Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Digital Camera Magazine

STEP 1 ENTER THIS URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc274 Enter the URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc274 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 274’ 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 dcm274-files.zip file icon. Then when it expands, double-click Digital…

The past might be a foreign country but, thankfully, there are still many historical events happening every weekend around the UK, from battle re-enactments to military celebrations, ranging from the mainstream to the bizarre. Every September, the city of Bath hosts the annual Jane Austen Festival, where visitors come from all over the world to participate in a week-long celebration of the well-known 18th-century female novelist. Here are some quick tips for capturing the essence of costumed characters at a local historical event. 1 Near your subject? Use a prime lens If you are shooting your subject in close proximity, consider using a 50mm lens to capture them at their best. 2 Far from your subject? Use a telephoto lens If you want to get close to your subjects from a distance,…

Composition is one of the most important elements of all types of photography. But when it comes to landscapes, where scenes are often deep and include various elements at different points within the environment, composition is an essential tool for cutting out the visual noise, creating an image that’s pleasing to look at and helping to guide the viewer’s eye through the scene. The rule-of-thirds, lead-in lines, foreground interest, framing and diagonal lines are all simple, yet highly effective, compositional devices that work perfectly in the majority of situations. But knowing which ones to use, in which combination and when to completely disregard the rule-of-thirds and instead work directly with the scene in front of you, are all invaluable skills to learn and implement. CENTRAL COMPOSITION (ABOVE) 1 The rules…

Landscape photography is traditionally captured with a combination of a narrow aperture alongside ‘correct’ focusing to maximise depth of field. At a basic level, the correct point of focus is 1/3 of the distance into the scene beyond the foreground interest that needs to be in sharp focus. In more extreme situations, where the foreground interest is close to the lens but the background is far in the distance, focus stacking is the only way to ensure sharpness throughout. While this is the best approach in most situations, another method that also works well is to shoot at a wide aperture to minimise the depth of field and take advantage of differential focus. Here, you focus on the foreground to render the background out of focus, on the middle ground…

Photography can be most fun when you manipulate exposure to achieve the desired effect. And one opportunity that comes around once a month is a full moon. The aim here is to use the moonlight to illuminate the landscape, while astrophotography camera settings and focusing techniques capture the scene in a way that makes it look as if it was shot in daylight. You can also shoot this technique with a first or last quarter moon (half moon), but for this, you have to increase ISO to achieve the desired level of exposure on the landscape. SET EXPOSURE 1 Set the camera to Manual mode with an ISO of around 800, a shutter speed of around 10 seconds and an f/1.8 aperture, or wider if you have a faster wide-angle…

SHORT EXPOSURE, WIDE APERTURE For action, a fast shutter is needed to ‘stop’ any movement. For this cricket shot, a fast shutter was essential to get the ball sharp. Luckily, it was a bright day so achieving the fast shutter of 1/1600 sec with an aperture of f/5.6 was possible at ISO 400. Less good light would mean bumping up the camera’s ISO. The camera used was an OM System OM-1 with a 40-150mm lens fitted with a 1.4x extender, giving an effective 420mm focal length in full-frame. Here, Pro Capture mode was used at 20fps, but on cameras without a pre-shot setting, pressing the shutter button a fraction before the bowler releases the ball would work fine. MEDIUM SHUTTER, MID APERTURE With fading light and a medium telephoto lens,…

The exposure trinity is lens aperture, shutter speed and ISO and it’s these settings that you (or the camera) have to adjust to give the correct exposure. But there’s correct exposure and great exposure, so learning how to apply and control the settings to make the most of your subject is a core photographic skill that you can fine-tune with practice and experience. Any scene with movement is an opportunity to exploit the camera’s shutter range. Indeed, you could go further and try intentional camera movement (ICM) and move the camera during exposure.…

Deliberately moving the camera during an exposure can give wonderful pictures, and because the final result can’t be predicted, it’s also great fun. In ICM there are no rules: the camera can be moved up, down, left to right, diagonally or rotated on the lens axis, as in this example, which was exposed for 1/4 sec. If you’re feeling brave, you could even throw the camera into the air or swing it above your head during a long exposure; just make sure the camera strap is secure. Once you have decided on the subject, set a long-enough shutter speed to complete the movement you want to shoot. Start experimenting from 1/8 sec and above, but generally, the best results are when the shutter is open while the camera is on…

You’ve processed your raw images in Lightroom or other raw editing software, but that’s only half of the work done. Photoshop presents an almost irresistible opportunity to apply a range of effects that are simply not possible at the raw editing stage, and the ability to use Adjustments Layers and Blending modes is a perfect example of this shortfall. But it’s far from the end of the world because Photoshop remains an important part of the overall editing workflow. We won’t venture too far into Adjustment Layers and Blending modes but will focus on two of each to explore the differences that can be achieved with minimal variables. This will not only provide a solid foundation for further exploration of Adjustment Layers and Blending modes where you can discover your…

A long lens for sunsets? Q I love sunset shots, but when I am shooting with my wide-angle lens, the sun isn’t as strong in the frame as I want it to be. What can I do to make the sunset the subject? Tony Hillier A The field of view of your wide-angle lens naturally pushes the furthest elements back in the scene and accentuates the foreground, which works a lot of the time for landscapes. However, a telephoto lens that narrows that field of view and allows you to pick out detail with the landscape will mean you can make more of something dramatic, like a sunset. The focal length you use can be anything from 200mm to 600mm, depending on how tight to the sun you want to…

It’s official – following months of leaks and speculation, the Z f launched last month. Priced at £2,299/$1,999 (body only), the new camera goes on sale in October. The Nikon Z f builds on the success of the retro-styled APS-C Z fc but offers a 24.4MP full-frame sensor that’s paired with the Expeed 7 processor found in Nikon’s Z 8 and Z 9 cameras. Nikon says this offers improved autofocus algorithms, more file types, better in-camera vibration reduction and better video. The Z f adopts a similar control layout and styling cues to the Z fc, with a vari-angle rear display and a top plate LCD screen to display the current lens aperture, but adds an ergonomic front grip. While the Z f lacks a dedicated mono sensor, users can…

Among the improvements to PhotoLab 7 are the addition of LUTs (look-up tables) and 17 starter presets. LUTs allow style adjustments to be applied quickly to images. Also included in version 7 is the ability to use the HSL Color Wheel as part of local adjustment tools. There are tools for creating a ‘natural’ monochrome workflow, including a six-channel mixer for complete tonal control across black and white. For FilmPack 7, Luminosity Masks have been rolled out, for fine adjustment of exposure, colour and contrast, and there is now a total of 94 presets in the upgraded Time Machine mode. FilmPack 7 also features five new modern analogue film renderings (see bottom of page). www.dxo.com; £99/$109 (upgrade from PhotoLab 6); £209/$229 (new). £69/$79 (upgrade from FilmPack 6); £129/$139 (new) Explore…

Serif rolled out version 2.2 of its suite of creative applications last month. Focusing on Affinity Photo, the improvements include the ability to change the colour of guides, tool shortcuts accessible via a long press and the addition of ‘Delete Node’ to the right-click menu. Grid presets and favourite fonts can now be synced between apps on a device and decimal place accuracy preferences have been added to the iPad version. Affinity Photo 2.2 can be purchased as standalone software or as part of the Affinity V2 Universal License bundle (Photo, Designer, Publisher and Publisher for iPad). You can buy this with a one-off payment – no subscription required. https://affinity.serif.com/photo; free (update from Affinity V2); £68/$70 (Photo, Designer or Publisher new purchase); £160/$165 (Universal License bundle).…

Every year, it feels as though we hear about some development in the world of technology that will ‘change photography or film-making forever’, whether it’s some fancy new phone with a 100MP+ camera sensor or a mirrorless camera with ‘all the Ks’-resolution video. Yet you may have noticed that, for the most part, the practical process of pointing your camera at your subject, pressing the shutter or record button and then editing the content at your computer hasn’t changed all that much. However, one technological advancement that solves some key challenges has been yielding some positive results. Now, I know what you’re thinking, ‘The cloud isn’t new’, you’re right, it isn’t. Even the file transfer protocol (FTP) on cameras, which gave photographers the ability to connect their cameras to the…

www.dji.com DJI is renowned for its drones, but they aren’t the only string to the company’s bow. Expertise in producing a stable image from a rapidly vibrating gravity-defying box has helped the firm develop the tech for other lines, including the DJI Pocket, camera gimbals and the DJI Action series. In fact, DJI has made some serious attempts to innovate in the action camera space, not least the quirky Osmo Action 2, which separated into a battery and camera unit. Without the extended battery, the Action 2 was much smaller than a GoPro. The Osmo Action 3 reverted to a more familiar single housing with a removable battery, which was a shame but solved some issues with waterproofing. It boasted powerful electronic image stabilisation with horizon balancing and was generally…

DSLR & MIRRORLESS CAMERAS PLUS: Our best-buy accessories DSLRs Seen something that doesn’t look right? Email us at digitalcamera@futurenet.com with ‘Camera Guide’ in the subject line 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…

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…

James & Karla Murray Architectural photographers A passion for photographing graffiti led to the Murrays making two books about local storefronts in New York. We hit the streets with them from page 116 Will Cheung Photographer and writer A fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and the former editor of many a photography magazine, Cheung helms our new technique series which starts on page 62 Claire Gillo Fine-art photographer and writer The former DC technique editor is now a freelance photographer and writer and she contributes a couple of cracking photo projects this month. Dive straight in on page 8 James Abbott Photographer and writer We asked our regular contributor to share some new approaches for shooting scenics and making the most of what modern cameras can do. See the…

10 things you can shoot, edit or create this month, from frozen flowers, storms and arty shots of sparklers Here, at Digital Camera magazine, we love a home DIY photography project! It’s a great way to get creative, have fun and try out some new techniques and shooting styles from the comfort of your own home. There are many different ways to create a cupcake clock like ours and you could use a range of food or drink (or both!). Before we settled on our cupcake theme, we went through many ideas, including a sushi clock with chopsticks as the hands, spices with cinnamon sticks and, finally, the process of brewing a cup of tea. As we love baking, the cupcake theme suited us well but if you don’t enjoy…

Take your historical shots further with a range of vintage effects in Photoshop. In the early days of film photography, sepia tones preserved images longer than other ways of developing film. This process was used until the 1920s when improved technology made it obsolete; however, the look still remains popular. We’ll show you how to transform your shots in two simple steps – first, choose a border from our free border pack then convert your image with a sepia look. 1 Choose the border Open your preferred border image and rotate it to horizontal or vertical depending on your chosen shot. Open your historical shot in Photoshop, and convert the image to greyscale: Image > Mode > Greyscale. Now copy and paste this into your border image, scaling it up or…

WINNER, PEOPLE CATEGORY AND OVERALL Ariani Dikye, Indonesia ‘Warung Kopi’ People come together to play games in a coffee shop in the city of Bogor, Indonesia. WINNER, LANDSCAPES CATEGORY Marián Kuric ‘Doom’ This image of a volcano near Grindavik, Iceland, looks like a surreal nightmare. WINNER, NATURE CATEGORY Christian Bovians ‘Collapsing Glacier’ Bovians witnessed this impressive glacier collapse during a boat tour to the Aialik Glacier in Alaska. WINNER, ANIMALS CATEGORY Claudia Räss ‘Hands’ Räss photographed these chimpanzee hands in the Kibale Forest of Uganda. WINNER, SPORTS CATEGORY Rainer Köfferlein ‘Triathlon’ The shadows of triathlon runners in Munich, Germany, as they pass by cheering spectators. WINNER, AERIAL PHOTOS CATEGORY Chin Leong Teo ‘Y Crossing 4’ Chin Leong Teo captured this shot of a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo. WINNER, TRAVEL CATEGORY…

We’re all guilty of it, even when we know better. We arrive at a location, extend our tripod legs to their full extensions and start shooting from that height – it’s an easy trap to fall into. Whenever you arrive at a location, whether it’s your first visit or a place you know well, it’s always advisable to work the scene, moving around quickly with your camera handheld to find the best viewpoints, angles and compositions before even thinking about extending your tripod. From this, you can make a mental list of all the shots you’d like to take, including the most logical order as the sun rises or sets to give yourself the best possible chance of success. That’s not all – restricting yourself to working within the standard…

With ongoing advancements in camera technology, including improvements to dynamic range (the range of light to dark tones that can be captured by the sensor), image stabilisation and high ISO handling, it is now possible to capture high-quality raw files when shooting handheld, even without the use of filters. Of course, using a tripod and filters still tends to produce the highest-quality raw files to work from, but the ability to push settings to work faster and more freely, and allows you to capture a landscape scene when you only have your camera with you is a game changer. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IS 1 Image stabilisation, whether optical or in-body, allows you to shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds than you would be able to without it. Remember, although Image…

1 ‘Serenity’ by Tony Britton “In this image, I wanted to emphasize the soft morning light and capture the sense of serenity I felt while composing this shot. It was photographed with my Sony DSC-RX10 M4.” Digital Camera says: This is a beautifully atmospheric shot. The light passing over the face of the frog, coupled with the transparency and reflections in the water, make this a really visually eye-catching photo. 2 ‘Welcome to the Underground’ by Natalia Zmyslowska “The Dark Matter museum in Berlin hosts the ‘Sommerlights’ open-air exhibition. The multimedia light art installation is rhythmically matched to the music on the stage. It transforms its shape, colour, and frequency and transports you to an underground club in a cyberpunk world.” Instagram: @theworldwithnat.com Digital Camera says: A beautifully lit photo, capturing this modern…

MECHANICAL FOCAL PLANE A mechanical focal plane shutter uses two lightproof blinds or ‘curtains’ that traverse – vertically in most cameras – across the focal plane to make the exposure. Press the shutter button and the first curtain starts the exposure, followed by the second curtain which ends it. In effect, the two blinds, which travel at the same speed regardless of the set speed, produce a slit – the thinner the slit, the faster the shutter speed. When the slit is wide enough to reveal the entire image sensor, that is the camera’s flash sync speed. ELECTRONIC FRONT CURTAIN SHUTTER Engaging the camera’s electronic front curtain shutter (EFCS) option minimises vibration and noise. Since mirrorless cameras have no reflex mirror to move before starting the exposure, the EFCS means…

Traditionally, the choice of shutter speed was decided by the reciprocal rule (shutter speed is ‘1’ over the focal length, so 1/50 sec for a 50mm lens). This changed with in-body and lens-based image stabilisers claiming up to an 8-stop benefit. Regardless of your IS system, try doing this practical test so you can get an idea of how slow you can go. Set the camera to Shutter Priority or Tv mode and shoot a sequence of five shots at a range of shutter speeds from 1/60 sec going down to one second. With zooms, shoot at both ends of the focal length range. The subject could be a sheet of newspaper on the wall or a bookcase; anything with sharp edges that will show up any camera shake. Appraising…

A camera’s flash synchronisation shutter speed is the fastest setting that gives a correctly exposed flash picture. Typically, DSLR and mirrorless cameras with their focal plane mechanical shutters have sync speeds in the range of 1/60 sec to 1/250 sec. It is worth noting that the electronic shutters on many mirrorless cameras don’t work with flash. This mainly applies to older models but this is changing and some newer, high-spec models now sync with flash. For example, the Sony A1 syncs at 1/400 sec with its mechanical shutter and 1/200 sec with the electronic shutter. A useful flash feature with mechanical shutters is high-speed sync (HSS) where flash photography is possible at shutter speeds up to 1/8000 sec. HSS is not available with electronic shutters but exceptions include the Nikon…

A tripod keeps the camera steady and ensures sharp shots whether you are using long telephoto lenses, extreme exposures or just want a stable platform to contemplate the composition. Nailing down your ideal tripod is a challenge because there is a huge selection out there. A budget of £100-150 will get you a decent aluminium alloy model with a good tripod head, but if you can stretch to £200-250 that brings carbon fibre models within reach. Among the many good brands to consider are 3 Legged Thing, Benro, Leofoto, Manfrotto and Vanguard. SEND US YOUR PHOTOS! Now you know how to use shutter speeds like a pro, show us what you’ve learned and you could feature in our Reader Gallery: digitalcamera@futurenet.com…

With the emergence of Midjourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion and similar AI-powered image generators over the past year, it was inevitable we would eventually see a generative AI feature in Photoshop. Powered by Adobe Firefly, the new Generative Fill and Expand features in Photoshop could be the most seismic update in the application’s 33-year history. The tool works like other prompt-based image generators. Select an area, type something and watch as it appears in your image. It’s equal parts dumbfounding, scarily intelligent, and also somehow reassuringly disappointing. There are some things it does brilliantly – the way it matches the backlighting in our original portrait is mind-boggling. The Expand feature works well and there’s much enjoyment to be had by cropping outside your original frame. But ask it to generate a…

What is a ‘megapixel’ and what does it mean? A megapixel is one million pixels and each of those million pixels is a tiny ‘dot’ that makes up part of the image, like a mosaic, on your camera’s sensor. Cameras have different numbers of megapixels in their specs, so does this mean a larger number is better? In theory, yes. The larger the number of pixels in a photograph, the more information is contained within the image. This is why manufacturers like to quote the number of pixels the camera captures, a figure that is achieved by multiplying the number of individual pixels in the height by the width of the sensor. So a camera with more megapixels will be better than one with fewer? That depends on the definition…

Sony’s most compact G-Master zoom lens yet, the FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II measures 111.5mm in length and weighs 547g, making it notably smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Despite its size, the lens maintains its sturdy build with dust and moisture resistance, fluorine coatings and an updated lens hood design. It offers manual aperture selection and two focus hold buttons and is balanced during focal length changes, so gimbals don’t have to be recalibrated. The optical path features 15 elements in 12 groups, including various specialised elements and floating focus. Sony claims enhanced corner resolution, reduced aberrations, and a closer 0.22m working distance with this new lens. Focus is improved with four XD focusing motors, enabling up to 30fps with autofocus, 4K 120p recording and advanced focus breathing suppression.…

The headline feature of the Panasonic Lumix G9 II is its upgraded autofocus system, first seen on the Lumix S5 II. The new AF facilitates not only faster and more accurate focus, using an increased 779-point phase detection system, but also enables even more advanced subject recognition and tracking algorithms. Inside the camera, the newly designed 25.2MP Live MOS MFT sensor is paired with a brand-new processing engine and using a high-resolution pixel shift mode, the G9 II can be boosted to produce 100MP images handheld. The camera has an ISO rating of 100-25,600. The launch event also featured a pair of revamped lenses: a Leica-badged DG Vario-Elmarit 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS and a DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 II Asph Power OIS. www.panasonic.com; £1,699/$1,899 (G9 II, body only). £1,899 (kit…

Headline upgrades to the new top-of-the-range GoPro action cam include external microphone support and dual-channel audio capture, so you can record both camera and external mic tracks and then mix them in an edit. The latest GoPro also sports a handy ¼-inch thread between its flip-out feet, giving you even more ways to mount it, and the addition of HDR video, plus 8:7 capture in all modes, boosts the imaging credentials too. The camera has the same shape as past GoPros, with front and rear screens, a removable lens guard and battery door and a microSD card slot and battery cavity. It also has updated Easy Controls, with more features and simplified language to make it even more accessible. The Hero 12 Black can shoot 5.3K video at 60fps for…

www.nikon.co.uk The Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 proves that relatively fast f/2.8 constant-aperture telephoto zooms don’t have to be big and heavy. While most ‘trinity’ wide-angle, standard and telephoto zooms are hefty affairs, Nikon’s Z 17-28mm f/2.8, Z 28-75mm f/2.8 and Z 70-180mm lenses are relatively compact and lightweight. We were impressed with Tamron’s 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD lens for Sony cameras and this is essentially a re-engineered version of that lens. One thing lacking in the Nikon Z 70-180mm is optical image stabilisation. Of course, recent Sony full-frame E-mount cameras and all Nikon full-frame Z-mount cameras have IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilisation), but it tends to be less effective with telephoto lenses. Nikon Z telephotos feature optical VR (Vibration Reduction) and Tamron announced a new G2 edition of its 70-180mm…

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 the device. Command dial The command dial…

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 ‘cross-type’ AF sensors that are more precise. How they work The AF sensor detects a line of…

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!…

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 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. Buyer’s Guide ebook Over 250 pages of camera and lens reviews, plus buying advice for accessories! See the Gifts folder in your download.…

Sometimes, the iPhone’s built-in lenses simply aren’t wide enough to capture that breathtaking mountain range, beach sunset or neon skyline in front of you. This is where the iPhone’s Panorama mode comes in. Pano has been around since the iPhone 5 and it has operated in pretty much the same way in every model since. It gives you a simple guide bar in the middle of the screen to help you take the photo. At its maximum width, it takes up to 63 megapixels of data. The automatic, under-the-hood stitching together of the individual photos isn’t always perfect, especially in scenes with a wide dynamic range, but it’s still pretty remarkable and mostly accurate. You can also use the Pano mode at less than the maximum width to act as…

I was recently filming with Sigma Imaging in North Wales. We were making a new episode of their brilliant Britain’s Best Landscape series, which you can see on YouTube. I love making images in North Wales – it’s one of my favourite locations. I am also a Sigma ambassador, so they asked me to tag along and offer insight on where to photograph. One of the things to consider when photographing in North Wales is the weather; it’s fair to say it can be wet – sometimes very wet – and unpredictable. So it was no surprise that it was raining really hard with driving gale-force winds. It wasn’t conducive to making landscapes in a ‘traditional’ style nor helpful for making a film and it soon became clear the day…

Even when what you’re considering shooting breaks all the conventions of photography, go with the flow and give it a try because taking risks can reap rewards. The fairly recent arrival of extreme ND filters, such as Little Stoppers (6 stops), Big Stoppers (10 stops) and Extreme Stoppers (15 stops), makes it possible for photographers to greatly extend exposure times to enhance movement in landscapes and cityscapes. Combining, in editing, these ultra-long exposures with standard exposures creates surreal images that take elements of longer and shorter exposures to present the scene in a completely new and surprising way. TAKE IT FURTHER EXTREME NDs You can shoot images for this technique using a standard 3-stop ND filter, but it’s the higher density 6-stop, 10-stop and 15-stop versions that will provide longer…

Capturing well-exposed, sharp and accurately focused photographs can be fairly simple to do. With a typical digital camera set to fully automatic mode, all you have to do is point and shoot – it really is that simple. Of course, the one thing a camera can’t do is read the mind of its user and often, the result does not match the photographer’s intentions. Taking control of the camera and its settings is the only way. In this Camera Clinic series, we will dig deep into the core features of modern cameras, offering advice on how you can make the most of their features to achieve photographs to be proud of. We kick off this series with one of photography’s fundamental tools, the camera shutter and its role in determining…

SHUTTER PRIORITY AE Shutter Priority or Tv (time value) is a semiautomatic exposure mode where you pick the shutter speed and the camera adjusts the aperture and/or the ISO, if the camera’s Auto ISO feature is active, or both to achieve the correct exposure. This is the best mode to use when you need to take control of the shutter speed as the chosen speed doesn’t change even when the subject moves from bright light into the shade. MANUAL MODE In manual exposure mode, aperture and shutter speed are both your responsibility. To achieve correct exposure, all you have to do is adjust one setting or the other using an index in the viewfinder or monitor until the correct exposure is indicated. The camera will also have a mode that…

Having the option of shooting with an electronic shutter is a major innovation with mirrorless cameras and although they aren’t perfect, they offer important and worthwhile advantages. Of course, whether these benefits apply to your photography is another matter. ✓ Silent Soundless shooting is a big benefit in sensitive situations such as weddings, stage performances and wildlife photography. A few models let you set a shutter noise if you prefer a ‘click’. ✓ Vibration-free With no mechanics to worry about, electronic shutters are totally vibration-free, which minimises the risk of camera shake. ✓ Super rapid shooting Mechanical shutters, where there is a chain of events when the shutter button is pressed, will have a top shooting rate of between 10 and 15fps. Electronic shutters can deliver shooting rates of 20fps…

Taking decent photographs has never been easier but to advance your own creativity you will need to think more about the aperture, ISO and shutter speed. There are many variables to consider; the subject, the lighting and the desired effect. For scenics, mounting the camera on a tripod will allow a small lens aperture to give lots of front-to-back sharpness while for moving subjects, a fast shutter will stop any movement. But there are no rules. With shutter speed, intentional camera movement (ICM) is a popular technique that involves moving the camera during a long exposure to give a blurred image. Try it out, varying the shutter speed and the way the camera is moved for different effects. Birds in flight Go for a high shutter speed of 1/1000 sec…

Swansea’s Copr Bay Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists was completed in 2021 and is known locally as The Crunchie. Connecting the city centre to Swansea Arena and the Marina, this single-span bridge is also a great photographic opportunity. One person to have captured it to good effect is John Shipp, whose image of the Copr Bay Bridge won a subscription to Digital Camera in medical charity Cobalt’s annual Capture a Moment photography competition. With its distinctive texture and copper colour that comes alive in the sun, the bridge is photogenic enough – but capturing a photo with both visual appeal and context wasn’t straightforward. “It was a sunny day with lots of dark clouds so it was a case of just waiting for the sun to create the desired effect,”…

Even in this age where everyone has a camera in their pocket, the humble postcard is still a great souvenir of your trip or holiday. You might even have some still lying around from childhood holidays. Usually, they represent the optimum that a given location might look. We’re not always as lucky as the original photographer, but we can make our photos have that feel. As the weather gets colder, you can break out some of your summer photos to edit and warm up your thoughts. Take this photo of the postcard-perfect village of Cobh, located in the south of Ireland. Taken from a boat, it shows the painted houses and the magnificent Cathedral Church of St Colman. The image has a few issues, though. The perspective is odd, and…

CAMERA: Panasonic Lumix S1H LENS: Lumix S Pro 16-35mm f/4 EXPOSURE: 5 secs at f/11, ISO 100 Great for stills as well as video Although designed for making movies, the Panasonic Lumix S1H is also a highly capable stills camera. Its 24.2MP sensor occupies a sweet spot for mirrorless camera resolutions and those larger full-frame pixels give good results at higher ISOs. Plus, the S1H’s ergonomic design includes a vari-angle rear screen that will make composing outdoor images a breeze when shooting from a tripod at half-height or lower. A perfect partner and also very sharp Lumix full-frame cameras use the L-mount, which is compatible with Leica, Panasonic and Sigma optics. The Lumix S Pro 16-35mm f/4 offers a classic focal range for landscapes and balances superbly with the S1H’s…

Flat conditions and a relatively bland sky aren’t helping this image, but we can certainly try to improve it with a bit of care and attention in Lightroom Classic. Let’s start by going into the Basic Panel and simply pushing the white slider right to brighten the land area 1. However, pushing the white slider right will also lose some of the existing detail in the dull sky. To counteract this, we’ll head into the Masking Tools menu, use Select Sky to target that area, then darken it with both the Exposure and Clarity Sliders 2. Now, let’s drop a second mask on top, this time a Linear Filter, and darken the top part of the frame to bring back the mood of the sky. We will also need to…

Built around a brand new high-speed 102MP CMOS sensor and paired with a new custom version of Fujifilm’s latest X-Processor 5, the GFX 100 II can output 8fps with continuous autofocus at full resolution – which is staggeringly fast for a medium-format camera. Also taking a bow last month was a fast standard prime, the GF55mm f/1.7. Equivalent to 44mm in 35mm full-frame terms, the GF55mm is roughly comparable to the normal focal length of the human eye and so gives a natural perspective on a subject. The Fujinon GF30mm F5.6 T/S is one of a pair of new tilt/shift primes for shooting distortion-free images of products and architecture; it is joined by the longer GF110mm F5.6 T/S Macro. Fujifilm also revealed that two other lenses are in development: a…

www.sony.co.uk The Sony ZV range has been around for a while, having first been introduced for the rapidly growing segment of vlogging and social content creation. The ZV range offers small and compact systems that aim to produce better content than the smartphone in your pocket. Sony kicked off the range with the original Sony ZV-1, and in just a few years we now have five unique cameras in the lineup. Sony has now released a sequel, the Sony ZV-1 II, although looking at the specs sheet, it’s more of a revision than a revolution. Key features The main new feature is the ZV-1 II’s wide-angle zoom lens, an 18mm lens designed for vlogging and selfies, while the 50mm focal length at the other end of the range is ideal…

www.sigmauk.com Building the Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN Art was a bold move. There’s already a good Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art lens on the market, which was originally designed for Canon and Nikon DSLRs and subsequently repurposed for Sony and L-mount mirrorless cameras. And if you’re in the Sony camp, there’s also the excellent Sony FE 14mm F1.8 G Master lens. The Sigma focuses primarily on astrophotography, where the brighter f/1.4 aperture pays dividends. Even so, it’s designed to be a high-performance, ultra-wide-angle lens that’s suitable for any scenario from landscapes and cityscapes to architectural interiors and weddings, and any time you want an expansive field of view. Surprisingly, the Sigma pretty much matches the two slower f/1.8 lenses for its purchase price but, by necessity, has a…

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…