Innholdsfortegnelse for 3/12/2024 i Amateur Photographer

Every year we name our favourite products at the annual Amateur Photographer Awards, the most prestigious event in the UK photo trade calendar. This issue we reveal 2023’s finest products. Find out which cameras, lenses and accessories we liked best, starting on page 35. The awards have in recent years also been about great photography as well as kit, and we present those award winners too. This year’s Lifetime Achievement recipient is Jill Furmanovsky, whose stellar career we reflect upon on page 22. If you’re visiting The Photography Show next week do come and see us on stand K207 (next to Panasonic) and say hello to the team. We will be exhibiting a selection of Jill’s wonderful work on the stand, so don’t miss it. Our cover photograph is by…

XIAOMI has announced its two new handsets, the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra and the more mainstream Xiaomi 14, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has an impressive specification sheet, including a Leica Summilux-branded four-camera array and, for the first time in a handset with a 1in sensor, a stepless variable aperture. The main camera features a 50MP Sony LYT-900 1in sensor – noteworthy, as phones with this size chip are still relatively rare in the UK. Xiaomi claims this enables a dynamic range of up to 14EV. In addition, 50MP Sony IMX858 sensors are used across the device’s other cameras. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is available to buy now for £1,299 with 512GB storage. If you buy the handset before 19 March, you get…

Once again, the winners and finalists from the latest Travel Photographer of the Year competition showcase the diverse cultural experiences and breathtaking locations our amazing planet has to offer. From more than 20,000 images Slovenian photographer AndreJa Ravnak has been named Travel Photographer of the Year 2023 (TPOTY), with her lyrical landscapes showing hop growing in Slovenia and rolling fields in Italy and the Czech Republic. Ravnak follows in the footsteps of fellow countryman Matjaz Krivic, who took the title in the 2022 competition. Caden Shepard Choi (14) from the USA won Young Travel Photographer of the Year, for her black & white story of how the Navajo people of Chinle, Arizona, use locally produced wool. The winning shots – which can all be viewed in the online Winners’ Gallery…

Reader Portfolio winners receive a one-year subscription to a Gold Portfolio Series website worth £300. UK domain name included. Amazing Internet designs, builds and hosts amazing websites for creative people and companies. It has specialised in creating websites for photographers since 1999 and has services to suit all budgets. Whether you need a simple template-based site for £60 per year or a fully bespoke site, they’ve got you covered. www.amazinginternet.com Geraint Rowland, Cardiff About Geraint Geraint loves anything to do with the outdoors. See more of his work at www.geraintrowland.co.uk and on Instagram @geraint_rowland_photography Favourite subjects I like taking photos of nature, especially the coastline, seas and oceans at sunset or sunrise. I like to highlight the beauty of the world. How did you get into photography? I had a…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH When did you start taking photographs and when did you realise that it was something you wanted to take seriously? I picked up my first camera in 2014 at school, capturing my friends cycling or playing field hockey for Scarborough Hockey Club. A form tutor at the time encouraged me to present my work in an assembly to the whole school. I later had the opportunity to photograph sports regularly while studying at the University of York and it led to a placement year where I captured international cricket and hockey players. The turning-point came during the 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup in London. The vibrant atmosphere and the challenge of capturing those moments solidified my desire to pursue professional photography as a career. What inspired you…

Photo Critique Your mother may have told you that first impressions last, and then explained how to make that impression a good one. Brushing hair was probably involved, as might have been clean shoes and nails, smelling as though you’d washed recently and sporting fresh underwear in case of an accident. She may have instilled into you the idea that on first meeting a person a whole range of details need to be attended to in order to present an air of someone well put together. That new acquaintance might not examine the individual elements of our carefully constructed endeavour to conceal our inadequacies, but would unconsciously be taken in by their combined persuasive force and spontaneously come to trust we are decent sorts. I suspect we work from impressions…

ANDY WESTLAKE Technical Editor Chief reviewer Andy reveals the AP Awards photo kit of the year and writes the First Look GEOFF HARRIS Deputy Editor Geoff interviews acclaimed pro Jill Furmanovsky about her long career in music photography HOLLIE LATHAM HUCKER Technique Editor Hollie shares tips for great travel images from the winners of TPOTY JESSICA MILLER Dep Online Editor Our social media manager also curates readers’ best images in It’s good to share JOSHUA WALLER Online Editor Joshua tests the OM System OM-1 Mark II, which features groundbreaking updates AMY DAVIES Features Editor Amy Davies has fun reviewing the LEGO Polaroid OneStep SX-70 camera…

THE WORLD Photography Organisation has announced the finalists and shortlist of the Professional competition in the Sony World Photography Awards 2024. The Professional category set a new record for entries this year, with diverse subjects ranging from the human cost of cobalt extraction in the Congo to the sport of finger wresting in Bavaria (see right). The Photographer of the Year 2024 winner is chosen from the Professional finalists and will be announced on 18 April. See bit.ly/sonyproshortlist…

Imagine you are 19 in 1974, still a relative newcomer to gig photography, and you get asked to cover a major tour by a much talked-about British band. Scary, right, particularly as there were no digital cameras back then, or even autofocus. Oh, and that band is Pink Floyd, and they’re touring to promote Dark Side of the Moon, the album that propelled them into the stratosphere. So, no pressure then… A lot of young photographers would have freaked out, fluffed it, or both, but not Jill Furmanovsky – she took the job in her stride, earned the respect of Pink Floyd, and went on to become one of the best-known photographers in the business. Unassuming, friendly and totally devoid of ego, it’s not hard to see how Jill would…

As a weekly magazine we test more photo gear than any other UK publication and our tests are respected around the world for their depth, authority and independence. Consequently the AP Awards, which have been an annual highlight in the calendar for over 40 years, are held in high regard within the global camera industry. The 2024 AP Awards were held at the end of February at the Underglobe at Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s South Bank and the products revealed over the next few pages are this year’s winners. The cameras and lenses available today are the most technologically advanced ever produced and the ones featured here are the cream of the crop. We’ve gone beyond the latest high-tech mirrorless cameras to recognise the best smartphones and drone camera, too.…

Tech Talk Unlike some of the film formats introduced in the second half of the last century, 110 cartridges are still made today, fuelled largely by the needs of Lomography crowd. First launched 52 years ago, in terms of longevity 110 beats its rivals by a comfortable margin. Those that fell by the wayside include 126, which lasted 44 years, Disc film, 17 years, and APS, a mere 15 years. The chief drawback of the 110 format is the small size of the negatives: the film is 16mm wide with each frame measuring 13x17mm, roughly a quarter of the size of a full-frame 35mm negative. This of course means that the cameras themselves can be pretty tiny. There are variations in size, but with the exception of Minolta’s chunky 110…

PENTAX’s long-awaited new film camera will be a half-frame device, Pentax designer TKO (Takeo Suzuki) revealed in a recent YouTube video. TKO cited smartphones and social media as the rationale, with many social media users now preferring to shoot and share shots in vertical format. In other words, it’s going for the youth market as well as retro film-camera fans. Another reason is the cost of film, which has got more expensive in recent years – half-frame cameras provide photographers with double the number of photos per roll. The as-yet-unnamed camera will include an electronic shutter unit to enable automatic control over aperture and shutter speed while allowing photographers to manually change some settings and select different shooting modes on a control dial. It will also use a manually set…

PHOTOGRAPHICA 2024, one of the biggest events of the year for vintage cameras and lens enthusiasts or curious potential shoppers, is taking place on Sunday 19 May at a new venue – The Royal National Hotel, London WC1H 0DG. The show is open from 10-4pm, with a full-day ticket costing a very reasonable £8. ‘There is a great deal of interest in film and retro cameras and we are expecting a great event – for the past year or so people have even been buying and using early digital cameras,’ notes publicity co-ordinator Nigel Richards. Full details are at www.facebook.com/photographicafair/…

AP picture of the week Ay Up Me Duck!By Wesley Kristopher Nikon Z 7II, Nikkor Z 24-120mm S f/4, 1/1000sec at f/4, ISO 200 ‘The Peak District is usually my proving ground for photography but when I heard a flock of ducks had taken to a couple of water tanks outside Sheffield City Hall I just had to investigate! It was fun playing with different angles whilst they were bobbing about. The effect of the tank and the distortion of their bodies under the water resulted in some interesting images.’ wesleykristopherphotography.com Social media: @peopleofthepeak #appicoftheweek Win! The AP Pic of the Week winner will receive a beautifully framed print of their winning image worth up to £100. If you Love it, Frame it! ThisPicture.com is an experienced, high-quality framing company…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Bedtime story I loved your Nikon Zf experience in Shanghai (AP 27 February). It was like reading a wonderful bedtime story for Nikon aficionados, about a magical dream machine for the good guys. Isn’t she a beauty just to look at? I instantly fell in love with the Nikon FM2 on her introduction in 1982 and managed to purchase my first FM2, together with four fast prime lenses, in 1984. An absolute dream to use in just about any situation (at the time) and especially in all weathers. With the FM2 I was confident I would come home with the bacon every time. Just looking at the photograph of the Z f, together with your honest article, makes my heart ache with utter passion. But at…

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…