Innholdsfortegnelse for 20/03/2021 i Amateur Photographer

I’m one of those people who, whenever I go to a restaurant and am presented with an extensive menu, become overwhelmed by the choice and take ages to decide what I want. I find pressing the Menu button on a modern digital camera similarly intimidating. There’s just so much choice it’s hard to know where to begin. This week we ask a crack team of highly accomplished photographers from different genres to give us a few pointers as to what to set in order to get the best from your camera. Also this week, we look at the pros and cons of an Adobe subscription to see exactly what you get for your money and whether it’s worth the cost, and we investigate the world of crowdfunding, which has become…

16 March 1921 THIS WEEK 100 years ago AP’s thoughts were on its readers in the colonies and the problems of shooting in hot climates. ‘In the aftermath of the war the elements of Empire have become more closely knit than ever before in the pursuits of peace. Among these, photography takes a high place,’ wrote Editor R Child Bayley, who continued: ‘The Empire of the camera is worldwide, and The Amateur Photographer and Photography may be regarded as the connecting link between English-speaking photographers in every corner of the globe.’ Violet F Taylor of the British West Indies wrote about portraiture in the tropics with a box Brownie. Shooting in the Caribbean sun was best done after 4pm, while portraits in dark interiors were possible ‘if a subject as…

Tracy Calder made an invaluable point when addressing the need for art (Viewpoint, 9 January). Our cave-dwelling ancestors were faced with daily life-threatening situations far beyond our current threat in this lockdown pandemic we find ourselves in. Thanks to their inner vision and primeval drive to express themselves creatively, and in spite of (or maybe because of) their survival needs, they passed on their creative expression visually and in a way that to this day still inspires us and leaves us in awe. Werner Herzog once said (in his movie Cave of Forgotten Dreams) that maybe cave paintings were a form of proto cinema. Flames from the fires built deep inside caves could have animated the paintings of animals depicted on walls in Lascaux thousands of years ago, profoundly inspiring…

CROWDFUNDING puts you in creative control and direct contact with fans and followers. It can remind employees what you do and potentially put you on the radar of others. Friends you thought you could rely on for a pledge may go missing. Others you’ve not heard from since school may step up. Having talked to individuals and businesses that have gone through the process, and having crowdfunded on three occasions myself, it’s clear each campaign is wildly different and success isn’t guaranteed. However, there are key common considerations to help realise your project. Choose the right crowdfunding platform and create a kick-ass funding page Be yourself. Explain who you are in the video, what you are raising money for and when you expect to deliver the product. Include a biography,…

Sensor 24.6MP CMOS, 24 x 36mm Output size 6000x4000 Focal length mag 1x Lens mount Leica L Shutter speeds 30min - 1/8000sec (mechanical), 60s - 1/16,000sec (electronic) Sensitivity ISO 50-100,000 Exposure modes PASM Metering Spot, centre-weighted, multi Exposure comp +/-3 EV in 0.3EV steps Continuous shooting 25fps with focus fixed; 5fps with AF-C Screen 3.2in, 2.1m-dot fixed LCD Viewfinder 5.76m-dot, 0.78x magnification AF points 225 contrast-detect Video 4K at up to 60fps; Full HD at up to 180fps External mic 3.5mm stereo Memory card 2x SD/SDXC/SDHC (UHS-II) Power BP-SCL4 Li-ion Battery life 510 shots Dimensions 146x107x83mm Weight 931g inc battery and card…

The crops shown below are taken from the area outlined above in red With no low-pass filter, the SL2-S delivers really impressive image quality with lots of fine detail. Noise is kept well under control as the sensitivity is raised, with ISO 3200 showing only the slightest degradation. By ISO 12,500 luminance noise is becoming clearly visible and overwhelming fine detail, but colour remains strong and image files hold up remarkably well overall. I’d have no qualms using ISO 25,000 for smaller output sizes, or even ISO 50,000 at a pinch, but ISO 100,000 probably counts as a step too far. RAW ISO 100 RAW ISO 25,000 RAW ISO 3200 RAW ISO 50,000 RAW ISO 12,500 RAW ISO 100,000…

Olympus Tough TG-6 ● £370 ● www.olympus.co.uk Olympus’s Tough compacts have habitually won our underwater camera group tests, and this latest model is still the best of its type. It’s waterproof to 15m, shockproof against a 2.4m drop, crushproof and freezeproof. The 25-100mm equivalent lens is paired with a 12MP sensor, and viewing is via a 3in LCD. This is also one of the few rugged cameras that can record raw files. Panasonic LX100 II ● £729 ● www.panasonic.com/uk A high-end compact for creative photography, the LX100 II is based around a 24-75mm equivalent f/1.7-2.8 lens and a 17MP Four Thirds sensor that features a true multi aspect-ratio design. It also boasts a full range of traditional analogue control dials, and the corner-mounted viewfinder is complemented by touchscreen LCD. ★★★★…

NIKON has released the free NX Studio 1.0 software for viewing and editing stills and video. Many of the functions of the maker’s current software, ViewNX-i and Capture NX-D, are integrated in NX Studio, including Picture Control and White Balance settings, and Exposure Compensation for Raw images. New additions include Colour Control Points that allow users to adjust colours within a specified area, and a Retouch Brush feature for advanced correction. The new software’s menu structure is organised by workflow, which expedites each function and provides a smoother editing process, Nikon claims. NX Studio is compatible with other software, such as Nikon Transfer 2 and Camera Control Pro 2. It also enables users to transfer images to Nikon’s Image Space image sharing and storage service. However, ViewNX-i and Capture NX-D…

Landscape & travel David Clapp I’ve been a Canon shooter for all of my professional career. I started with the EOS 5D and here I am at the EOS 5D Mark IV. I get loaned all sorts of kit from Canon UK, so I’ve worked with them all. I always shoot in raw and I shoot SD cards (just one). I hate straps so unless I need one for security reasons, I tend not to bother. My camera settings continually change to suit the environment. I shoot in manual mode exclusively, but also choose aperture priority for a lot of travel imagery. I don’t mind using higher ISOs, as modern sensors are so clean. I do set an ISO maximum of around ISO 6400, but I only use this at…

‘Subscribing to any of the Photography plans means you’ll always have access to the latest version...’ In the past five years we have seen a trend among software companies to move from selling perpetual licensed products to subscription-based models. It is understandable that many customers should prefer to own their software outright rather than be tied to ongoing subscription payments. For the software companies, this move has helped stabilise revenue income, fund fast response maintenance engineering work and develop new features. Despite all the objections, it is a business model that has proved to be popular with professional users at least. As for Adobe products, Photoshop and Lightroom are now available by subscription only, although you can still buy Adobe Photoshop Elements as a perpetual licence product. Where the Adobe…

AT ANY given time, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of photographic projects which are worthy of your attention across the various crowdfunding sites. If you are in need of inspiration, it’s always worth perusing the latest uploads to see what’s available. Here are five selected by Peter Dench that you can back today – but hurry, they are all ending soon. TISH by Paul Sng bit.ly/tishfilm Documentary celebrating photographer Tish Murtha, whose images of people on the margins of society challenged inequality. A Wounded Landscape – bearing witness to the Holocaust by Marc Wilson bit.ly/woundedlandscape Six years in the making, a 750-page photobook based around 22 stories of individuals who survived or were murdered in the Holocaust. I Am Always Here by Tom McGahan…

Successor to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, the Mark IV arrived in 2016. It introduced a raft of upgrades, including a 30.4MP CMOS sensor, wider ISO range, improved dynamic range, Dual Pixel CMOS AF to overcome sluggish live view focusing, and cinematic DCI 4K video at 30p. It was also the first 5D model to feature Wi-Fi connectivity alongside built-in GPS. Dual card slots and a 900-shot battery life complement its extremely robust and weather-sealed body. What we said ‘For the enthusiast and pro looking for a great-performing all-rounder, the EOS 5D Mark IV ticks a lot of the right boxes.’ ‘The sensor’s performance at high ISO, combined with its radically improved dynamic range, makes it markedly better than the EOS 5D Mark III.’ What to pay The Canon…

With the SL2-S, Leica has made an uncompromising professional tool that’s designed to appeal to photographers shooting both stills and video in demanding environments. The camera is a phenomenally robust piece of kit that delivers fine imagery, thanks in no small part to Leica’s superb lenses. Operationally it’s somewhat unconventional, with its minimalist approach to external controls, however it works pretty well when you get used to it, especially if you embrace the concept of saving user profiles for different kinds of subjects. What the SL2-S doesn’t really offer, though, is the kind of quirky charisma that endears the firm’s other cameras to enthusiast photographers. You don’t get the same immersive manual shooting experience as with an M-series rangefinder or the fixed-lens Q2, while the camera lacks the charm of…

With the atx-m 33mm F1.4 X, Tokina has created a desirable lens that delivers a highly respectable optical performance and shouts robustness with its metal barrel and lens hood. Used at its maximum aperture, it creates pleasing bokeh and fast fall-off in focus that’s complimentary to portraiture, isolating other subjects from busy backgrounds and shooting in low light. Those who pixel-peep won’t find it jaw-droppingly sharp at f/1.4, nevertheless it is quick to sharpen up when it’s stopped down to f/1.8 and f/2. Autofocus, which is fast, accurate and silent, impressed on test and video users will appreciate its click-less aperture ring for silent aperture control. X-mount users who can’t bring themselves to spending £399 should consider Fujifilm’s XC 35mm F2 (£169) instead, while those who’d prefer a weather-sealed standard…

Shortly after the first Covid-related lockdown in spring 2020, I launched Potato Photographer of the Year. As far as I know, it was the world’s first potato-based photography competition. It was started partly as a fun way to stimulate creativity during lockdown and to raise money for The Trussell Trust, a charity that supports a nationwide network of food banks. The contest was inspired in part by a photo of a potato (‘Potato #345 (2010)’), taken by acclaimed photographer Kevin Abosch which sold for $1million in 2016. It is a splendid image that shows there’s an appetite for potato-based photo-art. Admittedly, the competition was also a slight tongue-in-cheek response to the Abosch potato portrait. Not only did Photocrowd kindly offer to support the competition mechanics, we also had the good…

AP picture of the week Frosin Hilla by Richard Neale Nikon D850, 16-35mm f/4, 0.6sec at f/16, ISO 64, Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ ‘Frosin Hilla is Icelandic for Frozen Shelf,’ explains Richard, who hails from Nottingham. ‘After checking my weather apps I was pretty certain that there would be a colourful sunrise the morning I captured this image. So I decided to go to my local spot by the River Trent in Sawley. To my amazement, the recent floodwaters had frozen and then receded leaving a levitating layer of ice clinging on to shrubbery above the ground.’ Instagram: @richardaneale. Georgie by Jamie Simmons Canon EOS R, RF24-105mm F4L IS USM, 1sec at f/11, ISO 100, Vanguard VEO 235CB tripod Jamie is a 29-year-old wedding and portrait photographer based in the…

STAYING with competitions, if you love portrait photography, you still have just over a month to enter the UK round of the EISA Photography Maestro competition 2021, on the accessible theme of ‘Faces.’ EISA stands for Expert Imaging and Sound Association, and AP is an active member. You’re invited to enter between five and eight images on this theme. All entries must be in digital format, which includes scanned film originals. Be sure to shoot an original set of images, as existing portfolios are excluded. The first, second and third prize-winners will be chosen by AP’s editorial team, and their portfolios will be published in the magazine. The winning entries from the 16 participating EISA countries will then be judged at EISA’s Awards Meeting in June, for the chance to…

There is no shortage of stereo cameras, and I’ve got a number of examples. As a type, they’ve been around since the beginning of photography. Stereo photographs, with their almost uncanny way of rendering depth, were particularly popular in the Victorian era. Go to any self-respecting antique centre, and you’ll likely find a box of stereo pairs, and quite possibly a viewer. The principle is simple. Two photos are taken from slightly different positions, approximating to the distance between the human eyes, and then presented in such a way that the left eye sees the left image, and the right eye the right image. The result is a realistic impression of a three-dimensional scene. At its simplest, the photos are viewed through a pair of magnifying glasses, but a variety…