Sommaire pour April 2026 de Smart Photography

Just when everything started looking better, political issues threaten to derail the imaging industry. Tariffs and war are enemies of any business and the imaging business is no exception. Last year the industry grew by over 7% and the driving force was not high end full frame cameras but value driven entry level mirrorless cameras and compact cameras. Expect the launch of some new models to be delayed. With this issue, Smart Photography completes 21 years of publication. In the currently fickle world of media, this is indeed an achievement. We profusely thank all our stakeholders and well wishers and look forward to the future. This issue also features the much awaited Smart Photography Awards. Our congratulations go out to Nikon for winning the CAMERA OF THE YEAR award with…

The Sony World Photography Awards today announced the 2026 National and Regional Award winners, recognizing remarkable photographic talent from across the globe selected from the Awards’ competitions. The National & Regional Awards programme is an initiative by the brand to support the local photographer communities around the world. Across this year’s competitions, over 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted. The Award winners were chosen from the Professional, Open and Student competitions this year highlighting global talent across a span of career stages.…

I cajoled a boatman to take me into the middle of the Ganges, just as the morning was turning blue. The river was still, the air cold, and the Howrah Bridge revealed itself slowly—steel emerging from mist, as if the city was deciding whether to wake up yet. That moment set the tone for everything that followed. I spent three early December mornings walking Kolkata. No plan, no rush. Just returning to streets that shaped my way of seeing long before I ever held a camera. The quiet hours here have always mattered to me—when the city is unguarded and deeply itself. Wrestlers practicing in the akhara, a shoe polish man bent over worn shoes, books passed hand to hand, flowers carried through the dark—these are not scenes arranged for…

Samyang AF 24mm–60mm F 2.8 FE ₹63,990/- The second lens launched with the joint efforts of Samyang and Schneider Kreuznach is the 24mm to 60mm F 2.8 standard zoom for the Sony E mount. Coupled with the 14 – 24mm F 2.8, the buyer gets a focal range extending from 14mm to 60mm by buying two light, compact lenses. SP had this second lens and our review follows. Design & Build Quality This Samyang lens is meant for full frame Sony bodies with the E mount. Interestingly, Panasonic has also launched a 24 – 60mm F 2.8 with a L mount. The origin of this lens may well be common. The lens is well designed and finished. The lens has an outer barrel made of aluminium; the rest of the…

CP Plus 2026 was held in February and attracted a record 23000 visitors in the first two days. The event also saw 45 exhibitors exhibiting for the first time. Introduced at CP Plus were the following new products: • Brightin Star launched the 35mm F/1.7 for the Leica M mount. • Sigma announced the development of the 85mm F/1.2 Art, the 15mm F/1.4 DC Contemporary for APS – C cameras and the 35mm F/1.4 DG II Art. • Samyang with partner Schneider Kreuznach announced the new AF 60–180mm F/2.8 telephoto zoom for Sony FE and Panasonic L mount. • 7 Artisans announced a full frame 40mm F/2.5. • Cosina announced two Voigtlander lenses for Leica; a APO Skopar 75mm F/2.8 and a APO Lanthar 90mm F/4 Close Focus. • Megadap…

Srini Swaminathan Srini Swaminathan’s curiosity has taken him to 50 countries. He began his career on oilfield rigs and is now a marathoner and long-distance cyclist who has cycled from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Bhuj to Assam. An author and translator, he lives in Chennai and hopes to travel the world carrying his Indie dog, Oreo, in a backpack. He is @srini091 on Instagram and X.…

Yet another year has passed and it is now time to highlight the best products launched in the past year. No new DSLR was launched in India during that period. Again, no new DSLR lenses saw the light of day. Medium format cameras became more affordable with the launch of the Fujifilm’s GFX 100RF. An array of lenses were launched by Chinese firms like Viltrox, 7 Artisans, Laowa, Sirui and Meike. Compact cameras did well and expanded their sales considerably. Smartphones held on stimulated by newer models. As before, the Smart Photography Awards are given to products that have gone through the SP testbench. SP’s membership of EISA along with its members give that extra touch to our award winners. The Smart Photography Awards were first announced in 2006. This…

@vimalparmar Dear Readers, Photography has never been more accessible. We carry powerful cameras in our pockets, create images effortlessly, and share them instantly. Yet despite this explosion in visual creation, printing has quietly shifted. From routine to deliberate. There was a time when printing was the natural conclusion of photography. Today, it is a conscious choice. In this April issue, we widen the lens to examine the world of photo printing. What is happening behind the scenes? How have substrates evolved? Which technologies are shaping the products we see today—photobooks, wall décor, photo gifts, and textiles? And where does traditional silver halide stand in this transformed landscape? As promised, I will continue bringing you conversations with industry leaders, both domestic and global, to better understand this transition. This month, my…

SanDisk Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive ₹4,999/- The SanDisk Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive, is one of those rare accessories that genuinely solves a common frustration: running out of laptop storage without adding bulk or hassle. This tiny L-shaped drive (just 18.5 × 15.7 × 13.6 mm and a feather-light 3 grams) plugs into any USB-C port and is designed to stay there permanently, a true “plug-and-stay” solution. It sits almost flush against the side of your MacBook, Windows laptop, or even iPad, so you can close the lid without it getting crushed or snagged in a bag. That low-profile design is its biggest strength. You’ll never misplace it because it’s always attached, unlike traditional tiny USB drives that vanish into desk drawers or pockets. Performance is good too, USB…

The market seems to be shifting towards AI focused Autofocus, partially stacked sensors and specialised lenses. Full frame camera sales are plateauing.…

• Samyang is developing a 200mm F/1.8 lens. This is in addition to the already announced 60–180mm F/2.8 full frame telephoto zoom lens. A 300 mm F 4 OIS lens is also likely. • To mark the 30th Anniversary of the launch of Canon’s popular PowerShot series of compact digital cameras, the company has announced a special limited edition of the PowerShot G 7 X MK III. The camera will bear the 30th Anniversary logo. • Nikon has issued an advisory notice regarding a manufacturing issue with three of their full frame cameras – the Nikon ZR, Nikon Z6III and the Nikon Z5II. This defect has been observed in only a few batches of the camera models mentioned. Nikon will repair for free any model that is affected. • In…

BEST PHOTO QUALITY MONITOR The BenQ provides excellent 5K resolution, studio display quality, seamless Mac integration and factory calibrated colour accuracy. Pricing is also aggressive. The BenQ is our choice for monitor of the year. BEST CAMERA IN A BUDGET SMARTPHONE Co-engineered with Zeiss, the Quad Curve Display vivo X200 offers great user experience. With a 6.67-inch AMOLED high-brightness screen, three main 50MP lenses including an ultra-wide-angle lens, and worldwide-known Zeiss T-star coating, the vivo X200 provides crisp and sharp images at a budget price point. BEST CAMERA IN A FLAGSHIP SMARTPHONE The OPPO Find X9 Pro excels in performance with a lens design created in partnership with Hasselblad, and includes Hasselblad’s colour correction and imaging software. It includes three rear cameras – a 50MP main wide-angle, a 50MP ultra-wide…

Nikkor Z 35mm F/1.2 S ₹2,57,995/- The newly designed wide-angle prime lens from the house of Nikon is a S-Line (Performance) full frame lens with a superfast f/1.2 aperture. The lens is touted to offer dreamy bokeh and precise autofocus for photos and videos. The lens is basically designed for environmental portraits and pro-video production but can be used for landscapes, documentary and studio photography. Just for the record, Nikon offers three 35mm lenses for its Z-mount -- Z 35mm f/1.2 S, Z 35mm f/1.4, and 35mm f/1.8 S. Design & Build Quality Overall, the lens construction appears very good; the outer body uses engineering plastic which is very strong. The lens mount is made of metal. The view through the lens is super bright (it’s a f/1.2 lens!). Filter…

UltraProlink Mag-Vault MagSafe Magnetic SD/microSD Card Reader ₹2,999/- When we got the Mag-Vault for review we were hoping for a clever on-the-go solution for the iPhone, but after a week of testing it mostly sits in the drawer. Priced at ₹2,999 (MRP ₹3,999), it feels overpriced for what is essentially a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 card reader with a magnetic twist and 100W PD pass-through. The design is the highlight, it snaps magnetically to MagSafe iPhones (or any phone with the included metal ring) while plugging into the USB-C port. Dual slots handle full-size SD and microSD cards up to 2TB each, with claimed speeds of 160 MB/s read /120 MB/s write. You can copy between cards, offload ProRes/8K videos, or back up photos directly from the Files app,no extra…