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16 page IMS supplement with January 2014 issue.
INTERVIEW
YUWARAJ GURJAR
PROFILE
SUMER VERMA
TUTORIALS
UNDERSTANDING LIGHT & LIGHTING

HOW TO CAPTURE STAR TRAILS
CREATE STUNNING LANDSCAPES
IM
BOOKLSET
with this
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Welcome
EDITOR
Hoshang S. Billimoria
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Rohinton Mehta
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
Sujith Gopinath
COPY EDITOR
Tanika Godbole
PHOTOGRAPHY
Mahesh Reddy
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Atul D. Bandekar
DESIGN
Ajit Manjrekar, Nandkishor Sawant,
Sanjay Awad, Ajay Paradkar
PRODUCTION
Dinesh Bhajnik, Deepak Narkar, Ravi Parmar
PRODUCT MANAGER
Perseus Master
PUBLISHER
Girish Mallya
his issue reaches you as we break into 2014.

Yet another year, you may well say. Well,
2014 has to be different and hopefully, much
better. The last 18 months have been very challenging for every part of the Indian economy and everybody is clamouring for change and betterment.
The green shoots are there; let us see whether they
develop further.
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product quality alone. But alas, success in the market place requires much
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Copyright 2006 SMART PHOTOGRAPHY
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H. S. Billimoria
HERES WHAT
MAKES US
#1
WE ARE GLUED TO THE GLOBAL

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

All equipment go through a series of tests at the
hands of our experts. Our reviewers are experts in
the field of photography across the country and
have many years of experience. That gives us the
foresight to distinguish between a passing trend
and a big change in the field of photography and
imaging. And finally, our reviews are not extended
to just fill up the pages!
WERE IMPARTIAL
Loyalty towards our readers is a given, and
their best interests are always on our mind.
Every verdict is honest and not influenced by
advertisers or personal favorites. So when we
say a product is a BEST BUY, then, it is just
that!
WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU

There is no debate on why we are here. Our
sole goal is to provide you options and better
your judgement in product purchase while,
sharing tips and tricks to improve your images.
Our biggest joy is in building a bridge between
you and your perfect picture!
Editor Hoshang S Billimoria
January 2014 Smart Photography
Contents
JANUARY 2014
Kaleidoscope
28
REGULARS
10
26
162
40
Ask Uncle Ronnie
44
Your photo queries answered by Uncle Ronnie
Mail Bag
News Watch
Picture of the Month
Tidbits
If I Were You
Our expert comments on how your pictures can be taken

to another level
MasterCraftsman
50
The masters of the craft share their insights and photographs
A platform for budding photographers to exhibit their

talent and get noticed!
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Showcase
32

16 page IMS supplement with January 2014 issue.
INTERVIEW
YUWARAJ GURJAR
PROFILE
SUMER VERMA
TUTORIALS
UNDERSTANDING LIGHT & LIGHTING

HOW TO CAPTURE STAR TRAILS
CREATE STUNNING LANDSCAPES
IM
S
BOOKLE
T
with this
issue
A photographic profile of the person behind the lens

NIKON DF
OLYMPUS OM D EM-1
NIKON D610
Cover credits
Photographer: Sumer Verma
Just a moment!
Readers can find the updated Buyers Guide, log on

http://smartphotography.in/news/monthly-special
Smart Photography thanks the readers who participate
in the Picture of the Month contest. We would like to
bring to your attention a few changes in the rules for
submission. From now on, you may send in your images
with the longer side measuring atleast 17 inches. Please
note that the images have to be horizontal. This permits
readers to submit panoramic shots, which was not possible
with the current size of 17 x 11 inches.
Smart Photography January 2014
58
Painting or Photograph?
LEARNINGS
Basics
58
Painting or Photograph?
66
Let There be Light
74
Landscape Photography
80
Star Trail Photography
66
Let There be
Light
REVIEWS
84
Nikon Df
94
Nikon D610
96
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1
102
Nikon P7800
106
Sony Xperia Z1
110
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 MSC
113
Photoshop Elements 12
74
Landscape
Photography
BUYERS GUIDE
118
80
D-SLRs/ILCCs
Star Trail
Photography
Mailbag
REVIEWS: PENTAX K-3
SONY 3000
SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-QX10
NOKIA LUMIA 1020

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ISSUE 9
VOLUME 09
DECEMBER 2013
INTERVIEW
PULAK NATH
PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUE
SHOOTING LINGERIE
TUTORIALS
HISTOGRAM PART II
EFFECTIVE EXPOSURE METERING
BASIC COMPOSITION GUIDELINES
FREEZING ACTION
TRAVEL
FEATURE
KOCHI
Write to us at:
Mail Bag
Smart Photography,
Trade World, C-Wing,
2nd Floor, Kamala Mills
Compound, Senapati Bapat
Marg, Lower Parel(W),
Mumbai 400013.
E-mail:
sp@nextgenpublishing.net
Smart Review!
The December 2013 issue of
SmartPhotography was excellent,
especially because of the review of
Nokia Lumia 1020. Thanks for making
us understand its key features as well as
specifications.
According to the brief, it lets us control
ISO, Shutter Speed, WB and focus which
is a great quality attracting us towards
Smartphone photography, as it easily fits
even in a shirt pocket.
Though the price is high, anyone can
make his snapshot better with the high
resolution that the phone offers.
Gaurav Mishra
Reply:
Dear Gaurav,
Thank you for appreciating the review.
Lessons to learn
I always look forward to
reading the Learning
section of your magazine.
It has helped me develop
my skills as a photographer.
The Two Tools of Trade
Part II was very wellwritten. I am not familar
with the technical jargon of
photography, but I found
this lesson easy to follow.
How to shoot Lingerie was
quite unexpected. Quite
frankly, I never realised that
so much thought goes into
lingerie shooting. Thanks for
the model release format
it is something that many
readers will appreciate.
Vinit Nayak
We are happy to know that you found it

useful and educative. Please keep sharing
your valuable feedback and suggestions.
Sujith Gopinath
Delicious treat
What I loved the most about the December
2013 issue was the Showcase, featuring
Sayantan Mitras food photography. I see so
many youngsters taking pictures of their food
with their cell phone cameras and uploading
it on the Internet. These are usually mundane
and ordinary. But when I saw Mr Mitras work,
I realised how attractive food can look. The
images were exquisite and made the dishes look
even more delicious.
Anubhav Shah
News Watch
International
SNIPPETS
Panasonic may
introduce 20 MP
cameras in 2014
Rumour has it, that
Panasonic will introduce
20 MP cameras in 2014,
probably at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las
Vegas, Nevada, USA from
January 7 to 10, 2014.
Panasonic will make 20 MP
sensor a standard for its
cameras in 2015.
Google to introduce
Raw format for
Android phones
Google has confirmed that
it will prepare Android
phones to take Raw images.
Google has given its
camera API a makeover to
facilitate app development.
It will help fix some of
the common flaws in
Smartphone photography.
Fujifilm launches
magazine for X-series
users
Fujifilm has launched a free
digital magazine to help
X-series users across the
world to make the most out
of their cameras, lenses and
accessories. The magazine
can be viewed through a
web browser as well as iOS
and Android devices. It is
available in English, French,
German, Spanish, Russian
and Italian.
10
Canon to launch EOS M2

Canon Inc.
announced that
it will launch a
second version
of the EOS
M-series mirrorless
interchangeable
lens system camera,
the EOS M2 by
mid December
2013. The model
has an autofocus
2.3 times faster
than the preceding model. The new model features a APS-C 18 MP CMOS
sensor, DIGIC 5 image processing engine, ISO sensitivity up to 12800 which
can be extended to 25600, burst shot mode of about 4.6 fps and newly
built-in Wi-Fi capability. It also offers an optional lens mount adapter. Over 60
types of Canon EF lenses can be used with it. It measures 104.9x65.2x31.6mm
and weighs 274 g.
Samyang to launch 10mm

f/2.8 lens
Samyang announced a 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS SC lens. It is a wide-angle
manual focus prime for APS-C format cameras and has nano crystal coating to
cope with light transmission and internal
reflections. The lens is ideal for indoor,
architecture and landscape photography.
It provides a field of view of up to 109.5
degrees and a rectilinear image mapping
function. Due to its fast f/2.8 lens speed,
it can be used in low light conditions
as well as sports photography and for
photojournalism. The optics comprise of
14 elements in 10 groups, which include 2
aspherical AS lenses and one lens made of
extra-low dispersion glass. The lens will be
available from the end of January 2014.
News Watch
International
HP Japan to launch office use inkjet printer

Hewlett-Packard Japan announced on November 28, 2013
that it will launch a new inkjet printer whose throughput is
the worlds fastest, at 70 A4-sized sheets of colour prints
per minute. This speed is about twice as fast as a standard
A4 laser printer.
The company has developed a new head and new
pigment ink that dries faster than conventional ink and

is resistant against water. The printer offers a speedy
output and lower costs of running. HP will sell four
models, including top-of-the-line Office Jet Pro X576dw.
The company will offer a new fixed price, which includes
maintenance fee and unlimited ink supply.
Canon launches fast Laser

Printer
Canon began marketing six new A3 type laser printers in the Satera
seriesfour monochrome and two colour modelsin late November
2013. The monochrome type Satera LBP8730i/ 8720/ 8710/ 8710e all
feature high throughput and lower electric consumption. The 8730i/
8720/ 8710 can print on both sides at the same speed of a single page
print. The 8731i can produce 40 pages per minute, 3 pages more than the
preceding model LBP8630, and power consumption in the sleep mode is
also reduced to one-fourth of the old model. The company will also offer
two colour modelsthe Satera LBP9660Ci and 9520C.
Canon estimates that the worlds colour laser printer sales in 2012 was
2.97 million units, and is expected to rise to 3.07 million units in 2013.
The monochrome printer sold about 17.009 million units worldwide and
500,000 units in Japan. The company estimates that the world demand will
grow to reach 17.15million units, but the Japanese demand will drop to
495,000 units.
12
Sakar withdraws
Nikon-like camera
Nikon Corp and Nikon Inc. on October

11, 2013 sued Sakar International Inc. in
the United States District Court for design
patent infringement and trade dress right
infringement arising from Sakars Polaroid
iM1836 digital camera, which was similar
to the Nikon 1 camera. Shortly thereafter,
Nikon moved for a preliminary injunction
to stop the sales and advertising of the
Polaroid iM1836 digital camera. After
appearing before the court, Sakar and
Nikon agreed on terms of a preliminary
injunction, which was announced by
Nikon on December 6, 2013. As part
of the injunction issued by the court,
Sakar will no longer manufacture, import,
advertise, promote, offer for sale or ship
the Polaroid iM1836 digital camera in its
present configuration.
News Watch
International
Western
Digital to launch
SSD/HDD Dual
Drive
Western
Digital
Japan will
offer a
new SSD/
HDD dual
drive, the WD Black , in the same size as
the 2.5-inch HDD unit so that it can be
attached to the HDD port. The new dual
drive features 120 GB solid state drive and
1TB hard disk drive for quick operation
of the flash memory and large memory
capacity of HDD in one unit. It features
6GB/sec interface. It will be available from
December 6 in the Japanese market.
Strontium launches
MicroSD cards
Strontium Technology has launched
the NITRO range of MicroSD cards
in India. These UHS-1 Class 10
cards are an ideal storage option for
Smartphones and Tablets as they
deliver better app performance,
phone gaming experience and high
speed data transfer. They are also
suited for storing full HD videos and high-resolution photos. The cards
offer up to 85MB per second read speeds and are compatible with
all Android and Windows phones. They come with a free copy of My
Backup Pro app, which normally costs Rs.314 in the Android app store.
These cards are also waterproof, temperature proof and X-Ray proof. The
flash cards will be available in 8GB to 64GB capacities with prices ranging
from Rs.990 to Rs.5,990 with the authorized distributors of Strontium and
they come with a lifetime limited warranty.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2014

The seventh Sony World Photography Awards are calling for last entries, as their deadline draws closer. Photographers of all
nationalities, ages and experience levels can participate for free. Entries to the Open and Youth competitions will close on
January 6, followed by the deadline for the Professional competition on January 9. Entrants can submit their photographs in
the categories of Architecture, Art and Culture, Enhanced, Split Second, Low Light, Nature and Wildlife, Panoramic, People,
Smile and Travel. The Jury for the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards is chaired by photography consultant W.M. Hunt.
Other members of the jury panel are Ruth Eichhorn, Director of Photography, Geo Magazine (Germany); Johanna Neurath,
Design Director for Thames & Hudson publishing (UK); Isabella Icoz, Curator (Turkey); Guy Harrington, Director, Soho
Management (UK); Matthew Pillsbury, Photographer (US); Harry Hardie, Panos Pictures/ HERE Press (UK); Suzy Koo, Creative
Media Manager, Burberry (UK); Poorna Bell, Lifestyle Editor, Huffington Post and Simon Barnett, Director of Photography,
CNN Digital. The winner of the Open Photographer of the Year competition will receive a US $5,000 cash prize. A winning
shot selected from each of the categories will win the latest Sony digital equipment. Three photographers under 20 years of
age will be chosen as winners of the Youth competition. Selected finalists will also have their work exhibited at an exhibition at
Somerset House in London from May 1 to 14, 2014. To know more or enter the competition, log on to: www.worldphoto.org
14
News Watch
International
Photographer captures wedding using Lumia 1020

Joy Marie Smallwood, celebrity and
destinations wedding photographer,
for the first time captured a real
wedding using a Smartphone the
Nokia Lumia 1020, which has a 41MP
sensor. The couple, Chris and Cristas
wedding took place at Capella
Pedregal in Cabo, Mexico. The quality
of the photos we took at the Cabo
wedding using the Lumia 1020 were
crisp with great depth of colour and
totally exceeded our expectations,
said Joy Marie. The photos from
the 1020 were comparable to, if not
better than those I usually take on my
D-SLR. I also loved the Smart Camera app on the phone.
The bride Crista, a day spa owner from California and
groom Chris, an Executive Producer from New York, said
of the experience, We were really excited and honoured
World Press Photo

Contest 2014
The 2014 World Press Photo Contest, one of the major
photojournalism competitions has opened for professional
photographers. The last date to enter is January 15, 2014.
Participants can submit in the categories of General News, Spot
News, Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, People, Nature and
Sports. The World Press Photo of the Year carries a cash prize of
US $13,764. First prize winners in each category receive a cash
prize of US $2,065. The winning pictures will be presented in an
exhibition that will travel through more than 45 countries, starting
with Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 18 April 2014. The international
jury will be chaired by Gary Knight and comprises of members like
Jilian Edelstein, Daniel Beltr, Kerim Okten, Koyo Kouoh etc. To find
out more or enter the contest, visit www.worldpressphoto.org.
16
when Joy approached us about having our wedding shot

using a Lumia 1020. Shes an incredible photographer so
we were more than happy to have it done. We cant get
over how well they have come out, it is very impressive.
Sony sells 1 million

Playstation 4 on first day
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. began selling
the latest edition of Playstation 4 on November 15,
beginning with the United States and Canada, for $399.
The company said they sold 1 million units in just one
day. The company targets 5 million
sales for the current fiscal year
ending March 2014. SCE
started selling the PS4 in
Europe and Latin America
from November 29 and will
start in Japan from
February 2014.
News Watch
Business
Fujifilm to Develop
Pentax D-SLR plant
escapes Typhoon Haiyan Cancer Drugs with US
Hospital
The Pentax camera plant in Philippines escaped
damage from the Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the
country in November 2013. The Ricoh-owned camera
brand is based in the Mactan Economic Processing
zone that lies in an area that is 245 km from Tacloban
city, which was one of the worst-hit areas. A Ricoh
spokesperson told AP, The factory was not affected
in any way and all the employees are safe. She
added that even though short-term logistics might be
challenging, the company does not foresee any supply
issues. D-SLRs such as the Pentax K-3 are made at this
plant. Pentax Q-system cameras as well as the mediumformat 645D are manufactured here.
Olympus to trim costs,
focus on mirrorless
Olympus are currently undergoing losses in the digital
camera segment. They will work to trim costs through joint
parts procurement and product shipments with the capital
tie-up partner Sony Corp. The segment is expected to incur
a 5 billion Yen operating loss for the year ending March
31, 2014. But by cutting the inventory of compact cameras
and increasing shipments of lucrative interchangeable lens
mirrorless cameras, the company hopes to gain a profit in
fiscal 2014.
Olympus Corp. has also decided to increase endoscopy
production capacity by 30% by early fiscal 2016. Bouncing
back from a 2011 accounting scandal and making headway
on streamlining unprofitable businesses, the company
intends to concentrate investment in endoscopes, a topearning business in which it boasts a 70% global market
share, with an eye on broadening its presence in emerging
markets.
18
Fujifilm has decided to create cancer treatment drugs jointly

with Texas-based MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the
worlds leading comprehensive cancer hospitals. The plan
calls for clinical trials to start from next year for three types of
drug candidates, including treatment for lung cancer. Fujifilm
hopes to launch the drugs in Japan, the United States and
Europe as early as 2018.
MD Anderson Cancer Center, which is part of the University of
Texas system, has 20,000 employees, including doctors. Some
10,000 patients participate in clinical trials every yearmore
than 10 times the number at Japans National Cancer Center
allowing it to sign up almost all clinical trial volunteers on its own.
Fujifilm aims to bring the drugs to market about four years
after the start of clinical trials, compared to the six years
or longer usually needed for cancer drugs. MD Anderson
became interested in the drug candidates, which were
discovered using Fujifilms proprietary technology.
Fujifilm Establishes Local

Subsidiary in Myanmar
Fujifilm Corp. has established the local subsidiary Fujifilm
Myanmar Ltd. in Myanmar, where growth is expected.
Business operations will begin on December 2. Fujifilm
has focused on the sales of imaging products, such as
photographic papers, through distributors since the 1970s in
Myanmar. The establishment of a local subsidiary will enhance
sales and technical support to these distributors, help grasp
market needs of the local area and expand sales channels.
At the same time, it will increase sales of medical products
including diagnostic imaging systems and X-Ray films, graphic
arts products such as offset printing plates and products for
which the demand is greater.
News Watch
Business
Leica takes over Sinar

Leica has completed its takeover of Sinar, which
began with the company acquiring a 51% stake from
Jenoptik in 1996. With this takeover, Leica Camera
AG completed their portfolio in high-end digital
camera segment and further expanded its position in
the market for professional photographic equipment.
However, the companies did not disclose the value
of the deal. The company said, Leica now possesses
a complete product portfolio from a medium format
digital camera system to digital view cameras and is
now the only full range provider of digital camera
systems in formats larger than the 35mm Leica fullframe format.
Sony to buy Chip Factory
to make CMOS sensors

Sony is planning to buy Renesas Electronics main chip
manufacturing facility to convert it to a plant for making
CMOS sensors for digital cameras, Smartphones and other
devices, a field in which it is the global leader with a market
share of roughly 30%. If negotiations proceed smoothly, Sony
will acquire shares in the Renesas unit that operates Tsuruoka
Plant in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, by March 31, 2014. Sony
is also expected to take on some of the 900 or so workers
at the factory. The plant is expected to cost about 10 billion
Yen. Renesas is undergoing restructuring, having received an
investment from the government-backed Innovation Network
Corp. of Japan.
Meanwhile, Sony has decided to sell its printed circuit board
factory located in Noumi City, Ishikawa Prefecture to J-Devices
Corp. According to the agreement reached between the two
companies, Sony will sell a complete set of printed circuit board
manufacturing facilities at Sony Semiconductors Negami site to
J-Devices, a pure-play semiconductor assembling company in
2014 at around 1 billion Yen (US$ 9.8 million). For Sony, the deal
is a part of its plan to sell off assets of its non-core businesses.
20
Panasonic to Sell
Three Chip Plants to
TowerJazz
Panasonic plans to sell three semi-conductor plants
in Japan to Israeli chipmaker TowerJazz. It will spin
off the domestic plants into a new company by
this fiscal year and under a tentative agreement
reached recently, sell a majority stake in the new
firm to TowerJazz. The factories located in Toyama
and Niigata perform mostly front-end steps, such
as forming circuits on silicon wafers, for chips
going into Panasonic products. They need costly
upgrades to stay competitive. Their enterprise
value is estimated at US$99 million. Panasonics
semiconductor business suffered a US$203 million
operating loss last fiscal year on sales of US$1.822
billion. The company is moving ahead with plans to
halve the business segments workforce of roughly
14,000.
The firm has decided to pull out of consumer
Smartphones in the Japanese market, and Plasma
televisions.
Smartphone sales to
rise by 30% in 2014

Digitimes Research of Taiwan predicts that 1.24
billion Smartphones will be sold next year, which
shows a rise of 30% compared to 2013. Emerging
markets such as Russia, India, Indonesia and Latin
America will drive demand. Samsung is expected
to be the highest selling brand, followed by Apple,
LG, Sony, Lenovo, Huawei, Microsoft, ZTE, Coolpad,
and 93% of the phones will feature Android or
iOS operating system. There will also be over 100
million Tablets shipped next year.
News Watch
National
ICICI Bank Privilege Moments recognised by

the Limca Book of Records
ICICI Bank Limited, Indias largest private sector bank, has
been felicitated by the Limca Book of Records for receiving
highest ever participation in an online photography contest
by customers of any organization in India. The banks
Privilege Moments campaign, an online photography
contest for its Privilege Banking customers, received an
overwhelming response in the form of 17,705 registrations,
33,171 photographs, and over 3,00,000 votes. Rajiv
Sabharwal, Executive Director, ICICI Bank said, Contests
and programmes like Privilege Moments campaign help us
connect with our customers. The response to this campaign
has been encouraging. It inspires us to launch many such
innovative programmes for our customers.
ICICI Bank created a special portal www.privilegemoments.
com, for customers to upload, view, share and solicit
votes for their entries. The customers sent entries for five
categories: people, landscape, wildlife, flowers and trees,

and abstract. ICICI Bank announced winners under two
categories: Jurys Choice and Viewers Choice. The winners
were chosen from across the country. The top three national
winners were awarded a free trip to Dubai.
Exhibition
News
Photographer S. Ganapathi Rao
from Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh held an exhibition of his
photos at the Jehangir Art Terrace
Gallery in Mumbai between
November 14th to 20th, 2013.
Twenty-one 2 ft. x 3 ft. photos,
printed on canvas, were on
display. Here is a photo from the
exhibition showing a young lad
free-diving in Benaras.
22
News Watch
National
Timelessgroup photography exhibition
Design Manager Mathew Kuriens photo series, known

as The Soulless Cutouts has images shot in the streets of
London. These pictures have people as

their subject, but their figures have been
omitted, to emphasize the point that
no image can be soulless, even with the
subject cut out.
Kashmiri artist Shabir Hussain Santosh
showed his homelands stunning landscape
through his landscape photography.
Sanjay Das, who previously worked as an
advertising professional, has artistically expressed his travels
in India through his photography. Photojournalist Partha
Sarathi Sengupta took voluntary retirement to dedicate his
time to nature studies and conservation. Some of his work
on nature and his travels in rural India was on display.
Manfrotto strengthens
market presence in India
Triggertrap
launched in India
Manfrotto, the world leader in design, production and distribution of

professional products for the imaging world, has decided to strengthen
its presence in India. The company aims to cover north, west, east and
south India, with distribution of the brands designed and manufactured
by the Imaging and Staging Division of Vitec which includes Gitzo,
Manfrotto, Avenger, Kata and National Geographic. Manfrotto has signed
new contracts with the main distributors in India making it possible to
guarantee a better presidium in terms of products and services for sale.
Virtuplus launched Triggertrap Mobile app

in India, which is an alternative to traditional
triggers. It makes use of the intrinsic sensors of a
Smartphone or Tablet to trigger the camera. A
simple two-part design, consisting of a dongle
and a suitable connector cable, makes it a good
addition to a photographers kit. The app is
compatible with nearly 300 camera models from
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Hasselblad, Pentax, Contax,
Fujifilm, Kodak, Minolta, Olympus, Panasonic,
Samsung and Sigma. The app is available for free
on iOS and Android platforms, and the Mobile
Dongle is priced at Rs.2999 on Virtuplus site,
www.urbanbyte.in. It offers different modes like
Time Warp, Time Lapse, Vibration/Shock Sensor,
Distance Lapse, Star Trail, Bulb Ramping Time
Lapse, Cable Release, Long Exposure HDR Time
Lapse, Wi-Fi Slave and Wi-Fi Master.
Manfrotto has appointed Creative Peripherals and Distribution Pvt. Ltd.

as a distributor for Manfrotto Photo Supports Products for the west.
Creative Peripherals has a significant presence in the country and has
also taken up distribution of Manfrotto KYLP products for PAN India
operation. Tinnu International has been appointed as a distributor for
Manfrotto Video Support Products for western India. Srishti Digilife Pvt.
Ltd. is the distributor for Manfrotto Photo Support Products for south
India and eastern India. Writex Inc. is a distributor for Manfrotto Photo
Supports Products for north India.
24
image by Idris Ahmed
A group photography exhibition was

held at Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA, in
Mumbai from November 29 to December
8, 2013. It showcased the works of five
photographersIdris Ahmed, Mathew
Kurien, Shabir Hussain Santosh, Sanjay Das
and Partha Sarathi Sengupta.
Idris Ahmed, a freelance photographer,
tells stories of his travels through Spiti
Valley, shows a celebration of the colours
of Holi in Braj and captures the essence of Jerusalem in
Israel.
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Kaleidoscope
Exploring Arenas
28
Breakfast bite
Camera: Nikon D300S
Aperture : f/4.5
Shutter speed: 1/200sec.
ISO: 400
y interest in
photography
was not because
of passion, but a compulsion of maintaining
clinical records. I studied, I
practiced, I faltered and
developed an interest
in photography while
Dr Matrishva Vyas,
Nagpur
I was indulged in my
practice of Orthodontics. Learning photography was a great experience. And in many
ways, it not only made me disciplined in my
clinical approach, but also honed my skills as
a clinician.
As a clinician, photography is imperative for a
patients education and insight. Photography
also makes one more observant and receptive
to what is going on in a particular case. A
simple act of taking pictures, forces you to
look more closely at the clinical condition,
thus you begin to see those things which
other clinicians might miss because they are
blinded by familiarity; and this leads to greater
appreciation of clinical situation.
I conduct courses on Clinical Photography

across various Medical and Dental colleges
in India. I have written a book called Clinical
Photography in Dentistry published in 2008 .
Since I am a resident of the Tiger Capital of
India (the city of Nagpur), falling in love with
wildlife photography was a natural outcome.
Last year one of my images got a special
mention in Wild Maharashtra competition
organised by MTDC and Sanctuary Asia.
As told to Tanika Godbole
29
Nocturnal cat
Camera: Nikon D70
Aperture : f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/10 sec.
ISO: 1600
The rim light

Camera: Nikon D300S
Aperture : f/4
Shutter speed: 160 sec.
ISO: 400
30
Eye to Eye
Camera: Nikon D300S
Aperture : f/6.3
ISO: 400
Cleansing act
Camera: Nikon D300S
Aperture : f/4.5
ISO: 200
Get featured & win an

Epson PictureMate PM245,
worth
Rs.9999/-!
CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS! Kaleidoscope is the perfect way to jump-start your career... So simply send us a selection of your images along with full
details of your vision and the technical information at sp@nextgenpublishing.net. We accept both film and digital images.
All pictures that are forwarded to Kaleidoscope should be 8x10 inches in size (or larger) and at 300 ppi. However, we will re-size them according to the layout considerations.
31
Showcase
Crystalline
Deep Blue Seas
Mumbai-based Sumer Verma

is an accomplished underwater
photographer and videographer,
who has carved a niche for
himself in the industry.
umer started as a SCUBA diving

instructor on the exotic islets of
Kadmat and Bangaram, in Lakshadweep, India. His passion for pho32
tography and intrigue for underwater

life and keen desire to share this rare
and exquisite beauty of the ocean
drove him to become an underwater
photographer 15 years ago. Soon
he was not only introducing people
to the oceans colourful fish life by
teaching them diving, but also visually
through his wildlife photography and
video documentary.
Sumer discovered that as space in the
ocean is infinite, so are its possibilities.
His work expanded into fashion and
fine art. He began experimenting with

the effects of light moving from the
medium of air into water, its reflective
qualities and its playful bubbles and
ability to bring out colours in fabrics,
the sparkle in jewellery and the
grace in the contours of the human
body. For him wildlife photography is
therapeutic and soulful. Capturing a sea
creature in all its beauty in its habitat is
breathtaking. Underwater photography
is definitely a lot more difficult and
complex than land photography. Water
acts as a diffusing element, everything
Great hammerhead sharks

Primordial
is movingthe photographer, the

camera, the fish which is what makes
it difficult to capture an image
underwater. It is quite important for
an underwater photographer to be a
good diver in order to improve his skill.
Sumer made an expedition in June

this year to the Galapagos Islands,
600km off the west coast of Ecuador
in South America. One hears folk
tales of these places and it is also the
place Charles Darwin visited for his
research on the Theory of Evolution.

To actually travel there, dive
amongst thousands of hammer heads
and silky sharks, and take pictures
was an incredible experience for
Sumer.
33
Showcase
Sunset Diva
Sumer has shot

editorials for Vogue and
Cond Nast Traveller,
advertisements for
Channel V and done
wildlife videography for
Dusty Foot Productions,
amongst many other
clients. His work is
available as prints and
stock images, and he
specializes in editorials,
advertisements and film
shoots.
Sumer has been consulting
with and training for
advertisements, feature
films in Bollywood and the
South Indian film industry
for shots about drowning,
swimming, dancing or
diving underwater. Sumer
help the directors visualise
the concept and train the
actors for their sequences.
He is currently working on
an underwater sequence
in Homi Adajanias Finding
Fanny.
34
Showcase
Jacqueline Fernandes,
Vogue magazine
Shipwrecked
35
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Photography Workshop
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A fun, easygoing, inspirational

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12:15 - 13:15
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13:30 - 15:00
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15:15 - 16:45
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DECEMBER 20, 2013
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In-camera and Handheld

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Basics of Studio
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If you are struggling to understand

how to get the perfect exposure, this
workshop is for specially designed to
get the correct readings each time.
A demonstration showcasing the process

and set up involved in the making of an
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E-mail your images at sp@nextgenpublishing.net
If I Were You
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.
Picture Info
Camera: Nikon D3100

ISO: 400
Shutter speed: 1/250sec
Aperture: f/10
Focal length: 55mm (82mm equivalent)
Original Image
Edited Image
40
Rohinton Mehta,
Technical Editor,
Smart Photography
Flower
the lens as mentioned earlier.
Smart Photography reader

Anubrota Mondal has sent us this
photo of a flower for evaluation and
wants to know if and how the picture
could be improved.
Now that there is no going back in

time, let us see how we can improve
the picture using Photoshop.
Anubrota, your attempt is good but

the limitation of your kit lens has not
allowed you to get a close-up shot.
If you are interested in close-ups of
flowers, insects
etc, you could in
future, consider
getting yourself a
dedicated macro
lens.
You have done
well in using a
narrow aperture
(f/10) with a
reasonably fast
shutter speed to
avoid hand-shake.
Unfortunately,
the highlights/
middle-tones on
the flower are a
bit overexposed
which has led to
the loss of colour
and fine detail.
You were also
not able to focus
from a closer
distance due to
the limitation of
1. I first toned down the overexposed

highlights/mid-tones using the middle
(grey) slider in Levels in Photoshop.
(Note that the middle-grey slider
normally controls the mid-tones but
there is always an overlap). This step
also darkened the background and
so, using the white mask with black
as the foreground colour, I painted
the background back to its original
tonality.
2. Using the Sponge Tool in Saturate
mode, I painted on the lighter tones
on the flower to improve the colour
depth.
3. I zoomed in on the flower and
cropped the image for a close-up
look.
4. Next, I sharpened the image.
5. Using the Sharpen Tool, I further
sharpened parts of the flower to
make up for the loss of sharpness
during the picture taking process.
Note that this is a delicate process
and overdoing it can ruin the picture.
The edited picture now looks much
better, doesnt it?
If I Were You
Silhouette
This silhouette comes
from Srinivas M. B. from
Kochi. Says Srinivas I love
silhouettes. This picture
was taken during dusk
(around 6 PM). I see a lot
of noise in the picture.
I would like to know
how the picture could
be improved (especially
noise reduction) in post
processing and your
comments on the general
composition. I also
request you to enlighten
me on some of the
good Noise Reduction
software available.
Your picture may have some noise
but it is not disturbing. Please try to
look at the complete picture (any
picture for that matter) rather than
search for noise. Noise is a part and
parcel of every digital image just as
grain is a part and parcel of every
film-based image. What you should
consider is Is the noise disturbing?
Does it take away from you enjoying
the picture? If the answer is no,
then dont bother too much. Do
keep in mind that higher the ISO
sensitivity, greater the noise. You
could have easily used ISO 200 and
reduced your shutter speed to 1/250
sec. That would have given you a
totally noise-free image.
Any shadow area (in digital terms),
means lack of data and lack of
data contributes to noise. If you
enlarge the picture that you have
sent, yes you will see noise. Noise
is also apparent when you open
up shadow areas using any image

editing program.
I am not showing you the edited
image simply because you may
not notice the difference (in noise
suppression) in the magazine
printing. But heres how you can go
about it.
PS: Pictures that include the sun
often show posterization as can be
seen in your image. Shooting in Raw
can reduce this problem.
Open the image in Photoshop. I am
using CS6 but the version does not
really matter. I am assuming that you
are at least a bit conversant with
Photoshop.
Enlarge the image to say 200%
(or more) so that you can clearly
see the noise. Look into a dark
(shadow) area. Go to Filter >
Noise > Median (you can also use
Picture Info
Camera: Canon EOS 1100D

ISO: 800
Aperture: f/10
Despeckle, Dust & Scratches, or

Reduce Noise , but I am trying to
keep things simple for you).
Keep the Radius to 1 pixel and
check the preview. If satisfied with
the reduction in noise, click OK. If
not, try with a Radius of 2 pixels
and again check the preview. You
can increase the pixel level till you
are satisfied but note that as you
increase the pixel level, the image
will get softer and softer. Hence
this is a compromise between noise
reduction and image softness.
Alternately, you could use Gaussian
Blur to blur the noisy areas but the
level of Photoshop skill required to
do this would be higher.
41
If I Were You
Buzzzzz
This picture, titled Buzzzzz comes to us
from Anjali Singh from Jamshedpur, who is
a studying in class 10.
I am very glad to know that you are
into photography at such a young age,
and since you couldnt do so without
encouragement from your parents, my
salaam to them too.
This is a good effort and with more
practise you will surely improve.
Anjali, the subject you have attempted
to capture is not easy. The bees keep
moving and rarely buzz in one place. This
makes accurate focussing very difficult.
By using narrow apertures (like f/11 or
f/16) you can increase the depth-of-field
Original Image
42
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.
(the zone of acceptable sharpness). But

narrow apertures also mean slower shutter
speeds, which could cause hand-shake,
and in this particular case, more blurriness
of the bees. To counteract this problem
we can increase the ISO sensitivity. So
you could have used, for example, ISO
800 which would have allowed you to
use an aperture between f/11 and f/16.
Alternately, you could have kept the same
aperture (f/8) and used a faster shutter
speed (which in this case would have been
between 1/500 and 1/1000 sec).
You have used the camera in Program
mode. Using ISO 800 as suggested above
would have improved the chances of
getting a sharper image. You have also
used a 105mm lens
(152mm in 35mm
format), which also
Edited Image
reduces the depth of field. A 35mm lens

(equivalent to approx.52mm in 35mm
format) could possibly have provided you
with a sharper picture.
There is very little space above the bees.
Leaving more space would have improved
the composition (framing). Please see
our edited image where we have recomposed the picture, added some area
at the top, and improved the tonality and
sharpness.
Picture Info
Camera: Nikon D300

ISO: 250
Aperture: f/8
Ask Uncle Ronnie

Did you know... Ronnie has over 35 years of experience
in photography?
In fact, he has taught several thousand photoenthusiasts in various institutions and through
workshops, as well as judged many national and
international photo contests, including the prestigious
International Photo Contest held at Colombo, Sri
Lanka. So, if you have any photo-queries, whether
conventional or digital, dont hesitate. Just go ahead
and Ask Uncle Ronnie at sp@nextgenpublishing.net,
cause he knows it all!
Canon or Pentax?
I am a novice photographer and
intend to buy my firstcamera. I
would like to know if I should go
for Canon or Pentax? I did read
your comments for the Pentax
K-50 in Smart Photography and I
am considering the Pentax K-50
or the new K-3. Should I take 18135mm lens to start ?
I want to know if the lens would
be prone to fungus in Mumbais
climate? Also, during safari
park tours, dust always settle on
the camera...in such cases does
Pentax lens fare better than
Canon? Please advise if there
are any other factors which I
should compare between the
two cameras.
Sameer Bhardwaj, via email
Canon as well as Pentax make very
good cameras. Considering your
fears for fungus and dust (which are
real), You could opt for the Pentax
K-3. All (except one) Pentax camera
bodies and lenses are weather
resistant. And yes, the 18-135mm lens
would be good for the start.
Canon, on the other hand, could
offer you a wider choice of lenses
44
and you really cant go wrong with

either make.
and whether they have good service

facilities.
There are always many other factors

which one should consider before
buying a camera, but since you say
you are a novice, I shall not get into
too much detail. The important factors
for you to consider are the
buffer size, user interface,
how comfortable you are
with the camera, whether
Raw mode is available, the
lenses you may require in the
future (whether the company
manufactures the focal
lengths you may require)
As far as service facilities are

concerned, Canon definitely has good
service facilities but I am not too sure
if Pentax (currently) has them.
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Pixma Pro 100
Which Photo Printer?

I would like to buy a photo
printer which can print large
photos (larger than A4 size) for
personal use. I mostly shoot
landscapes, print the photos and
frame them. So please suggest
which photo printer should I
buy? I dont want to compromise
Pixma Pro 10
with the printing quality at all!

My preferred brands are Canon,
Epson and HP.
Syed Hamzah Gillani, via email
We had recently reviewed the Canon
Pixma Pro 10 (10-colour) and Pro 100
(8-colour) printers and found the
print quality to be very good. While
both would be suitable for your work,
the Pro 100 is less expensive.
processor (Expeed 3, as compared

to Expeed 2 in the D5100) and
is 24-megapixel as compared to
16-megapixel for the D5100. My
decision is based more on the
image processor than on the pixel
rating. On the other hand, the
D5100 has a fully articulated LCD

monitor; the D3200 has a fixed
LCD monitor.
We had also reviewed the Epson

R2000 (8-colour) and found it to be
very good. It is less expensive than
the Pro 100. This printer is
not listed on Epson Indias website
and hence I am not sure if it would
be available.
A Beginner Asks...
I am a beginner in
photography. Im going
to buy my first D-SLR
from Canon or Nikon
in the price range of
Rs.30,000 to 35,000. I
have short-listed the
Nikon D5100 and Nikon
D3200. So is this a right
combination for me to
go ahead or would you
suggest me any
other ?
Kartik Khandekar, via email
You have not mentioned the type
of photography you would like to
pursue. Between the Nikon D5100
and D3200, I would go in for the
D3200. It uses a better imaging
In case you decide on a Canon

model, I would suggest the EOS
600D with its 18-55 mm IS II kit lens.
45
Ask Uncle Ronnie
Canon EOS 70D or Nikon D7000?
D-SLR for a Newbie
I am a wedding photographer. I have a Nikon D7000 camera

with a kit lens of 18-105 mm. I went throuh the November
edition of SP and was impressed with Canon 70D camera. I
want to upgrade my camera to Canon 70D with 18-135 kit
lens. I want to know if it is worth upgrading my Nikon D7000
to Canon 70D camera. What difference would there be in
terms of image quality? And in technical terms. My decision
regarding upgrading to Canon 70D will depend on your
recommendation. Hence I am eagerly waiting for your answer.
M. G. Suryavanshi, via email.
The Canon EOS 70D is a good camera, but so is the Nikon D7000. In spite
of the marketing promotion for the 70D (basically regarding the Dual Pixel
CMOS AF sensor phase detection AF technology), do keep in mind that
this particular technology provides very fast focussing speeds during Live
View photography stills as well
as movies. It does not offer any
extra advantage for viewfinder
shooting. So, if you are sure of
using Live View during your
wedding shoots, the EOS 70D
may have some advantage; other
than that, I doubt if you will see
any noticeable difference in the
image quality between the two,
especially considering the size
of prints that are generally made
for weddin g pictures. Do also
keep in mind that more than the
camera you use, your knowledge
of photography, your shooting
techniques and your postprocessing skills often determine
the final image quality.
I am interested in photography
but am confused regarding which
D-SLR to buyas a beginner.
Please suggest.
Raviganth Raju, via email
You may choose between these:
1. Canon 1100D body with 18-55mm
IS II kit lens
2. Canon 600D body with 18-55mm IS
II kit lens
3. Nikon D3200 body with 18-55mm
VR or 18-105mm VR lens
4. Nikon D5100 body with 18-55mm
VR kit lens
The 18-135 mm kit lens that

you are contemplating to buy
with the Canon EOS 70D is a slow lens. Being slow, you do not get the
advantage of cross-type AF sensors. If you want that advantage, you must
use fast lenses (this is true with all make of cameras).
You could try out a fast lens (like the AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 17-55
mm f/2.8G IF-ED) with your existing Nikon D7000 and then take your
decision.
46
Which ND filter?
I am looking for a budget ND filter
for landscape photography. The
purpose is to smooth waterfalls
and clouds. Which strength will
be the best to begin with? I own a
polariser so I am not considering
the 2 stop ND filter. Please advice.
Arkaprava Acharya, via email
It is a mistake to purchase a budget
ND filter (This is also true for any other
filter used in photography). Poorly
made filters degrade image quality.
There are many photographers who
never use any filter. I would suggest
you get yourself a Hoya / Kenko 3-stop
ND filter. Please note that unless you
are photographing in soft / low light,
you might still not be able to achieve
the desired results with a 3-stop ND
filter. I find that I need about 8 to 10
stops reduction in light (if the light is
not low) when I try for the effects that
you are looking at. Also, it is a mistake
to stack two or more filters to achieve
the required effect.
Advertorial
Canons shooting stars at Imaging India Expo 2013
anon India participated in

the Imaging India Expo 2013,
organized by Better Photography
& Smart Photography, Indias leading
photography magazines. As one of the
expositions biggest participants,
Canon India not only had a prime position
in terms of location, but showcased their
wide range of DSLR cameras, as well as
compact cameras including the PowerShot
& IXUS range, the new Legria Mini DV
Camcorder, and key printers.
One of the highlights of their display was

undoubtedly the new EOS 70D. This
DSLR features a revolutionary new onsensor based phase-detection focusing
system called Dual Pixel CMOS AF. It
has become the darling of reviewers
worldwide, garnering an impressive array
of awards. Also on display was the EOS
6D the worlds lightest full-frame DSLR
camera, the EOS 5D Mark III, as well as
the longtime fast action favorite the EOS
7D. Among its PowerShot range, Canon
showed off the G1x with its large sensor
(18.7mm x 14mm), ultra-fast focusing and

tank-like build, the G1x is the ultimate
compact camera.
The EOS 70D was the star attraction of
the show. With a dedicated technology
zone running videos, explaining how Dual
Pixel CMOS AF works, as well as a section
dedicated to products hands-on; and a
technology expert to take queries on the
camera, Canons showstopper is the future.
The EOS 70D is one of the most balanced
DSLRs in terms of its performance in both
still image and video. Featuring a 20.2MP
APS-C CMOS sensor, coupled with a
DIGIC 5+ processor, the EOS 70D has
powerful still image capabilities. Featuring
a 19-point, all cross-type focusing system,
the EOS 70D boasts of ultra-fast focusing,
and with 7fps for company you will not
miss a shot.
However, the highlight and the most
important feature the 70D is endowed
with, is the completely new, (and a first
for the EOS system), Dual Pixel CMOS AF
system. This on-sensor phase-difference

based focusing system is the first of its kind,
giving each pixel the ability to function
both for focusing as well as for image
capturing.
Each pixel consists of two photodiodes,
and both of them are sensitive to light.
Since both these photodiodes can sense
light, they together serve as the basis for
attaining a phase difference signal, which
simply put is the difference between the
two signals wavelength at a given point.
Armed with this system, the EOS 70D
is capable of attaining fast and accurate
auto-focus, when capturing images using
live view, as well as during video recording.
At the time of capturing the image, both
these photodiodes output a single pixel
of image data. This makes the EOS 70D
unmatched amongst DSLRs today for
capturing images in live view mode,
or video recording, where it can track
subjects and maintain accurate focus even
on moving subjects something most
other DSLRs can just dream of.
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Mastercraftsman
Up close with
the crawlers
50
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Snail (Indrella ampulla)
Yuwaraj Gurjar,
Thane
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Yuwaraj is a nature photographer who

specialises in butterflies, insects, reptiles
and other such creatures. His work
has been published several times in
the media. He also conducts talks and
workshops on nature. His website is :
www.yuwarajgurjar.com
51
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Mastercraftsman
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Tell us a little about

yourselfyour life,
your profession...
Underwater Coral
Tiny grasshopper on flower
Though I work with

Raymond Limited which
is a renowned textile
manufacturing company,
my love towards nature
has always attracted
me to go to forests and
wild places with a huge
biodiversity in India. I
traveled across the country
for my nature observations
and photography. I
have visited many of
the national parks in
the country like Kanha,
Bandhavgarh, Pench, Gir,
Ranthambhore, Kaziranga,
Jim Corbett, to name a few.
I stay in Thane, which is on
the outskirts of Mumbais
Sanjay Gandhi National
Park, spread across 104
sq. km and home to many
small creatures and even
leopards. I have been
visiting this park almost
every weekend for the
last 26 years and I still find
something new in every
visit.
What inspired you to

pursue photography?
Yuwaraj Gurjar
I was very interested in

birds, but I slowly started
admiring the other
unusual and fascinating
fauna. I started observing
and photographing
52
Yuwaraj Gurjar
butterflies, ants, bugs,

beetles, dragonflies, other
small insects and wild
flowers. Big mammals and
birds get all the attention
but these tiny critters are
always neglected and
very little information is
available on Indian species.
So I concentrated on
photographing them and
started writing about them.
My photos won many
national and international
awards and were exhibited
across the world. Some
photos were included in
field guides, educational
websites and magazines.
Only observing and
photographing nature is not
my goal. I love to spread
awareness and knowledge
about nature and wildlife.
I have written and
published more than 1000
photo features in various
newspapers, magazines
and blogs. I have made
audio and video CDs for
school children on nature
education and awareness.
I have conducted talks
and workshops on nature,
wildlife and photography.
I accompany students,
groups, families to help
them see the hidden
natural world and the rich
biodiversity across the
country.
Spider Babies at Yeoor
Yuwaraj Gurjar
53
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Mastercraftsman
Bamboo Pit Viper
54
Yuwaraj Gurjar
You specialise in close-up and

macro shots. Some of the subjects that you photograph are
dangerous. Have you had any
life-threatening experiences
when photographing such
subjects?
I study the objects I shoot. It is wise
to have a fair knowledge of your
subjects and to take care of your
bags and equipment. If the snakes
that I shoot are venomous, I keep
a distance. Once I was shooting in
Goa with some Italian photographers. We were looking for a
hump-nosed pit viper in the
southern forests. We found one and
when we had finished the shoot
and were wrapping up, we saw a
snake of the same species, right
next to where we were positioned.
So it is essential that you scan your
surroundings and are aware all the
time.
How do you prepare for your

shoots?
Yuwaraj Gurjar
All my shoots are thoroughly preplanned. For example, if I am travelling to Goan forests I know I will
have the opportunity to practice
macro photography, so I carry those
lenses accordingly. If I am going to
Kanha or Bandhavgadh, I am likely
to carry out all my shoots from a
jeep. In such cases I prepare myself
by carrying telephoto lenses. Other
than that, I equip myself with knowledge about which birds are about
to be present at that time of the
year, whether it is the mating season
for any species and so on.
55
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Mastercraftsman
Yuwaraj Gurjar
Grass Blue Butterfly

with Dew Drops
In your opinion, how important is equipment? How do you

find the right balance between
equipment and technique?
Technique is always more valuable
than equipment, especially in nature
photography. When I shoot butterflies,
insects or reptiles, there is a chance
that they may fly away or move. This
will not happen while photographing
inanimate objects. Plus you have to
calculate the settings and decide
the extent of magnification that the
macro images require. There are many
who have high-end lenses, but very
56
few can produce good images. Even

though good gear is necessary, proper
technique and skills are a priority. I use
Nikon camera bodies (D70s, D90 and
D7100) and Tamron lenses (90mm VC
Macro, 180 macro, 200-500 zoom and
18-270 VC).
This is the digital age. How

much and how often do you
edit your images?
I make very little use of post-processing
techniques. I mainly use cropping and
colour correction tools. I myself am not
very skilled with editing programs, but
I know that it is very useful in altering

images and correcting flaws.
Do you have any advice for beginners in nature photography?

Many a times, people do not know much
about the subject that they are clicking.
Be aware of the location where you
are shooting. Inform yourself about the
climate, the animals found there, whether
there will be any migrating birds,
whether it is the mating season for any of
the species and so on. This always helps
in being a better photographer.
Learnings
Learning
Learning
Having crossed over 20 active years in commercial photography, Dilip Yande says his forte is Fashion and
Portrait photography. He believes variety is the spice of life, and to keep himself motivated he does a lot of
tabletop as well. For Dilip, names like Rembrandt, Renoir, Gauguin, Picasso, Turner, Monet are household
names because of his childhood that was spent in a lineage of fine arts. This fine art reflects in his work
because he feels that there is always a little bit of you in everything one does. Having shot for many
advertising agencies, juried a few competitions, mentored many workshops, and guided many photographers
in their formative years, for Dilip, photography is just another way to romance his first love art. He may be
contacted at dilipyande@gmail.com.
or
any a times it so happens,

that while going through the
images in a photography
exhibition, one stops at a particular
picture and thinks, this one looks like a
painting. The photograph could be a
landscape (with or without a human element), a portrait or a simple close-up
of the ripples on water. There may be
a couple of landscapes around but it is
just this picture that gives you a painting feel. Ask yourself why? You might
get many answers to this one question.
One should learn to analyze why it
appeared different- Does it have a
dreamy feel? Are the elements like
the trees, branches, rocks, clouds, and
the flying bird so perfect and in the
right place that it appears to be an
artists creation? Are the shadows very
soft? And does the human element in
the picture have a story to tell? It may
be very small in the frame but still, is it
overpowering the rest of the image by
making its presence felt in some way?
Or does this picture remind you of
some lines in a poem?
If you ponder over it, you may realise
that many paintings involve human
figures or elements (apart from
58
simple portraits) and have a story

to tell. It may be a frozen frame of a
sequence from someones life. It may
show a vendor selling a variety of
fruits in a rural market place; a soldier
in his war-time uniform sitting on a
wrought-iron bench and playing a
violin with a woman sitting next to
him, listening to his tunes; it could be
a mother holding her daughters hand
on a sea-shore, looking at a distant
ship while the sun is about to set;
or a man ploughing his farm with a
pair of oxen; or it could be a solitary
reaper binding or cutting the crop
in her open field. These sequences
have some kind of a past attached to
them along with a strong element of
the present.
Observation and analysis is very
important for all such artistic
photographs. The art market is
changing a lot and at the same time
demands of clients are changing
with time. Today the fine art market
is leaning towards what is termed as
affordable art and people do want
to buy photo-prints which look like
paintings or are artistic in some way.
This has given birth to a subject Fine
Art Photography.
Giving a certain desired tone to a

picture like a warm tone or a bluish
tinge can be achieved with various
techniques like 1) Using a filter over
the lens. 2) Changing the white balance
setting of your camera by adjusting
from the menu (or custom white
balance). 3) Giving an overall tone
in post-production (the above three
options would change the entire tone
of a picture). 4) By layering the picture

in post-production and editing it or
by using thick filter sheets or gels over
the light sources. These filter sheets are
available with dealers who trade in cine
light equipments. With this technique
you can individually control the tone
of every light source separately. With
practice one can use all the four
techniques together to achieve the
desired result. One has to study

how the colours of the clothes or
drapes appear in the picture in that
particular light source or that kind
of lighting.
Following are some examples where
similar techniques were used artistically
to achieve a clever blend of art and
craft of photography
1) Pic 1- A cloth background which had the interior of a palace crudely painted on it was
used. The stylist draped the model as per the concept and she was cleverly accessorized. The
props and the pose was pre-decided. The model lay accordingly on a bed in a very relaxing
pose. The main source of light was a rotating strip light positioned on the left and turned to
a horizontal position. The strip light was partially covered with a warm filter sheet making the
source slightly warm. Too warm a source would make the bottle green shade of her drape
too dark. A source of light covered with blue gel was passed through a grid and positioned
to fall on the sari hanging at the back. Cutters were used to control the light.
Many people want to be

photographed in such a way that the
picture appears like a painting. In this
article let us see how to achieve this
through composition, lighting, styling,
colour scheme, post-production etc.
58
Before doing this I would suggest that

you go through and closely study the
works of internationally renowned
artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Russian
artist Ilya Repin, J H. Fragonard,
Johannes Vermeer, Ingres, Edgar Degas,
Pierre Auguste Renoir, Rembrandt,
and Indian grandmasters like Raja Ravi
Varma, M.R. Acharekar, S.L. Haldankar,
S.M. Pandit, Hemendranath Mazumdar
or contemporary realistic artists like
Shashikant Dhotre. Observe the
elements in their paintings the soft
skin-tones, the eye-soothing colour
schemes, the blending of images with
the backgrounds, the overall tones of
the paintings, or the gradation and falloff of light towards a darker value at the
ends or the corners of a painting.
Remember that achieving this
through lighting, composition and
clever post- production is what is
going to give the picture you shoot
a painting-like feel to it.
Painting Or
Photography?
Picture 1
Learning
59
Understanding Photography
Smart Photography has been continually receiving requests to start a basic course for beginners. With this in mind, we have asked
a very knowledgeable photographer from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to take over writing these articles. We have also requested
him to be as jargon-free as it is possible, so that newcomers to photography feel comfortable to pursue the hobby.
The author, Ashok Kandimalla has been in the photographic field for over three decades and has extensive experience in both film
and digital photography. Being an electronics engineer by profession and a photographer, he possesses a unique and deep insight
into the technical aspects of digital photography and equipment. He has published several articles on photography and some of his
writings have also been published in the well-known international magazine Popular Photography.
An avid collector of photographic books and vintage cameras, Ashok has a keen interest in the history of photography and a passion
for sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He is presently working as a Management and Engineering
consultant. You can see his work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashok_kandimalla. He can be reached at kashokk@gmail.com
66
Let There Be Light
Let There be Light

The word Photography was coined
Picture 1
Picture 2
by joining two terms - photo (meaning
light) and graph (to draw). This by
itself shows the importance of light in
photography. Light has a major influence
on the overall quality of photograph.
This is not confined just to setting the
right exposure but also involves using
light creatively to give a photograph the
needed aesthetics.
Light has three main characteristics.
Each of these has to be understood
and exploited by you to give the right
Picture 2: A large soft box 60 X 60 cm was used with
Picture 1: Here the light source was smaller than
the same light source. This diffused the light
impact to the image. These are the subject. Note the hard shadows and also the
considerably, resulting in softer shadows.
uneven lighting.
1. Quality
2. Direction
3. Colour
Let us look at these in more detail and see using examples,
Hard light sources also sometimes result in high contrast
how they affect an image. I have opted to use the same
scenes. These need to be handled carefully since the
subject in most of the examples so that there is consistency
brightness range of such scenes can exceed the dynamic
in approach. This will help you to make out the differences
range of your camera. These could result in blocked shadows
easily.
or blown out highlights or sometimes even both. See
the article Exposure Exposed in Smart Photography,
Quality: The quality of light is generally defined in terms
September 2013 issue for an exhaustive treatment of the
of the type of shadows it produces. Hard inky shadows are
subject.
characteristic of light from a small source (Picture 1). Hard
shadows generally compete with the subject by mimicking
Soft shadows (Picture 2) are a result of diffused light
the shape and are undesirable unless you are using them for sources. These generally give a more pleasing look and are
an artistic purpose.
considered to be of higher quality. The quality of the light
66
largely depends on the relative size of the

light source. Note the word relative since
it is important. We consider a light source to
be relatively large when it is physically bigger
than the subject it is illuminating and also
when it is very close to the subject. Such large
sources give softer shadows.
Picture 3
Picture 3: A front lit

subject. The subject is very
evenly lit and hence is flat.
Picture 4
Picture 4: Light is right

above the subject at 12 O
Clock position.
You would have taken more photographs

using sun as a light source than any other. The
sun is also larger than any other light source
but on a clear day it is still a point light source
producing very hard shadows due to its great
distance. On the other hand, a cloudy day
produces softer shadows since the clouds act
as a giant diffuser.
A foggy day also produces diffused light. If
you are using artificial lights, several devices
like umbrellas and soft boxes are available to
diffuse the light. While it is a matter of taste,
highly diffused light can cause flat images,
since most of the drama is lost without
shadows. Colours are muted. No texture is
revealed and form is not emphasized.
Direction: The direction at which the light
strikes the subject has a great bearing on the
ultimate result. As you can expect, light can
strike the subject from any direction (angle).
While it is impossible to describe how the
effect will be at every angle of light, it is
possible to show with suitable examples a few
important ones and their effect. So, read on!
Front Lighting (light source is behind
the photographer): You might have often
heard this advice- especially when you were
a beginner in photography keep the sun
behind you. Well, this is what front lighting
means. Unfortunately, it is the most mundane
type of lighting. Since it is directly in front,
shadows fall behind the subject (Picture 3).
Without light and shade there is no modeling
(that is no three dimensional effect). Hence,
the scene will look flat like a card board cutout without any depth. The only
advantage you will get is that the scene will be uniformly lit and hence it is
easy to set the exposure.
12 Oclock or high noon lighting (source is directly above): Here the
light is right above the subject like sun at noon time (Picture 4). This is one
of the worst types of lighting and you must avoid it. If used for portraits it
causes dark patches in the eye sockets of the subject due to the shadow of
the brow. You will also find a dark area under the chin. Overhead lighting is
equally unsuitable for landscapes too.
Side lighting (source is to the side perpendicular to the lens axis):
This type of lighting causes dramatic shadows and brings out texture. As the
67
Learning
Learning
Landscape
Photography
T
he word landscape covers

land (mountains, rocks plain
ground etc), water bodies
(seas, rivers, lakes, ponds), trees/vegetation, human beings (as long as they
are not the primary elements in the
picture), man-made structures (again,
as long as they are not the primary
elements in the picture), land with
skies etc. So could a cityscape be considered as landscape? Can the sea be
considered as landscape? Or should
we call that sea-scape? In my opinion,
a picture showing a vast expanse of
the sea should be called a landscape.
If you have a picture showing a city,
say from a high viewpoint, it too
could be considered as a landscape.
(The important thing is to enjoy your
photography rather than getting into a
debate!)
So, how will you go about creating
your landscape? What are the lenses
that you will use? Where will you
focus? How deep or how shallow will
your depth of field be? Our photos
are 2-dimensional they have only
width and height, but when we see
with our eyes, we see in 3-dimensions
width, height and depth. So how will
be create the illusion of depth on a
two-dimensional paper? What about
Learning
the lighting? From where should the

light come from the front, from the
sides or should our scene be backlit?
And where should you consider
placing the horizon dividing the
picture in two equal or almost equal
parts, or
should you
follow the rule
of the thirds?
And finally,
how will you
meter the
scene?
an approaching storm can

create a very dramatic
impact on your picture.
What about top-lighting?
Top-lighting is flat-lighting
and should be avoided as far
as possible.
Lenses
When thinking of landscapes,
most photographers reach
for wide-angle lenses.
Wide-angle lenses, with their
greater inherent depth of
field, can make landscapes
appear sharp from front
to back. But this shouldnt
stop you from trying out
a normal 50mm (35mm
format equivalent) or a
telephoto lens.
strength angular/side light that is

neither too soft nor too harsh, is the
best to bring out fine texture and
create some exciting forms and shapes.
Such light is usually found during early
morning and late evenings (often
Frontal lighting creates flat pictures
All images need to have

a focal point. When using
wide-angle lenses, try going
close to an element (a bunch
of flowers, a rock, a tree
stump, etc) and use this
element as your focal point
to create the start for the
visual depth in your picture.
Light
Lets first
start with the
lighting. In my
opinion, the
lighting on the
scene plays
an extremely
important part
in creating
your work of
art. Medium
Back lighting creates silhouettes
called golden hour). Frontal light, can

evenly illuminate the scene and get
you the most saturated colours, but
the lighting is flat. Back-light can create
dramatic silhouettes and can make
Medium strength
angular/side
lighting brings out
texture and fine details.
tree leaves, grass and flowers glow,

especially against darker backdrops
(but back-light can dramatically
reduce the saturation of colours).
The kind of light that you see before
74 Smart Photography January 2014
Learning
80
In the September 2013 issue, I had discussed about the

techniques of shooting star trails in detail. I mentioned that
there are two different methods to do star trail photography.
One school of thought says, on a starry night, after mounting
the camera on a very sturdy tripod, you should keep the
shutter open for almost an hour in Bulb mode so that
the stars create a trail as the earth rotates on its own axis.
However, in this method the sensor gets heated up and you
may get a lot of noise in the final outcome.
Now read your favourite magazine
Search for Star Trails.exe on Google. You will come across this
web link: http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html (Figure
1). Downloading the software is easy and it is free of cost.
wherever you go...

Available on PC... Mac... Tablet...
Figure 4
or any other handheld device!
The second school of thought advises you to take multiple frames,

as many as 100 or 150 or more, each time keeping the shutter
open for 20 30 seconds. I prefer the second method. This
doesnt allow the sensor to get heated up (to the same degree as
in the first case) and you get a relatively noise free image.
Figure 1
We will not discuss about the shooting sequence again here.

You can refer the September issue for a detailed description
on the same. Briefly, point the camera at a bright star and
focus. Keep ISO value approximately 400 600. Switch off
long exposure noise reduction. Keep shutter speed at
30 seconds. Aperture should be set to its widest (fully
open). Keep the shutter in a continuous shooting mode.
Press the firing button on the remote and lock it. The shutter
being in the continuous shooting mode, will remain open for
30 seconds and after every 30 seconds it will close and open
for the next 30-second exposure. Take approximately 120
frames. Shoot in JPEG.
Many of our readers had asked us to explain the process of
image stacking in detail and hence, here it is. Once you have
some hundred or more JPEG images, its time to stack them
up. There are various free software available on the internet.
One such is Star Trail.exe, which I use for processing my
images. It is fairly simple to operate. Browse and reach the
location where you have saved all the 100 plus frames. Open
all the images using the software and simply click on Create
Trails. It will stack all the images and will create a wonderful
star trail image for you. Apply the following steps and you will
be able to get wonderful star trail images:
80
Figure 5
Go down the page and click on Star Trails zip hyperlink to

download the zip file (Figure 2). Once you download it,
unzip the files and click on the Star Trails exe icon, select
language as English and install the software. It gets installed in
no time (Figure 3).
Figure 2
Figure 6
Go to the File tab in the menu, click Open, browse to the

folder where your images are saved, select all images and
click Open (Figure 4). You can now see all the selected
images on the left hand side panel of the software (Figure 5).
You can deselect a few images here if you think they might
spoil the final stacked image. Now click on the icon Start
Trails and wait for the stacking to happen. Your final Star Trail
image is ready (Figure 6).
Figure 3
Available on
www.zinio.com/TNBSUQIPUPHSBQIZ
Dr. Caesar Sengupta

81
Obviously, ensure that theres

a mid-point and a good
background to complete the
framing. By using this technique,
you will be able to create a
vast expanse between the foreground
element and the background; the
mountains in the background for example,
will look tiny and because they appear
tiny, our brain tells us that the mountains
are very far away. (See pic overleaf)
75
74
Lanscape Photography
Learning
Having crossed over 20 active years in commercial photography, Dilip Yande says his forte is Fashion and
Portrait photography. He believes variety is the spice of life, and to keep himself motivated he does a lot of
tabletop as well. For Dilip, names like Rembrandt, Renoir, Gauguin, Picasso, Turner, Monet are household
names because of his childhood that was spent in a lineage of fine arts. This fine art reflects in his work
because he feels that there is always a little bit of you in everything one does. Having shot for many
advertising agencies, juried a few competitions, mentored many workshops, and guided many photographers
in their formative years, for Dilip, photography is just another way to romance his first love art. He may be
contacted at dilipyande@gmail.com.
or
any a times it so happens,

that while going through the
images in a photography
exhibition, one stops at a particular
picture and thinks, this one looks like a
painting. The photograph could be a
landscape (with or without a human element), a portrait or a simple close-up
of the ripples on water. There may be
a couple of landscapes around but it is
just this picture that gives you a painting feel. Ask yourself why? You might
get many answers to this one question.
One should learn to analyze why it
appeared different- Does it have a
dreamy feel? Are the elements like
the trees, branches, rocks, clouds, and
the flying bird so perfect and in the
right place that it appears to be an
artists creation? Are the shadows very
soft? And does the human element in
the picture have a story to tell? It may
be very small in the frame but still, is it
overpowering the rest of the image by
making its presence felt in some way?
Or does this picture remind you of
some lines in a poem?
If you ponder over it, you may realise
that many paintings involve human
figures or elements (apart from
58
simple portraits) and have a story

to tell. It may be a frozen frame of a
sequence from someones life. It may
show a vendor selling a variety of
fruits in a rural market place; a soldier
in his war-time uniform sitting on a
wrought-iron bench and playing a
violin with a woman sitting next to
him, listening to his tunes; it could be
a mother holding her daughters hand
on a sea-shore, looking at a distant
ship while the sun is about to set;
or a man ploughing his farm with a
pair of oxen; or it could be a solitary
reaper binding or cutting the crop
in her open field. These sequences
have some kind of a past attached to
them along with a strong element of
the present.
Observation and analysis is very
important for all such artistic
photographs. The art market is
changing a lot and at the same time
demands of clients are changing
with time. Today the fine art market
is leaning towards what is termed as
affordable art and people do want
to buy photo-prints which look like
paintings or are artistic in some way.
This has given birth to a subject Fine
Art Photography.
?
Many people want to be
photographed in such a way that the
picture appears like a painting. In this
article let us see how to achieve this
through composition, lighting, styling,
colour scheme, post-production etc.
Before doing this I would suggest that
you go through and closely study the
works of internationally renowned
artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Russian
artist Ilya Repin, J H. Fragonard,
Johannes Vermeer, Ingres, Edgar Degas,
Pierre Auguste Renoir, Rembrandt,
and Indian grandmasters like Raja Ravi
Varma, M.R. Acharekar, S.L. Haldankar,
S.M. Pandit, Hemendranath Mazumdar
or contemporary realistic artists like
Shashikant Dhotre. Observe the
elements in their paintings the soft
skin-tones, the eye-soothing colour
schemes, the blending of images with
the backgrounds, the overall tones of
the paintings, or the gradation and falloff of light towards a darker value at the
ends or the corners of a painting.
Remember that achieving this
through lighting, composition and
clever post- production is what is
going to give the picture you shoot
a painting-like feel to it.
Learning
Giving a certain desired tone to a

picture like a warm tone or a bluish
tinge can be achieved with various
techniques like 1) Using a filter over
the lens. 2) Changing the white balance
setting of your camera by adjusting
from the menu (or custom white
balance). 3) Giving an overall tone
in post-production (the above three
options would change the entire tone
of a picture). 4) By layering the picture

in post-production and editing it or
by using thick filter sheets or gels over
the light sources. These filter sheets are
available with dealers who trade in cine
light equipments. With this technique
you can individually control the tone
of every light source separately. With
practice one can use all the four
techniques together to achieve the
desired result. One has to study

how the colours of the clothes or
drapes appear in the picture in that
particular light source or that kind
of lighting.
Following are some examples where
similar techniques were used artistically
to achieve a clever blend of art and
craft of photography
1) Pic 1- A cloth background which had the interior of a palace crudely painted on it was
used. The stylist draped the model as per the concept and she was cleverly accessorized. The
props and the pose was pre-decided. The model lay accordingly on a bed in a very relaxing
pose. The main source of light was a rotating strip light positioned on the left and turned to
a horizontal position. The strip light was partially covered with a warm filter sheet making the
source slightly warm. Too warm a source would make the bottle green shade of her drape
too dark. A source of light covered with blue gel was passed through a grid and positioned
to fall on the sari hanging at the back. Cutters were used to control the light.
Picture 1
59
Learning
2) Pic 2 A soft lighting was done for this

shot. Lights were positioned frontally at the
same time to highlight the contours of the
body. A soft light of higher intensity was
positioned from the back and made to fall on
the desired section of her body. A soft tone
was achieved during editing and filters in
post production.
Picture 2
3) Pic 3- The subject model was made to wear

a traditional nine yard sari, matching traditional
jewelry was used to accessorize her. A brass
jewelry box was used as a prop along with the
cushions and a very small soft box was used to
light her face from the right side. The light was
further controlled by using cutters. Another
light source was used through a grid to give a
small cut light on her legs in order to highlight
her toe ring.
Picture 3
60
Learning
4) Pic 4a - This girl with Indo-western features

was given this western outfit to wear. A single
soft box illuminated her face and the grey patchy
background was lit up by a soft spot, created by
using a grid and a warm gel over the light. This gave
the background a brown patchy feel. An ostrich
feather (used for writing in olden times) was used
as a prop in this picture. Her hairstyle was given a
Picture 4a
western look. The same model was given

a different get up (Pic 4b) and the picture
was styled using her own saris, shawls and
stoles.
Picture 4b
61
Learning
5) Pic 5- As I previously mentioned, every

painting has a story to tell. Keeping this in mind,
the model was made to enact this scene. The
image makes the viewer wonder what exactly
might have happened there. Easily available
props were used to stylize the shot and a sort of
vintage look was given to the picture so that it
resembles an old painting or a lithograph.
Picture 5
6) Pic 6- The portrait of this man was

shot against a patchy background. A
warm tone was given in post production
& various filters like brush strokes were
used to give the feel of an oil painting
to the picture. Such images, if printed
on a canvas with the use of todays
technology, would look very much like
actual oil paintings.
62
Picture 6

#+/./&.+))+/./.*/!!(&)+/. /#* (*)'/.$/.$)/!#+/#* (*)/. (&.$(#*/(/-%$ .*.+/%,-'

/'/,--%",-", (+)&$/,--%",-,%"-/$*'/,,////./,--%",--
'&.+))+.(+!#+&)'*(&'(*
Learning
Picture 7
7) Pic 7- A matt background was used in this picture and two models were
positioned in front of it wearing traditional Maharashtrian saris and jewellery. In the
villages people rejoice and celebrate when they have a good harvest. This was the
story of the picture. Once again a warm lighting was done by using a filter over the
light, this time covering the full soft box. The models were made to interact with each
other freely thus giving a very natural feel , care was taken with regards to detailing of
expressions and poses of the models. Their body language was further fine-tuned to
achieve a painting feel, thus rendering an artistic quality of the picture.
Remember that one is less likely to get bored looking at a realistic

painting. Hence the shelf-life of a photograph with an artistic feel is
always much more than a normal picture. Use the above techniques
and styles in shooting family portraits or happy interactions within a
family on festive seasons. Use easily available belongings from their
house like old frames, jewellery boxes, curtains, saris, flower pots etc.
I am sure your clients would be more than happy with your results.
64
Credit line for Pic 1 & 2- Courtesy

Sumangal Press Pvt Ltd (Kalnirnay).
Models- Pic 3- Neha Mandal, Pic 4a,b &
Pic5- Nayana Muke, , Pic 6- Sunil Pradhan,
Pic7- Ria Madhgut & Tanvi Malpekar,.
Photography- Dilip Yande.
Learning
Smart Photography has been continually receiving requests to start a basic course for beginners. With this in mind, we have asked
a very knowledgeable photographer from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to take over writing these articles. We have also requested
him to be as jargon-free as it is possible, so that newcomers to photography feel comfortable to pursue the hobby.
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 kashokk@gmail.com
Let There be Light

The word Photography was coined
Picture 1
Picture 2
by joining two terms - photo (meaning
light) and graph (to draw). This by
itself shows the importance of light in
photography. Light has a major influence
on the overall quality of photograph.
This is not confined just to setting the
right exposure but also involves using
light creatively to give a photograph the
needed aesthetics.
Light has three main characteristics.
Each of these has to be understood
and exploited by you to give the right
Picture 2: A large soft box 60 X 60 cm was used with
Picture 1: Here the light source was smaller than
the same light source. This diffused the light
impact to the image. These are the subject. Note the hard shadows and also the
considerably, resulting in softer shadows.
uneven lighting.
1. Quality
2. Direction
3. Colour
Let us look at these in more detail and see using examples,
Hard light sources also sometimes result in high contrast
how they affect an image. I have opted to use the same
scenes. These need to be handled carefully since the
subject in most of the examples so that there is consistency
brightness range of such scenes can exceed the dynamic
in approach. This will help you to make out the differences
range of your camera. These could result in blocked shadows
easily.
or blown out highlights or sometimes even both. See
the article Exposure Exposed in Smart Photography,
Quality: The quality of light is generally defined in terms
September 2013 issue for an exhaustive treatment of the
of the type of shadows it produces. Hard inky shadows are
subject.
characteristic of light from a small source (Picture 1). Hard
shadows generally compete with the subject by mimicking
Soft shadows (Picture 2) are a result of diffused light
the shape and are undesirable unless you are using them for sources. These generally give a more pleasing look and are
an artistic purpose.
considered to be of higher quality. The quality of the light
66
largely depends on the relative size of the

light source. Note the word relative since
it is important. We consider a light source to
be relatively large when it is physically bigger
than the subject it is illuminating and also
when it is very close to the subject. Such large
sources give softer shadows.
Picture 3
Picture 3: A front lit

subject. The subject is very
evenly lit and hence is flat.
Picture 4
Picture 4: Light is right

above the subject at 12 O
Clock position.
You would have taken more photographs

using sun as a light source than any other. The
sun is also larger than any other light source
but on a clear day it is still a point light source
producing very hard shadows due to its great
distance. On the other hand, a cloudy day
produces softer shadows since the clouds act
as a giant diffuser.
A foggy day also produces diffused light. If
you are using artificial lights, several devices
like umbrellas and soft boxes are available to
diffuse the light. While it is a matter of taste,
highly diffused light can cause flat images,
since most of the drama is lost without
shadows. Colours are muted. No texture is
revealed and form is not emphasized.
Direction: The direction at which the light
strikes the subject has a great bearing on the
ultimate result. As you can expect, light can
strike the subject from any direction (angle).
While it is impossible to describe how the
effect will be at every angle of light, it is
possible to show with suitable examples a few
important ones and their effect. So, read on!
Front Lighting (light source is behind
the photographer): You might have often
heard this advice- especially when you were
a beginner in photography keep the sun
behind you. Well, this is what front lighting
means. Unfortunately, it is the most mundane
type of lighting. Since it is directly in front,
shadows fall behind the subject (Picture 3).
Without light and shade there is no modeling
(that is no three dimensional effect). Hence,
the scene will look flat like a card board cutout without any depth. The only
advantage you will get is that the scene will be uniformly lit and hence it is
easy to set the exposure.
12 Oclock or high noon lighting (source is directly above): Here the
light is right above the subject like sun at noon time (Picture 4). This is one
of the worst types of lighting and you must avoid it. If used for portraits it
causes dark patches in the eye sockets of the subject due to the shadow of
the brow. You will also find a dark area under the chin. Overhead lighting is
equally unsuitable for landscapes too.
Side lighting (source is to the side perpendicular to the lens axis):
This type of lighting causes dramatic shadows and brings out texture. As the
67
Learning
Picture 5
Picture 6
Picture 5: A side lit subject.
height of the light source

comes down (like a sunset)
shadows lengthen and a
more dramatic effect is
produced (Pictures 5 and 6).
These shadows create great
depth and due to this the
form of the subject is also
very well defined. In nature,
this type of light is present
during early hours and late
afternoons and is ideal for
landscape photography.
Added to the direction,
the light at this time gets a
warm glow. No wonder early
mornings and late evenings
are called the Golden Hours
of photography!
Backlighting (light source
in front of photographer):
This lighting produces
extreme contrast and you
need to be careful as the
brightness range can exceed
the dynamic range of your
camera, causing blocked
shadows or blown out
68
Picture 6: A side lit scene. Note the long shadows and the texture on the rocks.
Picture 7: A back lit scene. Note the silhouette effect.

By now, you can recognize this outline very easily!
Picture 7
highlights or both. If the light source

is bright and if the subject is not fully
covering it, then a silhouette may be
formed (Pictures 7 and 8). That is, the
subject will be recorded as a black area
without any detail. Only the shape,
that is the outline, will be visible. This
Picture 8: One more example of showing silhouettes.

Picture 8
lighting is not used very frequently. However,

silhouettes do work well if the form of the
subject is well known. For example, even if
you are shown only the outline of Taj Mahal
you will still recognize it. Same is the case
with famous personalities.
A variation of backlight is when the subject
covers the light source. In this case the edges
of the subject are lit and this is called rim
lighting. A common example of this is when
the sun is behind clouds making the edges of
the clouds glow. This can produce some nice
effects (Picture 9). It is especially effective if
subject has nice curves (Picture 10).
Picture 9
Picture 9: A rim lit subject.
Picture 10: A rim lit car. The

beautiful curvy lines of the car
are accentuated because of
the rim light.
Picture 10
Colour: Every light source is associated with

a characteristic called Colour Temperature.
This is measured in Kelvins (abbreviated as K).
If you take a body (you really need to take
a theoretical black body, but dont worry
about the physics for now) and heat it, then
this body starts emitting light of different
colors. The temperature of this heated body
at which the colour of the light emitted by
it matches that of a light source is called the
colour temperature of the light source.
Take this example. If the black body is giving out
reddish light when it is heated to 3000 K, and if
there is a light source giving out light of this same
colour, then we say the colour temperature of
the light source is 3000 K. Simple, isnt it?
In photography, it is common to use the
term warm for reddish tones and cool
for bluish tones. However, bluish light has
a higher colour temperature and reddish
light has a lower temperature. You might
want to blame the physicists for this counter
intuitive logic but it is really quite meaningful.
Consider candle light, which is quite reddish.
You will agree that it has a much lower temperature than your gas stove flame
which is bluish in color. So, there is some logic behind this after all!
Cloudy days and open shade have a higher colour temperature: that is,
they are more bluish photographically cooler. On the other hand light
gets warmer in colour (orange and reddish) during early mornings and late
evenings and has a more dramatic effect.
The following table gives the different light sources and their corresponding
colour temperatures.
69
Picture 11
Picture 12
Picture 11: Image with correct WB setting.
Color Temperature Table

Type of Light Source
Color Temperature in
Kelvins (K)
Candle Light
1800
Incandescent (also called tungsten)
3000
Warm-white fluorescent
3000
Cool-white fluorescent
4200
Day-white fluorescent
5000
Direct sunlight
5200
Flash
5400
Cloudy
6000
Daylight and (Compact Florescent) CFL
6500
Shade
8000
70
Picture 12: Here the light source (a CFL) has a colour

temperature of 6500K but the WB was set to 3000K
(incandescent). So, the camera was expecting a reddish coloured
light and to compensate that, gave a blue tint to the image.
However, the light source being a CFL did not have the reddish
colour to get compensated (or neutralized) with blue tint. The result
is an image with a blue cast.
One doubt that might come to you is, if

every light has some colour, why dont
we see it most of the time? The reason is
this. Human eye is very sophisticated and
can compensate for a wide variety of light
sources having different colour temperatures.
Hence, what we see is without any colour
cast (tint). However, your camera is not
so sophisticated. You need to tell your
camera the colour temperature of the light
source. This is called white balancing (WB).
Picture 13: A sunrise captured without correcting for the colour cast.
Picture 13
Picture 14: Sunset with the correct White Balance. In this case a technically correct WB robs the
picture of its mood.
All text, diagrams and images Ashok Kandimalla.
Picture 14
Essentially WB is an input to the on board

computer of the camera and is used by the
camera when processing the image into
a JPEG file to correctly render the colors
without any color cast (Picture 11). If there is
a mismatch between the colour temperature
of the light source and the WB setting, it will
result in a colour cast (Picture 12).
Now comes the important question. Is it
always bad to have a colour cast? Definitely
most of the time unwanted colour casts
are bad but for artistic purposes they are
sometimes desirable. Examples of these
situations are sunrises and sunsets where
the reddish hues enhance beauty of a
photograph. If you correct the colour cast
in these cases you will get an image that will
simply not reflect the mood of that time.
Picture 13 shows how a sunrise would appear
without correcting the colour cast and Picture
14 shows how it will look with colour cast
corrected. While the latter has technically
correct colour it is visually a lot less attractive.
CONCLUSION
Tip: If you want to capture any scene without the camera applying any
correction (like the warm colours of a sunset or a sunrise) use Direct
sunlight or Daylight WB setting of your camera. This is the only setting
for which the camera does not do any colour correction and will capture
the colours as it is. If you use Auto WB there is a tendency for the
camera to neutralize these colours and produce an image that is devoid
of these rich warm hues in a sunrise or sunset!
Even at the expense of being repetitive,

let me once again reiterate that light plays
a very important role in photography.
Understanding the three properties, viz.,
the quality, direction and colour of the
light and using these properties to get the
best out of a given situation is a must for
any photographer. Now, before you take
a photograph, spend a few minutes and
analyze the light first. Then, make sure you
use it to your advantage.
71
Magazine Advertising
THE POWER OF
MAGAZINES!
1. No need to switch on.
2. Not dependent on electricity or

batteries.
3. A purchase of a magazine costing
`.100 or `.125 indicates a commitment, a
positive desire to read it from cover to
cover.
4. Production values of magazines
are about the best you can get in print.
5. The shelf life of most magazines is
a month and not just a few minutes in the
morning.
6. Magazines are read when you are at
leisure. Therefore, a lot more is ingested
and imbibed. With magazines, therefore,
advertising works and makes an impression.
7. For special interests, magazines
are the best source. With competent
writers and researched articles,

magazine content has far more credibility
than any other source. Magazines are
more engaging.
8. Special interest magazines are read

by avid enthusiasts; they are opinion
makers who create a ripple effect by
influencing others.
9. Most magazines offer their
content to the reader in a medium of their
choice, whether paper or digital.
10. Magazines can be shared
Consequently, more persons can read
a single magazine.
11. Globally, 7.3% of the total
advertising spend is spent on
magazines. In India, the magazine
revolution started only after 2005 and the
share is 2%.
actually works!
Learning
Landscape
Photography
T
he word landscape covers

land (mountains, rocks plain
ground etc), water bodies
(seas, rivers, lakes, ponds), trees/vegetation, human beings (as long as they
are not the primary elements in the
picture), man-made structures (again,
as long as they are not the primary
elements in the picture), land with
skies etc. So could a cityscape be considered as landscape? Can the sea be
considered as landscape? Or should
we call that sea-scape? In my opinion,
a picture showing a vast expanse of
the sea should be called a landscape.
If you have a picture showing a city,
say from a high viewpoint, it too
could be considered as a landscape.
(The important thing is to enjoy your
photography rather than getting into a
debate!)
So, how will you go about creating
your landscape? What are the lenses
that you will use? Where will you
focus? How deep or how shallow will
your depth of field be? Our photos
are 2-dimensional they have only
width and height, but when we see
with our eyes, we see in 3-dimensions
width, height and depth. So how will
be create the illusion of depth on a
two-dimensional paper? What about
74
the lighting? From where should the

light come from the front, from the
sides or should our scene be backlit?
And where should you consider
placing the horizon dividing the
picture in two equal or almost equal
parts, or
should you
follow the rule
of the thirds?
And finally,
how will you
meter the
scene?
Light
Lets first
start with the
lighting. In my
opinion, the
lighting on the
scene plays
an extremely
important part
in creating
your work of
art. Medium
Medium strength
angular/side
lighting brings out
texture and fine details.
strength angular/side light that is

neither too soft nor too harsh, is the
best to bring out fine texture and
create some exciting forms and shapes.
Such light is usually found during early
morning and late evenings (often
Learning
an approaching storm can

create a very dramatic
impact on your picture.
What about top-lighting?
Top-lighting is flat-lighting
and should be avoided as far
as possible.
Lenses
When thinking of landscapes,
most photographers reach
for wide-angle lenses.
Wide-angle lenses, with their
greater inherent depth of
field, can make landscapes
appear sharp from front
to back. But this shouldnt
stop you from trying out
a normal 50mm (35mm
format equivalent) or a
telephoto lens.
Frontal lighting creates flat pictures
All images need to have

a focal point. When using
wide-angle lenses, try going
close to an element (a bunch
of flowers, a rock, a tree
stump, etc) and use this
element as your focal point
to create the start for the
visual depth in your picture.
Back lighting creates silhouettes
called golden hour). Frontal light, can

evenly illuminate the scene and get
you the most saturated colours, but
the lighting is flat. Back-light can create
dramatic silhouettes and can make
tree leaves, grass and flowers glow,

especially against darker backdrops
(but back-light can dramatically
reduce the saturation of colours).
The kind of light that you see before
Obviously, ensure that theres

a mid-point and a good
background to complete the
framing. By using this technique,
you will be able to create a
vast expanse between the foreground
element and the background; the
mountains in the background for example,
will look tiny and because they appear
tiny, our brain tells us that the mountains
are very far away. (See pic overleaf)
75
Learning
seem much closer, thus compressing

the view.
Aperture
Narrow apertures like f/11 and f/16
will increase your zone of sharpness
(keep everything sharp from front to
rear) and thus create a better sense of
depth. Do remember also that very
narrow apertures (like f/16, f22 and
f/32) create diffraction of light that can
cause some softness in the picture. You
have to decide whether you need such
extended DOF or settle for a medium
DOF.
By using a wide-angle lens close to foreground objects, we create a vast expanse between the foreground and the
background. Notice how the mountains in the background appear small
Tip: If your picture isnt going to be

too large (say, you want it to be 8x12
inches or smaller), then you may ignore
the the disadvantages of using very
narrow apertures.
This also does not mean that every
landscape picture has to have great
depth of field. The choice is entirely
yours. Great landscapes can also be
created with very limited depth of field.
Where will you focus?
Telephoto lenses compress distances. Notice how the mountains in the background appear large
The opposite effect can be created

when using telephoto lenses. In this
case it is necessary to back off from
the element that you are using as your
76
focal point. Telephoto lenses seem to

compress distances. The mountains in
the background for example, will now
be much larger in our frame and hence
When shooting landscapes, most

photographers tend to focus at infinity.
This is not a good practice. When you
focus at infinity, the areas closer to the
camera are not as sharp as those areas
farther away. It is a better idea to focus
roughly one-third of the way into the
scene, and use an aperture like f/8 or
f/11. This will maximize the depth of
field.
Lead the viewers eye in to the

frame
A pathway, or any leading line that can
Learning
lead the viewers eye into the frame,

should be considered for a better
impact.
Placing the Horizon

Many landscape photographers place
the horizon passing through the center
of the frame. This tends to divide the
picture into two equal (or almost equal)
parts and also divide the viewers
attention. If there is drama in the sky
(good colours, clouds etc), keep twothird for the sky and one-third for the
foreground; if the foreground is more
important, keep two-third for the
foreground and one-third for the sky.
(See pictures overleaf)
Focus one-third of the way into the scene (as shown by the red line) and use a narrow aperture, like f/11 or f/16 to
gain depth of field
Keep in mind too that if the subject is

a water body, the horizon cannot be
tilted.
Think before you shoot

Ideally, you should be able to previsualise the final picture in your
minds eye. Most photographers walk
up (or drive down) to a scenic spot,
take out the camera from the gadget
bag (with whatever lens is on the
camera body), dont bother to check
the ISO sensitivity, set
the camera to Program mode,
frame the subject (and that too at
eye-level!) and press the shutter
release, feel happy that they have
captured the picture. This is of
course not the best way to go
about it.
The rows of flowers leads the eye into the picture
What should you do?

1. Decide the camera position.
To do so, walk around the scene,
consider different viewpoints (from
77
Learning
The horizon line should not devide the picture into two equal halves. If the foreground is more important, keep two-thirds for it and one-third for the sky. If the sky is more important,
keep two-thirds for the sky and one-third for the foreground
the top of a nearby hillock, or a

very low-angle shot, for example).
If possible, avoid eye-level shots
(everyone shoots at eye-level. Your
pictures have to be different). Check
the lighting direction and light quality.
When satisfied...
2. Decide on the focal length.
Re-read the hints mentioned above
(Lenses).
3. Set your camera on a firm
tripod. I can see some readers
protesting. Why should I use a
tripod?; the light is good enough; my
hands are steady; I am using image
stabilizer etc. Well, thats your call. My
intent is to tell you what I think is right.
Frame the subject. Set your camera
to the shooting mode of your choice.
Lets say you are using Aperture
Priority. Set the optimum aperture for
the lens you are using. Lock up the
mirror if your camera has that facility.
If you have a wireless remote, use it to
trigger the shutter release button.
78
Why should I use a tripod if the light

is good?
A tripod will allow you to use the
optimum aperture at the base ISO
sensitivity for the best image quality.
It will ensure that there is no camera
movement during exposure. It will
allow you to frame accurately.
Light
falling on
the subject is read
by the white
hemisphere. Since
the meter does
not read the
brightness of the
background, it can
not be fooled. The
meter should face
the camera when
taking the reading.
Note: If you can weigh down your

tripod using your camera bag, it will
offer better stability.
Why should I lock up the mirror?

The flapping of the mirror
can cause minute vibrations
that can rob you of the
best image quality that
your lens can offer. Locking
the mirror (if that facility is
available) can add to the
image sharpness.
Why should I use a
wireless remote when I
am using a tripod?
The act of pressing the
A camera meter reading of a Kodak 18% gray card

provides the same reading as that from an incident
light meter
Learning
Circular Polarizer
shutter release button can cause

some shake. The idea is to create the
sharpest picture possible. If you do
not have a wireless remote and you
cannot lock up the reflex mirror in
your D-SLR, then use your self-timer.
Set it to 3 or 5 second delay and
then press the shutter release. Once
activated, do not touch the camera or
the tripod till the exposure is over.
How should I meter the scene?

1. The ideal method is to use an
incident light meter. This type of
meter reads the amount of light falling
on the scene and cannot be fooled
by the brightness or darkness of the
background.
2. If you do not possess an incident
light meter, then take your exposure
meter reading using an 18% grey
card. Hold the grey card in the same
light as the subject, and meter the
grey card using your camera meter.
Meter only the grey card; avoid
the background. The lens need not
be focussed for the meter reading.
Ensure that your shadow or the
cameras shadow does not fall on the
grey card or the metering will go
wrong.
Graduated ND filter
3. Check the correctness of your

metering by checking the histogram.
Ideally, the histogram should not
touch the ends. If that happens, take
another shot with reduced exposure
and re-check.
4. If your camera shows you the
blinkies (overexposure warning by
the blinking on the LCD screen), use
the feature. It is very useful.
5. If you simply wish to use one of the
cameras built-in in exposure meters, make
sure you know what each type does and
how to apply the needed corrections. It is
best to read a mid-tone area.
Neutral Density (ND) filter
filter will let you take pictures with

very long shutter speeds, causing
flowing water to record soft and
fluffy. A suitable G-ND filter will
help you to even out the exposure
difference between a bright sky and
a darker foreground (it is possible
to create this effect in Photoshop,
but sometimes, using the G-ND
filter is easier and saves lot of time
during post-processing).
And finally...
And finally, dont put up your

camera just because the weather
turns inclement. Excellent
landscapes can be captured even
during thunderstorms or the rainy
Important filters for the digital season. The biggest enemy of the
landscape photographer is the
landscape photographer
in-built laziness. Dont think of
The use of filters has diminished in
comforts. Dont think of getting up
the digital age because many filter
late; dont think of returning home
effects can be created in an image
until late after sunset. Dont avoid
editing program like Photoshop.
carrying your tripod the sky often
However, it is not (yet) possible to
comes up with excellent lighting
create the effect of using a Polarizing
and colours about 20 minutes after
filter. Hence consider the (Circular)
the sun goes below the horizon.
Polarizer as a must-have.
Without your tripod, you dont
Also have a Neutral Density (ND) filter stand much chance of getting shakefree pictures.
and a Graduated Neutral Density
(G-ND) filter with you. A suitable ND
Rohinton Mehta
79
Learning

In the September 2013 issue, I had discussed about the
techniques of shooting star trails in detail. I mentioned that
there are two different methods to do star trail photography.
One school of thought says, on a starry night, after mounting
the camera on a very sturdy tripod, you should keep the
shutter open for almost an hour in Bulb mode so that
the stars create a trail as the earth rotates on its own axis.
However, in this method the sensor gets heated up and you
may get a lot of noise in the final outcome.
Search for Star Trails.exe on Google. You will come across this
web link: http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html (Figure
1). Downloading the software is easy and it is free of cost.
The second school of thought advises you to take multiple frames,

as many as 100 or 150 or more, each time keeping the shutter
open for 20 30 seconds. I prefer the second method. This
doesnt allow the sensor to get heated up (to the same degree as
in the first case) and you get a relatively noise free image.
Figure 1
We will not discuss about the shooting sequence again here.

You can refer the September issue for a detailed description
on the same. Briefly, point the camera at a bright star and
focus. Keep ISO value approximately 400 600. Switch off
long exposure noise reduction. Keep shutter speed at
30 seconds. Aperture should be set to its widest (fully
open). Keep the shutter in a continuous shooting mode.
Press the firing button on the remote and lock it. The shutter
being in the continuous shooting mode, will remain open for
30 seconds and after every 30 seconds it will close and open
for the next 30-second exposure. Take approximately 120
frames. Shoot in JPEG.
Many of our readers had asked us to explain the process of
image stacking in detail and hence, here it is. Once you have
some hundred or more JPEG images, its time to stack them
up. There are various free software available on the internet.
One such is Star Trail.exe, which I use for processing my
images. It is fairly simple to operate. Browse and reach the
location where you have saved all the 100 plus frames. Open
all the images using the software and simply click on Create
Trails. It will stack all the images and will create a wonderful
star trail image for you. Apply the following steps and you will
be able to get wonderful star trail images:
80
Go down the page and click on Star Trails zip hyperlink to

download the zip file (Figure 2). Once you download it,
unzip the files and click on the Star Trails exe icon, select
language as English and install the software. It gets installed in
no time (Figure 3).
Figure 2
Figure 3
Learning
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wherever you go...

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or any other handheld device!

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Figure 6
Go to the File tab in the menu, click Open, browse to the

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You can deselect a few images here if you think they might
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Reviews
84 94
117 102
106 110
113
D-SLR Review
Nikon D610
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
Compact Review
Nikon P7800
D-SLR Review
Olympus OM-D EM1
Smartphone Review
Sony Xperia Z1
Lens Review
Software Review
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
LENSES
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/Viewfinder.....................................(out of 5)
Auto White Balance...........................(out of 5)
Performance
Autofocus ....................................................(out of 5)
Sharpness.....................................................(out of 5)
Distortion control .................................(out of 5)
Aberrations ................................................(out of 5)
Darkening of corners.........................(out of 5)
Extra Features............................................(out of 5)
Performance
Autofocus ....................................................(out of 5)
Metering ......................................................(out of 5)
Noise control ...........................................(out of 5)
Distortion/Sharpness..........................(out of 5)
LCD/Viewfinder.....................................(out of 5)
Auto White Balance...........................(out of 5)
Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)
Value for Money ................................. (out of 10)
Value for Money ....................... (out of 10)
Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)
Grand Total ......................................... (out of 100)
Grand Total ............................... (out of 100)
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
Retro Design
78.5%
Rs. 199,950
Inside the Box

Camera body
BS-1 accessory shoe cover
zBF-1B body cap
zEN-EL14a Li-ion battery
zMH-24 battery charger
zDK-26 eyepiece capabilityAN-DC9 strap
zString for eyepiece cap
zUC-E6 USB cable
zView NX2 CD
zUser Manual
zWarranty card
z
z
84
ts a funny world! One would imagine

that in this day and age, everyone
wants everything to be modern
incorporating the latest, sleek,
aerodynamic, futuristic, artistic design.
Well, not everyone! There are those
who love the old stuff . And for such
photographers, Nikon has obliged by
producing a fusion (hence the f in
Df ) of the old and the new the Nikon
Df. Looking somewhat like a Nikon FM2
and FE, the Df is a mix of old charm and
new technology!
So whats so great about this old timer
masquerading in a new avatar? Well for
one, it uses the same tried, tested and
loved imaging sensor used in the pro
model the D4!
Design and Build Quality

As indicated above, the Nikon Df is
designed to look old-fashioned (retro).
The body, made with magnesium alloy,
appears reasonably strong yet lightweight
at 765 g with battery and memory card.
(I say reasonably strong because we
have seen better build quality on many
other Nikons). The ISO dial, exposure
compensation dial and the shutter
speed dial have a release-lock to prevent
accidental changes. There is even a thread
to attach a cable release, something that
most young-generation photographers
may have never seen before! The
memory card on the Df resides in the
battery compartment, which has a welldesigned cover and latch. The Df can use
almost any Nikon F-mount lens and the
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
body is available in two versions,

silver with black, and all black.
Aperture:f/5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/30sec. ISO:1600
Key Features
The Nikon Df is a 16.2 megapixel
D-SLR using the same image sensor
and the Expeed 3 image processor
found in the D4, Nikons top-ofthe-line professional camera. This
combination, along with its extended
ISO sensitivity (100-12,800,
but expandable up to ISO 50
equivalence at the low end and up
to ISO 204,800 equivalence at the
higher end) allows you to shoot in as
low a light as you might dare, without
unduly worrying about digital
noise raising its ugly head. Its autofocus
system employs 39 AF points with 9 highly
accurate cross-type sensors that lets you
autofocus all the way down up to f/8. And
it lets you do that at up to 5.5 frames per
second.
Nikon manufacture some of the finest
optics available and photographers are still
using Nikon lenses which are over 30 years
old! Hence the Df is designed to work with
(almost) all those lenses: AF-S, AF-D and
AF Nikkor lenses. In addition, a tiny meter
coupling lever (on the left of the body)
makes it possible to use AI (Aperture
Index) as well as non-AI lenses.
Lift and rotate the exposure mode dial
(on the cameras right) to select between
Program (P) with Program Shift, Aperture
Priority (A), Shutter Priority (S) and Manual
(M) exposure modes. For long exposures
in Manual mode, the shutter speed can be
set to Bulb (B) or Time (T). In P mode, the
camera automatically adjusts the aperture
Shadows have been opened up in Photoshop. In spite of ISO being 1600, noise is well under control.
as well as the shutter speed. To use the S

mode, press the shutter speed lock release
(on the shutter speed dial) and select the
required shutter speed. The camera will
automatically set the required aperture.
To select an aperture in A mode, turn the
sub-command dial on the camera front. In
M mode, you select the aperture with the
sub-command dial and the shutter speed
with the shutter speed dial. Bracketing of
exposure, flash level, Active D-Lighting and
White Balance is possible on the Df.
Various image quality settings are available

with the Df: NEF (Raw), TIFF (RGB), JPEG
Fine, JPEG Normal, JPEG Basic, Raw + JPEG
Fine/Normal/Basic. Image quality can be
set through the Menu or by pressing the
QUAL (Quality) button and rotating the
main command dial until the required
setting is displayed in the information
display. NEF files can be recorded in 12-bit
or 14-bit and can be lossless compressed,
compressed or uncompressed.
The Df offers several release modes: Single

frame (S), Continuous low (CL), Continuous
high (CH), Quiet shutter release (Q), Selftimer and Mirror Up (Mup). The user can
choose between FX (36 x 24) format or
DX (24 x 16). When using the DX format,
the equivalent focal length is 1.5x the lens
used. Auto DX Crop is also available that
automatically selects a DX crop when a DX
lens is attached. The maximum image size
in pixels when using FX is 4928 x 3280 and
3200 x 2128 when using DX.
To autofocus, the Df uses Nikons MultiCAM 4800 autofocus sensor module with
TTL phase detection with a detection
range from -1 to 19 EV (ISO 100, 20
degrees C). AF modes available are AF-S
(Single-servo AF) for stationary subjects
and AF-C (Continuous -servo AF) for
moving subjects. AF can be activated either
by half-pressing the shutter release button
or by pressing the AF-ON button on the
camera back. You can, using a custom
function, disengage autofocusing from
85
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
Noise at 100%
etail
D
Sharpness &
Aperture: f/11.0
Shutter Speed:
1/13sec. ISO:10
JPEG Compression
JPEG, Fine Quality,

100% (6.6 MB)
JPEG, Standard Quality,

100% (4.1 MB)
the shutter release button and allow only

the AF-ON button to autofocus. In AF-C
mode, the camera will initiate predictive
focus tracking if the subject moves toward
or away from the camera while the shutter
release button is half-pressed.
The user can also select Single-point AF,
Dynamic-area AF (9, 21 or 39-point), 3D
-tracking or Auto-area AF. Single-point
AF is best used with stationary subjects;
the camera will focus on the subject in the
selected focus point only. In Dynamic-area
AF, the camera will focus based on the
information from the surrounding focus
points if the subject briefly leaves the
selected point. 9-point Dynamic-area AF is
86
button and the actual opening

of the shutter, a fast-moving
subject may not stay in critical
focus. By analysing the subjects
movement, direction and
speed, the system pre-focuses
at a point where the subject is
likely to be at the point of actual
ISO:100
ISO:H4
exposure). If the subject should
leave the viewfinder, you need
to lift your finger off the shutter
Colour Accu
release button, re-compose
racy
with the subject in the selected
focus point and then proceed
to take the shot. In Auto-area
AF, the camera automatically
detects the subject and focuses
on it. If you use a type G, E,
or D lens, the camera will also
detect human faces. In Live View
shooting, the Nikon Df uses its
Colour checker
fast contrast-detect AF, (similar
shot using Auto
White Balance
in daylight. Auto
Levels applied.
to that in the D4). It can display
the composition at up to 19x for
accurate focus confirmation
perfect
for
tripod shooting.
recommended for subjects that are moving
predictably; 21-point Dynamic-area AF is
recommended for subjects that are moving Besides offering a very wide range of ISO
sensitivity as mentioned earlier, the Df also
unpredictably; use the 39-point Dynamic
AF-area for subjects that are moving quickly provides Auto ISO. The user has a control
over the maximum sensitivity, minimum
(like birds in flight) and cannot be easily
shutter speed, and if Auto is selected, the
framed in the viewfinder. In 3D-tracking,
camera will choose the minimum shutter
the system uses colour information within
speed based on the focal length of the
the point of focus to track the subject.
lens. Note that the minimum value for
The camera automatically shifts the focus
point to follow a moving subject (using the Auto ISO sensitivity is automatically set to
ISO 100. Exposures can be set using the
2,016-pixel RGB sensor) but at the same
Matrix, Center-weighted or Spot metering.
time uses what is called Predictive Focus
When using Matrix metering, the camera
Tracking that forecasts the position of the
sets the exposure according to the tone
moving subject when the actual exposure
distribution, colour, and composition.
takes place (Because of the short time-lag
between the pressing of the shutter release Further, if type G, E, or D lenses are used,
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
(also available on other Nikon D-SLRs) are

Active D-Lighting, HDR imaging, Multiple
Exposure, and Interval Timer. Active
D-Lighting is very useful in preserving
details in highlights as well as in shadows in
high contrast lighting. (You could also use
D-Lighting, not Active D-Lighting in the
Retouch menu for a similar effect. Active
D-lighting is used when taking the shot;
D-lighting is used after the fact). HDR allows
you to combine two different exposures
(one measuring the highlights and the
other measuring the shadows) to create
images with adequate detail in highlights as
Shutter speeds on the Nikon Df range
from 4 seconds 1/4000sec, plus Bulb (B), well as shadows during contrasty lighting.
Time (T) and X-sync at 1/200 sec (X). The Unfortunately, the Df uses only JPEG files
to create HDR images. Multiple exposure
shutter speed dial has a position marked
allows you to record a series of 2 to 10
1/3 STEP. When set to this position,
exposures on the same frame for creative
shutter speeds (in S and M exposure
effects. Interval Timer lets you automatically
modes) can be adjusted in increments of
1/3 EV by rotating the main command dial. take shots at pre-set intervals.
The shutter is tested for 150,000 cycles.
White Balance ensures colour accuracy in Live View shooting on the Df offers a
magnified view which is very useful for
spite of the illumination being coloured.
The Df offers the following White balance: critical (manual) focus. The supplied lens
is a Special Edition AF-S Nikkor 50mm
Auto (works between 3500-8000K),
Incandescent, Fluorescent (7 types), Direct f/1.8G. It has 7 elements in 6 groups,
including 1 aspherical lens element. It uses
sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Choose
a 7-blade rounded diaphragm and has
colour temperature, and Preset manual.
a minimum focussing distance of 0.45 m
WB can be fine-tuned. As with other
(18-inches). Filter diameter is 58 mm and
Nikon models, the Df too offers Picture
the lens weighs approximately 190 g. I
Control to personalize the look of your
images. The Picture Controls are: Standard, am unaware as to why it is called Special
Edition.
Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait
and Landscape. Each Picture Control can
An accessory shoe is available on the DF
be fine-tuned (customised) in terms of
sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation, but there is no built-in flash, though the
camera supports Nikons Creative Lighting
hue, filter effects and toning. It is possible
to share the customised Picture Controls in System. Compatible flash units are: SB-910,
900, 800, 700, 600, 400, 300 and SB-R200.
another DF model.
Flash compensation (-3 EV to +1 EV) is
possible. The following Nikon flash units
Some very important features on the DF
the lens-to-subject distance information
is also fed to the metering system for
additional metering accuracy. In Centerweighted metering, the camera meters the
entire frame but places greater emphasis
in the center of the frame (the centerweighted area can be selected if a CPU
lens is used). In Spot metering, the camera
meters a circle of 4 mm at the center of
the frame (approx. 1.5% of the frame).
Exposures can be compensated if needed
(+/- 3 EV in 1/3 EV steps).
can be used in non-TTL auto and manual

modes: SB-80DX, 28-DX, 28, 26, 25, 24,
50Dx, 30, 27, 22S, 22, 20, 16-B, 15, 23,
21B and 29S. (Please note that some of
these offer only limited features). Studio
flash can also be used (Note that Nikon
recommends studio flash having lowtrigger-voltage only under 6 volts).
The camera is powered by a rechargeable
Li-ion battery (EN-EL14a). Camera
dimensions are 143.5 (W) x 110 (H) x 66.5
mm (D).
Ergonomics
The ergonomics of Nikon cameras in
general leave very little to be desired. The
same cannot be said of the Df. In trying to
make the body retro, some user comforts
have been compromised. Lets start with
the on/off rotary switch. Would it be asking
for too much to have a tiny projection on
the switch whereby you could operate
the switch using just the index finger? As it
stands, you have to hold the camera in one
hand and use the other hand to operate
the switch. The hand-grip is okay but not
as deep as on some other Nikons, making
it less comfortable to hold. The exposure
mode dial is too fiddly and rather clumsy
to operate. The sub-command dial in the
front could have been a bit deeper for
easy operation. Try adjusting the ISO or
the exposure compensation dial in the
dark. The LCD monitor on Nikon D-SLRs
were always protected from scratches with
a plastic cover. Thats been taken off (as
it is on the D7100). The memory card is
nestled within the battery compartment,
and if you are using the camera on a tripod,
depending on the size of the camera
plate, it may be necessary to take off the
87
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
Queens Necklace photographed with the 50mm supplied lens.
What appears to be lens flare is actually atmospheric pollution, which is seen more against
bright lights. Noise is hardly visible in the original capture but may be seen here due to the
enlargement after a heavy crop.
camera from the tripod to replace the

memory card. Yes Nikon, I am aware that
you wanted to create a small and retro
body, but should you have disregarded
user comfort and that too on a camera that
costs Rs.199,950?
Performance
The Df with the 50mm f/1.8 Special
Edition lens autofocused like a dream
quick, quiet and smooth. Every button
felt positive. All three metering Matrix,
Center-weighted and Spot worked
to our full satisfaction. Control over
digital noise was outstanding. We could
shoot in low light at ISO 3200 without
88
worrying about noise. Images were

sharp and punchy right out of the box.
Unbelievable details could be extracted
out of the Raw files (Adobe Camera
Raw that comes with Photoshop cannot
open the Raw files yet but Nikon supplies
View NX2 software that does the job).
The LCD and the viewfinder are of high
quality. White Balance performance was
very good though under incandescent
light of varying wattages, we did notice
slight colour cast (as we have always
maintained, it is a nightmare for any
camera to provide 100% accurate colours
in mixed lighting). The Dfs image quality
was just superb; after all it uses the same
sensor and image processor thats used

in the D4! A question however remains
unanswered. The Df and the D4 both use
the same imaging sensor and the same
image processor. So why is it that the
burst rate on the D4 is 11 fps and only 5.5
fps on the DF? If you are looking at image
quality (who doesnt?), the Df will not let
you down.
Value for Money

The retro-design Nikon Df (body + Special
Edition 50mm f/1.8G lens) is available at an
MRP of Rs.199,950. In spite of its retro look
and excellent image quality, we feel that
the price is too high.
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
Aperture:f/11.0 Shutter Speed: 0.4sec. ISO:3200 Lens: 50mm
SPECIFICATIONS
Camera type
: D-SLR
DOF Preview
Effective pixels
: 16.2 million
Compatible lenses : AF Nikkor lenses, including type G,
Sensor size/type
: 36 x 23.9mm/CMOS
Dust reduction
: Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust
Image size (Max.)
: FX (36 x 24): 4.928 x 3,280 (L)
File format
: Raw (12 or 14-bit), lossless
Off reference data
ISO sensitivity
: 4 sec 1/4000sec
X-sync
: Up to 1/200sec
Release modes
: Single frame (S), Continuous Low
or up to 204,800
Active D-Lighting
: Can be selected from Auto, Extra
ADL Bracketing
: 2 frames using selected value for
high, high, Normal, Low or Off
(CL), Continuous High (CH)
one frame or 3-5 frames using
Self-timer, Mirror up (MUP), Quiet
preset values for all frames
shutter release (Q)
compressed, compressed,
: ISO 100-12,800 in 1/3 EV steps.

Can be set to equivalent of ISO 50
E, D, DX
Shutter speeds
DX (24 x 16): 3,200 x 2,128 (L)
Picture Control
: Available
Autofocus
: Nikon Multi-CAM 4800 AF sensor
uncompressed TIFF, JPEG (Fine,
Frame advance rate : 1 to 5 fps (CL) or 5.5 fps (CH)
module with TTL phase detection,
Normal, basic) Raw + JPEG
Metering method : Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot
fine-tuning, and 39 focus points
Exposure modes
(including 9 cross-type sensors;
: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Mono

chrome, Portrait, Landscape
: P (with Flexible Program), A, S, M
Exp. Compensation : -3 to +3 EV in 1/3 EV steps
center 33 points are available at
Recording media
: SD, SDHC, SDXC card
Exp. Bracketing
: 2 to 5 frames in 1/3, 2/3, 1, 2 or 3 EV
apertures slower than f/5.6 and
Viewfinder
: Eye-level pentaprism SLR viewfinder
Flash Bracketing
: 2 to 5 frames in 1/3, 2/3, 1, 2 or 3 EV
faster than f/8, while the 7 focus
89
D-SLR Review
Nikon Df
points are available at f/8
Lens servo
: AF-S, AF-C; Predictive focus

tracking activated automatically
AF (LV)
: Can be selected from 39 or 11

: Single-point AF, 9/21/39-point
Monitor
dynamic area AF, 3D-tracking,

auto-area AF
Flash control
automatically when face-priority AF
Dimensions
: 143.5 x 110 x 66.5 mm
or subject-tracking is selected)
Weight
: 765 g with battery, memory card
: 3.2-inch, approx. 921k-dot (VGA),

170 degree viewing angle
HDMI output
: Type-C mini-pin HDMI connector
Amazing low-light capability and noise

control, same as the D4
User friendly interface
Respectable build quality (but not

great)
Retro styling (but read the Ergonomics

section)
Expensiv`e
with SB-910, 900, 800, 600, 400,
No video
or SB-300; i-TTL balanced fill-flash
No built-in GPS
for digital SLR is used with Matrix
No built-in Wi-Fi
No time-lapse recording
No built-in flash
HDR only with two frames and that too,

JPEGs
Release lock on shutter speed dial, ISO

dial and exposure compensation dial
Lightweight, weather-sealed body
Only 5.5 fps (the D4, using the same

sensor and image processor, offers 11fps)
Almost all F-mount lenses can be used
Grip is okay but not as good as in other

Nikons
No protective cover for the LCD
Flash compensation : -3 to +1 EV in 1/3 EV increment

Nikon Creative Lighting
: Advanced Wireless Lighting
supported with SB-910, 900, 800
or SB-700 as a Master flash and
SB-600 or SB-R200 as Remotes, or
SU-800 as Commamder; Auto FP
High-speed Sync and
modelling illumination supported
FINAL SCORE
16/20
units except SB-400 and SB-300.
Key Features
16/20
Flash colour information
Ergonomics
15/20
communication and FV lock
Performance
Autofocus
with all CLS - compatible flash
supported with all CLS

-compatible flash units
: Auto (2 types), incandescent,
fluorescent (7 types), direct
4/5
Metering
4/5
Noise Control
5/5
sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade,
Sharpness
preset manual (up to 4 values
LCD/VF
4/5
can be stored, Spot White
AWB
4/5
Balance measurement available

during Live View), choose colour
90
: One EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion
with Spot metering
WB Bracketing
Battery
2,016-pixel RGB sensor available
standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR
White Balance
GP-1A (sold separately)
frame (camera selects focus point
: i-TTL flash control using
and Center-weighted metering,
System (CLS)
(sold separately) GPS units: GP-1/
: Contrast-detect AF anywhere in the
focus points
AF-area modes
Remote cord: MC-DC2
normal-area AF, subject-tracking AF
rangefinder can be used

Focus point
R10 and WR-1 (sold separately)
Manual focus (M)

AF area modes (LV) : Face-priority AF, wide-area AF,
according to subject status

Manual focus (M): Electronic
Accessory terminal : Wireless remote controllers: WR-
Live View lens servo : AF-S, AF-F (Full-time servo).
Sub-Total
4.5/5
25.5/30
temperature; all with fine-tuning
Value for Money
6/10
: 2 to 3 frames in steps of 1, 2, or 3
Grand Total
78.5/100
VERDICT
The image quality of the Df is exceptional,
having the same sensor and image processor
as in the D4. And you get this a about half
the price of the D4 body. And then there is
the retro styling that lots of photographers
will love. As for me, no, I am not enamoured
with the retro look. Neither am I happy with
the omission of so many features. Well, you
might remind me that the camera is designed
to look and feel like earlier models (the retro
look). Granted. But I would rather have a
digital camera that looked, felt and worked
superbly like the simplistic Nikon FE2 (which
had only Aperture Priority and Manual
exposure modes along with TTL flash) which
I still consider as Nikons best film camera for
the price it was selling at. In my opinion, the
Df is expensive would have agreed with the
price if it included the host of features it does
not have. It does not get our Best Buy stamp
due to its high price, ergonomic restrictions
and the omissions of certain features.
Having opined my personal feelings on the
Df, it still is a great camera to have if you
consider its superb image quality and its very
easy-to-understand user interface. It will
surely have its fans.
Rohinton Mehta
S
R
E
D
A
E
R
S
D
R
A
W
A
ou may be aware that every year, Smart Photography awards the best
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RTQEGUU9GJCXGHQWTECVGIQTKGUHQTYJKEJ[QWQWTFGCTTGCFGTUYKNNECUV[QWTXQVG
CHOICE
Category 1
D-SLR/SLT CAMERA
OF THE YEAR
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OF THE YEAR
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Nikon Coolpix-P7800
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SMART PHONE OF THE YEAR
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D-SLR Review
Nikon D610
A Corrective Measure
N
ikon announced the fullframe (FX ) enthusiast
D600 around September
2012. As good as the camera
was (is), right from the word
go, it was plagued with worldwide complaints of oil-splatter
and dust on its imaging sensor.
It appeared that somewhere,
somehow, the Company
goofed in their procurement
of the shutter assembly used in
the D600. It was now time to
make amends. October 2013,
just a year after the D600 was
announced, Nikon introduced
the replacement model the
D610.
Note: The upgrade model

has three new features as
compared to the one it
replaces:
1. A new shutter offering a
quiet continuous mode.
2. Slightly faster burst rate.
3. Improved White Balance
performance.
With this in mind, this review
is limited to the performance
of the new features rather than
repeat what has already been
mentioned in the D600 review.
Quiet Continuous Firing Mode:
At this setting, yes, the shutter
94
sound is reduced, but not everyone may agree that it is quiet!

Burst Rate
The D600 offered a maximum
burst rate of 5.5 frames per second; the D610 marginally improves upon it at 6 fps.
White Balance Performance

This is what we said when we
reviewed the D600: The White Balance performance was very good,
with just a slight blue cast in AWB
Shade. The D610s White Balance
performance was excellent except
D-SLR Review
Nikon D610
for slight yellow in

preset WB Shade and
blue in AWB Shade.
The D610 offers 7 WB
presets for fluorescent
light but we could not
check them as we do
not have these types
of fluorescent lights.
What about the

oil-splatter/dust issue? Has that been
resolved? Well, we
have exposed over
3800 frames and have
not seen any sign of
the old problem. So
we can safely say that
the Nikon 610 is free
of the problems that
were in the D600.
Value for Money
The Nikon D610
body retails at an
MRP of Rs.129,950.
Considering that
the D600s MRP was
Rs.135,950 when we
reviewed it in November 2012, the price
seems fair.
VERDICT
Nikon users who need
a high-performance FX
body, but do not need
the megapixel rating of
the D800 can safely go
ahead and buy the D610
without worrying about the
problems they faced in the
D600.
Rohinton Mehta
95
D-SLR Review
Olympus OM-D EM1
Top Gun
86.5% O
Rs. 159,000
Inside the Box

Camera
Body cap
zStrap
zUSB cable
zFL-LM2 ash, with case
zLi-ion battery BLN-1
zBattery charger BCN-1
Software CD ROM
Basic Instructions
Warranty card
z
z
96
lympus introduced the OM-D

E-M1 its flagship mirror-less
Interchangeable Lens Compact
Camera on 10th September 2013 in
India. This is the second model in the
Olympus mirror-less stable after the
E-M5 that could be considered as pro
series. Along with the EM-1, Olympus
also introduced two kit lenses: a highend M. ZUIKO DIGITAL 12-40mm
f/2.8 PRO and a less expensive 3.56.3M. ZUIKO DIGITAL 12-50mm lens.
Considering the number of Micro Four
Thirds lenses available (from various
manufacturers), MFT cameras are battleready to face almost any opposition. We
received the EM-1 with the 12-40mm

lens. Lets see how they perform on our
test-bench.

By design, the EM-1 is a mirror-less
Interchangeable Lens Compact Camera
(ILCC). The chassis is made from strong
magnesium alloy and the exterior too
is very well finished, giving the EM-1
that professional look. It is quite large
compared to other ILCCs but smaller
in size when compared to most D-SLRs.
The body is dust-proof, splash-proof and
freeze-proof (up to -10 degrees C). The
hand-grip is fairly large and comfortable.
D-SLR Review
Olympus OM-D EM1
The camera body weighs approximately

497g with battery and SD card.
The supplied lens M. ZUIKO DIGITAL
12-40mm f/2.8 is a pro lens, built to a
very high standard. In 35mm terms, it is
equivalent to 24-80mm and has a dustproof, splash-proof and freeze-proof
construction. Elegantly finished in metal
and engineering plastic, the lens offers
f/2.8 aperture throughout its focal range.
Filter size is 62mm diameter.
Key features
The EM-1 is a mirror-less, 16-megapixel
ILCC, based on the Micro Four Thirds
System, backed by a TruePIC VII image
processor. It does not have an antialiasing (Optical Low-Pass) filter. It uses a
17.3 x 13mm Live MOS imaging sensor
supported by a 5-axis sensor-shift type
image stabilizer. The in-body image
stabilizer works with any lens mounted
on the camera body. Olympus claim that
it offers a 4-stop advantage in shutter
speeds. Here are the key differences
between the EM-1 and its younger
sibling, the EM-5:
Besides the above, the newer model
uses what Olympus calls Dual Fast AF
which is a combination of on-chip PhaseDetection AF and Contrast-Detect AF.
This innovative feature allows for the
use of Micro Four Thirds lenses (using
an 81-point Contrast-Detection AF
system) as well as the older Four Thirds
lenses (by using 37 AF point PhaseDetection AF system). When a Micro
Four Thirds standard lens is attached
and C-AF is selected, on-chip Phase
Detection AF and Contrast Detection
Image processor
White Balance Presets
Digital zoom
Focus points
LCD screen resolution
Viewfinder resolution
Flash sync.
Exposure compensation
Wireless connectivity
Weight
Dimensions (WxHxD)
Timelapse recording
EM-1
EM-5
TruePic VII
7
Yes
81
1,037,000 dots
2,360,000 dots
Up to 1/320 sec
+/- 5 EV
Built-in
497 g
130x94x63mm
Yes
TruePic VI
12
No
35
610,000 dots
1,440,000 dots
Up to 1/250 sec
+/- 3 EV
Eye_fi connected
425 g
122x89x43mm
No
Highlighting (above) indicates advantage.
AF are used together, resulting in

significant improvement of C-AF tracking
performance over traditional mirrorless models, with a maximum sequential
shooting performance of 6.5 fps (using
the 12-40mm PRO and 12-50mm lens).
For the non-initiated:
What is the main difference between
Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds?
Micro Four Thirds cameras have a shorter
lens flange-to-sensor distance, improved
signal-exchange between lens and body
and a smaller lens mount diameter
(which makes the lenses smaller and
lighter). Just for additional information,
the imaging sensor size for Four Thirds
and Micro Four Thirds System is the same
(17.3 x 13mm).
The TruePIC VII is an advanced image
processor that minimizes digital noise
and colour contamination that generally
occur at higher ISO sensitivities. Besides,
it improves upon the elimination of
colour fringing due to lateral chromatic
aberration. Finally, it takes into account
the characteristics of individual Olympus

lenses considers the inherent sharpness
and the losses due to diffraction of light
at very narrow apertures and applies
the optimum sharpening to its JPEG
images (Raw images are never sharpened
in-camera).
In the handling department, the EM-1
scores upon the EM-5 by offering much
needed direct control buttons and
dials that speed up the operations. Its
high-resolution electronic viewfinder is
almost as good as an optical viewfinder
(except for a slight drag). Olympus
claim that they have also improved the
in-body 5-axis image stabilization. The
image stabilization system offers a 4-stop
equivalent improvement in shutter
speed. Olympus Press Note says The
E-M1 is also equipped with moireremoving processing equivalent to that
of a low-pass filter, which helps reduce
compression artifacts that tend to occur
during sudden scene changes when
recording a movie.
97
D-SLR Review
Olympus OM-D EM1
The EM-1 lets the user select any of

the following shooting modes: iAuto,
Program, Aperture priority, Shutter
priority, Manual, ART (various filters),
SCN (Scene), PHOTO STORY, and
Movies. The Scene mode offers the
following options: Portrait, e-Portrait,
Landscape, Landscape+Portrait, Sport,
Hand-held Starlight, Night Scene,
Night+Portrait, Children, High Key,
Low Key, DIS (Digital Image Stabilizer)
mode, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle,
Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks,
Beach & Snow, 3D Photo, Fish-eye
Effect, Wide-Angle, and Macro (the last
Sharpness &
Aperture: f/4.0
Noise at 100%
Detail
Shutter Speed:
1/125sec. ISO:20
JPEG Compression
JPEG, Fine Quality,

100% (8.2 MB)
98
three using optional converter lenses).

The camera has a shutter speed range
from 60 sec - 1/8000 sec, plus Bulb and
Time. Continuous shooting at approx.
6.5 fps (autofocussing between each
shot) is possible for up to 50 Raw files
(for a maximum of 8 seconds). In S-AF
shooting, it is possible to fire away
approximately 41 shots in RAW at 10fps
(this is possible because the camera locks
focus on the first frame and does not
have to re-focus on every subsequent
frame). A two-position Lever adjacent to
the AEL/AFL button (Olympus just calls
it Lever), along with the Rear Dial allows
JPEG, Standard Quality,

100% (344 KB)
ISO:200
ISO:25600
Colour Accu
racy
Colour checker
shot using Auto
White Balance
in daylight. Auto
Levels applied.
you to quickly change the aperture and

Exposure Compensation (Lever position
1), or White Balance and ISO (Lever
position 2) using the Front Dial.
Like some cameras today, the EM-1 lets
the user add his personal style to his
pictures by using the included 12 Art
Filters (plus Art Bracketing). The Art
Filters are: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale &
Light Colour, Light Tone, Grainy Film,
Pin-hole, Diorama, Cross Process, Gentle
Sepia, Dramatic Tone, Key Line, and
Water Colour. PHOTO STORY allows
the user to add multiple viewpoints to a
single scene (Please refer to the user
manual for details). High Dynamic
Range (HDR) imaging can be opted
for when the lighting/subject contrast
is too high for a conventional photo.
Two variations of HDR imaging is
possible using 2EV or 3EV exposure
difference.
Mentioning every feature of the
EM-1 is not possible without making
the review unnecessarily lengthy and
probably boring. Some other useful
features include Hand-held Starlight
(merges 8 images to create night
scenes with minimal of noise), Focus
Peaking (manual focus assistance),
Interval Timer shooting (999 frames),
Time Lapse Movies (100 seconds),
Live Bulb shooting (displays histogram
to help create a well-exposed
picture), Image Stabilization effects
visible in the viewfinder, IS-Auto (for
optimum panning shots) and Colour
Creator.
The OM-D E-M1 has a built-in Wi-Fi
D-SLR Review
Olympus OM-D EM1

Honestly, there are

too many features
more than what
I would like to see
in a camera. I think
that inclusion of
too many features
makes any camera
unnecessarily
complicated.
The camera is
the flagship of
the Company
and users of such
cameras (meaning,
advanced users)
definitely know
their way around
and are unlikely to
use so many (often
confusing) features.
A camera should
be friendly, unlike
the cockpit of an
aircraft!
function. When using the Olympus
Image Share Smartphone app, you
can easily share images and the shutter
can be operated wirelessly from your
Smartphone while viewing the Live
View screen, and location information
obtained with the Smartphone can be
added to the images on the camera.
You can also adjust various settings
(wirelessly) like shutter speed, aperture
and exposure compensation from a
Smartphone.
Optional accessories for the OM-D
EM-1 include Power Battery Holder
HLD-7, Grip Strap GS-5, Camera bag
CBG-10, Soft Camera Case CS-42SF,
Quilted Case CS-43, Shoulder Strap

CSS-P118 and Underwater Case
PT-EP11
Ergonomics
The Olympus OM-D EM-1 is a high-end,
advanced camera but the plethora of
features makes it that much more difficult
to use for the average user. The body
plus the 12-40mm f/2.8 lens combo is
on the heavier side (compared to other
mirror-less models). The shutter release
button and the thumb-rest at the camera
back seem to be in the right position for
comfort. The large hand-grip plus the
logical layout of buttons make the EM-1s
handling similar to a D-SLR.
Performance
The EM-1 is an excellent overall performer.
The 12-40mm (24-80mm equivalent in the
35mm format) was sharp throughout its
focal range. Corner sharpness was almost
as good as the center sharpness at all
apertures, but we felt that some degree
of diffraction was setting in by f/11. We
would consider f/8 to be the optimum
aperture. Corner darkening was observed
at the widest focal length (12mm) with
the lens wide open at f/2.8, and also at
f/4. By f/5.6, corner darkening was at an
acceptable level. F/16 and f/22 showed
more corner darkening as compared to the
mid-apertures.
99
D-SLR Review
Olympus OM-D EM1
Noise control was very good. At

16.7% screen size, images showed
no visible noise throughout the ISO
range, though on minute observation,
some loss of detail could be seen
at ISO 12,800 and 25,600. At 50%
screen size, our observation was
almost the same as at 16.7% screen
size (some noise was seen at ISO
25,600 along with some loss in
fine details). At 100% screen size,
we would say that images were
usable till ISO 3200. In all fairness,
photographers rarely print at 100%.
Some barrel distortion was noticed
at 12, 14 and 24mm settings. Flare
could be seen in strong against-thelight shots that included the sun but
we did not notice any chromatic
aberration, which is good. However,
we had mixed feelings on the White
Balance front. While presets for Flash
and Sun were okay, the other presets
and all Auto White Balance gave slight
casts. These casts can be easily got rid
of in Photoshop, but considering that
this is the flagship of the Company
in the mirror-less segment, it should
have performed better.
SPECIFICATIONS
Camera type
: Mirror-less, interchangeable
lens compact camera
Effective pixels
: Approx. 16.2 million
Imaging sensor
: Four Thirds System, Live
MOS sensor
Sensor size:
: 17.3 x 13mm
Aspect ratio
: 4:3
Equivalent focal length : Twice the focal length used
Viewfinder
: Electronic, with eye-sensor
VF resolution
: 2,360,000 dots
Shutter speeds
: 60 sec- 1/8000 sec, Bulb, Time
AF points
: 81
Selection of AF points : Auto, Optional
Metering system
: TTL, off the imaging sensor
Digital ESP, Center-weighted, Spot
Metering range
: -2 to 20EV (with M. ZUIKO
DIGITAL 17mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 100)
Shooting modes
: Auto/Program, Shutter priority,
Aperture priority, Manual
PHOTO STORY /ART: ART
filter/SCN, Movie
ISO sensitivity
: Low (equivalent to ISO 100),
200-25,600
Exp. Compensation : +/- 5 EV in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV step
White Balance
: Auto, 7 Presets, Custom, OneTouch WB
Memory card
: SD, SDHC, SDXC, Eye-Fi
Movie
: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264/Motion
JPEG
Drive mode
: Single, Sequential, Self-timer
Sequential shooting : 10fps, Continuous High
Self-timer
: 12 sec, 2 sec, Customizable
Flash control
: TTL Pre-flash mode, Manual
+
Excellent image quality
Great build quality
Good dynamic range
The Olympus OM-D EM-1 body with

the M. ZUIKO DIGITAL 12-40mm f/2.8
lens retails at an MRP of Rs.159,000.
Very good control over digital noise
Good handling
User Manual only on CD
Thats quite a lot of money, but then,

theres quite a lot of quality! The
body as well as the 12-40mm PRO
kit lens is pro-build with pro features
and the final results will happily
surprise you.
Quite complicated (due to too many

features)
Why only one SD card slot?
Video quality could have been better
No scratch protective cover for the LCD
We expected better Auto White Balance
Value for Money
100
X-Sync speed
Power supply
Dimensions
Weight
:
:
:
:
1/320 sec or slower (FL-LM2)

Li-ion battery
130.4 (W) x 93.5 (H) x 63.1mm (D)
497g (Body) with battery and card
FINAL SCORE
18/20
Key Features
18/20
Ergonomics
18/20
Performance
Autofocus
4/5
Metering
5/5
Noise Control
4/5
Sharpness
4/5
LCD/VF
4/5
AWB
4/5
Sub-Total
23.5/30
Value for Money
8/10
Grand Total
86.5/100
VERDICT
The Olympus OM-D EM1 is a great little camera
but it is rather unfortunate that Olympus
thinks that supplying a printed user manual is
not necessary. The camera has so many features
(intimidatingly so!) that it would be next to
impossible for anyone to use the camera to
its full potential without repeatedly reading
(studying) the user manual. The user manual in
detail is provided on the accompanying CD but
the user will have to have the manual printed
out (if he wants to use the camera to its full
potential) and thus there is no saving of paper
(as claimed by manufacturers who do not
provide a printed user manual), but actually an
increase of about Rs.500 in your cost.
Other than the criticism offered above, the
Olympus OM-D EM-1s performance is recordbreaking (for still images). It can run side-byside with any low/medium cost D-SLR in terms
of image sharpness, digital noise and dynamic
range. The range of lenses available (from
Olympus, Panasonic, Sigma etc) is on par with
what is available for 35mm and APS-C models.
If you are ageing and are looking out for lowweight/high-performance equipment, you can
consider your search to have ended here till
such time that another king is born. Best Buy!
Rohinton Mehta
AND
AWARDS
2014
Coming Soon...
Compact Review
Nikon P7800
A Useful Upgrade
82
Rs.27,950
Inside the Box
Camera
zCamera strap
zLens cap
zLi-ion battery EN-EL14 (with terminal cover)
zBattery charger
zUSB Cable
zViewNX 2 CD
zReference manual CD
zUsers manual
zWarranty card
z
102
t has been almost a year since we

reviewed the Nikon P7700. The 7700
was a major upgrade to the P7100,
with a 2-megapixel improvement in
resolution, CMOS instead of CCD,
fully articulated LCD in the place
of a tilting screen, and surprisingly,
discarding the optical viewfinder. Now
Nikon has come up with an upgrade
to the P7700. Well, disappointingly,
the upgrade seems to be limited to a
new electronic viewfinder according to
the specifications. But to find out if the
P7800 springs up any surprise in terms
of image quality, we need to put the
camera through our in-depth tests.

The P7800 is built sturdy with a metal
outer casing, just like the 7700. The LCD

screen can be rotated and swivelled
inside to protect it from scratches. The
lens has a two-segment construction
and does not protrude much while
zooming. The camera has two
command dials. The microphone and
GPS connectors are placed towards the
front, on the left panel. The P7800 has a
metal tripod receptacle.
Key Features
The 12.2-megapixel Nikon P7800 uses
the same a 1/1.7-inch Type (7.60 x
5.70mm) Back-side Illuminated CMOS
sensor that powered the P7700. Even
the Nikkor 28-200mm equivalent
f/2.0 4.0 lens is the same featured
in the previous two versions of the
Compact Review
Nikon P7800
Mahesh Reddy
camera. The lens features

Vibration Reduction and
is constructed with 13
elements in 10 groups
including two Extra-low
Dispersion (ED) elements.
In the normal mode,
the lens focusses from
approximately 50cm to
infinity at the wide-angle
end and approximately
80cm to infinity at the
telephoto end. In Macro
mode, it focusses as close
as 2cm at the wide-angle
end. The camera uses
contrast-detect autofocus.
Focus area modes are
Face priority, Auto (9area automatic selection),
Centre (wide, normal),
Manual with 99 focus
areas, Subject tracking,
and Target finding AF.
The P7800 features Auto,
Scene, Special Effects,
P (Program), S (Shutter
priority), A (Aperture
priority), M (Manual), User
settings (3 settings can be
saved), Movie, and Movie
custom setting shooting
modes. Scene modes
include Scene auto selector,
Portrait, Landscape, Sports,
Night portrait, Party/indoor,
Beach, Snow, Sunset, Dusk/
dawn, Night landscape,
Close-up, Food, Museum, Fireworks,
Black and White copy, Backlighting,
Panorama, and Pet portrait. Still images
are recorded in JPEG or NRW (Raw)
format with a maximum resolution of

4000 x 3000 pixels, while videos are
recorded in MOV format with the
best quality of 1080p (1920 x 1080,
approximately 30 fps). The P7800 can

shoot up to 6 images at a maximum
frame rate of 8 frames per second
in the Continuous H mode. This is
103
Compact Review
Nikon P7800
Flash Output
Ergonomics
ss
e
Sharpn
Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter Speed: 1/40sec. ISO:100
ISO:100
ISO:3200
enabled by the use of a dual shutter

mechanism mechanical shutter
combined with CMOS electronic
shutter. Shutter speed ranges from 60
to 1/4000s and standard sensitivity
ranges from ISO 80 to 3200, which can
be expanded up to Hi 1 (ISO 6400).
It features Focus Coupled metering
(available when the AF area mode
is set to Manual) in addition to the
usual three metering modes Matrix,
Centre-weighted, and Spot. Exposure
can be compensated up to +/-3 EV in
1/3 EV steps for still and +/-2 EV for
104
. ISO:10
1/25sec
: f/5.6 S
Aperture
Noise
peed:
hutter S
videos. Self timer can be set to 1,

2, or 10 sec duration. The built-in
flash has a range of 0.5 to 10m at
the wide-angle end and 0.5 to
5.5m at the telephoto end when
ISO sensitivity is set to Auto. Flash
exposure can be compensated
up to +/-2 EV in 1/3-EV steps.
The P7800 features an ISO 518
accessory shoe (hot shoe) with
sync and data contacts and
safety lock. The camera supports
Advanced Wireless Lighting with
most Nikon Speedlites.
The P7800 uses a 0.2-inch,
approximately 921,000-dot LCD
Electronic Viewfinder. The monitor is
a 3-inch, approximately 921,000-dot,
wide viewing angle, vari-angle TFT LCD
with anti-reflection coating. The camera
has approximately 86MB of internal
memory and accepts an SD/SDHC/
SDXC card for external storage. The
7800 is powered by a rechargeable
Li-ion battery EN-EL14. The device
weighs approximately 399g and has
dimensions of 118.5 x 77.5 x 50.4 mm.
The P7800 has a nice thick

grip and thumb rest, finished
in textured rubber. This,
combined with the ergonomic
design, enhances the stability
of the camera. Nikon uses
the same, simple menu style
for all their cameras, and the
P7800 is no different. It is very
easy to navigate. The EVF is
bright, comfortable, and clear,
without any pixel jitter or moire
patterns.
Performance
The P7800 performed reasonably well
in our tests. Autofocus was fast and
latched on to the subjects even in low
light. Images were sharp out of the box
and the metering modes performed
as expected. Native image size was
10 x 13.33 inches at 300 ppi. At 25
percent of the native image size, Hi 1
(equivalent to ISO 6400) was slightly
noisy, but soft due to noise reduction.
Viewed at 50 percent, images were
noise-free up to ISO 400. Slight noise
was observed at ISO 800. But all the
images were perfectly usable except Hi
1. Enlarged to 100 percent, all images
showed noise, but were usable up to
ISO 800.
The lens showed darkening at extreme
corners at the wide-angle end at wideopen aperture. Prominent flare was
observed along with purple fringing.
The lens produced barrel distortion
up to 37mm and pincushion from
51mm onwards. We were slightly
disappointed with Auto White
Compact Review
Nikon P7800
Balance. The camera produced cast

under all lighting conditions except
cloudy conditions. These can easily be
corrected in post-processing, especially
if you shoot in Raw format, but it would
be an additional help if the out-of-thebox JPEGs are well reproduced.
Value for Money

The Nikon Coolpix P7800 retails at an
MRP of Rs.27,950. At this price, the
camera seems to be good value for
money.
SPECIFICATIONS
Effective pixels
Image sensor
: 12.2 million
: 1/1.7-in. type CMOS; approx.
12.76 million total pixels
Lens
: NIKKOR 28-200 mm equivalent
f/2.0-4.0
Lens Construction : 13 elements in 10 groups
(2 ED lens elements)
Vibration reduction : Lens shift
Autofocus (AF)
: Contrast-detect AF
Focus range
: Normal: Approx. 50 cm to infinity
(W), Approx. 80 cm to infinity (T)
Macro mode: Approx. 2 cm
to infinity (W)
Focus-area selection : Face priority, Auto (9-area
automatic selection), Centre (wide,
normal), Manual with 99 focus
areas, Subject tracking, Target
finding AF
Viewfinder
: Electronic viewfinder, 0.2-inch,
approx. 921,000-dot LCD with
diopter adjustment function
(-3 - +1 m-1)
Frame coverage
: Approx. 100%
Monitor
: 3-inch, approx. 921,000-dot
(RGBW), wide viewing angle,
vari-angle TFT LCD with antireflection coating
Internal memory
: approx. 86 MB
External Storage
: SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card
File formats
: Still pictures: JPEG, RAW (NRW)
Sound files (voice memo)
WAV
Movies
: MOV (Video: H.264/MPEG-4
AVC, Audio: AAC stereo)
Max. Image size (pixels) : 4000 x 3000

Shooting Modes : Auto, Scene, Special effects,
P, S, A, M, User Settings (3
settings), Movie, and Movie
custom setting
Scene Modes
: Scene auto selector, Portrait,
Landscape, Sports, Night portrait,
Party/indoor, Beach, Snow, Sunset,
Dusk/dawn, Night landscape,
Close-up, Food, Museum,
Fireworks show, Black
and white copy, Backlighting,
Panorama, Pet portrait
Drive modes
: Single, Continuous H (8 fps, max.
6 frames), Continuous M (4 fps,
max. 6 frames), Continuous L (1
fps,
max. 30 frames), BSS (Best Shot
Selector), Multi-shot 16,
Continuous H:120 fps (about
120 fps, max. 60 frames),
Continuous H:60 fps (60 fps, max.
60 frames), Intvl timer shooting
Best Movie
: 1920 x 1080 at approx. 30 fps
ISO sensitivity
: ISO 80 - 3200, Hi 1 (equivalent to
ISO 6400)
Exposure
: Matrix, centre-weighted, spot
Metering modes
(Focus-coupled metering available
when AF area mode set to
Manual)
Exposure compensation : +/-3.0 EV in steps of 1/3 EV
(still), +/-2.0 EV (video)
Shutter
: Mechanical and CMOS
electronic shutter
Speed
: 60 to 1/4000 sec
Aperture
: Electronically-controlled 7blade iris diaphragm
Self-timer
: 10 s, 2 s, 1 s
Flash range
: approx. 0.5 - 10 m [W], 0.5 - 5.5
m
[T] (ISO: Auto)
Flash control
: TTL auto flash with monitor
preflashes; manual flash control
available
Flash exposure
: +/-2 EV in steps of 1/3 EV
compensation
Accessory shoe
: ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and
data contacts and safety lock
Nikon Creative
: i-TTL flash control support with
Lighting System
Nikon Creative Lighting Systemcompatible Speedlights
Interface
: Hi-Speed USB
Data Transfer Protocol : MTP, PTP
Video output
: NTSC and PAL
HDMI output
: Can be selected from Auto, 480p,
720p, and 1080i
I/O terminal
: Audio/video output; digital I/O

(USB) HDMI mini connector
(Type C) (HDMI output) External
microphone connector
(stereo mini-pin jack (3.5 mm
diameter), plug-in power type)
Accessory terminal
Power source
: One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
EN-EL14 (included)
Tripod socket
: 1/4 (ISO 1222)
Dimensions (W x H x D) : Approx. 118.5 x 77.5 x 50.4 mm
Weight
: Approx. 399 g (including battery
and SD card)
+
Excellent Build Quality
Raw format
Fully articulated LCD
EVF
Auto White Balance performance
FINAL SCORE
18/20
Key Features
18/20
Ergonomics
17/20
Performance
Autofocus
4/5
Metering
4/5
Noise Control
4/5
Distortion/Sharpness
3/5
LCD/VF
4/5
AWB
2/5
Sub-Total
21/30
Value for Money
8/10
Grand Total
82/100
VERDICT
The Nikon Coolpix P7800 is not a significant
improvement over its predecessor. But the
addition of an EVF helps in improving the
stability of the camera while shooting. And at
a price difference of just Rs.3000, this camera
surely has an edge over the P7700. Certainly
a Best Buy.
Sujith Gopinath
105
Smartphone Review
Sony Xperia Z1
New Clear
Submarine!
ony has always been a master

of audio and video devices
and had an unchallenged reign
for a very long time. From Wega
flat screen TVs to Bravia LCDs, Sony
products dominated the audio-visual
sphere tll the late 90s. Now Sony has
incorporated the premium display
features in a Smartphone that is
waterproof, dustproof and incorporates
a 20-megapixel camera.

The Sony Xperia Z1 has a rugged, yet
stylish construction. The Smartphone
77
Rs.44,990
Inside the Box
z
z
z
z
z
z
Xperia Z1
USB Cable
Power Adaptor
Startup Guide
SAR Information Booklet
Screen guard
106
is protected by a one-piece aluminium

frame running around its perimeter.
The device can endure most tough
conditions to which a Smartphone is
likely to get exposed. With an Ingress
Protection rating of IP55/58, it is
waterproof and dust resistant. This
essentially means that the device is
dust resistant and waterproof up to
a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30
minutes when all the covers for the
micro USB port, the micro SIM slot
and the memory card slot are firmly
closed. This is very important since a
Smartphones touchscreen is likely to
catch dirt and grime very easily. Though
we did not test the Z1 in extreme
conditions, we successfully washed the
phone with water a couple of times
and never had any problem. The Z1
has magnetic pins to connect it to a
Sony magnetic charging dock. The front
and back of the device is crafted with
durable tempered glass, as Sony calls it.
But we found that the glass gets easily
scratched, necessitating screen guards
for both the sides
Key Features
The Xperia Z1 runs on Android 4.2.2
( Jelly Bean). The device uses a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdradon 800
(MSM8974) Quad Core processor,
combined with an Adreno 330 GPU. It
uses a 5-inch Full HD Triluminos Display
with X-Reality for mobile. Triluminos
can display a wider spectrum of colours
compared to traditional displays,
thereby reproducing images in closeto-natural colours and enhancing the
Smartphone Review
Sony Xperia Z1
Aperture:f/2.0 Shutter Speed: 1/30sec . ISO:200
Mahesh Reddy
107
Sujith Gopinath
Smartphone Review
Sony Xperia Z1

(Image enhanced in Photoshop)
depth perception. The Capacitive TFT

screen can display 16,777,216 colours
and offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080
pixels. This translates to a pixel density
of 441 pixels per inch, which helps you
to get pictures that are razor sharp and
bright. It offers multi-touch with up to
10 fingers supported. The X-Reality for
mobile engine analyses and selectively
processes all images so that the correct
amount of enhancement is applied. It
offers three noise reduction features,
which are applied before upscaling.
The Z1 features 2GB RAM and 16GB
(Total) internal memory. It supports
microSD memory cards up to 64GB
including SDXC cards. It features all
advanced connectivity features such
as Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS, MTP
108
support, Native USB tethering, NFC,

Screen Mirroring, Smart Connect,
Xperia Link, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Hotspot
function.
The Z1s main camera unit uses a
20.7-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch Type
(6.16 x 4.62mm) Exmor RS for mobile
sensor. The camera uses a BIONZ for
mobile processor and a Sony G 27mm
equivalent f/2.0 lens. It also features
a pulsed LED light that can function
as a camera light and a torch. The
Z1s camera also has Superior Auto,
Manual, Info-eye, Timeshift burst,
Sweep Panorama, and Social Live
modes. Superior Auto analyses your
subject and applies the best settings
for the scene. Info-eye is similar to
image search application, and provides
information about your the subject

you photograph. You can further
enhance the cameras capabilities by
downloading more apps from the
camera interface.
The Xperia Z1 is powered by an
embedded 3000 mAh battery. For
power saving, the device provides
Stamina mode, which keeps the camera
at a low-power state when the screen is
switched off. The Z1 has dimensions of
144.4 x 74 x 8.5mm and weighs 170g.
Ergonomics
The Sony Xperia Z1 is as easy to use as
any other Android Smartphone. The
big, high-resolution screen provides
a great viewing experience. The large,
but thin form factor can fit in a deep
Smartphone Review
Sony Xperia Z1
pant pocket, unless you decide to

use a flip cover for fear of scratches.
If you consider it as a phablet and
not a regular Smartphone, you will
certainly appreciate the form factor
and size. The display can be easily
viewed even in bright sunlight. If you
generally complain about the small size
of buttons and keyboard, especially
whle playing games, the Xperia Z1 can
give you a break from this. The camera
has a dedicated shutter release-cumautofocus button, which is better than
the touch screen autofocus. We did not
receive a headphone in the kit.
used at lower magnifications. We

did not put the camera through our
regular stringent tests since we thought
it unnecessary. The camera will come
handy for quick snapshots in daylight.
With some image processing skill, you
can still create beautiful images.
Other Features
Value for Money
Sensors
Accelerometer
:
Proximity sensor
:
Ambient light sensor :
Magnetometer
:
Gyroscope
:
Performance
SPECIFICATIONS
As the tagline for Sony goes, this

is, without doubt, the best of Sony
in a Smartphone. With a powerful
processor and highly desirable features,
the device was a pleasure to use
even while using memory-hogging
applications and games. Display quality
is excellent and so is the sound. Battery
life was good and would last a full day
with moderate usage when Stamina
mode was enabled. With heavy usage
though, (playing Dungeon Hunter
and Asphalt 7), the Z1 would heat up
uncontrollably, presumably due to
the aggressive weather sealing, which
does not leave a vent for the heat. The
camera leaves much to be desired. It
does not have optical zoom or optical
image stabilisation, which are becoming
standard in premium Smartphones.
Image quality was average. Native
image size was 17.49 x 13.12 inches
at 300ppi. At ISO 100, images
were usable even at 100 percent
magnification. Even ISO 200 can be
The Sony Xperia Z1 retails at an MRP

of Rs. 44,990, though the street price is
somewhere around Rs.40,000. At this
price, the device seems competitively
priced.
Kye Specifications
Operating system : Google Android 4.2.2 ( Jelly Bean)
Processor
: 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
800 (MSM8974) Quad Core
GPU
: Adreno 330
Screen
: 5-inch Full HD TRILUMINOS Display
with X-Reality for mobile
Main screen
Colours
Resolution
Size (diagonal)
: 16,777,216 colour TFT

: 1920x1080 pixels
: 5.0 inches
Input mechanisms
Text input
: On-screen QWERTY keyboard
Touch screen
: Capacitive
Touch gesture
: Yes multi-touch, up to 10 fingers
supported
Memory
RAM
Flash memory
Expansion slot
:2 GB
: Up to 16 GB Total (Actual free
memory may vary due to phone
pre-configuration)
: microSD card, up to 64 GB
(SDXC supported)
Camera Features
Effective Pixels
: 20.7 million
Sensor
: 1/2.3-inch Type (6.16 x 4.62mm)
Exmor RS for mobile
Lens
: Sony G 27mm equivalent f/2.0
Optical Zoom
: No
Processor
: BIONZ for mobile
Photo light
: Yes Pulsed LED
Video recording
: Yes HD 1080p
Front Camera
: Yes HD 1080p for video chat and
2 MP for camera capture
: Autofocus, Burst mode, HDR for

photos and movies, Face detection,
Flash/Pulsed LED, Flash/Photo light,
Front-facing camera (2 MP 1080p),
Geotagging, HD video recording
(1080p), Object tracking,
Picture Effect, Quick Launch, Red-eye
reduction, Scene recognition,
Self-timer, Send to web, Smile
Shutter, Superior Auto, Sweep
Panorama, Touch capture, Touch
focus
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Water and dustproof design
Large 5-inch display
Impressive Smartphone features
Mediocre camera performance
Screen not scratchproof
No Headphones included
FINAL SCORE
17/20
Key Features
17/20
Ergonomics
16/20
Performance
20/30
Value for Money
7/10
Grand Total
77/100
VERDICT
The Sony Xperia Z1 is one of the
best Smartphones available in the
market. The dust and waterproof
body makes it all the more
attractive. But if you are looking
for a Smartphone for photography,
there are better options.
Sujith Gopinath
109
Lens Review
A high-speed wide-angle Lens
82
Rs.28,990
Inside the Box
z
z
z
z
Lens
front and rear caps
manual
warranty card
110
he Olympus 17mm f/1.8 is a

lens specifically designed to
be used on the Micro Four
Thirds (MFT) cameras, made by both
Olympus and Panasonic. As such it is
extremely compact and light weight.
Considering that the MFT format has a
crop factor of two, the angle of view is
same as that of a 34mm lens on a fullframe D-SLR. This as you might recall, is
a classic wide-angle focal length, which
is very popular for street photography
and photo journalism. This is the fastest
autofocus wide-angle lens available
for the MFT format today. It is also,
along with a few other lenses, a part of
what Olympus calls as the Premium
lens group. Lenses in this group have
superior performance and are aimed at
photography enthusiasts.

This lens is finished beautifully in satin
chrome with a hint of champagne
colour. The outer body is made
completely of metal. The lens mount is
neatly machined and so are the focus
and mounting rings. As with most
modern lenses there is no aperture
ring, the aperture being controlled
from the camera body. The lens is very
small and is light too, weighing just 120
grams! However, due to its all-metal
build it feels solid and has a good heft.

The lens is shorter than its diameter.
Such lenses are called pancake lenses,
though Olympus does not use this
moniker in their literature. The lens has
a metallic blue colored ring, giving it a
smart look.
There is a nicely ribbed focusing ring,
which doubles as the Autofocus/Manual
focus (AF/MF) switch. Switching to MF
mode also reveals the distance scale
(as shown) which is marked in both
meters and feet. Above it, wonder of
wonders, is a depth of field (DOF) scale.
Manufactures are regretfully omitting both
distance and DOF scales of late. Kudos
to Olympus for bucking the trend. The
very legible scales are engraved (not
screen printed), meaning that they will last
forever. The lens uses an internal focusing
design and hence does not change its
overall length while focusing. The filter
size is 46mm (diameter).
Key Features
The Olympus 17mm lens has a fast
aperture of f/1.8 and is constructed with 9
elements in 6 groups. The lens has letters
MSC (Movie and Still Compatible)
printed on it. This indicates that it is
capable of very silent AF and hence can
be used for video without recording
Lens Review
any annoying noises of the AF motor.

There are no less than three aspherical
elements including a Dual Super
Aspherical element, plus a high refractive
index element to reduce aberrations
and thus enhance image sharpness. The
lens coatings have an odd name ZERO
which is an acronym for ZUIKO Extra-low
Reflection Optical Coating. These help to
reduce flare and ghosting.
The lens features what Olympus calls
the Snapshot Focus mechanism. This
is a neat feature that allows instant
switching to MF. All you need to do is
to pull the focusing ring towards the
lens mount, and the lens switches to
MF. A distance scale also appears. The

diaphragm is made of seven rounded
blades for a good bokeh. The front
element does not rotate, making it easy
to use polarizing and graduated neutral
density filters.
Ergonomics
This lens was tested on the popular
Olympus OM-D E-M5 MFT body. The
lens/body combination balanced very
well. The whole set-up is very compact,
discrete and is exceptionally easy to
handle. The instant manual override
allows you to switch to MF and then
quickly set the lens to hyper focal
distance with the help of the DOF scale,
thus greatly speeding up photography.

This feature plus the fast aperture
makes it just the right lens for street
photography and photojournalism,
especially in low light. In short, it is
the ideal snapshot lens. It can also be
used quite effectively for landscapes,
interiors and other general wide-angle
work. The mounting ring at the bottom
of lens is ribbed to help you grip the
lens when mounting. There is a very
visible red index mark on the lens to
align it while mounting.
Performance
The Olympus 17mm lens is an excellent
performer but with some caveats.
As this sample image shows, available light street photography is an area where this lens really shines.
(Tech Data- Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5; Exposure- Shutter speed 1/30sec, Aperture f/4.0, 0 EV compensation,
ISO 2500; camera stabilization on.)
111
Lens Review
This lens, as with many MFT lenses,

displays a split personality. That is, Raw
files show lot of defects that do not
appear in the JPEG files. So, obviously
the cameras firmware is applying the
needed corrections to the JPEG files to
eliminate distortions and aberrations.
This phenomenon is now happening
more and more as many lens
corrections are being done in-camera
or in post-processing (if fed with the
right lens profile). There is considerable
barrel distortion in Raw files. However,
by and large, this disappears when
you look at JPEG files as explained.
Similarly, vignetting was about 1.5 stops
fully open and was minimal by f/5.6 in
Raw. However, it was far less than this
in JPEPGs. Considering that this is a
wide-angle lens (and wide-angle lenses
are more prone to vignetting), this is
a very good performance. Chromatic
aberration was absent even when the
image was viewed at 100% in both
JPEG and Raw files. The center is sharp
even wide open. Best performance of
this lens was between f/2.2 and f/4. At
these settings, the lens was very sharp
right up to the edges. However, the
performance starts getting degraded
beyond this due to diffraction and it is
best you dont use this lens at apertures
narrower than f/8.
One question that you might have is at f/4 (the limit of best performance),
112
will not the depth of field (DOF) be

too shallow for quick street work or
snapshots? Really not. Remember that
this lens will be used with an MFT
camera body whose crop factor is two.
Hence, the DOF for this lens will be
the same as that of a 34mm lens on a
full frame camera but with the aperture
set at f/8. So, at f/4 on this lens, the
hyper-focal distance is as small as 16
feet. Thus, if you set this lens at 16 feet,
then everything from 8 feet to infinity
will be in focus even at a relatively wide
aperture of f/4. This in turn will allow
you to set a lower ISO thus improving
the noise performance too.
Value For Money

The MRP of this lens is Rs.28,990.
Admittedly this is not a low price. It is on
par with a typical equivalent full-frame lens
though the latter may be slightly slower and
perhaps have a lower quality polycarbonate
construction. So, to see this price in proper
perspective, you need to consider the solid
all-metal, bullet- proof construction and the
fast aperture. It also boasts a very modern
and sophisticated tele-centric design along
with the unique MF switch.
SPECIFICATIONS
Lens Model
: Olympus M. Zuiko
Digital 17mm f/1.8 MSC
Focal length
: 17mm
Angle of view
: 65
Maximum aperture
: f/1.8
Minimum aperture
: f/22
Lens construction
: 9 elements in 6 groups
with 3 aspherical
elements.
Closest focusing distance : 0.25m
Max. reproduction ratio : 0.08X
No. of diaphragm blades : 7 (Circular Aperture
Diaphragm)
Filter attachment size
: 46mm
Dimensions
: Approximately
57.5 X 35.5mm
Weight
(Diameter x length)
: 120gms
(approximately)
Very sharp
Excellent build quality (all

metal construction)
Extremely compact
Light weight
Bad barrel distortion in Raw files
Hood and pouch are not included
Hood available separately is very

expensive
VERDICT
This is a fast wide-angle lens that is
ideal for street photography and
photojournalism. It is excellent for low
light work due to its fast aperture and
is great for snapshot photography.
The lens is solidly built, unbelievably
compact and sharp. While the price
is not all that low, considering its
features and build quality you can
consider it to be fairly reasonable.
Ashok Kandimalla
FINAL SCORE
17/20
Key Features
18/20
Ergonomics
18/20
Performance
Autofocus
4/5
Sharpness
4/5
Distortion Control
3/5
Aberrations
3.5/5
Darkening of Corners
3.5/5
Extra Features
4/5
Sub-Total
22/30
Value for Money
7/10
Grand Total
82/100
All text and images Ashok Kandimalla.
Autofocusing is accurate and quiet

good enough for video work as
Olympus claim. It is also reasonably fast
though this will depend on the camera
body too.
Software Review
Creative
Unclouded
84
Rs.6,388.20
dobe Photoshop is synonymous

with image editing, or postprocessing as we generally call
it. It has become so popular that we
often hear image processing referred to
as Photoshopping. Amateurs who could
not purchase the expensive Creative
Suite versions found an affordable
solution in the Elements version. Elements
includes virtually everything that a
photographer essentially requires, with
the exception of CMYK support and a
host of advanced features. With Adobe
taking the professional platform to the
Cloud with the introduction of Creative
Cloud, which is a subscription-based
solution, even some advanced users
may consider Elements as the software
of their choice. Let us see what the new
version, Photoshop Elements 12 holds for
photographers.
Key Features
Our last review of the Elements came
about three years agothe review
of Photoshop Elements 9. Since then,
many things have changed, including the

interface. The Elements 12 Organizer
now allows you to import images from
your Smartphone, which shows how
Smartphones have transformed into
serious imaging devices. Now you can
access, edit, and share your Elements
Mobile Album from your Smartphone by
connecting with Adobe Revel, a cloudbased document sharing platform. You
can categorise each image into Media,
People, Places, or Events and quickly view
them using the respective tabs. There is
a provision to tag images by identifying
places or peoples faces in the image. It
allows you to do quick edits using the
Instant Fix button. This will let you correct
the colour, contrast etc right from the
Organiser screen.
Elements has become more capable
now with the addition of advanced
features such as Content-Aware Move,
Auto Smart Tone, Content-Aware Fill,
and Photomerge. The Content-Aware
Move tool allows you to easily move
113
Software Review
Getting familiar
Organizer Home
Main screen of Expert mode
Main screen of Guided mode
Main screen of Quick mode
Adjustments screen in Quick mode
Effects screen in Quick mode
114
Software Review
Applying frames in Quick mode
Create tools in Quick mode
Content-Aware Move toolbox
Straighten toolbox
Auto Smart Tone mode
Crop toolbox
Auto Smart Tone application

115
Software Review
objects within a frame including people
without bothering about the background.
This intelligent tool automatically fills the
background seamlessly. The ContentAware Fill tool lets you fill or extend
background and also fill the void left
when you straighten images. Auto Smart
Tone lets you correct the tonality in a
unique way simply by moving a pointer
across the frame. It is very difficult to get
the perfect group shot especially with
children in the frame. Now Elements
12 offers a solution to this. It lets you
combine faces and bodies from different
photos into a perfect group shot with
Photomerge Group Shot. Photomerge has
the option to create perfect panoramas,
using its superior blending capabilities
to fill in jagged edges. The new Pet Eye
Correction tool lets you correct the
effects of flash reflected from your pets
eye.
to use, though you need to get a hang of

things at first. The features were easy to
work around. Please note however, that in
some cases, you might need to fine-tune
the effects after the tool has done most of
the work.
System Requirement
Windows
1.6GHz or faster processor (including

single-core support)
Microsoft Windows XP with Service
Pack 3, Windows Vista with Service
Pack 2, Windows 7, or Windows 8
The growing clout of Cloud and
& 8.1 (Note: Limited Camera Raw
Smartphones has been taken care of by
functionality on Windows XP)
this version of Elements. Since Wi-Fi is now
1GB of RAM (2GB for HD video
a common feature, slow upload times and functions)
expensive internet are things of the past.
4GB of available hard-disk space
We think this is a smart move by Adobe.
(additional free space required during
The tool palette has been redesigned,
installation)
and the familiar multi-function tools
Color monitor with 16-bit color video
(selected by right clicking the main tool)
card
1024x768 display resolution
appear on the project bin. For people
Microsoft DirectX 9 compatible
who are used to the older versions of
display driver
Photoshop and Elements, this could
DVD-ROM drive
feel a little alien. The image pane also is
Internet connection required for
somewhat smaller owing to the large tabs
product
activation
and buttons on the menu bar.
z
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Mac OS
Apart from these features, Elements 12 also
boasts enhancements in creative effects,
frames, guided edits, sharing and creating
cards, prints, photo books and more, which
were part of earlier Elements versions.
Evaluation
With Photoshop Elements 12, Adobe
has added some very useful features. The
Content-aware tools make life very easy
for a photographer. All tools were easy
Though it might take a while to get used

to the new features, improvements are
always welcome.
64-bit multicore Intel processor

Mac OS X v10.7 through v10.9
2GB of RAM
4GB of available hard-disk space
(additional free space required during
installation)
1024x768 display resolution
DVD-ROM drive
QuickTime 7 software required for
multimedia features
Internet connection required for
product activation
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Value for Money

Photoshop Elements 12 is available for
download at an MRP of Rs.6388.20. The
combination of Photoshop Elements 12
and Premiere Elements 12 (video editing)
is priced at Rs. 9582.30. At this price, it is
certainly great value for money.
z
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FINAL SCORE
Key Features
18/20
Content-Aware tools
One-touch creative options
Ease of Use
16/20
Guided Edits
Performance
18/20
Cloud Support
Value for Money
17/20
Smartphone integration
Support
15/20
Smaller image pane
Overall
116
84/100
VERDICT
The Photoshop Elements 12 is a
powerful, yet affordable image editing
program, and arguably the best a
photography enthusiast can get at
this price range. With the addition
of content-aware tools, Adobe has
certainly created a very desirable
package.
Sujith Gopinath
READERS CAN CHECK THE ENTIRE BUYERS GUIDE,

THAT FEATURES SPECS AND PRICES OF
D-SLRS, ILCCS, DIGITAL COMPACTS AND LENSES VIDE LINK
http://www.smartphotography.in/buyers-guide
Janaury 2014 Smart Photography
117
Buyers Guide - Digital SLRs

CANON EOS-1D X
Sensor Type/size
priority AE, Manual

ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
White Balance
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight
: Full Frame 36 x
24 mm CMOS
Effective Pixels
: 18.1 million
File Formats
: RAW /JPEG
Metering Modes : Multi, Centerweighted,
Average, Spot
Exposure Modes : Program AE,
Shutter priority
AE, Aperture
CANON EOS 5D MARK III
: 100-51200 (50, 102400 and 204800

with boost)
: 30 sec-1/8000 sec.
: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten,
White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom
(up to 5), Color Temperature (Kelvin)
: 3.2 inches/ 1040000 pixels
: Compact Flash (Type I or II),
UDMA compatible
: not announced
Sensor Type/size
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
:
:
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
White Balance
:
:
:
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
:
:
Weight
Price: Rs. 4,55,995 (body only)
CANON EOS 100D
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight
:
:
:
:
: Approx. 12
megapixel
: 22.2 x 14.7mm
CMOS
Supported File Type : RAW/JPEG
Exposure Modes : Auto, No Flash,
Creative Auto,
Scene Modes,
Movie, Program
AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority
AE, Manual, A-DEP
Metering Modes
: TTL full aperture metering with 63-zone
SPC, Evaluative metering, Partial
metering, Spot metering, Center weighted.
LCD Monitor/Dots : 2.7-Inch / 230,000 dot
ISO Equivalence
: 100-6400
Shutter Speed
: 30-1/4000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop
increments), Bulb
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Weight
: 495gm
Exposure Modes
Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight
:
:
:
:
ISO equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight
:
:
:
:
CANON 700D
: 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)
Auto, Preset, Custom, colour temperature
setting,White balance correction
Evaluative, Partial, Spot,
Center-weighted average
30 sec to 1/8000 sec
3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
SC/SDHC/SDXC
675 g
Sensor Type/Size
LCD Monitor/ Dots

Storage Type
Weight
NIKON D610
Sensor Type/size
23.9 mm
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats
Metering Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight
: CMOS sensor
(22.5 x 15.0mm)
Effective Pixels
: Approx. 18MP
Exposure Modes
: Auto, Program
AE, S, A, Manual
Metering Modes
: Evaluative, Partial,
Spot, Centerweighted average
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to
1/4000 sec
: 3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
: SC/SDHC/SDXC
: 580 g
Price: Rs. 79,995 (body only)
NIKON D4
,_WVZ\YL4VKLZ
: CMOS, 35.8mm
x 23.9mm
Effective pixels
: Approx. 20.2
million
Supported File formats: JPEG, RAW (14bit, Canon
original),
RAW+JPEG
Metering Modes : Evaluative
metering (315
zones), Partial,
Spot, Center-weighted
Program AE for movie shooting, Manual
exposure
100-25600 (expansion possible to ISO
50, ISO 51200 and 102400)
1/4000 to 30 sec.
3.0-inches, 1,040,000 dots
SD card, SDHC card, SDXC memory card
680g (Body only)
Sensor Type
118
Exposure Modes
Sensor Type/size
Effective Pixels
Price: Rs. 29,990 (with Kit EFS 18-55 IS II lens)
: JPEG (Exif 2.3 [Exif

Print] compliant)
RAW: RAW,
sRAW1, sRAW2
(14bit, Canon
original RAW 2nd edition)
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot, Partial
Auto+ Program AE, Shutter priority AE,
Aperture priority AE Manual (Stills and
Movie), Custom (x3)
100-25600 (50-102400 in expanded mode)
30 sec - 1/8000 sec
Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten
SPNO[>OP[L\VYLZJLU[SPNO[-SHZO*\Z[VT
WB, Color temperature
3.2-inch, 1,040,000 dots
Compact Flash Type I (UDMA compatible),
SD/SDHC/SDXC
950 gms
CANON EOS 70D
CANON EOS 1100D
Sensor Type/size
: CMOS, Full
frame 36 x 24 mm
: 22.3 million
Sensor Type/Size
Metering Modes
: CMOS (22.3 x
14.9mm)
Effective Pixels
: Approx.
18.00MP
ISO equivalence : Auto, 100, 200,
400, 800, 1600,
3200, 6400,
12,800, 25,600
Exposure Modes : Program AE, S,
A, Manual exposure
Evaluative, Partial, Spot,
Center-weighted average
30 sec to 1/4000
3.0-inch/1.04 million dots
SC/SDHC/SDXC
407g
CANON EOS 6D
: CMOS, 36.0 x
: RAW, TIFF, JPEG

: Matrix or
center-weighted
metering: -1 to
20 EV, Spot
metering: 2 to 20 EV
!7YVNYHTTLKH\[V^P[OL_PISLWYVNYHT
(P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperturepriority auto (A); manual (M)
: ISO 100 to 12800 in steps of 1/3, 1/2
or 1 EV; can also be set to approx. 0.3,
0.5, 0.7 or 1 EV (ISO 50 equivalent)
: 30 secs to 1/8,000 secs in steps of 1/3,
1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250
: 3.2-inch, 921,000 dots
: Compact Flash (Type I, XQD) x2
: 1349 gms (including battery)
Price: Rs. 3,39,950
Sensor Type/size
: 16.2 million
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight
:
:
:
:
: CMOS sensor
(35.9 x 24.0 mm)
Effective Pixels
: 24.3 million
Supported File Formats: NEF (RAW)/
JPEG
Exposure Modes
: Auto, Program
AE, S, A,
Manual exposure
Metering Modes
: Matrix, Centerweighted, Spot
3.2-inch/ approx. 921k-dot
SC/SDHC/SDXC
525 g
Price: Rs. 53,995
Buyers Guide - Digital SLRs

NIKON D800
Sensor Size/Type
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats
Metering Modes
,_WVZ\YL4VKLZ
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight
NIKON D3200
: CMOS, 35.9 x
24.0 mm
: 36.3 million
: RAW, TIFF, JPEG

: Multi, Centerweighted,
Average, Spot
!7YVNYHTTLKH\[V^P[OL_PISL
program (P); shutter-priority auto (S);
aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)
: 100 - 6400 in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
(50 - 25600 with boost)
: 30 secs to 1/8,000 secs in steps of 1/3,
1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250
: 3.2-inch, 921,000 dots
: Compact Flash (Type I), SD/SDHC/SDXC
UHS-I compliant
: 900 gms
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight
:
:
:
:
NIKON D7100
NIKON D7000
Effective Pixels
Supported
File Formats
Metering Modes
: RAW/JPEG
: 3D color matrix
metering II,
Center-
weighted, Spot
: Auto, P,A,S, M
: ISO 100 to 6400 in steps of
1/3 or 1/2 EV
Shutter Speeds
: 30 to 1/8000 sec,
Flash X-Sync, Bulb
LCD Monitor/Dots : 3.0-inch / 921,000 dots
Storage Type
: SD / SD HC / SDXC
Weight
: 690 gms
ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight
:
:
:
:
:
PENTAX K50
SONY SLT A58
Sensor Type
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight
:
:
:
:
: APS-C sensor
(23.7 x 15.7mm )
Effective Pixels : 16.3 MP
ISO Equivalence : Auto, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200
Supported File Formats: RAW (PEF,
DNG), JPG (EXIF
2.30), DCF
Exposure Modes: Auto, P, S, A,
Manual, Bulb
16-segment, Center-Weighted
Average, Spot
30 sec to 1/8000sec
3.2-inch/1037k-dot
SD/SDHC
649 g
Price: TBA
: 24.1 million
: 23.5x15.6mm,
CMOS
Metering modes
: Matrix,
Center-weighted,
Spot
Exposure modes
: A, P (with
Flexible P), S, M
100-6400, extended up to 25,600
30-1/8000sec, plus Bulb
3.2, 1,228,800 dots
SD, SDHC, SDXC
675g, body only
Price: Rs. 59,950 (with AF-S 18-55mm VR Kit Lens)
PENTAX K3
Sensor Type
Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight
:
:
:
:
:
Price: TBA
Price: Rs. 64,450 (Body only)
LCD Monitor/ Dots

Storage Type
Weight
: CMOS sensor
(23.5 x 15.6 mm)
Effective Pixels
: 24.2 million
Supported File Formats: NEF (RAW)/JPEG
Exposure Modes
: Auto, S, A, Auto

HZOVMM
Metering Modes
: Matrix, colour
Matrix, Centerweighted, Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to
1/4000 sec
: 3.2-inch, approx. 1037k-dot
: SC and UHS-I compliant SDHC/SDXC
: 560 g
Effective pixels
Sensor size/type
: CMOS, 23.1 x
15.4 mm
: 16.2 million
Exposure Mode
ISO Eqivalence
Metering Modes
Sensor Size/Type
Sensor Type/Size
: 23.2 x 15.4 mm ,
CMOS
Effective Pixels
: 24.2 megapixels
File Formats
: RAW/JPEG
Metering Modes : Matrix, Centerweighted, Spot
Exposure Modes : Programmed
auto with

L_PISLWYVNYHT
(P), Shutterpriority
(S), Aperture priority (A), Manual (M)
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200,
6400 (12800 with boost)
30 sec -1/4000 sec in steps of 1/3 EV
3.0-inch, 921,000 dots
SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I compliant
505 gms
NIKON D5300
Sensor Type
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
:
:
:
Weight
Sensor Type/Size: Exmor APS HD CMOS

sensor (23.2 x
15.4mm)
Effective Pixels
: 20.1 MP
ISO Equivalence
: 100-16000
Supported File Formats : RAW/JPEG
Exposure Modes
: Auto, Priority AE,
Movie, P, A, S, M
Metering Modes
: 1200-zone
evaluative metering
2.7-inch Type 460,800-dot
Memory Stick PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, XC-HG Duo,
SD/SDHC/SDXC.
492 g
Price: Rs. 45,990
: CMOS sensor
(23.5 x 15.6mm )
Effective Pixels : 23.35 MP
ISO Equivalence : Auto, 100 - 51200
Supported File Formats: RAW (PEF,
DNG), JPG (EXIF
2.30), DCF
Exposure Modes: P, S, A,
Manual, Bulb
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
30 sec to 1/8000sec
3.2-inch/1037k-dot
SD/SDHC/SDXC
799 g
Price: TBA
SONY ALPHA SLT A99
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
:
:
:
Weight
Sensor Type
: CMOS, 35.8 x 23.8 mm
Effective Pixels
: 24.3 million
Supported File Formats : MPEG-4, AVCHD,
H.264
Metering Modes
: Multi, Center-weighted,
Spot
Exposure Modes
: iAuto, Superior Auto,
Program, Aperture
Priority, Shutter Priority,
Manual
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400,
12800, 25600
1/8000 to 30 sec.
3 inch, 1,229,000 dots
Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo;
SD, SDHC and SDXC
812g (Body only)
Price: Rs. 1,52,000
119
Buyers Guide - ILCCs (Mirrorless)

FUJIFILM X-E1
Effective Pixels
Sensor size/type
File formats
Metering modes
Exposure modes
ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight
: 16.3 million
: 23.5x15.6mm, CMOS
: JPEG, Raw, Raw+JPEG
: 256-zone. Multi, Spot, Average
: A, P, S, M
: 200-6400, extended up
to 25,600
: 30-1/4000sec, plus Bulb, Time
: 2.8, 460,000 dots
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 350g, including battery
FUJIFILM X-M1
Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence
Supported File
Formats
Exposure Modes
Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage Type
Weight
Price: TBA
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5
Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight
: 16.1 million
: Sensor Size/Type: 4/3 Live MOS Sensor
: Multi Center-weighted, Spot
: i Auto, P: Program AE (Program
shift can be performed)
: UTO: ISO 200 - 25600 (customizable,
Default 200-1600) / Manual ISO 200 25600, 1/3 or 1 EV steps selectable
: 11/4000 - 60 sec. (1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps
selectable.)Bulb: default setting 8min.
(1/2/4/8/15/20/25/30 min.
: 3.0-inch tilting OLED monitor
Approx. 610,000 dots
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
: 425 gms (excluding battery)
Price: Rs. 66,990/-
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1
Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence
: CMOS sensor (17.3 x 13 mm)

: 16MP
: 100-25600 in 1/3EV or
1EV increments
Supported File
: JPEG/RAW (ORF)/ MPO
Exposure Modes
: iAuto, Auto, P, A, S, M,
Bulb, Art Filter
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
Weight
: 497g
Price: TBA
120
: APS-C X-Trans CMOS

(23.6mm x 15.6mm)
: 16 MP
: Auto / ISO 200 - 6400
: RAW/JPEG
: P, A, S, M
: Multi, Average, Spot
: 30 sec to 1/4000 sec
: 3.0-inch Type 920K-dot
: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
memory card
: 330 g
NIKON 1 V 2
Effective Pixels
Sensor Size/ Type
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
ISO equivalence
Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor/ Dots
Storage type
Weight
Price: Rs. 47,999
OLYMPUS PEN E-P3
Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Shake Reduction
Exposure Modes
Metering Modes
ISO Sensitivity
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Built-in-Flash
Storage Card
Weight
: 12.3 million
: Live MOS sensor, 17.3 x 13.0 mm
: Sensor Shift
: iAuto, Program AE (with shift),
Aperture priority AE, Scene select
: Digital ESP, Center-Weighted
Average, Spot (1%) Highlight
based spot, Shadow based spot
: Auto : ISO 200 12800,
Manual ISO 100 - 12800
: 60-1/4000 sec.
: 3.0-inch/ 614,000 dots
: No
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 321gms.
Price: TBA
OLYMPUS PEN E-PL5
Effective Pixels
Seensor Size/ Type
Metering Modes
ISO
: 16.1 million
: 17.3 x 13 mm, CMOS
: Auto (200 - 1600), 100, 200, 400,
800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
Exposure Modes
: P, A, S, M , Bulb, Time, iAuto, Scene Modes, Art Filter
ISO equivalence
: Auto ISO 200 - 25600 (customis
able, default ISO 200 1600),
Manual ISO 200 - 25600 in 1/3 or
1 EV ISO steps
Shutter Speeds
: 60-1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3-inch, 460,000 dots
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight
: 279g (body only)
Price: TBA
Price: Rs. 41,990/- (with 14-42mm 11R F3.5-5.6 lens Rs. 48,990/-)
PANASONIC DMC GF5
Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight
: 12.10 Megapixels
: Live MOS Sensor
: Intelligent Multiple / Center
Weighted / Spot
: Program AE / Aperture Priority
AE / Shutter Priority AE / Manual
: Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
: 60 sec - 1/4000 sec
: 3-inch, 920,000 dots
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
:267 gms
Price: Rs. 39,990/-
: 14.2 million
: 13.2 x 8.8 mm, CMOS
: P, S, A, M, Scene Auto Selector
: 160-6400
: 30-1/16000 sec
: 3-inch, 921,000 dots
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 278g
PANASONIC DMC G6
Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence
: CMOS sensor (17.3 x 13 mm)

: 16 MP
: Auto / 160, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800,
25600 (Extended)
Supported File
: RAW/JPEG/MPO Video:
MPEG4/AVCHD
Exposure Modes
: P, S, A, M
Metering Modes
: Intelligent Multiple /
Center Weighted / Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 60 sec to 1/4000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch Type 1036k-dot
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight
: 390 g
Price: Rs. 59,990
Buyers Guide - ILCCs (Mirrorless)

PANASONIC DMC-GH3
Effective Pixels
Sensor Size/ Type
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
: 16.05 million
: 17.3 x 13.0 mm, Live MOS Sensor
: Intelligent Multiple / Spot
: Program AE/Aperture Priority
AE/Shutter Priority AE / Manual
ISO equivalence
: Auto / Intelligent ISO / 200 - 12800
(Changeable to 1/3, 1 EV step)
(Extended ISO125 - less under 200,
ISO more over 12800 - 25600
available) (Up to ISO3200 in Auto)
Shutter speeds
: Still Images: 1/4,000 - 60 and Bulb and
Motion Images: 1/16,000 - 1/30
LCD monitor/ Dots : 3 inch, 614K dots
Storage Type
: SD/ SDHC/ SDXC
Weight
: 460 g
PANASONIC DMC GX-1
Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Exposure Modes
Metering Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speeds
LCD Monitor/Dots
Storage Type
Weight
: 16.0 million
: Sensor Size/Type: 4/3 Live MOS Sensor
: Program AE / Aperture Priority AE /
Shutter Priority AE / Manual / Auto
: Intelligent Multiple / Center
Weighted / Spot
: Auto, Intelligent ISO 160 ISO 12800
: 60 -1/4000 sec, Bulb (up to approx
2 mins) Flash X-sync 1/160 sec
: 3.0-inch, 460,000 dots
: SD/ SDHC/ SDXC Memory Card
(Compatible with UHS-I standard
SDHC / SDXC Memory Cards)
: 272 gms (body only)
Price: Rs. 86,363 (only body)
PENTAX Q10
Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence
: CMOS 1/2,3-inch Type

: 12.4 MP
: ISO 100 to 6400
(1/3 EV steps)
Supported File
: RAW/JPEG video: MPEG-4
AVC/H.264
Exposure Modes
: Auto, Scene, P, S, M Bulb,
Blur control
Metering Modes
: TTL image sensor, Segment,
Center-weighted metering
and Spot
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to 1/8000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch 460k-dot
Storage Type
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Weight
: 200 g
Effective pixels
Sensor size/type
File formats
Metering modes
Exposure modes
ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight
: 16.1 Million
: 23.5x15.6mm Exmor APS
HD CMOS
: JPEG, Raw, Raw+JPEG
: Auto, P, A, S, M
: 100 -3200
: 30-1/4000 sec, Bulb
: 3 Type wide TFT, 921,600 dots
: SD, SDHC, SDXC, Memory
Stick PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo
: 276g with battery and card
Price: Rs. 39,990/-
Sensor Type/Size
Effective Pixels
ISO equivalence
Supported File
: BSI-CMOS
: 12.4 MP
: 100 to 12800 (1/3 EV steps)
: RAW/ JPEG / DCF 2.0 compliant.
Video: MPEG4 AVC/H.264
Exposure Modes
: P, S, A, M, Bulb, Blur control
Metering Modes
Shutter Speeds
: 30 sec to 1/2000 sec
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0-inch Type 460k-dot
:[VYHNL;`WL
!:+:+/*:+?*,`LJHYK
Weight
: 200 g
Price: TBA
Price: TBA
SAMSUNG NX 300
Effective pixels
Sensor size/type
File formats
Metering modes
Exposure modes
ISO equivalent
Shutter speeds
LCD monitor
Storage type
Weight
: 20.3 Million
: 23.5 x 15.7mm CMOS
: JPEG, Raw
: Multi, Centre-weighted, Spot
: Smart Auto, P, A, S, M
: 100-25,600
: 30-1/6000 sec
: 3.31 inch AMOLED
with Touch
: SD, SDHC, SDXC
: 284 g (without battery)
SAMSUNG NX1000
Effective Pixels
Sensor Type/Size
Metering Modes
Exposure Modes
ISO Equivalence
Shutter Speed
LCD Monitor
Storage Type
Weight
Price: TBA
Price: TBA
SONY NEX-5R
PENTAX Q7
SONY NEX-6
Effective pixels
Sensor size/ type
Metering modes
Exposure modes
: 16.1 million approx.

: 23.5 X 15.6mm, CMOS sensor
: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
: iAUTO, Superior Auto, Programmed
AE (P), Manual (M), Sweep Panorama
ISO equivalence
: Still images: Auto (ISO 100-3200),
Selectable (ISO 100-25600)
Movies: Auto (ISO 100-3200)
Shutter Speed
: Still images: 1/4000 to 30s (Bulb). Movies:
1/4000 to 1/4 (1/3 steps) up to 1/60 in
AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto slow shutter)
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 3.0 inch, 921,600 dots
Storage Type
: Memory Stick PRO Duo, PRO-HG
Duo, SD, SDHC, SDXC memory card
Weight
: 287 g
Price: Rs. 45,200
: 20.3 megapixels
: APS-C type CMOS,
23.5 x 15.7 mm
: Program, Aperture Priority,
Shutter Priority, Manual,
Lens Priority, Magic, cene,
Movie, Wi-Fi
: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800,
1600, 3200, 6400, 12800
(1 or 1/3EV step)
: 30 sec - 1/4000 sec
: 3-inch, 921,000 dots
: SD/SDHC/SDXC
: 222 gms
Price: TBA
SONY NEX - 7
Effective pixels
Sensor type
: Approx. 24.3 megapixels

: APS-C type (23.5x15.6mm),
Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor
Metering Modes
: Multi / Center / Spot selectable
Exposure Modes
: Programmed AE (iAUTO, P), Aperture
priority (A), Manual (M), 3D Sweep
Panorama, Anti Motion Blur
ISO equivalence
: AUTO (ISO100-1600), ISO100
to 16000 selectable
Shutter Speed
: 1/4000 to 30 sec, Bulb
LCD Monitor/ Dots : 7.6 cm (3.0-type) wide type TFT,
921,600 dots
Storage Type
: Memory Stick PRO Duo / PRO-HG
Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Weight
: Approx. 291g
Price: Rs. 46,000
Janaury 2014 Smart Photography
121
S
E
M
A
FR
PHOTOGRAPHY INSTITUTE
Rs 7,490/-
Rs 4,090/-
Rs 3,390/-
Espod CX 203AGH
Alta CA 203AP
Rs 8,990/-
Alta CA 203AGH
Espod CX 203AP
NIKITA DISTRIBUTORS
www.facebook.com/vanguardphotoindia
Find more about Write a Review and Win Contest, please visit: www.imaginext.co.in
Head Office: FL-1B, Plot No. 410/2, Green Terrace, Near Vidyut Nagar, Lane No. 5, South Koregaon Park, Pune - 411001, MH, India
Tel: + 91 20 30500614, Mob.: + 91 9967588171, E-mail: raman.jpa@gmail.com
Branch Office: Delhi - 9268759295, Kolkata - 8697941299, Ahmedabad - 9879032929, Goa - 9822818317,
Chandigarh-8427898882, Punjab - 8427898882, Hyderabad - 9701004340, Chennai - 9884414884, Bangalore - 9900000179.
Kerala - 9884414884 , Indore -8989597255
Regional Distributos: Mumbai - 9224204374, Guwahati - 9435026925, Siliguri - 9932025098, Jaipur - 9667615276,
Ghaziabad - 9268759295, Haryana - 9268759295, Raipur - 0771 - 2228244/77, Odisha - 9937818486
VANGUARD Brand store: 227,1st floor, commisirait building, Dr. D N Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400001, 09702185902.
Kirti Digital, Shop no. 8,opp. vijay Talkies, 307 Laxmi Road , Pune - 411030, contact No. - 9049541018
Kirti Digital, Survey No 8 Niyoshi Park 3, Opposite Bank Of Maharashtra, Aundh, Pune - 411007 , Contact No. 9822242524
Electronic Imaging Fair 2014

9th to 12nd January 2014
Stall No. C6
VANGUARD wishing you and your family all the warmth this
Holiday Season has to offer. Have a wonderful Christmas
and a New Year filled with peace and joy!
STUDIO
Ceiling Track, Smoke Machine, Snow Machine
+91 99100 54310
MINILAB
PHOTO PRODUCT AND ACCESSORIES
PHOTO ALBUMS
VIDEO GRAPHIC ACCESSORIES
MINILABS
PHOTO ALBUMS
09990630710, 09990778950
Bangalore Branch : 103,Royal Corner,1st Floor, 1&2 Above Blood Bank, Lalbagh Road,Double road Mission road Junction, Bangalore - 560027 Mob : 09900240700
Kolkata Branch : Shop No. 320, 3rd Floor, E-Mall (Magnet House), 6, Chittarajan Avenue, Kolkata - 700 072, Mob: 09831846171
Dealers : Bangalore : G.K. Vale (Bangalore) At all branches
EAST ZONE : CoochBehar : Galaxy Infocom, Mob : O9434178887, Darjeeling : Das Studio, Ph : 0354-2254004, Siliguri : Spectrum Color Lab, Mob : 09733002255,
Gangtok : The Edge, Mob : 09933100100, Kolkata : Rational Photographics, Mob : 9007749395, International Photography, Mob : 9331885007, The Prism, Ph : 033-22282148,
The Camera Exchange, Mob : 9433922144, Shillong : Highland Studio & Digital Colour Lab, Mob : 09436100121/ 09863063030
SOUTH ZONE : Chennai : Chennai Cameras, Mob : 09884244369, Ph : 044-43102211/ 43102224, ADNT Rathna, Mob : 09500059620, Smart Shoppers, Mob : 09940039851
(Chennai), Mob : 09884288382
NORTH ZONE : Gurgaon : Kumarjee, Mob : 09810073841, Chandigarh : Apollo Electronics, Ph : 01723254164, Dehradun : Cinema Art, Ph : 01352715281
216-A/13, Gautam Nagar, Gulmohar Park, New Delhi-49 (INDIA) Tel:011-26859173, 26517822, 65920876, Mob : 09990639710, 09990778950
E-mail : info@photosystemsindia.com, Website : www.photosystemsindia.com
Bangalore Branch : 103,Royal Corner,1st Floor, 1&2 Above Blood Bank, Lalbagh Road,Double road Mission road Junction, Bangalore - 560027 Mob : 09900240700
Kolkata Branch : Shop No. 320, 3rd Floor, E-Mall (Magnet House), 6, Chittarajan Avenue, Kolkata - 700 072, Mob: 09831846171
Dealers : Bangalore : G.K. Vale (Bangalore) At all branches
EAST ZONE : CoochBehar : Galaxy Infocom, Mob : O9434178887, Darjeeling : Das Studio, Ph : 0354-2254004, Siliguri : Spectrum Color Lab, Mob : 09733002255,
Gangtok : The Edge, Mob : 09933100100, Kolkata : Rational Photographics, Mob : 9007749395, International Photography, Mob : 9331885007,
The Prism, Ph : 033-22282148, The Camera Exchange, Mob : 9433922144, Shillong : Highland Studio & Digital Colour Lab, Mob : 09436100121/ 09863063030
SOUTH ZONE : Chennai : Chennai Cameras, Mob : 09884244369, Ph : 044-43102211/ 43102224, ADNT Rathna, Mob : 09500059620, Smart Shoppers, Mob : 09940039851
(Chennai), Mob : 09884288382
NORTH ZONE : Gurgaon : Kumarjee, Mob : 09810073841, Chandigarh : Apollo Electronics, Ph : 01723254164,
Dehradun : Cinema Art, Ph : 01352715281
DIGITAL CAMERA AND ACCESSORIES
Tidbits
Image Stabilization
& Wi-Fi
C
ompact camera users are often

faced with a dilemma - what
are the important features that
they should look out for? Autofocus,
good build quality and ergonomics
are nowadays taken for granted but
the two features that really matter for
todays compact camera users are
image stabilization and Wi-Fi. Unless
these two features are included in the
camera specs, one risks immediate
obsolescence and blurry pictures.
Image stabilization refers to the
technique used to reduce blurring
associated with the motion of a camera
at the time of exposure. Most compact
cameras are small, difficult to hold, lack
optical viewfinders and therefore have
to be held at a distance when shooting.
This, inevitably increases the chances
of camera shake and therefore blurry
pictures.
Camera manufacturers have used
different systems to overcome camera
shake and they can be broadly
categorized into two:
1. Optical Image Stabilization:
This is a system followed by Nikon (VR
or Vibration Reduction), Canon (IS or
162
Image Stabilization)
and Panasonic
[Mega OIS (Mega
Optical Image
Stabilization) and
Power OIS]. In
this system, the
image stabilization
is installed in the
lens of the camera.
In an optically stabilized lens, certain
lens elements move to counteract the
motion of the camera. Manufacturers
claim that this system of stabilization
enable the users to take images at 3 or
4 stops lower than normal.
2. Sensor-Shift System:
This is a system followed by Pentax
(SR or Shake Reduction), Sony (Steady
Shot) and Olympus. In this method, it
is the sensor in the camera body that
moves rather than the optical elements
in the lens. The benefit of this system
is that it is not dependent on the lens
to get sharper results. Older nonstabilized lenses can easily be used
since image stabilization works through
the camera body.
Which of the two systems is better?
We would say that lens-based image
Sketch showing the working of Canons Image Stabilizer
stabilization is superior. However,

that superiority comes at a cost since
all your lenses will have to be image
stabilized.
The problem of camera shake can be
overcome in other ways as well. One
method is to boost the ISO speed
which is, however, risky as there is a
possibility of getting noise in your shots.
A shake reduction filter is also available
in Photoshop CC. The risk here is you
may get artifacts in the images.
As regards Wi-Fi, not having it means
you are shutting out an increasing
number of photographers who want
to share their images immediately after
they are shot. Can any manufacturer
afford to ignore this category of
photographers?
H. S. Billimoria
164
Supplement with
January 2014 issue
ACCESSORIES
LOADED!
Published on the 26th of every month January 2014 Smartphotography 2
INTRODUCTION

3 January 2014 Smartphotography Published on the 26th of every month
CHARGER

This charger can charge AA/AAA Ni-MH/

Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries.
Individual charging slot, charges
1/2/3/4 AA / AAA sizes at a time.
Super Quick Charger, charges 21OOmAh
batteries in just 1.2* hours.
Desktop Charger with Indian Plug & LCD
Display
Auto Cut Charger & Bad Cell Detection
Ideal For Travel, World Wide Voltage
100-240V
Output current 1800mA x 1,900mA x 2, 450mA x 3, 450mA x 4 for AA

900mA x 1,450mA x 2, 225mA x 3, 225mA x 4 for AAA
Improper operation may cause electric shock.
Prevent from reverse Polarity.
This charger should be placed beyond children's reach.
Can not be disassembled or assembled by unprofessional.
Use it between temperature 0C-40C.
Indoor use only. Do not use it under sunshine or rain.

This charger can charge AA/AAA Ni-MH/Ni-Cd

rechargeable batteries.
Charges 2/4AA/AAA or 1/2 9V sizes at a time.
Auto cut Quick Charger charges AA 2100mAh batteries in
just 7 * hours.
Foldable Plug in charger with Indian Plug.
Ideal For Travel, World Wide Voltage 100240V
Can be supplied with 2 or 4 pcs of AA 2100/2500/2800 &
AAA 11OOmAh Rechargeable Batteries
Output current 300mA for AA/AAA & 50mA for 9V

Improper operation may couse electric shock.
Use it between temperature 0'C-40'C.

This charger can charge AA/AAA Ni-MH/Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries.
Charges 2 /4/6/8 AA/ AAA sizes at a time.
Auto Cut Charger, Charging by IC control, with -v intelligent cut off the Rapid
charging function. Automatic transfer to trickle-charging, Insure the battery
can be fully charged and not over charged.
Green LED when charging and will turn off when batteries are fully charged.
Desktop Charger with Indian Plug.

Output current 1000mA for AA & 500mA for AAA
Improper operotion moy cause electric shock.
Use it between temperoture OOC-400C.
BATTERIES

Can be recharged up to 1000 times.
Ideal for Flashlights, Remote Control Toys, Walkman etc. and also for high drain devices like Digital Camera, MP3 Player, Camcorders etc.
Due to low self discharge, 80%* Of the Charge remains even after One Year, when not in use.

Can be charged 1000 times and you save 1000 ALKALINE BATTERIES cost Whiach gives you great saving
Can be charged up to 1000 times and reduces sail pollution & garbage 1000 times.

Costs less than a penny in electricity to charge a set of 4 ENVIE
Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable Batteries are cheaper than Alkaline Batteries because
they can be used 1000 times.
Works best in high drain appliances like Digital Camera, Camcorders,
CD Player, Key Board, Mouse etc.
Stores Power even at the end of 6 months Due to low Self Discharge


Guide No.
Flash Display
Flash Mode
Vertical Rotation Angle
Horizontal Rotation Angle
Zoom Position
Flash Control
Power
Recycle Time
Color Temperature
Peripheral Interface
Flash Sync Speed
Wireless Distance
Lighting Time
FLASH SPEEDLITE
42 Meter (ISO 100,105 mm Zoom)

Large Color LCD Panel
TTL / Manual / Multi S 1 & S2
090 Degrees
0270 Degrees
24-28-35-50-70-B5-I05
8 Grade hi-speed control( I/128-I/I)
4xAA size Batteries (Alkaline or Ni-MH Battery used)
Approx 0.5-3.2 Sec.
5600 ( lOOK
Metal Hot shoe.
High Speed Sync up to 1/200- 1/20000 S
Indoor 15-20 meters, outdoor 10-15 meters
100-1500 times (using AA Alkaline cells)

Flash Display
Large LCD Panel
Guide No.
54 (ISO 100 35mm Zoom)
Color Temperature
5500100K
Flash Sync Speed
High Speed Sync up to 1/8000
Zoom Position
18-24-28-3550-70-85-105-135180
Horizontal Rotation Angle 0-360 Degrees
0-90 Degrees upward and 0-7 Degree Down
Flash Modes
TTL / Manual / Multi / Semi Automatic
Flash Control
8 Grade Hi-Speed control( 1/128-1/1)
Optical Slave
Instant Sync Mode S1 & S2
Wireless Distance
Indoor 20-30 Mtrs & Outdoor 10-15 Mtrs
Power Saving
Available
Thermal Cut off

Electronic Construction
Advanced IGBT with micro controller
Flash Recycle Time
About 0.5-3.2 seconds
Hotshoe PC Mount & External charger mount
Power Source
4xAA Alkaline / Rechargeable (Ni-MH) Battery
Lighting Time
100-1500 times (using AA Alkaline Cells)
Built in

Flash Display
Guide No.
Color Temperature
Flash Sync Speed
Zoom Position
Horizontal Rotation Angle
Flash Modes
Flash Control
Optical Slave
Wireless Distance
Power Saving
Thermal Cut off
Electronic Construction
Flash Recycle lime
Power Source
Lighting Time

Large LCD Panel with Backlighting

54 (ISO 100 35mm Zoom)
5500100K
High Speed Sync up to 1/8000
18-24-28-35-50-70-85-105-135-180
0360 Degrees
090 Degrees upward and 07 Degree Down
TTL / Manual / Multi / 2.4G Wireless Master / Slave
8 Grade Hi-Speed control(1/128-1/1)
Instant Sync Mode S1 & S 2
Indoor 20-30 Mtrs & Outdoor 10-15 Mtrs
Available

Advanced 1GBT with micro controller
About 0.5-3.2 seconds
Hotshoe PC Mount & External charger mount
4xAA Alkaline / Rechargeable (Ni-MH) Battery
100-1500 times (using AA Alkaline Cells)
Built in
STUDIO FLASH

Digitek Studio Flash DSF-400 has attractive and unique style. high strength
Engineering plastic shell with two colors - Black, & Purple. Super Cooling fan

working hours. The head is compatible with Elinchrom mount. The structure
is easy operation, stable performance, fast recycle time and easy to carry. It

photography and so on.
Model
Output Power
Sync Voltage
Flash Guide No.
Recycling Time
Color Temperature
Model Lamp
Lamp Holder
Cooling Fan
Recycling Prompt
Slave
Adjusting Power
Flash Trigging Method
Working Voltage
Inbuilt Radio Receiver

Digitek Studio Flash DSF-200 Fast Recycle Time & Attractive, Unique Style.
Mode of high Strength Engineering Plastic. Shell in Black color. Super Cooling
Fan at bottom to promote air diversion technology to ensure long working
hours. 16 channel Inbuilt Trigger. The head is compatible with Elinchrom

product photography and so on.
Model
Output Power
Sync Voltage
Flash Guide No.
Recycling Time
Color Temperature
Model Lamp
Lamp Holder
Cooling Fan
Recycling Prompt
Slave
Adjusting Power
Flash Trigging Method
Working Voltage
Inbuilt Radio Receiver
DSF-200
200WS
DC5V
43GN
0.2-2Sec
5600+100K
100W/3000K
E27
Yes
LED Indicating Light, Buzzer Switch
ON/OFF

Including Photocell, Sync cable, Test Button
AC 180-240V 50/60Hz 5A
YES
DSF-400
400WS
DC 5V
52GN
0.2-1.5 Sec
5600 + lOOK
100W/3000K
E27
YES
Sound Prompt
ON/OFF

Including Slave, Sync cable, Test button
AC 220V-240V 50/60Hz 5A
YES

STUDIO PRODUCTS
Digitek Professional Halogen Video Light provides soft and warm light with low color temperature. Halogen light
creates a continuous light ideal for video shoot as well as it also presents an advantage for photography.
Photographers no longer have to change to manual function and adjust the aperture and shutter.

Direct Camera Hotshoe with ABS handle Grip for better grip to hold long operational time Output 1000 Watt.
Tilted Head & Light Weight Metal Body.

Digitek Studio Light Stand designed for studio lights. It is made of strong aluminum alloy, featuring a solid
build, seamless design, Professional Series light stands are built to uncompromising standards. Ideal for in
studio or on location shoots where sheer strength must be combined with portability and easy set-up.
Aluminium & Steel construction means they are strong yet light weight. Feature like adjustable heights to give
comfort for your shoots needs. Foldable to make easy handling and reliable experience.
Aluminium locking part with three sections 14 Feet max operation height.

object to be photographed.

achieve professional lighting effect and they assure in providing professional quality lighting to your phonographs.

'Reemix' RM series has more advanced features than any remote ever offered. It

one set of remote.
Available in different models C I/C3/N I/N2/N3/S I/OP3/0P 12 for various brands
of DSLR. Also with different cables to support Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and
Olympus cameras.

Transmit frequency
Workable range
Channels
Battery for transmitter
Battery for receiver
Sync speed
433MHZ
within 100m
16
12V23A
2XAAA
1/250S
TRIPOD
LED VEDIO LIGHT & BATTERY GRIP

Battery Compatible with

Hotshoe type
LED Bulbs Amount
Power
Max Illumination
Illumination Angle
Operating Temperature
Input Voltage
Cooling Mode
Battery Compatible with A4Ni-MH

Battery, Sony NP-FH, NP-FM, NP-F Series
Battery
Battery Adapter for Panasonic CGR-D,
VW, CGA-DU Series Battery
With Magenta Filters & 3200K Filter,
Soft Filter, Effect of Built-UP-Together
Join Together
Dimmer Brightness Control.
Compatible Batteries
Sony NP-F series.
LED quantity
300pc
Max output
18W
Beam Angle
45
Luminous Flux
2300LM
Color Rendering index(Ra) >85%
Color Temperature
5500K
LED Longevity Sensitive Chip can automatically
adjust the light Brightness of LED's accordingly to
achieve better photos.

Color Temperatures
Size
Net Weight
SONY F970/ F770

General Hostshoe
lOpcs.
3-20W
1200 Lux
65
0-40C
DC 6-17V
Thermal Slug
Natural Ventilation
3200-5500K
108x150x113mm
488g

CHARGER FOR LITHIUM BATTERIES

LCD Display
Displays percentage as : 00%, 5%, 10%, 100%, or
00%, 1%, 2%, 100%, into increasing appear.
Changeable plate for different corresponding models
of batteries.
Auto identify the battery. For instance, If LED display
arrow, it means that the battery cannot be charged.

Input DC 12V 1000mA
Output 4.2/8.4V 700-1000mA

Quick & Desktop charger with independent charging.
Digital double channel design and reading convenient with LCD display
Conveniently Charge either I or 2 Li-ion Batteries.
Quick charger & Auto cut function with damage battery detection
Fit for 7.2V/7.4V/10.8V/ 11.1 V/14.4V/14.8V Professional Camera Battery
Automatic detect battery voltage and start charging after 8-20sec.
Verstile Interchangeable Plate designs lets you upgrade this charger to function with many different
batteries such as:
SONY BP-U60,NP-F550/F570/750/960/970/NP-FM50/70/90, FV50/ FV70/FV100
CANON LPE6,BP9 I 5/BP9 I I/BP930/BP945/BP950G/BP970G
PANSONIC D07S/D08S/D16S/D28S/D110/D220/D320/D54/D28H/VBG 130/VBG260/VBG390/VBG6
NIKON EN-EL 15
JVC BN-V408/V418/V428
Input 100-240V(Worldwide use)
Output DC 8.4/12.6/16.8V-I-2Amp

The fast and convenient way to refuel your high power camera batteries. Its rapid smart charging, real
time status indicator with Dual Li-ion Battery charging capability make it the perfect choice for Photo
Professionals and camera enthusiasts.
Utilize MPC technology for fast and smart charging.
Conveniently charge either 1 or 2 batteries.
Auto Cutoff enables trickle charging when full to extend the life of your batteries.
Status LED display for real time charging progress
AC, DC & world ready 100-240 Volts.
Versatile interchangeable plate designs lets you upgrade this charger to function with many different
batteries.
Charge two different batteries types at the same time

Digitek Universal Travel Charger for Li-ion Batteries. Available for all leading brands & models of
Camera, DSLR, Video Camera Ii-ion batteries of Nikon, Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Kodak, Olympus,
Samsung, Casio,JVC Fuji etc.
Also available in 4.2 & 8.4 V models and with separate plates for different batteries models.
PLATINUM BATTERY
PHOTOGRAPHIC ACCESSORIES

The Filter will select light rays that enters
in your camera lens. It will allow you to

metallic surfaces such as water, glass etc.

for clear picture as well as lens protector. A

Absorbs the Ultravoilet Rays, which often
makes outdoor photographs hazy and
indistinct. Also serves to protect the lens
form scratching, dirt, and dust.
Available in sizes 37mm, 43mm,
46mm, 49mm, 52mm, 58mm, 62mm,
67mm,72mm & 77mm.

Five in One is a ideal Cleaning kit for all Laptop, Tablet PC's, LCD, Digital Camera, DSLR Camera, & Video
Camera Owners.
Set includes:
1 Blower
1 Lens Pen,
1 Special cloth. I Cotton Swab,
1 Bottle of Cleaning Fluid.

Brush & blow the LCD surface gently to remove dust or dirt.

Use the cloth to dry and shine your LCD screen.

smudges persist, breathe gently surface to be cleaned and repeat the process.
Double cleaning tip, one circular head, one triangle head, when in use, the other cleaning tip can hide in cap.

Ultra Slim, Trendy, Compact
& in different Colours. Fast
USB2.0 interface, 480mbps,
High Speed, Hot swappable
plug and play

Support CF, XD, SD, MMC,
RS-MMC, T-Flash, MS, MS Pro, MS Duo, MS Pro Duo, M2, Mini SD, T Flash,
M2 use without adaptor.
Easy Plug and Play Installation Device.
No External Power needed.
LED light clew read and right status. Slim Size & Easy for carry.
Up to 480mbps Accessibility Speed. USB Version 2.0
Supports Windows 98/98SE/ME/20001XPlVista17, Mac OS X9.0 and
Linux 2.4 later version
Supports Phone / Laptop / Tablet Pc. Supports TF Card. Modular'

Buddy-jack' design: Connect a row of Mini Speakers to get Jaw-Dropping
Audio performance. Expanded BXS (Bass Xpansion System) drives a fuller,
richer low-end response. New, larger 4Smm driver delivers precise highs for
superb sound.

Bluetooth version V3.0
Working Range up to 10m
Working Time 5 hours
Dimension 60x60xSOmm
Net weight 230g
Speaker 45mm
Loudspeaker Output 3w
Frequency Response 280HZ-16KHz
Signal-to-Noise 95dB
Distortion O.5%
Battery Voltage/Capacity 520mAh
Battery Charging Voltage 5V(0.5V
Battery Charge Time 2 Hours
POWER BANK

Battery Type
Capacity
Input
Output
LEO Power
Li-ion Battery
7800mAh
Micro USB 5V-1A(Max)
5V-2.1A (Max)
O.3W

Compact size and high capacity of 7800mAh
Built in LED lighting function
The hidden LED display status for remaining power
Can charge iPod, iPhone. Tablel PC, Smartphone, Mobile, MP3/MP4 etc.
Multiple Safety protection system to ensure device safety System
Works for at least 500 cycles.
Remains charged after full charge for a month, when not in use.

Battery Type
Capacity
Input
Output
LED Power
Li-ion Battery
5200mAh
Micro USB 5V-IA(Max)
5V-l A (Max)
O.3W

Compact size and high capacity of 5200mAh
Built in LED lighting function
The hidden LED display status for remaining power
Can charge iPod, iPhone, Tablet PC, Smartphone, Mobile, MP3/MP4 etc.
Multiple Safety protection system to ensure device safety system
Works for atleast 500 cycles.
Remains charged after full charge for a month, when not in use.

Battery Type
Capacity
Input
Output
Li-ion Battery
2200mAh
Micro USB 5V 1000mA(Max)
USB 5V 1000mA

Small size and high capacity of 2200mAh LED starts blinking when
low power.
Can charge iPhone, Mobile Phones, Smartphones etc.
Multiple safety protection system to ensure device safety system
Available in different attractive colors to choose from.
TRAVEL CHARGERS

Multi functional light weight USB retractable lOin-I cable allow you to connect or charge
your mobile phone any time any where. It compatible with many models of Blackberry,
iPhone, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung & other mobile phone & Digital Device like MP3/
MP4, GPS, Digital Camera etc.

USB Travel Charger (10-in-1) Kit.
Keep your Blackberry, iPodl/iPhone, Mobiles, MP3/MP4, Digital Devices powered.
Multi functional, Lightweight USB Retractable 10-in-1 Mobile Connector Cable.
Car Adapter allows Charging by Plugging by in to Car 12V Cigarette Lighter.

Quick Charger by I Amp. Power Output, Prevents Overcharge and Undercharge.
With Connector for Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry, PSP, iPod &
iPhone etc .

Cigarette Lighter Adapter
Home Adapter
Input: 12-24 Volts, Output: 5V, I Amp.

Input: 00-240 Volts AC, SO-60Hz, Output: 5 Volts, I Amp.

Digitek DUAL USB Car Charger with a standard USB 2.0 output port
can charge most of the Mobile Phones, Smart Phones, iPhone's, iPod's,
iPad's, Blackberry, Samsung, HTC, LG, NOKIA, Sony, Tablets, MP3/
MP4 etc. or portable speakers in your car. The charger can safely and
reliably deliver constant current and voltage. This dual USB charger
does not come with any cable or connector. The Blue LED will light
when charging.

Input
Output
12-24V DC 800mA
SV DC 2Amp.

Dual USB ports : one is 5V/2A, the other is 5V I A.
The Blue LED light will illuminate while charging.
Constant voltage charging mode for safe using.
Worldwide voltage use.
Dual USB port that can be used with different connectors to meet various need.

Mobile Phones, Smart Phones, iPhone's, iPod's, iPad's, Blackberry, Samsung, HTC,
LG, NOKIA, Sony, Tablets, MP3/MP4 etc. or portable speakers.

Input
Output
I 00-240V AC SO/60Hz 300mA

SV DC 2.1 A

TORCH

Charge : Downward the Flashlight, directly put the whole plug into the power
(AC I 10/220V) the reiative indication light turns on, Charging starts. it takes about 8
hours.
On/OFF Button: Upward is for 4 LED and downwards is for OFF.
After charging fully. it could be used continuously about 10 hours with 4 LED bulbs.
When LED bulb is dark during usage, that means the battery is at the stage of
discharging.
At the moment. in order to protect the battery, please stop using. and charge it in time.
(Please charge before the LED bulb is dark fully, otherwise it would damage the battery)
Flashlight should be usually used, please don't shelve it for long period. if you don't
usually use it, please charge it 8 hours after every 3 months or it may effect the battery life.

Rated Capacity
400mAh.
Long Life Battery could be recycled more than 500 times.

Charge : Downwards the Flashlight, directly put the whole plug into the power (AC II 0/220V) the
relative indication light turns on, charging starts. it takes about 12 hours.
On/OFF Button :Middle is for 4 LED, Upward is for 7 LED downwards is for OFF.
After charging fully, it could be used continuously about 21 hours with 4 LED Lamps and 15 hrs.
for 7 LED Lamps.
When LED bulb is dark during usage, that means the battery is at the stage of discharging.
At this moment, in order to protect the battery, please stop using, and charge it in time. (Please
charge before the LED bulb is dark fully, otherwise it would damage the battery).
Flashlight should be usually used, please don't shelve it for long period. If you don't usually use

Rated Capacity
800mAh.
Long Life Battery could be recycled more than 500 times.

Strong and light brightness are adjustable
RNI No. MAHENG/2005/14978 Postal Reg no. MH/MR/WEST/53/2012-2014 Licenced to post at Mumbai Patrika Channel sorting ofce
G. P. O. Mumbai 400 001 Published on 26th of each month and posted on 26/27 of every previous month
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REVIEWS: NIKON DF OLYMPUS OM D EM-1 NIKON D610 NIKON COOLPIX P7800 SONY XPERIA Z1 PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 12

INDIAS NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

UNDERSTANDING LIGHT & LIGHTING

his issue reaches you as we break into 2014.

CIRCULATION AND SUBSCRIPTION

On the product front, all of us at Smart Photography are very excited

Richard G.C. +9199492 17127

WE ARE GLUED TO THE GLOBAL

OUR TESTS ARE CONDUCTED BY EXPERTS

WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU

Editor Hoshang S Billimoria

January 2014 Smart Photography

Ask Uncle Ronnie

Your photo queries answered by Uncle Ronnie

Our expert comments on how your pictures can be taken

The masters of the craft share their insights and photographs

A platform for budding photographers to exhibit their

INDIAS NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

UNDERSTANDING LIGHT & LIGHTING

A photographic profile of the person behind the lens

Readers can find the updated Buyers Guide, log on

Smart Photography January 2014

Let There be Light

Star Trail Photography

OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 MSC

Smart Photography January 2014

SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-QX10

NOKIA LUMIA 1020

INDIAS NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

Smart Photography January 2014

We are happy to know that you found it

Smart Photography January 2014

Canon to launch EOS M2

Samyang to launch 10mm

HP Japan to launch office use inkjet printer

pigment ink that dries faster than conventional ink and

Canon launches fast Laser

Smart Photography January 2014

Nikon Corp and Nikon Inc. on October

The Sony World Photography Awards 2014

Smart Photography January 2014

Photographer captures wedding using Lumia 1020

World Press Photo

Smart Photography January 2014

when Joy approached us about having our wedding shot

Sony sells 1 million

Olympus to trim costs,

Smart Photography January 2014

Fujifilm has decided to create cancer treatment drugs jointly

Fujifilm Establishes Local

Leica takes over Sinar

Sony to buy Chip Factory

to make CMOS sensors

Smart Photography January 2014

rise by 30% in 2014

ICICI Bank Privilege Moments recognised by

categories: people, landscape, wildlife, flowers and trees,

Smart Photography January 2014

Timelessgroup photography exhibition

Design Manager Mathew Kuriens photo series, known

London. These pictures have people as

Manfrotto, the world leader in design, production and distribution of