Photography News 6

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Photography news

Issue 6

18 March – 21 April 2014

Your FREE newspaper packed with the latest news, views and stories from the world of photography

Nikon’s new flagship boasts 11fps continuous with full AF, a new 16-megapixel sensor and a top ISO of a mere 409,600

Turn over for all the industry’s top stories © ROSANNA CASTRINI. INTERNATIONAL GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

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All the latest gear from tripods to bags to paper, plus photo trips & holidays

TOP GUN Two years on from the D4, Nikon has introduced its new flagship, the D4s. At first glance the cameras look identical but under the bonnet Nikon has worked hard on improvements.

The new 16-megapixel sensor works with Nikon’s EXPEED 4 processor and the combination gives a standard ISO range of 100-25,600 but the top sensitivity can be expanded to an incredible 409,600 (ISO equivalent). This sort of sensitivity means using fast shutter speeds in the lowest levels of ambient lighting is feasible. Of course, until we try it for ourselves we can’t vouch for image quality at such high ISOs but we hope to get our hands on the D4s very soon.

With the camera aimed at action and press photographers, speed is obviously a priority for the D4s. Thus it can race along at 11fps with continuous AF (this compares with 10fps on the D4) and with a shutter lag of a mere 42 milliseconds, catching the decisive moment is easier than ever. The new shutter/reflex mirror mechanism keeps mirror bounce to a minimum so you get a stable image with minimal viewfinder blackout and that in turn

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makes tracking high-speed action more precise even when shooting at 11fps.

The AF system has had a revamp too. Autofocus is still principally with Nikon’s 51-point AF system but the new Group AF setting monitors five different AF fields across the 51 points and lets you control the size of the focusing area.

Naturally, for a top-end, top-of-the-range model, the D4s isn’t cheap and the body only price is £5200. π To find out more, go to www.nikon.co.uk.

Winning ways for green-fingered photographers The low-down on the premier ‘garden’ competition

PHOTO 24 We announce the second 24-hour London shoot extravaganza run by sister title, Advanced Photographer. See page 5 for details.

•F ujifilm X-T1 •N ikon D3300 • Samsung NX30 7 pages of hands-on tests start on page 23

Issue 6 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 5

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Latest photography news

3 NEWS IN BRIEF

New classic For reliable support, look no further than Manfrotto’s update of its original 055 series

TOUGH BAGS Look out for this new range of colourful and very practical Interceptor bags in your local photo shop.

They are made from special ‘Tarpaulin’ cloth that’s very durable and waterproof. Four models are available: Small, Medium, Tote and Sling. The Small costs £40 and the other three £50 each. www.intro2020.co.uk

Manfrotto’s 055 series has been the mainstay for photographers for many years and now a new collection has been introduced. Quick Power Locks allow fast, secure, one-handed opening of the legs and also give increased locking power for maximum stability. Manfrotto’s research shows the new 055 series tripods are 50% more rigid than their predecessors. Maximum payload is quoted at an impressive 9kg. Prices for the range start from just £200.

Perfect for the photographer on the move is the new X-Pro three-way head that features retractable locking levers to help keep size down.

It sells for £115. π To find out more, go to www.manfrotto.co.uk.

Hi-tech Elinchrom Two compact, high-specification heads have been added to Elinchrom’s range of monobloc flash units.

ELC Pro-HD 500 and 1000 are feature rich, including super-fast recycling times, short flash durations, an OLED screen and three new shooting modes. Recycling to full power on the 500Ws ELC 500 is 0.6secs and flash duration is as short as 1/5000sec with

consistent colour temperature output. Each unit has an integral EL-Skyport receiver for wireless triggering and there is a Speed Sync mode for synchronising up to 1/320sec with enabled cameras.

Guide prices are £699 for the ELC 500 and £899 for the ELC 1000. Kits, including two stands, two 16cm reflectors, bag and Skyport transmitter, start from £1499.

π To find out more about the ELC products, go to www.elinchrom.com. www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 6 | Photography News

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Latest photography news NEWS IN BRIEF BOB CARLOS CLARKE’S LIVING DOLLS EXHIBITION, supported by Olympus, is at London’s The Little Black Gallery from 10 May to 21 June. The show marks the tenth anniversary since Carlos Clarke’s last exhibition and includes images from his Love-Dolls series, plus 18 classic black & white images.

Opening hours are Tuesday and Thursday 11am-1pm and 2-6pm.

Saturday 11am-4pm. www.thelittleblack gallery.com MINDSHIFT RUCKSACK MindShift Gear, a subsidiary of ThinkTank, has launched an innovative photo rucksack perfect for landscapers. The rotation180 Professional Deluxe MSG210, which sells for £454, features a clever belt and waistpack arrangement to let you bring the compartment that holds your primary gear round to the front so you can get at it without having to take the rucksack off your back.

The design also means the whole backpack can be slid round to the front so you can get at the contents in the top section from the back, without having to take the bag off. We tried the bag for ourselves at the recent Photography Show, and the sliding waist-pack idea does indeed work very well. www.snapperstuff.com

Gitzo climbs new heights The trusty Mountaineer range has a revamp The world’s first carbon fibre tripod was introduced in 1994, and guess what, it was a Gitzo Mountaineer.

The Mountaineer range has now been redesigned and uses a newly developed format of carbon fibre called eXact that offers even greater rigidity than before without any weight penalty.

The twist grip G-locks have been improved too, are more comfortable to use and are sealed to reduce the risk of debris getting into the leg lock mechanism. Stability has also been enhanced by a redesigned spider (this is where the legs and centre column meet).

The new Mountaineer range is available now with prices starting from £480.

New products added to the line-up Leading inkjet media maker Fotospeed has announced several new papers: Platinum Etching, Metallic Pearl and Photo Smooth Pearl. There are also two papers to replace two Ilford materials: Photo Smooth Pearl 290 and Platinum Baryta 300 – the latter replaces the Ilford Gold Fibre Silk.

There is also a Panoramic Inkjet paper that allows you to make long, thin prints without needing a roll paper facility. Each sheet measures 21x59.4cm so it can go through A4 printers. A 25-sheet pack costs £29.99. π To find out more, go to www.fotospeed.com.

π To find out more, go to www.gitzo.co.uk.

Keep rolling with Lowepro New Passports and a trio on wheels Leading photographic bag maker Lowepro has introduced three roller bags with a difference. Three sizes are available: x100, x200 and x300, costing £316, £367 and £400 respectively.

The difference is that the storage compartment can be unzipped and separated from the wheelbase section and used as a normal photo backpack. The wheelbase has its own

cover so it can be used as a separate bag when needed.

Lowepro also announced its new Passport series comprising a Backpack (£52), the Messenger (£60) and Sling III (£52.) All three products are soft-sided and perfect for city shooting, and the internal compartment can be lifted out if you want to reconfigure the bag.

THE COMPANY OF DOGS PET PORTRAIT EXHIBITION The exhibition, with Gerrard Gethings, is at The Gallery, 81 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4QS, 21-29 March. The images feature dogs owned by celebrities (like Elle Macpherson) as well as those with the Dogs Trust looking for a home. The prints are being auction with the proceeds going to the Dogs Trust. www.petspyjamas.com

New look Giotto’s All tripod ranges rebranded, and introducing the Air range Giotto’s has rebranded its entire tripod range as well as introducing the brand new Air range. The Air collection comprises four models – two aluminium and two carbon fibre – and employs the company’s y-shaped centre column for tripods with a very thin profile. The Air models are perfect for travel, especially when travelling light.

The Air Kit 17, which comes complete with the aluminium YT9224 and a Giotto’s ball head, costs £180. If you prefer carbon fibre, look at the Air Kit 19, which features the YT8324 tripod and a ball head; it costs £300.

A major change in the branding is that the Silk Road series will now be known as the Silhouette series and 12 new kits will be on sale. The kits include the legs and compatible ball head. And speaking of ball heads, all Giotto’s heads will now use the Arca standard quick release plate.

STARS JUMP FOR RANKIN & OXFAM Rankin has been photographing celebrities, such as Simon Pegg and Nicole Scherzinger, for an Oxfam campaign, called Lift Lives for Good.

π To find out more, go to www.lowepro.com.

Photography News | Issue 6

Fotospeed media

π To find out more, go to www.giottos-tripods.co.uk. www.photography-news.co.uk

Latest photography news

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PHOTO 24 2014

Join us in London for another 24-hour shoot

Last year, Photography New’s sister title Advanced Photographer hosted a 24-hour photographic shoot in London, sponsored by Samsung. It was so successful that it’s being held again, and the date for your diary is 20 June, 6pm start, finishing at 6pm the following day.

Everyone is welcome whether you want to spend the whole 24 hours shooting or you can only stay a few hours. It’s free, there’s no time limit, you can strike out on your own, buddy up, or come along as a club. Numbers are limited however.

We are sorting details now, but the aim is to meet in central London and go from there, and there will be competitions for the best images taken during Photo 24 2014.

We’ll have more news on the event in future issues and in Advanced Photographer magazine.

Meanwhile, if you or your club are interested in joining us and to help us gauge numbers, preregister online at http://bit.ly/1i8L7ot.

ABOVE Taken at 1.23am during last year’s Photo 24. Samsung NX20 with an 18-55mm lens, 15secs at f/9 and ISO 160. The chap stayed still texting for several minutes without being asked.

NEWS IN BRIEF

PermaJet papers

PRESTON PS is hosting a talk by leading landscaper David Noton. It’s called Chasing the Light and takes place on 2 May at the Greenbank Lecture Theatre, University of Central Lancashire, Preston.

Tickets cost £10 each. prestonphotographic society.org

A trio of new paper treats

NEXT ISSUE Issue 7 of Photography News is out on Monday 21 April.

With the closure of the Ilford factory in Switzerland, PermaJet has developed three products that replace three popular Galerie products. The three new materials are Smooth Pearl 280, Smooth Gloss 280 and PermaJet FB Gold Silk 315.

Smooth Pearl 280 and Smooth Gloss 280 are available in a wide range of sizes, from 100 sheet packs of 6x4in to A2 sheet and roll sizes. For an idea of price, it costs £15 for a 50-sheet pack of A4 Smooth Pearl 280. PermaJet FB Gold Silk 315 is available in a smaller size range with sheet sizes of A4, A3, A3+ and A2 plus two roll sizes. A 25-sheet box of A4 costs £26.95 and the same sheet box of A3 is £53.95. π To find out more, go to www.permajet.com.

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Issue 6 | Photography News

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Latest photography news

Iceland adventure

Experience long days, hot springs and wonderful waterfalls on a photo holiday this summer Expert landscape photographer John Gravett ARPS is leading a photographic adventure to Iceland this June. The eight-day experience LEFT Join Lakeland Photographic Holidays for a week this June to sample and shoot the sensational landscape of Iceland.

trip runs from 15 to 22 June and costs £1995 excluding flights.

John will be available throughout to ensure you make the most of the fabulous locations that Iceland has to offer. On this trip these include Thingvellir World Heritage Site, the Geyser Geothermal Area, the Gullfoss Waterfall and the Jökulsárlón Lagoon.

π To find out more, go to www.lakelandphotohols.com.

NEWS IN BRIEF WINNERS We had lots of correct answers to our Prize wordsearches in issues 3 and 4. The winners, who each receive a Samsung 32GB Plus SDHC card, are Ian Hoole and Peter Mitchell. The runners-up each receive a Samsung 4GB SDHC card, and they are David Burrows, Wendy Williams, David Holden, Ian Davison, Dave Hollows, John Munday, Ian Perry, Nick Wainwright, Peter Elgar and Steve Andrews.

Shoot from on high

NEWS IN BRIEF

It’s your chance to take your tripod up the Shard The View from the Shard is hosting two photography mornings on 22 and 29 March, from 8am to 9.30am.

It’s your chance to shoot 360° views of London from levels 69 and 72 of western Europe’s tallest building and for these special events photographers can use tripods and other equipment not usually permitted at normal opening times.

Tickets cost £29.50. π To find out more, go to http://bit.ly/1m7quNF.

© SCIENCE MUSEUM/TONY RAY-JONES

PRINTS FOR SALE Tony Ray-Jones died in 1972, age 30, but his images inspired a generation and helped to change the face of British photography.

London’s Science Museum has six RayJones prints on sale, chosen by Martin Parr.

Strictly limited, the prints have been made from original negatives and printed to match Ray-Jones’s own style. Two sizes are available, unframed: 43x28.5cm, 15 prints at £450 each, and 53x36cm, ten prints at £550 each. For details, go to http://bit.ly/1dnQfjj.

The Science Museum has been host to the Only in England exhibition by Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr and it’s now moving to the National Media Museum in Bradford. It runs from 28 March through to 29 June. Entrance to the exhibition is free.

CUSTOMISE YOUR FUJIFILM X-SERIES CAMERA The Fujifilm X-Signature customisation service will reskin your existing camera in a choice of colourful and textured leathers. The cost is £130 or £100 if you order a new camera in an X-Signature colour.

The service is available on X-Pro1, X-E1, X100, X20 and X10 with services on X-E2 and X100S to follow shortly.

Orders can be placed at the website and there is a two-week turnaround time. If you want your current camera reskinned, prepaid packaging is sent to you after you have placed your order, and there is the added benefit of a free check and clean. www.fujifilm.co.uk/xsignature

π To find out more, go to www. nationalmediamuseum.org.uk.

Photography News | Issue 6

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Issue 5 | Photography News

Your opinions

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Give us your feedback, email: opinion@photography-news.co.uk

Your feedback on…

PN & fluffy bunnies You’re still telling it like it is…

“Judges in competitions do not encourage deviation from the generally accepted ‘fluffy bunny sunny landscape’ norms. Judges need to promote creativity and stretch people’s imaginations through the medium of photography. It is noticeable that members are adverse to street photography and photojournalism where they must interact with the subjects being photographed.

I am currently a club chairman and have tried to change attitudes within the club but have sadly made little progress due to the very entrenched conservative views of a majority of the members. I have seen numerous prospective younger (under 50) club members put off joining for the very reasons expressed by Del Barrett in Issue 3.

“The membership is falling as members leave or die and there is a lack of new younger members to bring new ideas and energy into the club.

As of next month I will no longer be chairman and I am moving away from the area, and will give serious consideration to not joining another camera club but making far greater use of the web and social media for my photography.”

Fred Dawson, Malden Camera Club

“Congratulations on the first few issues of PN. I picked up the first issue at my camera club and keep a lookout each month for the next issue. I particularly enjoy the camera reviews – they’re just the kind of detailed, thorough tests that enthusiasts like me can get their teeth into. I’ve also enjoyed the insights into the judging process in the Before the Judge articles. It’s good to know what’s actually going through the minds of judges when they look at competition entries, and reassuring to hear how much thought and commitment goes into it – from some judges at least! I’ll take some of the tips on board next time I’m submitting an image.”

Mike Allen

PN is excellent with a great range of articles and it focuses on what clubs are trying to do Andrew Evans, president-elect, Chesterfield Photographic Society

Ed: It’s disheartening to hear that someone has tried to move the club forward only to be stifled and ultimately defeated.

Have you tried to take on the ‘establishment’ and run into a similar brick wall, or have you moved your club forward? Please email your stories to opinion@photography-news.co.uk.

“PN is a very good read.”

Terry Draper, Rushcliffe Photographic Society “The members love it and it’s very popular.”

Ashley Franklin, Derby City Photographic Club

“We love it; it’s an enjoyable read and full of useful information.”

David and Sharon Barton, publicity officer and treasurer, Crewe Photographic Society

It’s like a magazine in a bigger format, and it’s much more than just a free newspaper Derek Lemarchand, Newent and District Camera Club Photography News | Issue 6

WHAT DO YOU THINK? If you have an opinion about anything photographic and especially what you’ve read in Photography News, please drop us an email at opinion@photography-news.co.uk.

“It’s so popular, it’s a bit of a bun fight when PN arrives because we have over 100 members so you may have to wait to read it, but it’s worth the effort.”

L to R: Jed Wee, Stephen Bell and Ian Stafford, Durham Photographic Society www.photography-news.co.uk

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Issue 5 | Photography News

Camera clubs NEWS IN BRIEF

Tell us your club’s latest news, email: clubnews@photography-news.co.uk

Neath UK Salon

WIGAN 10 WIN AGAIN The PAGB GB Cup 2014 results are in, and Wigan 10 won the PAGB Open GB Cup with Chorley PS second and the Arden Photo Group third. Wigan 10 also won the PAGB Nature GB Cup with Austin Thomas winning an individual award for the best animal behaviour image. Dumfries CC and Rolls Royce PS came joint second. Winner of the PAGB Small GB Cup was Duston CC, with Doncaster CC second and Atherton & District Amateur PS getting third. Among the individual winners were Harish Chavda and Kathryn Scorah, both of whom have recently had portfolios published in our sister title, Advanced Photographer. www.pagbcup.co.uk/ results

The closing date for the Neath and District Photographic Society’s UK Salon is 31 March.

This popular salon is supported by the BPE and sponsored by Hornbill. There are four subject categories: Open Colour, Open Monochrome, Industry and Nature, with gold, silver and bronze medals in each of the four sections. All acceptances go towards BPE Awards.

Entry cost is £10 for the first section entered (up to four images) and £2 per section thereafter (four images per section).

Get your club news heard

MidPhot 2014

We welcome any aspect of club news. It could be a member’s individual success or it might be a great club shoot, maybe the club won a regional contest, has a special anniversary or exhibition coming up, or a big speaker due and you simply want to sell more tickets.

π To find out more, go to www.neathphotographicsociety.org/salon.

Meet Will Cheung

Images for Science On show at the ArtCell Gallery (in the Cancer Research UK headquarters at the University of Cambridge) is the RPS International Images for Science 2013 print exhibition. The exhibition is on until 30 April, open 10am-5pm on weekdays. π To find out more, go to http://bit.ly/1hKPLJ3.

Photography News | Issue 6

π To find out more, go to www.facebook.com/RPSCave.

Guildford Photographic Society is delighted to welcome the well-known magazine editor, photography tutor and professional photographer Will Cheung FRPS to share his passion for his subject on the evening of 31 March.

Will, whose photography ranges from landscapes and street photography to portraits and nature, will give a talk entitled My passion for photography, which promises to offer fantastic insights into his thinking and practice.

Will is editor of Advanced Photographer magazine, and has also edited Practical Photography and Photography Monthly. A Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, Will takes an active interest in the RPS and sits on the travel distinction panel.

All are welcome to attend this event; tickets are available for non-club members to purchase for £10.

Places are limited, so don’t delay! For further details and to book your ticket, see the website.

Rob Lea

If your club or society publishes a newsletter, please add us to the mailing list using this email address: clubnews@ photography-news. co.uk

Until 18 April there is an exhibition of RPS London members’ best work of 2013 at The Cave, Linear House, Peyton Place, Greenwich SE10 8RS. The exhibition has an open subject theme and the only entry criterion was that images had to be from London region members.

It runs until 18 April and entry is free. Open Monday to Friday, 9-5pm.

π To find out more, go to www.mcpf.co.uk.

Deadline for the next issue is 11 April, out Monday 21 April.

WANTED

THE RPS AT THE CAVE

This year sees the 51st Exhibition of Midland Counties Photography, an exhibition open to all members of the Midland Counties Photographic Federation (MCPF).

The selected work is on show at the Old Schoolhouse, Churchbridge, Oldbury, from 19 to 23 March. Doors open 7-10pm on the weekdays and 10am-5pm on Saturday, and until 4pm on Sunday.

Whatever it is, if you want any items considered for Club News email them to clubnews@ photography-news. co.uk before the deadline, 11 April.

NEWSLETTERS

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π To find out more, go to www.guildfordphotosoc.org.uk. www.photography-news.co.uk

Advertisement feature

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MANFROTTO TRIPODS

All the support you need For great photos, you need a tripod and head you can rely on, and you can rely on Manfrotto’s new 055 tripod collection and 3-way head Never underestimate the importance of a good tripod in capturing great images. Not only do you need it to be strong and sturdy to make sure your images are sharp, but good ergonomic design helps you set up quickly, position your camera exactly as you want, and frame up precisely. The new Manfrotto 055 tripod and X-Pro 3-way head come with plenty of design innovations that give you all of this and more.

RIGHT Manfrotto’s new 055 tripods and X-Pro 3-way head can hold your heavy kit in just about any position.

Strong and simple Number one on anyone’s list of tripod requirements is stability, and the new Manfrotto 055 collection provides more of this than ever before: tests of torsional rigidity show that the new collection is 50% more rigid than previous models.

What’s more, the new Quick Power Lock system keeps the legs stiffer and firmly in place so that the tripod can support up to 9kg – that’s plenty for even the heaviest of full-frame DSLRs with a supertelephoto lens attached.

Strength isn’t the only benefit of the Quick Power Lock system either – it’s specifically designed so you can open all the locks on one leg with one hand simultaneously when the tripod’s folded, making it easier and quicker to open it out to full height.

ABOVE The X-Pro 3-way head gives you precision in a package little bigger than a ball head.

Number one on anyone’s list of tripod requirements is stability, and the new Manfrotto 055 collection provides more of this than ever before

And simple ergonomics don’t stop there – a newly designed mechanism makes it easy to switch the centre column from a vertical to horizontal position. With just one finger, you can push the centre column up from the bottom, and the whole mechanism is released from the central casting so the column can swing into the horizontal position – no disassembly is needed and you don’t even need to remove the camera. Combined with the option of four leg angles, it means you can get the camera into any position you like.

With the Easy Link attachment, the new 055 collection also goes beyond the traditional boundaries of tripod functionality. This lets you attach an arm that can hold a light, reflector or any other accessory you might need to achieve your creative vision.

Compact and precise A 3-way tripod head gives you maximum precision, but the levers often make them bulky and inconvenient to carry. The new Manfrotto X-Pro 3-way head has been designed specifically so that it delivers the performance you’d expect, but in a more compact package.

The levers on the X-Pro 3-way head are retractable but can be extended when needed. The overall size when not in use isn’t much bigger than a ball head, in fact it folds down to just 13.5cm3, so it’s much easier to transport than a normal 3-way head. What’s more, its all-aluminium body makes it light at just 1kg, but allows it to hold up to 8kg.

There’s no compromise in precision either – friction controls on the pan and tilt axes let you adjust the movement to balance the weight of the camera so you can make fine adjustments to framing before locking the head in position. Three bubble levels also let you get things perfectly lined up so you can get your composition perfect first time in-camera. π To find out more, go to www.manfrotto.co.uk.

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Issue 6 | Photography News

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Camera clubs

GROUP CHALLENGE

The Jewellery Quarter The members of Smethwick Photographic Society were going for gold when they took to Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter to each shoot it in their own style. Kaz Diller explains what they got up to and shows us their exhibitionworthy images Words by Kaz Diller Birmingham was once described as the first manufacturing town in the world. Its distinctive economic model comprised thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of highly skilled trades, one such trade being jewellery manufacture.

This activity was concentrated in a small part of the city, which became known as the Jewellery Quarter.

Six members from Smethwick Photographic Society worked together on a project to photograph the Jewellery Quarter. Smethwick is one of the largest – and probably the friendliest – photographic societies in the country. The society truly encompasses all aspects of photography, encouraging all members to develop their photographic craft and vision.

Each photographer working on the project focused on a different aspect of the Jewellery Quarter. As a team we agreed to a loose project framework, with individuals photographing the area and then meeting up again to discuss the project over a few drinks, reviewing our work and obtaining constructive feedback from each other.

I decided to take a historical approach to the subject. I had originally photographed the Jewellery Quarter in the 1970s and I was interested to see what changes had taken place there over the last 40 years. I scanned and digitally remastered my old Photography News | Issue 6

monochrome negatives, before scouting the area to find the original locations, which I re-photographed digitally. My portfolio comprises pairs of images – the original monochrome photograph and a colour print taken from virtually the identical location 40 years later. It was really interesting to see just how much the area had changed, or in some cases remained the same, over this period.

Paul Cutland chose to photograph St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter. This was built in 1777 and became the church of the city’s manufacturers and merchants, and is set in a beautiful Georgian square. Paul was particularly interested in the effect of light on the building and its surroundings. He photographed the church from before dawn to after sunset to show how lighting affected his subject and his pictures were taken over a six-month period.

Maria Ollis enjoys capturing moments as they happen. She doesn’t restrict her photography to any particular subject, genre or style. She says that she is still experimenting and always will. Maria decided to focus on the human aspect of the Jewellery Quarter.

She spent some time in a family-run jewellery workshop where she photographed many aspects of modern-day jewellery manufacture and repair. In her portfolio, Maria has illustrated some traditional manufacturing methods that are still in use today together with photographs of modern machinery and current manufacturing techniques.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT St Paul’s – The West Door at Dawn by Paul Cutland; Gas Welding

by Maria Ollis; The Big Peg by Mike Williams; Warstone Lane Cemetery by Terry O’Connor; Stamping Ground by Graham Hales.

As a team we agreed to a loose project framework, with individuals photographing the area and then meeting up again to discuss the project over drinks www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera clubs

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT St Paul’s – The West Face by Paul Cutland; Albion Street then and now by Kaz Diller; Legge Lane by Graham Hales; The Jeweller by Graham Hales; Urban Coffee

by Mike Williams.

Mike Williams’ perspective was to concentrate on the architectural features. He began to notice various shapes within the buildings and the contrast between the new and old parts of the area. As his project progressed, he became more and more impressed by the architecture and was drawn to the powerful shapes and patterns that were all around, particularly when shot from unusual angles.

Graham Hales concentrated on the urban landscape and architecture of the Jewellery Quarter.

He was drawn to the decay, particularly the disused warehouses and dark alleys. His urban exploration gave rise to a portfolio of very powerful gritty, grungy images of decaying urban architecture.

Terry O’Connor was instantly drawn to the Warstone Lane Cemetery, which dates back to 1847 and is Grade II listed. He loved its character, history and atmosphere and was captivated by the wide range of shapes. Terry enjoyed photographing the textures that had developed on the gravestones and other graveyard buildings after they had been exposed to the elements for many years.

On completing all the photography, processing and printing, we found that the individual portfolios www.photography-news.co.uk

came together coherently to make a multi-faceted portrait of the Jewellery Quarter. We wanted to share our work with a wider audience so Mike negotiated the use of an exhibition space in a prominent location within the Jewellery Quarter itself where we displayed a selection of prints from our portfolios for a month. The exhibition was extremely well received with many favourable comments. Maria is now working on a self-published book as a permanent record of the project. We are looking forward to exhibiting the full body of work in Smethwick Photographic Society clubroom in the 2014 season.

Our experience of working together has been immensely fruitful. We learnt a great deal from each other, especially from the different approaches to a single subject. We enjoyed the camaraderie. This approach has energised similar activities of likeminded people within Smethwick Photographic Society and other projects are now progressing. We would really encourage other photographers to try this approach for themselves and see where it leads. π To find out more about Smethwick PS, go to www.smethwickphotographic.co.uk.

PLANNING A PROJECT? If your club is planning (or has already shot) a project similar to the one featured here, we want to hear from you. Or if you have an event or group shoot planned, get your organiser to email us some details at challenge@ photography-news. co.uk. You could see your work on these pages.

Issue 6 | Photography News

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Advertisement feature EPSON PRINTERS

Weathering the storms Nigel Millard spent years photographing the RNLI, a project that eventually turned into a touring outdoor exhibition. The crews withstand the harshest conditions and it was only right that the prints could do the same The bright orange livery of the RNLI lifeboats is a sight that can be spotted all around Britain’s coastline. The crews, made up almost entirely of volunteers, work relentlessly in some of the most challenging weather conditions and it is this striking imagery that initially intrigued reportage photographer Nigel Millard.

“I watched a lifeboat launch from one of the RNLI stations on the Wirral and I was just amazed by this brilliant splash of colour,” Nigel explains. “There was this huge boat trundling down the beach like a dinosaur, its striking colour standing out against the grey skies. Compositionally, it was a strong project for any photographer to approach and there was a lot of subject matter to get into.”

What started out as a personal portfolio project turned into a much larger project to spread the word of the important work that the RNLI does. Nigel began visiting lifeboat stations around the country, creating an ever-increasing back catalogue of images. One image in particular (above) resonates not just with the RNLI, but also the public.

“It just shows a splash of orange and a huge wave breaking around the boat. It’s about as dramatic an image as I can get and was taken in about as

The prints hold incredible detail, in both the highlights and the shadows, the colour range is just phenomenal

challenging and difficult conditions as you get out there,” Nigel recalls. “I wasn’t there to sensationalise everything, but to just document the work that the RNLI do in order to raise money and awareness for their cause. I actually ended up joining my own local RNLI crew.”

The images began to garner more attention and eventually led to the publication of a book, The Lifeboat: Courage on Our Coasts (rnlishop.org, £25), from which a touring exhibition Courage on Our Coasts was created for the RNLI. Printed by Epson on a SureColor SC-S70600 large-format printer using Ilford’s waterproof NanoSolvent Satin paper, the prints stood outside in various city centres around the country for six months. It rained, snowed and even shone a little, but regardless of the weather the prints remained in as good a condition as the day they were printed.

“The prints were just less than two metres wide and I thought we might have to lose a little of the quality in order to get the exhibition outside, but there was absolutely no compromise,” he says.

“I was absolutely astounded by how amazing it looked; it was outside for 24 hours a day, seven days a week in every condition and the prints have not degraded. They’re still as strong in colour, still as contrasty, still as detailed – it was fantastic!”

Each of the final images were test printed by Nigel beforehand on an Epson Stylus Pro 7890 on Ultrasmooth, Fine Art and Hot Press Bright paper. “I was amazed at the quality. The prints hold incredible detail, in both the highlights and the shadows, the colour range is just phenomenal,” he says. “Seeing my images on my computer screen and then getting a print that looks exactly the same is just amazing.” A range of limited edition prints was also created on Epson’s Fine Art paper, enabling Nigel to sign them in pencil, a quality that standard waxy

ABOVE Winter in the North Sea provides a tough test for the Buckie Severn class lifeboat William Blannin. BELOW Porthdinllaen’s new Tamar class lifeboat gets its first coat of paint in RNLI colours.

BOTTOM RNLI lifeguards up early for a morning’s training session on Perranporth beach before going on duty for the day.

photographic paper doesn’t allow for. Being able to produce such high-quality images was crucial in allowing both Nigel and the RNLI to create an impactful print exhibition that was as hardy as the RNLI crews themselves. The exhibition might be over now, but for Nigel the project continues as he works with the RNLI on their various campaigns – visit www.nigelmillard.co.uk for more details.

To find out more about the entire Epson range of inkjet printers, go to www.epson.co.uk where you’ll also find details on the cashback offers available on the Expression Premium and Photo ranges between now and 31 March 2014.

Photography News | Issue 6

www.photography-news.co.uk

Latest photography news

15

THE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

Show report

What the manufacturers said Paul Scott, head of product marketing, Samsung Digital Imaging “Our aim was to provide a real understanding of the needs of photographers and demonstrate how our products and smart technology can meet their needs and bring to life their images. Our stand featured the new NX30, as well as the expanded line of NX lenses and accessories and the newest members of our award-winning compact line-up including the Galaxy 2 camera.

“We had an exciting mix of interactive features offering visitors the opportunity to touch and try the products whilst seeking expert advice from our helpful staff. Another feature was the Getty Images masterclass studio and our upper level stand, which featured a viewing area showcasing our range of NX lenses.

“We were delighted with the interest we received in our products and services and would like to thank all those who took the time to visit our stand.”

Busy and bustling definitely, but was there a lot of business done at The Photography Show? The many visitors, exhibitors and organisers all seem to think so…

The first Photography Show at Birmingham’s NEC held earlier in March proved an amazing success, so much so that most of the photographic exhibitors have booked for next year’s event already.

Visitors had the chance to enjoy tutorial sessions, see the very latest products including the Nikon D4s and buy the newest kit. One of the show’s big sellers was the Fujifilm X-T1 – stocks ran out on Monday, and although more cameras were rushed in for Tuesday’s show, most of those had gone by the day’s end.

A date for your diary: The Photography Show in 2015 takes place 21-25 March.

What the punters said Terry Draper “I was pleased with the new look and the exhibitors and tutorials. It seemed to be very well attended. I attended on two days, Monday and Tuesday. Signage was lacking and a floor plan would have been helpful. I have next year’s date down in the diary already.”

Jules Holbeche-Maund “The show was great. The Olympus stand with Damian McGillicuddy was good as always.

Overall, I liked the way it was set out and the feel was different and more relaxed.”

Alistair Balharrie LRPS “The new format with a mixture of live shows, lectures and trade shows made for a much better balanced event. There were areas, however, that were difficult, with not enough space between stands given the volume of people. Well done to all the organisers for pulling it together.”

Adrian I Barnett “Went on the Sunday. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and we really enjoyed the demos. Nice to see action, rather than just products on tables.

Nearly went again on the Tuesday because we enjoyed Sunday so much!”

Chris Grew “Show was great and similar to the old Focus.

Gripes: paying £5 for the brochure is nuts as the exhibitors had already paid for it with their advertising.”

Ray Liu “I went on Monday. I would say it was similar to the old show, but it was a little cramped as it was only in two halls. Some of the stands that did demos/talks were a little close to each other so it was hard to hear the demo whilst another one nearby was going on.”

TOP LEFT A lucky person buying a Fuji X-T1. TOP RIGHT Tamron showing off its 150-600mm.

ABOVE Samsung featured its NX30 pro studio. BELOW Damian McGillicuddy on the Olympus stand.

Martin Devlin “Having visited the last seven Focus shows my experience was that it was much better and fresher. There are some things that can be improved upon next year, but overall, a great show, with so much to see and do in one day.”

Peter Coda Chadburn “There was a lot of wasted space at the rear of the stands that could be used to show a few pictures from local colleges or for seating where you can get a good cup of coffee.”

Romilly Lockyer “The popularity of the tutorials was self-evident: many were rammed. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop theatres had to introduce ticketing to manage numbers. Overall a great success.”

David Stew “The new organisers should feel proud of what they achieved and they have left me wondering how they will top it next year.”

Gary Collyer “The free demos were very good, but the speakers on the Super Stage were outstanding.

I enjoyed Rankin, but Joe McNally was excellent.”

All in all, a great show and picked up a few little bargains.

A nice updated version of the old show really.

Will be going again next year

Mark Thackara, national marketing manager, Consumer Products, Olympus “We loved it. Fresh people, new atmosphere, positive vibe, more sales. All in all we came away feeling rather good about the industry after a year when the market has been rather flat. Well done. It even inspired me to get all creative on the stand!”

Lucy Edwards, marketing manager, Electronic Imaging, Fujifilm “We were thrilled with how the show went.

The X-T1 camera was in incredible demand, as were all our new lenses. There was a constant flow of visitors and it was far busier than we had anticipated. Generally, we felt there was a really good vibe to the show with a younger audience than in previous years and much more life about it with the Live stages. We definitely sensed a real shift of consumer focus with many people considering switching from DSLRs to CSCs seriously for the first time.”

Susie Donaldson, Consumer Imaging marketing director, Canon UK & Ireland “It was great to see the photography industry come together at The Photography Show.

“We wanted to bring photography to life for those visiting and we feel we achieved that with talks from our Canon ambassadors, supporting the Student Conference and the interactive elements of our stand like the Slo Mo booth and our EF lens bar. The show was a good opportunity for us to speak with people at all stages of their photography journey, from students wanting to take their next step to professional photographers looking for that extra bit of kit. For us it was a great show and the feedback we’ve had from our customers and partners is extremely positive.”

Mark Middleton www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 6 | Photography News

16

Competitions INTERVIEW

Gardening for gold

Set up by a circle of garden photography pros, the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) is in its eighth year. Co-founder and managing director, Philip Smith gives us a behind-the-scenes insight into what is considered to be the most coveted competition of its kind Interview by Megan Croft Many of our readers will not have heard of the contest, so can you give us some background?

International Garden Photographer of the Year is the world’s premier competition and exhibition specialising in garden, plant, flower and botanical photography. It is run in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and is in its eighth year.

There are eight eclectic categories to enter and a special section for people under 16 years of age.

The competition is open to everyone anywhere in the world and there is no distinction drawn between professional and amateur photographers.

The heart of the project is to do with our association with Kew. The work that Kew does with plant and environmental conservation is based on world-class scientific research and what we hope to do is provide an interface between the science and the general public. The competition seeks to underpin the key messages about the vital importance of plants in the world that Kew wants to get across. Without plants there is no life on the planet. It’s an accessible and enjoyable way of helping people to see just how wonderful plants are.

one in Portugal at Monserrate Palace in Sintra, a world heritage site outside Lisbon. We’ve had two exhibitions in New York Botanical Garden in the States. We have an annual exhibition in Bavaria, Germany at Schloss Dennenlohe and we’ve had two exhibitions in Italy.

How many entries did IGPOTY receive in its first year? And despite its international tag we presume the contest is predominately popular in the UK, but are numbers of overseas entrants increasing?

We received 15,000 in 2007 and last year there were 20,000 entries. The growth has been in the scope and scales of the exhibitions and the proliferation around the UK and the world.

BELOW Springtime Rivalry, by Martha Cabey, Wildlife in the Garden 2013 winner.

Most entries come from the UK, but we’ve actually had more winners from overseas. This year, there are more entries coming from overseas, particularly Poland, Italy and the USA; those are the big territories, as well as Australia.

How are the judges selected? How do you put together your judging panel?

We get a mixture of professional experiences so we have three of the leading garden photographers on the panel this year, Clive Nichols, Andrew Lawson and Paul Debois. We have a representative from the Royal Photographic Society, which is one of our partners, and that’s Ray Spence. Then we have a range of people from the world of magazines and publishing; we have people from publishing at Kew

How did you become involved in the competition?

I have been working as a professional garden photographer for about 15 years and I had taken part in a couple of exhibitions at Kew Gardens and was also a member of the Professional Garden Photographers’ Association. Then in 2007 a few people decided to create a new exhibition called International Garden Photographer of the Year and I was one of those people. And I’ve continued with it ever since.

Can you tell us more about where the exhibition of the best entries gets shown?

The main exhibition is held annually at Kew, with a rolling programme of touring exhibitions in the UK and all over the world. Exhibitions are also linked to events such as workshops and lectures on garden photography.

We’ve got an exhibition starting in Australia at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney; we have Photography News | Issue 6

© MARTHA CABEY. INTERNATIONAL GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Have there been any significant changes in the competition since it was founded?

It started out as a UK-based competition and I guess it still is in some ways, but it’s expanded a lot in terms of its international scope and the number of exhibitions we do. The whole project is run in association with Kew Gardens and at first we only had one exhibition a year at Kew but now we have half a dozen in the UK and other ones outside the UK so that’s been the main area of expansion.

www.photography-news.co.uk

Competitions

17

Judging takes place over a period of time – November to January for the 2013 contest. Can you give us some idea of how this is structured with so many pictures and so many judges?

Prejudging is done online and then the judges will view a subset online too. The winner of each category is then voted for online by the judges before the votes are tallied and the judges all come together for discussions before the final decisions.

Of the eight categories, which is the most popular category in terms of entry numbers?

The Beauty of Plants. I think it is probably the most accessible category in the sense that flowers are all around us and they’re very available even if you don’t have a garden.

People’s expectation of garden and plant photography nowadays is around big close-ups of plants and they can be very seductive images with a lot of colour and visual impact.

What makes a winning image in your opinion?

I think the one common denominator in all the winning images over the last seven years has been the amount of time, dedication and concentration that photographers have put into their work. It’s all about ‘whatever you put into it is what you get out’; it’s the same as anything else really.

Are you currently seeing any particular trends?

When we started, about five per cent of the images were submitted as prints. We don’t get prints any more, but we still get some images that originated on film and we had four or five winners in 2013’s competition which were originally shot on film.

I think that high dynamic range imagery has really taken off in the last couple of years and we do see a lot of overworked HDR images. For a competition www.photography-news.co.uk

© ALAN PRICE. INTERNATIONAL GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

IGPOTY offers something rarely (if ever) seen in a photography contest: the chance of feedback on one’s entry. Has this been well received?

The reaction has been extremely positive. I believe that competitions are, of course, about winning images and people admiring and being inspired by winning images, but they’re also about encouraging people to move forward with and develop their photography. A lot of people enter the competition in the full knowledge that they’ll never win anything, they’re just interested in comparing what they do with the best that there is in the world, which I think is a very positive thing to do. That experience is very much improved by having a personal one-to-one viewpoint on why their image didn’t make it.

Each year, the judges discard an awful lot of really fantastic images which just don’t quite get there for whatever reason and so there are a lot of very talented photographers who are passionate about what they do and we are very interested in feeding that passion, if you like. There are a lot of people who are really at the start of their experience of photography and they’ve decided to get involved with this project in one way or another. We want anybody who enters, whether they win or not, to feel that they’ve been involved in something important – that they’ve contributed towards helping to communicate the power that plants have in the world and the role that they play in our lives.

© NIGEL BURKITT. INTERNATIONAL GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

© STEPHEN MOORE. INTERNATIONAL GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Gardens for example, and we also have people from Gardens Illustrated, the leading horticultural magazine in the country.

ABOVE Poppy Field

by Stephen Moore, The Beauty of Plants 2013, second place.

TOP RIGHT Himalayan Poppy by Nigel Burkitt, Photo Projects: Macro Art finalist, 2013.

RIGHT Jay taking Acorns by Alan Price, Bountiful Earth 2013, second place.

Competitions are, of course, about winning images, but they’re also about encouraging people to move forward and develop their photography

like this HDR does have to be used very sensitively to improve the sense of reality in the scene in front of you rather than imposing a style that creates a barrier between the viewer and the photograph.

Have you any suggestions to photographers keen to enter the contest?

Don’t try to second-guess what the judges like. The judges are excited, stimulated or inspired by the images they are presented with and they genuinely don’t come to the judging process with any fixed ideas or prejudices about which type of photograph will win. It’s about seeing what people do and being excited by what people do and that’s often about originality and technical expertise.

What are IGPOTY’s longer term ambitions?

To tour the exhibition in South Africa and Russia as well as in more venues in the United States.

Is there anything else about IGPOTY that you’d like to share with our readers?

I’d like to encourage people to have a look at the exhibitions, all the details of which are on the website, and I’d like to encourage people to have a go themselves.

This year’s competition is now open and the book of the exhibition, which is available in online bookshops as well as on the high street, contains some very inspiring images which will help budding photographers develop their own personal vision.

Competition entry You have until 31 October to enter IGPOTY 2014. The eight categories are open to both professionals and enthusiasts: The Beauty of Plants Beautiful Gardens Wildlife in the Garden Breathing Spaces Bountiful Earth Trees Woods & Forests Wildflower Landscapes Greening the City There are also two seasonal Photo Projects held throughout the year, the first of which is Monochrome (entries until 31 March) and then Macro Art (1 April to 30 June).

Entry is £10 and that entitles you to submit up to four entries into any one category; you can enter as many categories as you wish with submissions to additional categories charged at £10.

The International Garden Photographer of the Year wins £5000 and the RPS awards a portfolio prize of £2000. Winners will be announced in February 2015. π To find out more go to www.igpoty.com.

Issue 6 | Photography News

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Profile INTERVIEW

Theo Georghiades Fujifilm senior business manager Theo Georghiades fields PN’s questions, revealing how the firm has weathered the storms to remain successful Can you introduce yourself to PN readers please?

I’m the senior business manager for electronic imaging in the UK. I joined Fujifilm as a photography graduate and I’ve been here ever since.

Fujifilm is 80 years old this year; it started off as a photographic film manufacturer and has remained very successful. One imaging brand (Kodak) has virtually vanished, yet you both faced the same challenges with the emergence of digital. What do you attribute this longevity to?

Fujifilm has constantly been innovating and has been very quick to evolve with the market. Although our heritage is film we reacted quickly to the emergence of digital technology and adapted our range early on.

We respond to changes in the industry and monitor consumer demand, an example being that when digital started to decline in compacts, we gradually shifted our focus to other product lines such as our X-series. We really can attribute our longevity to flexibility, innovation and creativity.

Fujifilm has launched six X-series cameras and 12 X lenses since 2012. That seems a very short time to introduce so many products. Was this the plan when the original X-Pro1 was launched or has the company just reacted very rapidly to the system’s acceptance in the marketplace?

We wanted to make sure that when we announced the X-Pro1 we were transparent with our planned lens road map – this was really important to us. Being new to the CSC market, we wanted to reassure people that we were entirely committed to it and that we weren’t just dipping a toe in. We’ve consistently updated our lens road map as new CSCs have come into the range to ensure that we have a suitable line-up for different types of consumer from entry-level interchangeable lens camera users through to pros.

We have indeed launched a series of CSCs very quickly, but it’s time to slow down now and see what customers are buying and react accordingly.

Every X-series camera has caused a stir when launched, but the X-T1 seems to have set a new precedent and every keen photographer seems to want to get their hands on one. What do you think the reasons are for this massive interest?

We’ve worked really hard to listen to consumer feedback. With every camera we release we try to make sure that we improve based on that feedback.

The X-T1’s form factor has been a massive plus, people just love the way that it looks and handles!

I think because we’ve established ourselves in the CSC market now people are more confident about investing in the range. People can easily read reviews from the photo press and see how well our CSC cameras are being received by other Photography News | Issue 6

AGE: 37 YEARS IN THE PHOTO INDUSTRY: 14 CURRENT LOCATION: Bedford LAST PICTURE TAKEN: Photos of people using our kit at the Photography Show HOBBIES? Photography WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? A sports photographer or footballer DOGS OR CATS? Neither TOAST OR CEREAL? Cereal EMAIL OR PHONE CALL? Phone call

In addition to the X-series, Fujifilm’s bridge cameras seem to be enjoying great success among keen photographers preferring to travel light. Was this as predicted?

We’ve had fantastic feedback from professional and enthusiast travel photographers who were accustomed to using a big digital SLR. They’ve been able to switch to our system and are no longer hampered by a weight issue. If you are a travel journalist for example, you want to be able to travel light but equally you don’t want to compromise in any way on image quality.

We’ve also had a great response from people switching over from bulkier systems to the lighter, but equally as responsive, X-series. We’ve worked with travel, street and portrait photographers amongst others who we’ve gone to directly for feedback about the systems that we’re producing.

consumers. Image quality as well really resonates with photographers who are interested in this camera and the X-T1 delivers on all fronts.

The X-Trans CMOS sensor is unique with its ‘random’ pixel array. Why did Fujifilm develop this technology when, apart from Sigma, everyone adopted the Bayer array?

Because of our heritage as an imaging brand, we understand photography from the guts of a camera through to the lenses and body form. We make our own lenses and sensors and being able to do that has been really important in allowing us to uphold the message that we understand imaging and we understand what photographers want.

The X-Trans sensor is used in X-series cameras.

Do you see that technology cascading down to Fujifilm compacts and bridge cameras?

It is important for us to be able to make people aware that top-of-the-range technology is being incorporated into both our CSCs and our compacts.

The X-Trans sensor can be found in the slimline XQ1 and the 4x zoom X20 compacts on the market today.

What in your view has been Fujifilm’s most successful technology of the past few years?

The X-Trans sensor without a doubt; it has enabled us to make some phenomenal, significant technological improvements, all in smaller camera bodies.

Are compact cameras doomed with the camera phone playing such a big part in people’s photography now?

I think everyone is aware of how quickly and significantly the compact camera market has declined. Everyone has a camera phone of some level and they have their role in photography for instant sharing of everyday life experiences. People still want to take superior quality photos and that’s why compacts are still relevant in photography today.

Image quality from the X-Trans is said to be comparable to full-frame. So is there an opportunity to use the technology in a full-frame sensor, perhaps to market to other manufacturers?

When we say X-Trans output is comparable to fullframe we are talking about the fact that our sensor resolves to a higher resolution, due to the removal of the optical low-pass filter. At the moment we’re focusing on the APS-C format sensor but in the longer term, after we’ve completed our lens line-up, who knows!

What has been your personal highlight during your time at Fujifilm UK? I went to see the Fujifilm factory as part of the training for the X10 where I also met the R&D testing team in Japan. That was a particularly memorable and insightful experience for me.

With the sensor comes software issues to get the most from the Raw files. Is Fujifilm working to minimise the time from camera launch to having an Adobe compatible Raw converter for Photoshop and Lightroom?

We are doing all we can.

Fujifilm recognises its history with the Velvia and Provia film simulation modes. With so many users not having even shot film, how relevant do you think these settings are now?

I think the film simulation modes resonate in particular with older photographers, those who know about our history with film – it allows us to re-engage with those users. Fujifilm was globally respected for film colour reproduction and that has given us a great deal of authority when it comes to launching new cameras. It is important for us to celebrate and share our heritage with consumers and by including the film simulation modes we can achieve that.

BIOGRAPHY

The X-Trans sensor has enabled us to make some phenomenal, significant technological improvements, all in smaller camera bodies

What are your future ambitions for Fujifilm UK? To be the number one CSC brand in the UK in the next three to five years, that is our ambition.

Do you still find time to indulge in much photography yourself?

I’m a keen photographer so I’m always testing out and shooting with the new cameras and lenses when they come in. Everyone at Fujifilm has a real passion for photography and imaging, so when we create something like the X-T1, it feels like it’s part of a family system that we can all enjoy. π To find out more, go to www.fujifilm.co.uk. www.photography-news.co.uk

www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 5 | Photography News

20

Opinion SPEAKERS’ CORNER

Cold judging or considered opinion?

This is your chance to climb up on your soapbox and have a rant. This issue, Colin Walls holds forth on the role of judges: simply there to offer snap judgements on the night, or to provide thoughtful, constructive feedback Words by Colin Walls CPAGB Most camera clubs use external judges for club competitions at least some of the time. Being critical of the judge is just part of the culture, but most club photographers would agree that there are some from whom they gain useful insights, even if there are others who contribute little. But there is another aspect of competitions that can have a bigger effect upon the value gained by the participants: the judging process. There are broadly two ways that a competition may be judged: ‘cold’, the judge doesn’t see the images before and makes snap judgements and off-the-cuff critique; or the judge can see the work ahead of time and spend some time considering each image, probably making notes and then, on the evening, can give a thoughtful critique and a reasonably rational mark or placing.

Before deciding which process is best, consider why club members enter competitions. Undoubtedly some simply want to win. But most want to get some useful feedback on and constructive criticism of their work and, if it is graded as better than other pictures in the competition, that is a nice bonus. For those who just want to win, cold judging is as good as anything, but random selection would probably yield results that were scarcely less useful. For those

who want a proper critique of their images, the instant thoughts that occur to a judge in the heat of the moment may be better than nothing, but, considering the effort taken to prepare an image for a competition (prints particularly), it would seem reasonable to expect some more detailed remarks.

Some judges only do cold judging. They like to show up on the evening, pontificate for a couple of hours, take their fee and go home with a misplaced feeling that they have done a good job. In reality, they have wasted a significant amount of the limited time available in a club evening pondering the marks and places. Their critique, such as it is, becomes truncated and is often repetitive and littered with ‘ums’ and ‘ers’ and scoring, particularly for lower end pictures, tends to be very inconsistent. As an experienced judge myself, I simply view judges who only work this way as lazy, as they are not prepared to put in the effort to deliver what the competition entrants deserve.

I was recently talking with the programme secretary of a club and I mentioned that I would only do judging when I could preview the images.

He said that they have plenty of local judges who did not stipulate such a requirement. Clearly he thought that the previewing process was for my benefit! I feel that some thought about the purpose of competitions is needed. Club members should

As an experienced judge myself, I simply view judges who only work this way as lazy

ABOVE Are we nearly there yet? by Colin Walls.

LEFT Photographer and judge Colin Walls always prefers a considered opinion to an instant message.

Photography News | Issue 6

demand a better service from judges so that they have a chance to improve their photography.

I have heard several arguments against image previewing. Some judges say that they do so many assignments in a year, they have no time to perform extra work. In my view, they should take on fewer and do a better job of those. I will accept no more than five or six invitations to judge in a year, as I work full time and, therefore, look at sacrificing the better part of a weekend to each judging assignment. I enjoy doing that work, as I get to think about the images much more than I would if they were flashed past me on the night; it inspires me and improves my photography. Another argument is the cost and logistics of getting the prints to the judge in advance. That is fair, but easily circumvented by electronically sending them the images, which gives almost enough to completely critique all the images with only final ‘tweaks’ needed on the night.

It may be suggested that cold judging tends to favour high impact images that make an immediate impression. This is good training for photographers who aspire to enter images for major exhibitions, where the selection process is, by necessity, very brisk. However, I would argue that a judge’s comments and criticism are more likely to help a photographer reach the necessary standard for exhibition acceptance. If you want to find out whether your images are good enough for exhibitions, just enter a few and find out. π To find out more about Colin Walls and his club, go to www.beaconcameraclub.co.uk.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Does swift, on-the-spot judging leave you cold? Are you a judge who likes to take your time examining images? Whichever, share your thoughts with us and our readers at opinion@photography-news.co.uk.

www.photography-news.co.uk

www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 5 | Photography News

Latest photography news

Photography News | Issue 6

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www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera review

23

ON TEST

Fujifilm X-T1

Fujifilm’s latest mirrorless offering includes some stunning technology designed to give DSLRs a run for their money. We find out if it’s got what it takes

For an even more detailed report of the Fujifilm X-T1, see issue 42 of Advanced Photographer, on sale now

ABOVE Taking its style tips from old-school film cameras, the X-T1 features plenty of dials, meaning menu delving is rare, but the threeinch tiltable screen and EVF are thoroughly modern. LEFT The X-T1 is consistently accurate in the exposure department. This was taken in aperture-priority at 1/200sec at f/11.

Words by Ian Fyfe

SPECS PRICE £1049 body only CONTACT www.fujifilm.co.uk SENSOR 16.3-megapixel X-Trans II CMOS with EXR II processor IMAGE DIMENSIONS 4896x3264 pixels ISO RANGE 200-6400 (100-51,200 expanded, JPEG only) AUTOFOCUS MODES Single, continuous, manual EXPOSURE COMPENSATION +/-3EV in ⅓EV steps, AEB +/-1EV in ⅓EV steps SHUTTER 30secs-1/4000sec METERING PATTERNS Multi, spot, average SHOOTING SPEEDS Single, continuous L 3fps, continuous H 8fps, self-timer LCD SCREEN 3in tiltable with 1040k dots STORAGE MEDIA SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-II compatible) DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 129x89.8x46.7mm WEIGHT 440g (including battery and card)

After fantastic success with the X-series in professional, enthusiast and entry-level circles alike, Fujifilm could have taken its laurels and well and truly rested on them. But instead, it’s taken the X-series concept in a new direction, repackaging it in a body styled like a film SLR and giving it an extra injection of speed – the result is the X-T1, and it means business.

Once it’s in your hand, the X-T1 is very comfortable to hold, and it feels really well made – it oozes quality.

As with the other X-series cameras, most of the handling takes its lead from the film days, with all the exposure settings controlled by dials, and there’s something truly delightful about the way this strips everything back. There’s no mode dial, for example.

For aperture-priority mode, you set the shutter speed dial to auto and use the aperture ring; for shutter-priority, it’s the other way around. Set both to auto, and you’re in program mode, or specify settings on each for manual – all simple and intuitive.

This is the same as the X-Pro1 and X-E2, but the X-T1 has more on its top-plate – ISO and drive mode dials on the left shoulder, a metering mode switch under the shutter speed dial. There’s almost no reason to enter the menus at all. Perhaps the only handling downside is that the back plate buttons, specifically the AF-L, AE-L, Focus Assist and Q buttons, are quite hard to find by touch when you have your eye to the viewfinder, since they’re so flush to the back plate, and all the buttons lack a little positivity.

One problem with the layout of the X-Pro1 and X-E2 cameras has been addressed on the X-T1, and that’s the position of the exposure compensation dial. On the other cameras, this overhangs the corner above the thumbgrip and is easily knocked.

On the X-T1, the same dial is further recessed onto the top-plate so there’s no overhang, and this makes it less vulnerable, but it still doesn’t entirely solve the problem. There were still one or two occasions when I accidentally added ⅓EV of exposure compensation.

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When you’re watching the world through the viewfinder, you’re watching it in real time It’s better, but still not ideal and is frustrating because the shutter dial next to it holds the answer – it has a mechanism that allows it to lock on auto. The same mechanism to lock the compensation dial on zero would solve the problem.

A magnificent view Possibly the biggest talking point of the X-T1 is the viewfinder. Not only is it in the centre rather than on the left, as it is on the X-Pro1 and X-E2, but the specifications are impressive: a magnification ratio of 0.77x and a claimed lag time of just 0.005

seconds. It really is huge and extremely clear, and there’s genuinely no significant delay – when you’re watching the world through the viewfinder, you’re watching it in real time, and when you press the shutter, you capture what you last saw.

There are other things about this viewfinder that I love too. One is that there’s no post-capture shot preview, so you never find yourself staring at your last shot wondering why nothing’s moving as you try to frame up for another. There’s also minimal delay between shots, and visually, it’s exactly the same experience as using a DSLR – there’s a short blackout at the moment of exposure, just the same as when the mirror flips up, and then you’re back online and ready to shoot immediately.

The other excellent feature is that you can change the view mode, with various options of combining the LCD and viewfinder. Amongst these is the option to have only the viewfinder on all the time, and this solves the incessant EVF problem of a delay as the eye sensor activates it. This brings it as close to an optical viewfinder as possible, since it means the image is there the instant you lift it to your eye, making it the ideal mode for street photography and similar. The only drawback in this mode is that the LCD isn’t automatically activated when you open menus, so you have to navigate in the viewfinder, or switch view mode.

To balance things up, it’s worth saying that, as good as it is, the viewfinder isn’t a perfect substitute for an optical version. Fine patterning in a scene can cause artefacts, and it can struggle in artificial lighting, where it sometimes flickers, especially in manual focus mode. But these are pitfalls of most electronic viewfinders, and it’s otherwise easily one of the best of its kind that I’ve used.

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Camera review IMAGE NEAR RIGHT The intense highlight didn’t upset the camera meter. FAR RIGHT A contrasty scene well handled by the X-T1 and there’s good detail in the shadows.

In good light, it was very quick to focus, and it’s certainly amongst the speediest mirrorless cameras Focus on focusing As always with mirrorless cameras, one of the biggest questions is how it performs when it comes to focusing. There’s no doubt that Fujifilm has struggled with this in the past, and there have been firmware updates for cameras such as the X-Pro1 specifically to address this, but these problems seem to have been firmly left behind. In good light, the X-T1 was very quick to focus, and it’s certainly mingling amongst the speediest of mirrorless cameras.

You can vary the size of the focus area too, and a smaller area gives you more precise control. I have to say, there were a few occasions when autofocus failed unexpectedly, in good light when there seemed to be enough contrast. This was fixed by adjusting the position of the AF area, which presumably gave it more contrast to lock onto. So it’s not a flawless AF system, but excellent nonetheless.

The X-T1’s AF system can also be combined with continuous shooting at a lightning speed of 8fps.

This is faster than most DSLRs, and makes the X-T1 practical for sports and action photography.

And with UHS-II compatibility, these images can be transferred to the memory card even faster, with the potential for longer shooting bursts – in our tests using a 16GB Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II card, it was no trouble to fire off 24 frames shooting Raw+JPEG without any speed loss.

Manual focusing is also something of a triumph.

For a start, it’s easily accessed with the switch on the front plate, but it’s more about the options for focusing aids. When manual focusing is activated, you have the option of magnifying a central highlighted area, either on the LCD or in the viewfinder, and this is done by pressing the Focus Assist button, conveniently placed beside your thumb on the back. Combined with this magnification, you can use focus peaking or Fujifilm’s digital split imaging technology. The latter mimics the split image focusing of film SLRs, and horizontally offsets segments of the image where it’s out of focus – aligning them indicates focus, and in many situations this is a fantastic way to get it spot on.

Some scenes make the split image difficult to see precisely, and here focus peaking can be a better alternative, although I found my success rate to be about the same. Since the two aids are useful in different situations, it would have been good to have a control to switch between them at a touch of a button, instead of having to go into the main menu.

Inside the X-T1 is the same 16-megapixel X-Trans II sensor and EXR II processor as in the X-E2. Because of this, image quality was never in doubt, and it doesn’t disappoint. With the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 Fujinon lens, images are extremely crisp, with plenty of fine detail and strong colours even in standard Provia mode. Perhaps the only disappointment at this stage is that the Raw files are currently not compatible with Adobe software, but this is presumably just a matter of time.

Photography News | Issue 6

FUJIFILM X-T1

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 25,600

ISO 51,200

ISO performance The X-T1 has a native sensitivity range of 200-6400 but there are expanded settings of 100 and 12,800, 25,600 and 51,200 in JPEG only. Although there are three Hi settings, only two are available on the ISO control dial at any one time.

In the absence of any compatible Raw converter at the time of writing, we assessed ISO performance in JPEG files straight out of the camera. Increasing the ISO sensitivity to at least 800 has almost no impact on image quality, although that’s not to say performance drops off hugely above this either, and up to ISO 3200, image quality is excellent. Above this, there’s a noticeable impact – noise is still controlled well, except in the top two extended settings where there’s a lot more grain, but there’s a progressive loss of detail and some banding. Still, this is to be expected at such high sensitivities. www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera review

25

Continuous AF and drive Often the continuous shooting rate of a mirrorless camera when combined with autofocus is relatively limited, or the performance is poor, but the X-T1 makes big claims about its ability in this area.

We tried it to see how well the X-T1 could follow moving traffic, and found that the hit

rate in terms of pin-sharp frames was about 70%. Except for the odd few images that were completely off, the rest were pretty close.

Although it still wouldn’t be my first choice of camera for fast-moving action, it’s a pretty impressive performance for a mirrorless camera when shooting at this speed.

The verdict

Contrast, shadow and highlight

DR AUTO

DR 100%

DR 200%

DR 400%

The X-T1 is a demonstration of just how far mirrorless cameras have come and how close they are to seriously challenging DSLRs. With the APS-C sized sensor, X-Trans technology and Fujinon lens range, image quality from the X-series has always been on a par with DSLRs. But in the X-T1, the quality of the viewfinder, the focusing speed, the top shooting rate and the controls raise it to another level and bring it extremely close to a DSLR experience.

Fujifilm says that the X-T1 doesn’t oust the X-Pro1 from the top of the X-series tree, and the X-Pro1 will continue alongside its new sibling. But there’s no denying the X-T1 beats it in every way, and for existing X-Pro1 users, it may be time for an upgrade.

This camera should be at the top of your shopping list if you’re new to the mirrorless market.

It seriously challenges the only professionally targeted mirrorless camera out there, the Olympus OM-D E-M1: focusing speed of the Fujifilm isn’t far behind, and it has the advantage of an APS-C sensor along with a price that’s lower by £250. It’s smaller and lighter too, which after all are the main benefits of a CSC. If mirrorless hasn’t been your thing up until now, the X-T1 could be the camera that changes your mind.

FUJIFILM X-T1 FEATURES

24/25

HANDLING

24/25

PERFORMANCE

23/25

VALUE FOR MONEY

23/25

Fully loaded, viewfinder is the highlight A delightful experience to use it

H-2 S-2

H-2 S+2

H+2 S-2

H+2 S+2

Excellent in almost every way

When shooting high-contrast scenes, you can use two X-T1 features to control the shadows and highlights in JPEG files. The first is Dynamic Range, which can be set to Auto, 100, 200 or 400%, depending on what ISO you’re using; 200% and 400% only become available at ISO 400 and 800 respectively. The effect of this is subtle, and in our test shots mainly pulled in the highlights rather than lifting the shadows.

The second option is to use the Highlight and Shadow Tone controls, accessible via the quick menu. These can be used to lighten or darken

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the highlights and shadows independently, with settings for each ranging from -2 to +2 in steps of 1. Somewhat confusingly, the plus and minus don’t indicate lightening and darkening, rather intensifying and diluting. Plus brightens highlights and darkens shadows, minus does the opposite. This has a more dramatic effect than Dynamic Range, and allows you to fine-tune overall contrast; the effect is seen in the viewfinder or LCD before taking the shot. This can equally be used to add contrast to a flat scene, or control contrast in any other scene.

A lot for your money in the mirrorless market

OVERALL 94/100 A seriously nice camera with performance to match PROS Handling, size, viewfinder, image quality CONS Focusing failed on rare occasions

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Camera review ON TEST

Nikon D3300

The Nikon D3300 may well be an entry-level camera, but is it also a way for advanced photographers to get top image quality at bottom price?

Words by Ian Fyfe

SPECS PRICE £499 CONTACT www.nikon.co.uk SENSOR 24.2 megapixels with EXPEED 4 IMAGE DIMENSIONS 6000x4000 pixels ISO RANGE ISO 100-12,800 (25,600 expanded) AUTOFOCUS MODES Single-point, dynamicarea, 3D-tracking, auto-area EXPOSURE COMPENSATION +/-5EV in 1/3 steps SHUTTER 30secs-1/4000sec METERING PATTERNS Matrix, centreweighted, spot SHOOTING SPEEDS Single, continuous, quiet shutter release, self-timer, delayed remote LCD SCREEN 3in with 921k dots STORAGE MEDIA SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I compatible) DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 124x98x75.5mm WEIGHT 460g (including battery and memory card) ±

Photography News | Issue 6

Aimed squarely at those looking for their first DSLR, the Nikon D3300 is easy to dismiss at first glance if you’re serious about your photography. It includes a beginner’s Guide mode that talks you through camera technique, preset scene modes and fun creative effects – hardly what serious photographers are looking for. But wait a moment. It also has a sensor that matches the best in Nikon’s DX format range, includes Nikon’s latest processor technology, and it’s fast as well as small and light. Whether you’re in the market for something more compact, or you’re looking for a backup body on a budget, the D3300 may well be worth a second look.

Highest resolution The core technology inside the D3300 is equal to the rest of the Nikon DX line-up. The sensor has the same 24-megapixel resolution as the D5300 and D7100, and what’s more there’s no optical lowpass filter – a first for Nikon’s entry-level model, and it means that in terms of resolution, the D3300 is capable of producing images indistinguishable from even the flagship DX, the D7100, especially if you combine it with highly specified lenses. It’s an excellent way to get the highest resolution images at a superb price.

Focusing is relatively simplistic – there are just 11 AF points, and only the centre one uses a cross-type sensor. The next Nikon up, the D5300, has 39 AF points, so frame coverage is much more sparse with the D3300 – not in terms of total coverage, but in the density of points. This is significant for the dynamic area AF mode, designed to use peripheral AF points to keep a moving subject in focus – the points are so far apart in the 11-point system, it’s just not as effective. For single shot AF though, it is quick and

reliable. Even when the light drops to very low levels, it has little trouble in focusing quickly, particularly when using the central point.

The sensor is paired with Nikon’s very latest EXPEED 4 processor, first seen in the D5300. This powers a top continuous shooting speed of five frames-per-second, equal to the D5300’s top rate, and only one frame-per-second behind the D7100 – impressive for a camera of this price.

Of course, there are areas where the D3300 has lower specifications, and one is the metering system. While both the D5300 and D7100 use 2016 pixel RGB metering sensors, the D3300 features a more limited 420 pixel RGB sensor. In practice, I found there was an overall tendency to err on the side of underexposure, and a little compensation was often necessary. Trickier lighting situations also caused some problems; for example it was quick to underexpose when the background was bright.

Of course, you can shoot Raw to give you room for post-capture exposure adjustments, although here it’s slightly more limited than its bigger brothers too – you only have the option of 12-bit compressed Raw files, while the D5300 offers the option of 14bit, and the D7100 allows uncompressed files too.

Technically, this limits the colour and dynamic ranges that can be recorded, although in most situations, it’s unlikely to be a practical concern.

The auto white-balance left images a little cool for my liking, although I have to admit, that’s the case with most Nikons. The temperature of the LCD didn’t help though – everything seemed much cooler on the back of the camera than on the computer monitor, and the LCD temperature can’t be changed.

In the hand As you’d expect from a camera of this level, the build isn’t as robust as more expensive models. Does that

RIGHT The D3300 is light and portable enough to keep with you at all times while performance is good enough for critical use. www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera review

27 ISO performance The Expeed 4 processor in the D3300 offers a top native setting of ISO 12,800 and an expanded setting of ISO 25,600. With no Adobe Lightroom update yet available for the D3300 images, we assessed ISO performance in Raw files converted in the ViewNX 2 software that came in the box.

Close examination reveals noise as low as ISO 400, especially in the shadows, and by 800 there’s noticeable uniform grain across the image. At this level, it doesn’t impact too much, but that changes at ISO 1600, where detail starts to diminish. This is the highest setting I’d use without thinking twice; from here detail loss and noise get progressively worse. Obvious banding shows itself at ISO 6400, and the top two settings aren’t worth considering.

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 25,600

matter? Probably not unless you’re likely to subject it to rough treatment. It’s perfectly sturdy in the hand, and the big advantage is that it’s extremely light – great in this respect as a backup body, because it can sit in your bag without weighing you down.

The body is small, but the grip’s nicely shaped and comfortable to hold – I can’t quite get my little finger on the bottom, but it didn’t bother me while using it.

There is a distinct lack of buttons across the body when compared with some more advanced models, and if you’re used to plenty of direct access, you might find yourself searching at times. There’s an exposure compensation button behind the shutter release, and a drive mode selector button on the back. Of course, there’s a command dial, but only one, so in aperture- or shutter-priority mode this controls your main setting, while in manual mode, you need to hold the exposure compensation button to change the aperture. Essentially, that’s it for direct access though.

There’s a single programmable button on the left of the body, which can be set to control one of image quality, ISO, white-balance or Active D-Lighting. And this shows the kind of control limitations you come across, because you can’t, for example, have direct access to ISO and white-balance simultaneously.

The only other customisable button is the AE-L/ AF-L – this is restricted to variations on exposure and focus lock combinations, although AF-ON can be assigned to it, instead of the shutter release.

The second level of control is the ‘i’ menu, which includes functions such as AF mode, AF area, metering, white-balance, flash compensation and ISO. For more, such as Active D-Lighting, Picture Control and noise reduction, you have to go through the main menu. Limitations in handling aside, the controls are nice to use – the buttons are positive, and don’t have the cheap, plasticky feel that you sometimes come across at this kind of price point.

Nikon is resisting the trend for touch screens, but in this case I think it would have been genuinely useful – since the menus are necessary to use the camera, touch functionality may well have sped things up. www.photography-news.co.uk

24 megapixels, EXPEED 4 processor, a top ISO of 25,600 and 5fps… There’s no getting away from the fact that £500 seems a bargain for this kind of performance

LEFT The Nikon D3300 has a whole raft of features to play with including creative modes like this Toy Camera effect.

The verdict Camera technology advances at such a rate that the entry-level cameras of today are using the technology of the advanced and professional cameras of yesterday. The D3300 is a case in point – 24 megapixels, EXPEED 4, a top ISO of 25,600 and 5fps shooting is a spec list that rivals the D7000, which was until just a few months ago Nikon’s top DX model. There’s no getting away from the fact that £500 seems a bargain for this kind of performance.

That said, there are compromises.

The 11-point AF system is relatively simple, and it’s not enough if you’re shooting action, despite the reasonable continuous shooting speed. The handling is limiting too, with few direct access buttons meaning regular menus

use – it’s perfectly well laid out and easy to use, but if you’re used to more advanced cameras, it’s frustrating.

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of the D3300 is its size.

It’s incredibly light, and very compact – in fact, its weight is similar to some compact system cameras, so if you’re considering going mirrorless to lighten the load, this entry-level camera might also be worth considering. Alternatively, if you want a backup body on a budget, then this won’t take up much room in your bag or weigh you down, while you can still use it with your existing Nikon lenses and be sure of image quality that matches your main camera.

It may be listed under entry-level cameras, but there’s no denying that

the D3300 has a lot going for it by any photographer’s standards.

NIKON D3300 FEATURES 23/25 Impressive specs for this level HANDLING

19/25

PERFORMANCE

22/25

VALUE FOR MONEY

24/25

Minimal direct access can be frustrating Generally excellent images A bargain for its capabilities

OVERALL 88/100 Worth considering for its price to performance ratio PROS Resolution, small and light, price CONS Handling, simple AF system

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Camera review ON TEST

Samsung NX30

The Samsung Galaxy NX mixed camera with smartphone, but the new NX flagship is designed only for photography. We put it through its paces.

Words by Ian Fyfe

SPECS PRICE £899 with 18-55mm lens CONTACT www.samsung.com SENSOR 20.3-megapixel with DRIMe IV IMAGE DIMENSIONS 5472x3648 pixels ISO RANGE ISO 100-25,600 AUTOFOCUS MODES Single, continuous, manual, touch EXPOSURE COMPENSATION +/-3EV in 1/3 steps, AEB +/-3EV SHUTTER 30secs-1/8000sec METERING PATTERNS Multi-segment, centreweighted, spot SHOOTING SPEEDS Single, continuous 9fps, burst (5MB images only), self-timer, bracket LCD SCREEN 3in Super AMOLED with touch panel, 1037k dots STORAGE MEDIA SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I compatible) DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 127x95.5x41.7mm WEIGHT 375g (without battery)

Photography News | Issue 6

Last year, Samsung took cameras in a new direction with the introduction of the Galaxy NX – its Android operating system and purely touch-screen control made for a completely new picture-taking experience. The question was whether this was a road Samsung was committing to at the expense of more traditional cameras, or simply an extra branch of the Smart camera family tree. The NX30 gives us the answer.

This new flagship NX camera is much more familiar for photographers – there’s no Android operating system, and there are plenty of buttons, while the body is styled very much like a DSLR and more compact than the Galaxy NX. Amongst this more traditional set-up though is Samsung’s Smart technology, providing plenty of connectivity that’s way beyond any other cameras in this respect. It all makes for a rather interesting prospect.

Easy control Really impressive are the handling and controls. The grip is extremely comfortable, and what really struck me was how much direct access there is to settings via buttons on the top-plate and back. Aperture and shutter speed are controlled with a top command dial and wheel on the back – if you’re in manual mode, the two controls let you adjust either setting.

Buttons give you direct access to white-balance, ISO, AF mode, AF area selection, exposure compensation and metering modes, while a switch on the topplate changes the drive mode. In normal shooting, you never need to enter the menus. My only slight complaint is that the buttons on the back are all very close and not easy to distinguish by touch, so could be confused if you’re searching for them with the viewfinder to your eye.

The viewfinder itself is something of a conundrum to me. It’s an OLED display with 2359k dots, and there’s no doubt that this makes for a crisp and clear preview in the main. It has a similar

magnification ratio to most APS-C DSLR viewfinders, but for electronic versions, bigger is better and we’ve been spoilt with the latest from Olympus and Fujifilm – these have the same resolutions, but significantly higher magnification ratios. I also found that the NX30’s viewfinder struggled with movement, which could become stuttery and a little blurred, particularly in lower light. As a result, I found myself using the LCD on the back more than the viewfinder – it’s bigger and clearer, and the only time I found the viewfinder a better option was when the sun was too bright to see the screen.

It was a similar story when it came to the tilting function of the viewfinder. It’s unique, in that you can pull the EVF out of its housing and tilt it upwards by up to 80° – it locks in three positions. But again, the advantage of this over the tilting and swivelling LCD was a little lost on me.

Solid performance Inside the NX30 is a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sized sensor and Samsung’s latest DRIMe IV processor.

Image resolution is excellent, although it’s best to shoot Raw – JPEGs seem to be smoothed in-camera at the expense of detail that’s retained in Raw files.

The camera comes with Adobe Lightroom 5 in the box, and the latest update, 5.3, is compatible.

What struck me was how much direct access there is to settings via buttons on the top and back ABOVE RIGHT The focus peaking feature and magnification in manual focusing helped to get this shot sharp. RIGHT The NX30 also includes a number of Smart Filters and a Picture Wizard for different effects – here, I used the Retro Picture Wizard. www.photography-news.co.uk

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29

ISO performance The NX30 has a total ISO sensitivity range of 10025,600, providing one stop more than the NX20 at the top. Performance was assessed in Raw files captured in low-light conditions with increasing ISO sensitivity, converted in Lightroom 5.3 with all incamera and software noise reduction turned off.

Noise first becomes noticeable at ISO 400 when images are viewed at full size, particularly in darker areas, and it’s obvious at ISO 800. The effect on image quality at these levels is minimal, but at ISO 1600, the grain starts to impinge on finer detail. You can just about get away with using ISO 3200, but at ISO 6400 and above, noise is very prominent and a lot of detail is lost. Colours remain consistent throughout the range though.

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 25,600

LEFT Shooting Raw is the best way to make the most of the high-resolution sensor and capture all the detail in scenes like this.

I don’t remember once seeing the red square to indicate failed focus – it was very reliable Metering impressed throughout, and multimetering mode dealt well with some tricky lighting situations. With spot metering, you can choose to link the exposure to the AF point, or leave it metering from the centre of the frame, useful if you’re focusing off-centre. With the metering mode button next to the shutter release, I found switching to spot mode was often an easier option than adding compensation. Auto white-balance also put in a solid performance, although there’s no whitebalance preset for shady conditions.

If there’s plenty of light around, autofocus is quick. There’s often hunting for a fraction of a second before it settles, but I never felt it held me up, and in the 400 odd pictures I took in daylight, I don’t remember once seeing the red square to indicate failed focusing – it was very reliable. The red square made more appearances in lower light, but even then the AF system was surprisingly tenacious. It almost always locked on, even in very poor lighting – that sometimes meant the lens crept into position over a couple of seconds, but it usually got there.

For manual focusing, the NX30 includes focus peaking and on-screen magnification as aids, but making the most of these is tricky. Magnification makes for more accurate focus peaking, but only the centre of the frame can be enlarged. To get round this, you need to activate Direct Manual Focus, which lets you adjust focus manually after autofocusing – in this case, the focus area is magnified instead of the centre.

Smart connections With Samsung, you know you’re always going to get a plethora of connectivity options, and it’s no www.photography-news.co.uk

different with the NX30. Near Field Communication (NFC) allowed simple connection to a Samsung Galaxy S4 by touching them together, and this should be the same with any NFC-enabled Android device. Connection took about 15 seconds to complete, and from there the options are plentiful.

Remote Viewfinder Pro lets you use the camera via the phone, with impressive levels of control – almost all settings can be changed remotely, as well as focusing and shooting. In Playback mode, touching the camera to the phone automatically activates Photo Beam, which transfers the image you’re viewing to the mobile device. Equally simple is Autoshare, which transfers images to your device immediately after shooting them. One thing to watch with this is that Raw files can’t be transferred, so it’s not as good as a second memory card slot for a backup, but it’s a good alternative in an emergency.

The verdict Samsung has so many technological options at its disposal, it would be easy to throw all sorts of unnecessary things at its cameras. But the NX30 is a measured, well-thought out camera designed to appeal to serious photographers. Instead of the Android system and touch-screen controls of the Galaxy NX, it has controls that have been extremely well thought through, making the camera intuitive and quick to use. As long as you shoot Raw, image quality is excellent, and allround performance is solid.

The lens system behind the NX CSCs is currently relatively limited, but alongside the NX30, Samsung

introduced the first lens in its new S premium line – this is sure to make the most of the high-resolution APS-C sensor, and it’s only a matter of time before more premium lenses follow.

In terms of price, the NX30 is on a level with the likes of the Olympus E-P5 and Fujifilm X-Pro1, but with an edge in some specifications – for example, a builtin viewfinder rather than the additional accessory version for the Olympus, and an APS-C sensor with higher resolution than even the Fujifilm sensor of the same size. It’s also £350 cheaper than the Galaxy NX, so for pure photography, the NX30 offers great value.

SAMSUNG NX30 FEATURES

24/25

HANDLING

23/25

PERFORMANCE

22/25

VALUE FOR MONEY

22/25

A well-specified connected camera Really nice and intuitive to use Solid all-round, good Raw images

Reasonable price for its impressive list of features and specification

OVERALL 91/100 A very capable CSC PROS Handling, image quality, connectivity CONS Viewfinder could be improved

Issue 6 | Photography News

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Technique PHOTO SCHOOL

Camera class

Everyone has to start somewhere, even top pros, and in our regular Photo School feature we’re taking a close look at core techniques that every beginner needs to know. This month, in Camera Class we look at how ISO affects exposure, while Software skills teaches you to save precious time by copying settings across images Words by Ian Fyfe

ISO 50, 13SECS

ISO 100, 6SECS

ISO 200, 3SECS

ISO 400, 1.6SECS

ISO 800, 1SEC

ISO 1600, 0.4SEC

ISO 3200, 1/5SEC

ISO 6400, 1/8SEC

ISO 12,800, 1/15SEC

ISO 25,600, 1/40SEC

Aperture and shutter speed affect exposure, but there’s a third vital spoke to the exposure wheel: ISO sensitivity. Which can be an image-saver… n What is the ISO sensitivity?

The ISO sensitivity defines the sensitivity of the sensor to light, in line with a standard scale defined by the International Organization for Standardization.

The concept has been carried over from film days, when different films had different sensitivities. n How does ISO sensitivity affect exposure?

While aperture and shutter speed physically change the amount of light that reaches the sensor, ISO sensitivity determines how much light is needed for a good exposure. Increasing the ISO means less light is needed: doubling it, for example from 100 to 200, halves the amount of light needed for the same exposure. That means you can close the aperture by one f/stop or halve the shutter speed to achieve the same exposure. n When would I use a high ISO sensitivity?

The most common reason for increasing ISO is shooting in low light. If you’re trying to hand-hold in this situation, a low ISO will mean a slow shutter speed that causes blurred images. Increasing the ISO allows a faster shutter speed in low light.

However, you may also need to increase ISO sensitivity in good light. If you’re shooting a very

ADOBE LIGHTROOM

Software skills Workflow software saves time.

Part 6: Syncing and output Words by Will Cheung Whether you make just a few or many changes to your images, Lightroom lets you apply them across any number of your pictures. Often on a shoot, you end up with a number of similar shots and then this feature of workflow software comes in very handy.

With your corrected image showing in the Develop interface, go to Settings in the top bar and select Copy Settings to bring up the Copy Settings dialogue box. Here you can tick the parameters you Photography News | Issue 6

fast-moving subject you need a fast shutter speed to stop the action. At low ISOs, you may not be able to achieve this, so increasing ISO sensitivity will help.

Similarly, if you want a small aperture for a large depth-of-field, you might need to increase the ISO to compensate. n What are the advantages of using a low ISO sensitivity?

Using the lowest ISO possible ensures maximum image quality. The higher the ISO setting, the more digital noise there is in an image, as you can see

want to copy and apply to similar images. There is a Check All or Check None option bottom left that can speed things up. Once done, hit Copy.

Now you can paste these settings (Settings>Paste Settings) on any image in your catalogue.

If you want to apply the settings to a consecutive series of images, go to the Library module and then View in the top bar and select Grid (quick key G).

The size of the thumbnails can be varied by using the Thumbnail slider at the bottom right just outside the preview area.

Make sure your corrected image is highlighted, then hold down the Shift key and click on others that you want to apply the settings to. In this example, the same settings were applied to the following four consecutive images so I clicked on the last image in the sequence while holding down Shift.

At the bottom right of the interface you will see Sync Settings. Click on that and the Synchronize Settings box appears; click on Synchronize and all settings will be applied to your selected images.

If you wish to apply the same settings to several images but they are not consecutive in your catalogue, you have several options. If it’s only a few images use the copy and paste technique described

in the images above. This appears as luminance noise, a general overall graininess, and colour noise, speckles of false colour. This impacts on image quality, degrading fine details and compromising colour accuracy. To avoid this, when photographing a static subject in low light, it’s better to set a low ISO sensitivity and put your camera on a tripod than increasing the ISO sensitivity for a faster shutter speed. That said, for moving subjects it’s better to increase ISO sensitivity to ensure a fast enough shutter speed, because digital noise is more easily corrected in software than blurring.

NEXT MONTH: Techniques for controlling digital noise. Plus using NR in Lightroom

LEFT Copy settings by going to Settings>Copy Settings to bring up this dialogue box.

You can now pick the corrections you want to paste onto other individual images in your catalogue.

RIGHT If you have a series of similar images you want to paste settings to, use Lightroom’s syncing skills. It’s quick, easy and saves time.

previously, or in the Library module click and drag images so they are in the right place, ie. immediately in front or behind the image whose settings you wish to copy. www.photography-news.co.uk

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