Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 4 i Canon Photography The Complete Manual

INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES Sunrise goes through some particular phases, each with its ownquality of light. Pre-dawnis usually cooler in tone, with lower dynamic range and soft shadows but the cloudswill normally start lighting up before the sun actually gets to the horizon. The minutes before sunrise are generallymore orange/yellowin tone and shadows becomemore obvious. Then, once the sun is a couple of degrees above the horizon, you get long shadows that reveal detail in the landscape, crisp highlights and amarked increase in contrast.…

Although mirrorless cameras have been with us for a number of years, Canon has taken its innovative and popular EOS system and developed it still further with the brand new EOS R and RP cameras, They've taken all the things you love about the EOS DSLR and built a full-frame mirrorless system around it. You have greater and more varied creative possibilities and even more ways of capturing that decisive moment that will take your photography and your filmmaking to new heights. The new EOS R lens mount system comes with five new lenses built specifically for this new system that will give you unrivalled clarity and image quality across a range of prime and zoom lens types. Don't worry if you have already invested in other EF and EF-S…

EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM £180/$249/€245 A light and compact wide-angle zoom. TOP PICK ■ Get more in every shot with this ultrawide zoom lens ■ Easy to carry thanks to a compact design ■ Smooth, near-silent AF when shooting movies ■ 4-stop Image Stabiliser ■ 0.22m closefocusing Pros: Smooth and quiet motor. Amazing 4 stops of image stabilisation. Exceptional image quality. Cons: It uses a plastic mount, not metal. Can be a bit soft at the widest apertures. EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II £149/$199/€129 Affordable general purpose lens. ■ Lightweight, compact design ■ Wide-angie to short telephoto range ■ Four stop Image Stabiliser ■ Aspherical lens elements ■ 0.25m close-focusing distance ■ Circular aperture diaphragm ■ High-speed AF Pros: Excellent image quality, particularly around f/8. Low distortion. 4 stop…

INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES Don't be a fair weather photographer. You don't always need a stunning sunrise or glorious sunny day to undertake a photography session. Sometimes, a grey day can give up the goods hs well as any sunny day. It's just a case of approaching it from a different angle. If it is a lacklustre day, the shadows will be flat or non-existent and there will be very little contrast compared to a bright day. Make the most of form and texture instead. Also, perhaps you could shoot with the intent of doing a mono conversion such as the examples seen here.…

FOCUSING Autofocus is so easy to use that the focus switch on some of your lenses may never have been moved to the manual position. Most of the time autofocusing gives excellent results. It is faster than manual focusing, and often more accurate. However, autofocusing operates by a series of rules (algorithms). There may be times when these do not give the results you want. EOS cameras use a highly sensitive line sensor for autofocus ranging. Called BASIS (BAse Stored Image Sensor), it consists of two 48-bit line sensors and associated amplifier circuitry. The sensor is in the base of the camera. A sub-mirror behind the camera's reflex mirror reflects light down to the sensor. This light is split by a small lens assembly to form two separate images. One…

ISO AND IMAGE NOISE Anyone who has owned a digital camera for a while will be familiar with the concept of image noise. It's that grainy distortion that spoils pictures shot in low light conditions with high ISO settings. What is image noise, where does it come from and what can be done to prevent it? All electronic devices generate noise. The background hiss of a radio, the sound of an overamplified electric guitar, or the interference on a badly tuned television, all of these things are electronic noise, and so is the noise seen in a digital photograph. This noise comes from a variety of sources. Some of it is generated by imperfections in the electronic components, or as a by-product of their normal operation. For instance, capacitors generate…

“It's important to choose the right lens for the job, but top quality DSLR lenses are very expensive.” Digital SLR systems offer the greatest versatility of any photographic system, and represent the best compromise between quality and portability. The best CSC systems are still some way behind, but are catching up fast. There are lenses and other accessories available to suit every type of photography, both amateur and professional. It is worth being aware that top quality DSLR lenses command top prices. This shot is using a very specialist lens to get this architectural image from a different perspective. The extreme nature of the distortion and the wide field of view this lens gives you is apparent, as is the visible curvature of the building, adding to the scale and…

Whilst the top wildlife photographers jet off to exotic locations to capture their photos, for those of us of more modest means, zoos and wildlife parks can provide many opportunities to photograph animals in more controlled and easily accessible locations. Most wildlife parks try to ensure that their animals are kept in surroundings that closely match their natural environment. Zoos and parks will usually actively encourage photography, and often build their enclosures to provide an unobstructed view of the animals, so by careful use of a telephoto lens it should be possible to exclude anything from the shot that might give away the fact that it was not shot in the wild. Since like most zoo animals the big cats are accustomed to visitors, they are quite happy to pose…

Although there is no real right and wrong to shooting landscapes, there are a few tips that can elevate your shots and have them stand out against the general background noise of countless dull shots. First of ail, take time to research your possible shooting destination if you have not been there before. Just Googling the location you want to shoot will call up all sorts of information. Most of it may be useless to you, but you can guarantee that there will be examples of other photographs taken there. The experiences of other photographers in this location will give you the heads-up as to whether it is an easy or difficult place to reach. There may be tips concerning local by-laws and the best nearby parking spots etc. There…

ACTION AND SPORTS Photographing sports and action scenes is a challenging but rewarding part of the hobby. At almost any sporting event, from the company five-a-side team on a Saturday fixture, to international events like the Olympics or the World Cup, you'll find photographers on the sidelines capturing the action. Professional sports photographers make a good living from it, and use specialised equipment such as advanced high-speed cameras and ultrafast telephoto lenses costing thousands of pounds, but even the average hobby photographer with basic equipment can capture good sports and action shots with a bit of patience and effort. There are no hard-and-fast rules for sports photography, mainly because there are so many different types of sporting event. A technique that might work well for horse racing would be completely…

HIGH SPEED PHOTOGRAPHY Sometimes (or most of the time if you live in the UK) the random nature of the weather will keep even the most enthusiastic photographer indoors. However there are plenty of indoor photographic opportunities for those willing to experiment, and who are looking for something new and challenging to try. How about a little still life session? That bowl of oranges in the kitchen that no-one has touched for a month could be your subject. Wait a moment though; how about taking something innocuous like that orange or any random small object or vegetable and trying something you may not have considered before? One possible approach (and a great place to start out) is to take your orange, lemon, apple or fruit of your choice, drop it…

Whether you are a beginner, an enthusiast or a seasoned professional, Canon's range of cameras and accessories means that there is something for everyone. From stylish compact cameras, to entry level DSLRs and top of the range professional equipment; the range available to choose from is huge. Over the following pages we'll take a look at the primary Canon range with easy at a glance specifications to help you decide which type of camera is right for you, along with some pros and cons to help refine your choices. We start with a few choice compact cameras and then move on to more advanced models such as the EOS M range and APS-C crop sensor and full-frame DSLRs. We also have a breakdown of lenses for EOS M, crop-sensor and…

EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM £1889/$2099/€2571 A precision ultra-wide-angle lens. ■ L-series construction with dust and moisture sealing ■ Aspherical and UD lens elements ■ Circular aperture ■ Super Spectra coatings ■ Rectilinear design ■ FilterSize: Gelatine type Pros: Very low distortion for such a wide lens. Image sharpness second to none. Cons: The 16-35mm wide-angle zoom could be a cheaper option. It's a very expensive lens. EF 35mm f/2 IS USM £399/$549/€543 A versatile standard f/2 prime lens. ■ Up to four stops of image stabilisation ■ Fastf/2 maximum aperture ■ Ultrasonic AF for quick focusing ■ Compact, lightweight design ■ Eight-bladed aperture for smooth bokeh ■ Moulded glass elements for sharpness ■ 0.24m minimum focus distance Pros: Very good quality and sharpness for a non-L series lens. IS…

Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM £520/$499/€584 A versatile high-quality 35mm lens for the EOS R mirrorless system. ■ Maximum aperture of f/1.8 ■ 5 stops image stabilisation ■ ll elements in 9 groups ■ 9 diaphragm blades ■ Closest focusing distance 0.17m ■ 63° diagonal angle of view Pros: Fast AF system. Amazing build quality. Great sharpness with sharp corners wide open. Cons: Not a true 1:1 macro lens. Some vignetting visible. Noisy AF motor. Some distortion visible. Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM £2687/$2699/€2999 An L series prime lens with incredible low light performance. ■ Maximum aperture of f/1.2 ■ Smooth, fast, USM motor ■ 13 elements in 9 groups ■ 9 diaphragm blades ■ Closest focusing distance 0.85m ■ 28° diagonal angle of view Pros: Fast auto…

Modern Canon cameras are marvels of miniaturised technology, with many automatic functions to help you take good photos in a wide range of different situations. However by learning more about how your camera works and how to use its many features you can expand the scope of your photography and get good results every time, even in difficult conditions. For owners of more advanced DSLRs there are options such as aperture and shutter speed control, sensitivity and white balance, as well as creative light metering modes and manual focusing, all of which can be used creatively to make your photos really stand out. Photography is a rewarding and potentially profitable hobby, and the more you learn about it the more you'll get out of it. Read on and find out…

When you look at, for example, a sheet of white paper, your brain adjusts what you see so that it matches what you are expecting to see. However your digital camera doesn't have any expectations, and the colour that it “sees” is the actual colour present in the scene. ‘White’ light visible to humans can actually vary in colour from reddish orange to greenishblue. This variation is usually described as a temperature range, with warm being the red end and cold at the blue end, and is usually measured in degrees Kelvin using a colour meter. Confusingly, the higher the colour temperature, the cooler the tone and vice versa. We perceive various shades of white light illuminatinga scene as neutral, a clever trick performed by our brains to maintain a…

Photographers have a phrase, the “golden hour”, which refers to the first and last hours of light in the day, but particularly the special light one only sees at dawn. To capture a shot like the one on this page requires not only precise control of exposure, but also the dedication and patience to wake up while it's still dark and get set up to take the photo before the sun rises. Since that beautiful morning mist depends on the weather conditions, you might have to try several mornings in a row to get a shot this good. You have to be really committed to your art to go above and beyond! As for the technical aspects of the shot, the photographer has used a medium wide focal length of…

“it's best to take this sort of photo on a day that's bright, but not too sunny, because it's easy to burn out highlights on a longer exposure.” This mist-like waterfall effect is very popular and looks great when it's done right. It looks challenging, but in fact it's very easy to set up. All you need is a tripod and any camera with manual shutter speed control. The hardest part is finding a stream or river that has a nice photogenic waterfall or some rapids. Use your common sense and always exercise caution around fast-moving water; it may be deeper than it looks, with strong currents. It's best to take this sort of photo on a day that's bright, but not too sunny, because it's easy to burn out…

“Black and white photography can be seen as your interpretation of what is real…” At the dawn of photography as we know it, when everything was fresh and new, your only choice back then was to shoot in black and white. Exposing images onto glass or metal plates gave way to the film and chemical process. It wasn't until 1936 that Kodak gave the world colour photography. However, black and white didn't die off like the black and white TV; in fact it flourished. Whichever way you look at it, colour distracts you from the heart of what should make a great photo. Things like texture, composition, form, lighting and good old storytelling can be swamped and made inconsequential by colour. It's not to say that colour is an invalid…

Landscape photography is like playing a musical instrument. It takes an afternoon to learn the rudiments, but it can take the rest of your life to really master it. It is a vast and rewarding field, as well as a lifelong hobby. Landscape art is not restricted to photography. People have been drawing and painting the world around them since prehistoric times. A walk around any art gallery or a quick search on Google will demonstrate that the landscape has always been a major source of Inspiration to the world's greatest artists, and even a brief study of their work will show that there are as many different approaches to landscape art as there are artists. Studying how different painters have chosen to represent the landscape will also teach you…

High Dynamic Range, or HDR, imaging is a technique that has become very popular over the past few years, particularly for landscape photography. It's actually quite easy to do, and some of the latest cameras will actually do it automatically. You simply shoot three or more copies of the same image at different exposure settings, so that over a series of photos you capture highlight, shadow and mid-tone details. You then combine these shots into one image that compresses the full range of tones so that there are no burned-out highlights or dark shadows. “With the right subject the results can be astonishingly beautiful, but it doesn't work with everything and many people do over-use it.” DID YOU KNOW? When setting your camera to take bracketed exposures, if you activate…

EF 11-24mm f/4L USM £2699/$2799/€2549 The best in ultra-wide-angle photography. ■ Minimum focusing distance of 11 in./0.28m ■ 9 diaphragm blades ■ 16 element in ll groups ■ The widestangle rectilinear zoom lens ■ Minimal distortion for architecture ■ Advanced lens coatings ■ Swift, nearly silent AF Pros: Astonishing scope and quality. Superb sharpness, colour rendition, and contrast. Cons: Colour fringing reported at 11mm. Sigma's 12-24 might bean alternative. Heavy. EF 17-40mm f/4L USM £549/$799/€747 A lightweight and affordable ultra-wide zoom. ■ Superb optical performance throughout the zoom range ■ Fast autofocus speed ■ Highly resistant to dust and moisture ■ 28cm minimum focusing distance at all focal lengths ■ 12 elements in 9 groups Pros: Quality Lseries lens. Incredible image quality and fast focusing. Relatively inexpensive. Cons: Distortion reported…

Of the three main controls common to nearly all cameras – shutter speed, focus and aperture – it is aperture adjustment that is the least well understood. This is because it not only helps to control exposure, but also affects something called Depth of Field. Understanding the effects of aperture size is a vital skill for any keen photographer. At least there's nothing mysterious about the name. The aperture is literally a hole through which light passes after it enters the lens. The diameter of this hole can be altered, allowing a greater or smaller amount of light to pass through on its way to the sensor. In the early days of photography, aperture was adjusted by slotting cards with different sized holes cut in them into the body of…

Nearly all digital cameras, from topof-the-range DSLRs to the humblest budget point-and-shoot compacts, have multiple light metering options. Knowing how and when to use these different metering modes can make a dramatic difference to the quality of your photography; unfortunately most people don't understand what the different modes are for, how they work, or how to use them. Know your modes Depending on your camera, you'll find metering options either in the menu or with their own separate control. In cameras with a fully-automatic setting, this will usually disable the metering options; automatically selecting multi-zone metering as the best option for day-to-day scenes and snapshots. The most common light metering modes are found on nearly all digital cameras. They are spot metering, centre-weighted metering and matrix metering. The symbols used…

NEUTRAL DENSITY GRADS “You can compose your shot, take an average meter reading and capture your image knowing that the filter has balanced the tonal value of the scene.” You are out and about happily taking photographs, with gorgeous sunshine to brighten the experience. It's your last day before venturing off home and you happen upon a scene that you want to capture. The sun is rising and its position is creating a dramatic lighting effect. What can you do to get the most from the opportunity? The problem is that the dynamic range of the scene before you is very extreme because the sun itself is part of the shot. You have options, of course. If you had the time you could wait until the next day when the…

Careful control of depth of field by adjusting aperture and focal length is one of the most striking creative techniques available to the photographer, and you don't need any special equipment to do it, just your camera and a zoom lens. For this lovely flying bee image, the photographer has used a 100mm, fast macro lens with a large maximum aperture of f2.8. This has resulted in a narrow depth of field but by carefully focusing on the creature's body the effect of this narrow plane of focus is to isolate the insect against what could otherwise be a very busy and distracting leafy woodland background. One consideration to bear in mind is that when working with very shallow depth of field, precise focusing is essential. The slightest movement and…

“A neutral density filter is almost like sunglasses for your camera lens.” It may sound counterintuitive. Why would you want long exposures during the day? Daytime shooting means you have no shortage of light, shutter speeds are high and there is little chance of either motion blur or camera shake. Why would you deliberately want to choose slow shutter speeds? It is, for want of a better phrase, an artistic choice. We are very used to seeing images taken in the daytime that are sharp, free from camera shake or motion blur where everything is… well… static. That's fine if it's what you are after, but consider how the world changes when you shoot at night (apart from it being dark of course). Things are a little more surreal at…

OUTDOOR PORTRAITURE Swap the studio for the great outdoors Portraits are infinitely variable in their content, style, composition and location. Trying to pin down a simple set of ground rules on how to take a good portrait is tricky in the sense that everyone eventually develops their own style and way of doing things. After all, a golden rule I've heard mentioned time and again is: ‘take the shots that YOU like’. It is quite easy to get started and use available light for your portraits but I've always held the opinion that if an experienced photographer and an enthusiast were taking shots side by side of the same subject with the same camera and lens on a sunny day, the shots are likely to be more similar than different.…

Are you a new photographer? Have you just upgraded to a DSLR from your cameraphone and looking to take more inspired photos? We all have to start somewhere and chances are you're not going to be creating sensational photographic works of art the moment you turn your new camera on. Despite professional photographers wanting us to believe it, they are not all born perfect master of their art. Mistakes happen, lessons have to be learned and experience has to be gained. It is also probably worth noting that you don't have to be a newbie to make mistakes, anyone can do it. You are not alone. Sometimes, things happen that are not even necessarily mistakes. New photographers can get overwhelmed by all the new settings they have to employ to…