Innholdsfortegnelse for 18/09/2021 i Amateur Photographer

This issue features an incredibly wide range of content, with something for everyone. First up is Andy Westlake’s in-depth first look at the Fujifilm GFX50S II with 35-70mm lens – you’re getting medium format for under £4,000, so it’s an exciting release. Andy then reviews the Nikon Z fc, an APS-C mirrorless camera which harks back to the glory days of the company’s manual-focus film SLRs. On the subject of old-school cameras, we also reveal the best, usable film cameras under £100. Moving away from gear, Guy Edwardes shows how to get fantastic images of fungi, and we celebrate some of the wonderfully quirky images entered into this year’s Potato POTY. Classic rock fans will also want to tune in to our celebration of the album photography for U2’s The…

Black Was The River, You See by Dan Wood £35, Kozu Books, hardback, 136 pages The River Ogmore, which runs some 28km from its source at Craig Ogwr before meeting up with the Bristol Channel at Ogmore-by-Sea, has been a constant in photographer Dan Wood’s life. He grew up with it and knows it well. In Dan’s lifetime, the river has been healthy, sustaining life such as salmon, trout and eel. But that wasn’t always the case. It used to run black – hence the name of the book. Heavy industry (mainly coal mining) in the South Wales valleys caused the rivers to colour with coal dust. Since the closure of most of the mines in the 1970s and 1980s, extensive clean-up has been under way. The book explores the…

Articulating rear LCD screen A camera body with a fully articulating rear LCD screen will help you compose the image when working close to the ground or at an awkward angle. An in-camera focus-bracketing function is also highly recommended. Tripod When working in low light, a small but sturdy tripod is essential. It should be able to go flat to the ground or have a reversible centre-column. I prefer a sturdy ball head for maximum flexibility. Macro lens I use a 180mm macro lens as it provides a greater working distance from the subject, which aids the positioning of lights and reflectors. I also use my 100-400mm lens for larger fungi. LED light panel I prefer a constant light source rather than flash. LED light panels will fill shadows and…

THE PRINCIPLE of focus-stacking is to take a series of images each focused in a different place through the depth of the subject – this is focus bracketing. The resulting images each include an overlapping ‘slice’ of sharp detail. Software can then be used to ‘stack’ these slices of sharp detail into a single image of exceptional clarity – this is focus stacking. Images taken at high magnification show diffraction very quickly as the lens aperture is stopped down, so sharper images can be achieved by focus stacking at a wider aperture. I typically use an aperture of f/4-5.6. The effect is that you’re no longer relying upon a single band of acceptable sharpness either side of the actual point of focus. Instead, you have many individual points of focus…

The Potato Photographer of the Year competition made a return this year following the media frenzy that accompanied the 2020 award. Inspired by acclaimed photographer Kevin Abosch’s image of a potato which sold for $1million in 2016, spud-loving creatives have been at it again to create more magnificent potato-based art. With a fantastic standard of entries this year, the hard task of picking a winner was down to a prestigious panel of judges –which included AP’s own Nigel Atherton, organiser Ben Brain, Martin Parr, Angela Nicholson, Paul Hill and Amy D’Agorne. Once again there are some excellent prizes up for grabs with the overall winner receiving more than £1,000 worth of prizes. Overall winner William Ropp has won a Fujifilm X-T200 (kit with XC15-45mm), a Think Tank Advantage XT and…

Musicians: Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr, Adam Clayton. Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, The Armin Family, The Arklow Silver Band, and Paul Barrett Released: 9 March 1987 (Island Records) Best chart performance: No. 1 in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, the UK and the US Sales: Approximately 25,000,000 (worldwide) Fascinating fact: In 1987 the CD was a relatively new format for music to be released on. The creative team selected different cover images for each format on which the album was released – the original CD release delliberately used a blurry, distorted photo of the band, while the cassette used a clear, but alternate photo. Later CD reissues used the original vinyl LP cover photo. In 1991 Rolling Stone ranked The Joshua Tree at number…

Sensor 20.9MP CMOS, 23.5x15.7mm Output size 5568x3712 Focal length mag 1.5x Lens mount Nikon Z Shutter speeds 30sec - 1/4000sec, B, T Sensitivity ISO 100-51,200, extendable to ISO 204,800 Exposure modes PASM, Auto Metering Matrix, centre-weighted, spot, highlight Exposure comp +/-3 EV (dial), +/-5 EV Cont shooting 11fps, 5fps with live view Screen 3in, 1.04m-dot touchscreen Viewfinder 2.36m-dot, 0.68x magnification AF points 209 Video 4K up to 30fps, Full HD up to 120 fps External mic 3.5mm stereo Memory card SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I class) Power EN-EL25 Battery life 300 Dimensions 134.5x93.5x43.5mm Weight 390g…

WITH its retro styling and analogue control dials, the Nikon Z fc is a radical departure from the firm’s previous Z-mount models. There’s a lot to like here too; it’s quick and responsive, has a fine viewfinder and screen, and is capable of excellent image quality. Let’s not overlook the attractions of its retro design, especially to long-term Nikon fans. However it’s not all a bed of roses; that 1980s SLR shape isn’t particularly comfortable to hold, especially one-handed, while the dial-driven shooting experience is let down by the lack of lens aperture rings. In fact the biggest drawback of the Z fc isn’t to do with the camera itself; instead it’s the paucity of Nikon’s DX-format Z-mount lens range. No wideangle zoom, no premium large-aperture zoom, no compact fast…

The first usable digital photography technology was developed by Louis Daguerre in 1839. The sensor was a silver-coated plate exposed to vapour of the halogen gases. Each droplet of the vapour would form a tiny crystal of silver halide on contact with the silver, to form the picture element or ‘pixel’. These pixels utilised the photoelectric effect, whereby the energy of a photon incident on an atom is dissipated to release an electron. If this atom is part of a silver halide crystal then the electron replaces a halide ion, resulting in an atom of silver. At this stage the image was ‘latent’ or invisible. To make it visible, the sensor was exposed to mercury vapour, which on contact with silver forms a dark mercury-silver amalgam. The size of an…

Glass Blower by Fox Photos A man blowing the amber glass bowl of a Belisha beacon for a pedestrian crossing. Named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, the then Minister for Transport, the first Belisha Beacons were installed at pedestrian crossings in London in 1934, before being rolled out nationally in 1935 after the Road Traffic Act 1934. By 1941, there were some 64,000 Belisha beacons in operation – it was even discussed whether it would be cost-effective to melt them all down to make munitions for the war effort. The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great cultural resources. Tracing its origins to the founding of the London Stereoscopic Company in 1854, today it houses over 80 million images spanning the birth of photography to the digital age. Explore…

IN A WAY, the GFX50S II is about as predictable as a new camera could be, given that both the sensor and body design are entirely known quantities. Thanks to the former, we can expect superb image quality that surpasses almost anything you might get from a full-frame camera, though its advantage over the best high-resolution models such as the Sony Alpha 7R IV or the Nikon Z 7II is nowhere near as clear-cut as its 102MP siblings. Meanwhile the excellent body design should make it a joy to shoot with. It’s another bold step in Fujifilm’s mission to make medium format accessible to a wide range of users, and I’m really looking forward to trying it out properly. Look out for our upcoming full review.…

21 September 1921 One hundred years ago this week AP was extolling the virtues of a break in Brittany, which could be ‘most conveniently reached from this country by the regular boat service of the London & South-Western Railway, between Southampton and St Malo.’ The favourable post-war exchange rate of 60 francs to the pound made it cheaper than a similar holiday in the UK. What’s more: ‘the Bretons are the most hospitable, homely people. One soon feels at home amongst them, and the presence of a camera is never resented, which is more than the writer can say about some parts of his own country.’ The visual delights on offer included market day in Quimperle, when peasants would flock into town from the country districts. If one found a…

Locating fungi Some fungi emerge in the same place each year, so it’s well worth keeping a note of the exact location each one is found so that you can return to the same spot. I take a record shot on my iPhone using the What 3 Words app, which saves the photo of the fungi and it’s surroundings, along with the precise location, making it very easy to find the position of that fungi again in the future. Slime moulds Keep an eye out for slime moulds, which are not fungi but a separate kingdom called Protista. They come in a variety of weird shapes varying in size between 1/2mm and 7mm tall! Due to their size they can require more specialised equipment to photograph. Keep logs in your…

Jason Bell The thing I really love about it is that it matches the album itself so well. It’s simple, unlit and tightly staged, yet also grand with its monumental background. It’s beautiful but slightly imperfect with Adam Clayton awkwardly tucked into the background as if he barely made it into the photo at all. Peter Neill This cover remains as cool and current as it ever was. The unusual composition of the photo, with a band looking like they are in a cramped space in a vast expanse is striking with the negative space revealing a dramatic backdrop. The post work of design, by Steve Averill, takes it to the top of the pile. Rachael Wright This is the perfect example of synergy between an album’s visual component, its…

A National Nature Reserve, Lathkill Dale in the Peak District National Park is one of the most beautiful dales in an area full of glorious landscape photo opportunities, but I had never seen a photographer with a large format camera there – AND I recognised him. ‘Hi, Matt! Thought you had given up photography,’ I shouted. ‘No. Back in the saddle,’ replied Matthew Conduit, who I was certain had not taken a ‘serious’ photograph for 20 years. He had a successful career as an exhibiting photographer, particularly with his Groundwork square format black & white landscape pictures – he exhibited with luminaries like Keith Arnatt and John Davies – on leaving Sheffield Polytechnic in 1981. He’d moved into arts management seven years later, running Untitled Gallery (now Site Gallery) and…

AP picture of the week Sunflower Sunshine by Cristina Escribano Canon EOS 250D, 55mm, 1/200sec at f/5.6, ISO 200 ‘I got my DSLR as a birthday present at the beginning of 2020. I have always been the kind of person who would take the camera everywhere with me and take lots of random shots without knowing very much what I was doing. However, after listening to an inspiring podcast, I’m determined to take the time and learn more about photography,’ says Cristina. ‘While it was still cold outside, I planted some sunflower seeds that I kept in my bathroom until the frost season ended and the seedlings were about 10cm tall. I moved them outside and I loved seeing the daily changes and growth until they bloomed. I edited this…

FUJIFILM has updated one of our favourite cameras under £1,000, to give us the X-T30 II. The only major spec change is a 1.62m-dot rear screen, rather than 1.02m-dot. Otherwise, the body design and layout remain essentially unchanged, with the same 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor and X-Processor 4. But there’s a host of small updates, including the addition of Classic Neg and Eterna Bleach Bypass colour modes and various autofocus improvements. The best news is that these new features come at a lower price. The X-T30 II will be available in either black or silver for £769 body-only, £849 with the XC 15-45mm lens, or £1,099 with the XF 18-55mm zoom.…

A SELECTION of Highly Commended images from the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year has been released. The contest received a record-breaking number of entries from professionals and amateurs, from 95 countries. The winning images, along with the two grand title winners, will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony, broadcast live from the Natural History Museum’s Hintze Hall on 12 October. ‘These extraordinary images showcase the rich diversity of life on Earth and spark curiosity and wonder,’ said museum director Dr Doug Gurr. ‘Telling the story of a planet under pressure, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition illuminates the urgent challenges we face and the collective action we need to take.’ To see the images and to book tickets for the awards ceremony, see bit.ly/wpotycommended.…

Keep records I agree with Tam Murray (Inbox, 7 August) on the importance of keeping old negs, or scans of them. I too was contacted recently ‘on the off-chance that you still have the negs’ by someone who wanted a new copy of a photograph I took of him in a motor sport event in 1970. Not only did I have the negs but because of my filing system and record keeping, I was able to remind him of the exact date when it was taken. These days we take it for granted that our digital camera will record the date and location, but back then life was very different. I spent most weekends photographing motor sport events for Autosport and Motoring News (now Motorsport News). It was very important…

The crops shown below are taken from the area outlined above in red Nikon has been using this sensor in various guises for several years now, and it performs just as well here as it did in the Z 50. There’s barely any degradation in image quality on boosting the ISO from 100 to 1600, and while the effect of noise starts to become visible at higher settings when you examine images closely, both ISO 3200 and ISO 6400 still deliver perfectly usable results. Ramp up the sensitivity further and image degradation becomes more obvious, with detail and colour saturation suffering, but even ISO 25,600 could be usable with careful processing. I’d steer clear of the higher settings, though.…