Photo Review Issue 40 Jun-Aug 2009

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ISSUE 40

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editorial

The Next Generation OUR EDITOR THINKS OUT LOUD ABOUT HOW BEST TO ENCOURAGE KIDS TO EXPLORE THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo Review editor Don Norris is reasonably certain that he took his ďŹ rst photograph with a well worn Leica IIIc at age 14. Every picture from that camera had a sort of soft, hazy look because the original screwmount lens was heavily scratched from years in the ďŹ eld with Don’s geologist father Robert M. Norris. But using the little camera ignited a passion for picture taking that is now into its fourth decade. Convert those 40 years into the cameras he’s used most intensively and the sequence reads: Leica IIIc, Miranda SLR, Nikkormat SLR, Nikon FM, Nikonos III, Bolex H16, Mamiya C-33, Wista 4x5, Olympus E10 and Nikon D70s. A few years after taking up photography, Don discovered the second great passion in his life (after his family of course!) when a summer job in Hawaii coincided with buying his ďŹ rst surfboard. In 1984 he migrated from his native California to Australia and these days he lives on Sydney’s northern beaches from which he not only edits this magazine but also runs Australia’s most popular surďŹ ng community website, www.realsurf. com. Since last issue... Most recently, Don has had the opportunity to spend several weeks shooting with Sony’s 24-megapixel super DSLR, the a900. The review unit was supplied with a superb Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar f2.8 24-70mm zoom which seems to be about as sharp as they come. A week or two before we wrapped up production on this issue, he joined Margaret Brown at the launch of Nikon’s latest DSLR, the D5000. Expect a review of the HD video-capable unit next issue. Don dropped in on Andrew Coppin and the team behind a fascinating new website that aims to help photographers sell their work. It’s called ph.art and you can check it out at: www.photoartgallery.com. Finally, he’s feeling very inspired indeed by the impending Ballarat International Foto Biennele. Thanks to the tireless Jeff Moorfoot and a vast team of committed volunteers, this should be a truly landmark event for Australian photography.

.OWĂŚYOUĂŚCANĂŚFOLLOWĂŚĂŚ 0HOTOĂŚ2EVIEWĂŚONĂŚ4WITTER 7EĂŚ4WEETĂŚASĂŚPHOTOREVIEWĂŚANDĂŚĂŚ OURĂŚEDITORĂŚ4WEET SĂŚONĂŚALLĂŚĂŚ MANNERĂŚOFĂŚTOPICSĂŚASĂŚĂŚ MR?REALSURF

MY COUSIN’S TWELVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER regarded the big DSLR doubtfully. I’d turned up on a family visit and had been taking a few pictures of everyone when it had occurred to me that maybe the kids would like to have a go with a camera. Having this lump of technology pressed upon her, she raised it to her eye and following my instructions, pressed the shutter button. An instant later she could see the result, but this seemed Chicken coop by Theo Littlestone, age 9 not to interest her much and she couldn’t be persuaded to take another shot. As this little transaction unfolded, her younger brother was is primarily about recording life events (kids, holidays, friends, jigging around, waiting his turn for a go. The smile on his face sport, etc). But for readers like your good self, photography is when he looked through the viewďŹ nder and then took his ďŹ rst shot a passion and an end in itself. We may have started out taking was something I won’t forget. It was that pure, unalloyed joy that a few pictures of the family dog or our mates pretending to is the providence of childhood alone. Naturally he wanted to start be Power Rangers, but we soon discovered the joys of selftaking pictures of everything. I thought for a moment. Should I grub expression and creativity. How and why this happens is, I around in my kit for the little Olympus 725 and let him play with imagine, peculiar to each of us. that, or just leave him to it. After all, I was standing right there... I Naturally, being a keen photographer, I’m always on the look icked the camera into Auto mode and let him go. out for ways to encourage others who seem to have a similar He bounded away, snapping happily. prediliction. I reckon that for absolute beginners the ďŹ rst step is to That evening after dinner, I got out the notebook and we all had just get them snapping and then looking at their pictures for really a look at his pictures. By this time he had the Olympus to play obvious ways to improve (eg, get that ďŹ nger out of the way!) As with and before long he was pestering me to put the pictures he’d more experienced photographers, we can lean over their shoulder, taken at dinner up as well. A number of them featured his ďŹ nger so to speak, and point out little things that could have given a tip in the top corner. I pointed this out and the next time it turned better result. up in a shot he joked about it being another ďŹ nger photo. But you A little informal mentoring can be a great way to introduce some could see that he had already ďŹ led that little mistake away in his of the basic concepts (exposure control via aperture and shutter, mental folder of things-not-to-be-repeated. simple compositional techniques such as the Rule of Thirds, etc) Digital cameras have transformed the typical ďŹ rst photographic without squashing the nascent creative impulse with too much experience. Those of us who took our ďŹ rst picture with a ďŹ lm tech talk. The hope I have when I talk to a beginning photographer camera can remember the long wait for the ďŹ rst set of prints to is that I’ll be able to encourage their enthusiasm while putting in come back from the chemists. For budding enthusiasts keeping place a few basics that will lead in time to the development of their an exposure diary of some sort was pretty much essential if you own unique visual style. wanted to avoid future mistakes. Every aspect of learning entailed a Speaking of unique visual style, it is the editorial team’s fond long wait between the taking of a picture and the eventual printed hope that you may ďŹ nd the photography in this issue an inspiration result. Those of us who were really keen learned how to process and an incentive to nurture your own photographic eye. And, ďŹ lm and print just as soon as we could so that, apart from anything as usual, our tireless technical editor Margaret Brown has been else, we could have feedback in hours rather than days. hard at work putting the latest photographic technology through The instant feedback of digital allows the beginner to achieve its paces. Along with a review on the totally high end Nikon D3x satisfying results very quickly. Some might argue that it can run DSLR, she’s run a critical eye over DSLRs from Olympus and the risk of being a bit too quick. If you can achieve a more or less Pentax along with other enthusiast and advanced and slimline okay result by putting the camera in auto mode and clicking away, models from Canon, Ricoh and Nikon. Oh, and just to ensure that what incentive is there to learn the art of optimising exposure for you end up wiser than you started when you opened this magazine, a given circumstance? And why bother to learn the fundamentals Margaret’s also put together great reads on sharpening your photos, of composition when you can just keep snapping until something managing ink and choosing inkjet papers. vaguely reasonable happens? Best wishes, and happy picture taking. I think it’s fair to say that the bulk of amatuer photography Don Norris Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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contents We encourage submissions to: The Editor edmail@photoreview.com.au T: (02) 9948 8600 Office 4 Clontarf Marina, Sandy Bay Road Clontarf NSW 2093

INSIDE

Cover image by Paul Pichugin. See page 10.

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Editorial Our editor muses about introducing the younger generation to the joys of the life photographic.

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Photo Challenge Readers will need to be in a reflective mood to respond to this issue’s Photo Challenge.

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Products & Trends New product releases and technology developments.

INSPIRATION 1O

DISTANT FOCUS: PAUL PICHUGIN Australia’s wide open spaces have been Paul Pichugin’s studio ever since he was a kid gazing out the car window.

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EYE FOR A SCENE: GEOFFREY SIMPSON Top cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson was to put the Canon EOS 5D Mk11 through its paces as a video camera. Instead he rediscovered his love of the still image via this state-of-the-art DSLR.

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BALLARAT INTERNATIONAL FOTO BIENNALE Photo Review proudly presents a preview of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale and profiles several exhibitors: documentary photographer and seascapist GARY STEER; master portraitist ROBERT BILLINGTON; and the MAP (Many Australian Photographers) group.

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contents

BUYERS GUIDE DIGITAL SLRs 51

EDITOR’S CHOICE:

NIKON D3X

A professional DSLR that rivals medium format cameras in imaging performance.

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INSIDER 34

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OLYMPUS E-30

A Four Thirds System DSLR for photo enthusiasts and amateur photographers who want a more sophisticated camera.

HOW AUTOFOCUSING SYSTEMS WORK Focus more effectively by understanding your camera’s AF system.

EDITOR’S CHOICE:

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EDITOR’S CHOICE:

PENTAX K-m

The latest entry-level DSLR from the Pentax stable.

TECHNIQUE NON-DESTRUCTIVE SHARPENING We show you how to sharpen images without generating artefacts using popular freeware image editor, The Gimp.

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DEFINING EMPTY In this feature we look at issues around ink cartridges – how to minimise wastage, how to closely monitor usage and how to ensure consistent ink flow.

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smc PENTAX-DA 18-55MM F3.5-5.6 AL

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smc PENTAX-DA L 50-200MM F4-5.6 ED

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EDITOR’S CHOICE:

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EDITOR’S CHOICE:

S NIKKOR 24-70MM F2.8G ED

AF-OLYMPUS ZUIKO 14-54MM F2.8-3.5 II

INKJET PRINTING PAPERS Some exciting new options for printing your digital images.

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CANON POWERSHOT SX 10 IS

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NIKON COOLPIX P90

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Publisher David O’Sullivan dosullivan@photoreview.com.au Publication Manager Pauline Shuttleworth pshuttleworth@photoreview.com.au

Media Releases edmail@photoreview.com.au Advertising Phone (02) 9948 8600 pshuttleworth@photoreview.com.au

COMPACTS

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Creative Director Darren Waldren

Accounts Manager Heather Hampson mpaccounts@photoreview.com.au

ADVANCED 45

Technical Editor Margaret Brown mbrown@photoreview.com.au Contributors Keith Shipton, Steve Packer

LENSES 36

Editor Don Norris dnorris@photoreview.com.au

NIKON COOLPIX L100

SUBSCRIBE TO PHOTO REVIEW AND WIN

SLIMLINE

Have Photo Review Australia delivered to your door at a reduced price - or extend your current subscription - and you could win an inspiring Canon EOS 500D Single IS Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS Lens worth $1649.

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RICOH CX1

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FUJIFILM FINEPIX F200EXR

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EDITOR’S CHOICE:

PANASONIC LUMIX

DMC-FT1

Subscriptions One year (4 issues) $35.00 including GST and delivery in Australia. See page 32 this issue or phone: (02) 9948 8600 or online: www.photoreview.com.au Photo Review Australia is printed on Monza Satin Recycled Paper ISO 14001 Environmental Accreditation Printed by Beaver Press Design by itechne [www.itechne.com] phone (03) 9421 8833 Distributed by NDD Photo Review website by itechne All content in Photo Review Australia is protected under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form without written consent from the publisher. Photo Review Australia is published by

NET EFFECT 64

MORE COOLNESS A selection of photo-oriented websites from the simply uplifting to the downright useful.

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Media Publishing Pty Limited ABN 86 099 172 577 Office 4 Clontarf Marina Sandy Bay Road, Clontarf NSW 2093 Australia Ph: (02) 9948 8600 Fx: (02) 9948 0144 Em: edmail@mediapublishing.com.au Photo Review website: www.photoreview.com.au

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challenge

Photo Challenge #36 In a mono mood

Never underestimate the power of black and white. Photo Challenge 36 was all about monochrome and boy did our challengers rise to the occasion. We received a great swag of terrific entries and it was therefore exceptionally difficult to decide a winner. But, in the end, that’s our task, so after much back and forth, we gave the nod to Mark Sherborne for his very subtle untitled landscape study. As a token of our appreciation, Mark will receive a Verbatim 250GB Portable Hard Drive. Mark’s picture just pipped our the First Runner-up, the brooding and intense “Backyard Fight” by Zorica Purlija. We pinned the Second Runner-up ribbon on Sue Wilde’s geometric citiscape. Our Honourable mention list includes Josh Leahy’s gritty tree trunk and roots picture; Andrew Goldsworthy’s panoramic shot of Mount Cook from Lake Pukaki, NZ; Roy Lister’s tough as nails picture of his mate Richard; Roz Krugle’s exquisite shot of a Tern she entitled “Extension” and Mardi Harrison’s simple floral image.

Mark Sherborne

Zorica Purlija

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challenge

TAKE THE PHOTO REVIEW CHALLENGE 38:

HERE ARE THE RULES:

REFLECT UPON THIS

To enter the challenge all you have to do is send us your best image (we’ll consider up to three images per photographer).

The other day your editor was flicking through a collection of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work when he stopped for a moment’s contemplation of the iconic Behind the Gare SaintLazare, Paris, 1932. You’ll know the image, even if you can’t place the title. It’s the one where a man is captured mid-hop above a large and perfectly still puddle. Were it not for the all important foreground reflection of the jumping subject, the picture would hardly have been worth printing in the first place. Instead, thanks to that mirrored figure, it is an image you can return to again and again. (If you still can’t place it, here’s a short link to CartierBresson foundation’s website: http://bit.ly/11HPrl ) For this issue’s Photo Challenge, we’d therefore like to see where you can go with a few reflections of your own choosing. We don’t mind how the reflections are created or where they are found. You

1) Entries should only be new images that have been taken in response to the set challenge.

Josh Leahy

2) This isn’t a photo manipulation contest, so minimal post-capture processing is a given. Sharpening, colour correction and so forth are fine, but adding extra layers isn’t. 3) Please supply images at 10cm on the longest side @ 300dpi. Maximum file size is 1MB. Send by email to photochallenge@photoreview.com.au. may see something interesting in a shop window, a puddle, a shaving mirror or a chrome mudguard; it really doesn’t matter, just so long as the reflection is a key element in your composition. The prize for this challenge is an Intuos4 Medium graphics tablet RRP $598 from Wacom. Please review the rules and email your entries to photochallenge@photoreview.com.au. Deadline for entries is 25 August 2009 and the winning pictures will be published in our Dec 2009 - Feb 2010 edition (Photo Review 42).

4) Please put your caption(s) in the File Info (metadata area) of your image(s), or with the accompanying message. When saving your images, please change the file name so that it incorporates your first initial and last name and the challenge you’re entering (eg, jsmith_ chall28.jpg). 5) All photographers maintain copyright to their submitted image(s). Photo Review retains the right to publish submitted image(s) in the magazine and on www.photoreview.com.au. 6) The Judges’ decision is final.

Sue Wilde

Andrew Goldsworthy

Roy Lister

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SMALL WONDER. ACTUAL SIZE

New Pentax K-m. One of the world’s smallest DSLR’s. So advanced, it even has an instruction manual built-in ! It’s not only small and lightweight, it helps you learn and develop your photography from inside the camera. With a simple menu system and a ‘help’ button to show how each shooting mode works. Plus ‘digital preview’ to show you exactly what you’ll get.

CRK26110PR

A big 10.2 megapixel high-resolution chip and the unique Pentax Shake Reduction system - built into the body, not the lens - means great shots every time. And it’s compatible with existing Pentax mount lenses. Small wonder it’s so big with photo experts. “Small and perfectly formed… Pentax has always made SLR’s that give you more for less… the K-m continues this great tradition”

Paul Burrows, CAMERA.

www.pentax.com.au m.

news

Is it safe? By Keith Shipton

Life was simpler for photographers when the choice for printing was between Kodak paper or Fujifilm paper. The expanding range of alternative printing methods — at last count we had silver halide, inkjet, dyesub, “digital press” and laser printing available in Australia — begs a raftload of questions: What’s the comparative image quality? Cost? How long will my images last on the various media? There’s also a range of new presentation formats. No longer is the choice between big or small pictures in black and white or colour. Images can be presented in photo books, or more elaborately in digital scrapbooks. Or collage posters, or even assembled in calendars. The guru of image preservation, Henry Wilhelm (www.wilhelm-research.com) recently tested the keeping qualities of prints produced on the new HP Photosmart inkjet minilab system — one of the new alternatives to traditional silver halide printing equipment beginning to pop up in photo stores around the country. The results were extraordinary, with prints rated at over 200 years displayed under glass, and 100 years displayed with no framing. Compared with a maximum life of 40 years displayed under glass for the best silver halide paper — Fujifilm Crystal Archive — commercially-printed inkjet photographs certainly fit the bill in at least one category. On another front, SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory, which conducts testing and analysis for the digital imaging industry, has released a white paper summarising the results of the first independent comparative photographic image print quality study targeting the photo book market. The study covered a range of print output from several of the latest digital presses as well as conventional photo processing. It’s freely available at www.spencerlab.com. The exercise was sponsored by Xerox.

Images are now being produced in a range of forms and on a range of media. It’s no longer just a matter of choosing between brands of photo paper. (Image courtesy HP).

Silver halide (a Fuji Frontier minilab), and four competing “digital presses”: the Xerox iGen4, the Indigo 5500 and 7000, and the Kodak NexPress S3000 were compared over a range of quality parameters. This is the equipment vendors like Snapfish, Momento and an increasing number of store websites are making photo books and other duplex (double-sided) “photo products” with. The testing was exhaustive, with supervised printing of almost 50 separate images at locations the printer vendors had recommended. The prints were made and assessed on vendor-approved matte and glossy media in a controlled viewing environment. There were over 1600 participants in focus groups to rate the printed images on the measures of: Colour Realism (foliage, sky and water, and fleshtones), Richness, Sharpness, Smoothness, and Neutral Greys.

Silver halide was rated superior to the alternatives in most measures.

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Not surprisingly, silver halide, in the shape of the Fujifilm Frontier 570, performed best overall. It did have a couple of weak spots however: silver halide prints were rated fourth out of five in sharpness and third out of five for neutral greys and foliage. The 4-colour iGen4 and the Indigo 5500 performed differently at various measures (eg, the iGen was sharper, but the Indigo 5500 produced better flesh tones) but in a weighted average rating, the iGen was a nose ahead. Quality from both the 4-colour Kodak NexPress and the HP Indigo 7000 was “better than acceptable” for the current photo book market, according to the report. Cost per page was significantly lower using the nonsilver systems.

IMAGINE THERE’S NO QUEUES - Speaking of photo books . . . Australia is the first country in the world to get access to a new web-based image ordering software from local developer Whitech. The new Imagine software is currently available on the Ted’s Cameras, Harvey Norman and Big W websites. Customers can order anything from standard prints through to enlargements and highly customisable photo books and calendars. Imagine provides a lot more functionality and flexibility than software available at store kiosks and is fast and easy to use. Because it’s web-based, software doesn’t need to be downloaded, and a half-finished project can be re-accessed from any internet-connected computer. Using Imagine, previously uploaded images can also be accessed from networking sites Flickr, Facebook and MySpace. Orders are paid for online and either collected from the local branch of the affiliated store or homedelivered via post. Worth a trial.

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news

PAPER PROMISCUITY

small lecture theatre with 30-minute presentations enables users to record HD movie clips. running through the day. See www.photoreview.com.au for full reviews of One of the most interesting events at the show is both cameras. the judging of the Australian Professional Photographer The kindest interpretation to put on the RRPs for of the Year awards (the APPAs), which members of these cameras would be to say they reflect the fall in the public are welcome to sit in on. Every entry is the value of the Australian dollar. The body-only local projected on screen and analysed by a group of judges. If there was a price for entry, the chance to spend an hour at the APPA judging would be worth it for anyone interested in fine imagery and how it is assessed. But, unlike most big exhibitions of its kind, entry is free! People interested in attending simply have to pre-register at www. pmaaustralia.com.au or via one of the many photo stores in the Sydney area which will be encouraging customers to attend. (If you don’t pre-register, they’ll slug you $20 at the door.) Accompanying the hardware show in the public foyer and walkway area in front of the exhibition halls there will be a massive exhibition of photographs. Around 1200 images PHOTO SHOW GEARED TO ENTHUSIASTS will be on display, including some The newly-released Nikon D5000 and its competitor, the Canon 500D, ‘best of the best’ standing collections The PMA Imaging Technology Show will be held at command a premium in Australia. such as the Nikon Walkley Press the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, from Photo winners, the top images from Friday, June 26 to Sunday, June 28. the World Press Photo exhibition, the Australian price of the Canon 500D is $1499. In the US the Originally a trade-only show, it’s been opened up Professional Photographer of the Year touring ‘suggested’ retail price is $799 ($1150 in Australian to the public over the past few years from Saturday exhibition, a large showing by the NSW Federation dollars). The body-only local price of the Nikon D5000 afternoon (2pm) and all day Sunday and attracts of Camera Clubs (who are also hosting two separate is also $1499. In the US the suggested price is $729 big numbers of enthusiasts. The show will occupy a collections sent over from camera clubs in China) and (around $1025 Aussie). total area of 15,000 square metres, feature over 100 the works of Australia’s top young photographers. The local distributors say they need to command exhibitors and is expected to attract approximately But wait, there’s more! Master photographer John a premium in the Australian market to maintain 20,000 people from Australia and overseas. Gollings will make a special presentation of his work their service infrastructure, marketing, and support All the major camera makers will be there offering at an ‘Evening with an Artist’ event on Friday, June 26 to local retailers, and there’s no doubt it costs more hands-on demonstrations of the latest gear, some of at 7.30pm. While shooting commercially for leading to operate in a vast continent with a population just which will not have been released in Australia as yet. graphic designers and advertising agencies, Gollings over 20 million than in a huge market like the US In fact the show is becoming increasingly ‘punteris also considered one of the most interesting of or a concentrated market like Hong Kong. They also friendly’ with plenty of image editing software Australia’s architectural photographers. complain that Australian retailers demand a big demonstrations, lighting demonstrations and even a ‘Attendees of this session will margin, which inflates the local price. Then there’s the learn how architecture and the art of little matter of the GST to factor in. photography come together,’ threatens The danger is that if the price in one country gets the supporting literature. Entry is free too far out of whack with other parts of the world, the to the public. local market will bleed sales to internet-based sellers overseas. Photo Review would never advocate buying cameras from overseas sellers on the internet as it is GOT THOSE MULTINATIONAL, fraught with hazard and usually delivers small savings. WEB-ENABLED, GLOBALLY But nonetheless it happens. ACCESSIBLE, TRANSFER While there may be some immediate savings to PRICING BLUES individual purchasers, the loss of sales definitely harms local specialist retailing and can potentially jeopardise Both Canon and Nikon have recently the viability of local distribution houses. (“Let’s shut announced new enthusiasts’ cameras. the local office and do it all from Singapore.”) This The Canon 500D has a 15.1 can’t be a good thing for the Australian photographic megapixel CMOS sensor, 3-inch LCD, community. live-view modes and captures full Apple can keep prices of iPods and iPhones in HD video. The Nikon D5000 (“Ha! line across a whole world of markets, and so do the Beat that, Canon!”) has the 12.3 Bewitching Hour, ‘Vintage Dolls’ collection - Samantha Everton. Sam, game consoles makers. It’s hard to see why camera megapixel sensor used in Nikon’s prowhose work has been featured in Photo Review, will have a selection of manufacturers can’t do the same thing. level APS-C format DSLRs and also recent works on show at the PMA photo exhibition in Sydney, June 26. The mantra of the inkjet printer manufacturers is that it’s essential to use their inkjet systems of printer, proprietary ink and proprietary paper for best, longestlasting results and trouble-free printer operation. But what about fine art papers? (See our Inkjet Paper Buying Guide, page 45.) As it turns out, there are exceptions to the rule, according to Henry Wilhelm. While neither Wilhem nor the inkjet printer companies rate third-party papers of the indifferent quality available at mass merchants, a recent Wilhelm test of premium paper maker Hahnemuhle’s range for inkjet printers, when used with the Epson Ultrachrome K3 inkset and the Epson 7800, delivered archival readings of from 60 years to 82 years for an image framed under glass, to greater than 200 years in dark storage. Results for Harman (Ilford) papers were equally reassuring, using inks from HP, Epson and Canon. But while serious home printers can be comfortable experimenting with high end “third party” papers, the same doesn’t apply to (comparatively) cheap inks, according to Wilhelm. A comparative test looking at the type of third party inks available from mass merchants indicated they reduce print life to between seven months and four years!

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Inspiration

Australia’s wide open spaces have been Paul Pichugin’s studio ever since he was a kid gazing out the car window..

By Steve Packer

3XbcP]c U^Rdb Whether he’s photographing a shipwreck at dawn, moss-covered river rocks or a wedding, it’s easy to see that Paul Pichugin puts his heart and soul into his work. He has the technical and aesthetic skills of an accomplished professional, but has also retained the enthusiasm and candour of his years as a keen amateur. ‘I discovered many years ago that I’m not all that good at getting up early in the morning. Actually, to be honest, I’m not good at getting up in the middle of the morning either. So when I decided to go to Caloundra [on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast] to do some photography this morning, I stayed up all night... Anyway, the resulting photos were well worth the effort,’ he says in a blog on his website (paulpichugin.

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com) in an account of taking the shipwreck shots in October last year. ‘Had an awesome day today, shooting a wedding for a great couple called Stefan and Amy... Photos of the girls getting ready, then back to Strathpine [near Brisbane] for the ceremony.... After the reception we did a photo shoot with the bride and groom. Some great shots from the Maleny Ranges pointing towards the Glasshouse Mountains,’ he wrote a couple of months earlier. Pichugin, 27, apologises for his extensive website’s somewhat disorganised state of construction. Life has been hectic lately with commissions, opportunities to work with top professional photographers, a trip to Papua New Guinea, various road trips around

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Australia, publishing two landscape calendars and a move this year from Brisbane to Perth. Australia’s wide open spaces ďŹ rst caught Pichugin’s photographic eye when he was six years old and his parents gave him a snap camera before the family drove across the country when relocating from South Australia to Queensland. ‘When I was growing up we’d quite regularly drive to Adelaide and other places,’ he says, ‘and some of my best memories are of lightning, storms and bushďŹ res on the Hay Plains and the like — the kind of awesome events you don’t see when you’re living in the city.’ His mother is a painter, which contributed to his instinctual approach to composition. ‘I’m pretty much self-taught. We always had art and art books around

Inspiration

Victor Harbour

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Inspiration

Busselton Jetty

the house, which made me aware of angles and the way things are composed and framed. I’m always looking to create photos that have one or more lines that draw people in. I’ve also done a lot of reading and looking at other people’s photographs, trying to figure out what they did with apertures and shutter speeds to create certain effects.’ The work of Queensland landscape photographer Peter Lik has been especially inspiring. After leaving high school in Brisbane, Pichugin worked in information technology at a TAFE and got involved with a multimedia team. He was an early convert to digital — ‘a couple of 1.5MB cameras — completely useless compared to what we’ve got today’. He currently uses a Canon EOS 30D and a ‘boatload of cool lenses’ including a 50mm, 10-22mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm. ‘Most of my work is in-camera, sometimes with on-lens filters, but I might use some colour correction

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and Photoshop’s Healing Brush to get rid of any flaws,’ he says. ‘My [neutral density] Cokin ND8 filter has a slight red or pink cast and I use that a lot to my advantage.’ Pichugin’s photography has made him acutely aware of how the Australian environment is being transformed by climate change. ‘Years ago I used my old Kodak to get a favourite shot of a water supply dam when it was overly full. Now it’s less than half what it should be and it has been down to 11 per cent. I’ve photographed all those stages and it’s startling to compare them. Most people won’t notice the drought until the water stops coming out of their taps. Even the water restrictions don’t make them realise. They just get used to them.’ He also cites the loss of a pair of shoes as evidence. ‘I was at Alexandrina in South Australia, trying to get a good angle for a sunset shot of an area where the water comes out of the Murray River. The water had receded a couple of hundred

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metres and I had to leave my shoes behind in mud up to my knees.’ In Perth, Pichugin is looking for IT contract work while pursuing his landscape ambitions with the kind of long drives that captivated him as a kid. A dive under the 1.8km-long Busselton Jetty has whetted his appetite for underwater photography and he has his eye on the Abrolhos Islands and Shark and Coral bays — made a little more accessible because his wife Rebecca’s family lives at Geraldton. He will also be re-establishing his wedding work, which combines dramatic on-location portraits with intimate candid shots. Assisting one of the best in the business, Brisbane’s Marcus Bell, has helped him develop his style. ‘I don’t shoot weddings in the traditional way and neither does Marcus,’ says Pichugin. ‘Traditional usually stays in the wedding album, but I’m always looking for something that people will want to display on the wall.’

Inspiration

Approaching Storm

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Inspiration

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B B 3XRZh 3Pf] 2P[^d]SaP I arrived at the shipwreck of the SS Dicky nice and early and took a heap of shots before the sun rose, facing towards the brightening sky. I was really happy with them and was leaving when I glanced back and noticed that the shipwreck was nicely lit by the sun peeking over the horizon. So I quickly set up again and captured what turned out to be my favourite shot. I was using a Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 10-22mm at 13mm, neutral density 8 ďŹ lter and circular polariser. The exposure was ďŹ ve seconds at f13 and ISO 100. The S.S. Dicky was carrying 11 crew and 40 tonnes of sand when it was forced onto the beach during heavy seas in 1893.

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Inspiration

4hT U^a P bRT]T Cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson rediscovers SLR photography.

By Don Norris

Monks with alms bowls. Each morning up to 300 monks walk through the main street at 630 am collecting alms consisting of sticky rice, lady ďŹ nger bananas, rice crackers, etc.

SOMETIMES THINGS DON’T WORK OUT QUITE the way you plan. Originally I’d intended to interview Geoffrey Simpson about his work as a cinematographer, with the idea of exploring the intersection between his craft and the art of photographic composition. Although he is an extremely busy fellow, we managed to conduct the interview. Unfortunately, it turned out to be difďŹ cult to organise the high resolution images from his ďŹ lms we’d need for publication in the magazine. Ownership and copyright issues that arise from such a highly collaborative art form, it seems, are extremely complex. At about the time we were wrestling with these matters, Canon’s new HD video capable EOS 5D MkII made its dramatic appearance. The wheels started turning in your correspondent’s head. What if we could put one of the new cameras in Simpson’s hands? Wouldn’t it be fun to see what a real cinematographer could do with it? Happily, despite intense demand from numerous journalists and professional photographers wanting to get their mitts on the sensational new camera, Canon Australia managed to ďŹ nd a review unit to put in Simpson’s hands for a few weeks. But, the outcome wasn’t quite what I’d expected. Rather than shooting lots of HD video, Simpson instead re-discovered stills photography. And, after handing the camera back, he sent me some of his pictures along with a few impressions of his reacquaintance with SLR photography, digital style. That’s when I realised I was looking at a great little story.

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Inspiration

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Inspiration

‘I am not a stills photographer, and not particularly technical where the digital world is concerned. However I love light, colour, composition and selected focus. As a cinematographer with over 30 years’ experience shooting on film stock for feature films and television commercials, I take a lot of stills pictures for location reference. I use these to check the light in interiors and on the landscape alike. But my location pictures are really more snaps than “photographs”. ‘The last time I consciously took stills was in 1982 when I was involved with filming some documentaries in Nicaragua and El Salvador. It was photojournalism I guess, and several images were printed in magazines. Back then I used a Nikkormat, three fixed lenses and Kodak colour transparency film. I started taking location shots about 10 years ago using Canon digital cameras from the Ixus range and then, more recently, a Leica D-Lux 3. ‘When Photo Review hooked me up with Canon Australia with the idea of testing the new 5D Mark II, I immediately jumped at the chance. Canon were kind enough to let me take it on my two-week honeymoon in Bangkok and Laos (as long as I covered the insurance!). ‘Sitting on the plane and looking at the camera and the manual, I realised I would have to curtail my dislike of reading manuals and start to take this camera seriously.

(The manual is 227 pages long, including the index and specs.) After acquainting myself with the controls, I decided not to use the automatic mode but to instead start by playing around with the many other options. ‘The first thing I liked about the camera was its ergonomic shape, feel and weight. The eyepiece with its own diopter was great, showing a very clear picture and digital read-out along the bottom of the frame. After so many years of looking at the small screen we use to frame shots with cine cameras, it was an absolute pleasure to use a viewfinder again. The big dislike I have with small [point-and-shoot] digital cameras is the lack of a viewfinder. Viewfinders remind me of those old photographers with the Thornton and Pickard glass plate cameras who covered their heads with black cloth so they could focus and compose on the ground glass. I felt at home and ready to try and take some photographs. ‘The various exposure metering systems all worked well — whether it was an overall reflected exposure reading, a spot meter-type reading, or something in between. I worked from ISO 100 up to ISO 6400 (which was very impressive because there was so little noise at the higher ISO settings). The camera sensitivity system can go to ISO 25,600, which is almost seeing in the dark, and renders images brighter than they appear to the eye.

Umbrellas.

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‘At one point, I shot some women at the night market who were illuminated by small incandescent bulbs. The supplied 24mm to 105mm lens had an f4 iris, so I shot wide open at shutter speeds of 1/50 to 1/100. The image stabiliser helped, and the results were interesting. The white balance could not remove the warmth of the lights, but it was adjusted later in the computer using the Canon software and iPhoto. ‘I must say coming from a film background, where for low light scenes we shoot on Kodak 5219 Vision 2 High Speed stock rated at 500 ASA or 1000 ASA, to suddenly have this much sensitivity is extraordinary. Being able to shoot at really low light levels is something that is very exciting about digital still photography. (Like all quickly changing technology, I imagine the digital HD video cameras we use in the film industry will soon be showing such increases in sensitivity as well. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for instance, was shot on the Thompson Viper digital camera with some very low light levels. It looked wonderful and for my money should have won Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards. Best Film, in fact - much more interesting than the feelgood Slum Dog Millionaire) ‘The autofocus worked well with its nine sensors to lock onto moving targets. I tried using a mixture of

Inspiration

auto and manual focus, and although the viewďŹ nder was very good, I missed the Nikon style half-circle focusing assist or the Canon equivalent from the old days of SLR shooting. ‘I like the physical handling characteristics of the lenses we use in the ďŹ lm industry. Our lenses have iris and focus markings on the barrel, so we can quickly and easily set them by hand and eye. Lenses for cine cameras are also beautifully made [and therefore extremely expensive when compared to their digital stills counterparts -Ed.]; Primo from Panavision, Zeiss for Arriex and the beautiful Cooke lenses from the UK. I guess I am so used to the “hands on the lensâ€? approach that I miss not being able to do that with digital cameras...just an old Luddite really! ‘Autofocus certainly has its place and it is fantastic for things like sport. I am not suggesting that it’s an option I don’t like, but the physical iris control — where my hand is on the barrel - is quicker to make changes. When shooting ďŹ lm, we often do “iris dragsâ€? during a shot, as for instance when people move inside, to outdoors. ‘The camera has an impressive HD Video mode, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels in 16:9. It shoots at 30 frames per second (fps), so it would be of limited value for many feature ďŹ lms (all the top digital cine cameras offer 24p shooting to give a more

ďŹ lm look). Twenty four frames has been the industry standard for about a hundred years and progressive scan (the “pâ€? in 24p) gives more of the look we have come to accept from the cinema experience. The tests I shot showed clean images with rich colour and wonderful blacks, but with the video look of 30 fps (which still could be useful for many people). I found the Live View mode (where the LCD screen shows the image when shooting HD video) a bit limiting for operating, though it could be used on a tripod, or with one of the simple steadicam rigs now available. ‘It really was great to have a state-of-the-art camera to play with and to start exploring stills photography again. In order to get more shots on the 8GB card I’d purchased, I shot JPEGs rather than RAW ďŹ les. Even so, the quality was impressive. ‘Not having a laptop with me, I couldn’t really get the feedback of a full screen review. It was therefore very interesting to review the shots that way when I returned. I ďŹ ne-tuned the pictures both with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software and, in some instances, with the latest version of Mac’s iPhoto. I guess we all become very self-critical of our work during the editing process. The camera performed incredibly, but the operator is exploring photography (again) and is still ďŹ nding his point of view!’ Geoffrey Simpson

0Q^dc 6T^UUaTh BX\_b^] @-YĂŚlRSTĂŚDAYĂŚASĂŚAĂŚCAMERAĂŚASSISTANTĂŚWASĂŚWITHĂŚ2ONĂŚ ,OWE ĂŚAĂŚ3YDNEYĂŚCAMERAMANĂŚTHENĂŚWORKINGĂŚINĂŚ3OUTHĂŚ !USTRALIA ĂŚ/NĂŚMYĂŚlRSTĂŚMORNING ĂŚ2ONĂŚMETĂŚMEĂŚATĂŚTHEĂŚ DOORĂŚTOĂŚEXPLAINĂŚHEĂŚHADĂŚTOĂŚGOĂŚTOĂŚ3YDNEYĂŚFORĂŚAĂŚBIGĂŚ COMMERCIAL ĂŚh3EEĂŚYOUĂŚINĂŚTHREEĂŚDAYSvĂŚHEĂŚSAIDĂŚWITHĂŚ AĂŚGRIN ĂŚ)ĂŚWASĂŚLEFTĂŚWITHĂŚANĂŚ%CLAIRĂŚ.02 ĂŚTHREEĂŚROLLSĂŚOFĂŚ REVERSALĂŚ MM ĂŚSOMEĂŚLIGHTS ĂŚAĂŚLISTĂŚOFĂŚLOCATIONSĂŚANDĂŚ THEĂŚKEYSĂŚTOĂŚTHEĂŚSTATIONĂŚWAGON ĂŚ-YĂŚINTRODUCTIONĂŚWASĂŚ MEMORABLE 3IMPSONĂŚNOTĂŚONLYĂŚMANAGEDĂŚTOĂŚSURVIVEĂŚHISĂŚ UNCONVENTIONALĂŚBAPTISMĂŚINTOĂŚCINEMATOGRAPHY ĂŚHEĂŚ SOONĂŚWENTĂŚONĂŚTOĂŚBECOMEĂŚONEĂŚOFĂŚ!USTRALIA SĂŚMOSTĂŚ SUCCESSFULĂŚCINEMATOGRAPHERS ĂŚ&ILMSĂŚHEĂŚHASĂŚWORKEDĂŚ ONĂŚINCLUDEĂŚ4HEĂŚ.AVIGATORĂŚ DIR ĂŚ6INCENTĂŚ7ARD ĂŚ3HINEĂŚ DIR ĂŚ3COTTĂŚ(ICKS ĂŚ&RIEDĂŚ'REENĂŚ4OMATOESĂŚ DIR ĂŚ*OHNĂŚ !VNET ĂŚ'REENĂŚ#ARDĂŚ DIR ĂŚ0ETERĂŚ7EIR ĂŚ4HEĂŚ,ASTĂŚ$AYSĂŚ OFĂŚ#HEZĂŚ.OUSĂŚ DIR ĂŚ'ILLIANĂŚ!RMSTRONG ĂŚ2OMULUSĂŚ-YĂŚ &ATHERĂŚ DIRĂŚ2ICHARDĂŚ2OXBURGH ĂŚANDĂŚMOSTĂŚRECENTLYĂŚ 4HEĂŚ4ENDERĂŚ(OOKĂŚ DIR ĂŚ*ONATHANĂŚ/GILVIE ĂŚ(ISĂŚLISTĂŚ OFĂŚ!USTRALIANĂŚ&ILMĂŚ)NDUSTRYĂŚ!WARDSĂŚINCLUDESĂŚGONGSĂŚ FORĂŚ/SCARĂŚANDĂŚ,UCINDAĂŚ ĂŚ3HINEĂŚ ĂŚANDĂŚ 4HEĂŚ.AVIGATORĂŚ ĂŚ)NĂŚ ĂŚHEĂŚWONĂŚTHEĂŚ!#3ĂŚ 'OLDENĂŚ4RIPODĂŚ!WARDĂŚANDĂŚTHEĂŚ-ILLIĂŚ!WARDĂŚASĂŚ #INEMATOGRAPHERĂŚOFĂŚTHEĂŚ9EARĂŚFORĂŚ0LAYINGĂŚ"EATTIEĂŚ "OW ĂŚ(EĂŚPICKEDĂŚUPĂŚTHEĂŚ.ATIONALĂŚ!#3ĂŚ'OLDENĂŚ 4RIPODĂŚAGAINĂŚINĂŚ ĂŚFORĂŚ2OMULUSĂŚ-YĂŚ&ATHER

Silk fabric weaver.

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Ballarat International

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BIFB) festival has an ambitious aim: to be a world class celebration of the photographic arts in the great tradition of the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles in France. The Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BIFB) festival has an ambitious aim: to be a world class celebration of the photographic arts in the great tradition of the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles in France. Running from September 4 to October 4, 2009, the BIFB will see more than 150 photographic events staged in and around Ballarat. Using the proven Arles model of a Core Exhibition Program and an associated open entry Fringe Exhibition, the Ballarat Festival will not only provide a showcase for the works of a wide variety of photographers, it will also include a comprehensive Educational Program. There will be workshops, seminars, portfolio reviews, schools programs, and other special photographic events. While the Core Exhibition Program will be devoted to the works of invited photographers, the BIFB Fringe Program is open to any photographer or group of photographers who can find a suitable venue in Ballarat or the immediate district and pay the modest registration fee. Fringe events and exhibitions are planned for Daylesford, Creswick, Trentham and Clunes. With upwards of 75 such exhibitions in the 2009 program, the BIFB organisers are confident of achieving their goal of a diverse and thoroughly democratic festival. All but one of the 20 shows compising the Core Exhibition Program will be staged in Ballarat’s Arts Precinct (the Art Gallery of Ballarat, the Mining Exchange, the Ballarat Town Hall, The Ballarat Trades Hall, the Post Office Gallery and the Ballarat Contemporary Art Space). This means that the shows will all be within a few minutes’ walk of one another. The remaining Core Program exhibition will hang in the Gold Museum at Sovereign Hill and while it will entail an entry fee, all the other BIFB ’09 Core Program venues are free. The fine arts photographers whose work makes up the Core Exhibition Program include 11 Australians and nine artists from around the world. Among the countries represented are China, Lithuania, Canada, the USA, Italy, Poland, Germany and Sweden/Hong Kong. Photo Review is pleased to support the BIFB with the following pages in which we preview some of the artists whose works will be appearing in various of the exhibitions. The exhibition website is www.ballaratfoto.org.

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Ballarat International Foto Biennale Inspiration

Bills Bills and More Bills

?W^c^VaP_WTa _a^Ă€[T) 6Pah BcTTa By Don Norris Q: How long have you been taking pictures? A:“How long taking pictures seriously?â€? you ask. It’s not serious business, it’s fun! I was a journalist who picked up a camera to do photojournalism. I did freelance work for newspapers and magazines, then I moved on to shooting television documentaries. As much as humanly possible I picked subjects that were of great interest to me. And, of course, over the years your interests change. When I began making docos, what I wanted to do

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most was to travel and have adventures. The ďŹ rst doco I worked on was in Papua New Guinea on a search to ďŹ nd a tribe in the Highlands that had had very little contact with whites. The next was the climbing of Ball’s Pyramid, a 550-metre spire jutting out of the sea near Lord Howe Island. I’ve worked on other TV docos about caving and whitewater canoeing in Australia and PNG, seakayaking in PNG, mountaineering in New Zealand, cross-country skiing, scuba diving and sailing. Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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As I grew older and wiser, my interests grew wider and wiser, and I started making wildlife and indigenous culture documentaries. I did these as co-productions with channels such as the ABC, BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, ZDF Germany, NDR Japan and ORF Austria. When shooting the docos I always had a still camera close to hand. I would get what I could on stills - though it was a bit frustrating because the movie footage always had priority.

Ballarat International Foto Inspiration Biennale

Dancing on the Wall

I’ve grown wiser again and now I’m re-discovering still photography. (Digital is making it a fascinating journey.) The weight of still cameras and their tripods, compared to Super 16 film cameras, also makes the journey lighter. Q: Do you remember your first photograph? A: I took my first picture very late in life — when I was about 15. I borrowed a camera and went to Taronga Zoo. I couldn’t believe my luck. All that raw material Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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there to photograph, presented in front of me and no one wanted to charge me any money to take photos! But nobody paid me any money later for the photos, either. Q: Your favourite camera and lens? A: Canon — first the 10D then the 5D, now the 5D Mark II — they just keep getting better. My favourite lenses? For the BIG picture: Canon Zoom 20-35mm. For more pictures, rather than big pictures, the

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Ballarat International Foto Biennale Inspiration

Canon Zoom 35-350mm. This lens is heavy but, for a lens with lots of millimetres, it’s done lots of kilometres. Q: Which photographers do you particularly admire? A: Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams and Frans Lanting. If I was marooned on a desert island for a year and could choose only one photographic book, I’d take a big one of Cartier-Bresson’s. He was the master observer and recorder of human behaviour.

Q: Three photography books that have influenced you? A: I’m more a book grazer than a reader/digester, so I don’t really have three favorite photo books. I like to look at many books and many photographs. Q: Photographic websites you recommend. A: Same applies as with books. However, I’ve been to www.luminous-landscape.com more than most others. I enjoy searching for other photographers’ websites to find images that sing to me.

Light Moon Rising

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Ballarat International Foto Inspiration Biennale

I first saw Camel Rock from the air when I was flying down the coast with a friend in his light aircraft. We were impressed with the rock, so we circled it to get a better look. It was less than half a kilometre from the shore and immediately I knew it would be worth going back to get a good landscape shot of it. We got a GPS reading and back home I located it on maps – not far from Bermagui on the south coast of NSW. I drove back there in the summer of 2006. I had a hunch it would be good in the early morning light, even though it would be back lit. I checked sunrise time which was 5.45. I made sure I was there at 5 to find the right camera position. The first rays of the sun were obscured by cloud but as it crept above the horizon it lit the cloud that was scattering higher in the sky. It was still quite dark, so I needed a long shutter speed. But this is what I wanted for the effect of making waves look like mist. I settled on 3 sec., which at 100 ISO gave me an aperture of f22. I was using a Canon EOS 5D, with a Canon EF 20-35mm zoom lens.

Contact details Best way is via my website www.garysteer.com. au email or phone 02 9557 0823 Gary’s work on show FRAMEWORKS LIGHTWAVE Recent work capturing impressionistic photographs of the sea and the way people use it as a playground. An outdoor gallery by the Manly Art Gallery and Museum, 27 Mar - 30 Aug 2009.

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BRUNSWICK ST GALLERY, Fitzroy, Melbourne . This will be with two others, a photographer and a painter, on a theme of landscape and nature, with a title yet to be decided, 28 Aug - 10 Sept 2009. Visions of Gold as part of the Core Program of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. Photographers and photography of the goldfields of eastern Australia. in the Gold Museum, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Sept – Nov, 2009.

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Ballarat International Foto Biennale Inspiration

Red White Blue01

?W^c^VaP_WTa _a^Ă€[T) A^QTac 1X[[X]Vc^] By Don Norris Q: How long have you been taking pictures? A: 30 years Q: Do you remember your ďŹ rst photograph? A: My ďŹ rst photograph was taken in 1972. I was photographing still life on a coffee table to ďŹ nd out how the camera worked. At this stage I was also working in a book shop in Sydney and had just received delivery of the book Vanishing Africa by Mirrella Ricciardi. This book became an inspiration and inuenced my desire to become a photographer.

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Q: Your favourite camera and lens? A: Rolleiex Twin Lens 4.0 FW wide angle (ďŹ lm) and the Super-Angulon 50 mm f1:4. Q: Which photographers do you particularly admire? A: The original inventors from Daguerre to Talbot and then later Helmut Newton, Penn, Ricciardi, Henry Talbot (the later).

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Q: Three photography books that have inuenced you? A: Vanishing Africa, Mirrella Ricciardi (Collins 1972); Paris After Dark, Brassai; The Life Library of Photography, Time Life Books.

Ballarat International Foto Inspiration Biennale

Red White Blue02

Q: Best piece of photographic advice you ever received? A: Two stand out the most. The late John WhitfieldKing, who said, ‘Just do it. Lock yourself in a darkroom and learn’. And Max Dupain, who encouraged me to take risks and extend my vision.

Contact details Robert Billington’s websites are www.billingtonphotography.com.au and www.robertbillington.com.au. He may be contacted via email at Robert@billingtonphotography.com.au or by phone on 02 4861 7136.

Q: Photographic websites you recommend. A: www.lartigue.org and www.helmutnewton.com. Robert Billington’s ‘Curious Moments’ will appear at the Ballarat Mining Exchange during the BIFB. Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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Ballarat International Foto Biennale Inspiration

Notre Dame by Robert Billington

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Red Boat by Robert Billington

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Noel Butcher: Eye on the Drought (above left) PHOTOGRAPHER’S COMMENTS:

Late March 2007 and the drought continues, as shown by this near empty vineyard dam lit by the early morning sun in the Yarra Valley, east of Melbourne. Photographed from a hot air balloon. Website: www.noelb.com Email: noelb@noelb.com Tobias Titz: Bobby Kennedy (above) PHOTOGRAPHER’S COMMENTS:

I took this photo of Bobby for the Hay project in 2007. Bobby Kennedy is a 72-year-old former rodeo rider and drover who has lived in Hay for more than 60 years. He spends most of his time on ‘Knowledge Corner’ outside Japp’s Pharmacy — he loves having a yarn. I took this photo with a Horseman 4x5-inch camera on Polaroid type 665 ďŹ lm; 1/30 sec, f5.6 daylight. Website: www.tobiastitz.de Email: ofďŹ ce@tobiastitz.de Darren Clark: Untitled (left) PHOTOGRAPHER’S COMMENTS:

The sheep carcass image was one of those images that takes ages to make. What I mean by that is most farmers don’t want to show anyone their dead livestock — especially a photographer — but by the time I made this image I had spent months working around the district developing some strong friendships which helped me to gain access to the sheering sheds in the ďŹ rst place. Once I explained to the farmer just how beautiful and signiďŹ cant the image was, he gave me full permission to use it however I wanted. Email: darrenclark20@hotmail.com

1P[[PaPc 8]cTa]PcX^]P[ 5^c^ 1XT]]P[T ² <0? Va^d_ By Don Norris According to its home page, the ‘Many Australian Photographers Group’, (the MAP Group), ‘is a non-proďŹ t association of around 40 photographers who share a passion and commitment to high quality, independent documentary image making.’ The membership is drawn from a wide spectrum of photographers. Some of the group are just setting out on their careers behind the lens, while others have established practices and have earned

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awards nationally and internationally. The MAP group has undertaken an ambitious nation-wide photo documentary project called Beyond Reasonable Drought. It sets out to record the impact of the long-running drought on the land, the people and the psyche of Australia. In a signiďŹ cant act of philanthropy, all the photographers involved have donated their time and covered their own costs. The ďŹ rst stage of this huge

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undertaking resulted in an exhibition that appeared at Old Parliament House, Canberra, and formed a major component of the Vivid National Photography Festival which ran from July to October 2008 in the ACT. The MAP group will be exhibiting images from MAPing Ballarat in the ‘A’ Room at the Ballarat Town Hall as part of the Core Program Exhibitions of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

10mm (Equivalent to 16mm)

Exposure: F/22 1/40sec. ISO100 RAW

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ISSUE 1 Photography: Essay (Pochwyt, Hollier); Commercial (Simmonds) How to: Enhance portraits; Add colour to B&W; Combine images ISSUE 2 Photography: Portrait (Cameron, Adler) How to: Mimic depth of field; Fix backlight; Add effects ISSUE 3 Photography: Landscape (Quirk); Essay (Lewis); Fashion (McLennan) How to: Add effects; Correct colour

ISSUE 8 Photography: Portrait (Mischkulnig, Rogers), Commercial (Davis) How to: Stitch panoramas; Correct perspective; Balance tones; Use metadata ISSUE 9 Photography: Landscape (O’Dwyer); Fine Art (Friedlander), Still Life (Bond), Portrait (Jacobson) How to: Manage shutter lag; Archive Images; Recover lost shadow detail; Extend brightness levels

ISSUE 4 Photography: Fine Art (Zorlu); Fashion (Saad) How to: Fix contrast; Colour match for printing

ISSUE 10 Photography: News (Moir); Seascape (Roach) How to: Produce usable scans; B&W prints from colour pics; Enlarge parts of a pic

ISSUE 5 Photography: Fine Art (Mathews Pollard); Landscape (Turner); Fashion (Linnet) How to: Fix blemishes; Make longlasting prints

ISSUE 11 Photography: Street (Fowler); News (Appleyard); Portrait (Csanyi) How to: Set up a digital darkroom; Levels command; Shoot at low brightness

ISSUE 6 Photography: Landscape (Bruzzone); Sport (Atley); Essay (Campion) How to: Sharpen; Add lighting effects; Care for memory cards

ISSUE 12 Photography: Portrait (Coyne, Blue); Antartica (Page); How to: Prints from old negs; Curves command; Sensitivity controls; Bit depth

ISSUE 7 Photography: Portrait (Holmes); Landscape (Ranken); Fashion (Ridler); News (Hromas) How to: Start editing video; Maximise click-to-click speed.

ISSUE 13 Photography: News (Postle); Sport (Pretty); Rock Music (Heller-Salvador) How to: Lens test; Shoot big events; Online galleries; Depth of field

ISSUE 15 Photography: Surf (Grambeau); Fashion (Bramley); Street (Marlow) How to: Fix Perspective; Improve dynamic range

ISSUE 22 Photography: Wilderness (Mead); Documentary (Parke); Portraiture (Avedon) How to: Visual intrigue; Filters; Self-publishing

ISSUE 16 Photography: Documentary (Mathie); Wildlife (Awards); Portrait (Laham); 2003 Walkley Awards How to: Optimise dynamic range; Improve scenic shots

ISSUE 23 Photography: Still Life (Caponigro); Yachting (Bennett) How To: Effects filters; Radical colour conversion; Exhibition-quality B&W prints

ISSUE 17 Photography: Digital Art (Everton); Photojournalism (Garwood); Skate (Gourlay/Mapstone) How to: Print digital photos; Resize for print & email; Digicam vs DSLR

ISSUE 24 Photography: Oculi; Daylesford Foto Biennale; Phonecam (Reichold) How to: Shooting; Batch RAW; Highquality printers

ISSUE 19 Photography: Water (Respondek); Travel (I’anson); Rock’n’roll (Jennings) How to: Shoot underwater; Photo books; Scene settings ISSUE 20 Photography: Landscape (Elliston); Sport (Carr); Travel (Prior) How to: Remove blemishes; Visual appeal; Colour to mono; Colour fringing ISSUE 21 Photography: Photojournalism (Clarke); Architecture (Boardman) How to: Remove blemishes; Visual appeal; Colour to mono; Colour fringing

ISSUE 25 Photography: Sports (Kennedy); Australian Photographers Gallery How to: Fine Art Papers; Zone System; Exhibition-quality B&W ISSUE 26 Photography: Wildlife (Brandt); Surfing (Wilson) How to: Shoot the tropics; Choose DSLR lenses; Slide shows; Print settings

ISSUE 29 Photography: Commercial (Blue); Photojournalism (Magee) How to: Dust on DSLR sensors; Sell photos; Clean up noise; High-contrast shooting ISSUE 30 Photography: Commercial (Bredberg, Pearce, Walker) How to: Overcast shooting; Mono printing; Monitors ISSUE 31 Photography: Landscape (Eastway); Documentary/Portrait (Morley, Ramsay) How to: Megapixel myth; Stabilisation; 21st Century albums ISSUE 32 Photography: Holga (Hixson); Pinhole (Browell); Entertainment (Christie) How to: Exposures without a meter; Printer choice; CS3 Raw file conversion ISSUE 33 Photography: Documentary (Hoppe); Art (Mann); Daylesford Foto Biennale How to: Capture clouds; Image preservation; Folio hard copy options

ISSUE 27 Photography: Lee Friedlander; Documentary (Brown) How to: Aperture-priority; Ambient lighting; Raw file conversion; Scrapbooks

ISSUE 34 Photography: Documentary (Lloyd, Kerr); Commercial (Urban Angles) How to: CF cards; Storage; Optical brighteners; Compact cameras

ISSUE 28 Photography: Sport (Clayton); Ambrotypes (Berkman). How to: Printer jargon; Embed copyright data; Cold conditions.

ISSUE 35 Photography: Art (Dawe); Landscape (Gueho); Construction (Higgins) How to: Street photography; Efficient printing; Lomography

ISSUE 36 Photography: Documentary (Bell, Joren); Portrait (Lawrence) How to: File formats; Panoramas; DSLR kits ISSUE 37 Photography: Aerial (Woldendorp); Surf (Tan); Portrait (Boenig-McGrade) How to: Spot metering; Uneven exposures; Memory cards ISSUE 38 Photography: Environment (Hill); Landscape (Kah Kit Yoong); Documentary (Hayward) How to: Cameras for kids; Micro Four Thirds System; Infrared effects; Copyright protection ISSUE 39 Photography: Subcultural (Siewert); Rock Music (Hibberd); Landscape (Norris) How to: Lens adaptors; Geographic tools; High dynamic range; Storage

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insider

How Autofocusing Systems Work FOCUS MORE EFFECTIVELY BY UNDERSTANDING YOUR CAMERA’S AF SYSTEM.

By Margaret Brown There are two ways for cameras to measure the distance to an object: they can fire a beam of infrared light at it and measure the time it takes to return, or they can look at contrast differences in a small area of the object and adjust the lens until you maximise the difference. The former system was common in early compact digital cameras and may still be found in many camera-phones. The latter has always been popular in DSLRs and is becoming increasingly common in digicams, particularly the more advanced models. Many modern cameras combine both systems. Infrared AF systems only work when subjects are close enough to reflect enough of the beam for the camera to detect. For distant subjects, focus defaults to infinity. This is fine for small-sensor digicams, which have inherently wide depth of focus, but not for DSLRs. IR systems fail when shooting through glass, mesh, bars or any other objects that reflect the beam. However, they can be effective in dark situations where other focusing systems fail. Contrast-based AF systems aren’t distance-limited and they can focus through window glass and other barriers. However, they have difficulty focusing on subjects with no contrast, such as a clear sky, large plain-coloured objects and misty scenes. For everything else they are both fast and reliable — provided the camera’s AF system is well-designed, correctly set up and used properly. We’ll address all three issues in this Insider.

AF SYSTEM DESIGN Contrast-based AF systems rely on light sensitive sensors. In DSLRs they are usually located behind the reflex mirror in the base of a camera’s mirror box. A half-silvered section in the centre of the main mirror allows light to pass through to these sensors,

The sensor labelled A is the only one capable of detecting contrast because it spans a contrast boundary. Sensor B would see all white; sensor C would see all black and sensor D would see all grey.

A typical AF sensor pattern in a point-and-shoot digicam. The two half-rectangles can detect horizontal and vertical contrast differences - but only in the centre of the field. When focus is achieved, the detectors may glow green.

A typical AF sensor pattern found in an entry-level DSLR. The sensor in the middle is a cross-type sensor while the others are linear, although vertical and horizontal directions are included. The rectangles mark the approximate positions of the sensors in the viewfinder. The sensors, which are invisible to the eye, are shown in red (which is often the colour used to indicate which sensors are active).

The AF sensor pattern from a professional DSLR camera. The cross-type sensor in the centre (coloured magenta and blue) is surrounded by two groups of similar sensors at different distances. The remaining sensors are linear and horizontal-line sensitive.

lens has focused on the background instead of the subject enabling the lens to be focused while you’re viewing of the picture. This usually results from shooting without the subject. checking what the camera is actually focusing on. The sensors are arrays of photosites that only detect In many cameras (particularly digicams), focus contrast. Interestingly, they are only sensitive to contrast is normally prioritised on the central point of the AF modulations in one direction. The reason is shown in system. More sophisticated digicams and most DSLRs the diagram below left. When the sensors can’t detect can use all points in the array. Either way, when contrast, the camera’s microprocessor will drive the focus on the lens backwards and forwards until the difference in intensity between adjacent pixels is at its greatest. This ‘hunting’ can significantly slow focusing times and may even force photographers to switch to manual focusing with some lowcontrast subjects. To improve focusing speeds and minimise ‘hunting’, AF sensors are arranged in two orientations: horizontal to the field of view and vertical. Some are coupled to produce cross-type sensors that respond to contrast in both vertical and horizontal directions. Most cameras Shot taken with no control of the AF point selection. include both types – although some have more linear sensors while others have more cross-type sensors. The latter provide greater accuracy. Different camera brands and models have different numbers and arrangements of sensors. However, in most cases the sensors are arranged around the centre of the viewfinder field of view. Three typical patterns are shown top right.

AF ERRORS Autofocusing errors usually occur because photographers don’t understand how AF sensors work. Most photographers have taken shots like the one shown below where the

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Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

The desired result, achieved by using focus point selection to focus on the flowers that aren’t in the centre of the frame.

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you set your camera to full auto or one of the Scene modes, the camera will always select the focus point (or points) and in many cases it will be the central point. If you want to control where the camera will focus, you must switch to the P, A, S and M shooting modes. However, even when the camera is set for central focusing, there are several ways to change the focused area. The quickest and simplest is to position the central AF point on the part of the subject you want sharp, half-press the shutter button (or press the AF lock) and quickly re-compose the shot. In the P, A, S and M shooting modes a more accurate method (but slightly slower) is to use AF point selection. Different camera brands and models provide different options for selecting specific AF points. Some models allow you to use any one point in the array, while others limit selection to a reduced set of points. Some models let you select clusters of AF points for focusing on off-centre subjects above, below or to either side of the frame. The selected AF point(s) are usually illuminated in the viewfinder — and on the LCD in Live View mode. Check your camera’s user manual for details of AF point selection.

AF MODES Most DSLR cameras provide a range of AF modes that includes single AF and continuous AF plus variations like AI Servo AF, focus tracking AF and predictive AF. In single AF mode the camera focuses when the shutter release is half-pressed. Most cameras default to ‘focus priority’ mode with this setting, which means the shutter will not be released until the camera

The sequence of events in conventional and predictive tracking AF systems.

achieves focus on something. (It may not be the area you want to have sharp, however.) With continuous AF (also known as ‘servo AF’) the camera focuses continuously UNTIL the shutter release is half-pressed. This reduces the focus lag time but uses more battery power. Continuous AF normally sets the camera to ‘release priority’ mode, which means shots are taken when the shutter is pressed, regardless of whether the subject is in focus. However, it provides more scope for photographers to decide exactly which part of the subject they want sharp. With Canon’s AI Servo AF mode, the camera always focuses on the subject with the centre point. When the subject moves, focus is passed on to peripheral focus points when the subject moves away from the centre

of the frame. This system is also known as ‘focus tracking’ and it’s common in DSLRs. Predictive focus tracking is an evolution of focus tracking that uses phase detection to detect the direction and speed of motion of a moving subject. All AF sensors are involved and the resulting information determines how much the lens focus should be adjusted and in which direction. This should make focusing at least 25% faster than conventional AF systems, as shown in the diagram below. Some cameras let users switch off groups of peripheral focus points to improve focusing accuracy for sports photography, where quick responses are vital. Many sports photographers use only one focus point for optimal speed and precision.

AUTOFOCUSING DECISIONS As well as deciding which AF mode to use, photographers should also consider just how much of a subject they wish to render in sharp focus; in other words the depth of field in the shot. This decision will influence the lens aperture that should be set. Depth of field (DOF) is the range of distances in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in the image. By ‘acceptably sharp’ we mean the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions. DOF is influenced by several factors: 1. The subject distance — or distance to the point in the subject that is in perfect focus. 2. The subject magnification — which relates to the lens focal length. 3. The lens aperture (f-stop). 4. The imaging area (or sensor size). 5. The viewing distance. Distant subjects photographed with wide-angle lenses at small apertures (f/8 and smaller) using small-sensor digicams can appear to have everything in the shot pin-sharp. In contrast, close subjects photographed with DSLR cameras using telephoto lenses set at wide apertures (f/4 or larger) will have

use this factor to maximise the zone of sharp-looking focus in their shots. If you focus on a point in a scene roughly 1/3 of the distance to the main area in the subject where you want pin-sharpness and stop down the lens to f/11 or smaller, it should be possible to render the entire scene with acceptable sharpness. For subjects like landscape and closeup shots where sharpness throughout the image is required, the camera should be focused on the hyperfocal distance. At this point, DOF extends from half way back to the camera right out to infinity. In order to obtain maximum depth of field in this shot, the lens was focused on the nearest green bush (closest to the centre of the An easy way to find this point image), which represents the hyperfocal distance. The lens aperture without making calculations is to was stopped down to f/13 to ensure both foreground and background focus on the zone in the subject where details look sharp. sharpness is desired and then — without changing other parameters — pull focus shallow planes of focus. The closer you view an back to approximately 1/3 of the pre-focused image, the easier it is to identify the regions where distance. Setting the lens aperture to f/11 or smaller focus begins to fall off. on a DSLR or f/5.6 or smaller on a digicam should DOF is always greater behind the subject than in achieve the result you require. front of the subject and landscape photographers often

Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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tips: editing

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hotographers may invest a lot of money in lenses that produce sharp images, but they often fail to capitalise on their investment by not applying sharpening post-capture. Some readers may be surprised to know that all digital images can beneďŹ t from post-capture sharpening. However, a close examination of any unedited image will show it could be improved. Two factors cause digital images to be slightly unsharp – even when they are in focus. For starters, the interpolation used to create colours tends to blur edges very slightly. Furthermore, the anti-aliasing ďŹ lters used to minimise the blocky appearance of digital images add to this blurring.

J?8IG<E@E> 8IK<=8:KJ Regardless of which tools you choose, effective sharpening relies on balancing the adjustments you apply to obtain a sharp-looking – but not over-sharpened – result. When adjustments are applied with a heavy hand they can produce sharpening artefacts which appear as increased granularity and/or as light, dark, or coloured outlines along edges in the image. An example of the latter is shown below (with a coloured artefact circled in red).

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Image sharpening is all about deďŹ ning edges because the human brain has developed a highly reďŹ ned ability to detect areas where detail changes from one tone or colour to another. In an image we see as ‘sharp’, these transitions happen quickly, over a small area. In a ‘soft’ image, these transitions are spread across a wider area and reduce the perceived quality of the image because, by nature, we see all soft edges as being slightly out-of-focus. In reality, most image sharpeners work by overcorrecting, pushing tonal and colour adjustments slightly beyond where they should be to emphasise edge transitions without changing them away from the edges. This tricks our eyes into ‘seeing’ more detail than there really is. However, this sharpening will only be effective on images that are in focus. No amount of post-capture sharpening can make unfocused shots look sharp. Post-capture sharpening can restore the appearance of sharpness photographers expect to see in a digital picture. But a light touch is essential when

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<;>< J?8IG<E@E> Most image editors include a sharpening tool in either the Enhance or Filters sub-menu. Edge sharpening adds little or no artefacts or noise to images – provided it’s not pushed to excess. It’s most effective with high ISO shots, particularly with shots from compact digicams (which are noisy at high ISO settings). Edge sharpening tools work by emphasising the differences between regions of different contrast – which means edges. Adjustments are normally linear; you simply move a slider until you obtain the desired result. No masking is involved and, therefore, sharpening tools are less precise than most other methods for increasing image sharpness. However, they are less prone to edge-related artefacts than unsharp masking (see below). In The GIMP, the Sharpen tool is found in the Filters drop-down menu. Click on Enhance and select Sharpen.

@E I<8C@KP# DFJK @D8>< J?8IG<E<IJ NFIB 9P FM<I$ :FII<:K@E># GLJ?@E> KFE8C 8E; :FCFLI 8;ALJKD<EKJ JC@>?KCP 9<PFE; N?<I< K?<P J?FLC; 9< KF <DG?8J@J< <;>< KI8EJ@K@FEJ Âż applying sharpening ďŹ lters because it’s very easy to introduce unattractive artefacts if you push sharpening too far. In this feature we’ve used the popular freeware application, The GIMP, to look at two popular sharpening techniques and explain just how far you can push them without affecting the quality of your image. If you don’t already have The GIMP, you can download it from www.gimp.org/downloads/. Version 2.6, which we used here, is offered in its latest version 2.6.5, along with information about the application. Once you’ve downloaded the software, start by opening the image and arranging the desktop to suit your requirements. (You may prefer a different arrangement from the one shown on this page.)

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tips: editing

The trick when using this tool lies in knowing where to stop – and this will vary with different images. The illustrations adjacent show three levels of adjustment with the Sharpen tool in The GIMP. K_\ Lej_Xig DXjb Zfekifc `j ]fle[ `e k_\ =`ck\ij [ifg$[fne d\el% :c`Zb fe <e_XeZ\ Xe[ j\c\Zk Lej_Xig DXjb% Glj_`e^ k_\ j_Xig\e`e^ X[aljkd\ek c\m\c kf `kj _`^_\jk gf`ek dXb\j k_\ `dX^\ cffb m\ip ^iXelcXi% ?fn\m\i# ef \[^\ \]]\Zkj _Xcfj Xcfe^ ZfekiXjkp \[^\j ZXe Y\ j\\e%

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If you haven’t already discovered the unsharp masking ďŹ lter in your image editor, you really should because it’s a quick and easy-to-use tool for adding a little zap to digital images. Unsharp masks are highly effective and support a high level of ďŹ ne-tuning. The technique involves creating a slightly blurred copy of the image. This is subtracted from the original to create the unsharp mask (which is effectively a high-pass ďŹ lter). Subsequent processing selectively increases contrast along the edges detected by the mask, leaving an image that looks sharper – but only where edges have been detected. Areas that are similar in hue, tone and brightness are not affected.

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Photo-ops 24 hours a day IN THE LA ND OF THE MIDNI G H T SUN

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J?8IG<E@E> ILC<J For the best results, when applying any form of sharpening to your digital images, follow these rules:

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You can avoid colour shifts when using unsharp masking by creating a duplicate layer (Layer\>New Layer) and carrying out the unsharp masking on it. Then blend the sharpened layer with the original using the Value mode in the Layers palette. The illustrations above show how correct sharpening can be used to restore the captured image to the level of sharpness you would expect from a high-quality lens. â–

1

Make sharpening the LAST step in your editing. If you wish to apply brightness, contrast or colour corrections or correct distortion – or make any other changes – these should be done BEFORE you reach for the sharpening tools.

Epson’s UltraChrome HDR (High Dynamic Range) pigment ink technology, while still retaining key features, such as three-level black ink for superb grey balance, also comprises several innovations that contribute to dramatically enhanced print and colour quality. With a max resolution of 2880x1440dpi these printers are also able to print an A1 sheet in approximately 6.8 minutes at 1440dpi x 720dpi resolution.

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Save a copy of the adjusted image BEFORE applying any sharpening. Then if the image doesn’t print as you want it to after you’ve applied sharpening, you have a corrected image to return to.

3

If you’re printing the image on an inkjet printer, slight over-sharpening usually gives better results than under-sharpening – particularly with larger print sizes.

4

It takes a little practice to know how much sharpening to apply to each image because there’s no universal ‘best’ level. In most cases, you should be guided by the image itself and by the printer you are using. Experience with your own shots and printer will be your best guide, so expect to use up several sheets of paper while you ďŹ ne-tune sharpening settings to discover what looks best.

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BONUS MEDIA VALUED AT $715

9900 44� PRINTER $11,995 + GST Bonus media includes rolls of: Omnijet 10mil Satin, Omnijet 10mil Gloss, Omnijet 8mil Satin and Omnijet 8mil Gloss in 610mm for the 7900 and in 1118mm for the 9900. Media value includes GST. Offer ends August 31st, 2009.

iMedia Imaging Supplies 1300 132 644 sales@imedia.com.au www.imedia.com.au 39

tips: output

;\Ôe`e^ <dgkp ?FN ;F PFL BEFN N?<E :8IKI@;><J @E PFLI @EBA<K GI@EK<I 8I< I<8CCP <DGKP6 By Margaret Brown

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trangely enough, it’s not when the printer driver tells you to change cartridges because, for most inkjet printers, between 10% and 25% of the ink still remains in the cartridge – and usable – when the ďŹ rst ‘out-of-ink’ warning appears. It’s also difďŹ cult to calculate precisely when a cartridge will run out because the amount of ink used is dictated largely by certain image parameters. Scenes containing mainly pastel hues and light tones will use up a lot less ink than prints for ďŹ reworks against a black background. Different scenes will also consume colours at different rates. The green ďŹ elds and forests of Europe will use more green than Australia’s ochre landscapes, which will use more yellow and red. Consequently, calculating precisely when an ink cartridge will be depleted is an inexact science. If you wish to use every last drop of your expensive ink without running out of a particular colour part-way through a print, a different strategy is necessary. You have to learn to ‘read’ the printer driver and gauge how much ink remains by utilising the information provided by the ink level monitor. It’s important to understand that, by design, ink cartridges will always have some ink remaining even after the printer indicates that the cartridge is totally depleted and can no longer be used. This feature is intended to protect the permanent heads of the printer from going dry (see below). As well as varying with different types of images, the amount of ink remaining will also be affected by the number of cleaning cycles the printer has been through, the number of times the printer has been switched on or off, and how long it is left on and not operating. We’ll deal with some of these factors below.

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:?<:B@E> D8EL=8:KLI<IJĂ‹ :C8@DJ The majority of printer manufacturers publish ink usage ďŹ gures for different types of printing. However these should be viewed with some scepticism because they only provide ‘average’ usage ďŹ gures for a speciďŹ c type and, particularly in the case of photo printing, may not reect ‘real world’ usage. The ISO/IEC 24712 suite of test images that is often quoted in manufacturers’ websites consists of ďŹ ve sample documents which represent typical ofďŹ ce documents. No photographs are included. The ofďŹ ce documents used as references in this standard will use much less ink than photo prints, so this information can’t be used to assess potential ink yields. Some independent testing services include a suite of 10 standard snapshot-style photos. However, data from these tests can be difďŹ cult to translate to provide reliable yields for larger print sizes, particularly when borders of different widths are involved. Some manufacturers also use a ‘standard’ A4 photo print for reference – but it doesn’t really represent a typical photo since it contains mostly low-density tones plus large areas of white. Always look at the images on which each manufacturer’s claims are made before placing any credibility in them. In the end, your own experience with your own photographs will be the best guide you can have to actual ink usage.

=8:KFIJ K?8K @E:I<8J< @EB LJ8>< Getting the most out of ink cartridges requires an understanding of the factors that cause printers to consume ink. This gives you some control over actual ink consumption – although some ink loss is inevitable under certain conditions. When you buy a new printer, a certain amount of ink must be drawn up into the print head before printing can be commenced. Many printers are supplied with low-capacity cartridges to enable this to happen and buyers of such printers shouldn’t be surprised if they see low ink warnings after about 20 prints. Each time a new cartridge is installed, the printer will normally spend a minute or so charging the print head, which again uses ink – although not as much as the ďŹ rst head-charging cycle when the printer is new.

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Ink is also consumed during the print head cleaning operation and during the self-cleaning cycle that is performed each time the printer is turned on. Extra ink is run through the head to clear blockages so don’t initiate a cleaning cycle unless you see missing dots or lines in your prints. These are signs of a blocked nozzle. Many printers have pre-installed pads that capture the ink that passes through the print head when a head cleaning cycle takes place. These pads prevent ink from being spread about inside the printer where it could become deposited on the paper. Eventually these pads will reach a pre-set limit of ink received and need to be replaced, and the printer will cease working. Replacement – and re-setting of the print counter – requires an authorised service technician, so the more you can cut back on cleaning cycles the longer the printer will run without requiring pad replacement. Some ink will also evaporate over time because cartridges can’t be completely sealed due to altitude variations during shipment and temperature variations during storage and use. There’s not much you can do about this and, fortunately, the quantities lost through evaporation are generally very small. Some coloured inks will also be used for black and white printing, largely to improve apparent print quality. Again, the quantities involved are usually small. However, it’s worth thinking twice before using a photo printer for document printing, particularly if an alternative document printer is available.

D@E@D@J@E> N8JK8><

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Meticulous attention to cleanliness in your work area will help you to reduce the need for head cleaning. Print heads can pick up dust from the environment as well as from sheets of paper that are stored in the open. To prevent this, keep the paper In and Out trays on your printer closed or covered with a lint-free cloth or sheet of plastic when you’re not using the printer and remove paper from its packaging just before you make each print. at lower resolutions generally use less ink than images printed at higher resolutions. Experience will teach you where to set the output resolution on your particular printer. In most cases, you should start with the lowest ‘photo’ setting and work up from there if prints are not to your liking.

DFE@KFI@E> @EB LJ8>< All inkjet printers designed for enthusiast and professional photo printing provide ink level monitors. If you’re a Windows user, you can view the ink level monitor by double-clicking the printer-shaped shortcut icon on your Windows taskbar or opening the printer software. If you’ve chosen the former, click on the Maintenance tab and select the Status Monitor button. Most printers will warn you about low ink levels when approximately 20% of ink remains in a cartridge. Some status monitors also provide an estimate of the number of pages that can be printed before ink runs out. However, this information may relate only to ofďŹ ce-style printing, which uses much less ink that photo printing, so it may be misleading. Sometimes low ink warnings start when almost half the ink remains. These early warnings are provided to give you time to purchase replacement cartridges and can be safely ignored if you’ve already done so. Follow-up warnings may appear when ink levels reach 15%, 10% and 5% of capacity and, unless you’re making a huge print, you can probably ignore the ďŹ rst two. At the 5% mark it’s wise to have a replacement cartridge at hand – and also keep a close watch on print quality. The next step depends on your printer. Some printers will continue to operate when one of the cartridges is depleted and, although print quality will deteriorate markedly with the loss of one colour, the paper will pass through the printer normally. However, most printers will stop the moment they detect a depleted cartridge. This isn’t as disastrous as it seems; once you’ve replaced the depleted cartridge, printing usually continues normally. However, a line of discontinuity will probably appear on the print showing where the new cartridge was installed. Either way, you waste a sheet of paper so, for maximum frugality it’s wise to swap to making smaller prints when ink levels in any cartridge fall below 5%. â–

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You can minimise the number of self-cleaning cycles by reducing the occasions when you make only a few prints at a time. Reserving your images and documents for one long printing session will save you ink – and, in the long run, time, because you won’t need to set up your workow repeatedly. Your prints are more likely to show consistent quality when they’re made together as you will N?8K KF ;F N@K N@K? compare each one with others as you ;<GC<K<; :8IKI@;> I@;><J work. Turn the printer off at the control panel According to environme mental monitoring organisation, Planet Ark, before turning off the wall switch. This Australians send 34 print nter cartridges to landďŹ ll every minute. allows the print head to locate itself in That’s equivalent to 5000 0 ttonnes of waste per year. a protected position that minimises the Don’t be tempted to re-ďŹ lll spent cartridges. For starters, you risk of the ink in the nozzles drying out. may not be able to without dam amaging the cartridge itself and Switch the printer off when you’re not its interface with the printer. ter. A m more important reason for not using it for printing. Automatic cleaning reďŹ lling cartridges is that hat you have no guarantee the inks you cycles are activated at intervals while use will be colour acc ccurate or will blend predictably. the printer is on and these will continue, Print quality and longevity will be reduced by third party whether or not you are printing. inks – and you may damage your printer and clog print heads Don’t leave your printer idle for months because the inks you u use are not compatible with the printing at a time. It can cause the print head to system or the ink already in the print head nozzles. dry out and this will require one or more Planet Ark has joined forces with leading printer manu ufacturers cleaning cycles. The print head may also to set up the innovative ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ program program, for dry out if the ink cartridge is not installed recycling cling of every type of cartridge used in printers, photo photocopiers promptly, so make sure you always install and faxx machines to keep them out of landďŹ ll. This world world-ďŹ rst a new ink cartridge immediately after printer cartridge artridge recycling program is the only one that guarantees removing a depleted cartridge. zero wastee to landďŹ ll from the recycling process. In this vventure, You can use up as much as 5% of Planet Ark iss working with Close the Loop, an Australian hi-tech a cartridge’s capacity with repeated resource recovery ery company. cleaning if nozzles get clogged. And, ’Cartridges 4 Planet anet Ark’ bins are located in most post pos ofďŹ ces when cleaning cycles fail to unclog the and retail outlets like Dick Smith Electronics, Dick Smith Power nozzles, professional services – and often House, Harvey Norman, OfďŹ ce Works and Tandy. Simply take an expensive replacement head – will be your spent cartridges to one of these outlets to ensure they will needed. be 100% recycled. For details of the ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ Think carefully about the resolution program, visit http://cartridges.planetark.org/about/. setting you use for printing as it will affect ink consumption. Images printed

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Epson Special Promotion

#HOOSING THE 2IGHT 0RINTING 0APER (OW TO MATCH THE PAPER YOU PRINT ON TO YOUR REQUIREMENTS

7

ITH MORE PHOTOGRAPHERS PRINTING THEIR DIGITAL IMAGES AT HOME IT S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO MATCH THE PRINTING PAPER YOU BUY TO YOUR REQUIREMENTS 7HEN BUYING PAPER THE WEIGHT RATING PROVIDES THE BEST GUIDE TO OVERALL PAPER QUALITY 'ENERAL PURPOSE OFFICE PAPERS ARE USUALLY TOO ABSORBENT AND CAN T REPRODUCE EITHER THE FINE DETAIL OR VIBRANT COLOURS THAT CHARACTERISE GOOD PHOTO PRINTS (EAVIER PAPERS ARE THICKER AND STIFFER THAN REGULAR OFFICE PAPER AND THEREFORE MORE SUITABLE FOR IMAGES THAT WILL BE FRAMES OR PLACED IN ALBUMS !LL INKJET PAPERS HAVE COATED SURFACES THAT ACCEPT THE INK )T S IMPORTANT TO PRINT ON THE COATED SIDE OF THE PAPER #OATINGS GIVE PAPERS CERTAIN QUALITIES SUCH AS WEIGHT FLATNESS SURFACE TEXTURE AND INK ABSORBENCY $IFFERENT COATINGS ARE MORE SUITABLE FOR DIFFER ENT TYPES OF INKS )N GENERAL GLOSSY AND SEMI GLOSS PAPERS DELIVER THE BEST RESULTS WITH PRINTERS THAT USE DYE INKS WHILE MATTE PAPERS WORK BEST WITH PIGMENT INKS

@;<8C N<@>?K 0HOTO PRINTING PAPERS SHOULD BE AT LEAST GSM GRAMS SQUARE METRE IN WEIGHT 4HIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR PAGES OF PHOTO BOOKS AS LIGHTER PAPERS WILL ALLOW THE IMAGE PRINTED ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE PAPER TO SHOW THROUGH &OR SINGLE SIDED PRINTING THE IDEAL WEIGHT IS GSM PARTICULARLY IF THE PRINT WILL BE DISPLAYED OR FRAMED *UST ABOUT ALL PHOTO INKJET PRINTERS CAN HANDLE THIS RANGE &OR THICKER PAPERS A SPECIAL FEED SLOT IS OFTEN REQUIRED ON THE PRINTER AND SHEETS MUST BE LOADED ONE BY ONE TO PREVENT PAPER JAMS #HECK YOUR PRINTER S SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE MAXIMUM PAPER WEIGHT IT ACCEPTS BEFORE INVESTING IN THESE PAPERS (EAVIER PAPERS ARE USUALLY CLASSED AS @FINE ART MEDIA AND MAY INCLUDE PAPERS WITH INTERESTING SURFACE TEXTURES OR OTHER CHARACTER ISTICS THAT ENHANCE THE LOOK AND FEEL OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS &INE ART PAPERS ARE USUALLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN REGULAR PRINT ING PAPERS PARTLY BECAUSE OF THEIR HEAVIER WEIGHT MORE FIBRE IS INVOLVED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE BUT ALSO BECAUSE THEY ARE MADE TO HIGHER STANDARDS THAN NORMAL PRINTING PAPERS -OST FINE ART PAPERS ARE ACID AND LIGNIN FREE WHICH MEANS THEY OFFER GREATER LONGEVITY THAN ORDINARY PAPERS 3OME FINE ART PAPERS HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED WITH BARYTA SURFACE COATINGS TO REPLICATE THE LOOK AND FEEL OF TRADITIONAL PHOTO PAPERS /THERS SUCH AS %PSON S 7ATERCOLOR 0APER n 2ADIANT 7HITE SIMULATE WATERCOLOUR PAPER #ANVAS AND OTHER FABRIC BASED MEDIA ALSO BELONG IN THE @FINE ART CATEGORY BECAUSE SPECIAL CARE IS REQUIRED WHEN USING THEM

:FCFLI 8E; K<OKLI< "ECAUSE THE NATURAL COLOUR OF THE WOOD PULP USED FOR PAPER MANU FACTURE IS NOT PURE WHITE MANUFACTURERS ADD OPTICAL BRIGHTENING AGENTS /"!S TO THE COATINGS ON INKJET PAPERS TO PRODUCE PAPERS THAT LOOK WHITE ! BRIGHT WHITE PAPER WILL ALLOW THE MAXIMUM COLOUR GAMUT AND BLACK DENSITY OF THE PRINTED IMAGE TO BE REPRODUCED (OWEVER THE CHEMICALS USED IN THE /"!S CAN AFFECT THE INTEGRITY AND LONGEVITY OF A FINE ART PRINT OVER TIME BECAUSE THE BRIGHTEN ING PROCESS RELIES ON FLUORESCENCE 4HIS CAUSES THE BRIGHTENING CHEMICALS TO BREAK DOWN OVER TIME UNTIL EVENTUALLY THE COLOUR OF THE PAPER WILL REVERT TO ITS NORMAL CREAMY OR YELLOWISH HUE (OW LONG THIS PROCESS TAKES WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH EXPOSURE THE PAPER HAS TO 56 LIGHT AND THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURES THE PRINTS ARE DISPLAYED IN 4HE BREAKDOWN OF /"!S HAS LITTLE OR NO EFFECT ON THE INK COLOURS THAT MAKE UP THE IMAGE ONLY ON THE BACKGROUND PAPER ON WHICH IT IS PRINTED 7HETHER TO USE INKJET PAPERS WITH OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS IS ENTIRELY YOUR DECISION 3OME IMAGES n FOR EXAMPLE PORTRAITS n LOOK BEST ON SOFT TEXTURED PAPERS WITH A SLIGHTLY WARM TONE /THERS LIKE LAND SCAPES BUILDINGS AND PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHS LOOK BEST ON GLOSSY WHITE MEDIA &OR MANY IMAGES THERE IS LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN THE OVER ALL LOOK OF THE PRINT REGARDLESS OF WHICH BASE COLOUR IS USED 4HIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR PRINTS THAT ARE FRAMED AND DISPLAYED IN LIGHTING WITH MINIMAL 56 CONTENT SUCH AS INCANDESCENT LIGHTING )F YOU LIKE THE LOOK OF THE BRIGHT WHITE PAPER AND YOUR PRINTS ARE NOT BEING MADE FOR EXTENDED DISPLAY PERIODS THERE S NO REASON NOT TO USE PAPERS WITH BRIGHTENERS 4HE SAME APPLIES IF YOU RE HAPPY TO REPRINT IMAGES ONCE THE PAPER BEGINS LOOKING YELLOWISH 3INCE ALL LEADING PAPER MANUFACTURERS SUPPLY BOTH TYPES n AND MANY MANUFACTURERS HAVE PRODUCTS WITH VERY LOW BRIGHTENER LEVELS IT SHOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY TO FIND THE TYPE OF PAPER YOU WANT FOR DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS (EAVILY TEXTURED PAPERS WON T LOOK THEIR BEST WHEN FRAMED BEHIND GLASS AS THE GLASS TENDS TO FLATTEN THE APPEARANCE OF THE PAPER )N FACT IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO TELL WHETHER A PRINT WAS MADE ON GLOSSY OR MATTE PAPER WHEN IT S FRAMED BEHIND CERTAIN TYPES OF GLASS 0RINTS ON CANVAS ALSO LOOK THEIR BEST UNCOVERED n BUT ALL UNCOVERED PRINTS SHOULD BE PROTECTED AGAINST DAMAGE BY SPRAYING THEM WITH AN ABRASION AND POLLUTION RESISTANT OVER COATING WHICH IS AVAILABLE FROM SPECIALIST SUPPLIERS *UST ABOUT ALL PHOTO INKJET PRINTERS CAN USE THE STANDARD ! SIZED GLOSSY PAPERS LIKE %PSON S HIGH QUALITY 0REMIUM 'LOSSY 0HOTO 0APER

0HOTO 2EVIEW !5342!,)! )335%

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!BOVE $OUBLE SIDED PAPERS USED IN PHOTO BOOKS SHOULD BE THICK ENOUGH TO PREVENT IMAGES ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE PAPER FROM SHOWING THROUGH -ATTE PAPERS ARE PREFERABLE FOR THIS APPLICATION "ELOW (EAVIER WEIGHT FINE ART PAPERS CAN USUALLY ONLY BE USED ON ! AND LARGER PRINTERS 4HESE TYPES OF PAPER ARE IDEAL FOR PRINTING POSTER SIZED PICTURES FOR DISPLAY OR FRAMING

tips: buying

Âť

BUYING GUIDE @eba\k gi`ek`e^ gXg\ij 8 JLIM<P F= JFD< <O:@K@E> E<N FGK@FEJ =FI GI@EK@E> PFLI ;@>@K8C @D8><J% By Margaret Brown

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P

aper choice is important if you want highquality, long-lasting prints. The paper must be compatible with your printer and have the right look and feel for the image printed on it. Its surface should also be able to accept the ink without letting it spread. To achieve these objectives, all inkjet papers have coated surfaces that impart certain qualities with respect to atness, surface texture and ink absorbency. The three main paper types used for photo inkjet printing are largely deďŹ ned by their surface coatings: swellable; porous (or microporous); and cotton rag. It’s important to understand the differences between them because some types of paper perform better with certain inks types and different paper types require different handling.

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Âť Swellable papers

=@E< 8IK GI@EK@E> G8G<IJ Printer manufacturers Canon, Epson and HP all offer ranges of ďŹ ne art media that are suitable for use with the A3+ and larger printers in each company’s product portfolio. In all cases, ICC proďŹ les for each type of paper are built into the printer driver so all users need to do is select the relevant paper type when making prints. Among the specialist paper manufacturers, the leading brands of ďŹ ne art inkjet printing media are Canson, Hahnemuhle, Arches, Somerset, Innova, Ilford, Harman, Museo, Chromajet, Lumijet, Lyson and Moab. Suppliers of these papers include: DES Pty Ltd www.des-pl.com.au Giclee Media Supplies www.gicleemedia.com.au Image Science www.imagescience.com.au Image Products www.imageproductsonline.com.au Kayell Australia www.kayell.com.au C.R. Kennedy & Company www.crkennedy.com.au (distributor of Ilford papers) Longbottom Digital Papers www.longbottom.com.au

› › › › › › ›

¡

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Swellable papers should only be used with dye-based inks because the coating expands when it comes in contact with ink, allowing the inks to penetrate the top layers.

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Always look for media with ICC proďŹ les and buy from suppliers that offer these proďŹ les as free downloads from their websites. Having an ICC proďŹ le for a particular paper makes it easier to ensure that what you see on your computer screen will be a good match for the printed output. This can be a signiďŹ cant timeand cost-saver when you are printing your digital images.

Most swellable papers consist of ďŹ ve layers: 1. The top layer has a protective coating that expands on contact with the ink droplets, preventing the dyes from spreading. It also excludes atmospheric pollutants. 2. Beneath it is a layer that ďŹ xes the ink droplets in place. 3. Below that is a layer that absorbs additional ink components. 4. Like traditional photographic papers, the actual paper base is sandwiched between two polyethylene layers to prevent the dyes from penetrating. 5. An anti-curl coating and anti-static layer are applied to the back of the paper to keep the print at and repel dust.

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C A N S O N I N F I N I T Y PA P E R S . EVERY PRINT A MASTERPIECE.

A R A N G E O F 1 7 D I G I TA L F I N E A R T / P H O TO G R A P H I C PA P E R S A N D C A N VA S w w w . c a n s o n i n f i n i t y . c o m Authorised distributor: Kayell Australia www.kayellaustralia.com.au

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tips: buying

HahnemĂźhle Anniversary Photo Award

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Âť Porous papers Porous papers are often referred to as ‘instant dry paper’. Their coatings contain microscopic inert particles that create cavities in the surface into which ink is deposited. These cavities prevent the ink from spreading and give prints a dry-to-the-touch feel.

Porous papers are more resistant to moisture and humidity than swellable papers. However, without a protective polymer layer, the ink droplets are vulnerable to atmospheric pollutants. They are also more susceptible to physical damage when handled. Porous paper is the preferred paper to use with pigment-based inks, which are less affected by atmospheric contaminants than dye-based inks. Pigment-based inks also have much better lightfastness characteristics and ozone resistance on porous papers than dye-based inks.

Âť Cotton rag papers Cotton rag papers, which are made from cotton ďŹ bres (as distinct from wood pulp), are generally used for â€˜ďŹ ne art’ printing because they provide excellent image quality and the longest overall print life on the market. Often supplied with matte or textured surfaces, they are best suited to pigment-based inks. Cotton papers are generally acid free and lignin free. Some manufactures add alkaline buffers for increased protection from atmospheric contaminants.

AND

Âť Other Media

YOUR ORIGINAL?

A number of additional media options are available for inkjet printing. The most popular is canvas, which is available through many photolabs and online printing services. It’s particularly good for images that will be framed and displayed and an excellent way to make your photos stand out as works of art. Prints on canvas also make great gifts. Most canvas media is fairly thick; typically between 350 and 450 grams/square metre (gsm) so, if you wish to make canvas prints at home, your printer must be able to handle media of this thickness. Very few desktop printers can – and those that are capable of printing on canvas are mostly professional models. Canvas is usually sold in rolls, which are designed for large format printers. However, cut sheet packs of canvas are distributed by the following companies: Breathing Color Inc. http://canvascompany.com.au DES Pty Ltd www.des-pl.com.au Giclee Media Supplies www.gicleemedia.com.au Longbottom Digital Papers www.longbottom.com.au

› › › ›

If you’d like to explore printing on canvas, Hahnemuhle’s Gallerie Wrap system provides an easy way to mount canvas prints and requires no special tools. Each kit contains one or two sheets of canvas media plus adhesive-coated stretcher bars and full instructions for printing and mounting the image for display. A step-by-step demonstration can be viewed at www.hahnemuhledirect.com. Click on the Gallerie Wrap link.

Total prize value â‚Ź 36,000

Worldwide travelling exhibition of the Top 40 entries

Publication of the Top 40 entries

Send us your prints before June, 30th 2009! ?X_e\dl_c\Ă‹j >Xcc\i`\ NiXg jpjk\d gifm`[\j Xe \Xjp nXp kf dflek ZXemXj gi`ekj%

For more information visit www.hahnemuehle.com/ Creative and Informative Image Products ¡ Unit 2 ¡ 38 Bernoulli Street Darra ¡ QLD 4076 ¡ Phone 07 3713 72 99 www.imageproducts.com.au

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Vision that defines a professional EIZO monitors for photography For environmentally-conscious photographers who would like to use non-timber-based media, Hahnemuhle produces ďŹ ne art papers from bamboo and sugar cane by-products. Both are certiďŹ ed as archival grade and acid free. Booksmart has recently introduced a range of inkjet printable ďŹ ne art metal media with a coating that accepts most popular inkjet printer inks. The metal sheets have an adhesive backing to make mounting easier. Five surfaces are available: Matte Silver, Satin Silver, Satin White, Satin Gold and Brushed Silver. The media range in thickness from 0.127mm thick to 0.3mm thick, depending on sheet size. A4 and A3 sheets are available in both thicknesses. Larger sheets (up to 508 x 1372 mm) are mainly 0.3mm thick. Full details of this range can be found at www.kayell.com.au.

Do-it-yourself photographers who would like to create their own media can take advantage of the Ink-Aid products from Image Products (www.imageproductsonline.com.au). These specially-formulated coating materials can be applied to substrates like paper, plastic, metal, glass and vinyl. (Make sure your printer is able to handle these media.) Several surfaces are available, including white matte, clear gloss and iridescent gold. A sample pack containing six 125 ml bottles of each coating (enough to coat three A4 sheets) is available for $46.14.

EIZO ColorEdge CGWide Range CG222W 22� Widescreen CG242W 24�Widescreen CG301W 30�Widescreen

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 Sample packs See your image on an EIZO at the PMA’09 Photo Show*

8Yfm\1 9ffbjdXikËj =`e\ 8ik D\kXcj d\[`X ^`m\ g_fkf^iXg_\ij k_\ fggfikle`kp kf gi`ek fe d\kXcc`Z jli]XZ\j n_`Z_ `dgXik X iX[`ZXccp [`]]\i\ek cffb Xe[ ]\\c kf `dX^\j% I`^_k1 K_\ @eb 8`[ jXdgc\ b`k gifm`[\j \efl^_ ZfXk`e^ dXk\i`Xc kf Zfm\i k_i\\ j_\\kj f] 8+ gXg\i ]fi \XZ_ f] j`o [`]]\i\ek ZfXk`e^j%

Advanced LCD colour management made easy www.eizo.com.au *For more details contact the EIZO Graphics team T: (02) 9462 7200 E: sales@eizo.com.au Image courtesy of Tim Page.

48

0HOTO 2EVIEW AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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Readers who would like to try out some of the different â€˜ďŹ ne art’ papers without the expense of purchasing a full pack should consider companies that offer sample packs. This is an inexpensive way to discover which papers best suit your digital photographs – and your inkjet printer. The following companies offer sample packs: Image Science stocks A4 Sample Packs for Harman, Museo, Ilford Galerie, Canson InďŹ nity and Hahnemuhle. Details from www.imagescience.com.au. Giclee Media Supplies offers several A4 sample packs covering the Eterna Fine Art Paper, GMS Photographic paper and Moab ďŹ ne art papers for RRPs from $15 to $22.50. Single-sheet samples of Breathing Color Brilliance 1 and Breathing Color Brilliance 2 canvas are also available in A3+ size. For details, visit http://gicleemedia.com.au/ gms/home.php. Other distributors may also offer sample packs but details were not provided on their websites.

tips: buying

Smooth &

precise N<@>?K 8E; K?@:BE<JJ When buying paper the weight rating provides the best guide to how heavy the paper will feel (heavier papers have a higher-quality feel than lighter papers). Thicker papers are also stiffer than thinner papers. The ‘weight’ of a paper is usually expressed in grams per square metre (gsm).

The unique new ball-and-socket conďŹ guration of the Lensbaby Composer™

delivers

smooth

selective focus photography with unparalleled ease so you can push your creativity to the limit! Simply tilt the lens to a desired angle, focus with a traditional barrel focusing ring, and the Composer stays in the desired bent position without requiring a locking mechanism.

It’s a good indication of the thickness of the paper, although for some highly-textured papers, the paper may be actually thicker than the weight measurement suggests. Photo printing papers should be at least 170 gsm in weight; preferably 190-250 gsm, although some glossy papers are available with 300gsm weight. Paper thickness is usually expressed in millimetres. The table below provides some equivalents for popular photo papers.

PAPER TYPE

WEIGHT

THICKNESS

Glossy Photo

260 gsm

0.25mm

Semigloss Photo

255 gsm

0.27mm

Matte

192 gsm

0.25mm

Smooth Fine Art

325 gsm

0.46mm

Velvet Fine Art

260 gsm

0.18mm

Photo Rag

310 gsm

0.5mm

Canvas

340 gsm

0.52mm

Unfortunately, most home printers are unable to use heavy papers as their paper feed mechanisms are not robust enough to handle the weight and stiffness of thicker media. Some printers can accept heavier papers through a special chute or slot and most will only accept one sheet of heavy paper at a time. Check your printer’s speciďŹ cations to ďŹ nd the maximum paper weight it can handle. Be cautious when buying lighter-weight papers, especially if they are very cheap. Thin, lightweight papers may not be totally opaque. This factor is particularly important when selecting double-sided paper for printing photo books, as you need to be sure the image printed on the

COMPOSER

9< :8LK@FLJ N?<E 9LP@E> C@>?K<I$N<@>?K G8G<IJ Âż C@>?KN<@>?K G8G<IJ D8P EFK 9< KFK8CCP FG8HL<% reverse side of the sheet does not show through and affect the picture on the front. Opaque papers are also better for prints that will be framed or put into albums because they prevent backing colours from inuencing the appearance of the prints. â–

Distributed in Australia by: Ph: 1300 882 517 Fax: 1300 882 519 www.lensbaby.com.au

0HOTO 2EVIEW AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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49

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buyers guide

DIGITAL SLR

Nikon D3X A PROFESSIONAL DSLR THAT RIVALS MEDIUM FORMAT CAMERAS IN IMAGING PERFORMANCE. Launched as a successor to the popular D3, Nikon’s D3X DSLR offers roughly double the resolution of the D3 (and the D700, which uses the same sensor). Both cameras’ bodies are almost identical in design and construction. Magnesium alloy has been used for the body casing, chassis and mirror box, and all joints are sealed to resist dust and moisture. Despite being 20 grams lighter than the D3, the D3X remains a large and heavy camera. As such, it’s designed for serious professionals but targeted specifically at those whose clients require huge image files, such as studio and architectural photographers — and photographers who shoot top-drawer weddings and events. It could also suit available-light photographers who are tough on equipment, such as photojournalists and wildlife photographers — provided they also invested in Nikon’s professional lenses and other accessories. High-resolution files from the D3X are huge, with each Large TIFF file recorded with the camera averaging 73.5MB, while uncompressed 14-bit NEF. RAW files are typically between 50MB and 60MB. And when you convert NEF.RAW files into 16-bit TIFFs, you end up with files that are around 140MB in size. Photographers who buy and use this camera will need to think very seriously about their storage options — and back-up strategies.

SENSOR AND IMAGE PROCESSING The major difference between the D3X and the D3 is the image sensor. Although both cameras use CMOS sensors, the D3X offers a massive 24.5 megapixels. Nikon has publicly acknowledged Sony as the manufacturer of the sensor chip, although it claims the D3X’s sensor is ‘unique’ and ‘developed expressly for the D3X’. The EXPEED Image Processing system and its associated technologies back up the sensor chip. The key features sacrificed in the shift from 12.1- to 24.5-megapixels are continuous shooting speed and sensitivity. Whereas the D3 has a top burst speed of nine frames/second (11 fps with the DX format crop), the D3X is limited to five frames/second (7 fps in DX format), which is similar to its main competitors. But burst speed isn’t the reason most photographers would buy the D3X; image quality is. The D3X provides the same range of image size and quality options as the D3, albeit at higher resolutions, but the D3X’s buffer is significantly larger than the D3’s. TIFF file capture is supported at 24-bits (8-bit RGB) and photographers can choose between 12-bit and 14-bit for NEF.RAW files. Three raw capture options are provided: uncompressed, compressed, and lossless compression. Depending on the bit depth selected, losslessly-compressed files are reduced in size by between 20% and 40%, while compressed files that are reduced in size by non-reversible algorithms are 40% to 55% smaller than uncompressed files.

In addition to three JPEG quality settings covering three file sizes, two JPEG compression options are provided: size priority and optimal quality. The first compresses images to produce files that are relatively uniform in size, without regard for the effect of compression on image quality. The second prioritises picture quality but delivers files that may be of widely different sizes.

PERFORMANCE The new model, if anything, surpassed its predecessor in tonal subtlety and natural colour reproduction, particularly the 14-bit losslessly-compressed NEF. RAW files. These files, when converted to 16-bit TIFF format, had a quality that is, so far, unmatched by any camera we have reviewed thus far (although the D3 came pretty close). Skin tones were beautifully rendered in a variety of lighting conditions, regardless of the file format we used (although raw files provided more scope for fine-tuning). Contrast was natural-looking and shadow noise was either negligible or so well-controlled as to be irrelevant at all ISO settings up to (and including) ISO 1600. Focusing was spot-on for more than 95% of shots and the AF system locked onto subjects instantly and accurately. Metering was also accurate with all supported modes, although the Matrix mode handled tricky subjects (backlighting and angled light) a little better than centre-weighted and spot metering. Imatest evaluation showed the test camera’s performance matched its resolution. NEF.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Capture NX2 yielded slightly higher resolution than JPEG files straight from the camera — but the difference wasn’t huge. Resolution remained high throughout the review camera’s ISO range but both types of noise-reduction processing induced image softening. Colour accuracy was excellent with both raw and JPEG images and we found little evidence of oversaturation for almost all hues with the Neutral Picture Control setting. The test camera’s white balance performance was almost identical to the D3’s. Shots taken in ‘real world’ situations using the auto white balance setting showed an acceptable colour balance, even with incandescent and mixed lighting. Like the D3, the D3X powered up almost instantly and capture lag was negligible with fast UDMAcompatible cards. With the Continuous Low shooting mode, Large/Fine JPEGs were captured at 0.3 second intervals, while the Continuous High mode recorded at five frames/second, as per specifications. It took 16.1 seconds to process a burst of 10 Large/Fine JPEGs recorded on a SanDisk Extreme III 8GB card but only 5.6 seconds to process a 10-shot burst taken on a 4GB SanDisk Extreme IV CF card, which is UDMA enabled. Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

www.photoreview.com.au

For NEF.RAW files, a 10-shot burst recorded on the 4GB SanDisk Extreme IV CF card was processed in 12.8 seconds. Five TIFF files, recorded on the 8GB SanDisk Extreme III card took 29 seconds to process and store.

IN SUMMARY Nikon’s flagship DSLR camera for professional photographers. QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

9.5

Ease of use:

9.0

Image quality:

9.5

Overall:

9.0

RRP:

$13,999 (body only) DISTRIBUTOR:

Nikon Australia; Ph: 1300 366 499; www.nikon.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS IMAGE SENSOR:

Nikon FX format 35.9 x 24.0 mm CMOS sensor, total pixels: 25.72 million; 24.5 megapixels effective LENS MOUNT:

Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts FOCAL LENGTH CROP FACTOR: 1x IMAGE FORMATS:

NEF (RAW) 12-bit or 14-bit, uncompressed, losslessly compressed or compressed; TIFF (RGB); JPEG; RAW+JPEG IMAGE SIZES:

FX format 6,048 x 4,032 [L], 4,544 x 3,024 [M], 3,024 x 2,016 [S]; DX format (24 x 16): 3,968 x 2,640 [L], 2,976 x 1,976 [M], 1,984 x 1,320 [S] 5:4 (30 x 24): 5,056 x 4,032 [L], 3,792 x 3,024 [M], 2,528 x 2,016 [S] SHUTTER SPEED RANGE:

1/8000 to 30 sec in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV plus Bulb; X-synch at 1/250 sec. DIMENSIONS (WXHXD):

159.5 x 157 x 87.5mm (body only) WEIGHT: Approx. 1,220 grams (without battery, memory card, body cap, lens or accessory shoe cover)

51

buyers guide

DIGITAL SLR

Olympus E-30 A FOUR THIRDS SYSTEM DSLR FOR PHOTO ENTHUSIASTS AND AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO WANT A MORE SOPHISTICATED CAMERA. The new Olympus E-30 slots in between the ‘three-digit’ entry-level models and the professional ‘single-digit’ camera. It sports a 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor, which is sourced from its Four Thirds System partner, Panasonic, and introduces a new TruePic III+ image processor that supports burst speeds of up to five frames/second plus a top ISO setting of 3200. It also offers the widest range of image capture sizes and aspect ratios currently available — although only for JPEG capture. When shooting JPEGs, photographers can choose from nine aspect ratio settings: 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 6:6, 5:4, 7:6, 6:5, 7:5 and 3:4. The selected aspect crop is shown in Live View, although not in the viewfinder. Up to four combinations of image size, JPEG compression and aspect ratio can be registered in the camera’s memory. The E-30’s adjustable LCD monitor is relatively small and significantly lower in resolution than its rivals. In Live View mode you can check white balance and exposure compensation on-screen and see a live histogram or grid template overlays. Autofocusing is supported in Live View mode. A digital magnifier with depth of field preview is provided for close-up manual focusing. A built-in Digital Level Sensor detects the camera’s pitch and roll and displays it in the optical viewfinder. The Olympus SSWF dust-reduction system is coupled with body-integrated image stabilisation that provides up to five f-stops of anti-shake compensation. The E-30 can also identify newer lenses and set AF points accordingly. In-body AF focus adjustment lets photographers fine-tune the focusing position through a range of +/- 20 steps. Details of up to 20 lenses can be registered in the camera. Dual memory card slots are provided for CF cards and xD-Picture Cards. The CF slot is UDMA-compatible and also accepts Microdrives, and you can transfer image files from one card to the other in the camera. The E-30’s mode dial is split into two sections: the ‘advanced’ P, A, S and M settings and the ‘easy shooting’ settings. The latter comprise a full auto mode, five scene presets and an Art filter/Scene setting that accesses six in-camera special effects and 11 more scene pre-sets. ‘Picture Mode’ adjustments can be applied to JPEG images at capture or to ORF.RAW files during conversion into editable formats. Options include Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait and Monotone. Six built-in Art Filters are also provided: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale Light & Colour, Light Tone, Grainy Film and Pin Hole. These effects don’t work with raw files (although they can be applied post-capture when the files are processed). Unlike similar effects in the Pentax K-m, the Olympus Art Filters are non-adjustable. Numerous useful playback settings are provided, including in-camera raw file conversion and re-sizing.

PERFORMANCE Pictures taken with the test camera were sharp and colourful, with a wider dynamic range than we

52

expected from a high-resolution Four Thirds System DSLR camera. In bright sunlight, images were recorded with minimal blow-out in highlights and little in the way of shadow noise. Backlit subjects could be photographed with minimal flare. Autofocusing was fast and accurate and metering was generally spot-on. Colours looked realistic although the overall bias was slightly warm. Imatest showed resolution to meet expectations, with ORF.RAW files slightly better than JPEGs. Colour accuracy was confirmed with our Imatest tests. Lateral chromatic aberration ranged between low and moderate and some coloured fringing could be seen when test shots were enlarged to 100%. White balance performance was average with the auto setting under incandescent lighting, while the preset over-corrected slightly. Fortunately, the menu system provides plenty of scope for in-camera fine-tuning. It was possible to achieve neutral colour rendition under incandescent lighting with the manual white balance control and the in-camera adjustments provided. Flash performance was good at all ISO settings, although image noise became apparent at ISO 3200. For long exposures, ISO settings up to 800 were relatively noise-free but noise was obvious at ISO 1600 and shots taken at ISO 3200 were grainy-looking and dotted with stuck pixels. Applying noise reduction processing reduced image sharpness. Flash performance was excellent and exposures were evenly balanced throughout the ISO range. The test camera’s flash was capable of illuminating an averagesized room at ISO 100 and little noise was visible in shots up to ISO 1600. Even at ISO 3200, noise was relatively subdued. The review camera powered up almost instantly and capture lag was effectively negligible. Regardless of whether we pre-focused, average lag time over a set of five shots was less than 0.1 seconds. This was true for recording JPEG and raw images and RAW+JPEG pairs. It was difficult to measure image processing times because the indicator light on the camera went out before the camera was ready to take another shot. However, JPEG and raw files averaged 5.4 second processing times, while RAW+JPEG pairs took an estimated 6.3 seconds. In continuous shooting mode, the review camera recorded 10 frames in 1.8 seconds in high-speed continuous mode, regardless of the image size and resolution set (including RAW+JPEG). It took 5.6 seconds to process a burst of JPEGs and 6.5 seconds for a burst of RAW+JPEG pairs. Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

www.photoreview.com.au

Swapping to low-speed continuous mode, we captured 10 frames in 2.6 seconds and this rate remained constant for JPEG, raw and RAW+JPEG settings. Processing appears to be on-the-fly in this mode as it took 5.4 seconds to process each burst of 10 frames.

IN SUMMARY A feature-rich Four Thirds System DSLR for photo enthusiasts. QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

9.0

Ease of use:

8.0

Image quality:

8.5

Overall:

8.8

RRP:

$1799 (body only); as reviewed with 14-54mm f/2.83.5 II lens — $2499 DISTRIBUTOR:

Olympus Imaging Australia; 1300 659 678, www.olympus.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS IMAGE SENSOR:

18.0 x 13.5 mm High-Speed Live MOS Sensor with 13.3 million photosites (12.3 megapixels effective) LENS MOUNT:

Four Thirds mount FOCAL LENGTH CROP FACTOR: 2x IMAGE FORMATS:

RAW (12-bit lossless compression), JPEG, JPEG+RAW IMAGE SIZES:

4032 x 3024, 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 (4:3 aspect ratio) SHUTTER SPEED RANGE:

60 to 1/8000 sec. plus Bulb DIMENSIONS (WXHXD):

141.5 x 107.5 x 75.0 mm WEIGHT:

Approx. 655 g (body only)

CAPTURE THE BEST CMOS X SIE IV

3 MONTHS UNCONDITIONAL WARRANTY Break it in the first 3 months and Tasco will replace or repair your CX1 to full operating condition, regardless of the cause* *Excludes superficial damage not affecting camera operation. Ricoh standard terms and conditions apply for the remainder of the warranty period.

When good times roll, don’t waste an instant. Be ready with high-speed CMOS sensor and up to 120 frame-per-second shooting to capture more of the best action. New SIE IV image processor for clear brilliant images. 7.1x wide angle optical zoom to extend your perspective of possibilities. Plus Dynamic Range Double Shot Mode and Multi-Target AF to take pictures that look more like the actual scenes that you photograph. Why miss any of the fun? With the new Ricoh CX1 digital camera, you can go for it all.

P H O T O G R A P H I C S

1300 363 741 www.tasco.com.au

buyers guide

DIGITAL SLR

Pentax K-m THE LATEST ENTRY-LEVEL DSLR FROM THE PENTAX STABLE. Pentax has used the sensor, image processor, viewfinder and LCD screen from last year’s K200D in its 10.2-megapixel K-m DSLR for first-time DSLR owners. Straightforward to use, the K-m lacks the K200D’s weatherproof sealing but offers some novel functions — including a swag of digital filters. Smaller and 105 grams lighter than the K200D, the K-m has a lightweight and high-rigidity stainless-steel chassis, downsized Shake Reduction mechanism and circuit boards and high-density packaging technologies. Simple, easy-to-operate controls make it user-friendly to first DSLR buyers. The K-m is the only 10-megapixel DSLR to support the ‘universal’ DNG.RAW file format and boasts the largest number of Custom functions. However, its AF system has only five cross-type sensors, instead of 11. Individual focus point selection is replaced by choosing between wide and spot focusing areas. The flash is less powerful, with a Guide Number of 11 (instead of 13). Four button controls are located to the right of the LCD screen: Play, Info, Menu and Delete. Directly above the Play button is an ‘e-dial’ for adjusting aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity and EV compensation settings. An AF button on the top right corner of the rear panel can be used to lock the focus or re-programmed to work as an AE lock. Across the rear panel is another button for raising the pop-up flash. The viewfinder on the K-m isn’t quite as bright as we’d like and covers only 96-percent of the sensor’s field of view, with roughly 0.85-times magnification. The simplified user interface design presents status information graphically. When you first turn the camera on the monitor briefly displays the selected shooting mode plus the current date and time. After a second or so this switches to the data panel display, which shows the shooting mode, aperture and shutter speed settings, exposure compensation and frame number. The top panel’s mode dial carries 13 Capture Mode settings. These are split between the Picture mode, which has pre-sets for Auto Picture, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait and Flash Off, and the Exposure mode, which carries the P (Program AE), Sv (Sensitivity Priority), Tv (Shutter Priority), Av (Aperture Priority) and M modes. The Scene sub-menu contains pre-sets for Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Stage Lighting, Kids, Pets, Candlelight, Museum and Night Snap modes. The Auto Picture mode is similar to the K200D’s and includes some ‘intelligent’ scene selection processing. The camera can identify five Picture mode settings (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object and Night Scene Portrait) and will automatically set exposure parameters to match them. ISO sensitivity has been extended to 3200 in the K-m and continuous shooting is faster at 3.5 frames/second with a higher buffer capacity of four raw files or five JPEGs. The Custom Image mode lets you choose from

54

six Image Tone modes: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant and Monochrome, all involving some degree of image processing. Six effects are available for JPEG capture: Toy Camera, High Contrast, Soft, Star Burst, Retro and Extract Colour. All are fully adjustable. These Digital Filter effects are also available for postcapture processing in the camera, where an additional eight effects are provided: Illustration, HDR, B&W, Sepia, Colour, Slim, Brightness and Custom. Raw files can be ‘developed’ in the camera in playback mode — but only into JPEGs. You can specify three output sizes and quality levels, apply Custom Image processing, adjust white balance and sensitivity (but only across a range of -2.0 to +2.0) and apply High ISO noise reduction processing.

seconds to process. The continuous shooting mode captured 12 Large/Fine JPEGs in 5.2 seconds, slowing after seven shots. Five DNG.RAW files were recorded in 1.3 seconds. It took 12.1 seconds to process the JPEGs and 10.4 seconds to process the raw files. With RAW+JPEG capture, the review camera recorded four image pairs in one second. It took 11.3 seconds to process this burst.

PERFORMANCE Pictures taken with the test camera were sharp, with natural-looking colours and good dynamic range. Contrast and saturation were restrained, giving plenty of scope for further adjustments. Focusing was generally fast and accurate, although it slowed a little in low light levels. Metering was competent, whatever mode we selected. The body-integrated image stabiliser also proved effective. Unfortunately, the test camera proved a little power-hungry, running through a fully-charged set of new NiMH rechargeables in just over 100 shots. Imatest confirmed the camera capable of high resolution at ISO 100 but resolution declined gradually as ISO sensitivity was increased, although the loss at ISO 3200 was less than we expected. Interestingly, DNG.RAW files gave slightly lower resolution than the JPEG files shot at the same time. Shots taken in dim lighting showed little noise right up to ISO 800 but by ISO 3200, both colour and pattern noise were visible and shots appeared blotchy. High ISO noise reduction processing reduced some of the grain and blotchiness with only a slight decrease in image sharpness. Auto white balance was comparatively good, although casts remained in shots taken in both fluorescent and incandescent lighting. Flash performance was very good and flash exposures were well balanced. The review camera powered-up in less than a second and capture lag averaged 0.15 seconds, reducing to less than 0.1 seconds with pre-focusing. It took 1.5 seconds to process each JPEG image and 2.6 for each raw file. A RAW+JPEG pair took approximately 4.5 Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

www.photoreview.com.au

IN SUMMARY A compact, entry-level DSLR with straightforward controls and plenty of novel features. QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

8.5

Ease of use:

9.0

Image quality:

8.5

Overall:

8.5

RRP: $1299 (twin lens kit, as reviewed);

single lens kit — $1099. DISTRIBUTOR:

C.R. Kennedy & Company; (03) 9823 1555; www.crkennedy.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS IMAGE SENSOR:

23.5 x 15.7 mm Interline interlace CCD with 10.75 million photosites (10.2 megapixels effective) LENS MOUNT:

Pentax KAF2 bayonet mount FOCAL LENGTH CROP FACTOR: 1.5x IMAGE FORMATS:

JPEG (8-bit, Exif 2.21), PEF/DNG Raw (12-bit); RAW+JPEG available IMAGE SIZES:

3872 x 2592, 3008 x 2000, 1824 x 1216 pixels SHUTTER SPEED RANGE:

30 to 1/4000 second plus Bulb DIMENSIONS (WXHXD): 122.5 x 91.5 x 67.5 mm WEIGHT: Approx. 525g without battery and SD memory card

0HOTO2EVIEW / . , ) . %

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3TORAGE 0RIZE 0ACK

Passport Elite 500GB „ WD 500GB My Book Home Edition „ WD 32GB Compact Flash Card „ Kingston 32GB DT150 USB Drive „ Kingston „ Kingston 16GB SDHC Video Card Total prize pack value $915.

3UBSCRIPTION 0RIZE $RAW Subscribe and win a prize pack from Kingston and Western Digital valued at $915. Be eligible for the subscription prize by subscribing to Photo Review Newsletter at www.photoreview.com.au. In the Photo Review Newsletter to be sent 28th August 2009 we will ask a question relating to one of the prizes. The prize pack will be awarded to the first correct answer that we receive at edmail@mediapublishing.com.au.

Terms and Conditions 1. Offer ends 25th August 2009. 2. The winner will be notified by email and/or phone and the name published on www.photoreview.com.au 1st September 2009. 3. Employees of Media Publishing and their immediate families are ineligible to enter. 4. Prize is valued at $915. 5. Media Publishing accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected entries. 6. Competition is open to Australian residents only.

buyers guide

LENS

LENS

smc Pentax-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens

smc Pentax-DA L 50200mm f/4-5.6 ED Lens

Designed to complement Pentax DSLR bodies, the smc Pentax-DA L 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6ALælens covers focal lengths from 27.5 to 84.5mm in 35mm format. Both barrel and lens mount are made from rigid plastic, which accounts for its relatively light weight. Autofocusing relies on a slotted drive screw, which is controlled by the camera body. This means noticeable focusing noise in AF mode. Six diaphragm blades close to produce a nearcircular iris. Optical surfaces appear to have been coated to reduce flare and ghosting. The supplied lens was a good match for the K-m body, although its plastic mount sounded a little rough against the camera’s metal mount. Moving through the zoom range requires just under a quarter of a turn. The focusing ring also rotates through a quarter of a turn during manual focusing. Performance was creditable for a budget-priced lens, although overall contrast was relatively low. Imatest showed best performance at wider apertures, tailing off from about f/8 where diffraction began to impact on image sharpness. Lateral chromatic aberration was negligible at 35mm, 45mm and 55mm and low at 24mm. Barrel distortion was noticeable at 18mm but by 35mm the lens was almost distortion-free. Slight corner darkening was seen at 18mm at f/3.5 but was gone by f/5.6.

For its zoom range, the smc Pentax-DA L 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED lens is surprisingly small and light. Covering focal lengths equivalent to 75-300mm in 35mm format, it’s a good second kit lens. Build quality was reasonably good, although the plastic lens mount felt a little rough when attached to the camera body. Autofocusing relies on a slotted drive screw, which is controlled by the camera body and produces noticeable focusing noise in AF mode. Six diaphragm blades close to produce a near-circular iris. Optical surfaces appear to have been coated to reduce flare and ghosting. Moving through the zoom range requires roughly a quarter of a turn, which extends the lens by approximately 35 mm. The lens rotates during both focusing and zooming, making it unsuitable for use with angle-critical attachments. The focusing ring moves through roughly 180 degrees. In bright conditions, autofocusing was fast and accurate but we noticed some hunting as light declined. Imatest showed the best performance at 100mm between f/5.6 and f/11. Edge softening was quite pronounced at wide apertures at all focal lengths but reduced dramatically when the lens was stopped down. Resolution declined progressively from f/11 onwards and we would not recommend using this lens with apertures smaller than f/16 or wider than f/5.6.

IN SUMMARY

IN SUMMARY

A lightweight standard zoom kit lens for Pentax DSLR cameras.

A compact, lightweight telephoto zoom kit lens for Pentax DSLR cameras.

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

56

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

8.0

Build:

8.0

Handling:

8.5

Handling:

8.5

Image quality:

8.0

Image quality:

8.0

Versatility:

8.5

Versatility:

8.0

Overall:

8.0

Overall:

8.0

RRP: $399 (when purchased separately)

RRP: $399 (when purchased separately)

DISTRIBUTOR: C.R. Kennedy & Company;

DISTRIBUTOR: C.R. Kennedy & Company;

(03) 9823 1555; www.crkennedy.com.au

(03) 9823 1555; www.crkennedy.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

LENS CONSTRUCTION: 11 elements in 8 groups

LENS CONSTRUCTION: 11 elements in 10 groups

LENS MOUNT: Pentax K-AF

LENS MOUNT: Pentax K-AF

MINIMUM FOCUS: 25 cm

MINIMUM FOCUS: 110 cm

FILTER SIZE: 52mm

FILTER SIZE: 52mm

DIMENSIONS (DIAMETER X L): 68 x 67.4 mm

DIMENSIONS (DIAMETER X L): 66.5 x 84 mm

WEIGHT: 220 grams

WEIGHT: 260 grams

Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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buyers guide

LENS LENS

AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Lens

Olympus Zuiko Digital 1454mm f/2.8-3.5 II Lens

Targeted at professional photographers, Nikon’s AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens combines versatility with superior optical performance. Constructed from 15 elements in 11 groups, this lens has relatively complex optics comprising three ED (Extra-low dispersion) glass elements, three aspherical lenses and Nikon’s new Nano Crystal Coat technology to suppress internal reflections. The maximum aperture remains constant at f/2.8 and the closest focusing distance is 38cm at focal length settings between 35mm and 50mm with both FX and DX bodies. A 73mm long cylindrical lens hood (HB-40) reverses over the lens barrel for carrying or storage. In line with other G-type lenses, apertures are controlled by the camera. Silent Wave Motor (ultrasonic) focusing motors provide fast and near-silent internal autofocusing. Thanks to its length and weight, the review lens felt nicely balanced on the Nikon D3X body we used for our tests. The zoom movement was positive and even throughout the focal length range. Despite lacking builtin image stabilisation, shutter speeds as slow as 1/10 second were possible. Imatest testing showed the review lens capable of high resolution and a flat field at wide lens apertures. Differences between centre and edge resolution reduced significantly at smaller apertures. Lateral chromatic aberration was negligible and distortion was minimal for a standard zoom lens.

Released concurrently with the Olympus E-30 DSLR camera, the Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II provides an alternative to the standard 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. It covers angles of view equivalent to 28-108mm in 35mm format, has multi-coated optics and a circular aperture, and supports the new contrast-detection AF capability with Live View mode in the latest Olympus DSLRs. Weighing 440 grams, the review lens was a good match for the E-30 body we used for our tests. Build quality was generally excellent, with stainless steel mount and double metal ring (blue and chrome), the Olympus trademark. The lens is supplied with a petalshaped lens hood, which is bayonet-mounted. Autofocusing was generally fast and accurate. Photo Review’s Imatest tests showed highest resolution to be between f/4.5 and f/11 for all focal length settings but revealed edge softening, particularly at the shorter focal lengths and wider apertures. Lateral chromatic aberration ranged from negligible at 54mm to moderate at 18mm and 14mm. Some barrel distortion was noticeable at the 14mm setting but by 25mm the lens was effectively distortionfree. Vignetting was apparent at the widest apertures for all focal length settings. Flare was very well controlled. Bokeh wasn’t spectacularly attractive - but that’s to be expected for an ultra-wide lens with aspherical elements.

IN SUMMARY

IN SUMMARY

A fast, high-performance standard zoom lens for all Nikon SLR cameras.

A more versatile, better-performing alternative to the standard Olympus kit lens.

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

9.5

Build:

Handling:

9.0

Handling:

9.0 9.0

Image quality:

9.5

Image quality:

8.5

Versatility:

9.0

Versatility:

8.5

Overall:

9.0

Overall:

9.0

RRP: $2,849

RRP: $899

DISTRIBUTOR: Nikon Australia; Ph: 1300 366 499;

DISTRIBUTOR: Olympus Imaging Australia;

www.nikon.com.au

1300 659 678, www.olympus.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

LENS CONSTRUCTION: 15 elements in 11 groups (with

LENS CONSTRUCTION: 15 elements in 11 groups (includes three aspherical glass elements)

3 ED glass elements, 3 aspherical lenses and one Nano Crystal Coat)

LENS MOUNT: Four Thirds System

LENS MOUNT: Nikon AF

MINIMUM FOCUS: 22 cm

MINIMUM FOCUS: 38 cm

FILTER SIZE: 67 mm

FILTER SIZE: 77 mm

DIMENSIONS (DIAMETER X L): 74.5 x 88.5 mm

DIMENSIONS (DIAMETER X L): Approx. 83 x 133 mm

WEIGHT: 440 grams

WEIGHT: Approx. 900 grams

Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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57

buyers guide

Unique & Versatile New Generation Carbon-Fibre Tripods and Monopods

ADVANCED

ADVANCED

Canon PowerShot SX10 IS Nikon Coolpix P90

New-design release lever with safety lock for quick and easy centre column height adjustments

Multi-use pochette slips over the end of the tripod legs to allow comfortable carrying. Also doubles as a stone bag for added stability in windy conditions.

2-section centre column can be detached to enable extra-low picture taking angles.

New spiral-etched surface of carbon legs provides smooth and fast extension. Inbuilt scale indicates 2.5cm and 5cm intervals on each leg. 2-way adjustable leg tips provide metal spike or rubber feet option.

Distributed in Australia by: Ph: 1300 882 517 Fax: 1300 882 519 www.maxwell.com.au/velbon

58

Canon’s PowerShot SX10 IS combines a 10-megapixel 6.16 x 4.62mm CCD sensor with a stabilised 20x optical zoom lens. Designed to replace the S5 IS, it is larger and heavier, and looks like a smaller DSLR. Power is supplied by four AA batteries. Equipped with a 2.8-inch vari-angle monitor and electronic viewfinder, the SX10 provides P, A, S and M shooting modes and adjustable shutter speeds, exposure compensation and white balance and ISO settings. Multiple focusing and metering modes are provided and JPEG images are recorded on SD or SDHC cards. Widescreen stills can be captured at 3648 x 2048 pixels. The DiG!C 4 processor provides improved Face Detection Technology with Face Select & Track and Face Self-Timer and improved Motion Detection. Pictures taken with the test camera showed plenty of detail and natural-looking colours. Imatest showed resolution to be in line with expectations for a 10-megapixel digicam at ISO 80 and 100 with a significant reduction between ISO 400 and ISO 1600. Lateral chromatic aberration ranged from moderate to serious and fringing was noticeable at all focal lengths. Digital zoom shots were better than average, as was low-light performance, including with flash. Backlit subjects were competently handled but auto white balance performance was typical of most compact digicams.

Nikon’s first ultra-zoom digicam, the Coolpix P90, combines a 24x optical zoom lens with a 12.1megapixel, 6.13 x 4.6mm CCD sensor. A large and chunky camera, it’s a JPEG-only model but has some features to attract photographers who don’t want an SLR. The mode dial carries 11 settings, which include full auto, P, S, A and M, two user memories, Movie and Scene modes (16 in all) plus Sport continuous. A new Scene Auto Selector function automatically chooses the appropriate mode. Self-timer modes include Smile Timer and Blink Proof settings. The 3-inch TFT LCD monitor can be tilted upwards through 90 degrees and downwards through 45 degrees. Resolution is disappointing at only 230,000 pixels and readability poor in bright outdoor lighting. An adequate EVF is provided. Colour accuracy was good in our Imatest tests and saturation was restrained but resolution was significantly lower than expectations, and edge and corner softening were obvious in test shots. Resolution began to decline at ISO 400 and continued to fall thereafter. Even with flash, we wouldn’t recommend shooting with ISO settings above 800. Lateral chromatic aberration was moderate and we observed green and purple fringing in shots taken in bright outdoor conditions. JPEG artefacts were also found along high-contrast edged when such images were magnified.

IN SUMMARY

IN SUMMARY

Canon’s second 10-megapixel, 20x optical zoom digicam with advanced shooting controls.

Nikon’s first ultra-zoom digicam with P, A, S and M shooting modes and time-lapse capture.

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

9.0

Build:

8.5

Ease of use:

9.0

Ease of use:

8.0

Image quality:

8.0

Image quality:

8.0

Overall:

8.5

Overall:

8.0

RRP: $649

RRP: $799

DISTRIBUTOR: Canon Australia; 1800 021 167;

DISTRIBUTOR: Nikon Australia; Ph: 1300 366 499;

www.canon.com.au

www.nikon.com.au.

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

IMAGE SENSOR:

IMAGE SENSOR:

6.16 x 4.62 mm CCD with (10 megapixels effective) LENS:

6.13 x 4.6mm CCD sensor with 12.7 million photosites (12.1 megapixels effective)

5.0-100.0mm f/2.8-5.7 zoom (28-560mm in 35mm format)

LENS: 4.6-110.4mm f/2.8-5 Zoom-Nikkor (26-624mm in 35mm format)

ZOOM RATIO: 20x optical, approx. 4x digital

ZOOM RATIO: 24x optical, up to 4x digital

DIMENSIONS (WXHXD):

DIMENSIONS (WXHXD): Approx. 114 x 83 x 99 mm

124 x 88.3 x 86.9 mm (ex. protruding parts)

(excluding projections)

WEIGHT: Approx. 560 grams

WEIGHT:

(without batteries and card)

Approx. 460 g (without battery and card)

Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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buyers guide

AMAZING COMPACT

SLIMLINE

Nikon Coolpix L100

Ricoh CX1

Nikon’s 10-megapixel Coolpix L100 is an extended zoom camera for snapshooters. Powered by four AA batteries, it provides four highly-automated shooting modes for still photography, plus movie recording of VGA or QVGA clips at 30 frames/second. An interesting Sport continuous mode records 3-megapixel shots at 13 frames/second for up to 30 frames. The 3-inch TFT LCD has a resolution of roughly 230,000 dots. No viewfinder is provided. Focusing and exposure are fully automatic but exposure levels can be tweaked by pressing the +/- button on the arrow pad. Sensitivity is non-adjustable. With no selectable AF and metering patterns, shooting some types of subjects can be difficult — and unpredictable. No adjustments are provided for the VR stabilisation system. The simple AF system had difficulties finding focus at times, even with the subject in the centre of the frame, and tended to hunt, even in bright ambient lighting. Metering was reasonably consistent — as long as lighting challenges were minimised. Pictures from the test camera showed restrained saturation and reasonably lifelike colours but resolution test results were below expectations. Lateral chromatic aberration was low. Noise was evident in night exposures at ISO 400 without flash but barely visible in flash shots. White balance performance was typical of most digicams. Response speeds were comparatively sluggish.

Offered in black, silver and “champagne rose”, the 9.29-megapixel Ricoh CX1 is the first Ricoh camera with a 6.16 x 4.62mm CMOS sensor. It also sports a new Smooth Imaging Engine IV image processor, a 7.1x optical zoom lens and 3-inch LCD monitor with a high resolution of approximately 920,000 dots. Unfortunately, no viewfinder is provided, which is a pity because the LCD is effectively unusable in bright outdoor lighting and the menus are difficult to read. The CX1’s mode dial carries eight settings: the standard auto mode; two My Settings memories; an Easy Shooting mode that is fully automated; a Scene mode with 10 pre-sets; and a DR (dynamic range double shot) mode that captures two exposures in quick succession, one recording the highlights and the other the shadows. In-camera processing combines them to produce the end result. The remaining settings are for shooting movies and continuous frame capture. Imatest showed the review camera resolution to be high for a 9-megapixel camera — but only at midrange focal length settings and only near the centre of the image field. Colour accuracy was relatively poor, particularly in the red to cyan band. Skin hues were also noticeably off-the-mark. Lateral chromatic aberration was moderate. Autofocusing and metering were generally accurate.

IN SUMMARY

IN SUMMARY

An affordable extended-zoom digicam for point-and-shoot photographers.

Ricoh’s first camera with a CMOS sensor features slimline styling and a 7x optical zoom lens.

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10) Build:

8.5

Ease of use:

8.0

Image quality:

8.0

Ease of use:

8.0

8.5

Image quality:

8.5

Overall:

8.5

Overall:

RRP: $499

With Cokin G2 Graduated filter

Without

filter

“Cokin filters are an indispensable part of my photo equipment. Without the Cokin G2 Graduated filter, this landscape could not have been achieved in a single frame.” Shelton Muller

8.5

Boost the performance of your Digital SLR with the large range of creative filters from Cokin.

DISTRIBUTOR: Nikon Australia; Ph: 1300 366 499;

RRP: $599

www.nikon.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR: Tasco Sales (Australia);

IMMEDIATE SPECIAL EFFECTS WITH 200 FILTERS IN FOUR SIZES!

(02) 9938 3244; www.tasco.com.au.

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

IMAGE SENSOR:

IMAGE SENSOR:

6.13 x 4.6mm CCD sensor with approx. 10.7 million photosites (10 megapixels effective)

6.16 x 4.62 mm CMOS sensor with 10.29 million photosites (9.29 megapixels effective)

LENS: 5-75mm f/3.5-5.4 zoom lens (28-420mm in 35mm format)

LENS: 4.95-35.4mm f/3.3-5.2 zoom lens (28-200mm in 35mm format)

ZOOM RATIO: 15x optical, up to 4x digital DIMENSIONS (WXHXD):

ZOOM RATIO: 7.1x optical; up to 4.8x digital (Auto Resize up to 5.4x)

Approx. 110 x 72 x 78 mm (excluding projections)

DIMENSIONS (WXHXD): 101.5 x 58.3 x 27.9 mm

WEIGHT: Approx. 355 grams

(without batteries and card)

(excluding projecting parts)

Ph: 1300 882 517 Fax: 1300 882 519 For more information visit www.cokin.com

WEIGHT: Approx. 180 g (excluding battery, card, strap)

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59

buyers guide

SLIMLINE

SLIMLINE

FujiďŹ lm FinePix F200EXR Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1

SHOOT TO THE TOP OF YOUR PROFESSION. JOIN THE AIPP NOW!

Australia’s largest professional photography association welcomes all professional photographers, students of photography and companies that supply and support the professional photo imaging industry. The AIPP supports over 2200 members through seminars, events, print awards, business and professional development. Choose an AIPP accredited photographer. They have met AIPP standards for quality, business practice and adhere to a code of ethics.

www.aipp.com.au

FujiďŹ lm’s FinePix F200EXR introduces a new 8.08 x 6.01mm, 12-megapixel Super CCD EXR sensor and three new technologies to expand the camera’s capabilities. Eight shooting modes are provided: EXR (Extended dynamic range); Auto; Natural Light & Flash; P (Program AE); Manual; Movie; Scene Position; and Natural Light (ash is turned off). The camera’s 5x optical zoom lens covers 28-140mm in 35mm format and CCD-shift image stabilisation combines with ISOboosting to mimimise blurred shots. The F200EXR comes in silver or black and its lens retracts into the camera body. Its 3-inch TFT colour LCD monitor has a resolution of 230,000 dots. No viewďŹ nder is provided and manual controls are limited. A new EXR Processor provides an extended dynamic range in contrasty images and supports sensitivity settings of up to ISO 12,800, although at reduced (3M) resolution. Face Detection (which includes auto red-eye removal), Scene Recognition and ďŹ ve Film Simulation modes are included. D-Range Priority improved highlight details with little effect on shadows. Imatest showed overall resolution to be below expectations, particularly at longer focal lengths. Resolution declined as sensitivity was increased, with a signiďŹ cant drop at ISO 6400. Colour accuracy was fair and lateral chromatic aberration was moderate Low-light shots with and without ash were noise-free up to ISO 800.

IN SUMMARY

IN SUMMARY

The ďŹ rst digicam with the new Super CCD EXR sensor, which promises dynamic range expansion.

A solidly-built, shockproof and waterproof slimline digicam that can record HD video clips with monaural sound.

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

QUALITY RATING (OUT OF 10)

Build:

8.5

Build:

8.5

Ease of use:

8.0

Ease of use:

8.5

Image quality:

8.5

Image quality:

8.5

Overall:

8.5

Overall:

9.0

RRP: $549

RRP: $659

DISTRIBUTOR: FujiďŹ lm Australia; 1800 226 355;

DISTRIBUTOR: Panasonic Australia; 132 600;

www.fujiďŹ lm.com.au

www.panasonic.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

IMAGE SENSOR:

IMAGE SENSOR:

8.08 x 6.01 mm Super CCD EXR sensor with 12.0 megapixels effective

6.13 x 4.6 mm CCD with 12.7 million photosites (12.1 megapixels effective)

LENS:

LENS: 4.9-22.8mm f/3.3-5.9 zoom lens (28-130mm equivalent in 35mm format)

Fujinon 6.4-32.0mm f/3.3-5.1 zoom lens (28-140mm in 35mm format) ZOOM RATIO: DIMENSIONS (WXHXD): 97.7 x 58.9 x 23.4 mm

Weight: Approx. 175 grams (without battery and card)

Image Š Montalbetti + Campbell Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

ZOOM RATIO:

4.6x optical, up to 4x digital or 9x extra optical zoom

5x optical, up to 4.4x digital

60

The Lumix DMC-FT1 is a new concept for Panasonic: a tough, slimline digicam that is shockproof to 1.5 metres, waterproof to three metres, and dustproof, and can record highdeďŹ nition movie clips in the new AVCHD Lite format at 30 frames/second. Designed for active snapshooters, the 12.1-megapixel FT1 offers 4.6x optical zoom plus MEGA OIS image stabilisation and an iA (Intelligent Auto) shooting mode for both still and video capture. The AVCHD Lite video format restricts recording to 720P, with resolution at 1280 x 720 pixels using a variant of the MPEG-4 codec (H.264). Video from this camera is as good as we’ve seen from most HD camcorders we’ve reviewed. Direct playback is supported on Panasonic’s Viera HDTV sets. Photographs taken with the test camera looked natural under most types of lighting and were surprisingly sharp and artefact-free given the size of the sensor and resolution of this camera. Saturation was well-controlled and Imatest showed overall performance to be close to expectations at ISO 80 and 100, although resolution declined steadily — and noticeably — as sensitivity increased. Lateral chromatic aberration was generally low. Autofocusing was accurate under most lighting conditions and the stabilisation system worked well for photos and video clips. Exposure metering was generally accurate but auto white balance performance was average.

www.photoreview.com.au

DIMENSIONS (WXHXD): 98.3 x 63.1 x 23.0 mm WEIGHT: Approx. 184g with battery and SD Memory Card

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large sizes - high quality - online

www.digitalprolab.com.au

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61

DIGITAL CAMERA WAREHOUSE

AUTHORISED AUSTRALIAN RESELLER FOR:

TOLL FREE: 1300 365 220 WEBSITE: www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au MELBOURNE: 367 High Street, Northcote VIC 3070 SYDNEY: 174 Canterbury Road, Canterbury NSW 2193

contents directory

Photo Review AUSTRALIA ISSUE 40

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net effect

SINCE OUR LAST ISSUE, YOUR WEB SURFING EDITOR HAS BEEN STEADILY ACCUMULATING A COLLECTION OF LINKS TO USEFUL AND INSPIRING PHOTO SITES.

Squeeze play

Fractal world

Just Natural

http://smush.it/

http://www.thegreenguide.com/ infinite-photograph

http://www.naturephotographers.net

Smush.it is a handy online tool for making your image file sizes as small as possible. To use the service, you simply browse from the website to your picture or pictures, upload them and wait for a few moments.

You’ve no doubt encountered photo mosaics before, but with its ‘Infinite Photograph’, National Geographic takes the concept a step beyond plain composite images.

It is the rare photographer indeed who has not found inspiration in the natural world. There are hundreds of websites for nature photographers of course, but one of our favourites is the Nature Photographers Network’s

The site will tell you how much it shaved off the file size and then allow you to download the results. It will work its magic with image URLs too and there’s a Firefox extension to make it even easier to use (if your browser is Firefox of course!)

Using a simple mouse-controlled frame, you can zoom in on a part of the initial picture. This reveals a mosaic of small images into which you can zoom for more detail. But however much you zoom, you never reach the end. Every picture is in turn made of more pictures.

Surreal Swede

Moody Motown

http://www.alltelleringet.com/

http://bit.ly/axaEQ

Erik Johansson’s album style site has a simple and solitary purpose — to show off his clever and beautifully executed photo manipulations.

Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have created a powerful photo essay for the Time Magazine website on the abandoned buildings of Detroit. What makes it both beautiful and horrifying

If you’re interested in the art of travel photography, you’ll want to add www.travelphotographers.net to your bookmarks collection. The site has an editorial staff and no doubt as a direct consequence, the quality of the contributions is very high. I was intrigued to find a terrific

is that these are not small or non-descript commercial buildings, but monumental works of commercial architecture such as the main train station, 35-storey office towers, schools, great theatres and the like.

article by Kah Kit Yoong on his approach to the digital workflow. We featured Kah Kit’s work in issue 38 and this article is such a model of clarity, that I’ve provided a shortened URL directly to it. Highly recommended.

home page. If you’re feeling dull and unimaginative, a few minutes spent here looking at great photos and reading thoughtful editorial content will soon revive those creative juices.

Workflowing

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