Table of contents for September-October 2015 in Camera

BACK WHEN I STARTED OUT road-testing camera gear (no, you don’t need to ask), in one particular review I wrote something about the packaging. The editor of the day, wielding the red pen (literally back then), told me in no uncertain terms that such details were an irrelevancy, and I would do better to concentrate more on the main topic. Yes, boss. I’ve never mentioned packaging in a review again, but I’ve always inwardly commended any manufacturer who quite clearly went to a bit of effort in this department. Of course, I’ve been fortunate enough to unbox quite a few cameras along the way and – call me strange – I never tire of the thrill, especially if the test sample happens to be brand-spanking new and I’m the first…

Current to 4 October: Exhibition. Remain In Light: Photography From The MCA Collections. Over 70 artworks by Australian and international artists collected by the University of Sydney and the Museum of Contemporary Art during a period spanning more than 50 years.Touring exhibition on at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery until 1 February. Bendigo Art Gallery from 21 February to 19 April. Artspace Mackay from 22 May to 4 July. Hawkesbury Regional Gallery from 7 August to 4 October. Current to 5 October: Exhibition. Wildlife Photographer Of The Year. A total of 100 images from the world’s largest wildlife and natural history photo competition. At the Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2010. Museum hours are 9.30am to 5.00pm daily. For more information visit…

While it’s resolutely a stills camera in design, the Leica Q is actually reasonably capable in the video department. Full HD resolution clips are recorded in the MP4 format (using MPEG 4 AVC/H .264 compression) at either 30 fps or 60 fps. Alternatively, you can record at 720/30p in the MOV format. Given its heritage, it’s perhaps a bit surprising that there’s no 24 fps ‘cinematic’ recording speed. The Q has built-in stereo microphones – located just ahead of the hotshoe – and provides both a gain adjustment (to vary the sensitivity) and a switchable wind-cut filter. There isn’t a stereo audio input which is a pretty clear indication that the Q isn’t really intended to be a serious video camera. Image adjustments are provided for sharpness, contrast and saturation,…

Type: Enthusiast-level/semi-professional digital SLR with Canon EF bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic via 61-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CMOS sensor. 41 points are cross-type arrays at f4.0, five points are dual cross-type arrays at f2.8, centre point is cross-type array at f8.0. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically (9, 15 or 61 points selectable), ‘Zone AF’ and ‘Large Zone AF’. AF point expansion (4 points – one up/down/left/right; or 8 fully surrounding points). One-shot and continuous (Predictive AI Servo) modes with auto/manual switching. Continuous AF with predictive function and acceleration/deceleration tracking and adjustable tracking sensitivity. Sensitivity range is EV -2.0 - 18 (f2.8, ISO 100). AF assist only provided by accessory flashes. AF micro-adjustment for up to 40 individual lenses. Contrast-detection AF in live view and video…

Why did you decide, 25 years ago, to create a new photographic association called TIPA? During the 1990 Photokina there were several meetings of editors and publishers interested in founding and becoming members of a new association of photo magazines. Francisco Torres, editor of the now disappeared Foto Ventas magazine, was very active and he took care of the organisation at the founding meeting in Paris in April 1991. Twelve magazines attended this meeting from several countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. In Paris, we agreed, in addition to the official name, on three important principles of the Technical Image Press Association. Firstly, TIPA would be open to all European photo magazines in print, which are independent of the product manufacturers. Secondly, the association…

Without any dedicated movie cameras to worry about, Nikon is equipping its D-SLRs with comparatively advanced levels of video capabilities. Nikon continues to use the MPEG4 AVC format with the H.264 codec, offering the choice of 50, 25 or 24 fps recording with progressive scan. You can switch between the PAL and NTSC TV standards, the latter’s speeds being 60 or 30 fps. There are also ‘High’ and ‘Normal’ quality settings for each movie mode, giving bit rates of 42 and 24 Mbps respectively, but using the former reduces the maximum clip length to ten minutes when shooting at 1080/50p. The built-in microphones are stereo with the choice of auto or manual levels control and a wind-cut filter. The manual adjustment range is over a useful 20 steps. A 3.5…

While not in the same league as its big brother GH4, the G7 nevertheless offers a high level of video functionality, starting with the ability to record at the Ultra HD resolution of 3840x2160 pixels (a.k.a. 4K video) at either 25 fps (the PAL TV standard) or 24 fps. However, unlike the GH4, it doesn’t have a ‘true’ DCI 4K mode. UHD video is recorded in the MP4 format using MPEG-4/H.264 AVC compression, giving a bit rate of 100 Mbps which equates to exceptional picture quality. Full HD video can be recorded in either the MP4 or AVCHD formats and at 50, 25 or 24 fps. Interestingly, the G7 is TV region specific so, in our market, it isn’t possible to use the NTSC speeds of 60 or 30 fps.…

Many thanks to you sharp-eyed readers who noted the Minolta mix-up in our feature ‘The 50 Most Significant Cameras Of All Time’ published in the last issue. The number 45 entry – the Minolta Hi-Matic 7 – was erroneously accompanied by an illustration of the Minolta 7000. In fact, we had great problems sourcing a copyright-free image of the Hi-Matic 7 which is why the mistake eventually occurred. Here, just to complete the feature, is a period advertisement for the Hi-Matic 7… feel free to cut-and-paste. We particularly enjoyed the observation of one reader who felt the mistake was compounded because of the awfulness of the 7000’s styling versus the simple elegance of the Hi-Matic 7. We agree.…

SONY’S A7 SERIES mirrorless cameras have been suggestive of where the future might lie in the high-end market, but it’s probably confirmed with the arrival of the new A7R II (a.k.a. the ILCE-7RM2). The new A7 flagship retains the compact dimensions and lightweight of the preceding models, but steps up to a 43.6 megapixels ‘back-illuminated’ CMOS sensor with a sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 100 to 102,400. The A7R II has a five-axis sensor-shift image stabiliser and can record 4K video in multiple formats including ‘Super 35’ (without pixel binning) and full-35mm (i.e. using the full width of the sensor). The new sensor doesn’t have an optical low-pass filter and is claimed to have a data read-out speed that’s 3.5 times faster than that of the previous model. It incorporates…

Type: Fixed prime lens digital compact camera with electronic eyelevel viewfinder. Lens: Leica Summilux 28mm f1.7 ASPH. Eleven elements in nine groups (three aspherical types). Aperture range is f1.7 to f16 adjustable in 1/3-stop increments. Built-in optical image stabilisation. Metal lens hood supplied. Focusing Type & Range: Contrast-detection measurement with 169 focusing points. Auto/ manual point selection, face recognition and auto tracking modes. Focus frame adjustable for size. Range is 30 cm to infinity. Macro focusing down to 17 cm. Manual switching between single-shot and continuous modes. Low light/contrast assist provided by built-in illuminator. Manual focus assist via magnified image (up to 6x) and focus peaking display (red, green, blue or white). Touch AF operation available via monitor screen. Shutter Type & Speeds: Electronically-controlled leaf, 30-1/2000 second plus ‘B’. Flash…

We’re looking for the most talented teenage photographer in Australia so, if you’re aged between 13 and 19, and think you’ve got what it takes to be published on these pages, then start putting your portfolio together. In the last issue of Camera we kicked off the search for the Australian Teenage Photographer Of The Year. There are six chances to impress us with a great portfolio of pictures – and two of these are already gone – so don’t miss this great opportunity to get into print (and on our Website) and possibly kick off a career in photography. At the end the competition, we’ll judge all six portfolios and crown somebody the Australian Teenage Photographer Of The Year. Our good friends at Canon Australia have given us an…

Type: Fully automatic digital SLR with Nikon F bayonet lens mount (AF-S and AF-I lenses fully supported, all others with manual focusing only). Focusing: Automatic 39-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CCD sen sor arrays (nine cross-type arrays). Focus points may be selected manually or automatically and either as single points or in groups (9/21/39). Auto or manual switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes, the latter with a predictive function. Face priority and auto tracking. Sensitivity range is EV -1 - 19 (ISO 100). AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. Metering: 2016-point ‘3D Colour Matrix II’, centre-weighted average, spot (3.5mm/2.5%) and i-TTL flash. Metering range is EV 0 to 20 (ISO 100/f1.4). Spot metering range is EV 2 to 20. Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priority auto, aperture-priority…

Type: Fully automatic digital camera with Micro Four Thirds bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic 49-point wide-area system using contrast-detection via imaging sensor. Single focus point – with variable area size – can be moved around the image frame, and clusters of focus points set manually (Custom Multi). Manual and automatic switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes, the latter with auto tracking. Face detection and recognition. Sensitivity range is EV -4.0 - 18 (ISO 100). AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. Focus assist via magnified image (up to 6.0x with continuous adjustment) and focus peaking display (Green, Yellow or Blue; High or Low intensity). Metering: 1728-point multi-zone, centre-weighted average, spot and TTL flash. Metering range is EV 0 to 18 (ISO 100/f2.0). Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priority auto,…

You can enter digital images into the Fujifilm Showcase and files can be supplied on CD or via email to cameracomp@avhub.com.au. The requirements for submitting digital files are as follows... • 300 dpi resolution, and at a file size which enables a reproduction of up to 20x15 cm. Please avoid submitting overly large file sizes, especially when emailing the images. Up to 4.0 MB in file size is more than sufficient. • Digital retouching and manipulation is permitted, but the judges will continue to reward good camera techniques. • The full details of the camera, lens and any retouching must be supplied with the image. Images can be titled if you wish, but this isn’t essential. Please make sure your CDs or DVDs are marked with your name and address.…

Canon has produced its 110-millionth EF mount lens, setting a new world record for the most interchangeable camera lenses produced ever. This milestone was reached with the production of an EF 11-24mm f4.0L USM wide-angle zoom. The EF mount (with the EOS camera system) was launched in 1987, and the lens line-up has grown to a total of 97 models, including the EF Cinema Lenses for digital cinematography. For more information about Canon EF lenses visit www.canon.com.au Meanwhile, over at Nikon, they’re celebrating the building of 95 million Nikkor lenses since the legendary Nikon F was launched in 1959. The two rivals used to be neck-and-neck in the lens production numbers race, but Canon seems to have pulled ahead over the last year or so. Of course, Nikon’s count started…

Quite a fuss is being made of the fact that the EOS 5Ds isn’t as capable as a video camera as the 5D Mark III, but this is missing the point entirely. Canon has primarily designed the 5Ds for high-end photography (with even studio work included in its likely applications) so it’s not even meant to be a replacement for the 5D III which will actually continue to be the videographer’s D-SLR darling. As it happens, while it lacks a few pro-level video features – most notably a stereo audio output for connecting headphones and the availability of a ‘clean’ uncompressed output at the HDMI terminal – the 5Ds is still reasonably well-equipped as far as shooting movie clips is concerned. Most interestingly, although it could quite easily record 4K…

You have been the chairman of TIPA since 2008. What is the main purpose of the association today? Are the awards more important for the brands or for the readers of the magazines? First of all, the TIPA Awards give orientation to consumers. A TIPA Award indicates the excellence of a product in its field. At the same time it is an honour for the manufacturer to be awarded. Remember, each year there are hundreds of new imaging products, but only 40 are judged the best in their specific field. For TIPA as an association of photo and imaging magazines, the main purpose in the year of its anniversary is to make consumers clearly understand why it makes sense to take a camera when the picture matters, that photography is…

Printer Type: A3+ format (13 inches wide) for photo-quality prints via a nine-colour pigmented inkset (but eight cartridges in use at any one time with auto switching between matte black and photo black). Maximum Resolution: 5760x1440 dpi. Ink Cartridges: Individual per colour, 25.9 millilitre capacity. Epson UltraChrome HD pigments. Colours are photo black, matte black, cyan, light cyan, vivid magenta, vivid light magenta, yellow, light black and light light black. Smallest droplet size is 2.0 picolitres via ‘Variable Droplet Technology’. Paper Sizes: Borderless printing on cut sheets from 149x100 mm up to A3+. Paper rolls up to 329 mm in width can be fitted. Customisable print sizes. Interfaces: Hi-Speed USB 2.0, 100 Base-T Ethernet, WiFi. Epson iPrint Mobile App., Apple Airprint and Google Cloud Print. Acoustic Noise: 48.2 dB (A).…

WINNER Helen Fallow has called this image Geometric and it was obviously a case of being ready for the exact moment when the Gouldian Finch obliged by being perfectly framed by the entrance to the nesting box. Bird photography requires many skills, but patience has to be near the top of the list… pictures like this just don’t come along every day. Helen used a Canon EOS 7D fitted with a 300mm f2.8 telephoto lens and a 1.4x extender. HIGHLY COMMENDED Sometimes the simplest of subjects are photographs waiting to happen… you just have to be looking. Here Paul Watson saw some potential when he spotted his nine-year-old daughter’s paintbrushes sitting in a bucket of water. Some clever composition to emphasise both the shapes and colours resulted in this appealing…