Innehållsförteckning för No. 506 från Photography Week

Welcome to the world’s No.1 weekly digital photography magazine. If you’re already a reader, thanks for your continued support and involvement; if you’re new to Photography Week, you’ve come to the right place! In addition to expert advice, brilliant tips and step-by-step tutorials, every issue features interactive galleries of brilliant photos, how-to videos on essential shooting and editing techniques, and in-depth reviews of the latest camera kit. But that’s not the whole story. Photography Week is more than a magazine – it’s a community of like-minded people who are passionate about photography. To get involved, just follow any of the links below and share your shots and comments. JOIN THE PHOTOGRAPHY WEEK COMMUNITY AND START SHARING! FACEBOOK http://bit.ly/39py9lg TWITTER http://bit.ly/2vGadLP FLICKR http://bit.ly/2VIgsJO We’re more than just a magazine – read…

In many ways, it’s wide-angle lenses that have seen the most diversification in the industry over the past few decades. The introduction of digital photography pushed the boundaries of optical technology out of necessity, and the first widely-available digital models featured sensor chips smaller than full-frame, meaning that existing film-era wide-angle lenses no longer provided a truly wide field of view. New designs had to be introduced that compensated for the crop factor of APS-C and smaller sensor types. These digital-only lenses couldn’t be fitted to film cameras or full-frame DSLRs however, producing two streams of optic which could not be easily crossed over. Today, with the emergence of mirrorless cameras, things have become even more complex, with new lens mounts aplenty. In addition to this, optical technologies have become…

The term ‘standard lens’ has become vague in recent years, possibly due to misuse by retailers and in marketing material. From a technical perspective, a standard optic is one which offers a similar field of view to the human eye. In full-frame terms, this would be around the 50mm range approximately, so the actual figure can be adjusted for crop factors. However, the term is sometimes confused with ‘kit’ lens – a model commonly bundled with a camera as a first optic to use out of the box. The range of such kit lenses does overlap with the standard focal lengths, with focal lengths of around 18-55mm, 17-85mm or 24-70mm common. For this guide therefore, we can group lenses spanning the focal range of 45mm to 85mm in the standard…

Long telephoto primes are a signature of professional photography. The 500mm and 600mm models seen at major sporting events represent the pinnacle of precision optical engineering, and often showcase the best of a manufacturer’s expertise. These lenses are packed full of mechanical and electrical features, and it can be a challenge to understand exactly what they all do. Generally, these optics are used in fast-paced shooting scenarios, such as for sports or erratic wildlife subjects. Therefore much of the spec is geared towards speeding up the photographer’s workflow, to make adjusting focus and exposure intuitive and rapid. Key features to expect start with internal focusing. Unlike many budget zooms, such as the common 70-300mm, the focus mechanism in pro telephoto primes is all contained within the lens barrel. This means…

While variable aperture on zoom lenses is more commonly recognised, the maximum aperture can also vary on macro lenses, at different focus distances. At the closest working positions the maximum f/stop may be up to a stop slower than the brightest value indicated on the lens. Although shooting wide open won’t be common in macro photography, this change can result in unexpected exposure shifts, so check the detailed specs to know if you should anticipate this.…

1 POSITION THE FLASHGUN A flashgun placed outside the window lets us mimic the effect of sunlight. We used a Yongnuo flash here, fitted with a radio receiver so that we can fire it remotely. Keep the height of the flash low, and play with the positioning to see how it affects the shafts of light. 2 ADD CTO GEL TO THE FLASH A CTO (Colour temperature Orange) gel will warm the light emitted by the flash, giving it the feel of low-angle direct sunshine. We taped the gel to the front of the flashgun with masking tape. You can double up the gel if you want stronger tones. 3 SET WHITE BALANCE TO SHADE A Shade white balance setting will warm up the tones in the scene, giving it…

https://theta360.com £899/$797 When the Ricoh Theta first hit the shelves back in 2013 it was the very first 360-degree consumer camera. Since then, the likes of Insta360 and even GoPro have got involved in the spherical format. So can Ricoh reach the high standards of its rivals with the latest iteration of the Theta 360? Absolutely. The Theta X does something that no other 360-degree camera achieves by offering 11K stills resolution. If there’s something that 360-degree cameras have lacked in the last decade, it’s resolution, with spherical images failing to impress when judged purely on detail. The Theta X attempts to go one better by shooting 5.7K 30fps 360-degree video with image stabilisation. It does that using its twin fisheye lens, whose separate images are stitched together in real…

Canon has unveiled the EOS R7 and EOS R10, the first APS-C cameras in its mirrorless EOS R series. The new cameras are designed to be affordable all-rounders, with the R7 becoming Canon’s new flagship APS-C model, while the R10 is aimed at beginners, and amateurs looking to move to mirrorless. The EOS R7 features headline-grabbing specs including a 32.5MP sensor and 30fps burst shooting, and is Canon’s first APS-C camera to feature in-body image stabilisation, which is good for up to eight stops of compensation, depending on the lens you’re using. It also features Canon’s cutting-edge Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system, as seen in the EOS R5, EOS R6 and the professional EOS R3, complete with people, animal and vehicle subject recognition. The EOS R7 is actually faster…

The conventional way of producing optical lenses is to grind a piece of glass into a convex or concave shape, which forms part of a sphere. This creates quality issues, however, as not all light is focused tightly. Aspherical lenses, as the name suggests, feature an edge that defies this spherical shape. These are more complex and expensive to produce, but resolve images with greater edge detail and fewer aberrations. Look for lenses with ‘Asph’ or similar in the specification.…

The blade count is one of those lens specifications that’s heavily touted, but the real-world importance of which is sometimes unclear. The number of blades an aperture diaphragm has influences the style of the out-of-focus areas in a shot. A nine-bladed type produces noticeably rounder, creamier bokeh than a six- or seven-bladed unit, with the difference being especially visible in portrait images. The optical corrections for bokeh aberrations also vary in effectiveness between optics. Let’s look at some of the key bokeh characteristics to keep an eye out for.…

While some wildlife subjects are unpredictable, other telephoto subjects, such as sports games, are just the inverse – it’s possible to know exactly where and when a subject will be at a specific moment. You need to know the sport well in order to be able to predict subject movement in this way, but to speed up focusing, pro lenses allow user-programmable focus presets. Using dedicated controls, the lens can instantly rack to the correct distance, a base or centre line for example, preventing AF hunting. While exact procedures differ between models, usually a preset can be saved by pressing a button or series of buttons in sequence on the lens barrel with the lens correctly focused at the desired distance.…

At the extreme end of the lens specialist scale, you might expect that choice is far more limited, and that there’s little room for variability in performance. However, with specific skills come specific requirements, and inevitably products of any type will be measured against both each other and an expected standard. Photography products don’t get much more specialised than some of the lenses on these pages. And while it’s certainly true that experimentation in the use of photo gear can yield unique results, fisheye and tilt/shift optics will rarely find themselves on the shopping list of everyday and amateur photographers. These are highly targeted items, designed for use by professionals working in niche areas of the industry. As such, many newcomers to these markets may be uncertain as to what…

All About Photo, the online and print photography magazine, has announced the winners of its 2022 The Mind’s Eye Awards, showcasing the work of professionals and amateurs from around the world. First place was awarded to Marcus Yam from the USA for his haunting image of an Afghan soldier looking out of the window of a helicopter. All About Photo hosts photography competitions throughout the year, and The Mind’s Eye is its most prestigious event, attracting thousands of entries. The panel of seven judges selected a total of 41 winning photographers from 21 countries. The winners share $10,000 in prize money, and will see their images published in a special edition of the print magazine. Click the link to see all the winning and commended images at All About Photo.com,…

We need to keep everything dark except the parts lit up by the flash. Set Manual mode and try these settings: shutter speed 1/250 sec, aperture f/8, ISO100. This underexposes the ambient lighting, as you can see here where the flash didn’t fire. With the flash turned on and at full power, the smoke will be lit up from behind and the light will catch the edge of the subject, creating the atmospheric backlighting and dark setting that we need for the rays of light to show up clearly.…

Fog machines and smoke machines aren’t only useful for adding atmosphere to interiors – we can also take them outdoors to create misty landscapes on a clear day. Portable fog machines can be expensive, so we used a power inverter attached to a car battery to enable us to plug in our mains-powered fog machine and use it on location in the woods. The fog that a machine like this produces is very light, and it dissipates quite quickly, so it won’t be able to stand a hint of wind, so it’s best to try this technique on a still windless day, or in a sheltered location. You’ll need to find an angle where the fog is backlit by the sun while it’s low in the sky at either dusk…

N-PHOTO N-Photo is a monthly magazine for Nikon photographers, and is packed with technique and Photoshop video lessons every month. http://bit.ly/3atHLfO https://apple.co/2TNE26T PHOTOPLUS PhotoPlus is a monthly magazine for Canon photographers that features expert advice, tips and video tutorials on all things Canon. http://bit.ly/30FoOlQ https://apple.co/2vaIdzw DIGITAL CAMERA WORLD A monthly magazine that aims to improve your photography with an inspirational mix of amazing images and how-to articles. http://bit.ly/2RER7g6 https://apple.co/2RBrZqG DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER The monthly kitbag essential for enthusiast and pro photographers, packed with tutorials, exclusive interviews and the latest reviews. https://bit.ly/3lH4ucX https://apple.co/2SJf6ff…

Lenses form the backbone of any camera system. Looking back through the history of photography, with some notable exceptions, it’s often the lens mount which becomes legendary rather than individual camera models. The technology and the cross-compatibility of a lens system outlives the specific cameras on which they may have briefly been paired. The availability of lens options is commonly a central aspect driving the decision to invest in a camera model, as the variety, competence and versatility of optics will dictate the buyer’s success for many years. With such engineering precision comes a multitude of confusing terms and intimidating choices. Even as an experienced professional photographer, it’s possible to fall out of step with the current offerings from the lens manufacturers. New features, hidden functionality and a plethora of…

APS-C and full-frame-specific lenses are nothing new, but the introduction of new mounts, in addition to super-zoom and ultra-wide lenses, in the latter category have complicated matters. At one time, it was possible to identify compatibility based on focal length (you’d never have found a 10x full-frame zoom), but lenses such as the latest mirrorless 24-240mm models have changed this. Always check the detailed specs of a lens to ensure that the image circle is large enough for your sensor. All Canon RF lenses have full-frame compatibility but there are some DX type Nikkor Z optics. APS-C Sony lenses are indicated by an ‘E’ prefix.…

While many lens buying decisions come down to personal preference, there are some optics that fill an otherwise unmatchable gap in the market. Macro lenses are one such example. While there are general-purpose lenses that are bestowed with a macro ‘mode’ – something common on many telephoto zooms, such as a 70-300mm or 18-200mm – these models don’t provide true macro imaging capability. An image is a true macro shot if it features a subject magnified at life-size, designated as a 1:1 magnification ratio. This means that 1cm of the subject would occupy 1cm of the sensor area, enabling frame-filling compositions. Macro modes on non-dedicated lenses rarely offer anything above half life-size, denoted by a 1:2 ratio in the lens specifications. This is fine for larger objects, such as flowers…

DIAGONAL The image these lenses generate provides a 180-degree field of view only when measured between two corners, hence the name. They produce less distortion than other variants, and can imitate an ultra-wide lens when used with care. FISHEYE ZOOMS If you don’t want to invest in either of the above, why not get both in one lens? In recent years, DSLR systems have seen fisheye zoom types, which are circular at the wide end (for example 8mm) and diagonal at the longest setting (15mm). CIRCULAR A far more specialised optic, the circular fisheye creates a spherical-like image in the centre of a black frame. While not as generally practical, these models offer a 180-degree field of view on all axes, producing a highly unique look. ADAPTERS A less expensive…

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1 DAY There’s something magical about rays of light. They create a wonderful sense of atmosphere, whether witnessed on a misty morning walk as the sun breaks through gaps in the trees, or inside a dusty room pierced by shafts of light from the window. We can make use of this atmosphere to enliven our portraits with the technique outlined here. Although we think of them as ‘light rays’, it’s not really possible to photograph a ray of light – what we’re actually seeing is the light illuminating very minute particles in the air. So the key to creating the rays is to fill the air with particles, whether it be steam, mist, dust or smoke – for this tutorial we’ve made use of an inexpensive smoke machine. The other…

1 WAIT FOR HAZE Initially, the smoke produced by an inexpensive machine like this can be too swirly and active – but we don’t want it to look like the room is on fire, we just want to create particles in the air. We waited a few minutes for the smoke to settle and hang more delicately in the air. 2 DARKEN THE ROOM The rays of light will only show if we’re able to create contrast between them and the rest of the scene. As they’re bright, we can create the contrast by making the backdrop behind as dark as we can. Block any other windows, and turn off overhead lights so the ambient light is at a minimum. 3 CHOOSE AN ANGLE The angle for lighting is vital. We need to…

Search for ‘Nasa images’ and you’ll find a huge array of photos of stars, nebulae, galaxies, planets, astronauts and more. Many of these images are high-res, and they’re all free to download – and you can make use of these incredible images to create a composite that’s truly stellar. For this video tutorial we’ve made use of the following images: PIA13005 (Orion Dream Stars), PIA08653 (Sword of Orion), S89-51923 (space helmet) PIA19821 (Nustar), and PIA03606 (Crab Nebula), combining the images using Photoshops tools such as layer masks and blending modes. We’ve supplied an image of our ‘astronaut’ for you to download, but why not use one of your own portraits? We’ve also supplied a file with glowing wavy lines, which you can add to your image too if you like.…