BenQ disclosed a new 4K UHD 27” professional monitor for photographers–Photovue SW271 which has HDR10. It covers 99% of Adobe RGB, 93% DCI-P3, and 100% of both sRGB and Rec. 709. The monitor delivers the colour accuracy of Delta E2 with its 10-bit IPS panel and 14-bit 3D lookup table (LUT). Equipped with USB Type-C, it features customisable colour characteristics with X-Rite or Datacolor calibrators and BenQ Palette Master Element software.

“We want to make professional tools accessible to everyone, whether you’re just starting out or you’re a pro upgrading an old monitor, the SW240 is the perfect choice,” says BenQ Product Manager Jason Lee. “It fits in our professional lineup with pristine color accuracy and without the hefty price tag of similar professional monitors.”

The Adobe RGB, sRGB, as well as Black and White modes can be switched between using the addition of SW271’s Hotkey Puck. The GamutDuo mode feature enables users to simultaneously work on picture-by-picture in the two different colour spaces. The monitor has adjustable height, an SD card reader, USB 3.1 (Gen 1), HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.4 ports. The most important feature for this “value monitor” is its price, and that’s where BenQ may have missed the mark. The SW240 monitor is available now for $400 by itself and the optional shading hood will cost you an additional $100, or you can purchase the monitor and hood in a bundle for $450.

GoPro is an American technology company founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. Founded as Woodman Labs, Inc, the company eventually focused on the connected sports genre, developing its line of action cameras and, later, video editing software. It developed a quadcopter drone, Karma, released in October 2016. In January 2018, Karma was discontinued and the company hired JPMorgan Chase to pursue options of selling the company. However around February 2018, CEO denied to sell the company and continue its business in action cameras. Karma was discontinued because of DJI Drones, as they were a tough competitor to fight. Since Dji had many variations in Drones and features, people automatically moved on to it.

GoPro launched its new action camera GoPro Hero7 on October, 2018 with some amazing features for a great comeback in market and it performed pretty well. DJI is planning to keep a hand small camera section as well. After releasing the Dji Osmo Pocket, which was a great success and lot of customers moved from GoPro Hero 7 to DJI Osmo Pocket, and according to rumors soon DJI is moving into action camera as well. It’s interesting that DJI now may be encroaching into GoPro’s market after GoPro failed miserably to break into DJI’s. Since the current level of GoPro is down, DJI’s attempts to cross into a new market will be much more successful. Well this will have a new and tough competitor for GoPro in market and can lead a great loss for them.

According to the rumors DJI will transform its Osmo Pocket into a new action camera with a wide angle lens, it may also include a dual LCD screen (front and back), that it will shoot 4k upto 60 fps and 1080p at 120fps and will have a rectilinear wide angle to produce a more pleasing look. Still there’s no news when DJI might announce its action camera because they haven’t confirmed they are working on it or no. Though GoPro is the first name whicch strikes the mind when you hear action camera, they’re still struggling, and who knows how longer they’ll survive in the market?

Sony India recently announced a major upgrade to its α9 mirrorless camera that will be available to the users through a firmware updates. Sony’s α9 camera will receive several major enhancements to its autofocus (AF) performance and image quality, as well as a variety of new features that are designed to improve the overall workflow for professional photographers. In addition, new firmware updates for α7R III and α7 III will be available that update these cameras with the latest enhancements including Real-time Eye AF performance and add interval recording capacities.

The upgrades include Evolved Eye AF with half press activation and right and left selection; Real Time Tracking to capture subject with extreme precision; Real-time Eye AF for Animals for Wildlife photography; Interval Record Functionality for time-lapse movies; Improved Features and Imaging Edge Mobile applications support for professional photographers

The new system firmware update version 5.0 and version 3.0 is already available. A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content related to all of Sony’s exciting announcements can be found at alphacommunity.sony.co.in. The new content will also be posted directly at the Sony Photo Gallery and the Sony India Channel on YouTube.

Panasonic unveiled their much awaited S1 and S1R mirrorless full-frame cameras in India recently under the banner of ‘Futurography’. The S1R features a 47-megapixel sensor whereas the S1 features a 26-megapixel. The cameras are priced at 2.99 lac (body only) and 1.99 lac (body only) are the company’s foray into the full frame mirrorless market, aimed at the professional photographers looking to push the boundaries in the full frame segment. The 3 biggest plays that the manufacturer is banking on is the ‘Pixel Shift’ technology, 4K with 60p and also new M mount, which with the help of the Sigma adapter allows users to use any lens on the cameras. ‘We’ve been waiting to launch a product like this’ said Manish Sharma, President and CEO, Panasonic India & South Asia. The S1R is aimed at the professional with a 47-megapixel camera while the S1 is aimed at the more affordable range. In terms of video both cameras shoot 4K and offer frame rates of up to 60 FPS. And that seems good considering that both offer Dual Stabilization, in-body as well as lens. And also the camera features the highest resolution EVF in the industry currently, giving a resolution of 5.7 million dots at the refresh rate of 120 FPS. The new cameras also come along with the new M mount lenses that are jointly developed with Leica and Sigma. Along with the cameras Panasonic debuted the 50 mm F/1.4, the 70-200mm F4 with OIS and also the 24-105 mm F4 Macro with OIS. Over time the M mount is expected to universally allow users to use other manufactures lenses on the Panasonic bodies. 

Sony has announced the RX0 II, what they are billing as the “smallest and lightest premium ultra-compact camera.” A waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, crushproof and extremely small “premium” camera, the RX0 II is capable of internal 4K recording and now includes a flip-up screen that tilts upwards 180 degrees and downward 90 degrees (for selfies, as you could guess).

The main featured specifications actually look really good on paper:

• Superb image quality delivered by 1.0-type stacked 15.3MP image sensor condensed into waterproof, rugged, highly compact body
• Features a ZEISS Tessar T* 24mm f/4 fixed wide-angle lens
• Movie shooting with 4K internal recording and new image stabilization solutions
• Advanced functionality for stills photography, including up to 1/32000 sec. anti-distortion shutter and up to 16fps continuous shooting
• Diverse range of shooting scenes enabled by waterproof 180-degree tiltable LCD panel and Clear Image Zoom
• Multi-camera solution that enables creative video expression from various viewpoints


• GFX 50R features a large 51.4MP image sensor in a compact and lightweight body reminiscent of renowned medium format film cameras widely used in street and documentary photography

• First in the GFX system to feature Bluetooth compatibility, with a rangefinder-style design

Nikon Inc. announced the release of the full-frame (Nikon FX–format) Nikon Z 7 and Nikon Z 6 mirrorless cameras, as well as NIKKOR Z lenses, featuring a new, larger-diameter mount to enable the next generation of ultimate optical performance.

The new Nikon Z mount system is comprised of mirrorless cameras and compatible NIKKOR Z lenses. The Z mount system will offer a variety of high-performance lenses, including the fastest lens in Nikon history, with f/0.95. Additionally, the new mount adapter will enable compatibility with NIKKOR F mount lenses

The Z 7 and Z 6 are equipped with a new Nikon FX-format BSI-CMOS sensor with built-in focal-plane phase-detection AF pixels, and the latest image-processing engine, EXPEED 6.The high-resolution Z 7 has 45.7 effective megapixels, and supports a standard sensitivity range of ISO 64–25600. The versatile Z 6 is an all-purpose FX-format camera with 24.5 effective megapixels, and supports the wide sensitivity range of ISO 100–51200. With superior performance at high ISO sensitivities and full-frame 4K UHD video capture with full pixel readout, the Z 6 responds to a variety of needs, such as shooting in dimly lit environments and high-quality movie recording.

The electronic viewfinder adopted for the Z 7 and Z 6 is comfortable and easy to use, comparable to optical viewfinders. Both cameras are equipped with an electronic viewfinder for which an approximately 3690k-dot OLED panel has been adopted. The electronic viewfinder has frame coverage and magnification of approximately 100% and 0.8×, respectively, as well as an approximately 37.0° diagonal viewing angle.

The bodies are compact, while boasting a firm grip that is easy to hold, and the sub-selector and buttons such as AF-ON, ISO, and exposure compensation are all placed so that they can be operated swiftly and easily. Additionally, a display panel has been placed on the top plate of the camera, where information about settings can be displayed, similar to high-end digital SLR camera models.

The Z 7 and Z 6 support recording of not only full-frame 4K UHD (3840 × 2160)/30p movies using the FX-based video format, but also Full-HD/120p movies. Sharper 4K UHD movies are made possible, using the full-pixel readout.

The Z 7 and Z 6 are equipped with in-camera vibration reduction (VR). The VR unit provides compensation for movement along five axes. The effects of vibration reduction are equivalent to a shutter speed up to approximately 5.0 stops6. This function can also be used effectively with NIKKOR F lenses, including those not equipped with a VR function, with the Mount Adapter FTZ (sold separately).

The Nikon Z 7 will be available September 27 for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $3399.95* for the body-only configuration, or for $3999.95* SRP as a kit with the new NIKKOR Z 24-70 f/4 S lens. The Nikon Z 6 will be available in late November for the $1995.95* SRP for the body only configuration, or for the $2,599.95* SRP with the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens kit.

Asian Photography Magazine has been featured in Silicon India as one of the “20 Most Promising Online Magazine Websites -2018” alongside magazines like The Week, The Verve, Vogue India and more! Read the article here:  

Asian Photography: Enabling Readers to Savor Magnificent Photographs Anywhere, Anytime

With the increase in mobile-internet penetration in the country, most users now demand having content available at their finger-tips. This has lead for a number of leading magazine brands to make immense efforts to make their magazine accessible to readers on the Internet. With the core focus on UX/UI being paramount for content on the websites, most magazines now are leveraging cutting-edge technologies and engaging their creative teams to offer a hassle-free experience for viewers on their websites. Foreseeing this phenomenon in 2009 itself helped Asian Photography to emerge as one of the first in the publishing industry to invest into developing its own e-version software. Running ahead of others by constantly updating the e-version software, the magazine currently offers the best user experience, where in readers can access the e-version on various digital platforms (desktop, tablets or smart devices), including its own app.

Offering the Only Platform

This oldest and topnotch photography magazine is the flagship product of SAP Media Worldwide Ltd., a 35-year-old publishing house, which acknowledges that it has the distinct responsibility to ensure that accurate and timely content is delivered to the readers. This pioneer not only caters to readers and photo-enthusiasts (with photography as a serious hobby) but also has instated unique one-of-the-kind content properties like the Asian Photography Awards and the Most Influential People in Photography list. What makes this process unique is its unbiased winner selection process. It is by far the most coveted trophy in this industry and also aired on television. In fact, Asian Photography was also the first company to take the photographic industry on television as part of broadening the industry and the trade.

” This is the stage where world-renowned professional photographers present their images as art on different genres under one banner and a common theme”

Bhavya Desai, Editor and Group Head, Asian Photography and SAP MEDIA WORLDIWDE LTD feels, “that innovation is at the core of the thought process of the company and it is this endeavor that allows Asian Photography to continuously push the boundaries.” For instance the company has recently launched a new project- India’s first business and photography coffee table book scheduled to release in 2019. The one-of-its-kind coffee table book is envisioned as a single point source of all information about the industry. The company has already published several books in other industry segments that it operates in which have been appreciated immensely.

But Desai feels that the need of the hour for the photography industry is to increase its penetration and also promote it as an artform. And in order to achieve this objective Asian Photography organizes a non-profit art exhibition and contest called ‘Artistique’. “This is the stage where world-renowned professional photographers present their images as art on different genres under one banner and a common theme. Today, Artistique is in its fifth edition and that is what has made the magazine unique amongst others,” he adds.

In order to increase its digital reach Asian Photography has recently forayed into digital content on its YouTube channel apart from focusing on offering news, views and reviews. The magazine ideally includes getting information of the best in the business and reviewing their creation. Currently, Asian Photography has two million followers on social media which helps it to reach even more readers. Along with the print edition, Asian Photography’s online platform works independently in terms of content in order to deliver the same.

Creating the Circle of Influence

Perceiving online platform as an opportunity, rather than a challenge, Asian Photography has always been successful in creating a circle of influence to engage the viewers with the good content. “We try to create an environment that is important to set the same thought process and energy which is inculcated in the company and that in turn flows in the team,” explains Bhavya.