Smart Photography 201402

ALSO REVIEWEDSTELLAR PHOENIX PHOTO RECOVERY 6

TUTORIALSUNDERSTANDING DEPTH OF FIELD

HDR FROM A SINGLE SHOT FUN WITH INFRARED

PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE

IMPORTANCE OF MAKE-UP

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

ISSUE 11VOLUME 09

FEBRUARY 2014

RS.125

REVIEWS: NIKON D5300 ● FUJIFILM X-A1 ● CANON EF 24-70MM F/4L IS USM ● SIGMA 24-105MM F/4 ● CANON SPEEDLITE 320 EX

SPECIAL: SMART PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2014

INTERVIEW AMIT RANE

PROFILE SANTOSH SALIGRAM

TRAVEL

FEATURE

LONDON IN B&W

http://www.smartphotography.in

Welcome

This issue showcases the best products re-leased in 2013 – products that have been awarded by SP for their excellence and for

having raised the bar in their respective fields. The winners reflect the way priorities and technologies are reshaping the imaging industry. Our congratula-tions to the winners.

CES 2014 proved to be more exciting on the consumer electronic front – the imaging industry chose to make very few launches at the show. Expectedly, Smartphones stole the show. H. S. Billimoria

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

WE’RE IMPARTIALLoyalty towards our readers is a given, and their best interests are always on our mind. Every verdict is honest and not infl uenced 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 EXPERTSAll equipment go through a series of tests at the hands of our experts. Our reviewers are experts in the fi eld of photography across the country and have many years of experience. Th at gives us the foresight to distinguish between a passing trend and a big change in the fi eld of photography and imaging. And fi nally, our reviews are not extended to just fi ll up the pages!

WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOUTh ere is no debate on why we are here. Our sole goal is to provide you options and bett er 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!

HERE’S WHATMAKES US #1

EDITORHoshang S. Billimoria

TECHNICAL EDITORRohinton Mehta

SENIOR CORRESPONDENTSujith Gopinath

COPY EDITORTanika Godbole

PHOTOGRAPHYMahesh Reddy

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Atul D. Bandekar

DESIGNAjit Manjrekar, Nandkishor Sawant,

Sanjay Awad, Ajay ParadkarPRODUCTION

Dinesh Bhajnik, Deepak Narkar, Ravi ParmarPRODUCT MANAGER

Perseus MasterPUBLISHERGirish Mallya

CIRCULATION AND SUBSCRIPTIONSanjeev Roy (Asst. Operations Manager) Sachin Kelkar (Subscription Supervisor)

HEAD OFFICE - MUMBAI2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013

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KolkataVidyasagar Gupta. Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation).

Mob: 09804085683Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Ltd. Next Gen Publishing does not take the responsibility for re-turning unsolicited material sent without adequate postal stamps for return post-age. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the prior express writt en permission of the publisher. Printed by Girish Mallya, Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Sena-pati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Published by Girish Mallya on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-1-60/5 RTCX Roads, Hyderabad - 20. Published at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Copyright 2006 SMART PHOTOGRAPHYAll readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. Smart Photography does not vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. Th e editor, publisher, printer and employees of the publication shall not be held li-able for any consequence in the events of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only.

Editor – Hoshang S Billimoria

February 2014 Smart Photography 5

Contents FEBRUARY 2014

6 Smart Photography February 2014

ALSO REVIEWEDSTELLAR PHOENIX PHOTO RECOVERY 6

TUTORIALSUNDERSTANDING DEPTH OF FIELD

HDR FROM A SINGLE SHOT FUN WITH INFRARED

PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE



ISSUE 11VOLUME 09

FEBRUARY 2014

RS.125



INTERVIEW AMIT RANE


TRAVEL

FEATURE

LONDON IN B&W

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

Cover credits

Photographer: Amit Rane

Just a moment!Readers can fi nd the updated Buyer’s Guide, log on htt p://smartphotography.in/news/monthly-special

Smart Photography thanks the readers who participate in the Picture of the Month contest. We would like to bring to your att ention a few changes in the rules for submission. From now on, you may send in your images with the longer side measuring atleast 17 inches. Please note that the images have to be horizontal. Th is permits readers to submit panoramic shots, which was not possible with the current size of 17 x 11 inches.

Kaleidoscope 32

Showcase 36

A platf orm for budding photographers to exhibit their talent and get noticed!

A photographic profi le of the person behind the lens

MasterCraft sman 52 Th e masters of the craft share their insights and photographs

If I Were You 44Our expert comments on how your pictures can be taken to another level

Ask Uncle Ronnie 47Your photo queries answered by Uncle Ronnie

64Colours of London, in Black & White

REGULARS 8 Mail Bag 10 News Watch

28 Picture of the Month 73 Smart Photography Award 2014 162 Tidbits


LEARNINGS Basics

86 Depth of Field (DoF) in Depth

92 Importance of Good Makeup

100 SINGLE-SHOT HDR

(With Photoshop CS6)

104 Pinning down Pinterest

106 INFRA-RED Photography

REVIEWS 112 Nikon D5300

120 Fujifi lm X-A1

124 Canon 24-70mm f4L IS USM

126 SIGMA 24-105MM F/4 DG OS HSM

128 Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 6

132 Canon Speedlite 320EX

BUYERS’ GUIDE 136 SP Recommended

92Importance

of Good Makeup

92Importance

of Good Makeup

Depth of Field (DoF) in Depth 86

100 SINGLE-SHOT

HDR (With Photoshop

CS6)

106INFRA-RED

Photography


Mailbag

Write to us at: Mail BagSmart Photography, Trade World, C-Wing, 2nd Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel(W), Mumbai 400013. E-mail: [email protected]

Conquering LandscapesI am a novice photographer. I travel a lot and that’s how I developed an interest in this field. The tutorial on landscape photography was clear, concise and practical. I shall keep this lesson for future reference. I will soon be travelling to Ladakh and I feel much more confident about shooting

landscapes after reading the article.

Dushyant Shah

IMS BOOKLET with this issue

INTERVIEW YUWARAJ GURJAR

PROFILESUMER VERMA

TUTORIALSUNDERSTANDING LIGHT & LIGHTING

HOW TO CAPTURE STAR TRAILS CREATE STUNNING LANDSCAPES


ISSUE 10VOLUME 09

JANUARY 2014

RS.125

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

NIKON DF OLYMPUS OM D EM-1 NIKON D610

REVIEWS: NIKON DF ● OLYMPUS OM D EM-1 ● NIKON D610 ● NIKON COOLPIX P7800 ● SONY XPERIA Z1● PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 12

106

16 page IMS supplement with January 2014 issue.

Lett er of the Month WIN A UNIROSS

1H LCD CHARGER

WORTH Rs.1,095/-

EVERY MONTH FOR THE

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Th e collection of six photographs, titled ‘Th e Mask’ was sent to us by Photographer Anil Risal Singh. He was awarded a prize of Rs.20,000, a trophy and a certifi cate

for this portf olio in the 12th All India Art Photography Exhibition, organised by the State Lalit Kala Akademi, Utt ar Pradesh. Congratulations, Anil!

ERRATAIn the January 2014 issue of Smart Photography, the Buyer’s Guide – Digital D-SLRs section wrongly states the price of Nikon D610. The error on our part is sincerely regretted.


InternationalNews Watch

SNIPPETSJapanese electronics companies like Panasonic and Toshiba are diverting their resources away from their TV operations and into developing ‘Smart appliances’, after losing out to Samsung Electronics.

Nikon camera users say third-party batteries do not work after Nikon updated the firmware for D3100, D3200, D5100, D5200 and Coolpix P7700 cameras. According to an industry source, this is not the first time a camera maker has used a code to block unofficial power pack batteries.

Panasonic has unveiled its pro-style shoulder-mount full HD camcorder HC-MH2, equipped with simultaneous recording function which allows recording on dual memory devices simultaneously.

JK Imaging has announced the development of Kodak-branded cameras and two ‘Smart Lenses’ that can be clipped on to Smartphones.

Sony launches alpha 5000Sony launched the ‘world’s lightest interchangeable lens camera’, the alpha 5000, featuring a 20.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor, Bionz X processor, and built-in Wi-Fi. The body weighs 210g without battery and card. It features NFC for easy Wi-Fi connectivity and a 3-inch 460K-dot LCD. The model has a comfortable grip and tiltable LCD screen that can flip upwards up to 180 degrees for self-portraits. There’s also a lever on the camera body for adjustment of the camera’s optical zoom. The camera also offers a Photo Creativity mode for less experienced photographers to experiment with creative settings. Sony PlayMemories Camera Apps can be used in the camera. The Sony a5000 will be sold with a 16-50mm kit lens for $600. It will be available in black, silver and white.

Nikon launches D3300Nikon announced the new Nikon D3300, a DX-format model on January 7, 2014 along with a retractable AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom kit lens. The lightweight camera offers a 24.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor without an optical low-pass filter and the EXPEED 4 image processing system. The D3300 features Nikon’s instructive Guide Mode with increased options to make it more user-friendly. It has an ISO range of 100 to 12800.

The camera also offers full HD movie recording with 1080/60p support. It offers a continuous firing mode of 5 fps for up to approximately 100 JPEG images or 11 NEF (RAW) images. The camera is equipped with 0.85x high-magnification viewfinder with frame coverage of about 95%. The camera offers retouch functions and Special Effects. It also supports wireless connectivity.

Samsung announced the WB2200F bridge camera with a 20-1200mm equivalent f/2.8-5.9 lens and a 1/2.3 inch-Type 16 MP BSI CMOS sensor. The camera offers a 60x superzoom lens and a dual grip design. It has Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity.

At the CES 2014, Samsung also launched the WB1100F superzoom

and also the WB50F and WB35F CCD-based compacts. The WB35F and 50F have 24-288mm f/3.1-6.3 lenses. The WB1100F has a 35x, 25-875mm zoom lens. Samsung also unveiled the leather-clad WB350F compact camera with 21x zoom. It features a 16.3MP BSI CMOS sensor, a 23-483mm f/2.8-5.9 lens and a 3-inch 460K-dot LCD.



Nikon Corporation announced the development of its next-generation fl agship D-SLR model, the D4S. As Nikon’s new fl agship model, the D4S will off er advances over the Nikon D4, which includes bett er image quality due to the use of a new image-processing engine, and advanced auto-focusing performance.

Th e D4S represents a concentration of Nikon’s advanced camera development technologies and long experience. It is a model that off ers a higher level of completion as a next-generation fl agship camera, and expands the possibilities for professional photographers who require bett er performance in severe environment, particularly those in the fi elds of sports, press, and nature photography, as well as for advanced amateur photographers.

Nikon announces D4S

Fujifi lm launches new products at CES 2014Fujifi lm launched an array of products at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 held at Las Vegas, Nevada. Th e company showcased professional grade X-series digital camera Fujifi lm X-100S Black, which has an advanced APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor and the EXR image processor, with Fujinon XF 56 mm f/1.2R lens. Th is lens, made for the X-series interchangeable lens cameras, features an aperture ring and an updated super standard EBC coating.

Fujifi lm also announced the Fujifi lm FinePix S1 camera with 50x image stabilisation, optical zoom, integrated Wi-Fi and a dust and water resistant body. Th e 50x zoom lens is 24-1200 mm equivalent. Th e new Fujifi lm VNX Kiosk Photo Terminal was also on show. It features a 16:9 aspect ratio wide-screen, a multi-touch 1080p high resolution monitor and USB 3.0 connectivity for faster data transfer of images. It will be made available in February 2014.

Samsung launches superzoom WB2200F and compact cameras



Nikon announces AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED LensNikon India announced the release of the AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED, a wide-angle 35mm fi xed focal length prime lens, compatible with Nikon FX-format digital SLR cameras. Th e lens has a superior optical design for controlling sagitt al coma fl are. It also off ers a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for fast and quiet autofocusing.

Th e AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED is lightweight and due to its wide aperture, off ers a bright viewfi nder image. It is meant for users looking for high performance, as well as for those who want bett er blur characteristics in portraits, night landscapes, photos of starry skies, and the like. Th e lens will be available across India from mid-February 2014.

Canon launches PowerShot N100Canon launched the PowerShot N100, deemed as a ‘story camera’. With the camera’s Dual Capture mode, users can simultaneously capture special moments using the main camera, while the Story Camera, a rear facing sub-camera, will embed a picture of the user onto the main image. It also has various filters that can be applied to the images. It offers a 24-120mm f/1.8-5.7 lens and 12.1 MP 1/1.7-inch Type sensor. The camera has a 3-inch LCD that tilts upward by 90 degrees, 1080/60p video recording,

and Wi-Fi with NFC. The N100 also uses Canon’s DIGIC 6 processor. The camera is expected to be available in May 2014 in white and black.

At the CES 2014, Canon also unveiled two new compact cameras. The PowerShot ELPH 340 HS features a f/3.6-7.0 25-200mm lens, a16 MP CMOS sensor, and 3-inch LCD. The SX600 has an 18x, f/3.8-6.9 25-

450mm lens and 1080/30p video recording.

Sigma launches two new D-SLR lensesAt the CES 2014, Sigma launched two new lenses for D-SLR cameras — the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM and the Sigma 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6 DC Macro OS HSM.

Th e 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DC Macro OS HSM lens provides a range of 27-300mm in the 35mm format. It has a minimum focusing distance of 39 cm and a maximum magnifi cation ratio of 1:3, to enable bett er macro shots. Th e lens has an optical stabilizer which is conducive for close-up, indoor and night photography. Th e Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 DG HSM is the standard prime lens with a large aperture in the ‘Art’ line series.


News WatchInternational

Fujifi lm Corp. announced the Fujinon XF 10-24 mm f/4 R OIS lens, compatible with all Fujifi lm X mount compact interchangeable lens system cameras. It is a 2.4x lens, equivalent to 15-36mm in the 35mm format. Its ultra-wide to standard focal length capabilities make it ideal for shooting landscapes with maximum detail from the

foreground to infi nity. It also provides good performance while shooting interiors. Th e maximum aperture f/4 enables handheld shooting in low light conditions. It can also take close-ups up to 24cm. Th e lens weighs about 410 g and will be available from February 2014 in Japan, and from March outside Japan.

Fujifi lm to debut ultra wide-angle lens

Sony to launch professional use Camcorder Sony Corp. announced that it will launch a new professional use camcorder, the HXR-NX3 with a 1/2.8-inch Type 2.07 MP CMOS Exmor Full HD 3 CMOS sensor and an optical 20x zoom f/1.6-11 lens of 28.8 - 576mm in the 35mm format, which can be extended digitally up to 40x. Th is is because of the newly developed processing engine and circuits. Th e HXR-MX3 features Wi-Fi and NFC wireless connection interface for wireless transfer or remote operation via Smartphone or Tablet. It is equipped with two slots for memory cards. It measures 174.5 x 193 x 329 mm and weighs about 2.21 kg (body only).

Transcend launches Premium Series 800x cardsTranscend Information Inc. announced the launch of its Premium Series 800x CompactFlash cards. Th e cards are designed for storing professional quality images and Full HD video. Th ey have transfer rates of up to 120MB/s (read) and 60MB/s (write). Th e cards off er a high quality toggle mode MLC NAND Flash memory

chip and built-in BCH ECC (Error Correction Code) technology with read-retry, which detects and corrects errors during data transfer. Th ey are also sturdy and durable. Transcend’s 800x CompactFlash cards are available in 64GB (Rs. 11,090/-), 128GB (Rs. 21,650/-) and 256GB (Rs. 43,300/-) with a limited lifetime warranty.


News WatchInternational

Tamron to launch Ultra Telephoto LensTamron announced the ultra-telephoto lens, the SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD. The lens is available for Canon mounts from December 19, 2013. The company will offer the lens for Nikon and Sony D-SLRs later.

Kingston announced the launch of the DataTraveler Locker+ G3 (DTLPG3) USB 3.0 fl ash drive. It off ers password protection and data encryption for bett er personal security. Th e DTLPG3 has a higher speed than the previous generation DataTraveler Locker+ G2, with a read speed of up to 135MB/s and write speed of up to 40MB/s.

All the security is built-in, with no application installation required. DataTraveler Locker+ G3 is available in

8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities and is backed by a fi ve-year warranty and free live technical support.

Kingston launches DataTraveler fl ash drive

JVC Kenwood launches three Camcorders JVC Kenwood is offering three camcorders in the Everio series, including the BabyMovie GZ-N1, specially made for recording babies. It weighs about 180 g including battery and SD card, and is lighter than other models, thus making it easier to carry. The camcorder features a 1/2.3-inch Type 12.76 MP CMOS

sensor (4.27 MP in movie and 3.59 MP or 4.79 MP in still pictures). It has a newly developed JVC HD lens with f/1.6-2.0 and a focal length of 3.33 – 33.3 mm. It also offers an image stabilizer and a built-in tilt-stand to place the camera on the floor or a table to make both hands free. The GZ-N1 will come in three colours of pale pink, green and white.


20 Smart Photography January 2014

BusinessNews Watch

Sony to focus on mirrorless system camerasIn the midst of a shrinking digital camera market , Sony is focusing on mirrorless system cameras and cutt ing down the number of models of low-priced compact digicams. Th e company will also expand the number of interchangeable lens models to three times the current level, in two years. Th e company will set up service centres for digital cameras in Tokyo in April 2014, and Taipei some time next year. Service centres will lend an equivalent camera during the repair service and also give customers advice on digital cameras.

Sony anticipates the annual shipments during fi scal 2013-14 to decline by 30%, compared to the previous year, to 12 million units. As the company is fi nding it diffi cult to wedge into the top two D-SLR makers’ territory (Canon and Nikon), it has chosen to keep a strong foothold in the mirrorless category. Sony will expand the lens line-up of the Alpha 7 mirrorless model from 5 to 15, including a macro lens and a fi xed focus lens with a large aperture.

In the compact D-cam category, Sony cut down the number of models selling at about 10,000 Yen to four models for fi scal 2013 and will further reduce it to two next year.

Sony, Panasonic end OLED ventureSony and Panasonic are said to end a joint venture on OLED TV panel production. Both companies had agreed in June 2012 to jointly develop and establish mass production technologies within 2013. But it turned out to be difficult to improve panel durability and lower production costs. Each company will continue to focus on creating Ultra HD LCD, or 4K panels and will continue to develop OLED technology separately.

ZEISS revenue reaches record highAccording to a press release, the German Zeiss Group has brought fi scal year 2012-13 to a successful conclusion (reporting date: September 30, 2013) with an all-time high revenue. Th e company showed a good performance in some sectors despite a partly diffi cult environment and generated a total revenue of € 4.190 billion (previous year: € 4.163 billion) and earnings (EBIT) of € 335 million (previous year: € 420 million).

“In the fi scal year 2012-13 we reached, and partly exceeded our targets. ZEISS put in a good performance despite the challenging business environment and the weak economy at the beginning of the year.” said Dr. Michael Kaschke, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG. “ We made no compromises in our multi-year investment program — the biggest ever in the company’s history — but continued to implement it consistently and systematically.”

“For fi scal 2013-14, we predict a slight improvement in our revenue and earnings with a largely unchanged economic environment. We are confi dent that our strong, future-oriented portf olio and our investment eff orts of recent years will pay off ,” said Kaschke.

Samsung Electronics integrates business divisionsSamsung Electronics has integrated its Digital Imaging Business Division (in charge of cameras) with its Wireless Business Division. Samsung Electronics had already begun to create synergies between Smartphones and cameras in an ambitious bid to capture the largest share of global mirrorless camera market in 2015. It had great success with the Galaxy Smartphones, but not so much with digital cameras, and faces stiff competition from the Japanese camera makers in a declining segment.


News WatchBusiness

Panasonic, Fujifilm and Olympus lose money on camerasPanasonic, Fujifilm and Olympus have been losing money on its cameras. This is due to mobile phones that take high quality photos which ate into the compact camera business, according to Reuters News. In 2014, compact camera sales are likely to fall

by more than 40%, according to IDC Market Research. Mirrorless cameras provide an option between low-end compact cameras and high-end SLR cameras. Yet the sales are dwindling as buyers seem to prefer connectivity over picture quality.

TowerJazz and Panasonic enter joint venture

Olympus forecasts a return to profit for its camera unit in 2014 as sales of mirrorless cameras increased. Annual sales of mirrorless cameras are expected to rise to 1 million units from April 2014, reaching a 5% share of the global market, according to Olympus Chief Executive Officer Hiroyuki Sasa. Olympus expects to sell 660,000 mirrorless cameras in the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2014.

Sony plans to expand Renesas Chip PlantSony Corp plans to invest about 30 billion Yen (US$ 288.5 million) into a semiconductor facility that it plans to buy from Renesas Electronics, to expand their output capacity for image sensors. The company has expressed their intention to spend about 7 billion Yen (US$ 67.3 million) to purchase Renesas’ facility in Yamagata Prefecture. They propose to increase the monthly production of 300mm wafers to around 20,000.

Sony is the world’s top supplier of image sensors for digital cameras and Smartphones, enjoying a 30% global market share. It will use the newly acquired facility to increase output capacity from the current 60,000 wafers per month. Evaluation of buildings and production equipment has already begun, based on a memorandum of understanding signed by the two firms. Renesas will move some equipment currently at

the site to its mainstay plant. The acquisition price of the facility will be finalized based on evaluation of the remaining equipment. About 70% of the 700 or so workers working at the Renesas facility to make products such as chips for Nintendo game devices are likely to be transferred to Sony. The company will make a final decision on the purchase around January end, after asset assessment and other processes are finished.

Olympus forecasts profi t for camera unit

Israel-based global specialty foundry, Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TowerJazz) announced a joint venture with Panasonic to manufacture Panansonic products. TowerJazz will manufacture chips for Panasonic, using Panasonic’s

3 chip fabs in Honshu, Japan. Panasonic will transfer its semiconductor manufacturing process to the joint venture ( JV). Panasonic has committed to buying chips made by the JV for a period of five years.


Fujifilm India has announced the launch of its fourth interchangeable lens camera, the Fujifilm X-A1 in India for Rs. 44,999/-. It features a 16.3 MP APS-C CMOS sensor with an EXR Processor II. The camera has a start-up time of 0.5 seconds, shutter time lag of 0.05 seconds and a maximum burst speed of 5.6 frames per second. The camera has eight Advanced Filters and allows users to add special effects like Toy Camera, Miniature, Pop Colour, High Key, Low Key, Dynamic Tone, Soft Focus and Partial Colour (Red/Orange/Yellow/Green/Blue/Purple). It also offers a Multiple Exposure mode

which allows you to superimpose a second exposure onto the first exposure. The Film Simulation mode offers five different effects, namely, PROVIA (standard) for natural colour reproduction, Velvia (vivid) for saturated tones, ASTIA (soft) for soft graduation, Monochrome and Sepia. The camera also allows Full HD video recording (1920x1080) at 30 frames

per second. The X-A1 also has an ISO sensitivity of upto 25600 (extended), and a built-in wireless image transfer function with Wi-Fi connectivity. The camera is available in three colours—red, black and blue.

Fujifilm X-A1 launched in India

IndiaKliks, a contest for budding photographers was launched by Canon with the aim to promote photo culture across India. The theme for the competition was ‘Bliss’, and the entries came in various forms like portraits, candid shots, shots of street life, culture, nature, landscapes, wildlife etc. Winners were selected by a jury comprised of seasoned photographers like Anamitra Chakladar, Ashima Narain, Enjo Mathew, Neeta Shankar, Subir Basak, Sudhir Shivaram, Kirat Sodhi and Pankaj Anand. The selected pictures will be displayed at Dilli Haat from February 14 – 16, 2014 from 10am to 6pm. A three day symposium is also scheduled for the same period and will have workshops, photo talks, portfolio reviews and panel discussions by eminent photographers, including several of the jury members. Dr. Alok Bharadwaj, Executive Vice President, Canon India will also be present.

IndiaKliks ExhibitionTamron showcases new lens at CEIFTamron India showcased its latest lens products, including the new SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 VC USD lens at the CEIF Photofair 2014 in Mumbai. The lens was attached to a camera and placed on a tripod, and on a mezzanine of the Tamron booth for demonstration.

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News Watch

National

24 Smart Photography January 2014

News WatchNational

Flatparty.com introduces new features Flatparty.com, a social networking site recently introduced new features, including customizable email template to all users. Th is feature enable users to upload pictures or the logo of the business and also edit the template. Another recently launched new feature of event invitation extends to non-members of the site. Aft er creating new events, the user has the option to invite members as well as non-members of the site. Th e new option for “Guest” will allow the user to copy and paste the

email address of 250 non-members alongwith unlimited members of

the site for any event at a time. Th e invitation will directly go to the non-members email address and they will be able to respond to the event invite by becoming a member of the site. Flatparty also has features like MyRealm, Forum, Blogs, Polls, Events, etc. apart from the common social networking features like chatt ing, video and music uploading etc. to enhance the multiple utility of the site in order to reach out to the non-members of the site from various segments of mass.

PSI 64th Annual Competition Award winners announcedTh e Photographic Society of India announced the results of 64th All India Exhibition of Photography 2014. Th e contest received 2375 prints in six sections: 1) Monochrome 2) Colour 3) Nature 4) Creative Digital 5) Journalism 6) Travel. Th e judges selected 390 photographs. 220 selected photographs will be displayed at Th e Jehangir Art Gallery from 29th January to 4th February 2014.

Best Monochrome Print - Prakash Revdekar ‘Race’

Best Pictorial Colour Print - Suwarna

Gawde ‘Jari Mari’

Chaturbhuj .B.Patel Trophy for Best Nature Print Donated By G.C. Patel - Anand Nirgude ‘Lion Att ack’

Best Creative Digital Print - Goutam Chatt erjee ‘A Hopeful Light’

First Prize in Travel/Print Section - Astro

Mohan ‘Mamooth Kitchen’

To see the entire list of winners, log on to www.photographicsocietyofi ndia.com.

Mamooth Kitchen by Astro Mohan

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Samsung Launches ‘Stay New’ Ownership Plan in IndiaSamsung Mobiles announced the ‘Stay New’ ownership plan on its flagship Galaxy devices. ‘Stay New’ enables the customer to own a Galaxy Smartphone of choice and upgrade the same in future.

Mr. Vineet Taneja, Country Head, Samsung Mobiles and IT said, “This initiative not only offers a 18-month EMI programme but also an Easy Buy Back, which will help users upgrade to

newer models as Samsung continues to innovate and bring latest technology. ”

Under Easy Buy Back service, the user can sell back the current Samsung device within six to twelve months of purchasing the product. The Smartphones covered under the Stay New platform are Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Samsung S4, Samsung S4 Mini, Samsung S3, Galaxy Tab 3 and Galaxy Tab 10.1. Customers can buy

any of these Smartphones through participating banks’ credit card and avail Samsung’s easy 18- month EMI scheme, at applicable interest rates. The Stay New plan will be available in stores across the country from January 1st to March 31st, 2014, or until stocks last. The offer is also available at www.samsungindiaestore.com.Samsung has tied up with HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Citibank and Standard Chartered for this program.

Fête De La Photo

Fête De La Photo, a photography festival organized by Institut Francais en Inde, the French Embassy in India and the Alliance Francaise in India will be held from February to March, 2014. The festival will take place in 11 cities. It will travel to Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Pondicherry, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa, Trivandrum and Chandigarh. The aim is to showcase French culture through the works of Indian and French photographers. The organisers wish to make photography more accessible to the masses by exhibiting the

works in public spaces instead of galleries or museums. Amit Mehra’s series on India and Paris, along with works of Shome Basu and Xavier Zimbardo will be on display for the opening. Some highlights of the Fete De La Photo 2014 line-up are ‘Astrophotography’ by Laurent Laveder, Thierry Legault and Ajay Talwar; Uzma Mohsin’s work on women’s issues; an interactive display on women in society by Cecile Plantin and Gael Rene; Raghu Rai’s work on urban India and Dayanita Singh’s photographic installation File Museum,

which studies old-world archives. Other activities include outdoor events like Mobile Photo booths and a Treasure Hunt. For more information please visit: http://www.institutfrancais.in/content/fete-de-la-photo

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News Watch

National

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P.S. AnandPhotograph by




P.S. Anand

Picture of the MonthWe are sure that all of you have a few pictures that you think are prize worthy. It happens very oft en that you don’t know where to send the image that could put a feather in your cap. If you have such images (we’re sure you have many!), send us ONE such horizontal image. If it qualifi es, we shall publish it as a double-spread. a. You have to guarantee that the picture was shot by youb. If there are people in the picture who can be identifi ed, we’ll need a model release

c. Th e picture should not have been printed elsewhere (magazine newspaper, or off ered to any publication)d. Mark the entry as “Picture of the Month” and rename the fi le using your namee. You may send images via print/e-mail to: Next Gen Publishing Ltd.,2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013 (or) [email protected]

A note to our readers1. Th e picture has to be horizontal.2. Kindly ensure that the longer side should measure atleast 17 inches, at 300ppi.3. Low resolution images will not be accepted.4. We do not check images on online galleries.5. Kindly ensure complete contact/address details are provided. Winners will have to collect their prize from SP’s Mumbai offi ce or send an authorised representative to do so.6. Please make sure that your picture does not have your name/logo on it.

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Kaleidoscope

Nature’s Laboratory


Tongue out Camera: Canon EOS 60D

Aperture : f/6.3

Shutter speed: 1/1000sec.

ISO: 320

Niyati Kukadia, Ahmedabad

‘Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates

the snapshot from the photograph.’ - Matt Hardy

Th ese wonderful words aptly explain why I took up photography. Back then I never expected that this hobby would charm me and open the door to a world of beauty. My favourite subject is capturing nature in all its glory. I love clicking birds and landscapes. Golden sunshine in spring and vibrant autumn colours and inspire me.

Since childhood, my parents have exposed me to various facets of nature. Th eir passion for the wilderness inculcated a love of nature in me. Being a student of chemical engineering, I am generally subjected to dreary classrooms, fuming lab sessions and endless equations. However, the weekly trips to bird watchers’ havens that I took with my family and friends were a refreshing change from my otherwise monotonous routine. Some of my friends and my sister are passionate photographers, apart from being nature lovers. I was inspired by their photography, which captured and immortalised the beauty of nature. It was also their endless patience and encouragement that eventually shaped my snapshots into decent photographs.

I started photography using Nikon Coolpix P100. I currently use Canon 60 D and a couple of lenses that I share with a few other photographers. Having a nice D-SLR camera helps, but I still believe that a beautiful image comes far more from a photographer’s eye, passion, an interesting angle and a litt le bit of good light. Formal training and the use of technology is secondary.

What I really enjoy about photography is being able to capture the tiny details that no one else notices—a hornbill feeding its off spring, an owl that’s peeking from a hollow tree, dew drops on a spider’s web, etc. Learning photography transformed my view of the world around me.

As told to Tanika Godbole


In fl ightCamera: Canon EOS 60D

Aperture : f/5.6

Shutter speed: 1/2000 sec.

ISO: 320

Grabbing a BiteCamera: Canon EOS 60D

Aperture : f/8.0


ISO: 320

Th rough the SkiesCamera:

Canon EOS 60D

Aperture : f/9.0

Shutter speed:

1/800 sec.

ISO: 200


Get featured & win anEpson PictureMate PM245,

worthRs.9999/-!

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 [email protected]. We accept both fi lm and digital images.All pictures that are forwarded to Kaleidoscope should be 8x10 inches in size (or larger) and at 300 ppi. However, we will re-size them according to the layout considerations.

Owl in the hollowCamera: Canon EOS 60D

Aperture : f/5.6


ISO: 400

Bright BirdCamera: Canon EOS 60D

Aperture : f/5.6


ISO: 320

A Wanderlust’s View By profession I’m a copywriter,

photographer and trainer; by designation head of content

for a travel and photography company called Toehold. But at heart I am merely someone who is awestruck by nature’s flora and fauna, and attempts to express his love for it through verbal and visual means.

Photography was an offshoot of my love for trekking, mountaineering and other

such activities, to which I was introduced at the tender age of eight by two of my uncles. Through these adventure trips during my most impressionable years, I developed a strong bond with nature. When I grew up, I procured a compact digital camera to document the salient moments of my excursions. Shortly after, when I made a trip to the western Himalayas, I discovered that I was passionate about photography.

Bangalore based Santosh Saligram’s love for adventure has fuelled his passion

for photography. He is passionate about clicking birds and animals, especially tigers. His love for his subjects shows in his contemporary style of shooting

wildlife. Find his work at: https://www.facebook.com/santigris

Showcase


Showcase

Dunlin

Lion-tailed Macaque

Leopard

The idea of isolating a single minute moment from the vast expanse of time—a mere speck in the life of an individual creature or place—is my biggest attraction towards photography. The opportunity to express myself creatively and whet my appetite for art through the visual medium is a supplementary


Showcase


Elephant at Amboseli

Showcase


Catt le Egret

Mara-tree-and-rainbow

Showcase


benefit. Photography also helps me bond with nature. And finally, it has a distinct conservation value and is a powerful tool in inspiring the public and those in power to save our natural treasures.

I’ve been a Nikon user so far and currently find myself

Tiger in Kanha

Showcase


favouring the D600 for its healthy balance between performance and weight (although I love the D800E too), and the Nikkor 200 - 400mm f/4 lens for its compositional flexibility. Other tools include a shorter telephoto zoom lens, wide-angle rectilinear and fish-eye lenses, a fast normal prime, and occasionally a GoPro, for fun. I

rarely use tripods, and rely on my admittedly scanty arm strength for most photography. On safaris I often employ a beanbag particularly to take videos.

To casual photographers I’ll say—be clear about why you do photography, and never lose sight of it. Enjoy yourself! Don’t obsess

over equipment; make the most of what you have. Master the basics quickly (take a photography workshop or a tour led by a master if needed), so you can focus on crafting images without technical obstacles. Clicking what you’re passionate about usually elicits the best from you. As told to Tanika Godbole

Peacock

mailto:[email protected]


If I Were YouOur Imaging ExpertNo one can take a picture that everyone likes. But, almost every picture can have scope of improvement. Often, we are not our best critics, while others can immediately point out the faults. In If I were you, our expert comments on how your pictures could be taken to another level.

E-mail your images at [email protected]

Rohinton Mehta,

Technical Editor,

Smart Photography

Picture InfoCamera: Nikon D3200ISO: 800Shutter speed: 1/800secAperture: f/14Focal length: 24mm (36mm equivalent)

The LandscapeThis landscape picture is sent to us by Avinash Khawas from Kalingpong, West Bengal. Avinash is new to photography and hence wants to know how his picture could be improved.

The side lighting has brought out texture and detail. The composition is fine; the cottage is placed as per the rule of thirds. I see from the EXIF data that you used the Spot meter of your camera to meter the scene and you applied a negative bias of 0.7 EV. Why? The Spot meter should ideally be used only by those who really understand how exposure meters work; and what made you reduce the exposure by 0.7 stop? Also, what prompted you to use ISO 800 when you could have easily used ISO 200?

With a Spot meter, the right way is to meter an area that appears to be a middle-tone. If you meter from a lighter or darker tone, the metering will go wrong unless you know how to modify the reading.

Original Image

Edited Image

But beginners often have a problem with identifying what a middle-tone is. Hence, for beginners, it is best to stay with Matrix or Center-weighted metering.

If I were you, I would have done the following to capture this scene:1. Used ISO 200 (higher ISOs create digital noise).2. Using ISO 200 would have reduced the shutter speed from 1/800 sec to 1/200 sec, which would have been fine in this situation.3. I would have focussed the lens at about 1/3rd the distance into the scene. Focussing at infinity is not the ideal thing to do with landscapes.

There is atmospheric haze in the scene but that is something beyond your control.

Please see my edited image. Observe the improvement in tonality and depth. To see how this effect is created, please read the article ‘Single Shot HDR’ on page 100 of this issue.



If I Were You

In LineFifteen year old Kevin Abraham from Cochin, Kerala is studying in the 10th grade at The Choice School, Thripunithura. He has shot this picture of bees attracted to a Passion Flower and wanted to try his luck to be included in ‘If I Were You’.

Well, Kevin, I hope you are happy to have your picture critiqued.

Considering your young age and that the picture is taken with modest equipment, your attempt is creditable. The subject you have attempted is difficult to capture perfectly. The bees keep buzzing continuously and hence focussing on them is very difficult. Also, since you have to be quite close to the subject, the depth of field (zone of sharpness) is very narrow; you can see that the flower too is not sharp throughout (which is not a fault in this case).

I am not sure what the object is in the lower right, but it seems to distract the viewer’s attention. The flower bud at the top left is also, to some extent, disturbing. In close up and macro subjects (albeit with every subject), there should only be one primary element and everything else should be subservient to it.

Using Photoshop, I first tilted the picture anti-clockwise so that the bees appear to be flying in a diagonal pattern rather than parallel to the top of the picture (A subject going diagonally is always ‘stronger’ in composition than one going parallel to the top of the frame). You could have tried some shots with the camera angled to the flight of the bees.

I then got rid of the disturbing element at the bottom right and created a close framing so that the

bud at the left top corner was eliminated.

Finally I sharpened the flower and the bees.

I do not expect a 15-year old to be using Photoshop (if you do, then that’s great!). So how could you have avoided the disturbance in the background in the first place? As I mentioned earlier, the subject you have attempted is difficult to capture perfectly. What you could have done (circumstances permitting) is to ask a friend to hold a neutral coloured backdrop behind the subject at a proper distance to eliminate the background distractions. Of course you have to consider the safety aspects (the bees could sting you as well as your friend!). Also, this suggestion may or may not be practical under every situation.

Picture InfoCamera: Nikon D3100ISO: 6400Shutter speed: 1/4000secAperture: f/5.6

Original Image

Edited Image

If I Were You


Stormy CloudsPrachali Bhiwandkar from Mumbai loves to photograph stormy clouds. She mentioned that the clouds in her photo don’t look the way she saw them. She wants to know if and how the picture can be improved.

If I were you, I would have taken greater care in exposing the picture. Since the exposure range of the scene is high, I would probably have taken 3 exposures (as suggested by the meter, + 2 stops, -2 stops) and then combined them in Photoshop to create a High Dynamic Range image. As it stands, I shall try to create a pseudo-HDR image out of the existing single image. Also note the curvature (lens distortion) at the horizon. We shall correct for that too.

1. Open the image in Photoshop CS6 or CC (earlier versions don’t have this feature). Th e method is the same as explained on page 100 of this issue.

2. If necessary, adjust Levels to your liking.

3. Create a duplicate image (Image > Duplicate).

4. Image > Adjustments > HDR Toning > Scott 5. Click OK.

5. Copy this image (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C) and place it on the original (Ctrl + V).

Note: If I Were You is meant to encourage and guide readers, and help them improve their photography. Please ensure that the required camera/exposure details are sent to us (or are available in the EXIF data). We shall not accept images for this section if the required data is not available. Readers are requested to send their images at 300ppi for 8 x 10-inch size. If they are too small, working on them is diffi cult, and hence they may be rejected.

Picture InfoCamera: Canon EOS 550DISO: 400Shutt er speed: 1/125secAperture: f/5.6

Original Image

6. Adjust the Opacity (through the Layers panel) as required.

7. Go to Filter > Lens Correction. If Photoshop can recognise the lens used (all modern lenses are usually

recognised), it will automatically off er the required correction, as you can notice in this case.

8. Flatt en the fi le and save using Save As command.

Edited Image


Did you know... Ronnie has over 35 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 [email protected], ‘cause he knows it all!

Which Macro lens?I wish to get into macro photography for objects like tiny fl ora and fauna and geological objects with my Nikon D7000. kindly suggest me the best macro lens at an economical price. Vaibhav Sharan, Chennai ‘Economical’ could mean diff erent things to diff erent people. It is always bett er to mention your budget.

Here are the choices:NikonAF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G (MRP 18,600) – Designed for APS-C sensor Nikon cameras (like your D7000).

AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D (MRP Rs.29,750) – Designed for full-frame sensor Nikon cameras.

Ask Uncle Ronnie

To keep your cost down, you could go in for the AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G, which will provide an equivalent focal length of 60mm on your camera. Both the lenses off er great image quality.

TamronTamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Macro (MRP Rs. 28,900) or a SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD MACRO 1:1 lens (MRP Rs.39,800). Both are designed for full-frame 35mm cameras (and can be used with APS-C models too). Th e VC in the later mentioned lens stands for Vibration Compensation. Both the lenses are good but if you do not mind the extra cost, I would suggest the VC version. I have used both the versions and fi nd them excellent in terms of image quality.

SigmaIf you wish to go in for a Sigma Macro lens, then here are the options: 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro or 70mm f/2.8 EX

DG Macro. I have used the 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro lens and can vouch for its image quality.

Please note that prices mentioned are the MRP but dealers do off er 10 -15% discount.


Ask Uncle Ronnie

Which is Better?I would like to know whether Canon 24-70mm or Sigma 24-70mm is better and why? In a lens, what is USB Port? Why is it used? Neelesh Rao, via emailI presume you are referring to the f/2.8 versions of the said lenses. Unless one conducts a side-by-side, scientifically repeatable test, it would not be fair to say which is better. You need to tripod the camera, use the same camera body, use identical lighting, identical aperture, identical focal length, identical ISO, identical shutter speed, and

take the same amount of care in not shaking the tripod when releasing the shutter. Then, ideally, you need to make

same size prints on identically textured paper, identical printing technology (commercial or inkjet), check the prints from identical distance in identical lighting. Having said that, the quality of Sigma lenses have improved tremendously in the recent years. Canon lenses, as good as they are, are certainly more expensive but they also have a better re-sale value.

The USB port that you are referring to is not in the lens but is incorporated in the ‘dock’ (which you have to purchase separately) that is attached to the lens. A USB cable connects the dock to a computer. Using this, it is possible to upgrade the firmware and also eliminate any autofocussing discrepancy. I believe, at present this facility is only offered by Sigma, for some of their lenses. Nikon too has the technology but this is not available commercially.

Which Camera Body/Lens?I have learned basics of exposure and composition with a point and shoot camera and am thinking of buying a D-SLR. I am still probing the genre of photography that I am interested in and will later do. Should I buy a Nikon D7100 and kit lens 18-105 or Nikon D3200 with Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 or Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8?Siddhant Raizada, via FacebookBetween the two Nikon models you have mentioned, I would opt for the D7100, along with the 18-105mm kit lens which would be equivalent to 27- 168mm in the 35mm format.

This does not mean that the other lenses that you have mentioned are not good. I believe that the 18-105mm kit lens would be the most appropriate for you for general purpose photography, and at a very reasonable cost.


Ask Uncle Ronnie

Street Photography and More...I am currently in class 12 and want to become a street photographer after passing 12th. So basically what has one to do to become a street photographer? Are there any courses or you just have to go out and practice taking photos? And how do street photographers earn money?

Also, in “If I Were You” section (Nov 2013 issue) on page 42 you said in point 3 (A scene from Munnar) that there was no real black in the picture (so you brought it back by using the black eyedropper), so my question is why is it important to have real black in a picture?Siddhant Raizada, via email Let me answer the second part first. Why is it important to have real black in a picture? Having real blacks (as well as real whites) in a picture creates a ‘punch’. In other words, it lends contrast to a photo. Keep in mind though, that if the areas of

black (or white) are large, then these areas must have some detail. Very small areas of blacks and whites may be kept detail-less, if necessary.

Coming now to the first part of your query, I posed the query to Arko Datta, Pulitzer Award Nominee and winner of the ‘Picture of the Year’ at the World Press Photo 2004, who was also instrumental in starting the Udaan School of Photography. I also asked him if street photography would come under photojournalism. Here’s his reply:

“Yes, I agree that for most photojournalists, its street photography that had inspired them to pick up the camera in the first instance. And many of the photojournalists have started off with street photography and it remains close to their heart, lifelong. A photojournalist is basically a street photographer at heart. However, photojournalism is much more than street photography. Street photography is one of the aspects of photojournalism.

Unfortunately, street photography itself may not be a viable professional option, i.e. one may find it difficult to earn a regular livelihood from street photography itself. In India, Photojournalism, Commercial Photography and Wedding Photography are the main professional choices.

But the most important aspect of photography is to have fun, whether one earns from it or not. And for many (including myself ) Street Photography remains one of the most interesting and meaningful manifestations of photography. It is a reason why I started photography in the first place. Just go out and shoot. Be in touch with your heart. There are no rules. Whatever moment touches you, record it. And tell those stories through images. Composition, light, form etc are important for street photography, but it is most important to convey a moment, a story, that we call can relate to.”

HDRI tried creating an High Dynamic Range image. I bracketed 3 frames: 0, -1, +1 and combined them in HDR Pro in Photoshop CS6. I was not happy with the result. What am I doing wrong? Parvez M, via email. It’s difficult to say why or what you are doing wrong because you have not included your HDR image. Many photographers go overboard and try to

create an HDR image where almost all traces of shadow disappears. Such images look false. It is also possible that you may have made an error while processing the HDR image in HDR Pro. HDR images should be attempted when the lighting/subject contrast is high. Films and digital imaging sensors have a limited dynamic range, meaning that they cannot record adequate shadow details as well as highlight details in the same image when the lighting/subject contrast is high.

Normally, for HDR, you bracket 3 frames with +/-0, -2 and + 2 EV. If the lighting/subject contrast is overly high, then it may be necessary to bracket 5 frames (+/-0, -2, -4, +2, +4 EV). Remember, the first frame (+/- 0) should be metered on a mid-tone area of the subject. Also ensure that you use a firm tripod.

Please try again, using the tips given above. I am sure you will succeed.

` 100

The Ideal Home and Garden, February 2014 Vol 8 Issue 4

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Mastercraft smanAmit Rane

Wings of Passion

© A

mit

Rane


Amit Rane

I am an avid traveler and trekker. Photography has always supported me in capturing places and moments, creating beautiful memories. I have been pursuing photography for more than a decade. I was a professional banker but since five years now, I have ventured in to mainstream photography. I have explored areas like wildlife, travel and commercial photography.

Amit Rane, Mumbai

Tiger Cubs

What inspired you to pursue photography? And what drew you towards wildlife?Like every Mumbaikar who aims for a stress-free life, I started exploring places during my weekend breaks. My pocket camera remained my companion. The trigger which pushed me towards professional photography was when one of my images getting selected for publishing with a leading nature conservation magazine. Thus started my journey of professional photography and I began upgrading my equipment and enhancing my skill.


Mastercraft sman

Amit Rane

carry warm clothes and rain protection.

I always shoot in RAW. It gives better freedom and flexibility to recover your images shot in adverse conditions, especially in case of snaps taken in the evergreen forest of Himalayas and the Western Ghats where it is relatively dark and one has to use a very high ISO.

For post processing, I use Photoshop. I always work on multiple layers. Layers are a non-destructive way of working on a photo. I use Photoshop plug-ins like Topaz

DeNoise for noise reduction .

In your opinion, how important is equipment? And how impor-tant is it to have the knowledge of the subject that you are shooting?As a wildlife photographer one needs to give lot of emphasis on the equipment. The camera should ideally be friendly and give high ISO noise performance, because many a times we end up shooting the subject in dark areas and around sunrise/sunset. Frames per second is another important factor which is very helpful

Moreover, my childhood’s ardent pastime was to observe birds and find their names. I extended this hobby to photography, and thus started my wildlife photography voyage. Bird photography is very challenging, but equally rewarding.

You specialise in photographing birds and wild animals. What points should one bear in mind while photographing wildlife?To become a better photographer, one needs to be a better naturalist first so know your subject well. Depth Of Field plays a major role in capturing stunning wildlife images. Always shoot at eye level and sometimes even lower than eye level. Understand the lighting well, and try to shoot during the ‘golden light hours’ (early morning and late noon) on sunny days. You can shoot the whole day long on an overcast day. Back-lit images create a different mood in wildlife pictures. Always look for action when shooting packs and herds. Patience is a key skill one should require in the field. It is also very important for a photographer to enjoy himself.

How do you prepare for your shoots and what is your work-flow during post-processing?I always prepare a checklist before any expedition. Th is includes a list of birds and mammals that are found in that area, information on bird calls and reference images, maps, binoculars, extra batt ery packs, spare camera body, extra memory cards and a medical kit. I also make it a point to

© A

mit

Rane

Paradise Flycatcher


Amit Rane

in capturing action shots. Always go for full-frame cameras which also help you get better dynamic range.

Prime lenses with the widest possible aperture (f/2.8 or f/4) are my personal choice for bird and mammal photography. Alternately, some wide aperture zoom lenses like 70-200 mm f/2.8 and 200-400 mm f/ 4.0 offer a good versatility and near perfect results.

As mentioned before, I spend lots of time in getting to know my subjects. It helps me locate them in the wild. © Amit Rane

Orange Flanked Bush Robin

Leopard

© A

mit Rane


Mastercraft sman

Amit Rane

I believe in being a good listener in the forest because your ears will give you a better viewing horizon than your eyes. Information about the behaviour of animals helps in capturing better behavioural shots like male display during breeding season, dancing poses, territorial fights, vibrant colours. Smaller details like migration pattern of the birds, their feeding behavior, fruiting / flowering plants/trees in the region, breeding time, bird calls / songs, alarm calls should be observed. One should spend lot of time understanding the biodiversity of the place. Weather and light conditions play a major role too.

Could you give us some dos and don’ts, especially for beginners?Do your homework well on the subject. Spend more time in the wild, and be patient. Taking a local guide in unknown terrains will always help. Keep a safe distance from the subject. It is sensible to carry binoculars. Always carry rain protection for yourself and your gear, regardless of the weather.

In the wild, you must not corner or harass your subject. Don’t get down from your vehicle when you aren’t supposed to. Respect the environment and don’t create too much noise. Wear earthen shades in the wild.

To summarize, know your gear and its limitations. Know your subject well and its behaviour (typically look for head angles, perching for birds, and eye contact for mammals). Anything can happen in the wild, so don’t spend too much time reviewing your work in the field. Always be ready to take the next shot. As told to Tanika Godbole

© Amit Rane

© Amit Rane

Rufous-bellied Niltava

Rufous-Gorgeted Flycather


Amit Rane

© Yuwaraj Gurjar

© Amit Rane

Lesser Yellownape


This frigid Northern point of India should easily be one of the most recognisable land-

scapes of India through photographs of travellers. For this reason, another book on Ladakh might seem cliche, evoking a nonchalant “not again...” from people. But this book is special with the photographer Furqan Khan taking pains to visit the place dur-ing different seasons to get those hard-to-get images of this Himalayan countryside.

Ladakh: The Pristine Beauty

Book Review

Ladakh: The Pristine Beauty is a compilation of years of Furqan’s hard work and dedication. The foreword for this book is written by Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and noted photographer Shiresh R Karrale. What makes this book different is the information that the author has packed into the pages along with the photographs. Apart from the usual images of the monasteries and the Pangong Tso in summers,

the book has detailed imagery of the frozen landscape of Ladakh along with informative captions. For this book, Furqan has mopped up the fine details about the people of Ladakh and their lifestyles. These include the Lamas (monks) and Changspa Nomads among others. The book touches upon their lifestyle, occupation, food, dress, and other attributes, which are otherwise hard to reproduce without convincing visuals; and the

author has executed it beautifully well.

Ladakh: The Pristine Beauty includes such details that are hard to find in other books. The life in monasteries is depicted in detail including rituals and photographs of articles used by


the Lamas (Buddhist monks). It also includes the lives of Chomos (Buddhist nuns) from Jelichin (also known as Chomoling) nunnery and Lamos (lady healers). Then there are stunning visuals of Gochak procession and Chham (mask dance) with detailed narratives. Landscapes include impressive images of the Bosgo Fort and the cold desert at Hunder with its Bactrian camels. Most photo books on Ladakh feature images of summer. But in this book,

Furqan has taken pains to capture images of the landscape at different seasons (even in the inhospitable winters) from the same vantage points to show the transformation of the landscape with changing seasons.

A photo book is not complete without outstanding images, and the printer has done justice to the quality expected of such a book. The image reproduction has to

be lauded for the fine details in the landscapes, especially the snow. Certainly a visual treat worth keeping.

Photographs by: Furqan KhanDesign: Shiresh R. Karrale, Varsha Karrale Printer: Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., HyderabadPrice:Rs.3,350/-

Reviewed by Sujith Gopinath

Book Review


Variety is found in every aspect of the city of Mumbai, and this holds true for the butterfly world

as well. In pockets and corners in and around the city like the Maharashtra Nature Park, Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanc-tuary, Conservation Education Centre (BNHS), Ovalekar Wadi, the S.P. Godrej Marine Ecology Centre, Sanjay Gandhi National Park and some other places have

Butterflies of Mumbaiby Nelson Rodrigues

a great variety to offer for an enthusiast of the winged creatures. It is revelation into the biodiversity of Mumbai.

Author Nelson Rodrigues presents images and information of about 153 species of moths and butterflies that are found in Mumbai. It contains more than 400 pictures of butterflies, with some 103 images of caterpillars. For complete beginners to the world of butterflies, a helpful list of the stages of its life cycle and body parts preceeds the main body of the book. There is also a section with answers to queries like where to spot butterflies in Mumbai, their life span and migration and how one can create a butterfly garden.

The book covers rare butterflies like the Chocolate Albatross as well as frequently seen ones like the Common Castor. Every category has images of the mentioned species with one representing the caterpillar stage of its life. Rodrigues

explains in short where each of the creatures are found, what they look like and their characteristics. The author also mentions the size, scientific name and the family that it comes from.

The text is short and simple to understand, and the images compliment the information well. The pictures are by several photographers as well as the author himself, and several of them do justice to the beauty of the subject. The colours are well-reproduced and the macro photographs let you observe the details better. The pictures represent the size, shape and shades of the subject and present a view that you can study.

Rodrigues collected and compiled the book over a span of six years, and it covers a great variety of these anthropods. The book is a crash course in the world of butterflies that just may inspire you to become an admirer. It will help you to identify the basic differences between butterflies that you see around you. If you are already an enthusiast, this could be a reference book to take your hobby further. It is also a great resource for nature photographers who want to put in a little more research into their work involving butterflies.

Author: Nelson RodriguesCover Photos: Nelson RodriguesPrinted and Published by: MMR Environment Improvement Society, Anitha Art PrintersPrice: Rs. 490/-.

Reviewed by Tanika Godbole

Book Review


The Alkazi Collection of Photog-raphy is synonymous with the history of photography and the

challenging process of archival storage. Allegory and Illusion is a collaborated effort of Alkazi Foundation and Rubin Museum of Art, New York. The book is published by Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad. This book was in fact, published on the sidelines of an exhbi-tion by the same name. As the curators Beth Citron and Rahaab Allana state in their curatorial note, “the exhibition pays homage to some of the earliest, most iconic samples of photographic portraiture from South Asian countries comprising India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Nepal”.

Truly, the images featured in the book speak volumes about the historical processes of ‘imaging’ as we call it now. The images include early Daguerreotypes to modern prints, along with expert comments from the curators, providing an in-depth learning experience for the readers.

The works featured in the book include those of Felice Beato, Bourne

Allegory & Illusion

Book Review

& Shepherd, Johnston & Hoffmann, Gobind Ram, and Oodey Ram, Darogah Abbas Ali, Raja Deen Dayal, and Shapur Bhedwar. It is well-known that royal courts were the early patrons of portrait photography, and the published images include royal portraits along with photographs of ordinary people. Apart from ‘photographs’, the book also features some of the early paintings, and even combinations of print and paint (making a monochrome print and then colouring the print with oil paint or water colour).

The book can be called a detailed study of the evolution of photography in South Asia, and is certainly worth collecting for those interested in the history of photographic process.

Image Courtesy: The Alkazi Foundation of Photography Contributors: Christopher Pinney, Beth Citron, Rahaab AllanaPublisher: Mapin Publishing Price: Rs.1950

Reviewed by Sujith Gopinath

62Smart Photography February 2014

SUBSCRIPTION LUCKY DRAW PRIZE WINNERSIIE 2013

GLIMPSES OF

STALLS AT

IIE 2013

Smart Photography stall

Fujifi lm India Private Limited StallEpson Stall

Tamron India StallIMS Mercantiles Stall

Canon Stall

Hewlett Packard India Pvt. Ltd. Stall

Urban Byte Stall


SUBSCRIPTION LUCKY DRAW PRIZE WINNERSCEIF 2014

GLIMPSES OF STALLS AT CEIF 2014

(L-R) Appadurai, Country Manager- Indigo & Inkjet Solutions and Gaurav Chadha, BDM, Hewlett Packard India Pvt. Ltd.

Tushad Talati, General Manager - Brand & Communication, Epson India Pvt Ltd.

(L-R) Suresh Iyer, Vice President, David Santer, Regional Director, Asia Pacifi c Region, and R.Ganesh, Business Head , Kodak India Pvt. Ltd.

(2nd from L)Vipul patel, Photo granth and (2nd from R)Ramana- Villart Expo, with Smart Photography team.

Gaurav Ghavri, Product Head – Digital Imaging Products,Panasonic India Pvt. Ltd.

(L-R) Max Morishita, Manager- India Offi ce, and Anil Chaudhary, Manager, Kenko Tokina Co Ltd

(L-R) Bishwarup Mallick, Business Head, and Masaki Kashiwagi, Asia Sales HeadQuarters, PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY LTD.

Pushpandr Gauba, Prostar Products.

Arun Babu, Product Manager- DI Department, Sony India Pvt Ltd.

Perseus Master, Smart Photography (3rd from R) and Umender Shah (4th from L) with Carl Zeiss team, Carl Zeiss India Pvt. Ltd.,

Amit Saraf, Director, IMS MERCANTILES PVT.LTD.

(L)Manish Vora, Director, Red Moments

L.Centhil Nathan, Executive Vice president, Photo Imaging Division , Fujifi lm India Private Limited.

(L-R) Tsuyoshi Ota, Vice President, Nitin Goyal, President & CEO and Kota Misawa, Strategic, Section Manager, TAMRON India Pvt. Ltd.

(L-R) Pulin Soni , V. P. Sales & Marketing , J.P. Soni, Chairman, PHOTOQUIP (I) LTD

Pankaj Verma, Director, Delhi Photo Store.


Photo feature

Colours of London, in Black & White


Ajay Sood is an accomplished travel photographer and a travelogue writer. He has been covered as Mastercraft sman in Smart Photography (May 2012). He was on the jury of Canon Photomarathon 2012. He is also an assignment photographer for National Geographic Traveller.

Besides mentoring photography workshops, he leads photo-tours, and contributes travelogues and features to various publications. Ajay has a passion for capturing the sights, sounds and stories of places he visits. He has travelled across India extensively, and to

over 20 countries across the globe. His 27 years in the communication industry have been his training ground, leading to his deep understanding of the visual medium, refl ected in his unique compositions.

Ajay Sood(Travelure)

Travel Photographer/Photo-educator

My image of London was largely based on Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Shakespeare’s plays, Charles Dickens’ novels, PG Wode-

house’s humour, some 20th Century Fox movies and last but not the least, the B&W Films Division documentaries seen during my childhood in mov-ie halls. I always regarded London as a somewhat mysterious city - a city replete with heritage and history. Th e B&W images in this feature refl ect that sentiment.

Bett e Midler (an American singer, lyricist, actress, comedianne, fi lm producer and entrepreneur) said, “When it’s three o’clock in New York, it’s still

Tower Bridge proudly displaying the Olympic Rings

Photo feature


Westminster Abbey

Westminster Bridge with Big Ben providing a majestic backdrop

A Dutch cemetry

1938 in London. “ I agree with her. Th ough the new London has what most global modern cities off er, and more; yet, the spirit of the city is still very

renaissance. Upon landing, as expected, I found myself in a seemingly 2-seater cab

(actually, in the famous London black cabs, the bench seat is meant for 3, and there are 2 folding seats, which you don’t see at the fi rst glance). Th e fare is steep, but the view along the way was fascinating. I was staying in Lancaster Gate area; so, I came across landmarks like Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park during this drive. Truly a city of plenty, London boasts of four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens (Botanical Garden); the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret’s Church; and the historic sett lement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT).

A Royal Guard


Photo feature

Tower of London is steeped in history. Th e area includes the Tower Bridge, and also houses the crown jewels in a walk-in vault, where photography is not allowed. Besides many other enviable treasures, the famous Kohinoor diamond is housed there. Beefeaters are its offi cial custodians, and you’d do well to take a Beefeater tour here - they are remarkably well informed about the place. Westminster Abbey has only one parallel - Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy. Like the Basilica, which is the resting place or memorial of illustrious Italians, Westminster Abbey is the burial or memorial place of some of the most illustrious Englishmen - from Chaucer to Shakespeare, Lord Byron to Oscar Wilde, and hundreds more. Th e London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world. While most of London is accessible through the tube (the underground railway), to

Beefeater pointing out the Crown Jewels Vault

Inside Westminster Abbey

Photo feature


Piccadilly Circus Royal Observatory marks the prime meridien

Th e famous London Eye


Photo feature

London Cityscape with Th ames in the foreground

A London-Eye Ball

East London

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Can’t write poetry for your beloved? Not to worry; use the poetry take-away

reach the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, you have to either take a cab, a bus or use the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). Everyone who visits this place is bound to have taken a picture of his feet on either sides of the 0° longitude. Besides, there are scores of other attractions that will interest most age groups. These include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower

Photo feature


Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

Change of Guard at Buckingham Palace Th ough the summers are cold, this guy seemed cool


Photo feature

Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Madame Tussauds and The Shard. While I saw most of these, I could not visit the Shard (tallest building in the European Union as its inauguration happened on 5th July 2012, just a couple of days after I left London). While London Eye literally gives you a bird’s eye view to the cityscape of London, Shard is a taller building that may give you a better view of the city. London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library, over 40 West End theatres and the most revered of them all - Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Given the extensive shopping options it offers, though it may not seem so, but London is extremely child-friendly, and also, handicapped-friendly. Places like Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden are popular hangouts. Covent Garden also has a performer’s corner, where you can hope to catch a

Shaespeare’s Globe Th eatre

Covent Garden


unicyclist keeping you spell-bound for up to an hour, or a mime artists having you in splits with his performance. You are sure to come across establishments, which have been there for centuries - e.g. Sherlock Holmes Pub, established in 1736. For its size and population, London may easily qualify as the greenest city on the globe with its vast expanse of parks and gardens. The place has it all. To do justice to the place and see what it has to offer, even a lifetime is short. But any person visiting London will do well to earmark around a week for a glimpse of the tip - the tip of the iceberg called London.

A Unicyclist performs at Covent Garden


AWARDS2014


Th e Smart Photography Awards is an annual premier event that the imaging industry looks forward to – a testimony honouring excellence and proven quality in the fi eld. As is the case every year, the awards were decided with integrity, transparency and vision and were based on the overall performance of the individual product as well as its value for money.

Th e ‘Camera of the Year Award’ was voted upon by an eminent jury comprising of our Editor, Hoshang S. Billimoria, our Technical Editor, Rohinton Mehta, professional photographers Rajeev Asgaonkar, Ian Pereira and Dilip Yande. Th e jury was supported by Sujith Gopinath from our editorial team.

Th e cameras were individually handled by the panel and the merits and demerits of each were discussed at length. Th e Camera of the Year had to be a leader in terms of the impact it made in the market place, the innovations it off ered and the value for money it represented. Read on...

9thANNUAL AWARDS 2014

CAMERA OF WINNER THE YEAR

2005 Nikon D200

2006 Canon EOS 400D

2007 Nikon D300

2008 Panasonic Lumx G1

2009 Canon EOS 5D Mark II

2010 Canon EOS 60D

2011 Olympus PEN EP-3

2012 Nikon D600

2013 (See Page 84 )


Best Photo-quality Printer

of the YearTh e Nominees:

• Canon PIXMA PRO 100 • Canon PIXMA PRO 10

All Canon Pixma printers are built with tough engineering plastic.

Image quality and features are of a high order and the Pro 10 printer also includes Wi-Fi.

Based on value for money and overall performance, the BEST PHOTO QUALITY PRINTER OF THE YEAR winner is the Canon PIXMA PRO 100.

AAAAAAAWWWWWWWAARDDSSSSSSS

WinnerWWWWWWWWiiiinnnnnnneeeeerrrrrr

Best BUDGET COMPACT

CAMERA of the YearTh e Nominees:

• Canon PowerShot A3500 IS • Canon Digital IXUS 140 •Panasonic Lumix DMC XS1

The Canon A3500 IS comes with a 16-megapixel sensor, a 28-140mm lens, Wi-Fi and image stabilization. Price is very

att ractive at around Rs.9000.

Canon’s IXUS 140 is a stylish camera sporting a 28-224mm lens, a 16-megapixel sensor and Wi-Fi. Priced at around Rs.12,000, it promises good performance for the price.

Th e Panasonic Lumix DMC XS1 is a compact camera with excellent build quality, image stabilization and full automatic control. Th e lens is a 24-120mm f/2.8-f/9. Fast autofocus, stylish design, great pricing and impressive performance combine to make the XS1 a winner.

Th e BEST BUDGET COMPACT CAMERA OF THE YEAR winner is the Panasonic Lumix DMC XS1.


WinnerWWWWWWWWiiiinnnnnnneeeerrrrrr

76 Smart Photography February 201376 Smart Photography February 2013

Best ADVANCED/PROFESSIONAL

COMPACT CAMERA of the YearTh e Nominees:

•Canon PowerShot G16 • Canon PowerShot S115 • Fujifi lm Finepix X100S• Nikon Coolpix P7800 • Sony Cyber-shot RX 100-II

All the above cameras promise good build quality and above average results. Th e winner is a camera that

is in its second version and which represents an almost perfect blend of size, performance and image quality.

Th e BEST ADVANCED/PROFESSIONAL COMPACT CAMERA OF THE YEAR winner is the Sony Cyber-shot RX100-II.

Best BEGINNERS’

D-SLR of the Year

A 18MP D-SLR, the Canon EOS 100D is powered by a DIGIC 5 image processor. It also features excellent ergonomics in the form of an easy

user interface and a dedicated ISO butt on. Th e cherry on the cake is its compact dimensions and light weight.

Th e D 5300 is Nikon’s smallest digital SLR with built in Wi-Fi and GPS. A 24.2 MP sensor, 39-point autofocus and tilt and swivel LCD screen are some of its att ractions. Th e absense of the optical low pass fi lter and the introduction of the new EXPEED 4 processor adds to its prowess.

Pentex’s K50 cames in a weather-sealed body with built in image stabilisation and good ergonomics.

Th e BEST BEGINNERS’ D-SLR OF THE YEAR is the Nikon D5300.

Th e Nominees: • Canon EOS 100D • Nikon D5300 • Pentax K50




WinnerWWWWWWWiiiinnnnnnneeeerrrrrr

February 2013 Smart Photography 77February 2013 Smart Photography 77

Best ENTHUSIAST

D-SLR of the Year

Best MID-PRICED

D-SLR of the Year

Th e Nominees:• Canon EOS 6D • Nikon D610 •Pentax K3

Th e Nominees: • Canon EOS 700D •Canon EOS 70D •Sony Alpha A58 •Pentax K30 •Nikon D7100

The Canon EOS 70D clearly stands out in this segment with its dual pixel CMOS sensor, 7fps

continuous shooting, built-in Wi-Fi and touchscreen LCD.

Th e BEST MID-PRICED D-SLR OF THE YEAR is the Canon EOS 70D.

The introduction of Pentax in the Indian market coincided with the launch of Pentax’s fl agship

camera, the K3. Solidly built with weather and dust proofi ng, the K3 promises pro features and pro results.

Th e BEST ENTHUSIAST D-SLR OF THE YEAR winner is the Pentax K3.





78 Smart Photography February 201378 Smart Photography February 2013

Best STANDARD ZOOM

LENS of the YearTh e Nominees:

• Canon EF 24-70mm F/4 L USM • Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8

The Canon lens was indeed very good. Trust Sigma to come and spoil the party with this

gem of a lens which we can recommend without any hesitation.

Th e BEST STANDARD ZOOM LENS OF THE YEAR winner is the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8.

Best TELEPHOTO ZOOM

LENS of the YearTh e Nominees:

•Canon EF 70-200mm F/4 L IS USM •Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F/4G ED VR •Nikon AF-S 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 G ED VR •Panasonic Lumix GX Vario 35-100mm F/2.8 POWER OIS

Panasonic’s tie up with Leica has resulted in several gems and the 35-100mm f/2.8 Vario is one of them. Light weight and superb

optical performance makes this a winner.

Th e BEST TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENS OF THE YEAR winner is the Panasonic Lumix GX Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS.





February 2013 Smart Photography 79February 2013 Smart Photography 79

Best MACRO LENS

of the YearTh e Nominees:

• Sigma APO Macro 180mm F/2.8 EX DG OS HSM • Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 DI VC USD Macro

Both the lenses performed admirably on the test bench. Build quality was also of a high order. At the end, the slight

diff erence was on account of value for money and the Tamron lens nudged ahead by a whisker.

Th e BEST MACRO LENS OF THE YEAR winner is the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 DI VC USD Macro.

Best SMARTPHONE

CAMERA of the YearTh e Nominees:

• Samsung S4 Zoom • Apple iPhone 5 • Nokia Lumia 1020 • Sony Experia 21 • HTC One

All keen competitors, all have massive marketing budgets. Some of them would

have you believe that they were in fact selling only cameras and not phones. One company, however, led the pack. It also supplied several important components to its competitors.

Th e BEST SMARTPHONE CAMERA OF THE YEAR winner is the Samsung S4 Zoom.






Best INNOVATION

of the Year

MANUFACTURER

of the Year

Th e Nominees:

• Canon EOS 70D with its dual-pixel CMOS AF system •Samsung Galaxy NX (Android System)• Sony QX10 and QX100

:

The Sony wins, not so much for what it is, but for what it can mean once the

concept is developed further. Yes, the QX10 and QX100 are expensive, a litt le fi ddly to install and do not feature RAW. However, they take good pictures and are signs of innovation from the Sony brand.

Th e BEST INNOVATION OF THE YEAR winner is Sony.

The winner in this segment is a company that is a technological powerhouse. Its R & D prowess,

along with its superb marketing has enabled it to become the number one company in the world in Smartphones. It has also taken some defi nitive forward strides with its NX range of cameras featuring the Android Operating System. India will soon experience the might of Samsung’s prowess even in cameras!

Th e MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR is Samsung.




WinnerWWWWWWWiiiinnnnnnneeeeerrrrrr


Reader’s Choice: D-SLR/SLT

Camera of the Year Th e Nominees:• Canon EOS 70D • Canon EOS 700D • Canon EOS 6D • Canon EOS 100D • Nikon D5200 • Nikon D7100• Pentax K30 • Pentax K50 • Sony A58

Th e READER’S CHOICE D-SLR/SLT CAMERA OF THE YEAR winner is the Nikon D7100.

Reader’s Choice: Interchangeable

Lens Compact Camera of the YearTh e Nominees:

• Olympus OM D EM-1 • Panosonic Lumix G6 • Panosonic Lumix GF6 • Samsung NX 1000 • Samsung MX300

Th e READER’S CHOICE ILCC OF THE YEAR winner is the Olympus OM D EM-1.






Reader’s Choice:

Smartphone of the Year

Reader’s Choice: Compact/

Bridge Camera of the Year

Th e Nominees

• Apple iPhone 5 •HTC One • Nokia Lumia 1020•Samsung Galaxy S4 • Sony Xperia Z

: Th e Nominees:

• Canon IXUS 255 HS •Canon PowerShot G15 • Canon PowerShot S110•Fujifl im X-100S •Fujifl im X-20 • Nikon Coolpix A • Nikon Coolpix AW110 • Nikon Coolpix 330 • Nikon Coolpix P520 • Nikon Coolpix P7800 • Panosonic Lumix TZ40 • Panosonic Lumix XS1 • Ricoh GR • Samsung Galaxy Camera • Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom • Sony Cyber-shot HX300 • Sony Cyber-shot RX1 • Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II

Th e READER’S CHOICE SMARTPHONE OF THE YEAR winner is the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Th e READER’S CHOICE COMPACT / BRIDGE CAMERA OF THE YEAR winner is the Ricoh GR.






‘Camera of the Year’The Most Prestigious Award!

JURY

Th e Nominees

• Canon EOS 70D •Canon EOS 700D • Nikon D7100•Olympus OM D EM-1 • Sony A7

The ‘Camera of the Year Award’ was decided by an eminent jury comprising of Hoshang

S. Billimoria, Editor of Smart Photography,

Rohinton Mehta, Technical Editor, along with Professional photographers Rajeev Asgaonkar, Ian Pereira and Dilip Yande.

Hoshang S. Billimoria Rohinton Mehta

Rajeev Asgaonkar, Ian Pereira Dilip Yande.


Th e CAMERA OF THE YEAR winner is the Olympus OM D EM-1.


WinnerWWWWWWWWiiiinnnnnnneeeeerrrrrr

‘Camera of the Year’

Learnings86Depth of Field (DoF) in Depth

92

104

Importance of Good Makeup

Pinning down Pinterest

100

106

SINGLE-SHOT HDR(With Photoshop CS6)

INFRA-REDPhotography

February 2014 Smart Photography 8786 Smart Photography February 2014

Understanding Photography

Understanding PhotographyLearning

You read about the importance of perspective (Smart Photography, August 2013,

issue) which is an intriguing aspect of photography. In this article you will read about Depth of Field (DoF in short) which is a close cousin of perspective and is just as important. Fortunately, DoF is lot easier to understand even though many wrong notions about DoF abound.

First, let us start with the defi nition of DoF. Optically speaking, when a lens is focused at a particular distance, only those points at that focused distance are in perfect focus. All these points which are at the same distance are called a “plane”. Anything not on that plane (either before or aft er) is not in perfect focus. However, in practice, points that are before and aft er the plane are also in “acceptable” focus. Th is zone of acceptable focus is called DoF.

Circle of confusion (CoC): Don’t worry. Th is is

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 from 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.

Th e author, Ashok Kandimalla has been in the photographic fi eld for over three decades and has extensive experience in both fi lm 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 several 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 presently working as a Management and Engineering consultant. You can see his work at htt p://www.fl ickr.com/photos/ashok_kandimalla. He can be reached at [email protected]

as diagonal of the sensor (in millimeters) divided by 1730. Th e resulting values are given in Table 1.

For a given format, DoF is calculated based on fi ve factors:

1. Format of sensor 2. Print size 3. Viewing Distance of print 4. Magnifi cation 5. Aperture size (f/number)

Th e fi rst three factors are taken into account for all normal applications when we use the CoC values (as given

Depth of Field (DoF) in Depthnot to confuse you and make you go in circles. In fact it is quite simple to understand! Note the key term used previously – “acceptable focus”. Th e question is, how does one describe it? When you correctly focus on a point it will also appear as a sharp point on the sensor. If it is not in perfect focus, it will appear as a small fuzzy disc or circle. Th e more out of focus the point is, the bigger and fuzzier will be the circle. Hence, we can defi ne how much of “out of focus” we can accept by defi ning the size of the circle. Th is is what is called the Circle of confusion (CoC). Th e lesser the fuzziness we can accept, the smaller should be the circle. Also, smaller sensors need tighter (smaller) CoC since these need higher magnifi cation when printing.

in Table 1) when calculating DoF. In fact these three are not in direct control of the photographer. So, the two remaining factors that you can vary to control the DoF are magnifi cation and aperture.

Let us look at the factor, magnifi cation, in detail. It is the ratio of the size of the image (on the sensor) to that of the real subject. Th at is, if you photograph a 1 centimeter (cm) line and it appears on the sensor as a half cm line, then we say the magnifi cation is 1/2. Th e reproduction ratio is now 1:2. If the image and the real object are of the

Table 1 Format Sensor Size Circle of Confusion in mm Digital P&S or Bridge cameras 2/3” (*) 0.004 Micro Four Th irds (MFT) 13 X 17 mm 0.013 APS Digital (also called DX) 18 X 24 mm 0.017 35mm or digital Full frame (also called FX) 24 X 36 mm 0.025 (*) Th ere are also other formats in use for P&S and Bridge cameras and for those CoC will be diff erent.

same size, then the reproduction ratio is 1:1. If the image is twice the size of the real subject, then the magnifi cation is 2 times and reproduction ratio is 2:1. Magnifi cation is very high for close up and macro photography (e.g. 1:1 or 2:1 or greater reproduction ratios), but it is very low for photographs taken of subjects that are very far away. A good example is a landscape photograph where an image of a mountain with a height of thousands of meters will fi t on the sensor. Th is is because the mountain is very far away, resulting in very low magnifi cation. So for example, Micro Four Th irds

(MFT) format will have a smaller CoC compared to a full-frame format.

You can also easily see that, larger the print, higher will be the enlargement factor and hence smaller should be the CoC. At the same time, remember that in general, larger the print, greater will be the viewing distance – you don’t look at a 15 x 22 inch print from six inches, right? Th is in turn puts less demand on the CoC.

Taking these factors into account, the CoCs for diff erent formats (sensor sizes) can be derived from an empirical formula att ributed to the venerable German optical company Carl Zeiss. Th e formula is simple. Th e CoC is taken

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 1: Th is image was captured at f/2.8. Note how

the car in the background is blurred due to the limited DoF. Th e focal length was 85mm and camera was Nikon D600 (full frame).

Picture 2: Th e same setup photographed with the same

lens and camera. Th e position was also unchanged but the aperture is now f/13. See how the background is now much sharper due to the increase in DoF.


LearningLearning

Having crossed over 20 active years in commercial photography, Dilip Yande says his forte is Fashion and Portrait photography. He believes variety is the spice of life, and to keep himself motivated he does a lot of tabletop as well. For Dilip, names like Rembrandt, Renoir, Gauguin, Picasso, Turner, Monet are household names because of his childhood that was spent in a lineage of fi ne arts. Th is ‘fi ne art’ refl ects in his work because he feels that there is always a litt le bit of ‘you’ in everything one does. Having shot for many advertising agencies, juried a few competitions, mentored many workshops, and guided many photographers in their formative years, for Dilip, photography is just another way to romance his fi rst love – art. He may be contacted at [email protected].

During model photo shoots, I oft en fi nd upcoming photographers commenting to their clients, “We will take care of it

in post-production”. Th e client immediately agrees to this, because he too is of the opinion that the post-production soft ware can work magic. Aft er the shoot is over, this budding photographer edits the pictures and delivers the images to the client. But surprisingly the client shows his dissatisfaction over the images, by saying that the images are not ‘happening’. Th e young photographer argues that the pic-tures are sharp and the product (for example) – the dress that the model is wearing is seen clearly, the colours are ‘true’ , the exposure is correct, editing is perfect, the model too is of the client’s choice, then ‘whats wrong?’. Th e cli-ent now remarks that the model looked bett er in her portf olio than in this shoot. Once again the photographer defends himself by saying that the makeup artist has done his job and is popular amongst many young photographers, but somewhere his conscience agrees to what his client has pin- pointed. Something has gone wrong somewhere. In this article I would like to give such youngsters a piece of advice.

I do agree that as a photographer you need to know the camera, optics, composition, lighting

etc. But that’s not all; you need to go a few steps ahead to become a ‘complete person’ of the industry. A good photographer should have the qualities of a good art director, should have a good sense of fashion, should know in-depth about post-production and most importantly, he should understand makeup and also have good knowledge about the terms and ‘language’ of the makeup industry. Th is can help him to

brief the makeup artist to get the results he desires. In case you wish to convert your pictures into black and white, then both the photographer as well as the makeup artist should have a good knowledge of the grey scale.

To update you further, I will be interviewing Baban Kharat, an experienced and renowned makeup artist in the fashion industry. Baban has

Good MakeupImportance of

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Pic A and pic B are examples of ‘Beauty Makeup’. A small change in the model’s hairstyle can accentuate the purpose of a makeup as can

be seen in pic B, giving a fresh and ‘aft er shower feel’

to the picture.

Picture A

Picture B


LearningLearning

HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging is a method of creat-ing images of scenes/subjects

that are beyond the dynamic range of sensors used in digital cameras. Digital cameras, when used in strong contrasty lighting, can not faithfully record details in highlights as well as shadows at the same time. If you expose for the high-lights, the shadows go too dark; if you expose for the shadows, the highlights get overexposed. If you take the aver-


Note: It is possible to overdo the HDR effect. Such images look wrong and unnatural. Hence your personal judgement is needed to create images that don’t scream HDR! Badly done HDR images show excessive detail in shadows and hence you may need to tone down the details in those areas. After the HDR image is created, it is often necessary to fine-tune the image in Photoshop.

For creating this HDR image, we shall take the help of ‘Scott5’ – an algorithm created by digital guru Scott Kelby, which is included in Photoshop CS6.

1. Open the image in Photoshop CS6 (or CC). We shall call this is the original image.

2. Create a duplicate of the image (Image > Duplicate). Click OK. You’ll see later on why we need to duplicate the image. We shall call this the Copy image.

3. With the Copy active, go to Image > Adjustments > HDR Toning. The HDR Toning dialog box will open and you’ll see the image go lighter in tone (PS 1).

4. The Preset box shows ‘Default’. Click on the downward pointing arrow next to Default and click on ‘Scott5’. The image will look rough and unnatural. Don’t worry. Click OK. After you click OK, you may notice some change in the appearance of the picture (the roughness will seem to decrease) (PS 2).

age road, both, the highlights as well as the shadows suff er. In such situations, we resort to HDR imaging.

When shooting for HDR, we take three frames or more (some do it with two frames) with varying exposure (like, the fi rst frame at metered exposure from a mid-tone area, the second with +2 stops, and the third with -2 stops) and then blend them together using an appropriate HDR soft ware.

SINGLE-SHOT HDR

But what happens if you have only a single frame for whatever reason and still want to create an HDR from it? Technically speaking that may not be an HDR image – you may call it pseudo HDR – but the effect can be quite good – even stunning. For the purpose of this learning article, we shall use Photoshop CS6 (sorry, this feature is not available in earlier versions of Photoshop).

PS 1

PS 2

PS 3

PS 4


LearningLearningSoft ware Spotlight Soft ware Spotlight

Start-up screen Your Profi le and Pins

Since the advent of photo-sharing platf orms, it has become increasingly easier for photographers to get their work noticed. Serious professionals have traditionally preferred websites like 500px.com, which allow the sharing of a large stream of work. But nowadays, through apps like Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram, you have exposure to a very active and vibrant online community of photography enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals. On the down side, this has also made plagiarism a bigger problem than before. Virtually any one has access to your stream of work, which means it is next to impossible to keep track of who copies your images, and even your photography style. Copyright protection is not a stronghold of social networks. Also, you cannot share high resolution images on the site; the images are compressed for quick uploading and sharing. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the power these platf orms have to reach

Pinning down Pinterestout to millions of people across the world.

In spite of tough competition from other photography-related apps, Pinterest, which was launched in 2010, has grown to be very popular. A recent study by Pew Research Centre revealed that Pinterest att racts more visitors than its peers like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitt er, etc. Th e site has about 70 million users, as of 2013. So what makes it so diff erent from the rest?

Pinterest is essentially a virtual pin board. You can upload your pictures on to a board, which others can view. Others can also ‘pin’ your pictures to their boards, which potentially gives a great exposure to clients. This lets you exhibit your photos in a light, interesting manner to a large audience without the seriousness of an official website. Besides, you can add hashtags in the caption,

1. You can easily get started by logging on to www.pinterest.com using your email ID or Facebook account. Th e mobile app is available to download free of cost on Google Play Store and iStore.

2. Th e start-up screen will prompt you to follow other boards. You can look for boards/users that interest you and follow them.

3. To create your personal board, click on the icon for your profi le on the top

right corner. From the drop down list, select ‘Your Profi le and Pins’, and then click on the ‘Create a Board’ option.

4. You can select images to add to your board from a web page, upload images from your computer or from another user on Pinterest. Make sure you upload the fi nal image aft er post-processing, and not a work-in-progress. For example, if you want to upload an image to the board ‘Street Photography’ click on the ‘Add a Pin’ option and select the image you want.

thus making it easier to find on the Internet.

One user can create several boards, and upload images into diff erent categories. For example, you can divide your work into wildlife, street, landscape, portraits and so on. You can also divide your work by the location where it was taken, to create a virtual album. Pinterest also lets you map your photographs. Th is lets you curate your work and organise it. Of course, there are several other websites that let you organise your work. But Pinterest being more accessible to non-photographers, has been especially useful to wedding, food and lifestyle photographers in gett ing their work noticed and att racting clients. For example, if a follower ‘pins’ your work, it is visible to your follower’s followers, and so on.

If you believe that this platf orm will prove helpful to you, then here is how you can get started.

Once it is uploaded, you can give a suitable caption.

5. To create another board, go to ‘Your Profi le and Pins’ again and click on the ‘Create a Board’ option.

6. If you want more people to ‘pin’ your work, spread the word. Share it via email or other social networks like Facebbok and Twitt er. If you have a website, provide a link to your Pinterest account there. Tanika Godbole

Creating a new board Write the description of the image

Now create another boardAdd the pin to your board


LearningLearning










age road, both, the highlights as well as the shadows suff er. In such situations, we resort to HDR imaging.


SINGLE-SHOT HDR


PS 1

PS 2

PS 3

PS 4





You read about the importance of perspective (Smart Photography, August 2013,

issue) which is an intriguing aspect of photography. In this article you will read about Depth of Field (DoF in short) which is a close cousin of perspective and is just as important. Fortunately, DoF is lot easier to understand even though many wrong notions about DoF abound.

First, let us start with the defi nition of DoF. Optically speaking, when a lens is focused at a particular distance, only those points at that focused distance are in perfect focus. All these points which are at the same distance are called a “plane”. Anything not on that plane (either before or aft er) is not in perfect focus. However, in practice, points that are before and aft er the plane are also in “acceptable” focus. Th is zone of acceptable focus is called DoF.

Circle of confusion (CoC): Don’t worry. Th is is

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 from 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.

Th e author, Ashok Kandimalla has been in the photographic fi eld for over three decades and has extensive experience in both fi lm 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 several 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 presently working as a Management and Engineering consultant. You can see his work at htt p://www.fl ickr.com/photos/ashok_kandimalla. He can be reached at [email protected]

Depth of Field (DoF) in Depthnot to confuse you and make you go in circles. In fact it is quite simple to understand! Note the key term used previously – “acceptable focus”. Th e question is, how does one describe it? When you correctly focus on a point it will also appear as a sharp point on the sensor. If it is not in perfect focus, it will appear as a small fuzzy disc or circle. Th e more out of focus the point is, the bigger and fuzzier will be the circle. Hence, we can defi ne how much of “out of focus” we can accept by defi ning the size of the circle. Th is is what is called the Circle of confusion (CoC). Th e lesser the fuzziness we can accept, the smaller should be the circle. Also, smaller sensors need tighter (smaller) CoC since these need higher magnifi cation when printing.

Table 1 Format Sensor Size Circle of Confusion in mm Digital P&S or Bridge cameras 2/3” (*) 0.004 Micro Four Th irds (MFT) 13 X 17 mm 0.013 APS Digital (also called DX) 18 X 24 mm 0.017 35mm or digital Full frame (also called FX) 24 X 36 mm 0.025 (*) Th ere are also other formats in use for P&S and Bridge cameras and for those CoC will be diff erent.

So for example, Micro Four Th irds (MFT) format will have a smaller CoC compared to a full-frame format.

You can also easily see that, larger the print, higher will be the enlargement factor and hence smaller should be the CoC. At the same time, remember that in general, larger the print, greater will be the viewing distance – you don’t look at a 15 x 22 inch print from six inches, right? Th is in turn puts less demand on the CoC.

Taking these factors into account, the CoCs for diff erent formats (sensor sizes) can be derived from an empirical formula att ributed to the venerable German optical company Carl Zeiss. Th e formula is simple. Th e CoC is taken



as diagonal of the sensor (in millimeters) divided by 1730. Th e resulting values are given in Table 1.

For a given format, DoF is calculated based on fi ve factors:

1. Format of sensor 2. Print size 3. Viewing Distance of print 4. Magnifi cation 5. Aperture size (f/number)

Th e fi rst three factors are taken into account for all normal applications when we use the CoC values (as given

in Table 1) when calculating DoF. In fact these three are not in direct control of the photographer. So, the two remaining factors that you can vary to control the DoF are magnifi cation and aperture.

Let us look at the factor, magnifi cation, in detail. It is the ratio of the size of the image (on the sensor) to that of the real subject. Th at is, if you photograph a 1 centimeter (cm) line and it appears on the sensor as a half cm line, then we say the magnifi cation is 1/2. Th e reproduction ratio is now 1:2. If the image and the real object are of the

same size, then the reproduction ratio is 1:1. If the image is twice the size of the real subject, then the magnifi cation is 2 times and reproduction ratio is 2:1. Magnifi cation is very high for close up and macro photography (e.g. 1:1 or 2:1 or greater reproduction ratios), but it is very low for photographs taken of subjects that are very far away. A good example is a landscape photograph where an image of a mountain with a height of thousands of meters will fi t on the sensor. Th is is because the mountain is very far away, resulting in very low magnifi cation.

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 1: Th is image was captured at f/2.8. Note how

the car in the background is blurred due to the limited DoF. Th e focal length was 85mm and camera was Nikon D600 (full frame).

Picture 2: Th e same setup photographed with the same

lens and camera. Th e position was also unchanged but the aperture is now f/13. See how the background is now much sharper due to the increase in DoF.



Picture 3: Distribution of the DoF zone – 1/3 in front and 2/3 beyond the point of focus.

Magnifi cation depends on - focal length and the distance of the subject taken together. Each of these cannot be considered in isolation. Th is is the reason why telephoto lenses do not always give magnifi cation greater than wide-angle lenses. In fact, DoF, like perspective, is independent of focal length. Look at this example.

Consider two lenses, one a 20mm wide-angle and another, a 200mm telephoto on a camera. The DoF of both these lenses will be identical for the same magnification (assuming that you have kept the f/ number constant). However, for the magnification to be same, the 20mm lens has to be much closer to the subject than the 200mm lens!

That said, how does DoF itself get affected by magnification? The DoF decreases as the magnification increases and vice versa. That is the reason why in macro photography

Picture 3

DoF will be very small, only a few millimeters or sometimes even less. This is so, regardless of the focal length of the lens used!

The next factor that influences the DoF is the aperture. DoF increases if you choose a narrow aperture (larger f/number). This is because as you make the aperture narrower (commonly known as “stopping down”) the spread of light rays is contained, making the image sharper (Pictures 1 and 2). This in effect makes the DoF larger.

However, it is not advisable to make the aperture very narrow beyond a certain point as diffraction sets in

Table 2 Factor DoFImage size (magnifi cation) increases – (increasing focal Decreaseslength and/or decreasing subject distance) Aperture size narrows - (increasing f numbers) Increases

and reduces the sharpness. For small formats like Micro Four Thirds, APS and full-frame, this is of the order of f/8, f/11 and f/16 respectively. If you stop down further, then the overall image sharpness will suffer though DoF may increase.

What was discussed so far is summed up in Table 2.

Distribution of DoF: You have seen that DoF is a zone in which acceptable focus is maintained before and beyond the plane of focus. At normal subject distances, of the total depth of fi eld available, one third is before the focused point, and two thirds is beyond the focused point (Picture 3). For



example, if the lens is focused at 20m, and the zone of sharpness (DoF) is say, 9m, then the sharpness will extend from 17m to 26m. Th is however, changes when you focus very close (like in macro photography). Here the DoF extends equally on either side of plane of focus.

Finding the DoF: Most fixed focal length (prime) lenses have DoF scales marked on them though these are absent on zoom lenses. These are just below the distance scale and are marked with f-numbers on either side of focus mark (Picture 4).

You can align the farther distance point to the f-number being used on the DoF scale and get the closest point that will be in sharp focus by reading off the distance scale opposite to the same f-number on the

other side of the focus mark. Similarly, you can also align the nearer point to the f-number being used on the DoF scale and get the farthest point that will be in sharp focus by reading off the distance scale opposite to the same f-number on the other side of the focus mark.

Going Hyper! If your lens does not have a DoF scale but at least has a distance scale (unfortunately, even these are gett ing rare these days!), there is another way of maximizing DoF. Th is is based on an optical property called the “Hyper Focal Distance” (HFD). HFD is fi xed for a particular CoC, aperture and focal length and is the point at which DoF is at the maximum. If you set the focus of your lens at HFD, the near focus point of the DoF will be at half the distance set, and the far

Picture 4: Here the lens is set to an aperture of f/8. At this aperture, DoF extends from 2m to 5m, (approx. 6.5ft to 16ft ) when focus is set at litt le less

than 3m (approx. 10ft ).

Picture 4

Picture 5: Here the aperture is set to f/8 and the focus has been set to 8m (approx. 25ft ) which is hyperfocal distance for this lens at f/8 aperture. You can see that everything from 4m (approximately 13ft ) to infi nity (∞) is in focus. Note

that the point of actual focus is (8m) exactly twice that of the nearer focus point (4m).

Picture 5

distance point will be infi nity (Picture 5). In other words HFD is the point of focus where everything from half the distance of HFD to infi nity falls within DoF. Remember that when focus is set at HFD the far point is always at infi nity.

While sett ing your camera at HFD is very useful when photographing landscapes, another useful application is candid photography. Here, pre-sett ing the focus to HFD will allow you to concentrate on the subject and quickly take a picture – something that is very much needed in candid photography.

Setting DoF or HFD in the field: If you have a Smartphone (iPhone or Android based) then there are several free apps available which will help you to calculate DoF and HFD.



Picture 6: Landscape photographs need deep DoF to bring both foreground and background objects

into sharp focus.

Picture 6

Using the DoF Preview Button: Advanced D-SLRs have what is called a DoF preview button. If your D-SLR has this feature, then you can

Picture 7: A soft , blurry and unobtrusive background that is a result of a shallow DoF is bett er suited for

portraits.

Picture 7check the DoF by pressing it. When you press the DoF preview button, the camera stops down (closes) the diaphragm blades (which are normally

kept fully open) to the aperture that has been chosen and you can actually see what is in focus and what is not.

An alternate method for setting DoF: If your lens does not have the distance scales at all, or if your camera does not have the DoF preview, do the following. Set the camera to the narrowest aperture (largest f/ number) possible. This will be determined by the slowest shutter speed you can use and highest ISO you can tolerate. Now, point the camera down to at about 1/3 distance (Picture 3) into the scene, lock focus, recompose and take the picture. You can follow the same technique with P&S and bridge cameras as they too do not have any distance scales.

How much DoF do you need? The easy answer to this is – “it

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CONCLUSIONCONCLUSIONCONCLUSIONDoF, like perspective, is an important aspect whose control is vital if you want to master photography. Remember that DoF is dependent of magnifi cation (but not on focal length alone in isolation) and aperture. Th e DoF you will need depends on the application - generally more for landscapes while shallow DoF is needed for portraits and for those situations where unobtrusive background is needed. Th e DoF will be very small for macro photography. Th e Table 3 gives you a handy guide on DoF.

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Table 3 If you want to When Needed? You should Decrease DoF 1. You want the background details not 3. Use wider apertures (smaller f/ numbers). to dominate or distract. For e.g. portraits You need to change to faster shutt er speeds or photographs of fl owers, etc. and / or lower ISOs to maintain correct exposure. 2. Whenever you want only the main 4. Increase magnifi cation by moving closer to subject to be sharp and rest blurred. the subject and / or increasing the focal lengthIncrease DoF 1. You want everything - subject, elements 3. Use narrow apertures (higher f/ numbers). in front & back of the subject in sharp You need to change to slower shutt er speeds focus – e.g. landscapes. and /or higher ISOs to maintain correct 2. You are photographing with very high exposure. Th e former may necessitate the use magnifi cation as DoF is very small under of a camera support like tripod. Th e latt er these circumstances. may result in noise. 4. Decrease magnifi cation by moving away from the subject and / or decreasing focal length.

depends”. Sometimes you need more DoF and sometimes less, depending on the type of photograph. For example, landscape photographers use a foreground element to create depth (Picture 6). Here a deep DoF is needed to keep both the foreground and background elements in sharp focus. On the other hand it is preferable to have a very shallow DoF in portraits (Picture 7) as a sharp background may distract. You can also control DoF in between (shallow to deep) to provide varying emphasis to the background – sharper if you want to give more importance and vice versa. Also, fuzzy parts in an image will make your eye move to the sharper areas in the image. Hence, DoF is an effective tool in creating good compositions.

How to control DoF: You now have a good understanding of DoF. To recap, it is a complex blend of many factors – the primary ones that are under your control being the aperture and magnifi cation. Th ese two are essentially optical issues. Shutt er speed and/or ISO can be used to change

aperture and hence DoF for any given lighting condition. However, remember that ISO and shutt er speed are not optical aspects and their infl uence over DoF is only indirect through the change in aperture. Th at is, they just help you to control the aperture and through it, DoF.


Learning

Having crossed over 20 active years in commercial photography, Dilip Yande says his forte is Fashion and Portrait photography. He believes variety is the spice of life, and to keep himself motivated he does a lot of tabletop as well. For Dilip, names like Rembrandt, Renoir, Gauguin, Picasso, Turner, Monet are household names because of his childhood that was spent in a lineage of fi ne arts. Th is ‘fi ne art’ refl ects in his work because he feels that there is always a litt le bit of ‘you’ in everything one does. Having shot for many advertising agencies, juried a few competitions, mentored many workshops, and guided many photographers in their formative years, for Dilip, photography is just another way to romance his fi rst love – art. He may be contacted at [email protected].

During model photo shoots, I oft en fi nd upcoming photographers commenting to their clients, “We will take care of it

in post-production”. Th e client immediately agrees to this, because he too is of the opinion that the post-production soft ware can work magic. Aft er the shoot is over, this budding photographer edits the pictures and delivers the images to the client. But surprisingly the client shows his dissatisfaction over the images, by saying that the images are not ‘happening’. Th e young photographer argues that the pic-tures are sharp and the product (for example) – the dress that the model is wearing is seen clearly, the colours are ‘true’ , the exposure is correct, editing is perfect, the model too is of the client’s choice, then ‘whats wrong?’. Th e cli-ent now remarks that the model looked bett er in her portf olio than in this shoot. Once again the photographer defends himself by saying that the makeup artist has done his job and is popular amongst many young photographers, but somewhere his conscience agrees to what his client has pin- pointed. Something has gone wrong somewhere. In this article I would like to give such youngsters a piece of advice.

I do agree that as a photographer you need to know the camera, optics, composition, lighting

Good MakeupImportance of

Picture A


Learning

etc. But that’s not all; you need to go a few steps ahead to become a ‘complete person’ of the industry. A good photographer should have the qualities of a good art director, should have a good sense of fashion, should know in-depth about post-production and most importantly, he should understand makeup and also have good knowledge about the terms and ‘language’ of the makeup industry. Th is can help him to

brief the makeup artist to get the results he desires. In case you wish to convert your pictures into black and white, then both the photographer as well as the makeup artist should have a good knowledge of the grey scale.

To update you further, I will be interviewing Baban Kharat, an experienced and renowned makeup artist in the fashion industry. Baban has

Pic A and pic B are examples of ‘Beauty Makeup’. A small change in the model’s hairstyle can accentuate the purpose of a makeup as can

be seen in pic B, giving a fresh and ‘aft er shower feel’

to the picture.

Picture B


Learning

handled many top models and rendered his services to reputed fashion magazines and fashion shows conducted by the known big brands of the industry. What is most important with Baban is that he specializes in both makeup and hair-styling.

Me: Baban, do you feel that post-production is a substitute for good makeup?

Baban: In today’s age of digitization, both are important and both play important roles. But ‘post’ is not a substitute for a ‘good makeup’.

Me: What is this ‘good makeup’? All makeup artists apply the same ‘thing’ on the model’s face. Are there any diff erent types of makeup?

Baban (smiled): One should understand what good makeup is. It follows a certain ‘rule’ of understanding a face. Th ere are many kinds of makeups but let me briefl y tell you about a few of them:

a) Beauty Makeup - Th is makeup is generally done for shooting beauty features, advertisements for soaps, face-creams etc. Th e face is fi rst treated and the right shade of the makeup is then selected to match the skin tone of the model. Th e makeup should not be visible. Th e skin texture of the model should look glowing and fresh, and off er a very natural feel. Th e photograph thus shot in the right lighting should convey that the model has healthy skin and has just freshened up aft er a shower. Application of the appropriate makeup products can achieve this.

Picture C

b) Party Makeup- Th is makeup depends on the age group of the model and whether she is a college-going girl out for a party, a woman in her late twenties, or a middle-aged lady. ‘Party’ is again a broad term. It is important to know whether her outf its are going to be ethnic or a western style. Th e shade and colour of the dress also calls the shots

in deciding the fi nery of makeup. Th e makeup also depends on what you wish to relate this model as – a decent lady or a ‘hooker’?

c) Exotic Makeup- In this type of makeup every section of the face is slightly exaggerated in terms of the makeup applied, thus making the eyes


Learning

and lips very prominent and noticeable in the picture.

d) Conceptual Makeup- Th is depends on the concept of the shoot and could cover various situations. For example, a ‘mime artist makeup’, body painting, or a photographer’s idea of giving the look of an earthen terracott a pot to the

body of the model. Here, I would give a tanned feel to the skin and add sheen to her face. In such cases a makeup person should be a good artist, art director and a good visualizer himself.

Me: Do you study the face before starting the makeup? What all do you take into consideration?

Pic C and pic D are examples of ‘Party Makeup’.

Pic C shows part of the outf it which the model was to wear. Th e makeup had to complement this

outf it. Pic D is a closeup of the model.

Picture D


Learning

Pic E and pic F are examples of an ‘Exotic Make

up’ – a typical ‘Bollywood style makeup. In pic F, the eyes were made more ‘smokey’ with eye

shadows and a litt le more shading of the face was done. One can see that

the face now looks more chiseled in pic F, in the same angle.

Baban: Yes I fi rst judge the face by observing several prominent features like the bone structure, shape of the eyes, eye brows, forehead, nose, lips, jaw line etc. I study the plus and minus points in a face and then decide the strategy of ‘molding’ the face. Round faces, oval faces, chiseled faces all have to be treated diff erently. Prominence to

certain features of a face is done with the help of shading – specially the nose and cheek bones (portion between the cheek bones and the jaw line). Th is is a tricky aff air, because even a slight overdose of the shading can give the feel of a patch on the models face. Eyebrows play a major role in defi ning the eyes. Th e photographer has to instruct the model

Picture E


Learning

to shape the eyebrows correctly in a good parlour before coming to a shoot. Shape and size of the eyes do matt er a lot – they could be too small, too big or bulging, or could be ‘deep socketed’. An experienced photographer decides his lighting by studying these points. Similarly, the makeup artist has to decide the application for eye makeup, and this

covers the correct use of highlighters, eye-shadows, and eye-liners. Mascara is used to give a volume to the eyelashes. ‘Shaping the face’ is all part of what one may call as corrective makeup.

Lips require a diff erent treatment. Dry lips need to be treated with lip-balm fi rst to make them soft and supple. Th e lip line is

then used to defi ne the shape of the lips. Photographers should keep in mind that the ‘V’ shape in the center of the upper lip is very important and should be defi ned well with the lip line. Th e lipstick of the same shade is then fi lled over the defi ned lips. Th e proportion of the size of the upper lip with that of the lower lip is very important and has to be taken into account.

Me: What is your advice to the young photographers in terms of makeup and hair?

Baban: It is very important for a fashion photographer to have knowledge of makeup and hair-styling. He should know and understand the basics. It is part and parcel of the job he does. He needs to know the terms used by makeup artists and what the important cosmetics in his vanity case are.

A liquid base is used to give a coating to the face. Pan sticks are generally used to cover up pimple marks, scars and for under-eyes. ‘Blush-on’ is used for blending and fi nishing the cheek-bone makeup. It has to be correctly applied in the area between the nose tip and the earlobes, especially in case of exotic makeups. Th e ‘highlighters’ and ‘eye-shadows’ are used to defi ne the ‘look’ of the eyes, while the ‘eye-liner’ is used to shape the eyes. Th e thickness of the eyeliner also depends on the concept of the shoot.

My advice to upcoming photographers would be fi rst to study the portf olios of diff erent makeup artists, observe their expertise and the level of work they have handled and then decide whom to hire for

Picture F


Learning

Pic G and pic H are examples of ‘Conceptual

makeups’ in which, as desired by the photographer and aft er

studying the features of the model, it was decided to give her

a ‘Japanese look’ since she had those ‘Mongoloid’

features.

the shoot. Develop your personal rapport with a few of them and if given a chance, see how the makeup is done on the face but only with the consent of the model.

Baban: Th e charges depend on the nature of the assignment – whether it is an editorial for a magazine, a portf olio, a catalogue or an ad campaign. Secondly, on the relation with the photographer. Charges also depend on the number of changes in the look involved in a shoot. Charges of a makeup artist depends on his expertise and seniority at times. Some makeup artists may be having clients with lesser budgets hence may not be using costly brands, hence they could be charging less. Some could be keen on making new additions to their portf olios by working with a particular photographer hence may charge less to that photographer. Coming to celebs, they are very conscious as to whom they work with. Th ey may inquire through their sources regarding a makeup artist, check his market value, may insist on seeing his work

Me: Some makeup artists charge reasonably, while others exceed what the new-comer is charging. Budgets being a constraint, the less costly makeup artists are generally preferred. What’s your take on this? Are pro models and celebrities conscious of the ‘brands’ used during makeup?

Picture G

Picture H


Learning

A good picture is a result of a good team work. No matter how good the photographer is, the lion’s share in creating a good photograph does go to the makeup artist and the hairstylist.

Credit line: Makeup – Baban Kharat. Hair styling – Sanjay Kamble. Model- pic A, B, E, F - Nayna Mukay (outf its - Ragini Darure).

Model pics: C, D, G, H, I – Priyanka Mhapankar. Editor – Kashinath Shivgan. Photography – Dilip Yande.

Pic I shows the comparative eye makeups of the

same model.

or even a meeting with him. Th ey are very conscious about the cosmetic brands that the makeup artist is using.

Me: What do you advice the new photographers in terms of how the makeup table has to be, or the makeup room be, if they are operating from home or have a small studio?

Baban: Th e makeup room should be air conditioned, as this stops any deterioration of the makeup. Th e mirror should be suffi ciently big and surrounded by at least 6 bulbs, 2 on either side and 2 on the top. Preferably they should be CFL bulbs (cool lights) as this will not heat up the face of the model. Th e table

should have suffi cient space for the makeup person to keep and spread his kit. Th ere should at least be three plug points close to the table for the hairdresser to plug in the accessories like rollers, dryers etc. At the same time, the room should not be very small to work.

Picture I


Learning



(With Photoshop CS6)age road, both, the highlights as well as the shadows suff er. In such situations, we resort to HDR imaging.


SINGLE-SHOT HDR



Learning







PS 1

PS 2

PS 3

PS 4


Learning

5. Select this image (Ctrl + A) and copy it (Ctrl + C).

6. Go to the other (the original) image and paste it (Ctrl + V). You may now realise why we duplicated the image in step 2. We need to fine-tune the image so that it looks natural but we cannot do that if it is a layer-less image (Observe that Layer 1 is formed in the Layers panel). Click on the arrow in the Opacity box (in the Layers panel) and adjust the opacity to your liking (PS 3).

7. At this stage you may notice some hard edges still remaining that need further fine-tuning. Hence click on ‘Add layer mask’ (the square with a circle in it) at the bottom of the Layers panel to create a white mask. (PS 4.)

With black as the foreground colour (the black square at the bottom of the Toolbox should be in the front; if not, click on the double-sided arrow next to it), select the Brush Tool and lower the Opacity on the Options

Bar to somewhere around 20%. Paint on the areas of hard edges to smooth them. This requires a bit of artistic touch and of course, some practice! You may now flatten the image if you like. You are almost done.

8. If you feel that you need to further tweak the image, you may do so. I increased the Brightness and Contrast to a level I liked. Finally, save the image using the Save As command. Rohinton Mehta

Final


LearningSoft ware Spotlight

Start-up screen Your Profi le and Pins

Since the advent of photo-sharing platf orms, it has become increasingly easier for photographers to get their work noticed. Serious professionals have traditionally preferred websites like 500px.com, which allow the sharing of a large stream of work. But nowadays, through apps like Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram, you have exposure to a very active and vibrant online community of photography enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals. On the down side, this has also made plagiarism a bigger problem than before. Virtually any one has access to your stream of work, which means it is next to impossible to keep track of who copies your images, and even your photography style. Copyright protection is not a stronghold of social networks. Also, you cannot share high resolution images on the site; the images are compressed for quick uploading and sharing. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the power these platf orms have to reach

Pinning down Pinterestout to millions of people across the world.

In spite of tough competition from other photography-related apps, Pinterest, which was launched in 2010, has grown to be very popular. A recent study by Pew Research Centre revealed that Pinterest att racts more visitors than its peers like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitt er, etc. Th e site has about 70 million users, as of 2013. So what makes it so diff erent from the rest?

Pinterest is essentially a virtual pin board. You can upload your pictures on to a board, which others can view. Others can also ‘pin’ your pictures to their boards, which potentially gives a great exposure to clients. This lets you exhibit your photos in a light, interesting manner to a large audience without the seriousness of an official website. Besides, you can add hashtags in the caption,

thus making it easier to find on the Internet.

One user can create several boards, and upload images into diff erent categories. For example, you can divide your work into wildlife, street, landscape, portraits and so on. You can also divide your work by the location where it was taken, to create a virtual album. Pinterest also lets you map your photographs. Th is lets you curate your work and organise it. Of course, there are several other websites that let you organise your work. But Pinterest being more accessible to non-photographers, has been especially useful to wedding, food and lifestyle photographers in gett ing their work noticed and att racting clients. For example, if a follower ‘pins’ your work, it is visible to your follower’s followers, and so on.

If you believe that this platf orm will prove helpful to you, then here is how you can get started.

http://500px.com


Learning

Soft ware Spotlight

1. You can easily get started by logging on to www.pinterest.com using your email ID or Facebook account. Th e mobile app is available to download free of cost on Google Play Store and iStore.

2. Th e start-up screen will prompt you to follow other boards. You can look for boards/users that interest you and follow them.

3. To create your personal board, click on the icon for your profi le on the top

right corner. From the drop down list, select ‘Your Profi le and Pins’, and then click on the ‘Create a Board’ option.

4. You can select images to add to your board from a web page, upload images from your computer or from another user on Pinterest. Make sure you upload the fi nal image aft er post-processing, and not a work-in-progress. For example, if you want to upload an image to the board ‘Street Photography’ click on the ‘Add a Pin’ option and select the image you want.

Once it is uploaded, you can give a suitable caption.

5. To create another board, go to ‘Your Profi le and Pins’ again and click on the ‘Create a Board’ option.

6. If you want more people to ‘pin’ your work, spread the word. Share it via email or other social networks like Facebbok and Twitt er. If you have a website, provide a link to your Pinterest account there. Tanika Godbole

Creating a new board Write the description of the image

Now create another boardAdd the pin to your board


Learning

Disclosure: I have started infra-red photography very recently and hence my experience with the subject is limited. However, since the genre is so very interesting, I thought that at least some readers would like to

experiment and may like to share their experiences with us.

Photography is not possible without light. Th e wavelengths of light that we humans can see is known as the

‘Visible Spectrum’ and this spectrum ranges between 700 and 1200 nm (nanometers). According to Wikipedia, a nanometer is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a metre. On either ends of the visible spectrum lies wavelengths that we can-not see. Wavelengths close to 700nm are referred to as ‘Near Infra-Red’. Photography done using the wave-lengths at the opposite end, beyond 1200nm, is known as ‘Th ermal Imaging’. In thermal imaging, the heat dissipated by a subject is used to create an image.

IR images appear diff erent. Blue skies appear almost black, green foliage appear white or almost white, and skin takes on a smooth milky texture.

During the fi lm days, IR photography was done using special (and very expensive) fi lms designed only for the IR spectrum. Th ese fi lms did not have a fi xed ISO (fi lm sensitivity was known as ASA at that time), required refrigeration before/aft er use, had to be loaded

Photography

into the camera in total darkness and aft er exposing, had to be taken out of the camera, once again in total darkness. Th e fi lm had to be processed in a special fi lm developer and the darkroom had to be 100% dark.

An alternative was to use a special IR fi lter made by some companies (example, Hoya R72). Th ese fi lters allowed only the IR spectrum to pass, blocking the visible spectrum. Since these fi lters were/are very dark, focussing accurately was always an issue. Th e way around was to fi rst focus without the fi lter and then att ach the fi lter. Th ere were other issues too. IR light and visible light do not focus in the same way. Hence, even aft er focussing without the fi lter, there was no absolute guarantee of pin-sharp images. Th e dark fi lter, along with not knowing the exact ISO sensitivity of the IR fi lm, created exposure problems. Not only that, the long exposure times meant that you could not photograph anything that moved. I remember using exposure times of over 15 seconds most of the time. But that was a long time ago. Since we do not use fi lms any more (well,

INFRA-RED

most of us don’t), how does one do IR photography with a digital camera?

Most imaging sensors used in our digital cameras are sensitive to visible light as well as near-infra-red/infra-red light. IR light can pollute the images and hence manufacturers place a ‘hot-mirror’ fi lter in front of the imaging sensor which block the IR light from gett ing through but allow the visible light to pass. If you att ach an IR fi lter (which by itself is very dark) in front of your lens, the ‘hot-mirror’ in front of the imaging sensor will add to the blocking of the light and hence your exposure time will again get too long, making it unsuitable for anything that moves.

An easier solution, albeit an expensive one, is to get your digital camera modifi ed for infra-red photography. We know of two companies in the USA (Life Pixel and Maxmax) that carry out this modifi cation. Th ey basically remove the hot-mirror fi lter and replace it with their custom-manufactured IR fi lter. Th ey also adjust the focus on the lens you provide. Th ere are some things that you need to know before you rush to get your camera modifi ed:


Learning

Th is is how the picture will look when opened in Capture NX (or NX2)

I will be using Nikon’s Capture NX (Capture NX2 will also work) to do the initial post-processing. What is the need to use Capture NX? Why can we not process the fi les directly in, say, Photoshop? Th is is a problem of White Balance. An IR converted camera will always give reddish images out of the box and Photoshop or Lightroom is not able to (properly) correct for this problem. Nikon’s NX/NX2, Canon’s DPP (for Canon cameras) etc work well.

Before we start...Here are some of my observations with IR shooting. Note that these are my personal observations and yours might diff er.

1. Your exposure metering may need some tweaking. Make it a habit to check the histogram.

2. Green leaves, on which sunlight is falling, turn white-ish. Medium and light green leaves provide bett er whitening as compared to dark green leaves. Leaves in shade don’t seem to be aff ected (they appear like any other black & white picture).

3. Blue skies get darker; grey skies seem unaff ected.

4. Polarizing fi lters no longer darken the blue skies.

5. We can create B&W infra-red pictures as well as ‘faux’ (false) colour IR pictures. We shall create one example of each.

6. Shooting with the light coming from

behind your back (frontal lighting) gets you good IR images; back-lit subjects don’t seem to really produce the IR eff ect.

Let’s start...1. Take pictures. Vary the exposures (bracket), at least till you get a hang of it. Frontal lighting will eventually get you bett er-looking IR images.

2. Load your images in your computer. All images will look reddish. White Balance ‘presets’ as well as Custom WB don’t seem to work as expected (this is true with my IR modifi ed Nikon D200, and could possibly be likewise with other makes of IR converted cameras).

3. Open both, Capture NX (or NX2) and Photoshop. Minimize Photoshop. Open the desired image in NX. (PS 1 and 2)

1. Th ere is a choice of available IR fi lters. Each provides a slightly diff erent eff ect.

2. Once the camera is converted for IR, you cannot use it for visible light photography.

3. If your camera has Live View, you may be able to use any lens of your choice (for accurate focussing); otherwise you have to rely on the lens that they have modifi ed for you.

4. You can use the modifi ed camera as you would use any other non-converted model; meaning, you will not be forced to use long shutt er speeds (which would be the case if you were to just att ach an IR fi lter in front of your lens).

5. You still have to learn how to process the images. IR images will always come out red out of the box. Th e learning curve is prett y straightf orward, but you would be bett er off if you know how to use an image-editing program.

6. Photoshop and Lightroom are not suggested for post-processing of IR images.

7. We will use Nikon Capture NX as well as Photoshop to create our IR images.

For further details on the various types of IR fi lters, costs, tutorials, FAQs etc, please log on to their respective websites.

For the purpose of this tutorial, I am using a Nikon D200 converted to IR using Life Pixel’s Super Colour IR fi lter. And since I am using a Nikon body,

PS 1

PS 2


Learning

4. Click on the arrow for Base Adjustments and a drop-down menu (see PS 3) will appear.

5. Now click on the arrow for Camera Adjustments > White Balance. As soon as you do that, another drop-down menu will appear (see PS 4).

6. Click on the arrow in Set Colour Temperature box and select Set Grey Point (PS 5, in next column),

7. Select Marquee Sample and click Start (The cursor will change into an Eye-dropper). Place the Eye-dropper in the top left corner of the picture

and drag it to the extreme right bottom of the frame to select the area. Wait for a few seconds and you will see most of the red colour disappear (PS 6).

8. Click File > Open With and when the new menu appears (PS 7), click Yes to open the image in Adobe Camera Raw.

9. In ACR, I generally increase the

Clarity which, by increasing the micro-contrast, gives an impression of increasing the overall sharpness of the image. Click Open Image to open the picture in Photoshop.

10. (Optional) You may now adjust Levels or Curves if you think it necessary.

11. Observe that the left top corner and the lower side of the picture (on PS 6) still has a reddish colour.

You can create an adjustment layer for Hue and Saturation, select Red from Master and move the saturation slider to the left to get rid of the red colour.

12. In this particular image, even after step 11, the colour cast in the top left corner did not go away. So, go to Image > Adjustments > Replace Colour. Take the extreme

PS 3

PS 4

PS 5

PS 7

PS 6


Learning

left Eyedropper (which is selected by default) and click in the coloured area to select it. Increase the Fuzziness to

PS A

Final

select some similar coloured areas that could have been left out. Then move the Saturation slider to the extreme left.

13. You may now sharpen the image to your liking and save the file using the Save As command.

Now let’s try to create a faux-colour (false-colour) infra-red image.Open the image in Nikon Capture NX2 or NX (Printscreen-A). I am using NX.Repeat the first 7 steps as shown above.

Click on the arrow for Light & Colour Adjustments and select D-Lighting. In the drop-down menu, select Better Quality (HQ). You will notice the image getting lighter (Printscreen-B, overleaf ). Click OK.

Go to File > Open With and when the new menu appears, click Yes to open the image in Adobe Camera Raw.


Learning

9. In ACR, I generally increase the Clarity which, by increasing the micro-contrast, gives an impression of increasing the overall sharpness of the image. Click Open Image to open the picture in Photoshop.

10. Open the Layers panel if not already open (F7 key on the keyboard).

11. Create a new Adjustment Layer for Channel Mixer (Click on the half-black, half-white circle in the Layers panel and selct Channel Mixer). By default, Output Channel will be Red.

12. Change the Red channel setting from +100 to 0 (zero). Change the Blue setting from 0 (zero) to 100.

13. Now select Blue in the Output Setting. Change the Blue setting from +100 to 0

(zero) and the Red setting from 0 to 100.

14. Create an Adjustment Layer for Levels and adjust the sliders as appropriate.

15. If you want stronger colours, create a layer for Hue & Saturation (select Hue & Saturation from the half-black, half-white circle at the bottom of the Layers panel) and adjust as desired.

16. Sharpen the image using Unsharp Mask.

17. Save the file using Save As command. Enjoy the final image.

Note: This is ‘Faux-colour’ (false-colour) IR image and hence you have the creative liberty to adjust the colours to your personal liking. The steps may seem to be many, but with some practice, you will be able to do the task with great ease. Rohinton Mehta

Final Faux-Colour Image

PS B PS C

Picture shot using the modified Nikon D200 and a 10.5mm fisheye lens

Reviews

Change in Rating SystemSmart Photography’s new rating system exercises stricter evaluation in view of improvements in the overall performance of photographic equipment. Marks will be awarded for the following parameters...

Final RankingsRecommended ......................................... 75-80%Best Buy .........................................81% and above

D-SLR CAMERAS

Design & Build Quality .................... (out of 20)

Key Features ........................................... (out of 20)

Ergonomics ............................................. (out of 20)

PerformanceAutofocus .................................................... (out of 5)Metering ...................................................... (out of 5)Noise control ........................................... (out of 5)Distortion/Sharpness .......................... (out of 5)LCD/Viewfi nder..................................... (out of 5)Auto White Balance ........................... (out of 5)

Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)

Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)

LENSES




PerformanceAutofocus .................................................... (out of 5)Sharpness..................................................... (out of 5)Distortion control ................................. (out of 5)Aberrations ................................................ (out of 5)Darkening of corners ......................... (out of 5)Extra Features............................................ (out of 5)

Value for Money ................................. (out of 10)

Grand Total ......................................... (out of 100)

COMPACT CAMERAS




PerformanceAutofocus .................................................... (out of 5)Metering ...................................................... (out of 5)Noise control ........................................... (out of 5)Distortion/Sharpness .......................... (out of 5)LCD/Viewfi nder..................................... (out of 5)Auto White Balance ........................... (out of 5)

Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)

Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)

126Lens ReviewSIGMA 24-105MM F/4 DG OS HSM124Lens Review

Canon 24-70mm f4L IS USM

132Flashgun ReviewCanon Speedlite 320EX

112D-SLR ReviewNikon D5300 120ILCC Review

Fujifi lm X-A1

128Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 6

Soft ware Review


Nikon D5300D-SLR Review

83%Rs. 75,950Including AF-S 18-140mm

VR Kit lens

Inside the BoxCamera BodyBS-1 accessory shoe coverDK-25 rubber eyecupBF-1B body capEN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery

(with terminal cover)MH-24 battery chargerAN-DC3 strapUC-E17 USB cableEG-CP16 audio/video cableDK-5 eyepiece capViewNX 2 CDReference CD (contains the Reference

Manual)

This review of the Nikon D5300 comes exactly a year aft er we reviewed its predecessor,

the Nikon D5200. But you might be wondering why Nikon has brought out an upgrade so soon, that too, featuring the same 24.1-megapixel sensor and no visible improvements. Th e Nikon D5300 sports some fi ne improvements in the form of the latest EXPEED 4 image processing engine, removing the Optical Low-Pass Filter (OLPF) for bett er resolution, and not less important, built-in Wi-Fi (fi rst time in a Nikon D-SLR) and GPS. Nikon has also made available the Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility (WMU) app for Android users,

through which you can control the camera and trigger it. So the D5300 looks more potent as a competitor to all those D-SLRs with Wi-Fi and GPS.

Design and Build QualityTh e D5300 is made of tough polycarbonate on the exterior. Compared to the D5200, the continuous shooting/self-timer butt on has been shift ed from the top panel to the space below the lens release butt on. Apart from this, both the cameras look similar except for trivial contours. Th e 5300 features a metal tripod receptacle and also a metal lens mount.

Nikon’s Racehorse


D-SLR Review

Nikon D5300

Mahesh R

eddy

Key FeaturesThe 24.2-megapixel Nikon D5300 uses a Nikon DX format (23.5 x 15.6mm) CMOS sensor. The sensor unit incorporates a dust reduction system that shakes off dust from the filter. The camera has a Nikon F mount with autofocus contacts. It houses an electronically controlled, vertical travel focal plane shutter, which provides shutter speeds ranging from 30 to 1/4000 sec with options of Bulb and Time. Shutter release modes available are Single, Continuous L, Continuous H, Quiet shutter, and Self-timer. It also supports delayed remote, quick-response remote, and interval timer. The camera features a quick-return type reflex

mirror. The D5300 captures still images in JPEG and Raw (NEF) formats with an option to shoot Raw and JPEG simultaneously. Raw format provides options of 12 and 14 bit. Maximum still image size is 6000 x 4000 pixels, while videos are recorded in MOV format with the best quality of 1920 x 1080 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, or 24p frame rate. In Continuous H mode, the camera can shoot JPEG and 12-bit Raw simultaneously at 5 frames per second or 14-bit Raw at 4 frames per second. The 5300 employs TTL metering using a 2016-pixel RGB sensor. Metering modes available are Matrix, Centre-weighted, and Spot. In Matrix, 3D Colour Matrix Metering

II is available with G, E, and D series lenses, while the camera chooses Colour Matrix Metering II when coupled with other CPU lenses. In Centre-weighted metering mode, 75 percent weightage is given to the 8mm circle in the centre of the frame, while Spot metering considers a 3.5mm circle centred on the selected focus point. Exposure can be compensated up to +/-5 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV stops. Exposure bracketing is available for three shots in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV. The D5300 also provides options for White Balance bracketing for three shots and Active D-Lighting bracketing for two shots. Active D-Lighting provides options of Auto, Extra high, High, Normal,

Aperture:f/8.0 Shutter Speed: 1/160sec. ISO:400


Nikon D5300

D-SLR Review

Low, and Off . Shooting modes available are Auto, Programmed auto with fl exible program (P), Shutt er-priority auto (S), Aperture-priority auto (A), Manual (M), Scene, and Special Eff ects. Scene modes include Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up, Night portrait, Night landscape, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, Pet portrait, Candlelight, Blossom, Autumn colours, and Food. Special eff ect options available are Night vision, Colour sketch, Toy camera eff ect, Miniature eff ect, Selective colour, Silhouett e, High key, Low key, and HDR painting.

Th e D5300’s ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 12,800, which is expandable up to

JPEG Compression

JPEG, Fine Quality,

100% (10.2 MB)

JPEG, Standard Quality,

100% (7.1 MB)

Sharpness & Detail

Aperture: f/11.0 Shutter Speed: 0.5sec. ISO:100

Noise at 100%

ISO:100 ISO:12800

Colour Accuracy

Colour checker shot using Auto White Balance in daylight. Auto Levels applied.

25,600. White Balance options are Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent (7 types), Direct sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, and Preset manual. Th e camera uses Nikon Multi-CAM 4800DX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection and 39 focus points (including 9 cross-type sensors). Lens servo modes include Single servo (AF-S), Continuous servo (AF-C), Auto AF-S, AF-C selection (AF-A), and Manual Focus. Predictive Focus Tracking is activated automatically according to subject status. AF-area mode allows you to set the area to Single-point, 9, 21, or 39-point Dynamic area, 3D-tracking, or Auto-area AF. Th e built-in fl ash has a Guide Number of 13m at ISO100 in Manual mode. Flash modes

available are Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction, Auto slow sync, Auto slow sync with Red-eye reduction, Fill-fl ash, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Rear-curtain with slow sync, Rear-curtain sync, and Off . Flash exposure can be compensated by -3 to +1EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV. Th e 5300 has an ISO 518 accessory shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock. Th e camera supports Nikon Creative Lighting (CLS) advanced wireless lighting with most of Nikon’s compatible fl ashguns as master fl ash.

Th e D5300 uses a 3.2-inch, approximately 1,037,000-dot vari-angle TFT monitor with 170 degree viewing angle. Its viewfi nder is an eye-

level pentamirror providing 95 percent frame coverage. Th e camera uses an SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card for external storage and is powered by an EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion batt ery. Th e D5300 has dimensions of approximately 125 x 98 x 76mm and weighs approximately 530g with batt ery and memory card, but without body cap.

ErgonomicsTh e Nikon D5300 balanced perfectly with the 18-140mm VR kit lens. Th e camera has a deep, rubberised grip, which is predominantly Nikon-style. Th is makes it very comfortable to hold and operate. Th ere is a rubberised thumb rest


D-SLR Review

Nikon D5300


on the back panel. The buttons are placed at comfortable positions. The fully articulated LCD makes it very convenient to use. We can pardon Nikon for not squeezing in many shortcut buttons in the limited space, though we some times felt the need for a couple of shortcuts.

PerformanceWe received the Nikon D5300 along with the AF-S 18-140mm VR kit lens. Autofocus was fast for the kit lens. The camera can focus much faster if the lens has internal focussing. Slight darkening was observed at the extreme corners at wide-angle end with wide open aperture, but not so much to be of concern. The darkening vanishes completely at f/8. The lens controlled flare very well, and we did not observe any chromatic aberration even at the wide-angle end with the lens wide open. Images were sharp out of the box and the sweet spot for the test piece was found to be around f/11. All metering modes performed as expected. The kit lens produced barrel distortion up to 20mm (30mm equivalent) and pincushion distortion from about 38mm (approx. 57mm) onwards. The LCD and viewfinder were very comfortable to use.

Native image size was 13.33 x 20 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of this screen size, images were free of noise up to ISO 6400. Images from Hi 0.3 onwards were not usable. At 50 percent screen size, images remained practically noise-free up to ISO 1600. We observed slight

Mahesh R

eddy

Nikon D5300

D-SLR Review

noise at ISO 800 and 1600, but you will see the noise only if you deliberately look for it. At 100 percent enlargement, the images remained noise-free up to ISO 200. Auto White Balance performed well under daylight, but produced distinct cast under all other lighting conditions.

We could not accurately determine the continuous shooting speed since the camera would stop shooting aft er 6 frames in the case of JPEG + Raw (12-bit), and aft er 4 frames in the case of Raw (14-bit). Th e device also took 32 sec to write the data to the SD card and free the buff er in the fi rst case, and 20 sec in the second case. But please note that we did the test with a Class 4 SDHC card. Advanced Class 10 cards will improve the performance signifi cantly.

Th e Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility Android app lets you view the image seen on your camera’s display on a Smartphone once the devices are paired. You can operate the shutt er release butt on, set various parameters and transfer images from the camera to the Smartphone.

Value for MoneyTh e D5300 retails at an MRP of Rs.75,950 along with the AF-S 18-140mm VR Kit lens. If you choose the AF-S 18-55mm VR Kit lens, the price is Rs.59,950. You can buy the body separately at the MRP of Rs. 54,450. At this price, the camera is a good buy.

KEY SPECIFICATIONSEff ective pixels : 24.2 million

Image sensor : Nikon DX Format (23.5 x 15.6 mm)

CMOS sensor

Dust-reduction System : Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust

Off reference data

Max Image size (pixels) : 6000 x 4000

File format : NEF (Raw): 12- or 14 bit, JPEG,

Simultaneous Raw and JPEG

possible

Picture Control System : Standard, Neutral, Vivid,

Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape

Media : SD and UHS-I compliant SDHC and

SDXC memory cards : Viewfi nder

Eye-level pentamirror single-lens

refl ex viewfi nder

Frame coverage : Approx. 95% horizontal and

95% vertical

Magnifi cation : Approx. 0.82 x (50 mm f/1.4 lens

at infi nity, -1.0 m-1)

Diopter adjustment : -1.7 - +1.0 m-1

Focusing screen : Type B BriteView Clear Matt e Mark

VII screen

Refl ex mirror : Quick return

Lens aperture : Instant return, electronically

controlled

Shutt er Type : Electronically-controlled vertical-

travel focal-plane shutt er

Shutt er Speed : 30 to 1/4000 sec in steps of 1/3

or 1/2 EV; Bulb; Time

Flash sync speed : 1/200 s or slower

Release mode : Single, continuous L, continuous H,

quiet shutt er, self-timer. Delayed

remote, quick-response remote,

interval timer supported

Frame advance rate : Continuous L : Up to 3 fps

Continuous H : Up to 5 fps ( JPEG

and 12- bit NEF/RAW) or 4 fps

(14-bit NEF/RAW)

Self-timer : 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1-9 exposures

Metering mode : TTL metering using 2016-pixel

RGB sensor

Metering method : Matrix: 3D colour matrix metering II

(type G, E, and D lenses); colour

matrix metering II (other CPU

lenses), Center-weighted: Weight

of 75% given to 8-mm circle in

centre of frame, Spot:

Meters 3.5-mm circle centred on

selected focus point

Shooting Modes : Auto, Programmed auto with

fl exible program (P), Shutt er-priority

auto (S), Aperture-priority auto (A),

Manual (M), Scene, Special Eff ects

Scene Modes : Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports,

Close up, Night portrait, Night

landscape, Party/indoor, Beach/

snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, Pet

portrait, Candlelight, Blossom,

Autumn colours, Food

Special eff ects modes : Night vision, Colour sketch, Toy

camera eff ect, Miniature eff ect,

Selective colour, Silhouett e, High

key, Low key, HDR painting

Exposure compensation : +/-5 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV

Bracketing : Exposure bracketing: 3 shots in

steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV

White balance bracketing: 3 shots

in steps of 1 Active D-Lighting

bracketing: 2 shots

Exposure lock : Luminosity locked at detected value

with AE-L/AF-L butt on

ISO sensitivity : ISO 100 to 12800 in steps of 1/3

EV. Can also be set to approx.

0.3, 0.7, or 1 EV (ISO 25600

equivalent) above ISO 12800,

auto ISO available

Active D-Lighting : Auto, Extra high, High, Normal,

Low, Off

Autofocus System : Nikon Multi-CAM 4800DX

autofocus sensor module with TTL

phase detection, 39 focus points

(including 9 cross-type sensor), and

AF-assist illuminator

Lens servo : Autofocus (AF): Single-servo (AF-S);

continuous-servo (AF-C); auto



D-SLR Review

Nikon D5300

AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A);

predictive focus tracking activated

automatically according to subject

status, Manual focus (MF)

Focus point : Can be selected from 39 or 11

focus points

AF-area mode : Single-point AF, 9-, 21-, or 39-

point

dynamic-area AF, 3D-tracking,

auto-area AF

Built-in flash Guide Number

Approx. 12m to 13m with manual

flash (ISO 100)

Flash control : TTL: i-TTL flash control using

2016-pixel RGB sensor available

with built-in flash and SB-910,

SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600,

SB-400 or SB-300; i-TTL balanced

fill-flash with matrix and centre-

weighted metering, standard i-TTL

flash with spot metering

Flash mode : Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction,

Auto slow sync, Auto slow sync

with Red-eye reduction, Fill-flash,

Red-eye reduction, Slow sync,

Slow sync with red-eye reduction,

Rear-curtain with slow sync, Rear-

curtain sync, Off

Flash compensation : -3 - +1 EV in increments of 1/3 or

1/2 EV

Accessory shoe : ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and

data contacts and safety lock

Nikon Creative Lighting System

(CLS) Advanced Wireless Lighting

supported with SB-910, SB-900,

SB-800, or SB-700 as a master flash

or SU-800 as commander; Flash

Colour Information Communication

supported with all CLS-compatible

flash units

White balance : Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent

(7 types), Direct sunlight, Flash,

Cloudy, Shade, Preset manual

(all except preset manual with

fine-tuning.)

AF-area mode : Face-priority, Wide-area, Normal-

area, Subject-tracking

Autofocus : Contrast-detect AF anywhere

in frame

Automatic scene selection : Available in auto and auto (flash

off) modes

Metering : TTL exposure metering using main

image sensor

Metering method : Matrix

Max.video quality : 1920 x 1080, 60p

(progressive)/50p/30p/25p/24p

File format : MOV

Video compression : H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video

Coding

Monitor : 3.2-inch, approx. 1037k-dot, vari-

angle TFT monitor with 170 °

viewing angle, approx. 100%

frame coverage

USB : Hi-Speed USB

Video output : NTSC, PAL

HDMI output : Type C mini-pin HDMI connector

Accessory terminal : Wireless remote controllers: WR-1,

WR-R10 (available separately)

Remote cords: MC-DC2; GPS units:

GP-1/GP-1A (all available

separately)

Audio input : Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm

diameter); supports optional ME-1

stereo microphones

Wireless setup : Supports WPS

Access protocols : Infrastructure

Receiving frequency : 1575.42 MHz (C/A code)

Geodesics : WGS84

Power source : One rechargeable Li-ion

EN-EL14a battery

Dimensions (W x H x D)

Approx. 125 x 98 x 76 mm

Weight : Approx. 530 g with battery and

memory card but without body cap

If you compare the D5300 to the D5200, it will seem like a minor improvement, limited to the omission of OLPF, integration of EXPEED 4 image processor, and slightly better video mode. But if you like the idea of triggering your camera with your Smartphone or instantaneously uploading (or backing up) images to the cloud via services such as Dropbox and Skydrive, the built-in Wi-Fi will certainly help. And if you are a traveller, the built-in GPS will be of interest. We see the D5300 as Nikon’s latest attempt at taking competition head-on.

Sujith Gopinath

VERDICT

FINAL SCOREDesign and Build Quality 16/20

Key Features 18/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance Autofocus 4/5

Metering 4/5

Noise Control 4/5

Sharpness 5/5

LCD/VF 4/5

AWB 3/5

Sub-Total 24/30

Value for Money 8/10

Grand Total 83/100

+

+

+

+

+

Tilt and swivel LCD screen

Excellent noise controlGood image quality

Built-in Wi-Fi

24 megapixels

+ Built-in GPS

-

-

Cast under most lighting conditions

Limited buffer


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Fujifi lm X-A1ILCC Review

81%Rs. 44,999

Including the 16-50mm kit lens

Inside the BoxLi-ion Battery NP-W126Battery Charger BC-W126Shoulder strapBody capCD-ROM (Viewer software, RAW File

Converter etc.)Owner’s manual

It seems mirrorless cameras have not yet been able to eff ectively showcase the segment’s true potential to Indian

consumers. Many of us, in fact, associate the word professional to the big black cameras with long and heavy lenses att ached to them. Th is perception could have been brought about by the fact that the fi rst mirrorless cameras (and most available in the market) sport signifi cantly smaller sensors than traditional D-SLRs. But recent developments have made it possible to incorporate APS-C or even Full Frame sensors to mirrorless cameras and still keep the size smaller than D-SLRs. If you fi nd this hard to believe, have a look at the Fujifi lm X-A1, a 16.3-megapixel mirrorless camera.

Design and Build QualityTh e X-A1 as compact as a Micro Four Th irds camera, though we have not compared both side-by-side. It is made from durable polycarbonate material. Th e camera has a tiltable LCD screen and two command dials. Th e X-A1 features a TTL accessory shoe and a built-in fl ash. Th e built-in fl ash springs up with much impulse like a snake striking with the hood open. Th is leaves us slightly worried about the longevity of the fl ash assembly though the props, springs and hinges are all metal. Th e lens mount and tripod receptacle are also made of metal. At 330 g (including batt ery and memory card), the X-A1 is very light and the dimensions of 116.9 x 66.5 x 39.0mm (W x H x D) makes it equally compact.

Pocket Rocket


Key FeaturesThe 16.3-megapixel Fujifilm X-A1 sports an X-Trans APS-C size (23.6 x 15.6mm) CMOS sensor with primary colour filter. Combined with the latest EXR Processor II imaging engine, it offers quick response along with superior image quality. The camera employs a sensor cleaning system that uses ultrasonic vibration to knock off duct particles from the sensor unit. The system accepts Fujifilm X-mount lenses and uses Optical Image Stabilisation (moving lens elements) for shake reduction. The camera features a focal plane shutter, which provides shutter speeds of 30 to 1/4000 sec. Flash synchronises with the shutter at 1/180 sec or slower speeds. The built-in flash has a Guide Number of approximately 7m at ISO 200. Flash modes available are Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Rear-curtain Synchro, Commander, Red-eye Reduction, Red-eye Reduction and Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Red-eye Reduction and Slow Synchro, and Red-eye Reduction and Rear-curtain Synchro. The camera also features a standard accessory shoe (Hot shoe) with TTL contacts. The X-A1 uses TTL contrast detection type autofocus system. Focus modes available are Manual, Area AF, Multi AF, Continuous AF, and Tracking AF. Area AF defines 49 areas in a 7 x 7 grid and the AF frame size can be changed to suit your requirement. Exposure is controlled through TTL 256-zone metering. The camera provides the usual three metering modes — Multi, Spot, and Average. Exposure can be compensated up to +/-2 EV in 1/3-EV steps. Shooting modes include Programmed AE (P), Shutter Priority (S), Aperture Priority (A), Manual (M), SR (Advanced Scene Recognition auto), Auto,

Adv (Multiple Exposure), SP (Scene Position), Sport, Landscape, Portrait, and Custom. The Scene Position mode lets you choose between Portrait Enhancer, Night, Night (Tripod), Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Party, Flower, and Text. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 200 to 6400, expandable up to ISO 100 to 25,600. White Balance options are Auto, Custom, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent (three settings), and Incandescent.

Still images are recorded with the maximum resolution of 4896 x 3264 pixels in JPEG or Raw (RAF) format with the option of recording both simultaneously. Videos are recorded in MOV format with the best quality of 1920 x 1080 at 30p frame rate. Videos can be recorded continuously for approximately 14 min. The camera can shoot continuously at approximately 5.6 frames per second with a Class 10 or higher memory card. At this speed, it can

capture up to 30 JPEG or up to 10 Raw/Raw+JPEG images. The X-A1 provides Auto bracketing options of AE Bracketing (±1/3EV / ±2/3EV / ±1EV), Film Simulation Bracketing (3 types selectable), Dynamic Range Bracketing (100%, 200%, 400%), and ISO Sensitivity Bracketing (±1/3EV / ±2/3EV / ±1EV). Self timer can be set for 10 or 2 sec delay. The camera features Fujifilm’s original Film Simulation modes — Provia (Standard), Velvia (Vivid), Astia (Soft), Monochrome, and Sepia. Dynamic range can be set to Auto (100–400%), 100%, 200%, or 400%. The X-A1 also provides advanced filter options of Toy camera, Miniature, Pop colour, High-key,


Mah

esh

Red

dy


Fujifi lm X-A1

ILCC Review

Low-key, Dynamic tone, Soft focus, and Partial colour (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple). It features built-in Wi-Fi, which allows transfer of images from the camera to compatible devices. To pair the camera with an Android Smartphone, you can download the Fujifi lm Camera Application, which is free to download from Google Play.

Th e X-A1 does not have internal memory and uses an SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card for external storage. Th e camera uses a 3.0-inch, approximately 920,000-dot Tilt type TFT colour monitor. Th e device weighs approximately 330g (including batt ery and memory card) and has dimensions of 116.9

JPEG Compression

JPEG, Fine Quality,

100% (6.3 MB)

JPEG, Standard Quality,

100% (4 MB)

Sharpness & Detail

Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/10sec. ISO:200

Noise at 100%

ISO:100 ISO:25600

Colour Accuracy

Colour checker shot using Auto White Balance in daylight. Auto Levels applied.

x 66.5 x 39.0mm (W x H x D).

ErgonomicsTh e Fujifi lm X-A1 has a non-slippery body fi nished in faux leather. Th e light weight and compact dimensions make it very comfortable to handle. Th e test piece was provided along with a Super EBC XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS lens, which was also light and compact. Images appeared crisp on the LCD, though we observed occasional moire patt erns. Th e menu is intuitive and straighforward.

PerformanceFujifi lm X-A1, housing an APS-C sized sensor, is expected to perform well. Let us

see how it fared on our test bench. Th e camera focussed fast with the kit lens and it has no problems focussing in low light. Images were very sharp out of the box. Th e sweet spot was found to consistently remain at f/5.6 for the lens we received. Th e three metering modes performed fl awlessly. A tinge of darkening was observed at the corners at the wide-angle end with the lens wide open. Mild fl are was observed with a trace of purple fringing in very strong against-the-light shots at the wide-angle end at the widest aperture. Th e lens produced slight barrel distortion up to the marked focal legth of 35mm (50mm equivalent). Th ese slight imperfections can only be observed if you deliberately look for them.

Auto White Balance performed very well with the camera showing ideal values under daylight. Even the preset Fine mode produced similar results under daylight. Th ough the camera produced slight colour casts under other lighting conditions, these could be easily removed in post-processing. Native image size was 10.88 x 16.32 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent screen size, images were absolutely free of noise till ISO 6400. Even the slight noice at ISO 12,800 was barely noticeable. Observed at 50 percent, our keen eyes could pick up slight noise at ISO 6400, but the images were perfectly usable up to ISO 12,800. Enlarged to 100 percent screen


ILCC Review

Fujifilm X-A1

size, the images remained free of noise up to ISO 800. Slight noise was observed at ISO 1600. Even at this extreme enlargement, the images were perfectly usable up to ISO 3200. We would consider this excellent control of noise.

Value for MoneyThe Fujiflm X-A1 retails at an MRP of Rs.44,999 along with the 16-50mm kit lens. Considering the superior performance of the camera, we think this is fair pricing.

SPECIFICATIONSEffective pixels : 16.3 million

Image sensor : 23.6mm x 15.6mm (APS-C) CMOS

with primary colour filter

Sensor Cleaning system : Ultra Sonic Vibration

Storage media : SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) memory card

File format : Still image: JPEG, Raw (RAF format),

RAW+JPEG possible

Video: MOV

Maximum recorded pixels : 4896 x 3264

Lens mount : FUJIFILM X mount

Sensitivity : AUTO, ISO200 – 6400 expandable

to ISO100, 12800, 25600

Exposure control : TTL 256-zone metering

Metering modes : Multi, Spot, Average

Shooting modes : Programmed AE (P), Shutter priority

AE (S), Aperture priority

AE (A), Manual (M)

Exposure compensation : -2.0EV - +2.0EV, 1/3EV steps

Image Stabilizer : Supported with OIS type lens

Face detection : Yes

Shutter type : Focal Plane Shutter

Shutter speed : 30 to 1/4000 sec., Bulb (max. 60 min.)

Flash sync speed : 1/180 sec. or slower

Continuous shooting : Approx. 5.6 fps ( JPEG: max. 30 frames,

RAW / RAW+JPEG: max. 10 frames)

with SD card Class 10 or higher

Auto bracketing : AE Bracketing (±1/3EV / ±2/3EV / ±1EV)

Film Simulation Bracketing

(3 types selectable)

Dynamic Range Bracketing (100%,

200%, 400%)

ISO Sensitivity Bracketing (±1/3EV /

±2/3EV / ±1EV)

Focus Mode : Manual Focus, Area AF, Multi AF,

Continuous AF, Tracking AF

Focus Type : TTL contrast AF

AF frame selection : Area AF (49 areas with 7 x 7),

Changeable AF frame size

White balance : Auto, Custom, Fine, Shade,

Fluorescent (Daylight),

Fluorescent (Warm White),

Fluorescent (Cool White), Incandescent

Self-timer : 10 sec. / 2 sec. Delay

Flash : Manual pop-up flash (Super

Intelligent Flash)

Guide number : Approx. 7m (ISO200)

Flash modes : Red-eye removal OFF: Auto, Forced

Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro,

Rear-curtain Synchro, Commander

Red-eye removal ON: Red-eye

Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction

& Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash,

Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro,

Red-eye Reduction & Rear-curtain

Synchro, and Commander

Hot shoe : YES (dedicated TTL Flash compatible)

LCD monitor : 3.0-inch, Approx. 920K-dot Tilt type

TFT colour

Best Movie recording : 1920 x 1080 30p, Continuous

recording: up to approx. 14 min.

Mode dial : Advanced SR AUTO, P, S, A, M, C,

Portrait, Landscape, Sport, SP, Adv.,

AUTO

Film Simulation mode : PROVIA (STANDARD), Velvia

(VIVID), ASTIA (SOFT),

MONOCHROME, SEPIA

Dynamic range setting : AUTO (100-400%), 100%, 200%, 400%

Advanced filter : Toy camera, Miniature, Pop colour,

High-key, Low-key, Dynamic tone, Soft

focus, Partial colour (Red, Orange,

Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple)

Digital interface : USB 2.0 High-Speed

HDMI output : HDMI mini connector (Type C)

Power supply : NP-W126 Li-ion battery (included)

Dimensions : 116.9mm (W) x 66.5mm (H) x 39.0mm (D)

Weight : Approx. 330g (including battery

and memory card)

The Fujiflm X-A1 is a compact mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor, which is easy to carry around. The camera is a great performer too. It is a good buy if you do not require higher megapixels or the additional comforts (viewfinder, large grip etc) that come with a bulky D-SLR.

Sujith Gopinath

VERDICT


Key Features 16/20

Ergonomics 17/20


Metering 5/5

Noise Control 5/5

Sharpness 4/5

LCD/VF 3/5

AWB 4/5

Sub-Total 25/30


Grand Total 81/100

+

+

+

+

+

APS-C sensor

LightweightExcellent Performance

Wi-Fi

Compact size

-

-

No EVFLCD not fully articulated


81%Rs.94,995Inside the Box

Lens Lens hood Front/rear lens caps Warranty card Instruction leafl et Soft pouch


Good Performer, Expensive!

Lens Review

For a photographer on the go, 24 – 70mm seem to be the most-used focal length. Its great for day-to-day

grab shots at parties, landscapes, weddings and full-length portraits. Combined with a reasonably fast aperture of f/4 throughout the zoom range, a 24 – 70mm lens should ideally be in every serious photographer’s kit. Reviewed here is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens that costs about 45% less than its f/2.8 sibling.

Design & Build QualityTh e Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM is a standard, twist-zoom off ering a Macro mode at the telephoto end. Th e zoom ring is towards the camera body and is marked at 24, 35, 50, and 70mm positions. A Macro/Lock switch is provided on the right of the lens; push the switch towards the Macro side and the zoom ring can then be rotated to the macro position. Unless you push the switch again to the Macro side, the lens will stay within the macro range. Th e same switch can lock the zoom at the 24mm sett ing if you push it to the Lock position. Th e lens has a 77mm fi lter thread and weighs approximately 600g.

Key FeaturesTh e Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens is designed for full-frame sensor cameras (can be used with the smaller APS-C sensor models) and is constructed with 15 elements in 12 groups that include 2

aspherical and 2 UD elements to eliminate/reduce optical fl aws and enhance image quality. It features a Hybrid IS system that off ers up to 4 stops of stabilization, providing useful stabilization even in macro mode (the f/2.8 version of the lens has no IS). Focusing is internal and a Ring-type Ultra Sonic Motor provides fast and quiet autofocus. Manual override is possible even when in AF mode. Th e focused distance, in meters and feet, can be viewed under a plastic cover in the center of the lens. Th e overall length of the lens does not change during focusing; neither does the front element rotate, making it easy to use polarizing fi lters and ND Graduated fi lters. Th e lens has seals for dust and water resistance; the front and rear lens element are coated with fl uorine which off ers some degree of protection against smears and fi ngerprints. Th e lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.38m /1.25 ft . across the entire zoom range and also has a macro mode at the telephoto end where it off ers up to 0.7x magnifi cation at a minimum focusing distance of 0.2m / 7.87”.

ErgonomicsTh e lens was reviewed with a full-frame Canon EOS 6D body. Th e balance was perfect and the combo was convenient to use, except that photographers with large hands may fi nd the zoom ring a bit uncomfortable to rotate since it is too close to the camera body – when turning the ring towards the 70mm position, the fi ngers


Lens Review


of the left hand rub against those of the right hand (which holds the grip). I felt it would have been better if the position of the zoom ring and the focusing ring was interchanged.

PerformanceThe overall performance of the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens was very good. Critical users may find the f/2.8 version of the lens to be a shade sharper but remember that this lens costs about 45% less than the f/2.8 version and unless you print fairly large, you may not be able to notice the difference.

Autofocus speed was fast enough in good light; in low light, it was a bit slower. Wide open, center sharpness was very good at all focal lengths, while the sides/corners were slightly softer in comparison. This is to be expected and should not be considered as a defect. Flare was well controlled, and on probing, negligible fringing was seen in against-the-light shots. In the Macro mode,

the lens offers maximum magnification of 0.7x; though less than what is offered by a true macro lens, it is still very useful. Macro performance was to our satisfaction. Darkening of the corners was very evident with the lens wide open at 24mm and the pattern continued at all the marked focal lengths. Barrel distortion was noticeable at 24 and 35mm settings (negligible at 50mm).

Value for MoneyThe Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens is available at an MRP of Rs.94,995. Even though this lens is a good performer and also has a Macro mode, at this price we consider it to be on the expensive side.

SPECIFICATIONSFocal length : 24 – 70mmAperture : f/4 throughoutLens construction : 15 elements in 12 groups, includes 2 aspheric and 2 UD elements Angle of view : 84 – 34 degreesClosest focus : 0.38m /1.25 ft. In Macro: 0.2m / 7.87” Drive system : Ring-type USM


FINAL SCORE

Design and Build Quality 18/20

Key Features 17/20

Ergonomics 16/20


Sharpness 4/5

Distortion Control 3.5/5

Aberrations 4/5

Darkening of Corners 3/5

Extra Features 4/5

Sub-Total 22.5/30


Grand Total 81/100

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens is perfectly suitable for most day-to-day use. It has the added advantage of a Macro mode as well as an Image Stabilizer that the more expensive f/2.8 version of the lens does not have. Though the lens is expensive, it meets with our criteria for ‘Best Buy’. Rohinton Mehta

VERDICT

-

-

ExpensiveZoom ring too close to the camera body

++

+

+

+

+

+

Very good build quality

Good Macro performanceManual Override during AF

Reasonably lightweight

Image StabilizerF/4 throughout the zoom range

Max. magnification : 0.7 (Macro)Min. Aperture : f/22Filter size : 77mmDiaphragm blades : 9, circular diaphragmWater/Dust resistant : YesMax. Dia x Length : 83.4 x 93mm Weight : 600g approx.


82.5%Rs.69,900Inside the Box

Lens Lens hood Front & rear lens caps

SIGMA 24-105MM F/4 DG OS HSM

Good Performer, Reasonable Price!

Lens Review

TTh e Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM is an ‘Art Lens’ – a premium lens designed for full-frame

sensors. Th e lens is ideal for portraits, travel, landscapes, and for day-to-day general photography. It can be used with APS-C sensor cameras, with a corresponding increase in eff ective focal length. Th e lens is made in Canon, Nikon, Sigma and Sony mounts (Sony mount does not incorporate Optical Stabilizer) and is made in Japan. Th e lens we received had a Canon mount and as such, was reviewed using a Canon EOS 6D body.

Design & Build QualityExquisitely fi nished in black, the lens barrel has a 3-segment construction. Th e outer body is made of metal and Th ermally Stable Composite material (TSC) which reduces its size and weight and as part of Sigma’s new Global Vision design, is compatible with Sigma’s Mount Conversion Service and USB Dock (sold separately) for updating lens fi rmware and fi ne-tuning focus when used with Sigma’s Optimization Pro soft ware. Filter size is 82mm and the lens weighs 885g.

Key FeaturesTh e Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM is constructed with 19 elements in 14 groups that include FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) and

SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements to compensate for various aberrations and distortions. Th e lens incorporates Sigma’s Hyper Sonic Motor for fast, quiet and accurate autofocusing. It also has an Optical Stabilizer to compensate for camera movement during exposure. It takes about 1 second for the stabilizer to do its work and hence it is necessary to wait a while before depressing the shutt er release butt on all the way. Sigma’s instructions specifi cally mentions that “the OS continues to operate aft er you release your fi nger from the shutt er butt on, as long as the exposure meter displays the exposure value. Never remove the lens or or remove the camera’s batt ery while the image stabilizer is operating as this could damage the lens”. (Please note that it is necessary to switch off the stabilizer before removing any IS/VR/OS/VC lens from the body). Th e zoom ring is wide, well textured, has the perfect amount of damping and turns anti-clockwise when going from minimum to maximum focal length. A round, 9-bladed diaphragm ensures smooth ‘bokeh’.

Th e minimum focusing distance is 45 cm (17.7”) and the maximum magnifi cation ratio is 1:4.6. Th e widest aperture is f/4 (throughout the zoom range) while the narrowest aperture is f/22.


Lens Review

SIGMA 24-105MM F/4 DG OS HSM

ErgonomicsOn the Canon EOS 6D body, it balanced perfectly. The lens is easy to use but being heavy (in spite of its TSC material), can tire you quickly.

PerformanceAutofocus was very quick, even in less-than-good light (part of the credit also goes to the 6D body). In really poor light, we did notice a slight slowing down of autofocus but that would be true of any lens/body combination. Images were sharp and showed no colour bias due to the lens coatings. Corner darkening was clearly visible at wide open aperture at 24mm; stopping down the lens reduced the darkening but the same could be noticed throughout the aperture range. Barrel distortion was noticeable at 24 and 35mm settings and slight pin cushion distortion at 105mm. Flare was well controlled and we did not notice any chromatic aberration.

Value for MoneyThe Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM lens is available at an MRP of Rs.69,900. Considering its excellent build, image quality, and the provision of using the Sigma Dock (at additional cost of course) for updating lens firmware and fine-tuning focus, we feel that it is a fair price.

SPECIFICATIONSConstruction : 19 elements in 14 groupsAngle of view : Approx. 84.1 – 23.3 degreesDiaphragm blades : 9Aperture range : f/4-22Min. focussing distance : 45cm/17.7”Filter size : 82mm dia.Max. Magnification ratio : 1: 4.6Dia. X length : 8.6 x 109.4 mm/3.5 x4.3”Weight : 885g


FINAL SCORE

Design and Build Quality 18/20

Key Features 17/20

Ergonomics 16/20


Sharpness 4/5

Distortion Control 3.5/5

Aberrations 4/5

Darkening of Corners 4/5

Extra Features 4/5

Sub-Total 23.5/30


Grand Total 82.5/100

The Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM is not only a good performer, it offers better focal range and at a much lower price as compared to the competition. Best Buy! Rohinton Mehta

VERDICT

-

-

Heavy

Odd-size filter attachment

++

+

+

Excellent build qualityVery sharpCustomisable


Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 6Soft ware Review

87%Rs.2683.14

Y ou might have had the heart-breaking experience of accidentally deleting data on

your hard drive or memory card including photographs and videos. Th ere are quite a few data recovery tools available in the market, but almost none of them have the features of Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery. Stellar has released Photo Recovery 6, the latest in the series, which promises many improvements over the previous versions.

Key FeaturesStellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 6 is an aff ordable, easy-to-use, and fast data recovery tool. It can eff ectively recover photos, videos and music fi les stored in any media such as memory card, mobile phone, hard disk drive, and USB storage. It can recover and restore fi les even from formatt ed memory. Th e latest version of the soft ware has a 30 percent faster scanning engine and a new interface. You can recover the lost fi les in three easy steps: Scan, Preview, and Recover. A very improtant feature of this tool is that you can recover the fi les with the original fi le names and with the original

date and time, which is not possible with most other recovery tools. It supports up to 50 TB of storage space and more than 50 multimedia fi le types including Raw formats of prominent camera manufacturers. Another important feature of the Data Recovery 6 is that it can now preview and recover HD movie fi les also. Even corrupted fi les can be partly recovered in the form of thumbnails with the Phoenix Photo Recovery 6.

Th e preview fi les can be arranged in three diff erent views— Cover Flow, Th umbnail, and List View, which allows you to preview the images and select only those that are important to you. For this, the Phoenix Photo Recovery 6 lists the fi les with the fi le formats in a tree view along with respective checkboxes. Th is allows you to recover only one type of fi le if necessary.

EvaluationTh e Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery tool is very easy to use, requiring no special skills or training. Hence the evaluation process was also quite simple. We could

Life Saver...!


Software Review

Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 6Getting familiar

USB drive detected. Click ‘Start Scan’On the home screen, click Recover Photo, Audio & Video

Scanning Scan Complete

recover all the lost data from formatted memory cards and hard disk drives in the three easy steps mentioned above. The scanning speed was quite fast with the software previewing about 5 GB of formatted data in under 10 minutes. We tried with different memory cards and different file types including JPEG, mp3, CR2 and NEF. Though we could not compare Phoenix Photo Recovery 6 side-by-side with other recovery tools,

this was much faster and efficient than other tools we have used before.

Stellar has provided detailed instructions on their website (www.stellarinfo.com). The tool provides free update through the Auto Update Wizard feature. The package also includes free consultation 24-hour online support, premium support, and 30-days money-back guarantee.

Value for MoneyThe Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 6 is available for purchase at Rs.2683.14. We would consider this a very competitive price for such a useful product. You can download the software from the website www.stellarinfo.com. You can also download a free trial version if you are keen to try it out. But to save the recovered files, you will require a full version of the software.

http://www.stellarinfo.com

http://www.stellarinfo.com


Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 6

Software Review

Choose Destination FolderFile Preview

Mark the files that are to be recovered, and click ‘Recover’

Saving the recovered files

System Requirement

WindowsProcessor : Pentium ClassOperating System : Windows 8/7/Vista/XPRAM : 1 GB RecommendedHard Disk : 50 MB of free space

Mac OSProcessor : IntelOperating System : Mac OS X 10.5 and laterRAM : 1 GB RecommendedHard Disk : 50 MB of free space

Stellar Phoenix Photo Recover 6 is a very useful tool to recover multimedia files from virtually all types of storage devices. It is easy to install, easy to use, and versatile. Combined with an affordable pricing, the Photo Recovery 6 is highly recommended.

Sujith Gopinath

VERDICT

- None

+

+

+

Affordable pricing

Ease of use

Fast operation

FINAL SCORE

Key Features 17/20

Ease of Use 18/20

Performance 17/20


Support 17/20

Overall 87/100

ALSO REVIEWED

STELLAR PHOENIX PHOTO RECOVERY 6

TUTORIALS

UNDERSTANDING DEPTH OF FIELD

HDR FROM A SINGLE SHOT

FUN WITH INFRARED

PROFESSIONAL

TECHNIQUE



ISSUE 11

VOLUME 09

FEBRUARY 2014

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ISS

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107


INTERVIEW AMIT RANE


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Canon Speedlite 320EXFlashgun Review

85%Rs. 18,595

Inside the BoxCanon 320EX SpeedliteSpeedlite StandInstruction Manual

Those who are into portraiture, would swear by the lighting possibilities that fl ashguns off er.

Th is could be the reason why fl ashguns are comparatively expensive for the type of utility they off er. Canon off ers three types of fl ashguns. Th e top-of-the-line ones such as the 580EX can burn a hole in your pocket, and the low-end ones could prove ineff ective in many situations. Th e Speedlite 320EX bridges the gap, occupying the middle ground.

Design and Build QualityTh e Canon 320 EX is fi nished in good quality polycarbonate. It has a compact design with a manual zoom head that can be fi xed at two positions. It features a built-in LED and has vertical and horizontal bounce capabilities. It accepts four AA batt eries.

Key FeaturesTh e Canon 320 EX has a built-in LED, which can be used to provide continuous light that can illuminate nearby subjects in dim light. It can also be used while shooting videos, as a modelling lamp or as an AF assist beam with Live View. It provides up to four hours of continuous lighting with fully-charged AA batt eries. Th e fl ash has vertical and horizontal bounce capability to provide even lighting when the bouncing surface is not too far from the fl ash head. It also provides a Flash release function by which you can trigger the camera wirelessly from the fl ash with a 2-second delay. It also provides Wireless Slave function with

EOS D-SLRs having integrated Speedlite transmitt ers, supporting three groups and four channels simultaneously. Th is allows the fl ash to be positioned off -camera for creative lighting eff ects. Th e manually extendable fl ash head lets you switch fl ash coverage between Normal (24mm equivalent on EF lenses, maximum Guide No.24m at ISO 100) and Tele (50mm equivalent on EF lenses, maximum Guide No.32m at ISO 100) modes. Th e fl ashgun provides an eff ective coverage of approximately 4m at the centre and approximately 3.5m at the peripheries. Th e LED provides an eff ective coverage of approximately 4 m. Canon claims a recycling time of 2.0 seconds between two successive fl ashes.

Th e fl ashgun supports E-TTL II and E-TTL functions with compatible Type-A EOS cameras (EOS 5D Mark II and later. Available via fi rmware update for: EOS-1Ds Mark III, EOS-1D Mark III, EOS 40D, EOS 50D, and EOS Rebel XS). Th e custom functions supported by the 320EX include Auto power off , Quick fl ash with continuous shot, Slave auto power off timer (60 minutes/10 minutes), and Slave auto power off cancel (within 8 hours/ within 1 hour). Th e custom functions have to be set from within the camera’s ‘External Speedlite Control’ menu. Th e Speedlite is equipped with a power-saving function that turns off the power aft er 90 seconds if no operation is performed. Th e 320EX has dimensions of 70.0 x 115.0 x 78.4mm and weighs 275g.

Covering the Midfi eld


Flashgun Review

Canon Speedlite 320EX

ErgonomicsThe Speedlite 320EX is compact and hence comfortable to carry around. Since it has bounce capability, it can provide even illumination in most situations. The flash does not have a built-in reflector normally provided with big flashguns, but this is a design limitation and can be easily overcome by attaching a white card to the flash head. Though there is a Manual position provided for the mode button, Manual mode has to be set from within the camera menu.

PerformanceThe 320EX performed well in our tests. For the test, we mounted the flash on a Canon 6D body. The flash coverage was satisfactory for most situations where the distance was within the specified range. The flash recycled fast in TTL mode and at low power, but in Manual mode at full power, it took approximately 3 sec to recharge with fully charged NiMH batteries. The Quick Flash with Continuous mode proved very useful at short distances, keeping up with the 4.5 frames per second continuous speed of the 6D.

Bounce capability was satisfactory, though you cannot expect the same performance that a large flash (such as 580EX II) provides. There was no visible cast in the images except in cases where the light was bounced off a surface having non-neutral colour.

Value for MoneyThe 320EX retails at an MRP of Rs.18,595. This is fair value for money considering that the larger 580 EX II costs about Rs.25,000.

SPECIFICATIONS Type : On-camera, E-TTL II/E-TTL

autoflash Speedlite

Compatible Cameras : Type-A EOS cameras (E-TTL II/E-TTL

autoflash)

Guide Number : Flash Coverage ISO 100

Normal (24mm): 24m

Tele (50mm): 32m

Flash Coverage : EF lens: 24mm/50mm

EF-S lens: 15mm/31.3mm

(Manual switching)

Recycling Time : Normal flash: Approx. 0.1 - 2.3 sec.

Quick flash: Approx. 0.1 - 1.8 sec.

AF Assist Beam : Intermittent flash firing system

Effective range : At centre: Approx. 13.1 ft./4m

Periphery: Approx. 11.5 ft./3.5m

LED light: Approx. 13.1 ft/4 m

Custom Functions : Auto power off (Enabled/Disabled),

Quick flash w/continuous shot

(Disabled/ Enabled), Slave auto power

off timer (60 minutes/10 minutes),

Slave auto power off cancel (Within 8

hours/ Within 1 hour)

Power Source : Four size-AA/LR6 alkaline batteries

are used.

Ni-MH or lithium batteries can also

be used.

Dimensions : 70.0 x 115.0 x 78.4mm

Weight : 275g

Aperture:f/6.3 Shutter Speed: 1/60sec. ISO:400; Flash bounced off the ceiling

Mahesh R

eddy

If you are looking for an affordable, yet effective flashgun for portraiture, the 320EX provides an ideal solution with advanced features. But do not expect to cover events such as stage shows with this flash. For the performance expected of this type of a flashgun, the 320EX is a very good option.

Sujith Gopinath

VERDICT


Key Features 16/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance 17/30


Overall 85%

+

+

+

+

+

Bounce feature

Wireless flash capabilityModelling lamp

Price

Compact Size

-

-

Most features controlled from cameraNo built-in bounce reflector

Magazine Advertising

THE POWER OF MAGAZINES!

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batteries.

3. A purchase of a magazine costing

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4. Production values of magazines

are about the best you can get in print.

5. The shelf life of most magazines is

a month and not just a few minutes in the

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6. Magazines are read when you are at

leisure. Therefore, a lot more is ingested

and imbibed. With magazines, therefore,

advertising works and makes an impression.

7. For special interests, magazines

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magazine content has far more credibility

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8. Special interest magazines are read

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9. Most magazines offer their

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11. Globally, 7.3% of the total advertising spend is spent on

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SP Recommends

Canon PowerShot G15

The G15 is the latest in Canon’s G-series and one of very few

compact cameras to offer an optical viewfinder. With a

12.1-megapixel 1/1.7-inch Type CMOS

sensor, a 28-140mm F/1.8-2.8 lens, and a 3” LCD, the camera

handles extremely well and produces superb

pictures.

Olympus XZ-2

The Olympus XZ-2 has a new 12MP back-

illuminated 1/1.7-inch Type CMOS sensor, and features a 28-

112mm f/1.8-2.5 Zuiko lens and a tiltable touch-sensitive 3”

LCD monitor. Overall, the Olympus XZ-2 is a very capable and

pocketable compact camera.

Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon’s G1X has excellent build quality in a compact camera. With a 14.3MP sensor, a 28-112mm F/2.8-5.6 lens, and an optical viewfinder as well as a tilt-and-swivel LCD panel, the G1X is highly impressive,

with its excellent noise control, outstanding

White Balance performance, and

quality images.

Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ40

The TZ40 is the successor to the TZ30 in Panasonic’s popular

TZ (Travel Zoom) series. Featuring the

first ever 18.1 MP MOS sensor, a 24-480mm F/3.3-6.4 lens, and a 3” touch screen, the

camera, with its Leica lens, ensures optimum

picture quality, and overall results are

impressive.

Fujifilm Finepix X100s

The Fujifilm Finepix X100s comes with a 16 MP APS-C size CMOS sensor, paired with a 35mm equivalent f/2 lens and a 2.8” LCD screen. The X100’s noise control and

hybrid viewfinder are very impressive, and it produces pleasing pictures with good

accuracy.

Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ200

Panasonic’s FZ200 is a bridge camera. Equipped with a

12.1MP high-sensitivity MOS sensor, a unique 25-600mm F/2.8 Leica lens with 24x optical zoom, and a tilt-and-swivel monitor, the FZ200 impresses

with good and fast autofocus, reliable

metering and overall image quality.

Nikon Coolpix P7800

The Coolpix 7800 is Nikon’s top

professional compact. It features a 12.2 megapixel 1/1.7-

inch Type CMOS sensor, a 28-200mm f/2.0-4.0 lens, a 3” articulated LCD

monitor and an EVF. Overall, the Coolpix 7800 produces very good results, with an

impressive Auto White Balance system.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX1

The RX 1 is the world’s first compact camera

with a full size 24.3 MP CMOS sensor. It has a Carl Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f/2 lens that can be switched to

macro mode. There is a built in 3” LCD screen.

Anyone wanting a compact camera that produces high quality results should look at

the RX1.

Nikon Coolpix A

The Nikon Coolpix A, reviewed in this edition of SP, comes with a 16.2 MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor, and a fixed 18.5 mm (28mm equivalent) f/2.8 lens attached to the camera. The 3”

LCD helps monitor the image to be captured.

Given its mouth watering specifications,

the Nikon Coolpix A is certainly a worthy addition to this list.

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II

Sony’s RX100 has a unique 20.2 MP 1-inch

Type CMOS sensor. Along with a 29-105mm

F/1.8-4.9 lens, and a 3” LCD, the camera is exceptionally light at 254g. Image quality

and handling are top notch and the RX100

II is certainly to be considered if you want a high quality compact

camera that is also pocketable.

Compact Cameras

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Tidbits

Ups and down...

While the photo industry worldwide has been in the doldrums in 2013, fi gures released by Japan’s CIPA reveal that in the fi rst nine months in 2013, compact camera shipments dropped

by more than 40% and that of mirrorless SLR models by 17%. Th e drop value-wise, however, was much less at 5.5%. Th e Japanese market, however, remain buoyant with demand for mirrorless cameras and SLRs rising by more than 20%. Although the sale of mirrorless cameras has been rising, they still constitute only 20% of SLR sales worldwide.

Th e reasons for the downturn are fairly obvious. Although, popularly, Smartphones are portrayed to be the villain, the recession in the US and Western Europe is also a major factor. For example, the UK market has fallen by 21% in the fi rst nine months of 2013. Part of the blame has been laid at the door of retail with both high street and online stores going out of business.

As camera manufacturers continue to control costs and go more up-market, their reliance on Taiwanese digital camera makers has risen. Th e top 4 Taiwanese camera makers, viz. Ability Enterprise, Altek, Foxconn and Asia Optical are expected to manufacture over 16 million cameras in 2013. Th e Taiwanese manufacturers are now focusing on the 16 MP and 20MP camera market.

Th e main OEM clients of Taiwanese manufacturers are:

1. Nikon accounting for over 37%2. Samsung accounting for over 17%3. Fujifi lm accounting for over 16%4. Casio accounting for over 16%5. Sony accounting for over 14%6. Panasonic accounting for over 3.5%7. Olympus accounting for over 1.2%

Remarkably, Canon is not a client.

As the world economy emerges out of recession, the SLR and mirrorless market are expected to revive in 2014. Compact cameras will see acute competition and will have to off er features like Wi-Fi connectivity in all their models if they are to retain market share. H. S. Billimoria

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