Tabla de contenidos para March 2020 en Practical Photography: Lite

AWARDS Wex unveils its 2020 champions Photography and videography retailer Wex Photo Video has announced the winner and runners-up in its Wex Photographer of the Year competition. Over the course of the year, the company has held weekly Wex Mondays competitions, inviting its followers to upload their best image from the previous week, reportedly receiving around 15,000 image submissions over the past 12 months. These images are compiled into a leader board with a points system, where an overall winner is declared at the end of the year, bagging the title of Wex Photographer of the Year and £1500 in vouchers. This year’s top spot went to Andi Campbell from Devon, for his stunning landscape shots. Andi commented: “I entered Wex Mondays after getting the bug and winning in one…

UNLIKE ULTRA-wide lenses, regular wide-angle glass will give you a less distorted, more true-to-life view of the world. The distance between foreground and background objects will appear less exaggerated, and you should find working in this focal range more useful for day-to-day shooting. In fact, Apple uses an effective focal length of 28mm for its current iPhone models, so obviously feels this is the most versatile angle-of-view to suit as many different shooting situations as possible. What is it for? Here, we’re classing the wide-angle category as being from around 20-35mm. Remember, because of the crop factor, to get the same angle-of-view on an APS-C camera you’ll need to use a lens in the 13-22mm range. Focal lengths in the low 20s are still in classic landscape territory, although it…

1 GO CANDID The 50mm is a great lens for candid, documentary-style photos as you can easily shoot unnoticed from a few metres away. This isn’t so easy with a wide-angle. 2 SHOOT WIDE OPEN For single portraits, use a wide aperture to isolate the subject from the background. Avoid this for group shots as some faces could fall out of sharp focus. 3 SHOOT PLENTY At key moments ensure you get lots of options to choose from, and check your LCD regularly to check exposure and focus are correct.…

1 ISOLATE YOUR SUBJECT To help your subject to stand out, set a wide aperture and leave plenty of space between the subject and the background. 2 FOCUS ON THE EYE Be sure to focus on the leading eye (the one closest to the camera) whenever you shoot a portrait, especially when working with wide apertures. 3 LOOK FOR THE RIGHT LIGHT Direct sunlight on the face will create hard shadows and exposure issues. Work in shade or keep the sun behind the subject.…

FOR ANYONE serious about photographing wildlife, sports or deep-sky astro images, a long telephoto lens of at least 300mm – but ideally 500-600mm – is an absolute must-own bit of glass. It is possible to get by with a 2x teleconverter attached to a shorter telephoto lens, but this brings with it a number of disadvantages, including an inferior image quality and reduced maximum aperture. Long telephotos have a very narrow angle-of-view so can only capture a tiny section of the scene. This is useful where it isn’t possible to get any closer to a subject, such as when photographing a football match, an animal in the wild or a distant galaxy. What is it for? Long telephotos are specialist lenses that tend to be used only for a few…

Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM £99 Cheap build quality, but small, light and sharp, this great value ‘nifty fifty’ prime is a superb portrait lens on APS-C models. It’s also full-frame compatible. Nikon and Sony produce comparable options at a similar price. canon.co.uk Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD £480 Ideal for street photography and full-body portraits, this wide-aperture prime boasts image stabilisation and ultra quiet focusing. It’s available on Canon, Nikon and Sony, and compatible with APS-C and full-frame models. tamron.eu Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM £587 Designed for APS-C cameras, this unusual wide-aperture, wide-angle zoom is pin-sharp and has a Hyper Sonic AF motor for quiet, fast focusing. The equivalent full-frame focal range is 29-56mm. sigma-imaging-uk.com…

TO CREATE FLATTERING results with a flashgun you need to be able to control the direction of the light. It’s also a great way to add depth or drama to an image. You can achieve it by bouncing the flash from a wall or ceiling, but there isn’t always a suitable surface to bounce from. It’s no use outside, or in spaces with high or dark ceilings, or with vibrantly-coloured walls. And using direct flash just doesn’t yield pleasing results. The solution is to use off-camera flash and take complete control of the direction of the light. What is off-camera flash? Off-camera flash is the process of firing your flashgun when you take a picture without it being mounted to your camera’s hotshoe. There are a variety of ways a…

Attach the radio trigger In order to tell your flash to fire, you need to attach the radio trigger to your camera’s hotshoe. Simple versions of triggers and receivers are set to transmit or receive. If you’re using this kind, set the trigger to Tx so it transmits the radio signal. If you’re using a flashgun that has built-in wireless capability, attach the trigger to your hotshoe, set the Channel to 1 and adjust the flash power of Group A to your desired setting. Set up the flash receiver If you’re using a flashgun with built-in wireless shooting then select the Rx mode so that it knows to be waiting for a radio signal. Ensure the flash is on Channel 1 and Group A, or the same settings as your…

WHAT YOU NEED ■ Photoshop or Elements ■ JPEG or RAW files shot using high ISO settings 1 Defeat digital noise with the right RAW skills WHEN YOU SHOOT IN RAW, NO adjustments are made to images by the camera, and that includes High ISO Noise Reduction, whether it’s active or not. That means noise reduction must be applied in editing, and in many ways that’s good as it gives you plenty of control. You’ll also find that digital noise becomes clearer when you boost shadows and exposure, so it’s a good idea to take a look at it only after other settings are applied. Photoshop’s Adobe Camera Raw interface lets you control both luminance noise, which is the grain, and colour noise, which is saturated speckling, and we’ll look…

SUCCESSFUL STREET PHOTOGRAPHY RELIES on the photographer’s skill in capturing the opportunistic scene in front of them, documenting the hustle and bustle of everyday life. In this shoot-from-the-hip genre, shooting in RAW gives maximum flexibility and control in the edit, helping to tease the best out of every image. Street scenes can be full of contrasting colours that fight for attention with a subject, so one of the class edits is a black & white conversion, and that’s possible to achieve directly from a RAW file. Photoshop’s built-in Adobe Camera Raw software has a range of exposure tools to be found in the Basic tab that can be used to get the most out of a full-colour file as a mono conversion. It also has the functionality to add grain…

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Pixel pitch refers to the density, and thus size, of the individual pixels on your sensor. It defines the distance from the centre of one pixel to the centre of the adjacent one. While the distance between pixels may not sound important, it has several rather crucial knock-on effects. A higher density, measured in microns, means less space between pixels, and generally that means each pixel receives a smaller share of light photons than a less dense array. This is why many 24MP cameras can boast an ISO range up to 51,200, while higher MPs come in with traditionally lower sensitivities. The processor is then left to interpret and refine the resulting digital signals. Higher-density sensors are also more prone to camera shake than lower MP offerings.…

Fujifilm X-T3 £1349 Backed by the same X-Trans 4 26.1MP sensor as the X-Pro3, the X-T3 is the more traditional cousin. It offers blistering burst speeds up to 30fps, the same 425-point AF system and a tilting 3in 1040k-dot touch LCD. There is access to the full range of Fujifilm lenses, 16 Film Simulation modes and an outstanding array of video options. fujifilm-x.com Leica M10-D £6500 This 24MP full-frame Leica embodies street photography heritage. It completely omits an LCD, replacing it with a large exposure compensation dial. The optical viewfinder gives a traditional rangefinder experience, and Wi-Fi allows you to hook up your phone if you simply must review your shots. And it’s not cheap! uk.leica-camera.com…

As you’d expect from identical sensors, image quality remains unchanged when switching between the two. That said, it means all pros and cons refer to both bodies equally. The first praise is for the colour capture. You can see the tones in each image are true to life, with the warmth of the winter sun and seasonal pastel tones being recorded perfectly. There is a slight touch of noise to be found, even at lower ISO ranges, such as ISO 400, though the grain pattern is small and tight, and not displeasing. Dynamic range performs well, though is not quite class-leading. We found these challenging high-contrast scenes struggled a bit in-camera, though the RAW files are flexible enough to bring out hidden detail in the shadows – just remember that…

Kit price: £1199 Lens: Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Effective resolution: 32.5MP Sensor: 22.3x14.9mm LCD: 3in 1040k-dot 180° flip-up Shutter: Bulb, 30sec-1/16,000sec Autofocus: 143/99-point phase detect ISO: 100-25,600 Shooting speed: 14fps for 23 RAWs Video: 4K 30fps, 1080p 120fps Other features: Time-lapse and HDR movies, RAW burst shooting, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, Creative Assist Battery life: 305 shots Card type: SD, SDXC, SDHC Weight: 408g Size (WxHxD): 120x70x49mm Web: canon.co.uk PROS High-resolution sensor Lightweight and compact CONS Build feels on the plasticky side Not competitive at this price point…

The jump to APS-C mirrorless also brings two new lenses. The Z DX 16-55mm f/2.5-6.3 VR offers a walkabout focal range in a near pancake-like body, while the Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR is a lightweight telephoto. Both boast optical stabilisation to combat the lack of it in the Z 50, with the 50-250mm giving 5 stops, and the 16-55mm offering up 4.5 stops. However, in an attempt to keep weight and price down to a minimum, neither offers a particularly wide aperture, and the optical clarity isn’t as fine as the S-line lenses, which generally don’t offer stabilisation. The Z mount means you can switch between any lenses in the range seamlessly, while the FTZ adapter allows you to use existing DSLR glass with the Z 50.…

KIT PRICE £499 VIDEO 4K IMAGE RESOLUTION 24.1MP CANON’S M100 was a low-priced point-and-shoot for the masses, with a large APS-C sensor, pretty competent autofocus and compact build fuelled by the reliance on touch controls. However, with the rest of the industry moving on in terms of innovation, it’s time for the M200 to enter the arena and show us what it can do to stand out in this highly-competitive market. Main features It is fair to say that the M200 has much in common with the M100. The bodies are near-identical, with the same 3in 180° flip-up 1040k-dot touchscreen, single control dial – set for aperture control as standard – and mode dial, that switches between stills, video and Scene Intelligent Auto modes. The sensor achieves a 24.1MP resolution,…

Fujifilm X-T100 £547 This entry-level X Series is a touch more expensive than the Canon, yet it’s a great stepping stone to Fujifilm’s range. You get a 24.2MP APS-C sensor, 3in tilting touchscreen and ISO range of 200-12,800. It has Film Simulations, which give great colours in your JPEGs, and films 4K, though this is limited to a less-than-useful 15fps. fujifilm-x.com Nikon D3500 £299 If you’re looking for a starting point to enter photography, the D3500 is brilliantly priced and delivers on spec. It boasts a 24.2MP APS-C sensor, simple but well-placed control scheme and 3in 921k-dot LCD. You can shoot fully manual, capture 5fps and work in low light with an ISO range of 100-25,600 and built-in flash. nikon.co.uk…

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO STAY INDOORS TO UNLEASH YOUR FULL POTENTIAL The PP team goes back to basics, with these ultra-creative try-at-home techniques... ■ Adam is close-up with must-have macro knowledge, proving simple can be stunning. ■ Kirk explores three unique tricks to help you get evocative portraits in tight spaces. ■ We illustrate five camera settings that will instantly make you a better photographer. EBOOK NEW! CAMERA SKILLS GUIDE With 66 pages of advice on your camera’s key features PRESETS 30 TIMELESS STREET PRESETS Turn to p104 to see how to use these one-click effects EBOOK COMPLETE BUYERS’ GUIDE Concise reviews of every current DSLR and CSC BONUS VIDEOS ENHANCE YOUR BEST IMAGES Create a classic pet portrait with a contemporary twist Problems with your free gifts? Email us at practical.photography@bauermedia.co.uk…

Canon EOS Rs Rumblings have made their way to PP headquarters that appear to suggest that Canon is set to announce not one, but two new full-frame CSCs in early 2020. The first is believed to be a 75MP behemoth, which will feature a new design, dual card slots (possibly using CFast), and in-body image stabilisation. It’s aimed at professionals, and if true, will trump Sony’s α 7R IV resolution. canon.co.uk Fujifilm X100V We have reported on the rumoured fifth prestige compact from Fujifilm before, and we now believe that it has a firm release date, with an announcement set to take place during February. As well as bringing the X-Trans IV 26.1MP sensor, and advancements made thanks to the X-Pro3, it may also feature an updated take on the…

1 WATCH DISTORTION The corners of the frame will be heavily distorted. This doesn’t matter in landscapes, but faces will be very noticeable, so keep people towards the centre. 2 USE LEAD-IN LINES Look for lines such as fences, paths and cloud formations that run from the corners of the image towards the centre, directing the eye into the frame. 3 FRAME YOUR SHOT Shooting very wide opens up the opportunity to ‘frame’ your image with tree branches or archways, anchoring the eye in the centre of the frame.…

1 GET IN THE ACTION Don’t be afraid to get up close and personal with your subject, capturing them at very close range – this is where the real keepers will come from. 2 KNOW THE LAW Be fully clear on what you can and can’t shoot on public land – search YouTube for PP’s video: ‘Photography tips – UK laws and your rights’. 3 SHOOT FROM LOW Hold the camera at hip level, so people don’t know you’re taking pictures. This will give more natural images. Your hit-rate will be lower, but who cares.…

OTHER THAN KIT lenses, which often come bundled with a new camera, one of the most commonly bought DSLR lenses is undoubtedly the 50mm f/1.8 prime, often nicknamed the nifty fifty. It is known as a ‘standard’ lens because its focal length is roughly the same as the diagonal length of the camera’s sensor. Actually, this figure is more like 43mm, so technically a perfect standard lens would reflect this. Pentax does manufacture one, and Tamron makes a 45mm, but 50mm is close enough. It is often said that standard primes are favoured for having a similar perspective and field-of-view to the human eye. This is more complicated than we have room for here, but in simple terms, your 50mm will reproduce the world roughly as your eyes see it.…

1 GET EYE CONTACT If possible try to capture the animal looking directly at the camera, as this will help negate the physical distance between you and the subject. 2 LET CAMERA PIVOT If using a tripod, loosen the ball head so that the camera can freely pivot. This will leave you free to recompose your shot quickly if you need to. 3 CHOOSE AF MODE Single Shot AF is fine for stationary subjects, but if an animal is running towards you, Continuous AF will keep it in focus as the subject distance changes.…

Tim Berry Former deputy editor Tim is a pro photographer and journalist with an encyclopedic photo knowledge. Kirk Schwarz As PP’s technique and gear editor Kirk knows the best kit, and how to get the most out of it. Adam Atkins PP’s features writer is an accomplished professional sport and travel photographer. How do I get hazy lens flare in my shots? Q I shoot a lot of portraits and want to learn how to get golden lens flare in my images, preferably in camera. Please could you talk me through how it’s done? Nick Benton, Exeter Tim says: Whenever you take a photo, the light from your scene travels down the lens and onto the sensor. But in some conditions, extra light that isn’t in your frame, and therefore…

MY INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHY BEGAN IN secondary school, when I was gifted a digital camera by my family. I would walk home after school and use this time to experiment with my camera and explore my hometown of Belfast. As I only lived ten minutes from the city centre, I would frequently take the opportunity to explore on foot, capturing urban life through the perspective of my lens. What began as a hobby quickly grew into a passion, as I began to take my camera to every place I’d go. I’ve always been inspired by street photography, as it allows me to observe and capture candid moments between certain subjects that would otherwise just pass us by. The spontaneous nature of the city compelled me to learn how to quickly…

DECIDING WHERE TO POSITION YOUR light will have a huge impact on your image. It’s great to experiment and discover the different effects you can achieve, but for starters here are three techniques to try. 1 SIDE LIGHT YOUR SUBJECT TO CREATE MORE DEPTH Lighting your subject from a different direction to your camera angle will help create contours in your image. As the light falls across the subject, it gradates from highlight to shadow making a much more interesting image than having the flash on your camera, which gives a flat light. The key with off-camera flash shooting is to experiment. Not only is it fun, but it’s also the best way to learn. Subtle adjustments to the positioning of your flash can have a big impact upon…

STREET IS ONE OF the oldest and most challenging genres in photography. Not only do you need the patience of a saint, but in many cases, a modicum of luck can also be advantageous. That said, managing to capture the perfect shot can be one of the most rewarding moments in modern photography, and the only step between you and glory is doing it justice in the edit… and that’s where these free presets come in. Our range of Actions, Presets and Macros have been specially designed to give you a range of options for the perfect street photography edit. There are ultra-contrasty monos, washed-out retro tones and bags of vintage grain to choose from. All you need to do is follow the steps to install them. WHAT YOU NEED…

Nikon Z 7 £2499 Boasting a 45.7MP BSI sensor, the Z 7 is Nikon’s first stab at full-frame mirrorless. It comes with an ISO range of 64-25,600, 493-point phase detection AF system and 5-axis in-body image stabilisation. You can even capture 4K capture at 30fps, or Full HD at 120fps. nikon.co.uk Fujifilm GFX 50R £3449 Offering a true digital medium-format experience, the GFX 50R gives you access to a 51.4MP sensor that’s 1.7x larger than full-frame, excellent dynamic range and a 425-point contrast detection AF system. Then there’s the ultra high-quality images that are hard to beat. fujifilm.com…

When we hear someone talk about Fujifilm, the first thing that springs to mind is the renowned colour science. The mainstay of this fame is the series of Film Simulation modes – 17 JPEG presets that apply historic film looks from Fujifilm’s back catalogue. When shooting in RAW, this data is stripped out, so you’re presented with the back-end processing and sensor design for a truer image. This is where the latest X-Trans 4 chip shines. The RAW files offer a lot of flexibility in the editing process, and give an honest colour reproduction. The transition of shadows and tones is visibly soft, capturing all the detail in-between, which makes it a stunning camera for capturing dynamic lighting.…

In contrast to the retro charm of Fujifilm, the company strives for innovation in every release, as well as with its regular free firmware updates. This means that the rangefinder-style X-Pro3 is state-of-the-art. Capturing images in low light at higher ISOs will yield impressive results, even on a par with many full-frame cameras. The X-Pro3 also allows you to focus in as little as -6EV with certain lenses, such as the 56mm f/1.2 used for this shot. The focus acquired itself rapidly, and the result is a sharp shot, even though it was lit entirely by street lighting. It was captured with the Acros Film Simulation, and tweaked a touch in Photoshop using Curves for this noirish high-contrast result.…

Replacing the 80D, and bearing a striking similarity to the 7D MkII’s rapid shooting specs, you have to ask if Canon is using this release to merge the two line-ups. Indeed, it equals the 10fps of the 7D, and features a dedicated iTR (Intelligent Tracking Recognition) engine. This looks out for colour and contrast in the scene, and is also capable of facial detection, even when shooting through the viewfinder. We didn’t over-strain this feature, though found tracking to be far more reliable in Live View, with the viewfinder being more hit-and-miss in testing. While Live View returned better results, it’s far from class-leading in the focus stakes. The design is very familiar to those who have used the 80D. In fact, the only major addition is a joystick for…

Both cameras are sure to please, though they are wildly different beasts when compared side-by-side. The M6 MkII, though lacking the viewfinder and weather sealing, is a high-res APS-C that’s compact and designed to capture stills and video, and offers surprisingly strong tracking. The 90D takes cues from both the 80D and the 7D MkII, which should make it more appealing to semi-serious action shooters, though we don’t think the autofocus system quite lives up to the Dual Pixel AF of the M6 MkII. However, the real test of what’s best comes down to their versatility, and despite the iTR system, which even offers facial recognition through the viewfinder, as well as the weather-sealed body and nearly identical baseline specs, we have to give it to the M6. That said,…

Fujifilm X-T30 £839 Packing a higher resolution 26.1MP APS-C X-Trans 4 sensor, the X-T30 is our pick for the ultimate travel camera. It can belt out up to 30fps, comes with a 425-point phase detection focusing system and includes stunning 4K 30fps, as well as Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes. fujifilm-x.com Olympus OM-D EM-5 MkIII £1099 This 20.4MP Micro Four Thirds gives you a 121-point phase detection system, a fully articulated vari-angle 1040k-dot LCD and an outstanding 6.5-stop image stabilisation system. It pairs a light weight with 4K video capability, and should appeal to vloggers. olympus.co.uk…

One thing you can’t fault the M200 for is its slimline approach to shooting. While the lack of an EVF, solid handgrip and sturdy construction aren’t exactly plus points, the small size definitely is. We managed to walk around taking shots using the rear touchscreen without anyone batting an eyelid. Pair this with a rather capable AF system and the large APS-C sensor, and the M200 pays dividends when used to capture candid moments and honest reactions. Although it sits at the more budget end of the market, the image quality can’t be faulted, and the familiar 24.1MP chip performs as well as it does when being used in Canon’s more advanced cameras – reassuring if you’re tempted by the M200.…

As we’ve come to expect from Canon over the years, the M200 does a great job at colour reproduction. The JPEGs are vivid and true-to-life, and while the dynamic range won’t win any prizes, it’s consistent with the price point. The level of detail is pleasing, and as a point-and-shoot, it comes into its own. Although the target audience for this camera will be happy with the kit lens, it’s worth pointing out that the M mount line-up isn’t the most diverse, and you’ll need an adapter to benefit from the main EF range. However, thanks to third-party support from Samyang and Sigma, there are an increasing number of wide-aperture primes coming to the system.…

FROM ULTRA-WIDE FISHEYES TO 5KG SUPER-telephoto giants, there are literally thousands of different lenses on the market. But how do you know whether you’re choosing the right tool for the job, and how will things like perspective, crop factor, distortion and depth-of-field play a role in your shots? We’ve split the wide world of lenses into five broad categories based on focal length, and we’ll take a detailed look at what you can shoot with each, how to use it and which models to buy. We’ve used subject icons so you can find the right lens easily: Great for landscapes Great for portraits Great for wildlife Great for action ULTRA-WIDE LENSES 8-20mm / FROM £300 The kitbag staple for landscape, astro and architectural photographers. We’re classing lenses in our ultra-wide…

PERFECT FOR capturing sweeping coastal vistas, epic street-level architecture and dramatic, mountainous landscapes, an ultra-wide lens will give you hard-hitting images with scale, depth and impact. Allowing you to capture in a single frame delicate flowers extremely close to the camera and vast mountain ranges in the distant background, ultra-wide lenses help to emphasise the scale of a scene, and more than any other type of lens, they really make the viewer feel that they can step into the image. Although thought of as a classic landscape lens, ultra-wide glass has plenty of other applications, including for interior, architectural and astro photography. Ultra-wide fisheye lenses, with their extreme ‘back-of-spoon’ distortion, are also popular for stylised photo and video work. Shooting with a very wide focal length means an extended perspective…

ANY FOCAL length above 50mm is technically classed as telephoto, although when describing a classic telephoto lens you would usually be referring to slightly longer focal lengths of at least 60mm or 70mm. Short telephoto lenses provide a narrower angle-of-view than wide-angle and standard lenses, so only a small amount of the scene in front of you will be recorded by the sensor. This means you can be much more selective with what you reveal to the viewer and what you choose to crop out, and this allows you to better manipulate the meaning you want to portray in your shot. The ability to shoot tighter crops in camera also makes it easier to shoot abstracts. You’ll notice the background behind your subject will appear closer and larger than it…

1 TAKE YOUR TIME Time is another tool at a photographer’s disposal, and it’s no less important than your gear. Don’t start shooting as soon as you come across something interesting. Instead, wait until you’ve found ten interesting things, pick the top three, then reach for the camera. 2 LOOK FOR ‘WHY’ NOT ‘WHAT’ A photo without context is a mere snapshot. Even the most interesting subject will fail to raise interest, unless the photographer adds value to it. This could be done with an unusual angle, light, using slow or very fast shutter speeds. 3 KEEP AN OPEN MIND The first impression is always the strongest. Most often, it’s also the wrong one, and if you let it linger for too long, it’ll ‘contaminate’ the rest of your shoot.…

When the winter mornings get really cold, you can create these mesmerising ice baubles. All you need is a frosty morning, some soapy water and a bubble wand. Or you can opt for some pre-made bubble mixture. Any temperature below freezing should work, but the colder the air temperature the better. You want the bubble to freeze as quickly as possible or it may pop while it freezes, meaning you’ll have to make more attempts to get a bubble to stay whole. Gently blow the bubble and let it drift down and land. Being a very thin membrane, it should begin to freeze quickly. Grab your camera and set up on aperture-priority. Select an aperture of f/8 and ISO of 400. Focus on the front of the bubble and take…

THERE’S A SURPRISING amount of fun to be had with just a splash of oil and a cup of water. Together, these common household items can make for some fantastically colourful images. It gives the effect of eye-catching abstract paintings of the sixties, and the technique is easy to master. All you need is some oil, water, a glass, colourful paper and a desk lamp. So, dust off your macro lens, pick up your tripod and dive in. Make the bubbles Oil and water don’t mix, which is the foundation of what we are doing here. Pour a small amount of cooking oil into a tumbler filled three-quarters full with water, and the oil will float on top. Give the mixture a gentle stir with a wooden skewer and the…

IS, VR, OIS... while every manufacturer has its own fancy acronyms, all image stabilisation tech falls into two basic categories – lens based and in camera. Though fundamentally different, both types allow for sharper shots to be taken at slower shutter speeds, sometimes by up to as much as 7.5 stops slower (take a bow the Olympus E-M1X). This means that if you’re using a 50mm lens, you could (in theory) use shutter speeds as slow as 2 seconds and still get sharp shots. The downside is that it’s harder to achieve sharper results when photographing moving subjects at slower shutter speeds, so use image stabilisation alongside the exposure triangle and try increasing ISO or aperture for a faster shutter speed.…

This photo was taken during a recent family holiday, while visiting relatives in Aklan in the Philippines. I had asked my cousins to guide me around town as I looked for subjects to photograph, and I noticed a long queue of tricycle drivers awaiting passengers, many of whom were resting under the shade of their vehicles due to the heat of the afternoon sun. I came across one driver who was sat in the passenger seat of his tricycle, clearly exhausted from working all day. I took the opportunity to get the shot, manoeuvring as close as I could to my desired composition without disturbing him. I was pretty satisfied with the result, as it reflected the mood of the setting and the fatigue of the tricycle drivers following a…

DON’T BE PUT OFF WHEN YOU find out you need to set up both your camera and flash manually. It’s easy and intuitive, and gives you complete control over your image. Begin by setting your camera’s exposure to capture the ambient light. Usually, when using flash, it’s best to slightly underexpose the background so your illuminated subject ‘pops’ in the frame. Start by dialling in the shutter speed, and unless you have a High Speed Sync flash (HSS) you’ll have to stick to the camera’s flash sync speed, so set it to 1/250sec. Select an ISO appropriate to the overall brightness of the scene – the darker the ambient light, the higher you’ll need your ISO. Finally, dial in your aperture setting so that when you take a test frame…

PHOTOSHOP HAS all the tools you need to turn your photographic visions into reality. Broken down into small steps with simple tools that you’ve probably used many times before, creating a complicated-looking image such as this can be a breeze. What it really takes to make an image like this is the desire to experiment, a dollop of patience, and some flexibility. Go with the flow, and as you explore what makes the technique work, you may very well end up creating something far better than you visualised at the start. Find a vision This composite technique gives portrait images a slightly surreal and painterly look, with a style that’s partly regular stylised photo and partly multiple exposure. Therefore you need to find a balance between a strong subject and…

Once you’ve applied the Actions, Presets or Macros, you may notice the effect is too strong or weak for your shot. Thankfully, each is fully customisable. If you’re in Lightroom, you can alter the effects by using the sliders on the right of the Develop Module. In Photoshop, you can open the group of layers that combine to make the effect by clicking on the arrow to the left. Once you have the layers displayed, you can then toggle their visibility on and off by clicking the eye icon, change the Opacity of the layer group, and even click the layers to alter their properties. Similarly, in Affinity, you can click on the individual layers and toggle them on or off by clicking the tick box, or change the Opacity…

As we expect from Sony’s sensors, the dynamic range is very impressive, said to offer nearly 15 stops. Even though this shot was captured at dusk, with the ISO set to 3200, it does a great job of capturing the tonal ranges on offer. Both the highlights of the shop front and neon lights, as well as the unlit faces of the people in the foreground, are captured without blown highlights or clipped shadows. The blue sky retains subtle detail, as you can see to the bottom right of the image. Even the colours, which we haven’t edited at all, offer enough of a punch to faithfully convey the scene – colour rendition improves with every Sony release. Overall, we really can’t fault the α 7R IV in this regard.…

Camera: Sony α 7R IV Price: £3499 body only Effective resolution: 61MP Sensor: 35.7x23.8mm LCD: 3in 1440-dot tilting touchscreen Shutter: Bulb, 30secs – 1/8000sec mechanical, or 1/32,000sec electronic shutter Autofocus: 567-point phase detection AF ISO: 100-32,000 Shooting speed: 10fps for 68 RAWs Video: 4K at 30fps Other features: Real-time Tracking, Animal Eye AF, Face and Eye AF, 240MP Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, Peaking MF, Image stabilisation, Zebra stripes, 26.1MP 1.5x crop mode, Mic and headphone terminals, Wi-Fi Battery life: 530 shots Card type: Dual SD, SDXC, SDHC UHS-II Size (WxHxD): 129x96x78mm Weight: 665g Web: sony.co.uk…

What are Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes? Simply put, they’re Fujifilm’s answer to picture styles such as vivid, landscape or standard, which can be applied to JPEGs for a range of colour styles straight out of camera. However, unlike the versions found in the settings of other cameras, these are based on real-world film effects from Fujifilm’s archives. Many are obviously identifiable, and named to match the film they purport to mimic, such as the black & white Acros and everyday 35mm Provia. Others are more general, like Classic Chrome, which seeks to cover the style of early films rather than any specific one. They’re creative features that can be used to bring classic film styles to digital images.…

Camera: Fujifilm X-Pro3 Price: £1699 body only Effective resolution: 26.1MP Sensor: 23.5x15.6mm LCD: 3in 1620k-dot hidden tilting touchscreen Shutter: Bulb, 15min – 1/8000sec mechanical, or 1/32,000sec electronic shutter Autofocus: 425-point phase detection AF ISO: 160-12,800 Shooting speed: 11fps with mechanical for 42 RAWs, up to 30fps electronic Sports Finder mode for 35 RAWs Video: DCI 4K at 30fps Other features: Fujifilm Film Simulation modes, Color Chrome Effect Blue, Sports Finder, Grain Effect, Focus Bracketing, Exposure bracketing, Eye AF Battery life: 370 shots Card type: Dual SD, SDXC, SDHC UHS-I/UHS-II Size (WxHxD): 141x83x46mm Weight: 497g Web: fujifilm-x.com…

Bolstering the mirrorless M line-up, the EOS M6 MkII packs the same 32.5MP sensor as the 90D, as well as the DIGIC 8 processor. This gives it similar base features, such as resolution and ISO range. However, thanks to mirrorless advancements, it benefits from a faster 14fps continuous shooting speed and maximum shutter speed of 1/16,000sec when using the electronic shutter. Both cameras offer 4K video, which takes advantage of the full sensor width – a first for Canon’s consumer range. You also get more focus points, with either 99 or 143 Dual Pixel points, depending on your lens choice. Though the M6 doesn’t feature the iTR tracking engine, we found it out-performed the 90D in testing. The Eye AF is also worthy of praise, returning brilliant results.…

Kit price: £1299 Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Effective resolution: 32.5MP Sensor: 22.3x14.9mm LCD: 3in 1040k-dot 180° vari-angle Shutter: Bulb, 30sec-1/8000sec Autofocus: 45-point phase detect ISO: 100-25,600 Shooting speed: 10fps for 25 RAWs Video: 4K 30fps, 1080p 120fps Other features: Time-lapse and HDR movies, cropped 4K, iTR focus system, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, Creative Assist Battery life: 1300 shots Card type: SD, SDXC, SDHC Weight: 701g Size (WxHxD): 141x105x77mm Web: canon.co.uk PROS Weather-sealed construction 10fps speed is good for DSLR CONS Button placement not intuitive iTR isn’t a big step up…

Camera: Nikon Z 50 Kit price: £989 Effective resolution: 20.9MP Sensor: 23.5x15.7mm LCD: 3.2in 1040k-dot tilting flip-down touchscreen Shutter: Bulb, 30sec – 1/4000sec Autofocus: 209-point phase detection AF ISO: 100-51,200 Shooting speed: 11fps for 20 RAWs Video: 4K at 30fps, Full HD at 120fps Other features: In-camera 4K time-lapse, Peaking focus assist, Zebra stripes, Microphone input, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 1:1 and 16:9 aspect ratios, Intelligent SCN mode, Picture effects, Picture Control System, Portrait mode, Battery life: 320 shots Card type: SD, SDXC, SDHC UHS-I Size (WxHxD): 127x94x60mm Weight: 450g Web: nikon.co.uk…

Camera: Canon EOS M200 Kit price: £499 Effective resolution: 24.1MP Sensor: 22.3x14.9mm LCD: 3in 1040K-dot 180° flip-up touchscreen Shutter: Bulb, 30sec – 1/4000sec Autofocus: 143-point Dual Pixel AF with compatible lens, 99-point Dual Pixel AF as standard ISO: 100-25,600 Shooting speed: 4fps for 20 RAWs Video: 4K at 25fps with 1.75x crop, Full HD 1080p at 60fps, HD 720p at 120fps Other features: Intelligent Scene Auto, Creative Assist mode, Guided User Interface, 4K Time-lapse Movies, Face and Eye Detection AF, Pop-up flash, Vertical videos Battery life: 315 shots Card type: SD, SDXC, SDHC Size (WxHxD): 108x67x35mm Weight: 299g Web: canon.co.uk…