Innholdsfortegnelse for 24-Oct-2020 i Amateur Photographer

Welcome to the first of our new monthly bumper issues, featuring an extra 32-page pull-out-and keep section, which each month will be on a different topic. This week’s issue is all about lenses. Technical editor Andy Westlake assesses the range of lenses available for every mirrorless system, we’ve got 12 pages of tips on using wideangles and telephoto lenses, and Andy Rouse recounts the story behind an amazing fisheye photo. But we’re not just talking about expensive glass – we explore the wonderful and varied world of vintage lenses and even look at lens adaptors for your phone. Also this week, we present one of my personal highlights of the photographic calendar, the 2020 winners of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Our next bumper issue will be our Accessories Special,…

Emergent Southern Hawker by Peter Warne Canon EOS 90D, 100-400mm, 1/400sec at f/5, ISO 400 Peter, a retired biologist, has a small pond in his garden which is home to frogs, newts and dragonfly larvae. ‘During lockdown, I watched nymphs climb out of the water and emerge as adults,’ he tells us. This is a five-image stack using the Canon 90D focus-bracketing algorithm with the 100-400mm zoom at 275mm. It was processed in Photoshop and Camera Raw. It’s certainly a wonderful image comprised entirely of shades of green, and the technical quality is outstanding. See more of Peter’s work on Flickr as ‘Peter Warne’. Suspended Shades by Freya Batra Apple iPhone 11 Freya didn’t have to travel far to get this picture. She created it in her bedroom after observing…

A RANGE of photographic associations, groups and companies have joined forces to form The Coalition of Photographers, with the aim of putting pressure on the government to do more to help photography and video businesses suffering was a result of Covid-19. One of its first acts was to encourage a mass letter-writing campaign to the relevant government departments – letters making more of a ‘statement’ and taking longer to open for staff than lots of emails. You can find out more about the coalition’s activities on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ groups/thecoalitionofphotographers. AP has already pledged its support and we encourage readers to do the same.…

WITH firmware version 4.0 for the X-T3, Fujifilm is promising that the camera’s autofocus performance will be brought in line with that of its flagship X-T4. The minimum acquisition time has been reduced from 0.06 to 0.02 seconds, while an updated movement-prediction algorithm promises a higher hit-rate of in-focus shots. The firm says that tracking performance has been doubled, including when following faces and eyes. Autofocus is now said to work in light levels as low as -7 EV when using the XF 50mm F1.0 R WR lens, while a new ‘Focus Limiter’ setting allows it to be restricted to a pre-defined distance range to help minimise hunting. In addition, the camera will gain some useful improvements to its image rating function, which will be applied to both raw and…

SPLIT broadly into Fujinon XF and XC models, X Series lenses cover ultra-wideangle to super-telephoto in prime and zoom models. XF models are for enthusiasts and pros. There’s a full suite of primes offering both compact models and heavyweight beasts with apertures as wide as f/1.0; and regular and high-end ‘Red Badge’ zooms, too, with the latter often featuring constant apertures. Many lenses in the range also use Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and have weather sealing (WR). XC lenses have a more affordable construction, with more restricted aperture ranges, but still give great results; they’re entry-level, compact and lightweight, so great for travel or working with a streamlined kit. List of X Series lenses [by ascending minimum focal length]XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WRXF10-24mmF4 R OISXF10-24mmF4 R OIS WRXF14mmF2.8 RXC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZXF16mmF1.4…

Aspherical lenses use complex shapes to suppress various aberrations. Generally designed using a computer, these elements can’t be produced using the same rotating machinery as the regular elements. Canon uses three methods to produce aspherical lenses, depending on the characteristics required. The first is by grinding the lens in the conventional way. This is time-consuming and requires very precise control of the machine, but it is still the method required for larger elements. The second is by fixing ‘bumps’ of glass onto a regular element; and the third is by Glass Moulding. GMo Aspherical lenses are lenses that have been heated, shaped in a mould and then cooled. This method is the most sophisticated and has to take into account changes to the lens’s shape and characteristics as it cools.…

1 Add the Grid overlay Launch Viewpoint or Perspective Efex, and load in your image. At the top of the interface you’ll see options for navigating and viewing the image. The grid (G) is helpful in showing the extent of skewed perspective. There are also options to show a side-by-side view and a button to toggle any changes on and off. 2 Perspective controls On the right side are the controls to fix distortions. Find the one marked Perspective and first click the Auto option. This may do the job just fine, looking for vertical lines in the image and adjusting it accordingly. But if you want to fine-tune it, you can use the Intensity slider, using the Grid as a guide. 3 Set perspective manually Alternatively, you can set…

24 October 1928 ‘WITH the best of the very bright weather passed… it is comforting to reflect that the days when cameras would be put away until the next season are over forever’ chirped Editor FJ Mortimer in his leader, before going on to celebrate the arrival of more sensitive Ortho plates ‘with splendid latitude’ and roll films twice as fast as they used to be. ‘The amateur photographer was never so well catered for as today,’ he concluded. He also felt the need to clarify that entries to their ‘Hand Camera Work’ competition must be of ‘subjects taken with a camera held in the hand’. This excluded ‘studio portraits, interiors, still life groups’ and similar subjects for which a tripod would be usually required. The subject of this week’s…

Deborah McPhail, East Renfrewshire Since I was unable to travel far during lockdown, I set off to a local park to look for inspiration. I wasn’t really expecting to find anything, but when I arrived at the duck pond I came across a group of cygnets huddled together on the path. I shot this at 400mm using a shutter speed of 1/640sec to freeze any motion, an aperture of f/5.6 to give a shallow depth of field, and ISO 200. The background was darkened by adjusting the contrast in Lightroom. Ben says Lockdown has inspired many photographers to explore their local areas in search of new subjects, and it’s great to see that Deborah’s adventures have resulted in such a pleasing image. At first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking…

● £105 ● www.nisioptics.co.uk Camera clamp The quick release clamp can be rotated through 360°, with click stops every 90°, and is lockable at any angle. Tripod socket There’s a 3/8in socket in the base for connecting to a tripod, with a 1/4in adapter also included. Arca plate At 6cm long, this is suitable for both cameras and lenses. The camera screw has a large folding key to aid secure connection. Removable feet Four small screw-in feet are supplied for use on flat surfaces, with anti-slip rubber pads. ONE OF the biggest challenges of close-up photography lies with composition. With a macro lens at its minimum focus distance, moving the camera a millimetre can have a profound effect. So you need a more accurate way of reframing than by adjusting…

‘The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh.’ So said Edward Weston (1886-1958). That succinct quote tells you everything you need to know about the great photographer’s work. Weston’s images are notable for stripping down the subject to its most basic components. When we look at an object, whether it’s a nude figure, sand dune or cabbage leaf, what are we really seeing? Weston understood that, ultimately, every scene and subject, no matter how complex, can be reduced to an arrangement of shapes, lines and tones. Ultimately, that’s what every photographer begins to understand. It’s how we’re able to stand in front of a landscape, scan the varying terrain…

At a glance £949 body-only £1,299 with 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens • 26.1MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor• ISO 80-51,200 (extended)• 5-axis in-body stabilisation• 2.36m-dot viewfinder• Fully articulated touchscreen Handgrip The X-S10’s deep grip provides space for the battery and SD card in a shared compartment Electronic dials Unlike previous mid-range X models, the X-S10 employs electronic rather than analogue control dials IBIS A compact 5-axis in-body image-stabilisation unit allows shutter speeds up to 6 stops slower than usual to be used hand-held X-mount Fujifilm offers the best lens line-up of any APS-C system, with 30 optics available ASK A group of photographers what Fujifilm cameras look like, and chances are you’ll hear a lot about analogue dials and retro design. In the decade since the firm revived its fortunes with the…

WHEN I first heard about the X-S10, I must admit to being sceptical, as I enjoy using Fujifilm models with analogue control dials. But after a few days trying out a pre-production sample, it’s won me over. This is a lovely little camera that fits nicely in your hand and works really well, with all the controls in the right places. With its proven sensor and processor, it’s also sure to deliver lovely images. It gives access to a much wider lens range than either the Nikon Z 50 or Canon EOS M6 Mark II, while being immeasurably nicer to use than the Sony Alpha 6400. Overall, it looks extremely promising; stay tuned for our full review.…

NIKON hasn’t necessarily done anything radical with these ‘mark II’ cameras, but has instead concentrated on fixing the originals’ most obvious weaknesses. Its carefully calibrated set of updates should make both models more attractive to demanding users who require more reliable continuous autofocus, or need to be able to back up their images to two cards during important shoots such as weddings. However, they’re less likely to win over those who feel that the Z cameras’ design and styling has strayed too far from the firm’s DSLRs.…

Since May 2019 Andy has been shooting exclusively with the Olympus mirrorless camera system. He currently works with the E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X cameras and has a variety of the Olympus Pro lenses in his kitbag. Andy reveals, ‘I was an early tester of the 100-400mm [lens], which I had six weeks before any one else. I was a very early tester for the OM-D E-M1 Mark III, so I’ve got that. I’ve got macros, I’ve got the 40-150mm [lens]... the ‘go-to’ lens right now is the 100-400mm.’…

MR SAITO joined Canon in 1981 as an apprentice and did various jobs before finding his niche as a lens polisher. As the Takumi, he oversees all lens polishing at the plant (they polish approximately 5,000 lens elements per day at Utsunomiya) and is also responsible for training the next generation of lens polishers. What are the most difficult parts of the job to master when learning to be a lens polisher? The greatest challenge is the level of precision required – achieving that one to the millionth. Building the experience to know by eye what is required takes a long time. Lens polishing is one of the most difficult parts of the lens-making process, and you have to develop and use the three senses: sight, hearing and touch. Hearing,…

‘The only real difference in how these two packages work is how they integrate in your workflow’ It’s not the most instantly photographic of applications, but ViewPoint 3 and Perspective Efex’s Rectangular and 8 Point tools are great for enabling you to quickly and easily square up pictures of paintings, posters, table tops… anything that you want to be nice and square. Both are found within the Perspective tools and are essentially more powerful versions of the Force Vertical Parallel and Force Horizontal Parallel tools. They come into use when you have an object in the frame that has two skewed perspectives or more. All you need to do is click on the tool and then drag out the points around the image as usual, aligning them with lines in…

1 B&W adjustment layer Click on the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon (the half black, half white circle) in the Layers panel and select Black & White from the dropdown menu. In Deborah’s case, the Default conversion reveals a lot of that lovely texture, though lacks contrast in certain areas. 2 Use eyedropper Rather than use the sliders, we’re going to use the more targeted adjustment tool, so click on the hand icon, position the eyedropper on the area you want to adjust, and move the eyedropper left or right depending on whether you want to increase or decrease contrast. 3 Target the adjustment For Deborah’s image, I targeted the foreground feathers and the larger cygnet’s head, darkening the Reds to -85 and lightening the Blues to +105.…

In my most recent article I discussed the modulation transfer function, or MTF, for measuring lens definition. Today I will discuss what can be learned from MTF graphs, in more detail than simply whether a lens is ‘sharp’ or not. Previously, I explained that the MTF describes the contrast with which a sinusoidal pattern of light is rendered by the lens. Using a process known as Fourier decomposition, we find that MTFs at different frequencies together describe the ‘point spread function’, which is the way that a single spot of light is spread out by a lens. If the spot remains sharp the MTF will have plenty of contrast at high frequencies, but if it’s more of a blob, then this contrast is reduced. Thus, we can judge from the…

AF Nikon AF lenses driven from camera AF-S Nikon lenses with Silent Wave Motor AF-P Nikon lenses with stepper motors AL Pentax lenses with aspheric elements APD Fujifilm lenses with apodisation elements APO Sigma Apochromatic lenses ASPH Aspherical elements AW Pentax all-weather lenses CS Samyang lenses for APS-C cropped sensors D Nikon lenses that communicate distance info DA Pentax lenses optimised for APS-C-sized sensors DC Nikon defocus-control portrait lenses DC Sigma’s lenses for APS-C digital DG Sigma’s designation for full-frame lenses Di Tamron lenses for full-frame sensors Di-II Tamron lenses designed for APS-C DSLRs Di-III Tamron lenses for mirrorless cameras DN Sigma’s lenses for mirrorless cameras DO Canon diffractive optical element lenses DT Sony lenses for APS-C-sized sensors DX Nikon’s lenses for DX-format digital DS Canon’s Defocus Smoothing technology E…

ADOBE has announced the latest updates to its Photoshop Elements image editor and the video-centric Premiere Elements, with Adobe’s AI technology, Adobe Sensei, driving many of the key improvements. These include the ability to create animated GIFs with 2D and 3D camera motion, the self-explanatory Adjust Face Tilt and five new Guided Edits to help master key editing tasks. A major addition is Perfect Landscapes, which helps you replace skies, remove haze, and erase unwanted objects in your scenic shots. Move, Scale, and Duplicate Objects, meanwhile, makes it easier to select an object and change its position, size, and more. Photoshop Elements remains a popular image-editing choice for photographers who don’t need the outright raw-processing power of Lightroom or the sometimes mind-boggling complexity and huge range of features you get…

FUJIFILM has also revealed a weather-sealed version of its mid-range wideangle zoom, in the shape of the XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS WR. Details were scant when we went to press, but logic suggests the updated lens will share its optical design and vital statistics with the existing 10-24mm F4 from 2013. In addition, the firm has added two new lenses to its roadmap of upcoming designs. First is the XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 OIS telephoto zoom, which will be equivalent to 105-450mm in full-frame terms, and we’re told will be compatible with teleconverters. Second is an XF 18mm F1.4 R wideangle prime. No further details are available, but we’d expect the latter to offer a similar feature set to the firm’s XF 23mm F1.4 R, with a snap-back manual-focus ring…

NIKON has also unveiled a pair of radio-frequency wireless remote controller sets. These comprise the WR-T10 transmitter and a transceiver that plugs into the camera’s remote socket. Multiple units can be linked to a single transmitter, allowing several cameras to be triggered simultaneously. In addition, the device can be used to control external flashes from the camera using Nikon’s Advanced Wireless Lighting System. The WR-R11a version is for use with cameras than have a 10-pin socket, while the WR-R11b set is for those with the DC2 connector. The set costs £209, with the transceiver alone costing £149.…

1 Use the lens’s profile Control the known distortions of your lens by using its profile data from DxO’s archive. At the top right, under Distortions, click Auto, and if you don’t already have the lens data loaded, you’ll be prompted to locate the original file. From that, the software will find the profile online and you can download it. 2 Or correct manually If you can’t access the lens data, you can still work manually. Click on the Manual button and select Barrel from the options if you’re editing a wideangle picture. There’s also Pincushion and Fisheye for other optics. Move the Intensity slider until the distortion is corrected. It’s easiest to see in straight lines. 3 Correct the frame edges Now move down to Volume deformation. The Horizontal/Vertical…

Inspired by past issues During the on-going restrictions on what we are able to do, I’d like to suggest that everyone uses this as an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with past copies of AP. True, the reviews can seem a little dated now, and the Editor looks a little younger, though the complaints and comments in the letters section still have a refreshingly current feel about them – we do like to moan! The real benefit, though, I found, was reading the articles about photographic art and styles. Time doesn’t seem to have dulled the relevance in these articles to today’s eyes. I was so pleased to read a piece on the minimalist photographer Andreas Levers in a May 2014 issue. Not only was the content still contemporary and informative,…