Innholdsfortegnelse for 17-oct-15 i Amateur Photographer

I recently spoke to a long-term reader about how we present resolution data in our lens reviews. His argument was simple; the MTF profiles we’ve been using are too difficult to understand, and couldn’t we instead show the lens’s sharpness at the centre and the corners, across its full range of apertures? This is a very good question, and without a good answer. So after lots of discussion and graph drawing, it’s exactly what we’ve decided to do. You’ll find the first example in our review of the Sigma 24-35mm f/2 zoom on pages 49-51. This isn’t a revolutionary idea – it’s much the same approach as that used by Dr Stewart Bell in AP a decade ago. But it’s a small change that I hope will make our lens-test…

FUJIFILM has launched the new Instax Mini 70, expanding its instant camera series. The Instax Mini 70 is capable of producing credit-card-sized photos and comes in a choice of canary yellow, island blue and moon white colours. Features include an auto exposure control function, which aims to automatically detect the surrounding ambient light and adjust the shutter speed and flash accordingly. It also boasts a selfie mode designed to automatically adjust focal length and brightness to the level optimised for close-up self-portraits. The camera's other features include a tripod mount and self-timer function, plus a landscape and macro mode. The Instax Mini 70 is due on sale from the end of October, priced £99.99 (price includes ten shots of Instax Mini film). Subscribe to Amateur photographer SAVE 42%* Visit…

When I purchased my first digital camera in May 2010, I obviously had no Photoshop ability and my computer skills were very basic. I used my digital camera as if I were shooting colour slide film and only shot JPEGs. I was very happy with the results – both projected and prints. Compared to film, it was light years ahead. In 2012 there was a letter in AP singing the praises of post-production work. In my ignorance I saw red and my reply was printed on the virtues of getting it right in the camera, as if one were using colour transparency film. Earlier this year I asked a friend from our camera club who is a wizard with computers to teach me post production on my computer. I have…

Julie Higelin, France ‘I have always admired the story-telling or emotional aspect of good photographs and the authors who make them,' says Julie. ‘It's my passion for travel and my curiosity about different cultures that got me into travel photography, as well as the need to share my experiences abroad. I guess it's a natural thing for many of us to get into photography when we start travelling a lot. My work is predominantly documentary with a focus on lifestyles, ancient cultures and traditions. I love meeting people in general, so naturally they are my favourite subjects to portray.' To see more of Julie's work, visit www.juliehphotos.com. Field Worker 1 ‘I took this picture in the countryside of Rajasthan, India,’ says Julie. ‘It was the time of wheat harvest, which…

OLYMPUS doesn't appear to have changed anything about the 16.1MP Live MOS sensor used in the previous OM-D E-M10 for this new model, partnering it with the same TruePic VII processing engine. The good news is that the two are capable of producing very good results, particularly at the base sensitivity (and even the extended ISO 100 equivalent option). With a fine lens, images show excellent detail at these settings and this stays at a good level until sensitivity is raised to around ISO 800, at which point noise and noise reduction begin to affect fine details. Sadly, one thing lacking on the OM-D E-M10 Mark II is Olympus's 40MP High Res Shot mode. This has shown itself to be an effective way of achieving extra resolution in tripod-based images,…

ALTHOUGH this lens may not be quite as fast as most wideangle primes, what it lacks in terms of speed it makes up for in terms of convenience. Having to swap a 35mm prime for a 24mm prime or vice versa can be time consuming on a shoot, and having this lens attached to the front of your DSLR is one way of ensuring you never get caught out by missing a shot. If you're sitting on the fence debating whether to buy a wideangle prime or this wideangle zoom, you'll want to ask yourself whether speed or flexibility is more important. If you regularly work in low-light environments where you need to shoot at f/1.4 and are prepared to move your feet a bit more to get into position,…

‘Mr Leica’ dies Former managing director of Leica Camera Ltd, Uli Hintner, has died. Fondly known as ‘Mr Leica’, having worked for over 40 years in the industry, Hintner worked for Leica from 1977 until his retirement in 2005. He is survived by his widow, Janice Hintner, and two daughters. Donations in memory of Uli can be made to the CC and H Fund at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Cosina discontinues Voigtländer Japanese company Cosina has announced it will be discontinuing its Bessa selection of rangefinder cameras and accessories. This means that few film cameras are now still in production globally, although the company will continue to make lenses. See www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/ voigtlander for the full list of discontinued cameras. New Manfrotto backpacks Manfrotto pitches its Advanced Travel Backpack range as designed…

I'm accustomed to hearing people getting in a lather about the price of printer ink, complaining that it's more costly than the equivalent volume of Chanel No5, vintage champagne or some other luxury fluid. But there's an aspect of photography that makes printer ink look like a positive bargain: anything to do with sensor cleaning. I'm not talking about sensor-cleaning services. I've found these to be competent and reasonably priced, especially those that are free in return for a charitable donation at my local Calumet open days. No, what really irks me are the small fortunes charged for the materials to do it yourself – the fluids, brushes and swabs. Can it really be impossible to make a swab – essentially a small square of fabric on a stick –…

David Tipling David is one of the most widely published wildlife photographers in the world. His pictures appear on hundreds of book and magazine covers, and have been used in many other forms, from wine labels to large projections across New York’s Times Square. www.davidtipling.com The Lake District The Lake District can be stunning in autumn with clear days, crisp nights and a golden cloak of autumnal colour covering the hills and valleys. The Lake District National Park lies within Cumbria and is easily accessed from the M6 Motorway either via the A590/A591 towards Windermere or via the A66 towards Keswick. Although Windermere was recently voted the most photogenic spot in the country, I'd personally head for Keswick, Derwentwater and its surrounding fells. As well as using Keswick as a…

You answered… A No, I approach each scene individually 78% B Yes, I set the lens to the same value each time, but then adjust from there 12% C Yes, I set it to the same aperture every time and concentrate on composition and focus 9% D I don’t understand the question 1% What you said ‘Landscapes are my favourite genre. I usually take multiple shots at different apertures with the hope that I can always blend two or more together for the perfect result if a single one isn’t quite on the money’ ‘The aperture I choose is part of the process for every image I take. To photograph without a thought process behind it just leads to images that don’t work’ ‘The idea of using just one aperture…

The Spaceship Sneezes Phil Yorks Canon EOS 450D, 18-135mm, 1/250sec at f/11, ISO 200 WHEN Phil shot this picture of the opera house in Valencia, Spain, he was blessed with a perfect sky. The building is very impressive and Phil has shot it from a great angle. We don't see much humour in architectural photography, so it's nice that he has included this little joke in the image title. It does look like a spaceship, and the open mouth does look as if it is sneezing out that cloud. White buildings can be a bit of a metering hazard. The camera sees something extremely bright and recommends you close your eyes for a long time, but that only turns the whiteness to grey. We want the building to appear white,…

THE OLYMPUS OM-D E-M10 Mark II is undeniably a handsome, well-built and highly specified camera that's capable of taking fine images. Despite being a junior model in the OM-D line-up, it defies its billing by offering many of the key features found in its more advanced siblings. Some may be irked that the sensor hasn't jumped past the 16MP mark, particularly with the recent arrival of the 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8. Nevertheless, images are perfectly usable straight from the camera, with the benefit of largely accurate metering and white balance systems. Taking the slight patterning from noise and noise reduction across the sensitivity range into account, however, users would be best advised to acquaint themselves with the effects of the camera's noise-reduction settings to find out what…

Resolution Our new graphs from our Applied Imaging tests show that the lens produces impressive sharpness at the wide end of the zoom when it’s set to f/2. You can expect a drop-off in sharpness at the edges, but closing it down to f/2.8 and f/4 improves things. There’s a slight drop in sharpness at 30mm, and to achieve optimum sharpness from the centre to the edge you’ll want to shoot between f/5.6-f/8. Shading Shooting at f/2 creates strong vignetting in the corners. Stopping the lens down to f/4 sees vignetting reduce significantly and things only get better when you set the lens to f/5.6 and beyond. While the vignetting won’t be to everyone’s taste, it can be used effectively to draw the viewer’s eyes to a central subject in…

Osprey Stratos 26 backpack 1 I’ve never found the perfect bag for year-round use. I use a canvas Domke Bag in the summer and one of my Osprey packs in the winter. The Osprey Stratos 26 has a fantastic mesh back with hip-belt pockets to store all my batteries and memory cards. Fujifilm X-T1 2 The Fujifilm X-T1 is my go – -to camera body these days its amazing image quality and small form are perfect for my street and event work. The weather sealing also makes it ideal for all-year-round shooting out on the streets. Fujifilm Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 3 I’m having a bit of a love affair with the XF 27mm f/2.8 lens at the moment. It’s just the right size to leave on either the Fujifilm…

LAUNCHED 1950 PRICE £15 5s 5d (£15.27) with Agnar and Vario shutter (AP 2 March 1955) GUIDE PRICE TODAY £35-£45 THE ISOLETTE II was part of a long series from 1938-1960 of 6x6cm 12-on-120 Isolette folding cameras with varying lens and shutter combinations. It can be found with three-glass 85mm f/4.5 Apotar or Agnar lenses, or the four-glass 75mm f/3.5 Solinar, in Vario, Pronto, Prontor-S, Prontor SV or Compur-Rapid shutters. The Solinar is usually found in the higher specification shutters. However, most UK examples have the Apotar. This wide range of shutters reflects changes in specification over the period the camera was made. Any Isolette II in good order is capable of high-quality photography in the hands of a capable user, although the results from the Solinar lens will be…

In my last column I wrote about the innovative use of aspherical lenses made from extra-low dispersion glass in the latest Canon and Nikon lenses (AP 3 October), so I thought it might be useful to write a little more on how lenses are colour corrected. Colour correction is necessary because of a property of glass called dispersion. Simple optical theory suggests that glass has a single refractive index – a measure of how strongly it bends light. In the real world the refractive index of glass changes with the wavelength or colour of light. Typically, the refractive index is higher at the blue end of the spectrum than it is at the red end. The result of this is that a glass lens effectively has different focal lengths, and…

LEICA has opened a new store, Leica Store City, in the centre of London in which it will stage exhibitions and events as well as sell products. Based at The Royal Exchange, Leica Camera Ltd managing director Jason Heward said the location is a natural ‘second home' for Leica with its rich heritage. He added: ‘Our stores are places where new and existing Leica owners can meet our team of experts, and discuss how to become a better photographer by using the best photographic products.' Leica Store City is situated at 18 The Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LR. For the latest news visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk…

The film fold I disposed of most of my film cameras and lenses last year (to the two young men in Leeds whom Andrew Sanderson mentions in the Your guide to film supplement, AP 19 September). However, your supplement, coupled with the awareness that a lot of my digital pictures were ending up as black & white, made me dig out the pair of Bronica ETRs that I'd kept. I could hardly believe the weight, the construction of the lenses and the startling slap/ bang of the mirror – but it was all great fun and rather like driving a vintage car, I imagine. I have a decent scanner so the printing stuff will stay in the loft for now (too cold in winter, too hot in summer). Not to…

Lowepro Pro Runner BP 350 AW II £179 www.lowepro.co.uk Michael Topham tests a Lowepro backpack to find out if it’s one of the best for travel photographers At a glance Dedicated space for a laptop, tablet and graphics tablet Removable accessory case Built-in all-weather cover Mesh padding for maximum comfort Padded easy-access pocket to hold 13in laptop and tablet Built-in weather cover The built-in all-weather cover is pulled out from the bottom of the bag and is permanently attached, so it’s never at risk of getting lost. Front pockets The bag features a pair of front pockets that are ideal for storing keys, a remote release or a small notepad. Carry handles There are two carry handles: one on the top and one at the side. Both feature thick mesh…

Customisable buttons Three customisable Fn buttons feature on the camera’s body, allowing quick access to commonly used functions, although other controls such as the video-recording button can also be assigned different functions. Command dials Styled like the dials on the pricier OM-D E-M5 Mark II, the command dials stand proud of the top-plate and are joined by a mode dial that accesses art filters, video recording, scene modes and the iAuto function, as well as the PASM controls. Power switch The new power switch turns the camera on with a quarter revolution, while pushing it further springs the built-in flash out of its housing. Having it here, instead of on the rear-plate, as on the OM-D E-M10, makes it more convenient to start up. Viewfinder The 2.36-million-dot viewfinder has an…

Most of us will have shot at least one shadow composition. Very few of us, though, will have seen the potential for a series of related, posed shadow compositions: something between a shadow-play and a single image telling a whole story. ‘Shadow theatre’ has been a recognised art form in the Far East for more than 2,000 years, and historically has been created with puppets. Here the actors are live, and far less formalised than in Oriental shadow theatre. This is one definition of genius: something that is absolutely obvious once you’ve seen it, but not before. Visit www.haidyblanchart.com to see the Sombras Rupestres (Rupestrian Shadows) series. Choosing a single picture is not easy. Nor is translating the title of the series: ‘rupestrian’ normally refers to art in caves or…