Problitz DC 400

Photoquip, a photography equipment manufacturing company, recently launched a new product Problitz DC400 – a battery powered TTL monolight and a digital TTL Transmitter Problitz TX-BLT for Canon, Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm.

The Problitz DC 400 is a powerfull, battery powered monolight with both TTL and HSS capabilities, designed for photographers who like to shoot in real world. The Problitz DC 400 TTL function and the wireless triggering makes it easier for photographers, especially wedding and event photographers, to capture any moment without hassle. It automatically adjusts the power up to 400Ws across a 9-step range to get the perfect exposure. For photographers who prefer to have control of their lighting, the Problitz DC 400 manual mode gives you the freedom to adjust the flash output as per need. The manual mode with HSS overpowers the sun and any ambient light with a shutter speed of 1/8000s. It consists of three creative suite, Freeze Mode, Delayed Mode and Continuous Mode. Freeze motion with no compromise and a short flash duration of up to 1/19000s. In delayed mode, sync it with the second curtain with a delay range from 0.1s to 30s. In Continuous Mode, the power output range from 1.0 – 4.4 capture continuous bursts of up to 20fps. The Problitz DC 400 comes with a 15W warm colour LED modelling Lamp that provides bright light, conserves energy and extends lamp life. The heat ressitant glass shield securely guards the light bulb for added safety protection. The large LCD screen makes it easy to glance at all the controls in any weather.

The rechargeable 4400mAh Lithium battery specifically designed for Problitz DC 400 gives upto 400 full power flashes. The built-in battery level indicator makes it easy to check the charge level on spare batteries. The battery clicks on or off the Problitz DC 400 effortlessly and can be recharged quickly with the battery charger giving the photographers freedom and mobility to venture out from the studio and rapidly set up the lights on outdoor locations.

PROBLITZ TX-BLT

The Problitz TX-BLT is a digital TTL flash trigger that controls PROBLITZ DC 400. The clear LCD screen provides easy control of each of the functions such as power, modeling and sync settings, TTL, HSS, and rear curtain.

Compatibility:

TX-BLT C for Canon

TX-BLT S for Sony

TX-BLT N for Nikon

TX-BLT F for Fujifilm

It features High-Speed Support with 1/8000s and 2.4GHz, 16 channels x 3 groups (A/B/C). Its effective Range works with 300 meters in radius. USB firmware update is also available in Problitz TX-BLT and works on two 1.5V AAA batteries.

Olympus announced the Tough TG-6 on Wednesday, May 22. The Olympus Tough TG-5, released in 2017, is one of the favorite point-and-shoot cameras. The waterproof compact boasted good for the class, image quality and introduced a host of new features, including the sensor, processor, and GPS tracking capabilities. It’s been the go-to recommendation for anyone looking for a rugged vacation camera they can take anywhere.

The TG-6’s spec sheet reads a heck of a lot like the TG-5’s. There’s the 12-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch backside-illuminated sensor; the 4X, 25-100mm (full-frame equivalent) f/2-4.9 lens; the 20-frames-per-second continuous shooting speed; and, of course, the waterproofing, drop-proofing, and crush-proofing that make it part of the Olympus Tough line. The very impressive microscope mode, which can focus as close as 1 centimeter from the front of the lens, also returns. Battery life remains unchanged at 340 shots per charge.

The lens does have a new antireflective coating designed to reduce ghosting and flares, which is actually a nice addition as excessive lens flare was one of the few cons we listed in our Tough TG-5 review. There is also a new fisheye adapter, the sci-fi sounding FCON-T02 which can produce a true circular fisheye image. And there’s the FD-1 flash diffuser, which routes the light from the built-in flash into a diffuser ring around the lens and is designed to be used underwater. But, the FCON-T02 and FD-1 are adapters which are not actually anything new about the camera, itself.

In-camera focus stacking has seen a slight modification: You can now select from three to 10 images to be merged, whereas the TG-5 was locked at 10. The full macro focus range is also now available in Program and Auto exposure modes, and there are five underwater modes instead of the TG-5’s four.

Seeing as the TG-5 remains best in class 3 years on, maybe Olympus figured it just didn’t need to fix what wasn’t broken. Other than the lens coating, the TG-6 is basically a firmware update with a camera attached. It looks to be a classic example of a marketing department upgrade.

ASUS turned 30 last month, so it’s no surprise that the company saved some special edition products for Computex. What we have here are the ZenFone 6 Edition 30, ZenBook Edition 30 and Prime X299 Edition 30 motherboard a fitting trio to reflect the company’s expanded portfolio over the decades (though a new Zenbo would have been nice, too). While the hardware isn’t brand new, they all feature ASUS’ 30th anniversary “A” logo, along with some exclusive looks and specs.

In the case of the ZenFone 6, it sports ASUS’ classic concentric-circle finish on a curved matte black body, and it’s maxed out to 12GB of RAM plus 512GB of storage (these were originally capped at 8GB and 256GB, respectively). The phone is otherwise identical to the rest of the series, featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, a flip dual camera, a 6.4-inch notch-less FHD+ LCD and a massive 5,000mAh battery. You’ll also find the same rear fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, dual-microphone noise cancellation, headphone jack and NFC.

The ZenBook Edition 30 (UX334FL) is a little more extravagant, almost stealing the limelight from the new dual-screen ZenBook Duo series. Paying homage to the leather-bound W6 and S6 from 2006, this special edition laptop has its lid wrapped in “Pearl White” genuine Italian leather, topped off with an 18-karat rose gold-plated logo. The machine also comes with a matching white mouse, mouse pad plus a leather sleeve. Spec-wise, it’s based on the freshly updated ZenBook 13 with ScreenPad 2.0 and NVIDIA MX250 GPU. You’ll find the same old 95 percent screen-to-body ratio, 8th-gen Intel Core i7 CPUs, 16GB of RAM, PCIe SSDs and gigabit WiFi here as well.

Finally, the Prime X299 Edition 30, which pays tribute to ASUS’ first-ever motherboard, the ISA-386C from 1990. It’s basically a spin on the Prime X299-Deluxe II with the same dual M.2 slots (with passive heat sinks), dual Thunderbolt 3 ports (with DisplayPort input), 5G Aquantia Ethernet, Intel Gigabit LAN, WiFi 6, and a fancy 2-inch LiveDash OLED for showing system vitals or custom art. As a bonus, the Edition 30 comes with a “Smart Control Console” USB module, which offers a second LiveDash display as well as voice and hand-gesture control.

As per usual, ASUS stopped short at providing details on pricing and dates for all three products, but given their significance, these should show up some time this year.

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition and Oppo Reno have been launched in India. The two smartphones, part of Oppo’s new flagship Reno series, were launched at an event in New Delhi on Tuesday. The biggest highlight of the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition is of course its 10x lossless hybrid optical zoom, a fact that is within the name of the smartphone. One thing both the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition and the Oppo Reno have in common is the side-swing selfie camera, another highlight of the smartphones. The company is also offering an international warranty service. Oppo at the launch event also announced the first premium Oppo flagship store in India, and it will host the first sale, launched in Hyderabad. Read on for more details about the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition and Oppo Reno price in India, release date, launch offers, and specifications.

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition price in India starts at Rs. 39,990 for its 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant, going up to Rs. 49,990 for its 8GB RAM/ 256GB storage variant. It will be available in Jet Black and Ocean Green colour variants. On the other hand, the Oppo Reno price in India is set at Rs. 32,990 for the 8GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant. Both smartphones will be available from Flipkart from June 7. Launch offers should be detailed ahead of availability. To recall, the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition and Oppo Reno were first launched in China last month, and then launched in Europe earlier this month alongside the Oppo Reno 5G.

The Oppo Reno 10X Zoom Edition and Oppo Reno share some common specifications. Both run ColorOS 6 based on Android Pie. Oppo has provided Hi-Res and Dolby Atmos support on the Reno series. Further, the new phones have HyperBoost performance enhancements, including Game Boost 2.0 acceleration engine with Frame Boost and Touch Boost accelerations to enhance mobile gaming experiences. There is a 3D curved glass protection on both the Oppo Reno and Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition models to omit camera bumps. There is also an O-Dot ceramic point at the back of the phones to slight left the camera when placed on a flat surface. This helps to protect the lens to some extent. Moreover, the Oppo phones have an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. Both also feature a ‘Shark Fin’ side-swing selfie camera design.

Camera brand Canon has reportedly launched its flagship Canon Image Square (CIS) store in New Delhi. As per the reported company statement, the store is positioned as a hub for photography buffs while offering “immersive product experience for the consumers”.

The flagship CIS store aims to enhance consumer experience for all Canon products from entry-level cameras to high end professional cameras. Besides, the store will also reportedly showcase cinema cameras, a few leading Canon printers and a wide range of Canon lenses.

The key highlight of Canon Image Square flagship store, as per the company, is that it provides more than 80 products to choose from a wide array of products displayed right from professional to entry level DSLR’s and mirrorless cameras and other cameras in PowerShot range. Along with that, CIS flagship stores provides variety of lenses and selected printers. The company claims that this is the only store where it has displayed the Cinema EOS product line up along with Cine and Block lenses for cinematographers to choose from according to their needs and requirements.

The company says that its various sales and marketing tools like live demonstration of the products, touch and feel experience, trainings and workshops further will help the customers to make informed purchases. Apart from that, the store will also provide easy finance facilities such as EMI through various credit cards, paper finance through Bajaj Finance and cash back options.

Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India, is reported to have said, “With the launch of first of its kind Canon Image Square flagship store, Canon India marks another milestone to ensure an interactive and informative buying experience for our existing and potential customers.”

Nikon recently announced the release of firmware Ver. 2.0 that reportedly will further enhance the performance of its full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Nikon Z 7 and Nikon Z 6.

According to Nikon, users will enjoy three main additional features following the Ver. 2.0 upgrade. These include:

1. Eye-Detection autofocus (AF) for still-image shooting

2. Extension of the low-light AF detection range

3. Addition of auto-exposure (AE) tracking capability to the continuous high-speed (extended) mode

PRIMARY FEATURES OF THE NEW FIRMWARE

Eye-Detection AF for still-image shooting

The new firmware offers Eye-Detection AF functionality that, according to the company, automatically detects and focuses on human eyes when using the Auto-area AF mode in both AF-S and AF-C. When the eyes of multiple subjects are detected, the multi-selector or sub-selector can reportedly be used to select the eye upon which the camera should focus. According to Nikon, this enables precise focus on the eye of the intended individual, even when looking through the Electronic Viewfinder. This function is applicable even when the subject’s face is partially covered by another object, or in the event when a subject is frequently changing their pose.

AF performance improvements in low-light situations

The new firmware also reportedly enables even faster autofocusing when capturing photos and video in dark or dimly lit scenes, for both stills and video. It will extend the AF detection range from −1 EV to −2 EV with the Z 7, and from −2 EV to −3.5 EV with the Z 6 as claimed by the company. In addition, the Z 6 will reportedly be able to autofocus with even darker scenes, as the available low-light AF detection range will be extended from −4 EV to −6 EV when the Low-light AF function is enabled.

AE tracking in continuous high-speed (extended) mode
With earlier firmware versions, auto exposure (AE) was locked with the first shot in a burst of high-speed continuous shooting at approx. 9 fps (Z 7) or 12 fps (Z 6) in continuous high-speed (extended) mode. Firmware Ver. 2.0 adds support for AE tracking in continuous high-speed (extended) mode, allowing the cameras to track exposure just as it does focus (AF tracking). This, the company claims, will help to ensure that all images captured with a burst of high-speed continuous shooting are in focus and exhibit optimal exposure, even when the brightness of the scene changes.

The Realme X is coming to India soon. It’s hard to say just how soon because the company is yet to announce the India launch date. When the Realme X arrives, it will succeed the Realme 3 Pro that was launched in the country last month at a price of Rs 13,999. The Realme X is an upgrade in every way compared to the Realme 3 Pro right from the display to camera. In China, the Realme X offers the same Snapdragon 710 chipset as the Realme 3 Pro (Review), but that might not be the case in India.

Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth said that the Realme X may not launch in India with the same specs. There could be a couple of ways to look at this statement. The first possibility is that the company could launch the Realme X with downgraded specs, but with a higher price tag, and this seems highly unlikely from a company that has released segment disruptive phones so far. The second possibility is that the Realme X gets the same design and camera hardware, but with a newer, more powerful Snapdragon 730 chipset.

We feel the latter is highly possible for a few reasons. Firstly, Realme already has a phone with a Snapdragon 710 chipset that’s nicely settled under Rs 15,000. This means launching the Realme X with an updated Snapdragon 730 chipset would justify the Rs 18,000 price tag and would nicely separate the two devices. Of course, all of this is mere speculation for now.

Another reason why the Realme X could launch with a Snapdragon 730 chip in India is Xiaomi. Realme’s biggest competitor in India is gearing up to launch a phone with a Snapdragon 730 processor as teased by Manu Kumar Jain in last month. The Xiaomi phone could either be the Mi A3 or a Redmi device, which could also slot in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment. So, it only makes sense for Realme to launch the Realme X with a Snapdragon 730 processor to be able to compete against the upcoming Xiaomi device.

Apart from the chipset and possible RAM and storage configurations, the Indian variant of the Realme X should not differ from the China model much. You can expect the same 6.5-inch FHD+ (2340×1080) AMOLED notchless display with an in-display fingerprint sensor. You can also expect the same Blue and White gradient colours and Sheth has also confirmed that the special edition onion and garlic-based options will also be coming along with one more special variant exclusively for the Indian market.

The Realme X also highlight a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 primary rear camera for high-resolution photos. This is backed by a 5-megapixel secondary camera for depth sensing. The camera also supports Nightscape for low-light photography, Chroma Boost and AI scene detection among other things. The pop-up camera houses a 16-megapixel selfie sensor. The Realme X will come to India running on Android Pie with ColorOS on top. The latest Realme phone also houses a 3,765mAh battery and supports VOOC 3.0 flash charging.

Canon EOS 200D II has been launched in India, the Japanese company’s latest DSLR under its “beginner” segment . This is the successor to the EOS 200D and features improvements along the lines of the image processor, video recording, and advanced features such as the addition of Eye AF. The camera goes on sale this week in India with a starting price of Rs. 52,995 for the body and the EF-S18-55 IS STM kit lens. You can also club a EF-S55-250 IS STM zoom lens, for a total cost of Rs. 65,995.

Canon’s new EOS 200D II is positioned as a light and compact DSLR for beginners. In fact, it’s supposed to be the company’s lightest DSLR with a vari-angle touchscreen display, weighing just 449g. It features a 24.1-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with Canon’s latest Digic 8 image processor. You get a total of nine autofocus points, just like the older model, along with Dual Pixel autofocus for quick focusing. The ISO range is 100-25,600 (expandable to 51,200), 5fps burst shooting with One-Shot AF or 3.5fps with Servo AF. The camera can also shoot full-HD video up to 60fps or 4K video at 25fps. You also get a 4K timelapse function and there’s stereo audio recording. The EOS 200D II accepts a single SD card but only up to UHS-I speeds.

The 3-inch touchscreen has a slightly low 1.04 million dot resolution but it can be flipped 180-degrees, outwards, so shooting selfies or vlogging should be simpler. There’s also built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for syncing with a smartphone. One of the interesting features of this camera though, is Creative Assist, which is aimed at helping novice shooters edit and improve their images. It lets you adjust the background blur, brightness, contrast, colours, and even add effects such as Fish-eye, etc. you also get plenty of scene modes to choose from, one of them being Smooth Skin, which adds a varying degrees of skin smoothening.