free video disc
free photo show guide Issue 110 • March 2016
new canon techniques
learn to love
lightS Brighten up your photography with our simple flashgun and studio light setups
nature calls Learn to use a super-telephoto lens to shoot animals in the wild canon school
the raw advantage Take total control of your image quality
super test
budget lenses Primes to telephotos all less than £200
new pro tips
1
Millions of words are written about rugby events, but there’s something special about a still photograph Dave Rogers – Canon sports photographer
dirty tricks How a top Canon pro takes great bike shots in the mud march 2016
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The path to Enlightenment
PhotoPlus editor Peter Travers shows you how simple it can be to use flashguns and studio lights to brighten up your photography on page 30
Our Guarantee
Welcome
T Peter Travers Editor
• We’re the only photo magazine in the newsagent that’s 100% dedicated to Canon EOS DSLR OWNERs so we’re 100% relevant to your needs.
he idea of using off-camera flashguns to light a subject can be enough to scare off some amateur photographers. Mention studio lights and they’re likely to run away and never come back. I can understand why some of you might struggle to get to grips with lighting setups, however, as I demonstrate this issue, it’s a lot easier than you might think. The big benefit of using lights is they give you complete control your photography, rather than being at the mercy of natural light, plus there’s the smug satisfaction of using your Canon DSLR and wireless triggers to fire your lights remotely. I’ll show you how to set up a simple home studio with just one flashgun, as well as how easy it is to take great portraits with a pair of studio lights. With my top tips, I hope you’ll learn to love using lights too. See page 30. Also inside this issue, experienced pro photographer James Cheadle teaches our Apprentice some dirty tricks for capturing muddy motorbike shots (page 8), prolific sports photographer Dave Rogers reveals his best rugby photos during his 40-year career (page 68), and Canon pro and regular columnist David Noton chases waterfalls in Argentina for some truly stunning slow-motion scenic shots (page 42). We test eight great budget lens buys, from primes and zooms, all for less than £200/$280, see Super Test (page 112). In Canon Skills we have photo projects on using a super telephoto to capture really wild animal shots, and creating sensational sunset landscapes with a little flash (page 45). We’re also giving you a free 48-page preview guide to The Photography Show (info on page 78). UK readers, your supplement’s inside, overseas readers turn the page to download your guide…
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30
CONTENTS Canon skills
Brighten up your photos
68
Win!
Manfrotto gear worth
£720! Page 103
Master lighting, from simple flash to studio setups, with this month’s special lighting techniques guide
42 Essentials
Canon pros
New tests
This issue’s gallery showcases Canon imagery from our ‘Wrap up warm’ contest
Our Apprentice gets his hands dirty (and everything else) on a trials bike shoot
106 Gear Update
18 Inspirations 28 Photo Club 30 Learn to love lighting
Join Photo Club to never miss an issue of PhotoPlus again, plus get loads of goodies Editor Peter Travers takes you on the road to enlightenment with this issue’s lighting special, from flash to studio setups
76 Photo Stories 82 Focus Point 130 Back issues 137 Next issue 138 Canondrum
Send us your very best shots for a chance to have your work published The place to share your opinions on the magazine and all things photographic Missed an issue? Don’t fret – you can order a print or digital back copy here
A sneak preview of what’s coming up in the next issue of your favourite magazine Quizmaster and all-round know-all Chris George tests your Canon knowledge
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8 The Apprentice 42 David Noton On Location 68 The Canon Conversation 84 My Kit
Join David in Argentina as he ‘falls’ for the beautiful and powerful Iguazu waterfall
Getty Images’ Head of Rugby, David Rogers, is in the hotseat this issue Globetrotting landscape and travel photographer, Simon Butterworth, likes to keep things simple and travel light
This month’s round-up of the latest and greatest gear and gizmos for the photography trendsetter to bolster their arsenal of Canon kit
108 Mini Test: Clips and holsters
Look hip with a selection of carrying solutions that will ensure your Canon camera is never out of reach
Test: Tamron SP 35mm 110 Lens & 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD We put this brand-new pair of fast prime optics from Tamron through their paces
Canon School 112 Super Test: Budget optics Canon DSLR Essentials Everything you need to know about shooting Raw with your Canon camera
If you’re in the market for a new piece of glass but are on a shoestring budget, we’ve got eight brilliant bargain buys to tempt you…
Clever cropping in Canon DPP 4 – plus customize your Canon EOS setup
124 Buyers’ Guide
88 94 Software Solutions 99 EOS S.O.S
Got a technical glitch with your Canon camera? Give Brian a shout, he’s here to help!
Every current Canon EOS DSLR – plus every available Canon-fit lens from Canon, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and more!
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PHOTOPLUSApprentice EXPERT INSIGHT
Panning for perfection “Stand with your feet a shoulder-width apart, facing the direction you’ll be shooting as this needs to be the most stable point. Then twist your body towards the oncoming rider and swivel smoothly to follow them as they ride past. Once you’ve mastered the technique, try progressively slower shutter speeds for creative effect.”
1/500 sec
1/125 sec
1/60 sec
1/15 sec
1/8 sec 12
HOT SHOT #2 Steve’s comment I love this shot – it was great to try something a bit different. This was taken on top of a mound; looking up at it provided a perfectly clean backdrop against the moody looking sky. We found the lower down we were the better; there was no background clutter and the angle gave our subject a dramatic appearance. In post-production I darkened the sky a little more and increased the saturation of the blues, resulting in this perfect atmospheric sky. Lens
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure
1/800 sec, f/4, ISO100
Shooting a silhouette “When presented with a big brooding sky, take advantage of it by shooting a dramatic silhouette,” suggests James. “The shutter speed was still important here to freeze Jordan coming over the rock, but rather than exposing for the subject I got Steve to expose for the sky, by underexposing Jordan by 2 or 3 stops. In post-production we then increased the blacks and boosted contrast for a striking action shot.”
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SHOOT WITH A PRO
top gear #2
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM “I wanted to show Steve that you can get great action shots using an ultra wide-angle lens, not just telephotos,” says James. “Like me, he also owns the 16-35mm and, on our full-frame 5D Mark III bodies, we could achieve a wide angle of view to exaggerate the front wheel of the bike for more impact. This lens’s fast, constant maximum aperture produces perfectly sharp images. It’s an expensive piece of glass, but worth every penny!”
HOT SHOT #3 Steve’s comment
Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Exposure
1/60 sec, f/4.5, ISO100
The Canon Magazine
After perfecting my action shots to freeze Jordan flying through mud and over mounds, James got me to try a different technique. We slowed the shutter speed right down and got creative with side-on panning shots to capture motion blur. We made use of the wet and muddy conditions to capture a dramatic wet splash. It took several attempts but, with a bit of patience from Jordan, I managed to bag this brilliant shot.
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INSPIRATIONS
02
02 It’s Snowing by Joana Kruse
All the images in this gallery were entrants to the PhotoPlus ‘Wrap up warm’ competition hosted on Photocrowd – a website where a public vote on the best-liked images is pitted against expert opinion. To enter our current contest, and vote on your favourite photos, simply visit www.photocrowd.com
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We used to live near Lake Maggiore, Italy, where snow is a very rare occurrence and, when it does, it only lasts a few hours. One day my daughter and I woke up to big, fat snowflakes falling from the sky, transforming the Mediterranean landscape into something very wintery. So we drove to the Lido Ascona – the beach at Lake Maggiore – and admired the spectacle from the water’s edge.
Lens
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Exposure
1/160 sec, f/9, ISO200
03 Sadness in the Cold by Joana Kruse
My daughter and I visited my sister in Ontario, Canada, in Christmas 2013. It was a very harsh winter with lots of snow and temperatures down to -32ºC. We went for a walk and my daughter, who grew up in the warmth of Italy, got a bit overwhelmed by the snow and cold, a moment that I managed to capture.
Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
Exposure
1/160 sec, f/6.3, ISO320
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Fantastic CANON photography
03
The Canon Magazine
21
newcanonskills Exposing for the car without lights
Exposing with lights An exposure of 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO200 was just right to keep the sky dark, while setting the lights to full power brightens the car to lift if from the shadows
Setting an exposure of 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO200 lights up the car nicely but has rendered the buildings too bright and sky overexposed and uninteresting
Exposing for the sky without lights
Setting an exposure of 1/200 sec, f/16, ISO200 captures the detail in the sky nicely and tones down the buildings but the car is plunged into shadow and is way too dark
BATTERY-POWERED LIGHTING
Learn how to use battery-powered lighting heads on location to brighten up your car photos with a balanced exposure Get out and about
It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking you can only use lights indoors. Using powerful batteryoperated flash lights outside means you can capture bright and vibrant shots, whatever the weather. They’re also great, as I’ll demonstrate, for complementing ambient light – for this shot of a Peugeot 308 GT car, I’ve balanced the lights to work with the bright
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sunshine and blue sky. If it had been overcast and cloudy, I would have underexposed the sky and backdrop for a moodier feel, while the flash heads highlight the car.
Battery-powered lights
For this shot I used the Elinchrom ELB 400 Two Pro Heads To Go kit; the comprises of a ELB 400 power pack and battery, two small-yet-powerful Quadra heads
The Elinchrom ELB 400 battery pack will power two small Quadra flash heads outside
with diffusers, and a Skyport wireless trigger. These lights, set to a high output of 5.0 or full-power 6.0, are just strong enough to overpower the sun, www.digitalcameraworld.com
Learn to love lights
so, as well as enabling me to capture a more colourful and detailed sky, the lights have brightened and boosted the colours of the car – so it’s win-win when using lights for this sort of photography.
Don’t let the wind stop play
It’s all too easy for a light on a stand to get blown over when you’re working outside; even the smaller heads like the Quadras can topple over in gusty weather. Weigh down your lighting stands by putting your camera bag on the The Canon Magazine
base, or use a strong bag filled with stones, gravel or sand – or whatever you can find to hand near to where you’re shooting.
Flashguns on location
Of course, flashguns run on batteries and are a good option for shooting outdoors, too, but they’re not as powerful as the Elinchrom Quadras and ELB400 combo, and won’t fire as many flashes. As they also produce a smaller light source, they would struggle to light a large subject, like a car, but for smaller setups, like portraits, flashguns can work great outdoors. They’re also lighter and you don’t need to plug wires into battery packs. Shooting
without softboxes on flashguns is one way to increase power and balance strong sunshine, but as it’s a harsher light it will increase the chances of harsh shadows.
The Elinchrom Quadra heads are small yet powerful and portable
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TheCanonconversation
68
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dave rogers 01
dave ROGERS The Canon Magazine
Canon photographer Dave Rogers has worked his way up from being on a local paper to Getty Images’ Head of Rugby in a 40-year career. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege, he tells David Clark
ave Rogers had a busy 2015. As one of the senior photographers in the Getty Images team, he not only had a hectic domestic and European rugby season, but was on duty before and during the Rugby World Cup. But unlike the England team, which had a disappointingly early exit, Dave saw the competition through to the final where he photographed New Zealand’s triumph over Australia. During the past 40 years, rugby has progressed from being a relatively minor sport to the internationally popular spectacle it is today – and Dave has been photographing it throughout. His career has seen the sport’s transition from amateur to professional, and the equally momentous changes in photographic technology during the same period. For all his wealth of experience, Dave remains down-to-earth, modest and approachable, insisting that the most important ingredients in his success have been good luck, his own dogged determination and the support of his 01 C OOLING DOWN Dave focused on Ma’a Nonu of the New Zealand All Blacks drenching himself during the 2010 Tri Nations match in Johannesburg Lens
Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 IS II USM
Exposure
1/1000 sec, f/3.5, ISO1250
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SUPERTest
Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM £120/$150
01 01
It has the same 52mm filter thread and lens hood as the 24mm lens.
A popular pancake lens with a moderately wide angle of view that’s not just for full-frame bodies This lens is very similar to the 24mm in terms of handling and performance. Cornersharpness isn’t quite as good, although it’s still respectable. It drops off more at f/2.8 but, at f/4, corner-sharpness is still rather better than from any of the zoom lenses on test. Colour fringing is a little higher than from the 24mm lens but there’s not much in it and nothing to cause concern. Barrel distortion is even lower, being very minimal indeed.
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Fly-by-wire focusing is via a forwardmounted ring. 03 02
03
The red alignment dot indicates this is a full-frame lens.
04
05
There are six elements in total, arranged in four separate groups.
Centre
2500 2000
VERDICT
1500
Features
1000 500 f/1.8 f/2.8
The minimum focus distance is 0.3m, nearly twice as far as the 0.16m of the 24mm lens. 04
sharpness
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
Build & handling
f/22 f/32
2000
Image quality 1500
Value
1000
500 f/1.8 f/2.8
f/4
Going in shallow f/1.8 prime
02
Performance
Edge
F
ollowing on from the EF-S 24mm lens, this is the grown-up full-frame version. It’s still the same physical size but produces a bigger image circle, capable of filling the image sensor of a full-frame body. As such, it’s the direct equivalent of the EF-S 24mm lens for cameras like the 6D and 5D Mk III, giving effectively the same viewing angle as the former lens on an APS-C body. A major difference is that, while the 24mm can’t be mounted on a full-frame body, the 40mm is fully compatible with both APS-C and fullframe bodies. Indeed, it’s a popular pancake lens on APS-C bodies, with the advantage of STM autofocus and an effective focal length of 64mm. Coupled with a fairly wide aperture of f/2.8, this has made it worth considering as a portrait prime lens for cameras like the 750D. The situation changed, however, with the more recent launch of the 50mm f/1.8 STM, which we come to next.
FEATURES
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22 f/32
Overall
05
At a popular 50mm focal length on an APS-C body, here’s how the various widest available apertures of prime and zoom lenses affect depth of field f/2.8 pancake
f/5.6 zoom
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Budget Lenses
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM £100/$110
01
FEATURES 01
The deeply recessed front element makes the ES-68 lens hood largely superfluous.
This cheap-as-chips prime lens represents a major upgrade over Canon’s existing cut-price ‘nifty fifty’ As is usually the case with fast lenses, sharpness drops off at the widest aperture but it’s still impressive, and is sharper than Canon’s pricier 50mm f/1.4 lens at competing f/1.8 apertures. At f/2.8 to f/11, centre-sharpness is excellent, while corner-sharpness is also good from f/4 to f/16. Colour fringing is of a very low order and there’s fairly minimal barrel distortion, which help to make this a standout lens at the price.
04
The mounting plate is metal, not plastic. 05
03
2500
Centre
Quite compact, the lens isn’t massively bigger than the pancake lenses.
04
2000
Features
1000 500 f/1.8 f/2.8
The seven-blade diaphragm gives a more rounded aperture than Canon’s previous 50mm f/1.8.
VERDICT
1500
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
Build & handling
f/22 f/32
2000
Image quality 1500
Value
1000
f/5.6
f/11
f/16
Overall
05
f/22 f/32
6
Lower values represent less fringing, and therefore better performance
5
4
3
Short zoom Mid zoom
2
1
Long zoom 70 -3 00 Ta m m m ro n 18 -2 00 m m
50 m m
Si gm a
Ca no n
40 m m
24 m m
Ca no n
ST M
Ca no n
II
18 -5 5m m
18 -5 5m m
Ca no n
10 -18 m m
0
Ca no n
ased on our lab results for chromatic aberrations in image corners (where fringing is worst), the three Canon zoom lenses put in similarly good performance. The Canon prime lenses are rather better, and the 24mm pancake lens in particular is remarkably good. The Tamron keeps aberrations impressively low for a superzoom lens, whereas the Sigma demonstrates the worst fringing in the group, at its longest zoom setting.
f/8
Fringing (f/8 edge)
f/4
Ca no n
500 f/1.8 f/2.8
How the lenses compare for colour fringing
The Canon Magazine
03
02
sharpness
Colour fringing B
Super Spectra coatings fend off ghosting and flare.
Performance
Edge
O
n a full-frame body, a 50mm lens is a standard prime with a natural perspective, ideal for capturing images as you see them. On an APS-C body, a 50mm lens has an effective focal length of 80mm where, combined with a wide aperture for delivering a tight depth of field and blurring the background, it becomes a perfect portrait lens. Canon’s existing low-budget 50mm f/1.8 lens left a few things to be desired, but they’re addressed here. It has a metal, rather than plastic, mounting plate, it feels more solid and well built, and the number of diaphragm blades increases from five to seven, giving a much more wellrounded aperture. You’ll certainly notice how defocused pinpricks of light in images have a much more rounded appearance, instead of being clearly pentagonal. Finally, the noisy micro motor autofocus system is replaced by a new STM (Stepping Motor) system.
02
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backissues Catch up on what you’ve missed by buying a recent issue either in print or via digital download
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Back issues available on your tablet, phone, PC or in print
hether you’ve got an Apple iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, or an Android, Kindle or Nook tablet, you can download PhotoPlus back issues. You can read them on your laptop or desktop computer as well. To see the full range of devices go to http://bit.ly/ppdigi A limited number of back issues of our print editions are available at http://bit.ly/ppprint Buy a binder! Prefer a printed magazine? Keep your copies of PhotoPlus together with our binder, which neatly holds a year’s issues www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/photoplus-offers
Issue 109 February 2016
Issue 108 January 2016
Issue 107 December 2015
Go wild in winter – pro wildlife photography tips l Apprentice: studio portraiture l Interview: Sebastian Copeland l Canon Gear of the Year l Mini Test: acrylic prints l Full test: Photoshop Elements 14 l Canon School: macro photography l My Kit: Anna Burn l David Noton: The Yukon l Projects on: star trails, minimalist landscapes, woodland portraits, winter macro, physiograms
SLR WARS – 30 tips to reach for the stars with your EOS camera l Apprentice: festive food photos l Interview: Andy Rouse l Super Test: Enthusiast Canon EOS DSLRs l Mini Test: LED panels l Full test: Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 II l Canon School: get flash with your flashgun l My Kit: Drew Gibson l David Noton: Prague l Projects on: light painting, bokeh effects, pop-up cards, DIY gels, flash-lit pet portraits
The Canon DSLR upgrader's guide l Apprentice: seascapes l Interview: Justin Reznick l Super Test: telephoto zooms l Mini Test: travel tripods l Full test: Sigma 24-35mm f/2 l Canon School: autofocus l My Kit: Grant Gunderson l David Noton: Scottish Highlands l Projects on: nighttime cityscapes, stroboscopic flash, winter portraits, silhouette portraits, tinfoil effects l Free landscapes ebook worth £10!
Read your magazine on any device: 130
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Back Issues
Issue 106 November 2015
Issue 105 October 2015
Issue 104 September 2015
Issue 103 August 2015
Issue 102 July 2015
Learn from the pros l Apprentice: action sports photography l Interview: Howard Schatz l Super Test: flashguns l Mini Test: camera daypacks l Canon School: white balance l My Kit: Adam Gasson l David Noton: Switzerland l Projects on: multiplicity portraits, cityscape reflections, bokehrama, rainbow collages, sports portraits l Free wildlife photography ebook worth £7!
Make cash with your Canon l Apprentice: shooting waterfalls l Interview: Drew Gibson l Super Test: entry-level DSLRs l Mini Test: gimbal heads l Canon School: metering l My Kit: David Clapp l David Noton: Canadian Rockies l Projects on: fine art nudes, make your own pin-hole lens, shoot fine art stock shots, create a time-lapse movie l Free family portraits ebook worth £7!
The A to Z of Canon DSLR modes l Apprentice: martial arts l Interview: Danny Green l Super Test: wide-angle zoom lenses l Mini Test: print labs l Canon School: ISO l My Kit: Andrea Denniss l David Noton: Umbria, Italy l Projects on: hyperfocal distance, shoot with an underwater housing, ND grad filters, abstract creative blur with vaseline, bird-in-flight photography l Free landscape photography ebook worth £7!
Canon 5D S/R full review l The fine art of black and white l Apprentice: street photography l Interview: Vincent Laforet l Super Test: portrait prime lenses l Mini Test: monopods l Canon School: shutter speeds l My Kit: Victoria Hillman l David Noton: Paris l Projects on: photographing festivals, watery reflections, multiple exposures, monochrome photography l Free B&W ebook worth £8!
canon challenge: manual vs auto settings l Apprentice: Great British countryside shots l Interview: Harry Borden l Super Test: macro lenses l Mini Test: variable ND filters l Canon School: aperture control l My Kit: Oliver Wright l David Noton: USA l Canon EOS M3 test l Projects on: panoramas, close-up flowers, high-key portraits, flash-pan action and the Harris Shutter effect l Portrait posing guide
Issue 101 June 2015
Issue 100 May 2015
Issue 99 Spring 2015
Issue 98 April 2015
Issue 97 March 2015
Great shots, in any weather l Apprentice: fashion portraits l Interview: Tim Clayton l Super Test: printers vs labs l Mini Test: flash modifiers l Canon School: how to hold your camera l My Kit: Brett Harkness l David Noton: Iceland l Canon EOS 750D & 760D l Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM l Projects on: long exposures, composition, naturallight portraits, camera drag and still life l Portrait posing guide
The 100 best-ever Canon pro techniques l Apprentice: travel architecture l Interview: Art Wolfe l Super Test: wide-angle prime lenses l Mini Test: radio flash triggers l Canon School: exposure l My Kit: Alex Hyde l David Noton: Vietnam l Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM l Projects on: in-camera HDR, polarizer filters, free lensing, bounce flash and understanding perspective l Free! Portrait posing guide
Top Canon Secrets – 24 Canon tips declassified l Apprentice: white-water kayaking l Super test: studio lights l Macro photography eight-page guide l Help me buy… low-cost macro alternatives l Workshop: learn to use all the Canon metering modes l Masterclass: shoot magic mirror images l Free! 28-page Practical Photoshop digital magazine l Segmented landscape project
New Canon 50Mp EOS 5DS big preview guide l Lenses for wildlife – pros share the tricks of the trade l Apprentice: how to shoot epic landscape scenes l Super Test: fast telephoto zooms and primes l Hands-on previews: 750D and 760D l Workshop: Manual mode explained l Masterclass: create incredible time-stack images l Painting with light and smoke projects
Lenses for landscapes – learn new techniques to quickly transform your shots l Apprentice: take colourful close-up shots l Master movement eight-page guide l Super Test: sturdy tripods l Help me buy a… sensor cleaning kit l Workshop: how the histogram can help improve your images l Masterclass: take pro-looking portraits at home l Free! Home studio lighting guide
The Canon Magazine
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