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

1 SHOOT AT f/8! Tom M says… Tom was using Manual exposure mode, but for landscape photography shutter speeds are incidental as you’re using a tripod, so I prefer Aperture Priority mode. It gives you one less thing to worry about. My go-to aperture is f/8, as this gives the optimum sharpness on most lenses. 2 CHECK THE HISTOGRAM Tom M says… After each and every shot I encouraged Tom to check the histogram on the back of the camera display to ensure we weren’t blowing the highlights in the clouds or on the horizon. It’s very quick to then dial in a little exposure compensation to bring the exposure back within the limits. 3 AUTO/MANUAL FOCUS Tom M says… Tom was focusing manually, but my eyes aren’t that good!…

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Photography is a great way to delve deeper into something you love. If you’re passionate about astronomy, astrophotography will help develop your knowledge of constellations and celestial bodies, and nurture your interest in the night sky. In this project we’ll show you how to photograph star trails. To do this effectively you’ll need to set up your camera in pitch-black conditions, find your focus manually, and prepare your camera to shoot a sequence of images from the exact same spot. You’ll then need to use Adobe Photoshop (or other suitable software) to blend your sequence together. The best star trail shots are often a credit to the photographer’s resolve: the longer the shoot, the more images you’ll capture and more impressive your star trails will be. You can capture star…

Connectivity is a hugely important factor in this digital age. We’re used to our phone’s ability to quickly capture and upload images online anytime, anywhere. And with the Nikon SnapBridge app, you can transfer media from your camera directly to a smart device in a jiffy too. SnapBridge allows Nikon users to pair up to five compatible cameras to their smart device. It was announced way back in 2016, but a recent update has transformed its functionality. You can now upload Raw files, remotely control DSLR and mirrorless cameras, and make use of a power-saving mode, among many other things. If you’re looking to backup images in the field, or want to quickly upload social mediafriendly files to your phone or tablet, SnapBridge is worth a look. The ability to…

MISSION: Broaden my horizons by pushing my portrait photography skills to their limits PHOTOGRAPHER: Fabio Mura LOCATION: Turin, Italy KIT USED: Nikon D810 & D850, Nikon 105mm f/2.8 & 35mm f/1.4, Nikon Speedlight SB-5000 WEBSITE: www.fabiomuraphoto.it INSTAGRAM: @fabiopicturez I can trace my photography roots back to the early ’90s, when I acquired the classic disposable Kodak FunSaver. I finished my first roll of film during a trip to the Eternal City, but it didn’t quite go to plan. I ended up with a multiexposure of all 27 shots, because I never wound the film on. I didn’t have any photos to remember my trip – which was just ‘wonderful’ – but at the time it wasn’t important for me to take good photos. It was important that I felt good…

Q I have a D80 and 18-135mm kit lens, plus an AF-S 50mm f/1.8G and Tamron SP 70-300mm VC USD. If I upgrade to a Z 50, do you think it’s worth keeping any of the lenses? Kris Jasinski A I’d be inclined to sell or trade in all of your lenses, and go for the Z 50 kit that includes both the Z DX 16-50mm VR and Z DX 50-250mm VR zooms. Both of these lenses are compact and lightweight, ideally suited to the Z 50, yet deliver very good performance and image quality. There are issues with using some Tamron lenses with Z-series cameras anyway, including your SP 70-300mm VC USD. Only manual focusing is available with these lenses, via an FTZ mount adapter, and it seems that…

Lab tests explained Sharpness A chart with multiple sharp boundaries is photographed, the extent of blur at the centre, mid and edges showing how many line widths per picture height the lens can resolve. Simply put, the bigger the numbers the sharper the lens. Fringing Chromatic aberration is visible as purple or green fringing around high-contrast boundaries, caused by different wavelengths being focused on different areas of the sensor. The larger the number, the worse the score. Distortion A lens that bulges towards the edges of the frame produces barrel distortion, shown as a negative score. Pincushion distortion produces a positive score. A score of zero indicates no distortion. Our awards in a nutshell The best performance, design and value A product that gives you more for your money The…

After so much time indoors, the sheer scale of a sweeping landscape can take on some truly astounding proportions. From open fields and rolling hills to huge dramatic skies, there’s a lot to take in. With a standard zoom lens, you’ll often struggle to squeeze as much of the scenery into the frame as you’d like. Mount an ultra-wideangle lens on your camera and it’s a truly liberating experience for landscape photography – much like taking the blinkers off and pulling much more of the vista into the camera for your images. When choosing an ultra-wide lens, it’s crucial to pick the right tool for the job. While an FX (full-frame compatible) telephoto lens can work equally well on DX (APS-C) cameras, an ultra-wide lens designed for FX cameras will…

£259/$279 This remarkably compact ultra-wide zoom weighs just 230g, employing a plastic rather than metal mounting plate, but it still packs in some useful features. Unlike Nikon’s older and heavier AF-S DX 10-24mm lens, it adds 3.5-stop VR that can save a lot more weight, avoiding the need to lug a tripod around with you. Autofocus is based on a stepping motor that gives quick performance for stills and smooth, near-silent, transitions while shooting movies. As usual for this type of system, manual override and fully manual focusing are available via an electronically coupled focus ring. Also typical of ‘AF-P’ AF lenses, there’s no focus distance scale. Three aspherical elements are included in the optical path, which features 14 elements in total. Performance Although undercutting the price of all the…

£499/$449 Tokina was one of the first independent manufacturers of ultrawide zooms for DX format cameras, in the shape of its 11-16mm lens which has since been updated. This ‘Pro’ lens is similar in many respects, including its f/2.8 aperture rating, which remains constant throughout the whole zoom range. Optical finery includes three aspherical elements, of which two are all-glass moulded elements, with an extra ‘precision-moulded’ element. There are also three SD (Super-low Dispersion) elements. The AF system is quick, but relatively noisy, driven by an electric motor. Typical of Tokina lenses, this one has a ‘one-touch focus clutch’. This enables you to swap between AF and manual focus quickly and easily by snapping the focus ring forwards or backwards. Performance Although the AF system feels outdated and there’s no…

For DX format cameras, the Tamron 10-24mm is the most sophisticated lens for landscape photography, with advanced AF and stabilization systems and the best build quality, which adds weather-seals to the construction. It beats all other DX format ultra-wide lenses for overall performance and image quality. On a tighter budget, the Nikon DX 10-20mm VR is an attractive compact and lightweight option, with similarly effective image stabilization as in the Tamron lens. If you want a faster aperture, the Tokina 11-20mm works well, delivering an f/2.8 aperture rating throughout its entire zoom range. The Samyang 10mm prime lens has the same aperture rating and gives good image quality, although it lacks autofocus. For full-frame cameras, our top choice is the Sigma 14-24mm, which combines alluring image quality with pro-grade build…

You don’t have to travel far to shoot creative scenes, and this issue Ashraful Arefin tells us how he combines everyday items with Photoshop magic to produce his charming still-life setups at home. While the pace of easing lockdown restrictions isn’t the same the world over (or even within the UK), in England, at least, small groups are finally allowed to meet, so we’ve been able to resume our Apprentice features with landscape pro Tom Mackie showing one socially distanced reader how to shoot sunrise and sunset scenes in the waterways of Norfolk. Also glad to be able to get out of the house, Matthew Richards reveals his pick of landscapes lenses, with a selection of primes and zooms for both FX and DX Nikons going head to head in…

We mention back-button focusing quite often here at N-Photo. But when several readers asked us to cover it in more detail, we were reminded that it can be a confusing subject. You might think there’s very little to explain – you simply use a button on the back of the camera to focus. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. For back-button focus to work effectively, you need to remove the shutter button’s ability to engage autofocus when half pressed and you need to switch to continuous-servo AF. There are several reasons why back-button focus is advantageous and they apply to a variety of shooting situations. You no longer have to spend time switching between AF-C and AF-S, because when you lock focus (by releasing the back button) you can…

Whether you want to change someone’s clothes, or alter the colour of an object, the process is simple in Affinity. We just define the area to be altered, then use layers and masks to change it. The first step is to isolate the area with a selection. Affinity offers several excellent selection tools that lock on to complex shapes and objects. In this project we’ll use the Selection Brush and Refine command, a combination that lets us make quick, precise selections easily. After that, we can go on to add an adjustment layer. Our active selection is automatically converted into a layer mask, making it possible to alter the tones and colours in a specific part of the photo. There are several different adjustment layers that we can use to…

1. Black Cherry BY COLIN JOHNSTON You don’t need a huge photo studio and oodles of kit to produce stunning product shots. Two lamps were used to light this black cherry. They were placed either side of the subject, while care was taken not to reflect too much light in the water droplets. The details are razor sharp and the vibrant green background really makes the fruit stand out, which reminds us of a pop art painting. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/15 sec, f/8, ISO64 2. Five Sprats BY ANGELA LAMBOURN We really like the arrangement of the subjects in this flat lay. Their positioning provides balance, without feeling too orderly, which fits the rustic nature of the food perfectly. A sheet of wallpaper was used as…

Q I want to upgrade my D3300 but still use my AF-P DX 18-55 and AF-P DX 70-300mm lenses. What’s the best D7000-series budget option? Ben Brookes A Matthew recommends… The ‘pulse’ stepping motor AF system in your two lenses isn’t compatible with the original D7000, making both AF and manual focus unavailable. The D7100 is the most cost-effective choice. Nikon D7100 THE D7100 IS STILL A POTENT CAMERA RELEASED: 2013 PRICE NEW: £1100/$1200 SECONDHAND PRICE: ‘Excellent’ £295/$300 ‘Good’ £220/$260 Following in the footsteps of the popular D7000, the D7100 boasts a 24.1Mp image sensor with no optical low-pass filter and a powerful EXPEED 3 image processor. It’s a major upgrade over the D7000 in terms of autofocus, adding a top-end Multi-Cam 3500DX autofocus module, with 51 AF points of…

1. The Pylon BRUCE KEMP Bruce explains that this pylon was taken in a farmer’s field near his village. Shooting with a Nikon D7000, he’s managed to convey a massive sense of scale and utterly delightful framing, with some awesome symmetry to boot. 2. Hai Van Pass JIMMY SCRAMBLES Despite not being happy with the cloud coverage in this photograph, we think that Jimmy has still got a fun and well-thought-out picture here. Even the vignetting around the edges of the frame draws the viewer into the picture. 3. White-tailed Eagle SONDRE FORSELL Sea eagles are known to approach speeds of almost 100mph when plunging down on their prey and Sondre has captured this action perfectly, and you really get to appreciate this powerful raptor’s imposing demeanour and strength.…

£379/$399 Ultra-wide prime lenses for DX format cameras are thin on the ground, and Nikon itself doesn’t make one at all. The best option is this 10mm manual-focus lens from Samyang, which combines a short 10mm focal length with a wide f/2.8 aperture rating. This enables aperture control from the camera, and unrestricted use of all shooting modes. It also empowers the focus assist and confirmation lamps in the viewfinder. Quality glass includes two aspherical elements and one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element, plus nanostructure coatings. The focus distance scale has depth of field markers for apertures of f/2.8, f/4 and f/5.6. Build feels solid, although the lens lacks any weather-seals and its integral hood precludes a filter attachment thread. Performance Centre-sharpness is good rather than great throughout the aperture range,…

£574/$675 The Irix 15mm f/2.4 manualfocus prime is available in Firefly and Blackstone editions. The optical path is identical in both lenses, but the pricier Blackstone has better build quality, with a metal barrel and an extra weather-seal. It also gains engraved markings filled with UV-reactive paint. Built-in electronics enable full communication with the host camera, as per the Samyang lenses on test. The focus scale has markings for both hyperfocal distances and depth of field limits for apertures of f/8, f/11 and f/16, and the tactile focus ring is supplemented with a focus locking ring. Quality optics include three aspherical elements, two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and four HR (High Refractive) elements, along with neutrino coatings. Performance It’s the sharpest lens in the group at the centre of the…

£979/$997 The Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED might seem the most obvious contender for an ultra-wide landscape zoom for FX format DSLRs, but we prefer the equivalent Sigma Art lens, also on test. Compared with both of those, Nikon’s 16-35mm lens naturally has a less generous maximum viewing angle and aperture rating, but offers distinct advantages. It’s relatively compact and only about two-thirds of the weight, while also adding the bonus of optical stabilization. It’s also less pricey and has a detachable hood that enables the inclusion of a 77mm filter attachment thread. The optical path includes two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and Nano Crystal Coat. Build quality feels solid and the mounting plate features Nikon’s usual rubber weather-seal ring. Performance The Nikon lens delivers when it comes to centre-sharpness,…

Photography is an art form and art is subjective. Criticism comes with the territory, and it helps us grow as photographers. But a recent article written by one of my colleagues on the Digital Camera World website (www.bit.ly/2MU2P4u) provoked a lot of discussion online. It centred around some negative comments left on social media, and highlighted the disparity between constructive criticism and generally unhelpful comments. This wasn’t just about a one-off incident though. The article contained testimonies from other photographers who had suffered very similar experiences. Constructive criticism I’m not suggesting that criticism is bad. We are all striving to become better photographers, and criticism is an integral part of the learning process. When delivered at the right time and in the right way, criticism can be a huge motivator.…

Sustenance NADIA DE LANGE There’s more life in the desert than most realize. In the Namib, this is thanks to the miracle of fog – the clouds that roll in from the Atlantic Ocean bring with them moisture that sustain the fauna and flora living in this beautiful, harsh landscape. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 24-70mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/200 sec, f/9, ISO125 Jump of the Wildebeest NICOLE CAMBRE Annual migration of the wildebeest at Northern Serengeti, Tanzania. This wildebeest did not wait for its turn and impatiently jumped on top of the others. Camera: Nikon D4 Lens: 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 Exposure: 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO500 The Storyteller DONELL GUMIRAN The Kara people, who speak an Omotic language, are a relatively small group of approximately 1000 people that occupy the left bank of…

We’ve talked a lot about contemporary printing over the past few issues, but now we’re looking at a historic printing process that’s a great entry point into the world of printing and a fun project to do at home. The cyanotype printing process dates back to the Victorian era, where it was discovered by scientist and photography pioneer Sir John Herschel. It was adopted as a way to copy technical drawings – hence the term blueprint – but is perhaps most famous as botanist Anna Atkins’ medium of choice, for what would become the world’s first photoillustrated book. Today, it’s a simple and cost-effective way to try your hand at contact printing. And with the help of modern editing software, you can quickly convert and print a digital image as…

This simple technique is a creative way to show off an entire time-lapse sequence in a single photograph. Perhaps you have a set of time-lapse images on your hard drive that could work for this, but if not then why not shoot a new sequence? These sequences are a great way to show the passing day in a garden or elsewhere. All you need to do is set up your camera on a tripod and engage the interval shooting setting. If your camera does not have this feature, then you can buy an extra cable release with an inbuilt interval timer. Or simply press the shutter every 20 minutes or so, while you do household chores. This method is a fantastic way of showing the transition between night and day,…

MISSION: Use locations, props and photography techniques to bring action figures to life PHOTOGRAPHER: Simon Sweetman LOCATION: Burnley, Lancashire KIT USED: Nikon D7100, Nikon D500, Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM | C, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro INSTAGRAM: @sjs_toy_photography I started taking photos seven years ago when I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D3200. The hobby quickly turned into a passion and I joined Burnley Camera Club, where I’m still a member. I soon progressed onto a Nikon D7100 and in the last few weeks have upgraded again to a D500. I photograph all types of genres, but toy photography has become my forte. I initially photographed tiny HO-scale figures (the ones you see on model railways) before moving onto larger six-inch Star Wars…

I am a natural history/wildlife photographer and have always looked to photograph my subjects in different ways to set myself apart from the competition. I’m fascinated by all natural history, particularly plants, and how they might appear to other animals, such as insects. I have been shooting flowers and other plants under ultraviolet light for several years to show this, and have developed my own techniques to show the subjects as insects might see them. The primary aim of my book Photographing the Unseen World is to show readers how to shoot otherwise ‘invisible’ subjects with readily available, or easily (and cheaply) modifiable equipment. Some of the techniques are rarely used today (such as UV reflected), and I wanted to show how easy this could be, and how valuable and…

The Nikon D6 was originally planned to be in the hands of the world’s best sports shooters to coincide with the 2020 Olympics, which were due to open at the end of July. The Games may have been put off until 2021, thanks to coronavirus calling a halt to pretty much all sporting events the entire world over, but the camera launch has still gone ahead, if delayed by a couple of months due to the knock-on effects of the pandemic. To the average Nikon enthusiast, the camera doesn’t look all that exciting on paper, with a 20.8Mp sensor out-resolved by even the most entry-level Nikon and none of the innovations from Nikon’s mirrorless marvels making it across to the DSLR, as is the case with the recently launched D780.…

£449/$499 Even though many photographers only tend to use ultra-wide zooms at or near their shortest focal length, there’s still something to be said for a generous zoom range. There’s a lot of overlap with a standard zoom lens, but a plus point for landscape shooting is that you won’t need to swap between lenses so often. A major upgrade over Tamron’s original 10-24mm lens, this one has an HLD (High/Low toque-modulated Drive) AF system. It’s faster, quieter and improves handling as the focus ring no longer rotates during AF. Image stabilization is added and better build quality features weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element. Performance Due to the physical size of test charts, lab-tests for ultra-wide-angle lenses need to be carried out at very close range.…

£899/$999 Samyang’s range of ‘XP’ manual-focus lenses aims for premium-grade optical design and construction. Compared with the Irix 15mm, the Samyang gives a slightly wider viewing angle on full-frame cameras, at 114 rather than 110 degrees. This lens has 18 optical elements, including two aspherical, one hybrid aspherical, two extra-low dispersion and three high-refractive index elements. Build quality feels solid, but there are no weather-seals. Handling is superb, with a fluid feel to the action of the rubberized focus ring, although the focus distance scale lacks depth of field markers. Built-in electronics enable aperture control from the camera, and illumination of the focus-assist lamps in the viewfinder. Performance Centre-sharpness isn’t as good as from the Irix when shooting at the widest aperture of f/2.4, but sharpness across the entire image…

£1129/$1199 We’ve long been fans of Sigma’s ultra-wide 12-24mm lens, with its extreme maximum viewing angle. The Mk II edition was very good and the latest ‘Art’ edition is even better, gaining a constant-aperture rating of f/4. This addition to the Art line-up is more modest in its ultra-wide coverage but an f-stop faster. The weather-sealed construction is of excellent quality. Optical prowess benefits from a large-diameter, ultra-high-precision moulded glass aspherical front element, which teams up with three top-grade FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements. Ring-type ultrasonic AF is speedy and whisper-quiet. Performance Sharpness is excellent across the whole frame and across the entire zoom range, even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8. Colour fringing is negligible and, despite the Sigma having average scores for…