TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) Awards are recognized as the most coveted photo and imaging awards worldwide. Every year, TIPA editors vote for the best photo & imaging products introduced to the market during the previous 12 months. TIPA editors take into account innovation, the use of leading-edge technology, design and ergonomics, ease-of-use, as well as price/performance ratio. Since TIPA member magazines range in content and goals, the award voting process benefits from a wide range of expertise. As a result, the TIPA Awards are bestowed through a majority of votes by very experienced editors.
The TIPA award winners in the Photo and Imaging category are as follows:
AAB International Photographic Co. is coming up with yet another offer on DSLR Camera lens and this time it’s the Tamron. Tamron is a Japanese company famous for thier optical lens and provides cheaper 3rd party solutions to most camera brands. AAB has been giving photographers a real treat and value for thier money, their last offer was on Sigma lens and they ran out of stock due to huge popularity and tempting offer. AAB is yet again having a 1 day deal offer on Tamron lens on Thursday 3rd May 2012. I would advice you to visit thier Shamiya outlet as they tend to have more collection.
I have never owned a Tamron lens, so wouldn’t be able to comment on the optics of the lens. Please check the link below from dpreview.com on couple of popular Tamron lens to have an idea of these optics.
Tamron SP AF 10-24 F3.5-4.5 Di II [link]
Tamron AF 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC [link]
Tamron SP AF 70-200mm F2.8 Di LD [link]
You can check AAB facebook page for more information [here]
Image Credit: AAB
Update: Price List and Comparison
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AAB International Photographic Co. is a photography specialized company with an array of exceptional showrooms distributed throughout the state of Kuwait. They have over 30 years of experience catering to the photographic needs. AAB has recently acquired the SIGMA product agency here in Kuwait, other than other famous brand which the company already owns. The company vision is impressive and their slogan is quite inspirational “We Rule the Photography World”.
AAB are official distributors for Nikon and Canon Products, Agents for Sigma Lenses, Orkio Bags, Integral Memory Cards, Phottix photo accessories, Praktica Camera, Rollei Cameras. They also sell all types of accessories including battery Grips, Filters, Bags, Tripods, Batteries, Lens caps, Flashes, Flash Triggers, Memory Cards, etc. In addition the Services department, that has all kinds of photo finishing services, digital prints, enlargements, mounting, Converting VHS to DVD their Photo gifts department assist you to print picture on Mugs, Tshirts, plate, pillow, puzzle, calendars. These whole streamline of products make AAB an official Photographic store.
AAB is planning for a real market capture, offering the best deals on all SIGMA product as well on other camera brands and accessories. Their latest 1 day (15th March, 2012 ) deal on Sigma products shall offer almost competitive price to the Amazon store. Mr. Ahmed Burghul, Business Development Manager at AAB is quite positive and feels the initiative taken by the company shall offer photographers the value for their money and in a way assist to continue their hobby. He further goes on to inform that AAB will soon release the Nikon D800 in Kuwait which was recently announced by Nikon.
After months of rumors, Nikon has finally announced the D800 and D800E to their latest DSLR lineup. Both these cameras with Nikon FX-format CMOS sensor can deliver an unbelievable 36.3 effective megapixel. The World’s highest (as of 07th Feb, 2012) in terms of effective megapixels. Nikon claims you can enlarge the image as big as A1 poster-sized prints (59.4 x 841.1 cm/23.4 x33.1 inch) at 200 dpi, or crop aggressively to reach the composition you desire all without sacrificing the detail and tonal range of the original.
Nikon D800 has optimized low-pass filter which reduces false color and moiré when compared to the Nikon D800E, which incorporates an optical filter with all the anti-aliasing properties removed in order to facilitate the sharpest images possible.. This is the only one difference (as claimed by Nikon) between the 2 cameras and perhaps the reason for difference in price too.
The D800/D800E set a new benchmark for high-resolution D-SLR cameras, with crisp clean images across a wide ISO range. Flexibility like this opens up new imaging opportunities for both still photographers and cinematographers alike during the “magic hour”, the time just before dawn or at dusk when available light is often beautiful but scarce. Even at high ISO settings, the camera’s intelligent noise reduction systems manage noise without sacrificing fine details, giving the D800/D800E the edge. High image quality at higher ISOs also means that you can shoot still images handheld more confidently, knowing that fast shutter speeds will reduce blur.
Aymstrong promotes “Eye For Life – Photography Workshop” in Kuwait. The Workshop is scheduled from the 28th – 30th October, 2011. The Course Instructor is Mark Gillett – An International Photographer with over 30 years experience. He is also an Adventurer and Fellow of Royal Geographical Society, Coach and LSP (Lego Serious Play) Facilitator. He has supplied both written and photographic works to: Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, El Mundo, CNN Traveller, Geographical, Digital Photographer, Practical Photographer, Dazed and Confused, Runners World, Running Fitness, The London Paper, Observer, Ultra Fondus, Outer Edge (Australia), Adventure Sports Magazine, Camouflage, The Army, Aston Martin and numerous small press. He is also a active blogger, you can read his blog.
The Photographic Workshops give photographers the opportunity to share ideas, learn from others and discover exciting new environments to photograph. The workshop are mixture of both classroom and field based learning, providing participants with both theory and practical experience.
At a recently concluded “Incredible India Photography Contest” My friend Febin Joy (a Software Engineer by profession with a passion for Drawing, Painting & Photography) was declared the First Runner-Up. This contest was organized by Channel W an Integral Portal of Wipro Technologies for their employees. Wipro is a Global Information Technology (IT) services company headquartered in Bangalore, India. The company operates in three segments: IT Services, IT Products, Consumer Care and Lighting, and has thousands of employees. Wipro BPO itself has more than 22,000 employees. It also has offices in Shanghai and Cebu in Asia and Curitiba in Brazil and Wroclaw in Poland.
Police arrested a Photographer for taking photos of the Indian Embassy in Kuwait. The photographer sensed police presence and tried to escape the place, however police chased him and arrested. Police seized a camera containing photos of the embassy in different angles. The photographer has been referred to state security.
Kuwait bans taking photography of any sensitive areas in the country and photography is prohibited in all embassy premises in the country.
Source: IIK (http://www.indiansinkuwait.com/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=12924&SECTION=0)
Please Note: In Kuwait photography is not officially forbidden, Security officials are sensitive about photographs taken of government buildings, military installations, and other public facilities including few malls and hypermarket. In general these place will caution with boards mentioning “Photography not allowed/Prohibited”. Photography of these subjects may result in seizure of photographic equipment by security authorities. Please note most Kuwaiti’s object to having their picture taken, you should ask permission before taking photographs. Always respect the law of the land.
The only issue here in Kuwait is most of the times Photographers are treated as criminals, No Official Photography Club where Individuals/Group (at least for expats) can register, Non-Issuance of Photographer ID (even with discretion)
I recently downloaded the Nikon Lenses app on my iPhone. The iphone App supports iOS 3.0 or later and is compatible with iphone, iPod Touch and iPad. This app is a guide to Nikon’s current lineup of F-Mount lenses used by both Nikon’s digital and film SLR cameras.You can either view all the lenses at a glance or you can further view in a selected category and sort in terms of Aperture, Focal Length and ESP (Estimated Retail Price). Each lens has a detail page which provides links to the Nikon web page detailing the lens, reviews of the lens from third parties (if available – brand new lenses might not have reviews yet) and where to rent the lens (available United States only).
I personally like the application being a Nikon fan. The app is available free and they do update to keep up with the new line of Nikon lenses. The latest version 1.4 has Retina Display support – higher resolution images of lens and includes information on AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G.
You can check their site here or search for Nikon Lenses on iTunes App store
While browsing through Chuknum blog over the weekend, I read on this new website called “Photo Lenders“. As this site is launched by a talented Kuwaiti photographer Khalid Al-Abdulghafoor, I’m sure as a photographer he would understand the photography need of such a site here in Kuwait. I really feel this would do wonders to lot many amateur photographers like me and also serve the professionals since photography gears are quite expensive and you definitely would love to try a particular glass (lens) before buying. There are times when you may need a particular glass just to serve a temporary purpose (a friends wedding over the weekend, or if you love to take a macro shot).
Renting out camera and photo gears is a common concept atleast in India, US and Canada. Having spent some time on Photo Lenders, I realised they have plenty of Canon lenses. The choice on Nikon lenses are few, but then they have the popular Nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 ED; Nikon 105 mm f/2D and more. The Nikon Telephoto lens 70-200 mm f/2.8 ED VR II is coming soon and I definitely would love to try before I think of buying the beast. I have no clue if they rent camera since nothing is mentioned on the site, but they have other accessories which you want to check.
I would definitely recommend to browse www.photolenders.com and find your interesting gears and accessories. You can also connect them on Facebook and find out their latest news.
My best wishes to Mr. Khalid for the website and his creative idea.
Lowerpro introduces the Photo Sport AW Series and Optic series backpacks to thier wide range of camera bags and accessories. The Photo Sport AW series are available in 2 model, the Photo Sport 200 AW and the Photo Sport sling 100 AW, these are targetted at outdooor adventurers who like to travel fast and light. These ultra-lightweight, dual-compartment backpack and sling pack designs offer ample space for personal gear and a camera kit with ultra-tear-strength coating to provide extra durability. These are available in Black/Light Grey and Lowepro Orange/Light Grey. The Optic Series are targetted for bird and wildlife photographers. They are available in 4 models – Field Station, Scope Travel 200 AW, Scope Photo Travel 350 AW and the Scope Porter 200 AW. These backpack gives wildlife watchers a hands-free, protective and supportive way to carry a large spotting scope and tripod in the field, couple of models in this series are big enough to carry spotting scope, tripod, binoculars, DSLR, extra lens, laptop, field guide and personal items.
Ashraf & Co. is the main distributor of Lowerpro brands in kuwait. I spoke to their Customer Service and was informed that the above models will be available soon.You can contact them on 1805151.
