Lapse Photography
REVIEWS
98 Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 106 Samsung DV300 110 Canon EF 24mm F/2.8 IS USM 8
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Mailbag REVIEWED: SONY SLT A-77 CANON EOS 650D FUJIFILM X-PRO 1 OLYMPUS SH-25MR l
ISSUE 5 VOLUME 08 AUGUST 2012
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MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Born to be Wild...
- Shivang Mehta
Canon EOS 650D
LEARNINGS
Basics of Photography: Creating Monochrome Images using D-SLRs The Magical Clone and Healing Brush Tools in Photoshop Lens Adapters Contact Sheet Wildlife Photography Megapixel Madness Disorder
Write to us at: Mail Bag Smart Photography, Trade World, C-Wing, 2nd Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel(W), Mumbai 400013. E-mail: sp@nextgenpublishing.net
An Eye Opener
SP’s Wildlife special was an extremely informative issue. My first SLR was a Nikon D3100 with a 70-300 VR lens. Being a beginner, my photography lessons have been through various sections in your magazine like “Learning”, “Ask Uncle Ronnie” and “If I were you”. The August issue cleared most of the doubts I had in mind with regard to wildlife photographic techniques and equipment, and has also broken the myth of having to buy the most expensive body and lens to get the best results. I look forward to your guidance to upgrade my knowledge. Thanks and Regards, Ajay Tharavath
Some exciting news!
I’m thrilled to share with SP that my project Darshan was recently featured in Huffington Post’s iPad magazine Issue 3-4. Readers can download the ‘Huffington’ app from the app store, and then download the July 1st-8th issue. Darshan can be found featured under the following title MOVING IMAGE: Recreating the Gods. You can find out more about this project at projectdarshan.com. Please feel free to be in touch for any print inquiries. Thanks and Regards, Manjari Sharma via E-mail
Letter of the Month Pellicle debacle
ERRATA
Kaleidoscope (Smart Photography, August 2012), featured the work of Ahmedabad based photographer Ruchee Soni. The caption arrows were inadvertently swapped for the Spoonbill and Indian Roller images. In addition, in the equipment write-up section, under the secondary lenses category, the lens mentioned was 550 – 250mm, whereas the correct secondary lens is 55 – 250mm. These errors are regretted.
Win
A Uniross 1H LCD CHARGER Worth Rs.1,095/Every Month For the LETTER OF THE MONTH
When I read your review of the new Sony A-77, I was reminded of the short-lived Canon Pellix of the mid-sixties, an SLR which used a fixed pellicle mirror. Now, at a time when Canon has come out with a unique combination of contrast and phase detection focussing system in its long-awaited ILCC without using a mirror of any sort, I do feel that Sony lags behind the times in reinventing the inefficient pellicle mirror only to achieve quick focussing in what otherwise is essentially an ILCC. Will this camera survive longer than the Canon Pellix did? Thanks and Regards, Phiroze B. Javeri, Mumbai 10
Smart Photography September 2012
News Watch International
SNIPPETS
Samsung Q2 profit soars
Samsung’s second quarter profit for 2012 jumped 48% from increased sales of smart-phones and display component business.
Fujifilm Q1 results takes a nose dive
Fujifilm reported revenue for the first quarter, ended June 30th 2012, slid down 2.2% to 518 billion yen, while operation income reported was 20.9 billion yen, down 27.8% from the same year ago. The revenue decline resulted mainly from the imaging and information groups.
Kodak faces setback
Kodak’s efforts to raise money by selling the portfolio of digital imaging patents faced a setback when the US International Trade Commission stated that neither Apple nor Black Berry violated Kodak’s rights in the patents. Kodak had been hoping to recover $1 billion from the sales of some 1,100 digital imaging patents.
Tablet computers expected to take over notebooks According to NPD DisplaySearch Firm, worldwide notebook computer shipments are expected to increase from 208 million units in 2012 to 393 million units by 2017, while tablet computer shipments are expected to grow from 121 million units to 416 million units. 12
Smart Photography September 2012
Nikon adds Nikon1 J2 mirrorless camera Nikon has released a slightly updated addition to its 1 System of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. The J2 is gentlyreworked version of the more basic J1 model. The Nikon1 System, including the new Nikon1 J2 and the Nikkor1 11-27.5mm lens, is expected to give users the freedom to capture and connect with others. The Nikon1 J2 improves upon the Nikon1 J1 with new features such as a Creative Mode that provides a variety of photo effects to users, a metallic body, a higher resolution LCD screen and the addition of stylish new colour offerings. The suggested selling price is $549.
Nikkor1 11-27.5mm F3.5-5.6 lens; underwater housing added to Nikon1 System Nikon has announced a waterproof housing and a more compact retractable zoom lens - the Nikkor1 1127.5mm F3.5-5.6. It is smaller than the existing 10-30mm kit zoom. Nikon US suggests it might appeal to people who bought a kit with just the 10mm prime lens. The WP-N1 underwater housing offers full access to the 1 J1 or 1 J2’s buttons and dials, while providing protection to depths of 40m/130ft. It will be available from September for around $749.
News Watch International SNIPPETS Fujifilm sues Google’s Motorola Mobile Google’s Motorola Mobile was sued by Fujifilm over four patents associated with digital camera and photo technology in the phones: 1) US Patent #6, 144, 763 covers capturing of colour pictures by a cell-phone. 2) US Patent #6, 915, 119 addresses a “telephone and data transmitting.” 3) US Patent #7, 327, 886 covers facial detection system. 4) US Patent 5, 734, 427 covers the processing of a high resolution image into a low resolution image.
Canon acknowledges glitch in the EF 40mm F2.8 STM pancake lens
Canon has acknowledged that a glitch in the recently released EF 40mm F2.8 STM pancake prime can cause the autofocus to stop working. At present, if pressure is applied to the front of the lens when it’s attached to the camera (which can include re-attaching the lens cap), the autofocus may stop working. The glitch can be overcome by dismounting and re-attaching the lens or by removing the camera’s battery briefly. In its product advisory notice, the company says a firmware fix will be released in August.
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Smart Photography September 2012
Samyang creates cinema versions of 14mm, 24mm and 35mm lenses Korean lens maker Samyang has created cinema versions of its well-regarded 14mm F2.8, 24mm F1.4 and 35mm F1.4 manual focus lenses. They are distinguished by racks on their focus and aperture rings for use with cinema rigs, aperture control, calibration in T-stops rather than F-stops, and scales that are marked to be read from the side of the camera. The three lenses are known as the Samyang T1.5 35mm AS UMC, Samyang T1.5 24mm ED AS IF UMC and Samyang T3.1 14mm ED AS IF UMC, and will be made in Canon and Nikon mounts. Prices are yet to be announced.
Casio releases Exilim EX-ZR300 Mini DV high-speed compact camera
Casio Europe has launched the Exilim EX-ZR300 Mini DV - its name for the EX-ZR300, released in Japan in May 2012. It features a 12.5x, 24-300mm zoom lens and dual processors to help it offer focus times as short as 0.12s. It is also designed to offer control over both Flash Air and Eye-Fi wireless SD cards. It is available at a price of €279.
Nikon launches Coolpix L610 14x, AA-powered compact superzoom camera
Nikon has announced the Coolpix L610 - a 14x compact super zoom camera that employs AA batteries. The L610 includes a feature set - 16MP back-lit CMOS sensor, 25-350mm equivalent, image-stabilised zoom lens and 1080p30 HD video capability. It will sell at around $250.
News Watch International
NASA’s Curiosity rover New compact digicams from Canon sends back first colour Canon has announced additions to its existing line of digicams. Introduced is the IXY 430F, successor to the IXY images from Mars 420F, with an enhanced Wi-Fi function, 5x zoom lens of 24120mm, 1/2.3-inch 16MP CMOS image sensor and 3.2-inch LCD touch screen monitor. The user can transfer images to smartphones or tablets. Images can also be transferred to the compact photo printer - Selphy CP900 to make prints. Together with its intelligent AF and multi-scene IS, an optimum setup can be selected automatically from 205 kinds of patterns. It is expected to be priced at about 25,000 yen (US$320). Other models to be released this summer are the 16 MP PowerShot A4000IS and PowerShot A2400IS. NASA’s Curiosity rover vehicle that landed on Mars on August 6th, has sent back the first colour images of the planet’s dusty yellow/orange landscape. The image was taken with the camera on the rover’s still retracted robotic arm, from behind the dust shield designed to protect the camera. The dust shield will be removed, promising better images, once the dust kicked-up by its landing has settled. This camera, known as MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager), is primarily intended for examining close-up items.
Olympus working on new body for ‘Pro’ Four Thirds lenses Olympus has issued a press release, confirming work on a camera body for use with its range of ‘Top Pro’ lenses. According to Akira Watanabe, Manager, Olympus’ Imaging SLR Planning Department acknowledges that while Olympus has pushed the boundaries with the Micro Four Thirds E-M5, it did not deliver the legacy of high end lenses from the E-system. This is the most formal confirmation of the company’s plans to continues its flagship Four Thirds D-SLR line. Released in 2010, the ‘pro-grade’ E-5 is a camera that many commentators and Four Thirds users had assumed would be the last in the line. 16
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Fujifilm discontinues two professional films Fujifilm Professional is putting an end to the production of its Fujichrome Velvia 100F in 35mm, 120 and 4x5 formats, and Velvia 50 in 4x5 and 8x10. The last shipment of these films will arrive in the UK in December 2012. Fujifilm spokesperson stated that its Velvia 50 will continue to be distributed in 35mm and 120 formats. “Due to decreasing demand globally we have to announce the withdrawal of some formats of Velvia 100F and Velvia 50”, according to Gabriel Da Costa, Product Manager for professional film. “It is an unfortunate consequence of digital capture that some of the slower selling silver-halide lines will drop off the radar. Fujifilm will continue to manufacture a wide range of film, and the increasing support for our Choose Film group illustrates there is an ongoing passion for film photography throughout the world.”
News Watch Business The EISA Awards for 2012-2013 announced;16 products selected for awards in the Photo category The European Imaging and Sound Association came together to vote for the annual EISA awards. These awards are voted by EISA member magazines from across most of Western Europe, and a part of Eastern Europe as well. Canon and Sony took home most of the awards; three award each. Nikon and Olympus followed closely with two awards each. While Canon hogged the limelight with Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR being awarded the ‘European Advanced SLR Camera’, the Canon PowerShot G1 X honoured ‘European Compact Camera’, and the PIXMA PRO-1 bagging the ‘European Photo Printer’ of the year. On the other hand Nikon took the top honors for the ‘European Professional Camera’ for the Nikon D4, and ‘European Camera’ for the Nikon D800 camera. The Fujifilm X-Pro1 has been crowned ‘European Professional Compact System Camera’, while the Olympus TOUGH TG-1 won the award for ‘European All Weather Camera’ and the Olympus OM-D won
the ‘European Compact System Camera’ award. The Samsung NX20 won ‘European Advanced Compact System Camera’’ of the year award. In fact, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V was chosen the ‘European Travel Camera’ of the year, while the Sony RX100 wins the ‘European Advanced Compact Camera’ and the Sony SLT-A57 bagged the ‘European SLR Camera’ of the year award. The Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD claimed the ‘European Lens’ award, and Panasonic’s LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH POWER O.I.S. lens was voted the ‘European Compact System Lens’. The Sigma APO Macro 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM was named the ‘European Macro Lens’ award of the year. Finally Adobe joined the winner with Lightroom 4 winning the ‘European Photo Software of the Year’ award.
Nikon’s net profit drops 48.6% in the first quarter
Nikon Corp. reported a drop in the net profit in the fiscal first quarter from April through June by around half, due to the fierce price wars in the digital camera segment. It posted a net profit of 15.77 billion yen (US$199.6 M) in the quarter, down 48.6% year-on-year, and operational profit of 23.37 billion yen (US$259.8 M), down 36.9%. Sales increased 5.6% to 259.4 billion yen (US$3.28 B). Sales of the Imaging Business Unit posted 13.8% gain to 190.1 billion yen (US$2.4 B). Digital cameras posted the record high in the first quarter with 1.67 million units of D-SLRs including mirrorless models, 2.3 million interchangeable lenses and 4.43 million units of compact D-cams. In unit bases sales growth was 23%, 15% and 12%, respectively. For the full fiscal year through March 2013, the company expects a net profit of 60 billion yen (US$764.3 M), compared with its previous forecast of 65 billion yen (US$828 M).
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Canon to sell compact dye-sub photo printer with Wi-Fi capability Canon is set to market its Selphy series dye-sub printer- the Selphy CP900 mounting a Wi-Fi function for the first time in the Selphy series. This allows the user to make prints wirelessly from data stored on Wi-Fi compatible D-cams, smartphones, tablets or PCs. The user must install a dedicated app, Easy-PhotoPrint, whose iOS version is already available. The Android version will be released in December. The compact printer is equipped with a 2.7-inch colour LCD monitor to select, check and edit the layout of images. The expected price is about 10,000 yen.
News Watch Business Canon cuts FY12 net profit outlook by 14%
Canon Inc. said that its net profit for the fiscal second quarter ended June declined 4% from the same period a year earlier, therefore lowering its full-year profit outlook. The company generated a net profit of 51.7 billion (US$662.8 million) in the quarter from April through June, compared with a profit of 53.8 billion yen (US$689.7 million) a year earlier. It was the first on-year decline in net profit in four quarters. Sales grew 7.5% to 899 billion yen (US$11.52 billion) on strong sales of digital cameras. D-SLR camera unit sales rose 47% year-on-year,
compact cameras went up 31%, making the total digital camera sales up 35%. Inkjet printer sales grew 2% as the production returned to normal in the Thai plant. Canon also revised sales target for compact digital cameras less 1 million units from the earlier outlook to 21 million units. The target number is 12% more than the previous year’s result of 18.7 million units. As for the interchangeable lens system cameras, it maintains the earlier outlook to gain 27% to 9.2 million units including addition of the mirrorless EOS M series.
Toshiba to cut production of flash memory by 30%
Toshiba has decided to reduce production of NAND type flash memory by 30% due to an oversupply of the chips and resulted steep price down. Toshiba is making an “adjustment production” of flash memory chips at its Yokkaichi main factory in Mie Pref., Japan effective July 23rd. Toshiba hopes the move will help to reduce inventory in the market and improve the overall balance between supply and demand. The Japanese company will continue to closely monitor the NAND market and boost production when necessary.
Olympus’ witnesses a surge in losses
Olympus Corp. has reported a net loss of 4.46 billion yen (US$56.8M), for the fiscal first quarter (April-June), compared with a loss of 1.42 billion yen (US$18.09 M) in the same period a year earlier. It booked a one-time loss of 1.8 billion yen (US$22.93 M), for the settlement with former Chief Executive Officer, Michael Woodford. Total sales dropped 4.5% to 189.54 billion yen (US$2.414 B). Sales of the Imaging Products Division fell 15.8% year-on-year to 28.85 billion yen (UD$365.2 M) with operational loss of 1.53 billion yen (US$19.37 M). Sales of mirrorless cameras, especially the OM-D rose 11%. Total sales of digital cameras for the period were 1.55 million units, of which lens changeable system camera was 150K units, while compact models dropped 30% to 1.4 million units. The company is now looking for a partner to invest about 50 billion yen (US$636.9 M) to improve its financial standings. 20
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Fujifilm’s Imaging Division displays favourable results for the 1Q Fujifilm announced that the profit in operation of the Imaging Division secured 2.3 billion yen (US$29.1M) despite the impact of stronger yen for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 ended in June. Revenue of the division slid down 9.9% year-onyear to 73.58 billion yen (US$931.4 M). Total sales for April to June period fell 2.2% to 518.34 billion yen (US$6.56 B), operational profit down 27.8% to 20.94 billion yen (US$265.1 M), net profit down 82.7% to 2.5 billion yen (US$31.65 M). In the Imaging Division, photo-related sales notched down 3.7% to 47.8 billion yen (US$605.06 M). Sales of colour photo paper and inkjet consumables were favourable. In the digital imaging section sales fell 19.5% to 25.8 billion yen (US$326.6 M).
News Watch National Canon to introduce its first mirrorless camera Canon announced the EOS M, the company’s first digital single lens non-reflex camera. The biggest breakthrough of the EOS M lies in Canon’s ability to contain an EOS System in a compact body, with full compatibility with new and existing EF and EF-S lenses (with adapter). EOS M is by far the most accessible EOS camera providing the same level of photographic brilliance of a D-SLR. Announcing the launch, Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, CEO & President, Canon India stated, “The EOS M is a radical development from Canon that debuts us in the mirrorless cameras domain. We are excited about our latest proposition, as it boasts of class leading features and technology.”
Dr. Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India, emphasised, “The Canon EOS M is the outcome of highly sophisticated research that promises to deliver better than expected results and will prove to be a game changer for the industry. The Digital SLR category is growing at a very high rate of 50% annually. Our new introduction will add more spice to the growth.” With the introduction of the EOS M, Canon launched two new lenses (EF-M18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF-M22mm f/2 STM) to compliment its new class of cameras. Furthermore, the EOS M is supported by an unrivaled range of more than 60 EF and EF-S lenses.
HP showcases LATEX print technology at Media Expo its series of flagship Hewlett Packard printers HP Designjet displayed the HP L26500 and thermal Designjet portfolio inkjet technology with at Media Expo HP Designjet Z6200 held in New Delhi aimed to edify the recently. The HP print partners, brand Sign & Display and managers and the Design business aims consumers about at providing printing the eco-friendly solutions for the technology and indoor and outdoor green credentials. industry keeping Through these the environment range of innovative in mind. Latex The HP stall at the Expo printers, HP aims to Printing Technology promote the adoption is a breakthrough of HP Latex Ink as a superior alternative to eco-solvent technology that uses water-based LATEX inks and is solutions that delivers the versatility and ease of use and environmental-friendly, and helps target customers reach allows customers exploit avenues to seize new growth new levels of graphic printing with high quality results. opportunities. At the expo, HP demonstrated its Latex Technology with 22
Smart Photography September 2012
News Watch National Nikon India introduces Sport Optics Nikon India, announced the launch of its Nikon Sport Optics range of Binoculars, Fieldscopes, Laser Rangefinders that feature several advanced optical features. The Nikon Sport Optics attains its paramount with the EDG series of Binoculars and Fieldscopes. The EDG Binoculars have Nikon’s various leading-edge lens technologies including ED glass, dielectric high-reflective multilayer prism coating and advanced multilayer coating. Nikon has also incorporated the lens-shift type VR (Vibration Reduction) system into some of the EDG series Fieldscopes. “We would like Indian customers to experience the superior technology of the Nikon Sport Optics range which comprises instruments of observation and
Hiroshi Takashina san at the Nikon Optics launch
photography that are ideal for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts”, outlined Mr. Hiroshi Takashina, Managing Director, Nikon India.
NIP honours ‘Uncle Ronnie’ for his significant contribution to photography, on World Photography Day On World Photography Day, every year, National Institute of Photography felicitates renowned photographers for their significant contribution to the field of photography. Keeping up with this tradition, this year the Institute recognised and honoured Rohinton Mehta (Uncle Ronnie) for his significant contribution towards encouraging budding photographers realize their potential skills. Over the years Rohinton has been instrumental in guiding the generation next through his various workshops and also his creative writings in Smart Photography magazine to help students foster their technical skills. In the past, NIP has felicitated a number of renowned photographers, including Sham Manchekar, (Landscape photographer), Senior Advocate High Court and photography enthusiast, Adhik Shirodkar, Jagdish Mali
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Rohinton Mehta felicitated by Mrs. Desai, Director (NIP)
(Dinodia Picture Agency) and Mr. Gopal Bodhe (Aerial Photographer) for their significant contribution towards promoting the cause of photography.
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News Watch National
Nikon India celebrates World Photography Day
Raghu Rai addresses the participants at the Nikon World Photography Photo Walk
Nikon India celebrated the World Photography Day on 19th August 2012 in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore, as a part of the company’s efforts to promote photography in India. A photo walk with photography enthusiasts was organised within the four regions along with a discussion with the renowned photographer Raghu Rai in Delhi. The photo walk covered topics such as exposure control, creative use of White Balance, controlling depth-of-field etc. It is an extension of the Nikon School initiative that offers specialised services for amateurs and photography enthusiasts by providing expert guidance and insights on photography through workshops and training classes known as Nikon School. All participants at the Nikon WPD celebrations were entitled to participate in a contest, which was judged by Raghu Rai.
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Ace Lensman Sharad Haksar secures place in the Communication Arts Photography Annual 2012 India’s award winning photographer, Sharad Haksar, has added another feather to his cap by becoming the only Asian lensman to grace the pages of the Communication Arts Photography Annual 2012. “The awarded series is called ‘Divine Irony’. It is a pictorial commentary on everyday India as seen through the prism of five Hindu deities. Comm Arts is what every photographer dreams of”, said Haksar. The Annual is the ultimate collection of the most creative images in the world. Brought out by the venerable journal ‘Communication Arts’, the book enjoys a coveted status among the creative community across the globe. The 2012 Annual featured just 145 winning entries from over 4685 images submitted. Five of Sharad Haksar’s works will be showcased in the Annual.
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Pushing the Creative Envelope ... LEARNINGS
Basics: Using the Built-in Flash of your D-SLR (Part III) Create Strobe Effects in Photoshop How to Blur the Background Create a Fog Effect Let’s Correct a Tilted Building Lens Hoods & Light Cutters How to Setup Photoshop CS5
Nikon D3200
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Kedar Karmarkar
Learnings
Basics of Photography : Post Processing in D-SLRs The Shadows/Highlights Tool Fungus Photography Tips Give your Photos a Velvia® Touch with a Black & White Adjustment Layer
issue 11 | volume 07 | FeBRuaRy 2012
issue 4 | volume 08 | july 2012
AF-S Nikkor 85mm F/1.8G
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Basics: Using the Built-in Flash Of Your D-SLR (Part I) Creating Convincing Watercolour Effects In Photoshop So Near, Yet So Far... Out-Of-Gamut Colours How To Resize Your Photos
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MastercraftsMan
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ISSue 11 I Volume 07 I FeBRuaRy 2012
SHOWCASE
INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
News Watch National
Noted fashion photographer Prabuddha passes away India’s avant-garde fashion photographer, Prabhudda Dasgupta, passed away on 12th August, following a massive cardiac arrest. Dasgupta was a self-taught photographer known best for his delicate depiction of the female form. He was a recipient of many grants and awards, including the Yves Saint Laurent grant for photography in 1991. His work is also featured in many institutions like the Museo Ken Damy at Brescia (Italy) and Galleria Carla Sozzani at Milan. We at SP pray that his soul rests in peace.
Panasonic Experience Centre conducts photo expo and seminar
The elite guest panel included the likes of Suresh Gupta, V.S Mehta (Secretary of the forum of all India photographers and artistes), Ronny Kaula ( Fashion Photographer), M.S. Arungum (cinematographer), Addy Singh(fashion photographer with Times of India),. Bobby Roy (photographer, Gadi.com), Vijay Madan (Freelance photographer) and B.Dhillon ( Professional photographer). In the interaction that followed, the chief guest and all panel guests shared their views with the audience.
Paryavaran – Pollution and Climatic Changes Guests interacting with Gaurav Ghavri (R), Head Lumix, Panasonic India at the meet
August 19th is a special day for photographers all over the world. This day was publicly announced as the day of invention of photography in Paris. Today, it is popularly regarded as the World Photography Day. On this occasion, a unique photo exhibition was inaugurated at Park Premier Plaza Hotel, Gurgaon, and the event began with the traditional diya lightning by chief guest Satpal Sangwan, followed by a slideshow presentation by the Panasonic Experience Centre. Apart from Satpal Sangwan (Co-op. Minister of Haryana Government) the SSP of Gurgaon, Harinder Singh, and Dilbagh Singh, District Food Supply Controller Bhiwani, graced the occasion. 28
Smart Photography September 2012
Foto Petals, as part of the Go Green initiative organised a photo exhibition, coinciding with World Photography Day, titled ‘Paryavaran – Pollution & Climatic Changes’. Organised by the Lalit Kala Kendra at the Kanhaiya Lal Gupta Smriti Bhawan, Varanasi. ‘Go Green’ was the main theme of the event, and the idea behind it was to bring environmental awareness issues to the masses through photography as a platform. The other attraction of the event ‘Foto Petals-Lala Deendayal Sammaan’ which was conferred on the versatile K.C.Mittra for his devoted services to photography.
World’s 3rd Largest Consumer Electronic & Imaging Show
3 rd to 6 th January 2013 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi Timings:
Exclusive Business Hours 3 rd & 4 th January 2013 - 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Visitors Hours 3 rd & 4 th January 2013 - 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm 5 th & 6 th January 2013 - 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Formerly known as Photofair I Stall Bookings Opening on 31 st Aug 2012 Organised By:
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IndIa’s no.1 PhotograPhy MagazIne
News Watch Exhibition Clairvoyance’12
Celebrating World Photography Day
Clairvoyance ‘12, is the newest initiative that features the exhibition of photographs by the students of the National Institute of Photography, Mumbai. The expo was held at P. L Deshpande Kala Academy, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai, over a period from 17th to 21st August 2012.
Coinciding with the World Photography Day, an eclectic exhibition of camera shots was held by Monica Dawar at the Convention Centre Foyer, Habitat World, in N.Delhi, from 17th to 21st August 2012. The exhibition brought together filaments to weave a rich tapestry of life and expressions.
Violet Dreams
Magnum Ke Tasveer
A photographic exhibition by Shivani Dass
Magnum Photos & Tasveer in association with Zuari Cement will be showcasing a photo exhibition, ‘Magnum Ke Tasveer’, from 23rd August to 1st September 2012, at CIA House, Kala Ghoda in Mumbai. The exhibition features a number of images from Magnum Photos, including Steve McCurry’s image ‘Red Boy’, which was captured during Holi, in Mumbai 1996.
Expo by past & present students of NIP
Shivani Dass has always been intrigued by Sufism and its mystical ways. Through the expo titled, ‘Violet Dreams’, she intended to provide a visual language to this path The exhibition is her depiction of the vastness, and the shortness of the distance between the physical and spiritual realms. The expo was held from the 26th to 31st of August at Alliance Francaise, New Delhi.
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Smart Photography September 2012
A Solo show by Monica Dawar
Industry Opinion Sony India is committed towards ensuring that both the products and the marketing activities truly make a difference to people’s lifestyles. In an exclusive to Smart Photography, Tadato Kimura, General Manager, Marketing, Sony India, who happens to be responsible for marketing of the overall product portfolio, discusses his plans and priorities to target the festive period sales. Excerpts:
Tadato Kimura, General Manager, Marketing, Sony India
Sony SLT cameras – (the Translucent Mirror technology) have been a huge success for the company for they’ve really brought new capabilities that didn’t exist previously for the SLRs. Given the current trends, do you see any future for SLRs within the Sony portfolio? SLT Cameras with Translucent Mirror Technology has given Sony a huge mileage in moving ahead in the Digital Photography industry. Sony truly believes that DSLT is the future of D-SLR and currently has no plans to introduce new D-SLR in its portfolio.
One of the concerns our readers have voiced is that it has been several years since there was a Cybershot with a fast f/2.0 lens to compete with the Canon S100 or the Panasonic LX5. Does that mean that the best option for the consumers is something in the NEX line? Sony will launch the high-end compact camera DSC-RX100, featuring a massive 1.0 type Exmor CMOS sensor, F1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 3.6x zoom, 20.2 effective megapixel, Full HD 1080/60p video, SLR-like camera set-up with customisable
front ‘Control Ring’. The RX100 offers excellent quality and SLR-like operation in a sophisticated, pocketfriendly package.
Cell phones and cameras are currently vying for co-existence and Sony is in a unique position because it manufactures both the products. What is your vision and how do you feel it will evolve together in the near future? Digital cameras and cell phones are different product categories, and cater to different consumer segments. Digital cameras offer photo quality that is significantly better than a cell phone. Sony Cyber-shots have advanced features like Superior Quick Focus, Optical Steadyshot technology and Superior iAuto, which makes them more versatile than the cellphone. The new Superior Quick Focus technology and intelligent processing in Sony Cyber-shot cameras, offers clear and instant Autofocussing. The Optical Steadyshot technology combines Horizontal-Vertical Shake Protection and Gyro-sensor Correction, thereby minimising hand-shake and allowing steady and crisp images, even when zoomed in. Superior iAuto takes multiple pictures and combines them instantly and as a result, users get the best images with crystal clear details.
By far, India is still predominantly a compact
camera market. With the advent of the new festival season, is there a likelihood of a market shift towards the more convenient and easy to use mirrorless camera? The compact camera segment has been continuously growing as they offer advance features like high zoom, low-light condition mode, Optical Steady Shot and full HD movie as well as many user friendly features like ‘Superior Auto mode’ and ‘picture effect’. Sony is expecting the compact camera market to expand even more in the festive season. Sony will also promote its new DSLT line-up with Translucent mirror technology in the festive season and is looking at the mirrorless camera segment to grow even more faster in the festive season.
Could you please elaborate on Sony’s recent initiative to celebrate this Independence Day with “24 Cameras.24 hours.24 Schools” campaign? For this year’s Independence Day celebrations, Sony’s innovative campaign featured 15 participants from each of the 24 schools going all-out to capture the ‘Life of India’ and upload their pictures on Sony India’s facebook page - https:// www.facebook.com/sonyIndia. Once all the pictures were uploaded, a voting took place to select the best picture from each school. Sony’s internal jury, selected 24 winners and each of them took home a brand new Sony Alpha camera and lens.
Mathew Thottungal September 2012 Smart Photography
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Finally, a platform for all photographers to exhibit their talent and GET NOTICED!
Kaleidoscope
“C
oming from the luscious green lands of Wayanad in Kerala, I was lucky to spend my growing years in a visually charming environment. Along with that, the prospect of travel and the opportunity to meet people from various walks of life was very fascinating to me”, Mumbai based budding photographer Nithin Narayan says. With a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from Coimbatore in hand, and after a brief stint in Bengaluru, Nithin shifted to Mumbai to work with Ogilvy and Mather. He credits his two gurus, Trial and Error, for his portfolio. “Curiosity developed the interest in photography. With no real formal training, I would on my own time, experiment with light, shadows and various frames. This taught me that the camera sees way more than the human eye. The experiences I have had cannot be classified as just good or bad,” he explains, “they have been the best teachers in both, the subject and life.” The equipment in Nithin’s inventory are Canon 450D, Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-105mm, Canon 50mm 1.8, Canon 18-55mm and a Vanguard Espod 203AP Tripod. When it comes to post processing, Nithin likens Photoshop to coffee powder. The right amount makes the end product pleasant. For him it is an indispensable tool, but only to enhance an image; never to recreate.
Mystical Curves
Image Courtesy : Rishabh K Collection Camera:Nikon Canon EOS 5D Mark II Camera: D90 Shutterspeed: speed:1/200sec 1/400sec Shutter “My future plans most certainly include Aperture:f/6.3 f/8 Aperture: Sensitivity: ISO400 100 Sensitivity: ISO more photography, travel, meeting new
people, experimenting with portraits 32
Smart Photography September 2012
and if possible, host an exhibition. To all those who are starting out I would like to say, keep clicking images, try to
understand light and its clout to change everything about a picture. The best photos are not always taken with the
Sealink in hues Camera: Canon 450D Aperture : f/4.5 Shutter speed: 1/10sec. ISO: 100
most expensive cameras. Someday, if you’re not carrying a camera and wish to capture a frame, create the image
with your eyes, click it and save it in your mind. It will be an image only you can go back to�, he adds. Nithin Narayan, Mumbai
September 2012 Smart Photography
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Hat trick
Camera: Canon 5D Mark III Aperture: f/4 Shutter speed: 1/640sec. ISO: 250
From under the veil Camera: Canon 450D Aperture: f/1.8 Shutter speed: 1/60sec. ISO: 100
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Smart Photography September 2012
Cute enough? Camera: Canon 45D Aperture: f/1.8 Shutter speed: 1/160sec. ISO: 400
I look up to someone Camera: Canon 450D Aperture: f/1.8 Shutter speed: 1/1000sec. ISO: 400
Rise up
Camera: Canon 450D Aperture: f/4 Shutter speed: 1/640sec. ISO: 800
Get featured & win an Epson PictureMate PM245, worth Rs.9999/-!
The little things I see Camera: Canon 5D Mark III Aperture: f/4 Shutter speed: 1/80sec. ISO: 1600
CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS! Kaleidoscope is the perfect way to jump-start your career... So simply send us a selection of your images along with full details of your vision and the technical information at sp@nextgenpublishing.net. We accept both film and digital images. All pictures that are forwarded to Kaleidoscope should be 8x10 inches in size (or larger) and at 300 ppi. However, we will re-size them according to the layout considerations. September 2012 Smart Photography
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Photograph by
Sayantan Mitra
Participate
&
WIN!
MK 393 PD Tripod
Sponsored by:
Picture of the Month We are sure that all of you have a few pictures that you think are prize worthy. It happens very often that you don’t know where to send the image that could put a feather in your cap. If you have such images (we’re sure you have many!), send us ONE such horizontal image. If it qualifies, we shall publish it as a double-spread. a. You have to guarantee that the picture was shot by you b. If there are people in the picture who can be identified, we’ll need a model release
c. The picture should not have been printed elsewhere (magazine newspaper, or offered to any publication) d. Mark the entry as “Picture of the Month” and rename the file using your name e. You may send images via print/e-mail to: Next Gen Publishing Ltd.,2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013 (or) sphoto.india@gmail.com
A note to our readers 1. The picture has to be horizontal. 2. Kindly ensure that the longer side should measure atleast 17 inches, at 300ppi. 3. Low resolution images will not be accepted. 4. We do not check images on online galleries. 5. Kindly ensure complete contact/address details are provided. Winners will have to collect their prize from SP’s Mumbai office or send an authorised representative to do so. 6. Please make sure that your picture does not have your name/logo on it.
Showcase
All about the
Birds... A
n electrical engineer by qualification and a businessman by profession, Hyderabad based Masood Hussain is an extremely passionate bird photographer. For a man who started bird photography Masood Hussain, only in 2010, when he bought Hyderabad his first D-SLR – a Nikon D90, Masood has come a long way. He is fascinated by birds due to two reasons – first because they are one of most beautiful creations in Nature. Second, as a person who relishes challenges, he likes the difficulties posed while photographing birds. Watching and learning the behaviour of birds taught him the most important virtue of bird photography - patience. His images have been accepted in various international photography salons under the patronage of FIAP (International Federation of Photographic Art) and he has recently qualified for AFIAP, their first distinction. His aim is to travel around the world to photograph birds in different countries. A coffee table book on birds is on his list of things to accomplish, and he sincerely believes that the images will influence people to conserve birds by restoring their habitat. He presently uses a Nikon D300S DSLR with Sigma 150500MM DG OS HSM, and Nikkor 70-300MM ED VR lenses along with a Manfrotto 680B monopod. Masood’s work can be viewed at : www.flickr.com/hussainsgallery.
Ashok Kandimalla
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Smart Photography September 2012
Showcase
The Green Bee Eater snacks September 2012 Smart Photography
39
Showcase
The Kingfisher with its prey
The Green Bee Eater
The Indian Roller takes off 40
Smart Photography September 2012
Showcase Coppersmith Berbet
With the catch of the day
The Indian Peacock in a grand flight
Eurasian Hoopoe
September 2012 Smart Photography
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Showcase
The Baya Weaver at work
Challenge behind shooting the favourite picture: The photograph of the baya weaver (male) approaching its nest is my favourite. This was shot in extremely difficult conditions. The nest was hanging on a dense tree above a water well and there was hardly any light falling on the nest. I had to determine the best possible time when the sunlight would directly fall on the nest through the small gap 42
Smart Photography September 2012
between the ground and the top of the tree. I came back again at such a time and was still unable to freeze that extremely fast action. The bird was so fast that I was unable to focus it. Also, I wasn’t getting the required shutter speed. I resolved this issue by bumping up the ISO to 2500. Now for focusing, I used manual focus and pre-focused the area where I was anticipating the bird to be. After about a couple of hours of
motionless waiting, I finally got what I wanted!
Tech Data of the image: Camera : Nikon D300s, Lens : Sigma 150-500mm, Exposure Mode : Aperture Priority, Aperture : f 7.1, Shutter speed : 1/4000, Exposure Comp : +0.3 step, ISO : 2500, Metering mode Center weighted, Focal Length : 400mm, Subject Distance : 10m (approx.)
E-mail your images at sp@nextgenpublishing.net
If I Were You Our Imaging Expert
No one can take a picture that everyone likes. But, almost every picture can have a scope of improvement. Many-a-times, we are not our best critic, while others can immediately point out the faults. In If I were you, our expert comments on how your pictures could be taken to another level.
Rohinton Mehta, Technical Editor, Smart Photography
The Auto-rickshaw
This picture comes to us from Gautam Acharekar. The technique used here is called ‘panning’. Using a slow shutter speed, the camera is moved (panned) in synchronisation with the subject. The relative speed difference between the vehicle and the panned camera being zero, the vehicle is recorded sharply. The background however (which is not moving) is recorded the way you see it here. It is important to use a slow shutter speed and pan smoothly, keeping the subject in the centre of the frame. It is also important to have in the background, what we would normally regard as disturbing elements. By that I mean buildings, fences, trees, poles etc. You cannot pan successfully if the background is a plain wall or a toneless sky. During editing, you can re-compose as needed. 1. The composition is quite good but I have tried to improve it a bit by cropping away some portion from the top (to get rid of some disturbing highlights), and a bit from the bottom. 2. The shadows in the original picture appear too dark to me. I ‘opened up’ the shadows (and also slightly toned down the highlights) using the Shadows/Highlights command in Photoshop. 3. Finally, a touch of sharpening was added.
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Picture Info
Camera: Nikon D5000 ISO: 200 Shutter speed: 1/25 sec Aperture: f/14
Original Image
Edited Image
If I Were You
Picture Info
Camera: Nikon D3100 ISO: 400 Lens: Nikon 70-300 VR at 300mm Shutter speed: 1/160 sec Aperture: f/5.6
The Mongoose
Original Image
This lovely picture of the mongoose is sent to us by SP reader Ajay Tharavath. Ajay says that he is a beginner in photography, but his picture indicates otherwise! The picture is crisp and more importantly, shot almost at the animal’s eye level. The eyes are in perfect focus, and the background has nothing that takes the attention away from the subject. This is one of those times when improving a picture is not easy.
Edited Image
I have slightly sharpened and cropped the picture to place greater emphasis on the mongoose. Good job, Ajay! September 2012 Smart Photography
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If I Were You
Note: If I Were You is meant to encourage and guide readers, and help them improve their photography. Please ensure that the required camera/exposure details are sent to us (or are available in the EXIF data). We shall not accept images for this section if the required data is not available. Readers are requested to send their images at 300ppi for 8 x 10-inch size. If they are too small, it gets difficult to work on them, and hence may be rejected.
Flowing Water Mohan Krishnan from Talegaon has sent us two very similar pictures of flowing water. Besides a slight difference in the composition, the picture on the left was shot at 1/2.5sec, the other was shot at 1/10sec. Mohan also mentioned in his E-mail that spot metering was used. Pictures of flowing water, shot at slow shutter speeds convey movement in
our otherwise static photos. It is good that Mohan has experimented with two different shutter speeds. In fact, using an appropriate Neutral Density filter, Mohan could have tried various slow shutter speeds for different effects.
Picture Info
When spot metering, one has to be careful about the spot from where the meter reading is taken. Ideally, the spot reading should be off a mid-tone area. If the spot metering is done off a lighter tone (say, the white area of the
Original Image 1
Edited Image 1
Original Image 2
Edited Image 2
Camera : Nikon D3100 ISO : Auto (110 for Image1) (200 for Image2) Shutter speed : 1/2.5 sec for Image1 1/10 sec for Image2 Aperture : f/22
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Smart Photography September 2012
flowing water), the exposure should be increased by 1 to 1.5 stops. If the spot metering is done off the dark rocks, the meter reading should be reduced by about 1 to 1.5 stops. Using Levels in Photoshop, I have slightly adjusted the contrast and added a dash of sharpening. Further sharpening was added (using the Sharpen Tool) to the rocks in the front. Basic editing techniques can certainly improve your pictures.
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Throw some light
In your July 2012 issue, there are some tips on page 79 about settings on D-SLRs. The article advised readers to set the sharpness, contrast and colour saturation to zero. Please explain why, and what will happen if they are set more towards ‘+’. Is it wise to use high ISO in good light to get higher shutter speed? Subhash Purohit via E-mail Increasing in-camera sharpness can increase ‘jaggies’ (the staircase effect seen on curved lines). Increasing in-camera contrast can overexpose highlights and make shadows detail-less (especially in harsh lighting). Increasing in-camera saturation often causes skin tones to turn warmer (reddish). Note that these parameters do not apply to Raw images; they apply only to JPEGs. The three parameters mentioned here can be easily controlled during post-processing using your editing program, which incidentally, is a much more powerful software compared to the camera’s. You can use higher ISO sensitivity to obtain higher shutter speeds in good light. Noise shows up in underexposed areas, and in good light (especially in soft lighting), shadows also have (in most cases) reasonable amount of brightness.
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Did you know... Ronnie has over 35 years of experience in photography? In fact, he has taught several thousand photoenthusiasts in various institutions and through workshops, as well as judged many national and international photo contests, including the prestigious International Photo Contest held at Colombo, Sri Lanka. So, if you have any photo-queries, whether conventional or digital, don’t hesitate. Just go ahead and Ask Uncle Ronnie at sp@nextgenpublishing.net, ‘cause he knows it all!
Low light issues
I am an amateur photographer and have taken pictures using a Nikon Coolpix S8000. Sometimes the images appear blurred and noisy, especially those shot at night or in dim light. I have ruined most of my precious pictures due to this. Sometimes at night, bubble like appearances were there on my photos and I have no idea why this happens. I now use the flash mode for taking pictures. Does zooming in dim light cause these problems? Neil Sequeira via E-mail Photography at night or in low-light requires the use of higher ISO sensitivities. In AUTO mode, and in low light, your S8000 automatically raises the ISO sensitivity. This, along with underexposure, causes an increase in digital noise. Image blur is caused by camera / subject movement during exposure. That is why a tripod is recommended, especially in low light (though it will not help to prevent blur due to subject movement). Since you have not included any photos, I am unable to comment on the “bubble like appearances” you have mentioned. Compact cameras, due to their limitations, are generally not the right choice for taking pictures in low light.
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Question Trove
I am a serious enthusiast and want to buy a D-SLR to learn and do more of travel and wildlife photography (I do not have patience for bird photography though). My husband has a Nikon D90 and I find it heavy after hand-holding it for 10-15minutes continuously. (I have a light body structure and small hands and wrists). I have been thinking about a Nikon D3200 (as I can share some lenses and gear with my husband in the future), but have certain concerns and doubts after reading the recent review by Smart Photography and other reviewers online. The concerns are: 1. D3200 is a 24 MP camera. I read your article ‘Megapixel Madness’ in the latest issue. It has confused me about D3200. Is such a high megapixel resolution required or instead can I get a better IQ from any other DSLR? 2. Is Autofocussing of D3200 a tad slow/inaccurate? Could you please explain why and how slow the focussing is? Is it so serious a problem that one should reconsider buying it? I would also like to know what drives a camera’s auto-focus speed and accuracy. I am now wondering whether I should rather go for D3100 or any other D-SLR, may be from Canon? 3. My husband is of an opinion that I should go in for a D7000, since I might outgrow the D3200
fast and the D7000 is better overall (I have used Nikon D90 quite a bit). What is your opinion? 4. I like the red body of D3200. Can it be a distracting issue while shooting wildlife? 5. I am also reading a lot about mirror-less cameras now a days. Are these better than D-SLRs in terms of IQ? Should I wait for some time before buying my D-SLR so that prices of these bodies and lenses are cheaper? Deepa Ashar via E-mail 1. For general, day-to-day photography, you do not require such a high resolution camera. High resolution cameras also require top-notch quality lenses (read that as very expensive) if you really want to achieve the maximum image quality the camera is capable of. However, such cameras are at an advantage when you crop your pictures. Do note that high resolution models require a very steady hand, because along with the high resolution, they also bring out the ill-effects of hand shake during exposure. 2. I would not say that the autofocussing on the Nikon D3200 is inaccurate, but slow or fast autofocussing depends on the lighting
conditions, contrast at the point of focus, and the lens speed. Almost all cameras struggle to autofocus in low light/low contrast situations. A camera’s AF speed and accuracy depends on the autofocus module that the camera uses (that is the manufacturer’s decision, you have no control over it), the ‘speed’ of the lens (fast lenses provide quicker and more accurate AF), contrast and lighting conditions. When you use fast lenses, the cross-type AF sensors get activated, resulting in more accurate and faster autofocus. 3. You could outgrow the D7000 too! Just joking. I too use the D7000 and it is a very good camera. You mentioned that you are interested in wildlife
photography too. Do note that the long telephoto lenses required for wildlife photography are very heavy (I am mentioning this since you said that you find your husband’s D90 to be heavy). 4. Not really. Many animals do not recognise colour, and even if they do, the camera body is generally hidden behind the lens. 5. I for one do not believe in waiting for
Continued on the next page... September 2012 Smart Photography
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Ask Uncle Ronnie
Is this an error?
prices to fall, but that’s an individual thing. Generally, prices of good quality lenses do not fall; they go up! Body prices do fall.
Month after month, SP brings out interesting issues. The vast topics covered in Learnings are very informative. I wish the magazine maintains this standard! Thank you for the amazing work the team puts in.
I also use mirror-less cameras (Panasonic GF1 and G3. I like the G3 more) and I can tell you that they provide very good image quality. The lenses are much lighter and cheaper as well. For example,
I have noticed an anomaly in the article though. Kindly correct me if I am wrong. Under Exposure Compensation: On Page 61, sentence starting with “However, you will encounter situations that are high key...” where you define high key and low key scenes and in 3rd para 3rd sentence starting with “Normally you give the former for high key...” says giving + compensation for high key scenes and - compensation for low key scenes. I think it should be other way round i.e. you give more exposure (+ compensation) for low key (very dark) scenes to make the image lighter and less exposure (- compensation) for high key (very light) scenes to make the image darker. Keep up the good work! Bhavin Ashar, Mumbai Sadly, you are mistaken. Let us understand how exposure meters work. Exposure meters provide ‘correct’ exposure if and only if the subject reflects about 18% of light falling on it. But white (or light) subjects reflect more than 18% of light. This causes the meter to ‘think’ that too much light is coming in and hence I must reduce the exposure. This makes the recorded image to go darker (underexposes the image). Hence, to compensate, we need to add light (use + compensation).
Panasonic’s 100-300mm lens (equivalent to 200-600mm in the 35mm format) is hardly 650g or so (don’t remember the exact weight though). Similar focal length lenses from other manufacturers (in 35mm format) would be almost impossible to lug around. No, they are not better than D-SLRs in terms of overall image quality, but they are almost equal to low-end D-SLRs. Having said that, you will be surprised at the image quality (I make 20 x 30 inch and larger prints from my mirrorless cameras). Most people only see the images on the computer monitor. If you are amongst them, you will have no problems whatsoever. Even if you print your images, you may (probably) limit the print size to 8 x 12” or 12 x 16” or nearby. I see no problems here. If you go in for the mirror-less camera, you will have to buy extra lenses and will not be able to interchange the lenses with your hubby. 50
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Conversely, black (or dark) subjects reflect less then 18% of light. This makes the exposure meter to ‘think’ that too little light is coming in and hence I must increase the exposure. This makes the recorded image to turn brighter (overexposes the image). In order to compensate, we need to reduce light (use - compensation). The above assumes that the photographer wants his whites as white and blacks as black. The advice that dark subjects need more light and light subjects need less light is incorrect. Important Note: When using a digital camera, underexposure causes ‘noise’. Hence when I photograph dark subjects that cover the frame, I do not apply the general minus compensation. This means that the dark areas turn grey (indicating overexposure) but then I adjust the tonalities in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). The shadow areas collect more data, which translates into lesser noise. Do keep in mind that this method works only with RAW.
Dinesh Khanna
Š Dinesh Khanna
Mastercraftsman
Bharatnatyam dancer, Rama Vaidyanathan danced in this beautiful stream in rural England. Probably the most unusual stage she ever performed on, it was an absolutely mesmerizing experience.
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Mastercraftsman
Beyond the
e m a r F “I don’t photograph what I see. I photograph it the way I want to see it. I think that is the way I approach photography and this shows clearly in whatever work I do; personal or commissioned.”
Dinesh Khanna New Delhi
These few lines form the premise on which Delhi-based professional Dinesh Khanna establishes his work. Over the years, Dinesh has assembled an incredible body of work, while continuing to engage in different genres of photography. With a line up of commercial assignments to be executed, for international magazines, advertising agencies and commercial organisations, Dinesh is putting together a pictorial book on Benares – ‘Everything in Eternity’. Apart from these projects, he is currently authoring two book projects; Mothers & Daughters and Urban Trivia. Excerpts: September 2012 Smart Photography
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Dinesh Khanna
Mastercraftsman
From an advertising background, how did the transition to photography happen? How did you then select the genres to specialise in?
Many thought the choice was a very brave one. For me it was just something I had to do. The shift happened 21 years ago, and I can tell you with conviction that the choice was a right one.
Viewers can feel a distinct difference in your work, from that of news photographers. Your personal work is all about finding beauty. How do you incorporate this signature into commercial work?
Well, news photographers have to shoot images that inform, whereas for commercial work we have to shoot photographs that influence and entice. In contrast, my personal work is straightforward and the only photographic elements I use are composition and the moment. Patterns, juxtapositions or contradictions present in a situation gain importance. A photograph, I feel, should have layers, that intrigue and force the viewer to see more than just the obvious. That is tougher to do in a commercial shoot, but is satisfying when you achieve what is expected.
How do you maintain your style across different genres like still life, interiors,
Food Trio Food photography almost a meditative process. For it allows one to play with colour, form, texture and composition in delightful ways.
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food, people etc., especially while working with different stylists?
I probably have a distinctive style, but it is not a conscious move. It is important to approach every shot or assignment organically. Over the years I have trained myself to think less about the ‘how’ of a photograph, and to respond more to the ‘why’ of it. Work done on assignment, or for a project, usually has a specific purpose and reason assigned to it. Clients choose you because they believe you have the skill, experience and most importantly, the style to create those photos. Therefore, I just let my creativity flow in a natural and unhindered manner. © Dinesh Khanna
Photography was a medium I was introduced to quite early in life as my father was a photographer. A camera, some film and a darkroom were always available at home. All the basic skills I picked up were from him. Though I loved the medium, I decided not to follow in my father’s footsteps, as it was expected by my family. So, I meandered into advertising. There I spent 12 years in Client Servicing and really enjoyed the process. However, there came a time
when I started resenting the demands posed by advertising, as photography took a backseat. That was when I realised I had to make a choice.
Dinesh Khanna
The very first photograph from the Mothers & Daughters series. Neena Bose (centre) asked Dinesh to photograph her with her daughter and mother, thus initiating the whole series.
It works for me, and quite efficiently. Different genres pose their own challenges and opportunities, of course, and that is why I enjoy working with all of them rather than specialising in one or two.
Is there any relationship between the aesthetic appreciation for the object and subject that you photograph? While shooting different genres, do you find that what works for still life doesn’t always work for real life, and vice versa? Comment
© Dinesh Khanna
As I mentioned earlier, if one can understand the ‘why’ of a particular photograph, half the battle is won. The aesthetic of an object/subject rises from the physical manifestation of it, as much as from the emotional reaction it evokes in the photographer. That reaction is the most authentic aspect of the photograph. If captured well then it is communicated to the viewer with a similar intensity. This is why some photographs ‘work’, and others don’t. The other major difference between photographing still and real life is the control the photographer has on the situation. With still life one can precisely and consciously September 2012 Smart Photography
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Dinesh Khanna
Mastercraftsman
It is this contrast and diversity that I find inspiring, and it helps me keep my interest alive and evolving.
When you photograph a person, you zero in on the face and eyes,
© Dinesh Khanna
arrange what is in the frame, to make the picture perfect. However, with real life, we have no control over what happens in front of us, and the challenge is to capture that perfect moment when all the elements conspire to create the perfect picture.
but when you take a picture of interiors or of food, you have got to get the whole thing in the frame, to reveal much more. How do you choose what to display and what to hide? What you leave out of the frame is as important as what you include in the frame. Keep it simple. Keep it direct. Make it layered. That is my mantra for photography. This, in varying ratios, applies to all my work and the genre or situation one is shooting dictates what one decides for Raza Diptych
Ebrahim Alkazi, erstwhile Director of National School of Drama & noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery owner. His character makes the portrait.
the particular photograph.
© Dinesh Khanna
My photographs have to look technically simple, but possess complexity in terms of composition, emotion and meaning. While I do strive to control what the viewer looks at first in an image, I also like to make sure that the photo has room for individual exploration and interpretation. When a viewer is engaging with an image, it belongs to that person and they should feel an empathy for it. It gives them a personal 56
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sense of discovery. Good photographs don’t just allow communication between the photographer and the viewer, they enforce it.
To what extent has “Benares – Everyday in Eternity”, reshaped your approach to photography in particular? Also take us through some of your other projects. Ever since I ventured into Photography, I travelled and shot a lot in the streets, bazaars, homes and religious places of India. It is my way of relating
Loena Nayan, the latest in the “Mothers & Daughters” series. The 27th family recorded.
© Dinesh Khanna
© Dinesh Khanna
Dinesh Khanna
with and understanding, both, my country and my photography. In fact, two of my pictorial books, ‘Bazaar’ and ‘Living Faith’ were a result
of these travels. In these 20 years, I found myself being constantly drawn to Benares more than any other place in India. So about 7 years
ago, I decided that instead of being peripatetic, I would concentrate on one city and record the life that happens in it. September 2012 Smart Photography
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Dinesh Khanna
Mastercraftsman
The city of Benares is a microcosm of India and, more importantly, the Indian way of life. All that is good about our nation happens here. All that is bad and frustrating dwells here too. I find observing these contrasts, harmonies and the rhythms extremely fascinating. As a photographer it is truly enriching, to engage with the ebb and flow of humanity, that resides in this ancient city.
© Dinesh Khanna
I enjoy working on long-term personal projects. ‘Benares - Everyday in Eternity’ is just
one of them. It has been 7 years and I am 15 trips down. I can hopefully culminate all that in a pictorial book by 2014. Besides this I am also working on 2 other projects: ‘Mothers & Daughters’ and ‘Urban Trivia’. Across these 3 long-term projects, I am able to explore, investigate and engage with different and varied aspects of my life and the life around me. These are not just about photography and making pictures, but collectively they form my vision, illustrate my point of view and
Sarees & Taj Part of the ‘Incredible India’ campaign. Twelve photographs of the Taj Mahal were shot, not just as a cold magnificent mausoleum, but as a part of everyday life in India with all its colour and exuberance.
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help me engage with matters and issues much larger than my life. I would urge photographers, especially those just starting on their journey with this wonderful medium, to make sure they always have a couple of personal projects which they are working on, even as they do other things to make a living and develop professionally. This will make their tryst with photography more enriching and satisfying, and that is the essential idea of any art practised in life.
Mathew Thottungal
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Product Name: SDXC Card – Class 10 MRP: Rs. 20,999 for 64GB Product Details: It seamlessly captures high-resolution or RAW photos in burst mode and HD video where uninterrupted writing of data is critical. With 64GB capacity, you can use it for a long time before transferring images or files to a PC. Product Name: DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 MRP: Rs. 6,500 for 64GB Product Details: With high transfer speeds and capacities up to 256GB, this is your perfect storage option for heavy images and videos.
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Product Name:ADATA USB 3.0 DashDrive Durable HD710 – External Hard Disk Drive MRP :Rs 6,200 for 500GB Product Details: ADATA DashDrive HD710 is an ideal storage solution, that has passed the stringent IEC 529 IPX7 test, in which the device proved water-tight after being submerged in meter-deep water for up to 30 minutes. The DashDrive Durable HD710 also passed the Military MILSTD-810G 516.5 drop test as well. Available at: ADATA Technology (India) P Ltd Contact Person: Mr. Umesh Singh Phone: 022-67587046 E-Mail: Sales_In@adata-group.com Website: www.adata-group.com
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Product Name: SD Camera Memory Card: 64GB Extreme Pro 95 MB/s UHS –I SD MRP: Rs. 34,178/Product Details: With a write speedup to 90 megabyte per second (MB/sec) photographers can capture a series of RAW images using burst mode, and its UHS Speed Class 1 rating can record Full HD videos. Product Name: microSD Memory Card: 64GB Ultra Class 10/U1 microSD MRP: Rs. 4,340/Product Details: SanDisk Ultra microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I cards offer up to 30MB/sec transfer speeds. The new mobile memory cards are available in 16GB to 64GB. Product Name: USB Flash Drive: 64GB Extreme 3.0 USB MRP: Rs. 5,189/Product Details: SanDisk Extreme USB Flash Drive’s superfast speed of up to 190 MB/sec lets you transfer your files in a fraction of the time it takes with USB 2.0 technology. Available at: Rashi Peripherals Contact person: Amit Agarwal Phone: 09967600092 Website: www.sandisk.com/
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Toshiba Canvio V6 (available in 5 colors) Mrp: Rs. 7,990/- (for 500GB), Rs. 13,790/- (for 1TB) Product Details: The Canvio V6 features USB 3.0 with a transfer rate of up to 5Gb/s2 . It is available in 500 GB and 1 TB capacities. Additional features offered are 1 month Cloud computing trial pack free NTI Backup software and Muvee editing software (Movie & Audio) Available at: Rashi Peripherals Contact person: Amit Agarwal/Polad Garda Phone: 09967600092 E-Mail: amit.agarwal@rptechindia.com polad.garda@toshiba-india.com Website: www.sdd.toshiba.com.tw
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VARTA Varta Power LCD Charger with 4A 2100 mAh Batterries. MRP: Rs. 1,490 Product Details: The plug charger accesses current directly from the electrical outlet, so cords and cables are superfluous. It functions with all voltages from 110 to 240 volts.
Available at: PowerCell Division ( Eveready Industries India Ltd.) Contact: Mr. Vijay Tyagi Phone: 033 - 30580850 E-Mail: vijay.tyagi@eveready.co.in Website: www.uniross.com
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Uniross Uniross LCD 1-2 H Charger (with 4AA 2100 series Hybrio batteries) MRP: Rs.1,695 Product Details: Charges 2-4 Pcs of AA/AAA batteries at a high speed charging rate of 1-2 hours. Uniross Xpress Mini Charger (with 2AA 2100 series Hybrio batteries) MRP: Rs. 695 62
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Product Details: Charges 1-2 AA/AAA batteries. Hybrio – Ready to use 2100 series battery – Perfect companion for Camera & other wide variety of usages.
Enelong Simpex Enelong 2100 Batteries MRP: Rs.290 per set Product Details: Simpex ready to use AA Batteries can be recharged up to 1000 times. Available at: Sunlight Industries Contact: PankajVerma Phone: +911142384930 E-Mail: info@simpex-pro.in Website: www.simpex-pro.com
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DIGITEK Digitek Multi Li-ion Battery Charger MRP: Rs. 1,495 Product Details: The fast and convenient way to refuel your high power camera batteries. This charger utilises MPC technology for quick charging. AC, DC & world ready 100-240 Volts. Input : 100-240V 50-60HZ Output : DC I 2V/ 1000mA
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Godrej GP Powerbank M520 Fast Charger with 2xAA 2500mAh Batteries MRP: Rs.1,395 Product Details: Primary and Bad Battery Detection features available. It has a Dual Color LED Indicator and the Auto Cut-off Safety Control prevents overcharging.
Available at: IMS MERCANTILES PVT. LTD. Contact: Mr. Naresh Magan / Mr. Susheel Negi Phone: 011-47074444 E-Mail: info@imsmercantiles.in WEBSITE: www.imsmercantiles.in
ENVIE Envie Montero Charger (ECR19) MRP: Rs. 695 Product Details: This charger can charge from 2-8 AA/AAA Ni-MH/Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries at a time. Output current 250mA for AA and 150mA for AAA. Speedster charger + 4 x AA Infinite Batteries MRP: Rs. 1,495 Product Details: This charger can charge AA/AAA Ni MH/N i-Cd rechargeable batteries. Output current 1800mA x 1, 900mA x 2, 450mA x 5, 450mA x 4. for AA 900mA x 1, 450mA x 2, 225mA x 3, 225mA x 4 for AAA 2. September 2012 Smart Photography
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KATA KATA BUMBLEBEE BACKPACK MRP: TBA Product Details: The Bumblebee backpack fits a DSLR (without grip and booster) + up to 70-200 f2.8 lens attached + 3-5 lenses + flash + accessories, OR a compact camcorder, chargers and accessories. It can also accommodate a laptop, an iPad or Netbook.
Available at: Shetala Agencies Pvt Ltd Contact: Mr.Jegan/Mr.Kumar Phone: +91 9884068484 / +91 9884085585 E-Mail: saleschennai@shetalacamera.com Website: www.shetalacamera.com
U.S.-patented Memory & Battery Management System that uses red flags to identify available memory cards and batteries from ones that are used up.
JEALIOT Available at: Srishti Digilife Contact: Mr. Balasubramanian V. Phone: 044 2436 7448 E-Mail: info@srishtidigilife.co.in Website: www.srishtidigilife.co.in
TAMRAC TAMRAC VELOCITY 7X COMPACT SLING PACK 5767 MRP: Rs. 3,700/-. Product Details: The Velocity 7x - Photo Sling Pack is a unique, ultra-functional pack that acts like a backpack, but provides quick access to an SLR with a 6” lens attached and a couple additional lenses. A well-padded sling strap comfortably distributes the weight. It also features Tamrac’s 64
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Jealiot 3194-S D-SLR Camera Bag MRP: Rs. 4,299/Product Details: Waterproof anti-rip material, can hold 1 D-SLR with lens attached, 3-4 additional lenses,flash light and accessories.
Available at: Jagdamba Enterprises Contact: Vijay Pal Singh Phone: +91 9810258202 E-Mail: vijay@jagdambadelhi.com Website: www.jagdambadelhi.com
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Vanguard Vanguard Heralder 38 MRP: Rs.9,990/Product Details: The Heralder Series is an easily accessible messenger bag. Other features include an extremely comfortable, padded anti-slip shoulder strap that distributes weight evenly on your shoulders, a padded laptop compartment, numerous accessory pockets to store loose gear and Provides compatibility with other VANGUARD accessories, such as padded lens protectors.
Available at: Interfoto India Pvt Ltd Contact: Jamila Akolawala Phone: 1-800-222239 E-Mail: sales@interfotoindia.com Website: www.interfoto.co.in
Lowepro
Photo Traveler 150 MRP: Rs. 3,750/Product Details: A roomy, thickly padded bag with a fully adjustable main compartment with enough space to fit and protect a compact D-SLR or compact system camera, plus extra lenses and a flash. Additional features include: stretchmesh side pockets; SlipLock™ attachment loops; padded shoulder straps and backpad; plus a quick-grab handle.
Vanguard UP-RISE 48 Photo-video backpacks MRP: Rs. 8,690/Product Details: This bag can hold one D-SLR camera with grip and attached lens, three-four lenses, flash, tripod and accessories, and a 15 inch laptop. Vanguard Quovio 41 Mrp: Rs.14,990./Product Details: Built-in laptop compartment for 14’’ widescreen laptop, tripod holding system Inside this sleek shoulder bag, a roomy interior offers plenty of room and thick padding for a full-size digital video camera or a pro D-SLR setup.
Available at: Nikita Distributors Contact: Raman Agarwal Phone: +91 9967588171/+91 20 30500614 E-Mail: raman.jpa@gmail.com Website: www.imaginext.in
Pro Runner 200 AW MRP: 4,500/-. Product Details: This feature-filled design fits a camera, tripod and accessories, plus a few personal items, in a highly organised pack. From its fully padded interior to its patented, built-in All Weather AW Cover™, the Pro Runner 200 AW thoroughly safeguards valuable gear.
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Slik F630 MRP: Rs 2,500 Product Details: The stability of the tripod can be improved with the center column locking system It is equipped with a quick release plate for easy attaching and removing. The 3-way pan head with a long panhandle ensures camera control.
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(T600 EX) MRP: Rs 2,250 Product Details: The T600 EX is a 4 section, elevator type tripod. Built from aluminum and plastic, it is lightweight and easy to carry.
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GH2720QR- Two way fluid head MRP PRICE: TBA Product Details: The first specifically designed tripod for bird watching. Ultra smooth and controlled movements thanks to the exclusive Gitzo new Bird Watching Fluid Cartridges.
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Riyo Riyo mini tripod. Product Details: Best suited for small point and shoot cameras. Available at: Ria Enterprises Contact: Kailash Ruparel Phone: + 9820055660 E-Mail: kailashruparel@rediffmail.com
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Manfrotto 290 Carbon Fibre Series- Lightweight & Versatile Tripods MRP: TBA Product details:These tripods are lightweight, compact and transportable, without any sacrifice in camera stability. 290 Carbons are durable and built for heavy-duty use, Creative and flexible, with positioning freedom to match their stability. Available at: Srishti Digilife Contact: Mr. Balasubramanian V. Phone: 044 2436 7448 E-Mail: info@srishtidigilife.co.in Website: www.srishtidigilife.co.in
Vanguard Abeo 323AV Tripod with PH114 BALL HEAD MRP: Rs. 20,490/Product Details: Abeo is built to support with unwavering reliability and stability thanks to premium magnesium die-cast construction. Its legs adjust to 25, 50 and 80-degree angles with an ergonomic release button – ultra fast and securely. Quick-flip leg locks enable fast setup. Abeo enables unique shots, too, with an easyto-set-up low-angle adaptor. Abeo 323AV comes with PH114V smooth two-way pan head.
Vanguard Vanguard Alta Pro 263 AGH with GH100 Gun Ball head MRP: Rs. 18,990/Product Details: Alta Pro tripods feature innovative Multi-Angle Central Column (MACC) System that allows users to move the central column from zero to 180-degree angles in variable vertical and horizontal positions. Other features include advanced camera vibration and shock control, legs that adjust to 25, 50 and 80-degree angles.
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Olympus 10x42 EXWP I MRP: Rs. 21,699/Product Details: Their high-index BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated lenses deliver crisp, clear images while waterproof, fogproof and dirtproof features help to ensure a great viewing experience under a variety of weatherrelated conditions. Olympus 8-16x40 Zoom DPSI MRP: Rs.5,990/Product Details: This standard Porro Prism binocular brings sports enthusiasts to their game with easily focussed, wide-angle views that are great for keeping up with fast moving subjects, has 8-16x zoom optical power, and
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provides UV ray protection so you never have to worry about the sun.
Celestron UPClose G2 7*35 (model-71250) MRP: Rs 3,399/Product Details: Multi-coated Optics Rubber covered Water resistant Soft carrying case Binocular strap
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Multi use binocular 7*50 MRP: Rs.1999 Product Details: Wide field of view 7*magnification High contrast view Comfort grip
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KENKO
Available at: All Olympus Imaging retailers in India Phone: +91 22 61420400 E-Mail: inquiry@olympus.in Website: www.olympus-imaging.co.in
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Available at: Interfoto India Pvt Ltd Contact: Jamila Akolawala Phone: 1-800-222239 E-Mail: sales@interfotoindia.com Website: www.interfoto.co.in
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BINOCULARS ARTOS 10X50W Product Details: With greater than 6.50 apparent field of view, the phenomenal power in these binoculars can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways. A high-eyepoint design and twist up eyecups provide optimal comfort in viewing with or without eyeglasses. Employing a click type diopter adjustment ring ensures that any adjustments made will stay securely in place.
Vanguard HIGH PLAINS 560 Spotting Scope MRP: Rs.19,990/Product Details: 5-year warranty BaK4 prism 100% waterproof and fogproof Sunshield
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Endeavor 82A Spotting Scope Product Details: MRP:Rs.39,990/Lightweight magnesium construction 100% waterproof and fogproof Rubber armor for shock resistance
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Photonics Broncolor Para 88 P kit MRP : Rs. 1,69,999 + 12.5% VAT Product details: Compact design, weighing less than 6 kg, with a new mechanism for greater ease-of-use. Features a mount lamp head that can be used as deep beauty reflector. An optional diffuser can be attached to convert it into a soft light source. Compatible with Broncolor HMI. Broncolor Flooter MRP: Rs. 1,59,999 + 12.5% VAT Product details: Ideal for fashion and beauty work. It has a very large, variable light angle and a homogeneous light distribution, making it a versatile spot, suitable for different applications. Broncolor PAR Reflector MRP: Rs. 16,999 + 12.5% VAT Product details: An aluminium reflector. A phenomenal light power is achieved, which is compared to structured standard reflectors 1.3 f-stops extra output. Excellent reflector for shooting editorial shoots and fashion shoots.
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Flash & meters
FILTERS
Binoculars
PRINTER INKJET PAPERS PHOTO ALBUMS
MISCELLANEOUS
Available at: Photoquip India Ltd. Phone: +91 22 61474000 E-Mail: info@photoquip.com Website: www.photoquip.com
Photoquip Maxisoft Reflector M.R.P.: Rs 2695/Product details: This reflector offers slightly harder lighting than a softbox giving better definition of facial features. They are perfect for close up beauty and portrait shots. The included Deflector Set can modify colour and softness. The light can be further softened with the optional mop-cap diffuser. Varistar Umbrella 85 & 105 cm M.R.P.: Rs 795/- (85 cm) M.R.P.: 995/- (105 cm ) Product details: Easy to erect, lightweight and fits into most Elinchrom carrying bags, these umbrellas are suited for industrial, portraits and group photos. The umbrella comes with a protective bag and an optional Varistar Reflector 24 cm which can be purchased separately.
Rotalux Softbox Deep Octa 100 cm M.R.P.: Rs 5495/Product details: The narrow shaped Deep Octa reduces the spread of light and offers sharper shadows compared to standard sized octagonal softboxes. They provide a very even, diffused light over the front screen and are an excellent direct light when used without diffusers. September 2012 Smart Photography
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Accessories
STORAGE
Rechargeable BATTERIES & CHARGERS
CAMERA BAGS
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
Studio Foto Lite
Available at: IMS MERCANTILES PVT. LTD. Contact: Mr. Naresh Magan / Mr. Susheel Negi Phone: 011-47074444 E-Mail: info@imsmercantiles.in WEBSITE: www.imsmercantiles.in
DIGITEK
Digital LED video light MRP: Rs. 3490/- incl. of all taxes. Product Details: It is an ultra bright video light with 44 LED bulbs. Available with Shoe mount type. The power source: Sony NP-F550/750/960/970. Li -ion battery /AC adapter
Bala Ji Impex Matin Dome Studio MRP: Rs. 4,500/Product Details: For Table Top shooting of small as well as medium sized products.
Available at: Shri Bala Ji Impex Contact: Deepak Gupta Phone: +91 9311081481 E-Mail: impexb@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.balajiimpex.com
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LIGHTING, REFLECTORS & DIFFUSERS
CN-1200CHS Bi-Color model LED Panel Light MRP: 37,000+ Tax Product Details: The CN-1200CHS is a Bi-Color model LED Panel Light that lets you adjust the colour temperature from (5600K) daylight to (3200K) tungsten so you can adapt to different situations. Drawing just 36 watts it can be operated with AC power (110-240V) or DC 1416.8V. One AC power adaptor, barn doors and 2 filters [one diffuser, and one CTB (minus green)] are included in the set.
Available at: Kolkata, India Contact: R Kapoor Phone: +91 9831725342/ 9831074412 E-mail: studiofl@vsnl.com Website: www.studiofotolite.com
Flash & meters
FILTERS
Binoculars
PRINTER INKJET PAPERS PHOTO ALBUMS
MISCELLANEOUS
NISI PRO MC Digital filter MRP: Rs.3690/Product Details: CPL filters help remove unwanted reflections by selecting which light rays enter your camera lens. Available at: Nikita Distributors Contact: Raman Agarwal Phone: +91 9967588171/+91 20 30500614 E-Mail: raman.jpa@gmail.com Website: www.imaginext.in
HOYA
Available at: Interfoto India Pvt Ltd Contact: Jamila Akolawala Phone: 1-800-222239 E-Mail: sales@interfotoindia.com Website: www.interfoto.co.in
HOYA HD FILTERS CPL 72MM MRP : Rs. 10,990/Product Details: HD Polaring Film High Transparency & High Durability UV Absorbing Film 25% Greater Light Transmission than Standard Polarizing Film HD Coating 8-layer Anti-Reflective Multi-Coating Water & Oil Repellent, Scratch & Stain Resistant
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HOYA CIR-PL MRP :Rs.3,300/Product Details: Eliminates reflections from non metallic surfaces such as water, glass etc. Also increases contrast and colour saturation. Recommended for TTL and AF cameras and video camcorders.
RIYO Riyo Filters Product Details: Superior multi-coated filter that does not affect colour balance and improves transmission. The filter removes and absorbs ultraviolet rays. Available in below mentioned series: UV filter series, MC- UV filter series,SlimMC- UV filter series, CPL filter series, Slim CPL filter series Square Filters Product Details: Highly resistant to shocks, meaning that photographers, videographers and cameramen can handle the filters in complete confidence and safety Extra lightweight
Available at: Ria Enterprises Contact: Kailash Ruparel Phone: + 9820055660 E-Mail: kailashruparel@rediffmail.com
HOYA PRO1 digital filter MRP :Rs.3,400/Product Details:A multipurpose fine weather filter for colour as well as black and white photos. Also serves as a permanent lens protector. September 2012 Smart Photography
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Accessories
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PRINTER
Epson
Rechargeable BATTERIES & CHARGERS
CAMERA BAGS
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
LIGHTING, REFLECTORS & DIFFUSERS
Available at: Epson India Pvt Ltd. Contact: Mr. Siva Kumar Phone: Phone: +91 8030515025 E-Mail: think@eid.epson.co.in Website: www.epson.co.in
Epson Stylus TX720WD MRP : Rs.13,999/Product Details: Printer: Wi-FI networking and ethernet connectivity; Print resolution – 5760 x 1440dpi; Print speed A4 – 40ppm (Black & Colour); Duplex Printing; Built-in CD/DVD printing capabilities; 6cm(2.5”) colour LCD screen; Memory Card slots. Scanner: 2400 x 4800 dpi flatbed Copier: Copy speed of 39 cpm(B&W), 40 cpm (Colour) Epson L800 Photo Printer MRP: Rs.14,999/Product Details: Print Resolution – 5760 dpi ; Print Speed: 34ppm (Black & Colour); world’s first original ink tank system with 6colours; Rs.1.70 per 10x15cm (4’ x 6’) photo print
Available at: Canon India Ltd. Phone: 1800 180 3366 / 39010101 Website: www.canon.co.in
Canon Pixma MG 3170 Mrp: Rs.5,965/Product Details: A Colour inkjet printer, copier and scanner with ISO standard print speed. A4: upto 9.2ipm mono/5.0ipm colour. Prints a 4x6 borderless photo in 44 secs, 4-color ink system with dedicated black ink for B&W document printing and Full HD movie print function.
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Flash & meters
FILTERS
Fujifilm
Binoculars
PRINTER INKJET PAPERS PHOTO ALBUMS
MISCELLANEOUS
Available at: Fujifilm India Private Limited. E-Mail: sales-photo@fujifilmindia.com contact@fujifilmindia.com Website: www.fujifilm.in
ASK 300 MRP: Rs. 60,000/- (ASK 300 printer only) Rs.1,00,000/- (with Kiosk) Product Details: The ASK-300 is a high-speed, easy to use order station-cum-printer that can produce high quality prints in seconds. Its superfast processing speeds means more productivity and profit. The kiosk includes a printer, an order terminal and Fujifilm software.
INKJET PAPERS
Max flex
Product Details: Supreme RC Glossy Photo paper MRP: Rs. 340/Size: A4 , weight: 255 gsm , Finish: Glossy , Sheet 20 sheet pkt Premium high Glossy photo paper MRP: Rs. 190/Size: A4 , weight: 200 gsm , Finish: Glossy , Sheet 20 sheet pkt Royal high gloss photo paper MRP: Rs. 130/Size: A4 , weight: 210 gsm , Finish: Glossy , Sheet 20 sheet pkt Available at: Max flex & Imaging Systems Pvt ltd. Phone: +91 22 22625732 E-Mail: info@maxflex.in Website: www.maxflex.in
ErginImaging Systems Full Colours High Glossy Inkjet Photo Paper (180 gsm) MRP: Rs. 160 (A4 20Sheets) Product Details: Full Colours, world leader in highquality imaging paper products. The High Glossy Inkjet Photo Paper feature a brightness of over 100 setting the new world standard in quality digital reproduction. Both resist fingerprints and scratches, are fully compatible with Canon, Kodak, HP and Epson printers and work well with pigment and dye ink technology. Full Colors Super White 9600dpi photo paper sets a new brightness standard. Full Colours Professional Plus Glossy Inkjet Photo Paper (270 gsm) MRP: Rs. 350/- (A4 20 sheets) Product Details: The Professional Plus Glossy Inkjet Photo Papers are acid and lignin free producing a longer archival life. The surfaces are treated with Fullcolors own formulated micro-porous inkjet receptive coatings and are
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Accessories
STORAGE
Rechargeable BATTERIES & CHARGERS
CAMERA BAGS
Available at: ErginImaging Systems Private Limited Contact Person: Rajneesh Kumar Phone: +91 11 27892970 Email: info@erginimaging.com Website: www.erginimaging.com
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
LIGHTING, REFLECTORS & DIFFUSERS
papers can print up to a maximum resolution of 1440 dpi and are suitable for everyday photo printing & life-like images. Not water resistant. Suitable for: Images and graphic arts Premium Glossy Photo Paper Pack MRP : Rs. 337 (A4 size 20 Sheets) Product Details: This 255gsm resin-coated, bright white, high gloss photo paper has a smooth, cockle free surface and is aimed at advanced amateurs, photographers and graphic artists for printing cherished photos and enlargements. However, using with DURABrite ultra inks may not give desired results. Suitable for: Images and graphic arts
cast and resin coated to produce a porous surface ideal for receiving the ink and maintaining low ink bleed. The result: an outstanding dot resolution with an extremely clear printed photo. Both resist fingerprints and scratches, are fully compatible with Canon, Kodak, HP and Epson printers and work well with pigment and dye ink technology. Full Colors Ultra White 9600dpi photo paper sets new brightness standard.
Epson Photo Quality Inkjet Paper Pack MRP : Rs. 49 (100 Sheets) Product Details: These 102gsm matte papers are ideal for general purpose usage, for example, printing of charts, business proposals, flyers and presentations. Glossy Photo Papers MRP : Rs. 109 (4 x 6inch 20 sheet) Product Details: These papers deliver a smooth, glossy finish to everyday photos. Available in 225gsm, these 76
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Premium Semi Gloss Photo Paper Pack MRP : Rs. 468 (A4 size 20 Sheets) Product Details: This 251 gsm resin-coated based photo paper looks and feels like true photographic paper. The ink dries instantly when printed with Epson inks. It claims to have an excellent color reproduction. Best semi gloss paper for photo quality prints with Epson Stylus Photo range of printers. Suitable for: Images, graphic arts that require high quality images with semi gloss finished surface.
Available at: Epson India Pvt Ltd. Contact: Mr. Siva Kumar Phone: Phone: +91 8030515025 E-Mail: think@eid.epson.co.in Website: www.epson.co.in
Flash & meters
FILTERS
Binoculars
PRINTER INKJET PAPERS PHOTO ALBUMS
MISCELLANEOUS
Matte Paper Heavyweight MRP : Rs. 521 Product Details: This 167 gsm paper is a perfect solution for high quality prints. These papers can be used to print fine art, proofs and posters and provides high colour gamut for excellent colour reproduction Suitable for: Images, presentation and color prints
PHOTO ALBUMS
Tasveer
Silver / Diamond Album and Platinum Album . MRP: Range starts from Rs.1300 according to the number of pages and surface. Product Details: Platinum Album with Authentic Designer Paper, 12 Different Texture Paper Types, Karishma Pasting, Single Side Printing with 100% Full Lay Flat. Diamond Albums with Royal Silk / Non Tearable Hotseal Gloss Velvet & Silver Album with Crystal Gloss / Rich Matt / Hotseal Gloss.
Available at: Smart Photo Album Contact: Dhruv Patel Phone: 0261-2550971/09925221975/45 E-mail : smartphotoalbumsurat@gmail.com
SMART PHOTO
Smart Photo Album Product Details: Very stylish, attractive models with UV-Lamination, leather printing and Italian leather covers.
Available at: Tasveer Digital Color Lab Contact: Mr. Kiran Modi Phone: +91 9727727279 / 9727727272 E-mail : info@tasveercolorlab.com Website: www.tasveercolorlab.com
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Accessories
STORAGE
Rechargeable BATTERIES & CHARGERS
CAMERA BAGS
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
LIGHTING, REFLECTORS & DIFFUSERS
Metz 50 AF-1 digital Electronic flash MRP: Rs 18,000 Product details: Guide no. 50m/165ft for ISO 100/21 degrees and 105 mm Tilt and swivel reflectors LC display Power zoom 24-105 mm Integrated wide angle attachment 12 mm
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Available at: Interfoto India Pvt Ltd Contact: Jamila Akolawala Phone: 1-800-222239 E-Mail: sales@interfotoindia.com Website: www.interfoto.co.in
Nissin
Mark II Di622- Advance Level Flash MRP: Rs. 9,600/Product Details: The wireless remote flash system of the Di622 Mark II can be used as Wireless TTL remote response to Channel 1 Group A on Master flash. It can brighten up the subject at 11 meters (36ft) away at F4, whereas the flash in the camera can reach 3 meters (9.8ft). The Di622 Mark II can compensate the flash exposure value up to +/- 1.5 EV in 0.5 EV increments. It has 6 levels of manual power control. Available at: Srishti Digilife Contact: Mr. Balasubramanian V. Phone: 044 2436 7448 E-Mail: info@srishtidigilife.co.in Website: www.srishtidigilife.co.in
Olympus
Olympus FL 600R MRP: Rs. 25,800/Product Details: The FL 600R is the first Olympus flash system ever to feature a built-in LED especially designed for difficult illumination procedures. For still photographers, the FL-600R is also equipped with wireless functionality, enabling up to four channels and groups at long range in Commander Mode, for remarkably versatile illumination of whatever the scene you are shooting. An integrated control dial and arrow key make all menu operations very user-friendly indeed. 78
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Hor Wid
Flash & meters
FILTERS
Binoculars
MAL 1 Macro Arm Light MRP: Rs. 4,200/Product details: The MAL-1 Macro Arm Light consists of two LED lights and flexible arms that assist during close-up shoots. It can be connected to the accessory port of the camera. No battery is required for the light because it is powered from the accessory port. Each flexible arm has a length of 17 cm and its direction can be adjusted freely.
Available at: All Olympus Imaging retailers in India Phone: +91 22 61420400 E-Mail: inquiry@olympus.in Website: www.olympus-imaging.co.in
Gossen
Starlite 2 flash meter MRP Rs 55,000/izontal BLEED ADVT: Product details: The Starlite 2 exposure dth 21.5 CM X HEIGHT 4.5 CM ( 3MM BLEED FROM 3 SIDES.) meter is suited for all types of measuring tasks in the fields of photography, film and photometry, where maximum precision is required. With its extremely compact format, it unites three pre-configured ranges of functions, which the user can use quickly and easily. Available at: Eastern Photographic Co. Contact: Arvind Kumar Phone: +91-11- 25920156 , 45074682 E-Mail: arvind@easternphotographic.com
PRINTER INKJET PAPERS PHOTO ALBUMS
MISCELLANEOUS
Available at: Interfoto India Pvt Ltd Contact: Jamila Akolawala Phone: 1-800-222239 E-Mail: sales@interfotoindia.com Website: www.interfoto.co.in
Kenko Kenko Light Meter 2100 MRP: 59,950/Product Details: The Kenko KFM-2100 is an exposure meter that incorporates both flash and spot metering functions into one compact unit. The KFM-2100 can simultaneously display an exposure reading on the flash meter (for measuring incident light) and an exposure reading on the spot meter (for measuring reflected light).
Sekonic Flashmate L-308S MRP: Rs.1100/Product details: Through the L-308S it is possible to select aperture value and shutter speed in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 steps to match your digital or film cameras. L-308S is an all-round meter that can measure both ambient and flash light though it is simple operativeness through a minimal number of buttons. Available at: Srishti Digilife Contact: Mr. Balasubramanian V. Phone: 044 2436 7448 E-Mail: info@srishtidigilife.co.in Website: www.srishtidigilife.co.in
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Accessories
STORAGE
Rechargeable BATTERIES & CHARGERS
CAMERA BAGS
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
LIGHTING, REFLECTORS & DIFFUSERS
Amaran
Aputure (AHL-N60) LED Ringflash MRP: Rs.5750/Product Details: Aputure Amaran Halo LED Ring Flash provides six modes: full brightness or left or right-side, either continuously or as a flash, to meet a variety of needs. Aputure TrigMaster Versatile Trigger MRP: Rs.3750 Product Details: Trigmaster II 2.4G makes controlling your strobe and speedlight easier than ever. With a triggering range up to 120 meters and a sync speed up to 1/250s, you’ll be able to shoot efficiently in a variety of conditions. Both transmitter and receiver use two AAA batteries. Trigmaster II 2.4G enables you to effectively trigger one or more flashes in your studio at the same time, can wirelessly control your speedlight flash and your camera shutter.
Yongnuo
RF 603 Three in One Flash Trigger MRP:Rs. 3600/Product Details: This innovative product is a 3-in One Flash Trigger which includes Flash Trigger, Studio Flash Trigger and Wireless Camera Shutter Release. Available at: VIDEOLINKS (Kannur, Kerala) Contact: Anish Phone: +91 9809764999 E-Mail: anishvideolink@gmail.com
Available at: Available at : Sunlight Industries Contact: PankajVerma Phone: +911142384930 E-Mail: info@simpex-pro.in Website: www.simpex-pro.com
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Available at: Smart shoppers Pvt Ltd Contact: Sathya Narayanan Phone: Phone: 9940039851 E-Mail: sathyanarayan@smartshoppers.in Website: www.smartshoppers.in
Simpex Radio Trigger 333 MRP: Rs. 1100/Product details: It is a 16 channel radio trigger with a receiver and sync cable with the triggering range of 40 meters. Pro 23RT Kit MRP: Rs. 15,000/Product Details: This kit is available with 16 channel, built in receiver with sync. cable, power cable, soft boxes, kit bag, stands and trigger with the triggering range of 40 meters.
Flash & meters
FILTERS
Binoculars
PRINTER INKJET PAPERS PHOTO ALBUMS
MISCELLANEOUS
Olympus Olympus HLD-6 Power Battery Holder (For OM-D E-M5) MRP: Rs. 16,500/Product Details: This power battery holder is designed exclusively for the OLYMPUS OM-D. It features an innovative two-part design with two different types of grips for landscape (HLD-6G) and portrait (HLD-6P) shots. Both parts are also ergonomically designed for a firm natural grip. An additional battery (not included) can also be slotted into the lower grip, extending overall battery life to about 650 images (according to the CIPA test standard). Available at: All Olympus Imaging retailers in India Phone: +91 22 61420400 E-Mail: inquiry@olympus.in Website: www.olympus-imaging.co.in
Available at: Photosystem India Pvt. Ltd.. Contact Person :Ajay Gauba Phone: +91 11 26859173,26517822 E-Mail: customercare@photosystemsindia.com Website: www.photosystemsindia.com
Black Rapid BLACKRAPID DR-1 MRP: Rs.10,499/Product Details: The DR-1 is the ultimate solution for two-camera shooters. Ergonomic and sleek, it works with BlackRapid’s MODS system of attachments so you can customise your strap to your exact needs. The DR-1 comes with two FastenR-3 connectors.
Light Chrom Hip Grip MRP: Rs. 199/Product Details: A quick release camera holster system that allows you to access your camera/s with ease. It can be attached securely to your belt, allowing free hand movement. September 2012 Smart Photography
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Accessories
STORAGE
Rechargeable BATTERIES & CHARGERS
CAMERA BAGS
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
LIGHTING, REFLECTORS & DIFFUSERS
Phottix Phottix TRrafo DSLR Video Shoulder Rig MRP : Rs. 85,000/Product Details: The Phottix Trafo D-SLR Video Shoulder Rig dual rail system and mounting brackets are constructed from heavy-duty aluminum and carbon fiber. The mounting system will accept the Phottix Hector 9HD LCD monitor. You can quickly add or remove elements based on shooting conditions or projects.
Hor Wid
Available at: Smart shoppers Pvt Ltd Contact Person : Sathya Narayanan Phone: 9940039851 E-Mail: sathyanarayan@smartshoppers.in Website: www.smartshoppers.in
Big Trends
Aputure Gigtube Wireless Viewfinder MRP:Rs. 16000/Product Details: This innovative product has 5 drive modes: Single shot, Continuous, Self-timer, Bulb and video record. It has FSK 2.4 G digital-signal transfer technology which ensures more stable signals and strong resistant. Available at: Foto Centre,Mumbai Contact Person : Ashok Rawat Phone: +91 9829213308 E-Mail: ashokrawat@gmail.com Website: www.bigtrends.in
Available at: Ginni Photo Products Contact Person : Anil Kathuria Phone: +91 11 23278910 / +91 9868435132 E-Mail: ginniphoto@gmail.com Website: www.ginniphoto.com
Ginni
Ginni all weather cover MRP: Rs.2,500/Product Details: This all weather cover is quite useful during the monsoons, as well as for wildlife photography, due to its noise proof feature. 82
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Flash & meters
FILTERS
Binoculars
PRINTER INKJET PAPERS PHOTO ALBUMS
MISCELLANEOUS
Riyo Riyo Cleaning Kit RR-003-ck. Product Details: This superior quality cleaning kit contains items essential for cleaning your camera, PDA, Laptop and other handheld products. Provided are: Lens cleaning tissues for safe, effective cleaning of all lens and filter surfaces. Lens cleaning tissue for proper optical lens care. Blower brush and Detachable brush head. Five quality cotton buds. Soft cleaning cloth. Comprehensive guide.
izontal BLEED ADVT: dth 21.5 CM X HEIGHT 4.5 CM ( 3MM BLEED FROM 3 SIDES.)
Available at: Ria Enterprises Contact: Kailash Ruparel Phone: + 9820055660 E-Mail: kailashruparel@rediffmail.com
Mennon
Riyo LCD Protector. Product Details: Superior durable quality LCD protector, features Anti-glare, provides UV protection for eyes.
Available at: Mehta Enterprises. Contact: Paras Mehtal Phone: (022) 22611320 / (0) 9323104546 Website: www.mehtaenterprises.net
Mennon grey card: Product Details: Set of 2 Grey Card’s size 6”x8” and 8”x10”, 18% Gray / 92% White Set of two flexible check cards that enables setting the perfect exposure and colour balance. Each card has two sides, white and grey.
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Accessories
STORAGE
Rechargeable BATTERIES & CHARGERS
CAMERA BAGS
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
Scratchgard Scratchgard Screen Protector for Cameras MRP: Rs. 399/Product Details: The screen protector offers ultra clarity with ‘zero’ haze and is scratch resistant. The kit contains a Scratchgard for Protector, a Micro-Fibre cloth and an instruction leaflet. Available at: All Major Retail Mobile Accessories ,Croma etc Phone: 022 28521267 E-Mail: id:sales@blingaccessories.in Website: www.scratchgard.in
LIGHTING, REFLECTORS & DIFFUSERS
Available at: Interfoto India Pvt Ltd Contact: Jamila Akolawala Phone: 1-800-222239 E-Mail: sales@interfotoindia.com Website: www.interfoto.co.in
Lenspen
Lenspen(NLP-2) MRP: Rs. 499/Product Details: Safe to use with all lenses. Can be used upto 500 times. It comes with an extra cleaning tip
Matin Matin M-6306 Display,OA Cleaning Kit MRP: Rs.999/Product Details: This cleaning kit comprises of an original sheep hair brush, multi purpose liquid for cleaning LCDs, as well as a Micro Fibre cloth. Matin Fast Access Strap MRP: Rs.3,000/Product Details: This unique product can take up to 20kgs of weight. Available at: Shri Bala Ji Impex Contact: Deepak Gupta Phone: +91 9311081481 E-Mail: impexb@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.balajiimpex.com
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Learnings 86
Basics of Photography: Smartphones in Photography
92 Face Swapping No Surgery Involved
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Time-Lapse Photography
Learning Basics of Photography Smart Photography has been continually receiving requests to start a basic course for beginners. With this in mind, we have asked a very knowledgeable photographer from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to take over writing these articles. We have also requested him to be as jargon-free as it is possible, so that newcomers to photography feel comfortable to pursue the hobby. The author, 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 several 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 presently working as a Management and Engineering consultant. You can see his work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashok_kandimalla. He can be reached at kashokk@gmail.com
R
Smartphones in Photography
eading Smart Photography will make you a smart photographer. No doubt - but what can a smartphone do for your photography? A lot! No, I am not talking about that little camera your smartphone has. It is no doubt a handy tool to carry around and more importantly it is with you most of the time. After all, the best camera in the world, is the camera you have in hand when you notice a photo opportunity! Plus, you can effortlessly upload the image you captured to social sites such as Flickr and Facebook. What I am going to talk about in this article are the various ways in which you can use your smartphone as an aid to your photography. Most of these (not all) are in the form of software application programs (or apps for short), that run on your smartphone. The best part is that many of them are free. You can simply download them from an online store. So here we go!
Ready-to-refer camera manual: We at Smart Photography have said this many times : Always read the camera 86
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manual. While we are sure you have followed this good advice, it is still not possible to remember all the needed information, especially considering that camera manuals are now running to 400 plus pages! Fortunately, camera manufacturers now offer soft copies of the manuals free of charge in Adobe pdf format. These are supplied on a CD/DVD-ROM when you purchase your camera or are available online for free. Keep this PDF file on your smartphone and you can access it instantly whenever you want even when you are out in the field. Menus and Settings file: You might have customised your D-SLR in many ways – such as switching on the screen grid, programming of various buttons, etc. Make a .pdf file of these, as well as the list of the menus and keep them as files for instant access. I am saying this as it is not very easy to find the required menu in the manual even if you have access to it. Carry your portfolio: Download your images on your smartphone - the best ones to show your clients and friends, or family pictures for relatives.
Or those you want discuss with your photography gurus in a workshop. Depth of field (DOF) calculator: There are a number of apps that are available that calculate the DOF for you. Hence, no need to carry those DOF tables that you often forget to pack in your camera bag. Just feed the camera model, focal length, aperture and subject distance to the app and you will get the near limit and far limit of DOF as well as the hyper-focal distance, either in feet or meters, in an instant. Why is the camera model needed? Since sensor size varies with cameras, hence varying the circle of confusion (COC), you need to tell the app the camera you are using to make a proper calculation! Light meter: Your camera has a built in light meter. This measures the light reflected from the subject. As you might have read in Smart Photography, all such (reflected) meters operate on the basis that the subject is medium toned. Your camera meter will give an erroneous reading if this is not the case. You can solve this problem by taking a reading of the
Basics of Photography
incident light, that is, light falling on the subject. Your smartphone can help you here. Apps are available that allow your smartphone to be used as an incident light meter. These apps mostly use the ambient light sensor of your phone to measure light. Not all phones have this sensor; so check if your phone has this feature. If available, it will be on the same side of the phone screen. A note of caution here. The accuracy of these meters is largely dependent on the quality of ambient light sensor. So please check the readings given by your phone with an accurate handheld meter to make sure about their accuracy.
handy if you are scouting for a good location (incidentally a very good habit), but the sun is not visible at that time (say late in the evening or on an overcast day). There are apps that make your smartphone work as a compass. Weather: Well this is not a photographic app but it is always sensible to check how the weather is going to be (for the next few days) when you are planning your much awaited photographic expedition. If not anything else it will remind you take your water proof bag to protect your precious equipment. It will also help you to take the right clothing.
Exposure meter Name of the app: beeCamera Lightmeter
Bubble level and Level: Do you like to photograph panoramas or landscapes or architecture? The first step for all these is to level the camera perfectly. Although a few cameras have built in levels, most don’t. Shoe-mount bubble levels are not available freely in India and even if you have it, that is one more gadget to forget! Don’t worry though. There are apps that allow your smartphone to be used as a bubble level or even as an accurate inclinometer for measuring the angle of tilt. You can even use this for keeping your table-top set up for photography absolutely levelled.
A sceen shot of the smartphone showing a DoF Calculator Name of the app: DOF Calc
Compass: The position of sun is very important in photography as it determines the direction of the natural light. Thus, a compass can come in very
Weather: Temperature, wind velocity, direction and even sun rise and sunset times! Name of the app: AccuWeather
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Wireless connection: We liked to be “wired”, that is connected to the world around us; but we don’t like wires hanging around! That is the reason why wireless technology is so hot today. Camera manufacturers too, understand the importance of this technology and the benefits it provides. New cameras notably those from Sony, Samsung, Canon and Nikon come equipped with Wi-Fi interfaces. These interfaces are either built into the camera itself or are available as optional modules (example – The Nikon WU-1a Module for the D3200 D-SLR, WT-5A for the D4).
Level and Compass Name of the app: Super Swiss Army Knife
Remote release: if you want to release the shutter of your D-SLR remotely, you will have to buy one of those expensive electric cable releases. These cost a lot, especially if you want some useful features such as timers, intervalometers etc. to be built into the release. Don’t worry any more as there are several apps that allow you to use your smartphone as a sophisticated cable release with all the features mentioned. The connection between your smartphone and your camera will be through the USB port. You will be required (most probably) to get a USB OTG (on the go) cable. Your smartphone manufacturer will offer this. This will help you connect your smartphone to your camera through the USB cable supplied by your camera manufacturer. 88
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I have left the most important and useful app as the grand finale! Here it is: Live-view and remote control: One step ahead of a simple release is the full blown remote operation. Most of these remote control apps are not free, but they are not very expensive either. First connect your smartphone to the camera through a USB port (as already described in the previous section, see also Picture RC1). Now, the app will help you to control all the major parameters such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, White Balance etc., with the help of menus that can be seen on the smartphone screen (Picture RC2). You can of course, release the shutter too from the phone. If your camera supports live-view, you can see what your camera sees on the display of your smartphone screen (Picture RC3).
Most of the cameras support only image transfer to smartphone through Wi-Fi. This is done through a Wi-Fi hot spot or a direct wireless connection to the smartphone. Once the image is transferred to your phone you can display it, E-mail it as an attachment, or upload it to a site like Flickr, Facebook, etc. This functionality can even be added to most cameras that use an SD card for recording images. This is done simply by using a Wi-Fi card like the Eye-Fi or a Wi-Fi Sandisk card in the SD card slot of your camera. (For more details see Smart Photography, April 2011 issue). Some cameras allow much more sophisticated operations (like the Samsung WB150F, the Nikon D3200 + WU-1a). With these you can see on your smartphone screen what your camera sees through live-view without any wires! Plus, you can release the shutter too from your phone. If your camera has a Wi-Fi interface built in or supports an optional Wi-Fi module, check out the extent of the Wi-Fi support.
Basics of Photography
A note on the smartphones and tablet computers: As of now two types of smartphones are popular. One is the Apple iPhone and the second type is based on Google’s Android operating system. Android has perhaps more apps available for photography than Apple and also being an open system has a lot more choices available (in terms of phone models, screen sizes, etc.) In India, Android based smartphones are far more popular and hence this article concentrates on apps available for this platform. One point worth noting is that, larger the phone’s screen, the more useful it is for photography. So, buy a phone with the largest screen that you are comfortable carrying around and fits in your budget. Most, if not all, apps that run on iPhone and Android phones also work on iPad and Android Tablets respectively. So if you want a really big screen (for example if you want to use live-view a lot or you work in a studio) you can go for the tablet computers.
Picture RC1
Picture RC1: An example of remote control set up. Here, the D-SLR is connected to the smartphone through the USB port using the OTG cable and the camera’s USB cable.
Picture RC2: Remote Control of your D-SLR! This app is called Remote Your Camera (RYC). Here the screen shot of a smartphone shows how you can set all the parameters of your D-SLR remotely. It allows live-view too. (See picture RC1 for set up )
Picture RC2
Picture RC3
Picture RC3: Here the phone is showing what the camera is seeing through live-view. Also shown is the OTG cable connected between the phone and the camera’s USB cable.
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Here is a sampling of some apps: Name of the App and Publisher
Description
Pdf reader by Polaris software (*)
A default app provided by most phones. If not, look at some apps by Polaris software. It is required to read the camera manual or any other documents that you may keep in PDF format.
DoF Calc by JDS (*)
Gives near limit and far limit of DOF as well as the hyper focal distance.
beeCamera Lightmeter by FM.Bee.Corp (*)
This converts your smartphone into an incident light meter.
All photographs by the Author
FlashLight HD LED by SMALLTE.CH (*) This provides an LED light as well as programmable coloured light source from the screen of your smartphone. AccuWeather by Accuweather.com (*)
A very popular app that gives you the weather (temperature, rain fall, wind direction, etc.) for a week. Also gives sunrise and sunset times. Gives the needed information for any location. Needs cell network for operation.
Remote Release (USB) by Chainfire DSLR Remote by bitshift
Remote Release apps The smartphone is connected to the camera through the USB port (usually)
DSLR Controller (BETA) by Chainfire DSLR Remote Controller by ZigMaj Remote Your camera USB Pro (RYC) by HLW Software Development. (*)
Remote Control apps The smartphone is connected to the camera through the USB port. Some apps also support live-view (if your camera also supports this feature). Important: Remote release and remote control apps are manufacturer and sometimes camera model dependent. Please check whether the app works the camera model you want to control.
Photo Tools by hcpl (*)
This is a combo app that has several sub apps. Here are some of the calculations it can do - DOF, flash exposure, time lapse, bellows extension exposure compensation, sunny sixteen, multiple exposure, timer, stop watch, gray card (!), color wheel, compensation, etc. This is a “must have” for any photographer!
Super Swiss Army Knife by UTOOO (*)
No, this does not convert your smartphone into a knife but this combo app is called so as it has several useful tools. It has an inclinometer, bubble level, plumb, compass, etc. An app with an apt name! Very useful though it is not a true photographic app.
Apps marked (*) were tried out by the author on a Samsung Galaxy Note phone running Android Version 4.0.3. The RYC app was checked on a Nikon D7000 D-SLR. However, due to hardware and software differences between different phones, an app may not work as described here or may not work at all on your phone. Please be aware of this.
Conclusion The ubiquitous smartphone is really a small computer that is capable of running several apps. This article gives you just a sampling of apps available and how you can use them to your advantage in photography. There is no doubt that your smartphone is really the new “Swiss Army Knife” (a multi-tool with many uses) of photography! Load the right apps and don’t be without your smartphone when you are photographing. Do I need to add that you should keep it in the silent mode so that your spouse does not bother you while you are out photographing ?
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Learning Photoshop The author, Rajendra Prasad, an Associate of Royal Photographic Society of London, and a banker by profession, has been in the photographic field for over two decades and has extensive experience in both film and digital photography. At present he is the Chairman of Digital Imaging Division, India International Photographic Council, Delhi. Rajendra has a passion for sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He has published several articles on photography in photographic magazines and journals of IIPC & FIP. He has also published an e-book An Introduction to Digital Photography which was released at Indore IIPC workshop by Sri Jaipal Reddy, Minister-Information & Broadcasting. He has also given talks on photography at Doordarshan. He has taught several photo-enthusiasts through workshops on photography in several Indian cities. His photographs have also won many accolades in different photographic salons. He has also served as a judge in various contests. His other hobbies are electronics and painting. He maintains a photoblog digicreation.blogspot.com and can be reached at rajdigi25@gmail.com
R
Face Swapping - No Surgery Involved
eplacing someone’s head from one photograph onto the body of another photograph can be a lot of fun. It’s such a popular technique that you sometimes even see malls and shopping centers charging money to take someone’s head and put it on a body builder or a swimsuit model. This technique is used in magazines, catalogues, and many other places. Learning this technique is fun and I bet you will enjoy it very much. Actually, once you understand what this tutorial is all about, you can replace any part of an image or photo you like; remove or replace anything you like. This fun technique is not only for professionals any more. With this tutorial you will learn how to combine pictures and put a face on a different body. You can amaze your friends with your new-found trick by posting your creation to top social media websites or right to their E-mails. Let us get started. I am using Photoshop CS5 so the screenshots may differ from other versions used. You can use any earlier version of Photoshop as the technique does not need any special tools.
1
Find two faces you would like to swap First open a photograph in which there are two faces which you like to swap. You can use two different photographs also. Make sure that both the heads are facing the same way. More the similarities in expressions, head positioning, and other facial features, the better the result will be. Avoid using images with facial hair or glasses. Wait until you’re comfortable with the basic technique, then move on to more complex photos. For this tutorial I have used the following photograph. It is not an ideal photograph because the angle of faces is slightly different, but I selected this one just to show you how you can tackle this type of a situation.
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Learning Photoshop
2
Copy the face you want to Swap Select the Lasso tool in your tool box, and make sure the feather is 5 px (Change ‘Feather’ in tool option panel on the top of screen, check Anti-alias ‘on’)
Now carefully circle the face, including eye, nose, lips and just a small section of the forehead. Once you have a selection, copy it (Edit > Copy or Ctrl + C).
3
Paste the copied face onto the other head Create a new layer by going to Layer > New > Layer, and paste the face (Edit > Paste or Ctrl + V). Note that you may not see the pasted face because it is placed on the original face. The pasted face can be moved around to be made visible by using the move tool.
4
Transform the pasted image to fit Depending on the choice of photo, changes to be made for the face to match may vary. To know what you have to do, use the Move tool and place the pasted face on the second girl’s face; if you want to see the features of the original face just reduce the opacity of the pasted image to 50%. To make the pasted face fit properly onto its new head, use the Free Transform tool. To activate the free transform tool click Edit > Free Transform or use the shortcut CTRL + T. You will be provided with a square with handles using which you can change the size of the face or rotate it as per the subject’s face. In the following case I had to rotate the pasted face clockwise and increase the size slightly. Make your changes accordingly.
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5
Using Warp tool Sometimes you will find that faces don’t match even after the general transformation. In that case use the Warp tool (Edit > Transform > Warp). With the help of this tool you can actually skew the facial features and increase and decrease the space and thus establish the important facial features such as eye, lips, nose etc. Use this tool carefully or you may end up with a distorted face.
6
Adjusting the Colour The colour and skin tone of different faces differ. To match them we shall use two adjustment layers: Hue/Saturation, and Brightness/ Contrast. You might need to add little or no Hue/Saturation but a lot of Brightness/Contrast, or the other way around. So keep that in mind, and play around with the values to see which gives you the best results.
First you want to make sure the new face matches the colour of the new head. Select the face layer, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer, and choose Hue/Saturation. Make sure to check (tick) the box that says: ‘Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask’. I have used the settings shown above. For your own images these settings will probably differ, so play around with Hue and Saturation, but don’t change Lightness unless you really have to for the sake of the colour. We will use a different adjustment layer for the brightness.
7
Adjusting the Brightness Now you may like to adjust the brightness and contrast of the pasted face so it matches the brightness and contrast of the original existing face on which it is pasted. Just as you did in Step 5, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer and make sure to check (tick) the box that says: ‘Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask’. Play around with the Brightness and Contrast until the face looks natural on the head.
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8
Erase the unnecessary face edges Clean up the face by selecting the Eraser tool. Use a small soft brush and carefully erase the areas around the face to remove the extra parts projecting out of the head area. You can also erase parts that are not important, like near the forehead area or sides of the face, to blend in the face better. Keep a low opacity for the eraser brush and work slowly.
Closing comments After you learn this technique, you might be tempted to swap faces in your friends’ photos. But if they cease to talk to you please don’t hold me responsible. In your ventures of face swapping you will find that some swapping requires very little work, while others require much more. Special effects are what you make them. Once you get comfortable with this technique, you can start swapping faces onto another head with facial hair. In such a case, all you have to do is erase the section of the new face that covers the mustache or beard. In case of glasses or sunglasses, with the Lasso or Pen tool carefully select the glasses and copy them, then paste them above the new face and place them as you see fit. Impress your friends with your new Photoshop skills! We’ll be back with more next month.
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Learning
Time-Lapse Photography
What will you require? 1. A camera having an intervalometer* feature 2. A large capacity memory card 3. A stable tripod 4. A power adapter (your battery may or may not last through the entire procedure) 5. A power outlet 6. An appropriate software to combine the individual frames into a movie There is no need to shoot in Raw. JPEG, medium quality, will do fine. * If your camera does not have an intervalometer (a feature that automatically takes a shot at fixed intervals), you may like to buy one. A Canon intervalometer (TC 80 N3) costs around USD 140 while a Nikon intervalometer (MC 36) costs around USD 130. Of course, in theory at least, you could manually fire the frames at the calculated interval, but you’ll start cursing me much before you complete the shots!
The formula:
To find the number of frames to be shot: Take the frames per second rate for the movie (generally 25 fps) and multiply it by the total movie time in seconds.
To find the interval between shots: Take the total duration of the Event in seconds and divide it by the total number of frames to be shot. So in our example, it would be 10,800 seconds (that’s 3 hours) divided by 1500 frames, which comes to 7.2 seconds between frames.
Once the movie is ready, you may import it to Windows Movie Maker or Adobe Premier or Apple’s iMovie and add titles and music to your liking.
Simple, isn’t it? Just tripod your camera, set it to ‘interval timer’ mode, and let the camera fire away 1500 frames at an interval of 7.2 seconds between frames.
The movie clip “Monsoon Moods of Mumbai” (check out www. smartphotography.in/tutorials/specialfeatures/1772-monsoon-moods-ofmumbai-timelapse) comes from Smart Photography reader Anurag Prashar of Mumbai. Using the intervalometer feature of his tripod mounted Nikon D800 camera, Anurag shot about 720 frames over a time frame of 2 hours, with a 10 second interval between shots. The D800 automatically joins the frames to provide the movie clip, hence additional software is not needed.
So in our above example, it would be 25 fps x 60 seconds, that is, 1500 total number of frames.
Post-production
2. Now decide how long you intend the movie to be. Let us say we want the movie to be of 1 minute (60 seconds) duration.
As mentioned earlier, you’ll need a software capable of joining the individual frames so that it turns them into a movie. Apple’s iMovie and Quick Time Pro
Smart Photography September 2012
(works on Windows platform too) are two such software that I know of. Upload the images to a folder on your computer and open Quick Time Pro. Go to File > Open Image Sequence and select the first frame from the folder and click OK. You will be asked as to how many frames per second you want the final movie to have. Once you feed in this information (25 fps is fine), the software will do its work and complete the movie.
The idea is fairly simple and doing the project is exciting. The number of frames we need to shoot and the interval between each shot has to be calculated. Here’s the deal: 1. First decide on the total time that you want to compress. This is known as the Event Time. Let’s say you want to show a flower opening up from its bud stage to the full-bloom. Let us also say that the whole process takes 3 hours. Hence 3 hours is your Event Time.
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Have you ever watched movies where you see flowers opening up from buds to full-bloom, or fluffy clouds soaring past a beautiful mountain? I am sure we all have. That’s done using a photo technique known as Time-Lapse Photography. A large number of individual frames are shot at a fixed interval and then combined together in a software to create a movie.
Nikon D800 Interval Timer. Please refer the user manual for details.
Then, using Nikon ViewNX 2, Anurag added the wind noise which he obtained through a freely available sound clip on the Internet.
Rohinton Mehta
Reviews 106
98
D-SLR Review
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800
Compact Review Samsung DV300
110 Lens Review
Canon EF 24mm F/2.8 IS USM
D-SLR CAMERAS
Change in Rating System Smart Photography’s new rating system exercises stricter evaluation in view of improvements in the overall performance of photographic equipment. Marks will be awarded for the following parameters...
Design & Build Quality..................... (out of 20)
Design & Build Quality..................... (out of 20)
Design & Build Quality..................... (out of 20)
Key Features............................................ (out of 20)
Key Features............................................ (out of 20)
Key Features............................................ (out of 20)
Ergonomics.............................................. (out of 20)
Ergonomics.............................................. (out of 20)
Ergonomics.............................................. (out of 20)
Final Rankings Recommended .......................................... 75-80% Best Buy..........................................81% and above
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)
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)
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)
Value for Money.................................. (out of 10)
Value for Money........................ (out of 10)
Grand Total................................ (out of 100)
Grand Total.......................................... (out of 100)
Grand Total................................ (out of 100)
LENSES
COMPACT CAMERAS
D-SLR Review Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800
Battle Of The Titans! 98
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D-SLR Review
B
oth Canon and Nikon enjoy such a strong position in the D-SLR market that any new introduction from either of them is taken very seriously by their respective fans. After a lull, both Canon and Nikon have announced semi-professional cameras with mouth watering specifications.
Nikon launched the D800 as a follow up to the D700 and made a mammoth jump from 12 MP to 36 MP. Until the launch of the D800, Canon’s legendary EOS 5D Mark II had the semi-professional market pretty much to itself. Nikon’s launch of the D800 was quickly followed by Canon launching the EOS 5D Mark III with 22 MP. Both the cameras constitute premium offerings from both the brands at the semi-professional level. Readers keep on asking us which one is the better camera. This required a comprehensive test which is why it took us some time to come up with a professional review. This review seeks to answer which is the better camera and for what purpose. Read on... Individual review for both these cameras have already been done by Smart Photography (May 2012: Canon 5D Mark III; April 2012: Nikon D800). Hence we shall try and avoid repeating the features and similarities etc. as much as possible. Comparing two ‘most-asked-for’ cameras is no easy task. This is further compounded by the fact that their sensors are not identical – the Canon is 22.3 megapixels, while the Nikon is 36.3, and hence their native image sizes
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 are different. If the Canon images are interpolated to match the native image size of the Nikon, it is a disadvantage to the Canon because interpolation causes a drop in image quality. If the Nikon images are ‘down-sampled’ to the Canon resolution, it just doesn’t make sense having a high resolution camera and then checking its potential at a lower resolution. So then, how do we compare the image quality between the two? We decided that the best way is to check their image resolution from a minimum viewing distance – the minimum viewing distance being the diagonal of the image size. The 5D Mark III has a native image size of 19.2 x 12.8 inches at 300 ppi; the D800, 24.533 x 16.373 inches at 300 ppi. Simple calculation then tells us that, for the purpose of this test, the Canon images should be checked from a distance of 23 inches and the Nikon images from 29.5 inches (rounded off). To be fair and impartial to both the cameras, both were set as similar as possible in terms of image quality, image size ( JPEG), and autofocus operations. Raw files were set to 14bit Uncompressed. Canon’s Picture Style / Nikon’s Picture Control was set to ‘Standard’. At this point, by default, sharpness is automatically set to 3 levels for both cameras, but note that the 5D Mark III has 7 levels for sharpness while the D800 has 9 levels. It is impossible to say whether both the cameras apply the same level of sharpness at level 3! (In-camera settings for Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation etc. apply only to JPEG captures). Contrast,
Saturation, and Colour Tone (Canon) / Contrast, Brightness, Saturation and Hue (Nikon) were set to 0 (zero). Metering for the Canon was set to ‘Partial’ (6.2% of the viewfinder, at the centre), and for the Nikon, it was set to ‘Centre-weighted’ (8 mm diameter). We also shot with both the cameras in Evaluative/Matrix metering mode. Colour Space was set to Adobe RGB in both the cases; D-Lighting (Nikon) /Auto Lighting Optimizer (Canon) was set to: off; Vignette control: Normal; Auto Distortion Control: ‘On’; Long Exp. NR: ‘Off ’; High ISO NR: Normal. Both the cameras were reviewed using 50mm f/1.4 lenses (Canon EF 50mm 1:1.4; AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4G).
BUILD QUALITY Both the cameras are built to very high standards and you cannot fault the construction. Both have lightweight magnesium alloy chassis and dust/ weather sealing at certain critical points. The Canon’s shutter is tested for 150,000 actuations whereas that of Nikon is tested for 200,000 actuations. The softer eye-cup on the Mark III feels more comfortable to eyeglass wearers and seems to better block the extraneous light from entering the eyepiece when viewing through it; the viewfinder eyepiece on the Nikon, though rubberised, does not feel that comfortable in comparison.
KEY FEATURES As mentioned earlier, we shall try not to repeat all the features (since both the cameras have been already reviewed earlier), but mention only those that make a difference. September 2012 Smart Photography
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D-SLR Review Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 Feature
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Nikon D800
Pixel count
22.3 million
36.3 million
Maximum image size
5760 x 3840 pixels
7360 x 4912 pixels
File size – Raw
27.1 MB
74.4 MB 14-bit (Uncompressed)
File size – JPEG Large/Best Quality
7 MB
16.3 MB
File formats
Raw, JPEG
Raw, TIFF, JPEG
Metering methods
Evaluative, Centre-weighted
Matrix, Centre-weighted, Spot
Average, Spot, Partial
ISO sensitivity
100-12,800. Expandable to 25,600
100-6,400. Expandable to 50-25,600
AF Points
61 points. 41 Cross-type
51 points. 15 Cross-type
5 Dual-Cross type
Built-in flash
No Yes
AF type
Phase detection (Viewfinder)
Phase detection (Viewfinder)
Live View (Phase detection +
Contrast detect (Live View)
Contrast detection)
LCD resolution
1.04 million dots
921,000 dots
HDR, inbuilt
Yes. 3 frames. RAW as well
Yes. 2 frames only.
as JPEG images
Works only with JPEG images
Maximum Burst Rate
6 frames per second
4 frames per second
LCD Protector
No Yes
Eyepiece Shutter
Separate Eyepiece Cover on strap Built-in
Note: The Nikon has the advantage of the pixel count, but the advantage is obvious only if you make ultralarge prints. Nikon’s very large files take longer to download and fill up the hard-drives much faster. A more powerful computer would also be needed. Nikon’s built-in flash is definitely a great advantage. The Canon has the advantage of having 41 crosstype AF sensors and 5 Dual-Cross type (as against only 15 Cross-type in the Nikon). The Canon also has the advantage (?) of 10 extra AF points. 100
Smart Photography September 2012
Canon’s 3-frame in-built HDR feature is definitely superior to that of the Nikon, which has only 2-frame and only JPEG HDR facility. The Canon’s higher (native) ISO sensitivity may not be very useful to every user. The Nikon can record in TIFF, but frankly, I don’t know of any serious photographer who does so. To prevent stray light entering the viewfinder and upsetting the exposure, Nikon’s built-in eyepiece shutter is very convenient, whereas with the Canon, you have to remove the rubberised eye-cup and attach the eye-
piece cover. Nikon’s replaceable LCD protector is another advantage.
ERGONOMICS / USER INTERFACE
To start with, Nikon’s ‘on/off’ switch is conveniently located within easy reach of the index finger. The Canon has the ‘on/off’ switch located at the left top, which requires the use of the left hand. The button layouts on both the cameras have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, on the Canon, it is easier to operate the 3
D-SLR Review
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 dual function buttons adjacent to the top LCD panel in combination with the front (Main) and the rear (Control) Dial. On the Nikon, we have 4 buttons at the top left (Quality, White Balance, ISO, and Bracketing) that must be held down with one hand and change the settings using the Main /Sub-Command dial with the other hand. We feel the Canon buttons are better laid out for ease of use. Regarding User Interface, the Mark III seems to have an edge in ease of use. Images on the Canon’s LCD appear a tad sharper too.
TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE The first part was the field test. The idea here was to check the various exposure metering, autofocussing speed, autofocussing accuracy, frames per second rate, and general handling of the cameras. It should be noted here that AF speed and accuracy, and accuracy of exposure metering were not done using any scientific instrument and hence your personal experience may differ slightly. Both the cameras were then used in the studio. Pictures were shot using the supplied 50mm lenses. This was basically done to critically check image sharpness.
EXPOSURE METERING We compared the exposure metering of both the cameras. Results were consistent most of the time, though sometimes, the Canon provided about 0.5 stop more exposure for the same subject (we could say that since, under similar lighting conditions, sometimes, the Canon images were lighter). This could be due to the slightly different weightage for the exposure meters. Overall, we were satisfied and have no reason to complain.
AUTOFOCUSSING AF was very fast and accurate with both the cameras and I doubt, without using scientific equipment, if anyone can actually compare the AF speed. Having said that, we felt that the Nikon focussed very slightly faster than the Canon (when using the two 50mm lenses mentioned in the review). We also noted that the Nikon lens – AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4G – autofocussed very silently as compared to the Canon EF 50mm 1:1.4. This may be because the Canon lens was an older version with no internal focussing. Of course, in practical use, this does not really matter.
SHARPNESS Both the cameras provided excellent sharpness. Very often it was difficult to judge which camera produced the sharper result. In theory, the D800 with its higher pixel rating should have provided sharper results, but there were times when we felt that the 5D Mark III was sharper! When the images were enlarged to 100%, then, often, we could see that the Nikon prevailed. Buffer capacity (tested using Lexar Platinum II 8GB CF card (200x) Note: The performance shown below will differ using a faster or slower memory card. It will also differ depending on whether Continuous High or Continuous Low is selected.
Criteria
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Nikon D800
No. of frames: 15 Raw 7 Raw + JPEG Continuous Low (Large + Best) 88 JPEG (Large + Best) before frame rate slowed down. Writing speed, After buffer filled up Raw: to the point that the Continuous Low firing rate slowed down (15 frames), it took 24 seconds for the buffer to clear. Writing speed, After buffer filled Raw + JPEG: up to the point that the Continuous Low firing rate slowed down (7 frames), it took 15 seconds for the buffer to clear. Writing speed, After buffer filled up JPEG only: to the point that the Continuous High firing rate slowed down (40 frames), it took 14 seconds for the buffer to clear. Continuous Low After buffer filled up to the point that the firing rate slowed down (88 frames), it again took 14 seconds for the buffer to clear.
16 Raw 15 Raw + JPEG (Large + Fine) 21 JPEG (Large + Fine) before frame rate slowed down. After buffer filled up to the point that the firing rate slowed down (16 frames), it took 96 seconds for the buffer to clear. After buffer filled up to the point that the firing rate slowed down (15 frames), it took 113 seconds for the buffer to clear. After the buffer filled up to the point that the firing rate slowed down (18 frames), it took 30 seconds for the buffer to clear. After buffer filled up to the point that the firing rate slowed down (21 frames), it took 29 seconds for the buffer to clear.
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D-SLR Review Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 Canon EOS 5D Mark III
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D-SLR Review
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 Nikon D800
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D-SLR Review Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 Note: Let’s be practical, Nikon users. You may like the D800 (I love it!), but if you are trigger-happy, and your buffer fills up at the wrong moment (as an example, like when a tiger is chasing a deer), I wouldn’t like to hear what you are likely to say!
Nikon D800 body is available at an MRP of Rs.1,69,950, making it cheaper by Rs.36,145. Speaking purely from a personal point of view, for my kind of photography, my heart goes out for the Canon (I need more frames-per-second burst mode, and I just love the Mark III’s Portrait Photography Portrait photography demands the best from 3-frame HDR capability). However, I have APPLICATION PERFORMANCE to admit that the D800 is overall better a camera in terms of metering, optics and At their price points, both the 5D skin tone rendition. The 5D Mark III features value for money. Mark III and the D800 are aimed at the Canon’s iFCL (intelligent Fluorescent Colour professional or serious enthusiasts. Let’s Luminance) metering system wherein the see how the cameras performed under CONCLUSION colour and luminance systems of the camera So, overall which is the better camera? special situations. are linked to the autofocus system. The The 5D Mark III or the Nikon D800? D800, on the other hand, features Nikon’s Landscapes It is often said that the best camera is the Advanced Scene Recognition System and Landscape photographers are very fussy one that you have with you! that includes a new 91,000 pixel RGB sensor and look for detail and tonal quality in providing detailed information about the their shots. Our tests revealed that both Most photographers are loyal to their subject to the metering system. The D800 the EOS 5D Mark III and the D800 are brand and as such, a Canon user is likely to further has the advantage of a built-in flash very capable in this department. We opt for the 5D Mark III and a Nikon user for fill-in purposes. The D800 also has a can confidently say that prints produced will of course opt for the D800. It is our slightly higher flash sync speed of 1/250 sec duty however, to be absolutely impartial by both these cameras are virtually compared to the Canon’s 1/200 sec. On indistinguishable up to A2 size (roughly and guide you to enable you to make an 16 x 24”). Above that size, the D800 is just the portraiture front, ultimate results are the informed choice. So here goes: deciding factor. Our results showed very slightly ahead in terms of sharpness and little difference between the two cameras; tonal quality. In most cases, it will Both the cameras – the Canon 5D Mark III the Nikon however has a slight edge in terms and the Nikon D800 – are superb. Even be difficult to see the difference. Remember that both the cameras are well of skin renditions; nothing that however then, the cameras are not without certain cannot be attained in Photoshop. equipped with excellent weather sealing blemishes. The resolution that the D800 for outdoor shoots. produces is nothing short of stunning and Low Light Photography if you always intend to make very large The Canon has a larger ISO range Action Photography images with great detail, the D800 should Both the cameras offer excellent autofocus (extended) going up to ISO 102,400 be your choice. The D800 also has an compared to the Nikon’s 25,600. At higher edge over the 5D Mark III when it comes systems. AF point selection is slightly better and faster in the D800 though. The sensitivities, the Canon was clearly the to dynamic range. And if you are the type better performer. Both the Canon and the Nikon has 51 autofocus points against who likes to use fill-in flash, the D800 wins Nikon focussed admirably even in poor the Canon’s 61. Further, 41 of the 61 AF again, since the Mark III does not have a points are the cross-type and 5 AF points light. Similarly, White Balance performance built-in flash. are dual-cross type. The Nikon has only 15 was consistent and good for both the 5D cross-type points. This gives the Canon the Mark III and the D800. No one exposes every image with 100% edge as far as fast and precise autofocus accuracy; there are always times when Which camera offers better value for is concerned. The frame advance rate of our images are underexposed/partly money? the Canon at 6 fps is also superior to the underexposed. Sometimes, photographers The Canon EOS 5D Mark III body has Nikon’s at 4 fps. The Canon can also shoot purposely underexpose some images (I an MRP tag of Rs.2,06,095 while the for longer in JPEG – in our test using a don’t agree with the idea but this is not the 104
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Lexar Platinum II, 8GB CF card (200x), we had 88 JPEGs (Large + Best) before frame rate slowed down (shooting in Continuous Low); the D800 only 21. The Canon definitely has the edge in this department.
D-SLR Review
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Vs. Nikon D800 quality) – the Mark III seems to keep on firing endlessly]. Of course if you never shoot in burst mode, this may not be as relevant to you.
must use a good tripod. I am aware that some readers do not like my constant suggestion to use a tripod as far as possible, but it is even more important to do so when it comes to these two Let me ask you a question. If you like cameras; make that ‘much more important’ driving, and if you have to drive mostly with the D800. Does this mean that you within the city, would you need a ‘normal’ should never shoot hand-held when car or would you need a racing car? using these two models? No, that’s not Mind you, I used the word ‘need’ and not what I am implying. As a reader pointed ‘want’. I may want to own a Ferrari, but for out recently, a tripod is not always The Canon 5D Mark III, to me at least, day-to-day city driving (and for occasional convenient to use and can even make is a more ‘sensible’ camera. Or may be out-of-city drives), would it make more you lose some shots, especially when I should term it as a “multi-purpose” allit comes to photographing flying birds. rounder. It too offers superb image quality sense to get a city car or would it make more sense to get a racing car? That is The norm for shutter speed (for handfor large size pictures (but not as large as held photography) is “1 divided by the the D800). But the question is, how many not to say that the D800 is a racing car and the 5D Mark III is a city car; both effective focal length”. With both these times do we make very large pictures? cameras, my suggestion to you is to try And what is your idea of “large” pictures? are definitely high-end. One is designed for the segment that just needs the best and use shutter speeds that are 1-stop 8 x 12”, 12 x 15”, 16 x 20”, 20 x 24” or 20 possible image resolution (at the expense faster than the norm. x 30” or larger? Let me tell you this: For ‘normal’ day-to-day size properly exposed of missing out certain goodies), while 3. Try using the optimum aperture (the pictures (say, 16 x 24”), you will not notice the other is designed for users who want excellent results without going overboard. sweet spot) when depth of field is not any obvious difference in image quality an important criteria. Remember, very between the two (I am assuming that you So decide your segment and take the plunge. You can’t go wrong with either. narrow apertures can induce a loss in would use equally high-end lenses and sharpness due to diffraction of light. that your shooting discipline is top-notch). So, what can the Mark III do that the D800 SPECIAL NOTE / QUIRKS 4. When using the D800, try to use only the cannot? It is not always a case of what one 1. Though the pixel count of both these memory cards suggested by Nikon (page can do and what one cannot; sometimes cameras differ (Canon, 22.3MP; Nikon 434 and 435 in the User’s Manual). We its a case of with what finesse a job can be 36.3MP) both are high-resolution. This tried using 8 GB and 16 GB CF cards of a done. It is every photographer’s dream to means (and we have said this before) non-listed manufacturer and found that the have adequate detail in highlights as well you need stricter user discipline and Memory Card Access Lamp would not go as in shadows, in spite of lighting being use of high-end lenses. Both the cameras off, making the cards unusable with the D800. contrasty. That’s where HDR imaging will provide you superb high resolution comes in. Both the cameras offer HDR, but images but both will amplify your lens Rohinton Mehta the Canon has a definite advantage since defects / hand shakes much FINAL SCORE it uses three frames and can do so even more than other cameras Parameter Canon 5D Mark III Nikon D800 with Raw files. The D800 on the other will. Between these two Build Quality ***** ***** hand, combines only two frames (and cameras, using top-notch that too only JPEGs). When it comes to lenses is more important Key Features *** **** continuous shooting, the 5D Mark III wins with the D800. Ergonomics **** *** outright; its smaller files allow you to shoot Performance ******** ******* at a maximum burst speed of 6 frames per 2. If you want the best Value for Money *** **** second, while the D800 can go only up output from your very Overall 23 23 to 4! [If you shoot JPEGs – (Large + Best expensive lenses, you forum to discuss that). Here too the D800 wins. When you ‘open up’ dark shadows using an image editing program, the D800 exhibits lesser noise than the 5D Mark III. Of course if you shoot in Raw, you could follow the ‘shoot-to-the-right’ method of exposing and then correct the tones using Adobe Camera Raw to bring in shadow detail with improved noise performance.
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Compact Review Samsung DV300
Designed for Style
P
79
oint-and shoot cameras rely much on visual appeal and funky features for driving business. While some manufacturers use dazzling colours and smooth contours to promote these devices, Samsung, being the world leader in display devices, did what they are best at, by incorporating a second LCD on the front panel to enable selfportraits. The 16 megapixel Samsung
%
Flash Output
DV300F is one such ‘dual view’ camera.
Design and Build Quality The Samsung DV300F’s outer body is made of engineering plastic except for the lens and top panel. The camera is sleek and can easily fit into a shirt pocket. The camera appears tough enough for its intended job. The lens has a two-segment construction
Macro
Rs.12,400
Inside the Box Camera Rechargeable battery l AC Adapter/USB Cable l Strap l User Manual CD-ROM l Quick Start Guide l l
106
Smart Photography September 2012
Aperture: f/4.1 Shutter Speed: 1/45sec. ISO:200
: f/2.5
Aperture
:100
sec. ISO
d: 1/125
Spee Shutter
Compact Review
Samsung DV300 Mahesh Reddy
and does not protrude much during operation. The tripod mount is plastic, but it was not a concern for us since the camera was light. It is mounted towards the centre, which balances the camera well.
Key Features The 16.1-megapixel Samsung DV300F uses a 1/2.3-inch Type (6.16 x 4.62mm) CCD sensor. It features a Samsung 25125mm equivalent lens with aperture range of f/2.5-9.2 at the wide-angle end and f/6.3-23 at the telephoto end. The lens features Optical Image Stabilisation. In normal mode the camera focusses from 80cm to infinity at the wideangle end and from 250cm to infinity at the telephoto end; while in Macro mode, it focusses as close as 5cm. The camera uses TTL autofocus method, and the focus modes are Centre, Multi, Tracking, Face Detection, and Smart Face Detection. Shutter speeds range from 10 to 1/2000 sec. Exposure is controlled through Program AE mode. Metering modes are Multi, Spot, Centre-weighted, and Face Detection. Exposure can be compensated up to +/-2EV in 1/3-EV steps. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 80 to 3200. The builtin flash has a range of 0.2 to 4.1m at Noise
ISO:80
ISO:3200
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Compact Review Mahesh Reddy
Samsung DV300
the wide-angle end and 0.5 to 1.6m at the telephoto end when ISO is set to Auto. Flash modes available are Smart Auto, Auto, Red-eye, Fill in, Slow Sync, Off, and Red-eye Fix. The flash recycles in approximately 4 sec. White Balance modes are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, and Custom. Shooting modes available are Smart Auto, Program, Scene, Live Panorama, Self Shot, Picture-in-Picture, Magic Frame, Funny Face, Smart Filter, Beauty Shot, Intelligent Portrait, Night, Split Shot, Motion Photo, Jump Shot 2.0, Children Mode, Pose Guide, Close-up, Split Shot, Artistic Brush, Wall Paper, and 3D Photo. Scene modes are Beauty Shot, Frame Guide, Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Firework, and Beach & Snow. In Smart Auto mode, 108
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the camera automatically detects Portrait, Night Portrait, Night, Backlight Portrait, Backlight, Landscape, White, Macro, Macro Text, Tripod, Action, Macro Colour, Natural Green, Blue Sky, and Sunset Sky, and applies the required settings. Photo filter (Smart filter) provides access to various effects such as Miniature, Vignetting, Ink Painting, Oil Painting, Cartoon, Cross Filter, Sketch, Soft Focus, Fish-eye, Old Film, Half Tone Dot, Classic, Retro, and Zooming Shot. The camera features movie filters too, such as Miniature, Vignetting, Half Tone Dot, Sketch, Fish-eye, Classic, Retro, and Four Palette Effects. Still images are recorded in JPEG format with a maximum pixel size of 4608 x 3456, while videos are recorded in MP4 (H.264) format with the best quality of 1280 x 720 at 30fps. The DV300F has a front LCD screen in
addition to the main LCD, which helps in capturing self-portraits. The camera uses a 3.0-inch 460,000 dot TFT LCD for the main display, while the front display is a 1.5-inch, 61,000 dot TFT. The device has approximately 16MB of internal memory and can accept a microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC card for external storage. The DV300F is powered by a BP88A rechargeable Li-ion battery pack. The camera weighs 120g (without battery and memory card) and has dimensions of 95.2 x 56.5 x 18.3mm.
Ergonomics The DV300F is convenient to hold even though it is very small in size. The buttons are neatly laid out with good relief. Images on the LCD appear crisp and the menu is intuitive. As usual, our word of advice applies here too — do not forget to attach the strap to the
Compact Review
Samsung DV300 camera and secure it firmly before using the camera.
of Rs.12,400. At this price, the camera is good value for money.
Performance
SPECIFICATIONS
The Samsung DV300F focussed reasonably fast even under low light. Flare was controlled well and chromatic aberration was not observed. During this part of the test (i.e., for CA test), the camera automatically selected the aperture, which was f/9.2 in this case, which was not the ideal setting. Hence the results may change depending on the aperture value selected by the camera at the time of exposure. Metering modes performed as expected. Slight darkening of corners was observed at the wide-angle end. The camera chose f/2.5, which was ideal in this case. The images lacked critical sharpness, which is quite disappointing. The camera reproduced colours well with all White Balance modes performing well except under the preset ‘Cloudy’, which produced a distinct red cast. But this cast can be easily removed in Photoshop. Native image size was 11.52 x 15.36 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of this screen size, images were noise-free up to ISO 800. Observed at 50 percent of the screen size, the images remained free of noise up to ISO 400. At 100 percent, images showed noise throughout the ISO range, as normally expected from a camera having such small sensors. So stick to ISO 400 or below for noisefree images under normal conditions. Images captured with Smart Auto mode appeared more punchy than those captured with Program mode.
Value for Money The Samsung DV300F retails at an MRP
Camera Type : DualView Effective Pixels : Approx. 16.0 Million Image Sensor Type : 1/2.3-inch Type (Approx. 7.76mm) CCD : Samsung 25-125mm Lens f/2.5(W) - 6.3(T) Shutter Speed : 16 - 1/2,000 sec Exposure Comp. : ±2EV (1/3EV steps) Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Metering Modes : Multi, Spot, Centre-weighted, Face Detection AE Focusing Modes : TTL Auto Focus (Centre, Multi, Object Tracking, Face Detection) Focus Range : Normal: 80cm - Infinity (Wide), 150cm - Infinity (Tele) Macro: 5cm-80cm (Wide), 100cm - 150cm (Tele) Auto Macro: 5cm-Infinity (Wide), 100cm-Infinity (Tele) : Main LCD: 3.0” TFT; Display 460K resolution Front LCD: 1.5” : Max. recording time : 20 min. Movie Clip Resolution : 720p@30fps : Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Flash Modes Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash Off, Red-eye fix Recharging Time : Approx. 4 sec Flash Range : Wide: 0.2 - 4.1m, Tele : 0.5 - 1.4m Image Stabilization : Dual Image Stabilization Smart Auto : Portrait, Night Portrait, Night, Backlight Portrait, Backlight, Landscape, White, Macro, Macro Text, Tripod, Action, Macro Colour, Natural Green, Blue Sky, Sunset Sky Smart Filter (Movie) : Miniature, Vignetting, Half Tone Dot, Sketch, Fish-eye, Classic, Retro, Four Palette Effects Sharpness : Soft+, Soft, Normal, Vivid, Vivid+ White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Modes Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, Custom File Formats : Still Image: JPEG (DCF), MPO Movie Clip: MP4(H.264) Audio : AAC Max. Image Size : 4,608 x 3,456 pixels Memory : Internal: Approx. 16MB External: micro SD (up to 2GB) micro SDHC (up to 8GB) Shooting Modes : Smart Auto, Program, Scene, Live Panorama, Self Shot, Picture- in Picture,Magic Frame, Funny Face,
Smart Filter, Beauty Shot, Intelligent Portrait, Night, Split Shot, Motion Photo, Jump Shot 2.0, Children Mode, Pose Guide, Close-up, Split Shot, Artistic Brush, Wall Paper, 3D Photo : Beauty Shot, Frame Guide, Night, Scene Modes Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Firework, Beach & Snow Continuous Modes : Single, Continuous, Motion Capture, AEB Self timer : Off, 10 sec., 2 sec., Double(10 sec. and 2 sec.) HDMI : Yes USB 2.0 : Yes Video Out : AV : NTSC, PAL (User selectable) : BP88A (880mAh) Li-ion battery Power Dimensions : 95.2 x 56.5 x 18.3mm (WxHxD) Weight : 120g (without battery and card) +
Stylish Design
+
Easy to use
+
Competitively priced
-
Images lack critical sharpness
-
Noise control could have been better
FINAL SCORE Design and Build Quality
18/20
Key Features
16/20
Ergonomics
16/20
Performance Autofocus 4/5 Metering
4/5
3/5
Noise Control
Distortion/Sharpness
2/5
4/5
LCD/VF
AWB Sub-Total
4/5 21/30
Value for Money
8/10
Grand Total
79/100
Verdict If you are looking for a sleek and compact camera that does not require complex settings, the Samsung DV300F can be a strong contender.
Sujith Gopinath
September 2012 Smart Photography
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Lens Review Canon EF 24mm F/2.8 IS USM
Neat, but Expensive!
T
here was a time when 35mm was the first wide-angle lens that a photographer would opt for. As lens designs and performance started improving, many chose the 28mm as their first wide-angle lens. The trend has now shifted to 24mm which not only provides extreme depth of field, but has now transformed itself into a much-sought-after lens for initiated photographers who love to experiment with the dynamic perspectives that the lens offers. Canon also offers a f/1.4 version (EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM), but its MRP is not for the faint hearted! The EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM will serve you well for most purposes.
Design and Build Quality
79
%
Rs.51,995
Inside the Box Lens Front and Rear Lens Cap l Product Details l l
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The Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM is a prime lens designed for full-frame camera bodies. Its shell is made from engineering plastic, but is well finished and seems adequately strong. The lens has no aperture ring. Communication between the lens and the body is via 7 gold-plated contacts. The lens mount is made of metal.
Key Features For an ultra-wide-angle lens, the EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM is small; the lens maintains its cylindrical shape throughout, unlike some such lenses that offer a larger front element. A distance scale (in feet and meters) is provided under a plastic cover in the mid-section of the lens. The metric scale, marked in white, is very easy to
see even in low light, but the other scale (feet) marked in green is a bit difficult to read. A Focus Mode switch (AF/MF) is provided to the left of the lens. Full-time manual override is possible even when in AF mode. Next to the Focus Mode switch is the Image Stabilizer (IS) switch. The stabilizer offers a 4-stop shake reduction along with a ring-type USM (Ultra Sonic Motor), coupled to a Central Processing Unit for quick and accurate autofocussing. Flare and ghosting are minimised due to special lens coatings. Minimum focussing distance is 0.20m (0.66 ft), while its 7-bladed diaphragm delivers smooth ‘bokeh’. Depth of field scale is offered but only for f/11 and f/22. A red lens mount index helps to align the lens correctly with the camera body. The lens weighs a mere 280 g and the filter size is 58mm diameter.
Ergonomics Being small and lightweight, the lens was very easy to use. It offered stunning perspectives when used close to various subjects (though I would not consider it for close-up portraits!). The lens, due to its internal focussing system, maintains its length when focussing.
Performance We tested the lens using a Canon EOS 650 body as well as a EOS 5D Mark III body. Autofocussing was fast with both, and the focussing ring rotated smoothly. Initially, I was a bit surprised to see a Image Stabilizer on such a wide
Lens Review Canon EF 24mm F/2.8 IS USM Rohinton Mehta
lens and I wondered whether its effect would be noticed because of the great depth of field that 24mm lenses have. In our tests, we could use the lens (with IS ‘on’) at very low speeds (till about 1/15 sec) and still retain good sharpness. So, yes, the IS works, and works well! The lens delivered very good sharpness even at its widest (f/2.8) aperture, which improved as the lens was stopped down. The sweet-spot seemed to be at f/5.6. Slight image softness was noticed at f/16 on the 650D and at f/22 on the 5D Mark III, which of course is due to the effects of diffraction at such a narrow aperture. The lens’ minimum focussing distance of just 0.66 ft (0.20 m) is very useful when in a tight spot. On the negative side, we faced darkening of corners at all apertures, flare in againstthe-light shots, a bit of barrel distortion and the fact that the lens hood is optional, which further adds to the cost. Sample Photograph taken with the Canon EF 24mm F/2.8 IS USM Shutter speed 1/640sec, Aperture f/5, ISO 100 (Image is heavily cropped.)
Value for Money The Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM is available at an MRP of Rs.51,995. Even after considering its fine image quality and good build, the lens is on the expensive side. SPECIFICATIONS
Diagonal angle of view : 84 degrees Lens construction : 11 elements in 9 groups Focus adjustment : Rear focussing system with USM Aperture range : F/2.8-22 Diaphragm blades : 7 Max. magnification : 0.23x Min. Focussing distance : 0.20 m (0.66 ft) Filter diameter : 58mm Max. Dia x Length : 68.4 x 55.7mm Weight : 280g Hood : EW-65B (Optional) Lens cap : E-58U Case : LP1014
FINAL SCORE
+
Very good image quality Image Stabiliser Lens hood not supplied
Design and Build Quality
16/20
+
Key Features
16/20
-
Ergonomics
18/20
- Expensive Performance Autofocus 4/5 Verdict Sharpness 5/5 We haven’t reviewed the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens, but going solely Distortion Control 4/5 by its price (Rs.1,03,495), I guess we Aberrations 4/5 would not be very much wrong to think that buyers for that lens would Darkening of Corners 2/5 be limited to professionals and Extra Features 3/5 well-heeled amateurs. As far as the EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM is concerned, Sub-Total 22/30 you have our green signal! Note that Value for Money 7/10 if the price was lower, it surely would have been rated as best buy. Grand Total 79/100 Rohinton Mehta September 2012 Smart Photography
111
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Unlimited possibilities at the highest level Q para 88 – industry acknowledged for beauty and fashion photography. Q Now even more mobile – perfect for outdoors & smaller studios. Q Compact design, less than 6 kg and a new mechanism for greater ease-of-use. Q Open and close in an instant. Q Comes along with original sturdy flight case. QÊ } Ì }Ê« ÃÃ L Ì iÃ\ÊUÊ Õ ÌÊ > «Ê i>`ÊV Ûi Ì > ÞÊ> `ÊÕÃiÊ ÌÊ>ÃÊ`ii«ÊLi>ÕÌÞÊÀiyiVÌ ÀÊUÊ ÌÌ>V Ê
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www.broncolor.com
Photo products and accessories
Photo products and accessories
digital camera and accessories
digital camera and accessories
photography institute
photo products and accessories
email id: info@mehtaenterprises.net
website:www.mehtaenterprises.net
Telephone: +91 22 22611320
ENTERPRISES Everything in photographic products Specialize in Speedlite Accessories Elinchrom, Sekonic light meters, Nissan flashes, Manfrotto items, Nikon and Canon
Authorized dealers for
Mobile: Ashvin Mehta 8080604546
Elinchrom
Product Shooting Table
Paras Mehta
Digital Grey Card
Colour Balance Disc
Led Panels
932310546
AF Extension Tubes
Authorised Nikon D-SLR Zone
Sony α 37 camera 16.1 megapixel 7 frames per second 15-point Auto focus system Quick Auto focus full HD movie Auto portrait framing and picture effect Steady shot inside
Superstore
Sony α 77 camera 24 megapixel 12 Frames per second ISO 100 to 16000 Quick Auto focus full HD movie Steady shot inside Magnesium alloy body 11 cross 19 point Auto focus
Tidbits Highs and Lows 1. Retail chains in imaging continue to take a knock throughout the world. Ritz cameras of the US was twice rescued from bankruptcy. Jessops of the UK has been tottering for the last two to three years. Now, yet another chain in the UK, Jacobs, has gone into liquidation. 2. Polaroid is developing a new digital camera that can deliver instant prints. A launch is due later in the year.
10. In the first half of 2012, Japanese sales of ILCCs/ mirrorless cameras showed the following market shares: Canon with its EOS M hopes to grab an 11% market share.
7. The recently concluded Olympics in London saw a new rule for photographers whereby equipment over 30 cm in length was not allowed unless the photographer held media accredition. 8. The recession seems to have hit Hasselblad hard. The Company has just announced a 23% reduction in its camera prices. “There has never been a better time to buy a Hasselblad�, claims the Company. 9. A little known fact is that Taiwanese manufacturers between them produce over 40 million digital cameras a year. The four major Taiwanese makers continue to be Ability, Altek, Foxconn and Asia Optical. Nikon is the largest buyer followed by Fujifilm, Olympus, Casio, Samsung and Sony in that order. Notable omissions are Canon and Panasonic. 146
Smart Photography September 2012
Sony 15.4% Nikon 17.8%
Panasonic 29.6%
Digital Cameras
Others 30.7%
4. Sony is stepping up its production of sensors with a new plant coming up at Nagasaki in Japan. The sharp increase in demand for smartphones is responsible.
6. Sigma is trying to make its lenses smaller and lighter by replacing polycarbonate with a new material called Thermally Stable Composite. The new material is less sensitive to temperature changes than polycarbonate, claim Sigma.
Olympus 30.7%
11. As far as calendar year 2011 is concerned, the world market shares for digital cameras and camcorders were as follows:
3. Italian tripod maker, Manfrotto has launched photography jackets and photo vests for women, called the Lino range.
5. As if current problems were not enough, the head of Olympus in Korea was fired for illegal business conduct.
Others 0.6%
Pentax 5.9%
Camcorders
Canon 18.8% (+0.3%)
Others 11%
Sony 17.1% (-0.4%) Nikon 15.2% (+2.9%)
Fujifilm 8.6% (+1.2%) Samsung 9.6% (-1.2%)
Canon Sony 12% 44% (-1%) (+1.3%) JVC Kenwood 15% (+1.1%) Panasonic 18% (+1.1%)
The flat panel TV sector
Others 37.2
12. The flat panel TV sector in 2011 showed the huge domination of the South Korean giants. Sharp 6.9% (-0.4%)
13. In Li-ion batteries, the race in 2011 was between Panasonic and Samsung.
Samsung 23.8% +1.4%) LG 13.7% (+0.2%)
Li-ion batteries
Panasonic 7.8% (-0.6%)
Panasonic 23.5
Others 28.6% Sony 8.5%
Sony 10.6% (-1.8%)
LG 16.2%
Samsung 23.2%
14. Finally, Samsung overtook Apple in Smartphone sales in 2011 with Nokia, RIM and HTC following in that order.
H. S. Billimoria
RNI No. MAHENG/2005/14978
Free supplement with
September 2012 isssue
All Under ONE Roof
September 2012 Smart Photography
IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
“There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man’s lawful prey.” John Ruskin (1819-1900)
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Photography is a passionate hobby in India and is growing rapidly day by day. Inter Foto was formed in 1997 with the sole aim of providing Indian photographers world-class quality products from leading manufacturers around the world. Today, Inter Foto is professionally managed and has offices and warehouses in several parts of India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Noida in National Capital Region. We are now India’s biggest independent distributor of photographic goods and an indispensable supplier to all photo goods dealers across the country. We have invested US $ 55,000 in Electronic Resource Planning software solutions to electronically keep in touch with all our branches and thereby streamline our operations. Additionally, to speed up deliveries, we have invested large amounts in cargo vans in Mumbai and Delhi, and motor-cycles in Bangalore. To cope up with increased business, we have expanded our office space in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. We have also expanded our warehouse space at these locations. Through our marketing network, we cater to over 800 retail photo dealers. We service about 15 major Consumer Electronics stores, which, through their own distribution network, collectively cover about 200 stores in major cities and towns. We also cater to all Large Format Retail and other retail stores like E-Zone, Croma, Reliance Retail, Next Retails and many others. Altogether, we cater to almost 500 stores. We are committed to our vision – to continually offer not just the best products, but the best before and after sales service to the entire satisfaction of any and all who choose to deal with us. And finally, we offer our grateful thanks to the photo goods manufacturers we deal with, our distributors and dealers, to every individual who has dealt with us and made our journey a great success.
Photographic accessories are manufactured by a multitude of people. Some accessories are good; some are downright poor. Some are expensive, some are cheap. Its human nature to consider purchasing something that saves us some money. But think it over – a purchased accessory that does not do the work it was intended to do, is sheer waste of hard-earned money! At any rate, buying a non-branded accessory is taking a chance. As a photographer, do you take a chance and use some unknown, unheard of camera and lenses or do you go in for well-known brand names? If you were sick, would you see a specialist doctor or would you take medical advice from some fly-by-night joker who claims to be a specialist? To quote John Ruskin again, “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort”. When you buy branded accessories, you are assured of their quality control. You have the peace of mind that the accessory will not let you down in the middle of an assignment; you have the assurance that zip fasteners on your camera bag for example, will not part open when you are carrying a heavy load in the middle of nowhere. You can concentrate on your picture taking without having to worry about the drizzle ruining your expensive camera gear, because your camera bag is well protected by a rain cover; You can rest assure that your lens cleaning device will not scratch your lenses; that your branded memory card is less likely to fail on you when you are hundreds of miles away from the nearest store. Without the mental strain of some accessory letting you down, you are in a better position to get those once-in-a-lifetime shots. Other advantages of branded accessories are consistency in product quality, superior after-sales service and better re-sale value.
Smart Photography September 2012
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Filters
Filters meant for photography are generally made from optical glass. They modify light as it enters a lens. They can, for example, increase contrast, capture invisible light (infra-red), minimize reflections from water, glass, wood etc, or even increase the exposure time (Neutral Density filters). Since filters are placed in the optical path, any defect/flaw in a filter can degrade image quality that your expensive lens is capable of. Secondly, any filter adds two surfaces with a potential for degrading image contrast. Hoya’s standard line of filters have 1 antireflective coat on both sides of the filter, while their multi-coated filters have 3 layers of specially formulated
coatings on both the surfaces. This ensures that light reflections off the filters are reduced to a minimum and thus preserve the image quality of your lenses. These layers of anti-reflective coating are bonded to the surface of the glass in a furnace at a temperature of up to 800 degrees F. Cheaper filters from some other manufacturers either paint the anti-reflective coating or cold spray the coatings, which wear out in no time. Many cheaper filters either have no coating or are coated only on one side! No wonder Hoya is considered as the number one filter manufacturer in the world, and with 65% share in the Indian market. Hoya filters are available in 52, 55, 58, 62, 67, 72, 77 and 82mm size.
HD UV Filter
HD CIR – PL
Absorbs Ultra-Violet rays that cause haziness and blurriness in outdoor photographs, and also protects the lens from dust and damage. The filter has 8-layer High Density (HD) antireflective multi-coating. The glass used here is 4 times stronger than ordinary glass and is water/oil/scratch/stain repellent. It’s ultra-thin frame is compatible with wide-angle lenses.
Polarizing filters, when used correctly, remove imagedegrading reflections from glass, water, wood, polished surfaces, sand, and painted metal. They also help saturate colours and are widely used in landscape photography to saturate the greens and the blues. Circular PL filters, by virtue of their design, can be used with all digital cameras [Linear PL filters (ordinary or non-circular variety) cannot be used with digital cameras]. Hoya’s PL filters do not affect the overall colour balance of your images. High Density (HD) Cir-PL offer 8-layer anti-reflective multi-coating that is water/oil/scratch/stain repellent. The HD Polarizing film used in Hoya’s HD Cir – PL filters have 25% greater light transmission than standard Polarizing films.
PRO-1 Digital Filters The Pro-1 D (D for Digital) series consist of the following high quality filters: Circular Polarizer: Saturates colours and removes unwanted reflections UV (O): absorbs UV light and protects the lens from scratches Protector: Clear filter for lens protection Neutral Density: (ND4 2-stop, ND8 3-stop, and ND16 4-stop) Softon – A: Soft-focus filter Star-4: Adds a four-cross flare in night scenes Close-up No. 3: A poor man’s macro lens!
September 2012 Smart Photography
Bags
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Lowepro, the world leader in camera bags, understands the requirements of photographers. Working closely with professional and advanced photographers for over 40 years, Lowepro crafts camera bags that not only look elegant, but faithfully serve to protect expensive gear. Suitable for rough and tough use, Lowepro bags are lightweight, durable, userfriendly, and above all, offer life time warranty.
DSLR VIDEO FASTPACK 250 AW
Why Lowepro Bags?
• Tough designs • Classy • Durable • User-friendly Lightweight • Moduler design • Patented inAll-Weather • Life time warranty cover • Exhaustive rang • Ultimate in protection • Worldwide service support •
Quick access and flexible organisation are the key elements of the Fastpack series. The protective yet lightweight design enables you to pack your gear in a dedicated camera compartment. To quickly shoot, grab your gear from the fast-access side-entry pocket. A separate lap-top compartment keeps your workstation within easy reach. There’s also a audio-compartment with a headphone strap, and a utility pouch for accessories like cables, cords, etc. Additionally, the Fastpack series offers a built-in All Weather AW Cover for extra protection from the elements. There’s also a hidden ID pocket, stretch-mesh side pocket, grab handle and stowaway waist-belt to minimize extra bulk when travelling. The Fastpack 250 AW can fit a pro DSLR (without grip) with attached lens (up to 24-70mm f/2.8), 2 extra lenses, 1 pro flash or LED light, headphones, microphone, extra audio gear, up to 15” laptop, tripod or DSLR video rig.
Smart Photography September 2012
Photo Traveler 150 This ultra-compact, modern, scaled-down photo backpack is designed for enthusiast photographers who need to carry a lot of equipment without a hassle. The interior is roomy but thickly padded and fully adjustable main compartment to fit a compact DSLR or a compact system camera, plus extra lenses and flash. A tablet computer can be carried in the provided padded pocket. Essentials like your wallet, keys, cell-phone etc. can be carried in the front quick-access pocket. Additionally, stretch-mesh side pockets, SlipLock attachment loops, padded shoulder straps, backpad, plus a quick-grab handle adds to user comfort.
SLINGSHOT 202 AW The latest models of SlingShot AW series ‘carry-to-ready mode’ in seconds offer more volume in the upper compartment for extra accessories or personal items. Zippered slash pocket at the top for cell-phone, keys etc. An elastic band in top compartment for your camera User Manual. Easy-glide zippers throughout the bag for smaooth operations A built-in microfibre cleaning cloth in its own stretch-mesh pocket 3 SlipLock attachment loops to expand carrying capacity, if needed Padded waistbelt for extra comfort and to evenly distribute the load.
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September 2012 Smart Photography
Tripods
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Benro tripods are manufactured in South Guangdong province, about 12km from Macao, China. The company was originally founded in 1996 as a cooperative tripod manufacturer but by 2002, it developed and began marketing its own brand name - ‘Benro Professional Tripods and Heads’. As a result of their commitment to quality and performance, Benro has become one of the best known, and best-selling brands in China and elsewhere in the world. In 2005, Benro registered under a new corporate name, ‘Benro Precision Photography Industry Co. LTD (Hong Kong)’. Benro’s mission statement is simple: “our products are designed and built to meet or exceed the needs and demands of professional photographers worldwide”.
Benro A 1690 TBO Travel Angel Aluminium Tripod with BO Ball Head The 5-segment Benro A 1690 TBO Travel Angel Aluminium Tripod uses imported high-strength 1.2mm thick aluminium tubing with all die-cast parts made using magnesium for added strength. Each leg, with anti-rotation leg design, can be individually adjusted. The centre column is reversible and uses a spring-loaded weight hook to further steady the tripod when needed. The tripod is lightweight (1.6kg approx.) and can be easily carried as its folded size is just 395 mm. The BO Ball Head weighs a mere 0.29 kg and can take up a maximum load of 8 kg.
Benro A48F The Benro Classic A48F Monopod with its aluminium flip-lock leg, features a unique Swivel Pod Foot to improve the grip on virtually any surface.
Smart Photography September 2012
Adjustment Leg Angles : Legs can be adjusted independently at 8, 24, 55 or 80 degree
Grooved design Column : Prevence unintensional rotation of the column.
Column Locking Knob : The large, knurled, column-locking knob provides smooth and quick adjustment of the center column
Inverted Centre Column : Ideal for low angle shooting.
Adjustment Leg Adaptor : The provided allen key can be used to adjust the tension of the leg tube
Folding Design System : The 180 degree inverse folding design system makes the tripod small enough to easily carry in aircrafts.
Gimbal Head GH2 Wildlife and nature photography often demand the use of long heavy lenses. Due to their weight and size, shooting hand-held with such lenses is out of question. Setting up such lenses on a tripod too is not convenient. The GH2 Gimbal Head from Benro makes all this a child’s play. Once the lens is mounted on the GH2 as per the provided instructions, the lens/camera combo can be very easily manoeuvred as required, making it easy to track even birds in flight. A must-have accessory for wildlife photographers using long focal length lenses.
Interchangeable Feet : Optional stainless steel spiked feet can be attached in place of the standard screw-in rubber feet. when using the tripod on rough uneven terrain.
Spring Hook : Allows heavy weight to be attached to the center column to increase tripod stability
September 2012 Smart Photography
Tripods Travel Compact The tripod legs can be inverted and folded back 180° making it small enough to carry just about anywhere. Two Position Leg Angle Stops The tripod legs can be independently locked at two different angles to enable shooting in cramped quarters or irregular surface.
Recessed Center-Column Hook A spring loaded recessed hook at the bottom of the center-column, allows you to hang additional weight for increased stability.
MeFOTO A0350Q0B The Benro MeFOTO A0350Q0B uses alluminium alloy legs and includes 1 x QO ball head that is Arca-swiss compatible. The head offers a Quick Release camera plate. The tripod legs can be folded backwards, making it just 315 mm in length. MeFOTO tripods are availabe in gold, bule, green, red and titanium colours.
Separate Head and Pan Lock Individual locking knobs help to make the right adjustment.
Integral Bubble Level The bubble level hepls to level the tripod on uneven surfaces. Its further helps while panning the camera during panorama shoots. Quick Twist Rubber Lock Grips with Anti-Rotation Leg System MeFoto’s innovative rubberized locking grips combined with anti-rotation legs enable fast and fumble-free set-up plus weather and dust-resistance.
Top-Mount Rapid Center Column Simple and quick fine height adjustment.
Precision Matched Q Series Ballhead Dual Action Heavy Duty Ballhead with Arca-Swiss style compatible Quick Release Plate.
360-degree Pan Index Accurate panoramas can be easily orchestrated using the graduated panning scale for accurate image alignment.
Compact Carry Case with Shoulder Strap High quality, durable case with strap provides protection and transport for your tripod and head
Smart Photography September 2012
Cleaner Optics = Crisper Images!
L DSLR Pro Kit
Let’s face it. There is no escape from dust. And however careful you are, you cannot always prevent fingerprints from smudging the front element of your lenses. Besides making the lenses look dirty, they rob you of contrast and sharpness that your lenses are capable of. Trying to clean the front element with your handkerchief is a clear ‘no-no’ unless you like to scratch the lens; using liquid lens cleaners with micro-fibre cloth often make the problem even worse because such materials often retain the dust picked up from surrounding areas. An easy solution then is to use a Lenspen. The Lenspen is a simple, inexpensive but effective lens cleaning tool designed in Vancouver, Canada. At one end of the Lenspen is a retractable soft brush, made from soft, natural, goat hair. The other end has a specially designed cleaning tip, which is enclosed in a protective cap. The tip is round in shape, and is made from rubber, on which is pasted a small circular piece of high grade chamois or microfibre, which is coated with very fine carbon compound. The carbon molecules clean away fingerprints without leaving any smudge marks. The Lenspen’s cap has a foam pad containing extremely fine carbon particles that recharges the cleaning tip every time the cap is put on and twisted.
Why should you use Lenspen? Lenspen
Lenspen removes oily fingerprints and dust better than anything • else can. to use. Does not damage the delicate surface of the lens. • Safe Carbon molecules on its specially designed tip effortlessly • adsorb fingerprint oils and contaminants. Compact, easy to carry. • Allows over 500 cleaning cycles. • Can be used on all optical lenses, and LCDs too. •
FilterKlear
September 2012 Smart Photography
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Telescope and
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Celestron, based in California, is a leading designer, manufacturer and importer of high-quality optical products including telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, and microscopes. The company was first founded as Valor Electronics, an aerospace electronics firm by Tom Johnson, who, in 1960, decided to build a telescope for his young sons. The company has ever since grown into a name synonymous with superior optics, outstanding design, and innovative technology. Celestron’s products received numerous awards for product innovation from Reader’s Digest, Popular Science, PC Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and the Consumer Electronics Association. The fact that Celestron’s C5 telescope was chosen by NASA for several space shuttle missions is ample proof of the quality and reliability of the brand.
Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope General Features Travel Scope 70 portable telescope uses optical glass elements that are multi-coated to ensure clear crisp images. The design of the telescope allows you to view the subject in correct orientation. The telescope utilises a smooth functioning altazimuth mount for supporting and rotating the telescope on two mutually perpendicular axes, thereby facilitating to locate the far away objects. The tripod used with the telescope is made from pre-assembled full-size aluminum tripod which ensures a stable platform. The telescope is easy to setup and requires no extra tools. Above all, a custom-made backpack is provided for easy transportation and storage. The telescope comes with an astronomy software—the SkyX - First Light Edition—with a 10,000 object database, printable sky maps, and 765 enhanced images. The telescope weighs 1.5 kg/3.3 lbs.
Celestron 20-60x 60mm UpClose Spotting Scope The Celestron 20-60x 60mm UpClose Spotting Scope is waterproof, and a very good choice for bird-watchers, nature & wildlife lovers, or for those who just love to enjoy the scenery. Its optics are fully coated for crisp viewing. The spotting scope comes with a metal table tripod, an aluminium carrying case, and a soft carrying case. The Celestron 20-60x 60mm is economically priced and has a limited Lifetime Warranty.
Celestron C90 Mak Spotting Scope The Celestron C90 Mak Spotting Scope is portable and very easy to use in a variety of applications, making it an excellent choice for astronomical as well as terrestrial use.
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Smart Photography September 2012
Spotting Scope Its optics are fully coated for crisp viewing. The design of the spotting scope permits the user to view celestial objects at a 90degree angle, and terrestrial objects at a 45-degree angle. The C90 Mak is covered in durable black rubber armour for protection and is completely waterproof. A flip-up lens cap is provided. The unit comes with its own soft-sided carrying case. The C90 Mak has a limited Lifetime Warranty.
Celestron PowerSeeker 70 AZ Telescope The PowerSeeker 70AZ is a multi-purpose telescope with erect image optics that is apt for both terrestrial and astronomical use. The telescope features an equatorial mount, which is ideal for tracking celestial bodies in night skies, and a collapsible alt-azimuth mount suited for both terrestrial and astronomical use. Manufactured with fully coated glass elements with high transmission coatings, the PowerSeeker 70 AZ produces unmatched image brightness and clarity. It is quick and easy to set up even for a novice user, and includes a full range of eyepieces along with a 3x Barlow lens that aids in increasing viewing power. The telescope has an aperture of 70mm and focal length of 700mm. It weighs 3.63 kg (8 lbs) and comes with a 2-year warranty.
AstroMaster 130EQ-MD Motor Drive Telescope The AstroMaster 130EQ-MD uses optical glass elements that are multi-coated to ensure clear crisp images. The telescope is mounted on a German equatorial mount with setting circles which aids to accurately locate objects in the sky. It also features a Motor Drive for automatic tracking of celestial bodies. The telescope comes with an astronomy software—the SkyX First Light Edition—with a 10,000 object database, printable sky maps, and 765 enhanced images. The telescope weighs 1.5 kg/3.3 lbs. The telescope is set up on a rugged preassembled tripod with 1.25-inch steel tube legs to provide a rigid and stable platform. The tripod offers an accessory tray for convenient storage of accessories.
September 2012 Smart Photography
Tripods
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Slik has been designing and manufacturing tripods for over 50 years. They have won 6 prestigious Japanese Ministry of Trade and Industry “Good Design� (G-Mark) awards.
PRO 330AF The PRO 330AF is a versatile easy-to-use tripod (PRO 330 DX legs + trigger style ball head AF 1100E) with a Quick Release plate. The tripod legs are made from SLIK A.M.T. (AluminiumMagnesium Alloy) for exceptional strength-to-weight ratio (more than 40% greater than similar tripods, except PRO 400DX and ABLE 300DX). The legs have a groove that prevent twisting movement and also provide secure locking. The tripod legs can be adjusted at 3 positions.
F 730 The F730 is a 3-section aluminium legs tripod with 3-way pan head and Quick Release shoe for easy mounting. The center column is geared.
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Smart Photography September 2012
batteries Energizer Ultimate Lithium
Energizer’s Ultimate Lithium batteries are for all your hightech electronic devices you can’t live without. These are the world’s longest-lasting AA and AAA batteries. They last nine times longer in digital cameras.
Energizer Everyday Use MAX Batteries Energizer’s everyday use MAX Batteries are alkaline batteries for non-high-drain devices like toys, flash-lights, CD players etc. They last much longer than ordinary batteries.
Energizer Rechargeable Batteries
Energizer’s rechargeable batteries are great for most household devises like digital cameras, toys, remote controls, portable audio players, flash-lights etc. They not only last longer, but using a suitable charger, these batteries can be recharged more than 150 times.
Energizer Value charger
• • • • •
Charges 2 or 4 NiMh AA or AAA batteries at a time LED indicator (Green: Charging, Flashing: Faulty battery) Timer shut-off Built-in or fold-out plug depending on plug type Estimated charging time of - 8hrs for 2000 mAh AA batteries - 7hrs for 900 mAh AAA batteries
September 2012 Smart Photography
FLASH GUNS
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The Metz company started as a large West German radio and television manufacturer and later on moved into camera making as well. It now specialises in high quality camera accessories like flashguns which are mainly used by professionals and enthusiasts.
Metz 50AF-1 Digital Commitment without Compromise! The mecablitz 50 AF 1 Digital offers a Guide Number of 50m at ISO 100 (105mm lens), making it a very important accessory for wedding and nature photographers, or for anyone who needs the extra power. The 50 AF 1 Digital uses a metal base for extra security (except in Sony model) and is available in Canon, Nikon, Olympus/Panasonic, Pentax, and Sony Alpha mounts. The 50 AF 1 Digital incorporates a fully swivelling reflector system (-7 to + 90 degrees vertical, and 300 degree horizontal), along with a flip-out reflector card and a diffuser. The flash covers 24-105mm range and has an integrated wide-angle diffuser for 12mm illumination. The 50AF 1 Digital offers USB interface for on-line firmware updates. With built-in camera flash, wireless applications are available in servo mode.
Metz 76 MZ-5 Digital Power for the Professional Professional fashion and wedding photographers need all the flash power they can get. They also need to shoot fast. That’s where the Metz 76 MZ5 Digital comes in. Packing whopping power – Guide Number 76m at ISO 100 (105mm lens) – the flashgun can be dedicated for use with cameras from various manufacturers by using the corresponding SCA Adapters. The 76 MZ-5 digital’s control unit is specially equipped with a large, illuminated dot matrix display. The zoom flash unit automatically adapts to a focal length range of 24 - 105 mm depending on the camera. Up to 20mm coverage can be obtained using a wide-angle diffusing disk which is included with the flash.
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Smart Photography September 2012
Memory Cards
SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Ultra Class 10 UHS-I
SanDisk Ultra SDHC UHS-I card is the best choice for your point-and-shoot camera and camcorder to capture top quality Full HD Video (1080p) and amazing pictures. Featuring speed class 10 for the highest video recording performance available and more speed to take better pictures instantly. Reads up to 30MB/sec.
SanDisk Extreme HD Video 32GB Class 10 SDHC Card
SanDisk’s 32GB SDHC Memory Cards offer a fast 30 MB/second write/read speed that ensures that you are always ready for the next shot. As a video shooter, you’ll just love these cards because you will not have to wait in-between video clips, even at the highest resolution. Moreover, these cards offer a write-protect switch to prevent accidental erasure of your favourite videos.
SanDisk 32GB Extreme Compact Flash Memory Card Extreme 400x UDMA
SanDisk’s 32GB Extreme Compact Flash Memory Cards Extreme 400x UDMA provide fast and reliable photo/video capture. The speed rating of 400x corresponds to reading speed of up to 60MB/sec, with a lower write speed. UDMA 5 (Ultra direct Memory Access 5) and Proprietary Enhanced Super-Parrallel Processing (ESP) and Power Core Controller Technology ensure class-leading performance. Paired with a UDMA-compliant D-SLR camera, this card guarantees speedy, high-quality phot and video capture.
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RNI No. MAHENG/2005/14978 Postal Reg no. MH/MR/WEST/53/2012-2014 Licenced to post at Mumbai Patrika Channel sorting office G. P. O. Mumbai 400 001 Published on 24/25 of every previous month and posted on 26/27 of every previous month
NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR - INTER FOTO INDIA PVT LTD.
602 NIRMAN KENDRA, OFF DR. E-MOSES ROAD, MAHALAXMI, MUMBAI - 400011 TEL NO: +91 8097093636 Email: sales@interfotoindia.com Website: www.interfoto.co.in DELHI . BANGALORE . NOIDA . KOLKATA . KERALA . CHENNAI . AHMEDABAD .MUMBAI
For sales and Support: SMS FOTO To 57333 Toll Free No. 1800 222 239