Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2023 i N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

Loch Ard STEPHEN BALL I found a great location for photography in the Trossachs National Park, with lovely reflections, low mist and heavy frost. I positioned myself to compose for the house but also to show the inside of the boat. Camera: Nikon D7100 Lens: 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Exposure: 1/4 sec, f/16, ISO100 Stevington Windmill AMAR SOOD It was a tempestuous summer evening. The forecast wasn’t great but I had a feeling there would be a break in the cloud around sunset. It was a good opportunity to visit Stevington Windmill, a location that I’d been meaning to get to for some time. I’m glad I took the risk as the conditions turned out even better than I imagined. The break in the cloud came and the scene was bathed in…

www.bit.ly/np151dodge Attempting to usurp the humble mouse and keyboard is a little bit like reinventing the wheel. But if you’ve ever used a mouse to perform delicate dodging or burning, try this digital pen technique once and you’ll never want to go back. Graphics tablets with screens have become increasingly popular over the years and increasingly affordable too. But even the cheapest options can be difficult to justify, unless they’re going to be getting consistent use. That’s why tablet styluses, like the Apple Pencil and Samsung S Pen, are so attractive. You may already have a compatible device at home and if you don’t, investing in an iPad or Galaxy Tab will at least provide you with plenty of other benefits, beyond digital drawing. The Apple Pencil, in particular, has…

www.bit.ly/np151colorize Before colour film, hand-tinting photographs was a specialist job. Painters would painstakingly add splashes of colour to prints, or – in the case of moving images – directly onto the roll of film using tiny brushes. These days, we can add colour to our old photos by using a simple Photoshop technique. The Colorize filter can do much of the work for us. As one of the recently introduced Neural Filters, it uses artificial intelligence to recognize people and objects in a photo, then colour them accordingly. Like other automated tools in Photoshop, the command works brilliantly on some photos, and less so on others. But even if the results aren’t perfect, the filter gives you a solid starting point for more manual edits. As well as fine-tuning the…

1. Symmetry BY YOUSIF ALBADI This shot was captured in the Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi. A wide-angle focal length, narrow aperture and accurate focusing has created front-to-back sharpness, but what makes this image really stand out is the composition. The symmetry is flawless; each corner lines up and the dome is positioned right in the centre of the frame. The icing on the cake is the spotlight starburst effect. Camera: Nikon Z 7II Lens: 24-70mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/6 sec, f/13, ISO100 2. Azadi Tower BY ARDALAN HAMEDANI An abstract design and natural leading lines makes Tehran’s Azadi Tower a stunning architectural subject. The ultra-wide 16mm focal length (35mm equivalent) amplifies the structure’s imposing size, emphasized further by the tiny lone figure, which is spotlit by rays of sunlight seeping…

Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 500mm f/5.6 Exposure: 1/180 sec, f/5.6, ISO3200 MISSION: Prove that you don’t have to travel far, if at all, to capture fantastic bird photographs PHOTOGRAPHER: Max Pickering  LOCATION: Bristol, UK KIT USED: Nikon D500, Nikon AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR  FACEBOOK: bit.ly/3LAoxIH INSTAGRAM: @maxpickeringphotography Most photographers drift towards their favourite genre of photography naturally, and mine turned out to be wildlife. Birds tend to be more prevalent than mammals, particularly if you like to pursue your quarry out in the wilds, like me, rather than sitting in a hide all day. That’s not to say either approach is right or wrong though. Find out what suits you and your style of photography best and make that work for you. We have a tremendous variety of…

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having no mechanical shutter? Mechanical shutters tend to have a faster scan speed than electronic shutters, and this means that rolling shutter distortion can be suppressed. On the flip side, electronic shutters have the advantage of having no moving parts, there is no limit for the life of the shutter, they are able to maintain more accurate shutter speeds, and there is no sound or vibration. However, the adaptation of a stacked CMOS sensor for the Z 8 enables a high-speed scan rate, eliminating rolling shutter distortion, so it has the advantage of both a mechanical and electronic shutter. Will this be adopted in future lower-cost Z-series cameras – such as DX models? The shutter-less mechanism used for the Z 8 design is…

The Z 8 has been referred to as a ‘baby Z 9’ and if you’ve read our review on page 90, you’ll know that the mirrorless behemoths share a wealth of identical specs. But perhaps the Z 8’s most interesting hand-me-down is its electronic-shutter-only design. And while this was a huge innovation for the Z 9, its presence on the Z 8 might just be a bigger deal. Could Nikon be ditching the mechanical shutter for good? Grab the bull by the horns Nikon could have played it safe and chosen a smaller release to ease photographers into its shutterless revolution, but this might have risked presenting the whole thing as little more than a gimmick. Instead, the Big N chose to firmly innovate by making the first electronic-shutter-only…

We’ve been hearing whisperings for a long time, and now Nikon has finally unveiled the Z 8 – its shiny new mirrorless that it’s calling both a “baby Z 9” and “true successor to the D850”. Does it live up to these claims? Don’t miss our full review – and chat with Nikon bigwig Keiji Oishi, who spills the beans on the development of the Z 8, and how Nikon sees the future of photography. We also bring you the review of the Z 85mm f/1.2 S portrait prime – Nikon’s sharpest ever lens, no less – and put eight light-but-tough travel tripods through their paces. For our lead feature, Tom Mason shows you how to take your wildlife photography to the next level, covering everything from developing fieldcraft to…

The Isle of Man TT is one of the most famous racing events in the world. Its 37-mile course comprises public roads and competitors can reach speeds of 200mph. The spectacle attracts hordes of photographers and boasts hundreds of amazing shooting locations. Here’s how to capture the action. 1 Crowd control Get to your chosen location early. Wait too long and people will crowd the banks and obstruct your view. If that happens, shoot through the crowd. Use them to create foreground interest or colourful streaks of motion blur. This can even add to the narrative – spectators lined up right next to a country road is a TT hallmark, after all. 2 Find your spot Only accredited photographers could shoot from my vantage point, but there are ample shooting locations for…

www.bit.ly/np151urban Urban environments can be a frenetic mass of contrasts, vibrant or mundane, lively or eerie, beautiful or drab. For a photographer, it’s easy enough to capture how places like this look, but it’s more of a challenge to convey how they feel. To create a sense of a place without the distractions of detail, we can turn to abstract techniques. Intentional blur, multiple exposures, unusual camera angles and digital mash-ups can all help us emphasize the emotion of the place, and create wall-worthy art that feels more in touch with the work of impressionist painters than it does with 'conventional’ photographic techniques. In this project we’ll look at a range of techniques that you can try out on the streets. Camera skills are often about eliminating shake, keeping scenes…

NIKON KNOW-HOW Video mode for beginners We explain how your Nikon’s video mode works, what you need to do to get the best from it and bust all of that fancy filmmaking jargon in the process The demand for video has never been higher and the line between photographer and videographer has become increasingly blurred. Nikon’s current crop of DSLR and mirrorless cameras are all capable of capturing slick 4K video, with the Z 9 and now the Z 8 pioneering the shift to 8K. If you’re looking to make the most of your Nikon’s video capabilities, the first thing to get your head around is video formats and codecs. In a nutshell, the format houses the codec, which in turn, compresses and decompresses the data. Most modern Nikons use…

When we reviewed the Nikon Z 9, we called it: “Simply the best camera ever!” And now, together with Nikon UK, we’re giving you the chance to win the flagship Z camera. It’s an incredible prize that’s worth a whopping £5299/$5499. All you have to do is enter any of the 12 rounds of NPOTY 2023 to be in with a chance of taking Nikon’s most advanced camera home and being crowned N-Photo’s Photographer of the Year 2023. Mirrorless behemoth The Nikon Z 9 features some truly ferocious specs, as you’d expect from a pro-grade, full-frame, flagship camera. It boasts a stacked 45.7Mp CMOS sensor and runs via Nikon’s EXPEED 7 image-processor. It also packs Nikon’s most advanced AF system and can shoot bursts at an astonishing 120fps, making it…

Specifications Mount: Nikon Z Lens construction: 15 elements in 10 groups Angle of view: 28.5 degrees Diaphragm blades: 11 Minimum aperture: f/16 Minimum focusing distance: 0.85m Maximum magnification ratio: 0.11x Filter size: 82mm Dimensions: 102.5x141.5mm/4.1x5.6in Weight: 1160g/2lbs 9oz The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S has been a long time coming. So much so that it’s more of a ‘me too’ lens than a real revelation. Nikon’s F-mount prime lenses with autofocus generally topped out at f/1.4 – surprising, since Nikon launched a manual-focus 50mm f/1.2 AI lens in 1978, upgrading it to the AI-s version in 1981. There’s never been a Nikon 85mm f/1.2 lens, until now. It comes nearly three years down the line from the similarly speedy Z 50mm f/1.2 S, and nearly four after the bonkers behemoth…

THE APPRENTICE NAME: Natacha Murphy CAMERA: Nikon Z 7II Natacha moved to the UK from her native France over 25 years ago and now resides in a picturesque village in the Cotswolds. By day she’s an insurance manager, but uses her downtime to run a burgeoning photography business with her husband and fellow photographer Garry. As Natacha looks to take on more commercial shoots, she’s hoping Carol’s methodology for botanical masterpieces will be rife with transferable skills. www.cotswoldphotographers.com THE PRO NAME: Carol Sharp CAMERA: Nikon D800 Carol is an award-winning photographer and fine artist. Her work has been exhibited in New York, Barcelona and all over the UK, and her client base includes a variety of big brands such as Waitrose, M&S and Yardley. Carol’s botanical portraits have been published…

Tom Mason Pro wildlife photographer Tom has worked around the globe on wildlife assignments, but he’s just as happy photographing critters found much closer to home. www.tommasonphoto.com Within the wildlife photography genre there is a great deal to learn when it comes to crafting unique images. A tough discipline, you need not only to master your camera, but also have an good understanding of the behaviour of the subjects that you’re searching for. With such variety in the natural world there are infinite opportunities, but in order to return home with something a little different, it’s key to take some time to think about the images you want to produce, and plan your approach. Developing your fieldcraft, selecting your lenses and editing down the ideas you want to shoot is all…

Camera: Nikon Z 6II Lens: 24-70mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/1250 sec, f/8, ISO200 With swelling joy, swirling colours and a flurry of smiles, the confetti moment is the quintessential photo from any wedding day. This time-honoured celebration is loaded with emotion, and the chaos of the colour filling the frame elevates this iconic image to a wedding must-have. But getting a good photo of the confetti moment can be a challenge. With petals tumbling in every direction, focus know-how, camera skills and split-second timing are required to capture a picture-perfect confetti photo. You will also need to consider where to position yourself. If you’re the hired photographer you’ll be front and centre to organize guests. If you’re a guest, you’ll need to not distract from the newlyweds or get in the…

www.bit.ly/np151vintage If you want to evoke the past in your photos then why not style them to look as if they were captured decades – or even centuries – ago? There are all sorts of tricks we can employ in Affinity Photo to do so. We’ll explore a host of vintage editing techniques here. First we’ll use a texture in combination with a layer blending mode. This is an easy way to add faded areas, dirt and grime to our image, as we can transfer the messy bits from our texture onto our photo with ease. Once done, we’ll use adjustment layers to remove the colour and add a tint, just like an old vintage photo. We can also use filter effects to mimic the imperfections that we’d often see…

Rachel Bigsby Profile • Based in Sussex, Rachel Bigsby is a self-taught wildlife photographer and Nikon Creator who is best known for her photography of British mammals and seabirds.• Pictures from her recent coverage of the avian flu crisis decimating British seabird colonies were published globally by the National Geographic Society.• Rachel has also used her long lens skills filming badgers, fox cubs, kingfishers and seabirds for BBC Earth, Springwatch, The One Show and Countryfile.• She assisted Simon King on location in Sussex for an episode of the recent Sir David Attenborough-narrated series Wild Isles, on BBC1.• Rachel was a finalist in the 2023 British Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and her work recognized in the Bird Photographer of the Year and the New Scientist Photography Awards. www.rachelbigsby.com Many professional…

Q I have taken shots of a football match under floodlighting but suffered from banding. Luckily, Nikon’s flicker reduction option helped a lot, how does it work? Philip Riddell A With flicker reduction shooting enabled, the camera takes into account the varying brightness of AC light sources, like fluorescent and mercury-vapour lamps (I’ve found mains-powered LED light bulbs to be particularly problematic). When using very slow shutter speeds, there’s no real problem, but when shooting with shutter speeds of 1/100 sec or faster for lamps with a 50Hz frequency (1/120 sec for 60Hz), the camera’s exposure metering system is used to automatically trigger the shutter release at the optimum moment. This reduces the appearance of any banding in images, so you don’t get a difference in relative brightness towards the…

Specifications! Sensor: 45.7Mp back-side illuminated stacked sensor Image processor: EXPEED 7 AF points: 493 ISO: 64 to 25,600 (exp. 32 to 102,400) Max shutter speed: 1/32,000 sec Video: 4K@120p, 8K@60p (90 mins max 8K@30p) Viewfinder: Super-bright OLED, 3.69m dots, 100% coverage Memory cards: 1xCFexpress Type B (or QXD), 1x SD UHS-II LCD: 3-inch bi-directional tilting touchscreen, 1.04m dots Frame rate: 20fps Raw, 30fps hi-res JPEG, 120fps lo-res JPEG Max burst: More than 1000 Raw files at 20fps, JPEG limited only by card size Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2xUSB-C Size: 144 x 119 x 83 mm Weight: 910g with battery and memory card Rumours of a Nikon Z 8 mirrorless camera, that fits in the range somewhere between the Z 7II and Z 9, have been doing the rounds for years. In…