Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol.71 No.6 i Pro Photo

Compiling our annual directory of professional cameras this year brought home the fact that we’ve really never had it so good in terms of the scope and capabilities of what’s available right now. But it also illustrated that, once again, photography appears to be on the brink of another seismic change. Looking at the listing for D-SLRs, it’s very apparent that the top-end pro level models are getting a little long in the tooth and consequently lack some of the latest features that are now being enjoyed by users of the semi-pro or enthusiast-level cameras. Where are the replacements? It could be that the demand for a seriously heavy-duty D-SLR like the Canon EOS-1D X or Nikon D4S is on the wane, particularly as news gathering switches from being traditionally…

Canon says it has listened to the demands of professional photographers and designed an A2 format photo printer that’s compact enough to fit on a desktop. The new Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 ticks a lot of boxes for pros and enthusiast-level shooters and slots between the top-of-the-range PIXMA model, the PRO-1, and the floor-standing large format imagePROGRAF models. It employs a newly-developed pigmented inkset called Lucia PRO which comprises 12 colours to give an extended colour gamut and smoother gradations. Canon states that the PRO-1000’s increased colour gamut represents 110 percent of the PRO-1’s on lustre or gloss paper and 119 percent on matte papers. The Lucia PRO inkset comprises Photo Black and Matte Black – using separate channels – plus Grey and Photo Grey to give enhanced B&W printing. It…

The last of the original trio of Sony A7 full-35mm mirrorless cameras has been given the ‘Mark II’ treatment. Still without any rivals nearly two years after being launched – although that may be about to change – the A7 models continue to gain in popularity with both enthusiasts and pro-level users. The new A7S II maintains ultra-high sensitivity as one of its key selling points, derived from its 12.2 megapixels (effective) full-35mm ‘Exmor’ CMOS sensor. The maximum ISO setting is 409,600 and Sony claims the camera delivers low noise characteristics across its entire sensitivity range which starts at ISO 50. As before, the A7S II records 4K video – in the XAVC S format – with a full pixel read-out (i.e. using the full sensor area without pixel ‘binning’),…

BACK IN 1963 Bowens created history by introducing the world’s first flash monobloc called the Monolite, and its combination of portability and power has been popular ever since. Today Bowens offers an extensive line-up of monoblocs under the ‘Gemini’ name and divided into a number of ranges according to affordability and capability. The compact and affordable Gemini 400Rx model has a maximum flash power output of 400 joules, and a power adjustment range of five stops with stepless control. This model offers the convenience of a built-in Pulsar radio receiver with four channels and six studio settings. The Gemini 400Rx offers a fast, 1/1000 second flash duration, and recycles to full power in just over a second. It’s equipped with a 250 watts halogen modelling lamp with the choice of…

1 SIGMA ART 24mm f1.4 DG HSM SIGMA CLASSIFIES ITS lenses according to the main area of application, and these categories are Art, Sports and Contemporary. The Art series lenses are designed and built with optimum quality and performance as the primary objectives yet somehow Sigma manages to factor in a degree of affordability without any compromises. Make no mistake, the Art primes are a match for anything from the prestigious German marques in terms of both their optical performance and the mechanical fit and finish. The 24mm f1.4 joins the 35mm and 50mm Art primes in the winner’s circle and – along with the 24-35mm f2.0 zoom – Sigma has collected just about every major product design award there is. While largely traditional in its concept and design, the…

Picture this scene – you’re wearing a protective suit, facemask, gloves and rubber boots. Your camera is fully encased in a plastic cover. It’s 36 degrees Celsius with 80 percent humidity. Sweat runs in rivulets down your body. You’re travelling with a burial team on the way to collect another victim of the deadly Ebola disease. Once the day’s tour is over, you’ll go through the laborious and meticulous process of disrobing when you will be sprayed down with chlorine multiple times. Your camera gear will also be doused. You’ll end the day exhausted and wake the following morning ready to do it all over again. Why? Because it’s a story that needs to be told. Australian photojournalist Daniel Berehulak knows this scenario well. In August 2014 he travelled to…

Leica has revealed the future direction of its professional camera activities with an all-new mirrorless system called the SL which uses a full-35mm sensor and employs a new version of the T mount – introduced in 2014 – called the L mount. The SL will accept T mount lenses – now renamed TL mount – automatically cropping the frame to the ‘APS-C’ format, but is designed to be used with a new family of 35mm format L mount lenses. Adaptors are (or will be shortly) available for fitting M, R and S lenses, the latter retaining autofocusing capabilities. With the SL Leica is fully embracing the contemporary mirror camera design so the new camera has a built-in EVF – with a world’s best resolution of 4.4 megadots – the capacity…

Following the launch of its A3+ and A2+ format SureColor series photo printers, Epson has now introduced these upgrades to its large format rollpaper line-up, giving birth to four new P-Series models. These all feature the new UltraChrome HD inkset which delivers an enhanced colour gamut and a higher D-Max for blacker blacks. They also have a faster 1000Base-T Ethernet interface and 1.0 GB of RAM. The SureColor P-Series also features upgraded versions of Epson’s ‘Precision Core’ print heads with VSDT for improved print quality and durability, new accounting software for improved job costing, new Epson Print Layout software (which works as a plugin for Photoshop, Lightroom and Nikon ViewNX-i for simplified photo printing) and improved colour management. The line-up starts with the SureColor SC-P6070 which is a 24-inch wide…

Over the last decade, Zenfolio has steadily grown into a talented family of 100,000 photographers. Celebrating its tenth anniversary in January, Zenfolio is promising to be more than just a hosting Website for photographers, but also “your greatest business partner”. Year after year, Zenfolio has been voted number one by professional photographers and is constantly improving with the promise of simplifying your Website experience, growing your business, and helping you achieve your business goals. Customers constantly comment about how they appreciate Zenfolio's simplicity, but the company is working to further streamline the system to make it even easier. In addition to an intuitive platform, Zenfolio can handle everything behind-the-scenes so photographers can focus on the important things, like their clients and their photography. Zenfolio provides the tools to increase sales.…

WHEN A COLLEAGUE RECENTLY told me how much he loved his Epson Stylus Pro 3880 you’d have to think that he – probably along with many others – is pretty satisfied with his existing photo printer. So how might he react to the arrival of its replacement in the shape of the A2+ format addition to the Sure-Color line-up? The basic shape of the new Epson SureColor SC-P800 hasn’t altered from the Stylus Pro 3880, but this time the silver-and-black colour scheme becomes an elegant all-over black while most of the features of the earlier A3+ format SureColor SC-P600 – such as the intuitive tilt-adjustable 6.85 cm LCD control screen and the new UltraChrome HD pigmented inkset – have been incorporated. The LCD screen is primarily used to check the…

CMOS SENSORS RULE in the smaller formats, but now they’ve moved into the medium format arena, delivering significant benefits to MF D-SLRs like Hasselblad’s H5D-50c which now also boasts the convenience of WiFi. Hasselblad has amassed an impressive number of ‘firsts’ since it introduced its iconic 6x6cm film SLR back in 1948. Sixty-six years later, it’s first again with a medium format D-SLR which uses a CMOS type sensor rather than the CCD that’s been universal in this category up until now. Now the original H5D-50c has been joined by a new version with a built-in WiFi module. The new H5D-50c With WiFi provides the convenience of remote camera control via an iPhone or iPad which can also be used to browse images no matter where the camera is being…

COLLABORATING WITH PROFESSIONAL outdoor photographers, the designers at f-stop have rethought what’s required to carry camera or video equipment in to remote locations or extreme environments. F-stop has created a range of heavy-duty photo backpacks that are designed to keep protecting equipment in challenging conditions as well providing a variety of design innovations to make them more comfortable and convenient to use in any location from inner city to the outback. F-stop’s Mountain Series of packs combine durability with practicality so they work efficiently and effectively on location, ensuring that photographers can focus on getting their pictures rather than worrying about the safety of their equipment. SHINN SERIES Specifically designed to haul larger camera systems, the 80-litre Shinn is the largest camera pack f-stop has ever created. It’s especially suited…

The cameras included in this directory have been selected largely according to the criteria outlined in the preamble opposite, but beyond the digital medium format systems, the selection inevitably involves some degree of subjectivity. Consequently, inclusion in this directory does not constitute an endorsement by this magazine of a particular camera’s professional credentials, but they can all be considered to meet certain standards of functionality, durability and performance. The quoted prices include GST and, where distributors don’t supply RRPs, we have endeavoured to determine an ‘estimated average street price’. In most cases, these err a little on the high side, but we can’t guarantee our estimated prices will be held from one supplier/retailer to the next. They’re merely intended as a starting point and to provide some sort of comparison…

Swiss studio flash maker Elinchrom has introduced an updated version of its Skyport transmitter. The new EL-Skyport Transmitter Plus HS incorporates a large LCD display panel which conveniently shows the power setting of each flash unit in a set-up. Power levels and modelling lamp settings can be changed directly from the new controller with these adjustments instantly displayed. Additionally, there’s a new ‘Hi-Sync’ function which provides access to sync speeds up to 1/8000 second to freeze movement, enable the use of wider apertures or to darken backgrounds. The Skyport HS’s ODS (Over Drive Sync) facility allows users to fine-tune the trigger signal to optimise exposures at the higher shutter speeds. Also new from Elinchrom is an additional flash head for its Quadra portable battery-powered packs, including the latest ELB 400…

Swedish luggage and storage experts Thule has launched a new range of products for image makers, starting with the Legend GoPro backpack (pictured below). As the name suggests, this pack is specifically designed for carrying GoPro actioncams and incorporates a special, crush-proof padded compartment which holds up to three cameras and the LCD Touch BacPac. Additional compartments are provided to store extra batteries, the remote controller and memory cards. The Thule Legend GoPro backpack is priced at $399. The Crossover 25L and 32L are new daypacks from Thule which are designed to accommodate a 15-inch Macbook Pro, PC or iPad, and also incorporate a crush-proof ‘SafeZone’ compartment for fragile items. These models are available in blue or black and priced from $170. The 12L and 25L Departer Series daypacks are…

ZEISS MILVUS THE NEW FAMILY of Milvus lenses from Zeiss is available in the ZE mount for Canon full-35mm format D-SLRs and ZF.2 mount for Nikon models, and initially comprises six models with the promise of more to come over the next couple of years. The current line-up of Milvus lenses comprises 21mm f2.8 and 35mm f2.0 wide-angle primes, a 50mm f1.4 standard and an 85mm f1.4 short telephoto plus two macro models – a 50mm f2.0 and a 100mm f2.0. All are manual focus designs with contemporary external styling and all-metal barrels which are sealed against the intrusion of dust or moisture. All the Milvus models also feature Zeiss’s T* anti-reflective coating, uniform colour characteristics across all focal lengths, nine-bladed diaphragms for smooth out-of-focus effects and advanced high-end optical…

IT’S HARD TO DETERMINE WHEN digital medium format photography turned the corner towards a future that hasn’t looked so bright since the heady days of when it was the only digital capture game in town. It almost certainly has something to do with the arrival of the ultra-high resolution 35mm-style D-SLRs. Nikon’s original D800 – especially in the D800E variant – looked more threatening than anything that had come before with 36 megapixels looking like the ‘sweet spot’ for a sensor of this size. But the move to even higher resolutions has really only served to confirm that there’s no substitute for big pixels… at least not when it comes to optimising dynamic range. As we’ve noted previously, not all 50 MP sensors are created equal. Phase One can’t really…

PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL SLR - CANON EOS 5Ds/DsR Canon has been at the forefront of all the major developments in D-SLRs so we shouldn’t be surprised that it has taken up the challenge – and it is a challenge on a number of levels – of venturing into the rarefied atmosphere of ultrahigh resolutions. If the lower end of the D-SLR market is under threat from the mirrorless invasion, it makes quite a lot of sense to go even further upmarket and attract new buyers who might otherwise have only found what they needed in a digital medium format system. In reality it’s actually not quite as straightforward as that, but the EOS 5Ds duo certainly provide a unique combination of 50 MP resolution with ‘small camera’ ergonomics and handling… plus…

Leica M (Typ 240) Construction: Diecast magnesium bodyshell with brass top and bottom covers. Lens Mount: Leica M. Sensor Type/Size: CMOS, 23.9x35.8 mm. No low pass filter. Total Pixels: 23.7 million (maximum image size = 5952x3968 pixels). Focal Length Conversion Factor: None. Storage Medium: Single slot for SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. Data Compression: Two JPEG levels on four resolution settings, and 14-bit lossless on RAW data. RAW+JPEG capture. RAW files captured at 5976x3992 pixels in the Adobe DNG format either losslessly compressed or uncompressed. ISO Range: ISO 200-3200 (extend-able to ISO 100 and 6400). Buffer Memory: Up to eight frames JPEG/large/fine or seven RAW. Maximum Frame Rate: 3.0 per second. Video Recording: Quick Time format (Motion JPEG compression) at 1920x1080 pixels, 24 fps or 25 fps progressive and 16:9 aspect ratio;…