Digital Camera Magazine -julkaisun October 2020 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

Autumn and spring take some beating as the best seasons for outdoor photography, but picking a favourite is difficult. Perhaps you’ll have a clearer idea after getting inspired to shoot your best-ever autumn photos after reading our 12-page masterclass (p68). And there’s more for fans of shooting outdoors: our One to One pro masterclass is back, and we’re delighted that no less than Charlie Waite joined us on it (p10). For more inspiration, go straight to Photo Active (p16) for 10 all-new projects, and see how camera phone photography is setting new standards (p82). Another month, another mirrorless or two: don’t miss our in-depth reviews of the Canon EOS R6 and the Nikon Z 5 – and while you’re browsing Kit Zone (p95), we recommend some best-buy budget tripods. Enjoy…

Watch any video with the URL provided, or download the entire disc for videos, start files and more. How to download your digital content As we are currently unable to serve digital content on physical CDs, please follow these steps for how to access the files. We’re using Google Chrome, but other browsers work in a similar way. 1 Enter the URL below into your browser’s destination bar: www.bit.ly/dc234disc 2 Do not enter the link text here. This is a search field and won’t take you to the right URL. 3 Double-click the .zip file icon, then when it expands, double click DCM_234.iso. 4 The download content is displayed like this – it’s the same structure as a CD. Enjoy your gifts!…

Abstract, in-camera movement (ICM) photos are my craft. I love taking photos of everyday objects and changing their perspective and form with movement: it takes the audience on a journey. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 12 and severe OCD later, which led me to face challenges such as talking to people and making friends; it has often led me to feel lost. But for my 14th birthday, I got my own DSLR camera, a Nikon D3100. I fell in love with it. Photography magazines inspired me to develop my passion. I then discovered YouTube and began to teach myself photography. I went from a dark and lonely place to becoming invested in an artform that takes my focus away from the negativity in my life. My…

There are currently 270 Underground, 112 Overground and 45 Docklands Light Railway Stations in the city of London. The Tube Mapper project follows my journey as I gradually capture moments at each and every station. In 2018 there were five million users experiencing the London Underground every day, so it is not surprising that many start to notice aesthetically pleasing aspects of our journeys: the symmetrical passageways, the historic architecture and the new layouts. There truly is beauty in what would first appear as mundane. The aim of the Tube Mapper project is to capture and share some of these visually enjoyable observations. The project began over four years ago, just before my first child was born. I realised that the free time I used for creative photography of cityscapes…

When I started this project, I knew I was passionate about the idea of my work making a difference. I think it’s safe to say that most, if not all people, have been affected by negative body image at some point in their life. I’m not the best with words, so I decided that my customers would be the best advocates to spread the word of self-acceptance and inspire others. The plan was quite simple: pair powerful images with the inspiring and empowering stories of my customers, with the aim of helping others. It quickly became clear that many people were able to relate to what they were seeing and reading. In 2018 The Beautiful You Movement was born, encouraging people to celebrate their uniqueness and embrace who they are.…

Contrast in photography is one of the most important components in your image. Experimenting with colour schemes, you can figure out which combinations have the most contrast. The most contrasting combination is usually complementary colours, which are located opposite each other on the colour wheel. You may also want to keep the colours within your image to a minimum but simply use warm and cold subjects and backgrounds to create colour contrast. The more common type of contrast we think of is tonal contrast. These images are typically black and white, with very large differences between the darker and lighter areas within the image. Textures are a great way to add contrast to your images: using a highly textured subject against a smooth or clean background will create juxtaposition and…

Teach Yourself Fine Art Photography Refine your compositions, shoot striking black-and-white imagery, and take impactful portraits Teach Yourself Astrophotography Photograph the Milky Way and star trails, find out when to shoot the Moon, and learn how to capture an aurora Subscribe today at: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/dcm/int99 And improve your photography for a year! TERMS AND CONDITIONS: THIS OFFER APPLIES TO ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS. YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL AFTER YOUR PURCHASE WITH A DOWNLOADABLE LINK TO YOUR 2 FREE DIGITAL BOOKAZINES. PRICES AND SAVINGS QUOTED ARE COMPARED TO BUYING FULL-PRICED ISSUES. YOU CAN CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WITHIN 14 DAYS OF PURCHASE. PAYMENT IS NON-REFUNDABLE AFTER THE 14 DAY CANCELLATION PERIOD UNLESS EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES APPLY. YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS ARE NOT AFFECTED. PRICES CORRECT AT POINT OF PRINT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FOR FULL…

1 ‘A Slice of Orange’ by Paul Steele “Isolating at home with my Canon EOS 90D, I wanted to try something I hadn’t done before: dropping orange slices in some water. I only had a small 10-inch tank. I set the camera to its 10fps burst mode and my flash to 1/64 power to freeze the splashes. With my camera on a tripod and remote control in one hand, I tried to time releasing the shutter just before the orange slice hit the water, but it was almost impossible, so I ended up with several hundred images after dropping the orange slice around 20 times. I was pleased that I did end up with a few usable shots – and lots of spilled water.” Digital Camera says: We love everything…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. One of the most useful and simplest ‘rules’ of photography is that every shot should have a subject. This is true whether you’re shooting a portrait or a landscape. Even abstract photos work best when they have a point of focus – something to draw the eye to a certain part of the image. Sure, all rules were meant to be broken, but having a subject to draw the eye can lead to a stronger shot. But what happens if there’s no subject in sight? We’ve surely all come across beautiful scenes or gorgeous moments of light that don’t have a point of interest, but we go…

PRO TIP TELEPHOTO LENSES Although a slow and stealthy approach can get you close to grey seals, to ensure minimum disturbance of the animals, photograph them with nothing less than a 300mm focal length. Longer is even better, if you have a super telephoto or a 2x converter. A polarising filter will reduce glare from seal fur – while telephoto zooms are small enough to use regular screw-in polarisers, larger prime lenses like a 300mm f/2.8 require special drop-in filters (pictured, below), as their front elements are too big. Rather than using a tripod, balancing the lens on a large beanbag or scrunched-up coat will allow you a comfortable position to shoot from at ground level. Make sure you have image stabilisation switched on and work in continuous focus mode,…

Presenting your pics as a set rather than individually can be a powerful way to tell a more involved story or reveal a stronger connection that bonds the images. A set of three is called a triptych; for a seasonal version, close-up shots of autumn icons makes a great project. But before you begin adding shots, you first have to make the three-frame template to put them in. And as you’ll see on the video, this can be just as creative as the shots themselves… 1 Create your triptych template In Photoshop, go to File > New and create a white A4 document at 300ppi. Now pick an artistic brush from the Brush palette. With black as the foreground colour, paint in three frames with rough edges. 2 Paste in…

iPhone Photography Awards™ is the first and the longest-running iPhone photography competition. www.ippawards.com…

www.nikon.co.uk For what’s supposed to be an entry-level full-frame mirrorless camera, the Nikon Z 5 is surprisingly well-specced. It’s fully weather-sealed, featuring five-stop in-body image stabilisation, a 24.3MP sensor that goes up to ISO 51,200 in native settings, and a class-leading electronic viewfinder. It seemingly matches the more upmarket Nikon Z 6 feature for feature in all the important places. Even the control layout is almost exactly the same as in the Z 6, offering a near-identical handling experience. There’s a thumbstick, a D-pad and an array of buttons to access vital controls at the back, along with a touchscreen rear LCD and finger- and thumb-operated control dials in easy reach, and a pair of well-positioned programmable Function buttons on the front. For those making the move from a DSLR,…

www.panasonic.co.uk The Panasonic Lumix S Pro 70-200mm f/2.8 OIS fills a key role in Panasonic’s expanding L-mount lens line-up. A 70-200mm f/2.8 lens like this one is frequently the preferred telephoto zoom for top-flight professional and enthusiast photographers alike. It’s enormously versatile, widely used for everything from wedding and event photography to sports and wildlife. The generous range of telephoto focal lengths and the fast f/2.8 aperture enable a tight depth of field with the promise of smooth bokeh. You also get access to faster shutter speeds under dull lighting conditions, when you need to freeze the action. The extra f‑stop is the most compelling reason to choose this lens over Panasonic’s impressive 70-200mm f/4 zoom; it’s an important milestone in the development of the L-mount lens roadmap. The optical…

SWING-UP LEGS The five ‘travel tripods’ featured in this test group all feature swing-up legs to reduce stowage size, so the feet surround the head when folded down. TWIST OR FLIP Twist-action locking clamps are generally more popular for locking the leg sections. The Manfrotto 190 bucks the trend with equally effective flip locks. LOW-ANGLE ADAPTER For ultra-low-level shooting, the Benro Mach3, Kenro and Novo tripods come with a low-angle adapter, which can be used in place of the centre column. BALL HEAD Ball heads are more popular for travel tripods as they’re more compact. They’re often preferred for larger tripods as well, as they’re quicker to set up. COLUMN PIVOT The centre columns of the Manfrotto 190 and Kenro tripods have a 90-degree pivot facility. A full 180-degree arc…

1 South Kensington I have a collection of photos I call ‘Waiting for Trains’. I started capturing these images as it’s a nice way of creating dramatic light, even in the middle of the day. I also love the technical challenge of capturing long handheld exposures. This shot hugely benefitted from a wet puddle on the platform. 2 Stratford I love it when the doors on both sides open, creating a temporary bridge to the opposite platform. This event only happens at a few Tube stations and Stratford is probably the best location to capture it. The difficulty here was waiting for a train to zoom past while the doors remained open. 3 Bank Sometimes we get so used to our journeys that we begin to see patterns in them.…

So far I’ve tried most types of photography, but I wanted to do something entirely different. I’d previously shot astrophotography images such as basic star trails and Milky Way shots. I’d even brought a little iOptron sky tracker camera mount, but then I wanted to go bigger. I’d always loved the pictures from Hubble, and I knew that with better gear, I could gain far better results. I already had a Canon 80D, which I’d had astro-modified, and a Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens that I could use to start me off. But I knew I’d need a good solid mount, so I bought a Skywatcher EQ6 R-Pro T. Then, on the first clear night off, I went to the Elan Valley in Wales for the dark sky; the image…

While it can be hard to follow the latest lockdown logic, one thing you can always depend on is our content devoted to enjoying your photography at home, with practical projects and creative inspiration. There are no mixed messages here – just regular encouragement to keep calm and camera on. Try out one of these projects today – and if you take a shot you just have to share, send them to digitalcamera@futurenet.com with the subject line ‘Reader Images’, and you could be in our reader gallery! 44 Shoot macro waterdrops in your garden Take advantage of recent rainfall to get out in your garden and shoot up-close, with these techniques and tips 48 How to build a photo website with Drupal Continuing our series on this content management system,…

PART 6 OF 7 Photo website building 101 Last issue, we showed how to build a photography website from scratch using the Drupal content management system (CMS). This approach is an alternative to enlisting the services of a dedicated website-builder platform like SmugMug, Squarespace or Wix (see issue 231). To recap, websites built using a CMS are more sophisticated than ones consisting of fixed or ‘static’ pages of text, and are essential for displaying images. These are stored in a database and served to users as required; the website’s host CMS accepts requests from a remote computer and instructs the server to send the data. While using the WordPress CMS will get the job done perfectly well, developing a site in Drupal will appeal to computer-literate folk who have the…

Focus stacking is a clever technique that’s used to produce a deep depth of field in an image when conditions prevent front-to-back sharpness being captured. Focus stacking works by combining a set of images taken from exactly the same position, but where the points of focus move from the front to the back of the scene. The resulting batch of photographs are then blended together in software to create a new image with an extended – huge, even – depth of field. While some image editing programs require a variety of steps and procedures to perform focus stacking, Franzis Focus Projects 4 merges a series of photos into one image in just a few clicks. It works as a standalone program or as a plug-in, and also offers added functionality:…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. Brushes in Affinity Photo go far beyond the standard circular brush most of us are probably familiar with. In some ways, they even surpass what can be done in Photoshop. There’s a wide array of different brush tips to choose from, including the excellent set of grunge brushes we’ve used for our scatter effect here. What’s more, brushes can be customised with a range of useful parameters like spacing, scattering and wet-edge controls. You can have hours of fun simply by playing with all the settings. But the options don’t stop there… You can also create your own brushes from any image or shape, like the colourful…

Autumn can come and go in the blink of an eye, so it pays to be prepared with ideas and inspiration for when the trees turn golden and your breath starts to mist the air. This is the season that has inspired artists and poets for centuries – and with the help of your camera, you can squeeze every warm hue, every texture and more than a modicum of mellow fruitfulness from autumn’s constantly changing conditions. As the days gets shorter, the best light for shooting, both early and late in the day, arrives at a more civilised hour. The rich, verdant landscapes of summer are replaced by earthier tones and, as the trees lose their leaves, more interesting structural shapes come back into view to simplify your compositions. Late…

Warm-hued autumnal scenics can be really evocative – but sometimes when you go out to shoot, the light doesn’t perform or the colours of the leaves haven’t got that extra ‘oomph’ you were looking for. This is when combining your landscape shot with a suitably toned textured image can breathe new life and colour into your finished photo. While you’re out on any shoot, keep your eyes open for interesting textures, such as rusty old sheds or metal sheeting, and take photos to use later. Our red texture image is simply a section of an old, weathered, metal barrel. If you can compose your texture shot so the darker texture is on the outside, you’ll even create a natural vignette when you combine the two. 1 Combine the pics Open…

Colour grading is the process that movies and TV dramas go through to get their signature look and visual styling. Some graders or colourists go for a bleached look with muted colours, and some go for a specific accent colour; but most combine a couple of hues that establish a particular palette and mood, which then runs through parts (or all) of the film. The Split Toning panel in Camera Raw and Lightroom is commonly used to colourise a mono image, but by applying it to a regular colour raw file, you can emulate the colour grading process and give your shots a cinematic look. 1 Open your pic into Camera Raw Open your shot in Camera Raw and, after making adjustments in the Basic panel, select Split Toning and…

Both Canon and Nikon are busy filling out their next-gen mirrorless camera ranges this month, albeit at somewhat different price points. Last issue we were impressed by the cutting-edge technology in Canon’s R5, its most advanced R-series camera so far. The R6 features a lot of the same tech at a significantly lower price. So what compromises have been made, and to what extent will you be missing out? Find out over the page. Nikon’s Z 5 is the company’s entry-point offering for anyone seeking full-frame quality in a mirrorless, slotting into the range above the APS-format Z 50. Its launch coincides with a new kit lens that may create more debate than the camera: Nikon’s opted for a highly compact retractable design at the cost of zoom range and…

www.sony.co.uk There are lots of stills cameras that are also pretty good at vlogging, and a few that have been adapted with flip-over screens, mic sockets and face/eye detect AF. Sony’s ZV-1 stands out, however, as a camera that has been built for vlogging first. It will also shoot stills perfectly well, but vlogging is what it’s made for. Its nearest rival is Canon’s PowerShot G7 X Mark III, but the new Sony beats it for screen articulation, autofocus and audio. The integrated lens is a 24-70mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 zoom similar to the one used on older Sony RX100 models, and the sensor is a 20MP 1-inch type used across the RX100 range. But apart from these technical similarities and a broadly similar size and weight, the ZV-1 is a…

Flimsy tripods from manufacturers you’ve never heard of can cost next to nothing, while range-topping models from premium brands like Gitzo can come with four-figure price tags. So how much do you actually need to spend for a tripod that’s fit for purpose? The first question is what ‘purpose’ you have in mind. Most of us want a tripod that we can carry around easily, whether we’re in town, strolling through the countryside, or travelling to far-flung destinations. As such, ‘travel tripods’ have become increasingly popular over recent years. Current models almost exclusively feature swing-up legs to minimise packing size. Indeed, a couple of the tripods in this test fold down to just 32cm, so you can fit them inside many photo bags and backpacks, rather than strapping them precariously…

Clicking all the right boxes, the Kenro Karoo Ultimate Travel tripod kit has a modern design with swing-up legs that enables a compact carrying size. However, unlike most travel tripods that have a distinctly limited maximum operating height, the Kenro beats even the conventional ‘fullsized’ tripods on test in this respect. Also, unlike the vast majority of travel tripods, it features a pivoting centre column, adding versatility. The aluminium version is great value, as is the dearer carbon-fibre edition. For ultra-compact travel tripods, the Benro Slim Travel and Sirui T-005 both fold down to just 32cm in height, and each is light – just over a kilogramme. The Sirui has a greater load rating and operating height, but the Benro, constructed from carbon-fibre, feels a little more luxurious. The aluminium…

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Charlie Waite Landscape photographer Widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest landscape photographers, Charlie co-founded the photography travel company Light & Land in 2017. He also runs the Take A View Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. www.charliewaite.com Photographing landscapes is a bit like fly fishing: you never know exactly what you’re going to get – and you may not get anything at all. But being outdoors, surrounded by the serenity of nature, is more than ample a reward for the time spent in pursuit of your quarry. This thought is going through my mind during a socially distanced afternoon spent in the company of one of the UK’s finest practitioners of landscape photography. Charlie Waite has been shooting some of the world’s finest landscapes for four decades; I dabble…

Several years ago, when my adventure with photography began, I knew that what fascinated me the most was landscapes. As I have always lived by the sea, it has become an inspiration for me, and a spectacular subject for photography. It attracted me with its space and various faces of the elements, from the calm surface to the threatening storm waves intensely crashing on the shore. Depending on the season and the weather, the sea can introduce a different energy into the picture. One of my favourite effects when I photograph the sea is the blurry returning wave. It adds dynamics to the photo and makes the shore covered with a delicate white lace. Camera settings play a major role in creating this effect, especially lengthening the shutter speed to…

With these few simple techniques, you’ll be able to turn any normal house into a chilling scene filled with dark and creepy sights. All you really need is an image of a house, but feel free to get creative: you could make any image spooky. Pay attention to detail and tone: these factors play a crucial part in achieving an eerie effect. To make your house even scarier, try changing the perspective of the image to make it seem more daunting, or even cast a yellow light in one of the windows. 1 Layer up To start, open up your chosen image in Photoshop. In the Layers Panel, click the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer icon. When the pop-up menu of options appears, choose the Black & White Adjustment…

Based in Belfast, I specialise in capturing the landscape in the best available light, wherever and whenever possible. All things beautiful inspire me, from long shadows and warm light during the ‘golden hour’ to the passing of clouds, or sounds and music. My work has previously been featured in Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 10 and various magazines, and more recently I was shortlisted in World Landscape Photographer. I am passionate about my work. While social media can be fantastic, my work is best viewed in print form. I love seeing my work printed large before it makes its way off to a client. If you’re just starting out and have never printed your work, I strongly suggest doing so: even in a small format, it becomes a different…

Take out a year’s subscription to Digital Camera and get 13 issues direct to your door, plus a Vanguard shoulder bag worth £90 for carrying your camera gear… Get this great Vanguard shoulder bag by subscribing today at: myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/dcm/vra1 or call 0344 848 2852 and quote ‘VRA1’ Subscribe to Digital Camera for a year and get this brilliant bag to store your camera gear Editor, Digital Camera Great features of the Vanguard Veo Range 38 NV shoulder bag Fits a DSLR or mirrorless camera with lens attached, 2-3 lenses, a flashgun and accessories Double-decker system that allows you to add extra lenses or a travel tripod Plus 15-inch laptop and travel tripod inside (up to 41cm long) Top reasons to subscribe now! Great savings Subscribe for 12 months and get…

After the heavens have opened with a deluge of rainfall, it’s a good time to explore the small world of your garden or local park. Wet flowers and plants can generate some interesting results. I own a Nikon DSLR, but also enjoy using my Leica D-Lux 6 compact, which has a good macro option on its fast Leica DC Vario-Summilux f/1.4 lens. Its simple design makes it easy to use, with a simple macro switch on the lens. The lens lets a lot of light into the shot, which helps immensely when you attempt macro, and you can get super-close to your subject with this optic. A compact camera is a good thing to keep handy for everyday use, for those moments when you are in the park or on…

Imagine being able to share the precise location of a photogenic spot using just three ordinary words rather than having to tap out unmemorable and easy-to-mistype GPS co-ordinates on a keyboard. That’s the beauty of the what3words location reference system, fast gaining traction in the photography community. As genius an invention as GPS is, strings of numbers, symbols and letters won’t make you many friends among folk who don’t orienteer or sail boats, or who are just maths-blind. what3words is a clever alternative to GPS, based on dividing the world into a grid of 57 trillion squares of three square metres (32 sq ft), then assigning each square a random combination of three words. Everywhere on Earth, from deserts to densely populated cities, has been given its own unique three-word…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most As the name suggests, the Dehaze command reduces atmospheric haze in landscape images. Found within both Photoshop’s Camera Raw workspace and Lightroom, the command is a slider that not only lets you reduce haze, but also allows you to go the other way and make your photos look more hazy. Of course, this effect isn’t a magical trick that actually eradicates haziness. Instead, it works by applying a boost in contrast and sharpness to a specific part of the tonal range – the part that usually correlates with hazy highlights in landscapes. As such, you can exploit the effect not just for hazy scenes, but also for…

When you shoot into the light, the range of brightness in the scene will usually be greater than your camera can handle in a single exposure. But by shooting under- and over-exposed shots along with the ‘normal’ value, you can record all the detail in the tonal range, and blend the pics together to get a high dynamic range, or HDR, image. HDR images can sometimes look heavily processed and over the top, but with the method outlined here, you can produce a natural-looking photo from three raw files, and get all the subtle detail of the season locked into the image. 1 Set up your camera Select Raw mode on your camera, then bring up its Auto-exposure Bracketing (AEB) function. Set it to a three-shot sequence with a two-stop…

Long exposures can only usually be taken when light levels are low enough, but add a 10-stop ND filter and you can stretch a shot that would normally be taken in 1/30 sec into an image that takes a whopping 30 seconds to capture. Providing your camera is on a solid tripod, all static elements will be sharp, but anything moving – such as clouds or water – will be recorded as a blur. To do this, you need a special 10-stop filter like a Hoya Pro ND 1000 or a Lee Big Stopper, but the results are simply breathtaking. THE STANDARD WAY 1 With your camera on a tripod, compose and focus without the filter in Aperture Priority mode. Note the exposure settings (for example, 1/30 sec at f/11).…

EISA 2020-2021 winners Wins across the board for the major manufacturers, after the specialist camera press in 29 countries cast its votes Canon, Nikon and Sony were the big winners at the EISA Awards 2020-2021. The Expert Imaging and Sound Association comprises 55 special-interest magazines from 29 countries across the world and has celebrated the best photographic products for over 35 years. Canon won plaudits for its EOS R5 (Camera Innovation), EOS-1D X Mark III (Professional Camera), EOS 90D (APS-C Camera), RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM (Standard Lens), RF 600mm and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM (Lens Innovation), while the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM took Lens of the Year. Nikon’s D780 won the Full-Frame Camera award, the Z 50 was Best Buy Camera and two Nikkor lenses were also…

www.canon.co.uk While its big brother the R5 (reviewed last issue) has got all the headlines, the EOS R6 is in many ways a more fascinating camera – and one that’s going to appeal to a much larger portion of the market. Although impressive, the R5 is simply too much camera for most people. Its 8K video in particular is the tech of tomorrow, rather than today. Most people simply don’t have the storage capacity or the power on their laptops to handle an 8K workflow – and right now, there aren’t many places where 8K files can be shared. Ditto the R5’s 45MP sensor. It sounds great on paper, but if you want an everyday camera or you shoot action, handling hundreds of massive files often leaves you feeling you’ve…

www.tamron.eu On a full-frame camera, the 35mm focal length combines a useful viewing angle with an entirely natural perspective. Compact and light, this Tamron 35mm prime is a perfect fit for Sony A7 and A9 series bodies, on which it feels sublimely balanced. Like Tamron’s 20mm and 24mm prime lenses in Sony E-mount, the 35mm has an uncommonly short minimum focus distance, enabling a 0.5x macro magnification. The working distance between the front of the lens and the subject can feel a little close for comfort in macro photography, but it’s a handy feature nonetheless. In more general shooting, you can easily get really close to your subject and exaggerate perspective to make it stand out. The f/2.8 aperture rating enables a fairly tight depth of field at short focus…

Travel tripods with swing-up legs can reduce carrying size, and some designs go further still to keep stowage size to a minimum. Naturally, a greater number of extending sections in each leg enables a decent maximum operating height while minimising the size. As such, most travel tripods have four or even five sections per leg, whereas most general-purpose tripods have only three. The Benro, Kenro and Sirui travel tripods on test also feature dual-section telescopic centre columns, further increasing the difference between maximum operating height and folded size. The downside is that larger numbers of leg and centre column sections require the operation of more clamps for setting up the tripod and packing it away. When you need to swing the legs up and down as well, you can find…