Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine

Editor As restrictions continue to be eased, we’re allowed to get out more with our cameras, either on our own, or with friends and family at sociable yet socially-distanced two metres! As always at PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine we’re here to specifically help Canon camera users. This issue, three top Canon pros show you how they’ve still been getting out shooting – from capturing great shots of local wildlife, to better family portraits and tasty shots of food photography in simple home studios. Learn more from page 28. Our Apprentices get taught by Canon experts in their field on how to take stunning close-ups of all sorts of tiny creatures, from page 8. We have more amazing photo projects, including exclusive tips on how to take sexy boudoir shots using…

MANUAL MODE FOR LIGHTS IN MILES Herebert’s studio he has three lighting heads set up to ensure he’s in total control of the lighting: “For Robin to boss her exposures she needs to shoot in Manual,” suggests Miles. “This enables you to set the aperture and shutter speed to get the results you want, and is essential when shooting with lights. With your exposure fixed in Manual, you can then adjust your lights for different brightness. By doing this, you control which parts of your wildlife subject and backdrop are lit and which areas are bathed in shadow.” WHITE BALANCE SETTINGS MILES ADVISED Robin to set her white balance manually to 5500K: “From experience, I know that when shooting with my Elinchrom lights, this white balance setting produces the best,…

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01 CREATE A PERCH Giving the birds a place to land enables you to control the composition to an extent. I added an old gatepost to the garden and placed it in front of some foliage, but you could also set up some gnarly old logs for a more natural look too. 02 KEEP IT CLEAN You’ll discover quickly that any feeding table or perch will soon get covered in white bird poo. This looks unslightly, so if you can, clean it regularly, but if you forget to do so you can always remove any marks with the Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop. 03 ADD YOUR FOOD Place some bird seed on your impromptu perch to lure the birds in your garden over to this spot, which will photograph much…

01 SHOOT A SEQUENCE Set your camera up on a tripod. For the exposure mode, pick Aperture Priority and engage the interval timer (if your camera doesn’t have it, you could use an external cable release timer, or fire the shutter yourself). Shoot to capture a day-to-night sequence. 02 LOAD INTO LAYERS Choose your favourite shots using Adobe Bridge, then select them, right-click them and choose ‘Open in Camera Raw’. Use the tonal tools to enhance the images, then hit Done. Select them all again and go to Tools>Photoshop>Load Files into Photoshop Layers. 03 MAKE A GRID Go to Image>Image Size and set the width to the same number of inches as there are layers in your stack. So for 10 shots set it to 10 inches (uncheck Resample Image).…

Editing your photos can transform them, bringing out the vivid colour and incredible detail you saw in person when taking the shot. But photo-editing skills take time to learn, and even more time is needed to get the best from each image. Photolemur takes a different approach, doing all the hard work for you. Just drag and drop a photo onto the Photolemur mini-window, then watch as it analyses your shot in a dozen different ways before producing a brilliant result. Use the software to pay special attention to enhancements and go beyond initial results with Photolemur Styles, which enable you to choose different looks for your photograph. Photolemur 3 is being offered free of charge until 30 September 2020 by Skylum. Other great programs in the Skylum roster include:…

Why does Live View in EOS Utility look so dark when using flash for shots? Rick Robett, Tarporley BRIAN SAYS… If you’re using flash then the odds are you’re using Manual mode with a fast shutter speed, then you may find Live View dark on the LCD and in EOS Utility. This is because the camera simulates the exposure for the chosen shutter, aperture and ISO settings. If you are using a recent Canon or compatible Speedlite the combination normally disables exposure simulation for you, but rarely does so with studio flashes. You’ll need to change the exposure simulation in the camera’s Live View menus. You can also switch the simulation on or off in EOS Utility directly for most cameras. What is the memory function on the Speedlite 430EX…

If you’re trekking through harsh terrain in pursuit of landscape photo ops, the last thing you need is a bag of heavyweight camera kit. This compact ultra-wide zoom weighs just 240g, but still packs in some useful features. Unlike Canon’s older and heavier EF-S 10-22mm lens, it adds a 4-stop image stabilizer that can save more weight, avoiding the need to lug a tripod around with you. AF is based on a stepping motor that gives quick performance for stills and smooth, near-silent transitions while shooting movies. As usual for this type of system, manual override and fully manual focusing are available via an electronically coupled focus ring. Also typical of ‘STM’ AF lenses, there’s no focus distance scale. Build quality feels good for a light lens, although part of…

You can expect some barrel distortion with ultra-wide-angle lenses, but it tends to become less with zoom lenses, as you extend through the zoom range. For direct comparison, this chart shows the relative amounts of distortion for prime lenses and zooms at their shortest focal length. In the APS-C camp, the Canon 10-18mm and pricier Tokina lead the way for minimizing distortion, although the Tokina has a less generous viewing angle. For full-frames, the Irix is good but for real-world shooting (rather than close-range test charts) we found the Sigma 14-24mm gave almost distortion-free results.…

Tokina was one of the first independent manufacturers of ultra-wide zooms for APS-C cameras, in the shape of its 11-16mm lens which has since been updated. This ‘Pro’ lens is similar in many respects, including its f/2.8 aperture rating, which stays constant across the zoom. Optical finery includes three aspherical elements, of which two are all-glass moulded elements, with an additional ‘precision-moulded’ element. There are also three SD (Super-low Dispersion) elements. The AF system is quick but noisy. Typical of Tokina lenses, this one has a ‘one-touch focus clutch’. This enables you to swap between AF and manual focus simply by snapping the focus ring forwards or backwards. Unlike the Canon and Tamron zooms on test for APS-C cameras, the Tokina has no image stabilizer. You could argue that it…

A problem with landscapes is that the sky can be much brighter than the land beneath. You can therefore end up with the ground looking too dark. The obvious solution is to use an ND Grad filter, which is dark at the top and clear at the bottom. Many ultra-wide-angle lenses don’t even have a filter attachment thread, requiring an expensive, specialist filter system like the Lee Filters SW150 Mark II. Or, shoot in Raw, with an exposure setting that retains detail in high and lowlights. Then make adjustments during Raw processing, to produce light and dark versions of the same image. Create a layer mask in a program like Photoshop, and you can merge the two images together for best effect.…

Samyang is known for its well priced manual prime lenses, like the 10mm for crop-sensor cameras that we’re also covering this month. The XP range is something more exotic, consisting of five top-performance manual-focus lenses that have built-in electronics, similar to the Irix 15mm. The focal length of these two is also similar, the Samyang giving a wider 114-degree viewing angle on full-frame cameras, compared with the Irix’s 110 degrees. The Samyang is smaller than the Irix, but heavier at 791g. Both lenses are heavier than Canon’s 16-35mm zoom on test. Part of the weight gain is due to the Samyang having three extra optical elements than the Irix, while matching it for aperture rating. Build quality feels particularly solid, although the Samyang isn’t weather-sealed. Handling is top, with a…

We’ve kept a close watch on budget when selecting the lenses for this test group, but there are some pricier Canon options available. For APS-C format DSLRs, there’s the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, at £499/$549. However, it’s quite an old lens that loses out to the similarly priced Tamron 10-24mm on test, for all-round performance and image quality. It also lacks the relatively fast, constant-aperture design of the Tokina 11-22mm lens. For full-frame cameras, Canon’s top-flight options are more appealing. First up, there’s the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM at £1849/$1899. It’s an excellent lens in all respects but is rather larger, heavier and more expensive than the Canon 16-35mm f/4 lens that we picked for this test group. Naturally, the bigger lens is an f/stop faster but that’s…

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Letter of the Month I have been a Photoshop user for around 20 years, and there is a comfort in knowing there is a lot more I can do with the software, and a familiarity with the tools. At £10 per month, I don’t think it is aimed at amateurs like me. Your magazine introduced Luminar 3 as a free software trial (PhotoPlus 63), and with time on my hands, I thought I would have a look. That led me to Luminar 4 and a YouTube video ‘AI tools explained’. After only eight minutes I was hooked. I took the free trial of Luminar 4, but did not continue with it for the entire ‘free period’. I bought it after two days and I have since been re-visiting all my…

1 Know and respect your nature The welfare of your subject always comes first, and a soft paintbrush is often the best way of moving insects as they can be very delicate. Different species also require different conditions, such as light, temperature and humidity. 2 Searching for invertebrates Compost heaps and log piles are good places to find invertebrates. Even indoors there’s plenty to see; in autumn, house spiders come looking for mates, so super photographic opportunities await! 3 Connect with your subject For intimate insect portraits, get right down to eye level. This often means getting down on the ground, so there won’t be room for a tripod. 4 Key camera settings Macro lenses allow you to get very close to your subject. However, as camera-to-subject distance decreases, so…

Thankfully we’re seeing more restrictions being lifted during the pandemic, and at the time of writing, in the UK we’re able to get out more each day with friends and family at a social distance, and that means new opportunities for improving your Canon camera skills. So whether you’re getting up for early morning walks to capture close-ups of local nature, or cooking up a storm in the kitchen and want to capture tasty photos, our three Canon pros reveal the best ways to take shots to savour. If you’re staying in the garden, there’s always wildlife worth photographing, or if you’re getting set up at home to capture some cool portraits of the family, we have top pro techniques for you. Tasty food photography Experienced foodie photographer JP Baudey…

01 BLINDED BY THE LIGHT For a fraction of the price of studio lighting kit, buy a diffused blind for your bedroom or lounge window for unbeatable soft lighting for portraits. Diffused light reduces light levels, so increase ISO accordingly. 02 EXPOSURE SETTINGS We shot in Manual at f/2.8 to blur the foreground frame of the bed and body shapes behind the focal point of the model’s face. We set ISO to 200 for a shutter speed of 1/500 sec for sharp shots. 03 CANON LENS CHOICE We used the workhorse Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens at 70mm, but any kit lens or telephoto zoom will do. The combo of wide aperture and long focal length decreases depth of field to blur background elements. 04 TRY SHOOTING INTO THE LIGHT…

As the old adage goes: ‘Behind every great photographer is a colour calibration device.’ Okay, so nobody actually said that – but they should have! You see, colour calibration is hugely important if you want to edit your best photographs, because how can you edit an image effectively if your monitor isn’t displaying accurate colours and tones? Image manipulation is a delicate process that involves lots of subtle tweaks. Imagine if all of those subtle tweaks were slightly off, because the colours and tones you were seeing weren’t accurate. This is especially important if you plan to print your images. A key step in printing is soft proofing, which lets you preview how your printer will print your image. But, if your monitor isn’t calibrated properly, this ‘proof’ could look…

01 LOAD UP YOUR FREE TEXTURES Open up your free textures in Resources> Elements and pick one you like and open it into Photoshop Elements in the Expert mode. Then, open up another shot that you want to add the texture to. 02 ADD TO YOUR PIC AND RESIZE Hit Ctrl/Cmd+A to select the texture, Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy it and then in your other image press Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste it in. Hit Ctrl/Cmd+T to use Free Transform mode and pull the corners to resize it. 03 BLEND THE TEXTURE IN Go to the Layers panel (Window>Layers) and change the blending mode from Normal to one of the options in the list to blend it in. Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light and Screen usually work well. 04 MASK OFF THE EFFECT…

Many of us will have old family photos and vintage prints tucked away, so now might be the perfect time to dig them out, brush them off and digitize them with a scanner or your camera. Once done, you can open the image in Affinity Photo to perform all kinds of impressive restoration work and breathe new life into these beloved old prints. Even the most well cared-for prints will eventually show signs of age. Dust and grime will accumulate, creases and scratches will damage the surface, edges will get bent or torn, chemicals will deteriorate. The good news is, this kind of damage can be improved with simple tools and techniques in Affinity Photo. Given a little time and attention, we can reverse the ravages of time and restore…

I set off to the British Wildlife Centre (before lockdown) in Surrey, armed with my Canon 200D and Sigma 18-300mm. This was the only lens that I needed, as I was going to be close to the animals, but I also packed a small tripod and a bean bag. In preparation, I went through the list of the resident animals on their website, so that I could find the species I wanted close-up shots of and find them quickly and easily. Not knowing the layout of the British Wildlife Centre I did not know what obstacles I would be facing, but when I arrived there were actually very few issues, as the enclosures are very good for photographers. Despite rain on the day I was happy with the images I…

01 Canon EOS 5D Mark III WEB: www.canon.co.uk IT MAY be old school and not the latest bit of kit, but my Canon EOS 5D Mark III has a rock-solid build and has been a reliable workhorse for several years, coping with whatever I’ve thrown at it like a total champion. I use it with a BG-E11 battery grip, so I can shoot in the portrait orientation easily too. I’m probably due an upgrade and I think I’ll be looking towards one of Canon’s new full-frame mirrorless models when the time comes for it – they look so impressive. 02 Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM WEB: www.canon.co.uk THIS IS hands down one of my favourite lenses, it’s such an amazing all-rounder. The lens has Image Stabilization, which is mind…

01 REMOTE SHOOT PREP The person with the camera will ultimately create and light the setup, and position the camera. They will also need familiarity with EOS Utility and tethered shooting to make it work. Of course, you can monitor this and interact with a video call, making suggestions as you see fit. 02 GET CONNECTED When Zoom is installed it adds a remote control capability to the computer preferences. The person with the camera needs to share their screen, and accept a request for remote control. If you’re security conscious, you can deactivate remote control – be vigilant when granting anyone access. 03 TAKE CONTROL Once the screen sharing and remote control is running, use your mouse and keyboard to operate EOS Utility. Turn on Live View, so that…

Although the lens determines the magnification of the subject, the subject will appear larger in an image taken on an EOS camera which has an APS-C sensor, compared with one taken on a full-frame camera. The magnification hasn’t really changed, it’s simply that the smaller sensor crops the full image projected by the lens. You can achieve the same effect by simply cropping a full-frame image in software, although you will lose some of the resolution when you do this. Several full-frame EOS cameras allow you to crop the image in-camera. Both the EOS 5DS and 5DS R allow you to manually select smaller x1.3 or x1.6 crops when shooting JPEGs, for example. Cameras in the EOS R mirrorless range offer a manually selectable x1.6 JPEG crop, and will automatically…

Too much of a good thing can be bad for you, in the case of automation in photography I think it removes some of the creative value you bring to the picture. Today’s cameras choose where the subject is in the frame, focuses, calculates the exposure and all but presses the shutter. It’s great for everyday photography and lets you get on with framing the scene, perfecting composition and waiting for the light. To me photography is a mix of technical skills and artistic endeavour. If you just want nice looking photos, Auto mode does a good job, but hardly sets the creative brain in motion. It’s amazing how many people take photos with Program or green square auto and then complain that the camera didn’t get the right result.…

The Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM is a smaller, lighter and more affordable alternative to the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM – the ‘kit’ lens that released with the Canon EOS R mirrorless back in 2018. The L-series version performed better than its kit lens designation might suggest, and it remains a formidable all-purpose optic – so much so that it sits at the top of our best Canon RF lenses guide. But where does the new non-L version come in? And the biggest question – why the move to f/7.1, and what effect does this have on the way the lens functions? Let’s take a look… Build and handling The first thing you notice about the new 24-105mm is the form factor. Compared to the f/4L…

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 EF lenses on a range of full-frame and APS-C format bodies, whereas EF-S lenses that are designed specifically for APS-C format bodies are only tested on cameras like the EOS 90D. EF-M and RF lenses are tested on respective EOS M and EOS R type mirrorless bodies. In-camera corrections for chromatic aberrations and peripheral illumination are disabled throughout all testing, to better reveal the true performance of each lens on test. We also run a full range of lab tests under controlled…

Built for APS-C format DSLRs, it has an ‘effective’ range of 16-38.4mm in full-frame terms. Naturally, there’s quite a lot of overlap with a standard zoom lens but a plus point for landscape shooting is that you won’t need to swap between lenses so often. Building on the feature set of Tamron’s original 10-24mm lens, this edition adds a raft of enhancements. A new HLD (High/Low torque-modulated Drive) AF system replaces the basic electric motor-based unit of the original. It’s faster, quieter and more accurate, and improves handling as the focus ring no longer rotates during AF. Another major handling upgrade is that the new lens features VC (Vibration Compensation), whereas the previous lens lacked image stabilization. Build quality is good for an APS-C lens and the build comes with…

Whereas using the hyperfocal distance typically requires a chart that relates focus distances to focal lengths and apertures, ‘zone focusing’ can be more straightforward. While many AF zoom lenses have a focus distance scale, the fixed focal length of prime lenses enables the addition of depth of field markers. The longer rotational travel of the focus ring enables a bigger spread of marked focus distances, which you can use with the depth of field markers, often available for a range of apertures. This enables you to use ‘zone focusing’, adjusting the focus ring so that the required zone of the scene is in focus. For landscapes, you’re more likely to align the infinity point of the focus distance scale at the longer position indicated by the depth of field scale.…

Irix offers a 15mm f/2.4 in two different versions, the Firefly and the Blackstone. The optical path is identical in both, but the pricier Blackstone has better build quality, with a metal, rather than plastic barrel, and an extra weather-seal. The Blackstone also has engraved markings filled with UV-reactive paint, and comes in a hard case. Although it’s a manual-focus lens, it’s not lacking in features. Built-in electronics enable full communication with the host camera body, so you can control the aperture from the camera and shoot in the full range of shooting modes without restriction. Illumination of the camera viewfinder’s focus confirmation lamp is also enabled, and lens-based EXIF data is recorded with images. Focusing is done via a typically long-travel manual focus ring, which has an infinity position…

For landscape photography with Canon’s EOS M and R series mirrorless bodies, there are two prime (or zoom) candidates. For APS-C EOS M cameras, use the Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, at around £319/$399. Ideally matched to slimline M-series bodies, it has a space-saving retractable design and is lightweight for an ultra-wide zoom at just 220g. Highlights include near-silent, smooth stepping motor AF and a 3-stop image stabilizer. Canon’s RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM for R-series cameras is more of a heavyweight at 840g, with a similarly hefty purchase price of £2299/$2299. Typical of L-series lenses, it’s a more up-market affair with pro-grade build and handling, along with a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture and 5-stop stabilizer. It also has a separate hood that enables the inclusion of an…

For APS-C cameras, the Tamron 10-24mm is the most sophisticated lens for landscapes, with advanced AF and stabilization systems and the best quality of construction, which includes weather-seals. It’s an excellent lens that beats all other options for performance and image quality. On a budget, the Canon EF-S 10-18mm is an attractive lightweight option, with effective image stabilization. If you want a faster aperture, the Tokina 11-20mm works well, delivering an f/2.8 aperture rating throughout its entire zoom range. For full-frames, our choice is the Sigma 14-24mm, which combines ace image quality with pro-grade build quality and superb performance. However, its integral hood precludes the easy attachment of filters. The same goes for the Samyang XP 14mm manual-focus prime lens. If you want a prime lens for landscapes, the Irix…

Canon rumours in 2020: what cameras are coming, officially and otherwise! We round up the most credible camera rumours and throw in our thoughts on what the camera makers might do next. More on DigitalCameraWorld.com via quick link https://bit.ly/camera_rumours Home photography ideas: Boudoir that’s beautiful, classy and creative Get beautiful boudoir photographs every time with the right choice gear, lighting skills and a range of posing tips. More tips and video on DigitalCameraWorld.com via quick link https://bit.ly/dcw_boudoir Will Canon’s EOS M mini-mirrorless system really be dead by 2025? Industry pundit believes smaller mirrorless systems will be dead in 3-5 years – and other Canon mounts are at risk. More on DigitalCameraWorld.com via quick link https://bit.ly/dcw_deadpool INSTAGRAM www.instagram.com/PhotoPlusCanonMag FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/PhotoPlusMag TWITTER www.twitter.com/PhotoPlusMag DIGITAL CAMERA WORLD www.digitalcameraworld.com…

THE APPRENTICES ROBIN HUSON CANON EOS 80D ROBIN LOVES wildlife and pet photography, and has a fascination for tiny critters, so we made her dream come true, enabling her to get up close and personal with harvest mice and a red-eyed tree frog. SIMON BUNKER CANON EOS 7D MK II SIMON’S BEEN a keen photographer since his late teens, when he had a Minolta 35mm film camera. More recently he bought a 600D, then a 7D Mk II, to photograph butterflies, crickets and grasshoppers. ANDY THORPE CANON EOS 550D ANDY THORPE, is a part-time teacher and property manager. In his spare time Andy loves to get out with his Canon 550D to capture birds and other British wildlife. Andy is always looking to improve his animal shots. CANON PROS MILES…

ANDY’S COMMENT I was especially pleased with this shot of a panther chameleon, which was posing on a branch held by David. I kept the AF point locked onto his eye so it would be sharp, and the two lights and black backdrop really made the colours stand out. DAVID’S VERDICT This chameleon wasn’t the easiest subject as he was very lively, so Andy did well to get this shot. By getting in close and keeping the focus on the eye he’s captured a winning shot. The background complements the bright patterns of the scales, and the side profile shows off the lizard’s spikey outline to great effect.…

01 DOWNLOAD YOUR SOFTWARE Download the Spyder X software from the Datacolor website. There are versions for the SpyderX Elite and Pro for Windows or Mac. Follow the simple installation wizard, but don’t plug in the device until the installation is complete. 02 RESET YOUR MONITOR Revert to your monitor’s default settings using its built-in menu and set the colour temperature to 6500 Kelvins (if you can). If you’re a Mac user go to System Preferences>Displays, click the Color tab, and choose the necessary display profile. 03 DIM YOUR SCREEN Having a screen that’s too bright will make your colours look unrealistic compared to the printed version as this will have no back illumination. Dim your screen to 80% or lower, though the calibration software will tell you if it’s…

This simple technique is a creative way to show off an entire timelapse sequence in a single image. Perhaps you have a set of timelapse photos on your hard drive that could work for this, but if not then why not shoot a new sequence? It could be a great way to show the passing day in your garden or elsewhere. All you need to do is set up your camera on a tripod and engage the interval shooting setting. If your camera does not have this feature, then you can buy an extra cable release with an inbuilt interval timer. Or simply grab a seat next to your tripod and press the shutter every 20 minutes or so. It’s a wonderful way to show the transition between night and…

01 FIX MARKS AND SCRATCHES Open the portrait, go to the Layers panel and click the new layer icon. Grab the Inpainting tool from the toolbar. Go to tool options and set ‘Current Layer and Below’. Paint over scratches to remove them. Hold Cmd/Ctrl+Space and drag to zoom in or out. 02 ENHANCE THE TONES Click the Create Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel and choose Black and White. Next, click it again and choose Levels. Drag the Black and White points inwards to boost the contrast, then use the Gamma slider to control the overall brightness. 03 DODGE AND BURN THE FACE Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to merge a copy of all layers. Grab the Burn tool and set Tonal Range: Midtones, Opacity 5% and paint under the chin, cheekbones…

01 OPEN YOUR PHOTOS When Photolemur starts, you can drag one or more images into its mini-window to get started. While you’re editing your shots, click Open More to bring more pictures into the Photolemur interface. 02 CHOOSE A PHOTO You can open Raw images from most cameras, or JPEG files, in Photolemur. Simply click on any shot from the selection you’ve opened to bring it into the main editing window and start restyling. 03 BEFORE AND AFTER Watch while Photolemur analyses your photo, then view the result. The Before & After slider is a simple and fun way to compare your original with Photolemur’s enhanced version: move the slider to see the change. 04 CHOOSE A STYLE You can select different editing treatments with Photolemur Styles. Click the Style…

I took these images at Studio Visage in Folkestone with model Kristina Cohen Regan, aka Sinister Sister (@ sisterofsinister). Kristina is a professional makeup artist and I wanted to get some shots where the make up was really experimental. I’d seen some pictures of a model wearing a clay mask online that looked cool, so I sent these over to her and she was more than up for it, as it would fit in with her eclectic tastes. We both loved that the clay had this fantastic cracked texture when dried. It took about 20 minutes for Kristina to apply the clay and a further 20 minutes for it to dry and create the crackle patterns. I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and paired it with a…

CANON EOS SOLUTIONS PAGE 70 Learn to shoot remotely with WiFi via video calls! EXPERT BRIAN WORLEY CAMERA EXPERT Brian has unrivalled EOS camera knowledge after working for Canon for over 15 years. He now works as a freelance photographer and photo tutor in Oxfordshire. DIGITAL EOS ESSENTIALS PAGE 72 Take your macro shots to the next level EXPERT MARCUS HAWKINS PHOTO EXPERT Marcus has more than 30 years of photography experience. A former editor of our sister publication Digital Camera, he has written about photography for Canon and Jessops, and uses a Canon EOS 5D Mk IV. EOS S.O.S PAGE 76 Your technical Canon queries answered EXPERT BRIAN WORLEY CAMERA EXPERT Brian has unrivalled EOS camera knowledge after working for Canon for over 15 years. He now works as…

WHEN YOU review a shot, you can magnify the image to check that details are sharp. There are several ways to do this. If your camera has a touchscreen, you can spread two fingers on the rear screen to magnify the image up to around 10x. Or, double-tap on the image for a 100% view of the pixels at the point you tapped. If your camera has a magnification button, you can repeatedly press this to magnify the image up to 10x. Some cameras allow you to change the magnification in the blue Playback menu (right), so that you don’t have to repeatedly press the button to zoom into details. During playback, you can compare the image with others to select the one with the sharpest details and add a…

THE BEST camera drones are far more than the simple toys they used to be. They’re now used widely by both amateur and professional photographers because they can reach areas and shoot from angles that regular cameras can’t. They allow aerial photography and videography of landscapes, buildings and events that previously required the use of a helicopter, a small plane or a crane. Drones have evolved greatly since the first ready-to-fly model went on sale ten years ago – and a decade on drones are now everywhere. Every drone on test has a camera supported by a powered gimbal, which counteracts the vibration from the propellers. Of course, it’s worth accepting that drone rules and regulations have become part of the drone operator’s life, especially commercial users for whom insurance…

THE CONTENDERS: APS-C THE CONTENDERS: FULL-FRAME After so much time indoors, the sheer scale of a sweeping landscape can take on epic proportions. From open fields and rolling hills to huge dramatic skies, there’s a lot to take in. With a standard zoom lens, you’ll often struggle to squeeze as much of the scenery into the frame as you’d like. Mount an ultra-wide-angle lens to the front of your camera and it’s a truly liberating experience for landscape photography; it’s like taking the blinkers off and pulling much more of the vista into the camera’s frame. When choosing an ultra-wide lens, it’s crucial to pick the right tool for your camera. Whereas full-frame compatible telephoto lenses can work equally well on APS-C format cameras, an ultra-wide lens designed for full-frame…

Ultra-wide prime lenses for APS-C cameras are rare, and Canon doesn’t make one at all. The best option is this 10mm ‘Crop Sensor’ lens from Samyang, which combines a short 10mm focal length with a wide f/2.8 aperture rating. Not just a manual focus lens, this one has no internal electronics. So, you can’t set the aperture from the camera and can basically only shoot in Aperture Priority or Manual – adjusting the aperture with the control ring. The camera viewfinder’s focus confirmation lamp is also disabled. Thankfully, the focus ring has a long rotational travel and marked focus distance scale. Depth of field markers are also on hand, but only for apertures of f/2.8, f/4 and f/5.6. Still, manual focusing is easy for most landscape shooting, and you can…

We often want to keep an entire landscape scene as sharp as possible. At medium to long distances, the depth of field stretches about twice as far behind the point of focus as it does in front. So, try to focus on a point that’s about a third of the way into the area of the scene. AF is the preferred option, but manual focusing can work well. Manual-focus lenses typically have a much larger rotational travel for their focus rings, making precise adjustments easier to apply. With a fixed focal length, you can also download a chart for the hyperfocal distance at all apertures. Line this up on the focus distance scale, and you’ll be able to retain sharpness from the closest distance all the way to infinity.…

Launched about six years ago at the same time as the EF-S 10-18mm lens for APS-C cameras (also on test), this was Canon’s first ultra-wide zoom for full-frame DSLRs to feature image stabilization. Indeed, the newly designed stabilizer was made specifically for this lens and gives a 4-stop benefit. Having an f/4 aperture rating, the lens is considerably smaller and lighter than Canon’s 16-35mm f/2.8 zoom, and is only about half as expensive. Still, it has premium optics with GMo (Glass Moulded) aspherical elements, including a large-diameter one at the front, plus two UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements. Super Spectra Coating is applied, as well as fluorine coatings. Build is up to the L-series standard, aimed at pro and enthusiast photographers, and the lens comes with weather-seals and a bayonet-fit hood.…

Colour fringing caused by lateral chromatic aberration can a pain in landscapes. It’s caused by different wavelengths of light being focused at different points across a plane perpendicular to the path of light through the lens. It tends to be most obvious around high-contrast edges of objects that are reproduced near the edges and corners of the frame. The Canon 10-18mm, Tamron 10-24mm and Tokina 11-20mm are the worst offenders.…

We’ve long been fans of Sigma’s ultra-wide 12-24mm lens, with its extreme max viewing angle. The Mk II edition of the lens was great and the latest ‘Art’ edition is better, gaining a constant-aperture rating of f/4. This newer addition to the Art line-up is more modest in its ultra-wide coverage, but an f-stop faster. The standard of build quality is exemplary, with a tough and solid yet refined feel and a full set of weather-seals. Optical prowess benefits from a large-diameter, ultra-high-precision moulded glass aspherical front element, which teams up with three top-grade FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements. Typical of ultra-wide full-frame compatible lenses that have focal lengths of 15mm or less, there’s an integral lens hood to protect the protruding front…

DSLR CAMERAS PRICES QUOTED ARE BODY-ONLY UNLESS STATED MIRRORLESS CAMERAS PRICES QUOTED ARE BODY-ONLY UNLESS STATED What to look for Canon EOS cameras Canon splits its EOS DSLR lineup into entry-level, enthusiast and professional ranges; the 4000D is the most basic, the 800D and 77D for intermediates, the 80D and full-frame 6D Mk II for more advanced enthusiasts, while the 7D, full-frame 5D and 1D lines have pro-level features. With more expensive models, expect greater handling, more robust build quality (weather-sealing and magnesium-alloy shells), more advanced features, and full-frame rather than APS-C image sensors. We also now have the full-frame EOS R cameras for mirrorless fans, the EOS RP as an ‘entry-level’ and more affordable option, with the EOS R for more serious photographers. Plus not forgetting Canon’s compact system…

FREE VIDEOS! In the next Canon Skills chapter… ▪ Master the art of infrared imagery ▪ How to capture portrait panoramas with a tele lens ▪ More new advice in our Photoshop CC, Elements and Affinity Photo tutorials PLUS ALL THIS… ▪ PhotoPlus Apprentice: We head to the Peak District with Canon photographer Matty Graham ▪ Canon School: Essential advice ▪ The Big Interview: Legendary landscape pro photographer Charlie Waite reveals all to us ISSUE 168 ON SALE 21 JULY 2020 * Content subject to change…