Innholdsfortegnelse for 28-May-2016 i Amateur Photographer

With the range of highly desirable cameras and lenses vying for our attention, it’s easy to overlook the variety of photo accessories out there designed to help us take better pictures. The accessory may be in a supporting sense, or one piece of kit that has a direct impact on the final image. Like many of us, I know I would struggle to get the shots I like to take without the accessories I have tucked away in my camera bag, and that’s why, for this special issue of AP, we’ve decided to shine a light on the humble photo accessory. On pages 10-17 we look at a range of popular accessories and how to make the most of them, while on pages 22-29 we chat to a number of…

PHOTOGRAPHERS accused of digitally manipulating an actress's jaw to make her look ‘beautiful' said they altered the photo only to resolve wideangle lens distortion. American actress and singer Rumer Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, pleaded with friends to remove any online posts of the image, taken for Vanity Fair, although not published by the magazine. The portrait, showing the actress with her sisters, appeared on Rumer's Instagram page. The photographers Mark Williams and Sara Hirakawa defended the move, saying the retouching was not done to ‘alter or modify anyone's face'. They added: ‘We used a wideangle lens, and it might have made Rumer's chin look smaller from the higher angle that we shot the image.' Subscribe to Amateur Photographer SAVE 35 % * Visit amateurphotographer subs.co.uk/15W (or…

Shooting the Ultimate Cotswold View A new photography tuition company, Cotswold Photo Walks, offers a series of specially designed expert-led photo walks around the most beautiful locations across the Cotswolds, the largest designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK. This walk focuses on Coaley Peak. 2 June, www.cotswoldphotowalks.co.uk Elliott Landy at Proud Camden This is an exclusive collection of iconic and never-before-seen images documenting the making of The Band’s first two albums, Music from Big Pink and The Band, through the lens of friend and renowned rock photographer Elliott Landy. 9 June-24 July, www.proudonline.co.uk Departures This is an exhibition of work by New Photographers Guild, a photographic mentoring initiative led by Claire Stewart and Elaine Livingstone in association with Street Level Photoworks. The nine…

Bill Ward queries AP's review of Phase One XF (Inbox, AP 23 April) because most of us can't afford it. But then, most of us can't afford many cameras AP reviews. Most people would be unable to buy a £1,000 camera until their kids have grown up, but it's still fascinating to know what's happening in the photography world. I would love to shoot landscapes with a Phase One, particularly as it does not seem to need filters for highlight/shadow retention. Please go on bringing us details of the latest stuff. Also, some people have written in recently to criticise Roger Hicks. I love his pieces. Sometimes I think the pictures he chooses are naff, but they are always interesting. The ‘Bison grazing in geyser fumes, USA', by Thomas Hoepker…

The GX80 uses the same 16-million-pixel Four Thirds sensor seen in most of Panasonic's recent CSCs, and it behaves very much as we've come to expect. The company says that removing the low-pass filter brings a small increase in resolution, but in practice the difference isn't all that large, as it has historically used very weak low-pass filters anyway. Image quality is otherwise very predictable, with accurate, quite attractive colour rendition and plenty of detail at low ISO settings. Colour saturation is held well as ISO is increased, but fine detail is blurred away by ISO1,600. The top two ISO settings of 12,800 and 25,600 should be avoided if possible. Dynamic range The GX80 gives pretty typical dynamic range measurements for a Micro Four Thirds model in our Applied Imaging…

‘This information can be used to adjust the focus point of the image after capture’ For a number of years, Lytro has been developing what it calls a ‘Light Field camera,' culminating into the Lytro ILLUM (tested in AP 22 November 2014). Recently, the company announced it was pulling out of the consumer market in order to concentrate on developing a new cinema camera, which boasts some impressive statistics. Within its frame, the size of a small van, it packs a tea-tray-sized sensor with 755MP. It can shoot at 300 frames per second. This new camera will, it is claimed by Lytro, bring a number of advantages to film production, including the ability to refocus after shooting, to change the apparent camera position and to exclude from the image objects…

‘The move towards bigger screens also means that smartphones have become bulkier and less portable’ Over the past few years, the display sizes of smartphones have been increasing to a point where, today, most high-end models have screens measuring 5.2-6in [13-15cm], dimensions which, not too long ago, would have placed them in the ‘small tablet' category. From a photography and imaging point of view, this is not necessarily a negative trend. After all, it's much easier to compose and edit images and video on a large screen, especially when that screen comes with an adequately high resolution. However, the move towards bigger screens also means that smartphones have become bulkier and less portable, robbing them of their always-ready-to-snap advantage that made them such an appealing photographic tool. True, as displays…

How does one become a photographer on the world’s biggest TV show, and what does the job entail? AP readers will get the chance to find out the answers to these and other questions on Friday, 3 June, when we host an evening with Game of Thrones photographer Helen Sloan, in association with Nikon School Live. For the uninitiated, the TV series Game of Thrones is based on the epic fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin. Set in medieval times in the fictional lands of Westeros and Essos, it draws its inspiration from a variety of historical figures and events – from the Wars of the Roses to Nordic mythology and Genghis Khan – mixed with a smattering of dragons and supernatural creatures,…

You answered… A Yes, I frequently travel abroad to take photographs 24% B I have done so, but only on rare occasions 22% C No, but it’s something I’d consider doing 29% DNo, it would be too expensive 9% E No, I have all the inspiration I need here in the UK 16% What you said ‘I travel abroad for the sole purpose of photography, especially to Europe. I’m single, so it’s pretty easy to do with no distractions’ ‘I rarely go anywhere without a camera, so any trip that involves an overnight stay will be partly for photographic reason.’ ‘We’ve taken several city breaks in Europe, and photography has been an important part for me – and a drag on the sightseeing for my wife – but even alone…

Rain Mike Taylor Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5, 20.3mm, 1/20sec at f/4.7, ISO 400 NOT EVERYONE will think this shot is interesting because at first glance it doesn't appear to have a subject. When we ask ourselves: ‘What is this a picture of?' how we see and think will determine whether our answer is ‘An ashtray' or ‘A series of lines and colours.' All of us don't see and think in the same way. What caught my eye with Mike's picture is the arrangement of the blocks of colour that divide the frame into about 12 sections, and the way the bold green works with the deep pink and pale yellow. The pattern of the colours, lines and regular shapes is broken by the ashtray and the furniture, which makes them stand…

PERHAPS the GX80's most appealing new feature is Panasonic's latest dual IS system. Like the GX8 before it, the camera can use both in-lens and in-body IS together to allow the use of even slower shutter speeds without blur from camera shake. But where the GX8 only offered four axes of correction in-body, the GX80 offers five, adding in correction for rotation around the lens axis. This tends to be important for long exposures with wideangle lenses, so it's great to see it added. The good thing about this is that you get IS with every lens you can use, not just those from Olympus, Sigma, Samyang and so on, but also old manual lenses on mount adapters (when using the latter, the camera helpfully prompts you to enter the…

Fujifilm X-E2S Price: £549 body only Sensor: 16.3MP APS-C CMOS ISO: 100-51,200 (extended) Fujifilm’s rangefinderstyle CSC offers photographer-friendly traditional controls, with exposure-compensation dials and top-plate shutter-speed. It has a fine 2.36-million-dot EVF and gives excellent JPEG output, but the rear screen is fixed. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Price: £449 body only Sensor: 16.1MP Four Thirds CMOS ISO: 100-25,600 (extended) The E-M10 Mark II offers a similar specification to the GX80, with 5-axis in-body stabilisation, a 2.36-million-dot EVF and tilting touchscreen, but wrapped in Olympus’s SLR-like design. Video is only full HD. Sony Alpha 6000 Price: £439 body only Sensor: 24.3MP APS-C CMOS ISO: 100-25,600 It may be an ageing design, but the Alpha 6000 still holds its own pretty well, with a sophisticated hybrid focus system and excellent full…

Holster aims at DSLR owners The new MindShift DSLR holsters target outdoor photographers. These Multi-Mount holsters are designed to be carried in five ways: on the shoulder, as a front harness, on the chest, as a backpack or as a belt. Built to be water resistant, the new MindShift Multi-Mount holsters cost £79.25-£105.76. Visit www.mindshiftgear.com. Canon compact superzooms in soon Canon will debut the PowerShot SX620 HS superzoom compact in June. The SX620 HS sports a 25x lens that can be extended digitally a further 50x. The camera houses a 20.2MP imaging sensor and DIGIC 4+ processor. Filter effects on the Wi-Fi-enabled model include fisheye and miniature. It is priced at £219.99. Manfrotto DSLR backpack unwrapped Manfrotto has launched a backpack designed to hold a professional DSLR and three lenses.…

THE COURAGE of women photojournalists has been honoured in the second Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. The award was set up in tribute to Anja Niedringhaus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press photographer who was killed when an Afghan policeman opened fire on a car in which she was travelling in April 2014. This year's winner is Adriane Ohanesian, a freelance photojournalist based in Nairobi, Kenya, who has documented conflicts including the civil war in South Sudan. London-based photographer Lynsey Addario won an honourable mention. Ohanesian – who wins a $20,000 prize to support ongoing work – said: ‘At the end of the day, it's not about me; it's about the lives of people in the pictures.' Ohanesian was praised by the judges for her ‘evocative images and tenacious dedication…

Lasting impressions The letter from ffivesix in AP 23 April, about a ‘remembering when…' article, sparked a chord with me. I find that some photos do stick in the mind and leave a lasting impression. These may not be the best technically, and are a useful reminder that in these times of ever-developing technology, it is the image that counts and the impact it has. I think it is worth pursuing ffivesix's idea. The photo [above] was taken in 1963 with an Edixa 35mm camera (which I still have at the back of my drawer) on Agfa CT18 reversal film. I recently converted my old slides to digital, with a bit of follow-up cleaning. The picture is of the frozen sea at St Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire, with the children's home shrouded…

Lee Little Stopper • £99.99 • www.leefilters.com THIS SHOT (above) was taken at the easternmost point of Poole Bay in Dorset. It's a great location for rough waves, but on this morning I wanted to flatten the sea to make the groyne the prominent feature. To do this, I would have to use my Lee Filters Little Stopper, as well as a Lee 0.6 ND hard grad to hold back the sky. At 6 stops, the Little Stopper is perfect for use at sunrise or sunset, where using a Big Stopper (which reduces exposures by10 stops) and the lower light levels would lead to long exposure times. Once I'd composed and taken a test shot, my camera was giving me an exposure reading of 2secs. While this was long enough…

Hotshoe The hotshoe accepts more powerful Micro Four Thirds-dedicated external flash units, such as Panasonic’s own DMW-FL360L. Built-in flash Activated by pressing a button on the back, the built-in flash has a modest guide number of 6m @ ISO 200. Unfortunately, it can’t be used for wireless control of external units. Connectors A plastic flap on the handgrip conceals micro HDMI and micro USB sockets – the latter is used for battery charging. The GX80 won’t accept a wired remote release. Tripod socket The tripod socket is located in line with the lens but right at the front of the camera body, which could cause problems with some large lenses and quick-release plates. Battery The DMW-BLG10E battery is used in other Panasonic cameras, including the LX100, TZ100 and GX7. It’s…

WITH the GX80, Panasonic has made a camera that feels much more like the GX7's spiritual successor than the GX8 ever did – impressive as that camera undoubtedly is. Similar in size, design and layout to the GX7, the GX80 is also attractively priced. Considering its effective dual image stabilisation and 4K video recording, it's particularly interesting for enthusiast photographers who also have an interest in exploring the creative opportunities afforded by movie making. In terms of design and styling, the GX80 isn't as charismatic as many of its direct competitors, but don't let that put you off. It's well designed and fits nicely in your hand, while being quite compact to slip easily into a small bag. The control layout works well enough, although I think that it is…

Brian Harris Brian Harris worked as a photographer on The Times and was appointed chief photographer of The Independent when it launched in 1986. He has received numerous awards and had several solo exhibitions, including shows at the Barbican and Photofusion. His book …and then the Prime Minister Hit Me… will be published soon. Visit brianharrisphotographer.co.uk. 1965 Kodak Instamatic 50 This was the post-war equivalent of the Kodak Box Brownie of my parents' generation. It travelled everywhere with me, allowing me to photograph events at school and our family holidays. Despite the Instamatic's limitations –only a cloudy bright/flash and sunny exposure settings, and a very basic fixed-focus lens – the results were very good. On family holidays I was allowed two cartridges of film. Imagine only having 24 exposures, and…

Anyone who drives around certain parts of Europe will have seen a strange, sad phenomenon: roadside prostitutes. At first I did not realise what they were doing, but then, I was driving an old Land Rover with my wife at my side. A sales rep, lorry driver or travelling preacher might have cottoned on to the situation more quickly. Some prostitutes are attractive; some clearly have stories to tell. Others are not the most likely to attract a client. Many are reputedly trafficked from Eastern Europe. This seems likely, but without interviewing them, who can know? Txema Salvans’ previous long-term project was Spanish holidaymakers. His pictures stand well enough alone, but they work better as part of a series: an exhibition or (ideally) a book. His site, www.txemasalvans.com, is opaque,…