Saturday 7 August 2021
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The story behind a classic cover from The Who
Nicole Elliott by BlackRapid Tested: a camera sling designed for women
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This week’s cover image This week’s cover star is
an Atlantic Puffin, captured in Scotland in pin-sharp focus by Philippe Clement
In this issue
3 7 days 14 Focusing on the problem 22 Inbox 26 Join the club 28 Photo stories 30 Greatest album covers 34 Photoshop tutorial 36 Evening class 38 Pentax K-3 Mark III 44 My favourite kit 47 Fujifilm XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR 50 Accessories 52 Tech talk 55 Best Buys 66 Final analysis
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Modern cameras offer such great exposure latitude that you can usually get a usable image from all but the most over-exposed shots. The same cannot be said for the focusing. If you didn’t nail the focus in camera when you took the shot, no amount of software sharpening will fix it. That’s why modern cameras, especially mirrorless models, now offer so many tools to aid with this most
7days
critical function. Every brand has its own way of setting things up though so this week we look at the options offered by the most popular brands used by AP readers. Also this week, mirrorless models may dominate the new camera landscape but the DSLR isn’t dead yet. Pentax has tied its own future to that remaining the case, and this week Andy Westlake tests its latest APS-C flagship, the K-3 Mark III, which represents the state of the art of DSLR design in 2021. Nigel Atherton, Editor
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TREASURES FROM THE HULTON ARCHIVE
Watch the Birdie by Fox Photos
Joey the raven, the mascot of a London brewery, perches on a barrel in the yard. An ancient superstition is that the beer would go bad in a brewery without a raven to provide good luck. We’ve included this image in celebration of International Beer Day, which this year falls on 6 August. In case you needed an excuse to imbibe, the purpose of the day is to gather friends to enjoy the taste of beer, as well as to celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving it. Cheers!
The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great cultural resources. Tracing its origins to the founding of the London Stereoscopic Company in 1854, today it houses over 80 mil ion images spanning the birth of photography to the digital age. Explore it at www.gettyimages.com.
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Our favourite photos posted by readers on our social media channels this week
AP picture of the week
Martin Dolan Hauntedby Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 16-35mm F4L,
8 secs at f/11, soft grad, Kase Filters ’Living three minutes down the road, Knowlton Church has become my staple go-to place to capture interesting conditions,’ says Martin. ‘I’ve caught rainbows, lightning, mammatus clouds, snow, great light and storms here. On this morning there was a wonderful spring mist that enveloped the surrounding henge, infiltrating its banks and creating a feeling of separation between them and the church ruins. Processing the image in black & white gives the image a mysterious quality (for me, anyway) and the interplay of soft mist and textures of the grass I found really appealing.’ This is a really effective composition. The diagonal line of water leads the eye to the church, while the mist in the middle ground splits the image in two and creates a tremendous sense of atmosphere, which has been enhanced by its b&w conversion. Martin is on Instagram as @martin_dolan_photography and Twitter as @mdolanphoto.
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Each week we choose our favourite picture on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr or Twitter using #appicoftheweek. PermaJet proudly supports the online picture of the week winner, who will receive a top-quality print of their image on the finest PermaJet paper*. It is important to bring images to life outside the digital sphere, so we encourage everyone to get printing today! Visit www.permajet.com to learn more. 4
We also liked..
Bass Rock Sea Cliff Pool by John Cuthbert LRPS Sony Alpha 7R II, Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 lens,
8 secs at f/10, ISO 100 ‘We arrived at the location two hours before the pool was due to flood,’ says John, ‘with weather conditions and tidal times perfect for what we had in mind. The image was captured on a two-second delay, with the camera mounted on a carbon fibre Manfrotto tripod, and using a NiSi Pro V filter system in place, fitted with a circular polariser, 8-stop grad and soft grad filters to slow down the exposure time and balance the lighting out.’
Want to see your pictures here? Share them with our Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook communities using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. Or email your best shot to us at ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk. See page 3 for how to find us. 5
Oystercatcher by Jeff Douglas Sony Alpha 6500, Sony 70-350mm at 350mm, Bamburgh Castle by Ross Walker Sony Alpha 7 III, 24-
few shots from below, but they were only really good enough for the delete button. Walking back to the car after a swim, I couldn’t believe my luck when the nest site came into full view from the pathway. For once 1/500sec at f/6.3, ISO 1600 nature was kind to me – I got a photograph of a ‘I’m a keen nature photographer and spotted this favourite bird, in a great setting, and even the chicks oystercatcher from a North Devon beach,’ recalls Jeff, posed. I only had the camera with me as I didn’t want who lives in Worcestershire. ‘I enjoyed taking quite a to leave my kit in the car boot!’
70mm f/2.8, 1/1250sec at f/9, ISO 100 This image of Bamburgh Castle has the colour palette of an oil painting. ‘It was taken from along the beach, at the lighthouse,’ explains Ross. ‘We were trying to avoid the crowds and headed away from the castle to look at the lighthouse when the light across the beach to the castle suddenly broke and allowed for this image to be taken. It didn’t last long – I managed about five or six images before the light changed again.’ 6
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Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2 X
IN A WEEK of good news for Fujifilm users, the first Voigtlander X-mount lens has appeared, the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X. This is not, as you might think, a re-mounting of the firm’s existing full-frame Nokton 35mm f/1.2. Instead, it’s a completely new optic optimised for the APS-C sensor, which allows it to be smaller and lighter. With an eight-element, six-group design, it measures 59.6mm in diameter and 39.8mm in length, weighs just 196g, and accepts 46mm filters. The lens boasts manual focus and aperture rings and can focus as close as 30cm. It’s available to pre-order now for £599.
Sony unveils vloggerfriendly ZV-E10 AFTER a series of leaks and delays, Sony has launched the ZV-E10, an interchangeable-lens camera that’s specifically designed for vloggers. As such, it’s an E-mount model with an APS-C sensor that’s based on the Alpha 6100, but redesigned to be a simple, easy-to-use tool for those who wish to make videos for social media such as YouTube or Instagram. It includes many of the same features as last year’s ZV-1 compact, with a fully articulated rear screen that can be set to face forwards for self-recording, joined by a sophisticated three-capsule microphone on the top plate for recording high-quality audio. It’s also capable of working as a webcam out of the box. Like its compact sibling, the ZV-E10 employs a simplified control set-up that’s designed to provide easy operation for novice users. For example, a Bokeh Control button on top toggles the
aperture between wide open for maximum background blur, and stopped down to f/8 or f/11 for extended depth of field. There’s also a Product Showcase mode in which the camera will rapidly shift focus from the presenter’s face onto an item held out in front of the camera. Overall, the ZV-E10 looks like a well-judged design for its intended audience. But it probably isn’t a camera that will appeal strongly to photographers who are primarily interested in shooting still images, not least because it goes without a built-in electronic viewfinder. It’s due in the shops in August for £680 body-only, or £770 with the compact 16-50mm powerzoom lens.
The ZV-E10 has a mic on the top plate for high-quality audio
News on Tamron’s first Fujifilm X-mount lens
Vote in this year’s EISA Maestro awards
VOTING is open for the EISA Maestro People’s Choice Award. EISA stands for the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, and AP is an active member. The theme of this year’s Maestro award is ‘Faces’ and some great examples of portrait photography have been shortlisted, such as the image above. The overall winner of the EISA Maestro Award will win €1,500, the runner-up gets €1,500, and third place, €750. Voting closes on 10 August so get your skates on: bit.ly/eisapeopleschoice.
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TAMRON has announced that it’s in the process of developing its first lens for Fujifilm X-mount mirrorless cameras. This will come in the shape of the 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD, which will also be available in Sony E-mount. It’s an optically stabilised 16.6x superzoom that will offer a massive 27-450mm equivalent range, making it suitable for a host of applications including travel, landscape and wildlife photography. Tamron’s Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive (VXD) linear motor promises rapid and quiet AF, while the minimum focus distance of a mere 15cm at wideangle
translates to half life-size magnification. In terms of construction, Tamron is promising a dust- and moistureresistant design, complete with an oil- and water-repellent fluorine coating on the front element. A zoom lock switch has been included, to stop the lens extending under its own weight when pointed downwards. The firm hasn’t revealed the lens’s exact dimensions, but claims that it’ll be ‘comfortably compact’. Like many of Tamron’s other designs for mirrorless cameras, it will accept 67mm filters. Full details and pricing are still to be revealed, though, so stay tuned for more details when we get them.
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Books & exhibitions The latest and best books and exhibitions from the world of photography
This image by Piotr Skrzypiec was the winning photograph
First winner of Canon Redline Challenge CANON has announced the winner and shortlisted photographs from the inaugural Redline Challenge photography competition, on the theme of ‘Light in the Dark.’ Chosen from 36,195 images, Piotr Skrzypiec’s ‘Lost Highway’ was named overall winner. Piotr will receive more than €14,000 worth of Canon kit including the EOS R5 camera and RF lenses, and his prize will also include a personal photography assignment and mentoring session with judge and Canon Ambassador, Lorenz Holder. ‘As a judge of the Redline Challenge, I was blown away by how many unique
interpretations of the theme there were and the technical ability of the entrants,’ said Canon’s Susie Donaldson. ‘There were a number of incredible photos but the winning image, “Lost Highway”, had such impact we just kept coming back to it. It really reflected the theme and the times we are in right now, perfectly capturing the idea of emerging from something, taking a new turn into hopefully more positive times.’ Four photographers from the UK and Ireland also made the shortlist. For full details of the competition and the successful images, see canon-europe. com/redline-challenge.
Luminar AI update adds instant bokeh SKYLUM has released an update to its Luminar AI image-editing package. New features include Portrait Bokeh AI, which enables users to emulate selective background blur in order to make the subject stand out – Skylum claims it reproduces the ‘rich, hazy bokeh of a high-end lens at a wide-open aperture’. You can still control the amount of background blur, while also adjusting the background exposure, adding glow to highlights, setting a specific depth of field and refining edges. The update also includes tools to make it easier to align a replacement sky with the horizon for a more realistic-looking final image, and a visual preview for adding textures www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
California sea lion playing with mask, by Ralph Pace: one of the winning images in World Press Photo
World Press Photo Yearbook
€27.50, Lannoo, hardback, 240 pages, ISBN: 9789401474108
It’s always a special privilege to look through the winners and shortlisted images from World Press Photo. Although the photos within don’t always make for easy viewing, each one tells an important story about our modern world. This year, it goes without saying that the dominant story making the headlines is Covid, but it’s also been a turbulent year in a number of different ways. From climate change to Black Lives Matter, there’s a comprehensive set of issues represented among the yearbook’s pages. If photojournalism and contemporary documentary photography is your thing, this book couldn’t come more highly recommended.
Colour of Silence by Clare Newton
£24.95, Happy London Press, hardback, 160 pages, ISBN: 9781912951031
Portrait Bokeh AI is one new feature
to images. The update is free for current Luminar AI users and full details can be found at skylum.com/luminar-ai-b. The company has also expanded the Luminar AI manual – see manual.skylum.com.
In this thought-provoking book, subtitled ‘the curious truth about nature’, Clare Newton rejects clichéd perceptions of a bucolic rural idyll, and instead examines the incredible beauty of nature interspersed with the harsh realities of life and death. Clare’s work shows that while death and decay are natural, pollution and destruction are unacceptable. The images therefore are exploring man’s impact on all life. If you’re looking for a different take on nature photography, and want to be challenged in your outlook, this book is well worth a look. 11
From the archive Nigel Atherton looks back at past AP issues
An ad using Lancelot Vining’s ‘best photo’ ‘Territorial AA Battery’ by Harold White
4 Aug 1943
THIS week in 1943 Ilford took over the entire cover to explain to readers that its Selo film would be difficult to obtain until the war was over, due to the fact that ‘miles of film of the highest quality’ was required for military purposes. ‘Photography is mobilised for war,’ the ad pointed out, ‘so don’t blame your dealer if he says “Sold out of Selo!” Claims of the Services, Industry and Science come first. After victory, Selo films will be plentiful again, faster and better than ever. Till then our chief task must be SERVICING THE WAR.’ But the company continued to advertise the virtues of the film, even recruiting the services of AP’s own columnist, Lancelot Vining, to remind readers just what they were missing. ‘I consider this my best ever negative,’ he is quoted as saying, regarding a photo of a small child licking ice lolly juice from her arm, ‘and if all my work reached this standard I should be a very happy photographer. The film is Selo HP2.’ Wait, you mean the same Selo that I probably won’t be able to buy till after the war? Nice trolling, Lance. Inside, there was a guide to freelancing in wartime called Paying one’s way. ‘The different times we live in ask for different subjects,’ wrote Mary Robson. ‘Everything must have a wartime slant. For example, evacuation has led to a demand for information for teachers on country subjects.’ Articles on farming, gardening, cooking, and on repairing and ‘making do’ provided ample opportunities for the amateur hoping to earn a bit of cash on the side. 12
Some of the images that freelancer Mary Robson managed to sell during the war
Ricardo’s critique of readers’ pictures featured a cat, a dog and some bucolic scenes www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
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Focusing on the problem Technique FOCUSING MODES
Modern focusing systems have all sorts of tricks to help you get the subject sharp in difficult situations. Angela Nicholson explains some of the most useful
W
ith a few creative exceptions, one of the fundamental ‘rules’ of photography is that the subject should be sharp. Thankfully, most modern cameras can ensure that’s the case automatically, but there are times when you need to take control to ensure you get the result you want. For example, if you’re photographing a moving subject, it’s best to switch from single autofocus mode to continuous autofocus (C-AF) mode as this tells the camera to continue to focus for as long as the shutter release is half-pressed. Alternatively, single AF (S-AF) mode is the best choice if the subject isn’t moving as the focus is less likely to ‘fidget’ or hunt, but if you’re undecided, most cameras also offer an auto AF mode that switches between S-AF and C-AF automatically if it detects subject movement.
However, it’s also usually possible to use a larger focus point, or a group of focus points. As well as taking less time to select because there are fewer, larger points across the frame, there’s more chance that you’ll be able to hold the larger point over the subject. It’s also more likely that a large point will cover a detail or some contrast that the camera can focus on. As a rule, larger focus areas are a better choice with moving subjects. Most cameras also offer an auto-area mode in which the camera has free rein to select any of the focus points to use. This can be helpful if you have no idea where the subject will appear in the frame, but it also hands over a lot of control to the camera. That said, some cameras, especially Sony’s, have an uncanny knack of being able to spot the subject when it’s moving.
Focus-area modes
Subject detection, and specifically eye detection, is arguably the most significant development that has been made in focusing technology in the past decade or so. When it’s activated, the camera looks automatically for the subject and focuses on it so you don’t need to worry about keeping the AF point over it. It’s especially useful with moving subjects because it
As modern cameras often have many focus points there are also modes to help with their selection. Using a single small AF point enables you to target the subject very precisely, and it’s especially useful if you’re trying to photograph through other objects – for example, wildlife through foliage or with a motionless subject.
Subject detection
The focus peaking level determines the sharpness level range that will be highlighted
Using a single AF point enabled the eye of the peacock to be selected for focusing
Olympus OM-D E-M1X, 40-150mm f/2.8, 1/320sec at f/5, ISO 400
leaves you free to concentrate on the composition and exposure while the camera ensures that the subject is sharp. The most common form of subject detection is human eye-detection, and it’s incredibly useful for portrait, wedding and social photography, but it can also be great for sport photography too. It’s often a feature that needs to be activated via the menu and you can normally specify whether you want to focus on the left eye or the right eye. We’re now seeing an increasing number of cameras that can also be set to detect animals’ eyes, which is great for pet and wildlife photography. The Olympus OM-D E-M1X can even be set to detect birds, or subjects connected with trains, aeroplanes and motorsports. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
Manual focus
Although modern autofocus systems are generally very good, occasionally it’s easier, faster or more convenient to focus manually. And while you can still just look through the viewfinder and turn the focus ring until the subject looks sharp, most modern cameras offer a magnified view that makes it much easier to assess sharpness. If you’re using a DSLR, you need to switch to live view mode and compose the image on the screen on the back of the camera before you can magnify the view. In some cases, when the camera is set to manual focus mode it will enlarge the area
under the AF point as soon as the focus ring is rotated, but you may need to go to the menu to activate that option, or even press a button to enlarge the image manually. Mirrorless cameras also have this magnification function and because they operate in live view mode permanently, you can see the enlarged image in the viewfinder as well as on the screen. Lenses used to always have a focus distance scale, but that’s less common these days. However, many cameras have a distance scale view that pops up in the viewfinder or on the screen whenever you attempt to focus manually. With ‘focus-bywire’ lenses, this is very useful for making
sure that you’re adjusting the focus in the right direction. It can also be helpful for setting the focus distance while you await the subject’s arrival, but it’s best to use a moderate or small aperture so that you have enough depth of field to get an acceptably sharp result. Most cameras also have something called focus peaking. This live view feature highlights the areas of highest contrast, which are usually the points of sharpest focus, and it’s well worth activating it via the menu if you’re focusing manually. Ideally, set the focus peaking colour to one that contrasts well with your subject – it can usually be set to white, red or yellow.
To discover some of the best ways to focus across a variety of genres and usng different camera brands, AP spoke to six photographers who revealed their favourite focusing modes and methods. Turn the page to find out more. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
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USA’s Erica Bougard competes in the high jump in the women’s heptathlon at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing
Canon EOS-1D X, EF 200mm f/2L IS USM, 1/3200sec at f/2, ISO 100. Shot with Expanded AF
Sports
Adrian Dennis, AFP Canon
Adrian Dennis has been a photographer for Agence FrancePresse (AFP) since 2000 with an emphasis on shooting sports. He previously worked for The Independent newspaper group and is a two-time winner of Sports Photographer of the Year, as voted for by The Sports Journalists’ Association. You can follow Adrian Dennis on Twitter at @photogator96 and check out more of his work at www.adriandennis.com.
I generally try to use the same mode across all my cameras. Being ‘old-school’ I generally don’t tinker that much with the AF settings – that way I know when I pick up my camera in the heat of the moment what it’s capable of and how the AF is going to react. I use it on Case 1 – a versatile multi-purpose setting – most of the time, coupled with the Expand AF area. For shooting at Wimbledon, I actually changed my AF setting to Case 2, which is better for tracking the players 16
as they move across the court. I use the Multi-function (M-Fn) button near the shutter button to scroll through my preferred focus points. With my eye to the viewfinder, one press with my thumb and then index finger on the function button allows me to scroll through the different AF methods. If something is tricky to focus on, I may quickly select the one-point spot focus or now I’m starting to use the facetracking setting in Zone AF, where the camera will detect and focus on a face in that section of the viewfinder. I like to work with my autofocus operating off the AE Lock button on the back of the camera. It becomes second nature as to when to press it in with my thumb while hitting the shutter button or when to ‘dab’ it if the subject is moving around in the frame. When AF first became a thing, it played havoc with your composition. Back in the day, when there wasn’t the choice of moving the AF points around, there was a whole ‘generation’ of sports pictures where the subject was always in the centre of the frame. These days it’s much easier to have something nice and sharp on the edge of the frame so you can employ the good old ‘rule of thirds’ in your masterpiece. I find that the long telephoto
lenses work best for focusing. The lenses are amazing how they track with the subject, but it’s also down to there being fewer things to ‘distract’ the lens in the frame. The ideal picture is shot on a bright day where there’s plenty of contrast between the foreground and the background and the subject matter is big in the frame. For example, a football player running toward you filling the frame, shot wide open on f/2.8 or f/4 with a nice, mottled background – the lenses keep up and every frame is sharp. My typical kit on a Saturday afternoon is three Canon EOS-1D X cameras: a Mark III with a 400mm f/2.8 and two Mark II bodies – one with a 24-70mm f/2.8 sitting on the floor with a remote control and one with a 70-200mm f/2.8 for goalmouth action, plus Pocket Wizard remotes… hence why a lot of photographers suffer with bad backs!
Adrian Dennis’s typical Canon kit for shooting sports
Case 1 – versatile multi-purpose setting Canon’s Case 1 setting is a
standard setting that’s suited to moving subjects, particularly sportspeople. It offers adjustable levels of tracking sensitivity and Accel./decel. tracking. Adrian reveals, ‘My preferred setting is the Expanded AF area, which I then move around my viewfinder using the toggle on the back of the camera. Depending how I’ve composed my photo, I’ll move the AF cursor around the frame without really thinking about it!’
FOCUSING MODES Technique Low light
Björn Kupper Fujifilm
Björn Kupper is a German photographer who has been based in Greece since 2009. After attempting a career in music, he gained a master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and chose to express his artistic desires through photography. He mainly shoots the seemingly artless, ordinary aspects of everyday life. Follow Björn Kupper on Instagram at @bjoern_kupper and ‘Roast Duck’, Chinatown, check out more of his work at New York City, USA. This www.bjoernkupper.com. was pre-focused on the I MOSTLY use the Single AF mode with the smallest available centre focus point. Although Continuous AF mode is very helpful in many scenarios, I prefer to have more control over the situation. With Single AF I have the possibility to quickly re-compose a frame, which requires some practice, but gives me great compositional freedom. It also lets me use the pre-focusing technique, which fits my style of shooting. I can carefully compose a frame and wait for the scene to happen. Of course, this needs some experience and empathy in terms of how a situation will develop. When shooting during the night or in difficult lighting situations, I often use MF mode to gain full control of the whole process. You’re always running the risk of obtaining an out-offocus result, but I feel more comfortable with MF in such situations. In AF-S mode I just use the smallest available centre focus point. I seldom use AF-C mode and I don’t customise these presets at all. The various AF-C presets of the Fujifilm cameras are very versatile and do an excellent job, so I’ve Björn Kupper’s kit for shooting in low light includes the Fujifilm X-Pro3, the XF 35mm F1.4 R and the XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
white kitchen roll behind the cook
Fujifilm X-Pro2, XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS, 1/1000sec at f/4, ISO 6400
never felt the need to set up a custom AF-C setting. With the exception of some extreme situations, my favoured method of focusing is AF-S. I don’t assign any focusing modes to any buttons. I always focus by half-pressing the shutter release button as I am a fanatical ‘old school, single AF-mode, centre focus point shooter’. Thus there is no need for back button focusing as I very seldom use the zone focusing or tracking mode – the AF-L button is still assigned as per the factory setting. I always tend to set up my camera in a way that gives me as much control and freedom as possible. In several photographic genres, such as street photography, where composition is usually the most crucial factor to make a photo unique, I will, whenever possible, choose pre-focusing in
order to keep my mind only on catching the decisive moment. Hence, in terms of focusing, the AF-S mode is the mode for me. It’s a focusing mode every photographer should practise using in order to expand their artistic freedom. I’ve gathered lots of equipment over the years. What I carry with me depends on where I am and what I am shooting. Usually, I try to stick with prime lenses and might bring a little zoom lens in the backpack just in case. Sometimes I carry two cameras, equipped with prime lenses covering two different focal lengths, say 16mm and 50mm. Very rarely I’ll carry a tripod as I hate these things for slowing me down – the high ISO and dynamic range capabilities on my Fujifilm cameras are brilliant anyway.
Single Point (AF-S) mode
Fujifilm’s Single Point Mode restricts AF to just one point, which can be very useful when a photographer wants to focus at a specific place in a scene. When combined with shallow depth of field this allows photographers to be really specific about which aspects of a scene are sharp and what is intentionally blurred. You can move the active AF point by moving the focus lever or by pressing your camera’s AF button and using the four-way select buttons. You can also use the rear control dial to change the size of the active single AF point – smaller is more selective, whereas larger is easier to use.
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Macro
Lydie Bréda Nikon
A jumping spider on a flower
Nikon D7100, 85mm f/3.5 Micro, 1/125sec at f/4.8, ISO 100
Lydie Bréda is a macro, nature and landscape photographer who hails from France. Her passion for nature developed when photographing insects and flowers in her parents’ garden in Gironde in 2012. She is self-taught and has been a finalist in the Close-Up Photographer of the Year awards. You can follow Lydie Breda on Instagram at @lydiephotosnature and view more of her work at www.lydiebreda.wixsite.com/photos. FOR MACRO photography I mainly use the manual focus mode and I don’t feel the need to customise my focusing set-up. I focus manually by turning the ring on my lens until my subject is in focus. I also use a little trick where I move my lens forward or backward rather than always turning the ring. I find it less tiring. I do, however, use the AF-C mode for insects as they can move – for example, for shooting jumping spiders. I often shoot static or almost static subjects behind the vegetation in the foreground, so it is best to focus manually. With my mirrorless camera, I have a lot of AF points so I can focus anywhere I want easily. The smaller the subject, the harder it is to focus, and it’s even worse if it moves! For jumping spiders, I have a lot of failed images because the eyes have to be in focus. It’s hard to concentrate on the focus, composition and release the shutter without moving and all before the subject moves. When the subject is static, if there is no wind, it’s much easier. That said, it sometimes takes me a
Lydie Bréda’s main camera is a Nikon Z 50, which she usually teams with a Sigma 150mm macro telephoto lens or a Nikon 85mm prime for AF shooting 18
while to find my subject in the viewfinder, especially if I’m far away and there’s a lot of vegetation between my camera and the subject – it’s a real game of hide and seek! To focus successfully, it’s necessary to position oneself well and to be fully stabilised to avoid camera shake. Sometimes I take a breath and hold it for the time of the shutter release. Depending on the subject, if it is moving or not, if the environment is clear or busy, I focus in AF-C mode because it is more comfortable to let the camera do the work. If it is slipping out of focus and doesn’t manage to do it, then
I’ll switch to manual mode to be sure I have the focus in the right place. I often use the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens – it’s very good but I can’t focus other than manually. It’s a real plus to be able to use autofocus if the situation allows it. I also have the Nikon 85mm f/3.5, which allows me to use autofocus and I use it to photograph jumping spiders, which works very well. I go out with very little equipment. Usually, it’s my Nikon Z 50 with my Sigma 150mm. There’s also an accessory I couldn’t do without – an angle-finder. In macro photography the positions I
Lydie Bréda uses an angle finder to help her to compose and shoot from tricky positions
take are far from comfortable and the angle viewfinder helps a lot! I also carry a pair of scissors and a torch. Sometimes I carry a white umbrella to shade my subject if I go out to shoot in the middle of the day.
Continuous AF mode
Nikon’s AF-C Mode (aka Continuous Servo) allows the photographer to keep focusing on track by continuously focusing on the subject whilst the camera’s shutter button is half-depressed. In AF-C mode if the main subject moves towards or away from the camera, predictive focus tracking is automatically triggered. This calculates the most likely position of the subject (based on its speed and direction of travel) at the moment of capture and adjusts focus accordingly. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
FOCUSING MODES Technique Landscape
Tom Ormerod Olympus
Tom Ormerod is a landscape, seascape, astro and drone photographer. Based in Dorset, England, he is part of the Olympus ambassador programme as a Mentor, yet also works as an IT consultant in the education sector. He is best known for seascapes and astrophotography shot with the OM-D system. You can follow Tom Ormerod on Instagram @tomormerod and check out more of his work at www.tomormerod.com. I RELY on three main types of focus – Selective Single Point Autofocus, manual focus and Starry Sky Autofocus, which is currently an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III exclusive for astrophotography. I’ve tried various customising tweaks over the years, but the default settings are pretty good. I always make sure any face priority settings are disabled. I generally use Single Point Autofocus, but in a variety of different ways. I really enjoy shooting down very low, so using the viewfinder isn’t an option. In this situation I often use touchscreen shooting. A single tap on the area you want the autofocus to hit activates the AF and takes the exposure in one simple motion. However, in other situations, I usually use single point back-button focusing. The main thing I rely on is single point focusing, so I use the d-pad or joystick to adjust the focus point to the particular area I want to focus on. I use focus bracketing from time to time, particularly when I am zoomed in on a subject, but I need the scene to have Tom Ormerod’s Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III camera www.amat
good depth of field – the camera takes multiple shots adjusting the focus point and then these can be stacked in post-processing. Olympus cameras can produce a stacked JPEG in-camera, which is amazing when you are on the move as it allows you to transfer the JPEG to your phone and share it straightaway using the Olympus OI Share App. I use back-button focusing all the time and have the AEL/AFL button set up to do a single point AF. This separates the focusing action from the actual exposure, thus enabling you to pre-autofocus on the area you want and then take the shot. This is really useful with things like waves crashing over rocks as the wave could adjust your focus at the wrong moment. Astrophotography and focusing on the stars can be challenging. However, the Starry Sky AF function on the OM-D E-M1 Mark III is fantastic and removes one of the biggest barriers to people getting into landscape astro shooting like the Milky Way. It removes the need for photographers to learn how to focus manually on the stars, which can be really tricky in complete darkness. The Olympus M.Zuiko Pro lenses are fantastic; not only are they lightning-fast at autofocus but they also have the amazing manual focus clutch system that makes switching between manual and AF so quick and easy. In my current kitbag is an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Mark III, an assortment of lenses, teleconverters and filters, plus a 3 Legged Thing Albert Tripod & Ellie L-Bracket, Peak Design Straps, a DJI Mini 2 drone and an Atlas Athlete backpack.
Durdle Door limestone arch, shot using Starry Sky AF mode
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 17mm f/1.2, 10min at f/1.2, ISO 3200
Selective Single Point AF (S-AF)
Within the AF/MF menus of his Olympus cameras, Tom often assigns the S-AF function to the AEL/AFL button for back-button focusing. This allows him to separate focusing from the exposure settings – this lets him pre-autofocus on the area he wants, so he can then take the image at the exact moment he wants. It’s best deployed for still subjects or those with limited movement.
Starry Sky AF
The Starry Sky AF mode on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III is an autofocus mode that allows the camera to focus automatically on the stars in the night sky. It does this by scanning the composition and looking for the smallest points of light in a night scene. Then it moves the lens elements back and forth to acquire focus with the help of a dedicated algorithm. It offers two options – Accuracy or Speed – and is operated via a half-depression of the shutter button or via back-button focus. 19
Technique FOCUSING MODES Portraits
Jacob James Panasonic
Jacob James is a UK-based, internationally published travel and documentary photographer. His images have appeared in many exhibitions and books, and he is currently a Panasonic LUMIX Ambassador. He is an active photography educator and speaker who regularly runs photo workshops around the world. You can follow him on Instagram @jacobjamesphoto and see more of his work at jacobjamesphotography. co.uk. FOR PORTRAIT photography I always used to use the single point focus mode in AF-C to ensure the eye was always sharp. Now I find myself using Eye Detection focus a lot more. Eye Detection uses the AI algorithms inside the camera to track the eye of the subject and ensure the focus point is exactly on the eye. This is essential for portraits, where having the eye in focus is the difference between a great shot and the recycling bin. In the past AI- guided AF wasn’t reliable, but with the advancement of mirrorless technology, the smart AF modes are more accurate than I can be when doing it manually with a single point. On Panasonic cameras I turn
Monk in monastery, Maramures, Romania. Panasonic Lumix GX8, 15mm f/1.7, 1/50sec at f/1.7, ISO 1600. Shot with Eye Detection AF on touch-pad AF, which allows me to use the touchscreen to move the focus point even when my eye is to the EVF. I find this much quicker and more intuitive than using the joystick. In Panasonic cameras there are options for Exact, which positions the focus point to match where your finger is on the screen, and Offset, which moves it around as you drag your finger. For portraits the advancement of Eye Detection AF is a huge improvement, especially when working with narrow depth-offield and prime lenses. It allows you to ensure the eye is in focus at all times without having to move the composition or the focus point. This allows you to focus on the image and not
worry about getting the eye in focus… less time on the technical and more time creating great images. Ensuring the eye is pin-sharp when shooting at shallow depth of field is the biggest challenge for portraits. If it’s not sharp, it becomes very obvious to the viewer of the image. Shooting wide open with primes leaves you sometimes with only a matter of centimetres for depth-of-field, and so focusing on the eyebrow or eye socket can mean the retina is not in focus. If the subject moves even 1-2cm forward or backward it can be critical to keep the focus point shifting. There’s no right or wrong way to focus, it’s about discovering the way to use the camera in a way that is most intuitive to you. The best images come when the camera is no longer a distraction. Prime lenses traditionally tend to focus much faster, and it holds true in my experience for most lenses, due to the wider apertures. Although modern zoom lenses like the 12-35mm f/2.8 are Jacob James’s Panasonic very close if not better than Panasonic their comparative prime lenses. Lumix S1R with a 50mm My usual kitbag is the Lumix f/1.4 lens GX8, or G9, with the Leica
15mm f/1.7, 25mm f/1.4 and 42.5mm f/1.2. Occasionally I also carry the 35-100mm f/2.8 for long lens landscapes. I prefer to shoot natural light, rarely carry a flash and use minimal gear… it’s better to spend more time forming a relationship with the subject.
Eye Detection AF
Panasonic’s Eye Detection (aka Face/Eye/Body Detection) AF mode is found amongst the AF point selection modes in Lumix mirrorless cameras such as the G9 and S1R, which Jacob has in his kitbag. The setting ensures the camera automatically focuses on your subject’s face or eye. It’s useful for shooting portraits and weddings as deploying it means photographers can shoot at wider apertures as they don’t need the security blanket of extra depth of field as you pretty much know the eyes will be sharp. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
Wildlife
Will Burrard-Lucas Sony
Will Burrard-Lucas is a UK-based wildlife photographer who usually works in Africa. He is currently a Sony Ambassador and, aside from his pictorial work, he is known for inventing camera traps and devices to help get photographers closer to wildlife. His latest book, The Black Leopard, was published in 2021. You can follow Will Burrard-Lucas on Instagram at @willbl and check out more of his work at www.willbl.com.
Penguin in Antarctica
Sony A7R III, FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS, 1/800sec at f/2.8, ISO 100
TO PHOTOGRAPH wildlife I’m mostly using a long lens on the Sony A7R IV or Sony A1 with one of the tracking continuous autofocus modes. Mirrorless cameras have changed the way I use autofocus because their subject recognition and tracking abilities are so revolutionary. I will now use a single focus point and place it over my subject, usually over its eye, and then press the shutter button half-down to start tracking. The camera locks on to the spot I defined and if the subject moves, or if I recompose, the camera will tenaciously remain focused on the same spot. It will regain the focus point even if the subject leaves the frame briefly, which is very handy when photographing erratically moving subjects. This method has completely replaced the old back-button technique I used to use on my DSLR. Eye autofocus is now at the point where it is working reliably with animals, so I’m also starting to use that rather than manually selecting the eye to track. I limit the available focus modes that I can select so that I can quickly cycle between the modes I use the most. Specifically, I limit the camera www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
to tracking modes with various different focus areas to select from. I change the AEL button to initiate eye autofocus and use the AF-ON button to hold the focus. I often set the buttons on the lens to activate my ‘fast action’ mode. This recalls a custom shooting mode which ups the frame rate, ups the shutter speed, expands the focus area to the entire centre zone and sets the autofocus to continuous tracking. This means I can be photographing a stationary subject like a bird on a twig but the moment it takes off I can simply hold a button down to recall multiple different settings, which will give me a good chance of getting a sharp in-flight shot. The biggest challenges when focusing for wildlife shots are keeping the eye sharp, particularly when shooting
with a fast prime like the 400mm f/2.8, which has a very shallow depth of field. I usually have two camera bodies. One is specifically set up using the focus settings I’ve described and used exclusively with long lenses or shallow depth-of-field prime lenses like the 135mm f/1.8. My second body has no autofocus customisations and is the camera I use with a wide angle, like the 24-70mm. The G Master primes are all great. I think the focus performance of the 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/4 is fantastic. My usual kitbag is a Sony A7 IV, A1 and A9, which is used in a Beetlecam with a 16-35mm f/4 lens. My lenses include a 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8, 100-400mm and a 600mm f/4. I also have several Camtraptions camera traps with me. The Sony 600mm f/4 G Master lens
Animal Detection AF mode
Within Sony’s Face/Eye AF menu setting, Will deploys the Subject Detection: Animal sub-setting with Animal Eye Display set to On and Right/ Left Eye Select on Auto. Once selected from the menu you can then activate animal eye recognition by pressing the shutter button halfway or by pressing a custom-assigned key on your camera. It uses Sony’s advanced AI-based subject-recognition technology with a new algorithm for animals to help fast, precise, auto detection and tracking of the eyes of animals.
Will BurrardLucas’s kitbag includes the Sony Alpha 1 camera and a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom 21
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YL N O S T N E D I S E R U E D N A K U O T S E I L P P A E Z I R P : E T O N . D R A C D S O R C I M S U L P O V E G N U S M A S A S N I W K E E W E H T F O R E T T E L
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I’m a long-term AP reader, having read it often since the 1970s. I appreciate the consistency of the magazine but every now and then I read something that is a real stand-out. I wish to thank Nigel Atherton for bringing to my attention Marsel van Oosten’s latest book, Mother, which is an absolutely fabulous book. The photographs are breathtaking, to say the least. A lot of the pictures would take me days to take, and you do wonder how anyone has the time to accumulate such a volume. Barry Lowe I echo Barry’s enthusiasm for this joining AP as a monthly columnist, book and am also delighted to sharing the stories behind more of his announce that Marsel will shortly be amazing work.
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Last check I’m an amateur and do
mainly event and street photography. I am usually responding instantly to situations with no opportunity for posing etc. I do it so much I’ve developed a habit; until last week, that is. I took a photo of a group of people. I checked all my settings and they were good; I also checked for focus and levels after, and was pleased with that. Only when I got back did I realise the poses were wrong but by then it was too late to do anything about it. I was so focused on getting my settings
right, I forgot something that is so important – to check what I am actually photographing. Instead of rushing, a few extra seconds just looking at the scene before lifting the camera to my eye would have told me that I needed to move a couple of the guys to balance it out. I know this is stating the obvious, but it was a reminder for me and may be a reminder for some of your readers. When you can, take a moment and have a last look. Is what you see what you want? If not, adjust it until it is, then take the photo; that
extra time might make all the difference. Rick Corbishley
Davi d Wise I am currently researching
the life and work of the photographer David Wise (1959-1999). His raw and honest pictures of Hartlepool pubs received a lot of attention in the late eighties but he also took photographs of the Hartlepool fishing and steel industries, boxing clubs and local factories. It would be great if his contribution to social documentary photography received more recognition. If anyone has information
Keep yourphotos Since I was a teenager
I am seldom seen without some kind of camera. In my home town there were a few talented young people who got together to form rock bands and a fair number went on to become professional musicians, achieving success in big cities like London and farther afield. On one occasion in 1968 I decided to take my Asahi Pentax S1A with 55mm Super-Takumar lens to a venue where some friends who had a band were playing that night. I had loaded the camera with Tri-X Professional rated at 800 ISO (ASA) which I developed myself. My best shots were taken during a break when the band were having a drink of water and towelling off the sweat. There is cigarette smoke in the air and that, combined with the exhausted look of the musicians, made for some good atmospheric shots. I never got round to delivering them to the band, which broke up soon after. By accident I recently came across the drummer on Facebook, who I had not seen since 1975. He ended up living in New York, working as a photographer himself, for a well-known music magazine, shooting portraits of the guitar greats. I told him of my pictures from the 1968 gig and he asked if he could have copies. I duly scanned and emailed them and he was overjoyed to see them, as they were the only ones he had with his first drum kit. He and the guitarist had kept in touch and they were sent to him too. Soon the pictures hit the web and went far and near www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
In next week’s issue
Lens special
One of the shots Tam Murray took of this band in 1968 – he is glad he kept them
Somehow odd
An‘amateur’in 2021
N O T W E N L E I NAD ©
This image is ‘odd in an unpleasant way’ says Bill
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now earn enough to pay a mortgage and raise a family. Many supplement their income running workshops, many more earn some revenue from social media streams like YouTube. Many hobbyists also make a bit of money on the side doing the same. I’d say most skilled photographers these days occupy a space somewhere between amateur and pro, earning enough to subsidise their hobby, and perhaps pay for a holiday, but it is no longer a ‘career’ option for the majority of people.
How to choose and use all types of lenses, to achieve stunning images
Not worth crying over I wrote earlier this year
about a mode I am unable to find on my camera and in the July Premium Edition it turned up again, in How to use extreme ND filters – the dreaded ‘blub’ mode. I don’t think I will ever get the hang of those long exposures... Malcolm Cook Our proof readers were in tears when they saw that they had missed this typo again.
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on, which surprises me. There will always be disagreement about how much processing is acceptable nowadays, but I am always impressed by I would say that this is a the high quality of the step too far, verging on photographs in AP coming what one could call from all over the world, ‘faking’. Bill Crighton and the work of anyone from club members to the greats of the profession. The magazine name is But I felt that the APOY Photographer winner of your Landscapes ‘Amateur’ but I am unsure how an round (29 June issue) is nowadays looked somehow odd in amateur ned bearing in mind an unpleasant way, and defi many people, after a while realised that that although having a proper the two sides of the the ability to sell picture are identical. The job, enjoy of their images to photographer has taken some people who one half of the picture and their efforts. Iappreciate never made a mirror image for considered myself as the other side, then anything other than disguised the join. Every being amateur but if somebody detail is reproduced in a copy of an image reflection, the dust on the wants I am happy to offer that in roadside, mounds and for a donation to my shadows. You must have return air ambulance. noticed this and did not local think it worth commenting Bill Fisher I believe that the term ‘amateur’ is now obsolete and almost meaningless. Few ‘professionals’ outside of certain sectors such as weddings and commercial/advertising
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to great acclaim. Note to readers: hold on to your images. Tam Murray
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Reconnecting to nature
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1 Hello Mister by Phil Wood A sweet and engaging portrait with perfect eye contact and good framing for Leather by 5 5TheoHellDibbits This dynamic shot really shows off the excitement of water sports to perfection
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This friendly club caters to all photographic levels and styles
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2 A Taste of Honey by Clive Royle A simple yet effective food shot with just the right amount of movement
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6 Daisy by Joe Collins A beautifully composed shot that would make an excellent art print When was the club founded? The club was founded in 2002 as Bolton Digital Photographic Society. In 2019 we changed the name to Bolton and District Photographic Society, which better reflects our membership. We are also a member club of the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union (L&CPU). What does your club offer new members? The first thing we offer is a warm welcome to new members. Whether they be experienced photographers, or trying to develop a new hobby, help and support is always available from established members. We offer a varied programme of meetings, which follow a regular monthly agenda, comprising: Week 1: A talk from a visiting speaker. Speakers are chosen for their varied experience and expertise in many genres. Week 2: Monthly club competition, for which
the subject can be ‘Open’ or ‘Themed’ and will alternate between Mounted Prints and Digital Projected Images. Week 3: During the winter months, we have demonstrations of processing software/ techniques or practical exercises in studio/ tabletop photography, led by experienced members, and in summer we visit local venues for outdoor photography. Week 4: Members have a selection of their images helpfully critiqued by fellow members. Week 5: Four times in the year, during a ‘five-week month’ we hold a social evening of non-photographic activities – always good fun and nearly always involving food! We hold exhibitions of the club’s work in local libraries and the Royal Bolton Hospital. Describe a typical meeting Our meetings typically commence at 7.30pm and are held in the anteroom of a modern www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
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3 Tranquility by Bill Middleton The shape created by the swan and its reflection makes for a lovely effect 7 Street Theatre by Brian Senior With so much to see in this busy street scene, it was a wise decision to convert to monochrome
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4 Sunset Over Another Place by John Docherty Being at this very recognisable location at the exact right time has paid stunning dividends
Club essentials
Bolton and District Photographic Society
St John’s Methodist Church, Victoria Road, Horwich, Bolton BL6 5PJ Meets 7.30-9.30pm every Wednesday evening through the year, with two weeks off during Christmas/New Year Membership Annual subscription £35. Weekly attendance fee £2.50 payable on the night Contact secretary@boltondps.org Website bolton-district-photographic-society.org church. Members will normally arrive about quarter of an hour before the start and have a catch-up over a cup of tea. Around halfway through the session we have a break for a drink and a biscuit. We usually finish around 9.30pm, depending on the evening activities. Do you invite visiting speakers? Yes. They are normally local to Bolton but during the last year our meetings have been held online, using Zoom, and this has meant we can engage speakers from further afield. Do members compete in competitions? As well as our monthly internal competitions, we hold inter-club competitions with neighbouring clubs. Again, using Zoom, in the last year we have extended these events to clubs around the country – making new friends in the process. Members can submit their work to L&CPU competitions, either www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
individually or within a club entry. In addition, as a member club of the L&CPU, our members have opportunities to enter their work in national competitions. Are any trips or outings planned? In the past we have travelled to the east coast, visiting Donna Nook and the Farne Islands, for excellent wildlife opportunities. As lockdown restrictions ease we are hoping to return to these venues. We have also had exclusive conducted tours of White Scar Cave in North Yorkshire and the Helmshore Textile Museum, both of which provided unique photographic opportunities. How many members do you have? We have 24 members, both male and female, but are always looking to increase our membership. Abilities range from comparative beginners to experts who specialise in
particular genres. Younger members are welcome but must be accompanied by a responsible adult if under 18. Prospective members are invited to attend three meetings free of charge whilst they come to a decision. Are there any funny stories about the club? Camaraderie and banter are important features of all our meetings. The last meeting before Christmas is called ‘This’ll make you laugh’. Members bring along their images of anything humorous to share with fellow members, and mince pies of course. What are the club’s goals for the future? The immediate goal is to return to normal. Longer-term, to extend our membership and to build on the range of the society’s activities and services. Online activities may continue, as this has introduced us to some excellent speakers and judges around the country. 27
Swiss watch Photo Stories
Peter Dench talks to Roland Schmid about his award-winning Cross Border Love, depicting people separated during the pandemic
‘I
’m very interested in eastern Europe, I started taking pictures before the fall of the Berlin Wall, in Romania. I studied Russian Language at university and had many friends from eastern Europe, immigrants who lived in Switzerland. Slowly my interest in eastern Europe grew and in the relationship between politics and normal people,’ explains Swiss photojournalist Roland Schmid. As the Covid pandemic began to infiltrate Europe, he was reporting from the Donbas region of Ukraine about the consequences of the conflict on the local people, especially those living close to the front lines or even between them. ‘I went there, visited people, photographed and made long interviews. We always read about big politics in the papers but I always love to see what this politics does to ordinary people.’
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From 16 March to 15 June 2020, Switzerland closed its borders for the first time since the Second World War. The pandemic caused authorities to erect fences and position tape along borders that for over half a century had become invisible and had been crossed freely. Roland grabbed his Leica M (Typ 240) with preferred 35mm lens and went for a stroll. ‘I started to walk along the borders. I live very close to the French and German borders in Basel. I did several hikes.’ The border between Germany and Switzerland extends to 362km, mostly following the High Rhine between Lake Constance and Basel. Keeping to the Swiss side, Roland patrolled its length, discovering families, friends and couples abruptly separated. In the town of Kreuzlingen, he photographed Josephina from Switzerland
gazing across a white fence at her partner of 30 years, Josef from Germany. Not far along, he captured Leonie on the Swiss side talking through the wire on top of a wooden fence to her friend Janina on the German side. Friends Sergio, Sami and David, meeting for the first time since the pandemic, sat by a gnarly old tree in a sunny meadow near Riehen, Switzerland – the flimsy red and white tape irksome in the perfect countryside. Katarina leans across the border into Germany to kiss Ivo who is studying in Konstanz. They met only a few months earlier on New Year’s Eve in Zagreb, Croatia – their physical closeness became such a thorn in the side of the Swiss law enforcement officers, a second fence was erected 2m away to keep them apart. Davor drove over three hours from Wiesbaden, Germany, to Basel, Switzerland, to meet girlfriend Sabrina; they lie in the dappled light of a fruit tree and have marked the border in black on their blanket.
Challenges
‘Sometimes when I walk along these borders I have contact with the border guards. They didn’t want to have these pictures taken. I don’t know why. They probably felt important and had to tell me something. From the law, they didn’t have any right to do so. In www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
Roland Schmid Roland Schmid is a
freelance photographer represented by 13Photo. He currently works for national and international newspapers, magazines, companies, and organisations. Clockwise from left: Josephina from Arbon, Switzerland, and Josef from Singen am Hohentwiel, Germany; Three friends meet in a sunny meadow near Riehen, Switzerland; Leonie (white top) on the Swiss side, Janina on the German side; A Swiss-German couple at the border in Lettackerweg, Switzerland
Switzerland, even without the pandemic, you shouldn’t take pictures of border guards – it’s much easier to take pictures of their colleagues in Germany. You ask the German border guard and usually it’s not a problem but the Swiss are very restrictive in this kind of picture because as far as I know, there were some shootings at the border in the 1980s [Marco Camenisch, a Swiss anarchist and environmental activist, is in prison for the 1989 murder of a border guard in Brusio, Switzerland] and it’s really to protect them.’ Cross Border Love won 2nd Prize, General News at the 2021 World Press Photo contest. It was Roland’s first WPP award and only the second time he had entered: ‘Unfortunately there was no party in Amsterdam; there was a Zoom party but they are not so interesting. I got attention from the Swiss and German press, they made films and interviews. The phone rings a little bit more than before. I got some good jobs, not huge, in Switzerland for certain newspapers. The Landesmuseum, Zurich, bought the whole series, ten pictures.’ Cross Border Love is far away from the award-winning images of the pandemic taken in hospitals and graveyards, of suffering and death. They are as important, defining images of a time when the human spirit’s instinct for love couldn’t be locked down. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
ALL-TIME GREATEST ALBUM COVERS
FACT FILE
The Who’s Quadrophenia
A CR/ K C A R T / S EH G U H M A H A R G ©
Musicians: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend, Chris Stainton (piano), Jon Curle (newsreader voice) Released: 26 October 1973 (Track/MCA) Best chart performance: No. 2 in the US Billboard Pop Albums and UK Albums Charts Sales: Over 1,200,000 certified sales Fascinating fact: In 1979, Quadrophenia was made into a movie directed by Franc Roddam and starring Phil Daniels as the lead character Jimmy. The soundtrack features ten of the 17 album tracks, plus three tracks written by Townshend that weren’t on the 1973 LP – those tracks feature the drumming of Kenney Jones, who replaced the late Keith Moon in the band. The film’s release coincided with the ‘mod revival’ of the late 1970s.
Quadrophenia By Graham Hughes Steve Fairclough uncovers the inside story of the photos shot for The Who’s legendary 1973 double LP, Quadrophenia
T
he Who’s double album, Quadrophenia, remains iconic due to its fantastic music, the gripping and emotional story of the lead character, the mod Jimmy, and an album package that featured the cover image shot by Graham Hughes and all other photography and art direction by US photographer Ethan Russell. But the road to creating this 30
classic cover was far from smooth. Russell is the only photographer to have shot album covers for the British rock trinity of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Who. He had shot the cover of The Who’s 1971 album, Who’s Next, and recalls, ‘The singer/songwriter aspect was the reason I got involved, because of the writing, because of what Pete Townshend did. The music was the
Graham Hughes is a British photographer who has been responsible for art direction, album cover conceptsand photography since1969 when he shot the cover of Thunderclap Newman’sHollywood Dream LP. His clients have included The Who (both as a group and on solo album projects), Uriah Heep, Robert Palmer, Roxy Music, Japan, Eric Clapton, Leo Sayer and Neil Sedaka. The last album he is credited with shooting is Paul McCartney’s 2016 compilation, Pure McCartney.
most important thing but it was, for me, the writers behind the music.’ Of his initial involvement in Quadrophenia, Russell explains, ‘Pete called me up, I was in America, and said, “Why don’t you come on by?” I sat down with Pete and said, “Let’s do a book”. I think I said six pages but then I showed up with it [at 40 pages]. I mean it was that crazy. They were behind schedule. I did the whole book with basically one assistant and I lost 25lbs in weight doing that book.’ Russell’s vision was to take Townshend’s storyline about the young mod Jimmy and ‘make it visible’, taking his inspiration from gritty, black & white British films such as A Taste of Honey and The Knack, and a love of the work of British photographer Bill Brandt.
Different cover ideas
Quadrophenia was to be accompanied by the aforementioned book that featured the lyrics to the album and www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
L L E S S U R N A H T E © SE GAMI LLA
ALL-TIME GREATEST ALBUM COVERS
The shot of the character Jimmy the mod pictured in front of Battersea Power Station, London. This was Pete Townshend’s favourite image for the cover
Cover of the lyric and photo book. The houses symbolise four personalities; in this case coming from four different homes
A shot of Jimmy and his parents from the Quadrophenia lyric and photo book Jimmy the mod pictured in a fish and chip shop in Brighton
a series of images shot by Russell in London and Brighton, but when it came to shooting the cover the project became divided into two creative camps – Pete Townshend and Ethan Russell versus The Who’s singer, Roger Daltrey, and photographer Graham Hughes, who also happened to be Daltrey’s cousin. Russell reveals, ‘My idea was to take the four faces of The Who (Townshend, Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon) and make one face. It’s an obvious idea but what I didn’t want it to be – this is the difference – is that I wanted you not to know. I shot the heads on 4x5 and gave it to them [retouchers] to put together. All the time this is going on it was constantly, “What’s the cover?”. I cared about this book like crazy, but they wanted an album cover and they were right. That didn’t happen till we had this big meeting with Pete and Roger where I had stuff from the book and all the rest of www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
that, but it was really about the cover. I got the picture that was made of the four faces of The Who and you couldn’t tell [who was who]; it really was a new face.’ He adds, ‘My visceral reaction to it was I think I made a mistake. Since that was all about being a mod I really did create a mod face like Jimmy but I just didn’t like it; I freaked out. I brought it to that presentation and Pete looked at it and was interested in it. But I think he took the lead from me that I was scared about it and I wasn’t trying to sell it. At that point there were other things that were way too arty and Roger basically took all the props etcetera that were part of my doing the book and gave them to photographer Graham Hughes.’ Russell explains, ‘Graham Hughes had this idea where Jimmy was reflected in the four mirrors and it was a good
THE PANEL ON QUADROPHENIA
Andy Cowles The Who truly
reflected their tribe – they and their followers were mods, they saw themselves in each other. This nostalgic picture reflects that, but while Jimmy is still in the gang, the band has moved on. The mood is melancholic, the future uncertain, but the trainers are bang on brand.
Ranki n Mat Snow This cover is one of My 15th birthday my faves but mainly because it’s one of my favourite albums. The booklet inside too was an amazing photographic portrayal of what the music was about. I’m not sure how much Townshend had to do with the cover but the inside images are right from the mind that created the lyrics and music.
present to myself in 1973, Quadrophenia was immediately – and lastingly – iconic. Sombre, grey-going-on-noir, enigmatic and somehow existential, its personification of a recent yet vanished youth subculture endowed the ephemeral with a monumental, granite gravity. 31
ALL-TIME GREATEST ALBUM COVERS
idea. It did solve that problem in the sense of it didn’t have anything else to do with the package. There are a lot of reasons one can feel iffy about it, but it was pretty well done and so I didn’t fight it. I went, “Okay. I had my shot and I didn’t deliver”. I’ve since thought about finishing that face.’
Townshend’s choice
In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Week’s website Pete Townshend explains, ‘[The artwork] arose out [of an] argument with Roger [Daltrey]. The original cover was going to be the image on the inside sleeve, which was Battersea Power Station with Jimmy riding his scooter. The whole point of the record was to try to refocus the members of the band, including myself, on its roots. To reconnect us with where we’d come from, the humility and the modesty of turning to our original mod audience and saying, “You had a great adventure, you were our inspiration, and it’s not that you want to be like us, it’s that we want to be like you.”’ Townshend adds, ‘…and I think Roger saw it the other way around: that Jimmy was somebody who would really want to be like all of us. I think that’s perfectly okay, but it’s not the way that I saw it. He [Roger] 32
wanted the members of the band on the cover and suggested having a photo of a scooter with the faces in the mirror, which was very much the same trip that [artist] Mike McInnerney had done on the cover of Tommy. Graham Hughes, who did the cover, took a really great picture, but I think the weird thing about Quadrophenia is the greyness of it. It’s kind of sad. The photos inside are high contrast, they’re really beautifully printed. They’re evocative so, again, I’m kind of sad about this album cover. I don’t think it’s great. I think the idea is great.’ Despite Hughes gaining the cover credit the bulk of the photographic work on Quadrophenia was Russell’s. His role in the shoot also included going to court to speak on behalf of Chad, the model playing Jimmy the mod, who, in real life, was charged with stealing a bus! The judge let him go free. Russell reveals, ‘It took about 30 days of constant work. I was working like a dog. Richard Barnes was the person from The Who camp who worked very closely with me because it was one of Roger’s big complaints that they were hiring an American to do mod shots because that’s a British thing. He had a point in that I thought that what mod was, was frilly shirts and Brian Jones… I had
A car wreck image from the Quadrophenia lyric and photo book
to be educated about it. Richard Barnes pulled that together and we got the clothes and the scooter made. All the kids – one of them is Pete Townshend’s younger brother – are locals from around where the Ramport Studios was [in Battersea]. It was really hard to do because I would get up at 4 or 5am to get ready to shoot. I’d shoot all day and then I’d work till 11 at night, so it was brutal, without a break.’ Russell concludes, ‘Except for the composite stuff for the kid’s head idea, it was all 35mm. All that was shooting Tri-X at ISO 1000, which was what I always shot, and it all just made sense. I had two or three cameras, one with a motordrive. It was all Nikon in those days. I used some of those cameras for 20 years. I’m very proud of that body of work. For me, it talked to a love I had for England.’
OUR PANEL OF JUDGES Some of the finest names in music and photography chose the series’ covers Janette Beckman Jason Bell Ed Caraeff Andy Cowles Kevin Cummins Andy Earl Jill Furmanovsky
Christie Goodwin Peter Hook Simon Larbalestier Gered Mankowitz Dennis Morris Peter Neill Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell
Rankin Jamel Shabazz Mat Snow Howard Wakefield Kirk Weddle Rachael Wright
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Technique PHOTOSHOP FILTER
Add a shallow focus portraiteffect
AFTER
Working with Photoshop’s new Depth Blur filter, Martin Evening shows us how to apply it successfully to a location portrait
T
he new Depth Map filter is available from the Neural Filters menu in Photoshop, where the filter’s controls can be used to add a blur depth effect to an image. Wherever you click on the preview will become the point of sharpest focus. Photoshop then creates a pseudo depth map from a regular 2D image and uses this to apply progressive degrees of blur towards the distance. The sliders let you set the amount of blur and depth of field range as well as apply other effects such as haze, colour-shifts and brightness. The actual processing is carried out in the cloud. Therefore, the responsiveness of the sliders is slow, but once you have finished adjusting the settings the filter can be quickly applied. The problem I have experienced working with the Depth Blur filter is that the subject edges often bleed into the background producing soft halo effects. And, in this instance, lightening the model’s dress. If you don’t want your photos looking like a conference call screengrab, it is possible to work around this. Advanced Photoshop users should check the ‘Output depth map only’ option. This adds a greyscale depth map layer. Convert this to a mask channel and use your painting and pen path skills to edit the mask. Reapply the Depth blur as a regular output layer. Apply the edited mask as a layer mask to this layer and continue to edit. By spending time refining the filter output it is possible to obtain more realistic results.
About Neural Filters
BLURRING THE BACKGROUND FOCUS
Open in Camera Raw
After opening the original raw image in Camera Raw, I went to the Basic panel and applied some tone and colour adjustments to add more saturation and lighten the image, while preserving the highlight detail in the dress. 34
The Depth Blur feature is one of many Neural Filters that have been added to Photoshop. These all rely on cloud-based computing to analyse and apply the desired effects. Current filters include Skin Smoothing, JPEG Artefact removal and Style Transfer. But there are also a number of beta filters available such as the Depth Blur. Filters in beta development are still being refined and therefore some failings, such as the edge bleed blur, may be corrected by the time it is officially added as a Neural filter. For Adobe customers willing to take part in the participation program, you can vote using the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ buttons when processing an image and this can help train the AI machine learning to achieve better results.
Select Neural Filters Adjust settings I then opened the Camera Raw-edited image With the Neural Filters dialog still open in Photoshop. In the Filter menu I chose Neural Filters. Then in the filter dialog I enabled the Depth Blur filter with the default Blur Strength and Focal Range settings.
I further modified the settings by dragging the Warmth slider to the left to add a cooler colour balance. I also added a brighter luminance to the Depth Blur filter effect. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
BEFORE
N O T R E H T A L E GIN ©
Add a shallow focus effect using Photoshop’s new Depth Blur filter
Apply Skin Smoothing filter After applying the Depth Blur effect, I chose
Neural Filters again from the Filter menu. This time I enabled the Skin Smoothing filter and applied a 55 Blur. This filter effect is applied solely to detected faces in the image.
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35
Evening Class
Photoshop guru Martin Evening sorts out your photo-editing and post-processing problems AFTER
John Murray John is a software engineer and has
always enjoyed photography. After joining the City of London and Cripplegate Photographic Society in 2015, it has reignited his interest. cityandcripplegate-ps.org/showcases.
Yellow Wall
This photograph was taken in north London near to Clissold Park. John writes, ‘I had a day off work and took my Pentax K-3 and its 16-85mm zoom for a walk along the New River Path. Architecture often draws my photographic eye, especially when patterns are present. I only took this one shot before moving on.’ I think there are two reasons why this photo works as a strong composition. There is obviously the bold colour of the yellow façade, which is contrasted with the blue reflections from the windows. There are also the repeating patterns of the window frames themselves plus the diagonal lines of the woven aluminium mesh. The main aim here was to brighten the colours, but I also wanted to do all that I could to ensure that the image was optically corrected and that the window frames were aligned vertically.
Submit your images
Submit your images to see your photo here and for a chance to win Martin’s new book. Email submissions to ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk
MARTIN’S ADJUSTMENTS TO ENHANCE THE IMAGE 2TheSaturate the colour main thing I wanted
1TheLighten the image original image was a little underexposed, so the
first step was to open the raw photo in Camera Raw, go to the Basic panel and lighten by dragging the Exposure slider to the right. I then adjusted the remaining tone sliders to optimise the range of tones. 36
to do with this particular photograph was to make the most of the bright yellow wall and the colour contrast with the blue-sky reflections in the windows. In this step I increased both the Vibrance and the Saturation to make these colours stand out.
3 Apply optical corrections For an architectural subject like this, I thought it was important to apply a profiled lens correction to the image. Here, I checked the Use Profile Corrections option. This auto-selected the appropriate Adobe lens profile to apply a geometric distortion correction.
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PHOTO EDITING An eye-catching scene with wonderful texture that just needs a boost of colour
BEFORE
Pentax K-3, 16-85mm, 1/400sec at f/8, ISO 500
Profiled Lens Corrections Both Camera Raw and Lightroom have a lens profile database that matches lots of different camera plus lens combinations and is being updated all the time. When you go to the Optics panel in Camera Raw (or Lens Corrections panel in Lightroom), you just need to check the Use Profile Corrections option to activate. This should automatically select the correct profile for the camera and lens used. Sometimes you may see a message that says: ‘Built-in Lens Profile applied’. This is because with some cameras, lens profile corrections are applied by default when you open a raw file in Camera Raw.
Get the book
Martin Evening is the author of the worldwide bestselling series Adobe Photoshop for Photographers. First launched in 1998 the latest edition is packed with practical examples of how to use Camera Raw and Photoshop to enhance your photographs. On sale now priced £45.59.
Martin Evening has a background in advertising and landscape photography. He is also well known for his knowledge of Photoshop and Lightroom, plus books on digital imaging. Visit www.martinevening.com.
5 Balance the exposure
I now wanted to carefully balance the exposure to keep it even across the whole image. I selected the Graduated Filter tool and added a Graduated Filter adjustment, dragging upwards from the left, and applied an Exposure increasing adjustment. I also added another 4In thisCorrect 6 Darken the corners the perspective on step I went to the Geometry panel to apply a adjustment Finally, I went to the Effects panel, where I selected the right. Guided Upright transformation. To do this I selected the Vignetting slider. I dragged this slider to the left the Guided Upright option. I checked the Draw to apply a darkening adjustment to the corners of Guides option and added two manual guides, left the image using the Highlight Priority style. This and right, making them align to the sides of the adjustment helped to focus the viewer’s attention window frames. towards the centre of the frame. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
37
Testbench CAMERA TEST
At a glance
£1,899 body-only ● 25.7MP APS-C sensor
● ISO 100-1,600,000 ● 12fps continuous shooting ● 0.7x pentaprism viewfinder ● 3.2in, 1.62m-dot touchscreen ● In-body image stabilisation
Pentax K-3 Mark III
Does this high-end APSC DSLR make any sense in the face of more affordable full-frame alternatives? Andy Westlake takes a detailed look For and against Large, clear viewfinder Robust weather-sealed build Comprehensive array of external controls Works with a huge range of K-mount lenses In-body image stabilisation works with every lens S E C I RP T E E R TS E T A M I X O R P PA E R A S E C I R P LL A
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Rear screen doesn’t tilt Poor autofocus performance in live view Extremely expensive at launch
Data file Sensor Output size Focal length mag Lens mount Shutter speeds Sensitivity Exposure modes Metering Exposure comp Cont shooting Screen Viewfinder AF points Video External mic Memory card Power Battery life Dimensions Weight
25.7MP CMOS, 23.3 x 15.5mm 6192x4128 1.5x Pentax KAF2 30-1/8000sec(mechanical) 30-1/16,000sec (electronic) ISO 100-1,600,000 PASM, Sv, TAv, Auto Multi, centre-weighted, spot, highlight +/-5 EV in 0.3 or 0.5 EV steps 12fps 3.2in, 1.62m-dot touchscreen Pentaprism, 0.7x magnification 101 4K up to 30fps, Full HD up to 120fps 3.5mm stereo 2x SD, SDHC, SDXC (1 UHS-II) D-Li90 Li-ion 800 shots per charge 134.5x103.5x73.5mm 820g inc battery and card
T
his might just be the longest-awaited sequel in the history of digital cameras. The Pentax K-3 Mark III is an APS-C format DSLR aimed squarely at enthusiast photographers, and notionally a follow-up to the K-3 Mark II from 2015. But whereas that camera was a relatively minor update over the original K-3, the Mark III is a very different kettle of fish. It inherits much of the K-3 line’s DNA, with a similar body size and design, but what’s inside is almost entirely new. Indeed, almost all the key components have been upgraded, including the image sensor and processor, the autofocus and metering modules, the viewfinder and rear screen, and the in-body stabilisation system. But this comes at a significant cost; where the K-3 II was a bargain at
£770 body-only, the Mark III will set you back £1,900 at launch. This makes it the most expensive APS-C DSLR by some margin. To provide some context, there’s a long list of highly accomplished cameras that cost less, not least the 36MP full-frame Pentax K-1 Mark II (£1,650). Likewise, the current APS-C class-leaders, Nikon’s D500 DSLR and Fujifilm’s mirrorless X-T4, cost £1,499 and £1,399 respectively, while the Canon EOS 90D is £1,249. Meanwhile excellent full-frame mirrorless all-rounders such as the Sony Alpha 7 III and Panasonic Lumix S5 can be picked up for £1,700. So the question we have to address is not only whether the K-3 Mark III hits the mark on its own terms, but also whether it makes sense in the overall market. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
With its 26MP sensor, the K-3 Mark III is capable of delivering excellent images
Pentax K-3 Mark III, 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 at 53mm, 1/80sec at f/8, ISO 200
Features
Examining the K-3 Mark III’s main specifications gives a clue as to why it’s so highly priced. It is, arguably, the most advanced APS-C DSLR ever made. On paper it exceeds the Nikon D500 in many respects, with a higherresolution sensor, faster shooting, a larger viewfinder, and in-body image stabilisation. There is, however, a catch; you get an even more impressive spec sheet with the Fujifilm X-T4. Let’s take a quick tour of its main features. The K-3 Mark III is built around a 26MP APS-C sensor that employs a backsideilluminated design to reduce noise and improve dynamic range. Its sensitivity range is vast, stretching from ISO 100 to 1,600,000; however such ultra-high settings usually tend to look better on the sales literature
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than in actual photographs. The continuous shooting speed of 12 frames per second is genuinely impressive, though, especially for a DSLR that has to flip its mirror up and down in the process. Equally its 32-frame raw buffer is very respectable. One particularly noteworthy update is the SAFOX 13 autofocus system, which provides no fewer than 101 focus points, of which 25 are cross-type. This is a major step forward from the 27-point system used on the firm’s previous APS-C DSLRs. The camera is also claimed to be capable of autofocusing in light as low as -4 EV, while a new 307,000-pixel metering sensor aids with subject identification for focus tracking purposes. Switch to live view, though, and the camera falls back onto a contrast-detection AF system,
which feels distinctly outdated. When it comes to composition, the K-3 Mark III sports the largest viewfinder yet seen on an APS-C DSLR, with its 0.7x equivalent magnification providing a similar size view to most full-frame models. It’s an impressive achievement, but again tempered a little by the fact that the X-T4’s electronic finder is even bigger, at 0.77x. On the back you get a 3.2in touchscreen that is fixed, rather than articulated. The inescapable conclusion is that this is unapologetically a DSLR for photographers who love using an optical viewfinder. Five-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) is built in and works with almost any lens, while promising up to 5.5 stops shake reduction. The IBIS system also delivers a range of other goodies, some of which are exclusive to
Pentax. Alongside a pixel-shift multi-shot function that promises more detailed images, it can simulate the effect of an optical low-pass filter in suppressing imaging artefacts, while also offering a useful automatic horizon correction function. Files are recorded to dual SD card slots, one of which supports high-speed UHS-II media. These can either be used sequentially, or in backup mode with files stored to both. Alternatively, it’s possible to send raw files to one card and JPEGs to the other. Both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are included for smartphone connectivity, using the free Image Sync app. This provides a conventional set of features, allowing remote control of the camera from your phone either with or without live view feed, and facilitating image 39
The K mount allows use of manual focus lenses dating back to 1975
Pentax K-3 Mark III, Tamron 90mm f/2.5, 1/250sec at f/5.6, ISO 100
sharing on social media. It’s also possible to geotag your images using your phone’s GPS. As we’d expect the K-3 Mark III is capable of recording 4K video, complete with microphone and headphone sockets for capturing and monitoring higher-quality sound. However, the fixed screen, contrast-detect autofocus and lack of advanced video features again hint that this is a facility added as much for marketing purposes as for actual use.
and certainly feels like it should shrug off harsh conditions without missing a beat. The dials all have textured rubber grips, while the buttons are large and have decent travel, which makes the camera reasonably easy to operate while wearing gloves. It fits nicely in your hand too, thanks to the large, rubberised grip and well-defined resting space for your thumb. The most important controls are well placed for operation by your right forefinger and thumb, while a Build and handling further column of buttons on the Enthusiast-focused Pentax DSLRs side of the lens throat is have traditionally been extremely positioned within easy reach of well-built, and the K-3 Mark III your left thumb. continues in this vein. Its robust Existing K-3 owners will find the magnesium alloy body is basic control layout familiar, with dustproof and weather-resistant, dual control dials at the front and
back used to change shutter speed and aperture respectively, and a pair of buttons behind the shutter release for ISO and exposure compensation. The power switch encircles the shutter button, and pulling it to a sprung position beyond the On mark stops down the aperture for depth of field preview. Another dial beside the viewfinder selects between viewfinder, live view and movie shooting. On the camera’s left shoulder you’ll find the mode dial, which in addition to the usual set of choices, includes Pentax’s TAv and Sv options. The former allows you to specify both the shutter speed and aperture, with the camera adjusting the ISO to compensate, while the latter
Using manual lenses One of the big attractions of using Pentax DSLRs is the huge range of K-mount lenses available, dating back to 1975. While you’ll get full functionality with modern AF designs, the camera still plays nicely with manual-focus lenses. You need to enter the focal length for the IBIS system to work correctly, and the camera can be set to request this when it’s switched on. The AF system will indicate when the subject is in focus, but for the most reliable results you’ll need to use magnified live view. 40
With the oldest fully manual lenses you need to shoot in M mode and enable use of the lens’s aperture ring in the menu. Uniquely, you can tell the camera the aperture you’ve set by spinning the rear dial, which will be recorded in the EXIF data. Pressing the green button on the back activates stop-down metering, at which point the camera will select the shutter speed and/or ISO to use. I used a couple of 1980s Tamron lenses, the 90mm F2.5 macro and 500mm F8 mirror, with good results.
does precisely the opposite. In Program mode, spinning the front or rear dial allows you to temporarily select a specific shutter speed or aperture for a sequence of shots. The K-3 Mark III also gains a third Smart Function (S.Fn) dial on the top, as previously seen on the K-1 Mark II and KP. This can be used to change five userdefined functions, which are selected between using the S.Fn button. I generally used it for ISO control, but other options include The default JPEG colour output is generally bright and attractive
Pentax K-3 Mark III, 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 at 85mm, 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 100
CAMERA TEST exposure compensation, drive mode, or quickly switching between autofocus set-ups. In a very welcome first for a Pentax DSLR, the Mark III finally gains a joystick for positioning the focus point. This frees up the d-pad to be dedicated to changing drive mode, white balance, JPEG colour mode and LCD brightness. As a result, all the main settings have dedicated external buttons. Unlike most other cameras, though, the joystick isn’t fully integrated into the rest of the interface; for example, it can’t be used to scroll through images in playback, or navigate menus and change settings. Instead, it will often frustratingly push you back into shooting mode. Nearly every button and dial can be customised, and it’s also possible to store five different set-ups for quick recall via the U positions on the mode dial. As a result, it should be possible for users to configure the camera to operate exactly as they’d like.
Viewfinder and screen
Focal points
While recognisablyfollowing the K-3 lineage, the Mark III is almost entirely a new camera
Flash Battery grip There’s no built-in flash, but a hot shoe The Pentax D-BG8 (£329) screws allows use of external units such as the AF 540 FGZ II (£449), while a PC sync connector facilitates use with studio strobes.
onto the base and provides a duplicate set of controls for portrait-format shooting, while accepting an additional battery.
Power
The D-Li90 battery promises an impressive 800 shots per charge. It’s charged internally using the USB-C port.
mm 5.37
With mirrorless cameras now comfortably outselling DSLRs, clearly the K-3 Mark III needs to offer a distinct selling point to enthusiast photographers. This comes in the form of probably the finest optical viewfinder ever seen on an APS-C DSLR. Given its size, it’s impressively bright, and I found it perfectly usable with the 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom, which has about as small a maximum
aperture as you’re likely to use. An information panel beneath the viewfinder displays detailed exposure settings, including metering and drive modes. Thanks to an LCD overlay, you also get a choice of gridlines and a dual-axis electronic level, while a series of small icons allow you to change the S.Fn dial function with the camera up to your eye. It’s as close as you could realistically expect to get to the levels of information provided by the electronic viewfinders of mirrorless cameras. This is still an optical viewfinder, though, so it can’t show any indication of how your images will turn out in terms of colour and exposure. Naturally it also gets dark when you engage depth of field preview, although it’s probably more usable than any other APS-C DSLR in this respect. The focusing ‘snap’ with manual lenses is pretty good, but for truly accurate results you’ll need to use live view. Here the 3.2in rear screen does a very creditable job; it’s sharp and clear, and the camera sensibly previews your colour and exposure settings. It also gives a much better representation of what’s going on when you engage depth of field preview. As with most other DSLRs, live view is most useful when the camera is fixed on a tripod, but the lack of a tilting screen is a real drawback, especially if you want to shoot at low or high angles.
Testbench
Remote A 2.5mm electronic
release socket is found on the side of the handgrip, while infrared receivers are placed on both the front and back.
Lock button Green button Pressing this button and This has an array of spinning the rear dial allows the exposure settings to be locked for a sequence of shots.
handy functions, ranging from engaging auto ISO to activating stop-down metering with manual-focus lenses.
mm 5.301 134.5 mm 41
Autofocus
As I touched on previously, the K-3 Mark III’s AF system is a significant advance on previous Pentax DSLRs. Of its 101 focus points, 25 are cross-type, which means that they’re capable of focusing on both horizontal and vertical detail. Only 41 points are user-selectable, though, with the remainder being used to keep track of moving subjects. The autofocus sensor covers about two-thirds of the frame width, but only about a third of its height. This means you don’t get the same kind of tracking performance as the latest mirrorless cameras, which can hold focus on subjects almost anywhere within the frame. In addition to being able to specify a single focus point manually, several area modes are available that vary in terms of how many points they use, and across how much of the frame they can be positioned. These are useful with erratically moving subjects that might be difficult to follow using a single focus point. You can also let the camera choose the focus area itself, and in this case, it uses subject recognition to help identify the optimum point. Most obviously, the system will attempt to focus on faces even if another object is closer to the camera. With only the 15-85mm
f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom provided with my review camera, I wasn’t really able to push the AF system to its limits. But if you mostly shoot static subjects, it should do a perfectly good job. I found it delivered a high hit-rate in C-AF with subjects moving towards the camera, but was less successful with those moving away. Switch to live view, though, and AF performance falls back dramatically. It’s much slower and has a marked tendency to hunt for focus, especially when light levels drop. The saving grace, though, is that contrast detection AF is inherently very accurate, and the focus point can be positioned across a larger area. So it’s best when shooting static subjects on a tripod.
Performance
On the whole, the Pentax K-3 Mark III is a quick, responsive camera that rarely gets in the way of shooting. One advantage of the DSLR design is that there’s barely any start-up time, so it’s ready to shoot pretty much the instant you flick the power switch. About the only confusing aspect of its operation comes when you press the metering button, as neither the viewfinder nor the LCD highlight what’s happening. By DSLR standards, it’s unobtrusive too, with both the mirror and shutter mechanisms
being soft and well-damped. But the shutter isn’t as quiet as those on most mirrorless models. The latest firmware, version 1.1, adds an electronic shutter option, which should allow silent shooting in live view. Metering is generally reliable, but by no means foolproof. The standard multi-segment mode can be prone to blowing out highlights in bright contrasty conditions, so you need to get used to anticipating this and pre-emptively applying the requisite exposure compensation. The sensor offers plenty of scope for retrieving details from the shadows in raw processing, but as always, nowhere near as much latitude in the highlights. So if in doubt, it’s normally best to reduce the exposure, or perhaps engage highlight metering mode. Out-of-camera colour rendition is strong and punchy in the default Bright mode, if perhaps with slightly over-exaggerated greens. Auto white balance is usually well-judged, too, and in general I’d be happy sharing the output on social media with just a little tweaking. There’s also a nicely implemented in-camera raw converter that allows you to experiment with different processing effects. Both the Pixel Shift Resolution and the Anti-Aliasing Filter Simulator modes work as Truly accurate manual focus requires magnified live view
Pentax K-3 Mark III, Tamron SP 500mm f/8, 1/2000sec at f/8, ISO 5000, 7.3MP crop
42
expected. The former combines four shots taken with the sensor moved fractionally between each to sample the scene in full colour at each pixel location. This gives visibly higher detail, but the camera has to be fixed to a tripod, and the subject needs to be static for best results, which limits its usefulness. Meanwhile, the AA modes work well to counteract false colour moiré effects that can appear when shooting fabrics or buildings. It’s just a case of remembering to turn them on in advance. In-body image stabilisation works pretty well, especially if you’re prepared to accept just a little pixel-level blur. Using the 16-85mm zoom towards its wide end, I was able to get usable images handheld at shutter speeds as slow as 0.4sec, which is a match for lens-based IS systems. The catch is that IBIS is never as effective with telephoto lenses, where many users will feel they need it most, and the viewfinder image isn’t stabilised either, so you get no feel for how well it’s working. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
CAMERA TEST High ISO performance is very creditable
Pentax K-3 Mark III, 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 at 18mm, 1/20sec at f/5.6, ISO 12,800
Testbench
Verdict Recommended
ISO and noise At low sensitivities, the 26MP sensor cleanly resolves plenty of fine detail, with barely any visible noise. Indeed it’s only at ISO 1600 that there’s any apparent loss of detail, even when examining files onscreen at the pixel level. By ISO 12,800 almost all fine detail has gone, but files should still be perfectly acceptable for many purposes. I’d count ISO 51,200 as the practical limit, which is still impressive for an APS-C camera. Anything beyond this is, to put it politely, sketchy; by ISO The crops shown below are taken 204,800 the scene is drowned beneath a sea of noise, while the higher from the area outlined above in red settings are simply awful.
RAW ISO 100
RAW ISO 1600
RAW ISO 12,800
RAW ISO 51,200
RAW ISO 204,800
RAW ISO 819,200
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It’s all too easy to see Pentax as a brand that’s on its last legs; this is, after all, its first new camera for three years, while releases of genuinely new lenses have slowed to a trickle. But this shouldn’t take away from the fact that the K-3 Mark III is a fine APS-C DSLR which in many respects is a match for the best on the market. Die-hard Pentax shooters will love it, just as long as they can stomach the sky-high price. However it’s difficult to see Canon or Nikon users changing brands, given how accomplished the EOS 90D and D500 are. Those who are prepared to shell out their £1,900 will, however, find themselves proud owners of a camera that handles extremely well and is built to keep shooting in harsh conditions. It delivers fine image quality too, that’s at least a match for most of its non-full-frame peers. There are also a lot of clever and useful features on board that you won’t find anywhere else. This is, however, very much a specialist camera for those who like to shoot still images using an optical viewfinder. It can shoot in live view and record movies if you want, but the lack of screen articulation and sluggish contrast-detection AF in these modes significantly reduce their usefulness, suggesting they were hardly design priorities. Thankfully though the viewfinder itself is excellent, while the new 101-point autofocus system is a genuine advance on previous Pentax models. However, that high launch price remains a serious stumbling block. Quite simply, you can buy other cameras that are better all-rounders for rather less money. So while the Pentax K-3 Mark III is a fine DSLR, unless the price falls it seems likely to find only a small niche in the market.
FEATURES BUILD & HANDLING METERING AUTOFOCUS AWB & COLOUR DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE QUALITY VIEWFINDER/LCD
8/10 9/10 7/10 8/10 8/10 8/10 8/10 8/10 43
Liam McAvoy My favourite kit
Sports photographer Liam McAvoy tells AP why he reaches for his Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 zoom more oſten than any other lens in his kitbag
Liam McAvoy has been a photographer for over 15 years and lives in the South East. See more of his work at www.sittl. co.uk or on Instagram @liammac_uk.
AP: Tell us about your photography background LM: I was a late starter to photography. It was only after my daughter was born that I started to take it more seriously. As for sports photography, it was 2002 when I was the 1st team player/manager of the local football team De Beers AFC in Somerset West, South Africa. I took my Fuji Finepix to a pre-season friendly and snapped away. I became inspired by sports photographer Peter ‘Bee’ Barnard who freelanced for the local paper and it was after seeing his superb images week after week that I thought I could do the same when my playing days were over. After moving back to the UK, I covered local sport, which I still enjoy the most. After a while I got in touch with a local paper and as luck would have it, I landed the job as a press photographer on a permanent basis for the Surrey Mirror. I now only freelance for the group due to cuts. I also work with a professional photo agency covering professional sports events across the country.
to what gear I take. No less than two camera bodies, usually three. My workhorses are a Sony Alpha 9, Alpha 7 and a Canon EOS-1D X. Lenses I frequently use include the Canon 16-35mm, Sony 24-105mm, Sony 70-200mm and my trusty Sigma 120-300mm. My Godox speedlite is also essential when I’m covering hospitality or headshots. I use my Thinktank airport roller bag or Pelicase to move my gear around. AP: If you could pick one item of kit you couldn’t live without, what would it be? LM: When I’m covering a football, rugby or hockey match I pick my Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports coupled with my Sony A9. The versatility of the focal length makes it my go-to lens. For some matches it may be the only lens I use for the main action, depending on where I am sitting.
AP: Did you buy it from new and what was it that made you want to purchase it? LM: Yes I bought it from new. I was AP: What does your kit for drawn to the price of the lens, which sports photography consist of? is much more affordable than a LM: It all depends on the event I am 300mm prime. The versatility of the shooting and where I’ll be sitting as focal length and wide aperture are of
44
great benefit under low-light situations. At the time I was looking to purchase a 300mm prime and came across this lens with some great reviews. The older version was apparently quite soft, but this one is pin-sharp. I took a chance and I’ve been extremely happy since day one.
www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
AP: Can you elaborate about how it performs in use? LM: The lens focuses quickly and has optical stabilisation which, if needed, can be turned on from a flick of a switch. A monopod is needed as it is a heavy lens and the zoom ring is smooth when tracking and framing
Above: Bryson Goodwin of Warrington Wolves with a brilliant tackle on Tommy Makinson of St Helens to stop a try, during the Coral Challenge Cup Final match at Wembley Stadium, London, in August 2019
From far left: Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action at Eastbourne in 2017; New Zealand celebrate winning the Rugby World Cup Final in 2015; and Liam’s Sigma zoom on his desk at home
subjects. I’ve found it performs superbly on my Sony A9 using the Sigma MC-11 mount converter. There are Custom Switch settings, and by using Sigma’s USB dock it’s possible to adjust focus speed, focus accuracy-priority and micro adjust autofocus. This is useful for adjusting the lens to different conditions when needed.
they’re are at it I wouldn’t say no to an increase to 400mm, while maintaining the fast f/2.8 aperture. Maybe I’m getting a little carried away, but we can all dream of the perfect lens for our photography.
AP: Do you have any plans to replace, add to or upgrade your current kit? LM: I have no plans to upgrade my kit at the moment. Sure, it would be AP: Have you identified any weaknesses or disadvantages in nice to upgrade to the latest and greatest gear but I will get by. your possession? LM: Anticipating the action can be Unfortunately, the days of making all sports photographers’ weakness. good money on a sale to a national As far as the lens goes, the weight is newspaper are long gone. a big disadvantage. It weighs in at a hefty 3.5kg, so I would recommend AP: Tell us how you think your supporting it on a monopod unless setup/kitbag might look ten you are looking for an arm workout. years from now? LM: Ten years from now my kitbag AP: If it could be improved in might be a tad lighter as I explore other avenues and different subjects any way, how would this be? and genres. I will be surprised, but LM: It is a heavy lens, so if Sigma also happy, if I am still doing what could find a way to shed some weight that would brilliant. While I’m doing now in a decade’s time. 45
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LENS TEST
Fujifilm XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR
Testbench
Fujifilm’s latest lens is a wideangle with a large maximum aperture
Fujifilm X-T4, 1/1900sec at f/1.4, ISO 160
Richard Sibley tests a large-aperture wideangle lens for Fujifilm X-series cameras
I
t was nine years ago, back in 2012, when Fujifilm announced the X-Pro1 camera. This was the first of a new line of mirrorless X-system models, and along with it came a new range of Fujinon lenses, including the XF 18mm F2 R. This compact and lightweight wideangle prime was a great match for the equally agile X-Pro1.
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Like some other manufacturers, Fujifilm is now at a stage where it is updating some of those original focal lengths to create faster lenses, as the technology and the demand has increased. It is also a sign of the times that mirrorless systems no longer stand for simply being ‘smaller and lighter’ than their DSLR counterparts; instead they’ve evolved to be judged on their own
equivalent field of view to a 27mm lens on full frame. A quick look at its designations reveals a few more details. Firstly, it is an R merit. With that in mind, Fujifilm series lens, which means that it has introduced the new Fujinon has a built-in aperture ring, while XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR – a lens the WR designation indicates that it boasts weather-resistant that is brighter, but also construction. The Super EBC significantly larger, than the original 18mm f/2. Naturally it’s designation tells us that it also rather more costly, at £879. exploits Fujifilm’s Electron Beam Coating to reduce ghosting and Features flare. Finally, the LM designation As an 18mm lens being used on indicates that this lens employs a APS-C format Fujifilm X-series linear motor for focusing. cameras, this provides the Such designs can push lens 47
With the aperture stopped down, the lens resolves excellent detail from corner to corner
Fujifilm X-T4, 1/100sec at f/11, ISO 160
elements back and forth very quickly, rather than relying on a ring type motor where the lenses are moved by turning them on a helicoid. The result is that the 18mm f/1.4 lens should focus extremely quickly, accurately, smoothly and, for those interested in shooting video, quietly. One thing that you will see missing from the lens designation is OIS, for Optical Image Stabilisation. Instead,
photographers and videographers will have to rely on in-body image stabilisation which is only provided by a few Fujifilm cameras, including the X-H1, X-S10 and X-T4. That said, this is a fairly wide-angle lens with a large aperture, so there shouldn’t be too many issues shooting handheld with no stabilisation. In terms of optical design, the lens is composed of 15 elements in 9 groups, including three aspherical elements and one
Out-of-focus highlights are nicely rounded Fujifilm X-T4, 1/5800sec at f/1.4, ISO 160 48
camera feel. A small button locks the aperture ring in the ‘A’ position for when you want the camera to automatically change the aperture in Program or Shutter Priority mode. At the rear of the lens is a very thin rubber O-ring seal that should help prevent dust and moisture getting between the lens and the camera mount itself. And whilst we obviously can’t see inside the lens, Fujifilm has said that there are eight points of weather-sealing around the barrel to prevent dust and moisture ingress, so it should cope in all but the very harshest conditions. In terms of its size, the 18mm lens is unsurprisingly a lot bigger than the original 18mm f/2 lens because of its larger f/1.4 maximum aperture. It weighs 370g, as opposed to just 116g Build and handling for the f/2 optic, and is also Handling-wise the lens feels very nearly twice as long, at 75.6mm much like the Fujifilm lenses that as opposed to 40.6mm. As a we have come to love over the result, the 18mm f/1.4 is past decade. The barrel is solid probably better paired, in terms metal with plastic aperture and of balance, with the SLR-style focusing rings. The aperture bodies in Fujifilm’s X range. Not settings are clearly marked in a that it would be bulky or style that is reminiscent of the cumbersome on an X-Pro body, Zeiss DIN lettering, which helps but street photographers, for give Fujifilm lenses that classic example, would tend to favour extra low dispersion element. There are nine rounded aperture blades, which should produce nice smooth round bokeh, and the aperture ring itself is clickable in one-third stop increments, not just full stops. The lens has a 62mm filter thread, which is the same as a number of Fujifilm’s other popular prime lenses, such as the 56mm f/1.2 and the 23mm f/1.4. Finally those wanting to take close-up shots should be pleased with the 20cm minimum focus distance, which when the lens and sensor position is taken into consideration, means that you can get the front element around 11cm from the subject. Don’t expect macro performance, but for some shots of flowers in situ, it’s a nice lens.
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LENS TEST Transitions from sharp to blurred are rendered in an attractive fashion
Fujifilm X-T4, 1/5400sec at f/1.4, ISO 160
reduced size and weight for more-discreet shooting.
Autofocus
When it comes to autofocus, the Fujifilm 18mm f/1.4 works exactly as you would expect it to. It’s fast and very snappy in single AF mode, and when switched to continuous AF it does a great job of tracking the subject the camera is following, especially when it is using Eye AF for portraits. The linear motors are very fast and also very quiet, which is great when you are shooting video. When in the video mode the focusing slows down slightly, it isn’t as snappy, but instead it is very smooth as you switch focus from one subject to another. Again, Eye and Face AF work well when shooting video.
Image quality
Having an f/1.4 aperture on a lens that is a 27mm equivalent is fantastic for getting a shallow depth of field on subjects like flowers, especially as you can get in very close. Details in the centre of the frame are incredibly sharp even with the aperture wide open. Out-of-focus areas look smoothly blurred at f/1.4, making this a lovely lens to use wide open. When stopped down to f/2.8 the nine aperture blades do their job, creating nice
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‘Details in the centre of the frame are incredibly sharp, even wide open’ circular bokeh with smooth out-of-focus transitions. It will come as no surprise that the lens performs best at around f/5.6 to f/8, and again, the details in the centre of the image at f/8 are impressively sharp. Towards the extreme corners there is some drop-off in the sharpness, but there is still more than enough detail here for landscapes, particularly if you are clever with hyperfocal focusing to make sure that the foreground is in focus. By the time you reach the smallest aperture of f/16, there is obviously a loss of the very finest detail due to diffraction. However as the lens comes from such a good place regarding sharpness in the first place, I would be perfectly happy to shoot at this aperture if I really needed to maximise the depth of field. That said, it’s better to stick with f/11 if you can for sharper results. The smaller apertures also produce great-looking sun stars for those who like shooting directly into the light. There weren’t any really noticeable flares and the lens does come with a hood so light from acute angles should be shaded
anyway. I shot quite a lot in bright midday sunlight and when looking at my shots taken either wide open or a stop or two down, I have struggled to see any sign of chromatic aberration in either JPEG or raw files opened in Adobe Lightroom. With modern designs, this usually means that the lens is well-corrected optically, with any residual chromatic aberration being compensated in software. As a result, colour fringing shouldn’t be an issue with this lens. Similarly, vignetting isn’t really a problem. It’s clearly visible at f/1.4 but is very smooth in gradation. By the time you’ve closed the aperture down one or two stops, it has largely gone away and probably won’t be noticeable unless you happen to be photographing evenly lit walls. It’s a similar story with distortion. Using the standard photographer’s test of shooting a brick wall head-on, I couldn’t see any of the barrel distortion that’s typical of wideangle lenses in either the JPEG or raw images. Overall it seems to be crafted extremely well, maximising image quality whilst at the same time keeping optical aberrations to a minimum.
Testbench
Verdict
The Fujifilm XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR is a great option for landscape and street photographers and also for videographers. With many smartphone manufacturers opting to use a 27mm focal length for their main cameras, it has become an increasingly popular focal length over the last few years for all different subjects and styles of photography. However, at £879 it does cost a serious chunk of money, although you get a seriously good lens in return. But if you can live with a stop smaller aperture, the older 18mm f/2 can be found for around £500 new or just £250 used, and it is obviously smaller and lighter. This makes it a compelling alternative for street photography. In terms of the optics and autofocus, though, there is absolutely nothing to complain about with the 18mm f/1.4. It is sharp throughout the range, showing just the slightest reduction in detail at the very edges. And all the aberrations that we might expect to see from a large-aperture wideangle prime aren’t really noticeable at all. Overall, it’s hard to find fault with the lens whatsoever, with everything from the build quality to the image quality being of a very high standard. I would wholeheartedly recommend this lens to X-system photographers and videographers who are in need of a 27mm equivalent large-aperture prime.
Data file Price £879 Filter diameter 62mm Lens elements 15 Groups 9 Diaphragm 9
Aperture f/1.4-f/16 Minimum focus 20cm Length 75.6mm Diameter 68.8mm Weight 370g Mount Fujifilm X
GOLD 49
Testbench ACCESSORIES
Nicole Elliott by BlackRapid Camera Sling Amy Davies finds out if this designed-for-women camera strap makes life more comfortable
S E C I RP T E E R TS E T A M I X O R P PA E R A S E C I R P L L A
● £84 ● blackrapid.com DESIGNED by women for women, the Nicole Elliott sling by BlackRapid takes its inspiration from baby-carrying slings. With its shoulder-hugging design, the strap takes away pressure from the neck and back, promising to make your camera feel ‘virtually weightless’. Both right-handed and left-handed shooters are catered for, with a reversible design that can be quickly switched over. Not everybody likes crossbody straps, but it’s hard to argue with how well the weight is distributed. Being wide, the strap also sits well on the chest, where thinner straps might cut across uncomfortably. The shoulder-hugging flexible pad is also very comfortable, but in the colder months I found that bulky winter coats don’t leave too much room for it, and it can occasionally slip off. In the summer when wearing thinner fabrics it fits much better. I’ve regularly been using the strap with the Nikon Z7 II and a variety of lenses, including heavier optics such as the 70-200mm f/2.8. The strap does an excellent job of making the camera feel lighter than it is, and after a long day shooting I’ve not felt the usual sore neck or back that I might otherwise experience with thinner straps. The strap is extendable to 63 inches in circumference, so it should be suitable for most body types. The adjustable length is helpful for making the camera sit where you want it to, and I can place it so the camera remains relatively static when not in use. One of the advantages of the way straps like this attach is that you can quickly move it between multiple camera bodies. However, this also means that it’s possible for your camera to detach without you noticing. I find myself regularly checking that the attachment is screwed in tightly. For even better peace of mind, the strap comes with a Safety Tether in the box. The tether attaches to one of your camera’s strap lugs, with the other end attaching to the carabiner on the strap, acting as a fail-safe. Indeed, on one occasion the camera I was using fell from the strap and onto the floor, so it makes sense to fit the tether, at least initially.
Shoulderhugging Pressure points are taken away from the neck and back by ‘hugging’ your shoulder.
Pockets
There are two zippered pockets for memory cards, batteries or other small accessories.
At a glance ● Reversible for right or
left-handed wear accessories / lens caps ● Safety Tether included ● Removable and washable shoulder piece ● Pockets for storing
Pouches
Two lens cap pouches are also included to help you keep track of your lens caps.
HANDY SPACE
A bonus of the wide design is that there’s space for pockets. Two are lens cap pouches, while two others are zippered for small accessories, such as memory cards or spare batteries, or perhaps non-photographic items such as keys. That makes it useful when you don’t want to also carry an additional bag.
Recommended
Connection
The strap simply screws into your camera’s tripod mount.
Verdict
At around £84, this is by no means cheap for a camera strap. However, if you find that conventional designs leave you with a sore neck or back, then it’s certainly worth considering. 50
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Visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/apoy2021
Ask the Experts Tech Talk
Looking for a new camera or accessory and need some advice? We’re here to help. Contact us at ap.ed@kelsey.co.ukor on Twitter at@AP_Magazine and #AskAP
Can youI recently stil buyclearedfilmout? my
Q
loft and found a couple of old film cameras collecting dust that I’d long since forgotten about. I’ve shot digital for years now, but dragged them down with the intention of perhaps giving film a go again, if only for nostalgia’s sake. The problem is, the local shop where I used to buy all my film has long since disappeared, and I haven’t got a clue where I’d get any these days – especially the 110 cartridges that one of them shoots. Any suggestions? Terrance Williams During the past few years analogue photography has become popular again, with many younger photographers adopting it for the first time, as well as older users rediscovering their love for it. With this growth in popularity the demand for film is booming, and both its availability and the variety on the market is at the best place it’s been in decades. Large photographic retailers like Wex Photo Video and London Camera Exchange carry film; while online, take a look at Analogue Wonderland and Lomography. The latter offers a huge range of weird and wonderful film in 35mm, 110 and 120 formats.
What studio light modifier should I use?
Q
I’ve invested in my first studio flash set and am really looking forward to experimenting with my subject lighting in portraits. But I really don’t know where to begin with light modifiers – there are so many different types and sizes available! Could you perhaps suggest some of the most popular options and explain what they do for me? My lights are Bowens fit and have arrived with some basic reflectors. Eliza Mount
Our experts suggest
A
A wide variety of film is available online and from major retailers 52
A
Just about every studio photographer will have a range of light modifiers at their disposal, which come in three main types. Soft light modifiers such as umbrellas, soft boxes and beauty dishes spread the light out over a large area, illuminating the subject in a flatteringly even fashion. Directional modifiers such as snoots, grids and barn doors are used to control the spread of light for dramatic effects. Finally, creative modifiers may be used to alter the colour of light or give it a specific shape.
Interfit 122cm Foldable Bowens BeautyDish Octabox with Grid BW6740
Interfit Foldable Softbox - Strip with Grid
£83.99
£75.99 ● Inner and outer diffusers included
Large enough to illuminate three or four subjects in a half-length portrait, this octagonal soft box produces pleasingly soft light that wraps around a subject for flattering images with soft shadows. Octaboxes also have the added benefit of creating naturallooking round catchlights in eyes. Easy to erect thanks to its foldable design, this particular unit comes with two removable diffusers for even greater control of light intensity, along with a honeycomb grid for reduced light spill if required.
Commonly used in beauty and fashion photography, a beauty dish produces a semi-hard light that has a crisp central region with a softer controlled light spill at its edges. Beauty dishes also create aesthetically pleasing circular catchlights in a subject’s eyes, and for this reason are often included in lighting set-ups even when they aren’t utilised as the main source. Much faster to affix than soft boxes and umbrellas, their solid construction means they only need attaching to your light, and not pre-assembling.
● Comes with inner and outer diffusers ● Honeycomb grid included ● Fast to set up
● Pebbled interior for even light spread ● Instant set-up ● Lightweight
£114
While producing a soft light akin to that of the octabox on the left, the beam of light this strip box creates is much narrower, allowing it to be used either horizontal or vertically in a more precise directional manner. This makes it perfect for backlighting or hair lighting a subject. This particular model measures 30x139cm and features a foldable design for ease of set-up, inner and outer diffusers for increased light intensity control and a honeycomb grid to eliminate light spill.
● Comes with honeycomb grid ● Fast to set up
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Best Buys A round-up of the AP testing team’s favourite and most highly rated kit, including both cameras and all kinds of accessories, across a wide range of price points
Olympus Tough TG-6 ● £370 ● www.olympus.co.uk
Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III Fujifilm X100V
★★★★★
● £1,300 ● www.fujifilm.eu/uk Fujifilm’s charismatic rangefinder-styled compact employs a fixed 23mm f/2 lens, APS-C sensor, traditional analogue controls and a unique hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder. In this latest version the lens has been redesigned for improved sharpness, and the back is now adorned with a tilting screen. It’s a truly gorgeous little camera. ★★★★★ Reviewed 25 Apr 2020
Panasonic LX100 II
Sony RX100 VII
Sony RX10IV
A high-end compact for creative photography, the LX100 II is based around a 24-75mm equivalent f/1.7-2.8 lens and a 17MP Four Thirds sensor that features a true multi aspect-ratio design. It also boasts a full range of traditional analogue control dials, and the corner-mounted viewfinder is complemented by touchscreen LCD. ★★★★ Reviewed 1 Sep 2018
Sony has somehow crammed a 24-200mm equivalent zoom, pop-up electronic viewfinder, tilting screen, 20 fps shooting and 4K video recording into a body that you can slip into a jacket pocket. With the firm’s latest AF technology also on board, it’s without doubt the most accomplished pocket camera on the market. ★★★★ Reviewed 5 Oct 2019
Olympus’s Tough compacts have habitually won our underwater camera group tests, and this latest model is still the best of its type. It’s waterproof to 15m, shockproof against a 2.4m drop, crushproof and freezeproof. The 25-100mm equivalent lens is paired with a 12MP sensor, and viewing is via a 3in LCD. This is also one of the few rugged cameras that can record raw files.
● £1,119 ● www.canon.co.uk This unique zoom compact offers excellent image quality by employing the same 24.2MP APS-C sensor as several of Canon’s DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, along with a 24-72mm equivalent lens. A central viewfinder, fully articulated touchscreen and comprehensive external controls round off a superb little camera for enthusiast photographers.
Reviewed 3 Feb 2018
● £729 ● www.panasonic.com/uk
www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
● £1,199 ● www.sony.co.uk
● £1,699 ● www.sony.co.uk This sets a new standard for superzoom cameras, with a 24-600mm equivalent lens, 20MP 1in sensor, and 24 fps continuous shooting. Its SLR-shaped body hosts a large electronic viewfinder and a decent set of physical controls. It’s the best all-in-one camera for wildlife or travel photography that you can buy right now. ★★★★★ Reviewed 2 Dec 2017
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BEST BUYS REVISITING GREAT KIT FROM OUR TEST ARCHIVES Nikon D3500
Canon EOS M50
Nikon’s entry-level DSLR hits a sweet spot of capability versus affordability. It sports a 24MP APS-C sensor with a sensitivity range up to ISO 25,600, and can shoot at 5 frames per second. Its Guide Mode makes the camera easy to use for beginners, while full manual control is also available. ★★★★★ Reviewed 9 Feb 2019
This likeable little camera is simple and approachable for novices, while offering plenty of manual control for enthusiasts. Its central electronic viewfinder is joined by a fully articulated touchscreen, autofocus is fast and accurate, and it’s capable of producing consistently fine images. The updated Mark II version adds a few minor extra features.
● £400 with 18-55mm VR ● www.nikon.co.uk
● £649 with 15-45mm lens ● www.canon.co.uk
★★★★
Reviewed 14 Apr 2018
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Fujifilm X-T30 ● £799 with 14-42mm lens ● www.olympus.co.uk
● £899 with 15-45mm lens ● www.fujifilm.eu/uk
With a charismatic retro design, fine handling, highly effective in-body stabilisation and attractive JPEG output, Olympus has made a camera that’s more pleasant to use than its entry-level competitors. Its 20MP sensor delivers good results up to ISO 3200 at least, and its tilting screen can be set to face forwards beneath the camera. The 16MP Mark III is also still a great buy. ★★★★ Reviewed 26 Sep 2020
This lovely little camera provides excellent performance, while preserving the charm and charisma of the X-series. It’s a great all-rounder, and handles exceptionally well thanks to an intuitive interface based around traditional analogue dials. Image quality is superb in both raw and JPEG, aided by Fujifilm’s peerless Film Simulation modes. ★★★★★ Reviewed 18 May 2019
Canon EOS 250D
● £999 ● www.panasonic.com/uk
● £599 with 18-55mm IS lens ● www.canon.co.uk One of the smallest DSLRs around, the EOS 250D strikes a great balance between portability and usability. It’s equipped with a novice-friendly Guided Mode, while Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS sensor provides excellent autofocus in live view. Image quality is very good, delivering vibrant colours and plenty of fine detail. ★★★★★ Reviewed 7 Sep 2019
Panasonic Lumix G9 Easily the finest stills camera Panasonic has ever produced, the G9 backs up its sturdy construction with a winning combination of high-speed shooting, fast focusing and effective in-body stabilisation. Boasting a control layout as complete as most pro-level DSLRs, it’s an extremely versatile camera that’s capable of dealing with any subject. ★★★★ Reviewed 27 Jan 2018
Fujifilm X-S10
● £949 ● www.fujifilm.eu/uk Fujifilm’s latest model brings a distinct change in design. It looks much like a conventional DSLR, with electronic dials for changing exposure settings. But you still get Fujifilm’s signature fine image quality, along with in-body image stabilisation. The result is a camera that’s perfect for APS-C DSLR users looking to upgrade to mirrorless. ★★★★★ Reviewed 23 Jan 2021
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III ● £1,049 ● www.olympus.co.uk This small, fully featured and weathersealed mirrorless camera is both a pleasure to use, and capable of great results. Its petite body finds space for an extensive complement of controls, along with class-leading 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, yet weighs in at just 414g. On-chip phase detection enables fast, decisive autofocus. ★★★★★ Reviewed 11 Jan 2020
Fujifilm X-T4
● £1,549 ● www.fujifilm.eu/uk Fujifilm has built on its outstanding X-T3 by adding in-body image stabilisation and a vari-angle screen. With high speed, impressive resolution and sophisticated autofocus, the X-T4 is the finest APS-C mirrorless camera yet, and a great choice for both demanding professionals and keen enthusiasts who would like to build a smaller, lighter system. ★★★★★ Reviewed 11 Jul 2020
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Nikon Z 6II
Nikon Z 7II
This upgraded full-frame mirrorless all-rounder boasts a 24.5MP sensor, 273-point autofocus and rapid 14fps burst shooting. It also gains an SD card slot, alongside XQD/CFexpress. Its excellent viewfinder is complemented by a tilting screen, and both image quality and handling are superb. The older Z 6 remains a good buy for £500 less. ★★★★ Reviewed 9 Jan 2021
● £1,999 ● www.nikon.co.uk
Sony Alpha 7R IV
● £2,999 ● www.nikon.co.uk
Nikon has delivered a sensible update to its flagship high-res model, with an additional SD card slot and slightly faster shooting. As before, its 45.7MP sensor gives stunning image quality, backed up by 5-axis in-body image stabilisation and fast, accurate autofocus. The viewfinder is superb, and F-mount SLR lenses can be used via the FTZ adapter. ★★★★ Reviewed 6 Feb 2021
● £3,499 ● www.sony.co.uk With its 61MP sensor, the A7R IV takes full-frame image quality to new heights, without compromising on speed or dynamic range. It’s as accomplished when shooting sports or wildlife as it is for landscapes or portraits. With an excellent viewfinder and effective in-body stabilisation, it’s the most capable all-rounder you can currently buy. ★★★★★ Reviewed 12 Oct 2019
Sony Alpha 7 III
Nikon D850
Leica M10 Monochrom
Sony’s enthusiast-focused full-frame mirrorless model is a remarkable allrounder that’s packed full of high-end features. Its 24MP sensor is supported by fast, responsive autofocus, 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, 10 frames per second shooting and 4K video recording. Handling and battery life are notably improved over its predecessor, too. ★★★★★ Reviewed 5 May 2018
This brilliant professional all-rounder provides a winning combination of high resolution and speed. Its 45.7MP sensor produces fine results at high ISOs, and the autofocus is incredibly responsive and accurate. Build quality and handling should satisfy the most demanding of users. It’s an absolutely sensational camera capable of tackling any type of subject. ★★★★★ Reviewed 21 Oct 2017
● £1,749 ● www.sony.co.uk
Nikon D780
● £2,199 ● www.nikon.co.uk
The long-awaited successor to the D750 shows that there’s life in the DSLR yet. It’s superbly built with extensive weather sealing, handles brilliantly, and gives excellent results in any conditions. It’ll provide top-level service to photographers who want to keep using their F-mount lenses and still prefer an optical viewfinder. ★★★★★ Reviewed 4 Apr 2020
● £2,499 ● www.nikon.co.uk
● £7,400 ● uk.leica-camera.com Within its own specialist niche, this monochrome-only manual-focus rangefinder is almost perfect. Its build quality is stunning, and the pared-back design allows you to immerse yourself completely in the process of taking pictures. Most importantly, the 40.9MP sensor produces fantastic results, reaching a new pinnacle in black & white image quality. ★★★★★ Reviewed 22 Feb 2020
Canon EOS R6
Fujifilm GFX100S
● £2,499 ● www.canon.co.uk
With this powerhouse all-rounder, Canon has finally got full-frame mirrorless absolutely right for stills photographers. It handles brilliantly, its subject-tracking autofocus is incredible, image quality is superb in both raw and JPEG, and the addition of in-body IS is transformative. It also works brilliantly with adapted EF-mount DSLR lenses. ★★★★★ Reviewed 10 Oct 2020
● £5,499 ● www.fujifilm.eu/uk Fujifilm’s second-generation super-high resolution camera places a 102MP mediumformat sensor in a body the size of a fullframe DSLR. On-chip phase detection provides rapid autofocus; in-body image stabilisation allows the camera to be used handheld with confidence. It’s perfect if you need to shoot in the field without compromising on image quality. ★★★★★ Reviewed May 2021
Stay inspired all year, never miss an issue and get AP delivered straight to your door every week. See page 54 for details of our latest offer www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
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BEST BUYS REVISITING GREAT KIT FROM OUR TEST ARCHIVES Billingham Hadley Pro 2020
Essential Film Holder Kit
The latest model in this iconic line of British-made satchel-style bags includes some well-considered updates, such as a detachable shoulder strap. It’s impeccably constructed from premium materials to keep your kit protected, including Billingham’s signature triple-layer canvas that’s impermeable to water. It’s pricey, but will last for decades. ★★★★★Reviewed 5 Oct 2019
Many photographers either still enjoy shooting film, or have old negatives and slides that they’d like to digitise. Probably the best way to do this is to copy them using a DSLR or mirrorless camera. This easy-to-use device holds film flat over a lightbox for copying. It gives excellent results and is much quicker than using a scanner. ★★★★★ Reviewed 29 Aug 2020
● £239 ● www.manfrotto.com/uk-en With 4-section carbon fibre legs that can each be set to four angles, this sturdy, versatile tripod achieves a maximum height of 147cm while folding down to 45cm, and weighs 1.35kg. But its party trick is a centre column that can be set horizontally for overhead or low-level shooting. ★★★★★ Reviewed 1 Jun 2019
Cullmann Rondo 460M RB8.5
Benro GD3WH
● £260 ● www.billingham.co.uk
Vanguard Veo Select 49 ● £119 ● www.vanguardworld.co.uk
This cleverly designed bag comes with both a backpack harness and a shoulder strap, and can be switched between the two carrying modes quickly and easily. There’s space for one or two cameras and 3-5 extra lenses, along with a separate compartment for a 15in laptop and a tablet. ★★★★★Reviewed 6 Jul 2019
Gitzo Adventury 30L
● £209 ● www.gitzo.com/uk-en This sizeable backpack will hold a pro-spec DSLR with a 70-200mm lens attached and a second body plus up to 4 lenses. An expandable roll top provides plenty of space for personal items, and the bag also boasts tablet and laptop compartments. It’s comfortable to carry fully loaded and offers first-class protection. ★★★★★ Reviewed 8 Sep 2018
● £90 ● www.clifforth.co.uk
Manfrotto 190 Go! MT190GOC4
● £71 ● www.transcontinenta.co.uk/cullmann
● £159 ● www.benroeu.com This relatively lightweight and portable geared head employs an Arca Swiss type quick release. Three large control knobs, one for each axis of movement, drive the camera directly in the corresponding direction, allowing highly accurate setting of composition. With its sturdy magnesium alloy construction, it’s rated to support a 6kg load. ★★★★★Reviewed 26 May 2018
Novo Mantis T3 Mini Travel Tripod
Vanguard VEO 2S AM-264TR
If you want a fully featured tripod kit on a budget, this is a great choice. Four-section aluminium legs provide a maximum height of 160cm, while packing down to 43.5cm. It’s rated to support a 4kg load, weighs 1.46kg, and one leg can be combined with the centre column to form a monopod. ★★★★ Reviewed 21 Mar 2020
● £70 ● www.ukdigital.co.uk This neat 27cm-tall mini tripod has two-section carbon-fibre legs that can be set to three different angles, and chunky rubber feet that unscrew to reveal ground spikes. The matched MBH-25 ball head (£60) provides impressive strength, and an optional centre column is available for £30. ★★★★★ Reviewed 6 Feb 2021
● £90 ● www.vanguardworld.co.uk This unusual monopod boasts an extended height of 1630mm, a folded height of 565mm and a maximum load capacity of 6kg. Three foldable legs at the base provide a tri-stand platform, and are linked to the four-section carbon fibre leg via a ball joint that allows smooth panning and tilting motions. ★★★★★ Reviewed 30 May 2015
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Nissin i40
● £159 ● www.kenro.co.uk
A compact flashgun that’s designed for mirrorless cameras, the i40 stands out for its high specification, compact size and ease of use. Its auto-zoom head covers lenses from 24-105mm equivalent. With a powerful output that belies its size, and a built-in LED video light, it’s available for most brands of camera. ★★★★★ Reviewed 3 May 2014
RØDE VideoMicro ● £55 ● en.rode.com
RØDE has a strong reputation for its high-end microphones. Its VideoMicro is a directional unit that primarily picks up sounds from in front of the camera, and is designed to match small mirrorless cameras. It uses ‘plug-in power’ that’s supplied by many cameras, and as there’s no battery it’s short and light. It comes complete with a Rycote shock mount and a large furry windshield. ★★★★★ Reviewed 21 May 2016
Formatt Hitech Onyx 85mm Seascape Kit ● £350 ● www.formatt-hitech.com
This 85mm filter kit is ideal for APS-C or Micro Four Thirds users. It includes a polariser, 6-stop neutral density, and 3-stop soft-edge and hard-edge ND grads. It’ll fit filter threads up to 77mm, with step rings for 72mm, 67mm and 58mm supplied in the box. ★★★★ Reviewed 6 Feb 2021
● £229 ● www.epson.co.uk An update to the XP960, which won our coveted gold award, this impressive multifunctional unit provides A3 printing ability while retaining a compact footprint. Along with a conventional USB connection, it can print over Wi-Fi, or directly from an SD card or USB stick, controlled using the excellent colour LCD touchscreen. Other useful features include an A4 scanner and double-sided document printing.
★★★★★
Calibrite ColorCheckerStudio
● £522 ● www.colourconfidence.com
Previously known as X-Rite i1 Studio, this kit enables users to adopt a completely colour-managed workflow, from capture through display to print. It allows profiling of cameras, scanners, monitors, projectors and printers, and works with both Mac and Windows computers. It’s a great tool for any photographer who likes to print at home. ★★★★★Reviewed 19 Jan 2019
Hahnel ProCube2
Kase Wolverine Magnetic Circular Filter Entry Kit
This dual battery charger boasts a sturdy metal shell and interchangeable plates that each accept a pair of batteries. An LCD display shows progress, and a 2.4A USB output allows phones or tablets to be charged once the camera batteries are full. Versions are available for all the main camera brands. ★★★★★ Reviewed 24 Feb 2018
These clever kits include circular polarising, 3-stop and 6-stop neutral density filters that snap magnetically onto adapters that screw into your lens. This considerably speeds up the process of using filters and encourages you to use them creatively. Kits are available in 77mm and 82mm sizes, with adapter rings in all sizes from 49mm up. ★★★★★ Reviewed 8 Aug 2020
● £70 ● www.hahnel.ie
Epson Expression Photo XP970
● £220-£235 ● www.kasefilters.com
WD My Passport Wireless SSD ● £220-£760 ● shop.westerndigital.com This handy device lets you back up your pictures from your camera to its internal solid-state drive without the need for a computer. It has a built-in SD card reader, and a USB 2.0 port that allows backup of other card types using plug-in readers. Its rechargeable battery will last for hours. ★★★★ Reviewed 30 Jun 2018
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link
● £110 ● www.instax.co.uk Powered by a built-in rechargeable battery, this smart little printer connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and is controlled using an attractively designed and intuitive app. It’s small enough to slip into a coat pocket or bag, and most importantly, delivers gorgeous little prints with fine detail and vivid colour. ★★★★★Reviewed 2 Nov 2019
Stay inspired all year, never miss an issue and get AP delivered straight to your door every week. See page 54 for details of our latest offer www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
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York Road, BURGESS HILL, West Sussex RH15 9TT
20 fps
8K
IS
EN 20.9
MEGA PIXELS
11 fps
4K
3.0”
The Z fc is where classic Nikon camera design meets innovative Z series technology for superb image quality and pure, unadulterated style. Wherever you shoot, whatever you shoot - from stills to movies to vlogs. Propel your creativity into the future with the lightweight DX-format mirrorless camera that puts iconic in your hands.
Whatever you shoot, however you shoot it, the EOS R5 will let you be creative in ways you simply couldn’t before. Capture sensational 45 megapixel photos at up to 20 frames per second, or cinematic 12 bit 8K RAW video using the entire width of the camera’s sensor.
Body only £4,299.00
SAVE % on Canon RF lenses when bought with the EOS R5
HOUR TEST DRIVE AVAILABLE! See parkcameras.com to learn more.
Z fc + 28-70mm £1,039.00 Z fc + 28mm f/2.8 SE £1,129.00 HALF PRICE FTZ MOUNT ADAPTER when ordering the Z fc. Ends 31.08.21
Canon EOS RP
Canon EOS R
Canon EOS R6
Nikon Z50
Nikon Z7 II
26.2 MEGA
30.3 MEGA
20.1 MEGA
20.9 MEGA
45.7 MEGA
PIXELS 5 FPS
Body only +24-105mm
£1,049.00 £1,329.00 Add a Canon LP-E17 spare battery for only £44.99
RF 85mm
f/2 IS MACRO USM
PIXELS 8 FPS
Body only +24-105mm
PIXELS
4K
PIXELS 11 FPS
Body only
Spread the cost our finance .00 withoptions!
£1,699.00 £1,999.00
£2,599
RF 14-35mm
RF 70-200mm
Save 5% off all Canon RF lenses with the EOS R. See web
f/4L IS USM
48 hour test drive available! See wesite to learn more.
£649.00
Our Price
See website for latest availability.
Our Price
£1,749.00
Add a Hoya 67mm REVO UV SMC filter for £41.95
20.4
15 fps
f/4 PRO
£899.00
See website for finance options!
EXPECTED JUNE 2021! See website to learn more
See website for latest availability.
Body only £1,424.00*
*Price after £175 cashback. You pay £1,599 & claim £175 from Olympus
f/4 ED PRO
£125 cash back
Our Price +14-42 EZ
£474.00* £629.00*
Olympus 12-100mm f/4 I.S PRO
Our Price
£899.00*
Add a Hoya 72mm REVO UV for £49.00
*Price after £100 cashback from Olympus. Ends 15.08.21
24.2 IS 3.0”
HD
MEGA PIXELS
ZEISS ZX1
Stay in your flow
37.4
MEGA PIXELS
4.3”
The ZEISS ZX1 is the camera for everyone who knows that creative photography isn‘t just about capturing the perfect moment, but also about a smooth workflow.
£2,959.00
INTEGRATED ADOBE PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM™
In stock at £5,399.00
See website to learn more
£649.00
Add the Nikon MB-D11 battery grip for only £359
3.2”
7 fps
LUMIX GH5 II
20.3 MEGA Free your creativity PIXELS
3.0”
I.S
From streaming and delivery-ready shooting to uncompressed log recording suitable for advanced post-production. A hybrid mirrorless camera that meets the needs of all creators.
FREE 25mm lens & spare battery! See web to learn more.
Panasonic LUMIX GH6
Panasonic LEICA DG 10-25mm f/1.7 ASPH.
In development! Learn more & register your interest to be first in the know at parkcameras.com
102
4K
NEW!
Our Price
See website for latest availability.
NOW IN STOCK See website to learn more
4K Body Only £2,499.00 Spread the cost with our finance options. See web.
£180 trade-in bonus available! See web to learn more.
MEGA PIXELS
In stock at £799.00 GR III Street Edition - Now £899! Ends 02.08.21
f/2.8
The D850 puts staggering image quality and impressive performance within reach of working photographers everywhere.
£100 cash back
*Price after £125 cashback from Olympus. Ends 15.08.21
To further enhance the essential values of a camera true to the GR-series concept, this latest model is equipped with a complete range of newly designed main components, including a lens, an image sensor and an imaging engine.
Body only
45.7
£300 cash back
Olympus 12-45mm
NEW!
Our Price
£809.00 £849.00
Spread the cost with our finance options. See website
Nikon Z MC 50mm
PIXELS 10 FPS
MEGA PIXELS
Spread the cost with our finance options. See website
3.0”
A fully portable design, coupled with uncompromising image quality under all conditions, makes the E-M1 Mark III your ultimate tool for getting breathtaking results.
Olympus 8-25mm
£1,719.00
EXPECTED LATE AUGUST! See website to learn more MEGA PIXELS
Body only +16-50mm
f/4L IS USM NEW!
Our Price
!W
3.15”
!K
45
MEGA PIXELS
SN T CO
I
53-54 Rathbone Place, LONDON, W1T 1JR Experts in photography Unbeatable stock availability Competitive low pricing UK stock
2.9 fps
3.2”
4K
NEW!
Available from £1,499 NOW IN STOCK! See website to learn more!
Panasonic LEICA DG 25-50mm f/1.7 ASPH.
Our Price
See website for latest .00 availability.
£1,595
Add a Hoya 77mm Ultra Pro UV filter for £85
NEW!
Our Price
£1,799.00
COMING SOON! See website to learn more
4K
Surpassing the boundaries of what is possible in making large format images, GFX100S builds on the groundbreaking ideas from the GFX100, with a philosophy of mobility and portability, to create a camera that is positioned to provide you with an opportunity to take large format image-making to places it has never been before.
Body only £5,499.00
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Tamron 150-500mm This lens enables users to enjoy casual shooting with steady performance and high image quality in the ultratelephoto realm where conventional wisdom once dictated a tripod.
Sony E-Mount £1,379.00 NOW IN STOCK!
Tamron 28-200mm Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8-5.6 DI III RXD
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Manfrotto 290 Aluminium 3-Section Tripod + 804 Head MK290DUA3-3W
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£699.00
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Atomos Shinobi 7 An ideal directors’ monitor, focus pullers’ monitor, program or preview display for video switchers, and perfect for vloggers presenting to camera.
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Olympus E-M5 III Body
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£499.00
Lowepro Photo Active BP 300 AW
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£109.99
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Sigma 45mm
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£239.00
Atomos Ninja V+
7” 4K Monitor
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£429.00
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Sigma 35mm
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Tamrac T Stratus 10
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£568.00
Sigma 24mm
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£289.00
4K
3.1”
10 fps
The new SIGMA fp L is equipped with a full-frame Bayer sensor with approximately 61 megapixels, making it one of the highest resolution full-frame bodies ever built.
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Lowepro Flipside BP 400AW III Backpack
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£169.00
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£184.99
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Ideal for multiple cameras with lenses & accessories
Creative Pen Display
Feels like pen and paper. Works like magic. You can draw, edit photos and videos, or brainstorm in a way that’s so familiar, you’ll forget you’re doing it digitally.
Available from
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Wacom Cintiq 16
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£449.00
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£509.00
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SRB Elite Filter System
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Award-winning. Aluminium square filter system. Made by us. In the UK.
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Alan 2.0 Monopod Trent Monopod Docz2 Foot Stabiliser Punks Patti Tripod Punks Corey Tripod Punks Travis Tripod Ellie-C L Bracket Ellie-G L Bracket QR11-LC L Bracket QR11-LG L Bracket QR4 Release Plate Heelz Tripod Feet Bootz Tripod Feet
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SRB On-it Carbon Fibre Monopod
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Wanted
Photo Critique
O
n April 11, 2015, ten cameras livestreamed online the birth of Kipenzi the giraffe from Dallas Zoo. I was one of the 1.4 million viewers who tuned in. I watched because I had a three-week trip to Dallas planned in June and was immersing myself in the life of the Texan town. Arriving in Dallas, I soon made the pilgrimage to the 106-acre zoo established in 1888, walking 3.2 miles from my hotel in 35˚C maddening sunshine. I wasn’t sure which of the giraffes I photographed striding elegantly around their enclosure but I like to think I captured Kipenzi and her mother, Katie. Later in my Lone Star State soap-opera, while waiting for a train, I asked the station security officer, who was also the ticket inspector, ‘Is that the train to Dallas–Fort Worth?’ and hooked a thumb towards the three-tier train rumbling towards platform two. She asked where I was from. I told her I was from London. ‘Have you met the new baby yet?’ she asked, beaming. Saturated in all things Dallas, I assumed she meant Kipenzi. ‘Yes I have, stunning creature,’ I replied. ‘How about the mother, have you met Kate?’ ‘Katie,’ I corrected her. ‘I may have done, there were a few others trotting about but I believe so – such a beautiful neck,’ I said, nodding approvingly. ‘Yes she has, she’s too pretty for Prince William,’ said the security inspector and ushered me aboard. On 29 July, the CNN news network reported Kipenzi had died: ‘The calf was scampering around the giraffe habitat
Peter Dench considers...
‘Rescue of Giraffes from Flooding Island’, by Ami Vitale for CNN
‘We have poked some big holes in our shared little life raſt. What happens next is in all of our hands’ Tuesday evening when she ran into the perimeter and broke her neck. The zoo said Kipenzi died instantly.’ Gregg Hudson, zoo president and CEO said in a statement: ‘This is a huge loss for our giraffe herd, our staff and our guests. To be honest, it hurts terribly. We’re crushed, and everyone here is mourning.’ I was devastated and donated a bucket of tears and a fistful of dollars to the conservation fund in Kipenzi’s memory. I’ve been politicised to help giraffes ever since. This poignant image, taken by Ami Vitale, achieved 1st
Prize in Nature, Singles at the 2021 World Press Photo Contest. It captures Pasaka, a young Rothschild’s giraffe (a subspecies of the northern giraffe that grows up to six metres in height and are classified as endangered) being rescued from Longicharo Island in western Kenya’s Lake Baringo. Pasaka was tranquilised (a vet was on hand to immediately counteract the drug) then led by guide ropes onto the steel barge – the head dramatically arcs back, concealed under a hood reminiscent of the one the
Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick, reportedly wore on the night he first visited the Royal London Hospital in 1884. Vitale has lived in mud huts and war zones reporting on violence and conflict across the globe. ‘My hope is that these images can inspire people and remind them that this is the only home we have. We have poked some big holes in our shared little life raft. What happens next is in all of our hands,’ she explained to CNN. If you want to stick your neck out, visit savegiraffesnow. org/donate.
Peter Dench is a photographer, writer, curator and presenter based in London. He is one of the co-curators of Photo North in Harrogate and has been exhibited dozens of times. He has published a number of books including The Dench Dozen: Great Britons of Photography Vol 1; Dench Does Dallas; The British Abroad; A&E: Alcohol & Englandand England Uncensored. Visit peterdench.com 66
www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
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