Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/28/2023 i Amateur Photographer

Photography has always had a complicated relationship with truth and honesty, but never has it been so easy to make the camera lie. Leica should be applauded for taking the first steps in the fight to restore some faith in the veracity of the photographic image with its new M11-P (page 41). Let’s hope that other companies follow suit. Also this week we celebrate the benefits that a high-quality, large-sensor compact camera can bring to your photography, and look in detail at three of the many options available. Andy Westlake questions whether the new Sony A9 III’s global shutter technology is worth getting excited about, and we examine the complex relationship between photography and art, and between photographer and subject. Our cover photo this week is by Ian Pack (www.ianpack.uk)…

7 daysA week in photography Cameras, indeed, do not lie. Photographers, on the other hand, are given to using their cameras, their darkrooms and their software applications to enhance what they saw. We’ve been doing it for a hundred years, and to a certain degree it’s expected. No portrait subject wants to know what they really look like. Even before the recent rise in public consciousness of the part played by Artificial Intelligence in bringing humanity to its knees, manipulated images have been used to engineer public opinion, to fake nudes of celebrities, and construct alternative facts about what really happened. In some cases this can be harmless fun, but in others it can have serious consequences both for those believing the images, and for those depicted in them. Leica’s…

Cameras Cameras come in three types: DSLRs with optical viewfinders, mirrorless models with electronic viewing, and compact cameras with non-interchangeable lenses Handgrip DSLRs traditionally have relatively large handgrips, while many mirrorless models have much smaller grips to keep the size down. However, some can accept accessory grips to improve handling with larger lenses. Lens mount Each camera brand uses its own lens mount, and mirrorless cameras use different lenses to DSLRs even from the same brand. However, mirrorless models can often use DSLR lenses via a mount adapter. Controls Entry-level cameras tend to have simple, easy-to-understand controls, while more expensive models add lots of buttons and dials to give quick access to settings. Viewfinder The biggest difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that the latter use electronic, rather than…

HOLLIE LATHAM HUCKER Technique Editor Hollie interviews experts who swear by fixed-lens premium compacts DAMIEN DEMOLDER AP’s previous editor tests Leica’s new M11-P and reports on the book, Collaboration ANDY WESTLAKE Technical Editor Andy examines the hype around the exciting new Sony A9 III and shares his views TRACY CALDER The AP regular reports on Tate Modern’s latest exhibition, about painting and photography MICHAEL TOPHAM AP’s former reviews editor on why Canon’s EOS 80D is a secondhand classic JOSHUA WALLER Online Editor Joshua tests Xiaomi’s Leicabranded phone: can it live up to the Leica name?…

7 daysA week in photography THE PENTAX WG-90, a rugged compact designed to be waterproof and shock-resistant, has been announced. It marks the return of the Pentax brand name to compact waterproof cameras, which were previously sold under the Ricoh name. The new 16MP camera has a 5x optical zoom lens (28-140mm equivalent), is waterproof down to 14m and features six ring LED lights around the lens for extreme macro. But it only offers 1080p video. The WG-90 is available in black or blue, and is priced at £380.…

7 daysA week in photography The Welsh town of Port Talbot apparently has an ‘extremely high number of UFO sightings’, but, despite the title of this book, the project – or at least the resulting pictures within it – has very little to do with little green men. Instead, this two-year documentary investigation uses the UFO sightings as the starting point to explore the people, landscape and folklore of what is often a dismissed town – even for those living within and surrounding it. Port Talbot sits just off the M4, with its steelworks dominating the landscape. This industry was once roaring, but in recent years has faced increasing problems and decline. It also contributes to the labelling of the town as one of the most polluted areas in the…

Annalaura Pretaroli Annalaura Pretaroli is an Italian photographer who began shooting photos of her Barbie dolls at the age of ten using disposable cameras that came free with washing powder, and so her photographic journey blossomed. www.annalaurapretaroli.com Instagram @annalaurapretaroli Premium compact cameras are best known for street and travel photography, which makes sense considering their small size and excellent image quality. But they’re much more versatile than they’re often given credit for, and Annalaura Pretaroli’s flower photography is a stunning example of how she uses her Ricoh GR III in a highly effective way that belies expectations. Her flower photography takes full advantage of the features and functionality that are provided by this tiny camera. Flower and macro photography are most commonly associated with interchangeable-lens cameras sporting a macro lens…

Photo Critique There are a number of places I feel I have visited just because I have seen so many photographs of them. Through looking at reader pictures in this magazine and judging contests such as Landscape Photographer of the Year, I am more than familiar with most of the famous sites that draw photographers, shutters cocked, like iron filings to a magnet. I’ve never seen with my own eyes the coastguard cottages that look out onto the Seven Sisters and never looked on the noble Durdle Door arch at dawn – or at night with a dramatic starry sky. Neither have I witnessed the Old Man of Storr late in the day, taken in that dry-stone wall as I gazed from Ambleside to Windermere, seen St Michael’s Mount emerging…

7 daysA week in photography FINITE Industries has announced its first 35mm pinhole camera, called the fi35. The design features a unique modular system that enables you to change pinholes, film planes, frames and bodies for a variety of creative effects. The fi35, which takes 35mm film, also has strong green credentials, being 3D printed using recycled plastic. It can be disassembled for parts replacement, and all of the parts can be reused. The fi35 camera is available for £125 from finite.industries.…

7 daysA week in photography AP picture of the week Autumn Mood by Dale Hodgetts Canon EOS R6, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, 1/20sec at f/2.8, ISO 400 ‘I took this shot one evening in Gloucestershire at Standish Woods. My aim was to look for mushrooms and this was my result.’ Instagram: @dale_hodgetts #appicoftheweek Win! The AP Pic of the Week winner currently wins a large Wandrd X1 Crossbody Bag* worth £99.99! This versatile bag is ideal for carrying smaller items including phone, wallet, keys, lens caps, filters, notebooks, even a Kindle. Made from UHP Carbon Fibre Composite ripstop fabric, the large X1 bag features six internal organisation pockets including a hidden AirTag pocket and the main compartment features weather-resistant zippers. It has a top grab handle, and adjustable crossbody/shoulder…

Collaboration is one of the buzzwords of a social media age in which ‘creators’, ‘influencers’ and ‘brands’ get together to make ‘content’. In its purest sense, each of those parties plays an equal role in deciding how that content will look – though of course that isn’t how it always happens. Nevertheless, the modern concept of collaboration is this idea that each player brings their own skills, imagination and personality to blend with those of the others in pursuit of something larger than the sum of the individual elements. In theory at least, it presents a neat power-shift from the days when the photographer or client would give all the orders and everyone else had to comply. The reality may be slightly different in practice – usually when humans are…

Tech Talk Kodak is synonymous with the Brownie brand, at least when it comes to simple mass-market cameras. The name was first used in 1900, and over the next 80 years, nearly one hundred models bore the moniker. The Brownie Cresta first emerged in 1955, and continued with three distinct designs up until 1965. The Cresta 3 is the last of the range, and reflects the design trends of the day by moving away from the curvy models of the 1950s to take on a more angular form. Its specifications are pretty basic, with two apertures and a fixed shutter speed. There is no focusing, but a built-in close-up lens, which slides in front of the main lens, allows subjects down to 1.2m to be in focus. The viewfinder is…