Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Digital Camera Magazine

Clive Greenland’s interest in photography started in the late 1970s with a Canon AE-1. Based in Corsham, on the edge of the Cotswolds, Clive is a committee member of Corsham Photographic Club (www.corshamphotographicclub.co.uk). He is also a judge at the Western Counties Photographic Federation, and gives photographic talks on a range of subjects, from nature and wildlife to astrophotography Clive’s interest in shooting aviation photography is inspired by being a pilot and flight instructor for the past 29 years. This image of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was taken at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, while executing a 400-knot high ‘G’ manoeuvre. The aim was to capture the condensation over the wings produced by a high-energy climb, set against a contrasting dark sky after heavy rain showers. The…

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PART 2 OF 4 Photo website building 101! Whether you’re an enthusiast or a keen amateur photographer, photo sharing platforms offer you a chance to showcase your skills to the photography community and the rest of the world. Beyond making it easy to share images, the best photo sharing platforms provide ways for users to organise their photographs in a way that makes them easy to display whenever required. When it comes to choosing between the range of sites available, you have to consider which services you want to use, as each photo sharing platform will have strengths and weaknesses in specific areas. Each site is feature-rich and most are free, with extra storage space and other additional perks available for a price. Things you need to consider are: shareability,…

TOP KIT Polariser Try using a circular polariser to bring out the colours in the field and a graduated sky. Turn the polariser around clockwise until you get the desired result. Shooting summer landscape photography can sometimes be tricky, with strong daytime sunlight and a less dramatic sky. However, there are many benefits to shooting in the summer, from late sunsets to warmer weather. One of the most essential tools any landscape photographer should have is a polarising filter. This instantly improves the contrast and saturation of your shots, and image editors say it’s the only filter you can’t add afterwards. Try taking images early in the morning as you watch the dew form on the petals, or wait until sunset where you can photograph a field of flowers. WHAT…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. Sometimes a scene might seem disappointing, only to reveal hidden delights when you edit it. A while ago I headed to this beach in South Wales with high hopes, only to be met with flat light, grey skies and relentless drizzle. I didn’t hold out much hope for the raws after viewing them on the back of the camera. But after opening them into Affinity Photo, I realised I may be wrong. This is often the case with raw files – they hold more detail than you think. The trick is knowing how to tease out the details. Affinity Photo offers all the tools you need to…

Imagine a world where you can only use one lens. For many of us with a lens collection built up over many years, the thought is enough to send shivers down the spine – but with the right optic you can still tackle almost every situation with an abundance of creativity. In this one-lens world, the 50mm would take some beating, which is why we’re dedicating the next 14 pages to prove just how versatile it can be. From shooting landscapes to portraits, the 50mm prime can cover it all and give you a creative twist. The 50mm focal length gives you a field of view with roughly the same magnification as the human eye, so it’s a comfortable place to start from. Add in its ability to give you…

Creative photography is all about making choices. In the main, whether a shot succeeds or fails boils down to how you compose, how you expose, and where you choose to focus. But that last part is a bit more involved than just placing an AF target point over the subject. Your point of focus can be held in a deep zone of sharpness – where everything looks pretty crisp – or it can be isolated in a really narrow band, with everything else falling away into a diffused blur. The wide available aperture of a 50mm prime allows you to turn the out-of-focus areas into a highly significant element of the composition. TIP Shoot in bursts It’s not easy to get pin-sharp shots at f/1.8. Shoot in bursts of three…

Having started out as Macphun, creating photo apps for Apple’s iOS platform, Skylum now offers a suite of popular image editors for both macOS and Windows. The brand is renowned for using artificial intelligence (AI) in its software. Luminar, your flagship image editor, seems to be gradually developing into something that goes beyond image editing. Can you tell us anything about its future direction? We have a vision of making professional image editing effortless. This means we will use as much innovation and as many new technologies and smart approaches as possible, to allow artists of all skill levels to get great photos faster. Features like AI Portrait enhancement and AI Sky Replacement are just the beginning. But we will not only be rolling out new AI-powered features; we will…

£7,250/$8,299 http://uk.leica-camera.com Sensor: 40MP full-frame CMOS sensor without colour or low-pass filters Image processor: Maestro AF: Manual focus only via rangefinder triangulation and focus peaking in Live View ISO range: 100 to 100,000 Max image size: 7,840 x 5,184 JPEG, 7,864 x 5,200 DNG Viewfinder: Optical direct vision (not TTL) Metering modes: Multi-field, centre-weighted, spot Video: N/A Memory card: 2GB internal SD / SDHC / SDXC LCD: 3-inch fixed touchscreen, 1,036,800 dots Max burst: Not quoted Connectivity: Wi-Fi Size: 139 x 39 x 80mm Weight: 660g (body only, with battery) Only Leica could be bold enough to make a camera that shoots just in black in white. When the company first introduced the first Leica M Monochrom in 2012, many imagined that it was just one of Leica’s special editions…

€715/$695 www.irixlens.com Specifications Mount: Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K Autofocus: No Image stabilisation: No Lens construction: 11 elements in 9 groups Angle of view: 51.4 degrees Diaphragm blades: 9 Minimum aperture: f/22 Minimum focusing distance: 0.4m Filter size: 77mm Dimensions: 87x105/103/104mm (C/N/P) Weight: 925/905/910g (C/N/P) New lenses for DSLRs rather than mirrorless cameras have been thin on the ground lately, especially in the manual-focus camp. Available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mount options, the Irix 45mm f/1.4 Dragonfly is a full-frame compatible standard prime that gives an entirely natural perspective, with a viewing angle of 51.4 degrees. That’s a little less restrictive than the 47 degrees or so of a 50mm lens on a full-frame body. Naturally, the lens has a narrower angle of view on…

£319/$399 From Fujifilm’s relatively low-cost and lightweight XC line-up, this lens takes over neatly from the XC16-50mm standard zoom. The aperture rating is quite narrow, enabling a more compact construction. As such, it has pocketable 70 x 111mm dimensions and weighs in at just 370g, barely more than half the weight of the Canon 70-300mm on test. Part of the weight-saving is due to a plastic rather than metal mounting plate. Autofocus is courtesy of a quick and ultra-quiet stepping motor, and the lens also features a 3.5-stop optical stabiliser. The optical path includes one aspherical element and one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element. Performance Colour fringing and distortion are automatically corrected in-camera, so there are no issues there. However, sharpness is underwhelming. Sharpness The lens isn’t a particularly great performer…

£349/$360 This Pentax lens has a neat retractable design, enabling it to shrink down to a length of just 89mm. That’s even shorter than the Panasonic lens on test, despite the Pentax giving a more generous maximum focal length. As it’s designed for APS-C format K-mount cameras, the effective zoom range is an impressive 82.5-450mm. It’s quite light for a DSLR lens, at 442g, although the aperture rating narrows to f/6.3 at the long end. Unlike some Pentax lenses that have rather noisy and sluggish autofocus systems, this one enables fast autofocus performance in near-silence. Build quality is very good, with a ‘weather-resistant’ construction. Performance Sharpness is a little better than from the competing Fujifilm and Panasonic lenses, at least in the mid-sector of the zoom range. Sharpness It’s pretty…

£649/$799 Pretty much the same size and weight as the competing Sigma 100-400mm, this Tamron was launched a little earlier, creating a new category of relatively compact, light and affordable 100-400mm zooms. Handling feels more intuitive for Nikon shooters, as the zoom ring operates in the same direction as own-brand Nikon lenses, whereas the Sigma follows Canon’s lead. There aren’t as many switchable control options, as in the Sigma lens but they’re well-implemented. For example, the autofocus range limiter can operate at any focus distance, simply by switching it on at that point. Performance Centre-sharpness is excellent throughout the entire zoom range, even when shooting wide-open, and the lens is impressive in its control over colour fringing and distortion. Sharpness Centre-sharpness is excellent at all focal lengths, but edges and…

Recreating real-world effects is a great way to practise your Photoshop skills. In order to get the best results, it helps to do your research. So what exactly is a glitch? It’s the unexpected result of a malfunction, especially occurring in software, video games, images, videos, audio, and other digital artefacts. The end result can leave your screen incredibly distorted and hard to make out. The kind of glitch we’ll be tackling is common to television or video games. You’ll need to keep in mind some key visual characteristics to achieve this look. These are jagged lines or waves, frozen or static-looking visuals, and inverted colours. Keep a couple of example images on your desktop for inspiration and references as you create more over time. I’ve changed my original image…

British Boot Sale interview See page 118 Photographer, author and educator Marc Newton is the man behind The School of Photography, which he set up in 2012 to offer online courses and books to a worldwide audience. Documentary photography is one of his passions, after having been influenced by the likes of Richard Billingham and Nan Goldin while a photography student. As having defined projects to focus on is a prerequisite of this genre, Marc shares some of his hints and tips for creating and producing personal photographic projects – like his one on Southend, Essex (pictured, right). Do it for yourself first “Arguably the best photographic work you produce will be the work that you produce for yourself,” says Marc. “It’s where you have total creative freedom and it’s…

This issue, we’re continuing our coverage dedicated to helping you get the most from your photography while spending more time at home during lockdown. Restrictions may be starting to ease for some people, but it’s safe to say that we won’t be back to ‘normal’ for a while yet. So welcome to another series of ideas for the photographic housekeeping that you’ve been meaning to do for ages. Last month we showed how to scan photo prints and slides using your digital camera. This issue, we have a masterclass in how to print them out. Don’t let your best images languish on a computer for any longer: give them the exposure they deserve! We also continue our series on getting your images online, and recommend some best-buy products that will…

Aerial photography has made big advances in recent years. With more affordable professional equipment on offer, many of us have taken to the skies. Drone photography has a lot of impact when people see it – mainly because it offers the viewer something they’ve not seen before. Drones are giving photographers, social media users and aerial enthusiasts access to mesmerising, swooping shots from the sky, which provide new perspectives at a time when our interest in shooting and documenting the world is stronger than ever. AirMagic is the world’s first fully automated photo-editing software tailored for aerial photography. The app enhances images automatically, using artificial intelligence and advanced image enhancement technologies. While it’s simple on the outside, AirMagic is complex on the inside. Its engine uses 12 different technologies to…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. Sharpening tools are essential in photo-editing, but it’s easy to get confused over which tools to use, when to sharpen, and how much sharpening to apply. To get this right, it can be helpful to think of sharpening as part of a wider workflow, as I’ll show here. We’ll perform initial sharpening and noise reduction in Lightroom and take the image into Photoshop for a little retouching to remove the distracting leaf, then roundtrip back to Lightroom for final sharpening. Our workflow involves two distinct sharpening stages: one at the beginning, the other at the end. The first stage is called capture sharpening. This involves general sharpening…

EXPLAINED: THE ANATOMY OF A 50mm PRIME LENS Compact and with an ability to produce high-quality images in different lighting, a 50mm prime lens is one of the most useful optics you can own. From cheaper and lightweight models to more expensive but solidly built makes, there’s a 50mm to fit most budgets and needs. Each different make or model shares four clear benefits. 1 Low-light capability Being able to shoot at a wide aperture such as f/2.8 will enable you to keep working effectively and creatively even when light levels drop as the sun sets. 2 Aperture control Whether you want beautiful blur and bokeh or through-the-image sharpness, a 50mm prime can deliver the results you’re after through a broad aperture range. 3 Simplicity Its distortion-free field of view…

Reversing your lens produces an ultra close-up view of the world. Although this can be done with many lenses, what’s special about a 50mm is that it offers just the right optics to make backwards shooting easy! To mount a lens backwards in a secure way, all you need is a reversing ring. This is a simple adaptor with your camera mount on one side and a filter thread on the other. Make sure the reversing ring’s thread is the same as the one on your 50mm lens (it can be any make), and you can screw the lens onto the camera with its rear element facing out. 1 Attach your lens With your camera switched off, attach the reversing ring to the lens mount, then screw the lens into…

1 SONY ALPHA 7R IV The 61MP mirrorless was crowned best Professional Full-Frame Camera. 2 NIKON D780 Best Expert DSLR went to this well-received 24MP camera launched earlier this year. 3 CANON EOS 90D With some mirrorless camera tech on board, the 90D met the criteria for Best Advanced DSLR. 4 SIGMA FP The compact modular camera was recognised as the Best Expert Full-Frame Camera. 5 FUJIFILM X100V Three awards for the Japanese brand, including Best Premium Compact. 6 LAOWA 100mm F/2.8 2X ULTRA MACRO APO This manual-focus optic captures almost microscopic detail and won Best DSLR Macro Lens. TIPA 2020 winners Canon, Nikon and Sony win big at the Technical Image Press Association’s awards, which took place online for the first time in its 29-year history Canon, Nikon and…

£759/$799 www.dji.com Specifications Sensor: 48MP 1/2in CMOS Lens: 24mm f/2.8 ISO range: 100-3,200 (6,400 in manual stills mode) Max still image size: 8,000 x 6,000 Video: 3,840 x 2,160 at 24/25/30/48/50/60p Storage: 8GB internal, microSD Connectivity: 2.4/5.8GHz dual-frequency (where permitted) Flight time: 34 minutes Size: 180 x 97 x 84mm (folded); 183 x 253 x 77mm (unfolded) Weight: 570g The new Mavic Air 2 is the latest generation of the DJI dynasty. The Mavic range is DJI’s family of consumer camera drones; the now-familiar folding design has cascaded down from the Mavic (launched in August 2018) through to the recent super-light Mavic Mini (which arrived in late 2019). The only outlier was the original Mavic Air, from early 2018. Its friendly styling in a choice of colours was a plus,…

hen you’re staying at home as much as possible, you can soon run out of things to shoot. After all, there’s a limit to the number of family portraits, bowls of fruit and vases of flowers you can photograph before your creative mojo starts to diminish. But step outside and, if you’re lucky enough to have a back yard or garden, you can join the growing number of domestic bird photographers. Naturally, these creatures are small and you need to shoot them from quite a distance, otherwise you’ll scare them away before your finger has even made it as far as the shutter button. Powerful telephoto reach is the order of the day. However, extra-large lenses generally come with similarly outsized price tags. That’s no use when we’re needing to…

£535/$597 If you have a DX-format DSLR, you might well be tempted by Nikon’s AF-P DX 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR: a solid performer, and good value at £329/$397. If you can stretch the budget, though, this FX-format lens is far superior. The latest in a highly acclaimed series of full-frame compatible 70-300mm Nikon zoom lenses, it has stronger, weather-sealed build quality than its sibling, and an incredibly rapid yet silent stepping motor-based autofocus system. Further highlights include an upgraded 4.5-stop VR system. Nikon’s Sport VR mode enables you to track erratically moving birds more easily in the viewfinder. Performance The autofocus and stabilisation systems work brilliantly well for bird photography, and image quality is excellent in all respects. Sharpness Our lab tests only yielded average scores, but it does better…

£649/$609 Filling the gap between conventional 70-300mm telephoto lenses and chunky 150-600mm super-telephoto zooms, this Sigma lens goes into direct competition with the Tamron 100-400mm. Weighing in at just over a kilogramme, it’s entirely manageable for even long periods of handheld shooting. There’s a big step up in onboard control options, compared with 70-300mm lenses. The fast, ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system can be switched to give priority to autofocus or manual override. There are also two switchable optical stabilisation modes, for static and panning shots. Performance Helped by the deployment of four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements, the lens produces good sharpness, with minimal fringing. Stabilisation gives up to a four-stop benefit. Sharpness Sharpness chart scores are unimpressive, but real-life performance is rather better. Centre sharpness Fringing Short 1.82 Long…

The Tamron 100-400mm takes the overall prize, giving great telephoto reach on Canon and Nikon full-frame DSLRs and venturing into effective super-zoom territory on an APS-C format body. It’s a little sharper than the competing Sigma 100-400mm and is more comprehensively weather-sealed, although the Sigma lens has wider-ranging controls and custom options, and is better value in the US. We’re really impressed by the latest 70-300mm lenses from both Canon and Nikon. Their maximum telephoto reach is a bit limited for garden bird photography on a full-frame body, but they’re very good options for APS-C format bodies. Considering that there aren’t yet any lightweight telephoto zooms for Canon and Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras, these lenses also make good budget-friendly options via respective mount adapters The Tamron 70-300mm zoom is a…

During the summer of 2018, I got into photography ‘seriously’ when a broken hip left me confined to the house and garden for six weeks. I bought a macro lens, practised shooting bugs every day, and devoured all I could about photographic technique. Now my main photography passion is landscape astro. While I don’t get to do this as often as I like – I’m a father of two young ones – when I do it’s a true experience. I love every stage of the operation: the planning, waiting and hoping for the right conditions, the night itself alone under the stars, and even the post-processing – a key aspect of astro. All my favourite images have strong memories associated with them; clearly that’s a personal thing which can never…

Photography was always something I wanted to do for a living. The only problem was when I was a teenager, everyone told me it was too much work, too insecure, or just too hard. So instead I abandoned the idea and joined the US Air Force. I didn’t properly touch a camera again for 15 years. When I did, though, I instantly knew again that it was what I wanted to do for a living. Having played in bands throughout my youth, I started photographing the music scene in Cambridge. I instantly set myself a goal of shooting for Kerrang… three years later I had achieved that goal, as well as shooting for magazines like Guitarist, Rhythm and Total Guitar. I started experimenting with another interest of mine: stop-motion animation.…

Instagram Inspiration Part 3 of 6 Once your profile is set up, it’s a good idea to start populating your feed with images so that it doesn’t look bare. If you’ve already got a website, start with your best-performing images from your portfolio there; otherwise, just pick your favourite images that most reflect how you approach your photography. If you’ve already set up your Instagram account and just want tips for smarter ways to post content and find followers, there are paid tools out there to help you grow your account more quickly. For example, Combin (www.combin.com) is an Instagram ‘growth’ tool aimed at attracting organic audiences, with a search function that lets you find accounts and posts from your targeted audience by hashtag and location. 1 Keep the visuals…

Idread to think how much time and money I’ve wasted over the years trying to print a half-decent picture – something that in some way resembles what I can see on my screen. But despite following every bit of advice I have been given, or read and watched, it just never worked out. “All you need to do is calibrate your display, then just download the profiles for the paper you’re using from the manufacturer’s website…” If only it was that simple. Eventually, after much frustration I gave in and started sending my files to a lab for them to print on my behalf, resigned to the fact that printing was clearly way beyond me. At the time of writing this guide, that was nine years ago. But since then…

Every issue we work hard to include a variety of projects, tips, tricks and inspirational photography thoughout the magazine. In recent weeks we’ve been delighted to receive your own attempts at some of the techniques we’ve been showcasing – so much so that this month we’ve decided to share a select few of these images with everyone. Photography can be such a fun journey in so many ways. Whether you’re out shooting star trails in the evening, setting up fun projects with the whole family, or even dusting off old toys you thought you’de never play with again, the key is to enjoy it, have fun and ultimately end up with a photograph you can look back on. Being creative gives you opportunities to try out new skills and ideas,…

FREE! 36 natural texture effects Jon is a professional photographer and writer. He also provides one-to-one and small-group tuition in both digital SLR and Photoshop image-editing skills. If you like creating arty images, blending your shots with textures is a quick and easy way to create a bespoke and stylised look. Incorporating different types of texture changes the way an image is perceived. Whether you go for a subtle blend or something much more pronounced, the process is transformative, and can elevate a really simple shot into a piece of fine art. What’s more, you’re not limited to just one texture: by layering multiple textures and controlling where and how strongly they appear, you can mix up a vast range of different effects and styles. Free with this issue is…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. People naturally want to look their best in photos – just look at the popularity of face-smoothing modes in selfie cameras. But whenever you decide to edit a portrait photo, there’s a point where things stop looking natural and start to look fake. This is why Photoshop is such a great tool for retouching. There are usually a few different ways to tackle a particular job, which means you have full control over the look of the image. And because you can make adjustments on separate layers, you have the freedom to undo or tone things down if the effect looks a little over the top –…

ON THE STREET When you are shooting on a street with the light fading fast, and yet there are still interesting scenes to be had, a 50mm lens can save the day. It will enable you to shoot wide-open at f/2 or even more and absorb all the available light, and to find a workable shutter speed to handhold your camera. Of course, you may also need to increase the ISO, but start at ISO 400 and see if you can achieve a shutter speed fast enough to avoid subject blur. The first thing to identify is where your light is, whether it’s the last few rays of sunshine or artificial street lighting. Once identified, study how its direction and intensity affects the scene. In this shot, bare bulbs are…

SECOND PLACE Florida Gabriele Galimberti “In the United States, there are more guns than people – 120.5 registered firearms for every 100 residents. As a European, I started wondering if owning many weapons by a single person or family was a common habit in the US. I travelled across the US and created a series of 45 portraits of families or single individuals, including all races and beliefs, together with their firearms.” www.gabrielegalimberti.com THIRD PLACE Philomena Rebecca Moseman “A little Irish Traveller girl looks out of her family car before going home to her family’s Illegal encampment.” www.mosemanstudios.com PARTICULAR MERIT MENTION Woman Mursi Svetlin Yosifov “The Mursi tribe are from the isolated Omo valley in Southern Ethiopia, near the border with Sudan.” http://gallery.1x.com/member/picsvet PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Across the River,…

Remembering Cheetahs will be the fifth book in the charity book series started by wildlife photographer Margot Raggett in 2016. She decided to take action after seeing a poached elephant in Kenya, and started asking fellow wildlife photographers if they would contribute images to a fundraising book – this request launched the start of something special. Remembering Elephants and its successors Remembering Rhinos, Remembering Great Apes and Remembering Lions have between them raised more than £622,000 for 40 conservation projects across 23 countries. And with over 2,350 images entered for Remembering Cheetahs, more than £11,000 has been raised for cheetah conservation. Remembering Cheetahs will feature images from wildlife photographers including Marsel van Oosten, Jonathan and Angela Scott, Frans Lanting, Greg du Toit and Charlie Hamilton James – included under the…

£2,599/$2,499 www.canon.co.uk Specifications Sensor: 30.3MP full-frame CMOS, 36 x 24mm Image processor: Digic 8 AF points: 5,655 Dual Pixel AF positions ISO range: 100 to 40,000 (exp 50 to 102,400) Max image size: 6,720 x 4,480 Metering modes: Evaluative, partial, spot, centre-weighted Video: 4K UHD at 29.97p, 25p, 24p, 23.98p Viewfinder: EVF, 3.69m dots, 100% coverage Memory card: SD / SDHC / SDXC LCD: 3.15-inch fully articulating touchscreen, 2.1m dots Max burst: 8fps Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC Size: 136 x 99 x 84mm (body only) Weight: 580g (body only; 660g with battery and card) The Canon EOS Ra is not the first camera modified specifically for astrophotography. Occasionally, camera makers do produce ‘astro’ versions of their leading cameras, and the EOS R is a good candidate for this treatment, thanks…

£1,749/$1,699 www.panasonic.co.uk Specifications Mounts: L-mount Full frame: Yes Autofocus: Yes Lens construction: 23 elements in 17 groups Angle of view: 34-12 degrees Diaphragm blades: 9 Minimum aperture: f/22 Minimum focusing distance: 0.92m Maximum magnification ratio: 0.25x Filter size: 77mm Dimensions: 84 x 179mm Weight: 985g The 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom is often regarded as one of the ‘holy trinity’ of lenses for full-frame cameras, along with similarly ‘fast’ wide-angle and standard zooms. However, there’s a lot to be said for getting an f/4 zoom instead. Not only are they cheaper, they’re also smaller and lighter. The Panasonic Lumix S Pro 70-200mm f/4 OIS is a case in point, with a manageable weight of 985g compared with 1,570g for Panasonic’s bigger f/2.8 zoom. Although it has a modest f/4 aperture rating, this…

£449/$499 The original edition of this lens had a sluggish ultrasonic micro-motor autofocus system, mediocre image stabilisation and poor handling, due to the front element rotating during focusing. Image quality was a bit underwhelming as well. The Mark II addresses all of these issues with a super-fast and near-silent Nano USM autofocus system, an upgraded four-stop stabiliser, and a completely revised optical path that features UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements. The lens works a treat on Canon’s APS-C format cameras, where the 1.6x crop factor gives it an effective zoom range of 112-480mm. Performance Autofocus is rapid and highly accurate, while the electronically coupled manual focus ring enables fine and precise adjustments. Image quality is impressive in all respects. Sharpness Apart from lacklustre edge-sharpness at 70mm, it’s impressive throughout. Centre sharpness…

£330/$398 The Micro Four Thirds system gives a real boost to bird photography, thanks to its 2x crop factor, or ‘focal length multiplier’. This Lumix G Vario lens is the baby of the test group, measuring just 62 x 90mm and tipping the scales at an unfeasibly light 210g – despite having a metal mounting plate. It delivers a 90-350mm effective zoom range in full-frame terms and comes with optical image stabilisation. A good choice for shooting movies as well as stills, the lens has a stepping motor autofocus system that’s quick yet enables smooth focus transitions. It also features a power zoom mechanism for similarly smooth zoom transitions. Performance The optical stabiliser is a bit of an under-achiever by the latest standards, giving a three-stop benefit in reducing camera-shake.…

£329/$449 Although 70-300mm zooms have been highly popular for decades, this category of lens has been strangely absent from Sigma’s line-up for a few years now. Tamron’s most recent offering is still going strong, with an appealing feature set and good build quality. Launched around a decade ago, this was the first Tamron lens to feature ring-type ultrasonic autofocus. It also has a four-stop optical stabiliser. Although designed for DSLRs, the lens works well on Canon EOS M and R-series mirrorless cameras, via the relevant mount adapter; but autofocus doesn’t really work with Nikon Z-mount bodies via an FTZ adapter. Performance Image quality is very good for such a budget-friendly telephoto zoom, but it’s not as sharp as the latest own-brand 70-300mm lenses. Sharpness Sharpness is good overall, but drops…