Innholdsfortegnelse for 232 i Pro Photo

Outsmarting the smartphone

I saw an observation recently that stated that the difference between a smartphone and a camera was involvement… to which I would add the words “and commitment”. Then there’s the online promotional campaign currently being run by Ted’s Cameras under the banner “a real moment deserves a real camera”. On the hardware side, the smartphone has virtually put paid to the compact camera business. Total camera sales globally in 2020 were 10% of what was being sold 10 years ago. Ten percent! The vast majority of those losses were, of course, compact fixed-lens cameras. This has forced the industry to move from a volume model to a value model. The thing is that the march of the smartphone continues into the market that was once the exclusive domain of traditional…

Outsmarting the smartphone

And There’s A Pro-Level Canon EOS R Coming Too

And There’s A Pro-Level Canon EOS R Coming Too

Not long after Nikon made its announcement, Canon revealed that it’s planning a pro-level EOS R series mirrorless camera, called the EOS R3. It obviously sits above the R5 in Canon’s fullframe mirrorless camera system, but appears to still slot in below the flagship EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR (leaving room, presumably, for an EOS R1). However, Canon says that the EOS R3 will have the same level of weather protection and durability. As can be seen from the product picture, the R3 also has an integrated vertical grip. The EOS R3 is primarily built for speed with its target audience being sports and press photographers. It will use Canon’s first ‘in-house’ backside-illuminated (BSI) and stacked CMOS sensor, enabling a top shooting speed of 30fps with full AF/AE tracking when…

BRIEF EXPOSURES

Sony has released a Version 2.00 firmware update for its A7S III hybrid mirrorless camera, which we reviewed in the last issue. This adds Sony’s S-Cinetone colour profile, based on technology developed for the Venice professional digital cine camera, which is also available in the FX9, FX6 and FX3 fullframe video cameras. Sony says that the S-Cinetone delivers natural mid-tones to give “healthy-looking skin colour, plus soft colours and gorgeous highlights”. The upgrade also improves the operation of in-body image stabilisation’s ‘Active’ mode. For more information visit www.sony.com.au.…

ProPhoto 50 Years Ago

There’s nothing like a dip into the archives to reveal just how much things have changed in the professional photography industry, especially over the last couple of decades. In the early 1970s medium and large format cameras were considered the only choice for professionals. And black-and-white film was still in extensive use for many applications. Here’s a selection of what was on the pages of this magazine 50 years ago when it was called Professional Photography In Australia. This is a snapshot of the May/June 1971 issue. Test Reports: Minolta SRM motordriven 35mm SLR / Canon F-1 pro-level 35mm SLR (arriving to take on the Nikon F) People And Places: Allan Day, portrait photographer, Benalla, Victoria / Geoff Cummings celebrating 20 years of Group Color, Sydney / Mini Portfolio –…

ProPhoto 50 Years Ago

Canon Adds To Growing RF Lens System

Canon Adds To Growing RF Lens System

With an EOS R series sports camera coming, Canon has added the mandatory prime supertelephotos to its RF-mount lens line-up. There’s also a second RF macro lens and this trio bring Canon’s RF mount system up to 22 models. The RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF 600mm f/4.0L IS USM are essentially the same lenses optically and mechanically as the EF models, but with the mount end re-engineered with an extension tube to ‘correct’ for the shorter flange back distance of mirrorless bodies. Presumably, given the low volume sales of these supertelephotos, Canon has chosen not to design completely new lenses so neither have the dedicated multi-function control ring that is a feature of all the other RF models. However, the manual focusing collar can be used as a…

2021 SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS

The 14th running of the Sony World Photography Awards received over 330,000 entries from photographers in 220 countries and territories. The Awards are split into four sections – Open, Professional, Student and Youth – with 10 subject categories in the Professional and Open competitions. More than 145,000 entries were entered in the 10 Professional categories, the highest number to date. New for this competition is the Portfolio category that gave photographers the opportunity to submit individual images from various bodies of work, but which were consistent in both style and technical skills. Each category winner receives the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony and also competed for the prestigious Professional Photographer Of The Year title, with a US$25,000 prize. This was won by British documentary photographer Craig Easton for his…

2021 SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS

SPECS FUJIFILM GFX 100S $9,499 body only

Type: Professional digital medium format mirrorless camera with Fujifilm G bayonet lens mount. Focusing: TTL automatic hybrid system using phase-difference detection and contrast-detection measurements. 425 measuring points (in 25x17 or 13x9 patterns). Single-point (six sizes), zone (7x7, 5x5 or 3x3 point clusters selected from 91 points) and wide/tracking modes. Five ‘AF-C Custom’ settings for optimising tracking plus a user-definable setting for Tracking Sensitivity, Speed Tracking Sensitivity and Zone Area Switching. Face/eye detection with left/right priority. Focus frame adjustable to five sizes. Face/eye detection with left/right priority. Manual switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes. AF+MF mode. Low-light assist via built-in illuminator. Manual focus assist via magnified image, Digital Split Image display (colour or B&W), Digital Microprism display, or focus peaking display (white, red, blue or yellow; low or high levels).…

SPECS FUJIFILM GFX 100S $9,499 body only

Nikon Promises Pro Z Camera This Year

Nikon has confirmed it has a professional-level Z-series full-frame mirrorless camera in the pipeline, with a launch date scheduled for some time later this year. The camera gets a model number – the Z 9 – and we know it will have a stacked backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor, but that’s about it at the moment. However, the stacked sensor design suggests that the Z 9 will be built for speed, with a key audience being the many sports and press photographers who currently use Nikon’s top-end DSLRs. Nikon has also revealed that the Z 9 will be able to record 8K video, which implies it’ll likely also be able to do 4K at 50/60fps and the 100/120fps speeds for super slow-mo effects. The faster read-outs made possible by the stacked…

Nikon Promises Pro Z Camera This Year

Sun Studios Launches Limited Edition Print Marketplace

Sun Studios Launches Limited Edition Print Marketplace

SUN Editions is a new online fine-art print marketplace, created by SUNSTUDIOS to directly connect art buyers with leading Australian artists. The SUN Editions platform offers a diverse, curated range of limitededition photographic artworks available to purchase nationwide and internationally, with each piece prepared in close collaboration with the artist. SUN Editions also enables buyers to customise each piece of art according to their personal style by offering three print sizes to select from and premium framing options. These works are then printed at SUNSTUDIOS using its state-of-the-art Canon print facilities and fine-art printing expertise. Only 10 editions of each size print will be sold per artwork, making each piece a limited edition. SUN Editions has been created in response to a challenging year for Australia’s creative industries, with thousands…

…And Now There Are 64!

Sony very quickly followed up the announcement of the 60th FE-mount lens with news of three new compact G series primes and a 14mm G Master ultrawide. The trio share the same styling and are the same size, which, incidentally, perfectly complements the more compact A7C fullframe mirrorless camera body. The three are the FE 24mm f/2.8 G, the 40mm f/2.5 G and the 50mm f/2.5 G. All feature aluminium barrel tubes with weather sealing, a traditional aperture ring (click-stopped for seamless adjustments) and internal focusing, so the lens barrel doesn’t rotate or extend. All three also feature a customisable focus hold button and an AF/MF switch. The AF drive employs dual linear motors for smoothness and speed. The three primes are each just 45mm in length with a diameter…

…And Now There Are 64!

MAKE A DATE

MAKE A DATE

Due to the social distancing requirements demanded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, galleries, many exhibition spaces and museums are only allowing limited admission or are open for shorter times, depending on the local situation. However, many are still staging online events or virtual tours. Check with the individual venues for which exhibitions are open for physical visits and any changes to the normal opening hours. Current to August: Exhibition. The Business Of Photography – The 19th Century Studio In NSW. Documents the early days of photography in Australia with an emphasis on the studios of the first professional photographers in NSW. Exhibition includes photographs and early cameras. At The Photography Gallery, Level 1, Chau Chak Wing Museum, Sydney University, University Place, Camperdown, NSW 2006. Exhibition hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm…

PETER ADAMS… …AND A FEW OF THE LEGENDS

It’s just as well we can’t see into the future because, if we could, a great many worthy projects wouldn’t get off the ground. Too hard. Too expensive. Too risky. There’s little doubt that Peter Adams might have thought twice about A Few Of The Legends had he known it would end up taking over 38 years to complete, cost close to $450,000 to produce, involve around 350,000 kilometres of travel (much of it overseas) and generate 42,000 film negatives (plus countless digital files). It all began in 1983, as Peter was making the transition from cinematography to photography (at a time when the opposite was far more common), and had just completed a photography course. The celebratory lunch ended with a game of photographic Trivial Pursuit where the challenge…

PETER ADAMS… …AND A FEW OF THE LEGENDS

Master Full FUJIFILM GFX 100S

Not so long ago it was easy to dismiss the idea of having 100MP resolution – the cameras were too big, too heavy, too restrictive and, above all else, way too expensive. Despite the attraction of having so much resolution on tap – and still with comparatively large pixels to give decent signal-to-noise ratio – it really was hard to justify the functional compromises and the huge cost. All that changed with the Fujifilm GFX 100, which could do lots of things that no other 100MP camera could do, and was priced on the right side of $20,000. Now Fujifilm has done it again, repackaging the GFX 100’s sensor, processor and feature set in a more compact and lighter-weight body similar to that of the GFX 50S. And not only…

Master Full FUJIFILM GFX 100S

Fujifilm Adds Fast Wide-Angle To XF System

The 39th lens in Fujifilm’s X-mount APS-C mirrorless system is the XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR wide-angle prime, which has an effective resolution of 27mm. The new lens features a weather-sealed construction using metal alloy barrel tubes, and is also insulated to enable shooting in subzero temperatures down to -10º Celsius. The optical construction comprises 15 elements in nine groups, and includes three aspherical types and one with extra-low dispersion (ED) characteristics. The focusing group comprises six elements that move in unison and has a travel of just 2.5mm to give faster operation, which Fujifilm quotes at 0.04 seconds. This also helps optimise sharpness across the focusing range. The minimum focusing distance is 20cm. Despite the fast maximum aperture of f1/1.4, the new XF 18mm still has a comparatively…

Fujifilm Adds Fast Wide-Angle To XF System

Sony FE Mount Turns 60… Lenses That Is.

In fact, such is the rate of Sony’s expansion of its FE-mount system that we’re now up to 63 lenses (see the separate news item), but the 60 mark is still worth noting as it’s quite an achievement. Back in October 2013, when Sony launched its Alpha full-frame mirrorless camera system, there was precisely one FE-mount lens – a Zeiss-badged 35mm f/2.8 wide-angle prime. This state of affairs didn’t last long, and Sony has had the pedal to the metal ever since. Seven-and-ahalf years later, it’s launched its 60th FE lens and has just kept on going. It’s also worth noting here that Sony’s FE-mount system pretty well ticks all the boxes in terms of its scope and variety – from ultra-wides to supertelephotos, the high-performance G Master line-up and…

Sony FE Mount Turns 60… Lenses That Is.

Pentax Keeps The DSLR Alive

Pentax Keeps The DSLR Alive

It’s been over a year since there was a new DSLR and much longer than that as far as APS-C models are concerned, but Pentax’s parent, Ricoh, is sticking with tradition, launching the third-generation version of its K-3. There’s obviously still a market for DSLRs as the first Australian shipment of the Pentax K-3 III sold out before it had landed, but globally sales are in sharp decline in the face of the mirrorless onslaught. Nevertheless, Ricoh has packed the K-3 III with goodies – for anybody making the comparison, it stacks up pretty well against the APS-C format mirrorless offerings. Styling and size is largely unchanged from the previous model and the body is magnesium alloy with weather sealing and insulation to allow shooting in subzero t emperatures down…

Sigma Bumps Up fp Resolution And Photographer Appeal

Sigma Bumps Up fp Resolution And Photographer Appeal

As the smallest L-mount full-frame mirrorless on the market, there’s lots to like about Sigma’s fp, but it’s really more videocentric in its feature set and lacks some features considered very important by photographers, such as an EVF. So now Sigma has unveiled the fp L, which has the same ultra-compact body but steps up to 61MP effective resolution (almost certainly using the same BSI CMOS sensor as Sony’s A7R IV) and hybrid contrast/phase detection autofocusing. It’s actually the first L-mount camera to have phase-difference detection autofocusing, and the new system also adds eye-detection capability with subject tracking. The higher-res sensor allows for a Crop Zoom function that ranges up to 5.0x, and is available for both stills and video. Importantly, the new model allows for an optional EVF module…

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Making Movies

A DIGITAL MEDIUM FORMAT camera may not be an obvious choice for video-makers, but they like big sensors for all the same reasons that photographers do – an inherently shallower depth-of-field, enhanced lowlight performance and plenty of scope for cropping (or, in this case, moving or zooming about the frame). The GFX 100S is also a better proposition for video as much as for photography, being smaller, lighter and more affordable than the GFX 100. Switching the GFX 100S to movie mode turns it into a dedicated video camera with the menus and displays all changing accordingly. The GFX 100S records 4K video internally using the full sensor width with 10-bit 4:2:0 colour in either the DCI or UHD resolutions at 30, 25 or 24fps and 10-bit 4:2:2 colour externally…