Digital Camera Magazineの June 2022 の目次

Wildlife is a genre you can photograph all year round, but rather than just focus on the current time of year, our cover feature (page 46) gives you a bit of a bonus – pro tips and advice for capturing your favourite creatures throughout the four seasons. Wildlife photography lovers will also enjoy Shot of the Month (p78) and the interview with photographer and filmmaker Vincent Munier (p120), while our group test of super-telephoto zooms (p112) will help get you closer to the action. Some fun photography techniques are explored in Photo Active (p16), with 10 all-new projects, while Camera College (p60) offers fresh tutorials on floral photography. Pro inspiration abounds in this issue, with insights from Christie Goodwin (p8) and Christy Lee Rogers (p102), and there are some tasty…

STEP 1 ENTER THIS URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc256 Enter the URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc256 into the destination bar of your internet browser – we’re using Google Chrome, but other browsers work in a similar way. Please do not enter it in any search field or search bar. This will take you to a page on our website. STEP 2 JUST CLICK THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK Here you’ll find all the gifts and videos to accompany this issue of Digital Camera. Click on the link labelled ‘Download the disc for Digital Camera 256’ and your download will start, delivered from our own server. It may take a few minutes. STEP 3 ACCESS YOUR FILES Open the. zip In your Downloads folder, or wherever you chose to download your files to, double-click the dc256-disc.zip file icon. Then…

10 things you can shoot this month, from wildlife and landscapes to architecture and portraits Wildlife photography is always about W perseverance and patience; most of the time you either don’t capture shots you are happy with, or you don’t capture any shots at all. The more you actively return to areas to try to photograph animals, the more likely you are to capture the perfect shots you want to achieve. From my personal experience, urban foxes in cities are admittedly a lot tamer than rural foxes found in the countryside. However, they are still wild animals and it is crucial to respect their space and boundaries. In these shots, the foxes I photographed were extremely tame, and occasionally they even came right up to me to sniff my scent.…

Located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, the Isle of Man L is home to some of the best dark skies in the British Isles. Photographer Glenn Whorrall uses long-exposure night-time photography to picture the trails drawn by drones equipped with extra lights. “I have been flying drones for eight years and was one of the first photographers on the Isle of Man to get ‘permission for aerial work’ status,” says Glenn. “Having shot astro timelapse films before, I was looking for something different. Drone light painting astrophotography uses long-exposure night-time photography with extra lights attached to drones to paint light trails in the sky and illuminate scenes from above. The results can be pretty stunning. “Due to its low light pollution, the Isle of Man is home…

Colour theory is one of my favourite C techniques to deploy in photography. It is a lot of fun to play with and, if you use the colour spectrum well, it can completely change the mood of your image. If you use a monochromatic colour scheme for a photoshoot, it will give you a great foundation to begin with. I like to start simply with just one colour and then style outfits and props accordingly, I think about what that colour means to me and what mood it creates. I then like to expand my work and turn my singular images into a photo series by then working with a different colour for each photograph, and mixing it up with different outfits and props. I also enjoy finding coloured backdrops…

Overall Winner (and Street Food category winner) ‘Kebabiyana’ Debdatta Chakraborty, India “Khayam Chowk is an alleyway in Sri Nagar, which is no different from other streets during daytime. But, in the evening, numerous charcoal ovens are lit up by vendors, and the aroma and smoke of wazwan kebabs turn this street into a food-lovers’ paradise.” Fujifilm Award for Innovation ‘Central Park’ Yuliy Vasilev, Bulgaria “The image is part of my ongoing project called ‘Foodtopia’, a miniature world created with food items.” Food Stylist Award ‘Summer Veg Tart’ Carolin Strothe, Germany “Celebrating summer with this spectacular veg tart – topped with buffalo mozzarella, feta, heirloom tomatoes, pea pods, spring onions and corn flowers.” One Vision Imaging Cream of the Crop ‘Carrot Field Forever’ Paolo Grinza and Silvia Vaulà, Italy “This image…

1 USE A TRIPOD WITH A GIMBAL HEAD A tripod is great for taking the weight of unwieldy telephoto lenses and makes it easier to pan and track fast-moving animals. A gimbal head can be a great addition to your kit bag, as they allow you to smoothly pan your lens on the tripod much more effectively than the more common 3-way and ball tripod heads. We use a Benro GH2 gimbal head, making sure to mount the quick release plate to the tripod collar foot to balance the lens and camera evenly. 2 REFINE YOUR FOCUSING Many enthusiast and pro-level cameras let you refine the autofocus, making it more effective at locking on to the specific subject you are trying to photograph, so dive into your camera menu to see if…

While some animals like hedgehogs go into hibernation to wait out the colder months, other animals like squirrels become far less active and sleep a lot longer, which can make wildlife shots a bit trickier. However, many animals have to persevere and continue to hunt to survive through the brutal conditions that winter brings. The saying ‘no pain, no gain’ is fitting for winter wildlife shots, as you really need bags of motivation and endurance. You may be sat in the cold for long periods of time waiting for an animal to appear and the perfect moment happen in front of your eyes. It’s because it’s challenging that it’s even more special when you are able to come away with an amazing photo – not to mention snowy and icy…

Wind is the enemy when it comes to flower photography. It doesn’t take much in the way of a breeze to end up with a blurred subject – particularly if it’s a tall-stemmed species. This is because you’ll often be working close to a subject, where even the slightest movement will be magnified. You may also be using smaller apertures to record more detail, and a low ISO for the best image quality, in which case the shutter speed will be relatively slow, compounding the problem. There are several things you can do to improve your chances, though. You can open up the aperture and increase the ISO, for example, in order to arrive at a shutter speed that’s fast enough to freeze subject shake. Mounting your camera on a…

Reader 1 Jules Gallagher Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Location: Leicestershire A business analyst by day, Jules describes herself as “a keen work-in-progress amateur photographer in my spare time.” Jules’ interest in photography stems from her husband Tony, who took her on a beginner’s photography course to allow her to explore the features of her camera and get her off shooting in Auto. Jules recently attended an introduction to landscape photography and using filters, which took place on the Suffolk coast with a dawn start – now that’s what you call commitment to the cause. https://julesgallagher.myportfolio.com Reader 2 Tony Lake Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Location: Leicestershire Husband Tony is a keen wildlife and motorsport photographer. Whether it’s visiting local wildlife reserves, attending motorsport events or just sitting…

https://theta360.com When the Ricoh Theta first hit the shelves in 2013, it was the very first 360° consumer camera. Since then, the likes of Insta360 and even GoPro have got involved in the spherical format. So can Ricoh reach the high standards of its rivals with the latest iteration of the Theta 360? Absolutely. The Theta X does something that no other 360º camera achieves by offering 11K stills resolution, which is 60.5 megapixels. If there’s something that 360° cameras have lacked in the last decade, it’s resolution, with spherical images failing to impress when judged purely on detail. The Theta X attempts to go one better by shooting 5.7K 30fps 360º video with image stabilisation. It does that using its twin fisheye lens, whose separate images are stitched together…

www.rotolight.com The Rotolight Neo 3 builds on the success of the preceding Neo 2, adding a raft of impressive new features. Both models deliver flash output as well as constant lighting, but the Neo 3 delivers a full range of colour in both modes, with full RGBWW options. It comes in various configurations and kits and accessories will vary according to which you choose. The Rotolight Neo 3 also adds an integrated Elinchrom Skyport RF receiver, enabling wireless flash triggering if you have (or buy) the companion Elinchrom/Rotolight HSS Transmitter. As its name suggests, the hotshoe-mounting trigger comes in dedicated options for different makes of cameras and enables high-speed sync, with shutter speeds of up to 1/8000th of a second. It also comes complete with a hotshoe adaptor so…

There are often times when we can’t get as close as we’d like to. If you’re shooting anything from small timid birds to planes at an air show, from athletes to motor sports, or wildlife on safari, you’ll need a lens that really covers the distance. A super-telephoto lens will get you there, and a zoom beats a prime for flexibility when your movements are limited. That’s especially true if you’re confined to a hide for shooting wildlife, or in a spectators’ area at a sporting event. A super-telephoto zoom can also come in handy for shooting candid portraits at events, so you can be unobtrusive and pick people out from a distance, while also blurring the background with a fairly tight depth of field. They can even give a…

Vincent Munier Wildlife photographer A lover of extreme travel, Vincent has worked in many exotic locations. In this issue, we get a taste of his travels through Tibet. Read more on page 120 Christy Lee Rogers Visual artist Inspired by the works of classical painters, Christy’s signature aesthetic featured in the BBC show Extraordinary Portraits. Go behind the scenes on page 102 Dan Rose Photographer Based in south-west England, Dan has a passion for portraits, landscapes, wildlife and travel photography. See his amazing fox captures on page 16 Jon Devo Photographer & writer Jon enjoys celebrating the evolution of camera tech. This issue, he wonders what DJI’s take on Hasselblad’s X1D will look like. Page 104 Zephy Rose Hood Photographer Zephy enjoys a range of photographic styles, particularly when it…

Music & portrait photographer One of the world’s leading live music photographers, Christie has captured a galaxy of global megastars, including Ed Sheeran, Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and many, many more. Christie is also a judge for the world’s biggest photo competition, the Cewe Photo Awards. www.christiegoodwin.com Have you ever picked up a crime thriller and wondered H whodunnit – not the dastardly deed itself, but the actual cover image? Chances are that one of the bestsellers you blazed through on holiday might have featured a photo by Christie Goodwin. For almost a decade and a half, the music and portrait photographer has been supplying shots that have graced the covers of novels published around the world. You’ll know the ones I mean – where there’s an enigmatic…

I am a photographer from Lancashire who is lucky I enough to have two major cities within an hour’s drive to satisfy my desire to photograph architecture. I was first inspired to try taking photographs during a trip to the USA, where I wanted to capture the fabulous architecture and the vast landscapes. Before the pandemic lockdowns and travelling restrictions, I loved to explore cities – nothing beats wandering around with a camera looking for interesting architecture, with the added advantage of being less affected by the weather, as you can always head indoors if it’s too sunny or wet. With architecture, I’m drawn to the angles, lines and symmetry of buildings – we often miss the beauty that can be found in an urban environment as we rush around…

I appreciate and love the awesomeness of a classic landscape at the magic hour. Just being there in it raises my spirits and nourishes my soul. However, I’m left in the creative doldrums when presented with classic arcadian vistas. I simply don’t have a desire to capture the ‘picturesque’ view with any great enthusiasm. If I’m honest, I find a lot of the images I see of these views quite one-dimensional. Photographically, I’m happier on the peripheries of urban, rural and wild landscapes – areas where humanity and the environment are intertwined. While the photos might be more ‘boring,’ this interests me, and I’m consistently drawn to making images in these places. I take some inspiration from the New Topographics, a group of photographers working in the 1970s. New Topographic…

Wildlife photography is an incredibly rewarding genre that allows you to get out into the great outdoors with your camera and take fantastic images of the animals you love. While some species can be trickier to photograph than others, in this feature we’ve set out some expert tips and tricks that will make it easier to take amazing shots of fantastic wild animals in the UK all year round, from rabbits and hares in the spring, seabirds including puffins, gannets or razorbills in the summer, deer fighting for dominance in autumn’s rutting season, or even snow-covered British red squirrels and foxes in the middle of the winter. Finding a location where you can see the animals you wish to photograph is a key first step, but thanks to local wildlife…

FLASHGUN FROM £49 Flashguns can be fantastic for capturing wildlife in low light and shooting nocturnal animals. They’re also brilliant when set up off-camera and pointed at an area you know wildlife will visit, like a bird feeder. BEAN BAG FROM £20 A bean bag with a camouflaged design is a handy accessory to carry and store in your car boot to help you keep long lenses steady when shooting in a wildlife hide or low to the ground. TELECONVERTERS FROM £250 Teleconverters fit between your lens and camera body to make your lenses more zoomed in. A 1.4x converter will magnify your lens by 1.4x, so a 300mm lens will become 420mm and a 2x converter will take it 600mm. Inserting the extra glass will degrade image quality a…

While a fast shutter speed is needed to catch pin-sharp birds in flight, you can have great fun with slower shutter speeds, too, as this will help you capture a bit of motion in the bird’s wings. This is especially helpful on overcast days when light levels are low. Set the ISO to 100 and close the aperture until you get a shutter speed of around 1/20 sec. Keep practising, as you’ll never get two shots the same, and refine the shutter speed until you get the perfect amount of blur.…

To help you blend in to your surroundings, you can get camera and lens covers, which add a little protection and camouflage. This is particularly useful for white lenses like some of those made by Canon and Sony. Check out covers from LensCoat, which come in different colours to help you blend into different scenarios such as Forest Green, Snow and Digital Camo. If you plan to be in one area for a long time and wait for the wildlife to come closer to you then a hide like those from Wildlife Watching Supplies might be worth considering. These are great to set up on location or even at home in your garden close to a bird feeder.…

1 UNDERSTAND YOUR METERING MODES Modern cameras come with different metering modes that determine the settings needed for a ‘correct’ exposure. This works in semi-automatic modes like Aperture-Priority, with some metering modes like Evaluative or Matrix assessing most of the frame before calculating the exposure, while modes like Spot work on a much smaller portion of the frame. Snow can easily throw off metering modes so be sure that you shoot Raw files to capture more exposure info, or add some exposure compensation (see next step). 2 KEEP YOUR SNOW WHITE If your snow is coming out too bright you can add some negative exposure compensation. This works in semiautomatic modes like Aperture Priority and allows you to force an underexposed shot. The exposure compensation button usually has a plus…

1 ‘Peek-a-boo’ by Darrel Neaves “Our cat Cloud taking a interest and getting in our way while we were painting palettes blue to make a garden bench. Taken on a Nikon D610 with a 50mm lens – 1/500 sec at f/1.8, ISO100.” Digital Camera says: Quite a unique photo, Darrel – the natural frame created by the wooden palette draws you right into Cloud. The blue paint also complements his warm colours wonderfully. 2 ‘Eyes’ by Jonathan Sasin “I took this picture of this dog while the owner was asleep, using my Nikon D850 and a Voigtlander 58mm F1.4 manual lens. It was a good moment to take the picture as the dog was a bit confused with what I was doing, hence her expression.” Digital Camera says: A great…

Camera Canon EOS 7D Mark II Lens Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Exposure 1/400 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100 Challenge 1 Jules Gallagher Built in the early 1800s, Foxton Locks is located on the Grand Union Canal and is home to Britain’s longest and steepest staircase flight of locks. While transporting cargo by canal has long given way to pleasure cruising, Foxton Locks is still very much in use by houseboats. Surrounded by bucolic Leicestershire countryside, it is a very agreeable place to visit in fine weather – and that’s what we’re doing today, with a local Digital Camera-reading couple in tow. Jules and Tony recommended this location for its richness of photo opportunities, and to ease in to the day we’re going to embrace the reflective potential of…

Take-off for DJI Mini 3 Pro Latest camera drone model from the leading brand brings high-end features to the crucial low-weight category, including 4K at 60fps and a vertical camera option Previous iterations of DJI’s sub-249g camera drone have all sat some way behind their heavier cousins when it comes to features, but that’s all changed with the DJI Mini 3 Pro. It’s the first camera drone in this category to offer tri-directional obstacle sensors, as well as 4K at 60 fps (topping the Mini 2’s 30fps), ActiveTrack and a vertical camera option for social media-friendly images. The Mini 3 Pro’s camera has a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor and dual-native ISO. The f/1.7 aperture has a Smart Photo and 48MP Photo mode (8064×6048 pixels). When capturing video, 2x digital zoom is…

www.samyanglens.com Also badged as ‘Rokinon’, the Samyang AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE is the company’s first-ever zoom lens, but the manufacturer has certainly hit the ground running. Typical of a ‘trinity’ standard zoom, it combines a classic range of focal lengths with a constant aperture design. Built for Sony full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras, it also works well on APS-C format bodies, with an ‘effective’ 36-105mm zoom range. That said, it’s typically large and weighs just over a kilogram, making it a bit of a hefty proposition for Sony’s smaller cameras. Either way, this Samyang goes head to head with the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master zoom, but costs just half the price. The Samyang mostly matches the own-brand Sony G Master lens stride for stride. It has an identical zoom…

www.rotolight.com The Rotolight Aeos 2 bucks a recent trend. LED panels aren’t exactly ten a penny these days, but there are plenty of ultra-cheap options on the market. They’re universally good rather than great, with typically basic features and mediocre build quality. The Aeos 2 takes an opposite path, packing a range of advanced features plus high-speed sync flash into a compact and lightweight, yet fully pro-grade build. The original Aeos was a favourite of many enthusiasts, professional photographers and videographers, but the second edition takes everything to a new level. Key features Gone are the bi-colour LEDs of the original Aeos, replaced by a bank of top-end RGBWW (Red Green Blue White Warm white) lamps. This makes a 16.7 million colour range available in the Aeos 2, for both…

Today’s shoot was definitely worth the early and chilly start – two weeks later, Arcangel Images accepted more than 40 of Christie’s shots. After being keyworded so they could be found in search results, international publishing houses, art directors, designers and so on will be able to discover them on Arcangel’s image library in the same way one would on Google – searching by genre, historical period, model age range, gender and other tags to locate the right image for their book cover brief. The process from image capture to being used on a book cover can take up to a couple of years, though.…

This is a great time of year to actively review your photos from the past year or so and see if they can be converted from so-so snapshots to something you would be proud to hang up on your wall. Many photographs in your archives that lack punch can be re-examined and turned into winners if you crop them to a square format. Being able to actively re-work photographs is a major advantage of working in the digital space. Processing the final image has become as important to good photography as pressing the shutter in the first place. A square has symmetrical sides that keep the eye from wandering off the edges of the photograph, and directs focus onto the important elements of the image. www.flickr.com/photos/131371424@N05 Symmetrical compositions Since a…

It often feels like we digital photographers are always hankering for something else – more megapixels, more dynamic range, more colours and more filters. But the better you become at editing, then you will be able to get more from what you already own. Last year, I picked up a compact Fujifilm X-E1 with a 35mm lens to use as my pocket camera. I love it when I spot a sky full of detail forming overhead; I’ll snap it and might not do much with the images, but every now and then I will mess around with one of them in Lightroom. In the past, I found that pulling down a graduated filter from the top of the frame was an ideal way to extract more detail. And the ‘Select…

1 Open up your aperture Using a larger aperture can really help isolate your subject from the background; I tend to shoot around f/2-f/4. For closer portraits you might want to increase this, as you’ll find that the subject’s nose or lips become out of focus (and that’s OK if you like that aesthetic!). But always make sure that the eyes are sharp. 2 Don’t use flash I try to use natural light as much as possible. Learn where the light is hitting your subject; asking them to slightly raise their chin or turn their head left or right can help highlight the cheekbones, lighten the eyes and give more impact to your photo. Flash can cause a bit of shine on the face – sometimes this is OK, but often it’s…

Top reasons to subscribe now! ✓ Great savings Subscribe and get 13 issues delivered to your door, your digital device, or both! Just choose between the three options below… ✓ Get your camera sling bag worth £70! Ideal for medium-size digital cameras and multiple lenses, the Manfrotto NX camera sling is perfect for both photography and everyday leisure use Your options Option 1: Save 28%! • Print-only: pay £27 every six months • 13 issues of Digital Camera print edition delivered to your door Lowepro Passport Duo camera sling bag worth £53! Option 2: Save 58%! • Print & digital: pay £34.50 every six months • 13 issues of Digital Camera print edition delivered to your door • 13 issues of Digital Camera digital edition for your iOS or Android device…

Gear is important in whatever genre of photography floats your boat. Here, we take a look at the minimum requirement of camera kit we recommend when starting out, plus some cheap accessories and upgrades you can make along the way. Can you achieve fantastic results with entry-level kit? Absolutely, but it’s worth noting that a more advanced camera with a faster burst mode will make it easier to capture a specific moment when an animal is moving quickly, and professional telephoto lenses may have better image stabilisation, faster autofocus systems or wider apertures that make it easier to blur the background. If you’re on a super-tight budget, pick the minimum requirements now and invest accordingly; over time, you will be able to work out which kit you need to upgrade…

Long days and consistently clearer weather make summer the best time of year to visit a seabird city. Colourful and charismatic puffins, also called the clowns of the sea, migrate to the UK between late April and August, but June and July are generally considered the best time to see them. Sites in the UK include Skomer Island in Wales or Bempton Cliffs in Flamborough, England. These seabird cities also offer a huge range of other interesting birds, such as razorbills, gannets and Manx shearwaters. Birds are generally quite small animals and puffins are only about 30cm tall, so a long lens is recommended. You can try a teleconverter or a crop-sensor camera body for extra reach, or consider renting a professional telephoto lens for your trip from sites like…

By default, modern cameras autofocus by half-pressing the shutter button and then take the photo by pressing the shutter fully all the way down. However, many professional cameras have a dedicated AF-ON button on the back of the camera that allows you to separate the autofocus engagement from the shutter for more precise control. This will be slightly different to the setup on different camera models, so check your manual and look in the autofocus options of your camera menu.…

One tactic for making background distractions melt away is to set a wide aperture on the camera (see the following pages for more details). Blurring the background doesn’t always work, though, as areas of high contrast (such as slivers of pale sky) or bright colours will still draw the eye. One option to consider is to pack an A4-sized piece of dark-coloured card in your camera bag. You can use this card to provide a clean backdrop (as shown here, on the right). Just be ready to reduce the exposure if the camera makes everything too bright.…

Finding a satisfying composition can be challenging when you’ve got multiple flowers in the shot. The gaps between the blooms and stems can be distracting and it’s worth spending some time looking for a camera angle that reduces these areas. A moderately long focal length, such as 100mm, can make it easier to isolate groups of flowers and will also help to compress the scene, making the plants look more tightly packed together. Using a wide aperture and selectively focusing on a single bloom part-way into a flower bed can allow you to sandwich a sharp subject between layers of out-of-focus ones. Get very close to petals in the foreground, and you’ll be able to create a blurred wash of colour that can be used to frame the main subject,…

Professionals and enthusiasts alike P are demanding more from their camera equipment than ever. If you’re looking for a camera and lens combo that does it all – and for an affordable price – then the Nikon Z 7 and Z 24-70mm f/4 S might be the Wise Buy for you. The Nikon Z 7 launched alongside the Z 6 as the Big N’s first foray into full-frame mirrorless cameras. And while its back-illuminated 45.7MP CMOS sensor makes it the preferred option for ultra-high-resolution stills, it is hardly a one-trick pony. The camera is powered by Nikon’s formidable EXPEED 6 image processor and features a hybrid AF system that covers 90% of the frame via 493 focus points. Eye- and animal-detection AF are mod cons that will delight anyone coming…

Remembering Bears will be the seventh book the charity book series started by wildlife photographer Margot Raggett in 2016. She decided to take action after seeing a poached elephant in Kenya, and started asking fellow wildlife photographers if they would contribute images to a fundraising book – this request launched the start of something special. Remembering Elephants and its successors – Remembering Rhinos, Remembering Great Apes, Remembering Lions, Remembering Cheetahs and Remembering African Wild Dogs – have between them raised more than £921,000/US$1.2 million for 55 conservation projects across 24 countries. Over 1,000 images in total were entered for Remembering Bears, which will feature images from wildlife photographers including Marsel van Oosten, Art Wolfe, Frans Lanting, Greg du Toit and Daisy Gilardini – included under the ‘Wildlife Photographers United’ banner…

What is continuous lighting? Continuous lighting is any form of artificial lighting that can be switched on to create a constant illumination of the subject. What advantage does it have? When you use continuous lighting, it’s easy to see the result you are going to get. This means you can move your model/subject, or move the lights in relation to them, in order to achieve the look you want. Plus, you don’t need a remote trigger or cable to fire the lights at the same time the camera takes its shot, as you do with flash lighting. Does it have any downsides? It’s not as powerful as flash lighting, so you may need to shoot at your maximum aperture and use a high ISO to achieve a fast enough shutter…

Epson Pano Awards open for entries now Enter before 11 July to be in with a chance of winning a $14,000 top prize. Due to Covid, there’s no age limit on entries, so scour your archives for pucker panoramas now! thepanoawards.com; from $20 per image New Glasgow store for Wex Photo Video The leading camera and accessories retailer recently opened the largest camera store in Scotland. Located on Bath Street, the new 4,088 sq ft outlet also boasts a seminar room for events and product demonstrations. www.wexphotovideo.com Weather PotY entries close on 28 June Cash prizes, a Canon Selphy CP1300 printer and more await the winners of Weather PotY, now in its seventh year. Young Weather PotY, for under-18s, is also being supported by The Week Junior Science+Nature. bit.ly/dcm-wpoty22;free…

HANDS-ON PREVIEW www.laowalens.co.uk The Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift is a wide-angle lens that gives arguably the more important half of the functionality of full tilt-shift or ‘perspective control’ lenses like the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II and Nikon PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED. It does so for about half the price. But what’s the big deal with ‘shift’ anyway? A shift lens delivers an oversized image circle, much larger than the surface area of the host camera’s image sensor. A mechanical mechanism enables you to shift the front section of the lens up and down, changing the axis of the optical path. A key advantage for architectural photographers is that you can level the camera to stop tall buildings looking like they’re converging towards the top, then use shift to…