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

CAMERA SETTINGS Neil says… Alan used Shutter Priority with Auto ISO. His aperture was wide open or stopped down slightly to widen the focusing ballpark. The reciprocal rule determined his shutter speed. How far you push the ISO will depend on the Nikon and editing software you use. Alan tried not to exceed ISO10,000. BACK-BUTTON FOCUS Neil says… I use back-button focus. With the shutter button only assigned to fire the shutter, I can capture images without fear of hunting. I don’t need to switch to AF-S, I just hold the back button to engage AF-C and release it to lock focus. Finally, I can focus manually without having to turn off autofocus. STAY ON TRACK Neil says… I leave Focus Tracking with Lock-On (Custom Setting Menu) on its default…

Coral Connections ALEX MUSTARD Alex shows the biodiversity of a healthy coral reef as ghost gobies swim within the branches of a sea fan. He is particularly fond of the skittish goby and was determined to picture more than one in the frame. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/8 sec, f/16, ISO100 Firebirds ELZA FRIEDLÄNDER Elza shows a pair of white storks in shimmering heat against the burnt ground caused by a controlled fire. As Elza had anticipated, the blaze attracted hundreds of birds, particularly storks and kites, to an area of Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Most kept their distance, but the storks pressed up to the frontline in search of easy prey. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 500mm f/5.6 + 1.4x teleconverter Exposure: 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO2000 Mason Bee…

“Shooting with a wide-angle lens will help you capture more of the scenery and allow for more pleasing compositions Much of Britain’s beauty can be attributed to its coastline. Along 5000 miles of British coast, you can find hidden sea caves, arches and stacks. Extreme weather and coastal erosion have shaped these spectacular structures over hundreds of thousands of years. Some of the most spectacular coastal landscapes can be seen in the southwest of the country, especially along the Jurassic Coast. 1 DURDLE DOOR, DORSET Durdle Door is highly popular among holidaymakers and photographers alike. Its position on the south coast means that it is ideal for both sunrise and sunsets shots, as well as capturing the Milky Way. A spectacular sunrise through the arch is possible between mid-December and…

Whether you’re heading off to photograph the breathtaking landscapes of the Lake District or the wonderful Brecon Beacons, always think of the light and how it affects your landscape. The light at different times of the day can change the mood of the pictures due to varying light temperatures. Pre-dawn light is cool and blue, but it starts to transition into warmer hues as the sun gets close to the horizon and pink tones start to appear in the sky. This usually introduces a still, calm and peaceful mood. When the sun breaks over the horizon, warm light highlights the textures and shapes, bathing the landscape in a golden glow – though with cooler shadows.…

“The most important thing is to be patient, as it is not unusual for the blanket of mist to cover the entire castle for prolonged periods of time One of the most important truths in landscape photography is that in order to create a good image you have to have three things – a vision that guides your creativity, inspiration that drives your motivation and the skills to turn every one of your dreams into a reality. Great Britain has no shortage of photogenic landmarks that can inspire and feed your imagination. From medieval castle ruins surrounded by early morning mist to beautiful lighthouses soaked in golden light, it’s easy to find something that will excite you and make you want to pick up your camera and shoot. 7 CORFE…

From thick vegetation to sudden clearings in the undergrowth, forests and woodlands are full of contrasts. Lighting can vary dramatically, not only with changes in the weather but also according to the height and density of the canopy above. When shooting dense woodlands, consider using HDR techniques to smooth the graduation between light and dark. To do this, shoot a bracketed series of exposures – three shots around the metered exposure in a half- or third-of-a-stop difference usually works best. Alternatively, try a vertical pan, in conjunction with a slow shutter speed, to change the contrasting tree trunks into arty indistinct streaks. The shutter-drag technique gives this woodland an abstract, ethereal quality.…

If you’re reading this month’s N-Photo on a dark autumn’s night, next to a roaring fire, and you come across this terrifying tutorial, you might just feel a creeping sense of foreboding as you remember that it’s the spookiest time of the year. But perhaps what you’re mistaking for unease is actually a burning desire to do some photography. This seasonal project is sure to get those creative pumpkin juices flowing. All you need is a standard focal length lens, a volunteer and layer-based image-editing software. The shoot itself is frightfully simple. Frame your image on a tripod, direct a light source onto your subject to create a shadow and fire the shutter. Then capture an identically framed and lit image, without the subject. Post is where the dark magic…

The Landscape Mixer tool is one of Adobe Photoshop’s new range of filters that uses artificial intelligence to automatically alter your photos. This filter takes elements from other landscape photos and mixes them in with yours. Here, the filter has mixed in a sunset mood from another photo and added a long exposure look to the sea to give the choppy waters a misty quality. Like most automated AI tools, the results are impressive yet far from perfect. The leap in technology here is truly staggering; the ability to automatically recognize the different parts of a photo and then splice in another landscape is genuinely impressive. However, while marvelling at the technology, you’re also likely to notice plenty of dodgy patches. Aside from the image looking very low res and…

1 Camera and lens Prime lenses tend to be sharper than zooms, which makes them ideal for studio still life and product photography, where optimum sharpness and quality can make a huge difference. A pin-sharp lens such as the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S here is ideal for studio still life work, especially when paired with a high-resolution camera such as the Nikon Z 9. 2 Watering cans All sorts of objects could work for a creative still life. We used three red cans, each suspended with thin hanging wire and hooks. Gaffer tape also came in handy to attach the wires to parts where they could not be tied. The thinner the wire, the easier it is to remove in Photoshop. 3 Position the objects The key is in…

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01 PHASE-DETECTION (VIEWFINDER) AUTOFOCUS When you’re using a DSLR viewfinder to compose your shots, the mirror inside the body reflects the image up into the viewfinder, but a percentage of the light passes through the mirror [1] on to a sub-mirror mounted on the back [2]. This then reflects the light down to the phase-detection AF sensor [3]. When you take the shot, the mirror and sub-mirror flip up to expose the camera imaging sensor. 02 CONTRAST (LIVE VIEW) AUTOFOCUS When you switch to Live View, the mirror inside the DSLR flips up [1], along with the sub-mirror on the back [2]. The image is no longer reflected up into the viewfinder or down on to the phase-detection AF sensor. It passes straight through to the imaging sensor [3], which…

Activate Live View On this Nikon, Live View is activated by this switch. On other models, it may be via a button on the back. The mirror inside the camera flips up, the viewfinder goes dark and the scene is displayed on the rear LCD. Information display Live View has its own set of focus modes, and you usually access these via the information display – to see this, press the ‘i’ button on the back of the camera. On some models, such adjustments may be made via the menus. Focus area You need to choose what to focus on. Nikon’s DSLRs offer a choice of Face-priority AF, Wide-area AF, Normal-area AF and Subject-tracking AF modes. For everyday shots, Normal-area AF tends to be the most useful. Focus mode The…

With Nikon’s phase-detection autofocus system, the distance from the lens mount to the AF sensor has to match the distance from the lens mount to the sensor precisely. Tiny discrepancies can show up in focus-critical work like close-ups. That’s why Nikon includes the manual AF Fine-tune feature in its more advanced DSLRs. But this isn’t necessary when you focus in Live View. The focus is being checked using the image sensor itself. If it’s sharp, it’s sharp, and that’s it – there’s nowhere for any error to creep in. This is one of the most compelling arguments for Live View, where this kind of control and accuracy is essential.…

Q My ancient D90 has finally given up the ghost. What is the best-value DX format mirrorless camera to buy secondhand? William Rawling A Matthew recommends… The Z 30 is good but has no viewfinder and the Z fc is lovely if you like retro styling, but the Z 50 is probably the best all-round choice. Nikon Z 50 THE Z 50 IS THE BEST ALL-ROUND OPTION FOR A DX FORMAT MIRRORLESS CAMERA RELEASED: 2019 PRICE NEW: £899/$857 SECONDHAND PRICE: ‘Excellent’ £580/$600 ‘Good’ £540/$550 The Z 50 was Nikon’s first DX format Z-system camera. There are plenty on the secondhand market, with significant savings to be made. It has the same DNA as the newer Z fc and Z 30 but it has more assured handling with its sculpted hand…

£2299/$1999 www.nikon.co.uk The Nikon Z f isn’t the manufacturer’s first attempt at reviving the style of film cameras for the digital age. The Nikon Df came along in 2013, but failed to take off enough to garner any sequels. In 2021, Nikon released the Z fc and got a very different reaction. Nikon has repeated several times that the demand for the Z fc has far exceeded its expectations, clearly showing that there is serious appetite for cameras with a vintage aesthetic. And the Nikon Z fc was well received. However, almost immediately after its release, users asked for a full-frame version with the same classic styling, so it seemed almost inevitable that Nikon would deliver just that. It appears Nikon is fully onboard the vintage-inspired camera train with the…

Any zoom lens is a versatile tool but fast telephoto zooms are particularly multi-talented. Enthusiast and professional photographers have long been using them for wide-ranging shooting scenarios, from action, sports and wildlife to weddings and other events. A 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom is regarded as one of the ‘trinity’ of zooms, along with similarly fast f/2.8 wide-angle and standard zooms. But it’s not the only choice. Compared with budget telephoto lenses, there are two main upsides to fast telephoto zooms. Firstly, you can get a tight depth of field, especially towards the long end of the zoom range, ideal for blurring the background and making the main object in a scene really stand out. Secondly, you can maintain fast shutter speeds even under low lighting conditions, for freezing motion without bumping…

£1199/$1397 Like the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 lens on test, this Nikon 70-200mm f/4 has now been discontinued but you can still pick up one new if you shop around, and it makes a very good secondhand buy. In other respects, the two lenses couldn’t be more different. The Nikon is much smaller and only about a quarter of the weight. A telltale sign of its slimness is that the filter thread is just 67mm compared with the Sigma’s much larger 105mm. The Nikon has a sophisticated control system. 4-stop VR (Vibration Reduction) comes with switchable Normal and Active modes, the former featuring automatic panning detection while the latter is more suited to shooting from an unsteady platform. An autofocus range limiter switch is also fitted. In keeping with its lightweight…

£1449/$1299 With exotic features and a wealth of upgrades packed into its metal barrel, the Tamron G2 feels every inch a pro-grade lens. Its optical design has been refined to increase sharpness and contrast, while reducing colour fringing, ghosting and flare. The autofocus system is uprated for faster, more accurate performance, and the VC (Vibration Compensation) system has three switchable modes and up to 5-stop effectiveness. Adding to regular static and panning modes, the third stabilization mode only applies stabilization during actual exposures, leaving the viewfinder unadulterated. Along with a full set of weather-seals, the lens has a fluorine coating on the front element. The Tamron G2 has a tripod mount ring with an Arca-Swiss compatible foot. However, the Tamron’s mounting ring can be completely removed, without leaving a protruding…

£2339/$2397 This Z-mount 70-200mm zoom has a stellar optical design that includes two aspherical elements, six ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, a fluorite element and an SR (Short-wavelength Refractive) element. Dual high-tech coatings include both ARNEO and Nano Crystal Coat. The lens isn’t just a feast of fine glass. Autofocus is incredibly rapid yet virtually silent, based on two synchronized stepping motors. There’s highly effective 5-stop optical VR, based on voice coil motors, which works a treat on the DX format Z 50 and is even better when used in conjunction with the in-body stabilizers of Nikon’s full-frame Z-series cameras. Trick features include an OLED display for viewing various shooting parameters, along with dual customizable L-Fn (Lens function) buttons. As well as zoom and focus rings, there’s a third stepless control…

Nikon, Sigma and Tamron all make 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters, the latest editions of which are fully compatible with the brands of lenses on test. This can give you up to double the maximum focal length, for example turning a 70-200mm lens into a 140-400mm zoom. However, you lose an f-stop with a 1.4x teleconverter, and the lens will effectively be two f/stops slower with a 2.0x.…

DX DSLRS NIKON D7500 THE D7500 SHOEHORNS the best bits from the now discontinued pro-grade D500 into a smaller more affordable body. The control layout makes everything is easy to get at, and there’s a top-plate info LCD, 51-point autofocus system, fast 1/8000 sec shutter speed and 8fps continuous drive rate. Video resolution stretches to 4K. TESTED IN ISSUE 155 • £1049/$997 Sensor 20.9Mp, DX (5568x3712) Processor EXPEED 5 Viewfinder Pentaprism, 0.94x, 100% ISO 100-51,200 (50-1,640,000 expanded) AF 51-point (15 cross-type) LCD 3.2-inch, tilt, touch Max burst (buffer) 8fps (50 Raw) Memory card SDXC UHS-I FX DSLRS NIKON D780 THE D780 TAKES the D750’s winning design and handling cues, but adds on-sensor phase-detection autofocus and EXPEED 6 processing, inherited directly from the Z 6, resulting in a capable and natural-feeling…

There are no end of astounding landscape locations throughout the British Isles, so narrowing them down to a top 10 was no easy feat for Edyta Rice. Nevertheless, she presents her very favourite scenic spots, from towering mountains to rugged coasts (and everything in between), and advises how, when and from where to shoot them. We got our hands on the brand-new Nikon Z f – a camera oozing retro charm on the outside but packing never-seen-before tech on the inside. You’ll find our first impressions in our in-depth preview, in our Gear Section. We also report on our first glimpse of a stunning new prime lens that gets its own moniker, the Nikon ‘Plena’. Plus we put eight fast telephoto zooms through their paces in our Big Test. In…

CUT OUT THE NOISE Neil says… Red squirrels usually live in dense pine forests with low light levels meaning you are likely shooting at high ISOs. In post, it’s imperative that you remove unwanted noise first, otherwise you’ll end up editing the noise. I’ve had great results with Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise feature. CROP TO TASTE Neil says… I choose to crop my images at this stage because it allows me to concentrate on editing the exact parts of the photograph that are going to feature in the final image. By trying out various aspect ratios you can experiment with different versions and compositions of your image. LOCAL EDITS Neil says… Making global edits to your images with the various sliders and tools such as the Tone Curve help you to…

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“For more dynamic and energy-filled images, try to shoot the waterfall from a slightly lower viewpoint Waterfalls never fail to add a bit of magic to a photography outing in the countryside, no matter what time of year you choose to visit. On hot summer days they are a great place to cool down, while in the cold of winter they can freeze over, creating impressive spectacles of natural beauty. Britain has a stunning selection of waterfalls and it’s great to discover those lesser-known spots and be able to capture their unspoilt beauty. 5 LOUP OF FINTRY, SCOTLAND Loup of Fintry is one of the most beautiful Scottish hidden gems. It’s not the tallest of the Scottish waterfalls nor the most powerful, but its position and surrounding countryside make it…

One of the first things that is usually noticed about fog captures is that, at first, they can appear flat and lifeless. This is particularly true when you are trying to capture an image in dense fog, because the thicker the fog, the narrower the histogram, as there is very little contrast. In order to rectify this issue, some photographers tend to adjust Contrast slider. However, adding more contrast quite often means that you will lose the soft and dreamy appearance of your image. Therefore, good alternative solution to consider is use of the Dehaze filter in Lightroom. A gentle Dehaze goes a long way, and I usually keep adjustments under +5 and apply it locally, as needed. The Dehaze adjustment can also be used when you want to obtain…

When the leaves start to turn red and yellow, it’s prime time for landscape photography. As the nights begin to draw in and the temperature drops, the landscape transforms from the lush, verdant greens of summer to a beautiful palette, bursting with gold and russet tones. So dust off your tripod, clean your filters and learn how to make the most of autumn. 1 Into the woods When considering the best locations for autumnal landscapes, it’s hard not to think of woodlands and forests. They’re a treasure trove of seasonal beauty, but a good image is weather-dependent. Soft morning light breaking through the canopy is a great place to start, but misty conditions are my favourite, adding an atmospheric, dreamy factor. 2 Leafy tips and tricks During autumn, woodland floors…

If you want to bring an extra level of dynamism to your still life or product photos, why not try playing with gravity and motion like this? With a combination of shooting skills, precise placement and a little Photoshop magic, images like this are within the reach of anyone with a camera. As for the lighting, we used three flashes to light our scene here, but if you want to keep things simple you could forego the flash altogether and use the ambient light from a window. Over the next few pages, we’ll go behind the scenes to see how a gravity-defying still life can be achieved. From the lighting setup to the careful posing to the simple post-processing, we’ll look at each stage in the workflow, and explain key…

1 Load into layers Open Adobe Bridge and Cmd/Ctrl-click to select all the images that you want to combine, then go to Tools > Photoshop > Load Files into Photoshop Layers. Once open, go to the Layers panel and drag the layer you want to use as a base to the bottom. Alt-click the eye icon on this layer to hide all the others. 2 Paint layer masks Highlight and reveal the layer above then hold Alt and click the Add Layer Mask icon to add a full black mask. Grab the Brush tool, hit D, then paint with white over areas you want to be visible. If you need to hide anything, hit X and paint with black. Continue revealing and masking the layers, one at a time. 3…

Talented Gareth Cattermole doesn’t look like he’s been a Getty Images photographer for over 20 years. He looks far too young. Maybe the job isn’t as stressful or ageing as I thought, but early into our interview he confirms that he was a mere youth when he started. “I was very young and with hair!” he laughs. “Yes, it’s 20 years at Getty Images, it will be 21 in January, and I was with another agency three years before that, so I started very young, which is quite unheard of now.” By that, Gareth means he was one of the last agency photographers to begin when film was king and his early days were spent as an office junior trainee. “Not an apprenticeship,” he explains, “but it was that sweeping…

PHASE-DETECTION AUTOFOCUS Phase detection autofocus sensors compare two offset images of the subject. If they don’t line up, the subject is not yet in focus. This system provides much more information than contrast autofocus. The distance between the images tells the camera how much it needs to refocus by, while the relative positions of the two images tell it whether it needs to focus either nearer or further away. The camera knows the correct focus position even before it starts refocusing. CONTRAST AUTOFOCUS Contrast autofocus doesn’t offer this head start. The camera can only find out which way to focus and how far by trial and error. It might refocus the wrong way before going the right way, and it will have to go past the peak focus point to…

We’ve all got used to the speed and responsiveness of regular phase-detection autofocus when we shoot with the viewfinder, and Live View autofocus can seem slow by comparison. But there are situations where the advantages of Live View AF easily outweigh the slower responses. 1 LOW-LEVEL SHOOTING Live View is perfect when you can’t get your eye to the camera’s viewfinder. You can see the LCD and the focus indicators from a distance, and if your camera has an articulating display, ground-level macro shots and dramatic low-level perspectives are easier still. 2 REMOTE CONTROL Nikon’s Snapbridge app makes it possible to take pictures remotely using a smartphone or tablet. The camera’s Live View display is transmitted to the device, where you can check the focus, change camera settings, and shoot.…

MISSION: Capture pro-quality motorsport images from behind the spectator fence at Oulton Park PHOTOGRAPHER: David Handley LOCATION: Wrexham, Wales KIT USED: Nikon D3300, Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR My lifelong interest in photography started when I first saw my father’s holiday snaps at the tender age of eight. Over the years, I’ve tried various genres, but at the moment, I’m enjoying action photography, more specifically motorsport. The biggest challenge is keeping up with the racing cars or motorbikes when panning. They travel at such high speeds, I often capture half a car, or miss it completely and capture just the tarmac! I was always a Canon man, but my 40D had developed an autofocus problem and it just wasn’t worth repairing. So, when I won a Nikon D3300 in…

£2699/£2499 www.nikon.co.uk Not since the Z 58mm f/0.95 Noct has Nikon decided that one of its lenses was so good it deserved its own name, but with its latest release the company is ready to introduce the Nikon Plena to the world, its first signature lens since the Noct. Fancy names aside, the Nikon Plena is actually its long-awaited 135mm portrait lens for the Nikon Z mount that has been on its lens roadmap for some time, officially titled the Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena. But what does Plena mean? It’s derived from the Latin term plenum, which denotes the state of a space being completely full. According to Nikon, the name was chosen to reflect the lens’s ability to fulfil the user’s creative vision with superior light, aiming to…

£1099/$1449 Sigma’s long-running 70-200mm f/2.8 OS lens was a popular, budget-friendly option. It delivered good overall performance, had an effective optical stabilizer and was keenly priced. The replacement ‘Sports’ lens is noticeably larger and heavier, weighing in at 1805g, despite having a magnesium alloy barrel. The more robust design also features a full set of weather-seals, whereas the preceding lens had none. More than just an update, the new lens is redesigned from the ground up. The new optical path features 24 elements in 22 groups, incorporating one SLD (Special Low Dispersion) element and no less than nine top-grade FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements. There’s also a particularly well-rounded aperture, with 11 diaphragm blades. The autofocus system can be switched to auto-priority or manual-priority modes, the latter enabling manual override…

Fast telephoto zooms exhibit minor barrel distortion at the short end of the zoom range, negligible distortion at mid-range settings, and a little pincushion at the long end. That’s true of most of the lenses in this group, but the Nikon Z 70-180mm and Z 70-200mm lenses are virtually distortion-free. But there’s a catch – the Z 70-180mm relies on automatic in-camera corrections for distortion, which can’t be disabled. The Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/4 gives the most noticeable pincushion distortion at the long end, when uncorrected.…

£2159/$2347 When it was launched back at the tail end of 2016, this latest edition of Nikon’s F-mount 70-200mm f/2.8 lens became our instant favourite telephoto zoom. Compared with the previous edition, it has an uprated optical design that features a fluorite glass element, six ED elements, one HRI element and the bonus of Nano Crystal Coat as well as Super Integrated Coating. Suffice it to say that the optical layout is designed for top performance. The revised dual-mode VR system has automatic panning detection plus a ‘Sport’ mode that doesn’t interfere with the viewfinder image and avoids a slowdown in continuous shooting. An electromagnetic diaphragm is also added, to ensure greater exposure consistency in rapid continuous drive mode. Both of these facets are incorporated into Z-system lenses, with Sport…

As with distortion, all of the lenses in this test group manage to keep colour fringing to a minimum. In most cases, lateral chromatic aberrations are barely visible even towards the extreme corners of the image frame, when shooting at either end of the zoom range. Fringing tends to be even more negligible at mid-zoom settings. The least impressive lens in the group at controlling chromatic aberrations is the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 at the short end of its zoom range but in-camera correction is available in recent and current Nikon cameras.…

£9449/$9497 For seven years, the Sigma 120-300mm represented a world-exclusive, combining a relatively long telephoto zoom range with a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture. Nikon put an end to that in 2020 with its own F-mount lens, which offers an identical zoom range and aperture rating, but at three-and-a-half times the price. Optical highlights include an ED element, two fluorite elements and one SR (Short-wavelength Refractive) element, along with Nano Crystal and ARNEO coatings. There’s a fast and near-silent ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system, an electromagnetic diaphragm and a 4-stop VR unit with switchable Normal and Sport modes. AF-lock, AF-ON and memory recall functions are also available. Ring-type ultrasonic autofocus is typical of high-quality F-mount lenses, which were predominantly designed with stills photography in mind. They’re less suitable for shooting video,…

We’ve seen some spectacular Z-mount zooms from Nikon but the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is one of the absolute best. For class-leading image quality and all-round performance, it’s simply the finest 70-200mm on the planet. The Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 is an excellent compact, lightweight and less expensive alternative. For DSLRs, top-flight photographers are likely to go for the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8, but the newer Sigma Sports competitor matches the Nikon in pretty much every aspect of handling, performance and image quality. That’s no mean feat considering that the Sigma is only about half the price to buy, and the Tamron comes pretty close as well. The similarity in performance and difference in price is even more pronounced when comparing the Nikon and Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 lenses, the…

Of all the lone trees in the UK, the one at Sycamore Gap was the most famous. It was situated smack bang in the middle of Hadrian’s Wall and featured in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The unique beauty spot’s photogenic nature and Dark Sky location made it a favourite among landscape and astro photographers, but it was also sought out by thousands of hikers, daytrippers and local residents year upon year. It was a bastion of rural England, a symbol of the Northumberland National Park. It was even named English Tree of the Year by the Woodland Trust. And now it’s gone. A gap in the landscape The felled tree was found on 28 September 2023. At the time of writing, a police investigation is ongoing, but…

THE APPRENTICE NAME: Alan Wrisberg CAMERA: Nikon D500 Alan is a police sergeant from Scotland. He used to be an avid athlete and always took an interest in the trackside photographers. By the time he was coaching athletics and his own children were playing sports, he was capturing his own action photography. He started with Olympus cameras, but when autofocus became the norm, he switched to what the pros were using, Nikon. He now owns a D500 and is considering the move to a full-frame (FX) DSLR or mirrorless. THE PRO NAME: Neil Freeman CAMERA: Nikon Z 9 Neil is training manager at Nikon School, heading up Nikon-focused workshops to shoot every subject under the sun, but his passion is nature photography. So much so that he relocated from his…

In Britain, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to breathtaking landscapes. With majestic mountain vistas, sparkling lakes and rivers, rolling bucolic countryside and spectacular rugged coastlines, the United Kingdom has a rich diversity of landscapes to offer every keen photographer. If you’re looking for inspiration for your next photography trip, there are numerous places in the UK that are crying out to be photographed. The key to bagging a stunning portfolio of photos is not only knowing where these locations are, but what to photograph and from what vantage point once you’re there. However, with so much to see and so little time, it can be difficult to decide where you should go next. So I’m going to share with you my top 10 most breathtaking British locations that every…

There are some places that make your heart beat just a little bit faster. Ranging from impressive rolling hills, towering mountain ranges and wild moorland to flower-filled meadows and picturesque villages, the precious and protected landscapes of Britain have a distinctive beauty and character. Although there are hundreds of places of outstanding natural beauty that are worth recommending to every landscape photographer, I have an irresistible need to suggest two areas very dear to my heart – the wonderful Lake District and beautiful Brecon Beacons. 3 DERWENTWATER, LAKE DISTRICT With mesmerizing stretches of natural beauty to captivate you, and all the shades of green lining the rolling hills, blue-coloured hues in the fells and the golden flow on the mountaintops, the Lake District is a photographer’s paradise. The area offers…

Forests and woodlands represent over one-eighth of the total land area in the UK. Whether you are looking for a magical bluebell walk or a refreshing autumnal stroll, British forests and woodlands offer the perfect setting for a photography outing. 9 WEST WOODS, WILTSHIRE West Woods is one of my favourite locations for bluebell photography. The patches of flowers are so dense in spring that you can walk up to a mile in the same direction without a break. Classic images feature a carpet of blooms contrasting with vibrant green, freshly unfurled beech leaves. Alternatively, if you like to experiment, try using the intentional camera movement technique to give an impressionistic blur of beech trees and bluebells. They bloom between mid-April and mid-May but each location varies year on year,…

As an island nation, we’re drawn to the sea and landscape photographers are certainly no exception – seascapes are among their most popular subjects. Good coastal shots can be full of drama, showing the raw power of nature or, at the other extreme, they can be calming and tranquil but they’re always full of atmosphere. Successful seascapes usually contain a few key elements: a strong composition, dramatic or moody lighting, and a sense of motion. They often feature a strong foreground and background focal point to help enhance perspective, as well as front-to-back sharpness, so accurate focusing and control of depth of field is vital. Creating a sense of motion means being able to control your shutter speeds, so you’ll need a set of Neutral Density filters. Capture an atmospheric…

Over the past few years, focus stacking has gone from a niche, little-known trick used in macro photography to an everyday technique called upon by all kinds of photographers, from those shooting architecture to landscapes, product photography, fine art and more. There are two key benefits to focus stacking. The first is the obvious one. It lets us expand our depth of field beyond the capabilities of our camera and lens. By shooting a series of frames while incrementally adjusting the focus point, we can record sharp details across the entire scene from front to back. Merging these photos is easy with Affinity Photo’s Focus Merge command. This combines the sharp parts from each frame and lets us manually perfect any mistakes in the blend. The second benefit is perhaps…

1 Camera settings When using off-camera flash it’s usually best to set your exposure to Manual mode with ISO100. First, set the shutter speed to 1/200 sec and aperture to f/8, then take a test shot and either adjust the power of the lights or the aperture until the exposure looks right. Here we had our camera set to 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO100. 2 Tripod We arranged our three red watering cans then poured water into the top one so that it would trickle in the opening in the lower can. Once captured, we could move the lowest can and string it up in a higher position, then repeat the process. A tripod is essential to keep all the frames in alignment. 3 Towels and buckets Messing around with water…

One of the advantages to using red and blue as our two main colours here is that they can be easily altered to other shades, if we want a different look. There are lots of colour-changing tools in Photoshop, but perhaps the easiest to use is the Color Mixer panel. Available in Camera Raw and Lightroom (and also through Filter > Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop) the panel lets you target eight different colour ranges and change the Hue, Saturation and Luminosity of each. Set it to Hue, then grab the target tool and drag left or right over colours in the image to instantly alter them. Then right-click and change to either Saturation or Luminosity to tweak the results.…

The work I am exhibiting at EMERGENCE is from my final university project Terra Nullius: Volume 2. It is a result of my interest in the transitional period of twilight, the inevitable darkness that follows and how it visually alters and changes our perception of familiar landscapes. This body of work also includes a focus on coastal locations where the natural elements of land and sea influence continuous change, captured just as darkness set in. I wanted to visualize this lack of visibility and clarity by introducing a haze to my photographs, which was produced with prismatic refraction. The beautiful coastlines are warped into otherworldly abstract scenes that challenge the observer’s perception of a traditional landscape. They also become a more accurate depiction of my experience navigating them. I got…

Face-priority AF best for snapshots When you’re in this face-detection mode, your Nikon will constantly scan the scene for human faces and, when it finds one, will focus on it. It can be useful for taking quick snapshots of friends and family, and is especially useful for photographers who’ve just upgraded to a DSLR from a regular compact, but most serious photographers would probably prefer the predictability of the standard autofocus modes. Normal-area AF best for precision Again, the reference to ‘area’ is misleading, since this is also a single-point AF mode. This time, though, the AF point is smaller. The smaller autofocus point makes it easier to pinpoint specific subjects, getting a precise part pin-sharp, though you do have to set the focus point more carefully. With Wide-area and…

AF-S: SINGLE-SHOT MODE The camera focuses when you half-press the shutter button, and holds that focus until you press the button fully. This is the most predictable option if you’re using the Normal-area or Wide-area AF modes. You can use it for the face-detection and subject-tracking modes, but you lose the advantage of the AF algorithms, which enable the camera to keep up in real time. AF-F: FULL-TIME-SERVO AF In this mode the autofocus stays active, so you don’t need to keep the shutter button half-pressed. The camera refocuses constantly. AF-F mode is most useful for face-detection and subject-tracking, where subject distances may be changing. Perhaps the most important application, though, is the movie mode. MF: MANUAL FOCUS You may not use manual focus a great deal in normal, viewfinder…

Q My Z 30’s reference manual says to charge the battery from a computer via the supplied cable, but it takes ages. Is it safe to use a fast charger? Mick Banks A Unlike most Nikon cameras, the Z 30 is supplied with no battery charger, just a USB-C cable. As you say, the reference manual suggests charging the battery in-camera from a computer, but this can take nearly eight hours. One option is to buy the optional Nikon MH-32 battery charger separately (£37/$45), or a third-party equivalent. Another solution is to buy a plug-in USB-C PD (Power Delivery) charger, which typically delivers at least 20W compared with just 2.5W from a computer USB port. However, do make sure you also purchase a PD-compatible charging cable. Another option is to…

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…

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…

£1799/$1697 The Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR aims to deliver seriously ultra-telephoto focal lengths along with an impressive overall zoom range, at an ‘affordable’ price of around $1697/$1799. To put that into context, the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S ($2497/£2299) zoom and Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S ($2997/£2871) prime lenses give less telephoto reach and are considerably pricier to buy. The Z 180-600mm is more of an ultra-telephoto zoom for the masses. Key features The 180-600mm zoom range is a standout feature of this lens. It kicks off with a moderate viewing angle of 13.7 degrees at the short end, and powers through to just 4.1 degrees at the long end. The former works really well at relatively short to medium distances, while the latter really covers the…

To test real-world performance, we use lenses in all sorts of lighting conditions, for indoor and outdoor shooting scenarios. We check for good build quality and handling, smooth and precise operation of all controls, and we test the speed and accuracy of autofocus. We typically test full-frame compatible lenses on a range of FX and DX bodies, whereas APS-C format lenses are just tested on DX cameras. These include DSLRs like the D850 and D7500, and mirrorless cameras like the Z 7II and Z fc. In-camera and Raw processing corrections for chromatic aberration, distortion and vignetting are disabled where possible, throughout lab-testing, to better reveal the true optical performance of each lens. In our lab, we test lenses under controlled conditions, shooting specialist test charts and processing the results with…

£1299/$1247 This relatively new Z-system lens from Nikon keeps things small and simple. It teams up with the excellent Z 17-28mm f/2.8 and Z 28-75mm f/2.8 lenses, completing an alternative trinity of fast, constant-aperture f/2.8 zooms that are more compact, lightweight and much less expensive than their range-topping S-line counterparts. The optical path includes no less than five ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, one Super-ED element and three aspherical elements, the combination aiming for superb contrast and clarity. Unlike the F-mount lenses on test, the lens features a linear stepping motor for autofocus. It’s fast and snappy for stills, while enabling smooth and virtually silent focus transitions when shooting video. Unlike most constant-aperture telephoto zooms, there’s fairly little elongation of the lens as you zoom from the shortest to the longest…

£2709/$2799 It’s a big ask to deliver 50 per cent more telephoto reach than a 70-200mm lens while maintaining a constant f/2.8 aperture. The result is a big lens that weighs in at almost 3.4kg. That’s more than twice the weight of most top-flight 70-200mm lenses. And while it retains internal zoom and focus mechanisms, the lens also measures about 1.5 times longer than most 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses and has a wide girth, along with an oversized 105mm filter thread. Despite being the first lens in Sigma’s Sports line, it nevertheless features a Custom modes switch, with autofocus speed, autofocus limiter distance and optical stabilization effects being customizable via the optional USB Dock. It was also Sigma’s first lens to feature weather-seals, although it doesn’t have fluorine coatings on the…

When you need more telephoto reach than your lens can supply, an extender is an attractive option, as featured on the facing page. It’s cheaper to buy than a bigger, more powerful telephoto lens, and much easier to carry around. However, an extender is much like a glorified magnifying glass. It magnifies a relatively small section of the image circle produced by the lens to which it’s attached, but it also magnifies every flaw. You’ll notice a slight loss of sharpness, while autofocus speed and accuracy can take a hit. So it pays to invest in a super-telephoto zoom if you need greater reach. The aperture rating will typically be slower, but not by much (if at all).…