Innholdsfortegnelse for 3-Sep-2016 i Amateur Photographer

Ideally, we’d all photograph wild animals in their natural habitat, but generally wild lions and tigers aren’t exactly close at hand. For most people, the nearest they will get to exotic wild beasts is a visit to the zoo, where there is a captive audience (literally). The downside is that you can end up with a rather amateurish-looking zoo picture. The first thing to consider when striving for better zoo shots is equipment. You need a decent interchangeable-lens camera and a choice of fast (wide-aperture) lenses, including a fast zoom. Flashguns are generally discouraged as they can upset the animals, but a bit of fill-in flash in bright sunlight should be OK. Always check the zoo’s photography policy before you start. 1 Photograph the animals in a natural-looking context, such…

A MEMBER of Reigate Photographic Society in Surrey won the right to exhibit his work at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. The Royal Academy of Arts accepted Dave Lyon's image of waves crashing onto the harbour wall at Newhaven, East Sussex. It was Dave's first-ever submission to the prestigious exhibition and one of only 1,200 works displayed by the Academy from 12,000 it received. Dave, who endured 60mph winds during the shoot, described the news as ‘fantastic'. Commenting on the shot, he said: ‘From past experience I knew these conditions could produce some fantastic coastal shots… and I wasn't disappointed.' He returned home to review his images and dry off. ‘There were a lot of good shots of the storm, harbour and lighthouse, and then this one stood…

Shutter actuations Similar to the EOS 5D Mark III, EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R, the EOS 5D Mark IV has a shutter rated to 150,000 actuations. Weather sealing Canon claims that better seals around the body of the camera have improved its weatherproofing. Mirror box assembly The mirror box is similar to the one used in the EOS 5DS and 5DS R. It features a new cam to help eliminate mirror bounce. Metering Metering promises to be more precise. It adopts Canon’s 150,000-pixel RBG+IR metering sensor – as used in the EOS 7D Mark II, EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R. IT'S BEEN a long time coming, but Canon has finally introduced the EOS 5D Mark IV – successor to the best-selling EOS 5D Mark III. For a model…

Twitter Alan Schaller @Alan_Schaller Much of street photography’s appeal lies in its deeply narrative nature. This is exemplified by Alan’s shot – the ambiguity of the subject’s emotion draws the viewer into the story instantly. Join the conversation at @AP_Magazine Facebook Joe McNally Photography It’s rare that subject and technique inform each other quite as perfectly as they do in this excellent multiple-exposure shot. Like us on www.facebook.com/amateurphotographermagazine Flickr Sean Batten Reflections are a good way to subvert viewer expectations. Sean’s shot provides a pleasing, almost segmented composition. Submit your photos to apmag.co/flickr…

Interest in mirrorless cameras has grown steadily ever since Panasonic released the ground-breaking Lumix DMC-G1 in 2008, with photography pundits regularly predicting that ‘this will be the year in which mirrorless takes over’. We’re not quite there, as DSLRs still dominate the high-end enthusiast and pro end of the market. However, change is in the air, and while the mirrorless market is quite volatile, survey after survey has shown they are luring an increasing number of users away from big heavy cameras with flapping mirrors. It’s not hard to see why: the traditional sticking points for mirrorless refuseniks, namely electronic viewfinders and AF performance, seem to improve with each new release, and there’s never been such a wide choice of high-quality zoom and prime lenses. For many travel and documentary…

SPORTS and landscape photographers may still be quite traditional, but one genre in which mirrorless cameras are becoming increasingly common is portraiture – particularly weddings, travel, family portraits and even advertising. For weddings and family portraits, the size issue pops up again. ‘I do sometimes get funny looks at weddings when people see my Fujifilm mirrorless,’ says pro photographer Saraya Cortaville. ‘Some of the “Uncle Bob” guests [family and friends who come with cameras] may have a bigger camera than me. It doesn’t bother me as I know my work is good enough. On the positive side, when photographing children, smaller mirrorless lenses are a godsend. A big 24-70mm SLR zoom can intimidate kids, but with mirrorless it’s much less of an issue. With the crop factor and rear LCD…

£10,000 IN PRIZES TO BE WON HOW TO ENTER To enter via email, follow the link at the bottom of this page. We need to know where and how you took your image, plus the camera and lens used with the aperture and focal-length details. Remember to include a telephone number and your postal address so we can contact you if you win. To enter by post, send a covering letter with your image, including the information mentioned above, letting us know if you would like your entry returned to you after judging (please enclose an SAE). Entries should be sent to APOY, Amateur Photographer, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF. Plan your APOY 2016 year Below is a list of this year's rounds, a…

Shapes and lines EVERY street structure we see is made from lines and shapes, and you should make the most of them to create impact in your pictures. The absurd THE PEOPLE we encounter on the streets are certainly a strange bunch. One of the hallmarks of street photography is recognising absurd and strange situations, and then reacting quickly, as we see in this image. Fresh angles MAKE your pictures stand out. Shooting from waist level is a good start, and for a more dramatic angle you could place the camera close to the ground to give your subjects a dramatic presence. Or, as in this picture, get high up and shoot downwards. Using light LIGHT gets funnelled between buildings, through tunnels and under bridges. On a clear day, you…

NOT TO overcomplicate things, I decided to keep my kit simple and carry a small bag for each system over my shoulders. Both cameras had lenses of similar focal length and price, and in the bag on my right was the Nikon D7200 with the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR and Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G. These three lenses would be well suited to the three shooting conditions I had in mind and were a good match to the three lenses in the bag on my left, which had the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. For this system I opted for the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital…

TO COINCIDE with news of the EOS 5D Mark IV (left), Canon revealed updates to two of its key L-series lenses, writes Chris Cheesman . The new EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM boasts a weatherproof build, and improved ‘4-stop' image stabilisation (up from its predecessor's 2.5 stops). ‘The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM is a perfect tool for any photographer wanting to achieve high edge-to-edge sharpness over the entire zoom range,' Canon claims. The lens, priced £1,129, is also built to deliver quiet aperture adjustment during video capture. Also new is the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM (£2,349), which Canon hopes will appeal to photojournalists, wedding photographers and those seeking a constant, fast f/2.8 maximum aperture for shooting in low light.…

Inge Morath: On Style By Justine Picardie and John P Jacob (editor), Abrams, £40, 288 pages, hardback, ISBN 978-1-41972-234-9 INGE Morath (1923-2002), like all good photojournalists, was especially adept at capturing time. That may sound like an obvious statement, but few photographers are able to capture real atmosphere so endemic of the period. Morath's post-war photography is a beautiful journey. There's a sliver of aesthetic that's recognisable in this collection. It's one that has been appropriated by other photographers, Calvin Klein adverts and Hollywood. But that's not to suggest that Morath's images are stylised. In fact, her aesthetic is entirely natural. Morath was a born photographer and her approach to the world was deeply humanistic. This collection of images largely traces her career from the early 1950s to the mid-1960s.…

‘CSCs are now just as good as DSLRs for almost any kind of photography’ The also-rans As with any new technology, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, and some systems have failed to gather much traction. Both the Pentax Q and Nikon 1 systems appear to have fallen into stagnation, while Canon’s EOS M system has never really got off the ground, with just six EF-M lenses released in four years. The highest profile casualty, though, has been Samsung’s NX system. Despite launching the first APS-C mirrorless camera in 2010, building up a decent lens range, and then showing the astounding NX1 at Photokina 2014, the company quietly withdrew from selling cameras the following year. This is a shame, but it reinforces a brutal commercial truth – no matter how…

AS THE massed ranks of the Canon L series and Nikon pro lenses at the Rio Olympics have shown, sports photographers have been very reluctant to trade in their DSLRs for mirrorless. Much of this is down to the perception that the continuous AF on mirrorless cameras lags behind (it’s essential for action shots), or that their electronic viewfinders (EVFs) are not as bright and clear as traditional optical versions. Leon Neal, a sports and press shooter for the AFP agency, speaks for many of his peers. ‘Mirrorless is almost certainly the future, but currently the features that I need aren’t addressed by makers of mirrorless systems,’ says Leon. ‘My Nikon D5 bodies are very fast and incredibly tough, but also include things like a network port for tethered shooting…

I am a travelling photographer who carries two full-frame Canon bodies and a selection of prime lenses for my work, whether it be photojournalism, travel or commercial. I used to say I would not feel confident shooting on a small camera because of the loss of depth of field control and the lack of a viewfinder. However, times have changed (as has my back) and compact cameras are becoming more appealing. Recently, I have been spending months at a time on the road. Bearing the weight of my kit can be exhausting, causing me to leave it behind at my accommodation when I go on routine walks for dinner or out to buy something. Of course, it is always during these times that I miss some random moment on the…

The winner of APOY round seven will receive a Sigma 24-35mm DG HSM lens, the world's first large-aperture full-frame wideangle zoom lens offering f/2 brightness throughout the zoom range. This allows photographers to carry one lens to do the work of three fixed-focal-length lenses (24mm, 28mm and 35mm) with top optical performance. Also, the inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, enhancing the stability of the lens and allowing the use of circular polarising filters. This specification is particularly convenient for shooting video. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting, and provides sharp and high-contrast images even in backlit conditions. The Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures a silent, high-speed AF function. By optimising the AF algorithm, smoother AF is achieved. The winner will also receive an 82mm ceramic protector…

‘Vari-angle screens with touchscreen control have become commonplace on mirrorless models today’ THE FOLLOWING day I set off to Dungeness on the Kent coast to find out if one system was superior to the other for shooting landscapes. The abandoned boat wrecks make great subjects on these shores. I hastily set up both cameras to make the most of the early morning light and clear blue skies, but like the previous day, I discovered it took longer for me to set up the OM-D E-M5 II. The D7200's larger body accommodates more body-mounted buttons and dials, which are well spread out and intuitively positioned. On the OM-D E-M5 II you're very reliant on the camera's quick menu (loaded by hitting the OK button) to access common variables, but as you…

London's Proud Chelsea has played host to some fairly iconic images and now's your chance to see a whole range. ‘Image of an Icon' travels through the past century using a range of photographs that encapsulate the length and breadth of popular culture. You'll see images from renowned photographers, including Justin de Villeneuve, Michael Joseph and Murray Close, who took this image on the set of Withnail and I (1986) – a classic British film if ever there was one. In this image we see (l-r) Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths and Richard E Grant, the three actors who make up the core of the film. It's a strong portrait that really shows the threesome's dynamic, particularly in Grant's less than happy expression. The exhibition runs until 18 September. Visit www.proudonline.co.uk.…

Dench Does Dallas In the summer of 2015, award-winning photojournalist Peter Dench was unleashed to photograph the iconic city of Dallas, Texas. His journey took him across the vast urban landscape, and his forensic eye reveals a place far removed from the fantasies of film and television. Dench Does Dallas is at The Gallery at Munro House. 12 September-22 October, leedsgallery.com/whats-on/exhibitions British Portraits Niall McDiarmid spent five years travelling around Britain building up a contemporary portrait of the country. He has photographed more than 1,500 people in over 150 towns. The Oriel Colwyn gallery is showing more than 60 images. Until 14 October, orielcolwyn. org/british-portraits Sibylle Bergemann Sibylle Bergemann was a leading contemporary German photographer whose works are astonishingly diverse, such as reportage and…

‘The switch was also driven by a long-standing back problem, exacerbated by heavy DSLRs’ YOU DON’T tend to see many landscape pros using mirrorless cameras, and the same goes for their enthusiast fans. There are various reasons for this. Landscape and travel veteran David Noton says: ‘I prefer not to have a poor-quality TV screen between the subject and me. What’s more, I like to really look into the composition through an optical viewfinder, without necessarily having to turn the camera on. I’m also worried about speed of focusing and battery consumption.’ Mirrorless myths dispelled Yet there are several well-regarded landscape professional photographers who have made the change to mirrorless and never looked back. Olympus shooter and course leader Steve Gosling is a good example. ‘The first thing to say…

‘Portability has become an important issue. Getting older certainly hasn’t helped!’ Most advanced digital cameras evolved from traditional film camera body designs. For example, my first professional DSLR was the Canon EOS-1Ds, which was based on a Canon 35mm film camera body. Since then, I have purchased successive models of full-frame as well as APS-C-sensor Canon cameras. I have also shot using medium-format cameras such as the Hasselblad and Pentax 645 systems, and these too are based on SLR designs dating back to the era of film. During the past eight years or so, we have seen camera manufacturers break free from the constraints of placing the sensor inside the body of what is essentially a 35mm SLR film camera, and choose instead to rethink their digital camera designs from…

As a photographer and reviewer on AP, I regularly answer questions from friends and readers of the magazine about what camera is the best to buy. Each query I receive tends to be slightly different, but the recurring question from those who would like a camera that accepts interchangeable lenses is, ‘Should I buy a mirrorless camera, or opt for a DSLR?' A few years ago, DSLRs were considered to have the edge over their mirrorless (i.e. compact system camera) rivals. Mirrorless models lacked the support of a wide range of lenses to match those available for DSLRs, and image quality was another area in which DSLRs had the upper hand. However, in the same way as the number of lenses for mirrorless systems has flourished, image quality has taken…

FOR MY final challenge I took an evening saunter along the River Thames, where I'd get a chance to explore how each system copes with the demands of shooting in low light. My first stop was Tower Bridge, where the effectiveness of each camera's image-stabilisation (IS) system was put to the test. First out of the bag was the D7200 which, unlike the OM-D E-M5 II, doesn't employ in-body stabilisation and uses an optical vibration reduction (VR) system built in to the lens to allow users to shoot up to 4 stops slower than is otherwise possible. In my case I had the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR coupled to the front of the D7200. This VR optic is designed to compensate for three forms of movement…

Tony Worobiec A Fellow of the RPS, Tony's work is in the permanent collection of the Fox Talbot Museum and numerous private collections. Tony and his wife Eva specialise in shooting the depopulating areas of Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Montana. He's written 15 books, and the latest, Photographing Landscape Whatever the Weather, was published in April. See www.tonyworobiec.com. 1978 Zenit E This Soviet-era camera was built like a tank and was surprisingly good. I was an art teacher at the time, and I'd shoot slides to help students find interesting locations near our school for project work. The Zenit was great for that. From around 1980, I started venturing more into photography for its own sake. 1980 Canon A-1 This was my first interchangeable-lens camera, and it had…