Amateur Photographer Magazine

Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera Japanese Tsunami appeal

Friday 18th March 2011

Damien Demolder

Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera Japanese Tsunami appeal

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

The series of tragedies that are continuing to strike Japan are having a deep and lasting impact on the population of that country, with many thousands of people affected directly by the loss of their homes, their places of work and their friends and family. The pictures on our TV screens and on the internet have shown much of the overall picture, but the human cost at ground level is only just beginning to become clear.

No one can fail to want to help those who have born the brunt of this disaster in the northern provinces, but as photography lovers and the consumers of so many products made in the region and by the people who will now be suffering the most, I'd like to think that we care more than most. It isn't the camera brands that we want to help, but those who live and work in these areas, many of whom may have some connection with the photo manufacturing either directly or via the numerous service industries that supply it.

Thanks to the generosity of photographic distributors in the UK Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera have collected equipment worth over £20,000 for a phone-in giveaway to raise money to help. We have a number of products and kits that you can win by calling or texting the premium rate numbers shown below. Each call or text will cost you around £1.55 (depending on your provider), and while calls will raise at least £1.10 texts may only raise 40p – due to differing operator charges. So please phone-in if you can.

Call the number shown next to the packages you would like to win, and leave your name and contact details as well as the answer to the simple questions (a,b or c). Winners will be chosen at random after the closing date. Remember, the more calls you make and the more numbers you call the better the chance you have of winning.

Sigma SD15 with 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM (x2)

The SD15 is Sigma's flagship DSLR camera, featuring a Foveon X3 sensor that delivers 14-million-pixel images, a 3in LCD screen and a 77-area metering system. In this kit the camera comes with an 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM zoom lens with Sigma's own optical stabilisation system built in.

We have two of these SD15 kits, worth a total of £2,400. Kindly donated by Sigma Imaging UK

Q: What is the size of the SD15's LCD screen?

A. 2in

B. 3in

C. 4in

Call 09041 600275, or text PHOTO10 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sigma DP1x (x2)

This extraordinary compact camera uses an imaging sensor that is approximately 7-12x larger than that used by most other compacts, which allows greater sensitivity to light, especially in dim conditions. The DP1x outputs 14-million-pixel images and is capable of saving files in raw and JPEG formats. Its f/4 aperture lens has a focal length that equates to 28mm in full-frame terms.

We have two Sigma DP1x cameras, worth a total of £1,240. Kindly donated by Sigma Imaging UK



Q: What is the maximum aperture of the Sigma DP1x's lens?

A. f/1.9

B. f/4

C. f/8

Call 09041 600276. or text PHOTO11 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sigma DP2s (x2)

With a lightweight, compact, high-quality body, the Sigma DP2s uses a larger than usual imaging sensor to produce low-noise, 14-million-pixel photographs. An advanced camera, it can save images in raw and JPEG formats, and features an f/2.8 lens with a focal length equivalent to 41mm.

We have two Sigma DP2s cameras, worth a total of £1,240. Kindly donated by Sigma Imaging UK

Q: What is the pixel output of the Sigma DP2s?

A. 4 million pixels

B. 14 million pixels

C. 24 million pixels

Call 09041 600277, or text PHOTO12 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sigma EF 610 DG Super flashgun (x2)

This powerful (GN 61m @ ISO 100) hotshoe flash unit is compatible with Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma and Sony TTL DSLR systems. Extremely flexible, it features wireless control, an autozoom bounce-and-twist head, high-speed sync mode and fast recycling times. It can be used on the camera, or off-camera on its own or as part of a group of wirelessly controlled units.

We have two Sigma EF 610 DG Super flash units, worth a total of £520. Kindly donated by Sigma Imaging UK

Q: What is the guide number of the Sigma EF 610?

A. 30m

B. 61m

C. 80m

Call 09041 600278, or text PHOTO13 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM (x2)

This is a highly desirable lens that makes an ideal focal length for portraiture, complemented by a very wide maximum aperture that allows wonderful defocused backgrounds. Super Multi-Layer coatings and a Special Low Dispersion glass element ensure excellent image quality, while the built-in Hyper Sonic Motor provides speedy and quiet autofocus operation.

We have two of these lenses, worth a total of £,1660. Kindly donated by Sigma Imaging UK

We'll contact winners for mount info: Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma or Sony.

Q: What does HSM stand for?

A. High Speed Motor

B. Hyper Sonic Motor

C. Hot Stuff Motor

Call 09041 600279, or text PHOTO14 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM (x2)

This is an all-in-one zoom lens that will cover almost all your photographic needs. Designed for cameras with an APS-C-sized imaging sensor, this mega-zoom offers a stabilisation system to help avoid camera shake when the longer focal lengths are in use. The HSM system produces fast and quiet focusing, while multi-coatings and special glasses ensure exceptional image quality.

We have two of these lenses, worth a total of £1100. Kindly donated by Sigma Imaging UK

We'll contact winners for mount info: Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma or Sony.

Q: What size sensor is this lens designed for?

A. Four Thirds

B. APS-C

C. Full frame

Call 09041 600280, or text PHOTO15 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM (x2)

This is an amazing lens that is ideal for sports and wildlife photography and for photographing distant subjects. The OS system helps produces sharp images even when the lens is used at 500mm, and the HSM makes it easier for your camera's AF system to track moving objects. Weighing only 1,780g, it is surprisingly light and compact.

We have two of these lenses, worth a total of £2,000. Kindly donated by Sigma Imaging UK

We'll contact winners for mount info: Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma or Sony.

Q: How much does this lens weigh?

A. 500g

B. 1,780g

C. 3,000g

Call 09041 600281, or text PHOTO16 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sony Alpha 55 DSLR with 18-55mm lens, plus a Lowepro Trekker 600 backpack and Giottos Vitruvian tripod

The Sony Alpha 55 features groundbreaking SLT (single-lens translucent) technology and lightning-fast shooting speeds, and comes with the Sony 18-55mm kit lens (worth £770). We've bundled it with the spacious Lowepro Trekker 600 (£350) and excellent Giottos Vitruvian carbon-fibre tripod (£300). Total Value: £1,420

Kindly donated by Sony UK and Daymen

Q: How many legs does a tripod have?

A) 15

B) 8

C) 3

Call 09041 600266, or text PHOTO1 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Sony NEX-5 Compact System Camera with 16mm f/2.8 pancake lens and Sony VAIO VPCF13MOE/B laptop

Sony's NEX-5 set the Compact System Camera world alight when it was launched last year with its small form and stunning images, and it's offered with the Sony 16mm pancake lens (value £550). We've also paired the NEX-5 with one of Sony's flagship VAIO laptops, the VPCF13MOE/B, worth £1,020. Total Value: £1,570

Kindly donated by Sony UK

Q: What style of lens comes with this Sony prize package?

A) Pancake

B) Telephoto

C) Wideangle

Call 09041 600267, or text PHOTO2 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

White Pentax K-r DSLR with 18-55mm lens, plus a Vanguard Alta 263 tripod with a GH100 head and Black Rapid RS-4 strap

The Pentax K-r is one of the best small DSLRs on the market, and we've got a stylish white one up for grabs with the18-55mm lens. The kit is worth £530, but we're also throwing in a top-quality Vanguard Alta 263 tripod, fitted with a GH100 ball head (worth £190) and Black Rapid RS-4 camera strap (£60). Total Value: £780 Kindly donated by Pentax UK and JP Distribution

Q: What colour is the Pentax camera in this prize package?

A) Orange

B) White

C) Purple

Call 09041 600268, or text PHOTO3 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Olympus Pen E-P2 with 17mm pancake lens

Olympus's diminutive, retro Pen E-P2 is one of the most stylish new cameras in recent years. It produces great results, too. There's a whole range of lenses available, but here it's combined with the 17mm pancake lens for a truly compact package. Total value: £750 Kindly donated by Olympus UK

Q: What kind of Olympus camera is in this prize package?

A) Pen

B) Pencil

C) Crayon

Call 09041 600269, or text PHOTO4 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 with 14mm pancake lens, plus a limited-edition signed Charlie Waite print

The touch-screen GF2 is one of the most desirable Compact System Cameras on the market, especially when combined with the 14mm pancake lens (worth £630), which makes it truly pocketable. We've paired it with a limited-edition signed print by landscape photography legend Charlie Waite, worth £350.

Total Value: £980 Kindly donated by Panasonic UK and Charlie Waite

Q: The photographer donating part of this Panasonic and Limited edition print package is called Charlie….

A) Chaplin

B) Sheen

C) Waite

Call 09041 600270, or text PHOTO5 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Epson Stylus Photo R2880 A3 printer

The Epson Stylus Photo R2880 produces fantastic gallery-quality A3+ prints. It is perfect for colour or mono images and is worth £570.

Kindly donated by Epson UK

Q: This Epson printer prints up to what size prints?

A) A6 +

B) A4+

C) A3 +

Call 09041 600271, or text PHOTO6 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Adobe Photoshop CS5 and onOne Perfect Photo Suite 5.5

Adobe Photoshop is the industry-standard photo-editing software, and this latest version is packed with more tools than ever. It's worth £640, but we've added the excellent Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 (£375) suite of plug-ins from onOne Software. With borders, frames, masking, resizing and other functions, it's a perfect accompaniment to Photoshop. Total value £1,015.

Kindly donated by Adobe UK and onOne Software.

Q: What is the combined value both the Adobe and OnOne Prize package?

A) £100

B) £10

C) £1015

Call 09041 600272, or text PHOTO7 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Corel software bundle (x2)

Along with Corel's powerful PaintShop Photo Pro X3 Ultimate (£79) image-editing program, you'll also be able to edit video with Corel Video Studio Pro 4 (£79), paint with Corel Painter 11 (£250), as well has having a whole creative design suite in the shape of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 worth £475. This bumper package of Corel software has a combined value of £880, and we've got two bundles to win!

Kindly donated by Corel UK

Q: What number is the Corel Painter software?

A) 2000

B) 23

C) 11

Call 09041 600273, or text PHOTO8 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Steadicam Merlin plus Westcott Photo/Video Green Screen Kit

The Steadicam Merlin (£750) is ideal for budding videographers using video or DSLR cameras, offering an incredibly smooth and stable handheld shooting platform for results just like you see in the movies.

If you want to place your subject on a different background, either for stills or video, then Westcott's Chroma Key Green background kit (£290) is the answer – simply shoot your subject in front of this, then extract the background on your PC and replace with another image or video. Combined value £1,040.

Kindly donated by Tiffen UK and JP Distribution

Q: Who would appreciate this Steadicam and Westcott prize package most?

A) A videographer

B) A plumber

C) A dentist

Call 09041 600274, or text PHOTO9 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD 15x zoom lens

The Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens (worth £650) has the longest focal length of any DSLR zoom lens, and features Tamron's unique Piezo Drive ultrasonic motor for silent, precise and fast autofocus. Despite its range it's surprisingly compact, making it an ideal travel lens. Value: £650

Kindly donated by Intro 2020

Q: How many times zoom is this Tamron lens?

A) X 2

B) X 4

C) X15

Call 09041 600284, or text PHOTO19 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Fujifilm FinePix HS10

The FinePix HS10 is an advanced bridge camera with DSLR styling and an amazing built-in 30x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 24-720mm. This makes it perfect for filling the frame with distant subjects, whether birds in the garden or the kids on sports day. Value: £390 Kindly donated by Fujifilm UK

Q: What kind of camera is the Fujifilm Finepix?

A) A bridge camera

B) A video camera

C) A disposable camera

Call 09041 600287, or text PHOTO22 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Nikon P7000

The Nikon Coolpix P7000 is an advanced digital compact camera offering many of the functions, performance and ergonomic benefits of an SLR but in a compact body. It features a 7.1x zoom lens (28-200mm equivalent), a 3in LCD screen, optical viewfinder and raw shooting. Worth £490. Kindly donated by Nikon UK.

Q: How big is the LCD screen on the Nikon P7000?

A) 1"

B) 2"

C) 3"

Call 09041 600282, or text PHOTO17 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Canon IXUS 310 HS

Few cameras can match Canon's IXUS range for sheer gorgeousness. The 310 HS boasts a bright f/2.0, 24mm ultra wide lens, a large, intuitive touchscreen, high-speed functions and Full HD movies, and we're giving away a luxurious gold one. Bling! Value: £300. Kindly donated by Canon UK

Q: What colour is this Canon IXUS 310 HS?

A) White

B) Indigo

C) Gold

Call 09041 600285, or text PHOTO20 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Casio Exilim EX-H20G

The impressive Casio Exilim EX-H20G is equipped with a unique Hybrid GPS system which combines GPS positioning with a motion sensor, so it can track a user's position against map data stored in the camera's internal memory. It also boasts a 10x optical zoom and HD movie mode. Value: £300. Kindly donated by Casio UK

Q: The Casio EX H20 G is equipped with a Hybrid…

A) GPS system

B) Sat Nav system

C) Radio

Call 09041 600286, or text PHOTO21 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Ricoh CX2

Despite being small enough to fit in your pocket, the CX2 sports a 10x zoom lens, plus a high resolution LCD screen. Its CMOS sensor and renowned Ricoh image processing ensure high-quality images, making it a great choice for the discerning snapper. We've added a £50 photo-processing voucher from Warehouse Express to make an irresistible bundle. Value £250. Kindly donated by Alpha Digital Services and Warehouse Express.

Q: The Ricoh CX2 and Warehouse Express £50 photo processing voucher have a combined value of...

A) £2.50

B) £25

C) £250

Call 09041 600283, or text PHOTO18 followed by a space and then A, B, or C to 86611

Other ways to help: A group of photographers from across the globe have joined together under the banner of Photos For Japan, organising fine art print charity auctions in aid of the relief effort in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami in the country. See more details at http://www.photosforjapan.org/

Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera Japanese Tsunami appeal terms and conditions

• Lines are open from 18 March until midnight on 17 April 2011. Entrants must be over 18. SP: Telecom Express 0870 8804869. Calls or texts will cost around £1.55 each (depending on your provider). At least £1.10 from every call entry and at least 43p from every text entry will be donated to The Red Cross Japan Tsunami fund. The British Red Cross Society, registered charity 220949 (England/Wales); SC037738 (Scotland). When you enter by text, you may in future get SMS marketing messages from IPC Media publications. If you don't want these, please end your text with NO INFO. Terms and conditions: for normal IPC competition rules, see www.whatdigitalcamera.com and www.amateurphotographer.co.uk. The prizes will be despatched no later than 31 July 2011. This competition is being promoted concurrently on and in www.whatdigitalcamera.com, Amateur Photographer magazine issues dated 2, 9 and 16 April 2011, www.amateurphotographer.co.uk and www.trustedreviews.com. The competitions can only be entered by phone or text. The winners will be randomly selected from 22 single pools of all successful entrants for each of the 22 competitions from the publications promoting this competition once it has closed. The competition is open from 18 March to 17 April 2011.

• Competition details form part of these terms and conditions.

• Entry is open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man [and Republic of Ireland – delete where applicable] except employees (and their families) of IPC Media, its printers and agents, the suppliers of the prizes and any other companies associated with the competitions.

• The winner(s) must be aged 18 or over.

• Proof of identity and age may be required.

• Use of a false name or address will result in disqualification.

• All entries must be made directly by the person entering the competition.

• Entries made online using methods generated by a script, macro or the use of automated devices will be void.

• No responsibility can be accepted for entries lost, delayed or corrupted, or due to computer error in transit.

• The prizes are as stated, are not transferable to another individual and no cash or other alternatives will be offered.

• The winner(s) is(are) responsible for expenses and arrangements not specifically included in the prizes, including any necessary travel documents, passports and visas.

• Prizes are subject to availability and the prize suppliers' terms and conditions.

• The promoters reserve the right to amend or alter the terms of competitions and reject entries from entrants not entering into the spirit of the competition.

• In the event of a prize being unavailable, the promoter reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value.

• The winner(s) agree(s) to the use of their name, photograph and disclosure of county of residence and will co-operate with any other reasonable requests by IPC relating to any post-winning publicity.

• Unless stated otherwise all postal entries must be made on the relevant coupon or form printed in the magazine.

• The winner(s) will be drawn at random from all correct entries received by the closing date stated within the promotional material.

• Reasonable efforts will be made to contact the winner(s). If the winner(s) cannot be contacted, or are unable to comply with these terms and conditions, the Promoter reserves the right to offer the prize to the next eligible entrant drawn at random.

• Confirmation of the prize will also be made in writing to the winner(s).

• Failure to respond and/or provide an address for delivery, or failure to meet the eligibility requirements may result in forfeiture of the prize.

• Where applicable, the decision of the judges is final based on the criteria set out in the promotion and no correspondence will be entered into over this decision.

• Competitions may be modified or withdrawn at any time.

• The provider of the prize is specified within the promotional material.

• The Promoter is IPC Media Limited, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU.

• In the event of a discrepancy between these standard terms and conditions and the details in the promotional material, the details of the promotional material shall prevail.

• A list of winners will be available by writing into the publisher of the magazine or website at the Promoter's address no earlier than six weeks (unless otherwise stated) after the close of the competition. Only the surname and county of the winners will be disclosed.

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