February 2020

H. RØDE ACCESSORY PACK PROMO Okay, we need a little background to this. Let's start with a note that, like Black Magic, Røde is a great Australian company. The Scandinavian ø in the name comes from the family history of the founders but the firm is in Sydney. The product around which the promotion is based is the RØdecaster Pro production desk - a complete little podcaster studio in one box. It is wonderful. It allows four presenters to fight with each other in one studio while the operator looks on aghast, and records the fracas on MicroSD card or passes it directly into a computer. 8 sliders, 4 XLR inputs, and provision to add jingles and music to cover up the screams. Easy connectivity to phones USB, and bluetooth for when you want it to all get well out of hand. Joking aside - this is a wonderful centre for modern podcasting production - and Røde are offering an accessory pack to make it even better for $ 20. You get: TRRS cable for connecting mobile devices. USB power cable to run it. Colour coded XLR...

C. PROFOTO NEW APP Profoto are not backward in coming forward with new ways to light and shoot. We won't characterise the use of mobile phones as cameras as a trend - that's for another article - but take a look at what Profoto can do with the phone and their lights. The new app is called PROFESSIONAL CAMERA - it is a control mechanism for their their lights, whether they are the studio versions or the portable C-style. The app is compatible with iPhones and Android phones in their newer forms, and is available from the App Store and the Google Play Store. So what can it do when you use it with Profoto lights? Point and shoot with automatic exposure and flash power based on the surrounding lighting. imple swipe control of intensity - flash vs ambient. Smartphone tutorials there in the app to watch on your phone. Remote control the flash settings on the Profoto units from your phone if you are usung them in conjunction with a DSLR or mirror-less camera. Easy firmware updates for your Profoto devices...

B. BLACK MAGIC Over the past few years you've seen Black Magic cameras and accessories in the Camera Electronic shps and had a chance to try them out through our Rental department. But did you realise that we've just become major stockists for this brand? And did you realise that Black Magic is an Australian company? Let us fill you in...

A. INTRODUCTION   Greetings. You are hereby invited to report to Camera Electronic forthwith to start a new decade of photography fun. You will need to bring your vision, enthusiasm, and money. We will supply the goods, instruction, and opportunity. You will be amongst good people - both beginners and old hands - and you can be sure of a sympathetic ear. The repair, rental, and sales departments will make sure that you love photography as much as we do. Note: We have two shops to serve you; Stirling Street and Murray Street and we can be found out and about at Shoot Workshops and photo events all over the state. Or on-line service is, well...

I sometimes scoff at the prices of premium-quality equipment in the camera shop because I am not selling the goods nor profiting from the sale. I decry the price lists that look like national debts and compare it with the cheap prices of the same brand's cameras and accessories back in the 60's and 70's. And in doing so I am deluding myself - the prices for this type of equipment were always high in comparison to other brands. I'm not just talking the rangefinder and reflex 35mm cameras - I am including the snazzy system cases and bags that the house photographic journal used to advertise. The Benser case system was always the centre of attention - and of considerable longing. It was a family of modular leather cases that had inserts specifically sized for the bodies and lenses of the famous German maker. You bought an outer shell and then customised it with boxes that slid in and out on vertical slots - like the turbine engines on the USS INGERSOLL or HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. They were very nice cases but...

Thirty more than the  D750 , that is. This is Nikon's newest camera yet - the one that supplants the D 750. If your lenses mostly say " Nikkor " somewhere on the front and mostly feature an F mount somewhere on the back, this is going to be of interest. The previous number - the D750 is a full frame FX DSLR that has occupied a spot in the high-enthusiast section of the Nikon marketing spectrum since 2014 and it has functioned as a lighter body with complete specs for all this time. There is a D850 above it in equipage and features, as there is a D5 above that, but the enthusiastic shooter with the D750 and a slew of Nikon lenses has never been handicapped in any way. So much more so for the new D 780. You'll see that the form is much the same as before and most of the changes are internal revisions and upgrades: Improved AF - faster with better subject racking. Newer sensor with improved jpeg performance. You can shoot video at 4K now...

They can be real abilities  - bolstered by practical hardware. And you can afford to buy it from Camera Electronic. Well, you can afford to buy Nextbase dash and rear-view cameras. They are most often fitted to cars or trucks to record who hits you from the front or the rear of your vehicle. Be aware that the cameras and recording circuits inside them are not human - they are not judgemental and they cannot be your friends. If you are the person who runs into other vehicles - front or rear - they will record that fact just as surely. They gather evidence and can probably be compelled to disclose it if need be. The best way to ensure that this is not harmful to you is to not run into or over other people. The advertising information on the back of the packaging is straight-forward enough - the cameras see widely before and behind and can run for extended periods of time. They can be voice-controlled by Alexa mechanisms for various functions while you keep your hands on the wheel. They...