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19 August – 22 September 2014

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Pentax offers day out with the 645Z

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Manfrotto, Olympus & Ricoh kit news, plus prizes to win & exhibitions to see All the hot photo stories you want to know about

Enter our competition to win a landscape shoot with the 51-megapixel camera

ABOVE Shoot the Lake District with the Pentax 645Z this autumn.

In association with Ricoh Imaging and our sister titles, Advanced Photographer and Photo Professional, Photography News is offering five readers the chance to spend a day shooting with the Pentax 645Z. The prize includes dinner and overnight accommodation prior to the all-day shoot on 18 October, plus refreshments throughout the shoot. On the day, the five winners will shoot with the 51-megapixel medium-format digital 645Z, together with a selection of lenses. During the dawn to dusk shoot, which will

take in various locations across the Lake District, PN’s editor Will Cheung will be on hand to offer advice. Selected images from the day’s shoot will appear in a future issue of Photography News, as well as our sister titles. Since its launch earlier this year, the CMOS-based 645Z has garnered praise for its outstanding colour reproduction and accuracy. It features super-fast AF, a high ISO setting of 204,800 and dust- and weatherproofing. Turn to page 7 to find out how to enter.

π To find out more about the Pentax 645Z, go to www.ricoh-imaging.com.

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Inside the world’s most influential photo organisation FIAP president explains what goes on at its HQ

Is the D810 the DSLR the D800 & D800E should have been? Plus Samsung 16-50mm, LensPen & bags on test

Issue 11 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 11

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Latest photography news NEWS IN BRIEF DIGITAL HASSELBLAD V BACK Hasselblad is set to introduce a CMOS sensor-based digital back for its V System, designed to work on almost every V camera made since 1957. The back will include the same functionality as the H5D-50c camera, including ISO values up to 6400, Live Video in Phocus, a larger LCD screen with higher resolution, a 12.5-megapixel JPEG option in addition to Raw files, new programmable button, 90° viewfinders and a remote focus control option from Phocus. The CFV-50c is available for £11,400. www.hasselblad.com TONALITY MADE EASY Macphun Software has released Tonality, a software for creating high-quality black & white images with minimal effort. It’s the fourth addition to the existing suite of photo software for Mac users, and uses a 16-bit Raw processing engine and layer-based image editing with tools such as adaptive exposure and smart contrast, overlay textures, advanced clarity and structure detail, grain and film emulation and adjustment brushes. It’s available now for a limited time at a price of £13.99. Tonality Pro, which adds the ability to run as a plug-in to Adobe software and Apple Aperture as well as several other features, can be bought for £41.99, or as part of Macphun’s Creative Kit Plus at £90.99. www.macphun.com

Shoot the cover Could your image be good enough to make it onto the cover of Advanced Photographer magazine? Samsung and Advanced Photographer have joined forces to bring you this unmissable opportunity to join them for a special photo shoot and get your picture on the front cover of the magazine. Samsung cameras, lenses, two professional models, lighting and a wonderful stately home location will be provided. Plus Will Cheung,

editor of PN and Advanced Photographer, will be on hand to offer technical advice when you’re shooting. As well as getting their image used on the magazine’s new-look front cover, the photographer will also win a Samsung NX system outfit. See Issue 48 of Advanced Photographer, out 28 August, for more on this amazing opportunity.

Lastolite out of focus

Ilford brand relaunched The Ilford range of inkjet media is set for a worldwide relaunch, to be distributed exclusively in the UK by Tetenal Ltd. The relaunch follows the purchase of the company in a partnership between Japanese company Chugai Photo Chemical Co. Ltd and C.R. Kennedy & Company Pty Ltd of Australia. A combined history of 146 years in the photo industry puts them in the ideal position to continue the 135-year history of Ilford and maintain

its renowned quality. The relaunched range will continue to include favourite papers such as Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, Smooth Pearl, Smooth Gloss and Ilford Gold Mono Silk, as well as Prestige Metallic Gloss and two canvas products. Prices will remain competitive and all codes and packaging will stay the same, while new swatch books will be available, and new complementary products will be added in the coming year.

π To find out more about Ilford products, go to www.tetenaluk.com.

New from Lastolite is the Out of Focus background range, allowing you to create the effect of using a wide aperture to blur the background and create bokeh effects even when in the studio rather than on location, or when you’re not using a wide aperture lens. The collapsible backgrounds

are double-sided, with two reversible options: Summer Foliage/City Lights and Autumn Foliage/Seascape. Each measures 1.2x1.5m, and they collapse down into a 76cm bag, making them extremely portable. Both are available now, at a price of £118.95 each.

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

What’s coming from Fuji Fujifilm has updated its lens road map, giving X-series users new information about what’s to come. Headlining the updated road map is a new addition, the XF90mm f/2.0 R, set to offer a wideaperture medium telephoto option in the middle of next year. Other updates to the road map include confirmation that a high-speed wide-angle lens announced previously

is the XF16mm f/1.4 R, also set for a mid2015 release. The next lens available is confirmed as the XF50-140mm f/2.8 R OIS WR, due out at the end of 2014 and joining the recent 18-135mm in the weatherresistant line to partner the X-T1. Adding to this in the spring of next year will be a third weather-resistant lens, the XF16-55mm f/2.8 WR, and a super telephoto zoom is on the distant horizon for winter 2015.

π To find out more about Fujifilm lenses, go to www.fujifilm.co.uk.

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Issue 11 | Photography News

Latest photography news NEWS IN BRIEF WILO CONTEST Pump manufacturer Wilo has launched a national photography competition with a theme of water, open to all with the chance to win £1000 in vouchers. The competition sets out to find the best photography from across the country that features water – from a bucketful to landscapes and rivers. You can’t use a smartphone, but there are no other restrictions. Prizes on offer are Jessops vouchers, with a first prize of £1000, second prize of £500 and third prize of £250. www.wilo.co.uk

Travel easy Manfrotto has added the Advanced Travel Backpack to its range of bags for enthusiasts, designed to let you carry your camera kit, tripod and personal belongings all in the same bag. It even has a dedicated pocket for the Manfrotto BeFree tripod. The backpack has a bottom compartment for your camera and lenses, with removable dividers, and a separate top compartment for

personal items or accessories. The entire side of the bag zips open for easy access. For an everyday bag, you can also remove the internal divider to make one large internal compartment. There’s an extendable side padded pocket specifically designed to accommodate the Manfrotto BeFree (or similar) travel tripod. If you have a bigger tripod, there are also adjustable carrying straps on the back.

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

OLLOCLIP A new four-in-one lens system for iPad Air, mini and mini with Retina display has been launched by Olloclip. It includes four lenses: a fisheye, wide-angle, 10x and 15x macros, all in a package that weighs under 30g. www.olloclip.com INTERNATIONAL PHOTO SHOW Every two years, the photo industry gathers in Cologne, Germany for Photokina, six days of imaging geekery, and it’s happening next month, 16-21 September, so expect lots of exciting news! www.photokina.com

Limited Edition K-3 Ricoh Imaging has launched a limited Prestige Edition of the Pentax K-3. Limited to just 2000 worldwide, it commemorates the success of the Pentax flagship DSLR, and the body and battery grip are both finished in high-grade gunmetal grey coating, which matches both the black and silver K-mount lenses. It also features a faux leather strap embossed with ‘2014 TIPA Best Digital SLR Expert’ in recognition of the K-3’s award. The Prestige Edition will cost £1099, but availability is yet to be confirmed. π To find out more, go to www.ricoh-imaging.co.uk.

New Eco-Flo for R3000 PermaJet has created a unique new system for the Epson R3000 printer, using the world’s first battery-free chip technology to allow lifetime use. The new system uses automated ink resetting software, which makes it easier for you when refilling the cartridge and can reduce your printing costs by up to 80 per cent.

The pressurised cartridges prevent air introduction into the ink system, ensuring quality and consistency in prints. Users of previous Eco-Flo systems can also benefit without starting again, with an affordable upgrade system.

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

2015 Sony World Photography Awards open The Sony World Photography Awards 2015 are open for entries. This year, the awards include the Open competition with ten separate categories; the Youth competition with three categories for photographers under 20; the Student Focus competition for those in higher education aged 18-30; and the Professional competition with 15 categories. Competitions close at 23.59 GMT on 6 December 2014 (Student Focus), Monday 5 January 2015 (Open and Youth) and Thursday 8 January 2015 (Professional). A range of cash prizes and the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony is up for grabs, and overall winners will be announced at a gala ceremony in London on 23 April 2015, followed by an exhibition on display until 10 May 2015. π To find out more and to enter, go to www.worldphoto.org.

Photography News | Issue 11

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Latest photography news

Garden Macro Art garden winners Winners of the International Garden Photographer of the Year Macro Art winners have been announced, providing inspiration for those looking to get their entries in for the main competition, which is still open. The winning image in the Macro Art competition was Growing Agave, a close-up of agave spines forming by Minghui Yuan, who receives a £500 cash prize. Second and third places went to Jacky Parker with Winter Windflower, and Stefano Coltelli with Spiral.

NEWS IN BRIEF

If you’re planning to enter the main International Garden Photographer of the Year competition, you need to get your entry in by the end of October 2014. Pictures entered into the Macro Art or Monochrome competition are also eligible to be entered into the main competition. There’s a top prize of £5000 in cash on offer, and many of the winning images will feature in the International Garden Photographer of the Year book and the exhibition, which tours the UK and world.

POWERFUL METZ Claiming to be the most powerful TTL hotshoe flashgun around, the Metz 64AF1 has an impressive guide number of 64 (ISO 100/metres) at the 200mm end of its 24-200mm zoomhead. It also offers super-fast recycling and a secondary flash tube for better bounce effects. Available for Canon and Nikon now, it costs £375. Other fittings to follow. www.metzflash.co.uk NEXT ISSUE Issue 12 of PN will be out on 22 September.

ABOVE Winter Windflower by Jacky Parker (second place), Spiral by Stefano Coltelli (third place).

π To find out more about the competition, go to www.igpoty.com.

Exhibit with Open Space If you’re an Olympus shooter, then a platform launched by Olympus UK and Exhibtr Ltd allows you to exhibit your work alongside that of Olympus Ambassadors. If you want your photographs featured, all you need to do is sign up to Exhibtr and upload your best and most original images – if Olympus UK favourites your work, it automatically appears on the Open Space. π To find out more, go to www.exhibtr.com.

ABOVE Growing Agave by Minghui Yuan (winner).

PEN Lite updated Olympus has brought the latest in its PEN Lite range, the E-PL6, to the UK, after it was launched in Japan last year. It shares most of its core features with the E-PL5, meaning the same 16.1-megapixel sensor and TruePic VI processor as the OM-D E-M5, but there are some added extras. A Low ISO setting in manual mode, equivalent to ISO 100; Small AF Target Mode for more precise focusing; and Short Release Time Lag Mode are amongst the most significant. Interval shooting and a level gauge have also been added. The E-PL6 is now also supplied with the new 14-42mm pancake zoom lens, making it incredibly slim when not in use, as well as a Wi-Fi capable FlashAir SD card. The E-PL6 is available now, priced at £429. π To find out more, go to www.olympus.co.uk.

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Issue 11 | Photography News

Latest photography news NEWS IN BRIEF LEEF MICROSD Access is a new compact microSD card reader for Android devices from tech company Leef. It plugs straight into the microUSB port of your mobile device, with a microSD card slot on the other side for immediate access to extra storage space and the ability to transfer files from or to the card quickly and easily. It’s fast enough to stream movies directly from the card, and features a storage slot for carrying more memory. www.2leef.com

Off road with Manfrotto

Smart spots

Leading tripod brand Manfrotto has launched a new collection of camera supports. Known as the Off Road collection, two products designed specifically for the outdoor market are featured: a pair of walking poles and a lightweight tripod, both available in blue, red and green. The aluminium walking poles cost £79.95 for the pair and one of them features a rotating camera attachment on top so it quickly converts to a very usable monopod. The Off Road tripod weighs in at just 650g but is capable of supporting a payload of 2.5kg. An integral levelling bubble helps keep horizons straight and a rotating camera wheel speeds up set-up. This sells for £119.95. π To find out more, go to www.manfrotto.co.uk.

CINTIQ BONUS Wacom has introduced a bonus programme so that anyone who buys a Cintiq pen display or Cintiq Companion creative mobile tablet between now and 31 October 2014 can also choose one creative product or service worth up to £315 for free. Services on offer include Corel Painter X3, Wacom CarePack extension, Datacolor Spyder, video training courses, and CEWE and Tecco vouchers. www.wacom.com REFLECTA X9 The x9 Scanner from Reflecta can digitise slides and negatives in just one second, at a resolution of 1800dpi and colour depth of 24-bit. Images can be saved straight to a memory card. www.kenro.co.uk

Street season

Sony has launched a new initiative designed to help you get the best photos of landmarks in cities across the UK. Sony Xperia Spots has introduced distinctive footstep marks on the ground near the most photographed places in London, Manchester and Birmingham, including the London Eye, Royal Albert Hall, Tower Bridge, The Birmingham Library and the

Beetham Tower. It follows on from a similar scheme in America, which identified the best locations for capturing landmarks in New York and San Francisco – the same team has applied the same process in the UK. The scheme encourages photographers to share their own Xperia Spots for the chance to win the latest Sony smartphone photography technology.

π To find out more, follow @SonyXperiaGB on Twitter.

Take part in Greenwich Gallery’s street exhibition and competition Greenwich Gallery presents the On Our Streets season of street photography. Invited photographers will exhibit over several months, including Steve Smith FRPS, Dave Mason, Nick Sack, Norman Smith, Paul Halliday, Kate Hooper and Stefan Lubomirski de Vaux. Images cover urban landscapes, captured moments, purposeful messages, unusual cultural events, activism, and destruction and construction.

Alongside the exhibition is a chance for all to take part with a competition. Entrants can submit a portfolio of three street photography images, and the judges will select 80 to be shown on a plasma screen in the Gallery. From these, an overall winner will be invited to hold a two-week exhibition in the gallery in 2015. Each portfolio of three images costs £10 to enter, and you can enter as many portfolios as you like.

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

Photography News | Issue 11

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Competition

PENTAX

Be a Pentax Hot Shot Join Photography News and Ricoh Imaging in the Lake District this autumn for a unique opportunity to shoot with the sensational medium-format Pentax 645Z It’s been a given ever since the invention of photography that the larger the format you use, the better the quality of the picture you can produce. It’s a formula that still rings true even in these digital times, but up until now medium-format has been out of the reach of many due to its cost. However, all that is set to change in the wake of the launch of the sensational Pentax 645Z, which offers discerning photographers a very exciting, hugely capable and much more affordable option, and we’re offering five photographers the chance to try one out for themselves. We have a special location shoot planned for Saturday 18 October this year and you can join us. We will be based in the market town of Keswick in the northern Lakes and while the exact shooting timetable will be revealed to the five winners in due course the aim is to shoot from dawn to dusk at various Lakeland

locations. Each photographer will have access to a Pentax 645Z and a selection of lenses to use throughout the day. Getting to Keswick will be at your own expense but once there you will be the guests of Ricoh Imaging. Food and refreshments will be provided on 18 October and hotel accommodation will be booked for the night of 17 October – you will also be invited to join Will Cheung, editor of our sister publication Advanced Photographer magazine, and experts from Ricoh Imaging for dinner. This will give you the chance to get hands-on with the Pentax 645Z, plus you’ll receive all the advice you need to get familiar with it ready for the following day’s busy shoot. Photography News will be running a major feature on the event in a subsequent issue, so this competition also offers you a chance to see your images from the shoot in print in a national magazine.

How to enter To be in with a chance of joining us for this amazing photographic opportunity all you have to do is submit your best landscape photograph. Images should be low-res JPEGs 1000 pixels along the longest dimension (max. file size 10MB), and you must have the high-resolution files available in case the judges from Photography News and Ricoh Imaging want a closer inspection. Entry images should be submitted via the online form at www.pentaxcomp.co.uk. Closing date: midnight, 28 September. If you enter this competition you must be available to be in the Lakes on the evening on 17 October and all day on 18 October. These dates are fixed and cannot be changed. TERMS & CONDITIONS Entries must be received by midnight, 28 September 2014, and the winners will be notified by 1 October 2014. This competition is open to UK residents only, aged 18 and over. Employees of Bright Publishing and Ricoh Imaging and their immediate family and agents may not enter. Entries not in accordance with these rules will be disqualified; by entering, competitors will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these rules. The prize must be taken as offered; there is no alternative. In the event that the prize cannot be supplied no liability will be attached to Bright Publishing. For full t&cs visit www.pentaxcomp.co.uk/terms.

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About the Pentax 645Z

The sensational 645Z medium-format camera boasts an effective resolution of 51.4-megapixels, super fast AF, a top ISO of 204,800 and all in a dust-proof, weatherproof body. The camera offers brilliantly slick handling, whether on location or in the studio, and the 76 dust- and weatherproof seals mean it will also work perfectly in challenging outdoor conditions, down to temperatures as low as -10°C. The innovative CMOS sensor measures 43.8x32.8mm, so approximately 1.7x larger than a full-frame 35mm sensor, and it works with Pentax’s PRIME III imaging engine to produce images of outstanding accuracy and colour fidelity. With the exceptional quality of Pentax lenses, this anti-alias filterfree sensor can resolve the finest details. Until now, medium-format digital cameras suffered from limited battery capacity, slow continuous shooting speed and limited high ISOs. The 645Z has features and handling equal to a top-end APS-C or 35mm format DSLR, with a battery that can deliver up to 650 shots per charge, continuous shooting at 3fps with a large buffer and a top IS0 speed of 204,800. Of course, there is much more: live view, Full HD video, tiltable 3.2in monitor, twin SD card slots and the option of 14-bit Pentax or Adobe DNG Raw files. And you get all this performance at a competitive price: body only the 645Z is £6800; with the 55mm lens, it’s £7700.

π To find out more about the 645Z, go to www.ricoh-imaging.co.uk.

Issue 11 | Photography News

Camera clubs

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

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

NEWS IN BRIEF

BUNGAY’S ANNUAL SHOW Visit Bungay Camera Club’s photo exhibition and fair on 6 September. It’s at Broome Village Hall, near Bungay in Suffolk, 10am-6pm, and entry is free. As well as the club’s annual Photographic Exhibition, which this year includes panoramic images for the first time, there will be demonstrations, a photographic help desk, photo jumble sale and a book sale. From 50p to over £100, the books are all from the Russell Robertson Photography collection. Passionate about photography, poetry and calligraphy, R A Robertson (late of Earsham, Bungay) purchased the books between 1980 and 1990, and his family felt it fitting to donate this collection to Bungay CC. R A Robertson’s preferred charity, the RSPB, will receive ten per cent of the book sale’s proceeds. www.bungaycamera club.org.uk

Photography News | Issue 11

Celebrating 30 years September this year is Chapel Camera Club’s 30th anniversary, and it’s marking it with a feast of photography delights

HOW TO SUBMIT Allow plenty of time. Photography News comes out (roughly) around the third week of the month. For the next issue, we need words and pictures by 29 August. Write your story on a Word document (400 words maximum) and attach it to an email to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk. In the story please include contact details of the club, exhibition or event – website, meeting time, opening times, whatever is relevant to the story. Images: Yes please, and attach these to the email too. Images should be JPEGs, 2000 pixels on the longest dimension and any colour space. If the story is an exhibition or event, please send a picture from the exhibition (not the publicity poster), the winning image or one of the event. If the picture includes people please identify on the Word document. Deadline for the next issue: 29 August

SPOTLIGHT

Kingswood Photographic Society Based in Warmley, South Gloucestershire, we hold 48 meetings throughout the year in a friendly and convivial atmosphere; you can find details on our website. Renowned for the quality of our programme, we invite speakers from around the UK and are spoilt with presentations of inspirational prints and digitally projected images. Evenings where members share their knowledge and practical demonstrations of the latest innovations make up the balance of our programme. Our dedicated committee works hard to respond positively to the importance of using high-quality audio and visual equipment to provide the highest quality performance to do justice to our speakers’ presentations. We really must shout about one of outstandingly popular features of this year: our newly introduced outdoor events programmes where members have made friendships as well as

Hoping for a better life by Adrian Herring ARPS, DPAGB

SHOWING IN NORTH WALES The North Wales Photographic Association (NWPA) is holding its annual show from September to January. The 24th NWPA Annual Exhibition includes work by photographers from 22 affiliated clubs, selected by an independent panel of judges. The exhibition is at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, and opens on 6 September. The exhibition is in two parts, with some images on display 6 September to 3 November, and the others from 5 November to 16 January 2015. www.nwpa.co.uk

capturing amazing images. These include visits to the Morgan Car Factory, International Centre for Birds of Prey, Bristol Blue Glass Factory and the Severn Bridge. Our social secretary has donated an award for the best outing picture, which will be judged later this year.

To commemorate the three-decade mark, Chapel CC is holding an extensive exhibition of more than 100 images by club members. Hosted by the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, the exhibition will be officially opened by Bill Weston MBE, leader of The Billerettes, 2012 Olympic torch carrier and Buxton Town Crier at 2pm on Saturday 13 September. Among the other commemorative treats running until 22 November will be the Buxton Photo Challenge 2. Following up on 2012’s successful event (part of the Buxton Festival), Challenge 2 on 22 September will be another fun day of photography, promises club member Karl Wood. Register early on the day at the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery to find out the competition themes and get photographing for the chance to see your print framed and exhibited at the Gallery. Local schools in Buxton and Chapel-en-le-Frith will also be participating in Chapel CC’s first ever Mobileography competition. Pupils can photograph several challenging themes using their mobile devices and the winners will be exhibited at the gallery. On 26 September, Chris Weston, the celebrated wildlife photographer and co-founder of charity, Animals on the Edge, will be giving a talk at The Pavilion Arts Centre. A percentage of the evening’s takings will be donated to the charity, which supports endangered species and their habitats. Originally founded by members of Buxton Field Club, Chapel CC is a flourishing club with around 80 members. They regularly win awards and acceptances nationally and internationally.

“Our camera club got the use of an empty shop to display photographs for eight weeks in Bangor town centre,” member Phil Newell explains. “We changed displays weekly, featuring sport, portrait and landscapes, and manned it on Saturdays to promote the club and its diamond anniversary. “On the week we did people and portraits, we also offered a free digital portrait for anyone who wanted one. We photographed them, processed the result and emailed images out (prints were available at a small cost). This proved really successful with over 50 portraits taken including Bangor’s mayor.”

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

π To find out more about Beaumaris & Menai Bridge CC, go to bmbcc.cffgc.co.uk.

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

If you want your club featured in Club Spotlight, write 200 words about your club and why it’s going places, then send the Word document and up to five JPEG images from members to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk.

Enterprising Bangor With empty shops a common sight around our towns and cities, there may be an opportunity for clubs and societies, as Beaumaris & Menai Bridge Camera Club explains

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Issue 11 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 11

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Profile

11 INTERVIEW

Frederik Lange PN talks innovations, pioneering technology and the method behind the madness with Sony UK’s head of digital imaging, Frederik Lange

BIOGRAPHY YEARS IN THE PHOTO INDUSTRY: 10 CURRENT LOCATION: Weybridge, Surrey LAST PICTURE TAKEN: Of my two-year-old daughter Mia having fun at a water fountain in the park HOBBIES: I’ve always been a very keen skier and snowboarder WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? I always wanted to be an adventurer discovering the treasures of the world like Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo or Indiana Jones. DOGS OR CATS? Dogs TOAST OR CEREAL? Cereal EMAIL OR PHONE CALL? Both, very much depends on the situation

Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about your history with Sony. I grew up in Weil am Rhein, a small country town in South Germany. I’ve lived in the UK for over ten years with my wife and now our two-year-old daughter Mia. My career in Sony actually started in 2001 as an apprentice in the Recording Media division of Sony France selling floppy disks and recordable CDs to supermarkets. I immediately liked Sony as a company with great team spirit and passion. After finishing my master’s degrees in marketing and logistics, I moved to London in 2004 as a fulltime, fresh-faced Sony employee. In traditional fashion I worked myself slowly up the ranks of the Imaging division, from supply chain management, to junior accessories product manager, to European sales manager for camcorders and digital still cameras, to head of imaging for Sony UK, and what a fantastic time to be in such a role with our current line-up of products. Have there been any memorable technological developments since you joined Sony? So many – when I joined Sony in 2004 it was fantastic to see camcorders leading the way for imaging. We had just launched a new Handycam format – DVD recording. It was a huge technological development for consumers to be able to record video straight onto DVD for easy playback on their televisions. It is not every day that a product manager gets to see the birth of a brand new category. In 2006, I count myself lucky to have witnessed the introduction of the Alpha category with the launch of the A100 DSLR. This was a landmark moment for Sony, a big step forward to becoming ever more serious as a digital imaging brand. Since those early days our interchangeable lens camera category has grown and we are now recognised for offering a world leading product range, including the A7 series and the recently launched A6000 and A77 II. www.photography-news.co.uk

full-frame, mirrorless SLR cameras that deliver superb picture quality and high-speed processing based upon internally developed devices such as our CMOS sensor and BIONZ X processor and that are different from anything else available. The A7 is a great all-rounder for photographers who want the benefits of a full-frame sensor in a compact body. The A7R is targeted at users who want the best possible resolution and the A7S is targeted at users who demand the ultimate sensitivity and want professional video functions in addition to the still photography capabilities.

Another big milestone for me was the introduction of the RX1 a few years ago and since then the ongoing launches of the entire RX series premium range. Sony introducing the world’s first fixed lens compact camera with a full-frame sensor was groundbreaking, a historic achievement and it sealed our leadership in sensor technology. The RX1 is a beautiful camera, well designed – an engineering miracle. We, of course, are all very proud of it. Since its launch, we have become the number one premium compact brand. Recently we have added to the RX family with the RX100 III, which, with only a few weeks in the market, has already started to win numerous UK and international awards.

What were the technical challenges of getting a full-frame sensor in a small camera? Wanting to utilise the E-mount that we had already introduced in APS-C form, the main challenge of containing the full-frame sensor in a small body was working with a flange back of just 18mm. We introduced our gapless on-chip lens design which increases light collecting efficiency and ensures that there is high corner-to-corner image quality.

It’s a tough and competitive market out there, why do you think Sony has fared so well? Two reasons really: the first is that we are a leader in technology and innovation. Sony is constantly innovating – bringing in new technology, giving us an edge over the competition and offering the consumers new possibilities to enjoy their imaging devices. You only have to look at our recently launched products ranging from the RX1 to the A7 to our unique QX lens-style cameras. I firmly believe, as a company, we are in a position to lead the imaging market, certainly through innovation as we develop and manufacture in-house all the components for creating the most superior imaging devices: lenses, processors and sensors. The second reason Sony stands out from the crowd is its wide product portfolio as a true entertainment and electronics company. In recent years I have witnessed more and more interlinking between the different divisions in Sony. For example, we worked alongside Sony Mobile at the launch of our QX lens-style camera – a perfect complement to our Xperia range, and other phones of course. Sony merged its SLT and mirrorless ranges of cameras under the same Alpha name, what was the reasoning behind that decision? We fully believe that consumers shop not for an SLT or mirrorless camera, but are simply looking for the best interchangeable lens camera suitable to their needs. Depending on their priorities they might prefer a bigger, more traditional camera with a better grip for control or perhaps prefer a smaller, lighter camera for ease of use and versatility. Consumers can easily distinguish by factor, design, control and functionality, but are they as driven about the choice between E-mount or A-mount? I’d say not. As the qualitative differences between SLT and mirrorless cameras disappear, for Sony it seemed a natural step for us to regroup both systems under the same name: Alpha. Just look at our Cyber-shot range: under the same sub-brand, it includes all types of cameras, from very slim to bulky bridge models. What was the thinking behind the A7 series? We wanted to introduce a new range of compact,

The A7S sounds amazing – with 4K functionality – but is this a video or a stills camera? The camera is both a video and stills camera. It introduces new concepts to this category via a specially developed 12-megapixel CMOS image sensor that enables super high sensitivity which delivers benefits to both photographers and videographers. To address the growing demands to make movies with SLR cameras, we have enabled high-speed read-out of the 12-megapixel CMOS image sensor and high-quality movie recording in the XAVC S format. What in your opinion has been Sony’s most successful technology in recent years? Being a leader in sensor technology certainly sets Sony apart. We are the number one sensor maker worldwide and competitors use our technology. This leadership position gives us a huge advantage and allows us to invest in research and technology.

We are the number one sensor maker worldwide and competitors use our technology. This gives us a huge advantage

What has been your own personal highlight since being at Sony? I think it would have to be the launch of the RX1; I remember introducing the product to our retail partners at Photokina in 2012 thinking this is a truly groundbreaking product and the feedback we received has been overwhelming. I always feel proud about our new product launches but this really did take Sony to the next level as an imaging brand; it shook the industry and really was a statement to say, take us seriously as a camera manufacturer. It was a real achievement for Sony and something we have continued to build upon with the ongoing success of products that have followed. π To find out more, go to www.sony.co.uk. Issue 11 | Photography News

Opinion BEFORE THE JUDGE

Bob Moore FRPS Each issue, a respected judge or exhibition selector shares their thoughts and experiences. This month, Bob Moore shares his views – over 40 years after falling into judging MEET THE JUDGE Bob Moore Hon. FRPS, Hon.PAGB, MPAGB, FIPF, FBIPP: Bob confesses

to being an obsessive photographer; he’s been taking photos for more than five decades and he’s still exercising his trigger finger. He’s spent the last four decades judging, sharing his experience and knowledge.

Home club:

Arden Photo Group

Years in photography:

Over 50

Favourite camera: Nikon D800

Favourite lens:

24-120mm Nikon zoom

Favourite photo accessory:

Photo rucksack

Favourite subjects: Travel and people

Favourite photographers:

Major influences: Bill Carden Hon. FRPS, Joan Wakelin Hon. FRPS, Alan Millward FRPS

Awards won:

Over 300 medals in national and international exhibitions. RPS Fenton medal

Website:

www.bobmoore.co.uk

Words by Bob Moore I was a young photographer in a camera club and I was doing reasonably well getting acceptances in exhibitions and I was just asked to judge, so I’ve been doing it now since the late 1960s. I was put on the Midland Counties Photographic Federation’s main list of judges. I remember the first exhibition I ever judged was the Bristol Salon of Photography. I got involved with judging really through lecturing and running workshops, which in my late twenties I was sponsored to do by Praktica. I’ve always been a pretty obsessive photographer. The key to being successful is not about knowledge of your equipment, it’s just having the drive to succeed and produce good pictures. I still exhibit in national and international exhibitions. When my acceptances finally dry up, that’s the time I’ll give up judging. The three major international print exhibitions in the UK are the Edinburgh International Exhibition of Photography, the Southampton International and the Smethwick Photographic Society International Exhibition. Get regular acceptances in these three and you’ve made it. A number of national exhibitions are at the forefront of UK photography; take a look at www.britishphotographicexhibitions.org.uk for more details. The Cotswold Salon is one of my personal favourites, it’s an excellent exhibition devoted to monochrome prints. I don’t mind passing my knowledge onto other people through judging and I feel like I should give something back. Sometimes you’re flattered when you’re invited to judge because people want to know your opinion. The nicest thing of all is to judge the major exhibitions but the hardest part is standing up in front of an audience when the images aren’t very good and making something of them. When you’re faced with a bad image, you’ve just got to be honest and as tactful as possible – I’m probably not known for being very tactful. If it’s good I’ll say so, if it’s not I’ll try and help. You’ve got to be optimistic rather than pessimistic. You’ve got to see the good sides of any image, it’s very easy to be condemning. Judging at club level is all about being fair and honest. It’s about trying to convey the excitement of photography without dimming the authors’ enthusiasm and creativity, giving valued comments in an articulate and informed manner. Judging at club level in the beginners’ section is the most important aspect of the job we do. These are the photographers of tomorrow and it’s where judging and judges can have the most influence. The beginners need our help and advice and

You’ve got to be optimistic rather than pessimistic. You’ve got to see the good sides of any image, it’s very easy to be condemning Photography News | Issue 11

encouragement to make sure they don’t throw in the competition towel. I think we have to be very careful, but it’s not easy, especially when you’re slightly outspoken. As a judge, it’s important to be aware of current trends and fashions as well as the traditions of photography. It’s essential to visit the major exhibitions and to enter UK and international exhibitions to see what other photographers are producing. Many judges are only too pleased to comment and criticise images when they themselves are unable to produce photographs of a high standard. I think I owe it to the authors of the photographs I judge to be in touch with current standards, trends and fashions, even if I do not particularly like them. Judges need to be aware of what’s going on in contemporary photography and the best way to do that is to enter and support the major UK international and national exhibitions. We won’t get it right every time but we owe it to entrants to at least make the effort. Judging is like a roller coaster ride, you can be judging a small club competition one night when the members are mainly beginners. The next day you can be on a panel of three selecting a major UK international exhibition. The excitement lies in seeing new and fresh work. So what should our judging criteria be? Should we judge on whether we like an image or not? Of course not. That’s too simplistic and allows our own interests and values to take over. Surely we should judge on the basis of ‘is it good of its type’. Does the image convey mood, atmosphere, tell a story, part of a life cycle and emotion? Does the image work? I would much rather judge prints than PDIs because with a print you can examine it and get involved. Print quality is an important criteria but not

the be-all and end-all. I would rather see an exciting fresh picture, which could be printed better, than a super duper quality snap of nothing in particular. I focus on content 70 per cent and quality 30 per cent, give or take a little. With current digital printing technology it’s pretty easy to get reasonable quality. To achieve exceptionally high print quality though requires skill, time and experience. Judges should be aware of the many digital techniques available and not be overwhelmed with clever images that have no emotional content. In fact, emotional content should be a high priority in image making. It’s very easy to become proficient in the ways of Photoshop whilst forgetting that storytelling can be a vital part of a photograph. Photoshop is a wonderful tool for photographers and the mass of plug-ins available is overwhelming. Press a button for this and that without any control or skill and the effect you can achieve is staggering. Judges also need to be aware of the techniques and what can be achieved by simple computer button pushing. Better still, teach yourselves the techniques of photography so you can confidentially comment on manipulated techniques. Judges need to be well organised and sometimes extremely tolerant. They also need a built-in clock. If the club chairman says finish at 9.45pm. Do yourself a favour and finish at 9.40pm no matter how many entries there are. Just cut back the comments. You may think your comments are important, most of the audience do not, they just want you to finish on time so they can get to the pub before closing time. Never ever, and I repeat, never run over your allotted time. That is unprofessional and unforgivable. To be a good, competent judge, the most important thing is to be a compassionate, dedicated and successful photographer. www.photography-news.co.uk

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Issue 11 | Photography News

Competitions INTERVIEW © Gareth Jenkins

A celebration of print

Dianne Owen is one of the founding members of the SRGB Photo Group’s Print Celebration, now in its second year. It’s part of a new breed of exhibitions that celebrates photography in its broadest terms. Here she shares her experiences Interview by Megan Croft

photographer. It’s a stepping stone in your personal journey of photography.

This is only the second year that the exhibition has been held, how did it all come about? The SRGB Photo Group started as a small group of like-minded people who wanted to add something extra to their camera club. At the end of the second year of the SRGB group we decided we wanted to do more as a group. Holding a print that you’ve produced is in my opinion the final step for any image. The exhibition was created to join people with the same philosophy, encouraging more people to print and exhibit their work.

What is your photographic background? I’ve always taken photographs; I started at a young age taking photographs with my uncle and being shown how to use a darkroom to develop monochrome images. I look at photography with a creative eye, making images my own. I achieved Associate of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS) in March 2008 and became a Fellow in October 2008, both in Visual Art. I’m an active member of Chorley Photographic Society and the chair of the SRGB Photo Group and one of the family of PermaJet lecturers.

When trends and convenience dictate a preference for digital exhibitions, why did you decide on print? A finished mounted print is what you see. And it’s what you want your audience, whoever that is, to see. It’s your small piece of individuality. No one can change it, there’s no reliance on projection and calibration. Celebrating the print was our aim and we want to encourage more people to print their work. To see a print on the wall of an exhibition for the first time is something special especially when it’s besides work by someone you look up to as a great

What’s your involvement with the exhibition? I’m one of the founder members, along with Bernard Longley and Gordon Jenkins and I’m the chair of the exhibition. All SRGB members are included in the exhibition to a greater or lesser part, we all have a role to play. Many members of the group have had experience in running competitions and exhibitions at national level so I have a great team behind me. My role is to coordinate the jobs and members. SRGB’s clubhouse is at my home so this helps with the day-to-day running of the exhibition. The exhibition wouldn’t work without the team working together.

Photography News | Issue 11

ABOVE TOP Penguin Slide, Gareth Jenkins – Top Score Award Highest Aggregate Score ABOVE RIGHT Death Grip, Adrian Lines – Best Image by an SRGB Member, PAGB Gold Medal BELOW Body Sock, Ross McKelvey – Gold Award Winner, Believable Reality

How challenging is it to establish a new competition and exhibition? The decision to set up the exhibition was easy; the actual setting up wasn’t as easy. Firstly we had to apply to the BPE to become part of the BPE family, without that it would have been so much more difficult. Once we obtained this we also applied for PAGB Patronage as we use PAGB judges for the exhibition and it creates a standard in the photography. The PAGB medals are used for the three judges’ awards and the highly prized SRGB members’ award. We started to apply for sponsorship from Wilkinson Cameras, PermaJet and Fotospeed; these companies helped us in our first year and the sponsorship has continued to grow this year. The gallery space was difficult to find but one day over a coffee in our local garden centre we spotted their greenhouse and were allowed to use the room for three weeks in September, including a two-week exhibition – we had 600 visitors last year. Once all this was in place we needed the most important part of the exhibition, the entries. I think personally this was the most stressful part of the experience, it was an unknown. Would we even have enough entries for the judges? They gradually started to come in but it wasn’t until the last two weeks leading up to close of entry that we knew there would www.photography-news.co.uk

Competitions be enough prints to continue the judging process. We worked hard to get it to run smoothly and the most rewarding comment after the judging was from the judges expressing that the day was well run. Then the hard work began, the scanning for the catalogue, organising the exhibition and sorting the returns for postage and other things. The exhibition is the next stage; thanks to Dobbies for the use of their room and South Liverpool PS for the stands: we couldn’t do the exhibition without the cooperation of friends, other camera clubs and organisations. To receive nearly 800 entries in the first year is very impressive… We were very pleased with the response to the first exhibition and it exceeded the number expected. This year we received over 1000 prints. We aimed to make it a more personal exhibition, trying to cater for people’s needs. A new exhibition creates new goals for people and new awards to strive for. What’s the general standard of entries been like? There is a range of work, dependent on the entrant’s level of photography. Many of the images have been accepted in BPE exhibitions before, therefore collecting points for the entrant. The standard of photography has been very high in all the sections, no matter what their size. The categories are different from the usual colour and monochrome, etc, why is that? The themes were chosen to reflect everyone’s

15 photography, to compete with a subject rather than a general type of photography. Many subjects are pigeonholed by rules. We wanted to give people more freedom to try new things and follow their genre of photography and stretch the imagination. We wanted to give everyone a chance to enter. All the sections can be edited, to a greater or lesser degree; it’s a fact of the digital world. We all take thousands of photographs every year but often they don’t fit in with conventional subjects. Here you can have a chance at exhibiting those images. We thought that we’d covered every type of photography in the themes but occasionally there’s one that still doesn’t fit, and we are working on those. The Step Out The Box category allows people to have fun with their photography. We wanted people to make some choices, allowing them to enter their prints in any section; allowing pay per print after the first four images. Having a members’ award is a great idea to get the whole club involved… The SRGB Photo Group is a small group, determined by the size of the room we meet in. Allowing each member to give an individual award to their favourite image, the SRGB key ring, gives a personal touch from the members themselves. We give so much time and effort to make the exhibition work, we all see our favourite prints along the way and this is a way to celebrate those prints from the non-awarded images. It’s a little individual thank you for entering a great image.

RIGHT The judges selecting the winners for the SRGB Members’ Award. BELOW Man in the Mirror, Brian Beaney – Gold Award Winner, Step Out The Box

Seeing people enjoying the exhibition and chatting about photography is always interesting © Brian Beaney

Which categories are most popular and what would you like to see more of? Humanity and the Environment. These two subjects cover the greater photographic interest: where we live and who we are. As a creative worker I’d personally love to see more people have a go at the Step Out The Box theme. What have been some of your personal highlights of the exhibition? Setting up the group and having the personal goal of helping people to move forward with their photography though the exhibition process. Seeing everyone work together to achieve the first exhibition and learning so much more about the people while we worked towards a common goal. The exhibition is a great achievement for everyone involved. Seeing people support the exhibition and support us by coming to the Open Day from Scotland, London and various other locations in the UK was a highlight too. I think that seeing people enjoying the exhibition and chatting about the world of photography is always interesting. This year’s exhibition entries have blown us away; we have a big increase in prints on last year’s and the overall quality is excellent. What are your ambitions for the exhibition? Simply to celebrate prints and develop the exhibition to encourage and to explore photography in all its forms, and to help each entrant achieve their personal goals. π To find out more about the exhibition, go to www.srgbphotogroup.co.uk.

See the exhibition With entries in and already judged for the Second Print Celebration 2014, you can see the final exhibition at Dobbies Garden Centre in Southport from Saturday 6 until Saturday 20 September 2014. An awards ceremony will also take place on the exhibition’s first day to celebrate those who were successful. Keep an eye on the SRGB Photo Group’s website if you’re interested in entering next year’s competition; all details will be available there.

www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 11 | Photography News

Profile INSIDER VIEW

FIAP You’ve probably heard of the Fédération Internationale de L’Art Photographique, most likely as FIAP, but what goes on at FIAP HQ? FIAP president Riccardo Busi sheds some light on the international photographic organisation

Words by Riccardo Busi When I was about six years old I went to Ireland with my mother on my first trip abroad. I started to take pictures with a Kodak Brownie Vecta camera, which I still have, and that was my first experience with photography. I joined my first camera club in 1978 at the age of 20; after two years I changed camera clubs and joined the Gruppo Fotografico il Cupolone in Florence, Italy, which is still my club today. For more than ten years I was a member of the club’s board and then I became vice president in 1990, a time when the club reached almost 300 members, making it one of the biggest camera clubs in Italy. I will always be grateful to the Gruppo Fotografico il Cupolone, it has a splendid group of artistic photographers who are always ready to give me a hand with enthusiasm and generosity. It’s there that I learnt all I know about our common passion. The club is full of accomplished photographers: three MFIAP holders, two members with EFIAP/P and an incredible number of holders of other FIAP Distinctions. It is now an ILFIAP (Individual Local member) and CAFIAP (Club Artiste FIAP) club that is really active internationally. I have participated in shows and competitions and since about 1980 I have had more than 350 personal and collective exhibitions in slide and digital projections in Italy and abroad. I have achieved more than 1000 admissions in international competitions and over 200 awards. I am the five times FIAP World Champion in Nature; once FIAP World Champion in Projected Images; and three times FIAP Gold Medal winner in Projected Images World Cups. In 2007 with my club we won the second FIAP World Cup for clubs and in 2011 with the FIAF (Italian Federation Team) we won the 60th Anniversary FIAP Cup. I started to get involved with FIAP in 1998 when I was nominated as the foreign department director Photography News | Issue 11

FIAP’s objectives • To develop and promote the photographic knowledge in the world on an artistic, educational and scientific level in agreement with the principles of UNESCO (we are the only photographic association recognised by UNESCO). • To foster in the name of photography fraternal links and friendly relations among all member federations and develop trust among people in order to strengthen peace in the world. • All considerations of political, ideological, racial or religious nature are totally excluded from the activities of FIAP.

and FIAP liaison officer by the Italian Federation of Photographic Arts (FIAF). In 2000 I became a member of the FIAP Nature Commission. As liaison officer I was one of the organisers of the FIAP congress in Tuscany in 2001. During the following year, the FIAP directory board called on me to cover the role of FIAP general secretary, I was then confirmed in that position at the FIAP congress in Budapest in 2004 and in 2012 was elected president. FIAP is funded through annual members’ fees and the income generated by exhibitions and competitions. It is directed by a president and a board of directors comprising nine members: the president, two vice presidents and a treasurer www.photography-news.co.uk

Profile

First of all, I’m a photographer, then FIAP president amongst others. In addition, there are different directors of services that help the board in the administration of various FIAP activities. The support that FIAP provides to all our federations is to maintain strong relations, under the common banner of friendship. Organising several World Cups, exhibitions under FIAP auspices, Distinctions, photo meetings and more than 300 competitions every year are just a small selection of the services that FIAP is able to offer. And I really hope that in the future a closer collaboration between us can bring more concrete results to all our federations and their members. The official languages of FIAP are French and English, but many documents are translated into Spanish and German. Our common language is photography. Friends from different parts of the world are able to communicate by sharing works. Clubs can join FIAP as ILFIAP and receive periodical, up-to-date information direct from FIAP. We have a World Cup that is open to all clubs and participation is free for ILFIAP clubs. We have particular Distinctions for ILFIAPs, with the aim of honouring meritorious photographic clubs, and we have particular exhibitions dedicated to ILFIAP and these allow all our clubs to make contacts with in other clubs around the world. For individual photographers we have the FIAP life card which is compulsory for all FIAP Distinction holders and we are looking at creating new opportunities for all members of our federations. We currently have members in 85 countries on five continents and more than 55 different ILFIAP clubs. Life as FIAP president is very busy. I organise the activity of the board and give the directions. I’m charged with developing and managing the most important international relations. I have frequent contact with all members of the board and with many of our liaison officers and presidents of our national federations. Unfortunately though, FIAP is

17 just my passion. I have a career as a professional trainer. I still find the time to take pictures. I strongly believe that to help other photographers, we must share the same common passion. Being the president of one of the most important photographic organisations and not taking photos makes no sense. First of all I’m a photographer, then FIAP president. I enjoy taking wildlife photos, but travel and architecture interest me too. Visiting exhibitions and judging is the most exciting part of my role. I often have the opportunity to travel all around the world and to visit many esteemed photographic exhibitions. I started judging 32 years ago and I have already judged in more than 200 national and international competitions since 1982. I have taken part in international juries in 24 different countries. All these experiences have given me the opportunity to learn from different photographic cultures and meet many great photographers all around the world. At the moment, there are many interesting photographic movements all over the various continents with unique ways of interpreting reality and light. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Gulf area and have been everywhere from Qatar to the Emirates and from Oman to Saudi Arabia. I am particularly impressed by the way their artists are able to show the beauty of their countries from different perspectives and with different emotions. During the last 14 years, since I’ve been involved, FIAP has changed incredibly, but this is quite natural because the photographic world has undergone such a quick evolution. New technologies have obliged all principal photographic organisations to change their approach. There are now more photographers then ever and the changes are more important and are occurring faster than ever. The most rewarding part of being FIAP president is without doubt discovering that the many events organised by FIAP are capable of uniting people of different cultures, religions and political ideologies. Knowing that this is, in a small part, attributable to my work gives me great satisfaction. For example, in the first two years of my presidency, for the first time in history we established a very important

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Puffins; Patagonia, 2014; The model; Tioman; Norway, 2013; and Verso la luce. All by Riccardo Busi.

collaboration with the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) and we have just published a common definition of nature. This important goal has been possible thanks to the common spirit of friendship. I would like to increase FIAP’s world visibility, that means inside and among all of our member states but also with regards to the outside by means of strong partnerships with the most important photographic companies. But the most crucial achievement is continuing to be a federation in which all of us photographers, without any distinction, can feel recognised, can be represented and where all the countries and federations are treated equally and regarded with the same importance. For the future of FIAP, we must keep up the standards of our past, trying, if it is possible, to always do better. We’re an organisation ready to collaborate more and more with each national federation and ready to respond to the many needs of our authors; an organisation more organised and structured with the active support of many authors ready to collaborate with us at different levels.; an organisation at the service of the single federations, with intensive utilisation of new technologies. π To find out more, go to www.fiap.net.

About FIAP FIAP is the international organisation at the head of national federations, such as the PAGB, and its members span continents around the world. It began life in Switzerland in 1950 when Dr Maurice van de Wijer opened the constitutive FIAP congress with the aim of establishing and nourishing international relations through photography. Today the organisation represents well over one million photographers and recognises photographic achievements with its Distinctions programme. Distinctions are awarded to celebrate a photographer’s success in international exhibitions. In addition, it also recognises outstanding service to photography with its Excellence and Honorary Excellence FIAP Distinctions. It is run entirely by volunteers and decisions regarding FIAP policies are made at its annual conference held in a different member country each year.

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Issue 11 | Photography News

Camera clubs GROUP CHALLENGE

The Jewellery Quarter in a day In response to seeing PN Issue 6’s coverage of Smethwick Photographic Society’s group project in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Bromsgrove Photographic Society (BPS) got in touch to share their own project in the area. We talk to members of their newly formed Practical Group to find out more and see how they got on ROGER TYLER “In an attempt to address some of the problems recently discussed in Photography News on the topic of photography clubs, I set up the Practical Group of Bromsgrove Photographic Society in January this year. We meet monthly on the understanding that everyone brings a camera and comes willing to learn and share ideas. Photographers can be very individual and like to keep their own secrets; I wanted to create a culture of co-operation. “Our first outing was to the New Library in Birmingham with a visit to Hanbury Church for the snowdrop display in February. Unbeknown to us, we had just planned our next visit for Birmingham Jewellery Quarter when Issue 6 of Photography News was published with the interesting article about Smethwick PS and their year-long project in the area. “Of course our aims were different and we planned our single visit around three areas: the shabby architecture around Victoria Street, St Paul’s Square and the Warstone Lane Cemetery with its distinctive catacombs. As an additional challenge, members who were willing acted as models for the rest of the group. This not only provided some insight into the role of the model but was the source of plenty of good-natured banter. Members brought scarves, hats, beer cans, coloured umbrellas and old clothes as props. “It could have been a dull excursion but the combination of good weather, members happy to forfeit a few shots while they became the models and a serendipitous alchemy of personalities made it a success. To boot, the Practical Group has just won its first award: first place for Mike Troth in the BPS Annual Open Competition. I think our efforts contrast interestingly with the Smethwick group project.”

Photography News | Issue 11

It could have been a dull excursion but the combination of good weather, members happy to forfeit a few shots while they became the models and a serendipitous alchemy of personalities made it a success www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera clubs

There was a good mix of photographic abilities, a friendly atmosphere throughout and it was a good opportunity to get to know people better

COLIN CLOSE “This was the first time I’d attended the Practical Group and the sun was shining, although that’s not always a good omen for decent photographs. There were eight of us meeting at the clock tower including three members who seemed to have a lot of local knowledge about the area. We were quickly joined by a ninth member before we had gone far. “The thinking beforehand was to do portraits with models emerging from the group. The organiser Roger was very willing and had come looking a bit scruffy in his hoody. Though someone whispered ‘he always looks like that’. He quickly got into ‘down and out’ mode and we had him posing in a doorway sat on the step – on the shaded side of the street I hasten to add. At various times we moved around other models, including Mark and Jill. The highlight for some was seeing Roger in a skip! “Most of us used available light and reflectors though a couple of members were keen on trying remote flash units. The group seemed to work well with members contributing ideas and helping each other with technical issues. There was a good mix of photographic abilities, a friendly atmosphere throughout and it was a good opportunity to get to know people better.”

MARK HEATH “The shoot had a good attendance which was important as practical shoots allow members to socialise as well as giving the perfect excuse to exchange knowledge and techniques. We naturally gravitated towards shots with models as the Jewellery Quarter provides an excellent background. “A few shots in the doorway started the creativity flowing and, firing on all cylinders, it wasn’t long until more extravagant posing took place, such as in a skip! This was a unique take on using the surrounding area effectively and a shining example of how being resourceful can create original photography. “The knowledge exchanged between photographers has allowed the Bromsgrove Photographic Society to grow together rather than letting people vanish and only show their ideas when competing. Shooting in a group allows you to see how others work. This in turn improves your own techniques and without realising it you can have a positive effect on what others are doing too.” www.photography-news.co.uk

A few shots in the doorway started the creativity flowing and, firing on all cylinders, it wasn’t long until more extravagant posing took place, such as in a skip!

Issue 11 | Photography News

Camera clubs MAL OGDEN “When the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter was first mentioned as a venue for our newly formed Practical Group I immediately thought of using the feeling of deprivation as my subject matter. The vision that I had for my pictures was made possible thanks to fellow member Roger who was willing to pose as a model. “It gave me the opportunity to practise high-speed syncing using a Speedlite 580EX II flashgun with E-TTL flash triggers. These were attached to a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera in an attempt to produce images that would enforce the redevelopment aspect of the area such as the decaying buildings, brickwork and anything else associated with urban decay.”

I think the Practical Group has added another dimension to the club and it would be nice to see more joining us, especially women. I was the only female on both of these outings but I have to say everyone was very kind and I did not feel left out

JILL HOWE “I decided to join the Practical Group mainly because I enjoy taking photos with other keen photographers. It is relaxing and fun to be with other like-minded people who give inspiration and ideas – and they don’t moan when I keep stopping to take pictures like my poor long-suffering husband. “As I work pretty much full-time, going out on a Sunday is very convenient for me and easier than going on an evening which can be a rush. The idea is for the outings to be free and not too far away which is what most people seem to want. I find being with more experienced photographers a great help as they give advice and tips and lend equipment to each other etc. so it’s a great way to learn new skills without any pressure. “My second outing with the Practical Group was to Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. We were looking for old grotty buildings and doorways to use as backdrops and we used each other as models. This was a new idea that we had not tried before but it worked out really well. So not only Photography News | Issue 11

did I get some great pictures and learn about reflectors and the use of props but I learned how to be a model too. It was nerve-wracking but a good experience and we had great fun. At one point Roger was thrown in a skip with much hilarity and then I was posing with brightly coloured umbrellas in a graveyard. “I think the Practical Group has added another dimension to the club and it would be nice to see more joining us, especially women. I was the only female on both of these outings but I have to say everyone was very kind and I did not feel left out. I would recommend this group to anyone; come along and have some new experiences, learn new skills and make friends. We have more outings planned and I hope to join in as often as I can. Many thanks to Roger for doing the planning.” π To find out more about Bromsgrove Photographic Society’s Practical Group, go to www.bromsgroveps.co.uk. www.photography-news.co.uk

Advertisement feature

MANFROTTO ACCESSORIES

Outdoors made easy

Carrying your kit to the best outdoor locations can be enough to make you think twice, but Manfrotto’s new Off Road range will keep you on track for great photos For the ultimate landscape photos, you sometimes need to get to the most remote locations – inaccessible hills, deep valleys. It can mean carrying your kit over long distances, across difficult terrain, early in the morning when you’re not quite awake – it’s hard work. Spectacular images at the end

make the effort worthwhile, but there’s no point in making it more difficult. Manfrotto’s new Off Road range of camera supports, developed in collaboration with Fizan, industry leading specialists in the outdoor market, is designed to reduce the strain for any active or outdoor photographer.

Hike and shoot The Manfrotto Off Road Photographic Walking Sticks give you all the support you need when hiking and taking pictures Hiking and photography go hand-in-hand, but both need specialist equipment. The Manfrotto Off Road Photographic Walking Sticks double up on function to lighten your load, offering support for both you and your camera. One of the pair features a camera attachment at the top, meaning you can convert it into a monopod in moments by simply removing the cap and screwing it into the tripod mount on your camera. The monopod can hold a weight of up to 2.5kg and has a maximum height of 132.5cm, but the pair of sticks still has a combined weight of less than 400g and each folds down to 59.5cm. There’s no locking lever, keeping things compact, and the combination of handgrip and wrist strap allow you to achieve maximum stability whether walking or shooting. If you’re serious about hiking, but have to take your camera wherever you go, then the Off Road walking sticks are the perfect combination.

Lightweight support

For stunning landscapes, you need a tripod, but weight is an issue on any photographic trek. That’s why the Off Road tripod is the lightest in the entire Manfrotto range, weighing just 650g. It folds up small too, with a total diameter of just five centimetres and a closed length of 55.5cm. Despite this, it can open out to a maximum height of 122cm, while the aluminium head holds a load of up to 2.5kg. The camera is easily mounted using the quick rotating wheel attachment, and there’s an integrated bubble level so you can be sure those horizons are level. It’s perfect for hikers who have a passion for photography, or any active photographer who wants reliable support without the weight.

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

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Photography News | Issue 11

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Camera review

ON TEST

Nikon D810

If you strive for the ultimate in resolution, the D810 could be your dream camera if it delivers all that’s promised. We take a close look at Nikon’s latest 36.3-megapixel sensation

SPECS PRICE £2699 body only CONTACT www.nikon.co.uk SENSOR 36.3 effective pixels, FX format, 35.9x24mm IMAGE DIMENSIONS 7360x4912 pixels ISO RANGE 64-12,800, expansion to ISO 32 and 51,200 AUTOFOCUS 51 focus points including 15 cross-type, detection range -2 to +19EV. Single point, dynamic area, 3D tracking, auto area AF, group area EXPOSURE COMPENSATION +/-5EV in 0.3, 0.5, 1EV steps SHUTTER 30secs-1/8000sec, Bulb, flash sync 1/250sec METERING PATTERNS Matrix, centreweighted, spot SHOOTING SPEED 5fps full-frame LCD SCREEN 3.2in TFT monitor

Words by Will Cheung The Nikon D800 and D800E changed the game when they were launched two years ago: two 35mm full-frame DSLRs that boasted a megapixel resolution hitherto only seen on medium-format cameras. For the quality conscious, they had a massive appeal although Nikon muddied the waters by offering two basically identical cameras. The D800 has an optical low-pass or anti-alias filter to minimise any chance of moiré, while the D800E has the same sensor but there’s an anti-alias filter cancelling function to maximise image quality at the small risk of moiré. The D800E was £300 more expensive so most photographers went for the D800 perceiving the benefit to be marginal. The D810 is perhaps what the D800E should have been. Its completely new sensor offers the same 36.3-megapixel resolution but it comes in only one version – without any anti-alias filter for maximum image resolution.

handgrip (more depth and contouring). In the hand the difference is minimal, but those with longer fingers will notice less pressure as their digits wrap around and press against the body. It’s a subtle but effective evolution, matched by a fractionally prouder thumb rest on the rear, although to appreciate the difference it helps to have the D810 and D800 side by side. Other outward changes include the removal of the metering pattern mode dial that used to sit around the AE-L/AF-L button. Metering functions have been moved to the cluster at the top left, bringing it in line with the D4/s. This comes at the expense of the BKT button, which is now

ABOVE A few external changes differentiate the D810 from the D800/E, like the slight tilt top left, button layout and chunkier handgrip. BELOW Vivid, rich colours are no surprise.

on the camera’s front left above the flash mode/ compensation button. Moving the meter pattern button doesn’t feel like a problem, though some long-time users might miss the three-notched dial, which has lived in roughly the same place on Nikon’s upper level of enthusiast DSLRs for ages. One benefit, though, is that changing metering pattern unintentionally is now not possible.

External makeover The D810 is fractionally lighter than the D800/E, but not so much as you’d notice. It still feels like a sturdy piece of kit in the hand and the extensive weather sealing provides a decent level of protection against dust and rain showers. As before, the only area where it feels less robust is around the pop-up flash. The ergonomics are largely similar, too, with the main changes being a slightly redesigned

STORAGE MEDIA Dual slot: SD and CompactFlash DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 146x123x81.5mm WEIGHT 980g body only

The D810 is perhaps what the D800E should have been, and it comes in only one version

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Issue 11 | Photography News

Camera review

ISO performance With such a high number of pixels crammed into a small area the digital noise performance of the D800/E was good but it wasn’t outstanding. It lagged behind the D3s and Df on the noise front at high ISO settings, but, of course, both of these cameras have fewer pixels. I shot a test set with the D810 alongside the D800 and the Df – the latter uses the same sensor as the D4 and its ISO range extends to ISO 204,800. The same lens (a 24-120mm f/4) was used with each of the cameras and they were all mounted on a Gitzo Mountaineer GT2532 with a remote release doing the triggering. The test images were all processed from 14-bit Raw files using Lightroom 5.6 with no noise reduction applied. All three cameras are excellent at the slow and middle ISO settings but the higher the speed, the more obvious the differences. The Df is the best of the three but that’s no surprise. Looking at the D800 and D810 shots, noise levels appear similar, but the D810 manages to hold more fine details. In terms of usable ISO settings, the D810 can be used at ISO 1600 with confidence if you need that level of sensitivity without comprising ultimate image quality. Higher speeds are respectable too. At ISO 12,800 the D810 produced well-defined noise, which was pretty acceptable given the extreme high ISO rating, and with Lightroom’s noise reduction applied the noise levels were significantly reduced without any artefacting.

For an even more detailed report on the Nikon D810, see issue 48 of Advanced Photographer, on sale 28 August. Photography News | Issue 11

D800

D810

ISO 50

ISO 32

ISO 200

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 25,600

ISO 51,200

IMAGES While all three Nikons turn in good performances in the middle of their ISO ranges, the D810 produces respectable results at higher settings too. For example, at 12,800 noise is well defined and pretty acceptable. Apply Lightroom’s noise reduction and levels reduce significantly.

ISO 51,200

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Camera review

The move of the bracketing button feels fine – and it’s in a similar place to that on the Nikon Df, but smaller. It is easy to find with your eye up to the camera and without changing hand position. Incidentally, the whole top-left hub has also been tilted back slightly. This makes reaching it slightly less of a stretch for your thumb and it’s also easier to see when mounted high on a tripod. The AF mode selector on the lower front left has received some raised dimples, making it quicker and easier to locate, and similarly, the movie record button sits higher, making it easier to distinguish from the mode and exposure compensation buttons with your eye to the finder. The movie record button can also be customised; you can have it adjusting white-balance, ISO, image area and shutter speed, or aperture lock. The latest firmware for the D800 offers broadly the same. The technology inside Elsewhere, the D810 borrows features from the flagship Nikon D4s, inheriting that camera’s improved EXPEED 4 processor and Group Area AF for more accurate subject tracking. The ISO range is extended with a new lower-end ISO 64 and a high of 12,800, and is expandable through the Lo and Hi settings to 32 and 51,200 respectively. These are incremental changes, sure, but they certainly offer more flexibility and, combined with the new processor, the sensor is said to have been retooled with improved light-gathering microlenses, which should give improved signal-to-noise performance. Nikon has also squeezed in an extra frame-persecond over the D800, and this increases from 5fps to 7fps when in DX crop and with a battery pack attached. There’s also the option of a new electronic first curtain shutter too, which, allied to a redesigned mirror mechanism, is designed to reduce the vibrations that can stop you getting the best from all those pixels. Although having tried both options, the benefit isn’t major, which is perhaps testament to the new low vibration, low noise mirror mechanism. Audibly, the D810’s shutter operates at a much lower pitch, making it far more suitable for times when you don’t want to attract attention, like wildlife shoots or weddings. If

The verdict It’s no surprise that the D810 produces richly detailed images. All the shots shown here started life as full-size Raw files

ABOVE Although results are impressive handheld, image quality can be improved still further by using a tripod, the electronic front shutter curtain and a remote release. LEFT The D810’s metering coped well with contrasty lighting. www.photography-news.co.uk

you need even more hush, the Quiet (Q) mode is joined by a continuous version (Qc), though at the loss of frame rate. The wider native ISO range is always going to be a bonus, but it’s only one stop more at either end, so while shooting at ISO 64 was useful for exposing wide open in bright light, or for extreme long exposures, those problems are easily solved using a good old-fashioned ND filter. Most useful, day to day, I found was the advantage in noise performance, meaning I could use Auto ISO with more confidence, and shoot at a higher base level (of around 800) without worrying about noise. It’s no surprise that the D810 produces richly detailed images. All the shots shown here started life as full-size Raw files and these were processed using the recently released latest version of Adobe Lightroom, 5.6 – you’ll need to update to this version for D810 support. Default noise reduction and sharpness settings were used. For test purposes I explored the high ISOs as well as delving into the ISO 32 and 64 settings. At the low to medium ISO speeds, image quality is very impressive even on handheld shots. Stick the D810 on a Series 2 Gitzo Mountaineer tripod, use the electronic front shutter, set a mid lens aperture and take the shot with a remote release and you can’t help but be impressed with the image quality. I tried a couple of files printed on A2 glossy paper at full size without any interpolation and cropped to fit. Without question, D810 files are razor-sharp and detail rich. Very impressive. Take a look at the images here and you’ll see that, like so many of the modifications, the changes are incremental rather than sweeping, but nonetheless effective.

Whether the D810 will appeal to you depends on your perspective. If you’re an existing D800 owner and happy with your camera’s performance, you can probably comfortably wait for the next generation. If you’re a D800 or D800E owner and want more resolution, the D810 may loosen your purse strings. What is certain is that the D810 represents an even more compelling full-frame option than the cameras that came before it and if you’re thinking of upgrading from a Nikon D600/610 or a DX camera like the D7000, it’s the one to aim for. Nikon currently has no plans to remove the D800/E from its product line, so don’t expect prices of those cameras to fall through the floor any time soon. A D800 will set you back £2000 and the E is still around £300 more, while the guide price for the D810 body only is £2700, although that could fall slightly as the dealers compete for your custom. However, at this stage, it seems an acceptable amount for the changes, because Nikon has taken two great cameras, applied sensible upgrades and come out with a single body that’s genuinely superior. NIKON D810 FEATURES

24/25

HANDLING

25/25

PERFORMANCE

24/25

VALUE FOR MONEY

22/25

Plenty of pixels and much more besides

Impressive and the quiet shutter is amazing Capable of awesome image quality

Highly priced but still competitive for what you get

OVERALL 95/100 A top DSLR with a great deal to commend it PROS Image quality, handling, quiet and low vibration shutter CONS Nothing significant, price maybe

Issue 11 | Photography News

Kit reviews

Mini tests

Our regular look at some of the latest photographic kit to land on dealers’ shelves Words by Will Cheung & Ian Fyfe

SPECS PRICES Original £12 Micropro £12 FilterKlear £12 ScreenKlean £16 SensorKlear Loupe Kit £80 CONTACT www.intro2020.co.uk

SPECS PRICE £65 CONTACT www.lowepro.com CAPACITY DSLR with 18-105mm lens attached, 1-3 extra lenses (up to 70-300mm), flash, 10in tablet, personal items

LensPen Elite £12 For nearly 20 years, LensPen has offered a quick, effective and fuss-free way of cleaning your lenses. The cleaning tip is coated with a carbon compound, the details of which LensPen keeps close to its chest, which absorbs grease – it works on the same principle as using newspaper to clean windows, where the carbon-based print absorbs grime. Carbon is of course black though, and it goes against your instinct to wipe something black all over the front of your high-quality glass – hence the new LensPen Elite. The new incarnation of the LensPen has an invisible carbon compound on its tip, which is not black – it’s a sort of light grey instead. There’s perhaps more of a psychological benefit to this than a practical advantage, but what’s important is that it works just as well. After smearing my greasy mitts over the front element of my Canon L series lens, the LensPen Elite made light work of polishing it up time and time again. There was no smearing, with little residue except for a few tiny white particles at the point from which the pen was lifted. It’s not just the carbon that’s changed though, and a couple of design tweaks help in using the LensPen, most notably the cap. Inside here is a stash of the carbon compound, and you need to twist the

The verdict

tip against this to recharge it. Previously, you had to remember to do this before pulling off the cap, but now the cap screws so it happens as you remove it. On the other end is a soft, retractable brush that’s ideal for removing dust before using the cleaning tip. You just need to watch for shedding bristles, which can get annoyingly wedged at the edges of the lens if they come off on the glass. The LensPen itself is just one product in the popular range, and there’s a whole camera-cleaning solution available, as well as cleaning devices for your mobile and tablet.

LensPen has always been a safe and reliable way of cleaning your glass, and as the range expands, it covers all your needs, from every glass surface on your camera to the screens on your mobile devices. The invisible carbon and white casing does give a slightly cleaner feel to the whole thing, but what’s most important is that there’s no change in how effective it is – with the right LensPen product, you can get any glass you might be using for your photography shining in mere moments. PROS Simple, easy and effective CONS Brush sheds bristles

Lowepro Nova Sport 17L AW £65

COLOUR Slate grey or pepper red DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 35.5x22.5x23.7cm WEIGHT 0.8kg

Photography News | Issue 11

Lowepro’s Nova Sport range includes three sizes – 7, 17 and 35 litres – I’m using the middle size. It’s designed primarily for outdoor and action/sport photography. The construction uses lightweight technical fabrics for durability, and this is clear from the covering flap, which is finished with a tough, rip-stop material. Panels at the sides of this flap fold in neatly to protect the kit inside, although for further protection the camera compartment has a drawstring storm flap. Built into the back is a fold-out All Weather cover. The camera compartment is self-contained and can be removed with kit in to leave a good-sized day bag. Padded dividers can be repositioned to some extent, and the space is good for a bag that’s fairly compact. There’s a good number of additional pockets too – inside is a pocket for a tablet, or a small laptop, and on the front are two pockets for a portable hard drive, filters or similar accessories.

The verdict These pockets are covered by the main flap when it’s closed. On either side are stretchy mesh pockets too, although these aren’t secured. The main flap is secured by a plastic clip on either side, which is fine for holding it in place, but doesn’t give particularly quick access, nor the greatest security. The clips on the straps and the hoops they clip to are plastic, which isn’t ideal because they make an unpleasant moaning kind of sound as they rub together when you walk. That said, it’s extremely comfortable to carry, because it keeps its shape solidly even when full of kit.

There’s any number of shoulder bags out there, but if you spend a lot of time outdoors, then this one could be ideal for you. It’s packed with features to protect your kit from the elements, while providing neat, organised and compact storage. It’s very comfortable too, and as long as you don’t mind a squeaky strap, everything about this bag is excellent. PROS Compact, lightweight, lots of pockets CONS Fiddly cover, moaning clips

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Kit reviews SPECS PRICE £1000 CONTACT www.samsung.com/uk CONSTRUCTION 18 elements in 12 groups FILTER SIZE 72mm MINIMUM APERTURE f/22 MINIMUM FOCUS 0.3m DIMENSIONS (DXL) 81x96.5mm WEIGHT 622g

SPECS STREET PRICE £319 CONTACT www.manfrotto.co.uk CAPACITY 2 DSLRs, 1x 24-70mm f/2.8, 1x 70-200mm f/2.8, 4-5 lenses, 2 flashes, 17in laptop, tablet and tripod (strapped to outside) CONSTRUCTION Exo-Tough Construction, Camera Protection System DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 37.5x56x23cm WEIGHT 4.77kg

Samsung 1650mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS £1000 The first thing you notice is the size and weight of this lens. It’s a hefty piece of glass, and this is because of the wide maximum aperture, but it adds a lot of weight to the front of the NX cameras. The solidity gives it a feel of quality too, as does the overall handling. The zoom ring slides smoothly and freely, but still with enough resistance to feel nice – if there is a criticism, it’s that this ring comes to an abrupt stop at the extremes. The focusing ring glides extremely smoothly though. Autofocusing also is very smooth, as well as quick and absolutely silent. Optical image stabilisation (OIS) is included, turned on with a switch below the AF/MF switch, saving you going through the camera menus. It’s activated with a half press of the shutter button, and again this is absolutely silent. The benefit of OIS is significant as well. At a focal length of 50mm with image stabilisation on, we could still get 50% of shots pin-sharp at a shutter speed of 1/8sec, compared to just 10% without OIS. Even at 1/4sec, we could get 40% sharp, and the odd shot was still sharp right down to 1/2sec. When it comes to image quality, it puts in an impressive performance. We tested it on an NX30 at focal lengths of 16mm, 35mm and 50mm, and sharpness is excellent throughout the range. Particularly impressive is performance wide open,

16MM F/2.8

50MM F/2.8

The verdict where it’s very sharp at all focal lengths, and this is maintained until around f/8 or f/11. At smaller values, things get softer. Edges and corners are softer throughout, particularly at 50mm, where there’s fringing towards the corners too. At 35mm and 16mm, we saw practically no fringing. Comparing this lens to the standard 18-55mm kit lens, there’s an obvious benefit. When both are at their sharpest, they’re comparable, but the kit lens is only this sharp in a very limited range, around one f/stop. Above and below, it drops off, and suffers badly when wide open – the S lens is very sharp from wide open and across a good aperture range.

It’s good to see Samsung introducing some topquality glass, because the NX sensors are capable of great things, and premium lenses will make the most of them. The 16-50mm was billed as the first lens in the S series when it was launched, so we’re expecting more. And if they’re all as good as this one, then the Samsung CSC line-up will suddenly look a lot more attractive. It’s big and heavy, but built well and delivers excellent results. PROS Excellent image quality, sharp wide open, well built CONS Big and heavy, price

Manfrotto Professional Roller 70 £319 Mankind invented the wheel to make life easier and that’s definitely the case when you have a serious photographic outfit to move around. It’s true not every photographer has to lug a camera outfit as well as a location lighting set-up but should the need arise, investing in a rolling case is totally worthwhile. The Manfrotto Roller 70 is a significant investment at £319 but it offers a safe and secure way of moving a professional photo outfit around. The case features Exo-Tough Construction, designed to spread impact across the surface rather than transmit it through to the contents. Inside, there’s the Camera Protection System (CPS) with structured, shock-absorbing adjustable dividers and padding to protect the kit at the centre of the bag. Two long and four short CPS dividers accompany eight Velcro-secured padded dividers so you can quickly tailor the interior to suit your needs. For wildlife or sports photographers, the case is deep enough to hold a couple of fast aperture long telephotos, a couple of camera bodies, spare batteries, chargers and other accessories. I packed a Nikon D3s and five lenses, plus an Elinchrom twohead Quadra Ranger kit with a spare battery and cables. With a couple of lighting stands strapped to the case and a couple of modifiers in a side pocket, the whole lot weighed close to 17kg.

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The verdict

I took a fully loaded case on a shoot to London and the occasional lift onto the train, down stairs or onto the Tube escalator was no problem. At other times I just pulled it behind me and the case behaved itself fine. Some roller cases wobble as they are dragged across uneven surfaces at any sort of speed, but I had no problems. Importantly, the kit was well protected during the journey and everything arrived safely and in full working order. The dividers did a great job of ensuring nothing moved around – I’d packed the power pack at the bottom of the case as a precaution in case anything did get loose.

A roller case like this Manfrotto Professional Roller Bag 70 is a serious piece of kit and not every photographer has a need for carrying such a large outfit around. But if you do a lot of location shooting and want a convenient method of transporting your outfit that’s also a base to work from, a quality roller case like this is worth every penny. It’d mean arriving at your location in a fit state all primed to take great pictures rather than exhausted and shaking from the sheer physical effort of getting your kit there. PROS Spacious, build quality, high level of protection CONS Fill it and it’s heavy

Issue 11 | Photography News

Technique PHOTO SCHOOL

Camera class

Everyone has to start somewhere, even top pros, and in our regular Photo School feature we’re taking a close look at core techniques that every beginner needs to know. This month, in Camera class we look at your options when shooting Raw, while in Software skills we see how shooting Raw lets us amend white-balance Words by Ian Fyfe We saw last time the relative merits of Raw and JPEG files, and how shooting Raw will get the best out of your kit. But when delving into menus to adjust your image quality settings, you might be met with more options than you were expecting, particularly if you’re a Nikon user. Raw also covers a multitude of file formats, and converting from one to the other may be a wise option for storing your photos. n What size Raw file should I shoot? Canon DSLRs and the latest top-end Nikons let you shoot different sizes of Raw image. Both allow small Raw (sRaw), and Canon also offers medium Raw (mRaw). File sizes are smaller, but at the expense of resolution – pixel count is quartered for sRaw, and halved for mRaw. They’re also partially processed, so aren’t truly Raw, but give you much more flexibility than JPEGs when it comes to things like white-balance and dynamic range. If you’re shooting for small prints, or web use, then smaller Raw formats may well be sufficient in size and still a better option than JPEG. n What does 12-bit and 14-bit mean? Canon users of any level automatically get 14-bit files when shooting Raw, and Nikon users can choose between 12-bit and 14-bit Raw files. But what does that mean? The bit depth determines how many levels of brightness can be recorded at each pixel site. With 12-bit, the number of levels is 4096, and 14-bit increases this to 16,384. The benefit of this comes in the

highlights where you have more levels to bring in detail but also in the shadows where having more levels helps. How big this benefit is in practice is a point of debate and it increases the file sizes significantly, so it’s up to you whether it’s worthwhile. n What about compression? To compress or not to compress, that is another question for Nikon Raw shooters. Compression basically encodes the information to reduce the file size. Uncompressed files are recorded precisely, losing nothing but taking a lot of memory. Full compression reduces file size dramatically, but imprecise encoding also risks reduced image quality. A compromise is lossless compression, which uses more precise encoding to prevent any loss – the resulting file size is somewhere in between the other options. n What are DNG files? In your camera, chances are that your Raw files are specific to your camera manufacturer: CR2 for Canon, NEF for Nikon, ARW for Sony and so on. DNG, or Digital Negative, is a generic Raw format developed by Adobe. The idea was that this would be a universal file format, but it hasn’t caught on yet. Pentax DSLRs allow you to record DNG, and you can convert any Raw file to DNG in Lightroom or Photoshop. If you’re sticking with Adobe, it might be worth considering converting your Raw files to DNGs for archiving – if compatibility with your camera’s Raw format is lost in a few years, your Raw images won’t be banished forever.

LARGE RAW

SMALL RAW

NEXT MONTH: We zoom in on focusing technique, and find out how to optimise sharpness in Lightroom.

ADOBE LIGHTROOM

Software skills Part 11: More benefits of shooting Raw Words by Will Cheung Last issue, we showcased one benefit of shooting Raw – salvaging a poor exposure to produce an image full of detail. This time, we are looking at the flexibility you have with white-balance. Shoot JPEGs and you should do your very best to get an accurate colour image, whether you use auto white-balance, a white-balance preset or a custom white-balance reading. Get the colour rendition wrong and your latitude to correct colour is limited in a JPEG file because you simply don’t have the data available to work with – it’s why JPEGs are a fraction of the size of Raws. With a Raw file you have the flexibility to alter the image’s white-balance how you please during Raw processing. In Lightroom, you can choose a preset, use the White Balance Selector (the eyedropper icon) or simply adjust the Temp slider until you get a result you like. Photography News | Issue 11

ORIGINAL

ADJUSTED

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Prize wordsearch

Win new Samsung memory! Samsung has a new-look range of SD and Micro SD cards, in PRO, EVO and Standard categories, coloured silver, orange and blue for easy selection of the right performance. The PRO and EVO cards support UHS-I and offer read speeds of up to 90MB/s and 48MB/s respectively. They are also waterproof, shockproof, temperature-, X-ray- and magnet-proof. We’re giving away one PRO SD 16GB SD card, one EVO 32MB SD card and one Micro SD 16GB with SD adaptor. Just complete the wordsearch below, and you’ll find one word in the list that’s not in the grid. Email us on puzzle@photography-news.co.uk with that word in the subject line by 22 September 2014, and you could be a winner! π To find out more, go to www.samsung.com. B

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Technical editor Ian Fyfe 01223 499466 ianfyfe@bright-publishing.com Features writer Megan Croft megancroft@bright-publishing.com Sub editors Lisa Clatworthy & Hannah Bealey

Key Accounts Maria Francis 01223 499457 mariafrancis@bright-publishing.com DESIGN TEAM Designer Katy Bowman Designer Laura Bryant

As well as your local camera club, you can pick up Photography News instore from: Calumet, Cameraworld, Castle Cameras, Jessops, London Camera Exchange, Park Cameras, Wilkinson Cameras

n Photography News is published on the third Monday of every month by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. n No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. n Photography News is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. n 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. n The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. n While Bright Publishing makes every effort to ensure accuracy, it can’t be guaranteed. n Street pricing at the time of writing is quoted for products.