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REVIEWS: NIKON D4s FUJIFILM X-E2 CANON EOS 1200D LG G2 HP DESKJET INK ADVANTAGE 4515








RS.125

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

ISSUE 2
VOLUME 10
MAY 2014

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

LEARNINGS STYLING IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY „ SUNRISE/SUNSET PHOTOGRAPHY „ AUTOFOCUS OR HOCUS POCUS?

HERE’S
WHAT
MAKES US

#1

WELCOME

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

I

have often been asked why several people take
to photography and very soon give up the
hobby. There is no one answer to this question
but one of the likely answers is the cost of the
hobby. More important to my mind is the ability of
the individual to be creative and get good results.
This is something that we call aptitude. If you have
that creative bent of mind and an aesthetic flair,
photography is definitely for you.

WE’RE IMPARTIAL
Loyalty towards our readers is a given, and
their best interests are always on our mind.
Every verdict is honest and not influenced 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 field of photography across the country
and have many years of experience. That
gives us the foresight to distinguish between
a passing trend and a big change in the field
of photography and imaging. And finally, our
reviews are not extended to just fill up the pages!

Remember, there is no substitute for experience.
If you want to reach the pinnacle, you will have to
strive hard. This means read a lot, shoot a lot and
get educated feedback on your efforts.
All of us at SP were extremely grieved to learn
of the sad demise of Senior Advocate Adhik
Shirodkar, a great wild life photographer and a
lovely human being. We will miss him a lot. Our
condolences to his bereaved family.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU
There is no debate on why we are here. Our sole
goal is to provide you options and better 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!

EDITOR
Hoshang S. Billimoria
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Rohinton Mehta
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
Sujith Gopinath
COPY EDITOR
Tanika Godbole
PHOTOGRAPHY
Mahesh Reddy

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Atul D. Bandekar
DESIGN
Nandkishor Sawant,
ADVERTISE DESIGN
Sanjay Awad, Shubham Rohatgi
PRODUCTION
Dinesh Bhajnik, Deepak Narkar, Ravi Parmar

H. S. Billimoria

PUBLISHER
Girish Mallya
PRODUCT MANAGER
Perseus Master
HEAD OFFICE - MUMBAI
2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound,
Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013
Tel: + 91 22 43525252 Fax: + 91 22 24955394
Email: [email protected]
CIRCULATION AND SUBSCRIPTION
Sanjeev Roy (Asst. Operations Manager)
Sachin Kelkar (Subscription Supervisor)
Tel: + 91 22 43525220 Fax: + 91 22 24955394
Email: [email protected]
Apple Newsstand & Magzter Queries: [email protected]
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For Pocket Mags Queries: [email protected]

Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Ltd. Next Gen
Publishing does not take the responsibility for returning unsolicited material sent without adequate postal stamps
for return postage. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the prior express written
permission of the publisher. Printed by Girish Mallya, Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing,
Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Published by Girish Mallya
on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati
Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-1-60/5 RTCX Roads,
Hyderabad - 20. Published at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, 2nd Floor, C Wing, Kamala Mills Compound,

www.smartphotography.in

MARKETING OFFICES
Ahmedabad
305, 3rd Floor, AEON Complex, Near Angira Society,
Vijay Cross Roads, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009
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New Delhi
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Tel: +91 11 4234 6600 / 6678 Fax: + 91 11 4234 6679
Pune
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Tel: + 91 20 32930291 Fax: + 91 20 26830465
Hyderabad
Richard G.C., Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation), Mobile no. 09949217127
Kolkata
Vidyasagar Gupta Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation), Mobile no. 09804085683

Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Copyright 2006 SMART PHOTOGRAPHY
All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring
expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. Smart
Photography does not vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. The editor,
publisher, printer and employees of the publication shall not be held liable for any consequence in the events
of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of
competent courts and forums in Mumbai only.
Editor – Hoshang S Billimoria

May 2014 Smart Photography

5

Contents
56
ISSUE 110 / MAY 2014

34
REVIEWS: NIKON D4s FUJIFILM X-E2 CANON EOS 1200D LG G2 HP DESKJET INK ADVANTAGE 4515








RS.125

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

ISSUE 2
VOLUME 10
MAY 2014

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

LEARNINGS STYLING IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY „ SUNRISE/SUNSET PHOTOGRAPHY „ AUTOFOCUS OR HOCUS POCUS?

REGULARS

08 Mail Bag
10 News Watch
30 Picture of the Month
146 Tidbits

Cover credits
Wisden MCC Cricket Photo of the Year 2013
by Senior Photographer Atul Kamble, Mid Day Mumbai

Just a moment!

Readers can find the updated Buyer’s Guide, log on http://smartphotography.in/news/monthly-special
Smart Photography thanks the readers who participate in the Picture of the Month contest. We would like to
bring to your attention a few changes in the rules for submission. From now on, you may send in your images with
the longer side measuring atleast 17 inches. Please note that the images have to be horizontal. This permits readers
to submit panoramic shots, which was not possible with the current size of 17 x 11 inches.

6

Smart Photography May 2014

34 Kaleidoscope

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

40 Showcase

A photographic profile of the person
behind the lens

48 If I Were You

Our expert comments on how your pictures can be taken to another level

51 Ask Uncle Ronnie

Your photo queries answered by Uncle
Ronnie

56 MasterCraftsman

The masters of the craft share their
insights and photographs
Smartphotography.in

24

SUBSCRIPTION
OFFER

page

66 72

78
BUYERS GUIDE

LEARNINGS

54 Buying Cameras – Brick
and Mortar or Online?

REVIEWS

78 Autofocus or Hocus

84 Nikon D4s
90 Fujifilm X-E2
96 Canon EOS 1200D
102 LG G2
105 HP Deskjet Ink

Pocus?

Advantage 4515

66 Styling in Fashion
Photography

72 Sunrise/Sunset
Photography

Smartphotography.in

110 DSLR Guide
112 ILCC Guide
114 Lens Nomenclature
116 SP Recommended:
10 Compact Cameras

117 SP Recommended:
3 Best Smartphones
May 2014 Smart Photography

7

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






RS.125
ISSUE 1
VOLUME 10
APRIL 2014

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
16 page PHOTOQUIP supplement
with April 2014 issue.

109

TH

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:
[email protected]

ANN

IVER

SARY

TUTORIALS

SPEEDING WITH THE SHUTTER
ONE SCENE, TWO INTERPRETATIONS
FUN WITH PHOTOSHOP
INTERVIEW
ROHIT VARMA
PROFILE
ELENA SHUMILOVA
T S REDDY

PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE BUILD YOUR PORTFOLIO TRAVELOGUE DHARAMSHALA


Black and White
winner
I am a regular reader and
student of Smart Photography.
Recently I participated in an
international photographic
salon named SAM PRINT
CIRCUIT 2013 which
was recognised by PSA
(Photographic Society of
America) and FIP (Federation
of Indian Photography). My
black and white photograph
named “Lake District” won
the Certificate of merit in New
Delhi and the WPAI Medal in
Indore circuit. I would like to
share the photograph with all
the readers of SP.
Tuhin Kanti Das

WIN

S
A UNIROS
ARGER
1H LCD CH
5/
09
.1,
WORTH Rs
H FOR THE
EVERY MONT MONTH
THE
LETTER OF

LETTER OF
THE MONTH

Smart Photography magazine always features
impressive pictures. But I was mesmerised by the work
of Elena Shumilova in the April 2014 anniversary issue.
She was able to recognise the extraordinary beauty
between how her children and their domestic animals
connect. Her pictures are stunning and unique. In spite
of having the tough job of being a mother, she has kept
her creativity alive.

I look forward to reading the
reviews in your magazine,
and often use the advice given
by experts. Thank you for
the Head-to-head between
Nikon D800E and Sony Alpha
7R, it was most helpful. Such
detailed comparative reviews
will be appreciated by many
readers. The rest of the
anniversary issue was great as
well, with amazing pictures.

Sarika Jain

Savio Mascarenhas

Mother’s perspective

8

Smart Photography May 2014

Clash of the cameras

www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
International

SNIPPETS
One of the few
cameras to have
traveled to the
moon and back,
the Hasselblad
500 Lunar Module
Pilot, has sold for
about $908,000
at the WestLicht
Photographica
Auction. Akikazu
Fujisawa, founder of
the famous Japanbased retail chain
Yodobashi Camera
was the winning
bidder. The camera
used film, not digital
technology.
Fortune magazine
of the USA ranked
Canon as one of the
world’s most admired
Japanese companies
for 2014.
Apple is now India’s
third largest Tablet
computer vendor
with 8.9% market
share, closing in on
the second largest,
Micromax. Apple’s
7.5% market share
increased with the
help of its popular
Mini Tablet.
Samsung and
Canadian Solar
opened solar
manufacturing
facilities in Toronto,
Canada, with a joint
investment of $5
billion.

10

Smart Photography May 2014

Panasonic to launch
Lumix DMC-GH4

P

anasonic Corp.
announced its flagship
model DMC-GH4. This
Four-Thirds format mirrorless
interchangeable lens camera
was showcased in February
2014 at the CP+, and is going
to be marketed from April 24
at around 170,000 Yen (body
only). The GH4 can take ultrahigh definition 4K quality
videos. Images are recorded
on SDXC/SDHC cards (UHS
class 3) in MOV/MP4 format.
It features a 16 MP LiveMOS
sensor, new image processing
Venus Engine, 0.67x viewfinder
with 2.36 mega-dot OLED

panel, etc. The body measures
132.9x93.4x83.9mm and weighs
about 560g. The company has

readied an optional interface
unit to enhance video-making
for professionals.

Nikon to release Nikon 1 J4
Nikon Corp. announced that
it will release another model
in the advanced Nikon 1
series, the J4. The camera
offers 105 focus points with
phase-detection AF and 171
focus points with contrastdetection AF. It supports
high-speed continuous
shooting at the rate of
20 fps with AF-tracking,
and up to 60 fps when
focus is locked. The
Best Moment Capture
mode is useful when it
is difficult to gauge the
best time to press the
shutter-release button,
thus enabling optimal
response for capturing
fleeting expressions of
subjects.

engine, with a touch-panel
3-inch LCD monitor. Full
HD (1920x1080/60p) movie
recording is possible. The
camera body measures
99.5x60x28.5mm and weighs

232g, including battery and
memory card. The expected
street price is around 65,000
Yen for body only and 77,000
Yen for a kit with standard
zoom lens.

The Nikon 1 J4 features a
newly developed 1-inch
Type 18 MP super highspeed AF CMOS sensor
with no low-pass filter
and the latest EXPEED
4A image processing
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
International

Canon announces
new HD video
camera and lenses
Canon introduced the XF205, a higher rank of the
current line of XF105/XF100 which debuted in
February 2011 in the XF series of professional video
cameas. It is a compact Full HD video compact
and lightweight camera with high operability
and networking, thus making it suitable for news
gathering, documentary making for broadcasters and
also for event and wedding photographers.
Canon also unveiled Cine-Servo lenses, the CN
7x17 KAS/E1 and S/P1 for EF mount and PL mount
systems respectively, featuring 7x zoom (17-120mm)
lens for EOS Cine Camera, with Super 35mm size
sensor or a smaller one of 4K standard resolution.
The lens is equipped with a drive unit and realizes
operability equivalent to broadcasting-use lenses. The
lenses will be sold at 3.4 million Yen each from late
August 2014.

Olympus to launch
Stylus SH-1

O

lympus announced
the introduction of
the Stylus Tough
TG-3 all-weather camera
and the SH-1 advanced
super-zoom model. The
SH-1 features a 16 MP
backlit CMOS sensor,
a TruePic VII image
processor and a 3-inch
LCD touch screen. The 24x
zoom lens is 25-600mm
equivalent in the 35mm
format.
The Stylus SH-1 design
is adapted from the
popular Olympus Pen

interchangeable-lens
system cameras which
has the top and main
controls made out of
aluminium alloy. It is said
to be the first camera with
optical five-axis image
stabilization for still images

and video. It can capture
steady stills and Full HD
1080/60p videos, and
has built-in Wi-Fi. The
company will launch the
Stylus SH-1 in the Japanese
market in late April at
around 43,200 Yen.

Nikon announces Nikon 1 V3
On March 18, Nikon Corp.
announced the new Nikon 1
V3, the latest addition to the
V-series of Nikon 1 mirrorless
interchangeable lens cameras.
The compact lightweight body
measures 110.9x65x33.2mm
and weighs 324g. The camera
has an 18 MP super highspeed AF CMOS sensor with
no low-pass filter and the new
EXPEED 4A image processing
engine. The Nikon 1 V3 has a
3-inch LCD monitor with an

12

Smart Photography May 2014

intuitive touch screen control
and built-in Wi-Fi. It offers a
continuous shooting mode of
20 fps and video-shooting in
full HD 1920x1080/60p.
The company simultaneously
announced a new 1 Nikkor
VR 10-30mm (27-81mm
in 35mm format) f/3.5-5.6
PD-ZOOM, a normal zoom
lens compatible with the
CX-format and a powerful
zoom function. An electronic

viewfinder and grip were also
announced. The set of Nikon
1 V3, the 10-30mm zoom

lens, EVF and grip will be
priced at around 110,000 Yen
excluding tax.

www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
International

Panasonic
introduces Micro
Four-Thirds
compact lens
Panasonic Corp. announced
the release of compact
fixed focus lens suitable
for its compact Lumix GM
Mirrorless interchangeable
lens camera, the Leica DG
Summilux with a 15mm
(30mm in 35mm format)
f/1.7 ASPH lens on March
15. The lens has 9 elements
in 7 groups including three
aspherical lenses. It measures
57.5(d) x 36(l)mm and weighs
115g.

Transcend
launches SD
Card capable of
recording 4K
Transcend Co. will launch
new models in SDHC/SDXC
UHS-I Class 3 (US) memory
card series including those
capable of recording 4K
images. The UHS-I U3x series
features high speed of max
85MB per second, read-time
max of 95MB per second,
while UHS-O U3 can write
at a max speed of 60MB per
second.

14

Smart Photography May 2014

Samsung unveils NX
Mini mirrorless ILCC

S

amsung unveiled
a new model, the
NX Mini, to its
expanding line of NX
mirrorless interchangeable

lens cameras. It measures
110.4x61.9x22.5mm and
weighs about 196g. The
ultra-compact NX Mini
features a 1-inch Type 20.5

MP backside illuminated
CMOS sensor. It also
offers Wi-Fi function
with NFC, upto 1/16000
shutter speed and 6fps
burst shooting, with
video recording of up to
1080/30p in MO4/H.264
compression.
Samsung will make the NX
Mini available in two kit
options: one including the
NX Mini camera and 9mm
pancake lens and the other
including the 9-27mm
zoom lens and new SEF7A external flash.

Canon enters Industrial Camera Market
Canon Inc. began offering
from March 18, an
industrial camera dubbed
the M15P-CL to be used
for quality control on
production lines such as
LCD panels, solar cell
panels, precision optical
components etc. The
camera features a black
and white APS-C size 15
MP CMOS sensor with a
Nikon F mount for F-mount
compatible interchangeable
lenses, which are widely
used for industrial
inspection cameras. The
focus is manual only and

output is based on the
Camera Link interface.
The high
resolution
camera
enables
the user
to inspect
scratches,
dusts and
defects
which the
human
eye cannot
easily
detect.
Oita Canon
produces

the camera at a pace of 50
units per month.

www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
International

Tamron announces launch of
Telephoto zoom lens

T

amron Co. announced the
launch of its new telephoto
zoom lens, the 16-300mm
f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Macro,
which was showcased at CP+
2014. It is being made available
on the global market from April
24 for interchangeable lens
system cameras, beginning with
Canon and Nikon. The lens is
designed for APS-C size image
sensor cameras and is equivalent

to 24-450mm in 35mm terms,
covering wide-angle to super
telephoto in one unit. The closest
shooting distance is 0.39m
throughout the zoom range. The
lens construction includes 16
elements in 12 groups, including 3
aspherical elements, a compound
aspherical element, 2 LD lenses,
an XR lens and a UXR glass lens.
The suggested retail price is
87,000 Yen excluding tax.

Sony unveils the A7S
Sony unveiled the A7S
mirrorless camera in the A7
line, featuring a full-frame
12 MP CMOS sensor with
a wide dynamic range. The
camera has a light, compact
body and is meant to open up
artistic possibilities for serious
photographers. It offers ISO

sensitivity from 50 to 409600
and 4K HDMI video output
with XAVC S Full HD recording
at 50 Mbps, time code and
optional XLR audio inputs. The
camera has an A-mount system
compatible with a wide range of
high quality lenses, including a
power zoom lens.

Phase One announces
Panasonic to market UHSmedium-format Arial Camera 1 SD Cards
On March 24,
Phase One
Industrial Co.
announced the
world’s smallest
and lightest
integral digital
medium-format
arial camera in
the 645 mount
equipped with
a CMOS sensor,
the iXU 150. The
camera offers a
43.8x32.9mm
size 50 MP sensor with ISO
sensitivity of 100 to 6400,
and a continuous shooting

16

Smart Photography May 2014

of 12 fps. It measures
97.4x93x110mm and
weighs 750g. The price is US
$40,000.

Panasonic will start offering
a new SD memory card in the
SDUC series, with high-speed
interface of UHS-1. The cards
are protected against water,
static electricity, magnetic
field, X-Ray radiation, shock
and survive at temperatures
from minus 25 degrees
Celsius to 85 degrees Celsius.
The company is offering
16GB, 32GB and 64GB
models in the SDHC and
SDXC categories, available
from April 18 at open pricing.
The SD cards are compatible
with UHS class 3 (U3) which
guarantees 30 MB per second

and higher recording speed.
The SDUC series is capable of
recording 4K images at 45 MB
second.

www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
Business

Nikon expects 5
billion Yen less
than projected in
operational profit

A

ccording to a media report, Nikon expects
a slip of 5 billion Yen compared to the
previous projection in operating profit,
which was to be 60 billion Yen for the current
fiscal year ending on March 31, 2014. This was
mainly due to sluggish sales of D-SLR cameras
in the mainstay European and US markets,
plus extra expenses because of the D600 issues.
Sales may not reach the 1 trillion Yen mark,
and are hovering at around 990 billion Yen.
They are falling short of some 200,000 units
of interchangeable lens system camera sales
which were expected to be 5.8 million units.
The precision product business is likely to fulfill
operational profit outlook of 19 billion Yen
thanks to favourable performance of maintenance
services.

Sony inaugurates
Yamagata CMOS
Factory
Sony Corp. on April 8 inaugurated a new
factory Sony Semiconductor Yamagata
Technology Centre to produce CMOS
sensors. Sony purchased the Tsuruoka Facility
from Renesas Electronics, which had been
restructuring of the semiconductor business, at
7.5 billion on March 31, 2014. Sony will invest
around 27.5 billion Yen in the newly acquired
facility by March 2016. Sony plans to start
quantity production of CMOS sensors in April
2015, aiming to bring the production level to
20,000 wafers (in 300mm terms) a month by
the end of fiscal 2015.
Sony’s current monthly production capacity
is 60,000 wafers, which will be brought up
to 75,000 wafers in the future. The company
intends to maintain the top market share in the
world. According to Techno Systems’ research
results Sony took 32.1% of the world’s CMOS
market share in 2012. Other major players
were OmniVision of USA (14.4%), Samsung
Electronics (12.9%), Canon (11.6%), Nikon
(8.2%) and Others (20.8%).

18

Smart Photography May 2014

Canon D-cam output
reaches 25 million units

C

anon Inc. announced the
cumulative production
of its digital still cameras,
interchangeable lens system cameras
and lens-mounted compact models
combined, which reached the 25
million mark as of January 31, 2014.
The company said it took up 41% of the
ILCC market share in 2013, holding the
top position for 11 years in a row. Canon

introduced its first EOS Kiss Series
compact D-SLR camera in 2003. This
series now numbers up to Kiss X7. The
company also estimated that it grabbed
the top position in the compact digital
camera category, accounting for 21% of
the share in the world market. Canon
held the top share from 2003 to 2010.
Only Sony and Nikon took the position
in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Tamron posts declined net profit
on increased sales for fiscal 2013
Tamron Co. announced its financial
results for its fiscal 2013, ending on
December 31, as the net profit declined
by 17.9% year-on-year to 3.197 billion
Yen on sales of 68.452 billion Yen, up
by 6.4%. Profits in operation fell by
4.9% to 5.233 billion Yen and net profit
came down by 17.9% to 3.17 billion
Yen. Sales of interchangeable lenses for
interchangeable lens cameras posted
record high sales of 48.492 billion Yen
and now has a back order of 2,000 units
at home and 6,000 units in Europe and
the Americas. The lens is currently
available only in Canon mounts and

the company plans to launch them for
Nikon cameras.
The lens-related section, including lens
units for camcorders and digital cameras
and lenses for infrared cameras and
other optical devices posted a 7.8% fall
to 7.629 billion Yen, but operational
profit more than doubled to 938 million
Yen. The specialty lens division including
lenses for surveillance cameras posted
increased sales and profit for the third
years in a row at 12.330 billion Yen (up
by 34.6%) and 2.429 billion Yen (up by
52.2%) respectively.

Canon to buy US chipmaking firm
Canon Inc. is planning to acquire
a Texas-based company Molecular
Imprints, which has the technology to
make state-of-the-art semiconductors
at a low cost, hoping to regain its
former glory as a manufacturer
of chipmaking equipment. In the
1990s, Canon controlled about 30%
of the global market for lithography
equipment, which plays a central role
in the chip fabrication process. But
after the growth of Dutch firm ASML
in the 2000s, Canon’s market share
had fallen to 5%. Canon wants to buy
Molecular Imprints for an estimated

price of some 10 billion Yen (US
$96 million). The company intends
to combine its lens technology with
the latter’s lithography technology to
commercialize a new type of system
for producing large volumes of chips,
some time in 2015. It is expected to
undertake roughly 70 employees in the
semiconductor segment at the Texasbased firm. Canon aims to recover a
market share of 15% in two or three
years by selling more than 200 units a
year. The new machines are expected
to cut the cost of forming circuits by
more than 50%.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
Business

Facebook
acquires Oculus
VR

F

acebook acquired for USD $2
billion, the two-year old Oculus
VR Inc., a maker of virtual
reality glasses for gaming. Facebook
has entered the fast-growing
wearable devices arena with its firstever hardware deal. The company
said virtual reality technology
could emerge as the next social and
communications platform. Oculus
will operate as an independent
company from Facebook.

World’s
Smartphone
shipments surge
by 38%
According to the US research
company IDC, total shipments in the
world in 2013 rose by 38% to over
100 billion units, thus doubling in
two years. The company said popularpriced models surged in emerging
markets, including China. Total
shipments of cellphones including
feature phones rose by 5% to 182.180
billion units, of which Smartphones
took up 55%.

New US Cars
must have rearview cameras
The US National Highway Safety
Administration is setting a regulation
that will requires all new cars,
minivans and SUVs to have rear
visibility technology by 2018. This is
being done in the interest of safety.
Within four years, all new cars in the
US will be required to have rear-view
cameras.

20

Smart Photography May 2014

Two Hasselblad Lunar
cameras go for $54,500

T

wo brand new Hasselblad Lunar
cameras with a joint retail value
of around $14,000 suddenly
rocketed in value to $54,500 at a
crowd charity auction in Florida. Two
photo enthusiasts at the world-famous
three day-long annual Amelia Island
Concours d’Elegance exotic car
festival began bidding against each
other for the chance to own an ‘ultimate
luxury’ olive wood-handled Lunar
camera, crafted by Hasselblad. When
the bid reached $28,000 neither party
wanted to lose out on a Lunar, so a deal

was struck for an extra camera to be
auctioned for a joint record-breaking
price that raised a total of $54,500 for a
Spina Bifida charity.
Michael Hejtmanek, President of
Hasselblad Bron Inc. said, “ We knew
our new retro look Lunar range was
compelling—especially the rich-veined
olive wood edition with its advanced
technology and supreme ergonomics—
but for a pair of them to raise $54,500
for Spina Bifida Jacksonville at this
auction is just outstanding.”

Panasonic revives as other Japanese
tech companies falter
According to Bloomberg Business Week,
Panasonic revived even as other Japanese
high tech companies such as Sony and
Nintendo faltered. Panasonic’s Chief
Executive Officer Kazuhiro Tsuga has
engineered a revamp of the company by
getting out of money-losing businesses

such as mobile phones, while focusing on
new ventures. The strategy began to pay
off, as the operating profit at Panasonic’s
automotive and entertainment units
jumped to 28.2 billion Yen in the fourth
quarter of 2013. Earnings in appliances
increased by 60% to 9.8 billion Yen.

Tamron realigns Sales Regions
On April 14, Tamron USA announced that it
has restructured the company’s US operations,
merginfg the responsibilities of the previously
separate consumer and industrial sales under
two new regional sales managers. Under the
structure, recently appointed senior managers,
Gregg Maniaci and Daniel Davies are now
responsible for both, the photo imaging optics
and the industrial optics divisions of Tamron
USA.
Maniaci, a photo industry veteran with 26

years experience was promoted to the post
of Senior Manager, Eastern Division. Davies
joined Tamron’s Japanese headquarters
in February 2010 as a mechanical design
engineer for the industrial optics division
and later assumed responsibility for OEM
industrial optics sales in North America. He
was promoted to the post of Senior Manager,
Western Region. Both the senior managers will
oversee sales activities for photo imaging and
industrial optics divisions in their respective
territories.

Nikon forecasts camera sales
Nikon forecasts the annual sales
of its compact digital cameras will
fall by 33% from last year to

11.5 million units, as the SLR
camera sales will rise by 14% to
6 million units.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
National

Adhik Shirodkar Passes Away

E

minent
Senior
Advocate
and avid wildlife
photographer,
Adhik Shirodkar
passed away on
19th April 2014,
after a massive
heart attack. He
was an excellent
lawyer, a very
good wildlife
photographer,
and above
all, a very
humble soul.
We at Smart
Photography
will miss him
dearly. Our
condolences to
his bereaved
family. May
his soul rest in
peace.

Adobe Lightroom Photo Tools To iPad
On April 8, 2014, Adobe
announced the availability
of Lightroom mobile,
a companion app to
Lightroom desktop
software, available
through Adobe Creative
Cloud. These new mobile
capabilities bring Lightroom
tools to the iPad, delivering
photography essentials—
such as non-destructive
processing of files—and
utilizing new Smart Preview
technologies to free
professional class photo
editing.
This tool allows you to
sync edits, metadata and
collection changes back to
the Lightroom catalogue
on a Mac or Windows
computer and automatically

22

Smart Photography May 2014

import images captured on
an iPad and sync back to
the Lightroom catalogue
on your desktop. Users
can work on images even
when the iPad is offline. It
is possible to sync photos
between Lightroom 5 and
the mobile app, and these
photos can be viewed on
any web browser. “With
the launch of Lightroom
mobile, we’ve unlocked
professional-class
photographic workflows
from the desktop,” said
Umang Bedi, Managing
Director, South Asia,
Adobe System. “Lightroom
and Photoshop redefined
digital photography on the
desktop and now, thanks
to Adobe, photographers
can perfect images,

wherever they are and, via
Creative Cloud, seamlessly
synchronize them back to
their desktop catalogue.”
“Adobe Lightroom mobile
transforms the way I am
able to work with my
photographs because
now I can review and
process photos when I’m
comfortable and creative,
and not just when I’m at my
computer,” said Jeff Carlson,
educator and author of The
iPad for Photographers and
Adobe Lightroom mobile:
Your Lightroom on the Go.
“It also works as a malleable
photo portfolio on my
iPad. As I add or remove
images from a collection in
Lightroom mobile or on the
computer, the changes stay
synchronized. When I need

to show my work, those
photos are already set up to
be viewed.”
Lightroom mobile is
available as part of Adobe
Creative Cloud Photoshop
Photography Program for
Rs. 499 per month. Any
member of Creative
Cloud complete plan or
Photoshop Photography
Program automatically
will receive access to
Adobe Lightroom mobile.
Lightroom mobile is
immediately available for
iPad 2 or later models
running iOS 7, from the
Apple App Store and
requires Lightroom 5.4 for
Mac or Windows. For more
information, visit www.
adobe.com/go/lrmobile
www.smartphotography.in

Canon India
announces 1200D

C

anon India Pvt Ltd
announced the
launch of the EOS
1200D, meant for amateurs
and first-time buyers. This
entry-level D-SLR offers
advanced control, images
with sharp details, easy-touse features and is compatible
with more than 70 EF lenses.
The camera offers an APS-C
CMOS sensor, a DIGIC 4
image processor, a continuous
speed of 3 fps and ISO
sensitivity from 100 – 6400
(extendable upto 12800).
Videos can be recorded in
Full HD 1080p. The EOS
1200D has a highly-accurate
9-point Auto Focus (AF)
system with center crosstype AF point which enables
accurate and quick focusing

on both horizontal and
vertical planes.
Speaking on this occasion,
Dr. Alok Bharadwaj,
Executive Vice President,
Canon India, said “At Canon,
we’re in the business of
creating new trends. With
the new EOS 1200D, we’ve
actually created a product
aimed at bringing brilliant
image quality to a much
wider audience, encouraging
the masses to enjoy
photography culture. To
promote the EOS 1200D we
are launching an exciting pan
India campaign - ‘Everyone
Can With A Canon’, targeting
everyday users, specifically
families and mothers.”
The EOS 1200D will be

available at all Canon Image
Squares and leading retail
outlets at a price of Rs.30,995
(MRP) for the body only.
The MRP of the kit options

would be as follows: EOS
1200D + 18-55 IS II lens for
Rs.34,995 and EOS 1200D +
18-55 IS II & 55-250 IS II for
Rs.39,995.




 





 
 
 


 
 
 


 

    

    

 
 
 




 
 
      

   

 
 


 
  






 
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May 2014 Smart Photography

23

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US Consulate Mumbai announces
photography contest winners

Overall Grand Prize Winner

month-long contest. From over
200 eligible entries received, 15
participants were selected by well
known judges Rahul Gajjar and
Mukesh Parpiani, as the finalists
in 5 categories: Best Overall, Best
Composition, Most Thematic,
Best Story and Best TwitPic where
entries were received via Twitter
using the hashtag #wicpic.

T

he U.S. Consulate Mumbai
organized its fourth annual
online photography contest
to celebrate Women’s History
Month in March. The theme
this year was “Women Inspiring

www.smartphotography.in

Change” where participants from
the five states (Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh) of Western
India were invited to send in
their photo entries during the

The winners are:
Category: Best Overall
Grand prize
Prabha Jayesh Patel (Ahmedabad)
Runners up
Varad Pawar (Mumbai)
Pramod Bansode (Mumbai)
Category: Most Thematic
Grand Prize
Sanghamitra Bendkhale (Mumbai)
Runners up

Nafis Khan (Vadodara)
Swapnali Mathkar (Mumbai)
Category: Best Composition
Grand Prize
C. R. Shelare (Amravati)
Runners up
Vijay J. Prajapati (Vadodara)
Presley X Fernandes (Goa)
Category: Best Story
Grand Prize
Archana Joshi (Mumbai)
Runners up
Narayan D. Patel (Vadodara)
Tanya Satish (Mumbai)
Category: Best TwitPic
Grand Prize
Bijal Panchmatia (Mumbai)
Runners up
Vidyavati Chandan (Mumbai)
Nawneet Ranjan (Mumbai)

May 2014 Smart Photography

25

NEWS
National

MCC Cricket Photograph
of the Year 2013

A

Image: MCC Cricket Photograph of the Year 2013

photograph of Sachin
Tendulkar in his final
Test appearance in
Mumbai has been named the
2013 Wisden – MCC Cricket
Photograph of the Year. The
image, taken by Mid-Day
Media photographer Atul
Kamble, shows Tendulkar
about to walk out for his last
innings in the second Test
match against West Indies
at the Wankhede Stadium
in November.
Two runners
up were also
named—South
African Shaun
Roy, a professional
photographer
and Md. Khalid
Rayhan Shawon,
an amateur
Atul Kamble
photographer
from Bangladesh.

‘Going to School’
Indian wins prize in International
calendar shoot by
Ramadan Photography Competition
photographer Hemant The “Capture the
McCurry;
Spirit of Ramadan”
founder
J Khendilwal
International
and creative
Photographer Hemant J
Khendilwal has done a
shoot at different locations
with ‘Going to School’
NGO, a creative not-forprofit education trust
based in New Delhi, India.
The shoot comprises the
images of monuments
like Gateway of India, Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal and
many more. This shoot has been done for annual
diary of the NGO, which designs stories to create
new role models for children, stories to inspire
children to learn skills at school. They believe in
the power of stories to transform the way children
learn and create their own opportunities.

26

Smart Photography May 2014

Ramadan
Photography
Competition,
founded by Dr.
Basel Almisshal,
got over 3,000
submissions
from over 60
countries. Nine
winners across the
three categories of
Architecture, Spiritual
and Culture were
chosen. Mr. Nimit
Nigam from India won
the first place in the
Architecture Category

for his photo of the
Jama Mosque in New
Delhi.
The jury who selected
the winners consisted of
National Geographic’s
award winning
photographer Steve

director
of the
Islamic Arts
Magazine,
Elvira
Bojadzic;
Dean of
the College
of Arts at UiT Mara,
Dr Mustafa Azahari;
World Press judge and
Harvard Professor
of Photography, Dr
Shahidul Alam; and
founder and creative
director of the IRPC, Dr
Basel Almisshal.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS
National

GLO Color Lab installs HP
Indigo 10000 Digital Press

H

P announced on
April 4, 2014 that
Coimbatore-based
GLO Color Lab has installed
the new B2-size format HP
Indigo 10000 Digital Press to
accelerate its business growth
and expand its product
offerings in the market.
GLO Color Lab acquired its
first HP Indigo Digital Press
in 2007 to expand its photobased application offerings.
Today, with five HP Indigo
Digital Presses in their fleet,
they are the largest HP
Indigo customer in India,
offering services in photo,
commercial, packaging and
now the publishing segment.
The HP Indigo 10000 Digital
Press has a speed of up to
4600 sheets per hour and
greater imposition efficiency.
It will also allow GLO Color
Lab to increase profitability
and differentiate its business
with new applications such
as B2-size calendars, book

covers, posters and
canvases.
“The HP Indigo10000
Digital Press allows
us to take advantage
of new capabilities
made possible by
the wider 29-inch
format. With this B2
format printing, we
are poised to increase
our productivity and
profitability” said T.S.
Ramanan, Managing
Director, GLO Color
Lab. “We are committed
to providing the highest
quality to our clients and
HP Indigo has proved to be
the right technology for our
business,” he further added.
With the installation of the
HP Indigo 10000 Digital
Press, GLO Color Lab plans
to expand into large scale
commercial publishing and
make available books in the
large-sized formats. The B2
format allows for 8pp and

16pp folded book signatures
and a higher print imposition
efficiency for improved
productivity.
“GLO Color Lab has a
strong legacy of innovation,
backed by deep technical
expertise and an unwavering
commitment to delivering
the highest quality and value
to its customers,” said Alon
Bar-Shany, Vice President
and General Manager, Indigo

L-R Roy Eitan, T S Ramanan,
Alon Bar-Shany, A. Appadurai

Digital Press Division, HP.
“The HP Indigo 10000 helps
extend this legacy, and is
delivering on its promise to
change the economics for
GLO Color Lab, enabling
them to produce a broader
range of applications,
increase efficiency, and
accelerate profitability. We’re
proud to be associated with
the creative results GLO
Color Lab delivers.”

Tamron India Seagate announces Backup Plus FAST
Seagate announced the
conducts
India launch of its latest
portable storage drive –
Workshop
the Backup Plus FAST –
Tamron India conducted an
all-day workshop on March
29, 2014 at P L Deshpande
Kala Academy, Prabhadevi,
Mumbai. The workshop
covered technical aspects
such as lens composition
and camera construction, as
well as artistic aspects about
photography. The talks were
conducted by photographers
Eesh Dewan and Kishor M
Sali. Attendees were also given
the chance to try out lenses
from Tamron’s extensive range.

28

Smart Photography May 2014

Seagate Country Manager Rajesh Khurana

the world’s first portable
4TB storage device,
providing twice the
capacity and speed of
existing external portable
drives. The new drive
features a superspeed USB
3.0 interface to deliver
transfer speeds up to
220MB per second, making
it the perfect companion
for a field photographer
or filmmaker looking to
quickly move large files to
backup.
www.smartphotography.in

PICTURE OF THE MONTH

aph by
r
g
o
t
o
h
P

Aman

PICTURE OF THE MONTH
We are sure that all of you have a few pictures that you think are prize worthy. It happens very often that you don’t know where to send the image that could put a
feather in your cap. If you have such images (we’re sure you have many!), send us ONE such horizontal image. If it qualifies, 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 identified, we’ll need a model release
c. The picture should not have been printed elsewhere (magazine newspaper, or offered to any publication)
d. Mark the entry as “Picture of the Month” and rename the file using your name
e. You may send images via print/e-mail to: Next Gen Publishing Ltd.,2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower
Parel (W), Mumbai 400013 (or) [email protected]

WIN!
MK 393 PD
A NOTE TO OUR READERS
1. The 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.

Sponsored by:

Tripod
5. Kindly ensure complete contact/address details are provided. Winners will have
to collect their prize from SP’s Mumbai office or send an authorised representative
to do so.
6. Please make sure that your picture does not have your name/logo on it.

KALEIDOSCOPE
Finally, a platform for budding photographers
to exhibit their talent and GET NOTICED!

Moments
from Life

The lighthouse at Pondicherry
Camera: Nikon D700
Aperture : f/7.1; Shutter speed: 1/4sec.; ISO: 400

As told to Tanika Godbole

M
Rags Raghavan,
Chennai

y journey in the world of
photography began when I was in
school. I used to take snapshots
with the family camera, a Kodak Brownie
box. My interest grew after my parents
gifted me a Yashica Mat medium format
twin lens reflex. I soon discovered the joys
of working with black and white in a home
darkroom—a dark bathroom rather!

When I went abroad to work, I invested
all my savings in a Nikon F3 Professional
outfit, which I continue to use till today. But as the
times have changed, I have embraced digital cameras.
I have experimented with many genres in photography.
Now I am passionate about documenting human
life. My pursuits with the camera are now majorly
concerned with street photography. The human
condition always fascinated me and street and candid
photography were a refreshing departure from all
other genres. Furthermore, it is a daily opportunity
and all I have to do is step out of my home and shoot
as I go along! I am comfortable approaching strangers
and asking for permission to photograph them for my
portfolio.
Capturing fleeting moments of people going about their
daily lives is the challenge. I usually leave the image
in colour instead of converting it to black and white,
unlike many photographers. This helps me remember
the way I felt while taking the picture. Expecting the
unexpected to happen is what makes street photography
so exciting.
I have worked in the fields of refrigeration, air
conditioning, and even worked for a multinational IT
firm. I have retired and now I travel, teach guitar and
take pictures to feel alive. My other interests include
nature conservation, bird watching, gardening, sports
and so on. I turned 60 recently and life is just beginning
for me.
ˆ

34

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

35

KALEIDOSCOPE
Finally, a platform for budding photographers
to exhibit their talent and GET NOTICED!

Stepping stones
Camera: Nikon D700; Aperture : f/8.0;
Shutter speed: 1/1000sec.; ISO: 200
Wheelbarrow
Camera: Nikon D800E
Aperture : f/8.0; Shutter
speed: 1/320sec.; ISO: 700

When the saints
Camera: Nikon D800E
Aperture : f/5.6; Shutter
speed: 1/400sec.; ISO: 400

36

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

Chips factory Camera: Nikon D800E; Aperture : f/5.6; Shutter speed: 1/400sec.; ISO: 400

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

37

SHOWCASE

An engineer by profession,
Manvir Singh is a based in
Ludhiana. He has tried his
hand at several genres in
photography during a very
short period of time. He loves
playing with light and his
stream of work contains several
beautiful sunrise and sunset
images.

I

am a software engineer by
qualification. I completed my
graduation in 2011 and started
working as a freelancer graphic
designer and web developer.
During my school days, I used to
click and edit photos clicked from
a Nokia 2MP phone camera. I got
my first Coolpix digital camera

SHADES OF
SUNSHINE
As told to Tanika Godbole

after my graduation, as a birthday
gift from my parents. I started
taking photos of nature and other
random objects with it, and also
started following some good
photographers in my city. This
developed a great interest in me.
These experiments continued for
two years, till I got my first Canon

D-SLR camera.This was when I
completely fell in love with nature
and macro photography.
Except for wildlife photography,
I have tried most genres of this
art. The more you experiment, the
more you will get to learn. I have
done portraits, nature, macro,

Splash Up

40

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

Dragonfly in the rain

automobile and products
shoots. But I still have
lot more to discover.
I enjoy capturing the
sunrise and sunset,
clouds and beautiful
landscapes.
I love to play with
natural sunlight during
the golden hours. So I
have a tendency to shoot
outdoor portraits only in
the morning or evening.
I don’t like shooting
in the hard sunlight or
during the noon hours
when the sun is directly
above the subject.
A creative eye is the
most important tool in
www.smartphotography.in

Streaming
Light
May 2014 Smart Photography

41

SHOWCASE

Cruising down the road
Early get
together

photography. For my nature or
landscape shots, I sometimes keep
the D-SLR in the bag and use my
Galaxy Note 2 phone camera. Yet, I
get very good results.
To budding photographers I would
say—keep clicking and keep on
experimenting. It is a very creative
field and there are lots of exciting
things to discover. Don’t think
of getting expensive cameras or
lenses during the initial stage.
Try to expand your creativity
with normal cameras or even
mobile cameras. Photography
will definitely change your way of
looking at your surroundings. ˆ

42

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

Winter walks

Sunrise in the garden

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

43

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

Our Imaging
Expert
No one can take
a picture that
everyone likes.
But, almost
every picture
can have scope
of improvement.
Often, we are
not our best
critics, while
others can
immediately
point out the
faults. In If I were you, our expert
comments on how your pictures
could be taken to another level.

out, an RGB histogram will
show it. Try another shot with
reduced exposure. Of course,
as you reduce the exposure, the
other two channels also reduce in
brightness. Hence this is always a
compromise.

Camera: Canon EOS 550D
ISO: 100; Shutter speed: 1/100; Aperture: F/7.1

The sea-line (horizon) is
tilted in your shot. This has
been corrected in the edited
image. Also, the sky and
the clouds have been
slightly brightened in the
edited image.

Original Image

Rohinton Mehta,
Technical Editor, Smart Photography

Table-top
Smart Photography reader
Anand Babu has been trying
his hand on various genres of
photography and has sent us
one of his creations for critique.
While I like the framing and the
receding sharpness, keep in mind
my suggestion below.
Always use freshly-cut fruits.
In your picture, I get the feeling
that the watermelon was cut long
ago before the shoot. The melon
almost looks stale.
Photographing anything that is
red in colour is always a problem
with digital cameras. In most
cases the red channel blows out
(overexposes), but Anand Babu’s
exposure looks almost perfect.
In case the red channel blows
Edited Image

48

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

Original Image
Camera: Canon
EOS 600D
ISO: 100; Lens: 55250mm at 250mm;
Shutter speed:
1/400sec;
Aperture: F/7.1

Edited Image

Boat Ride
This picture, taken at Guruvayur,
comes to us from Satish Kumar
of Chennai. He is a beginner in
photography and wants to know how
his picture could be improved.
www.smartphotography.in

Lighting plays the most important
part in a photograph. Often-times we
take a picture because we were there
at the scene, but pay no attention or
meagre attention to the lighting. In this
case, the lighting is ‘flat’ and there is

considerable atmospheric haze.
By re-framing the shot and adding some
contrast, I have placed greater emphasis
on the boat. Sharpening the picture has
added a bit to its overall effect.
May 2013 Smart Photography

49

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

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

Original Image

Edited Image
Camera: Canon EOS 1000D
ISO: 100 ; Shutter speed: 1/45 sec; Aperture: f/5.6

Relaxing
This picture of a man relaxing at a
beach is by Tanika Godbole. The
picture has been shot using a Canon
EOS 1000D D-SLR camera. Could
this picture be improved? What
would I have done if I were you?
Tanika’s close-to-the-feet camera
viewpoint has controlled the depth of
field and managed to put the subject’s
face and the background slightly out
of focus, thus guiding the viewer’s

50

Smart Photography May 2014

attention on the main element – the
feet. But due to the difficulty of
shooting from such a low position,
she hasn’t paid enough attention to
see that the background building is
not tilted. The sky too is quite light
in tone, which is taking away some
attention from the main element in
the picture.
If I were you, I would have paid
attention to the background on the
camera’s screen and taken care not

to tilt the camera. I would also have
shot a few more frames at wider
apertures and later on, selected the
one that gave me the desired control
over depth of field.
In the edited picture, using
Photoshop, I have slightly toned
down the sky, straightened the tilted
building in the background, and
selectively sharpened only the feet to
further enhance the appearance of
controlled depth of field.
www.smartphotography.in

Q&A
Ask Uncle Ronnie
We regularly get requests to suggest a camera or a lens. While some do their preliminary
homework, most don’t. It is important for you to do some spadework and narrow down
your options before writing in to us. You also need to give us an idea of what genre of
photography you are interested in and how much you are willing to spend. We would then be
in a better position to evaluate your query and suggest suitable gear. We have received one
such ‘homework-done’ request from a reader who has narrowed down his choice but wants
to know if the extra amount that he would spend is justifiable or not. The questions he has
asked are relevant to every reader. Read on...

Did you know...
Ronnie has
over 35 years of
experience in
photography?
In fact, he has
taught several
thousand photoenthusiasts
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 photoqueries, whether conventional or
digital, don’t hesitate. Just go ahead
and Ask Uncle Ronnie at sp@
nextgenpublishing.net, ‘cause he
knows it all!

TTL
I understand TTL means ThroughThe-Lens, but I am confused about
E-TTL, i-TTL and A-TTL flash
photography. I have never used an
external flash with a D-SLR camera.
Please enlighten me.
S. N. Dubey, via email
B

Illustration: Ajay Paradkar

A

A : Area covered by the lens
B : Area covered by the flashgun
B : A very bright object

Camera
with flashgun

www.smartphotography.in

Yes, you are right. TTL stands for
Through-The-Lens. TTL Flash
implies that the flash is metered
only within the area covered by the
lens. Area outside the field of view
of the lens is not metered. This plays
a very important role in providing
accurate flash-metering. Please see
the accompanying sketch.

hits the subject and is reflected
back. The metering system reads
the amount of light reflected back,
and, along with the ambient light,
calculates the flash output for a
balanced exposure. TTL flash can
work with the in-built flashgun as
well as external dedicated flashguns.

In the sketch, the flashgun covers
the area marked as ‘B’. Let us say that
within the area of the flash coverage,
there is a very bright object (shown
as a star) which can fool the metering
system in the camera body, thus
underexposing the scene. If you were
using TTL Flash, then only the area
covered by the lens (marked as ‘A’)
would be metered, thus avoiding
the underexposure that could have
resulted if the entire area covered by
the flash was metered. This system
has an added
advantage – light
reduction to the
imaging sensor of
the camera due to
any filter on the lens
is also compensated
for.

My D-SLR camera slipped from
my hands when I was taking some
pictures of my friend and fell on
thick carpeted floor. While there is
no external damage, I now find that
I cannot focus sharply. What should
I do?

Ouch!

F. R. Mishra, Delhi

I am sorry to hear about this
accident. May I ask if you had the
camera strap around your neck/
hand? Obviously not! This is my pet
peeve with most photographers. Do
photographers feel ashamed to have
the camera strap around their neck?
I see most users hold the camera
with the strap hanging down and
I have seen the strap get entangled
somewhere and the camera slams
to the ground. Anyway, its a lesson
learned, though painfully.

Canon and Nikon
label their TTL flash
systems differently.
Canon calls it
E-TTL (Evaluative
- Through The
Lens) or A-TTL
(Advanced TTL),
or E-TTL II.
Nikon calls it
i-TTL (intelligent Through The Lens).

Please check if somehow the dioptre
adjustment has shifted during the
fall. If so, please re-adjust it. It is
possible that the reflex mirror has
misaligned due to the fall. Take
off the lens and check the mirror
carefully. If that is the problem, you
will have to take the camera to an
authorised service station. Please
don’t try to align it yourself; it is a
very critical alignment – something
that you cannot do yourself.

In its most basic
form, a pre-flash

Multi-purpose?
Can you suggest me a Bridge
May 2014 Smart Photography

51

Q&A
Ask Uncle Ronnie

R. S. Vaidya, via email

In life, there is no such thing as a free
meal! And I do not like to suggest a
super-zoom lens Compact/Bridge
camera to anyone. But again, a lot
depends on your perception of the
word ‘well’.
a) Cameras with ultra-long zoom
range have very small imaging
sensors; the longer the zoom range,
the smaller the sensor. The smaller
the sensor, the greater the digital
noise.
b) Almost every long-range Bridge
camera has a ‘slow’ lens. As long as
the subject is in good light, its fine,
but as soon as the subject goes in
shade, you are forced to use a higher
ISO sensitivity, which in turn, causes
noise.
c) Almost every long-range zoom
lens has limitation in image quality
after a certain focal length is crossed.
d) Image magnification increases
as the focal length increases. Let’s
consider a focal length of 800mm
(equivalent). It provides 16 times

52

Smart Photography May 2014

larger image as compared to a
‘normal’ 50mm. While this is good,
have you considered that the handshake is also magnified 16 times? Yes,
the image stabilization system helps
but I doubt if you (or I) can always
achieve sharp images (hand-held)
at such focal lengths in spite of the
image stabilization. And remember,
users of Compacts and Bridge
cameras seldom carry tripods!
However, if you intend to view
your images only on your computer
screen, or only put up the images
on social media (where images are
displayed in small size), then you
may be comfortable with such a
model.

Heavy on the Neck
I am 55 years old and due to an
earlier injury on my backbone,
find that carrying my D-SLR with
3 lenses is getting difficult. Would
you advice me to buy a mirrorless
camera and if so, which one should
I go in for? Will the image quality be
just as good?
L. K. Prasad, Jaipur

Mirrorless interchangeable lens
cameras based on the Micro Four

Illustration: Ajay Paradkar

camera with a very long-range lens
(wide-angle to telephoto), so that
it can serve me well for all types of
photography?

Thirds System
are certainly very
light and small
compared to
D-SLRs. I would
indeed suggest you
to change to this
type of camera. In
my opinion, they
are almost as good
as entry-level/
mid-level D-SLRs
in terms of image
quality. Yes, the
comparatively
smaller imaging
sensor means that
they will produce
more digital noise
than APS-C sensor
D-SLRs but as
long as you stick
to lower ISOs, that should not be a
problem.
You could have a look at the Olympus
Micro Four Thirds OM-D EM1, EM5
or the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds
GH3 (GH4 has also been introduced
but we haven’t yet tested it), GX7 or
the G3. Sony also makes mirrorless
interchangeable lens models (A7,

www.smartphotography.in

A7R, A7s; full-frame but currently,
limited lenses) and Fujifilm’s X-A1,
X-M1 (APS-C) are also available.
Samsung too offers mirrorless APS-C
models (NX 300/500, but with
limited lenses). So you have a wide
choice. APS-C and full-frame models
will offer better control over digital
noise and better dynamic range as
compared to Micro Four Thirds but
these are larger and often heavier
as compared to Micro Four Thirds
models.

LCD Brightness Problem
My digital camera pictures look
great on the camera but when I
download them to my computer,
they are usually much darker than
what I see on the camera’s LCD. Any
solution?
K. R. Madan, via email

I have yet to come across a digital
camera’s LCD that is not overly
bright. May be this is a marketing
decision (so that even your
underexposed images look fairly
okay on the LCD). When images
are transferred to a computer, they
almost always look darker.
Here’s what you can do. After loading
the images on to your computer,
put the memory card back into your
camera, but do not format the card
(formatting the card would delete the
images).
Open an image (one that has proper
tones) on the computer monitor and
navigate to the same image on your
camera. Hold the camera close to the
computer monitor (taking care that
the light from the monitor does not
shine on to the camera’s LCD) and
compare both images for brightness
(not colour or sharpness). You will
notice that the image on the camera
is brighter. Now lower the LCD
brightness till the two images look
more or less identical in brightness.
While this may not be perfect, it will
be better than not doing it.

Emergency ‘Bean Bag’
Is there an easy alternative to buying
a bean bag?
R. L. Desai, Mumbai

A bean bag is a kind of portable
support for a heavy lens. Its called a
www.smartphotography.in

bean bag because generally, it is filled
with beans! There are times when
using a tripod is not convenient (as an
example, when you are in a specially
designed tourist-vehicle at Masai
Mara, Africa). Your tripod may also
be a hindrance to your fellow tourists.
If you have a bean bag, you can
place it anywhere on the vehicle and
support the lens on this bag.
In an emergency, you could take a
pillow case and stuff your clothes into
it and tie the open end. This makeshift bag may not be as good as a real
bean bag, but I assure you, you’ll be
better off than not having one!
Observe that the left hand is pressing
down on the lens for extra stability.

Expensive Vs Cheaper
D-SLRs
My son wants to buy a very
expensive D-SLR. He is a beginner.
I for one, am not sure if he will look
after it and use it carefully. But I still
want to know if the picture quality
will be noticeably different between
a very expensive camera and a
cheaper one. And why are some
cameras so very expensive?
Kapil S, via email

Its similar to the differences

between an expensive car and an
(comparatively) inexpensive car. Both
will take you from point A to point
B, but the expensive car would have
better build quality (think of safety),
better manoeuvrability (think of
ease of driving), better comfort and
probably better overall reliability. An
expensive camera will probably last
longer. I believe that beginners should
have sturdier cameras because they are
more likely to misuse the equipment
due to their lack of user knowledge.
As far as picture quality is concerned,
at a beginner/mid-level, I doubt
if you will discern the differences,
because image quality from all
modern D-SLRs is pretty good.
Unless you know what to look out
for, and depending on how critically
you view the prints, (also depending
on how large they are) I doubt if
most users can notice the differences.
Differences will be there, but will be
hard to notice.
You could try and impress upon
your son that a camera is a precision
instrument that needs tender loving
care if you want the best output
from it. You could also ‘cut’ a small
percentage from his regular pocket
expense so that he feels that he is
paying for the camera!
ˆ
May 2014 Smart Photography

53

COVER STORY

Buying Cameras – Brick
and Mortar or Online?
H. S. Billimoria

W

ith the advent of
the Internet, new
opportunities arose
for e-commerce and a number of
companies joined the band-wagon
in an attempt to sell to the consumer
anything from a pin to an elephant.
In the initial days, it was thought that
only specialized e-commerce portals
would survive like, for instance,
travel portals. However, the success
of Amazon in the US enticed a lot of
operators to try their luck in a similar
way elsewhere.

“Our advice •
to readers
would be
to never

pre-pay
for goods
ordered on
unknown
e-commerce
sites.”

Retailing in photography comes as
a recent phenomenon in India. In
the olden days, when smuggling was
rampant, cameras were sold under
the table. There was a little or no
chance to ‘look, touch and feel.’ Once
the economy was liberalized, small
specialist shops started appearing.
At the same time, electronic chains
like Croma, Reliance Digital and
e-Zone made an appearance.
Camera manufacturers like Canon,
Nikon and Sony also made their
retail preference felt with their own
specialized shops.
On the web, a lot of e-commerce
sites made their appearance. The
main USP of these sites was a lower
price and for price conscious Indian
consumers, this proved to be an
irresistible attraction.
Should one buy from a retail outfit
or should one buy online? This was
the million dollar question. Let us
look at this choice dispassionately.
With e-commerce sites, you run the
following risks:

54

Smart Photography May 2014



“There is
nothing to
beat an educated and
informed
purchase”

For every site that is successful,
another 99 fail and unlike retail
shops a website can close down
without much noise.
Web prices are lower than retail
prices for a number of reasons, the
main being there is no rental and
associated costs in the case of web.
However, most e-commerce sites
have been selling products well
below discounted retail prices. This
is causing a lot of concern both to
retailers and to manufacturers. It
is not that the e-commerce sites
are making money by such heavy
discounting. In fact, most of these
sites are making heavy losses. They
are able to survive only because
ample finance is available to them
from venture capital and private
equity in the hope that one of them
would eventually turn out to be
an Amazon. Till such financing
continues, e-commerce sites will
be able to undercut retail and
merrily make losses.
The real problem arises if the
goods supplied are not those
ordered or are defective. In
such cases, catching hold of
someone at the e-commerce site
proves difficult if not impossible.
Ms.Asha Idnani, Chairperson
of the Consumer Grievances
Committee of the Council for
Fair Business Practices, deals
with such complaints and has, in
recent months, been inundated
with complaints about websites
that have failed to honour their
commitments. In the process, all
e-commerce sites get a bad name

and the ‘buyer beware’ principle
becomes appropriate.
Our advice to readers would be to
never pre-pay for goods ordered
on unknown e-commerce sites. It
is always better to pay on delivery.
Again, if you buy from a website, it
is better to order standard products
rather than go in for products where
there is a chance of duplication or
imitation. Also, look at the guarantee
provided and carefully read the small
print before you buy. Disclaimers
which free the seller of liability in case
of defective or damaged products are
particularly dangerous. Again, some
websites contain a clause entitling the
seller to appoint an arbitrator in case
of deficiency of service. Such websites
are best avoided.
However, it is not all negative when
it comes to e-commerce sites. The
success of e-commerce sites has
helped to keep retail profits and retail
rentals in check. Also, whilst you can
look, touch and feel a product in a
retail shop, the level of knowledge
of salesmen in most retail outfits
tends to be extremely poor. Also,
high pressure salesmanship can be
avoided. Again, smaller shops may
not have demo equipment to give you
‘the look, touch and feel’.
Readers would do well to thoroughly
research a purchase before they part
with their money, either to a website
or to a retail shop. There is nothing
to beat an educated and informed
purchase and, very often, it is of a
little consequence that in doing so
you may have paid a little bit more. ˆ
www.smartphotography.in

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MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Kunal Bhende

An Arty Affair

56

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

As told to Rohinton Mehta

Please tell us about yourself.

I would say I’m a creative person at
heart with a strong passion for travel,
photography, food and the fine arts in
general. I was exposed to photography
at a very young age thanks to my father,
the late Wilas Bhende, one of India’s
leading advertising and industrial
photographers. I loved accompanying
my father to the studio and observing
everything he did from shooting to
processing film and making prints in
the darkroom. I grew up surrounded
by books and material related to the art
and as a result, developed a fascination
for photography and it’s techniques.
I was also fortunate to be exposed to
computer technology at an early age. In
1981, my father got me a Sinclair home
computer and I was instantly addicted.
Back in those days there was no mouse
or graphical interface and I was keen
to find a way to convert my drawings
to the computer screen. This involved
learning a programming language and
after going through several books, I
managed to figure out a way to write
software for creating graphics and
imagery on the computer. When my
father noticed my enthusiasm, he kept
upgrading the computer technology
(like he did with his own camera
equipment) and exposed me to various
platforms. When I was 10 years old, as
a thank you to him, I even managed to
program a billing and printing system
software for his studio to replacethe
earlier typewriter bills. Unfortunately,
my father passed away in 1991 and
due toseveral reasons, my love for
photography took a back seat.
Over the years, my inclination towards
the creative arts and computer
technology led me to take up Graphic
Design as a profession. Being a creative
person and and an early adopter of
technology, in the early 90’s I was roped
in to train the creative directors of
several leading advertising agencies on
the correct use of software for graphic
www.smartphotography.in

design
andimaging.
People often
get carried
away by
technology
and end
up going
overboard
with it’s
capabilities.
One has to keep in mind that
technology must be used as a tool,
whilekeeping the ‘aesthetics’ of the art
intact.
Having also inherited a passion
for travel from my father, I started
traveling around the world in the late
90’s and began to pursue my love for
photography.
How did you get into photography and
what emotions does photography evoke
in your life?

I would say watching my father work
in the studio, the exposure I had being
around him and ultimately having
a creative and technological bent of
mind, led me to it. Though I never
considered taking it up as a profession,
it gives me immense creative
satisfaction.
I remember starting with the most
basic Nikkormat camera and several
rolls of B&W and colour negative
film. I went around shooting whatever
caught my eye, whether it was the
gorgeous sunsets from our home
overlooking the Arabian Sea or my
grandmother sitting on a rocking chair
bathed in the afternoon light coming
through the window. I took a keen
interest in understanding and learning
the complete process of photography,
including developing film using the
appropriate chemical processes and
finally making prints in the darkroom
with an enlarger. It was not only taking
the photograph that I found exciting,
but also the process that followed.
May 2014 Smart Photography

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When I started travelling, I shot
hundreds of rolls of film and found
that my eye loved to observe visuals
and scenes in a more artistic manner. I
remember as a teenager, during a trip
to London with friends, they could not
understand why I was taking pictures
‘with no people in them’. They thought
I was mad and actually ran and stood
in the frame every
time I pulled out my camera. A shot of
an empty bench didn’t make sense to
them at that point.
You are a fine-art photographer. What
exactly is fine-art photography? How
do you define it?

For me a fine art photograph is one
that is created by the photographer
with the vision of an artist. Everyone
sees the world differently, whether
it is how they see life or view their
surroundings. Therefore it is only
natural that every person’s eye will
capture things differently. I like to
create visuals that make a person think
and wonder if the photograph was
indeed ‘painted’. A photograph is as
much the creation of a photographer,
as a work of art created by an artist
with a canvas and paintbrush.
How is fine-art photography different
from, say, landscape photography? After all, even a landscape photographer
can create a landscape to express his
perceptions and emotions.

Absolutely. Landscape photographs
do make great fine art prints but again
it’s important that the photographer
who captured it can explain his vision.
There has to be some emotion that
got triggered in his mind that made
him capture what he saw. And it’s not
limited to the beauty of a landscape
alone. An expression of a single face in
a crowd or the angles of the corner of a
building or a reflection in a small pool
of water can evoke a similar emotion
in a photographer. These captured
visions are as much a part of fine art
photography.
What points do you keep in mind
whilst ‘creating’ a fine-art photo?

Honestly I never go out with a list
of pointers or a decision that every
photograph I take has to be classified
as a fine art photograph. It’s in the
moment. When something catches
www.smartphotography.in

my eye, the camera goes up instantly
wanting to capture it. While I am
framing the picture, I do like to make
sure that I’m checking my angles and
making sure everything I want is in the
frame.
Quite often, totally out of focus images,
and even those that don’t seem to say
anything, are put up as ‘fine-art’. What’s
your take on this?

Like I have said, everyone has a
different eye. What seems to be
interesting and evoke an emotion from
me will trigger a completely different
one from you. It’s exactly like viewing
a painting in an art gallery. Everyone
takes back what they want from a work
of art. So if something is completely
blurred, my eye will probably try to
find meaning in the blobs or patches
of colour. And if I do, then it may well
make sense to me while someone else
may see it as nothing.
I understand that you try to stay away
from manipulating (‘Photoshopping’,
if I may call it) your images. Let’s hear
your views on this.

I’ve grown up using and understanding
the manual way of working with
film and that keeps me away from
manipulating my images to a great
extent. If we managed to capture the
most beautiful photographs in the
years before digital, with no serious
manipulation except for maybe
dodging and burning techniques,
then why should we do it now? It’s
like there’s no real preservation of
that moment. Things were captured
at a certain time and place and with a
certain mood. The image can lose all
these factors if we do not know where
to draw the line. Basic corrections
in exposure, shadows and colours
is acceptable depending on what
equipment one gets their hands on
but beyond that, serious manipulation
is doing an injustice to the art. I do
understand that in some cases a
photographer might want to create
a kind of surreal mood that may not
be possible in certain conditions, and
therefore, may choose to manipulate
the image. But when you see a
photographers portfolio of work and
if every photo is manipulated, then
there’s definitely something wrong
with that.
May 2014 Smart Photography

63

64

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

LEARNING

Dilip Yande

Colour is the ‘heart’ of styling. Hence
let me first explain its importance
and significance. Colour and styling
are closely connected. For example,
if one needs to show a pious lady
or a saintly person, its better to
photograph them wearing white
clothes, because white signifies
purity. A mysterious personality or
a shady person is better presented
in a black outfit. Vibrant and
flamboyant colours symbolize youth
and liveliness; deeper shades signify
maturity. Remember, colours ‘talk’.
Colour is a difficult subject to handle.
Colours can symbolize mood.
Hence if wrongly placed or chosen,
can mar your picture, even though
your lighting and exposing could be
technically correct.

‘D

esign’ is the most
important element in any
art, be it photography,
painting, illustration, calligraphy,
interiors, jewelry or fashion. No
photographer should say that
“my job is only to correctly expose
what is in front of my camera;
designing is not my concern”. If
you have this attitude, you are not
likely to flourish in your business. I
have mentioned in the past (in my
write-ups) that the most important
parameters that go into making a
good picture are:

Every photographer needs to develop
a colour sense and has to understand
the ‘colour theory’ . To explain
briefly – red, yellow and blue are the
‘primary’ colours. (Please note that
the primary colours of light are red,
green and blue). Red, when mixed
with yellow becomes orange; yellow
added to blue forms green, and red
mixed with blue turns violet. Hence
orange, green and violet are known
as ‘secondary’ colours. Secondary
colours when mixed with each other
form the ‘tertiary’ colours. Tertiary
colours when mixed together form
the ‘quaternary’ colours. Quaternary

(1) Composition (2) Colour
combination (3) Lighting (4)
Styling or concept behind a shot.
A good photo is a good design
in itself. It involves balanced
composition with the ‘graphic value’
of the elements involved in the shot
and perfect colour combination.

66

colours are muddy-looking and
appear ‘boring’ as compared to the
original primary colours. Almost
all colours go well in combination
with white or black. Further, colour
combinations of red and green,
yellow and violet, blue and orange,
are termed as ‘complementary’ colour
schemes; they always give a very
fresh feel to the subject. Colours
like light yellow, light blue, lavender,
light peach, pink are termed as
‘pastel shades’; they have a very soft
and feminine characteristic in them
and go very well when used in the
background of cosmetic, beauty
products and even lingerie. Browns
symbolize aristocracy, while blue
always gives a ‘corporate feel’. Reds,
with yellows and orange are termed
as a ‘warm colour schemes’ while blue
along with green and violets/ purples
are termed as a ‘cool colour schemes’.
As a thumb-rule, the above
information of colour theory should
be understood and used in your
work, the same way as an artist uses
it with his paintings. One has to
remember that whatever colour you
see in the nature has been created by
specific percentages of the primary
colours, i.e. red, yellow and blue.
This should not be confused with
the primary colours of light which,
as mentioned earlier, are red, green
and blue (RGB). Hence any visible
www.smartphotography.in

Smart Photography May 2014

light of any shade is but a mixture
of certain percentage of red, green
and blue. It is this very reason why
imaging sensors of digital cameras
are designed to read these RGB
values.
Every photographer must have a
basic colour chart and swatches of
different colour shades which will
make it easier for him to brief a
stylist or a set-maker constructing
the set for the shoot. It is also very
useful while explaining to the
production person as to what exact
shade of coloured props you are
looking for.

Styling is not merely matching the
jewelry with the dress of the model; it
also involves clever accessorizing. It
may necessitate a creative use of an
accessory by using it in an altogether
different way, like using bangles in
place of pendants on a model. A
good fashion stylist should never be
‘orthodox’ in thinking. Styling a shot
is not merely placing some prop in a
vacant area of the frame. It should
have some relation with the outfit or
the jewelry or should symbolize some
era.

When shooting for a designer or for a
feature in any magazine or a ‘designer
catalogue’, styling plays a significant
role in making the entire shoot look
‘rich’. One has to keep the following
points in mind while designing
or conceptualizing such a fashion
feature:
• Understand the category in which
the dresses to be shot fall in –
whether they are ethnic, western,
Indo-western, tribal costumes,
bridal-wear or party-wear.

When one talks of shades of
blue, it involves the cobalt blue,
cerulean blue, sky blue, turquoise
blue, Prussian blue, navy blue
etc. Shades of red include the
vermillion, scarlets, poster red,
crimson red etc. Yellows include
light yellows, chrome yellows,
yellow ochres etc. Greens include
leaf green, medium green, sap
green, aquamarine green, jade
green etc. Serious photographers
should know these terms while
giving the brief to a stylist. A wrong
colour shade can mar your shoot.
With practice, a photographer will
gain command over the colours.

66

Sometimes a correct colour scheme
may not look ‘acceptable’ if the
elements in the shot are placed
wrongly. As an example, imagine a
dark background, in front of which
you have to pose two models,
one wearing a blue saree and the
other a red saree. In case we need
to slightly overlap one on to the
other, then it is better to have the
blue behind and the red in front.
This placement will stand out
more in flat lighting because of the
advancing and receding properties
of colours in relation to each other.

Styling in
Fashion
Photography

Now let’s discuss styling. This
involves dressing the model
with the right make-up and hair,
accessorizing, propping etc. and
then the overall arrangement of the
whole shot. Here, colour plays the
most important role.
Pic 1

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

67

LEARNING

A sturdy tripod will ensure
shake-free images. It will
also allow you to use your
minimum ISO for the best
image quality, and, will further
allow you to use a narrow
aperture for greater depth of
field. And don’t forget, a tripod
also permits accurate and
repeatable framing. And in case
you decide to create an HDR
(High Dynamic Range) image,
the tripod could be your best
friend!

Rohinton Mehta

A

ll nature-lovers love to see
sunrise and sunset. The
coolness of sunrise and
the warmth of sunset draws many
photographers to exotic locations
all over the world. Remember, one
does not necessarily have to travel
to alien locations for this purpose;
beautiful sunrise and sunset
can be found almost anywhere.
Photographing the ‘start of the
day’ seems to rejuvenate the mind
and the body and photographing
the ‘end of the day’ brings peace
and serenity to the tired mind.
My experience though tells me
that not everyone is successful
in capturing the splendour and
emotions these phenomenon can
bring us. Let us try and understand
why we sometimes fail and what
should be done to succeed.
The sun rises and sets at different
hours in different locations around
the world. Seasons and other
geographical factors also play an
important part; in cold seasons,
generally, the sun rises late and
sets early and the setting sun is
often obscured with low clouds.
In hot seasons, the sun rises early
and sets late. It would help a
photographer to have this basic
knowledge. These days though,
its easy to check the details on
the Internet; just search for the
required location (the place where
you intend to travel) on a search
engine, and a host of websites will
let you know about the weather,
sunrise/sunset timings, and many
other details.

72

General Tips
Here are some tips that can enrich
your sunrise/sunset picture-taking
experience:







Reach your site much ahead
of the sunrise/sunset time.
This will give you some time to
locate a good spot. Better still,
and if possible, do a reconnoitre
(search) one day prior to the
shoot and locate the right spot
from where you’d be able to
get the best view of the rising/
setting sun.
Carry the right gear. This
includes the lens/lenses of your
choice, and of course a sturdy
tripod. Generally, sunrise and
sunset are photographed using
a wide-angle lens, but this is not
written in stone. If you like to
have a larger sun in the picture,
you can use a telephoto lens.
Be aware that zoom lenses, due
to the many more elements in
them, could cause more flare
than a prime (non-zoom) lens.
A lens hood may not be of
much use during this time as
the sunlight would be hitting
the lens head-on. However, it
does no harm to have the lens
hood, just in case. Ensure that
the front surface of your lens
or the UV filter that you
may have attached for lens
protection, is absolutely free
of fine dust and finger-prints
or else these could add to the
flare and general degradation of
image quality.

A tripod is
recommended
for pictures of
sunrise/sunset

Ensure optimum exposure.
While this is true for every
occasion, it is ‘extra-true’ for
sunrise/sunset pictures. Over
exposure will wash out/reduce
the subtle colours and also
cause the lighter tones to ‘burn
out’. And it may be impossible
to regain any detail in these
areas during post-processing.
Under exposure will cause
the darker areas in the scene
to go detail-less and if you
try to get back the lost details
during post-processing, you
could lend up with digital
noise. However, depending on
the lighting situation and the
colours in the sky, you could
try underexposing by 1/3 or 1/2
stop to saturate the colours.

Ensure appropriate White
Balance. Inappropriate
White Balance is the cause
for most heart-burns. Many
photographers use Auto White
Balance (AWB) most of the time.
Please note that you should
not use AWB during sunrise/
sunset time. If you do, the subtle
colours in your scene will be
washed out. I suggest that you
use ‘Daylight’ preset for White
Balance. If you need ‘warmer’
colours, try the ‘Cloudy’ preset.





If the situation demands, be
ready to create an HDR image.
If you feel that your camera’s
imaging sensor will not be able
to cover the dynamic range of the
scene (that is, if you feel that your
camera will not be able to record
adequate detail in the highlights
as well as the shadows due to the
brightness/contrast of the scene),
then try bracketed exposures (3
frames with 2-stop difference
between each frame). Later on,
during post-processing, you can
merge the 3 frames to create an
HDR image.



Don’t forget to compose well.
In the excitement of capturing
the beauty of the sunrise/
sunset, many photographers
either forget or ignore the
guidelines of composition. To
add that extra ‘oomph’ to your
shots, keep in mind these basic
framing guidelines:
a) Don’t keep the sun in the
centre of the frame. Try placing
the sun as per the rule of the
thirds.
b) Create visual depth by using
leading-in lines, or by having an
interesting foreground and midground element.
c) Try using aerial perspective,
when possible.



Consider manual focussing.
Under certain conditions, it
is possible for the AF system
of your camera to focus
inaccurately. If you feel that
the AF system is playing tricks
with you, consider focussing
manually.

Don’t be in a hurry to rush
back after the sun sets. Many
photographers pack up their
gear and rush back to their
home/hotel as soon as they
see the sun going under the
horizon. This is a wrong
practice. You must wait there
for at least half an hour after the
sun sets. Often, the sky gets very
colourful after about 20 minutes
after the sun sets.

72

Do not use Auto White Balance for sunrise/sunset pictures.

X

While you may have your own
method of exposing for sunrise/
sunset, here is my preferred
method:
a) I always shoot in Raw (14-bit
preferred over 12-bit) for sunrise/
sunset pictures. The extra bit depth
ensures that even after reasonable
editing in Photoshop, the images
are free from posterization.
Furthermore, Raw gives me greater
freedom to edit my images.
b) I use a hand-held 1-degree Spot
meter for sunrise/sunset pictures
www.smartphotography.in

Smart Photography May 2014



Note: Please do not stare at the
sun through a telephoto/zoom
lens, especially when the sun
is bright. It could damage your
eyesight.

Sunrise/Sunset
Photography

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

Sunrise/Sunset Photography

73

LEARNING
Understanding Photography

Autofocus or
Hocus Pocus?
Ashok Kandimalla

A
Smart
Photography has
been continually
receiving
requests to start
a basic course for
beginners. With
this in mind, we
have asked a very
knowledgeable
photographer from
Hyderabad, Andhra
Pradesh, to take
over writing these
articles. We have
also requested him to be as jargon-free
as it is possible, so that newcomers to
photography feel comfortable to pursue
the hobby.
The author, Ashok Kandimalla has
been in the photographic field for
over three decades and has extensive
experience in both film and digital
photography. Being an electronics
engineer by profession and a
photographer, he possesses a unique
and deep insight into the technical
aspects of digital photography and
equipment. He has published several
articles on photography and some of
his writings have also been published
in the well-known international
magazine Popular Photography.
An avid collector of photographic
books and vintage cameras, Ashok
has a keen interest in the history of
photography and a passion for sharing
his knowledge on photography through
teaching and writing. He is presently
working as a Management and
Engineering consultant. You can see his
work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/
ashok_kandimalla . He can be reached
at [email protected]

78

Smart Photography May 2014

utofocusing (AF) debuted in
SLRs during the mid-eighties.
Unquestionably, it is one
of the most significant advances in
camera technology. Since then, as
time progressed the AF technology
has rapidly advanced, enabling
cameras to obtain accurate focus
even when facing difficult situations
like subjects moving at high speed
and also randomly. This has enabled
photographers to get a far greater
percentage of “keepers” that is,
pictures worth keeping. Needless to
say AF technology was also of great
help to those whose eye-sight was not
good enough for accurate manual
focusing.
Despite all the advances, many
photographers still get badly focused
pictures, prompting some to revert
to manual focus thinking that AF
is all hocus pocus (which means
non-sense)! The truth is that badly
focused images when using AF, are
largely due to wrong usage rather
than limitations of technology.
While the latter is definitely possible,
understanding how AF works will
greatly increase its effectiveness and
help you to get a greater number of
correctly focused images. This is what
this article will explain to you.
First a little background on how
AF works. The key to AF operation
in a D-SLR when operating in the
“Normal” (mirror-down) mode is
the AF Sensor, which is made up
of individual AF sensor elements.
These AF elements use a technology
called “Phase Detection”. In a CSC
(Compact System Camera, also
called a mirrorless camera) or when

a D-SLR is operating in the “LiveView” (mirror-up) mode, the AF
is achieved by another technology
called “Contrast Detection”. Phase
detection is faster and is better than
contrast detect in tracking moving
subjects. However, due to the way the
phase detect sensors are placed, the
light has to follow a more complex
path and hence is prone to alignment
errors. On the other hand, contrast
detect is slower and also not efficient
at tracking. However, since the
contrast detection is done directly by
the main sensor elements itself, the
accuracy is better and is less prone
to errors. The latest CSC cameras use
both the technologies together to get
the best of the both worlds.
Once an out of focus situation is
detected, the AF sensor informs
the CPU (Central Processing Unit)
of the camera to drive the lens so
that correct focus is achieved. The
position of each of these AF elements
is marked in viewfinder by a square.
This square indicates the area of
the sensor. For simplicity we will
call each of these an “AF Point”.
Some cameras have as many as 60
AF Points, but all of them are not
shown together as that will clutter
the viewfinder. Usually only the AF
Point (or Points) that are active for
focusing is (/are) highlighted.
AF errors can be divided into two
parts – errors due to user mistakes
and those that occur due to the
limitations of the camera. The former
occur even for static subjects though
the technology today can absolutely
guarantee correct focus for these
cases. However, the case is different
www.smartphotography.in

when the subject is moving. Here, the
errors could be due to photographer’s
mistakes or camera limitations or a
combination of both.
Many AF user errors occur due to
lack of understanding of the many
modes that are present to control the
AF. Let us look at this in more detail.
Broadly the modes can be divided
into two sets.
The first set allows you to choose the
number of AF Points you want to use
and the method of selection of these
AF Points. This process is termed as
the “AF Area” mode selection. As
you would expect, when a camera
offers multiple AF Points there will
be a provision in the camera (either
through dials or a multi-way rocker
switch) to help you select the AF Point
of your choice. Advanced cameras
allow several ways of doing this
selection. Plus, the whole process can
be customized in myriad ways though
we will not be going into the details.
The second set involves the way
autofocusing mechanism itself works.
This is called the “AF Mode”.

AF Auto (or AI Focus): This mode
is capable of automatic switching of
AF mode. Here the camera switches
the AF mode from Single AF to
Continuous if it detects the subject
movement. This will happen even
after the focus has been locked.
With that as the background, let
us investigate situations which
give rise to erroneous focusing and
hence unsharp pictures. First, let us
consider static subjects. In this case,
as already mentioned, errors that
occur are almost always due to user
mistakes. The most common error
that occurs when the subject you
want to be sharp is out of focus but
some other part of the scene is sharp.
Let us see why this problem occurs
and the solution to it.

control over which AF Point the
camera chooses. This mode is often
chosen by the camera when you
use the so called “Green Zone” or
“Scene Mode” programs where you
handover the control to the camera.
In the Auto Area AF mode camera
will focus on the part of a scene that
is closest to the camera or that has
the highest contrast. If that happens
to be your subject then it is well and
good. If that is not the case some
unwanted object will be in focus but
not your subject (Pictures 3 and 4)!
Fortunately, cameras highlight the
AF Point that has been selected so
you will know on which part of the
image the camera has focused. If
the highlighted point does not fall
on the subject of interest, then you
can certainly say it will not be sharp.

Modern cameras
offer several AF
Points (Picture
1). If you choose
Auto Area AF
(Picture 2) as the
AF area mode,
then you have no

Here is a summary of important AF
Modes.
AF Single (or One Shot AF): Here
the AF is activated by half pressing
the shutter release or by pressing
a separate button. Once focus is
achieved, the focus locks. The camera
will not attempt to refocus even if
the subject moves thereafter. The
shutter will not release unless focus
is obtained. This mode is meant for
static subjects.
AF Continuous (or AI Servo): This
has been implemented with moving
subjects in mind. Here the camera
will focus continuously, tracking the
moving subject so long as you keep
the shutter release half-pressed. The
focus will not lock and so long as
the subject is moving the camera
tries to keep the subject in focus. It
is important that you remember that
the shutter can be released whether or
not the subject is in focus. This could
occasionally result in out-of-focus
images.
www.smartphotography.in

Picture 1: AF Points.
This camera viewfinder
shows a number of AF
Points. Several options
will be available to
activate a single point,
a cluster of points or all
the points depending on
your application.

Picture 2: Auto Area
AF Mode. Here all the
AF Points are active in
the sense that anyone
of them can get selected
automatically, giving
you no choice over selection. Note that you will
not see all the AF Points
at a time in practice, as
given here. Only those
that are selected will be
highlighted.

78

Autofocus or Hocus Pocus?

May 2014 Smart Photography

79

Learnings

Styling in
Fashion
Photography

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

LEARNING

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

‘D

esign’ is the most
important element in any
art, be it photography,
painting, illustration, calligraphy,
interiors, jewelry or fashion. No
photographer should say that
“my job is only to correctly expose
what is in front of my camera;
designing is not my concern”. If
you have this attitude, you are not
likely to flourish in your business. I
have mentioned in the past (in my
write-ups) that the most important
parameters that go into making a
good picture are:
(1) Composition (2) Colour
combination (3) Lighting (4)
Styling or concept behind a shot.

A good photo is a good design
in itself. It involves balanced
composition with the ‘graphic value’
of the elements involved in the shot
and perfect colour combination.

66

Smart Photography May 2014

Styling in
Fashion
Photography
Dilip Yande

Colour is the ‘heart’ of styling. Hence
let me first explain its importance
and significance. Colour and styling
are closely connected. For example,
if one needs to show a pious lady
or a saintly person, its better to
photograph them wearing white
clothes, because white signifies
purity. A mysterious personality or
a shady person is better presented
in a black outfit. Vibrant and
flamboyant colours symbolize youth
and liveliness; deeper shades signify
maturity. Remember, colours ‘talk’.
Colour is a difficult subject to handle.
Colours can symbolize mood.
Hence if wrongly placed or chosen,
can mar your picture, even though
your lighting and exposing could be
technically correct.
Every photographer needs to develop
a colour sense and has to understand
the ‘colour theory’ . To explain
briefly – red, yellow and blue are the
‘primary’ colours. (Please note that
the primary colours of light are red,
green and blue). Red, when mixed
with yellow becomes orange; yellow
added to blue forms green, and red
mixed with blue turns violet. Hence
orange, green and violet are known
as ‘secondary’ colours. Secondary
colours when mixed with each other
form the ‘tertiary’ colours. Tertiary
colours when mixed together form
the ‘quaternary’ colours. Quaternary

colours are muddy-looking and
appear ‘boring’ as compared to the
original primary colours. Almost
all colours go well in combination
with white or black. Further, colour
combinations of red and green,
yellow and violet, blue and orange,
are termed as ‘complementary’ colour
schemes; they always give a very
fresh feel to the subject. Colours
like light yellow, light blue, lavender,
light peach, pink are termed as
‘pastel shades’; they have a very soft
and feminine characteristic in them
and go very well when used in the
background of cosmetic, beauty
products and even lingerie. Browns
symbolize aristocracy, while blue
always gives a ‘corporate feel’. Reds,
with yellows and orange are termed
as a ‘warm colour schemes’ while blue
along with green and violets/ purples
are termed as a ‘cool colour schemes’.
As a thumb-rule, the above
information of colour theory should
be understood and used in your
work, the same way as an artist uses
it with his paintings. One has to
remember that whatever colour you
see in the nature has been created by
specific percentages of the primary
colours, i.e. red, yellow and blue.
This should not be confused with
the primary colours of light which,
as mentioned earlier, are red, green
and blue (RGB). Hence any visible
www.smartphotography.in

light of any shade is but a mixture
of certain percentage of red, green
and blue. It is this very reason why
imaging sensors of digital cameras
are designed to read these RGB
values.
Every photographer must have a
basic colour chart and swatches of
different colour shades which will
make it easier for him to brief a
stylist or a set-maker constructing
the set for the shoot. It is also very
useful while explaining to the
production person as to what exact
shade of coloured props you are
looking for.

Styling is not merely matching the
jewelry with the dress of the model; it
also involves clever accessorizing. It
may necessitate a creative use of an
accessory by using it in an altogether
different way, like using bangles in
place of pendants on a model. A
good fashion stylist should never be
‘orthodox’ in thinking. Styling a shot
is not merely placing some prop in a
vacant area of the frame. It should
have some relation with the outfit or
the jewelry or should symbolize some
era.

When shooting for a designer or for a
feature in any magazine or a ‘designer
catalogue’, styling plays a significant
role in making the entire shoot look
‘rich’. One has to keep the following
points in mind while designing
or conceptualizing such a fashion
feature:
• Understand the category in which
the dresses to be shot fall in –
whether they are ethnic, western,
Indo-western, tribal costumes,
bridal-wear or party-wear.

When one talks of shades of
blue, it involves the cobalt blue,
cerulean blue, sky blue, turquoise
blue, Prussian blue, navy blue
etc. Shades of red include the
vermillion, scarlets, poster red,
crimson red etc. Yellows include
light yellows, chrome yellows,
yellow ochres etc. Greens include
leaf green, medium green, sap
green, aquamarine green, jade
green etc. Serious photographers
should know these terms while
giving the brief to a stylist. A wrong
colour shade can mar your shoot.
With practice, a photographer will
gain command over the colours.
Sometimes a correct colour scheme
may not look ‘acceptable’ if the
elements in the shot are placed
wrongly. As an example, imagine a
dark background, in front of which
you have to pose two models,
one wearing a blue saree and the
other a red saree. In case we need
to slightly overlap one on to the
other, then it is better to have the
blue behind and the red in front.
This placement will stand out
more in flat lighting because of the
advancing and receding properties
of colours in relation to each other.
Now let’s discuss styling. This
involves dressing the model
with the right make-up and hair,
accessorizing, propping etc. and
then the overall arrangement of the
whole shot. Here, colour plays the
most important role.
Pic 1

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May 2014 Smart Photography

67

LEARNING
Pic 2

highlight her carefree
bohemian lifestyle,
and hence the model
was made to sit in
the tyres in this pose.
Note that once again
the blue in her shorts,
the dominant red in
her top, and the light
yellow of the wood, has
formed a primary color
scheme.
Pic 3- This outfit was
more of a Rajasthani
style. The feel had to
be warm and hence a
straw background was
sourced. An appropriate
hairstyle was decided;
silver-oxide jewelry was
used to style the model,
• Study the pattern/design of these
dresses. Short dresses would
certainly call for models with good
legs and thighs.

executed. It is always good
to start with a small scribble
defining the composition (fig
1)-

• The face cut (looks) of the model
should be either in harmony
with the language of the dresses
or starkly opposite. Remember,
many times, ‘contrast’ works. This
judgment will come with time.

Pic 1 and 2 - The concept
in this shot was the ‘wild
west’. When one thinks of
it, the first thing that comes
to mind is a cowboy look.
This involves denim as the
fabric of choice. The checked
shirt that had stormed the
west once, was worn by the
model in combination with
the jeans; along with this
come the high heel leather
shoes, leather hats, ropes, a
feel of a ranch or a deserted
inn, worn out tyres etc. The
props were sourced and
wooden planks were used as
the background. In pic 1 the
model was supposed to give
the pose of a cowboy on the
verge of throwing the lasso.
But the colour of the lasso was
somewhat merging with the
wooden background. So, to
provide a better separation,
a dark brown leather hat was
hung on a nail behind. This
worked wonders. The lasso
got immediately separated,
but great accuracy of timing
was needed to take this shot.
In pic 2 the stylist wanted to Pic 3

• Accessories should be sourced in
abundance so as to mix-match on
the spot.
• Designs and motifs on the dresses
should be studied in order to
choose the props and the jewelry.
• Many times the history of a
costume is very important while
styling, designing and planning
the feature.
• The colour codes of a country or a
certain region are very important
and can be used in the features
somewhere, especially if the
pattern of the dress has a strong
recall value of that land. The same
is true in the use of motifs in the
background.
Considering all these factors I would
like to analyze and explain how the
following shots were planned and

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Pic 4a
Pic 5a

Pic 4a and 4b –
This was an outfit
generally worn by
the royal houses.
Hence the male
model was styled
accordingly. One
should remember
that that these days
‘royal houses’ are
more of a past.
Hence ‘vintage
look’ and props
work for such
themes. The turban
was stitched for
the shoot and to
symbolize that this
is a past era, an
empty ornate was
used in the picture
in front as a prop.

Pic 5b

Pic 4b

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and ‘mojadis’ (Rajasthani footwear)
were chosen for her feet. To give the
feel of the desert ‘heat’, red dry chilies
were taken as props and the model
was asked to toss them in a very joyful
mood.

Pic 5a, 5b- The
pattern of the
blouse and the
saree had a ‘vintage
feel’ to it, conveying
the colonial British
era of Kolkata. The outfit conveyed
modesty and at the same time, the
luxuries of the west. The model
was hence given a hairstyle to suit
that look. Props like the old artistic
telephone were sourced for the shoot
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LEARNING
Pic 6a

along with the tinted glass
oil lamp which has been
used in the foreground of
pic 5b to create a depth.
In pic 5 the lighting was a
bit on the side of ‘low key’
and the colour scheme
was entirely ‘warm’. Please
observe that in pic 5b, the
patch of a cool colour in
the foreground against a
warm colour scheme of
the background has made
the picture attractive.
Remember, contrast works.
Pic 6a, 6b – This picture
has a dress which is a
fusion. More termed as the
‘free style.’ Labour class
women generally layer
their bodies with what
they have and can stylishly
carry it. They do not
exhibit ‘self consciousness’
in their fashion. Here is
a sophisticated looking
Indian beauty wearing
a golden jacket, a dhoti
below, with Indian
traditional jewelry.
Hence we preferred
photographing her with the
worker women on the site.
Showing such contrasts in
personalities work well in
shoots.
Pic 7 -The top of the
same model was changed
to a tough black leather
jacket. Leather jackets also
symbolize a cooler climatelike Nothern India, hence
a hairstyle with the long
hair plaits found in the
Northern side was chosen.
Though the hairstyle was
specific a slight outdoor
messy look was preferred.
Use of the correct lens
and correct f/stop made
my background go out of
focus, thus making it look
like patches of grey.
Pic 8a ,b- This time there
was a denim corset, hence
a rustic background was
preferred. Two entirely
Pic 6b

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Pic 7

Pic 8a

different fabrics were used
on the model- denim
and silk to drape as
dhoti. Nose ring always
symbolizes ‘femininity’,
this gets balanced with
the silk drape that has
been used on her in the
full-length shot. The
hairstyle was once again
kept asymmetric and
messy and dominant on
the opposite side of the
nose ring.
Colour, concept and post
production treatment of a
shot are all linked together
and need to be in tune
with each other.
Colour is the most
important element of a
picture and the heart of
styling. Let me end this
article by giving you a

very interesting but weird example
of the power of colour. During the
second world war the Nazis served
the food to some prisoners in bright
blue dishes or added an edible blue
colors to their food, making their
staple diets bluish in hue. Both these
things gave them a feeling of nausea,
since no one likes to eat food with
blue cast. This is the power of colour.
Develop your colour sense and
the simplest of your shots may
stand out.

ˆ

Credit LinesPics Courtesy B.D. Somani Institute of Art &
Fashion Technology
Makeup- Baban Kharat,
Hair- Sanjay Kamble
Models- Ketki Sidhhartha,
Neha Mandal
Photography- Dilip Yande

Pic 8b

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LEARNING

Rohinton Mehta

A

ll nature-lovers love to see
sunrise and sunset. The
coolness of sunrise and
the warmth of sunset draws many
photographers to exotic locations
all over the world. Remember, one
does not necessarily have to travel
to alien locations for this purpose;
beautiful sunrise and sunset
can be found almost anywhere.
Photographing the ‘start of the
day’ seems to rejuvenate the mind
and the body and photographing
the ‘end of the day’ brings peace
and serenity to the tired mind.
My experience though tells me
that not everyone is successful
in capturing the splendour and
emotions these phenomenon can
bring us. Let us try and understand
why we sometimes fail and what
should be done to succeed.
The sun rises and sets at different
hours in different locations around
the world. Seasons and other
geographical factors also play an
important part; in cold seasons,
generally, the sun rises late and
sets early and the setting sun is
often obscured with low clouds.
In hot seasons, the sun rises early
and sets late. It would help a
photographer to have this basic
knowledge. These days though,
its easy to check the details on
the Internet; just search for the
required location (the place where
you intend to travel) on a search
engine, and a host of websites will
let you know about the weather,
sunrise/sunset timings, and many
other details.

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General Tips
Here are some tips that can enrich
your sunrise/sunset picture-taking
experience:



Reach your site much ahead
of the sunrise/sunset time.
This will give you some time to
locate a good spot. Better still,
and if possible, do a reconnoitre
(search) one day prior to the
shoot and locate the right spot
from where you’d be able to
get the best view of the rising/
setting sun.



Carry the right gear. This
includes the lens/lenses of your
choice, and of course a sturdy
tripod. Generally, sunrise and
sunset are photographed using
a wide-angle lens, but this is not
written in stone. If you like to
have a larger sun in the picture,
you can use a telephoto lens.
Be aware that zoom lenses, due
to the many more elements in
them, could cause more flare
than a prime (non-zoom) lens.
A lens hood may not be of
much use during this time as
the sunlight would be hitting
the lens head-on. However, it
does no harm to have the lens
hood, just in case. Ensure that
the front surface of your lens
or the UV filter that you
may have attached for lens
protection, is absolutely free
of fine dust and finger-prints
or else these could add to the
flare and general degradation of
image quality.

A tripod is
recommended
for pictures of
sunrise/sunset

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Note: Please do not stare at the
sun through a telephoto/zoom
lens, especially when the sun
is bright. It could damage your
eyesight.



A sturdy tripod will ensure
shake-free images. It will
also allow you to use your
minimum ISO for the best
image quality, and, will further
allow you to use a narrow
aperture for greater depth of
field. And don’t forget, a tripod
also permits accurate and
repeatable framing. And in case
you decide to create an HDR
(High Dynamic Range) image,
the tripod could be your best
friend!



Ensure appropriate White
Balance. Inappropriate
White Balance is the cause
for most heart-burns. Many
photographers use Auto White
Balance (AWB) most of the time.
Please note that you should
not use AWB during sunrise/
sunset time. If you do, the subtle
colours in your scene will be
washed out. I suggest that you
use ‘Daylight’ preset for White
Balance. If you need ‘warmer’
colours, try the ‘Cloudy’ preset.

Ensure optimum exposure.
While this is true for every
occasion, it is ‘extra-true’ for
sunrise/sunset pictures. Over
exposure will wash out/reduce
the subtle colours and also
cause the lighter tones to ‘burn
out’. And it may be impossible
to regain any detail in these
areas during post-processing.
Under exposure will cause
the darker areas in the scene
to go detail-less and if you
try to get back the lost details
during post-processing, you
could lend up with digital
noise. However, depending on
the lighting situation and the
colours in the sky, you could
try underexposing by 1/3 or 1/2
stop to saturate the colours.





If the situation demands, be
ready to create an HDR image.
If you feel that your camera’s
imaging sensor will not be able
to cover the dynamic range of the
scene (that is, if you feel that your
camera will not be able to record
adequate detail in the highlights
as well as the shadows due to the
brightness/contrast of the scene),
then try bracketed exposures (3
frames with 2-stop difference
between each frame). Later on,
during post-processing, you can
merge the 3 frames to create an
HDR image.



Don’t forget to compose well.
In the excitement of capturing
the beauty of the sunrise/
sunset, many photographers
either forget or ignore the
guidelines of composition. To
add that extra ‘oomph’ to your
shots, keep in mind these basic
framing guidelines:
a) Don’t keep the sun in the
centre of the frame. Try placing
the sun as per the rule of the
thirds.
b) Create visual depth by using
leading-in lines, or by having an
interesting foreground and midground element.
c) Try using aerial perspective,
when possible.



Consider manual focussing.
Under certain conditions, it
is possible for the AF system
of your camera to focus
inaccurately. If you feel that
the AF system is playing tricks
with you, consider focussing
manually.

Don’t be in a hurry to rush
back after the sun sets. Many
photographers pack up their
gear and rush back to their
home/hotel as soon as they
see the sun going under the
horizon. This is a wrong
practice. You must wait there
for at least half an hour after the
sun sets. Often, the sky gets very
colourful after about 20 minutes
after the sun sets.

Do not use Auto White Balance for sunrise/sunset pictures.

X

While you may have your own
method of exposing for sunrise/
sunset, here is my preferred
method:
a) I always shoot in Raw (14-bit
preferred over 12-bit) for sunrise/
sunset pictures. The extra bit depth
ensures that even after reasonable
editing in Photoshop, the images
are free from posterization.
Furthermore, Raw gives me greater
freedom to edit my images.
b) I use a hand-held 1-degree Spot
meter for sunrise/sunset pictures
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May 2014 Smart Photography

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LEARNING

(Please read the box titled ‘Why
do I use a 1-degree spot meter?’ on
the next page). If you don’t have a
1-degree spot meter, don’t despair.
Almost every camera these days
has a spot meter (though it is not
1-degree). Do not place the ‘spot’
over the sun (it could damage your
eyes and also give wrong meter
reading) but meter from a mid-tone
area in the sky. (Please see the 8
pictures wherein the spot-metered
area is marked).

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Smart Photography May 2014

c) Check your
histogram. Ideally,
it should not touch
either the left end
(which denotes
underexposure) or
the right end (which
denotes overexposure).
However, this is not
a hard and fast rule;
areas of deep shadows could have
the histogram more towards the left
and bright areas could have some

spikes at the right. Do note that you
may be able to recover some lost
highlights if you are shooting in Raw.
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d) Enable the ‘Blinkies’ on your
camera. This feature warns you of
possible loss of highlight detail due
to overexposure. If you see some few
specks of the ‘blinkies’, just ignore
them, but if a large area is blinking,
you should re-take the shot with
reduced exposure.
Note: When using the ‘blinkies’,
the sun itself will always blink and
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you should ignore this.
If you try to avoid
the sun from being
overexposed, the entire
picture will go dark.
e) If the sky looks
beautiful, I often
bracket my exposures
(not because I am not
sure of my exposures, but to get
subtle variations in colours).

quite a small area, it is still not
small enough for precise metering.
1-degree spot meters read exactly
one-degree of the frame at the
centre, which is equivalent to 0.05%
of the frame area. This extremely
narrow angle allows me to precisely
measure any part of the scene that
I want to measure, without the
brightness of the surrounding areas
influencing the meter reading.

Why do I use a 1-degree Spot
Meter?
A spot meter within your camera
reads a very narrow area of the
frame – typically, 3-5% of the
frame, depending on the make and
model of the camera. While that’s

How should you meter?
To measure a scene for brightness,
I take a meter reading off any area
that appears to be middle tone.
Remember, the metered area need
not necessarily be mid-grey; it could
be mid-blue, mid-green, mid any
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LEARNING
Include of foreground/mid-ground element. Here, aerial perspective adds to the impact of
the picture. Also observe that the sun is not placed in the center of the frame.

Rohinton Mehta

colour. By saying ‘mid’, it implies
that the reflectivity of the metered
area is approximately 18%, which is
mid-way between very dark (black)
and very light (white). Once you
meter for the mid-tone, all other
tones fall in place.
Some examples of mid-tone subjects
in day to day life are: North
blue sky, Levis blue jeans, fresh
Mangalore tiles, and green grass.
The reason why it is often suggested
to use a 18% grey card, is that the
reflectivity of the card is calibrated
to 18% and also because the card

76

Smart Photography May 2014

is neutral in colour (without any
colour cast), and hence can also be
used to create an accurate White
Balance.
I am often asked if it is okay to use an
incident light meter to photograph
sunrise/sunset. The answer is ‘No’.
Incident light meters read the light
falling on the subject as opposed to
reflected light meters that measure
light being reflected off the subject.
To successfully use an incident
light meter, its white dome (the
lumisphere) must be pointed at the
camera. If during sunrise/sunset

you try to use an incident light
meter (which is supposed to face
the camera) its lumisphere will not
receive the light from the sunrise/
sunset and hence will give a wrong
reading. Sunrise/sunset can be
considered as back-lit subjects and
hence require the use of a reflected
light meter.
Sunrise/sunset pictures don’t mean
having just the rising/setting sun.
Don’t forget to include interesting
elements in the foreground and
mid-ground and look for other
leading lines to direct the viewer’s
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Use ‘leading-in-lines’ to direct the viewer’s gaze into the picture.

Rohinton Mehta

Take a meter reading
close to the sun to
create a silhouette.

gaze into the
frame. Another
interesting
composition
with sunrise/
sunset shots
could be with
silhouettes. If
you take a meter
reading close
to the sun, the
brightness in that
area will cause
your meter to
underexpose the
scene, creating
a silhouette.
And yes, don’t
forget to shoot
some vertical
compositions
too.
ˆ
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77

LEARNING
Understanding Photography

Autofocus or
Hocus Pocus?
Ashok Kandimalla

A
Smart
Photography has
been continually
receiving
requests to start
a basic course for
beginners. With
this in mind, we
have asked a very
knowledgeable
photographer from
Hyderabad, Andhra
Pradesh, to take
over writing these
articles. We have
also requested him to be as jargon-free
as it is possible, so that newcomers to
photography feel comfortable to pursue
the hobby.
The author, Ashok Kandimalla has
been in the photographic field for
over three decades and has extensive
experience in both film and digital
photography. Being an electronics
engineer by profession and a
photographer, he possesses a unique
and deep insight into the technical
aspects of digital photography and
equipment. He has published several
articles on photography and some of
his writings have also been published
in the well-known international
magazine Popular Photography.
An avid collector of photographic
books and vintage cameras, Ashok
has a keen interest in the history of
photography and a passion for sharing
his knowledge on photography through
teaching and writing. He is presently
working as a Management and
Engineering consultant. You can see his
work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/
ashok_kandimalla . He can be reached
at [email protected]

78

Smart Photography May 2014

utofocusing (AF) debuted in
SLRs during the mid-eighties.
Unquestionably, it is one
of the most significant advances in
camera technology. Since then, as
time progressed the AF technology
has rapidly advanced, enabling
cameras to obtain accurate focus
even when facing difficult situations
like subjects moving at high speed
and also randomly. This has enabled
photographers to get a far greater
percentage of “keepers” that is,
pictures worth keeping. Needless to
say AF technology was also of great
help to those whose eye-sight was not
good enough for accurate manual
focusing.
Despite all the advances, many
photographers still get badly focused
pictures, prompting some to revert
to manual focus thinking that AF
is all hocus pocus (which means
non-sense)! The truth is that badly
focused images when using AF, are
largely due to wrong usage rather
than limitations of technology.
While the latter is definitely possible,
understanding how AF works will
greatly increase its effectiveness and
help you to get a greater number of
correctly focused images. This is what
this article will explain to you.
First a little background on how
AF works. The key to AF operation
in a D-SLR when operating in the
“Normal” (mirror-down) mode is
the AF Sensor, which is made up
of individual AF sensor elements.
These AF elements use a technology
called “Phase Detection”. In a CSC
(Compact System Camera, also
called a mirrorless camera) or when

a D-SLR is operating in the “LiveView” (mirror-up) mode, the AF
is achieved by another technology
called “Contrast Detection”. Phase
detection is faster and is better than
contrast detect in tracking moving
subjects. However, due to the way the
phase detect sensors are placed, the
light has to follow a more complex
path and hence is prone to alignment
errors. On the other hand, contrast
detect is slower and also not efficient
at tracking. However, since the
contrast detection is done directly by
the main sensor elements itself, the
accuracy is better and is less prone
to errors. The latest CSC cameras use
both the technologies together to get
the best of the both worlds.
Once an out of focus situation is
detected, the AF sensor informs
the CPU (Central Processing Unit)
of the camera to drive the lens so
that correct focus is achieved. The
position of each of these AF elements
is marked in viewfinder by a square.
This square indicates the area of
the sensor. For simplicity we will
call each of these an “AF Point”.
Some cameras have as many as 60
AF Points, but all of them are not
shown together as that will clutter
the viewfinder. Usually only the AF
Point (or Points) that are active for
focusing is (/are) highlighted.
AF errors can be divided into two
parts – errors due to user mistakes
and those that occur due to the
limitations of the camera. The former
occur even for static subjects though
the technology today can absolutely
guarantee correct focus for these
cases. However, the case is different
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when the subject is moving. Here, the
errors could be due to photographer’s
mistakes or camera limitations or a
combination of both.
Many AF user errors occur due to
lack of understanding of the many
modes that are present to control the
AF. Let us look at this in more detail.
Broadly the modes can be divided
into two sets.
The first set allows you to choose the
number of AF Points you want to use
and the method of selection of these
AF Points. This process is termed as
the “AF Area” mode selection. As
you would expect, when a camera
offers multiple AF Points there will
be a provision in the camera (either
through dials or a multi-way rocker
switch) to help you select the AF Point
of your choice. Advanced cameras
allow several ways of doing this
selection. Plus, the whole process can
be customized in myriad ways though
we will not be going into the details.
The second set involves the way
autofocusing mechanism itself works.
This is called the “AF Mode”.

AF Auto (or AI Focus): This mode
is capable of automatic switching of
AF mode. Here the camera switches
the AF mode from Single AF to
Continuous if it detects the subject
movement. This will happen even
after the focus has been locked.
With that as the background, let
us investigate situations which
give rise to erroneous focusing and
hence unsharp pictures. First, let us
consider static subjects. In this case,
as already mentioned, errors that
occur are almost always due to user
mistakes. The most common error
that occurs when the subject you
want to be sharp is out of focus but
some other part of the scene is sharp.
Let us see why this problem occurs
and the solution to it.

control over which AF Point the
camera chooses. This mode is often
chosen by the camera when you
use the so called “Green Zone” or
“Scene Mode” programs where you
handover the control to the camera.
In the Auto Area AF mode camera
will focus on the part of a scene that
is closest to the camera or that has
the highest contrast. If that happens
to be your subject then it is well and
good. If that is not the case some
unwanted object will be in focus but
not your subject (Pictures 3 and 4)!
Fortunately, cameras highlight the
AF Point that has been selected so
you will know on which part of the
image the camera has focused. If
the highlighted point does not fall
on the subject of interest, then you
can certainly say it will not be sharp.

Modern cameras
offer several AF
Points (Picture
1). If you choose
Auto Area AF
(Picture 2) as the
AF area mode,
then you have no

Here is a summary of important AF
Modes.
AF Single (or One Shot AF): Here
the AF is activated by half pressing
the shutter release or by pressing
a separate button. Once focus is
achieved, the focus locks. The camera
will not attempt to refocus even if
the subject moves thereafter. The
shutter will not release unless focus
is obtained. This mode is meant for
static subjects.
AF Continuous (or AI Servo): This
has been implemented with moving
subjects in mind. Here the camera
will focus continuously, tracking the
moving subject so long as you keep
the shutter release half-pressed. The
focus will not lock and so long as
the subject is moving the camera
tries to keep the subject in focus. It
is important that you remember that
the shutter can be released whether or
not the subject is in focus. This could
occasionally result in out-of-focus
images.
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Picture 1: AF Points.
This camera viewfinder
shows a number of AF
Points. Several options
will be available to
activate a single point,
a cluster of points or all
the points depending on
your application.

Picture 2: Auto Area
AF Mode. Here all the
AF Points are active in
the sense that anyone
of them can get selected
automatically, giving
you no choice over selection. Note that you will
not see all the AF Points
at a time in practice, as
given here. Only those
that are selected will be
highlighted.
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LEARNING
Understanding Photography
Picture 3: This is want you
wanted, a sharply focused flower!
However, the camera did not
focus on the flower as it was
farther away.

Picture 4: This is what you got!
The camera has simply chosen an
AF Point (red square) that overlapped the object that was closest
to the camera. Unfortunately, this
is not what you wanted to be in
sharp focus!

of your choice. Check
your camera manual to see
how to put your camera in
this mode and then how
to choose an AF Point of
your choice. Even now
after you select a point and
this is important, there
still might be no AF Point
that overlaps the point of
interest that you want to be
in sharp focus (Picture 5).
Follow the steps outlined
here to achieve sharp focus
of the area you want.

This mode is really useful only for
very casual snap shooting. I strongly
recommend that you do not use it
unless you are in an extreme hurry
(hence no time to choose an AF
Point) or you are giving your camera
to a novice to operate.
You have seen how Auto AF Point

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Smart Photography May 2014

selection can choose an AF Point that
does not fall on the object of your
interest. As a first step, you can start
with choosing the AF Point rather
than leaving it to the camera.

First move your camera
so that the center AF Point in your
viewfinder falls on the subject or part
of the subject that you want to keep
in sharp focus (Picture 6). Focus by
half pressing the shutter release.

This can be done through a mode
called Single Point AF. With this
mode you can select the AF Point

Now, lock the focus by continuing
to hold the shutter release in half
pressed position. While keeping the
www.smartphotography.in

Picture 5: Here the single AF
Point chosen did not overlap the
subject of interest and the camera
focused elsewhere rendering the
subject unsharp.

Picture 6: Keep the AF Point on
the part of the subject (here the
eyes of the toy) that you want to
be rendered sharp. Focus by half
pressing the shutter release and
keep it pressed that way to lock
focus. Don’t worry about the
composition at this stage.

shutter release half pressed
(this will keep the focus
locked), move the camera
to recompose (Picture
7). Fully press the shutter
release now to take the
picture. One question that
you might ask is, since the
camera offers several AF
Points why should you use
only the center AF Point.
You can as a matter of
fact use any AF Point but
in almost all cameras the
central AF Point is the most
sensitive and accurate. So, it
is best to use that!
This technique is also useful when
you are taking portraits. In a portrait
the eyes of the subject are the most
important part. Hence they must
be sharp focus. In case an AF Point
does not fall on the eye (nearest to
the camera), you need to bring an AF
Point to overlap the eye, focus, lock
www.smartphotography.in

focus, recompose and then take the
picture.
Also, it is a good compositional
practice to keep the main subject
off center. When you do this you
may find that no AF Point falls on
the subject of interest. Another
case where you need to choose an

arbitrary point to focus is when
you need to control the depth of
field. As you know, depth of field
is distributed as 1/3 before and 2/3
after the point of focus. So, you will
have to choose an appropriate point
to focus to get the zone of interest in
focus. For all these cases you can use
the technique explained.
May 2014 Smart Photography

81

LEARNING
Understanding Photography
Of course it can only
hold for short time after
which the tracking will be
lost. Some sophisticated
cameras on their own, may
assign another AF Point as
the subject moves off from
an AF Point.

In general this technique of “move
camera –overlap AF Point on
area of interest- focus - lock focus
– recompose-shoot” is useful
whenever you want to focus on a
particular point and an AF Point
does not overlap that point.
Now it is time to move on to the
more complex subject of moving
subjects. With moving subjects, not
using the right AF Point for initial
target acquisition and thereafter
difficulty in keeping an AF Point
on the subject as you move/pan,
can cause user induced AF errors.
Camera errors include camera’s
inability to track randomly moving
subjects, unable to latch on to the
subject due to lack of contrast,
etc. No doubt more sophisticated
cameras, especially those designed
for high speed action (the likes of
Canon 1Dx and Nikon D4s) do a
better job than entry level DSLRs but
even with these you will definitely
get better results when you use them
properly. So, let us see what you
should do.
First you need to set the camera
to AF Continuous (or AI Servo)
mode. This will allow the camera
to continue to focus on moving
subjects. It goes without saying that

82

Smart Photography May 2014

Picture 7: Continue
to half press the shutter release to keep
the focus locked.
Recompose now and
press the shutter release fully to take the
picture. Though the
AF Point no longer
overlaps the part you
want, that part will
still be in focus since
you have locked the
focus over it (Picture
6) earlier.

you should also keep the camera in
continuous frame advance. While
this is really independent of the AF
functions, it allows you continuously
take pictures so long as you keep the
shutter release pressed.
There are several AF area modes
available that can be used in
conjunction with AF Continuous
mode depending on the
manufacturer. With some variation,
this is how they work. All of them
require that you first acquire the
target that is, your subject, using
an AF Point. After this you need to
move the camera so that the AF Point
continues to overlap the subject. If
the subject leaves this AF Point for
whatever reason, the camera may still
hold the focus taking the focusing
information from adjacent AF Points.








Use a fast lens.
A lens with a maximum
aperture of f/2.8 will focus
a lot faster than an f/5.6 lens.
Use the center AF Point for initial
target acquisition for reasons
already explained.
Make sure that your subject is at
least occupies 25% of the frame.
Use a region / area on the subject
that has good contrast. This helps
acquisition and tracking.
Practice with some test subject
on panning / moving the camera
while keeping an AF Point on the
subject.
Remember that subjects that are
moving away or towards you
(movement along the lens axis) are
easier to acquire and track than
subjects that move across you.

These should help you to increase the
probability of getting sharply focused
images of moving subjects.
ˆ

CONCLUSION:
Autofocusing is a technology marvel. However, like all high
technology systems a thorough knowledge of its operation
and an understanding of its usage will give you better and
more consistent results. This in turn will result in more
keepers. Though not infallible, it is a great advance on manual
focusing. A few simple precautions and a little bit of practice
will help you to get the best AF performance of your new
super duper DSLR!
www.smartphotography.in

All text and images © Ashok Kandimalla unless otherwise stated.

As you can see this is a bit
of hit and miss business.
Though the AF technology
is rapidly improving,
sometimes it is possible
that target tracking may be
lost. However, there are a
few tips (given below) that
you can follow, conditions
permitting, to improve
initial acquisition and
tracking performance.

90

84

D-SLR Review
Nikon D4s

96

D-SLR Review
Canon 1200D

105

Printer Review
HP Deskjet Ink Advantage
4515

102 108
Smartphone Review
LG G2
Change in Rating System
Smart Photography’s new rating
system exercises stricter evaluation
in view of improvements in the
overall performance of photographic
equipment. Marks will be awarded for
the following parameters...

Final Rankings
Recommended ......................................... 75-80%
Best Buy .........................................81% and above

Reviews

ILCC Review
Fujifilm X-E2

First Look
Manfrotto
MT190XPRO4

D-SLR CAMERAS

LENSES

COMPACT CAMERAS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ergonomics ............................................. (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/Viewfinder.....................................(out of 5)
Auto White Balance...........................(out of 5)

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)

Performance
Autofocus ....................................................(out of 5)
Metering ......................................................(out of 5)
Noise control ...........................................(out of 5)
Distortion/Sharpness..........................(out of 5)
LCD/Viewfinder.....................................(out of 5)
Auto White Balance...........................(out of 5)

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

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

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

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

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

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

D-SLR Review
Nikon D4s

No Compromises!
Rohinton Mehta

` 4,19,950
Inside the Box

Body only

✓ Camera body
✓ BF-1B body cap
✓ BS-2 accessory shoe cover
✓ EN-EL18a battery with terminal cover
✓ MH-26a battery charger, with power
cable
✓ USB cable clip
✓ HDMI cable clip
✓ UF-2 connector cover for stereo mini
plug cable
✓ USB cable
✓ Camera strap
✓ View NX2 installer CD
✓ User Manual
✓ Warranty card
✓ Network Guide

84

Smart Photography May 2014

he Nikon D4s was introduced
in March 2014, two years after
the introduction of the D4.
The D4 was considered the ultimate
professional workhorse from Nikon;
so what has Nikon done to improve
on something that is difficult to
improve? Read on...

T

Design & Build Quality

Reviewer’s note: Many features are
common or similar between the D4s
and the D4. To keep the review as
compact as possible, such features
have not been elaborated in this
review.

Key Features

Solid like a rock. Yet, handsome,
with beautiful curves, sensual and
desirable. That’s how I would describe
the D4s. And its built to last a
lifetime! What more can I say? Yes, the
body (with battery and card) weighs
approximately 1350 g.

First, let’s see the key similarities and
differences between the D4s and the
D4:

www.smartphotography.in

D4s

D4

Effective pixels

16MP

16MP

Body construction

Magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloy

Imaging sensor/size

CMOS/36 x 23.9mm CMOS/36 x 23.9mm

Image processor

EXPEED 4

EXPEED 3

File format

Raw (NEF)

Raw (NEF)

sRaw

-

Raw+JPEG

Raw+JPEG

JPEG

JPEG

TIFF

TIFF

100-25,600

100-12,800

50-409,600

204,800 with boost

ISO range

Sharpness

with expansion
Focus points

51

51

Shutter speed range

30-1/8000sec

30-1/8000sec

Flash sync speed

Up to 1/250sec

Up to 1/250sec

Continuous shooting

11fps

11fps

Remote control

Wired/Wireless

Wired

Weight, with battery

1350g

1340g

Battery

EN-EL18a

EN-EL18

Dimensions

160x157x91mm

160x157x91mm

Body MRP

Rs.4,19,950

Rs.3,89,950

Going through the above, you might
feel that the D4s is ‘old wine in new
bottle’. Though the specifications
appear quite similar, there are hidden
differences that you could overlook.
Even the hand-grip is reshaped for
better user comfort. The CMOS
sensor used in the D4s is of an
improved design. According to Nikon,
the EXPEED 4 image processor is 30%
faster than the EXPEED 3 in the D4.
This allows us to shoot at a maximum
of 11 frames per second (see note)
with autofocus and auto exposure
between every shot, with improved
tracking of moving subjects, improved
tonal range and smoother gradations
in both stills and videos. The EXPEED
4 also offers us higher ISO sensitivities
with superior noise control.
Note: To attain the maximum frame
rate of 11 fps, the camera must be in
Continuous Servo AF, with Shutter
Priority, shutter speed should be 1/250
sec or faster, and other settings must
be at default values. Also, the stated
www.smartphotography.in

frame rate may not be available with
every lens and the frame rate may
go down when using very narrow
apertures, at slow shutter speeds,
when VR or Auto ISO is enabled, and
when battery is low.
The new battery in the D4s offers
improved performance as compared
to the D4 battery. Small Raw (sRaw,
12-bit) has been added (4MP)
for those situations where large
images may not be required but
even then offering the advantages
of Raw capture. The Buffer has
been improved. While the D4 can
continuously shoot 170 JPEGs or
98 Raw (12-bit) or 76 Raw (14-bit),
the D4s can continuously shoot 200
JPEGs or 176 Raw (12-bit) or 104 Raw
(14-bit). The D4s also has improved
video; flicker reduction when
shooting in fluorescent lights and
Noise Reduction has been improved
upon.
The D4s offers a much higher ISO
sensitivity range as compared to the

Aperture: f/11.0
Shutter Speed: 1/8sec. ISO: 100

JPEG Compression
JPEG, Fine Quality,
100% (9.2 MB)

JPEG, Basic Quality,
100% (2.9 MB)

D4. While not every photographer
may need such high ISOs but then,
not every photographer will go in for
the D4s (or the D4). The D4-series is
meant for professionals who need the
highest image quality performance,
even under extremely low light
conditions, along with a body that can
take the severe knocks of professional
photography.
A new feature in the D4s – Group
Area AF mode – uses 5 AF sensors
as a single AF point to ensure faster
initial subject capture. This is useful
when photographing subjects that
have high contrast backgrounds. The
D4s does not have built-in Wi-Fi but
May 2014 Smart Photography

85

D-SLR Review
Nikon D4s
NOISE
ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 6400

ISO 25600

ISO Hi 1

ISO Hi 4

you can attach the optional WT-1
wireless transmitter, albeit at extra
cost, or use the D4s’s new feature,
the 1000 Base-T Ethernet wired
LAN, which can transfer files up to
10x faster than from the D4. White
Balance can be measured against any
point in the frame. During video, a
2.7x Crop Mode can extend the reach
of lenses and video can be recorded in
1080/60p. 2-megapixel still images can
be simultaneously recorded during
video. The D4s can capture smoother
Time Lapse sequences with reduced
flicker and improved interval control
for up to 9,999 shots.
The D4s can fire off 11fps (and the
feeling is great when you do that!). If
you continuously be tripper-happy,
won’t you reduce the life-span of the
shutter? Well, the shutter in the D4s
is tested to 400,000 cycles! That’s
equivalent of approximately 11,111
rolls of 36 exposure film, a figure you
are not very likely to reach.
The D4s can record Full HD video at
50p/60p. The camera has, like the D4,

86

Smart Photography May 2014

two card slots – one for SD card and
the other for XQD card. The D4s lacks
built-in flash, Wi-Fi, GPS and NFC
(Near Field Communication) and I
wonder why!

Ergonomics
The D4s (like the D4) is an
engineering marvel. It is highly
responsive to your commands and is
a pleasure to use. Within 0.12 seconds
from putting ‘on’ the power switch, the
D4s is ready to fire. The shutter release
time lag is a mere 0.042 seconds. I
doubt if there is any situation that the
D4s cannot handle, be it sports, street
photography, landscape, multiple flash
set-up, fashion, portraiture, wildlife –
you name it. The only problem with it,
if I may call it so, is its weight. Carry
this camera for a while, especially
with a heavy lens, and you’ll know
what I mean. And of course, like any
other sophisticated, multi-featured
camera, you need to study the features
properly to exploit all its capabilities.
The user manual is ‘only’ 475 pages!
(The reader may think that I am

suggesting the manufacturer to cut
down on the number of pages in the
user manual, but that is something
I would never suggest. The more
information, the better. The reason for
mentioning the number of pages is to
stress upon the user the importance of
studying the manual – not read it like
a novel, and understand its features.
Only then can you really justify having
this technical marvel. This is not a
camera to use it on ‘P’ – though it still
would give you perfect shots!)

Performance
We studio-tested the D4s using
a 50mm f/1.4 lens. We also shot
outdoors with a 80-400mm lens.
JPEGs out of the box were crisp and
punchy; NEFs (Raw), as expected,
were ‘softer’ (sharpening algorithms
are not applied to Raw files), but
provided greater processing latitude
and details. The EXPEED 4 image
processor provided sharp images
most of the time when shooting
at the maximum of 11fps with
autofocussing, as claimed by Nikon.
www.smartphotography.in

www.smartphotography.in

Aperture: f/8.0 Shutter Speed: 1/8000sec . ISO: 6400

May 2014 Smart Photography

87

D-SLR Review
Nikon D4s
Aperture: f/11.0 Shutter Speed: 1/500sec . ISO:400

It is possible that the not-so-sharp
images were due to user error. Most
of the frames appeared to be sharp
with the 50mm lens but not all frames
appeared as sharp as we would have
liked when using the longer end of the
80-400mm lens. This could possibly
be due to the restricted depth of field
with the 80-400mm lens. Autofocus
was quick most of the time, but we
did notice some hesitation in lowcontrast/low-light situations.
Next, we checked for noise control.
The results were very satisfying. The
native image size from the D4s is
16.427 x 10.933 inches at 300 ppi. At
25% screen size, images were noise
free all the way up to ISO 25,600.
At 50% screen size, again, all the
images looked fine though very slight
noise could be seen from ISO 12,800
onwards when compared to the noise
level at ISO 100. At 100% screen
size, all images were perfectly usable
between ISO 100 to 25,600, though
it was possible to notice some noise
from ISO 3200 onwards.
The D4s has few ISO settings under

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Smart Photography May 2014

Hi (Hi 0.3. 0.7, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0).
At 25% screen size, Hi 0.3 to Hi 2.0 were
OK but Hi 3.0 and Hi 4.0 were noisy.
At 50% screen size, Hi 0.3 and Hi 0.7
were OK but all others were noisy.
At 100% screen size Hi 0.3 was noisy
but acceptable. All other Hi ISO
settings were noisy.
White Balance performance gave us
mixed feelings. Auto White Balance
(AWB) with ‘Flash’ and ‘Sun’ and
Preset WB under ‘Sun’ gave perfect
results. AWB in ‘Shade’ gave a
slight blue cast while Preset WB in
‘Shade’ gave a slight yellow cast. In
‘Incandescent’ light, both, AWB and
the Preset, gave slight reddish-yellow
cast but we would ignore this as light
bulbs of varying wattage and age have
different Kelvin temperatures, which
can be a nightmare for any camera.
We did not test WB for ‘Fluorescent’
lights for similar reasons.
Darkening of corners was checked with
the 50mm f/1.4 lens. We observed that,

PLUS
• Superb
build quality
• Superb
image quality
• Fast
autofocus
• Great
low-light
performance
• Can shoot
up to 11 fps
with AF and
auto exposure
• Increased
buffer, as
compared to
the D4

MINUS
• Expensive
• Heavy
• No built-in
Wi-Fi or GPS
• AF slows
down in Live
View
• No built-in
flash

FINAL SCORE

85%

Design and Build Quality 19/20
Key Features

18/20

Ergonomics

18.5/20

Performance
Autofocus
Metering
Noise Control
Sharpness
LCD/EVF
Auto W/B
Sub-Total

4/5
4/5
4/5
4/5
4/5
3.5/5
23.5/30

Value for Money

6.5/10

www.smartphotography.in

VERDICT
Shutter release
buttons

at some aperture settings, the centre
of the frame was darker than the sides
when we should be seeing the opposite
effect. Eventually, and after much
further testing, we realised that the
reason for this was the ‘vignette control’
setting in the camera body. We found
that at ‘Normal’ and ‘High’ settings of
the vignette control, the software was
over-correcting for the vignette, with

the result that the centre of the frames
were darker than the sides and corners.
Hence users are advised to either keep
the vignette control ‘off ’ or use only the
‘Low’ setting.

In the right hands, the D4s is a powerhouse
for imaginative photography. There isn’t
a genre that it cannot cope up with. It
is the ultimate tool for the discerning
photographer and is capable of producing
excellent images, under any and all
conditions. Its weather sealing will allow you
to operate the camera under most vagaries
of nature; the only limitation could be the
photographer himself!
Having said that, the camera body is heavy
and along with heavy pro lenses, can really
bog you down on long hikes or expeditions.
And the amount you spend on the body
itself could buy you a small car! But then,
it is no-nonsense tool for the professional
photographer whose bread and butter
depends on it. And of course, no one
said that photography is inexpensive! In
spite of its high price, but considering its
build quality, great low-light performance,
improved buffer and potential for great
images, we have no hesitation in giving it
our stamp of approval. Best Buy!

Value for Money
The Nikon D4s body is available at
an MRP of Rs.4,19,950. No matter
how many praises I sing about its

build quality, capabilities and image
quality, it still is an expensive piece of
equipment.
ˆ

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Effective pixels
: 16.2 million
Image sensor
: CMOS, 36 x 23.9mm
Dust reduction system : Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data
(Optional Capture NX2 software required)
File format
: Raw (12/14-bit), TIFF, JPEG, Raw+JPEG
Picture Control System : Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape
Media
: XQD/CF card
Card slots
: Two
Compatible lenses
: Type G, E, D (some restrictions to PC lenses). DX, AI-P,
Non-CPU AI lenses
Shutter speeds
: 30-1/8000sec, Bulb, Time, X (1/250sec)
Release modes
: Single (S), Continuous Low (CL), Continuous High (CH),
Quiet shutter (Q), Self-timer, Mirror up (Mup)
Frame advance rate : Up to 10 fps (CL) or 10-11 fps (CH)
Metering method
: Matrix, Centre-weighted, Spot
Exposure mode
: P (with Flexible P), A, S, M
Exp. Compensation : +/- 5EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1EV step
Exp. Bracketing
: 2-9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 EV. 2-5 frames in
steps of 2 or 3 EV
Flash bracketing
: 2-9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 EV. 2-5 frames in
steps of 2 or 3 EV
WB bracketing
: 2-9 frames in steps of 1, 2 or 3
ADL bracketing
: 2 frames using selected value for one frame or 3-5 frames
using preset values for all frames
ISO sensitivity
: 100-25,600. Can also be set to 50 equivalent, or up
www.smartphotography.in

to 409600 equivalent
: Multi-CAM 3500FX AF sensor module with TTL phase
detection, fine-tuning and 51 AF points (including 15
cross-type). F/8 supported by 11 sensors
Lens servo
: AF-S, AF-C. Predictive AF tracking activates
automatically. MF
Flash control
: iTTL flash using 91K RGB sensor available with
SB-910/900/800/700/600/400/300.
Flash compensation : -3 to +1 EV
Nikon Creative Lighting : Yes
White Balance
: Auto (2 types), incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), sunlight,
flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, choose colour temperature
Live View
Lens servo
: AF-S, AF-F, Manual
Movie metering
: TTL metering using main image sensor
Frame size/rate
: 1920 x 1080; 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p
1920 x 1080 crop; 30p/25p/24p
1280 x 720; 60p/50p
640 x 424; 30p/25p
Movie file format
: MOV
Battery
: EN-EL 18a, rechargeable
Weight
: Approx. 1350g with battery and XQD card
WxHxD
: 160 x 156.5 x 90.5mm
Autofocus

May 2014 Smart Photography

89

ILCC Review
Fujifilm X-E2

Another Showpiece
Sujith Gopinath

M

any Fujifilm cameras are
styled in the ‘retro’ fashion,
and the 16.3-megapixel
X-E2 is no exception. Screaming
retro all though the body, this
‘modern oldie’ comes with an
f/2.8-4 kit lens that is sturdy like all
Fujifilm lenses. A faux leather finish
completes the classic look, while
neatly hidden beneath the old shell
are modern features such as Wi-Fi
and Geotagging.

Design and Build Quality
The Fujifilm X-E2 sports a retro
styling with straight, boxy features
and manual ISO and Exposure
Compensation dials. The body is
lined with a faux leather skin. The
front section of the body is made
of metal while the rear section is

90

Smart Photography May 2014

polycarbonate. It has a flat, but
rubberised grip. The built-in flash
springs out with much impulse,
which can put unnecessary strain
on the hinges. The shutter release
button is threaded to attach a cable
release, but we are not sure about the
utility of this at this time of wireless
triggers. The tripod receptacle and
lens mount are all metal.

Key Features
The 16.3-megapixel Fujifilm X-E2
uses a 23.6 x 15.6mm (APS-C)
X-Trans CMOS II sensor with
primary colour filter array. It uses
ultrasonic vibrations to shake off
dust from the sensor. It accepts
Fujifilm X-mount lenses. Fujifilm
uses optical image stabilisation, and
hence this feature depends on the

` 76,999
Inside the Box
✓ Camera
✓ 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens
✓ Li-ion battery NP-W126
✓ Battery charger BC-W126
✓ Shoulder strap
✓ Body cap
✓ Metal strap clip
✓ Protective cover
✓ Clip attaching tool
✓ CD-ROM (Viewer software, RAW File
Converter etc.)
✓ Owner’s manual
www.smartphotography.in

Aperture: f/9.0 Shutter Speed: 1/60sec . ISO:500

lens used. The camera features a
focal plane shutter, providing shutter
speeds of 30 to 1/4000 sec along with
Bulb setting (maximum 60 min.). It
synchronises with the flash at 1/180
sec or lower speeds. Exposure is
controlled by 256-zone TTL metering
and the metering modes include
Multi, Spot, and Average. Exposure
can be compensated up to +/-3EV in
1/3-EV steps.
The X-E2’s sensitivity ranges
from ISO 200 to 6400, which is
expandable up to ISO 100 to 25,600.
Focus modes available are Single
AF, Continuous AF, and Manual
Focus. The camera uses Intelligent
Hybrid AF that makes use of TTL
Contrast Detection and TTL Phase
Detection AF. AF frame options
are Area (49 areas with 7x7 grid)
and Multi. Shooting modes include
Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture
www.smartphotography.in

Sharpness

JPEG Compression

Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/60sec. ISO:200

JPEG, Fine Quality,
100% (5.1 MB)

JPEG, Normal Quality, 100% (2.9 MB)

May 2014 Smart Photography

91

ILCC Review
Fujifilm X-E2
NOISE
ISO 200

ISO 800

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

ISO 25600

Priority, and Manual. White Balance
options are Auto, Preset: Fine, Shade,
Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent
(Warm White), Fluorescent
(Cool White), Incandescent, and
Underwater.
The X-E2 captures still images at a
maximum size of 4896 x 3264 pixels
in JPEG or Raw (RAF) formats
with an option to record both
simultaneously, while videos are
recorded in MOV format (H.264,
Linear PCM Stereo) with the best
quality of 1920 x 1080 at 60p or
30p frame rate. The maximum
continuous movie footage possible is
approximately 14 min. The camera
can shoot still images continuously
at approximately 7 frames per second
at full resolution (Raw, Raw+JPEG
Fine, or JPEG Fine) with a Class 10
SD card. You can shoot a maximum
of 28 JPEG images or 8 Raw images
at this speed. The camera accepts an
SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card as
external storage.
The X-E2 houses a manual pop-

92

Smart Photography May 2014

up type built-in flash with a Guide
Number of approximately 5m at
ISO 100. The flash modes available
are Red-eye removal, Auto, Forced
Flash, Slow Synchro, Suppressed
Flash, Rear-curtain Synchro, and
Commander. The camera also
features a dedicated TTL-compatible
accessory shoe (Hot-shoe). The
X-E2’s self-timer can be set to either
10 or 2 sec delay. Dynamic Range
can be set at Auto, 100, 200, or 400
percent. Advanced filter options
include Toy camera, Miniature, Pop
colour, High-key, Low-key, Dynamic
tone, Soft focus, and Partial Colour.
The camera also features bracketing
options for Auto Exposure, Film
Simulation, Dynamic Range, and ISO
Sensitivity.
The X-E2 uses a 0.5-inch,
approximately 2360K-dot OLED
viewfinder and a 3.0-inch,
approximately 1040K-dot LCD
screen. The camera features WiFi, which can be used to transfer
images from the camera to a
computer or Smartphone wirelessly.

The camera is powered by an NPW126 rechargeable Li-ion battery
(supplied). The X-E2 weighs
approximately 350g including
battery and memory card, and has
dimensions of 129mm x 74.9mm x
37.2mm (W x H x D).

Ergonomics
Fujifilm has two different categories
of interchangeable lens cameras, and
correspondingly, two different types
of lenses. The very compact cameras
such as the X-A1, which have
standard (P, S, A, M) mode dials, are
compatible with XC-series lenses
that do not have aperture rings. The
X-E2 and some other models that
have a shutter speed dial on top
are compatible with the XF-series
lenses featuring an aperture ring. The
shutter speed dial has a red ‘A’ (auto)
marking and correspondingly, the
lens has a switch marked with ‘A’ on
one side and a diaphragm (Aperture)
mark on the other side. If both are
on ‘A’, then the camera is on Auto
exposure. Setting the shutter speed
dial to ‘A’ and toggling the switch
www.smartphotography.in

on the lens to the Aperture mark
will shift it to Aperture Priority.
If the lens switch is on ‘A’ and the
shutter speed is selected from the
shutter speed dial, then the camera
is on Shutter Priority mode. If

both the controls are not on A, then
Manual mode is activated. Though
Fujifilm must have done this to be
different from others, we feel the
deviation from convention was quite
unnecessary.

Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/180sec .
ISO:500

The menu is easy to access and is
intuitive. Images in the viewfinder
appeared crisp, and so were those
on the LCD. Buttons were easily
accessible, except the AF mode
switch, which is on the front panel.

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Number of effective pixels :
Image sensor
:
Sensor Cleaning system :
Storage media
:
File format
:
Max. recorded pixels :
Sensitivity
:
Exposure modes
:
Exposure compensation :
Image Stabilizer
:
Shutter speed
:
Flash sync speed
:
Continuous shooting :

Focus modes
Focus type

:
:

AF frame selection
White balance

:
:

16.3 million
23.6mm x 15.6mm (APS-C) X-Trans CMOS II
Ultra Sonic Vibration
SD/ SDHC/ SDXC memory card
Still image: JPEG, Raw (RAF format), RAW+JPEG
Video: MOV (H.264, Linear PCM Stereo)
4896 x 3264
Auto, ISO 200 – 6400 (Expandable up to ISO 100-25600)
Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual
+/-3.0EV, 1/3EV step
Supported with OIS type lenses
30 to 1/4000 sec; Bulb (max. 60 min)
1/180 sec. or slower
Approx. 7.0 fps with Class 10 SD cards (JPEG: max.
approx. 28 frames, Raw, Raw+JPEG: max. approx. 8
frames)
Single AF, Continuous AF, MF
Intelligent Hybrid AF (TTL contrast detect and TTL
phase detection AF)
Area (EVF / LCD: 49 areas with 7 x 7) / Multi
Auto, Preset: Fine, Shade, Fluorescent (Daylight),
Fluorescent (Warm White), Fluorescent (Cool White),
Incandescent, Underwater

www.smartphotography.in

Self-timer
Flash
Guide number
Flash modes

:
:
:
:

Hot shoe
Viewfinder
Diopter adjustment
LCD
Best Movie quality

:
:
:
:
:

Wireless transmitter :
Access mode
:
Wireless function
:
Other functions

:

Terminal
Digital interface
HDMI output
Power supply
Dimensions
Weight

:
:
:
:
:
:

10 or 2 sec. Delay
Manual pop-up flash (Super Intelligent Flash)
approx approx 5m (ISO100)
Red-eye removal, Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Synchro,
Suppressed Flash / Rear-curtain Synchro / Commander
Yes (Dedicated TTL Flash compatible)
0.5-in., approx. 2.360K-dot OLED colour viewfinder
-4m-1 to +2m-1
3.0-inch, aspect ratio 3:2, Approx. 1,040K-dot, colour
Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p/30p
Continuous recording: up to approx. 14 min.
Standard IEEE 802.11b / g / n
Infrastructure
Geotagging, Wireless communication (Image transfer),
View & Obtain Images, PC Autosave
PictBridge, Exif Print, Language selection, Time
difference, High Performance mode, Silent mode
Video output
USB 2.0 High-Speed
HDMI mini connector (Type C)
NP-W126 Li-ion battery (included)
129mm (W) x 74.9mm (H) x 37.2mm (D)
Approx. 350g (including battery and memory card)
May 2014 Smart Photography

93

ILCC Review
Fujifilm X-E2
Performance
We received the X-E2 with the
Fujinon Super EBC XF 18-55mm
f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Aspherical kit
lens. The combination was fast to
autofocus, and latched on to the
subject even under low light. The
images appeared sharp and the lens
had its sweet spot around f/5.6.
Metering was perfect with all the
modes working as expected.
We observed slight darkening at
extreme corners at the wide-angle
end, which persisted in traces
throughout the aperture range. But
practically this will not cause any
concern. The lens produced slight
barrel distortion up to f/5.6. Flare
was observed along with chromatic
aberration with the lens wide open
at the wide-angle end. The camera
produced moire patterns when
photographing very closely spaced
patterns.

Images from the X-E2 had a native size
of 16.32 x 10.88 inches at 300 ppi. At
25 percent of the screen size, images
were free of noise up to ISO 12,800.
Even ISO 25,600 was perfectly usable.
At 50 percent screen size, traces of
noise were observed from ISO 1600
onwards, though all images remained
usable. Viewed at 100 percent, images
remained noise-free up to ISO 400.
Slight noise was observed at ISO 800
and the pictures were usable up to ISO
3200. This is good control of noise
for a camera with an APS-C sensor.
White Balance was rather off the mark,
producing distinct casts under all
lighting conditions. But these were easy
to correct while post-processing.

Value for Money
The Fujifilm X-E2 retails at an
MRP of Rs.76,999 (body only) and
Rs.109,999 along with the kit lens.
This price seems rather high for this
camera.
ˆ

PLUS
• Good build
quality
• Better kit
lens
• Excellent
noise control

MINUS
• No
articulated
LCD
• Confusing
priority modes
• Auto White
Balance
performance
• Steep Price

FINAL SCORE

78%

Design and Build Quality 17/20
Key Features

16/20

Ergonomics

17/20

Performance
Autofocus
Metering
Noise Control
Sharpness
LCD/EVF
Auto W/B
Sub-Total

4/5
4/5
4/5
4/5
3/5
2.5/5
22/30

Value for Money

6/10

VERDICT
The Fujifilm X-E1 boasts
a retro look and sturdy
body. Combined with
the 18-55mm kit lens, it
offers reasonably good
performance. The camera
offers good control over
noise at high ISOs. But
the price will keep it
out of most potential
customers’ reach. Certainly
recommended.

94

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

D-SLR Review
Canon EOS 1200D

Reinforced?
Sujith Gopinath

D
` 34,995

(with 18-55mm
Inside the Box IS II lens)
✓ Canon EOS 1200D camera
✓ 18-55mm IS II kit lens
✓ Battery charger
✓ LP-E10 battery
✓ Wide Strap
✓ Interface cable
✓ CD-ROM
96

Smart Photography May 2014

on’t fix it unless broken,
or so goes the saying.
Canon 1100D was released
worldwide in February 2011, and
was long due for replacement.
The replacement, 1200D, was
expected to feature significant
improvements, but the specifications
look similar, except for some minor
figures such as megapixels and
video resolution. The new DIGIC
5 processor is missing, and so is
built-in Wi-Fi. Of course there is a
stereo microphone in place of mono
and a marginally larger LCD for
argument’s sake. Well, you don’t find
diamonds on the surface of the earth,
and hence let us go deeper without
speculating.

Design and Build Quality
The Canon 1200D is built similar to
the 1100D and has a polycarbonate
outer shell. Compared to Canon’s
high-end models, this camera gives
you a very plastic-like feel. The
camera has a deep and rubberised
grip, complete with a thumb rest at
the back. The flash pop-up button
is near the shutter release, enabling
one-hand operation. Both the lens
mount as well as the tripod receptacle
are made of metal. Like in all Canon
cameras, the LCD does not have a
protective covering and hence it is
prone to scratches.

Key Features
As mentioned earlier, the 1200D is
www.smartphotography.in

Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/160sec .
ISO: 800
May 2014 Smart Photography

97

D-SLR Review
Canon EOS 1200D
NOISE
ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

essentially the 1100D with a fresh
garnishing, and hence the features
are not very different. The 1200D
uses an 18.0-megapixel APS-C
(22.3 x 14.9mm) CMOS sensor.
The camera does not have a sensor
cleaning mechanism attached to
the sensor unit. The camera accepts
Canon EF lenses including EF-S
lenses with the exception of EF-M
lenses made for EOS M camera. It
houses a quick-return type reflex
mirror and a fixed, precision matte
focussing screen. The 1200D features
TTL phase detection and contrast
detection AF methods and uses a
9-point AF system, the central point
being a Cross-type sensor, sensitive
to f/5.6 and wider apertures. AF can
be set to One-Shot, AI Servo, or AI
Focus. Contrast detection is activated
at FlexiZone-Single and Face
detection Live modes, whereas Phase
difference detection is activated at
Quick Mode.
The camera uses 63-zone TTL fullaperture metering providing the

98

Smart Photography May 2014

options of Evaluative, Partial, and
Centre-weighted average metering.
Exposure can be compensated up
to +/-5 stops in 1/3 or 1/2-stop
increments. The camera’s sensitivity
ranges from ISO 100 to 6400,
which can be expanded up to “H”
(equivalent to ISO 12800). White
Balance options include Auto,
Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten
light, White fluorescent light, and
Flash. The 1200D also provides
Custom White Balance correction
and White Balance bracketing
options.
The camera uses an electronically
controlled focal plane shutter,
providing shutter speeds ranging
from 30 to 1/4000 sec with an
additional ‘Bulb’ option. The shutter
synchronises with the flash at 1/200
sec or slower shutter speeds. The
built-in flash has a Guide Number of
approximately 9.2m at ISO 100, and
it recycles in approximately 2 sec.
The camera can accept an EX-series
external Speedlite using the standard

accessory shoe (hot-shoe). The
system uses E-TTL II auto flash for
flash metering. Flash exposure can be
compensated up to +/-2 EV in 1/3 or
1/2-stop increments.
Still images are recorded in Raw (14bit) or JPEG format with a maximum
resolution of 5184 x 3456 pixels.
Simultaneous recording of Raw and
JPEG is also possible. Videos are
recorded in MOV format (MEG4 AVC / H.264 with Linear PCM
audio) with the best quality of 1920
x 1080 (30p/25p/24p). The 1200D
provides drive modes such as Single
shooting, Continuous shooting,
and Self-timer (with 10-second and
2-second delay options). The camera
can shoot continuous frames at a
speed of up to 3 frames per second,
and this speed can be sustained
for up to 69 JPEG (Large and fine)
images, up to 6 Raw images, or up to
4 images at Raw + JPEG (Large/Fine)
quality.
Shooting modes included in the
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camera are Intelligent Auto, Flash
Off, Creative Auto, Program AE,
Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority,
Scene, Manual, and Movie. Scene
modes include Portrait, Landscape,
Close-up, Sports, and Night Portrait.
Picture Styles provide options such as
Auto, Standard, Portrait, landscape,
Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, and
User Defined (3 settings).
The 1200D uses a 3.0-inch, 460,000dot TFT colour LCD screen and
accepts an SD/SDHC/SDXC memory
card. The camera uses an LP-E10
Li-ion battery pack (supplied) as
power source. The camera body
has dimensions of 129.6 x 99.7 x
77.9mm (W x H x D) and weighs
approximately 480g with battery and
memory card.

Ergonomics
The Canon 1200D appears
lightweight and balances perfectly
with the 18-55mm kit lens. The
buttons are all lined at the right hand
side for ease of access. This enables
you to keep the left hand free for a
good grip. Images appeared sharp
on the LCD. However, it does not
provide any false assurance since the
screen resolution is not very high.
If the screen resolution is higher
than what is optimal, the images can
appear unnaturally sharp and rich in
colours. The viewfinder is a pleasure
to use with the focus points lighting
up on the screen.
www.smartphotography.in

Performance
The 1200D autofocussed reasonably
fast under normal shooting settings
and conditions, but was very slow
with Live View. With the kit lens, the
camera kept hunting for focus under
slightly low contrast and lighting.
We kept the Peripheral Illumination
Correction active throughout the test.
It did a wonderful job in controlling
the darkening of corners, though
a tinge of darkening was observed
at the extreme corners. Flare was
observed at the wide-angle end with
the lens wide open in strong againstthe light shots, but not so much to be
of concern. Purple fringing was also
seen. All metering modes worked as
intended.

Sharpness
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/40sec. ISO: 100

Out-of-the box images with the
kit lens appeared sharp. The sweet
spot changes from f/5.6 to f/8 while
changing the focal length from 18
to 55mm. If you want reasonably
sharp images, stay within f/5.6-16
at the wide-angle and f/8-16 at the
telephoto end. The lens produced
barrel distortion up to about 24mm.
Auto White Balance performed
reasonably well under most lighting
conditions, though the camera
produced casts under some types of
lighting. But these could be easily
removed during post-processing.
Native image size was 17.28 x 11.52
inches at 300 ppi. Images were
noise-free up to ISO 3200. Slight

JPEG Compression
JPEG, Fine Quality,
100% (8.8 MB)

JPEG, Basic Quality,
100% (4.4 MB)

May 2014 Smart Photography

99

D-SLR Review
Canon EOS 1200D
FINAL SCORE

79%

Design and Build Quality 16/20
Key Features

16/20

Ergonomics

17/20

Performance
Autofocus
Metering
Noise Control
Sharpness
LCD/EVF
Auto W/B
Sub-Total
Value for Money

3/5
4.5/5
4.5/5
4/5
3/5
3/5
22/30
8/10

PLUS
• Good
overall
performance
• Comfortable
handling
• Excellent
value for
money

noise was observed at ISO 6400,
but all images were perfectly usable.
Viewed at 50 percent of the screen
size, images remained absolutely
noise-free up to ISO 800. Mild noise
could be observed at ISO 3200 if you
deliberately looked for it, ISO 6400
was noisy, but still usable. When
enlarged to 100 percent, images
remained practically free of noise up
to ISO 800, though it was possible to
see hints of noise if you looked very

closely. ISO 6400 turned noisy. But
please note that at this enlargement,
you do not observe the print at close
distances. So practically, you can use
up to ISO 3200 at this enlargement.

Value for Money
The Canon EOS 1200D body retails
at an MRP of Rs.30,995. With the
18-55mm IS II kit lens, it is available at
an MRP of Rs.34,995. At this price, the
camera is very good value for money. ˆ

MINUS
• Plastic-like
build
• No DIGIC 5
processor
• Same 9-point
AF system as
that of 1100D
• Slow Live
View AF
• No built-in
Wi-Fi

VERDICT
The 1200D was long due as a replacement for 1100D.
However, the camera is not significantly different from its
predecessor, except for higher megapixels and HD video
capability. Even the processor is the same. Is Canon going to
replace this with an improved entry-level model featuring the
DIGIC 5 processor? Can’t say for now. However, going by the
performance and price, the camera certainly deserves to be
recommended.

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Image sensor
Compatible lenses

: Approx. 22.3 x 14.9mm CMOS
: Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses, but excluding
EF-M lenses)
Effective pixels
: Approx. 18.0 megapixels
Image type
: JPEG, RAW (14-bit Canon original) RAW+JPEG Large
simultaneous recording possible
Max. Recording pixels : 5184 x 3456
White balance
: Auto, Preset (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten light,
White fluorescent light, Flash), Custom White Balance
correction and White balance bracketing possible
Viewfinder Type
: Eye-level pentamirror
Coverage
: Approx. 95% (with Eye point approx. 21mm)
Focusing screen
: Fixed, Precision Matte
Mirror
: Quick-return type
Depth-of-field preview : Enabled with Custom Function setting
Autofocus Type
: TTL secondary image-registration, phase detection
AF points
: 9-point (Cross-type AF sensitive to f/5.6 with centre AF point)
AF operation
: One-Shot AF, AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF
Metering modes
: 63-zone TTL full-aperture metering
Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points)
Partial metering (approx. 10% of viewfinder at centre)
Centre-weighted average metering
Exposure control
: Program AE,Scene, Intelligent Auto, Flash Off, Creative
Auto, Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Manual
Scene Modes
: Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait
ISO Sensitivity
: ISO 100 – 6400, expandable to “H” (equivalent to ISO 12800)
Exposure compensation : Manual: ±5 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
AEB: ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
Shutter Type
: Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter

100

Smart Photography May 2014

Shutter speed
X-sync
Built-in flash
Flash coverage
Recycling time
External flash
Flash metering
Flash exposure compensation
Drive modes

: 1/4000sec. to 30sec., Bulb
: 1/200sec.
:Guide No: Approx. 9.2m at ISO 100
: Approx. 17mm lens angle of view
: Approx. 2 sec.
: EX-series Speedlite
: E-TTL II autoflash
: ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
: Single shooting, Continuous shooting, Self-timer with
10- sec. or 2-sec. delay and 10-sec. delay with
continuous shooting
Continuous shooting speed : Max. approx. 3.0 shots/sec.
Max. burst (Approx.) : JPEG Large / Fine: 69 shots
RAW : 6 shots
RAW+JPEG Large / Fine: 4 shots
Focusing methods : Contrast detection, Phase-difference detection
Movie Recording format : MOV
Movie MPEG-4 AVC / H.264
Audio Linear PCM
Max. Recording size : 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Frame rate
: 30p / 25p / 24p
LCD Monitor Type : TFT colour liquid-crystal monitor
Monitor size and dots : Approx. 7.5cm (3.0-in.) (4:3) with approx. 460,000 dots
Recording media
: SD memory card, SDHC memory card,
SDXC memory card
Eye-Fi card
: Compatible
Power
: Battery Pack LP-E10 (Quantity 1)
Dimensions (W x H x D) : Approx. 129.6 x 99.7 x 77.9mm
Weight
: Approx. 480g with card and battery

www.smartphotography.in

ADVERTORIAL

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A revolutionary Studio
Flash Light
I

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Inside the box
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Technical Specification
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Time- 2 Sec., Modelling Lamp-100w, Flash Duration- 1/3000 Sec., Twin-Tech-No, BodyPlastic, Weight-1 Kg.,

SMARTPHONE Review
LG G2

Pocket Snapper
Sujith Gopinath

A

ndroid Smartphones look
almost the same when it
comes to user-friendliness
and customisation options, differing
only in hardware and interface. The
LG G2 is touted as one of the best
Android Smartphones available
in the market, and it houses many
desirable features in a sleek and
trendy body.

Design and Build Quality
The LG G2 is made of polycarbonate
on the outside. The power button
and volume controls are at the back,
just below the camera. There are
no other buttons on the body, and
the battery is integrated into the
body. The device is very sleek and
pocket friendly. The body may not
be as sturdy as its metal-framed
competitors. The screen is not
declared scratch-proof, and hence
we did not test its scratch-resistance.

Key Features

` 41,500
Inside the Box
✓ LG G2 Smartphone
✓ Charger
✓ User Manual
✓ Stereo Ear Microphone
✓ USB Data Cable
✓ Quick Service Guide
102

Smart Photography May 2014

The LG G2 features a 2.26 GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quadcore processor along with Adreno
330 GPU and 2GB RAM. It runs on
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean Operating
System, which can be upgraded
to Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The
Smartphone uses the LG Optimus
3.0 UI. It houses a 5.2-inch Full HD
IPS Display capable of reproducing
16 million colours at 423 ppi. It is a
capacitive multi-touch G2 (Zerogap
Touch) touch screen. The screen
has a native resolution of 1920 x
1080 pixels. The G2 accepts a Micro
SIM and features all the latest
communication technologies such as
Wi-Fi, 3G, NFC, A-GPS, Bluetooth
and DLNA.
The G2’s main camera is a
13-megapixel camera featuring
Optical image stabilisation, Multi
www.smartphotography.in

Aperture: f/2.4 Shutter Speed: 1/30sec . ISO:200

AF, and LED flash. The camera does
not feature manual override for
exposure, but the sensitivity can be
changed from ISO 100 to 800, with
an additional Auto option. Shooting
modes include Normal, HDR,
Panorama, Burst shot, VR Panorama
(360 degree), Time Catch shot,
Beauty Shot, Dual Camera, Shot
and Intelligent Auto. White Balance
can be set to Auto, Incandescent,
Sunny, Fluorescent, and Cloudy.
Colour Effects available are None,
Mono, Sepia, and Negative. The
timer can be set to Off, 3 sec, 5 sec,
or 10 sec. Geotagging is available.
It also features Cheese shutter,
which triggers the camera on the
word “Cheese”, “Smile”, “Whiskey”,
“Kimchi”, or “LG”. The secondary
camera is a 2.1 megapixel model.
The LG G2 has an internal memory
of 8GB, of which 4.8GB are available
www.smartphotography.in

to the user. There is no provision
for expanding the storage using a
memory card, but you can use an
on-the-go (OTG) cable or USB
drive to expand storage. In addition
to this, the device offers free cloud
storage of 50GB on Box application.
The G2 uses the LG PC Sync 5
application to communicate with
the PC.
The device offers additional features
such as Audio zooming, Guest
mode, Gestures, ECO mode, and
Qremote. The G2 is powered by a
3000 mAh SiO+ Li-Polymer battery.
It weighs 143g and has dimensions
of 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm (L x W x
D).

Ergonomics
The LG G2 is very easy to use. If you
are familiar with Android system,
you will find it very easy to get

around. The multi-touch feature
is very useful since the device can
be woken up with a double tap on
the screen. To put it to sleep, just
double tap an empty space on the
home screen. The unusual location
of volume switch and power button
could feel little awkward at the start,
but you will soon get used to it. The
images on the screen were crisp
and realistic, thanks to the extra
resolution and IPS panel. But the
device does not have a dedicated
camera button.

Performance
The LG G2 impressed in its
general performance. Though
we did not subject the device to
any benchmarking software test,
the general impression was quite
positive. The ready-to-use utilities
such as the remote control are quite
useful and easy to set up. The G2 was
May 2014 Smart Photography

103

SMARTPHONE Review
LG G2
very responsive and we could play
graphic intensive games with ease.
The images from the main camera
looked crisp and seemed comparable
to images from any compact camera.
Autofocus was fast and precise,
even under low light. White Balance
performed very well under all types
of lighting, which is very good. The
G2 performed like a champion in
controlling noise. The images had a
native size of 10.4 x 13.867 inches at
300 ppi. We did not observe any noise
at 25 or 50 percent enlargements. At
100 percent, we noticed a tinge of
noise at ISO 800, but only when we
looked very closely. All the images
were perfectly usable throughout
the ISO range. To conclude, very
impressive performance in terms of
image quality.

PLUS

Value for Money
The LG G2 retails at an MRP
of Rs.41,500. At this price, the
Smartphone is competitively
priced if you consider the price

FINAL SCORE

84%

Design and Build Quality 16/20
Key Features

17/20

Ergonomics

17/20

Performance

18/20

Value for Money

16/10

• Slim and
lightweight
• Multi-touch
• Good
display
quality
• Excellent
camera
• Useful
custom apps

MINUS
• Screen not
scratch-proof
• Not water or
dust proof
• Integrated
battery

of similar devices. But if you
consider this purely as an imaging
device (since SP is a photography
magazine, we have to consider this
angle too), then you have other
much better options available for
this price.
ˆ

VERDICT
The LG G2 is a featurefilled Smartphone and
comes with a highperforming camera
compared to other
similar devices. We would
recommend the G2 for
anyone who is looking for
a high-end Smartphone
with a good camera.

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Operating System
UI
CPU
GPU
RAM
GSM Band
UMTS Band
GPRS
EDGE
3G
SIM Type
Form factor
Display technology
Touch Screen Type
Display size
Resolution
Colour
Best Video Size
Video Playback
Video Recording
Music Player
Audio Codec
Video Codec
3.5mm Jack
2nd Microphone
Audio Format
Voice Recording
Wi-Fi
Browser
Bluetooth
A-GPS

104

: Android Jellybean (4.2.2)
: LG Optimus 3.0 UI
: 2.26 GHZ QUAD-CORE PROCESSOR
(QUALCOMM® SNAPDRAGON™ 800)
: Adreno 330
: 2GB
: Quad Band (850/900/1800/1900)
: Tri Band(W850/W900/W2100)
: Yes (Class12)
: Yes (Class12)
: HSDPA 42Mbps
: Micro SIM
: Full Touch Screen (DOP)
: Full HD IPS Display, 16M Colors / sRGB 100%/423ppi
: Capacitive Multi-touch G2 (Zerogap Touch)
: 13.2cm (5.2) NEAR ZERO BEZEL SCREEN
: Full HD(1920 x 1080 pixels)
: 16M
: Full HD(1920x1080)
: 1080P@60fps
: 1080P@60fps
: Yes
: MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, eACC+, AC3
: DivX®, WMV, MP4, H.264/H.263
: Yes
: Yes
: MP3/ WMA/AAC/AAC+/WAV/AC3/AAC-LC,
AMR-NB, WMA, WAV
: Yes
: Yes (802.11a/b/g/n)
: Android webkit browser
: Ver. 4.0 (GAP, A2DP, AVRCP, FTP, HFP, HSP, OPP,
SPP, PBAP, HID)
: Yes

Smart Photography May 2014

USB
Wi-Fi Direct
DLNA
HDMI
Modem function
On Screen Phone
Video Streaming
NFC
Miracast

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

USB Connectivity Type :
Sensor

:

PC Sync Application
Battery Capacity
Main Camera
Front Camera
Focus
LED Flash
Digital Zoom
Shot Mode

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Cheese Shutter
Geotagging
ISO
Image Share

:
:
:
:

Internal Memory Size :
Cloud Storage
:
Dimensions
:
Weight
:

2.0 HS
Yes (SmartShare)
Yes (SmartShare)
Yes(Slim Port)
Yes
Yes (V2.0) - (connection through USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi)
Yes
Yes (Android Beam)
Yes(Mirror phone screen and sound onto Miracast
dongle or TV wirelessly)
Charge only, Media sync(MTP), USB tethering,
LG software, Camera(PTP)
Proximity, Ambient Light, Accelerometer, Digital
Compass, Gyroscope
LG PC Sync 5
3,000 mAh SiO+ Li-Polymer
13MP OIS Multi AF with LED Flash (Main)
2.1MP (Front (Full HD)
Multi AF
Yes, Auto, Off, On
Yes (8X)
Normal, HDR, Panorama, Continuous shot,
VR Panorama, Burst Shot, Beauty Shot, Dual Camera,
Shot and clear, Intelligent Shot
Yes
Yes
Auto, 800, 400, 200, 100
Bluetooth, E-mail, Gmail, Google+, Memo, Messaging,
Picasa, SmartShare
8GB (4.8GB user available)
50GB (On Box Application)
138.5 (L) x 70.9 (W) x 8.9 (D)
143 g

www.smartphotography.in

PRINTER Review
HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 4515

The Multitasker
Sujith Gopinath

` 10,082
Inside the Box
✓ HP Deskjet Ink Advantage
4515 e-All-in-One
✓ HP 678 Black Ink Cartridge
✓ HP 678 Tri-colour Ink Cartridge
✓ Software CD
✓ Setup Poster
✓ Power cord
✓ 1.8-meter USB cable
✓ Warranty 1 Year

H

P is synonymous with large
format Photolabs featuring
inkjet and thermal printing and
cost-effective home printers. Though we
have been featuring many professional
and semi-professional inkjet printers
from other manufacturers, HP has
been missing from the scene. Though
the specifications of the HP Deskjet
Ink Advantage 4515 suggests that it is
a cost-effective multifunctional device
for home and office printing, the HP
representatives seemed quite sure that
the machine would deliver professional
quality prints. Let us see if the machine
lives up to their promises.

www.smartphotography.in

Design and Build Quality
The HP Deskjet 4515 is very sleek and
arguably the most portable MFD we
have tested in Smart Photography. The
outer body is made of matte-finished
polycarbonate material, except for the
front panel, which has a glossy finish.
The gloss finished panel generates
lot of static electricity, and is a dust,
dirt, and fingerprint magnet—not a
bright idea for a printer, whose biggest
enemy is dust. This panel also houses
the touch-sensitive control panel. As
expected, the top panel is fragile since
it houses a flatbed scanner. So do not
place any weight on top of this printer.
To make the device compact, HP has
incorporated a front-feed design with
an innovative paper leader that can be
folded into the paper tray. In short, this
beats all similar devices on the visual
appeal.

Key Features
The HP 4515 sports a Deskjet
designation, and not Photosmart as in
the case of photo quality devices. It is a
multifunctional device with capabilities

to print, scan, and copy and featuring
web connectivity, and photo printing
as stated by HP. The device uses only
two cartridges—one black and one
composite tricolour (Cyan, Magenta,
and Yellow). HP claims yields of 480
pages for Black and 150 pages for colour
cartridge.
The printer offers the best quality of
4800 x 1200 optimised dpi in colour
prints and up to 1200 x 600 rendered
dpi in BW prints. It claims to print the
first page in 19 sec in Black and 24 sec
in Colour. It claims a print speed of up
to 8.8 ppm for black at Best quality and
21 ppm in Draft quality, and up to 5.2
ppm and 17 ppm respectively for colour.
The 4515 can print directly from an SD
memory card and supports borderless
printing up to 8.5 x 11 inches.
The input tray can hold up to 100
standard A4 sheets, while the output
tray can old up to 30 similar sheets.
Automatic duplex printing is available.
The 4515 can handle various media
types including plain, inkjet, and photo
papers, envelopes, transparencies,

May 2014 Smart Photography

105

PRINTER Review
HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 4515

Saturated colours

Subtle colours and detail

Black and White reproduction

Five percent progressive black to white gradation

labels, cards, HP premium media,
iron-on transfers, and borderless media.
It supports up to A4 media sizes and
weights from 75 to 90 gsm for plain
paper, up to 200 gsm for cards, and
up to 250 gsm for photo papers. The
printer features HP ePrint capability,
which allows you to print remotely
from a device connected to the Internet.
This can be done by sending an email
to the printer’s unique email address
with the material to be printed attached.
Mobile printing is also supported via
Wireless direct, local Wi-Fi connectivity,
HP ePrint, Apple AirPrint and similar
solutions.
The flatbed scanner can save the
scanned images in PDF, BMP, PNG, TIF,
and JPG formats with a scan resolution
of up to 1200 dpi with a depth of 24 bits.
It can scan a maximum size of up to 216
x 297 mm. It provides features such as
Scan to file and Scan to email. In Draft
quality, the copier provides a speed of
up to 21 copies per minute in BW and

106

Smart Photography May 2014

up to 17 copies per minute in colour.
Copying is done with a resolution of
600 x 600 dpi for black text and 600 x
1200 dpi for colour text and graphics.
It allows you to reduce or enlarge the
document from 25 to 400 percent while
copying. The copier can churn out up to
50 copies at a stretch.
The 4515 uses a 500 MHz processor and
has a USB 2.0 link. It features a 2.65inch colour touch-screen. It consumes
13.95 Watts of power while printing,
3.60 Watts when ready, and 0.93 Watts
at sleep. The HP 4515 has minimum
dimensions of 445 x 334 x 120mm and
maximum dimensions of 445 x 334 x
120mm (W x D x H). The device weighs
5.56 kg.

Ergonomics
The HP Deskjet 4515 was easy to set up,
though the instruction leaflet does not
provide detailed illustration as in the
case of other printers. The instruction
booklet has precisely six pages of

Skin tone test

instructions including specifications and
detailed warranty statement. So if you
are not familiar with setting up a printer,
you would require the HP technician to
install the printer for you. Setting up HP
ePrint (online printing) and WiFi-based
printing could prove equally painful.
The touch panels are not as responsive
as the familiar Smartphone panels, but
www.smartphotography.in

FINAL SCORE

74%

Design and Build Quality 16/20
Key Features

15/20

Ergonomics

15/20

Performance

14/20

Value for Money

14/10

VERDICT
The HP Deskjet 4515 is
a cost-effective MFD for
general everyday printing,
scanning and copying at
home or in small offices.
But unfortunately, HP
made the wrong pitch by
trying to pass this printer
as a photo quality printer
and sending it for review.

PLUS
• Lightweight
• Print, Scan,
Copy
• Web-based
Printing
• Mobile
Printing

is still good for the purpose. However,
being lightweight, it is effortless to move
about.

Performance

As mentioned earlier, HP sent the
Deskjet 4515 to Smart Photography
claiming that it is the leading product
in HP’s photo printers. Unfortunately,
the printer disappointed us in photo
printing. A printer that is not capable
of producing blacks should never be
considered for serious photo printing,
MINUS
and the 4515 fails in reproduction of
• Not a true
blacks except on plain paper. We tested
photo quality the printer with all advanced options
printer
available, including the ‘Preserve
• Very low
Blacks’, ‘Treat Greys as K-only’, ‘Preserve
print yield
CMYK Primaries’, ‘Print as Image’, and
• No individual ‘Let printer decide colours’ without
ink cartridges success. Even other colours appeared
• Does not
‘muddy’. The gamut is very narrow as
reproduce true expected from a four-colour printer, and
black
the colours bled when printed on HP
• Muddy
Glossy 180 gsm photo paper that was
colours
provided by HP.

and the colour cartridge lasted for
precisely 14 prints. We understand that
initially the printer undergoes some
ink charging for which a part of the
ink is used. However, we have never
encountered such low yields with
any printer. Unlike the individual ink
cartridges and the ink tank system, this
does not leave you the liberty to change
the particular colour that runs out. You
have to replace the entire cartridge, and
this is not very cost-effective.
Well, to give some credit to the device,
the scanning and copying were perfect,
without any glitches. Once set up, Web
Printing and Wi-Fi direct printing
worked flawlessly.

Value for Money

The HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 4515
retails at an MRP of Rs.10,082. The ink
cartridges cost Rs.475 each. Though the
4515 is reasonably priced, considering
the low yield that we obtained, the cost
of printing is suited only for normal
The Ink Advantage 4515 did not provide printing use as there are better options
for photo quality printing.
ˆ
any advantage in the ink consumption,

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Functions
: Print, Copy, Scan, Photo, Web
Multitasking supported : Yes
Print speed black
: ISO: Up to 8.8 ppm
Draft: Up to 21 ppm
Print speed colour : ISO:Up to 5.2 ppm
Draft:Up to 17 ppm
First page out (ready) : Black: As fast as 19 sec
Color: As fast as 24 sec
HP Thermal Inkjet Print
quality (best)
: Colour: Up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi colour
Black: Up to 1200 x 600 rendered dpi
Display
: 6.74 cm (2.65-in) CGD (colour graphics), touchscreen
Processor speed
: 500 MHz
Number of print cartridges : 2 (1 black, 1 Tri-colour (cyan, magenta, yellow)
Wireless capability : Yes
Connectivity, standard : 1 USB 2.0
1 WiFi 802.11b/g/n
HP ePrint capability : Yes
Mobile printing capability : Wireless direct and local Wi-Fi connectivity;
printing via HP ePrint, Apple AirPrint as well
as other solutions.
Web solutions
: HP Printables, variety of printable content available via a
schedule or on demand Scan to e-mail
Memory card compatibility : SD card, standard 128 MB DDR3 Memory
Paper handling input : Standard: Up to 100 sheets
Paper handling output : Standard: 30-sheet
Duplex printing
: Automatic (standard)

www.smartphotography.in

Media sizes supported : A4; A5; B5; DL; C6; A6 Media sizes custom 76 x 127
to 216 x 356 mm
Media types
: Paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, transparencies,
labels, cards, the HP premium media, iron-on transfers,
borderless media Media weights Recommended A4: 75 to
90 g/m²; HP envelopes: 75 to 90 g/m²; HP cards: up
to 200 g/m²; HP 10 x 15 cm photo paper: up to 250 g/m²
Borderless printing : Yes (up to 8.5 x 11 in, 216 x 297 mm)
Scanner type
: Flatbed Scan file format PDF, BMP, PNG, TIF, JPG Scan
resolution, optical Up to 1200 dpi
Scan size (flatbed)
Digital sending
: Maximum 216 x 297 mm
standard features
: Scan to email [via printer control app];
From software: Scan to file; Scan to email
File formats supported : PDF, BMP, PNG, TIF, JPG
Copy speed (draft) : Black:Up to 21 cpm
Colour:Up to 17 cpm
Copy resolution
: 600 x 600 dpi (black text)
Copy resolution
: 600 x 1200 dpi (colour text and graphics)
Copy reduce / enlarge : 25 to 400%
Maximum copies
: Up to 50 copies
Power (ACJ -India) : 200 to 240 VAC (+/- 10%), 50/60 Hz
Power consumption : 13.95 watts (printing), 3.60 watts (ready),
0.93 watts (sleep), 0.20 watts (off)
Dimensions
: Minimum: (W x D x H) 445 x 334 x 120 mm
Maximum: (W x D x H) 445 x 608 x 390 mm
Weight
: 5.56 kg

May 2014 Smart Photography

107

FIRST LOOK
Tripod

Manfrotto
MT190XPRO4
Rohinton Mehta

anfrotto is a household
name when it
comes to tripods –
photographers’ best friends. The
new MT190XPRO4 is a 4-section
tripod made from aluminium.
Like all Manfrotto tripods, the
MT190XPRO4 is made in Italy.
Particular attention is given to
aesthetics and details.

The maximum height of the
tripod, without the head
but with the centre-column
raised, is 160cm/63”. The
maximum height, without
the head but with the
centre-column at its
lowest position, is
135cm/53.15”.
Its minimum
height when
folded down is
49cm/19.29”.
The tripod
is capable of
taking a load
of 7kg/15.43lbs.
An added advantage of the
MT190XPRO4 is that the centre
column can be operated vertically
as in normal use or horizontally,
making it convenient to use it for
copying work. Each leg of the new
MT190XPRO4 can be extended
telescopically with the help of a
sturdy Quick Power Lock system
(a locking collar/rotating lever
combination) and each leg can be
set independently at 4 angles of
spread using the newly designed
Leg Angle Selector.

It is lightweight (2.1kg/4.63lbs
– legs only) and hence very
convenient to carry, even on
prolonged photography trips. The
new MT190XPRO4 is extremely
versatile and is ideal for small and
35mm format cameras. Manfrotto
offers a wide choice of heads (panand-tilt and ball-heads) to choose
from, albeit at extra cost.

A Rotating Levelling Bubble (spirit
level) is provided to ensure that
the tripod is in level to the ground.
Two out of the three legs have
rubberised grips with the name
Manfrotto beautifully embossed
over it. A hook is provided for a
carrying strap and to hang a heavy
counterweight to further steady
the tripod in strong winds.

M

108

Smart Photography May 2014

The MT190XPRO4 tripod is
available at an MRP of Rs.16,006
(without head) through various
Manfrotto Photo Support
Distributors all over the country.
For further details, please contact:
Mukul Kashyap,
India Manager – Liaison Office
+91 9821330117 ˆ

www.smartphotography.in

READERS CAN CHECK THE ENTIRE BUYER’S GUIDE,
THAT FEATURES SPECS AND PRICES OF
D-SLRS, ILCCS, DIGITAL COMPACTS AND LENSES VIDE LINK

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

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

109

Buyers’ Guide - Digital SLRs
CANON EOS-1D X
Sensor Type/size

priority AE, Manual
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
White Balance
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight

: Full Frame 36 x
24 mm CMOS
Effective Pixels
: 18.1 million
File Formats
: RAW /JPEG
Metering Modes : Multi, Centerweighted,
Average, Spot
Exposure Modes : Program AE,
Shutter priority
AE, Aperture
: 100-51200 (50, 102400 and 204800
with boost)
: 30 sec-1/8000 sec.
: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten,
White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom
(up to 5), Color Temperature (Kelvin)
: 3.2 inches/ 1040000 pixels
: Compact Flash (Type I or II),
UDMA compatible
: not announced

Sensor Type/size
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats

Metering Modes
Exposure Modes

:
:

ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
White Balance


:
:
:


LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type

:
:

Weight

:

Price: Rs. 4,55,995 (body only)

Effective Pixels
Supported File
Formats
ISO equivalence

Exposure Modes

:

Metering Modes

:

Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight

:
:
:
:

: JPEG (Exif 2.3 [Exif
Print] compliant)
RAW: RAW,
sRAW1, sRAW2
(14bit, Canon
original RAW 2nd edition)
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot, Partial
Auto+ Program AE, Shutter priority AE,
Aperture priority AE Manual (Stills and
Movie), Custom (x3)
100-25600 (50-102400 in expanded mode)
30 sec - 1/8000 sec
Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten
SPNO[>OP[LÅ\VYLZJLU[SPNO[-SHZO*\Z[VT
WB, Color temperature
3.2-inch, 1,040,000 dots
Compact Flash Type I (UDMA compatible),
SD/SDHC/SDXC
950 gms

Exposure Modes

:

ISO equivalence

:

Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight

:
:
:
:

: RAW/JPEG
: Auto, 100, 200,
400, 800, 1600,
3200, 6400,
12,800, 25,600
Program AE , Shutter- priority AE,
Aperture-priority AE, Manual exposure
Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centerweighted average
30 sec to 1/4000
3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
SC/SDHC/SDXC
407g

CANON EOS 1100D

CANON 700D

Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor
(22.5 x
15.0mm)
Effective Pixels
: Approx.
20.20MP
Supported File
Formats
: RAW/JPEG
ISO equivalence : Auto, 100, 200,
400, 800,
1600, 3200,
6400, 12800 (25600 with boost)
Exposure Modes
: Program AE , Shutter-priority AE,
Aperture-priority AE, Manual
exposure, Bulb exposure
Metering Modes
: Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centerweighted average
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to 1/8000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
Storage Type
: SC/SDHC/SDXC
Weight
: 675 g

: Approx. 12
megapixel
: 22.2 x 14.7mm
CMOS
Supported File Type : RAW/JPEG
Exposure Modes : Auto, No Flash,
Creative Auto,
Scene Modes,
Movie, Program
AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority
AE, Manual, A-DEP
Metering Modes
: TTL full aperture metering with 63-zone
SPC, Evaluative metering, Partial
metering, Spot metering, Center weighted.
LCD Monitor/Dots : 2.7-Inch / 230,000 dot
ISO Equivalence
: 100-6400
Shutter Speed
: 30-1/4000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop
increments), Bulb
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Weight
: 495gm

Smart Photography May 2014

Effective Pixels
Supported File
Formats

Metering Modes

:

Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight

:
:
:
:

ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight

: RAW/JPEG/ RAW
+ JPEG
ISO equivalence
: ISO100 ISO12800
Exposure Modes
: Program AE,
Shutter-priority AE,
Aperture-priority AE, Manual exposure
Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-weighted
average
30 sec to 1/4000 sec
3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
SC/SDHC/SDXC
675 g

NIKON D610
Sensor Type/size
23.9 mm
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats
Metering Modes

,_WVZ\YL4VKLZ

: CMOS sensor
(22.5 x 15.0mm)
: Approx. 18MP

Price: Rs. 53,995

NIKON D4

Sensor Type

Price: Rs. 29,990 (with Kit EFS 18-55 IS II lens)

Sensor Type/Size

Price: Rs. 79,995 (body only)

Effective Pixels

: CMOS, 35.8mm
x 23.9mm
Effective pixels
: Approx. 20.2
million
Supported File formats: JPEG, RAW (14bit, Canon
original),
RAW+JPEG
Metering Modes : Evaluative
metering (315
zones), Partial,
Spot, Center-weighted
Program AE for movie shooting, Manual
exposure
100-25600 (expansion possible to ISO
50, ISO 51200 and 102400)
1/4000 to 30 sec.
3.0-inches, 1,040,000 dots
SD card, SDHC card, SDXC memory card
680g (Body only)

Price: Rs. 1,29,005 (body only)

CANON EOS 70D
: CMOS (22.3 x
14.9mm)
: Approx.
18.00MP

Price: Rs. 48,995 (body only)

110

Sensor Type/size

: CMOS, Full
frame 36 x 24 mm
: 22.3 million

Price: Rs. 2,06,095 (body only)

CANON EOS 100D
Sensor Type/Size

CANON EOS 6D

CANON EOS 5D MARK III

: CMOS, 36.0 x

Sensor Type/Size

: 16.2 million

Effective Pixels
Supported File
Formats
ISO Equivalence

: RAW, TIFF, JPEG
: Matrix or
center-weighted
metering: -1 to
20 EV, Spot
metering: 2 to 20 EV

!7YVNYHTTLKH\[V^P[OÅL_PISLWYVNYHT
(P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperturepriority auto (A); manual (M)
: ISO 100 to 12800 in steps of 1/3, 1/2
or 1 EV; can also be set to approx. 0.3,
0.5, 0.7 or 1 EV (ISO 50 equivalent)
: 30 secs to 1/8,000 secs in steps of 1/3,
1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250
: 3.2-inch, 921,000 dots
: Compact Flash (Type I, XQD) x2
: 1349 gms (including battery)

Price: Rs. 3,39,950





Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight

:
:
:
:
:

: CMOS sensor
(35.9 x 24.0 mm)
: 24.3 million

: NEF (RAW)/JPEG
: ISO 100-6400 in
steps of 1/3 or
1/2 EV
Exposure Modes
: Auto; scene;
programmed
H\[V^P[OÅL_PISLWYVNYHT7"
shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority
auto (A); manual (M)
Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot
30 sec to 1/4000 sec
3.2-inch/ approx. 921k-dot
SC/SDHC/SDXC
850 g

Price: Rs. 1,29,950 (Body only)

www.smartphotography.in

Buyers’ Guide - Digital SLRs
NIKON D800
Sensor Size/Type
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats
Metering Modes

,_WVZ\YL4VKLZ
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight

NIKON D3200
: CMOS, 35.9 x
24.0 mm
: 36.3 million

: RAW, TIFF, JPEG
: Multi, Centerweighted,
Average, Spot
!7YVNYHTTLKH\[V^P[OÅL_PISL
program (P); shutter-priority auto (S);
aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)
: 100 - 6400 in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
(50 - 25600 with boost)
: 30 secs to 1/8,000 secs in steps of 1/3,
1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250
: 3.2-inch, 921,000 dots
: Compact Flash (Type I), SD/SDHC/SDXC
UHS-I compliant
: 900 gms

ISO Equivalence

:

Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight

:
:
:
:

: RAW/JPEG
: 3D color matrix
metering II,
Center-

weighted, Spot
: Auto, P,A,S, M
: ISO 100 to 6400 in steps of
1/3 or 1/2 EV
Shutter Speeds
: 30 to 1/8000 sec,
Flash X-Sync, Bulb
LCD Monitor/Dots : 3.0-inch / 921,000 dots
Storage Type
: SD / SD HC / SDXC
Weight
: 690 gms

ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight

:
:
:
:
:

PENTAX K50
Sensor Type/Size : APS-C sensor (23.7 x
15.7mm )
Effective Pixels : 16.3 MP
ISO Equivalence: Auto, 100 to 51600,
in 1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps
Supported File
Formats
: RAW (PEF, DNG),
JPG (EXIF 2.30), DCF
Exposure Modes : AF.A (auto), AF.S
(single, w focus lock,
focus/shutter priority selectable), AF.C
(continuous, w focus/FPS priority
selectable), Manual
Center-Weighted Average, Spot
30 sec to 1/8000sec
3.2-inch/1037k-dot
SD/SDHC
649 g

Price: TBA

www.smartphotography.in

Metering Modes

:

Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight

:
:
:
:

Effective Pixels
ISO Equivalence

Exposure Modes

:

Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type

:
:
:
:

Weight

:

Exposure Modes

:

Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight

:
:
:
:
:

Sensor Type/Size: CMOS sensor (23.5
x 15.6mm )
Effective Pixels : 23.35 MP
ISO Equivalence : Auto: ISO 100-51200
(1, 1/2, 1/3 steps),
Auto ISO range
selectable
Supported File
Formats
: RAW (PEF, DNG),
JPG (EXIF 2.30), DCF
Green, Hyper Program (P), Sensitivity
Priority (Sv), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture
Priority (Av), Shutter and Aperture Priority
(Tav), Metered Manual (M), Bulb, X-Speed
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
30 sec to 1/8000sec
3.2-inch/1037k-dot
SD/SDHC/SDXC
799 g

SONY ALPHA SLT A99
: Exmor APS HD
CMOS sensor
(23.2 x 15.4mm)
: 20.1 MP
: Auto, 100, 200,
400, 800, 1600,
3200, 6400,
12800, 16000

Supported File
Formats
: RAW/JPEG
iAUTO, Flash Off, Superior Auto, Scene
Selection, Sweep Panorama, Picture Effect,
Continuous Advance, Priority AE, Movie,
Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A),
Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M)
1200-zone evaluative metering
30 sec to 1/4000 sec
2.7-inch Type 460,800-dot
Memory Stick PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo,
XC-HG Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC.
492 g

Price: Rs. 45,990

: NEF (RAW)/JPEG
: Auto, 100 - 12800
(25600 with boost)
Exposure Modes
: Auto; programmed

 H\[V^P[OÅL_PISL
program (P);
shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority
auto (A); manual (M); scene modes;
special effects modes
Matrix, colour Matrix, Center-weighted,
Spot
30 sec to 1/4000 sec
3.2-inch, approx. 1037k-dot
SC and UHS-I compliant SDHC/SDXC
480 g

Price: TBA

SONY SLT A58
Sensor Type/Size

: CMOS sensor (23.5
x 15.6 mm)
: 24.2 million

PENTAX K3

: 24.1 million
: 23.5x15.6mm,
CMOS
Metering modes
: Matrix,
Center-weighted,
Spot
Exposure modes
: A, P (with
Flexible P), S, M
100-6400, extended up to 25,600
30-1/8000sec, plus Bulb
3.2”, 1,228,800 dots
SD, SDHC, SDXC
675g, body only

Price: TBA

Price: Rs. 64,450 (Body only)

:
:
:
:
:

Effective Pixels
Supported File
Formats
ISO Equivalence

Effective pixels
Sensor size/type

: CMOS, 23.1 x
15.4 mm
: 16.2 million

Exposure Mode
ISO Eqivalence

Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight

Sensor Type/Size

Price: Rs. 59,950 (with AF-S 18-55mm VR Kit Lens)

NIKON D7100

NIKON D7000
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats
Metering Modes

: 23.2 x 15.4 mm ,
CMOS
Effective Pixels
: 24.2 megapixels
File Formats
: RAW/JPEG
Metering Modes : Matrix, Centerweighted, Spot
Exposure Modes : Programmed
auto with

 ÅL_PISLWYVNYHT
(P), Shutterpriority
(S), Aperture priority (A), Manual (M)
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200,
6400 (12800 with boost)
30 sec -1/4000 sec in steps of 1/3 EV
3.0-inch, 921,000 dots
SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I compliant
505 gms

Price: Rs. 32,250 (body only)

Price: Rs. 1,59,950 (body only)

Sensor Type/Size

NIKON D5300

Sensor Type

ISO Equivalence

:

Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type

:
:
:

Weight

:

Sensor Type
: CMOS, 35.8 x 23.8 mm
Effective Pixels
: 24.3 million
Supported File Formats : MPEG-4, AVCHD,
H.264
Metering Modes
: Multi, Center-weighted,
Spot
Exposure Modes
: iAuto, Superior Auto,
Program, Aperture
Priority, Shutter Priority,
Manual
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400,
12800, 25600
1/8000 to 30 sec.
3 inch, 1,229,000 dots
Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo;
SD, SDHC and SDXC
812g (Body only)

Price: Rs. 1,52,000

May 2014 Smart Photography

111

Buyers’ Guide - ILCCs (Mirrorless)
FUJIFILM X-E1

Effective Pixels
Sensor size/type
File formats
Metering modes
Exposure modes
ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight

: 16.3 million
: 23.5x15.6mm, CMOS
: JPEG, Raw, Raw+JPEG
: 256-zone. Multi, Spot, Average
: A, P, S, M
: 200-6400, extended up
to 25,600
: 30-1/4000sec, plus Bulb, Time
: 2.8”, 460,000 dots
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 350g, including battery

FUJIFILM X-M1

Sensor Type/Size

: APS-C X-Trans CMOS
(23.6mm x 15.6mm)
Effective Pixels
: 16 MP
ISO equivalence
: Auto / ISO 200 - 6400
Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG
Exposure Modes
: Advanced SR AUTO, Program
AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture
Priority, Manual, Custom,
Portrait, Landscape, Sport, SP,
Adv., AUTO
Metering Modes
: Multi, Average, Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch Type 920K-dot
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Weight
: 330 g

Price: TBA

OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5

Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight

: 16.1 million
: Sensor Size/Type: 4/3 Live MOS Sensor
: Multi Center-weighted, Spot
: i Auto, P: Program AE (Program
shift can be performed)
: UTO: ISO 200 - 25600 (customizable,
Default 200-1600) / Manual ISO 200 25600, 1/3 or 1 EV steps selectable
: 11/4000 - 60 sec. (1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps
selectable.)Bulb: default setting 8min.
(1/2/4/8/15/20/25/30 min.
: 3.0-inch tilting OLED monitor
Approx. 610,000 dots
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
: 425 gms (excluding battery)
Price: Rs. 66,990/-

OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1

Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence

: CMOS sensor (17.3 x 13 mm)
: 16MP
: 100-25600 in 1/3EV or
1EV increments
Supported File
: JPEG/RAW (ORF)/ MPO
Exposure Modes
: Auto/Program, Shutter Priority,
Aperture priority, Manual,
7OV[VZ[VY`(Y[
!(Y[ÄS[LY:*54V]PL
Metering Modes
: Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 60 sec to 1/8000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3-inch 1037 k-dot
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC , Eye-Fi
Movie
: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264/Motion
JPEG
Weight
: 497 g
Price: Rs. 1,59,000

112

Smart Photography May 2014

NIKON 1 V 2

Effective Pixels
Sensor Size/ Type
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
ISO equivalence
Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage type
Weight

Price: Rs. 47,999

OLYMPUS PEN E-P3

Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Shake Reduction
Exposure Modes
Metering Modes
ISO Sensitivity
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Built-in-Flash
Storage Card
Weight

: 12.3 million
: Live MOS sensor, 17.3 x 13.0 mm
: Sensor Shift
: iAuto, Program AE (with shift),
Aperture priority AE, Scene select
: Digital ESP, Center-Weighted
Average, Spot (1%) Highlight
based spot, Shadow based spot
: Auto : ISO 200 – 12800,
Manual ISO 100 - 12800
: 60-1/4000 sec.
: 3.0-inch/ 614,000 dots
: No
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 321gms.

Price: TBA

OLYMPUS PEN E-PL5

Effective Pixels
Seensor Size/ Type
Metering Modes
ISO

: 16.1 million
: 17.3 x 13 mm, CMOS
: Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
: Auto (200 - 1600), 100, 200, 400,
800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
Exposure Modes
: P, A, S, M , Bulb, Time, iAuto, Scene Modes, Art Filter
ISO equivalence
: Auto ISO 200 - 25600 (customis
able, default ISO 200 – 1600),
Manual ISO 200 - 25600 in 1/3 or
1 EV ISO steps
Shutter Speeds
: 60-1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3-inch, 460,000 dots
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight
: 279g (body only)
Price: TBA

Price: Rs. 41,990/- (with 14-42mm 11R F3.5-5.6 lens Rs. 48,990/-)

PANASONIC DMC GF5

Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight

: 12.10 Megapixels
: Live MOS Sensor
: Intelligent Multiple / Center
Weighted / Spot
: Program AE / Aperture Priority
AE / Shutter Priority AE / Manual
: Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
: 60 sec - 1/4000 sec
: 3-inch, 920,000 dots
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
:267 gms

Price: Rs. 39,990/-

: 14.2 million
: 13.2 x 8.8 mm, CMOS
: Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
: P, S, A, M, Scene Auto Selector
: 160-6400
: 30-1/16000 sec
: 3-inch, 921,000 dots
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 278g

PANASONIC DMC G6

Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence

: CMOS sensor (17.3 x 13 mm)
: 16 MP
: Auto / 160, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800,
25600 (Extended)
Supported File
: RAW/JPEG/MPO Video:
MPEG4/AVCHD
Exposure Modes
: Program AE / Aperture Priority
AE / Shutter Priority AE / Manual
Metering Modes
: Intelligent Multiple / Center
Weighted / Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 60 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch Type 1036k-dot
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight
: 390 g
Price: Rs 59,990

www.smartphotography.in

Buyers’ Guide - ILCCs (Mirrorless)
PANASONIC DMC-GH3

Effective Pixels
Sensor Size/ Type
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes

: 16.05 million
: 17.3 x 13.0 mm, Live MOS Sensor
: Intelligent Multiple / Spot
: Program AE/Aperture Priority
AE/Shutter Priority AE / Manual
ISO equivalence
: Auto / Intelligent ISO / 200 - 12800
(Changeable to 1/3, 1 EV step)
(Extended ISO125 - less under 200,
ISO more over 12800 - 25600
available) (Up to ISO3200 in Auto)
Shutter speeds
: Still Images: 1/4,000 - 60 and Bulb and
Motion Images: 1/16,000 - 1/30
LCD monitor/ Dots : 3 inch, 614K dots
Storage Type
: SD/ SDHC/ SDXC
Weight
: 460 g

PANASONIC DMC GX-1

Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Exposure Modes
Metering Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight

: 16.0 million
: Sensor Size/Type: 4/3 Live MOS Sensor
: Program AE / Aperture Priority AE /
Shutter Priority AE / Manual / Auto
: Intelligent Multiple / Center
Weighted / Spot
: Auto, Intelligent ISO 160 – ISO 12800
: 60 -1/4000 sec, Bulb (up to approx
2 mins) Flash X-sync 1/160 sec
: 3.0-inch, 460,000 dots
: SD/ SDHC/ SDXC Memory Card
(Compatible with UHS-I standard
SDHC / SDXC Memory Cards)
: 272 gms (body only)

Price: Rs. 86,363 (only body)

PENTAX Q10

Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence

: CMOS 1/2,3-inch Type
: 12.4 MP
: ISO 100 to 6400 (1/3 EV
steps)
Supported File
: RAW/JPEG video: MPEG-4
AVC/H.264
Exposure Modes
: Auto, Scene, P, S, M Bulb,
Blur control
Metering Modes
: TTL image sensor, Segment,
Center-weighted metering
and Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to 1/8000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch 460k-dot
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight
: 200 g

Effective pixels
Sensor size/type
File formats
Metering modes
Exposure modes
ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight

: 16.1 Million
: 23.5x15.6mm Exmor APS
HD CMOS
: JPEG, Raw, Raw+JPEG
: Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
: Auto, P, A, S, M
: 100 -3200
: 30-1/4000 sec, Bulb
: 3” Type wide TFT, 921,600 dots
: SD, SDHC, SDXC, Memory
Stick PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo
: 276g with battery and card

Price: Rs. 39,990/-

www.smartphotography.in

Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence
Supported File

: BSI-CMOS
: 12.4 MP
: 100 to 12800 (1/3 EV steps)
: RAW/ JPEG / DCF 2.0 compliant.
Video: MPEG–4 AVC/H.264
Exposure Modes
: Program Auto Exposure, Shutter
Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual
Exposure, Bulb, Blur Control,
Macro, Night Scene Portrait,
Night Scene, Blue Sky, Forest
Metering Modes
: Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to 1/2000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch Type 460k-dot
:[VYHNL;`WL
!:+:+/*:+?*,`LÄJHYK
Weight
: 200 g
Price: TBA

Price: TBA

SAMSUNG NX 300

Effective pixels
Sensor size/type
File formats
Metering modes
Exposure modes
ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight

: 20.3 Million
: 23.5 x 15.7mm CMOS
: JPEG, Raw
: Multi, Centre-weighted, Spot
: Smart Auto, P, A, S, M
: 100-25,600
: 30-1/6000 sec
: 3.31 inch AMOLED
with Touch
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 284 g (without battery)

SAMSUNG NX1000

Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes

ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight

Price: TBA

Price: TBA

SONY NEX-5R

PENTAX Q7

SONY NEX-6

Effective pixels
Sensor size/ type
Metering modes
Exposure modes

: 16.1 million approx.
: 23.5 X 15.6mm, CMOS sensor
: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
: iAUTO, Superior Auto, Programmed
AE (P), Manual (M), Sweep Panorama
ISO equivalence
: Still images: Auto (ISO 100-3200),
Selectable (ISO 100-25600)
Movies: Auto (ISO 100-3200)
Shutter Speed
: Still images: 1/4000 to 30s (Bulb). Movies:
1/4000 to 1/4 (1/3 steps) up to 1/60 in
AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto slow shutter)
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0 inch, 921,600 dots
Storage Type
: Memory Stick PRO Duo™, PRO-HG
Duo™, SD, SDHC, SDXC memory card
Weight
: 287 g
Price: Rs. 45,200

: 20.3 megapixels
: APS-C type CMOS,
23.5 x 15.7 mm
: Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
: Program, Aperture Priority,
Shutter Priority, Manual,
Lens Priority, Magic, cene,
Movie, Wi-Fi
: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
(1 or 1/3EV step)
: 30 sec - 1/4000 sec
: 3-inch, 921,000 dots
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
: 222 gms
Price: TBA

SONY NEX - 7

Effective pixels
Sensor type

: Approx. 24.3 megapixels
: APS-C type (23.5x15.6mm),
“Exmor” APS HD CMOS sensor
Metering Modes
: Multi / Center / Spot selectable
Exposure Modes
: Programmed AE (iAUTO, P), Aperture
priority (A), Manual (M), 3D Sweep
Panorama, Anti Motion Blur
ISO equivalence
: AUTO (ISO100-1600), ISO100
to 16000 selectable
Shutter Speed
: 1/4000 to 30 sec, Bulb
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 7.6 cm (3.0-type) wide type TFT,
921,600 dots
Storage Type
: Memory Stick PRO Duo / PRO-HG
Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Weight
: Approx. 291g
Price: Rs. 46,000

May 2014 Smart Photography

113

Lens Nomenclature Guide
Lens manufacturers use different suffixes to identify certain lens characteristics.
Here they are, along with simple explanation (wherever required) of how they help.
Rohinton Mehta

CANON
DO
EF
EF-S
IS
L

NIKON
AF-S
CRC
D
DX
FX
ED
G
N
IF
RF

: Diffractive Optics: Special lens elements that reduce colour aberrations to the minimum, thus
improving image quality.
: Denotes that the lens is designed for full-frame cameras
: Denotes that the lens is designed for APS-C cameras
: Image Stabiliser: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure.
: ‘Luxury’-series lens: Canon’s high-end, professional lenses.

: Denotes that the lens is using a Silent Wave Motor: For fast and quiet autofocus
: Close Range Correction: Allows lenses to focus closer, while still maintaining good sharpness. This is
done using a ‘floating lens element’ design. Generally used in macro and wide-angle lenses.
: Distance information passed on to the camera body: Helps to provide more accurate exposures
: APS-C camera lens
: Full-frame camera lens
: Extra Low Dispersion glass element: Corrects for chromatic aberrations
: Lens without aperture ring; aperture is controlled from the camera body
: Nano Crystal Coat: Greatly reduces flare due to internal reflections of light.
: Internal focussing: Instead of moving all the elements further away or closer to the film/sensor to
focus, IF lenses move only certain internal elements. This allows for much faster focussing.
: Rear Focussing: Similar to IF but only the rear group of elements move to focus the lens.

OLYMPUS
ED
: Low Dispersion glass element: Corrects for chromatic aberrations

PANASONIC
OIS
: Optical Image Stabilizer: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure.
Mega OIS : Mega Optical Image Stabilizer
Power OIS : Power Optical Image Stabilizer: A superior design of Mega OIS.
ED
: Low Dispersion glass element: Corrects for chromatic aberrations

114

Smart Photography May 2014

www.smartphotography.in

SIGMA
APO
ASP
DC
DG
HSM
OS
RF
EX

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Apochromatic lens element: Corrects for chromatic as well as spherical aberrations
Aspherical lens element: Corrects chromatic aberrations
APS-C camera lens
Full-frame camera lens
Hyper Sonic Motor: Internal motor, for fast and quiet autofocus
Optical Stabiliser: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure
Rear Focussing: Only the rear group of elements move to focus the lens
‘Excellent’ series lens

TAMRON
AD
USD
ASL
Di
Di-II
HID
LD
IRF
VC
PZD

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Anomalous Dispersion element: Eliminates lateral chromatic aberration
UltraSonic Silent Drive
Aspherical lens element: Corrects chromatic aberrations
Digitally integrated: Full-frame camera lens designed for digital cameras
Digitally integrated: APS-C camera lens
High Index Dispersion glass element: Special glass for improving optical performance
Low Dispersion glass: Corrects for chromatic aberrations
Internal Rear Focussing: Only the rear group of elements move to focus the lens
Vibration Correction: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure
Piezo Drive: Internal motor, for fast and quiet autofocus

TOKINA
AT-X
PRO
SD

: ‘Advanced Technology Extra’- range of lenses
: Professional lens
: Super-low Dispersion element: Corrects chromatic aberrations

PENTAX
SDM
DA

: Sonic Direct-drive Motor: Internal motor, for fast and quiet autofocus
: APS-C camera lens

SONY
DT

: APS-C camera lens

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

115

SP
Recommends

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

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

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

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

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

116

Smart Photography May 2014

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

www.smartphotography.in

Compact Cameras
Canon PowerShot
G15

Canon PowerShot
G1X

Fujifilm Finepix
X100s

Nikon Coolpix
P7800

Nikon Coolpix
A

The G15 is the latest
in Canon’s G-series
and one of very few
compact cameras
to offer an optical
viewfinder. With a
12.1-megapixel 1/1.7inch Type CMOS
sensor, a 28-140mm
F/1.8-2.8 lens, and a
3” LCD, the camera
handles extremely well
and produces superb
pictures.

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

The Fujifilm Finepix
X100s comes with a 16
MP APS-C size CMOS
sensor, paired with a
35mm equivalent f/2
lens and a 2.8” LCD
screen. The X100’s
noise control and
hybrid viewfinder are
very impressive, and
it produces pleasing
pictures with good
accuracy.

The Coolpix 7800
is Nikon’s top
professional compact.
It features a 12.2
megapixel 1/1.7inch Type CMOS
sensor, a 28-200mm
f/2.0-4.0 lens, a 3”
articulated LCD
monitor and an EVF.
Overall, the Coolpix
7800 produces very
good results, with an
impressive Auto White
Balance system.

The Nikon Coolpix A,
reviewed in this edition
of SP, comes with a 16.2
MP APS-C sized CMOS
sensor, and a fixed 18.5
mm (28mm equivalent)
f/2.8 lens attached to
the camera. The 3”
LCD helps monitor the
image to be captured.
Given its mouth
watering specifications,
the Nikon Coolpix A
is certainly a worthy
addition to this list.

Olympus
XZ-2

Panasonic Lumix
DMC TZ40

Panasonic Lumix
DMC FZ200

Sony Cyber-shot
DSC RX1

Sony Cyber-shot
RX100 II

The Olympus XZ-2 has
a new 12MP backilluminated 1/1.7-inch
Type CMOS sensor,
and features a 28112mm f/1.8-2.5 Zuiko
lens and a tiltable
touch-sensitive 3”
LCD monitor. Overall,
the Olympus XZ-2 is
a very capable and
pocketable compact
camera.

The TZ40 is the
successor to the TZ30
in Panasonic’s popular
TZ (Travel Zoom)
series. Featuring the
first ever 18.1 MP MOS
sensor, a 24-480mm
F/3.3-6.4 lens, and a
3” touch screen, the
camera, with its Leica
lens, ensures optimum
picture quality, and
overall results are
impressive.

Panasonic’s FZ200
is a bridge camera.
Equipped with a
12.1MP high-sensitivity
MOS sensor, a unique
25-600mm F/2.8 Leica
lens with 24x optical
zoom, and a tilt-andswivel monitor, the
FZ200 impresses
with good and fast
autofocus, reliable
metering and overall
image quality.

The RX 1 is the world’s
first compact camera
with a full size 24.3 MP
CMOS sensor. It has
a Carl Zeiss Sonnar
35mm f/2 lens that
can be switched to
macro mode. There is a
built in 3” LCD screen.
Anyone wanting a
compact camera that
produces high quality
results should look at
the RX1.

Sony’s RX100 has a
unique 20.2 MP 1-inch
Type CMOS sensor.
Along with a 29-105mm
F/1.8-4.9 lens, and a
3” LCD, the camera is
exceptionally light at
254g. Image quality
and handling are top
notch and the RX100
II is certainly to be
considered if you want
a high quality compact
camera that is also
pocketable.

www.smartphotography.in

May 2014 Smart Photography

117

PHOTOGRAPHY INSTITUTE

PHOTOGRAPHY INSTITUTE

STUDIO

PHOTO PRODUCT AND ACCESSORIES

Never Stop Exploring
www.magicarpet.in

While it has been said that travel is usually an action
of leisure, travel is definitely a lot more than just that!

Current Schedule
Kenyan Wildlife Safari
5-10 May, 2014
The Great Migration
Masai Mara
9-14 Aug, 2014

Planned and Guided Photography tours by Mr. Ravi Hebballi

Pench Tiger Trails
25- 28 May, 2014

With technology merging with man’s love for travel, good photography has become an essential part of every journey or trip be it a solitary
traveler or on a family/friends vacation. Pictures capture the essence of the moments experienced and remain with us to rekindle our
memories about time well spent and life explored and enjoyed. So, a blend of travel and photography is a combination so tempting that it just
makes you wanna go round the world.
We at MAGICARPET are here to just make those dreams come true with our customized and well planned tours to suit your every need
and comfort at affordable costs.
To know more about our schedule of International and Domestic photography tours contact- MAGICARPET at
www.magicarpet.in Cell: 098450 76686
Ravi Hebballi

PHOTO PRODUCT AND ACCESSORIES

PHOTO PRODUCT AND ACCESSORIES

TIDBITS

Five Tips for Better
Landscape Pictures
H. S. Billimoria

1
2
3

Pick the right camera. If you are going to
blow up your favourite shot, pixel count will
be very important. Also, a good quality wideangle lens will ensure optimum image quality.
Use a polarizing/graduated filter. To get
saturated skies, rotate the filter until you get
the desired saturation.

A large depth of field will give you front
to back sharpness; so set your camera to
Aperture Priority mode and select an

146

Smart Photography May 2014

aperture of f/11 or f/16. If you are lazy,
select the camera’s scene modes and opt for
landscapes.

4
5

For ultimate sharpness, use a tripod or
monopod. Switch off the IS function in your
camera.

Position yourself comfortably, frame your
shot carefully through the viewfinder and
press the shutter button.
Voila! ˆ
www.smartphotography.in

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