SmartPhotography Aug 2009

EC

IA

L

ISSUE 05 I VOLUME 05 I AUGUST 2009 I RS.100

9 770974 665000

www.smartphotography.in

Lightroom 2 (Part-II)

AC CE

SS



S

OR

IE

Photography (Part-VIII)

SP

The Animal Planet Interview with Jagdeep Rajput

REVIEWS

CANON POWERSHOT SX200 IS NIKON COOLPIX P90 RICOH CX1 SIGMA DP2 ESYS INKJET PAPER

SONY’S NEW A330

FREE! SUBSCRIBE NOW & AVAIL LUCRATIVE DISCOUNTS OR GET FABULOUS GIFTS

w

Ne

Subscribe using Credit Card over the phone

CALL +91 22 4352 5252 Monday - Friday, 9.00 am to 5.30 pm subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net

Subscribe on the move

Subscribe online www.nextgenpublishing.in\subs

Subscribe on email

sms ‘SUBS SP’ to 56161

subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net

Powered by

The Investment Plan Pay Rs. 2160 for 3 Years subscription and save Rs. 1440 on the cover price or Pay Rs.2900 for 3 Years subscription and get a Camera Bag free Pay Rs. 850 for 1 Year subscription and save Rs. 350 on the cover price or Pay Rs. 1000 for 1 Year Subscription and get an Uniross Charger and 4 batteries free YOUR DETAILS (ALL DETAILS IN CAPITAL LETTERS) Name: Mr/Ms Occupation

Dated Bank Branch

Drawn on

Or please charge my credit card Visa MasterCard Amex

Date of birth Address City

State

Pincode

Email

Phone (Off) Phone (Res) Please Find enclosed Cheque/DD no.

Kindly draw the cheque/DD/PO in favor of NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. (Please add Rs. 20/- extra for outstation cheque)

Please complete the order form and mail it to us at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Khatau House, 2nd Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim (West), Mumbai - 400 016, India.

You can also fax the order for credit card purchases to +91 22 2444 8289 For clarifications, email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net or call +91 22 4352 5252 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing of your subscription. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next Gen Publishing will not be responsible for postal delay, transit loses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention your name and address on the reverse of your DD/Cheque. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only.

Card No. Card expiry date Name (as appears on card)

Date Signature TO GIFT A SUBSCRIPTION (ALL DETAILS IN CAPITAL LETTERS) Please fill out both the recipient’s details, below, and your details above. To gift more than one subscription, please provide address details on a separate sheet.

Name: Mr/Ms Occupation Date of birth Address City Pincode Phone (Off)

State Email Phone (Res)

Welcome I

n photographic terms, small things can change your life.

Nothing illustrates this better than the wide spectrum of accessories available in the market. A small accessory like a filter or a lens hood can certainly improve your pictures and enhance the photo experience. Hence this issue with a special emphasis on accessories.

Remember, the best things in life, sorry, photography sometimes come in small packages!

32

Hoshang S. Billimoria, Editor

Here’s what makes us #1 WE ARE GLUED TO THE GLOBAL IMAGING INDUSTRY Our team is updated with all the benchmarks and road blocks that the field of photography and imaging across the globe experiences. This helps us record the changes in the global perspective, thus making us the first to predict which products will be a rage in the Indian markets.

45

WE’RE IMPARTIAL Loyalty towards our readers is a given, and their best interests are always on our mind. Every verdict is honest and not influenced by advertisers or personal favorites. So when we say a product is a ‘BEST BUY’, then, it is just that!

OUR TESTS ARE CONDUCTED BY EXPERTS All equipment go through a series of tests at the hands of our experts. And our reviewers are experts in the field of photography across the country and have many years of experience. That gives us the foresight to distinguish between a passing trend and a big change in the field of photography and imaging.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU

113

There is no debate on why we are here. Our sole goal is to provide you options and better your judgement in product purchase while, sharing tips and tricks to improve your images. Our biggest joy is in building a bridge between you and your perfect picture!

Behind the Scene

Write to sp@nextgenpublishing.net for editorial queries and subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net for subscription enquries Editor Hoshang S. Billimoria Technical Editor Rohinton Mehta Executive Editor Mathew Thottungal Copy Editor Trisha Mukherjee Senior Correspondent Sujith Gopinath Photography Mahesh Reddy (Asst. Photographer) Creative Director & Production Head Atul Bandekar Design Ajit Manjrekar, Sanjay Awad Illustrator Ajay Paradkar Production Dinesh Bhajnik, Ninad Jadhav, Deepak Narkar

Publisher Khushroo Bhadha Associate Publisher Vijaya Saran Regional Manager - Sales and Marketing A. Mageshwar - Tamil Nadu & Kerala Area Advertising Manager Harshvardhan Verma-Delhi Account Managers Deepa Manickath - Mumbai Gaurav Choudhary - Ahmedabad Pramod Udupa - Bangalore Response Executive Pooja Wankhede - Mumbai Manish Kumar - Delhi Circulation and Subscription K. Srikanth (National Circulation Manager) Sanjeev Roy (Asst. Operations Manager) Sachin Kelkar (Subscription Supervisor)

HEAD OFFICE - Mumbai 2nd Floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400016 Tel: + 91 22 43525252 Fax: + 91 22 24448289 Email: sp@nextgenpublishing.net Subscription Tel: + 91 22 43525220 Fax: + 91 22 24448289 Email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net

News Stand Distribution India Book House, Mumbai 400 002, Tel: +91 22 2284626 Fax: +91 22 22835099

MARKETING OFFICES Ahmedabad Chandan House, 3rd Floor, Mithakhali Six Roads, Ahmedabad 380006 Tel: + 91 79 40008000 Fax: + 91 79 40008080 Email: b.patel@nextgenpublishing.net

Chennai New Delhi 24 & 30 Okhla Industrial Estate, Unit No. 30, 3rd Floor, Modern Towers, Phase III, Okhla, No. 35/23 West Cott Road, Mittal Towers, MG Road, New Delhi 110020 Royapettah, Chennai - 600014.

Bangalore -560001 Tel: + 91 11 42345678 Tel: + 91 44 39149889 - 91.

Fax: + 91 11 42345679 Ph: 080 - 66110116 Fax: +91 44 39149892 Email: bangalore@nextgenpublishing.net Email: h.verma@nextgenpublishing.net Email: a.mageshwar@nextgenpublishing.net Bangalore # 903, 9th floor, ‘B’ Wing,

Pune 401B, Gandhi Empire, Plot no.2, 5th floor, Sareen Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune 411040 Tel: + 91 20 32930291 Fax: + 91 20 26830465 sp@nextgenpublishing.net

Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Ltd. Next Gen Publishing Copyright 2006 SMART PHOTOGRAPHY does not take the responsibility for returning unsolicited material sent without adequate postal stamps for return postage.

All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or No part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the prior express written permission of the publisher. entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. Smart Photography does not Published by Khushroo Bhadha on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. The editor, publisher, printer and employees Mumbai - 400016. Printed by Khushroo Bhadha Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), of the publication shall not be held liable for any consequence in the events of such claims not being honoured by the Mumbai - 400016. Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-1-60/5 RTCX Roads, Hyderabad - 20. Published at Next Gen advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only.

Publishing Ltd., 2nd floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai - 400016.

Editor – Hoshang S Billimoria

PAGE

FRES ISSUE THI

Rs.75 ONLY!

TRAVEL SPECIAL 9 770974 665000

16

ENT SUPPLEM TRAVEL E WIT H

Glamour Special

ISSUE 04 I VOLUME 05 I JULY 2009 I RS.100

Rs.75 ONLY!

ISSUE 03 I VOLUME 05 I JUNE 2009

I S S U E 2 I V O L U M E 0 5 I M AY 2 0 0 9

Landscape Special

www.smartphotography.in

www.smartphotography.in

www.smartphotography.in

Into the Heavenly Abode!

Interview with Marc Adamus

Face Value Interview with Jason Bell

Close Encounters of a Different Kind Interview with Scott A. Woodword

Star Trek Interview with

Avinash Gowariker

LEARNINGS I I I I I I I

Basics of Photography (Part-VI) Extracting Wispy Hair in Photoshop Glamour Photography Let’s Go Wild with Colors Take Control of Contrast Fine-tune your Contrast Control Why I Prefer Manual Exposure Mode

LEARNINGS I I I

I

FUJIFILM FINEPIX F200 EXR SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-T90 PENTAX OPTIO P70 CANON EF 50MM F/1.4 USM THE BATTLE OF THE SENSORS!

CANON EOS 500D

Basics of Photography (Part-VII) Combating Flash Fall-Off Travel Photography Everything About Shutter Speeds!

Get Started in Lightroom 2 (Part-I)

REVIEWS CANON DIGITAL IXUS 100 IS KODAK EASYSHARE Z980 SAMSUNG WB500 PANASONIC LUMIX DMC – TZ 7 9 770974 665000

9 770974 665000

I

REVIEWS

TIPS FOR

BETTER NIKON D5000

PICTURES

KODAK - Smart PHOTOGRAPHY CANDID MOMENTS PHOTO CONTEST

TO SUBSCRIBE TURN TO PAGE 4

August 2009

Contents EC

IA L

ISSUE 05 I VOLUME 05 I AUGUST 2009 I RS.100

9 770974 665000

The Animal Planet Interview with Jagdeep Rajput Interview Rajput

I I I I

Basics of Photography (Part-VIII) Photoshop Magic Scene Modes How to Use the Extract Filter Lightroom 2 (Part-II)

AC C

ES

SO

I

RI ES

LEARNINGS

SP

www.smartphotography.in

REVIEWS CANON POWERSHOT SX200 IS NIKON COOLPIX P90 RICOH CX1 SIGMA DP2 ESYS INKJET P PAPER APER

SONY’S NEW A330

REGULARS 10

Mail Bag

14

Picture of the Month

16

News Watch

28

Industry Opinion - Hans Smarius, Tamrac Inc.

32

Kaleidoscope

36

If I Were You

40

Ask Uncle Ronnie

43

Book Review

44

Websight

ACCESSORIES SPECIAL 46

Memory storage cards

48

Flash drives

50

Portable Storage Devices

52

Tripods and Heads

57

Rechargeable Batteries and Charges

63

Camera bags and Pouches

67

Filters

68

Lighting Accessories

72

Digital Photoframes

73

Inkjet Papers and Inks

76

Photolab and Dry Cabinet

77

Miscellaneous Accessories.

80

Photo Feature - The Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2009

82

Master Craftsman -

154

8

Smart Photography August 2009

Tidbits

Jagdeep Rajput

82

84

14

98

LEARNINGS

REVIEWS

90

Basics of Photography (Part-VIII)

113

Sony Alpha 330

94

Photoshop Magic

117

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

120

Nikon Coolpix P90

123

Ricoh CX1

Scene Modes: What the Camera Does

126

Sigma DP2

102

Step-by-Step: How to Use the Extract Filter

129

eSys Inkjet Paper

107

Get Started in Lightroom 2

Get Rid of Digital Noise Eliminate People from a Scene

98

August 2009 Smart Photography

9

9 770974 665000

ISSUE 04 I VOLUME 05 I JULY 2009 I RS.100

TRAVEL SPECIAL

www.smartphotography.in

Close Encounters of a Different Kind Interview with Scott A. Woodword

Mail Bag Write to us at: Mail Bag- Smart Photography, Khatau House, 2nd Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016. E-mail: sp@nextgenpublishing.net

LEARNINGS I I I I I

Basics of Photography (Part-VII) Combating Flash Fall-Off Travel Photography Everything About Shutter Speeds!

Get Started in Lightroom 2 (Part-I)

ET TU OLYMPUS!

REVIEWS CANON DIGITAL IXUS 100 IS KODAK EASYSHARE Z980 SAMSUNG WB500 PANASONIC LUMIX DMC – TZ 7

TIPS FOR

BETTER NIKON D5000

PICTURES

KODAK - Smart PHOTOGRAPHY CANDID MOMENTS PHOTO CONTEST

Dear Editor, Should the Gods get wind, the marketing “Head” may rest uneasy on its Olympian perch! My compliments for a mature ‘Editor’s Reply’ to a childish rant for inaptitude.

Suresh Mehta, sureshmehta@rogers.com Dear Editor, I found the letter by the marketing head of Olympus, India, utterly low in quality and content (SP, July 2009). The style and the language used, particularly in the closing lines, was in bad taste and unbecoming of a senior corporate executive. Whatever was the provocation, under no circumstances the marketing head should have lost his cool. He ought to have used the ‘Mail Bag’ column as an opportunity to get positive with the issue, if at all there was one. I entirely agree with the Editor’s reply and appreciate the magazine’s policy of not getting influenced by anything other than quality of a product.

And the readers would always judge a publication on the parameters of impartiality and independence.

I don’t know whether in Japan the business managers take notice of things or not, but decades back they did. I purchased my first SLR (a Canon literally wrapped in a newspaper) way back in 1985 from the gray market. Obviously, it didn’t come with a manual, without which it was difficult to make much use of the camera functions. I got the address of Canon USA from the Popular Photography magazine and sent them an aerogram requesting a copy of the manual.

In due course, I received a copy from the US followed by two more mailed separately from Japan and Hong Kong with cover letters signed by their marketing executives.

At that time the Japanese camera companies were not in business in India, therefore, I picked up a pirated item.

Moreover, I was neither a professional photographer, nor had a business prospect. My aerogram could have been

10

Smart Photography August 2009

easily ignored, but the people at Canon responded positively perhaps due to the reason that they had a brand name to take care of and anyone who possessed their product mattered to them.

Olympus is an internationally reputed fine brand and I hope this spat won’t in anyway reflect on the market prospects of its products in India.

R K Sudan, rksudan@gmail.com Dear SP, I’m shocked at the callous and condescending tone of the letter of Anand D’souza as printed in the July 2009 issue.

Please take the trouble to send his letter and your reply to the HQ of Olympus.

Quite likely that he will be sacked as he doesn’t seem to behave like a “National Marketing Head”, but rather a “Head-ache” and a serious liability!

How can a reputed firm send a product and say, “you can find the cable yourself in your office” or “you can download the manual”—heck, you can even go find the product in Japan!?!? Why bother!

I would go an extra step. Print the picture of the product as it had arrived along with the review. If it’s going to be found wrapped in a newspaper or in a brown bag instead of the box, the customers can make their own judgment about the same. Thank you SP. Suchit Nanda, photos@suchit.in Dear Editor, I am a photographer in advertising (microscopic), visualizer, and graphic designer and also a regular reader of your magazine since its inception; though not a subscriber (I patronize the local vendor).

In SP’s July 2009 I came across the Olympus issue in the Mail Bag section.

At the first place, how can Olympus India send their product wrapped in newspaper!!! This shows how they respect their own product and their professionalism. When a product is sent for a review, should it not be presented

as it is sold in the market to the enduser? Product reviews directly affect the demand and sale in the market—a common sense. Marketing and PR are all about common sense applied creatively.

It seems PR and marketing team of Olympus India does not understand many important things. First they make a mistake and then try to patch it up by blaming the specialist press for publishing the truth. We buyers are taking note of this. Olympus India should understand that they are not the leading brand in India in their category. So, they need to be extra careful in every thing they do (if they are really interested in building their brand). They should understand PR and how it can build or destroy a brand.

Now the question is whether Olympus India professional enough to handle the brand effectively???

Dibyendu, dibjo@yahoo.com Dear Editor, I was hurt deeply with the arrogance shown by Mr. D’Souza, National Marketing Head, Olympus Imaging India, in his communication published in the Mail Bag section of SP in July, 2009 issue. Instead of bearing responsibility for the lapse, he obstinately in a childlike manner has preferred to justify it. He has thrown into dust bin all the past collaboration between SP and Olympus India, as well as the positive feedbacks they got most of the times for just a GENUINE COMPLAINT. His words have definitely dented the image of Olympus before photography lovers in India. I was disappointed to see this kind of exaggerated response, blown out of proportion from a person at such a senior position in an MNC. I don’t know whether the views reflected by him regarding the matter are his personal opinion or that of Olympus as an organization, but SP as well as photography lovers in India certainly deserve an apology from him.

Dinesh Lakhanpal, Himachal Pradesh, ritwik_6091999@hotmail.com

Your bottomline never looked sharper!

TM

The new Sony Snap Lab digital photo printer.

Get your business up and running in a snap!

• High-speed photo printing - Customers spend less time waiting • High-volume photo printing - You spend less on paper replacements • Glossy and ProMatteTM options with one media Print by Sony • Compact and stylish all-in-one design

UP CR 20L

A-31, Mohan Co-operative Industrial Estate, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110044 Phone : 011-66006600, Fax : 011-26959141, Email : bppmktg@ap.sony.com

Digital Photo Printer For further queries, please contact : Mr. Ravi Raju - (+ 91) 9650044744 Email: ravi.raju@ap.sony.com

MAILBAG

BATTLE OF SENSORS As far as I know, the quality of pictures are affected by lens, and not by sensors. In your test, you have used 24 -120mm lens for Nikon and 14 - 45mm for Panasonic. Is it justified? The quality of image will be less, if shot with a large focal ‘range’ lens than a short focal ‘range’ lens, is it not? So, you should have tested the ‘sensors’ with the same lens with suitable adopters or at least lenses with the same focal range. Please convey my appreciation to Mr. Ashok in providing the Basics of Photography so deeply.

Joji M J,Kerala, via email Technical Editor’s Reply: Thank you for your interest in the subject and your feedback.

You are right when you say that the quality of pictures are affected by the lens, but you are not entirely right if you feel that the quality of pictures are not affected by the sensors. The type of sensor (CCD/CMOS/Foveon/Super CCD, Super CCD HR), the size of the sensor, the manufacturing techniques, the electronics, and care taken during the manufacture, all contribute to the final image quality, as also the quality of the processor.

As for us using the Nikon 24 - 120mm and Panasonic’s 14 - 45mm, please note that both are mid-level (quality-wise) lenses and we took care that the field-of-view obtained with both lenses were as close as possible in terms of 35mm format. Also note that the field-of-view crop factor is different for different sensor sizes. You just cannot take a lens designed for, say, a compact camera and use it with an adapter on a larger sensor camera.

You would be faced with severe darkening of corners, and probably, problems with image resolution as well. You could of course, take a full-frame lens and attach it to smaller sensor cameras, if such adapters were available. Even then, chances are,

you would have a problem on the focus front. In the past, some manufacturers had designed adapters to use a lens from one manufacturer on camera bodies from other manufacturers. Many of these had problems with critical focusing.

You have said that the quality of the image will be less if shot with a large focal ‘range’ lens than a short focal ‘range’ lens. Why do you feel so? If the longer focal lens is inferior in resolution, then you may be right, but not if both are equally good. In our test, both the lenses in question are equally good in terms of resolution.

Also, I would like to remind you of the note at the beginning of the article, which read, “In this test, emphasis is on evaluating the pros and cons of the three major sensor sizes. It does not seek to do a comparison test of the three selected cameras”.

ERRATA In Smart Photography issue dated June 2009 under the head D-SLR Review featuring Canon EOS 500D the retail price for the camera was wrongly mentioned on Page 85 of the magazine as Rs.56,000, whereas the actual price for the Canon EOS 500D including that of the kit lens (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens) is Rs.52,995.

In the last issue of SP dated July 2009 the spelling in the name of our Mastercraftsman both on the cover and on Page no 49 of the magazine was mentioned as Scott A. Woodword, whereas his correct name is Scott A. Woodward.

We regret both the errors.

Letter Of The Month FOR ART LOVERS BY ART LOVERS

WIN

A UNIROSS CHARGER WORTH Rs.1,995/EVERY MONTH FOR THE LETTER OF THE MONTH

Dear SP, I am very happy to learn that Smart Photography has published my portfolio under the Kaleidoscope section in its July 2009 issue. I extend my gratitude for giving place to my images in your reputed magazine. In fact, it is always a matter of great pride for an artist if his work reaches to mass through a publication. A piece of art is of great significance only when it is shared with art lovers. On the contrary a creation is of no value if it is kept within the walls.

SP has been doing a commendable job by circulating the works of artists from different parts of the country. This is a true service rendered by SP in the field of art. I congratulate the editorial of SP for this noble act.

I’m sending you two of my recently taken pictures of pretty flowers as a token of regards.

Dr. Pankaj Sharma, AIIPC, FFIP, via email

12

Smart Photography August 2009

AF 10-17 mm f/3.5-4.5

Photogtaphed by: Anirban Brahma Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5

Round Your World Capture it all or create images with more impact. The Tokina AT-X 107 DX is Fish-eye zoom lens that gives the photographer a 180ยบ field of view with dramatic curvature of field or "fish-eye" effect.

That's wider than the human eye can see! The AT-X 107 DX creates an entirely new view on everything from street scenes to nature's beautiful vistas. This lens will open a new dimension to your photography.

Available Mounts: Canon and Nikon Digital Cameras with APS-C sized sensors

IMPROVED

MORE WIDE-ANGLE LENSES

AF 11-16 mm f/2.8

AF 12-24 mm f/4

Ultra-Speed, Ultra-Wide

Super Wide-Angle Zoom New Multi-Coating Motorized for Nikon

Kenko Co.,Ltd. India Office Mumbai Office: 1st floor, 191, Dr. D.N.Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, INDIA TEL:+91-989-291-3987 URL: www.tokinalens.com E-mail: kenkoindia@tokina.co.jp

Picture of the Month We are sure that all of you must be having some pictures that you think could be prize winning. It happens very often that you don’t know where to send the image that could put a feather on your cap. If you have such images (we’re sure you have many!), send us ONE such image. If we find it good, we shall publish it as a double-spread. a. You have to guarantee that the picture was shot by you. b. If there are people in the picture who can be identified, we’ll need a model release. c. The picture must not have been printed in any magazine/newspaper, or offered to any publication. d. The image has to be at 300 ppi for 17x11 inches. e. Mark it as the “Picture of the Month”. f. You may send a print/e-mail at sphoto.india@gmail.com

Participate in the Picture of the Month contest and win a Mr Site Takeaway website easy-to-use website developer tool.

Photograph by Karthik L.

News Watch International SNIPPETS

SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES SL502 DIGITAL COMPACT CAMERA

PANASONIC LAUNCHES BATTERY SAFETY FIRMWARE Panasonic released firmware updates for its latest digital cameras including the GH1, G1, ZS3, and TS1. The new firmware can identify genuine Panasonic batteries and prevents the use of any third party battery packs.

CASIO ENABLES TETHERED SHOOTING IN EX-F1 DIGITAL CAMERA Casio released a software enabling tethered shooting with its EX-F1 high-speed superzoom compact.

The software allows the camera to be controlled from your computer via a USB cable. Casio recommends updating camera firmware to v2.00 before using the software.

KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY FIRST TO MARKET WITH 128GB USB FLASH DRIVE

Samsung announced the SL502 (PL55 in Europe) digital compact camera. It has a 5x zoom, but starting at 35mm equivalent, so no wide-angle capability.

With a 12.2MP sensor and 2.7 inch LCD, it includes features such as Smart Auto mode, Smart Album, Face, Smile, and Blink detection. It is priced at £149.

MAMIYA OFFERS MEDIUMFORMAT DIGITAL BACKS Mamiya Digital Imaging announced 3 types of extra large sized CCD digital backs for Mamiya 645 AFD III and 645DF medium-format cameras.

The M18, 44.2x33.1mm, 18MP CCD

back is comparable to a regular DSLR in operating speed. The M22, 48.9x36.7mm, 22MP back provides relatively high speed for the performance of the sensor. The M31, 44.2x33.1mm, high-end 31.6MP back is compatible with long-hour exposure and also exposure at high sensitivity. All the models are compatible with live view system and images may be observed on the monitor at the back of the camera.

KODAK INTRODUCES BATTERY-POWERED DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME Kodak announced the European launch of the new EasyShare S730 Digital Picture Frame. It boasts a new Picture Finder feature, enabling users to easily and quickly bring to life images and videos. The Kodak EasyShare S730 Digital Picture Frame will be available throughout Europe for euro 149, and in the US and Canada for $139.00.

The picture frame will be shortly introduced in India as well.

FUJIFILM TO LAUNCH 10-MP TOUCH-SCREEN D-CAM Fujifilm launches FinePix Z300, a digital

RICOH TO CONTINUE TITLE SPONSORSHIP OF THE RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN IN 2009

Kingston Technology announced the world’s first 128GB USB Flash drive.

DataTraveler 200 sports a cap-less design and includes a built-in Password Traveler security software for data protection. It also comes in 32GB and 64GB capacities. The 128GB version is priced at $546, while the 64GB and 32GB drives are priced at $213 and $120 respectively.

16

Smart Photography August 2009

Ricoh Americas announced that its parent company, Ricoh Company, will continue its title sponsorship of the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2009 for the third consecutive year. This year’s tournament will be held from July 30 to August 2, 2009 at Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire.

Environmental preservation has been a top priority for Ricoh for over 30 years. To build off this objective, Ricoh announced the new GIFT initiative (Green Initiatives For Tomorrow), which targets players, spectators, and the broader audience. Supported by

the Ladies Golf Union, LPGA, the Ladies European Tour, as well as this year’s players, the program encourages people to make changes in their daily lives to help reduce their carbon footprints. In addition to this program, Ricoh will continue to support and promote the work conducted by the Seeds for Africa Charity. During the competition Ricoh will plant one tree for every birdie scored, five trees for an eagle and 1,000 trees for an albatross.

In 2008, the funds raised from this program, which included sales of promotional items, totaled over 4,000 trees planted in Africa.

NEWS WATCH

PANASONIC SELLS MICRO FOUR THIRDS ADAPTERS FOR LEICA LENSES Panasonic began marketing Micro Four Third adapters that allows the cameras to use the lenses for Leica M and Leica R cameras, which the manufacturer already showcased during PMA 2009. When the adapters are in use the lenses have to be focused manually and you will select the “Release w/o Lens” mode of the camera’s custom menu. Angle of view of the Leica lenses will be roughly doubled on a Micro Four Third camera. The manufacturer prepared a chart indicating interchangeability of the lenses and cameras, as some of the wideangle M lenses may not be used.

camera that features a touch-screen AFchase function, called touch shot. The FinePix Z300 equipped with a 3-inch wide display touch screen that lets users lock auto-focusing on the target subject just touching by the finger and releasing the shutter to take a picture. The touch screen allows display of images like turning the pages by finger. The camera mode can be converted to a conventional mode in which the shutter button is used.

Other features include a 10-MP CCD imager, a 6.4-32mm 5X optical zoom lens (36-180mm equivalent), a “super i flash” function to automatically measure the working distance and determine the optimum time for using the shutter, and the IrSimple/IrSS high-speed infrared communication system to transfer images easily to cell phones or HDTVs supporting the system as well as automatic scene selection, and face detection. The FinePix Z300 may be sold for around $400 retail.

PANASONIC LAUNCHES NEW, AFFORDABLE COMPACT D-CAM Panasonic launched a new, affordable compact D-cam Lumix DMC-FS7, which is expected to sell for around 22,000 yen ($230). The FS7 comes in four colors— silver, blue, green, and pink. It features “Omakase (Leave it to me) iA (intelligent auto)” program that automatically recognizes subject scene and selects an optimum scene out of rich scene selection modes including face detection, night scene, and backlight. Other than the iA program the compact camera provides “triple image stabilization,” recognition of movement of subject, mechanical IS, and highspeed setting of sensor sensitivity.

The FS7 features a 1/2.5-inch 10.1MP (effective) CCD image sensor, Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 6-in-5 5.5-23mm (33-

132mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.9 zoom lens and a 2.7-inch 230KP LCD monitor.

CASIO UNVEILS NEW FULLFEATURED COMPACT Casio unveiled a new compact D-cam EXILIM EX-H10 “Travel Camera” featuring a 10X zoom lens (24-240mm equivalent) that retracts nearly flat into the thin body.

The feature-laden Travel Camera can take 1,000 pictures on a charge. It claims to have energy-saving circuitry and newly developed large capacity Li-ion battery. The camera is also capable of taking highdefinition video clips in Motion JPEG format. The camera may be retailed at around $400.

SONY UNVEILS NEW FLASH MEMORY CAMCORDERS

SNIPPETS RICOH POSTS FIRMWARE UPDATE FOR CX1 DIGITAL COMPACT Ricoh has released a firmware update for the CMOS-based CX1 digital compact camera. Firmware v1.24 resolves minor issues pertaining to image orientation and printing. It is available for immediate download from Ricoh’s website.

HASSELBLAD UNVEILS CFV-39 DIGITAL BACK Hasselblad announced the CFV-39 digital back to be used in conjunction with its V series of camera bodies.

Featuring a 39-megapixel sensor, it offers two capture formats: 4:3 and square (at 29MP). It allows tethered shooting and offers a capture rate of 0.7fps. The bundled image processing software features digital lens correction for Carl Zeiss lenses that corrects distortion, lateral chromatic aberration, and vignetting.

CANON ANNOUNCES PIXMA MP560 AND MP490 PRINTERS

Sony announced its new HDRCX520V and HDR-CX500V Handycam camcorders, which capture full 1920x1080 high-definition video and up to 12-megapixel photos on a 64GB or 32GB internal flash memory, respectively,

offering up to 25 hours of HD video. For optimal playback, the HDR-CX520V and HDR-CX500V camcorders feature 60p output, which automatically converts content to 60 progressive frames per second when connected to a compatible high-definition television.

Canon announced the MP560 and MP490 wireless all-in-one inkjet photo printers. Along with the print, copy, and scan options, both include features such as Auto Photo Fix II, Duplex, and Wireless Printing. The MP560 is also Canon’s first Pixma printer with the ability to print out pictures directly from a USB flash memory device.

The MP560 and MP490 are priced at $149.99 and $99.99 respectively.

August 2009 Smart Photography

17

NEWS WATCH

SNIPPETS PENTAX LAUNCHES OPTIO W80 RUGGED CAMERA

TAMRON RELEASES 60MM F/2 DI-II 1:1 PORTRAIT/ MACRO LENS Tamron released the SP AF60mm F/2 Di-II MACRO 1:1 MACRO, suitable for portrait/macro photography in Canon mount at a price of $750. The 1:1 life-size macro lens designed exclusively for DSLR cameras with APS-C size image sensors boasts an extremely fast maximum aperture of f/2.0. It also features a working distance of 100mm, the longest distance among lenses in the class. It covers an equivalent angle of view of 93mm medium-telephoto in terms of 35mm format.

FUJIFILM TO DEBUT NEW DRY MINILAB Fujifilm will soon start selling a new inkjet dry minilab Frontier DL430 following the DL410 introduced last October. The DL430 is designed for use in retail outlets that are hesitant to have a regular digital minilab installed because of cost and working floor space. It requires only 0.5 sq. meters for installation of the main unit. The inkjet minilab produces about 750 L-size prints per hour.

Pentax launched the Optio W80 rugged compact camera. It’s certified waterproof at depths of up to 5 meters for two hours, shockproof for drops of up to 3.3 feet and coldproof up to -10 degrees Celsius.

It’s got a 12.1MP sensor, 5x optical zoom, and a 2.5 inch LCD, and includes features such as HD movie recording and Pixel Track digital Shake Reduction.

CANON ANNOUNCES THREE NEW PHOTO PRINTERS Canon a leader in digital imaging announced the addition of two new PIXMA Photo All-In-One (AIO) Printers along with one new SELPHY Compact Photo Printer. The two new PIXMA printers utilize Canon’s FINE print head technology, which has been recognized by consumers for its ability to deliver quality and performance simultaneously, whether printing images or business documents since its inception 10 years ago.

It accepts a pair of paper magazines so that L-sized prints may be produced without interruption for paper change, or prints may be made in different sizes. The price will be around 3.8 million yen.

PANASONIC DEBUTS DVC RUNNING 100 HOURS Panasonic announced a high-end DVC HDC-HS350 incorporating a 240GB HDD, capable of recording video as long as 100 hours or 62 hours of full high definition (HD) recording and may be priced at around $1,580. The long-hour DVC shares basic specs with the HDC-TM350 released recently including the 1/4•h 3MOS sensor (effective 6.21MB or 2.07x3 for video), mechanical image stabilization system with the active mode that is particularly effective while zooming, the tracking mode in which the camera automatically tracks down and continually focuses on the designated subject in the scene and intelligent scene recognition.

Captured images are also recorded besides the HDD on a removable SD/SDHC memory card.

NIKON ISSUES SERVICE ADVISORY FOR D5000 Nikon released a service advisory for D5000 D-SLR. It caters power issues with a specific batch of D5000’s. Affected cameras can be identified by their serial numbers, which will apparently be added to Nikon’s website next week. These cameras will be repaired for free by contacting the company’s customer support center.

SANDISK LAUNCHES WORLD’S FASTEST MEMORY CARD 32GB SDHC SanDisk introduced the 32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC card with up to 30 MB per second read and write speeds, at the PMA Australia 2009 Imaging Technology Show, Sydney, Australia.

The 32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC card adheres to the SD Association’s new Class 10 specification, which exceeds requirement for today’s high definition (AVCHD) video recording.

The card offers a sustained write speed fast enough to ensure highdefinition video recording and capacity capable of storing 160 minutes of full HD 1920-by-1080 pixels at 24Mb/s data transfer rate. The cards will ship worldwide to major retailers soon.

18

Smart Photography August 2009

NEWS WATCH

COSINA REVIVES CLASSICAL LENS SNIPPETS KODAK RETIRES KODACHROME FILM Kodak announced that it will retire Kodachrome Color Film this year, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon. Sales of Kodachrome Film, which became the world’s first commercially successful color film in 1935, have declined dramatically in recent years as photographers turned to newer Kodak Films or to the digital imaging technologies that Kodak pioneered. Today, Kodachrome Film represents just a fraction of one percent of Kodak’s total sales of still-picture films.

NIKON IS OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE 13TH FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Nikon announced its official partnership with the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) at the 13th FINA World Championships that was held from July 17 to August 2, 2009 in Rome, Italy. This will be the third major event that Nikon has partnered with FINA.

SIGMA EXPANDS LENS AVAILABILITY The Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM super-wide angle lens announced by Sigma at PMA 2009, is scheduled for availability soon in Sigma, Pentax and Sony mounts. It had been earlier available in Canon and Nikon mounts. The lens incorporates two Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) glass elements, combined with a Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass element, along with four aspherical lenses.

SIGMA DEBUTS NEW APS-C WIDEANGLE ZOOM LENS Sigma, the lens maker, announced a new super wideangle zoom lens for APS-C format cameras 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM. The zoom lens is priced at $990. The lens retains F3.5 aperture throughout the entire zooming range and the angle of view of 102.4 degrees expresses impressive perspectives. The lens adopts 2 ELD (Extra Low Dispersion elements and an SLD (Special Low Dispersion) element in its 13-in-10 construction to minimize color aberrations and 4 aspherical elements to correct distortions.

FUJIFILM TO HOST FIRST EVER UNDERWATER PHOTO FESTIVAL Fujifilm UK announced their first ever underwater photo festival; ScubaSnap Weekend 2009. The festival will take place in Looe, Cornwall from September 12-13, and is guaranteed to be a weekend of diving and underwater photography in the surroundings of the Cornish coast and countryside. In association with local dive operators Looe Divers, the weekend will include shore diving, photographic tuition and seminars from industry experts such as Mat Trim of Fujifilm and Maria Munn of Ocean Visions, photo competitions, with some fabulous prizes to be won, and a dinner dive and BBQ in the evening. ScubaSnap Weekend 2009 is open to divers of all levels, but if diving doesn’t appeal then snorkellers can take part, too. The only rule is that all photos taken and entered in the competitions must be shot on a compact camera.

20

Smart Photography August 2009

Cosina Camera announced Nokton 50mm f/1.1 fast normal lens to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Bessa models, fully utilizing modern technologies in its 7-in-6 construction to revive the taste of a classical lens. The barrel length is 57.2mm, barrel diameter is 69.6mm, the weight is 428g, filter thread is 58mm. It is priced at $1,315.

SAMSUNG RELEASES SL720 WITH HD VIDEO RECORDING Samsung released the SL720 (PL70 in Europe) digital compact camera with 720p HD video recording. Sporting an 12.2MP sensor, 3 inch LCD, and a 5x image stabilized zoom lens starting at 28mm. It includes the ability to pause and re-record HD movie clips and has an HDMI connector. It is priced at £199 and will be available soon.

HP INTRODUCES A WEB-CONNECTED PRINTER HP announced a web-connected printer optimized for single-use prints such as coupons, maps, or movie tickets— letting the end-user pull personally selected content from the web to print it when needed.

COSINA ANNOUNCES F & K ADAPTER FOR MICRO FOUR THIRDS Cosina announced Voigtländer-branded adapters to connect F and K mount lenses with Micro Four Thirds camera bodies.

The adapters are designed for Voigtländer and Carl Zeiss lenses with Nikon F or Pentax K mounts. They provide only a mechanical connection between the lens and body, so only lenses with a manual aperture ring will be compatible.

SIGMA UNVEILS OPTICALLY STABILIZED LENS FOR PENTAX AND SONY D-SLRS Sigma announced the availability of its 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM lens for Pentax and Sony mounts. The 18250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM extended range zoom lens incorporates Sigma’s Hybrid Optical Stabilizer, an anti-shake system allowing users to choose between image stabilization in either the camera body or the viewfinder. This DC lens is a dedicated D-SLR camera lens suited for APS-C format, and incorporates Hyper Sonic Motor functionality to ensure quiet and high speed auto focus. The lens has 13.8 times zoom ratio capabilities, making it ideal for close-up photography for digital SLRs. The 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM, which recently received the award of Best Entry Level Lens by Technical Image Press Association, is currently available for Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Pentax mounts. It is priced at $800.

PANASONIC HONORS WINNERS OF KID WITNESS NEWS GLOBAL CONTEST 2009 Panasonic held the Awards Ceremony for the Kid Witness News Global Contest 2009 at Panasonic Center Tokyo to recognize outstanding videos created by children in the world. Among the six finalist videos from six countries, Poland’s Public Secondary School in Jerzmanowa won the Grand Prix for “Dirty Work—The World Seen through Garbage Collecting.”

NEWS WATCH

Business SNIPPETS HP EXECUTIVE VP VYOMESH JOSHI RECEIVES HONOR HP announced that Vyomesh Joshi, executive Vice President of the HP Imaging and Printing Group, was presented with the 2009 Prism Award.

Presented annually by New York University, the Prism Award recognizes distinguished leadership in the graphic arts and communications industry. Sponsored by NYU’s Master of Arts in Graphic Communications Management and Technology Programme, the 2009 Prism Award was presented to Joshi during the 24th Annual Prism Award Luncheon in New York City recently.

KODAK ELECTS JOEL SELIGMAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kodak announced that Joel Seligman, the President of the University of Rochester, was named to the company’s board of directors.

Seligman became the 10th president of the University of Rochester in December 2004.

PRESIDENT OF NIKON GERMANY MOVES TO EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS Koichiro Yamada, President and CEO of Nikon’s German company Nikon GmbH, Duesseldorf, has moved to the company’s European Headquarters in Amsterdam. Effective July 1, 2009, he takes over as senior General Manager Sales, Marketing and Service of Nikon Europe.

22

Smart Photography August 2009

PMA REPORT REVEALS INCREASE IN DIGITAL CAMERA PENETRATION PMA through its cooperative relationship with the Photo Imaging Council of Australia (PICA), announced the release of the Consumer Imaging in Australia 2009 report and providing it to retailers and photo labs along with the key industry trends. According to the report derived from a survey of 1,500 Australian households conducted in March and April 2009, and it also includes an insight regarding consumer ownership and usage of digital cameras and camera phones. In Australia, 73 percent of households already

HP TO DELIVER PRINT-ONDEMAND SERVICE FOR SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT HP launched a print-on-demand service for Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) gamers playing games from Sony Online Entertainment. The HP print-on-demand technology will allow players to view, create, and purchase custom prints of classic characters, imagery, and scenes from SOE’s various fantasy worlds, games, and artists.

The service may be launched later this year in EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Free Realms.

NEW COMPANY TO DEVELOP FUTURE NIKON FIRMWARE Firmware development for all Nikon digital cameras and interchangeable lenses will now be undertaken by a new company named Nikon Imaging Systems. The new company is a JV between Fujitsu Broad Solution & Consulting and Nikon Systems, (a subsidiary of Nikon Corp). The initial investment will be around $1m and the company will employ 100 people. Seventy percent of the initial $989,000 capital and 4 board members will come from Nikon Systems with one board member and the remaining 30 percent of the investment coming from Fujitsu BSC. The new company will begin operations shortly.

NORITSU KOKI POSTS PROFIT LOSS ON DECLINED SALES Noritsu Koki announced that its consolidated sales for the fiscal ended

own digital cameras. Camera phone adoption is in the advanced stages as well with 73 percent of households owning at least one unit, up from 66 percent in 2008.

The report also examines how consumers use and store digital images, including the percentage of users making prints and their preferred printing methods. Consumer Imaging in Australia 2009 also provides some insight into the quickly evolving market for photo-publishing products, such as photo books, cards, and other customized products. in March 2009 plunged 27.5 percent to $454.3 million, causing losses in operation, before-tax and net loss at $18.6 million, $11.7 million, and $38.6 million, respectively. The company cited unfavorable sales of minilab systems at home, and abroad was the main reason for the operational profit loss. It listed huge loss of $4.05 million occurred at terminating its Spanish agent contract and some losses in liquidating a Chinese unit.

Minilab systems sales notched down 27 percent to $285 million, options and spare parts down 39 percent to $83.4 million, others down 12 percent to $85.9 million. Minilab sales at home came to $24.1 million, a 7 percent fall, while those at abroad plunged 29 percent to $260.9 million. The company expects that in the current fiscal term the total sales will further plunge to $377.7 million, with minilab systems expecting 24 percent decline to $215.9 million.

OLYMPUS TO MARKET PEN E-P1 MICRO FOUR THIRDS D-CAM Olympus announced PEN E-P1, a new Micro Four Thirds D-cam that can use interchangeable lenses of the relative mount. Four Thirds lenses and Olympus OM lenses may be used with an adapter. Olympus and Panasonic jointly developed the Micro Four Thirds standard and Panasonic is selling Lumix G1 and GH1 models of the standard.

NEWS WATCH

2009 IEEE ROBERT N. NOYCE MEDAL FOR SANDISK CEO Eli Harari, co-founder, chairman and CEO of SanDisk, received the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal at the IEEE Honors Ceremony recently in Los Angeles.

IEEE is a global professional association for the advancement of technology. The award recognizes Harari’s innovation of flash memory technology, contribution to the proliferation of flash memory devices, and visionary leadership

HOYA EXPECTS $105-137 MILLION SAVING FROM RESTRUCTURING IN FY09-10 Hoya expects to save 10-13 billion yen ($100-130 mn) fixed costs from its ongoing restructuring measures during the current fiscal through March 2010. Last fiscal, Hoya moved its digital camera production operations in Japan to the Philippines and elsewhere, and withdrew from the crystal glass business. These measures are expected to help the company save 7-10 billion yen ($70-100 mn) in personnel costs this fiscal.

Before the end of its FY08-09, Hoya had written down 30.5 billion yen ($305 mn) of the roughly 45 billion yen ($450 mn) in goodwill following the acquisition of Pentax, which is expected to lower Hoya’s goodwill amortization burden by about 3 billion yen ($30 mn).

IN-STAT REPORT STATES DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME MARKET WILL GROW In-Stat reports that the market for digital photo frames has taken-off, especially when prices became affordable in the first half of 2009. According to PMA Marketing Research, 22 percent of the US households owned a digital photo frame in 2008, doubling from the previous year. The majority of units shipped still lack refined features such as wireless connectivity to the Internet. However, wireless-enabled photo frames are a key growth driver as they will grow at twice the rate of overall digital photo frames in 2010. Research from In-Stat indicates worldwide unit shipments of all digital photo frames are expected to reach 50 million by 2013.

within the semiconductor industry. Harari, along with his colleagues Sanjay Mehrotra, president and COO, and Jack Yuan, founded SanDisk in 1988. Their vision was to create a revolutionary, low cost storage technology based on new flash semiconductor memory that would replace film, magnetic tape and rotating magnetic disk drives and enable new large consumer markets. SanDisk has grown into one of the global leader in flash memory cards, with total revenues in excess of $3.35 billion in 2008, selling consumer flash memory products at more than 240,000 retail outlets worldwide.

SEIKO EPSON TO TRANSFER TFT LCD PANEL OPERATIONS TO SONY Seiko Epson will transfer its small- and midsize TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD operations to Sony at no charge, in a bid to strengthen the business under the Sony umbrella. The transfer will be carried out in two steps. At first, subsidiary Epson Imaging Devices will transfer sales staffs to Sony and Sony Mobile Display by the end of September this year.

Manufacturing facilities & patents, and other intellectual properties except for those of high-temperature polysilicon TFT LCDs as well as personnel involved in development, designing, and manufacturing operations will be transferred by the end of March 2010 on loan.

According to Epson and Sony, the deal will have limited impact on the two firms’ fiscal 2009 earning outlooks, but the transfer will bring certain advantages to Epson in terms of expenses required for withdrawal from the business that is unprofitable to Epson, while Sony will benefit from related patents and intellectual property rights. As for lowtemperature TFT LCDs, Epson will study the matter in or after 2010, but inform sources say that the probability of similar disposition by Epson is high. When the complete integration is achieved, the combined share of Epson currently ranked sixth with a 6.5 percent share and Sony ranked eighth with a 4.5 percent share in the global small- and mid-size LCD market will become 11.0 percent, after the market leader Sharp with a 20.2 percent share and followed by AU Optoronics of Taiwan (8.8 percent), Hitachi Displays (7.8 percent), and Samsung Electronics (6.9 percent).

PRECISION MAKERS CURTAILING R&D SPENDING IN FY09 Precision equipment makers including Canon and Nikon had been ramping up R&D spending, with outlays touching alltime highs in the financial year 2008. But, most of them are now making sweeping cuts. Canon plans to spend 320 billion yen ($3.37 billion) on R&D in the fiscal ending December, which is a drop of 14 percent and down 30 billion yen ($316 million) from plans at the start of the fiscal.

For the current fiscal ending March 2010, Nikon plans to cut its R&D spending, for the first time since fiscal 1999, by 9 percent to 56 billion yen ($589 million).

While reining in the scope of spending, it will continue to push ahead development in preparation for the economic recovery.

It plans to spend a combined 170 billion yen ($1.79 billion) for R&D through March 2012. However, last year, it had planned to spend 220 billion yen ($2.31 billion) for R&D for the 3-year period through March 2011. Seiko Epson and Hoya plan to trim R&D spending by 1020 percent this fiscal. Konica Minolta has earmarked 75 billion yen ($78.9 million) for R&D for its current fiscal year ending March 2010, but the budget is down 8 percent from fiscal 2008. The decision will mark the first decline since Konica and Minolta merged in 2003. Olympus plans to cut R&D spending 16 percent to 59 billion yen ($62 million), while Ricoh will scale it back by 4 percent to 120 billion yen ($1.26 billion). Efficiency in R&D spending will become the key to further growth.

August 2009 Smart Photography

23

NEWS WATCH

National HARSH WARDHAN WINS TOP HONOR A pediatric surgeon Harsh Wardhan from Delhi won the first prize in non-professional “Nature Sunset” category of the Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3). The image is of a silhouette of a camel, shot at sunset at Jaiselmer, India. The “Prix de la Photographie, Paris” strives to promote the appreciation of photography, and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are displayed in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book.

TAMRON INAUGURATES ITS INDIA LIAISON OFFICE IN DELHI Onuma, Section Manager, Overseas Imaging Business Unit, Hidehiko Suzuki, Group Manager, Overseas Imaging Business Unit, Tomoaki Tsunoyama, Section Manager, Industrial Optics Business Unit, from Tamron Japan. Nitin Goel, General Manager, Tamron India, was introduced and his mandate is to not only oversee the Indian operations, but also to steer the success story of the brand in the country.

Morio Ono President & CEO, Tamron, Japan (C) lighting the lamp flanked on (L) Tasushi Miki (Bank of Tokyo), Shiro Ajisaka, Senior executive officer, Tamron Overseas Business unit and on (R) Yogesh B Dutta and Vijay Kumar (in suit)

The success story of India’s emergence as one of the leading Asian economies after China has made Imaging majors to relook at India in a big way. And following the success story of international camera majors in the country, it was the turn of the lens vendors and Tamron was the first to jump the bandwagon by setting up its India Liaison Office in Delhi recently.

A high-profile delegation from Tamron, Japan, headed

by Morio Ono, President and CEO Tamron, Japan, was personally present to flag off the event. Besides, the others who were part of the high-profile delegation, included the likes of Shiro Ajisaka, Senior Executive Officer and General Manager, Overseas Imaging Products Business Unit, Kenji Nakagawa, Sales Manager, Overseas Business Unit, Akiko

24

Smart Photography August 2009

Morio Ono said that the Indian economy with the emergence of the various industrial and corporate multinationals, have made a significant contribution to the global economy. There is no doubt that the Indian market will not only sustain its growth curve, but also enlarge is domain in the near future as one of leading markets in Asia and the world at large. “I believe that the emerging industries, particularly represented by the I.T. majors, who have been the engine of growth of the Indian economy, will spur the other industries to move ahead and continue the success story in the near future.”

Ono said, “We were focused on understanding India in the first place and secondly, the Indian market as a whole. And its a matter of great pride that we arrived at a decision to expand our business into India, after our assessment and we are indeed honored to be not only here, but also in opening our Indian operations. We regard BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China market) to be the most important market of the future.”

The firm is currently focused on increasing its global market share.

It plans to start with enhancing brand’s identity in the Indian market and thereafter aim to gain as many dedicated Tamron users as possible. With the commission of the India liaison office, under Goel, it will largely play the role to transmit the information from Tamron and gathering local market information.

NEWS WATCH

CANONIZING CHILDREN IN SUMMER HOLIDAYS Canon India organized an exhibition of photographs clicked by young children during the Canon Summer workshop recently. The Photography workshops were held in Maple Bear and Sanskriti School of art & dance for the benefit of children of these schools. Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India inaugurated the exhibition at the Canon Image Lounge, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon. This workshop aimed at familiarizing children with the cutting edge technologies of today’s day and age, along with imparting education on photography.

Amitabha Bhattacharya, a professional photographer and a member of the Canon Edge Program conducted the Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India, with the students and principal of the school, at workshop at both the schools for about The Canon Summer Workshop in Gurgaon 15 days. The photographs displayed were clicked by children of the age group of 3-15 years. The exhibition saw the display photographs after experimenting with light, still of the entire range of photographs that were taken objects, moving objects, and understanding the basics of photography. by about 50 children. Children clicked these

HEWLETT PACKARD INDIA AND GLO COLOR LAB CONDUCT WORKSHOP FOR PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS IN SOUTH INDIA Hewlett Packard (a Imaging and Printing major) hosted a day long workshop at the IMA Hall in Coimbatore, in association with GLO Colo Lab, to equip the regions professional wedding photographers with the latest tools that could broaden the nature and scope of their creativity. According to estimates over 6 million weddings take place every year in the county and with infinite powers of digital and its emerging technologies, there is a significant potential for the photographic community to seize the opportunity. The event saw more than 250 photographers from region turning up. On the occasion HP and GLO introduced 12 different products from photo books to printing on different media, was unveiled for the benefit of the photographic community.

GLO Digital Color Lab in Tamil Nadu were the first to introduce the digital machines in the country, and also the first to launch the HP Indigo digital presses in the South. Currently, GLO has installed two Indigo presses at Chennai and one at Coimbatore, with another installation likely to happen in Madurai shortly.

The seminar cum workshop was an attempt by GLO and HP to educate the photographers to enlarge their share of the pie by printing their services on Indigo machines. In fact, by printing their requirements on digital presses the photographers could gradually hope to reduce their overheads by 30 percent from that of the conventional printing prices.

The trends in Silver Halide technology is declining by 30 to 40 percent year on year. While the Indian Imaging is growing

(L-R) Santosh Nair (Redington), Ramanan (GLO Digital), Ramani Viswanathan, and Appadurai A (Hewlett Packard) looking at the newly launched products

at 3 percent year on year, HP is growing at 72 percent CAG. Industry estimates reveal that there are 6 million weddings taking place in India in a year, and on an average Rs.4000 to Rs.12,000 is spent on making wedding photographs. This is the potential that HP is trying to impress upon through the seminars that printing on HP Indigo is ideal for commercial printers wanting to transform their output to high quality digital color printing. Speaking on the partnership, Ramani Viswanathan, Country Manager, HP Indigo Digital Press division, Graphic Solutions business, HP India Sales said, “We are extremely proud to have partnered with the pioneer in the photo processing business in the region.”

August 2009 Smart Photography

25

NEWS WATCH

Exhibitions A MILL BY THE SEA

FACE UP

Pallon Daruwala, brought back the memories of one-time flourishing mill known as Mukeah Textile Mills, which unfortunately, was ravaged by fire in 1982. “A Mill by the Sea” exhibition was held at the Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai from July 9-25. Daruwala made a beautiful attempt to capture the burnt-down structure and portray beautifully composed images.

Anna Fox and Sunil Gupta are contemporary photographers. This genre of photography has always been a challenge. In much of their work they use a very controlled approach in order to explore and extend their radical ideas, revealing aspects of life that normally remain concealed. “Face Up” suggests facing up to truths or a sense of landing upright in the right place. Tasveer presents the exhibition at Tasveer Art Gallery, Sua House, Bangalore and it will be on till August 10.

HORIZON The panorama view of Ladakh, Ajanta Ellora and many more beautiful places on earth have been captured through the lens of Dolly Kabaria.

She recently held a solo exhibition of her collection at Balgandharva Art Gallery, Pune.

The exhibition ‘Horizon’ provides a magnificent impression of landscape, cityscape, architecture, and interiors. The images displayed at the exhibition were her collection over a period of three years.

26

Smart Photography August 2009

NEWS WATCH

CTRL+ALT+DEL

CLOSEUP INDIA

Being a woman in Iran is hard, and working as a woman photographer is even harder, believes photographer Shadi Ghadirian. Her work is intimately linked to her identity as a Muslim woman living in Iran. Nonetheless, her art also deals with issues relevant to women living in other parts of the world. She questions the role of women in society and explores ideas of censorship, religion, modernity, and the status of women. The exhibition was on various themes —Qajar, Out Of Focus, West By East, Like Everyday, My Press Photo, be Colorful, Ctrl+Alt+Del. This exhibition was presented by Tasveer at ICIA Art Gallery, Mumbai recently.

Closeup India, an exhibition by photographer Sanjay Das explores the lyrical quality of life in India in a very close frame. This show explores the spirit of India in an abstract manner. The images are from different parts of India, depicting life, spirit and the pulse of this country.

The images make a social statement of the way; life continues its journey in different parts of India. As a photographer, Das has tried to portray the essence of this magical land, from capturing the space, vastness, the pulsating vibrations, and journey of life.

The exhibition will be is held from August 14 - 23, at Shridharni, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi and from September 13 - 23, at Open Palm court, India Habitat Center, New Delhi.

THE MYSTIQUE WORLD

INCREDIBLE INDIA

Beyond the easily visible world there lies a new vision and a new vista enfolds, by magnifying objects through lens of a microscope. Plants and animal tissue, rust on old metals, wood, fabric, paper are all transformed into a mystique form.

This photomicrographs exhibition is on images taken using a microscope was displayed by photographer Anirudha Cheolkar and Pratap Paralkar, at the Photographic Society of India, Mumbai recently.

The Photographic Society of Madras announces the ‘All India Salon of Photography, 2009’, which will be conducted from August 18-23, 2009 at the Lalit Kala Academi, Chennai to coincide with the World Photography Day on August 19. This year, the theme is ‘Incredible India’ under which there are 6 sections—Flora & Fauna, Streets at Night, Water, Emotions, Monochromes, and Temples of India. For further details visit the website— www.photomadras.org.

August 2009 Smart Photography

27

Industry Opinion comprehensive support, training and foundation program to ensure the brand’s success.

Hans Smarius, Vice President, International Sales, Tamrac Inc.

T

he transition to digital has had a major influence on the design element in camera bag manufacturing, with both backpacks and shoulder-bags incorporating slots for laptop computers and other dedicated pocket systems for memory cards. In fact, the basic camera bag architecture has been radically rearranged in order to provide speedier access to the photographer to reach out for his gear.

It goes without saying that for over 30 years, Tamrac has redefined the art of workmanship and product engineering in camera bag technology and has built a reputation for quality with both amateurs and professional photographers the world over and in India it’s no different.

With diverse portfolio of carrying solutions, the company hopes to usher in not only unmatched innovation in design, but also to provide the user fast access to camera equipment to capture the spontaneous wildlife pictures.

With a view to understand the diverse Indian market and its complexities, Hans Smarius, Vice President, International Sales, Tamrac, visited the country recently to unveil a

28

Smart Photography August 2009

Speed and accessibility are of top priority while designing camera bags, however what are the safety measures that you have put into place in your product lines to protect expensive photo equipment?

For over thirty years, Tamrac has built its reputation based on workmanship and product quality of the highest order by simply combining the very best of sewing and product engineering in its camera bag portfolio. We only use highquality nylon coil zippers in our bag family of products and our speed packs are bundled with the dual access system in order to pull out the equipment spontaneously. In addition, the speed packs are bundled with an additional option, which enables access to the equipment from the sideways as well. This innovation in designing ensures protection to the equipment from falling over while accessing them sideways. Likewise, the inner portion of the camera bags are smooth, weatherproof, and made of lightweight nylon that does not collect dust, which is paramount in photography.

In fact, the bags are designed to withstand shocks and vibrations thanks to the usage of closed-cell foam materials.

The obvious question then is why has it taken so long for Tamrac to enter the Indian market and how do you propose to beat the challenges from the likes of your other esteemed rivals and

also the indigenous bag manufacturers?

It’s important to understand that our commitment to India is quite unique. This is because we believe in doing things in a more methodical way than the others. Tamrac is a US-based company, which is headquartered in California. It goes without saying that even though the brand is strong across Europe, Asia continues to trail other markets in comparison. However, Japan stands out as a strategic market in Asia, with China and India likely to emerge as the market of the future. In the last couple of years, Tamrac’s distribution architecture has remarkably shot up from 42 countries to the present strength of 72 countries. While competitors like Lowepro have already outsourced their business to Asia to take advantage of the production cost, we were definitely late to the party.

But with our Asian operations gathering momentum, we too have relocated our production to China to not only compete, but also keep pace with the others.

Importantly, we took the right decision to set up the Indian distribution operation keeping in mind the transition of the Indian market from analog to digital. Even though the Indian market is a traditional one, but it goes without saying that the Indian customers are really quality conscious. This is one of the biggest challenges that we hope to adhere in our product lines for the company believes in having a long-term commitment in India.

Given the fact that Tamrac products are

designed keeping in mind the growing demand of professionals for stocking additional accessories.

But in a price-sensitive market like India, how would you reconcile quality and price to lure the Indian customers.

Tamrac targets quality as the prime consideration in its product lines and manufactures a wide variety of camera bags in different categories. With more than 250 different models targeted from professionals to beginners worldwide, the company’s portfolio is easily one of the largest in business. However, it’s important to understand that our brand image commands a premium and essentially we are not a lowend brand per se. Nonetheless, we don’t wish to compete with low-end products in terms of quality, performance, comfort, functionality and the same applies to India as well.

What are the guarantees/ warranties that you offer in your products in India?

In case of mechanical issues, Tamrac only uses high-quality, self-healing nylon coil zippers in all its products, while the Zip Clip zipper is bundled for convenient sideway access.

Although the company’s production facilities are located in California, (United States) and in China, but the products are designed keeping in mind stringent quality control measures.

For that matter, we offer a comprehensive five years warranty on our products and this applies to India as well.

Mathew Thottungal

1

ST

e Pr iz Z980

nd

2 e Pr iz Z915

al zoom X optic 0 1 , P 10M

ic 4X opt 12MP, 2

al zoom

rd

3

e Pr iz M381

X op 12MP, 5

tical zo

om

RULES & REGULATIONS 1. The competition is open to residents only within India.

2. Entries should be accompanied with complete details mentioned in the form attached below.

3. The maximum number of entries per form is limited to four.

4. Each entry shall have the photographer’s name, postal address, e-mail address and telephone number clearly mentioned on the reverse side.

5. Prints should be unmounted and should not be smaller than 8x10-inches or larger than 10x12-inches. Prints can be on glossy or matte paper. Alternately entries may be sent via email at sphoto.india@gmail.com and not on sp@nextgenpublishing.net id. The file size should not exceed two(2) MB per image, along with details mentioned in rule 4.

8. Entries should be the work of the photographer. Smart Photography and Kodak can not be held responsible for copyright violation, malpractice, misrepresentation made by any of the entrants to the contest.

9. The decision of the judges appointed by Smart Photography shall be final and no correspondence will be permitted in this regard.

10. Please mention Kodak-Smart Photography “Candid Moments Contest” on the envelope / Subject line (in case of email entries) .

11. Last date for submission of entries: August 31st, 2009.

12. Employees & their immediate relatives of Next Gen Publishing Ltd. And Kodak India Ltd. are not allowed to participate.

6. Digital files can be sent on CDs/DVDs in a JPEG format at a resolution of 300ppi for the intended image size. Please mention details as requested in rule # 5.

13. Database generated from the entries can be used for promotional purposes by Next Gen Publishing Limited Or Kodak India Ltd.

7. Entries will not be returned. Smart Photography may use any image for noncommercial purposes, giving due credit to the photographer, for any of its print and online products. No payment shall be made in such cases.

14. Any action arising out of or relating to these terms shall be filed only in Mumbai Jurisdiction.

Entry Coupon

Entry Coupon

KODAK / Smart Photography “Candid Moments Contest”, Khatau House, 2nd Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016.

Name: Address:

KODAK / Smart Photography “Candid Moments Contest”, Khatau House, 2nd Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016.

Name: Address:

E-mail: Tel. / Mobile phone: Camera: Caption: Exposure:

E-mail: Tel. / Mobile phone: Camera: Caption: Exposure:

Lens:

Lens:

Entry Coupon

Entry Coupon

KODAK / Smart Photography “Candid Moments Contest”, Khatau House, 2nd Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016.

Name: Address:

KODAK / Smart Photography “Candid Moments Contest”, Khatau House, 2nd Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016.

Name: Address:

E-mail: Tel. / Mobile phone: Camera: Caption: Exposure:

E-mail: Tel. / Mobile phone: Camera: Caption: Exposure:

Lens:

Lens:

Kaleidoscope Finally, a platform for all photographers to exhibit their talent and GET NOTICED! The Bridge In Between Camera : Nikon D200 Shutter speed : 1/125sec Sensitivity : ISO 500 Aperture: f/5.6

A CLASS APART Born in Mumbai (India), Gaurav grew up dreaming, digesting, and living out loud the fashion pages of Vogue. Seven years of relentless perseverance and dedication have made Gaurav. C. Bhat one of the most sought after photographers in the country.

His attention for detail and stylized simplicity, have helped him carve a niche for himself.

Be it a celebrity makeover or intricate detailing of a drape, he takes pride in capturing every moment with ease. Gaurav offers a plethora of creative solutions for all kinds of photography demands.

For everyone who thought a picture was a still image, wait until you delve into Gaurav’s new line up of images, which he calls “MOMENTS”.

32

Smart Photography August 2009

Arri—The Machine Camera : Nikon D200 Shutter speed : 1/125sec Sensitivity : ISO 500 Aperture: f/5.6

August 2009 Smart Photography

33

KALEIDOSCOPE

1

2

3

1. Dream Yacht Camera: Canon EOS 5D Sensitivity: ISO 160 Shutter Speed: 1/800sec Aperture: f/5.6

2. Ultimate Drive in 4x4 Camera: Canon EOS 5D Sensitivity: ISO 400 Shutter Speed: 1/125sec Aperture: f/8

3. Piper’s Magic Camera: Canon EOS 5D Sensitivity: ISO 160 Shutter Speed: 1/200sec Aperture : f/11.5

4. Adam—Innocent Heart Camera: Canon EOS 5D Sensitivity: ISO 500 Shutter Speed: 1/100sec Aperture: f/4.5

5. Man in Disguise Camera: Canon EOS 5D Sensitivity: ISO 320 Shutter Speed: 1/60sec Aperture: f/4.0

4

5

Get featured & win an Epson PictureMate PM215, Worth over Rs.9,999/Absolutely free!

CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS! Kaleidoscope is the perfect way to jump-start your career... So simply send us a selection of your images along with full details of your vision and the technical information at sp@nextgenpublishing.net. We accept both film and digital images.

August 2009 Smart Photography

35

If I were You

E-mail your images at sp@nextgenpublishing.net

Original Image

Picture info Camera: Canon EOS 20D Exposure mode: Shutter Priority Shutter speed: 1/320sec Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 100

THE FISHERMAN Reader Arun Patnaik has sent us this photo of what appears to be a local fisherman in a small canoe against the backdrop of a waterfall. The picture is very nice and I can actually visualize myself sitting in the boat along with the fisherman. What makes this picture lovable? Could this picture be improved? What would I have done if I were you?

Edited Image

In any picture, the ‘content’ of the picture is most important.

Arun has managed to capture a beautiful part of nature. There is nothing disturbing in the background, and there being no other eye-catching element in the foreground except for the boat and man, our eye ‘catches’ it first for a moment, and then takes you to the waterfall which is lighter in tone. The eye then ‘lockson’ to the lighter-toned waterfall. The shutter speed used here (1/320sec) seems most appropriate for this shot as the flowing water feels ‘live’.

Arun has taken a lot of care to present the picture. Observe the delicate white frame around the little broader black surround.

This is further strengthened the picture. Good show, Arun!

What about Arun’s composition? Personally, I would have waited for the boat to drift a bit more to the left. Secondly, if I were in Arun’s place, I would have taken care to see that the line where the water and rocks meet, does not pass through the boatman’s head. (I am reasonably sure that Arun has shot the picture from another boat. He should have raised himself up by a few inches before taking the shot; that would have ensured what I have just mentioned).

36

Smart Photography August 2009

Now on to the post processing. I felt that the water was a bit too light in tone. So, in Photoshop, I selected the water and toned it down a bit. When I did that, the water at the far edge appeared too dark and hence unnatural. Hence, using a soft-edged brush, I evened out the tones. While darkening the water, the man and the boat also got darker. Again, using the brush, I brought back the man and his boat to the original tones. The next step was to put in some ‘punch’ to the waterfall. I selected the rocks and the waterfall, applied ‘feathering’ of 100 pixels, and then slightly increased the contrast in Curves, taking care not to burn out the highlights. The differences might be subtle, but important.

IF I WERE YOU

Our Imaging Expert

Rohinton Mehta, Technical Editor, Smart Photography

No one can take a picture that everyone likes. But, almost every picture can have a scope of improvement. Many-a-times, we are blind to our own faults, while others can immediately point them out. In If I were you, our expert comments on how your pictures could be taken to another level.

Original Image

Edited Image

EARLY MORNING Reader Brahma Prasad is very new to photography. He says, “I must confess that I do not remember most of the things I read in the magazine, however, I try my best to get a good shot every time I click the shutter button so that I can live up to my audience’s expectations”.

Well, Brahma, I have a small suggestion for you.

Instead of trying to “live upto your audience’s expectations every time you press the shutter release button”, try to enjoy the experience instead. As a beginner, you are not expected to produce great shots (if you do, great), but the competitive spirit—the pressure of creating a good shot every time—can bog you down. So, relax.

Here is another tip for you. The human eye can see detail in strong highlights as well as in deep shadows at the same time. Films/sensors cannot. The early morning scene that you have photographed has lost all detail in the darker

areas. I tried to ‘open up’ the shadows, but since there was no detail in those areas to start with, the experiment failed.

I also felt that the bright reflection of the sun in the water did not help in any way. In fact, it causes a secondary point of interest (The guidelines to composition says that there should be one principle point of interest and everything else should be subservient to it).

Picture info Camera: Canon EOS 450D Lens: 75-300mm USM Shutter speed: 1/500sec Aperture: f/9.5 ISO: 100

With that in mind, I have cropped the picture. I also lightened the picture slightly.

August 2009 Smart Photography

37

IF I WERE YOU

Original Image

Edited Image

Picture info Camera: Nikon D300 Lens: Nikon 18-200mm VR Shutter Speed: 1/200sec Aperture: f/9 ISO: 200

A RUSTIC SCENE Reader Sacha Greenwood from Coorg (South Karnataka) has sent us this rustic scene. It’s quite different from the type of pictures we normally get for this column. I like the picture.

Why? I don’t know. May be because I am a nature lover and love the greenery.

The picture appears to have been taken during the rainy season as can be seen from the darker clouds. A patch of sunlight creeping through the clouds seems to have put on a searchlight kind of effect in the mid foreground. The large tree to the left and the cycle to the right balance each

other. Could this picture be improved? What would I have done if I were you?

If I were you, I would have tried taking the shot form a slightly higher viewpoint (not always possible!). This would have shown more of the mid ground area and thus

created more visual depth.

In Photoshop, I would also have done away with the white cement boundary pole, which I find a bit disturbing.

Lastly, I tried darkening the sky a bit more. See which one you like better?

Since the picture has a warm

tone in the foreground, I e-mailed Sacha and asked him whether he had used a warming filter in Photoshop, and then cleared away the warm tone from the sky.

His reply was that he used a ‘Shade’ preset White Balance, which has given the warm tone.

A note to our readers: Kindly ensure that you mention your name, make and model of the Camera, Shutter Speed, Aperture, White Balance, as well as the ISO. Failing this, we shall not accept your entry for this column.

38

Smart Photography August 2009

Ask Uncle Did you know... Ronnie has over 30 years of experience in photography?

In fact, he has taught several thousand photo-enthusiasts in various institutions and through workshops, as well as judged many national and international photo contests, including the prestigious International Photo Contest held at Colombo, Sri Lanka. So, if you have any photo-queries, whether conventional or digital, don’t hesitate. Just go ahead and Ask Uncle Ronnie at sp@nextgenpublishing.net, ‘cause he knows it all!

Levels or Curves?

I have often seen that you advice the use of Levels in Photoshop, instead of Curves. I have read that most professional Photoshop users opt for Curves rather than Levels. Why do you advocate Levels?

Rashid R, Bangalore I answered a similar question some time back.

‘Levels’ and ‘Curves’ both can do the same thing (basically, adjust contrast and/or color). The Curves tool offers greater control and accuracy, but at the same time, is not so easy to use as the Levels tool. It is not that I never use or advocate Curves; it’s just that, for beginners, Levels is easier to use.

Having said that, Levels, by itself, is a very powerful tool—something that most Photoshop users do not realize. It is definitely under-rated and made out considered to be inferior to Curves. Most users, unfortunately, know only to adjust the black and the white sliders and they think that’s all there is to it.

But there’s much more to it than that. When you use levels, always try adjusting the middle slider. Moving it to the left will lighten the mid-tones. Moving it to the right will darken them. If you are not happy with the adjustment, simply bring back the slider to its original position. I agree that Curves is more powerful, if I may put it that way, but Levels is no kid-stuff. 80 percent of time, Levels provides me the control I require! Curves allows me greater control over a localized area though.

40

Smart Photography August 2009

ASK UNCLE RONNIE

Canon 5D Mark II or Nikon D700?

I run a studio. I have Nikon D90 and D80 cameras, which I want to upgrade. I am confused between the Nikon D700 & Canon 5D Mark II, though I always have been a Nikon user since the film days.

I can still switch to Canon if I feel the camera is good. I Canon 5D Mark II do have a 24-120mm Nikon lens, which I can use if I buy the D700, but with Canon, I would have to opt for the 24-105mm lens, which I think is good for my work as my studio is small. I Nikon D700 have tested both the cameras and they are good. So I am confused.

Secondly, what kind of lens, lights, and flash should I use in wedding photography, specially group photos?

When photographing on stage, I am not getting the desired results—the photos are dull and there is insufficient light. Finally, my Nikon SB 900 flashgun stops working after it gets warm and takes about 10 minutes to cool down and start working again. Please help.

Indraneel Bose, Dhamtari (c.g.)

Color Chart Could you please elucidate the significance of “Color Accuracy” charts, which appear in SP’s camera reviews.

(The ones that look like a shot of “Rubik’s Cube”.) These colored squares have always intrigued me. How should one read or interpret these in relation to the specific camera model that is under review.

Suresh Mehta, Canada The color chart that you are referring to is the Gretag Macbeth Color Checker. The inclusion of the chart in the reviews allow the reader to get a ‘fair’ idea of the colors reproduced by the

Your question is good enough to start World War III . Even then, this is a logical question in most photographers’ minds.

Let me start by saying that both the cameras are of exceptional quality and really you cannot go wrong with either. At its best quality (JPEG image), the 5D Mark II will provide you with 60.2MB file; the D700, 34.5MB. The native image size for the Canon is 12.48x18.72 inches, while the Nikon produces 9.44x14.18 inch images.

It is possible for the Canon to provide you with slightly sharper images due to its larger file size. If your final images are small, you will not notice any sharpness differences, but at higher enlargements, it may be noticeable. I wish you had mentioned the approximate sizes of pictures you normally make. If your images need to be small, you will have to downsize every image from the Canon camera. This can be perceived as a irritant. You might say that you could use the camera at a lower resolution. In that case, why opt for the higher megapixel model? Note also that using the 5D Markk II will fill-up your hard drive much faster (which, considering the ever-dropping prices of hard drives, is not really a big problem). My verdict, in terms of image sharpness, will favor the Canon 5D Mark II. If you wish to shoot at higher ISOs without flash, the lower megapixel Nikon D700 would be a better choice. But as you have mentioned that you run a studio, I take it that you are less likely to shoot at higher ISO sensitivities. Hence, for your kind of work, I feel you would be better off with the Canon.

For group shots in weddings, the 24-105mm f/4 lens that you contemplate buying (if you opt for the Canon) would be a good choice. 24mm with full-frame is wide enough for this purpose. If you opt for the Nikon, I would suggest the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.

For out-of-studio setups (like for the stage shots that you mention), if you can possibly use studio lights, that would be best. If you cannot, then the 580 EX Mark II flashgun (for Canon)/SB 900 for Nikon would be the most powerful dedicated flashguns you could possibly get currently. If your photos are dull, it indicates underexposure. Try using wider apertures or shorter flash-to-subject distances.

Your SB900 stops firing when its internal circuitry starts heating up beyond a certain point. This is not a fault; it is a safety control. camera in question.

There are two caveats though: (1) The reader should have the original Gretag Macbeth chart—which we believe all serious photographers should have; (2) the limitations of printing in a magazine. This is why I said, ‘fair’ idea.

August 2009 Smart Photography

41

ASK UNCLE RONNIE

CCD or CMOS?

other milestone in D-SLR. However, it did not stop here then came D700, D90, and now D5000 with added features. Now we only see the later models in your buyers guide or Nikon ads. There is no mention of D200. Can you please give reason as why D200 has been made obsolete? Is there any basic defect in the model? Nikon, with its policy of introducing new series so frequently to meet competition, sends a wrong signal to serious buyers and also gives rise to some doubts to owners of Prithvi N.Chaudhuri, via email the D200 model about its quality or reliability, which may go against Nikon’s policy.

1. Can you please explain the basic difference between a CCD and CMOS sensor?

2. What difference does it make on photographs taken on a D-SLR having a CMOS sensor over CCD? 3. Does CMOS have a better performance if images are taken on RAW vis-a-vis CCD? 4. What is the best RAW converter you will suggest to suit both CMOS or CCD sensors?.

I shall tell you the differences as they existed in the early stages of development of both the sensors.

Both the sensors have different manufacturing process and the method of ‘reading’ the generated electrical charge varies.

1. CCD High quality, low-noise images

CMOS More susceptible to digital noise

Higher light sensitivity

Light sensitivity is lower

Consumes more battery power

Consumes less battery power

More expensive to manufacture Less expensive Can suffer from ‘Blooming’

Better at capturing highlights

I think that in the early stages of digital imaging, this discussion had some relevance; today, the table seem to have been turned– the top-end D-SLRs of both the leading brands use CMOS! 2. I doubt if anyone can identify whether an image is made using a CCD or CMOS sensor.

3. No. In both the cases, it is better to shoot in RAW. 4. Since I have not used all the RAW Converters available in the market, I cannot really opine. Also, it is very difficult to say which is better, because ‘better’ can be different for different people. For one person, ‘better’ could be saturated colors; for another person, the same colors could appear over saturated. For one person, ‘better’ could mean more contrast; yet for another, the same representation may be considered to be overly contrasty. For one person, increase in ‘noise’ may not be a problem; to another person though, it may be terrible (yes, different RAW converters get you different ‘noise’ levels!). You also have to consider the ease of use of the software. If it is so difficult to use that you avoid using it, then it doesn’t matter how good it is. I use Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) that comes bundled with Photoshop CS3 and I am very happy with it.

A Nikon User Laments

In the year 2007 I bought a Nikon D80, and then replaced it with a D200 assuming that this model is a state-of-the-art D-SLR from Nikon. Within a few months came D300 and it was reviewed by SP as an42

Smart Photography August 2009

PrithviN.Chaudhuri, via email Let me start by saying, no, there has been no basic defect reported in the Nikon D200 per se. The reason why we keep seeing newer models (from all manufacturers) is competition amongst manufacturers. When one manufacturer introduces a new model with some new features, the others don’t want to be left behind (if they do, they are considered to be lacking and not enterprising enough). In one way, this also helps the manufacturers to keep pushing their new models—good for their business!

Obsolescence is a part and parcel of digital engineering. At the same time, we, the users, are also partly responsible for making equipment obsolete. We continuously want newer models (to keep up the neighbor’s envy). The D200 was/is a very successful and very reliable model.

Have you tried out the recent models that you have mentioned?

These newer models have better noise control, better White Balance, and better overall performance, though not better build quality.

HDR or D-Lighting?

I have read about High Dynamic Range photography. But as a newcomer to digital photography, I find it scary to try it out. My camera has D-Lighting. Does it not do the same thing that HDR does?

Gopal Sharma, Trivendrum Not really, though the ideas are similar. When you use DLighting*, the camera underexposes slightly so that the highlights are not burnt out. It then boosts the shadows to compensate. This way, you do not lose out details in highlights and shadows.

With High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography, you basically shoot many frames (minimum three) using different exposures.

For example, the first frame may accurately expose the highlights, the next frame may be adjusted for the mid-tones, while the third frame could be exposed for the shadows. Then, using specialized software, the images are blended together to provide great detail in highlights, mid-tones as well as in the shadows. In short, HDR provides for wider tonality than is possible using D-Lighting. (*Nikon labels it D-Lighting; Canon calls it Highlight Tone Priority; Sony calls it Dynamic Range Optimizer).

Book Review DREAM SAFARI

by DIINESH KUMBLE If you are a nature lover planning to take a memorable photography trip to Africa, then this is ‘the’ book for you.

The book describes Diinesh Kumble’s foray into the exotic wilderness and his first-hand experiences as he ventures into untamed Africa. Diinesh describes a location, and then the behavior of various animals/birds, and the people of the region. As a learning tool, he has also mentioned the equipment used and the exposure given to some of the photos. Each photo is nicely composed and well executed. There are lots of storytelling pictures that say more about the subject than I could describe. Every animal or bird portrayed in the book also has its Latin name mentioned.

Dream Safari is the first of many books on travel and wildlife photography that Diinesh Kumble has plans to bring out. The book is printed on recycled paper on HP Indigo Digital Offset press. Diinesh can be contacted on email:dkumble@krabmedia.com Personally, I would have liked the book to be printed on glossy paper, which would definitely have given a greater impact to the beautiful images.

“D

ream Safari” is a coffee table hard-bound book depicting a pictorial journey through various Parks and Game Reserves in Kenya and Tanzania in Africa. The beautifully bound book is a treasure-trove of wonderful wildlife photographs captured by wildlife photographer Diinesh Kumble, brother of cricketing guru Anil Kumble. Diinesh hails from Bangalore in Karnataka and has a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from the USA. He is not only an excellent photographer, but also a very good writer.

He has described his journey in plain and simple, easyto-understand language. Even if you are not an avid photographer, this book could urge you on a breathtaking trip to view the fantastic wildlife in Africa.

We at Smart Photography congratulate him on this fine work of art and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.

Rohinton Mehta

Price: Rs.2,250/Available in book stores

The 224 page book is divided into two main parts: Maiden Safari and Second Foray. Maiden Safari covers Amboseli National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Masai Mara (in Kenya). The Second Foray takes you to Ngorongoro crater (in Tanzania), Serengeti National Park, and Masai Mara. The book is a learning experience and of great value to those intending to enter the majestic world of wildlife. Photographer or not, you’ll still love the splendor and beauty that the denizens of Africa has to offer.

August 2009 Smart Photography

43

Web Sight www.amateursnapper.com the perfect composition, angle, and light, yet, something may be missing because of which your picture is ruined. Under the section Techniques, there are ‘10 Ways to Digitally Improve Your Photos’, where you get to learn how to give that cutting edge to your picture, and make it worth showing-off!

T

he URL http://www. amateursnapper.com belongs to photographer Pete Williams, who believes that a keen eye and the ability to choose an interesting and unusual shooting angle is more important than the equipment.

This website discusses photography tips and tricks, and offers tutorials.

The URL opens up an uncluttered and easy-to-browse homepage, that introduces you to Pete Williams and 17 categories such as Abstract and Surreal, Animals and Nature, Architecture, Black and White, Macro and Close-up, Travel, Digital Editing, Techniques etc, where the website provides you short, but very important tips on ideation, experimentation, composition, lighting, techniques, rules, little bit of Photoshop, and much more.

Click on any category and it takes you to further sub-categories, which leads to detailed understanding of all the necessary elements in order to create a stunning image with perfect composition. Therefore, sit at your leisure to read the tutorials and surf through all the categories.

There are times when you might have

44

Smart Photography August 2009

Every tutorial has been explained with a photograph that helps you understand things better. However, there is no add-on to the website.

There are no paid courses to graduate to a higher level. But, there is no doubt that the tips and tutorials are very helpful and of utmost importance to a beginner, as they cater to educate a novice with the basics, yet critical understanding of photography. The website also provides those little tricks that can make any regular object photographically interesting.

An amateur photographer generally tends to start off with pictures of family, relatives, friends, school or college events. This is an easily available subject, but not an easy task.

In this website, one of the category is People and Portraits. This section has been further classified into Sports Event Photography Tips, Wedding Photography for Beginners, A Guide To Portrait Photography, and Have Fun With Underwater Photography.

Who doesn’t like keeping memories of one’s best friend’s wedding, or your favorite cousin’s wedding?

Considering our big fat Indian weddings, you have loads to capture.

However, I must remind you that if you have plans to take photography seriously and to kick start it with a wedding, then you must gear-up and prepare yourself for a lot of hard work

and stress. And amateursnapper.com provides you with all those essential tips and tutorials on this genre of photography.

Moving on to another genre of photography that this website has made interesting is Urban and Rural.

We generally tend to complain about the constant hussle and bussle of a busy city, but a photographer’s eye interprets it as bubbling vibrancy, and finds it a great source of interesting subjects waiting to get captured. An empty ground (which is difficult to find in metros now-a-days), or rubbles, skyscrapers, malls, multiplexes, heritage buildings, and an ever changing architecture means that a photographer always has something new and interesting to click.

Still life is another genre that an amateur photographer explores. The website has brilliant tutorials on this subject—starting from flower, jewelry, candle, to staircase, and sculpture.

However, the 17 categories in the website have certain sub-categories overlapping. For example, Animal and Nature category and Travel, both has tips on Beach Photography. This could have been improved by adding newer topics and providing more information.

If you are a beginner and love to experiment with your camera, this website will be really helpful.

SP reiterates that this site is a must browse for all beginner, because you will get valuable tips and a vast choice of genres to explore. To sum it up, amateursnapper.com is simple, but highly informative, so go ahead and check it out.

Trisha Mukherjee

MAILBAG

into the world of

accessories S

tarting out in photography is a wonderful journey that is full of creativity and discoveries. There are tools and technologies that compliment the art.

Smart Photography August 2009 issue brings along a plethora of photography accessories for all enthusiasts.

You may have one of the best cameras and lenses, but for some reason you may not be satisďŹ ed with your work. The reason being that every photographer surely needs certain accessories at some point.

As you know there are several players and several accessories under a particular category in the market that will greatly improve your photography, if you buy the right one and use it properly.

So, Smart Photography team has compiled as many accessories as possible providing details of their types, features, availability, MRP, etc. to help our readers know what exactly is available in the market, so that you can take a call on what to buy according to your requirement.

These are the categories that have been brought under one umbrella— 1. Memory storage cards 2. Flash drives 3. Portable Storage Devices 4. Tripods and Heads 5. Rechargeable Batteries and Charges 6. Camera bags and Pouches 7. Filters 8. Lighting Accessories 9. Digital Photoframes 10. Inkjet Papers and Inks 11. Photolab and Dry Cabinet 12. Miscellaneous Accessories.

SPECIAL MEMORY STORAGE CARDS

M

emory card is a device that offers an easy, fast, and reliable way for storing and transferring digital files. It works like a portable hard disk drive, but comes with a slew of superior advantages, since almost every memory card is based on flash memory technology, and having a small form factor. Besides, its solid state and non-volatile, making flash memory cards much more durable and reliable than hard disk drives. Memory cards are made by a variety of manufacturers and can be found in different storage capacities and transfer speeds.

The popularity of memory cards have grown rapidly over the years, since usage of memory cards expanded to other consumer electronic products like camcorders, portable audio devices, mobile phones etc. However, choosing the right cards, for your needs can be a daunting task. Prices of memory cards also continue to fall across the range and as capacities have increased, older cards become great value are available at ridiculous prices.

The world market today is dominated by SD cards. Even manufacturers like Sony, Fuji etc. who were committed to other formats, have started providing a SD slot in their cameras . SD cards are divided into two types i.e standard

BRAND

SanDisk

Transcend

CF Extreme IV

CF Extreme III

CF

16 GB

32 GB

2 GB

30MB read & write

45X

Yes

Yes

Yes

Limited Lifetime

Limited Lifetime

5-year

NA

NA

Mr. Santosh Phanse

Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd

Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd

Mediaman Infotech

sandisk@rptechindia.com

sandisk@rptechindia.com

sales@mediamangroup.com

+91 22 67090909

+91 22 67090909

+91 022 43441111

Rs.16,999

Rs.14,499

Rs.500

CAPACITY

SOFTWARE FEATURES WARRANTY CONTACT DISTRIBUTOR EMAIL PHONE MRP

46

Smart Photography August 2009

The driving force, today, behind the growth in memory card demand is the usage of memory cards in mobile phones. In the near future as storage capacity and transfer speed will get higher and prices lower, memory cards will replace most of today’s storage mediums such as the hard drive.

SanDisk

TYPE

READ/ WRITE SPEED

definition and high definition. The high definition cards are particularly suitable for video applications. The capacity of SD cards can go right up to 32 GB in which case they are called SDHC , the HC stands for high capacity. Micro SD cards are also available. However, these have greater applications in the case of mobile phones rather than cameras. Compact flash cards still hold a niche at the higher end of the digital SLR market.

They are available in capacities up to 16 GB. The top three manufacturers of memory cards in the world are Sandisk, Kingston, Lexar, and Transcend. All the manufacturers cater to different segments of the market.

For example, Sandisk Ultra is for general photography enthusiasts, whereas Sandisk Extreme 3 and Extreme 4 are for professionals since they have a more rugged build enable faster shooting and downloading.

Read

40 MB, Write 45 MB

BRAND

Kingston

Transcend

Transcend

TYPE

SDHC

Micro SDHC Card

Mini SD Card

CAPACITY

32 GB

4 GB

2 GB

6MB/sec

NA

80X

SOFTWARE FEATURES

Yes

Yes

Yes

Size

NA

11x15x1.0mm

21.5x20x1.4mm

Weight

NA

0.4g

1g

Lifetime

Lifetime

Lifetime

NA

Mr. Shantosh Phanse

Mr. Shantosh Phanse

Transtek & HCL

Mediaman Infotech

Mediaman Infotech

sales_india@kingston.com

sales@mediamangroup.com

sales@mediamangroup.com

18002096090

+91 22 43441111

+91 22 43441111

Rs.7,999

Rs.800

Rs.600

READ/ WRITE SPEED

WARRANTY CONTACT DISTRIBUTOR EMAIL PHONE/TOLL FREE MRP

CARD READERS

A

card reader lets you transfer ďŹ les from various memory cards to your PC in a quick and simple process. Card readers are now cheap and are able to accept a wide variety of memory cards. Most card

readers cost under Rs.1,000 and offer compatibility with all types of SD, mini SD, MMC, Compact Flash etc. cards.

Whilst buying a card reader, it is important to check its compatibility and the speed at which it transfers data.

SONY MULTI CARD READER/WRITER Model No MRP Available at Contact Phone Email Website

: MRW62E- S2 : Rs.1,100 : J.J.Mehta & Sons : Mr. Kartik Mehta : +91 9819102255 : info@jjmehta.com : www.jjmehta.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

47

SPECIAL

F lash Drives

T

hese are undoubtedly the most convenient devices for data storage and transfer. Flash memory modules are based on solid state, semiconductor technology, and hence do not have any moving parts in them. Absence of moving parts means less chance of breakdown and malfunctioning due to wear and tear. This property has made flash memory devices, once considered only as temporary storage devices, a

favorite for permanent storage of data. This in turn has led to flash memory drives breaking all barriers of storage capacity.

Some advantages of flash memory drives are that they are highly portable, less power consumption due to the use of micro voltages, high capacities than optical disks like CD and DVD ROM, and do not produce heat as in the case of magnetic drives like hard drives. The use of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) adapter eliminates the need for a separate cord to connect the flash drives with a host device.

TRANSCEND 32GB-JETFLASH V60 The JetFlash V60 is a range of colorful, Hi-speed USB flash drives.

Transcend claims data retention of up to 10 years on this drive. It features easy plug and play installation and is capable of up to 25MB/sec read and up to 12MB/sec write speeds. It measures 61x18.6x9.8mm and weighs 10g.

MRP : Rs.5,000 (for 32 GB) Available at : Mediaman Infotech Pvt Ltd Contact : Mr. Santosh Phanse Phone : +91 22 43441111 Email : sales@mediamangroup.com Website : www mediamangroup.com

KINGSTON DATA TRAVELER 120 These are flash drives with medium capacities. They feature retractable USB connectors and have a lightweight and compact design. The drives are available in capacities from 4GB to 32GB. The Data Traveler 120 measures 58.8x23.6x9.5mm and is compatible with Windows (2000 SP4, XP SP1 and 2, and Vista), Mac OS X v.10.3.x, and Linux v.2.6.x. The drives have a warranty of five years.

MRP : Rs.4,999 (for 32 GB) Distributed by :Transtek Infoways & HCL Infosystems Contact : NA Phone : +91 1800 209 6090 (Toll Free)

KINGSTON DATA TRAVELER 200 The Data Traveler 200 is a high-capacity series of USB flash drives. With capacities of 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, these drives are ideal for transferring heavy files like photographs, videos, and presentations.

These feature password protection with the help of Password Traveler software.

The drives are compatible with Windows ReadyBoost. These flash drives have read speeds of up to 20MB/sec and write speeds of up to 10MB/sec. It measures

48

Smart Photography August 2009

70.39x12.52x22.5mm and is compatible with Windows (2000 SP4, XP, and Vista SP1), Mac OS X v.10.3.x, and Linux v 2.6.x. It comes with a five-year warranty.

MRP : Rs.15,591 (for 64 GB) Distributed by: Transtek Infoways & HCL Infosystems Contact : NA Phone : 1800 209 6090 (Toll Free)

KINGSTON DATA TRAVELER VAULT PRIVACY EDITION As the name indicates, this flash drive incorporates advanced security features to protect sensitive data. It features 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) hardware encryption and an enforced complex password.

Irrespective of the place of purchase, these drives are assembled in the US. The drive is housed in an aluminum casing and is waterproof up to 4ft. It offers up to 24MB/sec read and 10MB/sec write speed. The Data Traveler Privacy series is available in capacities from 2GB up to 32GB. It has dimensions of 77.9x22x12.05mm. It is compatible with Windows (2000 SP4, XP, and Vista SP1) and Mac OS X (v.10.4.x – 10.5.x). It is available with a warranty of 5 years.

MRP : Rs.9,999 (for 8GB) Distributed by : Transtek Infoways & HCL Infosystems Contact : NA Phone : 1800 209 6090 (Toll Free)

KINGSTON DATA TRAVELER HYPER X

The Data Traveler HyperX drive adopts the high data transfer speeds of Kingston’s popular HyperX series of flash memory modules for gaming PCs. It has a read speed of up to 25MB/sec and write speed of up to 16MB/sec.

It is also compatible with Windows ReadyBoost, a feature that allows Windows Vista users to utilize the

Data Traveler flash drive in place of a RAM module. These drives are available in capacities of 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, and are backed by a five-year warranty. The drives measure 70.0x22.4x11.3mm and are compatible with Windows (XP SP1 and SP2, 2000 SP4, and Vista), Mac OS X v.10.3.x, Linux v.2.6.x.

MRP : Rs.3,633 (for 8 GB) Distributed by : Transtek Infoways & HCL Infosystems Contact : NA Phone : 1800 209 6090 (Toll Free)

August 2009 Smart Photography

49

SPECIAL

Portable Storage Devices

T

hese are magnetic disk-based memory devices or hard drives that can be attached to a host device using an external connector, usually a USB cable. With the cost of memory devices on the descent, storage capacities have increased manifold. Considered best devices for taking backups of

images, a portable hard drive is an essential tool for professional photographers. They provide the high capacities of internal hard drives without compromising on the portability. Portable hard drives are available in capacities ranging from 250GB to 2TB.

DIVA DRIVE A compact and light design makes these drives easy and convenient to use.

Available in 60GB and 160GB capacities, and a 1TB model is under development. It allows plug and play via USB 2.0 port and consumes less power. It does not require external power supply and drivers (except for Mac OS 8.6, Windows 98 and 98SE. It measures 102x60x13mm. It supports Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, CE.40, and Mac OS 8.6 or 9.x and above.

Company Name : Trek Technology Contact : Mr. Gopu Phone : +91 9448352893 +91 11 4180 8661/62/63 +91 80 4126 4562/63/61 Email : gopu@trek2000.com.sg Website : www.trek2000.com.sg

SEAGATE FREEAGENT | GO This is the most portable of the FreeAgent series. This pocketable hard drive has a thin form factor and is available in a wide variety of colors. It supports data encryption and all software are preloaded in it so that you do not need to install drivers separately. It supports up to 60MB/sec data transfer speed with USB 2.0. A smart utility powers down the

SEAGATE FREEAGENT | DESK This is a desktop solution for all your storage needs.

The drive features easy-to use software for automatic backup and encryption of sensitive data. Its preloaded smart utility will put the drive on sleep mode once it has been idle for 15minutes.

The sleek design and light weight allows good portability though the drive

50

is especially built for desktop utility. The FreeAgent Desk external hard drive supports Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP2 operating systems. The gadget measures 175.0x33.7x172.0mm and weighs 1kg. Seagate gives a 5-year limited warranty to the FreeAgent Desk.

Capacity : 500GB, 640GB, 1TB, 1.5TB

Smart Photography August 2009

drive when not in use. The FreeAgent Go hard drive is compatible with Windows Vista and XP SP2. The drive measures 80.0mmx130.00x12.50mm and weighs 160g. A FreeAgent Go Dock desktop dock is available as optional accessory.

The FreeAgent Go is available with a 5years limited warranty.

Capacity : 250GB, 320GB, 500GB,

SEAGATE FREEAGENT | XTREME This external drive features three interfaces—eSATA, USB 2.0, and FireWire 400. These enable very fast data transfer of up to 3Gb (Gigabit)/ sec using eSATA interface. The sleek design allows for horizontal or vertical orientation. You can synchronize data between the FreeAgent Xtreme and other portable drives. Like all FreeAgent drives, a smart utility puts the Xtreme to sleep mode once kept idle for 15min.

The FreeAgent Xtreme is compatible with Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP2 operating systems. It measures 175.0x33.7x172.0mm and weighs 1.39kg. It comes with Seagate’s 5-years limited warranty.

Capacity

: 500GB, 640GB, 1TB, 1.5TB

Marketed by : 1. Fortune Marketing Pvt Ltd 2. Supertron Electronics Ltd 3. Redington India Pvt Ltd Phone : +91 11-26414468 +91 33-22131221 +91 044-42243535 Contact : Mr. Praveen Kumar Email : praveen.h.kumar@seagate.com Website : www.seagate.com/ www.freeagent.com

TRANSCEND STOREJET 25M (transit drop test) and is compatible with most desktops and laptops. Using a USB 2.0 interface, it allows data transfer at up to 60MB/sec speed. The drive provides backwards compatibility with USB 1.1 interface also. It features a OneTouch Auto-Backup and the preloaded StoreJet elite software that offers intelligent backup scheduling, security, and file compression functions. The StoreJet 25M supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X 9.0 or later, and Linux Kernel 2.4.2 or later. It measures 134x80.8x18.8mm and weighs 206g. It is available with a warranty of 2 years.

MRP

The StoreJet 25M (Mobile) is a compact and portable hard drive and is available in high capacities. The drive meets the US military drop test standards

: Rs.5,000 (for 250 GB) & Rs.4,000 (for 160 GB) Capacity : 160GB, 250GB, 320GB Available at : Mediaman Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Contact : Santosh Phanse Phone : +91 022 43441111 Email : sales@mediamangroup.com Website : www mediamangroup.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

51

SPECIAL

Tripods and Heads

T

he best photographic equipment in the world (read that as the most expensive equipment) that money can buy is of little use if your images are not crisply sharp. We all know that the camera has to be absolutely steady if sharp images are to result. When the light is good and shutter speeds are high, that’s easy to accomplish. As light levels fall, shutter speeds invariably drop too, resulting in blurry images. To overcome this difficulty, the photographer has to use any and all support he can find to steady his camera. A very useful support is the tripod. Most photographers love it, some hate it. Ask yourself, do you want convenience or do you need quality? If the answer is later, make the tripod your best friend!

Just as a strong physical human body is of little use without a smart brain, so also is the case with the tripod.

Tripods and tripod heads go hand in hand. A poorly designed and carelessly manufactured tripod head can ruin the critical sharpness your expensive lenses are capable of providing. Remember, a chain is only as strong as its weakest

link! Don’t be penny-wise-and pound-foolish. Be smart. Buy a good steady tripod and a high-performance tripod head. At the same time, don’t go overboard. If your tripod/head combination works out to, say, 8-10kg, I doubt if you will lug it around.

Tripod heads can be Pan-and-Tilt type or Ball Head. Ball heads are faster to work with, but require a bit of practice before using them successfully.

Generally, tripod legs are made from aluminum or steel tubing. There are also those made from lightweight carbon fiber, magnesium fiber or some complexly formulated mix of materials.

The later types are expensive, but they more than make up for it in terms of utility and convenience.

Tips 1. Tripods with least number of sections are stronger.

2. Don’t extend the center column unless absolutely necessary.

3. Avoid plastic tripods/and/or plastic heads.

MANFROTTO 190CXPRO3 An extremely versatile tripod, ideal for small and medium format cameras. Each leg can be independently set at 4 angles of spread. A spirit level is provided to aid in leveling the tripod.

MRP :Rs.22,900 Load capacity : 5kg Available at : Manfrotto India, Mumbai & Delhi Contact : Mr. Sabyasachi Dutta Phone : +91 9820020625 Email : indiainfo@manfrotto.com Website : www.manfrotto.com

52

Smart Photography August 2009

BERLEBACH TRIPODS Berlebach tripods are made from high quality ash wood, and are designed for superior control of vibrations. They are available in 4 models, ranging in cost from Rs.6,000 to Rs.25,000.

Guaranteed for 10 years.

Available at Contact Phone Email Website

: Kalabhai Dental Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. : Mr. R.G.Nandwana/Mr. Aditya Nandwana/Ms. Sheetal : +91 22 25774058/4059/ 25781823 : info@kalabhai.com : www.kalabhai.com

NOVOFLEX QUADROPOD Novoex Quadropod cannot really be called a tripod. It is a 4-legged camera stand, fully modular in design, providing the ultimate in stability. It has a load capacity of 50kg.

MRP Available at Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.55,000 : Kalabhai Dental Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. : Mr. R.G.Nandwana/ Mr. Aditya Nandwana/Ms. Sheetal : +91 22 25774058/4059/ 25781823 : info@kalabhai.com : www.kalabhai.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

53

SPECIAL WEISENG VIDEO TRIPOD WM6003-017H Aluminum tripod with aluminum tilt-head. Die-cast quick change plate enables easy and quick camera mounting. With carrying case.

Max. Operating height: 234cm (7.6 feet) Weight: 4.1kg MRP: Rs.6,835 Available at Phone Email Website

: Harisingh and Sons : +91 183 2586114 : info@harisonphoto.com : www.harisonphoto.com

GITZO GT2541 Made from magnesium alloy, the GT2541 is 30 percent lighter than aluminum. Features a unique G-lock for quicker adjustment of the legs. Suitable for lenses up to 300mm maximum. Maximum height is 153cm and can take a load of 12kg.

MRP Available at Contact Phone Website

54

:Rs.65,000 : Various Outlets : Mr. Sabyasachi Dutta : +91 9820020625 : www.gitzo.com

Smart Photography August 2009

MANFROTTO 410 HEAD The 410 offers precise geared movement in three directions and is designed for 35mm and medium format cameras.

Supplied with Quick release plate with secondary security. In-built spirit level.

1/4 inch and 3/8 inch camera screws.

Maximum load 5kg MRP Available at Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.14,574. : Manfrotto India, (Mumbai & Delhi) : Mr. Sabyasachi Dutta : +91 9820020625 : indiainfo@manfrotto.com : www.manfrotto.com

MANFROTTO 229 The Manfrotto 229 is a pan and tilt 3D head, ideal for cameras up to large format. It offers a Quick Release hexagonal plate with secondary safety latch and 3 built-in spirit levels for horizontal and vertical positioning.

Maximum load: 12kg MRP Available at Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.14,495 : Manfrotto India, (Mumbai & Delhi) : Mr. Sabyasachi Dutta : +91 9820020625 : indiainfo@manfrotto.com : www.manfrotto.com

GITZO 2780 BUBBLE BALL The Gitzo 2780 is a center ball head, supplied with 1/4 inch screw plus 1/4 - 3/8 inch adapter. The head is made from magnesium alloy and has a spring assisted locking system.

MRP Available at Contact Phone Website

: Rs.27,000 : Various Outlets : Mr. Sabyasachi Dutta : +91 9820020625 : www.gitzo.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

55

SPECIAL NOVOFLEX MAGIC BALL HEADS Novoflex magic ball Heads are available in 3 models, suitable for 5, 7, and 10kg loads.

Prices range from Rs.19,000 to Rs.30,000.

Novoflex Classic Ball Heads are also available.

Available at Contact Phone Email Website

: Kalabhai Dental Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. : Mr. R.G.Nandwana/Mr. Aditya Nandwana/ Ms. Sheetal : +91 22 25774058/4059/ 25781823 : info@kalabhai.com : www.kalabhai.com

WEISING MONOPOD WT- 1003 Sleek and lightweight, the WT-1003 is ideal for point and shoot cameras and handicams.

Can also be used as a boom. Supplied with carrying case.

Max. Length : 55cm (1.8 feet) Weight : 370g MRP : Rs.585.

Available at : Harisingh and Sons Phone : +91 183 2586114 Email : info@harisonphoto.com Website : www.harisonphoto.com

MANFROTTO MONOPOD 682B This lightweight, self-standing monopod from Manfrotto is ideal for sports and outdoor use. It features a dual 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch coaxial camera fixing screw and rapid-action lever type extension locks.

Weight : 1.1kg Max. Height: 161cm Load capacity : 12kg MRP : Rs.7,735 Available at : Manfrotto India, (Mumbai & Delhi) Contact : Mr. Sabyasachi Dutta Phone : +91 9820020625 Email : indiainfo@manfrotto.com Website : www.manfrotto.com

56

Smart Photography August 2009

SPECIAL

Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers

B

atteries are ubiquitous and are an important part of our daily lives, be it the conventional disposable batteries or the rechargeable ones. But the fact is that digital devices mainly use two types of batteries—rechargeables and non-rechargeables. The best rechargeable batteries are the new hybrid Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) cells. These hybrid batteries have a lot going for them for they come fully charged (like alkaline batteries), and hold their charge over several months (unlike regular Ni-MH rechargeables). Given the fact that they hold their charge for long, they are ideally suitable for low-drain devices, like remote controls and flashlights. In addition, they are also suitable use in high-drain electronic devices, like digital cameras and camcorders.

The new hybrid Ni-MH’s currently available in the market is Uniross’ Hybrio, and Sanyo’s Eneloop.

Apart from the Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) the other kinds of rechargeable batteries available are the Lithium-ion and Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd).

There are different types of chargers for example the standard, fast, and ultra fast chargers. The faster the charger, the more expensive it is likely to be. The chargers featured below are some of the smartest available in the market for they have built-in protection to prevent overcharging or undercharging. They can also handle most of the battery sizes.

CAMELION ALWAYS READY NI-MH 2100 MAH At 2100 mAh it is not the highest capacity rechargeable batteries available in the market, but when other Ni-MH batteries go flat, even before actually using their power, then you need these batteries for powering your equipment. This is because these batteries come pre-charged and retain up to 90 percent of each charge even after six months (85 percent after 1 year, 70 percent after 2 years). In fact, the batteries are ideally good for low power devices, like remote control and infrequently used torches as the batteries last a year or more. Like any ordinary Ni-MH rechargeable batteries, the Camelion batteries can be recharged up

to 1,000 times and will not suffer from the “memory-effect” problems that are common in NiCd batteries.

Size Voltage Capacity MRP Marketed by Contact Phone Email Website

: AA : 1.2V : 2100mAh : Rs.345 : Arihant Batteries Pvt Ltd, : Mr. J. Khimesh Kumar : +91 044 42663663/ +91 9444463084 : info@camelionbattery.in : www.camelionbattery.in

KODAK 2 X AA 2500MAH NI-MH RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES There are many batteries available on the market, but choosing the right one to power your digital camera can be at times confusing. Kodak manufactures and markets a wide range of batteries and power accessories that offer great durability and dependability that takes creativity to a new level. The Kodak 2X AA 2500 mAh Ni-MH batteries are pre-charged, thereby ensuring that it could be used straight out of the box. Besides, these batteries stay charged four times longer than any ordinary Ni-MH rechargeables. The batteries can be recharged more than 500 times and is ideal for power intensive devices like

digital cameras, walkmans, torch lights, remote control devices, and much more. In addition, the Kodak Rechargeables could also be used as a replacement for standard AA size batteries and NiCd rechargeable batteries in most of the equipment.

Size Voltage Capacity MRP Marketed by Contact Phone

: AA : 1.2 V : 2500 mAh : Rs.360 (Pack of 2), Rs.700 (Pack of 4) : Kodak India Pvt Ltd, : Mrugesh Gaglani : +91 022 66416300

August 2009 Smart Photography

57

SPECIAL SANYO ENELOOP LITE RECHARGEABLE BATTERY (4HR-3UQ-SECP-C) Sanyo sells the pack pre-charged, therefore it is not necessary to charge them before first use like in other batteries. Another feature is the low internal resistance rate which ensures equipment that need high voltage, like digital cameras to take nearly 2X digital pictures.

Besides, the batteries are also useful to power equipment like remote controls, clocks, children’s toys, etc. Sanyo has a long history of producing reliable and powerful batteries like the first Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) and more recently the Ni-MH rechargeables. Sanyo has bundled excellent features in its Eneloop lite range like very low self discharge rate and can be recharged up to 1,000 times. In fact, it

retains almost 90 percent of its capacity even after 6 months and even one year later too the battery retains almost 85 percent of its capacity.

Size Capacity MRP

: AA : 1000mAh : Rs.525 (Inclusive of taxes) Manufactured by : Sanyo Energy, Japan Marketed by : JSK Marketing, Mumbai.

Contact : Mr. Ganesh Kumar Phone : +91 9819819748 Email : info@jskindia.com Website : www.jskindia.com

SANYO ENELOOP (HR-3UTG-4BP) Sanyo has developed a line of rechargeable Ni-MH batteries that can be sold to users all charged up and ready to go. Most Ni-MH rechargeables have to be charged before they can be actually used, but not with these new Sanyo Eneloop batteries. This is because the batteries have particularly slow energy loss; and they lose only about 15 percent of their charge after a year of non-use, while other rechargables would have been drained by then. The pack of 4AA ideally compliments devices like digicams, remote control, MP3/CD players and toy cars. And that’s not all they are reusable and eco-friendly.

Size Capacity MRP

: AA : 2000mAh : Rs.730 (Inclusive of taxes) Manufactured by : Sanyo Electric, Japan Marketed by : JSK Marketing, Mumbai Contact : Mr. Ganesh Kumar Phone : +91 9819819748 Email : info@jskindia.com Website : www.jskindia.com

UNIROSS HYBRIO AA PRECHARGED RECHARGEABLES (U0207409) Uniross Hybrio AA is the worlds first hybrid rechargeable battery, which is ready to use instantly making it the ideal power choice for digital photographers. The Uniross Hybrio AA comes pre-charged and ready for instant use like an alkaline battery, so there is no need to charge before use. When the battery has lost it’s charge after it’s first use it can then be re-charged (up to 1,000 times) like any conventional rechargeable battery. Uniross Hybrio AA batteries do not suffer from a high rate of self discharge like standard rechargeable batteries, once charged, and lasts really longer. The batteries are perfect

58

Smart Photography August 2009

for high drain applications such as digital cameras as well as in low drain equipment like clocks and remote controls.

Size : AA Voltage : 1.2V Capacity : 1900mAh (Also available in 800mAh at Rs.130) MRP : Rs.395 Manufactured by : Uniross Contact : Mr. Julien Ceran Email : info@uniross.com Website : www.uniross.com

UNIROSS HYBRIO AAA PRECHARGED RECHARGEABLES (U0207348) Uniross Hybrio is a revolution in rechargeable battery technology. Like alkaline batteries, the battery could be used straight from the pack and can be easily recharged up to 1,000 times.

With its low self discharge rate it remains charged for a bit longer than most rechargeable batteries and is economical as well. It is ideal for digicams and other low drain devices like clock and remote controls. The fact is that Hybrio produces less waste than 1,000 ordinary batteries

which is something to think about!

Size : AAA Voltage : 1.2V Capacity : 1100mAh MRP : Rs.300 Manufactured by : Uniross Contact : Mr. Julien Ceran Email : info@uniross.com Website : www.uniross.com

CAMELION NI-MH/NI-CD FAST CHARGER The world just about spins on batteries these days, with the consumption of power on high drain equipments, the source of power simply seems to run out. But the availability of Camelion fast charger is a real blessin gin disguise. It is bundled with many features that can power 2 or 4 AA (or AAA) batteries as fast as possible. Besides, it has a 2 LED indicators that indicates the level of the

charge and its when its fully charged.

MRP Marketed by Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.595 : Arihant Batteries Pvt Ltd : Mr. J.Khimesh Kumar : +91 044 42663663/ +91 9444463084 : info@camelionbattery.in : www.camelionbattery.in

KODAK CHARGER K620E-C The economical overnight charger, that is bundled with 4 KODAK Ni-MH Rechargeable Digital Camera Batteries AA is an expensive way for consumers to recharge their devices.

With this charger one can charge up to 150,000 digital pictures and as such it provides value for money convenience. It charges 2 or 4 AAs or AAAs and is Mi-MH compatible.

MRP Marketed by Contact Phone

: Rs.845 : Kodak India Pvt Ltd : Mrugesh Gaglani : +91 22 66416300

August 2009 Smart Photography

59

SPECIAL SANYO ENELOOP QUICK CHARGER (NC-MQR02NTG-ER4) Sanyo’s Eneloop Quick Charger is a ready to use rechargeable battery which can charge AA or AAA batteries at one go in its four individual channels in 2 hours time, and is compatible with eneloop Ni-MH or Ni-Cd batteries. The “Alkaline Battery Detection” can also detect non-rechargeable or damaged batteries. The charger is bundled with four AA rechargeable batteries. In fact, its application is suitable for a wide range of products from digital cameras to clocks and torches.

MRP : Rs.2,000 Manufactured by : Sanyo Energy, Japan Marketed By : JSK Marketing Pvt Ltd Contact : Mr. Ganesh Kumar Phone : +91 9819819748 Email : info@jskindia.com Website : www.jskindia.com

SANYO BASIC FAMILY PACK (NC-CFR02ER) The Sanyo Basic Family Pack (NCCFR02ER) is a Basic Family Pack that includes Ni-MH/Ni-Cd Qucik Charger, along with 4 Eneloop batteries AA size and 2 units of AAA batteries. That apart the family pack is bundled with Eneloop C Adaptor AA and 2 D Adaptor AA size. The pack also includes an AC cord one unit. The Family Pack is an ideal solution in case of emergency and can be stored for a long time. In fact, charging the eneloop immediately is not necessary since it retains 90 percent of its charge, even after 12 months. The Eneloop boasts of a super low discharge rate, keeping up to 85 percent of charged energy even after 1 year. The batteries are

SDV MULTI CHARGER (CH-RE2059CAN) The SDV Multi Battery Charger is a universal all-in-one charger that is compatible with both digicams and camcorder batteries, and the charger is also compatible with Canon cameras.

Its feature is that it can charge both Lithium-Ion as well as Lithium Polymer Batteries (3.6V - 7.4V). The charger is also bundled with AC/DC Adaptor and is mobile as well given the car cord attachment. In fact, its operations are fully automatic and once the charge is

60

Smart Photography August 2009

over it cuts off automatically. However, its limitation is that it will only charge one battery at a time.

MRP Marketed by Distributed by Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.1,750 : Swissco Digital, Chennai : JJ Mehta & Company : Mr. Kartik Mehta : +91 9819102255 : info@jjmehta.com : www.jjmehta.com

rechargeable up to 1,000 times.

The adaptors in the Family Pack is a plastic holder of the same measurement as a ‘C’ or ‘D’ size battery. All you need to do is to push an AA size eneloop battery into the adaptor until you feel a click. It acts as a ‘C’ or ‘D’ size battery to be fitted into your electronic devices.

MRP : Rs.2,650 Manufactured by : Sanyo Energy, Japan Marketed by : JSK Marketing Ltd Contact : Mr. Ganesh Kumar Phone : +91 9819819748 Email : info@jskindia.com Website : www.jskindia.com

UNIROSS MICRO CHARGER Uniross actively encourages sustainable development and has pioneered a series on ‘The guide to rechargeable energy’. This is a great initiative that recommends the use rechargeable batteries and chargers to protect our environment. The ULTRA COMPACT charger is a standard charger and can charge either 2 or 4 batteries of AA size, with the possibility of charing both Ni-Cd and Ni-MH technologies. But, it’s important to charge only rechargeable batteries and not non rechargeable batteries in this charger.

MRP : Rs.695 Manufactured by : Uniross Contact : Mr. Julien Ceran Email : info@uniross.com Website : www.uniross.com

UNIROSS 1 HOUR LCD CHARGER The charger is bundled with V-MAX technology that protects against damage from using non rechargeable technologies. The charger will charge 2 or 4 Ni-CD/NiMH batteries and is controlled by a microprocessor. In fact, the intelligent charge control that is in-built ensures that the charger will switch to trickle charge after charging thereby preventing over-heating.

MRP : Rs.1,095 Manufactured by : Uniross Contact : Mr. Julien Ceran Email : info@uniross.com Website : www.uniross.com

YES INFINITY YCR-002 STANDARD CHARGER The charging mode of constant voltage and small charging current will help improve battery’s usage life. The timer controls the maximum charging time strictly, for the battery will never be over-charged for sure. The charger enables to charge either 4 AA or AAA batteries. The charger identifies that no different batteries could be mixed either in sizes or in capacities as it ensures MRP : Rs.499 (2pcs AA 2200mAh)/ Rs.899 (4pcs AA 2400mAh) Distributed by : 1. Pioneer Digital, Delhi 2. Smart Shoppers, Chennai 3. Yo! Digitals, Mumbai Email : 1. sales@pioneerdigital.in 2. senthil@smartshoppers.in 3. yodigitals@yahoo.co.in

August 2009 Smart Photography

61

SPECIAL YES INFINITY YCR-T021A STANDARD CHARGER The charger is ideally suitable for NI-MH/NI-CD 1-2pcs AA/AAA batteries.

In fact, two individual charging channels can be mixed in sizes and capacities and a red LED indicates the charging process and when its complete.

MRP : Rs.499 (2pcs AA 2400mAh)

For all Yes Infinity product details of distributors and email refer Page No. 61

YES INFINITYYCR-505 QUICK CHARGER The charger is suitable for NI-MH/NI-CD and accepts either 2/4pcs AA/AAA batteries. The LED indicators indicates the charging levels in the charger for the benefit of the user, and the charger ensures protection against over heating.

The charger is conditioned for Universal voltage 100-240V and for use across the world.

MRP: Rs.999 (with 2pcs AA 2200mAh) : Rs.1,299 (with 4pcs AA 2400mAh)

YES INFINITY YCR-A099 QUICK CHARGER +CK+USB LCD The charger is ideal for NI-MH/NI-CD and can charge 1 to 4pcs AA/AAA batteries. The inbuilt advanced IC with - V function controls the charging process and automatically shuts the power. The intelligent LCD mechanism indicates the charging status of each individual battery. The refresh function, indicates when the battery is discharged down to 1volt, it will automatically start charging when its required. The charger is provides protection against constant current charging. The charger detects non-rechargeable battery, short-circuited battery and also when defective battery are being charged, and the LCD indicator will flash in red and green, alternatively if there is any problem.

MRP : Rs.1,599 (with 2pcs AA 2200mAh) : Rs.1,899 (with 4pcs AA 2400mAh)

62

Smart Photography August 2009

SPECIAL

Camera Bags And Pouches good quality camera bag is a must once you have purchased your favorite and expensive camera. Unfortunately, most camera manufacturers do not provide a case along with the camera. One has, therefore, to rely on specialist bag manufacturers to get the right bag.

A

These can accommodate two bodies, up to four lenses as also several accessories. Finally, right on top are the special camera cases which are made from metal and are water tight, rugged and lockable. Most of them come with their own wheels and can be transported like trolleys.

Camera bags can be of several types. At the lowest end, you can get a small camera pouch. This can extend to a snout bag for a SLR and then to different types of shoulder bags which allow you to carry a SLR, as well as a spare lens. Next in line are back packs, which literally are bags that you strap to your shoulders.

Camera bags currently available in the market are manufactured by leading international brands as well as by indigenous manufacturers. Some of the majors include Billingham, Crumpler, Kata, Lowepro, National Geography, Tamrac, and Pelican.

LOWEPRO APEX 10AW (DIGITAL CAMERA BAG) The Lowepro Apex 10 AW pouch is made for digital point and shoot photographers and the water-resistant pouch ensures protective compartment and also lots of storage space. Importantly the zippered, padded main compartment with a soft, brushed tricot lining offers scratch-free storage for the lens. The other features include the dedicated internal pocket for memory cards with secure hook and look closure. In addition the internal mesh pocket ensures that extra batteries are kept in place. The adjustable, detachable should strap provides options for sliding it across the shoulders.

MRP Distributed by Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.795 : Inter Foto India Pvt Ltd : Mr. Raja Selvan : +91 9967541123/ +91 22 24925151 : lowepro@interfotoindia.com : www.interfoto.in

LOWEPRO REZO 20 (DIGITAL CAMERA BAG) The Lowepro Rezo 20 pouch is ideal for carrying a compact digital camera. This is because the Rezo 20 has a side gusset that stretches to provide a secure ďŹ t. While the zippered NoDrop compartment with soft, brushed-tricot lining protects the camera from dust and scratches, the expandable front ap pocket holds memory cards or batteries in place.

MRP Distributed by Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.525 : Inter Foto India Pvt Ltd : Mr. Raja Selvan : +91 9967541123/ +91 022 24925151 : lowepro@interfotoindia.com : www.interfoto.in

August 2009 Smart Photography

63

SPECIAL LOWEPRO TEZO TLZ 20 (DIGITAL CAMERA BAG) Exclusively designed for distinctive, optical zoom digital cameras and compact digital SLRs, this holster-style bag has stretch-to-fit lid, quick-release buckle and SlipLock attachment tab for added protection. In fact, the Lowepro Tezo TLZ 20 digital camera bag is designed with the soft, brushed-tricot lining that protects both the expensive gadget and the LCD screen as well.

MRP Distributed By Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.990 : Inter Foto India Pvt Ltd : Mr. Raja Selvan : +91 9967541123/ 22 24925151 : lowepro@interfotoindia.com : www.interfoto.in

LOWEPRO NOVA 200 AW (PHOTO BAG) With weather a major concern for outdoor photography, Lowepro has designed the Nova 200 AW Photo Bag specially to take care of expensive equipments in such weather conditions. While the all around features, includes the overflap lid to increase protection against extreme weather conditions. Other innovations are the dual memory card pockets on interior of the lid, the front accessory pocket; mesh side pockets; padded strap and cushioned grab handle tailored for comfort and durability.

The bag can hold the most popular digital SLR cameras; lenses; memory cards and accessories.

The removable; ergonomic; CollarCut shoulder strap offers extra comfort that helps amateurs and professionals to use their gear with ease.

MRP : Rs.4,900 Distributed by : Inter Foto India Pvt Ltd Contact : Mr. Raja Selvan Phone : +91 9967541123/ +91 22 24925151 Email : lowepro@interfotoindia.com Website : www.interfoto.in

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SMALL SLING BAG (NG 4567) National Geographic’s NG 4567 Small Sling bag is a revolutionary addition to the company’s Earth Explorer series and is designed for your daily photographic tours. The bag has five pockets that vary in size, with the larger two pockets featuring smaller, additional pockets inside. These are referred to as ‘designated protective zones’ to safeguard your delicate and expensive equipments. Even though the bag is fairly small yet it can accommodate a small bridge camera, a small camcorder, an MP3 player and a mobile phone.

Besides, each bag in the Earth Explorer series is designed of solid brass buckles

64

Smart Photography August 2009

with an antique finish and is manufactured with environment friendly materials.

Warranty : 5 years MRP : Rs.2,575 Manufactured By : National Geographic Marketed By : Photosystems India Contact : Ajay Gauba Phone : +91 9818067553 Email : info@photosystemsindia.com Website: www.photosystemsindia.com

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SMALL WAIST PACK (NG 4474) The National Geographic NG 4474 Earth Explorer Small Waist Pack is designed to carry a small digital point and shoot camera or camcorder, with accessories and personal effects. The bag features designated protective zones that safeguard the delicate equipment within.

The waist pack has a padded point-andshoot flap pouch, a personal gear and accessory pouch, flat external pockets and a rear zip pocket.

Warranty : 5 years MRP : Rs.2,575 Manufactured By : National Geographic Marketed By : Photosystems India Contact : Ajay Gauba Phone : +91 9818067553 Email : info@photosystemsindia.com Website: www.photosystemsindia.com

TAMRAC 3385 AERO SPEED PACK 85 DUAL ACCESS The Tamrac 3385 Aero Speed Pack 85 Dual Access Photo Backpack is manufactured with a strong PolyTek and vinyl coating. The Dual Access System allows fast access to the equipment through a side door; when the pack is strapped to the shoulder or through the front panel when the pack is removed.

The bag can hold and protect a D-SLR with grip and lens attached, two to three additional lenses, and accessories. In addition it can conveniently store a 17 inch screen laptop computer.

Warranty MRP Manufactured by Marketed by

: 5 years : Rs.7,150 : Tamrac Inc. : Shetala Agencies Ltd Contact : Mr. Satish Phone : +91 44 42125148/ +91 9448369655 Email : saleschennai@shetalacamera.com Website: www.shetalacamera.com

NANEU ALPHA BACKPACK

The NANEU Alpha Backpack is a smart and rugged backpack with a concealed gear compartment that doesn’t look like a camera bags. The bag features a unique stylish design and incorporates military-like features for quick access and equipment security.

This ultra-versatile bag combines essential elements like convenient access and an efficient way to transport your camera gear, notebooks and computer accessories, digital point

shoot cameras, cell phones and other devices, in order to make taking pictures while traveling an enjoyable and stress-free experience.

MRP :Rs.5,025 Marketed by : Harisingh & Sons Phone : +91 183 2586114 Email : info@harisonphoto.com Website : www.harisonphoto.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

65

SPECIAL

PELICAN CASE (1560) The Pelican Case 1560 Black case which is bundled with front handle as well as a convenient extension handle, which makes it a perfect rolling travel companion. The add on value to the case is the effortless release latch for the extension handle. Besides, the padlock protectors provide added strength and extra security against cutting and theft. In addition, the case also includes standard features like water and dustproof given its neoprene o-ring seal, the automatic Purge Valve (with Gore-Tex membrane), and easy open Double Throw latches. The company claims Lifetime Guaranteed. “You

break it, we replace it…forever”, isn’t it incredible...

Warranty MRP

: Lifetime : Rs.2,000Rs.40,000 and is available in 50 different models Manufactured by : Pelican Inc Distributed by : Photonics Enterprises Contact : Mr. Vihang Phone : +91 22 28923152/ 9820029063 Email : info@photonicsenterprise.com Website: www.pelican.com

TIPS When purchasing a camera bag, the following precautions are a must: 1. The bag should not look too attractive, otherwise, it will attract the wrong type of attention.

Cities like Barcelona in Spain are notorious for camera theft.

2. All camera bags should protect. This means that the material used should keep both moisture and dust out. Further, there should be a facility to insulate the camera from shock and vibration. Most camera manufacturers tend to use nylon, which is hardwearing and strong for making the outer lining.

3. The zippers used in a camera bag are critical. They should be of a good quality and one should be able to undo them quickly. A few extra small pockets can be very useful to store wide range of accessories.

4. Always select a sober color and make sure that your bag does not carry a bold camera logo; otherwise it will be a target to thieves.

5. Finally, check the quality of straps. Good quality padded straps should be able to lighten the effective load that you are carrying.

66

Smart Photography August 2009

SPECIAL

FILTERS

A

re filters passé? With the advent of digital imaging, creative computer editing with a whole range of software is possible. Then, why are filters necessary? The answer is filters do not cost much, they are simple to use and by giving that little extra professional touch to your pictures, obviate the need for further processing. A filter also protects the front element of your lens from dust, scratches, grease, and finger prints.

Filters can be of various types: 1. UV filters—these filters absorb the ultra violet light, which make outdoor photos hazy. With no discernible effect in other situations, keep one on your camera for day to day lens protection.

2. Skylight filters—the hint of pink in these filters indicate that a skylight filter will warm things up and correct blue tinged shadows. A skylight filter can also be used for lens protection.

3. Polarizing filters—they eliminate undesirable reflections from glass or water surfaces, and also increase contrast and saturation in distant scenes. Their effect can be varied by rotating them

OMAX 17-PIECE FILTER KIT Available from OMAX Photographics, is a 17 filter kit, which includes: Close-up +1, +2, +4, Macro, Diffuser, Softone, Duto, Neutral Density, Star, UV, Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, and Circular Polarizer MRP

: 52mm kit – Rs.2,200; 55mm kit – Rs.2,400; 58mm kit – Rs.2,600 Contact : Mr. Harsharan Phone : +91 9810965674 Email : omaxphoto@hotmail.com Website : www.omaxphoto.com

slowly. With autofocus cameras, a circular polarizer is a must, if light is to be polarized correctly.

4. Special effect filters—these include a whole variety of graduated filters as well as center spot, multi vision, star burst, diffusers etc.

Filter sizes can vary from 40mm to 86mm. Most filters are made from glass although plastic and acrylic filters for special effects are available. Filter quality also varies. Hoya, for instance, has standard filters, HMC filters (Hoya multi coated), Pro 1D filters (with superior light transmission and color balance) and HD filters (with 8 layer anti reflective multi coating and super slim glass). Most filters can be screwed on to the front element of the lens. In the case of some telephoto lenses, the filter can be dropped behind the back element. Some brands like Cokin need you to invest in filter holders into which the filter is inserted.

Thus, Cokin has four series: ‘A’ series to fit lenses with diameters up to 62mm, ‘P’ series to fit lenses with diameters up to 82mm, ‘Z-PRO’ series for 4-inch filters for Medium Format cameras, and the ‘X-PRO’ series for Medium and Large format cameras.

When buying filters, choose a reputed brand. Good brands available in India include Kenko, Hoya, Marumi and Cokin.

OSAKA Indigenously manufactured Osaka filters offer Multi-coated UV and Circular Polarizers in diameters ranging from 52 – 77mm.

The UV filter being multi-coated, ensures superior results.

Marketed by Contact Phone Email Website

: J. J. Mehta & Sons :Mr. Kartik Mehta :+91 9819102255 : info@jjmehta.com : www.jjmehta.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

67

SPECIAL

Lighting Accessories SOFTBOX Rotalux softboxes are known for their simple, but superior design. The design allows the Rotalux system to fold like an umbrella for easy transportation. These units incorporate deectors (gold, silver or translucent), which enable the user to control the quality and color of light.

Rotalux 100x100cm

Rotalux 130x50cm

68

Smart Photography August 2009

REFLECTOR 16cm 90 degree Various reflectors are available to provide different angles of coverage depending on the user’s requirements. The reflector 16cm shown here offers a wide even coverage (90 degree) making it ideal for copy work or even group shots.

BACKGROUND REFLECTOR The background reflector delivers an oval pool of evenly distributed light for background and still life. The reflector can be rotated 360 degrees.

SOFTLITE REFLECTOR 70CM When used in conjunction with either gold, silver or translucent deflector dish, the Softlite reflector 70cm is useful to modify the color and softness of the light.

The contact details for accessories listed on Pg No. 68 & 69: Available at : Photoquip India Ltd Phone : +91 22 66625491/92/93 Email : sales@photoquip.com Website : www.photoquip.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

69

SPECIAL UMBRELLAS

White Umbrella, available in 3 sizes: Mini, Medium, and Jumbo MRP: Mini – Rs.150; Medium – Rs.300; Jumbo – Rs.400 Also available: Umbrella Holder.

MRP: Rs.325 Company Name : VTS Enterprises Contact : Mr. R R Sharma Phone : +91 9312255816 Email : vts.photoproducts77@yahoo.com

SILVER REFLECTORS Marketed by Contact Phone Email Website

70

Smart Photography August 2009

: Sangam Foto : Mr. Raj Kathuria :+91 22 22700992/ 22632589/ Fax: 22700993. : info@sangamfoto.com : www.sangamfoto.com

FOLDING REFLECTORS

Marketed by Contact Phone Email Website

: Paras Enterprises : Mr. Paras Mehta : +91 22 22611320, +91 9323104546 : paras@bossbackdrops.com : www.bossbackdrops.com

RADIO TRIGGER

Folding Reflectors MRP: Rs.500

For wireless triggering of studio flash.

Range 30ft.

Sonia Radio Trigger MRP: Rs.900

Marketed by Contact Phone Email Website

: Paras Enterprises : Mr. Paras Mehta : +91 22 22611320, +91 9323104546 : paras@bossbackdrops.com : www.bossbackdrops.com

Radio Trigger Universal Set The EL Skyport radio trigger set (universal) is designed to synchronize wirelessly with studio flash systems. The transmitter attaches to the camera accessory shoe and the receiver is connected to the studio flash. The model provides four separate channels so that different photographers working in the same room are not affected by each other’s flash triggering.

Available at Phone Email Website

: Photoquip India Ltd : +91 22 66625491/92/93 : sales@photoquip.com : www.photoquip.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

71

SPECIAL

Digital Photo Frames

D

igital Photo Frames, as the name suggests, are picture frames that made their appearance a few years ago. They allow you to see your digital photos without transferring the image files to a computer and as such, are gaining popularity day by day. They also look very elegant and are a novelty to first-time users.

These frames are available in various sizes, though those from 7 to 12 inches (diagonal measurement) are very

popular. Its operation is quite simple—just put ‘on’ the device and attach the memory card in to the available card slot. Some models allow you to transfer the images from the memory card to the picture frame using a USB port or even a bluetooth connection. The more expensive ones also allow you to see movies (with sound) created in your digital camera. Digital Photo Frames are made by various leading manufacturers including Kodak, Transcend, Sony, Philips, HP, Moser Baer, etc.

TRANSCEND PF810 Transcend’s PF810 has a 8-inch 800x600 (4:3) color TFT LCD panel and 2GB of built-in flash. The digital photo frame supports the most popular digital camera JPG and BMP formats, and users can choose to view photos one at a time, in slideshow view, or in a convenient tiled thumbnail view with background music from MP3s or the radio.

Its Automatic Orientation Sensor can automatically adjust image placement on the screen for optimal viewing. PF810 is equipped with advanced new NaturaTone intelligent skin color processing and userselectable color modes.

Warranty

: 1 year for the panel (maximum 4 defective pixels) and 2 years for the device Dimensions : 230×180×31mm Weight : 540g MRP : Rs.9,000 Distributed by : Mediaman Infotech Pvt Ltd Contact : Mr. Santosh Phanse Phone : +91 22 43441111 Email : sales@mediamangroup.com Website : www.mediamangroup.com

KODAKEASYSHARE M820 KodakEasyshare M820 offers a 8-inch digital photo display featuring Kodak Color Science for vibrant color and crisp detail. You can create, edit, and view slideshows—at the touch of your fingertips.

It further offers Kodak’s Quick Touch Border with back lighting— the unique touch border keeps fingerprints off of your viewing screen so your images stay beautiful. The touch panel features yellow lights that illuminate to indicate exactly where to touch.

Warranty MRP Dimensions Available at Contact Phone

72

Smart Photography August 2009

: 1 year : Rs.8,499 : 258×180×34mm : Kodak India Pvt Ltd : Mr. Mrugesh Gaglani : +91 22 66416300

MAILBAG

SPECIAL

Inkjet Papers

I

nkjet photo printers are the most popular category of printers in the photo printing industry. The print quality depends not only on the quality of printers, but also the media and type of ink used. Inkjet Photo Papers come in different densities indicated by grams per square meter (gsm), sizes (4x6inch, A4, A3, etc.), surface

EPSON PAPERS

type (ultra glossy, matte, satin etc.), and maximum print resolution indicated by dots per inch (dpi). Most professional inkjet papers have archival quality and are water resistant. The material used as paper base and the type of coating decide the color accuracy and tonal range of the paper. Fiber based papers use a baryta (Barium sulfate) coating over the paper base, sometimes having a subtle color to extend the dynamic range of the print. Resin coated (RC) papers are good for their waterproofing properties.

DigiJet

Available at: Jet Cartridge (I) Pvt Ltd Contact: Ambika Phone: +91 022 67521000 / 22631914 Email: sales@jetcartridge.com Website :www.jetcartridge.com

4x6-inch, 30-sheet packs

Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.130 Premium Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.140 A4 size, 20-sheet packs

Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.290 Premium Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.310 (A4/20 sheets) Premium Semigloss Photo Paper Pack—Rs.645 Photo Quality Inkjet Paper Pack—Rs.540* For further details contact: +91 080 3051 5000 or log on to www.epson.co.in

Desktop High Glossy Size: A3 Density: 200gsm MRP: Rs.280 Premium Matte Coated Size: A4 Density: 130gsm Price: Rs.220 Desktop Silky/Satin Size: 4x6 inch Density: 260gsm MRP: Rs.425

*(A4/100 sheet pack)

August 2009 Smart Photography

73

SPECIAL

Inkjet Papers

I

nkjet photo printers are the most popular category of printers in the photo printing industry. The print quality depends not only on the quality of printers, but also the media and type of ink used. Inkjet Photo Papers come in different densities indicated by grams per square meter (gsm), sizes (4x6inch, A4, A3, etc.), surface

EPSON PAPERS

type (ultra glossy, matte, satin etc.), and maximum print resolution indicated by dots per inch (dpi). Most professional inkjet papers have archival quality and are water resistant. The material used as paper base and the type of coating decide the color accuracy and tonal range of the paper. Fiber based papers use a baryta (Barium sulfate) coating over the paper base, sometimes having a subtle color to extend the dynamic range of the print. Resin coated (RC) papers are good for their waterproofing properties.

DigiJet

Available at: Jet Cartridge (I) Pvt Ltd Contact: Ambika Phone: +91 022 67521000 / 22631914 Email: sales@jetcartridge.com Website :www.jetcartridge.com

4x6-inch, 30-sheet packs

Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.130 Premium Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.140 A4 size, 20-sheet packs

Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.290 Premium Glossy Photo Paper Pack—Rs.310 (A4/20 sheets) Premium Semigloss Photo Paper Pack—Rs.645 Photo Quality Inkjet Paper Pack—Rs.540* For further details contact: +91 080 3051 5000 or log on to www.epson.co.in

Desktop High Glossy Size: A3 Density: 200gsm MRP: Rs.280 Premium Matte Coated Size: A4 Density: 130gsm Price: Rs.220 Desktop Silky/Satin Size: 4x6 inch Density: 260gsm MRP: Rs.425

*(A4/100 sheet pack)

August 2009 Smart Photography

73

SPECIAL eSys PAPERS Marketed by : eSys Information Technologies Ltd Contact : Mr. Rajneesh Kumar Phone : +91 124-3010678 Email : rajneeshkumar@esysmail.com Website : www.esys.in Ultra Glossy Inkjet Size: A4, 4x6 inch Density: 260gsm Max Resolution: 9600 dpi MRP: A4 pack of 20 sheets Rs.375, 4x6 pack of 50 sheets Rs.275

Max Resolution: 9600 dpi MRP: 4x6 pack of 50 sheets Rs.75

High Glossy Inkjet Size: A4, 4x6 inch Density: 180gsm

MAXFLEX Available at : Max Flex & Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd Phone : +91 22 22625732 Email : info@maxflex.in Website : www.maxflex.in Max High Glossy Photo Paper Size: 4x6inches Density: 260gsm Max Resolution: 5760dpi

Max Premium RC Glossy Photo Paper Size: A4 Density: 260gsm Max Resolution: 2880dpi

74

Smart Photography August 2009

Max Premium Satin Matt Photo Paper Size: A4 Density: 260gsm Max Resolution: 2880dpi

Max Royal Imaging Gloss Photo Paper Size: A4 Density: 150gsm Max Resolution: 5760dpi

Max High Glossy Photo Paper Size: A4 Density: 210gsm Max Resolution: 2880dpi

Max Professional RC Glitter Satin Photo Paper Size: A4 Density: 260gsm Max Resolution: 5760 dpi

NOVAJET Marketed by Contact Email Phone Website

: Techno Imaging Systems : NA : help@technovaworld.com : +91 22 27412464 :www.technovaworld.com

NovaJet Inkjet TruePicture High Gloss Paper HGW 204WR & SFP 240 WR Size: A4, 4x6 Density: 240gsm MRP: A4 pack of 20 sheets Rs.375, 4x6-inch pack of 50 sheets Rs.265 NovaJet Inkjet TruePicture Gloss Paper 210 WR available in 20 sheets of A4 size Size: A4 Density: 210gsm MRP: Rs.215

photographic Inks

A

major investment in photo printing come by means of ink cartridges. Since the ink cartridges are available with small capacities, bulk printing becomes an expensive and inconvenient proposition. This is where compatibles and third

party inks come into play. Photographic printing inks are made speciďŹ cally for every major brand of photo printers available in the market. These, combined with a Continuous Ink Flow System (CIS), can help you reduce printing cost considerably.

LYSON Lyson TX6500 Waterbase Dye Sublimation Series Compatible Printers: Epson, Mimaki, Mutoh Type: Dye Sublimation MRP: Rs.8,000 (set of 6 colors, 100ml each)

Lyson DigiJet+ Photo Chrome Compatible Printers: Epson R2400 Type: Inkjet Print Life: Up to 25 years MRP: Rs.4500 (set of 6 colors, 100ml each) Lyson DigiJet+ Fotonic Compatible Printers: Epson Type: Dye Sublimation MRP: Rs.3,000 (set of 6 colors, 100ml each)

Contact Available at Email Phone Website

: Ambika : Jet Cartridge (I) Pvt Ltd : sales@jetcartridge.com : +91 22 67521000 : www.jetcartridge.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

75

SPECIAL

Miscellaneous COLOR CONVERSION FILTERS FOR ELECTRONIC FLASH There is always a problem of color balance when electronic flash is used along with, say, video lights. For example, when covering a wedding, you have the daylight balanced electronic flash as well as video lights (which have a much lower color temperature). Balancing the color of both the lights has been a nightmare for wedding photographers. Well, there is good news for them in the form of color conversion/color balance filters for electronic flash from HONLPHOTO Professional. Various filters are available that attach to the electronic flash via a specially designed Speed Strap. Also available are Gobos/ Bounce Cards, 5inch and 8inch Snoots, and 1/4inch and 1/8inch Speed Grids.

For further details, please contact Kalabhai Karson Pvt. Ltd. Contact : Mr. R.G.Nandwana/Mr. Aditya Nandwana/ Ms. Sheetal Phone : +91 22 25774058/4059/25781823 Email : info@kalabhai.com Website : www.kalabhai.com

EXPODISC WHITE BALANCE FILTERS Available in two types (for Normal and Warm tones), these filters from Expo Imaging is the answer to photographers’ woes about unsatisfactory colors using digital cameras.

Simple to use and easy to carry, these filters are available at an MRP of Rs.5,500.

For further details, please contact Kalabhai Karson Pvt. Ltd. Contact : Mr. R.G.Nandwana/Mr. Aditya Nandwana/ Ms. Sheetal Phone : +91 22 25774058/4059/25781823 Email : info@kalabhai.com Website : www.kalabhai.com

DIGITAL SENSOR CLEANER No matter how careful you are, dust is bound to settle on the camera sensor.

This leads to wasting lot of time on the computer cleaning away the dust bunnies using the spot healing brush/ clone tool in Photoshop. Worldwide, various devices, employing different technologies, are available to clean the sensor.

Green Clean Sensor Cleaning Kit (includes large can, tubing, magnifier, and swab)

MRP: Rs.4575 Green Clean Mini Vacuum Sensor Cleaner (with smaller can and tubing) MRP: Rs.2800 For further details, please contact Kalabhai Karson Pvt. Ltd. Contact : Mr. R.G.Nandwana/ Mr. Aditya Nandwana/Ms. Sheetal Phone : +91 2225774058/4059/ 25781823 Email : info@kalabhai.com Website : www.kalabhai.com

August 2009 Smart Photography

77

SPECIAL NOVOFLEX PANORAMA HEADS To create a perfectly seamless panorama, the lens has to rotate over its entrance pupil. Its position will vary from lens-to-lens. The panorama head makes it easy to exactly locate the position of the entrance pupil over which the lens needs to rotate. Failing this, i.e., rotating the camera on the tripod mount will cause parallax error which will be noticeable if the subjects are close by.

Two models are available: Pano VR-System and Pano VR-System PRO The Pano VR-System has an MRP of: Rs.45,000 (Classic Ball 5 & the camera in the image are not included in the package)

Lens hoods MRP: Rs.125 – Rs.200

CAMERA KNICK-KNACKS

LCD protectors MRP: Rs.100 – Rs.150

Company Name Contact Phone Email Website

Neck straps MRP: Rs.150 - Rs.250 Lens caps MRP: Rs.75 - Rs.300

: Karan Foto Electronics : Mr.Sanjay Malhotra : +91 22 22677494/66365979 : karanfoto@sify.com : www.karanfoto.com

Body caps MRP: Rs.75 – Rs.300

WRINKLE-FREE STUDIO BACKDROPS Available in various sizes.

MRP: Rs.300 – Rs.5,000 Color filter MRP: Rs.750 Company Name Contact Phone Email Website

: Paras Enterprises : Mr. Paras Mehta : +91 22 22611320/ +91 9323104546 : paras@bossbackdrop.com : www.bossbackdrop.com

STUDIO BACKDROPS Studio backdrops available in various sizes and designs.

18 percent gray backdrop.

MRP : Rs.400 onwards Hand sprayed backdrops.

MRP : Rs.1,000 onwards Company Name : Sangam Foto Contact : Mr. Raj Kathuria Phone :+91 22 22700992/22632589 Fax. 22700993.

Email : info@sangamfoto.com Website : www.sangamfoto.com

78

Smart Photography August 2009

PHOTOGRAPHERS’ JACKETS VTS Enterprises offers photographers’ jackets made from fine quality cotton (90 percent). 14 pockets.

MRP Company Name Contact Phone Email

: Rs.1,500 : VTS Enterprises : Mr. R R Sharma : +91 9312255816 : vts.photoproducts77@yahoo.com

COLOR MANAGEMENT Color management hardware/software from Datacolor.

MRP Available at Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.13,000 : Bhushan Fhotografiks : Mr. Eesh Dewan : +91 9811704707 : eesh@bhushanphoto.com : www.bhushanphoto.com

PHOTO ALBUM DESIGNING SOLUTION ‘UltraAlbum Studio’ – an automatic album designing solution with face filter. An easy solution to album making. Completely integrated with Adobe Photoshop CS2, CS3, CS4.

MRP Company Name Contact Phone Email Website

: Rs.8,000 : Audio Video Communication System (AVCS) : Mr. Prakash : +91 9810984544 : audiovideocentre@yahoo.co.in : www.avcsindia.com

KARIZMA DESIGNER 4.0 Karizma Designer 4.0 version lets professionals create artistic digital photo-albums in minutes. By a simple drag and drop operation, users can quickly and easily design their own personalised, high quality, multiple-page albums. In fact, the built-in editor, in the Karizma Designer makes handling and modifying images a breeze. Even users can change the brightness/ contrast and gamma settings.

In addition, the other features in the software includes, Photo Quality Indication, Stamp Tool, Multiple Page View, and Auto Layer Creation.

Website : www.karizmaalbums.com

Marketed By: Karizma/PXL Soft Contact Person: Amogh Kirtikan Phone :+91 22 32053205 Email :sales@karizmaalbums.com MRP: NA (Available at all Karizma Authorised Partners or request a free DVD from sales@karizmaalbums.com)

August 2009 Smart Photography

79

PHOTO FEATURE

To the Roof of the World,

on a Bullet For most of us the wait was killing. We were like school kids eagerly waiting and counting days for the ‘vacation’ to begin. The thought of a 15-day break from work and everyday life was surreal. There was a flurry of messages on our e-groups discussing what to buy, what to carry, where to keep the camera, where to get what, and so on ... captain warned about the effects of high altitude that some people might experience. Then we left Manali after fuelling up.

We were scheduled to cross the first pass—Rohtang sometime around noon. I was looking forward to Rohtang, but frankly it was quite a disappointment with city-like traffic of tourists and traffic snarls.

This is where we had our first brush with altitude-related problems. Not so much with breathing, but with keeping up the momentum of the bikes. Steep hairpin turns coupled with traffic and a slight loss of compression in the bikes, made it quite a challenge crossing the Rohtang pass. However, after few minutes the traffic thinned out and the thrill of riding through the mountains took over. By now it had become quite cold and a drizzle coupled with snowfall was a great experience. For many, it was for the first time that they saw snowfall.

T

he day for The Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2009 had arrived. Flagged off after a brief ceremony at the India Gate, New Delhi, on June 12, 2009, the odyssey began with the thump of 62 Royal Enfield motorcycles. In its sixth year, the Himalayan Odyssey has become a not-to-be-missed riding pilgrimage to the Himalayas for every biking enthusiast.

THE ROUTE New Delhi – Chandigarh – Manali – Keylong – Sarchu – Rumtse – Leh – Khardung La – Leh – Tso Kar – Keylong – Kaza – Kalpa – Narkanda – Parwanoo – New Delhi, covering about 2,700 kilometers across 15 days!

The ride from New Delhi to Chandigarh, our first stopover, was pretty much smooth with everyone ripping through the highway to escape the scorching heat. After a good night’s sleep, the group was raring to move towards the hills.

After passing through some beautiful stretches of fields and canals in Punjab, we started the gradual ascent towards the hills. With every passing hour we climbed higher, and towards late evening we crossed Kulu. Ultimately we entered Manali, it got a little darker and the traffic was at its worst.

The Day-3 briefing left some people nervous, as our ride

80

Smart Photography August 2009

After a brief regroup at Kokhsar, the group left for Keylong—the destination for the day. En route, we stopped at the filling station at Tandi to tank-up, and also buy additional fuel to last till Leh—reason—there was no filling station for the next 365 kilometers! We passed through beautiful mountains overlooking patches of farms, few settlements, and some challenging terrain before reaching Keylong.

With the ‘real’ mountainous terrain starting, Day-5 began with the resolution to ride in smaller groups, so that the bikers are within each other’s vicinity. This helps to keep up the confidence and mutual support in such harsh terrain, besides being able to reach quickly and help a fellow biker in case of an emergency.

As the group approached Darcha, the weather God decided to test us. There was heavy rainfall, with a fairly heavy snowfall coupled with strong winds. The sudden temperature dip took its toll on many riders. As we approached the BaralachaLa pass, things became worse—the intensity of the snowfall increased, visibility dipped drastically, and we were stuck in a traffic jam at 16,500 feet! In the narrow snow-filled pass, a truck had capsized, there was a convoy of army trucks and few commercial trucks trying to negotiate the space—and to add-on there were some 60 odd Bullet bikes—all trying to cross that stretch and hoping for an improved weather on the other side!

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, we reached the camp site at Sarchu. But, things were no better—the snowfall

followed us and by late evening we realize what we would experience through the night—extreme cold, wet weather, and chilly winds. That night several people suffered from poor appetite, severe headache, and nausea. It was a big effort to even go from one tent to other, or across to the ‘dining room’ tent. Nobody had proper sleep and needless to mention, there was a long queue to the doctor’s tent in the morning. After some breakfast and a dose of ‘Combiflam’ medicine, the group got some relief when the first ray of the sun touched the camp and melted the thick layer of ice that had formed all over and on the bikes.

We filled fuel from cans that were purchased the previous day at Tandi, the group started off for the next destination—Rumtse.

The highlights of the day were the More plains and TanglangLa pass—the second highest in the world at 17,582 feet. The terrain got increasingly challenging with each passing day. There were small stretches of good tarmacs, but mostly rough surface with rocks, pebbles, and loose gravel. The numerous water crossings on the way provided additional thrill. Riding almost on the edge of cliffs overlooking deep valleys and gorges had some people shuddering. One wrong move, or one bad skid was enough to land a biker several hundreds of feet below! But, the odyssey went on, with the group always hungry for more.

The Rumtse - Leh stretch of about 80 km was a breeze with some good roads, but most importantly, the carrot that was dangling before everyone was a good hotel room and prospects of a nice warm shower. It was the third straight day of riding through cold, and dust. It seemed like ages that we had a bath!

At the beautiful city of Leh we got a day off and with it, an opportunity to explore several places of interest. Some went shopping, some took off on their bikes, and some decided to take cabs and check out nearby places. Visit to the Thiksey Gonpa and Hemis Gonpa were a spiritual experience and an opportunity to observe Buddhist monks and their ways of life from close. Some of us also visited the famous Leh Palace, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, the Magnetic Hill, War museum, Nimu valley, and the Zanskar river.

A day later came the moment that we were all waited for—the goal that we all wanted to reach—the height we wanted to scale —the ride to Khardung La—the highest motorable road in the world at 18,380 feet! The 45 kilometer ascent from Leh was through numerous winding stretches of roads and quite a steep climb.

When we reached Khardung La, it was a great feeling, a sense of triumph, a bit of attainment and an emotional one for some. It was freezing cold at that height. After some photography sessions, a quick visit to the temple and the souvenir shop, we were on our way back to Leh. Everyone brimmed with a sense of pride and achievement, and a sense of emotional attachment to their bikes like never before!

On the way back, the route was pretty much the same till Keylong, except that instead of Sarchu we camped by the side of the beautiful Tso Kar lake. We also got to do some excellent off-roading around the place.

The next big experience was the ride from Keylong to Kaza in Spiti Valley. A 90km stretch through an extremely rocky terrain left every bone shaken. The Bullets and Thunderbirds, needless to say, continued to stay in great shape. Spiti Valley presented some of the most amazing landscapes—from lush green patches to beautiful mountains, rivers, extremely intimidating and scary looking rocky patches to some lovely villages on the way.

Then we left Kaza, the thought of coming down back to the plains hit us as a hard reality, but the hills and ghat roads all the way through Kalpa, Narkanda, and Parwanoo gave good respite and kept the thrill of riding on the mountains going. The final stretch between Parwanoo and New Delhi—a flat highway—had its own challenges in the form of extreme heat touching almost 45 degrees centigrade!

So, how would I summarize the Himalayan Odyssey experience?

Well, from a biking perspective it was the ultimate riding pilgrimage across the most challenging terrains and weather conditions. From an individual perspective, it was a humbling experience being in the midst of towering mountains and nature.

I’m glad I was a part of this odyssey.

Text by Kartik Sankar (Bullet enthusiast, Member, Madras Bulls Motorcycling Club). Photography: Gopanand

August 2009 Smart Photography

81

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

The Animal Planet Jagdeep Rajput

Š Jagdeep Rajput

Wildlife photography is the most romanticized genre of photography in the West. More so because of the popular myth that a wildlife photographer is a great adventurer.

However, in the East, particularly in India, it’s not so, mainly because it takes a lot of dedication and hard work to remain focussed both professionally and financially. In an exclusive, Jagdeep Rajput, (a banker by profession), who has framed wild animals like tigers, elephants, and avian birds, sheds some light on widllife photography in India and his experiences while shooting at the National Parks from Bharatput to Bandhavgarh. Mathew Thottungal takes a snapshot to find out more.

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

© Jagdeep Rajput

August 2009 Smart Photography

83

MASTER CRAFTSMAN © Jagdeep Rajput

How did you first become interested in photographing wildlife and birds? Secondly, how did it happen that this interest turned into a full-time vocation?

Although, I was always fond of photography, but essentially, I am an artist, a painter, who used to sketch and paint people and landscapes.

Interestingly, I happened to buy my first telephoto, a 70-210mm zoom lens, which helped me to sketch portraits of people. However, when I started observing birds and animals through it, I got naturally hooked, it was then that I left painting for good as photography became an obsession.

© Jagdeep Rajput

You may be surprised that I’m not yet a full-time professional, although I shoot like one. I still do a 9 to 5 mundane job to make ends meet.

What is the essential gear, and other paraphernalia that you consider necessary when you proceed for an outdoor assignment? One of the most frequently asked question is which lens is ideally suited for wildlife photography and why.

© Jagdeep Rajput

I prefer to carry the lenses ranging from 28mm to 500mm, plus both the convertors, 1.4X and 2x, extra batteries, extra cards, hard disk etc. In fact, I make it a point to carry good tripod, beanbag, hat, water bottle, and comfortable cotton clothes.

The type of wildlife pictures you plan to shoot ideally makes up for the lens that is bundled in the photographic gear. For example: A) If you decide to shoot birds, then 500mm or 600mm lens is the obvious choice, precisely because of higher magnification.

B) If your plan to shoot big mammals, then 70 – 200mm f/2.8 lens, because it gives you fast aperture and very good range to cover the various opportunities.

© Jagdeep Rajput

C) On the other hand in the case of shooting small animals or in a place where animals are shy, then the 300mm F2.8 lens (but then it depends on affordability), otherwise a 300mm F4 lens will do instead.

84

Smart Photography August 2009

Do you usually go to a destination with the intention of photographing a specific mammal or bird etc, or else, do you pick a place and photograph anything that grabs your interest?

Secondly, what do you consider the most significant achievement in photography in your illustrous career and why?

If I go to Ranthambhor or Bandhavgarh, then as usual,

Š Jagdeep Rajput

August 2009 Smart Photography

85

© Jagdeep Rajput

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

86

Smart Photography August 2009

© Jagdeep Rajput

© Jagdeep Rajput

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

tiger is the obvious choice, but at other places, I always look forward towards getting good frames, whatever be the subject. I may be even satisfied to shoot a common bird, which preferred to pose just for my camera. If one’s aim is to only shoot tigers, then it becomes a gamble, one may not see the tail of tiger for a week or ten days at a stretch. In addition, the tiger has such a great persona that it makes you blind. Besides, in the pursuit of the tiger, you may not see the other photo opportunities that come along your way.

My most significant achievement was when I was ‘Specially Commended’ as the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, (1992 competition), even though I was a runner up in the same competition in 1995. In fact, it is not the most prestigious competition today, but it was my first sight of sweet success after a real struggle for 12 long years. This really changed both my outlook and perception of making the image at the age of 32 years.

Can you share some of your technical approaches in capturing birds in flight?

Secondly, what are the important qualities that a wildlife photographer should possess and why?

For ‘birds in flight’ photography, all the aspects of a wildlife photographer is tested to the maximum. It includes photography skills, hunting skills, technical competence of equipment as well as technique, of the photographer, knowledge about birds, it’s habitat, and above all reflexes. In fact, in the film era, I used to go for pre-focus technique, which is nothing but focusing your lens in © Jagdeep Rajput

Have you ever had a close encounter while trying to capture the perfect frame in the woods?

The tiger was sitting peacefully at a waterhole, and slowly started drinking water. I was coolly taking pictures, when suddenly the riding elephant decided to pick some grass to eat, this infuriated the tiger and it charged at the elephant. Suddenly, the whole earth seemed to shake, but before the elephant retreated, I was able to shoot around ten frames. Sadly, only one frame turned out to be sharp.

It goes without saying that when we enter the jungles, we intrude into the home of wild animals, so there’s a possibility of close encounters and it does happen. But let me tell you that wild animals are really good, but when provoked they can be nasty as well. But on the other hand, if one is able to get the shot during close encounter then it is the acid test of a wildlife photographer, however, there is a bit of danger attached to it.

Once, I was photographing an aggressive male tiger named ‘Charger’ in the Bandhavgarh Reserve who was notorious for charging at the elephants’ backs or jeeps carrying tourists.

August 2009 Smart Photography

87

advance at a place, where you expect the bird to be, than wait for the bird to arrive and shoot. However, in a digital age, one needs to understand the camera, where it performs better, for example single point focus or multi point, one shot AF or continuous etc. If you pan your camera from one corner to another, you are likely to get ten different exposures, but only one exposure may turn out to be good enough.

The best option is manual exposure.

Before turning a wildlife photographer, one must be a good naturalist, he must care for the environment and animals first. Pictures are secondary, because firstly one must enjoy the process of making them, i.e. the whole routine of going to the forest, being with nature and taking pictures. If you don’t enjoy the whole process, then you can’t enjoy the pictures.

On the other hand, if you enjoy the process, pictures will happen naturally. In addition, one must be patient, eager to learn, improve with © Jagdeep Rajput

© Jagdeep Rajput

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

88

Smart Photography August 2009

each assignment, while honing the skills and also upgrading the equipment as well.

At any point in time, if there was only one choice of location to shoot in India, where would this be and why?

If I had only one place to go for photography, then it will be Bharatpur (without second thought) and there are many reasons for it: That’s the only place, where you can be one with the nature (without any hassles), normally associated with wildlife photography. Besides, you don’t need any bookings, permits, jeeps, elephants, trackers, guides etc. There are no restrictions on your movements, you can go anywhere you like. You also have the whole day at your disposal from sunrise to sunset.

And mind you there is a large variety of birds to photograph apart from other wild animals.

Importantly, there are unlimited photo opportunities everywhere you go… its simply a paradise on earth.

Learnings >

Basics of Photography (Part-VIII)

>

Photoshop Magic Get Rid of Digital Noise Eliminate People from a Scene

>

Scene Modes: What the Camera Does

>

Step-by-Step: How to Use the Extract Filter

>

Get Started in Lightroom 2

98

94

107

102

LEARNING

Basics of

Photography Smart Photography has been continually receiving requests to start a basic course for beginners. With this in mind, we have asked a very knowledgeable photographer in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to take over writing these articles. We have also requested him to be as jargon-free as it is possible so that newcomers to photography feel comfortable to pursue the hobby.

The author, Ashok Kandimalla has been in the photographic field for over three decades and has extensive experience in both film and digital photography. Being an electronics engineer by profession and a photographer, gives him a unique and deep insight into the technical aspects of digital photography and equipment. He has published several articles on photography and some of his writings have also been published in the well-known international magazine Popular Photography. He is an avid collector of photographic books and vintage cameras. Ashok is also interested in history of photography and has a passion of sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing.

His other interest is music and is presently employed as the Chief Technology Officer in Infotech Enterprises Ltd., Hyderabad. He can be reached at k_ashok_k@yahoo.com

Continued from July ‘09 issue.

Part VIII

Histogram, Highlight Warning, and White Balance art VII of this Series (“Basics of Photography Metering”) explained to you the use of an exposure meter. You have also seen how exposure meters sometimes get fooled. When such things happen, is there a way for you to find out that the exposure you have set is not providing the results you wanted?

P

nature—that is they do not display any numbers. Histogram appears as a graph and the highlight warning appears as a blinking display. Both these displays can be viewed on the camera monitor. Generally, both work post facto, that is, after the image is taken, though some cameras can display the histogram in real-time before you take the picture.

Histogram and Highlight Warning are two aides that are built into many cameras to help you do that. That is, they will let you know if any under or overexposure has occurred. They are really and truly digital era features that were absent earlier. They are also perhaps the most powerful tools so far developed for exposure control. Of these two, the histogram gives a lot more information and is called by many photographers as the exposure meter of the 21st century.

A word of caution: Never judge the tone and hence the correctness of exposure of an image by looking at it on your camera’s LCD monitor as the monitors are not calibrated for color or accurate tonality. Also, the tone of the picture can change drastically depending on the angle at which you are viewing the monitor. With that as the background you are ready to study these two tools in depth.

Both these tools are graphics oriented rather than numeric in

90

Smart Photography August 2009

Highlight Warning: If you overexpose an image (see Part VII for more details), the highlights will be blown out, that is, they will

LEARNING

be recorded as detail-less whites. Details in blown highlights are lost forever as no amount of editing or correction can bring them back. So, it is essential to keep an eye to see if any highlight is blown. This is what the highlight warning tells you. If you switch on this tool (it is normally a display option in the “Playback” menu) then the areas where the highlights had blown will “blink” alternatively white and black on your camera monitor. By seeing this you will immediately know of the blown highlights and you can take corrective action by reducing the exposure. That is all you need to know about this very simple tool that is easy to use, but at the same time very effective and powerful. When using the highlight warning, you must disregard specular highlights (like on shimmering water, or on a light bulb) because if you reduce the exposure till the entire highlight warning is gone, the picture will be grossly underexposed.

Histogram: This too, as in the previous case, is switched on by a display option. Any image you take will have a range of tonal values—that is, some areas will be very light, some will be very dark, and some will be in between. Histogram is simply a graphical representation of these tonal values. Each tonal value corresponds to a brightness value. By interpreting the histogram properly you can get very important information on exposure, and brightness range of the scene, by just a glance.

The vertical axis of the histogram indicates the number of pixels (or in other words the area in the image) of each brightness level (tone). The greater the number of pixels at a particular brightness, higher will be the peak of the graph at that tone. This in turn means larger area has been rendered at that tone.

The horizontal axis gives the tonal values (that is pixel brightness), with dark tones being to the left and light tones being to the right side. The middle of horizontal axis represents the mid-tones. The left-most point on the horizontal axis represents a pure detail-less black point. That is, if you find that the histogram is touching the extreme left (called pegged to the left or clipped shadows) then that means some parts of the image have become pure black without detail. These are also called “blocked” shadows. If this is the case, you may have to move the histogram to the right by giving some positive (plus) exposure compensation.

On the other hand, if you find that the histogram is touching the extreme right (pegged to the right or clipped highlights) then that means some parts of the image have blown out without detail.

These are also called “blown” highlights. This is in fact more troublesome than the previous case, as lost highlight details can never be got back. To remedy this situation you need to move the histogram to the left. You can do this by giving some negative (minus) exposure compensation.

Why do we need two tools? You may now have a doubt that if a histogram is indicating the blown out highlights, why do we need one more tool—the highlight warning—to do the

same job? The reason for this is that the histogram is a tool with broader use giving the entire tonal distribution. A user may take a little time to interpret it. Apart from this if a very small area is blown out it may not be easily visible in the histogram. In the case of highlight warning, you can see the blown out areas (even if they are small) instantly.

Also, histogram has no positional information. That is it cannot say which tone is located where in the image. It can only say for example, that the image has predominantly one particular tone (as indicated by a peak at that tonal value). It cannot say if this tone is at the bottom, top, left, right, or distributed all over the image. Contrary to this, the highlight warning tool tells you precisely where the highlights are blown. So, these two tools serve different purposes and are complementary.

Histogram has no positional knowledge! These three give the same looking histogram since the area covered (total number of pixels) by each of the two tones (taken as an example) is the same though the position and shape of the patches has changed.

Analysis of a Histogram: The following explains the mapping between an image and a histogram.

Histogram unraveled! This picture shows the mapping between the different tones in the image and the corresponding areas in the histogram. The uniform gray background (A), which occupies a very large area in the image corresponds to peak (a), which is a little to the right of the middle. The tone has maximum pixels (maximum area) and hence has the highest peak. The light brown colored wooden plank (B), which makes the light foreground, corresponds to a smaller peak (b).

It is lighter and hence is further to the right. Next is the car model. This item has several tones and hence has contributed to pixels at various brightness values. For e.g. the light colored hood has contributed a bit to the peak (b). Likewise some parts of the car have also contributed a wee bit to peak (a). However, you cannot say exactly where, since histogram does not give positional information. Finally, there are a few dark tones (shadow and dark fender of the car—marked “C”) occupying a slightly larger area together. These dark tones caused a small peak (c) towards the left.

August 2009 Smart Photography

91

LEARNING

HERE ARE SOME MORE EXAMPLES TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE HISTOGRAM. IMAGE

HISTOGRAM

EXPLANATION

A high key scene that has predominantly light tones. See how the histogram is bunched to the right. Since none of the highlights have blown out, the histogram does not touch the right vertical axis.

A low key scene that has predominantly dark tones. See how the histogram is bunched to the left.

The histogram is also pegged to the left vertical axis indicating that some dark areas are blocked.

This is an atypical scene with predominantly two tones (two shades of green) close to each other. So, you are seeing two close peaks with practically no other tones (the histogram hardly rises elsewhere) except for the slight bump towards the right which corresponds to the white pelicans.

RGB Histogram: Digital images have color information (apart from brightness information). The colors are made up by three primary color channels. These together form all the colors. The three primary channels are Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B). The histogram you have read till now is called the luminance (or brightness) histogram. This combines the readings from all the three channels. Most cameras just show the luminance histogram but more advanced cameras give four histograms simultaneously —one combined and three individual histograms—one for each channel. So, what is the advantage of having a separate histogram for each channel? Since all these three channels will not have the same value of RGB at every point (if they were, the scene would only be rendered in shades of gray) there is a

92

Smart Photography August 2009

chance that one of the three RGB channels gets blown out but not the others. Consider this example.

If you are photographing a scene with a large area filled with deep red flowers, then there is chance that the red channel alone has its highlights clipped while the other channels are fine. If such a thing happens, then a composite histogram, that is displayed in black & white (see below) will not show this.

Hence you are likely to lose detail in red flowers if you take a photograph as it is. However, this highlight clipping will show up on the red channel histogram and you can decrease the exposure to get it under control (you will see more on exposure control a little later).

LEARNING

RGB Histogram. Note the different shapes of each of the color histograms. The largest peak (around mid point) corresponds to the neutral gray background, and hence all the channels have contributed equally. So this peak is of the same size in all the three channels.

However, the foreground made up wood (light brown) has more red content and hence the red histogram shows a peak (a little to the right of the midpoint) while the blue (which is the opposite color of red) shows no peak at all as there is little blue in the foreground.

How to Position the Histogram: A histogram can be moved by using exposure compensation. Plus compensation (more exposure) will move the histogram to the right. Negative compensation will do the opposite. The following examples will make this concept clear to you.

Image with (-2) exposure compensation. Note how the histogram is now pegged to the left indicating clipped detail less shadows.

Image with (-1) exposure compensation.

Image with no exposure compensation. Note how the histogram has moved to the right.

All photographs taken by the author

Image with (+1) exposure compensation. The highlights are just about to get clipped.

Image with (+2) exposure compensation. The histogram has moved further to the right. Note how the histogram is now pegged to the right indicating clipped detail less highlights.

Note how the histogram moves with exposure compensation without much change in its overall shape. ...To be continued in the next issue August 2009 Smart Photography

93

LEARNING

Digital noise, along with low dynamic range, is the bane of all digital photographers. Manufacturers are doing their best to tackle these problems and with recent cameras, we are seeing a lot of improvement in both these departments.

1. GET RID OF DIGITAL NOISE

T

he problem of digital noise is greater at high ISO sensitivities. This is one reason why most photographers sometimes feel that their cameras are inadequate at high ISOs. There are of course many software available that can reduce noise. Unfortunately, they add to our already burdened pockets. So why not use a simple method already available to users of Photoshop? The method listed below will get rid of or reduce sensor noise (not long exposure noise).

Technique by Rohinton Mehta

(It’s obvious that you will be shooting an area which is low in illumination). You may shoot in RAW (for a better ďŹ nal result) or JPEG. We shot in JPEG. Now, load the images on your computer.

METHOD 1.Set your camera to a high ISO. For this experiment, we set our D-SLR to ISO 1600.

2.Tripod the camera, and set the shooting mode to whatever you are comfortable with. We used Aperture Priority mode.

3.Now, taking great care not to disturb the tripod, shoot several frames (5 or more), using the same exposure and composition.

BEFORE 94

Smart Photography August 2009

Original Image

AFTER

LEARNING

1 Open all the images in Photoshop. I am using CS3. Press the F7 key on the keyboard to open the Layers palette.

2 Select any one image and copy it (Ctrl A, Ctrl C). Go to the next image and paste it (Ctrl V).

6 Ensure that all the Layers are selected and convert them to Smart Objects from the Layers menu (Layer>Smart Objects>Convert to Smart Objects). (Printscreen 4)

3 Similarly copy/paste all the images. The Layers palette will now look as in Printscreen 1.

Print screen 4

After this step, the Layers palette will look like Printscreen 5 Print screen 1

4 Select all the Layers. First select the top layer and while keeping Shift pressed, click on the Background layer. (Printscreen 2).

Print screen 5

7 Go to Layer>Smart Objects>Stack Mode>Median (Printscreen 6)

Print screen 2

Print screen 3

5 Go to Edit>Auto Align Layers. When the new menu opens, select Auto from the Projection menu (Printscreen 3).

This step is not mandatory since we have shot the images using a tripod. Even then for safety’s sake, you may use it.

Print screen 6

Enlarge the final image to actual pixels (100 percent) and check for noise. Don’t be too surprised when you see most of it vanished into thin air!

August 2009 Smart Photography

95

LEARNING

2. ELIMINATE PEOPLE FROM A SCENE

Image 01

Image 02

Image 03

Image 04

Image 05

Image 06

Often times there are occasions where we need to photograph a scene, but find it difficult to capture it without people moving around within the frame. The method to eliminate the people in the photo is exactly the same as shown in ‘Get Rid Of Digital Noise’.

On the next page you can see the same strucure without the people. On the extreme left of the Final Image, you can see some people in the shade. They have been standing more or less in the same place when the eight frames were shot.

Image 07

96

Smart Photography August 2009

Image 08

LEARNING

FINAL IMAGE

August 2009 Smart Photography

97

LEARNING

Scene Modes

What the Camera Does

Amateurs swear by them, experts know they exist, and professionals seldom care about them—Scene modes of your camera are like that. But most amateur photographers would never have bothered to know what the camera does in these modes. Here’s a peek into the world of ‘intelligent’ modes.

98

Smart Photography August 2009

LEARNING

ortrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Portrait, Snow … you name them, and they are all there in most digital cameras as automated Scene modes. The subjects existed from time immemorial, and our good old photographers from the ‘fully-manual’ age used to capture all these with perfection. So a closer look at these ‘intelligent’ modes, as amateurs call these, would reveal that they are nothing but sheer common sense applied to the automatic systems of digital cameras.

P

In the case of stage performances, you require high shutter speeds to freeze the action. Hence the camera compensates by pushing the ISO sensitivity, possibly to its maximum value. But many cameras do this at the expense of image quality. Similarly, for night portrait, since you do not require such high shutter speeds, but still need to eliminate subject’s motion in the photograph, the camera will generally push the ISO to a moderately high value like ISO 800.

Now you could ask, ‘why do I need to know what the camera does in Scene modes?’ The answer is simple; this knowledge will help you override the camera’s Scene mode settings if you find its performance not satisfactory.

WHEN YOU REQUIRE FLASH COMBINED WITH SHUTTER SPEED CONTROL

HOW MANY SCENE MODES DO YOU NEED? If you choose a camera by the number of Scene modes it offers, then here is my observation: Many Scene modes, though named differently, often do the same thing. So, it is not the number of Scene modes that matters, but how you utilize them effectively.

Now let us see what the camera does in each of the Scene modes. The basic principles may sound like simple common sense, but as we all know, common sense is not so common.

WHEN ACTION IS THE DECIDING FACTOR (Kids, Pet, Action, Moving Object, Sport, Stage Lighting etc.)

When set to any of these Scene modes, the camera attempts to provide the fastest shutter speed possible. Hence subjects like kids, pet, action, sport, and stage lighting that require fast shutter speeds are shot at a wider aperture to increase the shutter speed. Similarly, the focusing mode will be changed to AF-C (continuous focusing) since the subject could be moving about.

WHEN DEPTH-OF-FIELD IS CRITICAL (Macro, Portrait etc.)

If the scene requires critical control of Depth-of-Field (DOF), the Scene mode will shift to Aperture Priority setting. For example, macro and portraits demand a shallow DOF while landscapes require maximum DOF. Hence in Macro and Portrait modes, the camera will fix a wider aperture, whereas in Landscape mode the camera will select a narrow aperture.

WHEN FLASH CAN SPOIL YOUR IMAGE There are certain situations in which your camera’s flash can spoil the photograph. It may even be that you are not allowed to use flash. Hence in these Scene modes, the camera will disable the flash. The typical situations include Night Scene, Sunset, Stage Lighting, Candlelight, and Museum. Generally flash is not allowed in a museum. In the other situations, flash will overpower the lighting effect in the scene.

WHEN YOU REQUIRE HIGH SHUTTER SPEEDS UNDER LOW LIGHT Typical situations include Stage Lighting and Night Portait.

When you take Night Portraits, with your subject standing in front of an interesting (dark) background, you will require to use slow shutter speed along with flash. The technique is also known as slow sync. In this, the flash will expose the subject correctly (and also freeze the subject’s movement), while the longer exposure will register the background correctly. Similarly in action images, you might need to use flash with high speed sync, a technology that allows you to use flash along with faster shutter speeds.

WHITE BALANCE AND SATURATION While Sunset and Candlelight images require a warm tint, Underwater Scenes requires a cooler tint. Hence the camera chooses the optimum color temperature in these situations.

Similarly special scene modes such as ‘Food’ require the saturation to be zipped up a bit.

Scene modes apply a combination of these various settings to a scene. On these modes the camera considers only the situations ‘most likely to encounter’ in a particular scene. But, what if you come across a special situation not considered by the camera? It is then that you require manual tweaks to your Scene modes. Since Scene modes do not allow you to tweak many of these settings, you might need to use a combinations of different setting to achieve that result.

So here are some Scene modes and the possible settings you could use instead of them, in case you feel like a slave to these automated modes.

LANDSCAPE Landscape images require good Depth-of-Field. If the camera is mounted on a tripod, keep it on Aperture Priority and choose a narrow aperture. If you are holding the camera in your hand, keep it on Shutter Priority and choose the shutter speed closest to the reciprocal of the effective focal length used, i.e. if the focal length is 50mm, and you are using an APS-C size sensor camera (1.5x) choose the shutter speed of 1/180sec. If the camera has Image Stabilization (also known as Vibration Reduction and Shake Reduction), switching it on can sometimes help. Keep the ISO sensitivity at the minimum value (e.g. ISO100). Matrix (also known as Multi Pattern

August 2009 Smart Photography

99

LEARNING

Landscape

and Evaluative) metering is known to provide good balance want detail in the background, choose a narrower aperture. of exposure in this case.

Center-weighted metering will work well in this situation.

NIGHT SCENE

If you want your subject to have maximum attention, keep the Depth-of-Field shallow. For this, use Aperture Priority and choose the widest aperture (smallest number) possible. If you

With night scenes, you will require a steady tripod to get best results. If you do not have one, choose an optimum ISO sensitivity that provides a fast-enough shutter speed for shake-free

Sujith Gopinath

PORTRAIT

100

Smart Photography August 2009

LEARNING

photographs. If the sensitivity is kept at the maximum value, your image could be noisy.

NIGHT PORTRAIT Using flash can underexpose the background severely. So at night, it is extremely difficult to capture the background along with the main subject. Hence in such situations you need to use the technique of slow sync. This is generally available as a flash mode. If not, use flash in combination with shutter speed priority mode.

These are all action-based scenes. So the key here is the shutter speed. The Scene modes are designed to freeze the subjects in action. But some times you might also like to experiment with slow shutter speed techniques like panning, slow sync, or second curtain sync.

SUNSET

SNOW

Snowscapes can fool the camera’s exposure meter, causing the snow to appear light gray instead of white. So when shooting snow covered areas and if the snow covers a major part of your frame, set the exposure compensation to +1 or +1.5 EV.

Sujith Gopinath

KIDS, PETS, ACTION, SPORT, MOVING OBJECT

Capturing sunsets is all about the warm tone in the scene. So White Balance plays a major role in this mode. On Auto White Balance setting, the warm tone of the sunset will be lost for ever (since you are telling the camera that in this orange colored light, I want my whites as white). Instead, use Daylight White Balance to record the warm tones. For greater warmth in the picture, use ‘cloudy’ or ‘shade’.

Though manual override of Scene modes can give stunning results, it requires lot of practice. Now that you have the information, don’t get upset when your scene mode does not deliver results in a particular scene. A tinge of creativity can help you capture better images than your camera’s Scene modes can deliver.

Sujith Gopinath

August 2009 Smart Photography

101

LEARNING

Adobe

Expert The author, Rajendra Prasad, an Associate of Royal Photographic Society of London, and a banker by profession has been in the photographic field for over two decades and has extensive experience in both film and digital photography. At present he is also the Chairman of Digital Imaging Division, India International Photographic Council, Delhi. Rajendra has a passion for sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He has published several articles on photography in photographic magazines and journals of IIPC & FIP. He has also published an e-book An Introduction to Digital Photography which was released at Indore IIPC workshop by Sri Jaipal Reddy, Minister-Information & Broadcasting. He has also given talks on photography at Doordarshan. He has taught several photo-enthusiasts through workshops on photography in several Indian cities. His photographs have also won many accolades in different photographic salons. He has also served as a judge in various contests. His other hobbies are electronics and painting. He maintains a photoblog digicreation.blogspot.com and can be reached at rajdigi25@gmail.com

Step-by-Step

How to Use the Extract Filter

A

dvanced Photoshop workers often need to extract a part of an image from its background, so that the extracted image could be composited with another for a creative effects.

In the June issue of SP, I showed you how to extract images with the help of channels. Many readers e-mailed me to provide an automated & quick solution to this process and so in this issue of SP I am providing you a tutorial on using the Extract Filter in Photoshop. The Extract Filter provides a sophisticated and easy way to isolate a foreground object and erase its background.

Even objects with wispy & intricate edges can be clipped from their backgrounds with this filter, and that too with minimum manual work. When you extract the object with this filter, Photoshop erases its background to transparency. Pixels on the edge of the object lose their color components derived from the background, so they can blend easily with a new background without producing a color halo. Think of it as an artificial intelligence masking and selection tool. One of the things that’s easiest in Photoshop and probably something that everyone can do, is paint with help of the Brush tool and erase with help of the Erase tool. The Extract tool works kind of the same way, you paint the edges you want to retain and then fill it and volá you’ve freed the object from it’s background.

102

Smart Photography August 2009

‘Extract’ came along with Photoshop 5.5 as a tool, and then, from version 7 onwards Adobe moved it to the Filters menu.

In Photoshop CS4 when you load Photoshop, this filter is not automatically loaded; you will have to load it from the provided DVD (details of loading are also provided in the PDF in the CS4 DVD). I don’t know why Adobe has made this particular change.

It’s a great tool, but you should know how it works and what it needs. So, in this tutorial I am going to show you how to extract the model with the help of this filter.

HOW EXTRACT FILTER WORKS Before we start working with the tools in the Extract dialog box, let me give you an overview of what’s needed to successfully extract an image from its background. The process needs three pieces of information: (1) which areas should be thrown away, (2) which areas should be kept, and (3) which areas contain the transition between the first two areas (including semi-transparent areas). To use the Extract filter, you provide information to Photoshop through highlighting the areas that should be extracted. The highlighting acts as a hint to Photoshop, letting it know what the user wants to extract. Based on the hints, Photoshop guesses the desired result, and extracts what it thinks the user is telling it to keep.

LEARNING

Once the edge, or outline of the shape, is completed, the area to keep is defined using the Fill tool. The area that the user does not want in the extraction should not be highlighted or filled. The more clearly the user defines the parts of the image that should be extracted and the smaller the decision making area, the better the final result will be.

1

SHOOTING THE IMAGE FOR EXTRACTION First we need to choose a suitable image to work with.

Since most professionals would like to see extraction possibilities from studio shots, I took a photo of this lady in a studio with blue background (blue is commonly used in most studios).

If you are going to shoot photos for extraction then you should know that for a good extraction and undetectable cut & paste we should take the following precautions: There should be adequate contrast between the subject and background—dark hair against a dimly lit background will be difficult to extract. White background will give you better results; the background should be evenly lit for better extraction.

Lighting on the subject should be similar to the background in which the subject is going to be inserted. If the subject is lit from the left and the background lit from the right, it will cause a discontinuity in the composite image, making it look unnatural.

It is important to work with high-resolution, un-cropped images. This gives us more data to work with and keeps detail loss to a minimum.

my history states that I want to remember. This step is crucial and I’ll show you later that how this will come in handy in our future editing.

Now open the dialog box of Extract filter by clicking Filter>Extract Filter or use the shortcut (Alt+CTRL+X)

3

THE EXTRACTION FILTER DIALOG BOX

The Extract filter is unusual among Photoshop’s filters in that it has a massive dialog box that has one big interface with its own tools and options that takes over your screen when you open it. The various tools available to us in the Extraction area are listed at the top-left. Let’s look at the tools: The Edge Highlighter Tool (B) is used to mark the edges of the object to be retained.

The Fill Tool (G) is used to fill in the foreground area, defined by the Edge Highlighter tool.

Extract filter will not work on 16-bit images, so if you’ve opened a RAW file, you’ll need to change the mode to 8-bit (Image>Mode> 8-bit). After opening the image, follow the steps given below.

2

DUPLICATE THE BACKGROUND LAYER

The Extract filter is destructive, meaning it permanently alters the pixels. Hence it is best to work on a copy of the image layer. This way, if something goes wrong, you can just duplicate your starting layer again and start afresh. Copy the background layer by dragging the layer over the new layer button at the bottom of the layers palette and releasing the mouse or by using the shortcut Ctrl-J. Now go up to your History palette and to the left of your duplicate layer, click the blank square to set the source of “history brush.” This tells the program that this is the point in August 2009 Smart Photography

103

LEARNING

The Eraser Tool (E) can erase the edge highlight or the foreground fill area.

The Eyedropper Tool (I) is used to define the color we need to keep.

The Cleanup Tool (C) can be used to remove unwanted pixels after previewing the extraction.

The Edge Touch up Tool (T), like the Cleanup tool, is used to touch up the edges of the extraction.

The Zoom Tool (Z) is used to zoom in and out of the image display.

The Hand Tool (H) is used to move the image display.

The letters in brackets after each tool name is the shortcut key.

Keep these shortcuts in mind as you will have to swap tools often during the extraction process.

The Tool options on the right side of the Extract dialog box are used to control the fill and edge highlight. You can change the color of the edge highlight/fill, or the size of the brush here.

4

OUTLINING THE HAIR OF THE MODEL

When using the extraction filter we first need to define the border of our selection. It’s best to work with the image enlarged as much as possible to aid accuracy. Select the Zoom tool by pressing the “Z” key, position the magnifying glass over the area you want to highlight and then click your mouse to zoom in as close as you want. From here we will be able to work around sections of the model, then move to a different section using the Hand tool (H). What we want to achieve is to highlight all the edges of the model so that we can “extract” it from its

104

Smart Photography August 2009

background. The Edge Highlight tool is ready as default, which is what we will be using first. If it is not selected, select the Edge Highlighter Tool by pressing the “B” key. Set the brush size in the tool options section which is on the right side of the screen. A general rule of the thumb is that if the line is clearly defined, go with a fairly small brush, and use a slightly bigger brush for softer or wispy areas. Tip: you can change the size of your brush on the fly by clicking the right and left brackets on your keyboard. You should highlight in such a way that the middle of the marker line is over the actual edge of the selection. When you encounter a wispy area like hair of the model draw in all the wispy bits even if that means covering a chunk of background. The highlighter works much like a paint brush - there’s no need to keep hold of the mouse button all the way around. You can stop and the highlighting is retained, and restarts where you stopped.

The default brush color is green so if you were trying to extract a green plant you might want to choose a different contrasting color to work with. You can change the color at any time by clicking on the drop down menu for Highlight in the “Tools Options” menu which is at the right side. The green shows up well on our model so I have left this color as it is for this project.

If you make a mistake with a line, select the Erase Tool by pressing “E” and simply erase the incorrect bit and then redraw using the Highlight Tool. Tip: if you hold down the Alt while drawing with the edge highlighter, it will switch to the eraser tool. Once you’re done, double click the “Zoom Tool” to take the image back to normal. We can zoom in and out of the image with Ctrl- and Ctrl+, and we can move around the image by holding the Space-bar and clicking and dragging around. Outline the model’s hair as described above.

5

OUTLINING BODY AND DRESS

Checking the Smart Highlighter checkbox will put crosshairs in the Edge Highlighter brush and Photoshop will snap the edge as you trace the foreground object. Smart Highlighting is a great option to use when a foreground object’s edge is pretty easy to follow, such as the arms, hands, neck and dress. It works like the Magnetic Lasso and will lay down a

LEARNING

highlight line just wide enough to cover the edge. It does not do a very good job if the object’s edge is fuzzy or blurry, but if the edge has high contrast then Photoshop does a good job of tracing it with this tool. Carefully work the brush along the edge of the dress and arms.

window. For this particular image I have chosen a white matte from the preview options near the right bottom. This will do the best job of showing up the defective areas. In a perfect world, your extraction will be perfect. But just in case it isn’t, you’ll need some touch-up as described below.

6

8

DESIGNATE THE “LIFT” WITH THE FILL BUCKET

When highlighting is over, select the Fill Tool by pressing “G”, position your fill bucket inside the highlighted model and click. If you have used the Highlight Tool correctly and there are no gaps then your model should look like the image below ... Note: there is no need to highlight the whole bottom section of the model.

Don’t panic if your fill isn’t inside the highlighted model but has spilled out on to the background; this is only because there is a gap somewhere in your highlighting.

Use the Zoom Tool and zoom in close enough to see if there are gaps in the green highlight around the model. Then use the Highlight Tool and the Erase Tool, whichever is appropriate, to “fix” the highlighted edge around the model. Use the Fill Tool again to see if you have joined the dots.

7

PREVIEWING YOUR SELECTION

Now it is the time to see how good a job you did—the extraction process seldom works so perfectly the first time that you don’t have to tweak a little. The preview option allows us to see how the selection looks before committing to it and we can go back and refine any areas that look a bit rough.

Click the Preview button at the top of the Extract

REFINING THE SELECTION

Extracting objects from it background generally requires some sort of cleaning up afterwards, and the amount of cleaning up depends on how fine you have retained the edges in the tool .You’ll probably need to smooth the edges later on when your’e done in the tool. But that’s an easy task to do. To refine our selection we need to switch back into editing mode and we do that by selecting the original from the Show drop down menu in the Preview section. Make sure Show Highlighting is checked. Use the Eraser tool and marker to adjust any of the faulty areas.

Then use the paint bucket to again fill the selection. Once the selection has been filled, the Preview button becomes clickable (it is grayed out otherwise) and you can preview your changes again. This process can be repeated as many times as needed.

Even after refining your selection if a some parts of background are left and some of the subject has been lost then select the Cleanup Tool (C), and with the help of this tool brush out any unwanted background. Hold Alt and brush and your ‘clean up tool’ will change to ‘Touch Up tool’, then paint with it over the areas where detail is lost.

The Cleanup Tool erases the image, whereas the Cleanup Tool with Alt, restores it. Work your way round the edge of the model. When finally satisfied, press OK and the background will be removed from the original.

What I have found that the clean up and touch up tool do not give satisfactory result and you will not be able to clean up or restore all the defective areas, but we can fix that because we set our history brush state previously. To use the history brush, click on it and using a soft edge brush; simply paint the areas back in. You can also use the Eraser tool to clean up any stray pixels or hair that might be sticking out in odd places. Once you’ve got your image cleaned up the way you like it, you can paste it on any background you like.

EXTRA TIPS Make sure your Edge Highlighter lines are as small as possible...

The smaller they are, the cleaner the “cut” will be.

For better results try to get a contrasting subject/background or use a rear light (or reflector) to “lift” your subject from the back if the colors are too similar.

You could also use the History Brush to restore some of the areas after the extraction has been made.

To remove some of the color “bleeding” use Layer>Matting>Defringe (or remove matte).

August 2009 Smart Photography

105

LEARNING

CLOSING COMMENTS Making successful and realistic selections of tricky subjects is an art.

It takes practice and the use of the right methods. There are as many ways to extract an object from it’s background as there are languages on the earth and every one is different from the other. Using Extract filter takes some practice and a little attention to detail to get the best results. Extract, while useful, isn’t a silver bullet for all masking needs. It can work very well and quickly in certain situations but it doesn’t necessarily make every extraction “easy”. It’s not necessarily the best method as the best method depends on your particular requirement for the job at hand and your knowledge and skill in Photoshop. For me, the whole process described above took less time than it took you to read this tutorial. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together for you.

106

Smart Photography August 2009

LEARNING

Get started in

Lightroom 2 The Library module lies right at the heart of Lightroom 2’s digital workflow. Ben Turner takes a look around.

PART 2: TOP TEN LIBRARY FEATURES he Library module might not sound like the most glamorous or exciting place to start exploring Lightroom 2, but it lies right at the heart of the software and every creative process stems from it.

T

1

BACK UP IMAGES THE EASY WAY

If you’re in the habit of backing up your images to an external hard drive, then you’ll love this feature. While importing images, or downloading them from your memory card, you have the option of making a copy to your backup drive at

Organising your workflow around the Library will speed up the editing process and make the whole image management experience far less painful. It can do so much more than simply import images and allow you to rate them, as we saw last month. You can also tag your pictures with useful keywords, search through them using a filter, compare shots side-by-side to find the best one, and much more.

Here are our top ten favourite features in this key module that really will make photographic processing easier, smoother and faster.

Plug your memory card into your computer and click Import.

Lightroom will import the shots in to the Catalog while it downloads them.

the same time too. To do this, click the Import button (Shift+Ctrl+E) and choose the folder of images you wish to import. In the ‘Import Photos’ dialogue, tick ‘Backup to’ and ‘Choose’ to locate a destination folder on your backup drive. Click OK. Now, as you import, a backup is made automatically.

Simultaneously, the shots are copied to your computer and external drive.

3

7

6

4 5

This is the library module and it’s packed with great features for organising and sorting your shots.

Here we’ve marked the locations of our ten favourites. Note, the annotation numbers link to the numbers of the tips.

2

8 9

1 10

August 2009 Smart Photography

107

PART 2: LIBRARY

2 USE KEYWORDS FOR EFFECTIVE SEARCHING

If you take thousands of images and/or have an unwieldy back catalogue that you want to whip into shape, then keywording is for you. By adding descriptive keywords to your pictures you can locate specific shots incredibly quickly and easily. You can add as many words as you like and tag an entire selection simultaneously, making labelling relatively painless.

To add a keyword, first select your shot (or shots) you want to tag. Hit ‘G’ to enter grid mode (this is the normal thumbnails view) and click a thumbnail to select it. Alternatively, hold the Ctrl key and click to select

3

several shots. Next, scroll to the Keywording palette on the right and click where it says ‘Click here to add keywords’ (A). Now type a word or phrase followed by the Return key to apply. As you go, you’ll see the new keywords appear in the box above (B). These can be edited and deleted from here if you go wrong. The area below will update too (C), with your most recently used keywords and other words that Lightroom thinks may be appropriate. Click these words to add them to the list if they fit. To search for images that match a specific keyword, see point 3, below.

A

C

A

FILTER IMAGES FOR EASY SEARCHING

Whether you’ve added keywords or not, you can use the new Library Filter to search for a specific image based on different criteria buried within the image file, such as metadata, star rating or file name. The Filter is located above the thumbnails in Grid View (hit ‘G’). To search for images containing a certain keyword, click where it says ‘Text’ (A) and enter a search term. This will filter out all images that haven’t been tagged with that keyword or don’t share the same file name. There are two other menus here too, allowing you to refine your results or perform different searches Ð it’s pretty self-explanatory.

B

Another neat Filter function is the ability to search using the metadata attached to every image we take (containing information such as the aperture, ISO and lens used). Click where it says ‘Metadata’ (B) to bring up four Filter columns Ð each

B

column allows you to refine the search criteria. The column headings (C) tell you which metadata you’re searching through - these can be changed by clicking on the heading. To start filtering, select your choices from each list.

FAVOURITES AS A COLLECTION 4 GROUP A Collection is simply a handpicked selection of images, a bit like a photo album. Once you’ve identified the best images from a shoot, or perhaps your entire catalogue, you can put them into a Collection so you can find them later on. This is really handy if you’re working on several projects at once.

There are many ways to make a Collection but probably the simplest is to select your shots first. Do this in Grid View, by holding the Ctrl key and your thumbnails. Now scroll down to the bottom of the left-hand panel to access the Collections palette. Click the big plus symbol (A) at the top and select ‘Create Collection’ (B). Enter a memorable name and click OK. Your selected images will now appear in the new collection located below the ‘+’ symbol. This acts as a holding folder - just click the Collection’s name (C) to view the images inside. To add more shots to the Collection, return to your image folder and drag and drop extra thumbnails over its name - it’s easy!

Collections come in really handy with Print and Web projects.

108

Smart Photography August 2009

A B C

Get started in

Lightroom 2 5

CREATE A SMART COLLECTION

You can get Lightroom 2 to automatically create and maintain Collections for you.

Smart Collections work like the Library Filter (see point 3) and automatically include images that fit the criteria you’ve set up.

To create a Smart Collection, follow the steps for creating a normal Collection, just make sure you select ‘Create Smart Collection’ from the menu instead. In the dialogue box that appears, enter a memorable name and use the ‘Match’ area below to set your filter rules (A). The rules can include or exclude images that match the star rating, keyword,

specific metadata and more.

To begin with, though, you’ll see just one simple rule that can be edited by clicking on the drop-down menus. If you want to add extra rules for more refined results, click on the ‘+’ symbol (B) to the right of the first rule.

Smart Collection is a useful way to keep track of your portfolio images. To set this up, change the rule to ‘Keywords’ and ‘contains’ and type ‘portfolio’ in the text field (see right). Click the Create button. Now whenever you’re editing and find a shot you really love, keyword it with the term ‘portfolio’ (see point 2). Tagged shots will now instantly appear in the Portfolio Smart Collection without you lifting a finger.

B

A

Smart Collections only contain images that fulfil the ‘rules’ set by you. Above we’ve configured it to filter five-star images that contain the keyword ‘portfolio’.

FILES 6 MANAGE IN MOMENTS As dull as it is, being able to access and move your images is hugely important.

There will be times when you’ll inadvertently import a batch of images to the wrong folder, and you’ll need to quickly tidy it up to prevent your archive descending into chaos.

The new and improved Folder palette allows you to manage images more effectively. To move pictures from one folder to another, just drag the thumbnail into the correct folder, using the Folder palette on the right (A). If need be, click the triangle arrow (B) to reveal sub-folders within. Right-clicking these folders will allow you to create a new sub-folder. Also, if you’ve added a new picture to an existing folder outside Lightroom, just right-click the folder and select ‘Synchronize folder’ to import any new shots.

Finally, one really handy feature is the ability to jump straight to the original image file outside Lightroom (see right).

Again, right-click the thumbnail (C) to bring up the menu and this time select

‘Show in Explorer’ (it’ll say ‘Show in Finder’ if you’re using an Apple Mac).

A mixed batch of images can be quickly sorted into folders using a simple drag-and-drop procedure. You can also jump to the original image file or folder of shots by right-clicking.

August 2009 Smart Photography

109

PART 2: LIBRARY QUICK DEVELOP 7 USE Sometimes youÕll need to change the look of your shots to realise their full potential. For example, a throw-away colour snap might look fantastic converted to black & white, or toned. The problem is, when youÕre shortlisting, you donÕt want to get bogged down enhancing each image. The Quick Develop menu can help out here. ItÕs located at the top of the right-hand panel and allows you to quickly tweak Exposure, White Balance and Vibrance to get an idea of how the selected shot could look with some work. To make small adjustments, use the single arrows (A), or use the double-arrows (B) to make more aggressive adjustments. The ÔSaved PresetÕ menu (C) will allow you to experiment with different styles very quickly too.

C

A

B

Quick Develop allows you to apply preset styles to quickly reveal the potential of a shot.

The colour version looks mediocre by comparison.

Straight shot

Quick black & white conversion

8 COMPARE VIEW

A

110

Smart Photography August 2009

B

If you’re not sure which shot is best from a sequence of similar images, use Compare View. Select a whole sequence of shots by clicking on the first one, then holding down the Shift key and clicking on the last one in the sequence. Now click the X/Y button (A) or hit ‘C’ to enter Compare View.

Instantly, you’ll be shown two large images side-by-side for comparison.

Click on a shot to zoom in and decide which is inferior. Now, click the cross at the bottom-right of this lesser shot (B) to remove it from the selection.

The best shot will remain on screen and another shot from the sequence will replace the rejected one. Keep closing down your least favourite photo until you have just the best one left on screen. Make sure to give it a star rating by hitting the 1 to 5 number keys so you can find it again in future.

Get started in

Lightroom 2 9SURVEY VIEW

If you want to whittle down a large selection of images, try using Survey View. Unlike Compare View, this mode lets you view all your images side-by-side. From the usual Grid View, select a range of images and hit ‘N’ to enter Survey View (A). Now, click the images you don’t like to remove them from the shortlist.

If you make a mistake, go to Edit>Undo to bring the shot back. Once you’ve removed all the shots you don’t want, create a Collection from the existing selection so you don’t lose all your hard work (see point 4).

SHORTCUTS

A

10 DUAL SCREEN MODE

If you have two monitors plugged into your computer, Lightroom 2 can help you make the most of them. Just click the number 2 button at the bottom left-hand of the screen (see right). The second monitor can now be used to display a fullscreen version of any selected image.

Try setting the secondary display to ÔLoupeÕ in ÔNormalÕ mode (A).

Clicking the 1:1 button (B) will now allow you to check the fine detail of any thumbnail that you click on. Very handy for viewing and sorting.

Click on the number 2 to activate the dual-screen display.

G = Grid View C = Compare View N = Survey View Ctrl + = zoom in Ctrl Ð = zoom out Ctrl ] = rotate clockwise Ctrl [ = rotate anticlockwise Arrow keys = select image L = toggle lights out F = cycle view modes Tab = hide side panels Ctrl+Shift+F = full screen, hide all panels 1-5 = apply star rating 6-9 = Apply colour label Ctrl+return = Quick slideshow Ctrl+Z = Undo

A

B

August 2009 Smart Photography

111

Review

>

Sony Alpha 330

>

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

>

Nikon Coolpix P90

>

Ricoh CX1

>

Sigma DP2

>

eSys Inkjet Paper

113

117

120

123

126

129

SONY ALPHA 330

Sony Scores!

Price: Rs.39,990/-

Final

Score: 85.5%

E

ver since Sony took over the SLR production line from Minolta, it has unleashed a series of D-SLRs into the world market with ambitious sales targets. The initial range, naturally, was based on Minolta designs and Sony’s flare for design was not easily apparent. Sony has redesigned three of its SLRs and launched them into the world market in the form of the new A230, A300, and A380. Sony is already ahead of Olympus and Pentax in terms of SLR sales and the new range, it hopes, will enable it to increase its lead over these two.

DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY The Alpha 330 has been designed quite differently from its predecessor.

At first glance, the design is different and appealing. The A330 replaces the A300 and is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The camera body is made from engineering plastic and has a two tone finish. The finish quality is above average and the front portion of the camera has been nicely covered in a textured leather-like finish. Like all Sony SLRs, image stabilization is built into the camera body. Therefore, it is not necessary to invest in expensive image stabilization lenses. The camera weighs 490 g without batteries and memory card.

KEY FEATURES The A330 is equipped with a 10.8megapixel CCD, which offers an

effective pixel strength of approximately 10.2 MP. The CCD has a sensitivity range of 0 to 18 EV at ISO 100. Sony’s BIONZ processor ensures low noise and top image quality. Autofocus is achieved by a TTL phase detection system. Nine focus points are available of which 8 are cross type sensors. The autofocus illuminator has a range of up to 5 meters. Minolta’s eye start AF feature is also included.

8

2

5 3

Sony offers a choice of multi segment, center weighted, and spot metering.

In multi segment metering, the A 330 employs a 40 segment Honeycomb pattern. The metering range varies from 2 to 17 EV at ISO 100. Exposure modes include Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual.

The camera also offers a choice of several scene modes.

1 6

9 7 4

The shutter of the A330 is electronically controlled and has a speed of 1/4000 sec to 30 sec, + bulb. It syncs with flash at a speed of up to 1/160 sec.

The built in flash has a guide number of 10 meters at ISO 100 and gives a coverage of up to 18mm. Both exposure compensation and flash compensation up to plus or minus 2 EV is available.

The viewfinder of the A300 has 95 percent field of view with .74 x magnification. Dioptre adjustment is available from -3 to + 1 m. Unlike the newly introduced A230, the A330

4

1 On/Off Switch 2 Shutter Release Button 3 Mode Dial Menu Button 5 Live View Switch 6 Enlarge Image Button 7 Aperture Value Button 8 Front Command Dial 9 Accessory Shoe

Left: Battery Compartment Right: Memory Card Slots, HDMI Out, and USB Port

Inside the box • Camera with kit lens • Shoulder strap • Body cap, lens front and rear caps • Rechargeable battery NP-FH50 • Video cable • Software CD-ROM

August 2009 Smart Photography

113

Mahesh Reddy

114

Smart Photography August 2009

also features Live View. The LCD panel is 2.7 inches in size and has 230,400 dots. It is tiltable forwards and backwards, but cannot be swiveled.

ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 3200 + auto. All the usual White Balance settings are also available. Other features include a choice of either memory stick or SD cards as recording media and include USB and HDMI connectivity. All images are recorded on JPEG files and/or on RAW.

stops. The location of the menu button however, is rather inconvenient and achieving the correct amount of diopter correction a fiddly affair. The LCD monitor too, protrudes too much and is therefore vulnerable to damage. The built in flash pops up automatically and there is no switch to force it open. The LCD monitor also does not swivel and is not as sharp or bright as some of the competition. We also missed a second command dial. Subject to the above, the A330 handles well.

SHARPNESS & DETAIL

ISO:100 Shutter speed: 1/8sec Aperture: f/8

A dynamic range optimizer is available for correcting the brightness of an image. In addition, your own creative style for shooting can be set and the choices include settings for contrast, saturation, and sharpness. Sony has also included its own unique system of dust reduction for the sensor.

The A330 is aimed at the beginner and has enough features to satisfy a beginner’s needs.

ERGONOMICS Unlike its predecessor, the A 330 avoids the clutter of buttons on the top plate. The mode dial is a quality product and has nice, definitive click

PERFORMANCE Autofocus performance of the A330 was quick and precise, although audible. Sony’s multi segment metering also generally gave good results. The body integral image stabilization of the A330 worked very well with pictures showing no blur and gaining 2-3 stops in speed.

On the noise front, the A330 acquitted itself well. For a native image size of 8.64x12.9 inches at 300ppi, the Sony camera controlled noise very well until ISO 800. Noise is visible at ISO 1600 and 3200, but noise reduction sets in at these levels with a resultant softening of detail. On the White Balance front,

NOISE

ISO: 100

ISO: 3200

JPEG COMPRESSION

JPEG Fine

JPEG Standard

COLOR ACCURACY

Color Checker shot using Auto White Balance in sunlight.

Auto Levels applied.

August 2009 Smart Photography

115

SONY ALPHA 330 FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS Effective pixels Sensor size Dust reduction ISO Sensitivity File formats Recording media

Color space JPEG quality Noise Reduction White Balance

Focus area selection

AF type Exposure modes Metering type Exposure comp.

Shutter speeds Flash Exposure bracketing Power source Dimensions w x h x d Weight (Body only)

VERDICT The D-SLR market is a difficult market for all newcomers. Sony is now finally coming into its own to become a credible No.3 player. We were impressed with the A330’s design, features, and performance. Best Buy! H. S. Billimoria

116

Smart Photography August 2009

Design and Build Quality

17/20

+ Good Design

Key Features

17/20

+ Accepts SD Cards

Ergonomics

16.5/20

Performance

17.5/20

Value for Money

17.5/20

OVERALL

85.5%

+ Punchy results - LCD Monitor does not swivel - Second control dial would have been useful - Menu switch awkwardly located

Mahesh Reddy

Image stabilization LCD monitor Live View Metering Focus modes

: 10.2million : APS-C, CCD (23.6x15.8mm) : Charge protection coating on low-pass filter : Auto, 100-3200 in 1-stop increments : RAW (Sony ARW 2.0), JPEG, RAW+JPEG : Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX, SD, SDHC : sRGB, Adobe RGB : Standard, Fine : Available at ISO 1600/3200. Also available at shutter speeds longer than I second : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom : Image Sensor Shift mechanism : 2,7 inches, 230,400 dots : Available : 1200 zone Evaluative : Single shot AF, Auto AF, Continuous AF, Manual focus : Wide-area/9-point local frame selection fixed centre point focus; predictive focus for moving subjects. : TTL phase-detection system : P, A, S, M, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Sunset, Night view, Night portrait : TTL (Multi-segment, Centre-weighted, Spot). : +/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps : 30 seconds to 1/4000sec, B : Auto pop-up. Sync speed 1/160sec and slower : 3 frames in 0.3, 0.7 stop increments : NP-FH50 battery; AC Adapter optional : 128x97x71.4mm excluding projections : 490g without battery and card

a color cast was noticed at almost all settings but this can be removed easily in Photoshop.

The kit lens (18-55mm) supplied with the camera was an average performer and showed both barrel distortion and some fringing. Darkening of corners was also visible at maximum aperture at the wide angle end.

On the whole, the A 330 produced sharp and punchy images with very good contrast. An impressive performance.

VALUE FOR MONEY The A330 has a MRP of Rs.39,990 and sells along with the kit lens. At this price, the camera is good value for money.

CANON POWERSHOT SX200 IS

Adding Some Garnish Price: Rs.23,995/- Final Score: 82%

A

nnounced worldwide in February, the 12.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot SX200 IS replaces the 9-megapixel SX110 IS, six months after it was introduced. Apart from the extra three million pixels, the new model boasts of 12x optical zoom instead of 10x zoom on the SX110.

The zoom starts from a true wide-angle focal length of 28mm, which is great.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY Canon has done away with the stylish, contoured look of the SX100 IS and SX110 IS. As with all SX-series cameras from Canon, the SX200 IS is also built strong. The metal outer shell is tough and the dials, buttons, and hinges are of good quality. The lens has a twosegment construction. The mode dial has a knurled periphery for better grip and is hence easy to rotate. As in the case of its predecessors, the SX200 IS has a command dial, around the fourway switch. This rotates freely with the slightest touch of your finger. We feel that some damping to prevent this, would have been better.

KEY FEATURES The Canon SX200 IS packs 12.1 megapixels in a 1/2.3-inch Type CCD sensor. The SX200 IS provides 12x optical zoom with a 5.0 – 60mm (28 – 336mm in 35mm-equivalent format) f/3.4 – 5.3 lens featuring optical image stabilization. It can focus as close as 0.0cm in Super macro mode (most times it focuses even if the subject is touching the lens). In this mode, the camera does not allow you to zoom in and the zoom is fixed at the wide-angle end. The SX200 IS has a sensitivity range from ISO 80 to 800. Shooting modes available are Auto, P (Program), Av (Aperture Priority), Tv (Shutter Speed Priority), M (Manual), Video, SCN (Scene), and Movie. The

scene modes are Sunset, Night Scene, Fireworks, Beach, Aquarium, Foliage, Snow, ISO 3200, Color Accent, and Color Swap. In the Color Accent mode, the camera allows you to capture images in Black and White, retaining only one color. In the Color Swap mode, you can replace one color with another while shooting. The available metering modes are Evaluative, Center Weighted Average, and Spot. The SX200 IS provides exposure compensation of +/-2EV in 1/3-stop increments. White Balance options are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, and Custom.

The built-in-flash has options of Auto, On, Slow Synchro, and Off. The camera has a Face Detect AF feature that detects up to 35 faces and sets the focus, exposure, and White Balance accordingly. AF can be set to Single or Continuous focus. The device also has options of AE lock and FE lock. The built-in flash has a range of

Inside the box • Canon PowerShot SX200 IS camera • Rechargeable Li-ion battery • Battery charger • Power cord • USB cable • Wrist strap • Camera User Guide • Software CD ROM • Warranty Card

August Smart Photography

117

Mahesh Reddy

50cm – 3.0m at the wide-angle end and 1.0 – 2.0m at the telephoto end.

The SX200 IS records still images in JPEG format with a maximum resolution of 4000x3000 pixels. The camera is capable of recording HD quality videos, and has an HDMI mini connector that allows connection with HD compliant players. The Canon SX200 IS utilizes a 3-inch, 230,000dot TFT LCD color monitor for display.

The camera uses SD/SDHC, MMC, MMC Plus, or HC MMC Plus card for storage. The camera is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery.

finish. Combined with the lack of a well-defined hand grip, this makes it somewhat difficult to hold. Canon should have provided a knurling on the SX110’s hand grip.

MACRO

PERFORMANCE The Canon SX200 IS performed well in our tests. AF was quick to lock on to the subject. White Balance was excellent. Auto White Balance performed excellently outdoors, reproducing colors with unmatched

Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/5sec. ISO: 100

NOISE

FLASH OUTPUT

ERGONOMICS The controls of the SX200 IS are easily accessible with your thumb and index finger. The dials are easy to operate and the lens barrel is large enough so that you can wrap your fingers around to stabilize the camera. We feel the buttons, especially the four-way switch could have been larger. The camera has a smooth, slippery metallic

118

Smart Photography August 2009

ISO: 80

ISO: 1600

Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/60sec. ISO: 100

CANON POWERSHOT SX200 IS FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS 16/20

+ Good build quality

Key Features

17/20

+ Accurate color reproduction

Ergonomics

15/20

+ Excellent Macro performance

Performance

17/20

- Slippery finish

Value for Money

17/20

- Freely rotating command dial

OVERALL

82%

Mahesh Reddy

Design and Build Quality

accuracy. Daylight White Balance also did a commendable job, without any trace of color cast. The preset modes gave the best results indoors under artificial lights. Flare was seen with slight chromatic aberration at all focal lengths, but we would consider this tolerable for a compact camera.

At the native print size of 10x13.33 inches at 300 ppi, noise was seen from ISO 800. At 25 percent size, we could find some trace of noise even at ISO 400. ISO 1600 suffers from chroma noise as expected from a compact

camera. Darkening of cameras was well controlled at the wide-angle end, though slight darkening was observed up to f/4. Barrel distortion was seen up to 40mm, which disappeared around 10mm. The camera’s macro performance was at par with the best performing cameras in the same class.

VALUE FOR MONEY The Canon SX200 IS retails at Rs.23,995. This price is competitive for a camera with useful features and no-nonsense performance.

Effective pixels Image sensor Lens

: Approx 12.1 million : 1/2.3-inch type CCD : 5.0 – 60mm (28 – 336mm in 35mm-equivalent format) f/3.4 – 5.3 Image Stabilizer : Optical, Lens-shift type Focusing range : Normal: 50cm – infinity (W) 100cm – infinity (T) Macro: 2 – 50cm (W) Super Macro: 0 – 2cm Monitor : 3.0-inch, 230,000-dot TFT LCD Shutter Speed : 15 – 1/3200s Metering Type : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot Exposure comp. : +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments ISO sensitivity : Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Built-in flash modes : Auto, On, Slow Synchro, Red-eye reduction, Off Flash range : 50cm – 3.0m (W) :1.0 – 2.0m (T) Shooting modes : M, Av, Tv, P, Auto, Easy, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids and Pets, Indoor, SCN, Movie SCN Modes: Sunset, Night Scene, Fireworks, Beach, Aquarium, Foliage, Snow, ISO 3200, Color Swap, Stitch Assist Movie Modes: Standard, Color Accent, Color Swap Continuous Shooting : Approx. 2.3 frames per second Self-timer : Approx. 10sec, Approx. 2 sec delay, FaceSelf Timer, Custom Timer File format : Still: JPEG Movie: MOV Compression : Fine, Normal Max. Recording Pixels : 4000x6000 Recording Media : SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus memory card, HC MMCplus memory card Power : Li-ion battery pack Dimensions (wxhxd) : 103.0x60.5x37.6 Weight (body only) : Approx. 220g

VERDICT The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is a good buy, considering the optical image stabilization, 12x zoom, and overall good performance.

Sujith Gopinath August Smart Photography

119

NIKON COOLPIX P90

Good Enough?

Price: Rs.25,950/- Final Score: 80% Indonesia. It weighs approximately 460g (without battery and card).

KEY FEATURES

W

here’s this all leading to? The battle for supremacy for longer focal length zooms seem to defy logic. Every now and then, we keep hearing of ‘yet another long-zoom prosumer camera’, trying to get the better of competition. So is the case with the Coolpix P90. With an impressive 24x zoom, is the P90 set the blow the market apart? Read on and find out...

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

Inside the box • Camera • Camera strap • Rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL5 (with terminal cover) • Battery charger MH-61 (with power cable) • Lens cap LC-CP19 with cord • USB cable • Audio/Video cable • Software suite installer CD • Quick start guide • User Manual • Warranty card

120

Smart Photography August 2009

The all-black Nikon Coolpix P90 appears quite large, and at the same time, evoked different feelings from different users at the office. Some felt it rather heavy and on the bulkier side, some felt it quite ‘macho’; others felt it to be ‘boxy’. Personally, I felt it between ‘boxy’ and bulky. I also felt that the build quality should have been better. The outer body is made from engineering plastic and the back has a vari-angle monitor. The camera sports a comfortable hand grip. An electronic viewfinder with diopter adjustment is provided. The camera is made in

The Nikon Coolpix P90 is a 12.1 megapixel prosumer digital camera sporting an extended-range 24x optical zoom lens, equivalent to a whopping 26-624mm in the 35mm format. The lens is constructed from 14 elements in 11 groups and has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at the wide-angle end, and f/5 at the telephoto end. The P90 incorporates a image sensor-shift vibration reduction for still images and electronic vibration reduction for movies. The camera uses Contrast-detect AF as well as Multi-area AF and focuses from 50cm to infinity at the wide-angle end, and 1.7m to infinity at the telephoto end. In Macro mode, it focuses from 10cm to infinity (at zoom position when the glows green; from 1cm to infinity when the zoom lens is set to the .

The Mode dial has options for Auto (simple, point-and-shoot mode for first time users of digital cameras), Program (Flexible), Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual (all of these for the advanced user), personalized user settings U1 and U2, Movie mode, and SCENE mode (the user can select from 16 scene-related modes).There is also a mode called Scene Auto Selector mode, where the user simply frames a subject and the camera automatically selects the optimum scene mode for simpler shooting. In P, S, A, and M modes, the Active D-Lighting feature, which now seems to be common in most cameras, can be opted for. Auto Bracketing is possible in 0.3, 0.7, and 1.0 EV steps.

The following AF-Area Modes are also possible when the P90 is set to P, S, A, or M shooting mode: Face Priority, Auto (default), where the camera automatically selects the focus area (one of the nine

Mahesh Reddy

focus areas) containing the subject closest to the camera; and Manual (the user can select any of the 99 areas on the screen).

(automatically set between a range of ISO 64 to1600, except in Manual exposure mode when the sensitivity will be fixed at ISO 64); Fixed range auto (the user can choose the range in which the camera will automatically adjust ISO sensitivity from ISO 64-100 (default setting), ISO 64-200 or ISO 64-400. Under these circumstances, the P90 will not exceed the ISO sensitivity beyond what is selected by the user.

MACRO

The P90 lets you shoot still images only in JPEG mode, though 3 compression settings—Fine, Normal (default setting), and Basic—are available. For the best image quality, one needs to use the Fine setting (at image size 4000x3000 pixels). The camera lets you choose between various image sizes and image quality. You can also change the settings to optimize the images as per your personal choice or demands of the scene.

The options available are for contrast, sharpness, saturation. An option to shoot in black & white is on offer.

The Coolpix P90 determines the scene brightness (and hence the exposure) using Matrix (default setting), Centerweighted, Spot, and Spot AF area. It

Aperture: f/5.0 Shutter Speed: 1/6sec. ISO: 100

NOISE

FLASH OUTPUT

The camera allows 7 White Balance settings: Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Flash, and Preset manual (Custom WB). ISO sensitivity on the P90 ranges from ISO 64 to 6400, though at 3200 and 6400, the image size drops to 2048x1536 pixels (3MP). The user may select the default setting Auto (ISO 64-800, except in Manual exposure mode when the sensitivity will be fixed at ISO 64); High ISO sensitivity auto

ISO: 64

ISO: 1600

Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/30sec. ISO: 100

August Smart Photography

121

NIKON COOLPIX P90 FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS Effective pixels Image sensor Lens F/nos Lens construction Vibration reduction Autofocus Focus range Macro

Focus area Monitor ISO sensitivity

Exposure metering Exposure control

Shutter speeds

Built-in flash File formats Media Power source Dimensions Weight

: 12.1 million : 1/2.33 inch CCD : 24x optical zoom (26-624mm equivalent) : F/2.8-5 : 14 elements in 11 groups : Image sensor shift (still images); Electronic (Movies) : Contrast-detect AF, Multi-area AF : 50cm to infinity (W); 1.7m to infinity (T) : 10cm to infinity glows green) (zoom position where ) 1cm to infinity (zoom position at : Face priority, auto (9-area automatic selection), center, manual with 99 focus areas : 3 inch, approx. 230,000 dots TFT LCD Vari-angle monitor : ISO 64, 100 to 6400 Auto (auto gain from ISO 64-800) High ISO Sensitivity auto (ISO 64-1600) Fixed range auto (ISO 64-100, 64-200, 64-400) Sport continuous mode (ISO 640-6400) : 256-segment matrix, center-weighted, spot, spot AF area (with support for 99 focus areas) : P (Flexible), S, A, M, auto bracketing, motion detection, exposure compensation, (+/- 2EV in steps of 1/3EV) : 8 seconds to 1/2000sec : 1/20sec to 1/4000sec in Continuous H or Continuous H (16:9) : TTL auto with monitor preflashes 0.5 to 8m (W); 1.7 to 5m (T) : JPEG Fine, Normal, Basic (still images); AVI (movies) : SD card, internal memory 47MB : EN-EL5 Li-ion battery, AC Adapter EH-62A, optional : Approx. 114(W)x83 (H)x99(D)mm : Approx. 460g without battery and card

VERDICT If you plan to venture into wildlife photography on a very limited budget, and can live with the shortfalls in image quality at extended focal ranges, then the Nikon P90 could be the camera you are looking for! I sincerely feel that Nikon should have restricted the focal range.

The longer the equivalent focal range, the smaller the sensor, and greater the noise and other digital artifacts.

Rohinton Mehta

122

Smart Photography August 2009

Design and Build Quality

16/20

+ Excellent zoom range

Key Features

16/20

+ Easy to use

Ergonomics

17/20

- No RAW mode

Performance

14/20

- Softer images towards telephoto end

Value for Money

17/20

- Build quality could have been better

OVERALL

80%

allows you to shoot a single frame (Single, default), or Continuous (up to 25 pictures at about 1.4 fps when the image quality is set to Normal and the image size to 12MP). You can also select BSS (Best Shot Selector, where the camera takes up to 10 images, while the shutter release button is held down). The sharpest image from the burst is then automatically selected and saved. When set to Multi-shot 16, the P90 shoots 16 pictures at approximately 7.5 fps and arranges them in a single picture with image quality set to Normal and image size set to 5 MP. Besides this, the P90 also permits Interval Timer shooting wherein the camera takes images automatically at specified intervals.

Shutter speeds on the P90 range from 8 seconds to 1/2000 second. Nikon recommends that at slower shutter speeds, Noise Reduction feature should always be turned ‘on’, in which case, NR will apply whenever a shutter speed of 1/4 sec or slower is selected. NR can also be left at its default setting (AUTO).

The 3-inch LCD monitor is bright and crisp, but the vari-angle design has limited usefulness when compared to the swiveling design of the Panasonic G1, for example.

PERFORMANCE The P90 provides 12 MP images up to ISO 1600. At ISO 3200 and 6400, its output drops to 3MP. In terms of digital noise, at its native image size of 10x13.33 inches at 300ppi (up to ISO 1600), noise was visible from ISO 400 onwards, though not objectionable. At ISO 3200 and 6400, the P90’s native image size drops to 5.12x6.827 inches at 300ppi. At this size, noise was acceptable, though images appeared rather ‘soft’. We also noticed that images were generally soft, more so at longer focal lengths. The P90 focused well in good light (faster at the wide-angle end) but sometimes, had difficulty in focusing in low light, especially at the telephoto end.

The built-in flash has a range of 0.5 to 8m (W), and 1.7 to 5m (T), when the ISO sensitivity is set to Auto. The flash pops up only when a flash-pop-up button next to the gun is pressed. The usual Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction, fill flash, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, and off modes are provided. The dimensions are approximately 114(W)x83(H)x99mm(D).

White Balance performance was average, except in Sunlight and Cloudy conditions, where the White Balance was very good. In strong, direct, against-thelight images, flare could be noticed and so also violet fringing. The lens exhibited considerable barrel distortion at its wideangle setting, though at its longest end, distortion was not noticeable. Darkening of corners was noticeable even at its maximum focal length.

ERGONOMICS

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Nikon Coolpix P90 is extremely simple to use (I still insist that you study the user manual). The hand grip is comfortable. The electronic viewfinder, though small, is sharp and clear–better than many we have seen before.

The Nikon Coolpix P90 is available at an MRP of Rs.25,950. At a first glance, this 12 megapixel prosumer seems like a lot of money, but remember that the lens has a focal range from 26-624mm equivalent!

RICOH CX1

Ricoh’s Reply to Critics Price: Rs.14,000/- Final Score: 85%

R

icoh, once a strong brand in the film era, made a comeback in the digital age with their compact digital cameras. Black seems to be their signature color and the new 9.3MP Ricoh CX1 does not deviate from this. In the new model, Ricoh has used a CMOS sensor instead of CCD. Let’s see how the camera performs on our test bench.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY The Ricoh CX1 is built like its predecessors—small, but very strong.

The metal outer shell feels rugged and provides a secure feeling. The Ricoh production team needs to be applauded for its engineering skills.

Every element looks perfectly crafted into the grooves—seems like this is Ricoh’s signature style. Since the casing is metal, the camera does not have any fancy contours. It has a rubberized thumb rest, which provides a firm grip, though the hand grip is slippery.

KEY FEATURES The 9.3-megapixel CX1 uses a 1/2.3inch Type CMOS sensor for imaging, a feature that is not very common in compact digital cameras. Theoretically, a CMOS sensor means faster capture and more energy efficiency. The camera employs image sensor shift image stabilizer. The camera is fitted with a 4.95 – 35.4mm (equivalent to 28 – 200mm in 35mm format) f/3.3 – 5.2 lens. The lens is constructed with 10 elements in 7 groups (including 4 aspherical lens elements). In the normal mode, the lens focuses from 30cm to infinity at the wide-angle end and from 1.0m to infinity at the telephoto end. In macro mode, it can focus as close as 1cm at the wideangle end and 25cm at the telephoto

end. The available focus modes are Multi AF, Spot AF, Multi-target AF, MF, Snap, and Infinity. The CX1 has ISO sensitivities ranging from ISO 80 to 1600. Shutter speeds range from 8sec to 1/2000sec. The exposure modes in the CX1 are Multi (256 segments), Center-weighted, and Spot. The camera allows exposure compensation of +/-2 EV in 1/3 EV steps. Exposure can be bracketed by 0.5 EV (i.e.

-0.5, 0, +0.5). The White Balance options in the Ricoh CX1 are Auto, Outdoors, Cloudy, Incandescent Lamp, Incandescent Lamp 2, Fluorescent Lamp, and Manual. White Balance bracketing function is also available.

Shooting modes include Auto, Easy, Scene, My Settings, Movie, Dynamic Range Double Shot, and Continuous.

The Scene modes are Portrait, Face, Sports, Night Portrait, Nightscape, High Sensitivity, Zoom Macro, Skew Correct, and Text. In the Dynamic Range Double Shot mode, the camera captures two images from the same

Inside the box • Ricoh CX1 • Rechargeable Li-ion battery • Battery Charger • AV cable • USB cable • Handstrap • Warranty card • Camera User Guide • Software CD-ROM

August Smart Photography

123

Mahesh Reddy

frame, one optimized for highlights, and the other optimized for shadows.

These are combined internally and saved as a single image. The resulting image will have smooth gradation from highlights to shadows.

The Ricoh CX1 has a built-in flash with a range of approx. 20cm to 3.0m at the wide-angle end and approx 25cm to 2.0m at the telephoto end (ISO 400 or ISO Auto). The flash modes are Auto, Red-eye reduction, Flash On, Flash Synchro, and Flash Off. Flash exposure can be compensated up to +/-2.0EV in 1/3 EV steps. The camera allows you to record images in JPEG format with two image quality options—Fine and Normal. The maximum image size is 3456x2592 pixels. Movies are recorded at a maximum size of 640x480 pixels. The CX1 uses a 920,000-dot 3.0-inch transmissive LCD for display. It has an internal memory of approx. 88MB and uses an SD/SDHC memory card (up to 32GB) for external storage.

124

Smart Photography August 2009

ERGONOMICS The buttons of the Ricoh CX1 are easily accessible. There is ample spacing between the buttons. The camera balances well in your hands.

The small mode dial is easy to rotate, with the right amount of friction. The menus are neatly laid out with a simple interface that makes navigation easy.

The programmable function button is a welcome feature. The high-resolution LCD screen displays very crisp images.

MACRO

Aperture: f/3.6 Shutter Speed: 1/25sec. ISO: 80

FLASH OUTPUT

NOISE

ISO: 80

ISO: 1600

Aperture: f/4.8 Shutter Speed: 1/100sec. ISO: 80

RICOH CX1 FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS

Design and Build Quality

18/20

+ Excellent build

Key Features

17/20

+ Good image quality

Ergonomics

16/20

+ Good Macro performance

Performance

16/20

+ Two customizable modes

Value for Money

18/20

+ Dynamic Range mode

OVERALL

85%

- Slippery hand grip - Flare observed

Testing the camera’s outdoor performance was no mean task for us with the monsoon clouds never clearing over Mumbai. We had to run out of office with the equipment whenever the sky cleared for a little while, and quickly set up the test charts before it was dark again.

With the CX1, Ricoh has corrected many flaws in the R10’s optical design. Though flaws do exist, the improvement has to be appreciated. The camera’s control over the darkening of corners surprised us. Darkening was not observed at any focal length, which is excellent by any standard. Prominent flare was observed, with blue and magenta chromatic aberration, though this was much less than in the R10. The images were sharp and the colors punchy. The CX1 performed well in White Balance. In Outdoors mode, Auto White Balance (AWB) provided the best result. Manual White Balance setting also worked very well in most cases. At 4.95mm (28mm in 35mm format), though the image showed some barrel distortion on the screen, the camera seemed to have corrected it in processing. At times this led to a complex distortion (sometimes referred to as a ‘moustache distortion’). We observed very slight pincushioning at 8mm (about 45mm in 35mm equivalent), though not at a disturbing level.

At a native print size of 8.64x11.52 inches at 300 ppi, no noise was observed up to ISO 200. There was very slight noise at ISO 400, while chroma noise was observed at ISO 800. ISO 1600 turned out to be very noisy even at the native print size.

At 50 percent size, slight noise was

Mahesh Reddy

PERFORMANCE

observed even at ISO 200, but the images were usable up to ISO 400. The AF did not have any trouble in focusing under low light.

The flash of the CX1 has a good output, and it does not burn out the images. The Macro range is excellent, at par with Ricoh’s award-winning GR Digital.

Effective Pixels Image Sensor Lens Aperture Shooting distance

: Approx 9.29 million : 1/2.3-inch CMOS : 28 – 200mm (35mm equivalent) : f/3.3 – 5.2 : Normal: Approx. 30cm to infinity (wide-angle) Approx. 1.0m to infinity (telephoto) Macro: Approx. 1cm to infinity (wide-angle) Approx. 25cm to infinity (telephoto) Lens construction : 10 elements in 7 group (4 aspherical lens elements) Focus modes : Multi AF/Spot AF/Multi target AF/MF/Snap Image Stabilizer : Sensor Shift Shutter Speed : 8sec – 1/2000sec Metering Modes : Multi (256 segments), Center-weighted, Spot Exposure comp. : +/-2.0 in 1/3 EV steps ISO Sensitivity : Auto, Auto-Hi, ISO 80 – 1600 White Balance : Auto, Multi-pattern Auto, Outdoors, Cloudy, Incandescent Lamp, Incandescent Lamp 2, Fluorescent Lamp, Manual Settings, White Balance bracketing Flash Modes : Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash Synchro, Flash Off Built-in flash range : Approx. 20cm to 3.0m (wide-angle), approx.

25cm to 2.0m (Telephoto) (ISO Auto or ISO 400) Flash compensation : +/-2.0EV in 1/3 EV steps Display : 3.0 inch Transmissive LCD, approximately 920,000 dots Shooting Modes : Auto, Easy, Scene, My Settings, Movie, Dynamic Range, Double Shot, Continuous Scene Modes: Portrait, Face, Sports, Night Portrait, Landscape, Nightscape, High Sensitivity, Zoom Macro, Skew Correct, Text Image Quality : Fine, Normal Max. Recorded Pixels : Still: 3456x2592 Movie: 640x480 Recording Media : SD memory card, SDHC memory card (up to 32GB), Internal 88MB File Format : Still: JPEG (Exif Ver. 2.21) Movie: AVI Interface : USB2.0 (High-Speed), AV output Video Format : NTSC, PAL Power Supply : Rechargeable Battery DB-70 Dimensions : 101.5x58.3x27.9mm (w x h x d) Weight : Approx. 180g (excluding battery, card and accessories)

VALUE FOR MONEY The Ricoh CX1 is available at an MRP of Rs.14,000. At this price, given its good overall performance, the camera is very good value for money. Though one can question the logic of pitching a 9.3MP camera in a market flooded with 12MP cameras at this price, we feel 9.3MP resolution is more than enough for a compact camera not aimed at A4plus size printing.

VERDICT If you are looking for a good performing point-and-shoot camera with a host of manual controls along with automatic features under Rs.15,000, then the Ricoh CX1 is certainly a Best Buy. Sujith Gopinath August Smart Photography

125

SIGMA DP2

Unique!

Price: Rs.47,000/- Final Score: 73% KEY FEATURES

T

he Sigma DP2, like the DP1, is a unique camera—unique in the sense that it has a fixed, nonzoom lens and a sensor that is slightly larger than the Four Thirds Standard. It uses the same image sensor as found on the Sigma SD14 D-SLR. With its larger sensor (larger by 7 to 12 times as compared to most compacts on the market), and its non-zoom lens, the DP2 should, in theory, blow away the competition. Does it? Read on...

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

Inside the box • Camera • Strap • Battery BP-31 • Battery Charger BC-31 • Flash contact cover • USB cable • AV cable • CD-ROM

126

Smart Photography August 2009

The Sigma DP2 is simplistic looking— you could call it a ‘plain Jane’. There are no buttons or switches at the front and the camera fails to look impressive.

The outer shell seems to be made from metal. The body does not have a hand grip as such, but instead has an array of 27 raised dots to provide a grip. Like most compacts these days, the DP2 has no viewfinder. The lugs for the camera strap, though neat looking, don’t seem to give confidence. At 4.5(W)x2.3(H)x2.1(D) inches in size, the camera is compact and its lightweight design makes it easy to carry it everywhere.

The DP2 features a 14-megapixel FOVEON X3 Direct Image Sensor (CMOS) measuring 20.7x13.8mm (larger than the Four Thirds Standard), with an aspect ratio 3:2. Each of the 3 layers (one for each R, G, B) outputs 2652x1768 pixels. This is the same sensor as the one used in Sigma’s SD14 D-SLR. According to Sigma, “the sensor produces full-color capture with full RGB in a single pixel location”.

They also claim that the DP2 does not allow ‘moire’ to be generated and hence a low-pass filter is not needed. (This, according to us, should result in sharper images). The camera incorporates ‘TRUE II’ image processing engine, which is claimed to be an improved version of ‘TRUE’ (Threelayer Responsive Ultimate Engine). The DP2 uses a 24.2mm f/2.8 lens, which is equivalent to 41mm in the 35mm format. The lens is constructed with 7 elements in 6 groups and incorporates two molded glass aspherical elements to provide superior image quality and its Super Multi Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting.

The Mode Dial has positions for SET UP (allows you to set certain camera settings), M, S, A, P, Movie and Audio Recording. Autofocus is Contrast Detection Type and 9 focusing points are available. Manual focus is possible using a Manual Focus Wheel adjacent to the Mode Dial. The user can select between feet or meters to indicate the focused distance. During manual focusing, the image on the 2.5 inch TFT LCD screen can be magnified.

Three metering modes are available: Evaluative, Center-weighted Average, and Spot metering. Exposures can be compensated in 1/3 stop increments up to +/- 3 stops and a live Histogram is available. You can set overexposure

Mahesh Reddy

warning which will indicate the overexposed areas in bright red color.

Auto Exposure Bracketing is also available. Images can be stored in SD cards. The camera is also compatible with SDHC and Multi Media card.

The Sigma DP2 has 8 settings for White Balance: Auto, Sunlight, Shade, Overcast, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom. Two color spaces are on offer: sRGB (default) and Adobe RGB. The user can select between Standard (default), Vivid, Neutral, Portrait, Landscape, B&W, and Sepia color mode. You can also adjust contrast, sharpness, and saturation to your liking. The DP2 allows us to shoot in JPEG (High, Wide–16:9 aspect ratio, Medium, Low); as well as in RAW (12-bit). In RAW, each pixel captures the RGB data, which when processed in Sigma Photo Pro software, preserves high image quality. Sigma Photo Pro (the RAW developer) is bundled with the camera. Movies can also be recorded on the DP2. Image Quality settings can be set to JPEG Fine (default), Normal, Basic or RAW. It is possible to customize the settings (3

patterns) you use frequently. A Sound Memo can be recorded for 10 or 30 seconds along with each capture.

ISO sensitivity can be set to Auto (default), 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 equivalent (the last two only in RAW) when the camera is set to P, A, S, M modes. Shutter speeds between 15 seconds to 1/2000sec are available.

MACRO

The DP2 has a built-in ash with the usual, normal, red-eye reduction, and slow-sync modes. Flash output can be compensated in 1/3 stop intervals without disturbing the background

Aperture: f/11 Shutter Speed: 0.6sec. ISO: 100

NOISE

FLASH OUTPUT

ISO: 50

ISO: 800

Aperture: f/8 Shutter Speed: 1/40sec. ISO: 400

August Smart Photography

127

SIGMA DP2 FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS Effective pixels Sensor Aspect ratio Focal length Lens construction Recording mode Storage media White Balance Autofocus Manual focus Shutter Exposure control Exp. compensation Auto bracketing Built-in flash External flash Drive modes LCD monitor Power Dimensions Weight

: 14.06 million (2652x1768x3 layers) : FOVEON X3 Direct Image Sensor (CMOS) : 3:2 : 24.2mm f/2.8 (equivalent to 41mm in 35mm format) : 7 elements in 6 groups (includes 2 aspherical elements) : 12-bit RAW, JPEG (High, Wide, Medium, Low), Movie, Voice memo : SD/SDHC/MMC : Auto, Sunlight, Shade, Overcast, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom : Contrast Detect type : Possible : Electronically controlled, lens shutter : Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual : 1/3EV steps up to +/- 3EV : 3 fames in 1/3EV steps, up to +/- 3EV : Pop-up (manual), with auto exposure control : X-sync contact, dedicated contacts : Single, Continuous, Self-timer (2sec/10sec) : TFT LCD, 2.5 inch, approx. 230,000 pixels : Li-ion battery BP-31, Charger BC-31, AC Adapter (Optional) : 113.3 (W)x59.5 (H)x56.06mm (D) : 260g

VERDICT The FOVEON sensor represents advanced technology that is not found in other cameras. In spite of the fact that it produces very good colors and smooth tones, it is difficult to explain to a user why the DP2 should not be considered a 4.6MP camera; after all, the user can see the pixel resolution as 2640x1760 at 300ppi when the image opens in Photoshop. If color accuracy is important to you, consider the DP2.

If pixel resolution is more important to you, look elsewhere.

Rohinton Mehta

128

Smart Photography August 2009

Design and Build Quality

16/20

+ RAW mode

Key Features

15/20

+ Lightweight

Ergonomics

15/20

- Start up time too long

Performance

15/20

- Letterings very difficult to see

Value for Money

12/20

- The 4-way controller design

OVERALL

73%

- Expensive

exposure. The camera is equipped with a accessory shoe, which allows the use of external dedicated flashgun EF-140 DG (available separately), as well as EF-500DG and EF-530DG (also sold separately). The accessory shoe can also be used to attach high-performance viewfinder VF-21 (optional). The camera weighs 260g. It is possible to print images directly from the DP2 (without using a computer) as it is PictBridge compatible.

ERGONOMICS The etched letterings on the tiny black buttons at the camera back are almost illegible in good light; in darker situations, it is impossible to read the letterings. The letterings on the Mode Dial and at some other points are in white, which are clearly visible, but appeared to be screen printed and as such, could easily wear off with use.

The buttons on the 4-way controller worked in one direction only. This means, for example, if you were at ISO 200 and wanted to go back to ISO 100, you would have to go to ISO 400>800>AUTO>50 and then to ISO 100. Similar is the situation with the metering modes, White Balance, and the flash settings. Sigma needs to look into these specific areas.

PERFORMANCE The DP2 is claimed to be a 14MP camera. Do note however, that the native image size at 300ppi is 8.8x5.9 inches and the pixel resolution is 2640x1760. This translates into 4.6 megapixel and not 14MP. The sensor used in this model is the FOVEON X3 sensor. Each layer (RGB) is capable of recording either red, green or blue light.

When stacked together, they capture red, green and blue light at every pixel

location. The color of each image pixel is the combined output of the 3 RGB photo diodes. Hence, as per Sigma, the total capture resolution is 4.6x3 or14MP. Since RGB light values are captured at each pixel level, color accuracy and smoothness of tones is superior.

Our review camera was received with firmware 1.00. As per Sigma’s recommendation, we updated the firmware to version 1.02. The camera was easy to use, but the focusing was slow, especially in low light. This is surprising, considering that the lens had a maximum aperture of f/2.8! After pressing the on/off button, the DP2 took more than 2 seconds to get ready to shoot. The camera made a scratchy, whirring sound when put ‘on’ or ‘off’.

Images shot using the DP2 were sharp and punchy. On the White Balance front, the DP2 fared well in Sunlight, and Flash. In Fluorescent and Incandescent light, color cast was noticeable, but was easy to correct in Photoshop. At its native image size of 8.8x5.9 inches at 300ppi, digital noise was not observed at any ISO, but the moment the images were enlarged, noise was very much evident, even at ISO 200. Corner darkening was seen at f/2.8, but by f/5.6, it was quite OK. Slight barrel distortion was noticed as also flare and chromatic aberration (blue/ magenta) in against-the-light shots.

VALUE FOR MONEY The Sigma DP2 is available in India at an MRP of Rs.47,000. In my opinion, in spite of its advanced technology, this is rather expensive.

ESYS PROFESSIONAL ULTRA GLOSSY INKJET PHOTO PAPER

Standing Tall Price: Rs.375/- Final Score: 81% features an 8-layer technology with a resin base specially selected for photographic applications. The base provides a creamy white ďŹ nish ideal for photographic prints. The special design of the paper allows for instant drying and is suitable for both dye and pigment inks. A unique Baryta coating below the ink receiving layer reproduces greater detail and extended tonal range, with superior archival properties. The Alumina contained in the paper is responsible for the high gloss and optical image density. The paper is capable of resolving prints of up to 9600 dots per inch. It is claimed to be 100 percent waterproof.

PRINT QUALITY The eSys Professional Ultra Glossy paper was tested on an Epson Stylus Photo RX 690 printer. The product did not disappoint us a bit. The images matched those he photo printing industry, till from most other recently, had been limited to a well performing handful of players. A Singapore- professional inkjet based IT distribution company, eSys papers. We have Information Technologies tried to seen colors going break this monopoly by bringing wrong in some out professional quality inkjet photo brands of papers, but papers. In this review, we test the this one really stood eSys Surface Ultra Glossy Professional out. The prints were Inkjet papers that come in two dry straight out of densities—260gsm and 270gsm. the printer. Colors were reproduced

well, and we could not observe any degradation in dot resolution. There was no trace of color smudging.

There is no way we could have tested the archival properties of the paper in a short timespan. But we indeed poured some water on the print to see the water resistant properties of the paper. The print was largely unaffected, except at places where the water stayed for a long time, this after we deliberately tried to rub the ink off. Though we have seen better papers in this regard, the eSys Surface Ultra Glossy was not very far behind.

VALUE FOR MONEY The eSys Professional 260gsm A4 size Ultra Glossy paper carries a price tag of Rs.375 for a pack of 20 sheets. For the quality of prints it offers, this is good value for money.

T

KEY FEATURES The eSys Professional Ultra Glossy Inkjet Photo Paper

VERDICT The eSys Surface Ultra Glossy can match most professional quality inkjet photo papers in the market. Certainly recommended.

Sujith Gopinath

FINAL SCORE Features

16/20

Image Quality

17/20

Water Resistance

15/20

Drying Time

16/20

Value for Money

17/20

+ Excellent image quality

OVERALL

81%

+ Good water resistance August Smart Photography

129

fframes Photography institute

CAMERA Bags

Studio Accessories

Photography institute

PRINTERS

pHOTOGRAPHY ACCESSORIES

PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENTS

PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENTS

STUDIO PHOTO ACCESSORIES

MINILAB

DIGITAL CAMERA & ACCESSORIES

pHOTOGRAPHY INSTITUTE

www.bikeindia.in mINILABS

Photography institute

Tidbits W

ith Kodak announcing the death of Kodachrome, curtains have been certainly drawn on the era of film. The rich, deep colors of Kodachrome will be missed by countless users who will no doubt also recall Paul Simon’s popular song by the same name. It is interesting to note that the Kodak brand name is over 100 years old and was first registered in 1888 by George Eastman. The word ‘Kodak’ actually meant nothing, but Eastman felt that it sounded good and was both strong and incisive.

Sales of the Panasonic Lumix G1 are slowly and steadily rising with production picking up in Japan. Panasonic picked up their marketing act in the West with some

However, HDR is not the only way to deal with contrast.

Next time, try a neutral density graduated filter!

Our article on the death of Rollei enthused reader Pradeep Marfatia to speak to us about yet another twin lens reflex camera which he had owned and enjoyed.

This was the Mamiyaflex C available in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Uniquely, the Mamiyaflex featured interchangeable lenses.

Each lens, in turn, had its own Seikosha shutter. The C-series became very popular and was known as the poor man’s Hasselblad.

Later models in the C-series, like the C-330 featured automatic shutter cocking and interchangeable focusing screens. Amazingly, the C-300 was manufactured right until 1994.

A con operation at Robert White Photo in the UK has raised a few eyebrows. Robert White, a respected retailer, received a faxed purchase order for Nikon D3X cameras seemingly from the BBC. Robert White was told that a taxi would come and collect the gear as it was needed urgently. Needless to add, neither the taxi nor the cameras were seen again. The Metropolitan Police in the UK is still investigating.

interesting TV-cum-print advertising and this has led to a spurt in sales. Even now, the G1 kit with the 14-45mm and 45-200mm lenses is in short supply. It is now high time for Panasonic to make a real breakthrough with these products in India.

With everybody going crazy over High Dynamic Range (HDR), let us sound a word of caution. HDR is useful in high contrast situations when highlights are blown out.

154

Smart Photography August 2009

Photo shoots can sometimes cost much more than originally planned. Elle magazine was doing one such shoot with actress Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay was required to wear a diamond necklace worth Stg. Pds.250,000. Everything was okay till the necklace went missing..........

Finally, did you know what a camera is called in Iceland? The answer is ‘Ljosmyrdavel’. Try pronouncing that!

H. S. Billimoria

RNI No. MAHENG/2005/14978