EOS magazine January-March 2022 PREVIEW edition | For Canon photographers

EXCLUSIVELY COVERING CANON CAMERAS

Extended use

RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L IS USM lens with RF Extenders

Creative Assist

Increase your control and creativity while in Auto+ mode

Pixel’s progress

How do pixels work and how many do you need?

January-March 2022 PREVIEW

Flash close-ups

Canon has special flash units for macro photography

Touch shutter

Focus and fire with just a tap on the camera’s LCD screen

ELEVATING YOUR EOS PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE EXTRAORDINARY

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Contactus us Contact EDITOR EDITOR Angela August Angela August angela@eos-magazine.com angela@eos-magazine.com TECHNICAL EDITOR TECHNICAL EDITOR Nina Bailey Nina Bailey nina@eos-magazine.com nina@eos-magazine.com CONSULTANT EDITOR CONSULTANT EDITOR Robert Scott Robert Scott robert@eos-magazine.com robert@eos-magazine.com SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIPTIONS Linda Gilman Linda Gilman subscriptions@eos-magazine.com subscriptions@eos-magazine.com EOS MAGAZINE SHOP EOS MAGAZINE SHOP Caron Oliver Caron Oliver Tamsin Bass Tamsin Bass shop@eos-magazine.com shop@eos-magazine.com ACCOUNTS ACCOUNTS Pam Bass Pam Bass pam@eos-magazine.com pam@eos-magazine.com ADVERTISING ADVERTISING Brian Hall Brian Hall brian@eos-magazine.com brian@eos-magazine.com PUBLISHER Claire Barrett PUBLISHER claire@eos-magazine.com Claire Barrett claire@eos-magazine.com WRITE TO EOS magazine, The TO Old Joinery, Ball Lane, WRITE Tackley,The Kidlington, OX5Ball 3AG, UK EOS magazine, Old Joinery, Lane, Tackley, Kidlington, OX5 3AG, UK TELEPHONE 01869 TELEPHONE 331741 (+44 1869 331741) open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm 01869 331741 (+44 1869 331741)

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Printed by Warners (Midlands) plc

If you had promised yourself a Christmas gift in the shape of a camera or other Canon photo equipment, I hope you ordered it some time ago. Canon, like other imaging manufacturers, is experiencing shortages, and it has even published a list of affected products (see page 8). Apparently this is due to a greater demand than anticipated, but that’s putting a positive spin on it – there’s nothing that boosts demand more than when an item is sold out! It’s also likely that the worldwide shortage of electronic parts is playing its part.

One of the affected lenses is the RF 100500mm f4.5-7.1L IS USM, but our Technical Editor Nina Bailey got her hands on one for her article (pages 50 to 55). Canon has released a total of 23 RF lenses since the launch of the R-series system in 2018. None is more versatile than the RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L IS USM. A focal range of 400mm in a relatively compact L-series body was once the stuff of dreams – such is the game-changing nature of the RF mount. No surprise, then, that this lens is hugely popular, especially for action and wildlife shooters.

At the other end of the focal length, Ollie Taylor has been using wideangle lenses with modified EOS cameras to shoot astrological landscapes – nightscapes (pages 30 to 37). But you don’t need a modified camera, virtually any EOS will do. And these long, dark nights is a good time to experiment.

I’ve often wondered about the role of photographers in the armed forces, so I was delighted when, few months ago, I received a surprise call from the Ministry of Defence. The result is an interview with Petty Officer Ben Shread and Flight Lieutenant James Langan, who together formed the Combat Camera Team, sent to cover the evacuation of Kabul in Afghanistan last August. You may be familiar with some of their images, such as this one (below), which have received worldwide exposure – and now you can read the story behind them (pages 12 to 19).

If we thought we had set a fairly straightforward subject for last issue’s photo challenge, judging it was not. The broad topic of ‘animals’ received some fantastic entries, and we could have filled the pages with worthy images of dogs and foxes. Instead, we tried to be more encompassing, including both wild and captive animals, as well as a wide range of species (pages 60 to 63). Thank you to everybody who took the time to enter.

Angela August Editor

PETTY OFFICER BEN SHREAD

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Welcome

The Combat Camera Team record the evacuation of Kabul.

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Each account, you can pay for magazine is packedon full your subscription a of tips, tricks and techniques recurring payment method so of you can Debit get more Direct (DD). This from youryour Canon EOS means subscription will camera and improveplus your run uninterrupted, you photography. benefit from the best annual rate. Contact us for more PRINT details.

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20 EOS Shop Camera gear and accessories for your EOS photography.

70 Ask the EOS experts Readers’ questions answered.

74 Forum One forum member’s thoughts about his EOS R6.

EOS FIRST-HAND 56 New focus Life-changing events led Peter Lau to embrace a new hobby. He charts his progress, and has useful tips for anyone starting out in photography.

CANON FLASH

PHOTO SUBJECT

44 Close-up flash

30 Nightscapes While landscape astrophotography can become complex, it is possible to shoot these nightscape images using any EOS camera.

Extended use Cover and pages 50-56.

“A malachite butterfly posing in front of a background with colours almost identical to its own wings.”

We take a look at Canon’s range of specialist flash guns for close-up photography – the Macro Ring and Macro Twin Lites.

ON THE COVER & p50

Jay Cline EOS R5, RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L IS USM lens plus Extender RF 1.4x at 508mm, 1/200 second at f8, ISO 2000.

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CAMERA FEATURES

EOS PROJECT

22 Creative Assist

p12

This camera feature increases the amount of control over your images without the need to move away from the Auto+ setting.

28 Touch shutter With the touch shutter function activated you can achieve focus and then fire the shutter with just a single tap on the camera’s rear LCD screen.

38 Initial AF point You can use Initial AF point to control the starting position for the camera’s autofocus when you are photographing moving subjects.

66 Pixel’s progress The sensor inside your digital camera is made up of millions of tiny pixels. We examine how they work and how many you need.

EOS CONTEST 60 Reader challenge Results of our reader photo competition, plus details of the next challenge.

EOS PROJECT 12 Flight from Kabul Amid danger, dust, confusion and chaos, two military photographers record the evacuation from Kabul in Afghanistan.

CANON LENS 50 Extended use Compact and versatile, the RF 100-500mm f4.57.1L IS USM lens has an impressive focal range, but can still tackle close-ups.

Who’s who in this issue?

Claire Barrett Publisher

Nina Bailey Technical Editor & EOS Training Academy tutor

Robert Scott Consultant Editor

PO Ben Shread & Flt Lt James Langan Military photographers

Ollie Taylor Nightscape, landscape and travel photographer

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World of EOS news • information • images

© MARK BENHAM/ PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2016

Latest Canon imaging products

PIXMA TS5050

What’s new in the Canon line-up?

PowerShot PX

Canon has announced a new branch of the EOS family tree – the EOS VR system. This new virtual reality (VR) imaging platform builds on the capabilities of Canon’s RF lens mount, around which the EOS R system has been built. As part of this announcement, Canon has launched its first interchangeable VR lens – the RF 5.2mm f2.8L Dual Fisheye, designed to simplify the set-up and capture of 180° VR video and stills.

To put you in the picture, earlier stereoscopic cameras have used two cameras with two sensors and two lenses, which causes problems when it comes to synchronising the two separately captured images. This is where the new lens is so clever. The image captured by each of the two lenses is aligned onto a single sensor, which means that image quality and exposure are consistent. Furthermore, two precisely dual-synchronised Electromagnetic Diaphragm (EMD) units control the aperture for each lens, maintaining a consistent exposure and reducing the amount of work and expertise required in post-production. Similarly, both lenses, which are manual focus, are controlled using a single focus ring.

The RF 5.2mm f2.8L Dual Fisheye utilises two ultra-dispersive elements per lens, helping to produce sharp clear images from edge-to-edge. It also features sub-wavelength coating to help suppress ghosting and flare, problems which are commonly associated with VR imaging.

Considering it is made up of two L-series lenses, the RF 5.2mm f2.8L Dual Fisheye lens is surprisingly compact and lightweight. The lens can be used with third-party gelatin ND filters, useful when the shutter speed needs controlling in bright conditions.

The new lens is currently compatible only with the EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless camera (via a firmware update, to be released in due course).

The EOS VR system also includes the release of new Canon VR software.

The image conversion process from a dual circular fisheye image to a more recognisable side-by-side equirectangular 180° format used in VR is complicated and time-consuming, but the EOS VR Utility software and EOS VR Plug-in for Adobe Premiere Pro will streamline the post-production process.

So, Canon’s new VR system simplifies the whole process of stereoscopic 180° VR capture and post-production, opening up the possibilities of who uses this new technology, and how.

The release date of the RF 5.2mm f2.8L Dual Fisheye lens is to be confirmed, but it is priced at £2,099.99 / €2,399.99 (RRP). For further information, visit bit.ly/3wAvUIn

Canon has officially launched its first smart camera – the PowerShot PX – which automatically captures 11.7MP images and 60p Full HD video.

It was announced as a concept camera in 2018, then available on limited release via Japanese crowdfunding platform Makuake, where it was known as the PowerShot PICK (April-June 2021 issue, page 10).

The clever little camera is programmed to look for faces – and even to prioritise particular people. Place it anywhere around the home to take candid shots of everyday moments, while voice command allows complete hands-free control – ideal when you want to capture life’s precious moments, but also want to be in them!

It can also double as a webcam, using the PC webcam Utility app.

The PowerShot PX is available from November 2021, priced £449.99 / €499.99 (RRP). Further information at bit.ly/3CXdtiE

CANON

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CANON

The EOS VR system

Canon Zoemini S2 The Canon Zoemini S2 – an evolution from its predecessor the Canon Zoemini S – is Canon’s latest instant camera printer, allowing you to shoot, customise and print on the go. Stylish selfies can be snapped with the in-built mirror and ring-light, while the new Effects and Frames buttons add vintage style filters and borders.

You can flick between portrait, outdoor or selfie mode, and then print in different formats on up to 10 sheets of sticky-backed Zink™ Photo Paper. If you forget to refill the paper tray before setting out on an adventure, you can still snap away and save images onto the MicroSD card for printing later, with time information automatically added once synchronised with a smartphone. canon.co.uk/cameras/zoemini-s2 Available in the UK & Ireland from midOctober 2021, priced £159.99 / €179.99 (RRP).

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WORLD OF EOS Cinema EOS

Canon Winter cashback

10th anniversary

Pick up some savings off Canon cameras If you are thinking of switching your EOS DSLR for a mirrorless model, Canon’s latest promotion could interest you. It includes up to £225 cashback on a variety of EOS cameras, including three R-series models, purchased between 3 November 2021 and 4 January 2022 from the Canon store or participating retailers. Your claim must be submitted by 4 February 2022.

For a list of products included in the cashback promotion, and full terms and conditions, visit bit.ly/3wzQWGQ

Camera EOS R5 EOS R6 EOS R EOS 6D Mark II EOS 90D

Cashback £225 £225 £80 £70 £55

Astronomy Photographer of the Year Drama unfolds under the gaze of the moon Dario Giannobile was runner-up in the Skyscapes category of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year with his image of moon over Mount Etna South-East Crater, taken in Milo, Sicily, Italy.

Dario used an EOS 6D with a Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG DN OS lens at 347mm f5.6. The foreground was a 5 second exposure at ISO 800, while the moon was a 1/125 second exposure at ISO 100.

“In February 2021, Etna showed intense volcanic activity spewing ash columns and lava fountains more than 500m high. These were mostly located near the new southeast crater which poured numerous lava flows into the Bove Valley,” Dario recalls.

“They were short in duration, but accompanied by intense activity that fractured the structure of the crater from which the flows poured. On 25 February, Mount Etna again showed intense activity and I placed myself at the Piano Bello refuge, calculating the exact position so that the moon would set near the crater, aligning itself just above.”

Astronomy Photographer of the Year is run by Royal Observatory Greenwich in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. The competition received over 4,500 entries from 75 countries. The best of these exceptional photographs will be exhibited at the National Maritime Museum until 7 August 2022, and are published in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Collection 10, priced £25.00.

For more information and winning images, visit www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto

Following the popularity of the pioneering EOS 5D Mark II DSLR in the movie industry, Canon’s Cinema EOS system, launched in November 2011, was designed to deliver a superb cinematic image and give filmmakers much more creative freedom.

The first Cinema EOS camera did precisely that. The Canon EOS C300’s compact, modular construction made it easy to integrate into a diverse range of productions. It was packed with features, including a host of Canon video technology, including an 8.3MP Super 35mm CMOS sensor designed specifically for video capture, and Canon Log Gamma for a more flexible workflow.

A range of dedicated CN-E cinema lenses were launched to support the new system.

The Cinema EOS System has evolved considerably over the decade since its launch. The latest addition to the range is the Canon EOS C70, the first dedicated video camera to have a native RF mount – the same as Canon’s full-frame mirrorless EOS R System cameras.

During this time Canon’s Cinema EOS cameras have been used to film everything from niche documentaries (such as those shot by campaigner Alice Aedy, below) to globally renowned feature films.

ALICE AEDY

© DARIO GIANNOBILE / ASTRONOMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021

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EOS PROJECT Evacuation from Kabul

Flight from Kabul Petty Officer Ben Shread and Flight Lieutenant James Langan make up the Combat Camera Team deployed to record the evacuation from Kabul.

About us Award-winning photographer Petty Officer Ben Shread (left) and Flight Lieutenant James Langan (right) were deployed to Operation Pitting in Afghanistan from the Joint Information Action Group (JIAG) as part of the tri-service Combat Camera Team to tell stories of life on the ground during the evacuation of Kabul. The two-man team was responsible for the production of images, videos and press releases.

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What particular challenges were you faced with on your deployment to Afghanistan?

Petty Officer Photographer Ben Shread: The challenges of working in such a testing environment are manifold. You have the obvious ones like heat and dust, but there are other considerations like the size and weight of your equipment. We were in full body armour with weapons systems for most of the operation, so any excessive kit can effect your mobility, which is key in a highly dynamic environment.

Flight Lieutenant James Langan: Usually for a deployment, a Combat Camera Team (CCT) – along with all other troops arriving in theatre – undergo a two-week acclimatisation package in order to adjust to the heat and altitude. Due to the extemporaneous nature of the deployment

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and the precipitating security situation we deployed on three hours’ notice and immediately began work without any acclimatisation training.

The additional weight of the imaging equipment we carried, combined with the 37°C heat and lack of sleep, meant we endured a very challenging period.

We carried a photography bag with a spare camera, spare batteries and multiple lenses with us at all times on top of our body armour and weapons. This ensured we had the necessary equipment to react to opportunistic content capture wherever we were, in any situation.

We carried bespoke cleaning cloths to wipe down our equipment daily as the air was thick with dust.

What cameras and lenses do you use and why. Which is your go-to lens?

BS: For this operation I deployed with my trusty EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS 5D Mark IV as back-up.

I predominantly used an EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6L IS USM lens. It has a great focal range, and it is worth sacrificing a few stops of light for the versatility that it provides. You don’t want to be changing lenses on an airfield pan with an array of military aircraft taking off and landing all around you. I did also take the EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM lens and the EF 11-24mm f4L USM lens as part of my kit.

In the military we all use Canon gear and you

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Opposite page British Forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade have arrived in the Afghan capital of Kabul to assist in evacuating British nationals and entitled persons as part of Operation Pitting amid the worsening security situation. EOS-1D X Mark II, EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 150mm, 1/160 second at f5.6, ISO 1600.

Top left British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan being relocated to the UK. EOS-1D X Mark II, EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 28mm, 1/60 second at f14, ISO 100.

Above left A member of the UK Armed Forces offers drinking water to an Afghan child. EOS-1D X Mark II, EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 50mm, 1/500 second at f4.5, ISO 2000.

Right An RAF C-17 aircraft at Kabul Airport, with a record-breaking 438 passengers. EOS-1D X Mark II, EF 11-24mm f4L USM lens at 11mm, 1/80 second at f4, ISO 3200.

In some images faces have been blurred in order to protect the subjects’ identities.

Background A Combat Camera Team (CCT) is a standing commitment supplied by Joint Information Action Group (JIAG), an instructional unit which trains the Army, Navy and RAF personnel how to conduct media training and content capture.

“We are unique as we are Joint Forces, so that’s why there was an RAF Officer and Naval Photographer deploying on Operation Pitting.

CCTs are held at high levels of readiness. They are able to deploy anywhere in the world and create all types of media content – stills, video and press releases – for global transmission.” BS

will hear no complaints from me. The versatility of the cameras is amazing – great stills and professional-looking video. We received a lot of compliments on our footage from Sky News and the BBC, and it was all shot with the EOS-1D X Mark II. What limitations do you have with regard to the amount of gear you can take on deployment?

JL: CCTs are allowed up to 30kg additional weight to deploy into an operational theatre to account

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CAMERA FEATURE Creative Assist

Creative Assist The simplest way to use an EOS camera is by setting the Full Auto or Auto+ shooting mode. Now, Canon has added Creative Assist. This increases your control and creativity over the images without the need to move away from the Auto+ setting.

The Creative Assist option Cameras with has changed the way we Creative Assist think about the Auto+ EOS 90D mode. It now offers a EOS 250D greater degree of control EOS 850D over the image than EOS M6 Mark II provided by many of the EOS M50 SCN or Special Scene EOS M50 Mark II modes.

EOS RP Creative Assist first appeared on the EOS 6D Mark II in 2017. It replaces the ‘Shoot by ambience’ and ‘Shoot by lighting’ or scene type options in the Creative Auto mode, as well as many of the PIC or SCN type modes on pre-2018 models.

All the models that offer Creative Assist (see above) have touch controls. This is by far the easiest way to use the feature – you simply tap on the item that you require.

The method of accessing Creative Assist varies depending on the camera. With the EOS 90D, for example, set the shooting mode to A+ and press the ‘Q’ button on the back of the camera.

When you first enter Creative Assist, along the bottom of the screen are the controls available to you. There are actually more than is shown on the main screen (right top) as you can scroll to the right to find the other options.

When you first access Creative Assist in Live View you will see on-screen prompts. These can be hidden by pressing the OK prompt on-screen, or the INFO button, if you do not want to see them again.

A brief history of fully automatic shooting modes Auto shooting modes are worth getting to know: The Full Auto setting, identified by a green square on the dial of many EOS cameras (left), is often called the ‘point-and-shoot’ mode. This is a good description. It makes most of the camera settings automatically, leaving you free to concentrate on the subject.

The Creative Auto (CA) mode (left) was introduced with the EOS 50D in 2008. This setting goes a step beyond Full Auto, allowing you to make a range of adjustments while still in the automatic mode and without the need to know the meaning of technical terms.

In CA mode, the camera menu on the back of the camera spells out options in simple language – you can ‘blur the background’ and ‘lighten or darken the image’. You can also adjust flash settings, set the drive mode and select a Picture Style. These easy-to-understand image options help beginners improve their images as they learn new techniques.

CA

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+ A

The ‘green square’ shooting mode received an update in 2011 with the EOS 600D and later cameras. These use ‘EOS Scene Detection Technology’ to analyse brightness, subject movement, contrast and distance. It also detects the presence of faces within the scene. Full Auto mode is now called Scene Intelligent Auto and is represented with an A+ in the green square (above).

The information provided by Scene Intelligent Auto mode is used to calculate the best shooting settings. For example, in green square mode, the camera always sets the Standard Picture Style, but in A+ mode, if the camera detects a face in the frame it will switch to Portrait Picture Style to give more natural skin tones. You can select JPEG or RAW image quality.

You can also choose the drive mode, including continuous and self-timer. A+ mode is still a ‘point-and-shoot’ option, though with a few choices available for the more adventurous newcomer to photography.

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Navigating the presets The first item in the Creative Assist menu gives a series of presets which allow you to change the look or style of the image. There are 12 options available if you include the first preset (not shown) which does not apply any change.

The name of each preset is a fairly accurate description of the effect. The colour, contrast, and even the brightness of the image, is adjusted as part of the preset.

VIVID

SOFT

Fashionable styles Most photographers develop a particular photographic style and it is especially fashionable at the moment. On social media platforms such as Instagram you can apply an effect to an image when you’re about to upload it. Creative Assist allows you to adjust the image in the same way in-camera or, if shooting in RAW format, you can do so in the processing stage of the playback option (see page 27).

There is no option within Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software that allows you to replicate these effects – they have to be done either at the time of shooting or processed from a RAW image in-camera.

The effect in use is denoted by an orange line below it in the thumbnails along the bottom of the screen. It is unlikely that you will find all of these presets useful, but it costs nothing to experiment and you might discover one you really like.

WARM

COOL

GREEN

SHINE

LIME

PEACH

B&W

BLUE

PURPLE

Presets are one of the Creative Assist options that photographers will either love or hate.

However, for those who do not own a computer or struggle to use the post-production options, presets make it easy to achieve these effects.

Lens choice

Background blur The background blur option allows you to influence how sharp or blurred the background of your image appears. When you first go into the background blur option the setting is on automatic and the camera is controlling the aperture.

Although the background blur control is a nice idea, you might find that it does not make a huge difference to your images. You can increase the amount that appears sharp, but you will struggle to achieve greater background blur. This is because most of the time the camera keeps the aperture at its widest setting, giving minimum depth-offield. So you might be disappointed as you are already shooting at the widest aperture. The camera will only set a smaller aperture in auto when the light is very bright.

That said, if you are using very wide aperture lenses, such as f1.4 or f1.8, then you may see an increase in the background blur. Also, increasing the distance between the main subject and the

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background will increase background blur, as will using a telephoto lens (see right).

If you want a greater degree of sharpness in the background then the background blur control could have a more significant effect.

Moving to the + setting sets a smaller aperture, giving more depth-of-field and a sharper background.

The background blur option is a good starting point, but you will be able to achieve a greater degree of background blur if you can use a lens with a long focal length.

Wide-angle lenses are ideal if you want everything in the image to appear sharp, while telephoto lenses are best if you want to achieve significant background blur. You will get better results by considering your lens use and, if possible, choosing one that produces the effect you require For example, shooting a fulllength portrait with a wide-angle lens will produce a fairly sharp background – and using the background blur control is unlikely to make much difference.

However, shooting with a standard or telephoto lens and restricting the portrait to head-and-shoulders framing will give you a good amount of background blur without needing to use the background blur control.

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RUNNING HEAD Running head light

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Nightscapes Ollie Taylor became hooked on landscape astrophotography after an extended trip to Iceland. While the preparation, technique and postproduction can become complex, it is possible to shoot nightscapes using any EOS camera. Ollie shares his photo tips and techniques.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS: OLLIE TAYLOR

When starting out in landscape astrophotography the first subject photographers learn to photograph is usually the galactic core at the centre of the Milky Way. The galactic core is the prominent area seen on most images of the Milky Way, with glowing gas clouds and dark channels down the centre.

EOS cameras can be used to photograph this part of our galaxy, producing images with a fair amount of detail, without the need for specialist equipment other than a tripod. This makes the galactic core one of the easier subjects for anyone just starting out in nightscape photography.

The Milky Way The Milky Way can be photographed year-round.

There is a misconception that it can only be seen from spring to autumn, but this refers to the galactic core, which is visible when looking towards the centre of our galaxy. For a few months during winter, the galactic core cannot be seen from the Northern Hemisphere, and the Milky Way is less vibrant. Milky Way photography in winter is often enhanced by shooting with the use of a star tracker to capture more detail.

The Cygnus region is another area of the Milky Way that can be seen from our galaxy. It is one of the most recognisable constellations of the Northern Hemisphere in summer and autumn, and home to the Elephant's Trunk Nebula and North America Nebula, which can all add impact to an image.

Constellations make excellent subjects when photographed at either short or longer focal lengths. Orion is an excellent starting point and a perfect constellation to include within a nightscape image as it is large, with many bright stars, and is visible globally. The Andromeda Galaxy – the most distant object visible with the naked eye – is another definitive feature in the night sky.

Experienced nightscapers Seasoned nightscapers are always on the hunt for something more unusual to complement their night sky imagery, such as planets and one-off occurrences, planned out with the aid of software, night sky apps and space weather information. The Southern Hemisphere is also blessed with Magellanic Clouds (dwarf galaxies that orbit our galaxy), which can be captured within the bounds of high ISO photography.

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Barnard’s Loop and Orion setting in the early April evening over Ardessie Falls, Wester Ross, Scotland. EOS Ra, EF 40mm f2.8 STM f2.8 lens. Sky: 180 seconds at f2.8, ISO 800. Foreground: 240 seconds at f2.8, ISO 800. Multiple tracked and stacked images; blended in Photoshop, stacked in Sequator and stitched in PTGui. Star trails, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. EOS 6D, Samyang 14mm AS f2.8 lens, 30 second exposures taken at 34 second intervals over 5 hours using an intervelometer, ISO 400. Blended in Photoshop.

About Ollie Dorset-based Ollie Taylor is an award-winning nightscape (landscape astrophotography), landscape and travel photographer.

He leads nightscape workshops in various locations around the UK and Europe. www.ollietaylorphotography.com

EOS magazine January-March 2022 | 31 EOS magazine January-March 2022 preview | 13

ACCESSORIES Close-up flash

Flash close-ups

With ever-increasing ISO values, shooting with available light is now easier than ever, so you might wonder if you still need a flashgun. However, one area where flash remains invaluable is close-up photography, for which Canon offers special Macro Ring and Twin Lites.

RYAN JOHNSON

Long exposures with existing light and a static subject might be feasible indoors, but once you start to shoot insects, which rarely stay still for more than a moment, or move outside where you have to contend with flowers that are blowing around in the breeze, a different solution is needed.

Flash is the answer. It allows you to control the direction of the light and the brief duration will ‘freeze’ movement of both camera and subject.

You can use a camera’s built-in flash or a Speedlite (see page 49) with a close-focusing lens, but a Canon Macro Ring or Twin Lite and a macro lens will give the best results for very small subjects.

When you take a photograph using flash, the exposure of the main subject is determined by the ISO setting, aperture and flash intensity.

The shutter speed has no effect on the light from the flash, which has a very brief duration.

However, it does affect the contribution of any other available light source, such as daylight.

Without this ambient light, the relatively low

power of close-up flash and the short distance between the camera and the subject will often result in a black background, even though detail is clearly visible to your eyes.

Shooting modes for Macro Lites

One of three shooting modes is recommended.

P (program) mode provides fully automatic flash photography.

Av (aperture-priority) mode allows you to select an aperture to control depth-of-field. The shutter speed will be set automatically.

M (manual) mode allows you to select both aperture and shutter speed.

Autoflash exposure is provided with Av and M.

14 || EOS EOSmagazine magazine January-March 2022 preview 44 January-March 2022

This ladybird was photographed outdoors under mixed light. It is lit almost entirely by a Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, but the background is natural light from a blue sky. The aperture and ISO values were adjusted in manual (M) shooting mode to provide a suitable exposure for the sky. EOS 6D, MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro lens, 1/125 second at f8, ISO 800.

Tv mode

Shooting in Tv (shutterpriority) mode is not recommended as this allows the camera to set the aperture, altering the depth-of-field. It is much better to set the aperture in Av or M mode so that you are in control of the depth-of-field.

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Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX The Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX is a flexible closeup flash system. The two separate mini flash units can be rotated to any position around the lens. Each flash head can also rotate about its own axis, as well as tilting towards or away from the front of the lens. They can even be removed from their holder and mounted off-camera. Both flash heads are fitted with their own focusing light, which helps you position them at just the right angle. Full control is provided over the lighting ratio from the two flash heads to enable subtle control of contrast.

The MT-24EX acts as a wireless transmitter with compatible Speedlites. Aiming one or more Speedlites at a studio background allows full control over the background illumination for your close-up photographs.

The twin flash heads can be rotated and tilted independently. Here, one head is at the 12 o’clock position for overhead illumination while the second head is at 3 o’clock for side lighting.

Although the brief duration of a flash (less than 1/1000 second) can ‘freeze’ the movement of an insect, their continual motion can make it difficult to focus on the eyes. You could be lucky enough to encounter a somnolent subject, but if not you might have to take a lot of photographs to get one in perfect focus.

Some photographers catch an insect, put it in a jar with a lid and place it in a fridge for a short time. This slows down the metabolism and allows the insect to be returned to its environment for photography. However, wildlife groups frown on this procedure, even though the insect appears not to come to any harm.

An ethical alternative is to take advantage of nature and shoot in the hour after sunrise when it might still be cool and insects are less active than later in the day.

Or you can search for subjects engaged in other activities, such as feeding, giving you time to focus and shoot. One advantage of the macro flash units featured here is that they are relatively light and can be used with a handheld camera.

You can roam around a habitat without being encumbered by a tripod.

Autofocusing Autofocus can be effective, especially if you use a single active AF point positioned over the subject.

However, some photographers prefer to focus manually at around the required distance and then move gently back and forth to bring the subject into sharp focus.

Much of the time the autoexposure system of the flash unit will give good results at these close distances. The advantage of digital cameras is that they show you the resulting image within seconds of you pressing the shutter button. If the result in

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CHRIS MATTISON

Freezing the subject

This bee was busy collecting pollen and ignored the Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX and camera only inches away. The side view places the insect within the narrow depth-of-field. EOS 5D Mark III, EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM lens, 1/200 second at f16, ISO 200.

not what you want, flash exposure compensation can be applied to adjust the result. You can also use camera exposure compensation to alter any ambient light exposure.

The rear of the control unit offers a range of options, including: LCD panel illumination and Custom Function setting Flash mode button High-speed sync and shutter curtain sync buttons Flash compensation button Channel button Flash ratio/flash head selection Power switch (OFF/ON/SAVE ENERGY) Flash exposure confirmation lamp Pilot lamp/test firing button

Mixed lighting

The image of the bee (above) has a black background. In contrast to the image of the ladybird (opposite), where the blue background is the natural light from the sky. You can experiment with this in your own close-up images if there is adequate ambient light. Make one exposure with the shutter at its maximum sync speed (usually 1/200 or 1/250 second). Make a second exposure with a much slower shutter speed (try 1/2 second). The flash exposure will remain the same, but there will be more background detail in the second image.

EOS magazine January-March 2022 | 45 EOS magazine January-March 2022 preview | 15

CAMERA FUNCTION Focusing

Initial AF point is a camera function that allows you to control the starting position for the autofocus when you are photographing moving subjects.

It is not a new function, but its use has changed over recent years.

Have you ever been frustrated when your camera automatically focuses on a subject other than the one you wanted to photograph? The Initial AF point function could help avoid this by enabling you to instruct your camera which subject you would like it to focus on and track.

The Initial AF point function first appeared on the EOS 7D Mark II in 2014, at which point advanced cameras had the necessary degree of built-in intelligence.

Initial AF point options are set independently to the rest of the focusing set-up. The only aspect of the autofocus (AF) system that the Initial AF point function controls is the point where the camera starts focusing. After this, any built-in intelligence is still active once the initial focus has been achieved.

Initial AF point is found on both DSLR and

The Face detection+tracking AF system was struggling on this occasion, perhaps because the rider’s face was too side-on for the camera to detect it. Switching the Subject to detect from People to No priority and then using Initial AF point to start the focusing on the bike enabled the camera to focus on, and then track, the bike. EOS R5, EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens at 280mm, 1/250 second at f11, ISO 200.

16 | EOS EOSmagazine magazine January-March 2022 preview 38 January-March 2022

mirrorless models, but it is set slightly differently as the AF modes are not the same.

It is important to appreciate that Initial AF point only works when all the camera’s AF points are active – in other words, when using the camera’s largest AF area. On DSLR models, all AF points are active in the Auto selection mode, while mirrorless models need to be set to Face detection+tracking.

Another prerequisite is that the focusing is set to AI Servo AF (DSLR models) or Servo AF (mirrorless). If you are using any other focusing area/method, or if you using One-Shot AF, then Initial AF point will not operate.

If you are new to photography, Initial AF point is best left alone until you are familiar with how your camera works. For this reason Initial AF point is not found on entry-level models.

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ALL PHOTOGRAPHS: NINA BAILEY

Initial AF point

How Initial AF point works DSLR models

Viewfinder display

The Initial AF point AI Servo AF function is only available on models which have iTR AF – that is, those launched in 2014 or later. It is located in the AF menu – if the camera has one – or in the Custom Function AF menu, if not.

Initial AF point can only be used when the camera is set to Auto selection focusing mode and AI Servo AF, which you can only do when using the viewfinder. Live View mode uses a different focusing system, which is not compatible with the Initial AF point function.

The default operation when using Auto selection focusing with AI Servo AF is for all of the AF points to start up initially. The camera will search for the subject and decide where to start focusing automatically. For many subjects this procedure works very well. The system can detect faces and colours within the scene, which helps it to decide what to focus on initially, and then maintain focus on it.

However, in certain situations the camera may not start focusing where you want it to. For example, when there are two subjects it may focus on the wrong one – and this is where Initial AF point comes in. It allows you to take more control over where the camera starts focusing.

Once the camera has started focusing, normal operation of the Auto selection focusing resumes, allowing the camera to track the subject around all the focusing points contained within the AF area. It will use the iTR AF system to help it maintain focus on the subject it was initially asked to focus on.

There is a significant difference in how the focusing area displays in the viewfinder, depending on whether Initial AF point is activated or not:

When Initial AF point option is turned off Auto selection appears as a frame. When the camera starts focusing the active AF points achieving focus are displayed.

When Initial AF point is turned on The display changes to show the available AF points. The AF point used to start the autofocus is highlighted. This can be moved to any of the AF point positions indicated within the frame. Once the camera has focused, it reverts to showing just the frame with the active AF points that are achieving focus.

Mirrorless models The Initial AF point option is found on all R-series models, but the focusing system on the M-series mirrorless models is not sufficiently sophisticated, so they do not have this feature.

On most R-series models Initial AF point is found in the AF menu, with the exception of the EOS RP where it is located in the AF section of Custom Function menu.

The R-series models have an AF mode called Face detection+tracking. This uses almost the entire sensor area when focusing and can recognise human faces, which makes using all the AF points very reliable for most subjects. If a face is filling a reasonable amount of the frame, focusing is further enhanced by Eye detection.

In 2020, the introduction of Subject to detect feature allows you to configure the camera to detect either animals or people with the EOS R5 and R6 models. Vehicle detection option has been added to the recently-launched EOS R3.

The Face detection+tracking AF system of the

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mirrorless models is widely used and the option to take more control in certain circumstances has become increasingly important. As a result, the Initial AF point function has become more useful, especially where there is more than one subject within the frame.

The Initial AF point Servo AF allows you to instruct the camera which subject you want it to focus on by moving the AF point around the frame and placing it over the subject. Once the initial focusing has been achieved, the camera reverts to using Face detection+tracking along with other Subject to detect configurations that have already been set up. The camera will then continue to track and maintain focus on the subject, even if it moves around the image area.

If the subject is not suitable for any of the Subject to detect options, you can disable subject detection and use Initial AF point to identify the subject to the camera, which then tracks the subject based on its colour.

When photographing vintage racing cars, the camera struggled to detect faces when the Subject to detect option was set to People. Instead, Subject to detect was set to No Priority and Initial AF point was switched on. The initial point was set so that the camera focused on a red part of the car close to the windscreen. An aperture of f11 meant there was sufficient depth-of-field for both the front and middle part of the car to appear sharp. The high shutter speed froze the water thrown up from the wet road. EOS R5, RF 800mm f11 IS STM lens, 1/2000 second at f11, ISO 2500.

EOS magazine January-March 2022 preview 17 EOS magazine January-March 2022 | |39

FIRST-HAND

NEW FOCUS ALL PHOTOGRAPHS: PETER LAU

Life-changing events led Peter Lau to embrace a new hobby. He charts his progress and passes on useful tips to anyone who is starting out in photography.

NICK BAYLISS

Peter uses an electric battery-powered front wheelchair attachment, called a Batec Scrambler.

“This ground-breaking piece of equipment turns my existing standard manual wheelchair into a power trike, affording me reasonable off-road capability and a huge level of independence,” he explains. “I am often out with my assistance dog Merlin for several miles and take several kilos of camera gear with me.”

I have more success if I find a habitat that is attractive for a target species. This stonechat rewarded me with several minutes of song. EOS 6D Mark II, Sigma 150600mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens at 600mm, 1/1000 second at f6.3, ISO 640.

Kingfisher on an island in a park in Leeds. EOS 6D Mark II, Sigma 150600mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens at 600mm, 1/125 second at f6.3, ISO 1600.

18 || EOS magazineJanuary-March July-September 2021 preview 56 EOS magazine 2022

Many people discover photography as a hobby. I dabbled in it a little, but not as a serious pastime, instead concentrating on other activities, which included walking, swimming, kayaking, running, snowboarding, motorcycling, mountain biking, and – my main passion – scuba diving, particularly underwater videography and wreck exploration.

I pursued all these hobbies between my work commitments as a senior fire officer in the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service – a career I held and enjoyed for 25 years.

My beloved fire service career and all my hobbies were lost to me when I had a serious mountain bike crash in April 2014, hitting a car at almost 50mph. After a long spell in hospital, I was discharged and set about relearning how to live completely paralysed from the chest level down. Dependant on a wheelchair for mobility and having to relearn so many things I had taken for granted, I suffered from depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intense neuropathic pain day and night. Life seemed worthless and meaningless. However, I remain immensely thankful that my new physical state includes the full use of my head, hands, arms and all my senses.

It was my amazing wife Deb who bought me my camera – the EOS 6D Mark II with an EF 50mm f1.8 STM lens – to lift my spirits and perhaps give me a new pastime. She knew that I would soon be absorbed by it. She also knew that photography would open up a new world for me, leading me to research and develop new skills.

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EOS magazine January-March 2022 preview | 19

ADVICE Your EOS questions answered

Ask the

EOS experts

Camera feature Auto power off When I use Live View by pressing the start/stop button on my EOS 80D, it automatically switches off after 1 minute. Why does it do this, and is it possible to make it stay on for longer? Steve Greatorex

Q

Robert says: To save battery power, your camera turns off automatically after a set period of idle operation. The default setting is 1 minute, but you can extend this up to 30 minutes, or even disable the

Feedback

Batteries Battery compatibility Can you use the old LP-E6 and LP-E6N batteries in the EOS R5 and R6 cameras? And can you use the new LP-E6NH batteries in the earlier models that were supplied with LP-E6 and LP-E6N batteries? Des Walsh

Q

LP-E6NH

LP-E6 LP-E6N

Does the age of the battery matter? It depends on how much you have used your camera, but even rechargeable batteries do not last forever – their lifespan is quoted at around 500 charges.

This means that an older battery might be getting towards the end of its life and should be replaced anyway. You can check the battery’s condition in the battery performance option (in the yellow set-up menu on most models).

The new LP-6NH batteries are also backwardly compatible. This means they can be used in earlier cameras that were supplied with the LP-E6 and LP-E6N batteries.

The new battery can also be charged on the original charger, which has not been altered. So there is no compatibility problem if you want to replace an original battery that has reached the end of its life and spend extra on a new high capacity LP-E6NH battery, which will last significantly longer than the previous ones.

70 January-March 2022 20 || EOS EOSmagazine magazine January-March 2022 preview

It was pleasant to read about Nina’s panorama technique (July-September issue) and it took me back to 2009 when I had my only go at shooting one. Living just south of Aberdeen, I photographed the local harbour. I used an EOS 40D and 50mm lens on a tripod with a Manfrotto 410 head to control the constant change of angle to advance by. I took six photos to cover 120°. I used Canon PhotoStitch software and the final merge was 44Mb. Nina never mentioned printing her panoramas. I had been lucky to find XIC in Aberdeen (xic.com), which could print a panorama to any length, but if it was 25cm wide they could print four copies on the roll (four for the price of one!). I’ve attached a picture of my wife and son holding the panorama, which is 150 x 25cm. Myrddin Jones Nina says: I’ve recently had my panorama of Cromer seafront – a merge of 28 images – printed

by My Picture (www.my-picture.co.uk). It was more rectangular than many panoramas. For very long thin panoramas you can choose the most appropriate width and trim off the white surround or go to a more specialist printer. I have used Photobox (photobox.co.uk), but the choice of shapes and sizes is more limited and I felt the colours were not quite as good. However, many printers do panorama sizes, or if you want to print it yourself you can buy panoramic paper and set it up as a custom size in the print drive.

MYRDDIN JONES

Nina says: Let’s start with the first part of your question. The two full-frame mirrorless models are both supplied with a new LP-E6NH battery, which has a significantly higher capacity (2130 mAh 16 Wh) than the LP-E6N (1865 mAh 14 Wh) and the LP-E6 battery (1800 mAh 13 Wh) of earlier models.

The main difference between the batteries is simply the higher capacity and this has been achieved through technological gains, without the need to increase the battery size. This means all three of the above batteries are compatible with the new models and can be charged using the supplied charger.

However, the LP-E6 battery first appeared with the EOS 5D Mark II in September 2008, while the LP-E6N first came onto the scene with the EOS 7D Mark II in October 2014, so if using an old model, you could be using a battery that is between 7-13 years old.

feature. Go to tab 2 of the yellow set-up menu and select Auto power off (above).

After the power turns off, pressing the shutter button or any other button will turn the camera on again almost instantly.

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EOS CHAT

Forum www.eos-magazine-forum.com

Statistics (at 26 November 2021) Members 11,424 (+33) Threads 50,554 (+283) Posts 480,975 (+7557) Most popular forum Birds (Figures in brackets show increases since 10 September 2021)

We take a look at the current topics of discussion on the EOS magazine forum ALAN MOSS

With over 1000 posts, SpringfieldPhoto (Alan Moss) is an active forum member. His regular camera is the EOS 5D Mark IV, but he has recently bought a mirrorless model and took the time to post an extensive review, some of which is published here: “As many regulars will know, I do much of my photography in my studio, so today I took the plunge and did a shoot almost entirely with the EOS R6. It was a complex shoot involving several different lighting techniques and a lot of different camera setups. In total I took 779 pictures, so I really gave the beast a good thrashing. What do I think after my marathon shoot?

1 Image quality – No problems here at all. The images were sharp, dynamic range was good and noise levels were excellent, even when pushed beyond ISO 12,800.

2 Handling – I like the control layout and find the three wheels very easy to operate. The vari-angle screen allowed me to take several shots that would have been much more difficult with my EOS 5D IV. However there are some bad points: 1 The EVF (electronic viewfinder) is awful in the studio as all the colours looked weird. This is because the camera’s white

74 | EOS magazine January-March 2022 22 | EOS magazine January-March 2022 preview

balance is set for my studio flash (5600K), but the only light while setting up the shots are tungsten modelling lights. The model looked like ‘Tango man’ in the EVF. Image preview has to be turned off as the camera is operating in full manual mode and has no communication with the flash. TTL flash wouldn’t overcome this as creative studio photography involves making value judgments of the setting for lights and the camera.

2 It is far too easy to accidentally move the focus point.

3 Finally, the hot shoe is lower than on the DSLRs, which means that in portrait mode my nose is pressed against the radio trigger, which is rather uncomfortable.

Overall, I enjoyed using the camera and the results were very good. The positives far outweigh the negatives. Will I be rushing out to sell my EOS 5D IV camera? Not a chance. Am I pleased with my R6? Yes, very pleased. Am I off to buy loads of RF lenses? No. For the present I get the quality I want from the EF lenses I already own and the handling of the R6 with these lenses attached via an adapter is absolutely fine.”

When SpringfieldPhoto commented that he was having problems moving the focus area when using the viewfinder, finding the multi-controller a bit too sensitive, lunarbo posted a helpful solution: “In the Menu, AF, number 5. You can adjust the sensitivity from centre (0) to left (-1), which makes the focus point move slower and smaller. Much better in my opinion.”

SpringfieldPhoto and @imagesBV both took lunarbo’s advice, making the necessary tweak, and were delighted with the improved handling. Thanks all round to lunarbo. If that’s not a reason to join the forum, then what is?

About a month later, SpringfieldPhoto posted some final thoughts, having also borrowed an EOS R5 for two days: “EOS R6: 9 out of 10. I still hate the EVF. EOS R5: 8 out of 10. Too expensive with more pixels than are necessary, and the EVF is horrible.

EOS 5D Mark IV: 10 out of 10. That was my score when I first got one and I still say that overall it is a nicer camera to use and provides excellent results.

“The R6 is a very good camera, and well worth buying.

My views on the EVF are personal and related to the type of photography that I do.”

If you would like to read SpringfieldPhoto’s full review, simply log into the forum.

I have got the EOS R6 set up to suit my way of working. I don’t find the exposure simulation useful for much of my photography – too many years of not having it and often using the camera in a studio make it unnecessary, but I can see that others might find it useful. EOS R6, Sigma 50mm f1.4 DG HSM Art lens, 1/100 second at f13, ISO 100.

Sign up There are currently over 11,000 photographers registered to use the EOS magazine Forum. Some are avid members of the community, while others may have signed up simply to post a query or picture, or to sell through our classified advert service. Visit the community at www.eos-magazine-forum.com It is free to join.

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