Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Smart Photography

It was a sad day indeed when the world’s leading imaging site, DP Review announced closure. Not so long ago, the battle for eyeballs was between print and online. The closure of DP Review indicates that the real battle was the inability of imaging companies to support independent journalism. Tongues have been wagging to the effect that imaging companies, faced with intense competition, have preferred to support ‘paid’ influencers rather than established independent journalism. We hope that is untrue. Independent journalism has built and nurtured the imaging industry over the last 75 years. Photogtaphy has emerged as a major pastime and hobby thanks to the interest stimulated by independent magazines. It would be a pity if this contribution is ignored and ‘parrot’ journalism preferred. HERE’S WHAT MAKES US #1 WE…

Sigma has unveiled the 17mm f/4 DG DN | Contemporary lens for Sony E-mount and L-mount mirrorless cameras. The optical design has been created exclusively for mirrorless camera systems, which helps reduce lens flare and ghosting, resulting in excellent image rendering. The lens construction consists of two SLD glass elements and three aspherical lens elements. Aspherical lenses are used for both the front and rear optics. This not only keeps the size of the lens compact but also helps with correcting lens aberrations. As a result, the lens features a φ55mm filter thread. Its construction also helps minimize flare and ghosting that is commonly found in ultra-wide-angle lenses. The 17mm lens offers a minimum focusing distance of 12cm, which enables you to capture close-up macro style images in remarkable detail…

Canon has announced two additions to the Flex Zoom Lens series of EF Cinema lenses—the CN-E14-35mm T1.7 L S wide-angle zoom lens and the CN-E31.5-95mm T1.7 L S telephoto zoom lens. In addition, four new relay kits have been announced —the RL-S1, RL-S2, RL-F1 and RL-F2, as well as a relay kit exchange service for switching between cameras with full-frame and Super 35mm compatible sensors. The two Flex Zoom Lens series models, released in 2022, support digital cinema cameras equipped with full-frame sensors. The new lenses make possible natural background blur. Flex Zoom Lens series models are compatible with the new relay kit exchange service. The lenses are compatible with EF or PL lens mount exchange and support each transmission protocol , providing flexible support for video production work that…

Shantanu Dey is a naturalist and photographer. His main subject of interest in nature photography is insects and particularly butterflies. Shantanu Dey is passionate about butterflies and is the author of a number of published scientific papers as well as a free e-book titled ‘Common Butterflies of Delhi-NCR, A Beginner’s Guide’.…

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, he possesses a unique and deep insight into the technical aspects of digital photography and equipment. He has published more than a 100 articles on photography and some of his writings have also been published in the well-known international magazine Popular Photography. An avid collector of photographic books and vintage cameras, Ashok has a keen interest in the history of photography and a passion for sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He is the only Indian photographer to be featured on the Nikon Centenary website. He is presently working as a Management and Engineering consutant. He…

Write to us at: Smart Photography, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400 013 E-mail: sp@nextgenpublishing.net Dear Editor, I just loved the photographs in Mastercraftsman, April 2023 issue. Off and on, I also try my hand at wildlife photography. The tigers on page 38 and the black-capped Kingfisher on page 39 (which also adorns the front cover) stole my heart. Regards, Ramesh Vyas, Hyderabad The Editor, I read Smart Photography magazines that a friend of mine subscribes to. I am a Nikon user for a long time but was recently told that an adapter (Megadap) is now available that can allow Sony lenses to be used on Nikon Z camera bodies. If this…

NATIONAL NEWS Samsung has introduced its latest external storage device, the PSSD T7 Shield (Portable Solid State Drive) that comes with 4 TB of storage and sleek design. Achieving a read speed of up to 1,050 MB/s and a size as compact as a credit card, the T7 Shield is aimed at creative professionals and adventure seekers who are always on the go. The external storage device is powered by USB 3.2 Gen2 and embedded PCI NVMe technology that offers read/write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s. The download time from a laptop is also reduced to 8.0 seconds for a 4K quality 4.8 GB video and 4.4 seconds for a full HD 3GB video. The PSSD T7 shield 4TB is suitable for high resolution video content recording as it offers…

PRINTING AND BEYOND Hello readers, Thank you for your messages appreciating last month’s in-depth article on the types of inkjet printers suitable for different user segments. I am thrilled to see that many of you share my belief in the magic of a printed image. As I always say, if you have not printed your photographs before, you will never know what you are missing. One of the easiest and most effective ways to experience the power of printed images is to get a family picture printed in approximately A3 size (297x420 mm), framed and displayed on your wall. You will be amazed at the positive comments you will receive from visitors to your home. Or try displaying some of your travel pictures. If you have a decent smartphone, that…

Sandeep Sarma is a marketing professional currently residing in Bangalore and working as the Head of Design and Content at Xiaomi India. He is a landscape and street photographer. His photography journey began in 2006 with phones and has now come a full circle as he exclusively use his smartphones for photography. He is always on the lookout for interesting perspectives and gets inspiration from nature and interesting stories about humanity. He has worked with Nikon in the past and his work has been featured on 500px, DeviantArt and other creative as well as photography websites. Most recently he also did a TEDxTalk on “The Evolution of Smartphone Photography”.…

Chetan Rana, a Chartered Accountant, was born and brought up in Mumbai, and works in the financial services sector. He is passionate about travelling and in the past 15 years, has travelled to several places in India. He loves documenting his travels and besides photographing landscapes, portraits and festivals, he occasionally documents wildlife and birding locations. His work has been featured in travel and photography magazines, web articles and he has also been active contributor on Getty Images platform. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Bhigwan, a beautiful bird sanctuary located in the outskirts of Mumbai, for a photography trip towards end of March 2023. As an avid bird photographer, I was excited to explore this area known for its diverse bird species. Bhigwan is a town located in…

Inside the Box ✓ Lens ✓ Snap-on front lens cap ✓ Rear lens cap ✓ Bayonet lens hood ✓ User manual ✓ Soft pouch ✓ Warranty card It is interesting to note that, despite the great name it had as an optical firm, Nikon never offered an 85 mm f/1.2 lens till now. Hence, it is no surprise that once this lens was shown on the road map of Z lenses, Nikon aficionados have been waiting for it with great expectations. Now, it has arrived and joins the select band of very few lenses with this specification. So, how does it perform? Read on to get an exhaustive report on its performance. Design & Build Quality This is a very large and heavy lens. It is a shade shorter than…

1 In the days when film ruled, many photographers processed film by setting up their own darkroom. What did they use to handle photo paper in the darkroom? a) Tongs b) Bellows c) Clips d) Tweezers 2 What colour light does one use in a typical black & white darkroom? a) Red b) Blue c) Green d) Orange 3 Cinema lenses are different from 35 mm SLR lenses in that they don’t measure apertures in f stops. What do they use instead? a) C stops b) T stops c) R stops d) P stops 4 Name at least 5 brands of Chinese lenses. 5 Name the best selling camera at the Yodobashi store in Tokyo, Japan in February 2023? a) Sony A 7 Mk IV b) Sony A 7R Mk…

BUSINESS NEWS Konica Minolta participated in the premier printing exhibition - Pamex 2023. With all the big players from the industry present, the event was held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, from 27th-30th March 2023. Konica Minolta used this as an opportune moment to showcase their state-of-the-art printers, such as Industrial printers (IP) and Professional Printers (PP), In IP, AccurioLabel 230, AccurioShine 3600, along with their digital die-cutting solutions and Professional Printer (PP) AccurioPress C12000 with IQ-501. The brand emphasised the extensive benefits of their digital press, the Accurio Label 230, for their customers regarding productivity, flexibility, and stability to meet growing market needs. Overall, Konica Minolta showcased 6 sheet fed professional printers and 3 industrial printers along with finishing accessories.…

Nikon India has introduced the Nikkor Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR, an everyday lens optimised to capture both stills and video in a compact design. It is the first Nikkor Z lens equipped with power zoom with linear drive, supporting a remote-control operation, minimal operational sound, and features an internal zoom mechanism that does not shift its centre of gravity. Users can maintain a stable balance even when shooting with a camera attached to a compatible tripod grip or a gimbal. Activate power zoom directly from the dedicated button on the camera body, or with the ML-L7 remote control enabled with Bluetooth connection. Users can also remotely activate power zoom with Nikon’s PC software and compatible smart devices app. Rotating the zoom ring enables power zooming automatically and zooming…

Sony has announced their latest vlog camera, the ZV-1F. The camera is packed with creative power, easy-to-use vlogging functions, advanced connectivity, and eco-friendly features. The ZV-1F has been designed to let the subject shine in any scene with an ultra-wide 20mm prime lens for optimum selfie shooting and wide field of view to capture more background. The vlog camera also offers background bokeh in both stills and video to further highlight the subject or create a softer look. Weighing approx. 229g, the camera is compact and lightweight enough for everyday use and can be carried everywhere. It also features a Vari-Angle LCD touch screen with features and settings changed by touch, including the ability to zoom, so operation is instinctive. The new vlog camera includes a Bokeh Switch button to…

Jagjit Singh is a professional photographer from Punjab, India. He loves to photograph landscapes, architecture, cultural festivals and to document his travels. He says “My love of artistic expression through photos is distinctively unique as I try to experiment with innovative techniques”. His work has been showcased in many of the European art galleries and he also contributes to Getty Images. He is an official brand ambassador for Sony Alpha. Website: www.latentimage.inwww.fotovoyage.com…

Greetings! I’m Sai Pradeep Chand M, a fashion and editorial photographer. Originally from the picturesque city of Visakhapatnam, fondly referred to as Vizag, I’m currently based in the bustling city of Bombay. My passion for photography stems from my background in Bachelor’s in Information Technology, which led me to pursue a PG diploma in Professional Photography from the esteemed Shari Academy of Professional Photography. During my education, I relentlessly honed my technical and creative skills, intending to create images that are not just beautiful but also impactful. My hard work and dedication have paid off, as I’ve been recognized with three prestigious awards - Mastercraftsmen of the Year 2023, Fashion Photographer of the Year 2023, and Vikram Bawa’s Judges Award 2023 - by the end of my graduation. My approach…

Inside the Box ✓ Insta360 Flow ✓ Magnetic phone clamp ✓ sGrip cover ✓ USB Type-C to A cable ✓ Protective pouch ✓ Quick-start guide ✓ Warranty card If smartphone is your preferred vlogging and video equipment, then certainly, a smartphone gimbal is the most valuable accessory that can complement it. Smartphone gimbal stabilisers have come a long way in their evolution, having reached the foldable selfie-stick design. The Insta360 Flow is the latest smartphone gimbal with this design and features AI tracking and a feature-rich app for support. Design and Build Quality We are all for nudes, especially when it comes to devices that are designed beautifully from the inside. Some brands have specially designed revealing outfits for their products, and the Insta360 does show quite a lot of…