Table of contents for V71 #4 in Pro Photo

Phase One’s new XF digital medium format camera system is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s all new… something many of us didn’t expect to see again. Phase One’s previous DMF platform was derived from a Mamiya which traces its origins back to 1999 and the 645AF. Hasselblad’s current H5D system goes back to the 6x4.5cm format H1 which was launched in 2002. Of a more recent vintage is the Franke & Heidecke-designed Hy6, originally badged as a Sinar and then returned to the Rolleiflex fold, but you could hardly call this camera a commercial success. So a brand new digital medium format camera in 2015 is cause for both wonderment and celebration. Better still, Phase One has gone back to basics so the XF has interchangeable viewfinders…

If you like to see the words ‘Made In Germany’ stamped on your photo gear, then you’ll be pleased to know that Heliopan filters are now distributed directly in Australia. The Heliopan range is extensive and new distributor Mainline Photographics is stocking the filters in all popular screwthread diameter sizes from 39 mm to 82 mm. Heliopan’s filters for digital photography include UV, skylight (1A), polarising and neutral density (ND) types. The ND filters are available from 0.3 with a 2x filter factor to 4.0 with a filter factor of 10,000 (or -13 stops). These ND filters are made from colour neutral Schott glass which is designed to minimise any colour casts. For more information about Heliopan filters (or to purchase products online) please visit www.mainlinephoto.com.au or call (02) 9437…

There are few subjects that are inviolable in the contemporary world, but suicide and infertility are two that are rarely addressed by photographers. Perhaps it is because there is a level of intimacy needed to create compassionate, meaningful images around life’s two big questions – birth and death. It takes a brave soul to bare one’s pain and suffering in order to draw focus on issues that, despite affecting millions, are still marred by stigma. Australian photographer Kerry Payne is that brave soul and, through photography, she is not only exorcising her own demons, but also giving voice to the many who suffer in silence. Kerry lost her father to suicide in 2001. For years she pushed her misery and grief down deep and focused on building an enviable reputation…

Digital medium format appears to have turned a corner and this is partially reflected in the introduction by Phase One of an all-new camera system… a not inconsiderable investment in the future given it even includes a new autofocusing system. Designed ‘in-house’ by Phase One, the XF body is new from the ground up and a complete departure from the previous Mamiya-based models (with the exception of the lens mount, of course) and, perhaps most significantly, it has interchangeable viewfinders. This allows the 90-degree prism finder to be replaced by a waist-level finder and gives the Phase One XF a level of modularity comparable to that of the Hasselblad HD cameras. Using the AF system’s sensor, exposure metering (as well as autofocusing) is still available with the waistlevel finder. The…

Following the introduction of the first SureColor series photo printer – the A3+ format SC-P600 – earlier in the year, Epson has launched its A2+ sibling. Similarly styled, the SureColor SC-P800 A2+ replaces the popular Stylus Pro 3880 in Epson’s line-up of pro-level pigmented-ink printers and uses the same MicroPiezo print head and advanced LUT technology for high resolution imaging at up to 2880x1140 dpi. The P800 uses Epson’s latest Ultrachrome HD inkset – introduced with the SC-P600 – with nine colours, but in larger, 80 millilitre cartridges. The new inks provide a large colour gamut with, Epson claims, the highest Dmax in the market, enabling improved results with both colour and black and white printing. The new inks also provide improved lightfastness. Like the SC-P600, the P800 has a…

Leveraging the latest in lens technologies, Nikon has introduced a pair of new prime supertelephoto lenses which are significantly lighter than the preceding models. The AF-S Nikkor 500mm f4.0E FL ED VR weighs in at 3.09 kilograms while the new AF-S Nikkor 600mm f4.0E FL ED VR tips the scale at 3.81 kilograms (a massive reduction of 1.45 kilos). These are ‘FX’ format lenses for Nikon’s D-SLRs with full-35mm size sensors, but can also be used on the ‘DX’ models with ‘APS-C’ sizes sensors (with a 1.5x increase in the effective focal length). The 500mm has a 16-element optical construction of which three are made from ‘Super ED’ (super extra-low dispersion) glass and two are fluorite types to optimise the correction for chromatic aberrations (while also contributing to the weight…

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…

THE HIGHLIGHTS M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f1.8 PRO • 16mm fish-eye (35mm format equivalent) • World’s fastest aperture of f1.8 • 17 elements (in 15 groups) optical construction which fully minimises comatic and chromatic aberrations • Special elements optimise image quality, including high sharpness across the entire image field • Olympus’s ‘ZERO’ high-performance multi-coating to effectively reduce ghosting and flare • A minimum focusing distance of just 2.5 centimetres • Weather-proofed construction, including against sub-zero temperatures (down to -10 degrees Celsius) The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f1.8 PRO is the world’s fastest fish-eye with a 180 degrees angle-of-view so it’s a whole lot more versatile than you might expect. We’ve sampled its expansive capabilities for astrophotography. If you think a fish-eye lens is just a bit too specialised, Olympus may just change your mind with its…

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

With both Panasonic and its Micro Four Thirds rival, Olympus, claiming top dog status in mirrorless cameras, what is clear is that the MFT format is definitely sticking it to everybody else in this category right now. It probably has something to do with the excellent lens choices, but there’s also no doubt that both manufacturers are offering cameras which deliver increasingly more capabilities and performance in ever-smaller packages. The latest from Panasonic is the Lu-mix G7 which, like Fujifilm’s new X-T10, also boasts a more classical styling, replacing the G6’s curves with sharper lines and pronounced corners. Interestingly too, Panasonic is moving more towards a dial-based control layout and the G7 has a novel ‘shift’ arrangement which gives its external controls dual functionality. There’s also now a total of…

SO, AFTER ALL THE DRAMA OF THE out-of-left-field Leica T, we’re now back on script with the Q. As we noted at the time of its launch, the T was the camera Leica had to make and so, in all honesty, is the Q, except for very different reasons. The T is an imperative, the Q is intuitive. In other words, Leica couldn’t not make this camera. It’s in the genes. You can just imagine the Leica design department looking at the Fujifilm X100 cameras and, probably more specifically, the Sony RX1/RX1R, and thinking, “We can really do better than this”. So the Q ticks all the boxes the others missed. It has a full-35mm sensor sans optical low pass filter. It has a fast f1.7 speed 28mm lens… not…

The best photography book I’ve bought,” says John Sainsbury, “Is the first edition of Edward Ruscha’s Every Building On The Sunset Strip.” John has operated second-hand bookshops in Melbourne for over 30 years and always had an interest in photography and art books. Today he runs Sainsburys Books in Camberwell (www.sainsburysbooks.com. au). John sources from local estates, buying trips to the USA, both local and international auctions, and directly from photographers. Just to put Sainsbury’s best purchase – Ruscha’s 1966 book, Every Building On The Sunset Strip – into perspective; The Manhattan Rare Book Company in New York has a copy of this small quarto publication for sale at US$7500, including the original silver Mylar-covered slipcase. John stocks a wide range of photography books from the 19th century to contemporary…