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π To find out more about the Advanced Photographer Awards, go to www.absolutephoto.com.

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Will Cheung

Photography News’s sister publication, Advanced Photographer is proudly launching its inaugural awards this month. The Advanced Photographer Awards will recognise the best photography equipment and services across 37 categories. The voting categories are being announced in two issues of Advanced Photographer; Issue 52, which goes on sale 18 December, and Issue 53 on sale 16 January 2015. The categories range from Best Advanced DSLR Camera to Best Training Provider. Acknowledging that the readers of both AP and PN are dedicated users of cameras, lens and photographic shops and services, it is the readers who choose the winners of all the categories. For some of the categories AP is asking you to choose from a shortlist, with others, such as Best Website Provider, the decision is entirely yours. It’s your opinion that counts; AP wants you to vote for the best kit, greatest service and cleverest developments. Details on how to vote will follow in Issue 53 of Advanced Photographer, and voting opens on 16 January. In the meantime you can view all the 37 categories and nominees online at www.absolutephoto.com.

Will your club be our Camera Club of the Year? Sign up and enter rounds 1 & 2 today!

Full verdicts on Canon EOS 7D MkII and Samsung NX1 Plus the best flash kits for less than £1k

Issue 15 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 15

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Latest photography news

Macro magic Make your Fujifilm kit more versatile with one of two (or both) X-mount macro extension tubes. The MCEX-11 and the MCEX-16 have electronic connections to enable you to still use autofocus and aperture overrides whilst the tubes are in place. They’re available to buy now for a pocket-friendly £69.99 each, just a pinch of the price of a dedicated macro lens. Fujifilm has also launched HS-V5 for Windows Ver 1.0 software so you can shoot tethered using the Fujifilm X-T1 and X-T1 Graphite Silver Edition. Use Camera Mode to adjust settings and shoot from the camera itself with the images then transferred to your PC, or in PC Mode you take full control from your laptop or computer. You’ll have to wait until January to get your hands on this software; pricing will be announced in the new year too. Firmware updates for the XE-1, XE-2, X-Pro1 and X-T1 have also been released.

Pentax’s new zoom Pentax has added a 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom to its lens line-up which will get you closer to the action and will render your images sharper and clearer thanks to its Pentaxexclusive HD coating. Chromatic and spherical aberrations are minimised and colour bleeding is suppressed thanks to its ED element and three high-grade aspherical elements. It’s designed for K-mount Pentax DSLRs and its weather-resistant construction prevents water from getting in, keeping you shooting even when the weather takes a turn for the worse. The new 16-85mm can be yours for £599.99. π To find out more, go to www.ricoh-imaging.co.uk.

Pack your paddle A take-anywhere reflector is the latest offering from Honl’s exclusive UK distributors, Flaghead Photographic. The Honl Light Paddle 3 in 1 can be mounted onto any shoe-mount flash unit using either Velcro or the Speed Strap. There are three surfaces to choose from: gold/silver for warm light, a neutral contrast grey, and white for soft, even light. It weighs just 111g and retails at £47.40.

π To find out more, go to www.fujifilm.eu/uk.

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NEWS IN BRIEF A GRAND DAY OUT Got your 2015 diary? Great, then you can put The Photography Show dates in it and book your tickets with our discount code to guarantee a phototastic day out. The Photography Show runs from 21 until 24 March 2015 at Birmingham’s NEC; it’s the perfect opportunity to discover the latest kit, see pro shooters in action and maybe even pick up the next bit of gear on your wish list. To get your ticket for just £10.95 instead of the usual £18, head to the website before 16 March, click on ‘book tickets’ and when prompted enter the code PHNWSTPS15. photographyshow.com

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

Issue 15 | Photography News

Latest photography news Learn from a master printer

NEWS IN BRIEF INTEREST FREE Buy the mediumformat, 51-megapixel Pentax 645Z before 10 January 2015 and get interest-free credit. Spend £10,000 on the 645Z and lenses to get free credit for 18 months; spend £15,000 and get 24 months interest free. Available through Park Cameras, Clifton Cameras, Calumet Photo and The Flash Centre. CONVENIENT PNY Make your life easier with PNY’s Duo-Link On-the-Go Flash Drive. It’s small enough to keep in your pocket and has USB and micro USB connectors. Two sizes are available, 16GB (£13) and 32GB (£20). www.pny.com QUIDS IN X-Rite is offering £30 cashback until 31 March 2015 when you purchase either the ColorMunki Display and ColorChecker Passport, or the i1Display Pro and ColorChecker Passport. Or buy the ColorMunki Photo, a device for advanced calibration, and receive a GrafiLite accurate desktop light worth £50 for free. Details at www. xritecashback.com.

John Read is one man who is well versed in inkjet inks and papers; he certainly knows a trick of two when it comes to printing. He’s managing director of Marrutt, distributors of Lyson and own-label inkjet inks as well as a range of inkjet papers, and could be making an appearance at your camera club soon. His talks expertly guide you through professional photographic colour and monochrome inkjet printing as well as getting the most out of

your darkroom prints. If you’re interested in booking him for your camera club, get in touch with him via john@marrutt.com (talks are charged at PAGB standard expenses). Handily, there’s also a free six-part video training course in inkjet printing available online at www.marrutt.com/printingmasterclass or you can screen his talk at your club via www.marrutt.com/camera-club – and watch his talks at other clubs.

π To find out more about John Read’s talks, go to www.marrutt.com.

The perfect fit Think Tank celebrates its tenth anniversary with some new releases There are bags of new releases this month from Think Tank, starting with the Perception range of six new daypacks which are the smallest and lightest backpacks from the firm and are designed specifically for CSC kits. The Perception range is available in two colours and three sizes and features a water-repellent coating; prices start at £70. If you’re looking for a small, portable bag to fit in the essentials, a CSC with kit lens, look at the Digital Holster 5 which is small on size as well as price, retailing

at just £31. There are also two limited edition bags released to celebrate Think Tank’s tenth anniversary. The Airport International rolling camera bag (£327) features leather accents and panels as well as all the features of the classic version and can fit two DSLR camera bodies, lenses and accessories. The Urban Disguise Classic shoulder bag has also had the limited edition treatment. Available in four sizes, the bag is are built to protect your gear and come with a padded compartment for a laptop. Prices start at £164.

Snap a sphere

TRANSCEND Transcend has launched a 256GB UHS-1 Class 3 SDCX card for 3D and 4K. uk.transcend-info.com

If you’ve ever wanted to capture a perfect 360° spherical image or video of the world around you without having to move a muscle, then Ricoh had you in mind when designing its Theta m15. It’s an upgrade to the original Theta with the new version opening up the niche world of seamless spherical videoing as you can now record for up to three minutes. It’ll cost you a pretty penny (£270), but you do get a choice of pink, blue, white or yellow.

JOBY XL The XL GripTight for holding the iPhone6 Plus is now available. www.joby.com

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

Photography News | Issue 15

π To find out more, go to www.ricoh-imaging.co.uk.

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Latest photography news

A world first Long exposure filters from Sony

NEWS IN BRIEF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY One of the UK’s leading residential photo workshop businesses is up for sale. Lakeland Photographic Workshops, based in Braithwaite in the Lake District and within the National Park, is selling its guesthouse and UK business. The Victorian house with nine ensuite bedrooms and owner accommodation plus six acres of woods is valued at £800,000. Current annual turnover is £200,000, with 99% occupancy rate and more than 60% of guests returning regularly. For more details email lph. gail@gmail.com.

Sony makes a full-frame statement with the A7 II When Sony says it’s released a camera with world’sfirst credentials, well, it has our full attention. The A7 II’s claim to world-first fame is that it’s the only model to feature a full-frame sensor and optical five-axis image stabilisation – that’s an awfully tempting combination for any photographer. Its 24.3-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor moves along five axes to compensate for pitch, yaw, roll and shift shake. In theory, the system claims a 4.5EV benefit which means you can shoot handheld at slow shutter speeds in challenging low-light conditions or when using a telephoto lens. That isn’t all there is to shout about this new mover and shaker in the CSC market, it also boasts Fast Hybrid AF with 117 focal plane phasedetection points and 25 contrast-detection points. That in combination with more advanced subject detection and tracking algorithms makes for a happy photographer with the ability to accurately capture even high-speed subjects. A BIONZ X image processor drives the A7 II and helps to create detailed photos with reduced noise even when working in low-light conditions. It has a quick start-up time that’s 40% faster than current models and there’s built-in Wi-Fi and NFC making it easy to connect to your smartphone or tablet. It’s expected to be on sale from January and will cost £1500 body only and £1700 with a 28-70mm kit lens.

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

The Tiffen XLE filter series comprises three filter types designed to give neutral results with different sensor types. Some camera sensors are more sensitive to infrared and with standard long-exposure ND filters the colour cast is difficult to remove. Tiffen’s new filters will ensure perfect colours. The XLE APEX

gives total IR suppression, while the AXENT has no impact on IR and the ADVANTIX has moderate IR suppression. Screw-fit sizes from 40.5mm to 82mm are available. AXENT prices start from £28.99 to £103.99, ADVANTIX from £49.99 to £129.99 and APEX £78.99 to £168.99.

π To find out more about the XLE filters, go to www.tiffen.com.

Let it shine Add the new Lume Cube to your kitbag to keep the weight down but efficiency up. This little light box is the world’s-first 1500-lumen external flash and video light that can be used on its own or you can wirelessly sync five at a time for extra luminosity. It’s the perfect match for your GoPro camera and its water-resistant silicone shell means it knows no bounds. The Lume Cube is the miniature alternative to pro lighting systems, and as with any pro system you can adjust the brightness and duration of light, but it’s all done via an easy-to-use app. This clever creation is Kickstarter funded so a pledge of $59 or more will get you a Limited Edition Lume Cube with a blue silicon sleeve; $99 will get you the Dual Kit of two black Lume Cubes; and for $179 you’ll get the GoPro Hero Dual Kit with two Lume Cubes, a GoPro Hero mount/connector and two waterproof cases. π To find out more, go to www.lumecube.com.

Get your free Fujifilm X magazine The latest issue of Fujifilm’s free X Magazine is now available to view or download. The fully interactive digital title that can be viewed through a web browser or on iOS and Android tablets and smartphones is aimed at photographers of any level who own – or are interested in owning – the company’s growing range of X-series compact system cameras, lenses and compacts, including the X-T1 Graphite Silver and X100T.

Highlights from this issue include an interview with professional Fujifilm user Jamie Stoker, who swapped his digital SLRs for an X-Pro1 to shoot high-end fashion images; a gallery of stunning long exposure images; all the latest news on Fujifilm products and some fantastic advice on capturing great images in cold conditions. In addition, there’s also a chance to win a Millican bag called ‘Daniel’ – what’s not to like?

π To view the magazine, go to http://en.fujifilmxmagazine.eu/

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BAG A BARGAIN Want to improve your photography? Then try Damien Lovegrove’s online training videos. They cover everything from lighting to wedding photography and Lightroom skills. Each video is 80 mins long and until 28 February 2015, there’s a 50% discount on them all; prices start at £9. To claim the discount use the code lovebright when checking out. www.lovegrove consulting.com GOLD WINNER The unusual aesthetic of Sigma’s dp Quattro camera has earned the model the 2014 Good Design Gold award. Chosen from 100 shortlisted products, the dp Quattro was one of 19 selected for the Gold award. As well as good looks, the camera also features an X3 direct image sensor. HAVE YOUR CAKE Perfectly timed to sweeten any January blues, Olympus is running a free food photography workshop on 14 January, at the Image Space Gallery in London’s Bishopsgate. With plenty of tea and coffee on offer, as well as the latest kit to try out, the event also offers you the chance to learn from pro photographers, who’ll be sharing their tips and tricks for the tastiest shots. Places are going like hot cakes, so sign up now. www.olympusimagespace.co.uk

Issue 15 | Photography News

Latest photography news CAN’T WAIT to get your copy of Photography News? Now you don’t have to.

The connoisseur’s camera We’ve come to expect nothing but the best from Hasselblad, and the firm hasn’t let its standards slip with the release of its latest compact camera, the Stellar II. Similarly, we’ve also come to expect a hefty price tag and at €1650 it isn’t the kind of camera you’d buy on a whim. For all that dosh, you’ll get an undeniably

handsome-looking camera with a fine wooden or carbon-fibre grip as well as a 20.2-megapixel sensor, WiFi connectivity and a multifunctional hotshoe. It comes in four different grip finishes: olive wood, walnut, padouk and carbon fibre. We don’t yet know when you can buy it – so time to save up?

Vela’s new speedlight blows all others out of the water

Conventional speedlights when working at their fastest have a duration of about 1/20,000 second, which sounds impressive. The Vela One flash however is 100 times faster, reaching speeds starting at 1/2,000,000sec. That’s quick enough to capture a bullet on camera. Vela One is billed as a cheaper, safer alternative to expensive or homemade flashes whilst still able to work at exceptionally high speeds. It features nine ultra-bright LEDs boosted 2000% and has a quarterinch thread for mounting onto a tripod. It runs on four AA batteries, making it truly portable. To support production of this one-of-a-kind product and to get your hands on one yourself, head to the Kickstarter page where pledges are starting at £495.

Camera Club members are now able to read Photography News digitally on their desktop, smartphone or tablet for free each month! Registration is easy, simply visit www.absolutephoto.com and each month you will be sent a link to view the newspaper as soon as it’s published.

Catch a bullet

π To find out more about the Vela One, go to www.vela.io. π To find out more, go to www.hasselblad-stellar.com.

The rave-reviewed Lensbaby Circular Fisheye 5.8mm f/3.5 lens is now available in a range of new mounts. Owners of Sony A and E, Micro Four Thirds, Samsung NX, Pentax K, Canon EF and Nikon cameras can now all take stunning 185° view shots. Extreme close focusing together with a 5.8mm focal length delivers otherworldly distortion with exceptional sharpness throughout and it’s yours for £229.

Nuno Caldeira

New mounts for fisheye

Cover up Six lucky winners get the chance to shoot a cover image Our sister magazine, Advanced Photographer, recently hosted a reader shoot to produce its latest cover. With NX1s and lenses loaned from Samsung, the shoot took place at Wrest Park, an English Heritage site near Luton. Six readers, with the help of the mag’s team, broncolor lighting, two models and a make-up artist, had the task of shooting an image for the front cover. More than 1000 images were shot and if you want to read about the experience, pick up Issue 52, on sale 18 December.

π To find out more, go to www.lensbaby.com. π To find out more, go to www.absolutephoto.com.

Photography News | Issue 15

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Competition

Big cats on camera Join PN’s editor Will Cheung for an exclusive big cat safari at Longleat Safari Park using the latest Samsung memory cards

IMAGES Longleat Safari Park is a great place to take wildlife pictures, with VIP photography tours available. To find out more, go to www.longleat.co.uk. Images courtesy of www.longleat.co.uk.

Seeing big cats through your camera lens is an amazing experience and it will be one that you can enjoy if you win this competition, sponsored by Samsung. The day will begin with a briefing from Will Cheung, PN’s editor, who will talk through the opportunities of the day and for the shoot itself you will be given a Samsung SD 32GB PRO card. Capturing images, whether family snapshots or memorable scenes, depends on using reliable memory cards. Samsung’s latest family of SD and Micro SD cards offer dependable performance coupled with impressive read/write speeds at attractive value-for-money prices. The flagship PRO cards boast Class 10, Grade 1 data transfer speeds of up to 90MB/s. Not only that but the cards are water- and shockproof, as well as resistant to extreme temperatures, magnets and X-rays. At our special shoot, we will concentrate on the incredible big cats at Longleat, in Wiltshire, and if you are selected as

one of our lucky winners, travel there and back is at your own cost. The shoot will take place on 27 March 2015 so please only enter if you will be available on that day. To be in with a chance of being one of five lucky readers to be invited along for this very special day, go to www. absolutephoto.com and register or log in if you are already a member. Once there, go to the Members’ Area dropdown tab and select Competitions, then simply follow the instructions to upload your entry. We are looking for your very best natural history picture. It can be taken on an African safari or on a trip to Antarctica, but equally it could have been captured in the local nature reserve. We’re looking for technical competence as well as creative interpretation so please let your imagination roam. The best five pictures submitted, as judged by the PN team, will win their photographers a spot on this special safari. You’ve got till 10 February 2015 to get them in. Good luck!

TERMS & CONDITIONS Travel to Longleat Safari Park is at your own expense. The shoot takes place on 27 March 2015 and the date cannot be changed. You will be expected to use the Samsung memory cards supplied on the day. Photographs taken on the day remain the copyright of the photographer, but Samsung and Advanced Photographer magazine reserve the right to use them in connection with this competition. Full credit will be given but no payment will be made. Entries must be received by midnight, 10 February 2015, and the winners will be notified on 20 February 2015. This competition is open to UK residents only, aged 18 and over. Employees of Bright Publishing and Samsung and their immediate family and agents may not enter. Entries not in accordance with these rules will be disqualified; by entering, competitors will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these rules. For full t&cs, visit www.bright-publishing.com.

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Samsung SD cards For this VIP safari you’ll be supplied with one of the very latest Samsung SD memory cards. These offer high write/read speed performance and are extremely rugged too. π To find out more about Samsung memory, go to www.samsung.com/memorycard.

Issue 15 | Photography News

Camera clubs

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

Camera club news If your club has any news that you want to share with the rest of the world, this is the page for it. Your story might be about your club’s success in a contest, or a member’s personal achievement; it could be about a group outing you had recently or when the annual exhibition is on show. Any news is eligible for inclusion, so club publicity officers please take note of the submission guidelines and get your stories in

Northallerton Camera Club had a clean sweep at the recent NYSD (North Yorkshire South Durham) Silver Salver and PDI competition. The competition consists of six rounds, with all the clubs participating in every round, in both the print section and the PDIs. This year Northallerton Camera Club won both the PDIs and the print competition. Pauline Pentony from Northallerton CC won the Best Colour Print and the Best PDI. The Silver Salver Individual Print winner was Eric Brooks from Richmond CC, while the Individual PDI winner was Dave Beadle from Guisborough PG and Gallery PG’s Tony Robinson won the Best Mono Print. In other news from Northallerton CC, Richard Cochrane’s Step into my World lecture included images from a recent visit to London, such as the Tower of London poppies display. π To find out more about Northallerton CC, go to www.northallertoncameraclub.co.uk.

HOW TO SUBMIT Allow plenty of time. Photography News comes out around the third week of the month. For the next issue, which comes out 15 January, we need words and pictures by 6 January. Write your story on a Word document (400 words maximum) and attach it to an email to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk. In the story please include contact details of the club, exhibition or event – website, meeting time, opening times, whatever is relevant to the story. Images: Yes please, and attach these to the email too. Images should be JPEGs, 2000 pixels on the longest dimension and any colour space. If the story is an exhibition or event, please send a picture from the exhibition (not the publicity poster), the winning image or one of the event. If the picture includes people please identify them on the Word document. Deadline for the next issue: 6 January 2015

SPOTLIGHT

BLANDFORD FORUM CC

Colin Cross

News from Northallerton

“Blandford Forum Camera Club is part of the Wessex Colour Group and the Stour and Avon Photographic Association (SAPA), and has a committed and diverse membership and committee,” explains Dave Hurley, assistant treasurer at the club. “Our programme secretary works hard to ensure we have a range of events going on throughout the year, with guest speakers, photographic days and social events. Our Points Cup Competitions are held on the first Tuesday of each month (October to May) with both Print and Digital Projected categories. “The regular, monthly club evenings include the Digital Imaging Group – bring your laptop and we will work through problems and techniques; Studio Group – using our own lighting kit we will set up and photograph a range of subjects; and Distinctions Group – working towards RPS and PAGB distinction, which is run as a drop-in session once a month. The club’s Annual Exhibition is held in the town’s Corn Exchange, over a weekend in May, and we include club and open entries. “The club still has a few spaces available for membership so those interested should contact me on 01258 451895 or visit our website www.bfcclub.co.uk.” If you want your club featured in Club Spotlight, write 200 words about your club and why it’s going places, then send the Word document and up to five JPEG images from members to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk.

Winning an invite Of the 17 clubs entered, two vie for the honour of lifting the Bedford Invitational trophy

ABOVE The Best Image – Flash Bang Wallop by Graham Wills from Buckingham Camera Club.

Buckingham Camera Club entered the Bedford Invitational Inter-Club competition hosted by St Albans Camera Club. The judge was Colin Harrison, FRPS, FIPF, FBPE, MFIAP, MPAGB, EFIAP/g, PPSA who viewed 102 images: six each from the 17 clubs entered. Colin saw all the images before commenting on each during the second run-through, then scored them as they were shown again. Buckingham scored 111 points out of

the possible 120, tying with Harpenden Photographic Society. The tiebreaking images from Harpenden and Buckingham were projected, and Colin selected Buckingham’s as the Best Image, which was called Flash Bang Wallop, by Graham Wills. Buckingham Camera Club meets every Wednesday evening 8pm to 10pm at Padbury Village Hall. Membership is open to all.

π To find out more about Buckingham Camera Club, go to www.buckinghamcameraclub.co.uk.

Call to order Clubs join forces to bring order to chaos with landscaper Colin Prior Motherwell Photographic Society recently hosted a successful meeting with two neighbouring clubs, Hamilton Camera Club and Strathaven Camera Club, to hear speaker Colin Prior give his talk, Order from Chaos. He specialises in landscapes and has travelled to more than 40 countries, produced books, calendars and featured in a BBC documentary, Colin Prior: Mountain Man.

Colin illustrated his talk with superb photographs and discussed his methods for achieving the best results, summing up this approach as “decoding the natural world”. In this interesting and practical presentation, Colin shared his expertise and knowledge with the audience, and included some stunning images from his new book on the Karakoram project.

π To find out more about Motherwell Photographic Society, go to www.motherwellphotographicsociety.co.uk. Photography News | Issue 15

UNSEASONAL SANTA John Boteler from Oxford PS took this shot in March on an outing with the society’s retired gentlemen’s group as they’re known. “I saw this guy in a Santa hat. I stuck with him and after a while he was on his own and I got my shot. No idea why he had a Santa hat on in March.”

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Camera clubs

Photographing in the Lake District Members of the City of London and Cripplegate Photographic Society (COLCPS) enjoyed a week in The Lakes recently Words & pictures by Greg Lambert LRPS

Lakeland Photographic Holidays (LPH) offers photographic clubs the opportunity to use its facility, Fern Howe, in Braithwaite as a base to photograph in and around the Lake District at certain times. LPH, run by Gail and John Gravett, is a well-known venue offering various workshops and tuition. Our stay was a bit different as John was photographing in Italy but Fern Howe was available for use as a B&B catering to club photographers. The opportunity was terrific and nine members of COLCPS committed to a week in late September. On arrival we were greeted by Gail who not only oversees all the arrangements, but is a terrific cook with a wealth of local knowledge and suggestions for the best places to photograph. The facility has a number of en-suite bedrooms, a media room, dining room and drying room for wet clothes and muddy boots. Hanging on the walls are inspirational and beautiful photographs taken by John – as if any additional motivation was needed to get the creative juices flowing. The media room can be used to display people’s images taken during the day. We realised the best way to do this is to shoot JPEG images in addition to Raw – assuming you are shooting Raw – as displaying unprocessed Raw images from various cameras proved to be problematic. A typical day began with a predawn shoot to take advantage of the mist we were blessed with on Castlerigg,

TOP LEFT Overlooking Newlands Valley. Taken with a 24-70mm lens at 50mm, 1/60sec at f/22, ISO 100. ABOVE Early morning mist at Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick. Taken with a 70-200mm lens at 85mm, 0.6sec at f/16, ISO 100.

complete with a Druid as it was the autumn equinox; or a sunrise while looking over the valley from Latrigg, including a mad dash up the hill as the sun was rising; or moody shots across Derwent Water, interrupted by two early morning swimmers who caused ripples in the reflective water – oh well, always a hurdle to overcome! The morning shoot was followed by a sumptuous breakfast prepared by Gail who then provided a commentary covering the anticipated weather conditions in the various sections of the Lake District and suggestions for the best places to visit and photograph during that day. Our group of nine broke into smaller groups and headed off for a day of shooting. We were

LEFT Hallin Fell in the Martindale Valley. Taken with a 24-70mm lens at 24mm, 1/4 sec at f/22, ISO 100. www.photography-news.co.uk

blessed with misty mornings, lovely cloud cover, moody skies and only a brief period of rain which didn’t dampen our spirits. The views are stunning and we captured images from the beach in Silloth to waterfalls like Aira Force and The Grot, built in 1668 as a place to frame and enjoy the spectacular lower Rydal waterfalls. We stopped at the Borrowdale Shepherds’ Meet, replete with Herdwick sheep, sheepdog trials and local artisans weaving baskets and spinning wool. We photographed in rapidly changing light at Blea Tarn and climbed up a steep fells slope at Martindale to enjoy and capture the beautiful pastoral scene in the valleys below. Of course many of the shots could be taken again and again under different light conditions in search of the ‘perfect image’. Dinner each evening was prepared by Gail and her son; we were famished by the time we sat down. The meals, sourced from local suppliers, were varied and delicious. We were treated to Gail’s signature dish of sticky toffee pudding which is not to be missed (neither are the beers at the local pubs). Did the experience live up to our expectations? Judging from cards full of landscape and pastoral images, the answer is yes! It’s a great venue and location, with unmissable views and photographic opportunities, lovely food and ever-changing weather and light. The week was over all too soon but as we left, we all entertained thoughts of a return to this inspiring and extraordinary photogenic region of England. π To find out more about City of London and Cripplegate Photographic Society, go to www.cityandcripplegate-ps. org and for Lakeland Photographic Holidays, go to www. lakelandphotohols.com. Issue 15 | Photography News

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Camera Club of the Year 2014-15 Think your club is the best of the best? Then we hope you’re signed up and warming up for Round 2 of our Camera Club of the Year contest. This round, we want your most impressive weather photographs Will Cheung

There are many hundreds of camera clubs and photographic societies in the UK and the overall standard of photography is very high, helped in no small measure by the numerous national and international competitions held by and involving clubs and their members. The competitive edge means members are constantly striving for bigger and better things and that’s also the aim of our inaugural Camera Club of the Year contest. We want to promote club photography and bring it to a wider audience and getting your club involved couldn’t be easier. See the How to enter panel right for details of how you can get started. With prizes from Canon and a day with top landscape pro David Noton up for grabs, the effort will be totally worthwhile for the winning club. We’ve announced Round 1 already, Water, and entry for that round closes on 5 January 2015. Theme 2 is Weather and its closing date is 2 February 2015. Enter by then to be in with a chance of your shot being selected as our Image of the Month. Remember, though, that you

have until 5 May 2015 to enter all the rounds – you could in fact enter all five categories in one go on the last day if you wish. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing your waterand weather-related pictures.

How to enter First, your club’s competition secretary (or whoever is going to enter each month) must sign up at www.absolutephoto.com. Next, click on Members’ Area in the menu bar, then choose Camera Club of the Year 201415 from the drop-down list. Simply register your camera club and follow the upload instructions.

The winning club gets… ... a brilliant Canon XEED WUX450 multimedia projector worth over £3,000 to show off their winning shots and 25 subscriptions to Irista, plus an exclusive experience day with international landscape and travel pro, David Noton!

SPECS STREET PRICE £1999.99 CONSTRUCTION 21 elements in 16 groups, one Super ED element, fluorine coatings

CANON XEED WUX450 PROJECTOR

David Noton

EXPERIENCE DAY!

CANON XEED WUX450 PROJECTOR + AN EXCLUSIVE DAY WITH DAVID NOTON The Canon XEED WUX450 multimedia projector, worth over £3000, is Canon’s most compact WUXGA projector. WUXGA stands for Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array, so you get a 16:10 screen aspect ratio and a huge display resolution of up to 1920x1200 pixels. www.canon.co.uk David Noton is one of the world’s top photographers specialising in landscape and travel work. The winning club gets an exclusive day with David where he’ll be hosting a workshop and then providing an illustrated talk on his amazing images. www.davidnoton.com 25 SUBSCRIPTIONS TO IRISTA Irista is the new way to manage, organise and share your image files online. It supports JPEGs and Raws from most manufacturers and 10GB of storage space is available free on sign-up. The winning club, though, will get 25 free Value subscriptions that have 50GB storage capacity – which is normally £45 for a year’s subscription. www.irista.com

Photography News | Issue 15

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

FORMAT Full-frame and APS-C

The original EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L telezoom was announced back in September 1998 when film ruled the roost and digital was only just being discussed as the future. That lens proved immensely popular as it offered coverage of a very useful range of telephoto settings, was compact enough to be left in the camera bag and delivered ultrasharp images. Of course the demands with digital capture are different from film, and the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L Mark II is designed to make the most of the image resolution skills of the latest Canon DSLRs. Its optical construction includes one Fluorite element and one Super UD element for the best optical quality and minimal chromatic aberration throughout its focal length range. It’s priced at £1999.99 and is in the shops now.

MAXIMUM APERTURE RANGE f/4.5-5.6

FOCUSING Ultrasonic Motor, internal AF with fulltime manual override

IMAGE STABILISATION 4EV DIAPHRAGM BLADES 9 FILTER THREAD 77mm MINIMUM FOCUS 98cm DIMENSIONS (DXL) 94x193mm WEIGHT 1570g

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

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Round 2: Weather Shooting when it’s dry and sunny is all very well but it’s not very challenging and the results can look benign. For Round 2 we want mood and lots of it, so get geared up for the cold and wet Will Cheung

The UK is blessed with interesting weather and on occasions it can change from dry and bright one moment to overcast with heavy rain the next. It can be a pain when there is washing waiting to be dried, but photographically speaking the ever-changing conditions are a boon. For this round we want to see pictures that show the photogenic face of weather. How you define photogenic is obviously a matter of subjectivity but we want to see pictures that work because of the weather conditions at the time. This might be gale-force winds whipping up high waves or people bent over double as they fight their way through the conditions. If you are lucky to get some snow, you could make great pictures of the stuff as it falls through the sky, or again you can look for that human interest angle as folks struggle with the conditions – or enjoy them. Phenomena related to weather are included too. Rainbows, for example – if you have a good foreground, a vivid rainbow can finish off a scene nicely – but phenomena can also include interesting cloud formations, mist and fog. Mist and fog make life hazardous on the roads by limiting visibility but that very quality transforms everyday scenes. Suddenly an ordinary scene can look very special as fog hides a messy background but close subjects dominate to give a feeling of depth. Irrespective of the weather, pictures still need to be well composed and eye-catching. It’s not enough to have a good shot of the weather, it needs to be a compelling composition too, one that involves the viewer. The process of using a camera in some conditions can be an issue in itself and it is clearly

RAINY DAYS The reflections really add to this shot so get out in the rain for cracking images, or after it for smooth puddles. Why not practise your street shooting at the same time?

important not to let it get too wet. Many models are weatherproof which can help, but a standard camera should be alright unless the weather is really bad: torrential downpours and Arctic winds spring to mind. Protecting the body with a polythene shopping bag, purpose-designed raincover or just shielding it under your coat in between shots are all considerations.

A bigger problem might be keeping the lens front free of raindrops. Obviously having the lens front protected by a clear filter is strongly advised and at least if that filter gets wet it’s easier to wipe dry with a microfibre cloth than the front lens. We look forward to seeing your photography club’s weather pictures.

MOODY MONO The subject of weather is so broad, there are so many different shots you could submit. Shoot in black & white or colour, full length, head height or looking down – whatever gets across the feeling that without the weather the shot would fall flat.

Will Cheung

It’s not enough to have a good shot of the weather, it needs to be a compelling composition too

LET IT SNOW It’s not just the weather you need for success, it’s the composition too. In this snowy landscape the trees frame the person perfectly.

Issue 15 | Photography News

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

MASTERCLASS: WEATHER

David Noton

David’s top tips

Throughout the competition we’ll be tapping into landscape shooter and Canon ambassador David Noton’s fount of expertise. This month’s theme of weather is a topic David could talk endlessly about

KEEP IT WIDE “If you’re going to be shooting to utilise these really dramatic skies then going quite wide can be a good thing to do. I use the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L tilt-shift lens.”

David Noton

DIY COVER “A simple shower cap can be a really useful thing to just pop over the camera to keep it dry in a rain shower.”

EARLY START “Winter weather in particular is fleeting because the snow and ice start to melt very quickly and can look a bit grubby, so that’s a difficult one to pull off and an early start is definitely needed because when it comes together it’s great.” TAKE A CHANCE “I don’t think it’s possible to try and second guess the weather too much, at the end of the day you’ve just got to go for it and capture whatever Mother Nature gives you.” SIMPLE COMPOSITION “The simplest pictures work the best, so if you’re photographing weather and it’s all about the drama in the sky then just keep all the elements simple and bold with nothing in the frame that doesn’t deserve to be there.”

ABOVE The mountains of Corsica captured during a misty rainstorm. Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM, 1/250sec at f/5.6, ISO 200. ABOVE RIGHT The Isle of Skye, the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L tilt-shift lens, 1/60sec at f/14, ISO 100.

We’re a nation obsessed with the weather and whilst most of the population bemoans the Great British climate, there’s a small cluster of people – best known as landscape photographers – who quite like it. Landscape photographers rely on the much grumbled about changeable nature of the weather, it’s what makes for some of the most dramatic and impactful shots. Our Camera Club of the Year masterclass expert David Noton naturally echoes that sentiment. “As a general rule, changeable weather is usually good for photography,” he begins. “It’s what we photographers hope for, that weather which either precedes or follows, for example, heavy rain. When there’s a front passing through and the rain is clearing you often get really dramatic skies, clear conditions and really interesting light, and of course visibility is usually good because all the haze has been flushed out of the atmosphere. Often what is forecast as bad weather can be just what we photographers want.” Having been in the business for almost 30 years, David has become attuned to a number of Mother Nature’s tells and is able to predict certain weathers, giving him a fairly accurate idea of what he will be able to capture on camera. “Mist is a phenomenon beloved by landscape photographers,” begins David.

Often what is forecast as bad weather can be just what we photographers want Photography News | Issue 15

“It is possible to predict when and where mist is likely to form, for example if rain is followed by clearing skies at the end of the day, clear skies overnight and then a big drop in temperature with still conditions, it’s almost certain that the following morning mist is going to lie over the damp landscape.” Weather apps can often be a useful shooting aid although as David says, they are great at telling you the weather you’re in but not always so reliable in predicting what’s coming. Indisputably though, the most important piece of equipment to take into consideration is your camera. “The weather sealing on my Canon EOS 5D Mark III is very good and that is very, very important because we need to use our cameras out in difficult conditions, we need to use them in the rain,” David emphasises. “There’s the old adage that the worst weather brings the best pictures and there’s some truth in that. We need to get out there in the pouring rain, the freezing cold, the high winds or the sea spray and that’s often when the best pictures come. They’re quite challenging conditions to work in photographically so weather sealing is crucial.” As for lenses, if David wants to make the most of a really dramatic sky he relies on a wide-angle such as the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L tilt-shift lens. But for when the weather does take an unexpected turn a zoom lens is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your kitbag, able to capture a wide range of images for whatever the weather throws at you. “I remember shooting in the mountains of Corsica in the most heavy downpour,” recalls David. “Yet the cloud and mist clinging to the mountains around

us was incredibly dramatic, it was so angry and sombre.” In that situation, David fitted his 70-200mm lens to his Mark III. “I was using a longer lens and compressing the perspective to concentrate in on those clouds hanging in amongst the mountains.” One thing David advises is that skies can make or break landscapes. As David says: “The most interesting landscape in the world under bland blue or completely overcast sky is never really going to do it.” So wait for the clouds to roll in and prepare for a bit of rain to capture those unique and impactful weather-centric landscapes. π To find out more, go to www.davidnoton.com.

The Vision Handily for us photographers, David Noton has put onto paper what makes a successful image in his new book The Vision. Get inside the mind of one of the country’s best-loved landscape and travel photographers to learn how David creates those winning images. It’s all illustrated with examples from David’s impressive back catalogue of work and can be bought from his website.

π To find out more about David’s book, go to www.davidnoton.com/product/539/ The_Vision.

Advertisement feature

BAGS OF ROOM

Get on a roll with Manfrotto It’s nearly 2015, which means it’s time to start planning photo trips… and getting the right bag to carry your kit Travelling with your camera is one of photography’s biggest pleasures, but it can also cause one of photography’s biggest headaches. Deciding which kit to take on your travels gives many of us sleepless nights, such is the fear of arriving in the perfect far-flung location only to discover that the vital lens/accessory/camera body has been left at home. Thankfully, Manfrotto is clearly aware of this dilemma and offers two roller bags to overcome these distressing symptoms of leftkitaphobia. Both the Roller 50 and Roller 70 cases swallow an impressive amount of gear and, crucially, comply with carry-on luggage dimensions for most airlines so you need never let your kit out of sight. Perfect portability As their names suggest, Manfrotto’s Roller bags feature two wheels and a telescopic handle for easy portability on the move. No more slinging a heavy, gear-laden gadget bag or backpack over your shoulder, just extend the handle and away you go! The Roller 70 is taller than the Roller 50, but both models can accommodate a similar level of equipment, which is sure to keep even the gear hoarders amongst you well sated. Expect them to comfortably house two pro-sized DSLR bodies, four or five lenses, a couple of hotshoe flashguns and miscellaneous accessories. They also feature a laptop compartment (again, taller in the Roller 70) and a dedicated space for a tablet so you can be sure of carrying everything you need for the perfect photo shoot. Total protection Being able to keep kit with you at all times does mean that it’ll stay well clear of the notorious airport baggage handlers, but the rigours

of modern travel still require high levels of protection to ensure that your gear arrives at your destination in the same state that it left home. The Roller range is well catered for here, featuring both Manfrotto’s Camera Protection System (CPS) and Exo-Tough Construction. Both provide high levels of protection for your camera gear, not only from general bumps but also sharper impacts. This protection applies no matter how you have the bags’ internal compartments configured. These can easily be swapped and changed by rearranging the dividers, which are both interchangeable and flexible for ultimate versatility. Further protection is provided by the waterrepellent fabric used in both bags’ construction and if the heavens really open, they also feature a fold-out rain protector that stretches over the whole bag for excellent levels of weatherproofing. The perfect travel companion Compact, portable and capable of carrying plenty of equipment, Manfrotto’s Roller bags make the ideal travel companion whether you’re going to the other side of the world, or staying closer to home. What’s more, they also feature external connections to attach a tripod, so you don’t need to leave anything at home when you head off on your next photo adventure.

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

AT A GLANCE

ROLLER 50

ROLLER 70

SRP

£279.95

£319.95

External dimensions (HxLxW)

47x37.5x23cm

56x37.5x23cm

Internal laptop compartment dimensions (HxLxW)

38x34x1cm

45x34x1cm

Internal main compartment dimensions (HxLxW)

40x32x21cm

50x32x21cm

Weight

4.4kg

4.77kg

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Issue 15 | Photography News

Profile INTERVIEW

Eddie Ruffell Eddie Ruffell has been with Lee Filters since near enough the beginning (he was the firm’s second employee); he’s worked his way through the ranks and now as managing director he walks us through the firm’s history and his involvement with its development

BIOGRAPHY Years in the photo industry: More than 40 Current location: East Cholderton, Hampshire Last picture taken: Poppies at the Tower of London

Hobbies: Photography, rock music and my Triumph Stag When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? A fire engine driver or train driver.

Dogs or cats? Dogs (although don’t let my cat read this)

Toast or cereal? Both (alternate days) Email or phone call? Email or text

Lots of people know and use Lee Filters, but many of our readers won’t know its background. The company was founded in 1967 by John and Benny Lee who formed and owned Lee Electric, a very successful lighting rental company, with David Holmes, a lighting cameraman in the cinematographic industry. David had seen the need for a range of lighting filters to correct all the many types of light and lighting and had suggested this to John and Benny. Lee Filters started the production of lighting filters on 1 April 1974. Next, polyester camera filters, as opposed to gelatine-based products, were invented in 1978 and then the resin camera filters that you see today started production in 1980. What’s your history with Lee Filters? I joined the company in 1972 (I was the second employee) in London at the age of 18. David Holmes, the managing director, and I moved to Andover at the end of 1973 and we started producing lighting filters in 1974. I have held various positions within the company from van driver, to mixer, to coating machine operator, to product development and technical sales, into today’s position of managing director. What does your role now entail and what does a typical day look like for you? My role as MD is quite varied, but includes ensuring Lee Filters remains at the forefront of lighting and camera filter technology: keeping an open mind for new products that help photographers; keeping the company profitable; keeping costs under control; introducing new procedures and processes to help in manufacturing; and providing the best possible environment for the employees, who are Photography News | Issue 15

It’s a skilled and repeatable process that allows us to produce the various different types of graduation needed by today’s differing formats.

a very valuable and important asset. A typical day consists of arriving at the factory just after eight, and reviewing the overnight email torrent. I like to keep very hands-on with product and manufacturing processes so a reasonable proportion of the day consists of review. My door is always open to my staff. Developing new products is very much a part of the day’s thinking. In my role I also travel around the globe looking for new opportunities and ideas.

Why do you favour that method when competing with mass-produced products? We have researched the production of filters by mechanical means and have concluded that hand-produced graduated filters are better than the mechanically produced version as the process allows perfect graduations to be constructed.

You’ve recently added a new landscape polariser to the line-up, can you tell us about it and its development? The new Lee landscape polariser was developed and introduced as we had recognised the need for a filter to be able to work with the wider-angle lenses of today. Our new landscape polariser, being made as thin as possible, allows for a 16mm lens full frame to be used without any vignetting. We also included a small degree of warming in the polariser as it benefits landscape photography.

What are some of the most exciting developments you’ve witnessed at Lee? I was the major influence in the unique design of the Original Lee Filter Holder and the recent explosion of the digital era has spawned some exciting new products that I have helped develop, such as the Big and Little Stopper. Do you have a personal highlight? I created the self-supported bellows (no need for a rack and pinion) that is used in the Lee Hoods. It’s a unique item that has sold well and has also evolved into traditional camera bellows, removing the sag often seen in long extensions.

Filters are traditionally used by landscape photographers, are you seeing a change in the primary use of your filters? Our filters are primarily used to help the camera catch all of the detail within the frame. Graduated filters help to balance the light within the frame and bring the highlights and lowlights within the grasp of the camera’s range. Polarisers allow the camera to see beyond reflections, and ProGlass Neutral Density standard filters help to provide the longer exposure times photographers sometimes want. Cameras are now being developed with inbuilt art filters, how does this differ from what Lee offers and what would be the benefit of investing in an external filter? Built-in filters are effects that are applied in-camera after the image has been captured, what exterior filters help provide is a balanced scene to allow the camera to capture the frame with the maximum detail. Polarisers cannot be applied after the frame has been taken as the polariser affects the polarised light within the scene. Standard neutral density filters allow longer exposure times to be used. I do not see this digital development impacting on the demand for optical filters more than it currently is. I always advocate getting it right in-camera as opposed to sitting in front of a computer screen after the event; it allows more time on location, where we should all be. It’s rumoured that your graduated filters are dipped by hand – is there any truth in that? We produce all our graduated filters by hand dipping.

Are you a photographer yourself? Do you have a favourite filter that you like to use? I enjoy photography immensely – the process of seeing the subject from my perspective, capturing the frame, using filters in imaginative ways. The Stopper range of filters has provided the most thought-provoking photography recently: to learn to see what a five-second exposure is in your mind prior to the actual shutter press, is quite intriguing. However nearly all landscapes do have a graduated filter in the frame somewhere.

I always advocate getting it right in camera as opposed to sitting in front of a computer screen after the event

What can we expect from Lee in the future? We do have new filters in development currently. Our latest introduction though has been a form of pouch that attaches directly to the tripod or belt, that we have called the Field Pouch. It allows for the easy selection of filters when in the field. It allows the process of changing filters to be seamless, thereby letting the photographer concentrate on the image, rather than where the filter needs to be put whilst not in use. Is there anything else you’d like to add? We will continue to develop further products in all areas of photography as and when we identify a need. Feedback from our customers is very important, it helps to us generate new ideas. π To find out more, go to www.leefilters.com. www.photography-news.co.uk

www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 15 | Photography News

Advertisement feature

Welcome to the Nikon School Having been innovators in imaging technology for as long as we can remember, Nikon opened the Nikon School to educate and inspire fellow photographers Nikon has a reputation for the inspirational and a habit of achieving the exceptional when it comes to imaging technology. Having long been facilitating photographers getting out there and taking amazing pictures, it was only a matter of time before Nikon decided to take the next step; enter the Nikon School. It enjoys a prime location in central London – and rightfully so – based in the Nikon Centre of Excellence, only two minutes from Oxford Circus station. Whether you’re a complete amateur or a seasoned photography pro, the Nikon School has a course to whet your creative appetite. All courses are run by the Nikon training team, all experts at the top of their game, who hold a variety of masterclasses,

seminars and workshops. To give you a taster of the kinds of genres and topics covered in courses at the Nikon School, there’s everything from getting to grips with DSLR photography to capturing candid street portraits, from making HD video films to wildlife photography. Courses are all kept to a maximum of 12 delegates to ensure Nikon’s trainers can support everyone and the best news is that they are also run on Saturdays, making a course easy to fit into your week’s schedule. If you shoot on anything other than a Nikon, you’re welcome to come along to the courses too, but Nikon shooters will benefit most as they’ll get to test out the wide range of lenses and accessories on offer.

π To find out more, go to www.nikon.co.uk/training.

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Getting Started with D750 17 JANUARY 1030 — 1700

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28 JANUARY 1030 — 1700

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OPENING TIMES TUESDAY TO SATURDAY, 0930 — 1800 ADDRESS NIKON SCHOOL, LONDON CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE, 63-64 MARGARET STREET, LONDON W1W 8SW Photography News | Issue 15

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Opinion

BEFORE THE JUDGE

MEET THE JUDGE Barbie Lindsay MPAGB, FBPE,

EFIAP/s: Barbie lives in Ipswich and has always loved photography, getting her first camera at the age of 11, but became a serious amateur photographer when she was in her late twenties. She has been a member of four camera clubs over a period of 30 years.

Home club:

I am a founder member of the very successful Beyond Group.

Years in photography: 30 Favourite camera:

Nikon D800. But in reality I would love to own the Canon EOS-1D X as I used to be a Canon user before digital.

Favourite photo accessory:

Macro ringflash

Barbie Lindsay, MPAGB

Each issue, a respected judge or exhibition selector shares their thoughts and experiences. This month, Barbie Lindsay gives us her insight into the process Words by Barbie Lindsay

I became a judge almost by accident as I went along to a judges’ workshop with a couple of others to keep them company. I had no intentions of becoming a judge and thought it would be an interesting experience to see how a judge was trained. Because of that, I suppose I was more relaxed than most and spoke from the heart rather than what I thought they wanted to hear. I was stunned when I received a letter inviting me onto the C-list panel. That was over 22 years ago. After becoming a PAGB judge in 2005, I now judge internationally. I love looking at photographs and analysing why they work for me (or not, in some cases). I find the easiest way to judge is to look at the work presented and to try to find out what the photographer saw when they pressed that shutter – why they took the shot and even more importantly why they thought it was worthy of putting it up before a judge. It is a brave thing to do at club level, to have a judge critique your picture so publicly. So I will always try to start off positively, before mentioning the faults. I will then try to give advice on how the picture could have

been improved before once again finishing off with another positive if possible, so that the photographer concerned doesn’t go away feeling humiliated and disheartened. I’m not convinced that there is such a thing as a terrible picture, it could just be a love/hate type image. Just because I love it, it doesn’t mean to say that all judges will agree. Another judge may have hated it for the very same reasons that I loved it. Apart from the obvious technical failures, which have diminished greatly over the years with the advent of digital, judging is a personal opinion and therefore subjective, neither is right or wrong. Most of the time club judges are treated well. I know sometimes clubs fold or move premises but it would be nice to be informed of this. More than once we have turned up to an empty building or a Weight Watchers group who are now using the premises. On one occasion I received a reminder on headed notepaper with the address of the club’s venue, which had actually burnt down the year before. Apparently they didn’t want to waste money on buying new headed paper and forgot to mention it.

Favourite photographers: Too numerous to list, but at the top there has to be Marco Pozzi and Colin Summers plus past masters such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Bob Carlos Clarke.

I find the easiest way to judge is to look at the work presented and try to find out what the photographer saw when they pressed that shutter

Favourite photographic subjects: It depends

on the season. In the summer you’ll find me buried amongst the stinging nettles photographing insects, in the winter more time is spent creating fantasy images and at other times I love photographing people, the stranger the better.

Awards won:

Hundreds over the years ranging from gold medals to painted cows and miners’ lamps.

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So my biggest gripe is with those clubs who don’t treat judges with respect. Little things like not bothering to introduce you properly. I had one club who didn’t do any introduction at all, after reading their club notices they just sat down, didn’t even acknowledge that I was there or announce what the evening was about. I love judging exhibitions most of all, as I get to see some of the very best work and in large quantities. I don’t have to talk about why images do not make the grade but instead I can award work which I feel deserves special recognition. I know that judges can’t be expected to be a jack of all trades, but I do wish that some would know their limitations and turn down adjudications if they lack any knowledge of the subject they’re assessing. I am thinking of audiovisuals for example, creative and nature. If they don’t like all this ‘arty stuff’ or know the difference between a duck and a pigeon, then they shouldn’t be judging them. But I’m surprised at how many are willing to give it a go and then announce afterwards that they don’t understand that sort of stuff! Photography should be fun, and judges can add or take away that fun. So a judge has an important job and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. π To find out more, go to www.barbielindsay.co.uk.

What do you think? Have you seen a photographic judge at work who you’d like to see profiled in Photography News? If so please drop us a line to opinion@photography-news.co.uk with the judge’s name and, if possible, their contact details.

Issue 15 | Photography News

Opinion SPEAKERS’ CORNER

Who do you shoot for?

Del Barrett ARPS’s piece in way back in PN3 took Gallery Photogroup chairman Colin Hugill even further back to his first competition experiences in camera clubs, bringing into question the impact of a judge’s opinion Words by Colin Hugill

Reading Del Barrett’s article in an earlier issue of PN, in which she describes her experiences with camera club competitions and judges, reminded me so much of my first venture into club competitions. It was back in the days of prints from film and transparencies and when the only manipulation I could do at that time was to mask my slides with strips of tinfoil. I didn’t initially plan on entering competitions when I first joined my club, Gallery Photogroup, but after a great deal of thought and encouragement from my fellow members, I put together an entry. Competition night arrived and I sat waiting for the judge to pass comment. We were allowed to enter a total of four prints and four 35mm slides – at the time I didn’t have the know-how or equipment to produce prints, so I just put forward four slides. As many other clubs did, our entries were marked out of 30, and as I sat waiting for the first of mine to be shown, I could feel myself getting very nervous. Experienced photographers were receiving marks in the high 20s and I was fearing the worst. Eventually the first of my slides came on screen. It was a study of Himalayan balsam, a plant in full bloom, and I had gone in close and framed just a small section of it. Our judge was very complimentary and he went on to praise my techniques and camera skills, scoring me 28. As you can imagine, I was jumping for joy inside and most of my fears had gone. As the evening went on, two more of my slides were well received, both gaining respectable scores. I was feeling quite confident, I’d had three good results, one of which was the 28, which was going to give me third place, and in my opinion the best of my images was yet to come. This is when the wheels fell off.

Photography News | Issue 15

I still hear people say that a judge would not like this or that and to some that would be enough not to take the shot, which I think is a shame

IMAGES Despite his unnerving first foray into the competition world, Colin still continues to enter competitions, taking the photos that he likes and not the ones he thinks will please the judges.

My fourth and final image came on screen and although I was impressed with it, the judge was not. The image was of Durham Cathedral taken from down by the river. The judge went on to criticise it for lack of imagination and creativity and also used an expression I had never heard before, accusing me of ‘using tripod holes’. I found this very confusing, because at the time I did not have a tripod. After his comments I was awarded 15 points and brought back down with a bump. All this happened in about 1987 but it didn’t put me off. I’ve been taking part in competitions ever since, even to the point of becoming a judge myself in the mid-nineties. I think competitions play a big part in any camera club’s programme and they help to improve an entrant’s skills and technique. We don’t just listen to the remarks given about our own images, we have the rest of the group’s entries to glean information from. We may not always agree with the comments of our guest judges, and there will be occasions when positive remarks will be made, however one point is always stressed to the members of our camera club, and that is: we do not take pictures to please judges. A few years ago we decided, as a club, to move away from the points system and just have our judge come along to deliver his comments on our work, after which we would ask the judge to announce the

images that came first, second and third, as well as any highly commended pictures. This makes a more relaxed competition atmosphere for everyone, and the evenings have been very successful. I still hear people say that a judge would not like this or that and to some that would be enough not to take the shot, which I think is a shame. Photography is a hobby to be enjoyed by everyone, and as individuals we all see things differently; this has to be reflected in how we view and produce images. If competitions are to feature in a camera club’s programme, then yes, they do need to be judged so that there is a winner, but I don’t think entrants should always stick to what might be perceived as a ‘safe entry’. To avoid running the risk of becoming clones, we should be honest with ourselves and each other. Don’t be afraid to show the images that are outside the box and reflect your style as a photographer. π To find out more about Gallery Photogroup, go to www.galleryphotogroup.co.uk.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you appreciate criticism as well as praise from a judge? Or do you trust your own instinct when it comes to what works with your images? Whatever your stance, let us know your thoughts at opinion@ photography-news.co.uk.

www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 15 | Photography News

Competitions INTERVIEW

Blooming talent Chris Young, editor of the RHS’s The Garden magazine, moonlights as a judge for the RHS annual amateur photographic competition. With the winners of this year’s competition just announced, we catch up with Chris to see how it went Interview by Megan Croft

Mateusz Piesiak

Why did the RHS set up a photo competition? For a membership organisation like us – we’ve got 420,000 members – it seemed logical to set up a competition that reflected our members’ passion and interest. It seemed a natural extension to really share that enjoyment with a photography competition. The more you garden, the more you see. If you are doing an hour of gardening a day or a whole day of it at the weekend, you start to notice things like the abstract nature of a leaf or the combination of two flowers or the way a goldfinch swoops down to try and get some seedlings. You get to see quite a lot. The garden is a busy place: the more you look at it, the more wildlife and colour, texture and shapes you see. With this year’s winners now announced, how do you think the competition went this year? It’s been a good year. This is the 18th year we’ve been running the photo competition and I’ve been involved with it for about seven years. Anyone can enter, and there are a lot of other photographic competitions, but its uniqueness is that it is really relating to people’s passions, which are photography and gardening. How did you come to be involved with the judging of the competition? As editor of The Garden magazine, the monthly magazine that goes to all members of the RHS, obviously I get to see thousands of images a year and have quite a clear take on what makes a good photograph and what we’re trying to impart. As it’s the Royal Horticultural Society’s magazine, we’re giving good, inspiring advice to people and if a photograph is wrongly labelled, or it’s not very well composed, or it’s not well lit, or if the colour of the flower is wrong, then we’re not doing our job. We spend a huge amount of time on the magazine sorting out our reproduction, making sure the colours of the flowers are the correct saturation, the right hue and the correct tone. It’s really important we check the quality and integrity of a photograph and that’s what we do at the magazine day in and day out, so it feels quite a good fit for me to be one of the judges. What was it like judging alongside acclaimed garden photographers Andrew Lawson and Clive Nichols? It was great actually because I know them from my work on the magazine so we all know each other relatively well. I was able to have a really honest debate with both of them, but no matter who’s judging you’re always going to get an individual opinion from each person. As with all judging, Photography News | Issue 15

ABOVE The winning image in the Wildlife category: Glimmer by Mateusz Piesiak.

sometimes there’s a clear winner and other times there’s a conversation and a bit of convincing and discussion; that to me is the real enjoyment. As the non-photographer, the person who’s consuming the photos in a professional way, you do get to see and discuss things that you might not have considered when judging with people like Clive and Andrew. Was there much debate this year? It was clear because we were all quite strict with the feeling that this is a garden and horticultural photographic competition and therefore we should be celebrating that in the winning image. We can all choose and select completely abstract images or things that are textured but that might not be true to the competition. The winning image is a late evening garden scene with a pond, some dogs drinking out of it and some mist: it’s just one of those moments where you have to be there. It’s complete serendipity that all of those things happened at

If you are doing an hour of gardening a day or a whole day of it on a Sunday, you start to notice things

the same time, the dogs, the mist, the garden, the lighting, everything. It shows what goes on in a garden and the photograph is graphic with different shapes and textures within the whole composition. How do the entry numbers from this year compare? We’ve had 3,500-4,000 this year, some years we get more, some less. What’s interesting though is that it doesn’t really affect the quality of the images that we award. We could have 3,000 or 10,000 entries, but we always get to the best photos in the end. We get a huge range of entries from members and of course non-members and across a range of ages, demographics and nationalities. There are five categories that cover a range of genres and subjects, is that to broaden the competition’s appeal? It is, but it’s really also to reflect the diversity of the www.photography-news.co.uk

Competitions

21 Alain Jouno

Catherine Sim

subject matter. The more you get to know plants and gardens, the more you see that there are different angles and areas within them. A plant portrait or an abstract detail of a plant may require a very different type of photographer than one who can give a feeling of a garden with a wide-angle lens. They’re technically different and even professional garden photographers who are brilliant at macro shots can actually find a garden shot really quite challenging. That’s why we try and be as broad as possible for all those different interests within gardening; it’s about encompassing all of those different things people do when they’re outside. What kind of images do you like to see the most? I’ve got two kinds of favourites, one is the Young Photographer, the 11 to 18-year-old category, because the quality, especially this year, has just been immense. The graphic ability of some of these young photographers who not only have a brilliant eye for what makes a great shot but can also technically make it work is really, really impressive. The other one is the Celebrating Gardens category because no matter how hard you try to capture an atmosphere in a garden it is quite a challenge. I think people underestimate how hard it is to really capture a garden and there are few very good garden photographers out there who can get the composition, the lighting and the content right so that you feel you’re in that garden just from the photograph. But 80% of the time, people just don’t get it right. Do you see any trends across the images? In terms of gardening there are trends. A few years ago it was very much about big plants and a tropical jungle feel but you don’t see many of those in the Plants and Abstracts section because people aren’t growing them as much. In the last few years there seems to have been a lot more garden visiting so there are quite a lot more entries in the Celebrating Gardens category where people are just going to

The more you get to know plants and gardens, the more you see that there are different angles and areas within them TOP LEFT RHS Young Photographer of the Year: Crow in flight by Catherine Sim. ABOVE RIGHT RHS Photographer of the Year: Matin d’hiver embrumé au Parc Botanique de Haute Bretagne by Alain Jouno. BELOW Seasons category winner: Winter at Wisley by Sarah Longes. BELOW RIGHT Under 11 first place: Leaf Canopy by Lara Cresswell.

visit the garden for a day out in the summer. That’s been more popular in the last few years and we’ve had a better summer this year so we’ve had more entries in that area. The submissions reflect the gardening season and we respond to that.

Will there be an exhibition of the winning images? It varies each year; we are hoping to have an exhibition at one of the RHS gardens but the images are all up on the website.

Is it a print or digital competition? In the last three years it went over to digital. When it was print, we used to get hundreds of boxes of images and spread them out in a room which was great, but the good thing with digital applications is that it equalises them. No matter how hard you try, if you get a small 7x5in print compared with a great big A3 print it does have an effect and you can’t work out sometimes if it’s the quality of the photo or the quality of the paper. Obviously having digital submissions equalises that as you can view them on a consistent medium.

Are there any plans to develop the competition further? I’m just very happy that we keep on doing it whilst there is a demand from RHS members to do it. If we get to the stage when no one enters then maybe it’s time we should stop, but there’s absolutely no sign of that. The other thing we are always looking to develop is whether we can do a touring exhibition.

π To find out more, go to www.rhs.org.uk/ Promotions/rhs-photo-competition. Lara Cresswell

Sarah Longes

www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 15 | Photography News

Camera review SPECS STREET PRICE £1599 CONTACT www.canon.co.uk SENSOR 20.2 megapixels, CMOS, 22.4x15mm IMAGE SIZE 5472x2648 pixels

ON TEST

Canon EOS 7D MkII Canon has been a bit like a sleeping giant this year, but it has finally stirred, launching an exciting update to a much-loved camera – and it’s a cracker!

ISO RANGE 100-16,000 expandable to 51,200 AUTOFOCUS MODES AI Focus, AI Servo, One Shot EXPOSURE COMPENSATION +/-5 EV in 0.3 or 0.5 EV stops, bracketing available SHUTTER 30secs-1/8000sec, plus B. Flash sync at 1/250sec METERING 150,000 pixel RGB+IR sensor. Evaluative, partial (6%), spot (1.8%), centre weighted EXPOSURE MODES Scene Intelligent auto, program AE, shutterpriority AE, aperturepriority AE, manual (stills and movie), custom (x3) SHOOTING SPEEDS Max. approx. 10fps in continuous high, selftimer and mirror up

Words & pictures by Roger Payne

LCD SCREEN 3in, 1040k dot resolution STORAGE Two slots: one CF, one SD DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 148.6x112.4x78.2mm WEIGHT (BODY ONLY) 910g

For the full version of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II review, please see Issue 52 of Advanced Photographer, on sale in newsagents now, or go to iTunes for the digital version.

The original 7D was launched in 2009 and instantly became a hit among serious enthusiasts, especially those shooting sport or any other fastmoving action. This fundamental raison d’être remains in the MkII, but the performance has been enhanced in almost every conceivable way. Thanks to dual DIGIC 6 processors, the new model can dispatch 20.2-megapixel resolution files at ten frames-per-second. At full tilt, the EOS 7D MkII will record 31 Raw files before it needs to pause for breath. Shoot JPEGs and you’ll be able to keep going for over 1000 frames. That’s 10fps for well over a minute and a half. I used a UDMA card to double-check and, sure enough, the camera is unrelenting when capturing JPEGs. I got more than 31 Raw files, too; my estimate would be closer to 50. In practical terms, this level of image capture is probably excessive. I used the camera to shoot a rugby match and never found myself firing for any longer than two seconds, but you have to admire the camera’s capability. It’s a performance you won’t find anywhere else in the current Canon EOS range, save the £5000 EOS-1D X. But even that flagship model can’t top the 7D MkII’s JPEG capture capabilities. Complementing these rapid frame rates is a newly-developed shutter and mirror drive system that is both whisper quiet and beautifully damped, even when shooting at the maximum frame rate. There’s also a Silent continuous shooting mode that captures at four frames-per-second. As well as being quiet, the shutter is also more durable, with a claimed lifespan of 200,000 cycles. This is down to the use of two motors, one powering the mirror, the other the shutter. There are also dampers and absorption mechanisms at

Photography News | Issue 15

play, while the very materials used to construct the system are claimed to reduce vibration. Whatever Canon has done, it’s worked and while I can’t verify the lifespan claims, this piece of internal design makes the 7D MkII great to use. It boosts low light hand-holding capabilities, too. With my 5D MkII, straying below 1/30sec results in camera shake. Here – with IS lens attached – I could drop down to 1/8sec and still get a sharp result; an impressive two-stop gain. All this fast capturing bravado is nothing without a focusing system to match and the 7D MkII emphatically steps up to the mark. The aforementioned rugby match was captured in the dreariest of conditions that necessitated ISO 3200 with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L lens I was using. The Canon’s autofocus performance was nothing short of exceptional. The 7D MkII has a 65-point AF system with each point offering a more sensitive cross-type sensor that picks up both vertical and horizontal movement. The system’s central AF point offers dual cross-type focusing at f/2.8 and f/5.6 and sensitivity down to -3EV. A wealth of focusing override options are provided via the menu system. Among other things, you can choose how the focusing reacts to subject movement and even change how you scroll through point selection manually. This level of fine-tuning is sure to appeal to the more avid sports photographer.

The Canon’s LCD is bright, clear and colourful, with each main menu broken down into subsections; the main AF menu, for example, has five. But if you’re used to moving through menus using the front or rear input dials, you’ll quickly get frustrated by the fact that you seemingly have to scroll through all the submenus to get to the next main menu. This isn’t the case – pressing the Q button scoots you between the main menu categories – but it’s a shame you can’t change this functionality to, for example, the front input dial. In every other respect, the camera handles beautifully. A (small-handed) colleague remarked that the 7D MkII was a tad oversized for her, with the video record/live view button far too much of a stretch for her right thumb with the camera in hand, but I had no such issues. Granted, it is quite a chunky affair, but the solidity of the magnesium alloy body inspires confidence and just feels ‘right’. The viewfinder is excellent, too. It is bright and features some unique information (facilitated by a transparent LCD) that’s overlaid on to the image area to complement the more standard LCD info shown across the bottom and up the right hand side of the screen. This extra information helps you to change more functions with the camera up to your eye. You can also display a viewfinder level, which I thought would be handy, but the level works over two axes which makes it nigh on impossible to get spot on while hand-holding.

All this fast capturing bravado is nothing without a focusing system to match and the 7D MkII emphatically steps up to the mark. The Canon’s autofocus performance was nothing short of exceptional www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera review

ISO performance Raws at every ISO were taken and processed through Adobe Lightroom 5.7. No noise reduction was applied. Viewed at 100% on a monitor, digital noise isn’t an issue for any of the three figure ISO settings, nor would the speckles at ISO 1600 or 3200 be considered intrusive. Understandably, by the time you get to ISO 6400 it is becoming more prominent, but nothing that some noise reduction software couldn’t alleviate. Crucially, colours don’t shift dramatically, nor do they at

12,800. The highest native ISO does show more aggressive noise, but the colours remain true, as they do on the H1 setting. Only on the H2 setting do colours start to waiver noticeably and this setting should really only be used for artistic effects or when a very noisy image is better than no image at all. An impressive performance, especially when you consider the camera squeezes 20.2 megapixels on to an APS-C sensor.

FULL-FRAME IMAGE

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 16,000

ISO 25,600

ISO 51,200

What’s the difference? While they may look similar, there are plenty of differences between the 7D MkII and its predecessor. Here are the key ones:

EOS 7D MKII

EOS 7D

RESOLUTION

20.2 megapixels

18 megapixels

ISO RANGE

100-16,000 (expandable to 51,200)

100-6400 (expandable to 12,800)

PROCESSOR

Dual DIGIC 6

Dual DIGIC 4

MAXIMUM FRAME RATE

10fps

8fps

CONTINUOUS BURST CAPABILITY

31 Raw files, 1000+ JPEGs

24 Raw files, 94 JPEGs

METERING

150,000 pixel RGB+IR

63 zones

AF POINTS

MAX. VIDEO FRAME RATE

1080p/60fps

1080p/30fps

CARD SLOTS

Dual CF & SD

Single

The verdict The Canon EOS 7D Mark II represents the perfect blend of technological tour de force and user-friendliness. As an existing EOS owner, I picked up the 7D MkII and felt instantly at home with it. That matters. Any 7D owner will no doubt tell you that the original model was a very good camera, so it’s impressive to see that Canon has improved virtually every aspect of the original camera’s performance. Retailing around £1599 does throw up the APS-C/ full frame debate. The full-frame EOS 6D is cheaper to the tune of £300, which does make you wonder about the 7D MkII, but to compare the two is like comparing chalk with cheese. Neither camera is setting out to achieve what the other offers. And not at any point during the test did I regard the images from the 7D MkII www.photography-news.co.uk

CANON EOS 7D MKII

as being obviously inferior to a full-frame model. I didn’t miss Wi-Fi or 4K video either, but some might. I definitely did miss an articulated LCD, though. The Canon EOS 7D MkII is a brilliant DSLR that has hugely impressed me and if you’re going to make the most of its speedy characteristics, it’s a nobrainer. But if you shoot landscapes, still lifes and anything else that doesn’t move, you may be better off looking elsewhere. Buying a 7D MkII for this purpose would be like buying a Ferrari and driving at 30mph.

FEATURES

22/25

PERFORMANCE

24/25

HANDLING

24/25

VALUE FOR MONEY

23/25

Plenty to go at, but lacking some new technology

Outstanding AF, accurate metering, super-fast frame rate

Superb shutter action, great handgrip, excellent viewfinder What price do you put on great shots?

OVERALL 93/100 A performance to match the EOS-1D X’s at a price to please the bank manager PROS Autofocus, video flexibility, handling, ISO performance CONS Fixed LCD, no Wi-Fi, no at-a-glance file format view

Issue 15 | Photography News

Camera review SPECS PRICE £1300 body only CONTACT www.samsung.com SENSOR 28-megapixel APS-C BSI CMOS, 23.5x15.7mm, 6480x4320 pixels

ON TEST

Samsung NX1 In the last PN, we took a close look at the handling and extensive features list of one of the year’s most exciting cameras. Now it’s time to turn the spotlight onto the Samsung NX1’s performance

ISO RANGE 100-25,600, expands to 51,200, auto SHUTTER 30secs-1/8000sec, flash sync 1/250sec DRIVE MODES Single, continuous at 15fps METERING SYSTEM Multi-zone, centreweighted, spot EXPOSURE MODES PASM, auto, custom COMPENSATION ±5EV in 0.3EV steps MONITOR 3in articulating, touchscreen, Super AMOLED, 1036k dots EVF 100% coverage, 2360k dot resolution FOCUSING Contrast-detect (sensor), phase-detect, multi-area, single point, tracking, live view, detection FOCUSING POINTS 205 phase-detect, 153 cross-type, 209 contrast-detect (sensor) CONNECTIVITY USB 3.0, HDMI, wireless, Bluetooth STORAGE MEDIA SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS I/II) DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 139x102x66mm WEIGHT 550g

For the full version of the Samsung NX1 review, please see Issues 51 & 52 of Advanced Photographer, on sale in newsagents now, or go to iTunes for the digital version.

Words by Will Cheung

The Samsung is an APS-C format compact system camera bristling with exciting features and the very latest innovations. It can rip through shots at an incredible 15fps even in Raw quality mode; the sensor is the first APS-C sized sensor with BSI technology to maximise image quality when light levels are low and its 28.2-megapixel resolution means you can make almost A2-sized prints without any software interpolation. I shot most of the time in super-fine JPEG and Raw, only switching to JPEG only when trying out the camera’s 15fps continuous shooting rate. Lightroom 5.7 is compatible with NX1 Raw files and that was used for this review. Lenses used for the review included the two optics in the Premium S collection, the 16-50mm f/2-2.8 and 50-150mm f/2.8, plus the older NX 50-200mm f/4-5.6. For many of the scenic images a Gitzo Mountaineer GT2532 tripod was used with the shutter fired using the self-timer. NX1 files are quite big as you would expect. JPEGs were in the range of 4-13MB and Raws 32-46MB. Opened in software, 8-bit files were around 80MB and in full resolution measured 54.8x36.5cm or 6460x4320pixels, so big enough to print on A2 paper (59.4x42cm) without any interpolation. I made a batch of A2 prints on glossy paper from edited Raws and out of the camera JPEGs through an Epson Stylus 3880 printer and the results are impressive. Scenes with detail looked wonderful. During my test, at the tail end of autumn, I shot plenty of woodland scenes and the NX1 did justice to

Photography News | Issue 15

them by recording the finest details. The prints, with minimal editing, looked excellent, but I know that if I worked the file harder there is even more detail to be squeezed out. JPEGs out of the NX1 are full of detail and very sharp, as you would expect; no problem using them for critical applications immediately. Comparing the prints from my Raw files processed with default Lightroom 5.7 settings with those from out of the camera JPEGs, the Raws looked soft. They benefitted from some sharpening, either in Lightroom (Sharpening slider at 50) or in Photoshop (Smart Sharpen). Once sharpened, detail levels surpassed those of the JPEGs and images looked very good indeed. The NX1 has one of the most advanced AF systems around, with 205 phase-detection points, 153 of which are cross-type sensors covering 90% of the image area. The camera has four AF options: single zone, multi-zone, face detection and selfie detection. Overall AF responsiveness and accuracy rate highly and I enjoyed using the system, whether using the EVF or the touchscreen. With the camera on a tripod, being able to focus on one section of the scene and meter from another was great fun and useful too. I used the single zone and multi-zone AF systems equally. The single zone option is what I am used to and certainly the NX didn’t let me down too often. While using the EVF moving the AF point around the image area is quite slow especially if you want to place the subject at the

edge of the frame. That is mostly because there is such a large active AF area. Using the touch monitor in that respect is very quick because all you do is touch whatever part of the scene you want sharp. I tried the AF system for moving subjects using the 50-150mm f/2.8 with the camera in single zone and multi-zone AF with tracking AF. The camera was set to 15fps and super-fine JPEG to allow a longer sequence of consecutive shots. Again the single AF system was more reliable but the multi-zone system worked with the right subject. For example, with an oncoming car the AF system latched onto it and tracked it effectively. In one sequence I got 35 shots (that’s just 2.3secs of shooting at 15fps) and the target car was sharp for all but a couple of shots. A perfect AF system does not exist and is unlikely to, simply because the camera can’t read what’s going in a photographer’s mind and focus instantly on an infinite variety of subjects. The NX1’s system is very good and shows how much autofocusing on CSC cameras has progressed in recent times. While it’s not infallible, it is impressive and with the right subject in the right situation it can keep pace with 15fps.

JPEGs out of the NX1 are full of detail and very sharp, as you would expect www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera review

ISO performance The NX1 is the first APS-C format camera to have a BSI sensor. The Backside Illumination sensor design helps to achieve high ISO performance with minimal noise. The images shown here are Raws and were processed using Lightroom 5.7 with no noise reduction or sharpness applied. The image quality is excellent and stays

ISO 100

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 25,600

ISO 51,200

impressively high until you get to ISO 2000 and above when the noise has more of an impact. Definitely no problem using the NX1 at ISO 3200 for critical purposes and I even made full-size A2 prints from ISO 6400 shots and the effect of noise, at normal viewing distances, was not an issue.

FULL-FRAME IMAGE

High ISO noise reduction

FULL-FRAME IMAGE

The verdict

The NX1’s Adaptive Noise Reduction mode minimises the grain effect at high ISO speeds in JPEGs. These shots at ISO 12,800 were taken using Raw and super-fine JPEG image quality mode using a tripod-mounted NX1 fitted with an NX 16-50mm f/2-2.8 lens. The lens aperture was kept constant at f/8. A Raw file, processed in Lightroom 5.7 with and without noise reduction applied for each speed, is shown as a comparison. For the ‘with NR’ image the Luminance slider was set at 25. In-camera NR is better than none at all, with Low being the best all-round setting where the grain effect is lessened without smudging too much fine detail. The High setting does a good job on noise but impacts on detail, which is fine when images are used small but less good for serious enlargements. ISO 12,800 RAW

ISO 12,800 RAW WITH NR IN LIGHTROOM

ISO 12,800 NO NR

The Samsung NX1 is a serious launch for the company, a CSC with features aimed at experienced image-makers. The ability to shoot 28-megapixel images at 15fps and 4K video tells you that, plus its connectivity features and advanced AF system. So, how does it rate? I think very highly and I enjoyed its company. I shot more than 2000 landscapes, action and people images. Image quality is excellent and I have a pile of detail-rich A2 prints to prove it. I shot mostly with the two Premium S lenses, the 16-50mm f/2-2.8 and 50-150mm f/2.8, but the NX 10mm, 1224mm, 18-55mm and 50-200mm worked well too. Samsung’s first stab at a top CSC is very impressive. There are certainly plenty of pros, not many cons, and at £1300 body only it’s good value too. You have to budget for a lens or two and Samsung does offer a good choice – a few more premium lenses would be nice but they’re probably already on their way.

SAMSUNG NX1

ISO 12,800 LOW NR

ISO 12,800 NORMAL NR

ISO 12,800 HIGH NR

FEATURES

25/25

PERFORMANCE

24/25

HANDLING

23/25

VALUE FOR MONEY

24/25

15fps, 28 megapixels, 205 focus points and 4K video – need anything else?

Image quality is impressive, especially at low/mid ISO settings

No problems, a few minor handling niggles, more customisation options needed Body is an attractive price for the features on offer

OVERALL 96/100 Much to admire in Samsung’s first ‘serious’ CSC PROS Image quality, 15fps, AF system , monitor quality CONS More control customisation options would be nice

www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 15 | Photography News

Flash guide STUDIO KIT ROUND-UP

The best studio flash kits for under £1000 Even with a fistful of dollars, picking the right flash kit for your club can be a head-scratching affair. Don’t worry, PN is here to help with our top picks for under a grand… Words by Kingsley Singleton

Will Cheung

Buying a studio flash kit for your camera club is right up there with the best ideas that humanity has ever had, like making fire, electricity and communism. Okay, maybe not the last one, which was essentially a perversion of Karl Marx’s original desire to share sweet photographic equipment between camera-toting comrades, but all in all, the benefits are pretty encouraging: you avoid a big outlay yourself, get to use some good gear, and you can share knowledge of the equipment and applicable accessories. The trouble is, with so many kits competing for your attention, which to choose? Well, we’ve come up with a realistic budget of £1000 and eight packages that fit well within it, each boasting a suite of attractive features alongside the central benefit of helping you taking better studio-style shots. Here’s another thought though: when picking, don’t just go for the cheapest, most expensive or highest powered; consider how and where the kit will be used, what will be shot with it, and by who. Photography News | Issue 15

We’ve come up with a realistic budget of £1000 and eight packages that fit well within it, each boasting a suite of attractive features alongside the central benefit of helping you taking better studio-style shots Flash kits are generally defined by the power offered from their heads and this is measured in watts per second (Ws). Some kits quote the combined power of the heads, but the strength of individual units is more revealing. The more power produced, the further you’ll be able to throw the light, covering larger subjects, and the more you’ll be able to diffuse the light without its intensity dropping to an unusable level. But more power doesn’t always mean better results – many techniques require low-power, short flash duration to freeze movement. Buy multiple, lower-powered heads and you’ll also allow

greater flexibility in your lighting arrangement. Controllability is important, too, and whether (as well as how easily) the flash heads can be controlled and triggered wirelessly, allowing you to refine settings from a single position. All the following kits are portable, but some are lighter than others; some are sturdier. And just as adding lenses to your kitbag widens your creative options, using different light shapers will add sophistication to your shots – so be mindful not of what comes with the kit, but the fit of modifier that it uses, so that you can judge the options available. www.photography-news.co.uk

Flash guide Interfit EX400 Ti 2-Light Softbox Kit

27 £449

This great starter kit includes two EX400 Ti heads, each boasting a power output of 400Ws – plenty for most situations, and adjustable through six stops using 0.1EV increments. The kit also features two 20cm spill-kill reflectors, two 100cm softboxes, two 2.6m air-cushioned stands, a Dynamic Ti wireless trigger and carry case. The trigger, which operates across seven channels, syncs with the EX400 Ti heads’ built-in Ti Radio Receivers, meaning that you can set the power of each flash as well as the strength of its modelling lamp, from your shooting position. Triggering is possible up

Cheap & cheerful club kit

to 12m away and the lights can also be fired via the built-in IR trigger, optical slave or with a sync cable if you’re feeling a bit nostalgic for the good old days when you could easily break your neck tripping over wires. Recycle speeds are a brisk 2secs at the full 400Ws power setting, and the heads are fan cooled to prevent overheating, weighing in at a fairly modest 2.2kg and benefitting from moulded carry handles. Adding another EX400 Ti head will set you back around £290 and for additional modifiers the system uses Interfit’s own EX bayonet fitting which offers a wide range of light shapers and other accessories.

Elemental Trinity Nano Triple kit £499.99

This affordable, lightweight kit is a top choice, coming with three Elemental Nano 300Ws heads as standard, meaning you can quickly get to grips with most styles. Amazingly, the compact heads weigh in at less than 1kg apiece, and are constructed from durable rubberised ABS plastic shell. Control is via a smart digital panel, and the Nano uses S-fit modifiers, making it compatible with a huge range of accessories. That said, you get plenty to start off with in the set: two spill-kill reflectors, one 40in black and silver reflective umbrella, one 40in black and gold reflective umbrella and a 50x70cm softbox.

There’s also an 80cm 5-in-1 reflector, three lighting stands, three sync cables (should you still use them) and a transmitter/receiver kit, all of which packs into the included padded case. Output, covering six stops, can be precisely controlled in 0.1EV increments via the display, and recycle times are as a little as 0.2sec (rising to 1sec at full power), while each light features a sensor, so they can slave off other flashes up to 10m away. Coming in at only half the £1000 budget, you’ll have plenty of spare cash to split between further light shapers, model hire – or even extra Nano heads at £125 apiece.

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

π To find out more, go to www.studio-flash.com.

iLux Delta Pro 300GTi Twin Head Softbox Kit

£528

Lastolite Lumen8 Kit F400 £595.95

Aimed at serious enthusiasts and working pros, the iLux Delta Pro 300GTi Twin Head Softbox kit offers some very attractive features at a pleasingly affordable price, including very speedy flash duration and recycle times, making the kit perfect for high-speed shots and other creative effects. The kit comprises two Delta Pro 300GTi heads, each with a 300Ws output, along with twin ILS 280 (2.8m high) stands, two 60cm softboxes, a bag to fit the two heads and an iPort Sky Ranger trigger set. The kit is also available with twin 100cm umbrellas for around £100 less.

Thanks to its short recycle times (from 0.05sec to 0.8sec), the 300GTi head is able to fire at up to 10fps and flash duration is as fast as 1/5000sec (1/1000sec at full power); a very creditable specification. Power covers six stops and the heads are compact and fairly light in weight at around 1.9kg. There’s also a neat function for the forgetful – or those in a rush – which remembers your last-used settings when the flash is turned off and on, rather than resetting. Additional heads cost £209 and the 300GTi uses modifiers with an S-type fitting, allowing a wide range of styles to be employed.

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

Super speed & value

This kit is designed for photographers who need to be mobile, which is a great start if it’s being used by multiple club members. Made up of two Lastolite Lumen8 F400 heads (400Ws), you also get two 18.5cm spill-kill reflectors, two softboxes, two stands, two sync cables and two cases to pack it in. F400 flash heads use S-type bayonet fittings, so they’re compatible with a huge range of light shapers, including Lastolite’s own and with a reassuringly chunky construction, each weighs in at 3.3kg. There’s no wireless triggering built in, but with the kit costing under £600, you can easily add a Lumen8

Light & versatile flash

A great all-in-one choice

Radio Trigger (£51.95) which, being mains powered, doesn’t require batteries, sitting in line with the head’s power cable and working up to distances of 15m – which is bigger than most studios. With built-in IR sensors, the heads can also be fired by slaving them off other flashes and cost £209 when bought individually. The rest of the change from your initial £1000 you can use to stock up on Lastolite modifiers like a couple of 78cm PVC white bounce umbrellas (£23.95 each), a snoot (£81.95) and a barn door and gel set (£102.95) or honeycomb grid (£35.95) for the 18.5cm reflectors.

π To find out more, go to www.lastolite.com. Issue 15 | Photography News

Flash guide Pixapro Lumi 400 1200Ws Three Head Kit with trigger and receiver £599.99

Lencarta SmartFlash 2 800Ws Lighting kit £649.99

All the power you need

Kicking out a serious 1200Ws at a very attractive price, this three-head kit includes (unsurprisingly) three Lumi 400 (400Ws) heads, three lighting stands, two 60x90cm softboxes, a 40in umbrella and a standard 7in spill-kill reflector, along with a rolling case for the lights and another bag for the stands. There’s also a Pro AC wireless trigger and three receivers, with a working distance of up to 50m (in the open), and the system supports 16 channels, also allowing control of flash power remotely. An intelligent slave cell and sync cable can also be used, while the flash can be set between 1/1 and 1/32

power, adjustable in 0.1 increments. Recycle times are brisk at 1.5sec (full power), falling to 0.3sec at 1/32 with a duration of 1/800 to 1/2000sec. The heads weigh in at 2kg and have handles making it easier to position them, and with change from the £1000 budget you can invest in any S-type fitting modifiers, or an extra Lumi 400 head for more power or a wider range of styles. These are priced at £179.99 when bought alone, and you’ll just need to add a £10 Pro AC Receiver onto that if you want to enjoy the full wireless functionality.

Providing a huge range of options in a kit, Lencarta’s SmartFlash 2 800Ws packs no less than four 200Ws heads, meaning you’re well covered for background lighting or shooting larger groups. Each head offers a six-stop power range, and the kit also includes two 60cm softboxes, two spill-kill reflectors, two white reflective umbrellas and four air-cushioned stands. Triggering comes via the included Wavesync Commander and a Receiver for each head, though sync cables are supplied and the heads can also be slaved. The Wavesync system allows full remote control, individually or collectively

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

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

Bowens Gemini 500R (x2) Tx/Rx Kit £959

Elinchrom BRX 500/500 kit £959

If you want a powerful, versatile and durable studio flash kit, the Gemini 500R Tx/Rx kit packs in two 500R flash heads (500Ws), one spill-kill reflector, one 90cm silver/white umbrella, one 60x80cm softbox, two 3.05m lighting stands providing lots of reach and a sturdy rollercase. The softbox offers two layers of diffusion to minimise hotspots and the umbrella’s cover can be unclipped, turning it into a shoot-through type. Also included is a Pulsar Tx trigger and receiver, the latter plugging into the Gemini head and operating across 24 zones and four channels, enabling you to set up and trigger individual

Tough, powerful lighting

lights or groups without moving. Slave and sync cable options are also on board. Power is controllable through six stops via two dials and a digital display, one for full stops and another in 0.1EV, and recycle time at full power is 1.3secs (1/900sec duration). The modelling lamp can be set to mimic flash power, which is useful when assessing contrast. Gemini 500R heads cost £407 as single units and weigh in at 3.4kg each, with the chunky feel added to by a carry handle and a metal housing. They also use an S-type fit allowing modifiers from many manufacturers to be used.

π To find out more, go to www.bowensdirect.com. Photography News | Issue 15

The BRX series sits just below Elinchrom’s top-of-the-line system, and is a fully-featured investment for serious studio or location work. The kit comes with two 500Ws BRX heads, and each has a built-in EL-Skyport receiver for easy triggering, two Portalite 66cm softboxes, two stands, an EL-Skyport transmitter and two bags for storage or transportation. The EL-Skyport system allows eight channels to be used across four groups, so you can build sophisticated lighting arrangements across multiple heads. It syncs up to 1/320sec and also allows for creative effects like strobing in

Loads of shooting options

setting the power of the flash as well as the modelling lights, and it’s compatible with all current Lencarta models, so you can build the system easily. Recycle times are a nippy 1sec at full power and the heads are fan cooled, offering extended shooting. SmartFlash 2 heads use the common S-type fitting, so there are plenty of options when it comes to modifiers, including Lencarta’s own. Additional heads will set you back £109. With the number of lights in the 800Ws kit you could even split the four between club members, although an additional Wavesync trigger would be required.

High spec flash kit

open flash work. The BRX heads feature an iCell sensor for flash sync via speedlights, and settings can be controlled via an app on your iPhone or iPad, which is basically the future. The heads have a large, fan-cooled and ventilated, impact-resistant build to facilitate better cooling and a rubberised handgrip for carting them around. Power, covering six stops, is controllable in steps of 0.1EV if required and has a duration of just 1/2500sec for sharper results at low power. The BRX 500 heads cost £379 individually and are compatible with Elinchrom’s complete range of modifiers.

π To find out more, go to www.theflashcentre.com. www.photography-news.co.uk

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Issue 15 | Photography News

Technique PHOTO SCHOOL

Camera class

Everyone has to start somewhere, even top pros, and in our regular Photo School feature we look at the core skills that every beginner needs. This month, it’s how to deal with tricky exposure situations when shooting landscapes, and how to make the best of bad exposures in Lightroom... Words & pictures by Kingsley Singleton

With its exposure mode set to aperture-priority (A or Av), shutter-priority (S or Tv), program (P) or auto, your DSLR will help you to get a balanced exposure by picking suitable settings for the scene. These settings are based on your chosen metering mode, of which, broadly, there are three: multi-zone (sometimes called matrix or evaluative), centreweighted and spot. Modern multi-zone systems are smart enough to read most scenes, but if you’re still not getting the results you want, what then? Here are some solutions… n Use exposure compensation Multi-zone metering reads the whole scene and, based on what it finds, decides which exposure settings to use in creating a balanced exposure. The trouble is, if most of the scene is dark, say when shooting silhouetted trees against a darkening sky, the camera will act accordingly and set an exposure that’s too light. To rectify this, use the exposure compensation feature, usually found via the +/- button on the body, and dial in a negative value. This will darken the exposure giving results that are truer to what you see. Conversely, if the scene is very light, as with snow, the camera may underexpose, in which case you’d do the opposite.

for example, in multi-zone mode you’ll often lose a lot of the richness in the colours as the camera is liable to overexpose in the dim conditions. In manual mode, where you’re wholly responsible for setting the aperture and shutter speed values, you can shoot and assess the results either on the screen or via the histogram, tailoring the exposure to exactly what’s required. n Use neutral density graduated filters No amount of tweaking aperture and shutter speed will let you balance a scene that has both very bright and very dark areas in it: one of them will always be at risk of getting lost, either the highlights or the shadows. For scenes of this kind, such as when shooting a landscape with a bright sky (right), you need to physically block some of the light using a neutral density graduated (usually shortened to ND grad) filter. This cuts down the amount of light entering the camera, but only in the parts of the scene it covers, so it won’t affect other areas, leading to a better balance in the scene.

n Shoot in manual exposure mode Another way to deal with unsatisfactory metering is to switch to manual exposure mode (M). When shooting a sunset,

ADOBE LIGHTROOM

Software skills Part 15: Controlling exposure in Lightroom

Most of us would love to get a perfect exposure straight out of the camera, but there are plenty of times when it’s impossible to do so, or simply preferable to shoot fast and tweak the results later. That’s where programs like Lightroom come in, giving you the ability to make both global exposure changes across the whole picture, as well as tailored adjustments right where they’re needed. Here we’ll look at how to tackle a typical exposure problem, landscapes where the sky is much brighter than the foreground. To make the most of Lightroom, shoot in Raw rather than JPEG, as it offers more exposure control. Photography News | Issue 15

NEXT MONTH:

More ways to sort common exposure problems when shooting and using Lightroom tools.

1: IMPROVE THE OVERALL EXPOSURE In the Develop module, the Exposure slider controls brightness across the whole tonal range, making the picture lighter or darker. For precise control, use the Highlights, Shadows, Blacks and Whites sliders which affect only those specific areas of the image. Here, -0.45 Exposure darkens the pic, and -53 Blacks thickens the shadows. Global adjustments can only take you so far though: as you lighten or darken one part, corresponding bits are affected. 2: ADD GRADUATED FILTERS TO THE SKY To darken the sky, click on the Graduated Filter tool under the Histogram (or press M). Drag it over the sky and set Exposure to a negative value (use the Whites and Highlights sliders, too, if required). If you need to darken further, click New and add another Grad Filter to build the effect slowly rather than using a very low Exposure (which looks harsh). Set the Shadows slider to a positive value, so you don’t dull areas already dark, like hillsides or trees projecting into the sky. www.photography-news.co.uk

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Issue 15 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 15

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Issue 15 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 15

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Issue 15 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 15

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Issue 15 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 15

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Issue 15 | Photography News

Prize wordsearch

Win new Samsung memory! You can capture all life’s special moments securely with Samsung’s ultra-reliable new range of high performance PRO SD cards. PRO cards support UHS-I and offer read speeds of up to 90MB/s. They are also water and shockproof, and resistant to extreme temperatures, X-rays and magnets, plus they come with a ten-year limited warranty. We’re giving away one 16GB PRO SDHC card to each of three lucky winners. Just complete the wordsearch below, and you’ll find one word in the list that’s not in the grid. Email us on puzzle@ photography-news.co.uk with that word in the subject line by 19 January 2015, and you could be a winner! π To find out more, go to www.samsung.com. L

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Photography News | Issue 15

EDITORIAL TEAM Editorial director Roger Payne Editor Will Cheung FRPS 01223 499469 willcheung@bright-publishing.com Contributing editor Kingsley Singleton kingsleysingleton@bright-publishing.com Features writer Megan Croft megancroft@bright-publishing.com Sub editors Lisa Clatworthy & Hannah Bealey

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