Cameracraft magazine – Taking your practical photography further

Category: Events

Which photographic events are on now, and near you – and what’s coming up in the near future.

  • Victorian Photography in Edinburgh

    victorianphotosmodel1-web

    Today I visited the press preview of Photography: A Victorian Sensation at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.  It’s a major exhibition which actually goes beyond the wonderful huge collection of mint condition Daguerreotypes and other early examples, ending with a Nikon D5500 as an example of today’s tech.

    You can visit this entirely free if you are member of National Museums of Scotland. For non-members, it’s £10 (adults) £8 (concession), or £6.50 (children 12-15) and free for under 12s, until November 22nd. The museum itself is free entry, and if only one person in your family wants to see this (Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3) there’s plenty for others to see and do.

    lonleyd5500

    I wanted to see the Nikon – I had helped the curator with this, putting her directly in touch with the right individual at Nikon, after a mutual friend in Edinburgh asked for assistance. Why not Sony? Well, the museum acquires representative technology for the permanent collection, and specifically wanted a DSLR not a DSLT or mirrorless – and the Nikon fitted well with a 1990 first generation digital camera displayed close to it, another Nikon. No doubt at some future date, mirrorless will be so much the flavour of the era that they acquire a Sony.

    exploringtheexhibit

    It’s a superb show, with wall-high prints blown up from unexpectedly early originals. Although it is not a huge exhibition area, I would recommend sparing half an hour for the casually disinterested family member, an hour to two hours for this who actually look at the exhibits, and half a day for anyone who wants to access the touch screens, study the work and really learn something. The good thing about the museum is that if you DO have family members who want to do something else, there’s plenty to see and much of it is rather fun, whether Dolly the Sheep or the kids’ painting and crafts corner. It also has a café which is not overpriced and Edinburgh’s Old Town tourist attractions are a five minute walk from the door. Parking cost me £2.60 for one hour on a nearby meter, paid by mobile phone, and there are cheaper options.

    zoomingindaguerreotype

    One of the best bits must be the use of touch screens (above) which replicate a cabinet (as below) of small original works. Tap the corresponding thumbnail, and it fills the screen. Do an ‘expand’ gesture with two fingers (or hands) and the super-high-res copy of the Victorian work – often only a few centimetres wide – expands to show microscopic resolution. Daguerreotypes, in particular, are almost grain-free and reveal as much detail as Sony A7R II… who needs 42 megapixels when you have countless megamolecules?

    daguerreotypecabinet

    The exhibition includes National Museums Scotland’s extensive early photographic collections, including Hill and Adamson’s images of Victorian Edinburgh, and the Howarth-Loomes collection, much of which has never been publicly displayed. The cartes-de-visite and cabinet photographs below emphasise the huge volume of these portraits produced 150 years ago.

    cartesandcabinets

    Highlights include an early daguerreotype camera once owned by William Henry Fox Talbot; an 1869 photograph of Alfred, Lord Tennyson by Julia Margaret Cameron; a carte-de-visite depicting Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a middle-class couple and an early daguerreotype of the Niagara Falls. There’s a special niche for Eastman and his Kodak.

    eastmanshow

    You are also be able to visit a ‘stylised recreation of a Victorian photographer’s studio’ – er, not exactly a re-creation, as stylised is certainly the word! Victorian props and costume details can be used, and you can take a photograph, which will be displayed in a photomontage at the end of the exhibition. The lighting, however, appears to be Godox Witstro or a similar battery flash mounted into a big Elinchrom Octa.

    At the press day, model Bronwyn Mackay was dressed in Victorian costume. My photo of her (top), not in the studio setting but holding a stereoscope with part of the display behind her, was taken using my Sony A6000 with 16-50mm OSS lens. Bronwyn is lit by the new ICE Light 2, which I’m holding in my left hand. The camera is at ISO 3200 and the lens at f/5.6, but it’s still a marginal 1/13th exposure, as the lights are low in the room and the ICE light is at minimum power to balance the shot and prevent distress to the model.

    I am told there is a book and a smaller catalogue (neither available when I visited) and we’ll be looking at the book, for certain, in Cameracraft magazine.

    For further information on the exhibition please visit www.nms.ac.ukphotography

    – David Kilpatrick

     

  • Sigma’s system revolution

    Sigma Imaging, already one of our favourite lens makers, has announced upgrades and new functions for their entire system which will transform the way it works with all the major camera systems.

    The new DC 17-70mm f/2.8-4 – DC (APS-C format) lenses have never been given the EX designation, even when they clearly matched the EX specifications. Now the EX name and its exterior finish are both going, replaced by one standard for all formats, and one finish.

    The entire Sigma range is being restyled, with a new finish, and the old distinctions between EX DG and other lens ‘grades’ are disappearing. “All our lenses have become what we once called EX”, said Graham Armitage of Sigma UK, at photokina. “The demands made by digital systems with higher resolutions mean we have to produce perfect lenses for all the formats from MicroFourThirds to APS-C and full frame.

    “Our greatest breakthrough is in MTF testing. We have designed new MTF equipment, which will be used on the production of new lenses from now on. The MTF testing system we use for development is too slow to be used in production, and we have had our own Bayer sensor based system for this purpose. But it was not proving high enough resolution for new camera sensors like the D800.

    “Now we have built our own MTF testing system, based on the 46 megapixel Foveon Merrill sensor used in the latest cameras. This allows a much better MTF tests. It will be used to test the sharpness of every new lens that Sigma manufacturers.”

    We asked Graham if this would only apply to expensive professional teles, zooms and specialist lenses. “No, it will apply to all lens types”, he said. “We have been able to use the data from the Foveon sensor based tests to improve the performance of all our lenses.” Because the sensor is true RGB not Bayer much better information about chromatic aberration has been gathered and Sigma is feeding this back into the design and manufacture process.

    The new lenses have a robust feel, with machined metal barrel and mount components (a current trend for many lens makers) and a slightly soft-looking matt or silk finish. All Sigma lenses are assembled by hand, in Japan, using traditional construction methods.

    But the most exceptional advance has been made inside the new lenses – sadly, it can’t be retro fitted to older ones.

    The USB ‘dock in a cap’ has an LED activity indicator and we handled the real thing. This photo looks a bit over-retouched.

    All new Sigma lenses will be compatible with a USB-connected dock allowing firmware updates to be made by the user. Sigma has honoured its relationship with users for decades by upgrading the chips inside lenses free of charge whenever the protocols used by camera makers created an incompatibility. Now they have developed a way in which users can do this themselves without the lens having to be returned or ‘operated on’ in a workshop.

    “The USB dock will cost about the same as a filter”, Graham told us. I suggested this could mean £50. He indicated I was on the high side. This dock device, which resembles a thick rear lens cap, might be £30 or so.

    “It does more than just upgrade the chip”, he continued. “With a PC program, you will be able to change the focusing speed of the lens. All AF systems are a compromise, a balance between speed and accuracy. You will be able to set the lens to suit your working style, increasing the focus speed if you shoot action or improving accuracy if you take subjects like landscapes and portraits.

    “All DSLRs have problems with front and back focus. Some cameras offer AF calibration, but not all allow you to have different corrections for each focal length of the zoom lens and for different focusing distances. Using our program, you will be able to calibrate new Sigma lenses for the full range of settings so you don’t get front or back focus at any distance or focal length.

    “Not only that, with new telephoto and macro lenses you will also be able to change the distance ranges used by focus limiter switches.”

    The new-style 120-300mm f/2.8 – one of the first lenses compatible with the USB programming system, allowing perfect tuning of front and back focus corrections across the zoom and focus distance range.

    This function sounds familiar, indeed it’s almost what the new Sony Alpha 99 offers with a restricted range of Sony lenses – on-camera setting of focus range limits. The difference with the Sigma option is that future lenses with a range setting switch can each have their individual far, middle and near limits set and there will be no need to go into camera menus to change the setting when shooting.

    Along with Sigma’s recently introduction of nano-type hard coatings which resist water and dirt, their improvements in environmental and dust sealing of lenses, we look forward to testing Sigma products in future and finding them close to the blueprint for the optical design. These innovations draw a line between existing generations of Sigma lenses and the future, as they can’t be fitted to older models. They also take Sigma yet one more step ahead of the camera makers’ own aspirations.

    Sigma has always shown the industry what can be done in terms of advanced optical design – often unmatched for many years, with such specifications as the 8-16mm and 12-24mm zooms, the 300mm-800mm and many others remaining unchallenged even by Nikon and Canon. Now they have set out to show what can be done by harnessing a simple standard interface and allowing communication to the lens IC through the contact-pin array.

    Finally, Graham showed us the new 35mm f/1.4. “Nikon has done really well with their 35mm f/1.4”, he said. “We thought we would try to beat them with this one. We are hoping it turns out to be the best 35m f/1.4 on the market”. The new MTF testing may yet be proved! I mentioned that Samyang had also done pretty well with a 35mm f/1.4. To that there was no comment…

    And then there’s the obligatory picture from any trade show – the man who can’t resist trying to find out what the butler saw, courtesy of the Sigmonster!

    – David Kilpatrick

    This post has been edited with Sigma’s help on October 3rd. The original reference to Zeiss MTF equipment was incorrect; this is used in design and prototype development, and will continue to be used. Sigma’s own production-line testing system is what’s been updated with new high speed Foveon-based MTF bench.

  • Sony technology statement – new stuff all round

    Whether you like it or not – and some aspects are going to be useful – Sony is rolling out a whole new generation of gear including advances in digital imaging. This is a long statement made at a press conference. It would take a long time to edit it, so here’s their text in full.

    Sony Accelerates Revitalisation of Electronics Business by Enhancing User Experiences with New Product Offensive
     
    Sony Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai unveils an array of Xperia smartphones, a new Xperia-branded Tablet, VAIO PC, Wi-Fi camera, NFC-enabled audio devices, new applications, new musical partnership, a Book of Spells and a showstopping 84-inch BRAVIA 4KTV at IFA 2012
     
     
    Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today unveiled a portfolio of advanced next-generation products which will help accelerate the revitalisation of the electronics business.

    Kazuo Hirai, Sony Corporation’s new President and Chief Executive Officer, speaking at Sony Europe’s press conference at the IFA electronics show in Berlin, launched a range of compelling products – each emphasising Sony’s stated strategic focus on Mobile, Digital Imaging and Gaming.

    “This is an extraordinary company going through extraordinary times. It forces us to confront difficult realities and make hard business decisions. We must look at ourselves honestly and hold true to the values and purpose of Sony. I am determined to do this with a laser-like focus, speed and execution,” said Hirai. “The products I unveil today will show Sony’s long-standing ambition to deliver what customers value – a simpler, easier, more entertaining and user-friendly experience.”

    The range of new products announced in Berlin includes three new Xperia smartphones – one featured in the forthcoming James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’ – a new splash proof Tablet, a new hybrid slate/laptop VAIO PC, a new NEX camera with built in Wi-Fi enabling feature-adds post purchase, and enhanced NFC enabled headphones and audio devices.

    Sony also unveiled a stunning 84-inch BRAVIA 4K TV, promising a totally immersive experience and building on Sony’s acknowledged professional expertise in 4K with acclaimed broadcast camera the CineAlta F65 and 4K cinema projection system.

    Hirai vowed that each product would reflect the ‘One Sony’ ambition, the organisation’s drive to deliver technically-advanced products and compelling consumer experiences through greater synergies across all Sony’s businesses from electronics to games, movies and music.

    “As “One Sony” we are joined together by a single vision, which I define with one particular Japanese word – Kando. It means to move people emotionally. Sony will bring a smile to the faces of a global audience” said Hirai.

    MOBILE

    Mobile devices are the gateway to Sony’s user experience. Adding to our acclaimed Xperia smartphones for providing premium entertainment experiences, Sony Tablets will be brought to market under the Xperia brand as of September 2012 to expand these great mobile experiences to the tablet arena.

    The latest Sony mobile devices, including Xperia smartphones, Tablets and VAIO PCs, will boast Sony’s media applications, with the new interface designed to enhance the user experience in high picture and sound quality. It will enable users to enjoy and share music, photos, and movies in a simple and intuitive way. These features will be available across new Xperia smartphones, Xperia Tablet and selected VAIO PCs.

    Furthermore, the new Xperia smartphones and VAIO PCs promise to bring consumers the ultimate cross-device connectivity. Through Sony’s One Touch function, which incorporates NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, users can easily and instantly enjoy their music and photos across an array of NFC enabled Sony devices by simply touching one device to the other without the need for Bluetooth or Wi-Fi set-up.

    Introducing the new products, Hirai added: “Individual Sony products will entice and inspire people. But what’s also important is that by connecting and combining hardware, network services and applications, we will provide a truly remarkable and compelling experience.”

    DIGITAL IMAGING

    Sony’s mobile products are pioneering new ways to capture great digital pictures, whilst delivering an enhanced user experience through further, deeper convergence of hardware, content and services. The new NEX-5R model is the latest Digital Imaging product to deliver enhanced usability.

    The NEX-5R compact system camera – with built in Wi-Fi – allows users to check the image, adjust camera exposure and control the shutter wirelessly from their smartphone. This makes it ideal for taking posed family pictures via the timer, where the image can be checked on the smartphone before the pose is broken. It also boasts “Fast Hybrid AF” giving DSLR-like focussing responses when capturing fast-moving action.

    The NEX-5R is the first camera compatible with PlayMemories Camera Apps, a service for downloading new apps such as “Time-Lapse” and “Cinematic Photo” directly to the Wi-Fi enabled camera.

    Sony is also introducing the new ‘wearable’ video camera, the HDR-AS15 with ‘ExmorR’ CMOS Image Sensor and SteadyShot image, great for skydiving or mountain biking.

    GAMING

    This autumn, Sony Computer Entertainment is due to launch Wonderbook, creating a multi-dimensional world using PlayStation Eye and augmented reality technology. It’s an experience like nothing else. The first Wonderbook title will be Wonderbook: Book of Spells, created in collaboration with J.K Rowling.

    IN DETAIL

    Detailing the product offensive at IFA, the Sony President and CEO highlighted the following innovations:

    Xperia Smartphones

    The integration of Sony Mobile Communications earlier this year was an important step for Sony. The company launched the first Sony smartphones to market earlier this year – the Xperia NXT (NEXT) series.

    The next introduction is the Xperia T, Xperia V and Xperia J, building on the acclaimed arc design. They will be brought to the market over the next few months.

    Xperia T is the new global flagship model that delivers the best high definition experience in a smartphone to date. It has a 4.6inch display powered by Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine. Consumers can watch videos shot in Full 1080-pixel HD. The 13 mega-pixel fast-capture camera goes from sleep to snap in an instant with a single key press. The most amazing feature is how easily consumers can connect Xperia T to other devices to enjoy their content – with just one touch.

    Xperia V is LTE enabled for super-fast network performance. It also comes with the highest level of water resistance in a smartphone, so users can continue using their Xperia V, come rain or come sunshine.

    Xperia J is an eye-catching combination of stylish design and a stand-out screen size at a competitive price point.

    Xperia Tablet S

    The new Xperia Tablet combines a splash-proof body with high quality sound and a thinner, lighter design than its predecessor. It also offers a new app called ‘Socialife’ which enables users to enjoy SNS and news feeds in one viewer with a magazine-like layout. Together with new covers, stands and dock speaker, it is a communications device that will bring new style and fun into your life and appeal to customers of all ages and lifestyles. Running a NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor and Android 4.0.3 platform, it’s got all the power consumers will need to enjoy their favourite media, apps and games.

    VAIO™ Duo 11

    VAIO Duo 11 is a unique, Surf-Slider design hybrid PC which allows smooth sliding between slate mode and keyboard mode, ideal for being on the move. It features a thin, compact body with high performance, and a sophisticated stylus for the easy capture of handwritten digital notes, maximising the touch capability of Windows 8.

    VAIO™ Tap 20

    VAIO Tap 20, designed to leverage Windows 8, is a 20-inch, tabletop PC which tilts from desktop to lay-flat style. It can be a conventional desk top PC for personal use or a multi-media device – if used flat – for family use, for everything from playing board games to music editing or reading.

    Audio Visual: ‘One Sony’ brings professional know-how and greater connectivity to consumer experiences

    TV has always been part of Sony’s DNA, a symbol of constant innovation. It is the one product that still connects family and friends through shared experiences, more than any other.

    Sony’s first 84-inch BRAVIA 4KTV

    The new Sony 84-inch BRAVIA 4KTV boasts a 4K (3840 x 2160) LCD panel in the industry’s largest inch class (*1) and incorporates Sony’s ‘4K X-Reality PRO’ super-resolution high picture quality engine, meaning users will be able to reproduce a variety of content – including movies, TV programs, photos and games – to beautiful 4K picture quality ready to enjoy on the stunning 84-inch screen. This formidable combination seamlessly delivers a high-resolution large-screen picture with high-quality powerful sound to provide consumers with an immersive experience, unlike anything offered by existing televisions. The new BRAVIA 4K TV will be available worldwide, from the end of 2012.

    *1: As of August 29, 2012.

    Sony continues to take a lead role in advancing 4K technologies and is playing a leading role in professional 4K content creation through the CineAlta ‘F65’ camera, capable of shooting 4K content and beloved by leading film makers, and also the 4K digital cinema system used in the professional field. In the world of consumer electronics, the 4K home theatre projector for family use has been extremely well received since its launch last year.

    The launch of the 84-inch 4K BRAVIA TV demonstrates the new and exciting consumer home-experiences made possible through professional technologies, advanced through the company’s ‘One Sony’ approach to hardware and content innovation.

    HMZ-T2 Personal 3D Viewer

    Lighter and more comfortable than its predecessor, the all-new Personal 3D Viewer from Sony is a head-mounted, High Definition 2D and 3D personal display with virtual 5.1 surround sound. It’s perfect for movies and gaming, with twin OLED screens that display vivid, super-sharp images (with zero cross-talk interference) to absorb consumers in a truly personal experience.

    MDR-1 headphones

    The new MDR-1 headphones are the result of collaboration between Sony Music artists and Sony engineers to deliver sound quality that accurately reproduces the original intentions of the musicians. The MDR-1 RBT is NFC enabled, and carries Sony’s One-touch function making it easy to share music across a range of NFC enabled devices by instantly setting up a wireless connection between devices, with just one touch. There is no need for any Bluetooth or Wi-Fi set up. 

    SRS-BTM8 wireless NFC Bluetooth speaker

    The SRS-BTM8 portable NFC Bluetooth wireless speaker from Sony lets you enjoy music from your smartphone or tablet in high quality audio, anywhere in the house. With its built in One-touch function from Sony, with just one touch to the top of the speaker with any NFC-enabled Xperia smartphone – including Xperia T and Xperia V smartphones from Sony – music will be streamed instantly. There is no need for Bluetooth set-up.

    Partnership with Berliner Philharmoniker and Berlin Phil Media

    Sony has extended its partnership with the world renowned Berliner Philharmoniker, and Berlin Phil Media, which offers the “Digital Concert Hall” streaming service. For the past two years, Sony has video-streamed Berliner Philharmoniker’s musical performances for customers worldwide to enjoy on Sony’s home entertainment products. Under this new partnership, Sony will also supply professional products, which incorporate its key technologies, whilst also providing technical support for the creation and streaming of Berliner Philharmoniker content through the service. This partnership will further enhance collaboration and innovation around audio development, and produce feedback which will be invaluable for Sony.

    Sony HDR-AS15 action-cam

    Ideal for sports lovers, the HDR-AS15 is a new type of camera; a ‘wearable’ video camera. It features Sony’s SteadyShot image stabilisation technology to deliver stunningly smooth footage which is ideal for filming sports scenes such as sky diving, mountain biking or snowboarding.

    Equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, consumers can remotely control this video camera from smartphones and upload the recorded data online immediately. It also features a 170° wide angle Carl Zeiss lens.

    List of all products and services launched at IFA 2012 for the UK market

     

    • BRAVIA 84” 4K TV
    • Head Mounted Display HMZ-T2
    • AV Receiver STR-DA5800ES
    • Speaker System SS-NA2ES, SS-NA5ES, SS-NA8ES, SA-NA9ES
    • VPL-HW50ES Home Cinema 3D projector
    • Wireless NFC Bluetooth speaker SRS-BTM8, SRS-BTV5
    • Headphones MDR-1 (MDR-1R/1RBT/1RNC)
    • NEX-5R – Wi-Fi enabled camera
    • Action Cam HDR-AS15– personal camera
    • PlayMemories Series (new Camera Apps functionality)
    • Xperia Splash/Water-proof Smartphone
    • Xperia Tablet S
    • Music Unlimited – New Subscription Tier, “Access” for PCs and PlayStation(R)3
    • VAIO™ Duo 11 (Slider hybrid PC)
    • VAIO™ Tap 20 (Tabletop PC)
    • VAIO touch range (VAIO™ Duo 11, VAIO™ Tap 20, VAIO T Series 13, VAIO L Series)

  • Sony Alpha 100 June 2006 launch report

    Shortly before the June 6th 2006 worldwide launch of the Sony Alpha digital SLR system the European press learned that major title editors would meet in Marrakesh for the unveiling of the Alpha 100. No-one anticipated being driven miles into the desert-like countryside of Oued Nfis for the experience of a night under canvas after witnessing feats of Berber horsemanship and a massive pyrotechnic intro! Read David Kilpatrick’s original report from the Summer 2006 edition of Photoworld magazine. Please note this is a long, fully detailed and illustrated article split across several pages. Be sure to click the next page at the end of each one to continue reading. (more…)