Innholdsfortegnelse for 21/06/2022 i Amateur Photographer

LEICA cameras aren’t exactly known for being cheap, indeed the latest Leica M11 rangefinder will set you back £7,500, and that’s before you even add a lens. But how about £10.25 million? That’s how much an ultra-rare vintage Leica sold for at auction in Wetzlar, Germany, on Saturday 11 June. And that’s just the hammer price; add on the buyer’s premium (a 20% surcharge that goes to the auction house) and the total price becomes €14,400,000, or £12.3 million! I was there watching among a rapt audience, as the bidding unfolded and the record was set. To the untutored eye, the new record-holder doesn’t even look all that much. I was lucky enough to be able to view it up-close on the day before it sold, and it’s a surprisingly…

THE PRESIDENT and CEO of Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Terushi Shimizu, has predicted that the image quality of smartphones will exceed that of all interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) by 2024. At an official Sony Group Imaging & Sensing Solutions briefing, held on 27 May, Shimizu said, ‘Within the last few years, we expect [smartphone] still images to exceed the image quality of single-lens cameras.’ One of the slides in Shimizu’s presentation stated, ‘Still images are expected to exceed ILC image quality by mobile camera’s large pixel, plus High Quantum saturation technology and AI processing.’ The use of ILC suggests Sony believes smartphone image quality will surpass that of DSLRs and interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. Sony expects ‘large pixel, large-sized image sensors’ in ‘high-end’ smartphones to have doubled in size by fiscal…

The market for stock images has changed massively thanks to the impact of the internet, and payment rates may have fallen, but there is still a market there – and you don’t need to invest massively in facilities and equipment like the biggest ‘stock farms’. Over the next few pages, we speak to a range of agencies and successful stock shooters to see what’s selling and get some pointers on doing it better. ‘The stock photography and video market are thriving, and that’s because more and more images are consumed every day,’ says Richard Newstead, Senior Manager of Creative Content at Getty Images. ‘To succeed, you need a passion for photography, consistent quality, variety, style, and high volumes of work. But with more than 825,000 customers purchasing from Getty Images…

Know the rules As a journalist and photographer, I wholly agree with Damien Demolder that too many people are put off street photography because they fear that they may break laws. At a time when fake news is everywhere and many people would like street photography to be banned, we must all be aware that this is another freedom we must protect, while, as Damien suggests, always being sensitive to the feelings of our subjects. Damien doesn’t mention, however, that laws overseas are very different in lots of countries, and those who are going abroad must make themselves aware of the rules in the country where they intend to visit. In France, for instance, it is an offence to photograph a public building. That can include the Town Hall (often…

When was the club founded? The club has direct links to the first town camera club that was formed in 1950 but closed in the early 70s. Photofold Camera Club was established in 1980 and became affiliated to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain through The East Anglian Federation. What does your club offer new members? We aim to be an inclusive club that welcomes anyone with an interest in photography, whether just starting out or with significant experience. Potential members can attend as visitors before deciding to join. New members are offered a ‘buddy’ who will help them settle into the club and be on hand to answer questions. They can also participate in a pre-club meeting ‘clinic’ where more experienced members provide tutorials and answer questions. Last year…

Abigail Winkle, Newcastle-Under-Lyme About Abigail Abigail is a checkout operator, but takes photographs in her spare time. Favourite subjects At the moment, I really love street photography. The lights in an evening fascinate me, and the shadows and so on. Everywhere looks so different when the light changes – it creates all sorts of interesting images especially in reflections. How did you get into photography? I’ve loved photography for years. As phone cameras became better I took more and more photos. I eventually took a short course in photography which gave me the boost I needed. I’m enrolled on a class with Appetite and Grain photography which has helped me get out, especially during the lockdown, and try new things. What do you love about photography? I love that I…

As one of the company’s Contemporary lenses, the new Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN | C is claimed to deliver uncompromised optical performance while maintaining a compact and lightweight form. And as one of the firm’s I series optics, it also has an all-metal barrel made from precision-cut aluminium, plus weather-sealing for greater durability. It makes for a pretty enticing-sounding lens, but does it really deliver on all that promise? Features Sigma has designed the 20mm F2 DG DN | C for use on full-frame mirrorless cameras and it’s available with either the L-mount for Leica, Lumix and Sigma cameras, or Sony E mount. With a focal length of 20mm, it falls into the ultra-wideangle category and its large maximum aperture means it could be of interest to astrophotographers as…

● £67.49 ● www.deitymic.com IF you want to capture the best possible audio for video, you’ll generally need an external microphone. Most on-camera mics are of the shotgun-type, and concentrate on sounds from in front of the camera. Mono mics are ideal for a presenter talking to camera, while stereo presents a wider sound stage. With its V-Mic D4 Duo, Deity has identified another scenario. What if you’re behind the camera, but want to describe the scene in front of you while capturing the ambient sound, or talk to somebody in front of the camera? Deity’s solution is to place two microphones in one unit, one facing forwards and the other backwards. At first sight, the V-Mic D4 Duo looks much like any other compact on-camera mic, such as the…

Cameras Cameras come in three types: DSLRs with optical viewfinders, mirrorless models with electronic viewing, and compact cameras with non-interchangeable lenses ALMOST all serious photographers prefer to use cameras with interchangeable lenses, as this gives the greatest degree of creative flexibility. At one time, this meant digital single-lens-reflex (DSLR) cameras, but these have now been joined by mirrorless cameras that use electronic viewfinders. The latest models are true alternatives to DSLRs, offering the same image quality and creative options. Camera manufacturers offer a range of options, from simple, relatively inexpensive beginner-friendly designs, to sophisticated professional models. In the middle of the range you’ll find enthusiast cameras with more-advanced control layouts. Meanwhile the term ‘compact’ refers to cameras with built-in lenses, regardless of their size. Many offer excellent image quality and…

IT WASN’T just the 0-series number 105 that went on sale in Wetzlar, or indeed only Leica cameras. In fact, the auction comprised 433 lots, including Canon, Contax, Hasselblad, Nikon, and Olympus cameras. Vintage black-paint M cameras sold especially well. A very early Leica MP raised €960,000, well over twice its estimate, while an M3 from the first black batch sold for €384,000. Personally I was rather besotted by an ex-West German army, olive paint Leica M3 kit, but at €102,000 it proved to be a little beyond my means. This wasn’t purely an occasion for super-rich collectors, though. Within the busy auction room was Peter Loy, one of the UK’s leading classic camera dealers, friend of AP and regular advertiser, picking out whatever bargains were to be had. At…

Amazônia Until 14 August. Science and Industry Museum, Manchester. Free (booking required) For those not fortunate enough to make it to London to see this incredible exhibition by Sebastião Salgado (winner of our recent Power of Photography Award), you’ve got another chance as the show is currently in Manchester. Salgado’s photography, which can be described as masterful, breathtaking and engaging, is a celebration of the indigenous peoples and the beautiful and varied landscapes of the Brazilian rainforest. Working on the project for seven years, Salgado worked with 12 indigenous communities to get an extremely rare glimpse of their lives. The results, created powerfully in black & white, give you a real feeling of immersion – especially as the exhibition is accompanied by a soundtrack which evokes the sound of the…

Having spent a decade using a different film camera each week, 522 in total, I’ve slowed the pace and set myself an annual project using just one camera each month. So it was that in 2021 I decided to use a different film format each month – starting in January with the smallest one, Minox, and then working my way up to Postcard format in December. There is a vast difference in the size of the negatives, as the largest has an area that’s 135 times the size of the smallest. For many of the formats I have a range of cameras, but in general I chose to use those from the more sophisticated end of the spectrum so that I wasn’t tied to photographing well-lit outdoor scenes. The smallest…

A few years back, at a general auction, there appeared a tray of five cameras. Three were snapshot models. The fourth was a Compass (rare and valuable) and the fifth was an Ilford Witness (equally rare and extremely valuable). The auctioneer’s estimate was £80-120 for the lot. They sold for a little over £16,000. There are two morals to this tale. One is that there are still cameras being sold by people who don’t know their worth. The other is that it only takes two people bidding at an auction for the value of a lot to find its true level. So is it still possible to make money buying and selling vintage cameras? The answer is yes, provided that you know what you’re doing. Finding the right cameras We…

LAUNCHED 1959 PRICE AT LAUNCH £20 (first model), £27 (second model) GUIDE PRICE NOW £200-250 (both models) For a 16mm camera that takes tiny 10x14mm images, the Goldeck 16 is a little on the large size, bigger than either a full-frame 35mm Olympus XA or Rollei 35. That doesn’t, however, detract from one fact on which both collectors and users can agree: it’s gorgeous. Made by the German Goldammer company, there are two similarly styled models, designated as the Model 81 and Model 82. The model number is indicated by the first two digits of the serial number found on the base plate. Each model measures 10.5x6.5x2.5cm. Both use Color-Ennit 20mm f/2.8 standard lenses, the Model 81 with fixed focus, the Model 82 with front cell focusing. The fixed focus…