Tabla de contenidos para Camera Handbook 2021 Edition en Camera

Welcome to our annual compilation of imaging product tests from Australian Camera magazine, which includes cameras, lenses, printers and photo monitors. We’ve selected these particular products for a variety reasons… innovation, new technologies, value for money or just because they really tick the box marked ‘desirability’. Above all though, we’ve selected these products because they all represent the opportunity to do more with your photography from capture to presentation. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everybody to some extent, but photography is something we’ve still be able to do, even if it was still -based such as finally organising your archive or making those prints that you’d been thinking about for ages. In general, however, it appears the pause has only served to increase everybody’s enthusiasm for their hobby – we…

Video is, of course, the S1H’s big party trick, but there are good reasons why we now have so-called hybrid cameras, especially in the mirrorless category. These days professional photographers – especially in the areas of sports and news gathering – are being called up to take both stills and video clips. And there’s still a demand for high-quality stills on video productions even if we are edging ever closer to the convergence which means a video frame grab will deliver a still image with enough resolution for most applications. As a case in point, the S1H has Panasonic’s ‘6K Photo’ high-speed capture mode which delivers a 5184x3456 pixels still from a 30 fps burst, but it also records full-frame 6K video with 10-bit colour which is going to give…

Remember when we reviewed Nikon’s Z 6 and noted that it was a lot like a mirrorless version of the D750 DSLR? Well, it’s a funny old world and now there’s the Nikon D780 – essentially the D750’s replacement – that could be said to be the DSLR equivalent of the Z 6… well, at least when you lock up the mirror and use live view. The D750 – launched back in 2014 – was the best mid-range DSLR Nikon had ever made (until now), combining the capabilities of a full-frame sensor with a more compact and lightweight body thanks to the adoption of an innovative monocoque construction. It’s an indication of the D750’s all-round capabilities that it’s still a good buy today, but the D780 goes a whole lot…

BenQ built its reputation on affordable high-performance monitors for video and gaming, but it turned its hand to photo monitors a few years ago and is now gaining a strong following in this sector. A few product design awards have helped, including the latest from TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) for Best Professional Photo Monitor for the SW321C. Given how hotly this category has been contested in the last couple of years, this is quite an achievement. But BenQ has been working hard to load its latest with goodies specifically aimed at the photographer, such as Paper Colour Sync, a nifty bit of software that replicates the base tint of inkjet media to give a more accurate matching of screen to printer. This was a print-making factor that was previously…

$7,099 body only. Estimated average street price. Type: Professional digital mirrorless camera with Canon RF bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic via 5940-points wide-area system using phase-difference detection measurements via Dual Pixel CMOS AF giving 100% vertical coverage and 90% horizontal coverage. 1053 focus points available for automatic selection. Area modes are Spot AF, 1-Point AF, Expand AF (vertically/ horizontially), Expand AF (around), Zone AF (9x9 points), Large Zone AF (vertical, 9x21 points), Large Zone AF (horizontal, 31x9 points) and Face+Tracking plus Eye-Detection AF. Adjustable AF point size (small or large). AI-based subject tracking for People and Animals. One-shot and continuous (AI Servo) modes with manual switching. Continuous AF with predictive function and acceleration/ deceleration tracking and adjustable tracking sensitivity. Servo AF configuration tool (four subject scenarios – ‘Case 1 to…

body only, recommended retail. Type: Coupled rangefinder digital camera with interchangeable lenses using Leica M-bayonet mount (with contacts for 6-bit coding for lens ID). Focusing: Manual via double-image rangefinder in viewfinder. RF base length is 69.31mm (effective base length is 50.6 mm). Focusing in live view assisted by a magnified image (5.0x/10x) or focus peaking display (choice of four colours). Metering: TTL off-the-shutter measurement using centre-weighted average measurement, and TTL flash metering with centre-weighted average OTF measurement. Metering range is EV -1.0 – 20 (ISO 100 at f/1). Multi-zone, centre-weighted average or spot metering off the imaging sensor in live view mode. Exposure Modes: Aperture priority auto and manual. Shutter: Electronic focal plane, vertical travel, metal blades. 8-1/4000 second plus ‘B’ (up to 125 seconds) and ‘T’. Flash sync up…

While we were compiling this review, Olympus Corporation in Japan announced its intention to sell off its imaging business to a new company which will be formed by private equity company, Japan Industrial Partners. In essence, Olympus says it can’t withstand any more losses from this division after three consecutive years of not seeing any returns. What does this mean if you’re contemplating buying a new Olympus camera (or are already invested in the OM-D system)? Frankly, we think it’s more good news than bad news. True, an historical link spanning 100 years is about to be severed, but JIP wouldn’t be taking on Olympus if it didn’t think it could make a good go of it. It’s also true that some rationalisation will be inevitable, but OM-D is the…

$3,199 Estimated average street price Panel Type: 81.3cm (32.0 inches) IPS with white LED backlighting. Display Area: 708.48mm x 398.52mm (full scan). 16:9 aspect ratio. Native Resolution: 3840x2160 pixels (137ppi). Viewing Angles: 178 degrees horizontal and vertical. Brightness: 250 cd/m² (typical). Contrast: 1000:1 (typical). Display Colours: 1.07 billion. Colour Range: 99% of Adobe RGB 1998, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% of DCI-P3. Internal Processing: 10-bits per colour. Height Adjustment Range: 15.0cm. Mount Adjustments: -5.0-20 degrees tilt, 45 degrees left/right swivel, 90 degrees pivot (for portrait format). Connections: Display Port 1.4, two HDMI 2.0, two USB Type A (3.1/3.2 Gen.1 outputs), USB Type C (3.1/3.2 Gen.1 input/ output), USB Type B (3.1/3.2 Gen.1 input), USB mini B, 3.5 mm stereo headphone output. Features: BenQ Uniformity Technology, 16-bit 3D LUT, SD memory…

It’s fair to say that Sigma is targeting the fp at video-makers ahead of photographers, even if it is actually an excellent stills camera. The form factor has clearly been designed with rig-based applications in mind as has the passive cooling via a heat sink and the provision of a 10- or 12-bit CinemaDNG RAW output to an external SSD via USB-C (and 4K or 2K with 8-bit 4:2:2 colour via HDMI). Additionally, the single card slot obviously saves a bit of space in the body, but also indicates that Sigma thinks many fp users will be using external recorders. The passive cooling enables recording durations of up to two hours. Because of the amount of data being generated (with bit rates of up to 2500 Mbps), both 10-bit and…

Format: Full-frame format digital sensors. The focal length is equivalent to 21mm on an APS-C format sensor (with a 1.5x focal length magnification factor). Equivalent to 28mm on a Micro Four Thirds format sensor. Angle-of-View: 115.7 degrees (diagonal on 35mm). Construction: 14 elements/10 groups. Minimum Focus: 28cm. Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:12.5 Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22. Overall Length: 96.1mm (Canon EF mount). Maximum Diameter: 87.0mm. Filter Diameter: No screwthread filter fitting. Gel filter holder at rear. Weight: 649g (Canon EF mount). Lens Mount(s): Canon EF, Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Nikon F, Sony and Micro Four Thirds. Features: Focus ring lock, switchable click-stopped/stepless aperture collar, manual focus, metal barrel tubes, weather-sealed external construction, one H-ASP hybrid aspherical element, one ASP aspherical element, two extra-low dispersion glass elements, three high-refractive index glass…

body only, recommended retail Type: Professional 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 25x17 or 13x9 patterns). Single-point (six sizes), zone (7x7, 5x5 or 3x3 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. Focus frame adjustable to five sizes. Range is 10cm 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 focus assist via magnified image, Digital Split Image display (colour or B&W), Digital Microprism…

$ 3,099 body only, recommended retail. Type: Professional interchangeable lens digital mirrorless camera with Micro Four Thirds System bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic hybrid system using contrast-detection and phase-difference detection measurements via the imaging sensor with 121 focusing points for each (all cross types). Frame coverage is 80% horizontal and 75% vertical. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically by the camera. Group Target area modes with either five-, nine-, or 25 point clusters or custom shape/size. Starry Sky AF with Speed Priority (handheld) and Accuracy Priority (tripod) modes. Manual switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes. Face/eye detection and auto tracking. Face Selection for detecting multiple faces. Continuous manual override available with single-shot mode. In-camera AF limiter (three settings). Low light sensitivity down to -6.0 EV at f/1.2…

$5999 body only Type: Professional-level hybrid digital still/video mirrorless camera with L bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic 225-point wide-area system using contrast-detection via imaging sensor using ‘Depth From Defocus’ (DFD) processing at 480 fps. Manual and automatic switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes, the latter with auto tracking. Four ‘AF Custom’ settings for fine-tuning subject tracking with three parameters – AF Sensitivity, AF Area Switching Sensitivity and Moving Object Prediction. Automatic subject detection for Face, Eye, Body And Animal. Area modes for Zone (Vertical/Horizontal), Zone (Square), Zone (Oval), 1-Area, 1-Area+Supplementary, Pinpoint or Custom 1-3. Adjustable 1-Area point switching speed. Touchpad AF point/zone selection available via touchscreen monitor. AF assist via magnified image, either full image or picture-in-picture with ‘AF-Point Scope Setting’ for active point/zone enlargement. Sensitivity range is EV…

$3,699 body only, estimated average street price Type: Enthusiast/semi-professional digital SLR with Nikon F (D-type) bayonet lens mount Focusing: Automatic via 51-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CCD sensor with 15 cross-type arrays. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically and either as single points or in groups (9/21/51) plus Group-Area AF mode which uses a wider detection zone made up of five points. Points re-orientated for vertical shooting. One-shot and continuous modes both with a predictive function. 3D Tracking mode. Sensitivity range is EV -3 – 19 (ISO 100). AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. AF micro-adjustment for individual lenses (up to 20). Hybrid phase/contrast detection AF (273 points) in live view and video, with eye/face detection and tracking. Manual focus assist in live view via magnified image…

Let’s kick off with a little lesson about sensor resolution and pixel size. It’s pretty simple really; at any given sensor size, if you keep adding pixels they’re going to be smaller, right? When a photodiode converts photons into electrons, it creates both signal and noise (a.k.a. interference) which is measured by the signal-to-noise ratio. The noise is a constant value irrespective of the photodiode’s size and, having a smaller surface area, smaller photodiodes deliver a smaller signal charge. Consequently, the signal-to-noise ratio is lower and, as a result, the noise reduction processing will have to work harder. NR processing compromises sharpness… so you can see where we’re going with this. It’s feasible – theoretically, at least – that a sensor with a higher pixel count could deliver less image…

(ILCE-7RM4) $5299 body only, recommended retail Type: Professional interchangeable lens mirrorless digital camera with Sony E bayonet lens mount (FE mount). Focusing: Automatic via hybrid contrast-detection and phase-difference detection systems. 567 points with phase-difference detection, 425 points with contrast-detection. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically by the camera with Wide, Zone, Centre, Flexible Spot (Small, Medium or Large), Expanded Flexible Spot and Tracking (Wide, Zone or Centre) area modes. Lock-On AF – Human (right/left eye select) and Animal. Switchable horizontal/vertical AF area. Face Priority detection and registration (up to eight). Focus area registration and recall. Single-shot and continuous modes with auto or manual switching, ‘Direct Manual Focus’ override, auto tracking, face detection/ recognition and eye detection. Adjustable tracking sensitivity (five levels from Locked On to Responsive). Sensitivity range…

$2,599 body only, standard black finish Type: Professional 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 25x17 or 13x9 patterns). Single-point, zone (7x7, 5x5 or 3x3 point clusters selected from 91 points) and wide/tracking modes. Six 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. Focus frame adjustable to five sizes. Range is 1 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 illuminator. Sensitivity range is EV -6.0 – 18 (ISO 100 and f/1.4). AF range limiter (Custom,…