Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 262 i Digital Photographer

Every new year carries with it a sense of hope and excitement about what the next 12 months will bring. Things move quickly in the photographic industry, so here in the Digital Photographer offices, we’re naturally on tenterhooks with regard to what new tech we’ll see from all of the main manufacturers in the near future and how this might change the way we work. Apart from new kit, however, new skills and novel places are usually high up on the agenda for many photographers. On p24, expert globetrotter Jeremy Flint has put together a guide on adventure shooting, taking us on a journey through new locations and extreme environments and inspiring us to push ourselves out of our creative comfort zones, whether we are close to home or overseas.…

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London is set to become the UK’s largest space for permanent photography exhibitions. The dedicated seven-room gallery will open in May 2023 after almost 170 years in the works. Home to 2.8 million objects, books and archives, the V&A is one of the world’s leading art and design museums, attracting more than 4.3 million visitors each year. Photography has always been an integral part of the museum’s collections – Henry Cole was the first director of the V&A and, as a keen amateur photographer himself, he started the photography collection in 1856 when the museum first opened in the South Kensington area of the capital. In total, the V&A’s photography collection comprises more than 800,000 photos dating back to 1839, covering a range…

As photographers, having a safe place to back up our images is essential, especially if clients are dependent on our material. Nothing is more unprofessional than being unable to access images because of technical failure, or worse, having them permanently deleted. External hard drives are a solution for photographers who travel a lot and need access to their images with or without an internet connection. In general, keep an eye on these three key features: speed, storage size and safety. Apart from backing up essential data, organising files is also important for many professional photographers. Modern camera technology allows us to produce huge amounts of digital files, however, even if they are safely stored, these images are of little use if we do not save them to an archive with…

How do I get going? I’m struggling to know how to launch my photography career. Do you have any tips for an enthusiastic youngster who wants to get into the industry? Jake Pound Unfortunately, there is no magic formula that can turn you into a photographer overnight. However, as you state in your letter, you have the enthusiasm and that’s a great start! Working for yourself and being a photographer is a brilliant job, but it also comes with a lot of uncertainty. Realistically, you should be prepared to compromise in the short term to ensure you can pay the bills but keep your ambitious goals in mind in the long term – just because something is difficult, it doesn’t mean it’s not achievable. One way to get into the…

Pictured Natural Landscape Photography Awards 2022 Now in its second year, the Natural Landscape Photography Awards is a competition created to find the very best landscape photography of the natural world. Open to both film and digital photographers, entrants are encouraged to promote realism in their work, with rules set accordingly. With a top prize of $5,000, the first contest attracted more than 13,000 entries from around the world. To view all the winners and for further information on the competition, visit naturallandscapeawards.com…

96 Budget mirrorless lenses Treated yourself to a mirrorless camera on Black Friday, Xmas or the January sales? We test eight great value budget lenses from Canon, Fujinon, Nikkor, Tamron, Samyang and Sigma. 104 Canon EOS R6 Mark II With top-to-bottom updates and a true professional specification, the latest Canon mirrorless camera could well be the best model around today. We take it for a test drive 108 Affinity Photo 2 As the main competitor to Adobe Photoshop, could these updated features be the making of a new market leader? James Abbott finds out 110 Lenses Every month, we take two professional optics out into the field to test their performance. This issue, we have the Fujifilm XF150-600mm F5.6- 8 R LM OIS WR and TTArtisan Tilt 50mm F1.4 112…

Lens mounts: Canon RF, Nikon Z This wide-angle lens forms part of a Samyang double-act, its partner being an 85mm prime that’s also available in Canon RF and Nikon Z mount options. The 14mm lens delivers a mighty viewing angle on full-frame format bodies and, for Nikon shooters, a still-wide 21mm effective focal length on DX-format Z-series cameras. As a manual lens, there’s no electronic communication with the camera body, so you need to adjust the aperture and the focus setting via the lens’s control rings. Handling is good, with a smooth feel to the long-throw focus ring, plus depth of field markers. The solid construction has weather-seals. Performance Sharpness is excellent across the entire frame, even shooting wideopen at f/2.8. However, barrel distortion can look pronounced. Digital Photographer verdict…

Lens mounts: Canon M, MFT, Sony E Available in various mount options for Canon EOS M, Micro Four-Thirds and Sony E (APS-C) format bodies, this Sigma Contemporary lens is one of an f/1.4 series that includes 16mm and 30mm primes. The 56mm is the natural choice for bokeh, with a portrait-friendly effective focal length of about 85mm in full-frame terms. Though small and light, the lens is nicely turned out and has a really solid feel to it. The only external moving part is a comfortably wide manual focus ring, which is electronically coupled to the stepping motor autofocus system. Performance Levels of sharpness are good across the whole frame, especially for such a fast lens. Bokeh is beautifully soft and dreamy, and the minimal axial chromatic aberration results in…

Website: affinity.serif.com Price: £60/$70 Who would have thought that photo editing software released as a Maconly version in 2015 could take on the behemoth that is Adobe? That’s exactly what Serif has achieved with its Affinity products – Affinity Photo has undoubtedly become Adobe Photoshop’s main rival. With some revolutionary new features alongside an inexpensive perpetual license, the latest Affinity Photo 2 provides an even more compelling alternative to the market leader’s subscription-based photo editing software. Affinity Photo 2 is pixel-based photo editing software available for Mac, Windows, and iPad, and it offers most of the functionality of Photoshop CC alongside its own unique features. The software uses a single interface split into ‘Personas’ that are used for performing specific editing tasks, such as Raw processing or image adjustments and…

When I was nine years old, I borrowed my mum’s Kodak box camera for a school trip to the zoo. I remember staring through the viewfinder, captivated by a lion that was in the film ‘Born Free’. That was the moment I discovered my love for photography, I was hooked! At 19, I joined the Army as a physical training instructor. My ambition was to join the Operations and Intelligence Corps as this would allow me to combine my military career with my love of photography. Sadly, I never realised this dream because, despite five years of exemplary service, I was discharged from the career I loved for being gay. My military discharge was traumatic and resulted in years of mental health difficulties, shame and low self-esteem. I was diagnosed…

Panasonic has also launched an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for L-Mount cameras, the LUMIX 14- 28mm f/4-5.6 MACRO. The lens’s 14-28mm focal length is suitable for landscapes, street photography and weddings but is also capable of light macro, with a 0.5x magnification and minimum focal distance of 14.9cm. It offers professional videography features too, with micro-step aperture control for smooth exposure change and minimal focus breathing. Panasonic claims that the lens motors enable smooth, quick and silent operation while a 7-Bladed circular diaphragm gives nicely rendered bokeh. With one aspherical Extra-Low Dispersion element, one aspherical element, three Extra-Low Dispersion elements and one Ultra High Refractive Index element, it has a splash and dust-resistant build. The Lumix 14-28mm f/4-5.6 MACRO is due to start shipping in February 2023 and is priced at…

Perfecting a professional studio lighting setup can be a little daunting, so learning how to master a simple single-light setup is an invaluable skill to have. Even with a limited setup, you can create a wide range of professional looks and effects. Using fewer individual lights isn’t always a disadvantage – too many lights can sometimes complicate things needlessly. When using one light, you’ll have less to think about and more control over your shot than with multiple lights. You will be able to spend more time interacting with your model and perfecting posing instead of spending time fiddling with multiple studio lights. Not only that, but it will make you more mobile for on-location shooting and help you truly understand how light can affect and manipulate a subject’s face.…

Photographing animals, including our tame domestic pets, is a challenge in itself. As photographers, we have to consider how to treat them respectfully and ensure their safety, while still achieving our visual goals. It’s no secret that pets can sense and adapt to our moods, so a shoot with an excited and unprepared photographer could be in danger of turning into a fiasco. When photographing animals that you are unfamiliar with, such as clients’ pets, it is important to allow time to get to know them first. Many pets, such as dogs and cats, are playful and move quickly, meaning that your situation can change in a moment. This may only be expected, but it is one of the most interesting and challenging features of pet photography. Photographers have to…

There are various image-creating strategies that photographers can use to visually bring feline friends and canine customers into sharper focus in our photography. One of the best-known and most efficient methods is to incorporate a shallow depth of field that isolates the animal from its surroundings. This ensures that the focus is almost entirely centred on the pet and that any distracting elements in the background are reduced to indistinguishable shapes by the blur. To achieve this effect, it is important to change your camera settings to a large aperture. Bear in mind that extreme aperture values also reduce critical sharpness. To implement this process when photographing animals, the aperture and shutter speed must always be controlled individually at any time to achieve sharp results. Pets have a tendency to…

Master this unique method of image making and learn how to create a dazzling, ethereal light painting In this tutorial, you will learn the techniques needed to create ‘ribbons of light’ images by using light painting. As this will involve a fairly long exposure time, captured under the cover of darkness, you will first have to think about what equipment you require before you head off to your location. First of all, you are going to need a sturdy tripod, a DSLR/mirrorless camera (preferably with Bulb mode), a wide-angle lens, a shutter remote control, a decent torch and a device to create your ‘ribbons’. In this case, we used a tool called an LED Lenser V24, which is like a ‘lightsaber’. You will also need to think about what technical…

LIGHTROOM TUTORIAL The two periods of time just before sunrise and just after sunset when the scene is bathed in cool blue light are known as the Blue Hour. These are among the most popular times for photography because you can capture blue-hour images with a glowing sky even when the weather is overcast. However, if there is still golden hour colour in the sky, it can often be beneficial to warm the image to neutralise the blue. What you’ll be using Basic adjustments White Balance HSL controls Calibration Masking 1Apply Basic adjustments Apply all the adjustments required in the Basic tab to get the image looking as close to finished as possible in terms of brightness, contrast and detail recovery. This makes it easier to perform a manual White…

You don’t need us to tell you that times are tough right now, so it may be the perfect time to think about gaining some extra income by renting a photography studio space and taking on regular clients, either as a side hustle or a full-time gig. From professional portrait shoots to high-end product photography and everything in between, a professional studio space can be a valuable resource. Of course, converting a spare room or garage at home into a dedicated studio is also worth considering, however, conversions are likely to cost several thousand pounds and, in the present climate of belt-tightening, that may not be feasible. But that shouldn’t put you off from renting a studio space – this can be cost-effective, especially if you find a place that…

Tag us @dphotographermag for a chance to feature here Every issue, we share the best images from our online community. You can tag us on IG @dphotographermag for a chance to appear as our Shot of the Month. WIN! SAMSUNG 256GB PRO PLUS MICRO SDXC MEMORY CARD WITH SD ADAPTER Every issue, one Digital Photographer reader wins a Samsung 256GB PRO Plus MicroSDXC memory card with SD adapter. Boasting up to 160MB/s and 120MB/s read/write speeds, the card is perfect for high-res stills and Ultra HD video. It is the go-to card for the modern content creator using mirrorless, smartphone, action cam and drone cameras. Find out more at samsung.com/uk/ memory-storage…

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday merging into Christmas and the January sales, you might well have treated yourself to a new mirrorless camera recently. There are certainly plenty to choose from on the market these days, with almost every camera manufacturer offering some tempting treats. However, with all of the other seasonal spending and inflationary pressures taking their toll, the chances are there may not be much left in the kitty for additional lenses. The good news is that there are some splendid budget prime lenses on the market that can deliver excellent image quality while really driving down prices. We’ve picked out eight of the best moneysaving options in a wide range of mount options. These budget lenses typically have a compact, lightweight build, entirely in keeping with…

Lens mount: Fujifilm X Fujifilm’s X-series mirrorless cameras are based on APS-C format image sensors, enabling a downsized build. The same goes for this 23mm lens, which gives an effective focal length of 35mm in full-frame terms. Although fairly small and light, at just 60 x 52mm and weighing 180g, the build quality is excellent, with a metal barrel and a full set of weather-seals. This is a properly hands-on lens, which features a manual aperture ring with click steps at one-third f/stop intervals – and the focus ring is similarly tactile and precise. There’s no focus distance scale, but the electronic scale in various Fujifilm X-series cameras is a good substitute. Performance Autofocus is fast for stills and smooth for movie capture. Image quality is pleasing, even without relying…

Lens mount: Nikon Z Filling the small gap between Nikon’s f/1.8 S-line 35mm and 50mm Z-mount lenses, the Z 40mm f/2 has a fittingly compact and light build. The design is simple and is based on just six optical elements in four groups, with no ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass. There’s no auto/ manual focus switch, no optical VR and a genuine Nikon lens hood isn’t available, even as an optional extra. Handling is refined, though, with a customisable manual focus ring, and the stepping motor-based autofocus system is nippy for stills. Performance As with its sibling Z 28mm f/2.8 lens, which is also on test here, the 40mm delivers impressive performance. Sharpness is good, while bokeh is pleasantly smooth and remains good when stopping down a little, helped by a…

It’s hard to pick an overall winner in this round-up of low-priced lenses for mirrorless cameras. Any buying decision will primarily be based on the camera you currently own and what you want to use the lens for, which brings focal length and aperture into the equation. Even so, the Tamron 35mm for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras stands out from the crowd. Its classic 35mm focal length makes it perfect for street photography and everyday, walkabout shooting, while the f/2.8 aperture is fast enough for most scenarios. The image quality is exceptional and bokeh is pleasant when shooting wide-open, especially at fairly short focus distances. Everything is shoehorned into a really compact, lightweight construction, at an inexpensive price. The Canon RF 16mm and 50mm lenses in this group test perform…

PRICE: £259/$179 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.50m WEIGHT: 452g Build and handling As a ‘tilt’ lens, the TTArtisan Tilt 50mm F1.4 is designed so that you can literally tilt the axis of the optical path relative to the image sensor, giving you enormous control over depth of field, The lens is fairly compact and lightweight, measuring 70mm in length with a 62mm filter thread, and weighing in at 452g. The focus and aperture rings operate quite smoothly and precisely while the aperture ring is de-clicked, which is ideal for shooting video, but less so for stills. The tilt function itself has a locking screw to prevent accidental movement and so does the rotation mechanism, both of which have scale markings. Build quality feels good for a lens that’s so inexpensive. Performance In…

Every month, we team up with Photocrowd – the world’s leading photography competition platform – to offer you the chance to win an Affinity Photo editing software licence (worth £60 for Mac or Windows) and have your images printed in Digital Photographer. Affinity Photo is a toolset engineered for modern photography professionals. Whether you’re editing and retouching images or creating full-blown multi-layered compositions, it has all the power and performance you’ll need. For a chance to win, go to Photocrowd and discover our latest contest. It’s easy, free and fun – we love seeing your entries! Visit: www.photocrowd.com/digitalphotographer…

Panasonic launched the Lumix S5 II and S5 II X at CES 2023, the global tech event in Las Vegas, USA. As the dual successors to the Lumix S5, both of these full-frame mirrorless cameras feature a new 24-megapixel CMOS sensor that supports Hybrid Phase Detection Autofocus for the first time in a Panasonic camera. This new Hybrid AF system has been a long time coming and combines PDAF with Contrast Detect AF and 779-area metering for better subject tracking in a range of lighting conditions, for both stills and video. The Lumix S5 IIX and S5 II video recording capabilities include internal 4:2:0 10-bit 6K (3:2) and 5.9K (16:9) at 30fps and 4:2:2 C4K and 4K at up to 60fps, and a new low-profile heat management system allows unlimited…

Nikon has announced the development of two key new prime lenses for the Z-mount mirrorless system: the Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S and the Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8 pancake lens, delivering two core optics at different ends of the scale. The Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8 boasts an incredibly slim and lightweight design, which could make cameras like the Nikon Z30 even more suitable for street and travel photography. Accordingly, it is aimed at amateur photographers looking to take their cameras with them on the go. The 26mm is an interesting release, as the first true pancake lens for the Z system, aside from the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm zoom lens, which is quite a niche kit lens for Nikon’s APS-C mirrorless bodies. With its wide angle (which translates to 39mm…

Adventure photography is an appealing genre, typically covering the art of photographing outdoor adventures, explorations or experiences, and conveying the excitement of the adventure to the viewer. These ventures can encompass exploration and major activities like climbing to ancient settlements such as Machu Picchu in Peru or trekking to Everest Base Camp. Beyond extreme outdoor pursuits, adventures can be less physically demanding, from hot air ballooning over Cappadocia in Turkey to exploring your local area through camping trips or horse riding. It doesn’t even have to be a countryside pursuit, appreciating street art and architecture in a city can also be an adventure. Whether urban or rural, here are ten top techniques to help you capture exhilarating exploits and personal adventures. 1 Work with the light If you have limited…

BRING PROPS Soap bubbles are a great addition as they are cheap and easy to transport. Don’t bring props that could pose a danger to the animal and talk to the owner beforehand to get advice on what could possibly scare the animal. Preparations for an outdoor shoot with animals require much more than just general planning. Since there are many factors that need to come together, we have to pay attention to lots of details so that the animals feel comfortable in the outdoor environment. The most important aspect is always to ensure the safety of the pet. Depending on the animal, you should keep an eye out for busy side roads and harmful plants. Avoid rush hours when most people are walking their dogs, to reduce fights and…

Focusing manually is the preferred option for many photographic genres, however, changing your camera’s settings takes some time to get right. Photographing in rapidly changing situations, such as when capturing passing subjects, for example, will require quick reactions. To ensure that you don’t miss the key moment while you are concentrating on your subject, you can bring zone focus into play. The biggest advantage of this technique is that you don’t even have to look through the viewfinder when the subject appears in front of the lens. This is especially useful for street photography, when people may get suspicious of anyone pointing a camera directly at them. That can result in distorted shots where people are looking towards the photographer and the uniqueness of the moment has passed. As the…

Pictured The Storm “In Ranchland: Wagonhound, Anouk’s images tell the story of the rancher and his stewardship of a historic ranch” For many people, the stereotypical image of a cowboy is of a man in denim and leather, riding a horse and duelling with pistols. These misconceptions have been around ever since the first Western movies appeared on our screens and have been reinforced by Hollywood films, books and comics. Whether they were ever true or not, for the modern-day cowboy community, it is a warped view of their reality. Perhaps the real surprise is that cowboys still exist in the 21st century. Indeed, in many parts of the US, cowboy culture is very much alive, with states such as Texas, Colorado and Montana still having active communities of cowboys…

For our latest competition in association with Photocrowd, we challenged you to submit your best Long Exposure shots and, after working through all the entries, the winners have now been selected. Both crowd-voted and expert winners will win a licence to Affinity Photo professional editing software. Congratulations to all of the winners – the standard of submitted images was extremely high and it was a difficult task to select the best ones. 1 STPLACE WINNER Highway to Paradise Photographer: Photographer Jaz72 Our comment: This shot has serious drama! We love the contrasts of colour, detail and texture complemented by the strong leading lines producing a clear direction to the shot. The classic hot and cold colour pairing adds depth, while the long exposure generates a feeling of energy and life.…

Lens mount: Canon RF Think ultra-wide-angle lenses for full-frame cameras, and you’re probably thinking of hefty affairs with bulbous, protruding front elements and integral hoods. This dinky little 16mm breaks the mould. The Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is both tiny and lightweight, measuring just 40mm long and weighing a mere 165g, and has a similarly small filter thread of 43mm, enabling the easy attachment of filters. The optical design incorporates an aspherical element to boost sharpness and reduce distortion, and Super Spectra Coating to minimise ghosting and flare. Autofocus is based on the now-usual stepping motor, and the minimum focus distance is just 0.13m. Performance Sharpness is good, especially if you stop down a little from f/2.8. Barrel distortion is pretty horrific, but there are in-camera corrections. Digital Photographer…

Lens mount: Nikon Z The Special Edition of this lens harks back to the glory days of 35mm film photography, with the texture of the grip areas and the font for the lettering recreated from Nikon’s archive of design blueprints. It looks right at home on the Z fc camera and is available as a kit lens option, despite being full-frame compatible. Cosmetic features aside, the SE version is optically, electronically and mechanically identical to the standard Z 28mm f/2.8, which has more mainstream Z-system styling. Autofocus is driven by the usual stepping motor, which is ideal for both stills and video. Performance Offering a fairly wide viewing angle on FX cameras, the lens gives a more natural perspective on DX bodies, equating to a focal length of 42mm. Handling…

Lens mount: Sony E Like some of the other lenses on test, this Tamron’s f/2.8 aperture rating enables a compact and light build, weighing in at just 210g. Build quality feels solid, complete with weather-seals, and the lens feels well balanced on the Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras for which it’s designed. The stepping motor-based autofocus system is near-silent but not massively fast, while the electronically coupled manual focus ring works with precision. The Tamron can double up as a macro lens, delivering 0.5x magnification at its shortest focus distance of 0.15m. Performance Sharpness is exceptional even when shooting wide-open. All other aspects of image quality are similarly impressive and, typical of most Tamron prime lenses, bokeh is lovely and soft. Digital Photographer verdict The build quality and performance of this…

Price: £2,779/$2,499 If the Canon EOS R6 Mark II were an animal, it would pack teeth like switchblades, razor-sharp talons and the footspeed to chase down anything foolish enough to draw its attention. Indeed, while the Canon EOS R6 Mark II is almost a top-tobottom specs improvement over the original Canon EOS R6 it also manages to outpace even the mighty Canon EOS R3 – boasting an amazing 40fps continuous shooting speed. This actually outguns both the Sony A1 and Nikon Z9, too, if you count the Z9 cheating by shooting 11MP images at 120fps. Still, the Canon EOS R6 Mark II is about more than just sheer speed. From its fullwidth, 6K-oversampled video to the brand new 24.2MP sensor, to the ability to pre-record both stills and video so…

PRICE: £1,829/$1,999 FOCUS DISTANCE: 2.4m WEIGHT: 1,605g Build and handling One of the strengths of the Fujifilm X system is its extensive lens collection, but until now, Fujifilm’s longest lens for the X-mount has been the XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR. As a non-extending inner zoom, Fujifilm is particularly marketing its lightweight design – something that’s important for pros in the field. We were immediately surprised by how well-balanced the lens feels when mounted on the new Fujifilm X-H2S. Build-wise, the lens is made from a magnesium alloy, and it is sturdy but not too cumbersome without the plastic feel that you get on some longer modern mirrorless lenses. Performance The 5-axis stabilisation mechanism does a decent job of keeping shots sharper towards the far end of the zoom range.…