Photography News 51

News Tests Clubs

Exhibitions

Techniques

Interviews

Competitions

Reviews

Photography Produced by

Issue 51 15 Jan – 8 Feb

news

Awards Vote for your top gear See page 11

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

Canon EOS M100

Camera Club of the Year

Go mirrorless on a budget, page 34

Portrait results are in. Turn to page 20 to admire them

GET YOUR

FREE DIGITAL EDITION every month*

*at photographynews.co.uk

WIN!

A Samsung 128GB memory card

Enter the competition on page 48

© Martin Janes

A telephoto first from Nikon Nikon’s newest telezoom features an integral 1.4x teleconverter

Photo 24 2018 – dates confirmed The latest lens to join the Nikon range is the AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR. This telephoto lens is the first in the Nikon line-up to offer a built-in 1.4x teleconverter. The addition of this teleconverter allows you to increase the focal length range up to 560mm with a maximum aperture of f/5.6. Ideal for sports and wildlife photography, the lens features

Nikon’s Vi b r a t i o n Reduction, which gives a four-stop benefit even when using the teleconverter, and it also has an advanced autofocus and Sport VR for tracking fast-moving subjects.

Design-wise the lens’ zoom and focus ring positions have been reversed to offer more balanced handling and the body also

features weather sealing. A fluorite lens helps to reduce the weight of the lens, while a fluorine coating on the front element repels water, dust and dirt.

The AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR is available from 8 March with a recommended price of £10,999. nikon.co.uk

Photo 24, our annual daylong festival of photography around London, in association with Fujifilm, will take place 29 and 30 June, starting at 3pm. We’ll have more news on how to get a place on Photo 24 and what we have planned in forthcoming issues.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

3

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

News

A first for Samyang Samyang has announced the launch of its first Canon EF mount autofocus lens. The AF 14mm f/2.8 EF lens is designed for use with fullframe Canon DSLRs and features weather-sealing. Its optical design has 15 elements in ten groups that includes seven special glass lenses.

To help minimise distortion and aberration two aspherical, four high-refractive and one extra-low dispersion comprise the seven lenses. This lightweight optic weighs just 485g and also features a built-in AF/MF switch allowing you to quickly switch your preferred style of focusing. The AF 14mm f/2.8 EF will be available from February at a recommended price of £649.

Manfrotto 190go! collection announced

intro2020.co.uk

Panasonic Lumix GH5 focuses on video Panasonic has unveiled a new version of the Lumix GH5, the GH5S. Targeted at videographers, the GH5S features a newlydeveloped 10.2-megapixel highsensitivity Live MOS sensor. Based on the GH5, it offers expanded video recording and enhanced image quality. It offers a maximum ISO of 51,200 and Dual Native ISO

Meet the smallest Epson A3+ printer The Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 wireless photo printer can print up to A3+ size photos on a range of media including card, CDs and DVDs, yet it only takes up the same kind of desk space as an A4 printer. It features a new six-colour Claria Photo HD ink set, which enhances the grey and red inks and its new grey ink means mono photos will have smoother gradations between shadows and highlights. The inks have a claimed longevity of up to 300 years in an album.

The Epson XP-15000 can print nine colour pages per minute and A4 double-sided. It features a 2.4in LCD screen and

there’s also a motorised output tray and auto power on. Which all points to this being a very user-friendly printer.

Available now the Epson XP15000 is priced at £279.99. epson.co.uk

technology, pre-installed V-Log, time code in/out for multi-camera shoots and internal 4:2:2 10-bit recording at 400Mbps All-Intra in 4K 30p/25p/24p.

The Panasonic Lumix GH5S will be available at the end of January for £2199 body only.

Manfrotto’s 190 tripod range has grown with these new lightweight tripods The Manfrotto 190go!

M-series features a new twist lock (M-lock), which offers quick and easy setup. In addition to this the tripod offers a 90° column mechanism, which can be adjusted to the horizontal position for versatile shooting. Other features include four leg angles and an Easy Link attachment.

The M-series is available in aluminium and carbon versions and with the MHXPRO-3W three-way head or the MHXPRO-BHQ2 XPRO Ball head. The carbon versions have a new carbonfibre weave to increase the strength of the tripod, while still remaining light. Prices start at £174.95. manfrotto.co.uk

panasonic.com

4

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

News

dxo.com 3 Legged Thing Following on from the success of the QR11-L Universal bracket released in 2017, 3 Legged Thing has now introduced two new models, the QR11-FBC and QR11-FBG for full-frame DSLRs. Both models are designed to allow you to quickly switch between portrait and landscape orientation. The quick release plates feature a 110mm working base that is compatible with standard Arca Swiss style clamps and heads.

Priced at £59.99 the brackets will be available in copper and metallic slate grey from the end of January.

3leggedthing.com

Hähnel Cube charging With battery charging such an important aspect of modern day image making, the Hähnel pro CUBE2 charger should be top of your shopping list. The original CUBE had limited options when it came to camera battery types and switching charging plates meant fiddling with a connector. Although it wasn’t too difficult, the CUBE2’s cableless plate has made the process much more user-friendly. All you

have to do now is use the supplied tool to release the plate and then you slot home the new one. The range has been expanded too to cover Fujifilm/Panasonic, Olympus and Sony as well as Canon and Nikon.

Each camera plate can charge two cells at the same time and the new model shows an mAh reading on the LCD monitor to show how much capacity has been added during charging. A 15-minute

charge can give 300mAh, which will offer sufficient power to take approximately 150 photos.

As with the original CUBE, AA cells can be charged and that plate simply rests on top of the camera charging plate.

The pro CUBE2, complete with plates, a mains unit and car charger, costs £69.99. hahnel.ie

Banish shadows with NanGuang The range of NanGuang LED Mixpads features three models to help photographers and film-makers alike banish unwanted shadows from their subjects. All three Mixpads can be used in the studio or on location. The NanGuang Mixpad 32 priced at £119.94 features 328 LEDs in a 14.5x15cm panel offering 765 lumens of power. The Mixpad 41 has 440 LEDs and measures 170x163mm and is priced at £149.94.

Both of these compact models feature a built-in cold shoe and are aimed as those lighting product sets or close-ups. Ideal for larger subjects such as portraits, the Mixpad 106 measures 35.6x29.7cm and it can act as a stand-alone light or as part of a full studio set-up. This model has 1144 LEDs, offering a brightness capability of up to 2308 lumens and is priced at £329.94.

Also new is the NanGuang Luxpad22 kit, priced at £99.96.

Designed to sit on top of the camera, it measures 17.5x12cm.

Lomography introduces the Neptune One system, three prime lenses and two aperture mechanisms – that’s the new Neptune Convertible Art Lens from Lomography. This single lens system features three interchangeable lenses, which can be attached to the lens base allowing you to shoot at fixed focal lengths of 35mm f/3.5, 50mm f/2.8 or 80mm f/4. Each of the lens elements works with a seamless iris diaphragm aperture mechanism to help produce sharpness and smooth bokeh. The system also comes with special aperture plates, which feature different designs to help you create different bokeh shapes.

The system, the result of a Kickstarter campaign, is available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mounts, with prices varying between £839 and £858.90. See the full range at lomography.com.

Images With three models of different sizes and with varying numbers of LEDs, the NanGuang Mixpad range offers a sure-fire way to avoid shadows.

kenro.co.uk

Get Professional Photo magazine SAVE

£1

Enhance your earning power with Professional Photo magazine. Every issue is full of practical advice on how you can take your business further.

Issue 141 is currently on sale, offering advice and inspiration on how to boost your profits and also gives an insight into when you should say no to free work. There’s also lighting techniques, business advice and a test of the Fujifilm X-E3, while issue 142 available from 1 February will look at what products and trends are going to be hot in 2018, showcases two book projects, and has not just one, but five lenses on test.

Take advantage of our exclusive money-saving offer and buy a copy of Professional Photo from WHSmith using this voucher, saving you £1 off the usual £4.75 cover price.

To The Customer: Simply cut out this coupon and hand it to your WHSmith High Street retailer to claim your copy of Professional Photo for £3.75 instead of the usual £4.75. This coupon can be used as part payment for issue 141 or 142 of Professional Photo on sale between 4 January and 28 February 2018. Only one coupon can be used against each item purchased. No cash alternative is available. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

To the WHSmith Retailer: Please accept this voucher as part payment of one copy of Professional Photo on sale between 4 January and 28 February 2018. This voucher is worth £1 plus a 2p handling allowance. The offer is valid to the consumer up to 28 February 2018 and must be returned to your clearing house to arrive no later than 31 January 2018 (issue 141), 28 February2018 (issue 142). As your shop belongs to a multiple group, please handle in the usual way. This voucher is not redeemable against any other item and is only valid in the UK.

Offer subject to availability and while stocks last

DO NOT MINT RETURN *This offer is subject to availability and is redeemable at WHSmith High Street Stores only. Excludes Outlet Stores, WHSmith Online, ‘Books by WHSmith’ at Selfridges, Harrods, Arnotts and Fenwicks stores, WHSmith ‘Local’ and all Travel Stores including those at airports, railways stations, motorway service stations, garden centres, hospitals and workplaces.



DxO PhotoLab 1.1 improvements DxO has announced that its Raw processing software PhotoLab 1.1 now has an easier-to-use design and the ability to interface with Adobe Lightroom CC Classic.

The software is now also compatible with additional cameras and drones including the Canon EOS M100, Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and DJI Mavic PRO drone. Those who purchased or updated a DxO OpticsPro licence on or after 1 September 2017 can upgrade their software for free.

Otherwise you can choose from two packages; the DxO PhotoLab ESSENTIAL Edition for £99 or the DxO PhotoLab ELITE Edition for £159.

Cut out and take to your local WHSmith High Street store.

News in brief

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

7

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

News

Great news for Fujifilm flash users Profoto now has its Air Remote TTL transmitter available for the Fujifilm X Series camera system.

The Air Remote TTL-F costs £320 and meshes fully with Profoto lighting units so you can enjoy such features as TTL flash and high-speed sync at shutter speeds up to 1/8000sec.

Wireless operation is available up to 300m from the unit, and there is the option of eight channels and three groups per channel. Its user-friendly interface also makes the trigger simple to navigate.

Get free Affinity Photo Software XP Distribution and Serif have continued their partnership in 2018 and are pleased to offer a free software download of Affinity Photo, worth £48.99, for MacOS or Windows desktop with each purchase of selected X-Rite products when bought before 31 March 2018.

The X-Rite products included in the offer are the i1Display

profoto.com

Pro, i1Photographer Kit, ColorChecker Passport Photo, ColorMunki Display and ColorMunki Photographer Kit. To claim your free licence for Affinity Photo visit xritephoto. eu/affinity, enter your details on the form and upload a proof of purchase. xritephoto.eu

© Katy Gomez Lopez

15th anniversary Travel Photographer of the Year winners

© Jianhui Liao

A full gallery of all 140 winning, runner-up, commended and special mention images can be seen at tpoty. com/winners/2017.

Images The Travel Photographer of the Year contest is growing every year and in this its 15th incarnation over 20,000 images were received from all around the world. Go to tpoty.com to enjoy the full array of winning images.

RHS Annual Photographic Competition © Iwona Czubek

© Dianne English

If you love all things nature then the RHS Photographic Competition might be the perfect competition for you. The competition is calling for entries across nine categories; Celebrating Gardens; Welcoming Garden Wildlife; Pure Plants; Abstract; Urban Gardening; Social Media; Under 18s (age 11-17); Under 11s and Portfolio. The first, second and third place winner of each category will receive a cash prize from the overall fund of £10,000, and the winner of each adult category will also receive a year’s membership to the RHS. Free to enter, the competition closes at 10am on 1 March. Enter at rhs.org. uk/photocomp.

Protect your lens with Tenba Tenba has launched a range of Soft Lens Pouches, which features a neoprene construction to protect lenses from dust and minor damage when in your kitbag. The pouches are available in five different sizes with prices starting at £15. tenba.com/uk

© Wendy Timmermans

More than 20,000 images were submitted to the 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year competition from photographers in 129 countries. The overall winner was Alain Schroeder, a photojournalist from Belgian who submitted portfolios of Kushti wrestling in India and the complex rituals associated with death in Toraja, Indonesia. As well as being named the Travel Photographer of the Year Alain received £4000, £750 to spend on Páramo clothing and a Plastic Sandwich personalised leather portfolio case.

Taking the Young Travel Photographer of the Year title was 12-year-old Morgan Wolfers from Colorado, USA, who submitted a beautiful shot of aspen trees and leaves, which she took when she was 11.

News in brief

Nikon releases SnapBridge 2.0 Nikon has announced the release of version 2.0 of its SnapBridge app, allowing you to connect your smart device to your camera via low-energy Bluetooth.

The new version has an updated design and menu structure and includes instructions to help you connect to your camera.

Further additions include a power-saving mode, more stable connections, the ability to control camera settings and faster displaying of images.

SnapBridge is available for iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded now. nikon.co.uk Bowens repairs available at Fixation UK Fixation UK (part of Wex Photo Video) has now set up a dedicated team of lighting equipment experts to offer Bowens kit repairs and service requirements, which will include flash tube replacements; technician’s inspection for insurance needs; replacement of failed components; and free estimates within two working days. fixationuk.com Crumpler joins Intro2020 Intro2020 has been appointed the sole UK distributor of Crumpler photo bags. The range includes small camera pouches, camera straps, shoulder bags and backpacks. intro2020.co.uk

8

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

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

Clubs

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 achievements; 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

See Joe Cornish at Ayr PS © Joe Cornish

Eastbourne PS Eastbourne PS (EPS) has continued its success in external competitions and the club recently represented the KCPA in the PAGB InterClub National Print Championships in Blackburn. As winners of the Ross Cup, Eastbourne PS was chosen to be one of two clubs representing its region, and although the club did not win, it was the best result for years.

The club also entered a selection of images from photographers of various levels in the Sussex Photographic Federation PDI held at Burgess Hill. One of the images won EPS

Images: Learn the skill of fine art nude work from Tim Pile, an award-winning photographer. member Peter Bettley a Gold Medal and the Portman Cup, and this helped Eastbourne PS win the Open section of the competition.

The club meets at 7pm on Friday evenings at its new venue, the Bridgemere Centre, 100 Bridgemere Road, Eastbourne BN22 8TY. If you would like more information on the club please contact: membershipsecretary@ epscameraclub.co.uk epscameraclub.co.uk

Potters Bar & District Photographic Society enjoys its 70th anniversary year in 2018 with a programme of competitions, presentations and visits offering a varied line-up of events for photographers at all levels of experience and with exhibitions in the local area throughout the year.

At the final meeting of 2017 the Potters Bar & District PS presented its trophies for the past year. The Society awards 14 trophies across a range of year-long and one-off competitions. Fiona Adamson won six including for Advanced Print of the Year and Projected Image of the year, so well done to her.

Potters Bar & District PS meets on Mondays at the Wyllyotts Centre from 7:30pm. Potential members may visit up to three times before they decide to join. pottersbarphotosoc.org.uk

Tonbridge CC’s on show Shoot models at Solihull PS

Images: Previous award winners from Tonbridge CC’s exhibitions.

Not many camera clubs can claim more than 50 public exhibitions but Tonbridge CC is holding its 52nd annual exhibition in Tonbridge Castle from 9 to 15 February. Members

were invited to submit six each of prints, slides and DPIs which were judged for the exhibition

by Roger Reynolds Hon FRPS.

Solihull PS has a model shoot booked for 30 January 2018. Members will have the opportunity to take photos of two professional models using studio lights and backdrops. The evening commences with a brief presentation about how to use studio lighting, what camera settings to choose and how to interact with models. Members will then work in pairs – one as photographer and one as assistant – taking it in turns to visit each of the studio areas.

Solihull PS meets at the WI Hall on Warwick Road, Solihull, starting at 7.30pm. Entrance is £3 on the door.

Visitors and potential new members are always welcome.

tonbridgecameraclub.org.uk solihullphotographicsociety.co.uk

© Bob Breach

© Dave Brooker

clactoncameraclub.co.uk

at Woosehill Community Hall, Woosehill, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 3DA. Doors will open at 10am for a 10.30 start with a 3.30pm finish For more details and to book, please visit rps.org/events/2018/ march/25/di-group-thames-valleycentre-event.

© John Hunt

Clacton Camera Club has wildlife photographer Ashley Grove as its guest speaker on 16 March. The event takes place at the McGrigor Hall, Fourth Avenue, Frinton on Sea, Essex CO13 9EB, at 7.30pm. Ashley took to wildlife photography in 2005. He gets a great deal of pleasure from the natural world and in sharing his experiences with others.

Tickets are £10 each including refreshments and available from secretary@ clactoncameraclub.com

The Thames Valley RPS DIG Group is offering the rare chance to attend a full day with the internationally recognised photographer Tim Pile.

The day follows Tim’s journey from entry into digital photography, through to how and why he came to specialise in nudes and his journey to achieve his many awards and distinctions. He also explains how he finds his locations, how he works with his models on location, how he uses natural light, and other aspects of his work including his post-processing.

Ticket cost £8 for RPS DIG members, £12 for RPS members and £15 for others, all with free refreshments. The event takes place

Potters Par PS

© Tim Pile

Clacton CC

RPS Thames Valley hosts Tim Pile

© Peter Bettley

ayrps.com

Deadline for the next issue: 5 February 2018

We need words and pictures by 5 February 2018 for the next issue of Photography News, which will be available from 12 February 2018. Write your story in a Word document (400 words max). Please include contact details of the club, exhibition or event: website, meeting times, opening times, whatever is relevant. Images should be JPEGs, 2000 pixels on the longest dimension, any colour space, and image credits should be included. If the story is an exhibition or event, please send a picture from the exhibition (not the publicity poster) or one from the event. If it includes people, please identify them.

Attach the Word document and JPEGs to an email and send to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk

© Tim Pile

Ayr PS has internationally renowned landscape photographer and author Joe Cornish booked to deliver a keynote address entitled Changing Light at 7.30pm on 22 February 2018. It is a rare opportunity to hear this hugely respected photographer talk about his work. The event will be in the lecture theatre of Kyle Academy, Overmills Road, Ayr KA7 3LR. Tickets cost £8 including refreshments and are available from Eddie Telford, edmundtelford@btinternet. com.

How to submit

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

11

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Awards Gear of the year

The Photography News Awards 2017 It’s time for you to recognise brilliant products and outstanding service in our annual Awards.

Your votes will decide the winners so please check through our nominations and pick the products and services that you think deserve the ultimate accolade

The photographic gear landscape is constantly changing and we have more gear options than ever before as progress and innovation continues apace. The aim of our Awards is simple: it’s your chance to recognize awesome kit and wonderful service.

We’ve shortlisted products in key categories and then you get the chance to pick what you think deserves to win. It couldn’t be simpler: voting is done online and it’s free.

You don’t even have to register to vote. The

only categories where we haven’t done any shortlisting are in the service categories like Best Retailer, Best Website Provider. In those you nominate who you think deserve to win.

In the case of categories like Best Retailer where there may be a chain of stores, please nominate the name of the store group and the individual shop please.

To vote go to photographynews.co.uk, follow the Awards link and complete the voting form. You can vote in every category

but if you prefer to vote for just a few categories that is perfectly fine too. It’s entirely up to you, and it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes even if you vote in all categories.

Thank you for support.

Closing date for votes is 26 February 2018

12

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Awards

CONSUMER DSLR Canon EOS 80D Canon EOS 200D Nikon D5600 Nikon D7500 Pentax KP Sony A68

ADVANCED DSLR Canon EOS 6D Mark ll Canon EOS 7D Mark ll Nikon D500 Nikon D850 Pentax K-1 Sony A77 II

ADVANCED CSC Canon EOS M6 Fujifilm X-T20 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Olympus PEN-F Panasonic DC-GX800 Sigma sd Quattro H

PROFESSIONAL CSC Fujifilm X-Pro2 Fujifilm X-T2 Leica M10 Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony A9

COMPACT/BRIDGE Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III Fujifilm X100F Fujifilm X70 Leica X-U Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX15 Sony RX10 IV PROFESSIONAL DSLR Canon EOS 5DS R Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Nikon D5 Sony A99 II

CONSUMER CSC Canon EOS M100 Canon EOS M3 Fujifilm X-A3 Fujifilm X-E3 Olympus PEN E-PL8 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III

MEDIUM-FORMAT Fujifilm GFX 50S Hasselblad H6D-100c Hasselblad X1D-50c Leica S-E Pentax 645 Z Phase One IQ3 100MP Trichromatic

WIDE-ANGLE LENS Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Fujifilm XF23mm f/2 R WR Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Nikon AF-S 28mm f/1.4E ED Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM A Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM A Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD Zeiss Milvus 25mm f/1.4

MACRO LENS Fujifilm XF80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro Olympus M.Zuiko ED 30mm f/3.5 Macro Samyang 100mm f/2.8 ED UMC Macro Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD Voigtlander E-Mount 65mm f/2 Macro Apo-Lanthar

STANDARD LENS Fujifilm XF16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Fujifilm XF35mm f/2 R WR Olympus M.Zuiko ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM A Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM A Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Voigtlander Nokton MFT 25mm f/0.95 II Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8

TELEPHOTO LENS Fujifilm XF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Fujifilm XF50mm f/2 R WR Nikon AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED Olympus M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM S Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM A Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4

SUPERZOOM LENS Fujifilm XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Nikon AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD

TRIPOD: ALLOY Benro Travel Angel FTA28AB1 Kenro Karoo Compact Tripod (Aluminium) 102 Manfrotto Be Free Aluminium Travel Tripod Nest NT-363AT Aluminium Systematic Slik PRO 400DX Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 264AT TRIPOD: CARBON-FIBRE Gitzo Systematic series 5 long, 4 sections GT5543LS Kenro Karoo Ultimate Travel Tripod 401C Manfrotto 190 Go! Carbon 4-section Nest Traveller NT-6264CK Novo Explora T20 Velbon GEO E543D

ON-CAMERA FLASH Hahnel Modus 600RT Kenro Speedflash KFL101 Rotolight NEO 2 Nissin Di700 Air Pixapro Li-ION580 MK II TTL Profoto A1

13

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Awards BEST RETAILER Whether you shop for your photo kit online or in store, nominate the photo retailer that has you going back time and time again.

PORTABLE FLASH broncolor Siros 400 L Elinchrom ELB 1200 Pixapro PIKA200 TTL Pixapro CITI 600 TTL Profoto B1X Profoto B2

BEST USED SPECIALIST RETAILER The market for secondhand or (pre-loved!) imaging gear is growing so whether you’re buying or selling, you need a dealer you can trust. This is your opportunity to name your favourite used dealer.

EXTERNAL STORAGE DEVICE Drobo 5C G-Technology G-Drive USB-C LaCie Fuel Samsung Portable SSD T5 Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro INKJET MEDIA: PHOTOGRAPHIC FINISH Canson Infinity Baryta Prestige Gloss 340gsm Epson Traditional Photo Paper Fotospeed Platinum Baryta 300 Signature Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta Satin Ilford Galerie Prestige Gold Fibre Silk 310 PermaJet FB Mono Gloss Baryta 320 INKJET MEDIA: FINE ART FINISH Canson Infinity Rag Photographique 310gsm Epson Ultrasmooth Fine Art Fotospeed Platinum Etching 285 Signature Hahnemühle William Turner 310 Da Vinci Soft Textured 315 PermaJet Photo Art Silk 290

MAINS FLASH Broncolor Siros 400 S Elinchrom ELC Pro HD Godox QT II Pro 600 Lencarta SuperFast Pro 400Ws Pixapro Storm II 600 Profoto D2

PROCESSING LAB Which processing lab do you trust with your photos, albums or stationery? If they offer highquality and utterly reliable service at competitive prices, are they worthy of a PN award?

PHOTO WEBSITE PROVIDER For gallery websites or full-service sites with clientproofing and a blog, which provider offers the best range of templates and customisation options together with top-notch customer service?

TRAINING PROVIDER From basic photo knowledge through particular tips and techniques to camera-specific training, in the classroom, studio or out on location, which provider offers the best learning experience, in your opinion?

FILTER Cokin Nuances family Hoya PRO ND family Lee Filters ProGlass IRND Manfrotto Xume Adapters Marumi DHG Super Circular Polariser SRB Elite Filter System

SOFT SHOULDER/SLING BAG Cullmann Amsterdam Maxima 335 Lowepro ProTactic SH200 AW Manfrotto Windsor camera reporter Mindshift BackLight 26L Tamrac Anvil 23 ThinkTank StreetWalker V2 ROLLER/HARD CASE B+W International Type 5000 Lowepro Pro Roller X100AW Manfrotto Pro Light Reloader 55 Novo Dura 400 Hard Rolling Waterproof ABS case Panzer Centurion 30 Peli Air Case 1535

COLOUR MANAGEMENT DEVICE DataColor SpyderLENSCAL DataColor Spyder5ELITE DataColor Spyder5CAPTURE PRO X-Rite ColorMunki Display X-Rite ColorMunki Photo X-Rite i1Photo Pro 2 MONITOR BenQ SW320 Pro 32in IPS LCD BenQ SW2700 PT 27in IPS LCD Eizo ColorEdge CG277 27in NEC MultiSync 27in LCD 4k UHD IPS Phillips BDM4037UW 40in 4K display INNOVATION Fujifilm GFX: mirrorless medium-format system Profoto A1: world’s smallest studio light Rotolight NEO2: continuous light and HSS flash Sony A9: 693 AF points and 20fps shooting

The details How to vote Go to photographynews.co.uk and follow the link to the Awards to vote. It’s free and you don’t need to register. Voting closes on 26 February 2018.

MEMORY CARD PNY SD Elite Performance 256GB Samsung PRO Plus 128GB microSDXC SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-II 128GB Transcend Ultimate 64GB microSDXC 633x

PRINTER Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 Canon PIXMA TS8150 Epson SureColor SC-P600 Epson SureColor SC-P800 Epson SureColor SC-P5000 STD Fujifilm instax SHARE SP-2

The results We’ll announce the results in issue 53 of Photography News, out from 12 March 2018, and we’ll present the awards to the deserving recipients at The Photography Show, at the Birmingham NEC, 17-20 March 2018.

14

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Advertisement feature

The difference is clear

The journey to great photography starts with light passing through the lens and onto the sensor. If you use a filter it needs to be the best you can afford so those rays of light reach the sensor unscathed. Leading filter brand Hoya has introduced two new filter ranges that can do that job brilliantly Taking high-quality photographs is simple and it all starts with the lens. It is the lens that gathers the light and focuses it onto the digital sensor; how well a lens does this determines image quality. But there is a stage before the lens and light has first to pass through the filter on to the front of the lens, so it makes sense to use the best quality filters possible, such as new NX-10 and Ultra-Pro ranges from world renowned filter brand Hoya. Both ranges feature ultra-violet (UV) and circular polarising filters in a full range of screw-in sizes, from 37mm to 82mm and are available exclusively in the UK through selected retailers (see opposite).

The flagship Ultra-Pro range is stain and scratch resistant plus it’s water and oil repellent. For maximum light transmission UltraPro filters feature 16 anti-reflective coatings with 99.5% of light passing

through in the case of the UV filter and 90% for the polariser.

The NX-10 is equally impressive with ten coatings on the UV filter to give 98% light transmission. It is also water and oil repellent.

As with many high-value consumer items, you should be aware that fake Hoya filters are on the market. Fakes may resemble the real thing on the surface but they will not deliver the same quality performance. If you see what are claimed as Hoya filters at bargain prices, check them thoroughly. Fake filters may feel poorly engineered and you may see misspellings like ‘Mode in Japan’, so if you have any doubts, steer clear.

To avoid the risk of buying fake Hoya filters, the NX-10 and UltraPro ranges are available exclusively through a selected network of UK retailers so you can buy from them in complete confidence.

The joy of UV – for protection

The polariser explained

Image Facing towards the sun can cause flare and ghosting that can spoil your pictures. Hoya uses multi-coating to help deliver high-contrast photographs free of such problems.

At first glance the UV filter looks like a piece of plain glass yet nothing could be further from the truth: it’s an advanced piece of optical engineering featuring high-tech coatings to deliver outstanding performance. In the case of the Hoya Ultra-Pro, 16 coatings give 99.5% light transmission helping your camera sensor to deliver images of outstanding clarity, detail and contrast.

The UV filter has two jobs. Firstly, it cuts out excessive UV radiation which is important with film photography because it stops your pictures looking blue or cool which can happen at the coast, in the mountains or on clear blue sky days. With digital capture such

issues can be corrected with a change of white-balance or during editing should it happen.

Secondly, the UV filter protects your lens from scratching and physical damage. It stops dust and water getting onto the lens front element, and it can be cleaned with a wipe of a microfibre cloth. If you get dust or water on the lens itself you’d be more circumspect cleaning it because if it gets damaged there might not be much you can do about it. Scratch a filter and it can be replaced cheaply.

Fitting a UV filter to every lens you own is recommended but it is important to use a high quality multi-

coated UV filter such as the NX-10 or Ultra-Pro version so you don’t affect the light entering the lens.

Poor quality filters can soften the image and be affected by flare and ghosting when shooting towards the light. The example above illustrates this well and shows how well these new Hoya filters deal with tricky lighting.

So while the UV filter might appear not to actually add much to your picture-taking, its role is very important and can save your lens from irreparable harm. It’s definitely worth having a UV filter permanently left on every lens you own, so take a look at the NX-10 or Ultra-Pro range.

The polariser is the single most useful filter in photography and with no more than a simple twist of the filter in its rotating mount can transform a good image into something truly spectacular.

The polariser’s value comes from its versatility. It can reduce reflections off glass, water and painted surfaces, enhance blue skies and saturate colours. One extra job of the polariser is that it can be used to allow you to set a longer shutter speed.

Furthermore, its effects can’t be truly replicated in editing software so the polariser must be used at the time of capture. It is a really powerful piece of kit and its usefulness is beyond measure. The NX-10 and Ultra-Pro ranges from Hoya

With polariser

Without polariser

both offer circular polarisers. The ‘circular’ is not a reference to the filter’s round shape, but to its design and how it works. This polariser type is ideal for all autofocus cameras.

Hoya uses the finest optical glass and polarising film for neutral results so you won’t get a colour cast. In the case of the Ultra-Pro, 16 anti-reflective coatings have been applied for flare-free results and maximum light transmission. Water and oil repellent coatings have been used too.

Hoya’s polarisers also feature a very thin rotating frame to minimize any risk of vignetting with ultra wide-angle lenses and its smooth rotation makes it easy to use. The filter’s front has a thread to accept another filter if needed.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

15

Advertisement feature

The polariser – enhances skies Blue skies can be made much more vivid with a polariser and white clouds will stand out strongly. The key technique with the polariser is to look through the camera as you rotate the polariser in its mount and stop when the effect is what you want. Its maximum effect can be too strong for some scenes – particularly if the sky is already vividly blue – and skies that look too dark don’t look right.

Sometimes the filter’s effect is minimal.

This is not a fault in the filter but how polarised light works and the effect is best seen on areas of sky at 90° to the sun – there is no effect facing into or directly away from the sun. Because of this, with extreme wide-angle lenses the polariser’s effect can be patchy and uneven across the sky which looks strange and unnatural.

Hoya stockists These are the official UK stockists of Hoya NX-10 and Ultra-Pro filters

With polariser

Priddy's Ltd Somerset T4 Cameras Ltd www.t4cameras.co.uk Beverley Camera Centre Limited www.beverleycameras.co.uk Cambrian Photography Ltd www.cambrianphoto.co.uk Camera World Ltd www.cameraworld.co.uk Chiswick Camera Centre www.chiswickcameras.co.uk Dale Photographic Limited www.dalephotographic.co.uk SRS Microsystems Ltd www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk Focus Optics www.focusoptics.eu

Without polariser

The polariser – subdues reflections Reflections off glass and water can be subdued or eliminated by the polariser. The strongest effect comes when you are oblique to the reflective surface (see shots of the

pink building, left) so shooting from front on has no effect.

So, rotate the filter in its mount while observing the effect. You will see that the camera’s exposure

settings will change as you do this.

This is normal and the polariser will absorb 1 or 2EV light as it is rotated, but the camera’s autoexposure mode will account for this.

Image A weak blue sky will usually benefit from the use of a polariser.

Be more careful with strong blue skies because they can turn almost unnaturally dark.

The polariser – saturates colours When light rays strike a subject it reflects back in many different planes, ie. it is polarised. In practical terms you get glare and that weakens colour saturation and means detail is lost.

What a polariser does is eliminate polarised light with the result of superior colour saturation and more detail and is really useful with subjects like rock surfaces, painted areas and shiny leaf foliage.

As with other polariser effects the situation has to be right for the filter to be seen at its best. If you want to check the potential quickly, just hold the filter up to the eye with it facing in the direction it would be used when fitted to the lens and rotate it to examine the effect and then fit it once you’ve decided it is worth using.

Generally, you have to be at an oblique angle, rather than face on, to the subject to achieve a significant effect – the optimum angle is called Brewster’s Angle.

With polariser

Photographic Hire www.photohire.co.uk The Galway Camera Shop www.galwaycamerashop.com Harpers Group (Woking) Ltd www.harpersphoto.co.uk Hilton Photographic www.hiltonphoto.co.uk D.H James Photography www.dhjames.co.uk JRS Photo Hardware www.jrsphoto.co.uk London Camera Exchange www.lcegroup.co.uk Park Cameras Ltd www.parkcameras.com Concord Foto Centre www.concordfotos.co.uk The Camera Centre Northallerton Camera Plus www.cameraplusni.co.uk Camera Centre Swansea www.cameracentreswansea.co.uk Warehouse Express Ltd www.warehouseexpress.com Frank Wilkinson Cameras Ltd www.wilkinson.co.uk

Without polariser

Image In receptive conditions the polariser can provide a massive benefit to show detail and enrich colours.

These shots were taken a few seconds apart.

Hoya filters are distributed in the UK by Intro2020.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

16

Technique Five easy steps to better people pictures

Portrait basics Want to improve your portrait photography this year? Here are five simple ways in which you can do it – as well as tips on breaking the tried-and-tested rules when situations allow Words and pictures by Kingsley Singleton

1. Pick up some portrait gear

© Kingsley Singleton

You can shoot very good portraits with a typical 18-55mm kit lens, but investing in portrait-specific glass will pay off in the long run, so the first thing you should look at is getting a portrait lens.

Portrait lenses tend to offer focal lengths from 85mm to 135mm on full-frame cameras, or 50mm to 90mm on cameras with a cropped sensor. These focal lengths feature very little distortion meaning facial features look natural and they commonly have very wide maximum apertures, such as f/1.4, f/1.8 or f/2, making it easier to blur the background. Using a longer lens, like a 150mm or 200mm for example, will give a good look, too, but you’re likely to need to stand further from the subject, so there’s not such an easy connection with your model.

You’ll also want to take some steps to control lighting, either improving on what’s in the scene or adding your own. For the former all you need is a collapsible reflector, such as Pixapro’s 100x150cm 5-in-1 Reflector with Grip Handles (£32). This will help you create even, shadow-free lighting and fill in shadows by bouncing the light back onto the subject.

5-in-1 reflectors will also include a diffuser that can be used to soften direct light.

If you need to add your own light, it can be done with flash or continuous lighting gear, both indoors and on location as you’ll find out in this month’s Buyers’ Guide, starting on page 32. Used correctly, a single flashgun can improve portrait shots enormously; and for very little outlay you can get a kit with two or more flash heads that will give you complete control of illumination.

2. Keep it sharp

Control the depth-of-field

One of the things that often marks out a successful portrait is precise control over depth-of-field – the amount of the scene that’s kept sharp.

There’s no magic aperture for portraits, but it can often help to shoot ‘wide open’, using a large aperture or a low f/number.

This setting will create a shallow depthof-field in the picture and if you focus accurately on the subject, they will in turn stand out clearly from a blurred background. Using a shallow depth-of-field is particularly useful when the backdrop is distracting.

Setting a wide aperture also lets more light into the camera, and that means it’s easier to use a fast shutter speed, thereby helping you to keep the subject sharp and free from motion blur. For full control of aperture it’s best to shoot in aperturepriority (A or Av).

If you’re using a lens with a variable aperture, like an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 or 18105mm f/3.5-5.6, you’ll be restricted in what aperture you can use as you zoom in, but f/5.6 will still allow you to create lots of

There’s no magic aperture for portraits, but it can often help to shoot ‘wide open’, using a large aperture blur when the lens is used at its longest focal length setting. The same goes for any lens; the longer the focal length, the shallower the depth-of-field will appear to be.

BREAK THE RULE Of course, when the scenery is important in framing the subject, or when you’re shooting an environmental portrait, you may want to use smaller apertures (higher f/numbers) and/or shorter focal lengths for a wider view that shows more of your subject’s surroundings, giving them some context.

Above Depth-of-field is very important in portraits; blurring the background isolates the subject and removes distractions – but sometimes you’ll want to keep the backdrop in focus, especially if the subject is interacting with it. Shoot in aperturepriority mode (A or Av) for full control.

17

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

© Kingsley Singleton

Technique 3. Focus in the right place If ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’, it makes sense that you should focus there, right? So, for most portraits keeping the eyes of your subject sharp is what you need to do, but this becomes more difficult if you’re using very wide apertures where the depth-of-field gets very shallow; for instance, using an 85mm f/1.8 lens you could have just a few millimetres to play with.

It’s also important to focus on the closest eye to you, particularly when the subject is turned; if the nearest eye is blurred, but the trailing eye is sharp, it can look odd.

The best way to focus for portraits is in single AF mode (rather than continuous) and using single point AF area, where you can move a small focusing area to any part of the frame. As you compose, move the focus point as close to the subject’s eyes as possible, so that you can focus there without needing to

move the camera after you lock on.

If you do need to lock focus and then reframe, try not to move toward or away from the subject as you do.

Some cameras have face and eye recognition AF, and this can be useful as an alternative. Some even pick out the closest eye. Experiment with these modes and if you get better results than using single point AF, use them.

If you’re using a very shallow depth-of-field and struggling to keep the eyes in focus, try setting a slightly smaller aperture (a higher f/number) to provide a little more depth-of-field.

BREAK THE RULES You don’t always need to focus on the eyes, and can get some very creative results by not doing so.

For instance, some environmental portraits use the tools of a subject’s trade as the focal point of a portrait.

Above Shoot in single point AF and select the AF area nearest to the subject’s closest eye for more successful focusing.

Good focus

© Kingsley Singleton

© Kingsley Singleton

4. Pick the right kind of lighting

Direct light

Images If you want low contrast, avoid direct light. If you want high contrast, do the opposite.

Indirect light

You should also try to include some space in the frame for them to ‘look into’. This simply means leaving some space in the composition on the side they’re facing; if you put more space behind them it can look cramped.

BREAK THE RULES There’s nothing to say you can’t shoot portraits with wide-angle lenses or frame the subject so that the space is behind them; the first will make the subject look grotesque or comical, and the second can add some tension to the picture, rather than it looking relaxed.

Right Portraits can be improved by leaving some space on the side of the frame the subject is facing.

For the most flattering looking portraits, you need there to be low contrast on the subject’s face. Low contrast means there will be mostly midtones in that area of the image, and no big shifts between highlight and shadow. This in turn hides many imperfections.

The place to find low-contrast lighting is away from direct light.

So if you’re shooting outside, try turning your subject away from the sun, or position them in a shaded area. Similarly, if they’re being lit by artificial light, find some way to diffuse or bounce it. Both methods also stop people from squinting.

With the light source behind the subject you may find they look a bit too dark in the picture, as the

camera is compensating for the bright background. If that’s the case, either compose with their face larger in the frame, so that the camera can calculate more accurately, or add some exposure compensation; press the exposure compensation button and dial in a positive value.

Using exposure compensation will make the background lighter as well as the subject, but the most important thing is the lighting on the latter. You can also use a reflector to bounce light onto them.

It’s important to get some light in the subject’s eyes, too; catchlights.

If there’s no light in the eyes, the portrait will seem lifeless. Using a flash or reflector is a good way

to provide some sparkle, but so long as there’s some light near to your shooting position you should get some reflections in their eyes.

For instance, if you’re inside, try positioning them near an open door or window.

You can get more creative with catchlights using accessories like ringlights or on-camera LEDs such as Rotolight’s NEO 2.

BREAK THE RULES If you want the subject to look more grizzly, or defined, then you can use direct sunlight or unmodified artificial light. This will increase contrast and show off more detail, such as lines and pores, so it’s good for more ‘characterful’ faces.

© Kingsley Singleton

5. Choose your focal length & framing Your choice of focal length and framing can also make or break a portrait. Wider focal lengths will cause distortion in the subject, making their features look unusual, and they also make it harder to separate the subject from the background, because, even when shooting with a wide aperture, shallow depth-of-field is less obvious. Longer focal lengths are helpful, as they distort less and make it easier to isolate the subject with shallow focus.

When it comes to framing, unless the scene the subject is in is particularly important, it helps to feature the subject as prominently as possible, filling the frame to increase impact. But it’s also important what you leave out: avoid cropping them at the joints, which looks odd.

Bad focus

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

18

Interview

Thaxted’s People Andy Griffin didn’t expect his personal photography project to last for over four and a half years, but nor did he expect to photograph more than 150 people and produce a book.

Here’s his story of Thaxted’s People Words by Jemma Dodd Pictures by Andy Griffin What sparked the idea for this project?

As a professional photographer I think it is important to push yourself creatively, and a personal project enables you to do this. It is all too easy to get stuck in a rut with your style of photography, adhering to client briefs or just playing safe and photographing your subjects in a way that you know works. I’ve wanted to take on a personal project for some years, and although I’ve undertaken shoots in the past using models and other subjects who aren’t paying clients, a full-on project helps to focus the mind and requires a plan of action. When I moved to Thaxted over 12 years ago, I was taken by the number of fascinating characters who inhabit this rural medieval market town. I set out a plan to photograph between ten and 20 people for a personal project in order to develop my portrait and lighting skills. I contacted a well-connected gentleman in the town, told

him of my plans, and with his advice about who I should photograph in the first instance, the project was born.

It is all too easy to get stuck in a rut with your style of photography, adhering to client briefs or just playing safe and photographing your subjects in a way that you know works Top David (Beany) Beanland is the manager of a local private estate.

You spent four and a half years photographing the subjects; did you ever feel like giving up or that your project wouldn’t be finished?

The project began in January 2013 and I thought it would be finished by the end of that year.

Every subject I photographed fully embraced my vision and most of them recommended more people who they thought should be included. This took the initial list of 20 or so characters to over 150. I did feel a little like I was ‘painting the Forth Bridge’, as I would get to the end of each year and my list of people to be photographed was getting longer, not shorter.

It became rather overwhelming and there were times when I thought it would never come to

fruition. I realised I had to be more strict with the planning and execution of the shoots. I carried out interviews with each subject to discuss their background and ascertain what sort of shots I was going to create with them.

Then I would get dates in the diary and get on with planning the shoots.

Did you know when the project was finally finished?

Once the project had gained momentum and I realised the numbers were rapidly increasing, I changed my target to 100 subjects, and started to think about the possibility of a book and exhibition. With this in mind, I then had to think about the aesthetics of the book and exhibition from a photographic point of view, rather than just capturing specific characters. More planning took place to ensure I was representing a cross-section of the

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

19

Interview community including young, old, male and female, whilst still maintaining the original ethos of the project; photographic portraits of the interesting characters that reside in this community. Once the number topped the 100 mark I realised I needed to bring the project to a close, and I set a deadline for the exhibition and book launch of September 2017. This was decided in January 2017, and gave me enough time to finish capturing the last few subjects in order to complete the project.

How did you decide on which subjects to photograph?

Initially, I focused largely on the older generation, who have lived in Thaxted all or most of their lives; WW2 veterans, farmers, and of course being Thaxted, a plethora of Morris Men. Once I realised that this was no longer just a project but a book and exhibition, I widened my net to incorporate a larger crosssection of the community, and to show the vast array of personalities living in Thaxted – both young and old.

Why did you decide to photograph some subjects within a studio and location setting?

From the very beginning of the project, I wanted to undertake a location and studio shoot for all subjects to highlight the often differing

Right Stuart Levey moved to Thaxted in 2006. He enjoys time with his family, his chickens and working on his cover drive – he is a very keen cricketer. Below Dr Clare Wilde was a competitive endurance rider, author and editor.

She is now a fulltime artist while also continuing to play in a band. when someone has had enough, or when you have the shot in the bag and it’s time to pack up.

You definitely need to be a people person to be successful with portraits and you need to be able to recognise when the moments are happening to ensure you get the best shot sides to their lives, personalities, occupations and pastimes. It was also a great way for me to develop my own skills in both studio and location lighting.

What technical and people skills do you need to have when it comes to shooting portraits?

Firstly on the technical front you need to be completely au fait with your equipment. When you have a subject in front of you ready to be photographed, nothing kills the mood quicker than messing around with camera settings, adjusting lights, or looking at the back of the camera with a quizzical look on your face! If your gear is set up, you’ve carried out your test shots and you know everything is going to work as you’ve planned, you can focus on the subject and get the most out of them. You can also focus on making the experience an enjoyable one. All of the studio shots were taken using a tripod, with me looking over the top of the camera chatting with the subject and looking for great expressions and moments to capture. People react to people, and generally speaking, staring at a lens doesn’t create a great expression. The location portraits were more about the lifestyle of the person, so I had to sometimes coax, and then coach them into what I wanted. Having already interviewed each person and explained the premise for the shoots, I found everyone very accommodating which made it easy to get the results I wanted. You definitely need to be a people person to be successful with portraits and you need to be able to recognise when the moments are happening to ensure you get the best shot. Everyone has a threshold for being photographed and it’s important to recognise

Do you have a favourite portrait from the book?

If I had to pick a favourite it would either be Jane Helme, an artist on location in a barley field on the outskirts of Thaxted, or Ella Caton on horseback jumping over a fence at her paddock on the farm where she lives.

What did you learn through the process of this project?

I learned a great deal about location lighting, and blending ambient light with studio flash to create different looks and feels. I also honed my ability to create images almost anywhere, regardless of any constraints of the lighting or location. Finally, and most importantly, I am very comfortable developing rapport with my subjects in order to get the very best out of them during the shoot.

Buy the book Thaxted’s People costs £60 and is available locally at Gifted in Thaxted and Harts Books in Saffron Walden, or via amazon.co.uk and through andygriffinphotography.com/thaxtedspeople/

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

20

Camera Club of the Year

in association with

Camera Club of the Year 2017-18 There are still three finalist spots waiting in the grand shoot-out so don’t delay and get your club’s entry in now – it’s time to enjoy the decisive moment Words by Will Cheung There are plenty of contests, salons and challenges for camera clubs and photographic societies and they get huge support, and rightly so because they challenge their members and there’s the chance of glory.

Our Camera Club of the Year contest is a serious challenge, and those five clubs that qualify for the final shoot-out in the spring of next year will face something very different if they are to walk off with the title. ‘Daunting’, ‘stressful’ and ‘scary’ were some of the words used by the members of New City Photographic Society, before going on to win last year’s shootout, capturing images with a range of Fujifilm camera equipment.

To win, your club first has to qualify for the final by coming top of the pile in one of the five monthly rounds. Once we know the five finalists, the details of the shoot-out will be released simultaneously to them.

Your club’s competition secretary (or whoever is going to enter each month) must sign up at photographynews.co.uk. Terms and

conditions are also available on the website.

Any club or group is eligible to enter so long as there are at least five members. Online groups, internal company clubs and those clubs not affiliated to the PAGB are eligible to enter.

Once you have signed up, go to ‘Members’ on the top menu bar and you will see ‘CCOTY’ (Camera Club of the Year 2017-18) on the dropdown menu. Select that, then register your camera club and follow the upload instructions.

JPEG files should be at least 1500 pixels on the longest dimension and, preferably, in the sRGB colour space.

A club can only enter one set of five images and the five images must be from five different members. Failure to enter five shots will mean the missing shot(s) scores zero points, so it is crucial to enter the full number of images.

After the closing date, each picture will be scored out of 20 points by the experts at Photography News and the highest scoring club will qualify for the final. In the event of tied scores, for those two clubs we will ignore the

highest and lowest scores and average out the three remaining scores – the club with the highest averaged score wins. If scores are still tied, all five scores will be averaged out.

When the issue with that month’s result is published, the scores for every picture entered will be published on the website and each member can see how well they have done.

There is no monthly prize apart from qualifying for the final shoot-out, and once a club has qualified for the final it need not enter again. Of course it can do so for the challenge and pictures will still be scored, but there is no

About Fujifilm construction ensures critical edge-to-edge Fujifilm’s X Series was unveiled to the sharpness at all aperture settings. Also, to assist unsuspecting world six years ago. It was a world sharp handheld shooting, even when you are dominated by the single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, close-in to the subject, there’s an integral OIS the tool of choice for keen photographers at all (Optical Image Stabilization) system with a levels. But how the scenario has changed in the claimed 5EV benefit. intervening period, as photographers are ditching This immensely exciting lens is just one of their big, heavy DSLR cameras in favour of the a great many highlights in the XF system and mirrorless system. the system is set to grow further in 2018 with In the early days of the mirrorless revolution the arrival of the XF8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR and one constraint was the relative lack of lens XF200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR. support. That was hardly surprising given that For more information on all Fujifilm imaging the SLR camera had a massive headstart; but six products please go to the website. years is a long time in modern imaging and the Fujifilm X Series, having started with just three lenses, now features 14 prime lenses, nine zooms fujifilm.eu and two teleconverters, so almost every subject can be tackled.

The latest arrival is the XF80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro (tested in this issue’s First Tests), a high-end lens and the first XF lens X-T2 capable of a lifesize (1:1) magnification without any additional accessories.

With the innovation of front and rear focusing groups, this lens, equivalent to the 122mm focal length in the 35mm format, gives a very swift, responsive autofocus performance throughout its range without any change in the lens’s overall size.

Furthermore, the use of one Super ED element and three ED elements in its

XF80mm f/2.8

reward for winning in this instance. In effect, because each monthly contest is self-contained, ie. it is not a league system over the period of the contest, you do not have to enter every month – perhaps it is a theme the club is less strong at.

Clearly it makes sense to give yourself as many winning chances as possible, however.

So, good luck. Read the entry details again, check out the theme and start gathering your entry. Qualify for the final and your club could be joining us for a very special photography event, with the title of Camera Club of the Year 2017-18 to be won.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

21

Camera Club of the Year

in association with

© Will Cheung

This month’s theme is all about the catching the decisive moment, the very instant key elements in your picture coalesce for the ultimate result.

Take the shot a fraction too early or a millisecond too late and the picture just does not have the same impact.

The term ‘the decisive moment’ was coined by photographic legend Henri Cartier Bresson and he used it as the title for his book published in 1952. “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment,” he said.

So, for this month’s round, we want to see pictures that rely on the decisive moment for their success and illustrate the importance of perfect, split-second timing.

For this contest, the choice of subject is entirely up to you because precise timing is crucial in many areas. With people and street photography you want that fleeting expression while in sports, it’s capturing the instant the footballer heads the ball into the net or when two racing cars make contact and sparks fly. These are obvious examples but please feel free to go for different subjects. If you’re a nature worker, it could be the instant a kingfisher emerges with a stickleback in its beak, or if your interest is setting up shots, it could a picture of a waterfilled balloon being burst by a dart.

Images will be judged individually and not as a set, so your club can mix and match your subjects as you please and there is no problem if you want to enter five street shots, for example.

So when you are selecting pictures for entry, just ask yourself: does the image truly depend on the decisive moment for its success?

LEFT The picture is made by the chap on the right turning round towards the camera at the decisive moment. ABOVE Many of the latest flashguns have incredibly brief durations to enable action stopping shots like this.

BELOW LEFT Cameras with fast continuous shooting are a great help with timing shots like this. Or just incredibly good timing.

Theme 4: fantastic light © Will Cheung

Closing date 5 February 2018

The winner: Theme 2: portrait © Natasha Spalding

© Dave Greenwood © David Roberts

Great Notley Photographic Club won this month’s portrait contest so congratulations to them. Their winning entry scored consistently highly to keep them in front of the opposition.

We had a couple of low scoring clubs this month, so it is worth explaining why. One club sent four images with a resolution of 300x300 pixels so it was not possible to even see if the shots were sharp or not, resulting in low scores.

Another club entrant sent in a portrait of an owl, when the requirements stated very clearly that the main subject of the picture had top be of a human being, so it was disqualified and scored 0.

So before you send in entries for Round 3, please ensure the pictures are within the published requirements for the theme and that the images are at least 1500 pixels on the longest dimension.

© Will Cheung

Theme 3: the decisive moment

Score Great Notley Photographic Club

90

Leicester Forest Photographic Society

89

Norwich & District Photographic Society

89

Leighton Buzzard Photographic Club

88

Bedford Camera Club

86

City Photo Club

86

ImageZ Camera Club

86

New City Photographic Society

86

PICO

86

Preston Photographic Society

86

Seaford Photographic Society

86

Harpenden Photographic Society

85

Steyning Camera Club

85

Trostre Camera Club

85

Wilmslow Guild Photographic Society

85

Wisbech & District Camera Club

85

Ayr PS

84

Caister Photography Club

84

Maidenhead Camera Club

84

Park Street Camera Club

84

*Eastbourne Photographic Society

83

Peterborough Photographic Society

83

Synergy

83

Windsor Photographic Society

83

City of London and Cripplegate PS

82

Dunholme Camera Club

82

Frome Wessex Camera Club

82

Grantham and District Photographic Society

82

© Lisa Potter © Kieron Adams

Tonbridge Camera Club

82

Blandford Forum Camera Club

81

Dorchester Camera Club

80

Midlothian Camera Club

80

Medway DSLR Camera Club

79

Norfolk Photographers Camera Club

79

Wokingham & East Berkshire Camera Club

79

Brentwood & District Photographic Club

78

Conset Photographic Society

76

Axholme Camera Club

75

Eastwood Photographic Society

69

Beckenham Photographic Society

68

*Already qualified for the final

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

23

Advertisement feature

Canon Focus The flagship PowerShot G1 X Mark III from Canon is the all-in-one camera that you’ll want to keep with you at all times The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III may be small, but don’t be fooled, it offers DSLR image quality and a range of great features. With a 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor and a DIGIC 7 processor, the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III delivers images with exceptional detail, as well as Full HD 60p movies.

Its 15-45mm f/2.8-5.6 built-in zoom lens is perfect for capturing wide scenes, as well as close-up portraits, making it ideal for discreet street photography, landscapes and travel, and also capturing dayto-day general photography and family moments. With a super wide aperture of f/2.8 you’ll also be able to blur backgrounds to make your subjects really stand out.

Providing a bright image and showing 100% of the actual picture, the PowerShot G1 X Mark III’s electronic viewfinder, with its 2.36m dot resolution means you can see exactly how your shot will appear before you take it, allowing you to quickly adjust settings if required to help ensure your shots are perfectly exposed.

If you love sharing your shots, you’ll be pleased to know that the PowerShot G1 X Mark III is connected via Wi-Fi, NFC and always-on Bluetooth, which means you can transfer your images directly to your smart device, ready to upload to your social channels or send to friends and family via email. What’s more, you can also

connect to the Canon Camera Connect app, allowing you to take advantage of remote shooting.

This is ideal for subjects such as wildlife when you can position your camera then adjust settings from a distance without disturbing your subject. If you do love wildlife or photographing other fastmoving subjects you’ll love the 7fps continuous shooting mode, which lets you capture multiple frames to help you photograph the decisive moment.

With such a compact size, weight of 399g and a variety of features, the PowerShot G1 X Mark III is the perfect model to keep with you so you can be ready for any photographic opportunity.

Specs The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III delivers images with exceptional detail, as well as Full HD 60p movies

Price £1149.99 Sensor 24.2-megapixel APS-C ISO range 100 to 25,600 Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS Speed Class 1 compatible) Dimensions (WxHxD) 115x77.9x51.4mm Weight 399g Contact canon.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

24

Advertisement feature First look

PowerShot G1 X Mark III This powerful compact offers more than you might think. Here’s a look at some the PowerShot G1 X Mark III’s main features

Speedy shots The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III boasts a speedy shooting rate of 7fps, which is ideal for sports and wildlife photographers who want to make sure they capture an action-filled shot.

Be a moviemaker As well as incredibly detailed images, you are also be able to capture super detailed 60p Full HD movies with the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III. Thanks to Dual Pixel CMOS AF and 5-axis movie IS you can achieve focusing easily and ensure your footage is smooth and steady.

All-in-one camera and lens With a built-in lens you’ve got everything you need to capture great images, while travelling light. The PowerShot G1 X Mark III weighs just 399g and features a 15-45mm f/2.8-5.6 lens, which is ideal for shooting wide scenes such as landscapes, as well as street photography and portraits.

Its widest aperture of f/2.8 means you can get creative with background blur and also shoot with ease in low light.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

25

Advertisement feature

Stay connected Super sharp focusing

The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III takes advantage of always-on Bluetooth so you can quickly and easily transfer your images to a smart device for editing and sharing your images.

You can also connect your phone to the Canon Camera Connect app for remote shooting.

With 49 AF points to choose from, focusing on your subject will be a breeze, so you can rest assured that you’ll be able to achieve pin-sharp results. Focusing is also made easier via the touchscreen LCD and you can also touch and drag your focus when using the electronic viewfinder.

24.2-megapixel sensor The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III boasts DSLR-like specs in a small and lightweight body. One of those features is its 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor – it’s Canon’s first G-series camera to feature an APS-C sized sensor. It also features a DIGIC 7 processor to capture stunning images that are full of detail and have an accurate colour rendition.

Vari-angle touchscreen Shoot from interesting viewpoints with the G1 X Mark III’s high-quality three-inch LCD touch-screen monitor with reinforced glass. It shows 100% of the actual image area and the resolution features 1,040,000 dots so you see images in very fine detail allowing you to quickly select AF points even when using the viewfinder.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

26

Advertisement feature

Gear options Every great camera needs a great bag to keep it safe and secure. Canon’s range has something for every photographer whether you’ll be carrying one camera and lens or more

Canon Shoulder Bag SB100 The SB100 can carry an entry-level DSLR camera like the EOS 700D or 750D, plus two lenses. This durable shoulder bag also features pockets so you can pack in extra accessories, such as batteries or memory cards.

Canon Backpack BP100

Canon Backpack BP10 – Black

The Canon Backpack BP100 is perfect for photographers who need to carry their full setup. This backpack can hold a body, extra lenses and also a tablet. There’s also space for personal items such as keys and spare memory cards and batteries. Its design features padded shoulder straps to ensure comfort when in use.

This stylish backpack is slightly different from the design of classic camera bags so you can keep your gear discreet – it’s also limited edition! Thanks to two compartments you can pack your camera gear in one and extra items in another.

Canon Holster HL100 If you’re heading out with a one lens and one body set-up then the Canon Holster HL100 is perfect. This stylish bag can carry models from the EOS 1300D, 100D or 700D series, for example. Extra items can be stored in its mesh pockets and it can be carried via the top handle or removable shoulder strap.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

28

Technique Get more from flash

Lighting academy If you want full control over lighting on location you need a good flash system and the skills to use it.

We took Elinchrom’s ELB 1200 out onto the streets for a shoot as the sun went down

Images The ELB 1200 Hi-Sync head was fitted with the 44cm softlight beauty dish and the white disc from the Deflector kit that comes with it.

Words & pictures by Will Cheung The ability to mix flash with bright sunlight opens up fresh creative avenues but you need a flash unit with plenty of power.

So, while it’s true that there are plenty of speedlights and battery powered studio lights that can sync with shutter speeds beyond the camera’s correct flash sync speed and even up to 1/8000sec, you are usually limited in what you can achieve.

You have to shoot at wide apertures, place the flash close to the subject or you have to ramp up the ISO with the corresponding loss of picture quality. Put simply, your options are limited.

With the Elinchrom ELB 1200, however, the shackles are off. With an output of 1200Ws you can shoot correctly-synchronised shots up to 1/8000sec and still have options, whether that is with aperture choice, flash placement, modifier use or ISO choice and you can keep to medium speeds for the best picture quality.

The ELB 1200 is a manual only flash unit and a freshly-charged battery gives up to 215 full power flashes. Shoot at fractional settings and a fully-charged battery should keep you going all day long. Its weatherproof build also means you can carry on shooting in challenging conditions..

The ELB 1200 costs £3299 in the To Go kit form and includes an EL Skyport Plus radio trigger, the option of Pro, Action or Hi-Sync heads and a selection of accessories including a case. Each head comes with a 4m cable and features a powerful LED modelling lamp to aid composing and focusing in dim light.

With a run time of up to 80 minutes with one head or 40 minutes with two, this makes the ELB 1200 also perfect for video work too.

The Pro head is the best all rounder, the Action head gives a flash burst as brief as 1/8850sec and the Hi-Sync head allows correct flash up to 1/8000sec when used with the optional EL Skyport Plus HS transmitter.

Elinchrom’s Hi-Sync system works with timing and not with flash pulsing, as is the case with speedlights and some other battery powered studio light systems. Basically, what you are doing with Hi-Sync is exploiting the tail of the decaying flash of a normal burst.

With perfect timing you can get the best output possible even at 1/8000sec.

With Nikon cameras, all you need to do is set the required shutter speed and shoot a few test shots to give an idea of the best aperture value to use. Precision timing with the camera’s shutter is obviously key here and the Skyport Plus HS transmitter has a feature called ODS where you adjust the flash sync very precisely up to five milliseconds.

With the Elinchrom ELB 1200, the shackles are off. With an output of 1200Ws you can shoot correctlysynchronised shots up to 1/8000sec

I was shooting on a Nikon D810, so I slipped the Plus HS transmitter onto the camera hotshoe and as the ELB 1200/Hi-Sync head combination was new to me, rather than waste time on the shoot testing what settings would work, I did a few tests first.

I started with 1/125sec at ISO 100. At full power at 3m with a standard 16cm reflector I was getting f/32. As you can’t meter high speed flash sync (this includes pulsing and timing methods) I just took pictures of a blank wall at various apertures, shutter speeds and power output settings to see what was possible. At 1/250sec an aperture of f/16 was fine and by the time I got to 1/1000sec full power was enough for f/8. Considering I was at ISO 100 this is impressive going.

Knowing what was possible, I ventured outside on a bright sunny afternoon. For this shoot, I had the company of Zac the model.

I was shooting with a Nikon D810 and 24120mm and 70-200mm lenses. On the lighting front I had the ELB 1200, Hi-Sync head, the Plus HS trigger and some modifiers including a 44cm Softlight and Deflector kit.

To balance flash with the ambient light means using the shutter speed to correctly expose for daylight while delivering enough flash for a correct exposure at the set aperture.

The challenge is having enough power for a good working aperture at a reasonable

29

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Technique The kit we used We used an Elinchrom ELB 1200 with Hi-Sync head outfit for this feature. The ELB 1200 power pack has an output of 1200Ws through the A outlet or this can be shared between two heads on a 50/50 or 66/33 basis. The unit is rugged with a weather-resistant build to ensure reliable performance even in inclement conditions.

Three heads are available, Action, Hi-Sync or Pro. The Action head offers the shortest flash duration of 1/8850sec at 172Ws power, Hi-Sync enables high-speed flash sync up to 1/8000sec with the EL Skyport Transmitter HS) while the Pro is the best all-round head with a duration of 1/5050sec at 140Ws. All three heads come with a 4m heavy duty cable and include a bright LED modelling light that has a two hour duration with a fully charged battery.

An Elinchrom To Go ELB 1200 set with one head costs £3299. The kit comes with a rechargeable Li-ion Air battery and charger, 16cm reflector, protection cap, Skyport Transmitter Plus, sync cable, Snappy carrying case and strap and ProTec Location bag. The outfit has a three year warranty.

If you want to learn more about Elinchrom lighting gear please visit the website. elinchrom.co.uk

Images The power available with the ELB 1200 makes defeating bright sunlight easy.

An exposure of 1/1000sec at f/5.6 and ISO 100 was needed to give a dark sky (far left) so all we needed was enough flash to light the model, Zac, in the foreground. A 26cm reflector was used on the Hi-Sync head, placed about 6m from Zac, to give a tighter pool of light. A few tests at various power settings showed that a setting of 7.5 was enough to match the camera’s exposure settings of 1/1000sec at f/5.6. working distance without compromising on image quality by increasing the ISO. I took an ambient light shot first using the camera’s meter reading of the foreground with Zac so he was correctly exposed. This was 1/125sec at f/5.6 and ISO 100. Next I angled the camera to meter from the blue sky. That gave a reading of 1/1000sec at f/5.6 and my shot made at those settings gave me a dark sky and an underexposed Zac. It was the ELB 1200’s job to deliver enough power to light up Zac while allowing me to keep to a shutter speed of 1/1000sec. It might sound easy but if you have never tried flash outdoors before it is surprising how flash power just disappears when the sun’s out. No such problems here though where I was using a slow ISO and had the flash head 6m from Zac. In other words, I had plenty of headroom here as most cameras would happily deliver great quality at ISO 400 and higher.

The ELB 1200/Hi-Sync head/Skyport Plus HS trigger was great to use, too. The radio trigger has great range and I wasn’t even close to needing it all, but being able to adjust output remotely was a very convenient, time-saving benefit. The power capacity of the ELB’s standard Air battery also meant I had no concerns with running out on this shoot where I spent time testing to see what the outfit was capable of.

Above The ELB 1200 is available in kits. The To Go kit costs £3299 includes the power pack, one flash head and a variety of accessories including a carry case and the Skyport Transmitter Plus.

Image The ELB 1200’s asymmetric power output came in handy for this shot. Two heads were used, the Action in the A output socket and the Hi-Sync head in the B socket. Zac was lit by the Hi-Sync head while the A head with 66% output was placed to lighten the background arch. As I wasn’t trying to defeat a bright sun, the head type was not an issue for this shot – the issue was having enough power to lighten the dark arch behind Zac while still lighting him up with flash.

Next month: more lighting adventures with Elinchrom lighting kit.

30

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Advertisement feature

Adding the A1

Billed as the world’s smallest studio light, Profoto’s new A1 is easy to use, delivering beautiful and natural-looking output. Two working pros reveal how it’s changed their working practices If you’re looking for impartial judgement on a product then take a look at the gear that the professionals are using, since they are in a position where their career depends on the reliability and performance of the equipment they choose to work with. Small wonder then that so many have chosen

Profoto as their partner, buying into the fact that this is a company with a long tradition of supplying innovative and powerful lighting gear to serious photographers.

Over the past few years the company has revolutionised the lighting landscape, delivering a series of cutting-edge products that

© Tina Eisen

© Tina Eisen

The Profoto A1 is designed with light shaping capabilities; it has a unique round head with a soft, smooth falloff that makes it easy to create a natural and beautiful light. It also includes a smart magnetic mount and three dedicated A1 Light Shaping Tools that click on and off quickly and easily – a Dome Diffuser, Wide Lens and Bounce Card – and these can be stacked for more creative options. The A1 also offers a built-in LED modelling light that makes it easy to set the light and understand how light and shadows work together.

The user interface is large, clean and clear and, like all Profoto products, it’s easy and intuitive to use and you don’t need to read a long instruction manual to understand how it works. AirTTL remote is also built in to the A1. With AirTTL and HSS you can easily create professional results and with the remote you can seamlessly connect to other Profoto flashes and control them from the A1.

Profoto A1 is not only an on-camera flash; it’s also very effective off-camera as a standalone unit. The A1 has its own Li-Ion high-capacity battery built in that lasts up to four times longer than AA batteries with no performance fade, and a facility to recharge quickly. So you can shoot for longer with confidence, and the A1 can keep up with you because it recycles four times faster than other on-camera solutions – that’s 1.2sec at full power. Put simply, you’ll never miss a shot.

© Tina Eisen

The new Profoto A1

have effectively packaged studio light performance into small and easily transportable flashgunsized devices, that are perfectly suited to the requirements of those working on location, often far from the nearest source of mains power.

And the good news is that the range continues to grow, with the

recent addition of the new A1 head, which Profoto has proclaimed ‘the world’s smallest studio light’.

This amazing new product, which delivers light that’s both natural and beautiful, with a gorgeously smooth falloff, comes with the potential to take the lighting capabilities of the

working pro to the next level.

To find out exactly what its impact has been we caught up with two established professional Profoto users to find out how the A1 might have impacted on their working practices. profoto.com

Tina Eisen Born and raised in Germany, fashion and beauty photographer Tina Eisen has been living in the UK since 2004. Her list of stellar clients includes the likes of Harvey Nichols, ASOS, Marks & Spencer, ITV, Amazon, Barbour, Spring Studios and Facebook, and she’s also had her work featured in magazines and on front covers across the globe.

“I picked up a camera about eight years ago,” she says, “and confirmed my first commercial client a year later. In the early days I didn’t know a lot about lighting brands, quality of light or consistency, and I worked with a set of secondhand lights that ‘did the job’ during my first year. Once I started working with proper commercial clients, however, I was introduced to industry standard brands such as Profoto and realised the importance of having a decent set of reliable lights. I fell in love with Profoto so hard that I saved up my first few pay cheques and very quickly swapped the secondhand lights for my first set of mono lights.

“Most recently I’ve been working with Profoto’s D1 lights, since these offer me the performance I need for studio beauty in a compact package. I like to give myself the option to bring my own lights to shoots, whenever quality lighting isn’t available. The portability of the D1 lights, combined with the flexibility and ease of operation of the Air remote control system, gives me the flexibility and control I need on set, and the range of available modifiers ensures my full creative freedom.”

The introduction of the latest A1 lights has added immensely to Tina’s lighting armoury, particularly with regard to location work. “While I used to be a strict studio kind of girl, hiding

Image Tina Eisen behind the ‘natural light is too unpredictable’ excuse, the A1 has given me the confidence to shoot beauty and fashion outdoors a lot more,” she says. “It’s given me control over available light on location without the need to necessarily carry my D1 or B1 units, and I now work solely with my A1 units when I have an overseas shoot. I’ve also replaced my hair and background lights in the studio with A1 lights, thus making my kit a lot more portable.”

While the A1 lights might have had a major impact on the way she works, Tina still uses her D1 units extensively, her go-to kit typically consisting of two to three D1s along with a pair of A1s.

Meanwhile trusted modifiers are a beauty dish, a two-foot octabox, zoom or strip lights and handheld reflectors, while the A1 is regularly used with its dome diffuser to enable a softer light.

“When shooting beauty I’m often working in small spaces,” she says, “and the fact that I’ve been able to reduce the need for big units and light stands by using a couple of small and compact A1s has made my life on set a lot easier and tidier. Meanwhile adding the A1 units to my set-up has proved to be child’s play, since the A1 communicates with all of its Profoto siblings seamlessly.” t-two-photo.com

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

31

Advertisement feature

perfect for placing in tricky areas, and I also use them a lot for detail shots of interiors.

“I just treat the A1 light as I would a conventional studio light rather than a flashgun.

Off-camera it has the power and flexibility to go anywhere, and © Jason Dodd

it’s perfect for everything from corporate portraits through to product shoots and close-ups of details on wheels, while, as mentioned, it provides the perfect fill for interior images. It’s also great as a rim light due to its size, while on a light stand it’s invisible behind the subject and works like a dream when linked with the B1 and B2.”

These days Jason’s default kit choice for a corporate shoot is a combination of B2 and A1 lights, while the B1 is added should he be working on a car shoot. Modifiers include the Wide Lens adaptor that allows the spread of light from the A1 head to be wider for times when wide-angle lenses are being used and the Bounce Card, which is employed when the A1 is being used on-camera and the flash is being bounced off a surface such as a ceiling or wall to create a softer, less direct look. Also used regularly is the Dome Diffuser, which gives the A1’s output a softer and smoother character. This can be quickly clicked on and off the A1’s smart magnetic mount and is stackable with other A1 Light Shaping Tools.

“These accessories give me more control,” says Jason, “and they’re especially useful when I’m shooting portraits. I also love using the A1’s High Speed Sync mode, since this allows me to achieve a beautifully shallow depth-of-field. I simply can’t get enough of this when I’m photographing models and corporate clients.” jasondoddphotography.com

© Jason Dodd

A move with his family to Maidstone in Kent at the age of eight was the catalyst that inspired Jason Dodd to first become serious about his photography. “The racetrack at Brand’s Hatch was just a short distance away,” he says, “and I soon purchased my first 35mm SLR and harboured dreams of being a professional sports photographer.”

Jason realised his ambitions in 2005, his first commissions being for sponsors of two motorsport teams that he had been following around the country. These days he has clients all around the UK as well as France and Malta, and he regularly contributes both to the national press and specialist sports and photographic publications. He also runs car and fashion courses at Brooklands museum as well as being a guest lecturer at the University of Kent.

“I’ve been using Profoto lights since the introduction of the B1 around four years ago,” he says.

“I love the flexibility and also the freedom of being able to work without cables. With the power it offers the B1 can cover all areas of my work and it comes into its own when I’m undertaking car photography. I’m now working with both B1 and B2 lights, while the recent addition of the A1 lights gives me an easy-to-transport, portable studio set-up. In particular, the A1 units, because of their ultra-compact size, are

© Jason Dodd

Jason Dodd

Do a deal on a D1!

The latest offer from Profoto, which runs in the UK and ROI until 31January, sees a series of great deals that mean it’s never been more cost effective to trade-up to this top performing pro-spec light.

Buy a D1 Single Head and you’ll be eligible for a £75 trade-in allowance, while if you purchase the D1 Basic or Studio Kit you’ll receive a free Air Remote and RFi 3x4 foot softbox, including speedring, worth £501. Order a D1 Studio Three Head

Kit meanwhile and you’ll receive an Air Remote and a Softlight kit worth £648.

With a seven f/stop power range and a short flash duration, the D1 compares well with many studio packs. And, because it’s a compact monolight, it’s also lightweight and a strong all-round performer. The D1 is offered in three variants – 250Ws, 500Ws and 1000Ws. You can buy a single D1, a Basic Kit with two heads or one of the Studio Kits with either two or three heads.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

32

Accessories test Buyers’ guide

Lights fantastic Start the new year with some fresh lighting gear and see how it can improve your photography Elinchrom D-Lite RX 2/2 Umbrella kit

Godox Witstro AD200

Providing a complete and classy flash set-up straight out of the box, Elinchrom’s D-Lite RX 2/2 Umbrella kit comes with: two RX 2 heads; two stands; two 85cm umbrellas (one a silver bounce type, and the other a shoot-through model); two 16cm reflectors; a translucent deflector; a Skyport Plus trigger; cables; and a bag to store it all in. Phew! And of course, there’s Elinchrom’s huge range of light shapers to expand into, too. The RX 2 heads themselves have a robust design and cover five stops of power, taking you from 12 to 200Ws in variable steps (from 1/1 to 1/10), while recycle time at full power is a respectable 1.2secs. A built-in EL-Skyport receiver is used for wireless triggering and in Speed Sync mode you can shoot at up to 1/320sec. £599

elinchrom.com

Profoto A1

Dubbed ‘the world’s smallest studio light’, Profoto’s A1 flashgun uses a distinctive rounded zoom head that gives a natural looking light with a smooth and soft fall-off.

Other light shapers can be added using a magnetic mount, and a dome diffuser, wide lens and bounce card are included. The light has a Profoto Air Remote built in so it can be used at ranges up to 300m; it also integrates perfectly with other Profoto lights like the B2, and as well as full manual control, can be used in TTL or high speed sync modes. Using a Lithium-ion battery, it has a maximum output of 76Ws controllable across nine stops in 0.1EV steps, a recycle time of up to 1.2sec, and delivers up to 350 flashes at full power. £849

The Witstro AD200 is a location flash system with plenty of exciting features.

Available for Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras, it’s powered by a lithium-ion battery giving a maximum output of 200Ws. It’s adjustable down to 1/128 power in 1/3 increments and can fire up to 500 shots at full power. There are three main flash modes: TTL, manual and stroboscopic; and high speed sync (HSS) is also offered up to 1/8000sec, while flash duration is as fast as 1/13,000sec. For triggering there’s a built-in Godox 2.4GHz X-system receiver, allowing you to fire it from up to 100m when using Godox or Lencarta radio triggers. The head of the flash can be used as a bare bulb, giving a wide spread of light, or a fresnel attachment can be added for spotlight effects. Other modifiers are also available. £267

godox.co.uk

profoto.com

Pixapro Lumi 400 II Twin Softbox Kit

If you want an ideal studio lighting starter set, look no further than Pixapro’s Lumi 400 II twin kit. The kit contains two Lumi 400 II flash heads, two 200cm lighting stands, two 60x90cm softboxes, a trigger, bulbs, cables, and a rolling case to put them all in; perfect for events, portraits, baby shoots, still-life and product work. A set with one softbox and one brolly is also available.

The 400Ws heads give plenty of punch and have a minimum flash duration of 1/2000sec if you need to freeze motion. Power is adjustable across six stops (1/1-1/32) in 1/5 increments and the recycle time is a respectable 1.2secs at full power. You can fire the flashes using an old fashioned sync lead, in slave mode, or wirelessly using the included Pro AC Wireless flash trigger. £385

essentialphoto.co.uk

Hahnel Modus 600RT

Hahnel’s Modus 600RT kit is a speedy, full-featured and affordable flashgun.

Thanks to its powerful Hahnel Extreme lithium-ion battery, the 600RT has a guide number of 60 (ISO 100, 200mm), a recycle time of 1.5sec at full power, and will give up to 600 shots at its maximum output, or over 1000 at half power. The flash has a built-in 2.4GHz wireless receiver/transmitter and a Viper TTL trigger is included with the flash, so you can fire it from up to 100m, or use it to control other flashes.

The 600RT can be fired manually, using TTL metering, or in stroboscopic mode, on or off camera, and it’s available in Canon, Nikon and Sony fits. £269

Hahnel.ie

33

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Accessories test

Nikon SB-5000

Kenro Speedflash KFL101

The SB-5000 is Nikon’s first radio-controlled speedlight and has a working distance of 30m so you can create complex lighting arrangements without worrying about obstructions that would block optical triggering. The flash can be used as a trigger to other flashguns or fired off camera using Nikon’s WR-R10 transmitter, or of course you can use it in your Nikon camera’s hotshoe. The SB-5000 has a guide number of 55 (ISO 100, 200mm), and a zoom range of 24-200mm, expanding to 14mm with its wide panel in place, so it’s perfectly suited to full-frame Nikon DSLRs. There’s also a powerful cooling system that supports over 100 rapid-fire shots and a fastest recycle time of 1.8sec at full power, so it’s perfect for events and quick-fire work. £469

At only £95, Kenro’s KFL101 is a great way to get started with flash lighting. This flashgun works with both Canon and Nikon DSLRs, functioning on or off camera, and in the latter state can be used up to a range of 15m outdoors and around 20m indoors. The ’gun is fully TTL-enabled, so you don’t need to worry about exposure if you don’t want to, and it also supports features like flash exposure bracketing, and highspeed sync (HSS), allowing you to shoot faster than the camera’s usual sync speed. It has a guide number of 58 (ISO 100, 180mm) and a top recycle time of 2.3secs at full power. It also comes with a padded case, stand and softbox attachment. £95

kenro.co.uk

Lastolite Urban backgrounds

nikon.co.uk

Broncolor Siros 400 L

Combining incredible performance, superb durability, easy handling and brilliant features, Broncolor’s Swiss-made Siros heads are built for exacting photographers and professional applications. Siros L heads like this 400 L have a sturdy aluminium shell and are battery powered for location use, delivering up to 440 flashes at full power. Recycle times and flash durations are also incredibly impressive: top recharge speed is 0.3sec and flashes last as little as 1/6200sec at t0.1 (or an amazing 1/11300sec at t0.5).

Using the new Broncolor RFS 2.2 transmitter (£95) you’ll also be able to shoot in Broncolor’s high speed mode at up to 1/8000sec, taking advantage of mixing flash with wide apertures in bright light. £1944

bron.com

Rotolight NEO 2 LED

Closing the gap between flash and continuous lighting is Rotolight’s NEO 2 LED. Designed primarily for portrait photographers and videographers on the go, the Neo 2 gives you both high speed sync (HSS) flash functionality and the what-you-see-is-what-you-get benefits of regular on- or off-camera LED lighting. With no recycle time to speak of you’ll never miss a shot in HSS mode, and the NEO 2 uses a built-in Elinchrom Skyport receiver for triggering at up to 1/8000sec. Used wirelessly it can be triggered at ranges up to 200m, allowing perfect positioning in the scene. Colour is also adjustable from 3150-6300K in both continuous and flash mode and the light runs on six AA batteries. £299

rotolight.com

Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT

If you’re a Canon user and looking for your first flashgun, or to build your lighting kit, the mid-range Speedlite 430EX III-RT is well worth your attention, especially as there’s lots of commonality with EOS camera controls. Like higher-end Canon ’guns it now uses a 2.4GHz wireless triggering system, so you can either use it as a master or slave with other compatible flashes, or with Canon’s ST-E3-RT trigger. The 430EX III-RT has a guide number of 43 (ISO 100, 105mm), tilts upward through 90°, and rotates 150° right and 180° left. It can be used manually, or with Canon’s E-TTL metering system on or off camera. Recycle time is 3.5secs on full power, and it runs on four AA batteries. £239

canon.co.uk

NanGuang CN-8F LED fresnel light

Designed for use on or off camera, NanGuang’s CN-8F uses a single, powerful, LED lamp behind a fresnel lens, letting you adjust your continuous lighting from flood to spot through an angle of 10-60º. Brightness can be set steplessly using a large dial on the side and the output is measured at 560 lumens. Calibrated to a colour temperature of 5600K it gives a daylight-balanced look, but it comes with orange (3200K) and blue (6500K) filters included. Power comes from either six AA batteries held in a supplied magazine, or using a Sony NP-FH or Panasonic CGR-D battery. A set of barn doors is also supplied to control the throw of light, and it all fits neatly into an included bespoke carry case. £202

kenro.co.uk

Good studio portraits can be as much about the background as the subject, so if you’re lacking on that score, take a look at Lastolite’s range of collapsible backdrops. Our current favourite is the Smoke/Concrete version, which provides a pleasingly vintage hand-painted look anywhere you might need it. The background is double sided, so you can easily switch looks. The concrete side gives you an even grey texture, and the smoke side uses a green/grey mix which complements skin tones and adds a vignette to keep attention on the subject. The backdrop measures 1.5x2.1m giving you plenty of space to work in, weighs 3kg, collapses to around a third of that size, and comes with a bag, so it’s easy to transport and store. £180

manfrotto.co.uk/lastolite

34

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Camera test Specs Price £399 body only, £499 with EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 Sensor 24.2-megapixel CMOS with optical low pass filter, DIGIC 7 processor Sensor format APS-C 22.3x14.9mm ISO range 100-25,600 stills, 100-12,800 movie Shutter range 30secs to 1/4000sec, flash sync at 1/200sec, plus B Drive modes Single, continuous 6.1fps up to 21 Raws Metering system 384 zone Evaluative, centreweighted average, partial (10%) and spot (2%) Exposure modes PASM, scene intelligent auto Exposure compensation +/-3EV in 0.3EV Monitor 3in touchscreen LCD, tiltable Focusing Dual Pixel CMOS AF Focus points Face + Tracking (up to 49 points), Smooth Zone AF (up to nine points), 1-point AF Video Full HD 1920x1080, max duration 29min 59secs Connectivity WiFi, Bluetooth, USB (mini B) Other key features Built-in flash GN5 (ISO 100, m), Auto Lighting Optimizer, creative assist, diffraction correction, four custom functions, creative filters Storage media 1x SD Dimensions (wxhxd) 108.2x67.1x35.1mm Weight 302g body with battery and card Contact Canon.co.uk

Canon EOS M100

Canon’s entry-level mirrorless offering costs £499 with standard kit lens, so it is attractively priced – but does its low cost mean skimping on features and quality? It’s time to find out...

Words and images by Will Cheung If you want to travel light yet enjoy the creative flexibility of interchangeable lenses, picking mirrorless is the way to go. But even then there are choices to make, such as opting for the weight-saving potential of giving up key features like, for example, the viewfinder.

So the M100 is a monitor-only camera with no option to add an EVF. The monitor does have touchscreen functionality and it flips upwards, so it does suit waist- or low-level shooting. The screen’s swivel mount also means that it can be positioned facing forward, so it’s perfect for selfie-shooting.

Not having an EVF means the M100 is very small. Fit it with something like the EF-M 22mm f/2 pancake lens and it becomes an APS-C sensor compact, but with the option of fitting other lenses including the vast range of EF glass via the EOS-EF M adaptor – that range of optics alone makes the M100 a tempting proposition.

The mode control with the on/ off button at its centre has three settings: scene intelligent auto, movie autoexposure and normal shooting where you get the usual suspects of PASM. For this review I stuck with aperture-priority and Evaluative metering.

Start up is fast and very quickly the camera is ready to shoot.

Looking at the monitor, the features

Above The EOS M100 is a monitor-only camera and there is not even the option of an add-on EVF. The monitor is very good, though, providing a bright image and can even face forward for selfie shooting. in an outline box can be brought into play by touch and that includes ISO, exposure compensation and aperture control.

Hit the virtual Q button on the screen and that takes you into

focus modes, drive settings, image quality and more. It’s a very fast and intuitive way to adjust key camera settings and means you don’t have to dig into the camera’s menus.

Should you delve into the M100’s main menu then its structure is just like any current Canon camera. Existing Canon users will immediately be at home, but the layout is so logical and clean that newbies will find their way around in no time. Navigating the menu can be done by touch or by the four-way controller pad on the camera rear.

Many useful features found on the M100 have cascaded down from cameras higher up in the range. So, for example, you have multi-shot noise control in JPEG shooting, Auto Lighting Optimizer and AF methods like Smooth zone AF, and tracking.

For a camera at this price point the M100 is blessed with a decent feature set. There is plenty for people stepping up from a compact or phone camera and there is enough for experienced photographers who prefer to take control.

The M100 is a fine camera to use. My biggest issue was forgetting that the M100 is monitor only and more than once I lifted the camera up to my eye to shoot. This of course is me being an idiot, but muscle memory means when I want to take

a shot the camera to eye movement is instinctive. A few missed shots soon got me on the right track.

The flip screen is good to use and I like its waist-level functionality, helped by the fact that there is no auto switch-over to the EVF to think about. I did miss not being able to angle the screen down, though, for convenient higher viewpoint shooting – you can still do it, but the image view isn’t so clear.

The supplied 15-45mm kit lens retracts into its body to keep size down. Turn the camera on without extending the lens into its working position and you get a warning.

Once you are good to shoot, the M100 offers swift autofocus with face-tracking and one shot AF. In single AF zone mode, you can have the screen in touch shutter mode, taking shots with a touch or have this feature switched off so you can still quickly select AF point and use the shutter release as normal.

The AF system together with the supplied kit lens proved a reliable pairing during the test, although it is true that I didn’t get the chance to shoot any action subjects. In low light and poor contrast levels the system locked on perfectly well and quickly, too.

Exposures were also delivered impressively by the camera’s metering system with hardly any

35

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Camera test Performance: ISO The shots here were taken as the sun was setting with an exposure of 1/8sec at f/8 and ISO 100.

No in-camera noise reduction was used and the Raws were processed in Lightroom with default noise reduction set.

The Canon EOS M100 gives a good account of itself regarding noise performance and images were very clean up to ISO 800.

Shoot at that speed and you are assured of clean images capable of large prints. There was some noise on the ISO 800 shot but it was very fine so you had to look hard and detail was not greatly affected. One stop up to ISO 1600

Performance: exposure latitude and there is noise evident in the shadows but again, fine detail looked good and even this speed could be used for critical use and big enlargements, even more so with careful processing.

Much the same can be said of ISO 3200 performance. Noise in the shadows was evident and that softened fine detail but generally image quality was pretty good although pictures had a mildly desaturated look.

From ISO 6400 onwards high noise levels softened images significantly and those high speeds best avoided unless you ready have no choice.

Original image

To assess Raw exposure latitude, a bracketed exposures were shot using manual mode – the correct meter reading at ISO 100 being 1/125sec at f/5.6. All Raws were processed and exposures corrected through Lightroom.

The underexposed shots corrected nicely with the limit being -3EV. However, it is true to say that the -4EV is perfectly usable if you can except a patterning of noise, which is evident in areas of shadow and midtone. Colour reproduction was consistent across the underexposed shots.

The EOS M100 was pretty capable at handling overexposure too, with the +1EV and +2EV shots looking identical to the correctly exposed image.

Go beyond +2EV and you start to struggle, with areas of the +3EV shot gaining a cyan colour cast while the highlights lacked detail. The +4EV shot was beyond recovery with very grey highlights.

Images The Canon EOS M100 had decent exposure latitude in its Raws, especially with the underexposed shots we produced.

With overexposure you are limited to +2EV if you want the best possible quality.

ISO 100

Original image

-4EV

-3EV

-2EV

-1EV

0

+1EV

+2EV

+3EV

+4EV

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

Verdict The Canon EOS M100 is a neat little camera that is capable of high quality results.

Personally, I initially struggled with not having a viewfinder, but I soon got used to shooting with the monitor only and you don’t have to go far to see that this is how much of the population use their imaging devices nowadays. That sorted, there is much to enjoy on the EOS M100.

For its size, features list and high-quality pictures, there is no doubt that the compact Canon EOS M100 is worth shortlisting if you want to go mirrorless without breaking the bank.

Above There’s not much in the way of top-plate controls on the M100.

ISO 25,600

Above The EOS M100’s ISO performance is very good and will easily please most users, with more than acceptable image quality up to ISO 1600.

Exposures were also impressively delivered by the camera’s metering system with hardly any complete duffs

complete duffs. If help was needed the Raws had plenty of latitude to work with.

Tackling awkward lighting is easy enough on the M100. Press the left control of the four-way pad signified by a * and you get exposure lock, or you can use compensation via the monitor. In this case you get a +/-3EV scale almost the length of the 3in monitor so it is really easy to set how much compensation you want in 0.3EV steps. As you get a live image preview, you can just slide your finger across and stop where the effect looks best.

Features 23/25 APS-C sensor, Dual Pixel AF and touchscreen. Lack of EVF might put some off Performance 23/25 Capable autofocus including touch AF and consistently good exposures Handling 23/25 Good to use, compact and fine touchscreen Value for money 24/25 At under £500 with lens, it’s difficult to quibble about the M100’s price Overall 93/100 A capable, modern solution, with lots of features, and great value for the mirrorless starter Pros Small size, touchscreen LCD Cons An electronic shutter would have been nice

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

37

First tests Imaging kit

First tests

We get our hands on the latest kit and share our first impressions – so you know whether or not to add it to your wish list Reviews by Will Cheung

PNY Duo-Link 32GB £48.99 Managing your smartphone or tablet will help you get the most from it, so power banks to ensure you are always powered up and storage devices to manage content and memory are essential accessories.

PNY has a full range of accessories, from braided cables and multi-format card readers to advanced USB storage devices such as the Duo-Link.

This flash memory drive has a USB 3.0 interface at one end and a lightning connector at the other.

The first time you plug it into your iPhone or iPad you get a prompt to download the Duo-Link 4 app.

Once that is done, open the app and you are ready to back up the images, music and video footage to the device. The process is simple enough and reasonably intuitive without being blindingly obvious and of course once done, you can delete non-essential files off your device, freeing up space ready for more.

Specs Prices 32GB £48.99 64GB £71.49 128GB £107.99

Image A removable clamp holds the Duo-Link in a hook shape which makes it neater for carrying around.

With the files on the Duo-Link, you can stream music or video from it without having to transfer files back to the phone/tablet, which is really handy if you use multiple devices. For example, many people have a work phone and a personal phone, and also use a tablet. Having all your essential music or whatever on one storage device is very convenient – assuming that you have the memory stick with you.

Having all your essential music or whatever on one storage device is very convenient

If you want to back up the files to your computer just use the quick USB 3.0 interface to download material. In that regard, the DuoLink can simply be used to back up data from your computer too, so it’s win all round.

I have been using the Duo-Link for the past month on my iPhone 5C and the latest iPad Pro. I found it incredibly useful on my phone because it is an 8GB version so I’m always running out of space even without having any music files on it. With the Duo-Link I can now access content via the iPhone with no problem.

The Duo Link also acts as a charging cable. I tested it with the PNY 7800mAH Outdoor Charger.

This rechargeable battery is shockproof, dust proof and water spray resistant, plus it features an integral LED torch. WC

Compatibility • Apple mobile devices running iOS 8 or later. Duo-Link is made for Apple iPhone 5 and later, iPad Air 2, iPad mini and later, iPad 4th generation, iPad PRO 9.7in and 12.7in, and iPod Touch.

• PCs running Windows 7 or later • Macs running OS 8 or later Interfaces USB 3.0 and lightning Dimensions 14.6x2.5x10.8cm Weight 73g Contact pny.eu

Verdict PNY offers a great many useful accessories to help get more out of today’s technology and they are excellent. The Duo-Link is definitely one that comes highly recommended and having this convenience, capacity and functionality really is well worth paying for.

Above The Duo-Link is a charging lead too, here shown connecting an iPhone to a PNY Outdoor Charger power bank.

Pros Works, easy to use, really convenient Cons Size

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

38

First tests Specs Prices NEO 2 only £299.99; HSS Transmitter £228.99; softbox £99.99; barn doors £99.99; battery pack and charger £53.32 In the box 1x Rotolight NEO 2, 1x belt pouch carry case, 1x universal power adapter with regional mains cable, 1x filter pack, 1x 216 Full Diffuser (1.5EV), 1x 250 Medium, Half White diffuser (3/4EV), 1x 184 Cosmetic Peach diffusion, 1x 279 1/8th Minus Green (magenta, 1x filter holder, universal hotshoe camera adapter mount Control Local, wirelessly using builtin Skyport flash receiver and Rotolight HSS transmitter by Elinchrom, or with third party HSS flash trigger received with 3.5mm or PC sync socket Output 2000lux at 3ft, highest output at 4100K. Flash mode provides 500% more light output with mains and 250% with AA (NiMh or Li-ion) batteries Colour temperature 3150-6300K on flash and continuous light, Accu-Colour technology Flash sync Up to 1/8000sec with compatible transmitter LEDs 100,000 hours lifespan Cinesfx mode Delivers Custom Lighting Fx (Fire, Lightning, TV, Gunshot etc) Recycling No recycle time Power Six AA (NiMH or Lithium-ion) high performance batteries provide 85,000 flashes at full power, or 1.5-2 hours continuous run time (max power) Dimensions 14.5x5cm (diameter x depth) Weight 354g body, 504g with six AA cells Contact rotolight.com

Rotolight NEO 2 £299.99 We all need light to take pictures and there are so many options for adding it artificially. There have been great strides made in flash kit recently and also with continuous lighting thanks to high-powered LEDs; Light Emitting Diodes are small and light, produce lots of illumination from little electricity, generate minimal heat and last a very long time.

Rotolight’s NEO 2 is the company’s latest portable LED lighting unit, offering quality continuous light – but it’s also a flash. Confused? Don’t be: it gives manual control and features high speed flash sync with a compatible (optional) radio trigger.

The NEO 2 is small enough to fit on a camera’s accessory shoe, has adjustable colour temperature and can be powered by six AA cells or by the mains. By any measure, that is an impressive feature set and of interest to still and movie photographers.

The unit houses 192 LEDs, half white and half orange. It is by varying the output of each LED colour that allows variable colour temperature output from 3150K to 6300K in 100K steps. So at 3150K it is the orange LEDs that are fully on and at 6300K it is the white LEDs. Setting the colour temperature for continuous light also means you adjust the colour of flash output, which is handy when mixing flash with ambient light and you want to colour match. For example, shooting in typically warm indoor lighting you could set the NEO 2 to 3200K for a warm flash, too.

The greatest output comes at 4100K when both colour LEDs are on. Taking a continuous light meter reading at 1m from the NEO 2, and with the light set at 4100K and 100% output it gave 1/125sec at f/5.6 and ISO 400. Setting a colour temperature reading of 6300K lost over 0.5EV. In its flash mode, the unit pumps 500% more energy (with the mains adapter or V-lock battery), or 250% (with AA batteries ) more energy into the LEDs compared with when the unit is used for continuous lighting.

Images The Rotolight NEO 2 is a highly versatile piece of lighting gear. It’s capable of acting as a continuous light or as a flash, and colour temperature can easily be controlled between 3150K and 6300K. This happens very quickly to give the effect of flash with very brief light bursts lasting from 1/50sec to 1/1000sec.

Recycling time is instant so it can keep up with cameras with high continuous burst speeds, and

capacity from a set of AAs is around 85,000 bursts. My tests with a Gossen flash meter in normal sync and high speed sync modes showed the NEO 2 worked well, within limits.

In normal flash sync, at 1m and ISO 400 my flash meter reading was f/4

so if you want more depth-of-field you need to push up the ISO. That applies even more so with HSS. To test HSS, I had the compatible Rotolight Nikon transmitter on a Nikon D810 and took pictures of a test scene at shutter speeds up to 1/8000sec. At 1/1000sec I got good exposures using f/4 and ISO 800 at 1m, while to get a decent exposure at 1/8000sec, the same aperture and at the same distance I needed ISO 6400.

So, if you want smaller f/stops or need to shoot at a greater distance, you need to up your ISO even more. WC

Verdict

Right This is a test shot with the Rotolight NEO 2 positioned 1m from the colour chart with the fan running at its slowest setting. With the unit giving full flash power, ISO 400 was used together with an exposure of 1/60sec at f/4. A light meter reading taken of the NEO 2 in its continuous light mode at the same distance gave a reading of f/5.6 at ISO 400.

The NEO 2 is a clever innovation and a high-quality dual lighting source. It will suit photographers who shoot video and stills, and want to travel with just one light source – it can be a continuous light one instant and a flash the next. Power is not its forte, though, but versatility certainly is.

Pros Flexible colour temperature, compact continuous light source, super quick recycling Cons Limited flash potential

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

41

First tests

Fujifilm XF80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro £1249 Fujifilm’s X-series lens system continues to grow with the arrival of the XF80mm f/2.8, its first macro lens offering 1:1 life-size magnification.

Its 80mm focal length equates to 122mm in the 35mm format so this is a medium telephoto macro lens, perfect for close-up shooting when a comfortable working distance is needed. In practical terms this means you can get in lights, don’t disturb insects, for example, and work far enough away so your shadow doesn’t fall across the subject. It is a very useful focal length, and not just for macro but also for people and general scenes.

The 80mm f/2.8 is a solidly built lens that is weather resistant, so perfectly matched with Fujifilm’s weatherproofed cameras, the X-T2 and X-Pro2. I used the lens on an X-T2 but also tried it on an X-E3. It balances well on the X-T2 and makes for a very usable combination, but the lens is on the large side so on the more petite X-E3 the lens was very much the dominant partner.

The lens features OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) with shift shake giving a claimed 5EV benefit. I did an OIS test on a still day using the X-T2 and its mechanical shutter, taking five shots of a subject five metres from the camera position at full shutter speeds down to 1/2sec. All five shots at 1/15sec were pin sharp and that high level of performance was maintained at 1/8sec and 1/4sec, with four out of five shots sharp. At 1/2sec three out of five shots were sharp. That is a very good result and using the camera’s vibration-less electronic shutter could be even more efficient.

Specs Price £1249 Format APS-C Mount Fujifilm X Construction 16 elements in 12 groups Special lens elements 1x aspherical, 3x ED elements, 1x super ED element Coatings Super EBC, fluorine coating on front element Filter size 62mm Aperture range F/2.8-22 in 0.3EV steps Diaphragm Nine blades Internal focus Yes Manual focus Yes Minimum focus 25cm Focus limiter Yes, full, 0.5 to infinity, 0.25-0.5m Maximum magnification 1:1

Assuming that 1/125sec is the slowest shutter speed for handholding this lens, a 5EV benefit is 1/4sec so in this test the lens delivers.

The lens’s AF system is very efficient thanks to Fujifilm’s floating focus system. This comprises two focusing lens groups, front and rear, working with a newly developed ceramic ball slide system. Optimum image quality is possible with the two groups moving to suit the subject distance and this keeps any lens aberrations down. All this happens within the lens so the barrel’s size stays constant. With all this technology and a linear motor,

Original image

AF speed is impressive, effectively silent and accurate. Speed-wise, AF is quicker going from a distant subject to a near one rather than the other way around. AF on macro lenses is often less sure-footed and more uncertain, with more hunting back and forth as you get in closer, and while this lens did have bouts of indecision, it wasn’t too bad and of course moving the focus point to cover an area of contrast helped a great deal. The three focus limit settings help to keep focus racking down.

Mechanically, the broad manual focus barrel was smooth to use as was the aperture ring although on

our sample the 0.3EV steps could be more defined.

Optically, this lens is a cracker, giving a very good account of itself at every aperture setting across the whole image frame.

Sharpness rates very highly at f/2.8 and in terms of detail resolution and contrast and there is little to be gained with stopping down – depth-of-field aside. Look very closely and the image at f/5.6 and f/8 is slightly crisper compared with the f/2.8 shots. The only obvious drop in image quality materialises when you get down to f/16 and f/22 where there is a degree of softening thanks to diffraction. WC

F/2.8

F/4

F/5.6

F/8

Distance scale No (scale in camera EVF) Depth-of-field scale No Image stabiliser Yes Tripod collar No Lens hood Supplied Weather-sealed Yes, 11 seals Dimensions 130x80mm Weight 750g Contact Fujifilm.eu

Verdict

Images Our test shots were done on the Fujifilm XF80mm f/2.8 mounted on an X -T2 camera body which was fixed on a Novo Explora T20 carbonfibre tripod with a ballhead. The mechanical shutter was released with the self-timer, and the resulting Raws processed through Lightroom with default sharpening.

F/11

F/16

F/22

This Fujifilm XF80mm f/2.8 lens gives XF users much to get excited about. It gives life-size magnification, has a very efficient OIS and the AF is accurate and fast. But the cherry on the cake is the lens’s optical skills. It does a great job of recording fine detail and delivering deeply impressive images so even at £1249, this is a very good value lens.

Pros Image quality, effective OIS, focus limiter Cons Size

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

42

First tests

Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD £789

Specs Prices £789 with hood Format 35mm full-frame, APS-C Mounts Canon, Nikon Construction 17 elements in 11 groups Special lens elements Three LD (low dispersion) elements Coatings eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency). Fluorine coating on front element

A long telezoom has great picture potential for scenics as well as for more specialist topics like wildlife and sports, but such lenses can be too big to carry around. But not the Tamron 100-400mm zoom; it’s the lightest lens of this range and it’s compact too.

It’s lighter and shorter at its 100mm setting than the Canon/Nikon 70200mm f/2.8 lenses, for example.

Mounted on a Nikon D810 the combination was nicely balanced, fine for handholding and didn’t feel at all unwieldly even when racked to the 400mm end. No tripod mount is supplied as standard but it is available as an optional accessory for £109.99.

Given the lens’s comparatively low weight, fixing the camera body to a monopod/tripod without overstressing the lens mount is feasible.

The lens includes Tamron’s proprietory VC (Vibration Compensation) system. I have used VC on other Tamron lenses including its 150-600mm so I know how effective it can be.

I tested the 100-400mm’s VC on a calm day, taking a series of handheld shots at 100mm, 200mm and 400mm focal lengths with shutter speeds from 1/60sec down to 1/15sec.

Looking at the results, I was very impressed at what I saw at 400mm.

I would not have expected to get five out of five very sharp images at this setting and a shutter speed of

1/25sec, but that is what I got. Gentle breathing, a smooth release and stable stance all help and it was a benign day too, but I thought that was still a mightily impressive showing. Of course, that is no reason to leave the tripod or monopod at home, but it shows what the lens’s VC system is capable of when no support is on hand. The specifications claim a 4EV benefit so assuming that 1/400sec is the minimum shutter speed for a 400mm lens, my test shows that this claim is spot-on.

The lens features a zoom lock which works at 100mm only and there is a focus limiter. The limiter has two ranges, 1.5 to 7m and 7m to infinity, depending on the focus distance when the limiter is engaged. The limit range (and firmware) can be changed using the Tamron TAP-in console, available for £55.

Tamron uses its Dual MPU technology to give high speed AF performance and together with the USD motor, you get swift, responsive and accurate AF. It is silent and very smooth too and gives a decent tracking performance.

Starting at the 100mm setting, sharpness was good across the frame at f/4.5. However, stopping down to f/5.6 and then f/8 made significant improvements to give nice, contrasty images before diffraction had a negative impact at f/16 and f/22.

Above The Tamron long zoom is great for isolating details in a scene.

Right Advanced lens coatings help to avoid flare when shooting towards the light.

100mm

200mm

400mm

F/4.5

F/5.6

F/6.3

F/5.6

F/8

F/8

F/8

F/11

F/11

F/11

F/16

F/16

Filter size 67mm Aperture range F/4.5-5.6 –f/32-45 Diaphragm Nine blades Internal focus Yes Manual focus Yes Minimum focus 1.5m Focus limiter Yes, 7m to infinity or 1.5 to 7m depending the focus distance when limit switch is set (can be changed with TAP-in console available separately) Maximum magnification 1:3.6 Distance scale Yes

Image quality was more impressive at the 200mm setting with very sharp images at the maximum aperture and that high level of performance got even better to f/8 before gradually falling away at the small apertures.

Of the three tested focal lengths, I thought 400mm would produce the weakest showing, but I was wrong.

At f/6.3 and f/8 sharpness rated very highly, especially f/8 where images were detail packed. Further stopping, and quality started to tail away.

Overall, optical performance is of a high standard given the focal length range and attractive price. WC

Depth-of-field scale No Image stabiliser VC with claimed 4EV benefit.

Mode 1 (normal shooting) and 2 (panning)

Verdict

Tripod collar Not supplied, optional A035TM tripod mount £109.99 Lens hood Supplied

F/16

F/22

F/22

F/22

F/32

F/32

Weather-sealed Yes Dimensions 199x86.2mm Weight 1115g (Nikon) Contact Intro2020.co.uk

Tamron’s 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD offers great versatility in a compact package. You could have this long telezoom together with a standard zoom and cover a massive focal length range in a respectably portable outfit.

Pros Compact for its range, optical performance, VC, range, price Cons Tripod mount optional

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

43

First tests Specs Price X-8500 £149.99.

Cartridges: standard capacity £10.49 each (4.1 to 5.5ml depending on colour), higher capacity inks £17.99-18.99 (9.3-11.2ml each) Maintenance box £8.99 Ink Claria Photo HD ink, six colours – black, cyan, light cyan, magenta, yellow and light magenta. Prints last up to 300 years Compatibility Windows 7, 8, 8.1. Vista, XP, Windows 10 Mobile. Mac OS X 10.6.8 and later Functions Print (wireless and via USB), print from SD card, copy, scan, cloud link LCD screen 6.8cm Paper options Rear tray: speciality media feed Front cassette auto feeder: plain paper up to 105gsm Supported apps Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Epson Connect Other print functions Two-sided, borderless, CD printing Scanner resolution 1200x4800dpi Copier functions 1-99 sheets, 25-400% zoom range, two pages on one sheet Interface USB2.0, Wi-Fi, SD memory cards, PictBridge via Wireless LAN Weight 6.7kg Dimensions (wxhxd) 34.9x14.2x34cm Contact epson.co.uk

Epson Photo Expression X-8500 £149.99 The Photo Expression X-8500 is Epson’s smallest photo quality printer; so ideal if your space is limited, and its appeal is enhanced by its CD/DVD printing, copying and scanning functions. It is also capable of wired and wireless connection so can print via the computer or your cloud. It also has an SD card slot.

Setting up the X-8500 is really easy, from unpacking to getting the right colour ink cartridges into the correct bays. Colour coding and the LCD info panel makes the process almost idiot proof and once the inks are in, it’s time for a cuppa – the initialisation process takes around ten minutes.

Once the printer is ready to go, it is time to make a test print (on normal photocopy paper) and this is scanned to check correct printer head alignment.

There are two paper feed options, with the secondary paper tray capable of holding 20 sheets of photo quality gloss paper.

I had no issues connecting to my home network and it took just one attempt. There is a Wi-Fi Direct option for connection without the need for a network. Pairing up with my iPad also proved equally easy.

I made prints from my tablet as well as through Photoshop. I used the same image files and papers that I put through the Canon printer tested here (right) to give a comparison, so I used Epson glossy and Fotospeed Natural Soft Textured Bright White. I had no issues with the thicker media so no paper jams or headstrike, and the A4 prints emerged from the printer in under two minutes. The unit is quiet running and there is a quiet mode if you prefer even less noise.

Print quality was good with richly saturated prints and if anything, the colour output from the Epson was even more vivid than the Canon’s. That can be resolved in editing, but the higher saturation does help some pictures so this is not a negative aspect. The Epson’s prints also seemed more contrasty and that was most evident in the highlights which seemed brighter and crisper. That extra contrast was also evident in the black & white prints. WC

Canon PIXMA TS8150 £159.99 The PIXMA TS8150 is a scanner, copier, CD/DVD printer and photo printer, offering up to A4 output with six single inks delivering high-quality photo output. Naturally, it is thoroughly up to date so you can print wirelessly through the computer, using your smart device/phone, direct from an SD card or via your cloud.

Setting up was straightforward, from removing all the sticky tape used to hold moving parts in place to printing a test print to assist head alignment. Things for me slowed up a little when I tried to get the printer connected to my home network. There was a little unsuccessful searching for the printer but with some to-ing and fro-ing and a printer firmware update, I was printing within 20 minutes from unboxing.

Linking my phone to print was quicker. I just went to the App store, searched for the Canon Print app and I was soon ready to link up and print.

For office documents, the tray cassette holds A4 paper while the rear slot takes single sheets of photo quality paper that is loaded via the rear slot. When the paper is fed in, the LCD panel lets you register which paper you have just fed in. The options are all Canon which is no surprise. I didn’t have any Canon media to hand so I used Epson glossy photo paper and selected Canon Plus Glossy II assuming it would be the closest, and printed through Photoshop. I also tried art finishes such as Fotospeed Natural Soft Textured Bright White.

It took just under two minutes, from pushing the print command button to a print sitting in the tray, and noise levels were low too.

My colour prints looked good with a high colour saturation that perhaps suits scenes more than people shots. I also tried black & white printing with and without the black & white output box ticked. The results with the black & white box were significantly better. WC

Verdict The Epson Photo Expression X-8500 is a neat unit and its small footprint is a help if your work space is limited.

As a photo printer, it delivered good-quality output from various sources with little fuss so if you want a quality all-in-one, this Epson is definitely worth a look.

Pros Accepts wide range of Epson papers, print quality, versatile, quiet Cons Needs a maintenance box, limited colour management

Specs Price TS8150 £159.99 Cartridges: PGI-580BK £11.49, PGI-580XL £15.49, PGI-580XXL £21.49 CLI-581 black/cyan/magenta/blue/ yellow £10.49 each CLI-581XL black/cyan/magenta/ blue/yellow £14.49 each CLI-581XXL black/cyan/magenta/ blue/yellow £20.49 each Multipacks available Ink Six colours – cyan, magenta, yellow, PB (pigment black), PGBK (pigment black), BK (black). 100 years longevity Compatibility Windows, Windows 10 Mobile.

Mac OS X 10.10.5 and later Functions Print (wireless and via USB), print from SD card, copy, scan, cloud link Paper options Rear tray: plain paper up to 105gsm, photo paper up to 300gsm. Front cassette auto feeder: plain paper up to 105gsm Supported apps Apple AirPrint, PIXMA Cloud Link, Mopria, Canon PRINT/SELPHY app, Google Cloud Print, Canon Print Service plugin Other print functions Two-sided, borderless, CD printing Scanner resolution 2400x4800dpi optical, A4 max, taking 14 secs

Verdict The Canon PIXMA TS8150 is a smart-looking, capable all-in-one device that performs well and reliably. It delivers good photo-quality prints with minimal fuss and the option of larger capacity ink cartridges will help keep running costs down.

Pros Touch panel, easy set-up, quiet, versatile Cons Limited colour management support

Copier functions 1-99 multiple copy, zoom range 25-400%, fit to page Interface USB2.0, Wi-Fi, SD memory cards, PictBridge via Wireless LAN Weight 6.5kg Dimensions (wxhxd) 37x14x32cm Contact canon.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

45

First tests

X-Rite i1Studio £450 Two words guaranteed to make most photographers quake in their boots are ‘colour management’. Getting colours spot-on, for photographers in all spheres, is really important; but colour management is seen to be bit of an IT dark art and not something to be trifled with.

Maybe the new X-Rite i1Studio outfit will change all that. It is designed to get your colours from capture to output, so from using a digital camera or scanner through to projection and print.

The outfit comes with the X-Rite’s ColorChecker Classic Mini, a 10.7x6.2cm test chart with 24 colour patches, USB cable and an i1Studio spectrophotometer with a holder. To get going, all you need is to download the i1Studio software. Also available is the ColorTRUE mobile app for colour correct images on iOS devices.

Starting with capture, the point of the ColorChecker Classic Mini is to help you achieve the correct colours in software after capture. Include the card in the scene when you take the shot, ensuring that the card is in the same light as the subject. So, for example, if you’re shooting a portrait in shade and you are standing in the sun, the card needs to be in the shade – just ask the subject to hold it for a test shot. It does mean a new shot as you move from location to location but, for example, if you want to keep the cream wedding dress looking correct all day long the extra few seconds taking a test shot is worthwhile.

If you prefer, X-Rite offers a robust option with the ColorChecker Passport Photo for £90. This features more colours and comes in a plastic case.

In software, using your test shot and clicking on a neutral colour patch – one of the greys in the row of white, grey and black patches works – means the colours in the shot are correct. Syncing the corrected shot with others shot under the same lighting means all your shots in that sequence will be accurate.

When it comes to hardware profiling, the i1Studio software takes you through the process in a logical manner and there is plenty of on-screen assistance and explanation as you go.

The first dialogue screen after you’ve opened the software gives the options of monitor, print or scanner calibration, together with a graphic of the spectrophotometer showing how the unit is set up for various functions. For

Specs Price £450 In the box i1Studio spectrophotometer, holder, USB cable and ColorChecker Classic Mini System requirements Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 – all with latest service pack, 512RAM, 500MB hard disk space, monitor resolution of 1024x768 or higher Mac OS X 10.11x or later, 512RAM, 500MB hard disk space, monitor resolution of 1024x768 or higher Light source White LED Contact xpdistribution.com

Original

Corrected

Images Colour management needs to start from capture and shooting the test chart means you can get an accurate result in editing very easily. print calibration you have the option of colour or mono output and you can produce an optimised profile too.

I started by profiling my pair of BenQ SW2700 monitors. These were bought new at the same time so the first test was to get both screens looking the same. That sounds simple enough but from past experiences, it isn’t.

The calibration process starts with the device calibrating itself which takes about 12 seconds; just follow the graphic on the screen.

During calibration you can rely on default settings that sets CIE Illuminant D65 as the white point, 2.2 gamma and 120cd/m2 luminance. If you prefer you can take an ambient light reading for a custom luminance reading. I mostly work in lower ambient light levels with little daylight in the room so I thought a custom reading would be more relevant – I got a reading of 80cd/m2 so that was

my luminance target when it came to adjusting the screen’s brightness.

With the unit resting on the screen, which I angled up to ensure no extraneous light being detected, I was ready to profile. The profiling process measures 118 colours and takes five minutes and you can leave the i1Studio unit to it after the screen brightness adjustment step.

The final step is to save the profile and compare a selection of images before and after – you can load your own TIF images if you prefer. Dragging the software interface to the second screen and repeating the process resulted in two identical looking screens so I was impressed by that.

For this test I profiled my Epson SureColor SC-P800 printer and one of my frequently used papers, Epson’s Traditional Photo. With printer profiling the process starts by making

a print from the software’s test image on the material to be profiled and you can do this via the software or save the test chart and print through your preferred software.

Either way, allow ten minutes to let the print dry and then it is time to use the spectrophotometer (out of its soft pouch) to scan each row of the test print. The software guides you through this and the process is straightforward enough. It is also quick as you smoothly pass the spectrophotometer over each strip of colours in turn and you don’t have to stop and measure each colour patch. The software tells you whether each pass was successful or not. There is a knack to this and to start with some strips took several goes to get it right.

With the first test print scanned, the software then produces another test image and you go through the printing/scanning process again and this time end up with an ICC profile for the printer/paper that you can then use for future output. If you major on one or two papers, it’s done quite quickly. If you like to use a wide variety of papers it takes time but the effort and saving on paper cost is worthwhile.

One nice feature is being able to pick five different looks for monochrome output and the process is the same. It is a clever innovation and open to more presets – selenium toning, lith prints and split toning are settings I’d like to see.

All told, the calibration process proved painless. WC

Verdict Colour management is not glamorous which is probably why many photographers do not accord it the time and investment it needs, and with the i1Studio costing £450 it is by no means cheap.

However, given the importance of accurate and consistent colour management it is money well spent and the kit will soon pay for itself in actual material costs but also, probably more importantly, in time savings in your workflow.

Pros Easy to use, intuitive software, it works, versatile Cons It isn’t cheap

Software step by step

The i1Studio software’s interface is clear and easy to follow, with options to calibrate the display or the printer.

Next, you choose the monitor to calibrate when two are detected and you can either go for presets or take the custom option.

Now it’s time to plug in the i1Studio device and hang it over the monitor, making sure it is touching the screen.

After the measuring you get the chance to compare before and after calibration with the supplied images or load your own.

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

47

Technique

Camera School Here we lift the lid on all things camera related, showing how to get better results from your CSC or DSLR, and providing all the info you don’t find in the manual. So, stick with us and you’ll soon be wielding your camera like a pro. This month, how to shoot towns and city scenes at night Words & pictures by Kingsley Singleton

F/4

Shooting in towns and cities at night is a tricky thing and will tax your photographic skills to the limit for several reasons. But get it right and results can be wonderful, showing the world in a way that most people can’t capture with their compacts and mobile phones.

The first thing to address is that, although a scene may look bright to you, it won’t be by daylight standards. Your eyes have adjusted, and your camera will have to do the same. Of course it depends on what you’re shooting, but the general lack of light means you’ll almost certainly need a tripod when shooting at night, keeping the camera still enough to avoid blur and produce sharp results even when your exposure runs in seconds or minutes.

F/16

Using your tripod at night Setting up a tripod can be a problem in urban areas: not only can it be an obstruction in busy places, if there are crowds you’ll stand a good chance of vibration or having it knocked, and therefore ending up with an unsharp picture.

What’s more, if you’re not careful you can stumble onto private property, where the owners – or their hired goblins – will be well within their rights to ask you to move on. The best bet is to set up in a spot where you’re on public land but well away from footfall or traffic; if you’re not causing a problem, you’re unlikely to be challenged.

Exposure in the dark Once your camera is steady, you can think about the exposure. When shooting at night, it’s often better to switch to manual exposure mode (M) where you can control shutter speed, aperture and ISO independently. On screen or through the viewfinder you’ll still find an exposure metering bar or index, giving you a guide, and can then tweak results from there.

First set the aperture depending on the amount of depth-of-field you want in the scene, and how you want the lights to look; smaller apertures will give a starburst look to points of light, whereas larger apertures will look like spots, or discs when defocused.

If you’re using a large aperture like f/2.8 and the scene is bright, the required shutter speed may be kept in fractions of a second, but with smaller apertures it will very likely need to be

Left Shooting at night can be a real test of your photographic skills, but it’s also a great way to learn about controlling exposure, for example using manual and bulb modes.

Above As you change the aperture you’ll see some interesting effects at night; not only do smaller apertures extend the depthof-field, points of light will turn from discs into starbursts, giving scenes a twinkle.

in the seconds. Most the time you can simply shoot at the shutter speed required, but if you want a certain amount of movement in the shot, such as to freeze or blur motion, and can’t achieve it at the current speed, simply adjust the ISO up or down.

When to shoot in B (bulb) mode If you have a very specific exposure time in mind, or you want to push the shutter speed beyond the maximum allowed in manual mode (usually 30secs), use the B (bulb) setting. In this mode, you can start and stop the exposure

Dealing with low-light problems After shooting, check results on screen; but remember that they’ll look brighter to you than they really are because of the ambient gloom. To help, use the histogram view which shows the tones in the image as a chart; it’s the ‘true’ way of seeing how bright the image is.

When checking the histogram and adapting your exposure, try to ‘expose to the right’ but without burning out the highlights; a chart that’s clumped away from the shadow areas and contains lots of midtones and highlights will give

a higher quality image when it comes to editing; as opposed to a picture that’s too dark and needs to be artificially lightened.

Another common problem is light pollution.

This comes from lights outside your composition and shows as flare, lowered contrast, a colour cast or affecting exposure. To fight against it, shoot with a lens hood attached to block glancing light. You can also use handheld ‘flags’ to block light that’s not taken care of by the lens hood; a piece of matt black card is ideal.

as desired, with one press of the shutter release opening the shutter, and another closing it manually. Some cameras also have T (time) mode wherein you can dial in the specific shutter speed you want. Traditional T modes open the shutter on the first click and close it on the second, to end the exposure.

In whichever mode you’re shooting, it’s best to use the self-timer, exposure delay mode or remote control to avoid touching the camera at the beginning and end of the exposure, which can cause camera shake and lessen sharpness.

What about white-balance?

You can leave white-balance set to auto, but this may not give the most accurate, or interesting results. The trouble is, the man-made and natural light left in the scene (assuming there still is some), which usually looks best, will have different colour temperatures. Therefore it’s impossible to set both accurately. The best bet is to try a shot in AWB and see if it represents the scene as you want it; if it doesn’t, set the white-balance manually in Kelvin (K) making it look warmer or cooler. A good bet is often to pick a white-balance in between tungsten and daylight, such 4000K. The natural light will then look a bit cooler than in reality, but will form a good contrast with the artificial light.

NEXT MONTH WINDOW-LIT STILL-LIFE TECHNIQUES

Photography News | Issue 51 | photographynews.co.uk

48

Competition

Editor’s letter

It’s time to think about 2018 Happy 2018 to you all, and I hope you are all set for another year of great photography.

But before I look forward, it is worth taking a quick look in the rear view mirror and our Gear of the Year Awards.

I reckon 2017 was a vintage year as far as kit is concerned, and we saw significant and exciting milestones from several imaging brands. More megapixels, faster shooting speeds and autofocus performance were areas where we saw notable advances.

The winners of our prestigious awards are decided by you, so if you have already taken a few minutes to vote, thank you. If you haven’t, we’d really appreciate your time and consideration. All you have to do is visit our website, photographynews.co.uk, follow the link and record your votes – you don’t have to register or log in to vote. There are 34 categories but we have shortlisted most categories so it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Thanks for your time.

The new year traditionally brings along with it resolutions. You know the sort of thing – lose weight, do more exercise, drink less, aim to get eight hours sleep, the usual.

Many resolutions are long forgotten by Valentine’s Day, if not sooner.

One of my last year’s resolutions was to take fewer pictures and make more frames count. I couldn’t really assess how well I kept to my resolution until year end when I could go through my catalogue and really consider my output.

Actually, I lie. I have been kidding myself for most of the year because I knew the resolution was not worth a dot months ago.

I’m an anorak, so my Lightroom catalogue is kept pretty much up to date and I knew my output in terms of frames was as prodigious as ever. While I was getting plenty of five-star shots which I’m very pleased with, I was still overshooting. I was obsessing too much, with the result that I would end up with a dozen or more variations of a scene when two or three would have done. My shutter finger’s lack of discipline means I end up with too many near identical shots.

The thing is, though – that is not always a bad thing. I could be meaner with frames, but I often find that really exploring a subject – obsessing! – ensures I have lots of choice during editing. A six-inch variation of camera viewpoint, a lens change or using a filter can

WIN!

A Samsung memory card!

Capture life’s magical moments across all devices with the Samsung EVO Plus 128GB microSDXC memory card with SD adapter offering read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds of up to 90MB/s. Samsung’s latest cards are also ultra reliable and are water, temperature, X-ray and magnetic proof, so shooting in the most challenging conditions isn’t an issue. We have one 128GB Samsung EVO Plus microSDXC card with SD adapter worth £78.99 for the eagle-eyed winner. Complete the word search below, and you’ll find one word in the list that’s not in the grid. Email us on puzzle@photographynews.co.uk with that word in the subject box by 11 February 2018 and the winner will be randomly drawn from all correct entries received. The correct answer to PN49’s wordsearch was Four and the Samsung 128GB PRO+ card was won by Martin Sanders from Notts. samsung.com/uk/memory-cards

mean a great deal, making the difference between a picture I am okay with or one that I am truly delighted with. Therefore, based on last year’s resolution experience, while I think I want greater control over my shutter finger’s profligacy my subconscious tells me to continue blasting away. So I will.

Now is also the perfect time to start thinking about holidays and trips for the coming year. I’ve got several trips abroad in the diary already, including a couple of bucket list photo trips to go with various UK excursions as I try to complete my existing projects and embark on a couple of new ones.

In all likelihood, one of my next projects is to photograph viaducts and in particular those built in Victorian times. With this one, I will have to select carefully for the simple reason that there are so many and as my projects are self-motivated, I don’t want to work too hard or make it too difficult.

I’m still planning and have spent a few hours on the web and poring over OS maps online, checking locations and picture potential. Of course, there are the standouts that I can’t miss (Ribblehead, Harringworth, Glenfinnan) but I want to include a variety so this needs further work and research before jumping into the car.

Meanwhile I still have 25 piers to visit including several to reshoot for various reasons; but maybe I can start my viaducts project if I happen to drive nearby.

Let’s touch base again next month.

Register on photographynews.co.uk and you can read Photography News online on your smartphone, tablet or computer as soon as it’s published.

news

ISSN 2059-7584 When you have finished with this newspaper, please recycle it

O

F

F

R

O

X

B

W

V

D

E

C

I

S

I

V

E

Y

G

M

C

X

T

F

Q

O

T

J

K

U

I

I

O

P

O

S

I

N

G

L

D

R

P

S

G

H

G

P

B

T

J

Z

N

N

S

U

O

U

N

I

T

N

O

C

T

G

S

K

Q

C

C

L

U

B

E

H

T

T

V

O

T

O

U

C

H

R

R

U

A

A

F

N

K

N

W

R

E

E

K

T

S

R

O

C

O

A

O

G

A

E

E

H

A

I

I

I

N

T

R

D

Y

Y

D

M

T

L

T

Q

I

A

O

E

I

I

I

A

C

U

Z

C

H

W

P

J

L

N

R

U

L

G

A

C

Y

I

L

O

G

U

U

O

L

P

E

T

E

Y

S

T

D

J

S

A

A

R

P

C

Z

O

O

M

M

E

R

C

Q

T

E

L

O

I

V

O

R

E

R

W

Decisive Duration Eyepiece Framing Glare

Advertising Team

Design Team

Editorial director Roger Payne

Sales director Matt Snow 01223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com

Design director Andy Jennings Senior designers Mark George & Laura Bryant Designer Man-wai Wong

Contributing editor Kingsley Singleton kingsleysingleton@bright-publishing.com

Advertising manager Krishan Parmar 01223 499462 krishanparmar@bright-publishing.com

Digital editor Jemma Dodd jemmadodd@bright-publishing.com

Key accounts Mike Elliott mikeelliott@bright-publishing.com

Senior sub editor Lisa Clatworthy

Sales executive Sam Scott-Smith 01223 499457

Sub editors Siobhan Godwood & Felicity Evans

Multicoated Posing Resolution Solid State

Thread Touch Ultra Violet Zoom

If you do not want to receive any marketing information from Bright Publishing or our partners, in your email entry please type NO INFO.

Editorial Team Editor Will Cheung FRPS 01223 499469 willcheung@bright-publishing.com

Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3HJ www.bright-publishing.com

Q

Capacitor Charger Click Club Continuous

Read Photography News online

Photography

F

Publishing Team Managing directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck As well as your local camera club, you can pick up Photography News in-store from: Calumet, Cameraworld, Castle Cameras, Jessops, London Camera Exchange, Park Cameras, Wilkinson Cameras

Photography News is published 13 times a year by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. Photography News is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Photography News that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.

While Bright Publishing makes every effort to ensure accuracy, it can’t be guaranteed. Street pricing at the time of writing is quoted for products.