PhotoComment June 2010

Portfolios: Colette Baillie Willem van der Post

What is ISO? Product Review JUNE 2010 ISSUE NO. 16 FREE ONLINE

Sony vs Panasonic

Worldwide Photowalk 2010

CONTENTS

JUNE 2010

Editor’s Comment

4

Reader’s Portfolio

13

Willem van der Post - Camera Club

Competition

4

2010 Kick Off Competition

6

All about what is happening in the photographic world locally and internationally

Product Review

22

Panasonic Gf1 vs Sony Alpha A390

Book Review

Professional’s Portfolio 8 Colette Baillie - CODP

24

Jodi Bieber - Soweto

Final Comment 10

Worldwide Photowalk 2010

Technique

18

Snap II Exhibition

Scoop

Events

Advertorial

27

‘Just Do It’

Final Photo

28

12

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Front Cover Image by: Colette Baillie

EDITOR’S COMMENT

J

une has arrived and with it, the kick off of the

incredible images and so in keeping with the Soccer

Soccer World Cup... and sadly as I write this the

theme sweeping the country we have the 2010 Kick

country is walking with heads bowed due firstly to

Off Competition where we want your images that

the tragic passing of Zenani Mandela whose funeral

evoke the emotions of this momentous occasion.

is today, and secondly the 3-0 loss by Bafana Bafana to Uruguay.

This issue is full of great images with two portfolios, a brief explanation on ISO, a comparison review of

Nonetheless we are a nation that has been through

two cameras in the and a peek into a great new book

worse times and the sun will keep shining... though

by photographer Jodi Bieber. So sit down with a cup

it feels like it’s lost its heat.

of hot chocolate, get warm, enjoy and be inspired.

First thing I must mention is our new competition.

Tristan Hall - Founder

Our 2009 Year End competition brought in some

2010 KICK OFF COMPETITION Over the next 6 weeks from the kick off of the

this gallery and highlight a top image weekly as a

Soccer World Cup, we are looking for your images

post on www.photocomment.net that will make it

of this historic period in South African history. Share

into our finalists.

your magic moments of the world cup and you could win a R1500.00 KAMERAZ voucher.

So send us your images (around 1200 pixels wide) to

It could be your face painted kids, to the spray from a

magazine@photocomment.net with a 20 word

Vuvuzela or the cheers and emotions of your team’s

caption and let’s sart sharing those memories before

first goal.

they pass.

The rules are simple; images need to have been shot during the period of 11 June 2010 to 25 July 2010.

More details and competition rules at

We will post the best entries throughout the period in

www.photocomment.net

To keep up to date with the latest news see our blog at http://photocomment.net PMA 2011

A

s many of you are aware by now, our March issue usually carries the latest news from the annual Photo Marketing Association’s (PMA) show.

Next year will be a little different for several possible reasons not least of which is the fact that the show seems to always be smaller in a Photokina year (like 2010 is) which is held every second year, plus the fact that PMA tends to be so near to the much larger Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held a few weeks before. Next year PMA will be held in September and for the first time open its doors to the public and not just the trade.

Phase One Competition

S

igh...yet another award. Yup but this one with a difference! We’re giving away a GRAND prize at the Photo & Film Expo. You could win the chance to have your work featured in the PhaseOne international newsletter and also to win a product prize*.

So want to know how to enter? All you have to do is send a disc with your prize shots to F11, PO Box 2626, Sunninghill, 2157. What else? Well don’t forget to include your details including what camera you shot your pics with. What’s the catch? Well we’d like you to submit your snaps shot with any medium format camera. *Prize to be detailed in the July edition of “The PO Box” And here is a link to more information: http://f11phaseone.co.za/news-events.html

Sony's New Entry-level Alphas

S

ony have just announced their new entrylevel range of Alpha cameras. It would appear that they have gone down from 3 cameras (A230, 330 and 380) to two model in the form of the A290 and A390. Both cameras sport 14mp CCD sensors and are for all intents and purposes the same camera barring the live-view that is missing on the A290 which is available on the A390. What many people will be asking is if they fixed the terrible grip that was on the previous models? The answer, not really, they just made the grip a lot bigger.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3

F

ocus on what you love about photography with Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 software, an intuitive digital darkroom and efficient assistant designed for serious amateur and professional photographers. Easily manage, edit, and showcase all your images. Get the absolute best from every shot using state-of-the-art nondestructive editing tools, including sophisticated overall color and tone controls, advanced sharpening, and new noise reduction technology. Showcase your work using customizable print layouts, slideshow movies with audio, and tight integration with online photo-sharing sites. Efficiently manage your growing photo collection with easy importing, powerful metadata tagging, and more. Lightroom integrates tightly with Adobe Photoshop CS4 software and supports more than 275 camera raw file formats, as well as JPEG, TIFF, and PSD images.

Panasonic 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye

P

anasonic have released the new 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye for Micro Four Thirds. Offering 180 degree angle of view this fisheye will add a whole new perspective to your GF or GH series camera.

We can actually see this having some interesting applications with the video functionality on these cameras in particular.

The inclusion of ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass is said to optimise the performance of this lens by minimizing chromatic aberration and distortion.

Panasonic Lumix FX75

I

ntroducing the new Panasonic Lumix DMCFX75, the ‘ultimate slim and stylish hybrid Lumix digital camera that shoots HD video’.

While this claim will yet need to be put to the test, on paper they have certainly packed in a punch. It has a 5x optical zoom lens – Leica of course – which starts at 24mm wide angle with t fast f/2.2 aperture.

It still uses a CCD sensor offering 14.1 megapixels to one need to wonder what its noise levels will be like, but its best party feature is the AVCHD Lite video format for its 720p HD video. A nice pocket camera to consider putting on one’s wish list.

PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

P

hotography involves a fair amount of planning, a large amount of observation and a healthy dose of technical post production (ok, ok, let´s call it photoshop).

I enjoy all these aspects and have an interest in many styles of photography. At the moment most of my work involves children and family portraits, weddings and special events. I find there is space to infuse as much creativity as you want into this type of work. I´ve even learned how to make group photographs fun.

COLETTE BAILLIE I remember having butterflies in my stomach before each class, not knowing how my pics had turned out, only to be pleasantly surprised at the results. There were two main things I learned from shooting on film.....not to take any shot for granted and to trust my instincts and technical knowledge. The bug bit me, I invested in a Nikon D200, enrolled for course after course. There was so much to learn, and so many people to learn from. What amazed me the most was how much I learned from my fellow students and how I was fascinated by everyone´s individual interpretation.

I have always had a love for the arts, so photography was quite a natural progression for me. Being a musician ever since I left school, the late nights and lack of purpose lead me to look in another direction.

Starting my journey at CODP, still clutching my old film camera, while most people were already on digital, was quite a daunting experience.

This was the start of an amazing adventure. It has made me look at the world in a new, exciting way and I really value each opportunity to translate someones memories into images.

I have so much to learn, but I know that I will never stop trying. [o]

tender moments between mother and son

couple on the bridge

PROFESSIONAL EVENTS PORTFOLIO

WORLDWIDE PHOTOWALK COLETTE BAILLIE 2010

EVENTS By: Gerry van der Walt

T

he Worldwide Photowalk is a great event and this is the second year I will be leading a group. Last year I was down in Cape Town where I led the photowalk at the V&W Waterfront. It was a great success with 50 photographers taking part and and a year later, many of those photographers still being in touch today. Great event.

This year I will be leading a photowalk closer to home in Melville, Johannesburg. An early start will see us walking through the main roads of Melville as all the funky little shops, restaurant and coffee shops open on a Saturday morning. During the two hour photowalk the goals are simple – photograph, share, enjoy.

Regardless of your experience level, the Worldwide Photowalk is a great way in which to get together with other photography enthusiasts and photograph whatever catches your eye, learn from others and just enjoy a great morning out with your camera.

The photowalk will end at the Mugg & Bean in Melville where everybody can share their images, swap business cards and hopefully make make friends with which they can share future walks or even online photo sharing and inspiration.

Apart from being a social event, participants have the choice of entering two of their images into the official competition. This is a great way for you to start looking critically at your images, another learning curve, and who knows... There are some amazing prizes!

For more info on the Melville photowalk you can check out - http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/ johannesburg-gauteng-south-africa Or http://worldwidephotowalk.com to find the photowalk closest to you. [o]

WORLDWIDE PHOTOWALK 2010

TECHNIQUE

ISO

By: Colette Baillie

So what’s the catch?

As you push up the ISO settings, you will start to lose picture quality and you will notice an increase of noise in your image.

ISO Settings became especially interesting to me when I bought my first digital SLR. Now, instead of buying expensive rolls of slower film, I can change the ISO settings for each image with the push of a button.

With film cameras, ISO ratings were used to describe different speeds of film such as 100 ISO(low sensitivity to light) to 1600 (high sensitivity to light). With digital, changing your ISO setting will change the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light. The higher you set your ISO, the more sensitive to light your sensor will become.

This is particularly useful in darker conditions when you are already using a wide aperture and a slow shutter speed, but your image is still underexposed.

ISO settings will depend on your camera type and model and can range anywhere from 64 to 1600 and over.

These images below have the same aperture and shutter speed settings. Changes have been made to the ISO settings only.

ISO 200

ISO 400

Noise is similar to the grain from a film camera. It looks like little specks in your image. It is very noticeable against a solid colour. For instance on a blue sky or in darker areas of the image you would notice coloured dots.

Noise also inversely affects the sharpness of an image and using a very high ISO results in a “smudging” and softening of the image.

You will need to experiment with your ISO settings to see the final effect it will have on your image.

Higher noise might be fine for a small print, but may be too obvious on an enlargement.

The good news is that the newer high end DSLR cameras are now extending their ISO rating way beyond 1600 and the internal software and hardware is getting better at minimizing digital noise. [o]

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

READER’S PORTFOLIO

O

riginally from Welkom in the Free State, Willem went to university in the Western Cape, spent some twenty years in a corporate environment, and lectured at a university in Johannesburg. Willem retired a few years ago and enjoys pursuing his many interests, many of which are shared with his wife. These include reading, travelling, politics, music, military history and, of course, photography. Some of Willem’s memorable experiences include walking the beaches of Normandy, where the invasion of Europe took place during the Second World War, and photographing Grizzly bears in Alaska on the Katmai peninsula.

How did you get started in photography and what developed your interest?

WvdP: Photographs have always fascinated me. At a very young age I played around with my Dad’s still and cine cameras making different kinds of images,

WILLEM VAN DER POST the creative boundaries of which were set by the technology of that time. Young aspirant photographers today are constrained only by their imagination as virtually anything is possible with digital equipment and computer software.

What are your favourite photographic subjects, and what subjects or situations inspire you to take photos?

WvdP: Wildlife undoubtedly. Regrettably the Kalahari is not close to Johannesburg and therefore my focus is mainly on birds. There are a few spots in Gauteng where you can get worthwhile images of birds, so getting out of bed at 3.30 a.m. to be at the hide before 5 a.m. is something that my fellow photographer Callie de Wet and I regularly do.

Initially getting a sharp image of a Malachite Kingfisher on a branch was first prize but this does not cut it any more; currently it takes a Heron

READER’S PORTFOLIO

Reader’s Portfolio Sponsored by:

WILLEM VAN DER POST

READER’S PORTFOLIO

WILLEM VAN DER POST spearing a fish or a bird taking off with outspread wings to really get us going!

Do you have any tips for budding bird photographers?

WvdP: From a photographic point of view, the behaviour of birds, generally, is predictable. After a while you can observe pre-take-off behaviour and so ready yourself for the shot. A good “long” lens is essential for getting good images of birds. As is the case with most moving objects, you also have to apply a high shutter speed i.e. 1/2000th of a second or higher. This, of course, places some strain on the camera’s ISO as well as your depth of field, particularly with long telephoto lenses.

You have to balance these constraints.

What are the most important things you have learned about photography?

WvdP: Digital images are not solely produced by a camera. They are ultimately shaped on a computer and therefore both these technologies have to be mastered and applied. Having an intimate knowledge of your camera as well as the post production software you use is vital to the production of quality digital images.

Do you think somebody must have an "eye" for photography, or is it a skill that can be learned?

WvdP: I think much can be learned, but it does help if a person has a natural ability to see the picture when he or she comes across it.

READER’S PORTFOLIO Are you inspired by any other photographers?

WvdP: Yes of course! I often see images of places I have been to and ask myself why I had not considered shooting it at this or that angle. I make a mental note of what to do when I am there again.

Tell us a little about your current and past photographic equipment.

WvdP: My first SLR was a Pentax Spotmatic. I remember paying R132 for a new one in 1969. I also had a 200mm lens of a brand that is no longer around. I had a number of Pentaxes over the years, but with the advent of digital cameras I switched to Nikon, first a D70 and later a D200. Currently, I have a D300 and a range of Nikon lenses from a 1224mm to a fixed 600mm. I am particularly fond of

WILLEM VAN DER POST my 200-400mm lens because of its sharpness and versatility.

We know that in addition to being a member of Camera Club (www.cameraclub.co.za) you are also a member of the Krugersdorp Camera Club. Can you tell us a little about your involvement at this club?

WvdP: The Krugersdorp Camera Club (www.kameraklub.co.za) is generally considered to be vibrant and strong, particularly as far as digital photography is concerned. The club has consistently performed well, locally and internationally. It has hosted a photographic salon every year for the last four years which is no small achievement given the work that goes into staging a salon.

READER’S PORTFOLIO

WILLEM VAN DER POST

At Krugersdorp, members are encouraged to apply for the various forms of honours from the Photographic Society of South Africa of which I am also a member. Last year I was very fortunate to obtain an Associateship from PSSA and have subsequently been invited to be a judge in a few national salons – an experience that I consider to be both humbling and stimulating. [o] See more of Willem’s pics at www.cameraclub.co.za/willemvanderpost

Willem van der Post is a member of Camera Club, an online photography club open to all South African photographers. Willem is one of Camera Club’s top contributors and is a multiple winner of Camera Club’s photo competitions. Camera Club membership is free and anyone is welcome to enter the monthly and theme competitions. For more information, go to www.cameraclub.co.za.

Reader’s Portfolio Sponsored by:

ADVERTORIAL

SNAP II EXHIBITION

D

ue to the huge success of SNAP last year, the 9 photographers from Pretoria and Johannesburg have decided to do it again this year. SNAP II will be a photographic exhibition featuring work from Halden Krog, Alet Pretorius, Lisa Skinner, Herman Verwey, Brenda Veldtman, Cornel van Heerden, Theana Calitz, Waldo Swiegers and Gerhard Uys. All these photographers work within the broad confines of photojournalism. Whether they are on assignment, travelling for pleasure or just photographing their live and surroundings they are documenting the time and place we live in. Photography has a universal appeal and with this exhibition we want to make it accessible for a broad audience.

Join us for a glass of wine on the opening night 9 July from 18.00 SNAP II will be held at Platform on 18th, 232 18th Street, Rietondale, Pretoria from 9 July till 24 July 2010.

The gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday 10.00 – 16.00 and Saturdays 10.00 – 14.00.

Please phone Christo Harvey 0847644258 or Alet Pretorius 0835156485 for more info or to organise group tours.

Halden Krog

Alet Pretorius

http://aletpretorius.blogspot.com Halden Krog, senior photographer at the The Times in Johannesburg in South Africa, was born in the city in 1974.

After studying photography at the Vaal Triangle Technikon in South Africa he set off for the UK in 1994 where he spent several years freelancing as a photographer covering major events such as post war Bosnia and the conflict in Israel.

He returned to South Africa in 1999 taking on a full-time position at the daily newspaper Beeld in Johannesburg, becoming the chief photographer before moving to The Times in 2007. He has won various awards including the Fuji South African Press Photographer of the Year award in 2002 and 2005 .He gained international recognition with a World Press Award in the Nature category in 2005.

Halden's work has appeared in international renowned publications such as TIME, News Week, Stern and La Figaro.

In 2009 he won the best news photo category in the CNN Journalist of the Year award 2009 for a series of photographs during the xenophobic attacks here in South Africa. He continues to be passionate about photography. He lives with his family in Westdene, Johannesburg.

“Photography broadens my view of the world. Being a photojournalist you are put in unfamiliar situations and recording such events gives you a better understanding of other people, cultures and events. Seeing the beauty and the ugly of the world makes you appreciate your own life and makes you tolerant for others' lives and way of living. We are all connected by a common thread but also individual. Visual story telling is a very important tool to record history as pictures evoke emotion and are remembered long after the story is forgotten. ” She obtained a BJourn from Rhodes University in 2001 and has since worked for various publications including Independent Newspapers in Natal, The Star and Beeld; where she is currently a Specialist Photographer. She received 2 Gold Awards, 3 Silver Awards and 2 Bronze Award in the Profoto Awards in 2009 in the editorial, portraiture and music and theatre categories. In 2010 she received 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze award in the Profoto Awards. She also had a work on the ABSA L’Atelier award exhibitions and this year one of her works has again been selected as a finalist in this competition (the results of the competition is not yet available).

ADVERTORIAL

SNAP II EXHIBITION

Theana Calitz

Waldo Swiegers

Theana Calitz obtained a B-Tech Photography at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and is currently a Senior Photographer at Beeld Newspaper. With extensive experience ranging from food and fashion photography to photojournalism, Theana has already experienced some of the best and worst offered by modern day South African culture. In 2009 she received several awards in the Profoto Awards and also received a commendation at the Mondi Awards in the feature category. This year she received 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze awards in the Profoto Awards.

Waldo Swiegers is a freelance photographer from Pretoria.

Although he obtained a BA Languages (Journalism) from the University of Pretoria, he finds that the visual medium evokes more response.

He mainly shoots people for magazines these days. He grew up with the distinct impression that the world is round, but sees the world daily through a rectangular viewfinder.

His passion for photography is shared only by the Metro Police’s Traffic Department.

Cornel van Heerden

Herman Verwey

Cornel is a young up-and-coming photographer working at Beeld. He was a finalist in the Mondi Awards 2009 in the Sport category. He is a confident self taught photographer who attended the photography classes of life. Cornél is passionate about simplicity and truly believes in capturing a moment with a less is more-attitude. He enjoys shooting and will always wait a little longer to get that unique shot which everybody else missed.

“Om 'n persfotograaf te wees is nie net 'n werk nie, dis 'n lewenstyl. Ek geniet dit om hardenuus en sport af te neem waarin ek swart en wit fotografie bo kleur verkies weens die manier hoe dit emosie uitbring” Herman Verwey is currently a photographer at Beeld. He studied at the National College of Photography where he was student of the year 2008. He was also Beeld’s photographer of the year 2008 despite the fact that he was permanently employed for less than a year. He received a commendation in this year’s Mondi Awards in the sport category and several awards in the Profoto Awards 2009.

In 2010 he received 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze awards in the Profoto Awards.

Cornél is a funky, professional photographer who sees the world through a lens. He loves Miami pizza and nachos and is keen to capture memories as they go by. This year he received 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze awards in the Sony Profoto Awards.

ADVERTORIAL Gerhard Uys

SNAP II EXHIBITION Lisa Skinner is a staff photographer at the weekly Mail & Guardian Newspaper. A graduate of Rhodes University’s Journalism School she specialises in portraiture, documentary and feature photography. Her work has been published in the Le Mond (France) Time Out (SA & UK), the Mail & Guardian, Art South Africa, INSIG Magazine, The Sunday Times, SL Magazine, Stage Magazine, Fair Lady Magazine, Beeld Newspaper and Die Burger Newspaper. She still believes in the power of images to move people.

Brenda Veldtman

Gerhard Uys is a freelance photographer and journalist. He specialises in portrait work for magazines. If given a choice Gerhard would have really liked to be a cowboy. But not living in America and not having a horse has complicated the matter.

He does however own a pair of really rad cowboy boots.

Gerhard has no real opinion on global warming. He goes to church twice every Sunday. He strongly believes that Canon is so much cooler than Nikon, but admits that it could partly be because there are so many more Canon ads in magazines that may have indoctrinated him. He does however wish that Canon could also have a yellow strap, because he feels yellow is a super cool colour.

Lisa Skinner

https://brendaveldtman.marenco.co.za/ Brenda Veldtman is a South African documentary photographer with more than six years experience as a photojournalist. Her passion is shooting documentaries-telling other people’s stories through pictures. Furthermore she also loves going “behind the scenes” whilst shooting a story.In 2004 she received a commendation for one of her News pictures at the Mondi Awards and was second runner up at the Fuji Africa Awards also for News.

www.cameraimage.co.za (Su bcription Fees Apply

)

PRODUCT REVIEW

PANASONIC GF1 vs SONY ALPHA A390

F

or some this may seem like an unfair comparison, for starters the cameras are very different in the very nature of their design, the Panasonic is Mirrorless while the Sony is a conventional DSLR, that is before you get to the price differences, the fact that one has video and the other not, but the reason we are doing this comparison is that in many ways these cameras will be competing for the same consumers money, perhaps I can explain.

When the Mirrorless camera was conceived the concept to a large extent was to create a camera that would appeal to a greater audience than conventional photographic enthusiast. The idea was to have a camera capable of the quality and versatility of conventional DSLR in the size and user experience closer to the compact camera which still dominates worldwide digital camera sales. It was hoped that it would bridge the great divide of size versus quality, user friendliness versus versatility

and while the GF1 attempts to address these issues on standalone first appearance, it really doesn’t.

The Sony A390 on the other hand does not pretend to be something it clearly is not. It does not try to look compact, in fact Sony have increased the size of the grip as it was an area of great complaint with many consumers on its predecessor the A380. Sadly this change has done little to improve the user experience as the shape of the grip has not changed at all... in the words of my wife “it gave me a cramp after holding it for only 5 minutes.�

So what then are the pros and cons of each?

PRODUCT REVIEW

PANASONIC GF1 vs SONY ALPHA A390

Panasonic GF1 Shall we kick off with the Panasonic first. As mentioned earlier, standing on its own this Panasonic has an air of compactness to it however pulling it up alongside a more entry level DSLR you begin to see that the bulk of its size reduction comes from the lack of a grip on the camera.

While it is certainly less peculiar in shape than an DSLR may be from a packing perspective, cannot really be sold as “compact” especially when you put it next to Sony’s direct competitor, the NEX-5. That said, the Panasonic GF1 is certainly nicer to hold I found then the Sony Alpha A390 when using the camera for extended periods of time.

Image quality was good. It uses a smaller, Micro Four Thirds sensor than the A390’s APS-C sized sensor, but because it uses CMOS rather than the Sony’s CCD the noise levels and over image quality were easily on par.

From a user experience the Panasonic can disappoint. For the first time user it is not the easiest camera to use. The menus – even for a more seasoned photographer – gives one the impression that it really is an attempt to get into a system based camera market, and if it was intended to be for people who are upgrading from a compact looking for something smaller and easier to use than a DSLR you will be disappointed.

Autofocus could have been better as I regularly found myself waiting for it to figure out where it wanted to focus, particularly in video mode, but in the GF1’s defence, there is newer firmware that has been announced subsequent to us having had the camera which may improve this, and the video quality is out of this world once you overlook the focus issue.

The other drawback for this camera is the fact that as a system there is still a limited range of lenses in it’s own mount, particularly if you enjoy your wildlife photography.

PRODUCT REVIEW

PANASONIC GF1 vs SONY ALPHA A390

Sony Alpha A390 The Sony is a very odd beast. Unlike the Panasonic where - once you understand its menu system and learn to work with the Auto Focus system – I began to enjoy using the camera, the Sony is something you will love or hate, I just can’t find middle ground for me.

As I said, the grip was meant to be improved over the A230, A330 and A380 but in reality just increasing the size of the grip was never going to fix the problem completely. The camera tries to force the hand to hold it as if it’s a compact camera with your index finger on top of the shutter button and body gripped mostly between your thumb and middle finger. As indicated by more than one person, it just does not feel right for a DSLR. And here is the problem with this design and why I keep harping on it, even if everything else on this camera was mind blowingly good (and that is not entirely the case) if the camera give you a cramp in your hand, I just don’t know if I could live with it.

There are some very good things about the A390.

The menu – while still very much DSLR orientated – gives you an explanation off each mode, function, setting etc just as its predecessor did, making the daunting task of using a DSLR for the complete novice, less daunting.

Image quality was good though I must still wonder why they using a 14mp CCD sensor when Sony have such good Exmor CMOS sensors in the rest of their range, and as with all Sony Alpha cameras barring the A450 (which Sony South Africa don’t handle) the Quick AF Live View is way ahead of the competition, in fact the more I use it the more I think I can’t live without it.

So what with all this praise is there still at fault with this camera?

Our understanding is that anyone looking at either the A290 or A390 will at some point want to learn more about photography and when they attend a

PRODUCT REVIEW

PANASONIC GF1 vs SONY ALPHA A390

course they are going to find some short comings some of which are unique to these cameras and other which are common on severl brands entry level offering.

The common missing items are things like a Cable Release (you are stuck with a wireless Infra-Red remote which is picked up at the front of the camera, great for self portraits and little else) plus a depth of field preview button. There is a lack of a battery grip, which might have improved the grip situation.

Then unique to this camera is something which Sony’s design team realized too late on the last model and didn’t bother to fix on this model, the lack of a separate Auto Exposure Lock button.

Another frustration is that they give you a ‘P’ program mode which is not shiftable, so how does it really differ from the ‘AUTO’ mode?

Perhaps the thing that bugs me most though with the two new Sony’s is that the built in flash has to be operated via the function in the menu, and while it does not take long to get to, when I am running in manual or even aperture priority mode, I don’t want to have to keep going into the menu to turn the flash off and on. Why could there not just be a button on the side that allows me to pop up the flash like on my good old A200?

Conclusion In the end, what I say is based heavily on what I shoot and my style may be very different to yours.

Once getting used to the Panasonic GF1 I really began to like it simply because it suits my one lens, travel as small as possible for best quality approach to photography. Truth be told, I didn’t hate the Sony either and if I needed to buy a system based camera it would attract my attention but I may just save a little more for the Alpha A500 to be honest.

Here is my advice when buying any camera. Go spend some time in a store and feel what they are like, compare to some other models and come back to it again, then do a little homework on how it will suit your needs and buy the next week, it could just be that either of these offer what you want. [o]

BOOK REVIEW

JODI BIEBER - SOWETO

W

e were fortunate enough to catch up with Jodi Bieber and chat about her latest project and book Soweto. A most enlightening experience we will bring you more of the interview in a future issue... or something even more exciting, but for now we will want to wet your appetite for what is still to come, and to go see the book for yourself.

Jodi has a way of taking you on a journey into the lives and in this particular book, homes, of people that we often overlook or take for granted. Soweto is no different.

The first image struck me as it portrays the common perception of a township dwelling instilling fear to step into the street yet alone the building, yet graffiti on the wall proclaims “NO FEAR”. From there one

slips into the magical slippers of Dorothy and are transported from the comfort of your own home into the homes of the many various people to whom Soweto is home.

Truly, despite your ethnicity, social or economical status, there is no place like home.

From the smiling faces of children and youth, to a rock band, parents, grandparents, Johnny Moloisane’s Sunrise Photographic Studio, and ultimately a closing image from a retirement home that is not quite what you would expect, you are left feeling like a different person... even kicking yourself for being too scared to share in a Blue Bull, Super 14 game at Orlando Stadium just a few weeks ago.

I strongly advise you to loose yourself in the page of “Soweto by Jodi Bieber, published by Jacana Media in association with the Goethe-Institut.”

Expect to pay around R225.00.

‘JUST DO IT’

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s I sit down to write this, I am pondering upon an interview I had yesterday with Jodi Bieber on her new book Soweto. It is near impossible to share all my thoughts from that interview with you here in this short space but I would like to share some of the things that hit home the hardest.

Jodi’s motto is that of the Nike slogan ‘Just Do It’. For some time I have been overwhelmed by the thought of taking on a personal project to get me out of a photographic rut, and when I posed the question to Jodi about how you go about doing a documentary she advised that you look for a story – and don’t look too far from home, there are many stories that need to be told without travelling 7000 kilometres to do so - and then go ahead and ‘just do it’.

For much of the time I have known Jodi (when I first got into photography and was working in retail) she was always a film shooter. The impact of her statement that she finds she shoots less now on digital then she did on film was also an eye opener. Her reasoning is simple. “You can see on the back of the camera if you have the shot. With film there was more insecurity so you would shoot more”.

Perhaps the most infectious thing about Jodi Bieber is her

enthusiasm and motivation to tell the stories most of us never see. You can tell by her expressions as she relates the tales of some of her images that she is doing what she loves.

Coming back to the topic of not needing to go far to find stories that need to be told. One gets the impression that the documentaries that have the greatest impact are those to which you are personally drawn or where you experience the emotion of the people involved first hand. I think back on a project that I wanted to do about 18 months back that would capture the images of several families I know and show the various generations of mothers and daughters from the newest born to Great Granny who at the time was still well and healthy. I kept putting it off and now, while all generations are still alive, Great Granny is not well. While the family may not be aware of my intentions, I will always have the regret to live with that I never took that chance.

To reiterate what Jodi said, ‘JUST DO IT’. If you don’t feel like picking up your camera, Just Do It. If you have a documentary story in mind but are unsure if you should try, ‘Just Do It’. Don’t look back on another day and think about ‘what should have beens’. [o]

JULY 2010 - What would you like to see in the next issue? Let us know at magazine@photocomment.net - Have you submitted your portfoilio? You could be featured in our next issue!

Image By: Gerry van der Walt from Photowalk Cape Town 2009

2010