Asian Photography Photowalk

Another Milestone for the Magazine

As a magazine Asian Photography has always been known to innovative and do new things. And as a first this year, the magazine started something new and unique and it was a runaway hit. From ideas on paper in the editorial meet to the execution of the same, everything at the Photowalk inititiave was different this time.

How was it unique?

The idea of a Photowalk wasn’t unique to the magazine as such initiatives had already been taken a few times in Kolkata during Artistique. But with this initiative the magazine wanted to do something different. How do we do something that has never been done before, we asked ourselves? After a lot of brainstorming, we figured out that Fashion photography classes have always been limited to the studio. Why is that? Why can’t we practically impart knowledge to people by actually shooting and teaching it?

The first step in conducting a photowalk is to understand its purpose. Why are we conducting a photowalk? Is it just publicity or do we have a different motive behind it? We decided it should be a knowledge sharing platform and the attendees should learn something from it. We needed a professional photographer who would impart them with knowledge. We zeroed in on one of the best fashion and lifestyle (two of the many feathers in his cap) photographer, Ritam Banerjee. He has shot everything from advertising, automobile, portraits, fashion, corporate, architecture & interiors, products, travel, industrial, photojournalism, food and more.

A review session for the Photowalk

As most photowalks go, people meet at a particular place, take photos from point A to point B and leave once the walk is over. We weren’t convinced with this idea. This is where the idea for a review session came in. What good are pictures and walks if you don’t get an idea on how you can improve and learn for the future? The review sessions were conducted at the Udaan School of Photography with the location figured to be in Bandra.

The Prizes

In order to encourage the participants, we decided to have some prizes for the best pictures of the walk. Sandisk and Golla were kind enough to lend us a helping hand to encourage the budding photographers with 128 GB SD cards and Designer Camera Bags respectively .

Any fashion shoot is incomplete without models. We were lucky enough to get three beautiful women for the walk. Tania Jena, Komal Rane and Neha Dinesh Anand agreed to join us for the walk. They were extremely professional and helped the budding photographers with their inputs as well! Even though the unforgiving Mumbai sun was posing problems, the models helped the photographers with their shoot.

The photowalk began just as any other with the photographers gathered at the starting point and we introduced Ritam Banerjee to them. Ritam asked the participants to first gel with the models. The photographers were a bit hesitant at first and it was the first step of the shoot. Any fashion shoot, Ritam explained, begins with getting to know the model well. Then the photographers were divided into three groups and asked to take one model each, along with them. They were given a time of 15 minutes and they had to shoot some beautiful pictures within that given time and meet Ritam about 200 meters away where the models would exchange groups and shoot with a new group. This went on till all the groups had shot with all the models. We were halfway on our route of the walk. Everyone gathered around Ritam and he explained that he noticed a lack of group coordination in the participants. So he decided to give another exercise. Each group got to shoot with one model and each member of the group would have 5 minutes to shoot the model while the others helped in the shoot. This continued for 20 minutes. At around 10:00 AM the photowalk came to an end with a group photo.

Now the next step was that the photographers had to reach Udaan School of Photography and submit three of their best images taken on that day before 11:00 AM which would be reviewed. The participants reached the premises where they were greeted in by Asian Photography team members.

“A big thank you to Asian Photography for the wonderful initiative and for taking photography and photographers to explore, express and experience the joy of shooting even more” – Ritam Banerjee

The Editor of Asian Photography, Bhavya Desai joined in on the review session along with Ritam Banerjee who shared their expertise to help the photographers through the session. Bhavya explained how the inception of the photowalk idea began and also announced that each participant would receive one complete year’s e-subscription of the magazine! Ritam further spoke about the nuances of fashion photography, importance of teamwork and so on while the participants listened attentively. The participants got a chance to ask questions and the models joined in too!

At the end of the session the winning participants were chosen by Bhavya Desai and Ritam Banerjee. The winners then received the goodies and were given a chance to speak in front of the other participants. The photographers who received prizes were Sudhanshu Sawate, Kinjal Padaya, Garv Srivastav, Mohit Shigvan, Suryansh Tripathi and Bhavika Doulatani.

The day came to an end with all participants having learned a lot from the event while taking back memories and a whole lot of enthusiasm expressing their intent to join in on the next photowalk that the magazine organizes.

Tamron Co., Ltd. a leading manufacturer of optics for diverse applications, launched the 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD (Model A046) on June 28, 2019 in Saitama, Japan. A large aperture, ultra wide-angle lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. The Model A046 features a filter diameter of 67mm with an light weight of 420g and length of 99mm. The compact size supplies great balance on the small profile mirrorless cameras and is easy to carry. It also offers a large F/2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range and results a high-resolution and contrast. The mixture of ultra wide-angle focal length, large constant F/2.8 aperture and an closer focus ditance of 0.19m (7.5 in) at the wide-angle end will results in great photography in a multitude of scenarios. The new 17-28mm zoom’s AF drive system is powered by the RXD (Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive) stepping motor unit that enables it to deliver high-speed, high-precision and superbly quiet operation and making it suitable for shooting virtually noise-free video as well as still photographs.

In addition, the new zoom lens features Moisture-Resistant Construction and a hydrophobic Fluorine Coating that repels fingerprints and dirt. Plus, the Model A046 is fully compatible with various camera-specific features including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF. High performance, combined with portability, makes the 17-28mm zoom ideal for daily use.

The Asus 6z is the company’s latest flagship offering or the Indian market starting at Rs 31,999. The standout feature of the 6z is its Flip Camera system and a massive 5000mAh battery.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The base variant of the Asus 6z comes at Rs 31,999 with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

• The top-end variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is priced at Rs 39,999.

• The Asus 6z will be available exclusively on Flipkart.

After almost a month of its global launch, Asus has finally released the Asus 6z in India. Globally known as the ZenFone 6, the phone has been renamed after legal restrictions in India. The phone has been grabbing attention with its unique motorised Flip Camera and a massive 5000mAh battery. The Asus 6z starts from Rs 31,999 for the base variant in India, thereby going up against the OnePlus 7 series phones in the Indian market.

The Asus 6z starts in India from Rs 31,999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. For the variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, the price stands at Rs 34,999. The top-end variant comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, which costs Rs 39,999. The phone will available exclusively on Flipkart and sale will start from June 26. Consumers will also be able to get the Flipkart Mobile Protection Plan for Rs 99.

Asus 6z specifications

The Asus 6z is primarily known for its Flip Camera module that helps Asus eliminate the display notch. There’s a 48-megapixel primary camera with the Sony IMX586 sensor and a secondary 13-megapixel wide-angle camera to care of the imaging duties. When required, the Flip module lets the user utilise the rear cameras for selfies and video calls. Therefore, you can take selfies with a highly capable 48-megapixel camera. The module uses a Stepper motor that can change angles at a minimum of 2 degrees.

DxOMark has awarded the Asus 6z a very high score of 96 for selfie camera performance. User can also manually adjust the Flip Camera angles manually. Asus has even opened up the Camera2 API, which allows users to use the GCam mod. Do note that the phone doesn’t have OIS assistance and only relies on EIS. The Flip Camera module uses Liquid Metal to ensure the durability of the module. Asus has also built safety mechanisms – the module goes in when it detects a drop.

The Flip Camera makes for a notch-less narrow-bezel display with a slim chin. The phone sports a 6.3-inch IPS LCD panel with Full HD+ resolution. There’s a capacitive fingerprint sensor at the back. Like all 2019 flagships, the phone is equipped with a Snapdragon 855 chipset that comes with a choice or 6GB or 8GB RAM and 64GB, 128GB or 256GB storage. Asus is designed ZenUI 6 from scratch and based n user feedback, it adopts a very stock Android like interface. Asus has retained some of the smart features from previous ZenUI versions but it ensures a clean boat-free interface.

The phone also offers a triple card slot that can accommodate two SIM cards and a micro SD card at the same time. To keep the phone alive, it uses a 5000mAh battery with support Quick Charge 4.0. It also comes with a Smart Key that can be customised either to launch the Google Assistant or custom functions. and it’s one

A student of Jamia Millia Islamia, Mohsin Javed, has caught all the eye balls with his photograph of world heritage monument Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. The picture has been selected for International Photo contest “Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads” organized by UNESCO’s Silk Road Project. student of Jamia Millia Islamia, Mohsin Javed, has caught all the eye balls with his photograph of world heritage monument Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. The picture has been selected for International Photo contest “Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads” organized by UNESCO’s Silk Road Project. The international selection committee chose the picture among 6625 entries taking into consideration its quality and creativity. Sixty of the best images, including Mohsin’s picture, have been selected to be part of a travelling exhibition, which has been displayed so far in China, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Oman, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and at UNSECO Headquarters in Paris, France. The exhibition will continue to tour in other countries.

Moreover, the selected photographs have been also presented in a professionally bound photo album, “Youth Lens on the Silk Roads”, which reflect youth’s visions and understanding of the Silk Roads common heritage. A copy of the album has been sent to Mohsin by the UNESCO.

Mohsin, 18, developed his passion for photography when he was in class 8th and took it seriously after 10th class. His pictures have been widely carried by many national and international agencies and publications including international photo agency Getty Images, Germany’s Public International Broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) website and various magazines in India. Mohsin says he wants to pursue his career in photography.

Huawei’s sub-brand launched Honor 20 series smartphones in India on 11th June, 2019 at an event in New Delhi. The Honor 20 series phones include Honor 20 Pro, Honor 20 and Honor 20i. The Chinese company had launched Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro in May at an event in London. Honor 20i was also launched in China in April. All the three models will be available in India on Flipkart and also on the company’s own eStore.

According to Honor, Flipkart will begin selling Honor 20 from June 25. On the other hand, the Honor 20i will be made available from June 18 via Flipkart and other offline retailers. However, Honor hasn’t said much about the availability of Honor 20 Pro and has just said that the phone will be available “very soon.”

As far as pricing is concerned, Honor 20 is priced at Rs 32,999 for the 6GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant. The Honor 20 Pro will retail in India at Rs 39,999 for thethe 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage option. The cheapest Honor device, however, will be the Honor 20i and will take on Redmi series devices in India. The Honor 20i is priced at Rs 14,999 for the 4GB RAM and 128GB storage variant.

Honor 20 Pro will be made available in the sole Phantom Blue colour in India. The Honor 20 will be available  in Midnight Black and Sapphire Blue colours. Colours like Gradient Red, Gradient Blue, and Magic Night Black colours will come with Honor 20i.

As for the specifications, Honor 20 Pro is powered by the 7nm Kirin 980 processor with dual-NPU and up to 8GB of RAM. Inbuilt storage is offered up to 256GB. The regular Honor 20 also runs on a HiSilicon Kirin 980 SoC, paired with dual-NPU, GPU Turbo 3.0, and 6GB of RAM. The Honor 20i, on the other hand, is powered by the octa-core Kirin 710F SoC paired with the Mali G51MP4 GPU, up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

Design wise, there isn’t much difference between Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro. Both the models have a 6.26-inch “All-view” IPS LCD with a 4.5mm hole punch in the top-left corner for selfies. Honor had bragged about having the smallest punch-hole in the category with a screen-tobody ratio of 91.6%. The punch-hole display of both Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro holds the 32MP selfie sensor. At the back, Honor 20 Series comes with a V-shaped color gradient with a gleaming effect. The company is calling the design on the back their “Dynamic Holographic Design”.

For Optics, Honor 20 Pro and Honor 20 have a quad camera setup. Honor 20 Pro comes with a primary 48-MP Sony IMX586 sensor. The secondary 16-MP super-wide-angle camera comes with f/2.2 aperture and a 117-degree angle lens. There is also an 8-MP telephoto camera. For selfies, there is a 32-MP selfie snapper. The budget Honor 20i comes with a triple rear camera setup that houses a 24-MP main camera, 8-MP ultra-wide camera and another 2-MP depth sensor. On the front, there is a 32-MP camera with support for HDR, portrait mode, and face unlock for authentication.

HMD launched the Nokia 2.2 in India on Thursday as the most affordable Android One device. The Nokia 2.2 succeeds last year’s Nokia 2.1, which was an Android Go smartphone running on a trimmed down version of Android Oreo. Not only does the Nokia 2.2 get an upgraded software, but it also comes with a new design as well as a few AI features.

Some of the biggest highlights of the Nokia 2.2 are AI-related such as the dedicated Google Assistant button and AI low-light photography. These features give the Nokia 2.2 a pretty good edge over the competition in the budget segment.

Nokia 2.2 specifications

• Display: The Nokia 2.2 sports a 5.71-inch HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and 400 nits brightness.

• Processor: It is powered by a 2GHz MediaTek Helio A22 chipset.

• RAM: The Nokia 2.2 comes with 2GB and 3GB of RAM.

• Internal storage: The 2GB RAM variant comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage, while the 3GB version offers 32GB storage.

• Rear camera: The phone gets a 13MP f/2.2 primary camera with LED flash.

• Front camera: It comes with a 5MP selfie camera.

• Battery: The Nokia 2.2 houses a 3,000mAh battery.

• Software: That Android One phone runs on stock Android Pie.

Nokia 2.2 features

• The Nokia 2.2 brings an updated design over the Nokia 2.1. The biggest change comes to the display, which sees thinner bezels all around to bring a 19:9 aspect ratio as opposed to the Nokia 2.1 that was bezel-full and offered a 16:9 display. The Nokia 2.2 gets a waterdrop notch on top of the display to house the selfie camera. Overall, the front of the Nokia 2.2 bares a lot of similarities with the Nokia 4.2 and Nokia 3.2.

• The rear panel is a unibody plastic shell in a glossy finish. It comes in Steel and Tungsten Black colours, but the rear cover can be interchanged for Xpress-On covers that come in Pink Sand, Green and Ice Blue colours.

• The Nokia 2.2 also gets a Google Assistant button like the Nokia 3.2 and Nokia 4.2. The button on the side of the frame will allow users to quickly launch the AI with a tap. Users will also be able to double tap the button to bring up relevant information for the day, or long press the button to make longer requests.

• Software has been upgraded as well compared to the Nokia 2.1. While last year’s Nokia 2.1 was an Android Go phone running on Android Oreo (Go edition), the Nokia 2.2 is now an Android One device which runs a full-fledged stock Android Pie software. This means you get a full stock Android experience along with features like Adaptive Battery, Adaptive Brightness, new navigation gesture and Digital Wellbeing. It also means the Nokia 2.2 will get two major Android updates and at least three years of monthly security updates.

• An interesting feature that comes with this budget smartphone is what the company calls AI powered low light fusion which is essentially a long exposure mode that works for both the rear and front cameras. The night mode will use AI to detect low-light scenarios and will stitch multiple simultaneous shots to offer a brighter low-light photo.

Nokia 2.2 price in India and availability

The Nokia 2.2 has been launched in India starting at Rs 6,999, which makes it the most affordable Android One device in the market right now. This is the price for the 2GB + 16GB variant, while the 3GB + 32GB version costs Rs 7,999. These are introductory prices that will last for a limited time.

After the limited period offer, the Nokia 2.2 will cost Rs 7,699 and Rs 8,699 for the two variants. The Nokia 2.2 is already up for pre-orders on the Nokia online store and will go on sale starting June 11 via offline retail markets across India, Nokia online shop and Flipkart. Jio subscribers on Nokia 2.2 will get instant Cashback of Rs 2,200 along with 100GB additional data which will be applicable on recharges of Rs 198 and Rs 299. The cashback will be offered in the form of 44 coupons worth Rs 50 each.

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.