Innehållsförteckning för No. 596 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…

When deciding which system to settle on, the variety of lens mount types and formats can be overwhelming. However, while having cameras with different-sized sensors can be problematic, it can also be advantageous. Buying a full-frame lens for your APS-C or Micro 4/3 camera will mean the image circle is considerably larger than the sensor area. This effectively eliminates the frame edges – where any lens, even a pro model, performs at its weakest, and as a result vignetting is reduced, centre-edge sharpness is more consistent, and distortion is minimised. You have the additional weight to contend with and, potentially, adaptors to consider, but ‘buying bigger’ than you need also future-proofs subsequent upgrades to a larger-sensor camera. The grey areas in the image show zones of weak sharpness.…

It’s fairly well known that each lens has an optimal f-stop for resolution, and that neither shooting wide-open or stopped down to f/22 and beyond will produce the best sharpness. While many photographers know that stopping down by around 2EV will help, you can take this a step further, and find your lens’s specific sharpness sweet-spot. Each model varies in the exact setting that will produce the best combination of sharpness and contrast, so refer to the manufacturer’s website, and find the MTF (Modular Transfer Function) chart for your lens. All you have to look for is where the lines representing contrast and resolution are at their peak, which might be a little on either side of two stops from the maximum aperture setting.…

High-end tripod and camera support brand Edelkrone has unveiled the Tripod X, the first motorised and auto self-levelling tripod that’s available to buy (Benro announced its own version of the concept last year in the shape of its Theta tripod, but it’s yet to go on sale). The highlight feature of the Tripod X is auto self-levelling, with a gyroscope accelerometer that’s built into the crown of the tripod controlling motors within the legs that raise and lower each leg until your camera is level. The tripod has a height range of 34cm to 148cm, depending on leg extension and the spread of the legs, and the motorised system can also be used to enable camera movements for video and timelapse sequences. The Tripod X is controlled via a button…

Many lenses have a ‘macro mode’ or can focus down to short working distances from the subject. However, regardless of whether your optic can produce life-size, 1:1 reproductions, 1:2 half-life-size or significantly less, there’s a chance the lens won’t perform at its best at the closest focusing distance. Every lens is designed to resolve detail optimally at a set distance, and the extremes on either side of this will see sharpness fall-off. The floating element design of newer models goes some way to helping with this, but unless you need to fill the frame with the subject, taking a step back and framing wider, then cropping your shot can improve apparent sharpness. This is a combination of optimising lens performance and using only the centre of the frame, similar to…

A popular look in modern lifestyle portrait and wedding photography is to shoot into the light, with the sun or a flash behind the subject. However, this can introduce significant ghosting and flare effects, even when using lenses equipped with advanced coatings. One quick solution is to shoot wide-open at the lens’s maximum aperture. This reduces the flare caused by the diaphragm to diffused washes of colour that are easier to remove in editing or leave as an attractive glow. For landscape photography, consider shooting two frames at different f-stops – one for a broader depth of field, and another with reduced hard flare. The two frames can then be combined using layer masking. Alternatively, focus stacking allows a wider aperture setting to be used. LIGHTING COLOUR Due to the…

As editing software is updated, colour and sharpness processing are improved, and with the latest versions of your software it’s often possible to take edits further without artefacts developing than you could in previous versions. The Process version can have a significant impact on the appearance of your images, so it’s a great idea to try re-processing older raw files to see if you can produce better results. 1 SELECT PROCESS VERSION In the software with which you originally processed the raw image, ensure you have the latest version, then check you have the most recent Process active. In Lightroom, this is found on the Calibration panel. With other applications, open your raw and sidecar files in the new software. 2 TWEAK THE TONALITY New algorithms also impact the treatment…

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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…

The concept of image quality is an abstract one that we have all become accustomed to hearing, without necessarily stopping to consider in detail. We often associate the idea with camera and lens specifications to such an extent that it can feel as if the integrity of our photos is beyond our control, being purely dependent on pixel count, processor type and fancy optical coatings. Of course, the technical quality of an image file is controlled to some extent by the resolution of the camera’s sensor – on some cameras, this is even accessed by a button named ‘Image Qual’. However, it’s wrong to assume that upgrading your camera kit will automatically produce higher-quality images – it’is better to understand your gear, and know how and when it performs at…

1 TAKE A READING Start in Program or Aperture Priority mode, take an exposure reading from the subject, and then switch to Manual mode. By entering the measured settings you’ll be able to prevent the exposure from changing as you recompose the shot. 2 SET FLASH POWER Activate the flash and set the power just high enough that it begins to fill in some of the shadows on the subject. Start at 1/64 power or lower, and only increase this if your subject still appears soft. 3 CONTROL BACKGROUND EXPOSURE Since your shutter speed is going to be lower than ideal, your shot may already be balanced. If the flash is still too visible or the background is showing light fall-off, lower the shutter speed until the lighting is even.…

Modern AF systems are incredibly accurate, but there are times when your shooting position is sub-optimal, with obstructions between your lens and subject. Vegetation, for example, can cause the focus to slip to foreground elements, and the shift might be minor enough that you won’t see the subsequent lack of sharpness until post-production. One helpful feature of modern high-end lenses is preset distance focusing, allowing you to program a custom distance that the lens shifts to when you press a function button. Take a test shot with focus set at the estimated distance, check sharpness and depth of field, then enter that distance as the preset. When the subject arrives, tap the button for superior focus accuracy.…

TOOLS KEITH TODD “A still life of some vintage tools: a meat tenderiser, a spirit level, a hammer and a knife.” https://bit.ly/3RAkCyH FORTH RAIL BRIDGE NICK STRONG “The Forth Bridge crosses the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland close to Edinburgh. This photo was taken from Harbour slipway at North Queensferry.” https://bit.ly/3tXh6GI THE SCOUTING MISSION DOM HAUGHTON “I shot this photo on my first visit to this abandoned farm in the wilderness – the conditions were decidedly moody and damp, which was ideal for the subject.” https://bit.ly/3AtIfBe HMAS CANBERRA PHILIP EDWARD WOOD “Taken from the waterline of the Manly Ferry in Sydney Harbour. Using a polarising filter with a pure blue autumn sky emphasised the size and power of Australia’s largest warship bearing down on the viewer.” https://bit.ly/3Ov32dU…