Fujifilm India launched its first co-branded Wonder Photo Shop in Bengaluru in association with GK Vale, making it the fifth ‘Wonder Photo Shop’ concept store of its kind in India for the ultimate photo printing and brand experience. It is located at Church St, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Fujifilm aims to celebrate Bengaluru’s love for photography, art and culture. The store embodies a holistic vision of photography, from picture taking to printing, sharing and social networking, as a creative life experience. With the theme ‘Photo Renaissance’, the store offers an opportunity to experience an immersive and interactive retail space with Fujifilm’s state-of-the-art products and services to meet the aesthetic taste of the youth of our country. With this new store, Fujifilm aims to provide a learning center, giving customers an opportunity to experience the various product features thus enhancing the customer experience. At the co-branded store, consumers can indulge in the full range of instax cameras and Share Printer SP-2, the award-winning line of X Series digital cameras and high-quality lenses on display. Additionally, customers can witness the true photographic heritage of Fujifilm and develop their own vision to creatively use their photos.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India said, “We are happy to open our first co-branded Wonder Photo Shop in association with GK Vale. At Fujifilm, we are passionate about the preservation of people’s memories, and keeping the spirit and culture of photography alive. We want to inspire people to have fun, to enjoy photography and to learn more about what they can do with their pictures and their cameras. With our new Wonder Photo Shop, we are committed to offer our customers a place that offers all experiences in one from picture taking to picture making”.

Commenting at the inauguration of the store Mr. Anand Sukumar from GK Vale said, “We are extremely excited about our association with Fujifilm India. We are happy to open our doors to the customers and offer them an integrated photography experience in Bengaluru – a wonderland of opportunities. Being in the business for 110 years, we understand the ever changing needs of customers extremely well. Fujifilm’s wonder Photo shop store is a fantastic example of what can happen when passion meets hobbies, experiences, fun, profession and memories.”

“The Wonder Photo Shop puts the customer at the heart of the experience and provides a wonderful place for customers to unlock their creativity and develop a refreshing perspective on photo printing. With more than 80 years of history and experience in the photo industry, we are confident that our latest Wonder Photo Shop will strengthen our presence in the country. We are committed to preserve the culture of photography and Wonder Photo Shop will act as a catalyst to achieve that goal,” added Mr. Centhil Nathan, SVP and Head-Photo Imaging at Fujifilm.

The jury of the 2019 edition named the photographer and photojournalist Raghu Rai, laureate of the first edition of the Academy of Fine Arts Photography Award – William Klein.

The Academy of Fine Arts Photography Award – William Klein was created in 2019 by the Academy of Fine Arts in tribute to William Klein, photographer, painter, visual artist, graphic designer, director of documentary, advertising and fiction films.

As a consecration award, this prize is intended to reward a photographer for his/her entire career and commitment to photography. It rewards one photographer of all nationalities and ages. Endowed with the sum of 120,000 euros, it is awarded every two years, alternating with the Photography Award Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière.

An exhibition retracing the career of the photographer will be held from October 24, 2019 to November 24, 2019 in the exhibition space of the Academy, at the Palais de l’Institut de France.

The jury of the 2019 edition :

• Laurent Petitgirard, Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Fine Arts, co-chair

• Zhong Weixing, founder of the Chengdu Contemporary image museum, co-chair

• William Klein, Honorary Member

• Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Bruno Barbey, Jean Gaumy, Sebastião Salgado, members of the photography section of the Academy of Fine Arts

• Jean-Luc Monterosso and Bernard Perrine, correspondents of the photography section of the Academy of Fine Arts

• Alessandra Mauro, curator

• Alberto Anaut, president of PhotoEspaña and director of La Fábrica.

Born in December 1942 in Jhang (British India – current Pakistan), Raghu Rai qualified at civil engineer, started photography at the age of 23 in 1965. He joined The Statesman newspaper as their Chief photographer (1966 to 1976), and was then Picture Editor with Sunday – a weekly news magazine published from Calcutta (1977 to 1980).

In 1971, impressed by Rai’s exhibition at Gallery Delpire, Paris, Henri Cartier Bresson nominated him to Magnum Photos of which he is still a partner today. In 1982, he took over as Picture Editor-Visualiser-Photographer of India Today, India’s leading news magazine. He worked on special issues and designs, contributing trailblazing picture essays on social, political, and cultural themes of the decade (1982 to 1991).

In the last 18 years, Raghu Rai has exclusively devoted his work to India. He has produced more than fifty picture books on different aspects/life and themes on India : Delhi, The Sikhs, Calcutta, Khajuraho, Taj Mahal, Tibet in Exile, Mother Teresa and so on. His thorough work on the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, a special assignment from Greenpeace International, was compiled into a book with 3 sets of exhibitions traveling from 2002 to 2005.

Many exhibitions have been dedicated to him around the world including retrospectives at Arles Photography Festival in 2007, at the National Gallery Of Modern Art of New Delhi in 2008 or whether at the Aicon Gallery of London in 2011.

He was awarded the Padmashree in 1972, one of India’s highest civilian awards ever given to a photographer, for the body of works he produced on the liberation war of Bangladesh and its refugees. In 1992 he was awarded Photographer of the Year in the United States for the story Human Management of Wildlife in India published in National Geographic. In 2009 he was conferred Officier des Arts et des Lettres by French Government. In 2018, he has been honored by Lucie Foundation, New York as Master of Photojournalism.

His photo essays have been published in many of the world’s leading magazines and newspapers. In 2012, Raghu Rai created the Raghu Rai Center for Photography to share his 50 years of knowledge and experience with the young generations.

Raghu Rai lives in New Delhi with his family and is currently working on his 57th publication.

Canon launched its next version of Cinema EOS System camera – the EOS C500 Mark II. It is created by expertise and technical knowledge by Canon’s innovative products, and built on the basis of Cinema EOS System, the EOS C500 Mark II is a small and easy to carry 5.9K Full Frame camera. The EOS C500 Mark II’s Full Frame sensor is powered by Canon’s new DIGIC DV 7 processor. Supporting 5.9K internal Cinema RAW Light and 4K 4:2:2 10bit XF-AVC recording, this camera enables professionals to explore Full Frame, cinematic image. It is the first camera in the range with the ability to record 5.9K Cinema RAW Light onto new, faster storage media and CFexpress card slots. Providing professionals with greater flexibility and efficiency and recording of the same file format is also possible to dual CFexpress card slots. The compact size of the camera provides cinematographers with unique creative freedom. With its flexible, modular design, professionals can configure the camera with different expansion units to suit production demand. The EOS C500 Mark II is the first Cinema EOS System camera to feature a user interchangeable lens-mount for EF Cinema Lock, and PL, giving professionals a wide variety of lens selection. It is also the first Cinema EOS System camera to support Electronic Image Stabilisation. The EOS C500 Mark II supports user LUTs, allowing cinematographers to apply or create their own LUTs. Loading them onto the camera for precise-look monitoring, cinematographers can also apply various LUTs for each time period. With the added LUT button, professionals have greater flexibility. The EOS C500 Mark II also includes high frame rate recording up to 50/60 fps in 5.9K resolution with the Cinema RAW Light codec.

Nikon recently announced the development of the Nikon D6 professional DSLR camera and the AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR telephoto zoom lens.

Nikon released the D1 digital SLR camera in 1999, making 2019 the 20th anniversary of the single-digit D series. According to the company, thanks to the imaging know-how cultivated over Nikon’s long history in camera development, Nikon’s professional DSLR cameras have continued to evolve by introducing some of the industry’s most advanced technologies and responding to the strict demands of professional photographers with the ultimate in performance and reliability, even in the most severe conditions. With the D6, Nikon is currently developing its most advanced DSLR to date.

This year also marks the 60^th anniversary of the Nikon F mount. The new AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR F mount lens that Nikon is developing will provide professional photographers in fields such as sports photography with even greater support, claims the company.

Nikon also says that it is striving to expand possibilities for imaging expression and leading the way in imaging culture with both DSLR and mirrorless camera systems, as well as a rich lineup of NIKKOR lenses. Details including release dates, pricing and specifications for these products will be announced at a later date.

Canon has announced two new cameras , one DSLR and one mirrorless with many similar features. The EOS 90D comes through the EOS 80D and features an upgraded sensor, 4K video recording and gets Canon’s Dual Pixel auto focus system. It will cost for Rs. 85,900 approx for just the body and roughly Rs. 96,600 for the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit and and Rs. 1,14,500 approx for the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM kit. Canon also launched the EOS M6 Mark II, with the same primary features as the EOS 90D, but with an electronic viewfinder and more compact body. It will be available in two colours for Rs. 60,900 approx for just the body and Rs. 78,700 approx with the EF-M 15-45mm f3.5-6.3 IS STM and EVF-DC2 kit and Rs. 96,600 approx with the EF-M 18-150mm f3.5-6.3 IS STM and EVF-DC2 kit.

Both cameras have an APS-C CMOS sensor with a 32.5-megapixel resolution. The cameras also has Canon’s latest DIGIC 8 image processor which enables the Canon EOS 90D to shoot up to 10fps continuous stills, it is a big addition from the 7fps of the EOS 80D. It also has a 45-point, cross-type auto focus (AF) system, and 100 percent viewfinder coverage. The camera also consists of face detection mode. The camera looks almost same to the 80D. You get the DSLR-style hand grip, a alternative display on the top, and a vary-angle touchscreen display. The camera also has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Canon EOS M6 Mark II is a mirrorless APS-C camera, so the body is a lot more smaller and is made for amateur photographers. It is able of shooting 14fps burst shooting, with AF and AE (auto exposure) tracking and 30fps when using RAW Burst Mode with pre-shooting capability. There’s an optional EVF-DC2 electronic viewfinder attachment, which is part of the bundle if you buy it as a kit. The camera also gets a 3-inch tilting touchscreen display with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and can shoot 1080p video at up to 120fps.

Canon’s bunch of RF full-frame mirrorless lenses just increased by two lenses. The company announced the new RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS and RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS.

The new RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM is Canon’s first f/2.8 wide zoom lens that includes image stabilization (IS). It features 5 stops of stabilization, edge-to-edge sharpness, a control ring, and drip and dust resistance. The lens will be available in late September 2019 with a cost of Rs 1,60,000 approx.

The new RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM is equal in size to the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II, except it features 5-stop image stabilization. Other features and specs include focus breathing suppression during manual focusing, sensitivity setting during manual focusing, focus ring usage adjustments, and a customizable control ring (that can be assigned to aperture, shutter speed, ISO, or exposure compensation). The lens will be available in late September 2019 with a price tag of Rs 1,65,000 approx.

Panasonic recently launched a follow-up to its Lumix G85 Micro Four Thirds camera known as Lumix G95 in April, and now, the company has officially launched it in India. The camera features built-in 5-axis image stabilisation, 4K video, and a tough design. In India, the camera is accessible with two kit lens options. The one with the 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens is priced at Rs. 94,990, while the other one with a 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 lens is priced at Rs. 1,09,990. The Lumix G95 is now available in all Panasonic stores in India.

The Lumix G85 camera consists of a 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS sensor without a low-pass filter, in order to achieve better details and is powered by Panasonic’s Venus Engine. The camera has 5-axis Dual I.S image stabilisation that has shake defence mechanism till five stops, with a combination of OIS from lens and in-body stabilisation. The new model consists of a rugged design with a magnesium alloy frame, with weather sealing.

The Lumix G95 features an ISO range of 200-25,600, 49 autofocus points, 9fps burst shooting, and a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000. The camera also a 3-inch fully articulating touchscreen with a 1.24K dot resolution and an EVF with a resolution of 2.36 million dots. It features Eye AF, 4K video recording up to 30fps, and advanced shooting modes such as slow motion video at 120fps. The Lumix G95 also has 4K Photo capture that lets you pull out 8-megapixel images from a 30fps burst shot. You also get built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 for syncing with the smartphone app.

Sony has taken off the cover of its fourth-generation high-resolution full-frame mirrorless camera range, the a7R. Expectedly named the Sony a7R IV, the biggest detail of the camera is its gigantic sensor, which moves the 42.4-megapixel full-frame sensor to a 61-megapixel. This automatically makes it the highest resolution full-frame camera in Sony Full Frame Camera, which is what the a7R lineup is famous for.

The Sony a7R range has always been target at professional photographers who needs ultra-high resolution results for large photo print outputs. Sony maintains that as always, the back-illumination of the sensor helps increase sensitivity and maintain reduced noise levels in low light conditions, which can be critical for extreme photography situatuion.

Other photography specifications consists of an better autofocus system, something that Sony has perpetually improved over the years. The camera now features a hybrid AF system with 567 phase detection AF points that cover 74 percent of the frame, in combination with an additional 425 contrast AF points that cover the rest of the frame. There is also a new real-time eye autofocus mode that can keep the focus locked to a subject’s eyes even when it is in motion, and this applies to video shooting as well.

Continuous shooting is rated at 10fps with continuous AF/AE tracking for 7 seconds in the full resolution, 61-megapixel mode, and up to 21 seconds when shooting in 26.2-megapixel crop mode. In terms of videography, the Sony a7R IV features no-crop 4K full-frame video recording, with full pixel readout in the Super 35mm video shooting mode. It also includes the Sony S-Log 2 and S-Log 3 colour grading logs with up to 14-stop dynamic range, as well as HLG logging for HDR workflow on the edit table.

The other element that has received a sincere upgrade is the electronic viewfinder, which now has a new, 5.76 million-dot UXGA OLED module. The new viewfinder is said to be 1.6x crisper than the one on the a7R III, and comes in two modes standard for 60fps refresh rate, and a high quality mode that presumably consumes more battery but lends 120fps refresh rates to the viewfinder for ultra-fine clarity. Among other new features include a tilting touch display, two UHS-II storage slots, a new digital audio interface to the hot shoe, dual-band Wi-Fi support, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port for high bandwidth data transfer, and claimed improvements in weather sealing of an already excellent chassis. The Sony a7R IV is CIPA-rated for 670 still images in a full battery life cycle, and also has an optional battery grip accessory that can hold two additional battery modules for those who need it. Given Sony’s treatment of India as a prime photography and videography market, we expect it to come to the country soon. However, as of now, we only know that the camera will be available starting this September in USA, at a price of Rs 2,40,000. The local pricing, however, may vary.