Inhoudsopgave van July - August 2015 - Camera

WHILE THE PROMISED full-35mm format Pentax D-SLR is still to come, parent company Ricoh Imaging has launched an updated version of the K-3 APS-C’ format D-SLR flagship. While the K3 II carries over a lot from the previous model – sensor, processor, AF system, metering, dual memory card slots and pentaprism-based optical viewfinder – it also sports a number of important new features. For starters, the sensor-based image stabilisation system has been significantly upgraded and now gives a claimed 4.5 stops of correction for camera shake. As on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, Pentax is using the enhanced precision of the new IS system to drive a pixel shift function whereby the sensor is fractionally moved as multiple exposures are made. However, unlike the Olympus, Pentax isn’t using the…

THE COMPETITION CONTINUES to hot up in the video ‘actioncam’ market and the latest arrival is Australia’s own Blackmagic Design. Its ultra-compact Micro Cinema Camera is based on a ‘Super 16mm’ sensor and is specifically designed for applications such as being carried aloft on a drone. A unique feature is the provision of an expansion port which enables the use of PWM or S.Bus model aircraft radio controllers to operate the camera wirelessly. The multiple channels of these controllers can be mapped to any camera or lens function – for example, focus, aperture, audio level and record start/stop – which can then be operated remotely. The expansion connector include four PWM channels for all brands of model aircraft RF controllers while the single S.Bus connection can accommodate up to 18…

When I told people I was going to Capertee, their first reactions were all the same… “Where?”. Then I told them that it’s actually home to the world’s second largest canyon. Yep, Capertee Canyon – it even rolls off the tongue better than the only larger one, the USA’s world-famous Grand Canyon. Capertee Valley is actually one kilometre longer than the Grand Canyon, but not quite as deep. Yet very few people have heard of it, even though Sydney is only around a three-hour drive away. I wouldn’t have heard of it either, but for a chance encounter in a tiny pub in the even less well-known town of Wallerawang. The owner, former rugby league player Barry ‘Bowser’ Rushworth, told me about Capertee Valley and claimed it was the second…

Please return entries. Self-addressed postage and packaging is included. I do not want my entries returned. Should you be successful, please nominate your prize preference (tick the appropriate box) Preferred memory card format: SecureDigital Film Post your entry to: Fujifilm Showcase, Camera Magazine, Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590 DO YOU WANT TO WIN? Fujifilm Australia generously supplies the prizes for each issue’s successful entrants to the Showcase. Entrants have the choice of specifying either film or a memory card (please specify on the entry coupon or indicate your preference if entering via email). The grand prize is a Fujifilm FinePix S4200 digital camera (or the equivalent should it be replaced in the meantime) which has a 14 megapixels CCD sensor and a 30x optical zoom equivalent to 24-720mm.…

THIS CHECKLIST is designed to allow direct comparisons between different camera models, here listed in price order within each brand. The published prices are mostly supplied by the distributors as recommended retail prices (RRPs). However, some distributors are no longer supplying RRPs to the media so it has become necessary to determine an ‘estimated street price’ derived from the range of prices for a model published by retailers. Where this has been necessary, the letter ‘E’ appears at the start of the entry. A dot appearing in a column indicates that the feature is available on the camera model listed. Where a specification or product detail hasn’t yet been published or confirmed, the letters TBA (to be announced) or TBC (to be confirmed) are used. If a feature is irrelevant…

NO DOUBT BUOYED by the huge success of its X-T1 mirrorless camera, Fujifilm has introduced a “little brother” model called the X-T10. It has the same 16.7 megapixels ‘X-Trans CMOS II’ sensor and ‘EXR Processor II’ as the X-T1, but a smaller and lighter magnesium alloy bodyshell, a smaller EVF and a lower-res LCD monitor screen. If anything, the X-T10’s design is even more retro with Fujifilm referencing the 1970s-vintage Fujica ST801 35mm SLR as a source of the main styling cues. However, unlike the X-T1, the X-T10’s bodyshell isn’t sealed against the intrusion of moisture or dust. The control layout is still mainly dial-based, but an important difference is the provision of a lever which engages fully automatic exposure control in one hit (i.e. instead of turning the shutter…

SMALL VIDEO CAMERAS are big business at the moment and Panasonic is the latest to join the actioncam market that’s been popularised by GoPro. The Panasonic HX-A1 is a ‘lipstick’ style camera with a fully weatherised body so it doesn’t require an extra housing. It can also operate in temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius. The HX-A1 weighs just 45 grams and Panasonic has created a wide selection of mounting options for helmets (or heads), bicycle handlebars, straps, flat surfaces and tripods. There’s also an adaptor for using GoPro accessories. Available in either black or orange, the HX-A1 shoots Full HD video footage at 30 fps (using MPEG 4 AVC/H.264 compression) with the option of shooting at 720p and 60 fps. The built-in battery is good for 75 minutes, but…

LEICA HAS UPGRADED its B&W-only M Monochrom digital rangefinder camera to a new CMOS-type sensor which allows for both live view functions and Full HD video recording. The new Typ 246 model has a 24 megapixels full-35mm size CMOS sensor which, as before, doesn’t have any RGB filters so records in monochrome. The sensor is matched with the same high-speed Leica Maestro image processor as is used in the current colour Typ 240 M. The sensitivity range is equivalent to ISO 320 to 25,000. The new Typ 246 also has an increased buffer memory capacity of two gigabytes and is capable of continuous shooting at up to 3.0 fps for a burst of 30 images. The camera uses SD format memory cards with support for the HC and XC types.…

STILL ONLY 27, Stephanie Gilmore already has a decade of professional surfing competition behind her. In that time she’s won more than 20 elite world tour events and been crowned women’s world champion on six occasions, including in 2007 which was her first full year on the tour. In recognition of her many achievements, Stephanie was awarded the Laureus World Sports Award – considered the most prestigious award in action sports worldwide – in 2010 and the ESPN ESPY for Best Female Action Sports Athlete in both 2011 and 2013. Despite her demanding competition program, she still finds time for the two other great loves in her life, playing the guitar and photography. “I have always been a visual person” Stephanie explains, “so I’ve always preferred imagery over text. I…

THE HIGHLIGHTS M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8mm f1.8 PRO 16mm fish-eye (35mm format equivalent) World's fastest aperture of f1.8 18 elements (in 15 groups) optical construction which fully minimises comatic and chromatic aberrations Special elements optimise image quality- including high sharpness across the entire image field Olympus's 'ZERO' high-performance multi-coating to effectively reduce ghosting and flare A minimum focusing distance of just 3.5 centimetres Weather-proofed construction-including against sub-zero temperatures (down to -10 degrees Celsius) THE NEW M.ZUIKO Digital ED 8mm f1.8 PRO is the world’s fastest fish-eye with a 180 degrees angle-of-view so it’s a whole lot more versatile than you might expect. We’ve sampled its expansive capabilities for astrophotography. If you think a fish-eye lens is just a bit too specialised, Olympus may just change your mind with its new…

WINNER You can almost hear the skirl of the bagpipes in this highly atmospheric study by regular entrant Greg Scanlon. This photograph was taken in Glen Etive in the Glencoe region of Scotland (the location of the final scene in the James Bond movie Skyfall – Bond creator Ian Fleming once owned an estate nearby). The silhouetted peaks, thin ribbon of mist and the bend in the River Etive all combine to create a dramatic composition. Greg used a Pentax 645Z fitted with the Pentax D FA645 55mm prime lens. HIGHLY COMMENDED The so-called ‘rules’ of photography are there to be broken, as Graham Scheer graphically illustrates with this shot of Henley Beach Jetty in South Australia. Shooting into the sun gives the sea a glassy, almost solid-looking quality and…

THIS CHECKLIST is designed to allow direct comparisons between different camera models, here listed in price order within each brand. The published prices are mostly supplied by the distributors as recommended retail prices (RRPs). However, some distributors are no longer supplying RRPs to the media so it has become necessary to determine an ‘estimated street price’ derived from the range of prices for a model published by retailers. Where this has been necessary, the letter ‘E’ appears at the start of the entry. A dot appearing in a column indicates that the feature is available on the camera model listed. Where a specification or product detail hasn’t yet been published or confirmed, the letters TBA (to be announced) or TBC (to be confirmed) are used. If a feature is irrelevant…

IF YOU LIKE to see the words ‘Made In Germany’ stamped on your photo gear, then you’ll be pleased to know that Heliopan filters are now distributed directly in Australia. The Heliopan range is extensive and new distributor Mainline Photographics is stocking the filters in all popular screwthread diameter sizes from 39 mm to 82 mm. Heliopan’s filters for digital photography include UV, skylight (1A), polarising and neutral density (ND) types. The ND filters are available from 0.3 with a 2x filter factor to 4.0 with a filter factor of 10,000 (or -13 stops). These ND filters are made from colour neutral Schott glass which is designed to minimise any colour casts. For more information about Heliopan filters (or to purchase online) visit www.mainlinephoto.com.au or call (02) 9437 5800. Mainline…

WITH BOTH PANASONIC and its Micro Four Thirds rival, Olympus, claiming top dog status in mirrorless cameras, what is clear is that the MFT format is definitely sticking it to everybody else in this category right now. It probably has something to do with the excellent lens choices, but there’s also no doubt that both manufacturers are delivering cameras which deliver increasingly more capabilities and performance in ever-smaller packages. The latest from Panasonic is the Lumix G7 which, like Fujifilm’s new X-T10, also boasts a more classical styling, replacing the G6’s curves with sharper lines and pronounced corners. Interestingly too, Panasonic is moving more towards a dial-based control layout and the G7 has a novel ‘shift’ arrangement which gives its external controls dual functionality. There’s also now a total of…

MICRO FOUR THIRDS users already enjoy the most extensive choice of lenses in the mirrorless world and Olympus has now added a further two, delivering on the pair of PRO Series models announced last year. Both the new M.Zuiko Digital ED 8.0mm f1.8 PRO and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO replicate lenses that were in Olympus’s FT D-SLR system and represent another reason for the remaining E-5 users to switch to the OM-D system. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO – which has an effective focal range of 14-28mm – incorporates a complex 14-element optical construction including two DSA (‘Dual Super Aspheric’ which are doubled sided aspherical), one EDA (Extra-Low Dispersion Aspheric), two Super HR (Super High Refractive) and three Super ED types. Olympus says distortion is…

50 Pentax Auto 110 (1978) Contrary to popular belief, the 110 film format was pretty successful – much more so than the Disc format which followed – and it spawned some pretty interesting cameras, even at the snap-shot level. Kodak thought the format had enough potential for enthusiasts to manufacture Kodachrome in the size, and Pentax went as far as designing an SLR body with interchangeable lenses. Even in the digital era, the Pentax Auto 110 remains the world’s smallest interchangeable-lens reflex camera... even smaller than Pentax’s own pocket-sized CSC, the Q. The clever bit was the combined shutter/diaphragm mechanism located just inside the lens mount (on the body) which enabled truly tiny lenses... and, remember, these were still focused manually! The rise and rise of 35mm spelled the end…

While full-35mm D-SLRs have been making headlines recently, there are still plenty of good reasons for going with an APS-C’ size sensor instead. In the Nikon world, this is the ‘DX’ format and for a little while there it looked like it might be becoming the poor cousin as the company launched a steady stream of shiny new ‘FX’ format models. But, in quick succession, Nikon has launched the D5500 – currently the world’s most compact D-SLR – and the D7200 which, as the new ‘DX’ flagship, gives aficionados of the smaller format some serious fire power comparable to the likes of the D610 or even the D750. The D7200 takes over the ‘DX’ flagship mantle from the D7100 and, in comparison, it has a different sensor, Nikon’s current-generation ‘Expeed…

The Picture Tauranga Bay is located south of Westport on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. It is a popular tourist destination featuring a coastal walk and views overlooking a seal colony. Late in the afternoon, most of the visitors have left (there is no accommodation in the immediate area) and the beach is usually deserted. If you know the area well enough, a combination of low tide and a little cloud can produce some spectacular sunsets using reflections. The Photographer Writer and photographer Trevern Dawes has the rare distinction of being a contributor to the very first issue of this magazine when it was launched back in June 1979. He is still as passionate about photography now as he was then, and continues to write about many…

TO CELEBRATE THE 175th anniversary of the invention of photography in 1839, TIPA organised a global photography competition open to all readers of its member magazines which includes Camera. The theme of the competition was Discover The World – Open (Y)our Eyes To The Beauty Of Planet Earth. Now the judging has been completed and the winners announced and we’re pleased to note that one of our readers, Glen Parker, was awarded a gold medal for his image, Kiama Quarry. The €5000 first prize was won by Sergey Anisimov from Russia for an image called Morning Of Iceland. The second prize of €3000 was won by Canadian photographer Jonathan Tucker with his image, Ice Cave. The €2000 third prize went to José Ramos of Portugal for his image called Colossus.…