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RS.125
ISSUE 9
VOLUME 10
DECEMBER 2014

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
TRAVELOGUE

PHOTO
FEATURE

Pondicherry

DUOMO DI
MILANO L)
RA

(MILAN CATHED

LEARNINGS

WHAT COLOURS MEAN
IMPORTANCE OF FOOD STYLING
UNDERSTANDING LIVE VIEW
OPTICAL VIEWFINDER OR
ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER?

REVIEWS OLYMPUS TG-3 • CANON POWERSHOT G7X • OLYMPUS 40-150MM F/2.8 • TOKINA AT-X 70-200MM F/4
INTERVIEW DUARTE SOL

„

PROFILE RAVALNATH JOSHI

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.

O

ur review of international photography magazines indicates
that most, if not all of them, continue to ignore Smartphones.
Admittedly, the picture quality of current Smartphones is
not up to even semi-professional standards and that may be the very
reason why these magazines tend to ignore them. Whilst the utility
of Smartphones cannot be denied, Smartphone manufacturers can,
perhaps, look even closer at features that will make the camera part of
the Smartphones more acceptable. For a start, the size of the sensor
used by Smartphones is very small. Most Smartphones, therefore, do
not mention the sensor size or tuck it away in a very obscure corner
in their manual. Other things being equal, a larger sensor would
achieve a better picture. Secondly, the maximum aperture of the lens
used is hardly ever mentioned. This is a feature very important for
keen photographers. Again, ISO range, type of image stabilization
used etc are areas where Smartphone manufacturers fight shy of
giving full details. The ever growing community of photographers
using Smartphones would grow exponentially if all these features were
incorporated and prominently publicized.

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!
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
HEAD-DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Ravi Parmar
DESIGN
Nandkishor Sawant
ADVERTISE DESIGN
Sanjay Awad
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
Dinesh Bhajnik
PICTURES DESK
Deepak Narkar

In this issue, we also look at how in imaging, old is combined with
the new and both continue to co-exist peacefully. Thus we look at
Live View and Electronic Viewfinders and also cover the area of PC
co-axial flash.

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
Digambar Kosamkar ([email protected])
Sachin Kelkar (Subscription Supervisor)
Tel: + 91 22 43525220 Fax: + 91 22 24955394
Email: [email protected]
Apple Newsstand & Magzter Queries: [email protected]
Zinio Subscriptions Queries: http://in.zinio.com/help/index.jsp

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
c/o Working Company; Opp. Sardar Patel Seva samaj plot, Above Zen Cafe;
Mithakali Six Roads, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad - 380006
Bengaluru
Unit No. 509, 5th Floor ‘B’ Wing, Mittal Towers, MG Road,
Bangalore -560001, Tel: +91 80 66110116/17 Fax: + 91 80 41472574
Chennai
Unit No. 20, 3rd Floor, Modern Towers, No. 35/23 West Cott Road,
Royapettah, Chennai 600014. Tel: + 91 44 39149889 Fax: + 91 44 39149892
New Delhi
26-B, Ground Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase-III, New Delhi - 110020.
Tel: +91 11 4234 6600 / 6678 Fax: + 91 11 4234 6679
Pune
401B, Gandhi Empire, 2, Sareen Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune 411040.
Tel: + 91 20 32930291 Fax: + 91 20 26830465
Hyderabad
Srinivas Gangula, Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation), Mobile no. 09000555756
Kolkata
Vidyasagar Gupta Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation), Mobile no. 09804085683

Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Copyright 2014 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

December 2014 Smart Photography

5

Contents
34
50
ISSUE 117 / DECEMBER 2014

34 Kaleidoscope

RS.125
ISSUE 9
VOLUME 10
DECEMBER 2014

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

REGULARS

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

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

40 Showcase

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
TRAVELOGUE

PHOTO
FEATURE

Pondicherry

DUOMO DI
MILANO

DRAL)

(MILAN CATHE

LEARNINGS

WHAT COLOURS MEAN
IMPORTANCE OF FOOD STYLING
UNDERSTANDING LIVE VIEW
OPTICAL VIEWFINDER OR
ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER?

REVIEWS OLYMPUS TG-3 • CANON POWERSHOT G7X • OLYMPUS 40-150MM F/2.8 • TOKINA AT-X 70-200MM F/4
INTERVIEW DUARTE SOL

„

PROFILE RAVALNATH JOSHI

Cover credits: H. S. Billimoria

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.

A photographic profile of the person
behind the lens

44 If I Were You

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

47 Ask Uncle Ronnie

Your photo queries answered by Uncle
Ronnie

50 MasterCraftsman

The masters of the craft share their insights and photographs

58 Photo feature

Ajay Sood captures Pondicherry

6

Smart Photography December 2014

www.smartphotography.in

75
100

SUBSCRIPTION
OFFER

page

94

LEARNINGS

94 Colour in Photography
99 Optical Viewfinder Or
Electronic Viewfinder?

100 Importance of
Food Styling

105 Learn from your mistakes
107 In Praise Of Live View
www.smartphotography.in

REVIEWS

110 Canon PowerShot G7X
114 Tokina AT-X 70200mm F/4 PRO FX VCM-S

116 Olympus Tough TG-3
120 Olympus 40-150mm
f/2.8 PRO
December 2014 Smart Photography

7

MAILBAG
RS.125
ISSUE 8
VOLUME 10
NOVEMBER 2014

SUBSCRIBER’S COPY

INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

WEDDING

PHOTO FEATURE

PHOTOGRAPHY
SPECIAL

THE COLOGNE ZOO
116

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]

LEARNING

ALL ABOUT TRIPODS
USE SHADOWS CREATIVELY
HOW TO CONTROL MOISTURE
IN STORAGE
WHAT IS 4K?

REVIEWS NIKON D750 • PANASONIC GH4 • LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25MM F/1.4 ASPH. LENS • SONY XPERIA Z3
INTERVIEW SUDHIR SHIVARAM

„

PROFILE MOHAN GIDWANI

Dussehra Photos

Dark History

I am a retired
Zoology
lecturer, and
a hobbyist
photographer.
I have been
a subscriber
of SP for the
past two years.
I use the Nikon D3100
with 18-105mm and 55200mm Nikkor lenses.
I read your articles
on various aspects of
photography and try to
apply those. Here are a
few photographs taken
by me recently, at the
Dussehra celebration
in my town. I have
applied the knowledge
that I received from SP’s
tutorials while clicking these.

I really appreciated Mr Ajay Sood’s
touching photo feature about the
Auschwitz concentration camp. His
monochrome images depicting the
dark phase of human civilization were
awesome.
Thank you Ajay, and Smart Photography,
for this grim but beautiful photo feature.
Partha kar

Dr. Prakash A. Lalpotu

Wedding Bells
The Wedding Photography special was a
wonderful issue! It was a delightful change to
look at such pictures, filled with raw emotions
and beauty. This genre is often not taken
seriously. But after reading the articles by
photographers working in this field, I realised
how much effort and pre-planning goes into it!
People no longer want boring wedding photos.
They want vibrant, candid and lively ones.
There is an increasing demand in the market
for photographers who will brilliantly capture
these special moments. After all, wedding
pictures are to be preserved for a life time.
Kirti Patel

8

Smart Photography December 2014

Rural Heritage
I am a travel photographer based in
Delhi. On a recent visit to Rajasthan, I
was able to capture many stories through
my lens. One such captivating image that
I want to share with you, is of a lady in a
small rickety village in Pushkar. She was
engrossed in cooking on an old charcoal
filled stove. The picture for me signifies
the age-old traditions, rituals and morals
of families living in the villages across
India.
Aman Chotani

www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

International

SNIPPETS
Canon’s patent suggests
that in the future, ‘Auto’
may be an option for
choosing between JPEG
and Raw on Canon
D-SLR cameras. The
company’s recent patent
issued in August 2014
reveals that the company
has come up with the
idea of D-SLR cameras
that could automatically
choose which photo to
save in Raw and which
one to save in JPEG.
Panasonic designers
have developed a variety
of 3D printed covers
for the Lumix GM1
compact cameras.
Power-sipping wearable
devices could become
smaller with a new
rechargeable pin-sized
battery, the CG-320,
from Panasonic.
The Li-ion battery is
20mm long with a
diameter of 3.5mm,
about 1/20th size of the
AAA batteries. It has a
capacity of 13 mAh and
voltage of 3.75V, with
Bluetooth and NFC
connectivity.
Samsung has been
paying Microsoft
$1 billion a year in
royalties to use their
technology in Samsung’s
Android Smartphones
and Tablets. Samsung’s
royalty fee to Microsoft
was US $3.81 per
Android device.
10

Smart Photography December 2014

Canon to launch new 501000mm Cine lens

I

n early 2015, Canon will
launch the new 50-1000mm
CN20x 50 IAS H E1/P1
lens. The company claims this
is the first-ever lens boasting of
a combined 20x magnification,
integrated 1.5x extender, and
a removable servo drive. The
lens is specially designed for
nature and sports television
productions.
The CN20x 50 IAS H E1/
P1 features an updated servo
drive, making it more practical

for broadcasting purposes than
other cine lenses. It features a
12-pin serial communication,
and is designed for use with
Super35mm cameras. The
lens weighs about 6 kg.

focusing operations to adapt to
a changing environment. It will
be available in both PL-mount
and EF-mount variations.

The focal range is 501000mm, which can be
taken up to 75-1500mm
with the use of the built-in
extender. Canon says that
the CN20x 50 IAS H E1/
P1 has a 180-degree focus
ring rotation and simple

Canon launches super telephoto
100-400mm lens
Canon announced the highly
anticipated Canon EF 100400mm f/4.5-5.6L II USM, a
second generation compact
super-telephoto zoom lens.
This is a replacement for
Canon’s EF 100-400mm f/4.55.6L, which was launched in
1998. The EF 100-400mm
f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM includes
one Fluorite and one Super
UD element. Also introduced
is a new ASC (Air Sphere
Coating) technology, which
uses suspended air bubbles
in the coating. The design
reduces ghosting and flare.
The lens has a rotating

zoom design instead of the
earlier ‘push-pull’ design, to
mitigate the problem of dust
being sucked in every time
you zoom in. It also offers
three Image Stabilization (IS)
modes, with
4 stops of
stabilization,
and
automatically
locks IS when
a tripod is
in use. The
minimum
focus
distance
is 3.2 feet

and the lens offers 0.31x
maximum magnification. A
new bayonet-style ET-83D
hood is included, with a
slot for easier adjustment of
certain filters.

Canon announces imageFormula
DR-M1060 scanner
Canon announced the
imageFormula DR-M1060 office
document scanner, which offers
scan speeds up to 60 pages per

minute and 120 images per
minute in colour, black and white,
and grayscale. It can process up
to 7,500 documents per day. The

scanner’s minimalistic design
removes the need for lengthy feed
or eject trays, thus conserving
valuable desk space in offices.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

International

Ricoh announces weather-resistant
16-85mm lens in K-mount series

R

icoh announced the HD
Pentax-DA 16-85mm
f/3.5-5.6ED DC WR
zoom lens, designed for use
with Pentax K-mount D-SLR
cameras. The lens consists of 16
optical elements in 12 groups
and features an ED (Extra-

low Dispersion) optical element
to compensate for chromatic
aberrations, and aspherical optical
elements to minimize colour
bleeding. The lens offers a focal
length of 16-85mm (24-130 in the
35mm format) and can be used for
different genres of photography,

including landscapes and portraits.
This lens features HD coating
which delivers clear images and
reduces flare and ghosting, even
under back-lit conditions. It also
features 11 sealings that prevent
water from getting into the interiors
of the lens.

Olympus launches
Stylus 1s

Sigma dp Quattro receives Gold
Prize in Good Design Awards 2014

Olympus Corp. began marketing the Stylus 1s, a
successor of Stylus 1 on November 14 in Japan. The
basic features are the same as the predecessor. There
are additional functions like Small AF Target for
easier focussing on a precise spot of the subject, and
Stepping Zoom to set the zoom ratios at 28, 35, 50,
70, 100, 135, 200 and 300mm equivalent. The new
grip is easier to hold.

Sigma
announced that
the Sigma dp
Quattro series
high quality
digital camera
received the
Gold Prize in
Japan’s Good
Design Awards
2014. The
product was
commended
for its unique
oblong shape,
making it
convenient for
the user to hold the camera firmly.
You can hold the grip on the right
hand side, which also contains the
battery. The oblong body provides
ample space for the four operating

The camera features a 1/1.7-inch Type 12 MP
CMOS sensor, a 28-300mm f/2.8 zoom lens, a 1.44
million dot
EVF and
a 3-inch
tilting LCD
monitor.
The camera
measures
116.2x
87x56.5mm
and weighs
about 402g.

12

Smart Photography December 2014

buttons and a dial button for aperture
and exposure adjustment, on the side
of the LCD monitor. The camera’s
balance of form and functionality
makes the design superior.

www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

International

Tiffen launches ND filters
that reduce red cast

T

iffen has launched a new
range of Neutral Density
(ND) filters in the XLE
series that can reduce the red
colour cast while shooting at long
exposures, which is a common
problem faced by photographers
using ND filters. There are 3 filters

in the series—Axent, Advantix
and Apex. The Axent is a 10-stop
ND filter without infrared control.
The Advantix can cut wavelengths
of around 800nm. The Apex
makes use of the Tiffen Hot
Mirror and hence can cut all
infrared wavelengths.

World Press Photo Multimedia Contest to be chaired by
Marianne Lévy-Leblond
World Press Photo announced
that Marianne Lévy-Leblond,
Head of Web Productions
and Transmedia Projects at
Arte France, will chair the
2015 World Press Photo
Multimedia Contest. The
contest will open for entries
on December 1, 2014.

Lévy-Leblond returns to
World Press Photo after having
participated in the multimedia
jury last year. From the contest
entries, she says that she expects
“a good story, a good story, a good
story.” She also looks forward to
“discovering the work of talented
people and to be surprised by the

use they make of new media.”
An international jury of leading
professionals active in visual
journalism and documentary
storytelling will join LévyLeblond for the judging at the
World Press Photo office in
Amsterdam, from 28 February

Apple announces iPad Air 2
On October 17, Apple
announced the latest member
of the iPad Air family, the iPad
Air 2, which is 6.1mm thick
and weighs about 450g. The
9.7-inch Retina display is
2048x1536 pixels, the
same as the previous
model. This time,
Apple has
added a new

14

Smart Photography December 2014

anti-reflective surface that
helps reduce glare. The iPad
Air 2 has a new 8 MP iSight
camera and the front camera
has also been enhanced, for
crisper and clearer selfies
and video chats. It also
features a new 64-bit A8X
processor, which promises
40% better performance and
improved graphics.

until March 8, 2015. The full
list of judges will be announced
later. In the 2014 contest, there
were a total of 373 multimedia
production entries. The winners
will be announced on 11 March
2015. For more information,
visit visit www.worldpressphoto.
org/contest.

Sony launches
Security Cameras
SNC-EB602R and
SNC-EB632R
Sony began selling new security cameras, the
SNC-EB602R and SNC-EB632R, that can operate
in low-light conditions through infrared exposure
technology. The cameras can reportedly see in the
dark, till up to 30 metres away. The cameras are
priced starting at US $1,122.

www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

International

Ed Kashi’s exhibition on life in
Azerbaijani IDP camps opens in Berlin

‘T

he Unresolved Dreams: Azerbaijan’s
Refugees and IDPs’ exhibition
opened on 30 October in Berlin,
featuring photographs of Azerbaijani refugees
and internally displaced persons (IDPs)
taken by renowned US photojournalist Ed
Kashi. The exhibition was held from October
31 to November 6. The opening took place
in the presence of the photographer and
was supported by the German office of The
European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS).
More than 875,000 refugees and IDPs have
been residing in camps across Azerbaijan
for over 20 years since they were forcibly
expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and the
seven surrounding districts by Armenian
forces, which continue to illegally occupy
this territory. Each day is a struggle for these
people, all of whom long to return to their
ancestral homeland. Despite international
condemnation of this occupation, including
the passing of four UN Security Council
resolutions against Armenia, this on-going
situation receives negligible attention from
the European media. This led Ed Kashi, who
has contributed to the National Geographic
Magazine, New York Times as well as Time

and Newsweek magazines to turn his
lens on the everyday lives of these IDPs
and refugees. The images serve to capture
their challenges, but also their hopes and
the resilience of the human spirit.
Ed Kashi said, “With the topic of
IDPs and refugees currently growing
in importance across many parts of
the world, it is important that we do
not forget these people who have
been suffering from the Armenian
occupation of their homeland for over
20 years. Azerbaijan has one of the
largest IDP populations in the world. Through
my work, I am expressing a responsibility for
these people, so it is a great honour to present
this in Berlin today.”
In June 2013, Ed Kashi visited Azerbaijan for
the project, and the resultant photo exhibition
opened in London around a year later. It then
travelled to Paris, and is now being presented
in Berlin. The project is supported by the
VII Photo Agency, co-founded by Ed, and
by TEAS, which aims to develop European–
Azerbaijani relations regarding culture, politics
and economics on a pan-European scale.

The Director of TEAS Germany
commented, “the fate of more than 875,000
IDPs and refugees who were illegally
expelled from their homes by Armenian
forces must not be forgotten. However,
it is often not easy to understand such
topics as war and the plight of refugees and
IDPs from afar. It is easier to comprehend
the human dimension through art, and
that is why we are glad to support Ed
Kashi’s photographic exhibition. We are
particularly gratified that there was such
a great interest in the opening, with more
than 400 guests in attendance.”

World Press Photo exhibition arrives in Northern
Ireland for the first time

John Stanmeyer’s winning image

Queen’s University, Belfast, brought the World
Press Photo exhibition to Northern Ireland
for the first time, from November 18-23,
2014. The prestigious exhibition, organised
in partnership with School of Law at Queen’s,
and the Journalism, Law and Rights Forum,
showcases the most inspiring and high quality
photojournalism in the world. The 2014
exhibition comprises the 150 winning images
chosen from over 98,000 images submitted by
5,754 photojournalists in 132 countries.

picture shows African migrants on the shore
of Djibouti city at night, raising their phones
in an attempt to capture an inexpensive signal
from neighbouring Somalia—a tenuous link
to relatives abroad. Djibouti is a common
stop-off point for migrants in transit from such
countries as Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea,
seeking a better life in Europe and the Middle
East. The picture also won 1st Prize in the
Contemporary Issues category, and was shot
for National Geographic.

On display at the exhibition includes the
World Press Photo of the Year. This year’s
winner, selected by the international jury of
the 57th annual World Press Photo Contest,
is an image by American photographer John
Stanmeyer of the VII Photo Agency. The

Also displayed were the prize-winning images
from nine themed categories belonging to
53 photographers from Argentina, Australia,
Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China,
Czech Republic, El Salvador, Finland, France,
Germany, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Mexico,

16

Smart Photography December 2014

The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland,
Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,
the UK and the USA.
The week-long exhibition was complemented
by a series of evening and weekend events
exploring journalism, law and rights. Further
details about the exhibition can be found here:
www.worldpressphoto.org.uk
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

Business

Worldwide Action Worldwide
Camcorder Sales
Camera Sales
Forecast
Forecast
YEAR
2011
2012
2013
2014 (E)
2015 (E)

UNITS (x 1000)
101
459
1,075
1,447
1,673

YEAR
2011
2012
2013
2014(E)
2015(E)

Note: E = Estimate
Source: Gfk/ Photo Imaging News

ACTION
CAMCORDER
800
1,750
3,911
5,496
6,540

TRADITIONAL
CAMCORDER
14,568
9,328
6,477
4,619
3,573

Note: E = Estimate
Source: Gfk/ Photo Imaging News

Canon likely to

Canon posts declined

report 7% boost in
profit for Jan-Sept

profits on declined
revenue for July-Sept

Canon expects that their
operating profit for the
nine-month period from
January to September, 2014,
will increase by 7% yearon-year to over 260 billion
Yen (US $2.41 billion).
This was credited to strong
office equipment sales and
the weak Yen. But sluggish
camera sales, which had
increased by 26% in the first
half of 2014, blunted the
company’s profits. Total sales
for the January-September
period stayed flat from the
2.69 trillion Yen (US $25
billion) in 2013.

Canon Inc. posted a 20.7%
year-on-year decline in
operating profit to 71.8 billion
Yen from 90.6 billion Yen from
the past year, on a revenue
of 872.2 billion Yen. This is a
4.5% fall for the third quarter
of fiscal 2014, ending on
September 30. The net profit
dropped by 1% to 58.2 billion
Yen. The company attributed
the sluggish performance to
the delayed recovery of the
global economy, especially in
Europe and the subsequent
effect on the economies of
Russia, Japan and emerging
countries.

Both, sales and profit seem to
have grown at the mainstay
office equipment business
unit. The recovery in the
business environment has
pushed up the demand for
photocopiers, laser printers
and other office equipment
around the world. The weak
Yen has further boosted

18

Smart Photography December 2014

profits.Yet, sales of highmargin consumable items,
such as toner, were stalled.
Meanwhile, the profits
in the imaging product
segment dipped due to
decreasing digital camera
sales. The company sold
about 30% fewer compact
cameras due to competition
from Smartphones with
better quality camera
functions, and posted a
double-digit decline in the
interchangeable lens camera
segment. Weak personal
spending in Europe and
repercussions from Japan’s
sales tax hike also affected
sales of SLRs and mirrorless
products. Canon is focussing
more on high-end items,
which have a wider profit
margin, and has slashed
production costs. But the
company was unable to
completely make up for slow
sales.

Sales of the Imaging System
Business Unit fell by 9.4% to
315.8 billion Yen. Operating
profit came down by 23.9%
to 43.3 billion Yen. The nine
month cumulative sales
posted an 8.9% drop to 941
billion Yen, and the operating
profit were down by 3.8% to
136.3 billion Yen. Sales of

cameras with interchangeable
lens systems dropped all
over the world, but had to
top share in leading markets
such as Europe, USA and
Japan. The company also
maintained a high share in
the compact camera segment
by introducing high-end
products.
Canon expects the net profit for
the whole year to rise by 8% to
250 billion Yen, 10 billion more
than the earlier outlook, thanks
to the weaker Yen. Sales would
be 3.740 trillion Yen, about
40 billion Yen lower than the
earlier estimate. The company
revised the digital camera sales
outlook to 16 million units,
including 6.5 million units of
interchangeable lens cameras,
which was expected to be 7
million units earlier. Canon
plans to ship 9.5 million units
of compact camera models,
unchanged from the initial
plan.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

Business

Nikon posts declined profits on declined
revenue for first-half of 2014

N

ikon announced that
their net profit for
the first six months
of fiscal 2014, ending on
September 30, 2014 posted a
26% year-on-year decline to
10 billion Yen on a revenue of
374.9 billion Yen, which was
down by 20%. The company
attributed the unfavourable
results to declined sales of
digital cameras, especially
in Europe and China. The

precision machinery sales were
also slow, for both, steppers
of semiconductors and LCD
panel manufacturing.
The Imaging Solutions division
posted sales of 277.4 billion Yen,
down by 21.3%. The operating
profit was down by 11% to 27.5
billion Yen. The company sold
2.18 units of interchangeable
lens system cameras, 3.09
million interchangeable lenses

and 3.57 million compact
models, 2.23 million units less
than the same period last year.
The outlook of D-cam sales
for the entire year was
revised. Nikon now estimates
a sale of 4.9 million units
of interchangeable system
cameras, down by 14.2% from
fiscal 2013. Interchangeable
lens estimates are now 6.9
million units, down by 16.2%.

The company plans to sell
7.5 million units of compact
digital cameras instead of 11.16
units, a 32.8% year-on-year
fall. As the company shifted the
focus to higher-end products,
the revenue and income
outlook remained unchanged,
which was set in August at
sales of 590 billion Yen
and operating profit of 58
billion Yen for the Imaging
Solutions division.

Olympus posts net profit for AprilSeptember period; camera sales fall
Olympus Corp. reported that
their net profit for the first
half of fiscal 2014, ending
on September 30, turned
black to 22.3 billion Yen
from a loss of 7.9 billion
from the previous year. This
was due o favourable sales of
medical equipment, mainly
endoscopes, which made
up for the ailing Imaging

Division.
Sales of the Imaging Division
fell to 40.1 billion Yen with
an operating loss of 4.6
billion Yen. Compact camera
sales of 22 billion Yen (up
by 38%) could not make up
for the declining sales of
point-and-shoot models of
10.8 billion Yen, a drastic

107% decline. The company
revised the division’s latter
half-year outlook to sales
of 49.9 billion Yen and an
operating loss of 2.9 billion
Yen. The company expects to
sell 34.3 billion Yen worth of
compact system cameras and
15.6 billion Yen for all-in-one
digital cameras. Operating
loss would be 2.9 billion

Yen, shrinking from the 6.5
billion Yen loss compared to
the previous year.
The Imaging segment’s
revenue for the entire year
is estimated to be 90 billion
Yen, with 630,000 units of
compact system cameras and
800,000 units of the all-inone variety.

Ricoh, Canon Eye 3D Printer Market
According to a media report,
Japan’s major precision
companies, such as Ricoh
and Canon, are eyeing the
3D printer market’s potential
to make the most of their
cumulative technology in
printer products.

venture into building a 3D
printer on its own, combining
print head technology and
new inks, which will dry up
faster when exposed to light.
Ricoh expects it to
be commercialised during
fiscal 2016.

Ricoh is currently supplying
printer heads of 3D printers
to the world’s largest 3D
printer supplier, Stratasis.
The company now wishes to

Ricoh, on September 8,
opened a new marketing base
in Yokohama City, Japan, to
deal with 3D printers.
Called Ricoh Rapid Fab,

20

Smart Photography December 2014

the new unit will sell
imported 3D printers and
offer service of 3D products.
The company opened an R&D
division of 3D printers at their
Atsugi Unit in late September,
offering consulting and
workshop services
to corporate users who
wish to enter the 3D
printing business.
Canon is said to have built
a prototype in the first

stage, and is now developing
technology for reproducing
complicated shapes, with
high precision. Seiko Epson
is also developing 3D printer
products to form 3D figures
using materials other than
metal and resin. Both the
companies plan to enter the
market within five years.
Japanese companies expect
a big potential for 3D
printers in the industryuse segment.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

Business

Fujifilm to boost output of Instant
Camera by 30%
Fujifilm Corp. announced that
they will invest about 1 billion
Yen to boost the production
of their instant camera, instax
mini (nicknamed ‘Checki’)
and instant film in order to
meet increasing international
demand. The company will
expand film production lines
at the Ashigara Factory in
Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan,
and camera body production
at the Suzhou plant in China.
Both plants will expand 20% to
30% production capacity when
they start operation next spring.

The company has sold some
1.8 million units of instant
cameras for the first half of
fiscal 2014 (ending September),
an 80% year-on-year gain. They
revived the sales outlook to 3.5
million units, 1.5x the previous
fiscal term. This seems to have
pushed the operating profit for
the April-September period.
Fujifilm launched the Checki
in 1998 and sold over 1 million
units in 2002, about 90% of
which were sold in Japan. The
sales in Japan then declined,

and hit bottom in 2005. Fujifilm
then took up a marketing
tactic to use the camera in
a drama produced in South
Korea in 2007, which attracted
viewers’ attention as a novel
camera to produce prints on
the spot. This caught on among
youngsters, who had rarely ever
seen film and instant cameras.
The popularity of Checki also
spread gradually to Asia, USA
and Europe.
In Japan, Checki is popular
among females in their 10s

and 20s. The users tend to
give out prints to friends
with a written message on
them for special occasions
like birthdays, weddings etc.
The company has added new
marketing channels through
famous stores such as Walmart
and Urban Outfitters in the
USA, and Le Bon Marche
in France. Checki was also
promoted at the Photokina
2014 in Cologne, Germany,
and new models to back
up the growing trend were
announced.

HewlettFujifilm’s profitability in D-cam
Packard to split business improves
Hewlett-Packard (HP) will split
into two public companies and
lay off 5,000 workers. HP will split
the company into two separate
businesses—computer and printer—
from its fast growing corporate
hardware and service operations.
They will eliminate another 5,000
jobs as part of its turn-around plan.
HP’s shareholders would own a stake
in both businesses through a tax-free
transaction in 2015.

F

ujifilm Holdings reported its April-September
financial results, saying the net profit rose
by 29% year-on-year to 40.6 billion Yen on
a revenue of 1.182 trillion Yen; a slight rise from
the 1.174 trillion Yen in 2013. Profit in operation
increased by 25% to 71.5 billion Yen.
The revenue of Imaging Solutions fell by 4.2% to
168.9 billion Yen and profit turned black, to 4.6
billion Yen from a loss of 5.4 billion Yen from

the previous year. The company attributed the
favourable results to continued strong sales of instant
cameras and expansion of value-added printing
businesses such as Year Album. In the electronic
imaging business, total sales dropped due to the
reduction of the compact dgital camera line-up
and its sales volume. However, sales of the X-series
including the Fujifilm X-T1 were strong, which
contributed to improvement of the profitability of
this division.

Samsung to
Konica Minolta posts 2.6x gain
build SemiConductor Plant in net profit
Minolta Co. posted a 2.6x gain in net profit
by 4.8% to 59.4 billion Yen, but profitability of the
in South Korea Konica
to 14.6 billiion Yen for the first half of fiscal 2014.,
TAC films and measuring instruments improved to
Samsung will spend up to $15 billion
to build a semi-conductor plant
in South Korea to meet the rising
demand for the chips that power
mobile devices. The construction at
the plant in Gyeonggi province of
South Korea, will begin in the first
half of 2015, with operations due to
commence in 2017. The factory will
have the capacity to produce both
memory and processor chips.

22

Smart Photography December 2014

ending on September 30, 2014. The total sales were
478.5 billion Yen, up by 6% year-on-year.
The Information Product segment sales rose by 9.1%
to 381.1 billion Yen and the operating profit by 12%
to 30.2 billion Yen, owing to the sales of A3 colour
MF photocopiers and printers for business sectors,
especially the bizhub PRESS series.The Health Care
segment’s sales came up to 36.4 billion Yen with 1
billion operating profit. The revenue for the Materials
and Equipment for Industrial Use segment dropped

12.1 billion Yen (up by 35.6%).
The total revenue for the full year is expected to rise
by 7% to 1.010 trillion Yen, and operating profit
would come to 65 billion Yen (up by 12%), whereas
the net profit would reach 30 billion Yen (up by
37%). The company has attributed strong demand
for film and LCD panels, measuring instruments and
business machines of MF photocopiers and printers
for the performance this year. The weak Yen will also
contribute to improved profitability.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

National

Panasonic organizes
4K fundamentals
seminar with
Matt Siegel
On October 16, 2014, Panasonic organized
a seminar in Mumbai for 4K technology
enthusiasts with Matt Siegel, who is a much
sought after Director of Photography for
Hollywood films. During the course of
seminar, he discussed the finer nuances of
the craft and essentials of 4K fundamentals
with a special focus on Lumix GH4 and
X1000, the recently launched high-end
cameras by Panasonic.
Mr. Siegel shared his experience with 4K
cameras, demonstrated the GH4 4K and
X1000 4K Pro cameras live shooting zone.
The attendees also got a chance to use the
equipment first-hand. A similar seminar
was held at New Delhi on October 17, 2014.

PM Modi joins photosharing app Instagram

T

he Prime Minister of
India, Narendra Modi
recently joined Instagram,
a popular photo and video
sharing app available on Android
and iOS operating systems. The
first Indian head of state to join
this platform, Modi shared his
first image on Instagram on
November 12, from the ASEAN
summit. He already has more
than 100,000 followers.

An App to recognise butterflies by

Yuwaraj Gurjar

‘Women’s Safety
and Empowerment’
Film Contest

for users to browse
through the content.
Currently this app
covers 150 butterflies in
and around Mumbai and
Thane, with photos and
descriptions about the
butterflies. Butterflies
from all over India will
be added in forthcoming
versions. The link for
downloading the app on
Play Store is: https://play.
google.com/store/apps/
details?id=com.butterfly.
loveandhl=en

To celebrate the “16 Days of Activism
Against Gender Violence” global campaign,
the U.S. Consulate General organized a
film contest for Indian nationals. Video
submissions of 3-5 minutes in length on
women’s safety and empowerment in the
form of stories, testimonials, ads, public
service announcements, or any other
format that promotes awareness about
women’s safety were accepted. Videos had
to be original work, produced within the
past two years. The contest was open to
Indian nationals residing in the five states
of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The films of short-listed finalists will be
shown at an event on
December 5, 2014 at the
U.S. Consulate General,
Mumbai. Guest judges
present at the occasion
will select the winners.
For more information,
please visit: http://mumbai.
usconsulate.gov/gbv_film_
contest.html

24

Smart Photography December 2014

‘I Love Butterflies’, an
Android-based app, has
been developed by Yuwaraj
Gurjar, a passionate nature
lover and internationally
acclaimed wildlife
photographer, who has
spent more than 25 years
chasing butterflies.
This app will help users
identify and learn more

about these
creatures. It’s a
comprehensive
photo-guide
of butterflies
of the Indian
sub-continent.
The content is
divided into two
genres, ‘Family’
and ‘Colour’,
making it easy
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

National

Talentz 2014 Photo Exhibition
by Indian Academy

I

magazine + Rs.1000 by Indian Academy
Shailesh Padhya, Merit prize: One year
free subscription to Smart Photography
magazine

Following the inauguration, Rohinton
Mehta and Anil Gandhi addressed the
audience with tips on how to further
improve their photography.

Poonam Jadhav, Merit prize: One
year free subscription to Smart
Photography magazine

Rajul Shah, 1st prize

ndian Academy, Vile Parle (E), Mumbai,
organized a photo exhibition titled
‘Talentz 2014’ which mainly showcased
pictures taken during the academy’s
organised trip to Kashmir - Leh - Ladakh
during July 2014. The academy received
over 300 entries from its present and past
students, out of which 75 photographs were
selected by the organisers for display. The
exhibition was inaugurated and judged by
Rohinton Mehta, Technical Editor, Smart
Photography, along with professional
industrial and advertising photographer
Anil Gandhi, who was the Guest of Honour.
The winners were awarded the following
prizes:
Rajul Shah, 1st prize: One year free
subscription to Smart Photography
magazine + Rs.3000 by Indian Academy
Samar Khan, 2nd prize: One year free
subscription to Smart Photography
magazine + Rs.2000 by ‘Big Camera’, Canon
authorised dealer
Sonia Gulati, 3rd prize: One year free
subscription to Smart Photography

Sonia Gulati, 3rd prize

Samar Khan, 2nd Prize

Sony launches new high speed UX Series SD card
Sony India announced the
launch of its new Ultra High
Speed UX series SD card
(SF-G1UX2/T IN), with
fast data transfer speed and
4K compatibility. It is ideal
for professional or semiprofessional photographers
and videographers. The card
offers enhanced transfer
speeds, thereby increasing
the speed of workflow and
improving efficiency.
The UX Series 128GB card
comes with data transfer
speeds up to 94MB/s (read)
and up to 60MB/s (write). It
also features an Ultra-High

26

Speed (UHS Speed Class
3) rating so that speed and
quality of the images captured
will not be compromised,
which results in smooth 4K
recordings as well as minimal
buffering when capturing
still images in burst, multiframe or panoramic modes.
This card is also compatible
with XAVC S codec mode
recording. Like other products
from the line-up, the new
memory card features Sony’s
File Rescue software, which
is the first in the world to
support 3D movies and
photos. This software allows
users to recover accidentally

Smart Photography December 2014

deleted photos and movies.
Protected with molded
resin, the memory card is
remarkably durable, shockproof and resistant to extreme
temperatures.
The UX
series SD
Card is
available
across all
Sony Center
and major
electronic
stores across
India for
the price of
Rs.13,200.
www.smartphotography.in

NEWS

National

Canon India’s Executive Vice President
Dr. Alok Bharadwaj moves to Singapore

O

n November 3,
2014, Canon India
announced that
Dr. Alok Bharadwaj, the
company’s Executive VicePresident will be moving on
an international assignment
to Canon Singapore, which is
the headquarter of its South
East and South Asia business
operations. The change is
effective from January 1, 2015.

for the significant contribution
made by Dr. Alok Bharadwaj for
Canon India. His indomitable
spirit has helped shape Canon’s
image in India and improved our
market leadership, while setting
industry benchmarks at the same
time. We are a global company
and believe strongly in leadership
development with international
roles. We wish him the very
best for his new assignment in
Singapore.”

Dr. Bharadwaj will be heading
the Corporate Strategy Group as the Senior
Vice President and will be responsible for
strategic business planning and execution
as well as corporate communications for
Canon’s South East and South Asia regional
operations. He will also be overseeing business
development in the emerging Asian markets in
this region. In his new role, he will be reporting
to Mr. Kensaku Konishi, President and CEO of
Canon’s South East and South Asia Operations.
Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, President and
CEO, Canon India said, “I wish to take this
opportunity to express my deep appreciation

Feeling elated on this movement, Dr Alok
Bharadwaj commented, “It has been an
incredible journey for me at Canon India,
which I joined in 2001. Canon has an
extraordinary, magnetic culture. I have had
the opportunity to build and work with an
excellent team that supported me to overcome
numerous business challenges and in recording
massive growth for Canon in India. I am truly
thrilled to have been a part of this success
story and am grateful to my staff, partners and
customers. This experience has opened the
doors for my international assignment, which
I am quite excited to take. I look forward to

tackling newer challenges in other emerging
Asian markets. It is a promising new role and I
am eager to start.”
Dr. Alok Bharadwaj is a seasoned corporate
executive and an old hand at Canon India,
having served for well over 13 years in leading
its business operations. Under his leadership,
Canon registered a record-breaking expansion
to emerge as an imaging industry leader in
India. He has won numerous accolades and
awards including “The Best CMO of the
Year” from the CMO Council USA, “The
Most Influential Person in Photography”,
“Corporate Executive of the Year”, “Most
Favourite Country Manager”, “ Outstanding
Global Manager” to name a few. He was a wellknown face in the industry having led industry
body, MAIT as its President and is currently
chairman of CII-OA and Imaging Division. He
is a committee member of the Indian Council
of Competitiveness. Bharadwaj is an MBA
from FMS Delhi, 1985 batch.
Canon India will have no direct successor to
the position of EVP. The President and CEO
of the company will continue to head India
business operations.

Enigma Photography Exhibition
On November 9, 2014,
‘Enigma’, a group photography
exhibition was formally
launched at Arpana Caur
Gallery, Siri Fort, New Delhi.
The exhibition features 35
works of art by seasoned
artists like Ravi Dhingra,
Nin Taneja, Puja Bahri
and Saba Hasan. All these
eminent artists collaborated
as art photographers, with
the common purpose of
sharing their personal vision
as fine artists. Their works
go beyond a realistic or
documentary representation,
with the intent to fulfill a more
creative exchange with the

28

audience. Each of them is in
an independent dialogue with
abstract concepts.
Mr ML Lahoti formally
launched the exhibition
by lighting a lamp and the
guests of honour, Ms Roohi
and Rajiv Savara, Directors,
Savara Foundation Of Arts
were present to appreciate
the art works displayed at the
exhibition. The launch had
witnessed the city’s known art
patrons like Mr ML Lahoti,
Promila Bahri, Himani Dehlvi,
Shivani Chopra, Roohi and
Rajeev Savera, Archana Bahl
Sapra and Sudha Dhingra.

Smart Photography December 2014

(L-R) Saba Hasan, Ravi Dhingra, Puja Bahri,
Nin Taneja

Nin Taneja said, “Enigma
to me is the hidden story in
each picture. There is a story
in every life, every form that
I see in my everyday life. My
eye observes, the camera
captures the moment and
the mind weaves a story
turning it into a beautiful art
form. I am appreciative and
thankful for the wonderful
gifts that the universe offers
mankind, and I want to freeze
the story in time. The show
was a collective effort and
working together planning
and organizing was a good
experience.”
www.smartphotography.in

Sony World Photography Awards launches
competition for Indian Photographers

O

n November 7, 2014, Sony World
Photography Awards along with Sony
Asia Pacific launched the
‘India National Award’. This competition
invites entries from Indian nationals of all
ability levels. Entries are free via
www.worldphoto.org, and participants can
enter under any of the ten categories: Art and
Culture, Architecture, Enhanced, Low-light,
Nature and Wildlife, Panorama, People, Smile,
Split Second and Travel. The winner of the
India National Award will be chosen from
entries to the Open Competition of the 2015
Sony World Photography Awards taken by
Indian nationals. The competition will close for
entries on January 5, 2015, and the winner will
be announced on March 18, 2015.
The winning photographer will receive the
latest photographic equipment from Sony,
while two runners-up will also receive prizes.
All three photographers will have their work

displayed alongside professional
photographers from around the
globe as part of the 2015
Sony World Photography Awards
Exhibition held in London from
April 24 to May 10, 2015 and
showcased online at
www.worldphoto.org.
Scott Gray, Managing Director
of the World Photography
Organisation said, “We are thrilled
Last year’s winning image by Bisheswar Choudhury, 1st Place, India
to be able to work closely with
National Award, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards
Sony Asia Pacific to identify
the local photographers that are
occasion, “The National Awards are a great
producing great work and pushing their own
vehicle to recognise talent on a regional basis
creative boundaries, so that we can raise their
and it’s extremely interesting to see the different
profile across the globe and provide inspiration styles emanating from India. We want to
to other budding Indian photographers.”
support these national talents and provide
them with the best cameras and lenses so that
Masaaki Hori, Head of Digital Imaging
they can focus on the creative subjects in front
Business, Sony India commented on the
of them.”

PICTURE OF THE MONTH

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.

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.

h by

e
e
j
r
e
t
t
a
h
C
b
a
r
u
o
G

ap
Photogr

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 doublespread.
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
Tripod

Sponsored by:

KALEIDOSCOPE

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

Snowy roofs of Nainital
Camera: Nikon D5000; Aperture : f/16;
Shutter speed: 1/160sec.; ISO: 200

Joys of Travel
B

orn in Nainital, India, Vineeta
Yashswi is a travel enthusiast.
She has travelled vastly around
her country, with the aim of exploring

34

Smart Photography December 2014

new places, people, and different
cultures. She is an avid trekker as
well. She recently completed treks
like Milam Glacier Trek (3500 mt.),

Vineeta Yashswi,
Nainital

www.smartphotography.in

Hold my Hand
Camera: Nikon D5000; Aperture : f/4;
Shutter speed: 1/1600sec.; ISO: 200

Tiny Toes
Camera: Canon EOS-1D X
Aperture : f/2.7; Shutter
speed: 1/320sec.; ISO: 2000

Leh in Winter
Camera: Nikon D5000;
Aperture : f/16;
Shutter speed: 1/500sec.;
ISO: 200

www.smartphotography.in

December 2014 Smart Photography

35

Howrah Bridge
Camera: Nikon D5000;
Aperture : f/13;
Shutter speed: 1/125sec.; ISO: 200

Tradition Wear
Camera: Nikon D5000;
Aperture : f/5.6; Shutter speed: 1/50sec.; ISO: 200

Nanda Devi East Base Camp Trek (4200
mt.), Kuari Trek (3,500 mt.), Chadar
Trek in Leh (on frozen Zanskar River),
Roopkund Trek (4,800 mt.) etc.
Vineeta has completed her postgraduate studies in Sociology from
Kumaun University, Nainital. She
is also interested in writing about
travel and different destinations.
She regularly contributes articles for
different publications.
She had a great passion for
photography since her childhood days.
As a photo-artist she has participated
in many photography exhibitions till
date. For her, photography is purely a
medium of expression.
ˆ

36

Smart Photography December 2014

High peaks
Camera: Nikon D5000;
Aperture : f/5.6;
Shutter speed: 1/100sec.;
ISO: 200

www.smartphotography.in

Himalayan Sunrise
Camera: Nikon D5000;
Aperture : f/5.6;
Shutter speed: 1/100sec.; ISO: 200

www.smartphotography.in

December 2014 Smart Photography

37

38

Smart Photography October 2014

October 2014 Smart Photography

39

SHOWCASE

FOREST FABLES
As told to Tanika Godbole

I
Based in Mumbai,
Ravalnath Joshi is an
avid nature and wildlife
photographer who
takes great interest in
studying the habitat
and characteristics of
his subjects.

40

Smart Photography December 2014

have been a Mumbaikar all
my life. Since childhood, I was
fascinated with the city’s nature
and wildlife. Birds and mammals
(especially predators), since then,
have been my areas of interest.
I bought my first Canon D-SLR
in the summer of 2009 and
subsequently got into wildlife
photography after buying a telephoto
zoom lens of 100-400mm. Before

that, I had bought 70-300mm and
150-500mm lenses, which felt like a
waste of money. Now, I firmly believe
in buying quality products, even if
I need to wait for a while to be able
to afford it. I strongly believe that
today, both Canon and Nikon have
got quality lenses at every price point
with varied benchmarks. When I was
a beginner, I started reading Smart
Photography, and found a mentor
in it.
www.smartphotography.in

Leopard

Wildlife photography for me is all
about passion and planning. Before
arriving at any destination, it is
very important to know about the
habitat, the flora and fauna in that
region, the weather conditions, and
more importantly, accessibility to
the core areas. As a reference point
I always check out images that other
photographers have taken there. I
prefer taking a guide along, especially
in remote areas.
www.smartphotography.in

Golden Jackal

I use a full-frame Canon 6D camera
with a Canon 500mm f/4 lens. I also
carry a Canon 1.4x teleconverter to
boost the focal length for birds. But
I also carry a spare camera body
with a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
(for extreme low light conditions).
Other than the camera body
and the lenses, I always carry a
tripod for whatever lens I use.
When I am shooting from my
car window, I use a bean bag for
stability and sharpness.

jungle, after 6:30 pm closing time.
The leopard was pleasantly walking
on the mud track after quenching its
thirst at a nearby waterhole. I could
not miss this first opportunity of
shooting a leopard in the wild. But I
knew the maximum aperture of f/4
on my 500mm lens will definitely
not help me get a good sharp image.
So I immediately shifted to the
Canon 70-200mm lens. The aperture
of f/2.8 got me the most memorable
shot of my life time.

Light conditions in Indian wildlife
are always challenging. Moreover,
the activity happens during early
morning or late evening hours. So
even if you have a super telephoto
lens, it will not always be possible to
get sharp portraits due to poor light
conditions. In such cases it is always
better to sacrifice the focal length
and get good images of the species
with the habitat.

Wildlife photography is all
about pre-composition. After
understanding the light and weather
conditions, one should adjust the
white balance as it plays a crucial
role in any kind of photography.
While shooting Raw, even Auto WB
works. Otherwise in bright sunlight
I set my WB at 4800 K and in
cloudy conditions 5800 K. Optimal
shutter speed is very important. It
has to be 1/focal length of the lens.
Accordingly, the ISO has to be set to
avoid loss of sharpness.

Recently, I had been to Nagzira
Tiger Reserve near Nagpur,
where I photographed a leopard
for the first time in the wild, after
a wait of 4 years. It was 6:45 pm
and the light was at its lowest
intensity. We were fortunate to
get that extra half hour inside the

One of the most important factors
in wildlife photography is the depth
of field. Especially when the subject
is not perpendicular to our camera
or is walking head on. I usually
December 2014 Smart Photography

41

SHOWCASE
Flamingos

prefer using
two stops above
the maximum
aperture as it
helps me to
get 80% of the
subject in focus.
A good
photographer
should know
the animals’
behavioural
pattern and any
other noteworthy
traits. Lastly, I
always prefer to
maintain a safe
distance from
the species. This
way you prevent
disturbing the
species, and also
make the bird
or animal feel
comfortable. ˆ

Dhol

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Smart Photography December 2014

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Short Eared Owl

Blue Eared Kingfisher

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December 2014 Smart Photography

43

IF I WERE YOU

E-mail your images at [email protected]
White Wagtail
While taking a morning walk in
a playground in Kharagpur, West
Bengal, Paresh Das photographed
this wagtail trying to get its
breakfast. He wants my opinion
on the picture and asks how the
picture could be improved.

the visible eye). Your
focus is more on the
bird’s body towards the
tail. Does this make a
difference? Yes it does!
When the eye/eyes are
sharp, pictures are always
more appealing.

This is a good attempt. There are
two main points that you should
bear in mind:
1) Where should the focus be?
With birds (and animals and
humans too) the focus should
always be on the eyes (in this case

2) What should be the
camera angle? With
birds/animals on ground,
the camera should also
be at ground level. This
picture would have
looked better if you had

Original Image

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.

Rohinton Mehta,
Technical Editor, Smart Photography

Camera: Nikon D7100
Lens: 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 at
260mm (equivalent to 390mm
in 35 mm format)
Aperture: F/8.0;
Shutter speed: 1/400sec; ISO: 400

to lie flat on the ground and take
the shot at the bird’s eye level. Of
course lying flat on the ground
would dirty your clothes, so my
advice to dedicated photographers
is not to wear your day-to-day
office clothes when going for
serious photography. Wear clothes
that you do not mind dirtying
if necessary! I do realise that
you were out for your morning
walk, and hence were not really
photography ready.
In the edited image, I have
cropped the frame so that the bird
appears slightly larger. I have also
brightened the picture.

First try at sports
photography
Smart Photography reader Ankur
Dutta has tried his hand at sports
photography; in fact this is his very
first attempt. He says “I tried to
sharpen the picture but I guess it
went horribly wrong”. He wants to
know how to improve the picture.
Well Ankur, first things first. Let’s
try to figure out why your picture
is dull-looking. I believe there are
a couple of reasons, which together
has made the picture on the
drab side. (By the way, I like the
moment you have captured).
To create good photographs, we
need good light. Observing the
almost negligible shadow behind
the referee in black clothes, one
can say that the light was dull and
quite poor. Do also remember that
Edited Image 1

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Original Image

autofocussing
accurately on
moving targets is
not an easy task
and, combined
with low contrast
light, makes
things even worse.
You used a focal
length of 270mm,
equivalent of
405mm in the
35mm format.
This means that
your shutter
speed for handheld photography
should have been
at least 1/400 sec
whereas you have
used 1/200sec.
Finally, you shot
the picture with
the lens aperture
wide open at
f/6.3. Wide open
apertures do not
provide adequate
sharpness (with
most lenses) and
also provide very
little depth of
field. So many
possible reasons
for not getting
the picture tack
sharp! Also note
the darkening at
the corners and
sides (uneven
illumination, due
to the lens).

Edited Image

www.smartphotography.in

Camera: Nikon D5100
Lens: 18-270mm (make unknown)
Aperture: F/6.3;
Shutter speed: 1/200 sec; ISO: 800

Using Photoshop,
I have evened out
the darkening at
the sides/corners,
adjusted the
image contrast,
cropped the
image and applied
a good dose
of sharpening.
The picture
has definitely
improved but is
still not passable
in my books!

December 2014 Smart Photography

45

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

Camera: Sony W35
Aperture: F/5.2 ;
Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO: 100

Edited Image

Lord Buddha
This statue of Lord Buddha has
been photographed by 12-year old
Nihal Singh Judge, an SP reader.
He obviously wants to know how
to improve the picture.
I am happy to note that you
have started using a camera at
such a young age. Enjoy your
photography but pay equal
attention to your studies too.
Keep in mind that whenever we
point a camera towards the sky,
the subject in front will get dark
(unless we allow more light to

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Smart Photography December 2014

enter the lens). Such a subject is
called ‘back-lit’. Your Sony W35
camera has a feature known as
‘exposure compensation’. This
feature can allow a maximum of 2
more stops of light (that is, 4 times
more light) to enter. Please check
out this feature on your camera
(the user manual will show you
how) or ask someone who knows
about it. Next time you face a
similar situation (subject is behind
a bright sky), use the exposure
compensation feature. Try +1 stop
as well as +2 stop compensation.
You will find that the subject will

get brighter, along with the sky.
Alternatively, try using the Spot
meter in your camera (again,
check the user manual). When
you point the Spot meter to a
back-lit subject, the camera will
automatically provide a brighter
overall image.
I have tried to improve the picture
using a photo editing software
known as Photoshop. Though I
am not really satisfied with the
corrections, it still has improved
quite a bit.
www.smartphotography.in

Q&A

Ask Uncle Ronnie

Did you know... Ronnie has over 35 years of experience in photography?
In fact, he has taught several thousand photo-enthusiasts in various
institutions and through workshops, as well as judged many national
and international photo contests, including the prestigious International
Photo Contest held at Colombo, Sri Lanka. So, if you have any
photo-queries, whether conventional or digital, don’t hesitate. Just
go ahead and Ask Uncle Ronnie at [email protected],
‘cause he knows it all!

Canon EOS 1200D

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000

A Technical Query
I am an amateur photographer
since last 30 years, without any
professional course or training.
Whatever I know in this field, I owe
it to “Ask Uncle Ronnie”, “Learning”
and “If I were you” of your esteemed
magazine. Though I have not
subscribed to your magazine (postal
delivery is very poor in remote
locations, especially when you are in
a transferable job), but I have all the
“Learning” pages of your magazine
since its inception ten years ago.
In the October 2014 issue, you
have praised the performance of
Panasonic FZ1000. Please guide on
the following:
Sensor size of Canon EOS 1200D
is 22.3 X 14.9 mm, whereas that of
FZ1000 is 13.2 X 8.8 mm. Therefore,
with a 3.5 times larger sensor than
FZ1000, whether 1200D with its kit
lenses is a better performer as far as
quality of both ‘Still’ and ‘Video’ is
concerned?
A.K.Singh, Meerut.

Thank you for your kind words.
The Canon EOS 1200D’s sensor
is approximately 2.8 times larger
than that of the Panasonic FZ1000.
We have not done any side-by-side
www.smartphotography.in

comparison between the two cameras
you mention. The image quality
of any camera depends not only
on the sensor size, but also on the
imaging processor, the algorithms
used in designing of the processor,
the quality of components used,
the dynamic range of the sensor,
the optical quality of the lens, the
ISO used and finally the shooting
techniques/skills of the user. If one
considers everything to be equal
in both the above cases, the Canon
should provide better image quality
(Stills) going by its larger image
sensor, especially at the higher ISO
sensitivities.
When it comes to the video, in
theory at least, the FZ1000 could be
just as good or even better than the
Canon EOS 1200D. Irrespective of
megapixel ratings between cameras,

the video output is just about
2 megapixels. Also keep in
mind that the FZ1000 can
record video in 4K; the 1200D
cannot. Please also note that
the FZ1000 uses a latest quadcore processor against an older
Digic 4 processor in the 1200D.
The FZ1000’s processor is optimized
for high quality video recording.

Minimum Shutter Speeds
I need clarification regarding the
use of shutter speeds in DX and
FX formats. I am using FX format.
Most people recommend when
selecting shutter speeds to use
reciprocal of the focal length of the
lens in FX format and reciprocal of
1.5x focal length in DX format as
a rule of the thumb. My opinion is
that in DX format the sensor merely
selects a smaller area but does not
extend the focal length as in the
case of  tele-converters. Therefore
my view is that in both FX and DX
formats the shutter speeds should
be just the reciprocal of the given
focal length when applicable. Your
views?
Newton Wickrammasuriya
December 2014 Smart Photography

47

Q&A

Ask Uncle Ronnie

The rule for shutter speed says:
When hand-holding the camera, the
minimum shutter speed should be 1/
the effective focal length.
When using a Nikon DX format
camera, the effective focal length is
increased by 1.5 times. The actual
or physical focal length does not
change, but because of the smaller
imaging sensor, it gives us an
impression that the picture was  shot
using a lens of longer focal length.
When using a full-frame camera
with a full-frame lens in DX mode
or when using a APS-C (DX) lens
on DX body, you should consider
and use the shutter speed as the
equivalent focal length as mentioned
above. Note that focal length and
sensor size are related.
Further explanation and my personal
view
The rule – reciprocal of the effective
focal length as the shutter speed –
applies when you are in good health,
are not tired, and not mentally
agitated (our hands tremble a bit
when we are mentally disturbed).
Hence, as a practice, when using
high-resolution cameras (around
20 megapixel and above), I prefer to
use double the shutter speed (not 1.5
times). So, for example, if I am using
a 300mm lens (in FX or DX mode),
I like to keep the shutter speed at
1/600 sec (or faster) to avoid blurring
when hand-holding the camera. This
often forces me to use a higher ISO
sensitivity which can give rise to
digital noise. Hence when selecting a
camera, I place much importance to

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Smart Photography December 2014

the noise levels at higher sensitivities.

the entire bird sharp.

Halos

3. Is the bird gliding (say, on a
thermal) or has it just started its
flight, in which case a higher shutter
speed may be required.

I shot some birds-in-flight pictures
with my D-SLR. My pictures show a
kind of halo around the birds. I have
not seen such halos on my friend’s
pictures. What is happening?
D. R. Swamy, Chennai

You haven’t sent me a picture or two
for analysis. I assume that you are
referring to the ‘as shot images’ and
not ‘post-processed images’ where
the problem you mention could come
due to over-sharpening.
It is also possible that you may have
set the Auto Lighting Optimizer (if
using Canon) or Active D-Lighting
(if using Nikon) to a higher setting.
If that be so, please re-set to ‘a lower
value.

Shutter speeds for B-I-F
I love to photograph birds-in-flight.
What shutter speed must
I use to stop wing-blur
when photographing
flying birds?

4. How close or how far the bird is
from you.
Depending on the above factors,
your shutter speed may vary between
say, 1/400sec to even 1/2000sec or
more. For most birds-in-flight shots,
I would opt for a shutter speed of
1/1200 second at least, but again,
that’s me.
For creative images (dreamy, soft,
painting-like blurred images) I
would use very slow shutter speeds,
may be 1/15sec or thereabouts. But
remember, there is no single answer
to your query.

Which D-SLR?
Uncle Ronnie, I am about to buy
my 1st D-SLR camera. I have been

Umesh Raval, via email

That depends on various
factors:
1. The size of the bird.
Larger birds generally flap
their wings fewer times
per second/minute as
compared to smaller birds.
2. Also depends on
whether you want the
wing tips to show some
blur or whether you want

Nikon D3200

www.smartphotography.in

Nikon D5100

using a Nikon L120 till now, and
mostly do street photography. Can
you suggest a D-SLR along with a
suitable lens? My budget is up to
Rs.32,000.
P.S. I prefer Nikon.
Dhritish Gupta, West Bengal.

You may safely go in for a Nikon
D3200 with its 18-55mm VR kit
lens (currently available at an MRP
of Rs.29,950). The 18-55mm on the
D3200 is equivalent to 27-82mm on a
35mm format.

AF-S VR
Zoom Nikkor
70-300mm f/4.55.6G IF ED

While the Nikkor 55-300
mm is good value for
money, if I were you, I
would have opted for the
70-300 mm because it is a
bit sharper – not very much
sharper, a bit sharper. It
would have offered another
advantage in that only the
central part of the lens
would have been used to
transmit the light thus
avoiding the little softening
Nikon D5200
at the corners. The build
quality, as far as I can
remember, is a shade better
The AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor 70on the 70-300mm lens. We do not
300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF ED (it is
have these lenses with us at present
f/4.5-5.6 and not f/4-5.6) is designed
and hence I am sorry I am unable to
for a full-frame camera body while
provide you with the images you are
the AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm
looking for.
f/4.5-5.6G ED VR (it too is f/4.55.6 and not f/4-5.6) is designed for
So, have you made a mistake
the DX format. On your D5300 the
in your purchase? I really don’t
70-300mm would be equivalent
think so. You have saved about
to 105-450mm (in 35mm format)
Rs.12,000 and the theoretical minor
while the other lens is equivalent to
advantages of the other lens should
82.5-450mm.
not really bother you.
ˆ

You could even opt for the D5100
with its 18-55mm VR kit lens
(currently at Rs.30,950). If you
can stretch your budget, you
may consider the D5200 with its
18-55mm VR kit lens (currently
available at an MRP of Rs.39,950).

Which Nikkor lens?

I am a regular reader of SP, since the
last 4-5 years. I recently purchased
a Nikon D5300. After 2-3 months, I
wished to purchase a Nikkor 70-300
mm AF-S f/4-5.6 G IF-ED (VR) lens,
which costs Rs. 35,850/-. But due
to a tight budget, I had to purchase
a Nikkor 55-300 mm, f/4-5.6 G ED
VR lens, which costs Rs. 23,700/-.
Could you please explain to me,
what is the exact difference between
these two lenses? Did I really lose
something by not purchasing the
first one? I shall be delighted, if you
illustrate your answer with some
snaps (same subject, but separately
taken with these two lenses.)
Dhananjay Ingle, Nagpur

www.smartphotography.in

AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
December 2014 Smart Photography

49

MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Duarte Sol

Duarte Sol is a
photographer
from the
beautiful island
of Madeira in
Portugal. He
takes stunning
pictures of
landscapes and seascapes, and
loves being in contact with
nature. His work can be found
at https://www.facebook.com/
DuarteSolPhotography

A DELIGHTFUL

ISLAND

As told to Tanika Godbole

Have you lived in Portugal all your
life? What was your childhood like?
Yes, I’ve always lived in Portugal. I
was born on the island of Madeira.
I went to Coimbra to pursue my
studies, and majored in economics. I
had a normal and happy childhood.
Tell us a little about the Madeira
island
The island of Madeira is part of
Portugal, and therefore lies in
Europe. But physically, it is quite
close to the African continent. The
archipelago of Madeira, which is
also a part of the island of Porto
Santo, thrives mainly on tourism
and the service sector. It has about
250,000 inhabitants. It is known for
‘levadas’, the Madeira wine, as well as
landscapes and floral beauty, among
other things.
Are you a full-time photographer?
If not, what’s your profession?
I am not a professional photographer.
I am passionate about shooting
landscapes; I especially love seascape
photography. I have a degree in
economics and management, and am
a government employee.
How did you get involved with
photography? What made

50

Smart Photography December 2014

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© Duarte Sol

Magic Path

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December 2014 Smart Photography

51

MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Duarte Sol

© Duarte Sol

© Duarte Sol

Utopia

52

Smart Photography December 2014

The Veil

www.smartphotography.in

© Duarte Sol

Adraga

© Duarte Sol

you choose landscapes as your
specialisation?
I got seriously involved with
photography in 2010, mainly to
capture precious moments with my
family. The subsequent passion for
landscape photography grew because
I like to be in contact with nature.
I think photography, for me, is like
meditation. It allows me to rejuvenate
myself.

www.smartphotography.in

Out of Place

Travel is an important component
for landscape photography. Where
all have you travelled, and which
has been your favourite destination
for photography?
Travelling and seeing new places is
partly the fuel that feeds a landscape
photographer. I have travelled more
intensely within my own country
including the Azores, Lisbon, OPorto
December 2014 Smart Photography

53

MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Duarte Sol

54

Smart Photography December 2014

www.smartphotography.in

... among other places. I had already
visited other countries like england,
belgium, Brazil, Dominican Republic
and others. My dream trip is
undoubtedly to Iceland, which is said
to be the country that delights any
landscape photography fan.
What kind of a photography kit do
you usually carry?
I mainly use the Canon 5D Mark III
with the Canon 16-35 f/4 L IS. I also
use a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8, Canon
50mm f/1.8, Canon 85mm f/1.8 and
a Samyang 14mm lens. I also use LEE
and Hitech filters.
Your images are beautiful and bring
out vivid colours. How do you
capture these moments?
Essentially with my pictures I try to
photograph the elements of beauty,
colour, emotion, etc. Ideally, it must
invoke the audience to want to visit
the places that I capture. I shoot
almost exclusively during the golden
hours. Shooting during sunrise
especially gives me great pleasure,
and allows me to feel connected with
nature and its elements. To watch the
sunrise is a wonderful and special
experience.

© Duarte Sol

How important are editing tools in
enhancing pictures?
Good editing is something that can
not be overlooked. However, if the
picture has not been captured well
or if it is not well composed and has
no feeling, expression or a message,
even if you are a God at editing, your
photograph will be empty and will no
transmit anything to the viewer. If it
doesn´t spreak to the viewer, then it
is of little worth.

The Soul’s Path

www.smartphotography.in

Any advice for those who are new to
photography?
As a self-taught photographer, I can
say that determination is essential.
Sometimes we reach an impasse,
and certain challenges that we face
make us want to give up. During
those times, you must remember
your love for photography, and
continue forward. Beginners should
keep reading, practicing, talking
to other photographers, observing
and above all, they should never
give up!
ˆ
December 2014 Smart Photography

55

MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Standing Strong

© Duarte Sol

Duarte Sol

56

Smart Photography December 2014

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PHOTO FEATURE
Pondicherry

Pondicherry
A Slice of France
Ajay Sood (Travelure)
Canon Photo Mentor

Ajay Sood (Travelure) is
an accomplished travel
photographer and a
travelogue writer. His
sole objective is to make
the destinations he covers
desirable. He has been
profiled as Mastercraftsman
in Smart Photography (May
2012). He was on the jury
of Canon Photomarathon
2012. He is also an
assignment photographer
for National Geographic
Traveller.
He is a Canon Photo
Mentor. Besides mentoring
photography workshops,
he leads photo-tours and
contributes travelogues
and features to various
publications. He has a
passion for capturing the
sights, sounds and stories
of places he visits. He has
travelled across India
extensively and to over 20
countries across the globe.
His 27 years in the
communication industry
have been his training
ground, leading to his
deep understanding of the
visual medium, reflected in
his unique compositions.
More of his work may be
seen at www.facebook.com/
travelure

Basilica of Sacred Heart of Jesus

58

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Eglise de Notre Dame de la Conception Immaculee

W

e drove to Pondicherry from
Mahabalipuram - a distance
of mere 100 kms. Yet, the East
Coast Road offered vividly changing
landscape - from estuaries to salt-pans,
from backwaters to paddy fields.
Just before entering Pondicherry, we
crossed Auroville - the experimental
township established in mid 1960s by
the Mother. Technically, Auroville is in
Tamil Nadu but the town closest to it is
Pondicherry. The famous golden golf ball
shaped Matri Mandir is a glittering jewel
in Auroville’s crown.
 
Pondicherry owes its name to a clerical
error. Evidently, a clerk’s handwritten
Pouducherry got read as Pondicherry, and
ever since, the name stuck.
 
We crossed the entire town, which also
has a couple of rivers flowing through the
city, as our resort, Le Pondy, was on the
southern outskirts of Pondicherry. Unlike

Old Customs House

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December 2014 Smart Photography

59

PHOTO FEATURE
Pondicherry

War Memorial

the beach-less city of Pondicherry,
the resort had a beach. But, like
all other beaches on the east coast,
even this beach was dangerous, with
uncertain strong currents
and sudden sheer drops on the
beach slope.
The resort looked pretty but had
major architectural issues - e.g.
the sea-facing rooms had a French
window facing east; this means, the
rooms got strong sun most part of

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Smart Photography December 2014

Kannika Parameshwari Koil

the day and if you did not
pull the curtains, there was no
privacy either.
 
The city was under French
occupation for almost 300 years,
with the exception of a few years in
between when Dutch and British
ruled it briefly. The strong French
influence, hence, is visible in the
White Town area of the city (White
Town is the area closer to the sea
that comprises the boulevard along

the sea and 3 roads parallel to it).
The rest of the town has strong
Tamil influence. But interestingly,
whether you’re in White Town or
in the Tamil quarters of the city,
streets or roads names carry ‘Rue’
(‘Avenue’ in French).
 The White Town boasts of some
phenomenal French architecture.
This includes churches like the
Basilica of Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Eglise de Sacre Coeur de Jesus,
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Matri Mandir, Auroville

Cemetery near New Lighthouse

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December 2014 Smart Photography

61

PHOTO FEATURE
Pondicherry

New Lighthouse

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Smart Photography December 2014

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Old and new catamarans, both are used

Varadaraja Perumal Koil

Fishermen at Golden
Hour in the Bay

Fishermen repairing their fishing nets

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Marquis Dupleix Statue near the fishermen’s jetty
December 2014 Smart Photography

63

PHOTO FEATURE
Pondicherry

Inside Rendezvous, a famous restaurant in Pondicherry

Eglise de Notre Dame de la
Conception Immaculee, the old
Customs House, a famous café
called Le Café, the old light house,
the War Memorial, and many more
period buildings lining the streets.
At the same time, the Tamil
quarters proudly flaunt some
brilliant Dravidian architecture
that is most noticeable in temples
like the Varadaraja Perumal Koil
(Vishnu Temple), Manakula
Vinayakar Koil (Ganesha Temple)
and Kannika Parameshwari Temple.
When you walk towards the new
lighthouse, you are likely to notice
a graveyard with colourful graves.
This treatment of a cemetery just
reflects the attitude of general
peace and contentment amongst
the locals here.
Considering that this lazy, leisurely
town is on the coast, fishing is
a thriving industry here. The
traditional catamarans (logs of
woods tied together) and the more

modern fibreglass catamarans are
both used by the fishermen.
Everyday, for any photography
enthusiast, the jetty near the
Dupleix statue at the southern
end of the Boulevard offers a
mesmerising scene of these
fishermen setting out for their
day’s fishing and their silhouetted
boats bobbing up and down in the
bay. This fascinating happening
may be enjoyed from blue hour to
well past the golden hour in the
morning. The local authorities very
thoughtfully keep the boulevard
closed for motorised traffic till 8am
to help the locals and tourists to
take a carefree morning walk here.
 
Besides the visual delight offered
by Pondicherry, it also offers a
delectable fare for the foodies.
Some of the places worth dining
at include Le Club, Rendezvous,
Alliance Francaise and Baker Street.
Do take a trip to Pondicherry if you
wish to experience a slice of France
in India.
ˆ

Manakula Vinayagar Koil

64

Smart Photography December 2014

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66

Breath taking interiors of the Cathedral
Smart Photography December 2014

www.smartphotography.in

DUOMO
DI
MILANO
(Milan Cathedral)
H. S. Billimoria

M

ilan has for long been
regarded as the fashion
capital of Italy. The streets
surrounding the Cathedral Square are
indeed lined with some of the best
fashion labels in the world.
The Milan Cathedral, however, is
clearly the center of attraction in
Milan. This Gothic Cathedral is an
architectural wonder and took nearly
600 years to complete. The Cathedral is
dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente and
is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan.
In 1896, the statue of King Victor
Emmanuel II of Italy was inaugurated
in the Cathedral Square.
Entrance to the main hall is free.
However, if you want to take
photographs or reach the top, there is a
small fee. Try and go to the Cathedral
during a service and the divine cum
ethereal power of the Cathedral will
surely overwhelm you. ˆ

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December 2014 Smart Photography

67

PHOTO FEATURE
The intricate work done on the roof the adjoining shopping plaza

Beautifully carved figurines hold you spellbound!

68

Smart Photography December 2014

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The main chapel

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December 2014 Smart Photography

69

The architechtural excellence of the Cathedral is to be seen to be believed!

PHOTO FEATURE

Beautifully carved statues like this are plenty

70

Smart Photography December 2014

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December 2014 Smart Photography

71

PHOTO FEATURE
Intricate working on the gate

The exquisite shopping plaza

72

Smart Photography December 2014

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The sides of the Cathedral are equally impressive!

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December 2014 Smart Photography

73

PHOTO FEATURE

All pictures shot using Panasonic GH3 with 12-35mm and 35-100mm lenses

The Gothic architecture extends to the Opera House

74

Smart Photography December 2014

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PAGE
180 ISSUE
RS.125

ISSUE 6
VOLUME 09
SEPTEMBER 2013

THE BIG FIGHT: NORMAL LENSES



PREMIUM COMPACTS



REVIEWS: CANON EOS 70D

TOUGH CAMERAS
RS.125

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 ZOOM



PENTAX K-50
RS.125

INTERVIEW
SURAJ DAS

LEARNING: STAR TRAIL

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REVIEWED

PENTAX K30

INTERVIEWS
KAUSHIK BHATIA
VINCENT VERSACE

Canon EOS 70D

EXPERT TECHNIQUES
PHOTOGRAPHING PETS
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH BABIES

BASIC TIPS FOR
WONDERFUL
MACROS

For the very best techniques, advice and images from the world of photography,
look no further than Smart Photography magazine - India’s biggest photography
magazine.

Pentax K-50

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VINAYAK DAS AND SNIGDHA SHEEL
NIKLESH MALKANI
ANAND RATHI AND ABHINAV SAH
INTERVIEW
KIRAN POONACHA

ALL ABOUT
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TRAVEL
FEATURE
VARANASI

TUTORIAL: EXPOSURE EXPOSED


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SENIOR ADVOCATE
ADHIK SHIRODKAR SPEAKS

SOFTWARE PREVIEW: PHOTOSHOP CREATIVE CLOUD ● PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE: SHOOTING ALBUM COVERS

From reviews on SLRs, Compacts and Smartphones to advice and tips on
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Smart Photography Magazine is the perfect read for anyone wanting to get more
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and keeps you informed of the latest photo gear launches.
Smart Photography Magazine is the first choice for photographers looking to take
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techniques, you can learn new photo and imaging skills the smart way.

TUTORIAL
HIGHLIGHT WARNING AND HISTOGRAM
ALSO REVIEWED
OLYMPUS 45MM F/1.8 MSC
SIGMA 18-35MM F/1.8 DC HSM

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December 2014*

City

THOUGHT-PROVOKING

The Humans of India
Tanika Godbole

A

n unemployed
amateur
photographer,
Brandon Stanton started
photographing strangers
on the streets of New York,
and posted them on his
photo-blog along with
snippets of conversations
with them. This brain-child
of his, known as ‘Humans
of New York’ (HoNY)
slowly grew in popularity
worldwide. HoNY won
the 2013 People’s Voice
Webby Award in the “Best
Use of Photography”
category. In October 2014,
his book by the same
name was released and in
2014, he went on a 50-day
trip around 11 countries
(India was one of them) in
collaboration with
the United Nations to
capture stories of people
around the globe. The
HoNY page had about
10 million followers on
Facebook and 400,000
followers on Tumblr, as
of October 2014.

Sourjya Singh,
Humans of Kolkata
(https://www.
facebook.com/
humanskolkata?fref=ts)
Sourjya Singh is the
Director of Responsible
Charity, a humanist charity
working for the slum communities of
India, and a student of microbiology.
He came across HoNY in late 2013,
and tried searching for a similar
Facebook page about his hometown,
Kolkata. There wasn’t any. So, he
decided to create one himself. “Since
childhood, we have been taught to
not speak to random strangers, and
that has alienated us from each other.
These days, people are so busy with

‘I’ve performed all over the world. Few days ago I performed in Paris, in front
of the Eiffel Tower. But Bengal is the best. Nothing compares to my motherland.
Nothing can ever come close.

their Smartphones and Tablets that
they don’t even look at other people
on the street. That’s why I thought
this idea had great impact. I started
the Facebook page, Humans of
Kolkata, on February 14 this year.
Sourjya works with two other page
administrators, and also accepts
contributions from the public. “It is
unwise to believe that a single person
can photograph people from a city of
14 million. And, of course, we give
proper photo credits to each of the
contributors. We have a strict policy
against selfies though!”
Approaching strangers on the street
to photograph them isn’t an easy job.
Sourjya says, “people tend to ask,
‘why do you want to take my picture?
Why should I share my personal
feelings with you?’ But after a while,
it gets easier. Even though people are

Music is transcendental for me. While performing I am often overcome with
emotions, I often end up with tears in my eye.’ - Golam Fokir, Jadavpur

The most striking feature
about his blog is the
thought-provoking and
earnest nature of the
conversations with regular
people, that we often tend
to overlook because of
our busy, fast-paced lives.
HoNY inspired many
similar pages around
the world. Here are the
founders of such pages
for the cities of Kolkata,
Bangalore and Mumbai,
who wanted to bring the
magic of HoNY to their
own cities.

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Smart Photography December 2014

www.smartphotography.in

Seen on a Taxi: ‘Most of the income from this taxi is donated to the children of Sundarbans
Orphanage School. I am requesting you to not slap traffic fines on the Taxi.’ - Gazi Jallal Uddin.

Sreya Vittaldev,
Humans of Bangalore

Shanti Mallick is the first woman footballer from India to win the
Arjuna Award, given to outstanding sports persons of the country.
She won the award in 1983.
“ I was a part of the Indian World Cup team, when it wasn’t affiliated to FIFA. I also captained the women’s team in the ‘83 Asian
Cup, that almost won the cup. But I got a job in the Railways,
because of my performance in Hockey! That’s how bad the state of
Women’s Football was, those days. It’s not improved much these
days either. We are at rank 50 in the world, but very few people
know about that, and a fewer number of people care about it.”
Oh. did we mention, she is a National Handball Champion as well.
And she’s never been booked all her professional career. No Yellow
Card, no Red Card.
A true champion.

sceptical about talking to strangers,
over 70% of the people I approach
allow me to photograph them!”

I feel like a policewala in this uniform madam, but if I were
really a policewala, I’d do so much more for our society.”

(https://www.facebook.com/
bangalorehumans?fref=ts)
Originally from Chennai,
Marketing Consultant Sreya
Vittaldev moved to Bangalore
a few years ago. When she came
across HoNY, what struck her was
people shedding their inhibitions
and sharing their personal stories.
“The stories and Stanton’s idea of
bringing them to a public platform

Along with the regular posts,
Sourjya did a series on ‘Jatra’, the
rural folk theatre of Bengal. He also
extensively covered the Gay Pride
Parade of Kolkata and the recent
protests of students at Jadavpur
University. He’s currently working
on a series about child labourers
in the city, in collaboration with
Help Portrait Kolkata. “In this day
and age of social media, we are
becoming increasingly anti-social.
We hardly make eye contact with
people whom we share public
transport with, let alone talk to
them. Working on this project has
helped me open up. I hope it helps
other people too,” wishes Sourjya.
www.smartphotography.in

December 2014 Smart Photography

77

THOUGHT-PROVOKING

”I picked up the habit of wearing a flower in my hair because of my sister. She was a decade younger, I was
only 18 when she passed away due to bad health. Everyday, she would go to our garden where our uncle
grew flower patches. We had roses, daisies, hibiscus and jasmines. There was also a tiny lotus pod growing
in the mud pot we laid. Before I used to leave for work every morning, she would pick the flowers and put
one in my hair while the rest went to the Gods in our prayer room. The hibiscus was her favourite, she even
used to tuck them behind the dog’s ear.”

like Facebook moved me. The very
thought that someone spent time
curating the stories, really stuck with
me. It was over a phone call with
one of my close friends, that I
impulsively took the decision and
began the page. It was a random
thought, but I put it to a vision and
decided to work on it.”
Even though she is the sole
administrator of the page, Sreya had
hired two school interns to work on
her page. “Reader contributions are
welcome on our page as well. But
I’m very particular about what goes
on the page, so there’s a necessity
to filter out content as well,” says
Sreya. Initially starting with her
iPhone camera, she soon moved
to a Nikon D-SLR to take pictures
for the Humans of Bangalore page.
Sreya noticed, “readers don’t mind
low quality images, as long as there’s
a meaningful story, that they can
connect with. At the same time, a
good grade quality image is pointless
if there’s no story to it.”
Her purpose behind founding this
Facebook page was to break social
stereotypes and accept people for
their shortcomings. She always gets
approval from her subjects, and if
need be, takes another shot, in case

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Smart Photography December 2014

“I live alone, my parents are divorced and it’s difficult
for me to cope with their inability to get along with
each other, at least for my sake. I work double shifts,
sometimes I lose track of time because of the number of
hours I’ve worked. Just wish that my parents would get
back together, I miss being in a family and I’d be lying
if I said it didn’t hurt. I am confident that I’ll make it
big, I’ll be successful and I don’t have to worry about
paying my rent or where my next meal is coming
from...real soon.”

people want a better angle or wish to
smile better. “People are becoming
aware that a forum like this exists,
and they go back home and take a
few minutes to go through the other
stories as well. And it doesn’t just
stop there, they sometimes leave
me messages on the page, and they
engage in other posts with other
readers too. It’s wonderful to see
that.”

Karishma Mehta,
Humans of Bombay
(https://www.
facebook.com/pages/
Humans-of-Bombay/
188056068070045
?fref=ts)
Mumbai girl Karishma Mehta
conducts Positive Thinking and
Affirmation classes for women
under an organisation called

Knoq. She was fascinated by the
way so many strangers connected
via the platform of HoNY. Her
page, Humans of Bombay is run
by her and her interns. And as
for choosing Bombay instead of
Mumbai, she says, “Mumbai is
the official name given to our city
but as an individual I felt more
emotionally connected to Bombay.
It felt more like home.”
Karishma initially was
apprehensive of talking to
strangers in the street. But after
about a year of working on this
page, she feels at ease. “At the
beginning of every shoot, I still
tend to feel nervous, but gradually,
I get with the flow of things
and feel more comfortable. A
photograph speaks more about the
person than the written word. We
try to keep it as candid as possible
to retain the story.”
Karishma recently conducted
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a photo-shoot at Kamathipura,
and the lives of the sex workers’
children amazed her. Their
positivity and enthusiasm towards
their life and future goals in spite
of their difficult lives and lack of
opportunities has left a lasting
impression on her.
Peeping into the lives of people
around you changes your
perception towards life. Karishma
says, “You honestly never know
what the person sitting next to

“My daughter was born prematurely because of which she has multiple disabilities.
As a result of that, no normal school was accepting her and even though she’s capable
of learning, she wasn’t getting the chance to. That’s when I decided to start a school
and learning center for my daughter and those like her - because it’s so unfair that
even though their disabilities are through no fault of their own, they are almost being
punished by being deprived of an education. Even though they aren’t like us, they have
their own little dreams in their world, which is very different from ours... Every child,
whether special or not, deserves the chance to feel closer to achieving that dream.”

“I met her for the first time around 1936 at a balloon shop. She was a few years
younger than me, but full of spirit. We bet 1 Paisa over who could blow the biggest balloon and when I won, she was so furious she went to her mother’s house
and brought back 1 Rupee to give to me. That’s how we first met, but after
that day we were inseparable - playing together, fighting with one another but
mostly laughing uncontrollably. Finally, our parents asked us to take it forward
and we got married in 1942 in Karachi, which is our hometown. Back then,
nobody expected the partition so we had all our factories set up in Bombay and
naturally we moved here; but that’s the only sad part - we haven’t been able to
go back to our hometown or the first house we lived in after marriage. There
are no regrets though, I’ve had only happy memories with my wife, whether
here or in Pakistan - the place has hardly mattered.”

“Being a woman is difficult.”
“When was the last time you felt like it
was difficult?”
“Everyday.”
“So what do you do about it?”
“Carry on.”

you is like; and what
kind of battles he’s
fighting. Moreover,
most people I’ve met
have been inspiring
and they’re people
on the streets, in
public transport and
in restaurants. You
just have to step out
of your comfort zone
and make that extra
effort to know and
experience more.” ˆ
www.smartphotography.in

December 2014 Smart Photography

79

Await the

Awards
for Excellence

in Photography

How Good Is Your

Camera Service Network?
Rohinton Mehta

A

s a camera user, have you
ever wondered what you
would do if your camera
or lens ever needed service? When
purchasing a camera, have you
ever considered that things can
go wrong even with the best of
products? And if they do, where
should you take them for the
required repairs?
Well, these questions are not
new. In the film-camera-days,
things were a bit different though,
because most cameras then were
mechanical. These days however,
sophisticated micro-electronics
play a higher role. Parts which were
repairable earlier, need complete
replacements now. For a modern
camera to work at full efficiency,
repairs to individual parts are
almost out of question. Many
small-time camera repair shops
have closed down because advanced
technology has done them in.
Manufacturers do not sell spares to
individual users (at least in India),
so there is no way you can (even if
you are technically qualified) repair
your digital camera yourself.
Considering all this, it is vitally
important that you have a
good service back-up from the
manufacturer of your camera. We
requested all camera manufacturers
having a base in India to provide
us the data regarding their service
facilities. Here they are:

Canon Service Centers
Canon India has a total of 18 Master
Service Centres (MSC) + 105
Collection Points.
Collection Points – The cities where
Canon service centre is not available,

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Smart Photography December 2014

e) Rubber Grip
replacement
f) Repair of LCD/
Shutter release
SW/Rear Cover/
Top Assembly
(including Mode
Dial)

Canon Service Centre

various collection points have been
created wherein the customer can
deposit their defective cameras,
which will be further shipped to the
nearest service centre for repairs.
• Level III MSC - 13 nos.
• Level IV MSC - 5 nos.
• Collection Points – 105 nos.
Canon Master Service Centers are
very well equipped to cater to all
kinds of service needs for all models
of Canon cameras. Camera service
centres are divided into two major
categoriesLevel III Master Service Centre
– Offers first and second level of
camera services (Digital cameras and
D-SLR’s).
Services include:
a) CMOS sensor cleaning for all
models

Level IV Master
Service Centre
– Offers all levels
of camera repairs
(Digital cameras,
Camcorders and
Cinema EOS Cameras)
Services include:a) All high level repairs related to
adjustments which require high
efficient tools.
b) Latest Firmware updates
c) Lens cleaning (front & back
element only, without dis-assembly)
d) Cleaning/replacement of Focusing
Screen/Plate Superimpose indication.
e) Rubber Grip replacement
f) Repair of LCD/Shutter release SW/
Rear Cover/Top Assembly (including
Mode Dial)

Fujifilm Service Centres
Fujifilm India has a total of 4 service
centres + 48 Collection Centres.

b) Latest Firmware updates
c) Lens cleaning (front & back
element only, without dis-assembly)
d) Cleaning/replacement
of Focusing Screen/Plate
Superimpose indication.

All the 4 service centres are
company-owned. They are at
Gurgaon (L1 to L4 services);
Mumbai (L1 to L3 services), Kolkata
(L1 to L3 services) and Chennai
(L1 to L3 services). These service
centres are capable of providing the
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facilities (5 owned by Nikon India
and 19 Nikon Authorised Service
Centres) for D-SLRs.

Sony Service Centres
Sony India has a network of 150
Service Centres + 148 Collection
Centres
Out of these, 147 centres are L1 and
L2 category, 3 are L4 category. The
148 Collection Centres also carry out
minor repairs to digital still cameras
and camcorders.
L1 service support includes body
cleaning, firmware updates, external
Lens cleaning, accessory replacement
viz. lens cap, battery, charger, collar,
grip etc. Both Alpha L1 and L2
service centres can repair E-mount
and A-Mount bodies.
Fujifilm Service Centre, Chennai

necessary service support for all
digital cameras and lenses. They also
have 48 Collection Centres spread
throughout the country, wherein they
offer L1 support.

Centres, out of which 17 centres
are capable of repairing Compacts,
D-SLRs and Lenses (minor repairs
of lenses) and 15 centres can repair
Compact cameras.

L1 support: Call registration,
physical check-up of the equipment,
problem confirmation, basic
troubleshooting and user application
related  support.

Besides the above, Nikon India has a
total of 64 Collection Centres where
Nikon equipment can be collected
and sent to the nearest service centre.

L2 support: Escalated calls (those
where the problem has not been
resolved) from L1, and technical
support by telephone.

Nikon India will be adding 2 more
service centres by end November
2014, making a total of 24 service

Sony India’s 3 full-fledged L4
category service centres are at Delhi,
Mumbai and Bangalore, but they
will soon be adding 2 more. These
L4 service centres can repair all Sony
cameras and lenses and are equipped
with necessary spare parts and tools
like the Aori Adjuster (to ensure
that the imaging sensor is exactly
parallel to the camera mount), Light
Box, Collimator, Vibration tester,
Shutter tester, Lens projection tester
to handle lens repair and adjustment
up to f/1.4. This also includes lens
element cleaning and replacement,
all types of mechanical and electrical

Nikon Service Centre , Gurgaon

L3 support: Escalated calls from L2;
all types of major repairs for camera,
basic repair support of lenses.
L4 support: Escalated calls from L3;
all types of major repairs to cameras
and lenses.

Nikon Service Centres
Nikon India has a total of 37 Service
Centres + 64 Collection Centres.
5 service centres are owned by Nikon
India – where they can do all types
of repairs on Compact cameras,
D-SLRs, Lenses and Accessories;
32 are Nikon Authorised Service
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December 2014 Smart Photography

83

Sony India service centre

and 1 service centre is
Master Service Centre (L4
category) which repair all
Olympus products. The
Collection Centres collect
the product and send
the same to the nearest
service station.

Panasonic
Service Centres
Panasonic India has 64
Service Centres + 118
Collection Centres

Panasonic L-4 Service Centre, Ahmedabad

adjustment for camera bodies, lenses,
main board, shutter, mirror box, etc.
For lenses, which are affected with
fungus within the elements of a
group, the repair is done by replacing
the entire group of lenses.

Ricoh Service Centre
Ricoh India Limited has one authorised
service centre in Mumbai. All Ricoh
India Ltd offices in India are Collection
Centres of Ricoh and Pentax cameras.
The quality of modern cameras,
especially D-SLRs, is very good
and ordinarily they should not fail.
On the rare occasion that they do,
it is comforting to know that the
manufacturer has a service network
that is easily accessible. As regards
quality of service, we would be happy
to know reader experiences.
ˆ

ASC TYPE

Total

Level of Work

L1-L2

36

Software upgradation, lens cleaning, LCD change, minor repairs

L3

23

Lens replacement, PCB replacement, LCD replacement, Software
alignments etc.

L4

5

All type of repairs, discrete component level repair for PCB and Lens.

Olympus Imaging India Pvt. Ltd
has a total of 8 service centres + 19
Collection Centres.

Collection Centres

118

Collect the camera from customer. Inspect the camera. Any misuse
by the customer (like water damage, camera fallen down, any type of
physical damage). Send to L4 for repair

Seven service centres are L3 category

Grand Total

182

Olympus Imaging Service
Centres

84

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RS .12 5
ISS UE 9
VO LU ME 10
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DECEMBER 201
SUB SCR IBE R’S

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AGAZINE!
R 1 IMAGING M
INDIA’S NUMBE
TRAVELOGUE

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PHOT RE
FEATU DI

DUOMO
ANORAL)
MILTH
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Pondicherry

117

(MILAN

CA

ER 2014

ME 10 | DECEMB

ISSUE 9 | VOLU

LEARNINGS

WHAT COLOURS MEAN
STYLING
IMPORTANCE OF FOOD
E VIEW
UNDERSTANDING LIV
OR
OPTICAL VIEWFINDERDER?
ELECTRONIC VIEWFIN

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PHOTO FEATURE

REMEMBERING

ADHIK SHIRODKAR
(15th July 1931-19th April 2014)

A

dhik Shirodkar was a highly
successful criminal lawyer,
and at the same time, he was a
very accomplished nature and wildlife
photographer. What many don’t know
about him is that he was also a Member
of Parliament for six years from 1995
to 2001.
Though Senior Advocate Adhik
Shirodkar was a legal person, his first
love was for nature and wildlife. In spite
of his high-pressure job, he continued
to find time to pursue his beloved hobby

and held many ‘One-Man-Shows’ of
his photographs.
In spite of his standing in the legal
profession, he was extremely humble
and always encouraged photography as
an art. He was a very jovial person and
was loved by one and all for his humour
and kindness. We at Smart Photography
miss him and cherish his contribution to
nature and wildlife photography.
Shown here are some of Adhik
Shirodkar’s works. Enjoy them!

ˆ

Lion

86

Smart Photography December 2014

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Cheetahs

Lilac-Breasted Roller

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Tiger
December 2014 Smart Photography

87

PHOTO FEATURE
Ranthambhore - Tiger

Elephants

Vulturinc Guincafowl

88

Smart Photography December 2014

Grey Heron

Leopard

Pied Kingfisher

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Advertorial

THE DAIMOND TRIANGLE OF

ODISHA

Ratnagiri: The ruins at Ratnagiri is a Buddhist monastery situated on a hill top.
Ratnagiri: The massive head structure of Buddha

A

home to remarkable Buddhist remains, a part of the Diamond Triangle (Ratnagiri-Lalitgiri-Udaygiri). It is located 70 kms away from
Cuttack. A renowned holy destination, it has several important Buddhist sculptures around the hills. According to some excavations,
the region was part of the Gupta Dynasty in 6th Century A.D. Buddhist sculptures from this state have been exhibited at various world
class museums in China, Belgium, etc.

A tour of the Buddhist sites of Odisha will take you to exquisite temples, stupas, and monuments set in an ambience of serenity and spiritual
activities. Hidden away in the green hills and lush fields amidst the serenity of Mahanadi basin lie the remains of an imposing Buddhist
monastery complex of the Vajrayana sects, called Pashupagiri, in Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitgiri. These three Buddhist destinations form
the Diamond Triangle of Odisha.

90

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Udayagiri: The stupas which surround Ratnagiri, and
the famous Buddhist monastery located in Udaygiri

Connectivity
Airway-The nearest
airport is Bhubaneswar,
90-100 km away .
Railway - The nearest
railheads are Cuttack
(70 km away from
Ratnagiri, 60 km from
Udayagiri and 55 km
from Lalitgiri) and J.K
Road (65 km) which
are connected with all
major cities of India.
Roadway- Good
motorable roads
connect LalitgiriRatnagiri-Udayagiri.
Patharajpur is the
bus stop for Lalitgiri;
Krushnadaspur is the
bus stop for Ratnagiri
and Udaygiri. Autos
are available at
Krushnachandrapur to
Ratnagir and Udaygiri.

Lalitagiri: The buddhist complex in Lalitagiri.

Major Attractions
Ratnagiri is the largest Buddhist monastery we have till know, flourished from 4th to 14th century AD with most of sculptors of hundreds Votive
Stupa & brick Stupa and huge monastery. The Buddhist philosophy and heritage comes alive in these silent monuments. The massive stone
sculptures of Lord Buddha’s head at Ratnagiri are particularly awe-inspiring. More than two dozen such carvings of various sizes, magnificently
depicting the serene meditative expression of Buddha, were found during the excavations.
The Udaygiri Caves comprise of eighteen rock cut caves that depicts the unique religious legacy of the ancient times. Located at a height of
135 feet, the Udaygiri hills were commonly referred to as Kumari Parvata during the ancient period.
The Lalitgiri (Archeological site of a Buddhist Monastery from 4th to 8th Century AD) consists of Monastery parts and many votive Stupa,
all different Buddhist sculptors with Chaita hall and a huge stupa from where caskets of Budha’s relic is available.
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December 2014 Smart Photography

91

Can’t wait to print your TRAVEL PHOTOS
on this CANVAS!
Dear Readers,
Smart Travel Contest will be a Smart
Photography magazine’s MONTHLY
photography contest.
The arts and crafts of India are a reflection of
the country’s aesthetics, which is steeped

in history and mythology. Send us a picture
that captures this richness and diversity of
our country, be it a travel DESTINATION or
CULTURE, give us the snapshots and we will
print our favourite.

SMART TRAVEL
C O N T E S T

Important:
• You have to Guarantee that the picture was shot by you. Selection of winning image will be based on the visual
appeal of the image.
• If there are people in the picture who can be identified, we will need a model release.
• Picture should not have been printed in any magazine / newspaper, or offered to any publication.
• Image send to us should be mentioned with “City name “ 300 dpi Hi-Resolution image.
• Email your Photo to : [email protected] with “Smart Travel Contest ” as the subject .
• Maximum Images required will be 4 images.

LEARNING

Understanding Photography

Picture 3: Here the colour combinations, red and
green, are more contrasty and striking to the eye..

Colour in

Photography
Graphic by Ravikanth B.

Ashok Kandimalla

ver since it became possible to
record colour, it has played an
important role in photography.
Colour is used in photography in
several ways - to enhance the subject,
to give the image the right mood,
emphasize a particular aspect, and in
general to increase the overall visual
impact. All in all, colour had such
a major influence that today black
and white photography has become
a niche area with mainstream going
colour.

Picture 2: Though the colours are saturated they
are still harmonious since they are adjacent colours.

the eye. A good example for this type
is the blue and yellow combination
which has very high contrast.
Another example is the green and
red pair (Picture 3). You can use such
a colour combination to emphasize
separation between the subjects or
to make a picture very striking to the
eye.
Let us look at some more attributes
that are given to colours. Two more
terms that are often used to describe
colours in photography are “Warm”
and “Cool”. Colours like orange,
red and brown are called warm
colours. The basis is for this is human
perception. Fire is red, the sun is
bright yellow, etc. Likewise blue,
green etc. are called cool colours.
Once again, cold objects like ice
bergs, glaciers, etc. which are bluish
are the reason for this perception.

The basics of colours: What is
colour? Photography as you know
literally means (photo=light,
graph=drawing) drawing with light.

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 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]

94

Picture 1: The Colour wheel.

Light itself can be considered
as waves and different
wavelengths of light have
different colours. There are
two basic types of colours
– primary and secondary.
The former are those colours
from which all the others,
called secondary colours, are
derived.
There are three primary
colours viz. Red (R), Green
(G) and Blue (B). For
example, you can get brown
by mixing red, green and
blue (primary colours) in the
ratio of (approximately) 8:6:1.
There are literally infinite
colours that can be generated

but in photography they are limited
to around a few billion (depending
on the sophistication of the camera).
However, a normal human can see
about 16.7 million colours.
You can arrange the colours in the
form of a wheel called the “Colour
Wheel” (Picture 1). This will help you
how to understand colours. Colours
that are adjacent to each other in
the colour wheel are considered to
be harmonious to each other; that is
the transition from one to another is
smooth. For example, blue and green
are harmonious. So are red, orange
and yellow (Picture 2). As opposed to
this, the colours on the opposite side
of the colour wheel are supposed to
be contrasting, that is the transition
is abrupt and hence more jarring to

Colours and Emotions:
Do you know that the
colours have emotions
associated with them?
Not only that, each colour
invokes a specific feeling
(cheerful, sad, angry, etc.)
in us. It also makes you feel
how the environment is
(cold, hot, tranquil, etc.).
Hence, as a photographer
you should be aware

Another two attributes that are
given to colours are “Receding” and
“Advancing” colours. As before this
is a perception formed based on how
you view things naturally. Warm
colours are more prominent and
generally pop at you. As opposed
to this colours like green and blue
are less emphatic. Also, when you
look at landscapes you will find that
the objects like sky and meadows

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Smart Photography December 2014

are generally away thus
representing open spaces.
For these reasons cooler
colours are called receding
and warm colours are
called advancing. You as a
photographer can use these
attributes to put colours to
good use (Picture 4). Here,
the advancing colours
(pink and brown) though
smaller in area were used
in foreground and are more
noticeable while the most
of background (receding)
is green. Reversing (that
is cooler colours in front
and warmer colours to
the back) will appear
less appealing due to our
perceptions.

Picture 4: This photograph is a good
example of use of advancing and
receding colours. See text for details..

which colour does what and use that
knowledge judiciously to make your
photographs have the maximum
impact. Table 1 gives in brief what
different colours convey.

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December 2014 Smart Photography

95

LEARNING

94

Colour in Photography

Learnings

E

Optical Viewfinder Or
Electronic Viewfinder?
Rohinton Mehta

Let’s see their respective advantages and disadvantages:

L

et’s first see what a ‘viewfinder’
(VF) is. As the name suggests,
its a device on a camera (or
camcorder) that lets you view the
scene in front of you. An ‘optical
viewfinder’ uses optics (generally,
glass or plastic elements) in its
construction. Note that an optical
viewfinder can be ‘eye-level’ (as in

Optical Viewfinder (OVF)

a compact/SLR/D-SLR) or ‘waistlevel’ (as in a TLR or Twin Lens
Reflex camera).
An ‘Electronic Viewfinder’ (EVF)
shows the subject/captured image
that is electronically projected on a
small display.
Both do the same thing but in
different ways.

Optical Viewfinder (OVF)

Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

Uses optics

Uses electronic display similar to the LCD at the
back of the camera

The camera need not be ‘On’ to view the subject
through the OVF

The camera has to be ‘On’ to view the subject
through the EVF

Subject is easy to view in bright light

Subject is easy to view in bright light

Subject is difficult to view in low light

Subject is easy to view even in low lvight

Clarity is good

Clarity is not always as good (though some new
EVFs are almost as good as OVFs)

Does not use battery power

Uses battery power

In some cases, can have parallax error (as with
range-finder type cameras)

No parallax error. EVF sees exactly what the
sensor sees

Subject view is temporarily blocked (with
D-SLRs) when the reflex mirror swings up
during exposure

View is never blocked

OVF cannot be used to review the shot pictures

EVF can be used to review ‘stills’ as well as videos

Does not fool the eye in evaluating subject/scene
brightness

Fools the eye in believing that the subject/scene
is bright even when the subject/scene is dark

Cannot display additional details

EVFs can display additional details such as
histogram, electronic level etc

Accurately displays speedy action

Some EVFs may not be able to accurately
display speedy actions

So which would be
the right viewfinder
for you? Most users
may opt for the optical
viewfinder but if you
ask me, I would opt
for a high-resolution
electronic viewfinder.
As mentioned above,
EVFs are getting better
day-by-day (check out
the EVF on a Panasonic
GH3, GH4 or FZ1000)
Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

99

and I like the idea of
viewing the scene in
detail even in the dark.
I also like the fact
that I can review my
images (stills as well
as videos) in the EVF.
As for using up battery
power with an EVF,
I think that is a small
price to pay for the
convenience
it offers.
ˆ

Optical Viewfinder, Waist-level

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December 2014 Smart Photography

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99

LEARNING
Pic 1

Importance of
Food Styling
Dilip Yande

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].

I

have mentioned in my previous
articles that photographing
tabletops is the art of putting life
in dead objects. This is achieved by
good composition and lighting; and
the use of right props makes it even
more attractive.
Let me go a step further and educate
you with information and knowledge
of a very specialized line connected
to food photography – and that is
food styling. Food photography has to
arouse the senses of the viewer and
create a feeling in the mind to taste
the dish.
Similar to what makeup men or
hairstylists do in a fashion shoot, a
food stylist does the same in tabletop
makeup and plays the major role in
preparing and presenting the dish
placed before the camera. This is a
very specialized line of work and
takes years of experience to learn the
tricks of the trade and understand
the properties of food.

100

Food stylists are needed by still
photographers as well as the
cinematographers who shoot
television commercials (TVCs).
In case of television commercials,
the job is even more difficult, as
sometimes the camera is moved
over the food or the dish is rotated
on a turn-table or steam has to be
seen when photographing a pipinghot biryani or a mouth- watering
splash of a blue mint slush has to be
photographed in slow motion. Hence
fifty percent credit for any good shot
involving food photography has to be
given to the food stylist!
Many new and budding
photographers have a lot of queries
as to how to go about in case of food
photography and when to involve a
food stylist onto the job. I’ll try to
clear all your difficulties one by one,
by first introducing and posing few
questions to a reputed food stylist of
the industry – Arati Kamat Fedane.
Later, I will explain how best to go
about it.

Q - What made you take this
profession as a food stylist?
Arati: I was a research chef for a
leading and reputed cook book.
The making of the recipe book
involved briefing the photographers
and having the food photographed
by them. It was during this period
of my career that I discovered this
profession of a stylist, understood its
importance, and fell in love with it.
Q - Define food styling.
Arati: Creating a feast for the eyes
– making food look so picturesque,
that one is tempted to eat what one
sees in the photo.
Q - Do you have categories in this
topic of food styling?
Arati: No. One should know the
basics of cooking to be able to style
it. If the stylist has rightly understood
the culture of the land for whom the
dish is being styled, it would help the
team of stylist, the photographer and
the production person to decide on
the right props.
Q - In what way is food styling
different from being a good chef?
Arati: A chef makes food that tastes
good; a food stylist makes food that
looks good!
A chef ’s main concern is taste
and aroma; the food stylist looks
at textures, shape, appearance,
freshness, garnishing etc.

Q - Do you feel that a food stylist is
a good chef? Or, are all good chefs
good food stylists?
Arati: Not sure... but it always helps
if a food stylist is a good chef as only
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Smart Photography December 2014

LEARNING

LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES

100
105
107

LEARNING
LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
Just Because You Know A Lot,
DoesBecause
Not Mean
ThatKnow
You Cannot
Just
You
A Lot, Forget!

Does Not Mean That You Cannot Forget!
Rohinton Mehta

Rohinton Mehta

T
T

his reminds me of a small poem
(don’t remember who wrote it!):

The more you learn the more you
know, his reminds me of a small poem
The more
youremember
know, the more
you it!):
(don’t
who wrote
forget,
The more you learn
forget,the more you
The
less you know.
know,
So
study?
Thewhy
more
you know, the more you
forget,
Please
don’t
follow
the above advice. It’s
The more
you
forget,
only
mentioned
in good humour.
The less
you know.
So why study?

Video goof-up

The other
day,
I wasthe
photographing
Please
don’t
follow
above advice. It’s
a birdmentioned
around a pool
of water.
D-SLR
only
in good
humour.
on a tripod, a 80-400mm zoom, good
light, and goof-up
no one to disturb me. Aah,
Video
aThe
perfect
I suddenly
thought
othersetting!
day, I was
photographing
a bird around a pool of water. D-SLR
on a tripod, a 80-400mm
goodon a Nikon D-SLR
Livezoom,
View button
light, and no one to disturb me. Aah,
a perfect setting! I suddenly thought
Live View button on a Nikon D-SLR

of recording the scene on video. I
pressed the video button. Nothing
happened. The video recording did not
start. May be I did not press the button
properly.
Pressed
the video
button
of recording
the scene
on video.
I once
again.
from the
video.
pressedNo
theresponse
video button.
Nothing
Rechecked
all settings.
Everything
happened. The
video recording
didwas
not
fine
thebevideo
record.
start.but
May
I didwon’t
not press
theWhat
button
could
be wrong?
the button
cameraonce
be
properly.
PressedCould
the video
defective?
Its got to from
be, otherwise
why
again. No response
the video.
should
the video
not start?
Checked
Rechecked
all settings.
Everything
was
and
butwon’t
no use.
fine rechecked,
but the video
record. What
could be wrong? Could the camera be
Suddenly
a bolt ofwhy
defective? itItsstruck
got tome
be,like
otherwise
lightning.
me! Checked
To record
should theHow
videosilly
notofstart?
aand
video
using a D-SLR,
you need to be
rechecked,
but no use.
in Live View. And here I was, trying
everything
even
Suddenly itelse,
struck
medoubting
like a boltthe
of
camera!
Live
ViewToand
then
lightning.I enabled
How silly
of me!
record
pressed
the video
button.
video
a video using
a D-SLR,
youThe
need
to be
recording
started.
Gosh!
in Live View.
And here
I was, trying
everything else, even doubting the
So
how come
I made
sillyand
mistake?
camera!
I enabled
Livethis
View
then
Well,
forthe
thevideo
last few
days,The
before
I
pressed
button.
video
started
re-using
myGosh!
D-SLR, I was using
recording
started.
a Bridge camera with an Electronic
So how come I made this silly mistake?
Live View
button
a Canon
Well,
for the
lastonfew
days,D-SLR
before I
started re-using my D-SLR, I was using
a Bridge camera with an Electronic

View Finder (EVF). And because of
the EVF, I was able to record video
while looking through the viewfinder.
So
what
does(EVF).
this little
episode
in of
View
Finder
And
because
frustration
teach
us?to record video
the
EVF, I was
able
while looking through the viewfinder.
The first thing to remember is that
this
can happen
anyone
– even
So what
does thistolittle
episode
in
someone
in the
frustrationknowledgeable
teach us?
subject. When you keep changing
your
camera
do (we receive
The first
thinglike
to Iremember
is that
and
use various
this can
happen cameras
to anyonefor– review,
even
each
withknowledgeable
different featureinsets
someone
theand
different
ergonomics),
can
subject. When
you keepyou
changing
fall
to like
momentary
of
yourvictim
camera
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receive
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Hence,
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very important
master
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momentary
camera
rather than
keepget
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mixedwith
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Hence, itscameras.
very important to master
the various features of your own
IS/VRand repeatedly use the same
camera
Here’s another
boo-boo.
I don’twith
camera
rather than
keep flirting
know about
you, but I very often
different
cameras.

IS/VR
Here’s another boo-boo. I don’t
know about you, but I very often

Live View button on a Canon D-SLR

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December 2014 Smart Photography

December 2014 Smart Photography

105

105

then can he/she modify the food so
that it looks good. The same can be
said for a chef…if he can make the
food look good as well.. its always
an advantage!
Q -In food styling, what is
it that you enjoy doing the
most? Indian food, non-Indian
food (then specify), cocktails
and mocktails, fast-food,
tandoors, etc or ice-creams?
Is there any specialization in
any subtopic, looking at the
international platform?
Arati: Every day is an adventure.
Every day is a new challenge; that’s
whats exciting about this work.

Personally, I enjoy styling most of
the food. Because in every category
you mentioned, there is a different
challenge and there is a different
technique.

Q - Which do you feel is the most
challenging category of the lot?

www.smartphotography.in

Arati: Styling ice-creams in summer,
that too if the art director or client
insists on an outdoor shot.

Q -Do they make dummy ice-cream
scoops for the shoot? Or is it real
ice-cream?
Arati: It goes both ways. Entirely
depends on the client. Both can be
made to look nice in the picture.

Q -What is the exact role of a
food-stylist in terms of propping a
picture with background, general
props, table props, cutlery, crockery
etc.?
Arati: In smaller shoots, the food
stylist organizes everything; in larger
ones, there is a designated propstylist. It’s more fulfilling as an artist
if I undertake to do the whole thing,
as then I can visualize the whole
picture and bring it to life.
Q - How many shots can be
photographed in a day?
Arati: Ideally, about 6 -7.

Q - Is a well styled yummy-looking
dish necessarily palatable?
Arati: Hahaha… well…it looks
yummy…that’s what we get paid for;
it’s not necessary for it to be edible!

Q - Could you give photographers
general tips on the ‘chemistry’
involved in food- styling?
Arati: (1) If you want show chillies
floting in vinegar, put fresh chillies
in water (instead of vinegar) and add
salt to it.
2) Mix glycerin with water to create
condensation droplets
3) Add salt to make beer more frothy
4) Add vinegar when cooking rice to
make it more white
5) Sprinkle iron filings on food and
then add hydrochloric acid over it to
make it look piping hot.
6) Apply salt to apple slices to
prevent them form turning blackish,
then brush the slices when you are
about to take the shot.
Q - In the olden days, coloured
December 2014 Smart Photography

101

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LEARNING

Just Because You
Know A Lot,
Does Not Mean That
You Cannot Forget!

In Praise Of Live View
Rohinton Mehta

Pentaprism

W

hat exactly is Live View?
Why do we need Live
View, especially when
we have lived without it for so many
years? Is it just one of the newfangled
features that puts some more pressure
on our learning curve? Or, is it really
a useful feature that could enhance
our photography? Read on...

Aperture blades

Imaging sensor

Reflex mirror

Live View is a function of a digital
camera that allows us to ‘pre-view’
a subject/scene before an exposure
is made. The image that is normally
recorded on the sensor is directed to
the viewing screen (the LCD). The
LCD being larger than the viewfinder
display, allows us to see an enlarged
‘pre-view’. While Live View is the
default method to view our images on
a compact digital camera (including
point-and-shoot models and some
mirrorless interchangeable lens
cameras that do not have viewfinders),
with D-SLRs you have to switch
between viewfinder view and Live
View mode. On some cameras with
Live View, you can even check the
effects of various shutters speeds/
apertures (Live View Exposure
Simulation). As an example, if you
are photographing a waterfall, you
can check on-screen (without actually
taking the shot) the amount of silky
blur that you would get at a particular
shutter speed.

In Praise of Live View

In an SLR, a reflex mirror directs
the light from the subject on to the
viewfinder (see sketch). When you
press the shutter release button, the
diaphragm blades stop down to the
set aperture (the diaphragm blades
normally stay wide open even though
you set a particular aperture; this is
done so that the image does not go
dark), the reflex mirror swings out
of the way, the shutter blades open to
allow the light to strike the film/sensor
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Shutter

and the exposure is made. After the
exposure time is over, the process is
reversed – the shutter blades close first,
the mirror comes down to its original
position, and the diaphragm blades
open up fully once again.

When you set your D-SLR camera
to Live View mode, the reflex mirror
swings out of the way and the shutter
opens to allow the image to fall directly
on the imaging sensor, which then
digitises it and feeds it to the image
processor. The processed image is then
fed directly to the LCD where you can
pre-view the image. At this time the
image is not recorded to the memory
card because a circuitry bypasses the
recording stage. When you press the
shutter release button all the way, the
recording circuitry is energised and
the image is recorded to the memory
card. Because the mirror swings out
of the way and blocks the light path to
the viewfinder during Live View, you
cannot see the subject through the
optical viewfinder during this time.
Okay. That’s fine but what extra benefits
do we get using Live View?
Here they are:

1. More accurate autofocussing

When we use the viewfinder to
autofocus, the camera uses a method of
autofocussing called ‘Phase Detection’.
When we use Live View to autofocus,
the camera uses a method called
‘Contrast Detection’. Phase detection
is faster than contrast detection but
contrast detection method, though
slower, is more accurate. During
contrast detect AF, the focussing
mechanism turns the focus ring
beyond the point of peak focus and
then back, narrowing down the gap
each time till peak focus is achieved.
This is the reason why contrast detect
AF is slower. It is more accurate since
the lens only stops autofocussing
when maximum contrast is achieved
on the image that falls on the imaging
sensor (an image is at its maximum
sharpness when the contrast between
the different elements within is at the
maximum).
Live View focussing also helps when
the light levels are low, because it is
easier to check for sharp focus on the
larger LCD screen than it is on the
comparatively tiny viewfinder.
2. More accurate manual focussing
There are situations where manual
focussing is preferred, like when
photographing landscapes or macro.
December 2014 Smart Photography

107

LEARNING

Understanding Photography

Colour in
Graphic by Ravikanth B.

Ashok Kandimalla

E

ver since it became possible to
record colour, it has played an
important role in photography.
Colour is used in photography in
several ways - to enhance the subject,
to give the image the right mood,
emphasize a particular aspect, and in
general to increase the overall visual
impact. All in all, colour had such
a major influence that today black
and white photography has become
a niche area with mainstream going
colour.
The basics of colours: What is
colour? Photography as you know
literally means (photo=light,
graph=drawing) drawing with light.

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 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]

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Smart Photography December 2014

Picture 1: The Colour wheel.

Light itself can be considered
as waves and different
wavelengths of light have
different colours. There are
two basic types of colours
– primary and secondary.
The former are those colours
from which all the others,
called secondary colours, are
derived.
There are three primary
colours viz. Red (R), Green
(G) and Blue (B). For
example, you can get brown
by mixing red, green and
blue (primary colours) in the
ratio of (approximately) 8:6:1.
There are literally infinite
colours that can be generated

but in photography they are limited
to around a few billion (depending
on the sophistication of the camera).
However, a normal human can see
about 16.7 million colours.
You can arrange the colours in the
form of a wheel called the “Colour
Wheel” (Picture 1). This will help you
how to understand colours. Colours
that are adjacent to each other in
the colour wheel are considered to
be harmonious to each other; that is
the transition from one to another is
smooth. For example, blue and green
are harmonious. So are red, orange
and yellow (Picture 2). As opposed to
this, the colours on the opposite side
of the colour wheel are supposed to
be contrasting, that is the transition
is abrupt and hence more jarring to
www.smartphotography.in

Picture 3: Here the colour combinations, red and
green, are more contrasty and striking to the eye..

Picture 2: Though the colours are saturated they
are still harmonious since they are adjacent colours.

the eye. A good example for this type
is the blue and yellow combination
which has very high contrast.
Another example is the green and
red pair (Picture 3). You can use such
a colour combination to emphasize
separation between the subjects or
to make a picture very striking to the
eye.
Let us look at some more attributes
that are given to colours. Two more
terms that are often used to describe
colours in photography are “Warm”
and “Cool”. Colours like orange,
red and brown are called warm
colours. The basis is for this is human
perception. Fire is red, the sun is
bright yellow, etc. Likewise blue,
green etc. are called cool colours.
Once again, cold objects like ice
bergs, glaciers, etc. which are bluish
are the reason for this perception.
Another two attributes that are
given to colours are “Receding” and
“Advancing” colours. As before this
is a perception formed based on how
you view things naturally. Warm
colours are more prominent and
generally pop at you. As opposed
to this colours like green and blue
are less emphatic. Also, when you
look at landscapes you will find that
the objects like sky and meadows
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are generally away thus
representing open spaces.
For these reasons cooler
colours are called receding
and warm colours are
called advancing. You as a
photographer can use these
attributes to put colours to
good use (Picture 4). Here,
the advancing colours
(pink and brown) though
smaller in area were used
in foreground and are more
noticeable while the most
of background (receding)
is green. Reversing (that
is cooler colours in front
and warmer colours to
the back) will appear
less appealing due to our
perceptions.
Colours and Emotions:
Do you know that the
colours have emotions
associated with them?
Not only that, each colour
invokes a specific feeling
(cheerful, sad, angry, etc.)
in us. It also makes you feel
how the environment is
(cold, hot, tranquil, etc.).
Hence, as a photographer
you should be aware

Picture 4: This photograph is a good
example of use of advancing and
receding colours. See text for details..

which colour does what and use that
knowledge judiciously to make your
photographs have the maximum
impact. Table 1 gives in brief what
different colours convey.
December 2014 Smart Photography

95

LEARNING

Understanding Photography

Table 1
Colour

What is conveys and invokes

Red

One of the most striking colours, red generally in life is associated with
danger, as this is the colour of blood. In humans it is synonymous with anger
(remember the phrase “red with rage”). Red also represents passion and heat.
Reds really pop as they are very conspicuous – one of the reasons why many
prefer red clothes and cars. Red is also associated with power and this is the
reason why high level executives wear red ties!

Blue

This is a colour associated with royalty (“blue blood”) and is also
representative of coolness as opposed to red/orange. It also represents
tranquility (along with another strong photographic element, horizontal
lines). Since sky is blue and so is the sea it is natural that it represents open
spaces and vastness. Blue also represents unhappiness (like “Monday blues”).
It also coveys moodiness. You can make a scene more bluish than what it is
by decreasing colour temperature through your white balance setting. For
example, you can use incandescent setting while photographing in normal
daylight. This will give a blue cast to the image.

Green

Do you know which is the most abundant colour on earth? It is green! It
also the colour of vegetation and hence representative of freshness. It is also
associated with youth (as it is a form of freshness) and hence with energy
and vigour.

Yellow / Orange

Yellow is the colour of the sun and also of the most coveted metal – gold. So,
it represents warmth, wealth, happiness and so on. In general it is a colour
of optimism. Incidentally, orange too invokes the same type of emotions
but is considered to be more vibrant and hence “louder” than yellow. Late
afternoons and early mornings are when the sunlight bathes the scene in
yellow and its close cousin orange. These are the ideal times for landscape
photography. You can tweak the white balance of your camera towards the
higher colour temperature settings to give a warm colour cast.

Pink

No prizes for guessing what pink conveys. It is a colour representing
femininity and hence delicateness. It also conveys softness and tenderness
and hence is the ideal colour to use when photographing ladies, babies and
infants.

Brown

This is the colour of earth and not a very attractive colour. It denotes
ruggedness.

Grey

The most neutral of all colours, grey naturally conveys neutrality, modesty
and dignity. It is a very sober colour and also most unobtrusive. It is also
a colour associated with advanced age. It is used widely in photography to
convey these and also as a colour for clothing for men who occupy high
positions.

White

White as you know is for purity and virginity. So, this is the colour to use
in your photographs to convey these. It is also used in product, fashion and
glamour photography as white is associated with high class.

Black

This is the colour which has rather negative connotations like death, sorrow,
defeat, etc. (Remember the phrase “black days”)? It is used extensively in
photography to convey these feelings. It is also used in portraits if the subject
is of advanced age and also to convey a somber mood (Picture 5).

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Smart Photography December 2014

This table will help to you
to choose and organize
colours in your photographs
to convey the right mood
and to enhance the impact
of your pictures. This also
tells you not to use those
combinations of colours
that don’t gel well (for
example, a baby dressed
in a black dress). This will
completely ruin the mood
of the photograph.
Saturation in colours:
This is a word that is often
used yet little understood.
Recall the fundamental fact
that all colours are made up
by giving different values
to R, G and B which are
primary colours. When
each of these components
is the same (that is equal)
for any pixel, the colour
will vanish and pixel
will become gray. Thus,
R=G=B=100 is a shade of
gray. R=G=B=0 is pure
black and R=G=B=255 is
pure white. Pure black and
white can be considered as
special cases of gray at the
extreme ends. A colour is
said to be saturated when
it is pure – that is, it does
not have any gray mixed
with it. Addition of gray will
make the colour impure,
that is, muddy or light or
dark. Saturated colours
are very punchy and are
preferred by photographers.
Perhaps they are even over
used! When two saturated
colours are next to each
other the contrast increases,
and if these happen to be
colours opposite sides of
colour wheel (like blue and
yellow), contrast reaches
the maximum. Colours
reach the highest saturation
under sunlight (Picture
6) but there is a caveat. In
many cases the surface may
reflect causing glare and
thus reducing saturation. If
the subject is not metallic
(examples are flowers,
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Picture 6: Here the colour is a deeply saturated blue which is very striking to the eye. This picture is all
about the deep colour and texture on the weathered door. Direct sunlight made the colour pop and the early
morning side light brought out the texture.

Picture 5: The dark tones
and the black convey a lot
about state of this old lady.

painted surfaces, etc.) you can cut
the glare by using a polarizing filter.
If you don’t have one handy at that
time, you need to wait
till the sun is behind
a cloud so that the
light is still bright but
diffused somewhat.
Heavily overcast skies
will, however, reduce
saturation.
Should you always
look for saturated
colours as they attract
the eye? Not really.
Misty conditions
(especially during
early morning or late
evening) cause light
to filter gently. The
result is that you will
find some delicate
hues which give the
photograph a great
mood (Picture 7).

surroundings loses its context and
becomes unrecognizable. Its main
features are now geometry, texture,

etc. Abstracts are very popular in
black and white photography, since
absence of colour makes the two
features mentioned more prominent.
However, even with colour you can
get striking abstracts with colours
enhancing the geometry. While you
can find colourful abstracts in many
places, one place where it is relatively
easy to find is reflections of coloured
Picture 7: Misty conditions bring out eye pleasing delicate
hues. This image was captured at 5:15 am early morning.

Abstracts in colour:
An abstract in general
is a figure which
when stripped of its
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December 2014 Smart Photography

97

LEARNING

Understanding Photography
Picture 8: An abstract in colour.

© Sathyaprasad Yachendra

shades and textures. While not all
subjects are suited for this, you can
get some unique and interesting
results through monochromatic
colour.
Selective colour: In this technique
a part of the image is kept in colour
and rest is desaturated (Picture 10)
or even rendered only in shades of
gray, to make the coloured part more
contrasty. This helps in drawing
the attention of the viewer to the
coloured subject. This desaturation
can be done in post-processing and
hence was a novel concept once, soon
after digital photography started.
Unfortunately, it has been overdone
so much (especially in advertising
photography) that it is now a worn
out cliché. Avoid it!
ˆ

subjects (Picture 8). Here is one tip.
Since you want to isolate, it is best
you use long focal lengths when
photographing abstracts.
Picture 10: Selective colour..

Monochromatic colour: Generally
in photography, when we use the
word monochrome it refers to
a black and white photograph.
Strictly speaking this is not true
as monochrome means “only one
colour”. It is possible to have a
colour photograph with just one
colour and you can call such images
as monochromatic colour images
(Picture 9). Here, the entire picture
has been made up of only one colour,
red. The various features in such an
image are brought out only through

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Smart Photography December 2014

CONCLUSION:
As you have read colours invoke specific feelings, are associated with
certain aspects and in general have a great impact on enhancing the
mood of the photograph. Hence, they are very important to you as a
photographer. While the colour combinations present may not be always
under your control, it is up to you to carefully explore and organize them
(just as you would arrange elements while composing a photograph) so
that the photograph conveys the mood and the meaning that you had in
mind when you pressed the shutter release.

www.smartphotography.in

All text diagrams and images © Ashok Kandimalla unless otherwise noted.

Picture 9: An example of a picture with
monochromatic colour.

LEARNING

Optical Viewfinder Or
Electronic Viewfinder?
Rohinton Mehta

L

et’s first see what a ‘viewfinder’
(VF) is. As the name suggests,
its a device on a camera (or
camcorder) that lets you view the
scene in front of you. An ‘optical
viewfinder’ uses optics (generally,
glass or plastic elements) in its
construction. Note that an optical
viewfinder can be ‘eye-level’ (as in

Optical Viewfinder (OVF)

a compact/SLR/D-SLR) or ‘waistlevel’ (as in a TLR or Twin Lens
Reflex camera).
An ‘Electronic Viewfinder’ (EVF)
shows the subject/captured image
that is electronically projected on a
small display.
Both do the same thing but in
different ways.

Let’s see their respective advantages and disadvantages:

Optical Viewfinder (OVF)

Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

Uses optics

Uses electronic display similar to the LCD at the
back of the camera

The camera need not be ‘On’ to view the subject
through the OVF

The camera has to be ‘On’ to view the subject
through the EVF

Subject is easy to view in bright light

Subject is easy to view in bright light

Subject is difficult to view in low light

Subject is easy to view even in low lvight

Clarity is good

Clarity is not always as good (though some new
EVFs are almost as good as OVFs)

Does not use battery power

Uses battery power

In some cases, can have parallax error (as with
range-finder type cameras)

No parallax error. EVF sees exactly what the
sensor sees

Subject view is temporarily blocked (with
D-SLRs) when the reflex mirror swings up
during exposure

View is never blocked

OVF cannot be used to review the shot pictures

EVF can be used to review ‘stills’ as well as videos

Does not fool the eye in evaluating subject/scene
brightness

Fools the eye in believing that the subject/scene
is bright even when the subject/scene is dark

Cannot display additional details

EVFs can display additional details such as
histogram, electronic level etc

Accurately displays speedy action

Some EVFs may not be able to accurately
display speedy actions

So which would be
the right viewfinder
for you? Most users
may opt for the optical
viewfinder but if you
ask me, I would opt
for a high-resolution
electronic viewfinder.
As mentioned above,
EVFs are getting better
day-by-day (check out
the EVF on a Panasonic
GH3, GH4 or FZ1000)
Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

www.smartphotography.in

and I like the idea of
viewing the scene in
detail even in the dark.
I also like the fact
that I can review my
images (stills as well
as videos) in the EVF.
As for using up battery
power with an EVF,
I think that is a small
price to pay for the
convenience
it offers.
ˆ

Optical Viewfinder, Waist-level
December 2014 Smart Photography

99

LEARNING

Importance of
Food Styling
Dilip Yande

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].

I

have mentioned in my previous
articles that photographing
tabletops is the art of putting life
in dead objects. This is achieved by
good composition and lighting; and
the use of right props makes it even
more attractive.
Let me go a step further and educate
you with information and knowledge
of a very specialized line connected
to food photography – and that is
food styling. Food photography has to
arouse the senses of the viewer and
create a feeling in the mind to taste
the dish.
Similar to what makeup men or
hairstylists do in a fashion shoot, a
food stylist does the same in tabletop
makeup and plays the major role in
preparing and presenting the dish
placed before the camera. This is a
very specialized line of work and
takes years of experience to learn the
tricks of the trade and understand
the properties of food.

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Smart Photography December 2014

Q - What made you take this
profession as a food stylist?
Arati: I was a research chef for a
leading and reputed cook book.
The making of the recipe book
involved briefing the photographers
and having the food photographed
by them. It was during this period
of my career that I discovered this
profession of a stylist, understood its
importance, and fell in love with it.
Q - Define food styling.
Arati: Creating a feast for the eyes
– making food look so picturesque,
that one is tempted to eat what one
sees in the photo.

Food stylists are needed by still
photographers as well as the
cinematographers who shoot
television commercials (TVCs).
In case of television commercials,
the job is even more difficult, as
sometimes the camera is moved
over the food or the dish is rotated
on a turn-table or steam has to be
seen when photographing a pipinghot biryani or a mouth- watering
splash of a blue mint slush has to be
photographed in slow motion. Hence
fifty percent credit for any good shot
involving food photography has to be
given to the food stylist!

Q - Do you have categories in this
topic of food styling?
Arati: No. One should know the
basics of cooking to be able to style
it. If the stylist has rightly understood
the culture of the land for whom the
dish is being styled, it would help the
team of stylist, the photographer and
the production person to decide on
the right props.

Many new and budding
photographers have a lot of queries
as to how to go about in case of food
photography and when to involve a
food stylist onto the job. I’ll try to
clear all your difficulties one by one,
by first introducing and posing few
questions to a reputed food stylist of
the industry – Arati Kamat Fedane.
Later, I will explain how best to go
about it.

A chef ’s main concern is taste
and aroma; the food stylist looks
at textures, shape, appearance,
freshness, garnishing etc.

Q - In what way is food styling
different from being a good chef?
Arati: A chef makes food that tastes
good; a food stylist makes food that
looks good!

Q - Do you feel that a food stylist is
a good chef? Or, are all good chefs
good food stylists?
Arati: Not sure... but it always helps
if a food stylist is a good chef as only
www.smartphotography.in

Pic 1

then can he/she modify the food so
that it looks good. The same can be
said for a chef…if he can make the
food look good as well.. its always
an advantage!
Q -In food styling, what is
it that you enjoy doing the
most? Indian food, non-Indian
food (then specify), cocktails
and mocktails, fast-food,
tandoors, etc or ice-creams?
Is there any specialization in
any subtopic, looking at the
international platform?
Arati: Every day is an adventure.
Every day is a new challenge; that’s
whats exciting about this work.
Personally, I enjoy styling most of
the food. Because in every category
you mentioned, there is a different
challenge and there is a different
technique.
Q - Which do you feel is the most
challenging category of the lot?
www.smartphotography.in

Arati: Styling ice-creams in summer,
that too if the art director or client
insists on an outdoor shot.
Q -Do they make dummy ice-cream
scoops for the shoot? Or is it real
ice-cream?
Arati: It goes both ways. Entirely
depends on the client. Both can be
made to look nice in the picture.
Q -What is the exact role of a
food-stylist in terms of propping a
picture with background, general
props, table props, cutlery, crockery
etc.?
Arati: In smaller shoots, the food
stylist organizes everything; in larger
ones, there is a designated propstylist. It’s more fulfilling as an artist
if I undertake to do the whole thing,
as then I can visualize the whole
picture and bring it to life.
Q - How many shots can be
photographed in a day?
Arati: Ideally, about 6 -7.

Q - Is a well styled yummy-looking
dish necessarily palatable?
Arati: Hahaha… well…it looks
yummy…that’s what we get paid for;
it’s not necessary for it to be edible!
Q - Could you give photographers
general tips on the ‘chemistry’
involved in food- styling?
Arati: (1) If you want show chillies
floting in vinegar, put fresh chillies
in water (instead of vinegar) and add
salt to it.
2) Mix glycerin with water to create
condensation droplets
3) Add salt to make beer more frothy
4) Add vinegar when cooking rice to
make it more white
5) Sprinkle iron filings on food and
then add hydrochloric acid over it to
make it look piping hot.
6) Apply salt to apple slices to
prevent them form turning blackish,
then brush the slices when you are
about to take the shot.
Q - In the olden days, coloured
December 2014 Smart Photography

101

LEARNING
crockery was ‘in’; these days white
crockery is preferred. Similarly, are
there any changes in style at the
international level which we follow
here in terms of styling?
Arati: Old wood is now ‘in’ as a
background. Also, an imperfect or
casual look is preferred. Few years
ago everything in a shot had to look
perfect or rather ‘picture perfect’…
now we purposely tend to do things
like put some crumbs around the
dish, drop a bit of sauce somewhere
etc. It should be artistically messy!
And that is where an experienced
food-stylist, an experienced
photographer and a seasoned artdirector score. Remember it should
not look shabby!
Q - Should a photographer
necessarily have a pantry or a
small kitchen in his studio set-up
to cater to food photography? Or
can you make some make-shift
arrangements?
Arati: Great if he has..its always

an advantage. However, the most
essential is a water tank. I can carry
my gas and set up a kitchen on basic
wooden tables but if there is no
water, it’s a bit difficult.
The above answers must have cleared
a lot of doubts from the reader’s
mind. Now, as a photographer, let
me advise you how to execute a food
photography assignment. Always
follow the steps given below –
1) Understand the brief given by the
client and request the advertising
agency involved to send you the
layouts of the pictures that are to be
shot. In case of editorial features in
magazines or recipe books, make
it clear whether the client needs
horizontal or vertical compositions.
2) If it is your first food shoot or the
client’s first shoot then prove the
importance of a food-stylist to him
by showing a few examples from
the net.

3) Understand the dishes that are
to be shot, whether it is a Chinese
recipe, tandoor or mocktails.
4) Clarify with your client as to
who will arrange for the props and
the suitable backgrounds, like for
example marine wood or black glass.
5) Mail the visuals and the brief to
the food-stylist and then arrange
what is known as a PPM (Pre
Production Meeting) with the
client. It is important that the
meeting comprises of not just the
client, you and the food stylist, but
should also involve the designer or
the advertising agency involved in
the job.
6) Keep a separate corner or room for
the food-stylist to work. Amenities
like a refrigerator to keep vegetables
fresh are a must.
7) First place the empty dish on
the table in front of the camera and

Pic 2

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Smart Photography December 2014

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Pic 3

Pic 4a

Pic 4b

decide an almost perfect composition
by placing the various props and
cutlery. Keep either a small blower, a
napkin, a painting brush, or cotton
buds handy to remove any unwanted
elements or stains.
8) Perfection in lighting comes
with experience. ‘Idlis’ have to be
lit up in a different way while spicy
‘curry’ calls for a different lighting all
together. So arrange the lights (more
or less) and then ask the stylist to
bring the dish. Final garnishing can
take place once the dish is in place.
You as a photographer should be very
fast now in fine-tuning the lighting,
measuring the exposure with a lightmeter and photographing before the
food starts losing its freshness.

A negative space (a blank space) has
to be kept in the composition for
the same. Care should to be taken
in knowing the actual size of the
box meant for the packing, keeping
in mind that the dimensions/aspect
ratio of your camera frame and the
box are not the same.

9) In case of photographing for
packaging, one has to be a lot more
careful as to where exactly the logo
and the brand name would appear.

10) The photographer should previsualize his shots. He should be clear
whether he is photographing kitchen
appliances, crockery or cutlery and

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whether the food is a part of the shot.
The composition, styling and lighting
has to be done accordingly. While
photographing magazine ads, one
has to be careful in knowing whether
the client wants a vertical format for
a full page ad or a horizontal format
for a half page ad. The framing of the
shot has to be done accordingly.
Food styling involves a lot of
‘tabletop makeup’. Pictures 1, 2, and
3 are examples of the same, showing
December 2014 Smart Photography

103

LEARNING
Pic 5

Pic 6

Pic 7b

Pic 7a

how a dish is slowly made ready
for the shoot. In pic 1 the stylist
is placing few drops of coloured
syrup on the ice cream to make it
look more ‘yummy’. In pic 2 she is
carefully shaping and brushing off
the extra liquid. In pic 3 it can be
seen as to how a dish of mixed fresh
fruits is being styled by carefully
deciding the place for every slice.
Pic 4a, 4b the photographer has
opted to show an entire ambiance of
a kitchen platform or a corner, hence
a narrower camera aperture has been

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Smart Photography December 2014

used to keep other objects sufficiently
sharp. In pic 5 the photographer
wanted to give more importance to
the ‘fillings’ in the bread roll, hence a
shallow depth of field was preferred.
Pic 6 also shows the clever use of
shallow depth of field.
In Pic 7a & Pic 7b there is
continuity in the two pics in terms
of positioning the oven which the
art director wanted to be positioned
behind the container containing the
main food item. The client preferred
that the details of the oven are

visible to some extent, since only
part of it was to be shown.
Hence a good & experienced food
stylist in any food photography
shoot is a ‘must’ & with the value
additions can take the standard of
the whole shoot much above than
what your client may expect.
Credit LinesPic 1,2,3 by Anushree Bhatter
Pic 4a, 4b by Dhruv Pandya
Pic 5 by Payal Choksi
Pic 6 by- Pawan Manglani
Pic 7a & b- Courtesy- BOROSIL ˆ

www.smartphotography.in

LEARNING

LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES

Just Because You Know A Lot,
Does Not Mean That You Cannot Forget!
Rohinton Mehta

T

his reminds me of a small poem
(don’t remember who wrote it!):

The more you learn the more you
know,
The more you know, the more you
forget,
The more you forget,
The less you know.
So why study?
Please don’t follow the above advice. It’s
only mentioned in good humour.

Video goof-up
The other day, I was photographing
a bird around a pool of water. D-SLR
on a tripod, a 80-400mm zoom, good
light, and no one to disturb me. Aah,
a perfect setting! I suddenly thought

of recording the scene on video. I
pressed the video button. Nothing
happened. The video recording did not
start. May be I did not press the button
properly. Pressed the video button once
again. No response from the video.
Rechecked all settings. Everything was
fine but the video won’t record. What
could be wrong? Could the camera be
defective? Its got to be, otherwise why
should the video not start? Checked
and rechecked, but no use.
Suddenly it struck me like a bolt of
lightning. How silly of me! To record
a video using a D-SLR, you need to be
in Live View. And here I was, trying
everything else, even doubting the
camera! I enabled Live View and then
pressed the video button. The video
recording started. Gosh!

Live View button on a Nikon D-SLR

So how come I made this silly mistake?
Well, for the last few days, before I
started re-using my D-SLR, I was using
a Bridge camera with an Electronic

View Finder (EVF). And because of
the EVF, I was able to record video
while looking through the viewfinder.
So what does this little episode in
frustration teach us?
The first thing to remember is that
this can happen to anyone – even
someone knowledgeable in the
subject. When you keep changing
your camera like I do (we receive
and use various cameras for review,
each with different feature sets and
different ergonomics), you can
fall victim to momentary loss of
concentration. You can get mixed up.
Hence, its very important to master
the various features of your own
camera and repeatedly use the same
camera rather than keep flirting with
different cameras.

IS/VR
Here’s another boo-boo. I don’t
know about you, but I very often

Live View button on a Canon D-SLR

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December 2014 Smart Photography

105

LEARNING

LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
M/A - M switch on a lens

C - S - M switch

things: autofocus, meter the scene, and
trip the shutter to take the picture. But
there are times when you want to focus
on a particular subject but take the
meter reading from a different location
altogether. For example, your subject
may be very light or very dark and you
need to take the meter reading from
something that is mid-tone.
You can, using a Custom feature,
disconnect the autofocus from the
shutter release button and set the
camera to autofocus only when you
press the ‘AF On’ button. This is the
preferred autofocus method for many
wildlife/nature photographers. You
first take the meter reading from
a mid-tone area which could be
anywhere else but in similar lighting
(using the shutter release button) and
then autofocus on your subject using
the ‘AF On’ button. Press the shutter
release button to take the shot.

forget to switch off the IS/VR
(image stabilization feature) when
I mount my camera on a tripod. I
realise the mistake only after the
initial 8-10 shots (which somehow
happen to be the most important!).
Keeping IS/VR ‘on’ while the
camera is tripod mounted can
actually cause more jitters. I wish
manufacturers come up with a
feature that switches off the IS/VR
as soon as it detects that the camera
is mounted on a tripod.

AF/MF switch
You use autofocus. To fine-tune the
focus, you switch over to manual focus.
You slide the AF/M-M switch on the
lens to M for manual focus but forget
to switch over from AF to MF (or C or
S to M) on the camera body. Know well
that this lapse on your part can actually
damage the autofocus function in the
camera.

‘AF On’ button
The shutter release button does three

Sometimes, you are likely to forget
this personalised change that you
may have made to your camera.
Under pressure when photographing
something exotic, you press and repress the shutter release button and
curse when the camera doesn’t fire
(most cameras, if set to single-shot
AF will fire only when the focus is
locked). The result? You miss that
once-in-a-life shot. The moral of the
story? Know the various features
and functions of your camera and
practice using them regularly, lest
you forget.
ˆ

‘AF On’ button on a Nikon D-SLR

‘AF On’ button on a Canon D-SLR

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Smart Photography December 2014

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LEARNING

In Praise Of Live View
Rohinton Mehta
Pentaprism

W

hat exactly is Live View?
Why do we need Live
View, especially when
we have lived without it for so many
years? Is it just one of the newfangled
features that puts some more pressure
on our learning curve? Or, is it really
a useful feature that could enhance
our photography? Read on...

Aperture blades

Imaging sensor

Reflex mirror
Live View is a function of a digital
camera that allows us to ‘pre-view’
a subject/scene before an exposure
is made. The image that is normally
recorded on the sensor is directed to
the viewing screen (the LCD). The
LCD being larger than the viewfinder
display, allows us to see an enlarged
‘pre-view’. While Live View is the
default method to view our images on
a compact digital camera (including
point-and-shoot models and some
mirrorless interchangeable lens
cameras that do not have viewfinders),
with D-SLRs you have to switch
between viewfinder view and Live
View mode. On some cameras with
Live View, you can even check the
effects of various shutters speeds/
apertures (Live View Exposure
Simulation). As an example, if you
are photographing a waterfall, you
can check on-screen (without actually
taking the shot) the amount of silky
blur that you would get at a particular
shutter speed.
In an SLR, a reflex mirror directs
the light from the subject on to the
viewfinder (see sketch). When you
press the shutter release button, the
diaphragm blades stop down to the
set aperture (the diaphragm blades
normally stay wide open even though
you set a particular aperture; this is
done so that the image does not go
dark), the reflex mirror swings out
of the way, the shutter blades open to
allow the light to strike the film/sensor
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Shutter
and the exposure is made. After the
exposure time is over, the process is
reversed – the shutter blades close first,
the mirror comes down to its original
position, and the diaphragm blades
open up fully once again.
When you set your D-SLR camera
to Live View mode, the reflex mirror
swings out of the way and the shutter
opens to allow the image to fall directly
on the imaging sensor, which then
digitises it and feeds it to the image
processor. The processed image is then
fed directly to the LCD where you can
pre-view the image. At this time the
image is not recorded to the memory
card because a circuitry bypasses the
recording stage. When you press the
shutter release button all the way, the
recording circuitry is energised and
the image is recorded to the memory
card. Because the mirror swings out
of the way and blocks the light path to
the viewfinder during Live View, you
cannot see the subject through the
optical viewfinder during this time.
Okay. That’s fine but what extra benefits
do we get using Live View?
Here they are:
1. More accurate autofocussing

When we use the viewfinder to
autofocus, the camera uses a method of
autofocussing called ‘Phase Detection’.
When we use Live View to autofocus,
the camera uses a method called
‘Contrast Detection’. Phase detection
is faster than contrast detection but
contrast detection method, though
slower, is more accurate. During
contrast detect AF, the focussing
mechanism turns the focus ring
beyond the point of peak focus and
then back, narrowing down the gap
each time till peak focus is achieved.
This is the reason why contrast detect
AF is slower. It is more accurate since
the lens only stops autofocussing
when maximum contrast is achieved
on the image that falls on the imaging
sensor (an image is at its maximum
sharpness when the contrast between
the different elements within is at the
maximum).
Live View focussing also helps when
the light levels are low, because it is
easier to check for sharp focus on the
larger LCD screen than it is on the
comparatively tiny viewfinder.
2. More accurate manual focussing
There are situations where manual
focussing is preferred, like when
photographing landscapes or macro.
December 2014 Smart Photography

107

LEARNING

Press this button to
enlarge the LCD image

Hoodman loupe

Here is a simple method to get very
accurate manual focus:
First tripod your camera and autofocus
using the viewfinder (VF focussing is
faster). Now switch to Live View and
manual focus. Observe the image on
the larger LCD screen and manually
fine-tune the focus for maximum
contrast. If your camera permits you
to enlarge the Live View image (most
do), you will be able to achieve sharp
focus even more accurately. It can also
help if you can view the LCD screen
through a magnifying loupe such as
the Hoodman .
3. Movie shooting with a D-SLR
If you are shooting movies with a
Simulated image. Touch the screen where you want the
lens to focus (as shown by the green rectangle)

D-SLR, you can only do so with
contrast-detect Live View (nonD-SLR cameras using electronic
viewfinders allow you to shoot movies
using the EVF but not D-SLRs), but
the Canon EOS 70D has incorporated
phase detection AF during movies too.
Others may follow suit.
4. Autofocussing via the touch-screen
LCD
Some digital cameras allow a very easy
and quick way to autofocus during Live
View. Just point the camera towards the
scene and touch that part of the screen
where you would like the camera to
autofocus. Voila!
ˆ

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110
114

Compact Review

Lens Review

TOKINA AT-X 70-200mm
F/4 PRO FX VCM-S

116

Compact Review

120
Lens Review

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL
ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO

Olympus Tough TG-3

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

Canon PowerShot G7X

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)

COMPACT Review
Canon PowerShot G7X

Up for a Challenge
Sujith Gopinath

C
` 44,995
Inside the Box
✓ Canon PowerShot G7X
✓ Wrist Strap
✓ Battery Charger
✓ Battery Pack NB-13L
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Smart Photography December 2014

onsumers today are upgrading
their level of technical
knowledge to distinguish
between gimmicks and real stuff,
thanks to the increasingly accessible
well of information online. And
this is forcing the companies to
innovate and come up with real
improvements. This has led to fierce
competition in the premium compact
segment, which is hotting up every
day. All major camera companies are
aggressively following this segment.
Canon has recently released the
PowerShot G7X, a probable rival to
the Sony RX100 III.

Design and Build Quality
The Canon G7X carries the signature
build quality of a professional
compact camera. The exterior is
largely made of metal and provides
a sturdy feel. To distinguish this

premium camera from the normal
compacts, Canon has incorporated
a sophisticated-looking ‘double dial’
on top. The upper one is the Mode
dial, while the lower one lets you set
exposure compensation. The camera
has a control dial around the lens,
as in the case of its predecessors.
You can assign various functions to
this dial, the default being Aperture
control. The lens has two segments.
The G7X has a small built-in flash
to aid in filling shadows. It does not
have an accessory shoe (hot-shoe),
nor EVF. (By comparison, the Sony
RX100 III features an EVF, while
the Panasonic LX100 kit includes a
compact external flash that can be
mounted on its accessory shoe.)
The LCD can be tilted up vertically
up to 180 degree, enabling you to
capture a selfie. The camera has a
metal tripod receptacle.
www.smartphotography.in

Mahesh Reddy

Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/250sec . ISO:500

Key Features

Sharpness
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter Speed: 1/20sec. ISO:120

www.smartphotography.in

The 20.2-megapixel Canon G7X
features a 1.0-inch (12.8 x 9.6mm)
CMOS sensor. The camera uses a
DIGIC 6 image processor for faster
image processing and better noise
control over earlier models. The
G7X uses a 24-100mm equivalent
lens with optical (lens-shift type)
image stabilisation. (Here, Canon
is the leader with both Sony and
Panasonic limiting the zoom range
to approximately 24 to 70mm).
Aperture ranges from f/1.8 to 11
at the wide-angle end and f/2.8 to
11 at the telephoto end. The lens
focusses from 5cm to infinity at the
wide-angle end and 40cm to infinity
at the telephoto end. Focus modes
available are Continuous AF, Servo
AF, and Manual Focus, while AF
Frame options are Face AiAf and
1-point. The G7X features the usual

three metering modes—Evaluative,
Centre-weighted average, and Spot.
ISO sensitivity ranges from ISO 125
to 12,800, and shutter speed can be
varied between 250 sec and 1/2000
sec. Exposure can be compensated
up to +/-3 EV in 1/3-EV steps. The
camera has a 3.0-inch, approximately
1.04 million-dot tilting TFT colour
touch screen LCD. The built-in flash
has a range of 50cm to 7.0m at the
wide-angle end and 40cm to 4.0m
at the telephoto end. Flash modes
available are Auto, On, Slow Sync,
and Off.
The G7X features shooting modes
such as C, M, Av, Tv, P, Hybrid Auto,
Auto, Creative Shot, SCN, Creative
Filters, and Movie. Scene modes
include Portrait, Smart Shutter , Star,
Handheld Night Scene, Underwater,
Snow, and Fireworks. Creative
December 2014 Smart Photography

111

COMPACT Review
Canon PowerShot G7X

NOISE (at 100% enlargement)
ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

filters available are High Dynamic
Range, Nostalgic, Fish-eye Effect,
Miniature Effect, Toy Camera
Effect, Background Defocus, Soft
Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid,
and Poster Effect. The Movie
mode provides further options of
Standard, Manual (Movie), and
iFrame Movie. In Smart Shutter
mode, you can set Smile, Wink,
and Face self-timers. Star mode
provides various options you can
use under a starry sky, such as
Star Portrait, Star Nightscape, Star
Trails, and Star Time-Lapse Movie.

The G7X is powered by a
rechargeable Li-ion batter (NB-13L

supplied). The camera weighs
approximately 304g and has
dimensions of 103.0 x 60.4 x
40.4mm.
Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/160sec . ISO:400

112

Smart Photography December 2014

Mahesh Reddy

The G7X records still images at
a maximum resolution of 5472 x
3648 pixels in Raw or JPEG format
(with an option to record both
simultaneously). In continuous
shooting mode, the camera can
capture up to 6.5 frames per
second. The best movie quality that
the G7X captures is 1920 x 1080
at frame rates of 60p or 30p. The
camera features Wi-Fi and NFC
functions for connecting with other
compatible devices.
www.smartphotography.in

Ergonomics
The Canon G7X is compact and
can fit into a handbag, but not sleek
enough to slip into your pocket. The
interface is intuitive and the controls
easy to locate and operate. Images
on the LCD appeared crisp and
clear. The camera does not have a
viewfinder, which, if provided, would
have been very useful.

Performance
The Canon G7X features on the
list of professional cameras and it
needs to prove itself to be considered
worthy of sharing space with the
high-performers of this segment.
Though this is not a head-to-head
comparison, this test will help you
get a fair idea.
The G7X was fast to focus and
could lock on to the subject even
in reasonably low-lit situations.
Metering modes performed as
expected, and images appeared
sharp throughout the focal length.
Distortion was limited to a slight
barrelling till 14mm (equivalent
to 35mm). We observed slight
darkening of corners while
photographing a white wall at the
wide-angle end with the lens wide
open. But we are quite sure that
you will not notice this in normal
every-day images. The lens produced
prominent flare along with purple
fringing.

Auto White Balance performed
well under natural light sources
(Daylight and Shade), but
produced traces of distinct cast left
by artificial light sources. These
could be removed easily in postprocessing, and we wouldn’t lose
sleep over this issue (neither should
you). Native print size was 12.16
x 18.24 inches at 300 ppi. At 25
percent view, images were noisefree up to ISO 6400. ISO 6400 and
12800 were quite noisy. Viewed
at 50 percent, we observed slight
noise at ISO 3200, but the images
were perfectly usable. Enlarged to
100 percent, we observed noise
from ISO 200 onwards, but the
images were perfectly usable up to
ISO 1600.

PLUS
• Fast Lens
• Excellent
build quality
• Good noise
control
• Decent
zoom range

MINUS
• No EVF
• Flash too
small
• No
Accessory
shoe

This performance looks
comparable to the Sony RX100,
though we couldn’t get both
the cameras together for a
comparison. Another competitor,
the Panasonic LX100 is still
awaited in India.

Value for Money
The Canon G7X retails at an MRP
of Rs.44,995. This is lower than that
of the competitors in this segment,
which would work in G7X’s favour.
The final price will depend on
your bargaining skills at the
dealer’s place.
ˆ

FINAL SCORE

81%

Design and Build Quality 17/20
Key Features

17/20

Ergonomics

16/20

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

4/5
5/5
4/5
4/5
2.5/5
3.5/5
23/30
8/10

VERDICT
The G7X is a capable
camera aiming to heat up
the competition within
the professional compact
segment. The main
advantage of this camera
is a better zoom range
compared to competition.
But we miss an EVF and
an accessory shoe (hotshoe).

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Effective Pixels
Imaging Processor
Sensor Size
Lens
Focusing Range

:
:
:
:
:

Image Stabilizer
Monitor

:
:

Focus Control System :
AF Frame
:
Metering System
:
ISO Sensitivity
:
Shutter Speed
:
Aperture Type
:
f/number
:
Flash Modes
:
Flash Range
:

Approx. 20.2 million
DIGIC 6
1.0 inch type (12.8 x 9.6mm)
24 - 100 mm equivalent
Normal: 5cm to infinity (W), 40cm to infinity (T)
Macro: 5 - 50cm (W)
Optical (Lens-shift type)
Tilting 3.0-inch type, Approx. 1.04 million-dot TFT
colour Touch-screen panel (capacitive type)
Autofocus: Continuous, Servo AF, Manual Focus
Face AiAF, 1-point
Evaluative, Centre-weighted average, Spot
Auto, ISO 125 – ISO 12,800
250 - 1/2000sec
Iris diaphragm
f/1.8 - f/11 (W), f/2.8 - f/11 (T)
Auto, On, Slow Synchro, Off
50cm – 7.0m (W), 40cm - 4.0m (T)

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Shooting Modes

: C, M, Av, Tv, P, Hybrid Auto, Auto, Creative Shot, SCN,
Creative Filters, Movie
Scene modes
: Portrait, Smart Shutter , Star, Handheld Night Scene,
Underwater, Snow, Fireworks
Creative Filters
: High Dynamic Range, Nostalgic, Fish-eye Effect,
Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Background Defocus,
Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect
Movie modes
: Standard, Manual (Movie), iFrame Movie
Smart Shutter
: Smile, Wink Self-timer, Face Self-timer
Star
: Star Portrait, Star Nightscape, Star Trails, Star Time-Lapse Movie
Continuous shooting : Approx. 6.5 shots per sec.
Max Recorded Pixels : Still Images: 5472 x 3648
Best movie quality : 1920 x 1080
Other Features
: Wi-Fi, Eco Mode, Mobile Device Connect Button,
NFC compatibility
Power Supply
: Battery Pack NB-13L (Supplied)
Dimensions
: 103.0 x 60.4 x 40.4mm
Weight
: Approx. 304g (including the battery and memory card)
December 2014 Smart Photography

113

LENS REVIEW

TOKINA AT-X 70-200mm F/4 PRO FX VCM-S

Tokina’s first lens
with VCM
Rohinton Mehta

T

okina, which is part of the
HOYA group, has always
been known for the excellent
build quality and optical quality
of its lenses. The AT-X 70-200mm
f/4 PRO FX VCM-S is a compact,
high-performance, twist-type
zoom lens and is the first lens from
Tokina to incorporate the company’s
new proprietary VCM (Vibration
Correction Module) that allows for
up to 3 stops of vibration correction.
The lens is designed for full-frame
sensor D-SLRs but can be used with
APS-C sensor cameras too. Our
review lens had a Nikon mount.

The lens is constructed from 19
elements in 14 groups which include
3 SD Super- low Dispersion glass
to reduce chromatic aberration. It
further employs multi-coatings to
reduce flare and ghosting. This lens
has a ring-type Ultra Sonic Motor
(hence the ‘S’ in its name) for quick
and efficient autofocus. The lens
has 9 aperture blades for a smooth
bokeh and an IF (Internal Focus)
design due to which the physical
length of the lens does not change
during zooming or focussing. The
front element does not rotate,
making it convenient to use CPL and
Graduated Neutral Density filters.
On the left side of the lens are two
switches – AF-MF on the top and
VCM ON-OFF below.

Design & Build Quality
The lens is all-black, matte-finish
and looks impressive. Build quality is
good. The lens mount is made from
metal. A removable tripod collar
(TM-705) is available but was not
supplied to us. The lens has a 67mm
filter thread and weighs 1055g with
its supplied lens hood. The lens is
made in Japan.

Ergonomics
We tested the lens using a Nikon D4
body. The combo felt heavy at 2460g
but note that the D4 body alone is
1405g. The lens balanced perfectly
well and was very easy to use. An
accessory lens collar is available in
case you need it but some users
(like photojournalists) prefer to
mostly shoot hand-held and as such
a lens collar may not be of much use
to them.

Key Features
As mentioned earlier, the lens is
designed for full-frame sensor
cameras but can be used with APS-C
sensor models. The manual focus
ring is towards the filter end and

` 91,000
Inside the Box
✓ Lens
✓ Lens hood (BH-672)
✓ Front and rear lens caps
114

Smart Photography December 2014

has a 40mm wide textured rubber
grip. The zoom ring has 25mm wide
textured rubber grip and is clearly
marked at 70, 85, 105, 135 and
200mm settings. A distance scale
in feet and meters is covered under
a clear plastic window. The Tokina
AT-X 70-200mm f/4 PRO FX VCM-S
lens offers f/4 aperture throughout its
focal range. The narrowest aperture
is f/32. A very distinct white dot at
the rear end helps to align the lens
to the camera body. The lens is not
weather-sealed.

Performance
Our tests were done using the
JPEG format.
Autofocus was silent and reasonably
fast in good light, a bit slower in
poor light. AF could be manually
overridden. This is not a macro lens
but at the closest focussing distance
of 1 meter, you get a magnification
ratio of little under 1:4, which is
quite good for not-so-tiny subjects.
When attached to the full-frame
www.smartphotography.in

Aperture: f/5.0 Shutter Speed: 1/500sec ISO: 400

PLUS
• Overall,
good image
quality
• Good build
quality
• 9-bladed
diaphragm
provides good
bokeh

MINUS
• Heavy
• Nikon’s
70-200mm
f/4 offers
4-stop VR
advantage

sensor body (Nikon D4), images
were adequately sharp in the centre
but noticeably soft at the sides/
corners. We felt that, overall, the
maximum sharpness was achieved
between f/8 and f/11. When attached
to an APS-C body (Nikon D750),
the sides/corners appeared definitely
sharper as compared to the fullframe body. This of course is to be
expected because with the smaller
sensor, the camera uses only the
central part of the lens. The Vibration
Correction (VCM) increased the
number of sharper images when the
camera was hand-held but we have
no way of confirming the 3-stop
advantage that Tokina claim.
Slight corner darkening was observed
with the lens wide open (at f/4)
at 70mm and also closed-down
one stop more, at f/5.6. There was
no corner darkening at any other
aperture setting. We did not notice

FINAL SCORE

any distortion at 70mm and 85mm but
slight pin-cushion distortion was noticed
at 105, 135 and 200mm settings, which
was easy to correct in post-processing.
Some flare was observed in strong againstthe-light shots but there was no chromatic
aberration, which is very good.

77%

Design and Build Quality 16/20

Note: The shots were taken in JPEG. The
camera automatically reduces/removes
CA from JPEG files. Since the feature is
available, why not use it?

Key Features

15/20

Ergonomics

16/20

Performance
Autofocus
Sharpness
Distortion Control
Aberrations
Darkening
of Corners
Extra Features

Value for Money
The Tokina AT-X 70-200mm f/4 PRO FX
VCM-S lens is available at an MRP
of Rs.91,000. We say that it is fair value
for money.
ˆ

VERDICT
One more lens for the shortlist. If you are
looking for a 70-200mm lens, the Tokina
should be in your radar.

Sub-Total
Value for Money

3.5/5
4/5
4/5
4/5
4/5
3.5/5
22.5/30
7/10

SPECIFICATIONS
Focal length
Max. Aperture
Min. Aperture
Construction
Coatings
Angle of view
Min. Focus distance
www.smartphotography.in

:
:
:
:
:
:
:

70-200mm
F/4
F/32
19 elements in 14 groups
Multi-layer
34.45 - 12.42 degrees
1.0m (3.3ft)

Macro ratio
Zooming system
Aperture blades
Filter size
Width x Length
Weight

:
:
:
:
:
:

1: 3.57
Rotary zoom
9
67mm
82 x 167.5mm
1055g with hood (actual measured weight)

December 2014 Smart Photography

115

COMPACT Review
Olympus Tough TG-3

A Hiker’s Buddy
Sujith Gopinath

T
` 27,990
Inside the Box
✓ Olympus Tough TG-3 camera
✓ Li-ion battery
✓ Battery charger
✓ Power cord
✓ CD-ROM
✓ Wrist strap
✓ Manual
✓ Warranty card
116

Smart Photography December 2014

ough or weather-proof
cameras could be treated as
specialist equipment, similar
to various camping equipment. These
cameras are constructed to survive in
extreme conditions and ‘safely’ bring
back precious images you shoot. The
Olympus TG-3 is an upgrade to the
TG-2 that we reviewed last year. The
TG-2 thoroughly impressed us, and
now it is time for the 16-megapixel
TG-3 to prove its mettle.

Design and Build Quality
The ‘Tough’ designation of the TG-3
speaks volumes about the build
quality of the camera. We have
tested the TG-2 in the past, and have
found it extremely resistant to rough
handling (yes, we do actually drop,
dip, and stamp on the camera to see
if it lives up to the promises). The
TG-3 is no different. The camera has
an engineering plastic exterior, but a
metal plate is attached to the front to

minimise impact. Similarly, the LCD
is shielded with a thick transparent
plastic layer. All slots are covered
by double-locking mechanism that
make them impermeable to liquids.
The device is water-proof up to 15m
(IPX8 standards). It is also dustproof (IPX6 standards), shockproof
up to a drop from 2.1m height,
crush-proof up to 100kgf, and freezeproof up to -10°C. The camera has
a plastic tripod receptacle, but since
it is not very heavy, we wouldn’t
complain.

Key Features
Olympus has not provided many
details in the camera’s ‘detailed’
specifications, but we will attempt
to list down the most important ones
here. The Tough TG-3 sports 16
million pixels, up from 12 million in
the TG2. We believe that
the sensor is a 1/2.3-inch (6.60 x
8.80 mm) one. All we know is that
www.smartphotography.in

Mahesh Reddy

Aperture: f/5.0 Shutter Speed: 1/400sec . ISO:400

www.smartphotography.in

December 2014 Smart Photography

117

COMPACT Review
Olympus Tough TG-3
NOISE
ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 16 00

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

it is a back-lit CMOS sensor.
The camera features mechanical
(sensor-shift) image stabilisation.
The sensor is supported by a
TruePic VII image processor.
The camera offers a focal length
equivalent to 25-100 mm. The
lens has a folded optics design,
which allows it to maintain the
same length while zooming and
focussing. It includes DSA (Dual
Super Aspherical), HR (High
Refractive Index), and Aspherical
lens elements. The aperture ranges
from f/2 to 8 at the wide-angle end
and f/4.9 to 18 at the telephoto end.
In Normal mode, it focusses from
10 cm to infinity, while in Super
Macro mode, it can focus as close
as 1cm. The TG-3 uses a 3.0-inch,
approximately 460,000 dot LCD.
ISO sensitivity ranges from ISO
100 to 6400. Shutter speed ranges
from 4 to 1/2000 sec.

118

Smart Photography December 2014

The camera features GPS and
Electronic Compass along with built-in Wi-Fi. The GPS function on the
TG-3 is compatible with GLONASS
(Russian satellite navigation system)
and QZSS (Japanese regional satellite

navigation system) for improved
positioning accuracy.
The TG-3 can capture HD movies,
High-Speed Movies, and Time Lapse
Movies. High-speed movies can be
captured at 120 fps, up to a top speed

Sharpness
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/25sec. ISO:100

www.smartphotography.in

Mahesh Reddy

Shooting modes available are
iAuto, P, Custom, Photo Story, Art,
A (Aperture Priority), SCN, and

Microscope. The Art Filters provides
seven different types of filters for
creative effects. In Photo Story, you
can combine images with various
fun templates. Microscope is the
name for Super Macro mode, which
allows you to focus very close to the
subject. Scene modes include Portrait,
e-Portrait (Smooth skin-tone to view
on HDTV), Landscape, Interval
Shooting, Hand-held Starlight, Night
Scene, Night Portrait, Sport, Indoor,
Self Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks,
Cuisine, Documents, Beach and Snow,
Underwater Snapshot, Underwater
Wide 1, Underwater Wide 2,
Underwater Macro, Snow, Panorama,
and Back-lit HDR. The TG2 featured
only selectable fixed apertures, and
hence the inclusion of Aperture
Priority mode is a good move.

of 240 fps. This can be played back
in normal speed to get detailed view
of high-speed action. Please note
that the movie size drops down to
640 x 480 at 120 fps and 320 x 240 at
240 fps. HD videos can be recorded
at 1080p (1920 x 1080). Still images
are recorded in JPEG format, while
videos are recorded in MOV/H.264
or AVI/Motion JPEG standard. The
camera has an internal memory of
36MB, and accepts an SD/SDHC/
SDXC card for external storage
(UHS-I supported). The camera
weighs 247g including battery and
card, and has dimensions of 111.5 x
65.9 x 31.2mm.

PLUS
• Rugged
construction
• Waterproof
• Freezeproof
• Crushproof
• Dust-proof
• Shockproof

Ergonomics
The Olympus TG-3 is comfortable
to use. It has a rubber grip in the
front and a textured plastic thumb
rest. Though the controls are small,
they are easy to use. The double locks
make it a little slow to change the
memory card or take out the battery,
but these locks are very much needed
in a waterproof camera. The menu
is easily comprehensible and images
appeared crisp on the LCD.

Performance
The Olympus TG-3 provided mixed
results in our tests. If you consider
its positioning as a tough all-weather
camera that can withstand all harsh
situations, the camera performs very
well. We did not notice any water
ingress after the camera was kept in a
tank of about 5ft water for 15 min. It
also withstood a drop from a few feet
on to a hard surface.

MINUS
• Rather
poor noisecontrol
• Optical
performance
needs
improvement

Coming to the image quality, AF
was fast and precise, and it did not
have any problem locking on to
the subject even under low light.
Images appeared reasonably sharp,
though we did not compare it to
any other camera. Metering worked
as expected. The TG-3 produced
slight barrel distortion up to about
50mm equivalent focal length.
Slight darkening was observed at
the corners at the wide-angle end
with the lens wide open, though
we wouldn’t consider this a major
problem. Auto White Balance
performed well under natural light.
Though it left distinct cast under
artificial light, this could be corrected
easily in post-processing.
The lens produced prominent flare
and chromatic aberration in strong
against-the-light images at the wideangle end with the lens wide open.
Native image size was 15.36 x 11.52
inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of
the screen size, images were free of
noise up to ISO 1600, but all images
were perfectly usable. Viewed at 50
percent, we observed noise from
ISO 400 onwards, but the images
were usable up to ISO 3200. At 100
percent, all images showed some
noise, but we wouldn’t hesitate to use
it till to ISO 200.

Value for Money
The Olympus TG-3 retails at an
MRP of Rs.27,990. The rugged
construction and fool-proof
weather-shielding makes it a
competitive price.

ˆ

FINAL SCORE

80%

Design and Build Quality 19/20
Key Features

17/20

Ergonomics

17/20

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

4/5
4/5
2.5/5
2.5/5
4/5
3/5
20/30
7/10

VERDICT
The Olympus TG-3 is
one of the most rugged
compact cameras in
the market today. This
would be your perfect
companion for adventure
trips and casual outings
with friends and family.
The TG-3 may not provide
you professional quality
images, but will stand
the test of time and last
comparatively longer even
when subjected to extreme
conditions.

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Effective pixels
Removable memory
Internal memory
Lens focal length
iHS
Focus range

:
:
:
:
:
:

Monitor
ISO sensitivity
Art filters

:
:
:

Body in panorama
Photo Story
Image stabilizer
AF mode

:
:
:
:

16 Million
SD/SDHC/SDXC Card (UHS-I Supported)
36MB
25-100mm equivalent
Yes
Normal: W/T: 10cm to infinity
Super macro: 1 to 10cm f=5.5-18.0mm
3.0 Inch, approx. 460,000 dot LCD
ISO 100 to 6400
Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light, Grainy Film, Pin Hole,
Diorama, Dramatic Tone
Yes
Standard, Speed, Fun Frames
CMOS Shift
Face Detect iESP/Spot/tracking

www.smartphotography.in

AF Tracking
:
Face Detection
:
Movie Recording Format :
Best Movie recording size :
Battery
:
HDMI
:
GPS
:
Waterproof (Class) :
Dustproof (Class)
:
Freezeproof
:
Crushproof
:
Shockproof
:
Dimensions
:
Weight
:

Yes
Yes (up to 8)
MOV/H.264, AVI/Motion Jpeg
1080p (1920x1080)
LI-92B Li-ion battery
Yes(TypeD)
Yes
15m/50ft: JISC0920/IEC60529 IPX8
JISC0920/IEC60529 IP6X
-10°C
100kgf
2.1m/7ft
111.5x65.9x31.2 mm
247 g (Including batteries/card)

December 2014 Smart Photography

119

LENS REVIEW

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO

Gem from Mount
Olympus!
Sujith Gopinath

O

lympus PRO-series lenses
have been extremely
versatile with their rugged
metal construction, superior optical
performance and compact footprint that
Micro Four Thirds standard demands.
The M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm
f/2.8 PRO joins the 12-40mm f/2.8 in
this series to provide a complete range of
professional grade lenses along with the
Premium series that feature the prime

lenses. Here we put to test the 40-150
f/2.8 PRO.

Design and Build Quality
The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 40150mm lens is professionally built with
a rugged metal exterior. Like all Micro
Four Thirds lenses, this one is compact
and lightweight compared to the Full
Frame and APS-C lenses of comparable
specs. The dedicated lens hood
(supplied) has a lock mechanism that
allows you to slide and retract the hood
while attached to the lens. For this, you
need to twist a ring on the hood and
pull it towards the base of the lens.
This is very useful
since the normal
hoods need to
be mounted in
reverse when
not in use. The
lens has special
sealing that
makes it dust,
splash and freezeproof. Olympus
provides a metal
tripod collar along
with the lens.

Key Features

` 105,000
Inside the Box
✓ M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f/2.8
PRO lens
✓ Lens Cap
✓ Lens Rear Cap
✓ Lens Hood
✓ Lens Case
✓ Instruction Manual
120

Smart Photography December 2014

The M.Zuiko 40-150mm lens provides
a 35mm equivalent focal length of 80
to 300mm and has widest aperture of
f/2.8 throughout the zoom range. This
is a very useful focal length for wildlife
and sports photography, especially with
Olympus’ optional 1.4x tele converter,
which makes the tele end 420mm
with a maximum aperture of f/4. The
minimum aperture is f/22. The lens
is constructed with 16 elements in 10
groups including one aspherical ED
(Extra-low Dispersion), two aspherical,
one SED, three ED, and one HD (High
Definition). These special elements

help the lens to provide superior
image quality by eliminating optical
aberrations. The lens elements are
coated with ZERO (Zuiko Extra-low
Reflection Optical) coating to eliminate
ghosts and flares caused due to internal
reflections. The lens does not feature
Optical Image Stabilisation since
Olympus uses in-body Sensor-shift type
Image Stabilisation, which makes any
lens an image-stabilised lens.
The 40-150mm lens features an
inner focusing system that allows it
to maintain the same length while
focussing and zooming. Focussing is
done internally, and the front element of
the lens does not rotate. This also effects
minimal change in centre of gravity
(or the weight balance) of the lens
while focussing and zooming, making
it easier to handle the lens. As if this
is not enough, the lens uses a floating
focus system with a dual Voice Coil
Motor (VCM) which, Olympus claims,
is the world’s first dual VCM focussing
system. This method involves two lens
groups moving simultaneously with
the help of two linear motors. This
results in faster focus, especially while
shooting close-ups. This is useful even
in movie mode.
The M.Zuiko 40-150mm can focus as
close as 70cm from the imaging sensor
at all zoom ranges. The lens provides
an angle of view of 30 to 8.2 degrees
and a maximum magnification of 0.21x
(0.42x equivalent). It features a circular
aperture diaphragm with 9 blades. The
lens has a filter size of 72mm (dia). It
weighs 760g and has dimensions of 79.4
(dia) x 160mm.

Ergonomics
The Olympus 40-150mm lens is very
comfortable to hold and use, especially
www.smartphotography.in

Mahesh Reddy

Aperture: f/3.2 Shutter Speed: 1/500sec ISO: 400

of purple fringing (again, only a blinkand-miss appearance).
Images were very sharp with the sweetspot at f/4 throughout the zoom range.
Even at f/2.8, the images retained a
high level of sharpness. This is highly
desirable, particularly because this lens
is very useful for wildlife and sports
photography, where faster shutter
speeds and shallow depth-of-field are
the norm. The lens did not produce any
perceptible distortion.

Value for Money
The Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED
40-150mm f/2.8 PRO retails at an MRP
of Rs.105,000. It is also available along
with 1.4x teleconverter, in a kit form at
an MRP of Rs.119,000. This is a very
competitive price for this lens.
ˆ

FINAL SCORE
with professional models such as OM-D
E-M1 and E-M5. The compact and
lightweight lens is easy to carry around
the whole day, and I would certainly
prefer to carry this on long trips in place
of heavy equivalent full-frame lenses.
The lens has a manual focus clutch that
allows you to instantly switch between
auto and manual focusing. This is quite
useful when you need quick fine-tuning
without taking your eyes off the subject.
The lens has an L-Fn button, which can
be assigned various functions through
the camera menu and thus serves as a
quick access function button. Overall,

Olympus has made the lens keeping
user-comfort in mind.

Performance
The Olympus 40-150mm PRO lens
performed like a true professional on
our test bench. Autofocus was fast
and precise on the E-M1 body that
Olympus had provided. We observed
very minimal darkening of corners at
f/2.8 at the wide-angle end in our test
images of a uniformly illuminated wall,
though this was not detectable in other
images. We noticed flare in very strong
against-the-light shots along with a tinge

Design and Build Quality 19/20

PLUS
• Excellent
build quality
• Compact
and
Lightweight
• MF Clutch
system
• Innovative
Lens Hood
• Function
button on lens
• Great
performance

VERDICT
Olympus PRO series Micro Four Thirds lenses have been
top-notch in their construction and performance. Olympus
has done a great job once again, crafting the 40-150 PRO to
perfection. It is near-perfect in build quality, features and
performance. Need we say more? Best Buy indeed!

86%

MINUS
• None that
we care
about

Key Features

18/20

Ergonomics

18/20

Performance
Autofocus
Sharpness
Distortion Control
Aberrations
Darkening
of Corners
Extra Features
Sub-Total
Value for Money

4/5
4/5
5/5
3.5/5
3.5/5
4/5
24/30
7/10

SPECIFICATIONS
Focal Length

: 40-150mm (35mm Equivalent Focal
Length 80-300mm)
Lens Construction
: 16 elements in 10 groups (1 aspherical ED,
2 aspherical, 1 SED, 3 ED , 1 HD)
Dust and Drip Proof
: Yes
Focusing System
: High-speed Imager AF (MSC) - Linear
Motor Drive System
Angle of View
: 30 - 8.2 Degree
Closest Focusing Distance : 70 cm
www.smartphotography.in

Maximum Magnification : 0.21x (35mm Equivalent Max. Image
Magnification 0.42x)
Maximum Field Size
: 82 x 62 mm
Number of Blades
: 9 (Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Maximum Aperture
: f/2.8
Minimum Aperture
: f/22
Filter Size
: Diameter 72mm
Dimensions
: Diameter 79.4x160mm
Weight
: 760g
December 2014 Smart Photography

121

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TIDBITS

PC-FLASH
CONNECTORS
H. S. Billimoria

T

he name is misleading
because it has nothing to do
with personal computers.
The PC-flash connector actually
predates the advent of the personal
computer by decades. PC stands
for Prontor Compur and refers to
the Prontor Compur Shutterworks
in Germany where the connector
was first developed. The PCflash connector was invented by
Gouthier and Deckle who were
German leaf shutter manufacturers.
(At one time, both Gouthier and
Deckle were owned by Zeiss Ikon).
The idea was to connect an
external flash to the shutter in a
standardized manner in order that
the shutter could synchronize with
the flash reliably. The connector is,
in effect a 3.5mm co-axial socket.

146

Smart Photography December 2014

This socket is normally covered
with a small plastic cover that
needs to be removed when a
flash unit’s link is attached to the
socket. The Exakta was the first
camera to be equipped with a PCflash connector.
The PC-flash connector dates
back to the day of leaf shutters. In
those days, the leaf shutter had to
be fully opened before the flash
could be used. The connector has
survived the transformation to
focal plane and electronic shutters
and today most pro and semi-pro
cameras continue to feature a
PC-flash connector. The PC-flash
connector can also be connected to
studio flash units and is therefore a
versatile and inexpensive feature in
a D-SLR camera.

The down side with a PC-flash
connector arises if the connector
gets worn out. Secondly, the plug
and lead connecting to the flash
should be of good quality to ensure
consistent results. Thirdly, the
plastic cap covering the PC-flash
connector can be easily removed
and lost.
With wireless flash systems
becoming widespread, it appears
that the days of the PC-flash
connector are numbered.
However, there are thousands of
cameras and flash systems out
in the market which need a flash
connector and therefore this
feature will continue to provide
camera users a convenient,
simple and cheap way to
illuminate images.
ˆ
www.smartphotography.in

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