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Issue 273 October 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

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Editorial

Welcome
Editor Niall Hampton [email protected]
Contributing editors Marcus Hawkins & Claire Gillo
Technique editor Alistair Campbell [email protected]
Art editor Roddy Llewellyn [email protected]
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Contributors
James Abbott, Ben Brain, Jon Devo, Mike Harris, Andrew James,
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Cover image Getty
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I pick a favourite from spring
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42
Hotshots Winning images from the
International Portrait Photographer
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8 One to One
Landscape photographer Andrew
39 The Art of Seeing
Benedict Brain’s latest dispatch: this
94 Sony A6700
The latest iteration of the brand’s flagship
Haggar explains his MySqK project month, he takes a thermal camera to crop-sensor compact is aiming to reclaim
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Photo Answers In Focus 104 Irix 150mm Macro

80 Our expert answers your questions,
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month’s
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Andrew Haggar
Landscape photographer

Qualified landscape architect

Andrew Haggar is a photographer
who focuses on his local area in
north-west England. We joined
him on location for a shoot page 8
Andrew Haggar

Ross McLaren
Photographer

8
One to One We join landscape photographer Andrew Haggar on location McLaren discovered photography
in his native Cumbria to discover more about MySqK, a ground-breaking after he took up diving – we find
long-form project that focuses on photographing a particular area over time out more about his twin passions
and his strategies for success
in Photo Active from page 16

Andy Summers
Dennis Mukai

Photographer & musician

Best known as one third of 1980s

rock combo The Police, Summers
is also a photographer of some
distinction, as you will discover
in our interview from page 116

Kate Harvey
Wildlife photographer

Harvey hails from County Durham

Andy Summers

and loves to take photographs

of animals. We loved one of
her pictures so much, we made
it our Shot of the Month. Page 70

118
Interview Former Police guitarist Andy Summers has published A Series of
Glances, a career retrospective of images captured on various Leica cameras
since the 1980s. Niall Hampton spoke to him about his love of photography
Jon Devo
Photographer & writer
Photo Active 10 things to shoot, edit or create this month… take a deep dive
Our resident tech columnist
16 into underwater photography, learn how to shoot long-exposure waterfalls,
discover how to capture rutting deer and get some smarts for shooting sport
enjoys considering the latest
developments in photography
and digital imaging. Read his
latest dispatch on page 89

Jack Hollingworth
Camera phone photographer

Hollingworth has penned the

latest in the 52 Assignments
series of photography guides –
David Rogers/Getty

we continue a mini-series of
projects from it on page 36

OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 5
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one
to
one

Get in the zone

for landscapes
Andrew Haggar has devised an innovative long-form
project: take one square kilometre and photograph it
for a number of years. Niall Hampton finds out more
 Long-term landscapes with Andrew Haggar

Andrew Haggar
Landscape photographer

A qualified landscape architect, Haggar

is also a photographer and designer.
Although he has travelled extensively for
work and pleasure, Haggar is a proud
native and resident of rural Cumbria.
https://mysqk.com/

e’re all familiar Cumbria boasts many areas of

with the term outstanding natural beauty and

W ‘in the zone’

and being
absorbed with
Haggar’s chosen area nestles
within the Pennine, Howgill
and Lake District hills.
the job in hand, Arriving in the village of Crosby
but Andrew Haggar has literally Ravensworth at dinner time,
taken this concept to the next I meet Haggar early the next day,
level. Having chosen a square and prepare to find out more
kilometre of open land close about MySqK. As we drive up
to his home, Haggar has a track to the location, it’s soon
repeatedly photographed it over clear that Haggar’s square
the past six years for a long-term kilometre is no honeypot and he
photo project titled MySquareK, doesn’t shoot picture postcard
or MySqK for short. photos; this is rugged and
Looking to publish it as a book, exposed terrain, grazed by
Haggar invited Digital Camera up sheep in weather conditions
to Cumbria so we could see how that are often very unforgiving.
the project works in practice. But, as Haggar notes, great
One of England’s most landscape photographs can
sparsely populated counties, be taken in the most

Landscape photographers are often attracted to the single tree for

subject matter, but Haggar has chosen a square kilometre with two.
one
to
one

Keep it old school:

use paper maps
“Maps enable you to look for landscape
features that might represent good
photographic opportunities, for example,
rivers, lakes, woodland and so on. 1 2
Ordnance Survey maps are divided up into
1km squares with the vertical grid lines
running south to north (bottom to top)
and the horizontal grid lines running west
to east (left to right). Contours define the
height and changes in the level of terrain.
The closer they are together, the steeper
the slope. You can read the form of the
landscape by reading the contours on a
map. When out in the open landscape, if
you need to locate your whereabouts on a
map, walls and fences (and their corners 3 4
and junctions), depicted by a thin black
Top: Haggar photographing the two trees, the anchor point of MySqK’s grid square.
line, are usually good reference points.”
Above: the four corners of Haggar’s project area, each view looking diagonally into the grid square.

unremarkable and unassuming places. “I was initially attracted to the two trees
And this rugged Cumbrian landscape is what – which was something of an oddity, as
inspired Haggar to become a photographer, landscape photographers are traditionally
which he practises alongside working attracted to the single tree as a subject,”
as a landscape architect. Haggar explains. “Then I looked where
Parking his car next to a gate, Haggar and they were on the Ordnance Survey map and
I walk the final half mile as he tells me more established my square kilometre from there.”
about MySqK. It’s a straightforward concept; Knowing the value of repeatedly working
having photographed a pair of trees during a a ‘patch’ to improve as a landscape
walk, Haggar revisited them with his camera photographer, Haggar decided to photograph
many times. So what drew him to them? his square kilometre over a long-term period,
which has amounted to six years so far.
The two trees are an elm and a hawthorn
and sit on a rise that’s 330 metres above sea
level, surrounded by an outcrop limestone
pavement. Since leaving the car, the weather
The idea is to explore has deteriorated and rain is now scudding
down, bouncing up sharply from the
your space in depth limestone rock. Unfazed, Haggar unpacks his
camera and composes a study of the trees
through repeated visits with the rocks in the foreground.

10 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Long-term landscapes with Andrew Haggar
07.55am Camera Sony A7R IV
Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
Exposure 1/40 sec at f/11, ISO 100

Camera Panasonic Lumix LX3 Camera Panasonic Lumix LX3

Lens Leica 24mm, 2.5x zoom Lens Leica 24mm, 2.5x zoom
Exposure 1/125 sec at f/2, ISO 80 Exposure 1/30 sec at f/8, ISO 160

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 11

one
to
one

Making a long-form
project into a book
Haggar is looking to publish this long-
form project as a book (see p15) and
sequencing the photos for a book is just
as involved as creating the images. Here,
Haggar talks us through his process.
“Make some inexpensive 6x4cm
prints of all the photographs you are
considering for your book project and
spread them out on the floor or a large
table. Look for relationships between
photographs, whether it’s similar colours
or tones, times of the year, subjects or
shapes in the pictures and so on, then try
to identify a thread or threads. I wanted
the viewer to be quietly taken through
the seasons with my images. That was
one continuous thread,” Haggar says.
“I also wanted photographs that were
going to be adjacent to each other to
have more than just the time of year in
common, so I thought carefully about
how the photos complemented each
other. That set up other threads. You
want to start and end strongly. Leave
your viewer or reader wanting more.”

A stream runs through the south-east corner of Haggar’s grid square, and he has photographed it
many times over six years. Here, he adds a 10-stop ND filter to shoot a 30-second long exposure.

Once satisfied with this shot, Haggar that will in turn help you to discover more
introduces another vital piece of his kit – and different photographic opportunities.
a Panasonic Lumix LX3 compact, which he And this landscape is certainly rugged.
uses for in-camera double exposures. Having “My square kilometre is open fell,” Haggar
asked Haggar if we can visit the four corners confirms. “Fell is a northern word that means
of the grid square, so I can get an idea of the a high-altitude landscape feature, usually
breadth of landscapes it contains, we carry on a barren mass of land in the form of a
walking. So what are the rules of MySqK, I ask. mountain. This is higher ground – not a
“To take good and worthy photographs, mountain – open grassland with few trees,
and not just ‘record’ shots, from within the and it can be quite wild. I like that wild element.
boundaries of the kilometre grid square on “Most of the time I don’t see anybody
the map that you have chosen as your local when I’m up here and I think this gives me
patch,” Haggar replies. “The idea is that a sense of detachment which in turn helps
through repeated visits you will learn to me collect my thoughts and enables me
explore your space in greater depth and to tune into the landscape more.”

12 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Long-term landscapes with Andrew Haggar
Camera Sony A7R IV
10.34am
Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
Exposure 30 sec at f/16, ISO 100 (with 10-stop ND)

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 13

one
to
one
3 8

4 6
2

5 7

Clockwise from above: Haggar completing

a double exposure inside a juniper tree. His
Lumix LX3 is an oldie, but a goodie. Haggar
logs details of any scenes which resonate
with him. Checking a capture on the A7R IV.

Carrying on and having crested a rise, we

descend into a valley where the grassland vies
for space with purple heather. Pausing to
photograph a large round stone, we make for
the next suggested location – a stream that
meanders past a juniper tree. As he attaches
an ND filter to his lens for a long-exposure
shot, Haggar says that he returns to this
Haggar’s kit for super scenics particularly pleasing spot on a regular basis.
Take a peek inside our pro’s F-Stop Ajna backpack Having mentioned earlier that MySqK is
a sustainable project and is also good for
1 Sony A7R IV mindfulness, I ask Haggar to explain more.
“It handles really well and I enjoy using it. I think the “It’s sustainable because one of its
colours are extremely representative of what I see in reality.” founding principles is to shoot local,” he says.
“By default, this reduces vehicular travel or
2 Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM even cuts it out altogether if your chosen
“I love taking landscape photos with strong foreground square is within walking or cycling distance.
elements, so this range of focal lengths is a must for me.” This has obvious money-saving implications,
too. The idea is that you choose somewhere
3 Panasonic Lumix LX3 easy to get to, a place you are familiar with,
“I’ve had this camera for many years and still find the that you like going to and, most importantly,
image quality to be excellent. I love its multi-exposure mode.” are inspired to go there,” he adds.
“From a mindfulness point of view, MySqK
4 Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS is about focusing awareness on the present
“This doesn’t get used as much as the other two lenses, moment and seeing where inspiration takes
but it’s not too heavy for a zoom of this type and quality.” you. Only on a few occasions did I visit my
square kilometre with a pre-conceived idea
5 Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS of what I was going to take photographs of.”
“A versatile optic. Unless I need to use a different lens, Haggar completes his double exposure at
this is the glass that’s on my camera most of the time.” the juniper tree and we call it a day. Having
thoroughly enjoyed my walk in the wilderness,
6 Lee Filters I can really see the benefits of MySqK – you
nƺƺ‫׎׎׏‬z(JȸƏƳˡǼɎƺȸɀ could safely say that I’m in the zone.
“I’m ‘old school’ and use ND grad filters for balancing the
exposure of bright skies with darker foregrounds, in-camera.”

7 Lee Filters
nƺƺ‫׎׎׏‬z(ˡǼɎƺȸɀ
“I use 6-stop and 10-stop neutral density filters to photograph MySqK is sustainable because
water and capture grasses in the blowing wind.”
its founding principle is to shoot
8 Gitzo JÁ‫׎גדא‬ƬƏȸƫȒȇˡƫȸƺɎȸǣȵȒƳ
“I’ve owned this for a long time – it’s rugged and very local and reduce vehicular travel
well made, and some of its parts can be replaced by the user.”
– or even cut it out altogether”
14 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com
 Long-term landscapes with Andrew Haggar

Camera Panasonic Lumix LX3 Camera Panasonic Lumix LX3

Lens Leica 24mm, 2.5x zoom Lens Leica 24mm, 2.5x zoom
Exposure 1/50 sec at f/8, ISO 80 Exposure 1/100 sec at f/8, ISO 160

Start your own MySqK project

Fancy embarking on your own long-term MySqK? Follow
these six tips from Haggar and you won’t go wrong…

“Choose somewhere “Always know why you

1 3
nearby, somewhere you are taking a photograph.
like going, somewhere that is What attracted you? What did
likely to inspire you and that you see and experience? Is
you have a connection with.” there a story you can show?”

“Repeated visits are “Don’t settle for

2 4
key. They will increase shooting at eye level.
familiarity and therefore your Walk all the way around your
connection with your space, subject and get down low to
which will fuel creativity.” open up new perspectives.”
How Haggar edits his photos
“Shoot at any time and
5
in all conditions, too. I For Haggar, photography is something you do with a camera, not
find that being on the edge of a computer, so he likes to get as much right in-camera as he can.
the weather, if I can manage it, He uses Adobe Lightroom to carry out basic editing on his files.
is usually a good place to be.” “Typical edits would be cropping to a different aspect ratio, taking
care of any highlights where necessary and possibly bringing out
“Photographing your shadows, and converting to monochrome,” he says. “I don’t do
6
square kilometre is much editing to my double exposures – if anything, it’s just
about the sum of the parts. minor adjustments to shadows and highlights. Sometimes, I will
I’m not looking for picture enhance the detail using the Texture adjustment (pictured, above),
postcard views, just good if there’s stone or bark in the image, for example. That said, I think
The MySqK book is coming photos that will contribute you can do anything you want with double exposures – I see them
soon: https://mysqk.com/ to the story I am telling.” as something very creative, an artistic collage.”

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 15

 10 things you can shoot,
edit or create this month,
from capturing waterfalls to
rutting deer and ball games

1 | UNDERWATER

Rolling in
the deep
How to get started in underwater
photography, by Ross McLaren
would love to say that photography has

I
been a passion of mine from an early
age, but it’s actually something I’ve
fallen into by mistake. It’s a case of
one expensive pastime leading to
another expensive pastime, neither of which I
had ever planned to take quite so seriously.
Seven years ago, I started diving on the west coast
of Scotland in preparation for visiting Australia’s Great
Barrier Reef the following summer. My wife and I decided
to do our diving qualifications before we left, so we didn’t
have to spend our holiday time in a classroom.
Sadly, the trip down under didn’t happen, but it opened
up a whole other side of Scotland for us. From the first
time I put my head beneath the water of Loch Long, I was
absolutely blown away by the abundance of life down
there. I had no idea there was such a cacophony of
colours lying just beneath our grey, dreich waterline.
Scotland’s natural beauty is well known, but beneath
our waters is a world that remains unseen by so many.
After that first dive, I decided to start making videos to
show friends and family – whether they were interested in
seeing it or not! Little did I know that having fallen in love
with one new pursuit, another would soon follow.
Ross McLaren

Underwater photography requires specialist equipment, including

a camera housing and waterproof lighting – not to mention your
diving gear. Nobody said this was going to be a cheap pastime!

16 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 The natural beauty on land is well
known, but there’s a whole new world
beneath our waters, which offers
photographers a cacophony of colours,
as seen on this barrel jellyfish.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 17

Ross’s five tips for
better underwater
photography
From getting to know your gear to
staying safe, follow this expert advice

Learn camera skills on land

1 Having upgraded to an Olympus OM-D E-M1
Mark II and a 30mm macro lens, I realised
I’d invested a lot in kit, but nothing in my
own ability, so I started a class at night
school. Photographing a model in a studio
might not seem the same as shooting a

Ross McLaren
crab in a cold Scottish loch, but it’s still
about finding the right settings and lighting
for the subject. I took my underwater
housing to the class and used the camera
inside it for our shoots so I could get
comfortable with changing settings in the
bulky housing. It made such a difference
when I started doing it underwater.

Choose the right lighting

2 Lighting plays a vital role – especially
when working in murky waters where
visibility can be just one or two metres.
Starting out, I’d keep things as simple as
possible. Source a video light of around
3000 lumens; you’ll get a continuous light
to line up shots with. Once you’re more
comfortable, move onto strobes – powerful
flashes that ‘freeze’ the subject. As a
beginner, it can be difficult to judge how
the first image will come out and manually
adjusting the flash power adds more stress.
I use a combination of a video light and

Ross McLaren
a focus light that lets the camera pick up
the subject in dark conditions, and a pair of
strobes that can be moved around on arms.

Always think safety first

3 Naturally, diving comes with risks and the
priority in every dive is safety – getting
the perfect shot must never compromise
that. Even if you are an experienced
photographer, before taking a camera
underwater, you must also be a competent
diver. The same can be said of snorkelling,
which isn’t as easy as it looks. With the
camera, you can easily get distracted and
lose track of time. In a situation where
you’re limited in the air you carry, this
can be dangerous. You are often in fragile
environments that are easily damaged –
even a strong fin kick can have an impact
on the reef around you – so keep this in
mind: take only photos, leave only bubbles.
Ross McLaren

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: A hermit crab, shot in Loch Long,

Scotland; Pachycerianthus multiplicatus or Fireworks Anemone,
in Loch Long; Urticina Felina, or Dahlia Anemone, in Loch Fyne.

18 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 The Sagartis Elegans, or Elegant
Anemone, provides a splash

Ross McLaren
of colour on a carpet of Brittle
Stars in Fairlie Quay, Scotland.

Don’t dismiss Auto mode Play with perspective

4 Initially, the photography was incidental to the diving 5 Despite investing in better camera equipment, my early
for me, and my motto for the first few years was ‘point, images failed to convey a sense of character in my
shoot and hope for the best’. Even when I graduated subjects. Eventually, my dive buddy suggested focusing
from a GoPro that didn’t have a screen to a compact on the face and eyes, which has turned out to be the
camera that offered full control of all settings, I still left single best piece of advice I received. Getting down to
it in Auto mode. There’s a lot to consider and be aware the animal’s level makes a big difference to the images,
of when you are diving, so fiddling with camera settings but it can be tricky. When attempting to shoot a subject
underwater felt like adding too many extra tasks at first. on the sea floor, you should be neutrally buoyant and
I knew I wasn’t taking advantage of the camera’s full not lying or kneeling on the sand. It’s easy to see the
potential, but for that first year or so I was happy with impact you’re having in front of you, but you also have
my images. In fact, some of those photos are still my to be mindful of the environment directly beneath and
favourites and were the first I had published. Even today, behind you – another reason you should be a competent
I still find myself flipping back to Auto now and again. diver before starting underwater photography.

Ross’s default
settings for
underwater
critters
For shooting tiny subjects,
narrow apertures offer the
best chance of sharp focus
s I often photograph small-
A to macro-sized critters, wide
apertures render too much of
the subject out of focus. Before entering
the water, my default settings are 1/200
sec, f/18 and ISO 200 (the native
setting for the EM-1 Mark II). This seems
like a small aperture, but even when you
are shooting nudibranch (right), which
Ross McLaren

can be less than 3cm in size, some of

it can be frustratingly out of focus.

20 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Future

2 | LIGHT TRAILS

Go slow on
the roadside
Don’t get down, says Chris Rutter, Chris’s three tips to better light trails
get out as the evenings get darker Set the speeds
arker nights can be frustrating for 1 Set your shutter speed according to the speed of the traffic.
the keen photographer, but here’s Try 10 seconds as a starting point. Shoot in Manual mode

D a technique to try all year round. Use

a long exposure to get cool traffic trail
so you can adjust the shutter speed and aperture independently,
checking the histogram for each exposure. Use a narrow
effects when cars drive by. It’s one aperture to get starburst effects on street lights and
of those techniques that’s hard to get on a camera increase the depth of field for sharpness.
phone and a pain to replicate in software, so it
will mark you out as a skilled photographer. Work manually
Actually, traffic trails are not that hard to take, 2 It’s best to focus manually because autofocus will often
but you do need to prepare carefully. First, find a struggle in low light and get distracted. Focus carefully
suitable (but safe) location. Try standing by a busy on something significant in the background; zoom in
junction controlled by traffic lights, or a slip road or with Live View to check the focus, if necessary.
a roundabout, where you’ll get vehicles coming past
at different speeds. Capturing vehicles when they Check your ISO
are turning can create interesting effects, too. You’re 3 Keep the ISO low to reduce the amount of noise in your
using a slow shutter speed, so you will need a tripod images, and turn on long-exposure noise reduction.
and cable release to keep the background sharp.

22 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Getty
3 | STREET

Go underground with your camera

It’s not just what you see on the surface that makes an interesting shot…
any major cities have a whole drivers, or take a tripod for security reasons. setting off. Generally, as long as your images
different world beneath them... You will need to push up your ISO setting so are for personal use and you’re considerate,
M and one of the easiest ways
to see this is to explore the
you can shoot hand-held, or take advantage
of the excellent stabilisation systems on many
you shouldn’t encounter too many problems.
Of course, there are often more options for
underground transport modern digital cameras. subterranean photography than transport
network. But shooting on a subway or metro Different countries have their own laws systems. Many cities offer tours of tunnels,
system can be tricky – you won’t be able to dictating what you can and cannot old sewers or various historical sites that
use your flash, as this can distract the train photograph, so do some research before are situated deep beneath the streets.

How to get on top when you shoot underground

Create images that pop with these three great ways to capture underground scenes
Getty

Fish-eye lens Go slow Symmetrical framing

A fish-eye lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens Get creative and blur the trains, like here on When underground, forget about the rule
that distorts the perspective, creating a the London Underground (above). Stabilise of thirds – it’s all about splitting the scene
dynamic and fun result. Use one underground the camera and use a narrow aperture with a 50/50! Underground scenes like this, taken at
and you can enhance the shape and the depth longer shutter speed to create blurred trains the entrance to a Paris Metro station, create
of the round tunnels. A black-and-white finish against static surroundings. Capturing people a natural frame. You can also try placing a
can also enhance the lines and shapes standing still in front of moving trains, as in vanishing point in the centre of your frame;
presented in these spaces. This shot above the shot taken on the New York City Subway using a linear perspective like this can create
was taken on an 8mm fish-eye lens. (top), can also create atmospheric images. a wonderful sense of depth in the picture.

24 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Photo Active

BEFORE AFTER

There are many simple techniques in photo editing software that will produce improved results. They are quick and easy to use and take less time than you may think.

4 | PHOTOSHOP

Clone in
Lighten mode
Smooth out wrinkles with ease
using this really simple step,
says James Paterson
o quickly smooth out an area of

T uneven tonality on skin, perhaps to

tone down bags under the eyes or
soften wrinkles, press Cmd/Ctrl+J
to make a copy of your layer. Grab the Clone Tool,
then go to the tool Blending Mode options
(not the layer options) and set it to Lighten.
Press 2 for 20% brush opacity, then Alt-click
to sample a clean area of skin nearby. Paint
to clone over the rough area until it is smooth.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 25

 SEND US
YOUR IMAGES!
Want to feature in our gallery? Please
email a high-res image (at least 2.5MB)
marked ‘Reader Images’ and including
a title and brief description to:
[email protected]
or share it on Instagram with the tag:
#digitalcameramag

8 f/8 ISO
secs 100

This final image is a blended combination of two

images – one 8-second capture using a Nisi 3-stop
ND filter and a second image with a 0.8-second
exposure taken without a filter. The second shot
was masked and painted into the main image.

26 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

com
 5 | LANDSCAPES

A fall’s errand
Mike Harris shows how to
capture waterfalls with an ƺǔȒȸƺ٫ȇȒz(ˡ
ND filter and some editing ǼɎƺȸ

f you own a neutral density (ND) the Fairy Pools in the Isle of Skye or the Sgwd

I
filter, you’ve almost certainly yr Eira in the Brecon Beacons to capture a great
photographed a waterfall. They waterfall image. However, you will need to learn
are often the first thing budding to wield your ND filters like a pro.
landscape photographers turn So whether you’re thinking of dipping your toe
to when they first learn about long-exposure into blurred waters for the first time or consider
photography and it’s not difficult to see why. yourself a seasoned waterfall veteran, read on
Fast-flowing water looks incredible when to find out what strength of ND filter to use, how
blurred and people are enamoured with long- to nail the correct exposure and why blending
exposure photographs of waterfalls. There are multiple images together can enhance your
hundreds of waterfalls and weirs up and down the photos even further. Alternatively, just shoot with
country, so you don’t necessarily have to travel to your camera! It’s time to get your feet wet.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 27

 Top tip: Exposure blending
Master blending images with a 3- and 6-stop
ND in Photoshop to produce a final masterpiece
One neat trick is to combine different exposure lengths into the same image. The best

Capture the falls way to do this is to import each image into the same Photoshop document, before
selecting Edit > Auto-Align Layers and then using layer masks to paint the different
exposures in or out at various points throughout the waterfall. We recommend choosing
the image you’re most happy with as the main image and then positioning the exposure
Six simple steps to capturing layer you want to blend on top, before hitting the ‘Add layer mask’ icon and then holding
long exposure waterfalls with Cmd+I to invert it. You can then paint the layer back where desired, using a soft, white
brush. Keep tabs on the mask you’re revealing by hitting ‘\’ to activate a red overlay.
an ND 3-stop and 6-stop filter

Lock it down Shake, slap and hunt Camera settings

1 When shooting long exposures, 2 To avoid tripod camera shake, 3 Attach your filter mount, but not
you’ll need to use a tripod to avoid turn any Vibration Reduction off the filter – we used the NiSi V7 for
camera shake. For maximum and either use a remote shutter 100mm filters. If you’re purchasing
stability, make sure you extend release or Exposure Delay Mode filters for the first time, make sure
the thickest legs first and refrain to avoid physically pressing the the filter system can be attached
from raising the centre column shutter button. The latter is a to your lenses, natively or with
unless it’s absolutely necessary. good shout if you’re using a DSLR, a step-up or step-down ring. Most
If your tripod is standing in water, as it will flip up the mirror before Nikon lenses will have the filter
we would recommend wiping the firing the shutter to prevent thread size etched onto the inside
legs down afterwards and leaving mirror slap. Consider using back- of the lens cap. Switch to Manual
them extended until they dry out, button focus so AF is assigned mode so that your settings remain
to help prevent trapping moisture to the AF-ON button only. This constant when you add the ND
within the locking mechanisms. allows you to fire the shutter filter and select your base ISO.
Here, we shot at 24mm but, when you’re ready, rather than Input an aperture of f/8 to f/11
depending on the size of the having to switch to manual focus and the shutter speed required so
waterfall, don’t go too wide as to avoid hunting or refocusing your light meter is underexposed
you could diminish your subject. with an ND filter attached. by roughly one stop.

28 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www digitalcameraworld.com

 No filter? No problem…
3
Forgot to pack your ND filter? You can use a long-exposure
shutter speed and Lightroom to achieve a similar effect
o achieve great results Crop and composition
T with long-exposure , Once you have taken your shot,
photography, you don’t it is good to consider your crop,
have to break the bank. Capture to enhance the waterfall as the
the scene with your camera set up main focal point. In this image
on a tripod for a long exposure and (left), we made the waterfall
edit the image for a more artistic central to the frame and
feel in post-processing. cropped a stick in the
foreground to enhance
Use a remote release the stone at the front of
You want to avoid camera shake the image, which leads
when taking these types of shots, the eye into the shot.
so use a solid tripod, weighted
down if possible. A remote release Boost colours
is a great way of taking long in Lightroom
exposure photos, without having Use photo-editing
to touch the shutter release button software to lift shadows
on the camera. This capture was and blacks, reduce
6 secs at f/22, ISO 200. highlights and enrich
greens and blues to add
Landscape or Portrait? vibrance to your image.
It is always a good idea to shoot You can also enhance
both orientations, as you never and sharpen details. Save
know which might work best. different edited versions,
Portrait usually works well for then compare them next
height and landscape for also to each other to find your
capturing the surroundings. preferred final edit.

Fit your filter Avoid the maths Oh, stop it!

4 Select your chosen neutral 5 On our Nikon Z-series 6 The strength of the ND filter that
density filter, and hold the camera, we enabled ‘Apply settings you use will depend on the speed
edges between your thumb to live view’ in the Custom Setting of the running water and the
and forefinger to prevent any Menu. The vibrant EVF and Live available light, although you’re
fingerprints from forming on the View screens enabled us to perhaps most likely to find
glass surface. Use an air blower to slow our shutter speed while yourself using a 3- or 6-stop filter.
remove any loose deposits from ‘eyeballing’ exposures of up to 30 We recommend trying out various
the front and back of the filter – seconds. If you’re using a DSLR strengths, so you can settle on
this will help to mitigate scratches or having trouble selecting the the perfect flow of water. If you
on the surface – and then follow right exposure, use an exposure keep your framing consistent,
up with a lens cloth (we used our calculator app, such as Long you can blend multiple exposures
NiSi Clever Cleaner). Gently slot Exposure Calculator (iOS/Android), to create a more enthralling
the ND filter in the holder. If there to determine the right shutter waterfall image (see Exposure
are multiple slots, select the one speed. To calculate the correct blending box, opposite). Don’t
that’s closest to the lens. Finish exposure, input the base shutter settle for just one shot, either.
with a final check of the filter’s speed from step three, along with We waited over 30 minutes for the
front element to ensure it’s clean. the type of ND filter you re using. light to break through the canopy.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 29

 6 | CREATIVE
While specialist kits can produce
great results, a simple container with

Make a splash a small piercing can work well, too.

Discover the skills and techniques behind stunning images of water drops in motion
iquid can be a wonderful hits the liquid below. The ‘up-splash’ makes regulates the size and frequency of drops and

L
subject to shoot. With a little for more interesting shots, especially if it triggers the camera’s shutter. We used water
trial and error, you can create collides with a second drop coming down. mixed with Xanthan gum to make a more
stunning results in no time. It’s relatively easy to set this up with viscous solution, but milk also works. For
The idea is to hang a container a homemade container. However, we got translucent liquids, you will need to light the
of liquid and let drops fall through a small hole our hands on the SplashArt Kit (£180, www. background. The art is in the timing; it can be
– the art is in capturing the splash as the drop phototrigger.co.uk), a helpful accessory that frustrating and rewarding in equal measure.

How to shoot water drops

To get started, try these three simple steps 3

1 Set up the shot 2 Get focused

Use one or two speedlight-type Switch to manual focus and use a marker, such
flashguns set to their lowest as a pencil, to pre-focus on a point where the
power (usually 1/128th). drop falls. For the maximum depth of field,
This will effectively give you use a small aperture, for example, f/22.
1
the fastest possible flash
exposure. For a transparent 3 Set the right time
liquid such as water, you Timing is vital, whether you’re using a specialist
should light the background; trigger or a homemade rig. The trick is studying
for an opaque liquid such the behaviour and timing of the drop, so that
2
as milk, light the subject. you can better predict when to fire the shutter.

30 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 1/500 f/2.8 ISO
sec 800

7 | WILDLIFE

Deer, oh deer!
With rutting season in full force
during October, here’s some
practical advice for capturing
shots of this natural spectacle

From dawn to dusk

1 Take advantage of the low sun and transform
your subject into a graphic silhouette by
shooting against the sky at dawn and dusk.
To meter correctly, take a reading from the
brightest area of the sky and set that exposure
with the Exposure Lock button. Keep your
Drive mode on Continuous for the best
chance of capturing the peak of the action.

Have patience. It’s worth

2 waiting for the right moment
Rather than rattling off shots, wait until your
subject is doing something. With deer, this
could be barking, exhaling a breath on a frosty
morning or being in the middle of a rut.

Set up your camera

3 so you’re ready
When the deer are on the move, set the AF
setting to the tracking feature. You should
aim for a shutter speed of at least 1/500 sec
so, in low light, push the ISO up to compensate.

Be safe and keep

4 your distance
When you’re shooting deer, especially during
the rutting season, you should always work from
a safe distance. You don’t want to end up coming
between a stag and his doe – those antlers aren’t
just for show! Deer have a strong sense of smell,
so approach them from downwind and wear
camouflage to blend into the scenery.

Use a long lens

5 You’ll need all the telephoto reach that you can
get when photographing or filming wild deer.
A 100-400mm or 100-500mm lens is going to
give you more framing options and be easier
to carry when you’re following the animals on
foot. Use available cover such as trees and walls
and keep a low profile to avoid breaking the
skyline. Move cautiously and
be prepared to
freeze at any
point, as the
slightest
movement
can spook
wild deer.

32 D I G I TA L C A M E R A
Getty

WHERE TO CAPTURE
MAJESTIC DEER
Some great locations to visit in the UK for
photographing deer in autumn and winter

These majestic animals are known to clash during

the rutting season (late September until November)
but they are brilliant to photograph throughout
the winter in the beautiful golden sunrise light.

Richmond Park, London

1 Red and fallow deer roam the 2,500-acre
grounds in London’s largest Royal Park. Be
sure to control your dog. royalparks.org

Margam Country Park, Wales

2 500 acres of parkland are home to red,
fallow, Père David’s and hog deer, plus Chital
and Barasingha. margamcountrypark.co.uk

Bradgate Park, Leicestershire

3 See a mix of 400 fallow and red deer at
this medieval deer park. bradgatepark.org

Wollaton Hall, Nottinghamshire

4 On this 500-acre plot, you can see red and
fallow deer roam freely. wollatonhall.org.uk
Shutterstock

The Highland Wildlife Park, Scotland

5 See red, white-lipped and Bukhara deer, as
well as reindeer. highlandwildlifepark.org.uk
 8 | ACTION

Shoot the new

sports seasons
With the Premier League football season
and the Rugby World Cup under way,
learn how to capture great sports
shots with these expert tips
Justin Tallis/Getty

Check how many AF points are available on your camera and make your preferred
selection, depending on the type of action you want to capture. AF tracking systems
use cutting-edge tech to lock on to subjects and help pro photographers bag
pin-sharp shots of special sporting moments, such as Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira
celebrating after scoring the winning penalty in the 2023 FA Community Shield.

Master AF
1 Modern autofocus systems are fast – but don’t try to shoot
with AF while you’re using Live View, as the way Live View
achieves focus is slower. The exact number of AF points on
a camera varies from model to model, but the greater the
number of AF points you have available, then the more
accurate your focusing will be. For ultra-accurate focus,
select a single AF point rather than many. Your camera
may allow you to select AF groups, which is a good
way of achieving focus on a difficult subject.
Remember that you can change which AF point (or group)
is active. On many cameras, the active AF point or group is
selected via the D-pad or a little joystick on the rear of the
camera body. If you are struggling to achieve focus, give
yourself some space around the
subject and use the centre AF
point: it’s typically
the most accurate.

Get a fast lens Use a monopod

2 A fast (and inevitably expensive) telephoto lens is 3 While monopods aren’t essential, many sports photographers
recommended for shooting sports. A focal length of use them to help keep heavy long lenses steady. They are
300mm-plus gets you close to the action, while a fast easier to carry and take up less room than a tripod when you’re
aperture of f/2.8 means the lens can focus accurately, blur the hurrying around a football pitch or athletics track but, when it
background and get faster shutter speeds in tough conditions. matters, they will help you get sharper shots than handheld.

34 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.

. com
 1/2000 f/3.5 ISO
sec 6400

Master your AF points and you can capture

fast-action shots like this – a moment
from the recent England versus Wales
rugby summer series match, a warm-up
for the Rugby World Cup in France.

David Rogers / Getty

Hannah Peters/Getty

Shoot in Continuous mode

5 To give your camera a better chance of locking
focus on a moving subject, make sure you
are using Continuous AF (AI Servo on some
cameras). In this mode, the camera’s AF system
will be constantly trying to keep the AF locked on
Turn on image stabilisation your subject as long as you have the shutter button
4 If you have image stabilisation on your lenses half-depressed. That means you can track a subject moving
or built into the camera, switch it on. It will towards you, keep the focus on it as you follow it and simply
significantly improve your chances of getting fire the shutter at the appropriate moment. You should use
sharp shots. Some lenses have different types of Continuous AF in conjunction with continuous shooting drive
IS for basic hand-held or hand-held panned images. mode so you can take a burst of shots one after the other.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 35

 NEW
SERIES!
9 | CAMERA PHONES See issue 274,
on sale 13 Oct,

Choose for part 3

your mode
Jack Hollingworth urges
us to use the iPhone’s full
range of shooting modes
have had some form of camera in my

I hands since 1975. I am, at my core,

a proud, passionate, prolific and
productive photographer. That will
never change. Yet over the past decade, shooting
around the world exclusively using iPhone
cameras has taught me that different emotional
moments require different technical modes.
Indeed, I have not only come to appreciate the 1 2
built-in shooting modes, but I have also become an
ardent, skilled and wholehearted practitioner with
every single one of these modes. I love them all.
Including the Photo mode, there are eight
separate shooting modes, each designed for
different types of photographic and video
capture. The modes I tend to use most often are
Photo, Portrait and Pano, with the intention of
sharing my work in books and magazines, on
blogs and in social media posts. However,
increasingly I’m using the video modes – Video,
Time-lapse and Slo-mo – more for my work
that’s appearing on YouTube and online
tutorials, meetings and presentations.
For this assignment, each morning and
afternoon over the next four days, choose a new
mode and spend at least 30 minutes exclusively
with it. Learn how each behaves and understand
why you might use each one. Which ones do you
like and which don’t you especially care for?
Create one deliverable capture from each mode
that you are proud of and that demonstrates
your relative efficiency and proficiency and an 3
understanding of the tech behind the mode.

Eight iPhone modes

1 Photo
The default mode used for
taking standard photographs
and Live Photos.

2 Portrait
For photos with a depth-of-field effect.

3 Pano
Jack Hollingworth

For panoramic scenes, where you

keep the arrow on the centre line. 4

4 Square
Use this to switch between square,
4:3, and 16:9 aspect ratios.

36 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Photo Active

Jack Hollingworth
5

BUY THE BOOK

52 Assignments iPhone
Photography by Jack
Hollingworth is published
by Ammonite Press,
priced £12.99/$17.95.
www.ammonite
press.com

Jack Hollingworth
6
Take it further
Two additional things
to consider when out
shooting with your iPhone…

PHOTO OR VIDEO CAPTURE?

When I am out shooting,
I mainly focus on either photo
capture or video capture.
It’s difficult, sometimes
impossible, to mix the two.

CHECK YOUR STORAGE

When you are on location and
7 shooting all the modes, make
sure you have ample power
and plenty of storage capacity
before heading out.

Eight iPhone modes (cont’d)

5 Video
For recording standard videos.

6 Cinematic
For recording videos with
a depth-of-field effect.

7 Time-lapse
8 For recording time-lapse videos,
where the action is speeded up.

8 Slo-mo
For recording slow-motion
videos, with action slowed down.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 37

 WIN
A £50 CEWE
WALL ART

Roddy Llewellyn
VOUCHER!
Submit your best ‘Documentary’
shot by midnight on
12 October 2023
10 | COMPETITION
The winner of the Vintage challenge is… William Brown

Documentary In Digital Camera 271, we challenged you to shoot a vintage-style photo.

Congratulations to William, for this shot of a Cadillac in Havana, Cuba. “We were
blown away by all the old 1950s cars driving around. I took the picture in front

photo challenge of one of the many decaying buildings and it felt like stepping back in time.
I tweaked the contrast and saturation in Photoshop afterwards.”

Send us your best image

to win a £50 voucher
towards Cewe Wall Art
he latest theme of our new monthly
photo challenge is ‘Documentary’
T – so if you enjoy photographing life
as it happens, whatever the subject,
then we want to see your work!

Enter via email or Facebook

Email your best shot to digitalcamera@futurenet.
com with ‘Documentary challenge’ as the subject,
including a brief description of the image – or go
to our Facebook page www.facebook.com/
digitalcameraworld, look for the ‘Documentary’
post, and upload your entry into the feed. Enter by
12 October 2023 (only one image per reader). The

William Brown
winner will be announced in issue 275 (December),
on sale 10 November. (Please note that this
competition is only open to readers based in the UK.)

Email your entry to: [email protected]

or enter at: www.facebook.com/digitalcameraworld

ABOUT CEWE
CEWE is Europe’s number one photo printing
company. Using photographer-approved print
processes and materials, CEWE has a wide range
of photo products for you to
explore including the award-
winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK
and expertly crafted Wall Art
to help you get professional
results with your photos.
Find out more at:
www.cewe.co.uk

38 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 The art of seeing

Parts of Iceland and

Greenland, as seen
through a thermal camera
attached to an iPhone.

I’m talking about. Suffice it to say, it’s

a gadget mainly used by engineers for
engineering things that I also don’t
know anything about. However, I do
know that the images it makes are
super-cool and I love how the world
is rendered in psychedelic colours as
it captures and visually renders the
temperature of things.
I took it with me on this trip as I knew
I’d be visiting some exciting places in
the North Atlantic, including parts of
Iceland and Greenland, and I hoped the
camera might prove a useful addition
to my creative toolbox. To my delight,
the thermal hues beautifully rendered
the landscape. In particular, Kirkjufell
mountain on the north coast of

The art
Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula,
near Grundarfjörður (top left).
Finding yourself in front of such an
iconic mountain is a challenge; it has
been photographed so often and from

of seeing
just about every angle that it feels like
there’s nowhere to go creatively. So
I was thrilled to make an image using
the thermal camera that had an
original twist. Other scenes from my
trip also came out beautifully through
the thermal eyes. One of the many
glaciers I witnessed while sailing
Benedict Brain gets creative with a through Prince Christian Sound
in Greenland (bottom right) looks
thermal camera in the northern Atlantic amazing. Just look at the contrast
in temperature between the land and
the glacier spilling into the water.
have a little FLIR One Pro Aside from the cool look and funky
camera that I pop into vibe the camera creates, I also like the

I my camera bag now and

again. It’s a cool little
thermal camera that
story it adds, especially in this area of
the world. Against the background of
the climate crisis, revealing the melting
connects to my iPhone glaciers takes on a different meaning
Benedict Brain and visually records the temperature of altogether. These images might deliver
www.benedictbrain.com
things. I won’t go into any scientific detail a more poignant message – and
Camera: FLIR One Pro & iPhone 13 Pro as I’m out of my depth and don’t know what some food for thought.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023

I D I G I TA L C A M E R A 39
 SUBSCRIBE TODAY
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www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 41

Frederic Aranda/IPPotY 2023

42 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 FIRST PLACE,
CHARACTER STUDY
Frederic Aranda,
United Kingdom,
‘Mother Goose’
“Actor Ian McKellen in his
West End dressing room as
he prepares to perform the
character of Mother Goose
in the pantomime of the
same name at the Duke of
York’s Theatre in London.”

Winning images from the International Portrait

Hotshots
Photographer of the Year Awards 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A 43
 Forough Yavari/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

OVERALL WINNER Forough Yavari, Australia ‘Ellie’

Part of a portfolio of four images, this was captured at the end of a fine-art portrait session with the model. “In this piece, I aimed to deconstruct
the impact of societal beauty standards on an individual’s sense of self and identity,” Yavari explains. “I represented the use of makeup and
fashion to conform to these standards with circles, symbolising the distorted and fabricated identity that is often presented to the public.”

44 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Hotshots

Jo Kearney/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

FIRST PLACE, ENVIRONMENTAL
Jo Kearney, United Kingdom
‘Sonia Herstandez At Home In Havana’
“I walked past Sonia’s home in Havana,
Cuba, and she was happy to let me come
in and photograph her. I loved the old furniture
and decorations in her home.”

Brett Ferguson/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

A TOP 101 PHOTO, CHARACTER

STUDY CATEGORY
Brett Ferguson, Australia
‘The Performer’
“This is a character study of Valerie,
who is a burlesque performer.”

www.digitalcameraworld.com
 Hotshots

Paul Dodd/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

THIRD PLACE,
CHARACTER STUDY
Paul Dodd, Australia
‘Lockdown Self-portrait’
“This image attempts to
capture the gamut of
emotions that I felt during
Melbourne’s interminable
Covid-19 lockdowns. It’s
a multiple exposure
made up of 24 shots.”
Elena Paraskeva/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

SECOND PLACE, CHARACTER STUDY

Elena Paraskeva, Cyprus
‘Malevi: Diversity in Beauty’
“This is Malevi conquering her demons
and proudly showcasing her inner and outer
beauty. The bugs represent all those people
who bullied her physically and mentally
throughout her life for her external self.
In the portrait, she is undisturbed by them,
almost unaware of their existence.”

46 www.digitalcameraworld.com
Forough Yavari/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

A TOP 101 PHOTO, CHARACTER

STUDY CATEGORY
Forough Yavari, Australia
‘Vanity’
“This portrays a young, innocent
soul who migrated to Australia, now
living in Brisbane with her partner.
Through a blend of painted canvas,
gold leaf and paper, the artwork
symbolises freedom and loneliness.”
 Hotshots

FIRST PLACE,
ENVIRONMENTAL
Mark Cornelison,
United States
‘Major Gaines’
“Riley Gaines, a
record-breaking
swimmer at the
University of
Kentucky.”

Mark Cornelison/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

Raoul Slater/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

FIRST PLACE, FAMILY SITTING Raoul Slater, Australia

‘Brad and Harriet’ “As a parent, all you want is to be listened to.”

48 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

Joseph Smith/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

FIRST PLACE, PORTRAIT STORY Joseph Smith, Malta ‘Beck Brothers’

“Alfred and Paul Beck took over the family printing business at the ages of 17 and 14 respectively. The brothers stand amongst the machinery
that has passed down from generation to generation, reflecting the close bond between the two men until Alfred passed away late last year.”
Donell Gumiran/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

SECOND PLACE, FAMILY

SITTING Donell Gumiran,
Philippines ‘The Suri Family’
“The Suri people of Ethiopia
value communal living and
cooperation. They engage in
collective tasks such as house
construction, field preparation
and herding. Families often
come together for events,
ceremonies and festivals,
where they share food,
music, dance and stories.”

About the competition

$10,000 in cash prizes are shared between the overall winner and
1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each of the four categories – Character
Study, Environmental, Family Sitting and Portrait Story. The top 101
images appear in the prestigious International Portrait PotY book.
https://internationalportraitphotographer.com

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 49

 SHOOT LIKE A PRO

CAPTURE
THE BEST OF
AUTUMN
Step into the new season and capture
amazing photos with these creative
and fun camera projects. Dan Mold
shows you how to get the most out
of exploring forests and woodlands
here’s no season or even shooting seasonal veg, such

T
quite as colourful as pumpkins, and including them in
and photogenic as your still-life shots, there’s a range
autumn. With tree of projects you can try out whether
leaves turning into you want to get out and explore
an amazing kaleidoscope of colours the great outdoors or stay in and
from vibrant yellows to grungey practise your still life shots at home.
oranges and fiery reds, there’s no In this feature, we look at a brilliant
better time to get out into the great mix of projects that you can try out
outdoors and inject some of nature’s – all of which take full advantage
fantastic colour palette into your of this super photogenic season.
images. At this time of year, the sun From photographing waterfalls in
also sits lower in the sky, so the woodland landscapes to capturing
golden hour, which occurs in the hour magical mushroom shots with a
preceding sunset or after sunrise, macro lens, staking out your garden
lasts for a little longer and will bathe for hedgehogs on the prowl at night
your landscape scenes in a wider and even still-life setups using
range of incredibly rich, warm tones. seasonal veg and pumpkins.
Whether it’s capturing the Pick a photo project that takes
incredible shift in colours in your your fancy and be sure to get into
landscape scenes, fun family the great outdoors to explore your
portraits of kids jumping in puddles local green spaces to try it out.

CONTENTS
PART 1 Get the right gear for autumn page 52
PART 2 Shoot long-exposure waterfalls 54
PART 3 Photograph nocturnal animals 56
PART 4 Capture the magic of mushrooms 58 Autumn offers super colours, which
make for a great way to capture
PART 5 Try these quick autumn ideas 60 colourful and vivid photography.

50 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023
GO FOR GOLD THIS AUTUMN!

Getty
PART 1

GET THE
RIGHT GEAR
Start sourcing the kit bag
essentials for top autumn shots
e’re always looking for budget is restricted, it’s also worth

W
the latest kit to take our considering buying second-hand items.
photography to the next Clothing is just as important and if
level and there’s some you’re venturing out into woods and
brilliant equipment to forests, you’ll need to wear suitable
help you enhance your autumn shots. walking shoes or even wellies in boggy
A good quality camera and lenses are swamps when foraging for mushrooms
a must, as well as a sturdy tripod and and fungi. Waterproof jackets and
a backpack to transport your kit in. trousers will also help you avoid getting
Our favourite picks are listed below, soaked should you need to get low down
in addition to some hidden gems that to your subject or if you get caught in
you may not have thought of. If your an unexpected downpour.

Dan Mold
PRO TRIPODS CREATIVE CAMERA 30CM REFLECTOR
I« x‫׎ז׏گ‬ٜ‫׎ואڟ‬ I« x‫חהבگ‬ٜ‫חוגڟ‬ I« x‫זگ‬ٜ‫׎׏ڟ‬
Tripods are an incredibly useful tool for all The best camera is, of course, the one that A reflector allows you to reflect light onto
types of photography, from landscapes to you have with you. But to take some truly your subject. A small 30cm reflector is
macro, and it is worth taking one with you amazing autumnal shots, it’s worth inexpensive and great for bouncing light
when exploring woodlands this autumn. investing in a DSLR or mirrorless model onto small details, such as mushrooms,
A tripod means you can lock your camera with creative modes like Aperture or though a larger reflector will be needed for
off, helping to eliminate camera shake and Shutter Priority and Manual so you can take portraits. They usually come with different
also opening up the possibility of longer full control of your photos. Interchangeable reflective sides, such as white or gold,
exposures so you can capture motion in lens cameras also allow you to swap lenses which is particularly good for adding
moving elements such as rushing water. for different creative results. some warm hues to your autumn images.

PRO KIT LEE AUTUMN TINT SET

The Lee Autumn Tint Set consists of three popular resin graduated
filters for the LEE100 filter holder system, containing the Tobacco 2,
Coral 6 and Chocolate 2 filters, all of which add a tinting effect to
exaggerate and heighten autumnal tones and atmosphere. You can
buy these graduated warm-up filters individually or as a kit bundle,
pictured here. This not only saves a bit of money, but it can be used
in combination with other filters such as an ND or circular polariser.

52 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 GO FOR GOLD THIS AUTUMN!

A circular polarising
filter (CPL) helps cut
out polarised light for
stronger contrast.

PRO KIT FILTERS

While many effects can be replicated in
editing, it’s difficult to produce the results
created by filters such as a circular
polariser, Neutral Density (ND) and
graduated ND filters. A circular polariser
reduces polarised light, which helps boost
blue skies and reduce glare on reflective
surfaces like glass and water. An ND filter
blocks out light, allowing you to take
longer exposures, while a graduated ND is
only partially dark and is ideal for toning
down a bright sky. Some filters are ideal
for autumn scenes, including mist and
warm-up filters. Your images are only
as good as the glass attached to your
camera, so buy the best filters you can.
Even fitted with the best lens, a low-quality
filter will degrade your image quality.

FOUR FANTASTIC LENSES

FOR AUTUMN ADVENTURES
50MM PRIME I« x‫׎׏׏گ‬ٜ‫דא׏ڟ‬
A focal length of 50mm has a similar angle of view
as the human eye can see, so shots have a natural
look to them without the distortion that you’d see
with a wide or telephoto lens when used on a full-
frame sensor. For cameras with an APS-C sensor,
try a 35mm lens for a similar angle of view.

áX(0‫ٳ‬zJn0ñ xI« x‫חאאگ‬ٜ‫חחאڟ‬

A wide-angle lens has a wider focal length with a
number lower than the standard 50mm, such as
16mm. A wide-angle zoom lens is versatile, allowing
you to go from standard wide-angle to ultra-wide.
On full-frame cameras, a focal length of 16-35mm
CAMERA BACKPACK is ideal, but on APS-C cameras look for 10-20mm.

I« x‫דוگ‬ٜ‫׎זڟ‬ Á0n0¨R Á ñ x I« x‫חובگ‬ٜ‫׎׎גڟ‬

You’ll need a decent camera bag to load up with A telephoto lens has a higher focal length than the
all of your camera gear, lenses and filters when standard 50mm, such as 70-300mm, and allows you
you’re venturing out. If you’re planning on going to zoom in to pick out details in a scene. Telephoto
on all-day hikes, a backpack with good padding lenses are great for autumnal landscapes and outdoor
and comfortable straps around the waist and portraits. If you use a crop-sensor camera body
sternum is the way to go as it will make carrying your images will appear even more zoomed-in.
your heavy bag easier. A camera backpack with
a rain cover is essential so your kit doesn’t get MACRO LENS I« x‫׎׎בگ‬ٜ‫׎׎בڟ‬
soaked in any unexpected downpours and a A macro lens allows you to focus much closer to your
strap on the side that you can lash your tripod subject and is great for picking out autumnal details,
to will also make long hikes more comfortable. such as close-ups of leaves and mushrooms.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 53

 GO FOR GOLD THIS AUTUMN!

PART 2

JUST ADD LEAVES TO LONG

EXPOSURE WATERFALLS
Inject some fantastic autumnal colour to your waterfall
images by setting up a long exposure shot and throwing
a handful of colourful leaves downstream as you shoot
et into the great outdoors this autumn PRO KIT THREE TOP TIPS FOR
G
and explore woodlands and forests. In
the UK, areas such as the Lake District, AUTUMNAL WATERFALL SHOTS
Snowdonia or the Tay Forest Park offer
a wealth of nature trails and parks you GET IN POSITION
can explore, with many containing waterfalls that are
perfect for this technique. To achieve a shot like this,
where the water is transformed into a pleasing blur with
1 Find a whirlpool where
part of your waterfall
creates a swirling motion
some brilliant splashes of colour from moving leaves, and frame up so that
use your camera’s 10 sec self-timer mode so that you this is in the foreground.
have enough time to throw the leaves into the water. A wide-angle lens will
If you’re exploring with a friend, ask them to throw the help you squeeze both
leaves in when the time is right. Here’s how to do it… the whirlpool in the
foreground and the forest
in the background into
your shot. Focus on some
rocks in the whirlpool and

PRO TIP THREE FILTERS then go into Manual Focus

mode to lock the focus.
TO SLOW DOWN
SET UP YOUR
CAMERA
1 POLARISER (CPL)
A CPL filter cuts
out polarised light, 2 With your camera
locked off on a tripod,
reducing glare on go into Aperture Priority
reflective surfaces like mode and set an aperture
glass and water. They of f/22 with an ISO of
reduce light coming in 100. This should give you
by about 2/3rds of a a 1 sec exposure when
stop at full strength. working in a forest. If your
shutter speed is too fast,

2 NEUTRAL
DENSITY (ND)
ND filters act like
attach an ND filter. Enable
the 10 sec self-timer so
you can get into position
sunglasses for your to throw the leaves in.
lens, blocking light so
you can extend the
shutter speed. They JUST ADD LEAVES
come in a range of
different strengths. 3 Pick some leaves with
vibrant autumnal
colours like yellows and

3 INFRARED (IR)
Most cameras
aren’t sensitive to
reds but try to avoid too
many brown leaves as they
can make the water look
infrared light, so muddy. With your camera
attach an IR filter and set up, start the exposure
you’ll have exposures and try to time your shots
several minutes long, so that the leaves are
though you’ll need swirling around the water
to convert to mono. in the foreground when
the exposure is running.

54 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

PRO SHOT
Waterfall
This waterfall scene was
impressive but made for an even
more striking scene when we
added a handful of vibrant autumn
leaves to the cascading water and
used a long exposure of 1.3 secs
to turn them into a colourful
and eye-catching blur.

PRO ADVICE
Long exposures
Tree canopies and overcast days
significantly reduce light in the
forest, allowing you to shoot long
exposures over several seconds
without the need for a filter.
However, if you do require a longer
exposure, you can add a neutral
density filter, such as a 6 or 10
f/-stop ND to block out more light
and extend the exposure time.

1.3 ISO
secs f/22 100

Dan Mold
 GO FOR GOLD THIS AUTUMN!

PART 3

UNDER THE COVER

OF DARKNESS
How to photograph nocturnal animals
t’s hard to think of a the day if you have a bird feeder,

I
more autumnal animal as well as how to fire your flash
than the hedgehog – and off-camera with triggers, useful ISO
1/50
they make for cute and for night-time wildlife and portraits. sec 800 f/8
playful photographs, too. So this project is sure to test and
In this project, we’ll show you how to sharpen your camera skills.
photograph these nocturnal animals It’s a good idea to leave a small
during the night while they’re out portion of dog food out at night to PRO ADVICE
foraging for food in the autumn months entice the hedgehogs to come to your Staying silent
before hunkering down for winter. garden. We staked out our garden in Even the noise of your camera’s
We’ll cover how to set up a makeshift early October and our subject routinely shutter firing or mirror slapping
hide in your garden, also handy for turned up just after sunset, so we on older DSLR models can be loud
taking pictures of garden birds during didn’t have to wait around too long. enough to scare skittish subjects
such as hedgehogs. Thankfully,
most modern cameras have a
Quiet or Silent Shutter mode,
PRO KIT FLASH TRIGGERS which significantly cuts down
on the noise. So be sure to enable
If you’ve ever used a camera with a pop- this when shooting wild animals
up flash, you’ll know the resulting lighting that are easily spooked.
can look harsh and unflattering. Firing
your flash off-camera is the best way to
change up your lighting by positioning it Right: After several nights in October,
to the side or behind your subject for side we eventually honed our technique and
or backlighting. It’s easy to do this with were lucky enough to find a hedgehog
scavenging for food in our garden. A
a pair of flash radio triggers. Budget sets
flashgun was set up and pointed at a
usually come in pairs, with a receiver for the flash and a transmitter
plate of dog food, ready to be set off
for the camera. More expensive triggers use transceivers, which have when a hedgehog walked into position.
both built into one unit and can be used on either the flash or camera.

SET UP A MAKESHIFT GARDEN HIDE

POSITION YOUR FLASHGUN SET UP YOUR HIDE

1 Set up a flashgun with a radio trigger attached and
position it so that it’s pointing towards your bait plate
from behind so that when the hedgehog approaches it will be
2 We created a makeshift garden hide by draping
camouflage netting over a bench, though you could lay
it across a few sticks or even tripods or lightstands. This will
backlit. Set your flashgun to Manual and input 1/16th power. help you keep a low profile and avoid scaring the hedgehogs.

56 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Dan Mold

PRO ADVICE
SHOOTING IN THE DAY
Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, so if you see them
in the daytime, it usually indicates that they’re unwell.
Daytime shots of hedgehogs playing in leaves can look
cute but to achieve it you’ll need to find someone who
has one as a pet, where
the hedgehog has been
domesticated and is
used to being up and
around during the
daytime. If you know
somebody who keeps
SET UP YOUR CAMERA hedgehogs, you can
get some great shots
3 Attach a radio trigger to your camera then go into Manual
mode. Dial in your widest aperture, such as f/2.8, an ISO of them with a macro
Getty

of 1600 and a shutter speed of 1/100 sec. Set up your camera or telephoto lens.
on a tripod and poke the front of the lens through the netting.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 57

 GO FOR GOLD THIS AUTUMN!

PART 4

CAPTURE THE MAGIC OF

MUSHROOMS AND FUNGI
Mushrooms and fungi come in a cornucopia of wonderful
shapes, sizes and colours and they make brilliant subjects
on which to practise your macro skills this autumn
ne cubic inch of soil can contain up to PRO KIT THREE ESSENTIAL
O
eight miles of mycelium, the root-like
fungal structure sprawling under our TIPS FOR FUN FUNGI SHOTS
feet. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies
of mycelium so there’s plenty of them to BRING A BIN BAG
photograph, especially after heavy rainfall: look for dark
and damp areas of woodlands and forests and inspect
deadwood where they thrive. They come in an amazing
1 Bin liners easily fit into
your kitbag and are
useful to lay on when you
variety of shapes, sizes and colours, from the very need to get down low to
photogenic, but also poisonous, fly agaric (below), to photograph mushrooms.
the common Mycena mushrooms we photographed They will also work well
(right). Mushrooms and fungi are generally quite small as an impromptu rain
so a macro lens is ideal; it’s also worth carrying a lens cover for your camera kit.
hand blower pump or small brush you can use to clean It’s also worth wearing
any dirt off your subjects to save time when editing. suitable waterproof
clothing and footwear that
you don’t mind getting
muddy when you’re out

PRO TIPS CONTROL exploring forests.

YOUR DEPTH OF FIELD MACRO LENS

1 NARROW APERTURE
A high f/-number
2 With a reproduction
ratio of 1:1, macro
lenses such as 90mm or
such as f/16 or f/22 105mm can focus closer
creates a narrow and render subjects
opening in the at ‘life size’ – as if the
aperture for light mushroom was laid across
to pass through, so the camera’s sensor. It’s
exposures need to also worth considering
be longer but more of accessories such as
your scene from front extension tubes or close-
to back is rendered up filters to allow you to
in sharp focus. focus closer and make
them larger in the frame.

2 WIDE APERTURE
A wide aperture
has a low f/-number
ADD SOME LIGHT
value such as f/2.8
or f/1.8 and creates a
3 The light under a
forest or wood canopy
is often soft and dappled,
large opening for light which can make your
to flood the sensor images look a little flat.
so exposures can To make it more dramatic,
be quicker without it’s worth bringing a small
pushing the ISO up. torch so you can provide
It also has the effect your own lighting. We
of creating a shallow used a MagLite with an
depth of field where incandescent bulb that
it’s easy to blur the created the warm glow
background. and extra drama seen
in our shot opposite.

58 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

PRO SHOT
Fun fungi
You don’t have to go far to
forage for great shots like this,
as we caught these tiny Mycena
mushrooms in a local woodland
just a few miles from home.
Venturing out when there has
been heavy rainfall in the previous
few days is likely to provide the
best results. Search for dark,
damp areas of the woodland and
especially look under dead wood.

PRO ADVICE
Try a ‘plamp’
A plamp, such as Wimberly’s The
Plamp II, is an invaluable tool for
macro work. It’s an articulating
double-ended clamp where you
can secure one end to a tree
branch or tripod and use the other
end to hold your plant, flower or
mushroom steady. A plamp can
even hold a reflector or light.

ISO
Dan Mold

1/100 f/4.5
sec 1250
 GO FOR GOLD THIS AUTUMN!

PART 5

QUICK AUTUMN IDEAS TO TRY

Don’t have time to take on one of our big photo projects? Then
try a smaller one that will deliver fantastic results in a flash
o far we’ve given you

Getty
S
loads of big projects you
can sink your teeth into
this autumn and have
hopefully inspired you to
get out with your camera. But if you’re
more time-constrained, why not try
out one of these quicker projects that
only take around an hour to pull off?

SHOW THE
CHANGING
SEASONS
1 What better way to display the
fantastic changing colours of autumn
than photographing leaves changing
Make sure to get out and
explore the great outdoors

Getty
from vibrant greens to fiery oranges? this autumn and collect
Take the time to neatly position the leaves interesting and colourful
in an interesting composition on a large leaves that you come
across on your adventures.
white foam board for a clean background.
Bring a large freezer bag
To light your leaves, you can use window
with you in which you can
light or a little off-camera flash. Shoot store all of your leaves. This
from directly above with a shutter speed will help keep them safe
of 1/200 sec, ISO 100 and an aperture inside your kitbag and delay
of f/8 for a strong depth of field. them from turning brown.

CAPTURE FUN
AUTUMN SHOTS
IN THE WOODS
WITH CHILDREN
2 If you have children or friends
with youngsters, autumn offers
the perfect playground to take fun
portraits. Use a lens with a wide
aperture such as f/2.8 or f/1.8 –
a 50mm f/1.8 optic will be perfect
as it will allow you to shoot at faster
shutter speeds so you can catch
spontaneous moments of children
throwing leaves in the air or jumping
in puddles. Make sure to boost your
ISO to avoid camera-shake, though.
A wide aperture will help blur the
background, so autumnal foliage
becomes a colourful blur and keeps
the focus on your subjects. Make
sure the children are dressed in
autumnal clothing, such as rain macs
and wellies, and bring an umbrella or
Getty

ask them to play with the leaves.

60 D I G I TA L C A M E R A www.digitalcameraworld.com
 TOP KIT:
MACRO LENS
A macro lens is a great option for
still-life photography as you can
shoot closer to any intricate details
using their smaller minimum focus
distance. They usually have a short
Dan Mold

telephoto focal distance, too, such as !«0Á0zÈÁÈxzn³ÁXnn‫ٳ‬nXI0³!0z0

60mm or 100mm, which is great for
keeping distortion to a minimum.
If you’re on a tight budget, you could 3 Capitalise on the brilliant seasonal plants and vegetables available at this time of year
and incorporate colourful pumpkins, squashes, conkers, pinecones and dried flowers into
a still-life scene you can put together at home. It’s simple to put together a shot like this and
also try a reversing ring, close-up
filters or extension tubes, which the end result is impressive and looks more than the sum of its parts. Carefully populate your
all help transform a regular frame with different autumnal elements, checking your camera’s Live View as you go to ensure
optic into a macro one. that the frame is well balanced and not over-crowded. To achieve the dramatic lighting, we
switched off all of the lights in our room and used a torch to light our scene from the side.

PET PORTRAITS
4 Finally, we couldn’t omit our
beloved pets, as they make for
wonderful portraits! Cats and dogs can
often be corralled and persuaded into
the perfect position with a few treats.
If possible, though, it’s worth taking
your partner or a friend with you to hold
the treats so the pets are looking in the
right position and you can concentrate
on taking your photos.

TOP TIP
Tasty treats are the best way
to get pets to look in the right
position so you can take amazing
portraits of them. If you’re working
on your own, one top tip is to
Getty

secure a large treat to your lens

hood so that the animals will be
looking directly towards the lens.
Be careful when crouching down
as they are likely to jump at the
chance to try to grab it!

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 61

 Reader gallery
Digital Camera readers show how they’ve been getting
creative, submitting images across a range of genres

‘Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku’ Digital Camera says:

1 by Yasser Alaa Mobarak A fabulous capture, Yasser. This perspective of
“The Heydar Aliyev Centre was designed by the such an intriguing building was always going to
Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and is noted make a great photo, but you still had to carefully
for its distinctive architecture and a flowing, arrange the elements in the frame and the red
curved style that eschews sharp angles.” dress complements the other primary colours.

62 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Reader gallery

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 63

 ‘Old Teapot and Pear’
2 by Bert Bindels
“Captured using one studio light and
a softbox to create soft Rembrandt
lighting, the background image is a
picture I took of a window in an old
church on the island of Harris. I used
different textures in Photoshop to
create the Old Masters painting look.”

Digital Camera says:

Making a digital composite that
doesn’t look like a digital composite
is much harder than it looks, but Bert
has succeeded here. The lighting and
editing of the foreground photo are
faultless and the defocused window
background, placed off-centre,
balances the image perfectly.
READER SHOT
OF THE MONTH
Brian Wakeling wins a year’s
subscription to Digital
Camera for this image.
Well done, Brian!

‘Bellow’ by Brian Wakeling Digital Camera says:

3 “Taken in Richmond Park, London, just before We love this capture, Brian – it was definitely worth
sunset. I spotted this stag and his herd from my car waiting around for. Standing boldly in the centre of
but by the time I’d parked, he had wandered off. So the frame, making direct eye contact with the viewer
I waited while he walked around bellowing at three and with mist swirling around the herd behind him,
distant rivals before returning to the herd to give our subject is most definitely the leader of his herd.
a final ‘I’m the boss!’ bellow to all-comers.” • See page 32 for more tips on photographing deer

‘Along the Edge’ by Paul Steele Digital Camera says:

4 “Taken at the amazing beach in Bordeira, What a superb example of using lines to create
Portugal. I was there on a beautiful, calm day form in a photo. Flowing from corner to corner,
and was intrigued by the various reflections the wavy diagonal has produced a strong, graphic
that I was seeing in the tidal pools.” representation of such a straightforward subject.

OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 65
 Reader gallery

‘Double Leaf Abstract’

5 by Rob Pycraft
“Two leaves at 90° degrees created
the dark area through the middle as
they overlapped. Taken at Paices Hill
near Aldermaston, UK, using a Nikon
D500 with a Sigma Macro 105mm
F2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens.”

Digital Camera says:

You have captured some intriguing
patterns and texture here, Rob. As
with Paul Steele’s photo, we like the
strong diagonal running from top left
to bottom right. The leaf decay
concentrated on the bottom left of
the image adds further visual appeal.
Reader gallery

‘Pigeons’ by Jeff Barber Digital Camera says:

6 “My neighbour’s pigeons, photographed in New Zealand. Would a faster burst mode have given you a better image,
They fly around in formation at least once a day. My Nikon D800 Jeff? This shot looks hard to improve upon. You’ve captured the
can only manage 4fps in burst mode so it was a challenge to birds in three neat rows, with a pleasing distribution of plumage
capture an interesting formation and get them in focus.” colour, and against a pale sky that doesn’t overwhelm the birds.

‘View from
7 Zuccotti Park’
by Czes Pienkowski
“I was drawn to this sculpture
in Lower Manhattan due to
its redness against the dull
grey background of the
corporate buildings. I wanted
to see what I could capture
through the hole.”

Digital Camera says:

Captured on an iPhone,
the tunnel effect of the two
circles really sucks the
viewer in and the reward is
the contrasting diagonals
of the windows and their
reflections. An excellent
collision of shapes, Czes.

68 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 8 ‘Busy Bee’ by Digital Camera says: SEND US
Dan Baker
“I took this photo in our garden in
This shot takes us right back
to spring, Dan! The pastel sky
YOUR IMAGES!
Want to feature in our gallery? Please
Herefordshire last spring – it was sets the bee off perfectly and the email a high-res image (at least 2.5MB)
the first weekend we had noticed defocused foreground directs marked ‘Reader Images’ and including
the bees really at work. I used the eye to our busy subject. a title and brief description to:
my Canon EOS 5D Mark II with A square crop was the right [email protected]
or share it on Instagram with the tag:
a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 choice here, as it groups the
#digitalcameramag
Di VC USD at 300mm.” elements on the diagonal.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 69

 Kate Harvey
Shot of
Kate Harvey captured this pair of barn owlets in
a cavity of a tree trunk on her Panasonic Lumix G9
and Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4-5.6 II lens at
300mm (equivalent to 600mm in full-frame terms).

the month
Exposure was 1/400 sec at f/5.6 and ISO 800.

This photo of a pair of juvenile barn owls was taken

in the north Pennines, between County Durham and
Northumberland, in mid-August just before dusk.
However, Harvey had to work hard to get the shot.
“The biggest challenge was finding a spot that

Patience paid off for Kate Harvey with

allowed a good view, while not disturbing the owls
and staying out of sight,” she explains. “The light

this enchanting capture of young owls

was fading and the subject was backlit. Low light is
challenging at the best of times, but even more so
when you shoot with a Micro Four Thirds camera.”
Harvey’s first consideration was the well-being of
aving returned to photography the birds, so ensuring that she kept an appropriate
after putting her camera down distance, where the owls could remain undisturbed,

H when she left college, Kate Harvey

now concentrates on capturing
animals – both the wildlife and
took precedence: “The welfare of my subject always
trumps capturing the perfect shot,” she says.
Regarding the technical aspects of her image,
pet varieties. As a child, she was Harvey’s focus involved finding an ideal position
interested in photography and used to make nature that would offer an unobstructed view of the tree
documentaries in her back garden with her father’s cavity, however long she needed to be there.
old Hitachi VHS video recorder before going on to “I needed to find a comfortable position where
Kate Harvey study media and photography at college. I could wait for an unspecified length of time while
Wildlife photographer A lover of the great outdoors, Harvey can usually hoping the fading light wouldn’t diminish completely
Title: ‘Barn Owlets in a Tree Trunk’ be found in areas where she can enjoy water, hills before the owls peeped out,” Harvey says. “But
Location: North Pennines and an abundance of wildlife – her favourite places fortunately, luck happened to be on my side.”
Date: August 2023 include Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, See more of Harvey’s wildlife photography
Instagram: @kateharveyphoto along with the Highlands, the Lake District and Wales. on Instagram at: @kateharveyphoto

70 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www digitalcameraworld.com

.
 FILE & VIDEO
www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc273

74 BECOME A
Fundamentals: Fix ‘flat’ autumn images in Lightroom LIGHTROOM
If your autumn images look duller than you remember MASTER!
when shooting them, use Lightroom’s HSL tools to bring
them back to life with intense red, orange and yellow hues
72

Get the Look:

Use Layer visibility
to get nine looks
This month… Progressively build
a look with these four
Tool School: Brush Tool techniques. Then
Discover the hidden depths of the Brush Tool in Photoshop get more potential
and learn how to create amazing artwork in minutes. Then, effects by using the
try out our 10 free scatter brushes to create your own effects Layer visibility tools
76
in Photoshop

VIDEO TRAINING
The issue 273 download includes video lessons that
build on our tutorials, plus bonus videos with extra tips!
4
MIN 7
BONUS SOFTWARE EXTRAS:
10 Photoshop scatter brushes,
four Actions for Photoshop
U
OF VI TES
and a pair of presets for
Lightroom Page 78
www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc273
DEO

PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM & CAMERA RAW

Get creative with the Brush Tool How to fix ‘flat’ autumn images Get nine looks by using Layer visibility Use Submasks to add and subtract detail

Download
47 minutes FILE & VIDEO
of video www.digital
training cameraworld
for Lightroom .com/dc273 LIGHTROOM & CAMERA RAW PHOTOSHOP PHOTOSHOP
and Photoshop Use Adaptive Presets to target key areas Landscape Mixer: boost your shots Get shallow depth of field with Blur filters

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 71

 TOOL SCHOOL

10 FREE
PHOTOSHOP
BRUSHES
Turn to page 78 to
find out more!

FILE & VIDEO

www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc273

Before After

Different strokes
Learn how to make amazing artwork
in minutes by discovering the hidden
depths of the Photoshop Brush tool
here’s so much more to the Photoshop

T
Brush tool than first meets the eye. In
this project, we’ll explore some of the
features and settings that make it one
Make your
of the most powerful tools available in own brushes
Photoshop. Whether you simply want to make precise
brush strokes or create all manner of special effects, You can create brushes from any
the Brush tool is up to the task. With a few simple image or shape. Simply make a
skills, it’s relatively easy to create a bold paint rectangular selection of an area then
splatter effect like this, using a combination go to Edit > Define Brush Preset.
of brush settings and layer masking. Black areas will be opaque, grey
At the most basic level, the Brush tool lets us areas semi-transparent and white
add colours to our image. But look under the hood areas fully transparent. You can also
and you’ll find a huge assortment of customisable create brushes using your phone
settings that let you alter how the tool behaves. We camera with the Adobe Capture app.
James
Paterson can create random colours, mix two brushes into one Take a photo of anything against a
or scatter our brush tip far and wide. Then there are plain backdrop. Use the sliders to
With over a decade as a
writer and photographer
options to blend colours using the Mixer Brush or fine-tune the transparency then save
behind him, James knows experiment with erodible brush tips. We’ll explore and it will appear in your Libraries
exactly which Photoshop some of the key features of the tool here, and panel (Window > Libraries) the next
and Lightroom tools and
techniques matter most. you will also find a complete walkthrough of time you open Photoshop.
the technique in the accompanying video.

72 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 TOOL SCHOOL

Brush tricks Tool Options Scatter settings

1 Hit B for the brush 2 The options bar has 3 The Brush settings
tool and drag to start some useful settings. panel offers an array of
painting. Using circular The Tool Preset Picker settings for fine-tuning
brushes, the key settings are lets you save your favourite brush how your brush applies paint.
size and hardness. To adjust tips and settings for quick access. With so many options, the best
them, hold Ctrl+Option (Mac) or The Brush Picker contains all your approach is to experiment. Use a
Ctrl+Alt+Right-click (Windows) brush tips. Opacity controls how combination of scatter and shape
then drag left or right to alter opaque the paint is, while Flow dynamics settings to randomise
brush size, and up or down for changes the speed at which it is the spread, size and spacing
hardness. To alter brush opacity, applied. To the right is Symmetry of your brush tip. The Hue and
hit 1 for 10%, 2 for 20%, or set Painting, a fun setting that lets Saturation Jitters tool in Color
a percentage. For a straight line, you mirror your strokes in Dynamics is also interesting,
shift-click between two points. different parts of the image. as it randomly alters colours.

6
4

1
3

5
WATCH THE
VIDEO!
Get more Stroke path Splatter effect
4 brushes 5 To create smooth 6 To create a splatter
We’ve supplied a set curved strokes with effect, open the
of scatter brushes your brushes, increase portrait, go to Select
for this project. Download and Smoothing – this is helpful when > Subject and hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to
open the ABR file and drag it to painting with a mouse. You can copy it to a new layer. Open the
the Photoshop icon to install the add a brush stroke along a Path texture image and copy it over the
brushes – you’ll find them at the made using the Pen tool or any subject then add a Layer mask.
bottom of the Brush Picker list. Shape tool. Make a path then With the Brush tool, paint black
Adobe also offers free sets. Open create a new layer, go to the Paths to hide parts of the subject, using
the Brush picker, click the menu panel, click the menu and choose the splatter brush tips. Add a layer
and choose Get More Brushes. Stroke Path. Check Simulate below, Cmd/Ctrl+click the cutout
Here, you’ll find an assortment Pressure to taper the stroke. layer thumbnail, go to Select
of curated tips, watercolours, Try adding an Outer Glow layer > Inverse and paint coloured
ink, scatter brushes and more. style to the line to make it glow. splashes behind the subject.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 73

 FUNDAMENTALS

After

BONUS
AUTUMN COLOUR
PRESETS
Turn to page 78 to
find out more!

Before
FILE & VIDEO
www.digital

Fix ‘flat’ autumn cameraworld

.com/dc273

images in Lightroom
If your images aren’t showing the full range
of autumnal hues, here’s one way to fix them

utumn is one of my favourite times of year – the

A
change of colours, walking my dog in the woods on
a foggy morning and seeking compositions I know
I’ll go back to. It can be tough when the weather
doesn’t comply but you have to get out there! So
you’ve gone out camera in hand and have come back with what Expert tip:
you think will be a beautiful set of pictures – but they’re a little
flatter looking than the scene you remember. You’ve got some White Balance
work to do but, fortunately, Lightroom Classic makes this easy.
Fog tends to remove the colour from the scene, so you’ll need The White Balance setting
Sean
McCormack to bring that back. At the same time, the fog is often one of the makes a huge difference to
main reasons for your shot, so you want to retain or enhance it. how the photo looks. You saw
Sean McCormack is
a photographer and
In Lightroom Classic, we often want to remove haze from our an increase in blue in step
writer, based in Galway. shots and the Dehaze slider sees a lot of use. But it has another two, but we can fix this by
He’s the author of The side – literally! By turning Dehaze down below zero, you can
Indispensable Guide
increasing the White Balance
to Lightroom CC. increase the effect of fog. This will reduce the colour, so you to around 5500k, or to taste.
must also attempt to fix that without affecting the fog.

74 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 FUNDAMENTALS

WATCH THE
VIDEO!

Boost the
Take the range 2 colours
1 to the extreme The contrast is lower,
There’s a lot of detail which reduces colour
in the photo, so start but increases the fog.
by letting the eye see To aid both, increase
it. Reduce Highlights Contrast to 50 and
to -100 and increase then set Dehaze to
Shadows to 100 to open -30. The combination
up the range in the adds both colour and
photo. It isn’t necessary fog but also adds
to go to such extremes, some blue to the
but it works well here. background.

Increase the
4 vibrancy and
saturation
With the colour change
Give it some done, increase the
3 autumn hues intensity of the colour.
Go to the HSL Panel Vibrance protects the
and select the Hue reds and oranges in the
option. The greens are image but you also want
more green than yellow here, so set the Green hue to -100. the reds to be saturated,
Autumnal colours are more orange, so set the Yellow hue to -70. so set both Vibrance
Set the Orange hue to 40 and, finally, set the Red hue to 20. and Saturation to 20.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 75

 GET THE LOOK

Before

GET YOUR
LAYER VISIBILITY
ACTIONS
Turn to page 78
to find out more!

FILE & VIDEO

www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc273

Get nine looks from

four techniques
Progressively build a look before taking
advantage of Layer visibility to enjoy even
more potential effects with minimal effort

t’s quite common to approach photo editing and

I
the application of effects as a means to an end
where you arrive at a final visual destination.
This works extremely well – and, for the most
part, can’t be faulted – but when a series of
effects are applied, these can be made visible in different
combinations that allow you to edit a single image in even
more ways than the applied effects seemingly allow.
For this set of four techniques, we’re going to replace the
sky in the landscape, convert to moody black and white, lift
James Abbott the shadows to reveal detail and apply sepia toning. These will
James is a professional be applied progressively, so you can see the result being built. Replace the sky
photographer who
specialises in landscape
However, by selecting only certain Layers or techniques, a total 1 If the sky looks boring, it can
and portraits. He’s an of nine potential looks can be applied to the original image. Not be changed using Photoshop’s
advanced Photoshop only does this illustrate the versatility of Layer-based effects in Sky Replacement feature. Go
user and has created
hundreds of tutorials. Photoshop, but it also shows how a pick-and-mix approach to to Edit > Sky Replacement and when the
Layer visibility can extend your creative options. dialog opens, select a sky. Use the Shift
Edge and Fade Edge sliders to blend the
new sky into the image; here Shift Edge was
Get five extra looks set to -10. You can make other adjustments,
Turn layers on or off to get five extra including to the foreground, but for this
looks. (Left to right) New sky with image, only Brightness was increased to
Black & White at 50%; New sky with 15 with Foreground Adjustments left at
sepia; Original in Moody Black & their defaults. Hit OK when you’re happy.
White; Original in Moody Black &
White sepia; Original image with sepia.
 GET THE LOOK

WATCH THE
VIDEO!

Convert to Reveal shadow detail Apply sepia toning

2 moody mono 3 Hold down Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Alt/ 4 Create a Photo Filter Adjustment
Make sure the Palette Colors are Option+E to merge all visible Layer and when the dialog box
set to Black in the Foreground Layers into a New Layer. Go to opens click on the drop-down
and White in the Background. Press D on Image>Adjustments>Shadows/Highlights, menu that’s set to Warming Filter (85) by
the keyboard and X to toggle black into the and when the dialog opens, adjust the default and select Sepia. Drag the Density
Foreground. Next, click on the Create new Shadows sliders. Set Amount to 30, Tone slider to 40% and close the dialog for a
fill or adjustment layer icon, select Gradient to 20 and Radius to 10 before pressing OK. sepia-toned, black-and-white image. Here,
Map and the image will automatically The aim is to create a forward slash with you can experiment with switching the
convert to a punchy black and white – this is the sliders for a good result, which will visibility of different Layers and Groups
one of the best black-and-white conversion ultimately reveal detail in the deep shadows on and off to see how they work together
methods. Close the dialog box and the and make the black and white image less in combination. Or, adjust the Opacity to
pier image will now look ultra-moody. moody while retaining a gritty look. further increase the creative possibilities.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 77

 SOFTWARE EXTRAS

THIS MONTH’S BONUS SOFTWARE EXTRAS

Improve your shots with FILES & PDFs

our Actions and Presets

www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc273

As seen in this month’s tutorials, you’ll be able

to transform your photos in just a few clicks
his month, we have time at the editing stage – rather

T curated another
collection of bonus
than having to manually adjust
a photo to give it a certain look,
How to use your
software extras
software extras to these actions and presets will Once you have downloaded
help transform your images. get you there in just a few clicks. the ‘dcm273-files.zip’ file to
Once installed in Camera Raw, In addition to actions and your computer, extract it and Instruction PDFs
Lightroom or Photoshop, these presets, we’re giving away a pack put the Actions and Presets can be found in
software extras will make a big of 10 Photoshop Brushes so you folders where you can easily the Gifts folder
impact in a matter of seconds. can get really creative with your access them. These folders of the issue’s
One of the advantages of using images. Have fun – it’s great for contain the files, PDFs and download file
digital shortcuts like actions and editing, but Photoshop is also installation instructions.
presets is that they save lots of a brilliant creative tool!

10 SCATTER TWO AUTUMN FOUR LAYER

BRUSHES PACK PRESETS VISIBILITY ACTIONS
Software: Photoshop Software: Lightroom Software: Photoshop
Photoshop is not only a great photo editing Presets are saved settings that can be Transform your scenes with these
software, it’s also a brilliant creative tool, as applied to raw or jpeg files. To complement Photoshop actions that add layer effects
shown in our Brush Tool tutorial on page 72. our tutorial on page 74 this month, we’ve to your images. Four actions are included:
Get creative with our pack of 10 free scatter included two presets for Lightroom that Replace the sky; Convert to moody B&W;
brushes, which can easily be imported into can transform a scene you have taken Reveal shadow detail; and Apply sepia
the Brushes palette in Photoshop. Once at any time into one that looks like it has tone, but you can create up to nine by
installed, you can start adding creative been shot in the autumn months, with turning on and off these layers. Find out
styles and colours to your images. rich red, yellow and orange hues. more about these actions on page 76.

Download all three packs from: www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc273

78 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com
 Digital Camera 2022 Collection

Buy a year’s worth of digital

back issues for just £19.99!
The 2022 Collection is now available on USB – browse, search and print issues 250-262.
Available for UK and international readers (overseas postage fees will apply)

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www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 79
Photo Answers Andrew
James
Nonplussed by noise reduction? Topsy turvy over Andrew is a highly
experienced writer
ɎƺǼƺƬȒȇɮƺȸɎƺȸɀّ³ƺȇƳ‫ژ‬ɵȒɖȸɎƺƬǝȇǣȷɖƺƏȇƳƬƏȅƺȸƏ and photographer –
if you have a problem,
he is here to help.
ȷɖƺɀɎǣȒȇɀɎȒ‫ژ‬[email protected]
Seals make fascinating
subjects but if the lighting
isn’t ideal, you can always use
black-and-white processing.

Andrew James

Seal of approval The harshness of the light will a punchy final image. You don’t want the
vary depending on cloud cover main features of the face to be in total
I live on the coast A so if that’s your main concern, shadow either, so try to find an angle where
Q and have started to try going out on a day when the face is catching some of the light and
photograph our local there is cloud cover acting as a giant softbox spot meter for detail in that area.
so the contrast range isn’t so difficult to Although seals on mud or sandbanks
seals. Where they lie on the expose for. That said, the kind of textured aren’t as active and exciting as they are
mud at low tide, the light is and characterful features of seals means when they’re in the water, they definitely
that you can still get some great shots, make fascinating subjects. Don’t
often slightly behind them even on a high-contrast day you describe. photograph them with their eyes shut and
and harsh. Any tips on how If I’m honest, my go-to approach with snoozing; be patient and wait for them to
best to photograph them? bright and harsh conditions is to use black tilt a head or raise a flipper – anything that
and white for the processing. The image makes them look a little more animated will
Dave Renwick is shot in raw, of course, to give me all the make the final image better. They’re long
colour channels I need to perfect the tonal animals, so I tend to shoot at f/8 for some
range and then I tweak the results to create extra detail between eyes and the whiskers.

80 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Tech Check
Grey card
Expose correctly for the scene

What is a grey card?

It’s an accessory to help you achieve the perfect
exposure for the light in your scene.

Andrew James
Is it actually made of card?
They’re available in all shapes and sizes, and
aren’t necessarily made of card but the grey
tone on its surface isn’t any old grey, either.
In fact, it’s a specific grey that reflects 18% doing this is to set Aperture Priority mode first, Hold a grey card next to your subject and
of the light falling on it. This level of reflectance dial in your preferred aperture value and point the spot meter from it. This will give you an
is exactly halfway between black and white, spot meter at the grey card. The shutter speed accurate shutter speed for the scene.
so it is an official mid-tone, which is what camera you’re given is what you should set for the scene.
light meters use to measure brightness. could even use one for capturing a White Balance
Why do I need to use a grey card when my reference. Take a shot with the grey card visible,
How do I use it? camera has a histogram to check exposure? then in post-processing click your WB eyedropper
Place a grey card in the same light as your subject Cards were more popular pre-digital, but they still on it to find the correct custom WB and apply it
and then spot meter from it. The best way of have their uses if you like to be uber-accurate. You to all other shots taken in the same lighting.

your lens is waterproof, so I have still used image stabilisation function, it will help but
extra protection in the form of a storm cover isn’t a complete answer to handheld shots
or even just a microfibre towel to create an taken at slow shutter speeds because even
extra barrier between rain and equipment. if you can prevent camera shake, you can
My preference is for a microfibre towel, still get subject movement.
as this can also be used in dusty conditions In your case, you want both the in-camera
as a barrier to prevent dust from getting IS mode and lens IS switched on because
inside. By the sounds of it, there was damp the two systems have been designed to
getting onto the contacts that ensure the work together. Canon quotes up to an
communication between lens and body, eight-stop advantage, which I can’t
which can be more likely with a zoom lens verify personally, but I do know that
Wet zoom woes where you are twisting to change the focal the longer the focal length you use, the
length and potentially drawing the moisture more likelihood there is of some camera
I recently had a into the lens. In most cases, leaving the lens shake occurring on your images.
Q problem with a to dry after gently wiping the contacts with Even so, the combined IS of camera and
zoom lens when a dry lens cloth should get it working again. lens will help to a reasonable degree so it’s
a great option to use when you are shooting
using it in wet conditions. Counteracting IS systems? handheld in low-light situations. Naturally,
After a while, it started the In-body Image Stabiliser is particularly

Andrew James
My Canon EOS R6 useful if you are using lenses that don’t
to judder and wouldn’t Q has an IBIS mode, have IS built-in to them.
work properly. According but I am not sure
to the lens information, whether this should be on
it’s weather-sealed, so how or off when I have switched
could this have happened? IS on for my 100-500mm
Keith Hillier L series lens. Do they
All the major manufacturers work together or is one
make weather-sealed lenses
A and, naturally, the more counteracting the other?
expensive ‘pro-level’ lenses Claire Fairfield
tend to fit into this category. In most cases,
it involves some kind of rubberised ring at You’re correct, Claire, the EOS
the point the lens connects with the camera, R6 has a five-axis IBIS system
as well as other sealing. All my zoom and A (In-body Image Stabiliser) that
telephoto primes are weather-sealed, and is designed to help prevent
I’ve used them in some horrible conditions mishaps such as camera shake spoiling an Using both camera and lens IS modes together
over the years without any major issues. image that’s been taken handheld at a slow will help reduce camera shake and is a great
However, weather-sealing doesn’t mean shutter speed. As with any manufacturer’s option for shooting handheld in low light.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 81

 Photo Answers

The Sigma 60-600mm lens offers

a great telephoto zoom option – the
only drawbacks are the weight and size.

Andrew James
Focal range Polarising petals
I like the idea of Is a polarising filter
Q a lens that covers Q useful for flower
most focal options photography?
but what are the drawbacks Kevin Spring
of big zooms, such as the
I rarely use one, mainly because
Sigma 60-600mm? I don’t see a major benefit of
Brian Livingstone A fitting one as far as colour
intensity is concerned. The
I’ve played with both the new only time I’ve found a polariser to be useful
mirrorless version in Sony-fit, is when shooting flowers in harsh lighting
A as well as the Canon-fit mode and there are little hotspots of glare on the
in the past year. The biggest petals. However, even then it’s probably
drawback is the weight and size but, better to try to soften the light through
ultimately, when you’re packing that amount a diffuser rather than rely on a polariser.
of focal length into it, there has to be a
A polariser can be used in floral
compromise somewhere. Of course, if you
photography to get rid of harsh lighting or
shoot mainly from a monopod or tripod, glare on the petals, but other techniques,
then it’s less of a problem. I’ve used them such as using a diffuser, are preferable.
happily all day just working handheld, and
Although the Sigma 60-600mm lens the results have been excellent right through
is fairly weighty, it offers a wide amount the focal range. Get yourself to a camera
of focal length options, enabling you shop and ask to handle it so you get a feel
to shoot a range of different subjects. for whether the weight is suitable for you.

82 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023
 3

Image Rescue 2

Let’s fix this underexposed shot in Lightroom Classic

1
4
By accidentally spot metering from the To sort this out, we’ll go to the
brighter water in the foreground, rather Tone Curve and use it to give
than the shadowy forest areas, the mid the whole image a little more
and dark tones in this landscape photo contrast overall 2 . We clicked
have been badly underexposed. The on the Point Curve and created a shallow
difficulty here will be lightening them S-shape to add more bite to the frame.
without introducing noise to the image. Finally, to add some extra saturation
To select the darker tones, we’ll go to the foliage and rocks 3 , we’ll head
straight to the Masking option and select for the HSL/Color panel and select
Luminance Range, making a small area the Orange and Green sliders in
selection with the eyedropper tool from Saturation. Push them to the right
the main foreground boulder. 1 Use the to boost the orange and greens in
Luminance Range Mask to select the the image until things look perfect.
shadows area only; now we are ready to Finally, we can use the Highlights
push the Shadows Slider to 58, followed slider in the Basic Panel to correct the

Andrew James
by the Exposure slider to +25. That has brightest parts of the flowing water 4 .
done the trick with the dark areas, but We used the slider until the water
it has left the image looking a bit flat. looked exactly how we wanted it.

Auto WB (ƏɵǼǣǕǝɎ

Using the Auto White Balance Experimenting by using other

setting, this shot doesn’t really WB settings, such as Daylight,
capture the mood of the sunset. has enhanced the mood here.

Which White Balance? Photoshop off grid can’t do offline, of course, so you can’t use
Photoshop. It’s happened to me once and is
Is it OK to always I am having to shoot frustrating, especially when you have been
Q leave my White Q and process off-grid logged in within the 30-day period.
Balance on auto? for a few weeks It’s possible your laptop switching to a
different time zone could cause problems
Sheila Hiscock using Photoshop and with verification, especially when you have
Lightroom Classic, so will lost internet connection and triggered the
Yes and no. I have a natural verification process. When I go to work
aversion to automatic modes
everything work normally? somewhere like the Arctic, the last thing
A because I want to tell the Joseph Gregor I do before leaving my hotel is log in to my
camera what to do, not let it Creative Cloud App at the local time using
make the decisions. But to be honest, white Both Photoshop and Lightroom my laptop, so I should be able to use both
balance is one of those things you can leave Classic will, in theory, work programs while I am away without needing
to the camera for 99% of the time. If you’re A perfectly while you are offline, the internet to verify my account.
shooting raw files, it’s easy to adjust the as long as you remember to log
You can use Photoshop for 30 days without
white balance later, so it’s tempting to in to your Adobe Creative Cloud just before
having to verify your account, so log in before
leave AWB selected. You should take time you go off-grid, as this means that you
planning to work off-grid for any length of time.
to experiment with other settings, though, shouldn’t be asked for verification for
especially when there is lots of colour in a another 30 days. If you are off-grid for longer
shot, as sometimes Auto WB can lose the than 30 days, you will get a reminder to
mood or atmosphere you want to capture. verify your licence by logging in, which you

www.digitalcameraworld.com
 OT K
Pleasing composition

PH R

S
O
Y
R O
H The rule of thirds is a fantastic
YO W
PR O W

benchmark for composing

VE S
U landscape photos, forming the
O T

underlying visual structure for

IM H

other compositional devices to be

S

applied. In this scene, the rule of

thirds has been cast aside in favour
of a pleasing ‘S’ curve that runs
through the scene diagonally,
TRADE UP TO… taking the eye through the image.

n á‫ٳ‬á0XJRÁkXÁ
FOR OUTDOOR
¨R Á J«¨Rç
CAMERA: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
LENS: M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm
f/2.8 PRO
EXPOSURE: 30 secs at f/11, ISO 100

Quality with no weight penalty

Lighter than its Mark II forebear, at just 414g, the
OM-D E-M5 Mark III is aimed at semi-professional
photographers and photo enthusiasts. Based around
a high-resolution 20MP MFT sensor, the E-M5 Mark III
is weather-sealed and offers a feature set that includes
6.5EV of IBIS with a stabilised Olympus lens, plus
Focus Bracketing, Focus Stacking and Tripod High
Res Shot – making it a great choice for landscapes.

A fast but compact

wide-angle zoom
With an effective 14-28mm
zoom range in full-frame terms,
and a wide f/2.8 constant
aperture rating in a weather-
sealed, metal jacketed package,
the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm
f/2.8 PRO is only about half
the weight of the equivalent Close and wide
lenses for full-frame cameras. Getting in close and wide to
waterfalls with an ultra-wide-
angle lens, such as the M.Zuiko
In association with Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO,
is the perfect way to accentuate
wide and deep scenes that
include an interesting foreground.
And with the right focusing
technique, the scene can be
pin-sharp from front to back.

84 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023
 Trade in and
upgrade your
camera kit today!
MPB is the world’s largest online
platform for buying, selling and trading
used photography and videography
equipment. See what MPB can
do for you by visiting:
www.mpb.com/
sell-or-trade

A long exposure
Capturing long-exposure images of
waterfalls and streams is a matter
of personal taste for photographers,
but it’s safe to say that extending the
exposure time using a neutral density
filter is a great way to add an ethereal
quality to landscapes featuring
flowing water. Here, the decision to go
with a long exposure can’t be faulted.

Trade in and upgrade today at:

www.mpb.com/sell-or-trade
Getty
The latest photography news from around the globe Focal point

1 Rounding up
1 SONY A7C II: what’s new
PERFORMANCE ƏȇƳ‫ژ‬ƺɴƬǣɎǣȇǕ
Shoot up to 10fps
with continuous AF
and autoexposure.

2 SONY A7C II:

33MP SENSOR
New camera has
more resolving
2 power than A7C.

52 Assignments
Portrait Photography
Penned by Brian Lloyd
1 Duckett, the latest
2 addition to this popular
series of photo guides
offers a year’s worth of
creative ways to hone,
practise and improve
aspects of portraiture.
www.ammonite
1 SONY A7C R: 2 SONY A7C R: press.com; £13/$20
4 FORM FACTOR 61MP SENSOR
This new model has … but packs some
the same bodyshell real punch in the
3
as the A7C II… pixel department.

3 SONY A7C R: 4 SONY A7C R:

BODY FINISH RESOLUTIONS
Choose between Capture stills at 15,
black or a black 26 or 60MP to suit
and silver combo. your requirements.

Sony expands its A7C family

New speeds for Lexar
Two new models – choose between 33MP or 60MP full-frame sensors Pro CFexpress B cards
The 1TB and 2TB sizes
oon after launching the A6700 (see page 299 frames. The A7C R, on the other hand, features of Gold cards have been
S 94), Sony has updated its bigger sibling
– with a choice of two sensor sizes. The
the same body as the A7C II but gets the same
sensor as the Sony A7R V – a whopping 61MP. The
boosted to 1900MB/s
(read) and 1500MB/s
(write), with 1750/
A7C II is built around a 33MP BSI Exmor R sensor, larger sensor means some trade-offs in terms of
1500MB/s for the 128GB,
larger than that of its predecessor and which Sony burst mode and AF coverage when compared with
256GB and 512GB cards.
claims will make the A7C II up to eight times faster the A7C II, but the A7C R offers multiple image Silver 128GB, 256GB
at processing images than the A7C. It will also resolutions – 15, 26 or 60MP – across the full width and 512GB cards are
enable the A7C II to shoot up to 10fps with of the sensor, via pixel binning rather than cropping. now 1750/1300MB/s.
continuous autofocus and autoexposure and www.sony.co.uk; £2,100/$2,299 (A7C II, body www.lexar.com;
create in-camera focus-stacked images of up to only). £3,200/$2,999 (A7C R, body only) from £130/$100

86 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Go to www.digitalcameraworld.comǔȒȸɎǝƺǼƏɎƺɀɎȇƺɯɀًȸƺɮǣƺɯɀۭɎƺƬǝȇǣȷɖƺɀ In Focus

Tamron teases three zooms Tamron’s three new zoom lenses: the 70-180mm
(left) 17-50mm (middle) and 35-150mm (right).
New glass for the Nikon Z and Sony E mount coming soon

eading third-party lens manufacturer Tamron has announced the

L development of three new zooms. The 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD
is the first zoom for Nikon Z mount cameras to have a maximum wide-
open aperture of f/2, suiting it well to shooting “magnificent views and large
buildings at 35mm and dynamic close-up shots at 150mm,” says Tamron.
The 17-50mm F/4 Di III VXD is a new optic for Sony E-mount full-frame
cameras, which Tamron says is an ideal ‘walk around’ lens with its portability
“allowing users to capture a variety of content, both stills and video, from
landscapes to snapshots, without changing lenses.” Also for full-frame E-mount
bodies is a ‘G2’ version of the 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD. Improvements
include Vibration Compensation and a reduction in minimum focus distance.
www.tamron.eu; £/$TBC

ADVANCED
FULL-FRAME
CAMERA
SONY A7R V

FULL-FRAME
CAMERA
CANON EOS
R6 MARK II
CAMERA OF THE YEAR: NIKON Z 8
Nikon Z 8 takes EISA crown
Sony, Canon and Fujifilm are also APS-C
winners in prestigious awards CAMERA
FUJIFILM X-H2
he Nikon Z 8 was crowned Camera of the
T Year at the EISA Awards last month, but
while the brand took home the most
prestigious prize, its rival Sony had the fullest
trunk of trophies after picking up five awards.
These included Advanced Full-Frame Camera for
the Sony A7R V and Content Creator Camera for
the Sony ZV-E1. Organised by the Expert Imaging VIDEO
and Sound Association (EISA), the awards celebrates excellence across sound CAMERA
and vision products. Among the other winners, Canon took two trophies for PANASONIC
Full-Frame Camera (EOS R6 Mark II) and Best Buy Camera (EOS R8), while LUMIX S5 IIX
Fujifilm’s X-H2 collected the gong for APS-C Camera. Panasonic won the Video
Camera category for its Lumix S5 IIX. View all Photography category winners at:
eisa.eu/awards photography/

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 87

In Focus Go to www.digitalcameraworld.comǔȒȸɎǝƺǼƏɎƺɀɎȇƺɯɀًȸƺɮǣƺɯɀۭɎƺƬǝȇǣȷɖƺɀ

Focal point DxO Nik Collection 6.3

Rounding up Major updates to Nik Sharpener and Nik HDR Efex
what’s new
ƏȇƳ‫ژ‬ƺɴƬǣɎǣȇǕ

Andy Day/DXO Labs

ersion 6.3 of this popular suite of image
V editing plugins brings greater stability and
speed, and a refined editing experience,
says DxO. Significant updates have been made to
Nik Sharpener and Nik HDR Efex – both feature
a new interface with a clearer, cleaner look that
matches the other Nik Collection plugins.
Also, you can now choose where sliders for local
adjustments are positioned on the screen: keep
them in a sidebar to tidy the image area, or have
DJI and Hasselblad open them overlay the image in a more traditional style.

Wanja Wiese / DXO LAbs

concept store in the UK

Val Velez / DXO LAbs

As with the other plugins in version 6.3, Nik HDR
Located in Birmingham’s
Corporation Street, the
Efex and Nik Sharpener now get DxO’s latest
230m2 store will display Control Line local adjustment tool, to add flexibility
DJI’s hobbyist and pro when making broad adjustments and letting
product portfolio as you harness the power of Control Points.
well as Hasselblad’s www.dxo.com; free (for Nik Collection 6 The latest updates include a cleaner interface to match
creative photography owners); £69/$79 (upgrade from Nik other Nik Collection plugins. And you can now choose where
and video equipment. Collection 4 or 5); or £135/$149 (new) sliders for local adjustments are positioned on the screen.
www.dji.com

50mm Tilt f/1.4 100mm f/2.8

Martin M Hamidi
Hasselblad 28mm f/4
lens for street/travel
The smallest and lightest
lens in the brand’s XCD
range, this new optic
is billed as the perfect
travel companion for
the medium-format X2D
camera. Hasselblad
claims the lens’s
strengths also include
architecture and nature.
www.hasselblad.com;
£1,335/$1,679

Artisse AI-enhanced
photography app
Available for Android
users, this new app is
TTartisan launches new creative glass
a generative image
platform that can ‘Bubble bokeh’ 100mm f/2.8 unveiled, plus 50mm Tilt F1.4 in MFT mount option
create hyperrealistic
self-photos in any he TTartisan 100mm f/2.8 is a short the 100mm on a modern mirrorless camera. In
setting, posture, or
expression. It is crafted
T telephoto lens, equipped with manual
focus and a physical aperture ring, and
other TTartisan news, the innovative 50mm F1.4
Tilt lens is now available in Micro Four Thirds
for a diverse user base. an ideal focal length for blurring backgrounds – mounts – to work on Olympus and Panasonic
play.google.com; free in this case with ‘soap bubble’ bokeh. It’s a G-series mirrorless models, plus certain
(in-app purchases)
full-frame lens with an image circle that TTartisan Blackmagic cameras. The manual-focus lens was
says can almost cover medium format, too. You originally launched last year in Sony E and Leica
can also use it on APS-C cameras but, in all cases, L-mounts – but is also now available for Fujifilm X,
as this lens comes only with an M42 screw mount, Canon RF, and Nikon Z-mount APS-C models.
you will need an adapter. An inexpensive ‘dumb’ https://ttartisan.com; £125/$155 (100mm
adapter for M42 mount lenses allows you to use f/2.8); £249/$229 (50mm Tilt F1.4 for MFT)

www.digitalcameraworld.com
 Jon Devo
instagram.com/gadgetsjon
Jon is a professional photographer,
videographer and technology journalist.

Why are manufacturers reusing body

styles and components in new releases,
asks Jon? Is it a case of ‘if it ain’t broke’
or have they run out of fresh ideas?

what’s for beginners, companies such

as Sony and Panasonic are simply
repurposing camera bodies and making
marginal tweaks to the exteriors while
upgrading the camera’s insides. With

Sony
this approach, irrespective of what class

Scanning
of camera you’re aiming for, you’re
getting a mix-and-match of features
across the board. I suspect there are
different reasons for this development
depending on the company, though.

ahead…
Sony seems intent on releasing 10
cameras a year, so effectively, it is
sticking its camera feature playlist on
shuffle and putting out whatever comes
next. Meanwhile, Panasonic seems to
have landed on a camera body style it
either loves or has built too many of.
Have you noticed lots of new camera releases Whatever the case, both companies
are finding ways to extend the use of the
look the same? Jon Devo wonders why that is components they make, which is great
from a sustainability point of view and
he size and design photographers, including professionals. it also gives photographers and
of camera bodies Gradually, higher expectations and videographers more options when

T have traditionally
been used to help
photographers tell the
demands were being placed on smaller
camera bodies and they subsequently
began to grow. I mostly blame Sony for
considering which kit to buy. The new
Sony A7C II is effectively an Alpha A7 IV,
with improved focusing, but with some
difference between this trend, but Olympus, Panasonic and compromises, such as losing a card slot
different classes of camera. That, and Fujifilm also played their part as early and an EVF downgrade, due to the
often baffling naming conventions. champions of the mirrorless wave. slightly more compact body. The Sony
But for the majority of my 20-plus year The original claim regarding the point A7C R, on the other hand, shares the
career in image-making, the big, serious of these smaller cameras was that they body of the A7C II while housing the
cameras with all of the buttons were were easier to carry around than a hefty powerful 61MP sensor of the flagship
strictly for professionals while the DSLR (a proper camera), with the Sony A7R V. Panasonic is also finding
smaller, more approachable camera requisite smaller sets of lenses to clever ways to maximise the moulds
bodies with simpler functionality were match. But if you’ve picked up a decent and frames that were popularised by
for semi-pros and amateurs. mirrorless camera in the past couple of the Lumix S5 and subsequently the
Things began to shift away from years, you’ll know that’s definitely not S5 II, which received a fractional
this trend as micro four-thirds and true – and hasn’t been for some time. increase in size due to the ingenious
mirrorless cameras improved in image Now, things seem to be trending in newly developed EVF hump that
quality and features. As they became an even more interesting direction. With houses the fan in the S5 II and S5 IIX.
more advanced, they began attracting the lines increasingly blurred between Will we see more camera companies
the attention of experienced what classes as professional kit and deploying this tactic in the coming
months with new releases expected
ahead of the end of the year and
“Sony seems intent on continuing to release going into an Olympic year? Yes,
we’re looking at you Canon and Nikon.
10 cameras a year, so it’s effectively sticking What do you think of the practice
of reusing camera components and
its camera feature playlist on shuffle and body styles for new releases? Do you
appreciate it in terms of sustainability?
is putting out whatever comes next” Or are you getting bored?

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 89

 TOP PHOTOGRAPHER
Juan, United States

We’ve joined up with GuruShots, the world’s greatest

online photography game, to present the winning
images from its Macro Marvels contest
uruShots is billed as the world’s leading
photo game. It’s an online platform conceived
Enter GuruShots yourself!
G to give global exposure to people who love
taking photographs. GuruShots members
start out as ‘Newbies’ and compete with Sign up to GuruShots for free, upload your
other photographers to win challenges, best photos and start entering competitions
increase their ranking on the site and eventually progress today! Vote for your favourite entries from
to the coveted ‘Guru’ status. Challenges are voted on by other photographers and receive helpful
Gurus and the wider GuruShots community, and there’s feedback from the GuruShots community.
a fresh challenge – for example, ‘Amazing Animals’ – You’ll improve your photos and have fun!
every day. Winners receive prizes from GuruShots’ www.gurushots.com
partners, including Adobe Stock, Lowepro and Kodak.
Find out more at www.gurushots.com

90 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Advertising feature

Honourable mentions

Agnes Brunner,
Hungary

TOP PHOTO
Kim Schwabach, Denmark Angie Demeter,
United States

Bryony Herrod-
Taylor,
United Kingdom

Cio C,
Romania

GURU’S TOP PICK

Aadil Bricha, Netherlands David Jarman,
United
Kingdom

Haim Berman,
Israel

Debbie Squier-
Bernst,
Canada

Elizabeth Gomez,
United States

OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 91
Advertising feature

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Ilan Horn, Israel;

Illumifate, United States; Joseph Finder, United
States; Machiel van Niekerk, South Africa;
Marketa Zvelebil, France

More honourable mentions Pavlína Rolincová, Czechia

Matjaž Šimic, Slovenia Peter Tothill, United Kingdom

Radosław Moskwa, Poland Ryan Bohara, United States Sue H-S, Great Britain The Italian King, Italy

92 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 New gear, buying tips and the world’s toughest tests
94 98
Sony A6700 _ Brand’s popular DJI Air 3 _ A new mid-range
CSC range gets new flagship model twin-camera consumer drone

102 104
Canon RF 100-300mm _ Extended Irix 150mm Macro _ Popular lens
telephoto reach and a fast aperture now available to fit Sony E-mount

s impressive as the Sony that faces competition from a growing

A
A6600 is, it dates back number of video-centric hybrid cameras.
to 2019 so was a dead cert Also this month, we put the DJI Air 3
for an update. Camera drone through a test flight – its headline
technology doesn’t stand tech spec is a dual-camera system, which
still, so we’re excited to see the innovations its predecessor lacked, albeit with a lower
and improvements Sony has made to the resolution. And two new lenses pass
A6700. With its compact size, the A6X00 through our lab: a fast Canon telephoto for
series has been popular with stills shooters its RF mirrorless mount; and an Irix macro
and content creators looking to keep things prime which has now been retooled for
NEW: CAMERA
light in the field, while being able to take users of Sony E-mount bodies. BUYER’S GUIDE
DSLR & mirrorless models,
advantage of the wide choice of E-mount Plus, we debut our new camera buyer’s plus best-buy products
optics. Turn the page to see if the A6700 guide, which offers a 360º view of the DSLR PAGE 107
does enough to stay compelling in a field and mirrorless market. Niall Hampton

The awards bestowed by the Digital Camera lab… Ratings explained

All products reviewed
Given to the top For products Given to products Best in class
in KitZone are tested
product in a that receive five that offer superb Excellent independently by
group test stars overall value for money Good photographers with years
So-so of experience, using lab
Poor and real-world testing

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 93

KitZone
Mirrorless Sony A6700

The grip is surprisingly

deep and moulded for
a compact camera and
comfortable enough
to hold one-handed.

2 2

The APS-C crop sensor

1
format combines
3 Sony’s E-Mount
lenses with a light and
compact camera body.

Sony’s crop-frame
sensor applies an
approximate 1.5x
magnification to the
effective focal length.

Sony A6700
£1,449/$1,399 (body only)
Taking on all challengers, Sony is back with a new crop
frame champion to try to reclaim the APS-C throne
w w w. s o ny. c o . u k

hen Sony released its the Sony ZV-E1 and the Sony ZV-1 II.
Specifications first APS-C crop sensor Sony’s ZV cameras are aimed at

Sensor: 26MP BSI Exmor R

W mirrorless camera back
in 2013, the company
video-focused content creators,
although they are capable of taking
Image processor: Bionz XR + AI Processor hit on something good. quality stills. Apart from lacking an
AF points: 759 points (phase-detection AF Combining the new Sony E-Mount for electronic viewfinder, ZV cameras
ISO range: 100-32,000 (80-102,400 extended) smaller and lighter mirrorless lenses share much of the same design and
Max image size: 6192 x 4128px (L) with a light and compact camera technology as the A6x00 range. For
Image stabilisation: 5-stop in-body body, Sony’s A6x00 range became example, the ZV-E10 is a compact
Max burst: 11 frames per second successful with travellers, weekend interchangeable lens APS-C camera
(buffer of 1000 JPGs or 59 RAW) photographers and content creators with a 24.1MP sensor and great 4K
Video: 4K 120p/60p, HD 240p as the compact hybrid camera to beat. video for much less than an A6600.
(S-Log3, LUT, S-Cine) The Sony A6600 has sat at the top With ZV cameras closing ground,
EVF: 2359k XGA electronic viewfinder of the range since 2019, however, over does the A6x00 range still have a
LCD: 3-inch side-flip touchscreen the past few years, Sony has made a future? Sony still believes there is
Memory card: 1x UHS-II SD card slot lot of technical developments that it space in the market for both. However,
Connectivity: Headphone/microphone jack, is rapidly rolling out to new camera the A6600 is a tough act to follow, and
HDMI, USB-C, Bluetooth and WiFi models. Fans of Sony’s A6x00 range with plenty of new competition out
Power: NP-FZ100 battery have been clamouring for Sony to there, how does the A6700 hold up?
Size (W x H x D): 122 x 69 x 75.1mm update its lineup, and the company
Weight: 409g (approx) has finally answered those calls Key features
with the Sony A6700. The Sony A6700 features a 26MP
However, since the Sony A6600’s APS-C back-side illuminated (BSI)
release, Sony just can’t seem to stop CMOS sensor from Sony’s Exmor R
launching similar cameras – in the range, capable of ISO 100-32,000
past few months, we have already had (80-102,400 extended) and supported

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 Sony A6700 Mirrorless
4

4 7
6
The viewfinder is one The A6700 uses the same
negative. It feels dated rechargeable battery
and has a low resolution pack as the A6600 and
by today’s standards. has a 550-shot capacity.

5 8

5 The LCD is a fully Sony’s latest Bionz XR

articulated vari-angle, processor with a separate
useful for shooting at AI chip allows for speeds
awkward angles. of 11 frames per second.

6 9

A dial under the main Three doors on the left

mode selection dial has side reveal headphone
been added for switching sockets, USB-C, mini-
7
between modes. HDMI and an SD card slot.

Gareth Bevan
8
Autofocus now includes all of the latest subject
recognition and tracking categories, including insects.

Build and handling

The Sony A6700 keeps the compact
build that is a hallmark of the series.
The A6700’s viewfinder is still in the
9 left corner in a rangefinder design,
which isn’t to everyone’s tastes but
by five-axis in-body image stabilisation that cover 93 percent of the frame means the camera can be short and
(IBIS) that offers up to five stops of and it can focus in up to -3 EV. boxy without the usual viewfinder
shake correction. Being a hybrid camera, the video hump. The A6700 has a chunky
Trickling down from Sony’s high-end specs are equally improved from the appearance but, overall, it looks and
Sony A7R V, the A6700 also uses the previous generation. The Sony A6700 feels as though it means business.
combination of Sony’s latest Bionz XR offers Super 35 6K oversampled video The grip on the A6700 is surprisingly
processor and separate AI chip for and can record in 4K up to 120fps or deep and moulded for a compact
autofocus and image processing, 240fps in Full HD, which is 10x slowed camera. It’s comfortable enough to
allowing for speeds of 11 frames per footage. Video can be recorded use the back buttons with my thumb
second with a buffer of 1,000 jpegs internally with 14+ stops of range in one-handed without feeling like the
or 59 raw photos at full resolution 10-bit 4:2:2 in S-Log and S-Cinetone, camera was going to slip from my grip.
with continuous autofocus. and LUTs can be applied in-camera. The A6700 has microphone and
Autofocus now includes all of the However, the camera can’t record headphone sockets, USB-C, mini-
latest subject recognition and tracking in raw or ProRes via HDMI output. HDMI and an SD card slot, all hidden
categories from the latest Sony There is still a 2.36m dot electronic behind three separate doors on the
cameras, including the ability to track viewfinder (EVF) with a 1.07x left side of the camera. These doors
human bodies, heads, faces and eyes, magnification and up to 120fps. Sony look more aesthetically pleasing than
as well as vehicles, animals, birds claims it has made the EVF brighter rubber flaps but are trickier and more
and insects. Sony claims autofocus and more pleasant to use than the delicate to open. The SD card slot isn’t
performance is now 20 percent more last generation. The A6700 now also in the battery compartment, which is
reliable than the previous generation. benefits from a side flip touchscreen, a relief for someone who uses tripods
The A6700 has almost twice the rather than the flip-up screen that was and gimbals much of the time.
number of phase detection autofocus on the previous generation, which will Though the buttons and layout will
points, clocking in at 759 points suit videographers much better. be familiar to Sony shooters,

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KitZone
Mirrorless Sony A6700

Gareth Bevan
The amount of detail captured by the A6700 is excellent. Sony’s cameras exhibit some of the most clinically sharp images available, and the A6700 is no exception.
And while some may prefer a little more softness to their images than Sony’s default profile, that’s down to your preference and the type of work you create.

there are some new additions. Sony There is now a larger dedicated video how you shoot. Possibly my favourite
has added a secondary dial under the record button on the top of the camera improvement from the previous
main mode selection dial for switching rather than on the side, to switch to generation is the screen. The A6700
between photo, video, and S&Q video at any time, which is much easier now has a fully articulated vari-angle
modes. This is easier to use without and more natural to use. The AF-MF/ screen instead of the flip-up one on
looking than the switches on Sony’s AEL switch from the A6600 has also the A6600. This is much easier for
ZV lineup as you can flick it with your been replaced with an AF-ON button. shooting awkward angles or recording
thumb without adjusting your grip. How big a deal this is will depend on selfies or vlogs. Some street
photographers like a flip-up screen so

Rival cameras they can shoot from the hip, but the
vari-angle screen is more versatile.
The only real negative with the Sony
A6700’s build is its viewfinder. For
a new camera at this price, it feels
dated. The viewfinder’s resolution
is poor by modern standards – even
after playing with the settings, it is
Canon EOS R7 Fujifilm X-S20 Nikon Z 5 quite dark and there is considerable
£1,349/$1,499 £1,249/$1,299 £1,719/$1,699 flickering in highlights. Though
With pro-level speed and The perfect camera for Competent and attractive, usable, it isn’t a particularly pleasant
autofocus, and big-time most people, with its the Z 5 is a good entry- experience, and I found myself
image resolution, the straightforward controls, level full-frame camera, defaulting to the screen for shooting.
EOS R7 is a fantastic excellent fully automatic but its relatively high price
The viewfinder has always felt like
addition to the EOS R modes and a small and may persuade you that
an afterthought on the A6x00 range,
ecosystem and a worthy compact size. Content it’s worth forking out
successor to the 90D creators and vloggers will the comparatively little especially as it starts to feel more
and 7D DSLRs. find a lot to love here. extra for the Z 6. indistinguishable from Sony’s ZV
Reviewed, issue 258 Reviewed, issue 271 Reviewed, issue 234 lineup. Without a good viewfinder, it is
harder to pinpoint the reason for the
A6700 to exist outside the ZV range.

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 Sony A6700 Mirrorless

Lab tests
Resolution

Gareth Bevan
The 26MP Sony A6700 does well to resolve a
comparable level of fine detail to the 32.5MP Canon
For static subjects, the A6700 locks onto them at a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ speed. EOS R7 throughout the tested sensitivity range.
In fact, it’s difficult to see how standard point autofocus could get perceptively faster.
Dynamic range

Performance Sony’s human and face tracking

The A6700’s 26MP sensor might look is some of the best available. The
tame compared with the 40MP sensor A6700 can recognise human bodies
in the Fujifilm X-T5 or the 64MP sensor and heads, as well as faces and eyes.
in Sony’s own A7R V, but it is more The camera had no issues tracking
than enough resolution to use across my subject around the frame, keeping
the web, social media or medium-sized eyes in focus in every shot – even
prints, and still competes with rival deliberate erratic movements couldn’t
cameras at this price point. throw the focus off. I got a good hit rate
Image detail from the A6700 is for burst shooting for full subjects, and
excellent. Sony’s cameras exhibit although it couldn’t nail the focus on There’s little to separate the A6700 from the Fujifilm
X-S20 and Nikon Z5 when it comes to dynamic range.
some of the most clinically sharp small details in every shot, the number
photos available, and the A6700 is of usable shots was impressive.
Signal to noise ratio (decibels)
no exception. I prefer a little more
softness to my images than Sony’s Video
default profile, but that is down to your With Sony’s focus on video, it comes
preference and the work you create. as no surprise that the A6700’s video
Colours are accurate but have a performance is excellent. The 4K video
richness and vibrancy that makes is impressively sharp, rich and detailed
them pop without looking unnatural. in standard outputs. If you have no
The A6700 managed to produce an intention of digging into codecs or
accurate, and importantly, consistent LUTs then you don’t need to as the
white balance between photos, even in standard footage from the A6700 is
changeable weather and lighting. I also good enough until you want to get
like the skin tones that Sony cameras creative. The A6700 has several The A6700 doesn’t score highly here, producing
reproduce, which veer towards slightly pre-built-in styles to choose from – noisier images than the X-S20. It’s not surprising that
warmer tones and an increased if you don’t want to spend an age in the Nikon Z 5 outperforms the A6700 in this test. Its
saturation that makes subjects editing software, these are pleasing full-frame sensor allows for relatively large individual
look healthy and vibrant. enough but can soon veer into cheesy. photosites (‘pixels’), which in turn can be more
As the A6700 now uses the already Sony’s image stabilisation continues light-sensitive and less likely to generate noise.
acclaimed Bionz XR and AI Chip, to be the best around, with solid
you can expect the autofocus to be performance in steady movements
incredibly fast and accurate. For static like panning, although the IBIS Digital Camera verdict
subjects, the A6700 locked onto struggled with heavier movements.
subjects at a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’
speed – at this point it is hard to see
Walking is softened by the IBIS, but
don’t expect iPhone-like smoothness 4.5 Outstanding
how standard point autofocus can get straight out of the camera.
perceptively faster. Where the A6700 Autofocus on the Sony A6700 for
5.0 4.5 5.0 4.0
now shines is in its AI recognition and video is awesome. Sony has led the
tracking capabilities for humans as pack for some time and while other
Features Build & Performance Value
well as various animals, birds, vehicles, brands have caught up, Sony seems handling
and now insects. I couldn’t find an to still be a whisker ahead. Tracking
The Sony A6700’s design and tech refinements make
abundance of insects, but the animal- subjects turning away for moving
it a compelling upgrade from the A6600. It’s now
and bird-tracking worked to perfection in and out of frame is solid, and the best Sony APS-C camera to buy for stills, while
on the limited domestic animals the camera rarely insists on finding improved 4K video and AI autofocus make it an
I could find in London. The camera subjects in random inanimate alternative to Sony’s ZV line-up. Overall, it’s an ideal
even tracked some foxes skulking objects, a common complaint option for travel photographers or content creators
around my garden in near darkness. with other systems. Gareth Bevan who want professional features in a small package.

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KitZone
Camera drone DJI Air 3
2

1 2

The DJI Air 3 doesn’t With a claimed

rotate its camera for maximum noise
9:16 portrait video, but level of 81dB, the
uses the full height of Air 3 can boast quieter
the 4:3 sensor rather propellers than many
than cropping 16:9. of its main rivals.

DJI Air 3
£959/$1,099
The latest Air has a dual-camera system but a lower resolution
w w w.dji .com

Specifications JI’s consumer line has Key features

Cameras: 24mm EFL and 70mm EFL plenty of choice in the The Air 3 is a folding drone with dual
Image sensor: 1/1.3-inch 48 MP stacked
CMOS (same on both cameras)
D ultralight category
– drones at around
4K cameras, a wide at 24mm EFL and
a tele at 70mm EFL. Both have a 48MP
Still image size: 8064 x 6048px 250g – and two distinct sensor size, making the Air 3 more
ISO: 100-6400 (or 100-1600 in high dynamic airframes above that before things consistent than previous hybrid
range modes), 100-12800 night mode start getting pretty expensive in terms cameras. It comes with the phone-
Video: 4K 60fps Normal mode, 100fps Slow-Mo mode of price – they are the Mavic 3 and now ready DJI RC-N2 controller and a
Max frame-rate: 200fps at 1080P the Air 3. These two drones eschew battery or a choice of Fly More Kits
Colour modes: 8-bit or 10-bit 4:2:0 (HLG / D-Log M) the lowest weight limit in favour of the with three batteries, a charging hub
Radio/Range: DJI O4/20km (12.4 miles) advantages a heftier aircraft can offer, and either the RC-N2 or the RC 2 with
Max speed: 21m/s (19 m/s in EU) not least sturdier performance against a built-in screen. The drone has quieter
Flight time: 46 min perfect/ 42 min hover the wind but also enough power propellers than many rivals and DJI
Dimensions (L x W x H): 207 x 101 x 92mm (folded) to lift a better camera. offers a choice of charger power draws.
Weight: 723g (with battery) Given that the DJI Air 2S competed While the Air 3 doesn’t rotate its
DJI RC 2 controller weight: 375g as much with the Mavic 3 as any other camera for 9:16 portrait video, it uses
drone, DJI offered surprisingly little the full height of the 4:3 sensor rather
compromise on that front. The 20MP than simply cropping 16:9 video. The
1-inch CMOS sensor captured video airframe is equipped with DJI’s
at up to 5.4K (at 30fps). That’s all-round collision sensing system
not too bad at all. when in the normal and slow video-
The new Air 3 is looking to drop into friendly flight modes (as usual, not in
the same slot in the range, but rather ‘Sport’). It also has AI subject tracking
than chase higher resolutions, DJI has and waypoint route planning.
taken a leaf out of the Mavic 3’s book,
and indeed that of most smartphones, Build and handling
by offering multiple cameras. This The review sample DJI sent me
actually comes at the cost of the 5.4K included an Air 3 Fly More kit with the
option, so the question is have things new DJI RC 2 controller, so the first
got better, or worse? Or have we taken thing to do was open the elegant
a side-step into a new world? shoulder bag into which every

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 DJI Air 3 Camera drone

3 6

3 5
At 720g, it is heavier than The Air 3 feels as strong
the Air 2S (595g), but as you’d expect from DJI,
4 past 250g it matters little. and its collision detection
Portability is excellent. system is excellent.

6
4 7

Each top corner of the The Air 3 isn’t quite as

DJI
frame has a fish-eye steady as its sibling the
camera for the collision- Mavic 3 when landing or
sensing vision system. taking off from its feet.

5 8

At 207 x 101 x 92mm The full pack comes with

7
when folded, the Air 3 is a controller and a battery
compact enough to fit in or in a kit with three
the elegant shoulder bag. batteries and a charger.

component is neatly arranged. Here,

I found a drone built to pretty much
the same standard as the Mavic 3 Pro,

Adam Juniper
but noticeably lighter in the hand. On
the underside, there is a similar
metallic base, almost like a heatsink,
with cut-outs for a downward-facing
8
LED lamp, as well as vision and
distance sensors and a sticker
claiming a noise level of 81dB and an
EU C1 class marker. Weighing 720g,
it is noticeably heavier than the Air The DJI Air 3 comes with the phone-ready
2S (595g), though once you’re past DJI RC-N2 controller and one battery,
250g that matters relatively little, or in a choice of Fly More Kits with three The ActiveTrack feature allows the drone to follow
batteries, a charging hub and controller. a moving subject using AI. While it doesn’t work as well
and portability is still excellent.
There are no real surprises to the as Skydio, you can be confident that it will avoid obvious
obstacles – though subtle ones were more of a risk.
design. The battery contains the Control is via the app and, if you’re
power button and familiar four-step using the DJI RC 2, this is embedded

Adam Juniper
LED charge meter, the drone has a in the device running on top of an
USB-C charging socket next to the Android system (you’ll recognise the
MicroUSB socket and, of course, from keyboard when entering the Wi-Fi
the front, the camera housing has two password, and you can even take
lenses. Each top corner of the frame screen recordings). You can use the
has a fish-eye camera for the collision- record and capture images to switch
sensing vision system. The gimbal can easily from camera to video mode, and
pan up to 60° above the horizon as the camera button also performs a tap
well as down to the typical -90° focus. The USB-C port at the bottom
(straight down) with DJI’s finger wheel. is DisplayPort capable, so if you have
It can also pan 5° under control (from Augmented Reality glasses, such as At times, the Waypoint window appears to need more
a full range of 27° pan movement). the TCL Nxtwear S, they will act screen real estate than it has been given, but it’s good
However, the DJI RC 2 does have as a kind of first-person view. to finally see the return of waypoints to DJI drones.
a significant and obvious difference
Software
Adam Juniper

from the model it supersedes and that 24mm 70mm

is fold-out antennas. We don’t know if DJI’s software hasn’t seen a lot of
OA calls for these or if practicality has change in recent versions and so
simply trumped elegance here, in what there isn’t much new to report here.
is otherwise a similar, if slightly bulkier Waypoints have arrived, though the
design (416g compared with 380g). interface still needs some work. On
The screen remains adequate, though the plus side, it remains easy to invoke
it is a little difficult to see on a bright the subject tracking and the drone can
day. It’s also a darker shade of grey follow a moving person or vehicle from
and though it matches the Air 3, multiple angles while avoiding collision
DJI’s range now seems to get and also perform preset shots, such The DJI Air 3’s stand-out feature is the dual 24mm EFL
darker as it moves up the range. as orbiting an object. and 70mm EFL sensors, here compared side-by-side.

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KitZone
Camera drone DJI Air 3

x1 magnification x3 magnification

DJI
The latest Air joins DJI’s other drones, such as the Mavic 3, in having multiple cameras. The Air 3 features a 3x zoom with the 24mm equivalent main camera.

Adam Juniper
Video shooting appears to max out that is to be expected. The full jpegs
at 60fps, but a sub-menu reveals a from the system are about 22MB in
night mode that caps out at 30fps size, while the RAW files are upwards
and slow motion, which manages of 70MB, meaning that there is a lot of
100fps at 4K or up to 200fps at 1080p. data there to play with in either format
That these aren’t available from the – zooming in to our images using
standard framerates menu is perhaps Photoshop reveals plenty of fine
DJI’s way of hinting that a degree of detail to be found from a distance.
compromise might be happening Pleasingly, you won’t have to spend
here. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d long worrying about fringing either The DJI Air 3 has reasonable handling abilities
prefer it to all be in the same menu. – even near the edge of the image. The overall. We shot a timelapse video on a particularly
2.4μm pixel size on both sensors stormy day and the drone remained fairly stable.
Performance provides good detail.
The drone’s two-camera system is Taking video with the DJI Air 3, I was
great. It might even have the Mavic 3 able to shoot a Hyperlapse segment, Verdict
Pro’s beaten in one way – by being which nicely demonstrates how the
very well-balanced. The 3 Pro is a lot
better than the launch version when it
comes to colour balance between
drone deals with the onslaught of high
winds. I was also able to shoot video of
the drone nipping down paths, two
4.5 Outstanding

processors, but it’s still a case of ‘the automated orbits (one at 1x and the
Hasselblad camera and some others’. other, the same path, at 3x), and a 5.0 4.5 4.5 5.0
Here, both seem to be created equally brief clip of the 16:9, which is an
and that’s great. The same resolution impressive 2.7K stream cropped from Features Build & Performance Value
handling
makes things easier to work with and the full height of the 4:3 sensor.
means choosing your framing is an Testing the AI in ‘Normal’ mode, The Air 3 is another noticeable shift for the least
artistic choice, not something you feel I tried flying full pelt at an established consistent of DJI’s sub-brands. The dual lens
pushed into by the tech. Bravo! bush with lots of leaves and the drone arrangement is a huge benefit – more so than its
higher definition video of 30fps. While DJI has
Our test images and video don’t swerved around it, though it wasn’t
reserved the largest sensors and pixel counts for
come from the best of days and, to be quite as good at spotting individual tall
the Mavic 3 series, the Air 3 will have the flexibility
honest it shows. It was breezy and a weeds rising from the grass. In terms most serious users demand. What’s more, by
storm was rolling in, as the Hyperlapse of following me, the drone did a good sticking with similar image sensors, the video
in our sample video rather gives away. job – I didn’t detect any improvement doesn’t seem to have consistency issues when
Still, flying the drone didn’t feel difficult over the Mavic 3 Pro’s AI, but that’s an switching cameras, though it does beg the question
– it certainly has the power to cut accomplished machine. The Air 3 was ‘Why doesn’t the drone have full hybrid zoom?’
through the wind, even more so than able to ‘follow’ me from in front, for The drone has great battery life, is confident in
the Mini 3 series. It isn’t quite as example, and reposition as I changed. the air and has gained waypoints so missions can be
steady off its feet as the Mavic 3, but Adam Juniper planned and repeated, which is great for creative
videographers. Nervous pilots will be happy that
omnidirectional collision detection is finally here.

“The Air 3 has the power to cut through Costing significantly less than the one-lens Mavic
3 Classic, the Air 3 seems like excellent value for all

the wind and, while it isn’t quite as steady but the pixel-peeping obsessives. There is lots of
creative freedom, high-resolution imagery and

as the Mavic 3, that is only to be expected”

a real choice of optical zoom at a price that is
reachable for more people than a Mavic 3 Pro.

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KitZone
Telephoto lens Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM

Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM

£11,500/$9,500
Joins Canon’s threesome of regular f/2.8 zooms
w w w.c anon .co.uk

he Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM is a telephoto 1 Build and handling

T
extension to Canon’s RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM, RF Build quality is everything you’d hope for in
24-70mm F2.8L IS USM and RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS The lens features a premium lens with a hefty price tag. The
Canon’s Super Spectra
USM ‘trinity’ zoom lenses, but is more like D’Artagnan construction feels solid and includes an
coating, which helps
to Canon’s existing Three RF Musketeers. There hasn’t minimise ghosting and
extensive set of weather-seals. There’s a
been anything quite like this lens before, at least not from Canon. It’s flare, along with the fluorine coating on the front element to repel
akin to the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM prime but with the added more high-tech ASC moisture and fingermarks and aid cleaning.
versatility of being a zoom with ‘prime lens’ performance. (Air-Sphere Coating). Handling benefits from a plentiful array of
switches and control rings. There are four
Key features 2
customisable lens function buttons at the
Standout features are the powerful 100-300mm telephoto zoom front, behind which sits a customisable
range and a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture, meaning a strong Handling benefits from control ring with click steps. There’s an L-fn
telephoto reach with the ability to freeze movement by maintaining an array of switches, switch with preset and recall positions, which
including four lens
fast shutter speeds under low lighting. This is a pro-grade lens with operates in conjunction with a lens function/
function buttons, an
an exhaustive list of high-end features. Autofocus is courtesy of dual L-fn switch, autofocus
focus preset button. You can use these to
Nano USM motors, driving two groups of focusing elements. There’s range limiter and AF/ preset a focus distance setting and recall it
a 5.5-stop optical image stabiliser, which is boosted to 6-stop if used MF focus mode switch. with the press of a button. Below the L-fn
with EOS R-system cameras’ in-body stabilisation. The stabiliser has switch is an autofocus range limiter switch,
three switchable modes, for static and panning shots, plus an which locks out the short end of the range
3
exposure-only mode for easier tracking of erratically moving objects. between 1.8m and 6m. The 1.8m minimum
The optical design includes 23 elements in 18 groups and boasts As you’d expect from focus distance remains constant across the
four Ultra-low Dispersion elements. Unusually for a telephoto, there’s a lens weighing 2.5kg, range, enabling a maximum magnification
a glass moulded aspherical element and one fluorite element, aiming the RF 100-300mm ratio of 0.16x at the longest 300mm focal
F2.8L comes with a
to boost optical quality while reducing the overall weight of the lens. length. There is an AF/MF focus mode
tripod mounting ring,
Canon’s Super Spectra coating helps minimise ghosting and flare, which has click steps
switch; full-time manual override is available
with the more high-tech ASC (Air-Sphere Coating). As you’d expect at 45° increments. via the electronically coupled focus ring. At
from a lens weighing 2.5kg, it’s supplied with a tripod mounting ring, the rear, there’s a stabiliser on/off switch
which has click steps at 45° increments. Also supplied are a circular- and a three-position stabiliser mode switch.
profile hood and a fitted soft case with a grab handle and adjustable Like many constant-aperture telephoto
shoulder strap. The lens is compatible with Canon’s 1.4x and 2.0x zooms, this lens has a fixed length, so there’s
RF teleconverters, boosting the zoom range to 140-420mm or no extending inner barrel as you stretch to
200-600mm, with a 1- or 2-stop narrowing of aperture width. longer zoom settings. That’s a bonus if

102 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM Telephoto lens

Specifications

Mount: Canon RF
Full-frame: Yes
Lens construction: 23 elements in 18 groups
Angle of view: 24-8.25º
Autofocus: Yes
Image stabilisation: Yes
Diaphragm blades: 9
Max aperture: f/2.8
Min aperture: f/22
Min focus distance: 108cm (all focal lengths)
Max magnification ratio: 0.16x
Filter size: 112mm
Dimensions (L x D): 323.4 x 128mm
Weight: 2,590g

Performance is as you’d expect from a lens with such a hefty price tag – the image quality as good as most
pro-grade prime lenses. Sharpness is scintillating throughout the zoom range, even wide-open at f/2.8.

Sharpness
This lens is supremely sharp. Better still, scintillating
levels of sharpness are maintained throughout the
entire zoom range, from the centre of the image
frame right out to the extreme corners, even
when shooting wide-open at f/2.8.

Fringing 0.88
Colour fringing can be noticeable towards the edges
of the image frame at the short end of the zoom range,
becoming less as you extend towards 300mm. Even
so, it’s easily taken care of by in-camera correction.

Distortion 0.15
There’s a slight hint of barrel distortion at 100mm,
virtually no distortion at the 135mm mark, and minimal
pincushion in the 200-300mm sector of the zoom
range. It’s almost unnoticeable in real-world shooting,
Just as important as the image quality for many photographers is the bokeh, which is smooth and dreamy. even with automatic in-camera correction disabled.
Wide apertures have potential for a tight depth of field, especially at the long end of the zoom range.

you’re using a gimbal, as the lens retains the Colour fringing can be noticeable towards Verdict
same centre of gravity at all focal lengths, the edges and corners of the frame in the
and minimises the risk of taking in dust or
moisture. Two strap lugs are fixed to the lens,
to avoid straining the camera body’s lens
short half of the zoom range, but eases off at
longer settings. The same goes for the barrel
and pincushion distortion, at the short and
5.0 A best-in-class product

mount when you’re carrying it around. long ends of the zoom range. Resistance to
ghosting and flare is also good, thanks to 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5
Performance the dual Super Spectra and ASC coatings.
Image quality is easily as good as most Using the lens with a Canon EOS R5, Features Build & Performance Value
handling
pro-grade prime lenses. Sharpness is autofocus snapped into place when shooting
scintillating throughout the entire zoom stills and was adept at tracking fast-moving When a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom doesn’t cover the
distance, this lens gives extended telephoto reach
range, even when shooting wide-open subject matter. For movies, it gives smooth
with no reduction in aperture, along with speedy
at f/2.8. Equally importantly for many transitions and is virtually silent in operation. autofocus and effective optical image stabilisation.
photographers, bokeh is smooth and The optical image stabiliser lives up to its It’s ideal for action, sports and wildlife photography,
dreamy. The widest aperture gives plenty 5.5-stop billing, with a slight boost to 6-stop as well as for portraiture. Image quality is superb
of potential for gaining a tight depth of field, effectiveness when used with most Canon but this versatility and performance come at a
especially at the long end of the zoom range. EOS R-system cameras. Matthew Richards price though. It’s expensive and weighs over 2.5kg.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 103

KitZone
Macro lens Xȸǣɴ‫׎ד׏‬ȅȅxƏƬȸȒI‫(זِא‬ȸƏǕȒȇˢɵ

Xȸǣɴ‫׎ד׏‬ȅȅxƏƬȸȒI‫(זِא‬ȸƏǕȒȇˢɵ
£513/$695
A revamped manual-focus but ‘smart’ macro lens
h t t p s : // i r i x l e n s . c o m /

he original, full-frame compatible Irix 150mm Macro 1 blades, which helps retain the quality of

T
1:1 F2.8 Dragonfly has been available since 2018 in Irix’s advanced bokeh when stopping down. It has a narrow
Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mount options. Neutrino coating is minimum aperture of f/32, which helps in
For these mirrorless times, a new version is now also applied to minimise gaining more than a tiny depth of field.
available in Sony E-mount, while the DSLR-based ghosting and flare. The Irix has built-in electronics for data
Canon and Nikon editions are compatible with EOS R and Nikon Z communication with the host camera body.
system mirrorless cameras via their respective mount adapters. 2 As such, there are no restrictions on
As its name suggests, the Irix gives full 1.0x or 1:1 macro shooting in the full range of PASM modes,
magnification at its shortest focus distance. The 150mm focal The lens has a sturdy, and lens-based EXIF information is
precision-engineered
length is around 50 percent longer than in most mainstream macro recorded in image files. A bigger bonus for
alloy barrel, high-
lenses, along with a greater minimum focus distance of 34.5cm, or quality metal mounting
DSLRs is that the electronics avoid a dark
13.6 inches. That potentially gives you a more comfortable working plate and an extensive viewfinder image when using narrow
distance, especially when shooting timid bugs. Irix was founded set of weather-seals. apertures. For mirrorless cameras, focus
in 2016 by a group of professional photographers and while its peaking options are available, as well as an
headquarters are in Switzerland, Irix manufactures its glass ultra-precise magnified preview; the latter is
3
in Japan and the assembly work is done in South Korea. also available for DSLRs in Live View mode.
The Irix comes with a The lack of optical image stabilisation
Key features tripod mounting ring isn’t an issue with the majority of mirrorless
Top of the features list is the full 1.0x macro ability, delivering small and Arca-Swiss- cameras that feature in-body image
compatible foot to
objects to the camera’s image sensor at life-size. That lends itself stabilisation. Even the ‘hybrid’ optical
improve the centre of
to enormous magnification when viewing the images on-screen gravity for shooting in
stabilisers that aim to correct for X-Y shift
or in print. As a macro lens, the Irix is optimised for close-up landscape orientation. as well as the usual angular vibration for
performance but also works well at greater distances, all the way close-up shooting, featured in most of
to infinity. The combination of a 150mm focal length and fast f/2.8 Canon’s macro lenses like the RF 100mm
aperture also makes it ideal for head-and-shoulder portraiture. F2.8 L Macro IS USM, tend to be less
Features that are lacking are autofocus and optical image effective in full 1.0x macro mode.
stabilisation, as fitted to the Canon RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS
USM, Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S and Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Build and handling
Macro G OSS. Despite shorter focal lengths, these lenses are twice Build quality is impeccable. The lens has a
the price of the Irix. The lack of autofocus isn’t a deal-breaker, as sturdy, precision-engineered alloy barrel,
most photographers prefer to shoot macro with manual focus. high-quality metal mounting plate and
The depth of field is incredibly tight, even with narrow apertures, an extensive set of weather-seals. Irix’s
so it pays to focus on exactly where you want. A plus point is that advanced Neutrino coating is applied
the Irix has a well-rounded aperture diaphragm, based on 11 curved to minimise ghosting and flare.

104 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Xȸǣɴ‫׎ד׏‬ȅȅxƏƬȸȒI‫(זِא‬ȸƏǕȒȇˢɵMacro lens

Specifications

Mount: Sony E
Full-frame: Yes
Lens construction: 12 elements in 9 groups
Angle of view: 16º
Autofocus: No
Image stabilisation: No
Diaphragm blades: 11
Max aperture: f/2.8
Min aperture: f/32
Min focus distance: 345cm
Max magnification ratio: 1.0x
Filter size: 77mm
Dimensions (L x D): 170 x 87mm
Weight: 900g

In macro photography, the devil is in the detail and the Irix delivers this with elan, maintaining high
levels of sharpness at narrow apertures. It’s on a par with some of the best macro lenses on the market.

The lens is large and weighs almost 1kg

but, even so, handling is refined. The large Sharpness
and tactile manual focus ring operates with Levels of sharpness across most of the image frame
a smooth and fluid feel, and has a long are excellent from the start, even wide-open at f/2.8.
rotational travel that enables ultra-precise Extreme edge/corner-sharpness comes on strong at
adjustments. If you want to pre-focus and f/5.6 and, importantly for a macro lens, sharpness
lock the focus distance in place, there’s a remains respectable when using narrow apertures.
handy locking ring at the front of the barrel.
You’ll generally use a tripod for full macro Fringing 0.53
shots as a good balance is essential for the There’s only a little colour fringing and it’s mainly
towards the extreme edges and corners of the image
fine positional adjustments typically
frame. And that’s without using automatic in-camera
required. To help with this, the Irix comes
correction, which is supported in Sony bodies.
complete with a tripod mounting ring and
Arca-Swiss compatible foot. It enables a Distortion 0.14
more ideal centre of gravity when shooting Though not a zero-distortion lens, the tiny amount of
in landscape orientation mode, vastly more pincushion is impossible to spot. In our tests, the Irix
so in portrait orientation shots. Naturally, Colour fringing remains minimal throughout the outperforms the Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS
the mounting ring also enables you to aperture range. Irix is virtually a zero-distortion USM, Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S and Sony FE
switch between landscape and portrait lens, even without in-camera auto-correction. 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS lenses for distortion control.
orientation without needing to adjust
the tripod head or use an L-bracket. tested in the Canon EF-mount. Another plus Verdict
A handling bonus of the new Sony is that there’s virtually no field curvature,
E-mount version is a physical aperture
control ring at the rear of the barrel. This
gives you hands-on control over aperture
so corner-to-corner macro sharpness is
retained when shooting flat objects head-on.
As we’ve mentioned, narrow apertures
4.5 Outstanding

settings, with click steps of 1/3rd f/stops. are often preferred in macro photography,
For video capture, there’s also a de-click and the Irix does well to maintain high levels 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.0
switch, enabling step-less aperture control. of sharpness at narrow apertures, on a par
with some of the best and most expensive Features Build & Performance Value
handling
Performance macro lenses on the market. There’s more
For macro photography, the devil is in the good news when it comes to colour fringing, The Sony E-mount version takes an excellent
detail and the Irix delivers this with elan, as this remains minimal throughout the DSLR-based lens and makes it even better. With
a generous 150mm focal length, premium build,
with outstanding sharpness across most of whole aperture range and right out to the
excellent handling and the addition of an aperture
the frame, throughout most of the aperture edges and corners, where lateral chromatic
control ring with switchable click/de-click options,
range. Sharpness only drops off right out aberration can often be a problem. It’s it looks and feels like a top-quality lens, which is
towards the extreme edges and corners, virtually a zero-distortion lens as well, backed up by fabulous image quality. Unlike some
but even here, it’s still very good. In our lab even without applying any in-camera rivals, it lacks autofocus and has no optical image
tests, the new Sony E-mount version proved auto-correction. All in all, the image quality stabilisation but that’s not a deal-breaker for macro
much sharper than the DSLR edition we is highly impressive. Matthew Richards photography. This Irix is great value at the price.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 105

 16-19 March 2024
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 Buyer’s guide
Use our real-world testing scores from across the market
to purchase your next camera with confidence

DSLR & MIRRORLESS CAMERAS

PLUS: Our best-buy accessories

DSLRs Sensor sizes

PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED at a glance
Canon EOS 4000D £370/$N/A APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 205 Three formats
dominate DSLR and
A great but basic beginner DSLR. At just £370 (body only), it’s the cheapest EOS DSLR. Sadly,
it’s let down by a cheap kit lens that’s tough to tolerate, so we suggest buying the better IS lens.
mirrorless cameras…

Canon EOS 2000D £349/$479 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 206

A better-spec camera than the 4000D but with a modest price bump. Arguably, it’s worth the
extra outlay but, for an extra £200, the EOS 250D is a far better DSLR camera (Rebel T7 in USA).

Canon EOS 250D £549/$649 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 217

Sold as the Rebel SL3 in the USA, we think it’s the best budget/beginner DSLR with the perfect
blend of power and value. Move beyond snapping with smartphones to taking proper photos. Full-frame
(36 x 24mm)
Canon EOS 850D £919/$749 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 236 These imaging sensors
Lightweight & powerful, the EOS 850D/Rebel T8i captures detailed, colourful and sharp images, have similar proportions
plus 4K movies. Features iTR Face and Eye Detection AF, and Auto AF via optical viewfinder. to a frame of 35mm film.
Canon EOS 77D £710/$550 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 193

Key specs are identical to the 800D but extra controls (a top-plate LCD and a rear control
wheel) make dialling in exposure settings quicker. Super image quality – even at high ISOs.

Canon EOS 90D £1,299/$1,199 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 221

This impressive crop-camera comes with a 32.5MP sensor, rapid 10fps continuous shooting
and 4K video, plus improved handling and decent AF. An ideal APS-C upgrade for enthusiasts.
APS-C
Canon EOS 7D Mark II £1,050/$725 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 159 (≈ 25.1 x 16.7mm)
Action-packed APS-C format EOS camera has 65-point AF with advanced tracking, 10fps Based on the Advanced
continuous shooting, dual DIGIC 6 processors and GPS in a tough, magnesium alloy bodyshell. Photo System film
format from the 1990s.
Canon EOS 6D Mark II £1,399/$1,399 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 194

World’s smallest full-frame DSLR gets a major upgrade over the original 6D with improved speed
and performance. It’s a great all-rounder now, thanks to an improved AF system and burst rate.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV £2,869/$2,699 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 183

The pro-level, weather-sealed, full-frame EOS 5D Mk IV has a hi-res 30MP sensor and 7fps
frame rate. Specs include 4K video, touchscreen LCD, Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, and GPS.

Canon EOS 5DS (DS R) £2,999/$3,699 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 167 Micro Four-Thirds
A 50MP DSLR which delivers huge and amazingly detailed hi-res images. The higher-cost (17.3 x 13mm)
5DS R (£3,199/$3,899) adds a low-pass cancellation filter for marginally sharper shots. The 4:3 aspect ratio
allows smaller and
Seen something that doesn’t look right? Email us at [email protected] with ‘Camera Guide’ in the subject line lighter lenses to be used.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 107

KitZone
Camera buyer’s guide

Wise buys DSLRs (CONTINUED)

Landscape PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED
lenses Canon EOS-1D X Mk III £6,999/$6,499 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 227
Good, better and The ultimate hybrid DSLR/mirrorless. Superb low-light performance up to ISO 102,400,
best… three optics plus Deep Learning AF and 5.5K Raw video. It can also capture up to 20fps in Live View mode.
for shooting scenics
Nikon D7500 £1,049/$997 APS-C www.nikon.co.uk Issue 193

Steals most of the best bits from the now-discontinued pro-grade D500 and squeezes them
into a smaller, lighter body at a much more affordable price. Superb image quality, great value.

Nikon D780 £2,299/$2,297 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 227

Highly capable and entirely natural-feeling DSLR for shooting stills in viewfinder mode with
good Live View, too. Despite its strong credentials, it looks overpriced compared with the Z 6II.

Nikon D850 £2,799/$2,997 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 196

Can turn its hand to pretty much anything; capable of stunning images with immense detail. For
Live View and video capture, however, the contrast-detection AF system is inferior to Nikon Z.
Sigma 14-24mm
Nikon D6 £6,799/$6,497 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 231
f/2.8 DG HSM
Price: £1,269/$1,299 Geared mostly towards action, sports and wildlife photography, the D6 is a high-performance
20.8MP DSLR. Stills performance is superb with a fast continuous drive rate and AF system.
Verdict: Well-made and
optically excellent, this Pentax K-70 £829/$647 APS-C https://pentax.eu Issue 186
lens for Canon and
Very much a camera of two halves – the K-70’s weighty body and design quirks won’t be to
Nikon DSLRs is a real everyone’s taste, but plenty of top features and great results make it worth considering.
bargain. Sharpness is
impressively consistent. Pentax KF £849/$847 APS-C https://pentax.eu Issue 268

Well-made DSLR but essentially a relaunch of the K-70. The merits of this camera’s autofocus
system will be lost unless you are using a newer Pentax lens with an SDM, DC or PLM AF motor.

Pentax K-3 Mark III £1,899/$1,999 APS-C https://pentax.eu Issue 247

Fast, powerful and packed with clever features, but also oddly dated, as if Pentax has stepped
back from modern innovations like on-sensor phase detect autofocus and vari-angle screens.

Pentax K-3 III Monochrome £2,249/$2,199 APS-C https://pentax.eu Not reviewed

Based on the flagship K-3 Mark III and sporting a brand-new redesigned and optimised sensor,
the K-3 III Monochrome lacks a colour filter and offers three dedicated B&W shooting modes.
Canon RF
15-35mm f/2.8L Pentax K-1 Mark II £1,799/$1,997 Full-frame https://pentax.eu Issue 204
IS USM Initially looks and feels like a throwback to an earlier time but its blunt, weighty handling and
Price: £2,389/$2,399 solid, intelligent controls provide relief from today’s touchscreens and digital miniaturisation.
Verdict: Its 35mm reach
Pentax 645Z £6,800/$8,500 Medium-format https://pentax.eu Issue 164
offers extra flexibility for
shooting landscapes, Extraordinarily well-built, with excellent ergonomics for its size – and supported by a lens
system that boasts 16 different optical options. Pricey when compared to Fujifilm’s GFX 50S II.
and it features an optical
image stabiliser worth
up to five stops.
What to look for in a… DSLR
Lens release To remove the lens, press the Hotshoe To attach a flashgun, slot it into
button and twist the lens anti-clockwise. place and tighten the catch on the device.
Use the protective body cap, so you don’t
leave the sensor exposed to dust. Command Dial The command dial is used
to alter camera settings and adjust features.
Shutter release To shoot, press the shutter
release button. To focus and meter the LCD screen This displays images while
scene, half press the shutter release. composing and shooting information.
Some DSLRs have a vari-angle LCD screen.
Lens A DSLR is far more versatile than a
Nikkor Z camera with a fixed lens because you can Back panel controls A handy feature used Connection points To connect your
change lenses and alter the angle of view. to alter settings and navigate menus. Some
14-24mm f/2.8 S cameras have a joystick multi-controller.
camera to another device, insert the
cable into the correct port. You can also
Price: £2,385/$2,397 Sensor This is where your images are connect to a remote shutter release here.
Verdict: Comes with all recorded before being processed and Viewfinder To compose an image, you look
the bells and whistles: stored on your memory card. through the viewfinder on the back panel. Flash Beginner models and some enthusiast
phenomenal sharpness, DSLRs include a built-in pop-up flash unit.
Mode dial The mode dial is where you Menu button
a customisable control
access the camera’s shooting modes. Access shooting, reviewing and other menu Memory card slot Some DSLRs include
ring, an assignable For first-time users, the fully Auto mode options, and use the multi-controller and a memory card slot on the bottom of the
function button and a selects all the camera settings for you. the OK button to navigate and select. camera in the battery compartment.
multi-function display.

108 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 Camera buyer’s guide

MIRRORLESS Wise buys

PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED Tripod heads
Canon EOS M50 Mark II £589/$599 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 242 Good, better and
best… three heads
A compact and capable camera that takes great stills and 1080p video. Ideal for travel, everyday
imaging, plus vlogging and content creation. But if you need to record 4K, it’s not for you.
for stable shooting

Canon EOS M6 Mark II £799/$849 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 231

Designed to deliver sharp images for amateurs on the move. It has the same 32.5MP APS-C
sensor as the 90D DSLR but can shoot in 14fps blasts (30fps raw), plus uncropped 4K video.

Canon EOS M5 £780/$ N/A APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 188

Flagship M mirrorless for enthusiasts, shares much of the tech as the 80D, but swaps the optical
viewfinder for an electronic version, making this compact system camera a pocket rocket.

Canon EOS R50 £789/$679 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 267

With a 24.2MP APS-C sensor, 4K video, intelligent AF modes, and 15/12fps continuous
shooting, the R50 uses the small and compact size of the M50 and is a great beginner camera. Vanguard Veo 2
BH-50 ball head
Canon EOS R10 £899/$979 APS-C www.canon.co.uk Issue 259
Price: £69/$70
This budget, beginner EOS R10 with pro-level autofocus and 15fps speed, 4K 60p imaging Verdict: An inexpensive
and 120p slow motion at 1080p offers performance that punches well above its weight.
and compact ball head.
Canon EOS RP £1,049/$999 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 214 The Veo 2 BH-50 has a
separate panning axis
Ideal for crop-sensor M CSC or EOS DSLR users looking for an affordable full-frame upgrade.
The EOS RP has strong specs and is notably smaller, lighter and cheaper than most rivals.
and a ‘universal’ Arca
Swiss style quick
Canon EOS R7 £1,349/$1,499 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 258 release plate.
A worthy successor to the 90D and 7D DSLRs, this is the first mirrorless to reach for if you want
the advantages of APS-C with pro-level 15fps speed, intelligent AF, IBIS and image resolution.

Canon EOS R8 £1,649/$1,499 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 266

The lightest full-frame EOS R camera can shoot it all. Same sensor and processor as the
R6 Mk II, latest AF subject recognition, 24.2MP images and rapid 40fps shooting, but no IBIS.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II £2,779/$3,599 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 264

A hybrid camera that packs an obscene amount of firepower, with 24.2MP stills at a startling
40fps and up to 6K video, plus updated AF detection for tracking trains, planes and horses.
Manfrotto XPro
Canon EOS R5 £4,299/$3,899 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 233 3-Way Head
The perfect amalgamation of the EOS R’s full-frame form, the 5D’s function, the pro-grade Price: £94/$116
autofocus of the flagship EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR: 20fps bursts, IBIS and intelligent Animal AF. Verdict: Precision and
control – and more bulk
Canon EOS R3 £5,659/$5,999 Full-frame www.canon.co.uk Issue 248
– the XPro’s stubby
A top-tier tool of choice for working professionals that offers blackout-free 30fps stills and 6K handles keep the size
raw video – plus improved autofocus performance, coupled with ghostly good Eye Control AF.
down but can be
extended when needed.

What to look for in a… Mirrorless CSC

Interchangeable lenses Pocketability
Like a DSLR, a compact system camera Compact system cameras are smaller than
doesn’t feature a fixed lens. Instead, you the majority of DSLRs. Rangefinder-style
can swap between lenses depending on CSCs are more pocketable than those
the subject you are shooting or the effect styled like dinky DSLRs but the grip and
you want to achieve. The lens mounts on handling of the latter can be an advantage.
compact system cameras (CSC) are
different to those on DSLRs, which Viewfinder – or not Flange Focal Distance
means you can’t use DSLR lenses on The lack of a mirror means CSCs don’t have The FFD in a CSC is significantly shorter
a CSC without purchasing an adapter. an optical TTL (through the lens) viewfinder than in a DSLR. For example, Canon’s EF
but many DSLRs boast a built-in electronic and EF-S DSLR mounts have an FFD of Arca Swiss D4
Look, no mirror! viewfinder (EVF), a small screen showing
The most significant difference between a the Live View. Others can be fitted with a
44mm, whereas the Q mount used in tripod head
Pentax’s CSC range uses a distance
DSLR and a compact system camera is the small viewfinder accessory on the hotshoe. of just 9.2mm.
Price: £960/$1,142
lack of a mirror. Not only does this allow Verdict: Combines a ball
CSCs to be much smaller and lighter, but Light path Electronic display mechanism with geared
it also means they’re much quieter in In a DSLR, some light passes through the In a CSC, the light strikes the sensor, and axis movements when
operation. As there is no mirror to reflect mirror to the AF sensor, but the majority is an image is generated on the rear screen
required, plus a second
the sensor view in a CSC, you will have to reflected up to the pentaprism, exposure and electronic viewfinder, if present. This
use the Live View monitor or an electronic meter and viewfinder assembly. This means that the body can be much pan axis below the
viewfinder instead while composing shots. system takes up a lot of space! slimmer and shorter in height. camera plate for level
panorama shoots.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 109

KitZone
Camera buyer’s guide

Wise buys MIRRORLESS (CONTINUED)

Neutral PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED
ƳƺȇɀǣɎɵˡǼɎƺȸɀ Fujifilm X-E4 £799/$849 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 243

Good, better and While its small size and design doesn’t make it quite as versatile as the Fujifilm X-T4,
best… three options the X-E4 is capable of producing the same quality images and is easy to carry everywhere.
for long exposures
Fujifilm X-H2 £1,899/$1,999 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 261

An extremely compelling camera at an equally compelling price. With its 40MP resolution
and 8K video, the X-H2 takes on some full-frame big guns at half the price.

Fujifilm X-H2S £2,499/$2,499 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 258

With double the processing power of its predecessor, it offers a class-leading 40fps continuous
shooting with full autofocus functions. A terrifically powerful companion for sports and wildlife.

Fujifilm X-Pro3 £1,699/$1,999 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 225

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 recaptures the purity and joy of taking photographs. However,
this can sometimes impede your ability to shoot in a modern way.
SRB ND 1000
Fujifilm X-S10 £949/$999 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 238
Price: £32/$44 (67mm)
Verdict: If you don’t The excellent finish, build quality and handling,and the inclusion of IBIS, give the X-S10 perhaps
the best combination of performance, quality and value in the APS-C mirrorless camera market.
want the fuss of a full
square filter system, this Fujifilm X-S20 £1,249/$1,299 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 271
10-stop circular ND filter
The perfect camera for most people, with its straightforward controls, excellent fully
is perfect. In our tests, automatic modes and its small and compact size, the X-S20 is the hybrid camera to beat.
we saw a slightly warm
colour cast but that Fujifilm X-T30 II £769/$899 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 251
can be corrected. Fujifilm’s pint-sized retro camera doesn’t just look cool but works well too, with old-school
shutter speed and aperture dials. However, the lack of in-body stabilisation is a shame.

Fujifilm X-T4 £1,549/$1,699 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 231

The X-T4 gains the in-body image stabilisation that the X-T3 lacks and also brings a vari-angle
screen and a faster, quieter shutter mechanism. The improvements to this camera are welcome.

Fujifilm X-T5 £1,699/$1,699 APS-C www.fujifilm.com Issue 263

Takes the much-loved Fujifilm X-T4 further in terms of resolution but is still ideal for shooters
who want a lightweight camera with traditional controls and an excellent 40.2MP resolution.

Formatt Hitech Fujifilm GFX 50S II £3,499/$3,999 Medium-format www.fujifilm.com Issue 248
Firecrest Ultra The lack of 4K video won’t endear it to all, but if speed and video aren’t important then the
Circular 3.0 advantages of a medium-format sensor can be had for a far more affordable price than before.
(10-stop)
Fujifilm GFX 100S £5,499/$5,999 Medium-format www.fujifilm.com Issue 241
Price: £146/$158
Verdict: Offers a step Far more accessible and more ready for broader use cases than traditional medium-format
cameras. Any compromises made to produce the GFX 100S have not affected its performance.
up in construction and
quality, with excellent

Camera tech: Crop factors explained

colour fidelity in
photographs.
Full-frame sensors provide the standard by which all other sensors can be compared

While the majority of interchangeable lenses

are designed to fill the proportions of a full-
frame sensor, plenty of digital cameras use sensors
that are smaller than full-frame (see page 107). As
they are exposed to a smaller part of the picture
Four Thirds
Full-frame

projected by a lens, smaller sensors produce a

APS-C

magnification effect, with the ‘cropped’ image

looking as though it has been taken with a longer lens.
Lee ProGlass The focal length of the lens hasn’t increased – a
50mm lens is a 50mm lens, regardless of the camera
IRND 100mm
it’s attached to – but the ‘crop factor’ of the sensor
10-stop filter makes it appear that it has. Other differences that the
Price: £179/$237 sensor size makes include the larger pixels gathering Full Frame APS-C Micro Four Thirds
Verdict: Designed for light more efficiently so you’ll get cleaner, better- No adjustment is Most APS-C sensors To get a 20mm
necessary with a full- have a crop factor equivalent view,
the ultimate in neutrality quality images at high ISO settings. Plus, it’s easier frame sensor – the of 1.5, although you need a lens
and colour accuracy by focal length on the with Canon APS-C that has a focal
to exploit shallow depth-of-field effects, so that lens is what you get. cameras, it’s 1.6. length of 10mm
a renowned brand with images have more blur and less sharpness. Crop factor: 1 Crop factor: 1.5 or 1.6 Crop factor: 2
a legendary reputation.

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 Camera buyer’s guide

MIRRORLESS (CONTINUED) Wise buys

PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED Travel tripods
Fujifilm GFX 100 £9,999/$9,999 Medium-format www.fujifilm.com Issue 220 Good, better and
best… three options
The Fujifilm GFX 100 is everything you might hope and more. It is hugely expensive, but
the performance, resolution and image quality you get for that price tag are stunning.
you can depend on

Leica SL2 £5,300/$5,995 Full-frame leica-camera.com Issue 224

Likely to be sold in small numbers to connoisseurs and certain discerning pros, this
is no overpriced toy. It incorporates a level of design and thought that is rather inspiring.

Leica SL2-S £3,975/$4,895 Full-frame leica-camera.com Issue 240

Costs much less than the higher-resolution SL2 but even with such a drastic difference in
price, the compromises are minimal, and the drop in resolution is the only major downside.

Nikon Z 30 £699/$707 APS-C www.nikon.co.uk Issue 260

Aimed at vloggers, for which the vari-angle touchscreen works much better than the tilting
screen of the Z 50. The lack of an EVF isn’t such good news if you primarily shoot stills.
Benro Slim Travel
Nikon Z 50 £899/$857 APS-C www.nikon.co.uk Issue 225
Price: £69/$114
Small and simple but power-packed, the Z 50 is capable of fabulous results. The slimline build Verdict: Folding down
brings the benefits of mirrorless; firmware updates have added Eye-Detection AF capabilities.
to just 32cm and with
Nikon Z fc £899/$957 APS-C www.nikon.co.uk Issue 247 a maximum height of
130cm, the aluminium
Far from a case of style over substance, this DX-format Z camera is a pleasure to operate
and captures quality images to boot. Matching ‘SE’ lenses complement its good looks.
edition is great value,
and the carbon version
Nikon Z 5 £1,349/$1,397 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 234 is not too pricey at
Nikon’s most affordable FX Z camera still boasts plenty of top-notch features including IBIS, the £125/$150.
EXPEED 6 processor and dual card slots. Great image quality and 273-point hybrid autofocus.

Nikon Z 6II £2,079/$1,997 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 237

Delivers superb quality for stills and 4K video, and is a brilliant all-rounder too. With fewer
megapixels to process, the Z 6II beats the Z 7II with a 14fps rather than 10fps drive mode.

Nikon Z 7II £3,099/$2,997 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 239

Matches Nikon’s similarly priced D850 for megapixels but especially when shooting handheld
and for capturing movies, the Z 7II can yield even better results, thanks to features like IBIS.

Nikon Z 8 £3,999/$3,999 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 270 Manfrotto

The ‘baby Z 9’ inherits the vast majority of its sibling’s specs, including its blisteringly fast Befree 2N1
electronic shutter and EXPEED 7 processor, in a more compact and manageable body. Price: £139/$219
Verdict: Like the Benro,
Nikon Z 9 £5,299/$5,497 Full-frame www.nikon.co.uk Issue 250
the 2N1 also converts
The flagship Z series camera uses an electronic shutter to blow the D6 DSLR out of the water into a monopod. It’s
for resolution, speed and all-round performance. The Z 9 also boasts Nikon’s best video specs.
taller at 150cm (41cm
when folded), but is only

Camera tech: AF points explained

available in aluminium.

The amount of autofocus points varies between cameras – but in short, the more you pay, the more you get
Entry-level DSLRs have
around seven to nine AF
points, whereas a high-end
mirrorless, such as the Canon
EOS R3, has 4,779. Cameras
that offer a densely populated
array of AF points across the
viewfinder make it easier to
focus on subjects that aren’t AF point array How they work 3 Legged Thing
in the centre of the picture. AF points are clustered towards the centre The AF sensor detects a line of contrast that
of a DSLR viewfinder. An AF point array ‘breaks’ the line of the sensor – such as the Punks Brian
A large number of AF points typically contains standard AF sensors that horizon here. The AF system pushes the lens’ Price: £269/$300
also makes for smoother measure sharpness in one plane and ‘cross- focusing back and forth until the active
focus tracking, as the camera
type’ AF sensors that are more precise. sensor is able to find this high-contrast point. Verdict: With a beefy
can ‘hand off’ autofocus from 14kg load rating, the
Types of AF point
one point to the next and more Beginner cameras may have one carbon-fibre Brian
cross-type point, whereas high-end
accurately follow a subject models have many. Dual cross
stretches to a towering
moving across the picture. points are the most powerful. Standard Cross-type Dual cross 187cm, yet still folds
down to 41cm.

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KitZone
Camera buyer’s guide

Wise buys MIRRORLESS (CONTINUED)

Macro lenses PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED
Good, better and Olympus PEN E-P7 £749/$799 Micro Four Thirds explore.omsystem.com Issue 245
best… three options A fantastic return to form for the PEN series – so stylish that you can take it anywhere, so
for life-size captures simple that beginners can use it and so capable that experts can get sensational results from it.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV £799/$799 Micro Four Thirds explore.omsystem.com Issue 235

With a 20MP sensor, improved IBIS and a flip-down and tiltable screen, the E-M10 Mark IV
offers plenty of new features, while retaining the Mark III’s 4K video and attractive styling.

OM System OM-1 £1,999/$2,199 Micro Four Thirds explore.omsystem.com Issue 254

Packed with bleeding-edge computational photography tech, image stabilisation that blows the
competition out of the water and ISO performance that promises parity with full-frame sensors.
Nikkor 40mm
f/2.8 G AF-S OM System OM-5 £1,199/$1,199 Micro Four Thirds explore.omsystem.com Issue 263
DX Micro Turns clever computational technology into easy-to-use tools, liberating you from tripods
Price: £269/$277 and filters. It’s an all-in-one tool that will enable you to make the most of your outdoor pursuits.
Verdict: Typical of
Panasonic Lumix G9 £1,499/$1,698 Micro Four Thirds www.panasonic.com Issue 200
compact, low-cost,
APS-C format macro A fast and effective camera for both 4K video and fast-action photography. Substantial in the
hand, which gives you a good grip especially with longer lenses, its image quality is very good.
lenses. The short focal
length means having to Panasonic Lumix G100 £599/$748 Micro Four Thirds www.panasonic.com bit.ly/dcw_g100
shoot very close to your
Vloggers and creatives more broadly will enjoy the simplicity of the Lumix G100. With a decent
subject and the lens is viewfinder and ‘proper camera’ ergonomics, the G100 has an edge in a competitive market.
not particularly refined.
Panasonic Lumix GX9 £879/$998 Micro Four Thirds www.panasonic.com Issue 202

On point for specs, size and price but it relies heavily on its menus and touch-screen interface
and can feel fiddly to set up. Its features and image quality, however, can hardly be criticised.

Panasonic Lumix GH5S £2,199/$2,498 Micro Four Thirds www.panasonic.com Issue 203

Pros will love its 10-bit 4:2:2 recording and high bit rates. There’s no in-body-stabilisation,
though, and the 10MP resolution is just too low for the GH5S to be a convincing stills camera.

Sigma 105mm Panasonic Lumix GH6 £1,999/$2,198 Micro Four Thirds www.panasonic.com Issue 254
f/2.8 Macro EX Some may feel that having an MFT sensor and contrast autofocus is outdated, but the GH6
DG OS HSM holds its own with cameras almost twice its price in terms of functionality and image quality.
Price: £359/$569
Verdict: This optic offers Panasonic Lumix S1 £2,199/$2,498 Full-frame www.panasonic.com Issue 218
terrific image quality The Lumix S1 is a hefty camera that offers excellent performance. It matches both
and value for money the Nikon Z 6 and Sony A7 III for image quality, but costs more than either of them.
for more discerning
close-up shooters. It’s

Camera tech: ISO and image quality

quite big and heavy, but
its 105mm focal length
gives you a better Setting sensor sensitivity can be a compromise: increase the risk of blurred photos, or increase noise?
shooting distance.
When you push the ISO higher on
102,400
a camera, colours become muddier, Noise
and dynamic range (the amount of detail Expanded ISO
settings give
captured from shadows to highlights) noisier results.
drops off. But the most obvious side effect 25,600
is an increase in the ‘noise’ – this is the Mid-range
digital equivalent of film grain but even ISO sensitivities
less palatable, with the image covered from 400 to 1,600
offer the best
Tamron SP in ugly coloured speckles. 6,400 compromise of
90mm f/2.8 Di ISOs in the region of 100 to 400 produce sensitivity and
cleaner, richer and more detailed images, noise.
VC USD Macro however, they require more light to make
Price: £649/$649 Blurred
Verdict: The latest
an exposure. This can be achieved by 1,600 Low ISOs give
shooting with either a larger aperture or clean results, but
version of a legendary a slower shutter speed – or both. You can shutter speeds will
be lower, risking
Tamron macro lens is take a picture at low ISOs without making blur in low light.
more expensive but these adjustments, but it will take longer 400
you get superb image to make the exposure and that could
quality, design and result in a blurred picture if the subject
construction, plus it has or the camera move during this time.
built-in stabilisation.

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 Camera buyer’s guide

MIRRORLESS (CONTINUED) Wise buys

PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED Photo
Panasonic Lumix S1H £3,599/$3,999 Full-frame www.panasonic.com Issue 232 backpacks
An interesting ‘bridge’ between system cameras and higher-end cine gear, but while it has the Good, better and
power for pro video productions, vloggers won’t embrace its size, weight and patchy video AF. best… three bags
for use in the field
Panasonic Lumix S1R £3,399/$4,199 Full-frame www.panasonic.com Issue 216

The Lumix S1R is big, hefty and solid and feels like it means business. It handles well
and produces truly excellent image quality – and offers 60p 4K video, too.

Panasonic Lumix S5 £1,799/$1,999 Full-frame www.panasonic.com Issue 235

Shares the impressive 24MP CMOS sensor housed in the S1, but with improved AF. It also
delivers up to 6.5 stops of stabilisation with compatible lenses. As a result, it’s tough to beat.

Panasonic Lumix S5 II £1,999/$1,997 Full-frame www.panasonic.com Issue 267

Can capture rich stills at up to 30fps in E-Shutter mode and offers unbeatable stabilisation. The
S5 II’s phase hybrid AF system matches or in some cases beats cameras above its price range.
Manfrotto Pro
Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX £2,299/$2,198 Full-frame www.panasonic.com Issue 272
Light 3N1-36 PL
Extra features over the S5 II, such as SSD recording, HDMI RAW output, ALL-I compression, Price: £119/$223
Apple ProRes, and Streaming functionality, make the S5 IIX an enticing proposition.
Verdict: A clever design
Sigma fp £1,999/$1,899 Full-frame sigmauk.com Issue 226 makes this backpack
equally adept at storing
The Sigma fp is a fascinating video camera that takes a genuinely fresh approach but,
unfortunately, it feels no more than an interesting alternative in the stills market.
camera kit, video gear
or a drone. It can also
Sigma fp L £1,999/$2,499 Full-frame sigmauk.com Issue 244 take a 15-inch laptop.
The tiny body brings some handling issues and while the new phase-detect AF system is great
for stills, the video AF remains slow and unreliable. Remarkable performance for the price.

Sony Alpha 6100 £679/$748 APS-C www.sony.co.uk bit.ly/dcw_a6100

Brings a host of improvements over the A6000 but they don’t come cheap. The A6100 is
nearly twice the price of the A6000, somewhat limiting its appeal as an entry-level camera.

Sony Alpha 6400 £949/$899 APS-C www.sony.co.uk Issue 215

For bloggers and vloggers, the Sony A6400 is a dream. But for stills photographers its high-tech
image capture is poor consolation for its five-year-old design and limited external controls.

Sony Alpha 6600 £1,399/$1,399 APS-C www.sony.co.uk Issue 226 Lowepro

The A6600’s stunning AF and image stabilisation make it suitable for demanding ProTactic
stills work, but its still image quality is good rather than class-leading. BP 350 AW II
Price: £149/$162
Sony Alpha 7 II £1,499/$1,698 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 162
Verdict: Fairly slimline,
Offering all the benefits of a full-frame sensor without the bulk, the A7 II has superb it’s nevertheless super-
image stabilisation and produces high-quality images. It’s well worth your attention.
tough and can squeeze
a lot in. The waist strap

Camera tech: Video resolution

doubles as a utility belt.

You get more pixels to play with when you record in 4K 3,840 pixels
Before starting to record video, the 4K UHD 4K has four times the resolution of Full HD.
fundamental decision to make is which The image is made up of more pixels, so
details are rendered with more clarity
movie-recording size to use. This is largely
determined by three functions: the image size or
2,160 pixels

resolution, the frame rate (how many images are

recorded each second) and the level of compression.
The choice of resolution is key, as this determines
how much detail can be recorded, with 4K being
offered by the majority of current cameras. There
are in fact two 4K standards: TV-friendly 4K UHD
Tenba Axis 24L
(3,840 x 2,160 pixels) and a wider, more cinematic 4K Price: £199/$229
‘DCI’ (4,096 x 2,160). If you have space available on Full HD
Verdict: The range’s
mid-sized option, the
1,080 pixels

your memory card or external recorder, it pays to

shoot at the highest resolution your camera allows, Axis 24L can stow one
as you can always reduce this later. That said, or two cameras with as
shooting at a lower resolution usually allows you to Full HD 4K UHD many as eight lenses,
shoot at a faster frame rate for slow-motion playback. plus a 17-inch laptop
1,920 pixels
and accessories.

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 113

KitZone
Camera buyer’s guide

Wise buys MIRRORLESS (CONTINUED)

Graduated PRODUCT PRICE WHEN TESTED SENSOR SIZE CONTACT REVIEWED
z(ˡǼɎƺȸɀ Sony Alpha 7 III £1,999/$1,999 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 203

Good, better and A terrific all-rounder – its handling and control layout aren’t perfect, but that’s soon forgotten in
best… three options the face of its AF and continuous shooting performance, not to mention its 4K video capabilities.
to balance exposures Sony Alpha 7 IV £2,399/$2,499 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 249

Not an ‘entry level’ full frame mirrorless – it’s too powerful, too complex and, yes, too expensive
for that. It’s more like a mini-A1 that’s extremely good at everything but less than half the price.

Sony Alpha 7C £1,899/$1,799 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 237

Unambitious specifications, particularly in terms of its video capabilities, but its practical
performance, including a handy vari-angle screen and excellent AF, make it an effective camera.

Sony Alpha 7R III £3,199/$3,198 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 199

Powerful and versatile but its battery performance is poor next to that of a professional
DSLR. The A7R III’s speed makes it supremely versatile but puts it up against tough rivals.
Cokin Gradual
Sony Alpha 7R IV £3,499/$3,499 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 223
ND Kit incl holder
Price: £62/$69 The Sony A7R IV raises the resolution bar for full-frame sensors, but it’s a subtle, incremental
improvement rather than a giant leap forward and this model faces some serious competition.
Verdict: An inexpensive
entry to graduated Sony Alpha 7R V £3,999/$3,898 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 264
filters and designed for
While Sony pitches the A7R V as the resolution specialist, it blurs all the video and sports
smaller lenses, with filter boundaries too – an amazing technological achievement, but is it heading in the right direction?
rings up to 82mm. Uses
filters 84mm wide, not Sony Alpha 7S III £3,800/$3,498 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk bit.ly/dcw_a7sIII
standard 100mm ones. Apart from a big and expensive cinema camera, this is the only body that can shoot 4K at 60p
full-frame with no crop, recorded internally in 10-bit 4:2:2 with no limitations on recording time.

Sony Alpha 9 II £4,699/$4,499 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 232

Blistering burst speed and AF performance are matched by its superb connectivity, which will be
a game-changer for pros. The A9 II is a powerhouse performer for professional sports shooters.

Sony Alpha 1 £6,499/$6,499 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 242

A technological triumph, the A1 really can do everything. Previously, cameras might offer speed,
resolution or video capability – the A1 offers all three. Its price is a major obstacle, however.
Benro Master
100x150mm Sony ZV-E1 £2,350/$2,199 Full-frame www.sony.co.uk Issue 270
Glass filters An excellent vlogging camera – small, compact and lightweight while packing in features
Price: £129/$99 each such as an image-stabilised full-frame sensor, subject recognition and auto-tracking.
Verdict: Made of glass
Sony ZV-E10 £679/$699 APS-C www.sony.co.uk Issue 246
to high standard and
delivers minimum image A good camera for novice vloggers. It has 4K video, Sony’s excellent autofocus system, a
degradation. Can be vari-angle screen and a clip-on muffler to cut wind noise. Plus, it’s rather good value, too.
fitted to Benro’s unique
‘geared’ holder.
Read all the latest camera Missed a camera review?
and accessory reviews at: Buy a print or digital back issue:
www.digitalcamera www.magazinesdirect.com/
world.com single-issue

Lee 100mm
ND Grad Hard
Resin filter set
Price: £185/$283
Verdict: A set of three
graduated filters from
one of the best-known
names in quality
photographic filters.

114 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

 TAKE CHARGE OF THE YEAR
WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC FLARE
Whether you have just picked up your first DSLR or feel like you’re stuck in a
photography rut and are looking for some new projects to take you through the
next year, this bookazine has something for you.

ON SALE

Ordering is easy. Go online at:

www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
Or get it from selected supermarkets & newsagents
 INTERVIEW
Dennis Mukai

Andy
Andy
Summers
Summers
Photographer
and musician

Following a career as a
session musician in the
1970s, Summers came to
international prominence
as the guitarist in The Police
– one of the most successful
rock bands of the late 1970s
and early 1980s.
The former Police guitarist has had a long-term
A childhood enjoyment of
passion for photography. Niall Hampton spoke
European arthouse cinema
led Summers to develop an to him about his new book A Series of Glances
interest in photography, and
images captured over five
decades have appeared in
a series of photo books, as ndy Summers isn’t the What led to the publication of A Series of
well as being exhibited in first successful musician Glances – is it a ‘where we are now’ study?

A
galleries across the world. to have reached for I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘greatest hits’, but it is
a camera, but he can a survey of my involvement in photography
Summers also combines
certainly play it as well as since I started in about 1980. That’s what it is.
his twin loves of music and
photography: his multimedia a six-stringed instrument. I think it’s probably the best book I’ve done so
show The Cracked Lens and A fêted guitarist, known far and I’m pretty pleased with it. It is almost
a Missing String is currently for his distinctive and inventive output for like a career retrospective, I guess, but it’s not
touring the US and Canada. The Police and subsequently as a solo artist, the end – I’m working on another book already,
Summers’ photography is no less interesting with another publisher in England, and
andysummers.com and accomplished. Leafing through his latest the subject matter is very different.
photo book, A Series of Glances, a lot of the
Instagram: photographs exhibit a cinematic quality and Are there many things that you still want
@andysummers_official
have graced many a gallery wall over the years. to document in your photography?
Keen to discover more about Summers’ Yes. I’ve been a bit restricted in the last three
influences and his photographic journey, years, obviously, because of the pandemic but
we spoke to him over Zoom from New York. I’m a travelling guy, so I always go

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 Andy Summers

This page:
Woman
and Elvis.
INTERVIEW
Andy Summers

Andy Summers

I’m also pleased that A Series of Glances has a

retrospective look to it, showing various countries
and places I’ve been. It took me a while to put
it together but the next book I’m doing will be
much more specific in terms of its material.

In the book, you praise your Leica M for being

able to be played like one of your guitars...
It’s a fancy way of putting it, I suppose, but I don’t think
it’s so far-fetched – I’m someone who has spent his life
with two hands on something with strings on it and
have usually made it work. The big breakthrough for
me actually came from the great Ralph Gibson, with
whom I became strong pals in the early 1980s. I was
using a Nikon, a clunker, and he said that I should
Andy Summers

try a Leica – he was obviously a Leica guy.

So I went and bought a Leica at B&H Photo in New
York. I immediately got the tactility and the size. It
was a beautiful thing and, for me, having been a tactile
person all my life, suddenly I felt that the Leica was the
Top: Man in Peru. fully loaded with Leica cameras to shoot photos right camera. Like certain guitars, it fits your hands,
Above: Driver in Bolivia. wherever I am. Maybe I get something, maybe I don’t. your body and all the rest of it, so as well as the mental
Opposite, top: Masks I have got a lot of live shows coming up between now side there is a physicality to it. For me, as a physical
in Mexico 1. and mid-December so, you know, there’s a little part object, the Leica handles much better than any
Opposite, bottom: of me that’s thrilled I’ll be able to go out there and of these big things with long lenses. You’ve got
Masks in Mexico 2.
create some new photography. something that’s a part of your body, and it just
feels like I can navigate through the world better
with this type of smaller camera than any big thing.
“I felt the Leica camera was right for
Which Leica cameras have you used?
me. Like certain guitars, it fits your I’ve been through many, obviously. I started off with
an M42 film camera, then an M5 and an M6. In 2012,
hands, your body and all the rest” Leica came out with their first digital, the M7. I jumped

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 Andy Summers

Andy Summers
straight on it. I had just done almost a month travelling
all over Asia shooting film and I was carrying a bag of
90 rolls of exposed film and I was getting so paranoid
about getting these things through the airports. That
was the moment I switched. You can romanticise
about film and wish you were still shooting on emulsion
and all that, but I’m into digital now and happy with it.
I think digital actually helped me become a better
photographer in many ways because I could judge
better. In the old days, we would probably give it
a couple more f-stops and do all the normal stuff.
Having the picture on the back doesn’t make you lazy,
because you’ve still got to make all the judgment calls
– whether you want a deep focus or a shallow depth of
field, do you use a 28mm lens or stick to a 50mm? All
these things became much more apparent on the back
of the camera and you learn to hone your skills, rather
than just hoping that you’re getting the photo, as
you would have done before digital.

What is your typical setup for shooting?

For my normal practice, I have a black and white M10
and I’m starting to shoot some colour now, more than
before. I used to go out with one body and one 50mm
lens, and wouldn’t even think about anything else,
but now I usually use a 28mm, a 50mm and maybe a
90mm. I used to use a 35mm all the time but stopped
doing that, except that I recently acquired a new Leica
lens that goes to f/1.4. It’s a limited edition of a 1960
Andy Summers

lens that they brought out; I got one and have been
playing around with that, and it’s great because you
can shoot at night. I also have the small 1970 Noctilux
lens, which is a beauty that’s close to f/1.2,

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INTERVIEW

Above: Man in Morocco. so you get incredible bokeh and breakout of the when you think about something that sums up the
imagery behind the central subject. So yes, I’m atmosphere, the vibe and the culture, those can
a Leica man, and I’m extremely happy with that. become more corny pictures. Why are you taking
There’s nothing else like them; you can’t compare a picture of this idol over here? I’m shooting a leaf
any other cameras to a Leica. It’s a particular that’s got sunlight on it or something more abstract.
mental mode and a way of seeing and thinking. Trying to sum up the culture in three or four
photographs is not really my bag; I’m looking for
When visiting a new location, what do you more formal abstractional surrealism or something.
consider good subjects to be for taking photos? Sometimes it works. I don’t do what you just
There are many ways to think about that, actually. I’ve mentioned because that’s just a kind of superior
been to places like Tibet, Nepal and western China and holiday snap and I don’t really want to do that.

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 Andy Summers

Andy Summers

audience is watching me. ‘Am I going to get a shot here Above: Women in Morocco.
before my fingers fall off?’ When you’re back at home
sorting out all the photos you’ve taken, that’s when you
start to put it all together – there’s the wildness of the
moment and then there’s the calm, collected bit later.
So I think you work with more than one mindset.

In A Series of Glances, you mention your love

of arthouse films – and you can really see
this influence in some of your photos.
I honestly think it’s really where it came from for me
because I was just a kid in an English town and there
was a cinema, the Continental, and that’s what they
showed. I saw films by Fellini, Bergman, Godard – all
that kind of thing – and was absolutely beguiled by it
all. I was a real fan of those films; I didn’t necessarily
understand them all but it opened up the world to
me at a young age. So in terms of my formative
years, it was very important – that’s where
my love of photography came from.

But you were more drawn to American

photographers than European ones. Why was that?
As I progressed on the guitar as a kid, I was really
drawn to American jazz guitar players, along with Miles
Davis, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. I was copying
it all, and trying to understand the chord changes was
pretty intellectual. I was taking in a lot of American
stuff and, of course, it turned out that there were lots
of great photographers in America that you wanted to
be like – Garry Winogrand, Ralph Gibson, Diane Arbus
When taking photos, are you taking them for and Lee Friedlander, for example. When I got into
yourself or are you thinking of the wider audience? photography I was like OK, I’m really going to do this.
As someone who has made records all his life and
is used to the idea of always living with a permanent
audience, you think you’re famous and you think you’re
somebody. You’re not, of course, but you think you are
and you think there are people watching everything “Trying to sum up the culture in a
you do. Most of my life I’ve existed with this idea that
some people are watching you to see what you’re few photographs is not my bag; I’m
going to do next, and that’s exciting. But I’m not
halfway up a mountain in Nepal thinking that the looking for more abstract surrealism”

www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2023 D I G I TA L C A M E R A 121

INTERVIEW
Andy Summers

How would you describe your photographic style? you think, ‘Mmm, what’s that you’ve combined in Above: Young Monks.
It’s just like music. It’s a great parallel. You start there?’ There’s some obvious stuff, like the people in
to improve your eye and you see the power of Nepal; some of them resonate just because they’re
abstraction, and then you start to get into more than in foreign places. There are men on the banks of the
just, ‘Oh that mother crying with her baby is a nice River Ganges and other places, as I was passing
emotional moment’. You start to get more into form, through India at some point. The girl in China reaching
line, shape and position within the rectangle and up, which I used for an album cover… they’re all
that’s really the point you have to get to. I think pictures that I like and I can associate memory with all

Leica
photography at a certain level becomes formal and of them. It’s funny to say, but there’s a lot of happiness
I like that because, for me, then it became more the in this book because I remember all these events and
The Leica M Monochrom
equivalent of music. I’m not trying to just shoot what I was doing or going through at the time.
‘Signature’ by Andy
emotional pictures like someone would do for
Summers, from 2019.
Life magazine, but pure photography instead. Did it take long to sequence the book’s photos?
Like pure music, pure photography. About six months, and I was doing some shows at the
same time. The model for A Series of Glances was The
Which images or sequences of images Lines of My Hand by Robert Frank, one of my favourite
are you particularly proud of in the book? photographers. I used it as the model for the layout –
I have tried to balance it out so that there are a vertical here, two horizontals, a full spread and so on.
emotionally challenging pictures and some that just I really liked Frank’s book in terms of its rhythm.
have formal qualities. It’s like having a meal where
there’s some astringency in some of the tastes and Do you ever shoot photos on a smartphone?
Like everyone in the world, I do carry one. But it’s
rare that I would actually use it to take photos.
“Photography becomes
They do get better and better every year, though…
formal at a certain level. Yes, but I’m going to keep using my Leica. I love the A Series of Glances
aesthetic [in the photos] – you just get something by Andy Summers is
I like that because, different. Leica works for me and I’ve never felt any published by teNeues
need to turn away from it. Three years ago, Leica made (ISBN: 978-3-96171-
for me, it is then the a signature camera for me; Fender had done a special 458-2) and is on sale
guitar for me covered in photographs, and Leica did now, priced at £75/$110.
equivalent of music” the same with a Leica M. That was a good moment. www.teneues.com

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 Back issues
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 Back issues

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Trivia quiz

What the f-stop?

How much do you really know about
photography? Test yourself to the max
with Chris George
every issue with our tricky trivia quiz!
How much faster is
1 f/1.2 than f/1.4?
A 2 stops

B 0.2 stops

C 0.44 stops

D 0.5 stops

Sony has just launched the

2 A7C R mirrorless camera.
What resolution does it offer?
A 24MP

B 32MP

C 48MP

D 61MP

What type of film do you

3 use in a half-frame camera?
A 110

B 120

C 135
Getty

D 220

Who is the singer taking What lens was used to take this Which photographer was
4 the selfie in this photo?
5 uncropped full-frame image of the
9 actress Catherine Deneuve
A Justin Bieber full moon over Glastonbury Tor? once married to?
B Justin Vernon A 150-600mm A Norman Parkinson

C Justin Timberlake B 100-400mm B Terence Donovan

D Justin Hayward C 70-300mm C Patrick Lichfield

D 500mm with a 2x teleconverter D David Bailey

Who was the Frenchman What is the brand name

6 credited with taking the
10 used on Fujifilm lenses?
first-ever photograph? A Fujica
A Niépce B Fujinon
B Daguerre C Fujiflex
C Nadar D Fujicron
D Nègre

What is a probe lens designed for?

7 A Macro photography How did you do?
B Documentary photography
10 points You’re a photo mastermind!
C Street photography
8-9 points Fantastic, you’re a brainiac
D Aerial photography
6-7 points Really good score
4-5 points Respectable, but no cigar
Where is the home of Tenba 2-3 points We’ll keep your score secret
8 camera bags? 0-1 points Epic fail
A New York

B New Mexico

C New Orleans

D New Zealand ANSWERS 1 C, 2 D, 3 C, 4 C, 5 D, 6 A, 7 A, 8 A, 9 D, 10 B

Getty

130 D I G I TA L C A M E R A OCTOBER 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

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