smart photography 201404

REVIEWS: HEAD-TO-HEAD: NIKON D800 VS SONY ALPHA 7R ● NIKON D3300 ● PANASONIC LUMIX GX7 ● TAMRON SP 150-600MM

TUTORIALS SPEEDING WITH THE SHUTTERONE SCENE, TWO INTERPRETATIONSFUN WITH PHOTOSHOP

INTERVIEWROHIT VARMA

PROFILE ELENA SHUMILOVAT S REDDY

PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE BUILD YOUR PORTFOLIO ● TRAVELOGUE DHARAMSHALA

TH

ANNIVERSAR

YANNIV

ERSARY

ISSUE 1VOLUME 10APRIL 2014

RS.125

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!16 page PHOTOQUIP supplement

with April 2014 issue.

With this issue, SP has completed nine extraordinary years. Nine years that have seen a dramatic transformation

in our industry and revolutionized the way we take pictures. The only thing permanent about our industry is change and we can expect a lot more changes round the corner. Expect newer technologies, newer products, stronger players and more exciting times.

As usual, SP will be there to bring you the latest news, views and techniques in a manner that is easier to read, more comprehensive and very, very reliable.

We thank our increasing number of readers and advertisers and look forward to the future with optimism. 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

DESIGNNandkishor Sawant,

ADVERTISE DESIGNSanjay Awad, Shubham Rohatgi

PRODUCTION

Dinesh Bhajnik, Deepak Narkar, Ravi ParmarPRODUCT MANAGER

Perseus MasterPUBLISHERGirish Mallya

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

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Views 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

April 2014 Smart Photography 5Smartphotography.in

WELCOME

6 Smart Photography April 2014 Smartphotography.in

Contents ISSUE 109 / APRIL 2014

REVIEWS: HEAD-TO-HEAD: NIKON D800 VS SONY ALPHA 7R ● NIKON D3300 ● PANASONIC LUMIX GX7 ● TAMRON SP 150-600MM

TUTORIALS SPEEDING WITH THE SHUTTERONE SCENE, TWO INTERPRETATIONSFUN WITH PHOTOSHOP

INTERVIEWROHIT VARMA

PROFILE ELENA SHUMILOVAT S REDDY

PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE BUILD YOUR PORTFOLIO ● TRAVELOGUE DHARAMSHALA

TH

ANNIVERSAR

YANNIV

ERSARY

ISSUE 1VOLUME 10APRIL 2014

RS.125

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

Cover credits

Image Courtesy: Corbis

Just a moment!Readers can find the updated Buyer’s Guide, log on http://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 attention 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. This permits readers to submit panoramic shots, which was not possible with the current size of 17 x 11 inches.

REGULARS

08 Mail Bag

10 News Watch

28 Picture of the Month

178 Tidbits

30 KaleidoscopeA platform for budding photographers

to exhibit their talent and get noticed!

36 Showcase A photographic profile of the person

behind the lens

42 If I Were YouOur expert comments on how your pic-

tures can be taken to another level

48 Ask Uncle RonnieYour photo queries answered by Uncle

Ronnie

52 MasterCraftsman The masters of the craft share their

insights and photographs

3630


SUBSCRIPTION OFFERpage87

REVIEWSLEARNINGS

BUYERS GUIDE82 Speeding with the Shutter

88 Build Your Portfolio

96 One Scene, Different In-

terpretations

98 Fun with Photoshop:

Save those clutters

104 Head-to-head:

Nikon D800E v/s Sony Alpha 7R

110 Nikon D3300

116 Panasonic Lumix GX7

121 TAMRON SP 150-

600MM F/5.6-6.3 Di VC USD

126 Photo Jargon

130 SP Recommended:

10 Compact Cameras

131 SP Recommended:

3 Best Smartphone

52

88

82

60

READER SURVEYPage 101

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]

TUTORIALS HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS

FUN WITH PHOTOSHOP CONVERT IMAGES TO EMAIL RESOLUTION

PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE LIGHTING GLASS


ISSUE 12 VOLUME 09

MARCH 2014

RS.125

REVIEWS: PANASONIC GM1 ● SONY 7 ● OLYMPUS STYLUS 1 ● CANON POWERSHOT S200 ● CANON EF-S 55-250MM F/4-5.6 IS II

108 INTERVIEW PARAG DAMLE

PROFILE BASEL ALMISSHAL

PANASONIC GM1

INDIA

EXCLUSIVE

REVIEW

Nine years journeyI upgraded my photography arsenal to my fi rst DSLR in October 2012 with a dream of taking my passion to a new height. I could not take more than 4039 shots till date and that includes a friend’s wedding assignment and an excursion to the hills. Adding salt to injuries, I could not even aff ord Smart Photography for months together. I was unsure whether it really was my preoccupation with other activities or dissipating inspiration that was prohibiting me from picking up the camera.

Th en, on a sunny winter Sunday, I casually picked up the February, 2014 issue and it had

the spark to reignite the fl ame of my passion. Respected Uncle Ronnie (whom I regard as my Guru) had started his write up with the words, “Disclosure: I have started infra-red photography very recently……”. Th ese words were enough to rekindle the passion. If he can fi nd time to pursue new hobbies in spite of being very busy then why can’t I?

Th ank you SP for always being there for all of us. I am proud of accompanying the magazine throughout its journey of nine years. Happy Anniversary.

Dinesh Lakhanpal

Sage AdviceEvery month, I look forward to reading the Learnings and Reviews in your magazine. I find the language light-hearted and easy to follow. The article ‘Fun With Photoshop’ in the March 2014 issue was very interesting, and will encourage many to use the editing tool humorously. Although the camera

reviews are quite extensive, I hope to see more Smartphone reviews in the future.This new genre of photography is exciting, and more and more people are taking it up due to its accessibility. Kamal Sanghi

Admiring Architecture

I came across the March 2014 issue recently, and I was mesmerised by the ‘Showcase’ featuring Basel Almisshal. His work was very diff erent from the photographers that are usually published in the magazine. I was able to appreciate his cityscapes especially because I too am an architect. Keep showing us such exciting photographers in the future!

Aman Rastogi

Experimenting with glass

I religiously follow the learnings and tutorials in your magazine. I hadn’t given much thought to glass photography before I read ‘Shooting Glass’ in the March 2014 isue. I have been experimenting as adviced in the article and have managed to create wonderful images.

Devashree Mohan

NEWS International


Komamura to launch Color Night Vision

Nikon Corp. has begun marketing the Nikon D4S on March 6,

priced at 648,000 Yen on the Nikon online shop. Th e next-generation fl agship is based on the D4 with improved autofocus and image quality, with video quality and better operation. Th e D4S features a new FX-format 16 MP CMOS sensor and the EXPEED 4 image processor with ISO sensitivity from 100 to 25600, which can be extended to 50 on the lower side and 409600 on the higher side. Algorithms used by the AF system have been refi ned for

Komamura Corp. will launch a new Color Night Vision KC-2000 Falcon Eye, which can clearly capture colour video in the dark up to 0.0051x magnification or under starlight. Komamura has handled Astroscope Night Vision made by Electro Physics of USA since 2010 and it has received many requests for a night vision camcorder which takes colour images in the dark, as the Astorcope reproduces images in greenish and black.

SNIPPETS

Sony is in talks to sell its Japanese personal computer business to the fi rm, Japan Industrial Partners Inc. Th is is part of a wide company restructuring eff ort.

Panasonic said its new digital single lens mirrorless (DSLM) camera Lumix DMC-GH4 with AF technology and video recording capability can meet professional needs for photography as well as videography.

Canon announced the Powershot SX700 HS with 30x optical zoom lens equivalent to 25 – 750mm range and built-in Wi Fi. Th e Powershot D30, which allows shooting at 82 feet below sea level was also announced.

Olympus patented two superfast wide-angle lenses for the Micro Four Th irds system viz. 12mm f/1 and a 14mm f/1. Currently, the widest superfast lens for Micro Four Th irds is the Voigtlander Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95.

a frame rate of 50p or 60p at the size of 1920 x 1080, with ISO sensitivity of 200-25600.

greater accuracy and versatility for professional photographers. Th e camera off ers the Group-area AF mode(uses 5 focus points), which allows smoother autofocusing and a continuous shooting at approximately 11 fps with AF and AE tracking. Th e D4S supports movie recording with

Komamura has joined hands with Carina System and completed the KC-2000 which is made in Japan. The KC-2000 offers a 2/3-inch Type CMOS sensor, a resolution of 1280x720 dots, an Electronic View Finder, Lens mount, and an SC mount

Nikon launches D4S

which enables the use of all D-SLR lenses via adaptor. It is splash and dust-proof with a built-in battery of 7.4 V allowing continuous use up to 5 hours. The body measures 108x98.3x206.7mm and weighs about 1.1 kg.

NEWS International


Nikon announces the

Nikon 1 V3Nikon announced the Nikon 1 V3, an Interchangeable Lens System Camera with an 18 MP 1-inch Type CMOS sensor with no low pass filter and an EXPEED 4A image processing engine. The camera can shoot at 20 fps with continuous AF, and

60 fps with single AF. It has a 1080/60p video, built-in Wi-Fi and weighs 381 g. Nikon has also introduced the new 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom and the 1 NIKKOR VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 telephoto zoom lenses .

Tamron is developing two new lenses: a 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II

VC PZD Macro (Model B016) for APS-C sensor cameras and a 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD (Model A010) for full-frame sensor models. These lenses will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts. The Sony mount lenses will not incorporate Vibration Correction (VC) as Sony D-SLR camera bodies include built-in image stabilization.

The 16-300mm lens (equivalent to approximately 24.8-465mm in the 35mm format) will include 16 elements in 12 groups, have a Minimum Focus Distance (MFD) of 0.39m (15.3”) throughout the

zoom range and offer a Maximum Magnification Ratio of 1:2.9 (at 300mm setting). The lens will weigh approximately 540g.

The 28-300mm lens, designed for full-frame sensor cameras, will include 19 elements in 15 groups, have a Minimum Focus Distance (MFD) of 0.49m (19.3”) throughout the zoom range and offer a Maximum Magnification Ratio of 1:3.5 (at300mm setting). The lens will weigh approximately 540g.

Tamron developing two new lenses

NEWS International


Nikon to fi x camera fl aws

cited by China

Ricoh to showcase medi-

um-format Pentax 645D Nikon Corp. said it will fi x the D600 camera fl aws at no charge even aft er warranties have expired. Nikon’s alleged defects were highlighted in a broadcast on World Consumer Rights Day, March 15, aired by China

Ricoh Imaging Co. announced that it will showcase its new medium-format camera with a new ultra high resolution CMOS sensor featuring a quick response, at the CP+ 2014.

Seiko Epson has announced 8 new models of inkjet printers for this spring, featuring a newly-developed PrecisionCore print head. It features higher density of nozzles to accelerate output speed and a higher resolution of 600 dpi. All the models use larger ink cartridges. The PX-S5040 and the multifunctional PX-M5041F, PX-M5040F come in the A3 plus models. Five models are A4 types, three in MF and two single-function. Epson foresees the IJ printers at business use to come to 1.2 million units in Japan. The company targets to grab over 50% market share in the business IJ printer market and over 65% in the A3 MF category.

Central Television (CCTV). According to CCTV, the D600s frequently caused black specks on the photographs. Th ey also said that Nikon’s warranty, including parts replacement is insuffi cient.

The camera has a tilting LCD monitor on the back. Tentatively dubbed the Pentax 645D 2014, it will become available this spring.

At the World Mobile Congress Show in Barcelona its fifth-

generation flagship Galaxy S Smartphone, with stepped up Wi Fi and LTE performance, faster CPU, enhanced camera capabilities and fitness tools.

The S5 also has a fingerprint scanner, which can be used to unlock the device, unlock user

selected content and make secure mobile payments. The phone runs on Android 4.4.2 and has a 5-inch display and is powered by a 2.5 Ghz quad core processor. It is also the industry’s first phone with built-in heart rate sensor and the first to combine Wi Fi 802.11 ac with 2x2 MIMO to accelerate Wi Fi speed, and it also bonds Wi Fi and LTE

Samsung to launch Galaxy S5

and Fitness Bandto further accelerate data speeds. LTE is upgraded to 150/50Mbps Category 4 LTE, Up to 8 bands of LTE will be supported. The Smartphone camera offers a 0.3 second autofocus speed and the ability to store Ultra HD video at 30 fps.

Samsung also announced a fitness band (promoted as

the industry’s first) with a curved touchscreen display. The Gear Fit incorporates health-monitoring features and displays Smartphone notifications.

Both products and the previously announced Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo Smart watches will be available from April 11, 2014 in almost 150 countries.

Epson to release 8 new IJ printers

NEWS International


Sony, Panasonic

standardize archival disc

for next-gen optical discs

SanDisk to sell 128GB

micro SD cards in April

Fujifi lm to stop off ering

35mm B&W and 120

Colour Films

Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp announced on March 10 that they have formulated ‘Archival Disc’, a new standard for professional-use next-generation optical discs, with the objective of expanding the market for long term digital data storage.

Recognizing that optical discs will need to accomodate much larger volumes of storage,

SanDisk announced on March 5 in Tokyo that it will launch new micro SD cards with the highest memory capacity to date, the SanDisk Ultra Plus micro SDXC UHS-I Card 128 GB in Japan from April. The new card will feature a fast data transfer speed of 40 MB per second and Class 10/UHS speed, suitable for recording full HD movies.

The company also announced

Fujifilm Imaging Systems Co. announced that it will terminate offering the following film models because of shrinking demands. The company will stop shipping 135mm B&W films of Neopan 400 PRESTO 36 single roll and 3 roll packs around June,

especially because of the anticipated future growth in the archive market, the two companies have engaged in the joint development of the optical discs. They aim to launch systems with a recording capacity of 300 GB per disc from summer 2015 onwards. In addition, they plan to leverage their respective technologies to further expand the recording capacity per disc to 500 GB and 1 TB.

re-entry into Japanese USB flash memory maret by debuting the SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.0 Flash Memory 128 GB at about 20,000 Yen. The company perceived that the demand for high speed movie recording and transfer with high capacity os pn the rise. SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Memory cards with capacity from 16 – 64 GB will also be shipped.

and 120mm professional-use Fujicolor PRO400 in 5 roll pack in early May, 2014. The company will continue to supply 135mm B&W Neopan 100 ACROS in a single roll and 3 unit packs, and 120mm colour negative film Fujicolor PRO400H in 5 roll packs.

The CP+, held from February 13 to 16 at Pacifico Yokohama

Exhibition Hall, attracted about 42,200 visitors over three days. The exhibition was shut on Saturday February 15, due to heavy snow resulting in delay and cancellations of public transport, but reopened on Sunday. Under normal conditions, the organisers were expecting 70,000 visitors, as

compared to 62,700 from the previous year. Mobile phone photography with increasingly better quality of images is posing a threat to point-and-shoot digital cameras. Camera and photo-accesories makers are trying to make Smartphone photographers more active by using advanced cameras and adding accessories. Many exhibitors offered mini seminars by professional

CP+ attracts 42,200 visitors,

Canon booth wins Gold Awardphotographers at their booths, along with workshops offering their products for a trial.

The CIPA (Camera and Imaging Products Association) announced the list of winners among the exhibitors. They were:

Gold Exhibit Award: Canon Inc./Canon Marketing Japan Inc.

Silver Award: Nikon Corp./Nikon Imaging JapanBronze Award: Fujifilm Corp.Best Designed Booth Award: Sony Corp./Sony Marketing Co.Best Globalized Exhibit Award: Kenko Tokina Co. Ltd.

The CP+ 2015 is scheduled to be held for four days from February 12 to 15, 2015 at the same venue.

Olympus announces two

new lensesOlympus announced two new lenses in the M.Zuiko Pro series— the wide-angle zoom lens M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro and the super telephoto lens M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 Pro. Both lenses conform

to the Micro Four Thirds system standard and are dust and splash proof. The 7 – 14mm (14-28mm in 35mm format) is a wide-angle zoom lens. The 300mm (600mm in 35mm format) is a super telephoto lens.


NEWS Business

Panasonic reports net profit for April-DecemberRestructuring and cost cuts helped Panasonic Corp turn net profits for nine months ending on December 31 for the first time in three years. Panasonic reported a group net profit of 243 billion Yen (US $2.405 billion), rebounding from the previous year’s loss of 623.8 billion Yen

(US $6.176 billion)—more than the increase in operating profit for the nine-month period. It also reported one-off gains totaling 150 billion Yen (US $1.485 billion) from reforming its pensio system and selling the health care business. The company will be moving ahead early with

Sony has entered negotiations with Apple to double its supply of

camera components for a new iPhone slated to roll out next year, taking another step in its pivot toward the mobile and imaging fields. Sony already supplies nearly all the CMOS image sensors for the current

iPhone models’ main cameras. Apple wants to switch to Sony sensors for the secondary front camera as well, since more customers are expected to use Smartphones for video calls. Sony’s image sensor sales are expected to be about 360 billion Yen (US $3.529 billion) this fiscal year. The company held

Sony to supply more CMOS image

sensors to Applethe largest share in the global CMOS sensor market in 2012 at 32.1%, according to Techno Systems Research.

Sony hopes to use the imaging and mobile business to revive the electronics business. The company’s willingness to part from a cherished brand shows

the gravity of the situation. The company said that it intends to sell the PC segment, which is known for the Vaio brand. While many other Japanese companies are racking up profits, Sony downgraded its forecast for the year ending in March 2014 to a loss of about 110 billion Yen (US $1.078 billion).

Sharp turns ‘black’ with net profit for April-December 2013

Foxconn announces withdrawal from DSC segment

Sharp Corp. logged a consolidated net profit of 17.7 billion Yen (US $175 million) for the period of April-December 2013, compared to 424.3 billion Yen (US $4.2 billion) loss of the previous year. All six business segments posted

In the midst of a steady ongoing decline in digital still camera shipments from Taiwanese manufacturers, Foxconn announced that it will be withdrawing from the DSC segment. It is a part of Hon Hai Precision, and about a decade ago it had purchased Premier Camera

operating profits for a second quarter straight. Sales jumped by 21% partly due to a large LCD order from a Chinese Smartphone maker. The company also reported one-off gains of 20 billion Yen (US $198 million) from patent revenue and other

(the biggest film camera maker in Taiwan at one time) from John Huang.

The four Taiwanese ODM digicam makers are suffering: in the first quarter of this year, they will ship just under 2.8 million cameras, down by 51.6%

further reforms. It will sell three South-east Asian semiconductor plants to Singaporean chipmaker Utac Holdings in June for 11.6 billion Yen (US $114.8 million). The company’s semiconductor business will be spun off and merged with an affiliated subsidiary in June as well. Panasonic is positioning

its automotive and housing businesses as growth areas. But with the sales tax set to rise to 8% from 5% in April, the demand for cars and housing may slump next fiscal year. Panasonic plans to limit pay cuts to this fiscal year only, meaning that labour costs will rise as well.

sources. Cosst reduction contributed as well, with steps such as staff cuts shrinking fixed costs by 100 billion Yen (US $990 million).

While Sharp’s earnings have hit the bottom, profits have not significantly improved

from the previous year. Almost all cameras featured sensors of 16MP or higher, with CCD chips taking just over half the volume. Ability Electronics has increased its domination of the sector, with over 75% unit share. Altek had just over 22%, and Asia

for the LCD business, which accounts for 30% of the sales. Price cuts have sent its large LCD business, which supplies panels for Tvs, into the red. The company will look into making more small to mid-size LCDs for Smartphones and Tablets.

Optical (AO) and Foxconn had a combined 3% share. Nikon is by far the biggest customer (about 47% share), then Fujifilm, Casio, Sony and Samsung with 10 – 13% share. Panasonic and Olympus have low single digit shares (Digitime Research Numbers).


NEWS National

Fujifilm India announces Fujifilm X-E2 Lenskraft

2014 winners

announced

Fujifilm India announced the X-E2, a premium interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor and an AF speed of 0.08 seconds. Mr. Rohit Pandit, EVP- Sales & Marketing, Fujifilm India said, “after the success of X-E1 in the

The results of Lenskraft photography comtest, part of the Euphoria 2014 festival of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. The event, powered by Smart Photography had two winners: Popular Photo Award (based on the number of likes) and Jury Award (based on Content).

Indian market, I am delighted to announce this new X-E2 camera which offers many advance features to become a delight of the professional photographers.”

The camera features a 16

Two Indian photographers were announced as winners of the 2014 Sony

World Photography Awards, one of the world’s leading photography competitions. They are Arup Ghosh (Open People winner) and Bisheswar Choudhury, (India National Award winner). Their images were selected from over 70,000 entries from across the world.

The photographers have won the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony and will have their work shown at the annual Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, London from May 1-18, 2014. Ghosh’s image will also be published in the 2014 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards book

Two Indian winners at 2014 Sony

World Photography Awards

MP sensor and ISO sensitivity of 200 – 6400 (extendable upto 25600), shutter speed of 1/4 – 1/ 4000 sec and continuous shooting of 7 fps. It has a 3-inch 1040 k-dot LCD Monitor and can record Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p / 30p movies. It makes use of Lens Modulation Optimizer (LMO) and EXR Processor II image engine. The X-E2 makes use of Digital Split Image technology for better manual focus and offers Wi Fi connectivity too. It is available in solid black or two-tone black and silver. The price is Rs. 76,999 for body only and Rs. 1,09,999 with XF 18-55mm kit lens. Winner of 1st prize: ‘Hope in a mud pot’ by

Rohit Bhutoria


Photography

Exhibition ‘25 Kilos’

Millenium Dreams

photo exhibition

Zoomin.com launches Photo Prints app

MF Hussain’s Grandson Salamat Hussain’s Photography Exhibition ‘25 Kilos’, which consists of images from Turkey and India will be held from April 10 till the end of the month. This is in collaboration with Turkish Consul General and Gallery 7 and will be held at Gallery 7, Rampart Row, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.

‘Millenium Dreams’, a photography exhibition, will be held from April 2 to 12 at India International Centre, Gurgaon. This is a joint collaborative of India Photo Archive Foundation and India International Centre. The works of Vaibhav Bhardwaj, Chandan Gomes, Manoj Bharti Gupta, Vinit Gupta, Arvind Hoon, Saumya Khandelwal, Natisha Mallick, Aparna Mohindra, Vicky Roy, Ajay Sood and Monica Tiwari will be featured.

Zoomin.com launched Photo Prints, an app that lets you print photos directly from your phone and have them delivered anywhere in India.“The ubiquity of camera-enabled mobile phones has made everyone a photographer. There are thousands of apps to share, beautify and upload photos, and surprisingly almost none that offer a way to print physical copies. The Photo Prints app aims to capitalize on this emotional connect by offering its users the simplest way to order a set of photo prints,” said Sunny Balijepalli, Founder & CEO, Zoomin.com.

Users can order photo prints in four steps—select photos, choose a size and finish, enter a delivery address and pay using Cash on Delivery, credit card, debit card

or Netbanking. The photos are uploaded, printed by ZoomIn and delivered to the mentioned address, anywhere in India.

This is a free app available for Android and Windows phones. It can be downloaded from www.zoomin.com/app. An iOS version will be available soon. ZoomIn has partnered with Samsung and Nokia to promote Photo Prints. A special offer is available to all Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 customers through the Samsung app store. Nokia’s flagship phone, the 41 megapixel Lumia 1020, has the Windows version of Photo Prints pre-installed on all devices sold in India with a special offer. Print prices start at Rs. 6 for a 4”x6” print, plus a Rs. 49 shipping fee.


NEWS National

Indian Photographer wins

Safarious Travel Photo ContestAjay Viswanath, a software engineer from Chennai was declared winner of the Safarious Travel Photo Contest from among 3500 entries. This competition was organised by Safarious Journal, an online platform for adventurers. His winning image ‘Husks Fly Away’ was taken using a Canon D55 at Kuruwa Dweep in the Wayanad district, Kerala. The contest was judged by a panel of professionals and was sponsored by The Bushcamp Company, Siankaba, Remote Africa, Sue

Flood Photography, Minox, Paramo, Gitzo, Steppes Travel and Proflight Zambia. The judges selected 18 entries and the winner was selected from these through public voting. Ajay won a trip to Zambia worth $35,000. He will get the oppportunity to explore the wildlife of Zambia under thr guidance of award winning wildlife photographer Sue Flood.

Knot Just Weddings

exhibition

‘Stupid Eye’ Photo

Exhibition

Knot in Focus, a wedding photography and film company will be showcasing their work capturing candid moments and introducing new trends in the field of wedding photography. This exhibition, ‘Knot Just Weddings’,

is taking place at Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Nariman Point, Mumbai also happens to be India’s first ever exhibition exclusively on wedding photography. It will be held from April 7 to 12 from11:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m

‘Stupid Eye’, an exhibition by artist Vipul Amar and Psychologist Harsheen K. Arora will be showcased at Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi from April 28 to May 7, 2014 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. Vipul Amar Studio of Photographic Arts and Psychologist Harsheen K. Arora initiated this project

where the concept of self-actualization is explored by focusing on one’s real self as opposed to the ideal self. The exhibition was created with the help of participants who registered. These participants underwent group discussions, photo shoots and even therapeutic conversation.

March 2013 Smart Photography 25Smartphotography.in

INDUSTRY OPINION

A Decade of ‘Flickr’ing

As told to Sujith Gopinath

Flickr has recently completed 10 years, and we spoke to Markus Spiering, the Product Head of

Flickr. Excerpts:

Tell me in brief, how Flickr evolved over the years?Flickr actually brought about the online digital photography revolution. Flickr was the first site where you could store, organise, and share digital photography. Then people started to comment on it and all of a sudden you were part of a community. This is how Flickr evolved. In 2005, Flickr was acquired by Yahoo. In the last 8 years, picture quality has completely changed. For years and years and years, we had a Nikon or Canon camera being the most popular one on Flickr and thinking about these years, it is only the iPhone. There is a big shift in the way photography happened, in how we now connect instantly, post-process our images, how we instantly share them. We believe that a photo increases its value over time or may be a photo that you upload today might not be that meaningful to you at the moment. May be in three or four years from now it could be one of the most important things that you remember from your life. Photography is accessible to more people now and this is also being reflected in Flickr products specifically the upgrade to 1 terabyte space and last year’s design of mobile app to make Flickr upload accessible to more people.

How has competition affected the prospects of Flickr?Photography has never been bigger. It is huge now, and everyone of us is taking images. We think about ourselves not as a social network where you connect with most people you probably already know. Something very very special about Flickr

is that you connect with people having a particular interest and people that you actually don’t know. And the other thing is that Flickr is an extremely powerful tool. We have 1.86 million different groups on Flickr and these groups are not only one Flickr community, but it is a community of communities and I think this makes Flickr very unique.

How has Flickr changed after the acquisition by Yahoo? How has Flickr acquisition influenced Yahoo’s business.I think the acquisition by Yahoo made Flickr as big as it is today. When Yahoo acquired Flickr, it was very small. When we launched the redesigned Flickr last year, Marissa (Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer) acknowledged that at the time of acquisition (before she joined) there wasn’t a lot of effort, lot of investment into Flickr. If you take a look on Flickr experience some time ago, there were very few people behind Flickr. It is unbelievable how much our team has grown from there. Our team has grown not only because we hire lot of people, but also because we acquired couple of companies. By the first acquisition, we also acquired iOS technology and software for our iPhone app. The other two companies that we acquired are a lot about search organisation and photo intelligence.

How will the recent acquisitions enhance the Flickr experience?These recent acquisitions are a lot about user experience, discovery, and a highest quality photo intelligence. So a very interesting and new thing that is happening from a photography point of view is in the steps users take in extracting photos and put it up the cloud. Traditionally, if you go a couple of years back, you would take photos,

Markus Spiering,

Product Head, Flickr

put captions, add graphic data, get descriptions and all and then you share it. I think it is changing with features like auto sync and auto upload. The user expects all these photos to go up immediately. So from a user perspective, you have no time during the upload flow to organise the images. The technology that we acquired, enables to understand the features of content we upload it to Flickr and help the user to rediscover the images.

With lot of photographs uploaded to the server, how do you ensure copyright protection?There are couple of ways. First, we collect different licenses. You can upload the photos via commons or choose another license option. We have very visible copyright information link on our photo interface. We always keep the original. It is your choice whether to allow others to download the original. We give photographers a choice to determine what is the largest resolution that is being shown on Flickr. You can upload your original so that you can recover it if you lose it and then specify what size to show to the user. So no one has really access to your big original images. In the case of all the re-sized images that are visible on Flickr.com or accessible from mobile apps, we keep the copyright data in the Exif information. The other unique thing that we do is, work with our partners to ensure that attribution to the photographer is always given. For example, if you pin an image from Flickr or the image is embedded on a third party blog, which you can pin to Pinterest, your photo is always shown with the right attribution and a link back to the photograph. Same happens on Twitter. We always make sure that right attribution travels with the image.

PICTURE OF THE MONTH

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 you

b. 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 name

e. 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]

1. 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.

WIN!MK 393 PD

Tripod

Sponsored by:

A NOTE TO OUR READERS

Photograph by

Mahesh K

KALEIDOSCOPE Finally, a platform for budding photographers

to exhibit their talent and GET NOTICED!


I was fascinated by nature since childhood. Exploring off-beat

locales and photographing their natural beauty has been my favourite activity for a long time. I have spent many weekends and vacations doing this with friends sharing similar interests.

I find the serene beauty of nature very inspiring. I love capturing fleeting moments like an eagle landing on perch, or a yellow wagtail swallowing a bee. I also experiment with the play of light and silhouettes. My curiosity motivated me to observe and photograph different species and their behaviour and activities. As a photographer, I always look for light instead of subjects. A good sense of light brings out beauty in dullest of subjects. I have been a Nikon user so far and currently using a Nikon D90 camera body with Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm and Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED IF lenses.

Being a student of chartered accounting, dull lectures and a constant torrent of numbers always haunt me. However, taking some time out from boring lectures and long study hours to practise photography is a blissful relief. Nature has always inspired me and photography helps me bond with nature. I am very grateful to my parents, family and friends who have always been a great support in cultivating my passion for photography.

Pavan Patel, Ahmedabad

As told to Tanika Godbole

Walking through the woods


Landing

Camera: Nikon D90 Aperture : f/7.1; Shutter speed: 1/800sec.; ISO: 250




Wings

Camera: Canon EOS 60D Aperture : f/5.6; Shutter speed: 1/320sec.; ISO: 320

In the bush Camera: Canon EOS 60D Aperture : f/6.3; Shutter speed: 1/320sec.; ISO: 400

Lone bird

Camera: Nikon D90 Aperture : f/5.6; Shutter speed: 1/125sec.; ISO: 400


Croak Camera: Nikon D90; Aperture : f/4.0; Shutter speed: 1/1600sec.; ISO: 400

At the lake Camera: Nikon D90; Aperture : f/6.3; Shutter speed: 1/2000sec.; ISO: 250

Smartphotography.in34 Smart Photography April 2014



Meal time

Camera: Canon EOS 60D Aperture : f/8.0;

Shutter speed: 1/1250sec.; ISO: 400

Sunshine

Camera: Canon EOS 60D Aperture : f/8.0; Shutter speed: 1/1250sec.; ISO: 400

SHOWCASE


I grew up in a beautiful village in the hills—Undavalli, Andhra Pradesh. In the year 1984, the chief photographer of The Indian Express,

Mr. Srinivasan visited Undavalli to photograph the famous caves. I watched him in fascination. The next day, I saw the photographs in the newspaper, along with the photographer’s name. I decided this was what I wanted to do with my future.

The next year, I went to The Indian Express office and a month of rigorous training followed. Mr. Srinivasan guided me through the intricacies of shooting, dark room techniques and all the finer details that go into photography. During Dussehra festival, Mr. Srinivasan said, “I’ll give you three frames.......see if you can take pictures that make

Tamma Srinivasa Reddy’s amateurish stint in photography metamorphosed into a serious profession. Today he chairs the photojournalism division of IIPC and conducts national and international photo salons, workshops and classes on photography. He has won prestigious competitions at regional, national and international levels.


OF PEOPLE

AND PLACES


Our Paradise

SHOWCASE


a difference.” A dance performance was on, at the Kanakadurga temple. I went. I recalled his lessons, shot the three frames, developed the roll and showed him the results. He pointed out shortcomings in two of the frames, then exclaimed over the third and the next thing I knew, he had published this. That’s how it all began.

In 1988, Vijayawada was a city in flames, after the killing of Vangaveeti Mohan Ranga. Going around the ravaged city, I caught on camera the horrors that ensued. These photographs were carried by the local newspapers and National periodicals. In 1989, when Rajiv Gandhi visited Vijayawada, I was able to capture on film, photographs of the glamorous Prime

Minister of India.Covering these political events which had far reaching impact on people and shaped the subsequent course of the country’s history, it was but natural for me to choose photojournalism as a career.

Prayer Time

We are friends Once I was young

Bonda Sisters


I have travelled across India; and I cherish my interaction with Bonda tribals. I have been drawn to the simple, rustic life of these people. I am also charmed by the Banjaras. I think they are the most beautiful people. Initially, I faced a lot of resistance. It took them a long time to accept me and my camera.

For a photographer who loves and worships his art, the value of a portrait does not depend on the commercial attention it attracts but rather on the creative art of depiction of the truth. Finally, the experience should remain an indelible memory for the subject, the photographer and the viewer. Get to know the model. Study the features and the expressions and decide on the angle for composition. Considerations of the lighting and the colour of the subject’s apparel are vital for the composition of the portrait. Once this is done, you should capture that unique feature in such a way that it elicits an instantaneous `WOW!’ from the viewer. You know that you as a photographer have done justice to the subject when the portrait continues to grab the attention of the viewer repeatedly, with the same freshness as the first time. Patience and a good camera are essential for creating great images.

Photography is a wonderful experience. It is soul stirring and fun. Photographers are students for all their lives.

To Market

Dha Tribals

Preparation

IF I WERE YOUE-mail your images at [email protected]


Playful KidsBratin Mallick from Bangalore photographed these kids enjoying themselves at the Nepal-West Bengal border. The clothing worn by the kids suggest that the place was very cold and the very soft shadows suggest that the day was overcast and dull. Bratin wants to know if and how his picture could be improved.

Well, Bratin, the sky in your picture has become almost bald and the foreground is a bit too dark. Under such lighting situations (when there is a great difference between the sky exposure and foreground exposure) one solution is to use a ND graduated filter to even out the exposure brightness. Another method is to take two shots with the camera on a tripod, one properly exposed for the sky and the other, properly exposed for the foreground, and later, blend them together in Photoshop. In this situation however, that is not possible because the children are moving about.

There can be various ways in Photoshop to correct for this problem. A method I like is to double-process the image in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). This is of course, not a Raw image but that doesn’t stop us from opening the

image in ACR. Just go to File > Open As and then navigate to the image, select it and in the Open As box, select Camera Raw. Click Open and the image will open in ACR.

1. First adjust for the sky. See printscreen 1. (I have adjusted the Exposure slider to minus 1.50). Then press and hold the Shift key. You’ll see that Open Image turns to Open Object. Keeping the Shift key pressed, click on Open Object and the image will open in Photoshop.

2. Now right click on the words

Rohinton Mehta,Technical Editor, Smart Photography

Our 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.

Camera: Sony SLT A35 ISO: 400; Lens: DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAMShutter speed: 1/160 sec ; Aperture: F/6.3

Original Image

Edited Image

Printscreen 1


‘Background Layer’ in the Layers panel and select New Smart Object via Copy.

3. Now double click on the thumbnail (not on the words), and the image will once again open in ACR. This time we need to edit the foreground.

4. Observe that there is a small icon to the extreme right where it says Basic (see Printscreen 2). Click on it and select Camera Raw Defaults. The image will turn back to its original condition. Adjust the shadows to your liking by moving the Shadows slider to the right (I have set the Shadows slider to +53). I also adjusted the Clarity slider to +34. The clarity slider increases the micro-contrast in the mid tones, giving the appearance of sharpening the image (see printscreen 3).

5. The Layers panel now has two layers; the lower layer is the foreground and the upper layer is the sky (you could click on the eye icon in the upper layer to see the sky which is underneath).

6. Add a Layer Mask by clicking on that icon (a square with a circle in it) at the bottom of the Layers panel. You will immediately see a white ‘mask’ on the upper layer.

7. Select the Gradient Tool from the toolbox and select Linear Gradient. Also select Foreground to Transparent. (See

Printscreen 4). Place the cursor at the top of your picture, click the mouse and drag it down a little lower than the horizon line. See how the sky gets a graduated effect. Observe the white mask in printscreen 5; it reflects the gradient that you have created.

8. You can now flatten the image and do further edits if required (like adjusting the Levels, sharpening etc).

9. Save the file using the Save As command.

Often times, the editing of an image seems daunting but if we can imagine the final picture and go about it step-by-step, things get much easier.

Printscreen 2

Printscreen 3

Printscreen 4

Printscreen 5

IF I WERE YOUE-mail your images at [email protected]


Camera: Nikon D5100 ISO: 500 ; Lens:70-300 mm f/4.0-5.6; Shutter speed: 1/400 sec ; Aperture: F/5.6

SquirrelIndranil Mazumdar from Dumdum, Kolkatta says that he is a novice but passionate about photography. He has photographed

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 difficult, and hence they may be rejected.

this squirrel enjoying a coconut meal and wants to know how he could get to terms with Photoshop. He also wants to know how this picture could be improved.

The first rule – sorry, not rule but guideline – is to try and photograph an animal/bird at its eye level. I guess you bent a bit to take the shot because it appears to me that the picture was shot from

about a height of 4 feet. It would have been better if you had to take this shot from around ground level.

While your composition is quite good, I felt that leaving some more space in the direction in which the squirrel is looking, could be better.

Original Image

Edited Image


The Wrist-watchSaurav Ranjan is a Hyderabad based photo enthusiast and SP reader. He photographed this wrist-watch using natural daylight from a window, plus a reflector from the opposite side to add some detail in the shadows. He wants to know how he could have added some more lustre to the metal body. He also wants to know whether using a flat surface as the base would have been better instead of the wrinkled cloth that he has used. And finally, he wonders if the wrinkled cloth is distracting or adding depth to the picture.

Photographing wrist-watches is not easy, as light can (and usually does) reflect from the shiny metal and glass, causing lots of unintentional and often disturbing highlights. Also, it would be beyond the scope of this small write-up to teach how to photograph a wrist-watch. We will however cover this topic in one of our forthcoming issues.

Generally, analogue wrist-watches are photographed with the time set to 10 minutes past 10. Though there is no rule regarding this, it is done so that the manufacturer’s logo, which is usually under the 12 O’clock position, is unhindered and clearly visible. In your photo, the smaller hour hand of the wrist-watch partially covers the word ‘Cartier’.

Using a flat surface or a wrinkled cloth does not really matter; there is no hard and fast rule. Do whatever appears better.

You have actually used two different backgrounds – one is the lower background with parallel lines, and the upper one with the polka-dot pattern. In my opinion, the polka-dot pattern was unnecessary.

The foreground (which is a continuation of the lower background), is out of focus. This, according to me, is disturbing.

You could have used a narrow aperture like f/11 or f/16 to increase the depth of field. (Stainless steel tends to appear very dark when using narrow apertures but that could have been dealt with by using additional fill-ins). A shutter speed of 1/40sec is rather low (unless you

were using a tripod) and could create less-than-critically-sharp images.

I have merely adjusted the contrast, sharpened the image, and re-composed the shot. I am sure it looks better now!

Camera: Canon EOS 70D ISO: 200 ; Lens: Canon EF50mm f/1.8 II;

Shutter speed: 1/40 sec; Aperture: f/5.6

Original Image

Edited Image

Q&AAsk Uncle Ronnie


THIS OR THAT?“To fulfill my long-cherished desire to own a full-frame camera, I have decided to purchase a Nikon D610 body along with a 24-120mm f/4 VR lens. I have a 16-85mm VR lens (for APS-C cameras) and so the D7100 body

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 sp@

nextgenpublishing.net, ‘cause he

knows it all!

is an option. Both, the D610 and D7100 are 24 MP. If I purchase the Nikon D7100 body, then with my existing 16-85mm lens, I would have similar focal length in both the cases. But as far as I know (and I know very little), a full-frame camera has a larger sensor, lesser noise, more dynamic range, better low-light capability etc. But I want to know that by spending rupees one lac more, how much of a difference

or advantage I will get with D610 on the issue of noise, dynamic range etc. Will the image sharpness with the 24-120mm lens on a D610 be much better than that of 16-85mm lens on a D7100? How much of noise advantage would I be getting, one stop, two stops or more? What are the other advantages I may get”?

Dr. Ashim Kumar Maitra,

Dum Dum, Kolkata

I wish everyone about to buy a new camera would consider the pros and cons as you are doing. That’s the right way of going about it.

Yes, larger sensor means better noise control (especially at higher ISOs), better tonalities, better dynamic range, and better ability to put the background out of focus (especially when using ‘fast’ lenses). I would consider the D610 to have about 1-stop advantage over the D7100 in terms of control over digital noise. Regarding your question of image sharpness between the two configurations, there is no simple answer; it depends on various factors.

We regularly get requests to suggest a camera or a lens. While some do their preliminary

homework, most don’t. It is important for you to do some spadework and narrow down

your options before writing in to us. You also need to give us an idea of what genre of

photography you are interested in and how much you are willing to spend. We would then be

in a better position to evaluate your query and suggest suitable gear. We have received one

such ‘homework-done’ request from a reader who has narrowed down his choice but wants

to know if the extra amount that he would spend is justifiable or not. The questions he has

asked are relevant to every reader. Read on...


But, the million dollar question is -- will all these advantages be always evident in your photos?

Often, the answer is ‘No’. Under difficult lighting conditions (when you need to increase the ISO for example), yes, there will be some differences. But will the differences be worth spending rupees one lac more? That is a question that only the user can answer! With most devices, after a certain quality standard is achieved, any extra improvement in quality comes at a very high cost. You have to spend a very large amount even for a small further increase in quality.

Yes, the Nikon D610 is a lovely camera and I too would love to have one (I suffer from CAS – Camera Acquisition Syndrome).

You have to ask yourself, what kind of photos do I regularly take? Under some situations, the APS-C sensor camera can have an advantage. Let’s consider ‘wildlife photography’. The D610 and the D7100 are both 24MP. The D610 sensor size is almost 36 x 24mm; that of the D7100 is about 23.5 x 15.6mm. To gain an ‘extra focal length reach’, you can always crop the D610’s sensor image to match that of the D7100, but in doing so, almost 50% of the pixel resolution would be lost and you would have, say, about 12MP remaining. On the other hand, with the D7100, you would have the full 24MP resolution!

On the wide-angle side, with an APS-C size sensor, you need extra-wide-angle lenses (due to the crop factor working against the ‘advantage’ that we get when using telephoto lenses). For example, if you use a full-frame 24mm lens on an APS-C body, the effective focal length will be 36mm (on a Nikon APS-C body). To get an equivalent of 24mm coverage of a full-frame body, with the APS-C, you’d need a 16mm lens.

Do keep in mind that lenses for

full-frame cameras cost much more.

So while there are advantages in having a full-frame camera, those advantages come at a cost. If money is not a problem, get the full-frame body. After all, we live only once!

Enjoy your photography.

Which Camera?I want to purchase a super quality camera. I have the following gear: Nikon D90 and D3200, Sigma 50-500mm, Tokina 12-24, Tamron macro 90mm, Nikon 35mm G-series and Nikon 18-105mm.1. Should I get the D7100 and get rid of the D90?2. Or, should I can go for D610? Will the Sigma 50-500 fit here? What will be the result?

S. P. Sain, via email

You haven’t mentioned the kind of photography you do or the reasons for wanting another camera.1. The D7100 is definitely superior to the D90 (but the D90 is also a camera to reckon with). 2. The D610 is a full-frame model offering better dynamic range and better noise control. Yes, the Sigma 50-500mm can be used with the D610 body. The results would depend mainly on your shooting techniques, but compared to the use of this lens on a DX body, the sides and the corners will be a bit ‘softer’.

UpgradeI am a student of journalism and mass communication and having my own photography studio as well. I have been doing portraits and event photography since last 3 years with my Nikon D40x. I would like to buy a new camera but it should be a Nikon only as I have Nikon lenses (18-70mm , 55-200 mm and manual 50mm lens).

Should I go for a D300 or D7100 or any other? My budget is up to 1lakh only.

Parul Budhraja,

via email

As far as I know, the D300 is no longer available, but the D300S is. It is a 12.3 megapixel body; the D7100 is 24 MP. Both are very good. Since technology grows in leaps and bounds every six months or so, I would opt for the D7100, not just for the extra megapixels, but for the overall image quality.

High ISO Problem?I shot some pictures using ISO 3200 with a Canon 600D camera. Besides the digital noise (which I expected), I am not too happy with the results. I just cannot place a finger over the problem, it is just that the pictures appear with rather poor tonality. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? Also, how high can I go with the ISO?

A. V. Bhatankar, via email

In the absence of any pictures from you to support what is troubling you, I can only guess the problem. I suspect that you are comparing the

Q&AAsk Uncle Ronnie


Macro Focussing RailI read somewhere about Macro Focussing Rail. What exactly is it and how does one use it?

Kamath L. R., Mumbai

Macro (close-up) photography is generally done using a tripod. This is to ensure that there is no movement of the camera during the exposure which could result in less-than-perfectly-sharp pictures. Also, depth of field is very limited with macro and even a slight movement of the photographer will shift the point of critical focus. The macro lens is first set to the required magnification and

then the camera/lens combination (on the tripod) is moved towards or away from the subject till the subject appears in sharp focus. This is often very troublesome, because an extended tripod leg for example, may touch the plant on which your subject (say an insect) is sitting and disturb the subject. The macro focussing rail will allow you to move the camera in very fine increments without moving the tripod. Remember that depth of field is extremely low with macro. As an example, using a

images shot at ISO 3200 with those shot at much lower ISOs. Besides the noise (which you expected), the poor tonality could also be from the fact that as the ISO increases, the dynamic range decreases. In this case the dynamic range refers to the ability of the imaging sensor to faithfully record details in highlights as well as shadows at the same time. And if the lighting is harsh (with greater contrast than average), it could further compound the problem. This would be true with any make/model of digital camera.

If you are photographing in low light situations, and if the subject is stationary, it may be better to use a lower ISO (camera on tripod) and slower shutter speed rather than use a higher ISO sensitivity.

As to how high you can go on the ISO sensitivity on your camera (before any problem of image quality sets in), there is no hard and fast rule. Different users will have different standards to evaluate the final results. And sometimes, it may be better to have a noisy image with a lower image quality than have no image at all! On the Canon EOS 600D, I guess I would stay within ISO 800 (or ISO 1000 at the most), but this too can be situation dependent.

Tamron 150-600mm lensHow good is the newly introduced Tamron 150-600mm lens? Would it be as good as Canon’s or Nikon’s 600mm lens?

Actually, this query has been received a couple of times over the telephone and hence we decided to include it here.

It is unfair to compare two different products with a price difference of couple of lacs of rupees between them. Moreover, we have not tested Canon’s or Nikon’s 600mm lens. Please read our review of the said Tamron lens elsewhere in this issue. You will not be disappointed!

full-frame D-SLR, the DOF with a macro lens at 1:1 magnification (life size) at f/16 is about 2-3mm. If you try hand-held photography you are likely to miss the critical focus point and have less-than-perfectly-sharp image due to hand-shake.

Note: Macro focussing rails are available that move in two directions (forward-backward) as well as four directions (forward-backward, left-right).

A Question on SharpeningMy friend says that when sharpening an image in Photoshop, you should not see a ‘halo’ around the edges. I find that if I don’t see the halo, the picture doesn’t seem sharpened. Who is right?

Derrick D, via email

A similar question had cropped up earlier too. A ‘halo’ will always be formed when you sharpen an image. You must control the halo so that it is there but not noticed. The ‘Radius’ slider controls the size of the halo; the more the Radius, the greater the halo. Try to keep the Radius low (around 0.7 to 1 pixel) for images with lots of detail and then adjust the ‘Amount’. Keep the image at 50% when viewing it for sharpening. If the halo is still objectionable, moves the ‘Threshold’ slider a bit to the right till the halo is not disturbing. Note that too much of Threshold will again ‘soften’ the image.

Tamron 150-600mm lens

Macro Focussing Rail from Novoflex

MASTERCRAFTSMAN Elena Shumilova


Elena Shumilova is a Russian mother and photographer who uses her lens to show the unique interaction between farm animals and children. She brings out

magical images in the process.


FARM STORIES


Best Friends

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Out to play


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Safe in my arms

Serenity


56 Smart Photography April 2014 Smartphotography.in© E

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ish


Walking with the ducks

I live about 300km from Moscow. I spend half the year living on a farm. I like to tell stories through my images, and that is my biggest inspiration. I sketch down my ideas all the time, capturing form and arranging body shapes of all my subjects. I believe that it is not your face but the body that communicates emotion. While creating sketches and envisioning photographs, I take time to figure out the poses and the gestures. I began capturing the special moments during the walks I took with my children. I photograph my children and sometimes my friends, when we go for a walk. The dogs, rabbits and other creatures that you see in the images are all our animals. So as you can see, I use no special props or set-ups. My pictures are the result of patience, and involve waiting for the right moment. Sometimes I have to wait for quite a long time to get the perfect shot. I have Canon 5D Mark II, a 50mm f/1.2 lens and 135mm f/2.0 lens. That’s all the equipment I employ. I also make use of Photoshop to edit my images from time to time.To the beginners in this field, I would say—believe in yourself. Do not try to ape anyone else’s style; always find your own unique approach. This will create wonders.



Soft touch

Pure Joy

© E

len

a Sh

um

ilov

aSat

ish

© E

len

a Sh

um

ilov

aSat

ish

MASTERCRAFTSM Rohit Varma


Tell us about your back-

ground. What is your life

like?

I belong to a small town called Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, which is surrounded by natural beauty. Places like Kanha National Park, Pench, Navegaon, Nagzira are quite close to Balaghat. So yes, I did spend lot of time in visiting these places till the time I was living there. I was close to nature.

When I moved to Bangalore life changed and I got into the mundane corporate job. I worked for 12 years in the corporate world and then one trip to Bandipur National Park changed my life . It was a ‘call of the wild’. I started visiting parks and

Rohit Verma left his corporate career to venture into wildlife photography. He is passionate about conserving nature and creating awareness through his images. He lives in Bangalore. His work can be found at www.rohitvarma.com



FOREST TALES

Lioness & cub

© R

ohit

Var

ma



sanctuaries all over India and one day I reached a point when I decided to quit the corporate world so that I can devote more time to follow my passion.

Being from the corporate

world, what pulled you

towards photography?

Nature is something that is close to my heart. It inspires me, it gives me peace, I feel heavenly when I am in the jungles. I took up photography so that I can capture the beauty of nature and share them with the world. Pictures speak louder than words hence images can do a great job in educating the world about conservation.

Pig-tailed macaque

Tiger

© R

ohit

Var

ma

© R

ohit

Var

ma


Tusker

© R

ohit

Var

ma



You specialize in wildlife

photography. What inspired

you to take up this genre?

I am definitely inspired by nature itself, so this was the obvious path for me. One person who really inspired me is Kalyan Varma. I really liked his style of photography.

Any unforgettable incident

that happened to you while

you were out shooting in the

wild?

There are lots. Once we were in Borneo and were shooting during the night. We had an amazing sighting of a nocturnal primate called Tarsier. We were busy with the shoot, I felt something was biting me. I put the torch light down and I realized that I was standing on fire ant colony. I was bitten very badly but yes I really enjoyed that sighting.

I also had an opportunity to witness four sub-adult Striped Hyenas playing in front of me. They came so close that I could even smell them. I think this was one of the best experiences in the wild.

Do you pre-plan your shoots?

What are the most important

things that you have to keep

in mind?

Yes, there is pre-planning required. It all depends on place, season and the subject. You must make sure that you have right lenses, memory cards, and battery charger. Sometimes you can really get stuck. One should do a bit of research before going to any place.

How important is high-end

equipment to a photogra-

pher?

One needs to have passion and eye for detail. Equipment definitely matters and can


Lion Family

© R

ohit

Var

ma



enhance your work. But the rest depends on you.

What are your feelings

about the use of photo-

editing software?

Cameras cannot always capture what naked eyes see, hence a little editing is required. I see nothing wrong in giving the final touch.

Any suggestions that

you’d like to give to

wildlife photogra-

phers?

Knowing the ecology and understanding the subject is very important. Do your research, talk to people, spend time to know your subject.

Wild asses copy

Leopard

© R

ohit

Var

ma

© R

ohit

Var

ma

PHOTO FEATURE Dharamshala


Alps to Aravallis, Cairngorms to Karakoram, Hindu Kush to Himalayas - I have gone

around taking in the beauty of some of the most majestic mountain ranges. But the dazzling view of Dhauladhar from Dharamshala, really took my breath away. En route Dharamshala, Kiratpur Sahib onwards, we were driving in the shadows of the Dhauladhar ranges. All along, we feasted on many

moods of Dhauladhar. But nothing came close to what we witnessed once we reached Dharamshala. Actually, our booking was not in Dharamshala, but in Blossoms Village Resort in Sidhpur, a small village just short of Dharamshala. Despite the night-long drive, one look at the gorgeous view and our journey’s fatigue had vanished. It was, as if we could just stretch our arm and touch the glistening, snow-covered mountains.

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

Upon refl ecting, I realised that during my other travels through the mountains, and trips to the hill stations, it was always about ‘view-points’, ‘sunset-points’, or just ‘aimless-wanderings-for-the-best-view’. What set the Dharamshala experience apart is - from most parts of this small hamlet, the view is stunning and you don’t have to go around looking for ‘view-points’. Th e town is small, with a population

of around 25,000. But the activities here are spread over a stretch of around 20kms. In the populated clusters, the streets are narrow and encroached by hawkers and vendors. Locals have exciting tales of peak-season to share when a short drive of about 2kms may take anything between 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Th ough we were glad we were there in the so-called off -season (peak winters), I am sure with thousands of tourists pouring

in during the peak-season, even this slow progress through civilization would be fun, since, for most part, the area off ers vast open stretches of natural beauty. From the Tibetan Monastery to the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (Norbulingka Institute), from the War Memorial to the spanking-new HPCA Cricket Stadium, from the Bhagsunath Falls to Naddi viewpoint, from Tea Gardens to crowded

Dharamshala Panorama



Kotwali Bazaar, we saw it all. What stood out everywhere was the imposing backdrop provided by the Dhauladhars. Another thing that stood out was an omnipresent Tibetan influence, thanks to the town being the supreme seat of in-exile Dalai Lama - be it the little Tibetan eateries in the crowded market place, the dolls with Tibetan features in the Dolls Museum in Norbulingka Institute, or Tibetan monks roaming the narrow alleyways of McLeodGunj, Bhagsunath, Dharamshala, or Naddi. A visit to Dharamshala is highly recommended if the majesty of mountains is your call. I guarantee that you’ll come back mesmerised.

The only road tunnel during our drive to Dharamshala

Dhauladhars, en- route to Dharamshala


Bridge showing entry to DharamshalaKangra Fort



St. James Church,

Dharamshala

Autumn colours in tea estate in Dharamshala

Cottage, with majestic Dhauladhars as backdrop



Hues of Dhauladhar at sunset

War Memorial


Bhagsunath Waterfalls View point at Naddi

A Monk turns prayer wheels HPCA Cricket Stadium, Dharamshala

PROFILE TS Nagarajan


A Farewell to T.S. Nagarajan

Tanika Godbole

Born in Mysore in 1932, T. S. Nagarajan

was an ordinary person with an extraordinary vision. Even as he had earned his B.Sc degree, he was drawn to the world of photography. Having observed his elder brother, T.S Satyan, who was also a known photographer, Nagarajan started his photography career with the Central Government in 1956 and there was no looking back.

Nagarajan was photo-editor for ‘Yojana’, a journal of the Planning Commission of India. He also worked with the Union Ministry of Information and UNICEF India. He had the opportunity to construct the lives of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi through his photo essays, and held shows and exhibitions all over the world. And throughout his career, what stood out the most was his ability to document the social changes in India with precision and a rare, deep understanding of his subjects.

A quality that ensured his long- term success in the field was his openness towards technology. He embraced the digital age but kept the essence of his art alive. Apart from being a talented photographer, he was an articulate story-teller. He authored books like ‘The Pearl of Water on a Lotus Leaf and Other Memories’ and ‘Self-portrait, The story of my life.’ Honest anecdotes accompanied his photographs, and the books were received very well. After losing

his wife and companion of fifty years, he expressed his pain in his essay, ‘I thought she would live forever: A love story’. His last work, ‘Vanishing Homes of India’ documented Indian homes. Through these black and white images, he showed the impact of architecture on peoples’ lives.

T. S. Ngarajan’s life and work are in inspiration to many. Through his pictures, he left behind stories that words could not tell.

Ph

oto

cou

rtesy: H

armo

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agazin

e

www.autocomponentsindia.com

CAN COUNTERFEIT BE CONTAINED?

Vol 1 Issue 1 MARCH 2014

AUTOVOICE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS

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ALSO REVIEWEDSTELLAR PHOENIX PHOTO RECOVERY 6

TUTORIALSUNDERSTANDING DEPTH OF FIELD

HDR FROM A SINGLE SHOT FUN WITH INFRARED

PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE

IMPORTANCE OF MAKE-UP


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COVER STORY


Industry Scenario and Wish List H. S. Billimoria

The start of a new financial year is an appropriate time to review the year that has gone

by and to prepare a wish-list of what would happen in the forthcoming year.

The sudden collapse in the compact camera market worldwide definitely took Japanese camera manufacturers by surprise. Whilst Smartphones were expected to nibble at the edges, they ended up ravaging the bottom end of the compact camera market which practically disappeared. The set-back was more acute in developed economies like the US and large parts of Europe where Smartphones assumed quick popularity. However, the Indian market was also not spared and the compact camera market which was expanding at a healthy pace, suddenly took a down turn. This not only caught the

photography and through their purchase intentions.

• Mirrorless cameras will begin to make an impact in the Indian market mainly through the marketing efforts of Sony.

• Smartphones will begin to be available at lower price points and therefore continue to hurt the compact camera market.

• Compact camera manufacturers at the higher end i.e. those who offer semi-professional compact cameras and super-zoom bridge cameras with Wi-Fi connectivity will continue to see a market for their products.

• The accessory market which includes lenses, tripods etc will continue to grow.

Captured below is our wish list for the top manufacturers in the ensuing year:

manufacturers napping, it also led to various cost-cutting measures. Interestingly, from the camera manufacturers, only Samsung and Sony have Smartphone cameras of any consequence. Worldwide, the D-SLR market was stagnant in 2012-13 but in India it was buoyant and continued to grow at around 30%. Mirrorless cameras continued to do well in Japan, Europe and lately in the US. In India, however, they are still to become a formidable force. Hopefully, Sony will play the leader in the Indian market as far as mirrorless cameras are concerned.

Our prediction for the forthcoming year is as follows:• The D-SLR market would

continue to be buoyant in India. Our readers continue to affirm this statement through their ever growing interest in D-SLR

NIKONNikon’s D-SLR range is now very impressive. A string of new models has helped Nikon to modernize its range to make it ready for the new age. However, Nikon needs to do two things rather urgently.• Wi-Fi connectivity needs

to be incorporated in all its cameras.

• Nikon’s mirrorless efforts so far have been modest. It is therefore likely to miss out on the mirrorless camera

market and needs to take remedial action in this year.

Nikon’s compact camera range is largely outsourced and therefore has limited ability to impact its operations. However, Nikon has introduced a brand new range of compact cameras in the hope that they can gain market share in this segment from those who have lost out.


CANONCanon seemed to have answered our prayers when it announced its new 1200D. Apart from the EOS 7D, Canon’s remaining D-SLR range is now looking very good. However, there is no follow up to the EOS 100D in terms of lighter bodies and lighter lenses and Canon could do well to look into this area. Like Nikon, Canon’s mirrorless camera efforts so far have been relatively modest. In the compact camera

market, Canon has some quality offerings like the G-series, the S-series and these should continue to do reasonably well. Canon also needs to introduce Wi-Fi throughout its range. Canon’s top boss, Masaya Maeda sees the Smartphone not as a threat but as an opportunity. Canon hopes to use the infrastructure that Smartphones create and at the same time produce cameras that do things which Smartphones cannot.

SONY

At this precise moment, Sony appears to be the most promising player in the imaging segment. Its new Smartphone range has been a success. Also, Sony seems to have re-appraised its positioning in the D-SLR market and has rightly decided to focus on mirrorless cameras. Its recent introductions in the mirrorless segment have been very inspiring and hold out great promise for Sony in the ensuing years. Sony has taken a big knock in the compact

camera market. However, this would be compensated by their success in Smartphones. On the whole, Sony has innovated the most in the last year and we eagerly look forward to see what else is coming in the year 2014-15. On the negative side, Sony should sort out some of the ergonomic issues in some of its models as also the image play-back system in its cameras. Touch screen functions along with Wi-Fi should also be a priority for Sony.

OLYMPUS:The international problems facing the Olympus company inevitably had an impact on its fortunes in India with a contraction in its Indian office operations. However, in terms of models introduced, Olympus was at its best and the OMD EM-1 was deserving winner of SP’s “Camera of the Year” award. The new Stylus range from

Olympus is also promising and we wish that Olympus India will build on the foundation laid by them for quality cameras. The Micro Four Thirds mount used by Olympus in its mirrorless cameras is the most balanced in weight terms between body and lens and should see good success in the Indian market, if marketed properly.

COVER STORY


PANASONIC

We have always been highly impressed by Panasonic’s products and Panasonic’s manufacturing prowess has never been in doubt. However, in the Indian market, Panasonic continues to disappoint with modest distribution and modest marketing. Its Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras are second to none in terms of build quality and finish and the GH3 is probably the best

video camera in the market today. Wide availability, however, continues to be an issue. Panasonic’s compact cameras have also been very well made but like others, have taken a knock in the last year. We expect the LX, TZ and FZ range of Panasonic’s compact cameras to continue to do well. Panasonic, however, needs to work on battery life and wider availability in the Indian market. PENTAX

It is a little too early to judge Pentax-Ricoh efforts in the Indian market since they are yet to complete a year. There is no doubt that Pentax’s D-SLRs are of high quality and almost on par with the competition. The K-3 was a significant step ahead and will help Pentax to step up its efforts in Indian market. Pentax’s D-SLRs need

that little bit extra in terms of autofocus performance and video imaging to get that cutting edge. Pentax’s mirrorless cameras along with Ricoh compact cameras, we hope, will make steady inroad into the Indian market. Pentax also is now the only effective competitor in the niche medium format market.

FUJIFILMFujifilm is the only survivor of the four major film companies of yesteryear. Wisely, they have decided to stick to the niche market with their mirrorless cameras and compact cameras. The semi-retro

image has worked for Fujifilm and given the company a solid niche image. Better autofocus, better battery life and more aggressive pricing would give Fujifilm, more success in the Indian market.

SAMSUNGWhat can we say about Samsung? The company is on a roll. Its Smartphones are world beaters and the S4 Zoom was our choice in the “Smartphone Camera of the Year”. For unknown reasons, Samsung is fairly quiet in India on the

mirrorless camera and compact camera front. We believe that the Samsung Galaxy range with the Android system has a lot to offer and we hope Samsung will therefore make an aggressive entry into this imaging segment.

OTHERS

Other players in the imaging market include Casio, Nokia, iBall, Micromax, Karbon and Lava. Whilst Casio operates only in the compact camera market, others are major players in the Smartphone market and are sure to improve their camera offerings in the ensuing year.

Indian customers can look forward to a plethora of choice.

Above all, photo magazines will grow in importance as D-SLRs and such other cameras are bought after a lot of study and research. Reliance on credible magazines is very strong. And SP will be there to guide your every step in this hobby.

Lea

rnin

gs

82Speeding with the Shutter

88

98

Build your Portfolio

Fun with photoshop:Save those clutters

96One Scene, Different Interpretations

LEARNING Understanding Photography

82 Smart Photography April 2014 April 2014 Smart Photography 83Smartphotography.in Smartphotography.in

Speeding with the Shutter

to recap aperture has a strong bearing on the depth of field (see the article “Depth of Field in Depth”, Smart Photography, February 2013, for more details). Shutter speed on the other hand affects the way you want to freeze action or depict motion. ISO is generally varied when the existing light is not able to support the shutter speed and /or aperture you want. In this article you will see how one of these three factors, the shutter speed, affects the final image. Let us start with the basics.

First, what is a shutter? In DSLRs, shutter is generally (there are a few exceptions) made with a set of blades (Picture 1). The shutter is positioned in front of the sensor. It is generally kept closed (by overlapping blades) to block the light from falling on the sensor.

When you press the shutter release, the shutter opens for a set time interval and then closes again. This time interval is called the “shutter speed”. The next logical question is - who sets the shutter speed? It is set by you in manual exposure and shutter priority modes. In aperture priority and all program modes, the shutter speed is set up by the camera depending on the aperture, ISO and light available at

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.

The author, Ashok Kandimalla has

been in the photographic field for

over three decades and has extensive

experience in both film and digital

photography. Being an electronics

engineer by profession and a

photographer, he possesses a unique

and deep insight into the technical

aspects of digital photography and

equipment. He has published 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 http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashok_kandimalla. He can be reached

at [email protected]

that time. The shutter speeds follow a progression as in Table 3.

Ashok Kandimalla

Correct exposure, which is the right “dosage” of light to take a picture with

maximum possible details and right tonality, is composed of three parts. These are shutter speed, aperture and ISO. There will be a great many combinations of these three parameters that will give the same exposure. This is called the “reciprocity”. Table 1 shows a few such combinations of shutter speeds and apertures, all of which yield the same exposure.

Even more combinations are possible if you add ISO (see Table 2). Once again, all these give the same exposure.

So, the decision every photographer needs to take is - what is the combination that he should use. Well, that largely depends on the subject and how he wants the end result. Just

TABLE 2

Shutter Speed Aperture ISO

1/125 sec f/8 50

1/250 sec f/11 200

1/125 sec f/16 200

1/250 sec f/16 400

1/125 sec f/22 400

TABLE 3

30”

Slower

Faster

15”

8”

4”

2”

1”

2

4

8

15

30

60

120

250

500

1000

2000

4000

8000

TABLE 1

Shutter Speed Aperture

1/250 sec f/11

1/500 sec f/8

1/1000 sec f/5.6

1/2000 sec f/4

1/4000 sec f/2.8

Picture 1: Shutter blades in a DSLR.

Picture 2: Shutter Speed – 1 sec.

Picture 4: Shutter Speed – 1/100 sec.

Pictures 2 to 6: These images show the effect of shutter speed on the image. As you can observe the water drops at slower shutter speeds appear as elongated blurs due to their motion while the shutter is open. At higher shutter speeds they appear frozen.


Picture 5: Shutter Speed – 1/400 sec. Picture 6: Shutter Speed – 1/3200 sec.

LEARNING


Build Your Portfolio

Those who have a liking for photography and wish to make it a career, learn

the subject either by directly assisting a senior photographer and slogging in his studio doing every desired work there, or learn the techniques by reading books, while some attend workshops conducted by professionals or join photography institutes.

When I am talking about these youngsters I am pointing at those who are specifically interested in ‘Commercial Photography’. This includes many subjects like fashion photography, portraits, shooting people, tabletops of Jewelry/ product/ food, industrial photography, shooting interior etc.

In commercial photography the pictures are intended to sell or market a product or a brand in

but your ability to handle a model may not be good. Your love for a particular section of photography, for example shooting jewelry or food will develop instinctively. Specialization comes with time, practice and more practice. Never comment before a client that, for example, you specialize in portraits and people before first completing at least ten paid assignments and your work is released in the media.

So what should your portfolio have and how should you present it?First and foremost, do not place a water-mark on your pictures because they ruin the look. Create sections within the portfolio with headings of the topics. Make a neat Power-Point presentation. Keep an option of two folders in your laptop, one which has the full presentation with sub-sections in the same Power Point, the second folder should have separate sub-sections. Gauge how busy the client is at that moment of time, whether he wants to see your entire work or just that which interests him. It makes no sense showing interior shots to a jeans manufacturer. But do show him the tabletops of the jeans that you have taken.

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 fine arts. This ‘fine art’

reflects in his work because he feels

that there is always a little 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 first

love – art. He may be contacted at

[email protected].

While deciding the contents of the portfolio do not pack it with only the work done in the institute, because your colleague may be having similar pictures of the same model and is also out in the market to fetch work as your rival.

Spend 3 to 4 months in planning and building your portfolio. This is the time to sow the seeds. You may feel confident of delivering what you have learned, but you do need the right opportunity and this time the marks or the grade is going to be decided by the client.

Make it a point to carry at least 15 prints of 8x12-inch size, well-bound or printed in the form of a catalog (these days it is not so costly), because many clients insists on seeing your prints only to satisfy their doubts.

Contents of a

Portfolio Remember this is your first portfolio and the contents of this portfolio is very

crucial. Here are tips on what you need to add to make your first presentation a success:

Start checking out different advertisements in newspapers and magazines of different products and brands. At the same time also observe the photographs used on different posters,

Dilip Yande

some way. It involves the ability of the photographer to make the product as attractive as possible.

Students who have learned enough and are confident, try to venture out in the market independently. They feel that their recently purchased 22-megapixel camera would fetch them instant work. What they generally carry in the portfolio are samples of pictures like that of a chubby baby next door, weeping/ laughing or having bath, grandma doing a ritual, festival shots, shampoo bottles shot on white paper, pictures of the best girl in their group, few shots of professional models which they have shot in the institute or during some workshop and a few creative shots. With these they feel, that they would instantly get work, followed by a roaring success. But it’s not so.

It is not mere luck or contacts; it is the content of your portfolio that really matters!In your formative years, learn to shoot everything that comes under the banner of Commercial Photography. This will make you an all-rounder. You also need to know and overcome your weaknesses. For example, you may like to do fashion photography

Pic 2

Pic 1

LEARNING


One Scene, Different Interpretations

Rohinton Mehta

Most photographers photograph a scene without a thought about

the different ways the same scene could be interpreted. Why is that? The answer lies in the fact that we don’t take time to think. We look at a beautiful landscape or seascape or any other subject, and are too happy to capture it the way we see it before our eyes. That makes us a sort of ‘documentary photographer’. By itself, there’s nothing wrong in that, but why can’t we be creative? Do we always want to show what we

I could rely on this trick to create the effect I that was looking at.

1. Open the Raw image. It is better to shoot in Raw, as, besides the other advantages, it offers greater leeway in editing.

2. Simply move the Clarity slider to the right till you see the effect you are looking for. In our example, I set it at +57. I also moved the Highlights slider to the right to get cleaner highlights. Click Open Image to open the photo

in Photoshop. Save the file using the Save As command.

3. Open the Raw file in ACR and this time, move the Clarity slider to the negative side. In our example, I set it to -57. Click Open Image to open the photo in Photoshop. Save the file using the Save As command.

Compare the two edited pictures side by side and you will notice how the same scene can be interpreted differently.

see before our eyes or do we want to show what we ‘see with our inner eye?’ I for one, don’t capture reality; I create my vision. You can too! Here is a very simple example of how, using just a single tool in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), you can interpret a scene in two different ways. Its often necessary to plan out your strategy before you even press the shutter release button.

Here’s a rainy-day photo of a stream in Matheran, the smallest hill-station in the world, situated about 100km

from Mumbai. I stood before the scene and wondered how differently I could interpret the flow of the water. I could, for example, use a very fast shutter speed and freeze every single droplet of the flowing water. Or I could use a very slow shutter speed and create movement of the water in my still (non-video) picture. I could even use an in-between shutter speed – not too fast, nor too slow – and create an intermediate effect. Even though it was the rainy season, it was quite bright and I did not have Neutral Density Filters that would

have allowed me to use very slow shutter speeds necessary to create the silky flow of the water that I had in mind. I walked around and located the position from where I could frame the shot. Setting up my trusty tripod I shot quite a few frames at different shutter speeds and different focal lengths of my zoom lens (Remember, the subject distance, focal length and shutter speed, all play a part in creating the ‘freeze or flow effect’). I knew I had one more trick up my sleeve : to use the Clarity slider in ACR. The Clarity slider, when used on the positive side, adds localised mid-tone contrast (no, it does not add sharpness even though that is the feeling you get when increasing Clarity), and when used on the negative side, softens mid-tone contrast. I knew that in the absence of ND filters,

Original image

Printscreen: Plus clarity

Printscreen: Minus clarity

Plus clarity

Minus clarity, soft look

LEARNING Fun with Photoshop


Save those clutters Sujith Gopinath

Any photographer will have hundreds of images that he would not dare to

show to the public. Sometimes this is because of a technical imperfection, and at other times, it could be factors beyond his control such as background clutter, interfering elements such as wires and stems, a stray light ray etc. With some creativity and patience (I would rather call it creative madness) and aided by the advanced features in Photoshop Creative Suite and Creative Cloud, you can save such photographs. This is why experts always insist on not throwing away your bad images.

I am using an image that I captured during one of the Ganpati festivals in Mumbai. It was shot at the

workshop of one of the craftsmen and the background is less than perfect. Let us see how we can transform this image to something different.

First, open the image in Photoshop. You can use CS5 and above, and certain Elements versions, but I am using the latest Photoshop Creative Cloud (CC).

In the image, there is a yellow price tag hanging on the left hand of the idol (towards the right of the image). To remove this, select the Spot Healing tool and on the tool presets (on the tool bar), select Content Aware. Now select a size slightly larger than the thread of the tag and carefully paint over the thread. This will remove the thread and fill the space with the

background image .

Now to remove the tag, select the Rectangular Marquee tool and draw a selection around the tag. Now right click within the selection and click on Fill. In the menu that opens, select Content Aware. The tag is removed, intelligently filling the void with the background . You might need to fine-tune the fill with Clone/Stamp tool in the final stage.

Now use the Polygonal Lasso tool and carefully select the image. Now feather the selection, right click on the selection and click on Select Inverse. This will select the background. After this, hit Delete and in the menu that opens, select Black in the Fill box. Now we have a black background. I have

Original image

Using the Spot Healing Brush

After Applying Black Background

Tag Removed

Content Aware Fill to Remove Tag

Render Clouds for Smoke Effect

Select and Change Background to Black



Speeding with the Shutter

to recap aperture has a strong bearing on the depth of field (see the article “Depth of Field in Depth”, Smart Photography, February 2013, for more details). Shutter speed on the other hand affects the way you want to freeze action or depict motion. ISO is generally varied when the existing light is not able to support the shutter speed and /or aperture you want. In this article you will see how one of these three factors, the shutter speed, affects the final image. Let us start with the basics.

First, what is a shutter? In DSLRs, shutter is generally (there are a few exceptions) made with a set of blades (Picture 1). The shutter is positioned in front of the sensor. It is generally kept closed (by overlapping blades) to block the light from falling on the sensor.

When you press the shutter release, the shutter opens for a set time interval and then closes again. This time interval is called the “shutter speed”. The next logical question is - who sets the shutter speed? It is set by you in manual exposure and shutter priority modes. In aperture priority and all program modes, the shutter speed is set up by the camera depending on the aperture, ISO and light available at

Smart

Photography has

been continually

receiving

requests to start

a basic course for

beginners. With

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have asked a very

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Hyderabad, Andhra

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The author, Ashok Kandimalla has

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photographer, he possesses a unique

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aspects of digital photography and

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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

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work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashok_kandimalla. He can be reached

at [email protected]

Ashok Kandimalla

Correct exposure, which is the right “dosage” of light to take a picture with

maximum possible details and right tonality, is composed of three parts. These are shutter speed, aperture and ISO. There will be a great many combinations of these three parameters that will give the same exposure. This is called the “reciprocity”. Table 1 shows a few such combinations of shutter speeds and apertures, all of which yield the same exposure.

Even more combinations are possible if you add ISO (see Table 2). Once again, all these give the same exposure.

So, the decision every photographer needs to take is - what is the combination that he should use. Well, that largely depends on the subject and how he wants the end result. Just

TABLE 2

Shutter Speed Aperture ISO

1/125 sec f/8 50

1/250 sec f/11 200

1/125 sec f/16 200

1/250 sec f/16 400

1/125 sec f/22 400

TABLE 1

Shutter Speed Aperture

1/250 sec f/11

1/500 sec f/8

1/1000 sec f/5.6

1/2000 sec f/4

1/4000 sec f/2.8

Picture 1: Shutter blades in a DSLR.


that time. The shutter speeds follow a progression as in Table 3.

TABLE 3

30”

Slower

Faster

15”

8”

4”

2”

1”

2

4

8

15

30

60

120

250

500

1000

2000

4000

8000 Picture 2: Shutter Speed – 1 sec.


Pictures 2 to 6: These images show the effect of shutter speed on the image. As you can observe the water drops at slower shutter speeds appear as elongated blurs due to their motion while the shutter is open. At higher shutter speeds they appear frozen.


Picture 5: Shutter Speed – 1/400 sec. Picture 6: Shutter Speed – 1/3200 sec.



Important: The symbol “ indicates full seconds (e.g. 15” = 15 seconds). Plain numbers indicate a fraction of a second. (e.g. 500 = 1/500th of a second).

Each faster shutter speed has a speed double the previous one (half the duration) and reduces the light entering by half. Likewise each slower shutter has a duration twice that of the succeeding one and thus doubles the light allowed. The difference in exposure between two consecutive shutter speeds is called a “Stop”. When a shutter speed is changed, the aperture value must also be changed correspondingly to keep the exposure same (as indicated in Table 1), unless you deliberately want to overexpose or underexpose by using a slower or faster shutter speed. While the shutter speeds indicated change the exposure by one stop, advanced cameras can vary the shutter speeds at a finer interval of 1/3 or ½ stops. This gives more precise control on exposure.

Effect of shutter speed: The main effect of shutter speed is felt only when the subject is not static. A purely static subject (for example, still life) will look the same regardless of the shutter speed. You may get a doubt here. If you change the shutter speed, should you also not change the aperture, to keep the exposure same? And will this not result in change in depth of field and hence appearance of the image? While this is correct it is possible to change the shutter speed and still keep the exposure same by altering the ISO or the intensity of light source. If this is done, then the aperture can be kept unchanged.

A faster shutter speed as explained exposes the sensor for a shorter duration and hence will record a smaller time slice. Due to this short

some element in the scene. It can be of the main subject itself or some surrounding element(s). Usually action shows something that is transient in nature – something that is happening or going on. A ball on a table will be there forever which means it is static. However, if you drop the ball off the table it will fall (a transient) and ultimately rest on the floor, which is once more a static state. An action photograph (in the context of still photography) is all about capturing that transient state – a state that will exist only for a fleeting moment. Unless that aspect is captured (or “frozen”) the essence of action is lost. Here is one example (Picture 7). Here a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second froze the water drops in midair as well as the wings.

Next, how do you show motion in a still image? Strangely techniques to show motion differ from those that are used to freeze action. That is because if the subject or the elements around it do not have anything transient to depict action, then even a fast moving subject captured with a high shutter speed will show neither action nor motion. For example, a moving car photographed with a very high shutter speed will look no different from a car that is parked!

time interval, a moving subject would have moved only a small distance. And if the shutter speeds is very fast it would have moved only an imperceptibly small distance. Thus, it will be captured as if it is frozen at that instant.

Conversely, a slower shutter speed causes the sensor to be exposed for a longer duration. Any movement of the subject during the time shutter is open will thus get recorded as a blur. The Pictures 2 to 6 show you the effect of different shutter speeds. (In this case the aperture was varied to keep the exposure constant).

Now that you know how shutter speed affects the images, how do you use it to your advantage? Assuming that the subject is not static, first decide on what you want to show. Do you want the subject to be frozen in time or do want to show it (or the background) as a blur giving a feeling that the subject is “too fast for the eye”? Once you decide on that, you can choose a shutter speed to get the desired effect. So, how do you proceed? Read on.

Action and Motion: Let us look at what action means. An action is always accompanied by motion of

Picture 7: Kicking up spray! Here as bird took off it kicked up a water spray. The spray and fast moving wings have been frozen. Exposure data: 1/1000, f/8, ISO 800.


© H

. Sat

ish

Picture 8: The blurred background beautifully illustrates the motion here. This image was captured using the technique of panning described. Exposure data: 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400.

A human eye interprets blur with fast motion. This property can be used to depict motion. A blur can be shown in two ways. You can blur the background against sharp subject or you can blur the subject itself. Both are acceptable. Let me conclude the basics part saying techniques used to freeze action and show motion are very different.

Capturing Action:

As a rule of thumb, you need a shutter speed of around 1/1000 sec to capture action like a bird in flight, sports, etc. The relative speed of the subject will increase if you are close to it. It will also depend on the direction on the movement. Movement perpendicular to the axis of lens will need a higher shutter speed to freeze the action compared to movement that is along the lens axis - that is, subject heading towards or away from you. There is really no major role played by the aperture since your aim here is to capture action and not the control of depth of field. Most of us will be using tele-zooms to capture action whose longest end focal length will be around 300mm at an aperture of f/5.6. These lenses generally give much better performance at about f/8 (their sweet spot). So, you are looking for a brightness level that will support a shutter speed of 1/1000 and an aperture of f/8. The base ISO of your DSLR (100 or 200) will not be able to support this combination unless you are photographing on a very bright day.

Fortunately, the digital revolution has brought to us the tremendous advantage of high ISOs, with values going up to several

thousands. At these values of ISO the picture quality will not be as good as the base ISO of 100 or 200, but a grainy sharp image is a lot better than no image or an unsharp image. The best thing is to keep ISO at the lowest possible value that provides around 1/1000 shutter speed and the optimum aperture of your lens. This means that you need to keep a tab on ISO. This exactly what Auto ISO mode on your DSLR will do. This mode will allow you to select the shutter speed and/or aperture of your choice while the camera chooses the minimum possible ISO (as per the existing light) for best quality images.

For the sake of completeness, I will also list out a few other parameters that you need to set on your camera for action photography.

• Exposure settings: Auto ISO, shutter speed of 1/1000 and an aperture that gives best results for the lens you are using.

• AF Settings: AF-Continuous, release priority, Multiple AF points enabled, manual AF point selection (of center point) but with auto handover.

• File format: Highest pixel count (Large) JPEG with minimum compression (Fine).

• Frame advance: Fastest frame rate your camera allows noise permitting.

• Image stabilization: Off, since this does nothing to freeze the action.

Showing motion:

You have already read how a very fast shutter speed will make a fast moving car as it is parked and how blur can be used to show motion. You can show blur by synchronizing the movement of the camera with the moving subject so that the subject is captured sharply but background is blurred showing motion. This technique is called “panning”. For this you need to use a relatively slow shutter speed (compared to the one that captures action) and move the camera in sync with the motion of the subject. The resulting picture gives the impression of motion (Picture 8). Here are a few tips to help you get good panning images.

• Set the camera to manual focus and keep it focused at a point



where the subject is likely to appear.

• Choose an appropriate shutter speed. As a starting point use a 1/15 sec for a pedestrian to 1/200 sec to a fast car that is moving at right angles to you. Remember that you cannot get a panning image of a subject moving head on towards (or away from) you!

• Hold the camera at eye level and start following the subject. This should be accomplished by moving your body (waist up, not your neck!) while holding the camera steady.

• Release the shutter when the subject is in the middle of the frame.

• Continue to follow the movement of panning even after shutter has been released. This will allow a smooth panning operation.

• Practice – this is a technique that

Action photography is one of the tough tasks to handle in photography. Fortunately AF technology and then digital technology (by virtue of high ISO support plus an opportunity to take more images without any extra cost) have simplified the task considerably. Still, catching that sliver of time at the peak of the action can be challenging. The most important point in action photography is anticipation. This is what will really make the difference in the end. An aid to improve your anticipation and reflexes is practice. Remember the old adage “practice makes you perfect”. Good luck.

CONCLUSION:

needs to be practiced (which doesn’t anyway?).

Stopping action and show-

ing motion together:From what you read so far, you may get the impression that frozen action and burred motion are somewhat mutually exclusive and can’t be

shown together in a single frame. After all, one needs a fast shutter speed and the other a slow one. This is not true. It is possible to show both frozen action and motion in a single frame with a suitable subject. If you want to try this out, you should look out for a subject which has a part of it moving faster than the rest of the body (Picture 9).

Picture 9: Take off! A black crowned night heron taking off. The photographer here anticipated the peak action to capture this image. Interestingly here the shutter speed was not fast enough to freeze the wing tips as they were moving faster than the body which is sharp. This photograph thus shows capture of action as well as the motion in a single frame. Exposure data: 1/640 sec, f/8, ISO 640.

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LEARNING


Build Your Portfolio

Those who have a liking for photography and wish to make it a career, learn

the subject either by directly assisting a senior photographer and slogging in his studio doing every desired work there, or learn the techniques by reading books, while some attend workshops conducted by professionals or join photography institutes.

When I am talking about these youngsters I am pointing at those who are specifically interested in ‘Commercial Photography’. This includes many subjects like fashion photography, portraits, shooting people, tabletops of Jewelry/ product/ food, industrial photography, shooting interior etc.

In commercial photography the pictures are intended to sell or market a product or a brand in

but your ability to handle a model may not be good. Your love for a particular section of photography, for example shooting jewelry or food will develop instinctively. Specialization comes with time, practice and more practice. Never comment before a client that, for example, you specialize in portraits and people before first completing at least ten paid assignments and your work is released in the media.

So what should your portfolio have and how should you present it?First and foremost, do not place a water-mark on your pictures because they ruin the look. Create sections within the portfolio with headings of the topics. Make a neat Power-Point presentation. Keep an option of two folders in your laptop, one which has the full presentation with sub-sections in the same Power Point, the second folder should have separate sub-sections. Gauge how busy the client is at that moment of time, whether he wants to see your entire work or just that which interests him. It makes no sense showing interior shots to a jeans manufacturer. But do show him the tabletops of the jeans that you have taken.

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 fine arts. This ‘fine art’

reflects in his work because he feels

that there is always a little 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 first

love – art. He may be contacted at

[email protected].

Dilip Yande

some way. It involves the ability of the photographer to make the product as attractive as possible.

Students who have learned enough and are confident, try to venture out in the market independently. They feel that their recently purchased 22-megapixel camera would fetch them instant work. What they generally carry in the portfolio are samples of pictures like that of a chubby baby next door, weeping/ laughing or having bath, grandma doing a ritual, festival shots, shampoo bottles shot on white paper, pictures of the best girl in their group, few shots of professional models which they have shot in the institute or during some workshop and a few creative shots. With these they feel, that they would instantly get work, followed by a roaring success. But it’s not so.

It is not mere luck or contacts; it is the content of your portfolio that really matters!In your formative years, learn to shoot everything that comes under the banner of Commercial Photography. This will make you an all-rounder. You also need to know and overcome your weaknesses. For example, you may like to do fashion photography


While deciding the contents of the portfolio do not pack it with only the work done in the institute, because your colleague may be having similar pictures of the same model and is also out in the market to fetch work as your rival.

Spend 3 to 4 months in planning and building your portfolio. This is the time to sow the seeds. You may feel confident of delivering what you have learned, but you do need the right opportunity and this time the marks or the grade is going to be decided by the client.

Make it a point to carry at least 15 prints of 8x12-inch size, well-bound or printed in the form of a catalog (these days it is not so costly), because many clients insists on seeing your prints only to satisfy their doubts.

Contents of a

Portfolio Remember this is your first portfolio and the contents of this portfolio is very

crucial. Here are tips on what you need to add to make your first presentation a success:

Start checking out different advertisements in newspapers and magazines of different products and brands. At the same time also observe the photographs used on different posters,

Pic 2

Pic 1

LEARNING


hoardings, catalogs and other promotional materials, visit different websites of companies. Understand the need of the market. You now have to shoot what market wants and not what you want or enjoy. When building your portfolio using a model, study advertisements of beauty products, hair-care products, apparels – sarees, western outfits and Indo-Western designs – jewelry ads, ads of home appliances, masalas (spices) etc. Make a note of the finery, like dressing, makeup, hairstyle, accessorizing

companies, home loan schemes etc. In these ads you may find pictures of married couples or happy families. Observe their emotional equations and shoot similar pictures. Photograph children with expressive faces for your portfolio. Photograph them while eating cakes, biscuits or playing with toys. Catch their natural expressions. (pic 4,5)

Coming to table tops or interiors, spot a good showroom, class-room or any other establishment and request the owner to allow you to shoot there. In turn, give them the pictures free of cost

Pic 3

Pic 5

Pic 4

and the expressions of the model. Observe the way she holds the saree or the way she flaunts a beautiful designer dress. Take an inspiration from these ads. Don’t copy them as they are, but understand and try to establish the ‘selling power’ involved in the visuals.

Hire a good model, and do not economize here. If possible, share the expenses with your colleagues and jointly photograph the model for different concepts. Have a proper makeup and hair stylist for the shoot. It is a part of your investment. You may not like the idea of photographing the model against a simple white background but do it,


Pic 6

Pic 7

Pic 8

because many clients look out for such shots and may not be interested at all in your side-lit dramatic black and white shots. The client wants to see how well you can project his product, how well the details are seen. At the same time photograph the model with the right props to make the picture look rich in all ways (pic 1,2,3). In the beginning, do not expect a client to trust you with a big campaign. He will always try you out with a smaller shoot.Observe the pictures used in the ads of banks, financial institutes, insurance

LEARNING


for their websites (pic 6). Make such barter deals; they will help you to grow. Try and shoot home accessory products (pic 7) like curtains, pillow covers etc in an artistic way.

Purchase or borrow products

like files, spanners, etc and photograph them in a very ‘commercial style’. (Pic 8, 9). For this do a good deal of referencing on the Internet. In case of jewelry shots, shoot pendants or ear-rings against a white background (pic 10) and

Pic 9

Pic 10

Pic 12

Pic 11


at the same time shoot products in an artistic composition using props. (pic11). In case of food shots, shoot some pictures which provide a good definition of the product and some by deliberately throwing the background out of focus, which is very trendy these days. (pic 12, 13)

In the whole portfolio

do add creative table tops in some way. They act like visual puns (pic 14) and are greatly appreciated by art directors and creative directors of ad agencies.

These are the basic contents for your first portfolio. Keep adding pictures to your portfolio and every year try to build a fresh one. Your work will automatically improve with time and the maturity in you work will become visible as you gain experience.

Pic 13

Pic 14b

Pic 14a

Credit Lines-

Pic 1,2 Roop Sangam Sarees (model – Pal-

lavi)

Pic 3 Model Mugdha Variyar

Pic 4,5- Vaishnavi Patkar

Pic 6,7- Sarom Furnishing

Magazine Advertising

THE POWER OF MAGAZINES!

1. No need to switch ‘on’.2. Not dependent on electricity or

batteries.

3. A purchase of a magazine costing

`.100 or `.125 indicates a commitment, a

positive desire to read it from cover to

cover.

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

morning.

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

are the best source. With competent

writers and researched articles,

magazine content has far more credibility

than any other source. Magazines are

more engaging.

8. Special interest magazines are read

by avid enthusiasts; they are opinion

makers who create a ripple effect by

influencing others.

9. Most magazines offer their

content to the reader in a medium of their

choice, whether paper or digital.

10. Magazines can be shared

Consequently, more persons can read

a single magazine.

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

magazines. In India, the magazine

revolution started only after 2005 and the

share is 2%.

actually works!

LEARNING


One Scene, Different Interpretations

Rohinton Mehta

Most photographers photograph a scene without a thought about

the different ways the same scene could be interpreted. Why is that? The answer lies in the fact that we don’t take time to think. We look at a beautiful landscape or seascape or any other subject, and are too happy to capture it the way we see it before our eyes. That makes us a sort of ‘documentary photographer’. By itself, there’s nothing wrong in that, but why can’t we be creative? Do we always want to show what we

see before our eyes or do we want to show what we ‘see with our inner eye?’ I for one, don’t capture reality; I create my vision. You can too! Here is a very simple example of how, using just a single tool in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), you can interpret a scene in two different ways. Its often necessary to plan out your strategy before you even press the shutter release button.

Here’s a rainy-day photo of a stream in Matheran, the smallest hill-station in the world, situated about 100km

from Mumbai. I stood before the scene and wondered how differently I could interpret the flow of the water. I could, for example, use a very fast shutter speed and freeze every single droplet of the flowing water. Or I could use a very slow shutter speed and create movement of the water in my still (non-video) picture. I could even use an in-between shutter speed – not too fast, nor too slow – and create an intermediate effect. Even though it was the rainy season, it was quite bright and I did not have Neutral Density Filters that would

have allowed me to use very slow shutter speeds necessary to create the silky flow of the water that I had in mind. I walked around and located the position from where I could frame the shot. Setting up my trusty tripod I shot quite a few frames at different shutter speeds and different focal lengths of my zoom lens (Remember, the subject distance, focal length and shutter speed, all play a part in creating the ‘freeze or flow effect’). I knew I had one more trick up my sleeve : to use the Clarity slider in ACR. The Clarity slider, when used on the positive side, adds localised mid-tone contrast (no, it does not add sharpness even though that is the feeling you get when increasing Clarity), and when used on the negative side, softens mid-tone contrast. I knew that in the absence of ND filters,

Original image


I could rely on this trick to create the effect I that was looking at.

1. Open the Raw image. It is better to shoot in Raw, as, besides the other advantages, it offers greater leeway in editing.

2. Simply move the Clarity slider to the right till you see the effect you are looking for. In our example, I set it at +57. I also moved the Highlights slider to the right to get cleaner highlights. Click Open Image to open the photo

in Photoshop. Save the file using the Save As command.

3. Open the Raw file in ACR and this time, move the Clarity slider to the negative side. In our example, I set it to -57. Click Open Image to open the photo in Photoshop. Save the file using the Save As command.

Compare the two edited pictures side by side and you will notice how the same scene can be interpreted differently.

Printscreen: Plus clarity

Printscreen: Minus clarity

Plus clarity

Minus clarity, soft look



Save those clutters Sujith Gopinath

Any photographer will have hundreds of images that he would not dare to

show to the public. Sometimes this is because of a technical imperfection, and at other times, it could be factors beyond his control such as background clutter, interfering elements such as wires and stems, a stray light ray etc. With some creativity and patience (I would rather call it creative madness) and aided by the advanced features in Photoshop Creative Suite and Creative Cloud, you can save such photographs. This is why experts always insist on not throwing away your bad images.

I am using an image that I captured during one of the Ganpati festivals in Mumbai. It was shot at the

workshop of one of the craftsmen and the background is less than perfect. Let us see how we can transform this image to something different.

First, open the image in Photoshop. You can use CS5 and above, and certain Elements versions, but I am using the latest Photoshop Creative Cloud (CC).

In the image, there is a yellow price tag hanging on the left hand of the idol (towards the right of the image). To remove this, select the Spot Healing tool and on the tool presets (on the tool bar), select Content Aware. Now select a size slightly larger than the thread of the tag and carefully paint over the thread. This will remove the thread and fill the space with the

background image .

Now to remove the tag, select the Rectangular Marquee tool and draw a selection around the tag. Now right click within the selection and click on Fill. In the menu that opens, select Content Aware. The tag is removed, intelligently filling the void with the background . You might need to fine-tune the fill with Clone/Stamp tool in the final stage.

Now use the Polygonal Lasso tool and carefully select the image. Now feather the selection, right click on the selection and click on Select Inverse. This will select the background. After this, hit Delete and in the menu that opens, select Black in the Fill box. Now we have a black background. I have

Original image


Using the Spot Healing Brush

After Applying Black Background

Tag Removed

Content Aware Fill to Remove Tag

Render Clouds for Smoke Effect

Select and Change Background to Black



Final image

sharpened the image at this stage using the Unsharp Mask.

Next, make a copy of the background layer. Now let us put some smoke in the image so that it looks like a procession. For this, go to Filter> Render>Clouds. Set the Opacity of the layer to about 40. Apply a Layer Mask on this layer, take the Brush tool and set

Black as foreground colour. With a Brush Hardness of 30 and Opacity of 20, clear off some clouds as in the image. Flatten the layer.

Now we will apply a lens flare effect by doing Filter> Render> Lens Flare. In the menu that comes up, select 50-300mm lens and adjust the brightness of the flare . Our image is ready.

You can adjust the intensity of flare using the Opacity slider.

Cloud Rendition

Screenshot 9_Filter_Render_Lens Flare_50-300mm

Cleanup the Clouds to Look Like Clouds

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110D-SLR ReviewNikon D3300

Rev

iew

s116ILCC ReviewPanasonic Lumix GX7

104Head-to-HeadNikon D800E vs Sony Alpha 7R

121Tamron SP 150-60MMF/5.6-6.3 Di VC USD

Lens Review

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)


(Body only)

Both are 36-megapixel champions in their own rights, but compared to

the Sony A7, the Nikon D800E looks like Goliath. The Nikon was introduced in June 2012 whereas the Sony came along in February 2014. The D800E is a D-SLR. Technically speaking, we cannot call the A7 a D-SLR, since it does not have a reflex mirror. The A7 is a mirror-less interchangeable lens camera. Both use full-frame sensors and both are without the low-pass filter. The D800E body

costs around rupees eighty-thousand more. So which one would you go in for? Read on...

Design & Build QualityAs mentioned in the introduction, the Nikon D800E is a D-SLR, while the Sony A7R is a mirror-less interchangeable lens camera. The Nikon offers a better grip, has better build quality and looks more appealing with its smooth contours. The Sony is quite small in size as compared to the Nikon. The D800E has

Rohinton Mehta

High Resolution Battle!

` 2,04,950

an optical viewfinder whereas the A7R uses an electronic viewfinder. Both bodies use magnesium alloy chassis and both use weather seals to prevent dust and moisture from damaging the electronics within. The 800E body at 950g is almost twice the weight of the A7R body at 465g.

Key FeaturesLet us see the differences between the two:

HEAD-TO-HEAD



(Body only)

` 1,24,990

D800E Sony A7R

Image processor Expeed 3 Bionz X

ISO sensitivity 100-6400 100-25,600

ISO boost 50-25,600 -

Autofocus Phase Detect Contrast Detect at

the imaging sensor

Focus points 51 25

Image aspect ratio 3:2, 5:4 3:2, 16:9

Viewfinder Optical Electronic

LCD Fixed Tilting

LCD resolution 921,000 dots 1,230,000 dots

Metering Multi-pattern Multi-pattern

Center-weighted Center-weighted

Spot Spot

Average -

Built-in flash Yes No

Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD

Microphone Mono Stereo

Memory card Two slots One slot

Storage CF, SD, SDHC, SD, SDHC, SDXC,

SDXC Memory Stick

(variations)

USB USB 3 USB 2

5 Gbit/sec 480 Mbit/sec

Notes:1. Highlighting denotes advantage2. Phase Detect AF is faster but Contrast Detect can be more accurate

ErgonomicsThe D800E’s user interface seems more intuitive but I suppose, with practice, one can get used to the A7R’s interface too. The A7R’s tilting LCD offers advantage when shooting from low or high level as compared to the D800E’s fixed LCD, but the dials and buttons on the A7R are smaller and not as comfortable to use as in the D800E. I also feel that the D800E has a better layout for buttons and

Time-lapse recording Yes No

GPS Optional No

Wi-Fi No Yes

NFC No Yes

Camera body weight 900g 465g

Dimensions 146x123x82mm 127x94x48mm

HEAD-TO-HEAD



NIKON D800E Aperture:f/8.0 Shutter Speed: 1/100sec ISO:400


SONY A7R Aperture:f/8.0 Shutter Speed: 1/160sec ISO:400

HEAD-TO-HEAD



Nikon D800E Sony A7R

No. of effective pixels : 36 million 36 million

Sensor type/size : CMOS/ CMOS/35.9 x 24mm

Image ratio : 3:2, 5:4 3:2, 16:9

Viewfinder : Optical Electronic

Image processor : Expeed 3 Bionz X

ISO sensitivity : 50-25,600 (with boost) 100-25,600

Image formats : Raw, Raw+JPEG Raw, Raw+JPEG

Autofocus : Phase Detect Contrast Detect

No. of AF points : 51 25

Memory card slots : 2 1

LCD size/Resolution : 3”/921,000 dots 3”/1,230,000 dots

Shutter speeds : 30sec – 1/8000sec 30sec – 1/8000sec

Exposure modes : P, A, S, M P, A, S, M, Auto

Built-in flash : Yes No

Metering modes : Multi, Centre-weighted, Multi, Centre-weighted, Spot

Spot, Average

Exposure compensation : +/- 5 EV

Max. Video resolution : 1920 x 1080 at 60p, 60i, 24p

Wi-Fi : No Yes, built-in

NFC : No Yes

Dimensions : 146x123x82mm 127x94x48mm

Weight : 900g 465g

SPECIFICATIONS

controls. Speaking of controls, the 100% instant review (for image playback) with the zoom button on the A7R is not something that I like – one has to fiddle around with the controller to locate the exact area one wishes to view. The D800E allows you to magnify the LCD image more gradually and hence, is easier to use. Re-positioning the AF bracket is also much quicker and easier on the Nikon. The Sony’s LCD screen blacks out between shots.

PerformanceImage Quality: We would have loved to compare both the cameras with their 50/55mm prime lenses but Sony sent us their 24-70mm f/4 zoom; the Nikon came with a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. In terms of image quality – Raw files – both were great but I would give an edge to the Nikon. Raw image quality was just superb, with both the models bringing out fine details which, we are reasonably sure, would be almost impossible with most other cameras. With JPEGs, we sometimes felt that the A7R applied more aggressive in-camera sharpening as compared to the D800E. Control over digital noise was very good with both the models. Slight amount of noise could be seen at ISO 800 (if one tried to look for it) but was in no way disturbing. At higher ISOs, the A7R seemed to apply stronger noise reduction when compared with the D800E. Up to what ISO level one could use depends on the subject, lighting conditions, correctness of exposures and of course, personal standards. I for one would not hesitate to use up to ISO 1600 with both the models and in an emergency, even up to ISO 3200, knowing fully well that I can reduce the noise in Adobe Camera Raw or with any dedicated noise-removal software.

Autofocus: In terms of autofocus, the D800E was definitely faster (by a small margin), especially in low light. We also noticed the Sony A7R struggling to achieve AF in low light/low contrast situations. The D800E’s better AF performance could

TABLE A No. of shots Time taken to Writing time before buffer capture the to memory card slowed down shots

D800E: JPEG L/F 44 11.3 seconds 10.8 seconds

D800E: 14-bit Raw 16 4.2 seconds 25 seconds

A7R: JPEG L/SF 36 23 seconds Approx. 2 seconds

A7R: Raw 32 21.5 seconds Approx. 4 seconds

possibly be due to its better low-light AF detection capability (up to -2EV) as compared to the A7R’s EV 0.

Start-up Time: After powering on, the 800E was ready to fire almost instantly whereas the A7R took a bit


83%NIKON D800EFINAL SCORE

Design and Build Quality 19/20

Key Features 18/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance

Autofocus 4/5

Metering 4/5

Noise Control 4/5

Sharpness 4/5

LCD/EVF 3/5

Auto W/B 4/5

Sub-Total 23/30

Value for Money 6/10

82%SONY A7R

FINAL SCORE


Key Features 18/20

Ergonomics 16/20

Performance

Autofocus 3/5

Metering 4/5

Noise Control 4/5

Sharpness 4/5

LCD/EVF 3/5

Auto W/B 4/5

Sub-Total 23/30


PLUS NIKON D800E

• Superb image quality • Very responsive• Accurate & reasonably fast AF with viewfinder viewing, even in low light• Time-lapse recording• USB 3

SONY A7R• Superb image quality• Lightweight• Tilting LCD• Weather-proof body• Wi-Fi, NFC

MINUS

NIKON D800E• Fixed LCD • Limited burst speed• Long ‘writing time’ with TIFF• Slow AF in Live View & Movies• No Wi-Fi & NFC

SONY A7R• No built-in flash• Currently, limited lenses

Both, the Nikon D800E and the Sony A7R are great cameras. In terms of image quality, they are almost the same. It is very much possible that both use the same/identical Sony manufactured image sensor. In terms of ease of use, we would opt for the Nikon. The Nikon also has the added advantage of the built-in flash. The Sony on the other hand, has Wi-Fi and NFC (Near Field Communication) which the Nikon lacks. The Sony’s tilting LCD is more convenient for low-angle/high-angle shots. A big disadvantage with the Sony is (currently) the limited number of A-mount lenses (only four). Yes, you could use the available adapters to attach different non-A-mount lenses (which could level things out to some extent) but that defeats the purpose of a compact system and there can be variations in the engineering of the various adapters that could possibly lead to a compromise in image quality. So as a system camera, the Nikon wins. On the other hand, the Sony saves you almost Rs.80,000 (body price) but suffers from noticeable image blackout between shots. Only you can decide whether you are willing to shell out eighty thousand more for the few extra benefits that the Nikon offers or settle for the Sony A7R which gives you practically the same image quality that the D800E offers.

VERDICT

longer as expected of a camera using an electronic viewfinder.

LCD colour, tonality and clarity: The Sony A7R showed more accurate tonality and more realistic brightness; the Nikon D800E’s LCD was brighter and with enhanced colours, but showed greater clarity.

Table A gives an idea of the speed at

which images can be captured and written to the memory card. The card used was a SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro, 95MB/sec.

Value for MoneyThe Nikon D800E body retails at an MRP of Rs.2,04,950 whereas the Sony A7R body is available at an MRP of Rs.1,24,990.

D-SLR Review Nikon D3300


with AF-S 18-55mm VRII Kit Lens

` 37,950

A Subtle Nudge Sujith Gopinath

Nikon has upgraded their D-SLRs with the latest EXPEED 4 image

processor and new sensor units without the Optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF), and now they have released the D3300, upgraded from the D3200. While this does not look like a path-breaking change, it makes the D3300 slightly faster, theoretically improves the image quality, and delivers better videos. Let us find out what other gems

have Nikon hidden in the new D-SLR.

Design and Build

QualityThe D3300’s exterior is built with sturdy engineering plastic. It features a fixed LCD screen. The camera looks and feels more or less like the D3200 with the same mode dial and similarly placed buttons. It features a metal lens

✓ Camera body ✓ 18-55mm VR II kit lens ✓ EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery

(with terminal cover) ✓ MH-24 battery charger ✓ DK-25 rubber eyecup ✓ BF-1B body cap ✓ AN-DC3 strap ✓ UC-E17 USB cable ✓ EG-CP14 audio/video cable ✓ ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

Inside the Box


Aperture:f/8.0 Shutter Speed: 1/800sec . ISO:100



module with TTL phase detection and 11 focus points including one central cross-type sensor. The system uses Contrast-detect method for autofocus. AF modes include Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A), and Manual focus (MF). The camera has 11 selectable focus points. The AF area modes available are Single-point, Dynamic area, Auto area, and 3D Tracking. It also features automatic scene selection. Lens servo options include Single-servo (AF-S), Full-time servo (AF-F), and Manual Focus.

Still images are recorded in Raw (NEF) and JPEG formats with maximum dimensions of 6000 x 4000 pixels. The camera also provides option to record both Raw and JPEG simultaneously. Videos are recorded in MOV format (H.264/MPEG-4) with the best quality of 1920 x 1080 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, or 24p frame rate. Shooting modes available are Auto, Programmed auto with flexible program (P), Shutter-priority auto (S), Aperture-priority auto (A), Manual (M), Scene, and Special effects. Scene mode provides options of Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up, and Night portrait. Special effects modes include Night vision, Super vivid, Pop, Photo illustration, Colour sketch, Toy

mount and also a metal tripod receptacle. The camera has a deep rubber-lined grip and a rubberised thumb rest. The new 18-55mm kit lens has a zoom lock, which needs to be released to operate the camera. It has a dedicated focus ring that is not attached to the front barrel as was the case with its predecessor. Hence the front element of the lens does not rotate while focussing.

Key Features

The 24.2-megapixel Nikon D3300 uses a 23.5 x 15.6mm CMOS sensor for imaging. The camera has an integrated sensor cleaning mechanism that shakes off dust particles from the sensor unit. The D3300 features a Nikon F mount with AF contacts. It is fully compatible with AF-S and AF-I lenses and partially compatible with other F-mount lenses. The D3300 is a minor upgrade when it comes to features, but the EXPEED 4 image processing engine provides better noise control as well as better continuous shooting speed. The camera has an electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter, providing shutter speeds from 30 to 1/4000 sec, along with Bulb and Time settings. It has a flash synchronisation speed of 1/200 sec or lower. The D3300 uses Nikon’s Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 1600

ISO 6400

ISO Hi 1

NOISE

Flash OutputAperture: f/11.0 Shutter Speed: 1/15sec. ISO:100

JPEG CompressionJPEG, Basic Quality, 100% (3 MB)

JPEG, Fine Quality, 100% (12.9 MB)

camera effect, Miniature effect, Selective colour, Silhouette, High key, Low key, HDR painting, and Easy panorama. The D3300 uses TTL exposure metering using a 420-pixel RGB sensor. Metering methods employed are Matrix—3D Colour Matrix Metering II available with type G, E, and D lenses, Colour Matrix Metering II available with other CPU lenses, Centre-weighted—weight of 75 percent given to 8-mm circle in the centre of frame, and Spot—meters a 3.5-mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centred on selected focus point. Exposure can be compensated up to +/-5EV in increments of 1/3 EV. The 3300


can shoot continuously at up to 5 frames per second, one frame more than the 3200. The release modes available are Single frame, continuous, quiet shutter release, self-timer, delayed remote, quick-response remote; ML-L3

The D3300’s ISO sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 12,800, which can be expanded up to 25,600. White Balance options are Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent (7 types), Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, and Preset manual. All preset values can be fine-tuned. The camera’s built-in flash has a Guide Number of 13m with manual flash at ISO 100. the D3300 also features a standard ISO 518 accessory shoe (hot-shoe). Flash control is through TTL method and i-TTL flash control is available with the built-in flash and other compatible external speedlites. i-TTL balanced fill flash is available with Matrix and Centre-weighted metering, and standard i-TTL flash is employed with Spot metering. Flash exposure can be compensated up to -3 to +1EV in 1/3-EV increments. Flash modes available are 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, and off. The camera supports Nikon Creative Lighting System with a compatible external flashgun as ‘Master’.

The D3300 uses a 3-inch, approximately 921,000-dot TFT LCD for display. It accepts an SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card for external storage. The camera is powered by an EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery. It has dimensions of 124 x 98 x 75.5mm and weighs approximately 460g with battery and memory card.

Ergonomics

The Nikon D3300 is lightweight and comfortable to operate. The

The D3300 is a minor upgrade to the 3200, the main feature being an advanced EXPEED 4 image processor, which provides a faster burst rate and slightly better noise-control, and the absence of an OLPF. We wish the camera had built-in Wi-Fi, which is the order of the day.

VERDICT

PLUS

• Good kit lens• Excellent handling• Good value for money

MINUS

• Only minor improvements• LCD quality below par

deep and rubberised grip makes it all the more comfortable to hold. Placement of buttons and dials is typical of Nikon and hence easily accessible. Though the buttons are small, we cannot complain since the prominent thumb rest and the LCD leaves practically very little room for buttons and controls. The camera balanced perfectly with the new 18-55mm kit lens. The on-screen information can be displayed in the classic or graphic format and in three choices of colours—black, blue, and beige.

Performance

The Nikon D3300 performed well as expected. Combined with the 18-55mm lens, autofocus was fast enough for a kit lens, though this cannot be compared to that of a fast lens combination. However, the AF system could latch on to the subject even under low light. Images were sharp out of the box and the kit lens had a sweet spot around f/11. All metering modes performed as expected. We observed prominent darkening of corners at the wide-angle

81%FINAL SCORE


Key Features 16/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance

Autofocus 4/5

Metering 4.5/5

Noise Control 4/5

Sharpness 4/5

LCD/EVF 3/5

Auto W/B 3.5/5

Sub-Total 23/30




Lens mount : Nikon F mount (with AF contacts)Effective pixels : 24.2 millionImage sensor : 23.5 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensorDust-reduction System : Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data Max. Image size : 6000 x 4000 pixelsFile format : NEF (Raw): 12 bit, compressed JPEG, NEF (RAW)+JPEGShutter type : Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutterShutter speed : 30 to 1/4000 s in steps of 1/3 EV; Bulb; Time Shutter flash sync speed : X=1/200 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/200 s or slowerRelease mode : Single frame, continuous, quiet shutter release, self-timer, delayed remote; ML-L3, quick-response remote; ML-L3Frame advance rate : Up to 5 fps Note: Frame rates assume manual focus, manual or shutter-priority auto exposure, a shutter speed of 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values.Self-timer : 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1-9 exposuresMetering mode : TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensorMetering method : Matrix metering: 3D colour matrix metering II (type G, E, and D lenses); colour matrix metering II (other CPU lenses) Centre-weighted metering: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in centre of frame Spot metering: Meters 3.5-mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centred on selected focus pointWhite balance : Auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, all except preset manual with fine-tuning.Shooting Modes : Auto modes (auto; auto, flash off), Programmed auto with flexible program (P), Shutter-priority

auto (S), Aperture-priority auto (A), Manual (M), Scene modes (portrait; landscape; child; sports; close up; night portrait), Special effects modes (night vision; super vivid; pop; photo illustration, Colour sketch, Toy camera effect, Miniature effect, Selective colour, Silhouette, High key, Low key, HDR painting, and Easy panorama)Exposure compensation : Can be adjusted by -5 - +5 EV in increments of 1/3 EVISO sensitivity : ISO 100-12800, Can also be set to ISO 25600Lens servo : Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); continuous- servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be usedFocus point : Can be selected from 11 focus pointsAF-area mode : Single-point AF, dynamic-area AF, auto-area AF, 3D- tracking (11 points)Built-in flash : Approx. 12 to 13m with manual flash (ISO 100)Guide NumberFlash 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, offAccessory shoe : ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lockBest Video quality : 1920 x 1080, 60p/50p/30p/25p/24pFile format : MOVBattery : One rechargeable Li-ion EN-EL14a batteryDimensions (W x H x D) : Approx. 124 x 98 x 75.5 mmWeight : Approx. 460 g (1 lb 0.2 oz) with battery and memory card

SPECIFICATION

end at f/3.5, which vanished when stopped down to f/11. The lens exhibited flare along with purple fringing. We observed barrel distortion till 35mm (approximately 50mm equivalent).

The 3300 reproduced colours well and Auto White Balance performed well under most situations. The casts observed

under some light sourced could be easily eliminated in post-processing. Native image size was 13.33 x 20 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of this size, images were noise-free up to ISO 3200. Hi1 produced prominent chroma noise and was not usable. Enlarged to 50 percent, the images remained noise-free up to ISO 800, but were

perfectly usable up to ISO 6400. At 100 percent view, the images were noise-free up to ISO 200. It became a concern only from ISO 3200. We would consider this good control of noise.

Nikon seems to have compromised on the quality LCD, with the screen showing prominent pixel jitter during live view.

Value for Money

The Nikon D3300 retails at an MRP of Rs.37,950 with AF-S 18-55mm VRII Kit Lens. The body carries a price tag of Rs.32,450, whereas the double zoom lens kit of AF-S 18-55mm VRII and AF-S 55-200mm VR retails at Rs.46,950. The body price is Rs.5500 more than that of the D3200, but this is fair. Nikon has not withdrawn the D3100 and 3200, providing ample options for those on tight budgets. So if you are not impressed with a slightly faster frame rate, you can still buy the D3200.

ILCC REVIEW Panasonic Lumix GX7


` 86,990

Another Ace...! Sujith Gopinath

Panasonic has carved itself a niche amongst mirrorless camera brands with high-

performing bodies and superior optics in lenses. The LUMIX GX7 joins the bandwagon with a 16 megapixel sensor and a new tilting Electronic Viewfinder. Here is our take on this retro-styled camera.

Design and Build QualityThe Panasonic GX7 is designed with a retro style. The outer body is made of metal and feels very sturdy. It has a thick rubberised grip along with a rubberised

thumb rest. The highlight of this camera is the EVF that can be tilted 90 degree upwards. The camera has two command dials. The built-in flash springs up with a hard jerk, which appears a bad idea, considering that the individual segments in the flash are plastic. Buttons and dials are of good quality. Both the lens mount as well as the tripod receptacle are metal.

Key FeaturesThe 16-megapixel Panasonic GX7 uses a 17.3 x 13.0 mm

✓ Camera body ✓ Body cap ✓ LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH lens ✓ Lens Cap ✓ Lens rear cap ✓ Battery pack ✓ Battery charger ✓ AC cable ✓ USB cable ✓ CD-ROM ✓ Shulder strap ✓ Hot-shoe cover ✓ Basic operating manual

Inside the Box


Aperture:f/16.0 Shutter Speed: 1/320sec . ISO:200



Pinpoint focussing. The GX7 uses 1728-zone multi-pattern metering system and provides the usual three metering modes—Multiple, Centre-weighted, and Spot.

The GX7 uses a focal plane shutter, providing shutter speeds from 60 to 1/8000 sec along with a Bulb (maximum 2min) option. Self-timer can be set for 10 sec for 3 images, 2 sec, or 10 sec. Still images can be recorded in Raw, JPEG, or MPO (with a 3D lens) format with the maximum size of 4592 x 3448 pixels, while videos are recorded in MP4 format with the best quality of 1920 x

(Four-Thirds) Live MOS sensor for imaging. The sensor unit makes uses a primary colour filter array and has an integrated dust reduction system aided by a supersonic wave filter. The camera uses an image sensor shift type image stabilisation system, which extends the advantage of image stabilisation even to non-OIS lenses. The camera employs Contrast-detect autofocus system and the focus modes available are AFS (Single), AFF (Flexible), AFC (Continuous), and Manual Focus. The AF methods used are Face Detection, AF Tracking, 23-area focussing, 1-area focussing, and

ISO 200

ISO 800

ISO 3200

ISO 12800

ISO 25600

NOISE

SharpnessAperture: f/2.0 Shutter Speed: 1/640sec. ISO:200

JPEG CompressionJPEG, Basic Quality, 100% (4.3 MB)

JPEG, Fine Quality, 100% (8.4 MB)

1080 at 60fps. The camera can shoot continuously at 5 frames per second for a maximum of 9 frames at the highest quality. ISO sensitivity options are Auto, Intelligent ISO and Manual from ISO 125(extended) to 25,600. Exposure can be compensated up to +/-5EV in 1/3-EV steps. White Balance options are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Flash, White Set 1, 2, and Colour temperature. White Balance can be adjusted on Blue/Amber and Magenta/Green axes.

Shooting modes available are Intelligent Auto, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Movie, Custom, Scene, and Creative Control. For still images, the Scene Guide mode provides options of Clear Portrait, Silky Skin, Backlit Softness, Clear in Backlight, Relaxing Tone, Sweet Child’s Face, Distinct Scenery, Bright Blue Sky, Romantic Sunset Glow, Vivid Sunset Glow, Glistening Water, Clear Nightscape, and Cool Night Sky. Creative Control provides option of Expressive, Retro, Old Days, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Monochrome, Dynamic Monochrome, Rough Monochrome, Silky Monochrome, and Impressive Art. For videos, the mode provides the options of Expressive, Retro, Old Days, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Monochrome, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Toy POP, Bleach Bypass, Miniature Effect, Fantasy, and One Point Colour. You can choose Photo Styles from Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait, and Custom.

The GX7 features a built-in pop-up flash with TTL control. It has a Guide Number of 5m at ISO 100. Flash modes available are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, and Forced Off along with First and


Second Curtain Sync. It synchronises with the shutter at 1/320sec or slower shutter speeds. The camera has a tilting EVF with 2,764,800 dots. It provides eye power adjustment from approximately -4 to +3.0 Dioptres and has an eye-sensor to switch between the EVF and the LCD. The GX7 features a Tiltable static 3.0-inch, approximately 1,040,000-dot LCD with Touch Monitor. The monitor features grid lines, level gauge, and direction detection function. The camera features Wi-Fi and Viera Link that can connect with compatible Panasonic Viera television. The GX7 is powered by a 7.2V, 1025mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery pack (included). It has dimensions of 122.60 x 70.7 x 54.6 mm and weighs approximately 402g with SD card and battery (without lens).

ErgonomicsThe Lumix GX7 has a thick and rubberised grip, which makes it comfortable to hold and operate. The device is easy to use with a simple and intuitive interface. The tilting viewfinder is helpful if you are in the habit of using the viewfinder to compose images at a low angle. The LCD can be tilted 90 degree upwards and about 45 degree downward. The buttons are small, but are easy to access. The camera has nine function buttons of which five are touch points on the screen. The multitude of function buttons enable you to customise the controls, saving lot of time.

PerformanceWe received the along with the LUMIX 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH lens.

We received the unit without the body cap, lens cap and the lens back cap, and this might possibly have an effect on the image quality during testing. AF was fast and precise, and could latch on to the subject even under low light. The lens did not produce any distortion. Mild darkening was observed at wide-open aperture, but you will detect this only if you deliberately look for it. The darkening vanished completely at f/4. The lens produced prominent flare along with purple fringing. Images appeared reasonably sharp and f/4 produced the sharpest images. The metering modes worked as expected. Images appeared sharp on both the LCD and the EVF. It was quite comfortable to compose images through the EVF.

Auto White Balance produces desirable results in natural light. Though it produces distinct cast under artificial light sources, it could be easily eliminated in post-processing. Native image size was 11.49 x 15.30 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent screen size, the images were noise-free up to ISO 6400. Even ISO 12,800 and

PLUS

• Tilting viewfi nder• Nine Function buttons• Good performance

MINUS

• Flare and Chromatic aberration• Lack of detail in high-ISO shots

83.5%Design and Build Quality 18/20

Key Features 17/20

Ergonomics 18/20

Performance

Autofocus 4/5

Sharpness 4/5

Distortion Control 4.5/5

Aberrations 3.5/5

Darkening 4/5 of Corners

Extra Features 3.5/5

Sub-Total 23.5/30

Value for Money 7.5/10

FINAL SCORE



Lens Mount : Micro Four Thirds mount

Sensor Type : Live MOS Sensor

Camera effective pixels : 16.00 Megapixels

Recording media : SD, SDHC, SDXC memory cards

Image sensor size : 17.3 x 13.0 mm (in 4:3 aspect ratio)

Colour filter : Primary colour filter

Dust reduction system : Supersonic wave filter

Image Stabilization System : Image Sensor Shift Type

Recording file format : Still Image: JPEG, RAW, MPO (with a 3D lens)

Max. File size : Still Image: 4592x3448 pixels Best Video: MP4 [Full

HD]1920×1080, 60fps

WiFi Function : Yes

Viewfinder : Tilting EVF

Type : LCD Live View Finder with 2,764,800 dots

Focus Type : Contrast Detect AF system

Focus mode : AFS (Single), AFF (Flexible), AFC (Continuous), MF

Metering system : 1728-zone multi-pattern sensing system

Metering mode : Multiple, Centre Weighted, Spot

Exposure mode : Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual

ISO sensitivity : Auto, Intelligent ISO, 125(Extended), 200–25600

(1/3-EV step available)

Exposure compensation : 1/3EV Step ±5EV

White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Flash,

White Set 1, 2, Colour temperature setting

Shutter : Type Focal-plane shutter

Shutter speed : Still Images: Bulb (Max. 2min), 60-1/8000sec

Self timer : 10sec for 3 images, 2sec, 10sec

Scene Guide : Still image: Clear Portrait, Silky Skin, Backlit Softness,

Clear in Backlight, Relaxing Tone, Sweet Child’s Face,

Distinct Scenery, Bright Blue Sky, Romantic Sunset

Glow, Vivid Sunset Glow, Glistening Water, Clear

Nightscape, Cool Night Sky

Video: Clear Portrait, Silky Skin, Backlit Softness, Clear

in Backlight, Relaxing Tone, Sweet Child’s Face, Distinct

Scenery, Bright Blue Sky, Romantic Sunset Glow, Vivid

Sunset Glow, Clear Nightscape, Cool Night Sky

Burst Shooting : Max: 5 frames per second for 9 images (in AF-S mode)

Built-in Flash : Type: Pop-up, TTL

Guide Number: 5 m equivalent (ISO 100)

Flash Modes : Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/

Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye

Reduction, Forced Off

Synchronization Speed : Less than 1/320 second

LCD Type : Tilt Static LCD with Touch Monitor

Monitor size : 3.0 inch, 3:2 Aspect, Wide viewing angle

Pixels : Approx. 1,040,000 dots

Power Source : Li-ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1025mAh) (Included)

Dimensions (W x H x D) : 122.60x 70.7 x 54.6 mm

Weight : Approx. 402g (With SD card and battery)

SPECIFICATION

25,600 were perfectly usable at this size. We observed progressive loss in detail from ISO 1600 onwards, probably due to the aggressive noise reduction. Observed at 50 percent, the images were noise-free up to ISO 1600. Slight noise was observed from ISO 3200. At 100 percent, there was no change in noise characteristics and the images were perfectly usable up to ISO 6400, except for the loss in detail.

Value for MoneyThe Panasonic GX7 with the 20mm kit lens retails at an MRP of Rs.86,990. Panasonic did not provide the MRP of the body separately. At this price, the combination seems reasonably priced.

The Panasonic Lumix GX7 is a good performer with a retro design. The camera is built sturdy and the vast range of Panasonic lenses make it a good choice.

VERDICT


LENS REVIEW TAMRON SP 150-600MM F/5.6-6.3 Di VC USD

Great lens, great value! Rohinton Mehta

Aspiring wildlife photographers can take a breather! The recently

announced, low-cost, compact, super-telephoto-zoom lens is now available (though currently only in Canon mount). The other mounts will be for Nikon and Sony models. The lens is designed for full-frame 35mm format. When used on APS-C camera bodies, it will offer an equivalent focal length of approximately 225 to 900mm (Nikon) and 240 to 960mm (Canon). Let’s see how the 150-600mm performs on our test bench...

Design & Build Quality

By design, the Tamron 150-600mm is a twist-zoom – you twist the zoom ring clockwise to go from 150mm to 600mm. The build quality feels adequate. A rubber gasket around the lens mount prevents dust or moisture getting in. The mount is made from metal and the lens has a well-designed removable lens collar. The 150-600mm is about 258mm in length and when fully extended, is approximately 337mm. The lens is made in China; the lens hood is made in Philippines. The 150-600mm weighs approx. 2095g with detachable tripod mount, lens hood and front lens cap. Filter size is 95mm.

Key FeaturesThe super performance (hence SP in the nomenclature) lens employs 20 elements in 13 groups which includes 3 Low-Dispersion (LD) glass elements for superior corrections of chromatic aberrations and other optical flaws. To avoid/eliminate flare and ghosting, the lens employs BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) coating as well as a specially formulated eBAND (extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency coating), which, according to Tamron “deploys a nano-structured layer with dimensions smaller than the wavelengths of visible rays of light. Its ultra-low refractive index, combined with the sophisticated

✓ Lens (model A011E) ✓ Lens hood ✓ Front & rear lens caps ✓ Tripod collar ✓ SILKYPIX Developer Studio (Raw image

processing soft ware)

Inside the Box ` 89,900



multiple-layer coatings underneath, yields significant anti-reflection properties, absolutely minimising flare and ghosting to deliver sharp, crisp images”. The lens also offers VC (vibration cancellation) but Tamron does not indicate how many stops advantage the VC offers. The lens promises swift autofocus, thanks to its USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) motor.

Note: The Sony mount does not include VC because Sony D-SLR bodies include built-in image stabilization.

The Tamron 150-600mm’s zoom ring is 55mm broad and rubberised for a good grip. The ring is marked at 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500 and 600mm settings. A distance scale (in meters and feet) can be seen under a plastic window behind the manual focus ring which can be used to override the AF for fine adjustments. A focus limiter switch allows focussing between 15m-infinity or from the closest focussing distance (of 2.7m) to infinity.

ErgonomicsIts quite a heavy lens and considering that at its longest end it offers 12x magnification over a 50mm ‘normal’ lens, its best to use this lens on a sturdy tripod. However, it is not impossible to use it hand-held (for some shots at least). When shooting hand-held, you may find it easier to hold the lens with the tripod collar removed or rotated so that the base stays on top. While travelling or just moving around, the lens can be locked at the 150mm setting to prevent the possibility of damage with an extended lens barrel. The lens/body combination was comfortable to hold. A personal grouch is that the lens collar does not have a Arca-Swiss type fitting.

Performance

We reviewed the lens using a Canon EOS 6D body. Unless otherwise stated, test pictures were shot using a sturdy Gitzo 3542 tripod with a M30 ball-head from Markins.

The front element does not rotate

and hence polarising filters and graduated neutral density filters could be easily used, except for the fact that procuring 95mm filters would be very expensive and difficult in India. Autofocus was fast in good light but did slow down a bit in low light and struggled to latch on with low contrast subjects. This is not surprising considering that f/6.3 is its widest aperture at the 600mm end. The lens provided sharp images at all focal lengths though discerning users will be able to notice the difference in sharpness between the center and the edges, especially at wide open apertures. Again, considering that the lens is primarily a ‘wildlife-lens’, the slight softness at the corners matters little.

Darkening of corners at 150mm setting was observed at f/5 and f/5.6. By f/8, there was no noticeable corner darkening. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that the lens did not exhibit any pin-cushion or barrel distortion at any focal length. The lens was also free of

Actual size thumbnail

Aperture:f/6.3; Shutter Speed: 1/200sec; ISO:100 VC ‘on’ Picture shot hand-held at 600mm focal length


Aperture:f/6.3 Shutter Speed: 1/125sec ISO:1000 Tripod used. Focal length 600mm. Picture has been cropped Rohinton Mehta



to use higher ISO sensitivities without too much of a problem for digital noise. And that could be your saviour. So as an example, if your camera gives you decent images (in terms of digital noise) up to ISO 800, your exposure (in our example) for deep shadow, could be about 1/800 sec at f/6.3 at ISO 800. With side lighting or back-lighting, exposure problems can be even higher. By understanding this limitation, you are better informed. But what about image sharpness at f/6.3? The Tamron 150-600mm at 600mm, wide open, is quite sharp (see the bird picture). Also, many advanced D-SLRs now allow you to use even ISO 1600 without too much noise. Control over digital noise seems to improve with every new camera model, and hence the limitation of ‘slow apertures’ is not likely to be a big problem.

Value for Money

The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3 Di VC USD lens is available at an MRP of Rs.89.900. At this price and performance we say the lens is good value for money.

any chromatic aberration, which speaks highly of the lens design and quality of the optics. Flare was noticed in strong against-the-light shots. We did not notice any false colouration due to the lens coatings, which is a very good thing.

Observe the thumbnail of the bird picture, shot hand-held at 600mm at wide-open aperture of f/6.3. See how small the bird is in the thumbnail. The picture next to it is enlarged 100%. Though tones have been adjusted, absolutely no sharpening has been applied in post-processing.

Let’s be very clear

about some limitationsThe basic exposure for a wildlife photographer for an average-tone subject with frontal lighting, is 1/1000 sec at f/5.6 at ISO 100 (that is the same as 1/125 sec at f/16 for a landscape photographer). With the Tamron, at 600mm setting, the basic exposure would be around 1/850 sec at f/6.3. As soon as the subject gets into shade, you need to ‘open up’ 1-stop. Since you cannot make the aperture any wider, you need to reduce the shutter speed from 1/850 sec to (around) 1/400 sec. If the subject gets into deeper shade, your basic exposure is likely to be 1/200 sec at f/6.3. Even if you are using a tripod, there is always a chance of subject movement that cannot be stopped at 1/200 sec. Of course, most modern D-SLRs allow you

Model No. : A011Lens construction : 20 elements in 13 groups (includes 3 LD ele-ments)Angle of View (Diagonal) : 16 25’ – 4 8’ (full-frame format) 10 38’ – 2 40’ (APS-C format)Focal length : 150-600mm (4x)Diaphragm blades : 9Aperture range: : F/5.6-32 (150mm); F/6.3-40 (600mm)Minimum focus : 2.7m

Maximum magnification ratio : 1:5Filter size : 95mmWeight, Canon mount : Approx. 2095g with detachable tripod mount, lens hood and front lens capDiameter x length : 105.6 x 257.8mmSupplied accessories : Lens hood, detachable tripod mountMounts available : Canon, Nikon, SonyVibration Reduction : Yes, for Canon and Nikon mounts (Sony camera bodies have built-in vibration reduction)

SPECIFICATIONS

84%Design and Build Quality 17/20

Key Features 16.5/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance

Autofocus 4/5

Sharpness 4.5/5

Distortion Control 5/5

Aberrations 4/5

Darkening 4/5 of Corners

Extra Features 4/5

Sub-Total 25.5/30


FINAL SCORE

A 600mm lens (a prime lens though) from the competition would cost over rupees six lacs in India and would be ‘faster’ than the Tamron 150-600mm but then, the Tamron’s MRP is under rupees ninety thousand! The overall performance of the Tamron 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3 Di VC USD is very good indeed, and we have no hesitation in awarding it Best Buy!

VERDICT

PLUS• Compact size• Very good sharpness• Good value for money

MINUS• Odd filter size• Aperture limitation will force you to use higher ISOs• Quite heavy

March 2014 Smart Photography 103

READERS CAN CHECK THE ENTIRE BUYER’S GUIDE,

THAT FEATURES SPECS AND PRICES OF

D-SLRS, ILCCS, DIGITAL COMPACTS AND LENSES VIDE LINK

http://www.smartphotography.in/buyers-guide

GLOSSARY


Terms used in photography can often confuse a photographer, especially a beginner. Here is a list of photographic jargon, with as-simple-as-possible explanations.

Rohinton Mehta

Sensor Buffer Memorycard

APS-C: Describes a imaging sensor size or a camera using this size of sensor.

APS-C stands for Advance Photo System, type C . Sensor size 15.7 x 23.7mm approximately. Varies slightly between manufacturersAperture: Set of metal blades that control the amount of light entering a lens (same as Diaphragm)AVCHD: Advanced Video Coding High Definition. A format for digital recording and playbackAF Sensor: A sensor used in achieving autofocus

Buffer: Temporary storage of data before the images are written to the memory card

Bridge camera: Describes a camera that fits between a compact and a D-SLR. Also known as Prosumer cameraBallhead: (Used on a tripod). Performs similar functions as a pan and tilt head but uses a central ball as a pivot to allow for camera movementsBattery Grip: A device that attaches to the base of a D-SLR. The battery grip, not only provides better grip for vertical shooting, but uses extra batteries to supply power to the camera when the camera battery dies down. In some cases, it helps to increase the frames-per-second firing rateBurst mode: A camera mode that allows continuous firing

Barrel distortion: The outward bulging of straight lines in the centre of the frame due to lens imperfectionBit: Refers to a binary digit – the smallest unit of computer data, either 0 or 1Bit depth: A measure of the number of possible colours/tones in an image. Our images are basically formed using the three primary colours (also known as channels), red, green and blue. JPEG files are 8-bits per channel (which is the same thing as 24-bit. When we say 24-bit, we should not say “per channel”). Raw files can be 12-bits per channel or 14-bits per channel, that is 36-bit or 42-bit respectivelyBracketing: A method of taking three or more shots in succession (using different exposures), with a hope that at least one of them will be accurate. We also bracket when shooting for HDR imaging. Bracketing could also be for White Balance and ISO

J

36mm

APS-C

23.7mm

FullFrame

24mm

15.7

mm

argonPhotographic


CCD/CMOS: Types of imaging sensors. CCD stands for Charged Coupled Device. CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide SemiconductorCompact camera: Describes a small, point-and-shoot type of cameraCenter-weighted meter: One of the in-built exposure meter that places greater emphasises on the central area of the frame. The user generally has the choice of selecting the area (8, 12, 20mm circle at the center) Circular Polariser (CPL): A polarising filter designed to be used with digital cameras (as well as certain film cameras). A CPL prevents secondary polarisation of light at the reflex mirror, thereby preventing exposure/focussing error.Contrast-detection AF: A system of autofocussing wherein the camera uses contrast as the basis of evaluating correct focusChromatic Aberration: The inability of all the three primary colours (Red, Green, Blue) to focus on the same plane. This manifests itself in the form of colour fringing at the edges and is most noticeable against high-contrast elements in the pictureClipping: Overexposing of highlights. Underexposing of shadows.Crop factor: A factor by which the focal length of a lens needs to be multiplied to get the equivalent focal length of a full frame 35mm sensorClose-up lens/filter: A magnifying glass that is attached to the front of a lens to make the lens focus closer. The magnifications are described by the term ‘dioptre’. Eg. +1, +2, +3 etc.

CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black. These are the colours used in books/magazines printingColour temperature: A measure of the colour of light.

D-SLR: Digital Single Lens Reflex camera. An interchangeable lens camera that uses a reflex mirror for viewingDiaphragm: Set of metal blades that control the amount of light entering a lens (same as Aperture)Depth-of-field: The zone of sharpness in a photo.DOF Preview Button: A button on the camera that allows you to visually check the depth-of-field.Dynamic Range: The range of brightness that can be captured by a film or digital imaging sensor. This range is much lower than the dynamic range of our eyesDigital zoom: In-camera electronic enlargement of the central area of a frame. Use of digital zoom should be avoided if high image quality is required. The same effect can be achieved during post-processing, by cropping an area and enlarging itDPI: Dots Per Inch. A measure of print resolutionDiffuser: (1) A camera filter that softens an image (generally used with portraits). (2) Any material that softens the light from a ‘hard light source’ like the sun or a flashgun. Placed between the light source and the subject

Exposure meter: A light-meter that recommends the aperture and shutter speed for a given lighting condition. An exposure meter can be built into the camera or can be an external hand-held variety. To use any light meter, you first need to set the ISO sensitivity.EVF: Short form of Electronic View FinderEvaluative meter: One of the in-built exposure meter that divides the frame into various segments and based on thousands of pre-set exposures built into the camera’s memory, selects a suitable exposure depending on the lighting conditions and the set ISO sensitivity. Also known as Segmented/Matrix meterFrame rate: A measure of how many frames a camera can fire in one secondFlare: Image degrading, unwanted reflection of light within the lensFull-frame: Denotes a camera/imaging sensor that is the same size as a 35mm film (24 x 36mm)Focal plane: Describes the location of the film/imaging sensor within the cameraFocal plane shutter: A type of shutter used in SLRs/D-SLRs. This shutter is placed in front of the film/sensor.Focal length: In a simple convex lens (a magnifying glass for example) and with light coming from infinity – the

Focal Length

GLOSSARY


distance between the vertical centre of the lens and the point where the light rays meet. Focal length tells us how much of the scene will be covered by the lens and what the magnification will beFirmware: A downloadable software offered by the camera manufacturer. Generally used to upgrade/improve on a camera’s performanceFilter: (As applicable to a camera) A thin glass/plastic or gelatine placed in front of the lens to modify the colour/quality/quantity of light entering the lens

H.264: A standard for video compressionHardware: (In terms of computers) The physical elements that make up a computer systemHDR Imaging: High Dynamic Range Imaging. A technique of extending the dynamic range beyond the normal capacity of the imaging sensor. Three (or more) shots are taken from various areas of the scene (one from the shadows, one from the highlights and one from the mid-tones) and then combined in a computer program to create a picture with good detail in shadows as well as highlights. HDR technique is used when the lighting contrast is very high.Histogram: A graph showing the

distribution of tones in an image. The horizontal axis shows the gradation of tones from the darkest to the left, to the brightest at the right. The vertical axis shows how many pixels are there in any particular tone.

HSB: Hue, Saturation, Brightness. The standard colour model for adjusting colour in image editing programs

Intervalometer: A device that allows you to automatically take pictures at fixed intervalsIS: Image Stabilizer– a feature that eliminates/reduces the effect of hand-shake (Originally a Canon Moniker)ILCC: Interchangeable Lens Compact Camera. Describes a mirror-less digital camera with interchangeable lenses, Incident Light Meter: A hand-held light meter that reads the amount of light incident to (falling on) the subject. (see image, Exposure meter)Interpolation: (As related to digital imaging) The act of introducing new elements (pixels) in an image

JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group – a compressed (data losing) file formatJitter: Another way to describe the effects of hand-shake

Kelvin: A unit of measurement of colour temperature based on absolute zero.

Lateral CA: Chromatic aberration in which all the colours are in focus in the same plane but are not placed along the optical axis Longitudenal CA: Chromatic aberration in which different colours do not focus at the same pointLeaf shutter: A type of shutter used in rangefinder cameras. Situated between the lens elements

Linear Polariser (PL): A polarising filter designed to be used with film cameras that do not use a ‘light-splitter’ in the exposure metering systemLive View: A camera feature that allows the LCD to be used as a viewfinderLCD: Liquid Crystal Display – the display (monitor) at the rear of digital camerasLuminosity: Brightness of colour, without considering hue or saturation LZW: An option while saving TIFF files. LZW compresses the file size without loss of data. LZW actually stands for – Lempel – Ziv – Welch, the names of three persons who devised it

Matrix meter: See Evaluative meterMulti-segmented meter: See Evaluative meterMicro Four Thirds: A sensor format jointly created by Kodak, Olympus and

Panasonic. Sensor size approx. 13 x 17mmMOV: A common multi-media format for saving movies and other video films.Macro lens: A special lens designed for life-size (1:1) photographyMemory card: The removable module within a digital camera, that stores the imagesMid-tone: Average tone. Neither too dark or too light; an in-between tone

Noise: The digital equivalent of film grain. Noise is caused mainly due to underexposure.Normal lens: A lens having a focal length equivalent to the diagonal of the given format

36mm

Micro Four Thirds

17mm

FullFrame

24mm

13m

m


Optical Viewfinder: The normal viewing device in a camera, through which you view and frame a subject. It uses optical glass as opposed to Electronic Viewfinder that uses electronic circuitry to boost the information within

Pan and Tilt head: A camera support used along with a tripod, that allows the camera to be tilted (up/down) and panned sideways. It is different from a ‘ball-head’ in that it uses separate levers to control the pan and tiltPerspective Control/Tilt-Shift lens: A special lens designed for correcting perspective distortionPolariser: A filter that cuts off polarised light from entering the lens. This filter, when used correctly, has the ability to darken blue sky, cut reflections from water, glass, painted metal, wood, paper etc.Phase-detection AF: A method of autofocussing that splits the image in two and compares the images for similar light intensity patternsPerspective: The size relationship between the foreground, mid-ground and background objects in a photo.Pin cushion distortion: The inward pulling of straight lines in the centre of the frame due to lens imperfection.Prosumer camera: Same as Bridge cameraPartial metering: Found mostly in Canon cameras, roughly 10-15% of the

frame is measured in the centre.Pixel: The building block of any digital image; the smallest unit of any digital image. Short form of Picture ElementPlug-in: A software designed to supplement a computer program’s performance or features. Generally created by third partiesPPI: Pixels Per Inch. A measure of image resolution (applies to images on the computer screen)

Raw: Refers to the data received directly from the imaging sensor, without any image parameters applied to itReflected Light meter: A light meter that reads the amount of light reflected from a subject. Light meters built into cameras are reflected light meters.RGB: The primary colours (Red, Green, Blue) of the additive colour systemRAID: Redundant Array of Independent Disks. A stack of hard disks, functioning as oneReflector: Any material that can reflect some light back onto a subjectResampling: The act of increasing or decreasing the resolution of an image by interpolation

Sensor: (Imaging Sensor): Digital equivalent of film.Spot meter: One of the in-built exposure meter that reads a very small area of the frame (typically 3-5% area). External, hand-held 1-degree spot meters are also available.Softbox: A type of light modifier, generally used with studio lights

Software: A computer program that instructs a computer what to do, when to do and how to do

TIFF: Tagged Image File Format – a lossless file formatTelephoto lens: A lens having an angle-of-view narrower than that of a Normal lens (Eg. 70, 85, 100, 200, 300mm etc)Teleconverter: A lens that fits between the camera body and the main lens. Its job is to increase the focal length, thereby offering a larger image

Umbrella: A light modifier in the shape of an umbrella

VR: Stands for Vibration Reduction – a feature that eliminates/reduces the effect of hand-shake

White Balance: A process of getting rid of colour casts. White objects should appear white in prints (there could be several reasons why that may not be so). Once white objects appear white, all other colours appear without any colour castsWide-angle lens: A lens having an angle-of-view greater than that of a Normal lens (Eg. 35, 28, 24, 20mm etc)

X-sync speed: Shutter speeds compatible with electronic flash

Zoom lens: A lens having multiple focal lengths

SPRecommends


Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

Nokia Lumia 1020

Sony Xperia Z1

Nothing can beat the S4 zoom when it comes to cameras embedded in Smartphones. A true hybrid, this device features a full-fledged compact camera at the back in addition to a feature-packed Android Smartphone. The S4 Zoom’s camera features a 16-megapixel, 1/2.33-inch Type (6.16 x 4.62mm) BSI CMOS sensor. It houses a 24-240mm equivalent lens with

Optical Image Stabilisation. The general features include a 1.5GHz Pega-Dual +XMM6262 processor, Android JellyBean v4.2 OS with Touchwiz UI, 1.5GB RAM and 8GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB. It is powered by a 2330mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. At a launch price of Rs.31,990 and superior performance, the device is a great buy.

A 41-megapixel Smartphone camera is no joke. Th announcement of this device itself was enough to leave people awe-struck. The 1020 carries the brilliant monoblock design that is the hallmark of the Lumia series. The screen is made of scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The camera features a Xenon flash along with a focus assist light. With the

41-megapixel Pureview camera, the 1020 literally reinvented zoom as the tagline for the device said. The phone features Optical Image Stabilisation, a 1/1.5-inch type back-side illuminated (BSI) sensor, and a Carl Zeiss f/2.2, approximately 25-70mm lens completes the camera specs. The Lumia 1020 was launched at an MRP of Rs.49,999.

The Z1 incorporates premium display features in a Smartphone that is waterproof, dustproof and sports a 20.7-megapixel camera. It uses a 1/2.3-inch Type (6.16 x 4.62mm) Exmor RS for mobile sensor and a Sony G 27mm equivalent f/2.0 lens. With an Ingress Protection rating of IP55/58, the device is dust resistant and waterproof up to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes when all the covers

are firmly closed. The Xperia Z1 runs on Android 4.2.2 ( Jelly Bean) and uses a 2.2-GHz Qualcomm Snapdradon 800 Quad Core processor, combined with an Adreno 330 GPU. It has a 5-inch Full HD Triluminos Display that boasts a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. Other features include 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, and 64GB expandable memory. The Z1 was launched with an MRP of Rs. 44,990.

3 Best Smartphones


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


WHAT IS WI-FI?

Our regular readers are aware of our increased stress on including Wi-Fi as a feature in all cameras.

But reader R. Janmal wants to know what exactly Wi-Fi is and how it works. So here goes...

Wi-Fi is a term used for communication technology that transmits data using radio waves from one device to another. The word ‘Wi-Fi’ is now patented and the patent is owned by a number of companies that have formed a ‘Wi-Fi’ Alliance’. The Alliance ensures that all official Wi-Fi certified products communicate without problems. Wi-Fi is offered today by all major telecom operators and can be accessed using Smartphones, Tablets, computers and nowadays, cameras.

In today’s digital cameras, Wi-Fi enabled cameras offer a step-up on non-enabled ones. A camera having Wi-Fi allows you to instantly send your images to your home computer. For this purpose, you need a Smartphone or Tablet. This Smartphone or Tablet needs to be fed an app that will allow it to communicate with your camera. This app can be downloaded and installed for free from the Google Store or Apple App Store.

Once connected, you can send your images from your camera to your Smartphone or Tablet. From the phone or the Tablet,

you can of course send your images to specific sites like Facebook or Flickr. In the latest cameras featuring Wi-Fi, you can connect directly to the internet without the intervention of your mobile.

The first D-SLR to feature Wi-Fi was Canon’s EOS 6D. Mirrorless camera manufacturers have been quicker and Olympus (E-M1), Panasonic (GH3) and Sony (A7R) have Wi-Fi models. Bridge cameras like Panasonic’s FZ 200 also feature Wi-Fi.

If you own a camera without Wi-Fi, you need not despair. An Eye-Fi card can give you Wi-Fi benefits without your having to replace your existing camera.One technology that is likely to become more popular is NFC or Near Field Communication. This wireless technology uses radio waves to allow two devices (say a camera and a Tab) to communicate over very short distances. Thus, NFC enables two devices to share data simply by tapping them together. This technology is already popular with mobile phones and should soon catch up with digital cameras as well. Like the Wi-Fi Alliance, a NFC Forum has already been formed and this Forum will ensure NFC compatibility between various devices. The Panasonic Lumix GX-7 is a good example of a camera featuring both Wi-Fi and NFC.

H. S. Billimoria

smart photography 201404

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