Pro Photo V71 #2

If there’s one thing we should have learned this far into the era of digital imaging, it’s that nothing should really surprise us any more… and no development in technology – no matter how fantastical it may seem – is beyond the realms of possibility. So, in my last column, under the title ‘Size Matters’, I considered what might be the implications of Canon’s 50 megapixels D-SLRs. Fifty seems to be a magic number in megapixels digital capture and it’s certainly been important in the digital medium format world recently as all the major players promote the various benefits of a 50 MP ‘645’ CMOS. Canon’s full-35mm sensor obviously has smaller pixels, but the new EOS 5DS have plenty of other attractions related to speed, operational efficiency, lens system and…

Nikon continues its very active D-SLR program, announcing the introduction of a new enthusiast-level model called the D7200. It’s the ninth new Nikon D-SLR to arrive in just under a year and is a ‘DX’ format model. Along with the new entry-level D5500 announced earlier in the year which is also a ‘DX’ format, this would seem to put paid to rumours – at least for the time being – that the company was planning to abandon ‘APS-C’ size sensors in its D-SLRs. The D7200 inherits quite a lot from the existing D7100, but also has some important upgrades, most notably to the autofocusing system, but it also gets WiFi with the convenience of NFC connectivity, 1080/50p video recording, an intervalometer (enabling time lapse video recording), an increased buffer memory,…

Today a Web presence is an integral part of magazine and newspaper publishing so you’ll find ProPhoto – or, at least, some of it – at www.avhub.com.au Here you can also visit the other titles in the stable of nextmedia AudioVisual Group magazines, including sister publication Camera. Have a look at these because you might find another magazine that you’d like to buy from your newsagent or subscribe to. If you’re interested in hi-fi, video, home theatre, ‘smart home’ technologies or car audio, check out Sound+Image, Australian Hi-Fi or Australian InCar Entertainment (just follow the links from the AVHub home page). The Website carries the latest news plus selected articles from both the current and past issues of ProPhoto, including a selection of test reports. Of course, there’s a lot…

While the lack of FE mounts lenses doesn’t seem to have had much effect on the popularity of Sony's A7 Series mirrorless cameras, the company has significantly expanded the system with four new models. The newcomers bring the choice of FE mount lenses to 11 which Sony has achieved in a pretty short time period. Three of the four are primes starting with the highly desirable Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f1.4 ZA wide-angle which is the fastest FE mount lens to date. Its 12-element optical design includes one ‘Advanced Aspherical’ (AA) type designed to more effectively deal with lateral chromatic aberrations. It also features the ‘Direct Drive SSM’ ultrasonic autofocusing system and a nine-bladed diaphragm for smoother out-of-focus effects. The minimum focusing distance is 30 centimetres. The aperture ring can…

Canon continues to merely dabble its toe in the mirrorless camera waters, but the new EOS M3 is a far superior camera to the model it replaces. Restyled with a more overtly classical look, the M3 essentially uses the same innards as the EOD 750D and 760D D-SLRs, and indeed Canon sees its primary customer base as owners of its D-SLRs looking for a compact alternative for certain applications. The bodyshell comprises both magnesium alloy and polycarbonate resin covers over a stainless steel chassis. An important update is the provision of a ‘multi-function’ hotshoe which now allows for an optional EVF to be fitted. The EVFDC1 unit provides 100 percent scene coverage and has a resolution of 2.36 million dots. The M3’s monitor screen is tilt adjustable (up to 180…

Following the huge success of its B1 battery-powered flash unit with TTL exposure control, Profoto has introduced a second model in what it’s now calling its ‘Off Camera Flash’ (OCF) system. The new B2 is a more compact and lightweight option than the B1 and also employs an entirely different configuration. It’s based on a very small power pack which can be carried via a shoulder strap or belt loop, and which has a pair of outlets for the new B2 flash heads. Fully asymmetric power control is available across the outlets over a range of nine stops, enabling the lowest power setting to be just one joule. The low power settings enable continuous shooting at up to 20 flashes per second. In the B2’s ‘Freeze’ mode the flash duration…