Smart Photography - October 2014 In

• Versatile AF functions respond precisely to user’s intentions • Dual speed OLED
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INSIST ON A PANASONIC INDIA
WARRANTY CARD
Presenting the stunning Lumix GH4 which has been engineered for images that
impress and videos that inspire.
The
Master’s
Piece
i
b
d
b
r
a
n
d
s
.
c
o
m
P
hotokina 2014 certainly proved to be an eye
opener and an indicator of major trends in the
industry. Our take is as follows:
1. Mobile phones will continue to introduce more and
more people to the pleasures of photography, especially
candid photography.
2. A growing percentage of mobile phone owners will
want better quality of pictures as well as more versatility.
Tey will move to compact cameras or D-SLRs.
3. Te compact camera market will largely consist of
super-zoom bridge cameras like the Panasonic FZ 1000
and professional compact cameras like the Sony RX series.
4. Te D-SLR market will be challenged by the
mirrorless manufacturers. Mirrorless will increase
market share but not afect D-SLRs signifcantly.
5. Te accessories market will be buoyant.
In other words, enjoy your photography and let others
do the worrying.

H. S. Billimoria
WE ARE GLUED TO THE GLOBAL
IMAGING INDUSTRY
Our team is updated with all the benchmarks
and road blocks that the feld of photography
and imaging across the globe experiences.
Tis helps us record the changes in the global
perspective, thus making us the frst to predict
which products will be a rage in the Indian
markets.
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 infuenced by
advertisers or personal favorites. So when we say
a product is a ‘BEST BUY’, then, it is just that!
OUR TESTS ARE CONDUCTED BY
EXPERTS
All equipment go through a series of tests at the
hands of our experts. Our reviewers are experts
in the feld of photography across the country
and have many years of experience. Tat
gives us the foresight to distinguish between
a passing trend and a big change in the feld
of photography and imaging. And fnally, our
reviews are not extended to just fll up the pages!
WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU
Tere is no debate on why we are here. Our sole
goal is to provide you options and 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!
HERE’S
WHAT
MAKES US
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
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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. Te 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
October 2014 Smart Photography 5 www.smartphotography.in
WELCOME

EDITOR
Hoshang S. Billimoria
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Rohinton Mehta
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6 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Contents
ISSUE 115 / OCTOBER 2014
ISSUE 7
VOLUME 10
OCTOBER 2014
RS.125
SUBSCRIBER’S COPY
INTERVIEW MITAL PATEL PROFILE NAVANEETH UNNIKRISHNAN
REVIEWS: CANON EF-S 10-18MM F/4.5-5.6 IS STM ● CANON EF 16-35MM F/4L IS USM ● AF-S NIKKOR 16-35MM F/4G ED VR
INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
PHOTOFEATURE
Waari Pilgrimage
INDIA
EXCLUSIVE
REVIEW
PANASONIC
FZ1000
LEARNING
SETTING UP YOUR D-SLR
POSTCARDS FROMLAHORE
LET’S PHOTOGRAPH A WRISTWATCH
TRAVELOGUE
AUSCHWITZ
16page EPOSNsupplement with October 2014 issue.
Just a moment!
Readers can fnd the updated Buyer’s Guide, log on htp://smartphotography.in/news/monthly-special
Smart Photography thanks the readers who participate in the Picture of the Month contest. We would like to
bring to your atention a few changes in the rules for submission. From now on, you may send in your images with
the longer side measuring atleast 17 inches. Please note that the images have to be horizontal. Tis permits readers
to submit panoramic shots, which was not possible with the current size of 17 x 11 inches.
REGULARS
08 Mail Bag
10 News Watch
30 Picture of the Month
146 Tidbits
34 Kaleidoscope
A platform for budding photographers to
exhibit their talent and get noticed!
40 Showcase
A photographic profle of the person
behind the lens
44 If I Were You
Our expert comments on how your pic-
tures can be taken to another level
47 Ask Uncle Ronnie
Your photo queries answered by Uncle
Ronnie
52 MasterCrafsman
Te masters of the craf share their in-
sights and photographs
66 Photo feature
Ajay Sood captures Auschwitz
Remembering the WW-II Holocaust
52
34
October 2014 Smart Photography 7
www.smartphotography.in
SUBSCRIPTION
OFFER
page91
REVIEWS
LEARNINGS
74 Setting Up Your D-SLR
80 Postcards From Lahore
90 Let’s Photograph a
Wristwatch
94 Panasonic Lumix FZ1000
100 Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM l
102 Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM l
104 AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm F/4G ED VR
106 Gionee Elife S5.5
109 First Look : Samsung Galaxy Tab S
80
74
90
MAILBAG

8 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
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]
TUTORIALS
BUILDING AN ARCHITECTURAL
PHOTOGRAPH (INTERIORS)
PIN-UP PHOTOGRAPHY
10 HOWTO TIPS
ISSUE 6
VOLUME 10
SEPTEMBER 2014
RS.125
SUBSCRIBER’S COPY
INTERVIEW SAPNA REDDY PROFILE DIGWAS GH
1
1
4
REVIEWS: NIKON D810 ● BENQ PG2401 PT ● SONY CYBER-SHOT RX100 III
INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
HEAD-TO-HEAD
MACROLENSES FOR CANON
FULL-FRAME CAMERAS
Long Journey
I have been practising photography
since 1958. I am a graduate from
the Film and Television Institute
of India, 1966 batch, in Motion
Picture Photography. I have been a
subscriber of SP magazine from the
very beginning. It has helped me learn
digital photography technique, and
has given me knowledge about the
latest camera equipment, gadgets and
accessories. I am very thankful to Mr.
Ashok Kandimalla who shares his
tremendous knowledge in the lessons
in your magazine.
I would also like to mention that
my student Rosario Fernandes, who
attended a one month “Foundation
course in Photography” with me, won
second prize on World Photography Day
organised by Mumbai Photographers
Association, in association with Sony
India and Colo Color Lab.
SN.Dubey
Errata
In the September 2014 issue, the following errors occured in the magazine:
The headline of the Showcase featuring Digwas GH (pg. 38) was incorrectly printed as
‘Hills and Valleys’. The actual headline was ‘Lovely Sights’.
The image on pg. 34 titled ‘Lush Green’, erroneously printed in Kaleidoscope, was shot by
Digwas GH (Showcase)
The price of Nikon D810 in the review ‘A Great Upgrade!’ was incorrectly printed (pg
110). The actual price of the camera is Rs.1,99,950.
In the Head-to-Head of Macro lenses for Canon Full-Frame Cameras (pg.117), the Key
Features table wrongly mentions that the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM does
not have Image Stabilisation, while the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM features
Image Stabilisation. Also, note that the minimum focussing distance for the Canon EF
100mm f/2.8L Macro USM is 30cm and not 30m as mentioned in the table.
The errors are deeply regretted.
Wholesome Guide
I began reading Smart Photography only since
March 2014, but beyond doubt, it is the best
photography magazine we have in our country.
Unlike other magazines, SP builds your interest
if you are an amateur, trains you if you are an
advanced learner and polishes you if you are a
professional. I am specially fond of the features
written by Ashok Kandimalla and Dilip Yande.
Teir tips and suggestions have been valuable
and have helped me reach a higher level of
photography. I like the Glossary section too, which
is unique in SP. Since I am an amateur, it helps me
understand a lot of dif cult jargon.
I thank Uncle Ronnie for sharing his expertise
with us. His approach, makes reading SP a blissful
experience.
Te September 2014 edition made me aware of the
huge imaging industry and the exciting products
it ofers. Afer reading this edition, I know exactly
what to buy and why.
Anubhuti Sharma
NEWS
International
10 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
A
fer a very long
wait, Canon fnally
announced the
replacement to Canon 7D—the
7D Mark II—on September
15, 2014. It features a 20 MP
SNIPPETS
Samsung has joined
hands with Aircel
and Google in an
initiative to open
up the world of the
internet to more
women across India.
Kodak discontinued
the BW400CN black
and white flm,
including T-Max
100 and 400, as well
as Tri-X 320 and
400 flms. Kodak
had previously
discontinued its
T-MAX P3200, an
ultra high-speed
black and white flm,
in 2012.
Olympus has fled
a patent for HDR
exposure bracketing
during live preview.
Te new patent is
not only to solve the
preview issue, but
also speed up the
whole HDR capturing
process at the same
time. Instead of a
steady stream of live-
view images at the
correct setting, the
camera captures over
and under exposed
live view images in
rapid succession.
Canon launches 7D Mark II
CompactFlash and SD/SDHC/
SDXC storage. Te 7D II can
capture Full HD videos at
around 59.94 fps in MOV or
MP4 fle format. Te camera has
ports for a mic and headphone,
and also for USB 3.0. Te 7D
Mark II unfortunately doesn’t
ofer Wi-Fi connectivity, but it
does have built-in GPS.
Canon also released three new
lenses, the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS
II USM, EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6
IS STM and EF-S 24mm f/2.8
STM.
APS-C CMOS sensor
and dual DIGIC 6
image processor. Te 7D
Mark II has a 65-point
autofocus system and
an updated version
of Canon’s Dual Pixel
CMOS AF system with
continuous phase-detect
focusing during video
recording. Tis camera
can shoot continuously at up
to 10 fps. It features a 3-inch
LCD and an optical viewfnder
with 100% coverage. It has
dual memory card slots for
Canon announces PowerShot G7 X,
PoweShot N2 and PowerShot SX60 HS
Canon announced the
PowerShot G7 X, with a 20
MP BSI CMOS Sensor and
the Digic 6 image processor.
This is supposed to be
Canon’s first compact with
a 1-inch sensor. It features
a 20 MP BSI-CMOS sensor
is paired with the DIGIC 6
image processor, and offers an
ISO range of 125-12800. The
lens has an aperture range of
f/1.8-2.8 and an equivalent
focal range of 24-100mm. It
has a 9-blade curved aperture
diagram, an ND filter and 6.5
fps continuous shooting. The
3-inch touch-screen LCD can
be flipped up by 180 degrees.
The company introduced
the PowerShot N2, equipped
with a 16 MP CMOS sensor
and a 28-224mm 8x optical
zoom lens. It offers Wi-Fi and
NFC, and wireless sharing is
facilitated by Mobile Device
Connect button. This camera
has a unique selfie-friendly
design, to make it easier to
click selfies from any angle.
It has a 2.8-inch touch LCD
screen that can tilt upward by
180 degrees.
Canon also announced the
PowerShot SX60 HS, with
a 16.1MP CMOS sensor. It
has a 21-1365mm 65x zoom
lens. It features Wi-Fi and
NFC, 1080/60p HD video,
and an articulated 3-inch
LCD. The camera also has a
built-in EVF, and a 922k-dot
equivalent resolution.
NEWS
International
12 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Leica has unveiled the
Leica M-P, a rangefnder
camera for professional
photographers. Tis
camera has an enlarged
bufer memory of 2GB,
making it twice as fast
as capturing shots in
sequence than the Leica
M. It also makes use of
the sapphire crystal glass
for the protective cover of
the LCD monitor screen.
Tis is one of the hardest
materials available, almost
unbreakable. An anti-
refective coating on both
sides of the monitor cover
glass also improves image
reviewing.
Unlike the Typ 240, the
M-P does not include the
red Leica logo. Te camera
body is compact and its
design is minimalistic.
Te shutter works
almost silently, to ensure
unobtrusive photography.
It features the Leica
Maestro image processor,
which allows a better
quality of images with any
exposure, according to the
company. Te camera has
a 24MP full-frame CMOS
sensor, the Leica MAX
24MP.
Leica M-P Rangefnder
camera unveiled
Nikon launches the D750
N
ikon’s new full-frame D-SLR
D750, a 24MP falls between the
D610 and D810 in their line-up.
Designed for enthusiasts, the D750 offers
an improved version of the 51-point
AF system from the D810, a 6.5fps
maximum frame-rate and a vari-angle
LCD. It is Nikon’s first camera to offer
built-in Wi-Fi. Its video features are
quite similar to the D810, with 1080/60p
recording and full manual exposure
control. The Nikon D750 features a 24
MP FX-format CMOS sensor and an
EXPEED 4 image processor.
The ISO range extends from
100-12800, expandable from
50 to 51,200. Highlight
Weighted Metering mode is
available, meant for capturing
events and performances.
The camera also features the
latest of Nikon’s Advanced
Picture Control settings.
It can capture full HD
1920x1080 resolution videos
at 60/30/24p.
Kenko Professional
to debut Horseman
Digital View Camera
Kenko Professional Imaging Co. announced
that it will begin ofering a digital view
camera under the Horseman brand, for the
frst time since it merged with Horseman
and other professional businesses from
Komamura Corp. Te Horseman Axella
will be available at a suggested list price of
580,000 Yen (US$5460) and above.
Te Horseman Axella is a digital view
camera to be used with a D-SLR body or
a digital back using a suitable lens mount.
Te company has prepared models suitable
for Mamiya 645, Hasselblad V, Canon EOS,
Nikon F and Sony E mounts. Te camera
comes with bellows and L-letter arms, that
make camera movements like swinging,
tilting, rising and falling possible.
NEWS
International
14 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Nikon Announces AF-S NIKKOR
20mm f/1.8G ED Lens
O
n September 12, 2014,
Nikon India announced
the launch of the AF-S
NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED, a
compact and lightweight, 20mm
ultra-wide angle lens. Bokeh
pictures can be taken with this
lens, and it is also possible to
shoot close-up shots at a minimum
focusing distance of 0.20m.
Te lens design ensures minimal
chromatic aberration. Nano Crystal Coat
has also been utilized to reduce ghost
and fare. Te AF-S NIKKOR 20mm
f/1.8G ED is compatible with a wide
range of 77mm screw-on flters. It also
employs a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for
quiet and smooth autofocus operation.
Te lens will be available by October
2014 across India for Rs.61,950.
Samsung
announced the
launch of the NX1
Smart Camera,
which is the first
to sport an APS-C
sized BSI CMOS
sensor. The 28MP
BSI CMOS sensor
utilizes Samsung’s
advanced semi-
conductor
technology. The
new NX AF System
III features 205
Phase-detect AF
points, covering
90 percent of the
frame. The camera
allows 15 fps continuous
shooting speed. The system
also employs a patterned AF
Assist Beam that reaches up
to 15m and will help capture
clear photos in low light. The
NX1 also incorporates a new
DRIMe V Image Processor
and has built-in Adaptive
Noise Reduction technology.
The NX1 is capable of
recording 4K video,
and has a 2.36M-dot
OLED EVF screen. It
also offers Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth connectivity.
Samsung also
expanded its line of
professional-grade
S lenses with the
introduction of a
new telephoto lens,
the NX 50-150mm
f/2.8 S OIS lens. It is
weather-sealed to resist
dust and splashes,
and covers a range
equivalent to 77-
231mm on Samsung’s APS-C
NX cameras. It includes 20
elements in 13 groups, and
offers built-in stabilization
and an i-Function button.
Olympus
launches M
Zuiko ED
40-150mm
f/2.8 Pro
Olympus has announced
the M Zuiko ED 40-150mm
F2.8 Pro lens. Tis weather-
resistant lens can withstand
dust, splash and temperature.
Te telephoto zoom lens covers
a range of 80-300mm. It uses
a dual-linear motor to enable
power focusing of two high-
grade lens elements. It features
an inner zoom mechanism
that maintains its portable
size of about 6 inches. Te
company also announced a
1.4x teleconverter. When used
with this 40-150mm lens, the
equivalent telephoto reach
extends to 420mm.
Samsung introduces NX1 Camera and
a new Telephoto Lens
NEWS
International
16 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Hasselblad introduces
200MP H5D-50MS
Hasselblad announces
new Medium Format
Camera body
With Hasselblad’s new H5D-
50MS, users can capture super
high-quality images. It’s not
actually a 200 MP sensor in
there, but the new camera
uses the company’s multi-shot
technology to combine 50 MP
captures, to take “still-life studio
photography to a mind-blowing
moire-free 200 MP resolution to
produce a quality that is hard to
believe is possible.”
Hasselblad says that its
patented symmetrical
multi-shot frame accurately
positions the sensor with a
sub-micron accuracy using
piezo-electrical actuators. It
can capture 6 shots with the
sensor positioned accurately
at a sequence of quadrants of
the pixel. Te medium-format
43.8x32.9mm sensor can click
1.5 frames per second, though
long exposures can last 12
minutes. Te high dynamic
range is 14 stops.
Hasselblad has developed a
new and exclusive medium
format camera body, the H5X.
Te versatile H5X has been
developed for H1, H2, H2F and
H4X photographers who seek H5
capability; and also as a back-up
body for H5D users.
Te H5X ofers the latest
capture functionality and works
seamlessly with Hasselblad’s H
System lenses. It comes afer the
spring launch of the world’s frst
50MP CMOS sensor camera,
the H5D-50c; and the summer
launch of the H5D-50c MS,
H5D-200c MS and the CFV-50c
CMOS digital back.
Te H5X provides
the same functions
as the H1 or H2
cameras, with a
number of new
additions. It
ofers TrueFocus,
which enables
photographers
to concentrate on creativity
without having to worry
about focus mechanics. It also
features full HC and HCD
lens compatibility, including
HCD 24, HCD 28 and the
HCD 35-90 zoom lens. It also
ofers the HVD90x Viewfnder
optimized for the 36x48mm
format, and high power AF
illumination. Te H5X features
eight memory banks for easy
access to previously saved
camera settings and all new
programmable button options,
available with an H5D sensor
unit.
Fujiflm announces X100T
and Two Lenses
F
ujiflm unveiled a series of new
products, which were showcased at
the Photokina 2014. Te Fujiflm
X100T, a premium compact camera with
the world’s frst advanced hybrid viewfnder
was announced. It displays images of the
focus area in the optical fnder to enable
precise focusing. Te X100T ofers a 16MP
APS-C sized CMOS sensor, a fxed 23mm
f/2 lens and a 3-inch display. Te camera
autofocuses in 0.08 seconds, starts up in
0.5 seconds and has a shutter lag of 0.01
seconds, and 0.5 seconds shooting interval.
Te ‘Classic Chrome’ flm simulation option
creates muted tones and produces deeper
shades of colour.
Te company
also
showcased
a new lens,
the Fujinon
XF 56mm
f/1.2 R APD,
based on the
XF56mm f/1.2 R. Te new lens features the
APD flter to create special efects. An ND
flter comes with this lens, to use it to the
best of its ability.
Te fagship model in the XF lens series
of Telephoto zoom lenses, the Fujinon 50-
140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR (equivalent to
76-213mm in the 35mm format) was also
announced. Te lens has 23 elements in
16 groups including a super ED element,
fve ED elements, and the newly-developed
Nano GI (Gradient Index) coating. It
ofers inner autofocusing and optical shake
reduction. Te lens measures 82.9mm(D) x
175.9 mm(L), and weighs 995g.
Fujiflm X100T
NEWS
International
18 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Olympus to ofer
latest model in PEN
Lite Series
Panasonic announces Lumix DMC-LX100, DMC-GM5
and a new Telephoto Zoom Lens
Tamron announces new Lens,
Model A012
Olympus Imaging Co.
will ofer the latest model
in its PEN Lite Series,
the PEN E-PL7. Te new
model features a new way
of taking better selfes
with a pivoting LCD
monitor.
Te PEN E-PL7 has
a Four-Tirds 16MP
LiveMOS semsor and
a TruePic VII image
processing engine. It
has a 3-inch pivoting
touch screen that turns
into a 3-inch pivoting
touchscreen that turns
into a mirror display
and activates the ‘Selfe’
mode when it is tilted
downward in the 180
degree position. Te
camera ofers continuous
shooting of 8 frames per
second, a built-in Wi-Fi
and the 3 axis image
stabilization system. Te
expected street prices are
71,280 Yen (US$ 664).
With the 14-42mm lens
kit, it costs 87,500 Yen
(US$ 815).
Te Lumix DMC-LX100 is the follow-up
to the LX7. It has a Four-Tirds sensor. It
features an f/1.7-2.8 24-75mm equivalent lens
and a 3-inch tilting touchscreen LCD and a
2.76 million dot electronic viewfnder. Te
LX100 can record 4K video at 30p and Full
HD at 60p
Te Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 is a Micro
Four-Tirds camera is an updated version of
the GM1, with the addition of an electronic
viewfnder. Other features include a 16 MP
Live MOS sensor, a 3-inch touchscreen LCD,
1080/60p movie recording, and built-in
Wi-Fi.
Te Lumix G VARIO 35-100mm / F4.0-5.6
ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. ofers a focal distance
of 35-100 mm (Equivalent to 70-200 mm on a
35mm camera). It comprises of 12 lenses in 9
groups. Tis includes 2 ED (Ultra Extra-Low
Dispersion) elements to minimize chromatic
aberration.
Tamron announced a new ultra-
wideangle zoom lens for full-frame
D-SLRs, the SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC
USD (Model A012), with a fast aperture
and VC.
Since 2012, Tamron has been
expanding its line-up of interchangeable
lenses for 35mm full-frame D-SLR
cameras. Te SP 24-70mm f/2.8
Di VC USD (Model A007) was the
frst in the series, being integrated
with VC, followed by the SP 70-
200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD (Model
A009), SP 90mm f/2.8 Di MACRO
1:1 VC USD (Model F004), and SP
150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD
(Model A011). To address the
needs for more towards the wider
angular feld, Tamron spearheaded
the development of SP 15-30mm f/2.8
Di VC USD, a fast ultra-wideangle
zoom lens with the image stabilization
feature. Te lens was showcased at
the Tamron booth at Photokina 2014,
September 16- 21, 2014 in Cologne,
Germany.
Leica announces New
X-Series and D-Lux cameras
L
eica Camera introduced
a new X camera, the
Leica X (Typ 113),
featuring a Leica Summilux
23 MM f/1.7 ASPH lens and
larger sensor. The Leica X
features an expanded video
function with full HD quality.
It also offers an optional
handgrip and extensive range
of manual settings. The
camera features a 16 MP APS-
C-Format CMOS Sensor. The
closest shooting distance is
0.2m. The camera is capable
of capturing full-HD quality
video at a resolution of 1920 x
1080 pixels and 30 full frames
per second in MP4 format.
Leica also announced the
compact D-Lux (Typ 109)
camera, with a 24-75mm
equivalent, f/1.7-2.8 zoom
and a Four Thirds sensor.
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International
20 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
O
n September 5, 20145, Sony
Corp. released
a new mirrorless
interchangeable lens camera,
the Alpha 5100 in Japanese
markets. It will be released
soon in global markets as well. Sony claims
that the camera has the world’s smallest
ILC with super-fast autofocus and pro-
quality pictures. The Alpha 5100 features a
fast hybrid AF with 179 focal plane phase-
detection AF points, and a touch shutter
release. It features a 24 MP APS-C
size Exmore CMOS sensor,
a BIONZ X processor, a 180
degrees tiltable 3-inch touch
enabled LCD monitor. It can also
shoot full HD videos, and offers
One-touch image and movie
sharing with NFC and Wi-Fi
connectivity. The Alpha 5100
measures 109.6x62.8x35.7, and
weighs 283g including battery and
Memory Stick Pro Duo.
Sony launches ‘World’s
Smallest ILC’ Alpha 5100
Fujiflm to
launch X30
Premium
Compact
Digital Camera
Nikon Announces Speedlight SB-500
Nikon India announced the launch
of the new Speedlight SB-500. It is
compact, portable and lightweight.
Te SB-500 runs on AA-size
batteries. It also packs a high-
performance LED light, making it
ideal for recording video in the dark,
or to provide additional natural light
for close-up still shooting.
Te Speedlight SB-500 weighs 273g
(with batteries). Te fash head tilts
up to 90° and rotates horizontally
180° to the lef or right. It includes
an LED light with an output of
approximately 100 lux, which has
three output levels (Low, Mid, High).
Te SB-500 supports Nikon’s
Creative Lighting System, adaptable
to both i-TTL fash and manual
fash control, and is also capable
of operating as a remote fash in
Advanced Wireless Lighting. Te
Nikon Speedlight SB-500 will be
available by the end of September
2014 for Rs.16,950.
Ricoh Imaging Co. announced that it will launch
a new compact lightweight D-SLR camera, the
Pentax K-S1, from late September. Te camera
features a user-
friendly interface
to attract mid-
level customers
who are used to a
mobile interface
and is looking for
something similar
in a D-SLR. Operation is carried out with a back-lit
LED selection dial, four-way navigation and a 3-inch
LCD without the knobs and buttons found on
traditional SLRs.
Te KS1 has a 20MP CMOS sensor without optical
low-pass flter, a high speed image processing engine
called ‘Prime MII’, built-in shake reduction, high-
speed AF utilizing SAFOX Ixi+ sensor and a shutter
speed of up to 1/6000 sec allowing a maximum of
5.4fps sequential shots.
Fujufilm Corp. announced
the launch of a new Fujifilm
X30 premium compact digital
camera. The third generation
X30 is to replace the X20,
featuring an innovative
viewfinder with new functions
and improvements. The X30
has the same lens, processor
and 12 MP sensor as the X20,
plus a tilting 3-inch LCD and
Wi-Fi for the same price of
US$600. The X30 features the
newly developed Real Time
Viewfinder, a large 2/3-inch
X-Trans II sensor with no
optical low pass filter, EXR
Processor II image processing
engine and the mew ‘Classic
Chrome’ film simulation mode.
The Auto-focusing has a start-
up tome of 0.5 sec and shutter
time lag of 0.01 sec. High
speed continuous shooting is
possible at the speed of 12fps
in full resolution. It features
a Fujinon 28-112mm f/2.0 4x
manual barrel zoom lens with
11 glass elements in 9 groups,
including three aspherical
lens elements and two ED lens
elements.
The Classic Chrome film
simulation mode delivers
muted tones and deep colour
reproduction. This technology
is a result of the expertise
cultivated through the
development of photographic
films over the past 80 years.
Ricoh to launch Pentax K-S1 D-SLR
22 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
NEWS
Business
X
iaomi was a relatively obscure
Chinese domestic Smartphone
maker till last year, but Xiaomi’s
sales today have surpassed those of
Samsung and Lenovo. It is now the top
domestic player in China’s domestic
market. Xiaomi has become the ffh
largest Smartphone maker in the
world. To lure customers, the company
focuses on ofering special sofware
that customers cannot get with other
Android devices. It ofers a customized
version of Android called Miui, which
customers can help design, by giving
feedback online. Te company sells
Smartphones at nearly the same cost
it incurs to buy and assemble the
materials or components. To make
money, Xiaomi focuses on selling
apps, games and special Android
themes as well as internet services.
For marketing, the CEO Lei Jun runs
festivals to show appreciation to the
so-called Mi fans.
According to a market research
company, BCN, Canon grabbed the
No.1 share for the frst 7 months of 2014
by 4.15% as compared to the 38.7%
taken by Epson, which had occupied
the top spot for four years. Introducing
these new products, Canon aims to get
the top share for the whole year. Brother
Industries is trying to catch up, with a
13.5% share for this period.
Shipments in Japan for 2014 are
expected to be about 5.71 million
units, and the world shipments to be
66.41 million units according to IDC, a
research company in the USA. It expects
the Japanese market to remain level, and
the global market to rise.
Nikon Corp. announced that sales
dropped by 26% year-on-year to
177.4 billion Yen (US$1.739 billion)
for the first quarter of 2014, ending
on June 30. Operating profit plunged
by 42% to 3.5 billion Yen (US$34.3
million), while net profit shrank
by 17% to 3.6 billion Yen (US$35.3
million). The company attributed the
poor performance to sluggish sales of
digital cameras and steppers for both,
semiconductor chip and LCD panel
manufacturing.
In the Imaging Business Unit, sales
fell by 28.2% to 134.7 billion Yen and
operating profit dropped by 18.4% to
11.8 billion Yen. The company sold
1.1 million units of interchangeable
lens cameras (down by 30.6%), 1.16
million interchangeable lenses (down
by 28.1% and 1.78 million compact
cameras (down by 42.9%). Sales in
the Precision Equipment Business
dropped by 31% to 23.5 billion Yen,
posting an operational loss of 2.5
billion Yen. The Instrument
Business sales rose by 8.4% to 12.4
billion Yen with an operational loss
of 1.7 billion Yen.
Xiaomi now ffh largest
Smartphone maker
Canon Aims for top share in
Japanese IJ Printer market
Nikon posts drop in Revenue
and Proft for First Quarter
Olympus Posts record
Net Proft for April-June
Olympus Corp. announced a net proft of 8.1 billion
Yen for the April-June 2014 period, a record high for
this particular quarter. For the same period in 2013,
the company had sufered a loss of 1.8 billion Yen.
Sales rose 5% year-on-year to 167 billion Yen, and
operating proft went up by 84% to 15 billion Yen. A
good performance by the Medical business pushed
up sales and proft.
Sales of the Imaging product segment dropped by
20.5% to 19.8 billion Yen, and the operating loss was
2.2 billion Yen. Tis was mainly due to increased
promotional expenses for mirrorless models and
B-to-B operations. Sales of mirrorless models rose
by 22% to 11.1 billion Yen, while compact model
sales dropped by 78% to 5.1 billion Yen. Sales in
Europe rose 70% centering on OM-D series, in
the Americas they rose by 10%. In Asia, the sales
were slow. Interchangeable lens sales increased by
40% and the company will boost their professional-
use interchangeable lens line-up from the second
quarter.
Weak Camera Sales in
Europe make Nikon
cut Proft Forecast
Nikon Corp. downgraded its net proft forecast for
the fscal year ending in March 2015 to 38 billion
Yen (US$372 million) down by 19% year-on-year,
mainly due to low sales of digital cameras in the
key European market. Te company had earlier
predicted a net proft of US$441 million. Operating
proft will possibly decline by 16% to US$520
million rather than rise up, undershooting the latest
average market projection of US$596 million.
Te primary cause is the lacklustre performance of
the mainstay camera business. Nikon now expects
to sell just 5.05million interchangeable lens cameras
in fscal 2014, 350,000 lesser than its previous
forecast. It has lowered the earlier estimates of
interchangeable lenses from 7.5 million units to 7.1
million, and from 9 million compact cameras to 7.5
million units—a 33% year-on-year drop.
Around 30% of Nikon’s camera sales are in Europe.
Sales were weak especially in Germany and Russia.
Sales of interchangeable lens cameras fell 31% to
1.1 million units, owing to weak demand in Japan,
Europe and the US. Te drop was sharper than rival
Canon’s 19% decrease.
www.smartphotography.in
NEWS
National
24 Smart Photography October 2014
O
n September 1, 2014 Transcend
Information, Inc. launched
produced the rugged series—
The StoreJet 25H3/StoreJet 25M3
portable hard drive and the JetFlash 810
(USB3.0)/ JetFlash V70 (USB 2.0) pen
drives.
Tese are designed to protect the drives
from physical damage that can harm them,
and can result in the loss of precious data.
Te special designed rubber enclosure can
avoid the storage device from slipping.
It’s also shock-proof and can absorb drop
impact. Te Transcend Rugged series is
sturdy, robust, durable, safe to use and has a
three-stage shock protection system which
is extra thick (suspension), reinforced(hard
casting) and anti-slip(rubber enclosure).
According to the company, it meets U.S.
military drop-test standards that include
drop test, temperature test, vibration test
and pressure test. It has a durable anti-
shock rubber outer case and an advanced
internal hard drive suspension system. To
know more, log on to http://in.transcend-
info.com/
Transcend launches Rugged Hard
Drives and USB Flash Drives in India
SanDisk launches 4K
Enabled Cards in India
Konica Minolta
revamps its call
centres with
state-of-the-art
technology
On September 17, 2014,
SanDisk Corporation
launched two new products,
the SanDisk Extreme
PROmicroSDXC UHS-I 64
GB card and the SanDisk
Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I
memory card 512 GB card.
These cards have been
created keeping in mind
the current 4k Ultra High
Definition (3840x2160p)
video trend.
The SanDisk Extreme PRO
microSDXC UHS-I 64GB
card offers transfer speeds
of up to 95MB/s
It also features Class 10
and UHS Speed Class 3
(U3) ratings, which are
recommended by
the SD Association for 4K
Ultra HD video capture.
“Features like 4K Ultra HD
video recording, which
were once only available
on high-end devices,
have quickly gained
popularity and adoption,”
Rajesh Gupta, Country
Manager India, SanDisk
Corporation. “There is no
doubt 4K Ultra HD is a
game-changer and we are
committed to enabling the
next generation of video
capture and sharing.” The
SanDisk Extreme PRO
microSDHC/microSDXC
UHS-I cards are available
worldwide in
capacities of 32GB and
64GB and range in pricing
from Rs.4900 and Rs.9700.
“The 512GB SanDisk
Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I
card is a tremendous
advancement that enables
professionals to reliably
store more content on
a single card than ever
before,” said Gupta. The
card offers write speeds up
to 90 MB/s and UHS Speed
Class 3 (U3) recording
speed for high resolution,
true colour and stutter-free
4K Ultra HD video. It also
has transfer speeds of up
to 95 MB/s. This card is
temperature-proof, water-
proof, shock-proof, and X
ray-proof. It is made for
professionals and comes
with a RescuePRODeluxe
data recovery software
download offer, for
reviving accidentally
deleted images. The
512 GB Extreme PRO
SDXC UHS-I card will be
available for Rs.51,990.
It is also available in the
capacities of 256 GB and
128 GB.
With the objective to reach
greater customer satisfaction,
Konica Minolta has revamped its
call centres in India with global
standard equipment and state
of the art technology. For better
accessibility, the company has added
another additional emergency
number 0120-4975100 (30 Hunting
Lines) with the existing Toll Free
No. 1800- 419- 0277. Apart from
the call centre, Konica Minolta has
designed a customer portal (http://
csp.kmbs.co.in) which would enable
customers to register their service or
toner requirements directly through
the portal without calling the call
centre.
“Our priority has always been
our customers, and to deliver the
best to them and our services and
products refects our commitment
towards the customers” stated
Mr. Balakrishnan EGM Konica
Minolta India. Te call centre will
be functional 24x7 with trained and
professional executives.
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 25
Epson announces 3LCD Touch-Enabled
Interactive Projector in India
O
n September 17, 2014, Epson
announced the world’s frst 3LCD
interactive projector that features
fnger-touch capabilities. Te EB-595Wi is
designed for ofce use and in schools, for
classroom discussions.
In addition to operation using interactive
pens, the EB-595Wi allows for operation by
touching the screen with a fnger. Tis
includes opening and closing of fles, page
scrolling, moving and expanding objects
and annotation, giving users an easy control
over their presentations and even allowing
them to make PC-free annotations literally
at the touch of a fnger. Te EB-595Wi
incorporates these new features to existing
functions such as Multi-PC projection,
iProjection and the PC-less interactive
functionality. Epson’s ultra-short throw
projection addresses problems like shadow
interference and obstruction. Te printer
needs only 47cm to project an 80-inch
screen.
Announcing the launch, Mr. Samba Moorthy,
Director - Sales and Marketing, Epson India,
said, “As leaders in the projector segment, we
have always introduced products that have
been game changers in the industry. We are
pleased to announce the launch of the world’s
frst fnger touch interactive, ultra-short-throw
projector that will address the requirements of
our customers in the education segment. With
the EB-595Wi, students can maximize their
learning through technology in classrooms.”
Te EB-595Wi is also capable of Multi-PC
Projection, allowing up to 50 terminals to be
connected while a host PC plays moderator,
selecting media from up to 4 terminals to be
projected simultaneously. Wireless projection
is also an option, with the Epson iProjection
application for both iOS and Android. Tis
feature supports various fles and allows for
presentation from any Smart device.

Epson has also launched its line of Pen
Interactive Projector – the EB 595WI & the
Ultra Short Trow Projector the EB 585W.
Epson launched all these projectors today at
InfoComm India 2014.
Te EB-575Wi costs Rs.110,399. Te EB-
585W and EB-595Wi cost Rs.1,10,799 and
Rs.1,54,199 respectively.
Samsung Announces Club Samsung 2.0
On September 17, 2014, Samsung
Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the
launch of Club Samsung 2.0, a digital
entertainment storefront that includes
music, movies, videos and mobile TV
under its MSC (Media Solutions Center)
division. Te application provides easy
access to content even in an ofine mode.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. B.D.
Park, President and CEO, Samsung South
West Asia said, “With this launch, we
reafrm our leadership in customer-centric
innovation, which is at the core of all the
product development that we undertake.
Te new ofering from our Media Solutions
Center (MSC) division will not only
provide unparalleled user experience
but will set a new standard in the mobile
entertainment space.”
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Tarun
Malik, Director of Media Solutions Center-
South West Asia, Samsung Electronics,
said, “We have invested signifcant
resources and eforts in ensuring that Club
Samsung 2.0
delivers a world-
class experience
to our customers.
Whether it’s
the single hand
operation or the
ability to play
online and ofine
content at one
place, there are
a lot of features
that will excite our
customers. ”
Using the Samsung
account sign-on,
customers can
take their profles
with them across
devices. Upto 5
devices are supported through a single user
ID that spans Smartphone, Tablets and
TVs. Te ‘Discovery feature lets users select
a playlist according to mood, era, language
or genre and auto updates
the playlist when fresh
content is added to the
store. Te app supports
content in Hindi, Punjabi,
Bengali, Tamil, Telugu,
Kannada, Malayalam,
Marathi and Gujarati.
Club Samsung 2.0 has
a unifed player for all
ofine and online content.
Te new media player
allows multi-tasking such
as synchronized browsing,
social sharing and
comments. It provides
recommendations and
supports minimized
version for both audio
and video formats,
according to bandwidth.
Club Samsung 2.0 is compatible with14
Samsung devices currently, and is available
for download starting September 30, 2014
from the Galaxy App Store.
Image: Shraddha Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor
at the launch of Club Samsung 2.0
www.smartphotography.in
NEWS
National
26 Smart Photography October 2014
Canon introduces DreamLabo
5000 printer in Kochi
C
anon India Pvt. Ltd.
introduced its stellar
product DreamLabo
5000, a commercial inkjet
printer in the city of Kochi,
Kerala. Te move will help to
further build Canon’s presence
in the South-Asian market.
Te press announcement
event was attended by Mr.
Takao Hada, Group Executive,
Commercial Inkjet Product
Group, Canon Inc. Tokyo, Mr.
Kensaku Konishi, President
& CEO, Canon South and
South-east Asia, Mr. Kazutada
Kobayashi, President and CEO,
Canon India Pvt. Ltd. and Dr.
Alok Bharadwaj, Executive
Vice President, Canon India
Pvt. Ltd. along with Mr.
E.M. Wilson and Mr. E.N.
Vinod of Edathadan Digital
Press, Kochi. Mr. Kazutada
Kobayashi, President and
CEO, Canon India, said at the
unveiling, “We are delighted
to introduce the DreamLabo
5000 in Kochi. Afer its grand
success in Bangalore, this
was a natural step towards
expansion. Te DreamLabo
5000 is a robust product that
aims to revolutionize wedding
photography in India. A
marriage in the family is an
important occasion where
everything from invitations,
venue and decor to food is
planned meticulously. Finally
there is a product that would
ensure to keep the memories
as vibrant and fresh for years
to come. With this product,
we hope to fulfl a cherished
dream for the entire family
and are confdent that it would
carve a niche for itself in the
market.”
Edathadan Digital Press, a
premium photo lab is the
frst to purchase and install
DreamLabo 5000 in Kochi.
Edathadan Digital Press will
position the premium print
version as HD prints.
Elaborating on the
announcement, Dr. Alok
Bharadwaj, Executive Vice
President, Canon India,
said, “Over the years, photo-
capturing technology has
grown by leaps and bounds.
In order to keep up with these
advances, India is undergoing
a massive transition from
the conventional analogue
and silver halide technology
to digital photo printing. In
fact, out of the Rs. 3300 crore
commercial photo printing
market in India, nearly 20%
percent is digital, which is
about Rs. 700 crore. With
growing customer expectation,
there is an enormous scope for
creating value in this space.
DreamLabo 5000 serves to do
exactly this. Since the lion’s
share of India’s commercial
photography print industry
comes from wedding and travel
photography, DreamLabo
5000 specifcally targets the
needs of these professional
photographers. We have
got extremely encouraging
feedback from Bangalore and
hope to replicate the same
success in Kochi.”
“Canon is looking at capturing
10% of digital photo album
print space in India in the
next three years. South India,
especially Kerala will be a big
driver towards this goal.” He
further added.
Leveraging and extending
Canon’s existing inkjet
technology, which it has
successfully deployed through
its PIXMA desktop printers
range, the DreamLabo 5000
features a newly developed
high-density print head,
enabling over 300 mm wide
printing output. Incorporating
Canon’s FINE (Full-
photolithography Inkjet Nozzle
Engineering) technology,
the print head enables the
printing of high-quality photos
and detailed text to support
a variety of output, from
premium photo albums, photo
books, photo calendars, photo
collages and other merchandise
to high-quality POD items,
such as bespoke brochures.
DreamLabo 5000 provides
a high quality alternative to
the traditional silver halide
technology. Te wide print
head delivers high-speed One-
Pass printing, requiring only
a single pass of the printing
paper while the print head
remains in a fxed position.
When used in combination
with the automatic double-
sided printing function, the
DreamLabo 5000 is capable of
printing approximately 1000
pages of A4 size content and
2300 pages of 4x6-inch size
content per hour. Te system
also attains high productivity
by enabling paper and ink tank
replacement during printing,
supporting the extended
operation time required for
production printers.
DreamLabo 5000 uses a
seven-colour dye-based ink
system. Employing image
processing technology that
makes use of the full range of
Canon’s unique inkjet printing
colour gamut, the new printer
enables the output of photo
images with a level of colour
representation which surpasses
that of conventional silver
halide. Te retail price of
DreamLabo 5000 in India is
approximately Rs.4.5 crore.
Shoots and Shoots
Photography Academy,
based in Delhi is organizing
a Pushkar MelaTour. The
academy offers two batches,
one from Oct 24 – 26 and the
second from November 3 – 6,
2014. The students and ex-
students of the academy will
get discounted rates on the
tours. To find out more, log
on to www.ssacademy.in.
Entries for the 2014
international Travel
Photographer of the Year awards
(TPOTY) close on October 1st.
Entry is via image upload to
www.tpoty.com or by submitting
prints, and HD Video category
entries are via DVD. Amateur
and professional photographers
of all ages and from all countries
have plenty of themes and
options to choose from. Tere
are some great prizes to be won,
and the winning photographers
will also have their shots
displayed at an exhibition in
2015.
Shoots and
Shoots
Photography
Academy
organizes
Pushkar Tour
2014
International
Travel
Photographer
of the Year
Awards
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 27
S
eiko Epson Corporation President and
CEO, Minoru Usui, was in India recently
to share the market statistics of the printer
market in India and the company’s vision for
the Indian market. Usui, incidentally, is the
inventor of Epson’s fagship technology, the
Micro-Piezo print head.
Te CEO expressed optimism at the way the
printer market in India is growing. While
Epson India’s turnover in FY2013 was Rs.8840
Million, it is projected to touch Rs.10,000
Million in FY 2014. Te total printer market in
India is of 3.1 million units, which translated
to Rs.22,880 Million in revenue terms. Tis
is expected to grow to 3.4 million units
(Rs.25,883Million) in FY2014.
Te most interesting development that the
Indian market has witnessed, is the decline
of inkjet single function, DMP and laser
single function printers. Inkjet multifunction
devices grew 19 percent, and Inkjet printers
are making strong inroads into laser market by
ofering greater value to SOHO and SMBs.
Epson, which has traditionally been number
one in dot matrix and bill printers, has now
emerged number one even in inkjet printers in
terms of value.
“Epson has been focussing much on emerging
markets like India, and this is clearly refected
in our long-range corporate vision,” said
Usui. For this, we had to change our basic
approach, which, for a long time, was to design
a product and then create a market for the
same. Now we frst assess the customer need
and then develop products accordingly. Tis
has rewarded Epson quite well. Expectations
of the consumers in emerging markets is very
diferent from those of developed countries.
Here the key requirement is the perceived
value for money in terms of both cost per Page
(CPP) as well as total cost of ownership (TCO),
and laser printers were perceived as having the
lowest CPP and TCO (attained only through
reflls). Other considerations are high print
quality, good speed, energy saving and low
environmental impact.
Tis made Epson realise that a robust
technology already existed, but it had to
be approached diferently. Tus emerged
InkTanks, made possible only by Epson’s
advanced Micropiezo technology, which
is difcult to implement in thermal inkjet
printers. InkTank systems ofer high quality
with Micropiezo-based printing technology,
it is easily refllable without the inconvenience
and expense of ink cartridges, and it facilitated
high volume printing of 4,000 pages from a
single ink bottle. CPP is just 12 paise for B&W
prints and 25 paise for colour prints. And
unlike lasers, L & M (InkTank system) printer
series consume very low power.
Te frst InkTank printer was launched in
January 2011, and was immediately accepted
by SOHO and commercial customers. Now
it is being accepted by corporates, enterprise
and home rapidly. Tis is clear from the CMR
Data 2014, which shows Epson’s market share
in 2013 as 44% against 39 percent in 2012,
making it no.1 in A4 inkjet market share.
Sharing the vision for the Indian printer
market, SM Ramprasad, DGM, Consumer
Products, Epson India, said that the overall
printer market is expected to grow from Rs.
22,880 Million in 2013 to Rs 33,000 Million
in 2017. With a very wide range of InkTank
printers including single and multi-function,
B&W, Photo, and Signage printers, Epson India
is ready to build on the initial success and make
deeper inroads to the ofce and corporate
printing sectors. “We aim to capture 15 to 20
percent of the ofce laser printer market by
2017 and ultimately we want everything to be
printed by Epson,” he said. Also present at the
interaction were Toshiyuki Kasai, President
and N Sambamoorthy, Director, Sales and
Marketing, Epson India. Epson also showcased
its wearable technology initiative, the BT-100
See-Trough Mobile Viewer.
Epson Regains Market Lead with
InkTank System
Image: CEO Minoru Usui
On September 9, 2014,Canon launched its
10th Canon Image Square (CIS) in Mumbai.
Te company intends to grow its retail
business by setting up exclusive Canon Image
Squares across the country to engage with
existing as well as new customers to for better
services. Taking the tally to 114 CIS stores in
59 cities across India, Canon India plans to
have 150 stores by the end of the year.
Te all new Canon Image Square at
Waterfeld Road, Bandra was inaugurated
by Mr. Vikesh Ramchandani, West Regional
Business Head, Canon India. Te store is
equipped with latest products and advanced
technology facilities to cater to a growing
base of Canon customers in the state. In
addition, products and accessories such as
printers, camera bags, charge, tripod etc.
are also available there. Te Canon Image
Square in Bandra, in association with its
long-time partner Realtime IT Concepts
Pvt Ltd., promises to provide its customers
the ultimate in imaging and printing
solutions with extended services. Te
Brand store will conduct free photography
sessions for children on weekends to
foster its relationship with customers
and encourage the art of photography.
Moreover, every customer who purchases
a D-SLR will be given one complimentary
sessions to enable them to make optimum
use of their camera.
Canon strengthens its retail footprints in Maharashtra
www.smartphotography.in
NEWS
National
28 Smart Photography October 2014
I
ndian Academy ofers training to amateur
and professional photographers through a
wide range of courses. Te Academy will be
holding their annual photography exhibition.
Tis will showcase the talents of their students by
displaying pictures of their recent tour to Ladakh,
and other indoor and outdoor pictures taken
by them. Te Exhibition will be inaugurated by
Shri Rohinton Mehta, well-known photographer
and Technical Editor of Smart Photography. It
will be open to public on all the days from 10:30
a.m. – 7:30 p.m. from October 18 to 20, 2014.
Te Indian Academy can be contacted at the
telephone number +9122-2613-4481.
Indian Academy Photo Exhibition
India Weaved in Frames (IWIF),
a series of photography contests
organised by Immagine, a Non
Proft Organisation and promoters
of a Facebook group by the
same name, concluded with the
announcement of the winners
by eminent photographer Raghu
Rai. Biswajit Patra from Kolkata
won the frst prize, while Rajesh
Kumar Singh from Varanasi and
Subin Pullazhy from Trissur
bagged the second and third places
respectively.
Te series consisted of 29 individual
competitions themed on every
Indian state. Tree entries were
selected from each contest by a
noted photographer from the
respective state, and the fnal
winnners were selected from these
winners.
Te contest
received
1813 entries
in all. Te
winners
will be
felicitated in
a function
at the
Kerala
Lalithakala
Academy
on
November 5, 2014. An exhibition
of the 87 winning images will be
conducted from November 6 – 9, at
the same premises. Te exhibition
is dedicated to under privileged
children and it will be inaugurated
by 29 children (representing the 29
states) from an orphanage.
Te winner of the series will be
awarded with Rs. 10,000 and a
plaque of merit. Immagine is also
planning to publish a photo book
featuring the 87 photographs and
contribute a major portion of the
revenue for the empowerment of
under-privileged children. For
details about the exhibition and
works of Immagine, visit www.
facebook.com/immaginers and
www.immagine.co.in.
India Weaved in Frames
Praveen Purohit Image: Winner, Biswajit Patra
Yogesh Chavan
97 Art & Ideas is an
organisation solely devoted in
promoting art. Internationally,
photography and video are the
new contemporary genres of
art. Tat’s why 97 Art & Ideas
has ventured into the world
of photography and believes
that creativity starts at its roots.
Launching a platform for
amateur photographers gives
them the opportunity to enter
the world of art.
Te exhibition organized
by them from September
12 – 14, 2014 was held at
Coomarswamy Hall (in the
premises of Chatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalay -
previosuly known as Prince
of Wales Museum), Colaba
showcased the works of 20
participants. More than 250
images were on display. For
some of the participants, this
was their very frst efort
and it was very heartening
to see some really beautiful
images. Te exhibition was
the brain child of Jyotika
Karve and Yogesh Chavan,
both of whom are graduates
from Sir J. J. Institute of
Applied Art, Mumbai.
97 Art & Ideas showcases
Mumbai Photographers
Club Exhibition
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THE BIG FIGHT: NORMAL LENSES ● PREMIUM COMPACTS ● TOUGH CAMERAS
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VINCENT VERSACE
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.
From reviews on SLRs, Compacts and Smartphones to advice and tips on
photography techniques, Smart Photography Magazine promises to provide you
with EVERYTHING you require to capture the best possible shots.
Smart Photography Magazine is the perfect read for anyone wanting to get more
from their camera. It teaches you all the camera skills you need, inspires creativity,
and keeps you informed of the latest photo gear launches.
Smart Photography Magazine is the frst choice for photographers looking to take
better pictures and enhance their images. With easy-to-follow projects, tips and
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1. Te picture has to be horizontal.
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A NOTE TO OUR READERS
PICTURE OF THE
MONTH
We are sure that all of you have
a few pictures that you think are
prize worthy. It happens very
ofen that you 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 qualifes, we
shall publish it as a double-spread.
a. You have to guarantee that the
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www.smartphotography.in 34 Smart Photography October 2014
S
eema Chaubey has worked for top
MNCs and is an alumnus of the
prestigious IIM Calcutta. She is
passionate about photography and her
pictures have been featured in some of the
noteworthy photography exhibitions.
Hailing from Varanasi, Seema now lives in
Mumbai. She takes every opportunity to
capture the diversity of India through her
lens. Portraits and nature photography are
her forte. She uses photography as a real and powerful way
of communicating with people.
A qualifed professional with Masters in Physical Chemistry,
Diploma in Graphics Design and EPBM from IIM Calcutta,
she has carved out a niche for herself in the competitive
world of photography in Mumbai. Enthused by the
support, advice and demand of well-wishers and clients, she
co-founded “Nostalgia Photography”, an enterprise which
covers wedding photography. Today, it is a leading wedding
photography brand in Mumbai and is featured in online
matrimony portals like Myshaadi.in and Sayshadi.com.
She also has her own Facebook page and webpage, under
the name Seema Chaubey Photography to display some of
her works.
Seema Chaubey,
Mumbai
Following Passion
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 35
Tiny Toes
Camera: Canon EOS-1D X
Aperture : f/2.7; Shutter
speed: 1/320sec.; ISO: 2000
Hold my Hand
Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Mark III; Aperture : f/2.8;
Shutter speed: 1/3200sec.;
ISO: 1250
www.smartphotography.in 36 Smart Photography October 2014
Reading Together
Camera: Canon 5D MarkIII; Lens 70-200@200mm;
Aperture : f/2.8; Shutter speed: 1/4000sec.; ISO: 640
News Buf
Camera: Canon 5D MarkIII; Lens 70-200@90mm;
Aperture : f/2.8; Shutter speed: 1/1000sec.; ISO: 200
Following the Herd
Camera: Canon 5D MarkIII;
Lens 70-200@200mm; Aperture:
f/2.8; Shutter Speed:1/2500s;
ISO 500,
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 37
Te Bride
Camera: Canon 1Dx;
Lens 70-200@140mm;
Aperture : f/2.8;
Shutter speed: 1/160sec.;
ISO: 2500
38 Smart Photography October 2014
October 2014 Smart Photography 39
SHOWCASE

40 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Navaneeth
Unnikrishnan
mostly likes to
capture the Milky
Way and distant
galaxies and nebulaes
across the infnite
sky. Most of his works are
found at www.facebook.com/
navaneethunnikrishnanphotography1
As told to Tanika Godbole
THE SKY
AND BEYOND
Tird Quarter Moon
I
am an Electronics and
Communication student
studying in Karnataka.
My home town is Chombala,
Vadakara, in the Calicut district
of Kerala. I started photography
two years ago with the help
of YouTube tutorials and
articles written by professional
photographers. I love macro
and landscape photography, but
my interest in astrophotography
began a year ago when I saw the
Milky Way galaxy (the galaxy
in which we are), shining in the
sky after rainfall, which cleared
the dust. All I can say about
astrophotography is that it’s easy
to pick up, but takes a lifetime
to master. At that time, I had
no idea how to photograph the
night sky but still I gave it a try
on my D-SLR, and was amazed
with the result I got. A long
exposure gives more detail to
the image, which you cannot see
with your eyes.
Space and astronomy was
always of great interest to me,
October 2014 Smart Photography 41 www.smartphotography.in
Waxing Gibbous Moon
Andromeda Galaxy
SHOWCASE

42 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Lagoon Nebula (M8)
Milkyway Panorama
October 2014 Smart Photography 43 www.smartphotography.in
but taking up a career in
that area was not possible,
since I am really bad in
mathematics. I searched the
internet for articles on night
sky photography, and found
plenty of them. Luckily, my
house is a little far away from
big town areas, and has very
little pollution, which was ideal
for night sky photography. The
question that I’m asked very
often about my pictures is, “I’ve
never seen anything like this
in the sky before. Is this real?”
Yes, this is real. The further
you move away from cities the
lesser the pollution is, and you
get to see the beauty of the
night sky. After a while I came
to find an article about deep
sky photography just using
a D-SLR and a tripod, and an
image processing method called
stacking. I was amazed at the
possibilities, and experimented
myself. I connected with
astrophotographers via social
media networks and exchanged
ideas, with satisfying results. I
upgraded from using a 300mm
lens to a telescope. Deep sky
photography doesn’t require a
high end D-SLR. I use one of
Canon’s inexpensive models, the
1100D. Deep sky images cannot
be shot in a single photo; you
need dozens of images with a
long exposure.These must be
stacked later using software
specifically designed for
astrophoto stacking. A high ISO
could create a lot of noise, which
can later be cleared through
other techniques. Several
people wonder whether my
pictures are NASA images.
They’re just D-SLR images.
It is all about pushing your
camera to its limits. You need
a lot of patience to photograph
these beautiful sights, and a lot
of time to process them too.
Every time I upload a photo
of deep sky and starscape on
social networks, people ask
how they are taken, and say
they would like to learn. I
take workshops on
photographing the night
sky. I’ve learned most of
the photography and post-
processing through
YouTube tutorials and
experimentation.
Triangulum Galaxy (M33)
IF I WERE YOU
E-mail your images at [email protected]
www.smartphotography.in 44 Smart Photography October 2014
Te Rocket
Tis picture of a model rocket is
sent to us by Sanjay Kumar Acharya
from Rourkela, Odisha. He wants to
know if and how the picture could
be improved.
Te exposure meter within the
camera measures the brightness of
the scene and always tries to make
the scene/subject middle tone. In
this picture, the meter has turned
the bright sky into a middle tone;
the areas which were darker than
the sky have become even darker.
Te rocket is also leaning a bit to the
right.
So what would I have done if I were
you? Knowing how the exposure
Rohinton Mehta,
Technical Editor, Smart Photography
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.
Camera: Nikon D5200;
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm;
Aperture: f/6.3; Shutter speed: 1/160 sec;
ISO: 200
Edited Image 1 Edited Image 2
Original Image
meter works, I would have given
more exposure, which would
have avoided/reduced the overall
darkening of the scene. I would also
have taken care that the camera
was not tilted to one side. Further,
I would have also tried vertical
framing.
Since we can’t go back in time, I
have used Photoshop to correct the
mistakes; using Levels has corrected
the underexposure; the picture has
been cropped and the slight tilt
has been taken care of using the
Crop Tool. Finally, a very slight
sharpening has been applied.
Snowy Mountains
Subho Saha is a language teacher,
a traveller and reader of Smart
Photography. He wants to know
how this photo could be improved.
Te built-in exposure meter within
the camera reads the brightness of
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 45
Camera: Canon EOS
550D; Lens: EF-S 18-
55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II;
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/800 sec;
ISO: 200
light refected
from the subject
and unless
compensated
for, tries to turn
the subject into
a mid-tone. In
this case, the
snow covered
mountain has
refected lot
of light and
due to this,
the exposure
meter has been
fooled into
underexposing
the foreground.
With subjects
like this,
generally,
we take two
exposures (using
a frm tripod)
using identical
aperture – one
for the bright
snow and
the other for
the darker
foreground. Later
on, using an image editing program
like Photoshop, we blend the two
images together to achieve enough
detail in the highlights as well as the
shadows.
Now that we cannot go back in
the shadow region, toned down the
clipped highlights in the snow and
fnally, sharpened the image. And
yes, I cropped a part of the sky.
Tis places greater emphasis on the
main element in the subject – the
snow-clad mountains.
time and re-shoot the picture, the
only solution is to use an image
editing program and lighten the
foreground area. In Photoshop, I
have used the Shadows/Highlights
Tool to open up the shadows,
slightly increased the contrast in
Edited Image
Original Image
IF I WERE YOU
E-mail your images at [email protected]
www.smartphotography.in 46 Smart Photography October 2014
Seascape
Kiran Rana has recently started
with photography. He loves to do
landscapes. He photographed this
seascape using a mobile phone
camera somewhere in Kerala and
wants to know if and how the
picture could be improved.
Well Kiran, this is a good efort but
the picture is on the lighter side and
the horizon line is too close to the
centre of the image. I am happy that
you have not placed the sun in the
dead center as most beginners do.
Using the Multiply Blending Mode
in Photoshop, I made the picture a
bit deeper in tone and re-composed
the picture. I think it looks much
better now.
To use the Multiply Blending
Mode, you frst make a copy of the
Background in the Layers panel
(PS 1) and then use the drop-down
menu (PS 2) and select Multiply. If
the picture gets too dark for your
liking, use the Opacity slider in the
Layers panel to adjust the density.
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.
Edited Image
Camera: Samsung S3 mobile phone;
Aperture: f/2.6;
Shutter speed: 1/ 180 sec; ISO: 100
Original Image
Printscreen 2 Printscreen 1
October 2014 Smart Photography 47
www.smartphotography.in
Which is better?
Is it better to use a cable release or
wireless remote release or is it better
to use exposure delay or self-timer?
Yashoda, via email
All the four methods of releasing the
shutter have only one purpose in mind
– to trip the shutter without causing any
camera movement during the actual
exposure. With a cable-release, if you
are not careful, you could still jerk the
camera. Hence it is the last of the four
methods I would use.
If you have a wireless remote release
for your camera, I think that would
be the best solution. When using the
exposure delay mode (if the camera
has this feature), the refex mirror fips
out of the way (and stays there) as soon
as you press the shutter release button
and the shutter opens approximately 1
second later. Tis gives some time for
the mirror vibration to die down.
When using the self-timer (which can
ofen be set to 2-10 second delay) the
camera functions in the normal way,
but the shutter fres afer the set delay.
Hence to sum up, here is my order of
preference:
1. Wireless remote release
2. Exposure delay
3. Self-timer
4. Cable release
Did you know...
Ronnie has
over 35 years of
experience in
photography?
In fact, he has
taught several
thousand photo-
enthusiasts
in various
institutions
and through
workshops, as well as judged
many national and international
photo contests, including the
prestigious International Photo
Contest held at Colombo, Sri
Lanka. So, if you have any photo-
queries, whether conventional or
digital, don’t hesitate. Just go ahead
and Ask Uncle Ronnie at sp@
nextgenpublishing.net, ‘cause he
knows it all!
too expensive. Will it be okay
if I were to buy the 50mm f/1.8
instead? I use a Nikon and need
the lens for landscape and general
photography.
Anand Railkar, Pune
To the best of my knowledge, there
are four 50mm Nikon lenses available
today. Tey are:
AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D
(MRP Rs.19,800)
AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
(MRP Rs. 6,550)
AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G
(MRP Rs. 35,250)
AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G
(MRP Rs. 15,200)
You haven’t mentioned which Nikon
We regularly get requests to suggest a camera or a lens. While some do their preliminary
homework, most don’t. It is important for you to do some spadework and narrow down
your options before writing in to us. You also need to give us an idea of what genre of
photography you are interested in and how much you are willing to spend. We would then be
in a better position to evaluate your query and suggest suitable gear. We have received one
such ‘homework-done’ request from a reader who has narrowed down his choice but wants
to know if the extra amount that he would spend is justifiable or not. The questions he has
asked are relevant to every reader. Read on...
Q&A
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Tere is yet another method to avoid
the loss of critical sharpness due to the
slapping of the refex mirror. If your
camera allows it, afer focussing and
metering, use the Mirror Lock-up
function. Now trip the shutter. With
the mirror up, the view through the
viewfnder will be blocked, so a tripod
is recommended. Some cameras also
permit the use of mirror lock-up along
with a 2-second self-timer.
When using any tripod, you must still
be careful when releasing the shutter:
s-q-u-e-e-z-e, don’t jab !
Which 50mm?
I like to use a 50mm normal lens.
My friends suggest that I buy the
50mm f/1.4 lens but I fnd that
AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D
AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G
Q&A
Ask Uncle Ronnie
48 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
costlier ones but unless you print really
large, you may not notice the real
diference.
RX 100 III or Panasonic FZ 1000?
Tese days we hear a lot about the
Sony RX100 III and the Panasonic
FZ1000. What’s your take on this?
Alfred Menezes, Goa
Some guys just love to start a war, don’t
they?
Considering the key specifcations,
both the above mentioned models are
excellent.
As you can see, certain features are
better in one or the other. Teoretically
speaking, the shorter zoom lens of the
Sony may be sharper; the faster Sony
lens can defnitely be advantageous
in low-light shooting. On the other
hand, the Panasonic ofers a better
zoom range and wider range of shutter
speeds. Te Sony is much lighter and
smaller and hence easier to lug around.
So, it fnally boils down to your
personal requirement. You can read
our review of the FZ1000 elsewhere in
the magazine.
Panasonic FZ1000 Sony RX100 III
Sensor size 1”-type (13.2 x 8.8mm) 1”-type (13.2 x 8.8mm)
Lens 25-400mm equivalent 24-70mm equivalent
Max. Aperture F/2.8-4 F/1.8-2.8
Viewfnder resolution 2,359,000 dots 1,440,000 dots
LCD 3” (Fully articulated) 3” (Tilting)
LCD resolution 921,000 dots 1,228,800 dots
Min/Max shutter speeds 60-1/16,000 sec 30-1/2000 sec
Max. Burst speed 12fps 10fps
Exp. Compensation +/- 5 stops +/- 3 stops
WB bracketing No Yes
Weight 831g 290g
Size Larger Much smaller
We have not done a side-by-side
comparison at the time of this writing.
body you use, hence I cannot really
recommend. AF Nikkors do not have
a autofocus motor in them; to use a AF
Nikkor lens, the camera body needs to
have the autofocus motor (but you can
focus manually).
AF-S Nikkors have a autofocus motor
in them; hence these lenses can be used
on Nikon bodies that have AF motors
or not.
So, in case your Nikon body has an
autofocus motor, the cheaper alternative
is to go in for the AF-S Nikkor 50mm
f/1.8G (MRP Rs. 15,200) or the AF
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D (MRP Rs.
6,550). I personally use a AF Nikkor
50mm f/1.8D and fnd it quite good.
For landscape photography, you will
probably close down the aperture to
f/8 or f/11 and at these apertures, this
lens performs very well. For general
photography (and at wider apertures)
this lens may not be as good as the
October 2014 Smart Photography 49
www.smartphotography.in
ND flter ratings
I wish to purchase a neutral density
flter but I do not understand the
flter ratings. For example, if the
flter says ND8, does it mean that it
will block 8 stops of light?
Srikant Wagh, via email
An ND8 flter will block 3 stops of light.
For your convenience, here is a chart
you can copy and keep with you.
A Question on Metering
I am using a Nikon D7000 with
18-105 kit lens. If I use spot/
centre-weighted metering for a
composition where my subject is
framed as per the rule of thirds,
will the metering be correct as the
subject is not in the centre of the
frame? Is there a setting where I
can decide where exactly in the
frame I want to meter as we do
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
How much better in performance is
the Canon 7D Mark II compared to
the earlier version?
Ramakant Shah, Mumbai
Please wait till we get our hands on one.
It does promise to be better in many
respects.
High priced lences
Some lenses today (like the Zeiss
Otus series, the Art-series from
Sigma, Leica lenses) are priced
atrociously high. Do such lenses
justify the cost? Would they be
really very much sharper?
Alfred, via email
Please see it this way: you could buy a
car for rupees 4-5 lakhs or you could
buy one for 50 lakhs or more. Both
will take you from point A to point B.
So why the cost diference? You pay
for the extra safety
features, cutting-edge
technology, better
material, and of course
the brand name. Similar
is the case with lenses.
Coming to your query
about “would they
be really very much
sharper”, yes, they are
sharper. But at the
same time, unless your
shooting technique is
top-notch, unless you
use a high-end camera
body, and your subject
is steady, you may not
notice the diference.
And one more thing –
would you know where
to look for, for minute
diferences?
for focussing? In the camera
settings for centre-weighted
metering I could see the options
of choosing the radius of the
metering area. If I could change
the position of the spot/centre
weighted metering the issue will
resolved I believe.
Please give your expert opinion.
Suvankar Das, Pune
1) “If I use spot/centre-weighted
metering for a composition
where my subject is framed as
per the rule of third, will the
metering be correct as the subject
is not in the centre of the frame?”
Yes, the metering could be
incorrect.
2) “Is there a setting where I
can decide where exactly in the
frame I want to meter as we do
for focussing?”
Yes, when using the spot meter in
the D7000, the user can select the
AF point of his choice (page 96
of the User’s Manual). The same
area (under the AF point) will be
the metering area. 
3. “ If I could change the position
of the spot/centre weighted
metering the issue will resolved I
believe.”
Correct.
Another way when using the spot
meter is to focus on the required
element in the frame (using the
central point) and then re-
compose the frame while keeping
the shutter release half-pressed.
Take the shot when your framing
is right.
Alternately, go to Custom
Setting f5 (page 232 of the User’s
manual) and enable ‘AE Lock
(Hold)’. The exposure will lock
when you press the AE-L/AF-L
button and will stay locked until
you press the button a second
time or the exposure meter
turns off. Now you can take the
exposure metering from any area
you want, compose the frame to
your needs, and then press the
shutter release button to take the
shot.
Filter Density Reduces light by
(number of stops)
ND2 0.3 1
ND4 0.6 2
ND8 0.9 3
ND16 1.2 4
ND32 1.5 5
ND64 1.8 6
ND128 2.1 7
ND256 2.4 8
ND500 2.7 9
ND1000 3.0 10
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Mital Patel
www.smartphotography.in 52 Smart Photography October 2014
Mital Patel is a
Commercial Art
graduate who
loves nature. He
loves capturing
the beauty of
nature, and
specializes in bird
photography. You can find his work
at www.500px.com/mitalpatel
As told to Tanika Godbole
SEARCHING
THE SKIES
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
What invoked your interest in
photography? Do you work as a
photographer full-time?
Photography was on my mind
when I was pursuing my
Commercial Art degree in
Ahmedabad during the 90s.
Later, in 2004, I happened to
start photography along with my
commercial art work. In 2008, I
came across a person who had
been bird-watching for years.
This is how I initially started
bird-watching and photography.
Since then, I do all my wildlife
photography with him, and we
have been extensively travelling
across various parts of India. We
work as a team now in our wildlife
journey. We came across more
like-minded people, and formed
a group called WildArt (www.
facebook.com/wildart.in).
Yes, I do work as full-time
photographer. I also run a
company which has been serving
the hospitality industry, making
360 degree panorama and virtual
tours since 2004, and have done
more than 400 hotel shoots in
India.
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 53
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Demoiselle Crane
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Mital Patel
www.smartphotography.in 54 Smart Photography October 2014
You capture a wide range of
activities of birds. How do you
manage to capture that?
For avian photography, the most
important thing is to study the
subject you capture. The more you
involve yourself in studying the
subject’s behaviour, the better your
photography gets. Patience is the
key factor and plays a major role in
photographing them.
Does bird and wildlife
photography involve a lot of
planning?
Well, if you really are into bird-
watching, you don’t need a lot
of planning. If you are new, you
must have the patience to study
them before you venture into
photographing them.
Name some of your favourite
locations to shoot at.
Blue Tailed Bee-eater
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www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 55
I would love to go there, as far as
I can.
You also do landscape, street and
commercial photography. What
genre do you enjoy the most?
This is a difficult question, and
hard to answer. Being an artist,
I usually love to experiment with
all the genres, depending on the
situation and availability of the
frame I shoot, with whatever gear
I have in hand. I am one crazy
shooter. I would say I love all types
of photography, but if you ask
me to choose one specific area, I
As my favourite subjects are birds,
especially shore birds, I love to go
to coastal areas. Narara Marine
Life Sanctuary (Jamnagar, Gujarat)
is my favourite spot for waders.
There are lots of places I have been
to, and many more I wish I can go
to. In fact wherever there are birds,
Black-tailed Godwit
Western Reef heron
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MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Mital Patel
www.smartphotography.in 56 Smart Photography October 2014
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October 2014 Smart Photography 57
would say the winged wonders
attract me the most.
Is there any interesting
incident that happened while
shooting that you’d like to
share?
There are lots, but I find this
one the most interesting. My
birding partner Kunan Naik
and I were wandering, looking
for waterfowls. The water level
was about 4 feet and we walked
about 200 metres in freezing
cold water to reach to spot at
5 am. We waited for the sun to
rise, and we were shivering in
the freezing cold water. But at
the same time, looking at the
carpet of waterfowl in front
of us was thrilling. It made us
forget how cold it was. All of
a sudden, two Mallard ducks,
one male and one female, flew
in front of us and landed. This
was the best part, since we had
regularly been visiting this place
for about 4 years to capture
these ducks, but somehow had
never been able to do that.
Their roosting zone was in
the middle of lake, which was
unapproachable. On that day,
we saw the beautiful Mallard
ducks in golden sunrise, and
could photograph with Canon
800mm with 1.4x TC attached.
What would you advice
beginners in the field of
photography?
Nowadays, there are lots of
newbies entering wildlife
photography, and going to the
nearest sanctuaries and parks
with their D-SLR basic kits. I
would love to advice them to
frst get a pair of binoculars, and
study before approaching these
feathered friends. Tey are really
sensitive about our presence,
and going too close may harm
their privacy. Occasionally they
allow you to come close. But one
must not disrupt them, since
they might be in the process
of breeding or nesting. Tis is
where guidance and knowledge
is required to save nature for the
future generations.
Gadwall
MASTERCRAFTSMAN
Mital Patel
www.smartphotography.in 58 Smart Photography October 2014
Lesser Flamingo
Common Kingfsher
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ISSUE 7
VOLUME 10
OCTOBER 2014
RS.125
SUBSCRIBER’S COPY
INTERVIEW MITAL PATEL
PROFILE NAVANEETH UNNIKRISHNAN
REVIEWS: CANON EF-S 10-18MM F/4.5-5.6 IS STM
● CANON EF 16-35MM F/4L IS USM
● AF-S NIKKOR 16-35MM F/4G ED VR
INDIA’S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
PHOTO FEATURE
Waari Pilgrimage
IN
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LEARNING
SETTING UP YOUR D-SLR
POSTCARDS FROM LAHORE
LET’S PHOTOGRAPH A WRISTWATCH
TRAVELOGUE
AUSCHWITZ
16 page EPOSN supplement with October 2014 issue.
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PHOTO FEATURE
Waari
60 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Dr. Amit Bidwe
I
am an orthopaedic surgeon by
profession. Photography is my
passion, and portrait photography
is something that always amazes
me. I do not have any professional
training in portraiture and I’m
learning through practice, and
making my own mistakes.
I learn something about photography
from everywhere, from Ansel Adams
to Smart Photography. I consider
Mr. Sandesh Bhandaare, a well-
known photographer as my Guru. He
has published a photography book
on the Waari pilgrimage. Afer seeing
that book, my camera insisted that I
attend it. Terefore I added ‘Waari’ in
my list of Tings To Do for 2014.
Waari is the pilgrimage walk from
Alandi, Dehu till Pandharpur. It
is normally a 15-20 days’ spiritual
journey. I wasn’t very sure that
I could walk so much. Besides,
taking leave from my medical
responsibilities was also not easy.
Ten I decided to attend one day of
this beautiful journey.
Waari is an old tradition, almost 800
years old. A few lakh people walk
the 250 kms, be it rain or sunshine.
Teir togetherness is beyond religion,
cast, and money. One God binds
them together. On the same day,
Saint Tukaram’s palakhi (similar to
doli) starts its journey from Dehu,
and Saint Dyaneshwar’s palakhi
starts from Alandi. Tey meet in
Pune and then take diferent routes
to fnally reach their destination in
Pandharpur.
On 21st June, a Saturday morning, a
Waari
Balancing
October 2014 Smart Photography 61
www.smartphotography.in
Pit Stop
PHOTO FEATURE
Waari
62 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Beats
Take a Break Beautiful Smile
October 2014 Smart Photography 63
www.smartphotography.in
friend and I went to Pimpari. Saint
Tukaram’s Palakhi was passing
through the old Mumbai highway.
I joined them there. Everyone
was singing bhajans and abhangs.
I took out my camera and was
trying to take few shots. But taking
photos in midst of thousands of
people was making me somewhat
uncomfortable. To my surprise,
my fellow waarkaris (those who
attend the Waari are called as
waarkari) helped me come out of
my discomfort. My friend assisted
me in capturing the mood of Waari.
I even met my old friend there, who
was going till the fnal destination.
It was a divine experience. I didn’t
even notice how the time few. Afer
walking for two hours, I realized
walking can be fun when it is done
with a purpose. Afer seeing the
happiness on the crowd’s faces and
singing spiritual songs together,
you become a part of the crowd
unknowingly. Devotion is a feeling
that can’t be expressed. Tat day, I
experienced it!
On the way, there were few people,
organizations giving free food and
services. Some of them even doing
the foot massage. At lunch time I
could take photos suitably. Some
of them even asked me to take their
photo.
Few notable experiences:
All the people, including illiterate,
used to ask me, “Which newspaper
are these photos for?”
A lady was hesitating while I was
taking a group picture with her in
it. When I asked her why she was
hesitant, she clearly told me, ‘I don’t
have money to give you.’ When I told
her its free, she blushed and asked me
to click a nice photo of her.
A few 8-10 year old kids asked me to
Music on the way
PHOTO FEATURE
Waari
64 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Soulful Eyes Set for the Walk
Seeking Shelter
October 2014 Smart Photography 65
www.smartphotography.in
take their photo. When I turned
to say bye, they innocently said
to me, ‘don’t delete our photos,
please.’
her in the newspaper. My amateur
photographer tag would have
disappointed her, so I didn’t tell her
about that.
I saw lot of photographers during the
journey. We used to smile looking at
each other. I also made a few friends
during the short trip. Tey were
educated, yet wore the traditional
dhoti and topi. I asked them to take
the last shot for the day, with me
wearing the topi. Te serenity that it
shows on my face is very rare. At the
end of the trip, in spite of the long
walk, my legs weren’t paining. But my
heart was full of pain.
An old women was very much
interested in getting her picture
taken. I asked why so, and she
told me that her family will see
Packing up Glimpses
Intense Gaze
PHOTO FEATURE
Auschwitz
66 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Auschwitz
Remembering the WW-II Holocaust
October 2014 Smart Photography 67
www.smartphotography.in
Ajay Sood is an accomplished travel photographer and a
travelogue writer. He has been covered as Mastercrafsman in
Smart Photography (May 2012). He was on the jury of Canon
Photomarathon 2012. He is also an assignment photographer for
National Geographic Traveller.
Besides mentoring photography workshops, he leads photo-tours,
and contributes travelogues and features to various publications.
Ajay has a passion for capturing the sights, sounds and stories of places he visits. He
has travelled across India extensively, and to over 20 countries across the globe. His
27 years in the communication industry have been his training ground, leading to his
deep understanding of the visual medium, refected in his unique compositions.
Tis photo-feature is my humble homage to the people of
various nationalities who were murdered in cold blood by Nazis
during the World War-II Holocaust all around Eastern Europe.
I
have grown up seeing movies
woven around this theme—
Warsaw Story, Te Pianist,
Schindler’s List, Odessa fle, Te
Boy in the Striped Pajamas and
many more. I have read about the
Holocaust extensively, both in
magazines as well as in novels. As
a photographer, I have also been
through thousands of images of the
Holocaust and its sites. As a result,
somewhere deep down, I had a
desire to visit the biggest Holocaust
site of all—Te Auschwitz.
Last month, this desire was fnally
fulflled. I visited Poland on a
photography trip and apart from
visiting Warsaw and Krakow,
I specially made time to visit
Auschwitz. Unlike my other photo-
trips, this time I stayed away from
any preparation or specifc study,
as I wanted my psyche to confront
an unprejudiced experience. It is
almost like not reading the review
of an eagerly awaited movie,
because of fear that the review
might expose the plot.
I drove from Krakow to Auschwitz,
a neat little town with a population
of just over 40,000. I chose a
country road and avoided the
Expressway. Te distance of about
65 kilometers gave me more than a
glimpse of the Polish countryside,
which was as beautiful, as is most
of Europe.
Upon reaching Auschwitz, I
realised that it is no longer referred
to as a concentration camp, but is
now a well-maintained memorial
and museum. Another fact I
learned was that Auschwitz consists
of not just one concentration
camp, but three—Auschwitz-I
(Auschwitz), Auschwitz-II
(Birkenau) and Auschwitz-III
(Monowitz)—each approximately
3 - 4 kilometers from the other.
As surprising as it may sound, this
10 sq. km. area accounted for the
slaughter of anything from 1.5 to 5
million human beings, 85% of those
being Jews.
I reached Auschwitz-I at 8.30 a.m.
Tis gave me 2 advantages—no
entry fee (from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.,
people are allowed in for free)
and no queue (upon returning to
Krakow, I heard horror stories of
people being in the entry queue for
over 2 hours). From a photography
perspective, it also meant that I was
able to get shots without too many
tourists in them.
Not knowing what to expect, I
just started following a few people
with guides. Te entire place
was extremely organised, with a
Ajay Sood (Travelure)
Travel Photographer/Photo-educator
Guard Tower outside the electrifed fence
PHOTO FEATURE
Auschwitz
68 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Fence around the barracks
Entrance - Work Means Freedom A Veritable Mountain of Suitcases. Te prisoners were allowed
to bring one suitcase each when they were brought to Auschwitz
October 2014 Smart Photography 69
www.smartphotography.in
An Architectural Model of a massive Gas Chamber at Auschwitz-II (Birkenau)
During Roll Calls in inclement weather, the SS guards used to take
shelter in these booths, while the prisoners would stand outside Prisoner’s Uniform, complete with the Prisoner Number sewn on the pocket
PHOTO FEATURE
Auschwitz
70 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Incinerators in the Gas Chamber
Shoes of the Victims, till as far as the eye can see
October 2014 Smart Photography 71
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solitary entry gate that led me into
a complex with rows of warehouse-
like buildings—approximately 25 of
them. Te entry gate arch displayed
3 words in German— ‘Arbeit Macht
Frei’ —which ironically translates
to ‘Work means Freedom’. For an
instant, the images of how ‘free’ the
inmates of this concentration camp
were, danced in front of my eyes.
It was pure chance that the frst
building I ended up in was the Gas
Chamber. Tousands of prisoners
shot or gassed, but not before their
hair was shaven of for using as
yarn for woollens; their gold teeth
were extracted and their valuables
stripped.’
As if in a daze, I moved from one
building to another. In each, some
reminder of the ghastly Holocaust
faced me—its scale and magnitude
evident in the exhibits I was
witnessing. Each building had 3
foors; each foor had a narrow aisle
in the middle and the sides had glass-
were gassed to death here. Te
building had 2 incinerators, which
were used to mass-burn the dead
bodies. All of a sudden, I found that
my mood had turned sombre.
Walking around, I started reading the
fact-boards in the premises. Let me
share the essence of one such board–
‘Te plunder of human beings was
complete. Healthy ones were chosen
for a slow death through over-
work, exhaustion and starvation;
while the others were straightaway
Sign to warn prisoners not to step beyond this point
PHOTO FEATURE
Auschwitz
72 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
encased remembrances. Tere was a
building full of victims’ hair; another
full of their clothes and even more
buildings with suitcases, artifcial
limbs, spectacles, hair-brushes,
tooth-brushes, shoes, toys and other
belongings.
Tere were thematic photo-
exhibitions on the murder of Jews,
Poles, Romas, Simtis, etc. Tere
were also touching descriptions
under the images like ‘Tis woman
weighed 64 kilograms when brought
to Auschwitz; weighed a mere 25
kilograms when this image was shot’.
Tere were terrible stories of one
Dr. Mengele—a psychotic man who
conducted half-baked and brutal
medical experiments on children, in
particular, twins.
When I couldn’t take it any more,
I decided to step out. One thing
I wanted to see was the rail track
that used to bring the prisoners
to Auschwitz. Upon enquiring, I
found that it was in Auschwitz-II
(Birkenau), and promptly made my
way there.
Here was the notorious ‘Hell’s Gate’
or ‘Gate of Death’. Te entrance had
an arch through which the train
would enter the camp. When the
prisoners disembarked, they would
get sorted as either healthy or weak.
Te healthy ones were taken to the
barracks (akin to horse-stables) while
the weak (women, children, elderly
people) would either be shot on the
spot, or taken to one of the 3 gas
chambers built to murder, and then
incinerate them.
Paucity of time didn’t allow me
to visit Monowitz. But I had seen
enough. In both, Auschwitz as well as
Birkenau, I saw a lot of Jews. I could
understand that for them, it was
almost a pilgrimage. Tey were there
in hoards, to pay homage to their
ancestors who had faced the worst.
If you ever get a chance, do visit this
solemn place, which has the power
of bringing you face-to-face with
the barbarism of humans, against
humans.
Gate of Death or
Hell’s Gate from the
inside. Te trains
would bring the
prisoners in, through
these rail tracks
A Group of Jews
visiting the memorial
to pay respects to the
victims
A Look Inside the
Camp Barrack
L
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74 Setting Up Your D-SLR
80 Postcards From Lahore
90
Let’s Photograph a
Wristwatch
LEARNING
Understanding Photography
www.smartphotography.in www.smartphotography.in October 2014 Smart Photography 75 74 Smart Photography October 2014
Setting Up Your D-SLR
speed of 1/15 sec do? Unfortunately,
no! Regardless of focal length it is very
difcult to handhold a camera steadily
at shutter speeds slower than 1/60.
Hence, you must always use a shutter
speed which is the faster of the two
- either 1/60 sec or a shutter speed as
per the thumb rule.
Aperture: Tis is the size of the hole
in the diaphragmof your lens and is
defned by f/ numbers. It is important
that you remember this topsy-turvy
convention in photography– small
(that is, narrow) apertures are
represented by large f/ numbers and
wide apertures by small f/ numbers.
When you focus on a subject, not only
will it be sharp but there will also be
a zone of sharpness that starts little
before the subject and extends beyond
the subject. Tis zone is called Depth
of Field (or DOF). Wide apertures
give your images shallow DOF and
narrow apertures give deep DOF.
Tus, you need to adjust the aperture
based on the DOF you want.
Release mode: Also called Drive
mode by some manufacturers, this
will dictate how the camera behaves
when you press the shutter release.
In the single- shot mode, the camera
takes a picture and then stops even if
you keep the shutter release pressed.
In the Continuous mode, it continues
to take pictures, one afer another so
long as you keep the shutter release
pressed.
Exposure Modes: Tese are set up
with the mode dial (Picture 10).
Tere are several modes available
including the so called “Scene”
modes. However, to get the best out
of your D-SLR, I suggest you use only
the Aperture Priority or the Shutter
Priority modes. Tese are indicated
by the letter Aand S on the mode
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]
dial). Tey are also called Av and
Tv by some manufacturers (Canon
for example). Te A(or Av) mode
allows you to set the aperture and
the camera sets the shutter speed
based on the available light. In the S
or Tv mode, you can set the shutter
speed and the camera in turn sets the
aperture. Aperture Priority (A) and
Shutter Priority (S) modes are ofen
called “semi-automatic” modes.
Both have their uses as you will see.
Exposure Compensation: Many
experts may be telling you diferently
but modern cameras do a better
job than us photographers in
determining the exposure! However,
an important point for you to
remember is that all camera meters
are calibrated to mediumtone. So,
a camera will err when a scene is
not mediumtoned. Examples are
high key (predominantly light tones,
Picture 2) and back-lit scenes as well
as low-key (predominantly dark
tones, Picture 3) scenes. Without
appropriate compensation all these
will be rendered in mediumtone.
In Aperture Priority or Shutter
Priority modes, you cannot alter the
exposure by changing the aperture or
shutter speed respectively, since when
you alter one of these the other will
change in step to keep the exposure
the same! To change exposure, you
must use the exposure compensation
button (Picture 4) which is present
on all D-SLRs. You can use this button
along with the command dial and give
the compensation in either positive
or negative direction. You can also
specify how much compensation (in
stops), you want to give.
Metering mode: While several
metering modes are available, just
use one that is most versatile – called
Matrix or Evaluative. Tis works fne
95%of the time and when it does not,
you can use exposure compensation
to get the desired result.
ISOControl: Ofen you may want a
narrow aperture to get a deep depth of
feld (DOF) or a faster shutter speed
for stopping action. However, narrow
apertures and fast shutter speeds both
cut down the amount of light entering
the camera. If the ambient light is not
sufcient then you may not get the
aperture or shutter speed you want. If
this is the case, you can increase the
sensitivity of the camera to light by
increasing the ISOto get the needed
aperture and shutter speed. Increasing
the ISOwill reduce the image quality
by adding noise but this is a price you
need to pay to avoid blurry pictures!
Many cameras now also ofer what
is called an Auto ISOmode. When
you use this mode, the ISOwill be
set automatically by the camera to
keep the aperture or shutter speed
you want. ISOcan be set by using the
dedicated ISObutton or through the
shooting menu (Picture 5).
AF (Autofocus) Area: D-SLRs have
several AF points. You can choose any
AF point (Manual AF point selection)
and the camera will focus on the
Ashok Kandimalla
T
here it is in front of you – that
shiny box with your dream
toy –a new D-SLR! You are
all excited to start using it. Holding
of the urge to use it immediately,
you follow the advice of Smart
Photography and read the user
manual or at least the Quick Start
guide. So, you now know the basic
controls. Next, you want to take
a portrait or perhaps a close-up
photograph of a fower. How do
you setup the various parameters of
your D-SLR to get the best results?
Unfortunately, this will not be
explained in the manual. Using the so
called scene modes (those little icons
on the mode dial) means handing
over all the control to your D-SLR.
It is like buying a Ferrari and driving
it at 50kmph – meaning that you are
grossly under-utilizing your wonder
toy. Is there a way out?
Yes! Smart Photography, knowing
your problems brings to you this short
guide to help you setup your camera
quickly. However, remember that
this is not a substitute but rather a
supplement to your manual.
Picture 1: Mode dial of a D-SLR.
Picture 4: Exposure Compensation button.
Picture 3: Here a minus 2 stop compensation was given to record
this lowkey image properly.
First let us look at the various
parameters that you need to set. Once
we are done with this, we can look at
the specifc settings based on the type
of photograph you would like to take.
Shutter speed: Te most fundamental
requirement is that your picture must
be sharp. Apart fromcorrect focus,
this can only be assured with a certain
minimumshutter speed called the
‘hand-holdable shutter speed’. Te rule
of thumb for this is - the shutter speed
should be equal to or faster than the
reciprocal of the efective focal length
of your lens. (Te efective focal length
for Canon’s APS-Csize sensor cameras
is 1.6x the marked focal length; the
efective focal length for Nikon’s APS-C
size sensor cameras is 1.5x the marked
focal length; for full-frame models, the
efective focal length is the same as the
marked focal length).
As an example, with an APS-C sensor
camera, if you are using a lens of
focal length 50mm, the shutter speed
must be 1/80 sec (Canon) or 1/75 sec
(Nikon) or faster. So, if you are using
a focal length of 10mm, will a shutter
Picture 2: Ahigh key scene. In cases like this you need to give some positive exposure compensation. Without that, the
photograph will be rendered mediumtoned and will be darker than the subject. An exposure of plus 2 stops was used.
LEARNING

www.smartphotography.in www.smartphotography.in October 2014 Smart Photography 81 80 Smart Photography October 2014
Postcards From
Lahore
P
assing through the treasure
islands of Mumbai – the
pavements at King’s Circle
and Hutatma Chowk, where book
vendors keep loads of books and
magazines for sale, one really doesn’t
know which interesting or rare book
one may come across. Tis is what
exactly happened as I was taking an
evening stroll through King’s Circle.
A beautiful face on the cover page of
what seemed to be a glossy magazine
or a catalogue caught my eye. Te
model was well styled and draped.
At a frst glance it seemed to be an
Indian face. Instinctively I picked
it and started browsing through
the pages. It was full of fashion
features one afer the other, shot in
an excellent manner, at diferent
locations around the globe. It was a
treat to my eyes. Technically perfect
and aesthetically on par or I can say
even a step above many international
magazines. Every shoot seemed well
planned, well coordinated, perfectly
styled and the pains taken behind
every shot could be seen through
the detailing in the work. Tis
publication fromPakistan introduced
me to the fashion, modeling and
photography industry existing there.
roped themas the marketing
consultants for their brand.
Proud of Pakistani native art, they
are clear in their thought process that
the fashion and media there should
not necessarily be infuenced by the
West. Tey have won two Lux Style
Awards for Best Photographers along
with 9 consecutive nominations, and
2 nominations for best Stylist. Tey
are also into producing and directing
ad flms.
Besides being photographers they are
good stylists and ofer these services
too. Having established their own
style of photography, they opened
a new testament of the fashion
industry there; today they dare to
dreamand do have plans of starting
their own modeling agencies, to
join the flmindustry and conduct
photography workshops for the next
generation.
Tere is a lot to learn fromthe duo.
Let us have a word with themand
analyze their work in detail.
Dilip: Tell us something about
yourselves. What made you take this
line as your profession? Did you have
any art background or was it simply a
new feld – the road not taken?
Shani: Guddu and I have done our
Bachelors and then the Masters in
Fine Arts with Communication
Design as major from the Institute of
Art and Design, Punjab University.
Photography has been a major
throughout the studies. Like many
other youngsters, we too had lot of
passion and ideas to do something
for our country. We found a huge
gap in global image quality and the
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].
quality in our country, so we picked
up that point as a start-up line way
back in 2005.
Dilip: Did other forms of art like
painting, sculpture, poetry, classical
music or anything else infuence you
in your work? Or was it the work
of some photographer which you
admired the most that lef a mark on
your mind?
Shani: Well, for us inspiration comes
fromall directions. Yes, all forms
of visual art has always been source
of ideas, but our main inspiration
were old classic art movements. We
love to change our style every year,
just to give a break to ourselves and
keep on enjoying our work. So we
adapt one art movement every year
into photographic visuals. Like we
have done Surrealism, Cubism,
Renaissance, Baroque, Arabesque,
Digital Art, Pop Art, Romanticism
and lots of others as well. Along with
the art movement, nature has been
a great inspiration, as we believe
that there is no other core source
of inspiration than nature. Talking
about photographers, the style of
Paolo Roversi was quite inspiring in
the beginning years.
Dilip: How would you like to defne
fashion or fashion photography
in general and the scene there in
Lahore?
Shani: Fashion in Pakistan is very
fne and has its own class especially
when one talks about ‘eastern
fashion’. People are really open to
new silhouettes and textures. At
this moment we have our own
fashion forecasts and defnitions.
Every year this is always as per
international standards, maintaining
its own ‘native incorporation’. Te
way ‘fashion’ itself has its own
‘style’ within its spectrum, fashion
photography also carries a similar
feature. Fashion photographers in
Pakistan try a lot to play with our
native wear ‘Shalwar Kameez’ and
since there is very less skin showing
it becomes a difcult product to
shoot in terms of making it visually
attractive. It leaves less roomfor
contours of the body to be exhibited
which attract a
normal viewer.
But despite of
this challenge
we try our best
to produce new
creative ideas,
sticking to the
native style, so
as to keep our
industry in a
contemporary
mode, and
compete with
western imaging.
Dilip: I have
seen a lot of local
magazines form
your country
on the Net –
amazing work!
How does the
industry function
there? Do you
think it is easy
for any new
talents to get an
entry? Out here,
the magazines
have editors, art directors, creative
directors, fashion stylists, fashion
coordinators, photo editors in their
team. Sometimes it feels like ‘too
many cooks spoil the broth.’ What is
the scene out there?
Shani: Tere are always few conficts
when you work in bigger teams
but here in Pakistan everyone has
particularly learnt to respect the
space of every artist as a collaborative
creation. Seniors are very open to
give space to new talents and even
collaborate with them. Everyone
takes it as a mission to structure the
industry on solid grounds and keep
building it further. On the other side,
this business requires new ideas, so
collaborating with new talent gives
freshness to every brand.
Generally a photographer is a jack-
of-all-trades. I mean, out here most
of themare stylists, art directors,
fashion coordinators by themselves.
Somehow that gives thema total
control on the visual but less margin
for more experimentation or going
wilder. At ‘Guddu and Shani’ we
love to work with bigger teams
and productions. With specialists,
contributing in their scopes.
Ultimately that improvises the quality
of work.
Dilip: When you shoot for any
designer or a boutique or a brand, are
the advertising agencies necessarily
involved in the shoots?
Shani: Most of the time no, but some
times we work with other agencies
as well. Due to our Masters degree
in communication design and
advertising, we have been running
our own advertising agency named
Guddu Shani Adverto. Te agency
has been taking care of some big
brands like Sana Safnaz, Nishat
Linen, Crossroads etc. Guddu
Shani Adverto is the only special
services advertising agency in this
country that is specialized in fashion
marketing and advertising.
Dilip: How much liberty is given to
the photographers out there? Are
they supposed to give the creatives
too or just execute a given concept?
Dilip Yande
What was noticeable was the liberty
given to the photographers.
It was here in a way, that I came
across these young turks of fashion
photography – Shahnawaz (Shani)
and Shumaila (Guddu) – more
famous as Guddu and Shani (pic a)
from Lahore, Pakistan. A husband
and wife team, who both have done
their Bachelors and then Masters
in Fine Arts with Communication
Design as major, from Institute of
Art and Design, Punjab University-
Lahore. In my opinion, they are true
defnitions of what ‘designers’ should
be! Tey were the pioneers of digital
textile printing in Pakistan and have
designed their own collections. Tey
were the ones who introduced the
concept of ‘wearable art’ in which one
fnds miniature paintings on dresses
designed by them. Infuenced by the
artist and designer Gustav Klimt,
they have designed dresses and
features that display this infuence
in their formative years. A multi-
talented duo, they have their own
advertising agency and have handled
many brands of the fashion industry,
specially the most quality conscious
brand like Sana Safnaaz who have
Pic a
LEARNING

90 Smart Photography October 2014 October 2014 Smart Photography 91 www.smartphotography.in www.smartphotography.in
Let’s Photograph
a Wristwatch
cone over it. The cone
should have a large base
to allow the light from
under the glass sheet to
hit the paper cone and
reflect back on to the
wristwatch.
Place the light source
under the glass.
Shoot
Using a suitable macro
lens, take the shot
through the opening at
the top of the cone. The
light from underneath
will hit the insides of the
paper cone and reflect
back on to the wristwatch.
It may be necessary to
alter the height/base of
the cone.
Rohinton Mehta
I
n Smart Photography (June
2014), we introduced you to a
couple of ways to photograph
watches. This time we provide you
with yet another method, which
is classic as well as simple but
effective.
What will you need?
• A wristwatch of course!
• A sheet of glass
• White paper
Camera with Macro Lens
Transparent
Glass Table
Light Source
White Paper Cone
Black Felt
12
6 9
3
• Black felt or felt-paper
• Light source, continuous
or flash
Preparation
Using the white sheet of
paper, make a cone and
cut the top of the cone (see
photo).
On a sheet of glass, place a
small piece of the black felt/
felt paper (about 8” square)
in the center. Position the
wristwatch on the black
felt/felt paper and place the
LEARNING
Understanding Photography
www.smartphotography.in 74 Smart Photography October 2014
Setting Up Your D-SLR
speed of 1/15 sec do? Unfortunately,
no! Regardless of focal length it is very
difcult to handhold a camera steadily
at shutter speeds slower than 1/60.
Hence, you must always use a shutter
speed which is the faster of the two
- either 1/60 sec or a shutter speed as
per the thumb rule.
Aperture: Tis is the size of the hole
in the diaphragm of your lens and is
defned by f/ numbers. It is important
that you remember this topsy-turvy
convention in photography– small
(that is, narrow) apertures are
represented by large f/ numbers and
wide apertures by small f/ numbers.
When you focus on a subject, not only
will it be sharp but there will also be
a zone of sharpness that starts little
before the subject and extends beyond
the subject. Tis zone is called Depth
of Field (or DOF). Wide apertures
give your images shallow DOF and
narrow apertures give deep DOF.
Tus, you need to adjust the aperture
based on the DOF you want.
Release mode: Also called Drive
mode by some manufacturers, this
will dictate how the camera behaves
when you press the shutter release.
In the single- shot mode, the camera
takes a picture and then stops even if
you keep the shutter release pressed.
In the Continuous mode, it continues
to take pictures, one afer another so
long as you keep the shutter release
pressed.
Exposure Modes: Tese are set up
with the mode dial (Picture 10).
Tere are several modes available
including the so called “Scene”
modes. However, to get the best out
of your D-SLR, I suggest you use only
the Aperture Priority or the Shutter
Priority modes. Tese are indicated
by the letter A and S on the mode
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]
Ashok Kandimalla
T
here it is in front of you – that
shiny box with your dream
toy –a new D-SLR! You are
all excited to start using it. Holding
of the urge to use it immediately,
you follow the advice of Smart
Photography and read the user
manual or at least the Quick Start
guide. So, you now know the basic
controls. Next, you want to take
a portrait or perhaps a close-up
photograph of a fower. How do
you setup the various parameters of
your D-SLR to get the best results?
Unfortunately, this will not be
explained in the manual. Using the so
called scene modes (those little icons
on the mode dial) means handing
over all the control to your D-SLR.
It is like buying a Ferrari and driving
it at 50kmph – meaning that you are
grossly under-utilizing your wonder
toy. Is there a way out?
Yes! Smart Photography, knowing
your problems brings to you this short
guide to help you setup your camera
quickly. However, remember that
this is not a substitute but rather a
supplement to your manual.
First let us look at the various
parameters that you need to set. Once
we are done with this, we can look at
the specifc settings based on the type
of photograph you would like to take.
Shutter speed: Te most fundamental
requirement is that your picture must
be sharp. Apart from correct focus,
this can only be assured with a certain
minimum shutter speed called the
‘hand-holdable shutter speed’. Te rule
of thumb for this is - the shutter speed
should be equal to or faster than the
reciprocal of the efective focal length
of your lens. (Te efective focal length
for Canon’s APS-C size sensor cameras
is 1.6x the marked focal length; the
efective focal length for Nikon’s APS-C
size sensor cameras is 1.5x the marked
focal length; for full-frame models, the
efective focal length is the same as the
marked focal length).
As an example, with an APS-C sensor
camera, if you are using a lens of
focal length 50mm, the shutter speed
must be 1/80 sec (Canon) or 1/75 sec
(Nikon) or faster. So, if you are using
a focal length of 10mm, will a shutter
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 75
dial). Tey are also called Av and
Tv by some manufacturers (Canon
for example). Te A (or Av) mode
allows you to set the aperture and
the camera sets the shutter speed
based on the available light. In the S
or Tv mode, you can set the shutter
speed and the camera in turn sets the
aperture. Aperture Priority (A) and
Shutter Priority (S) modes are ofen
called “semi-automatic” modes.
Both have their uses as you will see.
Exposure Compensation: Many
experts may be telling you diferently
but modern cameras do a better
job than us photographers in
determining the exposure! However,
an important point for you to
remember is that all camera meters
are calibrated to medium tone. So,
a camera will err when a scene is
not medium toned. Examples are
high key (predominantly light tones,
Picture 2) and back-lit scenes as well
as low-key (predominantly dark
tones, Picture 3) scenes. Without
appropriate compensation all these
will be rendered in medium tone.
In Aperture Priority or Shutter
Priority modes, you cannot alter the
exposure by changing the aperture or
shutter speed respectively, since when
you alter one of these the other will
change in step to keep the exposure
the same! To change exposure, you
must use the exposure compensation
button (Picture 4) which is present
on all D-SLRs. You can use this button
along with the command dial and give
the compensation in either positive
or negative direction. You can also
specify how much compensation (in
stops), you want to give.
Metering mode: While several
metering modes are available, just
use one that is most versatile – called
Matrix or Evaluative. Tis works fne
95% of the time and when it does not,
you can use exposure compensation
to get the desired result.
ISO Control: Ofen you may want a
narrow aperture to get a deep depth of
feld (DOF) or a faster shutter speed
for stopping action. However, narrow
apertures and fast shutter speeds both
cut down the amount of light entering
the camera. If the ambient light is not
sufcient then you may not get the
aperture or shutter speed you want. If
this is the case, you can increase the
sensitivity of the camera to light by
increasing the ISO to get the needed
aperture and shutter speed. Increasing
the ISO will reduce the image quality
by adding noise but this is a price you
need to pay to avoid blurry pictures!
Many cameras now also ofer what
is called an Auto ISO mode. When
you use this mode, the ISO will be
set automatically by the camera to
keep the aperture or shutter speed
you want. ISO can be set by using the
dedicated ISO button or through the
shooting menu (Picture 5).
AF (Autofocus) Area: D-SLRs have
several AF points. You can choose any
AF point (Manual AF point selection)
and the camera will focus on the
Picture 1: Mode dial of a D-SLR.
Picture 4: Exposure Compensation button.
Picture 3: Here a minus 2 stop compensation was given to record
this low key image properly.
Picture 2: A high key scene. In cases like this you need to give some positive exposure compensation. Without that, the
photograph will be rendered medium toned and will be darker than the subject. An exposure of plus 2 stops was used.
LEARNING
Understanding Photography
www.smartphotography.in 76 Smart Photography October 2014
area that is overlapped by the chosen
point. You can also ask the camera
to choose an AF point automatically.
While this may be okay for a grab
shot (like in street photography) the
camera may choose an AF point other
than what you want! So, be careful
if you are using this mode. When
you are photographing action, you
need to keep the AF point on the
moving subject. Tere are several
modes available that help you to track
the subject and also change the AF
point itself. Tese modes are called
by diferent names like 3D Tracking,
Auto Select AF, etc.
AF (Autofocus) Mode: Tis defnes
the way the autofocusing mechanism
works. Most cameras ofer three AF
modes as follows:
AF - Single: Here the AF is activated
by half pressing the shutter release.
Once focus is achieved, the focus
locks. Te shutter will only release if
the focus is achieved. It is best suited
for static subjects.
AI Servo, also called AF -
Continuous: Tis mode is for moving
subjects. Here the camera will focus
continuously, tracking the moving
subject so long as you keep the shutter
release half-pressed. It is important
that you remember that the shutter
can be released whether or not
the subject is in focus. Tis could
occasionally result in out-of-focus
images.
AF- Auto: Tis mode is capable of
automatic switching of AF mode. Here
the camera switches the AF mode
from AF-Single to AF-Continuous if it
detects subject movement.
 
Picture 5: Te Auto ISO option in the “Shooting Menu”.
Picture Controls: Also called Picture
Styles, these are presets that control
parameters like contrast, saturation,
brightness, etc., when processing
JPEG image fles. Te usual presets
that camera manufacturers provide
are Standard (general purpose),
Vivid (for vibrant colours), Neutral
(for accurate rendering of colours
and for post-processing), Landscape
(for bright colours with emphasis on
green) and Portraits (for accurate
skin tones). You can choose the
appropriate one through a dedicated
button or the shooting menu.
White Balance: Tis deals with
neutralizing the colour of the light
source to give correct colours. I
suggest that you use the “Auto” setting
and leave it there. You can set the
White Balance for a specifc light but
if you change the light source and
then you forget to change the White
Balance you could get bad colour casts
which will be very difcult to remove.
Note: Auto White Balance has
its limitations and may not work
perfectly under every lighting
condition, though for most beginners
– who anyway shoot during daytime –
the AWB works decently.
File format and File Size: Tese two
together defne the image quality.
I strongly recommend that you
always use Raw format though it
involves an extra processing step.
Raw format records a lot more
information than JPEG and it is
invaluable when photographing
images with high brightness range.
Raw format also allows accurate
White Balance correction. If you
do not want to process Raw fles in
immediate future, then use Raw +
JPEG mode so that if and when you
want to process Raw fles, you will
still have them. Also, use maximum
number of pixels your camera can
record (afer all you have paid for
it). Tis is called the “Large” option.
Choose also, the least compression
for JPEG fles. Tis setting is called
“Fine”. Together, “Large + Fine” give
the best image quality. Only if you are
running out of space and/or if you
want to photograph rapid action, you
should record image with smaller
number of pixels (called “Small”
option) and higher compression called
“Basic”. Remember that Small+Basic
gives a small fle size at the expense
of image quality. So, use this only
along with Raw option. Also, size
and compression options are usually
applicable to JPEG image fles only.
Tose are the parameters that you
need to set. With that introduction
you are now ready to setup your
D-SLR. Te frst step is to decide on
the type of photographs you want to
take - is it portraiture, night/low light
photography, close-up / macro, sports,
action, wildlife, landscape, etc. It is not
that you need to limit yourself to one
or some of these. What is important
is that you need to appreciate that the
camera settings needed to optimally
use your camera for each of these is
diferent. Hence, you need to setup
your camera accordingly. For each
case we will look at the important
characteristics that make a good
photograph of that genre and then
detail the camera settings to help
achieve them.
Portraits: In a portrait, the subject
must be sharp and the background
must be blurry (less sharp) compared
to the subject. To achieve this, it is
necessary you use an aperture of f/4 or
wider to get a narrow DOF. When you
talk to a person you look at his or her
eyes. For the same reason and since
a portrait communicates with the
viewer, the eyes in the portrait must
be the sharpest (Picture 6). To achieve
this you need to choose “Manual AF
point selection” method. Tis will
enable you to select an AF point of
your choice. Afer this, make sure
that the chosen AF point overlaps the
eye closest to the camera. If you leave
the AF point selection to the camera
(Automatic AF point selection), it
may select an AF point which may
not overlap the eye. Tis will cause the
camera to focus on a place other than
the eye, thus ruining the portrait.

Another important point in
portraiture is the capture of
expression. You will agree that a
natural expression of a person when
he is relaxed is much better to look
at than a stify posed portrait. Also,
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 77
natural expressions change rapidly.
So, you need to use continuous frame
advance where images are captured
by the camera so long as you keep the
shutter release button pressed. Later
you can always delete those images
which are not good. As you can expect
“Portrait” Picture Control/Style will be
most suited for portrait photography
as this gives best skin tones.
Street/Candid: Tis needs rapid
action on part of the photographer to
capture what many call the “decisive”
moment. You will probably not
have time to choose the AF point or
carefully compose (Picture 7). You
should be ready to execute a grab shot.
For this it is best to have the AF point
selection in ‘auto’ and a moderate
aperture (like f/5.6) for adequate DOF
to compensate for any focusing errors.
Since you will not be sure whether the
subject will be static or moving, you
can use AF - Auto and continuous
release mode to capture action. Use a
fast enough shutter speed of around
1/250 to freeze action.
Action / sports / wildlife: Examples
of fast action are birds-in-fight,
speeding animals like deer running,
cars moving at high speeds, running
athletes, etc. In all these cases you
need a fast shutter speed of at least
1/1000 to freeze action (Picture 8).
Since you will be probably using
a telephoto lens of focal length of
300mm or greater, this fast shutter
speed will have the double beneft
of preventing handshake. One point
working in your favour is that action
photography
does not require
large DOF. So,
you can use a
wider aperture
and this will
help you to use
a faster shutter
speed as well. If
your lens is not
fast enough to
give the shutter
speed you need,
then you need
to raise the ISO.
Due to these
reasons it is best
you use Shutter
Priority or Tv mode with Auto ISO.
You will also need to capture images
continuously and the AF system
should track the moving subject.
Hence you should use continuous
release and AF - Continuous mode.
Also, large fle sizes slow down the
camera. So, in case you are using Raw
+ JPEG, you can choose a Small JPEG
with Basic compression since you also
have a Raw fle for maximum quality.
However, if you are using JPEG alone,
you must still use Large and Fine
options to record with highest image
quality.
Landscapes: A photograph when
viewed on a monitor or as a print is
“fat”, having only two dimensions –
width and height. However, our eyes
Picture 6: Te eyes must be
the sharpest in a portrait!
Picture 8: You need
a fast shutter speed to
freeze action like this.
You need to raise the
ISO if the light is not
enough. Here a shutter
speed of 1/5000 sec
was used with an ISO
of 1000.
Picture 7: A candid capture. In grab shots like this
you may not have the time to choose an AF Point.
©

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LEARNING
Understanding Photography
www.smartphotography.in 78 Smart Photography October 2014
see the world in three dimensions
– width, height and depth. Hence,
in landscape photography it is
important that you create an illusion
of depth. Tis is done with the
help of an optical property called
“perspective”. Due to perspective,
objects that are close to our eyes
appear large compared to objects
that are far away (Picture 9).
Hence, this property can be used
to create the feeling of depth by
keeping a foreground object in the
speed and narrow aperture –
demand that ambient light is very
high. If this is not the case you need
to use a high enough ISO or use a
tripod.

Night / Low Light Photography:
First disable your fash! A fash is
good only for about 10 to 15 feet and
will work great if the subject is small
and is within that distance (like a
person in a room). However if you
are photographing a monument at
night or in general a night scene
(Picture 11), the subject is bound
to be more than 10 feet away and
fash is just useless! Use Aperture
Priority and set the widest possible
aperture (lowest f/ number) available
on your lens to allow maximum
light. Even then you are likely to get
a shutter speed that would be slow
to handhold. Te best “setting” is
to use a tripod or failing which, the
alternate solution is to use a high
enough ISO to get a reasonable
hand-holdable shutter speed. Tis
may force you to use a very high ISO
(much higher than what you would
use for landscape or macro shot) thus
degrading the image. Night and low
light images ofen have very high
brightness range (pools of bright light
with several dark areas) and it is best
to use the Raw format.
Confused with so many parameters
to set? Don’t worry. Table 1 gives the
needed information in a concise form
and will serve as a handy reference.
Treat the contents as guidelines
rather than rules.
composition. Since you now have
objects that are near and far and
since all of them have to be in sharp
focus, you need a large DOF. So, use
Aperture Priority and set a narrow
aperture (f/8 to f/16). Recall that
narrow apertures allow less light
to reach the imaging sensor. If the
ambient light is not high enough, this
will force you to use a slow shutter
speed which is not hand-holdable. Te
best solution is really not a camera
setting but to use a tripod as this will
allow a slow shutter speed and yet get
highest image quality. However, if you
can’t use a tripod then the solution
is to increase the ISO. You can use
auto ISO setting or set ISO manually
high enough to get a hand-holdable
shutter speed. Remember that high
ISO will reduce image quality but
in this case you really don’t have an
option. Landscapes ofen have very
high brightness range (sun-lit areas
and shadows). It is also expected
that landscape images should have
maximum details. For these two
reasons it is best you use the Raw
format.
Close up / Macro Photography: Tis
genre of photography involves high
magnifcation (Picture 10). In these
cases, the shutter speed as suggested
by the thumb rule does not sufce. It
is better to use as high a shutter speed
as possible (around 1/500 or higher).
Also at high magnifcations, DOF
will be miniscule (only a few milli-
metres). Hence, you need to
use narrow apertures like f/11.
Tese two requirements– high shutter
Picture 9: Te
foreground rock creates
a sense of depth. You
need a large DOF to
keep both foreground
and background
in focus. Tis was
achieved by using an
aperture of f/8 here.
Picture 10: Tis
photograph was taken
with a macro lens.
Tough an aperture of
f/11 was used you can
see that the DOF is still
very shallow.
Picture 11: To capture this night scene handheld, an
ISO of 3200 was used to get an adequate shutter speed.
©

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www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 79
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Te parameters that you need to set may look daunting. However, they
follow logic and are strictly based on the type of photograph (say a
landscape) you want to take. Once you know that and its characteristics
that need to support it (for example, a landscape needs large DOF), the
settings needed can easily be determined. Till you get to that, which we
hope will be soon, you can use Table 1 as a guide. Also what you read in
this article is equally applicable to CSCs (Compact System Cameras) too!
CONCLUSION:
Further reading: Tis article assumes that you know certain basics regarding cameras, lenses,
exposure, DOF, etc. If you would like to brush up the fundamentals, Smart Photography
recommends the eBook “Basics of Photography” available at http://www.magzter.com/books/
Basics-Of-Photography
Table 1
Type of Photograph
Parameter Portrait / Street /
Candid
Sports / Action /
Wildlife
Landscape Close up / Macro Low Light / Night
Exposure Mode Aperture priority / Av Shutter priority / Tv Aperture priority / Av Aperture priority / Av Aperture priority / Av
Shutter speed (1) Will be set by
camera. Min.
handholdable
shutter speed is
needed. For Street /
Candid 1/250.
1/1000 sec. Will be set by
camera. Min.
handholdable
shutter speed is
needed.
Will be set by
camera. Min. shutter
speed of 1/500 is
needed.
Will be set by
camera. Min.
handholdable
shutter speed is
needed.
Aperture f/4 for portraits and
f/5.6 for street.
Will be set by
camera.
Aperture of f/8 for
adequate DOF.
Aperture of f/11 for
adequate DOF.
As wide as your lens
permits due to low
light.
Release mode or
Drive mode
Continuous Continuous Single Single Single
Exposure
Compensation
Use exposure
compensation if
needed.
Use exposure
compensation if
needed.
Use exposure
compensation if
needed.
Use exposure
compensation if
needed.
Use exposure
compensation if
needed.
ISO Lowest ISO (Auto
or manual) to get
a hand-holdable
shutter speed.
Lowest ISO (Auto
or manual) to get
a shutter speed of
1/1000 sec.
Lowest ISO to get
a hand-holdable
shutter speed @ f/8.
Or use a tripod.
Lowest ISO to get
a shutter speed of
1/500 sec speed @
f/11. Or preferably
use a tripod.
Lowest ISO (Auto
or manual) to get
a hand-holdable
shutter speed.
AF Area Mode Single. For Street /
Candid photography
for grab shots you
can use or auto
selection of AF
point.
Multi point (with
auto tracking) afer
selecting the frst
point - the center
point. Tis mode is
called 3D Tracking
by Nikon and
Auto Select AF by
Canon).
Single point manual
selection.
Single point manual
selection.
Single point manual
selection.
AF mode (2) AF- Single or AF -
Auto
AF- Continuous AF-Single AF- Single AF- Single
Release Mode Focus priority /
Release priority for
Street.
Release Priority Focus priority Focus priority Focus priority
Picture Control /
Style
Portrait Standard Landscape or
Vibrant
Landscape or
Vibrant
Standard
File format and fle
size (3)
Raw or Raw + JPEG
(L+ F)
JPEG (L + F) or Raw
+ JPEG (S+B)
Raw or Raw + JPEG
(L+F)
Raw or Raw + JPEG
(L+F)
Raw or Raw + JPEG
(L+F)
(1) Minimum hand-holdable shutter speed is
faster of the two - 1/60 sec or a shutter speed
as per the thumb rule of 1 / (1.5x or 1.6x focal
length of lens)
(2) AF - Single is called AF - S (Nikon) or
One Shot (Canon). AF - Continuous is
called AF - C (Nikon) or AI – Servo (Canon).
AF - Auto is called AF - A (Nikon) and AI –
Focus (Canon).
(3) L= Large, S= Small, F=Fine and B=Basic
LEARNING

www.smartphotography.in 80 Smart Photography October 2014
Postcards From
Lahore
P
assing through the treasure
islands of Mumbai – the
pavements at King’s Circle
and Hutatma Chowk, where book
vendors keep loads of books and
magazines for sale, one really doesn’t
know which interesting or rare book
one may come across. Tis is what
exactly happened as I was taking an
evening stroll through King’s Circle.
A beautiful face on the cover page of
what seemed to be a glossy magazine
or a catalogue caught my eye. Te
model was well styled and draped.
At a frst glance it seemed to be an
Indian face. Instinctively I picked
it and started browsing through
the pages. It was full of fashion
features one afer the other, shot in
an excellent manner, at diferent
locations around the globe. It was a
treat to my eyes. Technically perfect
and aesthetically on par or I can say
even a step above many international
magazines. Every shoot seemed well
planned, well coordinated, perfectly
styled and the pains taken behind
every shot could be seen through
the detailing in the work. Tis
publication from Pakistan introduced
me to the fashion, modeling and
photography industry existing there.
roped them as the marketing
consultants for their brand.
Proud of Pakistani native art, they
are clear in their thought process that
the fashion and media there should
not necessarily be infuenced by the
West. Tey have won two Lux Style
Awards for Best Photographers along
with 9 consecutive nominations, and
2 nominations for best Stylist. Tey
are also into producing and directing
ad flms.
Besides being photographers they are
good stylists and ofer these services
too. Having established their own
style of photography, they opened
a new testament of the fashion
industry there; today they dare to
dream and do have plans of starting
their own modeling agencies, to
join the flm industry and conduct
photography workshops for the next
generation.
Tere is a lot to learn from the duo.
Let us have a word with them and
analyze their work in detail.
Dilip: Tell us something about
yourselves. What made you take this
line as your profession? Did you have
any art background or was it simply a
new feld – the road not taken?
Shani: Guddu and I have done our
Bachelors and then the Masters in
Fine Arts with Communication
Design as major from the Institute of
Art and Design, Punjab University.
Photography has been a major
throughout the studies. Like many
other youngsters, we too had lot of
passion and ideas to do something
for our country. We found a huge
gap in global image quality and the
Having crossed over 20 active years in commercial photography,
Dilip Yande says his forte is Fashion and Portrait photography. He
believes variety is the spice of life, and to keep himself motivated
he does a lot of tabletop as well. For Dilip, names like Rembrandt,
Renoir, Gauguin, Picasso, Turner, Monet are household names
because of his childhood that was spent in a lineage of fine arts. This
‘fine art’ reflects in his work because he feels that there is always
a little bit of ‘you’ in everything one does. Having shot for many
advertising agencies, juried a few competitions, mentored many
workshops, and guided many photographers in their formative years,
for Dilip, photography is just another way to romance his first love –
art. He may be contacted at [email protected].
Dilip Yande
What was noticeable was the liberty
given to the photographers.
It was here in a way, that I came
across these young turks of fashion
photography – Shahnawaz (Shani)
and Shumaila (Guddu) – more
famous as Guddu and Shani (pic a)
from Lahore, Pakistan. A husband
and wife team, who both have done
their Bachelors and then Masters
in Fine Arts with Communication
Design as major, from Institute of
Art and Design, Punjab University-
Lahore. In my opinion, they are true
defnitions of what ‘designers’ should
be! Tey were the pioneers of digital
textile printing in Pakistan and have
designed their own collections. Tey
were the ones who introduced the
concept of ‘wearable art’ in which one
fnds miniature paintings on dresses
designed by them. Infuenced by the
artist and designer Gustav Klimt,
they have designed dresses and
features that display this infuence
in their formative years. A multi-
talented duo, they have their own
advertising agency and have handled
many brands of the fashion industry,
specially the most quality conscious
brand like Sana Safnaaz who have
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 81
quality in our country, so we picked
up that point as a start-up line way
back in 2005.
Dilip: Did other forms of art like
painting, sculpture, poetry, classical
music or anything else infuence you
in your work? Or was it the work
of some photographer which you
admired the most that lef a mark on
your mind?
Shani: Well, for us inspiration comes
from all directions. Yes, all forms
of visual art has always been source
of ideas, but our main inspiration
were old classic art movements. We
love to change our style every year,
just to give a break to ourselves and
keep on enjoying our work. So we
adapt one art movement every year
into photographic visuals. Like we
have done Surrealism, Cubism,
Renaissance, Baroque, Arabesque,
Digital Art, Pop Art, Romanticism
and lots of others as well. Along with
the art movement, nature has been
a great inspiration, as we believe
that there is no other core source
of inspiration than nature. Talking
about photographers, the style of
Paolo Roversi was quite inspiring in
the beginning years.
Dilip: How would you like to defne
fashion or fashion photography
in general and the scene there in
Lahore?
Shani: Fashion in Pakistan is very
fne and has its own class especially
when one talks about ‘eastern
fashion’. People are really open to
new silhouettes and textures. At
this moment we have our own
fashion forecasts and defnitions.
Every year this is always as per
international standards, maintaining
its own ‘native incorporation’. Te
way ‘fashion’ itself has its own
‘style’ within its spectrum, fashion
photography also carries a similar
feature. Fashion photographers in
Pakistan try a lot to play with our
native wear ‘Shalwar Kameez’ and
since there is very less skin showing
it becomes a difcult product to
shoot in terms of making it visually
attractive. It leaves less room for
contours of the body to be exhibited
which attract a
normal viewer.
But despite of
this challenge
we try our best
to produce new
creative ideas,
sticking to the
native style, so
as to keep our
industry in a
contemporary
mode, and
compete with
western imaging.
Dilip: I have
seen a lot of local
magazines form
your country
on the Net –
amazing work!
How does the
industry function
there? Do you
think it is easy
for any new
talents to get an
entry? Out here,
the magazines
have editors, art directors, creative
directors, fashion stylists, fashion
coordinators, photo editors in their
team. Sometimes it feels like ‘too
many cooks spoil the broth.’ What is
the scene out there?
Shani: Tere are always few conficts
when you work in bigger teams
but here in Pakistan everyone has
particularly learnt to respect the
space of every artist as a collaborative
creation. Seniors are very open to
give space to new talents and even
collaborate with them. Everyone
takes it as a mission to structure the
industry on solid grounds and keep
building it further. On the other side,
this business requires new ideas, so
collaborating with new talent gives
freshness to every brand.
Generally a photographer is a jack-
of-all-trades. I mean, out here most
of them are stylists, art directors,
fashion coordinators by themselves.
Somehow that gives them a total
control on the visual but less margin
for more experimentation or going
wilder. At ‘Guddu and Shani’ we
love to work with bigger teams
and productions. With specialists,
contributing in their scopes.
Ultimately that improvises the quality
of work.
Dilip: When you shoot for any
designer or a boutique or a brand, are
the advertising agencies necessarily
involved in the shoots?
Shani: Most of the time no, but some
times we work with other agencies
as well. Due to our Masters degree
in communication design and
advertising, we have been running
our own advertising agency named
Guddu Shani Adverto. Te agency
has been taking care of some big
brands like Sana Safnaz, Nishat
Linen, Crossroads etc. Guddu
Shani Adverto is the only special
services advertising agency in this
country that is specialized in fashion
marketing and advertising.
Dilip: How much liberty is given to
the photographers out there? Are
they supposed to give the creatives
too or just execute a given concept?
Pic a
LEARNING

www.smartphotography.in 82 Smart Photography October 2014
Shani: It works both ways. In
advertorial or editorial photography,
photographers are totally free to do
their stuf but of course as per a pre-
decided mood, while in commercial
or advertising photography most
of the time photographers have to
follow the mood boards and points
decided in pre-production meetings.
Dilip: I read that Sana Safnaaz,
a major brand of apparels have
appointed you as a consultant in their
frm. If so, how do you feel being
patted in this way and your relations
with such clients, and the pains you
took in understanding the brand?
Shani: As mentioned above Guddu
Shani Adverto takes care of all
advertising work for Sana Safnaz.
We have been taking care of the
brand since 2005. So it’s sort of our
baby that developed with passage of
time and followed our development
strategies and vision of Sana Safnaz.
We do complete image consultancy
and I serve the brand as executive
brand manager and plan everything
related to marketing and advertising
from strategic development to
execution.
Dilip: Does the advertising industry
or the fashion industry have any
passing fads as far as the equipment
are concerned? Like in India, about
20 years back they wanted every
photographer to shoot on a 4X5
large format or a medium format,
even if the pic was to be printed
2 inches in size, then it was the
‘Hose-master lighting’, followed by
cross- processing and now it is the 22
mega pixels and the ‘Para’. Or is the
photographer the captain of the ship?
Shani: Te photographer is the
captain of the ship and is generally
well aware of what to use for
required results. I have never heard
of any client dictating about the
lighting equipment. But during pre-
production meetings with advertising
agency’s art directors, there are
discussions about the equipment to
make sure that results are technically
as per media requirement.
Dilip: I have seen your indoor and
outdoor works. Both are of high
standards. I have observed clever
use of wide-angles while shooting
fashion, specially the low angles.
Which lens do you use for this? Or
generally which are your favorite
lenses for fashion?
Shani: Tanks a lot for your
appreciation. For wide-angles
sometimes I use a Canon 16-35mm
and sometime a Canon 24-70mm. I
don’t believe in using any particular
lenses as a style. Every lens is used for
a diferent meaning when we have to
use them for transformation of our
ideas into visual language. So lenses
are always selected as per the theme
and subject.
Dilip: I have noticed strong
compositions, excellent
understanding of colour, and use of
graphic elements in the background.
Can you say something about this?
How do you visualize it?
Shani: We have a standard workfow.
We try pre-visualizing every shoot
and making a complete mood board.
Tat helps a lot specifcally to defne
the whole harmony of the shoot.
I normally sketch my ideas on my
Galaxy Note. For compositions
and colour balance we follow
fundamental concepts that we learnt
from the very frst year of our art
education, like principles of design,
elements of art, colour theory etc.
While we follow the very basic rules,
with experience, we get the power to
break them with more confdence.
Dilip: Do any clients there still point
at the ‘West’ as the fnal authorities
of fashion statements, like Milan or
Paris or have they accepted the fact
that Asians could be no less?
Shani: We cannot deny the fact that
Milan and Paris strongly infuence
fashion all over the world but
our native garment is so diferent
than in the West that you cannot
really follow them. But any sort of
inspiration creates amazing fusion of
both sides and makes our garment
look more contemporary.
Dilip: Photography as an art is also
mostly associated with western
artists. We think that you have
developed your very own style for
‘eastern side of fashion photography’
business. What do you think?
Shani: I think you have judged it very
well as this has been a major mission
throughout our photography career.
Many people have complimented
us with this statement. We can’t
deny the fact that our inspirations
are also from the West but it was a
huge struggle of day and night to
come up with our very own style
of photography to best ft with our
sort of garments while not making
any compromises on creativity and
distinctive ideas.
Dilip: Looking at your work if I
make a statement that fashion is not
the art of revealing a body but the art
of covering a body, would you agree?
(hahaha…)
Shani: Hahaha… I always say
that it’s so easy to make a visual
attractive, creative and visually
powerful when there are no or less
clothes! As showing skin makes it
naturally more attractive and then
technically, the fall of light creates
nicer tonal range, and amazingly
good looking contours on skin. But
its very difcult to make your visuals
when you have fully covered body.
Again it’s been a sort of mission to
prove the world that creativity isn’t
dependent on revealing human
body; we can still do creative
lighting, fun concepts and create
amazingly attractive visuals with
fully covered bodies.
Dilip: What would be your advice to
the next breed of photographers in
India and your country?
Shani: First advice is to always work
hard with consistency. Second most
important thing is to develop your
own style and techniques to show
the world that this region also has
its own creative power and art is
not a monopoly of the West. Come
up with fne artistic ideas and fuse
them with commercial approach in
advertising so that creativity reaches
the masses.
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 83
Critical Analysis and Art
Appreciation-
Readers, let me analyze their works
for you, as to what gives them an edge
above the others. Tis would also teach
you how to read art.
Pics b1, 2, 3- I have chosen 3 pics
from this feature. One may observe the
yellow plank of wood common in the
3 pics. Tis has acted as the common
thread for the feature. In Pic b1, if one
observes in detail, the lines of force are
converging at the centre of the picture,
the horizon lines, the fall/pattern of
the cloth, the design on the cloth all
indirectly point to the centre, where this
fat yellow square has been positioned.
A glow-through lighting has once again
caused a vignette on the yellow plank,
graduating from the centre towards its
periphery. Te model has been cleverly
posed that even her hands act as
indirect pointers once again converging
towards the centre. Te picture is an
excellent design in itself. Pic b2 is shot
on the same location as b1, but in this
case the attention of the viewer gets
locked on the face of the model and
the accessories. Te visible single eye
of the model, strongly staring at the
viewer becomes a further locking point
which again is more at the centre of the
image. Te negative space that has been
lef by keeping the yellow plank totally
blank at one side has worked wonders.
Te upper half of the pic has shades of
grey (clouds) while the lower half has
shades of green grass. Te model is
wearing solid masses of bright colors
with balanced complementary colour
schemes. Te cobalt blue frill around
the neck, once again makes it a centre-
weighted picture. In Pic b3, the sides of
the lines of the wooden plank, makes
your eye travel again to the centre of
the picture. Te wet mud that has been
transformed from her shoes on to the
plank, give the feeling of brush strokes
on a canvas, at the same time makes you
feel that the model has possibly been
dragged from lef to right, once again
this suggestive movement is heading
towards the centre of the image.
Pic c- One can see that two pieces
of land have been divided by a canal
of water. Te opposite bank is full of
greenery and suggestively a very fertile
land. Te other one seems to be arid in
Pic b1
Pic b2
Pic b3
LEARNING

www.smartphotography.in 84 Smart Photography October 2014
nature, one can see the dry
branches of a fallen tree and
there are no leaves on it at all.
Te model has been posed
very naturally and the design
on the dress can be seen and
understood. On her dress
one may observe a pattern
of brown dry leaves. Te
colour scheme is very ‘earthy’.
One should study how the
photographer has taken
the call about what dresses
of which pattern to shoot
against which backgrounds.
Nothing has been lef to
chance.
Pic d1, 2- In this series of
pictures they have made use
of a vintage car as a prop in
a very unique way. One may
fnd heavily painted trucks in
the north of India as well as
Pic d1 Pic d2
Pic c1
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 85
in Pakistan – this subject of ‘truck art’
is a topic in itself. But in this case the
photographer and the stylist seem to
have decided to take the inspiration
from this truck art and use it over the
vintage car. If one observes closely,
the design on the car is very close to
the marble inlay work that one may
fnd in ancient Mogul monuments
and what is classifed as Islamic
art. Pic d1 is largely dominated by
the greens, the painted car and the
yellowish dots resembling bulbs at
the back side. Te model’s attire gives
the suggestion of a wedding. Te hair
has been handled in a very excellent
and unusual manner. Te pose of
the model, the needed visibility of
the dress and the detailing done in
deciding the hairstyle shows the
meticulous planning that is required
in such shoots. In pic d2 the lighting
has been done in a slightly dramatic
manner and the photographer has
even handled the background well by
creating those spots through lighting.
Te colour of the umbrella is very
similar to the border of the dress.
Pic e 1, 2, 3- In this feature the
model was draped with the same
cloth and which has acted as the
background and foreground of the
shot. One can say that she has been
drenched in this ‘splash’ of turquoise
blue. Te photographer has kept the
blue cast on her face and this has
added to the beauty of the shots,
making it more natural, giving a feel
of an outdoor shot. Pic e1 is again a
centre-dominated shot. Te slightly
parted pink lips symbolize that she is
waiting for someone. Te messy hair
and the slight blurry motion in the
foreground suggest a strong wind –
as if she is standing near a sea shore.
Te earrings have been well selected
and stand out against her hair. If one
observes the pattern on the cloth, it is
similar to that of sea waves. Pic e2 is
once again a well-composed shot, in
which the woman seems to be staring
at the infnite. In pic e3 the model
has been shot through the fabric; she
can be seen holding the cloth in her
hand. Te picture is giving the feel of
a shot that was taken from a camera
placed under the water. In the right
hand side corner below, one may
see the faint image of a traditional
boat being rowed by oarsmen. Tus
establishing a subtle relation as to
what she was looking at initially. Tis
detailing I feel is the master-stroke
of the photographer. Te picture is a
very impressionistic one.
Pic f1- Tis is a very stylized and
sophisticated shot. Te walking stick,
the heels of the stilettos, the plates on
Pic e1
Pic e2
Pic e3
LEARNING

www.smartphotography.in 86 Smart Photography October 2014
her dress act as strong lines of force
in the picture. Te body language of
the model is amazing and has been so
well posed that it defnes all that was
needed. Te old European feel has
been rightly represented through her
hair. Te background used and the
lighting gives the picture the feel of a
painting of the Renaissance period.
Pic g1- Tis time the model has not
been accessorized at all. Tus making
her dress the centre of attraction. Tis
indirectly shows the command the
photographer and the stylist have over
the subject. A delicate model, wearing
a delicate pattern with a delicate print
of paisley has been posed well against
a very rough worn-out brick wall. As
I have always pointed out earlier in
my articles, contrast works. Further,
the photographer has chosen such
a spot that it has a hint of a wooden
window shutter on the lef. Tis stops
your eyesight from leaving
the area of the picture and
pulls your attention back
to the dress and the model.
Te shades of the lace are
complementing the shade
of the wall.
Pic h1- A clever use of a
wide-angle lens can be
seen in this picture. Once
again the lines of force
meeting at a common
point and being used
as a graphic element
of the background has
complemented ‘the
show’ in all ways. Te
orange dress of the model
against the blue sky is a
complementary colour
scheme and hence has
worked well. Tere is
action and motion in her
Pic f1 Pic g1
Pic h1
www.smartphotography.in
October 2014 Smart Photography 87
dress, while the
background
is very solid
and ‘still’. Tis
makes the
picture further
appealing.
Pic i 1, 2- Tis
series was a
game of bright
psychedelic
colours. Te
focus is more on
styling. As can
be seen in pic i
1, the clever use
of safety pins
as an accessory
shows the ofeat
thinking of the
photographer
and the stylist.
Pic i 2 has been
dominated by
squares and
rectangles. Te
model has been
posed in a very
diferent way and
positioned in
such a manner
that a diferently
coloured tile in
the foreground
cleverly
complements
with the
squares in the
background. Tis
geometric repetition has added value
to the picture. A small addition of
yellow frame sunglasses has given the
fnishing touch to the picture.
Pic j 1- Te photographer has chosen
a slanted angle for his camera,
usually termed as ‘dutch angle’ in
cinematography. Te wide-angle lens
shows the expanse of the paddy feld.
Te blue sky peeping through the
clouds has balanced the picture well.
In this picture, you may see that no
foot-wear has been used, the model
hence seems to be enjoying the
nature at her fullest and not posing
for a shot, but the dress can be well
made out. Te fowers in her hand
has added value to the picture.
Pic k – Tis is a good example of
digital imaging done by them in
2007. Te pre-production, the on-set
lighting, and the post-production has
been handled very well.
Pic l 1, 2, 3- The model has posed
with a live elephant. One has to
remember that an elephant is all
about strength and royal feel. The
dress thus chosen for the shoot
is a very expensive and upmarket
attire. The heavy work of gold in
this dress defines its ‘royal look’.
The model has been thoughtfully
accessorized only in the neck and
with a golden mask. Especially if
you observe this golden mask in
the close-ups, one may find it to be
similar to the golden head-gears
Pic i2
Pic i1 Pic j1
LEARNING

www.smartphotography.in 88 Smart Photography October 2014
mounted on elephants in festivals
of Kerala or found through the old
pictures of Maharajas riding their
elephants.
Pic m 1, 2- Tese are examples
of dramatic lighting and a very
bohemian styling. Tese fashion
shots are all about clever
and heavy layering of
accessories on the model’s
body. Here again the
photographer has played
well with complementary
colour schemes.
Pic n 1, 2 - Tese are conceptual
masterpieces shot by the
photographer. In pic n 1, the model
is wearing a very loose safron outft.
She is shown as a stylized ‘fakir’ in
penance, standing on a worn-out
wooden stool, balancing on just
Pic k
Pic l2 Pic l3
Pic l1
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October 2014 Smart Photography 89
one foot. Tere is no agony seen on
the face of the model while posing
for such a difcult stance. Wooden
beads resembling ‘rudraksha ‘ beads
can be seen around her neck. Te
background is typically a deserted
one and is as messy as it should be.
Te hairdo is very interesting and
signifes the holy ash being smeared
above her forehead. Te model is
shown holding a wavy wooden
magical wand in her hand and this
is the master stroke in the picture. In
pic n 2 the continuity of the hair-
do has been carried ahead, except
that the shade of the hair has been
changed to match the border of the
dress. Te photographer has opted
for a solid patch of white colour at
the back of the models face. Tis
has changed the look of the picture
totally. Such sense of composition
and detailing is very rare and needs
to be acquired. One hand of the
model is hidden, while the other has
been painted in white and shade of
vermillion which is the same shade
on the border of the dress. Such
artistic philosophy is what sets this
picture and their work apart from
the rest.
What has been showcased here is
just a tip of an iceberg. I have tried
to bring a spectrum of their work to
you. Tis would tell you as to how
much detailing goes in planning a
good shot. I would frmly say that
Guddu Shani are not just creative
geniuses, and excellent stylists or ace
photographers, but ‘Guddu Shani’ is a
cult in itself.
Pic m1
Pic n1
Pic m2
Pic n2
LEARNING

90 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Let’s Photograph
a Wristwatch
Rohinton Mehta
I
n Smart Photography (June
2014), we introduced you to a
couple of ways to photograph
watches. This time we provide you
with yet another method, which
is classic as well as simple but
effective.
What will you need?
• A wristwatch of course!
• A sheet of glass
• White paper
Camera with Macro Lens
Transparent
Glass Table
Light Source
White Paper Cone
Black Felt
1
2
6
9
3
• Black felt or felt-paper
• Light source, continuous
or flash
Preparation
Using the white sheet of
paper, make a cone and
cut the top of the cone (see
photo).
On a sheet of glass, place a
small piece of the black felt/
felt paper (about 8” square)
in the center. Position the
wristwatch on the black
felt/felt paper and place the
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PIN-UP PHOTOGRAPHY
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SEPTEMBER 2014
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“I switched to
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better guidance to hobbyists...”
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Smart Photography reader from Mumbai
e-mail: [email protected]
LEARNING

92 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
cone over it. The cone
should have a large base
to allow the light from
under the glass sheet to
hit the paper cone and
reflect back on to the
wristwatch.
Place the light source
under the glass.
Shoot
Using a suitable macro
lens, take the shot
through the opening at
the top of the cone. The
light from underneath
will hit the insides of the
paper cone and reflect
back on to the wristwatch.
It may be necessary to
alter the height/base of
the cone.
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94
Bridge Camera Review
Panasonic Lumix FZ1000
100
Lens Review
Canon EF 16-35mm
f/4L IS USM
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
D-SLR CAMERAS
Design & Build Quality .................... (out of 20)
Key Features ........................................... (out of 20)
Ergonomics ............................................. (out of 20)
Performance
Autofocus .................................................... (out of 5)
Metering ...................................................... (out of 5)
Noise control ........................................... (out of 5)
Distortion/Sharpness .......................... (out of 5)
LCD/Viewfnder..................................... (out of 5)
Auto White Balance ........................... (out of 5)
Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)
Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)
LENSES
Design & Build Quality .................... (out of 20)
Key Features ........................................... (out of 20)
Ergonomics ............................................. (out of 20)
Performance
Autofocus .................................................... (out of 5)
Sharpness..................................................... (out of 5)
Distortion control ................................. (out of 5)
Aberrations ................................................ (out of 5)
Darkening of corners ......................... (out of 5)
Extra Features............................................ (out of 5)
Value for Money ................................. (out of 10)
Grand Total ......................................... (out of 100)
COMPACT CAMERAS
Design & Build Quality .................... (out of 20)
Key Features ........................................... (out of 20)
Ergonomics ............................................. (out of 20)
Performance
Autofocus .................................................... (out of 5)
Metering ...................................................... (out of 5)
Noise control ........................................... (out of 5)
Distortion/Sharpness .......................... (out of 5)
LCD/Viewfnder..................................... (out of 5)
Auto White Balance ........................... (out of 5)
Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)
Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)
102
Lens Review
Canon EF-S 10-18mm
f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
104
Lens Review
AF-S NIKKOR 16-
35mm F/4G ED VR
106
Smartphone Review
Gionee Elife S5.5
109
First Look
Samsung Galaxy Tab S
BRIDGE CAMERA
Review

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000
www.smartphotography.in 94 Smart Photography October 2014
Superzoom King!
Rohinton Mehta
B
ridge cameras are positioned
between point-and-shoot
cameras and D-SLRs and as
such they are very much in demand
for their ease of handling and their
usual super-long zoom lenses.
Panasonic introduced their much-
sought-afer FZ200 (25-600mm
equivalent Leica-designed lens with
a fast f/2.8 aperture throughout)
somewhere in the middle of 2012.
As good as the camera is (it is still
available), a limitation according to
guys like us, is the small imaging
sensor (6.17 x 4.55mm). Now
comes the FZ1000. Te zoom range
has been shortened (25-400mm
equivalent), the Leica-designed
lens is now slightly slower (f/2.8-4),
but autofocus with the FZ1000 is
approximately 275% faster and the
imaging sensor is now comparatively
much larger at 13.2 x 8.8mm (almost
4 times larger). Tis means larger
photosites, which result in larger
pixels, which in turn ofer better
control in digital noise especially at
higher ISO sensitivities, along with
better dynamic range. So let’s see
how Panasonic’s fagship 16x Bridge
camera – the Lumix FZ1000 – fares
on our test bench...
Design and Build Quality
By design, the FZ1000 is a Bridge
(Prosumer) camera, using a non-
interchangeable 25-400mm (16x)
equivalent zoom lens. Te build
quality is very good (a bit lower
than its nearest competitor, the Sony
RX100 III, but at the same time, the
FZ1000 does not have the issue of
exposed connecting cable that we
reported on the RX100 III in the
September 2014 issue). Te outer
body is made with engineering
plastic. Te camera is quite large and
weighs 830g including the battery.
Key Features
Te FZ1000 is a 20 megapixel
(efective) Bridge camera with a
` 62,000
✓Camera
✓Battery pack
✓Battery charger
✓Lens hood
✓Lens cap
✓USB cable
✓Accessory shoe cover
✓Shoulder strap
✓Sofware DCD
✓Warranty card
Inside the Box
www.smartphotography.in October 2014 Smart Photography 95
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BRIDGE CAMERA
Review

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000
www.smartphotography.in 96 Smart Photography October 2014
ISO 400
ISO 1600
ISO 6400
ISO 800
ISO 3200
ISO 12800
NOISE
Leica DC Vario-Elmarit, 25-400mm
equivalent zoom lens. It incorporates
a 1” Type (13.2 x 8.8mm) High-
sensitivity MOS imaging sensor
backed by Panasonic’s tried and
tested Venus Engine image processor.
Te camera can shoot in Raw as well
as Raw+JPEG, ofering a maximum
resolution of 5472 x 3648 pixels.
Pictures can be shot in 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
and 1:1 aspect ratio. Te camera body
incorporates a hybrid 5-axis optical
image stabilizer for still images
as well as video. A well-designed
hand-grip makes the camera very
comfortable to hold.
Various AF modes are available –
Single, Continuous, Face Detect, Live
View, Focus-Tracking, Multi-area,
Contrast-detect, Center and Selective
single point. Manual focussing is
possible. 49 focus points are available.
Te camera ofers 3 metering modes:
Multi, Center-weighted and Spot.
Te lens has a minimum focussing
distance of 30 cm (< 12”), while in
macro mode it can focus as close as
3 cm. Te FZ1000 has an electronic
viewfnder (4:3 aspect ratio) with
100% coverage (resolution 2,359,000
dots) and a fully articulated 3” LCD
with a resolution of 921,000 dots.
Te LCD does not ofer touch-screen
facility.
Apertures on the FZ1000 range from
F/2.8-8 (W); F/4-8 (T), whereas
shutter speeds range from 60 sec-
1/4000 sec (Mechanical shutter);
1-16,000 sec (Electronic shutter).
Shooting modes are P, A, S, M,
Sharpness
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/50sec. ISO:100
JPEG Compression
JPEG, Normal Quality,
100% (5.4 MB)
JPEG, Fine Quality,
100% (10.4 MB)
www.smartphotography.in October 2014 Smart Photography 97
self-timer and interval-timer. An
accessory shoe (hot-shoe) and a
stereo microphone is provided.
Te FZ1000 ofers a built-in
fash with a maximum range of
13.5m (W) or 9.5m (T) when
set to Auto ISO. An optional
dedicated fash (DMW-FL580L)
with built-in LCD video light is
available. ISO sensitivity ranges
between Auto, 125-12,800 but
can be expanded to equivalents
of 80-25,600.
If you download the Panasonic
Image App, you can use a
Smartphone or a Tablet to
remotely control your FZ1000’s
zoom, set focus and shoot, and
instantly upload/share your
images on social media. By
simply touching your FZ1000 to
an NFC-enabled Smartphone or
Tablet, or by scanning the QR
code, you can start the in-built
Wi-Fi and transfer your images.
And by utilizing the GPS log of
a Smartphone or Tablet, you can
add location information to the
shared images.
Movie, Custom 1 & 2, Scene (25
scenes), Art Filters and intelligent
Auto. Exposures can be compensated
by +/- 5 stops and bracketed up to
+/- 3 stops. White Balance cannot
be bracketed. Te FZ1000 can shoot
at a maximum burst rate of 12fps.
Te Leica-designed zoom lens is
constructed from 15 elements in
11 groups which include 4xED
and 5xAsperical lens elements.
Te zoom can be operated using a
ring that surrounds the lens or by
operating the zoom lever (with 5
possible zoom speeds) on the top
plate. On the lef side of the lens (as
when viewing through the lens), is
a switch that controls the lens ring
between zooming and manual focus.
Below it is the switch for the 5-axis
image stabilizer. Te FZ1000 ofers 5
Function buttons that, depending on
the mode – Recording or Playback
– can be customised by the user. Te
lens has thread for 62mm flters.
On the top lef of the camera is
a dial for drive mode that allows
you to select between single shot,
continuous, exposure bracketing,
Te FZ1000 allows you to create
vertical or horizontal panoramas. A
variety of Filter Efects can also be
added for expressive photography.
Video
Te FZ1000 is capable of
recording 4K QFHD (Quad Full
High Defnition) video where
the horizontal resolution is
approximately 4000 pixels (3840 x
2160, 30 fps in MP4) as against the
1080 pixel vertical resolution (1920
x 1080) in a Standard 1080p video.
Tis results in a much higher image
quality as compared to the Standard
video. According to Panasonic, one
should use a card rated as UHS Speed
Class 3 when recording 4K video. It
is possible to capture an 8-megapixel
still image from the video footage.
A stereo zoom microphone reduces
zoom noise and an Auto Wind Cut
feature stops most of the wind noise.
Ergonomics
Te FZ1000 is very easy to operate
and the user interface is very friendly.
Te controls seem to be the right
places. Te zoom can be operated
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/250sec
. ISO: 800
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Panasonic Lumix FZ1000
www.smartphotography.in 98 Smart Photography October 2014
using the zoom ring around the
lens or using the rocker switch
surrounding the shutter release
button. Te lens extends quite
a bit when you zoom out to the
maximum focal length (400mm
equivalent), but the lens barrel does
not rotate, making it easy to use
PL or Graduated Neutral Density
flter. As you zoom, the viewfnder
shows the equivalent focal length.
Individual eyesight correction
dioptre is to the lef of the electronic
viewfnder, which is a pleasure to
use. If you have a trigger-happy
index fnger, it would do well to
have an extra battery with you.
Performance
Te Panasonic FZ1000 delivers
superb image quality, thanks to its
excellent Leica DC Vario-Elmarit
zoom lens, combined with its Venus
Engine processor (identical to
the one used in its fagship Micro
Four Tirds GH4) and the large
(compared to compacts and most
other bridge cameras) imaging
sensor. Autofocussing is very fast,
aided by Panasonic’s DFD (Depth
From Defocussing) technology.
According to Panasonic, “It
instantaneously calculates the
distance to the subject by evaluating
2 images with diferent sharpness
levels. As a result, ultra high-speed
AF of approx. 0.09 sec (wide-
end) / approx. 0.17sec (tele-end)
is achieved”. Te 25-400mm
equivalent zoom lens retains its
sharpness even at the 400mm end,
Efective pixels : 20.1 megapixels
Imaging sensor/size : High-sensitivity MOS sensor, 1” Type (13.2 x 8.8mm)
Lens : Leica DC Vario-Elmarit, 25-400mm equivalent
Aperture range : Still: F/2.8-8 (W); F/4-8 (T)
Motion Picture: F/2.8-11 (W); F/4-11 (T)
Image stabilizer : Hybrid O. I. S. 5-axis (except for 4K and high-speed video recording)
Focus range : 30 cm – infnity (W) / 100 cm - infnity (T)
3 cm-infnity (W) / 100 cm-infnity (T) when using AF
Macro / MF / Intelligent Auto / Motion Picture
Focus : AFS (Single), AFF (Flexible), AFC (Continuous), MF
(Manual) Normal / AF Macro / Macro Zoom, Quick AF
On / Of (on in Intelligent Auto), Low Light AF, AF/AE
Lock Button, AF Area Select, AF Tracking, Eye Sensor AF
Focus : Peaking, One Shot AF (Set the Fn button in custom
menu to AF-ON)
Shutter speed : Still: 60 sec-1/4000 sec (Mechanical shutter);
1-16,000 sec (Electronic shutter)
Viewfnder : OLED Live View Finder
File Format : Still: JPEG, Raw; Motion Picture: AVCHD, MP4
Recording modes : Intelligent Auto, P, A, S, M, Creative Video,
Custom 1 & 2, Scene, Creative Control
Video : 4K: 3840 x 2160 pixels, 30p
HD Video: 1920 x 1080, 60p to 1280 x 720, 30p
STD Video: 640 x 480, 30p
High Speed Video: 1920 x 1080, 30p
Video recording time : AVCHD: 130 min (FHD/60p); 135 min (FHD 60i)
MP4: 110 min (4K/30p); 130 min (FHD/60p)
Dimensions (W x H x D) : 136.8 x 98.5 x 130.7mm
Weight : 831g with battery and card

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
Te Superzoom/Bridge camera category is
one section of the compact camera market
that is under no danger. Predictably, all the
major manufacturers have a superzoom in
their range. With the FZ1000, Panasonic is
now the king of the superzooms. Currently,
there is no competing camera that can come
close to the FZ1000. Go for it!
VERDICT
PLUS
• Good build
quality
• Excellent
image quality
for a camera
with a 1”
Type sensor
• Excellent
video quality
MINUS
• Lens cap
design could
have been
better
• Battery life
limited
84% FINAL SCORE
Design and Build Quality 16/20

Key Features 18/20

Ergonomics 18/20

Performance
Autofocus 4/5
Metering 4/5
Noise Control 4/5
Sharpness 4/5
LCD/EVF 5/5
Auto W/B 4/5
Sub-Total 25/30
Value for Money 7/10

something that most long-zoom
lenses don’t do well.
Tere was no perceptible time lag
between the pressing of the shutter
release button and the actual
exposure. When set to exposure
bracketing, the burst speed was
extremely fast. Te camera is capable
of fring at 12 frames per second!
Te FZ1000 has a native print size
of 18.24 x 12.16 inches at 300ppi.
At 25% screen size, images were
usable at all the rated ISOs, though
ISO 6400 was slightly noisy and ISO
12800 did show more noise. At 50%
screen size, images were okay up to
ISO 3200, though ISO 3200 images
were slightly sof, possibly due to
excessive noise reduction within the
camera. At 100% screen size, images
shot at 1600 and above were noisy.
Video quality was outstanding. We
did not try the 4K video since we do
not have a 4K TV but the ‘normal’
video quality lef us spellbound.
Value for Money
Panasonic India is yet to introduce
the FZ1000 in the Indian market
and therefore there is no guide price.
In Europe, it retails for around 800
Euros or 750 Pounds including value
added tax. Without tax, this would
translate to around Rs.62,000. At or
around this price, the FZ1000 is fair
to good value. Expect prices to ease
as supply improves.
LENS
REVIEW

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
100 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Trimmed to Size
Sujith Gopinath
W
hile amateur photographers
aim for the longest
reach in terms of zoom,
professionals aim to extend the
shorter end of the zoom range and
accommodate a wide-angle lens. Tis
is especially true for landscape or
interior photographers who need that
extra ‘width’ for maximum efect. But
wide-angle lenses are very expensive, if
you consider fast lenses, and you need
a bit of extra skills to handle a wide-
angle. Te Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS
USM is an afordable version of the EF
16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens for full-
frame cameras.
Design and Build Quality
Being an L-series, this lens carries
the mark of excellence and fne
workmanship. Te outer barrel is
made of rugged quality engineering
plastic. Tough normal plastics, in
general, are considered inferior to
metals, these toughened plastics
have better strength-to-weight
ratios, making the material lighter
yet as strong as metals. Te fact
that these composite materials are
used in the construction of modern
fghter aircrafs, is proof of its tensile
strength. Composites are also better
at cushioning impact in case it is
accidentally dropped.
Ergonomics
Te Canon 16-35mm lens is very
comfortable to hold and operate. Te
rubber grips on the zoom and focus
rings make operaion efortless. Te
lens is made for Full-Frame bodies
and it balanced well with the Canon
6D body that we used for the tests.
Since this lens features internal
focussing, the lens barrel does not
extend while focussing or zooming,
and neither does the front element
rotate.
Performance
Te Canon 16-35mm lens
autofocussed very fast on the Canon
6D we used for the tests. Focussing
was precise and the AF operation was
near-silent (only the photographer
could hear it). We did not observe any
fare or chromatic aberration at the
wide-angle end in strong against-the-
light shots. However, we could see
lateral chromatic aberration while
photographing dark text on white
paper in the studio. Tis is common
for most wide-angle lenses. Sweet spot
of the lens was found to be f/5.6, and
the lens produced the best sharpness
from f/4 to f/8. Sharpness deteriorated
from the centre to the peripheries.
✓Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 lens
✓Front and Back caps
✓Lens Case
✓Lens Hood
✓Literature
Inside the Box
` 77,995
Key Features
Te Canon 16-35mm features, as
expected from an L-series lens, is
packed with professional features.
It can be used with both full-frame
and APS-C bodies. Te lens has
a maximum aperture of f/4 and
a minimum aperture of f/22. It is
constructed with 16 elements in 12
groups including three aspherical
and two UD (Ultra-low Dispersion)
lens elements to reduce aberrations.
It also uses special coatings to reduce
fare and ghosting. Te lens features
a 9-blade circular aperture that
produces pleasing bokeh. Focussing is
through a ring-type Ultrasonic Motor
(USM), which assists with internal
focussing. With this feature, the lens
dimensions do not change while
focussing. Te lens focusses as close as
28cm and provides a diagonal angle of
view from 108º10’ to 63º. Canon claim
that the Image Stabilisation system
provides up to four stops advantage in
handheld shots.
Te lens has a flter size of 77mm. It
has a rubber ring to prevent water
and dust from seeping into the
camera through the lens mount.
Tis lens weighs approximately 615g
and has dimensions of 82.6 (dia) x
112.8mm.
October 2014 Smart Photography 101
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Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/400sec ISO: 800
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Te lens produced barrel distortion
till 24mm, along with some irregular
(moustache) distortion. It also
produced prominent darkening
of corners at the wide-angle end
throughout the aperture range. Te
6D did not have the lens correction
data for the lens, and hence the
peripheral illumination correction
and chromatic aberration correction
could not be enabled for this
lens. Optical Image Stabilisation
81%
Design and Build Quality 18/20

Key Features 18/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance
Autofocus 5/5
Sharpness 3/5
Distortion Control 3/5
Aberrations 4/5
Darkening 3/5
of Corners
Extra Features 4/5
Sub-Total 22/30
Value for Money 6/10

FINAL SCORE
Te Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens
ofers a very useful range for landscape
photographers and those in search for a
wide-angle lens with a good zoom range,
that does not burn a hole through their
pockets. Tis is ideal for landscapes because
the darkening of corners and distortion are
less likely to be seen in landscapes.
VERDICT
PLUS
• Superior
build quality
• Fast
Autofocus
• Comfortable
to use
• Good fare
control
MINUS
• Heavy
darkening of
corners
• Prominent
distortion
Focal Length : 16-35mm
Maximum Aperture : f/4
Minimum Aperture : 22
Lens Construction : 16 elements in 12 groups
No. of Diaphragm Blades : 9
Diagonal Angle of View : 108°10’ - 63°
Focus Adjustment : Inner focus system
Drive System : Focusing cam system by ring USM drive
Water or dust-resistance : Yes
Distance Scale : Yes
Maximum Magnifcation (x) : 0.23
Closest Focusing Distance : 0.92 f. / 0.28m
Filter Size : 77mm diameter
Max. Diameter x Length : 82.6 x 112.8mm
Weight : 615g
SPECIFICATIONS
performed well as claimed by
Canon, and the lens coatings did not
introduce any unwanted cast.
Value for Money
Te Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
lens retails at an MRPof Rs.77,995.
Tis looks competitive for a lens with
this range and specifcations.
LENS
REVIEW

Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
102 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Te Budget Wide-angle
Sujith Gopinath
one UD element that helps
reduce chromatic aberration
throughout the zoom range.
The lens is designed with large
diameter and aspherical elements
to reduce the aberrations. Canon
claim that the Image Stabilisation
(IS) system provides up to four
stops advantage over non-IS
lenses in terms of shutter speed.
The lens is coated with special
materials to provide good colour
balance and reduce flare and
ghosting.
The lens has a 7-blade circular
aperture for soft and pleasing
bokeh. The AF system employs
rear focusing for high speed
autofocus. It also features full-
time manual focus adjustments,
which allows manual focus even
when the lens is in AF mode. The
lens provides a diagonal angle of
view of 107°30’ to 74°20’. It has a
filter size of 67mm (dia) and the
closest focus distance is 0.22m.
The lens weighs 240g and has
dimensions of 74.6mm (dia) x
72.0mm.
Ergonomics
The 10-18mm lens is compact
and lightweight. Both the zoom
and focus rings have rubber
grips, which make them easy to
rotate. The broad zoom ring is
at the back, while the narrower
focus ring is at the front. The
focus ring rotates freely even in
AF mode since the lens allows
full-time manual focussing. The
body balanced well with the EOS
600D that we used for the tests.
Since this lens can be mounted
only on APS-C type bodies,
✓EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens
✓Front and Back caps
✓Warranty card
✓Lens literature
Inside the Box
` 20,995
F
or someone without
deep pockets, a wide-
angle lens is like sour
grapes, with most of them
falling beyond the reach of
his budget. This is why you
should look at the new EF-S
10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM,
a comparatively inexpensive
wide-angle option for APS-C
type camera bodies. We would
consider this a step in the right
direction from Canon.
Design and Build Quality
The EF-S 10-18mm is essentially
an amateur lens, and hence we
can see some compromise in the
material used for construction.
The outer body is made of
engineering plastic, which
makes the lens light and easy to
lug around. It has a plastic mount,
which is less resilient to wear and
tear than its metal counterparts.
We do not consider these
essentially as negatives because
an amateur, affordable wide-angle
lens is essentially a compromise in
one way or the other.
Key Features
The Canon EF-S 10-18mm is
designed for APS-C bodies and
provides an equivalent focal length
of 16 to 29mm on these cameras.
It is compact and lightweight and
incorporates a stepping motor
(STM) along with a newly-
designed focus mechanism
to provide smooth and quiet
continuous AF, especially during
video recording. The lens has a
total aperture range of f/4.5-22
(W) and f/5.6-29 (T). It features 14
elements in 11 groups including
October 2014 Smart Photography 103
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Aperture: f/11.0 Shutter Speed: 1/40sec ISO: 400
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the lens features
only the white
square alignment
mark to mount
it on the body
(full-frame lenses
and bodies have
raised red dots for
alignment).
Performance
The Canon
10-18mm lens
performed well
in our tests.
Autofocus was fast,
silent and precise.
We did not observe
any focussing
sound during
movie playback,
thanks to the STM.
Focussing was fast
even during video
recording. The lens
focussed well even
under reasonably
low light. Images appeared sharp
out of the box. And the sweet
spot was found to be around f/5.6
to 8. Sharpness deteriorated from
centre to the edges as expected,
especially at the wide-angle end.
We observed prominent
darkening of corners at the wide-
angle end at all apertures. Slight
flare was also observed, but we
did not notice any chromatic
aberration. The lens produced
barrel distortion from 10 to
14mm.
Value for Money
The Canon EF-S 10-18mm
f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens retails at an
MRP of Rs.20,995. At this price,
the lens is very good value for
money.
Te EF-S 10-18mm lens
is aimed at amateur
photographers who
are keen on buying an
afordable wide-angle lens
for their APS-C bodies to
augment the capabilities of
the kit lens. Te STM ofers
fast and silent focussing,
making it ideal for wide-
angle motion pictures. Tis
is indeed a great value-for-
money product.
VERDICT
PLUS
• Fast and
silent AF
• Great price
• Lightweight
• Image
Stabilisation
MINUS
• Plastic lens
mount
• Not the
best in
peformance
Focal Length : 10-18mm
Maximum Aperture : 1:4.5-5.6
Lens Construction : 14 elements in 11 groups
Diagonal Angle of View : 107°30’ - 74°20’
Focus Adjustment : Rear focus system
Closest Focusing Distance : 0.22m
Filter Size : 67mm diameter
Max. Diameter x Length : 74.6 x 72.0mm
Weight : 240g
SPECIFICATIONS
82%
Design and Build Quality 16/20

Key Features 18/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance
Autofocus 4/5
Sharpness 4/5
Distortion Control 3/5
Aberrations 4/5
Darkening 3/5
of Corners
Extra Features 4/5
Sub-Total 22/30
Value for Money 9/10

FINAL SCORE
LENS
REVIEW

AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm F/4G ED VR
104 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
A Less Expensive
Alternative
Rohinton Mehta
T
he AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm
f/4G ED VR is the frst full-
frame Nikon ultra-wide-angle
zoom to ofer Vibration Reduction
(VR II). Introduced in early 2010, it
is a less expensive alternative to the
Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 lens.
Design and Build Quality
Te AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm F/4G
ED VR lens is a G-type lens (does not
have an aperture ring; apertures are
controlled from a compatible body).
Te lens is very well built and ofers
some degree of protection against
dust and moisture. Te zoom ring is
towards the body. Rubberised grips
cover the zoom ring as well as the
manual focussing ring. Te lens is
quite heavy at 680g and has 77mm
size flter thread.
Key Features
Te AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G
ED VR is designed for full-frame
Nikon cameras. It ofers a feld view
of 107-63 degrees on full-frame and
83-44 degrees on DX (APS-C) size
sensor cameras. On DX bodies, it
ofers an equivalent focal length
of 24-52mm. It’s version II VR
(Vibration Reduction) lets you use you can conveniently use graduated
ND flter or CPL flter is an added
advantage. Te manual override
possibility during AF may not be that
important to some users due to the
extensive depth of feld provided by
this lens.
Performance
Te AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED
VR lens is very sharp in the center
at all apertures but slightly ‘sofer’
at the corners, especially at the wide
settings. Tis can be easily taken
care of in post-processing. We felt
that the lens ofered the sharpest
✓Lens
✓Bayonet-type lens hood (HB-23)
✓Lens pouch (CL-1120)
✓Front and rear lens caps
Inside the Box
` 103,600
shutter speeds
approximately
4-stops slower
while still
retaining
acceptable
image sharpness.
Te lens is
constructed with
17 elements in
12 groups that
includes 2 ED
glass elements,
3 aspherical
elements and
Nano Crystal
Coat which helps
to reduce fare
and ghosting. Te
lens has weather
sealing and is
equipped with a
Silent Wave Motor
(SWM) for quick
and extremely quiet
autofocussing.
Te lens is marked at
16, 20, 24, 28 and 35mm
settings and has two focus
modes – Autofocus with
manual override (M/A) and Manual
(M). Te lens has internal focussing
as well as zooming, which means that
the overall length of the lens does
not alter while focussing or zooming.
Te front element does not rotate,
making it convenient ot use CPL or
graduated ND flters.
Ergonomics
Te lens is quite large in size and
heavy too (for a wide-angle zoom),
but it is lighter than Nikon’s 14-
24mm f/2.8 and 17-35 f/2.8 zoom
lenses and hence (comparatively)
easier to lug around. Te fact that
October 2014 Smart Photography 105
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Aperture: f/8.0 Shutter Speed: 1/800sec ISO: 1000
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images at and around the 24mm
focal length, whereas the ‘sweet-spot’
was between f/8-11. One would think
that VR is not really necessary for
such a wide-angle zoom lens but all
the same, it does help; you will notice
the diference (with and without
VR) when you enlarge the images
to 100%, especially those shot at
slow shutter speeds. Te Nano coat
helps to control fare and ghosting
though fare was visible in against-
the-light shots that included the sun.
Chromatic aberrations could be seen
while pixel-peeping but again this
can be corrected in post-processing.
Darkening of corners was observed
at all apertures at the 16mm setting.
Te lens exhibited strong barrel
distortion at the widest focal length
setting of 16mm and continued to
do so till 23mm, though the degree
of distortion lessened gradually.
Due to this the lens may not be ideal
for architectural photography. Te
distortion will not be a problem if
you primarily shoot landscapes or
81%
Design and Build Quality 18/20

Key Features 17/20

Ergonomics 16.5/20

Performance
Autofocus 4/5
Sharpness 5/5
Distortion Control 3.5/5
Aberrations 3.5/5
Darkening 3.5/5
of Corners
Extra Features 3/5
Sub-Total 22.5/30
Value for Money 7/10

FINAL SCORE
A less expensive alternative to the Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 lens.
Te 16-35mm f/4.0 is ideal for those who do not need the low
light capabilities of the 17-35mm f/2.8 lens. Te 17-35mm is
very sharp and will serve perfectly well.
VERDICT
PLUS
• Very sharp
images
• Very good
build quality
• Quick AF
(but that
would also
depend on the
body)
MINUS
• Barrel
distortion
between 16 -
(approx) 23
mm
• Heavy
• Expensive
Lens construction : 17 elements in 12 groups (2 ED glass elements,
3 aspherical elements and Nano Crystal Coat)
Aperture range : F/4-22
Closest focusing distance : 0.28m at all focal lengths
Max. reproduction ratio : 0.25x (at 35mm setting)
Filter size : 77mm
Dimensions (D X L) : 82.5 x 125 mm
Weight : 680g
SPECIFICATIONS
street scenes,
or shoot
architectural
subjects between
say, 24-35mm
settings.
Value for
Money
Te AF-S
Nikkor 16-
35mm f/4G ED
VR is available
at an MRP of
Rs.1,03,600. Yes,
it is expensive at
this price but if
image sharpness
is your priority,
this lens fts the
bill.
SMARTPHONE
Review

Gionee Elife S5.5
106 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Hidden Dragon...
Sujith Gopinath
N
o other debutant in the
Indian Smartphone
market has, in my opinion,
has turned so many heads with
their bold and classy television
commercial. The Gionee Elife
S5.5 debuted by taking a dig
at other players in the market,
emphasising its position as the
slimmest smartphone in the world,
and revealing its high-end features
including a metal body. Needless to
say that we have been impatiently
waiting to review the device in
Smart Photography. Finally, we got
` 22,999
✓Gionee Elife S5.5 Smartphone
✓Headset
✓Data Cable
✓User Manual
✓Screen protector
✓Carrying case
Inside the Box
with Android 4.2 Jellybean, which
can be updated to KitKat. The
Smartphone sports 16 GB internal
storage and does not support
expansion of memory using a
memory card. The phone uses a
single micro SIM and has 2GB
RAM. The Elife S5.5 uses a 5-inch,
Amoled Capacitive multi-touch
screen with a maximum resolution
of 1920 x 1080 dots. The display
has a native resolution of 480
dpi. The multi-touch feature can
detect up to five touch points
simultaneously. The device
features Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi tethering,
FM Radio, GPS/A-GPS, Bluetooth,
proximity sensor, accelerometer,
and motion sensor, but does
not support NFC and Infrared
communication.
The Gionee S5.5 specifications
do not reveal much about the
camera features, but it is quite
exhaustive for a Smartphone. The
main camera is 13.0 megapixels,
while the front camera is 5.0
megapixels. On the first look at
the interface, the camera might
look quite subdued, but a tiny
our hands on the S5.5, and here’s
what we feel about it.
Design and Build Quality
The Gionee Elife S5.5 is the
slimmest Smartphone in the world
at 5.55mm thickness, and feels
very rugged. The device has a
single piece contruction with an
integrated battery and has a thin
and rugged metal bezel. Both
the front and back surfaces are
of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The
device projects a stylish design.
Key Features
The Gionee S5.5 uses
MediaTek MT6592
chipset and octa-core
processor in ARM
Cortex-A7 architecture,
each core clocked at
1.6 GHz supported.
It is supported by an
ARM Mali 450 MP
GPU. The device
runs on Android
operating system
and is shipped
October 2014 Smart Photography 107 www.smartphotography.in
Aperture: f/2.4 Shutter Speed: 1/180sec. ISO: 100
button on the lower right corner
brings up the professional
menu, which provides access
to a host of advanced features.
There is an on-screen dial
similar to a camera’s mode dial.
This provides five options—
Auto, Sport, Night, HDR, and
Panorama. There are two more
dials for Capture mode and Self-
timer. Capture modes available
are Normal, Touch, V-sign, and
Smile. In the V-sign mode, the
camera captures the image when
somepne puts up a ‘V’ sign. The
Self-timer dial lets you set it to
Close (off ), 2 sec, 5 sec, and 10
sec. Then there are four sliders
similar to the volume controls
on a media player. These are for
Size (Resolution), White Balance,
EV (Exposure compensation),
and ISO. You can select the
resolution from 4 to 13 megapixels.
White Balance can be st to Auto,
Cloudy, Fluorescent, Daylight,
and Incandescent. Exposure can
be compensated up to +/-3 EV in
1 EV steps. ISO settings are Auto
and ISO 100 to 1600. The camera
also offers Face detection, Geo-
tagging, Level meter, and Auto
scene mode. In case, you get the
settings wrong and want to start
over, there is a reset button that
comes handy. Th camera has an
LED flash (or light, rather) that
can be used for low-light close-
ups.
Apart from the regular camera
application, the phone also has a
built-in app called CharmCam.
This can be called your fun studio,
where you can apply various
built-in effects to the photographs
you click. This is a good idea
to minimise the chances of
inadvertently applying a funny
face to a serious photograph.
The features include Live Filters,
Stamps, PPT (to capture a
presentation), Tracks (for movng
objects), Face beauty, Makeup,
Best face, and Eraser (you can
erase any element from the
photograph).
The Gionee S5.5 is powered by
a 2300 mAh Li-Polymer battery
pack (integrated). The device
weighs 133g and has dimensions
of 145.1 x 70.2 x 5.55mm.
Ergonomics
The Elife S5.5 uses a highly
customised interface, but regular
Android users will not have any
difficulty in using the phone. The
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SMARTPHONE
Review

Gionee Elife S5.5
108 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
quite sharp out-of-the-box.
The camera captured stunning
macro and natural light images.
Metering worked as expected.
Auto White Balance performed
well, providing desirable results
under natural light. Images shot
under Fluorescent light had a
distinct blue cast, but this could
be easily removed while post-
processing. Native images had
a print size of 14 x 10.4 inches
at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of this
interface is quite user-friendly and
there are many ways to customise
the interface. Images on the screen
appeared crisp, comparable to any
high-end Smartphone.
Performance
The Gionee S5.5 performed very
well in our tests. The device was
fast and handled high-graphic
applications very well. Though the
device had average battery life, it
might improve with a few charge-
discharge cycles.
The S5.5 secured a score of
29,044 on AnTuTu benchmarking
software, placing it sixth behind
the LG G2, and the hardware
proved very stable, going by the
stability test. With the CPU at full
load, temperatures varied between
33 and 35 degree Celsius. The
device never overheated, unlike
some other high-performance
Smartphones.
Coming to the camera, the S5.5
performed remarkably well.
Autofocus was fast and precise.
The camera captured minute
details very well. Images were
Platform : MTK
Chipset : MT6592
Operating System : Android
OS version : 4.2 Jellybean (Kitkat OTA available)
No of SIM Cards : Single Sim
External Storage : Not supported
ROM : 16GB
RAM : 2GB
GSM Operating Bands : GSM850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA Operating Bands : WCDMA 900/1900/2100 MHz
USB support : Yes
Bluetooth : Yes
Browser : Yes
Video Calling through Network : Yes
Video Calling through Internet : Yes
Wi-Fi : Yes
Wi-FI Tethering : Yes
GPS / a-GPS : Yes
HDMI : No
LAN Port (Ethernet) : No
NFC : No
Infrared : No
Display type : Amoled
Display Size (inches) : 5.0
Display Ratio : FHD
Screen Resolution (Pixels) : 1920×1080
TP Technology : Capacitive
Touch Type (Single / Multi) : Multi
Size (HxWxD) : 145.1×70.2×5.55mm
Weight : 133g (with battery)
Battery Capacity : 2300mAh
Battery type : Li-Polymer
Other features : E-mail (POP + Exchange), Motion Sensor, G sensor
(Auto Rotation), Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Compass
Browser Type and name : UC browser
Headset connector : 3.5mm ear jack
FM Radio : Yes
FM Recording : Yes
Music Player : Yes
Audio Recorder : Yes
Video Player : Yes
Loudspeaker : Yes
Camera Front : 5.0 Megapixel
Main Camera : 13.0 Megapixel
Camera Features : Auto Focus, Face Detection, Smile Shutter, Flash/Light,
Image editor, Video Recorder
Streaming Audio/Video : No
Video Player formats : avi,3gp,mp4
KEY SPECIFICATIONS
PLUS
• Rugged
build quality
• Slimmest in
the world
• Premium
hardware
features
• Superlative
performance
MINUS
• Debutant in
the market
88% FINAL SCORE
Design and Build Quality 19/20

Key Features 17/20

Ergonomics 17/20

Performance 17/20

Value for Money 18/10

Te Gionee Elife S5.5 is truly a high-end
Smartphone that performs like a champ. Te
sleek and trendy phone is ruggedly built and
provides excellent performance. At the listed
price, this is great value for money.
VERDICT
screen size, images were free of
noise up to ISO 400. Thereafter,
we observed slight noise at ISO
800, and ISO 1600 was certainly
noisy. Viewed at 50 percent,
images remained noise-free up to
ISO 200, while ISO 400 showed
slight (almost imperceptable)
noise. At 100 percent view, we
observed noise at all levels,
but ISO 100 could be used in a
crunch. We would consider this
good performance.
Value for Money
The Gionee Elife S5.5 retails at
an MRP of Rs.22,999. Looking
at the hardware configuration,
stylish design and matching
performance, this is good value
for money.
October 2014 Smart Photography 109 www.smartphotography.in
A Useful Addition
Sujith Gopinath
S
mart Photography has been
reviewing Smartphones for
quite some time, but Tablets
have been kept out of our pages
since they are too bulky to be
a serious photography gadget.
Though we haven’t changed our
mindset regarding the utility
of tabs for photography, we
still consider them convenient
replacements for laptops in
displaying your photographic
portfolio, playing back videos,
and as an emergency retouching
tool. Though the 10-inch tablets
impress with their large screen
sizes, the smaller versions are
more convenient. Manufacturers
are increasingly realizing the
importance of this and now
Samsung is all set to woo the
market with the powerful Galaxy
Tab S 8.4.
Key Features
Samsung has released the Galaxy
Tab S in two sizes, 10.5 and 8.4
inches. While the 10.5 essentially
has a landscape orientation
(broader) to mimic laptops, the
8.4 suits handheld operation with
its portrait orientation (narrower).
We received the 8.4 version, and
were impressed by its features.
The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 features a
dotted design at the back, identical
to the Galaxy S5 Smartphone. It
is slim and lightweight at 294g,
making it easy to carry around.
Its Super AMOLED display
supports 94 percent of Adobe RGB
colour gamut for better colour
reproduction and offers 100000:1
contrast ratio. The adaptive display
automatically adjusts the colour
gamut, sharpness and contrast of
the screen to suit the content you
are viewing. This feature works on
Gallery, Camera, Internet, Video,
FIRST LOOK
Samsung Galaxy Tab S
FIRST LOOK
Samsung Galaxy Tab S
110 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Google Playbook, VT call, and
UI.
Samsung has carried over the
fingerprint scanner from the S5
to this device. This enhances the
security of the Tab S. However,
it could fail in certain situations
such as wet or sweaty hands.
Another attraction in the Tab S is
the Multi Window feature, which
allows you to perform multiple
tasks simultaneously on the
screen. SideSync 3.0 is another
featrure embedded in this tab,
which allows you to view your
Smartphone’s screen and control
it using Wi-Fi Direct. This allows
you to make and receive calls
on the Tab S. If you like to carry
your work around, the device
supports Remote PC, with which
you can remotely access your
PC or Mac on the tab, provided
the computer is turned on. For
web conferencing, the Tab S also
comes pre-installed with Cisco
WebEx.
Hardware and Specs
The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 runs on
Google Android platform, and
comes with the KitKat version
pre-installed. The display has
a resolution of 2560 x 1600
(WQXGA) and can display
16 Million colours. It uses an
Exynos 5 Octa 5420 chipset with
a Quad-core Cortex 1.9GHz,
and a Cortex 1.3GHz processor
working side-by-side, supported
by a Mali-T628 MP6 GPU. The
device has 3GB RAM and 16GB
ROM (Internal memory). The
memory can be expanded up
to 128GB using a micro SD
card. The tab features a main
camera with an 8.0MP CMOS
sensor and a front camera with
a 2.1MP CMOS sensor. The
maximum video resolution is
1920 x 1080 at 30fps. The tab
also features proximity sensor,
geomagnetic sensor, hall sensor,
gyro sensor, accelerometer, and
RGB sensor. The Tab S supports
videos of MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2,
WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV,
and WEBM formats and audio
files of MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC,
OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA,
AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI,
XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL,
RTX, and OTA formats. The
tab can connect with the
Galaxy Gear Smartwatch using
the Gear Manager. The Tab S
features Wi-Fi and GSM, and
you can make and receive calls
just like any Smartphone.
First Impressions
Though we did not conduct
a thorough review of the
photography features of the
Galaxy Tab S, the experience
was very good. The camera was
quite useful, though it did not
have any advanced features. We
wouldn’t recommend using a
tablet for serious photography,
but this can come handy in case
of an emergency. Video playback
was excellent, though we would
like the speakers to be louder.
Sound quality improved with the
OS : Android
Display : Super AMOLED 21.28 cm
Resolution : 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA)
Colour Depth : 16M
Processor : 1.9GHz, 1.3GHz
CPU Type : Octa-Core
RAM : 3GB
Internal Memory : 16GB
External Memory Support : MicroSD (Up to 128GB)
Video Recording Resolution : FHD (1920 x 1080)@30fps
Main Camera : CMOS 8.0 MP
Front Camera : CMOS 2.1 MP
Main Camera Flash : Yes
Main Camera Auto Focus : Yes
Video Format : MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI,
FLV, MKV, WEBM
Audio Format : MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV,
WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI,
XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Gear Manager : Yes
S-Voice : Yes
Display : 21.28 cms
SIM size : Micro-SIM (3FF)
Location Technology : Glonass, GPS, Beidou
Earjack : 3.5mm Stereo
SPECIFICATIONS
headphones. The multi-window
feature is quite useful if you
need to work with multiple files
at the same time, especially for
comparative work.
Samsung has quoted a ‘Best Buy’
price of Rs.37,800, though the
MRP is slightly higher. The Galaxy
Tab S is available at all major
showrooms.
October 2014 Smart Photography 111 www.smartphotography.in
READERS CAN CHECK THE ENTIRE BUYER’S GUIDE,
THAT FEATURES SPECS AND PRICES OF
D-SLRS, ILCCS, DIGITAL COMPACTS AND LENSES VIDE LINK

htp://www.smartphotography.in/buyers-guide
Buyers’ Guide - Digital SLRs
112 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Effective Pixels : 18 Million
Sensor Type : CMOS, 22.3 x
14.9mm
Supported File
Type : JPEG, RAW (14 bit)
Exposure
Modes : Program AE, Shutter-
priority AE, Aperture-
priority AE, Manual
Metering Modes : Centre-weighted, Evaluative
LCD Monitor : 3.0-in. approx. 460,000 dots TFT
ISO Equivalence : ISO 100 - 6400
Shutter Speed : 30 – 1/4000 sec
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 480g (with battery)
Price: Rs. 27,995 (Body only)
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor
(35.9 x 24.0 mm)
Effective Pixels : 24.3 million
Supported File
Formats : NEF (RAW)/JPEG
ISO Equivalence : ISO 100-6400 in
steps of 1/3 or
1/2 EV
Exposure Modes : Auto; scene;
programmed
uuto víth íexíbíe progrum |l),
shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority
auto (A); manual (M)
Metering Modes : Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.2-inch/ approx. 921k-dot
Storage Type : SC/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 850 g
Price: Rs. 1,29,950 (Body only)
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS (22.3 x
14.9mm)
Effective Pixels : Approx.
18.00MP
Supported File
Formats : RAW/JPEG
ISO equivalence : Auto, 100, 200,
400, 800, 1600,
3200, 6400,
12,800, 25,600
Exposure Modes : Program AE , Shutter- priority AE,
Aperture-priority AE, Manual exposure
Metering Modes : Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-
weighted average
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/4000
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
Storage Type : SC/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 407g
CANON EOS 100D
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor
(22.5 x
15.0mm)
Effective Pixels : Approx.
20.20MP
Supported File
Formats : RAW/JPEG
ISO equivalence : Auto, 100, 200,
400, 800,
1600, 3200,
6400, 12800 (25600 with boost)
Exposure Modes : Program AE , Shutter-priority AE,
Aperture-priority AE, Manual
exposure, Bulb exposure
Metering Modes : Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-
weighted average
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/8000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
Storage Type : SC/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 675 g
CANON EOS 70D
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor
(22.5 x 15.0mm)
Effective Pixels : Approx. 18MP
Supported File
Formats : RAW/JPEG/ RAW
+ JPEG
ISO equivalence : ISO100 -
ISO12800
Exposure Modes : Program AE,
Shutter-priority AE,
Aperture-priority AE, Manual exposure
Metering Modes : Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-weighted
average
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
Storage Type : SC/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 675 g
CANON 700D
Price: Rs. 43,995 (body only) Price: Rs. 79,995 (body only) Price: Rs. 43,995
Sensor Type/size : CMOS, 35.8mm
x 23.9mm
Effective pixels : Approx. 20.2
million
Supported File formats: JPEG, RAW (14-
bit, Canon
original),
RAW+JPEG
Metering Modes : Evaluative
metering (315
zones), Partial,
Spot, Center-weighted
Exposure Modes : Program AE for movie shooting, Manual
exposure
ISO equivalence : 100-25600 (expansion possible to ISO
50, ISO 51200 and 102400)
Shutter Speeds : 1/4000 to 30 sec.
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inches, 1,040,000 dots
Storage Type : SD card, SDHC card, SDXC memory card
Weight : 680g (Body only)
Sensor Type/size : Full Frame 36 x
24 mm CMOS
Effective Pixels : 18.1 million
File Formats : RAW /JPEG
Metering Modes : Multi, Center-
weighted,
Average, Spot
Exposure Modes : Program AE,
Shutter priority
AE, Aperture
priority AE, Manual
ISO Equivalence : 100-51200 (50, 102400 and 204800
with boost)
Shutter Speed : 30 sec-1/8000 sec.
White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten,
White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom
(up to 5), Color Temperature (Kelvin)
LCD Monitor : 3.2 inches/ 1040000 pixels
Storage Type : Compact Flash (Type I or II),
UDMA compatible
Weight : 185g
Sensor Type/size : CMOS, Full
frame 36 x 24 mm
Effective Pixels : 22.3 million
Supported
File Formats : JPEG (Exif 2.3 [Exif
Print] compliant)
RAW: RAW,
sRAW1, sRAW2
(14bit, Canon
original RAW 2nd edition)
Metering Modes : Multi, Center-weighted, Spot, Partial
Exposure Modes : Auto+ Program AE, Shutter priority AE,
Aperture priority AE Manual (Stills and
Movie), Custom (x3)
ISO Equivalence : 100-25600 (50-102400 in expanded mode)
Shutter Speed : 30 sec - 1/8000 sec
White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten
ííght, \híte íuorescent ííght líush, Custom
WB, Color temperature
LCD Monitor/Dots : 3.2-inch, 1,040,000 dots
Storage Type : Compact Flash Type I (UDMA compatible),
SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 950 gms
CANON EOS 6D CANON EOS-1D X CANON EOS 5D MARK III
Price: Rs. 1,32,995 (body only) Price: Rs. 4,55,995 (body only) Price: Rs. 2,17,995 (body only)
CANON EOS 1200D NIKON D610
Price: Rs. 4,19, 950 (Body only)
Effective Pixels : 16.2 Million
Sensor Type : 36.0 x 23.9 mm
CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, RAW (12
or 14 bit), TIFF
Exposure Modes : Program with
íexíbíe progrum
(P); shutter-
priority (S);
aperture-priority (A); manual (M)
Metering Modes : Matrix, Centre-weighted, Spot
LCD Monitor : 3.2-in., approx. 921k-dot (VGA) TFT
ISO Equivalence : ISO 200 – 25,600 (Expandable
to 409,600)
Shutter Speed : 30 – 1/8000 sec
Storage Type : XQD and Type I CF (x2)
Weight : 1350g (with battery and card)
NIKON D4s
Buyers’ Guide - Digital SLRs
October 2014 Smart Photography 113 www.smartphotography.in
Effective Pixels : 24.93million
Sensor Type : 35.9mm, x24.0mm
CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, RAW (12 or
14 bit)
Exposure Modes : Auto, Scene,
Special Effects,
Program with
íexíbíe progrum
(P); shutter-priority
(S); aperture-priority (A); manual (M)
Metering Modes : Matrix, center-weighted, or
highlight-weighted
LCD Monitor : 3.2-inch, approx.1229k-dot tilting TFT
ISO Equivalence : 100-12800 (expandable to 51,200)
Shutter Speed : 30 – 1/4000 sec
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC (Dual Slots)
Weight : 840g (with battery and card)
NIKON D750
Price: TBA
NIKON D810
Effective Pixels : 37.09 Million
Sensor Type : 35.9mm,
x24.0mm CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, RAW (12
or 14 bit), TIFF
Exposure Modes : Program with
íexíbíe progrum
(P); shutter-
priority (S); aperture-priority (A); manual (M)
Metering Modes : Matrix, Centre-weighted, Spot
LCD Monitor : 3.2-inch, approx.1229k-dot TFT
ISO Equivalence : 64-12800 (Expandable to 51,200)
Shutter Speed : 30 – 1/8000 sec
Storage Type : CF (Type I, UDMA compliant), SD/SDHC/
SDXC (dual slot)
Weight : 980g (with battery and card)
Effective Pixels : 24.2 Million
Sensor Type : 23.5 x 15.6 mm
CMOS sensor
Supported File Type : JPEG, RAW
(12 bit)
Exposure Modes : Auto, Programmed
uuto víth íexíbíe
program (P);
shutter-priority
auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A);
manual (M); scene, special effects
Metering Modes : Matrix, Centre-weighted, Spot
LCD Monitor : 3-in., approx. 921k-dot (VGA) TFT
ISO Equivalence : ISO 100-12800 (Expandable up to 25,600)
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/4000 sec
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card
Weight : 460g (with battery and card)
NIKON D3300
Price: Rs. 29,450 (Body only) Price: Rs. 1,99,950 (Body only)
Effective pixels : 24 million
Sensor Type : 23.5 x 15.6 mm
CMOS
Supported File Types : JPEG, Raw
Exposure Modes : iAuto, Program,
Aperture priority,
Shutter priority,
Manual, Scene
Metering Modes : Multi, Centre-
weighted, Spot
LCD Monitor : Fully articulated 3-inch, 1,229,000-dot TFT
ISO Equivalence : SO 100-25600
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/8000 sec
Storage Type : SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/
Pro-HG Duo
Weight : 647 g
SONY SLT A77 II
Price: Rs. 84,990 (Body only)
NIKON DF NIKON D7100
Effective Pixels : 16.2 million
Sensor Type : 36.0 x 23.9 mm
CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, RAW (12
or 14 bit), TIFF
Exposure Modes : Programmed
uuto víth íexíbíe
program (P);
shutter-priority
auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)
Metering Modes : Matrix, Centre-weighted, Spot
LCD Monitor : 3.2-in., approx. 921k-dot (VGA)
ISO Equivalence : ISO 100 - 12800 (Expandable to 204,800)
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/4000 sec
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card
Weight : 765g (including battery and card)
Effective pixels : 24.1 million
Sensor size/type : 23.5x15.6mm,
CMOS
Metering modes : Matrix,
Center-weighted,
Spot
Exposure modes : A, P (with
Flexible P), S, M
ISO equivalent : 100-6400, extended up to 25,600
Shutter speeds : 30-1/8000sec, plus Bulb
LCD monitor : 3.2”, 1,228,800 dots
Storage type : SD, SDHC, SDXC
Weight : 675g, body only
Price: 1,64,950 (Body only) Price: Rs. 79,450 (Body only)
Price: Rs. 48,995 (Body only) Price: Rs. 85,365 (Body only)
Sensor Type/Size : APS-C sensor (23.7 x
15.7mm )
Effective Pixels : 16.3 MP
ISO Equivalence: Auto, 100 to 51600,
in 1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps
Supported File
Formats : RAW (PEF, DNG),
JPG (EXIF 2.30), DCF
Exposure Modes : AF.A (auto), AF.S
(single, w focus lock,
focus/shutter priority selectable), AF.C
(continuous, w focus/FPS priority
selectable), Manual
Metering Modes : Center-Weighted Average, Spot
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/8000sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.2-inch/1037k-dot
Storage Type : SD/SDHC
Weight : 649 g
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor (23.5
x 15.6mm )
Effective Pixels : 23.35 MP
ISO Equivalence : Auto: ISO 100-51200
(1, 1/2, 1/3 steps),
Auto ISO range
selectable
Supported File
Formats : RAW (PEF, DNG),
JPG (EXIF 2.30), DCF
Exposure Modes : Green, Hyper Program (P), Sensitivity
Priority (Sv), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture
Priority (Av), Shutter and Aperture Priority
(Tav), Metered Manual (M), Bulb, X-Speed
Metering Modes : Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/8000sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.2-inch/1037k-dot
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 799 g
PENTAX K50 PENTAX K3
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor (23.5
x 15.6 mm)
Effective Pixels : 24.2 million
Supported File
Formats : NEF (RAW)/JPEG
ISO Equivalence : Auto, 100 - 12800
(25600 with boost)
Exposure Modes : Auto; programmed
uuto víth íexíbíe
program (P);
shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority
auto (A); manual (M); scene modes;
special effects modes
Metering Modes : Matrix, colour Matrix, Center-weighted,
Spot
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.2-inch, approx. 1037k-dot
Storage Type : SC and UHS-I compliant SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 480 g
NIKON D5300
Price: Rs. 49,450 (Body only)
114 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
FUJIFILM X-E2 FUJIFILM X-M1 FUJIFILM X-T1
Price: Rs. 1,09,999 Price: Rs. 47,999 Price: Rs. 91,999 (Body only)
FUJIFILM X-A1 OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5
Price: Rs. 44,999 (with 16-50mm lens) Price: Rs. 66,990 (Body only)
Price: 44,990 (with 14-42mm lens)
Price: Rs. 39,990/-
OLYMPUS PEN E-PL5
PANASONIC DMC GF5
Price: Rs. 1,05,000 (Body only) Price: TBA
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 OLYMPUS PEN E-PL7
Effective Pixels : 16.1 million
Seensor Size/ Type : 17.3 x 13 mm, CMOS
Metering Modes : Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
ISO : Auto (200 - 1600), 100, 200, 400,
800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
Exposure Modes : P, A, S, M , Bulb, Time, i-
Auto, Scene Modes, Art Filter
ISO equivalence : Auto ISO 200 - 25600 (customis
able, default ISO 200 – 1600),
Manual ISO 200 - 25600 in 1/3 or
1 EV ISO steps
Shutter Speeds : 60-1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3-inch, 460,000 dots
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 279g (body only)
Effective Pixels : 12.10 Megapixels
Sensor Type/Size : Live MOS Sensor
Metering Modes : Intelligent Multiple / Center
Weighted / Spot
Exposure Modes : Program AE / Aperture Priority
AE / Shutter Priority AE / Manual
ISO Equivalence : Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
Shutter Speed : 60 sec - 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor : 3-inch, 920,000 dots
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight :267 gms
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor (17.3 x 13 mm)
Effective Pixels : 16MP
ISO equivalence : 100-25600 in 1/3EV or
1EV increments
Supported File : JPEG/RAW (ORF)/ MPO
Exposure Modes : Auto/Program, Shutter Priority,
Aperture priority, Manual,
lhoto story/ Art : Art ííter/ SCN, Movíe
Metering Modes : Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Shutter Speeds : 60 sec to 1/8000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3-inch 1037 k-dot
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC , Eye-Fi
Movie : MPEG-4 AVC/H.264/Motion
JPEG
Weight : 497 g
Effective Pixels : 16.1 million
Sensor Type : 4/3 Live MOS Sensor
Supported File Type : RAW, JPEG
Exposure Modes : iAuto, P, A, S, M, Bulb, Time,
Scene select, Art Filter
Metering Modes : Digital ESP, Centre-weighted
average, Spot
LCD Monitor : Approx.1037k-dot,
3.0-inch tilting
ISO Equivalence : ISO 100 - 25600
Shutter Speed : 60 – 1/4000 sec
Storage Type : SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I
compatible
Weight : Approx. 357g with battery
and Memory card
Effective Pixels : 16.3 million
Sensor Type : 23.6mm x 15.6mm CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, Raw
Exposure Modes : Program, Shutter priority,
Aperture priority, Manual
Metering Modes : Multi, Spot, Average
LCD Monitor : 3.0-inch, Approx. 920K-dot
Tilt type TFT
ISO Equivalence : ISO200 – 6400 expandable
to ISO100-25600
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/4000 sec., Bulb
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Weight : Approx. 330g (including
battery and memory card)
Effective Pixels : 16.1 million
Sensor Type/Size : Sensor Size/Type: 4/3 Live MOS Sensor
Metering Modes : Multi Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure Modes : i Auto, P: Program AE (Program
shift can be performed)
ISO Equivalence : UTO: ISO 200 - 25600 (customizable,
Default 200-1600) / Manual ISO 200 -
25600, 1/3 or 1 EV steps selectable
Shutter Speeds : 11/4000 - 60 sec. (1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps
selectable.)Bulb: default setting 8min.
(1/2/4/8/15/20/25/30 min.
LCD Monitor/Dots : 3.0-inch tilting OLED monitor
Approx. 610,000 dots
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 425 gms (excluding battery)
Effective Pixels : 16.3 million
Sensor Type : 23.6mm x 15.6mm X-Trans CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, Raw
Exposure Modes : Program, Shutter priority,
Aperture priority, Manual
Metering Modes : Multi / Spot / Average
LCD Monitor : 3.0-inch, approx. 1,040K-dot
ISO Equivalence : ISO 200 – 6400 (Expandable
up to ISO 100-25600)
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/4000 sec; Bulb
Storage Type : SD/ SDHC/ SDXC
Weight : Approx. 350g (including
battery and memory card)
Sensor Type/Size : APS-C X-Trans CMOS
(23.6mm x 15.6mm)
Effective Pixels : 16 MP
ISO equivalence : Auto / ISO 200 - 6400
Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG
Exposure Modes : Advanced SR AUTO, Program
AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture
Priority, Manual, Custom,
Portrait, Landscape, Sport, SP,
Adv., AUTO
Metering Modes : Multi, Average, Spot
Shutter Speeds : 30 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch Type 920K-dot
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Weight : 330 g
Effective Pixels : 16.3 million
Sensor Type : 23.6mm x 15.6mm X-Trans CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, RAW
Exposure Modes : Program, Shutter priority,
Aperture priority, Manual
Metering Modes : Multi / Spot / Average
LCD Monitor : 3.0-inch, approx. 1,040K-dot,
Tilt type
ISO Equivalence : ISO 200 - 6400 (Extended up
to ISO 100-51200)
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/4000 sec., Bulb
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
Weight : Approx. 440g (including
battery and memory card)
Buyers’ Guide - ILCCs (Mirrorless)
October 2014 Smart Photography 115 www.smartphotography.in
SONY NEX - 7
Price: Rs. 79,990 (with 18-55mm lens)
SONY NEX-6
Price: Rs. 45,990 (with 16-50mm lens)
Price: Rs 59,990 Price: Rs. 86,363 (only body)
Price: Rs.34,900 Price: Rs.94,990 (Body only) Price: Rs.1,54,990 (Body only)
Price: Rs.1,24,990 (Body only)
Price: 48,900 (with 18-55mm lens)
PANASONIC DMC G6 PANASONIC DMC-GH3
SAMSUNG NX1000 SONY ALPHA 7 SONY ALPHA 7S
SONY ALPHA 7R
SAMSUNG NX 300
Sensor Type/Size : CMOS sensor (17.3 x 13 mm)
Effective Pixels : 16 MP
ISO equivalence : Auto / 160, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800,
25600 (Extended)
Supported File : RAW/JPEG/MPO Video:
MPEG4/AVCHD
Exposure Modes : Program AE / Aperture Priority
AE / Shutter Priority AE / Manual
Metering Modes : Intelligent Multiple / Center
Weighted / Spot
Shutter Speeds : 60 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch Type 1036k-dot
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 390 g
Effective Pixels : 16.05 million
Sensor Size/ Type : 17.3 x 13.0 mm, Live MOS Sensor
Metering Modes : Intelligent Multiple / Spot
Exposure Modes : Program AE/Aperture Priority
AE/Shutter Priority AE / Manual
ISO equivalence : Auto / Intelligent ISO / 200 - 12800
(Changeable to 1/3, 1 EV step)
(Extended ISO125 - less under 200,
ISO more over 12800 - 25600
available) (Up to ISO3200 in Auto)
Shutter speeds : Still Images: 1/4,000 - 60 and Bulb and
Motion Images: 1/16,000 - 1/30
LCD monitor/ Dots : 3 inch, 614K dots
Storage Type : SD/ SDHC/ SDXC
Weight : 460 g
Effective Pixels : 20.3 megapixels
Sensor Type/Size : APS-C type CMOS,
23.5 x 15.7 mm
Metering Modes : Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure Modes : Program, Aperture Priority,
Shutter Priority, Manual,
Lens Priority, Magic, cene,
Movie, Wi-Fi
ISO Equivalence : Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
(1 or 1/3EV step)
Shutter Speed : 30 sec - 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor : 3-inch, 921,000 dots
Storage Type : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight : 222 gms
Effective Pixels : 24.3 million
Sensor Type : 35.8×23.9mm, “Exmor” CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, Raw
Exposure Modes : iAUTO, Superior Auto, P, A,
S, M, Sweep Pano, Scene
Metering Modes : Multi-segment,
centre-weighted, spot
LCD Monitor : 3.0-type wide TFT with
921,600 dots
ISO Equivalence : ISO100 to 25600
Shutter Speed : 30 – 1/8000 sec
Storage Type : SD Type/Memory Stick Type
Weight : Approx. 474 g with
battery and card
Effective Pixels : 12.2 million
Sensor Type : 35.6×23.8mm, “Exmor” CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, Raw
Exposure Modes : iAUTO, Superior Auto, P, A,
S, M, Sweep Pano, Movie
Metering Modes : Multi-segment, centre-
weighted, spot
LCD Monitor : 3.0-type TFT 921,600 dots
ISO Equivalence : ISO 100-409,600
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/8000 sec
Storage Type : SD Type/Memory Stick Type
Weight : Approx. 489 g
Effective Pixels : 36.4 million
Sensor Type : 35.9×24.0mm, “Exmor” CMOS
Supported File Type : JPEG, Raw
Exposure Modes : iAUTO, Superior Auto, P, A,
S, M, Sweep Pano, Movie
Metering Modes : Multi-segment, centre-
weighted, spot
LCD Monitor : 3.0-type wide type TFT
with 921,600 dots
ISO Equivalence : ISO100 to 25600
Shutter Speed : 30 to 1/8000 sec
Storage Type : SD Type/Memory Stick Type
Weight : Approx. 465 g with battery
and memory card
Effective pixels : 20.3 Million
Sensor size/type : 23.5 x 15.7mm CMOS
File formats : JPEG, Raw
Metering modes : Multi, Centre-weighted, Spot
Exposure modes : Smart Auto, P, A, S, M
ISO equivalent : 100-25,600
Shutter speeds : 30-1/6000 sec
LCD monitor : 3.31 inch AMOLED
with Touch
Storage type : SD, SDHC, SDXC
Weight : 284 g (without battery)
Effective pixels : Approx. 24.3 megapixels
Sensor type : APS-C type (23.5x15.6mm),
“Exmor” APS HD CMOS sensor
Metering Modes : Multi / Center / Spot selectable
Exposure Modes : Programmed AE (iAUTO, P), Aperture
priority (A), Manual (M), 3D Sweep
Panorama, Anti Motion Blur
ISO equivalence : AUTO (ISO100-1600), ISO100
to 16000 selectable
Shutter Speed : 1/4000 to 30 sec, Bulb
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 7.6 cm (3.0-type) wide type TFT,
921,600 dots
Storage Type : Memory Stick PRO Duo / PRO-HG
Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Weight : Approx. 291g
Buyers’ Guide - ILCCs (Mirrorless)
Effective pixels : 16.1 million approx.
Sensor size/ type : 23.5 X 15.6mm, CMOS sensor
Metering modes : Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure modes : iAUTO, Superior Auto, Programmed
AE (P), Manual (M), Sweep Panorama
ISO equivalence : Still images: Auto (ISO 100-3200),
Selectable (ISO 100-25600)
Movies: Auto (ISO 100-3200)
Shutter Speed : Still images: 1/4000 to 30s (Bulb). Movies:
1/4000 to 1/4 (1/3 steps) up to 1/60 in
AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto slow shutter)
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0 inch, 921,600 dots
Storage Type : Memory Stick PRO Duo™, PRO-HG
Duo™, SD, SDHC, SDXC memory card
Weight : 287 g
Lens manufacturers use diferent suf xes to identify certain lens characteristics.
Here they are, along with simple explanation (wherever required) of how they help.
Rohinton Mehta
Lens Nomenclature Guide
CANON
DO : Difractive Optics: Special lens elements that reduce colour aberrations to the minimum, thus
improving image quality.
EF : Denotes that the lens is designed for full-frame cameras
EF-S : Denotes that the lens is designed for APS-C cameras
IS : Image Stabiliser: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure.
L : ‘Luxury’-series lens: Canon’s high-end, professional lenses.
NIKON
AF-S : Denotes that the lens is using a Silent Wave Motor: For fast and quiet autofocus
CRC : Close Range Correction: Allows lenses to focus closer, while still maintaining good sharpness. Tis is
done using a ‘foating lens element’ design. Generally used in macro and wide-angle lenses.
D : Distance information passed on to the camera body: Helps to provide more accurate exposures
DX : APS-C camera lens
FX : Full-frame camera lens
ED : Extra Low Dispersion glass element: Corrects for chromatic aberrations
G : Lens without aperture ring; aperture is controlled from the camera body
N : Nano Crystal Coat: Greatly reduces fare due to internal refections of light.
IF : Internal focussing: Instead of moving all the elements further away or closer to the flm/sensor to
focus, IF lenses move only certain internal elements. Tis allows for much faster focussing.
RF : Rear Focussing: Similar to IF but only the rear group of elements move to focus the lens.
OLYMPUS
ED : Low Dispersion glass element: Corrects for chromatic aberrations
PANASONIC
OIS : Optical Image Stabilizer: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure.
Mega OIS : Mega Optical Image Stabilizer
Power OIS : Power Optical Image Stabilizer: A superior design of Mega OIS.
ED : Low Dispersion glass element: Corrects for chromatic aberrations
116 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
SIGMA
APO : Apochromatic lens element: Corrects for chromatic as well as spherical aberrations
ASP : Aspherical lens element: Corrects chromatic aberrations
DC : APS-C camera lens
DG : Full-frame camera lens
HSM : Hyper Sonic Motor: Internal motor, for fast and quiet autofocus
OS : Optical Stabiliser: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure
RF : Rear Focussing: Only the rear group of elements move to focus the lens
EX : ‘Excellent’ series lens
TAMRON
AD : Anomalous Dispersion element: Eliminates lateral chromatic aberration
USD : UltraSonic Silent Drive
ASL : Aspherical lens element: Corrects chromatic aberrations
Di : Digitally integrated: Full-frame camera lens designed for digital cameras
Di-II : Digitally integrated: APS-C camera lens
HID : High Index Dispersion glass element: Special glass for improving optical performance
LD : Low Dispersion glass: Corrects for chromatic aberrations
IRF : Internal Rear Focussing: Only the rear group of elements move to focus the lens
VC : Vibration Correction: Helps to eliminate/reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure
PZD : Piezo Drive: Internal motor, for fast and quiet autofocus
TOKINA
AT-X : ‘Advanced Technology Extra’- range of lenses
PRO : Professional lens
SD : Super-low Dispersion element: Corrects chromatic aberrations
PENTAX
SDM : Sonic Direct-drive Motor: Internal motor, for fast and quiet autofocus
DA : APS-C camera lens
SONY
DT : APS-C camera lens
October 2014 Smart Photography 117 www.smartphotography.in
GLOSSARY

118 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Terms used in photography can ofen confuse a photographer, especially a beginner. Here is a list of
photographic jargon, with as-simple-as-possible explanations.
Rohinton Mehta
Sensor Bufer
Memory
card
APS-C: Describes a imaging sensor size
or a camera using this size of sensor.
APS-C stands for Advance Photo
System, type C . Sensor size 15.7 x
23.7mm approximately. Varies slightly
between manufacturers
Aperture: Set of metal blades
that control the amount of light
entering a lens (same as Diaphragm)
AVCHD: Advanced Video Coding
High Defnition. A format for digital
recording and playback
AF Sensor: A sensor used in achieving
autofocus
Bufer: Temporary storage of data
before the images are writen to the
memory card
Bridge camera:
Describes a
camera that
fts between a
compact and
a D-SLR. Also
known as Prosumer camera
Ballhead: (Used on a tripod). Performs
similar functions as a
pan and tilt head but
uses a central ball as
a pivot to allow for
camera movements
Battery Grip: A
device that attaches to the base
of a D-SLR.
The battery
grip, not only
provides
better grip
for vertical shooting, but uses extra
batteries to supply power to the
camera when the camera battery
dies down. In some cases, it helps
to increase the frames-per-second
firing rate
Burst mode: A camera mode that
allows continuous fring
Barrel distortion: Te outward
bulging of
straight lines
in the centre
of the frame
due to lens
imperfection
Bit: Refers
to a binary digit – the smallest unit of
computer data, either 0 or 1
Bit depth: A measure of the number of
possible colours/tones in an image. Our
images are basically formed using the
three primary colours (also known as
channels), red, green and blue. JPEG
fles are 8-bits per channel (which is the
same thing as 24-bit. When we say 24-
bit, we should not say “per channel”).
Raw fles can be 12-bits per
channel or 14-bits per channel, that is
36-bit or 42-bit respectively
Bracketing: A method of taking three
or more shots in succession (using
diferent exposures), with a hope that at
least one of them will be accurate. We
also bracket when shooting for HDR
imaging. Bracketing could also be for
White Balance and ISO
J
36mm
APS-C
23.7mm
Full
Frame
2
4
m
m
1
5
.
7
m
m
argon
Photographic
October 2014 Smart Photography 119 www.smartphotography.in
CCD/CMOS: Types of imaging
sensors. CCD stands for Charged
Coupled Device. CMOS stands
for Complementary Metal-Oxide
Semiconductor
Compact camera:
Describes a small,
point-and-shoot
type of camera
Center-weighted meter: One of the
in-built exposure meter that places
greater emphasises on the central area
of the frame. Te user generally has
the choice of selecting the area (8, 12,
20mm circle at the center)
Circular Polariser (CPL): A polarising
flter designed to be used with digital
cameras (as well as certain flm cameras).
A CPL prevents secondary polarisation
of light at the refex mirror, thereby
preventing exposure/focussing error.
Contrast-detection AF: A system
of autofocussing wherein the camera
uses contrast as the basis of evaluating
correct focus
Chromatic Aberration: Te inability
of all the three primary colours (Red,
Green, Blue) to focus on the same
plane. Tis manifests itself in the form
of colour fringing at the edges and is
most noticeable against high-contrast
elements in the picture
Clipping: Overexposing of highlights.
Underexposing of shadows.
Crop factor: A factor by which the
focal length of a lens needs to be
multiplied to get the equivalent focal
length of a full frame 35mm sensor
Close-up lens/flter: A magnifying
glass that is atached to the front of a
lens to make the lens focus closer. Te
magnifcations are described by the
term ‘dioptre’. Eg. +1, +2, +3 etc.
CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black.
Tese are the colours used in books/
magazines printing
Colour temperature: A measure of
the colour of light.
D-SLR: Digital
Single Lens Refex
camera. An
interchangeable
lens camera that
uses a refex mirror
for viewing
Diaphragm: Set of
metal blades that
control the amount
of light entering
a lens (same as
Aperture)
Depth-of-feld: Te zone of sharpness
in a photo.
DOF Preview Buton: A buton on the
camera that allows you to visually check
the depth-of-feld.
Dynamic Range: Te range of brightness
that can be captured by a flm or digital
imaging sensor. Tis range is much
lower than the dynamic range of our eyes
Digital zoom: In-camera electronic
enlargement of the central area of
a frame. Use of digital zoom should
be avoided if high image quality is
required. Te same efect can be
achieved during post-processing, by
cropping an area and enlarging it
DPI: Dots Per Inch. A measure of print
resolution
Difuser: (1) A camera flter that sofens
an image (generally used with portraits).
(2) Any material that sofens
the light from a ‘hard light source’ like
the sun or a fashgun. Placed between
the light source and the subject
Exposure meter: A light-meter that
recommends the aperture and shuter
speed for a given lighting condition.
An exposure meter can be
built into the camera or can
be an external hand-held
variety. To use any light
meter, you frst need to set
the ISO sensitivity.
EVF: Short form of
Electronic View Finder
Evaluative meter: One of the in-built
exposure meter that divides the frame
into various segments and based on
thousands of pre-set exposures built
into the camera’s memory, selects a
suitable exposure depending on the
lighting conditions and the set ISO
sensitivity. Also known as Segmented/
Matrix meter
Frame rate: A measure of how many
frames a camera can fre in one second
Flare: Image degrading, unwanted
refection of light within the lens
Full-frame: Denotes a camera/imaging
sensor that is the same size as a 35mm
flm (24 x 36mm)
Focal plane: Describes the location
of the flm/imaging sensor within the
camera
Focal plane shuter: A type of shuter
used in SLRs/D-SLRs. Tis shuter is
placed in front of the flm/sensor.
Focal length: In a simple convex lens
(a magnifying glass for example) and
with light coming from infnity – the
Focal Length
GLOSSARY

120 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
distance between the vertical centre
of the lens and the point where the
light rays meet. Focal length tells us how
much of the scene will be covered by
the lens and what the magnifcation will
be
Firmware: A downloadable software
offered by the camera manufacturer.
Generally used to upgrade/improve
on a camera’s performance
Filter: (As applicable to a camera) A thin
glass/plastic or gelatine placed in front
of the lens to modify the colour/quality/
quantity of light entering the lens
H.264: A standard for video
compression
Hardware: (In terms of computers)
Te physical elements that make up a
computer system
HDR Imaging: High Dynamic Range
Imaging. A technique of extending the
dynamic range beyond the normal
capacity of the imaging sensor. Tree (or
more) shots are taken from various areas
of the scene (one from the shadows, one
from the highlights and one from the mid-
tones) and then combined in a computer
program to create a picture with good
detail in shadows as well as highlights.
HDR technique is used when the lighting
contrast is very high.
Histogram: A graph showing the
distribution of tones in an image. Te
horizontal axis shows the gradation of
tones from the darkest to the lef, to the
brightest at the right. Te vertical axis
shows how many pixels are there in any
particular tone.
HSB: Hue, Saturation, Brightness. Te
standard colour model for adjusting
colour in image editing programs
Intervalometer: A device that allows
you to automatically take pictures at
fxed intervals
IS: Image Stabilizer– a feature that
eliminates/reduces the efect of hand-
shake (Originally a Canon Moniker)
ILCC: Interchangeable Lens
Compact Camera. Describes a
mirror-less digital camera with
interchangeable lenses,
Incident Light Meter: A hand-held
light meter that reads the amount of
light incident to (falling on) the subject.
(see image, Exposure meter)
Interpolation: (As related to digital
imaging) Te act of introducing new
elements (pixels) in an image
JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group
– a compressed (data losing) fle format
Jiter: Another way to describe the
efects of hand-shake
Kelvin: A unit of measurement of colour
temperature based on absolute zero.
Lateral CA:
Chromatic
aberration in
which all the
colours are in focus in the same plane but
are not placed along the optical axis
Longitudenal CA: Chromatic
aberration
in which
diferent
colours do
not focus at the same point
Leaf shuter: A type of shuter used in
rangefnder cameras. Situated between
the lens elements
Linear Polariser (PL): A polarising
flter designed to be used with flm
cameras that do not use a ‘light-spliter’
in the exposure metering system
Live View: A camera feature that allows
the LCD to be used as a viewfnder
LCD: Liquid Crystal Display – the display
(monitor) at the rear of digital cameras
Luminosity: Brightness of colour,
without considering hue or saturation
LZW: An option while saving TIFF fles.
LZW compresses the fle size without
loss of data. LZW actually stands for
– Lempel – Ziv – Welch, the names of
three persons who devised it
Matrix meter: See Evaluative meter
Multi-segmented meter: See
Evaluative meter
Micro Four Tirds: A sensor format
jointly created by Kodak, Olympus and
Panasonic. Sensor size approx. 13 x
17mm
MOV: A common multi-media format
for saving movies and other video flms.
Macro lens: A special lens designed
for life-size (1:1) photography
Memory card: Te removable module
within a digital camera, that stores the
images
Mid-tone: Average tone. Neither too
dark or too light; an in-between tone
Noise: Te digital equivalent of flm
grain. Noise is caused mainly due to
underexposure.
Normal lens: A lens having a focal
length equivalent to the diagonal of the
given format
36mm
Micro Four
Tirds
17mm
Full
Frame
2
4
m
m
1
3
m
m
October 2014 Smart Photography 121 www.smartphotography.in
Optical Viewfnder: Te normal
viewing device in a camera, through
which you view and frame a subject.
It uses optical glass as opposed
to Electronic Viewfnder that uses
electronic circuitry to boost the
information within
Pan and Tilt head: A camera support
used along with a
tripod, that allows
the camera to be
tilted (up/down)
and panned
sideways. It is diferent from a ‘ball-
head’ in that it uses separate levers to
control the pan and tilt
Perspective Control/Tilt-Shif lens:
A special lens designed for correcting
perspective distortion
Polariser: A flter that cuts of polarised
light from entering the lens. Tis flter,
when used correctly, has the ability to
darken blue sky, cut refections from
water, glass, painted metal, wood,
paper etc.
Phase-detection AF: A method of
autofocussing that splits the image
in two and compares the images for
similar light intensity paterns
Perspective: Te size relationship
between the foreground, mid-ground
and background objects in a photo.
Pin cushion
distortion:
Te inward
pulling of
straight lines in
the centre of
the frame due
to lens imperfection.
Prosumer camera: Same as Bridge
camera
Partial metering: Found mostly in
Canon cameras, roughly 10-15% of the
frame is measured in the centre.
Pixel: Te building block of any digital
image; the smallest unit of any digital
image. Short form of Picture Element
Plug-in: A sofware designed to
supplement a computer program’s
performance or features. Generally
created by third parties
PPI: Pixels Per Inch. A measure of image
resolution (applies to images on the
computer screen)
Raw: Refers to the data received
directly from the imaging sensor,
without any image parameters applied
to it
Refected Light meter: A light meter
that reads the amount of light refected
from a subject. Light meters built into
cameras are refected light meters.
RGB: Te primary colours (Red, Green,
Blue) of the additive colour system
RAID: Redundant Array of
Independent Disks. A stack of hard
disks, functioning as one
Refector: Any material that can refect
some light back onto a subject
Resampling: Te act of increasing or
decreasing the resolution of an image
by interpolation
Sensor: (Imaging Sensor): Digital
equivalent of flm.
Spot meter: One of the in-built
exposure meter that reads a very small
area of the frame (typically 3-5% area).
External, hand-held 1-degree spot
meters are also
available.
Sofbox: A
type of light
modifer,
generally used
with studio
lights
Sofware: A computer program that
instructs a computer what to do, when
to do and how to do
TIFF: Tagged Image File Format – a
lossless fle format
Telephoto lens: A lens having an
angle-of-view narrower than that of a
Normal lens (Eg. 70, 85,
100, 200, 300mm etc)
Teleconverter: A lens
that fts between the
camera body and the
main lens. Its job is to
increase the focal length, thereby
ofering a larger image
Umbrella: A light modifer in the shape
of an umbrella
VR: Stands for Vibration Reduction –
a feature that eliminates/reduces the
efect of hand-shake
White Balance: A process of geting
rid of colour casts. White objects
should appear white in prints (there
could be several reasons why that may
not be so). Once white objects appear
white, all other colours appear without
any colour casts
Wide-angle lens: A lens having an
angle-of-view greater than that of a
Normal lens (Eg. 35, 28, 24, 20mm etc)
X-sync speed: Shuter speeds
compatible with electronic fash
Zoom lens: A lens having multiple focal
lengths
SP
Recommends
122 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
Canon PowerShot
G7X
With a 1-inch Type
20.2-megapixel BSI
CMOS sensor, the
PowerShot G7 X is
expected to deliver
superior image quality
in this category of
compact cameras. It
has a 24 – 100mm
equivalent f/1.8 – 2.8
lens along with Wi-Fi
and NFC capabilities.
Canon PowerShot
SX60 HS
The 16.1 megapixel
PowerShot SX60 HS
boasts 65X optical
zoom equivalent to 21
to 1365mm, believed
to be the longest
zoom range in the
world for a compact
in this category.
It provides 6.4fps
continuous shooting,
Full HD 60p videos
and Wi-Fi and NFC
connectivity.
Panasonic Lumix
FZ1000
Te latest entrant from
the Panasonic stables,
the 20.1-megapixel
FZ1000 uses a 1-inch high
sensitivity MOS Sensor. It
has an impressive LEICA
DC VARIO-ELMARIT 27-
432mm equivalent f/2.8
- 4.0 lens constructed
with 5 Aspherical and 4
ED elements. It provides
a HYBRID O.I.S, 4K
video recording and a
shuter speed range of
1-1/16000 sec.
Panasonic Lumix
DMC TZ40
Te TZ40 is the
successor to the TZ30
in Panasonic’s popular
TZ (Travel Zoom)
series. Featuring the
frst ever 18.1 MP MOS
sensor, a 24-480mm
F/3.3-6.4 lens, and a
3” touch screen, the
camera, with its Leica
lens, ensures optimum
picture quality, and
overall results are
impressive.
Fujiflm Finepix
X100s
Te Fujiflm Finepix
X100s comes with a 16
MP APS-C size CMOS
sensor, paired with a
35mm equivalent f/2
lens and a 2.8” LCD
screen. Te X100’s
noise control and
hybrid viewfnder are
very impressive, and
it produces pleasing
pictures with good
accuracy.
Sony Cyber-shot
RX10
Featuring a 24-200mm
f/2.8 lens, the 20.2
megapixel RX10 is
powered by a 1.0-
inch type Exmor R
BSI CMOS sensor,
supported by a BIONZ
X image processing
engine. Te camera
has an Optical Image
Stabilisation system and
a high-resolution OLED
Truefnder EVF.
Nikon Coolpix
P7800
Te Coolpix 7800
is Nikon’s top
professional compact.
It features a 12.2
megapixel 1/1.7-
inch Type CMOS
sensor, a 28-200mm
f/2.0-4.0 lens, a 3”
articulated LCD
monitor and an EVF.
Overall, the Coolpix
7800 produces very
good results, with an
impressive Auto White
Balance system.
Sony Cyber-shot
DSC RX1
Te RX 1 is the world’s
frst compact camera
with a full frame 24.3
MP CMOS sensor. It
has a Carl Zeiss Sonnar
35mm f/2 lens that
can be switched to
macro mode. Tere is a
built in 3” LCD screen.
Anyone wanting a
compact camera that
produces high quality
results should look at
the RX1.
Nikon Coolpix P600
Te Coolpix P600 is a
16.1-megapixel super-
zoom camera with 60x
optical zoom equivalent
to 24-1440 mm. Tis
features Optical
Vibration Reduction
along with Wi-Fi
connectivity. Te lens
is constructed with 4
ED and 1 super ED lens
elements for superior
image quality.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC
RX100 M3
Te RX100 M3 features
a bright f/1.8-2.8 ZEISS
Vario-Sonnar 24-70mm
equivalent lens. Te
camera has a 20.1MP
Exmor R CMOS sensor
and a bright and
clear built-in EVF with
ZEISS T coating and
high resolution OLED
display. It also features
a 3.0-inch, multi-angle
X-tra Fine LCD along
with NFC and Wi-Fi.
Compact Cameras
PHOTOGRAPHY INSTITUTE
PHOTOGRAPHY INSTITUTE
Kenko Introduces SMART Filter SLIM Series
Ken|o has 50 years o| experlence ua|lnq hlqh quallty qlass hlters |or all |lnd o| caueras lenses.
ln Japanese photoqraphlc hlter uar|et Ken|o has ho.1 uar|et share Slnce 1960s.
Ken|o ls not just photoqraphlc hlter uanu|acturer they supply a wlde ranqe o| optlcal products |or lndustrlal, consuuer & pro|esslonal uar|ets as well.
Ken|o has per|ected the hlqhest quallty uanu|acturlnq process requlred to ueet the exact tolerances o| lndustrlal hlter appllcatlons. Ihese saue processes
are used to create photoqraphlc hlters o| the hlqhest quallty.
l| you have best quallty lens then don't couproulse lts quallty by uslnq cheap hlters. Cheap lllters are not always best, especlally |or a qood quallty lens.
ßeware o| cheap Chlnese hlters try Japanese quallty |rou Ken|o. hlqh quallty hlters wlth reasonable prlcel
SHARI lllIlR wlIh SHARI lRlCl.
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to the huuan eyes, qlve a blulsh cast ln
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than ?70nu. ho exposure coupensatlon ls
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ls a lot o| uV llqht present.
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Ihls uultl-coated hlter ls deslqned
speclhcally to protect a lens whlle not
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Ihls hlter reduce the auount o| llqht
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Keep a cauera anqle at ?0 to 40 deqrees |rou
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TIDBITS

146 Smart Photography October 2014 www.smartphotography.in
25YEARS OF DIGITAL!
I
n 2014, the digital era in
photography completes 25
years. Tese 25 years have
seen the industry undergo a
complete metamorphosis and
a speedy revolution. Yet it has
emerged stronger, more vibrant
and ready for the next 25 years.
It actually all started in 1987
when Tomas Knoll, a University
of Michigan student devised
an image processing program
initially called Display and now
known to all of us as Photoshop.
Tomas Knoll works with Adobe
and is still actively involved
in Photoshop’s continuing
development.
Te frst camera to be available
commercially was the Dycom
model 1 which went on to sale in
1990. It used a CCD sensor with
a resolving power of .09 MP. Te
Dycom was expensive and due
to poor image quality, it was a
commercial failure. It, however,
was the forerunner of a trend
that was set to take the world by
storm.
Te frst real digital camera was
the digital SLR from Kodak
which was called the Kodak
DCS100. Kodak used a Nikon F3
body and ftted it with a 1.3MP
CCD sensor. Te DCS 100 was a
pioneering camera but its heavy
weight and high cost restricted its
commercial success.
Te digital camera that efectively
shook up the imaging world was
the Nikon D1. Introduced in
1999 and based on the Nikon F5,
the D1 ofered a 2.74 MP sensor
along with an ability to shoot 4½
frames per second continuously.
It also accepted all Nikon F
mount lenses and was the frst
digital SLR to shoot JPEG. With
the D1, Nikon knocked Kodak
of the digital SLR market.
As the idea of digital photography
became more and more feasible,
the smaller Japanese companies
started to look at digital imaging
from scratch. Olympus had exited
the SLR business afer its attempts
with autofocusing misfred. With
digital, Olympus saw a fresh
opportunity and designed a
digital SLR from scratch. In the
process, Olympus introduced
the Four Tirds imaging system
and lens mount. Te sensor used
by Olympus was an 18mm x
13.5mm sensor and this sensor
enabled cameras to be lighter and
smaller than was possible before.
Olympus’ E-1, introduced in
2003, was its frst efort. Te Four
Tirds idea was quickly adopted
by other camera manufacturers
like Panasonic and the Micro
Four Tirds system was born.
Te Olympus E-1 was expensive;
it was lef to Canon to shake the
digital world with the EOS 300D.
Introduced in 2004 with a view
to bringing digital photography
within the reach of the mass
market, the EOS 300D had a
6.3MP CMOS sensor along with
a 1.8” LCD screen. It was a big
commercial success. Canon later
followed up with the EOS 5D in
2005 which ofered the market a
professional digital SLR. Te 5D
sported a 12.8MP and had a 2½”
LCD.
Te next big thing in digital
photography was the launch of
the Lumix DMC G1 in 2008 by
Panasonic. A relative newcomer
to photography, Panasonic was
the frst company to realise that
in digital photography there
was no need for a pentaprism
and mirror; thereby, the camera
body could be designed to make
it smaller and lighter without
sacrifcing build quality. Te
G1 came with a 12.1 MP sensor
and introduced a smaller Micro
Four Tirds lens. Today, the
Micro Four Tirds system is the
leader in mirrorless cameras with
the likes of both Olympus and
Panasonic supporting it.
In 2008, Nikon launched the
D90 which was the frst digital
SLR to record high defnition
video. Soon thereafer, in 2010,
Sony introduced a single lens
translucent camera (SLT). In
simple terms, Sony replaced the
SLR’s standard fip mirror with a
fxed semi transparent one. Te
frst camera to feature SLT was
the Sony Alpha 55.
In late 2013, Sony again shook
the digital world with the world’s
frst mirrorless camera equipped
with a full frame sensor. Te Sony
Alpha 7 came in three versions
- the normal 7 with a 24.3MP
sensor, the 7R with a 36.4 MP and
the 7S with a 12MP sensor. Te 7
series were equipped with Sony’s
fast Bionz X processor.
Other innovations during the
digital era include:
1) Te introduction of Eye
Control Focusing (the EOS 5)
2) Te launch of the world’s frst
optical stabilized lens for SLRs
by Canon with the EF 75mm -
300mm f4/5.6 IS USM in 1995
3) Te launch of the Compact
Flash memory card by SanDisk
in 1994
4) Te introduction of the Light
Phase digital back by Phase 1
5) Te launch of the camera
phone, starting with the N90
from Nokia in 2005.
6) Te launch of the Samsung
Galaxy in 2012 as the frst camera
in the world with an Android
based operating system.
Te last 25 years have been very
eventful. Any bets for the next
25?
TIDBITS

H. S. Billimoria
Canon EOS 300D
Kodak DCS100 Nikon D1
Panasonic Lumix G1
Sony a7R
148