smartphotography_oct09_issue

ISSUE 07 I VOLUME 05 I OCTOBER 2009 I RS.100

FESTIVAL SPECIAL

55

www.smartphotography.in

Sense & Sensibilities Interview with

Somsubhro Sarkar

LEARNINGS Photographing Fireworks & Illuminations Basics of Photography (Part-IX) Replace Boring Skies How to Use Filters Digital Camera Snags Lightroom 2 (Part-III)

REVIEWS ISSUE 07 | VOLUME 05 | OCTOBER 2009

Nikon D3000 Kodak EasyShare Z915 Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 IF EX DG HSM Tamron SP AF 60mm F/2 Di II LD (IF) 1:1 Macro Epson Stylus Photo TX700W

9 770974 665000

Now on stands

9/21/09

3:10 PM

Page 97

Welcome S

eptember, typically, sees a flurry of launches from camera manufacturers and this September is no exception.

As the big guys release their highend models, one thing is becoming very clear. The commitment to the APS-C size sensor is increasing. Canon, Nikon and Sony have launched new cameras in this market segment. A number of new lenses have also surfaced in this format.

The full frame sensor remains for those who want ultimate perfection and will therefore appeal mainly to professionals and very keen enthusiasts. The only other segment we see surviving is Micro Four Thirds. With a steady increase in models and lenses, Micro Four Thirds has all the advantages of Four Thirds and none of the disadvantages. We may be wrong, but we feel that the future of Four Thirds is now under serious challenge.

52

The festive season has now well and truly set in and it’s the right time to pick up that piece of equipment you’ve always coveted. Happy Dussera and happy Diwali!

Hoshang S. Billimoria, Editor

Here’s what makes us #1

56

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

WE’RE IMPARTIAL Loyalty towards our readers is a given, and their best interests are always on our mind. Every verdict is honest and not influenced by advertisers or personal 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

16

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

PORTRAIT

ISSUE 06 I VOLUME 05 I SEPTEMBER 2009 I RS.100

9 770974 665000

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

TRAVEL SPECIAL

PHOTOGRAPHY

SPECIAL

9 770974 665000

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

www.smartphotography.in

www.smartphotography.in

Beauty in Ruins Interview with Pallon Daruwala

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

LEARNINGS I I

I I

How to Create a Zoom-Burst Basics of Photography (Part-VIII continued) Actions & Droplets in Photoshop The Making of a Wildlife Photographer Canon Powershot D10

Technical Feature

LEARNINGS I I I I I

Vs

Portraiture rtraiture

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

Get Started in Lightroom 2 (Part-I)

REVIEWS Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Pentax X70 AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200mm Tokina AT-X PRO SD 11-16mm

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

TO SUBSCRIBE TURN TO PAGE 37

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1

October 2009

Contents

69

71

70

REGULARS

8

Smart Photography October 2009

12

Mail Bag

16

Picture of the Month

18

News Watch

36

Industry Opinion - Mr. Alok Bharadwaj, Canon India

38

Kaleidoscope

42

Kodak SP Candid Moments Contest

46

If I Were You

49

Ask Uncle Ronnie

52

Showcase -

56

Goodie Bag

66

Master Craftsman -

154

Tribute to a Legend

Ritam Banerjee

Somsubhro Sarkar

75

82

LEARNINGS 74

Photographing Fireworks & Illuminations

78

Basics of Photography (Part-IX)

84

Step-by-Step: Replace Boring Skies

88

How to Use Filters?

90

Few Things You Should Know About Digital Camera Snags

92

Get Started in Lightroom 2

REVIEWS 98

Nikon D3000

103

Kodak EasyShare Z915

106

Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 IF EX DG HSM

108

Tamron SP AF 60mm F/2 Di II LD (IF) 1:1 Macro

114

Digital SLRs

110

Epson Stylus Photo TX700W

119

Digital Compacts

10

Smart Photography October 2009

BUYERS’ GUIDE

Photograph by: Anirban Brahma Tokina 12-24mm f/4

IMPROVED New Multi-Coating

AF

12-24

mm

f/4

Motorized for Nikon

The New Tokina AT-X 124 PRO DX II gives digital photographers a sharp yet affordable super wide-angle zoom lens, equivalent to an 18-36mm in 35mm format, with a bright constant f/4 aperture. It's perfect for photographing nature's colors outdoors or family gatherings indoors!

AF 11-16 mm f/2.8

MORE WIDE-ANGLE LENSES

Ultra-Speed, Ultra-Wide MRP Rs.26,800

(Not include local Tax)

Tokina Co., Ltd. TOKYO JAPAN

INDIA TEL:+91-989-291-3987 URL: www.tokinalens.com

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

MRP Rs.29,500

(Not include local Tax)

AF 10-17 mm f/3.5-4.5 Round Your World MRP Rs.29,400 (Not include local Tax)

E-mail:kenkoindia@tokina.co.jp

Dealers Mumbai: Jaikishan Bros, 022-22678263, RIA Enterprises 022-22626331, Reliable Photo 022- 22614319, GUWAHATI: AASHISH MARKETING ASSOCIATES 098-64066710 Delhi: Madan Jee & CO, 011-23276958, Kolkota: MM Photographics store, 033-22280456, Ahmedabad: Shah Photo Film CO. 079-26585804 CHENNAI: FOTO TRADE 044-28547113, SMART SHOPPERS PVT LTD. 044-43566604, CAMERA CITI 044-28110467, CAMERA STORES 098-41345999 COCHIN: V TRADERS 0484-2380606, COIMBATORE: SAVITHRI DIGITAL COMPUTERS 0422-2230931, PHOTO CENTRE 0422-4393663, SECUNDERABAD: V.K.CHIMALGI 040-27812079, BANGALORE: R.K.PHOTOGUIDE 080-22350586, CAMERA CITI 080-41128886, CALICUT: CALICUT GALAXY 098-95757575, THRISSUR: GNOME SYSTEMS 0487-2320204,

For all further dealer enquiries regarding all Tokina Kenko Slik products, Email: kenkoindia@tokina.co.jp

SPECIAL

9 770974 665000

ISSUE 06 I VOLUME 05 I SEPTEMBER 2009 I RS.100

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

www.smartphotography.in

Beauty in Ruins Interview with Pallon Daruwala LEARNINGS I I

I I

How to Create a Zoom-Burst Basics of Photography (Part-VIII continued) Actions & Droplets in Photoshop The Making of a Wildlife Photographer

Mail Bag

Canon Powershot D10

Technical Feature

Vs

Portraiture Po rtraiture REVIEWS

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

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Pentax X70 AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200mm Tokina AT-X PRO SD 11-16mm

BIG ATTITUDE PROBLEM Dear Sir, After coming across your letter to Olympus Sale Head Mr. Anand regarding the Olympus E-30 review in the July 2009 issue of Smart Photography magazine, I am a happy man. These big company representatives should not get arrogant or think that they can buy good reviews of their products just because they have an heavy ad budget.

In all fairness and right guidance to your readers you have taken the right stand and exposed these arrogant peoples.

I have a small photo store in Panjim, Goa, where we click photos, print them, and also sell digital cameras of various brands. The only reason we do not sell Olympus digital cameras is because of Mr. Anand. This man has a big attitude problem and also arrogance. I feel that in today’s competitive scenario these type of people should be identified quickly and removed from the organization.

If he is the sole distributor then another distributor should be appointed in parallel to tame any arrogant spirits. Maruti Suzuki is the best example. They have so many parallel distribution dealers and this has been a great success with the right attitude.

Terence de Souza, Souza & Paul, M.G. Road, Panjim, Goa.

FOOLS NEVER ADMIT Dear Editor, For the last three months I’m reading about some Mr. Anand D’Souza, Sales Head of a company called Olympus.

Though every reader of SP is thinking that Mr. Souza is wrong, but I’m not agreeing with them because it not a fault of Mr. Souza at all. And that’s because when you are not able to defeat your rivals and remain either the

12

Smart Photography October 2009

first or the second from the bottom and don’t have the ability to boost about business. Whereas a magazine (Smart Photography), which has a great impact on its readers and also on the market shows the world how you treat experts team who gave you “Recommended Tag”, even after your stupidity. What does one does in such a situation—feel sorry or make arguments?

A leader never hesitates to admit his faults and a fool never admits his weaknesses. He always makes arguments and that’s what Mr. Souza has been doing. Then how can you say Mr. Anand D’Souza wrong!!

Sir, really I’m surprised how Olympus employs such a kind of parsons. One can easily understand if Olympus treats India’s number 1 magazine and its expert team in this manner, what would they do with normal customers. I think this is the major reason why Olympus is far behind from Canon, Nikon and Sony.

Vinod Rai Kalgotra, (Madhopur), Punjab

UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR Dear SP, I read the reader’s response to “Is Olympus’ Action Justified?” (July, 2009) and “Et tu Olympus!” (August, 2009). Although I have missed both the issues, I was not surprised to surmise that the company is treating a leading photography magazine with the same attitude as they treat their customers.

It was about time the cat lets itself out of the bag. The way the company deals with and treats its existing and potential customers is nothing, but astonishing, right from the top management to the retailers. It’s almost as if they don’t wish to sell anything.

The entire structure and every single person associated with the company reeks of inefficiency, coldness and the work culture and ethics, which can even put an outdated government office to shame. Of course, their blatantly unprofessional behavior and

total lack of remorse doesn’t impress anyone.

I started my SLR journey with an Olympus E-510 about a year-and-a-half before moving up to an E-3 with Zuiko Digital 12-60mm SWD and a 50-200mm SWD lens. To say that procuring these products from the (only) company retail store in Delhi was a severe harassment would be an understatement.

Every single company official in Olympus deals with a customer as if they are doing an enormous favor to them by selling any product. I was delivered the products in installments after multiple delays and extremely annoying empty handed trips to the store.

I was sold the E-3 without a warranty card.

The camera was replaced only after weeks of arguments and consumer court case threat. Even then, the company official had the nerve the bellow out a warning that the customer has to be careful with the retailer.

The company cannot always control what the retailer is selling ???

Whose responsibility is it to find out what the only Authorised store of the company in the entire northern region of the country is selling??

Strangely, the top management has always tried to justify the unprofessional antics of the wrongdoers with some weird rhetoric or the other. But mostly, the weapon of choice to blame the customer. I have been at a complete loss of comprehension since then as to how this company wishes to sustain any of its business. I have started procuring all my equipment from outside the country to escape the harassment these guys are capable of providing.

Also recently, the owner of so called Only Authorized Store Of Olympus India in Delhi was found and arrested for dealing in Illegal supply of arms and ammunition to terrorist groups in North East and a few other states.

MAILBAG

I think we are all free to make our own deductions from this. Any potential customer would be wary of buying anything from a retailer with a shady background. Someone please ask Mr. D’Souza to explain this side of the coin!!

Having said all this, I will vouch for the quality of the cameras and the lenses any given day. It’s such a shame that a worthy product like this is suffering badly because of the terrible way the company is being run.

I would urge you, if possible, to convey the message to Olympus Worldwide, that their products are worth much more here. They are brilliant competitors for entry level D-SLRs and High Level enthusiasts. If only they can make a better choice about whom they allow to represent themselves.

Manish Rathee

POOR CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP Dear Editor, I am deeply shocked with the arrogance shown by Mr. Anand D’ Souza, National Marketing Head, Olympus Imaging India, in his reply to SP, which was published in the Mailbag section of July 2009 issue. I am surprised with his behavior, in spite of being the head of the company. That’s why Olympus brand is lagging behind other reputed brands. I didn’t know whether in Japan the business manager (overseas) take notice of such happenings or not.

To recall a good customer relationship, when in 1984 I purchased a Pentax MV 35mm SLR camera wrapped in a newspaper from Nepal, which was delivered by carriers in Bihar after two days from purchase date. Unfortunately the shop keeper failed to supply its manual. After reaching Orissa I dropped an aerogram to pentax corporation Japan requesting them to send me a manual.

Within a few days they had send me the a manual.

Similarly when I purchased Nikon Coolpix 4600 from gray market in India without its manual in 2006 when there was no official Nikon company in india. When I send a request to Nikon (Hong Kong) for a copy of the manual they had promptly send me the manual.

Mr. Anand should learn form overseas companies.

The customer relationship of Nikon, Canon is excellent.

This should be brought to the notice of Olympus (Japan) by SP regarding his arrogance and careless behavior (Meri Marji) for Tit for Tat. Dasharathi Saha, Turang Angul (Orissa)

14

Smart Photography October 2009

FROM THE BIG GURU Your treatise on ‘Portraiture’ (which appeared on September issue of Smart Photography) is simply beautiful and educative, and should be beneficial to all your readers whether beginner or advanced.

You have explained all aspects of Portrait photography.

a quizzical look?

On Page 48, while you are dilating on ‘Lighting Ratios’, will it be superfluous to make reference to ‘High Key & Low Key’ — their definitions/differences/usages, to make it more comprehensive?

On Page 49, ‘A Point to Note’ on ‘Catch lights in the eyes’ no pictorial photographer will disagree with you. Certain professionals you consulted may have lazily agreed to live with more than one catch light in each eye, if it did not hurt their pockets and extra labor to eliminate these were avoided. Will more than one catch light not give

Yes, I agree that reference to ‘High Key and Low Key’ portrait lighting would have made the reading more comprehensive. I shall keep that in mind whenever an opportunity comes my way again. In fact, I shall devote an article to this topic in one of the forthcoming issues.

Coming to the ‘more than one catch light’ in each eye, like you, I too feel disturbed when I see that in books and magazines. I hope every photographer realizes the importance of singular catch light in each eye and make an effort to eliminate the extra catch lights.

K. G. Maheshwari.

Technical Editor’s Reply: Thank you Mr. Maheshwari, for your kind words. Appreciation from ‘gurus’ like you puts the proverbial feather in my cap!

Errata: On Page 99 of SP, August ‘09 issue, under the sub-heading ‘Landscape’, the shutter speed mentioned should have been 1/80sec and not 1/180sec. Thanks to Dr. Lovekesh Sharma for pointing out this ‘typo’.

CONGRATULATIONS! Dear SP, It’s indeed a proud moment for me, as a regular reader of Smart Photography, to inform you that I have been awarded the 3rd prize in the “National Photo Salon 2009 conducted by the Photographic Society of Madras under “Streets at night” category. The image was titled Despondent Mother.

Bhaskar Kundu, Chennai, via e-mail

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.

Worth Rs.2,999/-

Photograph by Soumen Basu, Howrah

News Watch International SNIPPETS FUJIFILM’S NEW EXR SENSOR WINS “EUROPEAN DIGITAL IMAGING INNOVATION” Fujifilm’s new Super CCD EXR Sensor has been chosen as the European Digital Imaging Innovation 2009-10 product by EISA. The Super CCD EXR Sensor is designed to adjust its behavior according to the conditions in which it is being used. The sensor, used in Fujifilm’s FinePix F70EX is the world’s smallest among digital cameras with 10X optical zoom lens as of July.

Season of camera launches...

While last month saw camera introductions from Nikon, Panasonic, Kodak, to name a few. The current month (October ‘09) witnessed even bigger launches, with majors like Canon, Sony, Samsung, and Leica entering the fray. However, considering the number of new product introductions from all the majors, one can only hope that slowdown phase is over and the jolly good days are back again.

CANON’S NEW LAUNCHES Rolls out high-end D-SLR, EOS 7D

IXUS DIGITAL 930IS The IXUS DIGITAL 930IS is avaliable in four colors of silver, gold, purple, and blue. It is characterized by its touch-screen monitor, scene selection and selection of various replaying programs. The 930IS is fitted with a 1/2.3-inch 12MP CCD sensor, 4.321.5mm (24-120mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.9 zoom lens and 3-inch 230KP LCD monitor.

RICOH RENEWS CX-SERIES STANDARD D-CAM Ricoh announced 21 Ricoh CX2 compact D-cam featuring a 10.7X zoom lens and 9MP CMOS sensor packed into a thin 29.4mm thick body.

The manufacturer plans to produce 50,000 units a month initially. It has a new “High-contrast Black & White Mode” that produces images as if taken with high-speed or push-processed monochrome film.

SONY GLITCH Sony has warned that some units of its Cyber-shot DSC-W170 digital compact are faulty. There is a possibility that small particles of metal plating may peel off from the casing part surrounding the lens. Customers are asked to check the serial number of their camera. For further details visit www.sonydigital-link.com.

ADVISORY FROM NIKON Nikon Europe has again warned consumers that some D5000 digital SLR may, in certain circumstances fail, to turn on. Customers are asked to check the serial number of their camera to establish if theirs is affected.

Customers are also asked to return the affected once for ‘preventative maintenance’. For further details visit http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com.

18

Smart Photography October 2009

mechanical image stabilization system and 2.8-inch LCD monitor.

Canon announced a new D-LSR model the EOS 7D. The new model is positioned to fill the gap between the 50D and 5D Mark II. The main features of the 7D include: APS-C size 18MP CMOS sensor, dual DIGIC 4 engine, 100 percent view and 1.0X magnification viewfinder with a newlydeveloped sensor for 19-point all-cross type metering; 3-inch Clear View II monitor with reduced surface reflection rate, high-speed burst shots of 8 frames per second, ISO sensitivity up to 12800 (extended). With this new strategic model. The 18MP 7D will be sold at around $2,000 body only.

PowerShot G11 The PowerShot G11 features authentic body design with optical viewfinder, precision LCD monitor that tilts, manual options to improve image quality and accessory adaptability. Combination of the large, 10MP high-sensitivity CCD image sensor and the DIGIC 4 image processing engine minimizes noises even under difficult conditions.

The G11 is fitted with a 1/1.7-inch 10MP (effective) high-sensitivity CCD image sensor, 6.1- 30.5mm (28-140mm equivalent) f/2.84.5 11-in-9 5X zoom lens supported by

IXUS DIGITAL 220IS The IXUS DIGITAL 220IS comes in four colors of silver, black, brown, and blue. It is the successor to the IXUS DIGITAL 210IS and has extended scene recognition program that includes as many as 22 scenes to apply. The 220IS is fitted with a 1/2.3-inch 12MP CCD sensor, 5.0-20.0mm (28-112mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.9 zoom lens supported by mechanical image stabilization system and 2.7•h wideangle LCD monitor.

PowerShot S90

The PowerShot S90 is the topnotch middleclass compact camera featuring the same 1/1.7-inch sensor and DIGIC 4 image processing engine . The S90 incorporates extensive scene recognition programs linked to face-detection and auto white balance to always get fine pictures.

NEWS WATCH

PowerShot SX20IS The PowerShot SX20IS is the high-end model of the SX series featuring all-in-one zoom lens with 20X zooming range from 28mm to 560mm equivalent supported by mechanical (lens-shift) image stabilization.

The 20X zoom model features the extensive auto scene recognition program as well as DIGIC 4 image processor and is capable of taking high-definition video clips.

The PowerShot SX120IS The PowerShot SX120IS is a compact model with a 10X zoom lens and without EVF. It features auto scene recognition program that includes 18 scenes. The camera is fitted with a 1/2.5-inch 10MP (effective) CCD image sensor, 6.0-60mm (36-360mm equivalent) f/2.8-4.3 10-in-9 zoom lens and a 3.0-inch LCD monitor. Sensitivity of the sensor may be enhanced manually to ISO3200 equivalent.

SONY’S INTRODUCTIONS Unveils D-SLR-A550, A500

SNIPPETS SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES DIGITAL HUMANISM Samsung Electronics is embarking on a campaign to uplift the emotional resonance and human touch present in its digital products. It is elevating its commitment to create products that enable sharing of personal experience and expression, under the banner “Digital Humanism”.

ADOBE OFFERS ACR AND DNG V5.5 RELEASE CANDIDATES for the new camera is expected to be just under $2,000 (body only). The camera’s Exmor CMOS sensor is designed to take advantage of resolving power of highprecision alpha lenses.

Announces 28-75mm f/2.8 SAM lens Sony has released a full-frame 28-75mm f/2.8 SAM lens to accompany its new Alpha D-SLR-A850. The constant f/2.8 lens offers a less expensive alternative to the Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA for A850 and A900 owners looks for a fast standard zoom.

Construction is made up of 14 elements in 16 groups, including four aspherical elements.

SAMSUNG’S NEW SHOWCASES Three D-cams with dual LCDs Sony introduced consumer-level D-SLR with the A500 and A550 taking the count to five cameras. The D-SLR-A550 and D-SLR-A500 are based around new CMOS sensors and add a manual focus confirmation live view mode using the main imaging sensor, in addition to Sony’s secondary-sensor Quick AF live view system. Both cameras feature Sony’s better noise reduction, include an Auto HDR mode and offer sensitivity of up to ISO 12800. The 14.2 MP A550 features a high resolution 921,000 dot 3inch tilt-angle LCD, while the 12.3 MP A500 comes with a 230k dot resolution 3inch tilt-angle LCD. Debuts New D-SLRs A850 Sony introduced full-frame Alpha D-SLRA850 camera and a new 28-75mm f/2.8 lens. The A850 model shares the same 24.6 megapixel full-frame sensor and other features similar to A900 camera. The price

Adobe released candidates of Photoshop Camera Raw 5.5 and DNG Converter 5.5 for immediate download from its Adobe Labs site. The latest versions extends RAW support to the Nikon D300s, Nikon D3000, Olympus E-P1, and Panasonic DMC-FZ35. Visit www.adobe.com for more details.

TOSHIBA LAUNCHES SDXC MEMORY CARD Toshiba announced the launch of the world’s first 64GB SDXC Memory Card with a fast data transfer rate compliant with the new SD Memory Standard Ver. 3.00, UHS 104.

OLYMPUS POSTS FIRMWARE UPDATES FOR E-P1, KIT LENSES Olympus released a firmware update for its E-P1 Micro Four Thirds camera.

Version 1.1 improves the camera operation in Continuous AF mode.

The company has posted firmware updates for the E-P1’s kit lenses: the M. Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 and the M. Zuiko Digital 17mm 1:2.8 pancake lens.

Samsung announced three compact digicams with new capabilities, including dual LCDs and wireless/GPS. The Samsung TL225 and TL220 cameras offer dual LCD screens on the front and back, allowing users to take more easily a self-portrait with the 1.5inch LCD on the front of the TL225 and TL220.

The front LCD can be activated by touch and, in addition to previewing pictures, it can also plays animations. Including a 3.5inch wide, 1,152K touch-screen LCD, the TL225

LEGENDARY FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER, WILLY RONIS DEAD French photographer Willy Ronis, whose timeless pictures captured light and life in the urban landscape of postwar Paris, has died at age of 99 years at a Paris hospital.

His photos tell the stories of everyday people through anecdotes and emotion, often with humor, a style known as Humanistic photography.

October 2009 Smart Photography

19

NEWS WATCH

also has a 12.2 MP CCD and 27-124.2mm wide-angle Schneider Kreiznach lens with 4.6x optical zoom.

Unveils ST1000 wireless compact Samsung released three compacts. Top of the range is the ST1000, the first compact to offer a 3.5inch touchscreen LCD with 1.2 million dot resolution and multi-wireless connectivity. It features Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity. Built-in GPS enables geo-tagging of images with location data.

WB5000 superzoom digital camera Samsung released WB5000 with 24x optical zoom. It offers a field of view of 26-624mm equivalent, 3inch LCD and a 12.47 MP sensor. It features 720p HD video recording in an advanced H.264 format, but does not provide an HD output.

NIKON INTRODUCES DIGITAL CAMERA WITH BUILT-IN PROJECTOR

Nikon will launch the Coolpix S1000pj compact digital camera featuring a built-in projector shortly. The Coolpix S1000pj can project still images and videos captured with the camera as large as 40 inches. With the camera’s slide show function, still images can be played back with music and effects.

The camera is equipped with a 12.1-MP image sensor, a 5X Zoom-nikkor lens and a 2.7-inch wide-angle LCD display.

PANASONIC TO DEBUT WORLDS SMALLEST AND LIGHTEST D-SLR Panasonic will roll out LUMIX DMC-GF1, a mirror-free Micro Four Thirds D-SLR camera weighing just 285g. The DMCGF1 interchangeable lens camera with built-in flash is a version upgraded from Panasonic’s first mirror-free Micro Four Thirds camera, which was the smallest interchangeable lens D-SLR when it was introduced. The GF1 is much smaller

20

Smart Photography October 2009

measuring just 119x71x36.3mm and considerably light weight which is the reason why it is expected to be popular with travel enthusiasts.

LEICA LAUNCHES NEW MODELS First-medium format D-SLR, Leica S2 The S2 is the first-medium format D-SLR. It features an oversized 45 x 30mm 37.5MP CCD image sensor made by Kodak and “Maestro” image processing engine jointly developed with Fujitsu, enabling high speed image processing. The S2 will be available

by October this year and the trade expects it to retail at $31,600.

Leica M9 with 18MP CCD image sensor The M9 features a full-size 35mm (24x36mm) 18MP CCD image sensor for the first time in the M series, allowing all M-mount lenses to be used with the same angle of view as 35mm M cameras. Captured images are recorded in RAW and JPEG formats. It measures 139x37x80mm, and weighs 585g.

new flagship of its FinePix compact D-cam fleet, featuring the Super CCD Honeycomb EXR image sensor and 14X all-in-one zoom lens. The S200EXR is fitted with 1/1.6inch 12MP Super CCD Honeycomb EXR sensor, Fujinon 7.1-101.5mm (30.5-436mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.3 zoom lens supported by mechanical (lens-shift) image stabilization, 2.7-inch 230K-dot TFT color LCD monitor giving 100 percent view and 0.2-inch 230Kdot FLC reflecting color view finder giving nearly 100 percent view. The company plans to produce 20,000 units per month.

CASIO RELEASES LATEST EXILIM DIGITAL CAMERAS WITH NEW INTELLIGENT AF Casio announced two new additions to the Exilim digital camera lineup. The Exilim Zoom EX-Z450 and Exilim Zoom EX-Z90 both are equipped with Intelligent AF, a new function that can detect even a non-human photographic subject, allowing the models to automatically determine the focus and exposure area. In addition, Casio’s unique Dynamic Photo function, for composite moving image creation, is now faster and easier to operate, allowing users to produce animated electronic greeting cards and other digital creations.

PENTAX ANNOUNCES K-x ENTRY LEVEL D-SLR

FUJIFILM SHOWCASES EVF CAMERA WITH SUPER CCD HONEYCOMB EXR SENSOR Fujifilm announced the FinePix S200EXR, a Pentax Imaging introduced its entry level digital SLR K-x recently.The latest Pentax camera offers high-end features including Live View and HD video. Priced at $649.95 (for body with DA L 18-55mm lens), the compact and lightweight Pentax K-x forges ahead on the trail initiated by the popular Pentax K2000. The K-x incorporates a newly developed CMOS image sensor, and is fitted with 12.4 effective megapixels. Along with the K-x, Pentax announced the smc Pentax DA L 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED super-telephoto zoom lens to complete their line-up.

NEWS WATCH

PENTAX NEEDS TIE-UP FOR SURVIVAL, SAYS HOYA CHIEF

PANASONIC LEICA 45MM F/2.8 MACRO LENS WITH OIS

Pentax must join forces with another company for its long-term survival, Hiroshi Suzuki, chief executive of Hoya said. He had earlier mentioned that their digital camera business was not a big operation.

Suzuki intends to make its Pentax operations profitable by March 2010. Pentax has a partnership with Samsung for the development of D-SLRs.

Panasonic introduced its latest Micro Four Thirds system-based—Leica DG MacroElmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH. Mega O.I.S. macro lens. This optically stabilized lens is bundled into a compact body measuring approximately 2.5x2.5inches, with an inner focus mechanism that keeps the overall length constant on focusing.

CANON EF 100MM F/2.8L USM MACRO WITH HYBRID IS

SIGMA ANNOUNCES 70-300MM F/4-5.6 DG OS

After Canon’s announcement of its Hybrid IS technology comes the first lens to sport this feature. It’s a 100mm f/2.8 macro.

The Hybrid IS system provides up to 2 stops stabilization at 1.0x magnification, and up to 4 stops at longer shooting distances. The lens is the first to gain the flagship ‘L’ designation.

Sigma developed a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens incorporating its original OS. The OS allows the user to use shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. When mounted on a Sony or Pentax camera, the built-in OS function can be used even if the camera body is equipped with an anti-shake function for combined effects.

CANON LAUNCHES 15-85MM AND 18-135MM EF-S LENSES

TAMRON RELEASES 17-50MM F/2.8 XR DI-II VC LENS Tamron launched the SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC photographic lens designed exclusively for D-SLR cameras equipped with APS-C size image sensors. The f/2.8 fast standard zoom lens covers a range of angles of view equivalent to 26-78mm and is equipped with Tamron’s proprietary Vibration Compensation mechanism. The minimum focus distance is 0.29m over the entire zoom range.

Canon announced two EF-S, APS-C lenses.

The EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is as a high quality standard zoom. It offers a flexible 24-136mm (35mm equivalent) range and image stabilizer with a claimed effectiveness of 4 stops. Another addition is Canon’s EF-S range is the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, which covers a 29216mm (35mm equivalent) range and with a claimed 4-stop image stabilizer.

KOMAMURA’S FRONT CONVERSION LENSES FOR D-SLR Komamura launched a series of Horseman front conversion lenses that enable DSLR camera users to enjoy wide-angle, telephoto and macro photography. The series consists of a 0.7X wide, a 0.6X wide, a 0.25X superwide/macro and a 4.0X macro conversion lenses.

22

Smart Photography October 2009

PANASONIC’S NEW FACE RECOGNITION SENSOR Panasonic Electric Works has developed a new face recognition sensor system that works in the dark, overly lit conditions or even if the person is sitting behind the windshield reflecting bright light. The new sensor system consists of an LED modulated light source for near-infrared light and image processing circuitry. When the CCD camera equipped with the sensor system captures an image, the sensor system processes only the near-infrared light reflected from the subject. The new sensor system delivers QVGA-quality monochrome images.

CANON REFRESHES PIXMA PRINTER SERIES Canon has announced seven Pixma all-inone printers, an A4 photo printer and an A3 office printer. The Pixma iP4700 photo printer offers 1pl (picolitre) drops, 9600dpi

printing and supports direct printing from compatible cameras. The entry level Pixma MP250, MP270, and MP490; mid-range Pixma MP550 and MP560; and the higherend Pixma MP640 and MP990 all-in-ones incorporate the Auto Photo Fix II image correction function and an Auto Scan Mode that recognizes different kinds of documents and processes them accordingly.

CANON INTRODUCES SELPHY ES40 SPEAKING PHOTO PRINTER In addition to its camera announcements, Canon has introduced the Selphy ES40 compact dye-sublimation photo printer with built-in voice guidance. Offering an option of seven different languages, the voice guidance helps users through the printing process and also informs them of common printing issues.

NOVOFLEX’S MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR MICRO FOUR THIRDS

Novoflex announced prices for eleven adapters for the Micro Four Thirds standard, including Pentax K, Nikon F and Sony Alpha adapters with built-in aperture control rings. The adapters provide only a mechanical connection between the lens and the body, but retain automatic metering for aperture priority mode and allow focusing to infinity.

COSINA SELLS VOIGTLANDER HELIAR 50MM LENSES Cosina showcased a pair of the Lmount lenses, commemorating the 10th anniversary of its Voigtlander Bessa rangefinder cameras. It will produce Voigtlander Heliar 50mm F3.5 and 50mm F2 in limited quantity of 600 units each to be sold worldwide. Both lenses adopt original Heliar 5-in-3 construction and brass-turned barrels are chrome-plated to retain the classical atmosphere of original Heliar lenses. Both lenses focus down to a minimum focusing distance of 1 meter.

NEWS WATCH

Business CANON, NIKON REVISE DIGITAL CAMERA PROFIT OUTLOOKS UPWARD Canon and Nikon have revised upward operating profit outlooks for their digital camera business operations. Canon has revised up its operating profit outlook for its digital camera business by $196 million to $1.02 billion for the fiscal ending December.

Sales of compact digital cameras are anticipated to slip 8 percent to 20 million units, but demand for D-SLR cameras are expected to rise 5 percent to 4 million units, up 100,000 units from its previous outlook, due to brisk sales of the entry-level EOS models. Also, the company is seen to benefit from the prospected soft yen against the euro.

Nikon has increased sales forecasts for both D-SLR and compact

TAMRON REPORTS NET LOSS IN JANUARY-JUNE Tamron posted a net loss of $421,000 in the January-June on total sales of $227 million, down 28.6 percent. In the same period a year earlier, the company had posted a net profit of $35.8 million. In the first six month period, its photographic product business unit handling interchangeable lenses for SLRs posted an operating profit of $9.52 million, down 54.2 percent year-on-year, on sales of $129 million. Sales of interchangeable lenses under its own brand grew thanks to such new products as AF18-270mm and SP AF1024mm. However, the sales of photographic interchangeable lenses to OEM customers and house-brand customers were weak, affected by their production and inventory adjustments. The business unit posted an operating loss of $3 million.

TOTAL OUTPUT OF NIKKOR LENSES REACHES 50 MILLION Nikon’s total production of Nikkor interchangeable lenses for SLR cameras reached 50 million as of August. The total production of Nikkor lenses had reached 45 million in August 2008 so the firm produced additional 5 million lenses over the past year.

KODAK HONORED WITH TWO AWARDS IN GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS Printing Industries of America awarded Kodak two 2009 InterTech Technology Awards. The awards recognize Kodak Digital Technologies that help increase the impact of print and enable print service providers

24

Smart Photography October 2009

models, expecting all-time high tallies. The company has revised its group operating profit outlook downward because of a $316 million evaluation loss from its stepper business, it upped its operating profit projection for digital cameras to $368 million from the previously forecasted $263 million.

Olympus reported that it returned to the black for the first time in three quarters in the April-June period thanks to its efforts to reduce inventories of compact digital cameras and sales administrative expenses. Fujifilm’s digital camera business returned to the black in the April-June quarter, pushing up its group net profit further than it had projected previously.

to offer even more value to their clients as marketing service providers. Kodak is the only company to receive two of the coveted awards this year.

EPSON’S INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION BUILDS PROSPERITY IN ASIA The Epson International Scholarship Foundation was established in December 1997 to provide scholarships for students from Asia to study in Japan, and to foster educational, technological, and cultural ties between Japan and the rest of Asia. The story of the establishment of the foundation is tied to the makeup of the Epson workforce, which at the end of March 2009 showed that almost 60 percent of employees are from Asian countries and regions other than Japan. Links with China and South-East Asia strengthened considerably from 1990 onward. Today, Epson has manufacturing sites in China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand. The company cemented its support for Asian exchange students in Japan by establishing the Epson International Scholarship Foundation so that students could take what they had learned and apply that knowledge to the economic benefit of their home countries and regions.

PENTAX LIKELY TO ERASE ITS CHRONIC DEFICITS The Pentax is expected to break even or post an operating profit of some several hundred million yen in the July-September quarter because of restructuring efforts in digital camera operations. After becoming

a business division under the umbrella of Hoya, the Pentax division posted operating losses in the six previous quarters. To fix finances of the Pentax division, reorganized the business division’s development, production and sales systems. It consolidated all digital camera manufacturing operations to South East Asia, out of Japan. Also, by shrinking the sales team, the company reduced payroll at the Pentax division by 28 percent in the April-June quarter from the same period a year earlier. By stepping up efforts to trim inventories, the business division is seen to have reduced its inventory turnover rate from 1.8 months in the JanuaryMarch quarter to less than 1.5 months in the July-September quarter. With these improvements, the business division is seen to be on track to turn profitable on a monthto-month basis in the 4th quarter as well.

HP REPORTS Q3 2009 RESULTS HP announced results for its third quarter ended July 31, with net revenue of $27.5 billion, down 2 percent from a year earlier and up 4 percent when adjusted for the effects of currency. In the third quarter, GAAP operating profit was $2.2 billion and GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.67, down from $0.80 in the prior-year period. NonGAAP operating profit was $3.0 billion, with non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.91, up from $0.86 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP financial information excludes $568 million of adjustments on an after-tax basis, or $0.24 per diluted share, related primarily to amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

NEWS WATCH

National CANON INDIA ROLLS OUT 14 NEW CAMERA PRODUCTS FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

NIKON ALL SET TO INVIGORATE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE UNVEILING OF THE LATEST D-SLRS

Alok Bharadwaj unveiling the Canon products at Kolkata

Canon India unveiled ten new camera and camcorder products to demonstrate its intent and response to the fast evolving needs of the Indian customer. Through this launch the company hopes to introduce cutting edge technology into the products in order to enhance the photographic experience during festivities. This is the second major product launch by the company in the current year (2009). Canon unveiled products from Canon’s Imaging Communication Products division which included 6 Digital Compact Cameras, 3 Digital Video Camcorders, 1 Digital SLR and 1 Compact photo printer and 3 professional lenses to complete the list of new introductions.

At the launch, Canon introduced the EOS 7D D-SLR, which is aimed at bridging the gap between skilled amateurs and professional photographers. Canon plans to extend its lead in the advanced D-SLR segment with the introduction of the EOS 7D with class-leading performance, expandability and top-rate finish to meet the needs of discerning photographers. The EOS 7D is ergonomically designed with wireless image transfer and has a remote control.

Says Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India, “Canon believes that R&D and innovation are the co-drivers to counter any downturn. With the latest launch we have introduced 37 new products in the current year. In fact, we have decided the timing of the most awaited festival in East ‘Durga Puja’ for the introduction of these new products. Our new integrated marketing thrust including special offers for customers is expected to give us a record growth of 50 percent during this festival period in India.”

26

Smart Photography October 2009

Bollywod actor, Neil Nitin Mukesh flanked by Nobuyoshi Gokyu, head Asia operations, Nikon HK (right) and Hidehiko Tanaka MD Nikon India (left) .

Nikon India further strengthened its hold in the D-SLR market with the introduction of two new cameras—D3000 and D300s. The Nikon D300s is engineered to leverage proven Nikon technologies, and is bundled with 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor and 51-point autofocus system. In addition, it features the HD video capture, faster 7 frame-per-second (fps) continuous shooting. The Nikon D300s balances form factor, performance, versatility and reliability for serious photo enthusiasts and professionals. On the other hand, Nikon D3000 the most user-friendly digital SLR camera is an affordable answer for users looking to experience the superiority of digital SLR photography.

Hidehiko Tanaka, Managing Director, Nikon India said, “Nikon D300s and D3000 are cutting edge cameras that will change how photographers shoot their pictures. The Nikon D3000 is the world’s first D-SLR camera that is very handy and is equipped with a unique feature of ‘New Guide Mode’, moreover, our flagship D300s is designed for today’s generation of creative image makers who will benefit from a combination of brilliant stills and the creative potential of video capture. India is one of the most important among the developing markets and we positively hope for a good response for our latest offerings from the consumers.” The Nikon D3000 will retail at Rs.30,450 (body only) while with the kit lens it will be retail at Rs.37,950. The Nikon D300s will retail at Rs.1,09,950 and is expected to be shortly available nationally.

NEWS WATCH

CANON SHOWCASES PORTRAITS CLICKED BY STREET CHILDREN India alongwith Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India were also present. Through such initiations Canon hopes to take photography to the next level and in the bargain also educate unprivileged children about the art and science of photography.

At the opening of ‘My Freinds, My Habitat’, expo by his Excellancy Hideaki Domichi (extreme right), Japan Ambassador to India along side Konishi San and Alok Bharadwaj of Canon India.

Canon India recently conducted a photographic exhibition to display the photographs clicked by street children. The exhibition was organized at the Canon Image Lounge in Gurgaon, and was a joint initiative with SWYAA India, while Canon provided photography equipment to the children. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Japanese Ambassador to India, His Excellency, Hideaki Domichi. Kensaku Konishi, President and CEO, Canon

The photographic exhibition titled ‘My Friend My Habitat’ was organized by Ship for World Youth Alumni Association-India who have been working with children living in the slum clusters in and around Delhi. In fact, the two month long workshop was held with forty underprivileged children in the age group between 10-14 years from July to August 2009. At the photographic workshop, the children were introduced to photography, the different types of cameras, and training in handling the digital camera, both in door as well as out-doors. In addition, they were imparted with information and lectures about camera angles, perspective and treatment of different subjects. The photo exhibition was an attempt to raise awareness about efforts from the children of the less privileged classes and it also reiterated Canon’s message that photography is for everyone. Kensaku Konishi, President and CEO, Canon India said, “In an attempt to help the street children showcase their talent we joined hands with SWYAA and created this platform for people to witness the excellence and understanding of art that these kids posses. We are glad to be a part of this noble cause, which added joy to the lives of these children.”

BIGGEST NIKON D-SLR ZONE UNVEILED AT HYDERABAD

VIKRAM BAWA SHOOTS FOR 2010 SKODA CALENDER

Byas Foto World, the first of its kind multi-brand photography mall in Hyderabad has been inaugurated by veteran Congress leader, Moti Lalji Vora along with Hidehiko Tanaka, Congress leader, Moti Lalji Vora checks out a Nikon D-SLR being shown by Managing Hidehiko Tanaka (L), Managing Director, Nikon India Director, Nikon India. At this showroom all brands of digital cameras from different vendors are available under one roof. Byas Foto is into the photography business for over 90 years and have a rich heritage of being appointed as official photographer to the Nizam of Hyderabad, in the year 1929. Byas Foto World has a privilege of being Nikon’s exclusive D-SLR zone where the entire range of D-SLR cameras, Nikkor lenses, and an elaborate COOLPIX range of compact cameras would be on display. This is the first such zone that Nikon has opened in Andhra Pradesh. It is the biggest Nikon D-SLR Zone in India till date. At the Nikon’s exclusive zone, consumers get to touch, feel, and experience cameras with combination of lenses and other accessories providing expert guidance, technical know how all under one roof.

Noted fashion photographer, Vikram Bawa, has associated with SkodaAuto India for the making their exclusive annual calendar for the second consecutive year.

The SkodaAuto calendar for the year 2010 will feature the new Skoda Laura and Skoda Superb car as backdrop for the calendar.

Keeping in mind that Skoda Laura is a car that is technologically geared for the future, the calendar shoot is futuristic in its outlook and stylized accordingly.

Vikram shooting from atop a 30ft high crane.

Vikram is creating a virtual time travel to photograph visually stunning images of thrilling chases, hand-to-hand fights and laser gun shoot-outs alongside beautiful mortals of the future to showcase the New Laura 10/10 drive experience.

Last year calender, photographed by Vikram was on the theme — ‘Superhero rescues bride’for all Skoda Superb cars during the LFW Autumn Winter 2009 collection. SkodaAuto India has returned to make an emphatic fashion statement as the sponsor of Lakme Fashion Week Spring Summer 2010.

28

Smart Photography October 2009

NEWS WATCH

SONY INTRODUCES DIGITAL SD VIDEO CAMCORDER

Extreme Pro cards represent the step beyond SanDisk Extreme III and SanDisk Extreme IV cards, respectively. SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash cards is available in capacities of 8GB to 32GB and the price ranges from Rs.5,499 to Rs.16,499, while the SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards of 16GB to 64GB while the price ranges from Rs.17,499-Rs.57,499.

NIKON AIMS AT 45 PERCENT D-SLR SHARE IN INDIA Sony introduced its latest Digital SD Video Camcorder, DSR-PD177P. The newly designed DVCAM camcorder is powered

by Sony’s latest imaging technology. It addresses a broad spectrum of applications where picture quality, reliability and mobility are primary concerns, and offers a range of enhancements for improved audio and video quality and operability.

Isao Matsufune, Head of Network Systems Product Marketing, Business and Professional Products Asia Pacific (division of Sony Electronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd) said, “The DSR-PD177P adopts the DVCAM format, which is the worldwide standard SD format for professional camcorders. It also boasts the cutting edge technology of Exmor Sensor System1 to achieve a low light sensitivity of just 1.5lux in order to maximize the potential of the camcorder’s imaging system.” It is distributed nationally by AVIT Digital India, New Delhi. For further information contact rajesh@avitdigital.com

SANDISK LAUNCHES EXTREME PRO CF CARD SanDisk India announced the introduction of a new line of SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash memory cards. SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards feature a new SanDisk Power Core Controller, an advanced memory controller that enables lightning-fast read and write speeds of up to 90MB/s, doubling the performance from previous SanDisk high-end cards. The cards are currently shipping worldwide with capacities ranging from 16-64GB. SanDisk is also introducing new SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash cards at increased performance from that of the previous SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards.

The new SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk

30

Smart Photography October 2009

Nikon released two new D-SLR camera models in India. The two new models are an entry model D3000 and the highend model D300S. Nikon aims to win both beginner and advanced amateur photographers by releasing the two new models at the same time. It targets to capture 45 percent share by 2010 in the D-SLR market in India, up from the 37 percent market share it estimates for 2008. Nikon had started full-fledged marketing operations in India by establishing Nikon India in 2007. At present, Nikon has 15 authorized service stations in major cities as well as three stores dedicated to exhibiting and selling Nikon products. The total market for

both compact and SLR cameras in India is estimated to be around 1 million units or less than one percent of the global market but considerable growth is expected on a mid- and long-term basis.

NAP CELEBRATED WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY DAY National Academy of Photography (NAP) and Persona-International commemorated the World Photography Day 2009. They conducted an international exhibition of photographs for the promotion of creative photography. Renowned actor and photographer Sabyasachi Chakraborty, famous filmmaker Goutam Ghosh and eminent photographer Benu Sen, MFIAP, FRPS, ESFIAP, Hon. EFIAP, inaugurated the exhibition. A total of 177 photographs, were displayed, and of these, 67 were from other participating countries, including the US, UK, Turkey, Croatia, Sweden, and Vietnam, with works by internationally reputed photographers like Tony Lee Kim Thuan, Niels-Erik Jarlmer and Huan Quac Thuan. 90 photographs by members of Persona-International were also on show.

CANON KICK-STARTS PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS TO ENCOURAGE PHOTO ENTHUSIASTS Canon India has launched a series of four photography tours. Initiated under Canon’s Go Pro program the tour to Ladakh was flagged off on September 13 by the President and CEO of Canon India Kensaku Konishi at the Canon Image Lounge, Gurgaon.

Kensaku Konishi, President and CEO, Canon India said, “We have organized this event in order to promote SLR cameras and have tried to explain the difference between a digital camera and an SLR.” Under this program, Canon plans to sign up with 12 renowned professional photographers and 6 expert trainers who would be sharing their experience and knowledge about photography. The Ladakh photo tour is the second in the series of the four tours that Canon will be organizing under this program in the next four months.

The two other locations would be Sikkim Kensaku Konishi President and CEO Canon, flagging of the and Jaisalmer. With this new initiative Canon Canon’s ‘Go Pro’ Program Photo Tour aims to impart practical knowledge on photography among its target audience and take photography to the next level. Consumers who already own a Canon D-SLR or purchase a new Canon D-SLR are eligible to participate in the program by registering on www.canonedge.com.

NEWS WATCH

THIRD IIPC’S WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY DAY ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

K. C. Marfatia

PSM SALON 2009

Balu Mahendra, Cinematographer, Film Director and National Award winner was the Chief Guest.

He is seen here cutting the ribbon. K. O. Isaac, President, PSM, is to his left.

The Photographic Society of Madras conducted the National Salon of Photography 2009 in Chennai in August. This year, the theme was ‘Incredible India’. There were 6 sections – Flora & Fauna, Streets at Night, Water, Emotions, Monochrome and Temples of India. 2312 entries were received and these were judged by K Maruthachalam, T N A Perumal, Rajiv Menon, Rohinton Mehta, G Venket Ram. Workshops were conducted during the Salon by specialists in the field — ‘Professional Insights & Instincts in Nature photography’ by Ramnath Chandrasekar; ‘Lecture & Discussion on Basics of Photography’ by G Sethuraman; and ‘Lecture & Discussion on Digital Post Processing Work Flow’ by Poochi Venkat. PSM’s in-house photo-film- ‘Pinhole to Pixels’- which traced the history of photography and that of PSM, was screened. A short film of Nikon was also shown.

EPSON COMMEMORATES 20-YEARS OF LEADERSHIP IN DIGITAL PROJECTION TECHNOLOGY Epson, the pioneer of 3-chip Liquid Crystal Display (3LCD) projectors, demonstrated its 20 years of global leadership in digital projection technology by conducting an exclusive 3LCD ‘Technology Forum’ for its media partners in Mumbai. NG Njee Khiang, General Manager, Business Product Group, Epson South East Asia, digital projection expert, Time Anderson, and Sambamoorthy, Senior General Manager, Epson India attended the forum. Sambamoorthy, Senior General Manager, Sales & Marketing, Epson India said that Epson forecasts that the business and education market would grow by 12 percent given the rapid adoption of projection technology for

The IIPC’s World Photography-Day Annual Photo Contest provided a podium to all art lovers to display and polish their skills. The contest was organized under the chairmanship of Dr. Pankaj Sharma (Bareilly, U.P). A total of 1059 entries from 79 participants covering as many as 14 states were received in five categories, namely Monochrome Pictorial Prints, Color Pictorial Prints, Nature Prints, Journalism Prints and Travel Prints. Three hundred and thirteen photographs got acceptances. Five photographs reveived awards.

The award winners are: K. G. Maheshwari (Mumbai) for “Sanguine” (Monochrome Prints Section), Konda Jashuva (Colour Prints Section), K. C. Marfatia (Mumbai) for (Nature Prints Section), Akhil Hardia (Indore) for (Journalism Prints Section), Girish. J. Kingar (Indore) for (Travel Prints Section).

Dr. Pankaj Sharma, AIIPC, FFIP, IIPC Gold, Bijan Das and Kamran Khan, LIIPC were jury members.

office presentations, retail display, digital billboards and multimedia classroom learning.

HP’S SNAPFISH INKS A DEAL WITH EBAY INDIA HP’s Snapfish online photo service announced a partnership agreement with eBay India, one of the leading eCommerce marketplace in the country. The collaboration facilitates the launch of a co-branded Photo Center, enabling over 3 million eBay India users to print, share and store unlimited number of photographs.

With the unveiling of Snapfish Photo Center, eBay users can choose from a wide array of products ranging from photo greeting cards, T-shirts, mugs, sporty drinking bottles, money boxes, calendars, stickers, and much more, to

create and order fully customized photo gifts online.

TOTO AWARDS 2010 TOTO Funds The Arts (TFA), in association with Tasveer, invites entries for its third annual TOTO awards for young Indian photographers. Two cash awards of Rs.25,000 each will be given in January 2010. The spirit of the Toto Awards is to identify promise and encourage young talent. Entries are only invited from people—over the age of 18 years, who will not have celebrated their 30th birthday before January 1, 2010. The submissions should comprise a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 36 images, either in color or Black and White, or a mix of the two. For further details and queries, write to totofundsthearts@yahoo.com.

October 2009 Smart Photography

31

NEWS WATCH

Exhibitions CHANDRATAL BLUES

INDIA-CONTINENT OF CIRCE Art Heritage, Triveni Kala Sangam hosted an exhibition by photographer Nitin Rai—“India-Continent of Circe-1”. The images were on display recently at Sridharini Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi. Rai, in a career spanning two decades, has covered Portraiture, Human Interest, Interiors and Products and Industrial, and Corporate Photography.

THE ROYAL AGE

Chandratal Blues is an exploration of the upper Himalayas by participants of PhotoSensitive’s Photo-Trek Safari in June 2009. Twelve photographers from various walks of life participated in the workshop and came back with a skillfully woven mosaic of images that capture the changing colors of the lake...the azure skies...the ruggedness of the mountains and the enchanting beauty of the tiny flora... For a week, the photographers roughed it out, capturing the biodiversity of the upper Himalayas. The above exhibition is from PhotoSensitive’s fifth annual trip to the mountains.

“A journey through he royal age of India and Britain”—an exhibition by photographer Ramesh Baria. The exhibition explores various forts and places. The architecture and the ambiance of the royal heritage has been beautifully captured through his lens. The exhibition was held from September 5-7, 2009 at Akruti gallery, Kedarwar Mandir Compound, Vadodara.

UNTITLED EXPERIENCES

INDIA 9 TO 5

Shilpa Suchak lost her brother and father in a period of five years, and in the process of exploring her relationship with her mother, she began on a journey that led to these ‘Untitled Experiences’, which is a project initiated to explore interpersonal relationships. Her work is a combination of different mediums—she creates a collage around one photograph, layering it physically and mentally in an effort to link two existences together- past and present.

Although the narrative of ‘Untitled Experiences’... begins with its raw material—it is resolved on a visual. The exhibition will be held from October 10-24 at Tradition Art , Sanjay Plaza, A. B. Nair Road, Juhu, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai.

The engine of explosive economic growth is powered by young urban professionals propelling our country forward. And on the 30th anniversary of Mid-Day, they commissioned ten young photographers in the country to shoot a series of photographs entitled ‘India 9 to 5’. These photographs will be exhibited in association with Tasveer at Tasveer Sua House, Kasturba Cross Road, Bangalore, till October 8.

32

Smart Photography October 2009

NEWS WATCH

PENTAX NEEDS TIE-UP FOR SURVIVAL, SAYS HOYA CHIEF

PANASONIC LEICA 45MM F/2.8 MACRO LENS WITH OIS

Pentax must join forces with another company for its long-term survival, Hiroshi Suzuki, chief executive of Hoya said. He had earlier mentioned that their digital camera business was not a big operation.

Suzuki intends to make its Pentax operations profitable by March 2010. Pentax has a partnership with Samsung for the development of D-SLRs.

Panasonic introduced its latest Micro Four Thirds system-based—Leica DG MacroElmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH. Mega O.I.S. macro lens. This optically stabilized lens is bundled into a compact body measuring approximately 2.5x2.5inches, with an inner focus mechanism that keeps the overall length constant on focusing.

CANON EF 100MM F/2.8L USM MACRO WITH HYBRID IS

SIGMA ANNOUNCES 70-300MM F/4-5.6 DG OS

After Canon’s announcement of its Hybrid IS technology comes the first lens to sport this feature. It’s a 100mm f/2.8 macro.

The Hybrid IS system provides up to 2 stops stabilization at 1.0x magnification, and up to 4 stops at longer shooting distances. The lens is the first to gain the flagship ‘L’ designation.

Sigma developed a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens incorporating its original OS. The OS allows the user to use shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. When mounted on a Sony or Pentax camera, the built-in OS function can be used even if the camera body is equipped with an anti-shake function for combined effects.

CANON LAUNCHES 15-85MM AND 18-135MM EF-S LENSES

TAMRON RELEASES 17-50MM F/2.8 XR DI-II VC LENS Tamron launched the SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC photographic lens designed exclusively for D-SLR cameras equipped with APS-C size image sensors. The f/2.8 fast standard zoom lens covers a range of angles of view equivalent to 26-78mm and is equipped with Tamron’s proprietary Vibration Compensation mechanism. The minimum focus distance is 0.29m over the entire zoom range.

Canon announced two EF-S, APS-C lenses.

The EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is as a high quality standard zoom. It offers a flexible 24-136mm (35mm equivalent) range and image stabilizer with a claimed effectiveness of 4 stops. Another addition is Canon’s EF-S range is the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, which covers a 29216mm (35mm equivalent) range and with a claimed 4-stop image stabilizer.

KOMAMURA’S FRONT CONVERSION LENSES FOR D-SLR Komamura launched a series of Horseman front conversion lenses that enable DSLR camera users to enjoy wide-angle, telephoto and macro photography. The series consists of a 0.7X wide, a 0.6X wide, a 0.25X superwide/macro and a 4.0X macro conversion lenses.

22

Smart Photography October 2009

PANASONIC’S NEW FACE RECOGNITION SENSOR Panasonic Electric Works has developed a new face recognition sensor system that works in the dark, overly lit conditions or even if the person is sitting behind the windshield reflecting bright light. The new sensor system consists of an LED modulated light source for near-infrared light and image processing circuitry. When the CCD camera equipped with the sensor system captures an image, the sensor system processes only the near-infrared light reflected from the subject. The new sensor system delivers QVGA-quality monochrome images.

CANON REFRESHES PIXMA PRINTER SERIES Canon has announced seven Pixma all-inone printers, an A4 photo printer and an A3 office printer. The Pixma iP4700 photo printer offers 1pl (picolitre) drops, 9600dpi

printing and supports direct printing from compatible cameras. The entry level Pixma MP250, MP270, and MP490; mid-range Pixma MP550 and MP560; and the higherend Pixma MP640 and MP990 all-in-ones incorporate the Auto Photo Fix II image correction function and an Auto Scan Mode that recognizes different kinds of documents and processes them accordingly.

CANON INTRODUCES SELPHY ES40 SPEAKING PHOTO PRINTER In addition to its camera announcements, Canon has introduced the Selphy ES40 compact dye-sublimation photo printer with built-in voice guidance. Offering an option of seven different languages, the voice guidance helps users through the printing process and also informs them of common printing issues.

NOVOFLEX’S MOUNT ADAPTERS FOR MICRO FOUR THIRDS

Novoflex announced prices for eleven adapters for the Micro Four Thirds standard, including Pentax K, Nikon F and Sony Alpha adapters with built-in aperture control rings. The adapters provide only a mechanical connection between the lens and the body, but retain automatic metering for aperture priority mode and allow focusing to infinity.

COSINA SELLS VOIGTLANDER HELIAR 50MM LENSES Cosina showcased a pair of the Lmount lenses, commemorating the 10th anniversary of its Voigtlander Bessa rangefinder cameras. It will produce Voigtlander Heliar 50mm F3.5 and 50mm F2 in limited quantity of 600 units each to be sold worldwide. Both lenses adopt original Heliar 5-in-3 construction and brass-turned barrels are chrome-plated to retain the classical atmosphere of original Heliar lenses. Both lenses focus down to a minimum focusing distance of 1 meter.

li o H ali w i D Presents

Smart Photography

d i E

“ Festival of India Contest�

Christmas

An opportunity to capture the festive moods of India and win exclusive prizes i h k a s i a B and more... m a n

O Dushera

P

l a g on

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 six.

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 “Festival of India Contest” on the envelope / Subject line (in case of email entries) .

11. Last date for submission of entries: January 31st, 2010.

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 “Festival of India Contest” Khatau House, 2nd Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016.

Name: Address:

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

Name:

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

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

Lens:

Address:

Lens:

Entry Coupon

Entry Coupon

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

Name: Address:

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

Name: Address:

KODAK / Smart Photography “Festival of India 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:

Industry Opinion contrary grew by over 49 percent because of the following factors:

Mr. Alok Bharadwaj, Sr. Vice President, Canon India

A

t a time when the overall printing business (laser and inkjet) market shrunk by over 20 percent, Canon, achieved remarkable growth rates thereby improving its revenue by over 49 percent in the H1 of 2009 (Gartner Research). The success story was scripted mainly by the introduction of newer products that have significantly reduced the running costs and also introducing the innovative below the line marketing activities. To get an insight of the success story, we caught up with Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India.

In terms of competition, Canon has relatively done better than competition in printer, scanner, copier, and MFP categories. In spite of the recessionary trends prevailing worldwide in the industry, Canon India has garnered over 49 percent growth in the H1 of 2009. What are the innovative strategies that Canon has put into place to stay ahead of competition?

Canon’s printer division was not impacted by the recessionary trends prevailing in the industry and on the

36

Smart Photography October 2009

1. Our product proposition - The major driver of growth for this business was the laser category where our product proposition was apt for the recession times as it delivered low cost of printing, low cost of maintenance, and high return of investment (ROI).

We also gave a full toner with the machine as against a half toner or a demo toner, which was given by others.

This was accepted well by the consumers.

2. City-specific campaigns The other major growth driver for Canon during slowdown was its focused campaigns.

Canon had successfully rolled out campaigns in target cities to promote its printer products in these regions. In the last one year our Print City and City-specific campaigns have been very successful in penetrating deeper into regional markets.

3. New business opportunities - Apart from that the other major growth driver was the kind of business that we got from telecom players for our inkjet printers. The sales of our inkjet all-in-one printers increased as the telecom players identified rural markets and needed affordable all-in-one printer.

During slowdown, we ensured that our product positioning is strong enough to beat it. The government sector also contributed to this growth as many new projects launched by the government held business opportunities for Canon products.

With consumers and businesses taking intelligent buying decision it enabled them to realize better bargains by investing in Canon printers.

In a digital era, where product obsolesce is a critical issue, the launch of newer products is not only important for growth, but sustenance as well.

What are the initiatives that Canon is ushering in order to counter the changing lifestyle?

placed against the wall with a very small footprint and foldable trays. Moreover, new technologies and upgrades are launched every six months keeping in mind the technology savvy consumers need to add to their lifestyle quotient.

Apart from marketing strategies Canon has put into place revolutionary distribution architecture.

Can you give us an overview of the same?

In this era of digitization, a consumer is always on the lookout for newer technologies. As we launch new products we also launch new technologies, which set our products apart from the competition. It’s the era of integration, portability, and convergence. In the Consumer Systems Product category we have mobile, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth enabled printers, which can be used to take prints anytime and anywhere.

With the increased demand for printing on various media especially in the case of school related projects, Canon has now designed printers that are capable of printing on other media like T-shirts, etc. Overall, in a recessionary period, the general business attitude is about deferring huge investments, and this is precisely the reason why our new product proposition offer better ROI, low maintenance cost, and lower initial investment.

With the evolution of business, Canon has started focusing on citycentric distribution model, rather than a regional or a national distribution model. We currently have 68 city distributors for our IT business who market our products across over 300 towns in India. In order to reach out to the channels, Canon envisages a fourtier architecture, including face-to-face interactions, Milap, Channel dialogues and Gyan Yatra (training programs). Canon has also taken the initiative in providing product guides to partners every month.

In fact, the company has recently unveiled the Partner Excellence Program Secondary (PEP-SY), which enables the partners to directly connect with Canon.

Through this program it will enable Canon in not only identifying, but also mobilizing the potential of second tier partners.

On the aesthetic front, with changes in lifestyle even products need to be stylish and trendy, but with a smaller footprint. In fact, we have launched printers in glossy black finish, which can be

That apart, Canon has also created three Image Lounges wherein consumers can experience the products with no pressure at all to buy the same.

Mathew Thottungal

Kaleidoscope Finally, a platform for all photographers to exhibit their talent and GET NOTICED!

How Dare You! Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6VR Sensitivity: ISO100 Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter speed: 1/80

THE CREATIVE MIND

S

ubrata Kar from Shibmandir, Siliguri, West Bengal, is a teacher by profession, and is striving hard to become a serious photo-artist. “I have realized that photography, or any art form has the power to change, revitalize, and recreate a soul,” he says.

Subrata never had a formal training in photography.

He started his photographic journey seven years ago, experimenting with his camera — Pentax K1000. Now, he uses a Nikon D80. Subrata believes, “The journey is long and strenuous, but I am not ‘to yield’. The camera to me is the gateway to a new romantic world, full of unknown and unforeseen adventure.”

38

Smart Photography October 2009

Shall I See Them Again?

Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6VR Sensitivity: ISO100 Aperture: f/6.3 Shutter speed: 1/400

KALEIDOSCOPE

October 2009 Smart Photography

39

KALEIDOSCOPE

Leafscape Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6VR Sensitivity: ISO400 Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter speed: 1/130

The Beauty of a Skeleton Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6VR Sensitivity: ISO200 Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter speed: 1/60

KALEIDOSCOPE

Top

Chhat Festival Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6VR Sensitivity: ISO400 Aperture: f/8 Shutter speed: 1/25 Bottom left

Old Working Woman Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6VR Sensitivity: ISO800 Aperture: f/11 Shutter speed:1/125 Bottom right

The Captured Lady Camera: Nikon D80 Composed of 5 images in Photoshop

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 ďŹ lm and digital images.

October 2009 Smart Photography

41

Presents Smart Photography

‘Candid Photography Contest’

T

he Kodak-Smart Photography ‘Candid Moments Contest’ announced in SP, July 2009 issue, attracted over 2000 entries from all over the country. Entries were invited in print as well as online. Kodak India had graciously offered a digital camera for each of the best three entries and 50 free prints (6x8-inches) for each of seven consolation prize winners. The entries were judged by R. Ganesh, GM-Digital Capture & Devices and Film Capture, CDG, India Cluster, and Mrugesh Gaglani, Sr. Product Manager-Digital Capture & Devices, both from Kodak India, and Rohinton Mehta, Technical Editor, Smart Photography, on September 4, 2009.

As is usually the case, many entrants had sent images that were not in line with the theme of the contest and were hence disqualified. The prints and online entries were judged separately and the best images were then re-evaluated to decide on the winners. It wasn’t an easy task, but nonetheless, very exciting.

Smart Photography’s Technical Editor Rohinton Mehta (Uncle Ronnie), Mathew Thottungal (Executive Editor), Vijaya Saran (Associate Publisher), Deepa Manickath (Account Manager), along with Mrugesh Gaglani, R. Ganesh of Kodak India judging the entries for the Kodak Smart Photography Candid Moments Photo Contest.

42

Smart Photography October 2009

Here are the three lucky winners and the prizes they will receive: First prize : Parthapratim Saha Kodak Z 980, 12MP, 24x optical zoom Second prize : Avijit Bhakta Kodak Z 915, 10MP, 24x optical zoom Third prize : Salil Lodha Kodak M 381, 12MP, 5x optical zoom Seven consolation prize winners: Hemasri (Bangalore) Satsanghi N. P. (Chennai) Subhanjan Sengupta (Durgapur) K. J. Vincent (Thrissur) Subhash Purohit (Kolhapur) Himanshu Jog (Nagpur) Prashant J. Soni (Gurgaon) Parthapratim Saha

1

ST

e Pr iz Z980

4X opt 12MP, 2

ical zo

om

October 2009 Smart Photography

43

Avijit Bhakta

nd

2 e Pr iz Z915

Salil Lodha

rd

3

e Pr iz M381

X 12MP, 5

44

optical

zoom

Smart Photography October 2009

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Seven consolation Prize winners: 1. Hemasri (Bangalore) 2. Satsanghi N. P. (Chennai) 3. Subhanjan Sengupta (Durgapur) 4. K. J. Vincent (Thrissur) 5. Subhash Purohit (Kolhapur) 6. Himanshu Jog (Nagpur) 7. Prashant J. Soni (Gurgaon)

October 2009 Smart Photography

45

If I were You Picture info

E-mail your images at sp@nextgenpublishing.net

Edited Image

Camera: Canon PowerShot A 590 IS Exposure mode: Auto Shutter speed: 2 seconds Aperture: f/2.6 ISO: 100 White Balance: Auto

“HARI-KI-PAIRI” Reader Abhijit Halder from New Delhi has sent us this picture of Haridwar skyline at night. Haridwar actually means the ‘Gateway to God’ and this is the place where river Ganges enters the Indo-Gangetic plains in Northern India. Haridwar is considered a very holy place for the Hindus.

The exposure is very good–you can see detail in the shadows. What about the highlights? Aren’t they ‘burnt out’?

Whenever you expose to get detail in shadows, specular highlights will burn out. By careful framing, we have to see that the overexposed areas are minimal and hence not too objectionable.

What would I have done if I were you?

I like the original picture and found it difficult to visualize how it could be improved. I said to myself, it does not seem likely that this picture could be improved. Hence I posed the question to Atul Bandekar, the Creative Director and Production Head for Smart Photography.

Atul is a Photoshop wizard and this is

46

Smart Photography October 2009

how he improved Original Image the picture: 1. Using High Pass filter, micro details were enhanced (when a picture is sharpened, edge contrast improves, making the image look sharper and with enhanced detail).

2. A New Layer was created (by clicking on ‘create a new layer’ icon at the bottom of the Layers palette) and its Blending Mode was changed from Normal to Overlay.

A brush (letter ‘B’ on the keyboard) of appropriate size and softness was chosen and areas around the lights in the image were painted thereby brightening those areas (Opacity of the brush was controlled as necessary). This improved the picture quite a bit. Even then the overall picture

was still ‘flat’ (lacking contrast).

3. Using an adjustment layer for Curves, contrast was boosted a bit. The Edited Image is now definitely better than the original.

When we say that every picture can be improved in Photoshop, believe us!

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.

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH Original Image

Edited Image

This photo of St. Francis Xavier Church in Chennai comes from reader Jaya Kumar.

The picture appears to have been taken a little after the sunset and when the sky was still reasonably bright. I like the picture.

The two parallel yellow stripes leading to the church acts to lead the viewer’s eye into the picture. The exposure suggested by the camera has maintained detail in the sky, but the

church itself is somewhat underexposed (a bright sky always causes the foreground subject to underexpose, unless corrective action is taken). The buildings on either side of the church block the eye from wavering out of the picture. This further leads to the viewer’s attention being drawn to the church.

Can this picture be improved? What would I have done if I were you?

The painted parallel lines and the designs with diminishing sizes outside the church does create depth, but the church itself seems to have very little visual depth. Other than the arch in the center, which shows a faithful praying at the entrance and the priest far away at the alter, there is nothing to suggest the much needed visual depth. The front of the church appears somewhat like a movie-set structure. We can see its height and the width, but we cannot envisage its depth. This is due to the fact that we cannot see either side of the structure. To create a strong feeling of visual depth, we need to see the width, height, as well as a side of a building.

As mentioned earlier, the church is somewhat underexposed.

I have brightened it up using Photoshop. It looks much better in the Edited Image. Lastly, Jaya, whenever you send your images to a competition (this is a sort of competition), it is suggested that the author’s name be not signed on the print. In the edited picture, I have taken the liberty of getting rid of the signature.

Picture info Camera: Nikon D90 ISO: 320 Shutter speed: 1/25 sec Aperture: f/4

October 2009 Smart Photography

47

IF I WERE YOU

Original Image

Picture info Camera: Fuji FinePix S9600 ISO: 400 Shutter speed: 1/30 sec.

Aperture: f/4.8 Edited Image

THE MASTER This delightful picture of tabla maestro Zakir Hussein has been sent to us by reader Paramarth Das from Kolkata. The line of his tilted head and hands form a diagonal composition that adds impact to the picture. The gifted musician is enjoying the ambiance (as he always does).

Observe that the background is black and the shirt, white. Such high contrast

situations always challenge the skills of the photographer and the technology of the manufacturer. I am happy to say that both have fared well, though there are some areas of overexposure on the white shirt.

and toned them down. The maestro’s hair, which was merging with the dark background, has also been ‘opened up’ very slightly. I wish there was some movement in the hands (Paramarth has used a slow shutter speed of 1/30 second, Is there any way to improve this charming but still, the hands are reasonably sharp). image? What would I have done if I were you? Hence I asked the design team to ‘create On the Edited Image, using Photoshop, some hand movement’, which you see in I have selected the overexposed areas the edited image.

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.

48

Smart Photography October 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!

DOF Dilemma

In your articles you have always advocated the use of depth of field preview for checking the range of DOF, but as you know the viewfinder darkens considerably in this mode making difficult to form a judgment. Wouldn’t shooting in A-DEP (automatic depth of field) mode be easier? In my camera (Canon EOS 350D) the AF points light up indicating the field in focus. I would like your opinion on this.

Dr. Sourav Chatterjee, Kolkata Yes, when the DOF preview button is pressed, the image on the focusing screen gets dark. The narrower the set aperture, the darker the image. This makes it difficult to judge the zone of sharpness. You will notice that in bright light, in spite of the focusing screen getting darker, it is comparatively easier to check the DOF using this method.

In poor light, it gets tough. Try to concentrate on the edges of objects in the field of view and try to ignore the darkness. After some practice, it will become easier.

Some Canon D-SLRs provide A-DEP mode, which helps to some extent. I say ‘some extent’ because, whilst it definitely helps, one cannot judge the exact starting and ending position of the DOF on a small focusing screen.

To prove the point, if you can connect your camera to a computer monitor, you will observe that checking the depth of field on the larger monitor is much easier.

Lens Upgrade

I have a Nikon D90 with its kit lens (18-105). I want to upgrade my D-SLR lens. The end use is general photography and sometimes wedding and wildlife. Please advice me which combination to go with.

1. 18-200 VR, Nikon VR lens and Nikon 50mm f/1.8.

2. 18-70 Nikon lens + 70-300 Nikon VR. 3. 18-55 Nikon VR+ 55-200 Nikon VR. Nasir Ahmed

From the 3 lenses you have mentioned, the best choice for you would be the Nikon 18-200mm lens for general purpose. It will not be suitable for wildlife unless the subject is close by. The 70-300mm would be better in that case. While the 18-200mm lens can cover weddings, a fast lens (like the 50mm f/1.8 that you mention) would be better. Please keep in mind that 50mm on your D90 will cover the same area that a 75mm lens would cover on the 35mm format. If you need an effective focal length of 50mm, then opt for a fast 35mm lens.

October 2009 Smart Photography

49

ASK UNCLE RONNIE

Multiple Questions I am a graphic designer by profession.

1. Would you please explain light meter functions?

2. I have couple of studio lights (Prolinchrom 23s).

When I exceed a shutter speed of 1/250sec, there is a black patch appearing in side of the picture, which further increases if I increase the shutter speed. Why does it happen? Is it due to the sync speed?

3. I would like to shoot some table top or fashion photography in action, i.e. at very fast shutter speeds, say beyond 1/3000–4000sec. Is it possible with the Prolinchroms? If not, how can I do such kind of photography?

4. I have EOS Canon 350D, which was really a good choice when I purchased it way back in 2005. I was very satisfied with the performance, but for the last couple of months there is some ‘Error 99‘ appearing when I shoot and I have to switch off the camera and put it on again to resume shooting. What is that error? Is it due to virus in the card? I had given the camera for servicing at the authorized service center and thought the error would have been removed, but it has reappeared .

5. What will be the next good choice for me if I upgrade my camera? In Mumbai, garment’s manufacturers need very high quality images for their catalogs. Would it be Mark II ?

Rajul Sharma 1. A light meter reads the brightness of the scene and gives us an exposure reading in terms of shutter speeds and apertures (at the input ISO). Its functions would depend on the make and model of the meter. If you set the aperture of your choice, the meter will indicate the corresponding shutter speed. If you set the shutter speed first, it will indicate the appropriate aperture.

Reflected Light Meters read the light reflected off the subject; Incident Light Meters read the light falling on the subject. Some meters also measure the brightness from electronic flash systems.

50

Smart Photography October 2009

2. When using a flashgun, the flash needs to fire when the first curtain (of the shutter) is fully on the other side and before the second curtain starts to close the ‘frame’.

In other words, the frame needs to be completely free of obstruction when the flash fires. When you exceed the maximum sync speed, the second shutter curtain starts to close simultaneously as the flash fires. The second shutter curtain obstructs some of the reflected light hitting the film/sensor, resulting in the dark band that you mention.

3. No, it is not possible to shoot at shutter speeds beyond the maximum x-sync speed when using the Prolinchroms (or any other studio type flash units). To use speeds up to 1/4000sec, you need to use dedicated hot-shoe type flashguns in conjunction with camera bodies that allow such procedures. Note that not all dedicated flashguns have this feature.

4. The ‘Error 99’ that you notice on your Canon EOS 350D is not due to any virus. First, change the lens and see if ‘Error 99’ comes on again. If it does, it could possibly be a camera fault. If it doesn’t, it could indicate that the contacts on the original lens are soiled. In that case, clean the contacts on the lens using a pencil eraser. Do the same thing (gently) on the contacts within the camera body. Hold the body with its throat facing down (rather difficult) so that the residue falls to the ground and not into the camera body.

5.The EOS 5D Mark II is a superb camera. Having said that, for the size of the pictures you would require for a garment booklet, I think any EOS model should suffice.

Of course, if you are hankering to get the lovely Mark II, and this is your excuse, well, just go ahead and splurge!

A Newbie Question I am a regular reader of your magazine for the last 16 months. This is the first letter that I am writing to you. Inspired by your views, though I am a Nikon FM10 user, I also want to go digital. I have a budget of Rs.10,000. I am planning to buy the Kodak Z915 with 10 MP and 10x optical zoom.

May I know will this be a good option or I must go for some other camera? Is the picture quality commendable. Though the camera claims to have a image stabilization feature, what is the quality at a longer distance?

Somnath Chakraborty, Dhanbad Welcome to the world of digital imaging.

You can read the review of the Kodak Z915 on Page number 103 of this issue. I believe it would be a good camera for you as a beginner. The image stabilizer works well, but you should remember that all image stabilizers are designed to take care of slight to moderate hand movement. You should not expect a image stabilizer to provide sharp images if you were riding a motorcycle for example!

ASK UNCLE RONNIE

Problem with Colors I am an amateur in this industry and have been practicing photography with my Canon 400D for last two years. Though I have clicked some good shots but I always have had some problems with capturing colors. Most of the times I need to go to Photoshop to correct them. My question is—is there something wrong with the camera or my technique that I am not able to capture the colors well?

Abbas Ali Amir, via email It would have been better if you had sent me a couple of images to let me ascertain the problem. You haven’t explained clearly what the problem is. In the absence of more data, here are some generalizations: The reasons for wrong or inaccurate colors could be many.

1. Wrong White Balance setting on the camera. For example, you may be using electronic flash but your WB could be set to say, Cloudy.

A colored shirt worn by a photographer could also reflect that color on to the product

3. Light reflecting off a colored surface. For example, let’s say you are photographing a white tea-set and a wall close to the product is yellow in color. There is every chance that light reflected off this yellow wall will cause a yellow color cast on the tea-set. Even a colored shirt that the photographer may be wearing could cause a color cast.

A way out is to always avoid mixed lighting and shoot in RAW. Then adjust the WB to your liking in your choice of RAW Converter. You could also use a White Balance filter (like the Expodisc) which, if used correctly, will save you a lot of time and effort in post-production.

About Batteries and Drying Cabinets

The flash is ‘on’ but the white balance is set to cloudy. Flash has a different color temperature as compared to a cloudy sky.

2. Taking pictures in mixed lighting—for example, a room lit with fluorescent lights as well as tungsten lights. If daylight is also streaming in, it would be a photographer’s nightmare.

This room is lit by three color sources - Day light from the window; Tungsten light (from within the small meeting room); and Fluorescent lights (above).

A sure recipe for frustration!

1. What type of rechargeable battery should one use for flashes like Nikon SB800? In the August issue of Smart Photography (in the special section on accessories) many of the rechargeable batteries listed are recommended for use in low drain or low power devices. None of the batteries listed mentioned it can be used in flashes. The only high drain applications they mention are digital cameras which I believe would not drain as fast as a SB800 would. Can you recommended the type of batteries to be used for SB800?

2. In the same section there was a product for dry cabinet. How do these work? I assume they need to be constantly powered up (nothing is mentioned).

Rajendra Kumar, Bangalore 1. On Page 58 of the Accessories Special (August 2009), Sanyo Eneloop (2000mAh) and Uniross Hybrio (1900mAh) have been described. You may use them for your Nikon SB800 flashgun.

2. Please note that the items under the heading ‘Accessories’ are meant to inform the readers about what is available and where, along with basic description of the product. For further details, you should contact the person/s whose telephone/email have been provided.

October 2009 Smart Photography

51

Showcase Different Strokes H

e left home in 1996 to study photography at Fergusson College, Pune, equipped only with a basic 35mm SLR and two rolls of negative ďŹ lm. But, the real trigger happened when his images were published in the Times of India, which bolstered and

Bird’s eye-view of the Gateway

52

Smart Photography October 2009

motivated his creative genes.

From there on, for Ritam Banerjee, the creative world looked like an array of faces, objects, different hues, and a moment of silence that really transformed his outlook towards art forever.

But the real start to his creative endeavors happened during the course of a work related sojourn to Mumbai, after his graduation.

he reveals that the assignment was the real test of his creative abilities that broadened his photographic horizons toSHOWCASE the core.

The City of Dreams — Mumbai — is synonymous with limos and local trains, millionaires and slum dwellers, Bollywood and reality. This is because they all happen to come together to make a canvas streaked with different colors called life. According to him color and light cannot be separated from life. Its been for over a decade now that Ritam started his journey, yet he feels that it has only begun.

He is today associated with an ever expanding list of clientèle from leading corporates to demanding advertising agencies and also NGOs. His list of International clients includes the likes of Citigroup, Daimler Chrysler, Microsoft and Deutsche Bank.

His creative endeavors have been published in the reputed international publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Observer (London), The Guardian (UK), The Vancouver Sun, The National Post (Canada), ABC News, The Independent (UK), Stern (Germany), Bild am Sonntag (Germany), l’Espresso (Italy), LIFE (online) etc.

Visit: http://www.ritambanerjee.com for more details

Through his incredible travails across the country and beyond, he has documented commercial images, art, portraits, travelogues, and many more.... The infamous 26/11 terror strike on Mumbai was captured by him exclusively for Getty Images. In hindsight,

Mathew Thottungal

Painting the World Red

Business Talks

October 2009 Smart Photography

53

SHOWCASE

Men will be Men!

Beautiful Folklore Sweta Prasad (of Iqbal fame)

54

Smart Photography October 2009

SHOWCASE SHOWCASE

Sushmita Sen

Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale all smiles

October October 2009 2009 Smart Smart Photography Photography

55 55

Best Deals on a Platter!

Goodie Bag

Diwali brings in a month filled with festivity, celebration, and sharing. It’s also a very pious occasion to gift your loved ones the things that they would cherish! SP in sync with the Diwali mood brings you superb deals on products that are often on every photography enthusiast’s wish-list! What is most interesting is that the distributors created these special offers exclusively for you! *These offers can be availed by SP readers only on producing this article. So go ahead and make most of this limited offer.

Compiled by Pooja Wankhede and Mathew Thottungal

KODAK EASYSHARE P720 DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME Kodak Easyshare Software, Digital Frame Edition, makes it easy to load pictures straight from your home computer. Easily browse and edit your albums.

The convenient drag-and-drop feature is perfect for transferring pictures for slideshows .

Distributor/ Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer: Contact Number Email

: : : : : :

J.J.Mehta Kartik Mehta 6,499/3,500/+91 9819102255 info@jjmehta.com

CANON IXUS 100 IS DIGITAL CAMERA Megpixel : 12 MP Optical Zoom : 3x LCD Screen : 2.5inch Movie Mode : VGA 30frames/sec Warranty : 2 Years from Canon India Innovative Features DIGIC IV Process Blink Detection Technology Face Detection Technology Distributor/ Dealers Name : J.J.Mehta Contact : Kartik Mehta MRP : Rs.15,995/Special Price Offer: : Rs.13,000/-. (Free Reebok watch worth Rs.2,499/-.)

Contact Number

56

Smart Photography October 2009

: +91 9819102255

Email

: info@jjmehta.com

SANDISK EXTREME CARD 8GB. High storage capacity (8GB) for storing essential digital content such as high quality photos, videos, music, and much more Features Optimal speed and performance for SDHC compatible devices Speed performance rating: Class 2 (based on SD 2.00 SpeciďŹ cation) High Quality SDHC card backed by 5 year limited warranty Built to last, with an operating shock rating of 2,000Gs, equivalent to a ten-foot drop Distributor/Dealers Name : J.J.Mehta Contact : Kartik Mehta MRP : Rs.3,099/Special Price Offer: : RS.2,099/-

CANON EOS 5D MARK II WITH EF 24-105 MM F/4 L IS USM LENS

Contact Number Email

: +91 9819102255 : info@jjmehta.com

Contact Number Email

: +91 9822870477, +91 9371006794 : nilendra@camshot.in

Email

: nilendra@camshot.in

D-SLR Features Image Stabiliser Superb auto-focus Constant f/4 aperture from 24 to 105mm Image quality EOS system integration Distributor/ Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Offer price

: : : :

Camshot Nilendra Vaidya Rs.2,22,995/Rs.1,92,000/-

NIKON D3X Features: 24.5Megapixel Resolution, FX-format (full frame) CMOS Sensor, Nikon EXPEED Image Processor, NEF (RAW) Files at 12- or 14-bit Color, 3inch Super-density LCD Monitor, Live View Shooting Modes, 5 fps Continuous at Full Resolution, Scene Recognition System Virtual Horizon Indicator, Dual CF Card Slots.

Distributor/Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number

: Camshot : Nilendra Vaidya : Rs.5,24,950/: Rs.4,10,000/: +91 9822870477/ +91 9371006794

October 2009 Smart Photography

57

NIKON COOLPIX L19 8.0 Megapixels 3.6x Optical Zoom-NIKKOR Glass Lens Adjusts up to ISO 1600 Incredible, Bright 2.7-inch High-Resolution LCD Easy Auto Mode with Scene Auto Selector Distributor/Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number Email

: Karan Foto Electronics : Sanjay Malhotra : Rs.7,450/: Rs.7,000/: +91 22 22677494/ +91 22 66365979 : karanfoto@sify.com

SANDISK 2GB SD CARD, Distributor/Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number Email

: Karan Foto Electronics : Sanjay Malhotra : Rs.400/: Rs.350/: +91 22 22677494/ +91 22 66365979 : karanfoto@sify.com

SONY HANDYCAM DCR-HC54 CAMCORDER : Features 2.5inch Touch Panel LCD, 1/6inch CCD, Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens 40x Optical / 2000x Digital Zoom, USB Recording Format DV Video Codec DV Media Storage Type MiniDV Tape Image Sensor Type 1/6inch CCD Distributor/ Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number Email

58

Smart Photography October 2009

: Karan Foto Electronics : Sanjay Malhotra : 15,990/: 13,200/: +91 22 22677494/ +91 22 66365979 : karanfoto@sify.com

WRINKLE FREE BACKDROPS Features Absolutely Wrinkle free, and is available in varieties color and sizes, hand painted as well as plain cloth ones are also available.

Distributor/Dealers Name MRP Special Price Offer

Special Price Offer Contact Number

:Paras Enterprises :Rs.3750/- (8x12hand painted) :Rs.3500/:Rs. 350/-(6x10 plain backdrops) : Rs.300/:+91 22 22611320, +91 9323104546.

Email paras@bossbackdrops.com

OLYMPUS 8X40 DPS I

Contact Number

Rugged, high-quality ďŹ nish with sure-grip rubber coating UV-ray protection for worry-free viewing Aspherical lens elements for minimal distortion Anti-reective lens coating for better image brightness, contrast and quality Large center focus knob for fast, easy focusing Built-in dioptric correction adjusts to individual eyesight .

Email

Distributor/Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer

: : : :

: +91 44 42125148 +91 9448369655 : saleschennai@ shetalacamera.com

Shetala Agencies Sathish Rs.4,800/Rs.3,000/-

OLYMPUS FE 35 Complete Distributor/Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer

Contact Number: Email

: : : :

Shetala Agencies Sathish Rs.7,995/Rs.5,500/- (free 2GB micro SD card and battery charger worth Rs.1,000/-) : +91 44 42125148 +91 9448369655 : saleschennai@shetalac amera.com

October 2009 Smart Photography

59

CANON EOS 1000D

Email

: saleschennai@shetala camera.com

It has a 10MP sensor, 2.5inch LCD monitor, 7-point AF system and no spot-metering (like the 400D), but gaining Live View with both phase- and contrast-detect AF, SD/SDHC for storage .

Distributor/ Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer

Contact Number

: Shetala Agencies : Sathish : Rs.29,995/: Rs.29,995/(free 55-200mm sigma lens worth) Rs.9000/- with 2 yr warrenty) : 044-42125148 / +91 9448369655.

IPOD NANO 8GB Features 4GB or 8GB ash drive1 Holds up to 1,000 or 2,000 songs in 128-Kbps AAC format2 Holds up to 3,500 or 7,000 iPod-viewable photos3 Holds up to 4 hours (4GB) or up to 8 hours (8GB) of video4 Stores data via USB ash drive

Complete Distributor/ Dealers Name Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number Email

: : : : :

Shetala Agencies.

Sathish Rs.9,700/Rs.8250/+91 44 42125148 +91 9448369655 : saleschennai@shetala camera.com

JOBO X7 MOBILE PHOTO VIEWER The new wallet like JOBO X7 Portable Photo Viewer is a ideal accessory especially for the photographers on the go or for anyone who wishes to share their favorite pictures along with their family and friends. The JOBOX7 features a 7-inch viewing screen and 1GB of internal memory which is capable of storing up to 10,000 images. Besides, it features a solid rubber protection rim on all sides of the device thereby enabling safe and comfortable grip when its hand-held.

60

Smart Photography October 2009

Technical Details: Display size: 7inch diagonal (17.78cm) Resolution: 800x480 Pixel, Display area: 720x480 Birghtness: up to 230 cd/m Contrast ratio: 400:1 Power Supply Internal Li-ion Battery (1500 mAh) Dimension: 7.17x5.16x1.08mm Weight: 482g Importers & Distributors Contact MRP Contact Number Email

: Eastern Photographic Co, New Delhi : J.K.S. Verma : Rs.9,500/- (plus taxes) : +91 11 25920156/57 : info@eastern photographic.com

TRANSCEND MP860 8GB Transcend’s MP860 is the newest digital music player that not only plays music, but also allows users to watch movies and photographs, and also to read text on its high-contrast 2.4inch full-color TFT display. For storing videos, music, and photos the MP860 is bundled with 8GB of built-in memory, and features a microSD/microSDHC expansion slot. It has advanced equalizer effects, including SRS WOW HD and user-customizable options.

Features: Portable MP3 media player/Voice recorder/Music Recorder/FM Radio FM Radio-Large built-in Speakers

TRANSCEND PF810 DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME Transcend latest PF810 is a digital picture frame, which is bundled with a 8-inch, 800×600 pixel, 4:1 LCD display and 2GB internal memory. It supports JPG and BMP images and comes with the NaturaTone intelligent skin color processing technology.

Features Bright 8inch (4:3) high-resolution color TFT LCD panel Built-in stereo speakers and headphone jack Supports USB flash drives and SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/CF memory cards Built-in FM radio Full motion video playback

TRANSCEND PF720 DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME Bundled with a crisp high-resolution (800x480) 7-inch LCD panel with automatic color enhancement, rotational sensor, FM radio/MP3 playback and 2GB of internal memory, Transcend’s PF720 is the ideal digital frame to showcase all your favorite photos and video clips.

Features Bright 7inch high-resolution widescreen color TFT LCD panel Built-in stereo speakers and headphone jack Supports USB flash drives and microSD/SD/SDHC/MMC/ MS/M2/CF memory cards 2GB of internal memory Built-in FM radio Full motion video playback Distributor

Photo display, support JPEG, BMP, GIF and PNG Preset 20 FM channels allows recording from radio to a WAV file 11 equalizer effects, including a customizable USER EQ setting and SRS WOW HD Variable track playback speeds allow careful review of recording or music Internal rechargeable Li-Polymer battery Distributor Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number

: Mediaman Infotech Pvt. Ltd. : Santosh Phanse, : Rs.6,000/: Rs.4,000/: +91 22 43441122/11

Distributor Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number

: Mediaman Infotech Pvt. Ltd. : Santosh Phanse, : Rs.9,000/: Rs.7,000/: +91 22 43441122/11

Contact MRP Special Price Offer Contact Number

: Santosh Phanse, : Rs.8,000/: Rs.6,000/: +91 22 43441122/11

: Mediaman Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

October 2009 Smart Photography

61

KINGSTON 32GB SDHC CLASS 4 Kingston’s 32GB performance class of SD memory cards are designed to meet the storage demands of high-quality digital still and video cameras and other high-resolution image recording devices. Kingston’s SDHC cards use speed class rating known as Class 4 that deliver a minimum data transfer rate for optimum performance with SDHC devices.

Secure: built-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data loss Compatible: With SDHC host devices Reliable: Lifetime warranty MRP Contact Number Email

: Rs.17,699/: +91 22 26592961 : sales_india@kingston.com

KINGSTON 16GB SDHC CLASS 4 Kingston SDHC Video card offers plenty of recording time and is available in 60 minute (4GB), 120 minute (8GB), and 240 minute (16GB) capacities. It features a Class 4 speed rating, which guarantees a minimum data transfer rate of 4MB/sec, which ensures that the card is an excellent match for the demands of digital camcorders and card readers.

Features Compatible Reliable Secure MRP Contact Number Email

: With SDHC host devices : Lifetime Warranty : Built-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data loss : Rs.4,799/: +91 22 26592961 : sales_india@kingston.com

KINGSTON 16GB SD CLASS 2 The Micro SD, Kingston 16GB SDHC Class 2 card has been basically developed as a removable memory card to expand the memory capacity of today’s high spec mobile phones.

The card enables the user to store music, movies, video clips, pictures, ring tones, and more.

Features: Compatible Reliable MRP Contact Number Email

62

Smart Photography October 2009

: With SDHC host devices : Lifetime Warranty : Rs.4,499/: +91 22 26592961 : sales_india@kingston com

DESMAT DYE SUB MACHINES The Desmat Dye Sublimation transer is a process whereby one can transer an image that is created with some designing software or taken with a digicam on to t-shirts, mugs etc. This is because Desmat offers Heat Transfer Machines that can print on different media apart from paper, like Mouse Pads, Ceramic tiles, Caps, Bottles, Keychains, Plates, and mugs.

Contact Contact Number Email

: Pramod Kumar : +91 11 42563500 : pramod.kumar@desmat com

UMAX ASTRA 5800U UMAX high speed USB 2.0 super slim flatbed scanner, UMAX Astra 5800U is based on the CIS technology. It offers five easy functiond, i.e. scan, copy, fax, email, and OCR for users with varying requirements. The high speed scanner’s 48 bit true color resolution gives sharp and stunning image results, and is deal for Photo lab/Retail environment, education institutes, banks, DTP/graphic designers and corporates.

MRP Warranty Distributor Contact

: : : :

Contact Number Email

: +91 22 40859805 : ashu.mehrotra@neoteric co.in

Rs.3,200/1 year Neoteric Infomatique Ltd Ashu Mehrotra

MITSUBISHI THERMAL DYE-SUB PHOTO PRINTER CP9550DW Mitsubishi’s highspeed, high-volume CP-9550DW defines the new standard for digital photo printers delivers outstanding print quality at a low cost. The thermal printer is bundled with Mitsubishi’s innovative and performance enhancing dual line technology and an adaptive thermal head management engine to improve head resolution, which results in even greater image quality, detail, and texture at superior resolutions.

Features: Fast, large volume printer - print speed as low as 14 secs per print High resolution photo quality edge-to-edge prints Easy-to-use, convenient front access for loading media, ink sheet Print sizes: 4x6inch, 5x7inch, 6x9inch 346 dpi high-density, highefficiency thermal head Distributor MRP Special Price for Diwali Contact Contact Number Email

: Liquis Technologies (P) Ltd, Delhi : Rs.95,000/- (inclusive taxes) : 3rolls worth Rs.12,600 Free : Rajat Jain : +91 09810201959 +91 11 4153 0664 : info@mitsubishiphoto.in

October 2009 Smart Photography

63

SANDISK EXTREME IV CF 16GB The SanDisk Extreme IV CompactFlash card features 16GB capacity and a new level of performance at 45MB/s read/ write speed.

SanDisk Extreme IV CompactFlash memory card is the new, industry leading choice for professional photographers who demand one of the fastest, most rugged, most reliable cards on the market.

SANDISK EXTREME III 16GB SDHC CARD SanDisk introduced the Extreme III 30MB/s Edition line of SD High Capacity (SDHC) memory cards. The card boasts of a 50 percent speed boost from previous 20MB/s cards, and it enables to record 39 6MB images while shooting at 4.5 fps, and it complements the entire new range of D-SLRs. Also capable of operating in temperatures ranging from -25 to 85 degrees Celsius.

Contact MRP Warranty Distributor Contact Number

: Amit Jain : Rs.9,000/: Limited Lifetime : Rashi Peripherals : +91 22 67090909/ 40470909 : amit.jain@rptechindia.com

Email

SPYDER 3PRO Spyder 3Pro is a Color management hardware/software from Datacolor that is created to calibrate all LCD, CRT, and Laptop monitors in order to evalute the captured imagery that the professional photographers need to assess.

Available at Contact Contact Number Email Website MRP :

64

: : : : : :

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

Smart Photography October 2009

Features Professional-speed card featuring 45MB/s read/write speeds UDMA Enabled—a process in which data can be moved from a storage device Extremely durable card tested to work under impact and in harsh temperature conditions Speed up your workflow by adding a FireWire Reader (sold separately) Contact : Amit Jain MRP : Rs.16,999/Warranty : Limited Lifetime Distributor : Rashi Peripherals Contact Number : +91 22 67090909/ 40470909 Email : amit.jain@rptechindia.com

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

66

Smart Photography October 2009

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

Sense & Sensibilities Somsubhro Sarkar Mumbai-based photographer, Somsubhro Sarkar believes in creating images that have a spark in them. His mantra is to express his creativity through a single frame unlike shooting movies where it’s possible to capture images at 24 fps. Being a student of the National Institute of Design helped him nurture and develop his sense of graphics and aesthetics to the core.

But, being a science student and also by watching and understanding the creative masterpieces of legends, Somsubhro has evolved many of their best influences into his imagery. However, it goes without saying that if the man behind the camera does not explore the realms of visualization, then it’s very difficult to portray the beauty out of the soul.

© Somsubhro Sarkar

October 2009 Smart Photography

67

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

influence on the art process have inspired my sense of visualization in my imagery. By watching and understanding the masterpieces of legends, I have incorporated some of the best influences into my creativity.

The fact that having decided to pursue photography as a career option after my formal stint with the National Institute of Design was the culmination of a long cherished dream. This dream was nurtured by a sense of realization for the creative process. To illustrate the point better, whether I am photographing a CEO of a company or a tribal woman, the underlying core philosophy in professional photography is all about communication. But the real trigger was my science background (BSc) and also being an avid painter, it definitely reflected in understanding the power of visualization.

Legendary creative artistes like Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, who have left an indomitable

In your point of view what really defines an image as glamorous? Secondly, how much of that result depends on the person you are photographing?

© Somsubhro Sarkar

As a student with a design background, obviously your creativity is driven by concept and aesthetics. At what point in life did you realize that your photography was strong enough in its own right to be pursued professionally?

68

Smart Photography October 2009

First and foremost, the term ‘glamorous’ is very subjective. Even a cute little girl or a tribal woman looks as glamorous as a diva or model.

But in our profession, the term ‘glamorous’ is all about flamboyantly showing the skin. With designer outfits coming to the fore, models are all decked up with the best in designer outfits and accessories, and all facial flaws are smoothened out by make-up artistes. However, if the man behind the camera cannot really explore the realms in visualization and also

© Somsubhro Sarkar

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

October 2009 Smart Photography

69

© Somsubhro Sarkar

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

cannot understand the psyche of the image, then he will never be able to bring out the beauty out of the soul.

In simple words, he will never be able to portray what the visualization demands, whereby the whole campaign collapses.

Given your body of work, what really stands out as your signature style statement and why?

In photography, it all boils down to capturing the ambiance or mood and creating a perfect lighting for a portrait. This is because eventually a portrait is a combination of style and lighting techniques and the overall feel and mood as visualized through the viewfinder, which forms the ultimate image. This is what separates me from others in the business of creativity.

Applying digital tools to manipulate an image is a common practice among photographers.

Do you consider it necessary or intrusive?

It’s critical and necessary to apply the tools to improve the image. This is more so because

70

Smart Photography October 2009

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

© Somsubhro Sarkar

with technological advancement, it’s important to take your work to the next level and for that, one cannot afford to be isolated from new technology.

It’s important to understand that physical flaws can be tackled by technology, but flaws in poor quality image capture cannot be improved by technology. In short, if the man behind the camera cannot capture the overall mood of the portrait, then manipulating it with technology cannot create any wonders, and one needs to be very clear about it.

To illustrate the point better, in one of the most recent campaigns for a media company, I have shot the images both indoors (studio) as well as outdoors in the public space. In fact, to do creative justice, it warranted the need to use Photoshop to improve the image.

This is where the role of digital imaging experts, like Sudhir Gautam becomes all the more handy. But it goes without saying that I have to provide him the right image in the first place to create the best results and not viceversa.

October 2009 Smart Photography

71

There are photographers who go back to their past work for ideas, while there are those who look ahead to find creative freedom. Where does Som fit in?

I shun the past because I am a firm believer in creating my own kind of images with my own sensibilities. For that matter, I am a true romanticist at heart and somewhere it’s evident in all the images that I shoot.

© Somsubhro Sarkar

As told to Mathew Thottungal

72

Smart Photography October 2009

© Somsubhro Sarkar

MASTER CRAFTSMAN

Learnings >

Photographing Fireworks & Illuminations

>

Basics of Photography (Part-IX)

>

Step-by-Step: Replace Boring Skies

>

How to use Filters?

>

Few Things You Should Know About Digital Camera Snags

>

Get Started in Lightroom 2

84

92

90

74

88

LEARNING

Photographing

Fireworks & Illumina Illuminations tions Gaiety, fireworks and illuminations go hand in hand. A festival or an important happy occasion is identified by fun, laughter, display of affection, and a rainbow of colors. In India, as is the case all around the world, we celebrate many festivals in variety of ways. ‘Diwali’ or ‘Deepavali’– the festival of lights, depicting victory of good over evil– is one of those occasions when, besides other things, we light up small oil lamps and display them around the home. This is also the season of fireworks, when we, along with the accompanying noise, light up the heavens with a myriad of colors streaming across the skies.

Rohinton Mehta

FIREWORKS But how do you frame fireworks? How do you meter the subject? The burst is often so small that there is no time to meter the scene. And even if you could, the almost black night skies would fool the exposure meter and terribly overexpose the fireworks. So, here are some tips to shoot fireworks successfully. (By the way, the technical term for fireworks is ‘pyrotechnics’).

1. The Location: The first thing is to find out where the fireworks are expected. Newspapers generally inform the readers the exact location (more or less) and the time the display would be. It is beneficial to go there early and scout for a suitable space. Check out if there is any likelihood of a disturbing background (generally, there won’t be, since the fireworks would be high up in the sky), but still, it is possible.

2. Camera Support: It goes without saying that a sturdy

tripod is essential. If you can add a remote triggering device, so much the better, as tripping the shutter release, even when a tripod is used, could also cause camera movement. Of course, as an experiment, you can also hand-hold the camera during the exposure for some creative effects.

3. Horizon: When you are shooting from ground level, looking up to the sky, the horizon may not be in the frame, but when shooting from an elevation, looking down, check that the horizon is level.

4. Landmark: If a prominent landmark is included in the frame, it can make the picture more interesting.

5. Verticals: If your composition includes man-made The buildings appear tilted because the camera was not levelled

© Dr. Pankaj Sharma

Use the buildings as a reference to keep the verticals straight

74

Moving the camera during a long exposure for creative effects

Smart Photography October 2009

© Mukesh Trivedi

LEARNING

structures, ensure that the verticals run parallel to the frame. If there is no reference point, then it matters not if the camera is straight or angled.

6. Horizontal or Vertical: When photographing fireworks, vertical shots may look better if it is a close-up, but again, this is not a hard and fast rule. An horizontal expanse, showing well-known landmarks with the fireworks can make an exciting picture (see image above).

7. Focal Length: Primes or Zooms? For fireworks, a zoom can provide better framing. Start at the wide-angle end and after you ascertain the proper direction and size of the display, you can zoom towards the telephoto end for close-ups.

8. Switch Off Autofocus: Autofocus will mostly not work; it may keep ‘hunting’. Switch it off. Also switch off the flash.

EXPOSURE As mentioned earlier, it is not practical to meter the fireworks. A solution is to use the lowest ISO, set the aperture to say, around f/8 and set the shutter speed dial to ‘B’ (Bulb). Trip the shutter as soon as you see the first streak of the fireworks and close the shutter when the display stops.

You can also keep the shutter open for a longer duration to catch multiple bursts, but keep a 8x8-inch black card ready to cover

When the firework display ends, cover the lens with a black card

the lens when the display ends. When the display starts again, move the card away from the lens so that the next burst is also recorded on the same frame. It is necessary to cover the lens with the card when there is no display or else it is possible to overexpose the sky, which can turn gray instead of being black. In this context, digital cameras are a boon as you can immediately check if you are overexposing or underexposing.

October 2009 Smart Photography

75

LEARNING

Danger of Smoke: After a few bursts, the sky can be ďŹ lled with smoke. When that happens, your pictures can appear wishywashy and lack in contrast. If you can have a seating position

Close-up of fireworks

where the breeze is blowing from behind you towards the ďŹ reworks, it may be possible to reduce the smoke effect in your pictures. If your seating position is other way around, that is,

Illuminated city-scape

The above two images combined in Photoshop

76

Smart Photography August 2009

LEARNING

with the breeze blowing from the fireworks towards you, then your pictures are likely to be ‘smokey’. Shoot many frames when the sky is clear of the smoke.

Take Photoshop’s Help: With a little help (cheating, if you may say so) from Photoshop, we can create excellent fireworks images (see images on the opposite page).

1. On a dark, clear night, shoot a cityscape showing beautifully illuminated buildings. It would help if a monument is a prominent landmark. Ensure that there is enough space at the top where you will superimpose the fireworks and that the sky is proper black.

2. Shoot the fireworks separately. This time ensure that there are no monuments in the frame. Again, make sure that the sky is very dark. It would help if both the images are shot at the same resolution.

3. Load the images on your computer and open both the images in Photoshop.

4. Using the Move Tool, drag and drop the fireworks image on to the cityscape image and adjust the position of the fireworks as desired. If necessary, reduce the size of the fireworks image using Free Transform (Ctrl T). If you do use Free Transform, press Enter on the keyboard after resizing.

5. Photoshop will automatically create two separate layers (Click the F7 key on the keyboard if your Layers palette is not open). Go to the Blending Mode (the small inverted arrow next to ‘Normal’) and select the appropriate Blending Mode (trial and error would be necessary).

6. See the magic as the two layers blend.

7. Add Layer Mask by clicking in its icon at the bottom of the dialog box.

8. Using a large soft brush (B), clear off the unwanted areas.

We all know that with digital photography, overexposing highlights is a greater problem than underexposing shadows.

That is why many authors suggest to slightly underexpose the highlights. I am not in agreement with this advice and feel that this is completely wrong. You should not underexpose the highlights. When you do that, the shadows start lacking in detail. If you try to ‘open up’ the shadows in post processing, you are likely to see digital noise. Hence, here is a suggestion: In Manual exposure mode, (and provided your camera displays the manual exposure scale as shown below) and _

0

+

Correct Exposure

_

0

+

+ 2 stops (for the highlights)

_

0

+

Who says cheating is bad?

- 2 stops (for the shadows)

ILLUMINATIONS Photographing illuminations is easier than photographing fireworks, as the photographer has more control over exposure and composition. The best times to shoot illuminations is during special occasions like Independence Day, Republic Day, Christmas, New Year, Deepavali, Durga Puja, Dussehra, and many other local festivals. You could even shoot illumination images during posh weddings.

Once again, our good friend the tripod is a must (unless of course you want to try something ‘arty’). Opt for the lowest ISO on your camera. Set the camera to Aperture Priority and select a mid-aperture, like f/8 (this is only a suggestion, not a rule). For greater depth of field, choose a narrower aperture, say f/11. You will have enough time to check your exposures (something that you may not always have when photographing fireworks) on the camera’s LCD. If the illumination seems overexposed (because of the black surrounding sky), use minus exposure compensation and re-shoot. And don’t forget to take vertical shots too. Remember, 80-90 percent of books and magazines are vertical!

using your camera’s spot meter*, meter a mid-tone area of the scene, and take the picture using the suggested exposure.

Now check the histogram. If the histogram touches the right end (indicating highlight overexposure), reduce your exposure and re-shoot. When satisfied, point the camera’s spot-meter to a highlight where having detail is a must. Do not adjust the meter; just check what it indicates. The meter must not indicate more than +2 stop difference from the mid-tone reading (if it does, highlights may still be overexposed). Now spot-meter a shadow area where having detail is a must, and re-check the meter reading. Do not adjust the meter; just check what it indicates. The meter must not indicate more than -2 stop difference from the mid-tone meter reading. This exercise will ensure that the exposure range stays within 5stops and you should now have a perfectly exposed picture. * Most D-SLRs these days have a spot meter. In case you don’t have one on your camera, use Center-weighted metering and go close to the required area and try your best to read only that particular area.

August 2009 Smart Photography

77

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 September ‘09 issue.

Part IX

Filters Filters are essential accessories that you mount in front of your lens. These are flat pieces of glass or optical quality resin. Most of them are mounted in a circular metal frame, which is then screwed onto the filter thread of the lens. (Refer to Basics of Photography—Part II for more details).

of the light, etc. The second use is to protect the front element of your expensive lenses from getting dirtied by finger prints, water spray, etc. A filter also helps to prevent scratches to the front element. The third use is to produce special effects by altering the characteristics of light. You will all these aspects in detail.

To start, here is a short description about the word “filter”. A filter allows light with a certain characteristic to pass while blocking the rest. If you are using a filter with a certain colored glass it will allow light of that color to pass and will block the rest.

Consequently, the color it passes will be rendered lighter (more intense) and the rest of the colors will be rendered darker. If you use for example, a red colored filter, it will block colors like blue making them look dark.

There are two characteristics that are common to all filters.

These are: 1. Filter Size 2. Filter Factor

The purpose of filters is threefold. The first is to filter (that is, to pass or block) the light as you have just read. This filtering can be based on the color of the light, intensity of the light or polarization

78

Smart Photography October 2009

Filter Size: For a filter to fit your lens properly, it needs to be of the correct size. Size is nothing but the diameter of the filter.

This is specified in millimeters (mm) and is mentioned on the back side of the lens cap of your lens. For e.g. if the back of your lens cap says 52mm ø then you need to use a filter of 52mm in diameter to fit your lens.

Filter Factor: A certain amount of light is absorbed by the filter

LEARNING

when light passes through it. This causes a drop in the light intensity. The amount of drop in light is specified by what is called the “filter factor”. If the light drop is negligible and hence there is no change in exposure, then the filter factor is 1X. If there is a one stop drop in light then we say the filter factor is 2X. The data sheet of your filter will give you the correct filter factor. If you are using a modern camera with a TTL (through the lens) meter, then you really need not worry about this as the meter is behind the lens (and filter) and hence will compensate for light absorption automatically. However, if you are using an external meter or setting exposure with a mental calculation, then you will need to take care of this.

Now, you are ready to look at the various types of the filters. There are probably more than a hundred and fifty types of filters. You will be introduced here to a large selection, but no attempt will be made to cover all of them as there are just too many types.

Ultra Violet (UV) and Sky Light Filters: Both these reduce the

Various Filters (A) One stop graduated (soft edge) ND filter. (B) Two stop graduated (soft edge) ND filter. (C) ND filter. (D) Red filter for monochrome photography (E)Color correction filter for balancing tungsten light to daylight film. (F) Skylight filter. (G) Polarizing filter

excess blue due to UV radiation. The UV effect is particularly noticeable at high altitudes. The sky light filter has a slight pinkish tinge to reduce blueness further. Both these have a filter factor of 1X or in other words there is no light loss. Hence, they are also used as lens protectors.

Clear Glass Filter: This is a colorless filter with a filter factor of 1X. It is used purely as a lens protector.

Neutral Density (ND) Filters: These are color less filters (they look grayish) that reduce the intensity of light entering the lens.

ND filter must be truly colorless. That is, they should only cut light, but not introduce any color cast.

ND filters have their own scale (called ND factors) on how the light reduction is measured.

Neutral Density factors: ND 0.10 (= 1/3 stop) ND 0.20 (= 2/3 stop) ND 0.30 (= 1 stop) ND 0.60 (= 2 stops) ND 0.90 (= 3 stops) ND 1.2 (= 4 stops) Here are a few cases when you need ND filters.

Let’s say you need to photograph water streams and waterfalls with a slow shutter speed so that you can get that silky image of flowing water. Suppose you need a shutter speed of say 5 full seconds for this purpose. On a bright day, you will not be able get a shutter speed that slow, even if you use the smallest aperture and the lowest ISO value possible. Using the ND filter is the only way to get such long shutter speeds.

Here is another example. But, before you read on, here is a question – does an ND filter control Depth-of-Field (DOF)? When you use an ND filter you are reducing the light hitting the sensor but that is being done without narrowing the aperture. So the DOF remains the same. At the same time you can use ND filters to indirectly influence DOF. Consider a situation when you are trying to take a portrait in bright light and you want to use fill flash to reduce harsh shadows. Assume that you have reduced ISO to the minimum value. Also, as it is a portrait you want a shallow DOF. Remember that you cannot increase the shutter speed beyond the flash synchronization speed. This is normally 1/125 to 1/250 sec for D-SLRs. If this speed is too low then you will be forced to use a narrow aperture causing an increase in DOF. If you use an ND filter to reduce light, you can keep the shutter speed equal to or less than the flash synchronization speed, while making the aperture wider. This will give you less DOF. Of course, your flash will need to put out more light but this is automatically taken care if you are using a TTL exposure controlled flash.

The last example is when you are photographing at a public place (like a railway station) and you do not want people (and other moving objects) to be recorded. In these cases you need to give a very long shutter speed, say 2 minutes so that all objects that are moving do not get registered but only the static items are recorded. The use of ND filter is the only solution here.

Please note that the effect of a ND filter cannot be duplicated with editing software.

Graduated Neutral Density (Grad ND) Filters: Using these will not make you a graduate in photography! However, they will definitely solve a serious problem you will be encountering frequently. These filters were briefly introduced to you in Part VII of this series while describing possible solutions for taming high contrast scenes. Now it is time to look at these in detail.

The brightness range of scenes (like landscapes) can easily exceed that of the sensor. This means that if you expose for the highlights then the shadows will be rendered detail less. If you try the opposite, that is, to get detail in shadows, the highlights will get blown out and will appear as detail less white patches.

An easy way to overcome this is to simply use a Grad ND filter.

These are manufactured in such a way that a part of the filter is neutral colorless gray and the other part is clear. There is a transition region between these two, which can be sharp (hard edged) or soft (feather edged). The former is useful when horizon is flat, like in a scene with plains or a sea. The latter is useful if the horizon is jagged with mountains or trees. The second one is more commonly used as it provides a progressive transition and hence looks more natural.

October 2009 Smart Photography

79

LEARNING

Tip: Both hard and soft edged filters come in several strengths.

The popular ones being one and two stop. A two stop filter is needed if the sun is front of you. Otherwise you can use a one stop filter.

Grad ND filters are available in circular or rectangular shape. The rectangular type Grad ND filters can be moved up or down in a holder so that the transition can be moved up or down to align with the horizon of the scene you are photographing. (The most popular holders are made by a company called Cokin—more of this later). This flexibility is not available in a circular Grad ND filter as the transition is always fixed at the middle—exactly where you should not keep the horizon for a good composition! Hence do not buy such filters. Also filters mounted in Cokin holders can be rotated 90° so that they can be used in portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) orientations.

Note that the effect of a Grad ND filter can be duplicated with software but not very easily. Most of these techniques require a number of photographs being taken at varying exposures and then combining them to produce an image that will preserve both high light and shadow details. These are called High Dynamic range HDR) images (See Part VII – Basics of Photography for more details). Grad ND filters (along with a polarizing filter) in general, are an essential part of a landscape photographer’s camera kit.

How a polarizer works: Light travels in waves just like water.

While waves in water can move only up or down on the surface of water, the light waves can move (vibrate) in all directions (planes). However, when light is reflected from any surface other than an unpainted metallic surface, it gets polarized; that is, the light vibrates mostly only in a single plane. This plane depends on the angle of the surface. For example, if the surface is vertical the plane will be vertical and so on.

The polarizing filter has optical characteristics such that it will allow passage of light polarized only in one plane.

You can change this plane by rotating the filter. Thus you can rotate the filter and choose a position such that the plane of reflected light is at right angles to the plane of passage through the filter. This blocks the reflected light from reaching the sensor, thus eliminating reflections. This operation is not as complicated as it sounds as you can see this effect very easily in the viewfinder of a D-SLR as you rotate the polarizer.

If you are photographing objects behind glass (like behind a show room window) a polarizing filter can greatly help you to eliminate reflections. Likewise, if you are photographing trees, the reflections (glare) from the leaves can be reduced substantially thus increasing the saturation of the leaves

Without Polarization Filter

With Polarization Filter Without Graduated ND Filter

With Graduated ND Filter

Polarizing Filters: These are very popular with landscape photographers. In fact, the saying is that if a landscape photographer has to carry just one filter, then it must be the polarizing filter.

Compared to all other filters, polarizing filters are constructed in a different way. There is a circular metal ring like in any other filter that screws on to the lens, but the glass part of the filter is not fixed onto this. It is fixed in an inner mount, which rotates within the outer ring.

80

Smart Photography October 2009

Photographs showing the effect of polarization. Photograph on the top (without a polarizing filter) shows the reflection from the glass. Note how the reflection has been eliminated by using a polarizing filter. Using editing software to get the same result would be very difficult.

Another effect is that a polarizer darkens the skies dramatically under certain conditions. On a clear day a lot of light is polarized due to reflections from particles in the air. By using the polarizer and pointing the camera in the right direction, you can block the polarized light from the sky and get a very dark, deep blue sky. Note that this effect is not possible on cloudy days where the light is scattered in all directions making the polarizing filter ineffective.

LEARNING

So, how do you find out the exact area where the effect (called the polarized band) is at its maximum? This is rather simple.

First see the diagram which indicates where the polarizing band is. It is at right angles to the sun. Make a right angle between your fore finger and thumb and point your thumb at the sun. Now, if you move your forefinger by the movement of your wrist, the forefinger will make an arc which indicates the polarized band. You can see that when sun is low the band will be upwards and when the sun is right above, the band will be close to the horizon.

Polarized Band of Light Across the Sky

either by in camera settings or during the post processing stage.

Infrared (IR) Filters: Just like digital revived the interest in monochrome photography, it gave a big boost to IR photography which was extremely difficult to do during the film days due to the precautions you had to take in handling the film and during processing. Here is a brief introduction to Infrared (abbreviated as IR). The visible light is basically electromagnetic radiation having a wave length approximately between 400 nanometers (nm) (the violet end) and 700nm (the red end). The human eye cannot see wave lengths shorter or longer than this. Electromagnetic radiation having wave length shorter than 400nm is called Ultra Violet (abbreviated as UV) radiation and having longer than 700nm wave length is called Infrared radiation.

An IR filter, like a Hoya R72, will block most of the visible light but allow IR light to pass through. Due to this if you look through an IR filter it will look almost opaque since it is blocking visible light. But don’t worry about this as it is passing IR light which your camera sensor can see even if you cannot.

Diagram showing the polarized band of light.

(Illustration by Eugene Francis)

Circular Polarizing Symbol

There are two types of polarizing filters called linear and circular.

Note that circular and linear do not refer to the shape of the filters. All polarizing filters which are put in front of lenses are circular! The words linear and circular refer to the way they polarize light. It is really difficult to understand the physics behind all this but it is not required either. Just remember you can only use circular polarizing filters with all modern cameras.

Using linear polarizing filters (these are usually cheaper) can cause wrong exposure and difficulty in autofocusing, but using them will not do any damage to the camera. Unfortunately both linear and circular look the same. You can distinguish them though by the model number and referring to the manufacturers’ catalog. Some circular polarizing filters have a symbol (a spiral) and/or marked CPL. If you see these markings then it means that it is a circular polarizing filter for sure.

Polarizing filters are generally the most expensive of all filters.

Also remember that all polarizing filters are not created equal.

Since a polarizing filter lasts your lifetime, do not compromise on quality. Finally, can you simulate the effect of a polarizing filter with editing software at the post processing stage? A few of the effects like darkening the sky can perhaps be done, but removing reflections from a glass surface or water or leaves is very difficult, if not downright impossible. A look at the pictures given as an example will convince you of that. This is the reason why many photographers still use polarizing filters even in the digital era!

Filters for Monochrome: In monochrome (Black and White) photography, it was usual to use filters to darken the sky.

For this purpose one of the commonly used filters was the medium yellow filter (others being orange and red for a stronger effect). This will cause the blue sky to record in a dark tone.

However, none of the filters that were required for monochrome photography are needed now in the digital monochrome photography. The effect of all these filters can be easily achieved

So, how do pictures taken with IR look? The sky has very little IR radiation and hence will record very dark. So is the case with water. Appearance of rocks varies depends on the composition of rocks. Clouds are rendered white. Another characteristic of IR is that it can cut through haze very well.

However, the most striking feature of the IR photographs is in the appearance of foliage (vegetation) which is very active in the IR region. Due to this, foliage will record very light in monochrome IR photos. It is very interesting that it is not the green color of vegetation that causes light recording. It is the very high reflectance of IR by chlorophyll that is the cause.

Foliage will record so light in fact that it will have an ethereal and glowing appearance.

To get a deeper understanding, see these three images—a normal color image, a normal monochrome image, and an IR rendition of the same scene. Note that the light green wall on the building is much lighter than the green leaves (see arrows) in the normal photographs whereas in the IR photograph the leaves (due to their high IR reflectance) are lighter than the wall.

Normal Color Image

Normal Monochrome Image

October 2009 Smart Photography

81

LEARNING

2. You will not be able to see anything in the viewfinder once you mount the IR filter as it drastically cuts the visible light. So, you need to take two steps before you mount the filter. First you need to compose and next you need to focus. If you are using autofocus, switch to manual focus after focusing.

3. Less light necessitates the use slow shutter speeds. Therefore, the use of a tripod is a must. Infact don’t even attempt IR photography without a tripod! This will also allow you to keep the composition that you had set up before mounting the IR filter.

4. You will not be able to judge whether the exposure is correct or not by looking at the image on the monitor as it will be very red all over. Use the histogram and highlight warning displays.

Color Correction Filters: Films were manufactured for use in particular lighting environments. If you were photographing a film meant for daylight under lighting by tungsten lamps, then you would get a reddish tinge to your photographs. So to compensate for this you had to put a blue filter in front of the lens. Fortunately in digital cameras this is taken care by White Balance (WB) control in the camera. To conclude, there is just no point in buying any color correction filters in the digital era.

IR Monochrome Image As you can see here, an IR photograph (Hoya R72 filter was used) has its own unique characteristics and aesthetics.

Here is an interesting fact. There are some trees (called evergreen trees) whose leaves do not contain chlorophyll. Hence these leaves are recorded dark in IR photographs! Due to this as well as other factors that you have seen it is very difficult (or even impossible) to get the effect to an IR filter with software alone.

Warming Filters: You have just read that at high altitudes there is excessive blueness due to UV radiation. Likewise on a sunny day, in shade (let us say under a tree) there is excessive blue.

All these cause the picture to look too “cold” (too much blue).

To counter this you can use a warming filter. These are slightly brownish in color and are available in several intensities. As with color correction, you can do this very easily with the WB control or through a RAW converter with minimal efforts. If you are using digital just forget about these!

Special Effect Filters: There are innumerable (perhaps more than a hundred) filters which are sort of “fun” filters.

These are somewhat less used compared to others. Typical examples are tri-color, star burst, multiple image, zoom, etc.

All these are of limited value in serious photography. Most of

Many software packages that try to simulate the IR effect in post processing simply identify the green areas and make it lighter.

This is also the method for doing it manually. In the first case you have no control at all and in the second case you have to properly identify areas and then do the processing selectively.

There are many more tricks you can do to get an IR appearance but a trained eye can easily make out whether the IR effect is real or not! If you are serious about IR photography you must get an IR filter. You can save time too, since the images you will get out of the camera will require only minimal post processing (basically conversion to monochrome).

Here are a few tips that you can follow when taking an IR photograph: 1. Use Aperture Priority mode and an aperture of at least f/11 or smaller for sufficient Depth-of-Field (DOF). This will take care of slight focusing inaccuracies that result due to IR rays focusing at a different point compared to visible light.

82

Smart Photography October 2009

Without TriColor

With TriColor

LEARNING

these are bought for fun but are quickly forgotten.

Also, many of the effects can be duplicated with a post processing software like Photoshop. In fact you can get “software filters”, which can produce all these effects during the post processing stage (with much better control) rather than at the picture taking stage. Hence author’s advice: don’t waste your money on these!

Soft Focus Filters: These filters soften the image; that is, they reduce sharpness to give a dreamy look. They are used quite extensively in fashion and glamor photography as they tend to suppress skin imperfections. Once again the same effect can be produced in post processing with just a few steps with much better control and hence you are better off not buying these.

You have so far seen some important characteristics of filters and types of filters. There are a few issues that you should know about filters. Here they are: Is it necessary to buy very expensive filters?

Generally it is not necessary to buy very expensive filters unless you are using premium quality zooms or prime lenses. However, remember you are keeping a filter in front of the lens. So, a poor quality filter can cause degradation of the image.

In general, to be on the safe side, it is better to buy from a few standard brands like Hoya, Tiffen, B+W, Heliopan, Singhray, Lee, Cokin, etc. Also consider buying “multi-coated” filters, which eliminate (or greatly reduce) internal reflections (like flare) thereby increasing the contrast of an image. These are most useful with wide angle lenses (or wideangle zooms) as these are more prone to flare.

Step Up and Step Down Rings: If you have a large number of lenses then it is quite possible they need filters of different sizes. Buying various types of filters of different sizes to fit all the lenses can get very expensive. Also large diameter filters are very expensive. For this reason, except for protective filters which you need one for each lens, you will save money if you buy the filter that fits the lens with the largest filter size. You can use this filter with what are called “step up” rings with lenses that have smaller filter size.

For example if you have a 72mm polarizer and you want to mount it on a 62mm diameter lens, you can buy a 62mm to 72mm step up ring. There are also what are called “step down” rings which allow you to mount a filter of lesser diameter on a lens with larger filter size.

These are, however, not recommended since they may cause vignetting, especially when used with a wide angle lens.

Tip: The normal way to specify is to give the lens filter size first and then the actual filter size. Thus 62mm to

72mm ring will be a step up ring. Conversely, a 72 to 62mm ring will be a step down ring.

Cokin Filter System: This is a very popular filter system once again designed to satisfy the requirement of using the same filters with lenses of different filter sizes. There are three components in this system—adapter ring, filter holder and the filters themselves. The principle of mounting is however different here. You have to buy adapter rings—one for each lens. One side of the adapter ring will have a screw thread to mount on the lens and will be different for different filter sizes. The reverse side of all adapter rings has the same size. The Cokin filter holder is designed to slip onto this ring. The filter holder itself has grooves into which you can slide the filters which are either square or rectangle in shape. The holder as well as the filters can be quickly removed and remounted.

All filters are exactly of the same size. Cokin filter system is very economical as all you need to buy is one set of filters, one filter holder and then one adapter ring for each lens. As the Cokin filter system is universally used, many manufacturers (other than Cokin) also make filters compatible with the Cokin holder. The only drawback with the Cokin system is that it is bulky.

From left to right – two adapter rings (for 52mm and 62mm lenses), filter holder and a Graduated ND filter. Note how the diameter of the adapter rings is the same on the outside even when the diameter varies based on the lens filter diameter on the inner side.

Cokin Filter system - the adapter ring is fitted to a lens. The holder is slipped onto this ring and a filter inserted into the holder as shown.

Cokin Filter System All photographs by the Author October 2009 Smart Photography

83

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

Replace Boring Skies

T

he sky is an essential ingredient of any memorable landscape. A typical landscape shot, may be completely ruined by a featureless sky. Unfortunately it is not something the photographer can control unless he has limitless time and patience. The commercial photographer is often required to deliver the photographs on a day that suits the client rather than the photographer and weather. Sometimes an image has too much dynamic range that digital or film can not capture. If the photographer exposes for the highlights, he loses shadow details, and if he exposes for the shadow, he gets burnt out highlights.

In this type of a situation I usually take many shots at different exposure settings and then merge them to produce a HDR image, but what would you do if you have only one picture of a scene in which the sky is featureless and boring? In the ‘good old days’, unless you had considerable skills in the darkroom, all you could do about it would be to go back when the weather was a bit more co-operative and click a new picture. Now, in a digital darkroom, we can add the sky that our creative eye saw when we snapped the shot.

CREATE A STOCK OF GOOD SKIES Make it a habit to create a good stock of cloud photographs, especially during the rainy season. Whenever I see a nice sky

84

Smart Photography October 2009

I grab my camera, fire off a few shots, and save them for future use, so I always have a selection of available cloud shot at different times of day. The most useful skies to collect are the ones that include detail close to the horizon line, i.e. captured without interference from busy urban skylines; such skies can be found at the beach/river bank. Two important things should be kept in mind when selecting a sky picture for use; first, the light needs to be from the correct direction and second, the clouds need to be more or less the right scale, which means they need to have been shot with about the same focal length lens as the main subject.

In the following tutorial you are going to learn how a beautiful sky can be pasted on an otherwise boring sky landscape in such a way that the montage is not detectable. For this purpose in older versions of Photoshop we used to manually select the boring sky carefully, delete it and paste a suitable new sky in its place and then match its color and exposure with the original landscape. But some of the new features in Photoshop CS3 are just plain magic. One of those incredible bits of technology is the new Auto-Blend Layers feature. Generally, when we combine images to create a composite image, exposure differences between the source images often create seams or

LEARNING

inconsistencies in the combined image. Auto-Blend Layers command creates smooth transitions in the final images; it blends the exposure of the layers and simultaneously adjusts shading, color, and textures of the two images, thus saving a lot of our manual work. So, let us start and see in this tutorial how the Auto-Blend feature may be used to add clouds to an image shot on a cloudless day.

1

4

OPEN THE CLOUD STOCK PHOTO Now open the folder containing the cloud photos and select a suitable cloud picture that you think will match

OPEN THE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPH Open the landscape photograph, which is otherwise good, but has a featureless boring sky. Duplicate it and close

the original image. Work only on the duplicate image because you are going to alter the photograph. Press the F7 key on the keyboard to open the Layers palette.

2

The added canvas shows a checkerboard pattern indicating that the area is transparent.

CONVERT THE IMAGE IN LAYER We first need to convert the Background layer (which is locked by default) to a workable layer, so that when

with the mood of your landscape. Click CTRL +A to select the entire image, then click CTRL+C to copy the cloud image to the clipboard and then close the cloud image. Click your landscape image to make it active and click CTRL+V to paste the cloud image in it. Position the cloud image on the top portion of your landscape overlapping the upper cloud portion of the image.

the sky portion of this image is deleted we get a transparent background, instead of default background of the foreground color. To do this, double click the image in the Layers palette.

A new Layer dialog box will open, accept the default name Layer 0 and just click OK. This turns it into a normal layer with a transparent background. Remember this step is essential otherwise you will not get the desired result.

3

INCREASING THE CANVAS SIZE

Now we need to enlarge the canvas size so that the second cloud image can be fitted in it. Click Image > Canvas Size to open the Canvas Size dialog box. In Canvas Size, double the height and then click the lower anchor so that image is anchored on the lower side of the increased canvas.

5

TRANSFORMING YOUR CLOUD IMAGE

Sometimes you may notice that your cloud image is of a different size. This is not a difficult problem to solve. First click the cloud layer in the layers palette to activate it and click CTRL+T to activate the free transform tool. Using the ‘handles’ pull the image and make it as wide as the landscape.

October 2009 Smart Photography

85

LEARNING

6

ERASING YOUR CLOUD LAYER

7

ERASING THE LANDSCAPE LAYER

You can now position your cloud image so that it almost touches the horizon. When you do so, you may notice that some parts of your cloud image and foreground image have overlapped. If they remain overlapped while blending, they will merge with the clouds and loose their identity, which we don’t want to happen. So, click “E” on the keyboard to activate the eraser tool and erase the cloud where it overlaps the boats and the man as shown in the screen shot.

8

BLENDING BOTH IMAGES

9

MODIFYING THE IMAGE USING THE VARIATION COMMAND

Click the cloud layer in the Layers palette to activate it.

Bring the opacity of cloud layer back to 100 percent by hitting 0 on the key board. Then hold the Shift and click both layers in the Layers palette to select both layers. Make sure the background of both the layers is blue (in the layer palette) indicating that both are selected. Then go to Edit > Auto-Blend Layers. Photoshop now does some magic and you have blended images in front of you after few moments.

Hit 7 on the keyboard to reduce the opacity of the cloud layer to 70 percent. Now, you will be able to see the

Don’t be satisfied with the result produced by Photoshop.

An image can always be improved. The bluish image shown here was obtained after using the Auto Levels command to the image, which I got after blending, but I did not like it much as the color obtained did not match the color in my mental image. Color is a science, but the perception of it is very personal.

overlapped areas of the landscape image below. Click the landscape layer in the Layer palette to activate it then click “E” to activate the eraser tool and erase the major sky portion of the landscape, but be careful not to erase the entire sky– some portion of the sky must be left for blending purpose as you can see in the screen shot. You can see that I have erased the sky of the landscape in a zig-zag manner just to ensure that that there is no obvious straight blending mark in the final image.

86

Smart Photography October 2009

LEARNING

Open the Variations command—Image > Adjustments > Variations. You will see the the uncorrected image is in the center, and it’s surrounded by equal amounts of the individual six colors, as shown here.

has changed to reflect the addition of red. Also notice that the whole ring-around has been updated too. A big chunk of red was added, but it too much. The Variations command displays a color ring-around of each of the six colors we use when making color adjustments. Click a color’s thumbnail to add it. Use the Fine/Coarse slider to adjust the amount of color that will be used when color is added.

To finetune the color variation first click the Original thumbnail at the top left to reset the Current Pick thumbnail to its original setting. Go to the Fine/Coarse slider at the top right of the window. Move the slider to the left so that it lines up with the first vertical mark on the left.

Notice that the color value difference in the thumbnails is much lower now. Lowering the amount of color correction makes the Variations tool usable for color correction. Click the More Red thumbnail again.

A small amount of red is added to the Current Pick preview. Continue to click the red thumbnail until you feel that you’ve added enough red. To remove some red, click the More Cyan thumbnail. If you want to add some yellow, do it now.

To warm up this image, we need to add some red and possibly some yellow. Click the thumbnail just above where it says More Red. Notice that the current pick at the top of the screen

You can adjust the shadows, midtones, and highlights by clicking the appropriate buttons at the top right of the dialog box. When you’re happy with the new color, click the OK button. After deciding the final color I did some dodging/burning at appropriate places and finally sharpened the entire image. In my opinion, the color scheme of the final image provides more artistic impact to my landscape. Generally we do not give great importance to dodging and burning but, a by proper dowsing and burning you can give extra impact as you see here, in the final image.

Final Image

Closing Comments There are many ways to replace a boring sky, but in my opinion this is the easiest technique. Thanks to Adobe for incorporating the Auto Blend layer editing mode in Photoshop CS3. It was the need of the time. If you are using the earlier version of Photoshop, then this one editing mode may be an obvious reason for your software upgrade.

Auto Blend mode may also be used for stitching panoramic photographs. Hope you enjoyed the tutorial; try it till I appear with a new interesting tutorial for you.

October 2009 Smart Photography

87

LEARNING

How to Use

Filters?

Photography is not just about capturing a subject in its original form, but is also about drawing the viewer into the scene. Many a times a photographer’s inspiration comes from a few dropped jaws. If you are a photographer who thinks disturbing haze and the accompanying dullness are worth preserving in your photographs, then I wouldn’t dare to preach the use of filters. But, if you care about enhancing the beauty of nature in your images, then read on...

D

igital photography has rendered many filters, especially the color conversion filters, less of a necessity, but there are other filters like the Polarizer and the Graduated ND that are difficult, if not impossible, to simulate in digital aids like Photoshop (the gradient tool in Photoshop can simulate a graduated filter, but it cannot bring out details in overexposed skies). Software can only process an image to make it look better, but filters help us improve the light conditions in a scene even before the scene is captured. Let us take a look at a few filters that are relevant even in the digital age, and explore the right ways of using them.

POLARIZER When used correctly, polarizer can enhance the blue color of the sky and help eliminate reflections from shiny, non-metallic surfaces. It can also be used as a Neutral Density (ND) filter to stop down the lens in case you require a slower shutter speed. There are two types of polarizers in use—Linear and Circular. Modern AF cameras accept only Circular Polarizers (CPL) because a Linear polarizer can interfere with the AF mechanism of these cameras.

Without Polarizer Filter

88

Smart Photography October 2009

A polarizer has a rotating element at the front, which needs to be rotated to get the correct amount of polarization.

Keep in mind that any polarizer works best for the part of the sky that is at a 90-degree angle to the sun. And there should be a tinge of blue in the sky for the polarizer to deepen. Another factor to keep in mind is that the amount of polarization in sunlight varies across different points in the sky. Hence, if you use a polarizer with an ultra wide lens, you could get undesirable effects because of the vast expanse of sky in the frame. Throughthe-lens viewing with D-SLRs make it very convenient to check the angle required to cut off or reduce reflections from water. For those with a technical mindset, this angle is around 53 degrees.

NEUTRAL DENSITY FILTER A Neutral Density filter reduces the intensity of light reaching the lens without absorbing any component colors of the light. The result is that you can stop down the lens without introducing any color cast in the scene. This filter is most useful when you need a slow shutter speed on a bright day. For example, while shooting

With Polarizer Filter

LEARNING

a waterfall, a slow shutter speed is generally desired. But on a bright day, you are unable to reduce the shutter speed below a certain limit. On such occasions, you can use a ND filter of the required density (density of a filter is indicated by the number of stops of exposure it can reduce) to stop down the lens for the desired effect. Different manufacturers use different numbers to indicate the density of filters. This way, the densities of 1-stop, 2stop, and 3-stop NDs are referred as 0.3ND, 0.6ND, 0.9ND etc or as ND2, ND4, ND8 etc.

process them in Photoshop or similar software to achieve the desired effect. Keep in mind that infrared images need bright sunny days and long exposures to be recorded, and hence a tripod is a must. Photoshop can simulate an IR filter, but it has limitations. True infrared photography involves, in addition to You can use a stopping ring to mount a large diameter filter to a smaller diameter lens.

GRADUATED FILTER Graduated filters (grads) are filters with gradually reducing densities from top to bottom. This is useful when the scene has two areas of brightness, one a highlight area and the other a shadow area. A typical example is a landscape with a bright sky.

1-stop soft

3-stop soft

3-stop hard

the glowing foliage, the effect of motion of the leaves in the wind due to slow shutter speeds. Digital infrared images do not simulate this natural blur in the image.

CLOSE-UP FILTER (ACTUALLY A CLOSE-UP LENS) As the name indicates, these filters enhance the close focusing ability of the lens and hence allow you to capture macro images with your lens, eliminating the need for expensive macro lenses. Close-up filters work best with normal and telephoto lenses.

STACKING FILTERS These are simulated images of a 1-stop soft, a 3-stop soft and a 3-stop hard ND filter. The 1-stop soft (0.3 ND) grad has a smooth transition and hence is the easiest to use. The 3-stop soft (0.9 ND) grad darkens the sky by 3 stops. The 3-stop hard (0.9 ND) has an abrupt transition. Hence you have to be very careful while using it.

It is nearly impossible to get a correct exposure in such a scene.

A graduated ND filter can reduce the intensity of light in the sky without affecting the shadow area at the bottom half of the image. Grad filters are available in different densities. Some grads (not ND) are colored for creative effects.

Most graduated filters are rectangular in shape and has to be mounted on a filter adapter. Using a grad filter is straightforward.

Align the dark area of the grad with the light area of the scene.

You should choose and use a graduated filter with care. Grads come in varying amount of graduation. In the ‘soft’ version of grads, the gradient will be smooth, whereas the ‘hard’ versions produce an abrupt drop in the density. This means when you use a hard grad filter, if the dense part slightly overlaps the shadow area, this portion will become very dark. In soft grads, since the gradient is smooth, there will not be an abrupt drop in light even if the dense part of the filter slightly overlaps the shadow area.

INFRARED FILTER An Infrared filter blocks visible light and allows only infrared light to pass through. In the case of digital images, you need to

You can combine two or three filters together to get stunning results in landscape photography. A popular combination is a graduated filter and a polarizer. Stacking of filters can cause vignetting with thick mounted filters and can also cause loss of image quality. Stacking is easier with the square filter systems as there are slots for this on the filter holder itself.

CHOOSING A FILTER Filters are available in different sizes, densities and formats.

Ideally, one should have filters of varying diameters to suit his lenses. It is also possible to use a larger diameter filter on a smaller diameter lens by using a stepping ring. It is important to choose filters with very thin mounts to avoid the possibility of darkening of corners. Multicoated filters, though more expensive, can help reduce reflections and hence improve image quality.

There is no doubt that filters can improve the quality of light.

Many a times, even advocates of ‘unfiltered’, natural images, come up with hazy, unnatural-looking photographs. This is because what we see with our eyes is quite different from what gets reproduced on paper or a display device. Filters only help in giving a natural look to the images reproduced on an artificial medium. Start using them and see the difference they make to your photography.

Sujith Gopinath October 2009 Smart Photography

89

LEARNING

Few Things You Should Know About

Digital Camera Snags Surfing through various expert advice sites on the Internet, we often encounter queries from heartbroken firsttime camera users about seemingly complicated faults, which can be eliminated by the press of a button or a change in the settings. Here is a list of common errors that can be eliminated without taking the equipment to the service center. So next time, before you hit the panic button, try these handy solutions.

P

icture this: Your little one is running around, gleefully transmitting her nascent energy and playing with an invisible friend, proudly displaying those milk teeth.

The softhearted daddy in you wakes up and, without the child noticing, you reach out for your latest acquisition—a point-and-shoot camera of a reputed brand. You carefully compose the shot and click—the camera fires a pre-flash, your daughter gets alert, turns to the camera and freezes with her eyes staring at you. Then, when the expression has vanished from her face, you see the actual flash and hear the shutter release. You feel like throwing the camera out of the window and ringing up that ‘grand old man of SP with 30-plus years of experience’ who suggested this camera. You finally take the camera to a service center. The technician simply adjusts some settings, and the camera starts functioning normally. If this sounds familiar, read on to eliminate such embarrassing moments.

THE CAMERA FIRES A PRE-FLASH BEFORE THE ACTUAL FLASH One of my friends thought this was some advanced technology in his camera. His judgment was that the camera fires one flash and if it fails to expose the scene correctly, it follows up with a second one to compensate for this. He tried various menus and settings, but nothing helped. I took the camera from him and switched off the Red-eye Reduction feature, which was causing the camera to fire the pre-flash. In most situations, if the room is well-lit, you do not need to use Red-eye Reduction. This feature fires the pre-flash to contract the iris of the subject’s eyes so that in case there is a Redeye, it will be very small and may not be noticed. In well-lit situations, the iris is already is in a contracted state and hence there is less chances of Red-eye.

90

Smart Photography October 2009

A FLARE-LIKE LIGHT PATCH AT ONE POINT OF THE FRAME Another friend of mine once casually said he is going to dump his camera because the sensor was damaged. On a little probing, he said there is always a patch of light tone at one point of the frame. I inspected the image, turned the camera around and found some finger prints and smears of oil on the lens. Then I took out my micro fiber cloth, cleaned the lens and handed the camera back to my friend. Needless to say, the ‘sensor flaw’ was rectified in two minutes. Typically in this case, the images will look like there is a smoke screen before it.

I HEAR THE SHUTTER SOUND MUCH AFTER THE FLASH HAS FIRED In this case, when you press the shutter release button, the flash fires. Thinking that the shot has been taken, you withdraw the camera and then you hear the shutter release.

Needless to say, the image is blurry. Next time you face this, check the flash mode. Undoubtedly, you are shooting in Slow Sync mode. Switch it to normal flash setting and you are done. Slow Sync is generally used when you are photographing a person standing in front of an illuminated background at night. In this case, the flash exposes the person correctly and the following long exposure time will help to capture the background well.

SHOT-TO-SHOT TIME IS VERY LONG There could be a few reasons for this. If you are using a compact camera, and the flash is ‘On’, recharging the flash for the next shot could take some time.

This is all the more true when trying to fill-in shadows during the daytime. It is often possible not to even realize that the flash is firing every time you press the shutter release button. If the flash is not really required, switch it off. Another reason could be a buffer having a very small capacity. If you are firing a burst, the buffer could fill up and you will have to wait till at least one image is written to the card. Fortunately for us, modern cameras have comparatively larger buffers.

LEARNING

IN ANTI-SHAKE MODE, IMAGES COME OUT GRAINY

ERRORS WITH ELECTRICAL CONTACTS

The anti-shake mode in your camera could be using one of those so-called anti-shake modes like Anti-Shake DSP or ISO boosting shake reduction. What these modes do is push the ISO sensitivity of the camera to a higher value. This allows the camera to shoot at a higher shutter speed so that the camera shake is not registered in the image. As you are aware, a high ISO means more noise. Hence the images turn out noisy in this type of antishake modes. So, if you have a camera that employs this ISOboosting technique for shake reduction, switch off the anti-shake mode and use a tripod to eliminate blur due to camera shake.

DARK SKINNED PEOPLE APPEAR DARKER AND FAIR SKINNED ONES APPEAR BRIGHTER IN PORTRAITS In full-length or three-quarter portraits, this could be due to the dress that the person is wearing or the background. For example, if you are shooting the portrait of a dark skinned person wearing a light-colored dress and the white area dominates the frame and/or the background is bright, then the major part of the frame is bright. In this case, the camera will underexpose the frame. Since the frame is under exposed, the dark-skinned person will appear even darker. Similar is the case with fair-skinned people. So, if you face this situation, spot meter off the subject’s face and give a negative (-) exposure compensation for dark skinned people and positive (+) exposure compensation for fair skinned people.

COLORED LIGHTS IN A ROOM APPEAR LESS COLORFUL IN PHOTOGRAPHS

If you cannot switch on your camera even with a fully-charged battery, the cause could be as simple as dirt accumulating on the battery contacts or a more complicated one like a fault in the internal circuitry.

So, before you dash off to the service center, take out the battery and clean the electrical contacts with a pencil eraser. Now insert the battery and try to switch on the camera. Similarly, your DSLR can display an error in the viewfinder and refuse to click (the error can appear differently in different cameras like F--, Error 99, etc), take out the lens and clean the contacts with an eraser. Be very careful while cleaning the contacts on the camera body. Hold the camera with the sensor facing down while cleaning so that any eraser residue will fall outside.

MY CAMERA FELL INTO WATER, WHAT TO DO?

Daylight White Balance

Tungsten White Balance

Fluorescent White Balance

This is most probably because you are shooting with Auto White Balance setting. This setting will attempt to reduce any color cast in the room. So, if you want the ambient colors in the room to appear as you see through your eyes, switch to Daylight White Balance. This will preserve the ambient colors in the room. If you need to enhance the tones in the room, try different White Balance options.

This is a very common question on the forums. If your camera got wet, first step is to remove the batteries. Now wipe the camera clean with an absorbent cloth. Then keep the camera in a bag of rice overnight (without the batteries). Sounds like I am out of my mind? Well, in most cases, this works. Rice is a good desiccant (means it can absorb water). Take the camera out the next day, insert the (dried) batteries and switch it on. If still the camera refuses to work properly, take it to the nearest service center.

These are only a few of the day-to-day questions we encounter while dealing with camera users. Use this as a general checklist if you come across any abnormality in the images you shoot.

You could come across more troubles in the camera than those listed here. Please feel free to write to us with your experiences and we will be more than happy to update our database.

Sujith Gopinath October 2009 Smart Photography

91

Get started in

Lightroom 2 This month we progress onto making adjustments that affect the whole image at once. Ben Turner shows the way.

PART 3: USING THE DEVELOP MODULE ightroom makes the task of organising images and printing them out effortless and enjoyable, but nothing compares to the excitement of using the Develop module. Finding your way around is simple, making it easy to get great results. All the options are designed for adjusting photographs and you can’t really go wrong, as they’re all completely reversible – this is known as ‘non-destructive’ editing.

L

What makes Lightroom really special, though, is that it works directly with RAW files, giving you ultimate control over image quality. It does work with JPEGs as well, but the range of adjustments is more limited.

Specifically, we’re going to concentrate on a selection of the more advanced ‘global’ image adjustments. These are corrections that affect the whole image at once and are easiest to apply.

We’ve already looked at making basic Lightroom adjustments in our December 2008 issue, so this month we’re going to step up a gear and take a closer look at what else is on offer in the Develop module.

Lightroom does offer selective adjustments too, but we’ll take a closer look at them next month. For now let’s take a brief look at the palettes and panels that will help you on your journey towards better pictures.

FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND...

The Develop module is the one you’ll commonly use straight after sorting your shots in the Library – select it at the top-

right of the screen. We’ll be getting on to the nitty-gritty of enhancing your images over the page, but first take a moment

D

A F

B C

BASIC This top palette allows you to make all the standard corrections to your RAW image. Use it to correct white balance, boost the colour and change the exposure.

92

Smart Photography October 2009

C Filmstrip Here’s the usual filmstrip that’s consistent throughout the modules.

Shots grouped here were initially selected in the Library. Scroll and click though the thumbnails to switch between them. Remember, you don’t need to save your changes as you go, as this is done automatically.

D NAVIGATOR Click the preview or 1:1 button to zoom in on your image and inspect the fine detail – essential for sharpening and noise reduction.

Click and drag the box to move around your zoomed image.

E

A

to familiarise yourself with some of the palettes and panels that’ll help you though the editing process.

B

RESET If it all goes pear-shaped, click this to go back to the original image – that’s the beauty of nondestructive editing.

E HISTORY Any changes you make will be added to the top of the list in the History palette, as with Photoshop. To go back a few steps, just click on a previous history state to return to an earlier version of the edited image.

F PRESETS Use this palette to choose from a list of existing presets that will give your shot a different look and feel with a single click.

>

These comparison photographs show what’s possible in just 10 minutes, using Lightroom’s Develop module to boost contrast, adjust exposure, refine colour saturation and reduce noise.

BEFORE

Get started in

Lightroom 2

BEFORE AFTER

1SORT THE CONTRAST

As well as the basic Contrast slider, Lightroom also provides comprehensive contrast control in the form of Curves.

This is the best way of adding extra punch or softening the shadows in a high-contrast scene. To access Curves, scroll down the right-hand panel and look for the Tone Curve palette. As Tone Curve tips Brighten the Highlights and Lights, then darken the Darks and Shadows to dramatically increase the contrast and create a signature ‘s’ shape curve. It’s a great way to start more precise contrast adjustments.

If you take the contrast too far you’ll compromise the extreme tones in the image. Double-check that you haven’t blown the highlights as this can ruin a perfectly good shot.

Double-click anywhere just outside the sliders to reset the tone curve and start again. Double-clicking the title of a slider will reset that slider only.

Use the Point Curve menu (circled) to select from three preset contrast options to work more quickly.

Drag the three triangle pointers (directly beneath the curve graphic) to fine-tune the split of the four tonal bands. For example, dragging the left-hand pointer to the right will make the Shadows slider adjust even darker tones than before.

94

Smart Photography October 2009

you’d expect, you’ll see a typical square curves graphic, which should currently be a straight diagonal line (see below). This Tone Curve is much the same as the Curves dialogue box in Photoshop. So, if you’re familiar with the principles of making curve adjustments, you can now go ahead and drag this line to manipulate the contrast.

However, there is an easier method… beneath the curve you’ll see four sliders: Highlights, Lights, Darks and Shadows.

All you need to do is drag the sliders left or right to adjust the brightness of the four different tonal areas of your shot. As you do, the curve changes to suit. That’s pretty much all there is to it.

Manipulate the histogram Another quick way of adjusting the tones is to use the Histogram palette, found at the top-right of the Develop module. First, hover over the graph to highlight the different tonal areas – remember, dark tones are on the left and light tones are on the right.

Next, click and drag the selected area to adjust the distribution of the tones – it’s easy and intuitive. There’s nothing here that you can’t already do with the sliders below, but may help the more technically minded photographer get results more quickly.

Drag the shadow area to adjust the Blacks slider Grab here to boost the Fill Light and brighten shadows

Use this big chunk to change the Exposure

This bit boosts Recovery to soften any burnout

PART 3: DEVELOP

2BOOST THE COLOURS

Beneath the Tone Curve is the three-in-one ‘HSL/Color/ Grayscale’ palette that’ll give you ultimate control over the colour in your shots. Under ‘HSL’ (our favourite!) you can select Hue, Saturation or Luminance individually. Use Hue to subtly shift the colour of objects in your scene; Saturation to boost or reduce the intensity of individual shades; Luminance to change the brightness of coloured areas and alter their contrast.

There’s actually a fourth option too, called ‘All’ – a combination of the other three options.

With Hue, Saturation or Luminance selected, you’ll see eight colour sliders: just drag them left or right to tweak Hue, Saturation or Luminance of the individual colours in turn. Just get stuck in and have a play with all options – you can always reset the sliders if you don’t like the results.

Colour tips Extreme adjustments increase the chance of getting unwanted artefacts, so use them sparingly.

Here we desaturated all the tones, bar the reds, to make the poppies stand out. It’s a really simple colour-popping technique.

For smooth transitions between colours, try to stagger the neighbouring sliders so they aren’t too far apart from each other. For example, if Yellow is at +100 saturation, set the Orange and Green sliders to +50.

Click the circle target icon, towards the top-left of the palette, to enter a special mode. You can now drag directly on the colour areas to adjust the Hue, Saturation or Luminance.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

BEFORE

Left: By changing the Luminance of the blues it’s possible to darken the sky, just like using a polarising filter.

AFTER

AFTER

Far left: Here we shifted the hue of the green and yellows to give the shot a more autumnal feel.

October 2009 Smart Photography

95

Get started in

Lightroom 2 BLACK & WHITE 3GO

Lightroom offers one of the most flexible, user-friendly and best quality black & white conversions possible, particularly when working with RAW files.

Simply scroll down to the HSL/Color/Grayscale palette on the right and this time click on Grayscale.

Your image will instantly turn black & white, and Lightroom will attempt to balance out the contrast in your image for you.

You can change the contrast manually too, to create different mono images from the same start file. To do this, use the eight colour sliders (shown right). Dragging a slider to the right will brighten the relevant colour areas. For example, drag the orange and red sliders to brighten up your subject’s skin tones.

Dragging the slider to the left has the opposite effect and darkens down specific colour areas.

As we did with HSL, click

the circle target icon near the top-left corner, to enter the special ‘drag’ mode. Now you can click and drag different areas of your image to lighten or darken them as you fancy.

4SHARPEN, AND REDUCE NOISE

Towards the bottom of the right-hand panel there’s an extensive palette dedicated to the small details in your images. The aptly named Detail palette allows you to control the sharpness of your shots and reduce noise. First, though, it’s best to zoom all the way into your image so you can see what effect your adjustments are having. To do this click the 1:1 button at the top of the Navigator.

Sharpen This section controls the apparent sharpness of your image and can be used to enhance the minute details.

Amount: This simply increases the amount of sharpening that is applied. Don’t go overboard!

Radius: This determines the fineness of the sharpening. Small values enhance smaller details, and this is suited to shots that are pretty sharp already.

BEFORE

Detail: This brings out the extremely fine details, but can also increase noise so use the facility carefully.

BEFORE

Masking: This changes the sensitivity of the sharpening. Increase Masking to ensure smooth tones aren’t affected. On the whole, it’s best left on zero.

Reduce noise These sliders allow you to smooth out the grain caused by large exposure adjustments or by using a high ISO. The Luminance slider reduces the most obvious grain (in lightness values) but unfortunately can reduce image detail as well as noise. The Color slider reduces any multi-colour speckles. It won’t affect detail too much, but you won’t need more than +10. Lightroom automatically applies +25 Color noise smoothing, so reset this when it’s not needed.

96

Smart Photography October 2009

AFTER

AFTER

Review

>

Nikon D3000

>

Kodak EasyShare Z915

>

Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 IF EX DG HSM

>

Tamron SP AF 60mm F/2 DI II LD (IF) 1:1 Macro

>

Epson Stylus Photo TX700W

110

103

98

108

106

NIKON D3000

Start With Us! Price: Rs.37,950/- (with kit lens) Final Score: 85%

E

ntry level D-SLRs are responsible for conferring market leadership to brands. For years, Canon had wrapped up this end of the market very securely and in the process safeguarded its Number One position. A resurgent Nikon has, however, struck back and is now only a few percentage points short of Canon in world D-SLR market share.

3

11

10

1

7 9

4 2 8

6

5

Nikon’s D60 was getting a bit jaded and a replacement was overdue. Nikon has now announced the D3000, which will be Nikon’s cheapest D-SLR and sits below the recently announced D5000.

A new Guide mode, Nikon’s Picture Controls, and a Retouch function are some of the new features that the D3000 promises.

DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY The D3000 is a typical Nikon in design although smaller in size. It features a plastic body that is nicely wrapped in a textured finish. The quality of finish is basic, but not shoddy. Dimensions are (at 126x97x64mm) slightly larger than the Panasonic Lumix G1, which sets the benchmark in this area. The D3000 body weighs 485g without battery, memory card or body cap.

KEY FEATURES

1 On/Off Switch 2 Mode Dial 3 Lens Exposure Compensation Button 5 Command Dial AE-L/AF-L Button 7 Flash 8 Accessory Shoe 9 Info Button 10 Flash Release Button 11 Function Button 4

6

Inside the box • Nikon D3000 Digital SLR • EN-EL9a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery • MH-23 Quick Charger • UC-E4 USB Cable • DK-20 Rubber Eyecup • AN-DC1 AN-DC3 Camera Strap • BF-1A Body Cap • DK-5 Eyepiece Cap • BS-1 Accessory Shoe Cover • Software Suite CD-ROM

98

Smart Photography October 2009

The D3000 surprisingly, sticks to the 10.3 MP DX format APS-C size CCD of its predecessor but upgrades the LCD to 3-inches with 230,000 dots resolution. The LCD monitor, however,

is fixed. Particularly impressive is the fact that Nikon has provided 11 AF points (with one cross type sensor) in an entry level SLR. (The D60 had three points). Nikon has used the Multi-CAM 1000 AF module of the D5000 and the D90 in the D3000. A maximum continuous shooting speed of three frames per second is also impressive.

Since the camera is aimed at the beginner, Nikon has introduced a new intelligent ‘Guide’ mode on the mode dial. This mode works like an on board tutor and via text on the LCD, navigates a beginner through various settings needed to achieve specific results.

Since quite a few novices rarely read instruction manuals, the Guide mode can indeed prove handy.

Other features include dust reduction system, diopter correction, a choice of 3D Matrix Color Metering, self timer, all the standard exposure modes plus six scene modes, ± 5 EV exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity up to ISO 1600 or one stop above (i.e.

ISO 3200).

Nikon’s Active D-Lighting feature available on other more expensive models is also included. The built in flash can be switched off, if necessary.

Flash compensation (-3 to + 3EV) is also available and the flash has a Guide Number of 12m at ISO 100. All the usual White Balance settings are provided including fine tuning of White

Left: Battery compartment Right: DC-IN and USB port

Mahesh Reddy

October 2009 Smart Photography

99

SHARPNESS & DETAIL

Balance as well as manual setting. The D3000 accepts SD/SDHC cards.

There is no Live View nor is there a Video mode. Considering that the camera is aimed at a beginner, this is perhaps not a surprise.

ERGONOMICS

ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 0.4sec Aperture: f/11

NOISE

ISO: 100

ISO: 1600

JPEG COMPRESSION

Nikon has tried to make the D3000 as simple as possible. The 3-inch LCD monitor and the large type used do aid this process. The Guide mode, which is selectable from the Mode Dial has three selections viz. shoot, view/delete and set up. It certainly helps the newcomer to learn the main settings like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, White Balance etc. Because of the Guide mode, functions like ISO and WB selections are accessible only through the menu. However, direct access can be set through the customizable function button.

Given its light weight and compact size, the camera poses no problem on the handling front.

PERFORMANCE Aided by 11 AF points, the D3000 put up a superlative performance on the autofocus front. The AF assist lamp produced a powerful beam, which no doubt speeds up AF in low light situations.

Large Fine

Large Basic

COLOR ACCURACY

Color Checker shot using Auto White Balance in sunlight.

Auto Levels applied.

100

Smart Photography October 2009

Metering on the D3000 with its Matrix system was perfect except in complicated lighting where it struggled a bit. (This would happen with a number of cameras).

For a budget camera, the D3000 acquitted itself well on the noise front. At a native image size of 8.6 x 12.9-inche at 300 ppi, images up to ISO 400 produced no noise.

Some noise was visible at ISO 800.

At ISO 1600, images were noisy and at the Hi 1 setting (i.e. ISO 3200), noise was very high. Most amateurs would not go beyond ISO 800 and the results should be seen in that light.

On the White Balance front, the D3000 caused some concern with a cast being observed at almost all settings. Although difďŹ cult for an amateur, we would recommend fresh manual settings with gray card readings and then further manipulation in Photoshop.

The kit lens supplied with the D3000 is the 18-55 mm f3.5/5.6 IS lens. For a kit lens at a budget price, the lens produced very sharp images with best performance at f/11. At full aperture, some lateral chromatic aberration was visible as also darkening of corners.

At 18mm, some purple fringing was

NIKON D3000 FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS

Design and Build Quality

16/20

+ Good build for the price

Key Features

17/20

+ Good AF performance

Ergonomics

17.5/20

Performance

17/20

Value for Money

OVERALL

17.5/20

85%

Effective pixels Sensor Anti-dust measures

+ Guide Mode + Price - No Live View

Image quality Color space Lens compatibility

- No tiltable LCD Monitor - White Balance performance could be better - No video

Mahesh Reddy

Autofocus Lens Servo

AF-Area mode

Focus Tracking Focus Area Exposure Mode Exp. Compensation AE Bracketing Sensitivity Auto ISO Options Shutter speeds White Balance

Image parameters

LCD Monitor Memory storage Battery Weight Dimensions (WxHxD)

also apparent. Barrel distortion, visible at 18mm, disappears at 24mm. There were two things about this lens that did not quite appeal. One was its plastic mount. The second was the rotating front element whilst focusing.

Overall, the D3000’s performance was a tad above average. Good autofocus and good control over noise was marred by the indifferent White

Balance performance. The provision of in-built post capture editing functions on the D3000 is also a major attraction for the beginner.

VALUE FOR MONEY The D3000 carries a MRP of Rs.30,450 for the body and with the kit lens the MRP rises to Rs.37,950. This is an aggressive price and compares well with other rivals.

: 10.3 million : CCD (23.6x15.8mm) : Image sensor cleaning system Airflow control system Image dust-off using NX2 software (Optional) : RAW, JPEG, RAW+JPEG : sRGB, Adobe RGB : AF-S, AF-I: All functions supported Type G and D AF: All functions supported except AF Other AF Nikkors: AF and 3D Color Matrix Metering II not supported Manual lenses: Can be used in Manual exposure mode but exposure meter will not function. : 11-area TTL phase detection Nikon Multi-CAM1000 AF module : Single Servo AF (AF-S), Continuous Servo (AF-C), AF-S/AF-C, Manual Focus (MF) : Single Area AF, Dynamic Area AF, Auto Area AF, 3D Tracking (11 points), Closest Subject Priority Dynamic Area AF : Predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status in AF-C : Can be selected from 11 focus points : Auto, Scene, P (Flexible), A, S, Manual : +/- 5 EV in 1/3 EV steps : Not available : Auto, ISO 100-1600; Hi 1 (ISO 3200 equivalent) : On/Off, Max. ISO, Min. Shutter speed : 30 sec to 1/4000 sec, + B. X-sync: Up to 1/200sec. : Auto, 12 manual modes, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Custom. : Picture Controls: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape; Sharpening, Contrast, Saturation, Hue. : 3-inch, 230,000 pixel : SD/SDHC card : Li-ion (EN-EL9a) : 560g : 126x97x64mm

VERDICT The entry segment is obviously very important to Nikon. The D3000 will lead the attack in this segment. It produces very good image quality and has an excellent AF system. Anyone entering the SLR market for the first time should give it a good look. Recommended, heartily.

H. S. Billimoria October 2009 Smart Photography

101

P

P

IR J B P PR

B

L LIRJB PPRB LIRJ

@Q L? BO

E! EXCLUSIV E FIRSRAT DRUIRD O&

@QL?BO

MAHIND OOTERS RODEO SC

EXCLUSIVE! SIVE! POWERI RIDE MUSCLAEX vs ROCKET IIFIRST -M

V-ROD vs V

MAHINDRA DURO & SCOOTERS OOTERS ONE ON O RODEO D

IEW INTERV NE WITH IAN HEA

HARLEY’S IND

LPS TO THE 9A90 SMT KTM MUSCLE POWER ODDED M V-ROD vs V-MAX vs ROCKET III S YAMAH6AGET R15 & FZ1 CE PERFORMAN EXHAUSTS ONE

INTERVIEW

ON ONE WITH HARLEY’S INDIAN HEAD

TO THE ALPS

S

U CL

EX PUBLISHING

!

E IV

M Z !

N I IO T R LU

O A EV K

A

HH

C I T

the es k ma

e bik

KTM M 990 SMT

MODDED YAMAHAS

R15 & FZ16 GET PERFORMANCE EXHAUSTS

C I T

N O W NO A M Z I S TAA R NDS L C X

I S U

E

!

E V

!

N O I T LU O EV

ike b the s e ak m HH

K !

Y A D O T Y P O C R U O GRAB Y

PUBLISHING PU

KODAK EASYSHARE Z915

Worth Every Penny Price: Rs.11,999/- Final Score: 82%

I

n a recent review, we mentioned that Kodak is making a comeback.

Recent launch of the 10MP Kodak EasyShare Z915 further cements our hunch that the company is trying to bring digital cameras capable of doing a ‘KB10 act’ in the digital era. With this launch, Kodak has aimed the camera at price-conscious Indian amateurs, wooing them with features that are available in higher end models.

The EasyShare Z915 is pitched as a feature-rich camera for amateurs and home users. Compact and lightweight, the camera houses advanced features like Optical Image Stabilization, HD quality image capture, best click-tocapture speed amongst 10MP cameras, and an intelligent Smart Capture mode.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY The Kodak EasyShare Z915 is made entirely of polycarbonate, but the body feels sturdy unlike a few models from some other manufacturers. The camera is not cluttered with buttons. Unlike many compacts in this class, the Z915’s hand grip does not have a rubberized finish. We wish the hand grip was a little more thick and had a bit more of friction so that the camera stays in the hand. The zoom lever appears a little fragile, but don’t worry, we are yet to come across anyone complaining about a broken zoom lever.

KEY FEATURES The 10-megapixel Kodak Z915 uses a 1/2.3-inch Type CCD as imaging device. It boasts of a 10x optical zoom with a Kodak Retinar Aspheric 35 – 350mm (in 35mm format) f/3.5 – 4.8 lens. The lens features Optical Image Stabilization, which is a necessity with high zoom range lenses. The camera uses a TTL imager AF system. The AF zones are TTL Multi-zone, Center zone,

and Face Priority with options of Single and Continuous AF. The available AF modes are normal, macro, and infinity.

In standard setting, the lens focuses from 50cm to infinity at the wide-angle end and from 12cm to infinity at the telephoto end. In the macro setting, the lens focuses as close as 12cm at the wide-angle end and 60cm at the telephoto end.

The Z915 offers ISO sensitivities from ISO100 to ISO1600. This can be manually selected or set to Auto.

The shooting modes available are Smart Capture, Sport, P (Program), A (Aperture Priority), S (Shutter Priority), M (Manual), Portrait, Panorama, Video, and Scene. The Smart Capture mode adjusts camera settings automatically depending on the scene. The Panorama mode offers options for left-right and right-left panoramas. The Scene modes are High ISO, Portrait, Night Portrait, Landscape, Night Landscape, Flower,

Inside the box • 2 AA Alkaline batteries • Battery Charger • 4 GB Memory Card • Kodak EasyShare • Software CD • USB Cable • Lens Cap with Strap

October Smart Photography

103

Mahesh Reddy

Sunset, Backlight, Candlelight, Manner/ Museum, Text, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Children, Self-portrait, and Stage. White Balance options are Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Open Shade. Metering modes are Multipattern, Center-weighted, and Spot. The camera offers exposure compensation of +/-2.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps, and bracketing option for three images up to +/-1.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps. The built-in ash has a range of 5.4m at the wideangle end and 3.9m at the telephoto end in Smart Capture mode. Flash can be compensated up to +/-1.0EV in 1/3 steps. The available ash modes are Auto, Off, and Fill.

ERGONOMICS The Kodak Z915 is compact, lightweight, and easy to carry around. As we mentioned, the grip suffers without a rubberized lining. The buttons are easy to reach and smooth to operate. The interface is simple and user friendly. The Kodak Z915 does not have an EVF, and the LCD is high on noise.

MACRO

PERFORMANCE The Kodak EasyShare Z915 performed well in our tests, in spite of the fact that the camera is not expensive. The Kodak Retinar lens controlled distortion very well. Barrel distortion was observed

Aperture: f/6.2 Shutter Speed: 1/8sec. ISO: 100

NOISE

FLASH OUTPUT

Still images are recorded in JPEG quality at a maximum image size of 3648x2736 pixels. Color modes available are High Color, Natural Color, Low Color, Sepia, and Black and White.

The Z915 uses a 2.5-inch, 230,000-dot LCD monitor. The camera has 32MB of internal memory, and accepts an SD/SDHC card for external storage. The Z915 works on two AA batteries (NiMH supplied separately).

ISO: 100

104

Smart Photography October 2009

ISO: 1600

Aperture: f/8 Shutter Speed: 1/40sec. ISO: 100

KODAK EASYSHARE Z915 FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS 16/20

+ Optical Image Stabilization

Key Features

17/20

+ 10x optical zoom

Ergonomics

15/20

+ Competitive Pricing

Performance

16/20

- Heavy Flare and CA

Value for Money

18/20

- Struggles with Focus

OVERALL

82%

Mahesh Reddy

Design and Build Quality

up to 8mm (47mm in 35mm parlance) focal length, which is quite impressive for a camera at this level. Darkening of corners was not noticeable even at the wide open aperture of f/3.4 at the wide-angle end. This is impressive as Kodak has managed to control corner darkening well. The overall sharpness of the lens was good, though oversharpening artifacts were visible when the images were viewed at 100 percent screen size. If we were impressed by the control of distortion and corner darkening, the lens let us down on flare and chromatic aberration. Prominent flare was observed at all focal lengths at all apertures, with heavy chromatic aberration and purple fringing.

The Z915 had some difficulty dealing with White Balance. In daylight, both the Auto White Balance and the Preset Daylight mode worked very well, but under other light sources, the camera introduced some color casts. At a

native prints size of 9.12x12.6 inches at 300ppi, no noise was observed even at ISO1600. At 25 percent screen size, noise was observed at ISO1600, but not enough to cause a heartburn. At 50% screen size, noise was prominent at ISO1600. Slight noise could be seen even at ISO800, but overall we would consider this good control of noise for a compact camera. The Optical Image Stabilization worked well. Focusing accuracy was slightly below our expectations. We wished the camera could focus closer in macro mode.

VALUE FOR MONEY The Kodak EasyShare Z915 is available at an MRP of Rs.11,999. As a special offer, Kodak offers the product for Rs.10,999 along with a 4GB SD card, AA battery charger and tripod. For a 10-megapixel digital compact camera with 10x optical zoom and capable of capturing HD images, this price is highly competitive.

Sensor type Effective pixels Lens Image stabilizer Shutter speed

: 1/2.3 type CCD : 10 MP (3672×2748) : 35–350mm (35 mm equiv.) f/3.5–4.8 : Optical : 1/8–1/1250sec. (auto) 16–1/1000sec. (S/M mode) Monitor : 2.5 type high resolution (230,000 dots) Storage : 32MB internal memory, SDHC/SD card AF Type : TTL imager AF system Modes : Normal, Macro, Infinity Focus range : Wide standard: 0.5m–infinity Tele standard: 1.2m–infinity Wide macro: 0.12–0.6m Tele macro: 0.6–1.3m Auto focus zones : TTL multi-zone, center zone face priority Face-priority AF : yes ISO sensitivity : Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 Metering modes : Multi-pattern, Center-weighted, Spot Exposure Comp. : ±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps Bracketing : ±1.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps, 3 images White balance : Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Open Shade Flash Range : 5.4 m (wide-angle, in Smart Capture mode) 3.9 m (telephoto, in Smart Capture mode) Flash Modes : Auto, off, fill, red-eye reduction, off Flash Compensation : ±1.0 EV in 1/3 steps Drive modes : Single shot, burst (1.5 fps up to 3 images), self timer (10 sec.), delay shutter (2 sec.), 2-shot self timer Shooting modes : Smart Capture, Sport, P, A, S, M, Portrait, Panorama (left–right, right–left), video, SCN Scene modes : High ISO, Portrait, Night Portrait, Landscape, Night Landscape, Flower, Sunset, Backlight, Candlelight, Manner/Museum, Text, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Children, Self-portrait, Stage Still format : JPEG/EXIF v2.21 Max. Image size : 10 MP (3648×2736)—4:3 Color modes : High color, Natural color, Low color, Sepia, Black and White Sharpness : High, Normal, Low Video Format : QUICKTIME Photo JPEG Quality : VGA (640×480) at 30 fps : QVGA (320×240) at 30 fps Length : Continuous up to 4 GB I/O interface : USB 2.0 high speed Power : (2) AA batteries, optional AC adapter Dimensions (WxHxD) :107 × 72.4 × 35.7 mm Weight : 220g (without SD card and batteries)

VERDICT The Kodak EasyShare Z915 offers good features including useful Optical Image Stabilization and 10x zoom.

Combined with the excellent value for money it offers, we have no qualms in recommending the Z915 for home users looking for a camera with good features at a fair price.

Sujith Gopinath October Smart Photography

105

LENS REVIEW SIGMA 24-70MM F/2.8 IF EX DG HSM

Value for Money Price: Rs.58,000/- Final Score: 86%

S

igma is probably the most talked about independent lens manufacturer. They produce lenses in various mounts, from ultrawide-angles to super telephoto zooms.

Compared to Canon or Nikon lenses, Sigma lenses are less expensive, but often are equally good in terms of image quality.

The current rage for full-frame sensor cameras is the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, which is excellent for landscapes, groups as well as portraits. Let’s see how this work horse fares in our tests.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY The lens is beautifully crafted and feels professional all the way. On this Sigma, you turn the zoom ring anti-clockwise to go from 24 to 70mm position. The zoom ring is well damped and the lens barrel is not likely to change the focal length by itself when the lens is pointed towards the ground or sky. The 2470mm f/2.8 lens is available in Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony mounts. Its filter diameter is 82mm.

It is interesting to know that Sigma has two 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses—one is designated ‘Macro’, and the other, being reviewed here, is the non-macro version, using Internal Focus (IF) design and Hyper Sonic Motor. The lens we received had a Nikon mount, and had no aperture ring (similar to Nikon’s ‘G-series’ lenses).

KEY FEATURES

Inside the box • Lens • Front and rear lens caps • Lens hood • User instructions • Lens case

106

Smart Photography October 2009

The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 is a DG lens (optimized for digital cameras that use APS-C as well as full-frame

sensors). The lens does not change its overall length during focusing (IF lens). The ‘EX’ in its name represents Sigma’s highest quality lenses, while ‘HSM’ denotes that the lens uses Hyper-Sonic Motor for high autofocus speed and quiet shooting.

The lens is very legibly marked in white at 24, 28, 35, 50, and 70mm settings.

A plastic window covers the distance scale marked in feet as well as in meters, while a depth of field scale is included, but only for f/4, f/11, and f/22.

Unfortunately, as per Sigma, the DOF scale can only be used at a focal length of 24mm. A Focus Mode Switch on the left allows you to choose between autofocus and manual focus.

The lens uses 14 elements in 12 groups, which includes one ELD (Extra Low Dispersion), two SLD (Special Low Dispersion), and three ashpherical elements along with Super Multi-layer Coatings to control flare and ghosting normally associated with digital photography equipment. It uses a 9-blade diaphragm that provides smooth ‘bokeh’. The Sigma 24-70mm focuses as close as 38cm (15 inches) and offers a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:5.3. The minimum aperture on the lens is f/22.

ERGONOMICS The full-frame Nikon mount Sigma lens was tested on a Nikon D700 body. The lens balanced perfectly well and was very comfortable to use. Since the D700 has a depth of field preview button, we did not feel at a loss to check the DOF at various aperture settings and at

Rohinton Mehta

SIGMA 24-70MM F/2.8 IF EX DG HSM different focal lengths. Its filter size being odd (82mm diameter), it would be difficult to find filters of that size.

PERFORMANCE In our tests, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 performed well. Images were sharp and with good contrast throughout the frame. Thanks to the Hyper-Sonic Motor, autofocusing was reasonably fast and near-silent. Flare was well controlled and we did not notice any Chromatic Aberration. The lens produced nice and soft out-of-focus backgrounds when used wide open at the 70mm end. Light falloff at the corners was visible at f/2.8, which in day-to-day situations, can be ignored. The coatings on the lens did not contribute to color casts in any way.

The lens barrel does not rotate during focusing and zooming, making it convenient to use Polarizers and Gradual Neutral Density filters. Slight barrel distortion was seen at the wide-angle end, which disappeared as the focal length neared around 45mm. We did not notice any pincushioning. All-in-all, a good performance.

VALUE FOR MONEY The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is available at an MRP of Rs.58,000. At this price and performance, it is excellent value for money.

SPECIFICATIONS Max. Aperture Construction Min. Focus Coverage Max. Reproduction Ratio Filter Size Max. Length Weight

: : : : : : : :

f/2.8 14 elements/12 groups 38cm Approx. 840-340 diagonal 1:5.3 82mm 94.7mm 790g

VERDICT The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM is a very good performer and is available at a price that is unbeatable. The lens is smaller and lighter than those from the competition. For those not obsessed with Canon or Nikon stamp, the Sigma is a fantastic buy.

Rohinton Mehta

Picture shot using the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM on a Nikon D700 body.

Shooting mode: Aperture Priority Aperture: f/8 Shutter speed: 1/250sec ISO: 200

FINAL SCORE Design and Build Quality

17/20

Key Features

16/20

Ergonomics

17/20

Performance

17/20

- AF could have been faster

Value for Money

19/20

- Odd filter size

OVERALL

86%

+ Good overall performance + Very reasonably priced

October 2009 Smart Photography

107

LENS REVIEW TAMRON SP AF 60MM F/2 DI II LD (IF) 1:1 MACRO

Top Performer Price: TBA Final Score: 86.5%

W

hen it comes to macro photography, Tamron is a name to reckon with.

Just as good in image quality as those from leading manufacturers, Tamron’s SP AF90mm Macro and SP AF180mm Macro’s performance has been legendary. Tamron has recently announced a new 60mm Macro lens that will be available in Canon, Nikon, and Sony mounts. A unique feature of this lens is its f/2 maximum aperture.

Let’s see how this new design fares on our test bench...

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY The Tamron 60mm macro lens has a decent build quality, I would say, better than the Tamron 90mm macro. The outer shell is made from polycarbonate and the lens mount is made from metal. The focusing ring has a large 30mm wide rubberized grip that aids precise control when focusing manually. A small plastic window covers the distance scale (in feet as well as in meters) as well as the magnification ratio scale. Since the lens has an Internal Focusing (IF) design, its overall length does not increase during focusing. The SP AF 60mm has 55mm diameter filter threads and weighs 400g.

KEY FEATURES

Inside the box • Lens • Lens hood • Front and rear lens cap

108

Smart Photography October 2009

The SP AF 60mm macro is designed to be used with APS-C size sensor cameras and is constructed with 14 elements in 10 groups, which include 2 LD (Low Dispersion) glass elements in its first group to take care of optical aberrations. A newly formulated BBAR (Broad-Band AntiReflection) multi-layer coating ensures freedom from flare and ghosting and also enhances light transmission to minimize light loss through the lens.

In addition, Tamron employs coatings on cemented surfaces of lens elements to ensure sharpness and superior color balance. Its fast maximum aperture of f/2 helps to keep the viewfinder bright and also throws the background out of focus when used wide open. The lens allows for a working distance (the distance between the front of the lens and the subject) of 100mm at 1:1 reproduction ratio.

As mentioned earlier, the lens uses Internal Focusing, and hence its length does not increase during focusing; neither does the filter rotate, making it convenient to use Polarizing filters and graduated ND filters. Manually fine-tuning of focus is possible even during autofocusing.

ERGONOMICS The lens we received for testing had a Canon mount and as such, was tested using a Canon EOS 400D. The lens balanced very well and was very easy to use. The manual focusing ring, however, was definitely not smooth.

PERFORMANCE The performance of the Tamron 60mm lens was just amazing. Images were very sharp, corner to corner. At wide open aperture of f/2 and one-stop down at f/2.8, one could see a slight corner softness, if one cared to look. Darkening of corners was very well controlled too.

At f/2 there was some noticeable corner darkening; at f/2.8, hardly noticeable, and at all remaining apertures, amazingly even brightness in the center as well as the corners. I would go so far as to say — take a bow, Tamron — I have never seen such even brightness in any other Macro lens, from any other manufacturer!

Mahesh Reddy

TAMRON SP AF60MM F/2 DI II LD (IF) 1:1 MACRO Flare was well controlled and we did not notice any chromatic aberration. At f/2, a very slight barrel distortion was noticeable, again, if one bothered to be picky. The wide maximum aperture of f/2 turned the backgrounds soft, which furthered the impression of sharpness at the focused point. Autofocusing speed wasn’t great, but it is possible that the AF speed could have been better on superior camera bodies.

Overall, the Tamron SP AF 60mm performed remarkably well.

VALUE FOR MONEY The Tamron SP AF 60mm f/2 Di II LD (IF) 1:1 Macro is available in the US at $600. Its Indian price is yet to be announced, and as such, the price mentioned here is for reference only. Some may consider this a stiff price, but for what the lens is capable of, its worth it.

Remember too, the lens is f/2 and I cannot recall any mainstream macro lens having a maximum aperture of f/2! You have to pay a higher price for such a ‘fast’ lens.

SPECIFICATIONS Focal length Equivalent focal length

Lens construction Diaphragm blades Min. focus distance Max. reproduction ratio Filter diameter Weight Dia x length Lens hood

: 60mm : Approximately 96mm for Canon APS-C size sensor cameras Approximately 90mm for Nikon and Sony APS-C size sensor cameras : 14 elements in 10 groups :7 : 9.1 inches (0.23 meters) : 1:1 : 55mm : 400g : 2.9 x 3.15 inches : Included

VERDICT Images captured using the Tamron SP AF 60mm Macro were crisp and the lens was a pleasure to use, if you could condone the slightly slower AF. Further, with its equivalent focal length being approximately 90mm/96mm (depending on whether you are using a Nikon mount or Canon mount), the lens can serve as a good portrait lens.

Sorry Canon, sorry Nikon, but considering the lens speed and the performance, the Tamron SP AF 60mm Macro is just unbeatable!

Rohinton Mehta

Picture shot using the Tamron SP AF 60mm F/2 Di II LD (IF) 1:1 Macro on a Canon EOS 400D . Shooting mode: Aperture Priority Aperture: f/2 Shutter speed: 1/800sec ISO: 100

FINAL SCORE Design and Build Quality

17/20

Key Features

14/20

Ergonomics

18/20

Performance

19/20

Value for Money

18.5/20

OVERALL

86.5%

+ Excellent image quality + ‘Fast’ f/2 lens + Good control on flair and C.A. - Nothing to crib about

October 2009 Smart Photography

109

EPSON STYLUS PHOTO TX700W

Multi-role Defender Price: Rs.13,999/- Final Score: 84% functions. Getting rid of the typical high design of their other photo quality MFDs, Epson has built the new device, with space conservation, a priority. The new machine can print up to A4 size.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

E

pson has, without any doubt, been the undisputed king of inkjet photo printing, with most other manufacturers struggling to keep pace with their print quality. We have, on our test bed, the new Epson Stylus Photo TX700W, a multifunctional device with Print, Scan, and Copy

Inside the box • Epson Stylus Photo TX700W printer • Printer Documentation • CD-ROM with drivers and software • USB, LAN, and Power cable • Ink cartridges: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Light Cyan, and Light Magenta

110

Smart Photography October 2009

Epson has kept the design of TX700W simple. The box-type design allows all detachable trays to dock perfectly into the body without any projection.

Compared to the earlier photo quality MFDs from the Epson stable, this device has a better build. The earlier RX and CX models had a weak link in their armor in the form of a broad fragile paper tray cover and external paper feed tray, but in this printer, Epson has left only a very small door open at the front to pull out the paper receiving trays. This add to the sturdiness of the printer. The LCD panel is flushed to the front of the device, but this can be adjusted and locked to your liking while viewing the images. There is an Unlock button on top, which can release the control panel from the locked position. The buttons are of very good quality. The piano black finish gives the printer a stylish and sophisticated look.

KEY FEATURES The main feature of the Epson Stylus Photo TX700W is that it is WiFi enabled.

The wireless LAN enables you to use the printer as a network printer without

Left: Ink cartridges Right: Memory card slots and PictBridge port

PERFORMANCE TEST SCANS 1. Black and White reproduction 2. Skin tone test 3. Subtle colors and detail 4. Saturated colors 5. Five percent progressive black to white gradation

1 3

4

2 physically connecting to the workstations or network. This is a very good feature as it saves on installation cost and the needed expertise, and does not leave cables around to trip you. With the new line of printers, Epson has gone back to its 6-color Claria ink cartridge system comprising Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Light Cyan, and Light Magenta,

5 leaving its 8-ink system (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Black, Matte Black, Red, Orange, and Gloss Optimizer). Does this mean that the new printer will not have the much advertised advantages of the 8-ink system—smooth gradation, broader gamut, reduced graininess, superior color consistency, and longevity? We will ďŹ nd out shortly. Epson claims that the prints can

last for up to 200 years in archival storage conditions, but we wonder how this could be possible without the gloss optimizer, which was introduced to improve durability. Incidentally, the printer featuring the gloss optimizer claimed only 80 years of print life (in India). The device can print at a maximum resolution of 5760dpi and features variable sized droplet technology October 2009 Smart Photography

111

EPSON STYLUS PHOTO TX700W FINAL SCORE

SPECIFICATIONS Printing Method : On-demand ink jet (piezoelectric) Nozzle Configuration : 180 nozzles each (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Light Magenta) Print direction : Bi-directional printing, Uni-directional printing Maximum Resolution : 5760x1440 dpi (Variable-Sized Droplets) Min. droplet volume : 1.5pl Black Max Speed : TEXT MEMO (A4) Approx. 40 ppm (Draft) Color Max Speed : TEXT MEMO (A4) Approx. 40 ppm (Draft) PHOTO Approx. 10sec (4x6 inch, Draft, Borderless), Approx. 17 sec (4x6 inch, Default, Borderless) LCD Screen : 2.5” Color TFT LCD Resolution : Approx. 166dpi Copy Speed : Black Text memo (A4): Approx. 40cpm (Draft) Color Text memo (A4): Approx 39cpm (Draft) Scanner Type : A4 Flatbed color image scanner Optical Resolution : 2400x4800 dpi Scanning speed : Monochrome: 6msec/line (A4, 1200dpi) Color : 12msec/line (A4, 1200dpi) Memory Card Slot : CF Type II, MS, SD/MMC, xD Picture card File Format : JPEG, DPOF compliant Interface : Hi-speed USB (USB 2.0 compatible) WiFi 802.11b/g Ethernet 10 Base-T, 100 Base-TX Paper feed method : Friction feed Paper hold capacity : Input Capacity: 120 sheets, A4 Plain paper (75gsm) Paper size : A4, A5, A6, B5, Letter, Legal, 10x15cm (4x6in), 16:9 wide size, Half Letter, 9x13cm Print Margin : 3mm (0mm via custom settings) Color matching : ICM Profiles (Windows), Adobe RGB (Windows and Mac), Apple ColorSync 2.0 Compatible Power Source : AC 220-240V, 50-60Hz Power Consumption : Standalone copying: Approx. 25W Sleep: Approx 5.0W (Energy star rating) Printer software on CD-ROM : Printer Drivers Windows/2000/XP/XP-x64 /Vista, Mac OS 10.3.9 or later

VERDICT From a professional photographer’s point-of-view, performance of the Epson Stylus Photo TX700W is not as impressive as premium photo printers. But the device being a MFD capable of print, scan, and copy functions, we can’t really complain since it has to reproduce both photographs as well as text with an acceptable level of accuracy. If you are looking for a photo quality MFD and don’t care about looking at the print through a magnifying glass, the TX700W is a good option.

Sujith Gopinath

112

Smart Photography October 2009

+ Wireless LAN enabled + Innovative design + Easy to use - Performance slightly below expectation

that enables a minimum droplet size of 1.5 picoliter. The TX700W features a 2.5-inch color LCD screen on the control panel, featuring a high definition LCD backlight. The device incorporates slots for CF, SD, Memory Stick PRO, and xD Picture Cards for standalone photo printing without the help of a computer.

It also features a PictBridge port.

The Stylus Photo TX700W is capable of duplex printing—printing on both sides of paper— useful when printing on plain paper. The printer comes bundled with Epson Creativity Suite that enables you to edit photographs.

ERGONOMICS The buttons of the Epson Stylus Photo TX700W are neatly laid out. The tiltable control panel is easy to operate and the LCD screen is easy to read. Maintaining the printer is quite simple with the help of step-by-step instructions on the online manual. The device has a new key slot near the ink chamber, the function of which is not mentioned anywhere.

However, the TX700W did not give any error and functioned normally even without the key.

PERFORMANCE We were happy with the output of the Epson Stylus Photo TX700W though, we felt that the print quality from Epson’s premium photo quality printers was superior. Epson Ultra Glossy and Premium Glossy photo papers were outof-stock with all Epson distributors and hence we had to test the printer with other professional quality ultra glossy photo papers. We used two different brands of ultra glossy papers, one of 260 gsm and the other of 230 gsm,

Design and Build Quality

17/20

Key Features

18/20

Ergonomics

16/20

Performance

16/20

Value for Money

17/20

OVERALL

84%

to ensure that our tests are absolutely flawless, since print quality depends on the quality of paper used. The line and font reproduction was poorer than premium photo quality printers.

In the reproduction of fonts, the 2pt font was missing from the text when printed in reverse (yellow font on black background), though on normal printing the font showed up. In case of color reproduction, it produced a narrower gamut than expected. One saving grace was the solid black that was better than other photo quality printers. Again, the dynamic range was not very impressive at the black end. We feel this could have been better with an additional black cartridge as in the case of the Epson R1900. In saturated colors, we could observe some smudging. The subtle colors were reproduced very well with the right amount of detail. The TX700 reproduced skin tones very well and the graininess was kept well under control.

The printer took 2min and 01sec to print our standard A4 test image (from click to final print), more than double the time required for an Epson premium photo printer reviewed last year.

The quality of scans from the TX700W were impressive. The bundled software allows you to tweak the output—sharpness, contrast, brightness, gamma, color balance etc.—to suit your requirement. Printing directly from memory cards was not a problem. The LCD was crisp and clear.

VALUE FOR MONEY The Epson Stylus Photo TX700W is available for an MRP of Rs.13,999. This is competitive pricing for an MFD capable of print, scan, and copy functions.

Buyers’ Guide

All SP readers can now use the Online Buyers’ Guide to access specifications of D-SLRs, Compacts, and Lenses. You can also compare upto three different models simultaneously and choose the one that best suits your requirement.

In addition, we have a comprehensively categorized and compiled the directory of all the lenses available in the Indian market.

For a comprehensive view of the camera and lenses directory, log on to: www.smartphotography.in/buyersguide/

CANON EOS 1Ds MK III

CANON EOS 1D MK III

CANON EOS 5D MARK II

Sensor Type/size : CMOS, 36x24mm Effective Pixels : 21.1 million Supported File Formats: RAW, RAW+JPEG, sRAW, JPEG Metering Modes : Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-weighted Exposure Modes : P, A, S, M, Flash metered manual ISO Equivalence : 100-3200 in 1/3stops, plus 50 & 3200 Shutter Speeds : 30secs-1/8000sec, bulb White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature Setting, PersoTBAl WB LCD Monitor : 3.0-inch LCD Pixels/Dots : 230,000 pixels Flash Sync : Up to 1/250sec PC Terminal : Yes Shooting Modes : Single frame, Low-speed continuous, High-speed continuous Storage Type : CF (UDMA compatible), SDHC/SD card Battery : Canon Lithium-Ion & double charger Dimensions (wxhxd) : 150x160x80mm Weight : Approx. 1385gms (Incl. batteries)

Sensor Type/size : CMOS, 28.7x18.7mm Effective Pixels : 10.1 million Supported File Formats: RAW, sRAW, JPEG Metering Modes : Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-weighted Exposure Modes : P, A, S, M, Flash metered manual ISO Equivalence : 100-3200 in 1/3 stops, plus 50 & 6400 Shutter Speeds : 30secs - 1/8000sec, bulb White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature Setting, PersoTBAl WB LCD Monitor : 3.0-inch LCD Pixels/dots : 230,000 pixels Flash Sync : Up to 1/300sec PC Terminal : Yes Shooting Modes : Single frame, Low-speed continuous, High-speed continuous Storage Type : CF card (Type I/II), SDHC/SD card Battery : Canon Lithium-Ion & double charger Dimensions (wxhxd) : 156x157x80mm Weight : Approx. 1335gms (Incl. batteries)

Sensor Type/size : CMOS, 36x24mm Effective Pixels : 21.1 million Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG Metering Modes : Evaluative, partial, Spot, Center-weighted Exposure Modes : P, A, S, M, Flash metered manual ISO Equivalence : 100-6400 in 1/3stops, plus 50 & 25600 Shutter Speeds : 30secs - 1/8000sec, bulb White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature Setting, PersoTBAl WB LCD Monitor : 3-inch LCD Pixels/Dots : 920,000 pixels Flash Sync : Up to 1/200sec PC Terminal : Yes Shooting Modes : Single frame, Low-speed continuous High-speed continuous Storage Type : CF card (Type I/II), supports UDMA Battery : Canon Lithium-Ion LP-E6 rechargeable battery & Charger Dimensions (wxhxd) : 152x114x75mm Weight : Approx. 810gms (Incl batteries)

Price: Rs.4,12,995 (body only)

Price: Rs. 2,23,995 (body only)

Price: Rs. 1,56,995 (body only)

CANON EOS 7D

Sensor Type/Size Effective Pixels Supported File Formats Metering Modes

: : : :

Exposure Modes Stills and Movie

: :

ISO Equivalence

:

Shutter Speeds White Balance

: :

LCD Monitor LCD Pixels/ Dots Flash Sync Storage Type

: : : :

Battery

:

Dimensions(wxhxd) Weight

: :

22.3 x 14.9 mm 18.0 million RAW, M-RAW, S-RAW,JPEG 63 area Eval, Center weighted, Partial, Spot Auto, P, A, S, M Custom settings 1, Custom settings 2, Custom settings 3 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800(H) 30 sec - 1/8000 sEC 6 positions, Kelvin & manual preset 3.0-inch 920000pixels 1/250 sec Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive cards Canon Li-Ion LP-E6 & CR1616 148 x 111 x 74 mm 860gms Price: TBA

114

Smart Photography October 2009

CANON EOS 50D

Sensor Size/Type : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes : Exposure Modes ISO Equivalence

: :

Shutter Speeds White Balance LCD Monitor LCD pixels/dots Flash Sync PC Terminal Shooting Modes Storage Type Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: : : : : : : : : : :

CMOS, 22.3x14.9mm 15.1 million RAW, sRAW1,sRAW2, JPEG 35area Eval,Center weighted,Partial,Spot P,A,S,M Auto,100,200,400,800,1600,3200, 6400,12800 30-1/8000 sec. B 6 positions, Kelvin & manual preset 3.0-inch 920,000 Upto 1/250 Yes SIngle, Continous, Continous-High Compact Flash (Type I or II),UDMA Canon BP-511Ah Li-Ion & Charger 146x108x74mm 822 gms.

Price: Rs. 67,995 (body only)

CANON EOS 450D

Sensor Type/size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats: Metering Modes : Exposure Modes ISO Equivalence Shutter Speeds White Balance

: : : :

LCD Monitor LCD Pixels/dots Flash Sync PC Terminal Storage Type Battery

: : : : : :

Dimensions (wxhxd) : Weight :

CMOS, 22.2x14.8mm 12.2 million RAW/JPEG Evaluative, partial, Spot, Center-weighted Auto, P, A, S, M 100 - 1600 30secs - 1/4000sec, bulb Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, Custom, Color Temp Setting 3.0-inch 230,000 pixels Up to 1/250sec No SD/SDHC/MMC card Canon 1050mAh Li-Ion & Charger 129x98x62mm Approx. 822gms (Incl.batteries)

Price: Rs. 39,995 (body only)

Buyers’ Guide - Digital SLRs CANON EOS 500D

Sensor Type/size Effective Pixels Supported File Format Metering Modes LCD ISO Equivalence Shutter Speeds White Balance LCD Monitor LCD pixels/dots Flash Sync Starage Type Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: CMOS, 22.3x14.9mm : 15.1 million : RAW/JPEG : Evaluative 35-area, Partial, Spot, Center-weighted : 3.0-inch, Approx. 920,000 dots : ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 12800) : 30secs - 1/4000 sec, bulb : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom : 3.0-inch : 920,000 : 1/200 sec : SD/ SDHC card : Li-Ion 1050mAh & charger : 129 x 98 x 62 mm : 480 gms

Sensor Type/ size : CMOS, 22.2x14.8mm Effective Pixels : 10.1 million Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG Metering Modes : Evaluative, Partial, Center-weighted Exposure Modes : P, S, A, M, Depth-of-field AE ISO Equivalence : 100-1600 Shutter Speeds : 30sec-1/4000sec, bulb White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent light, Flash, custom LCD Monitor : 2.5-inch LCD Pixels/Dots : 230,000 pixels PC Terminal : No Flash Sync : Up to 1/200sec Shooting Modes : Single, Cont. (3fps) Storage Type : SD/SDHC Battery : Lithium-Ion LP-E5 battery + charger Dimensions (wxhxd) : 126x98x62mm Weight : Approx 502gms (Incl. Batteries)

Price: Rs. 46,995 (body only)

NIKON D3

Sensor Type/size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes : Exposure Modes : ISO Equivalence : Shutter Speeds White Balance

: :

LCD Monitor LCD Pixels/Dots Flash Sync PC Terminal Storage Type Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: : : : : : : :

Nikon FX format, 36x24mm, CMOS 12.1 million RAW, TIFF, JPEG, RAW + JPEG Evaluative, Center -wtd, Spot P (with Flexible Program), S, A, M 200 - 6400; 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 or 1 EV steps (100 - 25600 with boost) 30secs -1/8000sec, Bulb Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature Setting 3-inch 920,000 pixels Up to 1/250sec Yes CF card (Type I/II) x 2 Nikon EN-EL4a Lithium-Ion battery 160x157x88mm Approx. 1300gms (Incl. battery)

Price: Rs. 2,89,950

NIKON D3X

CANON EOS 1000D

Sensor Type/size

: CMOS, 35.9x24.0mm

Effective Pixels

: 24.5 million

Supported File Formats : RAW, TIFF, JPEG Metering Modes

: 3D Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot

Exposure Modes

: P, A, S, M

ISO Equivalence

: 100 - 1600

Shutter Speeds

: 30 - 1/8000sec, bulb

White Balance

: Auto, 7 Manual Presets, Color

LCD Monitor

: 3.0-inch Type

Temperature LCD Pixels/dots

: 9,20,000

Flash Sync

: Up to 1/250 sec

PC Terminal

: Yes

Storage Type

: CF Type I, II (UDMA compliant),

Battery

: Li-ion EN-EL4a/EL4

Microdrive Dimensions (wxhxd)

: 159.5×157×87.5mm

Weight

: Approx. 1220gms.

Price: Rs. 5,24,950 (body only)

Price: Rs. 34,995 (with 18-55 kit lens)

NIKON D700

Sensor Type/size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes :

Exposure Modes ISO Equivalence

: :

Shutter Speeds White Balance

: :

LCD Monitor LCD Pixels/Dots Flash Sync PC Terminal Storage Type Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: : : : : : : :

CMOS, 36 x 23.9mm 12.1 million RAW, TIFF, JPEG, RAW + JPEG 3D Matrix Metering II, color matrix metering, Center-weighted, Spot P (with Flexible Program), S, A, M ISO 200-6400 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV Boost: 100 - 25600 30secs -1/8000sec, Bulb Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature Setting 3-inch 920,000 pixels Up to 1/250sec Yes CF card (Type I/II), UDMA supported Nikon Lithium-Ion EN-EL3e 147x123x77mm Approx. 995gms (Incl. battery) Price: 1,85,950

NIKON D300

Sensor Type/size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes : Exposure Modes ISO Equivalence

: :

Shutter Speeds White Balance

: :

LCD Monitor LCD Pixels/Dots Flash Sync PC Terminal Storage Type Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: : : : : : : :

CMOS, 23.6x15.8mm 12.3 million RAW, TIFF, JPEG 3D Matrix metering II, Center weighted, Spot P, A, S, M ISO 200 - 3200 in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps (100 - 6400 with boost) 30secs - 1/8000sec, bulb Auto, seven Presets, 4 Manual Presets,Color temp in Kelvin (2500 -10000 K, 31 steps) 3.0-inch 920,000 pixels Up to 1/250sec Yes CF card (Type I/II), Microdrive Nikon EN-EL3e Lithium-Ion battery 147x114x74mm Approx. 925gms (Incl. batteries)

Price: Rs. 99,950

October 2009 Smart Photography

115

NIKON D300S

NIKON D90

NIKON D3000

Sensor Size/Type

: CMOS 23.6 x 15.8mm

Sensor Size/Type

: CMOS, 23.6x15.8mm

Sensor Size/Type

: CMOS, 23.6 x 15.8mm

Effective Pixels

: 12.3 million

Effective Pixels

: 12.3 million

Effective Pixels

: 12.3 million

Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG

Supported File Formats : RAW,JPEG

Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG

Metering Modes

: 3D Matrix metering II, Center-Weighted, Spot.

Metering Modes

: 3D Matrix metering II,Center weighted,Spot

Metering Modes

: 3D color matrix metering II,

Exposure Modes

: Auto, P.S.A.M

Exposure Modes

: Scene Modes,P,A,S,M

ISO Equivalence

: ISO 200 to 3200 in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV

ISO Equivalence

: Auto,200-3200(plus 6400 with boost)

Exposure Modes

: PASM

Shutter Speed

: 30secs -1/8000sec, Bulb

Shutter Speeds

: 30-1/4000 sec. B

ISO Equivalence

: 200 to 3200 in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV

White Balance

: Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct

White Balance

: 12 positions,5 manual preset and Kelvin

Shutter Speeds

: 30secs - 1/4000sec, Bulb

Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, and preset

LCD Monitor

: 3.0-inch

White Balance

: Auto, 12 manual preset

manual and color temperature setting.

LCD pixels/dots

: 920,000

LCD Monitor

: 3.0 inch TFT LCD

: 3.0-inch

Flash Sync

: Upto 1/200

Flash Sync

: up to 1/200 sec

Flash Sync

: Up to /250 sec

PC Terminal

: Yes

Shooting Modes

: Single Frame, Continuous, Self-timer,

Storage Type

: CF Type I (UDMA Compliant):

Shooting Modes

: Single, Continous, Continous-High

Storage Type

: SD/SDHC card

Storage Type

: SD / SDHC card

Battery

: Nikon EN-EL3e Lithium-Ion battery

Battery

: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e

LCD Monitor

SD / SDHC card Battery

: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e

center-weighted and spot metering

Quick-Response Remote, Delayed Remote

Dimensions (wxhxd) : 147 x 114 x 74 mm

Dimensions (wxhxd) : 132x103x77mm

Dimensions (wxhxd) : 147 x 114 x 74 mm

Weight

Weight

Weight

: Approx. 840 gms

: 703 gms.

Price: TBA

NIKON D5000

Sensor Type/size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes : Exposure Modes ISO Equivalence Shutter Speeds White Balance LCD Monitor LCD pixels/dots Flash Sync Storage Type Battery Dimensions(wxhxd) Weight

: : : : : : : : : : :

CMOS, 12.3 million RAW/JPEG 3D color matrix metering II, Center-weighted, Spot P. A. S. M 200 to 3200 in steps of 1/3 EV. 30secs – 1/4000 sec, Bulb Auto, 12 manual preset 2.7-inch type 230,000 pixels Upto 1/200sec SD/SDHC card Li-ion Battery EN-EL9a 127 x 104 x 80 mm 560gms

OLYMPUS EP1

Sensor Type/Size

: 18.00 x 13.50 mm

Effective Pixels

: 12.3 million

Supported File Formats : RAW, RAW + JPEG, JPEG (EXIF 2.2), AVI Motion JPEG Metering Modes

: ESP multi-pattern, Center-Weighted,

Modes

: Auto, P,A,S,M

ISO Equivalence

: 100 - 6400

Shutter Speeds

: 60 Sec - 1/4000 Sec

116

Smart Photography October 2009

Price: Body: TBA

OLYMPUS E-620

Sensor Type/size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes :

Spot, Highlight based spot.

White Balance

: 8 positions, Kelvin & Manual preset

LCD Monitor

: 3“

LCD Pixels/Dots

: 230000

Flash Sync

: 1/180 Sec

PC Terminal

: No

Storage Type

: SD/SDHC card

Battery

: BLS-1 Lithium-Ion

Dimensions

: 121 x 70 x 36 mm

Weight Price: Body: Rs. 48,950 Kit Lens: 55,950

: 840gms

Price: Body: Rs. 64,950 Kit Lens: Rs. 83,950

: 355 g Price: Rs. 41,995 (body only)

Exposure Modes ISO Equivalence Shutter Speeds White Balance

: : : :

LCD pixels/dots Flash Sync Storage Type

: : :

Battery Dimensions(wxhxd) Weight

:

Live MOS Sensor, 4/3-inch 12.3 million RAW/JPEG Digital ESP Multipattern, Center weighed, Spot, Highlight based Spot, Shadow based Spot P. A. S. M, Scene Program, 200 – 3200 60 - 1/4000 sec, bulb Auto 8 preset, One touch, Custom (Kelvin) 230,000 pixels Upto 1/180 sec CF Type I, II (UDMA compliant), Microdrive, xD-Picture Card (Dual-Slot) BLS-1 Li-ion Battery 130 x 94 x 60 mm Approx. 475 gms Price: Rs.TBA

Buyers’ Guide - Digital SLRs PANASONIC G1

Sensor Size/Type

: Live MOS

Effective Pixels

: 12.11 million

Supported File Formats : RAW,JPEG Metering Modes

: Multi-segment,Center-Weighted,Spot

Exposure Modes

: Auto, Intelligent Auto,Scene

ISO Equivalence

: Auto,100,200,400,800,1600,3200 Boost

Shutter Speeds

: 60-1/4000 sec.

White Balance

: 6 positions plus 2 manual

LCD Monitor

: 3.0-inch

LCD pixels/dots

: 460,000

Flash Sync

: Upto 1/160

PC Terminal

: Yes

Shooting Modes

: Single Shot,Continous

Storage Type

: SD/MMC/SDHC card

Modes,P,A,S,M

Battery

: Lithium-Ion rechargeable

Dimensions (wxhxd)

: 124x84x45mm

Weight

: 360 gms.

Price: TBA

PENTAX K-7

Sensor Type Effective Pixels Supported File Formats Metering Modes Exposure Modes

: : : : :

ISO Equivalence Shutter Speed White Balance LCD Monitor LCD Pixels/Dots Flash Sync PC Terminal Shooting Modes

: : : : : : : :

Storage Type Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: : : :

CMOS, 23.4 x 15.6mm 14.6 MP; RAW/JPEG Multi, centre-weighted, spot P A S M B (extended modes Sv, TAv) Auto - ISO 100-3200 30 secs - 1/8000 sec, bulb Auto, 7 presets plus Manual 3-inch 921,000 dots Upto 1/180 sec No Single frame, Low-speed continuous, High-speed continuous SD/ SDHC card Rechargeable Li-Ion battery D-LI90 131 x 97 x 73 mm 670 gms

Price: TBA

PANASONIC GH1

PANASONIC GF1

Sensor : Live MOS Effective Pixels : 12.1 million Supported File Formats : RAW,JPEG Lenses : Micro Four Thirds mount lenses Exposure modes : Program AE, Aperture priority AE, Shutter priority AE, Manual, Auto, Scene modes, Portrait, Soft Skin, Outdoor Portrait, Indoor Portrait, Creative Portrait, Scenery, TBAture, etc.

ISO Sensitivity : Auto, Intelligent ISO 100, 200,400,800,1600,3200 Metering range : 0 to 18 EV Exposure compensation: -3.0 to +3.0 EV • 1/3 EV steps Shutter speed : 60 -1/4000 sec White balance : 6 positions plus 2 manual LCD monitor : 3.0 -inch PC Terminal : YesStorage Type SD / SDHC Movie Clips : 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720 848 x 480 640 x 480, 320 x 240 Battery : 1250 mAh 7.2v Lithium-Ion Dimensions : 124 mm x 90mm x 45 mm Weight (camera body) Approx. 385g

Sensor Type/Size : 18.00 x 13.50 mm Effective Pixels : 12.1 million Supported File Formats: RAW, RAW + JPEG Standard • RAW + JPEG Fine • JPEG (EXIF 2.2) Standard Metering Modes : Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot Exposure Modes : Intellegent Auto, P, A,S,M ISO Equivalence : ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200 Shutter Speeds : 60 Sec - 1/4000 Sec White Balance : 6 positions, plus 2 manual LCD Monitor : 3.0-inch LCD Pixels/Dots : 460000 Flash Sync : 1/160 sec PC Terminal : No Storage Type : SD/SDHC/MMC Battery : Lithium-Ion Dimensions : 119 x 71 x 36.3 mm Weight : 315gms

Price: Rs. 99,990 (with kit lens)

Price: TBA

PENTAX K20D

Sensor Type/size : CMOS, 23.4x15.6mm Effective Pixels : 14.6 million Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG Metering Modes : 16-segment Multi, Center-weighted, Spot Exposure Modes : P, A, S, M, Flash metered manual ISO Equivalence : Auto, 100 - 3200 in 1EV, 1/2 EV or 1/3 EV stops, ISO 6400 as option Shutter Speeds : 30secs - 1/4000sec, bulb White Balance : Auto, Lamp, Fluorecent 1/2/3, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Custom, Color Temperature LCD Monitor : 2.7-inch LCD Pixels/Dots : 230,000 pixels Flash Sync : Up to 1/300sec PC Terminal : No Shooting Modes : Single frame, Low-speed continuous High-speed continuous Storage Type : SD/MMC/SDHC card Battery : Lithium Ion (D-LI50) & charger Dimensions (wxhxd) : 142x101x70mm Weight : Approx. 800gms (Incl. batteries) Price : Rs. 79,000

PENTAX K-m

Sensor Type/Size Effective pixels Supported File Formats Metering Modes

: : : :

CCD, 23.5 x 15.7mm 10.2 RAW (PEF/DNG), JPEG Multi-segment, Center weighted, Spot Exposure Modes : P, S,A,M, Sensitivity Priority ISO Equivalence : Auto, 100–3200 (1, 1/2, 1/3 steps) Shutter Speeds : 30sec – 1/4000sec, Bulb White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (D, N, W), Tungsten, Flash, Fine adjustment available LCD Monitor : 2.7-inch Type TFT LCD Pixels/Dots : 2,30,000 dots Flash Sync : 1/180sec Image Stabilization : In-body, CCD-shift Storage Type : SD, SDHC Battery : 4 AA (lithium, NiMH rechargeable, alkaline) Dimensions (wxhxd) : 122x91x68.58mm (4.8 x 3.6 x 2.7 in) Weight without batteries : Approx. 524gms Price: TBA

October 2009 Smart Photography

117

Buyers’ Guide - Digital SLRs SAMSUNG GX20

SONY A 230

Sensor Type/size : CMOS, 23.4x15.6mm Effective Pixels : 14.6 million Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG Metering Modes : 16-segment Multi, Center-weighted, Spot Exposure Modes : P, A, S, M, Flash metered manual ISO Equivalence : Auto, 100 -3200 in 1/3EV or 1/2EV stops, plus 6400 as option Shutter Speeds : 30secs - 1/4000sec, bulb White Balance : Auto, Lamp, Fluorecent 1/2/3, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Custom, Color Temperature LCD Monitor : 2.7-inch LCD Pixels/Dots : 230,000 pixels Flash Sync : Up to 1/300sec PC Terminal : No Shooting Modes : Single frame, Low-speed continuous High-speed continuous Storage Type : SD/MMC/SDHC card Battery : Lithium Ion (SLB-1674) & charger Dimensions (wxhxd) : 142×101×71.5mm Weight : Approx. 800gms (Incl. batteries)

Sensor Type/Size : CCD, 23.6 x 15.8mm Effective Pixels : 10.2 million Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG Metering Modes : Spot, Multi-segment, Center-weighted Metering Modes : Bulb, manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority.

ISO Equivalence: : Auto 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Shutter Speeds : 30sec – 1/4000sec, bulb White Balance : Auto, 6 presets, plus manual LCD Monitor : 2.7-inch Flash Sync: : Upto 1/160 sec PC Terminal : No Shooting Mode : Single-shot, Continuous, Self-timer, etc Storage Type : SD Memory Card. Memory Stick PRP Duo Battery : (NP-FH50), Li-ion rechargeable Dimensions (wxhxd) : 128.0 x 97.0 x 67.5 mm Weight : 450gms

Price: TBA

Price: TBA

SONY A 380

Sensor Type/size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes : Exposure Modes ISO Equivalence

: :

Shutter Speed White Balance LCD Monitor PC Terminal Shooting Modes

: : : : :

Storage Type

:

Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: : :

CCD, 23.5 x 15.7 mm 14.2 million RAW/JPEG 40 segment, Centre Weighted, Colour Matrix, Spot Program AE/AP/SP/M Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 30 secs - 1/4000sec, bulb Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent 2.7-inch, 230,400 pixels Yes Single-shot, Continuous, Self-timer, Self-timer Continuous, Bracketing, Memory Stick PRO Duo/ SD memory card/ SDHC memory card NP-FH50 128 x 97 x 71.4mm 490 gms TBA

118

Smart Photography October 2009

SONY A850

Sensor Type/Size

SONY A 330

Sensor Type/Size : Effective Pixels : Supported File Formats : Metering Modes : Exposure Mode : ISO Equivalence : Shutter Speeds : White Balance : LCD Monitor : LCD Pixels/Dots : Flash Sync : PC Terminal : Shooting Modes :

Storage Type Battery Dimensions (wxhxd) Weight

: : : :

CCD, 23.6 x15.8mm 10.2 million RAW/JPEG 40 segment, center weighted, spot Auto, P,A,S,M 100 - 3200 in 1EV steps 30 secs - 1/4000 seconds, bulb auto, 6 presets, custom 2.7-inch 230,400 pixels Upto 1/160 sec No Single-shot, Continuous, Self-timer, Self-timer Continuous, Bracketing, Remote Commander Memory Stick Duo (Pro), SD, SDHC NP-FH50 128.0 x 97.0 x 71.4 mm 490 gms

Price: Rs. 39,990 (with kit lens)

SONY A900

: 35.9 x 24.0 mm CMOS sensor ‘Exmor’ Effective Pixels : 24.6 million Supported File Formats : RAW/ JPEG Metering Modes : 40-segment Multi, Center weighted, Spot Exposure Modes : Auto, P, A,S, M ISO Equivalence : 100-1600 Shutter Speeds : 31 sec - 1/8000 sEC White Balance : 7 positions, plus manual LCD Monitor :3“ LCD Pixels/Dots : 921600 Flash Sync : 1/250 sec PC Terminal : Yes Storage Type : Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32 Battery : Lithium-Ion (NP-FM500H) Dimensions : 156 x 117 x 82 mm Weight : 895gms

Sensor Size/Type : CMOS Effective Pixels : 24.6 million Supported File Formats : RAW,JPEG, cRAW Metering Modes : Multi-segment,Center-weighted Average, Spot Exposure Modes : Auto,Scene Modes,P,A,S,M ISO Equivalence : Auto,100,200,400,800,(upto1600) Shutter Speeds : 30-1/8000 sec. B White Balance : 7 positions plus manual LCD Monitor : 3-inch LCD pixels/dots : 921,600 Flash Sync : Upto 1/250 sec PC Terminal : Yes Shooting Modes : P, A, S, M, MR Storage Type : Compact Flash, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32 Battery : Lithium-Ion (NP-FM500H) & charger Dimensions (wxhxd) : 156 x 117 x 82 mm Weight : 895gms

Price: TBA

Price: Rs. 1,75, 000

Buyers’ Guide - Digital Compacts CANON A 480

Effective Pixels Focal Length Digital Zoom Focusing Range

: : : :

LCD Maximum Aperture Shutter Speed ISO Sensitivity

: : : :

Metering Modes

:

Exposure Compensation : White Balance Control : Shooting Modes Storage types Image stabilization File formats Power

: : : : :

Dimensions / Weight

:

Approx. 10.0 Million Pixels 37-122 mm equivalent 4x Normal: 50cm-infinity Macro: 3-50cm (W), 25-50cm (T) 2.5-inch TFT, 115,000 pixels f/3.0 (W) - f/5.8 (T) 15-1/2000 sec.

Auto, ISO 100/200/400/800/1600 Evaluative, Center-weighted Average, Spot. +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Custom Auto, P, Special Scene Modes SD/SDHC, Multi MediaCards Normal, Fine, SuperFine JPEG 1. AA-size Alkaline Battery (x2) 2. Rechargeable AA-size Ni-MH 3.63x2.44x1.22-inches.140g (without battery and card)

CANON A 590 IS

CANON A 650 IS

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

: Approx 8.0 Million pixels, : 35- 140 mm equivalent : Normal 45cm – infinity, Macro 5 - 45cm (W), 30 - 45cm (T) Imaging processor : DIGIC III LCD Monitor : 2.5-inch, Approx 115,000 dots Metering Modes : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO setting : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Type : Mechanical & electronic Shutter Speeds : 1/60-1/2000 sec. 15-1/2000 sec.

Aperture Type : Iris type, f/2.6-f/8.0 (W),f/5.5-f/8.0 (T) Shooting Modes : Auto, Easy, P, Tv, Av, M, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, etc Storage Types : SD memory card, SDHC memory card, MultiMediaCards Power : AA Alkaline batteries x2 AA rechargeable NiMH batteries x2 Dimensions/ Weight : 3.71x2.55x1.61-in. Approx. 175g .

Price: NA.

Imaging Processor LCD Focus Metering Modes ISO Speed White Balance Shutter Speed range Aperture Shooting Modes Continuous Shooting Storage Type File Format Power Source Dimensions/Weight

Price: Rs. 9,995

: Approx. 12.1 Million Pixels : 35 -210 mm equivalent : Normal: 50cm) -infinity Macro:1-50cm (W) : DIGIC III : 2.5-inches, Approx.173,000 dots : AF, Manual Focus : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, : 15- 1/2000 sec : f/2.8 - f/8.0, : Auto, P, Tv, Av, M, C, Portrait, Landscape, etc. : Approx. 1.2 shots/sec. : SD, SDHC, MMC etc. : JPEG,AVI, WAVE Monaural, : AA Alkaline batteries x 4 AA rechargeable NiMH batteries : 4.41x2.67x2.21inches,Approx.300g

Price: Rs. 19,995

CANON A 1000 IS

CANON A 1100 IS

CANON A 2000 IS

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

: Approx 10.0 Million pixels : 35-140 mm equivalent : Normal 50cm –infinity, Macro 3-50cm (W),30-50cm

Imaging processor LCD Metering Modes

: DIGIC III : 2.5-inch, Approx 115,000 dots : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom.

Shutter Speeds : 1/60-1/1500 sec. 15 - 1/1500 sec.

Aperture Type : Circular type, f/2.7, f/7.6,f/5.6,f/16 Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Easy, Portrait, Land scape, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Beach, Fireworks, Storage type : SD, SDHC, MMCards Power : 2x AA Alkaline batteries 2x AA rechargeable NiMH batteries Dimensions / Weight : 3.76x2.46x1.22 inches.Approx. 155g Price: Rs. 10,995

: Approx 12.1 Million pixels : 35-140 mm equivalent : Normal: 50cm – infinity Macro: 3-50cm (W),30–50cm (T) All Range: 3cm – infinity (W), 30cm – infinity (T) Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC 4 Processor LCD : 2.5-inches, Approx. 115,000 dots Focus : AF, AiAF, Metering System : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, ISO80/100/200/400/ 800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Speed : 1 – 1/1500 sec. 15 – 1/1500 sec.

Aperture : Circular type, f/2.7 - f/16 Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Easy, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Movie, etc.

Recording Media : SD, SDHC, MMCards Power Source : 2x AA Alkaline batteries, Dimensions&Weight : 3.76x2.46x1.22 in., Approx. 155g Price: TBA

: Approx 10.0 Million pixels : 36 - 216 mm equivalent : Normal 50cm – infinity, Macro 1-50cm (W) Image stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC III processor LCD : 3.0-inch, App. 230,000 dots Focus : AF Metering Modes: : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto*, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Speeds 1/60-1/1600 sec. 15-1/1600 sec.

Aperture Type : Round shaped aperture, f/number: f/3.2, f/9.0, f/5.9,f/17.0 Shooting Modes : Auto, Easy, Portrait, Land scape, Night Snapshot,Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, etc.

Movie Clip : Approx. 1.3shots/sec Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCards.

Power Source : 2 AA Alkaline batteries 2 AA rechargeable NiMH batteries Dimensions / Weight : 4.01x2.50x1.26-inches,Approx. 85g.

Price: Rs. 12,995

October 2009 Smart Photography

119

CANON POWERSHOT A 2100 IS

CANON IXUS 80 IS

CANON IXUS 85 IS

Effective Pixels Focal Length LCD Focus Metering Modes

Effective Pixels Focal Length Image Stabilizer

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

: Approx. 12.1 million pixels (CCD) : 36 - 216mm equivalent : 3.0 inches, : AF : Evaluative, center-weighted, average, and spot White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Speed : 15 - 1/1600 seconds Aperture : f/3.2 – f/5.9 ISO Speed : 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 (3200) Shooting Modes : Auto, Easy P, Portrait, Landscape, Special Scene Beach etc.

Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCplus Power : AA size Alkaline Battery Dimensions/Weight : 101.9 x 63.5 x 31.9mm, 190g

: Approx 8.0 Million pixels, : 38-114 mm equivalent : Lens-shift type, Imaging, DIGIC III Processor LCD : 2.5-inch, Approx 230,000 pixels Focus : AF Metering Modes : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot.

Focus Range : Normal -30cm-infinity, Marco 3-50cm (W), 30-50cm(T) ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Custom, etc Shutter Speed : Mechanical&electronic Aperture Type : Circular Shooting Modes : Auto, Camera M (Manual), Digital Marco, Portrait, Night Snapshot, etc.

Movie Clips : Approx. 1.3shots/sec Storage Mode : SD, SDHC, MMCards Power : Battery Pack NB-4L AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC10 Dimensions/ Weight : 3.42x2.16x0.87 inches, Approx. 125g

Price: Rs. 14,995

: Approx 10.0 Million pixels : 35-105 mm equivalent : Normal 30cm – infinity, Macro 3-50cm (W), 30-50cm (T) : Lens-shift type, Imaging, DIGIC III Processor : 2.5-inches, App. 230,000 dots. : AF, AiAF : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Custom : Mechanical &electronic. Aperture : Circular type, f/number - f/2.8, 8.0, 4.9,14 : Auto, Camera Manual, Digital Marco, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, etc. : Approx. 1.4 shots/sec. : SD, SDHC, MMCards : Battery Pack NB-6L AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40 : 3.39x2.13x0.80 inches, Approx.

130g (without battery and card)

Image Stabilizer LCD Focus Metering Modes ISO Speed White Balance Shutter Type Type Shooting Modes Movie Clips Storage type Power Dimensions/ Weight

Price: Rs. 15,995

Price: Rs. 11,595

CANON IXUS 90 IS

CANON IXUS 95 IS

CANON IXUS 100 IS

Camera Effective Pixels: Approx 10.0 Million pixels Focal Length : 35-105 mm equivalent Focusing Range : Normal: 30cm – infinity Marco: 3- 50cm (W), 30 – 50cm (T), digital Macro- 310cm Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC III LCD : 3.0-inches, Approx 230,000 dots Focus : AF Metering System : Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, ISO80 to 1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, etc.

Shutter : Mechanical & Electronic Speed : 1/60 – 1/1500 sec.

Aperture : Circular type, f/number - f/2.8 – f/8.0 (W), f/4.9 – f/14 (T) Shooting Modes : Auto, Camera M,Digital Marco, Night Snapshot, Underwater, etc.

Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCards Power : Battery Pack NB-6L AC adapter

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

Effective Pixels Focal Length Image Stabilizer Focusing Range

: : : :

LCD Focus Metering Modes ISO Speed White Balance

: : : : :

Shutter Speed Aperture Type

: :

Shooting Modes

:

Recording Media File Format

: :

Storage Type Power

:

Price: Rs. 18,995

120

Smart Photography October 2009

: Approx 10.0 Million pixels : 35-105 mm equivalent : Normal: 30cm – infinity,Macro -350cm(W), 30-50(T), digital -3-10cm.

Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC 4 Processor LCD : 2.5-inch type, App. 230,000 dots Focus : AF, AiAF Metering Mode : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto,ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, etc.

Shutter Speeds : 1–1/1500 sec. 15–1/1500 sec.

Aperture Type : Circular type,f/2.8, f/8.0, f/4.9,f/14 Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Portrait, Night Snapshot, etc.

Digital Zoom : Still images/Movies-Timer Movie Clips : Approx. 1.4shots/sec Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCards Still Images : JPEG, AVI Power : Battery Pack NB-6L, AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC40 Dimensions/ Weight : 3.48x2.16x0.86-inches.Approx. 120g (without battery and card) Price: TBA

Dimensions/ Weight :

Approx 12.1 Million pixels (CCD) 35-140 mm equivalent Lens-shift type, DIGIC 4 Processor Normal-50-infinity, Macro 350cm(W), 30-50cm(T) 2.5-inch. Approx 115,000 dots AF, AiAF Evaluative, Center-weighted,Spot Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom 1 – 1/1500 sec. 15 – 1/1500 sec.

Circular type, f/number - f/2.7,f/8.0, f/5.6, f/16 Auto, P, Easy, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, etc.

SD, SDHC, MMCards, Design rule for camera file system, DPOF (Version 1.1) compliant SD, SDHC , MMCards.

2x AA Alkaline batteries, 2x AA rechargeable NiMH batteries 3.76 x 2.46 x 1.22 inches, Approx.

155g (without battery and card) Price:TBA

Buyers’ Guide - Digital Compacts CANON IXUS 110 IS

CANON IXUS 860 IS

CANON IXUS 870 IS

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range Image Stablizer LCD Focus Metering Mode

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

: Approx 12.1 Million pixels (CCD) : 28 - 112mm equivalent : Normal: 50cm – infinity : Lens-shift type, DIGIC 4 Processor : 2.8-inch type, Approx 230,000 dots : AF, AiAF : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speeds : Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto,Daylight,Cloudy,Tungsten, Fluorecent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Speed : 1 – 1/1600 sec. 15 – 1/1600 sec.

Aperture Type : Circular type, f/2.8 – f/5.6 , f/5.8 – f/11 Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Sunset,Fireworks, Long Shutter, Beach, Underwater, Snow etc.

Digital Zoom : Media: Still images/Movies, Safety Zoom, Digital Tele-converter Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCard, MMCplus card, HC MMCplus card Power : Battery Pack NB-4L , AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC10 Dimensions/Weight : 97.9 x 54.1 x 22.1 mm, Approx. 145g

: Approx 8.0 Million pixels, : 28 - 105 mm equivalent : Normal 45cm–infinity,Macro360cm(W),30-60(T),Digital macro 3-10cm.

Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC III processor LCD : 3.0-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots Focus : AF, AiAF Metering Modes : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Type Mechanical & electronic Aperture Type : Circular aperture, f/number -f/2.8, f/5.8 Shooting Modes : Auto, Camera M (Manual), Digital Macro, Color Accent, etc.

Recording Media : SD, SDHC, MMCard, MMCplus card, HC MMCplus card File Format : Design rule for camera file system, DPOF (Version 1.1) compliant Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCards.

Power Battery Pack NB-5L AC Adaptor Kit ACK-DC30 Dimensions/ Weight : 92.6 x 58.8 x 25.9 mm Approx. 155g

: Approx 10.0 Million pixels : 28 -112 mm equivalent : Normal: 50cm – infinityMacro 250cm(W), 30-50cm(T), Digital Macro- 2-50cm Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC 4 Processor LCD Monitor : 3.0-inch type, Approx. 230,000 dots Focus : AF, AiAF Metering Modes : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Custom Shutter Speed : 1/60 - 1/1600 sec. 15 - 1/1600 sec.

Aperture Type : Circular type. f/numberf/2.8,f/5.6,f/5.8,f/11.6 Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Special Scene, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets,etc.

Movie Clip : Approx. 1.4 shots/sec.

Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCards.

Power : Battery Pack NB-5L AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC30 Dimensions/ Weight : 3.69 x 2.24 x 0.93-inches. Approx.155g

Price: Rs. 19,995

Price: Rs. 19,995

CANON IXUS 960 IS

CANON IXUS 970 IS

CANON IXUS 980 IS

Effective Pixels Focal Length Digital Zoom Focusing Range

: : : :

Effective Pixels Focal Length Digital Zoom Focusing Range

: : : :

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

LCD Aperture Shutter Speed ISO Sensitivity Metering Modes Exposure Control Compensation White Balance

: : : : : : : :

Autofocus System LCD Maximum Aperture Shutter Speed ISO Sensitivity

: : : : :

Shooting Modes

:

Movie Clips Storage Type Power Source

: : :

Dimensions/ Weight :

Approx. 12.1 Million Pixels 28-112 mm equivalent 4x Normal: 50cm-infinity Macro: 2-50cm (W), 30-50cm (T) Digital Macro: 2-50cm (W) 2.8-inches. Approx. 230,000 dots f/2.8- f/5.8 15-1/1600 sec.

Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot Program AE, i-Contrast; AE Lock +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, etc.

Auto, Program, Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, etc.

Approx. 0.8 fps SD,SDHC, MMCards Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery NB-4L 2.

3.85x2.12x0.87-inches. Approx. 145g

Price: Rs. 24,995

Exposure Control : Compensation : White Balance Control : Shooting Modes

:

Creative Light

:

Storage Type Power Source

: :

Dimensions/ Weight :

Approx. 12.1 Million Pixels 37-185 mm equivalent 4x Normal: 50cm-infinity Macro: 2-50cm (W) Digital Macro:2-10cm (W) TTL Autofocus 3.0-inch, Approx. 461,000 dots f/3.2 - f/5.8 15-1/1600 sec.

Auto, ISO80/100/200/400/800/1600 Metering Modes:Evaluative, Centerweighted average, Spot Program AE, i-Contrast; AE Lock +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, etc.

Auto, Program, Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Effect, Digital Macro, Long Shutter, Exposure Zoom, Stitch Assist, etc.

SD,SDHC, MMCards Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery NB-5L 2.

3.73x2.24x1.04 in. Approx. 160g

Price: Rs. 21 995

Price: NA

: Approx. 14.7 Million Pixels : 28 -140 mm equivalent : Normal 50cm - infinity (W), Macro: 1– 50 cm (W) Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC 4 Processor: LCD : 3.0-inch, Approx.416,000 dots Focus : Single, continuous AF, Manual Focus Metering Modes : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/ 100/ 200/ 400/ 800/ 1600 White Balance : Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater, etc.

Shutter Speeds : 1/60 - 1/4000 sec. (Auto mode) 15 - 1/4000 sec.

Aperture Type : Iris type, f/number - f/2.8, f/8.0 (W), f/4.8 - f/8.0 (T) Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Tv, Av, M, C1, C2, SCN *, Stitch Assist, Movie, Portrait, Land scape, etc.

Storage type: : SD, SDHC, MMCards Power : Battery Pack NB-7L Dimensions/ Weight : 4.30 x 3.06 x 1.81 inches.Approx. 350g Price: Rs. 23,995

October 2009 Smart Photography

121

CANON SX 1 IS

CANON SX 10 IS

CANON SX 110 IS

Effective Pixels Focal Length Digital Zoom Focusing Range

: : : :

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

LCD Aperture Shutter Speed ISO Sensitivity: Metering Modes Exposure

: : : : : :

Camera Effective Pixels : Approx 10.0 Million pixels Focal Length : 28 - 560 mm equivalent Focusing Range : Normal 50cm - infinity (W), 1m - infinity (T), Macro:10 - 50cm (W) Super Macro:0-10cm Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, Processor DIGIC 4 LCD : 2.5-inch, Approx. 235,000 dots Metering Modes : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Speed : 1/8 – 1/3200 sec. 15–1/3200 sec.

Aperture Type : Iris type,f/2.8/f/8.0(W),f/5.7/f/8.0 (T) Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Tv, Av, M, C, Stitch Assist, Movie : Indoor, Color Swap, etc.

Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMCards Power Source 4 AA Alkaline batteries 4 AA rechargeable NiMH batteries Dimensions/ Weight : 4.88 x 3.48 x 3.42 inches, Approx.

560g (without battery and card)

Compensation : White Balance Control : Shooting Modes

:

Storage Type : Power : Dimensions / Weight :

Approx. 10.0 Million Pixels 28-560 mm equivalent 4x Normal: 50cm-infinity (W), 1m-infinity (T) Macro: 10-50cm (W) Super Macro: 0-10cm (W) 2.8-inches, Approx. 230,000 dots f/2.8 - f/5.7 15-1/3200 sec.

Auto,ISO 80 - 600 Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot Program AE, Manual Exposure, i-Contrast, Program Shift, Safety Shift, Auto ISO Shift; AE Lock +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, etc.

Auto, P, Av, Tv, M, C, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, etc.

SD/SDHC , MMCard, AA-size Alkaline Battery 5.02 x 3.48 x 3.45 in, Approx. 585g

Price: Rs. 36,995

: Approx 9.0 Million pixels : 36- 360 mm equivalent : Normal: 50cm - infinity Macro: 1 - 50cm (W) Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type. DIGIC III Processor LCD : 3.0-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots Focus : Single, Continuous AF, Manual Focus Metering System : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom Shutter Speed : 1/8 – 1/2500 sec. 15 – 1/2500 sec.

Aperture : Iris type. f/number f/2.8,f/8.0, f/4.3, f/8.0 Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Tv, Av, M, Easy, Portrait, Landscape, Night, etc.

Continuous Shooting : Normal: Approx. 1.2 shots/sec.

Storage type SD,SDHC, MMCards Power Source : 2 AA Alkaline batteries 2 AA rechargeable NiMH batteries Dimensions/ Weight : 4.35x2.77x1.76 inches, Approx.245g

Price: Rs.26,995

Price: Rs. 17,995

CANON POWERSHOT SX 200

CANON G 10

CANON POWERSHOT D10

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

: Approx. 12.1 Million Pixels : 28-336mm equivalent : Normal: 50cm-infinity (W), 1m-infinity (T) Macro: 2-50cm (W) Super Macro: 0-2cm (W) Digital Zoom : 4x Image Stablizer : Lens-shift type LCD : 3.0-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots Metering Mode : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot Compensation : +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments ISO Speed : Auto, ISO 80/100/200/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, etc Shutter speed : 15-1/3200 sec Aperture Type : f/3.4 - f/5.3 Shooting Modes : Auto, Manual, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot Storage Type : SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus Power : Rechargeable Li-on Battery NB-5L Dimensions/Weight : 103x61x38mm, 220 gms.

Price: Rs. 24,995

122

Smart Photography October 2009

: Approx. 14.7 million pixels (CCD) : 28 - 140 mm equivalent : Normal 50cm - infinity, Macro 1-50cm Image Stabilizer : Lens-shift type, DIGIC 4 Processor LCD : 3.0-inch. Approx. 416,000 dots.

Focus : Single, continuous AF, Manual Focus Metering Modes : Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot ISO Speed : Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater, Shutter Speeds : 1/60 - 1/4000 sec.

Aperture Type : Iris type, f/2.8, f/8.0, f/4.8,f/8.0 Shooting Modes : Auto, P, Tv, Av, M, C1, C2, SCN, Stitch Assist, Movie, Portrait, Land scape, Night Scene, Sports, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets,etc.

Movie Clip : 1.3 shots/sec., AF approx. 7.0 Storage Types : SD, SDHC, MMCards.

Power Source : Battery Pack NB-7L AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC50 Dimensions/ Weight : 4.30x3.06x1.81inches. Approx.350g Price: Rs. 32,495

: Approx. 12 Million Pixels (CCD) : 35 – 105mm equivalent : Normal: 30cm-infinity, Macro 3-50cm (W), 30-50cm (T) Digital Zoom : 3x Imaging Processor : DIGIC 4 LCD : 2.5-inches Aperture Speed : f/2.8 – f/4.9 Shutter Speed : 15 to 1/1500 seconds Aperture : f/2.8 - f/4.9 Compensation : +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments ISO Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/ 1600 White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Underwater, Fluorescent, etc Exposure Metering : Multi-pattern, centre-weighted, spot Shooting Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Sunset, etc.

Storage Type : SD/SDHC Power Source : Lithium ion Dimension/Weight : 103.6x66.9x48mm/ 190 g

Price: Rs. 24,995

Buyers’ Guide - Digital Compacts CASIO EXILIM EX-H10

FUJIFILM F60

FUJIFLIM FINEPIX J20

Effective Pixels Image Sensor

Effective pixels CCD sensor Storage media

Effective Pixels Lens CCD Sensor Focal Length Shutter Speed Focus

: 12.10 million : 1/2.3-inch, Type CCD approx. 12.39 million Lens : 10x Zoom, 24 - 240 mm eqyuvalent Shutter Speed : 4 - 1/2000 sec Focal Length : Approx. 24 to 240 mm equivalent Focus Range : 15cm to infinity (W) , Macro: 7cm to 50cm LCD : 3.0-inch, approx. 230,400 dots ISO Sensitivity : Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Metering Modes : Multi-pattern, center weighted, spot by imaging element Exposure Comp. : +/- 2.0EV in 0.3EV steps White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Shade, Day white FL, Daylight FL, Tungsten, Manual Shooting Modes : Auto Focus, Macro Mode, Infinity Mode, Manual Focus Storage Type : 35.7 MB Internal Memory SDHC / SD Cards Power : Lithium-ion rechargeable Dimensions/Weight : 103 x 62 x 24 mm , 164 gms.

: 12.0 million pixels : 1/1.6-inch Type Super CCD VII HR : Internal memory (approx. 25MB) xD-Picture Card,SD,SDHC. Lens : Fujinon 3x ,F/2.8 - F/5.1 Lens focal length : 35 - 105 mm equivalent Focus Range : Normal 45 cm(W) 60 cm (W) Macro (W) 7 cm - 80 cm (T)30 cm - 80 cm Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400 Exposure mode : Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE Shooting modes : Mode dial: SR AUTO, Scene Recognition.

Image stabilizer : CCD-shift type Shutter speed : 1/4 sec. to 1/2000 sec.

Focus : AF, Continuous AF White balance : Automatic scene recognition, Presets LCD : 3.0-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots Power supply : NP-50 Li-ion battery (included) Dimensions&Weight : 3.6x 2.3x 0.9 Approx. 163 g (without batteries and memory card)

Price: Rs. TBA

10.0 Million Pixels Fujinon 3x zoom lens, f/3.1 – f/5.6 1/2.3” CCD 35 – 105mm equivalent 8 to 1/2000 sec.

Auto Focus, Automatic Scene Recognition ISO Sensitivity : Auto/Equivalent to ISO100/200/400/800/1600 Exposure Modes : Programmed AE White Balance : Preset: Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light, Incandescent Light.

LCD monitor : 2.7 inch, approx 230,000 dots Focal Range : Normal: Wide:Approx.40cm – infinity, Telephoto: Approx. 40cm –infinity Macro:Approx 10cm -80cm, (T) Approx: 40cm -80cm.

Shooting Modes : Portrait, Landscape Sport, Night, Fireworks, Beach, Museum, Party, etc.

Storage Type : SD/SDHC memory card.

Power : Rechargeable NP-45 Li-ion Battery Dimensions/Weight : 3.6 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches. Approx. 100g

Price: Rs. 13,999

: : : : : :

Price: Rs. 7999

FUJIFILM S100 FS

FUJFILM FINEPIX S 1500

FUJIFILM S2000 HD

: 11.1 million pixels : 2/3 - inch Type Super CCD HR : Internal memory (25MB) xD-Picture Card, SD SDHC File format : Still image JPEG, RAW, etc.

Lens : Fujinon 14.3x Optical zoom lens, F/2.8 - F/5.3 Lens focal length : 28 - 400mm equivalent Aperture : F/2.8-F/11 (W) / F/5.3-F/11 (T) Focus distance : Normal (W) 50cm - infinity, Macro (W)10cm 0.9m (T)Super Macro 1cm Sensitivity : AUTO, ISO 100 to 10000 Shooting modes : Auto, FSB, SP, Nature-Vivid, Portrait, Baby, etc.

Shutter speed : 1/4 sec. to 1/4000 sec.

Focus : AF, Manual focus White balance : Auto scene recognition, Presets LCD monitor : 2.5 - inch , approx.230,000 dots Power supply : NP - 140 Li-ion battery Dimensions&Weight : 5.3x3.7x5.9 in.Approx. 918g (without batteries and memory card)

Effective Pixels Lens

Effective pixels CCD sensor Storage media

Effective pixels

CCD sensor Storage media

Price: Rs. 39,000

: 10.0 Million Pixels : Fujinon 12x opical zoom lens, f/2.8 – f/5.0 CCD Sensor : 1/ 2.3 inch, CCD Aperture : f/2.8 – f/6.4 (W), f/ 5.0 – f/ 8.0 (T) Focal Length : 33 – 396mm equivalent Shutter Speed : AUTO mode: 1/4 sec to 1/2000 sec., ISO Sensitivity : Auto / Equivalent to ISO 64/100/200/ 400/800/1600/3200/6400 Exposure Modes : Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual Exposure Control : TTL 256-zones metering White Balance : Automatic scene recognition, Preset (Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light, etc.

LCD Monitor : 2.7-inch, approx. 230,000 pixels, Focus : Auto focus (Area, Multi, Center, Tracking)/Continuous AF Shooting Modes : Mode dial : Auto, SR-Auto, SP, P, S, A, M, C, Panorama, Movie Storage Type : SD memory card /SDHC memory card Power : 4xAA type alkaline batteries (included), Ni-MH rechargeable batteries(optional) Dimensions/Weight: 4.0 × 2.9 × 2.7 inches, Approx. 324g Price: Rs. 14,999/-

: 10.0 million pixels : 1/2.3-inch Type CCD : Internal memory (approx. 55MB), SD, SDHC Lens : Fujinon 15x Optical zoom lens, F/3.5 (W) - F/5.4 (T) Lens focal length : 27-486mm, equivalent Aperture : (W) f/3.5 - f/7.0, (T) f/5.4 - f/10.8 Focus distance : Normal (W) 70 cm (T) 2.5m Macro: (W) 10 cm - 1 m (T) 70 cm Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 100,200,400,800,1600, 3200, 6400 Exposure modes : Programmed AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual Shooting Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, etc.

Shutter speed : 1/4sec. to 1/1000sec.

Focus : AF, Continuous AF, Manual focus White balance : Automatic scene recognition, Presets LCD : 2.7-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots Power supply : 4 x AA type alkaline batteries (included) Dimensions : 4.4 x3.1x3.00 inches. (camera body) Weight : Approx. 386g/13.0oz. (excluding accessories, battery and memory card) Price: Rs. 15,999

October 2009 Smart Photography

123

FUJIFILM A 100

FUJIFILM F 200 EXR

FUJIFILM Z30

Effective pixels CCD Sensor Lens Aperture Focal Length Shutter speed ISO Sensitivity

Effective pixels Lens Lens focal length Digital zoom Aperture LCD ISO Sensitivity Exposure mode

Effective pixels CCD sensor Lens Focal length LCD Digital zoom Aperture Storage Type

: 10.0 Million Pixels : 1/0.6 super Type CCD EXR : Fujinon 3x Optical Zoom F/3.1-/5.6 : f/3.1/f/7.8 (W), f/5.6/f/14.1(T) : 35.5-106.5 mm equivalent : 1/4sec. to 1/2000sec. : Auto / Equivalent to ISO100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 Exposure control : TTL 256-zones metering, Programmed AE White balance : Automatic scene recognition Preset: Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light, etc.

Focal Range : Normal: Wide: Approx.40cm infinity Telephoto: Approx.40cm - infinity Macro: (W) Approx. 10cm - 80cm,(T)Approx.40cm-80cm Shooting modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Beach, Museum, Party, etc.

Storage Type : SD/SDHC memory card Power : 2x AA type alkaline batteries Dimensions/ Weight : 3.6 x 2.4x 0.85 inches. Approx. 124g

: 12.0 Million Pixels : Fujinon 5x optical zoom lens, f/3.3- f/5.1 : 28-140 mm equivalent : Approx. 4.4x : Wide: f/3.3/f/9.0,Telephoto: f/5.1/f/14.0 : 3.0-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots. : Auto ISO 3200, 1600,800,400 : Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Manual Shooting modes : Mode dial: Auto, EXR, Natural Light, Natural Light & with Flash, SP, P, M, Movie SP: Portrait, Portrait Enhancer, Landscape, etc Image Stabilization : CCD-shift type Shutter speed : 1/4 sec. to 1/1500 sec.

Focus : Auto focus White balance : Automatic scene recognition Preset: Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Day light), Fluorescent light.

Storage Type : Internal memory (Approx. 48MB) xD-Picture card, SD, SDHC Power : NP-50 Li-ion battery (included) Dimensions/ Weight : 3.8x2.3x0.9-inches, Approx. 175g (excluding accessories, batteries and memory card)

: : : : : : : :

10.0 Million Pixels 1/2.3-inch Type CCD Fujinon 3x, F/3.7(W) - F/4.2 (T) 35 - 105 mm equivalent 2.7-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots.

Approx. 5.7x Wide: F3.7-F8.0,Telephoto:F4.2-F9.0 Internal memory, Approx. 50MB, SD, SDHC Focus distance : Normal: (W) 60cm - infinity (T) 60cm - infinity, Macro: (W) 8cm - 80cm (T)60cm ISO Sensitivity : Auto / Equivalent to ISO 64 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 Shooting modes : SR Auto, Auto, Natural Light, Natural Light & with Flash, Manual, Anti-blur, Successive Movie SP : Auction, etc.

Focus : Auto focus (Multi, Center) White balance : Automatic scene recognition Preset: Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light, etc.

Power : NP-45 Li-ion battery (included) Dimensions/ Weight : 3.6x2.3x1.0 inches, Approx. 116.5g

Price: Rs. 20,999

Price: Rs. 6,999

Price: Rs. 10,499

KODAK C 140

KODAK C 160

KODAK C 1013

Effective Pixels Sensor Type Lens Focal Range

: : : :

Effective Pixels Sensor Type Lens Focal Range

Effective Pixels Sensor Type Lens Focal Range

: : : :

Shutter Speed LCD Storage Auto focus Type ISO Sensitivity

: : : : :

Shutter Speed LCD Storage Auto Lens Type Focus Modes ISO Sensitivity

: : : : : :

Metering Modes

:

Metering Modes

:

Compensation White Balance

: :

Exposure Comp.

White Balance

: :

Scene Modes

:

Power

:

Shooting Modes Scene Modes

: :

Power

:

Dimension/Weight

:

8.2 Million Pixels 1 / 2.5 inch Type CCD 36–108 mm equiv. f/2.7–4.8, Normal:0.6 m–inf Macro:0.13–0.7m (Tele):0.22–0.7m, Ldsc:10 m–infinity 4–1/1400 sec.

2.4 inch 16 MB int memory, SD/SDHC card TTL-AF Auto: 80–240 Man: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 Multi-pattern AE, center-weighted, center spot ±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps Auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade Portrait, night portrait, landscape, night landscape, sport, snow,etc.

Ni-MH Rechargeable, alkaline batteries AA; lithium batteries AA 92 x 63 x 22mm, 160gms

Shutter Speed LCD Storage Auto Focus Type Focus Modes ISO Sensitivity Metering Modes Exposure comp.

White Balance Shooting Modes Scene Modes Power Dimension/Weight

: : : :

6.2 Million Pixels 1 / 2.5 inch CCD 34–102 mm equiv, f/2.9–5.2, Normal:0.6 m–inf Macro:0.13–0.7m (Tele): 0.35–0.7m, Ldsc: 10 m–inf. : 4–1/1400 sec. : 2.4 inch : 16 MB int memory, SDHC/SD card : TTL-AF : normal, landscape, macro : Auto: 80–250 Manual: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800 : center-weighted, center spot : ±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps : auto, semi-auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade : Auto, SCN, Video mode : portrait, sports, landscape, children, night portrait, beach, snow, etc. : 2 AAA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries, 2 AAA alkaline batteries : 82 × 82 × 23.5 mm, 80 gms

Dimensions/Weight : Price: Rs. 6,999

124

Smart Photography October 2009

Price: Rs. 6,599

10.3 Million Pixels 1 / 2.3 inch, Type CCD 34–102 mm equiv., f/2.7–4.8, Normal:0.6m–inf Macro:0.13–0.7 m (Tele): 0.22–0.7 m, Ldsc: 10 m–inf ½–1/1400 sec.

2.4 inch 16 MB int memory, SD/SDHC card TTL-AF normal, landscape, macro, auto: 64–160 man: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 TTL-AE, multi-pattern AE, center-weighted, center spot ±2.0 EV with 0.5 EV steps Auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade Auto, SCN, video, blur reduction, Portrait, night portrait, landscape, night landscape, sports, snow, etc.

2) Alkaline AA; (2) Ni-MH Recharg able Digital; (2) lithium batteries AA. 91.1 × 62.2 × 25.3 mm, 137 gms

Price: Rs. 8,999

Buyers’ Guide - Digital Compacts KODAK M 1063

KODAK M1093 IS

KODAK EasyShare Z915

Effective Pixels Lens Sensor Type Focal Range

: : : :

Effective pixels Lens Sensor type Zoom Shutter speed LCD Focal Range

Effective Pixels Sensor type Lens Focus Range

Shutter Speed LCD Storage Auto Focus Type Focus Modes ISO Sensitivity Metering Modes

: : : : : : :

Exposure Com White Balance

: :

Scene Mode

:

Power Dimension/Weight

: :

10.3 Million Pixels 32 – 96 mm equivalent ½.33-inch, Type CCD Auto: 0.6 m–infinity Macro, wide: 0.10–0.70 m, Tele: 0.35–0.70 m, Landscape: 10 m–infinity 4 – 1/1400 seconds 2.7 inches, 230,000 dots 16 MB Internal, SD/SDHC card.

TTL Contrast Detection normal, landscape, macro selectable Auto 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 center-weighted, multi-pattern, center spot ±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps auto, semi-auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade. portrait, sports, landscape, close up, children, night portrait, beach, etc.

Li-Ion Rech. KLIC-7001, 5 V AC adpt 91 x 57 x 21mm, 125 gms

: : : : : : :

10.1 Million Pixels 35–105 mm equivalent 1 / 2.3 inch Type CCD 3X optical, 5X continuous digital 8–1/1448 sec.

3.0-inches. 230,000 dots Normal 0.6m-infinity (W), Macro: 0.07-0.7(W), 0.04-0.7 (T) Auto focus Type : TTL-AF, selectable Focus modes : normal, landscape, macro selectable Focus control : single, continuous, Auto ISO sensitivity : auto 64,100,200,400,800,1600,3200 Metering modes : multi-pattern, center-weighted, center spot Exposure Compensation : ±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps White balance : Auto, daylight, tungsten Shooting modes : SC, P, Scene modes, Video mode Scene modes : portrait, sport, landscape, close up, snow, beach, text/document, etc.

Storage Type : 32 MB internal memory, SD/SDHC cards Power : Lithum Ion battery Dimensions &Weight : 95.2x58.5x21.4in, 135g

Price: Rs. 10,999

Shutter speed LCD Monitor ISO sensitivity Metering modes Compensation Bracketing White Balance Shooting modes Power Dimensions / Weight

Price: Rs. 10,999

Price: Rs. 9,999

KODAK EASYSHARE Z980

KODAK Z 1015 IS

NIKON L20

Effective Pixels Sensor Type Lens Shutter Speed LCD Focal Range

: : : : : :

Effective Pixels Sensor Type Lens Shutter Speed LCD Focal Range

: : : : : :

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focus Range LCD Storage Media

: : : : :

Auto Focus Type Focus Modes Focus Control ISO Sensitivity Metering Modes Exposure Comp.

White Balance

: : : : : : :

Auto Focus Type Focus Modes ISO Sensitivity

: : :

File Format

:

Shooting Modes

:

Metering Modes Exposure Comp.

White Balance Scene Modes

: : : :

Scene Modes

:

Shooting Modes

:

Scene Modes

:

Storage Type Power

: :

Dimensions

:

Storage Type : Power : Dimenstions/Weight :

12 million Pixels 1 / 2.33 inch Type C C D 26 - 624 mm equivalent 16 - 1/2000 3.0 inches, 201,000 dots Normal 70 cm to Inf, 27.6 in to Inf. Macro 1 - 30 cm, 0.4 - 11.8 in TTL-AF selectable normal, macro, infinity, manual single, continuous Auto: 100-6400 multi-pattern, center-weighted, spot ±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade Smart Capture, sport, P, A,S,M, portrait, panorama, video, SCN High ISO, night portrait, landscape, night landscape, flower, sunset, 64 MB Int Memory, SDHC / SD 4 x AA NiMH Pre-Charged rec 90.5 × 123.7 × 105 mm , Approx.

415 gms (without battery and card)

Price: Rs. 22,999

10.0 Million Pixels 1/2.33 inch, Type CCD 28–420 mm equiv., f/3.5–5.4, 16–1/1000 sec.

3.0-inches, 230,000 dots wide : 0.7 m–inf, tele: 2.5 m–inf macro: 0.1–1.0 m TTL-AF, selectable normal, macro, infinity, manual Smart Capture m: auto: 100-1600 PASM m: auto: 80-6400 multi-pattern, center-weighted, spot ±1.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, Smart Capture, high ISO, sport, P, A, S, M, video, portrait, night portrait, landscape, etc.

64 MB int memory, SDHC/SD card Lithium CRV3, Li-Ion Rechargeable KLIC-8000 118.2 × 83.2 × 77.6 mm , Approx.

391 gms (without battery and card)

Price: Rs. 15,999

: 10.0 Million Pixels : 1 / 2.3 Type CCD : 35–350 mm f/3.5 - 4.8) : wide standard: 0.5 m–infinity, tele standard: 1.2 m–infinity, wide macro: 0.12–0.6 m, tele macro: 0.6–1.3 m : 1/8–1/1250 sec. (auto) 16–1/1000 sec. (S/M mode) : 2.5-in. high resolution (230,000 dots), : Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 : Multi-pattern, center-weighted, spot : ±2.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps : ±1.0 EV with 1/3 EV steps, 3 images : Auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade : Smart Capture, sport, P, A,S,M, : 2 AA batteries (alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH) : 4.2×2.9×1.4 in. Approx. 194 gms.

Exposure Metering :

White Balance

:

Power : Dimensions/ Weight :

10.0 Million Pixels 38-136 mm equivalent.

Normal mode: 30cm, Macro: 5cm 3.0-inches, 230,000 dots SD memory cards and internal memory (approx. 20MB) Compressed [JPEG (EXIF )], mono/ wav file, AVI movie Auto mode, Scene modes, Easy auto mode (including Scene auto selector), etc.

Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, Night landscape, Close-up, Food, etc.

256-segment matrix metering, Center-weighted metering, Spot metering Auto, Preset manual, Daylight, Incandescent, Rechargeable Ni-MH Battery EN-MH2 96.5×61×29 mm, Approx. 135 g Price: Rs. 8,950

October 2009 Smart Photography

125

NIKON L100

NIKON P90

Effective Pixels Image Sensor

Effective Pixels Image Sensor

: 10.0 Million Pixels : 1/2.33-in. Type CCD; approx. 10.70-million Lens : 15x Zoom; f/5.0 - 75.0mm, f/3.5 - 5.4 Focal Length : 28-420 mm equivalent.

Focus Range : Normal mode: 50cm, Macro: 1cm LCD : 3.0-inches; 230,000-dots Shooting Modes : Auto mode, Easy auto mode (includ ing Scene auto selector), Scene modes, BSS (Best Shot Selector),etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports (Sport continuous), Night portrait, Party/ indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, etc.

File Format : Compressed [JPEG (EXIF)], mono/ wav file, AVI movie Exposure Metering : 256-segment matrix, Center-weighted, Spot ISO Sensitivity : Auto ISO 80-800 White Balance : Auto, Preset manual, Daylight, Incan descent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Flash Storage Media : SD memory cards and internal memory (approx. 44MB) Power : Four (AA-size) alkaline batteries Dimensions/ Weight : 110×72×78 mm, Approx. 355 g (without battery and card)

Lens Focal Length Focus Range LCD Storage Media Shooting Modes

NIKON COOLPIX P6000

: 12.1 million : 1/2.33-in Type CCD, approx. 12.7 million : 24x Zoom; f=4.6-110.4mm/F2.8-5 : 26-624 mm equivalent. : Normal mode: 50cm, Marcro: 1cm : 3.0-inches; 230,000 dots : SD memory cards and internal memory (approx. 47MB) : Auto mode, Scene auto selector, Scene modes, P, S, A, and M exposure

modes, BSS (Best Shot Selector), Optimize image, etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports (Sport continuous), Night portrait, Party/ indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, etc.

Exposure Metering : 256-segment matrix, Center-weighted, Spot, Spot AF Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 64 to 100, 200, 400 White Balance :Auto, Preset manual, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, etc.

Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL5, AC Adapter EH-62A Dimensions/ Weight : 114×83×99 mm, Approx. 460 g (without battery and card)

Effective Pixels Image Sensor

: 13.5 Million Pixels : 1/1.7-in. Type CCD, approx. 13.93 million Lens : 4x zoom; f/2.7-5.9 Focal Length : 28-112 mm equivalent.

Autofocus : Single AF, Full-Time AF (in Macro mode), Face-priority AF Focus Range : Normal mode:50cm, Macro mode:2 cm LCD : 2.7-inch, 230,000-dots.

Storage Media : SD cards and internal memory (approx. 48 MB) Shooting Modes : Auto, Scene modes, P, S, A, and M exposure modes, U1, U2, BSS (Best Shot Selector), Optimize image, Flash exp. comp., etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, etc.

Exposure Metering : 96-segment matrix, Center-Weighted, Spot, Spot AF ISO Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 100-800 White Balance : Auto, Preset manual, Day light, Incan descent, Fluorescent, etc.

Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL5 (supplied) Dimensions/ Weight : 107×65.5×42 mm., Approx. 240 g (without battery and card)

Price: Rs. 25,950

Price: Rs. 18,450

Price: Rs. 32,950

NIKON COOLPIX S60

NIKON COOLPIX S220

NIKON COOLPIX S230

Effective pixels Image sensor

Effective pixels Image sensor

Effective Pixels Image Sensor

: 10.0 Million Pixels : 1/2.3-in. CCD Type ; total pixels: approx.10.34 million Focal Length : 33-165 mm equivalent.

Focus range : 60cm (2 ft.) to infinity , Macro close-up mode: 9cm (3.5 in.) to infinity.

LCD : 3.5-in., approx. 230,000-dots Shooting Modes : Auto, scene modes, BSS (best shot selector), Date imprint Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, Night land scape, Close-up, Museum, Fire works show, Copy, Backlight, Draw, Scene auto selector, etc.

File Format : Compressed [JPEG (EXIF)], mono/ wav file, AVI movie Storage media : Internal memory (approx. 20 MB), ISO sensitivity : Auto (auto gain ISO 64-800. ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 2000, 3200, Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL10 (supplied).

Dimensions/ Weight : 3.8x2.4x0.9 inches, Approx.145 g (without battery and card) Price: NA

126

Smart Photography October 2009

: 10.0 Million Pixels : 1/2.33-in. Type CCD; total pixels: approx. 10.34 million Focal Length : 35-105 mm equivalent ISO sensitivity : ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 2000, Auto (35mm [135] format picture Format picture angle: 420mm,) Focus range : 60cm (2 ft.) to infinity Macro close-up mode: 10cm (4 in.) to infinity LCD : 2.5-in.,approx.150k-dot Shooting Modes : Auto mode, Scene modes, BSS, Scene auto selector, etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Party, Sea/Snow, Sunset,Twilight, etc.

Storage Type : Internal memory (approx. 44 MB), SD memory cards Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery ENEL10 (supplied) Dimensions/ Weight : 3.5x2.2x0.7-inches, Approx.

100 g (without battery and card) Price: Rs. 9,950

: 10.0 Million Pixels : 1/2.33-in Type CCD, approx. 12.7 million Lens : 3x Zoom; f/6.3 - f/18.9mm f/3.1-f/5.9 Focal Length : 35-105 mm equivalent.

Focus Range : Normal mode: 60cm, Marcro: 10cm LCD : 3.0-inches; 230,000 dots Exposure Metering : 256-segment matrix metering, Center-weighted metering, Spot ISO Sensitivity : Auto (auto gain ISO 80-800) White Balance : Auto, Preset manual, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy Shooting Modes : Auto mode, Scene modes, BSS (Best Shot Selector), Color options, Date imprint, Scene auto selector, etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Party, Sea/Snow, Sunset,Twilight, Museum, etc.

File Format : Compressed [JPEG (EXIF )], mono/ wav file, AVI movie Storage Type : SD memory cards and internal memory (approx. 44MB) Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL10, Dimensions/ Weight : Approx. 91×57×20 mm, Approx. 115g (without battery and card) Price: Rs. 14,250

Buyers’ Guide - Digital Compacts NIKON COOLPIX S560

NIKON COOLPIX S620

NIKON COOLPIX S630

Effective pixels Image sensor

Effective pixels Image sensor approx.

Focal Length

Effective Pixels Image Sensor

: 10.0 Million Pixels : 1/2.33-in. Type CCD; total pixels: approx. 10.7 million Focal Length : 34.4-174 mm equivalent Focus range : 60cm - infinity; Macro close-up mode: 10cm - infinity ISO sensitivity : ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 2000, 3200*2, Auto (auto gain ISO 64-800) LCD : 2.7-in., approx. 230k-dot, Shooting Modes : Auto mode, Scene modes, BSS, Color options, Date imprint, Scene auto selector, Smile mode, etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Close-up, Museum, Copy, etc.

File Format : Compressed [JPEG (EXIF)], mono/wav file, AVI movie Storage Type : Internal memory (approx. 44 MB), SD memory cards Power sources : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL11 (supplied) Dimensions/ Weight : 3.7 x 2.1 x 0.9 inches, Approx. 130g (without battery and memory card) Price: Rs. 16,250

: 12.2 Million Pixels : 1/2.33-in. Type CCD; total pixels: 12.39 million : 28-112 mm equivalent Focus range : 50cm to infinity , Macro close-up mode: 2cm - infinity LCD : 2.7-in., approx. 230,000 dots, Shooting Modes : Auto mode, Scene modes, Scene auto selector, BSS, Color options, Date imprint, Smile mode, etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, etc.

File Format : Compressed [JPEG (EXIF )], mono/ wav file, AVI movie Storage Type : Internal memory (approx. 45 MB), SDs ISO sensitivity : Auto, ISO100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL12 (supplied) Dimensions/ Weight : 3.5 x 2.1 x 0.9 inches, Approx. 120g (without battery and memory card)

Lens Focal Length Focus Range LCD Storage Type Shooting Modes

: 12.0 Million Pixels : 1/2.33-in Type CCD, approx. 12.7 million : 7x Zoom; f/6.6 - 46.2mm / F/3.5 - 5.3 : 37-260 mm equivalent. : Normal mode: 60cm, Marcro: 2cm : 2.7-inches; 230,000-dot : SD memory cards and internal memory (approx. 44MB) : Auto mode, Scene modes, Scene auto selector, BSS (Best Shot Selector), Color options, etc.

Scene Modes

: Portrait, Landscape, Sports (Sport continuous), Night portrait, Party/ indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/ dawn, Night landscape, etc Exposure Metering : 256-segment matrix,Center-weighted ISO Sensitivity : Auto (auto gain ISO 64-800), Manual ISO settings 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400 White Balance : Auto, Preset manual, Daylight, Incandescent, etc.

Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL12, AC Adapter EH-62F Dimensions/ Weight : 96.5×57.5×25.5 mm, Approx. 166 g (without battery and card)

Price: Rs. 18,950

Price: Rs. 24,950

NIKON COOLPIX S710

OLYMPUS FE-370

OLYMPUS STYLUS 1050 SW

Effective pixels Image Sensor

: 14.5 Million Pixels : 1/1.72-in. Type CCD, approx.15.00 million Focal Length : 28-101 mm equivalent Sensitivity : Auto (ISO 100-3200) Focus range : 50cm (1 ft. 7.7 in.) to infinity at wide-angle, 80cm (2 ft. 7.5 in.) to infinity at telescopic; Macro close-up mode: 10cm (4 in.)to infinity LCD : 3.0-in., approx. 230,000 dots Shooting Modes : Auto mode, Scene modes, BSS, Color options, Date imprint, Scene auto selector, Smile mode, etc.

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Close-up, Museum, Copy, etc.

File Format : Compressed [JPEG (EXIF)], mono/wav file, AVI movie Storage Type : Internal memory (approx. 42 MB), SD memory cards Power : Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL12 (supplied) Dimensions/ Weight : 3.6x2.3x1.0 inches, Approx. 155 g

Effective pixels : 8.0 Million Pixels Image Sensor : 1/2.35-inch Type CCD Image Processing : TruePic™ III Image Processor Focal Length : 36 – 180 mm equivalent Zoom : 5x Optical Zoom Aperture Range : f/3.5 - f5.6 White Balance Control : iESP2 Auto, Presets Exposure Compensation : ±2 EVA steps in 1/3 EVA steps LCD : 2.7–inches, Approx. 230,000 dots Focus Mode : iESP Auto, Spot AF, Face Detection AF Focus Range : Normal mode: Wide: 23.6” – infinity Tele: 39.4” – infinity, Macro mode : Wide: 3.9” – infinity, Tele: 23.6”infinity, Super Macro mode: 1.2”infinity Shutter Speed : 1/2000 sec. –1/2 sec.

ISO Sensitivity : Auto, 64,100,200,400,800, 1600, 3200 Exposure :Digital ESP, FD, AE Shooting Modes : 19 Shooting Modes; Intelligent Auto, Program Auto, etc.

Storage Type : 48MB Internal Memory, xD-Picture Card, microSD Power Li-ion Rechargeable Battery (LI-60B) Dimension/ Weight : 3.7x 2.2x 0.90- inches, 128g (without battery and card)

Effective Pixels Image Processing Image Sensor Focal Length Shockproof Waterproof

: 10.1 Million Pixels : TruePic™ III Image Processor : 1/2.33-inch Type CCD : 38-144 mm equivalent : MIL-STD-810F Shock : Equivalent to IEC6059 IPX8/ JISC0920 (10ft./3m) Freezeproof : MIL-STD-810F Low Temp Equivalent (-10°C/14°F) Aperture Range : f/3.5 - f/5.0 LCD : 2.7-inch, Approx. 230,000 dots Focus Mode : iESP Auto, Spot AF, Shutter Speed : 1/1000 sec. –1/4 sec.

ISO Sensitivity : Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 Exposure Metering : Digital ESP, Spot, Face Detection White Balance : Auto, Presets Exposure Compensation : ±2 EVA steps in 1/3 EVA steps Shooting Modes : 27 Shooting Modes; Intelligent Auto,Program Auto, etc.

Storage Type : 41.6MB Internal Memory, xD-Picture Card, microSD Power : Li-ion Rechargeable Battery (LI-42B), AC Adapter (D-7AC) Dimension/ Weight : 3.7x2.4x0.76– inches,Approx 152g

Price: Rs. 22,250

Price: Rs. 8,995 (MOP)

Price: Rs. 14,995 (MOP)

October 2009 Smart Photography

127

PANASONIC FS 7

PANASONIC FS 15

PANASONIC FS 25

Effective Pixels Optical Image Stabilizer Lens Focal Length LCD Monitor ISO Sensitivity White Balance

Effective Pixels Focal Length Lens LCD Digital Zoom 1 Focus Range Macro Focus Sensitivity White Balance

Effective Pixels Lens Optical Image Stabilizer Image Sensor Size LCD Focal Length Focus

: : : : : : :

10.1 Million Pixels MEGA O.I.S. LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR 33-132 mm equivalent 2.7-inch, 230, 000 dots Auto, 100, 200,400,800, 1600 Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set, etc.

Exposure : Program AE Exposure Compensation : 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Focus Range : Normal- 50cm -infinity Macro : 5cm-infinity(W), 50cm-infinity(T) Light Metering : Intelligent Multiple Shooting Modes: : (Mode Dial)/Rec. Mode, Intel ligent AUTO, Normal Picture, MySCN, SCN, Motion Picture Recording Format : Still Image: JPEG ,Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG Storage Type : Internal memory 50MB Power : ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included) Dimensions/Weight : 2.14x3.82x0.85- inches, Approx. 0.258 lb Price: TBA

Exposure Shooting Mode:

Storage Type

: : : : : : : : : :

12.1 Million Pixels 29-145mm equivalent LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR 2.7-inches, 230, 000 dots 4x Normal: (W) 3.9’-infinity, 66.9’m(T) (W) 5cm / (T)50cm - infinity Normal / Macro, AF Tracking ISO Auto /100/200/400/800/1600 Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade Halogen / White Set etc. : Program AE , Exposure Compen sation, 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV : (Mode Dial)/Rec. Mode Intel ligent AUTO, Normal Picture, MySCN, SCN, Motion Picture Scene Modes : Portrait, Soft Skin, SelfPortrait, Scenery, Sports,etc. : SD, SDHC, MMCard Power :D-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included)

Range

: : : : : : :

12.1 Million Pixels Leica Dc Vario-Elmar MEGA O.I.S. 1/2.33-inch 3.0- inches, 230,000 dots 29-145 mm equivalent

Normal / Macro, AF Tracking Focus : Normal: (W) 50cm -infinity, (T) 100cm-infinity.

ISO Sensitivity

: Auto /80/100/200/400/800/ 1600/3200 White Balance : Auto,Daylight,Cloudy, Shade, Halogen,White Set,etc.

Exposure : Program AE Exposure Compensation : 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Shutter Speed : 8-1/2000 sec Storage : Internal Memory Approx. 50MB SD, SDHC, Power : Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included) Dimensions/ Weight : 2.28x3.82x0.86-inches, Approx.0.28 lbs

Price: TBA

Price: TBA

PANASONIC FX 580

PANASONIC FX 37

PANASONIC FX 48

Effective Pixels Lens Optical Image Stabilizer Image Sensor Size Digital Zoom 1 LCD Focal Length Focusing Area

: : : : : : : :

Effective Pixels Lens Optical Image Stabilizer Image Sensor LCD Focal Length AF Metering

Effective Pixels Lens Aperture Optical Zoom LCD Focal Length Optical Image Stabilizer Focusing Range

: : : : : : : :

ISO Sensitivity

:

Shutter Speed Shooting Modes

: :

Aperture Exposure

: :

Exposure Compensation : Recording Format : Storage Type

:

Power Supply

:

12.1 Million Pixels Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens MEGA O.I.S. 1/2.33-inch 4x 3.0-inch, 230,000 dots 25-125mm equivalent Normal: (W) 50cm/ (T) 100cm - infinity. Macro Wide 5cm/ Tele 100cm-infinity Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 f/2.8 - f/5.9 / Iris Diaphragm Program AE Aperture Priority AE Shutter Priority AE Manual 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Still Image: JPEG (DCF/Exif2.21) Motion picture Built-in Memory SD SDHC Memory Card ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included)

Price: TBA

128

Smart Photography October 2009

: : : : : : :

10.1 Million Pixels Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens MEGA O.I.S. 1/2.33”, 10.7 Total Megapixels 2.5-inch, 230,000 dots 25-125 mm equivalent Face/AF tracking/multi-area/ 1-area high speed/1-area/spot Focus : Normal / Macro, Quick AF ISO Sensitivity : Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 White Balance : Auto/Daylight/Cloudy / Shade/Halogen/White Set, etc.

Exposure : Program AE Exposure Compensation : 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Scene Modes : Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night, etc.

Storage Type SD, SDHC, Memory Card Power Supply : Lithium-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 1000 mAh)(Included) AC Dimensions / Weight : 2.04 x 3.73x .87, Approx. 28 lbs (without battery and card) Price: TBA

Exposure : Exposure Compensation : ISO Sensitivity : White Balance Recording Media Power Dimensions& Weight

: : : :

12.1 Million Pixels LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT F/2.8 - 5.9 / Iris Diaphragm 5x 2.5”, Appros. 230,000 dots 25-125mm equivalent MEGA O.I.S Normal (W)50cm/ (T)100cm - infinity Macro / Intelligent Focus Normal / Macro, etc.

8-1/2000 sec Still Picture, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Panorama, etc.

Program AE 1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 Auto / Daylight / Cloudy, etc.

SD, SDHC, MMCards Li-ion Battery (Included) 3.75x2.08x0.85 in Approx.150g (with Battery and Memory Card) Price: TBA

Buyers’ Guide - Digital Compacts PANASONIC FZ 28

PANASONIC FZ 50

PANASONIC LS 85

Effective Pixels : Lens : Optical Image Stabilizer : Optical Zoom : Image Sensor : Focal Length : LCD Monitor : Aperture Range : Focusing Range :

Effective Pixels Lens F Stop Focus Length Focus Area

Effective Pixels Optical Image Stabilizer Image Sensor Image Sensor Size Focal Length Lens LCD Focusing Area

: : : : : : : :

ISO Sensitivity

:

White Balance

:

ISO Sensitivity

:

White Balance

:

Exposure

:

Exposure Compensation: Scene Modes : Storage Type Power Supply Dimensions/ Weight

: : :

10.1 Million Pixels Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens MEGA O.I.S. 18x 1/2.33”, 10.7 27-486mm equivalent 2.7-inches, 230,000 dots f/2.8 – f/8.0 Normal: Wide 30cm/ Tele 200cm - infinity Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, etc.

Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual, Program Shift 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Party, Candle Light, Baby, Aerial photo, Pin Hole, Film Grain, etc.

SD, SDHC MMCards Lithium-ion Battery Pack 2.96x4.63x3.5 inches, Approx .82 lbs

: 10.1 Million Pixels : LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT : Wide: F/2.8 - F/11 Tele:F/3.7 - F/11 : 35-420mm equivalent : AF: Wide 30cm/ Tele 200cm-infinity Macro/ MF: Wide 5cm/Tele 200cminfinity Optical Image Stabiliser : MEGA O.I.S. Focus Mode : AF,MF switchable, Manual Focus Exposure : Auto,Program,Aperture Priority, Manual Scene Mode : Auto, P, A, S, M, 20+ Scene Modes Aperture : Wide: F/2.8 - F/11 Tele:F/3.7 - F/11 Shutter Speed : Auto : 1/4 - 1/2000sec.

ISO Sensitivity : Auto / ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800/ White Balance : Auto,Daylight,Cloudy,Shade Exposure Compensation : 1/3 EV step, -2 - +2 EV Auto (AE) Bracketing : +/- 1/3 EV -1EV step, 3 frames Recording Format : Still RAW, JPEG, LCD Monitor : 2.0 Approx. 207,000 dots Recording Media : SD, MMCard,SDHC. Power : Li-ion Battery Pack Dimensions& Weight : 14.08x8.55x14.2 cm, Approx 668(g)

Price: Rs. 24,990

Exposure : Exposure Compensation : Scene Modes : Shutter Speed Storage Type Built-in Memory Power Supply

: : : :

Price: TBA

8.1 Million Pixels MEGA O.I.S 1/2.5-inch Type, 8.32 1/2.5-inch 33-132mm equivalent LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR 2.5-inches, 230,000 dots 50cm - infinity, Macro/Intelligent 5cm-50cm - infinity Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade Halogen, White Set Program AE 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Por trait, Scenery, Sports, etc.

8-1/2000 sec SD, SDHC, MMCard approx. 50MB Li-ion Battery (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included) AC Adaptor

Price: TBA

PANASONIC LX 3

PANASONIC FT 1

PANASONIC TZ 6

Effective Pixels Optical Image Stabilizer Image Sensor Focal Length Lens

: : : : :

Camera Type : Camera Effective Pixels : Optical Image Stabilizer : Image Sensor Size : Focal Length : Lens :

Aperture Range Focusing Range

: :

Effective Pixels : Lens : Optical Image Stabilizer : Optical Zoom : Digital Zoom 1 : Focal Length : Image Sensor : LCD : Intelligent Auto :

ISO Sensitivity

:

White Balance

:

Exposure

:

Exposure Compensation : Scene Modes : Storage Type Power Supply

: :

Dimensions/ Weight

:

10.1 Million Pixels MEGA O.I.S. 1/1.63-inch Type 11.3 24-60mm equivalent Leica DC Vario-Summicron 8 elements in 6 groups f/2.0-f/8.0 50cm - infinity iA, Macro:1cminfinity, Tele 30cm - infinity Auto- 80,100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set Program, Aperture, Shutter, Manual, Program, etc.

1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, etc.

50MB, SD, SDHC, MMCards Li-ion Battery Pack (3.7V, 1150mAh) (Included) 2.34 x 4.28 x 1.06- inches, Approx .5 lbs

Price: 32,990

ISO Sensitivity White Balance

: :

Exposure : Exposure Compensation: Scene Modes : Storage Type

:

Power Supply

:

Dimensions/ Weight

:

12.1 Million Pixels Leica Dc Vario Elmar MEGA O.I.S. 4.6x 4x 28-128mm 1/2.33-inch-Type 2.7-inches, 230,000 dots Face Recognition,Optical Image Stabilizer, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection, etc.

Auto/80/100/200/400/800/ 1600 Auto,Daylight,Cloudy,Shade, Halogen,White Set, White, etc.

Program AE 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, etc.

Approx. 45MB, SD, SDHC, MMCards Li-ion Battery (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included) 2.49 x 3.87 x 0.89-inches, Approx. 0.36 lbs Price: TBA

Aperture Focusing Area

: :

Intelligent Auto

:

Compensation LCD Monitor Continuous Shooting Mode

:

Recording Media Dimensions Weight

Super Zoom 10.1 Million Pixels MEGA O.I.S. 1/2.5-inch 25-300mm equivalent LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR - 10 elements in 8 groups F/3.3 - 4.9 / Iris Diaphragm Normal: Wide 50cm/ Tele 200cm - infinity Macro / Intelligent AUTO / Clipboard : Wide 3cm / Max 200cm / Tele 100cm - infinity Face Recognition, Optical Image Stabilizer, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection (Still) Intelligent Scene Selector Exposure 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV 2.7-inch, 230,000 dots

: Full-Resolution Image, 2.5 frames/sec Max. 5 images, Max 3 images, : SD,SDHC, MMCard : 2.35 x 4.07 x1.29-inches : Approx. 0.45 lbs Price: TBA

October 2009 Smart Photography

129

PANASONIC TZ 7

PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-ZR 1

RICOH CX 1

Effective Pixels Optical Image Stabilizer Optical Zoom Lens Image Sensor Intelligent Auto

Effective Pixels Lens Optical Image Stablizer LCD Monitor Optical Zoom Focal length Image Sensor ISO Sensitivity

: : : : : : : :

Effective Pixels Image Sensor Focal length F-aperture Zoom

White Balance

:

: : : : : :

10.1 Million Pixels MEGA O.I.S. 12x Leica Dc Vario Elmar 1/2.33-inch - Type / 12.7 Face Recognition, Optical Image Stabilizer, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection (Still) Intelligent Scene Selector Focal Length : 25-300mm equivalent ISO Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 80,100,200,400, 800,1600,3200.

White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set, etc.

Exposure : Program AE Exposure Compensation : 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Storage Type : SD,SDHC,MMCards Aperture : f/3.3 – f/4.9 / Iris Diaphragm (F3.3 - 6.3 (W) / F4.9 - 6.3 (T)) Continuous Shooting Mode: Full-Resolution Image, 2.5 frames/sec Max. 5 images, Max 3 images, Dimensions/ Weight : 2.35 x 4.07 x 1.29-inches, Approx. 0.45 lbs

Exposure : Exposure Compensation : Scene Modes :

Shutter Speed Storage Type Power Supply

: : :

Dimensions/\Weight

:

Price: Rs. 24,990

12.10 million pixels LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR MEGA O.I.S. 2.7 inches 8x 25 - 200 mm 1/2.33-inch Type Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 - 6400 Auto Cloudy Daylight Fluorescent Manual Shade.

Program AE 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV Portrait,SoftSkin,Transform,Self Portrait,Scenery,Sports, NightPortrait,NightScenery, Food,Party,CandleLight, etc.

8-1/2000 sec SDHC / SD Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 895mAh) 2.14 x 3.85 x 1.02 inches Approx. 0.30 lb lbs

: : : : :

9.29 Million Pixels 1/2.3-inch Type CMOS 28-200 mm Equivalent f/3.3 – f/5.2 Optical: 7.1x zoom, Digital: 4.8x Focus Mode : Multi AF, Spot, AF, Multi-Target AF, Manual Focus, Fixed Focus, Infinity Shutter Speed : Still image 8, 4, 2, 1-1/2000 sec.

Exposure Control : 256 segments, Center Weighted Light Metering, Spot, Exposure,Program AE Compensation: : +/-2.0EV (1/3EV Steps), ISO Sensitivity : Auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400,800,1600 White Balance : Auto, Multi-Pattern, Outdoors,Cloudy, Incandescent, Incandescent 2 LCD : 3.0-inch, Approx. 920,000 dots Shooting Mode : Auto Shooting Mode, Easy Shooting Mode, Dynamic Range,Double Shot Mode, Continuous Shooting Modes etc.

Storage Type : SD, SDHC Power : Rechargeable batt DB-70 x1, AC adapter Dimensions/ Weight: 101.5x58.3x27.9mm,approx. 180 g Price: TBA

Price: NA

RICOH GR DIGITAL II

RICOH GR DIGITAL III

RICOH GX200

Effective Pixels Imaging Sensor Focus Mode

Effective Pixels Imaging Sensor Focus Modes Focal Length ISO Sensitivity White Balance

: : : : : :

Effective Pixels Image Sensor Focal length Lens Construction Focus Modes LCD

LCD Exposure Metering

: :

: 10.01 Million Pixels : 1/1.75-inch Type : Multi AF, Spot AF, Manual focus, snap, Infinity Focal Length : 28mm equivalent ISO sensitivity : Auto/Auto-HI ISO80/ 100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto,Outdoors,Cloudy,Incan descent, Fluorescent, etc.

LCD : 2.7-inch, approx. 230,000 pixels Exposure Metering : Multi Light Metering, Center-weight ed Light Metering, Spot Metering Compensation Auto bracket function (-0.5 EV, ±0, +0.5 EV / -0.3 EV, ±0, +0.3 EV) Shooting Mode : Auto Shooting Mode/Program Shift Mode/Aperture Priority Mode/Manual Exposure Mode/ Scene Mode (skew correct/text/ movie) My Settings Mode Storage Type : SD memory card, SDHC card, Multi media card, Internal memory Power : Rechargeable Battery (DB60) x 1.

Dimensions/ Weight: 107.0 x 58.0x 25.0 mm. Approx.

168 g (without battery and card) Price: TBA

130

Smart Photography October 2009

Exposure Compensation : Exposure Bracketing : Flash Modes :

Storage Type Power Dimensions / Weight

: : :

10.00 Million Pixels 1/1.7” Type CCD Multi AF, Spot AF 5.9 mm (28mm equivalent) Auto 64/100/200/400/800/1600 Auto, Multi-Pattern Auto, Outdoors, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Manual, Detail 3.0inch 920,000 dots Multi Segment (256 segments), Center-weighted, Spot +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments +/- 1/3, 1/5 EV Auto, Red-eye reduction, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Manual Flash, Flash Off SD / SDHC memory card Li-Ion battery pack DB65 109 x 59 x 26 mm Approx. 188 gms.

Price: NA

: : : : : : Exposure Adjustment :

12.1 Million Pixels 1/1.7-inch Type 24-72mm equivalent 11 elements in 7 groups Multi AF /Spot AF / Manual 2.7- inches, approx. 460,000 dots Exposure Metering Mode Multi Light Metering, Center-weighted, Spot Exposure Mode : Program AE/Aperture Priority AE/ Manual Exposure Compensation Auto Bracket Function (-0.5 EV, ±0, +0.5 EV /-0.3 EV, ±0, +0.3 EV) ISO Sensitivity : AUTO,ISO64/100/200/400/800/1600 White Balance : Auto,Outdoors,Cloudy,Incandescent, Fluorescent,Manual, Settings/Detail, White balance bracket function Shooting Mode : Auto, Program,Aperture, Manual, Scene Storage Type : 54 MB Internal Memory, SD, SDHC memory card, Power : Rechargeable Battery (DB60)×1, AAA Dry Alkaline Battery×2, Dimensions/ Weight: 111.6x58.0×25.0mm, Approx. 208g (without battery and card) Price: TBA

Buyers’ Guide - Digital Compacts SAMSUNG i8

Effective Pixel Lens Focal Length Shutter Type Exposure Control

: : : : :

Exposure Compensation: ISO Equivalent : Flash Modes

:

Shooting Still Image

:

Storage Type

:

Power

:

Dimensions / Weight

:

8.2 Million Pixels Samsung f/6.3-f/18.9mm 35-114mm equivalent 1-1/2,000 sec.

Program AE, Metering: Multi, Spot, Centre Weighted, Face Detection ±2EV (1/3EV steps) Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, etc.

Modes: Auto, Program, Scene, DIS, Fun , Photo Help Guide, Movie Mode, etc.

Internal memory: 256MB, MMC plus, SD/SDHC. Rechargeable battery: SLB 0937 (900mAh), Charger: SAC-47 (DC 4.2V, 2A) 90.7 x 58.0 x 19.9mm, Approx 116g (without battery and card)

SAMSUNG L 201

SAMSUNG L 100

Effective Pixel Lens F No. Digital Zoom

Effective Pixel Lens Focal Length F No. Digital Zoom Focal Length LCD Focusing Type

: Approx. 10.2 Million Pixels : Samsung f/6.3~18.9mm : f/3.0 -f/F5.6 : Still Image mode: 1.0x - 5.0x, Play mode: 1.0x - 11.4x Focal Length : 37-111mm equivalent Shutter Speed : Auto: 1 - 1/1,500 sec. Manual: 8 ~ 1/1,500 sec.

Exposure Control : Program AE Metering : Multi, Spot, Centre Weighted, Face Detection AE Exposure Compensation : ±2EV (1/3EV steps) ISO : Auto - ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 Flash Modes : Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, etc.

Storage Type : Internal memory 16MB, SD, SDHC, MMC plus Power : SLB-0837, Adaptor: SAC-47 Connector Type: 20 pin Dimensions / Weight : 90.2x58.0x19.3mm. Approx. 110g (without battery and card)

: Approx. 8.2 Million Pixels : Samsung Lens f/6.2-18.6mm : f/2.8- f/5.2 : Still Image mode: 1.0X ~ 3.0X, : 35-105mm equivalent : Intelligent 2.5-inches, 230,000 dot : TTL auto focus (Multi AF, Centre AF, Face Detection) Shutter Type : Mechanical&electronic Exposure : Programme AE, Metering: Multi, Spot, Centre weighted, Face Detection Exposure Compensation: ±2EV (1/3 EV steps) ISO Equivalent : Auto, 80,100, 200, 400, 800,1600 Flash Modes : Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, etc.

White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, etc.

Movie Clip : AVI, WAV. Storage Type : Internal memory Approx.10MB, SD,MMC plus, SDHC Power : SLB-10A,3.7V(1,050mAh); Dimensions / Weight : 87.7x56.3x20.0mm. Approx. 114g (without battery and card)

Price: Rs. 8,990

Price: Rs. 10, 990

Price: Rs. 7,990

SAMSUNG NV 100 HD

SAMSUNG S1060

SAMSUNG WB 500

Effective Pixel Lens F No. Digital Zoom

Effective Pixel Lens F No. Digital Zoom

Effective Pixels Focal Length Focusing Range

: : : :

Approx. 14.7 Million Pixels Schneider Lens f /6.0 -f/21.6mm f/2.8 - f/5.9 Still Image mode: 1.0x-5.0x, Play mode: 1.0x ~ 13.7x Focal Length : 28-102mm equivalent Shutter Speed : Auto: 1-1/2,000 sec. Manual Mode: 16-1/2,000 sec., Night: 8 ~1/2,000 sec. Fireworks: 4 sec.

Exposure Metering : Multi, Spot, Center Weighted, Face Detection AE Exposure Compensation: ±2EV (1/3EV steps) ISO Equivalent : Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600, 3,200 Flash Modes : Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, etc.

Movie Clip : AVI, WAV. Storage Type : Internal Memory 40MB, MMCplus , SD, SDHC Power : Rechargeable battery: SLB-1137D (1,100mAh), Adaptor : SAC47, SUC-C4, Dimensions/ Weight : 94.9 x 59.5 x 19.9mm, Approx.

138g (without battery and card) Price: Rs. 22,990

: Approx. 10.2 Million Pixels : SHD f /6.3 - f/31.5mm : f/2.8 - f/4.6 : Still Image mode: 1.0x ~ 5.0x Play mode: 1.0x ~ 12.0x Viewfinder LCD Monitor : 2.7-inch Focal Length : 38-190mm equivalent Exposure Control : Programme AE, Manual Exposure, Face Detection AE Metering: Multi, Spot, etc.

Exposure Compensation: ±2EV (1/3EV steps) ISO Equivalent : Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 Flash Modes : Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, etc.

Storage Type : Internal about 17MB. MMCplus, SD, SDHC File Format : Still Image: JPEG, AVI, Audio: WAV Power : Primary Battery: 2 AA Recharge able battery, SNB-2512B KIT Dimensions/ Weight : 98.8x63.0x25.6mm, Approx160g Price: Rs. 8,990

Shutter Type

Exposure Metering Exposure Comp ISO Equivalent Flash Modes

Storage Type Power Dimensions/Weight

: Approx. 10.2 megapixels : 24-240mm equivalent : Normal 50 cm to infinity; Macro to 5 cm : Auto – 1/8-1/1500 second; Program – 1-1/1500 seconds; up to 16 seconds in manual mode : Multi, Spot, Center-weighted, Face Detection AE : +/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps : Auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 : Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red-eye Fix; range 0.3 to 4.7 metres; adjustment +/- 1EV in 1/2EV steps : Internal Memory 30MB, plus SD/SDHC memory cards : rechargeable lithium-ion battery, SLB-10A, 3.7V (1,050mAh) : 105 x 61.4 x 36.5 mm 219g (without battery and card) Price: Rs. 19,990

October 2009 Smart Photography

131

SONY HX 1

Effective Pixels Image Processor Lens Sensor Type LCD

: : : : :

Precision Digital Zoom Smart Zoom

: :

Focal Length Auto Focus Range

: :

Metering Modes Exposure Compensation Internal Memory Storage Type

: : : :

Battery System Dimensions/Weight

: :

9.1 million Pixels BIONZ Sony G lens 1/2.4-inch Exmor CMOS 3.0 inch TFT LCD, approx. 230,400 pixels Approx. 40x 5M:Approx.26x, 3M Approx.33x, VGA:Approx.108x, 16:9(2M):Approx.36x 5.0-100.0mm equivalent W.Approx.1cm to Infinity, T.Approx.150cm to Infinity Multi, Center-Weighted, Spot +/- 2 stops Approx. 11 MB Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/ Pro HG Duo LITHIUM H type 6.8V 115mm x 83mm x 92mm, 514 gms

SONY S950

SONY T77

Gross Pixels Effective Pixels Sensor Type Lens F Number LCD Optical Zoom Precision Digital Zoom Smart Zoom

Effective Pixels Image Processor Sensor Type Lens: F Number LCD Optical Zoom Smart Zoom

: : : : : : : :

Focal Length Auto Focus Range

: :

: Approx. 10.3 Mega Pixels : Approx. 10.1 Mega Pixels : 1/2.3 in-Type Super HAD CCD : Sony Lens : f/2.5 – f/5.6 : 2.7- inches, 230,000 dots. : 4x : Approx. 8x : 5M: Approx. 5.6x, 3M: Approx.

7.1x, VGA: Approx. 22.0x, 16:9: Approx. 7.6x Focal Length : 33 - 132mm equivalent Auto Focus Range : W: Approx. 5cm to Infinity, T:Approx. 50cm to Infinity Macro Auto Focus Range : W: Approx. 5cm to Infinity, T:Approx. 50cm to Infinity Internal Memory : Approx. 12MB Memory Stick:Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed) / Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo Battery System : Lithium ION Battery

Price: Rs. 29,990

Macro Auto Focus Range : Storage Type

:

Battery System

:

Price: Rs. 13,990

Price: Rs. 8,990

SONY DSC T 90

SONY DSC T 900

SONY W210

Effective Pixels Image Processor Sensor Type Lens Aperture Range LCD ISO Sensitivity

Effective Pixels Sensor Type Focal Length LCD ISO Equivalent Exposure Compensation Metering

Effective Pixels

: : : : : : :

12.1 Mega Pixels BIONZ 1/2.3 in - Type Super HAD CCD Carl Zeiss Vario - Tessar f/3.5-f/10.0 2.3-inches, 230,400 Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Optical Zoom : 4x Precision Digital Zoom : Approx. 2x Focal Length : 35 - 140mm equivalent Autofocus Range : W: Approx. 8cm to Infinity T: Approx. 50cm to Infinity Metering : Multi-Pattern, Center-Weighted, Spot Exposure : Program, Auomatic Exposure Compensation : -2 to + 2EV in 1/3 EV steps Internal Memory : Approx. 11.0 MB Storage Type : MS Duo/MS PRO Duo Battery System : Lithium Ion Battery Dimension/Weight : 94x 57x 15mm, Approx. 151 gms

While Balance

Shutter Speed Shooting Modes

File Format Storage Type Battery Dimension/Weight

: : : : : : :

12.0 Mega Pixels 1/2.3in -Type Super HAD CCD 35 - 140 mm 3.5 in wide, 921,600 dots ISO 80 - 3200 - 2EV to +2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps) Multi Pattern, Centre weighted, Spot : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent, Flash : 2 - 1/1000 sec : Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Portrait : JPEG : Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo : Lithium Ion Battery : 97.9 x 57.8 x 16.3 mm, 123.7 gms

132

Smart Photography October 2009

Price: Rs. 22,990

: Approx. 12.1 Mega Pixels

Image Processor

: BIONZ

Sensor Type

: 1/2.3in - Type Super HAD CCD

Lens

: Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar

F number

: f/2.8 – f/5.8

LCD

: 2.7- inches, 230, 000 dots

Optical Zoom

: 4x

Precision Digital Zoom

: Approx. 8x

Focal Length

: 30 - 120mm equivalent

Auto Focus Range

: W: Approx. 4cm to Infinity, T: Approx. 50cm to Infinity

Macro Auto Focus Range : W: Approx. 4cm to Infinity, T: Approx. 50cm to Infinity Internal Memory

: Approx. 15MB

Memory Stick

: Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed) / Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo

Battery System Price: Rs. 17,990

10.1 Million Pixels BIONZ 1/2.3 in- Type Super HAD CCD Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar f/3.5 – f/4.6 3.0- inches, 230, 000 dots, 4x 5M: Approx. 5.6x, 3M: Approx.

7.1x, VGA: Approx. 22x, 16:9: Approx. 7.6x Optical Zoom 35-140mm equivalent W: Approx. 8cm to Infinity, T: Approx. 50cm to Infinity W: Approx. 8cm to Infinity, T: Approx. 50cm to Infinity Internal Memory: Approx.

15MB. Memory Stick: Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed) / Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo Lithium ION Battery

: Lithium ION Battery Price: Rs. 11,990

fframes

Studio Accessories

Photography institute

ISO 9001-2008 Certified Institute

9

83

e1

c Sin

Get feedback from our Alumni, the list is displayed on our website 502 3 06 24 203364 2 2 Ph: 0 2 65 02

-time 4-day full l lighting de o M n o workshop hotography now lP a it ig D d 9 & an ctober ‘0 on 23rd O 9 ‘0 r e b m 27th Nove

Log on www.focusnip.com HINDI & ENGLISH MEDIUM

Learn Photography

Courses for freshers Basic 5 weeks, Advanced 2 months Diploma 6 months, Video 2 months 4-day Model Lighting & Digital Photography Workshop. • Learn Digital techniques from Adobe certified Expert & Instructor Mr. Vishal Bhende

Manohar Desai’s National Institute of Photography

Contact: 11/2, Ghamat Terrace, 2nd Fl. Above Shagun Hotel, Opp. Dadar (WR) Station, Dadar (W), Mumbai-28. 09820109479, Email: nipindia@yahoo.com

Minilab

Photo System

Photographic institute

Photography Equipments

Minilabs

/ 3411

DIGITAL CAMERA & ACCESSORIES

DIGITAL CAMERA & ACCESSORIES

Minilab

PRINTERS

PRINTERS

Photography institute

Tribute to a

I

Legend

distinctly remember the year —1975. As a student studying in London, I had a great opportunity to develop and advance my photographic skills. All I could afford at that stage was an East German Praktica LTL along with a Pancolor f/1.8 lens. A Vivitar wide-angle and a Tamron telephoto zoom completed my kit. All was fine till, during a trip to Scotland, a friend of mine dropped the kit. The camera survived but not the lenses.

After a great deal of reading and research, I trudged along to Tecno at Marylebone Road (alas, no longer in existence) quite determined to buy a Canon FTbn. The Nikkormats of that time were too heavy and Minolta did not make it to my shortlist. In the shop, my eye fell on a camera that was diminutive, had small lenses but still had bigger dials and switches and a very bright viewfinder. In the end, it was a ‘no contest’ situation and the diminutive camera won. Thus, began my relationship with the Olympus OM series - the OM1 with a 50mm f/1.4 lens to be precise. What was it about the Olympus OM series that enthralled thousands of customers?

In one word, it was the design.

Responsible for the design of the OM series of SLRs as well as the Pen series was one Yoshihisa Maitani, whose name became synonymous with excellence in camera design.

Born in Shikoku, Japan in 1933, Maitani was the third son of a rice wine and soya sauce maker. At the age of 10, Maitani built his first camera. By the time he was 16, he already held four design patents. He joined Olympus in 1956. In 1959, the Pen was released. Maitani had designed the camera to be ‘’as easy to use and carry as a pen’’. During its life cycle, more than 10 million

154

Smart Photography October 2009

pieces were sold. The Pen F was released in 1963 and was followed by the FT and FV. Maitani had made half frame cameras an overnight success.

Maitani’s biggest triumph came with the launch of the OM series of SLRs. Compared to the SLRs of that time, the Olympus OM1 was small, light, quiet, and had a very bright viewfinder; but still had controls which were large and user friendly. It was released along with a huge system of lenses and other accessories and saw instant success.

The OM series saw outstanding success right until 1984 with the launch of the OM-3 and OM-4.

Maitani was also responsible for the design of Olympus’ much loved XA series of compact cameras.

In 1992, Maitani was the recipient of the PMA Hall of Fame Award. In 1994, Maitani was awarded the 1994 Science and Technology Agency’s Director General’s Award.

Maitani retired from Olympus as Managing Director in 1996. He died of respiratory failure at the age of 76 in August 2009.

Of what use is science and technology, if we do not recognize the human element behind it? Maitani’s various designs brought success and happiness to millions of users. May his soul rest in peace!

H. S. Billimoria

The Best Solution On one occasion, Maitani told the members of the development team to come up with ideas for a new camera. At a meeting a year later, there were about a hundred ideas from the ten-odd members. Maitani ordered them to concentrate the suggestions to just a few.

At the next meeting, the team members brought up 17 suggestions. Maitani thought that’s too much, for Olympus would only make one or two cameras in a year.

At the third meeting, the team agreed on one suggestion : Company X was the leader in camera design, and its new camera was the best solution.

Maitani sermonized his subordinates. “Our company doesn’t have to throw away millions of dollars in development funds just to build a camera like that! If you can’t make something original, better not to make it at all. A camera maker that simply copies others has no right to call itself a maker in the first place.”

RNI No. MAHENG/2005/14978