Smart Photography February 2023

A review of the cameras and lenses that SP has tested in the last two years has revealed that hardly anyone makes a bad camera anymore. Irrespective of brands, quality levels of cameras and lenses have improved significantly. In fact our reviewers are finding it difficult not to give a ‘Best Buy’ label to almost all products reviewed on our test bench. What this means for the customer is that other factors like pricing, sales and service network and range of accessories assume added importance. In such a situation, selecting the best products for 2022 will be a tough job for the SP jury. Look forward to the SP Awards! Meanwhile 2023 has already started on an exciting note with Panasonic, one of the smaller players in the imaging market, launching the…

Write to us at: Smart Photography, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400 013 E-mail: sp@nextgenpublishing.net Dear Editor, I am a beginner in photography. I was happy to read the Welcome note from Mr. H. S. Billimoria (January 2023 issue) wherein he mentioned that Chinese lenses at competitive prices will be available. The reason I was happy is that I (and may be more people like me) will be able to pursue photography without spending too much of hard earned money. Right now, I find it difficult to even buy second-hand lenses from well-known third party lens manufacturers. So for me, it is good news. Regards, S. B. Singh, Punjab Dear Sir, I read in your January 2023 issue (International News, page 15)…

Panasonic has announced two new hybrid full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Lumix S5II and S5IIX, at the recently-concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas. The company also unveiled the Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro lens for L-mount. The Lumix S5II and S5IIX are the first Lumix mirrorless cameras to utilise Phase Detection Auto-Focus (PDAF) thanks to a newly developed 24.2-megapixel 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor and a new imaging engine. Developed under the L2 Technology alliance formed by LEICA and Lumix last year, the new imaging engine provides high resolution, natural description, and approximately 2x higher-speed signal procession for high bit-rate video recording. To further the cameras’ PDAF capabilities and make them more dependable, Panasonic evolved the autofocus system into Phase Hybrid Auto-Focus by increasing the AF points to 779 to significantly…

Samsung unveiled their latest monitor line-up at the CES 2023. The latest line-up includes ViewFinity and Odyssey models along with a Smart Monitor. While the Odyssey and Smart Monitor primarily cater to gaming and entertainment, the ViewFinity S9 is meant for creative professionals. The ViewFinity S9 features a 5K 27-inch screen and is optimized for creative professionals such as graphic designers and photographers. Apart from 5,120 x 2,880 resolution, it offers a wide colour gamut of 99 percent DCI-P3. The monitor also provides colour accuracy of Delta E 2. This monitor offers a builtin colour calibration engine that ensures precise screen colour and brightness, allowing users to adjust white balance, Gamma and RGB colour balance matching their smartphones. The monitor has a matte-finished display that reduces light reflection and glare. Users can…

A review of the cameras and lenses that SP has tested in the last two years has revealed that hardly anyone makes a bad camera anymore. Irrespective of brands, quality levels of cameras and lenses have improved significantly. In fact our reviewers are finding it difficult not to give a ‘Best Buy’ label to almost all products reviewed on our test bench. What this means for the customer is that other factors like pricing, sales and service network and range of accessories assume added importance. In such a situation, selecting the best products for 2022 will be a tough job for the SP jury. Look forward to the SP Awards! Meanwhile 2023 has already started on an exciting note with Panasonic, one of the smaller players in the imaging market,…

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) named the Lumix GH6 a CES 2023 Innovation Awards Honouree in the Digital Imaging and Photography category. The Lumix GH6 was honoured for its cutting-edge technologies, outstanding performance, responsiveness, and reliability. The announcement was made ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 in Las Vegas. The Lumix GH6 was designed with expertise drawn from first hand opinions, to recognise high quality video expression and workflow efficiency from setup to delivery. With an increased effective pixel count by more than 20%, the new 25.2-megapixel Live MOS Sensor without Low-pass Filter boasts high resolution, high-speed signal readout that reduces rolling shutter issues and achieves a wide dynamic range.…