Smart Photography Magazine

INDIAS NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
ISSUE 9
VOLUME 08
DECEMBER 2012
SUBSCRIBERS COPY
RS.100
LEARNINGS
BASICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
WEEKEND PROJECT:TABLE TOP PHOTOGRAPHY IN
YOUR OFFICE
SILVER EFEX PRO 2
PHOTOSHOPS HIDDEN GEM - PIXEL BENDER
BLACK & WHITE CONVERSION
GIVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY A TILT!
ALSO REVIEWED
OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60MM F/2.8 MACRO
PORTRAIT PROFESSIONAL STUDIO
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Shibu Arakkal
ART & SOUL
REVIEWED: PANASONIC LUMIX GH3

PANASONIC LUMIX FZ200
NIKON COOLPIX S800C
SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-S5000

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OOOLYMMPPUUS OOLYM LYMPPUS US MMM. UU K .ZUIK .ZUIKO O KO D DDDIIIGGG TALL EE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD M / DDIGITAL IGITAL ED ED 60MM F/2.8 60MM F/2.8 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMACR ACROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
PO PORTRAIT RTRAIT PPRROOFFEESSI SSIOONAL NAL SSTU TUDDIIOO
LEARNINGS
YOUR OFFICE
SILVER EFEX PRO 2
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Shibu Arakkal
ART & SOUL
AWARDS
2013
AND
Coming Soon...
In January
Welcome
A
s 2012 draws to a close, let us look back at the
technologies/trends that emerged in the year as
these are likely to shape the future.
1. It looks as if the majors are marching back to 35mm i.e.
full frame sensors. At least 5 such D-SLRs were launched
during the year. Tey are also making their D-SLRs smaller
and lighter.
2. Convergence between phones and cameras is being
taken to a new level. More and more cameras feature built-in Wi-Fi and Nikons
Coolpix S800C even runs Googles Android operating system.
3. Te quality of video available from still cameras is steadily improving to the level
where you can shoot 1920 x 1080 p video and send it straight away to YouTube.
4. Smaller and lighter mirrorless cameras are steadily increasing market share. And
if you thought smaller sensors were no good, just see the review of the Lumix GH3
in this issue.
5. Te cheap compact (under 8 MP, currently) is almost history, unable to face the on-
slaught from Smartphones. High quality compacts (like Sonys RX 1) will have no problems.
H. S. Billimoria
WE ARE GLUED TO THE GLOBAL
IMAGING INDUSTRY
Our team is updated with all the benchmarks
and road blocks that the feld of photography
and imaging across the globe experiences.
Tis helps us record the changes in the global
perspective, thus making us the frst to predict
which products will be a rage in the Indian
markets.
WERE IMPARTIAL
Loyalty towards our readers is a given, and
their best interests are always on our mind.
Every verdict is honest and not infuenced 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 EXPERTS
All equipment go through a series of tests at the
hands of our experts. Our reviewers are experts in
the feld of photography across the country and
have many years of experience. Tat gives us the
foresight to distinguish between a passing trend
and a big change in the feld of photography and
imaging. And fnally, our reviews are not extended
to just fll up the pages!
WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU
Tere is no debate on why we are here. Our
sole goal is to provide you options and beter
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!
HERES WHAT
MAKES US #1
EDITOR
Hoshang S. Billimoria
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Rohinton Mehta
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Mathew Totungal
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Sujith Gopinath
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Aswathi Nair
Surabhi Rawat
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Mahesh Reddy
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Atul D. Bandekar
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PHOTOGRAPHY
All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries
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relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. Smart Photogra-
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Editor Hoshang S Billimoria
December 2012 Smart Photography 5
Contents
DECEMBER 2012
6 Smart Photography December 2012
ISSUE 9
VOLUME 08
DECEMBER 2012
SUBSCRIBERS COPY
RS.100
LEARNINGS
YOUR OFFICE
SILVER EFEX PRO 2
ALSO REVIEWED
OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60MM F/2.8 MACRO
PORTRAIT PROFESSIONAL STUDIO
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Shibu Arakkal
ART & SOUL
REVIEWED: PANASONIC LUMIX GH3 PANASONIC LUMIX FZ200 NIKON COOLPIX S800C SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-S5000
ALSO REVIEWED ALSO REVIEWED
OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60MM F/2.8 MACRO OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60MM F/2.8 MACRO
PORTRAIT PROFESSIONAL STUDIO PORTRAIT PROFESSIONAL STUDIO
LEARNINGS
YOUR OFFICE
SILVER EFEX PRO 2
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Shibu Arakkal
ART & SOUL
Cover Photograph : Rajesh Bhattacharjee
REGULARS
10 Mail Bag
12 News Watch
32 Kaleidoscope
36 Picture of the Month
38 Showcase - Rajesh Bhatacharjee
42 If I Were You
46 Ask Uncle Ronnie
52 MasterCrafsman - Shibu Arakkal
138 Tidbits
Just a moment!
Readers can fnd the updated Buyers
Guide, log on htp://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 atention 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. Tis
permits readers to submit panoramic shots,
which was not possible with the current size of
17 x 11 inches.
Contents
DECEMBER 2012
LEARNINGS
60 Basics of Photography:
Weekend Project:Table top Photography in your Ofce
64 Silver Efex Pro 2
67 Photoshops Hidden Gem - Pixel Bender
72 Black & White Conversion
76 Give your photography a Tilt!

REVIEWS
82 Panasonic Lumix GH3
88 Panasonic Lumix FZ200
92 Nikon Coolpix S800C
98 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S5000
104 Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro
106 Portrait Professional Studio
Mailbag
Write to us at:
Mail Bag
Smart Photography,
Trade World, C-Wing,
2nd Floor, Kamala Mills
Compound, Senapati Bapat
Marg, Lower Parel( W),
Mumbai 400013.
E-mail:
sp@nextgenpublishing.net
Great news to share!
Happy Diwali to all SP readers!
I would like to share this
very exciting news with
Smart Photography
and its readers. I recently
secured the Highly
Honored Winner award
in the Endangered
category of the Natures
Best Photography
Competition, USA for
the sixth time. My image
was that of a Rhino and
its young one taken at
Kaziranga National Park,
Assam. Tis esteemed competition received more than 20,000 entries from around the
world. It feels great to have received this honour.
Tanks and Regards,
Jagdeep Rajput
ISSUE 8
VOLUME 08
NOVEMBER 2012
Smart
Photography
SUBSCRIBERS COPY
RS.100
LEARNINGS
BASICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
SETTING UP A HOME STUDIO
DO COMMIT THESE MISTAKES!
SNAPSHOTS
REVIEWS
NIKON D600
OLYMPUS SP-620UZ
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300MM
OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75MM
PANASONIC LUMIX 12-35MM
TAMRON SP24-70MM
EPSON L800
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Mahesh Shantaram
Knotty Affair...
FREE 16 PAGE OLYMPUS SUPPLEMENT WITH NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE
NIKON D600
FREE OLYMPUS SUPPLEMENT WITH THIS ISSUE!
Black and White Melody in Riots
We take great pleasure in
announcing the mega show
titled BLACK & WHITE
MELODY IN RIOTS
organised by THIRD EYE.
Te show will display Black
& White photographs on
canvas. Tis exhibition is to
celebrate our 25
th
year. It
will be conducted at Birla
Academy, Kolkata, from 4
th
to
9
th
December, 2012 (3:00 to
8:00pm). Also, Black & White slides on various themes will be projected at 7pm daily by
eminent photo artist Atanu Paul and the members of THIRD EYE.

Hope we will get your warm support as always.

Tanks and Regards,
Madhuparna Chaterjee, THIRD EYE
ERRATA
Our November issue
featured a column
titled A DIY (Do
It Yourself ) Photo
Table in the Basics of
Photography section.
Te measurement of
the back frame was
erroneously mentioned
as 1 foot x 3 feet (30cm
X 90cm). Te correct
measurement for the
frame is: 2 feet x 3 feet
(60cm X 90cm)- One
piece. We apologise for
the error and regret any
inconvenience caused.
International
News Watch
SNIPPETS
Nikon develops three new
1 Nikkor lenses
Nikon has developed three
new 1 Nikkor lenses for its
advanced camera with inter-
changeable lens system.
They are the 35mm medium-
telephoto fixed focal length
lens with a fast maximum f/1.2;
a 6.7-13mm f/3.5-3.6 ultra
wide-angel; and a compact and
light-weight 10X zoom lens 10-
100mm f/4-5.6 portable lens.
Sony plans to strengthen
operations
Sony is consolidating certain
manufacturing operations as a
part of its cost-cutting with the
closing of one camera lens-
making plant. Sony already
owns more than 11% share of
lens-maker Tamron.

Panasonic forecasts a loss
for the year 2012-13
Panasonic Corp. after
eliminating 39,000 workers
in 2011, about 11% of total
workforce, forecasts a loss of
765 billion Yen in the fiscal
year ending March 31
st
, 2013.
CEA announces its latest
Ultra High-Defnition
Te Consumer Electronics
Association (CEA) of USA
announced the next generation
of so-called 4K high defnition
industry technology for homes
(giant screen TV with more than
8 million pixels of resolution),
which will be called ultra high-
defnition or ultra HD. Te
technology will be displayed at
the CES 2013.
Sigma to debut Art Line 35mm
F1.4 DG HSM Lens
Sigma Corp. recently announced its latest SIGMA 35mm
F1.4 DG HSM, the frst lens from Art line, which was
showcased at Photokina this year. Te company will
launch this lens frst for Sigma cameras at a suggested
price of 123,000 Yen. Te next release will be for the
Canon mount; though the launch date for Nikon, Pentax
and Sony mounts are yet to be announced.
Casio markets its compact
D-cam in Japan
Casio Computer Co. has started
the marketing of its latest fagship
model Exilim EX-ZR1000, which
was showcased at Photokina, from
11
th
November. Te company is
selling the model at around 50,000
Yen (US$625) in Japan; while the
company announced it will carry a
price tag of 299 Euro in Europe, as
the European market is the
most competitive.
Fujiflm launches FinePix F800EXR
Fujiflm recently launched FinePix
F800EXR, a 16-megapixel sensor
compact camera with a 20X (25-
500mm) zoom lens which is capable
of autofocussing in 0.16 seconds. Te
camera has a retail price of $349.95.
Some of its key features include a
wireless transfer to a smartphone or
tablet computer, an EXR back-side
illumination CMOS sensor, 8fps continuous shooting, raw image capture, full 1080p HD
movies, high speed movie capture at 320fps, 3-inch LCD screen, GPS functionality, and
function buton and a powerful built-in fash to name a few.
International
News Watch
Miyamoto Mfg. announces
lens mount adapters for
Canon EOS M
Miyamoto Mfg Co. announced a series of lens mount adapters for
the Canon EOS M. Te frst lot includes the CFD-FE M for Canon FD
mount lenses, the LM-FE M for Leica M mount lenses and the NF-EF M
for Nikon F mount lenses. Tese adapters will sell for 19,950 Yen each;
they are also available on the companys online shop at a special price
of 14,700 Yen. In the future the company will add the CY-EF M for
Contax/Yashica mount lenses, the PK-EF M for Pentax K mount, the OM-
EF M, M42-EF M, the LR-EF M, and the EXA/TOP-EF M for Olympus
M mount. It will also launch models with aperture ring for Nikon F G
mount lenses, the NFG-FE M, the PDA-EF M for Pentax DA mount,
and the Salpha-EF M for Minolta/Sony alpha mount lenses. Adapters
with aperture ring will sell for 25,200 Yen. Te launch dates will be
announced later.
Nikon Corp. has introduced the second version of its
Nikon 1 interchangeable lens system camera in November.
Te outer design is more like a conventional SLR camera,
unlike the Nikon 1 V1, mounted with electronic viewfnder
and strobe. Te camera weighs 278g, the lightest in the
lens changeable system camera with built-in EVF and
strobe category, according to the company. Te
Nikon 1 V2 features newly-developed 1-inch
14.25-megapixel Super High-speed AF CMOS sensor and
EXPEED 3A image processor, and advanced AF system and
motion snap shot as the former Nikon 1 V1. High-speed
continuous shot function is improved from the previous
model to 15 fps in the AF tracking mode or 60 fps in AF
fxed mode.
Te V2 also has a newly introduced Slow-view mode which
allows capturing images when the shuter release is pressed
half-way and displays images on EFV or LCD monitor at a
speed that is 5 times slower for an easy pick up of the best shot
once the shuter release is pressed fully. Tis function helps the
photographer to take a beter shot of fast moving subjects.
Te Nikon 1 V2 can store both high-resolution still images
and movies simultaneously. It can use Nikkor lenses with
optional mount adapter FT1, wireless transmission by way of
optional mobile adapter WU-1b or Eye-Fi card. Nikon also
introduced dedicated speed light SB-N7, and dedicated
lenses; the 32mm (86.4mm in terms of 35mm) F1.2, 6.7-
13mm (18-35mm) F3.5-5.6, and 10-100mm (27-270mm in
35mm) F4-5.6. An Indian price is yet to be announced.
Nikon to launch Nikon 1 V2
Kenko Tokina
launches macro
ring fash
Kenko Tokina Co. has launched a macro ring fash
unit dubbed Soluis KSR-EF10 for D-SLRs at a
suggested price of 19,815 Yen. Te ring tube
atached in front of the lens enables one to take
close-up pictures without unwanted shadows.
Te main features of the macro ring fash include
a guide number: 10; fashing modes of 5 manually
available at 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and 1/1; fashing
frequency: 300 to 1000; recycling interval: 0.1-2
sec; fash duration: 1/300 sec to 1/5000sec; power
source: 4 AA cells. Adapter rings of 49mm, 52mm,
55mm, 58mm, 62mm and 67mm are provided
with the product.
International
News Watch
Canon Inc. announced
the release of two
new interchangeable
lenses for its
EOS series SLR
cameras, starting
early December in
Japan. Both models
are compact and
lightweight suitable
for everyday use.
Te frst one is the
EF35mm F2 IS USM lens, which has an image stabiliser
in four steps with a full-time manual focussing; its closest
shooting distance is 24cm, and max is 0.24X for close-up
photography. Te
suggested price is
87,150 Yen.
Te second lens is the
EF24-70mm F4L IS
USM compact standard
zoom lens, with
hybrid IS hand-shake
compensation, closest
shooting distance of
38cm for all zooming area, allowing 20cm closest shot with
macro mode. Its suggested price is 161,700 Yen.
French photographer Luc
Delahaye bags Prix Pictet
Awards12
French photographer Luc Delahaye was selected from a list of 12 photographers
including Robert Adams, Daniel Beltr, Mohamed Bourouissa, Philippe Chancel,
Edmund Clark, Car de Keyzer, Rena Efendi, Jacqueline Hassink, An-My L, Joel
Sternfeld and Guy Tillim for the Prix Pictet awards this year. Te theme of this
years competition was Power, for which Delahaye submited a series of 10 images
shot between 2008 and 2011. According to David King, Jury President, Delahayes
images were chosen for their narrative power and intensity.
Microsof launches Windows 8
Microsof has ofcially launched Windows 8, the Surface tablet and Windows
Phone 8. Te new operating system is the sofware giants strongest atempt to
break into the tablet market and expand its presence in mobile phones. Te
new OS is revamped, dropping the familiar desktop with icons for a more touch-
friendly appearance. Instead of icons, the desktop is covered in tiles that sweep
aside; this allows the OS to be used just as readily on tablets, touchscreen laptops
and all in-one PCs. Some of the interesting new devices taking advantage of
Windows 8s ability to run both a high-end PC and a tablet are the hybrid models
by companies like Acer, Asus, Dell, Toshiba, Sony and Hewlet-Packard.
Sigma
targets photo
enthusiasts
Sigma is set to target their
compact system camera
(CSC) lenses at serious photo
enthusiasts rather than regular
consumers.

Talking about the their future
launches Kazuto Yamaki, CEO-
Sigma, said, We will support
the D-SLR and CSC systems.
But our focus is on serious
photographers. He mentioned
that Sigma is expected to move
away from CSCs, such as the
Pentax Q, towards cameras from
the likes of Sony and micro four
thirds models. Yamaki stated
that the company will launch
D-SLRs to keep their loyal
customers happy.
Canon to release two interchangeable lenses
News Watch
Business
Canon Inc. said that it recorded an operating proft of
59,139 billion Yen, down 356% year-on-year, for the third
quarter of fscal 2012 ( July to September), on the total
sales of 799.9 billion Yen, down 12.8%. Its operating proft
for the 9-month period from January to September was
163.39 billion Yen, down 12.7% from the same period last
year on the total sales of 2.528 trillion Yen, down 2.5%. Te
company cited sluggishness in the global economy, and
weaker-than-expected sales of compact digital cameras
and inkjet printers for the loss.
Te company revised its digital camera sales downward
to 8.8 million units of D-SLRs, up 22% year-on-year and
compact models to 19 million units, up 2%. Te numbers
are, however, 400K and 2 million units less than the earlier
forecast. Te company cited that one fourth will be due
to Chinas boycot of Japanese products. Canon also
anticipates the worlds digital camera market to shrink to
19.3 million units of interchangeable lens system cameras
from earlier outlook of 20 million, and 95 million units of
compact D-cams from 105 million units.
At the same time, Canon trimmed earnings for the full
fscal year through December. It expects a net proft of
234 billion Yen, down 5.9% year-on-year, on the total
sales of 3.532 trillion Yen, down 0.7% year-on-year. Tis
is the second time it has cut its outlook for the full fscal
year. Te company expects a recovery in sales of D-SLR
cameras, high value-added compact camera models and
inkjet printers but anticipates uncertainty in laser printers
and industrial equipment, such as semiconductor and fat
panel display exposure machines. Te outlook is based
on the expected exchange rates of 78 Yen for the dollar
and 100 Yen for the Euro.
Canons net proft for third quarter plunges
12.7%
Sony to revise D-cam
shipments
Sony reported the fnancial results of its second quarter ( July-September)
of fscal 2012 with a gain in revenue at 1.9% to 1.604 trillion Yen (US$20
B) and operational proft turned to black 30.3 billion Yen (US$378.7 M)
from the previous loss of 1.6 billion Yen; while it posted a 15.5 billion loss
for the quarter. For the frst half-year, sales rose 1.6% to 3.119 trillion Yen
(US$38.9 B) and operational proft was up 41.2% to 365.3 billion Yen
(US$4.5 B), but it posted a net loss of 401.1 billion Yen (US$5.0 B).
Te company revealed the revenue of its Imaging Products and Solution
business for the 2nd quarter dropped 16.7% to 182.6 billion Yen
(US$2.2 B) with an operational proft of 2.6 billion Yen (US$32.5 M)
down 83.6% year-on-year.
Te company forecasts sales up 1.6% to 6.6 trillion Yen, operational proft
130 billion Yen, and net proft 20 billion Yen for this fscal year which
ends in March 2013.
Sanyo Electric
to sell digital
camera biz
Panasonic Corp unit, Sanyo Co., is in talks
of selling its digital camera business to an
investment fund. Negotiations proved
to be difcult because the companys
operations focus on the shrinking
compact digital camera market. Sanyo,
which has no camera brand of its own,
supplies products to several companies
including Olympus. With potential
buyers among both domestic and
overseas manufacturers, its digital camera
production reached 11 million units in
March 2011.
News Watch
Business
Nikon posts 26% gain in
Imaging Product sales
Nikon Corp. announced its consolidated frst half-year result stating that the
operational proft plunged 39.3% year-on-year to 37.1 billion Yen (US$463.7
M) on a total revenue of 497.2 billion Yen (US$6.21 B), up by 2%. Te net proft
decreased 36.5% to 32 billion Yen (US$400M).
The Imaging Products business posted a record sales for the first-half year
at 381 billion Yen (US$4.76 B), a 17.4% gain; with operational profit of
41.8 billion Yen (US$522.5 M), a drop of 11.8%. Lens changeable system
camera sales came to 3.45 million units, while interchangeable lenses
rose 21.7% to 4.77 million units. Compact D-cams managed a 5% gain
in the shrinking market; a total of 8.26 million units being sold. For the
full year, Nikon expects the business to post 740 billion Yen in sales, up
26.1% year-on-year; operational profit of 80 billion Yen, up 48.7%, by
favourable sales of lens changeable system camera, which Nikon estimates
at 7.1 million units, 100K units more than the previous forecast.
Olympus
estimates
a loss of 8
billion Yen
Olympus Corp., in the frst half-fscal
2012-13 consolidated fnancial report
published in September declared that
their sales dropped 2.1% to 405.7
billion Yen, gained 2.9% in operational
proft to 18.0 billion Yen, and net
proft 8.01 billion Yen turned around
from the previous years loss of 32.3
billion Yen. Te Imaging Products
business posted a 21.3% drop in sales
to 55.9 billion Yen, with an operational
loss of 4.4 billion Yen.

Te company said that the unit sale
of its mirrorless lens changeable
system cameras were favourable but
compact cameras declined in line
with the shrinking trend on the global
market. Based on the results, the
company anticipates that the digital
camera sales will drop by some 10%
to 7.3 million units from previous
projection of 9.2 million units of
which compact D-cams will reduce
by 800K units.
Fujiflm to add new X series compact D-cam
Fujiflm announced the marketing of Fujiflm XF1, the sixth digital camera in the high-quality X series, in the domestic
market from November 3
rd
at around 55,000 Yen. Fujiflm hopes to sell 300K units during the initial year. Te XF1 features
a 2/3-inch Type 12-megapixel EXR CMOS sensor, Fujinon manual zoom lens of F1.8-4.6, 25-100mm in terms of 35mm,
3-inch LCD monitor, and slim body of 33mm when the lens is retracted. Fujiflm said the new camera was included in its
award-winning models at Japans Good Design Award.
Sony to close interchangeable lens
manufacturing Minokamo plant
Sony Corp. has announced a few steps to accelerate structural reforms of its
headquarters and electronics business operations in Japan. Te plans include
strengthening certain manufacturing operations and taking measures to
reduce its headcount. In order to enhance the efciency of its manufacturing
operations, the manufacture of interchangeable lenses and lens blocks being
conducted at Sony EMCS Corp.s Minokamo Site will now be absorbed by
EMCS Corp.s Koda Site. Te operations currently being carried out at the
Minokamo Site will be partially discontinued and the rest would be transferred
to EMCSs Kisarazu Site. Te Minokamo Site is scheduled to close by March
2013. Sony will also reduce the size of its workforce.
News Watch
National
Nikon India announced the latest
D5200 D-SLR camera, which
is a compact and lightweight
entry-level model with Nikons
all-new DX-format CMOS sensor.
The camera has an effective
pixel count of approximately
24.1-million, and is fitted with
the optimised EXPEED 3 image
processing engine.
Te D5200 allows photographers
and amateurs to capture images with Vari-angle LCD,
making self-portraits possible. Some of its advanced
features include 39 focus points,
Scene Recognition System, i-TTL
balanced fll-fash and Auto White
Balance control.
Speaking about the latest
introduction, Hiroshi Takashina
San, Managing Director, Nikon
India said, Te announcement is
a testimony of Nikons leadership
in the D-SLR category. With this
launch, the consumers will now
be able to capture highly fexible image expression that
ensures beautiful pictures.
DX-format based D5200 D-SLR introduced by Nikon
Nikon introduces
70-200mm
telephoto zoom
Nikon Corporation added a new addition to the
telephoto zoom lens family-- the AF-S NIKKOR
70-200mm f/4G ED VR. Compatible with the Nikon
FX format, it covers the 70200mm range of focal
lengths with a fxed maximum aperture of f/4. Te
AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR joins the ultra-
wide-angle AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR and
normal zoom AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR
in f/4 maximum aperture lens series that forms the
core of NIKKOR FX-format lenses. In spite of covering
the 70-200mm range of focal length, it boasts of
the closest focussing distance of approximately one
meter. It also has a superior rendering with a focus
from infnity to close-up, making it an excellent lens
for a wide variety of scenes.

Te lens adopts a number of exclusive Nikon
technologies including Nano Crystal Coat, a built-in
Vibration Reduction (VR) system that provides
camera shake compensation equivalent to a fve-
step increase in shuter speed, and a Silent Wave
Motor (SWM) for autofocussing.
Fujiflm unveils the HS30
Fujiflm has launched the new FinePix HS30EXR which ofers a
high zoom
and a super
macro mode.
Te camera
has various
features
like EXR
Technology
behind its
sensor and
processor,
High Speed
Shooting
Functions,
Film
Simulation mode, High Contrast 3.0-inch Large LCD, Advanced
Shooting Modes etc. Te product has been priced at Rs. 26,999.
Te HS range is enriched with versatile functions and will be
desired by photographers who do not want the lens changing
capability of a D-SLR, but are still keen on the total control over
their images. HS30EXR is one such camera in prosumer/bridge
category, said Rohit Pandit, EVP Sales & Marketing, Fujiflm India.
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News Watch
National
Nikon announces its
international photo
contest for this year
Nikon Corporation has announced that it will accept
entries for its international photo contest from
December 1
st
, 2012 to February 28
th
, 2013. This year will
see the introduction of a movie category.

The entries can be submitted under four categories:
Single photo (Category A), Composite photo (Category
B, featuring composites composed of series of two
to five photographs), Photographic videos (Category
C, featuring videos of 45 seconds in length), and
motion snapshot (Category D). In category D, work
submitted has to adhere to the new Motion Snapshot
image format that combines still images and movies
and is available with Nikon 1, Advanced Camera with
Interchangeable Lens. A total of 54 creations will be
selected for the first, second, and third prizes in each
category, together with a Grand Prize for the overall
best entry.
A new addition is the Participants Award for Most Popular
Entry, which will be chosen by the contest entrants.
Entries must be submited via E-mail to htp://www.nikon-
photocontest.com/, with the entry form. Te winners will
be revealed next year, and their work will be displayed in a
public exhibition which will be announced later.
DNP printers use new
technology to create
photo-realistic prints
DNP printers now use a new thermal stroke dye sublimation
printing technology to create photo-realistic prints. Tey use
a heating process to mix dyes on to mat or gloss fnished
products which produces a continuous tone print. Tis
ofers an excellent image quality and fast speed with litle
investment. While the Digital Photo Printer DS 80 RX1 will be
priced at Rs. 69,990; the Digital Photo Printer DS 80 will be
available at Rs.1,59,900.
Nikon India has revealed plans to strengthen its presence
in Western India through increased retail outlets. Tese
outlets, named COOLPIX Zones, will give customers access
to the entire range of Nikon COOLPIX cameras along with
a select range of NIKKOR lenses, Nikon accessories, Nikon
1 series, select D-SLR range, and Nikon Sport Optics range.
Te company has adopted the shop-in-shop retail concept
and will provide customers an opportunity to experience
world-class products before buying one.
The companys new COOLPIX Zone was inaugurated
by Hiroshi Takashina, Managing Director, Nikon India.
During the launch Takashina said, Western India has
always been one of our biggest markets. The launch
of this zone is part of our efforts to reach the target of
110 outlets by 2013 of which 28 are in Western
India alone.
Nikon to strengthen its presence in Western
India
Saurabh Mehta, MD Central Camera and Hiroshi Takashina, MD Nikon at the
Nikon COOLPIX Zone launch in Mumbai on October 23, 2012
MAR 2013
PANGOT
FEB 2013
BHARATPUR
JAN 2013
NILGIRI
JAN 2013
KAZIRANGA
MAR 2013
EAGLENEST
JAN 2013
CORBETT
The best of nature
with the best in business
Guided Photography tours by the Masters of Wildlife Photography
News Watch
National
held in Rajahmundry, AP
F
ederation of Indian
Photographys (FIP) 26
th
All India Photography
Convention, organised by
Greenzone, was held from
6
th
to 8
th
November 2012 at
Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh
followed by a photography
excursion to Papi hills. Around
180 delegates from across India
attended this convention. The
convention was inaugurated
by Nyapathi Raghava Rao,
senior landscape photographer.
Renowned stalwarts from the
field of photography delivered
lectures, slide shows and
workshops at the convention.
On the inaugural day, Dr. B.K.
Sinha (MFIAP, ARPS, President,
FIP) spoke on the past and
present of FIP. Ashok Kandimalla
enriched the participants in
understanding Histograms in
Digital Photography. Retired
Conservator of Forests M.N.
Jayakumar, (MFIAP, FRPS)
presented a talk on Indian
Biodiversity-Status and Role of
Photography in Conservation
with Ethics. A slide show on
Macro Photography was
presented by Baburajan
Thekkan.
The second days sessions
included Dr. S. Harinarayanas
(Hon FIP, ARPS) slide show on
Bird Photography; Rohinton
Mehtas (Hon FIP, Hon PSI)
talk on Photoshop CS6 for
Pictorialist; and Vinay Parelkar
(FFIP, ARPS, AFIAP) with Ambika
Mehra conducted a workshop
on Portrait and Lighting.
The third day started with a
talk on Passion in Photography
by Himadari Sekhar Dutta
(EFIAP, FFIP); followed by a
slide show on Pictorial and
Creative Photography by
Sushanta Banerjee (Hon FIP,
MFIAP, ARPS). Later a lecture
on My Journey Towards Forms,
Colours and Textures was
given by Anil Risal Singh (Hon
FIP, MFIAP, ARPS). Aspect of
Photojournalism and Present
Trends was presented by
Debatosh Sengupta (ESFIAP).
Shivji Joshi (Hon FIP, AFIAP)
presented a slide show on
Dancing Desert. Rajendra
Prasad (ARPS) presented a
workshop on Lightroom and
Raw Conversion. Later, Rohinton
Mehta and Ashok Kandimalla
answered questions in the
session, Digitally Yours.
The convention ended with
distribution of International
honours EFIAP and AFIAP along
with National honours FFIP,
AFIP and Hon. FIP certificates to
successful photo artists.
Dr. B. K. Sinha addressing the august gathering. In the background are the committee members of FIP.
26
th
FIP convention
Finally, a platorm for all photographers to exhibit their talent and GET NOTICED!
Kaleidoscope
All the worlds a stage
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Aperture : f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/8000 sec.
ISO: 640
Renuka Retnaswamy,
California
I
am from Chennai, but live in California with my cat
named Mr. Rat, and I drive around in a black bug
named Blackbird with a yellow sunflower. I have
always enjoyed the in-between moments - the silence,
the calmness on a persons face, especially when they
exhale. Dont they say that music is the silence between
Te Beauty of being Diferent...
I see you
Aperture : f/6.3
ISO: 640
A space for myself
Aperture : f/1.4
ISO: 200
notes? This is precisely my approach to photography,
for I strive to capture the soul when I shoot portraits,
says Renuka Retnaswamy, a student of photography at
the renowned Brooks Institute of Photography, in Santa
Barbara, California.

Describing her style she says, In fine art photography,
I shoot on a very conceptual level. But Black and White
gives me the freedom to express without any distractions.
It gives clarity. I agree with Kim Hunter who said, Colour
is distracting. It lets me see the world in a way that
I cant see everyday since human vision is in colour.
The beautiful thing about black and white is that it is
timeless and offers a strong sense of nostalgia. I enjoy the
way the tones play from black with no detail to the mid-
grays and how its goes to white with no detail. The
lines, shapes, forms, shadows and reflections are the
best features.

Renuka is inspired by the work of Sally Mann, Sarah
Moon, Joyce Tennyson, Joyce Wilson, Richard Avedon,
Elliot Erwitt and Irving Penn.

On being asked about her future plans, she says, After
graduating I plan to continue living in America for a few
years. I want to create a niche for myself in conceptual
celebrity fine art photography. In fact, I want to work in
the Indian movie industry too.

Her equipment includes the Canon 5D Mark II with
her favourite lens being the Canon 50mm 1.4. She likes
shooting 4 by 5 film with the large format camera too.
Visit www.renukaretnaswamy.tumblr.com to see more
of her work
Demure
Aperture : f/1.4
ISO: 1000
Te eyes say
it all
Aperture : f/1.4
ISO: 250
Blindfold
Aperture : N/A
Shutter speed: N/A
ISO: N/A
Get featured & win an
Epson PictureMate PM245,
worth
Rs.9999/-!
CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS! Kaleidoscope is the perfect way to jump-start your career... So simply send us a selection of your images along with full
details of your vision and the technical information at sp@nextgenpublishing.net. We accept both flm and digital images.
All pictures that are forwarded to Kaleidoscope should be 8x10 inches in size (or larger) and at 300 ppi. However, we will re-size them according to the layout considerations.
Into the shadows
Aperture : N/A
Shutter speed:N/A
ISO: N/A
Te wait
Aperture : f/2.2
ISO: 800
Photograph by
Arun Palvankar
Photograph by
Arun Palvankar
Photograph by
Arun Palvankar
Photograph by
Arun Palvankar
Photograph by
Arun Palvankar
Picture of the Month
We are sure that all of you have a few
pictures that you think are prize worthy. It
happens very ofen that you dont know
where to send the image that could put a
feather in your cap. If you have such images
(were sure you have many!), send us ONE
such horizontal image. If it qualifes, 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 identifed, well need a model
release
c. Te picture should not have been
printed elsewhere (magazine
newspaper, or ofered to any
publication)
d. Mark the entry as Picture of the
Month and rename the fle 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)
sphoto.india@gmail.com
A note to our readers
1. Te 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 SPs Mumbai ofce or send an authorised representative
to do so.
6. Please make sure that your picture does not have your name/logo on it.
PARTICIPATE
&
WIN!
MK 393 PD
Tripod
Sponsored by:
Showcase
In Communion with Nature...
Natures treasure chest
Showcase
P
ennsylvania based landscape
photographer, Rajesh Bhatacharjee works
as a Research Associate at the University of
Pitsburgh. He has always been an avid
nature lover and deeply cherishes the days he spent hiking in the
lofy heights of the Himalayas. He purchased his frst flm SLR to
capture the magical moments that were waiting to happen during
the Himalayan expedition. Afer moving to USA, he took up
landscape photography seriously and is now a regular adventurer
who journeys through the wilderness of numerous national and
state parks in the United States. Rajesh is the frst to rush out to
the feld when a hiking or photography opportunity arises. He
can spend hours waiting for that perfect light, or those changing
colours of the rising and seting sun.
Although he primarily shoots colour landscapes, he loves
experimenting with B&W landscapes. Tis is where he tries to
emphasise on the texture and graphic qualities of the landscape
to the fullest. Rajesh tries to visualise a shot in B&W when
he encounters a strong contrast in the scene, or he feels that
the presence of texture, shadows and highlights in a scene
would work beter in B&W. Also the absence of colour helps
concentrate more on the subject and make it really stand out. He
admires the creative interpretations of renowned B&W masters
like Ansel Adams and Philip Hyde, and takes inspiration from their
work to create beautiful B&W landscapes.

With regard to equipment, Rajesh uses the Nikon D7000 as his
primary camera, with the Nikkor 18-135mm and the Tokina 12-
24mm lenses for his imagery. In addition, he uses a stable carbon
fber tripod for outdoor shoots at national parks.
Mathew Totungal
Rajesh Bhattacharjee,
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
Showcase
Play of light
A surreal shore
Water like glass
Showcase
Te sea and the shore
To move a mountain
Te artist in Nature
Smooth textures
If I Were You
Our Imaging Expert
No one can take a picture that everyone likes. But, almost every picture can have a scope of
improvement. Many-a-times, we are not our best critic, while others can immediately point
out the faults. In If I were you, our expert comments on how your pictures could be taken to
another level.
E-mail your images at sp@nextgenpublishing.net
Rohinton Mehta,
Technical Editor,
Smart Photography
Picture Info
Camera: Ricoh CX5
ISO: 400
Shuter speed: 1/35 sec.
Aperture: f/4.5
Rusted Lock
Tis picture of a rusted lock is by
Jogendra V from Kolkata. Jogendra loves
still-life and started photography about
a year ago. He wants to know how this
picture could be improved.
We ofen see but do not observe.
Jogendras keen eye has composed the
picture very well. Observe that the centre
of interest (the lock) is not in the exact
centre of the picture, which is as it should
be. Te picture is composed as per the
rule of thirds. Te picture appears a bit
overexposed; the tones are lighter than
they should have been. Tis is caused
by the fact that the camera meter always
turns whatever it is pointed at, to a mid-
tone. Hence the original darker tones
have been represented as mid-tones
(in other words, overexposed). What
could have been done was to reduce the
camera exposure by about 1-stop. But
read further...
If I were you, I would have shot the
picture in Raw, but without decreasing
the exposure by 1-stop, as suggested
above. In Adobe Camera Raw, I would
then have adjusted the exposure,
(by pushing the data towards the lef
of the histogram) which would have
eliminated/reduced the chances of noise
in the darker tones.
Te picture is very easy to edit using
Levels in Photoshop. I moved the black
slider a wee-bit to the right; also adjusted
the middle slider (moved it to the right
too, making the mid-tones darker).
Next, sharpening was applied using the
Unsharp Mask. Finally, I added a thin
black border for aesthetics reasons.
Original Image Edited Image
If I Were You
Picture Info
Camera: Sony RX100
ISO: 800
Shuter speed: 1/125 sec.
Aperture: f/6.3
Te Sculpture
Tis sculptures photo comes from SP
reader Avinash Shah from Ahmedabad.
He writes, Tis is my frst atempt
at sending an image to any photo
magazine. Obviously, he is a bit
nervous about what I might say about
his picture. No need to worry though;
this is a platorm for learning!
When you took the shot, you
obviously had to tilt the camera to
cover the entire sculpture. Tis has led
to what is known as keystoning the
sculpture has become narrow at the
top as compared to the lower portion.
Not only that, you may have possibly
set your autofocus point to the centre
of the frame. Tis could be a reason as
to why the face is a bit less sharp than
the mid-section. If you had kept the
sensor plane parallel to the subject
plane, you could have avoided the
perspective distortion.
To improve the picture, I have made
the sides of the sculpture parallel to the
sides of the frame. Tis was done using
the Free Transform tool in Photoshop.
You may kindly refer to Smart
Photography, April 2012 issue which
explains one method of doing the
correction. Next I adjusted the contrast
using Levels, and fnally sharpened the
image using Unsharp Mask.
If I Were You
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, it gets
difcult to work on them, and hence may be rejected.
Picture Info
Camera: Olympus E-PL 3
ISO: 400
Shuter speed: 1/500 sec
Aperture: f/8
Chhatrapati Shivaji
S. V. Mazumdar from Mumbai loves to
photograph still life. He has tried this
angle but unfortunately, has included
the electrical/telephone wires in the
frame. To get details in the statue, he
had to provide more exposure, which
has resulted in a washed-out sky. He
wants to know how he could improve
this picture.
Tis obviously calls for our friend,
Photoshop.
1. Te frst thing to do is to get rid of
the wires using either the Clone tool
or the Patch tool. Flaten the image
(Ctrl+E).
2. Make a new layer (Shif+Ctrl+N)
and select the white sky using the
Magic Wand.
3. Click on the foreground colour
square in the toolbox and select a
suitable blue for the sky. Select the
Gradient tool and set the opacity
to 100%. Select Foreground to
Transparent from the menu on top.
4. Drag the computer mouse vertically
down from the top of the frame almost
all the way down. Since the sky has
been selected, the blue colour will only
be applied on the selected area and
not on the statue.
5. Retouch any area that demands some
further editing and save the fle using
the Save As command.
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, dont hesitate. Just go ahead
and Ask Uncle Ronnie at sp@nextgenpublishing.net,
cause he knows it all!
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Lenses for Wildlife
I am an amateur photographer. I
own a Nikon D5000 and a Nikon
70-300mm zoom lens. Since my
interest is in wildlife photography,
I have decided to buy a Nikon
300mm f/4, but am also confused
between Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8
and Sigma 120-400mm. Which
would be my best option?
Anil Takre, via E-mail
The AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-
300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF ED is a good
lens. The prime 300mm f/4 is better
in terms of image quality (it is also
faster than the other), but then you
will lose the advantage of zoom in
terms of convenience of framing.
The 300mm f/4 offers a lens collar,
the 70-300mm does not. The lens
collar helps to easily convert from
horizontal to vertical format without
disturbing the balance, when the
camera is tripod mounted.
Te Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6
obviously has a greater reach and also
has a lens collar. Like most zoom lenses of
this nature, it loses a bit of its sharpness at
the longer end (the same could be said
of the Nikkor 70-300mm!). Te Nikon
80-200mm is a good lens but is not
adequately long for wildlife.
So now we need to choose between
the Nikon 70-300mm (which you
already possess), the Nikon 300mm f/4
and the Sigma 12-400mm. Considering
the crop factor of your camera (1.5x),
the maximum efective focal length
would be 450mm (with the Nikkors) or
600mm with the Sigma. Now consider
what kind of wildlife photography you
would like to do large animals/birds,
or smaller animals/birds? Would you
(generally) shoot from a hide? Would
you generally shoot hand-held or use
a tripod? How close do you expect to
be to your subjects?
Te 70-300mm is easier to hand-hold at
725 g; the Sigma 120-400mm (1750 g)
will tire you out quite fast. Te 300mm
f/4 is no lightweight either (1440 g). For
large subjects, 450mm equivalent may
ofen be okay but for smaller subjects
(like birds), even 600mm equivalent
will ofen fall short. If you can somehow
manage with your existing 70-300mm
(equivalent to 450mm at the longer
end), youll save yourself quite a lot
of money; if not, try to get someones
120-400mm lens and try it out. You
will be satisfed with its image quality.
Te reason I am being so cautious is
because once you purchase a lens, no
shopkeeper will take it back or exchange
it for another.
Good luck.
The AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF ED
Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Nikon 80-200 f/2.8
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Conficting Viewpoints
I have been pursuing nature photography
(particularly birds and insects) for the last eight
years using a super zoom (bridge) camera with
moderate results, which have received some
appreciation. I am now planning to purchase a
Nikon D7000. However I am confronted with
various conficting viewpoints which are as
follows:

1. Nikon D5100 is a beter option since the
picture quality is the same as D7000 but is
easier to use and is cheaper, which will save
cash for lenses. Higher frames per second
of the D7000 does not always mater in the
practical feld and the 9 cross-type AF points
are rarely used. Further with the D5100, one
does not face back-focus problems as in the
case of D7000.
2. Viewpoints contrary to the above suggest
D7000 is the best DX format option for birding.
3. For bird photography D7000 is not enough
and Nikon D300s is the minimum requirement.
4. Lenses are more important and deserve more
investment than bodies and there is no point
in spending more on bodies, therefore Nikon
D5100 or even a D3200 is good enough.
5. Canon cameras are much beter than Nikon
for wildlife including birding and EOS 60D
would be a good option, though EOS 7D is even
beter. Further, Canon lenses are beter suited
for such photography and are cheaper.

Kindly advise me as all this has lef me uterly
confused.
Dr. Raja Sen, via E-mail
I do not know what the source of your information
is; maybe some forums on the web. It often
happens that someone with no experience or
very little experience considers himself to be the
guru and writes against whatever he cannot fully
understand. Please note that some of the conflicting
viewpoints you have mentioned are debatable.
Since this is not a forum for such discussions, I shall
not get involved in the controversy.
1. When it comes to photographing fying birds (and
especially smaller birds that need to fap their wings
faster), some users feel that the Nikon D7000s 6 frames
per second burst rate is not enough. Tat does not
mean that the D7000 cannot be used to photograph
fying birds. If you need a faster burst rate, consider the
Canon EOS 7D (8fps). Do note however, that, at higher
ISOs, the Canon 7D is on the noisier side as compared
to some of Canons own D-SLRs.
2. I agree that lenses are more important than
bodies (but that does not mean that bodies are not
important!).
3. You may go ahead with the purchase of the Nikon
D7000 (and dont worry about the so-called back-
focus problems). Not that such problems never exist it
could be so with any camera but most people who
claim such problems are not competent enough to
identify the problem. Anyway, some current camera
bodies, including the D7000, have the facility to fne-
tune autofocus.
4. Another suggestion, especially for bird photography,
is to get a Canon 60D body (5.3 fps) with the excellent
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens. If
budget (and weight) is not a problem, you could
consider the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM lens.
For photographing insects and other creepy crawlers,
consider the excellent Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM
Macro lens.
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Nikon D3200 or D5100?
(1) Can the Nikon D3200 shoot
beter photos than D5100 since it
has 24.2 MP sensor? I understand
however, that megapixel count
alone cannot rate a camera beter.
(2) Does 12-bit RAW of D3200
make a great diference compared
to 14-bit RAW of D5100?
(3) If the advantage of the fully
articulated LCD is sacrifced,
is D3200 a beter camera than
D5100?
(4) Can the D3200 trigger remote
fashes?
Kingshuk Mukhopadhyay, Kolkata.
1. Cameras dont take photos; the
person behind the camera does! A
knowledgeable photographer will
certainly take better pictures even
with a very basic camera, while a
high-end camera in the hands of a
less competent photographer does
not guarantee good pictures. The
advanced photographer would
certainly benefit from a higher
megapixel camera in terms of image
detail that he can capture.
2. Most people cannot diferentiate
between images captured with 12-bit
Raw and 14-bit Raw. Te diference
is noticeable only if the picture has
been shot under very difcult lighting
conditions and the processing is
done very competently. Due to lower
dynamic range and 12 bits only on the
D3200, there could be situations where
it might have less detail in highlights
(especially) compared to the D5100s
14 bits and beter dynamic range.
3. Tats a tricky question. Beter in
what way? If you were to go through
the specifcations with a magnifying
glass, besides the pixel count, yes, you
would notice some diferences. But let
me ask you a question: What is the most
important thing that you would look for
in an image? I think the answer would
be clarity/sharpness without losing
highlight/shadow details. In that case, I
think the D3200 would be the beter
option. Te D5100 would have slightly
lesser noise at higher ISOs, but then
how ofen do we shoot at higher ISOs?
4. If you are asking about Creative
Lighting System, the answer is no, the
built-in fash cannot be used as a Master
Flash. You can always use a wireless slave
which will trigger a fash when the D3200s
fash is fred. Tis will not be iTTL.
Cheap and best?
I am a 2
nd
year electrical
engineering student and
photography is my hobby.
Presently I own a Nikon D7000
D-SLR camera (body only).
Kindly suggest a cheap and
best prime lens and telephoto
zoom lens, preferably a third
party lens, for taking razor
sharp images.
Vaibhav Sharan, via E-mail
Cheap and best generally dont
go together!
Pay more atention to the lens rather
than the body. Te body is important
but the lens is even more important.
Since you havent identifed the genre
of your photography, it is difcult for
me to suggest you a good lens.

Get yourself a AF-S Nikkor 50mm
f/1.4G lens. On your Nikon D7000
body it will behave like a 75mm
lens a medium telephoto lens for
portraits and other nearby subjects,
even in low light. Te less expensive
brother of this lens is the AF Nikkor
50mm f/1.8D. Tough good value
for money, the f/1.4G version is
defnitely superior.
For the telephoto zoom (presuming
you like to photograph wildlife),
I would suggest any one of the
following: AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor
70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF ED, Sigma
120-400mm f/4.5-5.6, Sigma APO 150-
500mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM. Creating
razor-sharp images will depend upon
your knowledge of the equipment you
use, your technical skills, and also your
post-processing skills.
I.B.F. India 2013 - The 2nd (Indian) Edition
Industry conference focused on conveying
practical perspectives on how modern
day consumer and professional photo
businesses can enhance their profits.
The presentation topics include
Photofinishing as an industry, Role of
Print in this Age, Developing New Revenue
Streams, Digital Photo Services, Managing
Consumer Expectations - Freebies vs.
COD formats, Managing online to brick
and mortar stores, Innovations as a
driver of value and Increasing Value
with Integration.
CONTACTS
For Participation enquiries: +91 22 43525252
Or 512.418.9870 (USA)
Or mail to: a.dayal@nextgenpublishing.net
(Open to all nationalities)
DATE & VENUE
5th January, 2013 (10am to 5:30pm)
Business Lounge B,
Pragati Maidan
Mathura Road, Delhi - 110001
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REGISTRATION
Full conference registration (1 day program,
breakfast, lunch, 2 coffee breaks and evening
closure)
Full Conference Registration: Rs. 5,000/ person
2 to 4 Registrations Rs. 4500/- person
5+ Registrations Rs. 4000/- person
Photography Association Discount Rs. 3,500/
person (30% off every ticket - Subject to min. 5
bookings)
For special corporate group bookings please
contact Ashwini on +91 9619789984
Registration Link: http://tinyurl.com/IBF2013-book
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Photos taken from 1st IBF (Jan. 2012)

Who can attend: Print service providers,
Photobook retailers, independent
photographers,software suppliers, wedding
photographers, freelance consultants, OEM
Mgrs. & reps. and other trade channel
Award D1
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Nikon D4
Award D4
Nikon D3200
Award D5
Nikon D600
Award D6
Sony Alpha A77
Award D7
Canon EOS 650D
Award D2
Fujiflm X-PRO 1
Award E1
Olympus OM-D
Award E2
Olympus PEN E-PL5
Award E3
Panasonic LUMIX DMC GF5
Award E4
Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1
Award E5
Panasonic Lumix DMC GH3
Award E6
CATEGORY I:
D-SLR CAMERA OF THE YEAR
yyy ppp
CATEGORY II:
INTERCHANGEABLE LENS COMPACT CAMERA OF THE YEAR
READERS
CHOICE
AWARDS
ou may be aware that every year,
Smart Photography awards the best products for
their contribution in the feld of imaging. Each year, at
a gala extravaganza, we honour the fnest imaging
products for their innovative features, superior build
quality and excellence in performance. This is an event that
every manufacturer is ecstatic to be associated with.
Like every year, we will honour our readers by letting them
participate in the selection process. We have three categories, for
which, you our dear readers, will cast your vote.
Nikon D800
Award D3
We request you to send us your nomination through an SMS. E.g. AWARD to 56161. Te nominees name will be kept secret. We
further request you to be fair with your selection. Kindly ensure that your nominations reaches us before December 31
st
2012.
(SMS rates approximatly @Rs.3/-). Rates difer across operator network
Award C1
Canon PowerShot S100
Award C2
Canon PowerShot SX240 HS
Award C3
Canon PowerShot G1X
Award C12
Olympus SH-25MR
Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ30 (ZS 20)
Award C14
Olympus SP-620UZ
Award C13
Panasonic Lumix FZ200
Award C15
Canon PowerShot A4000
Award C4
Canon IXUS 510 HS
Award C5
Fujiflm X10
Award C6 Award C7
Fujiflm FinePix SL300
Nikon Coolpix S800C
Award C9 Award C10
Nikon Coolpix P7700
Award C11
Olympus Tough TG 810
Nikon Coolpix P510
Award C8
Award C16
Samsung MV800 Samsung DV300
Award C18 Award C19
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
Samsung WB150F
Award C17
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V
Award C20
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Award C21 Award C22
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S5000
Award C23
CATEGORY III:
COMPACT/ BRIDGE CAMERA OF THE YEAR
sms
&
WIN
Mastercrafsman
Shibu Arakkal
Conventionally conceived photography is an art that
is outdoor oriented, and its content is culled from the
material world around us. However, Bengaluru based
creative artist, Shibu Arakkal, outlines that he has turned
his camera inward, mounting a sustained meditation on
the photographs mechanics, such as the tracing of light
striking a surface etc. Refusing the coherent world out
there, he creates abstractions with spatial ambiguity. He
believes that Black & White photography is about bare
bones filled with what you wish to say and hopefully is
substantial enough to express oneself.
Shibu Arakkal,
Bengaluru

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ART & SOUL
Mastercrafsman
Shibu Arakkal
Did you have any
formal education in
photography? How
would you describe
your photography to
someone who has never
seen it? Comment
Till the time I joined Sudhir
Ramchandran and Rafque
Sayed to assist them for
very short periods of
time, I was a self-taught
photographer. I strongly
wished for years that instead
of having graduated with
specialisations in Economics,
Political Science and
Sociology, I should have
done a degree in art. But I
also realised that had I done
that, I would have probably
been irreparably infuenced
and would have been an
art-school clone.
As things have a way of
working out, I am happier
that I didnt attend any art
institution since I had the
freedom to develop my
signature. My photography
in essence is old fashioned,
even though others may
think differently. My priority
has always been and will
always be to keep making
sincere efforts in my work
and to keep experimenting.

Visually, and at heart,
I believe I am an
abstractionist and a
minimalist. My images are
meant to question, and not
to provide answers. I usually
like to do bodies of work
that I consider to be whole
stories rather than odd
pieces of work.
What does surrealism
mean to you, and
what is your idea
about harnessing light
to create a desired
mood in your brand of
imagery?
Photography being a
particularly realistic art
form has an advantage of
being instantly relatable to
the layman. But that need
not be its only disposition.
In the hands of an artist
who has something
meaningful to say, and one
who chooses to do so in a
manner that is not entirely
rational, the artist can
only elevate photography
to its rightful place as a
true art form. Since all art
forms are perceptions and
therefore interpretations of
reality, it is more essential
for photography to be
practiced while constantly
pushing boundaries,
creatively and in technique.
Light is the pulse of any
photograph, and I say this
with conviction, lighting
cannot be taught. You have
to be able to recognise it. As
such, in photography where
lighting is noticed as one of
the very last appreciative
elements simply because
one has been so entranced
with the mood that light
has created, would typically
be an example of great
lighting. In my case, I have
consciously stayed away
from being known for a
distinctive style, and that

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Shibu Arakkal
was possible only because I
use light in its subtlety and
more importantly to support
the creative idea rather than
being consumed by creating
a certain brand of imagery.
What do you enjoy
the most about the
work you do? How do
you avoid going down
the path of staging
photos, while giving it
authentic looks?
My work editorially and
commercially speaking
comes with shackles,
typically where I am the
only one of the creative
decision makers and often
with a frame of mind where
my employers are aiming to
put out what they think will
appeal to the layman. As
such, it is the challenge
of creating something
unique and special within
these constraints that gets
me going.

Although, I must say
that I now only accept
commercial work that
gives me a certain amount
of freedom where my
clients recognise that they
are coming to me mainly
because they appreciate
what I do.
In that, the commissions
in the past few years
have given me a level of
freedom and satisfaction.
I dont believe that I am
a difficult person to work
with, given my strong
creative beliefs, but I
also vehemently reject
photography that seems
or feels contrived. It is
rare these days, but in the
school of photography
that I was raised in, there
were many names that did
what they did for the sheer
love of it, and not for the
money. It is generally this
breed of photographers
that can give you work
that does not need to
be staged or contrived.
A lesson perhaps for the
younger lot.
Looking at your body
of work one fnds a
clear preference for
B&Ws. While digital
photography is too
clinical and lacking in
any real sense of the
word, what is it that
atracts you to B&W
photography?
Firstly, I have always
maintained that colour is
merely incidental in my
work. But having said that,
I do have a certain colour
palette that I call my own
and it is every now and
then that I tend to flirt with
photography created from
that palette. However,
black and white simply
is the language that I am
comfortable with and know
well. And I look at black
and whites as a perfect
medium to make a strong,
profound statements. One
must remember that black

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Mastercrafsman
Shibu Arakkal
and white photography is
particularly challenging to
most because it does not
have a crutch called colour
to lean on.
I do agree that digital
photography can be a
creative challenge. Bruce
Webber famously said
that digital photography is
too sharp. He echoes my
sentiments, although more
metaphorically because I
feel that I need to exert a
great deal of myself into a
digital photograph to be
able to give it the same
amount of soul and emotion
that is normally there in flm.
Your creativity really
stands out especially
in your solo exhibition
series, and in thematic
exhibitions like Been
there, Of the shadows,
Abstract Notions, Skin
etc. Could you talk us
through these series of
images and what in-
spired you the most?
Every body of work that
I have done has been
driven or born out of
my philosophic state of
mind. Been there was
a compilation that came
about during my years of
wanderlust and learnings,
photographically and
personally. It was really the
birth of the photo artist
in me and a series where
I really worked with a
great amount of freedom.
It was also a series that
created its own story
through a very simple yet
strong abstractionist style.
Abstract Notions was
driven by a single question
which was, Why, as human
beings, are we so turned on
by the curve as opposed to
the line?

Skin was my first attempt
at anything figurative and

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Shibu Arakkal
one that I felt I was ready
for. It was an abstractionists
questions about beauty,
race, colour, divinity and
religion.
I have gone on to do other
series which are even
closer to my heart. Feeling
Absence was a series that I
realised into print in merely
one and a half months.
It was intense, as it was
fuelled by an almost
crippling absence I felt of my
unborn daughter, who I had
never met, while my wife
was still carrying. Every series
that I have worked on has
taken me higher creatively,
photographically and
more importantly as a
human being.
While at heart you are
an abstractionist, in your
imagery you leave many
things to peoples inter-
pretations. Firstly, is this
a deliberate atempt and
secondly, what infuences
your abstract aesthetics?
But isnt that what
abstractionism is all about?
The essence of abstraction
is the interpretation, without
which everything is just
meaningless jumble. I do not
also prescribe to the notion
of abstraction being all about
manipulating ones audiences
to feel a certain way. In my
work, which by the way is
created solely for myself and
driven purely by my ideas

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Mastercrafsman
Shibu Arakkal
that we are at and our
frame of mind that dictates
how we see and feel things.
That kind of relatability
driven by just pure emotion
and lingering questions, to
me brings my work to a full
circle.
In terms of influences, very
little of them come from the
two dimensional art form,
although I very fervently
follow photography,
painting and graphic art.
It is however music and
movies and the ideas
and philosophies within
them that generally tend
to have an impact of any
sort, whether they become
abstract forms or anything
else in my daily life.
Mathew Thottungal
and emotions, thereby
doing away with any need
to have my an audience.
There are constant
conflicting emotions and
interpretations. This is truly
what draws me to abstract.
It is the stage in our lives

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72
60
Basics of Photography
Weekend Project:Table top Photography
LQ\RXU2IFH
Learnings
64 Silver Efex Pro 2
67
76
Photoshops Hidden Gem - Pixel Bender
Give your photography a Tilt!
Black & White Conversion Bla
ilt!
Learning
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.
Te author, Ashok Kandimalla has been in the photographic feld for over three decades and has extensive experience in both flm
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 htp://www.fickr.com/photos/ashok_kandimalla. He can be reached at kashokk@gmail.com
Weekend Project:
L
ast months article in this series-
Basics of Photography- gave you
directions on how to set up a small
home studio. I trust many of you have
it in place by now and are raring to go.
So, here is the frst project for you to
try out - Table top Photography in your
Ofce. You must be wondering, What
photography can I do in my ofce even
if it is permited? But dont panic. Te
idea here is to take a photograph that
looks as if it has been taken in an ofce
environment. What about the subject,
you may ask? Believe me, even com-
monly found items in the ofce like
clips, pens, pencils, erasers, etc. will
make interesting subjects for table top
photography. Plus, we know that you
are a smart photographer and hence
capable of making a great photo even
of something which is very mundane.
Just follow the steps in this exercise
and you will surely make a picture that
will be nice to look at. First make sure
you have some ofce supplies in hand.
Tese days, you get a lot of ofce items
made with colourful plastic. Go for
these as they will look atractive in a
colour photograph.
Table top Photography in your Ofce
Arrangement of the items and
lighting:
First, see Picture 1 for the layout. A
pure black background (B) was chosen
to provide a good contrast and also
to make colours stand out. Te subject
here is ofce supplies (A) and since
such items are normally placed on a
table in an ofce, they will look natural
on a wooden surface (C). So, arrange
these items on a wooden table or if you
are using a light table; you can get the
same efect by placing a plywood plank
on top of it. Alternatives are a wooden
veneer or a wood fnished laminate.
In a still life photograph like this, the
composition is important. So, let us look
at it in detail.
Composition: Arrange the diferent
objects (A) in such a way that they
are asymmetrical, as asymmetrical
composition gives some dynamism to
an otherwise static picture. Since the
light is on the lef in this setup, keep
the tall objects to the right so that
no shadows fall on the other objects.
Tis will also add a certain degree
of asymmetry, creating a sort of L
composition. Apart from this, I have
kept a pencil to form a leading line.
I also added a few wooden shavings
from the pencil to give a realistic
look. Tis sort of detail gives the eye
something to explore and holds it in
the frame for long. As a general rule,
composition in still life should be
tight. Tat is, there should be no gap
between the items. See that this aspect
has been taken care of while arranging
the various items.
Lighting: Most offices have glass
windows and it is common for light
streaming through these windows to
fall on a table creating nice shadows.
I am simulating a similar light using
artificial lighting. Since you will be
keeping the items on a wooden
table, it will be nice if the texture
of the wood is revealed. For that, it
is best to use side lighting. A single
shoe mount portable flash (D) unit
is used as the main light here and
is positioned on the left side. The
light from the portable flash will be
harsh. So, use a diffuser (E) to soften
Picture 1: Lighting diagram (top view)
A) Subject B) Black backdrop C) Plywood plank kept on a photo table D) Portable fash illuminating from side
E) Difuser F) Gobo to prevent spill on the black backdrop
G) Refector to provide fll on the right side H) Camera on a tripod
it. It is important that no light from
the flash falls on the background. You
can do this by keeping a gobo (F) as
shown in the lighting diagram. You
must try and keep a large distance,
around 2 feet or more, between the
background and the subject. This will
further aid in preventing light from
flash falling on the background. Also,
the light from this flash will cause
deep shadows on the opposite side.
Hence, use a reflector (G) to lighten
them. In this case, a crinkled aluminum
sheet was used for this purpose.
Alternatively, you can use another
flash with reduced output compared
to the main flash (D).
You need to trigger this fash remotely
as it is not on the camera. It is best
you use a fash with an optical trigger
for simplicity, though a radio trigger
can also be used. In this case, it was
simply triggered with the built-in fash
of the camera. Also, there is one very
important precaution you need to
take. While you will not be using the
light from the built-in fash for the
image itself (it will be used solely for
triggering), it will nevertheless throw
light on the black background ruining
the whole image. Tis can be rectifed
by keeping a small black card in front of
the built-in fash for blocking it (Picture
2). Tere is also a device specifcally
made for this purpose (Picture 3).
Consider acquiring this if you ofen take
images using your cameras built-in fash
as a trigger, as holding a card every time
can be inconvenient. Te slight spill of
light from your cameras built-in fash,
even afer this block, will be enough for
triggering the remote fash.
Other points you need to take
care of are:
1. The remote flash you are planning
to use should have manual flash
output control and provision for
optical triggering. The former is
needed to control the light output
and the latter is needed for detecting
Picture 1
Picture 2 Picture 3
Picture 2: Use a black card to block the light from
the built-in fash falling on the black background.
Picture 3: A convenient device for blocking the light
from built-in fash. (Shown here is Nikons SG-3 IR).
the light from the built-in flash and
firing the flash. If your flash does not
have an optical trigger or if your
camera does not have a built-in flash,
then you should plug a radio receiver
to the flash. You can now trigger
the flash with a radio transmitter
connected to your camera.
2. You need to keep the remote
fash on a proper stand or any other
suitable device.
3. Use a macro or a lens with close
focusing ability. Te kit lens supplied
with your D-SLR will do the job
very well.
4. Since you are using a fash, set the
shuter speed to X-Sync which is the
maximum shuter speed allowed by
your camera for synchronisation. Tis
varies from 1/100 sec to 1/250 sec
depending on the camera. Check your
camera manual for the exact value. If
you are not sure, then just use a shuter
speed of 1/100 sec.
5. Set your cameras built-in flash to
Manual mode and then minimum
power. This is usually 1/64 or 1/128
and is more than sufficient to trigger
the remote flash. If your cameras
built-in flash does not support manual
flash, then you need to make sure
that the remote flash has a mechanism
for detecting and ignoring the
pre-flashes emitted by your camera.
Otherwise it will fire prematurely
before the shutter opens. Though,
you will not have this problem if you
are using a radio trigger.
6. Set the remote fash to Manual mode
and output to around power.
7. Set your camera to Manual Exposure
and Manual Focus modes.
8. Keep the aperture to at F/8 (for
adequate depth of feld) to start with.
9. Set your camera to the base ISO for
the best picture quality.
10. Switch on the histogram and
the highlight warning tools. These
options are available in the Playback
menu of your camera.
11. Mount your camera on a tripod.
You can also handhold it since you
are using a fash, but a tripod always
improves your composition apart from
keeping your camera steady.
Te procedure:
Arrange the items as explained. Focus
your camera.
Adjust the height and angle of the
camera such that a sliver of wooden
base is visible in the foreground.
First, take a test shot without firing
the main flash or your built-in flash.
You should get a totally black image.
This will confirm that there is no
ambient light interfering with your
lighting.
Next, keep the main fash of but
activate the built-in fash. Block the
light from the built-in fash (as already
explained) and take a test picture. It
should be pitch black, once again. Tis
will confrm that no light from the
built-in fash is geting into the image.
Now, switch on the main flash and
then take another test picture.
Check the histogram of the image.
There should be a peak towards
the left (corresponding to the black
background). Adjust the flash output
so that this peak is just about to
touch the left axis (Picture 4). This
will give you a rich black background
while retaining some texture. You can
also shift the histogram to the right
or left by changing the aperture but
make sure that you have a suitable
aperture (around F/8) for the needed
depth of field.
Remember that increasing the
exposure, that is the amount of light,
will move the histogram to the right.
Tis can be done either by increasing
the fash output and/or widening the
aperture. Likewise, decreasing the
exposure (by decreasing the fash
output and/or narrowing the aperture)
will move the histogram to the lef.
Also, check the highlight warning
display. Tere should be no or very
small areas of blown highlights. In this
case I opted for a small area of blown
highlight on the knife to make it sparkle
against the black background. Tis is
also indicated by the histogram slightly
touching the right axis. However, the
area with blown highlights should be
kept to the absolute minimum.

Once you have adjusted the
exposure properly, release the
shutter to take the picture! You
should get an image similar to
Picture 5.
Picture 4: Tis is how the histogram will look on the
LCD monitor of your camera. Note how the peak on
the lef does not touch the lef axis. Tis indicates
that there are no blocked shadows.
Picture 4
An alternative setup: You can also
try the same subjects placed on a glass
top rather than a wooden surface. If
you decide on doing this way, then
I would suggest that you use a black
coloured glass instead of a plain glass
sheet. Tis will look much beter.
Picture 5: Te fnal result for you to enjoy! Tech data: Camera - Nikon
D7000, Lens - Carl Zeiss 50mm Makro Planar, ISO 100, Shuter speed
1/200, Aperture F/8, Yongnuo 560II with fash power @ of full power.
A
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CONCLUSION CON CO CONCCLUSION LU LUS USIO IONN
As you can see, even simple
everyday items can make a very
nice colourful photograph. More
importantly, you just need minimum
equipment to do this. So try it out
and enjoy your work!
Picture 5
P
D
Learning
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A
s indicated earlier in the Black
& White Conversion article,
Silver Efex Pro 2 from Nik
Sofware is probably the best plug-
in to create fantastic black & white
images. It can work with the following
host applications: Adobe Photoshop,
Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, and
Apples Aperture. A fully functional free
trial version from www.niksofware.com
lasts for 15 days. Te paid download
version currently costs approximately
Rs.13,000 (inclusive of the current dis-
count ofered by Nik Sofware).
Please note that this article is just a brief
run-through of what Silver Efex Pro is
capable of. Te host application that I
am using is Photoshop CS6.
Before you start, edit your image as best
as you can. Tis means adjust the contrast,
colour, spoting, sharpening etc. Ten
go to Filter > Nik Sofware > Silver
Efex Pro 2. Te program will open with
the various presets (Style Browser in
Niks terminology) at the lef and a larger
image in the centre, showing the selected
preset applied to your image. Te
presets are divided into categories: All,
Classic, Modern, Vintage and Favourites.
If you do not have an idea of what efect
each preset ofers, you may select All
and try out every preset one by one.
An important point to note here is that
afer choosing a preset, you can fne-tune
the efect to your liking using selective
adjustments. And you can do all this
without having knowledge of making
complicated masks as used in many other
editing sofware.
In our printscreen on the opposite
page, you can see one of the presets
applied to the image in question
(the second preset from the top
has been selected for this particular
printscreen). On the right of the screen
youll see sections allowing for Global
Adjustments, Selective Adjustments,
Details, Loupe & Histogram. Finally,
on the lower right hand, youll see a
step-wedge, known as the Zone System
Map. Tis is actually a gradient map
with 11 distinct zones showing the
tonality possible in your image. When
you click on a particular zone in the
Zone System Map, that particular zone
will be highlighted in your image. Tis
can be used to fne-tune the tonal
relationship in your image.
Te technology built into the Selective
Adjustments is worth elaborating.
It uses Niks U-Point technology
(opposite page) that allows you
to fne-tune any localised area in
the image. Using this, you can alter
brightness, contrast and structure (fne
detail) in the part of the image you
are working on. You frst add a control
point to the image by clicking on the
Add Control Point radio buton and
then clicking onto the area that needs
to be edited. Te Size slider (topmost
slider) controls the area to be worked
on; the Brightness, Contrast and
Structure sliders do as their names
suggest, within the area selected using
the Size slider.
If you wish to experiment further,
theres a set of colour flters that could
be applied to the black & white
image, just like we ofen did with flm
photography. You can even apply the
efects of using certain types of B&W
flms like Kodak Panatomic X, Ilford Pan
F Plus, Fuji Neopan ACROS and many
others. You can tone an image, apply a
vignete, burn edges, or create image
borders. You can add grain, change
the sensitivity of diferent colours of
the original image (for example, in
the monochrome version, you could
darken the area originally covered by a
blue sky, lighten foliage etc.), and apply
Levels and Curves (similar to what you
would do in Photoshop).
Silver Efex Pro 2 is very easy to use and a
joy too. You can create many variations,
save them, and then decide on your
favourite one. Tose photographers
who complain of not being able to get
rich blacks and clean whites, those who
do not like to fddle in other editing
sofware, and those who think creating
black & white images are difcult, should
certainly try this plug-in!
Rohinton Mehta
Silver Efex Pro 2
Learning
S
t
y
l
e

B
r
o
w
s
e
r
U-Point technology
Controls size
Controls brightness
Controls colour
Please see overleaf, to see the original image and the converted B & W image using Silver Efex Pro 2.
Learning
Using Silver Efex Pro 2
Original
Learning
Te author, Rajendra Prasad, an Associate of Royal Photographic Society of London, and a banker by profession, has been in
the photographic feld for over two decades and has extensive experience in both flm and digital photography. At present he
is the Chairman of Digital Imaging Division, India International Photographic Council, Delhi. Rajendra has a passion for sharing his
knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He has published several articles on photography in photographic
magazines and journals of IIPC & FIP. He has also published an e-book An Introduction to Digital Photography which was released
at Indore IIPC workshop by Sri Jaipal Reddy, Minister-Information & Broadcasting. He has also given talks on photography
at Doordarshan. He has taught several photo-enthusiasts through workshops on photography in several Indian cities. His
photographs have also won many accolades in diferent photographic salons. He has also served as a judge in various contests. His
other hobbies are electronics and painting. He maintains a photoblog digicreation.blogspot.com and can be reached
at rajdigi25@gmail.com
Photoshop
Photoshops Hidden Gem -
A
nyone who works with Photoshop
knows that it comes packed with
cool filters that can really create
awesome effects. All amateur photogra-
phers use these filters in Photoshop to en-
hance their images, because they are easy
to execute and no learning is required.
With just a click on any filter, you get a
professional looking image. Amateurs
and professional photographers also use
plug-ins because it saves time. Sometimes
professionals use secret plug-ins to give a
personal touch to their images. Photoshop
already ships with a large number of filters,
but photographers are always in search of
new filters which can provide unique ef-
fects to their images. There are thousands
of plug-ins available in the market made
by third-party software developers and
some of them are unaffordable by ama-
teur photographers. In this tutorial I am
going to introduce you to a plug-in called
Pixel Bender which is free and is pro-
vided by Adobe. Many Photoshop users
are unaware of this plug-in since it does
not comes pre loaded in Photoshop and is
not publicised too much.
What is Pixel Bender?
Pixel Bender was known as Hydra when
it was earlier in development. The Pixel
Bender graph language is an XML-based
language for combining individual pixel-
processing operations (kernels) into more
complex Pixel Bender filters. You will first
have to download and load it to be able
to use it. It really is Photoshops hidden
gem. It is a combination of different filters
for Photoshop with each providing a
unique effect. But thats not all Adobe
also provides a simple interface for the
Pixel Bender toolkit that lets you create
your own filters. As a result, a community
is building around Pixel Bender where
users can share custom created filters
with others. These filters can be executed
on the graphics card (GPU) or CPU
of a computer. They run faster on the
graphic card (GPU). Adobe Pixel Bender
technology delivers a common image
and video processing infrastructure, so
Pixel Bender also runs cross-platform in
Photoshop, After Effects and Flash.
Learning
Photoshop
1
Downloading and installing Pixel Bender
To install the Pixel Bender plug-in for Photoshop CS4/CS5 in
Windows and Mac OS :
Download the Pixel Bender plug-in for Photoshop CS5 from
the following link htp://labs.adobe.com/downloads/
pixelBenderplugin.html Make sure to download the
version that matches your operating system and your version
of Photoshop CS4, or CS5 (32 or 64 bit). Te extension is a
.mxp fle and you need to install it using the Adobe Extension
Manager. Double click the Pixel Bender fle; the Extension
Manager CS4/CS5 will be launched and the Pixel Bender
plug-in will be installed once you accept the licensing terms.
Please note that if you are using Vista or Windows 7 you need
to run Extension Manager as Admin. Te reason for this is that
the extension needs to be placed in a folder that you can only
access if you have administrator privileges. You can do that
simply by right clicking Extension Manager App in all programs
and choosing Run as Administrator. Click the install icon in the
Adobe Extension Manager dialog box. When prompted,
browse and go where you have saved your downloaded Pixel
Bender fles. Once you accept Adobes licensing agreement
the plug-in will be loaded in Photoshop. If your Photoshop is
already open, close and restart to make the plug-in available.
2
Working with Pixel Bender flter
Open an image. I will be using this image of a fower. First check the size of the image by choosing Image > Image
Size, as there is a physical limit to the size of images you can use with Pixel Bender. Te limit is 4096 x 4096 pixels, so
ensure that your image is smaller than this. I suggest you start with smaller images as they render faster. If your image
is bigger than 4096 x 4096 pixels, resize it to a smaller size. To run Pixel Bender choose Filter > Pixel Bender > Pixel
Bender Gallery.
When youre done, click OK to apply the
result to the image. Unlike most flters which
convert images to look like an oil painting, this
one identifes the edges in the image therefore
making the painting look more realistic.
Learning
Photoshop
3
Working with flters
Te Pixel Bender gallery is
initially populated with about 13
Pixel Bender flters that are installed
with the plug-in, as seen in the
screenshot. As with all plug-ins
you will love the efect of some
flters and use them repeatedly
depending on your requirement.
So frst apply all these flters one
by one on your image, play with
their sliders and see what efect
they provide. Note that the choice
of image is also important. Some
flters work on select images only.
Due to limitation of space, I cannot
explain all the flters in the gallery
here. Terefore, I have selected
three flters to elaborate on. Do experiment with the other flters to analyse the results.
Spherize
Tis flter converts the image into a sphere, as you can see in the screenshot. Tere are only three sliders in this flter-
Refraction Index, Radius and Center. Te Refraction Index controls the amount of spherisation; the Radius controls the
radius of the sphere; and in Center you will fnd two sliders which control the position of the sphere. Adjust the sliders till
you get the result you like. If you are unsure about how a slider afects the image, drag it all the way to the lef or right and
see the result. Adjust accordingly.
Learning
Photoshop
Kaleidoscope flter
A kaleidoscope is a cylinder with mirrors containing
coloured objects such as beads or bits of glass. As
the viewer looks through one end, the light entering
from the other end creates a colourful pattern,
due to the reflection off the mirrors. By just shaking
the instrument you can change the patterns. The
Kaleidoscope filter of the Pixel Bender functions in
a similar manner. You can take any photograph as a
starting point and this filter converts it in to
a pattern. The shapes can be controlled by the
sliders provided.

Tis flter has 4 controls: Fade Colour, as the name
suggests, fades the colours. In practice, I got no efect
from these sliders. Center point has two sliders and these
are the main sliders that afect the shape of a patern. Play
with them till you get a pleasing patern. Size changes the
size of the existing paterns. Fade fades out the image, so
it is best to keep the seting at 1. Rotation Angle changes
the patern according to the selection. Give this slider
more atention and play with it till you get a desired
patern. You can see the efect of this flter on the fower
in the fnal image.
Oil Filter
In my opinion, this is the best flter in the Pixel Bender gallery.
Tere are many plug-ins in the market which imitate the oil
painting efect. Some plug-ins are free, some too costly to be
purchased by amateurs and some are so complex that you
have to study them before you can apply them in an efective
manner. Tis Oil Filter of Pixel Bender is very easy to use and
almost instantaneously provides the oil painting efect. It has 5
sliders. Te frst slider i.e. Stylization changes the style of brush
stroke applied; Cleanliness cleans up or makes the brush stroke
styles prominent; Colourisation slider works like a saturation
slider and saturates/desaturates the image (it also changes the
contrast of the image); Brush Scale makes the brush strokes
short or long; and the Brush Contrast slider controls the
contrast of the brush strokes. You can easily decide how and
when to use these sliders because the sofware provides a live
preview while moving the sliders.
Learning
Photoshop
Pixel Bender
is a very cool
plug-in that did not
get widespread
recognition from
developers. So in
CS6,Photoshop
and Afer
Efects teams
havedecidedto
move away
from enabling
thePixel Bender
languagefor writing
imaging flters. So
you can use it only
with Photoshop
CS4 or CS5.
Download this
plug-in and start
experimenting on
various images.
Closing comments
Learning
Black & White Conversion
C
olour has its beauty, but so does black & white. Sometimes, black and
white images create greater impact than colour. If you havent seen
amazing black & white images of master crafsmen like Ansel Adams,
Henri Cartier Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Andreas Feininger and Yousuf Karsh
to name a few, then sadly, you havent experienced real black & white pho-
tography! Tose who havent worked enough in black & white darkrooms
may fnd creating B&W images in the digital darkroom to be rather difcult
than creating colour images. It demands greater knowledge of lighting and
the ability on the part of the photographer to visualise the fnal scene without
being unduly infuenced by colour.
Most digital cameras ofer an option to shoot in black & white. While this
method is simpler, its not the best way either. You would be beter of
capturing the scene in colour (in Raw) and then converting the same to black
& white using Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop. When you record in Raw,
your fle size will be larger, meaning youll record more data. When you record
using the in-built B&W feature, the camera still records all the three channels
(red, green and blue) but discards most of the data while converting to B&W.
Tip: Once you convert your colour
images to black & white, do not have
them printed onto conventional colour
paper. If you do so, you may not be fully
satisfed because you are likely to see a
colour tint in the fnal images. Instead, go
for inkjet printing, which can ofer you
clean blacks and whites.
Tere are various methods to convert
colour images to black & white. Some
methods are, to say the least, poor, and
some are rather difcult. Tis article will
explain some simple, yet very efective
methods to convert your colour images
to B&W. I am using Photoshop CS6 but
earlier versions can be used too.
Original
Learning
Method 1
As suggested earlier, shoot your pictures in
Raw (the method will work with JPEGs too).
In Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), select HSL /
Grayscale (in CS6, it is the fourth tab from the
lef. See Printscreen_1). Check (tick) Convert
to Grayscale (see Printscreen_2). Te image
will turn black & white and the words Hue/
Saturation/Luminance will be replaced by
Grayscale Mix (see Printscreen_3). (In
Adobe Bridge, you must check the relevant
box for Camera Raw Preferences, as shown in Printscreen_4)
Te Grayscale Mix box contains eight sliders, each for a diferent colour. Adjust the sliders (depending on the colour that you
want to adjust) till you are satisfed with the result.
Printscreen_1 Printscreen_2
Printscreen_3 Printscreen_4
Converted to B & W as shown in method 1
Learning
Method 2
a) Open the JPEG image directly in Photoshop.
Make a copy of the image itself by going to Image
> Duplicate and clicking OK. (You may work on
the original or the copy. Te copy is created so
that you can easily compare the two images side-
by-side). Create an adjustment layer for Black &
White (click on the half-black, half-white circle at
the botom of the Layers panel and select Black &
White). Te image will immediately turn B&W and
you will notice that some of the sliders have been
automatically moved.
b) If you like the efect, then fne (most likely you
will not!). You now have a choice. Click on the Auto
buton if you want Photoshop to guide you. Notice
that the slider positions change again. Taking a cue
from the sliders, you can fne-tune the fnal efect to
your liking.
c) Tere is yet another way. If you dont like to use
Auto as in the above step (or even if you have used
it), you can click on the hand icon just above where
it says Reds. (When you place the mouse cursor
over this icon, the readout will say Click and drag
in image to modify a slider; when you click, a gray
square will surround the icon, indicating that it is
active). Move the cursor over the area you want
to darken or lighten. When you press the mouse
buton, the eyedropper icon will turn into a hand
with arrows pointing lef and right. Moving this slider
to the lef will darken that part of the image; moving
to the right will lighten it.
Black & White using Silver Efex Pro 2 plug-in from Nik Sofware
Tis plug-in is not free but if you are seriously interested in B&W photography, if you want
the highest achievable quality, then this is the plug-in to go for. A plug-in is a small sofware
that works in combination with a host program like Photoshop, Photoshop Elements,
Lightroom, Aperture etc. Please read about Silver Efex Pro 2 in next months article.
Rohinton Mehta
Printscreen_1
Printscreen_2
Original
Final
Learning
Give your
photography a
T
i
l
t
!
C
ontrolling what is in focus and
what is not in an image is essen-
tial if you want to get the right
aesthetics in portrait, landscape and still
life photography. Tis characteristic is
controlled by what is called the Depth
of Field or in short DOF. So, before
we go further let us see what DOF
stands for. As per optical theory, only
one point (and all the points at exactly
the same distance from the lens) can be
in perfect focus. But, in reality, objects
on either side of this point will also
be in focus. Tat is, there is a band of
acceptable sharpness which is nothing
but the depth of feld. Simply put, DOF
is the distance between the nearest and
farthest objects which are in focus. DOF,
beyond any doubt, is one of the most
important aspects of photography.
DOF is mainly infuenced by just
two parameters - magnifcation and
aperture. Magnifcation (which is the
size of the image that is formed on
the sensor), is a combination of focal
length and subject distance. Smaller the
magnifcation (due to short focal lengths
and/or greater subject distances) and
narrower the aperture, greater will be
the DOF.
Generally, perspective and composition
considerations do not allow much
leeway in altering magnifcation. Tus,
DOF control is ofen limited to just
changing the aperture. However,
aperture can be changed only within
certain limits, as allowed by your lens.
Tis means that you cannot extend
the DOF to an extent you want just
by stopping down (narrowing) the
aperture beyond a point. Not only
that, excessive stopping down of the
aperture introduces difraction which
reduces the quality of the image. You
may also get into situations where you
require a high shuter speed but the
DOF you need demands a narrow
aperture which is not possible even
with a high ISO due to the low light.
Conversely, how do you reduce the
DOF if it is too much? Is there a solution
to these problems?
Yes there is, if you know how to exploit
the Scheimpfug Efect. No, it is
not a word from the aliens language
nor is it something new. Te concept
was patented in as early as 1904. Te
techniques and hardware that use
this principle will give you an
extraordinary control over the DOF
to produce some very unique and
aesthetically pleasing results.
To understand how this works, it is frst
necessary to know the concept of a
plane. A plane, as used in photography,
is a fat surface. However, it is imaginary
in the sense that it doesnt physically
exist. So, think of it as a transparent
sheet of glass! In conventional
photography, there are three planes
the focal plane (that is the plane
at which the sensor is located), the
lens plane and the subject plane. For
perfect focus all these need to be
perfectly parallel to each other (Picture
1). In the strictest sense only the subject
plane is in perfect focus. However,
as you have just read, a zone (slightly
behind and afer the subject plane) will
also be in adequate focus due to DOF.
Stripped of its mathematics, the
Scheimpfug Efect, states that if the focal
plane or lens plane is tilted such that they
intersect each other and if the subject
plane when extended passes through
this intersection point, you will get almost
unlimited DOF! But, before you say Oh
my God and give up, just look at Picture
2. It is not that complicated!
So when is this useful? Tink of a
landscape which has a fat fower bed
in the foreground. Tis can be made
to come into sharp focus just by tilting
the lens even without stopping down.
Similar applications exist for still life
photography too.
Learning
What will happen if your subject is
not in one plane? As an example think
of the same landscape where there is
a tall hill in the background, beyond
the fower bed. Tis principle will not
apply to the hill as it is in a diferent
plane (since it is vertical). So, if you
need to get that too in sharp focus, you
can tilt the lens diferently. In Picture
2, the thick magenta line represents a
vertical subject. Assume an imaginary
plane, shown as pq and you can
tilt the lens parallel to this, to get the
vertical subject in focus. Te problem
here is that a part of the scene that was
earlier in focus will now go out-of-focus.
Hence, in such cases it is easier to stop
down the aperture to increase the DOF
(the traditional way), since DOF can
be extended to distant objects easily.
Tis way you can maximise the DOF by
using the Scheimpfug Efect combined
with stopping down of aperture.
Pictures 3 and 4 show how the tilt
feature was used to increase the DOF.
How much tilt is needed? Te lower
the camera is from the subject plane
and nearer the foreground that you
want in sharp focus, the greater the tilt
you will need. Usually you will not need
more than 8 degrees of tilt though.
You can also use the Scheimpfug Efect
to reduce the DOF. By proper titling
you can reduce the DOF, thus confning
the zone of sharp focus to a thin slice.
Tis has a very useful application in
fashion and product photography.
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 1: A schematic of a conventional photographic set up. The focal/sensor plane (blue), the lens plane (red)
and the subject plane (green) are all parallel to one another. The DOF (before and after the subject plane) here will
QPN[DGCHHGEVGFD[VJGCRGTVWTGQPEGVJGOCIPKECVKQPKUZGF
Picture 2: This shows a schematic of the 5EJGKORWI'HHGEV6JGVJKPNKPGUCTGNKPGUGZVGPFGFHTQOVJGTGURGE-
tive planes. Because of the tilting, all the planes meet at a point X.
If there is a vertical subject (magenta), it is better to get it in sharp focus by stopping down rather than changing
the tilt angle.
Learning
Giving the tilt capability to your
camera:
Using Tilt and, its close cousin, Shif
was once possible only with Technical
cameras (also called View cameras)
though now the same efects can be
obtained on D-SLRs and mirrorless
cameras (also known Inter-Changeable
Lens Cameras or ILCs) too. Let us look
at a couple of solutions available to us.
Tilt/Shif Lenses: Leading camera
manufacturers and a few third-party
ones (Schneider, Samyang, etc.)
make tilt/shif lenses. Tese lenses
not only ofer tilt, but also allow
shif operation and are called T/S
lenses for short. Te shif feature
is indispensable for correcting
perspective (that is for making vertical
lines perpendicular) and hence is very
useful for architectural photography.
Since they are purpose-built, these
lenses give excellent image quality
and integrate very well with cameras.
However, the focussing is always
manual. Te only problem is that these
are very expensive. Apart from having
Picture 3
Picture 3: A photograph taken in the conventional
way (without any lens tilt). See how the DOF is
limited here.
2KEVWTG1DUGTXGJQYVJG&1(JCUDGGPGZVGPFGF
when the lens was tilted. The aperture in both cases
was the same at f/1.8!
mechanisms to give tilt and shif, these
lenses also project an image circle (also
called covering power), much larger
than a regular lens would project. Tis
enables the entire sensor to be evenly
illuminated afer the tilt/shif operation.
Tese lenses are available in focal
lengths starting from about 17mm (for
landscapes) to 85mm (for still life and
portrait photography).
Picture 5
Picture 5
Picture 5: A T/S lens in normal position
Picture 6: A T/S lens after tilting
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Picture 4
Learning
Lens Adapters: The advent of
mirrorless cameras saw a number of
lens adapters coming into existence.
These are easily available on eBay.
Adapters are simply hollow rings with
compatible mounts on either side
and allow you to mount many present
D-SLR full frame and older 35mm film
SLR lenses on Micro Four Thirds or
Sony NEX series cameras. Also, the
sensors used on mirrorless cameras
are smaller than the 35mm image
circle that these lenses project. Thus,
these lenses have enough covering
power. These factors allow the design
and manufacture of adapters that
also support tilt operation apart from
functioning as simple adapters. ( Just
for information, some adapters also
support shift operation. For details,
please see Smart Photography,
Lens Adapters, April 2012 issue).
Picture 7
Picture 8
Picture 8: This is how the adapter looks after tilting.
The tilt here is 8 degrees. Comparing this image with
Picture 2 will give you a better idea of the tilt operation.
If you have a Micro Four Thirds or
Sony NEX camera, using a tilt adapter
is an excellent and economical way
to get the tilt capability. Of course,
you will need a lens too. Any of the
older Canon, Nikon or Pentax lenses
with a focal length of around 50mm
will be fine for still life and portrait
photography.
Te aim of this article is to introduce
you to the concepts of the tilt function.
By using this feature and combining
it with the traditional control of DOF
(by changing aperture), you can gain
excellent command over the DOF. Try
it out and you will see what I mean!
Ashok Kandimalla Picture 7: Here is an Olympus EP-3 Micro Four Thirds
camera with a tilt adapter that supports Nikon lenses.
The adapter is shown here in normal position (that is
with no tilt).
All photographs and diagrams by Ashok Kandimalla
unless otherwise noted.
104
106
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED
60mm f/2.8 Macro
Portrait Professional Studio
Lens Review
Sofware Review
Reviews
88
92 98
82
Compact Review
Compact Review
Compact Review
ILCC Review
Change in Rating System
Smart Photographys 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 Rankings
Recommended ......................................... 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)
Performance
Autofocus .................................................... (out of 5)
Metering ...................................................... (out of 5)
Noise control ........................................... (out of 5)
Distortion/Sharpness .......................... (out of 5)
LCD/Viewfnder..................................... (out of 5)
Auto White Balance ........................... (out of 5)
Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)
Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)
LENSES
Performance
Autofocus .................................................... (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
Performance
Autofocus .................................................... (out of 5)
Metering ...................................................... (out of 5)
Noise control ........................................... (out of 5)
Distortion/Sharpness .......................... (out of 5)
LCD/Viewfnder..................................... (out of 5)
Auto White Balance ........................... (out of 5)
Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)
Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)
Nikon Coolpix S800C Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S5000
Panasonic Lumix G)3
Panasonic Lumix GH3
ILCC Review
82.5%
Rs.1,05,600
Micro Four Tirds on Steroids
Inside the Box
zCamera
zBattery (DMW-BLF19PP)
zBattery charger (DMW-BTC10PP)
zAC cable
zUSB cable
zCD-ROM software
zCD-ROM (Operating Instructions, Advanced)
zShoulder strap
zBody cap
(converted from current U.K. price)
T
he GH range of Panasonics
Micro Four Tirds cameras
is recognised for being
excellent at video and for targeting
the premium sector. Te GH3, which
replaces the GH2, is made in China.
It has a weather-sealed body and
features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity,
Touch Shuter, Touch AF and more.
Te GH3 is an obvious atempt by
Panasonic to appeal to the enthusiast
and pro sector market.
Design and Build Quality
The Panasonic Lumix GH3 body is
well built. It is larger and heavier than
the GH2 and uses a magnesium alloy
chassis for extra sturdiness. Its larger
body offers a better grip, especially
for people with big hands. The
tripod socket is made of metal and
is located directly in line with the
lens central axis. An optional battery
grip (DMW-BGGH3) is available. The
body is dust-proof and splash-proof,
and measures approximately 133 x
93 x 82mm. At 520 g with card and
battery, it is lighter compared to
855 g Canon 60D body or 555 g
Nikons D5200 body for instance.
Key Features
Te GH3 is a 16.05 megapixel ILCC
(Interchangeable Lens Compact
Camera) using a Four Tirds Live
MOS (17.3 x 13 mm) imaging sensor.
It ofers a Supersonic Wave Filter for
dust reduction. Viewing options are an
Electronic Viewfnder (OLED) having
1,744K-dot resolution and a 3-inch
swivel/tilt touch-screen OLED monitor
having a resolution of approximately
610,000 dots. Both the devices ofer
approximately 100% feld of view. Te
GH3 looks and feels very much like a
D-SLR. It ofers, just behind the front
dial, direct butons for White Balance,
ISO, and Exposure Compensation. On
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Panasonic Lumix GH3
ILCC Review
Sharpness & Detail
Aperture: f/8 Shutter Speed: 1/13sec. ISO:160
Noise
ISO:200 ISO:12800
Colour Accuracy
Colour checker shot using Auto White Balance
in sunlight. Auto Levels applied.
JPEG Compression
JPEG, Super Fine Quality,
100% (8.44 MB)
JPEG, Standard Quality,
100% (4.26 KB)
the top lef is the Drive mode
dial. On the extreme top right is
the Wi-Fi connection lamp.
Te GH3 employs Contrast-
Detect autofocus system (almost
all D-SLRs use Phase-Detection
AF), while focus modes available
are AF-S, AF-C, AF-F (camera
decides whether to use AF-S or
AF-C, depending on subjects
status), and MF (Manual Focus).
Autofocus/Autoexposure can
be locked using the AF/AE Lock
buton. AF modes are Face
Detection, AF Tracking, 23-area
Focussing, 1-area Focussing, and
Pinpoint Focussing (touch-focus
area selection is possible). For
easy access to your favourite
function, the GH3 ofers fve
Function Butons. Te user can
assign his/her favourite function
to each of these butons.
Te Mode dial on the top has
indents for P, A, S, M, Video,
Custom 1, 2 and 3, Scene Guide,
Creative Control, Intelligent Auto
(which includes Intelligent Auto
Plus mode). Te Intelligent Auto
mode is a boon for those who
wish to concentrate more on the
subject than on the technicalities.
Te GH3 uses a 144-zone multi-
patern system for exposure
control with 3 metering modes:
Intelligent Multiple, Centre-
weighted and Spot. Exposure
modes are Program, Aperture
Priority, Shuter Priority and
Manual. Also available are 23
Scene Modes: Clear Portrait,
Silky Skin, Backlit Sofness, Clear
in Backlight, Relaxing Tone,
ILCC Review
Panasonic Lumix GH3
Sweet Childs Face, Distinct Scenery,
Bright Blue Sky, Romantic Sunset Glow,
Vivid Sunset Glow, Glistening Water,
Clear Nightscape, Cool Night Sky,
Warm Glowing Nightscape, Artistic
Nightscape, Glitering Illuminations,
Clear Night Portrait, Sof Image of a
Flower, Appetizing Food, Cute Dessert,
Freeze Animal Motion, Clear Sports
Shot, and Monochrome. Exposures can
be compensated by +/- 5 EV in 1/3 EV
steps, while exposures can be bracketed
in 3, 5, or 7 frames in 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV
step. Images can be recorded in JPEG,
Raw, MPO (in 3D recording) and image
quality can be set to Raw, Raw+Fine,
Raw+Standard, Fine and Standard.
Shuter speeds (for still images) on the
GH3 range from 60 seconds -1/4000
sec, plus B (Bulb); those for movies
range from 1/30 sec1/16,000 sec
(NTSC) or 1/25 sec-1/16,000 (PAL).
Quick burst at 20 fps at reduced
image size (Super high speed), 6 fps
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(High speed), 4 fps (Middle speed)
or 2 fps (Low speed) is available. Te
standard ISO sensitivity range on the
GH3 is from ISO 200-12,800, plus Auto
and Intelligent ISO. Te range can be
expanded to ISO 125 at the lower end
and ISO 25,600 at the higher end.
White Balance can be set to Auto or
one of the 8 Presets, including Colour
Temperature seting. WB can also be
bracketed. A Level Gauge ensures
that your images stay levelled. Images
can be shot in 4 aspect ratios: 4:3,
3:2, 16:9 and 1;1. Colour Space can
be set to sRGB or Adobe RGB. Seven
Photo Styles are available to fne-
tune your images: Standard, Vivid,
Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait
and Custom. Te user can control
the amount of contrast, sharpness,
saturation and noise reduction while
using these Photo Styles. For those
wanting even more control over their
images, various Creative Controls are
available: Expressive, High key, Low
Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome,
Impressive art, High Dynamic, Cross
Process, Toy Efect, Miniature Efect and
One Point Colour.
Te Lumix GH3 ofers Wi-Fi
functionality. You can remotely fre the
camera using a Smartphone, view the
images on a Wi-Fi enabled TV, transmit
images to a laptop or PC or sync with a
web service.
Te Panasonic Lumix GH3 ofers full
HD video recording (1920 x 1080)
in AVCHD, MP4 and MOV formats.
Audio is recorded in stereo using
the built-in microphone but you can
also add an external mic. Please read
your Basic Owners Manual for further
details. A pop-up fash with a Guide
Number of 17m (ISO 200) is built-in,
with the usual fash modes. A dedicated
accessory shoe for external fashguns is
available. Images are recorded on SD,
SDHC and SDXC memory card.
Ergonomics
We tested the Panasonic Lumix GH3
using a 12-35mm f/2.8 and a 100-
300mm f/4.5-5.6 lenses (equivalent
to 24-70mm and 200-600mm
respectively). Te camera was a
pleasure to use, but like most modern
cameras that have more features than
necessary, it can be difcult for those
who neglect studying the user manual.
Unfortunately, Panasonic provides only
the basic version of the user manual in
print. Te balance, especially with the
12-35mm lens, was perfect and the user
interface was relatively simple.
Performance
Te overall performance of the GH3
Panasonic Lumix GH3
ILCC Review
FINAL SCORE
Design and Build Quality 17/20
Key Features 17/20
Ergonomics 17/20
Performance
Autofocus 4.5/5
Metering 4/5
Noise Control 4/5
Sharpness 4/5
LCD/EVF 4/5
Auto White Balance 4/5
Sub-Total 24.5/30
Value for Money 7/10
Grand Total 82.5/100
Due to the fact that it offers
video capability for more than 30
minutes, the GH3 is considered to
be a video camera rather than a
still camera. This in turn, qualifies
it for a much higher excise duty. If
Panasonic were to reduce the video
clips to under 30 minutes (should
be easy with a firmware update),
the camera would be affordable to
most users. GH3s video quality is
amazing; and so is the still-image
quality, especially when you shoot
in Raw. As mentioned earlier, JPEG
users can control the sharpening
in Photoshop or increase the
in-camera sharpening to suit
their individual needs. In spite
of its high cost, but considering
its potential, we would rate the
camera as a Best Buy!
Rohinton Mehta
VERDICT
+
+
Very good noise control
Excellent Intelligent Auto mode
+
+
Excellent video quality
Excellent Raw image quality
-
Expensive
was excellent. We primarily used the
central-AF point and noticed that
autofocus was, surprisingly, very fast
(surprising because it uses Contrast-
Detect AF as used in compacts, rather
than Phase-Detection as used in
D-SLRs), even in low light. Panasonic
claims an AF speed of 0.07 seconds
with certain lenses! Te touch-screen
autofocus worked like a charm, instantly
focussing on the element touched upon
on the screen.
Images shot in JPEG were on the sofer
side, but could be easily sharpened
in Photoshop. As it is with all digital
cameras, the user has a choice to
increase in-camera sharpness to his
liking. Colours were punchy and mostly
accurate-- reds, which are generally
difcult to reproduce well, were much
beter with the GH3. White Balance
performance was good under most
lighting conditions. It is possible to give
diferent looks to your JPEG images by
customising the camera using the Photo
Styles ofered. Images shot in Raw were
defnitely beter in every way.
The GH3s native image size is 15.36
x 11.52 inches at 300 ppi ( JPEG,
45.6MB when opened in Photoshop).
Digital noise control was excellent
up to ISO 1600. ISO 3200 could be
used in an emergency, but anything
upwards produced visible noise with
loss of fine detail. The Intelligent Auto
mode provided us with excellent
quality images without worrying
about technicalities. We would
recommend this mode to everyone
(yes, including experts!).
Video quality was just superb; probably
the best we have seen till date on any
mirrorless ILCC. We were unable to test
the Wi-Fi functionality.
Value for Money
While the Indian price is yet to be
announced, the Panasonic Lumix
GH3 sells in the U. K. at around
Pounds Sterling 1200 without VAT.
This is definitely on the expensive
side, but the price should fall within
3 months or so.
SPECIFICATIONS
Camera type : Mirrorless ILCC
Efective pixels : 16.05 million
Sensor : Four Tirds Live MOS
Dust reduction : Supersonic Wave Filter
Focus : AF/MF. Face Detection/AF
Tracking/23-area focussing/1-area
focussing/Pinpoint
ISO sensitivity : Auto/iISO/200-12800
Shuter speeds : 60-1/4000sec, plus B
(Max. approx. 120 sec)
White Balance : AWB, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade,
Incandescent, Flash, White set 1 & 2,
Kelvin temperature seting
Exposure : P, A, S, M. Auto
Exp. Compensation : +/- 5 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Metering mode : Multiple, Centre-weighted, Spot
Monitor : 3-inch OLED monitor, approx.
610,000 dots. Touch screen.
Viewfnder : Colour OLED Viewfnder, approx.
1,740,000 dots.
VF Dioptre : -4 to +4 dioptre
adjustment
Flash : Built-in, G N: 17m at ISO 200
Flash sync : Up to 1/160 sec
Recording media : SD, SDHC, SDXC memory card
Burst speed : 20 fps (reduced image size) Super
high speed
6 fps (Full image size) High speed
4 fps (Middle speed)
2 fps (Low speed)
No. of recordable : Max. 18 (Raw captures)
pics. JPEG: Depends on card capacity
Still image format : Raw, JPEG
Video format : AVCHD, MP4, MOV
Batery : Li-ion DMW-BLF19PP
Weight : Approx. 550 g with card and batery
Wireless Transmiter
Frequency range : 2412 MHz to 2462 MHz (11ch)
Compact Review
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81%
Rs.34,990
Inside the Box
z
Camera
z
Battery DMW-BLC12PP
z
Battery Charger DE-A79B
z
USB Cable
z
CD-ROM (Owners Manual)
z
CD-ROM (PHOTOfunSTUDIO 8.3 PE,
Adobe Reader and Silkypix Software)
z
Shoulder strap
z
Lens cap and lens cap string
z
Lens Hood VYQ7878
Flash Output
Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/60sec. ISO:100
B
ridge cameras, also known as
Prosumer cameras, are very
popular with those who do not
wish to lug around heavy, cumbersome
and ofen very expensive equipment.
Panasonic, besides some other
prominent manufacturers, ofers a wide
choice of such super zoom models.
One such recent entrant from Panasonic
is the Lumix FZ200 that boasts of
constant f/2.8 aperture throughout
its fantastic 24x zoom range. Not only
that, it can fre bursts at 12 frames per
second at full resolution! Te FZ200 is
a replacement for the FZ150. Lets see
how it scores on our test bench...
Look closely and youll see something
diferent the lens barrel is large. Tis
is because the 25-600mm equivalent
zoom lens is f/2.8 throughout! Te
build quality is good, as long as you
dont compare it to that of D-SLRs.
A Superfast Cam!
Compact Review
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Noise
ISO:100 ISO:3200
Te deep hand grip is perfect; the
index fnger falls directly on the
shuter release buton, while a thumb
rest prevents chances of the camera
slipping from your hand. Te camera
is well fnished and is lightweight
(approx. 588 g). It measures
125.2 (W) x 86.6 (H) x 110.2mm (D).
Key Features
Te Panasonic FZ200 is a D-SLR-like
12.1 megapixel Bridge camera ofering
a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit (24x) 25-
600mm equivalent zoom lens. It uses
a 1/2.3-inch Type (6.13 x 4.6mm) High
Sensitivity MOS imaging sensor, backed
by a Venus Processing Engine. Te lens
is made with 14 elements in 11 groups
(5 Aspherical elements, 9 Aspherical
Surfaces, 3 ED elements, 1 Nano
Surface Coated element) and is backed
by Panasonics Power Optical Image
Stabilizer (Power O.I.S.). Te minimum
focussing distance for Normal shooting
is 30cm at the wide-angle end and
200cm at the telephoto end. In AF
Macro, Manual focus, Intelligent Auto,
and Motion Picture modes, the lens can
focus from 1cm-infnity at the wide-
angle end and 100cm-infnity at the
telephoto end. Apertures ofered by
the FZ200 are from f/2.8-f/8 throughout
the zoom range for still images and
from f/2.8-f/11 for movies.
An Electronic Colour LCD Viewfnder
(EVF) with 1,312,000-dot resolution
ofers almost 100% feld of view and is
provided with a diopter adjustment to
suit individual eyesight. Te monitor is
a 3-inch TFT LCD with approximately
461,000-dot resolution.
Compact Review
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Te FZ200 ofers various focus modes:
Normal/AF Macro/MF/Quick AF On-
Of (always remains On in Intelligent
Auto)/Continuous AF (only for motion
picture). Teres a Focus Switch with
3 setings on the lens barrel: AF/AF
Macro/Manual Focus (MF). If set to MF,
you can power zoom the lens using
the T/W side lever and by pressing the
Focus buton, you can also autofocus,
thus overriding the manual focus.
Te Mode dial on the top can be set
to P, A, S, M, Movie, Custom 1 & 2,
Scene, and Creative Control. Te Scene
modes are: Portrait, Sof Skin, Scenery,
Panorama Shot, Sports, Panning, Night
Portrait, Night Scenery, Handheld
Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby 1 &
2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Glass
Trough, and 3D Photo Mode. Creative
Control lets you choose between
diferent creative efects: High Key,
Low key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome,
Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross
Process, Toy Efect, Miniature Efect,
Sof Focus, Star Filter, One Point Colour,
Expressive and Retro. Exposures can
be compensated by +/- 3 EV in 1/3 EV
step. Metering modes are Intelligent
Multiple, Center-weighted and Spot.
The Burst Mode button is between
the shutter release and Function 1
button. It offers the following burst
rates :12 fps for maximum 12 images
at full resolution; with AF-Tracking: 5.5
fps/2 fps; High speed burst: approx.
60 fps (recorded at 2.5 MP); approx.
40 fps (recorded at 5 MP). Thankfully,
the Burst Mode can be set to Off
(i.e. you can take one frame with
every press of the shutter release
button!). Shutter speeds on the GH3
range from 60 seconds to 1/4000
sec for still images (Panasonics Basic
Owners Manual says 15 seconds
to 1/4000 sec) and from 1/30 sec.
to 1/20,000 sec for video. Using
Picture Adjustment control, the
user can control contrast, sharpness,
saturation and noise reduction. White
Balance on the FZ200 can be set to
Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Flash,
Incandescent, White Set 1 & 2, and
Kelvin temperature.
High Defnition Video can be recorded
with stereo sound in AVCHD or MP4.
Te focal length available for video
recording is 28-672 mm. Please check
your Owners Manual for further
details. Images can be stored on SD/
SDHC/SDXC memory card in JPEG or
Raw format. Internal memory is about
70MB. Image quality can be set to
Raw, Raw+Fine, Raw+Standard, Fine,
Standard; in 3D mode, MPO+Fine,
MPO+Standard.
A built-in pop-up fash ofering the
usual fash modes can be used between
0.3-13.5 m at ISO Auto at the wide-
angle end; between 1-13.5 m at the
telephoto end. Te camera is powered
by a lithium-ion batery (DMW-
BLC12PP).
Ergonomics
The Lumix FZ200, though not
pocketable, is small enough to carry
in a waist-pouch. It is easy to handle
and use. In spite of its very effective
Power O. I. S., we would recommend
a tripod for telephoto shooting. The
fast f/2.8 aperture allows you to use
faster shutter speeds (as compared to
slower lenses) and hence further aids
in sharp images.
Performance
We had mixed reactions with the overall
performance of the FZ200. JPEG images
were somewhat on the sofer side
(though could be easily sharpened in
Photoshop) and were low in contrast;
Raw fles produced beter images.
Highlight burnout was at its minimal, and
could have possibly been helped by
the low-contrast. Colours were, when
not shooting into the light, saturated.
Tough the Power O. I. S. performed as
expected; for greater sharpness towards
Compact Review
FINAL SCORE
Key Features 16/20
Ergonomics 17/20
Performance
Autofocus 4/5
Metering 4/5
Noise Control 5/5
Distortion/Sharpness 4/5
LCD/VF 4/5
AWB 4/5
Sub-Total 25/30
Grand Total 81/100
A very fast, f/2.8 aperture at 600mm
was unheard of until now. If you
are the kind of photographer who
loves to shoot everything, even in
low light, and without the bulk of a
D-SLR, then the FZ200 is for you. But
for the price you pay, you could opt
for a beginners D-SLR with a kit lens.
However, a 600mm lens on a D-SLR
will send you packing to a gym and
could put you in confict with your
bank manager!
Rohinton Mehta
VERDICT
+
+
F/2.8 throughout the zoom range
Fully articulated LCD
+
+
Lightweight
24x, 25-600mm equivalent zoom
-
-
-
Flare
Low-contrast images
Slightly sofer JPEGs
the longest end we would defnitely
suggest a good tripod (with stabilisation
turned of), failing which a monopod at
least. Te fast f/2.8 aperture allowed us
to shoot in low light, where less modest
cameras would have given up.
Flare was clearly visible in against-the-
light shots, which required a contrast
boost in Photoshop. Chromatic
aberration (magenta fringing) was
evident. Darkening of corners was
very well controlled. There was, for
all practical purposes, just a shade
of corner darkening at the widest
end (25mm equivalent). The lens
exhibited some barrel distortion up
to 65mm equivalent focal length. The
EXIF data showed a maximum focal
length of 610mm equivalent, which of
course did not surprise us (measured
focal length often vary with the stated
focal length).
Te native image size was 8.907 x
13.333 at 300ppi. At 12.5% screen
size, there was no digital noise
throughout the ISO range. At 25%
screen size, the results were identical
no noise throughout the ISO range. At
50% screen size, some noise was visible
at ISO 1600 and 3200. At 100%, noise
was visible over a greater range of ISOs.
Personally, using the shoot to the right
theory, I would not hesitate to use the
camera up to ISO 1600, even for large
prints. Having said that, just for record,
for ultimate image quality with any
camera one must try to use the lowest
ISO sensitivity.
White Balance performance was good.
AWB and Pre-set for Sunlight was
perfect; very slight magenta/red cast
was seen with AWB/Pre-set for Shade
and Flash, which could be very easily
handled in post-processing.
Auto focussing was quick and accurate
and the Face Detection worked well.
AF Tracking was beter than in some
other cameras that we have reviewed
in the past. Exposure metering for
ambient light was quite accurate with
all the three meters Multiple, Centre-
weighted and Spot. Exposures with the
built-in fash were spot on.
Value for Money
Te Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is available
at an MRP of Rs.34,990. At this price,
we would consider it to be a fair value
for money.
SPECIFICATIONS
Camera type : Bridge
Efective pixel : 12.1 million
Sensor size : 1/2.3-inch Type (6.13 x 4.6mm)
Sensor type : High Sensitivity MOS sensor
Aperture range : F/2.8-8 (Stills); f/2.8-11 (Movies)
Focal length : 25-600 mm (Stills);
28-672 mm (Movies)
Lens : Leica DC Vario-Elmarit
(Nano Surface Coating)
14 elements in 11 groups
Image stabiliser : Power O. I. S.
Shuter speeds : 60-1/4000sec (Stills)
30-1/20,000 sec (Movies)
Viewfnder : 0.21-inch Colour EVF, approx.1,
312K dots
LCD Monitor : 3-inch, Free-angle TFT LCD
(460K dots)
File format : JPEG, Raw, MPO (3D) -Stills
AVCHD, MP4 -Video
Exposure modes : P, A, S, M.
Exp. Compensation : +/- 3 EV in 1/3 EV step
Metering : Intelligent Multiple, Centre-weighted,
Spot
ISO sensitivity : Auto, iISO, 100-6400
Image quality : Raw, Raw+Fine, Raw+Standard, Fine,
Standard
3D mode: MPO+Fine,
MPO+Standard
White Balance : Auto, daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Flash,
Incandescent, White set 1 & 2, Kelvin
temp.
Photo Style/ : Standard, Vivid, Natural,
Film Mode Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait,
Custom
Picture adjustments : Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation,
Noise Reduction
Built-in fash : Yes, pop-up
Recording media : In-built: 70MB, SD, SDHC, SDXC card
Power : Li-ion batery
Included sofware : PHOTOfunSTUDIO 8.3PE, SilkyPix
Developer Studio, Adobe Reader
Nikon Coolpix S800C
Compact Review
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USB Cable UC-E6
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Users Manual
Flash Output
E
ver since Google launched its
Android operating system, it
has taken the mobile phone
market by storm with innumerable
applications (Apps) made around the
platorm. Te main features of Android
are connectivity, rich app base, and
relatively simple user interface. Now,
afer biting a second piece from Apple,
the droid has slowly hacked into
cameras too with Nikon launching the
android-based Coolpix S800C. Could
this trigger a reverse migration from a
smartphone with a camera to a smart
camera with a phone? Let us explore.
Te exterior of the Nikon
Coolpix S800C is largely made of
polycarbonate, save the front portion,
which is metal. Te device has the
power switch and the zoom lever on
the top panel, while the LCD panel
dominates the back panel, lined with
Te Cam-droid
Compact Review
Nikon Coolpix S800C
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Noise
ISO:125 ISO:3200
three small Android-style butons
Home, Menu, and Back. Te lens has
a three-segment construction and it
protrudes quite a bit during zooming.
Te tripod receptacle is metal. Te LCD
has a plastic outer screen which, I think,
is a bad idea considering that a camera
is mostly kept on its back and the fact
that it is touch screen increases the
chances of scratches. In fact, the piece
supplied to us already had scratches
covering every millimetre of the screen.
We would like to see a Gorilla Glass
screen in the next upgrade (hope Nikon
is listening).
Key Features
Let us get this clearthe Nikon S800C
does not feature a phone. Tough it is
based on Android, it is still a camera. So
let us start with the camera features. Te
16-megapixel S800 uses a 1/2.3-inch
Type (approximately 6.16 x 4.62mm)
CMOS sensor. It houses a Nikkor 25-
250mm equivalent lens constructed
with 8 elements in 8 groups including an
ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass element.
Te f-numbers range from f/3.2 to 6.4
at the wide-angle end and f/5.8 to
11.6 at the telephoto end. Aperture
mechanism consists of an electronically
controlled ND flter. Te camera
Nikon Coolpix S800C
Compact Review
features dual vibration reduction
function, which combines optical (lens-
shif) VR and electronic (ISO) boost.
AF is achieved through contrast-detect
method. In normal mode, lens focusses
from approximately 50cm to infnity at
the wide-angle end, and approximately
1.0m to infnity at the telephoto end.
In Macro mode, it focusses as close
as 10cm (all measured from the front
surface of the lens). Focus area selection
methods are Face Priority, Auto (9-area
automatic selection), Centre, Manual,
and Subject Tracking. Exposure control
is through programmed auto exposure
and the exposure can be compensated
up to +/-2 EV in 1/3-EV steps. Metering
modes are 256-segment Matrix,
Centre-weighted, and Spot. Te S800C
features a combination of mechanical
and electronic shuter (electronically
limiting the readout time of the
sensor). Shuter speed ranges from 4
to 1/4000 sec. Sensitivity of the camera
ranges from ISO 125 to 1600, while in
Auto mode it can be boosted up to
ISO3200.
Te S800C records still images in JPEG
format with maximum pixel dimensions
of 4608 x 3456, while videos are
recorded in MOV format with the
highest quality of 1920 x 1080 at
approximately 30 frames per second.
Self-timer can be set to trigger the
camera at either 10 or 2 sec interval.
Shooting modes available are Easy
Auto, Auto, Scene, Special Efects,
Smart Portrait, and Movie. Scene
mode provides options of Portrait,
Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Party/
Indoor, Beach, Snow, Sunset, Dusk/
Dawn, Night Landscape, Close-up,
Food, Fireworks Show, Black and White
Copy, Backlighting, Easy Panorama, and
Pet Portrait. Te camera features drive
modes such as Single, Continuous H (8
fps, 60 fps, and 120 fps), Continuous L
(1.4 fps), BSS (Best Shot Selector), and
Multi-shot 16. Te built-in fash has a
range of approximately 0.5 to 5.6m at
the wide-angle end and approximately
1.0 to 3.1m at the telephoto end when
the ISO is set to Auto. Flash control
is through TTL method with monitor
pre-fashes.
Te Nikon S800C works on Android
2.3.3 (Gingerbread) operating system
and features a Cortex-A9 processor.
It has 512MB RAM. It has a GPS
receiver with 1575.42 MHz frequency
with WGS 84 geodetic system. It
also features Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN)
with approximately 60m range along
with Bluetooth version 2.1. You can
download all popular apps including
games and E-mail with the exception
of cellular communication apps. Te
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Compact Review
Nikon Coolpix S800C
only feature missing in this is a mobile
communication module.
Te device uses a 3.5-inch,
approximately 819,000-dot widescreen
OLED touch panel with anti-refection
coating. Te S800C has approximately
1.7GB internal memory for saving images
and approximately 680MB for Android
apps. It also accepts an SD memory card
as external storage. It is powered by an
EN-EL12 rechargeable Li-ion batery
(included). It weighs approximately 184
g (including batery and memory card)
and has dimensions of approximately
111.4 x 60.0 x 27.2 mm (W x H x D).
Ergonomics
Te Coolpix S800C is comfortable
to handle and easy to use. Nikon has
rooted the device in such a way that
when you switch it on, it will load
the camera instead of the Android
home screen. Tis is a wise move since
Android takes a long time to load,
compared to the camera interface.
Tere is no playback buton, but a
thumbnail at the corner of the screen
provides access to the playback mode.
From this mode, you can share images
using Dropbox, Facebook, Gmail,
Picasa, Twiter, or any such image-
sharing service through Wi-Fi. But we
felt the touch response was inferior to
the new Android cameras available in
the market.
Performance
Te Nikon Coolpix S800C performed
reasonably well. Te lens controlled
darkening of corners very well with only
mild darkening observed at extreme
corners at wide-open aperture, at
the wide-angle end. Distortion was
practically zero througout the zoom
range. Metering modes performed as
expected. Autofocus was reasonable,
though it was not very quick to lock
on every time. But the device did not
have any trouble focussing in low light.
Images out of the box appeared slightly
sof. Prominent fare was observed at
the wide-angle end with the lens wide
open in images shot under strong back
lighting, but we did not observe any
chromatic aberration.
Auto White Balance was slightly
disappointing in out-of-the-box images
since the camera produced distinct
colour cast under all lighting conditions
except Daylight and Fluorescent. But
the colour casts could be removed
easily in Photoshop. Native print size
was 11.52 x 15.36 inches at 300 ppi.
Observed at 25 percent size, images
were noise-free up to ISO 800. At 50
percent screen size, noise was observed
at ISO 800 and slight noise could be
seen even at ISO 400. When viewed at
100 percent, all images produced slight
noise. Overall, the images were usable
up to ISO 800.
Te device connected to Wi-Fi
networks without any problem, though
we felt that the connectivity was slightly
poor compared to Android phones.
Value for Money
Te Nikon Coolpix S800 retails at an
MRP of Rs.20,950. Tis is tad too high
than the expected range for a camera
without any manual seting or priority
modes.
SPECIFICATIONS
Efective pixels : 16.0 million
Image sensor : 1/2.3-inch type CMOS
Lens : NIKKOR 25-250 mm equivalent
f/number : f/3.25.8
Lens Construction : 8 elements in 8 groups
(1 ED lens element)
Vibration reduction : Combination of lens shif
and electronic VR
Autofocus Method : Contrast-detect AF
Focus range (from : Approx. 50 cm to infnity (W)
front surface of lens) Approx. 1.0m to infnity (T)
Macro mode: Approx. 10 cm
to infnity
Focus-area selection : Face priority, auto (9-area automatic
selection), centre, manual,
subject tracking
Monitor : 3.5-inch, approx. 819,000-dot
widescreen OLED (touch panel) with
anti-refection coating
Frame coverage : Approx. 98% horizontal and 98%
(shooting mode) vertical
Storage Media : Internal memory:
approx. 1.7 GB for saving images
approx. 680 MB for
Nikon Coolpix S800C
Compact Review
FINAL SCORE
Key Features 17/20
Ergonomics 17/20
Performance
Autofocus 3/5
Metering 3/5
Noise Control 2/5
LCD/VF 4/5
AWB 2/5
Sub-Total 19/30
Grand Total 75/100
Smartphone cameras have taken
image sharing to a new level.
However, more pixels packed into
small sensors of Smartphone cameras
have their limitations, no mater
what confguration it has. If you are
concerned about this, and do not mind
carrying a basic phone in addition to
this camera-cum-Android device, then
the Nikon Coolpix S800 is a good buy.
But, we feel, there is much room for
improvement.
Sujith Gopinath
VERDICT
+
Power of Android
+
+
WiFi enabled
Good features
-
-
-
Scratch-prone LCD
No capacitive touch screen
Performance could have been beter
saving applications
External storage: SD/SDHC
memory card
File formats : Still pictures: JPEG
Movies: MOV
Max. Image size : 4608 x 3456
(pixels)
Shooting Modes : Easy auto, Auto, Scene(Portrait,
Landscape, Sports, Night portrait,
Party/indoor, Beach, Snow, Sunset,
Dusk/dawn, Night landscape, Close
up, Food, Fireworks show, Black and
white copy, Backlighting, Easy
panorama, Pet portrait), Special
efects, Smart portrait, Movie
Drive modes : Single, Continuous H (8 fps, 60 fps,
120 fps), Continuous L (1.4 fps), BSS
(Best Shot Selector), Multi-shot 16
Highest Movie quality: HD 1080p(fne):
1920 x 1080/approx. 30 fps
Sensitivity : ISO 125-1600 (ISO 3200 available
in auto mode)
Metering modes : 256-segment matrix,
centre-weighted, spot
Exposure control : Programmed auto exposure
Exposure comp. : +/-2.0 EV in steps of 1/3 EV
Shuter : Mechanical and CMOS
electronic shuter
Shuter Speed : 4 to 1/4000 s
Aperture : Electronically-controlled ND flter
Self-timer : Can be selected from 10 and 2
second durations
Built-in fash Range : approx. 0.5-5.6 m (W), approx. 1.0-
3.1
(ISO: Auto) m (T)
Flash control : TTL auto fash with monitor prefashes
Interface : Hi-Speed USB
GPS : Receiver frequency 1575.42 MHz
(C/A code), geodetic system WGS 84
Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) : IEEE 802.11b/g/n, WPS 2.0,
ARIB STD-T66
Range (line of sight) : Approx. 60 m (varies with location)
Operating frequency : 2412-2462 MHz (1-11 channels)
Security : WPA/WPA2/WEP
Bluetooth : ver.2.1+EDR
System Processor : Coretex-A9
RAM : 512 MB
Operating system : Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread)
Power source : One Rechargeable Li-ion Batery EN
EL12 (included) Dimensions
(W x H x D) Approx. 111.4 x
60.0 x 27.2 mm
Weight : Approx. 184 g
(including batery and SD card)
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Inside the Box
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Flash Output
B
udget compact cameras are
in high demand in the market
since these fit well in everyones
budget and do not require any
expertise for using. These cameras
are feature-packed and have very
short product lives since they are
replaced fast by the companies to
ward off competition. The Sony
Cyber-shot DSC-S5000 joins the
bandwagon with 14 megapixels and
5x optical zoom.
Te outer body of the Sony S5000 is
made of polycarbonate. It uses two AA
bateries for power and has a plastic
tripod receptacle. Te lens has a
three-segment construction. Te back
of the camera houses all the controls
except the power and shuter release
butons which are on the top panel.
Te LCD is recessed, therefore the
chance of it geting scratched when the
camera is kept on its back is less. Since
Anyone can Click!
Compact Review
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Noise
ISO:100 ISO:3200
the camera uses AA bateries, the hand
grip has a nice protrusion.
Key Features
Te 14.1-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot
DSC-S5000 uses a 1/2.3-inch Type
(6.16 x 4.62mm) Super HAD CCD
sensor for imaging. Tis sensor has
higher sensitivity compared to normal
sensors, enabling low noise in low-light
situations. Te camera uses a Sony
30-150mm equivalent, f/3.2-6.5 lens.
Te lens focusses from approximately
10cm to infnity at the wide-angle end
and approximately 100cm to infnity
at the telephoto end. Focus modes
employed in the camera are Multi-point,
Centre-weighted, Flexible Spot, and
Flexible Spot (Face Tracking). Metering
modes of the camera are Multi-patern,
Centre-weighted, and Spot. Exposure
can be compensated up to +/-2.0 EV
in 1/3-EV steps. ISO sensitivity ranges
from ISO 100 to 3200 and shuter
speed ranges from 2 to 1/2000 sec.
F-number ranges from f/3.2 to 9.1 at
the wide-angle end and 6.5 to 18.4
at the telephoto end. White Balance
Compact Review
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options are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy,
Fluorescent, Incandescent, and Flash.
But to access these modes, you have to
set the fash to Of. Te self-timer can
be set to fre the shuter with a delay
of 2 or 10 sec. Te built-in fash has a
range of approximately 0.5 to 3.0m at
the wide-angle end, and approximately
0.5 to 1.5m at the telephoto end when
ISO is set to Auto. Available fash modes
are Auto, Flash On, Flash Of, and Slow
Synchro. Te camera features Auto
Macro and Face Detection features and
can detect up to eight faces in a frame.
Still images are recorded in JPEG format
with maximum pixel dimensions of
4350 x 3240 while videos are recorded
in AVC MP4 format with the highest
quality of 640 x 480.
Shooting modes on the Sony S5000 are
Intelligent Auto, Easy Shooting, Program
Auto, Movie Mode, Panorama, Scene
Selection, and Picture Efect. Scene
Selection provides further automated
setings of High Sensitivity, Night Scene,
Night Portrait, Sof Snap, Landscape,
Beach, Snow, Gourmet, Pet, and Sof
Skin. Picture Efects are Toy Camera,
Pop Colour, Partial Colour, and Sof
High-key. Te camera uses a 2.7-inch,
230,400-pixel Clear Photo TFT LCD.
Te S5000 has an internal memory
of approximately 28 MB and accepts
a Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo/PRO
HG Duo/SD/SDHC card for external
storage. It is powered by two AA
alkaline bateries. Te camera weighs
approximately 172g with batery and
memory card (125g body only) and has
dimensions of 97.5 x 61.0 x 29.6mm.
Ergonomics
Te Sony S5000 is comfortable to hold
and operate. Te thick hand grip allows
beter handling. All controls on the
back panel are within reach of the right
thumb. User interface is straightorward
and the menus are easy to navigate.
Te LCD is not of the best quality, but
is certainly good for a budget camera.
We observed slight lag in the display,
but this too seems pardonable.
Performance
Te Sony DSC-S5000 provided mixed
results in our tests. Images were sharp
out of the box. All metering modes
Compact Review
FINAL SCORE
Key Features 16/20
Ergonomics 17/20
Performance
Autofocus 4/5
Metering 4/5
Noise Control 3/5
LCD/VF 2/5
AWB 1/5
Sub-Total 17/30
Grand Total 73/100
Te Sony S5000 is a low-budget
camera for beginners. Considering its
very low cost, it is a fair bargain.
Sujith Gopinath
VERDICT
+
+
Works on common AA bateries
Price
-
Performance could have been
beter
worked as expected. Autofocus was
reasonably fast and had no problem
locking on to the subject even under
low light. We observed a low whirring
sound while the AF motor operated.
Darkening of corners was observed
at extreme corners at the wide-angle
end at f/3.2. Slight barrel distortion
was observed from the wide-angle
end to about 80mm, but you may not
notice this in normal images. Flare and
chromatic aberration were evident
even at f/9.1 at the wide-angle end.
Ideally, the test should have been
conducted at the widest aperture since
chances of fare are more then. But
since the camera does not allow manual
control, we could not adjust this.
Native print size was 10.8 x 14.4 inches
at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of this screen
size, images were noise-free up to ISO
400. ISO 1600 and 3200 were quite
noisy. Slight noise could be seen at
ISO 800. Observed at 50 percent, we
observed very slight noise at ISO 400,
while at 100 percent, even ISO 400
produced slight noise as expected.
For best results, stick to ISO 400 or
lower. Te S5000 disappointed us on
the White Balance front. Auto White
Balance mode produced distinct colour
casts under all light sources.
Value for Money
Te Sony DSC-S5000 retails at an MRP
of Rs.5490. Tis price is only fair for this
camera since the real value depends on
the price-performance ratio.
SPECIFICATIONS
Image Sensor : Type: Super HAD CCD
Size : 1/2.3 type (7.76mm)
Efective Pixels : Approx. 14.1 Million
Lens : Sony 30 150mm equivalent f/3.2-6.5
Focus Range : W: Approx. 10cm to Infnity,
T: Approx. 100cm to Infnity
LCD Screen Size : 2.7 inches
Number Of Dots : 230,400
Name : Clear Photo TFT LCD
Focus Modes : Multi-Point, Centre-Weighted, Flexible
Spot, Flexible Spot (Face Tracking)
Light Metering : Multi Patern, Centre-Weighted, Spot
Exposure Comp. : +/- 2.0EV, 1/3EV Step
ISO Sensitivity Seting : Auto ISO 100 to 3200
White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent,
Incandescent, Flash
Shuter Speed : 2 1/2000 sec
Self-Timer : 10sec, 2sec, Of, Portrait 1, Portrait 2
Flash Modes : Auto, Flash On, Flash Of, Slow
Synchro
Flash Range : ISO Auto: Approx. 0.5 - 3.0m(W)
Approx. 0.5 - 1.5m (T)
Auto Macro : Yes
Face Detection : Yes
Max. No of : 8
Detectable Faces
Shooting Modes : Intelligent Auto, Easy Shooting,
Program Auto, Movie Mode,
Panorama, Scene Selection,
Picture Efect
Scene Selection : High Sensitivity, Night Scene, Night
Portrait, Sof Snap, Landscape, Beach,
Snow, Gourmet, Pet, Sof Skin
Picture Efects : Toy Camera, Pop Colour, Partial
Colour, Sof High-key
Compatible : Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo/PRO
HG
Recording Media : Duo/SD/SDHC
Max. Recording pixels : 4,320 X 3,240
Highest Movie : AVC MP4 - VGA / 640 x 480
Quality
Power Source : AA Alkaline Bateries
Dimensions : 97.5 X 61.0 X 29.6mm
(W x H x D)
Weight : Approx. 172g (with Batery &
Memory Stick)
Weight : Approx. 125g (Body Only)
Contact us today!
+91-80-22442211 / info@toehold.in
www.toehold.in
TOEHOLD TRAVEL & PHOTOGRAPHY PVT LTD
#359, 2nd foor, 16th main, Jayanagar 4th T Block, Bangalore - 560041
Phone: +91 80 22442211 Fax: +91 80 22443211
4N/5D Stay in 5-Star Resort + International Models + Professional Crew

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Photography Workshop in Goa
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Rs.35,990
Inside the Box
z
Lens Cap (LC-46)
z
Lens Rear Cap (LR-2)
z
Instruction Manual
z
Worldwide Warranty Card
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro
O
ne of the biggest
advantages of Olympus
PEN series ILCC systems,
as I have felt, is that they fit nicely in
your hand, providing better stability
even when used with reasonably
low shutter speeds. Keeping their
promise made last year, Olympus
released a macro lens in mid-
September. The 60mm f/2.8 Macro,
like all Olympus M-series lenses, is
very compact.
Te Olympus 60mm Macro has an
engineering plastic exterior, yet it feels
sturdy. Te lens has a scale that displays
magnifcation ratio and focus distance
in both metres and feet. It has a focus
limiter dial which can be operated by
the lef hand thumb. Tis dial allows you
to choose between four setings1:1,
0.19 to 0.4m, 0.19m to infnity, and
0.4m to infnity. Te lens has a metal
mount. Te flter thread is plastic and
hence you have to be very careful while
ataching flters. It measures 56mm (dia)
x 82mm, weighs just 185g, and has a
dust and splash proof design.
Key Features
Te Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro
provides a 35mm-equivalent focal
length of 120mm. It can be mounted on
all Micro Four Tirds System cameras.
Te lens has a 7-bladed circular aperture
and the aperture range is f/2.8 to f/22.
Te lens provides a maximum image
magnifcation of 1.0x (35mm-equivalent
of 2.0x). It is constructed with 13
elements in 10 groups including one ED
(Extra-low Dispersion), two HR (High
Refractive index), and one E-HR (Extra-
High Refractive index) elements. Tese
elements help to eliminate chromatic
aberration and increase contrast in the
images to a very high level. Te lens has
a closest focussing distance of 0.19m.
Te lens has been designated as MSC
(Movie and Still Compatible). Tis
mechanism uses a foating element
to focus internally by means of three
drive systems. Tis ensures that there is
no change in the overall length of the
lens during focussing, which helps in
maintaining the grip on the lens. It also
makes autofocus quieter than usual,
ideal for shooting movies. Te lens
features Olympus ZERO (Zuiko Extra-
low Refection Optical) coating, which
helps to eliminate ghosts and fare. Tis
coating reduces refections in the range
of 450 to 650 nm wavelength. Te lens
utilises ring-shaped seals at key locations
to prevent dust and water from entering.
Te focus limiter dial is very helpful since
it prevents the lens from hunting for focus
unnecessarily and achieve focus faster.
Ergonomics
We tested the Olympus 60mm Macro
with an Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5. Te
lens is very comfortable to use, thanks
to the small size and long-enough
barrel. Combined with the small PEN
Explore the Teeny World
Lens Review
Lens Review
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro
series cameras, it ofers excellent
stability. Add to it the fact that all
Olympus PEN cameras have sensor-shif
image stabilisation. Te focus limiter dial
can be operated with the thumb. To
lock the lens at 1:1 reproduction ratio,
you need to hold the dial in place with
the thumb. Manual focus facilitates very
fne adjustment of focus.
Performance
Te Olympus 60mm f/2.8 performed
very well in our tests. AF was fast, quiet,
and smooth. Since this is a macro lens,
it has a very wide focus range. Hence it
would be a good idea to use the focus
limiter switch to fx the ideal focussing
range for faster AF. Te lens controlled
darkening of corners very well. We did
not observe any signifcant darkening
even at f/2.8, which is very good. Te
lens did not produce any perceptible
distortion. Te 60mm Macro reproduced
sharp images. Images were tack sharp
from the centre to the peripheries. For
the sharpest images, it would be beter to
use the lens from f/4 to 8. Sweet spot for
our test piece was found to be f/8. We
would advise you stay away from f/16 to
22 since difraction afects the sharpness
much in this aperture range (in fact, this
is normal for any lens). We observed
prominent fare along with chromatic
aberration at wide-open aperture in
strong against-the-light shots when the
lens was pushed to its limits.
Te 60mm Macro proved its worth
in everyday shots and Macro images
in real-time situations. Shall we say we
were impressed?
Value for Money
Te Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro retails
at an MRP of Rs.35,990. At this price,
FINAL SCORE
Key Features 17/20
Ergonomics 17/20
Performance
Autofocus 4/5
Sharpness 4/5
Distortion Control 5/5
Aberrations 2/5
Darkening of Corners 5/5
Extra Features 4/5
Sub-Total 24/30
Grand Total 84/100
Te Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro is
an impressive overall performer.
With a 35mm-equivalent focal length
of 120mm, this is ideal for a wide
range of subjects from macros to
portraits. With an afordable price
tag, this is easily one of my favourites.
Tat makes the Best Buy tag a mere
formality to end this review.
Sujith Gopinath
VERDICT
++
+
+
+
+
-
-
Excellent performance
Compact and comfortable
Distance/Magnifcation scale
Good build quality
Focus limiter dial
Prominent Flare and CA
Plastic flter thread
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t
h
the lens is excellent value for money.
SPECIFICATIONS
Mount : Micro Four Thirds
System Standard
Focal Length : 60mm (35mm equivalent
focal length 120mm)
Lens Construction : 13 elements in 10 Groups
#(1 ED lens, 2 HR lenses,
1 E-HR Lens)
Dust & Splash Proof : Yes
Angle of View : 20 Degree
AF System : High-speed Imager
AF (MSC)
Closest Focusing Distance : 0.19m
Max. Image Magnifcation : 1.0x (35mm equivalent
Maximum Image
Magnification 2.0x)
Minimum Field Size : 17 x 13 mm
Number of Blades : 7 (Circular Aperture
Diaphragm)
Maximum Aperture : f/2.8
Minimum Aperture : f/22
Filter Size : Diameter 46mm
Dimensions : Diameter 56 x 82mm
Weight : 185g
Image taken with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 macro.
Technical data: Aperture f/2.8, Shutter speed 1/800 sec. ISO 400.
Sofware Review
86%
Rs.3500 approx.
A
portrait processing sofware
can make or break a models
career. Without airbrushing and
sofening flters, many models endorsing
beauty products would have been siting
at home with blemishes and imperfections
showing up in photographs. Portrait
Professional Studio is a feature-flled and
easy-to-use alternative to popular but
complicated image editing programs
to retouch portraits. We are reviewing
version 10.8 of the sofware here. At the
time of printing, a new updated version
11.0 had been released.
Key Features
Portrait Professional Studio is a powerful
and easy-to-use portrait retouching
sofware that requires absolutely no
expertise to use. Te Sofware can be
used either as a stand-alone version
or as a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop.
Te Windows version of the plug-in
is compatible with Photoshop 6 up to
CS6 and Photoshop Elements from 6
to 10; while the Mac version supports
Photoshop CS3 up to CS6 and Elements
from 6 to 10. It is also compatible with
Lightroom 2 to 4 and Aperture 2 and 3.
For the 32-bit version of the sofware,
the maximum size of images it can handle
is 30 megapixels (the maximum size
depends on the number of pixels in the
image and not on the size of the fle when
stored on a disk).
Te standard edition of Portrait
Professional supports JPEG and TIFF
format with 8 bits per colour sample
(24 bits per pixel). Whereas, Portrait
Professional Studio supports JPEG and
TIFF fles with either 8 or 16 bits per
colour sample (48 bits per pixel), along
with RAW formats of most popular
camera models. It also supports reading
most camera RAW fle types. It can be
saved in JPEGs, or TIFFs with 8 or 16
bits per colour sample. You can select
colour profles from the Preferences or
Setings option in the menu.
A Touch-up Artist
Sofware Review
Geting Familiar
Control Panel
Mouth and Nose Controls
Portrait Improving Sliders
Picture Controls
Touch-up and Restore Brushes
Face Sculpt Controls
Initial Processing
Skin Controls
Hair Controls
Eye Controls
Skin Lighting Controls
Sofware Review
Performance
Portrait Professional guides you through every
step, whether you want to correct blemishes
or sculpt facial features in one touch. Whats
more? Like an expert sculptor, you can also
carefully sculpt various features precisely.
Believe me, at the hands of an expert, this
software can enhance the looks of a model to a
new level.
Step 1: Open Image.
Step 2: Select Gender. Portrait Professional will
ask if the portrait is that of a male or female.
Additionally, there is a check-box to indicate if
it is a kid.
Step 3: Mark the key points. Portrait
professional will now display points, which
we have to adjust. Click on the points
corresponding to the ones marked in the
reference image one by one. There are
five key points to be identified. This is very
important, since it is these points that lets
the software identify facial features such as
nose, eyes, eyebrows, lips etc. Every time you
indicate the require points, press the space bar
on your keyboard to go to the next point.
Step 4: After you have finished marking the
points, click Next. Now the software will do
the default corrections.
Step 5: Adjust the sliders corresponding
to each control to tweak the adjustments.
Take care not to overdo it. (See the Getting
Familiar section.)
Step 6: Save the file in either JPEG or Tiff
format.
Portrait Professional Studio provides a vast set of
options for correction; executing the job is very
simple and the interface is easy to understand.
Please note, however, the old saying, Rubbish
in, rubbish out. So for best results, use a well-
executed photograph.
Value For Money
The regular price of Portrait Professional is
US $62.95 (approx. Rs. 3500). But there is
an ongoing discount, which allows you to
download the software for US $29.95 (approx.
Rs. 1700). This is a very good price for such a
useful software.
Support
Portrait Professional as such does not require
any support, but the company provides
support in the form of video tutorials on
their website. Moreover, the software comes
with a detailed 74-page PDF instruction
manual, which can be downloaded from www.
portraitprofessional.com. You can even contact
customer support through this website.
System Requirement
Processor : 1GHz processor or faster
recommended.
Memory : Min. 1GB RAM
recommended.
To handle large images (8
megapixel or more) you
would require 2GB
or more.
Display : 1024 x 600 minimum
supported display size
OS : Windows - Requires
Windows 7, Vista, or XP.
Mac - Requires an Intel Mac
with OSX 10.5 or later.
For Portrait Professional
Studio 64, a 64-bit edition
of Windows or Mac
Sofware Review
6JGPCNKOCIGJCUDGGPFGNKDTCVGN[GZCIIGTCVGFYJKNGRTQEGUUKPIVQUJQYVJGUQHVYCTGUECRCDKNKV[
Portrait Professional Studio is a very
useful tool for photographers, mainly
specialists in glamour and fashion
photography who require a fast
and easy way to touch up portraits.
Te sofware is very easy to use and
competitively priced. Like we always
insist, download a trial version to
get the feel of this sofware before
purchasing it .
Sujith Gopinath
VERDICT
-
None
+
+
+
Easy to use
Innumerable controls
Excellent pricing
+
Very good results
FINAL SCORE
Key Features 17/20
Ease of Use 17/20
Performance 18/20
Support 16/20
Overall 86/100
Original Final
Log on
www.focusnip.com
S
in
c
e
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Learn Photography
Basic Course - 5 weeks
Advance course - 2 months
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Conct : 11/ 2, Ghamat Ter r ace, 2nd Fl . Above Shagun Hot el , Opp. Dadar ( WR) St at i on, Dadar ( W) , Mumbai -28
Ph: 022 24306502 / 022 65203364 09820109479, Emai l : f ocusni p@yahoo. com
National Institute of Photography Manohar Desais: National Institute of Photography
ISO 9001-2008 Certied Institute
PHOTOGRAPHY INSTITUTE
DIGITAL CAMERA AND ACCESSORIES
F
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S
AF11-16mm f/2.8
TO FIT CANON NIKON-D APS-C Sized Sensor Model Only
AT-X 116 PRO DX II
Ultra-Wide, Ultra-Speed
Kenko Tokina Co., Ltd. TOKYO JAPAN
URL:www.tokinalens.com E-mail:kenkoindia@tokina.co.jp
India office : Kenko Tokina Imaging India Pvt. Ltd.
IBC, M-38/1, Middle Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001
TEL : 011-4157-1155
The New Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II is an update to the widely popular and award winning AT-X 116
PRO DX, 11-16 F/2.8 lens.
The main update to this lens is in the Nikon mount, the AT-X 116 PRO DX-II has an internal silent
focusing motor to allow the lens to AF on Nikon bodies that do not have an AF drive gear and motor.
There have also been some adjustments made to the coating for slightly improved optical
performance.
This compact ultra wide-angle zoom has a bright constant F/2.8 aperture make viewing and auto
focus possible in lower light situations but still maintaining a reasonable size and weight.
Two Super-Low Dispersion glass elements and two aspheric glass allow the proprietary optical design
to achieve excellent contrast and sharpness as well as controlling chromatic aberration.
Tokinas exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism allows the photographer to switch between AF
and MF simply by snapping the focus ring forward for AF and back toward the lens mount for manual
focusing. The lens is also designed to stand up to the rigors of daily use by photographers in a wide
variety of shooting conditions and environments.
Other than the optical coating change there are no changes to the Canon mount. The AT-X 116 PRO
DX-II for Canon uses the same AF motor and AF drive system as the the previous model.
The lens is designed for Digital cameras with APS-C sized CMOS and CCD sensors, not designed for cameras with Full Frame sensors.
Be sure to note that the Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II lens itself is not waterproof or water resistant.
13 Elements in 11 Groups
Minimum Focus Distance: 0.3m
Angle of view: 104~82
Filter size: 77mm
Photographed by : Soham Sarkar Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
Visit us
Photofair Delhi
Jan 2013
Stall No:61
MINILAB
DIGITAL CAMERA AND ACCESSORIES
PHOTO PRODUCTS AND ACCESSORIES STUDIO ACCESSORIES
DIGITAL ALBUMS
PHOTO PRODUCTS AND ACCESSORIES
MINILAB
MINILAB
HEAD OFFICE:
SHOP NO.8,TARDEO ROAD,NEAR FILM CENTRE,MUMBAI-400 034,TEL:+91-22-23526634/35/36/23511433, Mobile No.+91-9819795173/9004095173,
EMAIL:poojaelectronics@yahoo.com,www.poojaelectronic.com
BRANCH:
SHOP NO.37, GR.FL. LAXMI PLAZA, LAXMI INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, NEW LINK RD.ANDHERI (W) MUMBAI-400053, TEL:+91-22-26317741/26317747/26317710/26315173,
Mobile No.+91-9820095173/9920095173
CUSTOMER CARE CENTER:
102,1ST FL.LAXMI PLAZA LAXMI INDUSTRIAL ESTATE,NEW LINK ROAD,ANDHERI (W) MUMBAI-400053, HOTLINE NO.61770000(100 )LINE,
138 Smart Photography December 2012 138 Smart Photography Decemb mbbber er ee 201 201 20 20 22
Tidbits
W
ith 2012 coming to an end, it is
appropriate to consider what was
the major technological event to
hit the industry. Without doubt, it was the
advent of Smartphones.
I remember some six or seven years ago
meeting a senior manager of Nokia. In
an arrogant tone, designed to test my
knowledge, he asked, Who is the biggest
manufacturer of cameras in the world?
Canon, I quickly retorted. Nay, he said, you
are so wrong. It is Nokia. Te camera phones
of 2006, however, were in no position to
give competition even to the humblest
digital compact. In fact, some of them were
guaranteed to put you of photography with
their dismal results.
Six years is, however, a long time in the
camera phone business and todays
Smartphones are indeed posing a challenge
to the compact camera at the lower end.
True, Smartphones are still very expensive
but they perform an increasing range of
functions and the camera installed in most of
them produces some prety decent results.
Just as an example, lets look at Samsungs
Galaxy S 3. Launched in India in July 2012,
the S 3 is an Android phone featuring a
massive 4.8 High Defnition Super Amoled
screen. It features headphone, Micro USB
and Micro SD ports and works on a Micro
SIM card from your telecom operator.
Coming to the camera, the S 3 features an
8 MP sensor, has a fash facility, can take
self portraits (1.9 MP) and can also shoot in
black and white. Te camera features a f/2.6
autofocus lens, manually selectable ISOs from
100-800, image stabilisation, zero shuter
lag and a HDR mode. It also features a
particularly good video mode. Pictures taken
with the S 3 were crisp with good colour
accuracy and fair dynamic range. Clearly, they
were in the same league as a good 8-10 MP
digital compact.
Obviously, the imaging majors are worried.
Smartphones clearly knock the bottom out
of the lower end of the digital compact
market. Presently the high end compacts
are not affected, but who knows what
can happen tomorrow. The SLR has little
to fear currently as more and more SLRs
feature full frame sensors. But the lower
end of the market is certainly going,
going....gone.
Fortunately, for Samsung it is present in
both Smartphones and digital cameras. We
dare say though that Smartphones are more
important to Samsung and are certainly
raking in more money.
H. S. Billimoria
Smartphones - The New Threat
RNI No. MAHENG/2005/14978

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Photos taken from 1st IBF (Jan. 2012)

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