The latest ColorEdge Prominence CG3146 is a 31.1-inch, DCI-4K (4096 x 2160) HDR (high dynamic range) reference monitor designed for professional post-production and colour grading workflows. It is the successor to EIZO’s CG3145 and is the first of its kind to incorporate a built-in calibration sensor.

What interests us is that the new CG3146 correctly shows both very bright and very dark areas on the screen without sacrificing the integrity of either – a process which cannot be achieved with SDR (standard dynamic range) monitors. The monitor achieves 1000 cd/m2 (typical) high brightness and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio for true HDR display. It means monitors are becoming even better than the best art prints we can produce, and maybe there’s potential for better viewing 16- and 32-bit still images as well.

Like a number of EIZO’s other monitors, the CG3146 incorporates a built-in calibration sensor. Hardware calibration ensures the screen stays colour accurate over time and streamlines colour management. Furthermore, with EIZO’s ColorNavigator 7 colour management software, users can regularly calibrate and quality control their monitor quickly and reliably.

The ColorEdge Prominence models are the first HDR reference monitors to overcome the severe drawbacks of other HDR technologies available to the market – ABL (Auto Brightness Limiter) and local dimming. They achieve a true HDR visual experience without the limitations of these technologies to ensure users always see accurate colours and brightness in every pixel. The CG3146 supports HLG (hybrid log-gamma) and the PQ (perceptual quantisation) curve for displaying and editing broadcast, film, and other video content in HDR. The optimised gamma curves render images to appear truer to how the human eye perceives the real world, compared to SDR (standard dynamic range).

So, is this a monitor for our readers? With a high price tag expected (TBA), we suggest it’s not an essential purchase. However, what we like most about this new HDR technology is that it will eventually trickle down to more affordable EIZO monitors that are more suitable for enthusiast and professional photographers alike.

For further information, visit https://www.eizo-apac.com/

Polly Fenton, Emotive Portrait Category Winner and Overall Photo of the Year Winner

It's refreshing to learn how simply this photograph was captured. Some photographers lament that to win a photo competition you need to be a Photoshop expert, but my observations don't support this. Take our last year's overall winner of the Better Photography Magazine Photo of the Year as an example.

Photographer Polly Fenton says she recently retired from a 44-year nursing career and is now actively pursuing her love of photography through study, participating in photographic clubs, travelling with mentors and a lot of practice. "I find I am shooting a variety of topics and styles at present in an attempt to find my niche."

The winning photo was taken on a trip with Inger Vandyke of Wild Image Photo Tours in February 2019. "We were visiting the tribes of the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia."

The portrait of Nagudo, of the 'Suri' or Surmi tribe, was photographed by Polly in a remote village near Kibish. Explained Polly, "Nagudo used decorative scarification, piercing and copper adornments to emphasise her individualism and confidence within her society.

"During our stay of several days, I found the Suri exuded a beautiful inner personal warmth and mystic. This is what I was attempting to capture in this photograph. They were an absolute delight to engage with and it was a truly inspiring and humbling experience that I will never forget."

Polly used a Fujifilm X-T2 with an XF 18-55mm f2.8-4 R LM OIS lens. As she was shooting in a darkish hut, the settings were 1/80 second at f4, ISO 3200.

"In post-production, I darkened the background with the adjustment brush and also used this to enhance her eyes and soften her skin. Overall, I slightly increased exposure, contrast and whites with a touch of dehaze. Using the HSL sliders, I gently adjusted the green, blue and aqua to lift the colour of her shawl. I felt that nothing else was required."

And we think Polly was exactly right - nothing else was required!

A Special LaCie/Better Photography Promotion

Incredibly Small and Fast

No Compromise Storage in a Go-Everywhere Package!

Peter Eastway reviews the highly portable Rugged SSD Pro storage solution from LaCie, from the remotest location on Earth – Antarctica!

One of the many fun aspects of writing for a photography magazine are the toys we get to play with. And the most recent toy I have to report on is the LaCie® Rugged® SSD Pro portable storage device.

As its name suggests, the Rugged SSD Pro is designed for life on the road – and the high seas as I recently took it on a voyage to Antarctica.

The Rugged series’ well known plastic protective shell in vibrant orange has been replaced by a suave matte black, distinguishing it from the standard Rugged SSD. But, what else makes the Rugged SSD Pro different?

In a word, speed.

Plug the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro into any Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 on your laptop and enjoy the speed

2800MB/s Fast!

The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro has been designed to meet the requirements of both photographers processing large image files and film-makers with their gigabytes of motion – especially out on location.

However, not only does the Rugged SSD Pro provide additional storage space, it can work as a scratch disk with high-speed data transfers and editing power.

For photographers, this means that when you open your image files in Photoshop, Lightroom or Capture One, etc., it doesn’t matter whether they’re stored on your laptop’s internal drive or the Rugged SSD Pro, your software won’t hesitate as it opens, edits and saves your work.

Inside the Rugged SSD Pro is a Seagate® FireCuda® NVMe solid state drive offering super fast Thunderbolt 3 speeds up to 2800MB/s (compared to 1000MB/s on the standard Rugged SSD).

The benefit for photographers is that it really is so fast, it’s just like working on an internal drive. And if you’re into film and video production, then you’ll be able to play back 6K, 8K, and super slow motion source files anywhere – without transcoding.

So, what happens if your computer doesn’t have Thunderbolt 3 connectivity? No trouble! LaCie has thought about that too!

Previously, Thunderbolt 3 devices would only work with Thunderbolt 3 computers; now, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro features the latest Thunderbolt 3 controller and is the first Thunderbolt 3 portable storage solution offering USB 3.1 compatibility for seamless plug and play connectivity.

Don’t try this intentionally, but the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro will survive for 30 minutes under one metre of water! Now that’s rugged!

Super Rugged too

Now, I do have a small confession to make. I’m not sure if I came even close to pushing the ruggedness of the Rugged SSD Pro while in Antarctica.

You see, the Rugged SSD Pro has very impressive IP67-rated dust and water resistance, a three-metre drop tolerance and two-ton car crush resistance. And it is the first Thunderbolt 3 storage solution that can be immersed in water down to one metre for up to 30 minutes.

While I tested the Rugged SSD Pro extensively and took it with me when we landed onshore in Antarctica, my test unit spent most of its time inside a comfortable cabin on an expedition ship. Nevertheless, rough seas can see hard drives fall off desks. Our transfer out to the ship was by water and there’s a wonderful sense of security knowing that this small, high capacity solid state drive is looking after your images.

Attaching the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro to your laptop or computer is simplicity itself!

Five-Year Warranty

And it’s reassuring to know LaCie thinks the same way. Like all LaCie’s Rugged range, the SSD Pro comes with a fiveyear limited warranty protection plan featuring Rescue Data Recovery Services.

And there’s also a one-month complimentary membership to Adobe® Creative Cloud® All Apps Plan for access to awesome photo and video editing apps.

The 140 gram Rugged SSD Pro is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers and comes in 1TB and 2TB configurations.

If you’re looking for a small, robust drive for using out on location that can also double as a super-fast scratch disk, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro has all the anwers.

For more information, visit www.lacie.com/as/en/, a specialist photo supplier or better computer suppliers Australiawide.