Innholdsfortegnelse for 10/31/2023 i Amateur Photographer

HOLLIE LATHAM HUCKER Technique Editor Hollie presents the winners of LPOTY 2023, who share their tips for success AMY DAVIES Features Editor Amy interviews the curators of a major exhibition of contemporary African photography JESSICA MILLER Dep. Online Editor Manager of our social media channels, Jessica selects more great reader images in It’s good to share ANDY WESTLAKE Technical Editor Our resident camera and lens expert reviews Panasonic’s impressive Micro Four Thirds flagship MICHAEL TOPHAM AP’s former reviews editor on why Sony’s Alpha A7 III from 2017 remains sought-after TONY KEMPLEN AP’s regular columnist and avid film camera collector tells us about the FED BOY stereo camera from the 1990s…

WHEN Canon’s full-frame mirrorless EOS R system was announced with a new lens mount in October 2018, it seemed only a matter of time until the APS-C EOS M series was wound up. This now appears to be official, as all Canon EOS M cameras are marked as discontinued on Canon Japan’s website. This includes the EOS M50 Mark II, the final model in the line-up to be released. In the UK, the EOS M50 Mark II and many of the system’s EF-M lenses are still available new if you search around for them, but presumably only until existing stocks run out. So if you use an EOS M camera and wish to add any of the lenses to your kit, now might be the time, especially if you prefer…

ADOBE has rolled out new versions of the standalone Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, the latter used for video editing. Photoshop Elements 2024 gets a fresher interface, with more modern fonts, icons, buttons, and colours that are easier on the eye. More significantly, there are several new AI-driven features from Adobe, including the ability to select a sky or background with one click for easier editing. Popular one-click edits are also now gathered in one place, enabling you to blur or remove a background, smooth out skin, colourise a photo and more. There is also a new one-click tool for enhancing compressed JPEGs in the Quick Actions panel. The new Match Colour feature, meanwhile, enables you to match the colours in your image to an Adobe preset, or the colours…

Once more, the iconic Landscape Photographer of the Year competition showcases and celebrates the truly magnificent and varied scenery found in and around the Great British Isles. Charlie Waite, the awards founder, says, ‘Over 16 years, Landscape Photographer of the Year has continued to bring some wonderfully talented photographers who often and with immense tenacity both discover, reveal and confirm so much of what the landscape of the UK offers to so many.’ This year, Mik Dogherty scoops the prestigious title of Overall Winner, as well as winning the Change in the Landscape Special Award, with his striking scene, ‘After the Fire,’ of burnt gorse bushes and a lone tree as a result of a large heath fire in the New Forest National Park. He will receive the £10,000 top…

It almost certainly will seem shocking to most of us that once every three years the Torajan people of Northern Indonesia bring their dead ancestors out from their resting places to be dusted off, washed and to have their clothes changed. Why is it shocking? Mainly, I suppose, because we don’t do that sort of thing here. Some might feel it’s disrespectful and uncivilised. But looking at pictures of the Ma’Nene ceremony, such as this one shot by Hariandi Hafid, shows us it’s a loving thing to do. Even if it doesn’t quite bring ancestors back to life, it certainly brings them back into life, and refreshes the consciousness of them. I first became aware of the ceremony through the work of Malaysian photographer Muslianshah Bin Masrie when he entered…

Halloween it may be, but there is plenty to lift the spirits and lighten the shorter days in this packed issue. We check out the inspirational winners of the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, for instance, another reminder that there are many different approaches to successful scenic shooting. If you yearn for more exotic images beyond the UK, we also focus on the fantastic Contemporary African Photography exhibition at the Tate Modern. Meanwhile, as our big review of the Panasonic Lumix G9II shows, there is still plenty of life left in Micro Four Thirds, despite the ubiquity of full-frame sensors. On the subject of full-frame, we also reveal why the Sony Alpha A7 III is such a great used buy. Our cover picture was taken by James Abbott and…

TATE MODERN EXHIBITION Photography from Africa is some of the most powerful and exciting you’ll see in the contemporary world. A walk around A World in Common on the top floor of Tate Modern reveals some of the most interesting photographic work you’re likely to see at the moment. The exhibition has been running for a few months, and pleasingly, it’s drawn in the crowds – so we can hope that we’ll see other similar exhibitions in the future at other Tate locations and major galleries. To celebrate its success, I asked two of the curators who worked on the project – Genevieve Barton and Jess Baxter – to give us more insight into its inception, the concept and ambitions for the future. AP: Why is now the right time…

Tech Talk This oddly named and strange looking camera was made in Ukraine in the 1990s. The factory in Kharkiv where it comes from dates back to Soviet times, when its output was marked as made in the USSR. The FED BOY was first made in 1988, but mine was clearly made later as it is marked made in Ukraine, indicating that it was produced after the break up of the Soviet Union. FED cameras, which are somewhat ominously named after KGB chief Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, were in production for six decades. While the earliest FEDs were more or less straight copies of the Leica II, by the end of their run, the FEDs had acquired their own distinctive look. This particular example is a stereo version of the FED…

ONEPLUS has announced its first folding smartphone, the OnePlus Open. As well as a very slim design for a folding phone, it’s got a powerful triple-camera set-up – a rarity among folding devices that we’ve seen so far, including the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5. The primary camera is a 48MP ‘pixel stacked’ device with optical image stabilisation, backed up by a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and image stabilisation. This is the largest telephoto sensor ever used on a foldable phone, according to OnePlus. Finally, there is a 48MP ultra-wide camera with autofocus. The Open also comes with two selfie cameras – a 20MP sensor on the main display and a 32MP camera on the cover screen. The OnePlus Open is the first foldable smartphone to feature…

AP picture of the week Sunrise Silhouette by George Rossini Nikon D7200, Sigma 150-600mm C, 1/200sec at f/7.1, ISO 100, -0.7EV ‘I saw a red deer stag with his hinds in the distance. As I slowly walked closer, the sun rose above the mountain, illuminating the clouds orange. This allowed me to capture a pleasing silhouette image of the deer against the sky.’ Instagram: @georgerossini_images #appicoftheweek Win! The AP Pic of the Week winner currently wins a 3 Legged Thing Travis 2.0 tripod kit worth £169.99! This versatile magnesium-alloy tripod is a real all-rounder. Its 4-section legs and single section column can support up to 18kg, and it folds up to a compact 46cm. With 3 detachable legs and a removable/reversible centre column, this tripod offers configurations including monopod, and…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Hot Rod It is heartening that your research has shown that more than 20% of your readers don’t and/or rarely use Adobe’s software, and that almost 50% of your readers use subscription-free alternatives. It shows that in a very divided UK, most of us are members of one minority or another! I’ve enjoyed Rod Lawton’s articles on Serif Affinity Photo 2. I also enjoyed the low-light special issue, especially for the praise it gave to the noise-reduction tools by DxO, Serif, and ON1. And as a Micro Four Thirds user, whose cameras are plagued by noise, I agree that AI-based noise-reduction products are game-changing. I no longer need to fear high ISOs. Also, I’d like to thank Rod for using plain English in his reviews. Reviews…

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…