Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

Senegalese Wrestlers ÁNGEL LÓPEZ SOTO Wrestlers train on a beach in Dakar. Wrestling is the number one national sport in Senegal, and has also become a means of social ascendancy. It’s not just seen as a sport, it is also a slice of African life, tradition, and culture, in which there is a mix of animist and Muslim beliefs. Motherhood MARIA KOKUNOVA After spending 15 years in a megalopolis, Maria experienced a desire to escape to the country. It has now been four years since she voluntarily isolated herself in a cosy cave of maternity, living in a country house in Ulyanovka, Russia. Ice Fishing Hut SANDRA HERBER Winters in Manitoba, Canada, are long and often bitterly cold. These huts must be transportable, protect their occupants from the elements and…

The longer your lens, the harder it is to sight and keep up with your subject. Small movements become exaggerated at higher magnifications and this can make photographing erratic subjects, such as birds, even more challenging. The DF-M1 dot sight is built to help improve your accuracy, and although this super-specialist attachment won’t appeal to everyone, it’s worth looking into if you spend most of your time searching for (or losing) faraway subjects. You’d be forgiven for thinking the DF-M1 is a piece of military hardware. The pop-up dot sight slots into the hotshoe of a camera, weighs very little and folds down when not in use. In practice, the sight allows you to pinpoint the centre of your frame, without narrowing your vision through the viewfinder. This makes it…

Nikon Image Space is a free online service that enables you to upload, store, and share up to 20GB of photos and clips. You can view your uploaded photos in any web browser and organize them by applying ratings, or popping them into albums to share with friends and family. You can also organize the contents of your online collection using the Nikon Image Space app on your Apple or Android tablet or smartphone, as we’ll demonstrate in our walkthrough. You can upload photos and clips to the Nikon Image Space site directly from your desktop PC. However, if you also sync and store Nikon photos on your mobile device, you can then access them from a tablet or smartphone’s Nikon Image Space app. Here you can explore your shots…

MISSION: Blend interesting foregrounds with the splendour of the night sky PHOTOGRAPHER: Jonathan Moya LOCATION: Los Angeles, United States KIT USED: Nikon D750. Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art, Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC, iOptron SkyTracker Pro WEBSITE: jonmoyaphotography.com INSTAGRAM: @digitaltoddy I started taking photographs because I spend a lot of time outdoors and wanted something to do while camping. A time-lapse of the night sky over the Atacama Desert, Chile, by Nicholas Buer was the real catalyst; I wanted to create images that made me feel how I felt when I saw that for the first time. I started with a Nikon D5500, and spent hours watching videos on photography. I have upgraded my kit as I’ve progressed, first the D7100, then the D750 and now the D850.…

Billingham 72 Camera Bag £109/$140 www.billingham.co.uk Quality and style are two words that spring to mind when the word ‘Billingham’ is mentioned. Established in 1973, the company has finally entered the holster arena with its new 72 Camera Bag. As usual, it’s beautifully crafted from choices of three-layer waterproof canvas, or synthetic FibreNyte, with top-grain leather and brass details, including the studs, rivets and strap loops. The shoulder strap is removable and there’s a belt loop at the rear, but no top carrying handle. Internal dimensions are 110x90x140mm and the bag is quite weighty for its size, at 460g. As with Billingham’s larger camera bags, a quick-release brass ‘ClogBall’ and leather fastening strap enables one-handed opening and closing of the cover flap. This reveals the main compartment with an adjustable…

£389/$499 The Nikon-fit edition isn’t entirely manual Although Samyang has started making autofocus lenses, the company is mostly known for its high-quality, but reasonably priced, manual lenses. Most of them are available in a barrage of different mount options, but the Nikon F-mount versions are less manual than most. They generally have built-in electronics that enable the aperture to be set from the body, so you can shoot effectively in PASM modes. The electronics also drive the focus assist and confirmation lamps in the viewfinder, and enable exposure info to be displayed in the camera and recorded in EXIF data. Like most manual focus lenses, the Samyang 100mm Macro has a long-travel focus ring that operates with smooth precision – great news for macro shooting, where very fine and precise…

£579/$597 Good, if you like getting in really close Designed for full-frame cameras, this lens is equivalent to the ‘effective’ focal length of the Nikon 40mm Micro on DX bodies. It therefore works quite well as a fairly standard prime lens, as well as a 1.0x macro optic. Due to the longer ‘actual’ focal length than in the DX lens, the shortest focus distance is greater, at 19cm, instead of 16cm. However, the FX lens is physically longer as well, and while it has an internal focusing system, the working distance from the front of the lens to the subject in full macro photography is only 1.5cm longer than with the DX 40mm, at 5cm. That’s fine if you don’t mind getting in really close to whatever you’re shooting, but…

For full-frame and APS-C format cameras, the Tamron 90mm is our favourite. It delivers top image quality and has a hybrid image stabilizer that works well for close-ups as well as general shooting. The latter is also enhanced by a fast and accurate ring-type ultrasonic AF system. Build quality is good as well, featuring weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element. All in all, it’s better than Nikon’s top-flight 105mm Macro and less expensive, but Tamron is still working on a firmware update for Z-series compatibility. On a tighter budget, the Sigma 105mm lens is the one to go for. It has a regular stabilizer, but it works a treat for general shooting, and has a switchable panning that’s great for sports and wildlife shots. There are no…

It’s been a challenging few weeks, and it’s likely we’ll have more challenges to face going forward. Every industry and individual has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak in some way, and photography is certainly no different. I had initially reserved this spot for talk of witnessing the D6 and meeting N-Photo readers at The Photography Show. But as you’re probably aware, the event has been postponed until 19-22 September. The D6 release too has been pushed back until May, but during this period of uncertainty other matters must take precedence. And yet it’s still important to have a positive outlet. Think outside the softbox While the nation battens down the hatches, we might all have to become a little more creative when it comes to taking photos, but there…

Normally I’d use this introduction to give a snapshot of all the wonderful content we have in store for you, but with the coronavirus pandemic putting Britain – and much of the wider world – into lockdown, that feels rather redundant. At the time of writing, the UK government has barred all but essential travel, but is advising keeping up outdoor exercise while remaining at least two metres away from your fellow human beings. So, where does this leave us photographers? When it comes to the great outdoors, photography is very much a solitary pursuit, but even so, heading out with a tripod over your shoulder isn’t really an option in these troubled times. However, there are plenty of subjects closer to home – and inside it! – to hone…

Top reasons to subscribe now! Great savings Subscribe for 12 months and get your issues delivered to your door, plus choose between these two fantastic gifts Vanguard VEO GO 34M Messenger Bag An ideal compact and stylish messenger bag for a small Nikon DSLR or Z-system mirrorless with tripod and accessories Lowepro SlingShot 102 AW Backpack A stylish Lowepro backpack that will fit a Nikon DSLR or mirrorless and standard zoom, plus other lenses and kit Option 1 6 month subscription £27 (No gift) • 6 issues of N-Photo print edition delivered Option 2 Regular subscription £56 • 13 issues of N-Photo print edition delivered• Your choice of messenger bag or backpack• Expert PDF handbook• 20% off entry to The Photography Show Option 3 Premium subscription £69 • 13 issues…

Windmills are among the most picturesque man-made structures that can be found on the landscape. But these once-functional buildings, which used the power of the wind for anything from draining waterlogged land to milling flour, are now relics of a bygone era, and as such are mostly static shells, whose sails turn no more. But that’s not the case with Wilton Windmill… It’s been lovingly restored and preserved in the Pewsey Vale of Wiltshire. It also still uses the power of the wind to grind grain into flour in the age-old tradition – sails turning under the power of the wind. Which begs the question: how do you convey this sense of movement in a still? Using ND filters to get long exposures can turn the churning sea into a…

One of the most appealing things about macro photography is the way it lets us see a tiny world in fantastic detail. But what if the detail straight-out-of-camera just isn’t enough? In this project, we’re going to look at how to combine two camera techniques that enable us to expand depth of field and our image’s resolution. This will result in a level of fine detail that simply wouldn’t be possible with a single frame. Depth of field is one of the main considerations with close-up photography. When the subject is very close to the lens – as is usually the case with macro shots – the depth of field can be incredibly shallow, even when using narrower apertures. As long as our subject is stationary, we can get around…

MISSION: Photograph and print a series of brilliant winter landscapes from the Dolomites PHOTOGRAPHER: Igor Bortoluzzi LOCATION: Salgareda, Treviso, Italy KIT USED: Nikon D750, Nikon 20mm f/1.8, Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6, Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art WEBSITE: www.igorbortoluzzifotografia.com FACEBOOK: @IgorBortoluzziFotografia INSTAGRAM: @igorbortoluzzifoto I started shooting film many years ago, using a Nikon F55. When I switched to digital, my passion for photography increased and I’ve used various Nikon cameras since, including the D60, D7000, D600 and D750. I started a steady collaboration with a photo studio six years ago, and photography has now become my full-time job. I work across multiple genres, from weddings to advertising, still life and so on, but landscapes are my original passion. Planning a shoot is essential in landscape photography. The process goes from choosing the location…

Q I’ve read conflicting things about cleaning the image sensor in Z 6 and Z 7 cameras, due to the in-body stabilization. What’s your advice? Adam Smyth A The official line from Nikon is that under no circumstances should you touch or wipe the image sensor. Instead, you should send the camera to a Nikon-authorized service representative for manual cleaning. Naturally, however, that can be an expensive and time-wasting option. Starting simple, there’s an option in the Setup menu for cleaning the image sensor by vibrating it to remove dust. The ‘Automatic cleaning’ option does this whenever the camera is turned off, whereas ‘Clean now’ runs the cleaning cycle immediately. Nikon also says it’s okay to use a blower to remove dust or lint, but not to use a blower…

Tony Wu Profile • Prior to devoting his life to underwater photography, Tony Wu earned an honours degree from an Ivy League school and a scholarship to study in Japan.• His passion for diving and marine wildlife took him to Singapore, where he became a regular contributor to Asian Diver magazine• More than 25 years later, Tony is renowned as one of the world’s most respected underwater photographers, particularly of great whales.• His work has been honoured by numerous awards, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year and he is a sought-after speaker and judge of international photography contests, including Big Picture and Nature Photographer of the Year. www.tony-wu.com www.tonywublog.com Tony Wu has probably spent more time swimming with whales than anyone else on the planet, but he’s not one to…

£1000/$1000 It’s another Z lens. Can you guess the rating? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S doesn’t disappoint… The Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S has modest-sounding specs by today’s standards, but there’s nothing wrong with that. While some lens manufacturers have been bulking up their offerings and creating heavy f/1.4 optics and faster glass, Nikon has stuck to a more modest f/1.8 aperture rating for the primes in its Z-mount S-line stable. The Nikon Z 58mm f/0.95 Noct is a notable exception but the rule of thumb is that, while the 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm f/1.8 lenses certainly aren’t small, they’re quite compact and lightweight. This makes them look and feel a perfect match for the Nikon Z 6 and…

£269/$277 Nikon’s baby Micro is short but sharp The DX format 40mm Micro is wonderfully compact and lightweight, ideal for popping into a spare corner of your camera bag in case you need it. That might happen more often than you think, as it’s very versatile. The focal length and aperture rating make it a good standard prime for general shooting, with the option of quick shutter speeds under dull lighting and a fairly tight depth of field. Macro shooting is more tricky, however, as the inner barrel extends at shorter focus distances, giving a working distance between the front of the lens and the subject of just 3.5cm in full macro mode. This can make it difficult to photograph bugs without scaring them away in the process, and can…

£399/$557 Nikon’s bigger and better DX format Micro The choice of focal length in macro lenses has more to do with working distance than telephoto reach. As such, this 85mm Micro has a much longer working distance, at its closest focus setting for full 1.0x macro magnification, than its 40mm sibling. Another plus is that focusing is fully internal, so the inner barrel doesn’t extend as you shorten the focus. The result is a comfy 14.5cm between the front of the lens and the subject in full macro photography, compared with just 3.5cm for the 40mm lens. Further benefits over the 40mm are the addition of an ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element and VR (Vibration Reduction). That said, the stabilization system is worth about three-stops in general shooting, but of typically…

649/$649 It’s the best Tamron 90mm yet Tamron’s popular line of 90mm macro lenses stretches all the way back to 1979. The latest edition is distinguished by a silver band around the base, and comes with a host of updates. Compared with the previous ‘gold ring’ edition, the new version has a revised and refined optical layout, including two top-grade XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) elements instead of just one. It also features conventional and nano-structure coatings to keep ghosting and flare to a minimum. The lens also gains weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element. Tamron has also added a hybrid image stabilizer or VC (Vibration Compensation) system. This corrects for X-Y shift, as well as the more usual angular vibration, making it more effective for close-up shooting.…

THE APPRENTICE NAME: Nathan Tozer CAMERA: Nikon D800 Engineering consultant Nathan is an accomplished portrait photographer in his own right (@n_tozer_photography). He used to be a member of a local photo studio, but relocating means he only visits occasionally now. Nathan enjoys using portraits to tell stories and is no stranger to fantasy-inspired shoots. He’s hoping to pick up a few tips from our seasoned studio shooting pro and should feel right at home photographing the steampunk scenes that Mark’s prepared. THE PRO NAME: Mark O’Leary CAMERAS: Nikon D3 & Nikon D750 Mark is a plumber by trade, but has been shooting weddings and portraits for the past 35 years. MOL Photography opened for business in 2017, where Mark offers workshops, shoots and the studio for hire. He’s been taking…

There’s something magical about umbrellas. The one belonging to Harry Potter fan favourite Hagrid doubles as a wand, Mary Poppins’ talking parrot umbrella is her chosen form of transport and Gene Kelly’s brolly in Singin’ in the Rain stars in one of the most famous dance routines in Hollywood history… It’s not surprising, then, that umbrellas make great photography props, too. In this tutorial, we’ve used four umbrellas to produce four very different portraits. The image opposite was inspired by P. L. Travers’ Mary Poppins and features a classic black umbrella. We created the convincing flying effect by using a stepladder and Adobe Photoshop (and a generous helping of magic). The bokeh-filled image on page 48 was created by taping a string of battery-powered LED lights to a clear brolly.…

The technique of selective lightening and darkening has been central to photography for over a century. In the days of film, areas of a print could be shielded from the light of an enlarger, or ‘dodged’. Conversely, the light could be focused on to smaller areas to ‘burn’ them in. Photoshop makes this technique easier with dedicated Dodge and Burn tools. The Dodge tool lets you paint to lighten areas, while the Burn tool darkens. But there are still a few settings to master if you want to get the most out of these tools The Dodge and Burn tools aren’t the only features on offer in Photoshop for selective lightening or darkening. Most of us begin editing our photos in a Raw processor, like Photoshop’s Camera Raw, or the…

1. Lady in Red BY ITA Red squirrels are one of the most popular wildlife subjects in the UK, thanks to their photogenic nature. This image was taken in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The super-shallow depth of field allows the subject to pop against the earthy background. The pink flowers to the left of the subject add a welcome burst of colour and help to balance this wholesome wildlife image. 2. Buzz Off! BY ADAM HOBBS A truly remarkable moment captured. The composition of this image is spot on. The buzzard occupies precisely half of the frame, with the other half reserved for the tiny wasp. Ample negative space surrounds the insect and serves to amplify its minute sense of scale when compared to the large bird of prey. 3.…

Patagonia had beckoned me for some time and the opportunity to see pumas in the wild had slowly become an overbearing obsession. Yes, ‘puma concolor’ reside in Canada too – they are called cougars – but in the sparsely populated areas of southern Chile, where there are no grizzly bears or wolves to compete with, they are certainly the apex predator. So in December I flew to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in Chile, and embarked on my mission. The trip yielded pleasing images of pumas and some of the species they share this harsh but beautiful landscape with, including Andean condors, Patagonian grey foxes and guanacos. It was another step in what I see as my evolution. Journalism has changed dramatically over the 30-plus years I have been involved,…

Joby Beamo £80/$90 (Beamo), £60/$70 (Beamo Mini) www.joby.com Looking for ultra small yet ultra powerful lights? Meet the Joby Beamo and Joby Beamo Mini – a pair of new products that promise professional lighting that fits right into your pocket. While their ultra-compact size makes them perfect for content creation, our experience with a certain similar rival product attests that Joby Beamo will also provide useful all-purpose lighting for stills as well. Yes, the Beamo and Beamo Mini are quite similar to Lume Cube 2.0 and Lume Cube Air, but there are a few key differences, though… namely that the full-size Beamo offers wireless charging capability and the Mini is actually brighter than the Air – both products are also a little more affordable than their Lume Cube counterparts. Let’s…

Most macro prime lenses have a magnification ratio of 1.0x (or 1:1), but what does that mean? In a nutshell (or something of a similarly small size), when you move in close to something using the lens’s shortest available focus distance, objects are reproduced on the camera’s image sensor at full life-size. Something measuring just 36x24mm would completely fill the image sensor of a full-frame camera, and it’s a mere 24x16mm if you’re shooting with a DX body. Bear in mind how much larger an image is when you view it on screen or in print, compared with the size of the camera’s sensor, and the scope for enlargement is incredible. Tiny garden bugs can look like giant, other-worldly creatures and you’ll see levels of fine detail that are invisible…

£359/$469 A feature-rich lens at a real bargain price Launched in 2011, this optically stabilized FX format macro lens predates Sigma’s ‘Global Vision’ Art, Sports and Contemporary line-up by a year. Unlike the larger 150mm OS macro that was launched a few months earlier, it’s still going strong and serves up a tempting feast of features at a very competitive price. It has a fast ring-type ultrasonic AF and a fully internal focusing arrangement, complete with a range-limiter switch that can lock out near or far focusing. It’s also good for shooting sports and wildlife, with a four-stop stabilizer that has switchable static and panning modes. A hood is supplied with the lens, plus a hood converter for optimized performance when using the lens on a DX body. Performance Corner-sharpness…

£499/$595 A macro lens that goes the distance Sigma’s 150mm macro was a good performer but has now been discontinued, clearing the stage for this Irix newcomer. It’s an imposing lens that weighs in at 840g, and comes with a tripod collar. This enables a much better balance in tripod-mounted shooting, especially in portrait orientation. The build quality and finish are impeccable, based on high-quality optical elements and a weather-sealed magnesium alloy barrel. While focus distance and magnification factor scales are clear to see and the 1.0x macro working distance is longer than with any other lens on test, at 17.5cm. Like the Samyang macro, the Irix is manual-focus, but includes all the electronics for camera-driven aperture control, illumination of focus assist and confirmation lamps in the viewfinder, and the…

£799/$807 As good as it gets for a Nikon Micro Nikon’s top-drawer Micro lens is full-frame compatible but bears certain similarities to its 85mm DX sibling. Both have the same number of optical elements, including one ED element, plus a three-stop stabilizer. Both lenses also have a very similar minimum working distance of 14.5cm and 15 cm for the 85mm and 105mm lens respectively, and a similarly swift ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system. As you’d expect, the FX format 105mm is bigger and heavier. Surprisingly though, although it’s not much larger than the DX lens, it’s more than twice the weight, at 750g. In the UK, it’s also twice the price, but there’s less of a difference in the USA. One upgrade is that the 105mm lens includes Nano Crystal Coat,…