ProPhoto - March 2013

A magazine for professional photographers and high tech lovers

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ANDTHE

SALTWATER PEOPLE

SHARPINSTRUMENTS

Zeiss Prime Lenses For D-SLRs

HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE PORTFOLIO

eee oe CANON EOS6D

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This month’ fic cover features photography by John Ogden from his

TT p6 6 DO TU TT Contents March 2013

EPSON

EXCEED YOUR VISION

Epson Stylus® R2000 A3+*

ee |

a Se Epson Artisan 1430 A3

Epson Photo Printers leaving nothing to be desired

L® (s1i19] th 2 prZốfiurrnacuuo rd va Dson.com.au 3DSONn.CO.'Z ProPhoto Morch 2013

Editor/Technical Editor Paul Bur shurrows®nextmedia.com.au ‘Art Director David Chew Production Editor Edgar Kramer Regular Contributors

Robyn Hil,

n Ogive, Bruce Usher, Alison Sliven

Advertising Sales Lewis Pe Advertising Traffic Dione Preec cdgtesoafnstimlicam gu

Division General Manager Jin Pioscs inceece@nexmedia.com.ou Production Manager Pe

Circulation Director Gorole Jones Group Editor Jez

PROPHOTO SUBSCRIPTIONS 10 361 146 or +61 29901 6111 lo

3 Leonards NSW 1

Subscribe online: wavw.avhu.com au FOR iPAD, ANDROID, PO/Mac vwvouzino.comérophato extinedia Fax (02) 990 wuu.nextmedia, 3 SSN 1328-715K Online at wwww.avhub.com.au oe

ae PROFILE - John Ogden

:

NEWS & NEW PRODUCTS

faking news in this issue is Nikon's D7100 D-SLR (which does away with a low-pass filter), a significant upgrade 10 Fujifilm’ iconic X100, Lexar’s XQD memory cards, Sigma’s

customisable lenses, plus much more As usual we publish a calendar of the important imaging events happening locally and overseas over the next few months For the latest news, from the imaging industry visit www.avhub.com.au) 1 SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Can't always find ProPhoto in your newsagent or haven't got time to look? Ifyou subscribe, you'll have the magazine delivered straight to your mailbox and youll save a bit on the cover price too,

2 4 | ON TRIAL - Fujifilm X-E1

As the new breed of ultrahigh resolution

D-SLRs ~ led by the Nikon D800 - test the mettle of system high performance fast primes are finding anew audience We test five of the current Zi

models for Nikon model 3 0 | ONTRIAL -

Zeiss ZE/ZF.2 SLR Lenses

{As the new breed of ultra-high resolution D-SLRs ~led by the Nikon D800 - test the mettle of system lenses, Zeisss high performance fast primes are finding a new audience We test five of the current 2F2 mount models for Nikon models 3 6 PROFILE -

A Tale Of Two Studios

Sydney's lower north was a key centre of advertising photography in Australia during the 1970s and “80s, and one studio in particular spawned a great many creative talents, Bruce Usher tells the story of 116 Miller Street in North Sydney

42 | IN PRACTICE — Assembling A Fol

Compiling a folio of images is a lot more involved than just throwing together a bunch of favour

Fine-art photography Andy Cross explains why the

process requires a lot of careful planning and preparation to ensure an effective selling tool

46 | ON TRIAL —

Canon EOS 6D Canon's answer to Nikon's D600 is actually uite a diferent animal, but it still combines

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Lighting design is just as much a part of the creative process as

composition Metz flash units are designed as tools for the

photographer who regards image

making as ‘painting with light' Rather than simply throwing some light into the darkness, Metz allow you to create moods, dramatise

images, make the

Our mecablitz 58AF, for

instance, allows you to precisely fine-tune your lighting It incorporates

a secondary flash integrated with the

camera's photometer For portraits, this ensures the

iect is li Madein =

subject is lit to Germany —

perfection

Metz Mecablitz

52 AF-1 digital

* Swivel and tilt reflector for optimum lighting control * Integrated diffuser for wide-ongle shots

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zoom adjusts lighting angles to lens focol length

Metz Mecablitz 58AF * Fully pivoting reflector system ordinary extraordinary, * USBinlerfoce to update firme

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Metz Mecablitz 76 MZ-5 digital

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FIRST FRAME oie

Paul Burrows attended The Event 2012 courtesy of Nikon Australia

The Main Event

to get around to writing about The Event, the AIPPS three-day extravaganza of seminars and workshops staged with key assistance from Nikon Australia, but better late than never Infact, a5 the prograrn for 2013 is announced, its probably very {good timing, This year it’s Hobart in rid-winter (pack those woollies), but last year it was the NSW Hunter Valley in early spring (well nearly) and a few days of warm sunshine helped energise things, but f ever anything Ive attended had abuzz; this was it

Now, being old like Father Time, Ive been to a fair few such gatherings, including a number overseas, but nothing was quite as impressive as The Event in 2012 For starters, the program is very care fully thought-out, although it’s packed if anything, too solidly packed), so there's no doubt youte getting value for money But we'e not talking about a few'headline acts’ padded out with second-tier il e's the whole thing was A-grade with, from what I experienced, every presenter putting in a huge effort to educate, excite, encourage or entertain, The star was the highly-respected American photojournal- ist James Nachtwey who eared a long standing ovation at the end of his keynote presentation, This was the appropriate way to appreciate an astounding body of work, but to be honest the delivery was mechanical and he seemed both aistant and distracted By contrast, Steve Parish totally engaged with his honesty and openness as he described the various calamities which led to the devastating demise of his eponymous business empire When, inevitably, Steve shed a few tears during his presentation, it was painfully real and he wasnt the only one in the room weeping

twas also impressive to see how many delegates turned up at the crack of dawn after the previous evening's welcome party — for Mike Langfords workshop about how to tackle a com- mission for a resort client (wich is a lot of what he does these days), but it was well worth the effort

F one reason or another it's taken me a while

as it was as good as on-the-job experience the venue being the Cypress Lakes golf resort | was too late to sign up for Urs Buhiman's workshop at the nearby RAAF base at Williamtown, but by the look of some of the images he created around the F/A-18 Homet it would have been an equally valuable learning experience Likewise when David Olver and his daughter Clare, demonstrated a whole hanabook full of on-location portrait ideas and techniques, ably assisted by the bucolic surrounds of his Hunter Valley farm and a bright, late winter sunset Did I mention the sheer variety of the prograrn which is perhaps why last year’s The Event attracted nearly 500 del egates really no mean feat in an industry the size Of Australias ve only scratched the surface, but its enough to show that the value here is not just to individuals, but to the industry as a whole

Good foundations are being laid here in terms of collective skill levels, a uniform understanding of what are professional standards, and better business practices This steal learning ~ facilitated, it has to be noted, by talent drawn largely from local ranks ~ and isa valuable investment in the future Itdoesnt happen by accident Its the result of a carefully planned program that’s been put together with a real sense of ‘what's requited in today’s industry, and then execut- ed in.a way that’s both appealing and accessible

The Event is world class, but it's right on your doorstep (even if you may have an overseasflight to Tasmania) and that means you should take a look at what’ on offer this year No matter where you ate in ‘your career, you will come away with something and that may even be a tevived passion for every thing that’s wonderful about photography `isitwwwwaipptheevent,com.au

⁄//G

Paul Burrows, Editor

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H-# NEWS

_MÑ IMAGING

6 #SM- °RODUCIS

Imaging Products & Processes

he two digital cameras which started Fujifim’s

Tress es on professional sectors have both been

significantly updated The iconic X100 becomes the X100S and the X10 evolves into the X20

The X100S retains the same classically styled bodyshell as its predecessor, but upgrades to an updated version of the 16.3 megapixels X-Trans CMOS sensor from the X-Pr01 AS on the latter model, the new sensor’ innovative 6x6 pixel

enabling th

potential Fujifilm says the X100 delivers over 0 it more resolution than the previous model The sensor is mated with a ne, powerful EXR Processor II imaging eng} reduces the start-up time to 0

lag to 0.01 seconds

The new camera also has a nee system with phase-diff

ments via dedicated

d quotes a time of just 0.08 ing between phase detection and jon measurement is performed

ding to the subject or sc The X100's hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder remains, but the latter is upgraded to 2.36 million

and there's a new ‘Digital Split Image’ display to assist with manual focusing Additionally, manual focus can be as

“focus peaking’ display which ind

of sharpest focus by highlighting the areas of pixels resolutic

maximum contrast

Lexar Announces

XQD Memory Cards

And Reader

0 doubt in anticipation of mare high-end imaging

N2 ne rat eas of XOD format

and a compatible reader Until now, Sony has been the only promoter of XOD ca

and Nikos flagship Dé the sole digital camera supporting the format, but it’s only a matter of time before others arrive, enti by the increased

potentially much la storage capacities Long

term, XQD is designed to

be the replacement for

duced a new s lory cards

Compactflash The new Lexar Professional 1100x XD cards are available in

capacities of 32 GB and 64 GB with a minimum

The lens i

im Upgrades Key X-Series Cameras

lla fixed Fujinon 23mm (2.0 lent to 35mm), but it’s been

which displays the ex ings, 150, focusing area, vai

nings, and a 3x3 grid Cleverly, the panel automatically changes the colour of its displays according to the scene's characteristics in order to maximise legibility This is an important development and another first for Fujifilm which is ikel see its camera selected ahead of the rival models with basic optical

The X20 also has

contrast detection autofocusing with a

‘the new sensor The X100S's feature set has en upgraded to include the same set of Film Simulation’ presets as the X-Pro1 (adding t Pro Neg and extra Monachrome options), a set of ‘Advanced Filter effects and a multiple exposure

city Video recording is upgraded to Full HD resolution (at 36 Mbps)

The X20 also retains the sa

Las black ~ and lens as its predecessor, but has a new 2/3-inch 'X-Trans CMOS II’ sensor (with an effective resolution of 12 megapixels) and a much improved optical

finder which now includes superimposed info displays Fujifilm calls this an ‘Advanced Optical Viewfinder and the key new element is a transpar- cent ‘Digital Trans Panel’ less than a millimetre thick

available in silver as

cus peaking display to aid manual adjustment, This camera's ‘EXR Processor II’ enables continuous shooting at up to 12 fps at maximum resolution ~ albeit only for a short burst of 11 frames ~ and various improvements in other operating speed The fixed zoom’s focal range is equivalent to 28-112mm and has a fast maximum aperture range

)-2.8 It incorporates an optical image sta ch is claimed to give up to four stops of tion Zooming is still, ia a collar- type control on the lens barrel New features include a set of eight ‘Advanced Filter’ effects, a multiple

itt matic scene rawing

‘on 64 possible scenarios, and a stereo audio input, Local launch dates and prices for both models hhave yet to be announced, but for more information about the Fujifilm X-series cameras visit

Im.com.au guaranteed read data transfer speed of 1100x (168 MB

per second) Lexar says its XQD card .adheres to the XQD specification for next-generation D-SLR camera ‘models backed by Nikon and Sony” and is intended ding of 1080p Full HD and 3D video, and

ntinuous shooting in RAW mode with lution D-SLRs The Lexar Prof ds are ruggedised to protect against water, extremes of temperature, and shock and

ditionally, the Lexar a limit lifetime warranty and the purch ludes a download of th ge Rescue 4 software

Lexar’s XQD USB 3.0 Reader is a compact device which

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 tech to enable high-speed dat: transfers from card to computer It’s priced at $65 The 32 6B Lexar Professi XD card is priced at $331 while the 64 GB version costs $579

For more information about Lexar data storage products visit www.lexar.com.au

Brief Exposures

Kodak has sold off a huge collection

of its digital imaging patents which must surely spell the end of the

companys direct involvement in thìs business Telingly, the main purchasers of these patents are Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and the Chinese electronics giant Huawei Kodak is hoping proceeds from the sell-off

¡ïÍƠ 1100 0Ì protection later this year Having

now sold off virtually all its consumer

imaging assets, Kodak's only pres- enee in the marketplace wiil be

Re RUE RST 55 ments it has with various other companies The sale of around 1100 reese URLS

substantially less than was expected

D600 i” WT PEACE OF MIND 600 WY am —I = =— G) — = HH WN l@ a Pa am Rca

Featuring a high resolution, fll frame 24,3 megapixel CMOS sensor, extendable ISO coverage from 50 to 25,600 for superior low light performance, EXPEED 3 image processor combined with a class leading 39 point autofocus system, multi format Full (1080p) HD video recording with uncompressed HDMI output and witeless shooting options via the optional WU-1b adaptor | am the perfect stat to full scale photography MyNiko a

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N- 3 NEWS HB IMAGING 8N: pRODUCTS

The big gun Nikorrs new 800mm supertelephoto is the longest focal length autofocus lens it has ever built

Expect to pay somewhere in the region of $18,000,

Pai

i: est ne MARKETING | | GALLERIES SELLING

HH

Propper PPoPP PPO OPP OOPR

WA Ì

MAKE A DATE

Exhibitions * Events * Workshops * Seminars Complete Websites, E-Commerce,

Current to 24 March: Exhibition Confounding: Contemporary Photography

14 works drawn from the National Gallery of Victoria collection which explore the uncanny worlds created by human imagination, dreams and memories At the NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Entry is free Gallery hours are 10.00am to 5.00 daily (closed Tuesdays) For more information telephone (03) 8620 2222

visit ngv.vic.gov.au

Current to 12 May: Exhibition The Greatest Wonder Of The World Photographs from the famed Holtermann Collection —

Australia’s most internationally significant historic photographic archive - 60 years after the 3500 glass plates were discovered in a garden shed in Chatswood, Sydney At the State Library of NSW, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000 Entry is free Exhibition hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm on Monday

and Wednesday to Friday, 9.00am to 8.00pm on Tuesday and 10.00am to 5.00pm con weekends Call (02) 9273 1414 or visit

wwwsL.nsw,gov,au for more information

8 March - 5 May: Exhibition South Of No North, works by the Australian painter Noel McKenna and two international photographers, William Eggleston and

Laurence Aberhart, which are connected by an interest in the vernacular, a regional sense of place and a similar visual sensibil- ity, At the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), 140 George Street, Sydney, NSW 200 Gallery hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Wednesday, 10.00am to 9.00pm ‘on Thursday and 10.00am to 5.00pm Friday to Sunday For more information telephone (02) 9245 2400 or visit www.mca.com.au

9 March - 19 May: Exhibition National Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 At the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), King

Edward Terrace, Parkes, ACT 2600 Gallery hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm daily For ‘more information telephone (02) 6102

2000 or visit wwwportrait.gov.au

March ~

Greene: Remote And Wild Panoram apes taken at remote locations wh Richard Green accesses by helicopter At the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery,

30 Parke Street, Katoomba, NSW 2780 Gallery hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 4.00pm on weekends Admission $5.00 For more information telephone (02) 4780 5410 or visit

bluemountainsculturalcentre,com.au

12 April - 2 June: Exhibition, Xeno Eucalyptus Images of English landscapes

d through an Australian eucalyp- created by Andrew Merry At the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery, 30 Parke Street, Katoomba, NSW 2780 Gallery hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 4.00pm on weekends Admission is $5.00 For more information telephone (02) 4780 5410 or visit wavy

bluemountainsculturalcentre,com.au

june: Head On Photo Festival Over a month of events staged in and around Sydney, including exhibitions, workshops, artists’ talks, open

studios, seminars and the Head On Portrait Prize exhibition at the State Library of NSW For more information visit http;//headon,com.au

16 - 19 June: The Nikon AIPP Event An extensive program of workshops, seminars and presentations, and including a trade show At the Grand Chancellor Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania For more information visit wwwwaipptheevent.com,au

29 June ~ 26 July: Exhibition World Press Photo Awards The winning images and a selection of finalists from the 56th staging of the world's most prestigious photojournalism competition At the State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street, Sydn« NSW 2000 Entry is free, Exhibition hours

are 9.00am to 5.00pm on Monday and Wednesday to Friday, 9.00am to 8.00pm ‘on Tuesday and 10.00am to 5.00pm on weekends Call (02) 9273 1414 or visit

|Lnsw.gov.au for more information The Digital Show Al the latest imaging products and

es on show Organi & Digital Entertainment A

Australia At the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria 3006 For more information visit worw.thedigitalshow.com.au

Long And Wide From Nikon

fou may not rush out to buy the first of the two

Y cert Site cet ee Nikon, and that’s because it's the 800mm f5.6E FL

ED VR supertelephoto announced towards the end of last Apart from being highly specialised, it's also pretty pricey ~ US$17,900 has been quoted for the American market However, itis interesting in supertelephoto terms as it has optical image stabilisation (a first on a

lens of this focal length), two fluorite elements in i 20-element optical construction, an electro-magneti actuated diaphragm, and itis the longest AF

built by Nikon at 46 centimetres in length It weighs in at 4.59 kilograms, which actually isnt all that heavy to the extensive use of magnesium alloy and the fluorite

ich replace a larger number of conventional ED types) If 800mm isn’t long enough for you, ther a matched 1.25x teleconverter which gives you 1000mm (with a maximum aperture of f7.2)

Rather mor ic proposition for most us is the new 18-35mm angle 20

Nikon is ramping up its range of more affordabl lenses for its D-SLRs with 35mm-sized sensors The 18-35mm has a 12-eleme al construction which ‘includes two ED types made from extra-low disper

glass and three aspher s Tt has Nikon's SWM fe Motor) ultrasonic focusing dri

minimum focusing distance of 28 centimetres It weighs in at 385 grams and accepts screwthread filters with a diameter of 7 millim

it lacks a manual aperture collar For more information visit 'www.nikon.com,au

Proofing, and More

Get a stunning website with a powerful shopping cart Sell a full catalogue of Nulab products Use Zenfolio for your entire website or just client galleries All starting at

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AMEKA PTOPNOtO)

am ENCE

ight: Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 constant aperture telezoom

Sigma Launches

Customisable

Lenses

igma made a number of major

Greet i ces exhibition in Las Vegas, including

delivering the new lenses promised at last year’s Photokina These are headed by a highly desirable 120-300mm telezoom with a constant maximum aperture of f2.8 which is the first release in Sigma's new “% (for sports line) category This is a G-series lens for use with 35mm- sized sensors and features a weatherised external construction to protect against dust and moisture Tt also has a heavy-duty brass lens mount Features include both Sigma’s ‘HSM’ ultrasonic autofocusing drive and ‘0S' optical image stabilisation The 23- element optical construction includes two “F” Low Dispersion types (FLD for short, and said to replicate the ultra-low dispersion characteristics of fluorite elements) and one Special Low Dispersion (SLD) type; all of which are designed to minimise chromatic aberrations An interesting new feature is the facility for firmware upgrades via a USB Dock’ which couples to the lens mount A variety of parameters, including AF speed and OS functions can be updated this way The 120-300mm £2.8 is initially available in the Canon, Nikon and Sigma D-SLR mounts

‘Also ready for market is Sigma’s 17-70mm f2.8- 4,0 DC-series zoom which is the first release in the “C (for Contemporary) line It features a new optical construction ~ which includes two FLD elements, one SLD type and three aspherical types (one double-sided) — allowing for a more compact lens overall and enhanced imaging performance

LockCircle Modifies Zeiss Lenses

For Videography

10 video accessories supplier LockCircle has

Prise modified to better suit shooting video with 2 eu ees

Nikon's FX format D-SLR

The Prime Circle XT-F lens are all customised by hand after being ordered by customers and are fitted with an “Ergo Focus’ follow focus gearset, ‘a new 95 mm diameter cinematography-standard front mount and a ‘Cine-Lock Bayonet’ for cine- style locking of the lens onto the camera body

Easier identification of lenses is provided by a new aluminium cap displaying the focal length and maximum aperture The lens size is also marked on the side of the barrels Additionally, ‘Side Index View relocates the focus distance and aperture markings to the side of the lens barrel so they can be easily read from alongside the camera

The aperture control ring is de-clicked and dampened for continuous and silent adjustment of the diaphragm The front mount accepts standard

Above: Sigma's DP3 Merill compact camera matches

46 megapixels sensor with a fixed 50mm £2.8 prime lens (equivalent to 75mm),

Designed for D-SLRs with ‘APS-C’ size sensors, the new 17-70mm will be progressively available in Canon, Sigma, Nikon, Pentax and Sony mounts With a focal length magnification factor of 1.5x, it's equivalent to 25-105mm Tt also gains Sigma's ‘05’ optical image stabilisation (although not in the

Pentax and Sony versions as these D-SLR systems use body-based stabilisation) with a claimed correction range of up to four stops Other notable features include a heavy-duty brass lens mount, seven-

blade diaphragm, compatibility with the USB Dock, and a minimum focusing distance of 22 centimetres

Sigma has also unveiled a new enthusiast-Level digital compact camera called DP3 Merrill (named

cine matte boxes and fiter holders,

and its circular grooved inner ring helps prevents internal reflections and flaring when using large flat-surface optical filters

‘The Prime Circle XT-F custom lens line-up comprises @ 15mm f2.8, 18mm f3.5, 21mm 2.8, 25mm f2.0, 28mm f2.0, 35mm f1.4, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4, 100mm f2.0 macro and 50mm F2.0 macro Due shortly is a modded version of Zeiss's recently announced 135mm f2.0 Aprochromatic short telephoto Also available is a

NEWS IMAGING PRODUC

Left: Sigma 17-7omm £2.8-4.0 DC-series zoom

after the man who devised the multi- layered Foveon sensor) which has a fixed 50mm f2.8 prime lens precisely matched to the imager It has, naturally, an ‘APS-C format Foveon-type sensor so the lenss effective focal length is 75mm short telephoto which is unusual for a fixed prime, but is designed to complement the rest of Sigma’s DP-series camera line up (with the wide-angle DP1 and standard focal length DP2) The X3 Merril!’ sensor has an effective pixel count of 46 million (i.e 4800x3200 pixels in each of three layers) and offers the choice of both RAW and JPEG capture However, given the nature of the sensor, the DP3 is primarily designed for RAW capture to optimise resolution, colour and contrast Continuous shaoting at up to 4.0 fps is possible for a burst of seven RAW frames The camera is supplied with Sigma’s Photo Pro RAW converter which now has ‘a new Monochrome Mode for creating B&wW images from the Foveon sensor's multiple imaging layers

Other features include a fixed 7.62 cm LCD monitor screen (with 920,600 pixels resolution), continuous shooting at up to 4.0 fps, full manual control of exposure and focusing, a flash hotshoe and a useful minimum focusing distance of 22.6 cm (giving a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3 or ‘one-third lifesize) Sigma products are distributed by CR Kennedy & Company

For more information telephone (03) 9823 1555 or visit www.crkennedy.com.au

selection of custom flight cases conforming to air- line carry-on baggage requirements, and a matte box which can be used with the wide-angles down to the 18mm (on the 24x36 mm frame)

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¡lì N2 ` BB IVAGING Zenfolio Offers All-In-One B IMAGING SIM NEWS =8

12 S- pnopuc1s Website Solutions PRODUCTS MM 13

ee ee eee

Tokina Updates Wide Zoom For ‘APS-C’ D-SLRs đe Bi im eee eee ie eae ere more from leading Australian pro labs Nulab and NuShots TEEN Nikon Drops LPF On New DX Format D-SLR roy oR ‘ =

AIRPO W haven't heard a lot in recent times from the third of Japan's major independent lens mak- Zenfolio opened in January 2006 with the goal of delivering N on continues its D-SLR upgrade program, bringing many of the :

UT eo arene

Be Ready “Before The Moment”

cers, but this may be changing, as Tokina announces an update to its AT-X 11-16mm f2.8 an all-in-one Web solution for photographers to organise, display, upgrades seen in the D3200 and D5200 models to its new ‘APS-C’ zoom for small format D-SLRs The new DX-II version for Nikon F-mount ma and sell their images, achieving this goal by bringing together a format (a.k.a OX) flagship This would appear to mark the end of the a built-in ultrasonic focusing drive, allowing it to be used on the Nikon D-SLR bodies which don't highly-qualified team of technical, customer service, marketing road for the enduring D300 which is now

have an integrated focusing motor (for exam ) On a Nikon ‘DX’ format D-SI and business people who are focused on the needs of phioto- The new 07100 has the same 24.7 megapixels (total) resolution as Tokina zoom’s effective focal length is ch equates to an angles-o raphers This combined expertise and continuously innovating the D3200 and 05200, but the sensor is new and doesn't have a lo 104 to 84 degrees The upgraded model also has revised service fs available in Australia for only $160 a year filter (LPF) This is designed to make the most of the available res anti-reflection coatings, and the 13-element optical {An indicator of why so many photographers trust Zenfotio to and Nikon conte 0 f atterns and alia construction includes two super-low dispersion (SLD) display, promote and sell their photographs can be found in the

types and two aspherical types to for, numbers In 2012 more than 30 million visitors viewed images performance C ven more detailing respectively, chromatic aberrations and distortion on Zenfolio-powered Websites These views directly led to tens than its 24.7 MP OX format sibling

A notable feature is Tokina’s ‘One-Touch Foci of millions of profits, paid out by Zenfolio to photographers The new e lent to IS0 100 to 6400 with Clutch Mechanism’ that allows for rapid switching erent worldwide When calculated as a percentage of all orders placed -stop push to 150 25,600 TY with Nikon's latest generation between autofocus and manual operation by snapping 'IHUU globally, one percent were in Austratian dollars With the “Đxpeed 3 processor wich, among other things, allows for continuous

using ring forwards or backwards The Canon poo integration of two Australian labs in the last six months, th shooting - with continuous auto-

coating, numbers are expected to climb in the coming years focusing ~ at up to 6.0 fps but is otherwise unchanged from the earlier model rr) When asked why they chose Zenfolio, the majority of fps with a 1.3)

hing in at 550 grams, the Tokina zoom is 89, tủ graphers considered ït was the “best alL-in-one solution’ = n the sensor ïn length with a maximum diameter of 84.0 Every account comes with a fully customisable portfolio to 15.4 megapixels

(the screwthread filter fitting is 77 mm) Website, client proofing, marketing tools and integrated hich results in e-commerce Customer satisfaction with the support < lp a doubling of th Tokina's new AT-X 11-16mm 2.8 PRO zoom is ery after signing up is at a high 90 percent effective lens focal priced at $869 (both mount versions) and is u ` length) Nikon

distributed in Australia by Adeal Pty Ltd nở laims that shutter

Visit wwwsadeal.com.au for more information visit Zenfotio.com lag is reduced to 052 seconds

The D7100 autofocusing s ‘employs 51 distance measuring points via an upgrad version of the module used in the 0:

of the points of cross-type arrays and the central array will work with lenses as slow as f8.0 Low light sensitivity extends down to -2.0 EV

Capture a $300 Saving

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Trang 8

Mã NEWS

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Trang 9

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Available in silver or black, the XE-1 ha ‘magnesium alloy top and bottom plates rather than a full metal bodyshell like the X-Prot, It's still very well made though

Economy Class

FUJIFILM X-E1

Fujifilm follows up the brilliant X-Pro1 with a more affordable interchangeable lens X-series model that is a much more realistic

option as a ‘second string’ camera Report by Paul Burrows

hen Fujifilm launched the X-Prot in Australia a year ago it emphasised that it was a “frst camera option”, meaning it wasn’t intended to merely supplement a D-SLR, but to replace it com- pletely The price tag — similar to that of a higher-end D-SLR — helped underline the X-Pro1's frontline status While no doubt there are some photographers using the two systems, there are probably plenty who decided that, as desirable as the X-Pro1 is, i's really too much of everything when you're already

yedded to a D-SLR So, here's the X-E1 which has pretty well all the good bits of the X-Prot

24

packaged up in a more compact and affordable bodyshell that’s stil largely retro-styled to replicate the classic rangefinder camera experience

In addition to being an X-mount camera (an important distinction from the new X100s with its fixed prime lens), the X-E1 has the same “X-Trans' CMOS sensor, the same camera control systems (.e autofocusing, metering, eto), an all-metal construction and, importantly, a built-in eyelevel viewfinder It doesn’t have quite the same overtly classical appearance as the X-Pro1 and that’s because of the most significant difference between the two models, namely the viewfinder, The X-E1 replaces

the X-Pro1's clever hybrid opticaVelectronic view finder ~ as introduced on the original X100 and further improved on the X100s - with a purely electronic one This helps contribute to the reduction in the price tag and also allows the X-E1 to be a litle more compact than its big brother

Fujifilm’s ‘Hybrid Multi Viewfinder I is undoubt- edly one of the X-Prot's selling points ~ primarily with its ability to project digital displays over a direct optical image - and it's backed by a superb RGBW-type LCD external monitor screen with a resolution of 1.23 megapixels The X-E1 also makes do with a smaller and lower resolution external display, but the good news is that its EVF is a bright OLED

panel with a high resolution of 2.36 megapixels, ensuring a much better image quality than when the X-Pro1's finder is run in its purely electronic mode So you're not exactly slumming it in the EVF department with the X-€1 given it matches the

best on offer from Sony (the NEX-6 and NEX-7 Use the same EVF) and Panasonic (with

the Lumix GH) And the 7.1 cm external ‘monitor isn’t too bad either, even if its

resolution is down to a more modest 460/000 pixels However, this also has enabled the X-£1 to be sized closer to its rivals as it targets a more ‘main- stream’ audience than the primarily pro- orientated X-Prot

In Control

In the light of its positioning in the market,

the X-E1 gains a built-in pop-up flash (while stil retaining @ hotshoe) and an stereo audio input

is added to the feature set for video recording (a

strange omission on the X-Pro1) and the classic cable release socket is supplemented with a provi

sion for connecting an electronic remote trigger (via either the USB port or the stereo audio input)

There's stil a very traditional-looking milled

shutter speed dial (but without the X-Pro1’s locking button), another dial for engaging exposure

compensation (and as easy to accidentally reset

as it is on the other X-series models), leather-look

inserts and magnesium alloy body covers (available ina choice of silver or black finishes stralght away)

cre ¬- —

Consequently the X-E1 still looks great ~ even if its styling is much sleeker than either the X-Pro1 or

the X100 models — and it feels just as good in the hand Switching between the EVF and the external ‘monitor can be done manually or automatically via proximity sensors set into the eyepiece (which also now incorporates a strength adjustment) Both provide 100 percent subject coverage

The rear panel layout - indeed the entire control layout —is virtually identical to that of the X-Prot with the exception that the replay button moves to the opposite side of the monitor screen and there's a new button for popping up the built-in flash Even the focusing mode selector on the front panel is in exactly the same place on both cameras, but obviously the X-E1 doesn’t have the X-Pro1's viewfinder mode selector lever Additionally, the builtin stereo microphones move from the front plate to the top plate just in front of the hotshoe, and the loudspeaker moves from the side to the back panel, but these are all very minor variations so the two cameras essentially operate in exactly the same way

Zooming In

The X-E1 arrives with the first X-mount zoom Which has a focal range of 18-S5mm (equivalent to 27-82mm on the ‘APS-C’ size sensor) with built in optical stabilisation and the option of manual aperture selection via @ control rng It also has

what Fujifilm calls @ ‘Linear Motor’ (LM) autofocus-

ing drive system which employs two ricromotors

to move the focusing group and is designed to be

both fast and quiet in its operation

Interestingly, the purely electronic viewfinder

is actually more convenient to use with the zoom as the hybrid finder needs to be switched between

its two magnification settings as the focal length

passes through 35mm (well, you don’t have to, but

it makes viewfinding at the longer focal lengths

easier if you do)

‘The zoom’s click-stopped aperture ring doesn’t

have any set positions or markings, and it's set to ‘R Via a separate switch, As with all the Xf-series

lenses seen so far, it's nicely finished and all the

control rings operate very smoothly, While 18-S5mm

The rear panel layout is also largely retained from the X-Prot, but the LCD monitor screen is smaller

may be a common focal range of the cheap and cheerful kit lenses supplied with many ‘APS-C’ format D-SLRs and CSCs, the Fujinon zoom is a rather more superior offering with a faster maxi mum aperture range of £2.8-4.0 and high-quality apochromatic optics

Sensored!

While the X-£1 inherits the key imaging components and control systems from the X-Pro1, it has

an updated processor which delivers improvements

in a number of areas including autofocusing speed (and most of which are available in a firmware upgrade for the latter)

ON TRIAL h 7

mum image size at the standard aspect ratio of 3:2 is 4896x3264 pixels and JPEGs can be captured at two smaller sizes and one of two levels of compression, There are three image sizes each available at the 16:9 and 1:1 aspect ratios while in-camera panoramas are stitched together to cteate a maximum image size of 7680x2160 pixels The X-E1 shares the same battery and memory card compartment arrangement as the X-Pro1 - which is in the base- late and accommodates the same power pack and SD format memory cards (up to SDXC UHS-1 spec) As before the tripod mounting socket is right alongside so the camera will have to be detached in ‘order to change battery or card either mid-shoot

“The X-E1 has pretty well all the good bits of the X-Pro1

packaged up in a more compact and affordable bodyshell

that's still largely retro-styled to replicate the classic

rangefinder camera experience.”

As noted at the start, the sensor is Fujiflm’s 16.3 megapixels 'X-Trans’ CMOS ~ as now also used in the upgraded X100S - which has a colour filter array employing a 6x6 pixels pattern rather than the conventional 2x2 RGGB arrangement of the Bayer fiter The idea behind this is to create a more

random’ arrangement of RGB pixels, giving a higher periodicity which effectively lowers the frequency at which a moiré effect will occur with repeating patterns This eliminates the need for low pass fiters, enabling more of the sensor's resolution to be realised Moiré isn't entirely eliminated, but it's much less likely to occur and won't happen with subjects such as fabric textures Furthermore, as there are more RGB pixels in each vertical row and horizontal line the colour fidelity is also enhanced

The sensor's specs are the same as those for the X-Prot so the imaging area is 23.6x15.6 mm and the sensitivity range is equivalent to ISO 200 to 6400 with a two-stop ‘push’ to ISO 25,600 and a one-stop ‘pul’ to ISO 100 However, the auto ISO range now extends to ISO 6400 as well he maxi

Pe eee elecronie display, bụt is an ellent OLED type with a resolution of 2.36 megapix ee ara a

Continuous shooting is possible at up to 60 fps with the option of a slower speed setting that ‘operates at up to 30 fps ~ and burst lengths have been improved thanks to shortened file write times This also eliminates the lengthy lock-up that follows the capture of a long sequence with the X-Prot

Processing Pixels

‘The camera's IPEG processing functions are inher- ited lock, stock and barrel from the X-Prot, com-

mencing with a choice of ‘Film Simulation’ presets ‘There are ten in all; five for colour and five for

monochrome capture The main colour presets are

named after the popular Fujichrome professional

transparency films — Provia, Velvia and Astia which equate to Standard, Vivid and Soft - while the other two are celled Pro Neg Standard and Pro Neg High

and these are primarily designed for portraiture,

offering two levels of colour saturation The B&W modes aren't quite so exatic and comprise simply monochrome capture with the options of adding yellow, red or green contrast control fiers, or sepia

The dials are high-quality milled metal components, The

Snes 3

TC Note too, that a cable

ketis

Trang 14

mg ON TRIAL

toning The ‘Film Simulation’ presets don’t have individually adjustable picture parameters, instead there are ‘global’ settings in the X-E1's Shooting Menu for colour saturation, sharpness, highlight tone, shadow tone and noise reduction which, when set, apply to them all

Additionally, there’s a choice of automatic processing for dynamic range expansion or three manual settings which — using Fujiilm's long-established terminology ~ are labelled 100%, 200% and 400%

The auto correction is based on the brightness range in the scene and adjusts both the exposure and the tone curve accordingly Auto bracketing modes are available for exposure, the ‘Film ‘Simulation’ presets, dynamic range expansion and sensitivity All capture a three-frame

sequence, but there stil isn’t a bracketing option for white balance

However, the X-E1's white balance controls are the same as those of the X-Prot with the automatic correction based on scene recognition analysis and supplemented with a selection of seven presets, one custom measurement, fine-tuning and manual colour temperature setting The latter's range is from 2500 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin while the fine- tuning is available over nine steps in the colour ranges of red-to-cyan and blue-to-yellow Obviously all this can be previewed both in the EVF and on the LCD monitor Noise reduction can be manually set to one of five levels (Low, Medium Low, Standard, Medium High and High) while the long exposure NR is simply either on or off

‘As with the X-Pr01, the X-€1 has in-camera processing for RAW fles with adjustments for colour, sharpness, highlight and/or shadow tone, noise reduction, colour space, exposure, dynamic range ‘and white balance (with shifts) and the application of a ‘Film Simulation’ preset or an adjustment called “Reflect Shooting Conditions’ which simply main- tains the original camera settings

While the addition of the stereo audio input so an external microphone can be fitted is welcome, it’s stil the case that shooting video seems to be a low priority on the X-E1 Full HD footage is recorded with stereo sound at the cinematic speed of 24 fps and continuous autofocus is available along the ‘Film simulation’ and white balance presets (with fine-tuning), but there isn’t a dedicated movie start/

=1 Cen

Nikon's current top-end D-SLRs which means it

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26

stop button and neither the aperture nor the shutter speed — or, for that matter, the ISO can be changed during recording,

Camera Systems

There's a choice of three metering methods, namely

multi-zone (employing up to 256 segments), centre-

weighted average or spot These drive a standard ‘set of ‘PASM’ control modes which are backed by

the usual overrides ~ program shift, exposure com-

pensation (up to +/-2.0 EV) and an AE lock There

are no subject/scene modes

The focal plane shutter had a speed range of

30-1/4000 second plus a ‘B’ setting with a maximum duration of 60 minutes The shutter speed

dial is marked from 1/4000 second to 1/4 second,

so the slower speeds are accessed via a 'T’ setting and selected via the left/right navigation keys Flash

SynC is up to 1/180 second and the builtin flash

has auto, fill-in, red-eye reduction, slow speed sync,

second curtain sync and, very handily, commander modes The later allows it to remotely control

“8ˆ SHOOTING MENU

HITE BALANCE

tom menu proviles access to a

As it inherits the X-Prot's fabulous ‘KTrans’ CMOS sensor, the X-E1's imaging performance is exceptional, including the resolving of fine detailing, the colour reproduction across the spectrum, the smoothness of the tonal gradations and the dynamic range

external flash units in a wireless TTL set-up Fully concealed in the camera's top panel when not in Use, the built-in flash has a metric guide number of seven (at ISO 200) and extends up and forward to help minimise the occurrence of red-eye The X-E1 also has red-eye removal processing

‘Autofocusing is via contrast detection measure- iments made by the imaging sensor and employs 49 points in a 7x7 array which gives reasonably good coverage of the frame Automatic or manual point selection is set via the main shooting menu and the latter allows for the focusing area's size to be reduced or enlarged (from 50 to 150 percent The selector on the front panel mentioned earlier switches between the single-shot AF, continuous AF and manual focus modes Manual focus is assisted

Memory card bay has duai slots for SD/SDH(, both with UHS-1 suppor

by an enlarged image — with the provision of a more hand-holding friendly 3x setting - which coin- cides with the focus zone’s position in the 7x7 array There's a scale which appears along the lower edge of the displays and incorporates @ combined focusing distance and depth-of-feld indicator it's possible to re-activate the autofocusing momentarily by pressing the AE/AF lack button and then fine-tune sharpness manually The fly-by-wire manual focusing rings on the XF-series lenses can be set to turn

in either the clockwise or anti- clockwise direction to match whatever you're familiar with, and Fujiilm says the ‘feel’ has been improved Certainly, the 18-55mm zoom’s control action seemed to better match what was actually happening,

Making A Display

Both the EVF and the monitor screen can be switched between standard and custom set-ups, the latter adding the distance/depth-of-field scale mentioned earlier a real-time histogram, superimposed grids (either 3x3 or 6x4) and a single- axis level indicator All the elements of the custom display are switchable so any desired combination can be selected

The OLED eyelevel finder delivers excellent colour and dynamic range, and there's very litte lag tt isn’t quite as bold and bright as the X-Prot’s hybrid display, but it’s still very good

The external screen has a third display mode for info only and which provides an AF point arid and a selection of camera status indicators The X-E1 also has ‘Quick Menu display which is activated via the ‘Q’ button on the thumbrest and provides direct access to a selection of the most commonly-needed capture and camera setting adjustments These include the ISO settings, image format and size, the picture parameters, white balance settings, ‘Film Simulation’ presets, noise reduction levels and the AF modes Navigation is via the four-way controller with the rear command wheel used to adjust the settings Unlike some quick control menus, clicking on a function tle doesn’t bring up the relevant sub-menu and, instead, the settings are simply changed within the tile, cycling either left or right with the input dial ‘As we noted with the X-Pro1, it not a totally intuitive arrangement, but regular use should make it feel less alien

‘The menu design is the same as the X-Prov’s and employs tabbed and colour-coded individual pages so you can easily jump between them but Which also allow for continuous scrolling The pages are pretty logically organised too, so for example,

page one in the shooting menu has the ‘staples’ such as ISO, image size and quality, the ‘Film Simulation’ presets and the dynamic range expansion settings, Progressive right clicks lead to the sub-menus and settings

‘The playback modes include a variety of mult-image displays as well as straight pages of thumbnails, zooming on the focus point and Fujifim’s ‘PhotoBook Assist’ feature which allows for up to 300 images to be organised for reproduction in a photo book (with the first

ON TRIAL 558

serving as the cover sho The replay/review screen can also be configured in a variety of ways, including to display a thumbnail accompanied by capture data and a brightness histogram The slide show functions include fades, zooms and multiple images displayed together

In The Hand

.As the X-E1 genes are essentially those of a profes-

sional camera, it lacks some of the features that are now fairly standard on its consumer-level rivals such as Sony's NEX-é and -7, the Olympus OM-D_ E-MS5 and even Panasonic’s GH3 In comparison, the X-E1 lacks frills such as filter or special effects, subject/scene programs, Wi-Fi connectivity, a GPS receiver, touch screen controls or a tilt-adjustable

monitor screen And we've already noted the limitations in terms of its video recording capabilities

That said, it’s much prettier than any of its

X-series siblings, perhaps because i’s not so overtly

Classical in its styling As noted earlier, it feels fan-

tastic in the hand and the control layout is logic itself, free of mysteries and idiosyncrasies — every-

thing does exactly what you'd expect it to do and,

consequently, this is a camera which just lets you get on with shooting, rather than continually being,

distracted by operational matters

Many of the hard keys are single function and there's only one user-assignable ‘Fn’ button which

can be set to one of many useful duties such as

depth-of field preview, a multiple exposure facility, the Film Simulation’ presets or toggling between

RAW and JPEG capture It can also be set to serve

as the movie start/stop button With the ‘Quick Menu’ easily on hand, Fujiflm’s decision not to fes- toon the X-E1 with numerous multi-function keys

seems to work (and we've now had enough experience of the X-Pro1 to validate this) Additionally, up to seven user set-ups for the capture parameters

can be created and stored

While the displays look to be a bit of a hotch- potch of items at first, especially in the ‘Custom’

configuration, it doesn’t take long forit all to make

sense and become comfortable to work with It doesn't feel quite as hewn-from-the-solid as the X-Pro1, but it’s still very well made and beautifully finished with perhaps the black just edging out the silver as the best looking (a choice dilemma similar to that faced with the Olympus E-M5)

Like its big brother, then, the X-E1 is hugely

enjoyable to use and very much a ‘camera per

‘son's’ camera

Speed And Performance

‘The updated processor's contribution manifests

itself in a number of speed-related areas, most

noticeably the autofocusing, but also when shoot-

ing continuously which is no longer punctuated by long delays as the buffer memory is emptied The contrast-detection autofocusing stil isn’t as fast as that of the E-MS or Panasonic’s latest-generation Lumix G models, but it's much improved from the

earlier X-series cameras and will be quick enough

for many users The capacity to use the AF for the

coarse adjustments and then fine-tune manually is

Trang 15

mg ON TRIAL

extremely useful and, in some situations, will be the quicker option

‘Apart from the flexibility ofits focal range, the new zoom also adds convenience of image stabil sation, enhancing the X-€1's low light capabilities as there's now increased leeway before it's necessary to bump up the sensitivity

With our reference 16 GB Panasonic SDHC UHS-1 speed memory card aboard, the %-E1 fired off @ sequence of 18 JPEG/Iarge/fine frames in 3.109 seconds which represents a shooting speed of 5.78 {ps only a fraction slower than the quoted frame rate and almost certainly accounted for by the size of the test files Importantly, within just a few sec- nds, the camera was ready to go again

Not entirely surprisingly, the image quality matches that of the X-Pro1, immediately giving the X-E1 substantial credentials with which to take on its rivals, The overall image quality is simply stunning with beautifully defined fine detailing, excellent colour fidelity and very smoath tonal gradations Noise levels are commendably low across the sen- o's full native sensitivity range and so, lke the X-Prot, are exemplary for an ‘APS-C’ format camera

“The OLED viewfinder

delivers excellent colour and dynamic range, and

there's very little lag It

isn’t quite as bold and bright as the X-Pro1’s

hybrid display, but it’s

still very good.”

at ISO 6400 Even at 12,800 the noise levels are still commendably low and, remarkably, the two-stop Bush to 1SO 25,600 is still usable The same is true for the RAW files which are surprisingly unaffected by noise across the sensitivity range from ISO 200 t0 6400 Again, this gives the X-E1 a clear edge ~ no pun intended — over its rivals,

The dynamic range is very good without resorting to any expansion processing (which only seems to extend tonality into the brighter highlights) while the main Film Simulation’ presets really do replicate the palettes of the popular Fujichrome emulsions, especially Velvia/Vivid which really packs a punch in terms of contrast, saturation and sharoness

‘The imaging performance certainly delivers on the promises made by the X-E1's design and speci fications, creating @ complete package that you'll find hard to resist if a classic rangefinder-style CSC is your preference

The Verdict

We thought we might find the X-€1 a bit of @

let-down after the X-Pro1 which is such a fine

camera on every level, but it has its own distinct

28

7000008 Ca

* with Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f2.8-4.0 zoom

Type: Fully automatic digital camera with Fujifim X bayonet lens mount

Focusing: TTL automatic 49-point wide-area system using contrast-detection via imaging sensor Manual switching between one-shot and continu- ‘ous AF modes Adjustable AF frame (three sizes) Full manual override with zoom assist Sensitivity range is EV 0- 18 (ISO 100) AF assist provided by built-in illuminator,

Metering: 256-point mult-zone, centre-weighted average, spot and TTL flash Metering range is EV 0 to 18 (SO 100/120),

Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priorty auto, aperture-priority auto and metered manual

Shutter: Electronic, vertical travel, metal blades, 30-1/4000 second plus ‘B' (up to 60 minutes) Flash Sync Up to 1/180 second Exposure compensation up to +/-2.0 EV in 1/3-stop increments

Viewfinder: 1.3 cm OLED-type EVF with 2.36 million dots resolution and 100% vertical/horizontal scene coverage Automnatic/manual switching between the EVF and the LCD monitor screen Eyepiece strength adjustment built

Flash: Buit-n flash with GN 7.0 power (\SO 200/ metres) Auto, red-eye reduction, fin, first/second curtain sync, slow sync modes and wireless TTL ‘commander modes Flash compensation up to +/- 2/3 BV in 1/3 stop increments, External flash units connect via ISO standard hotshoe

Additional Features: Magnesium alloy bodyshell, ‘AE/AF lock, auto exposure bracketing (up to +/-1.0 EV over three frames), multiple exposure function (nwo shots), multi-mode self-timer (2 and 10 second delays), audible signals, auto power-off, cable release connection, wired remote trigger

Pisin

‘Sensor: 16:3 million (effective) pixels 'X-Trans’ (CMOS with 23.6x15.6 mm imaging area and 3:2 aspect ratio Sensitivity equivalent to ISO 200-6400, extendable to ISO 12,800 and 25,600

Focal Length Magnification: 1.5x

Formats/Resolution: Two JPEG compression settings, RAW output (lossless compression) and RAW.IPEG capture Three resolution settings at 3:2 aspect ratio; 4896x3264, 3456x2304 and 2496x1664 pixels Three resolution settings at 16:9 aspect ratio; 4896x2760, 3456x1944 and 2496x1408 pixels Three resolution settings at 1:1 aspect ratio; 3268x3264, 2304x2304 and 1664x1664 pixels 24-bit RGB colour for JPEGs, 36-bit RGB colour for RAW files

character which is equally compelling We also thought we'd really miss the hybrid viewfinder ~ and to some extent we do — but the XE-1's OLED display is so good, it's actually an acceptable sacrifice, especially as the price difference really is quite significant

In reality, you stil get a whole lot of the X-Prot in the X-€1 and, of course, access to the performance of the Fujinon XF-series lenses Consequently, the X-E1 is arguably harder to resist than the pro-level camera because it’s not so far

Video Recording:

H.264 MOV format at 1920x1080

pixels, 24 fps and 16:9 aspect ratio, and 1280x720 pixels, 24 fps and 16:9 aspect ratio Stereo microphones built-in Clip length limited to 29 minutes Recording Media: SD, SDHC and SDXC (UHS-1) memory cards

Continuous Shooting: Up to 36 JPEG/large/fine frames at up to 6.0 fps or 10 RAW frames Low speed mode captures at 3.0 fos

White Balance: TTL measurement Auto mode, seven presets and one custom settings White balance compensation (amber-to-blue and/or green-to-magenta) in all presets, and white balance bracketing Manual colour temperature setting from 2500 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin

Interfaces: US8 2.0, HDMI mini connector, stereo audio input

Additional Digital Features: Sensor cleaning, 7.1 cm LCD monitor (460,000 pixels), ‘Film Simula- tion’ modes (Standard/Provia, Vivid/Velvia, Softy Astia, Pro Neg High, Pro Neg Standard, Mono- chrome, Monochrome+Yellow, Monachrome-+Red, Monochrome-Green, Sepia), Motion Panorama modes (vertical and horizontal, two image sizes), dynamic range expansion (Auto, 100%, 200%, 400%), adjustable image parameters (colour saturation, sharpness, highlight tone, shadow tone), histo- giam display, electronic level display, grid displays (3x3 or 6x4), guidance displays, depth-of-ield preview, bracketing functions (AE, Film Simulation, Dynamic Range, ISO), high ISO noise reduction, long exposure noise reduction, seven custom set-up memories, sRGB and Adobe RGB colour space settings, playback/editing functions (RAW Con- version [11 adjustable parameters}, Erase, Crop, Resize, Protect, mage Rotate, Red-Eye Removal, PhotoBook Assist), image search modes (Date, Face, Favourites, Type OF Data, Upload Mark), auto playback (with fade), mult-image playback, 4/9/100 thumbnail displays, zoom playback, silent mode, PictBridge and DPOF support

Power: One 7.2 volt/1260 mah rechargeable lithiurn-ion battery pack (NP-W/126 type) Dimensions (WxHxD): body only = 129.0x74.9x38.3 mm

‘Weight: body only = 300 grams (without battery or memory card)

Price: $1199 body only $1599 with Fujinon Super EBC XF 18-55mm f2.8-4.0 LM O'S zoom, Available in black or silver body colours

Distributor: Fujiilm Australia, telephone (02) 9466 2600 or visit wwwfujifilm.com.au

off being pro-level itself, but it’s both more compact and more affordable Its pro DNA makes this @ compact system camera which wor't insult your inteligence and which strongly emphasises functionality over frills

The choice for many now will be between the much-upgraded X100S with its sheer purity of design and purpose, or the X-E1 which marries its exceptional capabilities with the flexibility of interchangeable lenses It's a tricky decision, but either way Fujifilm wins 4

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Trang 16

mg ON TRIAL

Sharp

Instruments

ZEISS ZE/ZF.2 SLR LENSES

One of the most respected names in optics is slowly but surely making a comeback as the higher resolution D-SLRs place greater demands on lens performance Report by Paul Burrows

hen Kyocera pulled the plug on Contax, Zeiss was left with an oF phaned 35mm SLR lens system, but it was too good to simply let it disap- pear Among the gems were the Distagon 35mm 1.4, Planar 85mm f1.4 and PC-Distagon 35mm f28 shift lens Yet with the SLR world obsessed by autofocusing and ever more exotic zooms, was there stil

a place for manual focus primes regardless of how beautifully made they might be?

For a while the answer appeared to be no But then things began to change D-SLRs with 35mm- sized sensors appeared, followed by a renewed

30

interest in fast primes and the inherent image Quality advantages of simpler optical designs Most recently, the next generation of 35mm for mat D-SLRs with ultra-high resolutions — led by Niko's D800/D800E ~ has arrived, focusing atten tion on optical resolution and performance like never before In the meantime, Zeiss had actually been quietly resurrecting some of its iconic T* lenses — adapting them to the specific demands Of digital capture, revising the ergonomics and re- issuing them with Canon EF and Nikon F mounts

subsequently the stars have aligned and Zeiss’s high-end SLR optics are suddenly in high demand

as less well made glassware is found front of 36.8 milion pixels

Many of the old favourites are back, most with slight improvements in specifications thanks to more modern glass formulas, design processes ‘and manufacturing techniques However, Zeiss has stepped back a few generations in terms of the external designs, returning to all-metal con- structions - including the focusing collars ~ with chromed brass filter screwthreads and bayonet fit tings for the hoods

As it was with the Contax system, manufactur ing is still in Japan (by Cosina) The Canon EF mount versions - designated 'Ze" by Zeiss — lack a manual aperture ring as this is controlled from the camera body, The Nikon versions ~ designated ZF2 ~ are ‘CPU-equipped and work on a Nikon D-SLR body like any current Nikkor (with the exception, of course, of -autofocusing), The early ZF-series Zeiss models ate non-CPU models and have the once-famous Nikon maximum aperture coupling lug so they work on any vintage Nikon 35mm SLR body, plus they have the mount elements needed for compatibility with the Ai and Ai-S configurations These are no longer available new, but could be found on the second- hand market

The current ZE2 models retain a manual aper ture collar (which, of course, is also gone from Nikon's G-ty

1 AF-Nikkors) and these lock on the minimum setting for auto aperture control in the

program and shutter-priorty auto exposure modes ‘The maximum aperture setting is even marked in ‘orange just as it was on the comparable Nikkors along with a smaller scale whereby the setting is relayed optically to the viewfinders of 35mm Nikon SLRs (aaah, happy days) The manual aperture control is certainly going to appeal to videographers

Australian distributor, C.R Kennedy & Company, supplied five 2F2 mount models for evaluation and all are beautiful pieces of work both mechanically ‘and optically All are also nicely weighty, a reminder of just how much plastic is employed in so mam

modern zooms regardless of brand Metal (even alloys) and glass soon pile on the grams, but the Zeiss lenses aren't just about physical solidity, but also precision so the manual focusing collars are treacle-like in their smoothness and the aperture rings have very distinet click-stops at half-stop intervals The focusing collars turn in the same directions as on the Canon and Nikon branded lens: es All markings are engraved rather than screen- printed, and each lens is supplied with a matched, metal hood which clicks precisely into place via an arrangement that's a bit more upmarket than a simple bayonet

The full line-up of ZE/ZF2 mount lei

rently numbers 13, ranging from the Distagon T* 15mm 2.8 ultra-wide to the recently introduced Apo-Sonnar 135mm {2.0 short telephoto All are primes and will be joined later in 2013 by an interesting looking Distagon T* 55mm f1.4 about which Zeiss has revealed litte So far, but which looks more contemporary in its styling and may well be a spin-off from its involvement wit

Alpha D-SLR system cur Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f1.4

There's something glari- ously refreshing about a fast fifty’, especially one with manual focusing and an aperture control it makes life seem so much less complicated The cur rent model is @ revival of a Contax system classic, except its even better made so it's heavier and a bit bulkier (but still compa: rably compact)

The symmetrical Planar optical design, of course, minimises field curvature, but

i

well corrected for most optical aberrations More importantly, its fast maximum aperture is very usable as the centre-to-edge uniformity for both sharpn and brightness is reasonably good There is, of course, some softening towards the corners of the frame, but i’s

unlikely to be a major concern in most situations and the maximum brightness fall-off is only around half a stop From (2.8 onward, the uniformity of sharpness and bright

náo F144 can do better and for many

TU ive difference in cement it oro /estionab Di erect TT from th tely no cos Eon ee

your bes' appears (o have been the

\e Zeiss engineers and so the and then sor rent lens easil/ out-rluscles the

DU he others Like

taiked in both

TC een

16 Tre 11-eleent optical construction include: and one made from anomalous parti

ounter lateral chromatic ab

DU a]

D5 so,

owerall sharpness increases significant írom f2.0 and s has to be one of the sharpe

bar none Some vignetting is evidert at f1-4 o than with the 50mm ~ and is vn

lenses in the

Py

the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 is also eee

unleash some serious resolving powers with the optimum apertures being f4.0 and f5ó Distortion is well controlled and while there’s some very slight barrel-type bending evident in the test chart, it's impossible to detect in the real world, Chromatic aberrations are also kept well in check so, again, just won't be an issue Flare and ghosting are effectively suppressed when the hood is fitted, ensuring nicely punchy colour saturation and contrast A nine-bladed diaphragm gives an almost

circular aperture and produces beautifully smooth out-of-

focus effects

Zeisss 50mm f1.4 is a strong performer overall, but hold on because it’s definitely not the stand-out among

the five ZF2 lenses we evaluated

D00 TH

Ey tendably high (ncluding deal with

b eee eR gees

a three-dimlensional lool and astigtnatism), the really

mands real care

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ess is quite exceptional, enabling this lens to

ON TRIAL

Distortion is well controlled with only very slight barrel-type bending evident in some situations Nikon D600, f16, 0.77 seconds, 10 400

Vital statistics

Zeiss Planar T* Somm f1.4

Format: 35mm (film or digital sensor Angle-of-View: 45.4 degrees (diago- nai)

Construction: 7 elements/6 groups Minimum Focus: 45 cm

Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:6.7 Aperture Range: (1.4 - f16

Overall Length: 69.0 mm, Maximum Diameter: 66.0 mm Filter Diameter: 58 mm Weight: 330 grams,

Lens Mount(s): Canon EF, Nikon F Features: A\l-metal barrel construction (including grip), all-glass optical construction, depth-oF field scale, full mmulti-coating, nine-bladed diaphragm Metal lens hood supplied

Price: $900

Distributor: C.R Kennedy & Company, telephone (03) 9823 1555 or visit www.zeiss.com/nhoto

Vital statistics

Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f1.4 Format: 35mm (film or digital sensor) Angle-of-VieW: 630 degrees (diagonal Construction: 11 elements/9 groups Minimum Focus: 30 c7 Aperture Range: (1.4 - f16 Overall Length: 120.0 mm Maximum Diameter: 78.0 mm Filter Diameter: 72 mm Weight: 830 grams

Lens Mount(s): Canon EF, Nikon F Features: All-metal barrel construction (including grip), all-glass optical construction, one aspherical element, one element made from anomalous partial dispersion glass, ‘loating elements’ design, depth-offield scale, full multi coating, nine-bladed diaphragm Metal lens hood supplied

Price: $2,530

Distributor: CR Kennedy & Company, telephone (03) 9823 1555 or visit Www.Zeiss.com/photo

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mg ON TRIAL

Nikon D600, f20, ore second, IS0

Zeiss Distagon

ơ" Nô%

3 Zeiss hs never tied itsef rigid t

mm is actually ¿

ea : with the new 55mm) The

original designers established that

hs orked better at 2!

T1

ND TC TU 7,

ely wide, but not so wide as to be only suited to more specialist Additionally, the minimum focusing distance of 25 cm also balanc:

Cn 0 D0 ns tetal barrel tubes with 2 satin

DU on via a large ribbe

teavily damped than on the othe brass mount Ce een ec! iece of work on the outside rmatched ơn the inside by an all ical design providing good levels of correction for all

TT 6U —= *cause the Zeiss 25mm is exceptiona full apertur

orne

Vital statistics

Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm 2.0 Format: 35mm (film or digital senson) Angle-of-VieW: 81.0 degrees (diagonal Construction: 11 elements/10 groups Minimum Focus: 25 cm

Y Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:5.9 TỦ TM noi ran: 2o >>

The out-of $ Overall Length: 95.0 mm ` Maximum Diameter: 71.0 mm

Seam Filter Diameter: 67 mm, Weight: 570 grams

Lens Mount(s): Canon EF ŒE), Nikon F 22),

Features: Al-metal barrel construction (including grip), all-glass optical construction, one aspherical element, four elements made from anomalous partial dispersion glass, ‘loating elements’ design, depth-offield scale, full mult-coating, nine-biaded diaphragm Metal lens hood supplied Price: $2,090

Distributor: CR Kennedy & Company, telephone (03) 9823 1555 or visit www.zeiss.com/photo

1.4 given its highh 0n of Size and Depth-of-field comparison ~ f20, at 0.77 seconds at left, £2.0 at 1/125 second at right Nikon 600, 180 400

==

Exceptional uniformity of sharpness and brightness make Zeiss’ SOmum macro one of the best performing fast fifties’ money can "uy Nikon D600, £20, 1.3 seconds 150 400

Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f2.0

If you want a Zeiss 50mm prime lens, the {2.0 macro lens presents a

number of strong arguments for selection over the faster 11.4 Of course, there's the better close-up focusing capability - which delivers a reproduction at half lifesize ~ but more significantly the macro 50mm is also @ superior performer in optical terms

‘Again, it's all relative, but this is a higher resolving lens across its aperture and focusing ranges, and delivers exceptional image quality at (2.0 with very little falloff of sharpness There's some vignetting which isn’t

entirely eliminated until 4.0 The 50mm macro exhibits such minimal dis-

tortion as to be irrelevant with real-world shooting and lateral chromatic aberration is essentially non-existent across the aperture range Again, the nine-blade diaphragm delivers beautifully evenly rendered out-of-focus effects which, of course, are particularly important with a macro lens

especially one with, uniquely, a maximum aperture of f2.0 at which point the depth-of-field is wafer thin Excellent colour and contrast are maintained throughout and the so-called ‘floating elements’ design

means that the closer focusing distances aren't compromised in terms of image quality

The focusing collar rotates through nearly 300 degrees to cover the focusing range and, like the 25mm, it’s reasonably heavily damped so it does represent a bit of a work-out, but also provides the necessary

degree of precision Focusing with this lens is extremely critical and can’t

entirely rely on the camera's in-focus indicator Physically

the 50mm macro is both

bigger and heavier than

Vital Statistics

Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm 2.0

Format: 35mm (im or digital sensor

the f1.4 lens (it’s closer in Angle-of-View: 45.5 degrees (diagonal) dimensions to the 25mm) Construct : 8 elements/6 groups

and has an incredibly deeply Minimum Focus: 24 cm

recessed front element Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:2 which has the effect of Aperture Range: (2.0 - (22

rendering the supplied lens Overall Length: 88.0 mm hood mostly redundant Of Maximum Diameter: 72.0 mm

course, technically it isn’t Filter Diameter: 67 mm

a full macro lens — i.e one Weight: 500 grams

that gives a reproduction Lens Mount(s): Canon EF (ZE),

ratio of 1:1 but given this Nikon F @F2)

isessentialy a specialised Features: All-metal barrel construction requirement, the Zeiss {cluding gi), all-glass optical construc- somm 2.0is actualy much Ht loatng ements! design, den oF eld scale, full mult-coatng,nine-blade‘

more of a general-purpose Gsphragm Metal lens hood supplied

lens and, as such, one

capable of delivering a con- ere án Distributor: C.R Kennedy & Company, sistently high image quality telephone (03) 9823 1555 or visit across the full range of Seca enero!

its capablities

oo military g Ovative desi

and have reinforced corners, smooth latches and sturdy wheels and

handles Constructed from virtually unbreakable materials

rade material,

IS l00k good

= gear you carry — lights, —

electronics, light meters — wil

foam inserts that can be cut for a

snug fit The range includes the

world’s first watertight

unbreakable hard-backpack Keep

your valuable gear safe anywhere,

with HPRC

LTW Thy

Trang 18

ma SURAT my

There's no distortion to speak of - at least nothing that means anything in real shooting terms Nikon D600, £2.0, 1/125 second, 150 200

Zeiss Makro-Planar

T* 100mm f2.0 '

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ace tl cenlimetres,

appli van coat

photography are th a D7

telephoto (sụch as portrailure) 44 ble precision which

Am come g ear

7ï 1 TỔ

TT

through nearly a full 360

TU

and the nine-elernent fIoat optimise t

TU

eae u :

CV no 7 oe The Verdict

ithout compromising the rest of the range TƯ cd CT Its interesting how many photographers appear Cree eer ne to be happy to turn their backs on autofocusing in Pen eye! dispersioI li Tee return for superior lens performance Many of the

Th l HẠ CC is the reviews of Zeiss's SLR lenses written mainly for

sharpness is deliv performance expected í amateurlevel users have tended to make a big fuss

K2 i a ụ (U24 om Im in about the lack of AF, but at the professional level it

the fve lenses evalu- se terns,itrealdoesnt bette [ust isn’t seen as a big issue and, for many applica eisS Makro-Planar 100m tions, it clearly isn’t t remains to be seen whether

"2À Zeiss may eventually offer AF lenses, but the cur-

ec Vital Statistics rent MF range mostly comprises models that don't eee thing ftom f11 onward, Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f2.0 really benefit that much from autofocusing (macros, but the uniformity of sharpnless is still very good Format: 35mm (film or digital sensor) ultra-wides, etc) anyway Of far more worth are the

eee Ỷ Angle-of-View: 25.5 degrees (diagonal) ‘exceptional build quality and its inherent durability, This razor-like Construction: 9 elements/8 groups the optical designs with the emphasis on very high

resolution and high levels of correction, and the

saeonane x7 Minimum Focus: 44 cm

largely traditional ergonomics (particularly on the

nsionality that Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:2 spege

e012 ton mount verso) One camera, multiple lenses, infinite possibilities!

-up situatio Aperture Range: f20 - £22

Preece To Overall Length: 113.0 mm It's saying something when the least impressive

s reasonably pr‹ ced at f2.0 (and in the order Maximum Diameter: 76.0 mm of the five Zeiss lenses evaluated here is the 50mm

Pe EE Filter Diameter: 67 mm {1.4 and its still a truly fine example of the classic X-E1 is the perfect companion, lightweight, compact —_X-mount lenses, and as an option will include the Weight: 660 grams fast fity The 35mm f1.4 is notable for its ‘shock and weighing only 350g! Featuring the same award- versatile new 18-55mm Fujinon Zoom With the "¬ ee eu hea e ey and ae! salty ad eaaly rama mege winning X-Trans sensor as the X-Pro1, X-E1 brings Superb performance of this lens, fleeting moments

Pee es 5: All-metal barrel construction (in- quality, while the 25mm 2.0 is all about pursuing penne are framed and focused in an instant

ali0ns are simila cluding grip), all-glass optical construction, two the most faithful reproduction possible, But it’s the profeasianal.quality:images within raach:ohenthusiaat

11) 1T, elements made from anomalous partial disper- two macro lenses that are the stand-outs by virtue photographers The sensor captures images with The X-E1 takes you another step closer to capturing ngislently and rei- sion glass, floating elements’ design, depth: of optical designs which allow them to be more exceptional resolution, smooth tonality and minimal the ultimate moment-because the best moments

/e across the aperture range, and Of field scale, full mult-coating, nine-bladed than just instruments for close-up photography noise The X-E1 is compatible with all existing won'tjust come to you

Tene

eer etre ik ei

diaphragm Metal lens hood supplied Price: $2,530

Distributor: CR Kennedy & Company, telephone (03) 9823 1555 or visit www.zeiss.com/photo

The 5mm (2.0 Makro-Planar is arguably the best- performing standard lens money can by

‘100mm is very possibly the best lens full you can currently put on a 35mm format Canon or Nikon D-SLR, @

APS-C 16.3M X-trans CMOS sensor 2.8" 460K LCD > 2.36MOLED finder > RAW file function

Ís actually lighter in feel than the

Ít fujifilm-x.eom D =“ eee eet need

Trang 19

i

a

mom PROFILE

A Tale Of Two Studios

Sydney’s lower north shore was home to a cluster of busy and successful photography studios

during the 1980s and ‘90s,

creating a community of highly creative individuals Bruce

Usher talks to the driving forces

behind one of the busiest and most diverse

11982 I visited Michael Simmons in the studios at 116 Miller Street in North Sydney He had just re- placed Brad Haris as Carsten Burmeister’s assistant and was wrangling a dingy on set fora shoot Later he introduced me to Tim Hixson who had the adjoining studio, Two decades later Robert Morehead ~ a founder of 116 Miller Street - became my neighbour and re- ignited my interest in the studio’ activities at the peak ofits success

his is the story of a group of photographers who, from 1978, travelled together for 32 years across social and distal divides to the closure oftheir later studio at 42a Thomas Street, McMahons Point, in 2010 Apologies to the many with equally fascinating stories who dont feature, but as Alan Ward - who ran the Vision Graphics pro lab during this highly productive period ~ commented, "could write a book

Turner and Latter Look

For A Boatshed

Grenville Turner had worked asa film assistant for the BBC's TV news department in the UK and arrived in Australian Septernber 1969 He landed a job as a film assistant with the ABC, but was stuck in the film library He endured this for a year before deciding to leave and become a photographer, working as an assistant atthe Polkinghorne & Stephens studio in Castlereagh Street, Sydney

James Latter came from five generations of photographers and grew up in Wallingford on the River Thames At the age of 11 he took a photograph

of the Oxford University eights rowing crew The local ‘newspaper published it on the front page and gave him a few bob At 16 he went to Berkshire College OF At in Reading, then on to London to look for an assistant’ job

“Out of 40 ‘phone calls, youd be lucky to get one interview’ he recalls,

He arrived in Sydney in December 1974, a well travelled 21-year-old who had been to places as diverse as the Mount Everest base camp and up the Nile to Juba in Southern Sudan He spotted a job for an assistant photographer being advertised in the Sydney

36

“There was a lot of cross-feeding going on - everybody

shared advice and beers It was a great place for the years it lasted.” — Carsten Burmeister

‘Morning Herald, applied and was successful it was with Grenville Turner and we've been friends ever since”

Several years on, Latter and Turner were looking fora studio well, actually what they really wanted was a boat shed that could be converted, but instead they found 116 Miller Street in North Sydney Vision Graphics and Kolor Kraft were also operated from there and took up two-thirds of the first floor Robert ‘Morehead subsequently joined them, followed by Gary Grealy Carsten Burmeister arrived some months later and moved in upstairs

Another refugee from the UK who moved into 116 Was Mark Lang and he recalls It was the 8th of December, 1980, and we were shooting a large stil We always played Tiple J as we worked, and that was the afternoon we heard that John Lennon had been shot dead in New York We were in tears Everybody €lse in the building was in shock We all went hore People were crying at the bus stop in the busy street outside

| gave advertising photography away soon ater ‘and hit the road to shoot landscapes instead, but

LEFT: Cambodian school children For the Indochina Starfish Foundation Photography by Robert Morehead TOP: A young Mel Gibson on location for the film Tim Photography by Robert Morehead

RIGHT: Robert Morehead Portrait by Bruce Usher

being at 116 was a happy note to end that part of my working life on”

“Itwas a great time ~ most shooters were making good money’ remembers Alan Ward who emiorated to Australia from the UK in 1978, He was introduced to the technician running the E6 processing line at Vision Graphics and who was desperate for help A keen amateur photographer, Alan thought a change would be healthy and so joined the lab Within a year he had bought into the business and, a few years later, he pu= chased the entire company

"We were there on ground floor fiom 1978 to 1983 The lab bills were often paid for with props — including three dead pheasants, two crates of oranges, 20 litres of ice cream, a dozen bream plus a few unmention- ables Thete was lots of late night processing as favours and lots of parties upstaits! The white ants made it almost impossible to find level floors, but we met some lfeong fiends and indulged in the wonder: ful world of film in its many diferent forms hand retouching at its fines, cigarette ad campaign budgets that would never to be seen again and 8x10 trannies by the box load!”

RIGHT: Gary Grealy Portrait by Bruce Usher BELOW RIGHT: Gary Grealy’s image displayed on the side of the Westpac building during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games It covered 24 stories

Flairs And Hair

Robert Morehead skipped a university exam in 1967 to see the movie Blow Up which is based on the early life of David Bailey He thought photography looked lke a pretty good job, but instead he initially trained as a teacher Typically for the time, he had long hair and two paits of fairs purchased from the Mr John's shop in Sydney Mis headmaster had a problem with both the flars and the hair Robert compromised on the fair, but decided he really wanted to work for himself so he started driving cabs in Sydney and a passenger put him onto 2 construction job in the Gulf of Carpentaria

Several fiends were involved with photography ~ Michael ODonnell who assisted the Sydney fashion photographer Alan Nye, and lan Potter who hed met at university In 1976 Robert got into the film industry at APA Stuios in Neutral Bay where they were produc- ing Lukes Kingdom He worked on the set construction

for several months and then was promoted to third

HE

PROFILE 8-8

assistant director on the series By now he was dab bling with shooting stills on the sets, using a Pentax 35mm SLR and making prints in ln Potter's darkroom After a few years in the fm industry, Robert knew that he wanted to do something visual, but sensed it ‘would take a long time to get anywhere in cinema or television, He began working out of lan Potters studio, intially assisting lan, but then he started photograph: ing actors and actresses for their portfolios His ist ‘commercial job involved shooting a family in a spa bath and fully ity flash, but he was surprised with the

Trang 20

a

=om PROFILE

starred Mel Gibson,

In Gary Grealy’s parent's house, south of ollongong, there was an old Pears encyclopaedia Gary was drawn to the photography section and although he thought it was too technical, he kept ‘on going hack to it Photography intrigued him He became a BHP trainee, studying metallurgy at univers ty and then started going out with a girl whose father Arthur Cratchley, was an industrial photographer, work ing for BHP and Lysaght, Gary started shooting and, took his pictures to Cratchley to be critiqued,

‘Cratchley would never have thought about using Polaroids ora light meter’ Gary says, He processed his own transparency, colour neg and B&W films, He

offered me a job and so I started commuting to Ultimo TAFE for one day and three nights a week for four years to learn the technical stuff was then asked to be part of a group exhibition at the Australian Centre for Photography

“Iwent on a'Grand Tour’ of Europe and worked the winters in London at a lab and as a jewellery photographer | moved back to Sydney and got in contact with Graharn McCarter who had selected my work for the ACP exhibition, He put me in touch with Grenville Tumer and | joined 116,

James Latter used to do a lot of work for P

nage azine and, at one stage, Don Dunstan, the former pre- ier of South Australia, was the editor He would drop by for a coffee and chat on his walk around the block

He was one of the most genuine people Ive ever xmments James." had sụch a good time work

Ind mostly

met

ing for the magazine, met so many peopl

pushed Kodak TH-X | remember coming across a job with Magale Eckatat Everyone at The Daily Telegraph {as on strike, but they needed photos to fil the spac so we went looking for social stories mentioned to her all the names of the people who were in town at the time and David Attenborough was one of them A few days later, Magaie rang to say shed organi 2 30-minute private meeting with David for me at Channel 105 green room before he went live on John Singleton’s chat show Brillant!

“I went to the tollets and there were these huge Aftican-Americans in there and I said to one, Youte Ta Mahal He said How do you know me?'I told him, going to hs concert tomorrow night and he rolled me a number After taking the photos in the evening, had to process and print &x10-inch prints and @ motorc courtier was waiting at midnight so they could make the morning’ edition, He would return the next mom

ing with a cheque? 38

Studio story boards and briefs for various assignments shot by Robert Morehead,

fie far fesnd ue 4 002 Peer Dad oor

đun se"

tone) #e

eta ree ts pores

The Carsten Factor

Carsten Butrneister arived from Copenhagen in 1979 with his wife and baby and, after travelling in a camp: cervan along the East Coast for a while, he set up at

16 Miller Steet

"It was an old warehouse where a few photog raphers and labs had made themselves comfortable he explains "The loft was still avalable and, since it was quite cheap for the huge amount of space, we grabbed it Iwas solely a stil life photographer in those days My shots were either tabletop or intricate and intimate sets so this left just enough spate room for 2 one-armed bandit and a table tennis table The slot machine didnt make us much money, but the table

tennis table became a social hub thìnk Tìm Hixson was probably the all-time champ Anyway, the was a lot of cross-feeding going on - everybody

shared advice and beers It was a great place for the years it laste

495 the inspiration” says Tim Hixson Al nt backgrounds, strug ling to make a living and find our feet Carsten came

metres, He was «exceptional, coming from Europe with everything so ‘organised and precise He had this incredible approach to lighting that was so far ahead of us, but he was so

generous with the sharing of his knowled

Carsten was also a complete revelation to Gary Grealy who was only in his mid-twenties he joined 116

He would critique my work had never seen any- ‘one work like that He also hand-coloured his $x7-inch transparencies after every shoot, His wife was an unbe- lievable stylist | thought | was going to be the fashion photographer, but drifted towards beauty My frst major jab for Cleo magazine was a double-page spread of Rosie Paul’ breast with a powder puff Starting to do that sort of thing, you felt like you were on top of the world, When my wife was pregnant with my sơn, thing, but then went back to my

Istarting to do e

strength and passion and only accepted people work"

Different Paths

Michael Simmons wanted to learn product pho

phy so he ‘phoned Carsten and asked if he could assist him for free, He ended up working at 116 for a year, although he contends he was a terrible assistant, managing to blow up a few Profoto flash packs in his time ‘Carsten had a very particular style It was very con: trolled even ithe was doing people For the cigarette ‘ad photos | would actually sit for hours with tweezers getting the tobacco to look just right He taught me to be pedantic*

Say S44 = 270

9 Sor 32 swears 54 7 94mg bo đạc đệm 32 A8or€ Coc Pocateo =! Bx Shas Wein 6 staers sta" 61R TaneeC Fen

nowt Alms sur once Air sae Ác thế 4 2 Bc Renae on joo le on ters te pe hen tre Rens ty PO dc, 725% s7 em “26 than ord “anc TK cm"

tt Ck ok tie Soke BED Petey wn terns Fercg ins Pa y2 73 Faas cnn ss | Seep ie er Ba es et ® | sa art’ Geoff Brown wa kraft in the early 1980s,

“She introduced me to Carsten who was look ing for somebody to share his studio, had returned after two years in London, learning the craft of studio photography, and in Los Angeles where I managed to distract myself with gils and the photography scene Carsten and | met a couple of times, he showed me his and | showed him mine portfolios that i,

"His career was further advanced than mine and | was impressed with his style which was more European and stylised than what was being shot in Australia at the time We agreed to give it a go and that | would try and be more Germanic in my approach to day-to-day studio life and the art of seek ing work But after the hard-arsed angle failed, | revert ‘ed back to being the accommodating Aussie which, intime, paid of

“worked out of Carsten’s studio for maybe 120 18 months on the typical 50/50 split deal, He intro duced me to some agencies and promoted me to start shooting the smaller jobs that were floating around, By the time | moved in, Carsten

ing out with a gi from Kolor

Sydney and the Bellingen Valley He usually arrived in a beaten up Bongo van or an old Suzuki 4WD He didn't want any of his clients or potential clients to kn« wasnt in Sydney so, whenever a call came through to the studio with a job of any importance and the agen coy asked for him to come for a meetit

it was my job to stall them long enough for hin to decide ‘whether the eight-hour trip was worth it This was before fax machines, so the luxury of working out of town wasn't an option

“Igained a lot of knowledge from Carsten, particularly about lighting and set design After a litle soul searching and some enticernent from Gary and Robert, Itelocated one floor below and set up as an indepen: dent photographer in the Greahy/Morehead studio It was a great period in Sydney photography and 116 ‘was this mad rabbit warren of activity and fun?

The Printers

im Hixson was living in Byron Bay, having returned to Australia from university in USA He had a grant from the Visual Arts Board to do his own projects and even tually headed back to Sydney to become a black and white printer at Fritz Gestinger’s JF Studio, He didn't ‘ant to get involved in commercial photography, but rather do his own photography in his own time and ‘not be ‘corrupted - as he thought atthe time — by the advertising world

Tim printed all day."We had @ massive dark room and we were mostly printing for newspapers Philip

Until now, you could only get speeds lke this on the world's most expensive generator packs Creo gives you lightening fst flash at an affordable price, with legendary Bowens quality Flash duration is a blinding 1/5000

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the power behind the picture

Trang 21

PROFILE

-based paper nding how it ld have to take that int

machin

It the death knell of the business “Hearnt a lot after th or four year

ning and ởi

ite printing for darkroom,

started doing illip Mortis in his, “Phil was a very creative photographer managed

hnny

fering machine He di

€ day and said, ‘What the bloody hell ing on here? | give Phil

and he puts all these im just the

an answering machine Next Scott assisted Patrick

Then he found an English

share her flat in Neutral Bay but only used t someone to living roorn with the high ceiling as a studio in the daytime then she had it to hei

wer the rent! 40

at night That's where

mount, We would mplaln about to try and

a =

Departure Lounge At 116

In 1984 Grenville Tumer shut down his operation and India After India he

hing in Sydney and hit the

ampaign for book, sa

a casti you 4000

at 116 until he

so he moved into Carsten’ Kiribili home/studi to move to his Belling rently writing ai

And A New Egg

1 e Miler Street

facing a dilemma about

re stay togethi in Thomas Tìm and |

hit Thoma: than

es and set careers in pla

LEFT: Snowboarding image taken for an ‘a client, Photography by Scott Cameron BELOW: Scott Cameron Portrait by Bruce Usher

and, in 3s They roared de and through the ave them a

writer,

0 start shooting, The cost of trying paraphernalia was so restrictive that the cli not to pr but | was still paid

extrusions on the buildin nt to Martin Pl

thing quite so mo

Thomas Street Diaspora

week when | shot a BMX rider, a skate boarder, boarder and a surfer | shot the the ski boarding pictures in August’

Tìm Hbsc

Manly, It was shown ary’ last portrait In the last twe

been travelling to Cambodia

an international charity helping children, He hopes to hay

published and stage a major exhibition of thi this year Starfish Foun SUNSTUDIOS Z b 5 8 a = << ` \ 4 er OW IN STOCK là

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Trang 22

IN PRACTICE Assembling A Fine-art photographer and print-maker,

Andy Cross, outlines

approaches to

compiling a portfolio

of images for exhibition or sale In this first part of the

article, he considers

the methods of

presentation and how this may influence the

selection process

Saloon lamp Selectively ‘toned gelatin silver print

ver the years Ihave been invited to partici pate in the assessment process for graduat- ing students majoring in photography at several education facilites and often men: tor students throughout the year on how to assemble their folios, When we visita gallery and view a body of work we may or may not enjoy the final presentation, Be that as it may, itdoesrit alter the amount of work that went into creating the folio have been asked on several occasions what made me select particular images to exhibit instead of other more captivating

images that I must have taken along the way ‘The common response of mine is,"ifyou have a spate hour or so, Il enlighten you" But for the readers 42

ofthis magazine who may have asked exhibiting artists the same question - oF those who are engaged in the process right now ~ the particular approaches that | use may be of some assistance,

I begin by quoting a lecturer! had during my four years studying at the Queensland College of Art who stated, "The atistis the least qualified person to edit their work’ In this instance, we are talking about the photographer who took the images This is largely due to the fact that the photographer is emotionally attached to the image

This person knows everything that happened leading up to actually taking the shot and has a personal attachment to it To suggest that they don't

Folio

‘would negate the reason he or she took the image

in the first place,

Undergraduates have an advantage over those who have finished with art college or university, and don't actually work in the photographic or afiiated industries Undergraduates still have thelr lecturers, mentors and visting industry professionals to critique thelr work Once a student leaves that facility, they

don't necessarily gain employment in the photo- ‘graphic or ats industry They often loose contact with people who can help with future projects in the areas of editing and art direction

Fortunately for me, workin the industry and have access to many people within Australia and overseas

Lamp and chair Selectively toned gelatin silver print

who can provide me with creditable unbiased opinions about the direction in which | should head if want to produce a body of work that salons, buyers for fine-art museums and collectors will be interested in

Presentation Approaches

Making a decision on what output you want to use

is the first consideration because this will determine what size limitations and costs will be involved and what services you will need to outsource

Assuming that you intend printing the images, you will need to further refine your idea on what form this wil take Prints can be made for book-binding, as loose leaves displayed in boxes, matted and framed, matted

and sold in sets without frames, as well as being backlit (which includes digital photo frames)

Once the images have been captured, there are several development methods you can adopt in the presentation of a folio The fist isthe stand-alone approach, A series of images are considered to be stand-alone pieces of fine-art when there Is no theme connecting them, They could be a mixture of stil life landscape and portraits with the only commonality being that you took the images They need not even be printed using the same media Although easier to plan and execute, this type of portfolio demands that every image must make a strong statement so, logically, its able to stand-alone without being part of a

aan

IN PRACTICE 8

theme or part of a story A gallery curator will hang such an exhibition in a different manner, usualy with a larger personal space around each image isolating each Cone The lighting may be altered in both Colour temperature and sometimes in intensity to accommodate each image

‘The second method of presentation is to have a selection of stand-alone images that may be loosely theme based on, for example, landscapes or portraits, but not necessarily taken with a story line in mind So, they could just be portraits of litle known Australian achievers or a set of landscapes all taken in Australia

‘Again, though, these types of images all need to have strong presence so that 1no one or two of them stand out, thereby weakening the others Consequently ting a folio of such images together requites afar more rigorous editing process and generally a great deal more images need to be taken in the fist place

‘The thitd presentation method is not just to have a theme running through the series of images, but a story line as well, These types of exhibitions are, by necessity larger in volume than the first two types The more complex the story, the greater the number of images that are usually required to tel the story The actual number that finish up getting edited out is usually not as high as the other two versions

By The Book

You may find you need to create a story board in a similar way that the producers, of film and video do Ifyou are armed with ths information, you will be able to shoot the images required in any order as the shots present themselves which can save alot of time

Irrespective of what classification you decide on using, exhibiting flat and framed art does not usually need to con: firm to specific aspect ratios (ie that they must fita standard frame siz or shape) To do so means you ate allowing those imposing this restriction to detetrnine ‘what aspect ratios you must use in composing the

image Ifthe image will look at its best using a square format then you should be using it

Assembling a selection of images for a book type ‘of presentation poses a number of restrictions that

ethibiting fat art does not A book has a fied size and aspect ratio which all the images have to confirm to

{similar to shooting for a magazine),

Will the book be of a size that can be easily manip- Ulated in the hand or will it be necessary to place it ‘on a support? Will ll the images be presented in the

landscape orientation even if some of the compos tions are to be printed in the portrait aspect? This is a convenient method of viewing images in book forrn

Trang 23

IN PRACTICE

RIGHT: Courtyard lamp Selectively toned gelatin silver print

BELOW: Street lamp, Firenze, Italy Hand-coloured gelatin silver print

cause it doesnt requite the viewer to rotate the book to view the image It does, however, restrict the size of portrait compositions leaving an empty space either side of the page

‘The type of binging will also influence the ‘number of images or pages (le the thickness of the book} because there are limits placed on how secure the pages in a book can be made using various types of binging,

Considerations must also be made as to wl the pages will be printed on just one or both sides

in turn, will influence the pape ected bleed through The paper will have to be thick enough as to not allow any of the image on the opposite side to affect the side being viewed, fink jet printing, both sides must be printable which will reduce the number of types of paper available Out Of The Box

Exhibiting your work as matted and framed art on a gallery wall need not necessarily mean selling the works as seen Its quite common in both Europe and the USA for people to buy sets of prints in loose leaf form ther

sually in a smaller size and at a reduced entation boxes that are, in thers

price ~in pr

pieces of art

In many respects the same

to‘making books also apply to boxed sets of prints

rictions that apply

44

‘Upgrading your Website regularly every month or thereabouts is essential if you are to attract people back On an average, one hit in a

thousand will result in an image being sold.”

Generally, the images need to fit sheets that

match the interior dimensions of the box without having a too large a border around them, Boxed

also be mounted and matt cut, but a standard overall size really needs to be adhered to in order to provide a neat presentation,

When putting together such types of presenta tions some images, you really want to use may simply not conform to these restrictions If there are too many images being sidelined because of this then this type of presentation may net be suitable for this folio,

Digital photo frames although more expensive are another way of creating a product that has a density range and a degree of colour saturation unattainable ‘with any form of printing, Digital frames come in ety of fixed formats, but the work need not necessarily conform to these aspect ratios black

he necessary cropping,

When your folio is in this form, sales can be made by selling the digital files in a format suitable fora cl eent’s own frame or you can sell the image along with the frame This can lead to future sales simply by the client adding more of your images to the frarne

The Web is another exhibiting too! that follows ina similar footprint to using digital photo frarn However, online galleries are a lot less effective in this regard because of the number of sites containing fine-art Upgrading the Website regularly every month

cder can pro

or thereabouts is essential ifyou are to attract people back On an average, one hitin a thousand will in an image being sold

Image libraries can be another outlet for your work, but | would suggest not placing your best fine-art here as it will tie up those images forthe

ver

duration of the contract and will usually

generate the same sales prices for the image when itis sold through a salon

Once the method of reproduction has been determined there Isa series of protocols | have always adhered to which have been dilled into me working in the industry for over 25 years, The first, as | mentioned)

earlier, is that it can be dangerous for photographers to edit their own images Using an editor - or pethaps

even a panel of people - to edit a collection of images Is the best way

In the second part of this article | will delve into the editing process and the people who help me finalise a body of work

Andy Cross s an expert in image prepress and printing techniques, both traditional and digital He runs Visual Impact Photography in Brisbane which specialises in fine-art photography and making exhibition que

prints, He can be contacted via email at ialimpact@powerup.com.ai

Trang 24

Hom ON TRIAL

Budget

The control layout is pretty much the same as that of Canon's other higher-end D-SLRs, but there have been a number of revisions which enhance the operational efficiency

Statement

CANON EOS 6D

The new category of more affordable D-SLRs with 35mm-sized sensors is primarily aimed at amateurs, but they're also good news for

professionals Report by Paul Burrows Jaking a hit on obsolete digital cameras has been a fact of lfe for working photographers, the downside of the technology's relentless advance since the early 1990s The foundations are all laid now, but the camera makers are stil tinkering with whet goes on them and so a pro D-SLR that’s just three or four yea Old is ready to draw an old-age pension it may well have earned its Keep in that time, but now it's largely worthless and you're looking at another investment of $6000 or so

‘What if you could get away with spending half this — or perhaps even less — and stil have a camera that’s capable of doing the job? This is

46

Canon's EOS 5D Mark II and Nikon's D800/E have already made their mark, and now there's a com- pletely new category of ‘35mm’ format D-SLRs even cheaper ones! We've already looked at Nikon's D600 (see the December 2072 issue) which most definitely has pro-level credentials and now there's Canors EOS 6D We can probably even throw Sony's SL-A99 into the mix here, although it’s mote of a professional camera than either the D600 or the EOS 6D which are primarily intended as enthusiast-level cameras, but clearly has some professional appeal

While the Nikon and Canon models were announced at much the same time, the EOS 6D has

been a while coming The reason why isn’t entirely clear, but i's here now and so the D600 isn’t going to have things all its own way in this new sector

Both Canon and Nikon have had to tread a fine line with these models for a number of reasons Make them too attractive in terms of value for money and they'll inevitably cannibalise sales from the next model up On the other hand, economise too much on the features and specifications, and nobody is going to be interested On balance, Nikon has been a lot more generous with the D400, but then there are a few reasons why some non-professional shooters may actually not want the D800 so, ina sense, the two aren't so closely competing for the same customers,

Canon's mix of features and systems on the EOS 60 is much more pragmatic leaving both the 5D Mark Ill and the 70 (its APS-C’ format flagship) pretty much in clean ait The shape and size of the pentaprism housing - dictated by the need to accommodate a bigger optical viewfinder ~ make the 6D look very much like the 5D Mark tl, but in the flesh i's a more compact and lighter camera with dimensions similar to those of the 60D In fact, in many ways the 6D is basically a 60D with a bigger sensor, except that Canon has thrown in @ number of higher-end features and system upgrades to match the capabilities of the bigger sensor

The 60 is a good-looking machine in a purpose- ful sort of way, with a comfortably-sized handgrip and a control layout that’s straight out of the ‘Canon D-SLR design manual This means the top deck is fully occupied with a main mode dial, flash hotshoe, a monochrome LCD read-out panel, a set of capture-related function buttons and a master input wheel

On the rear panel is the main LCD monitor screen, Canon's signature ‘Quick Control Dial’ and

‘Multi Controller’ combo, the display/review function buttons and a dedicated switch/button set for the live view and video recording functions On the thumbrest are the main AF/AE function buttons The front panel is devoid of any controls save for the depth-of field preview button (which can be assigned other functions if so desired) and the lens release

It's all very familiar if you're a current user of the higher-end Canon D-SLRs and stil all very logical if you're a new convert from another brand In fact, the latter characteristic is enhanced by making all the function buttons dedicated rather than dual-ourpose (which could ahways cause some hesitation until you became familiar with which input wheel did what)

Body Building

The bodyshell comprises @ polycarbonate top cover with magnesium alloy front and back covers However, the reason for using plastic on top isn't

related to cutting costs, but because the EOS 6D

incorporates a GPS receiver and a Wi-Fi transmitter, both of which would be blocked by a metal cover ‘The Wi-Fi connectivity is not just a frst for @ Canon

D-SLR, but for D-SLRs full stop Expect everybody

to follow suit

There is some sealing against the intrusion of ‘moisture or dust, but it would appear not to be the full protection given to the pro-level models so Canon describes it as being “drip proof” There isn't a built-in flash and nor is there a PC flash terminal 0 the hotshoe is the only means of connecting an external uni, The absence of the built-in flash enhances the overall structural integrity of the body, but means you don’t have a source of fil-n ilumi- ration always on tap and you'll need an optional commander module for controlling wireless TTL flash set-ups

‘The monitor screen is fixed (unlike on the 600), but Canon does such a nice job of flush-fitting its fixed screens into the backs of its D-SLRs that it's 2 toss-up as to whether not having any tit/swing, adjustments is any cause for complaint Like the Nikon 0600, the EOS 6D supports the SD memory card format, but it only has one slot rather than two which would seem to be a prime example of the bean-counter’s handiwork It does, of course,

features such as multi-shot HOR capture and a mul: tiple exposure facility along with continuous shooting at up to 4.5 fps, Full HD 1080p video recording and 14-bit analog-to-cigital conversion Frills such as filter effects aren't provided

The maximum image size is 5472x3648 pixels with a choice of four smaller sizes for JPEG and two for RAW capture, tagged M.RAW and '$RAW The aspect ratio can be changed from the standard 3:2 to 4:3, 16:9 oF 1:1 but these all represent crops of varying degrees The alternate aspect ratios are also available with RAW capture, and the RAW/PEG set-up allows any combination of any thing so, for example, you could have M.RAW with, JPEG/large/fine

The EOS 60 has a standard set of Canon's "Picture Style’ presets, namely Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome Adjustments are provided for sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone (hue) and there's provi sions for creating three customised ‘Picture Styles’

“The pixel size is 6.55 microns which is good news in

terms of generating a higher signal-to-noise ratio and, consequently, improving both the low-light sensitivity and the dynamic range.’

accept both SOHC and SDXC types and has UHS-| compliance for higher speed data transfer (and, in practice, the camera really can't work effectively on slower cards)

‘The power supply is Canon's long-serving LP-E6 battery pack which is shared with the 7D, 5D II and II and the 600, thereby maintaining compatibility with plenty of spares There's an optional battery grip to give an extended range and provide a set of verticaly-orientated key controls, Given the GPS receiver and Wi-Fi module represent an extra drain cn the battery (if they're left switched on), this could be a worthwhile investment

Pixels With Punch

The sensor is a brand new CMOS device with an

imaging area of 23.9x35.8 mm and a total pixel

count of 20.6 million (20.2 million effective) The resulting pixel size is 6.55 microns - so they're frac- tionally larger than the SD Mark lls and much larger than the D600's - which is good news in terms of generating 2 higher signal-to-noise ratio and, conse- Quenty, improving both the low-light sensitivity and the dynamic range

This is clearly reflected in the 60's ISO range Which spans 100 to 25,600 with a one-stop ‘pul to ISO 50 and, more significantly, a two-stop ‘push’

to 102,400 Enhanced low light performance has

to be very near the top of the list of attractions of the 35mm-sized sensor along with the bigger

viewfinder, the elimination of befuddling lens focal lengths, various other 1Q improvements need we

go on? Canon's latest generation DIGIC 5+ processor does the driving, underpinning the 60's new

The B&W preset replaces the colour adjustments with a set of contrast enhancing filters and a choice of four toning effects

Working The Light

The new HOR function captures three JPEGS in rapid succession, adjusting the exposure with each to retain more detail in both the highlights and the shadows The three images are combined in-camera and there's an auto image align facility to ensure this is done as accurately as possible to prevent any ghosting, The exoosure adjustment can be done automatically ~ based on the brightness range present in the scene - or set manually to +/-1.0, +/:200r +/-30 EV,

Up to nine images can be combined using the multiple exposure facility and there's the option of

i

ON TRIAL Ban

‘automatic exposure adjustment The images displayed overlaid in the live view screen which helps with determining the required manual exposure adjustments,

The 6D has both Canon's ‘Highlight Tone Priority’ processing for dynamic range expansion and ‘Auto Lighting Optimiser’ processing for dealing with excessive contrast The really good news is that the HTP processing is no longer hidden away in the custom functions and is accessed via the main shooting menu HTP extends the dynamic range by adjusting the tone curve in the range from 18 percent grey (the mid-tone) to white (the brightest highlight) At ISO 100 the sensitivity is automatically increased to ISO 200 to give more signal ‘head: room’ ALO works by analysing an image for its ‘overall brightness and contrast range, and then automatically adjusts the levels to avoid underexpo: sure while also preserving tonality in the highlights

In-camera lens corrections are provided for vignetting (which Canon calls ‘Peripheral Ilumination Correction’) and for chromatic aber rations, This relies on a built-in database of Canon EF lenses and their optical characteristics, but the standard list of 25 models can be modified via the EOS Utility software supplied with the camera

Making Movies

For video recording, the EOS 6D looks more to the

5D Mark ill than the 60D which means it's highly

capable in this department Full HD 1080p video

in the PAL standard is captured at ether 25 or 24

fps in the MPEG-4 format with the choice of IPB or

‘ALL! compression (.¢ either in multiple frames or

frame-by-frame) The latter is much easier to edit,

but requires the use of a UHS-I speed memory card ‘Also handy at editing ime is the capacity to embed

SMPTE time-coding, although it’s of more use at 24 fps than at the time-accurate 25 fps The 6D also

has automatic file partitioning at 4.0 GB so recor

ing continues seamlessly as this file size is exceed-

€, but the overall maximum clip length remains limited to 29 minutes and 59 seconds,

The built-in microphone is mono, but there’s a

stereo audio input for connecting an external pick- up and the audio levels can be adjusted manually ‘The exposure can be controlled manually too, but

this requires using the fully manual mode (as the

-k panel too A dedicated switeh (adjacent to th ece) sele

ding start/stop button at its the live view and video modes and

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TY

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aperture-priority and shutter priority auto modes simply function as fully programmed modes) At the other end of the control scale, automatic scene mode selection takes care of everything Most of the main processing and correction functions avall- able for still photography are also accessible for shooting video, including the ‘Picture Style" presets, exposure compensation and both the “Auto Lighting Optimiser’ and ‘Highlight Tone Priority’ processing Contrast-detection autofocusing is possible during recording, but since the camera can't focus continuously on moving subjects there are situations where it’s not really worth using and you're better off prefocusing prior to hitting the start button

In comparison with the 5D Mark I, the 60 lacks a stereo audio output for connecting headphones (for monitoring purposes) and the convenience of dual memory card slots, but otherwise i’s up there with the most capable HOV-enabled D-SLRs The ‘video Snapshot’ function for creating short clips ~ which was introduced on the SD Mark il and is also available on the 650D — is again on offer here

Seeing In The Dark

‘The 6D's autofocusing system shows some signs of having had the estimator's frugality calculator waved over it Consequently it’s throttled back to 11 focusing points of which only the central one is @ cross-lype array This is more like the atrange- ‘ment on the mid-level é50D and looks a bit tame in comparison with the Dé00's 39-point system and its nine cross-type arrays However, the central point is sensitive down to EV -3.0 (at ISO 100 and 2.8) which is impressive and plays to the camera's strengths when shooting in low ligt situations

Also cornmendable is the ability to adjust the focus tracking in a similar fashion to the 5D Mark I So, in the custom menu, the tracking sensitivity can be adjusted between Locked-on and Responsive as far as obstacles are concerned Additionally the sensitivity to changes in the subject's speed fe acceleration or deceleration) can be set to one of three progressively responsive levels Not as sophiis- ticated as the SD Mark I's ‘AF Configuration Too, but is still very handy if you shoot a lot of action,

Switching between single-shot and

continuous AF operation can be done manually or automatically, as can selection of the focusing points Focus tracking is assisted by the metering systern which is based on Canon’s 63-zone RGB- sensitive IFCL system originally introduced with the 7D and used in the 8D Mark Il The intials stand for “inteligent Focus, Colour [&] Luminance” and it employs a sensor that has two layers which are separately sensitive to blue-green and green-red light in order to improve exposure accuracy The standard mult-zone evaluative metering is supplemented by three alternative methods of measurement - selective area (representing 8.0 percent of the frame area), centre-weighted average and spot (covering 3.0 percent of the frame)

The standard set of ‘PASM’ modes is supplemented by a selection of seven subject/scene programs which can be manually selected as normal, but in the ‘Scene intelligent Auto’ mode (At on the

48

main dial) are automatically set according to the analysis of key elements in the scene, These include the background colour and brightness, the type of lighting (Le backlight or spot light) and the subject's size and position in the frame

How Much Control?

Like the EOS 600, the 6D also has ‘Creative Auto’ (CA) exposure control which is essentially fully automatic, but with basic overrides for the aperture

and/or shutter speed settings to give a small degree

of control over the depth-of-field and the freezing or blurring of movement

Here there is also a choice of nine ‘Ambience’ settings, labelled Standard, Vivid, Soft, Warm, Intense, Cool, Brighter, Darker and Monochrome

Ail but the last have three levels of effect - Low,

‘Standard and Strong (or Low, Medium and High) — while, in Monochrome, you can choose from Blue,

BAW (Le, neutral) or Sepia The ‘Ambience’ presets

and adjustments are also available for use with

the main subject programs Additionally, in the four standard subject programs (.e for portraits,

landscapes, sports action and close ups), the

lighting type can also be specified, providing what amounts to a set of white balance presets These

are labelled Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, Fluorescent Light and Sunset

Is allthis a bit out of place on a D-SLR of the

calibre of the EOS 6D? Well, it’s pretty hard to see

any enthusiast-level user needing either the A+ or CA options when they've got program shift, an AE

lock, up to +/-5.0 EV of exposure compensation,

auto bracketing over +/-3.0 EV and a full suite of white balance controls As is the case on many Canon D-SLRs, the compensation and bracketing can be combined so it’s possible to have an

exposure adjustment of up to +/-8.0 EV (although not in the same AEB sequence, of course)

The auto white balance correction is supplemented by six presets, a custom setting ‘and manual colour temperature setting over a range of 2500 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin All presets

can be fine-tuned across the blue-to-amber and/

‘or magenta-to-green colour ranges, and white belance bracketing over three frames also available in both ranges Additionally, this bracketing can be

performed around any shifted WB point

In The Hand

We've already covered the EOS 60's external con-

trol layout which, in practice, proves to be as logical

and efficient as it looked in theory In fact, tis is the nicest handling Canon D-SLR in quite a while and its

operational efficiency is on a par with the best that Nikon offers The menu system is similar in design and styling to the rest of the EOS fleet, but has been

tidied up in a number of areas, including simplifying the custom menu so some items have been moved

to the main shooting menu (such as mirror lock-up) where they're easier to find Nevertheless, new-

comers to Canon will sil have to get used to one

idiosyncrasy which is the need to press the ‘Set’

button first in order to bring up the sub-menus and

settings — rather than the more common right click

‘The EOS 6D is capable of exceptional image performance in terms of crisp definition and detailing, colour fidelity across the spectrum, very smooth tonal gradations and ‘a wide dynamic range Test images are JPEG/large/fine files captured using the Landscape ‘Picture Style’ and a Canon EF 28-70mm £2.81 zoom lens

~ a8 well as to subsequently confirm any action The alternative to using the menus is the ‘Quick Control Screen’ which allows access to a wide selection of capture-related functions and is navigated via the

‘Multi Controller’ Keypad There's then the choice of making adjustments within the tile — using either the front or rear input wheel - or bringing up the sub-menu by pressing the ‘Set’ button and changing the setting, The one exception to this is the exposure compensation scale when the front wheel sets the exposure bracketing increments and the rear wheel sets the amount of correction for a single frame There are no touch screen controls when the ‘Quick Control Screen’ is in passive mode it becomes the plain old ‘Function Setting Screen’, but quite a few of these status displays are replicated in the top panel read-outs

Alternatively, the monitor screen can be switched to show a single-axis electronic level which can also be displayed - albeit in a diferent design — over the live view image The live view display can be additionally configured to show a real- time histogram and one of three grid patterns (3x3, ‘6x4 or 3x3 diagonal There's a choice of four image replay/review screens which include either a brightness histogram accompanied by basic capture data or a full set of LRGB histograms A highlight warning and AF point display can also be activated, the latter showing the AF point that was used to achieve focus Pressing the ‘Q’ button brings up a selection of replay-related icons which can then be selected ‘on-screen rather than via the menus,

‘As on the 5D Mark Il, there's a ‘Rating’ function which allows for both stills and movie clips to be awarded between one to five stars and this, subsequently be used as a search criteria, both in- camera and post-camera The image replay modes comprise zooming up to 10x, pages of either four or nine thumbnails and slide shows with a choice of display times, transition effects and background music The in-camera editing functions for stills are limited to resizing and rotating, and only basic, “top-and-talling’ editing in one-second increments is available for movie clips However, the 6D does provide in-camera RAW-t0-JPEG conversion with ten adjustable parameters (including Picture Style’, \white balance, high ISO noise reduction and the lens corrections) ° s = 5 of 5 < ° ® 8 FV/Foto- UNITED KINGDOM Digital Photo * Photography Monthly * Practical Photography Professional Photographer UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Shutterbug In cooperation with Camera Journal Press Club JAPAN ° s 6 © ð 2 5 2 x 8 3 a © E Đ 2 5 2 > 3 = E ‘2 5 2 PiX Magazine SPAIN Arte Fotográfico POLAND Foto SOUTH AFRICA lie FotoVisie Fotografie > © 5 8 E ° £ a! £ © Ñ 3 5 s = 2 = 2 5 2 5 5 > z s = wi 6 2 5 £ x 9 8 a ễ 5 a ø x ưu ° z s £ x > 2 5 2 Đ s 5 a & ộ 3 € R 6 < " = ö 2 5 9 5 2 x 4 a s z < ° g 5 E S 5 5 Z _ g 3 =< & Business * Photographie * Photo Presse * ProfiFoto GREECE Photographos * Photobusiness HUNGARY Digit NETHERLANDS A SMALL LOGO MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE

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5 ON TRIAL

Speed and Performance

Regardless of how Canon has mixed and matched the EOS 6D’s feature set - and there are a few

curious anomalies ~ its imeging performance was

always going to be its strong suit And so it proves

in practice, starting with the noise levels which are neglgible up to ISO 6400 Here, writ large, is a key performance benefit of having pixels sized at six

microns or larger and it also manifests itself in the

dynamic range which is impressively wide without resorting to any expansion processing However, HTP does noticeably enhance the highlights,

extending tonality well into the brighter tones

Particularly commendable is the way in which Canon's noise reduction processing balances def-

nition and noise levels reasonably well There's always a trade-off, but the 6D still delivers excellent

levels of detailing at the high sensitivity settings The

one caveat here is that in areas of very low contrast

there's a noticeable softening of fine details so they can look a big smeary with bigger enlargements

Using the standard settings for colour saturation and contrast, it's hard not to be impressed with the overall quality of the JPEG/large/fine files and, of course, everything can be tweaked to suit personal preferences, but the starting point is a sound one

‘There are some improvements to be gained with RAW capture, particularly in terms of resolution and the defining of very fine details, but it's good to see

the efforts made to optimise the JPEG performance

‘With our reference Panasonic 16 GB UHS-I ‘speed SDHC memory card loaded, the EOS 60 fired off 45 JPEG/large/fine frames in 10.014 seconds

which you don’t need to be a mathematical genius to work out equates to very close to 4.5 fps (4.493 fps to be precise) And the camera showed no sign

of slowing down at 45 frames we simply chose

this as goad stopping point We don't see any rea son to doubt that the quoted burst length of 73

frames could be achieved

Despite the AF system's less-than-glamorous spec, it's still fast and reassuringly accurate and the low light/contrast performance is astounding, No time consurning set-up in terms of the area

modes there are 11 points at work and that's it

Face recognition isn't available, Canon's 63-zone iFCL metering is proven elsewhere in the EOS line- up and serves the 6D equally well, handling quite contrasty situations with consummate ease

The Verdict

‘There are some aspects of the EOS 6D which may

have been dictated by the bottom line and without seriously considering the practical implications,

Consequently, compared to Nikon's very well-

endowed D600, it appears more buil-to-a-price the AF module, single memory card slot, lack of a

built-in flash and the absence of a stereo audio out-

put all point to penny pinching And yet, conversely, there's the builtin GPS receiver, Wi-Fi connectivity and excellent video functionality to sweeten the

deal plus the fact that, distilled down to the key

requirements, the 60 is an exceptionally competent camera, Add in its fantastic ergonomics, impressive operational efficiency — actually the best of any cur

50

* body only, estimated street price only ‘Type: Enthusiast-level/semi-professional digital SLR

with Canon EF bayonet lens mount

Focusing: Automatic via 1-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CMOS sensor Centre point is a cross-type arrays Focus points may be selected manually or automatically) One-shot and Continuous (Al Servo) modes with auto/manual switching Continuous AF with predictive function and acceleration/deceleration tracking and adjustable tracking sensitivity Sensitivity range is EV -3.0- 18 (12.8, SO 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 modes

Metering: 63-zone evaluative, selective area (8.0% of image area), spot (3.0%), centre-weighted average and E-TTL Il auto flash, Metering range is EV 1 to 20 (60mm/f1.8/ISO 100)

Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priarity auto, aperture-priorty auto, ‘Creative Auto’, metered manual, E-TTL Il auto fash Seven subject programs (Portrait, Landscape, Ciose- Up, Sports, Night Portrait, Handheld Night Scene and HOR Backlight Control) with auto selection in Scene Inteligent mode

Shutter: Electronically-controlled vertical travel focal plane type, 60-1/4000 second plus 8’ Flash sync to 1/180 second Exposure compensation up to +/-5.0 EV in either ¥ or 1/3 stop increments

Flash: No built-in flash External flash units syne via a hotshoe

Viewfinder: Coverage = 97% vertical/horizontal Magnification = 0.74x (60mm lens at infinity) LCD displays and LED focus point indicators Interchange- able focusing screens (choice of three) Eyepiece strength adjustment provided

Additional Features: Magnesium alloy/polycaroon ate bodyshell with low-level weather-proofing, auto exposure bracketing, depth-of-ield preview, AE lock, dual-mode self-timer (two and ten second delays), mirror lock-up, audible signals, wireless (IR) remote control, wired remote control, silent shutter mode, 18 custom functions

DIGITAL SECTION

‘Sensor: 20.6 million pixels CMOS with 35.8x23:9 mm area and 3:2 aspect ratio Sensitivity equivalent to 10 100-25,600 (expandable to ISO 50 and 102,400) Focal Length Increase: None

Formats/Resolution: Two JPEG compression settings plus RAW lossless compression Five resolution settings at 3:2; 5472x3648, 3648x2432, 2736x1824, 1920x1280 or 720x480 pixels Five resolution set: tings at 4:3 aspect ratio; 4864x3648, 3248x2432, 2432x1824, 1696x1280 and 640x480 pixels Five resolution settings at 16:9 aspect ratio; 5472x3072, 3648x2048, 2736x1536, 1920x1080 and 720x408 pixels Five resolution settings at 1:1 aspect ratio 3648X3648, 2832x2432, 1824x1824, 1280x1280 and 480x480pixets, RAW images are captured at 5472x3648, 4104x2736 oF 2736x1824 pixels 42-bit RGB colour RAW-JPEG capture is possible

rent Canon D-SLR — and, most importantly its huge ly impressive imaging performance (especially at high ISOs) and the ledger easily tips into the black

From a professional perspective, choosing between the EOS 5D Mark Ill and the 6D may not be so difficult given there are some key differences

Canon eh) 6D $2399* Video Recording: Full HD = 1920x1080

pixels at 25 or 24 fps (progressive) and 16:9 aspect ratio HD = 1280x720 pixels at $0 fps and 16:9 aspect, ratio SD = 640x480 pixels at 25 fps and 4:3 MPEG 4 AVC/H 264 compression (ALL: or IPB methods ALL-| ‘compression requires UHS-| speed memory card) Mono sound recording with adjustable level and wind filter, Stereo microphone input provided Time code supported Clip duration limited to 29 minutes and 59 seconds

Recording Media: SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards with UHS-1 support

Burst Rate: Up t0 73 frames at 4.5 fps in JPEG/large/ fine mode, up to 14 frames in RAW mode

White Balance: Auto/manual with six presets and one custom setting, white balance bracketing, white balance correction (blue-to-amber and/or green-to-

magenta) and manual colour temperature setting (2500-10,000 degrees Kelvin)

Interfaces: USB 2.0/AV, mini HDMI, 3.5 mm stereo audio input

Additional Digital Features: Live view functions (with contrast-detection 4F), built-in sensor clean ing, 7.7 cm LCD monitor (1.04 megapixels), sRGB or Adobe RGB colour spaces, six ‘Picture Style’ modes (Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome), three user-definable Picture Styles (for contrast, sharpness, saturation and colour tone), BAW filter effects (Yellow, Orange, Red, Green), B&W toning effects (Sepia, Blue, Purple, Green, lurni- nance/RGB histogram displays, grid displays (choice of three), highlight warning, “Exposure Simulation’

dispiay electronic level display, nine ‘Ambience! picture settings (available in the CA and subject modes), long exposure noise reduction (Auto, On, Off, high ISO noise reduction (Low, Standard, Strong, Mult-Shot, Off, “Highlight Tone Priority’ dynamic range expansion processing (On, Off, ‘Auto Light: ing Optimiser’ settings (Low, Standard, Strong, Of),

ripheral lumination Correction’, ‘Chromatic Aber ration Correction’, multiple exposure facility (up to nine with auto exposure adjustment), multi-shot HOR capture with auto align (Auto, +/-1.0, +/-2.0, +/-30 \), in-camera RAW-t0-IPEG conversion (ten parameters), adjustable image display time, auto playback, ‘auto image rotation, 4/9 thumbnail displays, zoom playback (up to 10x), insert copyright information, auto power-off (adjustable duration), built-in GPS receiver, built-in Wi-Fi transmitter, PictBridge compliant Power: One rechargeable 7.2 volt 1800 mah lithium ion battery pack (LP-E6 type) Optional BG-E13 battery grip can be fitted and accepts six AA-size batteries or two LP-E6 packs

Dimensions (WxHxD): body only = 144.5X110.5X71.2 mm

Weight: body only = 755 grams (without battery pack or memory card)

Price: $2399 body only $3099 with EF 24-105mm {4.0L 1S zoom lens Estimated street prices Distributor: Canon Australia Pty Ltd, telephone 1800 021 167 or visit www.canon.com.au

in features and specs Yet the price difference is ‘enough (up to around $1400 depending upon where You shop) to keep the 60 in play, most certainly as a second or third body with a 35mm sized sensor and even as an entirely workable main camera spend

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+ Excellent in low light

+ Enhanced lens performance

NEW EOS 6

@®)

Now you can take it all in

Step into full frame photography, step up to the new EOS 62

* Maximum capture area without cropping

* Superior colour quality

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