Table of contents for October 2023 in Digital Camera Magazine

It’s almost impossible to pick a favourite from spring and autumn, but there’s just something special about the fall, as our US readers call it. So go for gold in the coming weeks and make it an autumn to remember by trying some of the approaches in our cover feature, from p50. Also this month, there are 10 new projects to shoot today in Photo Active (p16), you can go behind the scenes on a long-form landscapes project (p8) and enjoy the winners from the International Portrait Photographer of the Year awards (p42). Plus, photographer and musician Andy Summers is in the hot seat for October’s interview (p116), and if you’re looking to buy a new camera, then consult our new buyer’s guide (p107). Talking of kit, we test the…

STEP 1 ENTER THIS URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc273 Enter the URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc273 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 Click on the link labelled ‘Download the files for Digital Camera 273’ and your download will start, delivered from our own server. Please override any browser warnings about downloading from a non-secure source – our server is safe! STEP 3 ACCESS YOUR FILES Open the. zip In your Downloads folder, or wherever you chose to download your files to, double-click the dcm273-files.zip file icon. Then when it expands, double-click Digital Camera…

1 Learn camera skills on land Having upgraded to an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and a 30mm macro lens, I realised I’d invested a lot in kit, but nothing in my own ability, so I started a class at night school. Photographing a model in a studio might not seem the same as shooting a crab in a cold Scottish loch, but it’s still about finding the right settings and lighting for the subject. I took my underwater housing to the class and used the camera inside it for our shoots so I could get comfortable with changing settings in the bulky housing. It made such a difference when I started doing it underwater. 2 Choose the right lighting Lighting plays a vital role – especially when working in…

Many major cities have a whole different world beneath them… and one of the easiest ways to see this is to explore the underground transport network. But shooting on a subway or metro system can be tricky – you won’t be able to use your flash, as this can distract the train drivers, or take a tripod for security reasons. You will need to push up your ISO setting so you can shoot hand-held, or take advantage of the excellent stabilisation systems on many modern digital cameras. Different countries have their own laws dictating what you can and cannot photograph, so do some research before setting off. Generally, as long as your images are for personal use and you’re considerate, you shouldn’t encounter too many problems. Of course, there are…

If you own a neutral density (ND) filter, you’ve almost certainly photographed a waterfall. They are often the first thing budding landscape photographers turn to when they first learn about long-exposure photography and it’s not difficult to see why. Fast-flowing water looks incredible when blurred and people are enamoured with long-exposure photographs of waterfalls. There are hundreds of waterfalls and weirs up and down the country, so you don’t necessarily have to travel to the Fairy Pools in the Isle of Skye or the Sgwd yr Eira in the Brecon Beacons to capture a great waterfall image. However, you will need to learn to wield your ND filters like a pro. So whether you’re thinking of dipping your toe into blurred waters for the first time or consider yourself a…

1 From dawn to dusk Take advantage of the low sun and transform your subject into a graphic silhouette by shooting against the sky at dawn and dusk. To meter correctly, take a reading from the brightest area of the sky and set that exposure with the Exposure Lock button. Keep your Drive mode on Continuous for the best chance of capturing the peak of the action. 2 Have patience. It’s worth waiting for the right moment Rather than rattling off shots, wait until your subject is doing something. With deer, this could be barking, exhaling a breath on a frosty morning or being in the middle of a rut. 3 Set up your camera so you’re ready When the deer are on the move, set the AF setting to…

About the competition $10,000 in cash prizes are shared between the overall winner and 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each of the four categories – Character Study, Environmental, Family Sitting and Portrait Story. The top 101 images appear in the prestigious International Portrait PotY book. https://internationalportraitphotographer.com…

Get into the great outdoors this autumn and explore woodlands and forests. In the UK, areas such as the Lake District, Snowdonia or the Tay Forest Park offer a wealth of nature trails and parks you can explore, with many containing waterfalls that are perfect for this technique. To achieve a shot like this, where the water is transformed into a pleasing blur with some brilliant splashes of colour from moving leaves, use your camera’s 10 sec self-timer mode so that you have enough time to throw the leaves into the water. If you’re exploring with a friend, ask them to throw the leaves in when the time is right. Here’s how to do it… PRO KIT THREE TOP TIPS FOR AUTUMNAL WATERFALL SHOTS 1 GET IN POSITION Find a…

So far we’ve given you loads of big projects you can sink your teeth into this autumn and have hopefully inspired you to get out with your camera. But if you’re more time-constrained, why not try out one of these quicker projects that only take around an hour to pull off? SHOW THE CHANGING SEASONS 1 What better way to display the fantastic changing colours of autumn than photographing leaves changing from vibrant greens to fiery oranges? Take the time to neatly position the leaves in an interesting composition on a large white foam board for a clean background. To light your leaves, you can use window light or a little off-camera flash. Shoot from directly above with a shutter speed of 1/200 sec, ISO 100 and an aperture of…

www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc273 47 MINUTES OF VIDEO PHOTOSHOP Get creative with the Brush Tool LIGHTROOM How to fix ‘flat’ autumn images PHOTOSHOP Get nine looks by using Layer visibility LIGHTROOM & CAMERA RAW Use Submasks to add and subtract detail LIGHTROOM & CAMERA RAW Use Adaptive Presets to target key areas PHOTOSHOP Landscape Mixer: boost your shots PHOTOSHOP Get shallow depth of field with Blur filters Download 47 minutes of video training for Lightroom and Photoshop FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc273 FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc273…

James is a professional photographer who specialises in landscape and portraits. He’s an advanced Photoshop user and has created hundreds of tutorials. It’s quite common to approach photo editing and the application of effects as a means to an end where you arrive at a final visual destination. This works extremely well – and, for the most part, can’t be faulted – but when a series of effects are applied, these can be made visible in different combinations that allow you to edit a single image in even more ways than the applied effects seemingly allow. For this set of four techniques, we’re going to replace the sky in the landscape, convert to moody black and white, lift the shadows to reveal detail and apply sepia toning. These will be…

CAMERA: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III LENS: M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO EXPOSURE: 30 secs at f/11, ISO 100 Quality with no weight penalty Lighter than its Mark II forebear, at just 414g, the OM-D E-M5 Mark III is aimed at semi-professional photographers and photo enthusiasts. Based around a high-resolution 20MP MFT sensor, the E-M5 Mark III is weather-sealed and offers a feature set that includes 6.5EV of IBIS with a stabilised Olympus lens, plus Focus Bracketing, Focus Stacking and Tripod High Res Shot – making it a great choice for landscapes. A fast but compact wide-angle zoom With an effective 14-28mm zoom range in full-frame terms, and a wide f/2.8 constant aperture rating in a weather-sealed, metal jacketed package, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO is only about…

www.canon.co.uk The Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM is a telephoto extension to Canon’s RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM, RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM and RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM ‘trinity’ zoom lenses, but is more like D’Artagnan to Canon’s existing Three RF Musketeers. There hasn’t been anything quite like this lens before, at least not from Canon. It’s akin to the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM prime but with the added versatility of being a zoom with ‘prime lens’ performance. Key features Standout features are the powerful 100-300mm telephoto zoom range and a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture, meaning a strong telephoto reach with the ability to freeze movement by maintaining fast shutter speeds under low lighting. This is a pro-grade lens with an exhaustive list of high-end…

Lens release To remove the lens, press the button and twist the lens anti-clockwise. Use the protective body cap, so you don’t leave the sensor exposed to dust. Shutter release To shoot, press the shutter release button. To focus and meter the scene, half press the shutter release. Lens A DSLR is far more versatile than a camera with a fixed lens because you can change lenses and alter the angle of view. Sensor This is where your images are recorded before being processed and stored on your memory card. Mode dial The mode dial is where you access the camera’s shooting modes. For first-time users, the fully Auto mode selects all the camera settings for you. Hotshoe To attach a flashgun, slot it into place and tighten the catch on…

Entry-level DSLRs have around seven to nine AF points, whereas a high-end mirrorless, such as the Canon EOS R3, has 4,779. Cameras that offer a densely populated array of AF points across the viewfinder make it easier to focus on subjects that aren’t in the centre of the picture. A large number of AF points also makes for smoother focus tracking, as the camera can ‘hand off’ autofocus from one point to the next and more accurately follow a subject moving across the picture. AF point array AF points are clustered towards the centre of a DSLR viewfinder. An AF point array typically contains standard AF sensors that measure sharpness in one plane and ‘crosstype’ AF sensors that are more precise. How they work The AF sensor detects a line…

Andrew Haggar Landscape photographer Qualified landscape architect Andrew Haggar is a photographer who focuses on his local area in north-west England. We joined him on location for a shoot page 8 Ross McLaren Photographer McLaren discovered photography after he took up diving – we find out more about his twin passions and his strategies for success in Photo Active from page 16 Andy Summers Photographer & musician Best known as one third of 1980s rock combo The Police, Summers is also a photographer of some distinction, as you will discover in our interview from page 116 Kate Harvey Wildlife photographer Harvey hails from County Durham and loves to take photographs of animals. We loved one of her pictures so much, we made it our Shot of the Month. Page 70…

We’re all familiar with the term ‘in the zone’ and being absorbed with the job in hand, but Andrew Haggar has literally taken this concept to the next level. Having chosen a square kilometre of open land close to his home, Haggar has repeatedly photographed it over the past six years for a long-term photo project titled MySquareK, or MySqK for short. Looking to publish it as a book, Haggar invited Digital Camera up to Cumbria so we could see how the project works in practice. One of England’s most sparsely populated counties, Cumbria boasts many areas of outstanding natural beauty and Haggar’s chosen area nestles within the Pennine, Howgill and Lake District hills. Arriving in the village of Crosby Ravensworth at dinner time, I meet Haggar early the next…

As I often photograph small-to macro-sized critters, wide apertures render too much of the subject out of focus. Before entering the water, my default settings are 1/200 sec, f/18 and ISO 200 (the native setting for the EM-1 Mark II). This seems like a small aperture, but even when you are shooting nudibranch (right), which can be less than 3cm in size, some of it can be frustratingly out of focus.…

Fish-eye lens A fish-eye lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens that distorts the perspective, creating a dynamic and fun result. Use one underground and you can enhance the shape and the depth of the round tunnels. A black-and-white finish can also enhance the lines and shapes presented in these spaces. This shot above was taken on an 8mm fish-eye lens. Go slow Get creative and blur the trains, like here on the London Underground (above). Stabilise the camera and use a narrow aperture with a longer shutter speed to create blurred trains against static surroundings. Capturing people standing still in front of moving trains, as in the shot taken on the New York City Subway (top), can also create atmospheric images. Symmetrical framing When underground, forget about the rule of thirds…

Check how many AF points are available on your camera and make your preferred selection, depending on the type of action you want to capture. AF tracking systems use cutting-edge tech to lock on to subjects and help pro photographers bag pin-sharp shots of special sporting moments, such as Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira celebrating after scoring the winning penalty in the 2023 FA Community Shield. 1 Master AF Modern autofocus systems are fast – but don’t try to shoot with AF while you’re using Live View, as the way Live View achieves focus is slower. The exact number of AF points on a camera varies from model to model, but the greater the number of AF points you have available, then the more accurate your focusing will be. For ultra-accurate focus,…

There’s no season quite as colourful and photogenic as autumn. With tree leaves turning into an amazing kaleidoscope of colours from vibrant yellows to grungey oranges and fiery reds, there’s no better time to get out into the great outdoors and inject some of nature’s fantastic colour palette into your images. At this time of year, the sun also sits lower in the sky, so the golden hour, which occurs in the hour preceding sunset or after sunrise, lasts for a little longer and will bathe your landscape scenes in a wider range of incredibly rich, warm tones. Whether it’s capturing the incredible shift in colours in your landscape scenes, fun family portraits of kids jumping in puddles or even shooting seasonal veg, such as pumpkins, and including them in…

1 ‘Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku’ by Yasser Alaa Mobarak “The Heydar Aliyev Centre was designed by the Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and is noted for its distinctive architecture and a flowing, curved style that eschews sharp angles.” Digital Camera says: A fabulous capture, Yasser. This perspective of such an intriguing building was always going to make a great photo, but you still had to carefully arrange the elements in the frame and the red dress complements the other primary colours. 2 ‘Old Teapot and Pear’ by Bert Bindels “Captured using one studio light and a softbox to create soft Rembrandt lighting, the background image is a picture I took of a window in an old church on the island of Harris. I used different textures in Photoshop to create the Old Masters…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. There’s so much more to the Photoshop Brush tool than first meets the eye. In this project, we’ll explore some of the features and settings that make it one of the most powerful tools available in Photoshop. Whether you simply want to make precise brush strokes or create all manner of special effects, the Brush tool is up to the task. With a few simple skills, it’s relatively easy to create a bold paint splatter effect like this, using a combination of brush settings and layer masking. At the most basic level, the Brush tool lets us add colours to our image. But look under the hood…

What is a grey card? It’s an accessory to help you achieve the perfect exposure for the light in your scene. Is it actually made of card? They’re available in all shapes and sizes, and aren’t necessarily made of card but the grey tone on its surface isn’t any old grey, either. In fact, it’s a specific grey that reflects 18% of the light falling on it. This level of reflectance is exactly halfway between black and white, so it is an official mid-tone, which is what camera light meters use to measure brightness. How do I use it? Place a grey card in the same light as your subject and then spot meter from it. The best way of doing this is to set Aperture Priority mode first, dial…

Sony expands its A7C family Two new models – choose between 33MP or 60MP full-frame sensors Soon after launching the A6700 (see page 94), Sony has updated its bigger sibling – with a choice of two sensor sizes. The A7C II is built around a 33MP BSI Exmor R sensor, larger than that of its predecessor and which Sony claims will make the A7C II up to eight times faster at processing images than the A7C. It will also enable the A7C II to shoot up to 10fps with continuous autofocus and autoexposure and create in-camera focus-stacked images of up to 299 frames. The A7C R, on the other hand, features the same body as the A7C II but gets the same sensor as the Sony A7R V – a…

www.sony.co.uk When Sony released its first APS-C crop sensor mirrorless camera back in 2013, the company hit on something good. Combining the new Sony E-Mount for smaller and lighter mirrorless lenses with a light and compact camera body, Sony’s A6x00 range became successful with travellers, weekend photographers and content creators as the compact hybrid camera to beat. The Sony A6600 has sat at the top of the range since 2019, however, over the past few years, Sony has made a lot of technical developments that it is rapidly rolling out to new camera models. Fans of Sony’s A6x00 range have been clamouring for Sony to update its lineup, and the company has finally answered those calls with the Sony A6700. However, since the Sony A6600’s release, Sony just can’t seem…

https://irixlens.com/ The original, full-frame compatible Irix 150mm Macro 1:1 F2.8 Dragonfly has been available since 2018 in Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mount options. For these mirrorless times, a new version is now also available in Sony E-mount, while the DSLR-based Canon and Nikon editions are compatible with EOS R and Nikon Z system mirrorless cameras via their respective mount adapters. As its name suggests, the Irix gives full 1.0x or 1:1 macro magnification at its shortest focus distance. The 150mm focal length is around 50 percent longer than in most mainstream macro lenses, along with a greater minimum focus distance of 34.5cm, or 13.6 inches. That potentially gives you a more comfortable working distance, especially when shooting timid bugs. Irix was founded in 2016 by a group…

Interchangeable lenses Like a DSLR, a compact system camera doesn’t feature a fixed lens. Instead, you can swap between lenses depending on the subject you are shooting or the effect you want to achieve. The lens mounts on compact system cameras (CSC) are different to those on DSLRs, which means you can’t use DSLR lenses on a CSC without purchasing an adapter. Look, no mirror! The most significant difference between a DSLR and a compact system camera is the lack of a mirror. Not only does this allow CSCs to be much smaller and lighter, but it also means they’re much quieter in operation. As there is no mirror to reflect the sensor view in a CSC, you will have to use the Live View monitor or an electronic viewfinder…

When you push the ISO higher on a camera, colours become muddier, and dynamic range (the amount of detail captured from shadows to highlights) drops off. But the most obvious side effect is an increase in the ‘noise’ – this is the digital equivalent of film grain but even less palatable, with the image covered in ugly coloured speckles. ISOs in the region of 100 to 400 produce cleaner, richer and more detailed images, however, they require more light to make an exposure. This can be achieved by shooting with either a larger aperture or a slower shutter speed – or both. You can take a picture at low ISOs without making these adjustments, but it will take longer to make the exposure and that could result in a blurred…

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9 PHOTO TIPS CARDS TO TAKE ON LOCATION! Our latest selection of tips cards gives wallet-sized advice on how to take better photos ALL-NEW TIPS CARDS! ✓ 9 subjects ✓ Techniques ✓ Settings ✓ Kit list Transform your images with the latest batch of software extras for Photoshop and Lightroom Our latest selection of brushes, presets and actions will give your captures a professional and creative look in a matter of seconds. Find out more about each pack on page 78 and download them by following the instructions below. BONUS SOFTWARE EXTRAS! Turn to page 78 Buyer’s Guide ebook Over 250 pages of camera and lens reviews, plus buying advice for accessories! See the Gifts folder in your download. Download your gifts via digitalcameraworld.com/dc273…

I would love to say that photography has been a passion of mine from an early age, but it’s actually something I’ve fallen into by mistake. It’s a case of one expensive pastime leading to another expensive pastime, neither of which I had ever planned to take quite so seriously. Seven years ago, I started diving on the west coast of Scotland in preparation for visiting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef the following summer. My wife and I decided to do our diving qualifications before we left, so we didn’t have to spend our holiday time in a classroom. Sadly, the trip down under didn’t happen, but it opened up a whole other side of Scotland for us. From the first time I put my head beneath the water of Loch Long,…

Darker nights can be frustrating for the keen photographer, but here’s a technique to try all year round. Use a long exposure to get cool traffic trail effects when cars drive by. It’s one of those techniques that’s hard to get on a camera phone and a pain to replicate in software, so it will mark you out as a skilled photographer. Actually, traffic trails are not that hard to take, but you do need to prepare carefully. First, find a suitable (but safe) location. Try standing by a busy junction controlled by traffic lights, or a slip road or a roundabout, where you’ll get vehicles coming past at different speeds. Capturing vehicles when they are turning can create interesting effects, too. You’re using a slow shutter speed, so you…

To quickly smooth out an area of uneven tonality on skin, perhaps to tone down bags under the eyes or soften wrinkles, press Cmd/Ctrl+J to make a copy of your layer. Grab the Clone Tool, then go to the tool Blending Mode options (not the layer options) and set it to Lighten. Press 2 for 20% brush opacity, then Alt-click to sample a clean area of skin nearby. Paint to clone over the rough area until it is smooth.…

One neat trick is to combine different exposure lengths into the same image. The best way to do this is to import each image into the same Photoshop document, before selecting Edit > Auto-Align Layers and then using layer masks to paint the different exposures in or out at various points throughout the waterfall. We recommend choosing the image you’re most happy with as the main image and then positioning the exposure layer you want to blend on top, before hitting the ‘Add layer mask’ icon and then holding Cmd+I to invert it. You can then paint the layer back where desired, using a soft, white brush. Keep tabs on the mask you’re revealing by hitting ‘\’ to activate a red overlay.…

1 Set up the shot Use one or two speedlight-type flashguns set to their lowest power (usually 1/128th). This will effectively give you the fastest possible flash exposure. For a transparent liquid such as water, you should light the background; for an opaque liquid such as milk, light the subject. 2 Get focused Switch to manual focus and use a marker, such as a pencil, to pre-focus on a point where the drop falls. For the maximum depth of field, use a small aperture, for example, f/22. 3 Set the right time Timing is vital, whether you’re using a specialist trigger or a homemade rig. The trick is studying the behaviour and timing of the drop, so that you can better predict when to fire the shutter.…

Great features of the Lowepro Adventura GO SH 160 camera bag • Suitable for a DSLR or mirrorless camera • Durable fabric to keep your camera and accessories protected • Built-in belt loop and shoulder strap WORTH £52! “Subscribe to Digital Camera and get the world’s favourite photo magazine delivered to your door or device each month” Niall Hampton Editor, Digital Camera Great reasons to subscribe to Digital Camera magazine today •  Never miss an issue Get Digital Camera magazine delivered direct to your door or device every month •  FREE Lowepro Adventura GO SH 160 camera bag •  Pay less than you would in the shops •  The latest tips and insights A Digital Camera subscription will inspire you to take truly phenomenal photos every month…

We’re always looking for the latest kit to take our photography to the next level and there’s some brilliant equipment to help you enhance your autumn shots. A good quality camera and lenses are a must, as well as a sturdy tripod and a backpack to transport your kit in. Our favourite picks are listed below, in addition to some hidden gems that you may not have thought of. If your budget is restricted, it’s also worth considering buying second-hand items. Clothing is just as important and if you’re venturing out into woods and forests, you’ll need to wear suitable walking shoes or even wellies in boggy swamps when foraging for mushrooms and fungi. Waterproof jackets and trousers will also help you avoid getting soaked should you need to get…

One cubic inch of soil can contain up to eight miles of mycelium, the root-like fungal structure sprawling under our feet. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of mycelium so there’s plenty of them to photograph, especially after heavy rainfall: look for dark and damp areas of woodlands and forests and inspect deadwood where they thrive. They come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes and colours, from the very photogenic, but also poisonous, fly agaric (below), to the common Mycena mushrooms we photographed (right). Mushrooms and fungi are generally quite small so a macro lens is ideal; it’s also worth carrying a lens hand blower pump or small brush you can use to clean any dirt off your subjects to save time when editing. PRO KIT THREE ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR…

Title: ‘Barn Owlets in a Tree Trunk’ Location: North Pennines Date: August 2023 Instagram: @kateharveyphoto Having returned to photography after putting her camera down when she left college, Kate Harvey now concentrates on capturing animals – both the wildlife and pet varieties. As a child, she was interested in photography and used to make nature documentaries in her back garden with her father’s old Hitachi VHS video recorder before going on to study media and photography at college. A lover of the great outdoors, Harvey can usually be found in areas where she can enjoy water, hills and an abundance of wildlife – her favourite places include Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, along with the Highlands, the Lake District and Wales. This photo of a pair of juvenile barn owls…

Sean McCormack is a photographer and writer, based in Galway. He’s the author of The Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC. Autumn is one of my favourite times of year – the change of colours, walking my dog in the woods on a foggy morning and seeking compositions I know I’ll go back to. It can be tough when the weather doesn’t comply but you have to get out there! So you’ve gone out camera in hand and have come back with what you think will be a beautiful set of pictures – but they’re a little flatter looking than the scene you remember. You’ve got some work to do but, fortunately, Lightroom Classic makes this easy. Fog tends to remove the colour from the scene, so you’ll need to bring…

Digital Camera’s 2022 Collection USB contains the 13 issues published in 2022 (250-262) plus all tutorial videos, tutorial start files, photo tip cards PDFs, buyer’s guide PDFs and other digital gifts… giving you one-click access to a wealth of photo technique projects, camera, lens and accessory reviews, galleries of inspirational images, interviews with the world’s leading photographers – and more! (Adobe Reader or Acrobat required) Buy the 2022 Collection today at: www.bit.ly/dcm22collection CONTAINS ALL DIGITAL ISSUES FROM 2022 Enjoy issues 250-262 of Digital Camera on your PC or Mac desktop or laptop computer!…

www.dji.com DJI’s consumer line has plenty of choice in the ultralight category – drones at around 250g – and two distinct airframes above that before things start getting pretty expensive in terms of price – they are the Mavic 3 and now the Air 3. These two drones eschew the lowest weight limit in favour of the advantages a heftier aircraft can offer, not least sturdier performance against the wind but also enough power to lift a better camera. Given that the DJI Air 2S competed as much with the Mavic 3 as any other drone, DJI offered surprisingly little compromise on that front. The 20MP 1-inch CMOS sensor captured video at up to 5.4K (at 30fps). That’s not too bad at all. The new Air 3 is looking to…

DSLR & MIRRORLESS CAMERAS PLUS: Our best-buy accessories Sensor sizes at a glance Three formats dominate DSLR and mirrorless cameras… Full-frame (36 x 24mm) These imaging sensors have similar proportions to a frame of 35mm film. APS-C (≈ 25.1 x 16.7mm) Based on the Advanced Photo System film format from the 1990s. Micro Four-Thirds (17.3 x 13mm) The 4:3 aspect ratio allows smaller and lighter lenses to be used. Wise buys Landscape lenses Good, better and best… three optics for shooting scenics Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Price: £1,269/$1,299 Verdict: Well-made and optically excellent, this lens for Canon and Nikon DSLRs is a real bargain. Sharpness is impressively consistent. Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM Price: £2,389/$2,399 Verdict: Its 35mm reach offers extra flexibility for shooting landscapes, and it features an optical…

While the majority of interchangeable lenses are designed to fill the proportions of a full-frame sensor, plenty of digital cameras use sensors that are smaller than full-frame (see page 107). As they are exposed to a smaller part of the picture projected by a lens, smaller sensors produce a magnification effect, with the ‘cropped’ image looking as though it has been taken with a longer lens. The focal length of the lens hasn’t increased – a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens, regardless of the camera it’s attached to – but the ‘crop factor’ of the sensor makes it appear that it has. Other differences that the sensor size makes include the larger pixels gathering light more efficiently so you’ll get cleaner, better-quality images at high ISO settings. Plus, it’s…

Before starting to record video, the fundamental decision to make is which movie-recording size to use. This is largely determined by three functions: the image size or resolution, the frame rate (how many images are recorded each second) and the level of compression. The choice of resolution is key, as this determines how much detail can be recorded, with 4K being offered by the majority of current cameras. There are in fact two 4K standards: TV-friendly 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) and a wider, more cinematic 4K ‘DCI’ (4,096 x 2,160). If you have space available on your memory card or external recorder, it pays to shoot at the highest resolution your camera allows, as you can always reduce this later. That said, shooting at a lower resolution usually…