Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

Natural Colours SALVADOR COLVEE Salvador regularly visits the dead flower spike of an agave, which many different bird species use as a perch. In this case it was a flock of bee-eaters. Because the sky was cloudy and the light quite dull, he opted for a high-key exposure, which highlights the colourful plumage of the birds and the delicate structures of the subject, making this photo almost look like a painting. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 105mm f/1.4 Exposure: 1/400 sec, f/5, ISO3200 Fish Explosion NICHOLAS MORE These tightly schooling swallowtail cardinalfish (Verulux cypselurus) burst back and forth through a cave to evade predators in Indonesia. Nicholas used a slow shutter speed to show the synchronized movement of the school pulsing over the reef. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 10.5mm f/2.8 Exposure:…

People exit their houses en masse at the first glimpse of snow. Children trudge up freshly blanketed hills – toboggans in tow – dog walkers watch as their pet pooches disappear into snow drifts, families build snowmen and throw snowballs, and photographers descend upon the picturesque streets and fields in search of an idyllic wintry scene. But the perfect snow-covered photo is very often hard to come by. Crowds of people, footprint-riddled landscapes and few discernible subjects can make snow photography very challenging indeed. So here’s a project where you have much more control over your subject. Perhaps the most challenging aspect is shooting in the right conditions. You’ll need to work in sub-zero temperatures, and the colder it is, the higher your chances of success. There are several ways…

Apps have dramatically changed photography workflows. You can edit, transfer and upload Raw images without ever touching a laptop or computer. Some photography apps are so complex they even rival their full-fat computer software counterparts. But here at N-Photo, it’s very often the simplest apps we find ourselves returning to time and again. The five apps listed here aren’t particularly complex, nor will they push your smart device to its limits. Several of them have precious few features, and that’s exactly what makes them so useful. These are the apps you instinctively pull from your pocket and quickly refer to before going about your photography business. They’re the software equivalent of an L-bracket or tripod spikes, understated but infinitely useful. Long Exposure Calculator instantly calculates what shutter speed you need…

Many of today’s photographers can be easily pigeon-holed into one of a half dozen or so popular genres: press, sports, wildlife, wedding, portrait, travel, documentary. Anything else could be deemed as fine art – providing the images can be sold as limited edition prints. John Angerson began his career as a press photographer in the late 1980s, but now even he struggles to define his work. So let’s go back, to when as a novice freelancer scratching out a living at his local newspaper in Northampton, John decided to drop everything and head to Berlin. It was November 1989, communism was collapsing across Eastern Europe and the Berlin Wall was being torn down in an uprising that reunited the city after decades of Cold War division. Recalling the event to…

MISSION: Document the craftsmanship owners have put into their bespoke motorcycle builds PHOTOGRAPHER: Jimmy Colley LOCATION: Southampton, UK KIT USED: Nikon D90, Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX, Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX WEBSITE: www.sinner-co.webs.com INSTAGRAM: @sinnerco.ig I was introduced to photography at college and, not long after leaving, I worked as a photographer’s assistant for Mike Jones of Waterline Media, who was kind enough to impart plenty of knowledge. I’ve always had a keen interest in cars and motorcycles, so I naturally drifted towards these subjects. I attended events at Goodwood wherever possible to shoot vehicles and network with people involved in the industry. I’ve since had my work featured in motorbike magazines and even used as cover shots. I shoot with a Nikon D90. Its 12.9Mp DX sensor might…

Q I’d like to try a mirrorless full-frame body. Is there a good secondhand market yet and which model would you recommend? Simon Barlow A Matthew recommends… There are a few of the original Z 6 and Z 7 cameras available secondhand now. Unless you’re desperate for the Z 7’s mighty megapixel count, I’d go for the Z 6, at about half the price. Nikon Z 6 A MIRRORLESS MARVEL AND ACE ALL-ROUNDER, THE Z 6 IS FABULOUS FOR STILLS AND MOVIES RELEASED: 2018 PRICE NEW: £1549/$1597 SECONDHAND PRICE: ‘Excellent’ £950/$1000 ‘Good’ £850/$900 The Nikon Z 7 stole most of the limelight with its massive 45.7Mp image sensor, but the Z 6 is pretty much the same camera, with all of the same attractions, but with a modest 24.5Mp sensor.…

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M1 £999/$999 www.apple.com The MacBook Air 13-inch M1’s wedge-shaped design looks super-slim and feels light to pick up. If you need to carry your laptop around all day (and have the battery last all day) and be able to use it anywhere, the MacBook Air is ideal. In the past, though, this small size and portability has brought a performance compromise. The Air has always been a bit of a lightweight, and not just physically. This has changed. The Air now has Apple’s revolutionary all-in-one M1 CPU/GPU chip with its shared memory and promises of spectacular performance. The base model MacBook Air M1 creeps in just below the £1000/$1000 barrier, which is very impressive for a computer with these specifications, design quality and performance. You can…

You might have spotted a theme developing over the last couple of years… Nikon’s Z-mount lenses have almost exclusively scooped the ‘best on test’ awards in our Big Tests. It’s a fitting reflection of how the wider flange and its closer proximity to the image sensor gives greater freedom in lens design, but that’s a moot point if you’re one of the horde of Nikon’s DSLR faithful. And if that’s the case, this month’s Big Test is just for you. We’re focusing on our favourite lenses for both DX and FX format DSLRs, in the most popular categories. These include wide-angle, standard, telephoto and ‘travel’ zoom lenses for DX format cameras, and wide-angle, standard, telephoto and super-telephoto zooms for FX bodies. They’re not mutually exclusive either, particularly when it comes…

£449/$587 A relatively old design but still a favourite A subtle refresh of Nikon’s original 18-200mm lens, this one gains a zoom lock switch but retains the same optical design and 3.5-stop VR system. For image quality and performance, the 18-200mm remains our favourite superzoom, despite its limited reach. There are three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements in the optical path and the second-generation VR system has switchable Normal and Active modes. The first of these includes automatic panning detection, while the second counteracts increased physical vibrations. Handling benefits from a smooth-action zoom ring and a ring-type ultrasonic AF system. It’s typically quick and quiet, and enables the focus ring to remain stationery during autofocus. Performance In our tests, sharpness proved better than in the two Nikon 18-300mm lenses that are…

£1129/$1199 Sigma’s latest wide-angle zoom goes for glory With a more modest maximum viewing angle but a faster aperture rating than Sigma’s 12-24mm Art lens, this one is a pretty much identical size and weight. Similarities include high-tech glass with an ultra-high-precision moulded glass aspherical front element, this time combined with three FLD and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements. The lens is immaculately engineered and, unlike the Sigma 12-24mm Art, it gains a full set of weather-seals instead of just a sealed mount. Again, a fluorine coating is applied to repel muck and moisture. Handling is excellent, with a smooth and precise feel to the zoom and focus rings. Performance Sharpness and contrast are very impressive, even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8. Indeed, sharpness towards the edges and corners…

As I sit down to write this a few remnants of snow still cling to sheltered corners and crevices outside. Just two days ago the majority of the UK was blanketed in a thick covering of white powder (and much of it still is). I was rudely awakened at 9.30am on Sunday by my partner as she unfurled the blinds and gasped with joy: “It’s snowed!” I rubbed my eyes and groaned as it sunk in: “Snow!?” Within five minutes I’d cleaned my teeth, dug out a thick parka, and was cursing my habit of leaving drained batteries and full memory cards in my cameras… I eventually settled on a half-full battery and an old SD card – I’d format it as I walked. I instinctively reached for my kit…

As I write this we’re back in the throes of a UK-wide lockdown, and the chances of restrictions being lifted anytime soon look increasingly remote. So where does that leave us photographers? Much of our hobby is a solitary pursuit, so why not use this enforced isolation to rekindle your creativity? We show you how to not just take pictures but make pictures in our lead feature, and all during your daily allotted exercise. This issue’s Apprentice gets around the issue of social distancing by taking tuition from his fine art photographer other-half, and learns to transform his landscape shots into stunning painterly images. We bring you our full review of the Z 7II, the update to Nikon’s flagship mirrorless, and ask if enough has been done to finally persuade…

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Did you know that film-makers are starting to use giant LED screens instead of the traditional green screen? Hit Star Wars television series The Mandalorian is famed for pairing giant LED screens and video game technology to produce realistic backgrounds that react realistically to camera movement. This visual aid also helps immerse actors and actresses in their surroundings, and light emitted from the screen helps sets to appear much more natural. You can use a similar technique, albeit on a much smaller scale, to add interesting backdrops to your images. We decided a crackling fire would be the perfect accompaniment to our wintry mulled wine still life, but didn’t have access to a real fireplace. The effect you see (above) was faked using a modest 23-inch Samsung monitor to display…

For years this kind of composite could only be done using Photoshop, but these days Affinity Photo is just as effective at crafting fantastical scenes. In this project we’ll show you how to shrink the subject to miniature size by cutting them out then perching them on an old camera. By utilizing Affinity Photo’s advanced selection and masking tools, it’s easier than it looks. We’ve provided start images for this project, but why not shoot your own? If you want to do so then a little planning will help to sell the effect. For example, it helps if the lighting is consistent across both images. So if the main light source is coming from the right of the camera in the portrait image, then keep the same angle of lighting…

The coloured shadow look we see here is an old-school technique that you’re just as likely to see in a science museum as a photo, but is becoming increasingly popular as photographers explore optical in-camera effects. And as well as a vibrant way to shoot a portrait it’s also a fascinating demo of colour theory at play. To split our shadows into different colours we need three separate light sources coloured red, green and blue. When working in combination – as we see in the light hitting the subject here – the three colours form normal white light. This is down to the concept of additive colour mixing, where red, green and blue light combine to form white. But when our three lights are spaced apart something very interesting happens…

I was introduced to the Nimiipuu, a Native American people, through a friend and after joining the Tamkaliks Powwow in Wallowa, Oregon, was invited to the Lapwai, Idaho, and Nespelem, Washington, Native American reservations, where I was introduced to the families that lived there. While I was there, I spent extended time with the elders in their sweat lodge – one of the tribe’s most traditional and spiritual activities – gaining their trust and learning their ways. For four years I lived with the Nez Perce Tribe. I was shown a new way to walk and breathe. An ancient wisdom lived through spirit, a journey given to me. Between 2004 and 2008 I was traveling back and forth at different periods of time, shooting, printing and editing the imagery. I…

Now that many modern laptops lack an SD card reader in the quest for portability, it’s time to reinstate it with one of the best memory card readers. There’s no shortage of readers out there, from budget-friendly and highly portable models so tiny you could mistake them for a USB flash drive, through to larger models that will live on a desktop right by your computer. Card confusion SD cards are ubiquitous, but come in standard (up to 2GB), High Capacity (SDHC, up to 32GB) and eXtended Capacity (SDXC, up to 2TB) varieties. Ultra Capacity (SDUC) cards are also in the works, supporting up to 128TB, but these are not yet widely available. All the readers here are SDXC-compatible and downwards, which is the format used by all current Nikon…

£529/$499 New, improved and better in every respect Originally launched back in 2008, Tamron’s 10-24mm zoom got a major revamp last year. The new optical path includes enhanced aspherical and LD (Low Dispersion) elements. There’s also a new HLD (High/Low toque-modulated Drive) autofocus system and VC (Vibration Compensation) stabilization, both of which were lacking in the original lens. Not just faster and quieter, the HLD AF refines handling as the focus ring no longer rotates during AF, while also enabling full-time manual override. Build quality is ace, and it’s the only DX format lens here to boast a full set of weather-seals, as well as a keep-clean fluorine coating on the front element. Performance Shooting at very close range, the Tamron delivered fairly mediocre results in our tests. It was…

£1149/$1199 Top-level pro performance at a bargain price Sigma’s 24-70mm Art lens was launched as a direct competitor not only to Nikon’s older 24-70mm f/2.8 VR, but also to Tamron’s G2 lens, which hit the market at the same time. Although the Sigma isn’t a fully weather-sealed lens, it has a rubber seal on its mounting plate and a fully pro-grade feel, based on a sturdy metal barrel and brass mounting plate. The zoom and focus rings are silky smooth in operation, and the ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system is superfast and highly accurate. Better still, it comes with switchable options for regular or manual-priority override. With the latter, manual override is enabled without waiting for autofocus to lock onto a subject, as well as being available in Continuous AF mode.…

£1289/$1849 This lens is a weighty proposition Despite having an identical zoom range and aperture rating as Sigma’s 150-600mm Contemporary lens, the Sports edition is rather larger… Weighing in at nearly 3kg, it’s certainly not a lens to be taken lightly, especially when it comes to long periods of handheld photography. That said, it does come with a tripod mounting ring. The control layout features switchable options, including dualmode auto/manual override priority for AF and dual-mode static/panning optical stabilization. There are also two switchable custom setups and an AF range limiter. Another neat handling bonus is that you can engage the zoom lock switch at any focal length marked on the zoom ring. Performance Making the most of its top-grade dual FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements, this lens delivers superb…

Time stacking allows you to convey the passage of time in a still image and is the brainchild of Canadian photographer Matt Molloy (see www.bit.ly/39vIq0v). It works by blending together multiple photographs of the same scene that have been shot over a certain period of time. While a sturdy tripod is a must to retain the exact same framing for each shot, subtle movement within the landscape is required to convey how the scene changes over time. We captured a cloudy sunset over Normanton Church, which provided moving clouds and changing light conditions. A Nikon camera or a remote shutter release with an in-built intervalometer is a huge help as it allows you to set up your camera to automatically shoot a predetermined number of shots at consistent intervals. However,…

One of the best things about digital imaging is the ability it gives you to visualize places and scenes that could otherwise only exist in dreams. With a few simple Photoshop skills, anybody can craft a fantasy scene that wouldn’t look out of place on the cinema screen. In this project we’ll show you how it’s done. You might have a selection of photos in your own library that would be ideal for a fantastical composite like this, but if you want to look further afield you’ll find tons of great resources online. We’ve used several free images from www.pixabay.com here, which is a useful resource of rights-free photos. The great thing about a project like this is, even though these photographs have probably been displayed thousands of times in…

Q Your reply to an enquiry about depth of field with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens last month interested me. How does it stack up at around 35mm? Mike Wakefield A In the February issue (N-Photo 120), Kim Jenkins wrote in about upgrading from a Z 24-70mm f/4 lens to a Z 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and I made a suggestion that, if they were just after a tighter depth of field, they might prefer adding Z 50mm f/1.8 and Z 85mm f/1.8 prime lenses to their kit instead, at little more than half the cost. A 24-70mm f/2.8 lens will give you a pretty tight depth of field towards the long end of the zoom range, but can’t compete when it comes to the f/1.8 lenses. Towards the more wide-angle end,…

1. Past Their Prime BY CANDICE SCHEMPP These flowers were a gift during a period of bereavement. Candice told us: “The colour as they dried was exquisite, and I wanted to capture this beauty in a unique way.” Unlike the withering roses, the resulting image is timeless. The camera has immortalized this stunning moment, while the traditional, painterly style of the composition will no doubt prove equally enduring. Camera: Nikon D810 Lens: 85mm f/1.4 Exposure: 1/100 sec, f/5, ISO320 2. Bottles and Tulips BY RENZODID This colourful still life uses the rule of odds to create a pleasing arrangement of five flowers and five vases. Four of the plants have had their heads removed, creating both interest and a strong narrative. The natural-looking lighting and soft shadows were created using…

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…

£2999/$2997 The Nikon Z 7II is the follow up to Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z 7, a camera that was launched back in the summer of 2018. With a 45.7-megapixel full-frame sensor at its heart, the Z 7II is Nikon’s flagship mirrorless camera that is also designed to tempt existing DSLR owners to make the switch by addressing the criticisms levelled at the previous model. Sitting alongside the Z 7II is Nikon’s more enthusiast-orientated full-frame mirrorless camera, the 24.5-megapixel Nikon Z 6II. With the same form factor but costing a third less than the pro-orientated Z 7II, the Z 6II is marketed as more of an all-rounder. We’re big fans of the original Nikon Z 7 and, as the name suggests, Nikon hasn’t started from the ground up…

£490/$597 The latest and greatest Nikon 70-300mm If you have a DX format SLR, you might be tempted by Nikon’s Nikon AF-P DX 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR, which is a solid performer and good value at £329/$397. However, if you can stretch the budget, this FX format lens is far superior. The latest in an acclaimed series of full-frame compatible 70-300mm Nikon zooms, it has stronger, weather-sealed build quality and a rapid yet silent stepping motor-based AF system. Further highlights include a 4.5-stop VR system, which boasts Nikon’s latest ‘Sport VR’ mode. This enables you to track erratically moving objects more easily in the viewfinder, as well as avoiding any slowdown in continuous drive rate. Another bonus is that the electromagnetically controlled diaphragm enables greater exposure consistency in high-speed drive…

£989/$1067 It’s a pricey option but still a best buy New meets old in this lens. It combines a highly effective yet conventional ring-type ultrasonic AF system with a new-generation electromagnetically controlled diaphragm. This helps to maintain consistently accurate exposures in rapid continuous drive mode, especially when using speedy bodies like the D500 and D7500. The zoom range is an ‘effective’ 24-120mm in full-frame terms, which gives generous wide-angle coverage and telephoto reach. High-spec glass includes four ED elements, along with Nano Crystal Coat for minimizing ghosting and flare. Like current kit lenses for DX format SLRs, it has a seven-blade diaphragm, which is fairly well-rounded, and a 4-stop stabilizer. Performance Levels of sharpness are exceptional at all but the longest zoom setting. However, lateral chromatic aberration can be visible…

£1179/$1379 Big is beautiful with this upscaled 70-200mm Sigma’s long-running 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens was a popular, budget-friendly option. The replacement Sports edition is redesigned, with a new optical path that features 24 elements in 22 groups, incorporating nine FLD elements and one SLD element. The AF system can be switched to Auto-priority or Manual-priority modes, and features three customizable AF-hold buttons on the barrel. The new optical stabilizer has switchable static and panning modes, the latter working in landscape, portrait and even diagonal orientation. Two ‘Custom’ modes can be set up via the optional USB Dock, for example to increase or decrease the effect of stabilization in the viewfinder image, or to alter the autofocus range limiter distance. Performance Sharpness and contrast are scintillating across the zoom…

It’s hard to pick a single winner in this month’s Big Test. The whole idea was select the winning lenses in all of the most popular categories for shooting on DX and FX format DSLRs so, to a fairly major extent, every one’s a winner. If we had to pick just one lens to put on the top step of the podium, however, it would be the Sigma 70-200mm Sports. It’s a phenomenal lens that works brilliantly well for action sports, wildlife and event/wedding photography, and even for portraiture. It’s right at home on Nikon’s FX format DSLRs and works equally well on DX bodies, where it gives a more generous ‘effective’ telephoto zoom range of 105-300mm. Specifically for DX format DSLRs, Tamron has really upped its game with the…