Innholdsfortegnelse for 30-Jun-2018 i Amateur Photographer

AP’s office overlooks the runway at Farnborough Airport. Every day, we can watch planes landing and taking off, but in a couple of weeks this background distraction takes centre stage for the Farnborough International Airshow, and we’re treated to a week of fast jets screaming past the windows, rattling the cups and drowning out conversation. It really is very exciting, and if you haven’t been to an airshow you should. Getting good photos though can be challenging. Photographing planes in flight can push most cameras’ AF systems to the limits and even reliable exposure meters can struggle as the planes streak across the sky, in and out of the clouds. So we have Mark Lynham’s top tips on how to come away with photos as good as the one he…

New budget-friendly Tenba bag line Tenba’s new ‘Skyline’ range includes five different sizes, with prices ranging between £35 and £60. Each bag uses soft fabric, moveable dividers, water-repellent exteriors, reinforced stitching and comes with a five-year warranty. The smallest bag is designed for a small camera plus a kit lens, while the largest bag can accommodate a DSLR and up to four lenses. Free CameraWorld event at Brands Hatch Photographic retailer CameraWorld has announced a ‘live’ show, taking place at the iconic racing venue Brands Hatch on 2 August. It will come ahead of another live show happening in London in October. At both shows, customers can expect live speakers, events, show-deals, and the latest gear to try out. More details can be found at cameraworld.co.uk/live. Leica launches £18k M10…

FOLLOWING AN announcement earlier in the year, free firmware updates for the Fujifilm X-H1 and X-T2 compact system camera models are now available. Fujifilm's update for the X-T2 had already been released in May, but after several users reported problems, the update was removed. Presumably, these issues have now been ironed out for the newer version. New functions, available via the updates for the two flagship X-series models, include several improvements, such as the addition of Focus Bracketing, compatibility with Fujifilm's new cinema lenses and enhanced autofocusing. The update for either camera can be downloaded from the Fujifilm website.…

THIS week we are going back to 2 July 2005. Digital was taking over by 2005, but AP was still proudly giving away film from the sadly missed Konica Minolta. Other camera magazines back then were acting like film was as relevant as a Penny Farthing, but for AP, the interest has always been in how and why we make photographs, rather than obsessing about the technology per se. Not that we were sticking our head in the sand, as the very matter-of-fact cover lines about 5MP compacts reveal. Not sure any of these bad boys would still qualify as ‘stylish' 13 years later... Summer was definitely in the air, as evidenced by a very colourful feature on photographing summer flowers. Meanwhile, monocled stalwart Roger Hicks was in a philosophical…

Meets Every Thursday evening from September to June (except for Christmas and Maundy Thursday) at The Friends Meeting House, 150 Church Road, Watford WD17 4QB, 7.45-10pm. Membership Annual fee £65. Anyone who joins the club after Christmas pays a reduced monthly sliding scale membership fee. Discounts are offered to Family memberships. Students and Senior members (65+) are also eligible for reduced membership fees. Visitors are welcome to attend two meetings free of charge. Contact info@watfordcameraclub.org.uk Website www.watfordcameraclub.org.uk/…

1 Prepare for the day Make sure that you start getting ready a couple of days before the airshow; this way you get plenty of time to check everything. 2 Sunscreen An often overlooked necessity. Try to have some sunscreen in your bag at all times – chances are you'll be in the sun for long periods. 3 Arrive early Airshows can be incredibly busy so if you want a certain spot along the flight line, you're going to need to get there really early. 4 Look for light Check the direction of light and then follow the displaying aircraft to see where the light falls best on them. 5 Clouds are your friends If there are clouds then use them in your shots; they add so much more impact…

30 June-1 July Wales National Airshow 6-8 July Southport Airshow 7 July Yeovilton Air Day 13-15 July The Royal International Air tattoo 14-15 July Flying Legends Airshow 16-22 July Farnborough International Airshow 27-29 July Sunderland International Airshow 4 August East Kirkby Airshow 11-12 August Blackpool Airshow 16-19 August Eastbourne International Airshow 18 August Shuttleworth Flying Proms 18-19 August Biggin Hill Festival Of Flight 25-26 August Rhyl Airshow 30 August-2 September Bournemouth Airshow 22-23 September Battle of Britain Airshow For more details, visit www.britishairshows.com/british-ukairshows-2018-calendar-dates.html.…

After your recent mentions about the lack of outlets for quality photojournalism in our modern celebrity saturated society, I'm pleased to see that you have decided to do something about this sorry state of affairs yourselves by publishing what appears to be (and I hope is) a new series showing the work of some of these brave and noble individuals. Well played, AP! Your report about Patrick Brown's experiences photographing the Rohinga refugee crisis (Photo Stories, AP 9 June) was very moving and upsetting, but I strongly feel that we should not be shielded from such stories for fear of causing offence. There are plenty of pretty, picture-postcard landscape photos and cute animals elsewhere in the magazine (and I do like those, too), but this is important work and I…

Early spring and late autumn mornings are my favourite times of the year to photograph this location. If you do attempt to take images of sunrise in the summer months, it'll require you to set your alarm clock very early. Arrive 30 minutes before sunrise and you might be lucky to witness a rich orange-and-purple sky with low-lying mist above the surrounding water. Dull, grey days present more of a challenge, but with a strong cloud formation and good contrast, you can walk away with some moody black & white landscape shots to be proud of. Best lens To give the church a sense of isolation in its surroundings, I find that a wideangle zoom lens covering a focal length of around 16-35mm works well. I find myself working at…

Lightweight and portable, the Manfrotto PIXI EVO boasts two different leg angles with a sliding selector enabling you to shoot ground-level images. It’s adjustable, with two-section legs featuring five different steps that adapt the footprint to uneven surfaces. With a payload of 2.5kg, you can tilt the camera 90° to capture incredible images.…

Resolution Our Image Engineering Tests reveal that the lens is sharpest in the centre towards the middle and far end of its range. Centre sharpness peaks at f/4 across the zoom range. Corners take a little longer to sharpen up fully, with best results achieved from f/5.6-f/11, peaking at f/8. Sharpness does start to tail off beyond f/11; note that diffraction softens images noticeably at f/16 and f/22. Shading At maximum aperture, the edges of the image are darker than the centre throughout the zoom range. It’s less of a concern by 50mm, but is obvious again at 75mm. Vignetting equates to a 1.2EV fall-off in illumination at the wide end and 1.4EV at full telephoto. It diminishes by f/4 and beyond, though. Curvilinear distortion It’s not unusual for standard…

Flying with my camera Q In August I will be flying to Bangkok via Dubai with Emirates Airlines. I am trying to work out what the regulations are concerning my camera gear and laptop, which I will be using to edit and store my photos while I'm on holiday. I will be changing planes at Dubai, both ways, and I understand that although I won't be leaving the airside section of the airport while in transit, I will have to go through security again between the arrival and departure gates. It's seems a bit confusing as I have read that in the Middle East laptops must be put in checked baggage but I thought the regulations mean batteries have to be in your cabin carry-on bags. The battery in my…

Fujifilm X-T2, 80mm, 1/250sec at f/4.5, ISO 200 This macro image of a Solomon's seal plant was uploaded to our Twitter page using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. It was taken by photographer Glenys Garnett. He tells us, ‘I'm always on the lookout for new challenges, and earlier this year I purchased Fujifilm's 80mm macro lens. This opened up a whole new world for me, and I'm now addicted to macro photography. I took the image lying on the path in my friend's garden, with the late evening sun casting rays on the leaves of a Solomon's seal plant. I focused on the edge of the leaf with just enough depth of field to show the elegant lines in the foliage.'…

TWO NEW Samyang lenses have been added to the budget optic manufacturer's line-up. First up is the ‘tiny but wide' 24mm lens for Sony full-frame cameras. The AF 24mm f/2.8 FE is a lightweight wideangle lens, which inherits the same image quality of Samyang's wideangle series, while also boasting a quiet, fast and accurate autofocus system. Weighing in at just 93g, and measuring only 37mm long (without the hood and rear cap), the lens design consists of 7 elements in 7 groups. Samyang says that the lens delivers high resolution from the centre to the corners of every image. Three aspherical lenses and two high-refractive lenses along with Ultra Multi Coating are designed to reduce chromatic aberrations and unnecessary light dispersion. Scheduled to go on sale in the UK from…

Which is more memorable, the photograph you take or the one you don't? If that sounds a bit strange, just bear with me for a moment. When you capture an image there is often the hope that, by hitting the shutter release at exactly the right critical moment, you will be joining the fellowship of the classic photographers and giving another timeless artwork to the world. But what about the masterpieces you don't take? I don't mean the ones we miss, trying to juggle lens/shutter speed/aperture/ISO/focus combinations instead of being ready when the picture presents itself – we all have a raft of those tragic ‘fish that got away' stories. I mean the images that we see form in the viewfinder and choose not to capture. Maybe an example will…

Static displays There is normally a good choice of static displays and this is where you can see the aircraft up close. Generally a wideangle lens will be used here, but don't forget to also try to use a longer lens to get more detailed shots of certain parts of the aircraft, like the cockpit, for example. Take-off and landing shots These action shots are great images to get in the bag, but you will need to arrive early to get near the flight line; also you will need to master the art of ‘panning the camera' where you drop your shutter speed right down to get some blurred background. Shutter speeds of around 1/80sec will help you achieve this. Display teams Everyone loves the display teams gracefully creating their…

Round Two Fur and Feathers CHRIS MARTIN from Dublin is the winner of Round Two of APOY 2018. Chris takes home a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens balancing superb optical performance with lightweight and compact construction. The lens is dust and splashproof, making it ideal for shooting in the field. It also features a detachable tripod socket for convenient handholding. The prize includes a Sigma TC-1401 Tele converter. The combined value is £1,099.99. 1 Chris Martin Ireland 30pts Nikon D810, 200-500mm, 1/400sec at f/5.6, ISO 4000 Chris was putting his camera away when he spotted the fox on the beach, which goes to show that sometimes the best opportunities arise when you're almost ready to quit. The shock of orange among the purple-tinged rocks works brilliantly, because…

Romney Marsh in Kent is best known for its natural beauty, rich history and long, extensive coastline. The barren and distinctive character of Dungeness offers endless photo opportunities. Head a few miles inland to the flats of Romney Marsh and standing isolated on the marsh, surrounded by water and sheep, is a 13th-century Grade-I listed church dedicated to St Thomas à Becket. Best known today as Fairfield church, it is relatively easy to find – follow Beckett Road off the A259 towards Appledore for a mile or so and you'll spot the church on your right. Sunrise presents the best opportunity to get a spectacular shot and by arriving at the crack of dawn you increase your chances of being treated to the sight of the sun breaking through the…

STARTING at £259.99 for the 500GB model, this drive may seem quite pricey at a glance. However, with its impressive list of features, the My Passport Wireless SSD is an incredibly versatile investment. As with all wireless devices, you may run into occasional compatibility or connection issues, but WD support is responsive enough to negate the impact of any frustrations you may experience. I've long sought a solution for the times when I didn't want to or couldn't pack a laptop – photowalks are a great example – and until now I was relying on my camera to transfer compressed JPEGs via connectivity apps. But now I can back up and access my raw and video files remotely without the need for a computer. The investments we make in our…

This is an excellent mid-range lens. The extra stop you gain over the Sony FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Vario-Tessar Carl Zeiss T* makes it superior for low-light shooting and enables you to isolate subjects from their surroundings easily, producing very attractive blur behind. If you prioritise a fast aperture ahead of a wider field of view and you don't want to spend over £1,000, this is currently the best mid-range standard zoom going for Sony's Alpha 7-series cameras. Importantly, it's not too heavy or too cumbersome. Tamron has got the balance just right and I see it being popular with Alpha 7 III users who might be on the lookout for the perfect walkabout lens. It's an excellent start in a new series of full-frame mirrorless lenses from Tamron.…

If you’d like to see your work published in Amateur Photographer, here’s how to send us your images: Email Email a selection of low-res images (up to 5MB of attachments in total) to appicturedesk@ti-media.com.CD/DVD Send us a disc of high-resolution JPEG, TIFF or PSD images (at least 2480 pixels along its longest length), with a contact sheet, to the address on page 53. Via our online communities Post your pictures into our Flickr group, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or the gallery on our website. See details above. Transparencies/prints Well-packaged prints or slides (without glass mounts) should be sent by Special Delivery, with a return SAE, to the address on page 53.…

A NEW set of travel tripods has been added to Manfrotto's premium line-up. The new Befree Advanced carbon version has been designed to be as lightweight as possible, while still offering class-leading performance. It includes the Advanced 494 aluminium Centre Ball Head and carbon fibre legs, weighing in at just 1.25kg. Meanwhile, the larger Befree GT travel tripod is available in both aluminium and carbon fibre, with a design inherited from the Befree Advanced range. It folds down to 43cm, but can take loads of up to 10kg. Finally, the Befree Live Carbon video travel tripod completes the carbon fibre Befree tripod lineup. Prices for the tripods range from £239.95 up to £399.95. For the latest news visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk…

When was the club founded? Watford Camera Club was originally founded in 1903. It closed during the early part of the Second World War but, happily, reformed in 1944. What does the club offer new members? We offer all members training events. They range from Camera 101 sessions aimed at newcomers to photography, to monthly critique sessions where members are encouraged to bring along samples of work and are given tips on how to improve their photography. Studio portrait sessions are also held from time to time, allowing all members to gain valuable experience in working with a professional lighting rig and models. We also run Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop sessions, and in addition, our more-experienced photographers share tips on composition and photographic techniques. Describe a typical club meeting. There…

Telephoto lens To stand a chance of getting some decent shots of aircraft flying, you really need to get as close to the action as possible. Something like the Sigma 150-600mm lens is ideal. Wideangle lens For static shots of aircraft you need to use a wideangle lens; a 24-70mm will be ideal for this, although you can go super wide and try some arty shots. Such a lens is also very useful for formation display teams. Spare batteries/cards You will be taking a lot of pictures over the course of the day so carry as many spare batteries and cards as you can. Try to get cards with fast write speeds of 100MB/s or faster. Air blower This is great for getting rid of the dust on lenses and…

Heavy, man In the late '90s, I had a Nikon F4 with 50mm f/1.4 lens, but it was so heavy to lug about, I sold it and bought something lighter. Fast forward to now and Nikon and Canon still sell digital pro SLRs with mega-heavy battery packs. But why should this be, in a digital age when they don't have to transport film? I recall that in the '70s Olympus sought to buck the trend with heavy cameras by introducing the light and compact Olympus OM-1. As a photographer for the past 40 years who has been lugging heavy cameras about, I suffer with back issues, so I have to use smaller and lighter cameras. Yet Nikon and Canon sell ‘macho' cameras designed to give photographers hernias. What gives? Andrew…

Photographer’s Ephemeris Download the Photographer’s Ephemeris app onto your smartphone and you’ll be able to search for the precise times of sunrise and sunset at Fairfield church. Filters If you’re going to attempt a sunrise shot at Fairfield, you’ll need an ND grad to help balance the exposure and stop the highlights burning out, while allowing you to preserve detail in the church brickwork. Wellington boots If you want to keep your feet dry I’d recommend wearing wellies. Some areas of water around the church are shallow and you may like to set up your tripod in the water rather than work from dry land.…

Dave Martin, Hitchin Dave began his photography journey over 26 years ago when his son Daniel signed up to a darkroom course. Dave bought Daniel a Minolta 7000 and himself a 9000 and started reading Amateur Photographer. His favourite genres are flowers, landscape, creative, macro and wildlife. For this selection of images, Dave has used painted canvases for the backdrops to give the illusion of an out-of-focus background. He has grown all the flowers himself and the ladybirds were safely returned to his garden afterwards. 1 Ladybird on pasque flower Selecting a narrow aperture enabled Dave to capture the fine details on the pasque flower as well as the ladybird. Sony Alpha 58, 100mm, 1.3sec at f/16, ISO 100, tripod, reflector 2 Race to the top Dave created this triptych…

LUMINAR is a seriously interesting raw converter and image processor, and the more I used it, the more I came to appreciate its unique approach. I found the process of building up an image by adding just the filters you need to be particularly logical and intuitive. Being just a couple of years old, Luminar isn't yet as polished as Lightroom, and in particular has fewer tools to measure any adjustments that need to be made, rather than just set them by eye. But on the other hand, the built-in presets offer a lot of potential for those who prefer a more creative approach to image-processing, even for new users. It's perhaps not yet quite the finished article, and Windows users may find it too slow, but it's very much…

Height adjustable The height-adjustable platform enables users to align the tilt axis of the head with the centre of gravity. Price The cheapest price (£299) for this gimbal was found at www.speedgraphic.co.uk. Pan arm The pan arm is removable for more conventional photographic use. Design The gimbal features Gitzo’s trademark ‘noir décor’ crackle finish. • £299 • www.manfrotto.co.uk WILDLIFE and sports photographers regularly use long telephoto lenses for shooting distant subjects. While conventional ball or pan-tilt tripod heads can be used with heavy telephoto lenses, they are not ideal for tracking movement. The better option is to use a gimbal head that's designed to provide better mobility while offering excellent support. While Gitzo is known for being a premium tripod manufacturer, its GHFG1 Fluid Gimbal Head is actually very competitively…

Frances ‘Fannie’ Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952) opened a studio in New York City in 1890 (some sources say 1894) and took this picture in 1896 in her early thirties. Google her for an account of an interesting life. Then go to the Library of Congress to see a collection of her pictures. This is the 1890s equivalent of punk: the crossed legs on display; the petticoat; the cigarette; the beer stein. The phrase ‘New Woman’ was used to indicate either approval or disapproval, usually extreme in both cases. What fascinates me, apart from the overt and probably covert symbolism, is how very well it is done. Self-portraits are extremely hard to light (look at the shadows and highlights here), frame, compose and pose for. At the fastest, she might have seen…