Table of contents for July - August 2023 in Camera

THERE ARE THREE new lenses for the Fujifilm GFX mirrorless medium format system and two of them are tilt/shift models. Tilt/shift lenses are immensely useful and were common in most rollfilm medium format camera systems. The shift adjustment corrects for perspective and the tilt increases the depth-of-field by tilting the plane of focus. Architectural photography is an obvious application, but there are others including landscapes and interiors. The new models are the GF 30mm f/5.6 T/S and the GF 110mm f/5.6 T/S Macro. Both have a rotating mechanism so the tilts and shifts can be applied in both the horizontal and vertical orientations. In fact, the full rotational adjustment is between zero and 90 degrees. The total shift displacements are +/-15 millimetres – maintain an 85 millimetres diameter imaging circle…

Established by Leica, Panasonic and Sigma in 2018, the L Mount Alliance has a new member with South Korean lens maker Samyang joining the group. It's good news for owners of L mount camera as Samyang has already proven itself with competitive FE mount autofocus lenses for the Sony Alpha system. Many of these are likely to now appear in the L mount, giving users an expanded choice of both stills and cine lenses. Also joining the alliance is a Japanese company called Astrodesign which makes professional level video cameras. The Alliance now actually has seven members; the others being Ernst Leitz Wetzlar (a separate operation to Leica Camera and which makes high-end cine lenses), and the Chinese company dji. A more recent announcement adds Australian video gear maker Blackmagic…

The first awards were run in 1981 when the magazine was called Camera Craft, and there was just one category – The Australian Camera Of The Year (won by the Olympus OM-10 35mm SLR). Subsequently, the number of categories has grown to reflect developments in the industry and the arrival of new technologies. The categories are also revised on occasions as new product sectors emerge (such as mirrorless cameras) or others decline (i.e. compact cameras and, more recently, DSLRs). The period of eligibility for the Camera Magazine Imaging Awards runs from 1 October to 30 September, and extends to any product within each of the categories that's released onto the mainstream Australian market during this period. Another requirement for eligibility is that a product must be available for purchase by…

COMPETITION Sony Australia has revealed the winners of the eighth annual Sony Alpha Awards which specifically recognise the work of Australian and New Zealand photographers, both amateurs and professionals, and images captured on Sony Alpha cameras and lenses. The Sony Alpha Awards aspire to drive creativity; rewarding professionals and enthusiasts alike and showcasing some great photography. This year, over 2900 stunning images were submitted by both professional and amateur photographers, competing for a total prize pool of Sony camera equipment valued at $50,000. Category winners received $4000 worth of Sony digital imaging equipment while the Grand Prize winner, Lewis Burnett, collected Sony gear valued at $10,000 in total. The grand prize is selected from the category winners and Lewis's image, titled Aliens, topped the Nature category. Lewis notes, “At first…

ON TRIAL LEICA Q3 Do you wonder whether camera designers are surprised when a new model turns out to be a big hit? After all, for it to get to market (many don't), plenty of people along the way must have thought it was a good idea. But how good? For Leica, its heritage casts a long shadow over any new camera project, especially one that makes significant breaks with tradition which is why there's been the softly-softly approach to the digital Ms. So there must have been a bit of trepidation when the wraps came off the original Q back in early 2015… and some relief when it was so enthusiastically embraced by the market. Tellingly, the Q concept works as much because of what it isn't as because…

WHAT'S NEW THE RECENTLY-ANNOUNCED AMARAN 300C and 150C are full colour point-source LED monolights designed for photographers, video-makers and content creators. They have a bi-colour CCT range of 2500 to 7500K CCT, with green-to-magenta adjustment, 360-degree HSI colour control and a 90 percent reproduction of the Rec.2020 colour space. The 150C has a light output of 15,610 lux and the 300C outputs 26,580 lux (at 5600 degrees Kelvin and fitted with the ‘Hyper Reflector’). High CRI/ TLCI scores of 95+ ensure the faithful reproduction of skin tones. Stepless dimming from 100 percent down to zero allows for exceptional flexibility when it comes to varying levels. Additionally, there are nine built-in lighting special effects for paparazzi, fireworks, lightning, faulty bulb, TV, pulsing, strobe, explosion, and fire. Both models have built-in active…

As a hybrid camera, the X-S20 probably isn't going to pull sales from the X-H2S or the X-T5 as it doesn't do quite enough to compete overall, but if you're primarily going to be shooting video, it presents some very compelling arguments. For starters, it's more compact and lighter, but of course, it's also a lot more affordable while still offering astonishing video capabilities. Additionally, compared to the X-T5, it has the fully articulated monitor screen, a proper stereo audio output and more uncropped recording options. Some of the limitations are less problematic when shooting video too… for example, the single memory card slot won't matter if you're using an external recorder. The 6.2K video recording uses the whole of the sensor so it's at an aspect ratio of 3:2,…

The Z 9 and the Z 8 are again very close in capabilities when it comes to shooting video. The Firmware 2.0 upgrade for the former added all the additional recording options that come as standard with the Z 8. These start with internal recording of 12-bit RAW video in the proprietary N-RAW format at 8.3K (8256×4644 pixels) and up to 60/50 fps, 4.1K (4128×2322 pixels) at up to 120/100 fps and 4K UHD up to 120/100 fps. Alternatively, the ProRes HQ RAW format is available for the 4K recording options at up to 120/100 fps again. Crops of 1.5× and 2.3× are available with the RAW recording, giving 5.4K and 3.8K resolutions respectively. Usefully for editing, Full HD proxy files are recorded along with the RAW format. Using the…

It's hard to see anybody buying the Q3 specifically to shoot video, even if 28mm has been dubbed ‘the cinematic focal length’. Interchangeable lenses are still more desirable, and the crops are a bit harder to work with when shooting video (although not impossible, of course). Nevertheless, the Q3 still boasts some serious video spec and certainly has enough to satisfy photographers who want to shoot moving pictures. In a nutshell, there's 8K up to 30 fps, 4K up to 60 fps and Full HD up to 120 fps plus L-Log and HLG (HDR) recording. The key negatives are the single memory card slot in the SD format and the absence of a stereo audio input for an external microphone. A product such as Zoom's M3 MicTrak which combines both…

Sigma lenses is the new sponsor for our Showcase competition, made possible through the generosity of the Australian distributor C.R. Kennedy & Company Pty Ltd. The grand prize for the 2023 Sigma Showcase is a Sigma lens to the value of $1000 and the winner can pick the model and the mount that they want. The winner of each round will continue to receive a complimentary six-issue subscription to Australian Camera magazine. If you already subscribe, your prize subscription will commence upon the expiry of your paid one. As was introduced a couple of years ago, all the authors of published images over the six rounds of the Showcase competition will be eligible for the grand prize. You can enter the Sigma Showcase as many times as you like during…

A NEW SENSOR and processor give the medium format GFX100 II a feature set very similar to that of Fujifilm's latest X mount mirrorless cameras. The BSI-type CMOS sensor is still in the 44×33 mm format – which is 1.7x larger than full frame – with an effective pixel count of 102 million, but has a much faster read-out, a redesigned microlens array and is designated ‘GFX 102MP CMOS II HS’. It's mated with Fujifilm's latest ‘X Processor 5’ engine, and the combo delivers a host of performance benefits, especially in terms of speed. Continuous shooting steps up from 5.0 fps to 8.0 fps – which is fast for a digital medium format camera – and the video recording capabilities extend to 8K at 30 fps (albeit cropped) and 4K…

Current to 22 October: Exhibition. Time For A Moment, photographs by Wendy McDougall. Hand-printed darkroom prints of photographs on the theme of the humorous and the absurd – taken over her 40-year career as a professional photographer – which she rediscovered in her archives during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Gallery hours are 10.30am to 3.30pm Wednesday to Sunday. For more information visit https://www.raglangallerycooma.com Current to 22 October: Exhibition. People Power – Platon. Over 120 portraits of people who have shaped the modern world.by renowned portrait photographer Platon, and including Yoko Ono, Prince, Adele, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Obama and Vladimir Putin. At the Art Gallery Of Ballarat, 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, Victoria 3350. Gallery hours are 10.00am to 5.00pm daily. This exclusive exhibition is the headline event in the 10th Ballarat…

VITAL STATISTICS Body only. Recommended retail. Type: Enthusiast-level digital mirrorless camera with Fujifilm X bayonet lens mount. Focusing: TTL automatic hybrid system using phase-difference detection and contrast-detection measurements. 425 measuring points (in 25×17 or 13×9 patterns). Single-point (six sizes), zone (7×7, 5×5 or 3×3 point clusters selected from 91 points) and wide/tracking modes. Five ‘AF-C Custom’ settings for optimising tracking plus a user-definable setting for Tracking Sensitivity, Speed Tracking Sensitivity and Zone Area Switching. Face/eye detection with left/right priority. Subject detection for animals, birds, cars, motorcycles and bikes, aircraft and trains. Focus frame adjustable to five sizes. Range is 10 cm to infinity (Auto Macro mode). Focus range limiter. Face/eye detection with left/right priority. Manual switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes. AF+MF mode. Low-light assist via built-in illuminator. Manual…

SAMYANG AF 35-150mm f/2.0-2.8 FE $2,049 Recommended retail Format: Full frame. Angle-of-View: 61.8-16.4 degrees (diagonal on full frame). Construction: 21 elements/18 groups. Includes one ‘H-ASP’ hybrid aspherical element, two ‘ASP’ aspherical elements, six extra-low dispersion (ED) glass elements, and three high refractive index (HR) elements. Minimum Focus: 33-85 centimetres. Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:5.5 (at 150mm). Aperture Range: f/2.0-2.8 to f/16-22. Overall Length: 157.4 millimetres. Maximum Diameter: 92.8 millimetres. Filter Diameter: 82 millimetres. Weight: 1231 grams (without lens hood). Lens Mount(s): Sony FE. Features: Weather-sealed external construction using metal alloy barrel tubes, two focus hold/save buttons, custom mode switch (switches control collar between manual focus or manual aperture selection, non-linear or linear manual focus collar operation, and ‘Dolly Shot’ zooming function), ‘Digital Parfocal’ correction, zoom lock switch, linear STM (stepping motor)…

VITAL STATISTICS body only, recommended retail price Type: Professional or enthusiast-level digital mirrorless camera with Nikon Z bayonet lens mount Focusing: Automatic via 493-points wide-area system (90 percent vertical/horixontal frame coverage) using hybrid phase/contrast detection. Area modes are Pinpoint, SinglePoint, Dynamic Area – Small, Dynamic Area – Medium, Dynamic Area – Large, Wide Area Small, Wide Area Large, Wide Area Large – People, Wide Area Large – Animals, Auto Area, Wide Area – Custom 1 & 1 (with 20 shape/ size options), Auto Area – People, Auto Area – Animals, 3D Tracking, Subject Tracking. One-shot and continuous modes with auto switching in AF-F mode. Body/head/ face/eye detection and subject recognition for humans, dogs, cats, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains and aircraft. Subject type detected automatically in Auto Area AF mode.…

LEICA Q3 $9,790 Recommended retail price Type: Fixed prime lens digital compact camera with electronic viewfinder. Lens: Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH. Eleven elements in nine groups (three aspherical types). Aperture range is f/1.7 to f/16, adjustable in 1/3-stop increments. Built-in optical image stabilisation with 2.5 stops of correction for camera shake. Metal lens hood supplied. 49 mm screwthread filter fitting. Viewfinder: OLED-type EVF with 5.76 megadots resolution, 0.79x magnification and 60 or 120 fps refresh rate. Adjustable for brightness and colour balance. Auto/manual switching between EVF and monitor screen. Monitor: 7.62 cm TFT LCD with 1.84 megadots resolution. Adjustable for up/down tilt. Adjustable for brightness and colour balance. Focusing: Hybrid phase/contrast-detection measurement with 315 focusing points. Contrast detection via Depth-From-Defocus (DFD) calculations. Auto/manual point selection. Area modes are Spot,…

THIS CHECKLIST is designed to allow direct comparisons between different camera models, listed here in price order within each brand. The published prices are mostly supplied by the distributors as recommended retail prices (RRPs). However, some distributors no longer supply RRPs to the media, so it has become necessary to determine an ‘estimated street price’ derived from the range of prices for a model published by retailers. Where this has been necessary, the letter ‘E’ appears at the start of the entry. A dot appearing in a column indicates that the feature is available on the camera model listed. Where a specification or product detail hasn't yet been published or confirmed, the letters TBA (to be announced) or TBC (to be confirmed) are used. If a feature is irrelevant to…

CAMERA ICONS Of all the likely millions of pictures taken of The Beatles, the most significant for the camera industry depicted the Fab Four clutching Pentax Spotmatics. In fact, there are many photos from the early 1960s showing Paul, John, George and Ringo with various Asahi Pentax 35mm SLRs and appears these cameras were most likely private purchases, but by the time the Spotmatic arrived in 1964, the commercial opportunities of such an association were just too good to miss. The Beatles were global stars and the Spotmatic quickly became one too, taking Pentax to the top of the sales charts and popularising the 35mm SLR. For the next couple of decades the Japanese camera industry's fortunes would be built on the 35mm SLR. The genesis of the Spotmatic dates…