Innholdsfortegnelse for 21-Jul-2018 i Amateur Photographer

Our annual lens special issue is one of our most important of the year because your lens is arguably the most important part of your camera. A fantastic lens on a cheap camera is arguably preferable to a budget kit lens on a pro camera. This year we have a great selection of lens-related features. Now Sigma and Tamron have gone upmarket they have left a gap at the budget end, which is being rapidly filled by companies, many from China and Korea, producing a plethora of interesting optics. Find out what we thought of 11 sub-£200 lenses on page 48. Meanwhile, at the top end of the market lenses have never been better, but at a cost. Sometimes hiring a lens makes more sense, so we’ve tested six lens…

LEICA Camera has released a series of extensive firmware updates for the Leica M10, Leica Q, Leica CL, Leica TL2 and Leica T/TL camera models. Just a few of the highlights include an additional continuous shooting mode on the M10 (Continuous Low Speed, three fps); enhanced power-saving mode and Fn button customisation on the Leica Q, plus faster DNG processing; the ability to shift AF points using the d-pad controller on the Leica CL when using the electronic viewfinder and Touch AF mode; and greater Focus Peaking flexibility on the Leica TL2. The firmware updates are available from www.leica-camera.com, or you can have them installed for free in all Leica Stores.…

LAST week we looked at an old copy of AP from 1962; fast forward 20 years and you can see that the editors still reached for a swimsuit model when deciding what to put on summer covers – if it ain't broke don't fix it, right? This issue's model is bit more racy-looking, however. Either way, the rather flat cover lines don't do justice to some of the great content in this issue. A particular highlight is a piece on Steve Benbow, who was part of a long tradition of left-wing/socially concerned documentary photographers shooting in black & white (they're now a somewhat endangered species). Benbow had some great advice for young photographers about keeping copyright. On a less serious note, there's also a slightly oddball feature about buying T-shirts…

Over the past decade or so, we've seen an unusual state of affairs develop in the photographic market. Historically, the big-name camera makers have been surrounded by a plethora of smaller third-party lens brands, all aiming to provide decent quality optics at a keen price. You only have to look on eBay to find a host of near-forgotten names from the 1970s and 80s, such as Clubman, Hanimex, Sirius and Vivitar. But the era of the autofocus SLR saw the mainstream field consolidate down to essentially just Sigma, Tamron and Tokina, with Zeiss and Voigtländer catering to a high-end niche. However with the ‘big two' of Sigma and Tamron both making the strategic decision to shift upmarket, the situation has become ripe for disruption. First to take advantage of this…

Ask most professionals whether you should upgrade your camera to the latest and greatest model available or whether you should buy new lenses, and many will tell you to invest in the best glass possible because that will improve the quality of your images more than a new camera with a slightly better sensor. Lenses are unbelievably important because they're the element of gear that creates the image on the camera sensor, so having the best lenses available for shooting your favourite subjects will always give you a head start. There comes a time in every photographer's life where you want to take your images to the next level, but you're not quite sure how to go about it. Most of the time, it all comes down to just a…

Elementary, my dear AP With all the regular articles and workshops on photo-editing in Photoshop, please don't forget that there are elementary Photoshop users as well, let alone all the users of other off-piste software. Perhaps you could include an addendum to such articles about options, if any, for achieving the demonstrated effects in Photoshop Elements? I guess you may have some data on what proportion of your readership this might involve? Andrew Herbert Thanks for this. We'd love to hear how many other readers are still using Photoshop Elements in this era of Creative Cloud. It's difficult to please everyone as space is limited in the magazine, but we do run regular round-ups of alternative editing software – Geoff Harris, deputy editor Aw shucks What a delightful surprise to…

Scout locations first If you’re shooting a seascape for instance, be sure to check out the tide times and positioning of the sunsets, and so on. Personally I like shooting when the tide is out, and it’s safer as well, so I like to know what time this will happen. Arrive early Maybe even get there the day before. Have a bit of a look around. Too many of us turn up half an hour before sunset, in such a rush that we don’t realise there are better places to shoot from. Preparation is key. Always use a tripod You read it in magazines every week, but it’s true. With landscapes, you need to get used to how to compose an image. With a tripod it’s so much easier. Don’t…

Puffins tend to be very tame and largely unconcerned about the presence of camera-wielding humans. This means you can take your time and be more creative with your images. Experiment with different focal lengths, from long telephotos used to isolate foreground and backgrounds, to wideangles that show their coastal habitat. Also think about the wind direction, as birds often prefer to take off and land into the wind. Puffins are usually active, so I stick to continuous autofocus and my fastest frame rate. These settings are very helpful when photographing the birds flying (which they do at lightning speed!). I tend to use single-spot autofocus for all situations, but I know many photographers who use larger groups of focus points, particularly if photographing the birds in flight as it gives…

David Thompson, Somerset David first became interested in photography at the age of 15 after being introduced to a Pentax Spotmatic SP500 and a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 film. ‘My life has been enriched by the process of recording images and being able to look back on these moments,' he explains. David's career as a teacher has enabled him to share his passion for image making with his students, and he is always looking for fresh approaches. Living in the West Country he is lucky enough to have some photogenic landscapes on his doorstep. ‘I am particularly fond of using long lenses to isolate details,' he says. As well as landscape photography David enjoys wideangle architectural work, character portraits and wedding photography. Visit www.davidrthompson.co.uk. 1 Misty layers This early…

LIKE anything new or that you haven't tried before, you may have concerns about using kit that belongs to somebody else. To attract new customers to their services, it's in the best interest of lens rental companies to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible. Most lens hire companies break down the process of hiring into simple steps. When you first visit a lens rental website, the best place to head to is the ‘How it works' page, where you'll find detailed instructions of the process. If you don't find the answer to what you're looking for or you're still unsure about something, check the frequently asked questions (FAQ) page or give the hire company a call - they'll be happy to help and talk you through anything…

Easy grip A finely ridged grip on the non-rotating section makes it easy to attach the filter to your lens, while the knurled front edge aids rotation. Alignment mark A small triangular mark on the rotating mount is designed to help you judge the optimum polarising position. Wideangle friendly The 6mm-thick mount should be slender enough to avoid vignetting on the widest of lenses. Small sizes In addition to the usual SLR-lens sizes, the filters are available in sizes down to 37mm, ideal for small mirrorless-camera lenses. • £41-£126 depending on size • www.intro2020.co.uk Back in the days of film, enthusiast photographers carried all manner of optical filters to enhance their images. But in the Photoshop age it's tempting to believe that all the same things can be done in…

The recent announcement of an f/0.95 lens available in Nikon F-mount (the new Meyer-Optik ‘Nocturnus') seems to have confounded much informed opinion that such a thing was impossible. I suspect that the information backing this opinion was mostly conjecture, since by my calculations the F-mount is just large enough to contain the exit pupil of an f/0.95 lens. The lens would need to do away with an aperture lever, but now that Nikon has electronic aperture control, this isn't so much of a problem. What is something of a problem is that the limits of the mirror box and mechanism intrude somewhat on the light cone coming from an f/0.95 lens, so it might be that if you fit such a lens to a Nikon camera, you won't see the…

Do you have more than one lens? What about a tripod, carry case or any additional video or audio equipment? The value of all your kit soon mounts up – but would you be able to replace it if something happened? Cameras are designed to be taken out and about, whether to shoot your next landscape, capture wildlife or travel photos for your portfolio, or just to capture those precious family moments. Plus, if you’re passionate about photography, as well as investing your time, you’ve probably invested heavily financially too. That’s why we’ve teamed up with well-known insurance provider, Thistle Insurance Services Limited, to bring you the cover you may need. Amateur Photographer Insurance Services can provide protection against theft and accidental damage for your camera and accessories up to…

The work of South African photographer Mikhael Subotzky does not so much defy categorisation as elude it. At first sight it looks like social documentary but the longer you look, the more it slides into... well, that’s the problem: I can’t categorise it. Google him; you’ll find plenty of hits, from Magnum to the Saatchi gallery to his own site. Then you’ll be able to make up your own mind. If you can. The reason I chose this picture is that it (sort of) directly follows on from last week’s Final Analysis photograph of Aunt Julia. She, you may recall, was a 102-year-old ex-slave who lived in a tumbledown shack, a former corn crib, in Arkansas. From the look of things, Riaan and Armiena’s place in Cape Town, South Africa,…

LASTOLITE, part of Manfrotto, has announced the Ezybox Pro, which is part of the world's first softbox range designed to fit battery flash, portable flash and studio flash from all major flash manufacturers. It means photographers who shoot with different types of flash just have to carry one softbox and switch between different flash systems using connectors, without adjusting the softbox itself. Manfrotto claims that the new unit is very easy to assemble too, because it's built around a collapsible RapidExoframe, which remains attached at all times to the Ezybox Pro softbox frame, the interface for the many different compatible flash units. The softbox fabric also remains attached to the RapidExoframe and slides along the structure once assembled and clips into position at both ends. The 25x150cm softbox offers a…

Edited by Jim Heimann, Taschen, Price £75, 480 pages, hardcover, ISBN 978-3-8365-6076-4 It's often been said that behind the California smile there lies a darkness. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in Los Angeles, the densely populated city that acts as a beacon to those individuals seeking to make their name in film and television. The deep machinations of Hollywood have chewed up and spat out innumerable hordes over the past century and the surrounding city of LA has seen countless people succumb to the almost mythic levels of crime that has infested the society. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles police force, charged with protecting the public from crime, has long been reported as a hotbed of Machiavellian corruption and bureaucratic scheming. This seedy face of LA, particularly during the…

Street and reportage When you're out shooting on the street the last thing you want to do is draw attention to yourself when taking clandestine photos of strangers. Not only would a tripod be too static, it would also stick out like a sore thumb. One trick some street photographers use is to have their camera on a strap around their neck and shoot blind, while others quickly raise the camera to their eye to compose and shoot in one smooth, split-second motion. If, when using this technique you do get ‘caught' by the person, looking thoughtfully beyond or above them and taking another shot will, most often, make them think you're actually focused on something else. Portraiture When you're shooting portraits, the subject may not be moving around a…

Align the camera’s shift 1 In this unshifted but positioned example, the verticals are converging. This is a common problem seen when shooting architecture without a tilt-and-shift lens. The distortion, although subtle, causes the building to taper inwards at the top, which is not what your eyes experience. 2 Set up the camera using the inbuilt level, with the pitch and yaw zeroed. As can be seen in this picture, the verticals are perfectly straight, but the top of the building has now been cut off. This is a good situation to use the power of the shift to reposition the image circle. It will help us capture the entire building into the picture. 3 The lens has now been shifted upwards by 5mm. This is enough to position a…

A red-listed species in the UK, puffins are one of the UK’s most recognised birds. • Location In colonies around the UK, such as Bempton Cliffs, South Stack, Skomer, the Farne Islands, the Isle of May, and the Shetland and Orkney Islands. They spend winter at sea. • Size Stand at about 20cm tall; 47-63cm wingspan. • Nest A burrow in the soil, which they use in future years. They can also use rabbit and manx shearwater burrows, or, where burrowing is not possible, nest under large rocks or in cliff cavities. • Diet Fish, especially sandeels • Population Around 600,000 breeding pairs…

A walking pole that’s also a monopod Q I have a pair of walking poles to support me when walking. As a photographer, I remember hearing about a pole that can be used as a monopod, but I can't remember where I saw it. Do you know of anyone who deals in them? Bill Houlder A Gitzo used to produce the Monotrek, which would have been ideal, but sadly it is no longer available. Manfrotto, a sibling company to Gitzo, also has a product like this in its catalogue but it also seems to be unavailable at the moment, though I did see it being sold on eBay. Maybe Hama’s Alpenpod (right) would be a suitable alternative, and this seems to be in stock with a number of outlets. Canon…

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 24. 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 24.…

NEVER let it be said that Three Legged Thing's products have boring names, and a new range of monopods and foot stabilisers continues this slightly unhinged tradition – giving nods to Bletchley Park and 90s industrial metal along the way. The wartime code-breaking pioneers are remembered with Alan, named after Alan Turing. The new monopod has a stored height of 45cm, and extends to a maximum height of 1.49m. ‘Formed from eight layers of 100% pure carbon fibre and aircraft-grade alloys, ensuring he is both light and incredibly strong, Alan can support a maximum load of 60kg/132 lb – almost 100x his own weight,' said the company. Another monopod, Trent, is named after Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, and extends to over 2m, making it one of the tallest monopods…

Prime lens Everyone needs a nifty fifty, not least because the wide aperture helps to keep ISO settings down in low light. Mini tripod Pocket-sized mini tripods are a great way to add stability without the weight and bulk of a full-size tripod. [Such as the 3LT Iggy or Manfrotto PIXI] Monopod Combine a monopod with image stabilisation and you can shoot at shutter speeds as slow as 1sec. SteadePod While not as effective as a monopod, this pocket-sized contraption will help you remain steady at standing height.…

Design and Production This category celebrates innovation around the design, development and making of all the things that people need. Images might include mechanical, materials and manufacturing. Digital In this category, you can include photography around robotics and electronic tools, as well as systems, devices and resources that generate, store or process data. Environment and Energy This category focuses on engineering and technology within our environment, as well as energy efficiency, energy services, facility management and alternative energy technologies. Structure This category includes construction, architecture, buildings, bridges, and cityscapes. Transport Images of all forms of transportation are included in this category. Best Smartphone Photo A new category in the competition. The judges will be looking for the best photograph taken on a smartphone across all of the categories! The judges…

Spirit bubbles everywhere When shifting the camera, perfect alignment is essential – you can’t have too many spirit levels! Cameras have highly accurate inbuilt electronic levels, but some prosumer cameras don’t have the all-important rise and fall. Levelling base If you really get the bug, a levelling base is the key to a fast-track set-up. Unlock one handle and rotate your entire tripod head in one movement, without the headache of aligning the tripod legs. It’s essential kit for interior photographers in particular.…

Lens Lab • www.lenslab.co.uk • Haywards Heath, West Sussex • 0739 1634 879 Lens Lab stocks a variety of Canon, Nikon, Sony and Micro Four Thirds lenses. Unfortunately the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM I wanted to hire didn't show as available, but I received a fast response after making an enquiry online, with confirmation that the lens could be sourced through one of Lens Lab's partners. Lenses can be reserved up to six months in advance and you're required to sign and return a hire agreement form, supply two forms of identification and pay a 90% deposit of the equipment cost on your first hire. On all standard hires, the hirer is liable for the full value of the equipment should anything go wrong including theft, loss and…