Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2016 i N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

Your window onto the working life of a professional photographer I’m a Scottish photographer, so the scenery of Scotland has a special place in my heart. Coire an Lochan is an irregular but pristine body of water lying between the masculine-looking peaks of Sgor Eilde Beag and Sgurr Eilde Mor, part of the Mamores range in Lochaber. I stumbled upon the location online while researching hill-lochs. The previous June, I’d spent some time exploring the many ‘lochans’ scattered at altitude behind An Sgurr, the highest point on the Isle of Eigg, and was keen to seek out others. So, after picking a day with suitable conditions and making sure of the route, I set out for what I hoped would be a fantastic opportunity for some great shots. My walk…

Photography is all about light – this is a phrase you’ll hear again and again. But it’s also about how you harness and channel that light on to your camera’s sensor. The top view of your D-SLR gives you the controls to do this. The button layout varies between different Nikon models, but there are fundamental settings and controls that are universal to all of them, such as the essential PASM exposure modes, invaluable controls such as exposure compensation, and the all-important shutter-release button. WHY NOT TRY? Manual mode and Auto ISO Don’t neglect Auto ISO. This offers a shooting method that deserves to be considered alongside the aperture- and shutter-priority modes. It works like this: you set manual mode, choose a shutter speed and aperture, and then leave the…

The last two stops on our tour take us around the front and side of your D-SLR, where you’ll find a select array of buttons that change important features such as autofocus and flash. Of course, there’s also the lens controls to consider. The greatest strength of your D-SLR is the ability to change the lenses, and in choosing a Nikon, you’ve opened the door to some of the best optics available. And these days, most lenses have a few switches and buttons to fiddle with to help optimise image quality and performance. WHY NOT TRY? Fn button for ISO The front of your D-SLR has a customisable Fn button that you can set up in the Custom Settings menu. The function for Fn on many Nikon D-SLRs is to…

THE MISSION ■ To make basic colour adjustments using Lightroom TIME NEEDED ■ Five minutes SKILL LEVEL ■ Anyone can do it ■ Some tricky aspects ■ Advanced technique KIT NEEDED ■ Lightroom 5 NEXT ISSUE… Banish distractions with our cropping guide If you plan to share your edited photographs online then you don’t need to worry as much about over-saturating the colours, as computer screens can reproduce millions of colours. However, if you’re planning to print your photos then you need to be more careful about avoiding over-saturated colours at the editing stage, because printers can’t reproduce as many colours as you can see on a monitor. If you print over-saturated colours, the images may look garish and lack detail when you see them on paper. We’ll look into…

THE MISSION ■ Create a light bulb montage and learn core Photoshop skills using layers, masks, blending modes and filters TIME NEEDED ■ 20 minutes SKILL LEVEL ■ Anyone can do it ■ Some tricky aspects ■ Advanced technique KIT NEEDED ■ Photoshop CC NEXT ISSUE… Reveal your inner child in a caricature portrait There’s much fun to be had in Photoshop by merging two images into an offbeat montage. The technique also calls upon many of Photoshop’s most fundamental tools, such as layers and blending modes, so it’s a great way to learn core skills. Here we’ll combine a light bulb and a tree into a seamless scene. Cutting out the tree would take a while, but we can get almost instant results with the Multiply blending mode. Because…

PROJECT INFO MISSION To use photography to reconnec t with sports a fter an injury PHOTOGRAPHER Scot t Robbins AGE 40 LOCATION Wagga, NSW, Australia KIT Nikon D750, Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR, Nikon SB-700 Speedligh t, Elinchrom Ranger RX AS with S-Head, Pocke t Wizard Mini TT1 with Power ST4 WEB www.scottrobbins.zenfolio.com I have always had a passion for action sports and images. Unfortunately, about two years ago I had some issues with my back which prevented me from doing the sports I loved, so in order to stay active and involved with my friends, I took up photography. I started out with my old D5000 with kit lenses, but I soon upgraded to a D7000 – and what a difference that body and a couple of f/2.8…

We reserve the right to edit any queries for clarity or brevity. You can also write to us at N-Photo Magazine, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, UK, BA1 1UA ■ Keep your copies of N-Photo neat and tidy with our bespoke binder. Each stores a year’s worth of your favourite photo magazine – and costs from ￡9.99! Order yours today at… www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/n-photo-binder * star letter PERS ISTE NCE PAYS OFF Reading the article by Paul Harcourt Davies in the December 2015 issue reminded me of my trip to the Austrian Alps in July this year. I had planned on taking a series of butterfly photos around the Oetztal and Stubai Valleys, and in particular I wanted to photograph the Apollo. Having conducted some research I thought I knew where I…

JARGON BUSTER Key terms explained NIKON TRANSFER 2 This mini app enables you to import images from camera to computer. You can launch it from Nikon’s View NX-i app by clicking the Transfer icon. METADATA When you take a photo, key camera settings such as shutter speed and aperture value are assigned to the image file. Capture NX-D can filter files using this information. Once the dust has settled on the festive season, you may find yourself in possession of a new Nikon camera. Alternatively, you might have made a NewYear’s resolution about taking control of your photo collection. Either way, the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to get to know Nikon’s free image organising and editing software, Capture NX-D. We’ll take you through everything Nikon’s…

Shooting events is a good way to earn money with your camera, and it can offer more diverse subjects than specialising purely as, say, a wedding photographer. Events work involves a number of different photographic and business skills, because you need to be able to shoot many different types of subject, and to deal with the needs and demands of both the organisers and participants. The skills and style of photography needed for shooting portraits for a corporate function, say, are very different to those needed for shooting sports events, so you need to decide which types of events you want to shoot. Once you’ve decided on a type of event that suits your skills or interests, then seek out as many opportunities as possible to practise before you go…

Benoist Clouet and I first met at a photography festival in the village of Montier-en-der in rural Champagne-Ardenne. Although at ease in his native France, Benoist was counting the days to when he could return to Svalbard, the Arctic islands off the Norwegian coast that have become his obsession. The frozen landscapes of these islands are far removed from the rural idyll of his roots, but maybe that’s the reason behind the attraction… You grew up in Normandy. How did you become drawn to the Arctic? I’ve always been attracted by wild areas where Man has barely ventured. When I was young, I saw my first red deer in the forest close to my house. I saw my first golden eagle in the Pyrenees. I have practiced nature photography for…

Nikon’s DX (APS-C format) D-SLRs range from entry-level models such as the D3300, to relatively powerful bodies like the D7200. But its FX (full-frame) cameras really are in a different league. Whereas DX bodies have sensors that measure 25x17mm (about the size of a postage stamp) FX cameras have much larger 36x24mm sensors, the same size as a conventional frame of 35mm film. But what does that mean for you as a photographer? Nikon has two ways of approaching the larger surface area of an FX-format image sensor, giving you the choice of two upgrade paths. One approach is to stick to a modest megapixel count, so that the each photosite (equating to a single pixel in an image) can be larger. This enables the sensor to capture much cleaner…

Honestly, have you ever read a camera manual from cover to cover? Many have tried, but few have succeeded! There’s something about those pocket-sized pages of dull grey images and complicated diagrams and figures that makes the information hard to digest. And the problem is, in detailing every single feature, information overload quickly creeps in. Most of us just want to know a few fundamentals, and then pick up everything else as we go. The crux of it is figuring out what those fundamentals are. Nobody would want a camera that has three buttons. We like our gear to have a depth of features that slowly unravel their secrets over several months or even years. But the flip side is that, when you have an unfamiliar new camera, the buttons,…

Your journey around the body of your Nikon D-SLR continues with the rear side. Here’s where you’ll spend the majority of your time, looking through the viewfinder, selecting menu settings, or reviewing images, so it will stand you in good stead to know your way around the buttons and controls. Get to know the viewfinder, too – it’s more than just a compositional tool. It offers a wealth of exposure data along the bottom of the screen that adapts to the amount of light in the frame, so it’s a great aid when learning about exposure. WHY NOT TRY? Back-button focusing The catchily named AE-L/AF-L button stands for Auto Exposure / Autofocus Lock. Its default use is to lock both when composing a shot, but it also has another potentially…

THE MISSION ■ Shoot a wintry portrait complete with fake snow! TIME NEEDED ■ One hour SKILL LEVEL ■ Anyone can do it ■ Some tricky aspects ■ Advanced technique KIT NEEDED ■ Nikon D-SLR ■ Snow machine NEXT ISSUE… Make the most of a mist opportunity If you’re lucky enough to have snow for a portrait shoot, then make the most of it – snow is a natural reflector of light so it gives lovely, soft, flattering light with subtle shadows. Here in the UK, though, it seems that it only snows when we don’t want it to, and never when we do, so for this project we had to make our own white stuff! A fake snow machine such as the one we used sprays out a stream…

THE MISSION Learn how to use a super-telephoto lens with confidence TIME NEEDED ■ One hour SKILL LEVEL ■ Anyone can do it ■ Some tricky aspects ■ Advanced technique KIT NEEDED ■ Nikon D-SLR ■ 300mm+ lens ■ Monopod NEXT ISSUE… Discover the benefits of intervalometers Super-telephoto lenses are wonderful pieces of kit for getting in close to a subject. You frequently see them used on wildlife shoots (see page 8), and you’ll spot pros with them at sporting events, but what makes telephoto lenses so effective? And how do you use such a monumental bit of kit? The reason wildlife photographers need such long lenses is that wild animals have far better senses than us, and are very easily startled. Rather than attempt to sneak up on a…

THE MISSION ■ Capture a stunning star trail image TIME NEEDED ■ At least three hours SKILL LEVEL ■ Anyone can do it ■ Some tricky aspects ■ Advanced technique KIT NEEDED ■ D-SLR ■ Tripod ■ Remote release ■ Compass ■ Lightroom NEXT ISSUE… Capture a cool lunar timelapse Star trail photos, with moving stars forming streaks of light across the night sky, are always popular. In this tutorial, we’re going to walk you through how to shoot source images for a star trail photo, and then how to merge them in Lightroom. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, you’ll need to aim for Polaris, the north star, to achieve the classic ‘circular’ star trail look. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, you’ll need to find the south celestial…

SECONDHAND SUPERSTAR Released: 2008 (A272NII model) Price new: £290/$500 Used price: From £135/$175 Something of a legend in its own lifetime, this Tamron macro lens has been around for more than three decades in various forms and is still in production. It’s therefore available to buy new, but also makes an excellent secondhand choice, especially as most photographers’ macro lenses only get fairly light use. The 90mm focal length gives a comfortable shooting distance of 29cm at the minimum focus distance, which also enables full 1.0x macro magnification. It’s fully compatible with all Nikon FX (full-frame) bodies and, when used on DX cameras, you can fill the entire image frame with something as small as a postage stamp. Earlier models (272EN) on sale up until February 2008 lacked an autofocus…

James Warwick was only 25 and “just dabbling” in photography when he first observed the nightly gathering of starlings roosting in the derelict West Pier at Brighton, on England’s south coast. “It was an evening in February, 1998,” he recalls. “It was pretty amazing to watch, what with the sheer size of the flock – and back then the structure of the pier was still intact.” A few evenings later James decided to try photographing the spectacle, and brought his camera, a Nikon F90 loaded with Fujichrome Sensia slide film, and a tripod. It wasn’t just the size of the flock – or murmuration – of starlings and the unique setting of the pier that fired James’s imagination. He was also drawn by the light of the winter sunset over…

FULL-FRAME D-SLR £1080, $1500 (body only) www.nikon.com Nikon D610 Key facts Image sensor and processing The sensor has an identical megapixel count as that of the D750 (24.3 megapixels) but this one is a generation older, and it’s coupled with an EXPEED 3 processor that is now outdated. As a result, image noise is more noticeable at high ISO settings. Autofocus The Multi-CAM 4800 autofocus module is also used in the Df and various DX bodies, including the D5500 and D7000. It’s a better fit in DX bodies, where the 39 AF points cover a fairly large area of the frame. In the D610, all the AF points are bunched in a relatively central area. Continuous shooting For maximum burst rate, the D610 is a bit faster than the Df…

FULL-FRAME D-SLR £1900, $2750 (body only) www.nikon.com Nikon Df Key facts Image sensor and processing When it was originally announced in November 2013, the Df had the same 16.2-megapixel image sensor and EXPEED 3 processor as the D4, which at the time was Nikon’s flagship professional D-SLR. Both components are now looking rather dated, especially in terms of the image sensor’s pixel count. Autofocus Joint bottom of the class for autofocus, along with the D610, the Df has the lowerspec Multi-CAM 4800 autofocus module, which only has 39 AF points. Of these, only nine are cross-type, and all the points are bunched in the central area of the frame. Continuous shooting Considering the relatively lowly number of megapixels – just 16.2 – the maximum burst rate of 5.5 frames per…

FULL-FRAME D-SLR £4450, $6000 (body only) www.nikon.com Nikon D4s Key facts Image sensor and processing The 16.2-megapixel sensor is newer than that fitted in the D4 and boasts better dynamic range and cleaner high-ISO images. Coupled with the EXPEED 4 processor, it enables continuous AF and metering at 11 frames per second. Autofocus The AF module is identical to the one in the D810. It’s a 51-point Multi-CAM 3500 with Group AF mode, and gives enhanced continuous autofocus for moving subjects, which ties in nicely with the D4s’s sporty continuous shooting rate. Even so, it’s a generation older than the D750’s module. Continuous shooting There’s no beating the D4s for rapid-fire shooting. The 11 frames-per-second rate is much faster than in any of the other cameras tested, making the D4s…

01 The Power of Nature Stephen Cheatley, UK Commended, Adult Urban View “This enormous lightning bolt above Blackpool was just one of the many thousands of strikes which blazed across the UK on the morning of 4 July 2015. It lit up the sky behind Blackpool Tower, dwarfing the famous Victorian structure. Thunderstorms of such intensity are not common in the UK.” www.stephencheatleyphotography.co.uk Nikon D600, Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, 3.5 secs, f/5.6, ISO200 02 Ice Contours John Robinson, UK Commended, Adult Classic View “The magnificent snow-capped Black Mount range in Scotland provides the perfect backdrop for these wonderful ice contours along the shores of Lochan na h’Achlaise. I shot two exposures, one for the sky and another for the landscape, and merged the images in Photoshop.” www.johnrobinsonphoto.com Nikon D3x,…

For those of us who remember shooting on film, the LCD screen was perhaps the greatest thing about the digital camera revolution. Suddenly, we could see the image we’d taken in a split second, rather than days later. Of course, it seems normal now, but it’s still encouraging to think back to those days when analysing and troubleshooting was so much trickier. Whether reviewing images or using Live View, the technical side of photography is easier than it’s ever been, and it’s all thanks to the LCD. DID YOU KNOW? When reviewing images you can set the multi selector OK button to quickly jump in and out to a set magnification, which saves time pressing the zoom buttons. Go to Custom Settings > Controls > Multi selector center button WHY…

THE MISSION ■ Shoot a festive night-time scene reflected in a bauble TIME NEEDED ■ 30 minutes SKILL LEVEL ■ Anyone can do it ■ Some tricky aspects ■ Advanced technique KIT NEEDED ■ Nikon D-SLR ■ Kit lens ■ Tripod ■ Reflective bauble NEXT ISSUE… Go crazy for car trails While unpacking the Christmas decorations, why not grab a bauble and head out to capture some creative still lifes. That curved, shiny surface gives you a whole new way to capture a seasonal scene. Whether you’re faced with a winter wonderland or a brightly lit cityscape, this fun technique provides a unique and very festive perspective. Capturing a scene in this way involves some incredibly wide angles due to the spherical surface of the bauble. It can also be…

TAKE IT FURTHER ■ Try drawing shapes that interact with your surroundings, or have a few friends draw different things in the scene. You could even light the background, though just be sure to aim these lights away from the camera to avoid unwanted light trails QUICK TIP Use lights with more focused beams for in trica te light sketches. You could eventry using a laser pointer to get fine de tails THE MISSION Master the art of sketching with light TIME NEEDED ■ 30 minutes SKILL LEVEL ■ Anyone can do it ■ Some tricky aspects ■ Advanced technique KIT NEEDED ■ Nikon D-SLR ■ Sturdy tripod ■ Wide-angle lens ■ Pen light ■ Assistant(s) NEXT ISSUE… Take fantastic photos without a lens! Christmas is a great time to…

PROFILE ■ A trip to China 12 years ago inspired Kit to pick up a camera. He’s since moved on to D-SLRs and is considering upgrading to a D750. He now lives in Bali. I love taking photos of real people in real situations. Upon retiring in Australia and moving to Bali five years ago I developed a close relationship with a local couple who run a studio teaching traditional Balinese music and dance. I often accompany the young artists to performances at ceremonies. This allows me unprecedented access both behind and in front of the scenes, and I’m now accepted as part of the troupe. I try my best to produce artistic and authentic shots of the participants. Remaining inconspicuous during the religious ceremonies is a challenge, and a…

Import your photos Plug your camera into your PC and launch View NX-i. Click the Transfer icon to launch the Transfer 2 app. Browse to the camera. In the Primary Destination tab, choose a folder to store your imported shots. Click on Transfer. An ‘OK’ label will confirm that a photo has been imported. Add a label or filter Launch Capture NX-D. Browse to the destination folder to display its contents as thumbnails. Use View>Thumbnail Size to create larger previews. Click on a thumbnail preview and press Shift plus a number key (1 to 5) to add a star rating. Press a key between 1 and 9 to add a coloured label. Filter your files To display shots with a specific rating or label, click on the Filter bar icon.…

VERDICT The Nikon MC-36A is a perfectly good cable remote controller, which combines direct firing with advanced, programmable timer modes, but it’s only an option if your D-SLR has a 10-pin remote socket. The Hahnel Timer Module is compatible with all Nikon D-SLRs, has an even greater range of functions, and can be used in wired or wireless modes, once you add the cable set or Captur Remote. The latter also enables a remote flashgun to be triggered over a range of 100 metres.…

BEST STANDARD ZOOM Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR ▪ £1849 ▪ www.wilkinson.co.uk (search 48033) Most of us use a standard zoom more than any other type of lens, and although we haven’t been able to put Nikon’s Mark II version of its 24-70mm f/2.8 through our full testing regime yet, our initial impressions are that it’s a supremely excellent optic, bringing prime lens performance with the versatility and convenience of a zoom, giving you the best of both worlds. The pro-grade, weather-sealed shell houses a smorgasbord of top-quality glass, including a newly developed aspherical ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element, teamed with other aspherical, ED and HRI (High Refractive Index) elements. The big news for handheld shooters, however, is that it’s Nikon’s first standard zoom that combines a fast and constant…

FULL-FRAME D-SLR £1500, $1900 (body only) www.nikon.com Nikon D750 Key facts Image sensor and processing The newly designed 24.3-megapixel sensor and latest-generation EXPEED 4 image processor team up to deliver incredible image quality, especially at high ISO settings, where this camera leaves the D610 and D810 standing. Autofocus The Mk II edition of the 51-point Multi-CAM 3500 AF module is a new version of the one inside the D810 and D4S, with greater sensitivity for low-light shooting – down to -3EV instead of -2EV. Fifteen AF points are cross-type and 11 points can be used with f/8 lens/teleconverter combinations. Continuous shooting The maximum burst rate is second only to that of the bonkers-fast D4S. At 6.5 frames per second, it’s quick for a fullframe camera, and the buffer depth is…

FULL-FRAME D-SLR £2350, $2800 (body only) www.nikon.com Nikon D810 Key facts Image sensor and processing Upgraded from the D800 and D800e, the D810 is completely lacking an optical low-pass filter, which boosts its potential for capturing fine detail and sharp shots. The image sensor is new, and the EXPEED 4 processor is also a generation newer. Autofocus You’d expect a top-notch AF system in a camera that’s all about sharpness, and the 51-point Multi-CAM 3500 doesn’t disappoint. It has 15 cross-type points and 11 points that work down to f/8. Even so, the D750’s newer-generation system was slightly more accurate in our tests. Continuous shooting Whereas the D800 could only manage a maximum burst rate of four frames per second (five in crop mode), the D810 hits five frames per…

Boasting a newer image sensor and autofocus system than any other camera in the group, the D750 combines the best of everything. It matches the D4s for its late-generation Expeed 4 processor and top-flight metering system, while the new 51-point autofocus module is actually better, with greater accuracy, especially in low light, where it’s sensitive down to -3EV. The D750’s image quality is stunning, and pictures remain clean and noise-free even at ultra-high ISOs. The maximum burst rate of 6.5 frames per second is beaten only by the D4s. The D4s remains the pro choice, with its battleship build quality, built-in vertical grip and wide-ranging direct shooting controls. The burst rate of 11 frames per second, with full-time autofocus and metering, is incredible. However, the megapixel count of 16.2 is…