Table of contents for April 2018 in Digital Camera Magazine

PAUL SANDERS “I’m passionate about photography and being outdoors. My images reflect my emotional and spiritual responses to the landscape around me. I believe that as a photographer I should be fully connected to the location I’m working within; to be aware of the weather, the smells, sounds, textures and movements within the scene in front of me. “Usually I create one or two images from a location, I spend several hours observing and feeling the locations before pressing the shutter. My technique for capturing these involves leaving the camera shutter open for 5-20 minutes to allow some elements to move or change naturally. I never truly know what I’m going to get, I find this really exciting; also, it’s very hard to repeat the images because the scenes in…

CREATING elaborate setups – often cobbled together from tinfoil and lots of masking tape – and tinkering with everything to perfect my shots makes me happy. I’m also fascinated by the world of detail that you can reveal with macro photography. In these anthropomorphised macro portraits, I aimed to give a different perspective on the life of snails by intertwining their lives with ours. I was inspired in part by David LaChapelle’s image ‘Gas Chevron’, where a frog is staring at a miniature petrol station that appears to have been constructed in the undergrowth. I loved how alien the scene looked, so I reversed his concept to show animals enjoying the comforts of human life – indulging in a decadent picnic, strategising over a chess match, or curling up on…

DARKFIELD lighting – a technique used by microscopists as well as close-up and macro photographers – is where light is shone through a semi-transparent or translucent subject, which is seen against a jet-black background. In darkfield images, the only light you see is light that has been transmitted through the subject. Subjects such as plants and leaves, small pond life, mineral sections and plastic objects work fantastically well for this technique, producing striking images. The basic principle is to direct light at an angle from behind the subject, so that light shines through the translucent material without shining directly into the camera lens. I use black velvet behind the subject to provide a solid black. Step 1 I have constructed a small table specifically for the purpose of darkfield photography…

WHETHER you’re on a family day out, are enjoying a dream holiday, or you simply want to spice up your social media feeds, shooting video clips alongside your photos has never been easier. While some cameras, such as Panasonic’s new Lumix GH5S, are made with video firmly in mind, even a basic DSLR or mirrorless camera is capable of delivering crisp, high-definition footage. Shooting video requires a few more practical considerations than shooting stills. For a start, video files are much bigger than image files, so large-capacity memory cards are the order of the day if you plan to record more than a few short clips. They’ll need to be cards that are capable of recording at high speed too, as each second of high-quality 1080p or 4K contains a…

MORAVIAN FIELDS Flattened view Sometimes it’s more effective to shoot a sweeping vista with a telephoto zoom lens rather than a wide-angle optic. In this shot, Jan used an unusually long focal length of 400mm to isolate a line of trees from the wider landscape. The rhythmic shapes present a new and refreshing take on a classic view. High contrast There’s a stark difference in tone between the grass and the dark soil, a contrast that accentuates the brighter leading line of trees. By choosing to shoot towards the end of the day, Jan has made use of the low sun and side-lighting to pick out the textures and patterns of the foliage. This also adds depth, detail and shadows. Corner to corner Jan has used the diagonal line of…

ANY list of the great rock and pop portrait photographers would have to include Gered Mankowitz. In a career spanning 55 years, Mankowitz has created classic images of a wealth of stars including Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Kate Bush. What was his background? Mankowitz was born in London in 1946. His father Wolf was an author and playwright, and his mother Ann was a psychotherapist. After a troubled education, he left school at 15 with no qualifications. However, some photographs he took on a school trip to the Netherlands were seen by photographer Tom Blau, who took Mankowitz on as an apprentice at his photo agency, Camera Press. How did he get into music photography after that? In 1963, he began working for the show business…

£3,499/$3,297 (body only) WITH mirrorless cameras (or CSCs) grabbing so much attention, a few people are starting to write off the DSLR as old-school technology. Nikon isn’t one of them, thank goodness, because otherwise we wouldn’t have had the D850. Following on from the D810, the D850 adds resolution, continuous shooting speed, video capabilities and a tilting touch-screen display. Let’s start with the sensor. With 45.7 million pixels, this is the second-highest resolution full-frame camera on the market. It doesn’t quite match the 50.6 million pixels of the Canon EOS 5DS, but the Nikon D850 is so much more powerful in other respects that a handful of megapixels hardly matters. Then there’s the sevenframes-per-second continuous shooting speed, a useful increase over the old D810, and an impressive buffer capacity (for…

£769/$799 DRONES are now a big part of the photography market, but until now they’ve been pretty expensive, bulky and intimidating – or at least, all the best ones have. But the DJI Mavic Air is small and light – just 430g – and hardly larger than a smartphone when folded up and packed away. It comes with a three-axis mechanical gimbal, a remote range of up to 2.5 miles with Full HD transmission and 4K video at 30fps. You can use preset flight paths to create dynamic videos, and there are seven onboard cameras and sensors. WINNING features • Small, light and packs to the size of a smartphone • Powerful flight modes and obstacle avoidance features…

£3,199/$3,198 (body only) SONY’S Alpha 7R full-frame mirrorless cameras have proved a major hit – particularly the A7R II, which ushered in Sony’s brilliant 42.4-megapixel sensor. It’s not quite the highest you can find for a full-frame sensor – the Nikon D850 and the Canon EOS 5DS go higher still – but it’s still one of the sharpest, especially when combined with Sony’s latest pro lenses. The only snag with the preceding A7R II was its relatively pedestrian continuous shooting speed – the inevitable drawback of a high-resolution sensor. With the A7R III, however, Sony has transformed this camera’s performance – not by offering a modest incremental upgrade, but by literally doubling its speed. This means the A7R III can rattle off 10 of its 42.4-megapixel images every second, and…

£539/$649 CANON has launched a lot of cameras into a very crowded entry-level/novice market, but this one deserves particular attention because of its combination of size, price and features. The EOS 200D is the replacement for the tiny EOS 100D, Canon’s smallest-ever DSLR. It has grown slightly in size, but it’s worth it for the extra performance and features this brings. These include Canon’s latest 24-megapixel APS-C sensor; so while the 200D still uses Canon’s rather basic ninepoint autofocus system for viewfinder shooting, the Live View mode benefits from the speed and performance of Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology. This works well with Canon’s stepper motor lenses; the 18-55mm IS STM kit lens is fast and near-silent in use, and great for stills and video. The articulating touchscreen display…

£1,728/$1,899 (body only) THE original EOS 6D was Canon’s cheapest full-frame DSLR, offering a cost-effective stepping stone up to the larger format – but it also used a fairly low-resolution sensor and an archaic autofocus system. Its replacement, the EOS 6D Mark II, is a very different beast, with a new 26-megapixel full-frame sensor, a far more advanced 45-point autofocus system and a fully articulating rear touchscreen display. The 6D II also benefits from Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF on-chip autofocus technology for fast and effective live view autofocus. You don’t get 4K video – we assume Canon wants to maintain differentiation against more expensive models further up the range – but it does shoot full HD video, and the 6.5fps continuous shooting speed is handy for a generalpurpose camera.…

£270/$300 LIKE the Nikon 55-200mm and Pentax 55-300mm lenses on test, this Canon telephoto is designed for SLRs with APS-C format image sensors. It’s physically longer than both competitors, at least when not in use, because it doesn’t share a retractable design. On the plus side, it’s immediately ready for shooting without having to first extend the barrel. It’s also fairly light at 375g, with a plastic mounting plate. Compared with the previous edition of this Canon lens, this model has a stepping motor (STM) autofocus system, which is quicker and quieter. Handling is also improved, as the focus ring no longer rotates during autofocus and enables manual override, via an electronic coupling. Image stabilisation is rated at 3.5 stops. Performance Image quality is good overall. Sharpness isn’t great, but…

£240/$150 WITH its retractable design and plastic mounting plate, this DX format Nikon lens for APS-C format cameras is the smallest here and nearly as light as the Panasonic MFT lens. It measures just 83mm long when retracted, and weighs in at a mere 300g, making it eminently suitable for travel photography. Indeed, travel to the USA and you can pick one up for a remarkably low $150. No such luck in the UK. Nikon currently markets four different DX format telephoto zooms, but this is arguably the most attractive. It doesn’t stretch to a 300mm maximum focal length, but it’s the smallest and least expensive – and when we tested the other lenses we couldn’t find any increase in image quality. Performance Based on an ultrasonic micromotor system (rather…

£400/$380 LIKE the Nikon 55-200mm lens on test, this Pentax model has a crafty retractable design that measures only 89mm in length when ‘folded down’. And yet, unlike the APS-C format Canon, Fujifilm and Nikon lenses in the group, it delivers a full 300mm telephoto length at its maximum zoom setting, equating to 450mm on a full-frame camera. The lens’ autofocus system follows a current trend for a ‘pulse’ stepping motor mechanism. It’s virtually silent in operation – which makes a refreshing change from some of the other lenses in Pentax’s line-up. There’s no optical stabiliser fitted, the lens relying instead on sensor-shift stabilisation in the host camera body. Build quality is very good and features weather-seals. Performance In terms of performance, the lack of optical stabilisation isn’t a drawback.…

Photoshop Masterclass Starbursts are a subtle way to add energy to your nighttime shots. Find out why a starburst filter may not be the best method, and how you can create starbursts in Photoshop instead Lightroom Skills Landscape shots taken in moonlight have an atmosphere like no other outdoor scene. Sean McCormack shows how to enhance their mystery and magic in Lightroom Classic Tool School Photoshop’s Displace filter makes it easy to composite one photo onto the surface of an object in another shot, just as if you were wrapping it around the object. Find out how the Displace filter works, and how you can use it creatively in your images Artist Insight Photoshop’s Gradient Map feature is capable of more than you think. James Abbott presents three artistic looks…

Because editing photos relies on changing sliders, it’s easy to fall into the trapping of making the ‘numbers’ look good. Hardware can help: there are a number of devices on the market. One I’ve been using is the Loupedeck. This dedicated controller for Lightroom really helps cut time in processing. There are alternatives of course. Pfixer and LrControl allow users to connect Midi-compatible devices to Lightroom and control it from them. Handy for musicians! Palette from palettegear offers a modular system that is fully customisable and builds together like a Lego controller using magnets.…

www.artwolfe.com See Art’s talks at The Photography Show! Super Stage 1pm, Saturday 17th March 1pm, Sunday 18th March Book your tickets today at www.photographyshow.com What’s your current mood? Pretty Scooby-Doo! Which photographers would you like to invite for dinner? Sebastião Salgado, Herb Ritts. What’s your favourite place on Earth? Currently, it’s a mezcal bar in Mexico City; really, though, it changes by the day or the last trip I took. What’s the shot you most regret not taking? Two dogs napping on two napping cows in a back alley in Varanasi, India. My guide had bolted on ahead of me; if I had stopped, I would have been lost forever in a maze of streets. Who would you most like to thank for getting you where you are today? My…

24.3MP MIRRORLESS CAMERA FIRST LOOK STEADY ON Fujifilm’s X-series gets a new flagship model with in-body stablisation as the X-H1 debuts AFTER many rumours, Fujfilm has confirmed its new top-of-the-range X-series camera. The X-H1 packs a wealth of high-end features, including body-based image stabilisation (a first for the X-series), a weather-sealed magnesium alloy shell and a top-plate LCD that displays key camera settings (another new feature for the X-series). At the heart of the X-H1 is a 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III APS-C sensor and X-Processor Pro, which were previously included in the X-T2 and X-Pro2 models. However, the camera’s video features have received a notable upgrade. The X-H1 is capable of recording two flavours of 4K – DCI and UHD – for approximately 15 minutes at frame rates of up…

TRADITIONALLY, coastal and landscape shots are taken with a wide-angle focal length and a narrow aperture, such as 24mm and f/16. This ensures the whole scene is perfectly sharp, from the foreground to the horizon. However, in this project we’ll explore how creative your scenic shots can look if you do the opposite. Using the widest possible aperture on a long lens to capture a very shallow depth of field may initially seem counter-intuitive, but the blur makes the subject stand out. If you shoot at sunset, the light levels will be lower, resulting in longer shutter speeds, so you may need to raise your ISO to maintain a fast enough shutter speed while still shooting handheld. Step 1 Using your lens at its widest aperture (we used a 50mm…

EVERY issue, we do our best to create a magazine that you love to read, and we ’ re always looking for ways to make it even better. So, we ’ d like your help in improving Digital Camera. All you need to do is answer some quick questions s about yourself, your camera kit and the magazine – we ’ re really looking forward to hearing from you. Take part in our new 2018 survey and enjoy an exclusive 10% reader discount on magazines (not subscriptions), books, DVDs and binders at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk FILL IT OUT Spend a few minutes filling out our survey – do it on your computer, tablet or smartphone YOUR OPINION Tell us a bit about yourself, your camera kit and your opinions on the magazine…

DO… KNOW YOUR SHUTTER SPEED Fast shutter speeds make motion look detailed but jerky. Slow shutter speeds make it smoother but blurred. DO… PACK YOUR ND FILTER Slowish shutter speeds make for smoother clips; a neutral-density filter can help you achieve these in bright light. DO… GET THE COLOURS RIGHT Set a white balance and picture style preset manually to ensure consistency between clips. DO… RECORD ‘B-ROLL’ FOOTAGE Grab cutaway shots and clips of incidental details, as these can add interest and help to tell the story. DO… THINK ABOUT EDIT POINTS Allow subjects to enter and exit the frame, as this can provide natural cut points during editing. DON’T… MOVE THE CAMERA TOO FAST Avoid panning the camera or zooming the lens too quickly: it can make viewers reach…

THE SOMERSET LEVELS A rock photographer and a wedding photographer leave their comfort zones to join Ben Brain on a landscape shoot in deepest Somerset. Who will find their level on the Levels? READER 1 Matt Wilson CAMERAS: Canon EOS 5D Mark III & EOS 6D LOCATION: Devon WEDDING photographer Matt has enjoyed photography since moving to Devon when he was eight years old. He now shoots weddings across the West Country and beyond, as well covering corporate and food photography. His passion for cycling has also seen him photograph a string of cycle races, triathlons and marathons, both for clients and himself. Matt confesses that having to use a tripod and zooms rather than his beloved prime lenses for this Shootout felt unnatural, but he gave it a go.…

NAOMI SAYS: I took this photo in North Devon at a small centre for British wildlife. After watching the fox for a while, I thought I would try to see if I could capture what I feel is the ‘spirit’ of the fox – in particular its alert and nimble nature, its beautiful orange fur and to take a portrait of its expressive, pointed face. I like that I have captured the rich and bright brown eyes sharply and that the whole head and whiskers are in focus; and I think I’ve caught the lightness of its step. To me it looks intent on getting somewhere, and I like the determined gaze. Conditions were dark and very wet and the fox was moving incredibly fast – which meant capturing it…

£49/$50 AFFINITY Photo started out as a Mac-only product, but there’s now a Windows version too, which makes it an even more serious Photoshop alternative. In designing Affinity Photo, Serif has left behind its budget software roots and concentrated on building the best possible product from the ground up – Affinity Photo is designed for power, speed and responsiveness, with live filter effects, HDR merge and tone mapping tools, panorama stitching, focus stacking and a whole lot more. Best of all, there’s no subscription: just a low one-off purchase price. WINNING FEATURES • Inexpensive, one-off purchase • Photoshop-matching layers, filters, selection tools and more…

£569/$525 (Firefly) DESIGNED in the heart of Switzerland and built in Korea, Irix lenses are newcomers to the DSLR scene. The 11mm f/4 is a full-frame ultra-wide-angle lens available in Nikon and Canon mounts; unusually, it comes in two different versions. The cheaper Firefly model has a plastic body and is 100g lighter, while the optically identical Blackstone has a more substantial magnesium and alloy construction and fluorescent markings for better visibility. These sophisticated manual-focus lenses could be perfect for landscapes, architecture and interiors. WINNING FEATURES • Super-wide angle of view • Depth of field markings…

£699/$600 THE E-M10 Mark III is the smallest and cheapest camera in Olympus’s OM-D range, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in features – far from it. The Olympus PEN range takes care of the beginners’ market and smartphone upgraders, and the OM-D range is left to cater for more advanced users; so the E-M10 III is a powerful little camera that can grow with its users’ expectations and expertise. Its size and power also makes it perfect for travel photography, especially with the Olympus 14-42mm EZ lens ‘pancake’ zoom lens. Essentially, the E-M10 III is an update of the Mark II, but it’s none the worse for that because all the changes are worthwhile and well-thought-out. They include the addition of 4K video, a more sophisticated 121-point AF system,…

£280 IT’S not just the price that makes the Modus 600RT our award winner. We were struck by its lithium-ion battery, which delivers not only a much longer life than regular AAs – 550 shots on a single charge – but faster recycling too. With its 1.5-second recycle time, it’s well equipped to keep up with fastpaced shooting. You can get the Modus 600RT on its own, but we think the wireless kit is even better. It includes the Viper RF transmitter for wireless offcamera flash control, and you can add more flash units later to create sophisticated lighting setups. WINNING FEATURES • Lithium-ion battery for fast recycling and long life • All the power of a top own-brand flash, but at half the price…

£1,199/$1,299 SOMETIMES less really is more. The trouble with multi-mode cameras and interchangeable zoom lenses is that they give you too many choices, and too many decisions. The X100F’s stripped-back approach restricts you to a single lens with a single focal length, but this concentrates your attention on your subject, not the camera. The X100F’s old-school approach extends to its external shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO dials – this is how cameras used to be! It’s not all about hairshirts and making do, though, because the X100F also sports a clever hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder to give you the clarity of an optical’finder with the information of a digital display. The X100F delivers great image quality, rich Film Simulation modes and very good noise control. WINNING FEATURES • Traditional exposure…

£299/$400 ROTOLIGHT makes innovative professional LED lighting pane ls for the movie and stills industry, but its Anova Pro 2 and AEOS are high-end lights with a price tag to match. The Neo 2 is different. Priced for the non-professional market and small enough to slip into a camera bag, the Neo 2 is an LED panel with a difference. It doesn’t just offer adjustable brightness, but adjustable colour temperature too, so you can match it to the ambient lighting or create deliberate colour contrasts. It might be the baby of the Rotolight range, but it still delivers an output of 2,000 lux at 3ft, and that’s top performance for a hotshoe LED panel. You can handhold it or fix it to a lighting stand, and there’s a unique ‘flash’…

£4,299/$4,498 (body only) UN LIKE the Sony A7R III, which is designed to offer a balance between continuous shooting and resolution, the A9 is all about sheer speed. Its 24-megapixel sensor might be a step down in resolution from the A7R series, but it’s still plenty for big, detail-rich images – and it can capture these at an incredible 20 frames per second at full resolution, and with AE and AF tracking. Frame rates like this are no good without a substantial buffer capacity: the A9 has this covered too, with the ability to capture 362 JPEGs or 241 raw files in a burst. This is just the start. The A9 also has a completely silent electronic shutter, opening up whole new opportunities for sports photographers at moments where cameras…

£425/$500 CANON’S first 70-300mm IS USM had a mediocre stabiliser and a pedestrian, noisy autofocus system based on an ultrasonic micro-motor, not ring-type ultrasonic. The Mk II features upgraded optics, a new four-stop stabiliser and a revolutionary Nano USM autofocus system, which is very rapid for stills, yet enables smooth focus transitions during movie capture, similar to a stepping motor system. Another novel feature is the LCD info screen on the barrel. The adjacent mode switch enables you to cycle through display modes for focus distance and depth of field, effective focal length on an APS-C format camera, and the current level of vibration. The plastic hood costs £80 in the UK, but a more reasonable $45 in the USA. Performance The Mk II delivers much better image quality than…

£750/$750 NIKON’S AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR has long been a favourite budget telephoto zoom. It’s now been discontinued and replaced by this new version, which adds an AF-P (Pulse) stepping motor autofocus system, plus an electronically controlled diaphragm. These make it incompatible with a number of older Nikon DSLRs. The upside is that the autofocus system is quick and essentially silent, while aperture consistency is improved during rapid bursts of shooting at high continuous drive speeds. However, there’s no focus distance scale and, unlike the Canon 70-300mm lens on test, there’s no LCD info screen. A new VR system delivers 4.5-stop performance. The Active mode of its predecessor is replaced by a Sport VR mode, preferred for tracking erratically moving subjects through the viewfinder. Performance Image quality is excellent,…

£330/$450 TAMRON’S 70-300mm VC USD is becoming a bit of a minority item, with its ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system. That’s no bad thing, as AF performance is fast and quiet, and comes complete with manual override. Many will also prefer the mechanical coupling for the focus ring, which comes with a focus distance scale beneath a viewing panel. The Canon-and Nikon-mount editions feature Tamron’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) stabilisation system, while the Sony A-mount version relies on in-camera stabilisation. The large zoom ring at the front of the lens operates smoothly. Positioned towards the rear, the focus ring doesn’t rotate during autofocus, so it doesn’t impair handling. As with most Tamron lenses and not so many own-brand optics, it comes complete with a hood. Performance Helped by the inclusion of…

Jon is a photographer and writer, and also provides individual and small group tuition in digital SLR and Photoshop skills. jon@jonadamsmedia.co.uk IF YOU use a small aperture like f/11 or f/16 when you shoot a night scene, you’ll create glowing starburst effects that emanate from point light sources in the frame. Traditionally, this effect is enhanced by using an optical ‘star’ filter over the lens. These come in various types, depending on how many streaks of light you want the light source to create, and they work by having the appropriate pattern etched into the surface of the filter. The pattern causes the light to reflect and streak along the filter’s etched lines, but the results can look rather artificial, as the etched pattern is uniform. This means that starbursts…

Photoshop SOFTWARE Photoshop CC GET IT FROM www.adobe.com GET START FILE FROM The Resources folder on the disc With a decade as a working writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter the most to you. STEP BY STEP CARVE A FACE INTO A TREE Before we get into the science, try this quick project to see how the principle works MAKE A MAP 1 Open our tree.jpg start file, then go to File > Duplicate to make a copy. Go to the copy, press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U to desaturate, then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set amount to 9. Next press Cmd/Ctrl+S to save the file. Name it ‘map’ and choose Photoshop Document in the format settings, then click Save.…

9 PHOTO TIPS CARDS These cards give you shooting ideas for your next photo session; print out and cut up the cards, then put your favourites into your kit bag, ready to bring out whenever you need them. Look for the cards at the end of this magazine. 162-PAGE GEAR EBOOK Your free Camera Shopper ebook offers the best kit buying advice around. Download your PDF via www.bit.ly/cshopper18 When you see this button on a page in the magazine, there’s a related video you can watch at www.bit.ly/dc201video 51 MINUTES OF VIDEO TUTORIALS THIS ISSUE PHOTOSHOP MASTERCLASS Starburst brushes: Boost the atmosphere in low-light and night scenes by creating your own brush in Photoshop SEE PAGE 126 LIGHTROOM SKILLS Moonlit landscape: Tips and techniques to make a night sky sparkle…

Eight creative challenges to inspire you to refresh your digital photography SINCE starting to shoot macro photography years ago, I’ve seen more sunrises than I had in my whole life before. That’s because early in the morning, when it’s cold, insects are slow and lethargic, so they’re less likely to fly away or move too much when you photograph them. Getting up long before sunrise has its downsides – but when it comes to macro photography, it opens up opportunities. I like to find insects sitting on their favourite plants, and use their torpid state to shoot from a tripod, focus manually and even wait for the perfect light conditions. To achieve a dreamy effect, you can either try to shoot with backlighting or turn around to shoot with the…

WE PHOTOGRAPHERS have a bit of a love/hate relationship with movement. At times it’s a real pain and we strive to keep it to a minimum; at other times, we want to celebrate it in all its blurry glory. The motion of traffic at night definitely falls into the latter category. If you set a long exposure in the low evening light, the smooth motion of the car lights creates wonderfully evocative streaks of colour through the frame. This is one of those photo projects that reveals the magic of photography – and the best part is, it’s easy! Anyone with a DSLR and tripod can do it. It’s a great way to get started with long-exposure photography, as there’s no need for extra filters or even a cable release.…

STREET photography is one of the most challenging genres for all photographers – but it is also the most exciting and rewarding. It relies so much on our ability to see and observe, and to notice the things that normal people don’t register, that we need a dramatic shift in the way we use our eyes. This is action photography: even when we aren’t constantly moving from one environment to another, the content of the scene will be changing as new people enter the frame – and they all look different, walk in different places and at different speeds. Here are some tips to help you make the most of what the street has to offer. ABOUT DAMIEN DEMOLDER Damien is a photographer and photography journalist working in a wide…

1 Resolution Go for the highest resolution possible: you can always decrease it later. If you try to increase it later, your video won’t look as sharp. 2 Compression The more compressed the video footage is, the more clips you can fit onto a memory card. (Note the maximum recording time of 29:59 here.) 3 Frame rate The standard frame rate in the UK is 25 frames per second. For high-speed filming (and slow-motion playback), use a faster frame rate. 4 Shutter speed Shutter speed and frame rate are not the same thing. A rule of thumb is to set a shutter speed that is double the frame rate – so 1/50 sec for 25fps. 5 Log profiles Some cameras offer ‘Log’ recording, which gives a low-contrast file. Alternatively, use…

EXPERT JUDGES: Morag Paterson & Ted Leeming THE GREAT OUTDOORS WINNER PETER KOVÁČIK Morag and Ted say: “Congratulations to Peter: this image is incredibly beautiful and very well-executed. The textures and tones in the trees complement each other perfectly, and contrast wonderfully with the pristine white snow in the foreground. “Forests can be suggestive of fairytales and folklore in any light and weather, but fresh lying snow is perhaps one of the most evocative. Without question this image conveys a deep sense of place and a strong resonance with the landscape.” 2nd NICK BOARD “A wonderfully simple, beautifully exposed and original image. The minimalistic tones of the glacier lend a sense of serenity to an evolving landscape. The inclusion of people brings scale and a narrative to the picture, while…

£349/$320 (drives extra) THERE can’t be many photographers who haven’t had to boost their computer’s internal storage with external drives. But regular external drives eventually fill up and sometimes fail. The Drobo 5C addresses both of these issues, using up to five disk drives in a flexible desktop RAID system. Unlike regular RAID setups, though, it lets you mix and match drive brands and sizes and even ‘hot-swap’ drives while the unit is running. You can swap out faulty drives when a red light shows, or just flip out a small drive to replace it with a larger one. WINNING FEATURES • Flexible storage and data security combined • Drives can be mixed sizes and brands…

£799/$899 (body only) FUJIFILM’S X-mount cameras combine traditional external controls with great specifications and image quality. Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor and Film Simulation modes produce rich, detailed images with a ‘film’ look. All this comes at a price – or at least it does if you go for the range-topping X-T2 or X-Pro2. The X-T20 is different, though. It’s a lot smaller than the X-T2 and an awful lot cheaper, yet the sensor and many of the key specifications are unchanged. These include 4K video, a 91-point hybrid contrast/phase detection autofocus sensor, a 24MP APS-C X-Trans sensor and access to the range of excellent Fujifilm X-mount lenses. Round the back is a tilting touchscreen display with touch focus and touch shutter, and a really good OLED electronic viewfinder. WINNING FEATURES •…

£99/$120 SMARTPHONES are capable of capturing surprisingly highquality video if you use them properly. The trouble is, their shape makes them awkward to handle and encourages all sorts of wobbly, badlythought out footage. That’s why we love the X1 Pro Rig. It doesn’t just provide a stable platform for your smartphone, but has mounting points for an external microphone and a small LED panel. In fact, the modular design lets you attach just the bits you want, so you could detach one handle and the bar to make a one-handed smartphone grip. WINNING FEATURES • Simple video rig • Adaptable and customisable design…

£1,349/$1,299 ALONG SIDE a constantaperture standard zoom and super-wide zoom, the 70-200mm f/2.8 has become one of the ‘holy trinity’ of lenses for advanced amateurs and professionals. Own-brand 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses are expensive, though, which is why this Tamron is such a great buy. It’s still not cheap, but its combination of optical performance, build quality and handling put it on the same footing as lenses costing twice as much. The G2 model is a muchimproved version of Tamron’s previous 70-200mm f/2.8. It has a metal barrel, weather seals and a moistureresistant fluorine coating on the front element. There’s an alloy Arca-Swiss compatible tripod foot, five-stop image stabilisation with three modes, and a long-range autofocus limiter. WINNING FEATURES • One of the three ‘classic’ pro lenses you should aim to…

£749/$884 YES, the price tag is jaw-dropping – but you don’t have to spend too long with these Gitzo Systematic tripods to see where the money has been spent. The tripods are deceptively simple, surprisingly light and exceptionally rigid. We tested the Gitzo GT4533LS Systematic Series 4, which is just one of 12 different models. These break down into three different series: 3, 4 and 5, each of which is available with a choice of leg lengths and numbers of sections. It’s a modular system, with a choice of centre columns (they work perfectly well without a column too), heads and other accessories, so the cost do mount up; but the engineering, usability and stability of these Systematic tripods is impressive. WINNING FEATURES • Simple to use, solid as a…

THE first extra lens a photographer buys for their cameras is usually a telephoto. We’ve rounded up eight reasonably priced alternatives competing for your cash. They include lenses designed for full-frame cameras and some made specifically for smaller ‘crop sensor’ cameras with APS-C or Micro Four Thirds sensors. A full-frame lens will give you more ‘reach’ on a cropsensor camera, but lenses designed specifically for these smaller sensor sizes will tend to be cheaper and lighter, so if you own a Nikon, Pentax or Canon DSLR, you will need to decide which to go for. If you have a Fujifilm X-mount camera or an Olympus or Panasonic mirrorless camera, the choice is easier because these stick to a single sensor size. The other question is how much you’re prepared to…

£330/$400 FUJIFILM’S 50-230mm offering is available in black or silver, to match the company’s range of X-series bodies. To our minds, the silver version looks a bit cheap and, like the Canon 55-250mm, it’s a very plastic affair in terms of both barrel and mounting plate. Both lenses are almost identical in size and weight, and have the same 58mm filter attachment thread. Further similarities include a stepping motor-based autofocus system, with near-silent operation. Autofocus proved rather faster in the Fujifilm lens, at least when coupled to an X-T20 body in our tests, as well as being unerringly accurate. The lens has optical stabilisation, with the same 3.5-stop effectiveness as the Canon. However, its maximum ‘effective’ telephoto reach isn’t quite as generous, at 345mm against the Canon’s 400mm. Performance We’ve…

£350/$450 PAIRING well with Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds cameras, this lens is ideally suited to both stills and video capture. Making the most of the MFT system’s 2x crop factor, it delivers an ‘effective’ 90-350mm zoom range in a small and light package. Even without a retracting design, the lens is only 90mm in physical length and, more remarkably, retains a constant length throughout the zoom and focus ranges. At 210g, it’s the lightest lens in this test group, despite having a metal mounting plate. A bonus for movie capture is the lens’s powered zoom mechanism. You can operate it either by twisting the zoom ring or via the W/T (Wide/Tele) switch towards the rear of the barrel. Both zoom control options, as well as the focus ring, are electronically…

FOR advanced features, build quality, autofocus and optical stabiliser performance and sheer image quality, the new Nikon FX-format 70-300mm comes out on top. The AF and AF-S versions that came before it were somewhat legendary as ‘affordable’ telephoto zooms, but the new edition takes everything to a new level. However, it’s a lot less affordable than its predecessors and twice the price of some other lenses in the budget telephoto sector – even more in some cases. If you can accept a modest compromise in quality, the Tamron 70-300mm offers a massive saving in cash. For Canon photographers, the new 70-300mm II IS USM is streets ahead of the previous edition, and is more sensibly priced than the Nikon lens. The balance is redressed a little, however, as Canon sells…

Sean McCormack is a photographer and writer based in Galway in the west of Ireland. He’s the author of The Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC. seanmcfoto.com WE’VE all shot our share of landscapes during golden hour, or even during the day, but how many of us have shot landscapes at night? The challenge of shooting in the dark is a refreshing change to shooting during the day. All the rules go out the window. There’s no shooting at f/16. It’s hard to find focus in the dark – and on top of that, how do you even compose your shot? There’s a trick, of course, and that’s to wait for the full moon. A few days before or after the full moon, the land at night is lit beautifully. Often…

The Displace filter shifts pixels up or down and left or right based on the brightness of the displacement map, in order to approximate a 3D surface. The horizontal and vertical values (H and V) [1] can go to +/-999, although you rarely need to go above 50. The diagram here shows how this pixel-shifting works. The centre circle [2] is unchanged. In the top left [3], both H and V are set to a positive value. Areas of the shape that sit over the brighter parts of the displacement map are pushed upwards and to the left, while dark areas shift down and to the right. Set both to negative values [4] and the brighter areas shift down and to the right. If you set H positive, V negative…

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