Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Digital Camera Magazine

This issue is Digital Camera’s 250th, and we couldn’t have reached it without the support of our loyal readers. To show our thanks, we’ve put together a special package of content – check out our 250 best-ever photo tips (p45), then make sure you enter our geartastic giveaway (p66), where £1,250 worth of prizes is up for grabs. Also this month, we present another superb selection of Photo Active projects (p10), while top techniques for terrific night shots await in Camera College (p70). Plus, we catch up with the irrepressible Art Wolfe (p134). Macro photography devotees will relish the winning entries from Close-Up Photographer of the Year, in Hotshots (p36), and we visit the Big Cat Sanctuary for an extended reader Shootout (p70). Kit Zone continues to bring you the…

HOW TO GET YOUR DIGITAL GIFTS STEP 1 ENTER THIS URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc250 Enter the URL above into the destination bar of your internet browser – we’re using Google Chrome, but other browsers work in a similar way. Please do not enter it in any search field or search bar (see the examples above). This will take you to a page on our website. STEP 2 START YOUR DOWNLOAD Just click the highlighted link Here you’ll find all the gifts and videos to accompany this issue of Digital Camera. Click on the link labelled Download the disc for Digital Camera 250 and your download will start, delivered from our own secure server. STEP 3 ACCESS YOUR FILES Open the .zip In your Downloads folder, or wherever you chose to download your…

Taking on a 365 project has become a popular photographic rite of passage. As a challenge, it’s simple but not easy: you have to shoot and edit a photo daily, without missing out a day for an entire year. You can get going at any time, but New Year’s Day is an obvious starting point – and 1 January 2021 was when I began mine. It took me a little while to find my feet, but I soon settled into a routine, using my smartphone so I could shoot whenever the opportunity arose. I’ve also had to find motivation when life got in the way, and I had to get that day’s image in the bag. But I have learned a huge amount about framing and editing, and feel confident…

1 Time and place If you’re planning to speed up or slow down motion, you need the appropriate subjects. Doing a long exposure of a snail, for instance, will take a very long time! For this technique, I needed a crowded spot at a busy time – and a heaving carriage on the London Underground was an absolutely perfect opportunity. 2 Find your spot Whether you’re shooting in the middle of a train platform or the middle of Times Square, finding the best vantage point is crucial. You want the viewer to feel at the centre of the action – but at the same time, you don’t want to be so much in the middle of a crowd that you cause disruption, or get crushed! 3 IBIS vs tripod This…

PRO ADVICE Canvass anyone who shoots landscapes for a living, and this is what they’re likely to say… 1 Plan your shoot Always check the weather ahead of travelling to your location – not just for when the conditions will be ideal, but for personal safety. 2 Stay free of faff From clean lenses to empty memory cards… make sure you’re ready to go on the day, so you don’t have to faff around in the field. 3 Dress smart Tweeds and deerstalker not required… we mean wearing layers of clothing you can add or remove to suit the weather conditions. 4 Be patient Shooting successful scenics can often be a long game – make sure you’re provisioned for more time in the field than you first envisaged. 5 Shoot…

PRO ADVICE Expert insight to help you take your best-ever astro shots, filled with beautiful starry skies 1 Focus in the dark Our favourite way to focus in the dark is to have a friend point a powerful torch at your foreground, so your AF can lock on easily. 2 Dark sky locations Have a look online for ‘dark sky’ locations close to you: they will give you the best astro opportunities, with low light pollution. 3 Turn the noise down Enable Long Exposure Noise Reduction for cleaner astro images – this will cause a delay between shots, so it’s unsuitable for star trails. 4 Sharp stars Aim for shutter speeds less than 20 seconds long if you want the stars to come out as pinpoints of light; boost the…

PRO ADVICE Add to your abstract chops with these pro-grade pointers 1 Produce an abstract series Embarking on a project will really give you the chance to explore your chosen subject, hone your skills and say more to your audience. 2 Research colour theory A basic understanding of colour theory concepts such as the colour wheel will allow you to group colours intentionally to convey meaning. 3 Look at the world differently Free your mind from depictions that denote the material world. Harness colours, textures, lines and shapes to convey mood and meaning. 4 Consciously break the rules Break the rules intentionally to say something to the viewer; break the rules unintentionally, and you won’t say anything at all. 5 Play with light and shadow Light and shadow – natural…

EDIT LIKE A PRO Master these methods to fine-tune your images with pinpoint precision 1 Non-destructive editing Tools like Adjustment Layers and Layer Masks allow you to make edits independently of one another, so you can always retrace your steps and undo decisions later on. 2 Make local adjustments Local adjustment tools like Lightroom’s Radial Filter and Graduated Filter can be used to apply selective edits by targeting a specific portion of an image. 3 Synchronise your edits To save time in Lightroom when you edit a group of shots from the same shoot, edit one image, then synchronise the edits across to the other pictures. 4 Use multiple programs Exploit your software’s strengths. For example: batch-edit in Lightroom, focus-stack in Helicon Focus and do advanced edits and creative work…

PRIZE 3 Treat yourself to some new kit, or put it towards your next big buy BUY THESE OUTRIGHT… OR PUT YOUR VOUCHER TOWARDS… WORTH £250 The world’s largest online platform for used photography and videography equipment, MPB is a destination for everyone, whether you’ve just discovered your passion for visual storytelling or you’re already a professional. Its unique platform means that MPB can offer the right price for every piece of kit based on make, model, condition and market, across a huge selection of camera bodies, lenses, filters and accessories. At MPB, there’s something for everyone who wants to try something new, hone their skills, or pursue their passion – and it won’t cost the earth. See above for a selection of products to consider spending your £250 voucher on.…

1 ‘Untited’ by Dan Smith “Ladybower Reservoir just before sunrise. This is a bracketed sequence shot on my Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 and merged in Lightroom.” Digital Camera says: Splendid tones all across, backed up by a strong rule-of-thirds composition. PICS WIN PRIZES! The standout image in our reader gallery wins a one-year (13 issues) subscription worth £53.50/$125.99. For details of our subscription offers, go to: www.bit.ly/dcsub21 2 ‘Strange but Beautiful’ by Priit Einbaum “Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, USA, taken while I was doing a loop walk around one of the canyons. I turned a corner, saw this incredible and beautiful scene and realised immediately that I had to photograph it. I only had time for a few frames because people were queuing up behind me.” Digital Camera says:…

1 Folders and Results Use the Folders view to see where the photos you’ve added to Excire are located, then click Add to bring in more shots. Click Results for a list of the searches you’ve done recently, so you can repeat the search. 2 Toolbar Change the image thumbnail size to see more or fewer photos at once. Use the toolbar underneath to favourite, tag or flag photos; filter photos taken on a chosen date; or sort the order in which photos are shown. 3 Find photos Excire Foto and Excire Search 2 offer four types of search: find by keyword; find by face type; find a specific person; and find photos of a similar style. Just click the relevant icon to get searching. 4 Collections & Groups Collections…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc250 Local adjustments have long been one of the best features in Adobe’s Camera Raw and Lightroom programs. But now things have moved up a gear with Select Sky and Select Subject, two hugely helpful new masking tools that sit alongside the existing Adjustment Brush and Radial and Graduated Filters. These new tools let you automatically target areas with a single click, so you can add drama to a blown-out sky, lift the tones in your subject and make powerful local enhancements. The improvements don’t end there. The brand-new Masking Panel changes the way local adjustments are organised and edited. The old system would…

Reader 1 Christine Holt Camera: Nikon D500 Location: Hertfordshire Having always been interested in photography, Christine took it up seriously when she retired, and joined a local camera club. A love of wildlife photography soon developed: Christine is now a member of two camera clubs as well as the Lea Valley Nature Photographers group and the Nature Group of the RPS. With an RSPB reserve local to her, plus the Lea Valley Park and a local wildlife park, photography is now a part Christine’s everyday life. Earlier this year, she achieved her LRPS and DPAGB. www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/16623 Reader 2 Garry Stratton Camera: Nikon D850 Location: Hampshire Garry’s passion for photography started around 12 years ago. He shoots landscapes and wildlife, but has also delved into motorsport photography in recent years. All…

Lexar Professional SD 1800x UHS-II cards Produced for stills and video shooters who want speedier workflows, these new cards offer speeds of up to 180MBps (write) and 270MBps (read) and are available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities. www.lexar.com; from £37/$TBC Smart Phone Smart Phone Editing book DC contributor Jo Bradford follows up her Smart Phone Smart Photography book with this new volume. Learn how to edit images using Snapseed on your iOS or Android device, with Jo’s expert insights and step-by-step guides. rylandpeters.com; £15 Samyang/Rokinon updates AF 50mm f/1.4 Version II is the smallest, lightest wide-aperture 50mm standard prime for Sony FE bodies, weighing just 420g. Its optical path comprises 11 elements in eight groups, a nine-bladed diaphragm and a customisable focus ring. www.samyanglens.com; £599/$749…

Stop vital accessories from disappearing into the corners of your camera bag – or worse still, getting damaged. From cable pouches to shoulder straps via capture card wallets and battery pouches, there’s a Tenba Tools solution for keeping all manner of kit safe. Aesthetically overhauled with a new herringbone fabric, the Tenba Tools range is available in both blue and black colourways. Choose between Cable Pouch 4 (from £16/$16), Reload SD 9 (£18/$18) and Reload SD6+CF6 (£25/$25) card wallets; Reload Universal Card Wallet (£18/$18); Reload Battery 2 (£14/$14); Tools Cable Duo 4 (£20/$20) and 8 (£35/$35); Tool Box 4, 6 and 8 (from £20/$20); and Memory Foam Shoulder Straps (from £18/$18). www.uk.tenba.com…

With a reverse-folding design, the Hydra 2 will be ideal for travelling photographers who require a compact footprint. Folding down to just 42.4cm, the Hydra 2 reaches a maximum height of 153cm when the centre column is extended. Its five leg sections secure via large metal twist locks that can be fastened even when you’ve got gloves on; and for stability on any terrain, Hydra 2’s rubber feet can be swapped for stainless-steel spikes. The Hydra 2 has a maximum weight capacity of 17kg and ships with a toolkit, drawstring bag and carrying case for storage. With a maximum height of 152.5cm and a folded length of just 38.5cm, the MeFoto Roadtrip Pro is optimised for on-the-move photographers. The ‘6 in 1’ designation describes its versatility: it can be used…

www.nikon.co.uk The Z 9 has arrived famously late to the pro mirrorless party. However, Nikon maintains that what some might see as tardiness enables this camera to really take advantage of the benefits that a mirrorless design is capable of. And indeed, the wait has been worth it: the Z 9 features some truly ferocious specifications – some of which blow away those of both the Sony Alpha 1 and the Canon EOS R3. However, both of these rivals have a notable head start on the Z 9 – in the case of the A1, almost a full year. We’ve been hands-on with the Z 9, and we’ve come away very impressed. However, we still need to put it through its paces in the field to see how it really…

www.canon.co.uk The sheer number of Canon RF-mount super-telephoto lenses puts Nikon to shame. The RF 100-400mm joins a powerful yet easily manageable pair of RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM primes, along with the more pro-spec Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 IS USM zoom lens. Canon also has a pair of heavy-duty RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM and RF 600mm f/4L IS USM on its books – at a time when the Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 S is the solitary Nikon Z-mount super-tele on the market. Despite its relatively small and light build for a super-telephoto zoom, the RF 100-400mm packs in a lot. Fast and virtually silent Nano USM autofocus is snappily rapid for stills, yet enables smooth focus transitions during movie capture. There’s a 5.5-stop…

www.interfitphotographic.com Taking its name from reputedly the world’s most fearless animal, Interfit’s Honey Badger head makes a bold entrance in yellow and black, and has a maximum power rating of 320Ws, not far off the Elinchrom kit. It’s a bit more noisy in operation, because the cooling fans run full-time. The kit on test is the dual-head option with softboxes and a wireless remote. This enables you to adjust flash head settings and trigger them from the hotshoe-mounting transmitter. The maximum range is around 90 metres. Performance At the bottom end of the range, flash output is more subtle than from the Elinchrom. Recycle speeds are similar for both competing heads. Controls 1 A built-in fan runs continuously to dissipate heat, and is clearly audible. 2 Like the D-Lite, the…

www.rotolight.com The fully pro-grade AEOS is much pricier than the budget LED panels on test, but is comparatively tough and rugged. It also has some clever tricks up its sleeve but, even so, the kit only includes the circular LED panel itself, a mains power supply, a heavyduty ball head and a filter pack. A V-mount li-ion battery costs £290/$300 (without charger) for up to four hours’ mains-free use. Good for stills, the AEOS really excels for video capture, with customisable fade up/down and a range of special effects. Performance Maximum output has a powerful rating of 5,750 lux, albeit at a shorter distance of 3ft (0.9m). Twice the output is available in flash mode. Controls 1 The two push-button/rotary dials and seven-segment display are not entirely intuitive until you…

10 things you can shoot this month, from fairground portraits and birds of prey to starting a 365 project Understanding weather conditions and knowing how to make use of the available forecasting data available through various apps and websites nowadays is crucial in landscape photography. I consider this research and planning to be one third of the entire process in making an image. Some scenes do not coincide with special conditions very often; a snowcovered vista during a fire sky in the morning is a good example. Colourful skies usually occur when there is a good percentage of cloud at high levels (over 70%) as the sun rises or sets. There also needs to be far fewer medium- and low-level clouds (less than 30% in those areas). Clearoutside is a…

TOP TIP Try rotating by 90 degrees This image was originally flipped vertically and flattened, but is more interesting viewed at 90 degrees. It makes the viewer pause for a moment to work out what it is, in the style of Rorschach test cards. One excellent way of producing extra artwork from your photos is to find an image that you think would look good reflected, horizontally or vertically, to produce something surreal, like out of the movie Inception. An image with lines, either within the image itself, or going off to the side of the frame, can produce eye-catching results; the effect will work better when set against a clear background. This project can be done quickly in Photoshop; have a go, and you might be surprised how eye-catching…

Like so many others, I only took up photography at the beginning of 2020, when we were all stuck in our homes. Out of necessity, most of my subjects in the past year have been in my East Sussex garden or the surrounding countryside. This has meant I have naturally gravitated towards nature, wildlife and macro photography. While macro photography is an area that provides a very steep learning curve at first, there is also plenty of opportunity for improvement and 1 Use the conditions Here I wanted to take full advantage of the beautiful water drops and colours following a brief rain shower. The sun came out and was very bright, meaning I could use a narrow aperture and try to get as much of the flower in focus…

i Winner, Young category ‘Rat in Tyre Hub’ Ezra Boulton, UK 16-year old Ezra took won this category for his photo of a rat peering out of an abandoned car wheel near to where he lives, which he had spotted the day before. “It was framed so pleasingly by the concentric circles of the tyre that I came back with my camera in the hope of capturing the moment,” he explains. i Winner, Animals ‘Dancing In The Dark’ Juan Ahumada, Spain Juan’s shot of a daddy-long-legs swayed the judges in this category. “This opilione moves along a dry branch in a small hollow, created by a landslip on the hillside of Sierra Blanca, Andalusia,” says Juan. “These creatures are blind and use their front legs to guide themselves in the…

SHOOT LIKE A PRO Top tips to help you take better photos of wildlife in the field 1 Invest in good glass Wildlife photography is an area where you’ll see a huge improvement when using decent optics, so splash out on the best glass you can buy. 2 Hire a lens If you can’t stretch to premium glass yet, or you’re not convinced it’s worth the investment, it might be worth hiring a lens for a weekend, and see the results for yourself. 3 Keep practising A local duck pond is the perfect practice ground to finesse your autofocusing skills on fast-moving airborne targets. 4 Do your research Use search engines to find wildlife hides and deer parks close to you. There are all sorts of worthwhile options aside from…

SHOOT LIKE A PRO Five ways to take your portraits from good to great, through lighting, framing and more 1 Help your subject Your model can’t see what you can see: help them to understand the frame and how it looks with helpful communication. 2 Focus your light Our eyes are typically drawn to bright areas in photos, so use your lighting to focus the viewer’s attention. 3 Get close Being physically closer to your model allows you to better connect with the person you are photographing. 4 Fill your frame Unless it’s an environmental portrait, use the entire frame to show your subject. They should always be the main focus. 5 Your position Your position as the photographer is paramount; your position allows you to decide what kind of…

SHOOT LIKE A PRO Expert insight to help you take better nature shots when you’re out shooting with your camera 1 Capture changing seasons Nature presents photographic opportunities all year round, so be aware of the different chances available through the changing seasons, and plan ahead so you don’t miss an opportunity. 2 Close-up filters Close-up filters screw into the front filter thread of a standard lens, allowing it to focus closer: they’re are an affordable way to go macro. 3 Turn stabilisation off When shooting on a tripod, turn off any image stabilisation for the sharpest shots. 4 Overcast lighting You don’t need perfect clear skies to take great nature shots: you can still take terrific images on overcast days with diffused sunlight. 5 Cheap backgrounds When you shoot…

If you’re shooting in a particularly dark area using a small aperture and a low ISO, the exposure may last for multiple seconds, or even minutes. Doing test shots to work out the optimum exposure to use can be a frustrating experience if you have to wait such a long time to check each shot, but there is a solution: set a higher ISO for the test shots so that you can use shorter exposure times. You can then work backwards to calculate the length of exposure for your optimum ISO setting. Each time the ISO is halved (one stop less light), the shutter speed can be doubled (one stop more light) to maintain the same overall exposure. To use a simple example, if a shutter speed of 30 seconds…

Shooting in raw gives you the opportunity to alter the White Balance setting in editing software, which can be a real benefit when you’re faced with a subject that’s lit by a range of different lights at night. As well as using presets to remove colour casts, you can use the tools available in raw software to enhance the mood, such as shifting the white balance towards blue to cool things down or towards magenta to get add a ‘tech noir’ feel. You can also use the Eyedropper Tool to pick out a neutral area to base the white balance on – such as a grey pavement – if you want to remove a colour cast from a scene. When you click on an area, the software adds the opposite…

One of the biggest changes from the era of film photography to today is that we all take so many more photos than we used to. But this freedom is a double-sided coin, and the flipside is that it can be really difficult to find a particular image in your collection. Excire is purpose-built to address that problem. As you add photos you’ve taken to its interface, it uses artificial intelligence to analyse each shot, then creates searchable keywords based on its contents – it can recognise even the smallest details. It also looks for techniques you might have used when you took the shot, like bokeh or high contrast, and adds keywords for those, too. Now you can search for images using any combination of these keywords, with results…

The manufacturer’s first-ever f/1.4 lens bridges the gap between its ultra-compact line of f/1.8 Premium primes and the ultra-fast line of f/1.2 Pro glass. Considerably smaller and lighter than the 17mm f/1.2 and 25mm f/1.2 Pro lenses, at 64 x 62mm and 247g, the 20mm f/1.4 sits comfortably between the existing 17mm (35mm equivalent) and 25mm (50mm) options in the M.Zuiko lineup. Optical configuration features 11 high-quality elements in 10 groups, including 1 Super ED (extra-low dispersion) lens, three ED lenses, two Super HR (high refractive) lenses and two aspherical lenses. Nine blades will deliver a circular diaphragm, and a closest focusing distance of 0.25m will make it a great all-purpose optic for travel, street photography, landscapes and everyday shooting. www.olympus.co.uk; £649/$799…

Joining the Lumix S 85mm f/1.8, Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 and Lumix S 24mm f/1.8, the new Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 is designed for stills and video, but attention has been paid to the needs of gimbal users, who don’t want to have to rebalance their gimbal every time they switch lenses. The S 35mm f/1.8’s optical construction comprises 11 elements in nine groups, with three aspherical lenses and three ED (extra-low dispersion) lenses; “beautiful bokeh” is one of the design aims. Weighing just 295g, the new optic is dust- and splash-resistant, and has a 67mm filter thread. www.panasonic.com; £579/$699…

Elements includes five filters: a CPL (circular polariser), two variable ND filters, the six-stop Little Stopper ND, and the iconic Big Stopper ND, which provides 10 stops of light reduction. While square filters require a holder to be placed in front of the lens, circular types can be screwed directly on to the lens; with standard diameter threads of 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm, these new filters will fit a decent number of optics. All Elements models utilise a black anodised aluminium frame and feature stackable housings, so they can also be combined. www.leefilters.com; from £162/$160…

www.gopro.com “The enhancements to the user experience can’t be overstated” GoPro is the action cam industry leader, and the Hero10 Black is GoPro’s new flagship. It brings back a familiar design and the same sensor introduced on the GoPro Hero9 Black, but this update offers a new processor. That may not sound like a big deal, but the new GP2 makes a lot of difference. The Hero10 Black can capture 5.3K footage at up to 60 frames per second, or 4K footage at 120fps – frame rates far out of reach of regular mirrorless cameras right now. It also boosts Horizon Leveling to 45 degrees, supports both wired and wireless transfer to your Android or iOS device, and captures better low-light photos and videos, according to GoPro. Perhaps the most…

For a home studio setup, or if you’re shooting indoors on location, there’s no beating the power and versatility of a conventional mains-powered flash kit. Prime options include the likes of the Elinchrom D-Lite and Interfit Honey Badger twin-head kits, which are fairly compact and easy to carry around, yet simple to set up and use. The only real problem is if you want the versatility of being able to shoot outdoors, using a flash head to supplement natural daylight. Mains-powered kits won’t be much use if there’s nowhere to plug them in. With that in mind, there’s a growing range of battery-powered flash heads, which are vastly more powerful than flashguns. When supplementing the sun or even overpowering it to turn day into night, you’re only likely to need…

www.elinchrom.com Historically, Elinchrom stuck with variable-voltage flash in its battery-powered heads for optimum performance – but three variants of each head were required, for standard, high-speed sync and ultra-short-duration flash. The ELB 500 employs IGBT (insulated-gate bipolar transistor) technology, as used in the other battery-powered kits on test, enabling all three options from a single head. The Elinchrom has a separate flash head and power pack. The latter includes the control panel: this enables the flash head to be small and light, while still packing a punch. Performance Maximum power output in standard flash mode is the strongest of any battery-powered kit on test. Controls 1 The ELB 500 TTL uses IGBT flash tech, like rival units. 2 Unlike every other flash kit on test, the ELB 500’s controls are…

www.gvmled.com The GVM (Great Video Maker) 800D is budget-priced, but rich in features. 168 white and yellow LEDs deliver a colour temperature range of 3,200-5,600 Kelvin, with an impressive Colour Rendering Index of >97; it also boasts 84 RGB LEDs. These enable a wide spectrum of coloured light with adjustable hue and saturation. Master and slave modes are also available for multiple panels and eight built-in special effects include TV, candle and emergency vehicle. Performance The bi-colour LED count of 168 is a lot lower than the 660 of the competing Neewer. Sure enough, the maximum output level is relatively disappointing, equating to just f/2.8 and shrinking to f/2.2 when using the diffusion panel. Controls 1 The brightness knob and multi-function push-button/knob (right) provide virtually stepless adjustment. 2 Push-buttons are…

For plentiful power with easy control and superb quality, the Elinchrom D-Lite RX 4/4 To Go Set twin-head kit wins out. It’s also great value. The only limiting factor is its reliance on mains power. For battery-powered flash, Elinchrom wins out again with its ELB 500 TTL To Go Set. The Profoto B10 Plus is eminently portable and works brilliantly, but it’s comparatively pricey, especially once you add in Profoto’s optional RF trigger and Off Camera Flash accessories. As a budget buy, the twin-head Interfit Honey Badger Unleashed kit delivers impressive performance at a very affordable price. For lower-power, constant lighting, the Neewer 660S and GVM 800D LED panels are both outstanding value. The Neewer is comparatively powerful, whereas the GVM has a much lower maximum output but adds a…

The digital advantage Digital magazines can travel with you – even if you delete them, they’re free to download again later. Subscribe today by visiting: www.magazinesdirect.com/categories/photography-and-design Available on the following: Apple iOS devices Get the free Digital Camera app for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch at: www.bit.ly/app_DCM (UK) or www.bit.ly/app_DCW (outside UK) Then browse through our back issues or buy a subscription (see page 34 for offers) using the app. Android, PC or Mac Zinio www.bit.ly/DCW_Zinio Pocket Mags www.pocketmags.com Other options Digital Camera is available for Kobo, Kindle, Nook and more (see above). It can also be found on the all-youcan read Readly magazine app: https://gb.readly.com/ Printed back issues Prefer print? We also sell a limited selection of recent back issues – issues 249-244 are currently available. Each issue…

9 ALL -NEW TIPS CARDS This issue, get wallet-sized advice on winter landscapes, bird of prey and macro flowers, plus six more topics. If your copy doesn’t include printed cards, see the Gifts folder of this issue’s download for print-your-own versions. Retro Actions Kit for Photoshop CC Located in the Gifts folder, these 18 Actions for Photoshop CC will give your images new looks inspired by the past! See page 90 for Jon Adams’ guide to installing and using these versatile one-click tools. Buyer’s Guide ebook Over 270 pages of camera and lens reviews, plus buying advice for accessories! See the Gifts folder in your download. 10 lookup tables for Affinity Photo Introduce a variety of colour treatments with these powerful editing tools. See page 78 for James Paterson’s guide…

My love for both photography and videography is huge: they are the driving force behind most of my daily life. To be able to capture a moment or tell a story is the greatest opportunity to be creatively expressive, and the perfect way to develop my skills. Video is my main source of income, while photo is more of a ‘hobby’ within my business. More and more now, though, people are being asked by clients to shoot both video and stills photography simultaneously – so if you’re a stills photographer, you might want to have a play with some video settings on your camera this winter. I like to get creative with my photos, and I love shooting portraits. Seeing ideas come to life as well as seeing the other…

TIP CARD Use your tips card Get more still-life advice with this issue’s cards (print your own with our download). www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc250 Food is a wonderful subject to photograph. It doesn’t move; you can spend ages arranging and rearranging it exactly how you want in the frame; and it tastes delicious after you have finished photographing it! For this festive food photo shoot, I created a Christmas tree design from mince pies. I didn’t have time (or the skills!) to bake my own batch so I have to confess that they are shop-bought. If you’re a keen baker, however, definitely use this to your advantage and make your image really stand out. I shot using only natural light. Natural soft diffused light is great to work with, as it falls evenly…

Happy birthday to us – Digital Camera is 250 issues young! Since 2002 we have been helping photographers of all skill levels to improve their images and get the most from their passion. Now you can celebrate our latest landmark with a compelling compilation of 250 carefully curated photo techniques, tips and inspiring insights from our team and wider afield. Covering 10 areas of photography we know our readers love, and with 25 tips per subject, there’ll be some essential information for everyone, no matter what your photography skill level. From practical pointers on successful compositions to getting the best results from your camera when out in the field, plus genre-specific photo kit recommendations and some hard-learned tips from pros at the top of their game, the next 20 pages…

SHOOT LIKE A PRO Top-notch tips that will enhance your action-packed portfolio 1 Get it right in-camera Continuously adjust exposure settings as light conditions change, so you’re always ready. 2 Back-button focus Dedicate a back button to focusing to switch seamlessly between AF-C and AF-S, and AF and manual focus. This will prevent hunting, too. 3 Find a new perspective Seek out interesting angles, like a top-down view of a pirouetting ballerina or a low-angle shot of a diving keeper from behind the goal. 4 Freeze the decisive moment A last-minute winning goal or first-place finishline celebration are more compelling than a consolation goal or midpack athlete’s finish. 5 Know your subject Research your subject, and you’ll begin to anticipate movements. Best kit advice These tools will help you keep…

PRO ADVICE Expert insight to help you take better close-ups of nature 1 Use a tripod For torpid and less skittish subjects, it’s worth using a tripod to eliminate camera shake, which is more easily visible at high magnifications. 2 Boost the ISO Use a shutter speed of 1/200 sec or faster for sharp shots – you may need to boost your ISO a little to be able to achieve this. 3 Hand-holding When a tripod isn’t viable, use any image stabilisation you have. Brace yourself against a wall if possible to steady yourself further. 4 Front-on Get into a position where you can see your subject’s head: this will increase eye contact and make for a more engaging shot. 5 Continuous AF Use your continuous AF mode and place…

SHOOT LIKE A PRO Five ways to learn from the best in the business 1 Be patient A key skill to street photography is spotting a shot before it happens. Don’t be disappointed if you come home with nothing: it happens. 2 Shoot for mono Street and documentary photography lends itself extremely well to a black-and-white style. Learn to see without colour, and shoot it. 3 Tell a story Once you’ve nailed your technique down, it’s time to bring narrative into your shots. It’s not always possible, but where you can, do it. 4 Don’t overthink it Street photography is highly enjoyable, but you must free yourself from conventions. Shoot fast and worry less. 5 Travel light Street photography is about spontaneity. Use a small lens with a wide aperture…

On some cameras, Long Exposure Noise Reduction tackles the type of image noise that’s generated by the heat of a long exposure – including annoying ‘stuck’ pixels that show up as bright pinpricks of light in the same place in each shot. Activating it means that the camera essentially creates two exposures – one of which is made with the shutter closed so that the camera can map where the noise is, then remove it.…

With over a decade’s experience as a writer and photographer, James is also an accomplished image editor – and an expert in Affinity Photo. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc250 Affinity Photo offers an array of powerful tonal tools – and amongst the most helpful are lookup tables. An LUT is a kind of preset that lets you save and apply different colour effects with the minimum of effort. You can use the default LUTs in Affinity Photo or download from numerous sites, many of which are free. You’ll also find 10 exclusive free LUTs in the Gifts folder of this issue’s download: just import them into Affinity Photo and try them out on your own photos. As well as using LUTs made by others, you can create your own with ease.…

Jon is a professional photographer and writer. He also provides one-to-one and smallgroup tuition in both digital SLR and Photoshop image-editing skills. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc250 18 FREE RETRO CHIC ACTIONS digitalcameraworld.com/dc250 Actions are custom scripts or mini-programs that automatically stack a bunch of image-adjustments or filter commands together, and execute them in lightning-fast time. This means the kinds of stylised treatments and imaging effects that could take ages to create and fine-tune manually can be conjured up with one mouse click. Actions have several advantages for the times when you want to give a photo a new look, or take it in a new creative direction. The benefit of having a complete set that’s ready-made is not only the joy of applying a broad variety of different effects really…

James is a professional photographer who specialises in landscape and portraits. He’s an advanced Photoshop user and has created hundreds of tutorials. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc250 The ability to change the colour of elements within images, and to control saturation locally rather than globally, are among the most interesting and useful aspects of image-editing. Photoshop makes this incredibly easy to do. While this kind of manipulation may not immediately appear to be in the spirit of realism, there are times where changing colours is necessary to create contrast or simply to change the overall mood or meaning of the image. In the four techniques we’ll cover here, we’ll take a look at how you can quickly and easily select specific colours and change them for another, as well as how…

Why do I need to worry about space in an image? The area around your main subject is very important. Whether it’s ‘active’ or ‘dead’, it will help give your composition balance and context. Which is which? Active space is the area into which the viewer’s eye is led. This could be because your subject is moving into it, or simply facing towards it. Dead space is the area behind your subject where there is nothing happening or likely to happen. Instinctively, we are more interested in active space than dead space. Does an active space have to be a large area? No, but it would normally be larger than any dead space within the frame. For example, if you shoot a tight portrait with the eyes glancing to the…

Don’t lug around more kit and caboodle than you really need, says Vanguard: not when you can maximise the performance of your trusty tripod with some clever accessories. The Tripod Support EcoSystem launches with tripod support arms, for attaching items like an external video monitor; a tablet connector, which fits onto a tripod support arm; and coldshoe mounts, for adding a range of accessories to your camera’s flash hotshoe. The coldshoe mounts come in ‘basic’ and ‘versatile’ versions, for attaching single or multiple accessories to the hotshoe. www.vanguardworld.co.uk; from £39/$TBC…

New 64GB version for Insta360 Go This all-in-one wearable body camera, action camera and vlogging camera has been given a memory bump. The Go 2 has a 64GB capacity for shooting longer 3K video, more 9MP photos and extra 1080p 120fps slow-motion footage. www.insta360.com; £294/$299 Rode AI-Micro dual-input audio interface The AI-Micro routes audio from TRS or TRRS feeds, including camera mics, into your computer for recording and editing. This ultra-slim solution plugs into your phone or computer via a “universal” USB output. en.rode.com; £69/$79 Anthropics Technology releases PortraitPro 22 This portrait enhancing software’s new features include neck and shoulder slimming, hairline correction and neck wrinkle removal. It’s available for either macOS or Windows in Standard, Studio and Studio Max editions. www.anthropics.com; from £39/$54…

This rebooted range comes in sizes that will better accommodate the latest camera hardware, says Tenba, while new fabric technology with coatings delivers the highest water resistance yet. Three models will suit different users: the DNA 9 Slim (fits a mirrorless, rangefinder or compact DSLR with up to three lenses); the DNA 13 DSLR (takes a mirrorless or DSLR with up to five lenses); and the DNA 16 DSLR (a pro-size mirrorless or DSLR with grip and up to six lenses). All Messenger 2.0 bags sport new two-tone blue or all-black colourways with a superior matte finish, and have a new removable padded camera insert. www.uk.tenba.com; from £110/$135…

www.fujifilm.co.uk We ran a hands-on preview of this new medium-format camera in issue 248; it’s now spent some time in our labs, where our expert team have run a battery of tests. Fujifilm already had a couple of relatively affordable medium-format cameras in the GFX 50S and GFX 50R, but after the success of its 102MP cameras, it’s no surprise that the company decided to upgrade its 50MP models. Enter the Fujifilm GFX 50S II. At launch, it’s cheaper than the original GFX 50S, carrying a price tag that’s comparable with some of the newer high-resolution full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market right now. The 50S II is the first GFX model to boast in-body image stabilisation of 6.5 stops of correction for camera shake – half a stop more…

www.interfitphotographic.com Slightly larger and nearly a kilogramme heavier than the mains-powered Honey Badger, the ‘Unleashed’ edition runs on a rechargeable battery. Indeed, you can’t run it from the mains, so you might need to add a spare battery or two, at £65/$66 each. Our test option of the kit includes two heads, batteries and mains chargers, two 60cm pop-up softboxes and a sturdy backpack. The optional Interfit HSS TTL remote trigger is similarly great value at £80/$110. Performance Although the 250Ws head gives less output than the 500Ws heads on test, this is the only battery-powered kit in the group that features two flash heads rather than one, making it excellent value at the price. Controls 1 The control panel is a little more straightforward than in the mains edition.…

www.neewer.com This is the entry-level model in a wide range of Neewer 660 LED panels, but it’s still based on an array of 330 white and 330 yellow LEDs, enabling a colour temperature range of 3,200-5,600 Kelvin and a CRI rating of >95. The kit includes a set of barndoors, an adjustable U-mount bracket, a mains power supply and a clip-in white diffusion panel. The panel can also run off a pair of NP-F970 type rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, widely available as a separate purchase. Performance When using both banks of white and yellow LEDs, the stepless power knob kicks in at f/2.8. Top-end output equates to f/5.6, making the Neewer the most powerful LED panel here. Controls 1 The control panel features stepless potentiometers for setting the output level and…