Digital Camera World

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TECHNIQUE
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Got a macro lens? Heres
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PRESIDENTIAL TIPS
Anecdotes & advice from
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PRO ADVICE
NATURE PHOTO
MASTERCLASS
Easy techniques to try today
from top pro Ross Hoddinott
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Beat blur Nail exposure Frame like a pro
W h l fi b d h h bi
The definitive guide
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P
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WHO YOU LOOKING AT!
EDITORS WELCOME
Welcome to your new issue of
03
Every issue features
the worlds best pros
Photography is all
about trial and error,
and the ability to
learn from mistakes
is the one quality that
all pros share. The joy
of digital is that we
can make mistakes
and try new things
without worrying about film costs, so
theres no reason not to experiment. To
help you with this, Chris Rutter has put
tother a great feature this issue, based
around some of the most common
mistakes hes seen in a 25 year career as
a photographer. Even more helpfully, he
shows you how to get over these glitches,
so you can move your photography on.
On the subject of helpful, check out our
new wallet-sized tips cards, too. This
issue theyre on the most popular
creative shutter speed effects, so get out
there and get panning/slowing that water!
PLUS! You can now get a FREE sample of Digital Camera from the Apple Newsstand. For full details
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The digital edition of Digital Camera for the iPad and iPhone is now even better!
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geoff.harris@futurenet.com
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Several of the articles have
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Simply navigate to the end of
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Self-taught Ross has been
winning awards since he was a
kid, so this well-respected nature and
landscape pro has plenty of invaluable tips.
Ross Hoddinott
Landscape/nature photographer
This up-and-coming
Romanian documentary ace
talks about one of his favourite images,
taken by Magnums Paolo Pellegrin.
Mugur Varzariu
Documentary photographer
Top UK pro Mark writes for
us every issue. This month he
shows how to get great shots on dull days,
make a dramatic panorama and more.
Mark Hamblin
Nature photographer
Britains best-selling
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Digital Camera June 2010
05
Digital Camera September 2013
BEHIND THE IMAGE
Story of the Cover
1
I shoot in RAW, then
edit them in ACR. I
enhanced highlight and
shadows as well as the
contrast of mid-tone
areas. Global saturation
was also increased,
taking Vibrance to 10.
2
Colour Balance is
my favourite tool
in Photoshop. After
cleaning up the image,
I prefer to add Red and
Yellow in highlight areas.
This warms up the
image nicely.
3
Local contrast and
water details was
enhanced with Unsharp
Mask applied on the
water. After sharpening
the image, I saved it as
a 16-bit TIFF and an 8-bit
high-res JPEG.
Behind the image How Bhuminan rode the waves
Story
of the
Cover
This photo was taken at a small beach
near Northern Sydney, Australia. While
one of my friends was out there taking
photos, I waited for the incoming
waves. I set my Nikon D700 up on a
The One!
By Bhuminan Piyathasanan
Thailand/Australia
tripod with a very low angle, about half
a foot above the water level. Every
large wave caused splashes to hit my
lens and filter, but I persevered, even
though I had to clean the filter several
times. To capture all of the water
texture and details, I used a slow
shutter speed of 1/2 sec.
Nikon D700; Nikkor 16-35mm lens; Lee 0.9
Soft Graduated ND Filter; 1/2 sec at f/11
9
0
0
0
Contents
ISSUE 142/SEPTEMBER 2013
80 Interview
Award-winning photographer
Ross Hoddinott tells of his early
experience of cameras and how
he likes to keep it simple
28 Postcards
Former White House photographer
Bill McNeely recalls how he shot
presidents, including Bill Clinton
34 Cover story
Identify and x the most common
photo mistakes, including camera
settings, composition and exposure
122 Group Test
Discover the best new cameras
both SLRS and compact systems
for taking into the outdoors and
shooting great landscapes
SWIPE FOR MORE CONTENTS
See page 44
Subscribe
to get a free
lens filter
100 Olympus E-P5
Olympus takes the PEN camera
back to the drawing board for a
stylish and sexy upgrade. Find out
whether or not its succeeded
10 Hotshots
Our pick of the best new
reader images, including
this evocative portrait
ISSUE 142/SEPTEMBER 2013 Come to
Photo Live
in London
For exclusive
discount tickets
see page 82
EXPERT PHOTO ADVICE
44 Back Issues
YOUR FREE GIFTS
Fill any gaps in your collection of
16 10 Things
Digital Camera magazine GIFT 1 4 tips cards to
Ten great creative photo ideas
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Store these cards in your camera
117 Subscribe
bag, then look up our handy
47 Shoot!
Save money on our cover price
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and get your copy automatically
Expert camera tips and advice to
help you perfect your photos
121 Competition
64 The Photo Fixer
You could win a home studio

lighting kit, courtesy of Bessel
This issue, our reader wants to
know how to use her new macro
lens to shoot butterflies close-up
139 Next Month
Whats coming up in issue 143
71 Photoshop School
CAMERAS AND GEAR

Expert advice on enhancing your
photos, including tutorials on
overcoming common problems 106 Panasonic Lumix
and using Lightroom
G6: in-depth review
Discover a camera that squeezes
GIFT 2 Portraits Made
plenty of new spec under the
83 Phot Adivsor bonnet i-Fi networking
Easy mini-mag
o , including W
In-depth advice for creating better
All your SLR and Photoshop
people shots e p p very time!
queries answered, plus expert
y
photo feedback on your shots
112 Nik Collection
Six powerful Photoshop plug-ins
for one highly affordable price
146 The Shot
Magur Varzariu picks an evocative
Lebanese war shot by Paolo
Pellegrin as his favourite image
114 Tried and Tested
The latest photo accessories,
books and apps reviewed
ESSENTIALS
26 Your Mission
119 Mini-Test
The best minimalist pictures
Six remote controllers assessed:
find out which one is right for you
32 Viewfinder
Your opinions on mountain air 136 SLR Buyers Guide
quality and our lens tests Check our verdicts before you buy
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14
INSPIRING READER PHOTOGRAPHY
HotSHOTS
10
HotSHOTS
Be inspired by five pages of the very best
reader photography from around the world
11
2
3
1
This shot was taken on Walcott Beach, Norfolk, about
two hours before sunset. I used a graduated grey lter to
balance the intensity of the sky and caught the sun at this
amazing moment. This was taken with a modest camera
and lens, but it shows whats possible with a creative eye.
CanonEOS1100DwithEF-S18-55mmat18mm; 1/20secatf/22; ISO100
Previous page
Walcott Beach
David Molyneux
www.davidmolyneuxphotography.blogspot.co.uk
UK
2
This shot of a blue tit on spring blossom
was taken at one of my bird feeders at
Spade Oak Nature Reserve in Marlow,
Buckinghamshire. My set up consists of a suet
ball tied to a cane, and a branch of my choice
tied to the hedge. Then its a waiting game for
the birds to land in the right place. Fortunately
this fella landed spot on.
CanonEOS550DwithEF75-300mmf/4.5-5.6ISUSM;
1/2000secatf/8; ISO800
In Full Bloom
Mick Vogel
www.facebook.com/
seeitmywayphotography.co.uk
UK
4
Taken during a para training exercise on
Salisbury Plain in January. While the
recruits took a break, I saw the instructor
standing in a dim room with natural light
falling against him, and took the opportunity to
capture this as an unposed shot. I added a
second layer in Elements with a brush to clean
up the black area, and tweaked brightness and
contrast to bring out the colours.
NikonD800withSigma24-70mmf/2.8at70mm;
1/60secatf/8; ISO2500
Lull in Battle
Paul Booth
www.paulboothphotography.co.uk
UK
3
A majority of the housing developments in Singapore
are publicly governed. This picture was taken at 7pm
from the 28th oor. I set my camera in live view mode and
pre-focused my shot to get the proper exposure, then
changed my camera setting into manual mode. A tripod and
shutter release cable were used for maximum stabilisation..
OlympusOM-DE-M5with9-18mmf/4.0-5.6at10mm; 15secatf/9;
ISO200
Public Houses of Singapore
Michael De Guzman
www.flickr.com/photos/mikeed7000
Philippines
HotSHOTS
12
13
HotSHOTS
4
5
A shot of model Stephanie Clarke in a eld of wild
owers. I shot handheld, combining natural light
with ash from a difused Elinchrom Quadra head and a
white reector. This was the second time Id shot with
Steph, but the rst time Id used the Lensbaby on a
shoot. I thought the blurred efect would look great on
the owers. Although its challenging moving to a toy
lens with manual focus, a manual aperture setting and
a very small focal sweet spot, I managed to get the hang
of it fairly quickly.
Nikon D800 with Lensbaby Composer; 1/1160 sec at f/4; ISO 100
Eye Contact
Simon Boucher-Harris
www.renegade-photography.co.uk
Channel Islands
6
It is difcult and dangerous to access the clif.
If you venture down there at low tide, you have
to be careful not to get caught out by the tide
turning. This was a complicated picture to produce,
because there is a beacon that provides light to the
left. I used a graduated lter to control the
lighthouse beam.
NikonD700with14-24mmf/2.8at14mm; 30secatf/2.8;
ISO1600
Prison II
David Martin Castan
www.500px.com/tucucumba
Spain
14
HotSHOTS
Would you like to see your own photos in Hotshots?
Then upload your latest and best images today! There
are two ways to submit photos to Hotshots:
Flickr its free to sign up
www.flickr.com/groups/digitalcameraworld
Facebook like our page and you can upload images
www.facebook.com/digitalcameraworld
Were constantly scouring our Flickr group and our
Facebook page for amazing photos taken by Digital
Camera readers so if we see something we like,
well contact you for more information!
SEND US
YOUR SHOTS!
14
6
5
10things
to try right now
16
B
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10things
to try right now
17
01 Find a new angle for portraits
PORTRAITS
R
elying on getting shots from eye-level
using the same focal length and lighting
for portrait photography means it can
be easy to slip into a rut. Making the effort to
explore new angles can bring the freshness
back to your portfolio, as well as making it fun
for your model. While shooting below the
subject isnt the most flattering choice (it
draws attention to the nostrils and makes the
subject appear bottom-heavy), shooting
from a raised position and getting them to
look up at the camera can accentuate the
eyes and produce a slimmer result. Try going
one step further and shooting from directly
above a portrait sitter or portrait layer to
produce a relaxed and intimate image.
This shot was taken in an underground
bar in Manchester, reveals portrait and
wedding pro Brett Harkness. To have lead-in
lines in an image is always a good thing, and
the staircase provided a really strong set of
them. I decided to shoot down on the model
as she had great hair, and I wanted to make
the most of it by spreading it out.
When it comes to shooting in such a
potentially uncomfortable and awkward spot,
you need to work fast in order to ensure your
subject looks relaxed in the pictures. There
are also some specific issues to look out for
when posing and lighting the model.
Shooting down on someone, you have to pay
particular attention to the position of the face
and chin, says Brett. If the model doesnt
stick her head out and slightly to the side,
then their chin will disappear into their chest.
This is especially true if theyre wearing an
open dress or shirt. It just looks strange! In
this instance, we lit our model (Chloe) from
the side in order to create a shadow under
her chin, giving some separation.

Get started today
*
This technique works best if the model has
long hair that can be arranged to provide
natural lead-in lines.
*
Avoid standing close and zooming out with
a wide-angle lens, as this will produce
unflattering distortions.
*
Place a chair or stepladder just out of shot,
then lean over the subject. Check that the
feet of the ladder or chair arent in the frame.
*
Make sure youre not blocking the light on
the subject. Light them as if they were stood
up, with one main light source and a reflector.
Get high for a fresh, contemporary people shot
18
to try right now
10things
03 Capture
cloud shapes
PROJECT
Take care to expose
your skies correctly
A
lthough most of us would struggle
to find an image of such precision
and beauty as Jim Brandenburgs
cloud shot below, theres a whole world of
new images waiting for you to discover
them in the skies above.
You dont need anything special in the
way of photography kit: all thats required
is a great deal of patience, a keen eye for
shapes and, of course, a decent spread
of cloud cover.
In fact, the only real challenge is in
exposing the scene. Bright skies reflect lots
of light, causing cameras to underexpose
them and turn white clouds grey. Youll
need to override the meter by dialling in
positive exposure compensation.
Always make sure you check the
histogram after you do so it should be
almost touching the right edge of the
graph. If its not, then youll need to dial
in some more.
Get started today
*
Use a moderate telephoto zoom to pick
out key details.
*
Take your inspiration from the likes
of A Pig with Six Legs and Other Clouds,
a fascinating cloud photography book
by Gavin Pretor-Pinney.
JimBrandenburg
K
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s
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T
he first sign of autumn isnt rutting stags
or the golden glow in the forests, but the
famous illuminations being switched on
in Blackpool. The light show is kicked into life at
the end of August and runs until 10 November.
Take a tripod and opt for premium-quality
low ISOs and sharp, mid-range apertures. Just
be careful where you position your tripod:
passers-by will be gawping at the lights rather
than keeping an eye out for your tripod legs.
Shoot while theres still some colour in the
sky, and be prepared to dial in some positive
exposure compensation to keep bright lights
bright in the image. Experiment with slow
02 Photograph
the illuminations
NIGHT
Shoot Britains very own northern lights
exposures to render any movement as a blur.
Defocus the lens to produce abstract images,
and look for puddles to include reflections.
Get started today
*
Shoot in raw so that you can make any white
balance adjustments and boost colours.
*
Use a wide-ranging zoom to enable you to
experiment with many compositions.
*
Use mirror lock-up in conjunction with a
remote release or the cameras self-timer.
*
Taller structures such as the Blackpool Tower
naturally suit a vertical shot, but can work well as
a horizontal one, framed by out-of-focus lights.
19
to try right now
10things
19
04 Light-paint a car for stylish results
CARS
P
ictures of low-light landscapes that have
been brought to life with torches and
flashes are a familiar sight these days.
(Turn the page to find an intriguing take on this
trend.) Shots of light-painted objects are a
different matter. The sleek lines of a car can
look particularly good with this technique,
and you dont need to own a Lamborghini to
produce a striking result as Michael Bosankos
take on hot hatchbacks here shows.
Michael was commissioned to produce
these images for the current series of the
BBCs Top Gear TV programme. The brief was
quite simple on paper, says Michael. Take
three hot hatchbacks, place them in a studio,
and bathe them in light. I also took the lead on
the principal photography on that day. The
main challenge with light-painting around
cars is reflective surfaces. The cars were
effectively like mirrors, which can either
enhance light effects or ruin the shot.
My approach was to accentuate the
features of each vehicle, or at least tone down
the amount of light effects so that when
reflections occur, it serves as an enhancement
to the vehicle. The light trails shouldnt
dominate the main subject, nor should they fall
by the wayside. For anyone wanting to try this
out for themselves with their own vehicles, its
best to find a location free from debris or any
street lighting that could reflect off the car. An
aperture between f/5.6 and f/8 will usually
suffice. If you couple the camera with a cable
release, you can set the camera to bulb mode,
and light-paint for extended periods.
Get started today
*
Use a sturdy tripod to keep the image free
from camera shake.
*
Choose rubber torches or at least ones
that will not scratch the paintwork.
*
Use coloured gels to create trails that
complement the colour of the car.
*
Keep moving if you stay in one place too
long, youll register in the final image.
Shoot stylish shots of your motor using light effects
M
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Far left and near
left Artist Michael
Bosanko likes to
keep his work pure:
Not one piece
of my work has
reached the photo
editing stage unless
I am resizing for the
web, and using
watermarks
Below Bosanko
loves to use long
exposures to draw
into the image with
torchlight with
stunning results
20
05 Create an alien landscape
LANDSCAPES
H
eres an effective and alternative
treatment for a light-painted landscape.
Instead of looking to create a perfectly
painted foreground thats well balanced with
the surrounding area, why not take your
photography to extremes?
Stephen Emersons arresting picture above
gives the impression of being taken on some
distant planet, but of course it was made much
closer to Stephens County Antrim home.
And its a surprisingly familiar location too.
The dramatic result hes achieved here was
created with nothing more than a head torch
and some careful planning to ensure
everything came into alignment.
I shot this image at the Giants Causeway
with the intention of including the well knowing
constellation of Orion in the frame, reveals
Stephen. I managed a few different
compositions that included the famous
hexagonal columns, but this one in particular
was the most striking.
I used a high ISO of 1600 and a 39-second
exposure on my Canon 5D Mark II to gather
as much light as possible for the starry
background and achieve a good depth of field.
The foreground was illuminated by the red LED
on my head torch, which I shone for around
five seconds on the stones.
Get started today
*
Increase the ISO to be able to use a
combination of smaller apertures and shorter
exposure times.
*
Look for dark background features to provide
a clear separation between the starry sky and
illuminated foreground.
*
Keep the torch moving in order to avoid
burnt-out hotspots.
T
raditionally, a zoom burst was
used to inject speed into an
action shot. The technique has
fallen out of favour, perhaps due to the
unsophisticated nature of the second-
rate zoom effect that can be added in
Photoshop. However, its a satisfying
technique to get right in-camera.
Zooming in and zooming out during
the exposure produce subtly different
results, but the principles the same.
Zoom the lens during a slow exposure
while holding the camera steady. The
focal point and the zoom lines should
have a degree of sharpness. In fact,
surprisingly, a tripod-mounted camera
works best for this energetic technique.
Get started today
*
Shoot scenes that feature strong
colours or bright lights.
*
Work in Shutter Priority or Manual, and
choose a shutter speed in the range of
1/30sec to 1 sec the slower the shutter
speed and more prolonged the zoom,
the greater the zoom effect.
06 Rediscover zoom burst
CREATIVE
Paul Weston
StephenEmerson
Add a speedy twist to any shot
Recreate this striking and unusual red-planet look in your own back yard
22
T
riptychs are a great way to give a
stunning scene even more impact,
or to tell a story. Images like this
are really fun to do, especially when
the weather is not working out, says
professional all-rounder David Clapp. Its
all about isolation and segmentation of
what seems to be at first a rather tired-
looking subject. The more you look, the
more amusing it becomes. Its more
important to be led by the flow of tones
and colours, rather than the rule of thirds
or other compositional inhibitors.
All of the images have to have the
same feel and a similar colour palette, or
they just do not work, says David. The
oranges and rusty brown in this example
are the main tonal stronghold, with greens
taking second place.
Get started today
*
When trying to find a scenes potential,
start wide and zoom in to isolate details.
*
Maintaining the same focal length for all
the shots adds consistency. David used
three different lenses here: a 24mm TSE II,
a 24-70 f4L IS and 70-300 f4-5.6L IS.
*
Always look for ways to link the shots.
07 Shoot
a triptych
CREATIVE
T
he toy town look that can
be achieved using a tilt-shift
lens incorrectly is an
addictive one. Shooting from a
raised viewpoint and manipulating
the lens to produce a water-thin
band of focus enables you achieve
a similar aspect, as if you youre
looking at a model village.
Unlike the zoom burst effect
(see no. 6), the tilt-shift miniature
effect is one thats just as good
when worked up in Photoshop.
However, you can also hire a
tilt-shift lens, which is a good
option if you plan to shoot video
as well.
Get started today
*
Shoot on sunny days and
over-expose slightly to heighten
the effect.
*
Include people and vehicles in
the frame to give a sense of scale.
*
See the work of Olivo Barbieri
(www.olivobarbieri.it) for inspiration.
08 Make a mini landmark
LANDSCAPES
Shoot a location with a tilt-shift lens
Create art from
trash by grouping
shots together
Hal BergmanPhotography
23
23
R
im lighting can be hard to
get right but when its
done well, it can produce an
evocative image. The key is to find
a subject thats best suited to this
style of lighting, then expose the
image so most of it is dark, leaving
a glowing outline of the subject.
Look for those subjects
whose outline is both distinctive
and will glow when backlit.
Position yourself so the subject is
lit from behind and switch to
spot-metering. Using Aperture
Priority, meter the glowing edge
and dial in +1 to +2 stops of
exposure compensation, or
meter the subject and dial in -1
to -4 stops.
Get started today
*
Fit a lens hood and check the
image from the glare of the sun.
*
Include elements such as mist
and the steam from an animals
breath as part of the composition.
09 Explore rim lighting
CREATIVE
Heavily under-expose for extra mood
D
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AndrewParkinson
to try right now
10things
24
Y
our mission this month is to take
creative and captivating images of an
everyday subject were all familiar with.
Roads offer lots of potential for interesting
photographic treatments, and were expecting
to see lots of variety in the entries.
You might choose to get low with a
wide-angle lens so that the tarmac dominates
the frame, or you might opt to shoot from a
distance with a telephoto, and compress the
roadside scenery.
The road itself needs to be the clear focus
of your image, but road markings, signs and
traffic are all part and parcel of the theme.
Locking off your camera on a tripod and
choosing a slow shutter speed will allow you to
add motion blur to passing traffic its an
effective technique by day, but really comes
into its own at night.
Naturally, dont do anything dangerous in
pursuit of a daring image. Stay safe and
consider the safety of others, and your pictures
will be all the better for it.
Get started today
*
Use low-angled side light to accentuate
texture on the roads surface.
*
Consider using the road as a lead-in line
through the frame.
*
Work with a roadside buddy who can watch
your back while youre taking the shots.
Dont set up your tripod right next to the road!
Shoot stunning pictures of roads to be in
with a chance of winning a brand-new
Lowepro rucksack worth 150
10 Take our latest
photo challenge
Your
Mission
How to enter Upload your entry to the Digital Camera World Pool on the photo-sharing website
Flickr (www.flickr.com/groups/digitalcameraworld). If youre not already a member, click the
Join Group button its free to join. The three best shots will be selected on 17 September 2013
and printed in issue 144, which goes on sale on 11 October 2013.
Win a Lowepro Flipside 400 AW
Each month were giving away this excellent Lowepro camera
backpack worth up to 150 to the lucky winner of our Your
Mission photo challenge. For your chance to win one, simply
upload your image to our our Flickr Pool at www.flickr.com/
groups/digitalcameraworld. (See below for full details.)
For over 40 years Lowepro has been travelling the world
on the shoulders of the best photographers. Learning and
innovation are the key to its success.
The Flipside 400 AW is a high-performance backpack with
a unique rear-access compartment and padded waist belt,
specifically designed for the wearer to be able to
access gear while still wearing the bag. It also includes
the patented All-Weather Cover, adjustable dividers
and Hideaway Tripod Mount system.
WWW.LOWEPRO.COM
Get the show
on the road
Y
ou can take up this challenge in the
country or in town, although some
roads are more suited to photography
than others. The difficulty is that it can be
hard to see the potential in a subject we all
take for granted. A 18-55mm lens will offer
plenty of framing options, and increasing
the ISO and choosing fairly wide apertures
will enable you to leave the tripod at home.
Travel light and keep your wits about you
When shooting a single car or bike,
place it according to the rule of thirds
to give it more presence in the frame
Need some inspiration? Here are some tips to get you started
25
to try right now
1
The road can be a fitting focal
point in its own right if you shoot it
in the best light. This means getting
up early, but therell be the bonus of
little traffic to get in your way.
3
Where you place the horizon
makes a difference to the feel of
the picture. Position it towards the
bottom of the image, and the shot
becomes more about the journey.
2
If you want to include light trails,
start shooting before night fully
arrives. This will enable you to keep
some colour in the sky, giving a better
balance with the vibrant foreground.
4
Try making the texture of a road
the key element. Use side-lighting
to add shape and form, and include
shadows of trees, buildings, vehicles
or people to create interest.
AdamBurton
C
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Who won our
last Mission?
Turn the
page to
find out
26
to try right now
26
10things
3rd
Shades of blue
BY MIGUEL CARDOSO
NikonD7000with28-80mmf/3.3-5.6at66mm;
30secsatf/20;ISO100
2nd
Jetty
BY PHIL BUCKLE
CanonEOS60DwithEF24-105mmf/4LISUSMat45mm;
30secsatf/11;ISO100
1st
Woodland wonder
BY MANDY DISHER
CanonEOS7DwithTamronSPAF60mmf/2DiIImacro;
1/60secatf/10;ISO100
Chris says The simplicity and beauty
of Mandys shot stood out among the
many ower images we received. The
bright light on the background contrasts
perfectly with the subtle, soft light on the
flower, and the composition is spot-on.
Chris says By cropping out all
unnecessary elements in the scene
and using a long shutter speed to
smooth out the detail in the water, Phils
shot of this jetty is a great interpretation
of the minimal theme.
Geoff says Miguel has chosen a
classic subject and long exposure
technique for this image, which has
produced a perfect minimal landscape image.
The simple blue tone also adds to the feeling
of space and isolation of the shot.
Your
Mission
WINNERS
Issue 140s Mission
was Minimalist.
Here are the top
three shots
3 2
1
Look out for our next Mission winners in issue 143, on sale 13 September 2013
28
FROM THE EDGE
POSTCARDS
01
In the Oval Office
Bob was following Bill Clinton
into the Oval Office when the
president turned to speak to
someone. I thought: If thats
sharp, thats my best picture
of his presidency.
29
29

FROM THE EDGE
POSTCARDS
01
H
ow do you mentally prepare to
photograph presidents, knowing
the historical importance of
every picture you take?
Its a gradual process that slowly
sinks in over time. Unless you possess an
extremely big ego to match an extremely big
talent, only time will give your images
historical importance.
I worked for the McGovern campaign in
1972 after serving in Vietnam. Id learned
photography during the war and volunteered
for the campaign because of his anti-war
stance. I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing
history as it happened, but you dont get a
true sense of just how important some
pictures are until many years later.
Over time I discovered that I had images
that t into the narrative that emerged as to
what happened in McGoverns race against
Nixon. And you get historically important
images like these by having incredible access.
From that experience I learned theres no
way to prepare for history ahead of time.
The other thing with time is that it gives
you condence. I went into the Clinton
White House in 1993 at age 47. The rst
time you go in to the Oval Ofce its knee-
shakingly intimidating. But Id already had
that experience when I was 29 and got over
it! I was that age when I went in the second
day of the Carter administration, and
suddenly its vice-president Mondale, me
and the president. I was terried!
By the time I was in with Clinton I was
very comfortable, so I was able to have a very
informal back and forth relationship with
him. I had no agenda other than making my
pictures. We played cards together on Air
Force One. We played golf, talked sports.
When you have a comfortable relationship
like that you are freer to document history.
Was there much difference in the way the
two presidents took to you?
Clinton gave me full access. He had a real
enjoyment of it, which really helped and is
probably why I managed six years with him.
Jimmy Carter gave me no access at all he
invited me into meetings then waved me out
after a few minutes. He knew you didnt
need any more, because he was Jimmy Carter
and you werent.
Carter was a classic micro manager. Hed
actually sit around the White House telling
gardeners how to cut the grass! I spent three
years there and pretty much became
disillusioned, as did his senior Cabinet.
Who: Former White House
photographer for p+residents
Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter
What: Aside from the White
House, McNeely famously
shot Barack Obamas 2008
inauguration, George
McGoverns 1972 presidential
campaign, and also covers
politics for Time Magazine
Where: Now based in upstate
New York, Bob spent his
career in Washington DC, just
a 15-minute drive from the
White House.
Kit list: Two Leica M5 and two
Leica M6 cameras, 21mm,
28mm, 50mm and 75mm
lenses, Canon EOS 1,
70-200mm.
More info at:
See more of Bobs incredible
insights into American political
life at www.bobmcneely.com
MISSION FACTFILE
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The man who
shot the president
Talk about a high-pressure job with demanding
subjects. Bob McNeely talks about his time as
photographer to presidents of the United States
FROM THE EDGE
POSTCARDS
30
02
03 04 05
06
What were the compositional challenges,
and how did you work around them?
Theres a picture in my book of a brieng in
the Cabinet Room, which was during the
situation in Mogadishu when we lost the
Blackhawk helicopters. I wanted to capture
the importance of what was going on, but
because everything on the desks and on the
walls was classied information, I was really
restricted in how I could shoot.
Tony Lake, the head of the NSA, came to
me before the meeting and said: Were
going into something very secure, and
suggested I shouldnt come. I reminded him
I had the same level of clearance he had. And
I had to remind him that I was working
compositionally to show people sitting
around the meeting; I wasnt interested in
the actual classied material.
My most important picture that day was
taken behind the classied photos that were
hanging up. These images were showing the
troop movements, which I obviously
couldnt show, so I got behind them and
photographed everyone in the room looking
towards them. This is a common technique
in the White House. In fact, it was made
When someone like Clinton gives you full
access, it brings up the importance of what
youre doing. The idea that you have this
access is historically important. You could
end up with a Zapruder lm [the footage of
Kennedy as he was shot], if Im being frank.
I look at some of the photographers who
have followed me into the White House,
and Pete Souza has a very professional
relationship with Obama, but not a personal
one. Hes a great photographer, but you can
see that in his images. They do a few photo
ops with world leaders shaking hands, and if
Obama wants to release one, they will. White
House photography is very diferent now.
How do you remain invisible while ensuring
you get the pictures you want?
Space awareness. This is the key. And
you need to be quiet. There cant ever be a
moment where you feel like your picture
overrides the fact theres a meeting going on.
You move quickly, you dont bump into
things. Most of the pictures I made were all
taken in the same room. This is probably
why most photographers dont stay there too
long! Its very difcult to make visually
interesting pictures in the same room day
after day! In fact, its so difcult the thought
of going back there to make pictures in the
White House again doesnt interest me at all.
Itd be fun to do it for a day, but with that job
you dont get to do it for a day.
02
Cabinet Meeting Room
Bob advises that the best way to
capture great historical shots is
to stay unobtrusive. Space
awareness. That is the key. And
you need to be quiet
03
Bill Clinton and
George Stephanopoulos
Clinton gave Bob complete
access to all of the intimate
moments of his presidency

04
An impromptu conference
A president never stops being a
president. Sometimes the most
important meetings take place
the most unlikely locations
as this intense discussion with
Clinton and colleagues in a White
House washroom goes to prove
There cant ever be a moment where you feel like
your picture overrides the fact theres a meeting going
on. You move quickly, you dont bump into things
famous not long ago in that image of Obama
and his Cabinet watching the bin Laden raid.
What was the security vetting process like?
Its incredibly thorough. I had acquaintances
back where I grew up people I hadnt
spoken to in years who were interviewed
by the FBI. People dont realise that youre
given as high as security clearance as you can
get in that branch of government, and I was
thoroughly vetted to get that.
White House photographers are not
chosen in a competitive, skill-based system.
Its all about who you know, how you met
the candidate, what youve done with them.
And in that process there isnt anyone
visually involved. Bill Clinton never really
understood how good my pictures were, to
be frank. He did when the book came out.
You get feedback from history.
How many images did you take on any day?
I shot thousands and thousands of rolls. On
a trip you could shoot 30 rolls a day which
is about 1000 images. My primary concern
was always the black and white lm, though,
which I shot for the more documentary stuf
31
FROM THE EDGE
POSTCARDS
07
05
Clinton and Gingrich
Republican Newt Gingrich
interacts with President Clinton
during one of their happier
moments. Animosity between
the two peaked after the funeral
of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin, shortly before Gingrich led
a government shutdown that
cost his party dearly in the polls
06
Asleep in Air Force One
President Clinton grabs some
sleep in a meeting room on Air
Force One. While Bob had access
to all the official venues of the
presidency, he stayed away from
the living spaces particularly
when Clintons daughter Chelsea
was around
07
Finding some alone time
Caught in a rare pensive
moment, Bill Clintons gaze drifts
off camera in a White House
stairwell. But one could be
forgiven for thinking that he was
inspecting the reverse side of
that statue a little too closely
of historical importance. I had a darkroom
lab in the White House Communications
Agency. I was a few days into Clintons
presidency and I couldnt nd any of my
black and white lm. I called the ofcer in
charge of the lab who told me that in three
days I shot more black and white lm than
the previous photographer did in George
HW Bushs entire four years! They were still
trying to nd a way to process it all.
Though I shot a lot of images, there are
only a handful Id say are historically
important. For instance, the cover of my
book. I was following Clinton into the Oval
Ofce when he stopped and turned to talk to
someone. I had my Leica M6 with a 28mm
and composed quickly in the viewnder,
pressing the shutter almost instantly. I
thought: If thats sharp, thats my best
picture of his presidency.
What gear did you use in the White House?
I used two or three Leicas loaded with black
and white lm as a general rule, but if I was
only shooting black and white Id take four
Leicas. I about strangled myself sometimes.
I had two Leica M6s and two M5s, and on
each camera Id have 21mm, 28mm, 50mm
and 75mm lenses. If I was shooting a lot of
colour, generally for state arrivals or parties,
Id bring two Canons; one with a shorter
zoom and one with a 70-200mm, along with
a ashgun and a hip battery pack to run it.
32
CLIMB EVERY
MOUNTAIN
I was interested to read
Michael Elliss letter
Halo, Goodbye in issue
140. I also live and work
in Snowdonia and
regularly climb the hills
with my camera in tow,
and I was debating Michaels problem with
his images not being pin sharp. This could be
due to the magnication of the image and the
limits of the lens used, but another thought
is light quality and its loss of clarity over the
years due to pollution in the atmosphere.
What worries me is that our air quality
will get worse, resulting in us mountain
photographers having to sufer with less than
pin-sharp images.
Ken Latham
Good point Ken, although surely the reduction
in fossil fuel usage and heavy industry in the
UK has helped over the last 30 years? A bigger
problem is light pollution. Michaels image
showed signs of oversharpening, whether by
his camera or in software, hence the advice
to get a longer lens. Have other readers had
problems getting sharp landscape shots owing
to atmospheric or other pollution in the UK?
ViewFinder
STAR LETTER
The place to air your views on the magazine
and share your photographic experiences
Get your views heard Wed love to hear your thoughts on the magazine and all things photographic!
So email us at digitalcamera@futurenet.com or visit us at www.facebook.com/digitalcameraworld
WIN AN ASPIRE PHOTO TRAINING VOUCHER
Our star letter wins a 50 voucher off training courses at Aspire
Photography Training (www.aspirephotographytraining.co.uk)
Above To download Capture
One from issue 140s disc, make
sure you turn off Digital Back
book along the lines of Canon EOS
for Dummies?
Gareth Martin
You dont need to shell out for a big
book: everything you need to know is
in this magazine, or our sister title for
Canon users, PhotoPlus. If you figured
out the settings of your film camera,
you can certainly do the same with
your digital one. But you need to get
off Landscape or Action modes: these
automated short cuts arent teaching
you anything. We ran a beginners
special in issue 133, available as a digital
edition via http://goo.gl/a83hD
MEN OF STRAW
Less than a year ago I commented on
your website about you townies not
knowing the diference between hay
and straw, and was a bit surprised
that my comment made it into your
letters page. And now you do the
same again. Your feature on pages
10-11 shows STRAW BALES, nothing
to do with hay. Hay is cut grass used
as fodder for horses and cattle. Straw
is the stalks of grain crops such as
wheat and barley. Do concentrate!
Jeremy Whigham
Aagh! Heres hoping this isnt the last
straw for you Jeremy and you continue
buying the mag, as were the cream
of the crop and the best in our field!
Agricultural Ed.
BIASED IN LENS TESTS?
I like Digital Camera, but I consider
it to be biased towards Nikon and
Canon, and I also remain perplexed
at how group tests are conducted.
I wanted a super-zoom for my Sony
A77, and bought the Sigma 18-250
HSM Macro (which is why I bought
the mag featuring the travel zoom
BEGINNERS, LOOK!
Last Christmas my wife
presented me with a Cannon
EOS 1100D SLR, and for my
birthday I got a 55-250mm lens.
Currently I ick between
Landscape, Portrait and Action
modes, then point focus and
press. I know that I am not
using my camera to its full
potential and I am desperate to
get more procient. I used to
understand depth of eld and
aperture settings on my old lm
camera, but now I am lost.
Could you please recommend a
CAPTURE ONE CLUES
I read Gillian Taylors letter
regarding her problems with the
free download of Capture One
version 6. I had exactly the same
issue. She hasnt downloaded the
wrong program, the default setting
is the DB (Digital Back) version.
The solution is to go to
Help>License Agreement, turn
of the DB and start the version
you want. Perhaps you can
forward this email to her?
Malcolm Hine

Were happy to Malcolm, and thanks.
Above Pollution may well be a contributing factor
when it comes to not getting pin-sharp landscape
images. What do other readers think?
www.facebook.com/digitalcameraworld Join us on Twitter www.twitter.com/DCamMag or Facebook
ViewFinder
33
WHAT WORKED FOR YOU? OR NOT
F
inally I got the image
I wanted from my gig
photography! This is
Emeli Sand in concert at
Edinburghs Usher Hall. The shot
CCSSCs and full-fr C d f lll f ame
was handheld at 200mm using
SLRs might be all the
the 55-200mm F4.5-F5.6 lens at
rage, but kit tester Matt
f/5.6 and 1/40 sec at ISO 200.
Richards hankers for a
Steven Todd more middle-sized age
Great shot! Gig photographers
all me old-fashioned but
often begin by shooting local
an of
bands. If one of them makes it
C
Im not the biggest f
compact system cameras.
big, youll be in a good position!
I dont like looking at the world
through a three-inch screen. And
at arms length. Even an electronic
viewnder makes me feel one step
Tamron lenses was available in any removed from reality.
mount option for the entire month that A proper optical viewnder is
the issue was in its production cycle. the killer feature of an SLR. It
Incidentally, we did feature the Tamron gives me an unrivalled real-world
18-270mm VC PZD in our previous connection with whats going on
group test of superzoom lenses in around me. A few CSCs also seem
issue 129. We dont bias the magazine to think Ive got all day to wait
towards Canon and Nikon, but its only around for them to autofocus.
right we reflect the positions of these And by the time theyve nally
companies within the overall market. In achieved their Zen-like state of
many cases, a wider selection of lenses focus, the battery will probably
and accessories are available for these die before I can get the shot. I
group test), as the previous Sigma Above All of our makes of cameras than for the others. exaggerate, of course, but I do like
version is not A77 compatible. I
tests are rigorous
my camera battery to last longer
and independent,
totally agree with the comments INSERT HERE than a hundred shots.
with no bias towards
regarding the Sonys focusing speed I have an Android smartphone and
any brand at all
and noise, but will disagree on the IQ each time I get the mag I scan the Im a lightweight
front. Having used both, I can say inserts and put them on my smart Call me fussy if you like, but Im
that the two lenses are comparable. phone. That includes the booklets not overly keen on huge, heavy
For some reason, the two Tamrons inserted and the mini-mag from the cameras either. I should come
mentioned are not included in the disc. I also scan some articles in clean at this point and say that
test, even though you briey whole or in part. This means that Im interested in action sports,
mentioned the bargain basement wherever I go I always have the wildlife and travel photography.
version. Now the PZD is a lot newer, information to hand without it taking So while full-frame SLRs are big
has I.S and a longer reach and yet its up any extra space. Ive even put my news this year, one of my all-time
not featured against the others. camera manual on my smartphone. favourite cameras is the Nikon
Dave Would it not be a good idea to put D300s. Thanks to its APS-C
Below Our new
the inserts as digital les on the disc format image sensor I can get
wallet-sized cards
Our reviews are based on a two-stage as well as them being inserts? Im tremendous telephoto reach
are handy to keep
testing procedure. This includes real
on you when youre
sure that they wouldnt take up much without needing a lens thats as
world tests carried out in wide-ranging out and about space and would save people like me big as a bucket.
lighting conditions, plus lab tests having to scan them The problem Ive got is that
where we shoot test every month. compared with the latest SLRs,
charts under controlled Mike Leigh my four-year-old D300s is small
lighting conditions, then on resolution and big on image
process the results with Hopefully our new noise at high ISO. What Id really
Imatest Master. This wallet-sized cards will like is a D400 so why isnt
enables us to quantify the make life a bit easier there one, after all this time?
differences in performancee for you. We regularly Am I the only one who still
between lenses. put bonus magazines wants an APS-C based SLR with
We can understand your on our disc in PDF professional-level build quality
frustration that the Tamron format check out and handling? Maybe Im just
18-270mm VC PZD was not this issues mini mag being too fussy and old-fashioned.
featured. Neither of the on por o trait skills.
A
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34
MAKE EVERY SHOT GREAT

WHAT YOULL LEARN...
Camera settings
01
Never miss a shot with
our handy guide to setting
up your camera correctly
Exposure and colour
02
Eliminate exposure errors
by mastering metering and
white balance with our tips
Focusing and sharpness
03
Get sharp results every
time by choosing the right
focus mode and camera settings
Composition and framing
04
Discover simple ways to
improve the impact and
composition of your images
M
istakes arent anything to be
ashamed of. Just ask any
photographer and they will be able
to reel of a list of them. From the
slightly embarrassing error of simply forgetting
to take the lens cap of to the costly and irritating
mistake of dropping a camera or lens, everybody
is guilty of at least some of them. But the key to
mistakes is to learn from them so you dont keep
making the same errors again and again.
Thats where Digital Camera can help you out.
Weve compiled all the common camera,
exposure and composition errors so you can go
one better and learn how to avoid them before
you have even made these mistakes.
Chris Rutter shows you
how to avoid the most
common photographic
problems to achieve
better results rst time
35
MAKE EVERY
SHOT GREAT!
BEAT BAD PHOTO HABITS
36
CAMERA SETTINGS AND GEAR
From changing the ISO to using the self-timer, its easy to forget
which settings you last used so heres how to avoid bad shots
E
xperimenting with the diferent settings back. But in the worst cases, it could be perfect for every shot, but at least you will
modes and features available on mean missing that once-in-a-lifetime shot, know the basic settings, such as ISO and
your camera is a great way to get or coming back with unusable images. drive mode, will be OK for most subjects.
more creative results. But when you Along with the camera settings, its also
have altered these settings, its all too easy REMEMBER TO RESET worth having the same routine of checking
to leave the camera with a set-up that is The best way to avoid these problems is to the switches and settings on other gear such
completely wrong for the next shot you get into the habit of resetting your camera to as ashguns and lenses, so that they are
want to take. your most used settings as soon as youve ready to use without having to change any
This isnt a disaster if you realise your nished shooting, or before you put your settings. But if you forget, here are the most
mistake, and have time to change the camera back into your bag. They may not common settings to check.
Metering mode set to Dust spots appearing Camera or lens set to Leaving the Drive mode
Spot metering on images Manual Focus on self-timer
If you find that the exposure is This is caused by dust or dirt on If you go to take a shot and the After youve been using the
varying unexpectedly between the sensor inside your camera, camera doesnt make any self-timer, its always a good
shots, especially when you rather than on the lens or any attempt to focus, then chances idea to switch the camera back
move the camera, then check other area of the camera. It will are that youve left the camera to either single or continuous
that the metering mode isnt be most noticeable when you or lens switched to Manual drive mode. Otherwise, you
switched to Spot, rather than are shooting at small apertures Focus mode. could miss out on a shot, as all
the Standard metering mode. such as f/16, and on plain areas you get is a beeping camera and
such as the sky. flashing light instead of firing
when you press the shutter.
TOP TIP
USER SETTINGS
AND MODES
Many cameras such as the Nikon
D7100 and Canon EOS 7D have
the option of storing one or more
User modes. Programming
these with your default
settings is a great way to
avoid problems.
Digital Camera era Sep Septte emmber ber 2 2001133
37
Forgetting the exposure compensation
Using the exposure compensation is the best
way to override the metering in most exposure
modes. But if your images are consistently
under or over-exposed, the first thing to check
is that you havent left the exposure
compensation set on a + or figure.
Flare when shooting into the light
This can either reduce the overall contrast of
the image or appear as bright marks on your
shots. Both types of flare are often caused by
dirt, dust or marks on your lens or filters. You
can minimise the effects by making sure that
your lenses and filters are clean, although even
the cleanest optics can suffer from some flare
if you shoot directly into the sun.
Top sports, car
and portrait
photographer
Adam Duckworth
explains how not
checking the camera
settings cost him dear
I think my erm favourite mistake
was on a once-in-a-lifetime road
trip in a Ford Mustang in the USA.
I did a shoot in LA, then drove via
Vegas to Bonneville, Utah to cover
Speed Week: the dream
assignment Id always wanted.
During the huge drive back, wed
stop occasionally to shoot some
nice, typical USA desert type
photos, for which I left my Nikon
D3X in the car and used my Leica
M8. As we were in a bit of a rush,
I shot the M8 on Aperture Priority
and with a polarising filter on, and
checked the LCD for exposure.
We shot at ghost towns, disused
bridges, huge long roads, Area 51
and all sorts. All lovely iconic stuff,
in beautiful bright sun and all with
the camera still set at ISO 640
from a few snaps in a restaurant
the night before.
The M8 wasnt known for its high
ISO capabilities, and theres visible
noise in all of them. All were rejected
by the stock library that I supply!
See Adams superb photographs
at www.adamduckworth.com
THE PROS CONFESSION
BEAT BAD P BB
i h i l h h i i h li h
ISO too high or too low
Forgetting to reset the ISO after
youve been shooting in a darker
location isnt the end of the world,
but it can reduce the quality of the
images and limit the range of shutter
speeds or apertures that you can
use in brighter conditions.
Memory card not formatted
Its all too easy to take a few shots,
only for the memory card to be full
because you havent deleted old
images or formatted the card.
Its a good habit to download your
images at the end of each day or as
soon as possible after youve
finished shooting. Once you are sure
that the pictures are safe, you can
format the memory card in your
camera so that it is ready to go.
Above Shooting a
mostly light subject
you will need to set
the exposure
compensation on
your camera to +1
Left A subject
containing mostly
dark tones will
cause over
exposure, to correct
this use -1 exposure
compensation
38
A
lthough you can correct a
lot of exposure errors in
Photoshop, particularly using
raw, its still better to get the results
right in-camera as much as possible.
Even when converting raw images,
there is a limit to how much highlight
detail you can recover if you over-
expose your images. While its often
possible to boost the detail in the
shadows of an under-exposed shot,
the result will be noisier and lower
quality than if you correctly exposed
it in the rst place.
Image is under-exposed,
giving a result that is too dark,
with no bright highlights 1
This is most likely to occur when
the subject you are shooting is
mostly light or bright, as the camera
will try to set the exposure to record
it as grey. You can check for under-
exposure by looking at the histogram
when you review your images. If the
graph is bunched to the left, with a gap
to the right, then it is under-exposed.
You can correct this easily by using
exposure compensation to increase the
exposure. For a subject that contains a
large amount of white or bright areas,
you should try setting the exposure
compensation to +1, and taking
another shot to allow you to check
the histogram again.
Image is over-exposed,
producing a result that is too
light, with no dark shadows 2
If you are shooting a scene that
contains a large amount of dark
tones, the camera will over-expose the
shot, producing a light image. The
histogram will be bunched to the right,
with a gap to the left. To correct this,
you simply need to set the exposure
compensation to reduce the exposure,
such as -1.
Incorrect shutter speed or
aperture settings when using
Manual Exposure mode
Using Manual Exposure gives
you complete control over the
shutter speed and aperture that you
set, but this doesnt mean that you can
simply choose any values and get a
correctly exposed image. The main
thing to remember is that once you
have selected a shutter speed, aperture
and ISO to give the correct exposure,
if you then adjust any one of these
settings, you will need to change at
least one of the other settings to
maintain the correct exposure.
So, once you have set the exposure
correctly, if you want set a faster
shutter speed, you will need to use
either a wider aperture or higher ISO
setting to keep the same exposure.
Sky is too bright and the
foreground is correctly
exposed, or foreground too dark
and sky over-exposed 3
This is a common problem in
landscape photography, as the
diference in brightness between the
sky and the ground is too large for the
camera to record detail in both areas.
To correct this in-camera, you can use
neutral density grad lters, which
reduce the brightness of the sky to
allow you to capture detail in this and
the foreground. If you dont have these
lters you can take two shots, one for
the sky and one for the foreground,
and combine them in Photoshop.
-1 EV
0 EV
+1 EV
0 EV
1
On the histogram, if the
graph is bunched to the
left with a gap to the right,
then it is under-exposed
EXPOSURE AND COLOUR ERRORS
Youll get better quality images and spend less time adjusting them
in Photoshop by getting the results right in-camera. Heres how
2
Above When shooting landscapes its common for either the sky to be too light or the
foreground too dark. To correct this you can either use an ND grad filter to reduce the
contrast or take two exposures and combine them together to give detail in both areas
39
With the camera in Shutter-Priority mode, set the lowest
ISO and attach the camera to a tripod. Then you need
to decide whether the water is fast moving, like a
waterfall, or slow, like gentle waves on the sea.
To reduce the amount of light reaching the
sensor, you will need to attach a polariser or
plain neutral density filter onto the lens. Then
take a test shot and check the exposure.
Do you have a stronger ND
filter, or a variable ND filter?
Attach the filter, take a
test shot and check
the exposure again.
Its too bright to achieve
the shutter speed that you
need, so you will need to
shoot in darker conditions
such as at dusk or dawn, or
wait for an overcast day.
With the exposure sorted out youre ready to take your shot.
To keep your results sharp when using a tripod make sure
that you use a remote release and use the mirror lock-up
facility if its available on your camera. You should also
cover the viewfinder to prevent light leaking in.
Set the shutter speed to 1/4
sec, take a test shot and
check the exposure.
Set the shutter speed to one
second, take a test shot and
check the exposure.
Too light
Too light Exposure OK
ExposureOK
ExposureOK Too light
No Yes
ExposureOK
How to get the correct exposure in order to
blur moving water using slow shutter speeds
Too light
Fast Slow
The colours of the image dont
appear correct, as they are
either too warm or too cold

This problem is caused by using
the wrong white balance setting,
especially if the camera is set to
automatic white balance. Like any
automatic feature, the automatic white
balance wont give perfect colours in
every situation. This is most common
when the subject is dominated by one
or two colours, which will fool the
system into shifting the colour
temperature to compensate for this.
A classic case is when shooting the
warm, orange colours at sunrise or
TAKEN WITH ND GRAD
EXPOSE FOR FOREGROUND EXPOSE FOR SKY
KEY TECHNIQUE AT A GLANCE
sunset. The automatic white balance
will often produce muted colours, so
use one of the preset white balance
options, such as Sunny or Daylight,
when shooting in these conditions.
Subjects are over-exposed
when using flash, particularly
when they are close to the camera
Reduce the brightness of the
ash by using the ash exposure
compensation (FEC). This is usually
accessed by pressing and holding the
ash button and using the input dial,
or pressing the FEC button marked
with a ash symbol and +/-. To reduce
the ash exposure, set this to -1.
3
Above When the
subject is off-centre,
remember to select
the right AF point to
allow the camera
to focus on the
subject, rather than
the background
Below left If youre
shooting moving
subjects, you need
to make sure that
the shutter speed is
fast enough to keep
the subject sharp
40
E
ven with the latest autofocus
and image stabilisation
systems, blurred or soft images
are still among the most common
problems. There are three main causes
of blur: focusing, subject movement
and camera shake. Spotting which is
afecting your shot can be tricky.
If the whole image is blurred, this is
usually camera shake; while if the
subject is blurred but another area of
the image is soft, this is usually due
to focusing or subject movement.
When shooting fast-moving
subjects such as sports and
action, the subject isnt sharp 1
To freeze any movement, you
will need to use a faster shutter
speed, but to achieve this you may also
need to increase the ISO, particularly if
you are shooting in dull conditions.
You also need to make sure that the
autofocus point is positioned over the
subject, and the autofocus is set to
Servo or Continuous AF mode.
However, an alternative technique
to this is to move the camera to track
the subject, so that the subject is sharp
but the background is blurred. This
panning technique does take a little
practice to get right, but can give your
images a much greater sense of
movement and action than freezing
the movement completely.
Shooting static subjects the
background of the shot is
sharp, but subject is blurred 2
This problem is most common
when you are shooting with a
wide aperture to achieve shallow
depth-of-eld efects, and the camera
has focussed on the background rather
than the subject.
If the subject is positioned to one
side of the image, you should change
the AF point so that it corresponds
to the position of the subject. Now
half-press the shutter release until the
subject is sharp, then press the shutter
fully to take your shot.
The whole of your image is
blurred, with no sharp areas
visible at all 3
The most common reason for
this is camera shake, due to
using a shutter speed that is too slow,
allowing the camera to move during
the exposure.
The higher the focal length of the
lens, the more it will magnify any
movement, so you have to use a faster
shutter speed to avoid camera shake.
As a rough guide, with a full-frame
camera you should use a shutter speed
of 1/focal length of the lens. For
example if you are using a 250mm
lens, you should use 1/250 sec or
faster. For cameras with smaller
sensors you need to use a faster
shutter speed, as the efective focal
length is higher. So, with the same
250mm lens attached to a camera with
an APS-C sensor, you need to use
1/400sec or 1/500sec or faster. To
achieve this you may need to set a
higher ISO, especially in dark or
overcast conditions.
The image stabilisation or vibration
reduction features will allow you to get
sharp results at slower shutter speeds
than these. But even these have their
limitations, so you should still try to
use the fastest shutter speed that you
can, unless you want to use motion
blur for creative efect.
1/30 SEC
1/8 SEC
FOREGROUND FOCUS
BACKGROUND FOCUS
As a rough guide, with a
full-frame camera you should
use a shutter speed thats
1/focal length of the lens
FOCUS AND SHARPNESS
Avoid blurred or out of focus shots by setting up your camera to
focus accurately, and use the right settings to prevent camera shake
2
1
Above Blurred images due to camera shake are common when using telephoto lenses.
Try setting a higher ISO to allow you to use faster shutter speeds, to get sharp results
41
With the camera in Aperture-Priority mode, select the
widest aperture available on your lens, such as f/4.
Carefully focus on the subject, and take a test shot to
check whether the background is sharp or blurred.
Now zoom in on the image
and check that the whole of
the main subject is sharp.
It isnt possible to blur the
background with the subject
in these positions, so if
possible move the subject
further away from the
background. Take another
shot and check whether the
background is blurred.
Select a smaller aperture,
such as f/5.6, take another
test shot and check if the
whole subject is sharp.
Try setting
a smaller
aperture until
the whole
subject is
sharp, then
check whether
the background
is blurred.
Is the background still
blurred or not?
Your set-up is
perfect, so you can
shoot with these
settings and get a
blurred background.
Its not possible to blur the
background. Consider adding
a background blur in Photoshop,
or making the background
work with the subject.
Your set-up is
perfect, so you
can shoot with
these settings
and get
a blurred
background.
To reduce the depth of field, you will
need to move closer to the subject;
or use a longer focal length lens, and
again focus on the subject. Take a
test shot to check the background.
Sharp
Sharp
How to use shallow depth-of-field to blur the
background and keep the subject sharp
Blurred
Sharp Blurred
Sharp Blurred
Yes No
Blurred
Blurred Sharp
The autofocus wont lock onto
the subject when using one of
the off-centre AF points
The automatic focusing on most
SLRs relies on there being
enough light for the system to work,
along with some contrast or detail in
the subject for the camera to focus on.
The sensitivity of the outer AF
points is lower than the central one on
many cameras. So if you are shooting
in low light, or with a lens with a small
maximum aperture such as f/5.6 or
smaller, try using the centre AF point
rather than the outer ones.
Image is blurred even though
you have used a tripod

Having gone to the trouble of
using a tripod, its frustrating if
you nd that the images arent sharp.
The rst thing to check is that you
have switched of any image stabiliser
ISO 200 ISO 800
KEY TECHNIQUE AT A GLANCE
Jeremy Walker,
world-renowned
landscape, travel
and commercial
photographer
says you should never take
anything for granted
I prepare my kit the night before
if I have an early start. There is
nothing worse than chasing your
own tail in the early hours before
you go out on a dawn shoot.
The kit in my bag will sometimes
get changed around depending on
what I am off to shoot, but there is
always one constant. There is
always a tripod in the boot of my
car. Always. I arrived at my location
and prepared to set up.
No tripod. Why it was not in the
boot of the car Im not sure, but
definitely no tripod. I own at least
four tripods.
See Jeremys amazing images at
www.jeremywalker.co.uk
THE PROS CONFESSION
systems on your camera or lens, as
these can reduce the sharpness.
If this isnt the problem, the most
likely cause is the camera moving
during the exposure, despite being
attached to the tripod. Ensure youre
using a remote release or self-timer to
re the camera to reduce any chance of
moving the camera. Then check that
the legs of the tripod are on solid
ground. In strong, windy conditions,
you can help to reduce movement of
the tripod by attaching extra weight,
such as your camera bag, to the centre
column of the tripod.
3
42
COMPOSITION AND FRAMING
Transform your photography with our simple guide on how to improve
the composition of your images for maximum impact and interest
U
nlike the more technical
aspects of photography
such as exposure or
focusing, choosing how to
compose and frame your shots is as
much about personal choice as being
right or wrong. Despite this, there are
ways to improve the composition of
your images. The classic habits to
break are putting the main subject
in the centre of the frame, and not
getting close enough to the subject.
Horizon isnt straight
If the horizon is clearly visible in
the scene it should generally be
horizontal. Getting the horizon
precisely level using the
viewfinder can be tricky. Many
cameras offer a grid display in
Live View mode or an electronic
spirit level option to help you.
Horizon in the middle
of the frame
Placing the horizon in the
middle of the image is generally
not recommended. It produces
two equal-sized areas and
makes the whole image appear
static. Positioning the horizon
around a third from the top or
bottom of the frame produces
a better composition.
Uninteresting foreground
Shooting with a wide-angle lens
means that you will often
include a large area of the
foreground. So you should look
out for interesting subjects or
textures to make the most of
this area of the image.
Including subjects at the
edge of the image
You need to watch out for areas
of the subject, especially at the
edge of the frame, which draw
attention away from the main
subject. Before you press the
shutter, try looking all around
the frame for anything that
doesnt help the composition.
Choosing how to compose
and frame your shots is as
much about personal choice
as being right or wrong
Right Using some
simple composition
rules such as
placing the main
elements off-centre
produces a much
stronger image
43
2
1
3
1 Subject too small in the frame
Unless the area around the subject adds something to the
image such as showing the environment or landscape
around it youll get a stronger image by filling the frame
with the main subject.
2 Image too cluttered
While a strong subject can help to produce striking images,
if there are too many subjects or points of interest in your
image, they can actually detract from the impact of the
shot. So try including less of the background, or blurring it
by using shallow depth-of-field.
3 Subject in the middle of the frame
Similar to placing the horizon in the centre, positioning the
main subject in the middle of the image creates a very
static, uninteresting composition. Its usually better to shift
the position to one side if shooting horizontally, or up or
down on vertical images.
Heres how to simplify your images for greater impact
PHOTO SCIENCE FOR FRAMING YOUR SHOTS
Getting closer to the
subject, or using a
longer lens, produces
a much simpler, more
striking image
Choose from these sizes
62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm
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47
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
THIS MONTHS HIGHLIGHTS
48
Core Skills
Out shooting landscapes
but theres no sun? Dont
fear, because you can still
get some cracking shots
51
Gear Craft
How to use a variable
ND lter to reduce and
control the light across
your whole image
52
Creative Zone
Photographing kids can be
a challenge, but with a bit
of thought it doesnt have
to be a painful experience
56
Back to Basics
Shooting in low light or
looking to freeze action?
ISO can help you to get
sharp shots every time

59
Photo Rescue
Add depth to your
landscapes by changing
perspective and adding
some foreground interest
Your complete camera-skills improvement plan
O H S O T !
14 PAGES
OF EXPERT
ADVICE FOR
SLR USERS
48
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
A
l
l
i
m
a
g
e
s
:
M
a
r
k
H
a
m
b
l
i
n
No sun? No worries you can still shoot some
cracking shots, as Mark Hamblin explains
MAKE THE MOST
OF DULL DAYS
CORE SKILLS
A
s humans we crave sunshine. It
puts us in a better mood. It makes
us feel good. Its only natural then
that as photographers we also crave blue
skies and sunshine as we strive to capture
those sun-kissed cheery feelings in our
images. But sunshine is not always as good
a thing as you might think when it comes to
shooting landscapes. In fact it can be a real
problem in some situations, leading to high
contrast, deep shadows, blown highlights
and washed out colours. So its just as well
that the sun isnt always shining, as it gives
us the chance to shoot some sublime
landscapes on dull and dreary days.
JUST ADD WATER
Fortunately, modern digital cameras are
exceptionally good at dealing with low light
and are capable of producing exquisitely
detailed images in the dullest weather
conditions imaginable. Add to this the
capabilities of post processing software
that allows you to bring out the fine
nuances of tone, colour, contrast and detail
from your RAW files and you have the tools
to create amazing pictures irrespective of
how bad the light might appear to be.
Of course you have to choose your
subject with care. One ingredient that
arguably works better than anything else
in dull weather is water. Whether as a
reflective surface, flowing through a
landscape, or lapping onto a beach, water
gives you something to work with in a
creative sense. In dull light, when light levels
are inevitably lower than on a bright day,
you have the luxury of being able to shoot
moving water at slow shutter speeds to
49
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
EXPERT ADVICE
Three top subjects to
try when the suns hiding
Landscape sections
Use a short to mid telephoto lens
to pick out smaller sections from
within the landscape. By honing
in on characteristic features its
possible to convey the essence
of location just as effectively as a
wider shot, and in many cases the
results have greater impact and
more appeal.
Moving water
Find some fast-moving water and
use a slow shutter speed to blur
the flow. Fit a polarising filter to
reduce some of the surface glare
and add contrast, and aim for a
shutter speed of around 0.5 to
two seconds by setting a low ISO
and small aperture.
Calm water
Mirror calm water is a great way
to add another dimension to
your shots by creating a perfect
reflection of the main subject.
Mornings are good for this, when
there is less chance of wind.
Zoom in to crop out the sky, and
try placing the water level on the
thirds as well as centrally.
50
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
2
1
3
4
PHOTO SCIENCE
Why this shot works
1 The overcast conditions, stark bare trees
and misty background give this image a
dreamy, otherworldly feel.
2 The line of symmetry from the reflections
of the lake runs straight through the middle
of the shot, offering unfamiliar shapes.
3 The long exposure on a still day has made
the surface of the lake like a polished mirror.
4 The more dense shapes of the island add
a darker focal point two-thirds of the way
across the shot, standing out from the grey.
Top tips
TOP TIPS FOR
DULL WEATHER
SHOOTING
Convert to mono
Coastal scenes and waterfalls
photographed in overcast light
are very good candidates for
conversion to monochrome.
In Photoshop, use Image>
Adjustments>Black & White
and try adding contrast for a
more dramatic effect.
Shoot receding waves
When photographing waves
using a slow shutter speed,
capture the effect of receding
water by starting the exposure
just at the moment the wave
begins to turn and flow back
down the beach. An exposure
time of around one to two
seconds is usually about right.
Stay rock steady
Images taken at slow shutter
speeds are prone to camera
shake, so make sure your
tripod is set firm. If necessary
push the legs into soft ground.
Enable mirror-lock to prevent
internal camera vibrations
and use a cable release or two
second delay self-timer.
Mind the splashes
When shooting in rain or near
splashing water its hard to
avoid getting droplets on the
front of the lens, especially
one without a deep hood.
Have a dry cloth handy to
wipe the front of the lens clear
before each shot, or shield it
using an umbrella.
THE WONDER OF WAVES
How to create eye-catching images on a dull day at the coast
Grey skies can make the ideal scenario for
capturing the rhythmical movement of
waves, and wild shorelines offer the best
opportunities. A mid-distance focal point
such as a headland, pier or offshore rocks
is desirable, but you can create equally
effective images with just a pebble
beach and moving water. The technique
itself is very straightforward and relies
on shooting at an appropriate shutter
speed to capture the moving water with
a degree of blurring. There isnt a specific
shutter speed that works in all situations,
so its worth experimenting by taking a
few shots at different speed settings. Use
a low ISO setting, a small aperture and fit
a polarising filter or neutral density filter
to lengthen the exposure time.
Above Shooting waterfalls at slow shutter speeds on overcast days can make for
some lovely shots. But too much white water can make the falls looks indistinct
create silk-like ribbons through the
landscape. If dreamy waterscapes
are your thing, find fast-flowing
water, which might be anything
from a tumbling mountain stream
to waves crashing over a rocky
coast. Waterfalls are also perfect
for this treatment, but try to avoid
any with too much white water, as
this will be recorded as a
featureless amorphous empty
space. Instead look for water that
falls in thinner rivulets, or fans out
and breaks up as it cascades over
rocks. This will form a more
pleasing pattern and will show up
more distinctively against the
darker surroundings. Often the
most impressive looking waterfalls
dont make the best pictures.
On calm days, pools, lakes and
even the sea act as a mirror to
create perfect reflections of
buildings, trees or mountains. In
most cases is advisable to crop
out the pale sky by using a short
telephoto zoom in the range
70-200mm. This helps to
concentrate attention on the
main subject to form a simple but
striking composition. Experiment
with the framing in terms of the
ratio of the subject to its
reflection, which can be a very
precise central split or a 1/3 to
2/3 composition. Alternatively,
shooting the reflection alone
especially if there are small ripples
in the water can create very
effective images.
Away from water, think in
terms of creating miniature
landscapes by honing in on a
smaller section of the wider
landscape. Again, it is often best
to avoid the sky in your pictures
and instead concentrate on
forming interesting compositions
from the juxtaposition of key
features such as walls, trees,
isolated buildings or distinctive
patterns in the landscape. Strong
colour combinations also work
very effectively. Above all, keep
your compositions simple with
a clear focal point to create
images that have a strong graphic
appeal. Once you start down this
road youll discover plenty of
inspiration the next time you go
out shooting in dull weather.
51
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
Get a free
ND FILTER
when you
subscribe!
See page 44
Using an ND variable lter
Geoff Harris shows how you can achieve a cool motion-blur effect
while youre shooting on location with this handy and versatile filter
Last issue, Chris Rutter explained
how to use an ND grad filter to
rectify murky foregrounds or
over-exposed skies. This issue, we show how
to use a variable ND filter, which works in a
slightly different way. Unlike an ND grad,
a variable ND filter reduces the light across
the whole image, and you can twist it to
control the amount of filtering this is what
the variable part refers to.
ND variable filters come in handy for slow
water effects or adding motion blur to
people, and theyre essential in bright
conditions. You could even keep a variable
ND on your lens all the time, so long as you
dont mind losing a stop or two. Heres how
to use this versatile filter to get cool motion
blur effects on people.
GEAR CRAFT
01
Select your settings
Attach the variable ND filter to
your lens. Try an aperture of f/11 and
choose a shutter speed of 1/4 sec.
The filter will enable this. Set a low
ISO (a higher one or auto ISO will give
a faster shutter speed and spoil the
effect), and zoom in about halfway
if you have a standard zoom lens.
Variable NDs can cause banding if
you shoot wide-angle.
02
Switch to manual focus
You will need to switch to manual
focus, and focus where you want
to stay sharp a building as the
background, for instance. If you cant
see anything because of the filter,
focus using Live View and adjust the
filter until you get the desired effect.
Dont rely on autofocus, as it can
struggle to focus through the filter.
Block stray light
Once you are happy with the
focus, its worth covering the
eyepiece to stop stray light getting in
(again your manual will explain how),
or just cover with your other hand.
Then, wait until people pass in front
of the background and take the shot.
Adjust the shutter speed if people
are moving very quickly or slowly.
03 04
Set up your camera
Blurring people walking past a
scene requires a slow shutter speed,
so youll need to put your camera
on a tripod. Then either use a cable
release or the self-timer in order to
avoid camera shake. You can also
lock up the mirror on your camera
to reduce shake even more. Your
cameras manual will explain how
to do this.
52
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
Ben Brain shows you how to photographically
capture the magic of kids at play
Capture candid kids
Photographing kids can
be a challenge, and many
photographers will avoid it like
the plague. However it doesnt need to
be a stressful experience, and if you get it
right not only will everyone involved have
a fun experience, but youll potentially be
rewarded with priceless results the whole
family can cherish for years to come.
The trick to capturing natural looking
shots of kids is to avoid jumping straight
in with your camera. If you try and force a
photo shoot with children, the chances are
high that itll backfire on you and it wont
be long before youre dealing with tears
and tantrums. Its best to let playtime
or some other engaging activity evolve
unwittingly into a photo shoot, and when
spirits are high, subtly introduce your pre-
set camera into the scenario.
Keep your camera settings simple,
and dont let fiddly technical issues or
complicated lighting sets ups hamper
the situation. This will leave you free
to concentrate on capturing magical
expressions. Dont get too hung up on
catching big beaming smiles either. While
they can be terribly engaging they can
often look a little forced, and sometimes a
thoughtful, contemplative shot can speak
volumes too. Read on for tips on how to
get started on your kid shots
How did you take this shot?
I was in Times Square, New York and
about ten of these guys were there. Two of
them broke off from the group and came
towards me. I noticed what great faces
they had and asked if they would mind if
I took a quick shot. They were more than
happy. I used a Sony NEX 5n with a Leica
35mm Summilux lens at f/1.4; shutter
speed was 1/25sec at ISO 1600.
Why did you choose to present it as
a black and white shot?
The lights of Times Square totally
dominated the colour version and could
not be tamed with any software. The
whole thing worked much better as a
black and white anyway. I did a little pixel
level editing in Photoshop and colour
adjustments in Nik Silver Efex Pro.
What do you like most about shooting
street portraits?
Street portraits can be daunting at first,
but its very rewarding if you push yourself
and not just in the results you can
achieve. For me its the most memorable
part of any travelling experience.
How do you approach your subjects?
Approaching people is not easy at first.
Every time I have to really tell myself to
get on with it, but once I start it gets easier.
I usually know what background I want
in the shot, so I know where to position
myself. Most people are flattered to be
asked for their photograph and the worst
that can happen is that they say no and
you just move on to the next great face.
See more of Neils fantastic portrait
photography at www.buchangrant.com
CREATIVE ZONE

The man
in the street
FIVE-MINUTE MASTERCLASS
Taking impromptu travel
portraits can be scary
but you should just go for it,
counsels Neil Buchan-Grant
Dont force a photo shoot with
children. Let a fun situation
evolve. Or resort to bribery
53
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
How to GET READY FOR A PHOTO SHOOT WITH KIDS
If you get your preparation out of the way before you start, the session will be much easier
Be prepared
Before you start, make sure your SLRs
exposure settings are sorted out. If youre
fiddling with dials or scrolling through menus
in the middle of the shoot, not only will you
run the risk of missing the shot, but the
children will quickly start to lose interest.
Time is of the essence, so use it wisely!
01 02
Process
Shoot in raw so you can tease more
detail and boost image quality in Camera
Raw or Lightroom. With a spontaneous
shoot like this, some of your exposure
settings will need a tweak. Its a subjective
choice, but turning your shots into black and
whites is a great way to finish them off.
Settings
A fast shutter speed such as 1/125 sec
or faster is best. Increase your ISO if you
have to. A wide aperture such as f2/8
creates a shallow depth of field, throwing
the background nicely out of focus. To
ensure you capture the right expression,
switch to a continuous shooting mode.
03
Keep it simple. Natural lighting
and expressions can create the
most endearing portraits of kids
54
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
Shooting conditions
Anne photographed her son indoors at
home, only using daylight. She needed a fast
enough shutter speed to freeze motion, but
an ISO that didnt create too much noise.
Natural expression
To help children forget about the camera
and have a natural expression, Anne asks
them to do an activity they enjoy. This time,
she asked her son to bounce on a bed.
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Child-portrait specialist Anne Kerr reveals how
she captured this natural and spontaneous shot
PHOTO ANATOMY
BOUNCE MAGIC
Timing
Anne shot a sequence of images, but this one,
with the child frozen in mid-bounce, with his
legs extended and a joyful expression on his
face, was her favourite by a long way.
Settings
Anne used a Nikon D700 with a 50mm f/1.4
lens. The settings were 1/1250sec at f/2, ISO
4500. After I got the proper exposure it was
all about capturing the perfect moment.
White space
Instead of going in close, Anne has placed
her son in the bottom corner of the
composition and left lots of white space. It
has given the image a light, airy atmosphere.
EXPERT TI P
Giving a child a fun
activity can result in
charming portraits like this
one. Another approach
is to place a child in
attractive light with a
good background and let
the situation unfold. The
most important thing,
as Anne says, is to let
children be themselves.
Geoff Harris, editor
56
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
How to change
the ISO setting on
your camera
When to use high
ISOs and when to
use low ones
How to achieve
faster shutter
speeds with ISO
WHAT YOULL
LEARN THIS
MONTH
What does ISO actually stand for?
Surprisingly, ISO isnt a complex
technical acronym, but represents the
much more mundane International
Standards Organisation. As the name
suggests, ISO develops standards
across a range of technologies, and
that includes cameras.
And what does it do?
The ISO system was originally used
to measure photographic lms
sensitivity to light. It has since been
adapted to provide a standard way
to measure the sensitivity of digital
camera sensors.
In the days of lm, you chose the
lm according to the situation youd
be working in and the efect you
were trying to achieve. If you wanted
to capture all the rich detail of a
landscape, youd reach for lm rated
at ISO 50, as that ofered the best
quality. Switch to indoor shooting,
and youd need to swap to a lm with
a higher ISO sensitivity rating.
Digital cameras allow you to make
these adjustments on the y, and you
can change the sensitivity setting
yourself or let the camera make a
selection automatically. Current SLRs
ofer a standard ISO range that runs
from low ISO settings of 100 or 200
up to high ISO settings of 6400 or
more, and the higher the ISO, the
more sensitive to light the sensor is.
Why does sensitivity matter?
The more sensitive a sensor is
to light, the less of it you need in
order to make an exposure. The ISO
control acts like the gain control on
an amplier: the camera converts
the light hitting the sensor into
an electrical signal, which is then
boosted according to the ISO.
The higher the ISO, the more
the signal is boosted, meaning you
can take pictures when theres little
available light or youre not allowed
to add your own such as shooting
at night or indoors without ash. The
shorter exposure times that high ISOs
produce are also useful when youre
shooting action, enabling you to
freeze a fast-moving subject.
If my camera has a range of ISO
settings, why wouldnt I just use the
highest all the time?
The sound from an amplier gets
more distorted as you increase the
gain. The same happens with picture
M
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Whether youre shooting in low light or
looking to freeze action, ISO can help get
sharp shots, as Marcus Hawkins explains
Understanding
ISO SETTINGS
BACK TO BASICS
ESSENTIAL
PHOTOGRAPHY
SKILLS STEP
BY STEP
You need to increase the
ISO sensitivity to achieve
sharp photos in low light
57
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
quality as you push the ISO higher on
a camera. Colours become muddier
and the dynamic range (the amount
of detail captured from shadows to
highlights) drops of but the biggest
problem is noise. This is the digital
equivalent of lm grain, but much less
desirable, with the image covered in
ugly-coloured speckles.
So I should stick to the lowest ISO
settings, then?
ISOs in the region of 100 to 400
do produce cleaner, richer, more
EXPLAINED
CAMERA SETTINGS
How to alter the ISO sensitivity
settings on your camera
Adjustment options
Choose whether you want to adjust
the ISO in full stops or 1/3 stops. You
may be able to find this option in
the custom function menu. The 1/3
stops option offers more precision,
but the former allows you to make
manual adjustments more quickly.
Dial in the sensitivity
Press the ISO button and rotate the
main control dial to change the
sensitivity. You can monitor the
changes in a number of places,
depending on your camera, such as
in the viewfinder, on the quick
control screen or the top-plate LCD.
Shutter speed and aperture
When you change the ISO, the
aperture and/or shutter speed also
change. Increasing the ISO two
stops (ISO 100 to 200, then 200 to
400) in Aperture Priority gives a
shutter speed twice as fast, but
leaves the aperture unchanged.
Low ISO
The lower numbers in the
ISO sensitivity range produce
lovely smooth, clean and
colourful pictures with bags
of detail. That is, unless the
shutter speed drops down
so low that you end up with a
blurred picture.
Medium ISO
In the days of film, ISO 400
was considered a medium
sensitivity film these days
youre looking at ISO 800, or
as in this case, ISO 1600. The
results are spectacularly
good, particularly on full-
frame cameras.
High ISO
A high ISO enables you to use
a very fast shutter speed,
which is perfect for handheld
shooting in conditions where
light levels are so low theyd
ordinarily require very long
exposure times. The trade-off
is excessive noise levels.
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF NOISE
T
he advice was simple in the early days of
digital photography: if you wanted the
best-quality pictures, youd stick to the lowest
ISO settings. Push the sensitivity beyond ISO
1600, and you could expect picture noise to
take much of the shine off a shot. These days,
its not quite so clear-cut. Sensor technology
and noise reduction have greatly improved, to
the point where images taken on an SLR at ISO
3200 and even ISO 6400 produce results that
are remarkably good.
Once you start entering the realms of
expanded ISO settings, youll discover that
quality does drop off quickly.
Explore the possibilities of shooting at different ISO settings
detailed images. However, because
these settings are less sensitive to
light (they dont amplify the signal
as much), they require more light
in order to make an exposure. This
can be achieved by shooting with
either a larger aperture (to increase
the amount of light let in through
the lens) or a slower shutter speed
(to increase the amount of time the
sensor is exposed to light) or both.
Of course, you can take a picture
at low ISOs without making these
adjustments: its just that it will take
< 400 800-1600 3200 >
58
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
fast enough to freeze the moment.
Increasing the ISO is the answer. Each
time the ISO was doubled, a shutter
speed twice as fast could be used; if
ISO 200 gave you a shutter speed of
1/250sec, then ISO 400 would give
you a shutter speed of 1/500sec.
Push it to ISO 800, and a shutter
speed jumps to 1/1000sec and
that can make all the diference when
shooting action.
ISO can also be used in the same
way to achieve a more desirable
aperture setting. Take landscape
photography. This often requires the
use of a tripod, as the small apertures
typically used to give a generous
depth of eld (and keep everything
longer to make the exposure, which
could result in a blurred picture if the
subject or the camera were moving
during this time.
The key to success is to nd a
balance between the three exposure
settings ISO, aperture and shutter
speed that will give you the efect
youre after. And, like aperture and
shutter speed, you need to choose the
best ISO at the time of shooting: you
wont be able to adjust the setting
once youve taken the shot, even if
you shoot raw.
What effects can ISO help with?
It takes a combination of aperture,
shutter speed and ISO to make
an exposure, but there are many
diferent combinations that will work
for a given situation. The thing to
remember is that if you increase one
of these settings, you need to reduce
one of the others in order to maintain
a consistent exposure.
For instance, if you open the
aperture by one stop (more light),
youd need to either choose a shutter
speed one stop faster (less light)
or use an ISO one stop lower (less
sensitivity). This is where ISO shows
its versatility. For example, if you
want to select a very fast shutter
speed in order to freeze a fast-moving
subject, youll usually have to set a
large aperture.
If light levels are low, even the
widest aperture available on the
lens may not give a shutter speed
Master the
basics of ash
photography,
guide numbers,
ll-ash, ash
compensation
and more
NEXT MONTH
USING FLASH
Why it can be a good idea to let your camera take control of choosing the ISO
Select A in the ISO menu
Rather than dialling in an ISO manually, you
can scroll through the ISO sensitivities until
you reach the Auto option. The camera will
now choose the sensitivity according to the
light levels and aperture being used. This is
handy if youre shooting in conditions where
the light levels are constantly changing.
Limit the range
Auto ISO attempts to give a shutter speed
fast enough for sharp hand-held pictures,
based on the focal length of the lens.
Cameras tend to err on the side of caution
and choose an ISO thats very high for the
lighting conditions that youre shooting in,
which can result in a very fast shutter speed.
Set a minimum speed
Some cameras let you set a minimum
shutter speed for the Auto ISO when youre
shooting in Aperture Priority or Program
mode. If the shutter speed drops below this
figure, then the camera will automatically
increase the ISO, improving your chances of
getting a sharp image.
SHOOTING ADVICE AUTOMATIC ISO
sharp from the foreground to the
horizon) can lead to shutter speeds
that are too slow for pin-sharp
handheld shots.
But what if you dont have a
tripod to hand? The answer here is to
increase the ISO setting in order to
use a faster shutter speed. Yes, you
might lose something in the way of
picture quality, but todays cameras
are capable of producing staggeringly
good high ISO pictures, and a noisy
shot is always preferable to a blurred
one unless an intentionally blurred
picture is what youre after, of course.
In that situation, you should select
a low ISO sensitivity and a small
aperture to get your result.
To improve the quality of images taken at high ISOs, you
can activate your cameras high ISO noise reduction (NR)
feature, or shoot in raw and apply noise reduction later in
Adobe Camera Raw or similar. Be subtle, though: excessive
noise reduction will reduce the amount of detail. Ensure
your exposure is spot-on by checking the histogram after
youve taken the shot picture noise will be exacerbated if
you have to excessively brighten an under-exposed image.
SHOOTING ADVICE
NOISE REDUCTION EXPLAINED
Make subtle adjustments to improve your images
ISO 400
ISO 102,400, NO NR ISO 102,400, STRONG NR
59
SLR CAMERA SKILLS
BEFORE
HOW TO BECOME
MORE DEEP
Three basic techniques
to enhance a feeling of
depth in your images
Add foreground interest
If you shoot a mid-distant scene
without any foreground elements,
it will usually look very two-
dimensional or flat. By including
something of interest close to
the camera you can introduce a
sense of depth, and lead the eye
from the foreground to a focal
point in the distance.
01
Change the perspective
A greater sense of depth can
be achieved by exaggerating the
perspective in a scene. One way
to do this is use a wide-angle
lens and shoot from a closer
viewpoint. This will alter the scale
of the objects in the scene, so
that those closer to the camera
appear larger, and vice versa.
02
PHOTO RESCUE
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You can use a few simple photographic tricks to add a
feeling of depth to your images, says Mark Hamblin
However technically competent they may
be, many landscape images fall down
because they lack interest. Wide dramatic
expanses may look great to the human eye, but
that same view doesnt necessarily transfer well to
your images. The main reason for this is that our
brain processes what we see through our binocular
vision and provides us with a three-dimensional
view of the world, allowing us to perceive depth.
But because a picture is two-dimensional, its
necessary to introduce the illusion of depth using
a few photographic techniques. Simply changing
your viewpoint or composition is often all thats
needed to totally transform your shot.
Avoid at landscapes
Compose cleverly
You can cleverly add a three-
dimensional look to your images
by guiding the viewer through the
scene using leading lines. These
could be a row of trees, a stone
wall, a shoreline, a city street or
a river, for instance all of which
will help the viewer explore the
picture by directing their eyes.
03
60
SLR CAMERA SKILLS

Sync everything
Use Manual mode to set the exposure so its
the same in every shot. If the readings vary, use
settings in the middle of the range. Take a test
shot and evaluate the histogram. Set the white
balance to 5600k and switch to manual focusing.
Stitch your images
Import the raw images for processing and
make adjustments to one image, then sync with
the others. Export files at full resolution and load
them into stitching software such as Photomerge,
PTGui or Hugin to generate a panorama.
Output the Panorama
The stitching software will automatically
generate a composite image, but it may require
cropping to remove blank canvas. After
outputting, make any final adjustments to
contrast and colour saturation in Photoshop.
Overlap generously
With the camera on a level tripod, take the
first shot on the far left and then take successive
shots with a 30% overlap dont re-focus. If
necessary take more images below and above to
include everything you want in the shot.
How to SHOOT A PANORAMIC LANDSCAPE
Create your own panorama by following our easy step-by-step guide
01
03 04
02
Mark Hamblin explains how to create high-resolution panoramas by
stitching together overlapping images into a massive finished picture
Shoot stunning panoramic images
Theres nothing new
about panoramic
photography: its just
that its now easier than ever
before. Once the preserve of
professional photographers
with specialised hardware or
expensive lm cameras, shooting
high-quality panoramas is now
possible for anyone with a SLR,
or even a point and shoot, so long
as you stick to the basic rules.
The technique involves taking
a series of overlapping images,
then blending them together
with stitching software to create
a seamless panoramic image.
There is no limit to the number
of images that can be used to
create the panorama, and you
dont have to restrict yourself
to a single sweep across the
landscape: you can build up the
image with two or three rows of
images as long as you maintain
a good overlap between them.
TIPS FOR SHOOTING
The golden rule is to keep the
settings exactly the same for
each shot. This involves doing
things manually, so make sure
youre familiar with working in
Manual metering mode. You also
need to set the white balance
manually, although you can sync
this during processing if you
shoot in raw. Wide-angle lenses
are best avoided: they can cause
problems with distortion that
cant be xed in software. A focal
length of between 35-80mm is
usually about right. While a
tripod isnt vital, it will help you
frame successive images.
Blend your shots
using stitching
software to
create a seamless
panoramic image
SLR DISCOVERIES
M
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1
Corpach Sea Lock
Scottish Highlands, PH33 7JH
The Caledonian Canal joins Scotlands east and west coasts,
with majestic hills rolling down behind the sea lock at its westerly
point being a magnet for landscape pros.
5
Brindleyplace
Birmingham, B1 2JF
A modern development that sits alongside the
Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line Canal,
right in the heart of central Birmingham.
2
Falkirk Wheel
Stirlingshire, FK1 4RS
The futuristic Falkirk Wheel rotating boat lift is a
striking focal point that joins the Forth and
Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.
6
Caen Hill Locks
Wiltshire, SN10 1QR
This series of 29 locks on the Kennet and Avon
Canal is located near Devizes. It can take up to
six hours to navigate them by boat.
7
Little Venice
London, W9 2PF
An area of the Regents Canal just north of
Paddington thats popular with tourists. When
the light drops off, hit the bars and cafes
3
Liverpool Canal Link
Merseyside, L3 1BY
An extension to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal,
this waterway opened in 2009 and runs right by
the iconic Three Graces on Liverpools docks.
4
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Trevor Basin, Clwyd, LL20 7TG
This impressive 126 foot-high structure takes
the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee, offering
sensational views across the valley below.
I
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TOP TIP
Use a slow shutter
speed on a tripod-
mounted SLR to blur
water rushing out
of lock gates
Our pick of Britains best-looking waterways,
complete with sat-nav friendly postcodes
Our favourite places to photograph
Picturesque canals
S
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64
ThePhotoFixer
Nicola is in a muddle with her macro lens. Can Chris Rutter
help her master the techniques for shooting close-ups?
Q
I have recently
bought a Nikon
AF-S 105mm macro
lens for my D5100
to shoot close-ups,
which I havent been
able to achieve with
my existing lenses.
I understand the basic
principles of shooting
close-ups, but havent
had a chance to
really explore the
possibilities with this
lens. Can you help?
Nicola Hesketh,
Bristol
D
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C
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y
HELP ME TAKE
CLOSE-UPS
WITH MY NEW
MACRO LENS
WE ANSWER A READER SOS
65
ThePhotoFixer
Do you need our
help? Fancy some
one-on-one tuition
from The Photo
Fixer? See page 68
to find out how you
can get in touch
PREVIOUS
ATTEMPTS
The few times that
Nicolas had a
chance to get out
with her 105mm
macro lens, she has
struggled to get
pin-sharp results,
and to choose the
best aperture to get
the best results
G
etting pin-sharp close-ups and macro
shots can be hard. The limited depth
of eld at wide apertures means your
focusing has to be spot on, but using smaller
aperture settings can lead to problems with
distracting backgrounds and camera shake.
Nicola has found it difcult to get to grips
with the extra accuracy needed when shooting
close-ups. She has a good understanding of
exposure and is happy shooting in Manual and
Aperture Priority modes, but has struggled to
nd the best settings with her macro lens.
We meet at the North Somerset Buttery
House near Bristol, which houses a huge range
of butteries. This makes it easier to show
Nicola the techniques, rather than chasing wild
butteries. But they are still free to y away,
making them a challenge to me too!
Nicola hasnt had many
opportunities to try out her
new lens, and when she has
used it she has struggled to
nd any suitable subjects.
Despite this, her shots show
she has a good understanding
of how to control the depth of
eld and exposure using other
lenses on her Nikon D5100.
When Nicola has previously
shot butteries with her
18-200mm lens, she hasnt
been able to get close enough
to ll the frame with the
subject. Along with the
photographic challenges of
shooting close-ups, getting
good shots of butteries also
demands some eldcraft skills
to allow you to get close
enough to the subject.
While this is easier to
achieve in a controlled
environment such as the
buttery house we were
visiting, it still takes skill and
patience to get in close
enough to get your shots, and
also nd a good viewpoint.
Close, but not close enough
Background information
Above Nicola has mastered shooting many subjects, but needs some help using her macro lens
THE DIAGNOSIS
The Photo Fixer investigates
66
ThePhotoFixer
Handy kit for
macro shots
Here are three pieces of
photography kit that are
invaluable help for getting
close-up shots of tiny wildlife
PHOTO FIX #1
Maintaining focus
N
icola has a very good
understanding of photography,
but the shallow depth of eld
when shooting macro images means
she has struggled to get consistently
sharp results.
Its tempting to shoot at the widest
aperture to achieve fast shutter
speeds, but I encourage Nicola to use
a smaller aperture, such as f/5.6, to
increase the depth of eld. To keep
the results sharp, Nicola sets the ISO
to 400. This will allow her to keep the
shutter speeds as high as possible
and avoid camera shake without
producing too much noise.
I also get her to keep adjusting the
autofocus point so its positioned
over the head of the subject: its still
vital that the focus is there, rather
than the wings or body of the insect.
SHOOTING ADVICE
1
Macro lens
A dedicated macro lens will make
it much easier to get close-ups of
butterflies and other small subjects.
Nicolas Nikon AF-S 105mm offers a
vibration reduction (image stabiliser)
system to combat camera shake.
2
Reflector
A small reflector, such as this
Lastolite 12-inch silver/white model,
can be perfect for bouncing light
back onto the subject when they
settle in a shady spot. This is useful
in butterfly houses, where most of
the light tends to come from above.
3
Flashgun
A flashgun gives extra options
for shooting in shade, and adds
colour and punch to your images.
Its best to use an off-camera cord
or remote triggers to light the
subject from different positions.
Right and below
Positioning the
autofocus point
over the head of the
butterfly means
Nicolas shots
improved a lot
67
ThePhotoFixer
PHOTO FIX #2
Generating additional light
E
ven though Nicola has got
some great shots here at the
buttery house, there are plenty
of occasions where a buttery lands
in the shade of the leaves and foliage,
making it too dark to get a good shot.
In order to help her to improve
her shots in these situations, I show
her how a simple collapsible reector
can help to bounce light back into
the shadows when the buttery has
settled in a dark area.
Even though the reector assists
greatly in many of these locations,
there are still some areas where its
impossible for the reector to do
its job, as there simply isnt enough
sunlight to bounce back into the
shadow areas.
In these tricky areas, I show Nicola
how she can attach her ashgun to an
of-camera cord (bought separately) to
help her out with the light issues.
With the ash set to automatic
TTL exposure mode, I get Nicola to
set the ashgun to -1EV, so that it
adds just enough light without over-
exposing the images.
Top Shooting butterflies under the shade of
the foliage in the butterfly house, Nicola
initially struggled to get any decent results
Above Using her SB700 flash to add some
fill-in light helped Nicola to achieve a much
brighter and far better lit image
Did we x
Nicolas pics?
Turn
over to
nd out
A
s Nicola is getting
consistently sharp
results, we decide
to address how she can
improve her close-ups and
macro shots.
One of the biggest
problems of shooting in
a butterfly house is that
often the butterflies feed
or settle on flowers where
the windows or frame of the
butterfly house are visible in
the background.
These man-made
structures spoil several of
Nicolas otherwise good
shots; so once she has
found a suitable subject,
I encourage her to try to
find a viewpoint where
there is foliage or flowers in
the background to give her
photography a much more
natural appearance.
Getting these
backgrounds takes a
great deal of patience and
persistence, though: most
of the butterflies seem
to be intent on landing on
flowers where the only
background option is the
unsightly roof or windows
of the butterfly house.
But after a short wait,
Nicola is able to find a few
willing subjects that give
her the opportunity to use
a much more attractive
background and get much
better-looking results.
PHOTO FIX #3
Behind and beyond
Below and right By waiting and carefully
choosing the right subject and viewpoint, Nicola
managed to avoid too many shots being spoiled
by the manmade structures of the butterfly
house being visible in the background
NO FLASH
WITH FLASH
EXPERT ADVICE
68
ThePhotoFixer
Shooting the folded wings of this butterfly
parallel to the back of the camera, Nicola
was able to keep the subject sharp, but
produce a lovely blurred background
The Photo
Fixer says
When it came to
using her macro
lens, Nicola knew
what she needed
to do to, but had struggled to
put it into practice. She soon
mastered selecting the
appropriate focus point on
her Nikon D5100 to focus
accurately on the head of the
buttery, and also which
aperture was the best to use
in diferent situations.
But the biggest change
during the day was how
much more attention Nicola
was paying to the lighting
and background of her
images. Even in the highly
controlled environment of
the buttery house, moving
around to nd a better
viewpoint is still difcult
to do without the subject
taking ight. Nicola was
soon able to nd less
distracting backgrounds, but
moving slowly enough so as
not to scare the buttery of.
When it comes to lighting,
Nicola will need to practice
using her of-camera ash,
as its quite difcult to hold
both the camera and ash
steady, while concentrating
on focusing on the subject.
Nicola says
It was great to get
the chance to learn
how to get the best
from my macro
lens. Even though there were
plenty of butteries around,
Macro metamorphosis
THE VERDICT
it took a while to nd ones
that were settled enough to
use the diferent settings.
Although I knew how
to move the focus point, I
learned how moving it onto
the head of the buttery
gives the best results. Chris
also helped me understand
how important it is to check
the background, and use the
right aperture to blur the
background but keep as
much as the buttery sharp
as possible. Using ash isnt
something Id considered for
macro shots before, but
using it had a huge efect on
the results. Ill have to
practise more using this, and
also a reector to brighten
the subject when the light
isnt quite perfect.
P
H
O
T
O

F
IX
E
D
!
How you can contact The Photo Fixer
for professional shooting advice
Could your photography do with the
help of an experienced expert? If you
think your technique could benefit from
a day out with the Digital Camera experts,
send us an email to digitalcamera@
futurenet.com. Simply put Photo Fixer
in your emails subject line, and explain
what your favourite subjects are; which
area of your photography youd like
to improve; and what camera kit and
accessories you own and use.
A few sample photos of your best
attempts at the subject would also
be helpful for us to get an idea of what
level youre currently at.
Do you
need help?
Thanks to the North Somerset Butterfly House,
Congresbury BS49 5AA. For more information,
go to www.nsbutterflyhouse.com
71
presents
Photoshop
School
72 76 80
The Adobe
Photoshop
guide for photographers
72 Quick photo fixes

An easy guide to ironing out
issues with colour, tone,
content and composition
76 Make your shots sing
Add eye-catching effects in
Camera Raw by mastering
its selective tonal tools
80 Black and white effects
Using Lightroom to remove
colour, tweak brightness
and boost contrast
THIS MONTH
Download our iPad
app from the App Store
72
PHOTOSHOP BASICS
PhotoshopSchool
PH PHOTOSHOP BASICS
Dig Digita t l Camera September 2013
72
PHOTOSHOP BASICS
PhotoshopSchool
Y
our cameras Auto function lacks the
intelligence to know which areas in the
frame you want to prioritise in relation
to exposure, so you might end up with
important details being left in the dark.
When it comes to capturing correct colours you
can give the camera a helping hand by choosing
specic WB presets, but with changing weather
conditions, a particular preset may add unwanted
colour casts to some of your shots.
In this issues Core Skills feature (see page 48)
we look how to shoot on overcast days. Due to
cloudy weather conditions, our location in the
start image has dull lighting in the background.
As a result, the bridge is under-exposed, has a
at contrast and sufers from a cold colour cast.
However, the foreground rhododendron bush is
being lit by direct sunlight, so has a better contrast,
stronger colours and a healthier colour balance.
These contrasting lighting conditions mean that
we need to use Photoshop Elements to make local
(rather than global) corrections to x the shots
exposure and colour problems.
SELECTIVE ADJUSTMENTS
In this walkthrough, well demonstrate how to use
adjustment layers to boost the strength of weaker
colours without over-saturating stronger ones.
Youll also learn how to selectively target and warm
up cold colours by editing an adjustment layers
mask. Well show you how to sharpen up delicate
details while keeping noise at bay, as well as
demonstrating how to remove distracting objects
with a quick swipe of the Clone Stamp tool.
STEP BY STEP
George Cairns shows how to beat common
problems with colour, tone and composition
WHAT YOULL NEED
Photoshop Elements 9 or above
WHAT YOULL LEARN
How to use adjustment layers to
selectively tweak a shots colours
and tones, as well as removing
distracting objects
IT ONLY TAKES
15 minutes
Quick photo fixes
G
e
r
o
g
e
C
a
i
r
n
s
AFTER
BEFORE
PC & MAC FILEShttp://mos.futurenet.com/resources/dcm/DCM142.ps_basic.zip
73
FIX COMMON PROBLEMS WITH YOUR SHOTS
PhotoshopSchool
73
PhotoshopSchool
Set up the Crop tool
2
Grab the Crop tool [C]. In the Options bar, choose
Use Photo Ratio. This enables you to produce a
cropped shot that has the same shape as the original
image. Set Resolution to 240 pixels to produce a
detailed, high quality print. Click and drag the crop
window to cover the entire shot.
Rule of Thirds
3
Click the Rule of Thirds option. Drag the bottom
right corner handle left to tighten the crop window
around the bushes. Drag the top left handle right
to lose the edge of the tree. Drag inside the grid to
position the bushes in the Rule of Thirds column on
the right. Place the bridge in the grids middle row.
Warm up
6
Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Photo Filter.
Click OK. Set the Filter drop down to Warming
Filter (85). Increase Density to 50. This helps reduce
the blue colour cast in the overcast background.
However, the correctly balanced colours in the sun-lit
rhododendron bush now look too warm.
Remove distractions
5
Grab the Zoom tool. Click to get a closer look at the
policeman on the bridge. Grab the Clone Stamp
tool [S]. In the Options bar, set Size to 100 pixels. Set
Opacity to 100%. Alt+click the cursor on the parapet
to the mans left to sample it. Spray the sampled pixels
over the man to hide him.
Apply the crop
4
Place the cursor outside the crop window. A
rotate icon will appear. Drag to rotate the crop
window clockwise so that its horizontal lines run parallel
with the shots slightly tilted horizon. Click the tick to
complete the crop. The horizon is straight and the
bridge is more prominent in the frame.
Learn the lingo
Resolution
W
hen you use the Crop
tool to improve a
shots composition, you
need to decide what
resolution the cropped shot
will have. On a Mac, your
photo is displayed at a
resolution of 72 pixels per
inch (or 96 PPI on a PC). If
you plan to print the cropped
shot then you need to
increase the Crop tools
Resolution option to a higher
value (such as 240 PPI) to
squeeze more detail into the
print. Thanks to the high
mega-pixel value of most
SLRs you can crop a shot
and still produce large prints
with a high resolution.
Before painting on
a mask, press D to
set the Tools panels
foreground and
background colours
to the default black
and white. If you paint
a black brush on an
adjustment layers
mask, you will stop
that section of the
adjustment layer
from changing pixels
on the layer below. A
white tip will allow the
adjustment layer to
change pixels on the
layer below. Press X to
toggle between a black
or white brush tip.
George Cairns, technique writer
EXPERT TI P
Open start file
1
Download the tutorial files to your computers hard
drive. In Photoshop Elements, go to File>Open.
Browse to fix_before01.jpg and click Open. The shot
will open in Photoshop Elements Expert workspace.
Before we tackle our problem colours and tones, it
makes sense to improve the composition first.
74
PHOTOSHOP BASICS
PhotoshopSchool
PhotoshopSchool
Adjust white balance
7
Grab the Brush tool. Choose a soft round tip from
the Brush preset picker. Set Size to 500 pixels. Set
Opacity to 100%. Click on the Photo Filter adjustment
layers white mask to target it. Set the foreground
colour to black. Spray over the bush to reduce the
intensity of the Warming Filter.
Adjust bridge tones
8
Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels. Click
OK. Drag the white highlight input level slider left
to 245. This brightens the highlights. Drag the grey
slider left to 1.31 to lighten the midtones. Drag the black
shadow input level slider to 11 for darker shadows. This
improves overall contrast.
Mask the adjustment
9
We can now see more detail in the under-exposed
overcast bridge and it has a less flat contrast.
However, the correctly exposed sunlit foreground is
now too bright. Spray a black brush tip on the mask to
protect the rhododendron bush from being changed
by the Levels adjustments.
Before and after
10
Click an adjustment layers eye icon to toggle it
on and off. If you Shift+click on an adjustment
layers mask you can temporarily disable it. Do this and
a red X will appear to remind you the mask is disabled.
Shift+click again to turn the mask back on. This lets
you compare the masked version with the original.
Hue/Saturation
11
The sunlit foreground colours are more saturated
than the overcast backgrounds weaker colours.
When you brighten up shadows, the colours in these
areas tend to be drab. Fortunately you can use
adjustment layers to tweak the saturation of individual
colours. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
Selective colour boost
12
Set the Channel drop-down to Blues. Boost the
Saturation to +37 to tease out more colour in
the sky and its reflection. To create more lush looking
foliage, set Channel to Yellows and boost Saturation to
+44. Set the Master Saturation to +10. This gives the
colours much more impact.
Learn the lingo
Save As
O
nce youve used
adjustment layers to fix
common colour and tonal
problems, you can save
them with the image and
fine-tune them at a later
date. Choose File>Save As.
Set Format to Photoshop or
Tiff. Keep the Layers box
ticked to preserve the layer
structure. Click OK. If youre
happy with the result you
can choose a JPEG format.
This will flatten the image
and lose all the adjustment
layers, creating a lighter file
that you can pop online.
When spraying a
black tip over bits of
sky to mask out the
sharpening-induced
noise in step 18,
you may need to
frequently change
the brush tips size.
Tap the left square
bracket for a smaller
tip that can paint over
patches of sky hiding
in the foliage. Tap the
right square bracket
for a larger tip that will
cover larger sections
of sky more quickly.
Dont worry too much
if you end up spraying
over the edges.
EXPERT TI P
75
FIX COMMON PROBLEMS WITH YOUR SHOTS
Tweak saturation
13
Our vibrant colours will look great onscreen in a
web gallery, but they may be too garish for print.
This is because printers cant reproduce as many
colours as displays can. To minimise the risk of printing
posterized colours, reduce the Hue/Saturation
adjustment layers Opacity to 70%.
Fine-tune tones
14
Click on the Levels adjustment layer. Hold down
the Alt key and drag the white highlight input
level to 239 to brighten the highlights. This shows
clipped pixels as patches of colour. A little clipping is
fine in unimportant areas. Healthy pixels are black.
Masked areas appear in their normal colours.
Stamp visible
15
Click on the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer at
the top of the stack. Press Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (or
Shift+Cmd+Alt+E on a Mac). This performs a Stamp
Visible command, creating a flattened version of the
scene with all the adjustments applied to it. The other
layers are still available.
Sharpen the shot
16
If you plan to print, most images can benefit
from a little post-production sharpening to
make delicate details such as our bridges brickwork
pop out. Click on the top layer. Set Amount to 105,
Radius to 2.0 and Remove to Lens Blur. Leave More
Refined unticked as this adds noise. Click OK.
Add layer mask
17
Sharpening the shot reveals more detail in the
bridge and foliage. However, the sharpening
process adds noise, which is more noticeable in less
busy areas such as the sky. To selectively remove noise
from the sky while preserving sharpened details in the
rest of the shot, choose Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All.
Reduce noise
18
Grab the Brush tool. Choose a soft round tip
with a Size of 300. Click on the mask. Set the
foreground colour to black. Spray over patches of sky
to hide the noise from this top layer. Youll now see a
mix of sharpened bridge and tree details on the top
layer with unsharpened sky from the layer below.
Learn the lingo
Layer masks
L
ayer masks (such as the
one we used in Step 17)
enable you to use greyscale
brush strokes to hide or
show pixels on the attached
image layer. Masks give you
many more editing choices
than youd get by simply
using the destructive Eraser
tool, so its worth considering
them. By painting white onto
a mask you can reveal detail
on the image layer. Black
strokes will hide image
content, while grey strokes
will create a semi-
transparent mix.
If your computer
display is too dark or
bright, or the colours
are wrong, then you
may make incorrect
adjustments to your
shots tones. Try using
display calibration
software to get a more
accurate view of the
colours, shadows and
highlights in your shots.
Histograms will tell you
the truth about the
spread of tones in your
image, regardless of
your displays settings.
EXPERT TI P
PhotoshopSchool
76
NEXT STEPS
PhotoshopSchool
76
NEXT STEPS
PhotoshopSchool
STEP BY STEP
A
dobe Camera Raw is now so good that
we nd we barely need to open images
into Photoshop any more. Such is the
depth of tools and commands on ofer
that you can perform almost every
task you need to in Camera Raw.
The tools for tonal control arguably surpass
those found in Photoshop. Not only can you
ne-tune the tones in your image universally, but
you can also target and adjust diferent areas to
enhance detail, dodge and burn, or make a huge
variety of other efects. Whats more, because
Camera Raw (and Lightroom) employs parametric
editing, your changes arent permanent. Instead,
the changes are saved as extra data alongside your
original le (whether its a raw le, TIFF or JPEG).
Each and every setting, brush stroke, heal point
and colour shift can be adjusted or deleted.
Here well show you how to boost colours and
details in diferent areas of your images. There are
four tools in particular that are invaluable for this.
Alongside the Adjustment Brush and Graduated
Filter is the new Radial Filter tool, which enables
you to dene an area and then make changes to it.
The Targeted Adjustment Tool is also useful for
selective adjustments. But rather than dening an
area, the tool lets you zero in on diferent colour
ranges. Well show you how to master these tools
for a variety of tonal efects, from boosting colours
to softening skin and adding a lm-like border.
Dramatically improve raw images and add a whole
range of eye-catching effects with James Paterson
WHAT YOULL NEED
Photoshop CS4 or above
WHAT YOULL LEARN
How to improve your images by
making selective adjustments to
different areas in Camera Raw
IT ONLY TAKES
20 minutes
Make your shots sing
in Camera Raw
J
a
m
e
s
P
a
t
e
r
s
o
n
AFTER
BEFORE
PC & MAC FILEShttp://mos.futurenet.com/resources/dcm/DCM142.ps_nextsteps.zip
77
MAKE SELECTIVE ADJUSTMENTS
PhotoshopSchool
77
PhotoshopSchool
Correct white balance
2
Grab the White Balance tool from the Toolbar and
click on the black shoulders to set this as neutral.
Keep clicking until you find the right look, and tweak
the Temperature and Tint sliders in the Basic Panel
manually. Set Temperature to 6700 and Tint to +10.
Make basic tweaks
3
Use the other sliders to improve the tones. Set
Exposure +0.85 to lighten the image, Highlights to
-66, Shadows to +33, and Whites to -48 to tease out
detail in the tonal extremes. To boost colour intensity,
set Vibrance to +31 and Saturation to +13.
Drag a grad
6
Click on the Graduated Filter tool in the Toolbar.
Well use the tool to balance out the tones on the
right and left sides of the frame. Drag a line from the
left edge in towards the face. Hold shift while dragging
to keep the line vertical, horizontal, or on a 45 angle.
Crop in tighter
5
Grab the Crop tool, then right-click in the image
window and choose the 2 to 3 aspect ratio. Drag
a crop box from the top left and exclude some of the
bottom and right side of the image to crop in tighter to
the face. Click back on the Zoom tool to exit the crop.
Add punch
4
Go to the Tone Curve Panel, then make an S-shaped
curve. Drag one point upwards near the top
right of the curve line to lighten the highlights, and a
second downwards near the bottom left to darken the
shadows. Add a third in the middle to tweak midtones.
Learn the lingo
Adjustment brush
T
he Adjustment brush is
one of the most useful
tools not just in Camera
Raw, but in Photoshops
entire arsenal. It works by
letting you paint a mask over
part of your image, which
can then be adjusted using
sliders such as Exposure,
Clarity and Saturation.
Nothing is ever set in stone,
though, as you can repaint
the mask or change the
sliders at any point simply
by clicking on the pins that
represent each adjustment.
The Graduated Filter
can be used to double
up on effects that
work across the whole
image. Say youd like
to boost Clarity for a
grungy look. Normally
youd increase Clarity,
but if this isnt strong
enough, grab the
Graduated Filter tool,
then drag a short line
outside the image,
directed away from it.
Then up the Clarity for
more grungy detail.
James Paterson, technique writer
EXPERT TI P
Open in Camera Raw
1
Open Bridge, then navigate to the tones_before.dng
file. Right-click it and choose Open in Camera Raw.
(You neednt even have Photoshop open to do this.).
If youre using your own file, you can also open JPEGs
and TIFFs into Camera Raw in this way.
78
NEXT STEPS
PhotoshopSchool
PhotoshopSchool
Change grad settings
7
Go to the settings on the right. The tool will
remember the last used settings, so double-
click sliders to reset them to the default values. Set
Exposure to -0.55 to darken down the left side of the
image. Next set Saturation to +36 and Highlights to -40.
Lighten the right
8
Click and drag in another line from the right of the
image. Reset Saturation, then set Exposure to
+0.65 to lighten the right side of the frame. Both sides
look a little warm, so set Temperature to -42, then click
back on the pin on the left and set Temperature to -28.
Make a film border
9
Zoom in close to the left, then drag a very short
line inwards from just inside the edge of the image,
while holding Shift. Set Exposure to -4.00. If the border
doesnt go completely black, drag another short line
next to the first. Repeat for the other three edges.
Set a pin
10
Grab the Adjustment Brush and zoom in close
to the face. Click on the cheek to set a pin. Go
to the settings on the right and reset all sliders, then
drag Clarity to -60. Tick Show Mask then click the
colour box next to it and choose a colour for the mask.
Soften the skin
11
Set Feather to 100 in the brush options, then
paint over the skin with the Adjustment Brush.
Use the ] and [ brackets to resize your brush as you
paint. If you go wrong, hold Alt and paint to subtract
areas. Once done, press Y to hide the mask overlay.
Enhance the glasses
12
Next well bring out the colours in the lenses.
With the Adjustment Brush selected, click New,
then click over the glasses to set another pin. Paint over
the two lenses, using Y to hide and reveal the mask. Set
Contrast to +26, Clarity to +36 and Saturation to +30.
Learn the lingo
Auto Mask
A
uto Mask is a handy
setting hidden away
at the bottom of the
Adjustment Brush controls
that makes the brush seek
out and snap to colours
similar to the one you
initially click over. This
makes it really easy to paint
precise masks over awkward
shapes. However, it can
occasionally leave rough
patches. If this happens,
paint around the shape first,
then untick Auto Mask and
fill in the rough patches by
painting freehand.
When painting with
the Adjustment
Brush, you can make a
straight line by holding
Shift, then clicking
between two points.
This handy painting
shortcut works with
all the painting tools
in Photoshop and
Camera Raw. Its also
very useful when
removing stray hairs
and lines with the
improved brush-like
Spot Removal tool in
the latest versions.
EXPERT TI P
79
PhotoshopSchool
MAKE SELECTIVE ADJUSTMENTS
Change hat colour
13
Press N for another new pin, then tick Auto-
Mask in the Brush options for extra assistance
with the painting. Press Y to reveal the mask overlay
then paint over the hat. Set Temperature to +28 and
Clarity to +30. Click the Colour box and choose a pink.
Boost the lips
14
To make the lips an image focal point, press N
for a new pin then set it over the lips. With Auto-
Mask ticked, paint over the rest of the lips, then untick
it and paint freehand to tidy up rough patches. Make
Exposure -0.20, Highlights -27 and Saturation +50.
Add a vignette
15
Grab the Radial Filter tool. Drag a circle over
the face. Hold Space and drag to temporarily
reposition the area. Make Exposure -0.35 and Feather
+65 to soften the transition. (Alternatively, use the
Vignette sliders to darken the corners.)
Target the blues
16
Grab the Targeted Adjustment tool, then
right-click in the image window and choose
Saturation. Click on the reflected blue sky in the right
lens, then drag upwards to boost the saturation. Next,
drag up on the lips to boost the reds and oranges.
Retouch the skin
17
Grab the Spot Removal tool from the Toolbar,
then press Cmd/Ctrl plus to zoom in close
to the face. Make points with the tool to remove
blemishes on the skin. In Camera Raw 8.0 and above,
you can paint with the tool for extra control.
Save the image
18
When youre happy with the image you can
either click Done to save changes or, if youd like
to save the image into different image formats such as
JPEG or TIFF, click Save Image, then choose a format,
location and file name in the Save Options.
Learn the lingo
Radial Filter
A
vailable in Photoshop
CCs Camera Raw 8
(as well as Lightroom 5), the
Radial Filter behaves just like
the Adjustment Brush and
Graduated Filter in that it
lets you set a pin that
represents a series of tonal
tweaks affecting part of your
image. The difference is
that the area is circular,
which makes the tool great
for adding vignettes that
allow you to focus attention
away from corners and onto
your subject.
When using the
Targeted Adjustment
tool, right-click to
adjust tones in five
ways. Hue, Saturation,
and Luminance
affect colours, while
Parametric Curve
enables you to lighten
or darken tones by
dragging in the image.
If youre unsure how
Curves work, its a
great introduction that
shows exactly how
different tones relate
to different parts of
the curve line. The
fifth option, Grayscale
Mix, gives you a
speedy black and
white conversion.
EXPERT TI P
80
NEXT STEPS
PhotoshopSchool
Digital Camera September 2013 Dig Digita ital Camera September 2013
80
LEARN LIGHTROOM
PhotoshopSchool
STEP BY STEP
L
ike most Photoshop techniques, when
it comes to creating black and white
images there are several ways to skin
a cat. Every photographer has their own
favourite method of doing this, and
as Photoshop has evolved so the choices and
methods for black and white conversion have
grown. Over the years these have ranged from the
rudimentary (like greyscale or desaturate) to the
more advanced (Channel Mixer, Gradient Maps)
to the long-winded (Lab Colour). In recent times,
two commands have emerged as the most efective:
Photoshops Black and White Adjustment Layer,
and the HSL/Greyscale Panel (available in both
Camera Raw and Lightroom). Like the best of the
earlier techniques, these two commands share
a common theme: they allow you to control
the brightness of individual colours during
the conversion, in much the same way as lens-
mounted colour lters afect black and white lm.
So you can for example darken down the blues
for a dramatic sky or lighten oranges and yellows to
give skin a high-fashion look.
LIFE IN MONO
Here youll learn how to convert to mono in
Lightroom, make presets, then add diferent toning
efects. Once you hit upon the right mix or
recipe for your black and white conversion,
its worth saving the settings so that they can be
applied to other images in the future. This is where
Lightroom shows its worth, as the interface and
tools are laid out in a way that makes applying and
saving your own presets quick and easy to execute.
So you can make presets for diferent types of
black and white treatments, then try them on any
image you like. And of course, because everything
in Lightroom is completely non-destructive, youre
free to try out and modify your black and white
efects at any stage.
Learn how you can create and apply a variety of beautiful black and
white treatments in Lightroom. James Paterson is your guide
WHAT YOULL NEED
Lightroom 3 or above
WHAT YOULL LEARN
How to convert images to black and white by removing
colour, tweaking brightness and boosting contrast in
Lightroom. How to save and organise presets
IT ONLY TAKES
10 minutes
Perfect black and white
effects in Lightroom
J
a
m
e
s
P
a
t
e
r
s
o
n
AFTER
BEFORE
PC & MAC FILEShttp://mos.futurenet.com/resources/dcm/DCM142.ps_lightroom.zip
81
BLACK AND WHITE
PhotoshopSchool
81
PhotoshopSchool
Convert to mono
2
Scroll down the panels on the right until you get to
the HSL/Color/B&W panel. Click B&W to remove
the colour. Use the sliders to fine tune the brightness of
the different colour ranges. To give the skin a soft feel,
up the Reds to +25, Oranges +33, Yellows +35.
Boost contrast
3
Mono conversions often benefit from a boost in
contrast, so go to the Tone Curve Panel. Select
Point Curve, then click and drag up on the top right of
the curve line. Drag down on the bottom half of the line
to make an S-shaped curve, boosting contrast.
Add blue and yellow
6
Create a preset, call it Warm Tone and check Tone
Curve in the preset options. Go back to Curves.
Right-click the Red and Blue lines and choose Flatten
Curve. Make an inverted S-curve on the Blue line for
blue shadows and yellow highlights. Make a preset.
Add a warm tone
5
Click the Channel options below the Tone Curve
and choose Blue. Drag down the bottom left of the
curve line, adding some points to pin the top of the line
back to its original position. Go to the Red Channel and
drag the bottom up, then pin back the rest of the line.
Make a preset
4
Go to the Preset Panel, right-click and choose New
Folder. Give it a name and hit OK. Click the plus
sign next to Presets. Call the preset Punchy Portrait
and choose the new folder. Click Check None, check
Tone Curve and Black and White Mix, then hit OK.
Learn the lingo
HSL Panel
A
vailable in both
Camera Raw and
Lightroom, the HSL Panel
enables you to change eight
different colour ranges in
your image, with three
different parameters to
choose from: Hue,
Saturation and Luminosity.
When you convert to black
and white, Hue and
Saturation become
irrelevant, so the only option
you get is Luminosity. As
well as dragging the colour
sliders, you can also
manipulate them by
dragging over tones in the
image with the Targeted
Adjustment tool.
When an image is
converted to black
and white, the eight
colour range sliders
in the B&W Panel
automatically jump
to different amounts.
This is because
Lightroom applies an
auto-mix based on an
analysis of the image.
If this isnt what you
want, you can turn it
off by going to Edit>
Preferences>Presets
and unchecking Apply
auto mix when first
converting to black
and white. The sliders
will stay at zero.
EXPERT TI P
Import the image
1
Open Lightroom, go to the Library Module and click
Import. Navigate to the bw_before.DNG file using
the Source panel on the right then click Import. Go to
the Develop Module and begin improving the image in
the Basic Panel. Set Exposure +0.44, Contrast +11.
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Photo Advisor
83
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
PhotoAdvisor
Angela says It sounds like
youre shooting from fairly
close to buildings and at
ground level, using a wide-angle
lens. This gives you two problems.
First, the barrel distortion inherent
in wide-angle lenses will make the
walls, roof and bottom edge of the
building all look as if theyre bowing
outwards. Secondly, your
ground-level vantage point
means that the top of the
building will be much further
away than its base.
The pro solution is to invest
in a tilt-shift lens, also called a
perspective correction lens, but
these tend to be very pricey at
around 1,500 or more. Another
option is to apply corrections
for both barrel distortion and
perspective efects in an image
editing program but its good
to get things right in-camera, as
far as possible.
Unless youre in a built-up
urban environment where theres
insufcient room for manoeuvre,
keep a distance from the building
itself. By using a more standard
focal length lens, youll be able
to minimise barrel distortion. To
avoid perspective problems, keep
the camera as level as possible
when shooting. Find a vantage
point, like a hill or bridge, that
puts you at a higher elevation,
equivalent to about halfway up
the building youre shooting.
STRAIGHT AND
TRUE BUILDINGS
Q
When I try to shoot architecture, the walls
appear to bow outwards and lean in at the
top. How can I stop this?Barry Donaghy, via email
Where the experts help you perfect your photography
CAMERA SKILLS
THE PHOTO
ADVISOR TEAM
Geoff Harris, editor
Geoffs a keen portrait
shooter, and loves solving
a knotty reader query
Angela Nicholson,
head of testing
Angelas got an unrivalled
knowledge of camera tech
Chris Rutter, technique ed
Pro-level photographer
Chris has a particular talent
for explaining jargon
George Cairns, writer
George is here to unravel
the mysteries of Photoshop
and Photoshop Elements
Keeping the camera level and avoiding a
wide-angle focal length, this image has
negligible distortion or perspective error
Got a photographic problem? Send the details to digitalcamera@futurenet.com and let us provide you with a solution
84
PhotoAdvisor
Chris says A good option
for your 700D is Canons
own EF-S 55-250mm
f/4-5.6 IS II lens. This is
designed exclusively for bodies
that have an APS-C format
sensor and as such, its quite
compact. It measures 70-
108mm and weighs just 390g.
Owners of Nikon SLRs can look
to the similar Nikon AF-S DX
55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR. This
lens is a little smaller than the
Canon and weighs a mere 335g,
but doesnt have quite as much
telephoto reach. The Canon and
Nikon lenses cost around
200 and 240 respectively.
Theres also a Canon
telephoto zoom thats
compatible with both APS-C
and full-frame based SLRs that
is surprisingly compact. This is
the Canon EF 70- 300mm f/4.5-
5.6 DO IS USM. Unlike the
vast majority of camera lenses,
its based on difractive optics,
which helps to reduce the size
to 82x100mm. Its not all good
news, however, as its a relatively
heavy lens at 720g, and much
more pricey at 1,100.
Q
Id like to keep my Canon 700Ds 18-
55mm kit lens and buy a separate
telephoto zoom. Are there any compact
and lightweight options? Tina Harris, via email
CAN I GET COMPACT
TELEPHOTO ZOOMS?
A LAYMANS GUIDE TO
CAMERA SKILLS
GIMBAL HEADS
What are they?
These are specialist heads for use on
tripods or monopods, ideally suited to
heavyweight lenses like super-telephoto
primes and zooms. They mount directly
to the tripod or monopod, in place of
more conventional two-way, three-way
or ball heads.
How do they work?
Gimbal heads are designed so that the
centre of gravity remains fixed when
tilting the camera and lens upwards or
downwards. This makes supporting heavy
lenses very much more stable, greatly
reducing the risk of the camera and lens
toppling over, or slipping out of position
when the clamps of a conventional head
are fully tightened.
Who makes them?
Prices range from about 250 to 500.
That might seem expensive, but its a much
easier cost to bear than an accidentally
smashed super-telephoto lens and camera
body. Popular makes include Wimberley,
Kirk, Manfrotto, Custom Brackets, Benro,
Induro and Triopo.
When should I use them?
Considering that many super-telephoto
lenses are simply too heavy for handheld
shooting, a gimbal head is useful any
time youre shooting with this type of
lens, especially in wildlife and sports
photography where you need a much
greater freedom of movement.
How do I attach them?
Gimbal heads attach to the tripod foot of
heavy lenses, rather than to the camera
body. To switch between portrait and
landscape orientation shooting, you simply
rotate the lens within its tripod collar. Most
gimbal heads use an Arca-Swiss style
quick-release clamp, but you may need to
buy additional mounting plates to ensure
compatibility with specific lenses.

Above Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony all still make fairly small, lightweight
telephoto zooms designed exclusively for SLRs with APS-C size sensors.
Independently manufactured alternatives have largely died out
cost around
40 respectively.
o a Canon
m thats
ith both APS-C
e based SLRs that
y compact. This is
70- 300mm f/4.5-
M. Unlike the
of camera lenses,
difractive optics,
o reduce the size
m. Its not all good
r, as its a relatively
720g, and much
t 1,100.
00Ds 18-
eparate
compact
s, via email
Above Canon
telephoto zoo
Independent
ht t

y g y
n, Nikon, Pentax and Sony all stil till m l make ake fairly small, lightweig gh
oms designed exclusively for SLRs with APS-C size sensors.
tly manufactured alternatives have largely died out
Above The Wimberley Head
Mk II is a very popular gimbal
head that comes complete
with a separate locking
mechanism for panning. It
costs about 520.
Above This Sidemount version enables separate
locking for pan and tilt, but the side-mounting
clamp reduces weight by about 0.5kg. It costs 400
moreconventional two-way, three-
or ball heads.
Above The Wimber
MkII k is a very popula
head that comes co
with a separate locki
mechanism for pann
costs about 520.
85
PhotoAdvisor
How to CONTROL SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS INDEPENDENTLY.
Most editing programs have a shadows/highlights adjustment feature. Heres how it works in Elements
DONT GET LOST IN
THE SHADOWS
CAMERA SKILLS
1
Adjust lighting
Open the image you want to work on and select
the Shadows/Highlights option from the Enhance,
Adjust Lighting pull-down menu. This will open a
new dialog box with all the controls you need.
3
Darken highlights
To progressively darken very bright areas of the
image, drag the middle slider further towards the
right. Finally, you can increase or decrease midtone
contrast by using the bottom slider.
2
Lighten shadows
Ensure the Preview checkbox is ticked for a live
preview, then drag the uppermost slider to increase
the brightness of shadows (or lowlights) in the
image, viewing the effect on screen.
Below and right
When contrast is higher
than your cameras
dynamic range
optimization can cope
with, editing controls for
highlights and shadows
can come to the rescue
Q
Ive taken some photos of a plane at an
airfield, lit by bright overhead sunlight.
The top of the plane is too bright, and the
underneath is lost in dark shadow. Is there
any way of fixing this? Harry Langdon, by email
George says This
problem is caused by too
much contrast between
the area of the plane being lit by
the overhead sun, and the part
thats in shadow. Dynamic range
optimization (in most recent
cameras) can help to some
extent, but extremely high-
contrast scenes will probably be
too much for it to cope with.
Another option is to take a
series of exposure-bracketed
shots and to merge them into
an HDR (High Dynamic Range)
image. Some cameras have
built-in features for doing this,
or you can use software to create
the efect in post-processing.
One downside is that you need
to take two or three images in
the bracketed sequence, which
will typically require a tripod
so you can keep the cameras
position exactly the same for
each shot. To rescue images
youve taken already, try using
the steps detailed below.
86
PhotoAdvisor
3
Artificial light
Artificial lighting can be out of the range of
auto white balance. Using it here has given a
warm colour shift. If you dont want this, switch
to tungsten or incandescent white balance.
4
The twilight zone
Here weve switched to tungsten white
balance. The lighting of the fairground ride
looks entirely natural, while the residual light in
the sky takes on a rich, blue appearance.
Q
Ive heard that digital SLRs
are great for night shots,
but mine dont come out very
well. What are the best
settings? Nate Sharman, by email
Chris says The first thing to think about is
composition. Current digital SLRs cope
very well under extremely low lighting
conditions, but they do need at least some light.
Cityscapes are ideal, with street lighting and
floodlit attractions. You can also get very good
results at twilight, after the sun has set but when
theres still some residual light in the sky.
Compositions that include watery surfaces from
ponds, rivers or even rain-wetted streets also
add interest, as lights in a scene are doubled up
when reflected. There are a broad range of
camera settings that work well, depending on the
nature of what youre shooting and whether or
not youre able to use a tripod, as we see here
TAKE ME TO
THE DARK SIDE
1
Handheld shooting
Increase the sensitivity setting to enable
fast enough shutter speeds in handheld
shooting. Use optical or sensor-shift image
stabilization if available in your lens or camera.
2
Long exposures
Use a tripod and you can retain a low ISO
setting and go for a longer exposure. This gives a
mirror finish to ripples in watery surfaces, and a
milky softness to weirs and waterfalls.
CAMERA SETTINGS
Try using a reflector
or even a large sheet of
white card to bounce
light coming in through
windows back onto the
subjects face. This can
give a more balanced
lighting effect and avoid
any dark shadows.
Chris Rutter, technique editor
EXPERT TI P
Q
Ive always used a flashgun
for indoor portraits but they
always look very harsh. Is there
an alternative? Mark Nottley, by email
Geoff says Flashgun heads are very small,
so tend to give a very harsh light. You
can soften the efect by using a ashgun
difuser, or by bouncing light from the ashgun of
a white wall or ceiling. This usually gives a more
natural look to portraits. An even better option is
to invest in a studio ash kit, with larger ash
heads and modiers like brollies or softboxes.
Theyre not cheap though, costing about 500
or more, and theyre naturally not as portable or
convenient as a ashgun.
Another option thats often overlooked is to
not use ash at all. Instead, increase your cameras
ISO setting to enable a shutter speed of around
1/60th of a second. This should help to avoid
camera-shake, and should also be fast enough for
portraiture if the person youre photographing isnt
moving. Make the most of light coming in through
windows and you can get excellent results, even if
you need to stretch sensitivity to around ISO 1600.
DO I HAVE TO USE A FLASHGUN?
CAMERA SKILLS
Above This indoor portrait, taken at ISO 1600, relies
solely on light coming in through the windows of a train
ISO 1600
87
PhotoAdvisor
Angela says Shooting in
raw quality mode keeps
your options open. You
can adjust white balance
exposure compensation and
other image attributes at the
editing stage more efectively
than with JPEG source les.
Raw editing also enables you to
make major alterations with
minimal degradation in image
quality. But its also true that
images can appear better when
taken in JPEG quality mode
rather than in raw. This is
particularly true of low-light
shots taken at high ISO settings.
The D7000 aims to retain as
much ne detail as possible
within images when capturing
raw les. In JPEG mode, its often
more likely to smooth over the
ne detail, applying noise
suppression more aggressively.
When processing raw images
with a manufacturers own
software, or with independent
raw processing programs, you
can apply levels of noise
suppression on a sliding scale.
Independent controls are often
available for both luminance and
chroma noise, as well as the
facility to choose how much ne
detail is preserved. This gives
you ultimate control over the
nal image, rather than settling
on a pre-determined level of
noise suppression governed by
your camera in JPEG shooting.
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Heres what you had to say about the closure of the
Digital Camera World reader forum, following an attack...
Debra L Elliott
I truly enjoy your website. Lots
of good information. I do more
reading than I do watching on
the forum. I recommend it to all
my photo friends. Thank you
for the website and the FB page.
Elise DeGrace
Im disappointed about the
forum, but its a free service
that they chose to provide. If
theyre losing money on it, why
should we expect them to keep
it running? Unless youre all
willing to pay membership fees
to access online content, I feel
like we all should just respect
their decision. I wont stop
visiting their website because
of this. Theyre an awesome
place to learn, forum or not.
Digital Camera
Thanks for your comment,
Elise. One thing weve always
strived to do is make everything
free as much as possible. Were
all photographers ourselves here
and share the same passion our
readers do. Everything from our
infographics to tutorials we
put up without pay walls or
registration. With the forum
being repeatedly attacked, we
decided itd be better for our
security and all of yours to take
it down and focus our eforts
on making the website an even
more awesome place to learn.
Ad De Ste Croix
Shame someone had to ruin all
the fun. I dont see what they
get it out ruining it for others.
David Merrifield
I take on board what the DCM
staf are saying and appreciate
the costs. At the end of the day,
the forum was a free service.
Part of the problem for people,
I think, is the lack of warning
before it was shut down.
Having said that, an extreme
event presented itself, which I
guess forced a decision. While
a social media presence is a
must these days, it is not a
substitute for the forum. Im
not really grumbling: I just
think it is a great shame.
I learned a lot, made some
great friends, had a good laugh
and loved the community there.
I will continue to subscribe to
DCM and visit their website,
though. I understand these are
difcult times with big shifts in
technology, and wish the team
the best of luck.
Digital Camera says
The cost of producing and maintaining a secure forum is
more than we can aford so we took the unfortunate decision to
close it down for good. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Above and right
High-ISO images
often look more
highly detailed
but noisier when
shooting in raw
rather than JPEG
quality mode
Above Join our Flickr Pool to share
images and chat with other readers
RAW OR JPEG FOR
HIGH ISO SHOTS?
CAMERA SKILLS
Q
I thought that it was always better to
shoot in raw quality mode rather than
JPEG, but my Nikon D7000 produces much
noisier images in raw when I use high ISO
settings. Is this normal? Adrian Vowles, by email
READER
OPINIONS
from our online
community
RAW
JPEG
88
89 89
Blue Damsel Fly,
Cornwall, 2011
This shot of a beautiful blue
beast was taken at Tamar Lake.
Nikon D300, f/11, 2 sec, ISO 200,
150mm focal length
Ross Hoddinott
*
A photographer since he
was 10, Ross Hoddinott is an
award-winning landscape and
nature pro based in Cornwall
*
Hes a regular contributor to
photography magazines and
is contracted to NaturePL
and the RSPCA Photo Library
*
Hes written five books,
including the recent
Digital Exposure Handbook
Hoddinott
The nature and landscape man tells Geoff Harris about his
precocious past and his fears for the future of his profession
Ross
90
THE Digital Camera INTERVIEW
There was no professional tuition
readily available, so I just learnt
through reading photo magazines
IN THE BAG
Cameras:
Nikon D800e
and D800.
Lenses: Nikkor 16-35mm
f/4G ED VR; Nikkor 24-
70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S;
Nikkor 50mm AF-S f/1.8G;
Nikkor 70-200mm AF-S
f/2.8G ED VR II; Nikkor
105mm f/2.8G AF-S VR
Micro; Nikkor 200mm
f/4D ED-IF AF Micro;
NIKKOR 200-400mm
F4G ED VR II AF-S; Nikkor
TC-20E III teleconverter.
Tripod: Gitzo Systematic
GT3541LS legs and a
Manfrotto 405 geared
head. Lee filters.
compact. It proved to be a great present, as
I quickly became hooked. I grew up in the
middle of nowhere in Cornwall, surrounded
by farmland, meadows and woodland so
my interest in nature and the outdoors
developed at a very early age. It didnt take
me long to combine the two interests.
Ross even went as far as setting up his
rst photography business at the tender age
of 17. Looking back, I guess that was a
pretty bold (or stupid!) move on my part.
But it all worked out OK, and again my
parents encouragement really helped.
EARLY RISER
Rosss early inuences included well-known
names such as David Noton and Joe
Cornish, along with Laurie Campbell. The
N
ow, if youre beating yourself
up about never going to
college to study photography,
take heart from the example
of top landscape and nature
pro, Ross Hoddinott. He didnt even go to
school, never mind college!
My parents home schooled me, Ross
explains. As for photography, there were no
workshops or professional tuition readily
available back then, so I just learnt through
reading photo magazines and books.
Rosss interest in photography came
completely by chance, but as with many
other pros, parental encouragement really
helped. When I was aged 10 or 11, my
parents were stuck for a Christmas present
for me and ended up giving me a basic lm
xxxxx
xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx
xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx
xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx
xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx
xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx
xxxxx
Derwent Water,
Lake District, 2012
(Above)
With Catbells Mountain
looming in the distance.
Nikon D800, f/16, 5 sec, ISO 100,
27mm focal length
Popradsk Pleso,
Slovakia, 2012
(Near right)
A misty late evening at the
Tatra Mountains.
Nikon D800, f/16, 120 sec, ISO
200, focal length 35mm
Bedruthan Steps,
North Cornwall, 2013
(Far right)
The stormy evening Cornish
light caught perfectly.
Nikon D800E, f/14, 6 sec, ISO
100, 16mm focal length
91
Xxx
Groyne, Swanage,
Dorset, 2009
Looking out to a milky sea along
this wooden seabreak. The
contrast between the two wood
colours is really striking.
Nikon D300, f/13, 180 sec, ISO
92
BEHIND THE IMAGE
I WANTED
A SHOT OF
AN INSECT
SILHOUETTED
AGAINST THE
MOON. SO I DECIDED TO
TRY A DIFFERENT TACK
Where and when
This was taken at Tamar Lakes, which
is a reservoir pretty close to where I
live. I go there often to get insect shots,
and had wanted to achieve this kind
of silhouette for a while. I visit this
location when the conditions are still
and look for insects resting high up on
grasses this allows me to isolate my
subject from its surroundings.

Execution
I shot the insect against the sun and
then added a cool cast to make it look
more like the moon. I know this is
cheating slightly, but it was the only
way I could get the effect I wanted in-
camera and with a single frame. The
sun rises remarkably quickly, and this
required me to adjust and recompose
every minute or so in order to keep the
insect correctly placed.

Lenses and gear
I used a telephoto macro lens to
isolate the insect. The sun was bright,
so I shot at f/4 and used a 10 stop ND
filter to darken the viewfinder image so
I could compose and focus in Live
View. I use a geared head for my close-
up work, which allows me to make very
fine, precise adjustments.
simplicity and quality of his wildlife images
immediately appealed to me. Also, his range
of skills and versatility. His style of
photography inuenced mine the most
you might notice that simplicity is often
the key to many of my close-up images.
Rosss rst big break came when he won
the ora and fauna category for under 18s in
BBC Countryles inaugural photo
competition. I was only 12 and won with an
image of paired dragonies. I won a top of
the range Minolta SLR and got a lot of
publicity too. It was just the encouragement
I needed. I began selling photos soon after
and appeared regularly in photography
mags. Then, aged 17, I won the international
Young Wildlife Photographer of Year
competition. This was the moment it
dawned on me that I could possibly do this
photography lark professionally! Ross is
very much a believer in trial and error, and
has the essential skill of being able to learn
from his mistakes.
Im not really very technical at all. Ive
learnt the technical side of photography out
of necessity, not because I particularly enjoy
the mechanics of what I do. At the risk of
sounding a bit ufy and arty, I just enjoy
taking pretty pictures. I love the art of
composition, using light creatively and
capturing something that hopefully others
enjoy and emotionally respond to. I dont
Wood Anemone,
Devon, 2012
(Top right)
Shot at the Royal Horticultural
Society Gardens in Rosemoor,
near Great Torrington in the
heart of Devon.
Nikon D800, f/5, 1/1250 sec, ISO
Banded Demoiselle,
Cornwall, 2011
(Centre right)
Clinging to a stem and backlit
by the morning sunlight.
Nikon D700, f/2.8, 1/1250 sec,
ISO 200, 150mm focal length
93
PRO INSIGHT
1
Keep it minimal
When shooting close-
ups, less is often more.
Study your subjects
background carefully
and try to exclude any
distracting detail either
by selecting a larger
aperture, or by changing
your viewpoint slightly.
2
Three legs good
Youve read it before
and youll read it again,
but dont go anywhere
without a good sturdy
tripod. Not only will a
support help you to
achieve bitingly sharp
images, but it will also aid
your composition.
3
Catch the light
Light is the key
ingredient to most good
landscape and natural
history images. The
golden hours of light
are unique to that time
of day and cant be
replicated in Photoshop.
You simply have to put
yourself in the right
place at the right time to
get the shot. Therefore,
set your alarm early and
stay out late.
4
Behavioural studies
To help your wildlife
images standout, try
to capture elements
of behaviour
flight, courtship or
hunting, for example.
Admittedly, achieving
well-composed, sharp
images will prove more
challenging, but the
results will be very
worthwhile.
5
Sharp shooter
When shooting
close-ups, depth of
field can be wafer thin.
Therefore, whenever
possible, employ a
tripod and use Live
View (while zooming
into your point of focus
and adjusting focus
manually) to ensure
that your focusing is
pinpoint accurate.
Ross offers five
tips for getting
better shots
Im not one of those photographers
who intentionally avoids so called
clichs just for the sake of it
plan my shoots anywhere near as carefully
or scientically as I should instead I enjoy
reacting intuitively to conditions or
opportunities that arise. And commercially,
Im not a great photographer at all I tend
to take the photographs, viewpoints or
subjects I want to take, rather than images
that are more likely to be marketable!
SIMPLE IS GOOD
Ross is working in one of the most popular
genres in photography, with a horde of other
pros (and aspiring amateurs) heading to the
same type of locations. How does he make
his work stand out?
Producing totally original viewpoints is
almost impossible, particularly on a small
but photogenic island like the UK. But Im
not one of those photographers who will
intentionally avoid so called clichs just for
the sake it. Im a sucker for long exposures,
milky water and great foreground.
Obviously, it would never be my intention
to produce a clichd shot, but if I like the
viewpoint, composition and efect, Im not
going to stop shooting it due to the fear of
repetition. However, I hope that my choice
of composition, viewpoint and light will
still help my landscape images stand out.
Ross also takes a lot of nature and
wildlife photography, a genre that has many
of the same kind of issues. Again, its not
easy, due to the exceptionally high standard
of photography today both amateur and
professional. Most of my natural history
work is of small subjects, like insects,
reptiles and wild owers. Capturing
elements of their behaviour is more
challenging, and there are fewer options
when it comes to producing something
diferent. That said, working so close to
your subject gives you more control over
light and background choice. Therefore, I
work very hard to produce attractively lit
close-ups that illustrate the beauty, design
and form of my subject. And the harder I
work, the luckier I get!
Ross is just old enough to have cut his
teeth on lm SLRs, but changed to a Nikon
D70 within a week of rst using it. Digital
capture allowed me to experiment, be more
creative and try new things and techniques.
Who knows, if digital hadnt come along
94
images using Lightroom and make almost
all my adjustments at this stage, ne tuning
contrast, exposure, colour temperature and
so on. Im a bit of a traditionalist at heart
and enjoy getting things right at the time of
capture when possible.
Its discouraging to hear Ross expound
on the current state of the market in our
image-saturated age. Landscape and
wildlife photography are popular, highly
accessible subjects, so arguably theyve been
afected most by the wealth of great free/
cheap imagery now available. So many of
my stock image sales now result in fees of
under a 1! It is sad and frustrating, but I
dont see things improving. I have 30 years
of working life remaining, and I worry if the
profession will actually last that long. All
you can do is adapt, though, which is what I
have tried to do. Im fortunate that Im now
fairly well established within the industry.
However, I dont think any professional
photographer can take anything for granted.
This is becoming an increasingly tough
profession, and I expect I will need to work
even harder over the coming years. That
said, Im not complaining. This is all Ive
wanted to do since my teens I would hate
to have a proper job!
See more of Rosss great landscape and
nature work at www.rosshoddinott.co.uk
when it did I may not have made it
professionally, as I think Id reached a bit of
a plateau with my photography. I didnt nd
the transition that difcult at all, and
embracing the digital age relatively early on
gave me fresh opportunities to write books
and articles on digital technique.
GET IT RIGHT IN CAMERA
That said, Ross reckons he does very little
work to his nal images in Photoshop.
Post processing is not a part of my work
I particularly enjoy, and my knowledge of
Photoshop is pretty basic. I process my
Im a bit of a traditionalist at heart
and enjoy getting things right at
the time of capture when possible
Common Frog,
Cornwall, 2008
(Above)
A Common Frog, taken in
extreme close up at Broxwater,
near Bude in Cornwall.
Nikon D300, f/3.2 1/1000sec,
ISO200, focal length 150mm
Flower Beetle,
Cornwall, 2007
(Right)
This green thick-legged
flower beetle contrasts
beautifully against a bright
yellow corn marigold.
Nikon D300, f/7.1, 1/30sec, ISO
100, focal length 150mm
97
Get the latest product news and reviews at TechRadar.com/cameras
KIT
ZONE
New gear Expert tests Buying advice
58
products
reviewed
& rated
100 Olympus E-P5
Taking the PEN compact camera
back to the drawing board, the E-P5
packs a fantastic OM-D sensor into
a stylish new body
106 Panasonic Lumix G6
Squeezing new and upgraded
features like Wi-Fi and a posh OLED
viewnder into the old system

112 Nik Collection
Bundles six powerful Photoshop
plug-ins together for photographers
who want to simplify making
selective adjustments
114 Tried and Tested
The latest accessories for your
camera tested in detail, including our
compact, book and app of the month
119 Mini-test
Half a dozen of the best remote
controllers for your camera
122 Group Test
We take a look at six small cameras
for taking into the great outdoors
136 Buyers Guide
Our verdicts on every SLR and
system camera weve reviewed
98
HotSHOTS
98
KITZONE
OUR TESTS EXPLAINED
Trusted Tests
D
igital Camera is
brought to you
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At Digital Camera, we take great
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We believe the best way to test
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Although scientific data wont tell
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The test images and resolution
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HOW WE TEST
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believe the only way to bring you
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sets of criteria to test SLRs and
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Real-world testing
The first and most important pillar
of our process is real-world
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can report back on how they cope
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The first part of our real-world
testing involves telling you how
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impressions of its performance;
the second is about examining the
image quality produced, so we
take a number of photographs
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which means you can see the
results achieved for yourself.
Benchmarking
The second pillar of our testing
policy involves testing the output
The
UKs most
in-depth
reviews
OUR SCORES
AND AWARDS
EXPLAINED
T
wo philosophies
underpin our scoring
system: transparency
and flexibility. Transparency
involves keeping our scoring
accurate and explaining why we
reach a verdict. Flexibility
enables us to change our
scoring criteria to ensure that
each product and service is
scored on appropriate criteria
a tripod, for instance, needs to
be judged on different qualities
to a digital SLR, and a flashgun
needs to be judged on different
Imaging lab manager, Ali Jennings, benchmarks cameras and lenses in our controlled test environment
OUR SCORES
AND AWARDS
EXPLAINED
T
wo philosophies
underpin our scoring
system: transparency
and flexibility. Transparency
involves keeping our scoring
accurate and explaining why
we reach a verdict. Flexibility
enables us to change our
scoring criteria to ensure that
each product and service is
scored on appropriate criteria
a tripod, for instance, needs to
be judged on different qualities
to a digital SLR, and a flashgun
needs to be judged on different
Rigorous Accurate Independent Fair
99
KITZONE
OUR TESTS EXPLAINED
of cameras and lenses under
controlled conditions. We shoot
a series of test charts that are
specifically designed to test
different performance aspects of
a camera or lens. Further details
about the tests we perform can
be found in the panel to the right.
To minimise the variables when
testing SLRs, we use Sigmas
50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM prime
lens, which is available for every
camera system.
Next, we perform an analysis of
the test images using Imatests
Imatest Master (www.imatest.com)
and DxO Analyzer (www.dxo.com/
intl/image_quality/dxo_analyzer)
to generate benchmark figures for
each test. These can then be
plotted against the results from
rival products to enable us to
THE
APPLIANCE
OF SCIENCE
Digital Camera runs tests
under controlled conditions on
both camera bodies and lenses.
Lenses are assessed using an
Imatest analysis of photos of
three charts. We use both
Imatest Master and DxO
Analyzer to measure camera
performance in four tests.
Heres more about each test
RESOLUTION
4
We use a resolution chart
based on ISO-12233 from
Applied Image Inc to indicate the
limit of the cameras vertical
resolution at the centre of the
frame. The higher the value, the
better the detail resolution.
DISTORTION: IMATEST
1
This test measures the
distortion caused by the lens.
We shoot the simple, lined chart
pictured above and then output
an accuracy percentage in
Imatest. The most accurate
result (ie, the best) would be 0%.
DYNAMICRANGE: DXOANALYZER
1
This is a measure of a
cameras ability to capture
detail in the highlights and
shadows. We use DxOs
transmissive chart, which
enables us to test a dynamic
range of 13.3 stops.
FRINGING: IMATEST
2
This test measures the
occurrence of chromatic
aberration. We shoot the chart
pictured above, then analyse the
photos using Imatest. The results
are expressed in pixels, with
lower numbers being better.
COLOUR ERROR: IMATEST
2
This measures colour
reproduction. We shoot
the X-Rite ColorChecker chart
pictured above and output an
accuracy percentage from
Imatest, with 100% being the
most accurate result possible.
SHARPNESS: IMATEST
3
Here we measure sharpness
at different apertures from
the centre to the outer edge. We
shoot the chart pictured and
Imatest outputs a figure based
on line width divided by picture
height high numbers are better.
NOISE: DXO ANALYZER
3
We use the dynamic range
transmissive chart to
analyse the signal-to-noise ratio
for raw and JPEG files at every
sensitivity setting using DxO
Analyzer. A higher value means
the signal is cleaner.
Camera tests
Lens tests
Our head of testing, Angela Nicholson, puts equipment through its paces
qualities to a lens. Each of our
tests scores out of five in one or
more sub-categories, and then
applies an overall mark out of
five, enabling you to tell the
wheat from the chaff.
Five scores, five meanings:

Forget it

Below average

Good for the money

Very good in all areas

A truly exceptional,
best-in-class product
make a direct comparison and
determine which performs better
under different criteria.
Copies of the resolution test
chart images are downloadable
from www.techradar.com/
cameras. Choose the camera
youre interested in and browse
the review for full details of all the
tests. Benchmarks shouldnt be
seen as a replacement for
real-world testing, though they
wont tell you which camera
handles best in the field
or which is easiest to use, but they
do enable us to sense-check our
real-world image test results and
make accurate comparisons of
different products capabilities.
No other magazine goes this
far to deliver equipment test
results you can really trust.
Awarded to any
product that comes
top in a group test
Awarded to products
that offer exceptional
value for money
Awarded to any
product that receives
five stars in a test
Particularly innovative or
breakthrough products
receive this special award
A discretionary award
given to products that
merit special attention
100
CSC REVIEW
KITZONE
Olympus E-P5 > 999.99 (with 14-42mm lens) > www.olympus.co.uk
A
s one of the early
innovators in the
compact system camera
market, Olympus has
enjoyed great success
with its PEN range of Micro Four
Thirds cameras. The retro designs of
the PEN series have strong appeal to
photographers hankering after the
golden age of photography, and this
newest model doesnt disappoint on
the looks front.
The original digital PEN camera,
which was launched all the way back
in 2008, was a bit of a game-changer.
In terms of camera tech, ve years is
a long time, so expectations are high
for the fourth generation of the
top-of-the-line series.
FEATURES
Olympus says it has pretty much gone
back to the drawing board for this
PEN, but theres no denying that it
takes its lead from both the PEN
cameras of old, and the fantastic
Olympus OM-D, which made its
debut at the beginning of 2012.
Inside the E-P5 is the same 16.1
million pixel sensor and TruePic VI
image sensor as in the OM-D, which
should mean that its capable of the
same impressive image quality.
Although a follow up to the E-P3,
in some ways the E-P5 also surpasses
the OM-D. Aside from the processor
and sensor, it boasts an impressively
fast maximum shutter speed of
1/8000 second. Thats something
currently ofered by professional SLRs
the likes of the Nikon D4, so to see it
in a CSC priced at under 900 for the
body alone is quite something.
Olympus knows it is a brand
enjoyed by the creative photographer,
so its no surprise to see a high
number of digital lters (such as
Cross Process and Dramatic Tone)
make a reappearance on the latest
model of the camera.
Live Time, the innovative way of
shooting long exposures introduced
on the OM-D, is also found on the
E-P5. This enables you to shoot very
long exposures while watching the
scene build up on screen. Taking the
guesswork out of this kind of
photography, Olympus has now also
included a histogram to further assist
the user with the process.
Another feature brought across
from the OM-D is the 5-axis image
stabilisation system. Compensating
for pitch, rolling, yaw, plus horizontal
and vertical movement, the results of
this stabilisation can now be seen in
Live View thanks to improvements in
battery technology.
Improving the speed of the camera
is something Olympus appears to
have worked very hard on. The E-P5
boasts a switch-on time of just 0.5
seconds, while the quick processor
also promises fast shot-to-shot and
refresh times.
While the E-P3 had a xed
capacitive touchscreen, the E-P5 has
a tilting device. Its the same 3-inch
unit as found on the OM-D, so it
should be very responsive and easy
to use. The touchscreen enables the
autofocus point to be altered, or the
shutter itself red.
BUILD AND HANDLING
Olympus has used a very similar
design to the previous incarnation
of the camera, but with some
very noticeable and welcome
improvements. Unlike the E-P3, the
E-P5 uses a switch rather than a
button to power on and of. This may
seem like a trivial point, but it enables
quicker start-up, and its also been
recessed slightly into the body of the
camera to prevent accidentally
switching it on.
> THE SPECS
Sensor 16.1 million pixel Four Thirds
Live MOS sensor (17.3 x
13.0mm)
Focal length
conversion 2x
Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC
Viewnder None
Video resolution Full HD (1920 x 1080)
ISO range ISO 100
(expandable)-25600
Autofocus points 35
Max burst rate 9fps
LCD screen size Tilting 3 inch, 1.037k dot
TFT LCD
Shutter speeds: 1 1/8000 60 seconds /
Bulb
Weight 420g (including battery
and memory card)
Dimensions 122.2 x 68.9 x 37.2mm
Power supply BLN-1 Li-Ion battery
Retro fantastic
Above Is the new
Olympus E-P5 the
best PEN camera
ever made?
Packing the fantastic OM-D sensor into a sexy
and stylish new body is there anything not
to love about the E-P5? Amy Davies finds out
CSC
101
Stick or twist? Upgrade advice
You can create a montage by combining
several shots in a single frame using the
Photo Story mode. You can also add one
of the 12 art filters and experiment with
different frame layouts. Each shot in the
montage will be captured in raw format.
Jargon Buster
Photo Story
The E-P5 is a good upgrade
choice for pretty much all
existing PEN users, especially
those using models from the
E-P3 and before. If you have an
E-PL5 theres less to upgrade to,
but the more advanced settings
choices may prove tempting for
early adopters. For those looking
for their first foray into compact
system cameras this is also an
excellent choice as theres plenty
of fun options for beginners to
get started with, too. Users of the
OM-D may want to consider the
E-P5 as a second body.
Clean option
You can shoot in raw
format while using art
filters, giving you an
unfiltered version of
images like this
Filters
Olympus is well known for its
Filters. This one is Dramatic
Tone black and white
Versatility
Both Panasonic and Olympus lenses
are compatible with the Micro Four
Thirds mount. This was shot with an
ultra wide 7-14mm optic
REAL-WORLD PERFORMANCE
OUR BEST SHOT
What we love about the
images from the Olympus E-P5
102
KITZONE
CSC REVIEW

F
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L
I
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G

T
R
E
A
T
E
D

F
E
E
L
I
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G

C
H
E
A
T
E
D
One of the most noticeable
improvements is that the capacitive
touchscreen is now tiltable, which is
useful for angling away from any
disturbing glare or reections. It sits
so ush against the back of the
camera that at rst glance you might
not even realise its a tilting device at
all. While an articulating screen
would be more useful for portrait
format shots, it would undoubtedly
also have added bulk.
As it is, you can use the screen to
help frame shots from the hip, or
when holding the camera above you.
Its also useful if you want to place the
camera on the oor, angling the
screen up to get a better view of the
scene youre trying to capture.
On top of the camera is a mode
dial, enabling quick transitions
between modes, such as fully
automatic, semi-automatic and
manual modes. Theres also space for
art modes, scene modes and new to
the PEN range Photo Story mode.
Also on top of the camera is
a Function button, which can be
customised to suit your particular
requirements. The previous version
of the PEN required delving into a
menu to change settings such as ISO
or white balance, but a much simpler
new way of working has been devised
for the E-P5.
A small switch around the movie
record button marked with positions
1 and 2 enables you to alter the
function of the two dials at the back
and front of the camera. Position 1
gives you control over aperture/
shutter speed and exposure
compensation (depending on the
mode youre shooting in), while
ipping to Position 2 changes the
modes to ISO and white balance. Its
a quick system that really speeds up
basic operation of the camera.
For accessing other commonly
used settings, something in the style
of a quick menu can be found by
pressing the OK button in the centre
of the four-way navigational pad. If
you need to delve further into the
system to change more complicated
settings, you can do this via the main
menu. But much like with the other
The tilting touchscreen
is useful for shooting
from awkward angles
Built-in Wi-Fi is a great
for remote shooting and
sharing shots online
Theres no viewfinder,
but an external device
is available as an extra
The standard 14-42mm
kit lens doesnt get the
most from the camera
Meet the
rivals
See how the
E-P5 stands
up against the
competition
Putting the excellent OM-D
sensor inside the new retro styled
body is a winning addition
Zooming in on the Olympus PEN E-P5
A quick tour of the cameras key features
The magnifying glass
button allows you to
check critical focus,
which is handy for
manual focusing
Move the position of this
switch to change the
function of the front and
rear dials on the camera
when you need to
Press this button to
bring up a quick
menu for speedy
navigation of the
most commonly
used settings
The E-P5s built-in
flash button can be
a little sensitive,
leading to the odd
accidental pop-up
of the flash
Olympus OM-D
979
Sharing a lot of the E-P5s
specs, the OM-Ds built in
viewfinder may be more
appealing to traditionalists.
Our Score: 4/5
Issue Reviewed: 126
Sony NEX-7
769
Appeals if you hate the
weight of an SLR, but it
doesnt compromise on
image quality, either.
Our Score: 4/5
Issue Reviewed: 120
Panasonic GH3
1,079
Has a decent EVF, an
articulating capacitive
touchscreen, Wi-Fi and
a fast autofocus system.
Our Score: 5/5
Issue Reviewed: 139
t e
103
KITZONE
OLYMPUS E-P5
PEN cameras, this main menu may
seem a little disjointed when youre
not used to it.
The Wi-Fi functionality is very
easy to use. A virtual button on the
touchscreen can be pressed for instant
access. Once youve downloaded the
iOS or Android app for your
smartphone or tablet its very easy to
connect the camera. All you need to
do is scan a QR code generated by the
camera and the connection will be
made, taking away the need to have to
enter ddly long passwords.
Once connected, you can use the
app to remotely control the camera,
although disappointingly, only fully
automatic mode is compatible here,
so youll lose control over the more
advanced settings. Hopefully
Olympus will consider upgrading the
apps capabilities in future. You can
also save your photos from the camera
directly to your device for uploading
to social networks.
PERFORMANCE
The Olympus E-P3 was an extremely
capable camera in its own right, but
putting the proven excellent OM-D
sensor inside the new, even-more-
retro styled body is a winning
addition and dare we say it, even
better than the OM-D itself.
Wed already witnessed how well
the cameras sensor can perform in
the OM-D as well as E-PL5 and
E-PM2, so we were pretty excited
about testing this camera.
Happily, weve been extremely
pleased with what this camera is
capable of. The images it takes are
very bright and punchy, while that
16.1 million-pixel sensor can resolve
a fantastic amount of detail.
As weve seen on other Olympus
cameras, theres plenty of shooting
modes to help you get the most from
every situation. So, if youre
photographing something with
particularly vibrant colours you could
use Vivid mode, while Portrait mode
could be more suited to producing
neutral skin tones.
50
30
40
10
20
RAWNOISE(AFTERCONVERSIONTOTIFF)
S
I
G
N
A
L
-
T
O
-
N
O
I
S
E
R
A
T
I
O
(
D
B
)
SENSITIVITY
NOISERESULT: The E-P5s noise result shows a similar result to its
sibling the OM-D, beating the competition from Sony and Panasonic.
Panasonic GH3
Olympus E-P5
Olympus OM-D
Sony NEX-7
K
E
Y
OVERALL BENCHMARK RESULT
The E-P5 also puts in a very good noise performance with its
JPEG files, showing stronger signal to noise ratio than the Sony
NEX-7 and the GH3 at almost every sensitivity. JPEGs are also
pretty strong for dynamic range, easily beating the E-P3,
NEX-7 and GH-3 at almost every sensitivity. The E-P5 puts in
a similar performance in terms of noise and dynamic range to
the OM-D, with which it shares a sensor and processor.
CSC BENCHMARKS
How does the E-P5 measure up?
TheE-P5s excellent sensor is
capableof capturing afantastic
amount of detail, especially when
pairedwithamacrolens
Olympus E-P5
Panasonic GH3
Sony NEX-7
Olympus OM-D
COLOUR ERROR Closest to zero is best
COLOUR ERROR RESULT: JPEG images display excellent colours
that are natural and vibrant. The GH3 displays slightly better accuracy.
-2 2 4 6
HIGHESTVALUESAREBEST
14
5
RAWDYNAMICRANGE(AFTERCONVERSIONTOTIFF)
D
Y
N
A
M
I
C
R
A
N
G
E
(
E
V
)
SENSITIVITY
8
7
6
12
13
10
9
11
DYNAMIC RESULT: Again, a similar result to the OM-D puts the E-P5
ahead of its rivals for dynamic range at every sensitivity.
200 400 800 1600 6400 3200
200 400 800 1600 6400 3200
8 0
1.2
7.6
2.6
-0.02
KITZONE
CSC REVIEW
104
are equally impressive in our tests,
being almost instantaneous in good
light, and only dropping slightly once
the light fades.
Speaking of low light, detail is
impressively crisp throughout the
sensitivity range. Although noise does
start to appear from around ISO 800,
it only starts to become particularly
noticeable once you get higher up the
scale, while even images shot at ISO
3200 remain usable at small printing
and internet sizes.
For the majority of shooting
conditions, automatic white balance
does a good job of reproducing
accurate colours, tending towards
warmer tones under articial light.
Similarly ESP (all-purpose) metering
does a similarly good job in the
majority of conditions to produce
a balanced exposure. If youre
shooting very high contrast scenes
you may want to switch to spot
metering for best results.
OUR VERDICT
The E-P5 is one of the most intuitive
and fun cameras weve used recently
and, which is obviously crucial, boasts
superb image quality.
At this point in time the camera is
a little on the expensive side but
you do get quite a lot for your money.
Consider functions such as 5-axis
image stabilisation, 1/8000 second
shutter speed, plus that superb screen
and you can begin to understand
where your money is going.
Wed be tempted to recommend
omitting the kit lens when purchasing
this camera and going instead for the
17mm pancake optic, which is
available in a diferent package. With
an equivalent focal length of 34mm,
its an ideal street photography lens,
and makes sense if you already have
other lenses in your bag (or plan to
buy some soon), to get the most out
of the camera.
Overall, this is a tremendous piece
of kit, which is certainly the best
Olympus compact system camera to
date, and one of the hottest system
cameras of the moment.
Tech Briefing
1/8000 shutter speed
A
very fast shutter speed means that
not only should a camera be capable
of capturing fast-moving subjects, it can
also shoot at wide apertures in bright
sunlight. Combine that with the new low
sensitivity setting of ISO 100 (expanded)
and youve got a recipe for some really
creative outdoor work. Its fairly unusual
to see such a fast shutter speed available
on what is a comparatively cheap camera
others with it include the Nikon D4 (RRP
5000) and the Canon 5D Mark III (RRP
3000). Within the compact system
camera market there are no rivals for this
speed, with other high-end models, such
as the Panasonic GH3 and Sony NEX-7
capable of 1/4000.
WE SAY: This is a very exciting camera,
matching a stylish exterior with an
impressively specced interior. We think it
could be an early contender for camera of
the year, and certainly the best PEN yet.
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
FOR TEST
IMAGES AND
RESOLUTION
CHARTS, VISIT
WWW.TECH
RADAR.COM/
CAMERAS
Speed is one of the key boasts
that Olympus is making about this
camera, and we have been extremely
impressed by its swift performance.
Start-up, focus acquisition and
shutter release can be achieved in
just a couple of seconds from cold,
and once the camera is on,
operation is very swift indeed.
Whats more, the fast
processor inside the camera
means that even when it is
busy applying 12 diferent art
lters while in art bracketing
mode, you can still continue
to shoot. Autofocusing speeds
Above Colours
straight from the
camera are natural
and vibrant, without
being too saturated
Above The lens range for Micro
Four Thirds cameras is extensive,
with the 14-42mm kit lens being
supplied here as standard
106
CSC REVIEW
KITZONE
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 > 549 body only, 629 with 14-42mm lens > www.panasonic.co.uk
P
anasonic introduced the
worlds rst compact
system camera (CSC)
back in September
2008 and the G6 is the
fth generation in the G-series of its
Micro Four Thirds mirrorless line.
The new camera sits below the
Panasonic GH3 in the companys CSC
line-up and is aimed at enthusiast
photographers who want to shoot a
range of subjects with a lighter camera
system than the average SLR kit. To
this end, the G6 afords a similar level
of control over images to an SLR and
it has the usual exposure modes,
including manual, aperture priority
and shutter priority, as well as a
collection of automatic options for
less experienced photographers.
FEATURES
Like their other CSCs, the G6 is built
following the Micro Four Thirds
standard, making it compatible with
Olympus MFT lenses, and a growing
collection from third party
manufacturers such as Sigma, too.
Although Panasonic has stuck with
the same 16.05 million efective pixel
Live MOS sensor in the G6 that it
used in the G5 (and GH2), it has used
a new, more powerful Venus Engine,
a better touchscreen and an improved
electronic viewnder (EVF).
According to the makers, the new
processing engine enables the G6 to
produce better quality images, and in
turn enables a wider extended
sensitivity range of ISO 160-25600
and faster autofocusing, especially in
low light. In addition, the maximum
continuous shooting speed is 7fps
(frames per second), although youll
have to drop to 5fps if you want to use
continuous AF mode.
Like the G5, the G6 has a collection
of Creative Control modes accessed
via the mode dial, with options such
as Toy Camera and Impressive Art, as
well as a number of Photo Styles
(Standard, Natural, Monochrome,
Vivid, Scenery, Portrait and Custom).
Both can be used when shooting raw
and JPEG images to save a clean le
along with the JPEG with the efect
applied, but its not possible to
control key features such as exposure
when using the Creative Control
options. The Photo Styles, however,
can be used in any of the exposure
modes apart from Creative Control.
Panasonic has also given the G6
Wi-Fi connectivity, and an NFC chip
means its possible to connect easily
to other NFC devices such as an
Android smartphone or tablet. As yet
Apple hasnt included an NFC chip in
its devices, but rumours are rife that
one will feature in the iPhone 5S/6.
BUILD AND HANDLING
The G6 looks and feels a little more
serious than the G5. The silver
controls of the older model are now
black, the viewnder bump is less
pronounced and the texture of the
body surface has changed. There are
also a couple of additional function
buttons, bringing the total number on
the back of the camera to ve. These
enable greater customisation, making
it quicker and easier to use the camera
once youve set it to your preferences.
However, we were surprised to nd
that Panasonic hasnt continued with
the customisable format of the Quick
Menu. This is now xed, which is a
shame because the main menu
doesnt have a customisable screen.
On the plus side, most of the
options that you need to access
regularly can be reached via physical
> THE SPECS
Sensor 16.05MP Micro Four Thirds
format (17.3x13.0mm)
Focal length
conversion 2x
Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC
Viewnder OLED electronic viewnder
(EVF) with 1,440,000 dots
(approx 100% cover)
Video resolution Full HD (1920x1080p)
ISO range 160-25600
Autofocus system Contrast detection system
with Face detection, AF
Tracking, 23-area-focusing,
1-area-focusing, Pinpoint
Max burst rate 7fps
LCD screen Vari-angle 3-inch
1,036,000-dot
touchscreen
Weight 340g (body only)
Dimensions 122.45x84.6x71.4mm
Power supply Rechargeable lithium ion
battery (supplied)
The all-rounder
Above The new
features on the
Panasonic G6 make
it feel almost like a
new camera rather
than an upgrade
Panasonics upgrades from the G5 may
seem subtle, but they make a big difference.
Angela Nicholson explains whats changed
CSC
107
Stick or twist? Upgrade advice
The sensor inside a Micro Four Thirds
camera like the Panasonic G6 measures
17.3 x 13mm, which means it is smaller
than the APS-C format sensors in
cameras offered by Sony and Samsung,
but this allows the lenses to be smaller.
Micro Four Thirds
sensor Explained
The G6 has the same sensor as
the G5, but theres a more
powerful processing engine,
enabling faster focusing, a wider
sensitivity range and a higher
continuous shooting rate. The
screen is also more responsive
and the camera has a higher-
quality feel. G3 owners have even
more to gain with an improved
screen and Eye-sensor AF.
G5 owners need not feel
compelled to upgrade as our
tests show that the G6s images
are similar to the G5s and the
raw files are near identical.
Creative Control
Panasonics Creative Control
options help you take more
interesting images. This one uses
the Impressionist Art Mode.
Moveable screen
The articulating touchscreen is really
useful when youre shooting at awkward
angles, or with the camera poking
through a light tent to keep down
reflections as it was here.
Contrast
Images have good
dynamic range and a nice
level of contrast straight
from the camera.
REAL-WORLD PERFORMANCE
OUR BEST SHOT
What we love about
the Panasonic G6
108
CSC REVIEW
KITZONE

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buttons or the Quick Menu, so you
dont need to delve into the full menu
very often once the camera is set up.
One issue we had with the G6s
control arrangement was that we
occasionally changed the on-screen
display by accidentally pressing the
Display button under the thumb-rest.
We also initially found the navigation
controls on the back of the camera a
bit hard to identify when holding it to
your eye. However, after a short time
they become easier to locate.
While the G6s OLED 1,440,000-
dot electronic viewnder is excellent
(the G5 has an LCD with the same
dot-count), its faint grid-texture and
contrast shift mean that youre aware
youre using an EVF rather than an
optical device. But it is very good and
provides a very clear view, with lots of
sharp detail and natural colours.
Another key upgrade made for
the G6 is the switch to a 3-inch
electrostatic touchscreen, which is
much more sensitive than the
resistive touchscreen on the G5.
This makes setting selection and
adjustments quicker than before,
putting the G6s screens response on
a par with the Panasonic GH3s.
Its especially useful when using
Touchpad AF, which enables the AF
point to be selected by touching the
screen while composing images in the
EVF. Its a signicant improvement.
We found the screen also provides
a clear view even in quite bright light,
and because it is mounted on an
articulating hinge, it makes shooting
from awkward angles much easier
than usual. It would be helpful if the
on-screen digital level could be made
a bit clearer, though, because its not
always easy to see it when the screen
is being viewed from an angle.
PERFORMANCE
Our images from the G6 generally
look very good. Theyre well exposed,
have good, natural colours and plenty
of detail. After testing the Canon
700D and 100D recently it was nice
to use the Panasonic G6s 1728-zone
Intelligent Multiple zone metering
system, which gives more consistent
results in high contrast situations.
A 1,440,000-dot OLED
electronic viewfinder
(EVF) is built-in
The screen is a very
responsive and quick
touch-sensitive device
While the Wi-Fi system
is a bonus, it isnt
intuitive to set-up
Unlike the G5, the G6s
Quick Menu isnt
user-customisable
Meet the
rivals
See how the
G6 stands up
against the
competition
Panasonics most complete and
well-rounded enthusiast-level
compact system camera to date
Zooming in on the G6
A quick tour of the cameras key features
There are five physical
customisable buttons and
two on-screen buttons,
giving plenty of options to
personalise the camera
This Function Lever can
be used to change focal
length with a power-
zoom lens, or to adjust
the exposure
Touch Shutter
mode allows
you to set the
AF point and trip
the shutter with
just a touch of
the screen
Pressing this
button in any
shooting mode
sets the G6 to
Intelligent Auto
mode instantly
Olympus E-P5
999 (with 14-42mm lens)
This 16.1MP Micro Four
Thirds sits at the top of the
Pen range. It has no EVF
built-in, but theres Wi-Fi.
Our score: 5/5
Issue reviewed: page 100
Samsung NX300
This 20MP APS-C format
CSC has a 3.1-inch
AMOLED touchscreen and
Wi-Fi, but no built-in EVF.
Our score: TBC
Issue reviewed: Next issue
Sony NEX-6
An excellent 16.1MP APS-C
format CSC with built-in
Wi-Fi, but no viewfinder
or touchscreen.
Our score: 5/5
Issue reviewed: 134
109
KITZONE
PANASONIC G6
This shot uses Impressive
Art mode, one of the G6s
Creative Control options
In fact during this test we found little
reason to use centre weighted or
spot-metering, because the general-
purpose multiple-zone system does
so well. That said, its not completely
foolproof, and we occasionally had to
adjust the exposure compensation
but it was usually only by 1/3EV.
Although the G6 lagged some way
behind the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5,
PEN E-P5, and in some cases the Sony
NEX-6 in our dynamic range lab tests,
its images look natural, with a wide
range of tones and smooth gradations.
A dynamic range of around 10EV in
JPEGs taken at up to ISO 800 is good,
and the end result is images that have
a good level of contrast.
Colours are also good straight from
the camera, and the automatic white
balance system copes well in most
lighting conditions, only struggling in
dim articial light. While theres a
range of preset white balance settings,
its so easy to set a custom white
balance value that it makes sense to
use this in articial light.
Panasonic has used the same
sensor in the G6 as it has in the G5.
However, it has been able to eke out a
little more detail from the G6s les,
and it achieves higher resolution
scores from ISO 800 and above.
Our JPEG images taken at ISO
1600 have lots of detail, with very
little sign of noise and just a hint of
smoothing visible at 100% on the
screen. Pushing up to ISO 6400
increases the amount of smoothing
thats visible at 100%, but images still
look very good when sized to make
A3 (16.5 x 11.7-inch) prints.
Raw les can be processed to reveal
more detail than the JPEGs, but this is
at the expense of noise, which
becomes more visible.
Panasonic supplies Silkypix
Developer Studio software for raw
conversion. While its a good image-
editing package, it isnt tailored to the
camera in the same way that the
software that comes with Canon and
Nikon SLRs is. So you cant make
in-camera-like changes to raw les.
50
30
40
10
20
RAWNOISE(AFTERCONVERSIONTOTIFF)
S
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O
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(
D
B
)
SENSITIVITY
NOISERESULT: At the lower sensitivity settings the G6 performs very
well, but it drops off a little as sensitivity rises.
Olympus E-P5
Panasonic G6
Samsung NX300
Sony NEX-6
K
E
Y
OVERALL BENCHMARK RESULT
These results confirm that the G6 competes well with the
20MP APS-C format Samsung NX300 for signal to noise ratio,
but the 16.1MP Sony NEX-6 and Olympus E-P5 perform even
better. The G6 performs well in normal conditions, capturing
more detail than the NX300 at most sensitivity settings and
keeping noise under control. Colours are also accurate, but
vibrant and well-saturated without going too over the top.
CSC BENCHMARKS
How the Panasonic G6 fared in our lab tests
Panasonic G6
Olympus E-P5
Sony NEX-6
Samsung NX300
COLOUR ERROR Closest to zero is best
COLOUR ERROR RESULT: The Panasonic G6s colour error score is
respectably low, and images offer up some pretty nice saturation.
-2 -4 2 6
14
5
RAWDYNAMICRANGE(AFTERCONVERSIONTOTIFF)
D
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R
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G
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(
E
V
)
SENSITIVITY
8
7
6
12
13
10
9
11
DYNAMIC RESULT: A dynamic range above 11EV is good, but the
competing cameras manage to go a little further.
200 400 800 1600 6400 3200
200 400 800 1600 6400 3200
2.6
8 4
8
-2.6
0
-3.14
CSC REVIEW
KITZONE
110
focus in low light and follow moving
subjects than its predecessor. It only
struggles to nd its target in very low
lighting situations that would trouble
any entry or enthusiast level SLRs
phase detection AF system.
The AF Tracking mode still isnt
able to keep up with subjects moving
faster than walking pace. But if 1-Area
AF and continuous AF mode is
selected and you keep the active AF
over the subject, it can focus the lens
quickly and keep up with fast moving
subjects. It may not be our rst choice
of camera for shooting sport and fast
moving action, but it can still produce
some great results.
VERDICT
We liked the G5 because as well as
producing high quality images, it had
all the headline features we want from
a modern compact system camera: a
good built-in electronic viewnder, a
vari-angle touchscreen, the ability to
shoot raw and JPEG images when
using the Creative Controls, and a
sensible control arrangement with
some novel thinking.
So while Panasonic hasnt done
anything so radical as increasing the
pixel count of the sensor, the G6 has
some good enhancements over the
G5. The touchscreen is much more
sensitive, which makes it faster and
more inviting to use. The improved
AF system also makes the camera a
better alternative to an SLR, and more
able to shoot moving subjects.
The G6 is the most complete and
well-rounded enthusiast-level
Panasonic compact system camera to
date. It may lack the rugged build and
a few of the features of the Panasonic
GH3, but its signicantly smaller, too,
making it a much more attractive
option to carry around with you. Its
also more afordable and very capable,
capturing high-quality images with
plenty of sharp detail at the lower
sensitivity settings.
Using the Wi-Fi connectivity isnt
quite as slick an experience as wed
like, but the additional functionality is
useful and fun.
Tech Briefing
Remote control app
P
anasonics new Image App is free to
download, and it enables G6 users
to control the camera remotely via their
iPhone, iPad or Android device. Unlike
some other apps which only act as a
remote release, Image App gives the
photographer remote control over the
exposure, white balance and drive mode
settings and the focus point can be set
with the touch of a finger on the tablet
or phone screen. Its especially useful for
anyone who wants to be able to shoot
while they are away from their camera,
with a Live View image being displayed
on the phone or tablet screen. Wildlife
photographers, for example, can use the
app to shoot their subject from a distance
to avoid frightening off nervous creatures.
WE SAY: Panasonic has produced its best
enthusiast-level CSC to date. With a
viewfinder, articulating touchscreen, lots of
physical controls and Wi-Fi connectivity it
has just about everything you could want.
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
FOR TEST
IMAGES AND
RESOLUTION
CHARTS, VISIT
WWW.TECH
RADAR.COM/
CAMERAS
However, in reality many G6 users
are only likely to use the Silkypix
software until the raw le conversion
component of their favourite editing
software has been updated, so its not
a major deal. G6 raw les editing is
already supported by Photoshop CC,
Elements 11 and Lightroom 5.
Panasonics claims for the G6s AF
system are borne out. As well as being
fast and accurate it is better able to
Above The
Panasonic G6
handles colours
well, and manages
to cope with scenes
of high contrast and
varying lighting
Below The controls
on the G6 are easy
to find, but you can
easily trigger some
of them by mistake
112
SOFTWARE REVIEW
KITZONE
112
AFTER BEFORE
Object rst, you will be able to use the
plug-in (with the exception of HDR
Pro 2) as a Smart Filter and re-edit
any adjustments that you make.
The plug-ins dont all work in
exactly the same way, but most of
them have presets that you can use to
make global adjustments to your
image. These can be used as they are
or edited and saved for future use.
Silver Efex Pro 2 has some great
preset options that replicate the
appearance of particular monochrome
lms, such as Kodak 400 Tmax Pro
and Ilford FP4 Plus 125. Its also
possible to apply a few edge efects
or border to your images.
PLUG-IN BUNDLE Nik Collection > $149 > www.niksoftware.com
Bundling six powerful plug-ins makes this
collection a star buy. Angela Nicholson
sees why the sum is greater than its parts
Nik Collection
Above In Veveza 2
you can selectively
adjust the colour
and tone of an image
Below There are no
complicated masks
needed to make any
of the adjustments
We tested Nik Collection with
Photoshop CS6 and CC. While the
installation was straightforward with
CS6, we had to copy les into the
correct folder to use it with CC.
Google is working to address this
issue in the near future.
Once the bundle is installed,
the Nik Collection panel opens
automatically as soon as Photoshop
is opened. However, if you close this
panel, it can be reopened via Filter>
Nik Collection in Photoshop.
Clicking on any of the plug-in
names in the panel opens the
appropriate control panel, but if you
convert the active layer to a Smart
N
ik Software was
recently acquired by
Google, and the new
owner has decided
upon a new sales
policy. Rather than selling each of the
plug-ins separately, it now bundled
together at a much more enticing
price of $149. The bundle comprises
HDR Efex Pro 2, Silver Efex Pro 2,
Sharpener Pro 3, Color Efex Pro 4,
Viveza 2 and Dene 2.
As you would expect, HDR Efex
Pro 2 enables you to create HDR
images from a sequence of images or
a single shot; Sharpener Pro 3 allows
selective sharpening; Dene 2 allows
selective noise reduction; and Color
Efex Pro 4 allows colour adjustments,
including monochrome conversions
and lm efects to be applied.
The purpose of Silver Efex Pro 2
and Viveza 2 is less clear from their
names, but the rst is for making
black-and-white conversions, while
the second allows you to make
selective brightness, contrast and
white balance adjustments.
PHOTOSHOP & LIGHTROOM
With the exception of HDR Efex Pro
2, which doesnt work with Elements,
each of the plug-ins works with
Photoshop and Lightroom, plus
Aperture in Mac OS X. As well as
enabling global adjustments, they use
Niks U-Point technology to enable
selective adjustments to be made
without the need to create masks or
selections. This is especially useful
for applying sharpening selectively to
target areas with detail, or reducing
noise in areas of uniform tone.
> THE SPECS
Price $149
Web www.niksoftware.com
System Windows Vista, 7 or 8; 2GB
of RAM (4GB or more
recommended);
Photoshop CS4-6 (HDR
Efex Pro 2, CS5-6),
Photoshop Elements 9-11
(except HDR Efex Pro 2)
or Photoshop Lightroom
3-4; 32-bit and 64-bit
compatible (HDR Efex Pro 2
is 64-bit only)
System Mac OS X 10.6.8-10.8, 2GB
of RAM (4GB or more
recommended),
Photoshop CS4-6 (HDR
Efex Pro 2, CS5-6)
Photoshop Elements 9-11
(except HDR Efex Pro 2)
Photoshop Lightroom 3-4
or Aperture 3.1 or later;
32-bit and 64-bit
compatible (HDR Efex Pro 2
is 64-bit only)
requirements
PC
requirements
Mac
113
KITZONE
NIK COLLECTION
WE SAY Nik Collection is a good option if
youre daunted by making selections and
masks in Photoshop. While HDR Efex Pro 2
and Silver Efex Pro 2 may seem like the
headline packages, the others are very
useful and cover a range of effects.
Overall
FEATURES
RESULTS
EASE OF USE
VALUE
The software makes the decision
about what to select on the basis
of colour, brightness and so on
While the whole image can be easily
adjusted, using the sliding controls in
the panel on the right-hand side of
the screen, the real strength of the
plug-ins is the ability to make
selective adjustments using control
points. These are usually added by
selecting the Add Control Point icon,
and then clicking on the appropriate
area in the image.
The size of the area afected by the
control point can be changed using
the sliding control to the side of the
point itself, at the top of the control
point options. However, the software
makes the decision about what to
select within that area on the basis of
colour and brightness, and so on. You
can reveal the area being adjusted by
scrolling down the panel on the right
and clicking on the mask icon in the
control point list.
Its possible to extend the area
being adjusted by adding numerous
control points (or making duplicates),
and then grouping them so that they
can be adjusted as one. You can also
add additional points to make counter
adjustments in diferent areas. One
point (or set of points) may be used to
darken the sky in a landscape, for
example, while another may brighten
the foreground and boost its contrast.
MAKE EASY ADJUSTMENTS
The selective adjustment controls are
located beneath the marker of the
control point. Its just a question of
dragging each one left or right to
adjust the brightness contrast
saturation and structure (texture),
for instance; the list of options varies
depending upon the plug-in thats
being used.
Once youve nished making
adjustments, clicking the OK button
returns the image to the host
software. Alternatively, provided that
you havent applied the plug-in as a
Smart Filter, selecting the Brush
option (available in all but HDR Efex
Pro 2) returns the image to the host
software and enables the image
created by the plug-in to be painted in
with a brush it creates an inverted
mask automatically.
Nik Collection ofers an extensive
set of preset adjustments, some of
which replicate the look of specic
lm types or traditional developing
techniques, are quick and easy to
apply and the results are excellent.
These also make a good starting point
for anyone who wants to give their
images a bespoke treatment.
A closer look at the
interface and features
Control Points: Can be added
by Clicking on Add Control
Point then clicking the image.
Zoom Control: Useful to
see how an image is
affected by adjustments
Meet the
rivals
How does
Nik Collection
compare with
other plug-in
bundles?
Alien Skin
Photo Bundle
Price: 270
This bundle contains all
four Alien Skin plug-ins,
including Bokeh for depth
of field and soft focus,
along with Exposure for
applying film looks.
onOne Perfect Photo
Suite 7 Premium Edition
Price: $299.95
Including plug-ins for
enhancing portraits, black
and white, and other
photo effects. Works with
Photoshop, Elements,
Lightroom and Aperture.
Topaz Labs
Photography Collection
Price: $349.99
With 13 plug-ins, this
collection from Topaz Labs
offers loads of options
from lens and black and
white effects, to enhancing
detail and noise reduction.
HDR EFEX
PRO 2
Zooming in on...
Presets: Can be selected just by
clicking on them in this column,
then edited using the controls
Global Adjustments: Allow you
to adjust the appearance of the
whole image, not just Points
KITZONE
PHOTO GEAR ON TEST
114
Fed up with bulky tripods? Try this set of legs for size
Manfrotto Befree
Travel Tripod
Photography gear
reviewed and rated
COMPACT TRIPOD www.manfrotto.com > 174.95
T
he holy grail of tripod design is to offer stable camera support while
also being compact and lightweight when on the go. The Befree
manages to achieve this more successfully than many other models.
Shrinking to a diminutive 40cm and weighing in at just 1.47kg makes it an
exceptionally portable device, yet this doesnt come at the expense of
material quality. Tough, precision-engineered components add real solidity,
together with some other nice touches, including a tactile leg grip.
Twist-lock leg angle selectors with two settings engage with reassuring
accuracy. You can spread the legs fully and lower the centre column for
low-angle shots just 34cm off the deck. Then when its time to move on, the
legs flip up and nestle around the tripod head to save space.
In keeping with the travel-friendly ethos, the Befree is topped off with a
small and simple ballhead. Its controlled by just one knob, which can make
shooting a level panorama tricky, but the quality aluminium construction
offers up a smooth, precise adjustment and the whole construction is
stable enough to handle loads of up to 4kg.
Despite this tripod packing down so small, at full stretch the
four-section legs and extendable centre column give the Befree a
useful 144cm maximum reach. And although just 12mm at their
narrowest diameter, the legs also hold steady, and are backed up
by decent extension clamps and non-slip feet.
While the Befree wont cut it as a long lens nature-watching
platform, its still a terrific choice for travelling light without
sacrificing good camera support.
115
PHOTO GEAR ON TEST
KITZONE
115
It may not be the cheapest camera bag on
the market, but its arguably the most bling
Free your flash from the shackles
of the shoe with this retro cord
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digitalcameraworld.com
OFF-CAMERA FLASH CORD www.lastolite.com > 63
CAMERA BAG www.pompidoo.com > 260
F
emale photographers are usually left high and dry when
it comes to camera bag styles, with the choice being
between purely functional or downright masculine. But
now Pompidoo has come to the rescue with a range of
glamorous bags like the Palermo. Hand crafted from Italian
leather, it comes in three colours with a pearl touch: Almond
Brown, Lilac Sorbet and Kitty Red. It also boasts a reinforced
bottom section with studs for added protection.
Inside, customisable dividers partition enough room for a SLR
with a lens attached, plus two or three smaller lenses and
accessories like a flashgun. A pair of concealed zipped pouches
are useful for stashing small valuables, with two more
quick-access pockets outside. At the back of the bag youll
find a section with extra padding designed especially for a
tablet. It even includes a built-in soft cloth to help protect
the screen from scratches and smudging.
If youd prefer something a little more streamlined,
then Pompidoo offers a whole range of camera bags with
equally gorgeous styling.
T
hese days were spoilt for choice with
wireless triggering systems that keep
camera and flashgun in touch over
considerable distances, yet Lastolite has gone
all retro and released a good old flash cord.
But dont be too quick to mock. Keeping
things simple is a good rule of thumb in
photography, so its nice not to waste time
configuring wireless radio frequencies or
missing the perfect pose because your flash
wasnt triggered.
Its cheaper than most wireless systems,
although the price difference isnt all that
significant for whats effectively just a
length of wire with a connector at each
end. Two versions are available to suit
Canon E-TTL and Nikon i-TTL
setups, and though less versatile
than a wireless trigger, their plug and
play simplicity makes them a handy
introduction to off-camera lighting.
The Pompidoo Palermo has the look of a ladies
handbag, but the insides of a high spec photo bag
Flash cords may be old fashioned, but they
can guarantee you wont get signal dropout
Pompidoo Palermo
Camera Bag
Lastolite 10-Metre Flash Cord
APP OF THE MONTH
eek
with a
acce
are
q
e
y
that
a
ach
uit
F
c
116
KITZONE
PHOTO GEAR ON TEST
SENSOR CLEANING KIT www.cameraclean.co.uk > 146
BATTERY GRIP www.digitaltoyshop.com > 84.99
The ultimate cleaning kit to help
keep your sensor spick and span
C
leaning an SLRs sensor is easier than
you might think, especially as this kit
includes just about everything you
could need to deal with all kinds of muck.
Use the jumbo blower to puff away loose
dust, or switch to the convenient Dust-Aid
Platinum cleaning wand with its adhesive pad to
lift off more stubborn specks. Any grime that still
refuses to budge can then be wiped away with
a drop of liquid cleaner on a swab.
Getting at your sensor is as simple as
activating the cameras mirror lock-up function.
Youll then be able to see what youre doing with
the aid of the kits basic but useful LED loupe.
And if thats not all, a StaticWisk brush, wipes
and a microfibre cloth banish any dust and
smudges from your lenses too.
Three different versions of the kit are
available depending on the size of your
cameras sensor. All come with a handy carry
case, but unless youre a regular dust demon,
you could easily get by with less equipment.
Just Ltd SLR Maintenance Kit
Panasonic TZ40
Panasonic has made some small
but useful changes with the TZ40
that elevate it above its
predecessor most notably a new
18.1-megapixel high sensitivity
sensor. Its fairly remarkable that a
20x optical zoom can fit into a
body of this pocket-friendly size,
especially as Panasonic has also
crammed in travel-orientated
extras like GPS and Wi-Fi.
Semi-automatic and full
manual control let you get creative,
and though you still cant shoot in
raw, the TZ40s great all-round
performance and flexible zoom
length make it an excellent choice.
239, www.panasonic.co.uk
Shore to Summit
Fran Halsall has put together a
wonderful photographic guide to
the geology of the British Isles.
Through 100 photographs, you can
learn about some of the most
photogenic parts of the country,
from Lyme Regis to Skye, and over
the water to Ireland. Its beautifully
laid out, intelligently written and
Frans photos are inspiring and
imaginative. All thats missing is the
camera settings, but this is a
geology book first and foremost.

20, www.franceslincoln.co.uk
COMPACT OF THE MONTH
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Gloxy GX-D14 Battery Grip
An attractively-priced vertical grip
thats just like the official models
S
LRs manage to pack in almost every
feature a photographer could want,
but theyre not much good if you run
out of battery power. Thats where adding a
vertical grip comes in. Not only does this handy
addition supply valuable power reserves, it also
makes your camera easier to hold, with a whole
set of vertically-oriented controls for ergonomic
portrait-format shooting.
The model we tested fits a Nikon D600 and
will house an additional Li-ion battery or 6 AA
cells. Gloxy also offers similar setups for
most other Canon and Nikon SLRs,
plus the Sony Alpha A77.
While it has a comfortable
grip, it can be a stretch to the
controls from where your
hand naturally sits. But at
around half the price of the
big-brand alternatives, you
cant go far wrong.
Gloxy makes great value battery grips not only
for Nikon, but for many other top brand as well
Banish pesky dust and smudges. Heres all you need to keep your
sensor clean and dust-free in a neat and feature-stuffed package
3
n SLRs,
e
e
fo
0
117
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KITZONE
REMOTE CONTROLLERS ON TEST
3
ioShutter
Price: 60 Web: www.ioshutter.com
Tethers your camera to an iPhone, iPad or
iPod touch via an 80cm cable and interface
unit. The downloaded app then enables
straightforward and advanced shooting modes,
direct from your Apple device.
5
Phottix Aion Wireless
Timer Remote
Price: 75 Web: www.phottix.co.uk
Has plenty of drive modes and programmable
settings for time-lapse, self-timer and long
exposure shooting, and even a bracketing
feature for bulb exposures. Wireless range is
a pretty respectable 60m.
4
Phottix TR-90 Timer Remote
Price: 45 Web: www.phottix.co.uk
Sturdy and well built without being bulky or
too heavy, the TR-90 is a cable remote rather
than a wireless affair. Neat control buttons
and a four-way pad combine with an LCD info
display, making it easy to set up self-timer,
interval timer and long-exposure timer options.
6
Triggertrap Mobile Dongle
Price: 23 Web: www.triggertrap.com
This dongle offers compatibility with both iOS
devices and Android phones and gadgets.
Additional connection cables are available.
Clever features include multiple time-lapse
modes, their signature DistanceLapse mode,
long-exposure HDR and plenty more.

2
Hama Wireless Remote DCCS
Price: 60 Web: www.hama.co.uk
Compatible with many camera makes and
models, thanks to a range of connecting cables.
You can switch between single, continuous, self-
timer and bulb options on the transmitter, but
there are no facilities for time-lapse shooting.
1
Hahnel Giga T Pro II
Price: 70 Web: www.hahnel.ie
This compact remote boasts adjustable self-
timer and dual time-lapse settings, plus single,
continuous and bulb functions. The interface
is complex, but offers wide-ranging control with
wireless RF communication over 100m.
1
6
4
5
2
3
Why settle for a basic remote shutter release when these
cunning controllers give you so much more flexibility?
MINI-TEST
KIT
ZONE
Remote controllers
119
VOTE AND
WIN AN
iPAD MINI!
The shortlist has been announced
What will you choose?
Vote for your
favourite tech
Inassociationwith
Vote now at T3.com/awards
Ofcial media partners
121
BESSEL WP6 600 SYSTEM
Competition
T
he Bessel WP6 600 battery-powered
portable lighting system is ideal for
taking beautifully lit portraits, wedding
shots or even just using around your home
and garden. Its 4500mAh Li-ion battery can churn
out up to 400 ashes per charge, while maintain-
ing very fast 1.5-second recycle times at full power.
Weighing only 3.5kg, its light enough to sling over
your shoulder on its carry strap.
EXTRA GOODIES IN THE PACK
The Bessel WP6 600 comes with a padded hard
case, plus a full-size ash head stand and a carrying
handle. And weve got one set to give away in our
exclusive competition. For further information on
the WP6 600 and other lighting systems in the
range, visit www.bessel.co.uk.
Win a flexible and compact
lighting rig worth 499
its perfect for outdoor
Q: What does Li in Li-ion stand for?
a) Lithium
b) Lithuania
c) Lithographic
HOW TO ENTER
To submit your answer, go to www.futurecomps.co.uk/dc142
and follow the on-screen instructions. This competition closes on
13 September 2013. Multiple entries will be disqualied. Only UK
residents may enter this competition. Other terms and conditions
apply: see the competition web page for details.

All you need to do to enter this competition is
to answer this simple multiple choice question:
BESSEL WP6 600
KEY FEATURES
Li-ion battery for
longer charge and
up to 400 flashes
The lamps can be
used while a spare
battery is charged
The lightweight Standard
S-Fit head weighs 850g
and the lamps are 35W
Features a sub-1.5sec
recycling time and
75-600W power
Win! A Bessel
WP6 600 portable
lighting system
FOR MORE
DETAILS
about Bessel and
their sytems, visit
bessel.co.uk
One lamp head per
battery pack, so no
power splitting needed
Comes with floor
stand, hand grip,
strap and case
KITZONE
CAMERA GROUP TEST
122
4
5
6
GROUP
TEST
KIT
ZONE
THE ENTRY LIST
1 Canon EOS 100D 18-55mm, 580
Canons smallest and most lightweight SLR to date,
the 100D comes with a revised STM kit lens
2 Nikon D5200 18-55mm, 630
Chunkier than the Canon 100D, the Nikon is top dog
for image resolution and adds an articulated screen
3 Olympus Pen Mini E-PM2
14-42mm, 400
he E-PM2 compact system camera is an attractive
Micro Four Thirds proposition with a good build
4 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6
14-42mm, 480
Panasonics latest entry-level compact system
camera brings a wealth of updates
5 Pentax K-30 18-55mm, 530
Built for the great outdoors, the K-30 is a sturdy
SLR that features a weather-resistant build
6 Sony Alpha NEX-3N 16-50mm, 330
This Sony compact system camera is even lighter
than the Olympus, with a body thats just 210g
123
KITZONE
CAMERAS FOR LANDSCAPES
3
1
2
Whats the most portable SLR or system camera for
great landscape shots? Matthew Richards searches out
small cameras that go large on performance
Landscape Cameras
Best lightweight
124
KITZONE
CAMERA GROUP TEST
F
ilters are perennially
popular for enhancing
landscape images. Indeed,
some filter effects are difficult
or even impossible to recreate
at the editing stage. The good
news is that you can carry a
couple of filters or filter kits
without adding much in size or
weight. Two of the most
popular are polarizing filters,
which add saturation and
contrast by reducing glare,
as well as making skies look
deep blue and reducing
reflections in watery surfaces;
and neutral density (ND) grad
filters, which are useful for
darkening bright skies for a
balanced exposure. Both
types are rotation-specific in
use. The Nikon D5200s
18-55mm kit
lens is the only one in this test
group where the front element
rotates during focusing. This
makes using polarizing filters
and ND grad filters more
tricky, sadly.
in landscape images, providing that
the lens tted to the camera is
actually up to the task.
By denition, SLR cameras have
reex mirrors and optical viewnders.
In the case of the Canon 100D and
Nikon D5200, these are pentamirror
viewnders, whereas the Pentax K-30
has a more up-market pentaprism
viewnder. In all cases, its a mix of
good and bad news.
A key plus point is that if the sun
is behind you, the viewnder is cast
into deep shadow whenever you put it
to your eye. With cameras that dont
have a viewnder, theres the worry
that sunlight glaring of the LCD
screen will make it difcult to
compose images accurately.
The biggest attraction of not
having a reex mirror or viewnder is
Reduce down to a lightweight
camera and kit lens, and you can
really broaden your horizons
How we test cameras Advice you can trust
A
ll of the cameras here
were used extensively
outdoors, under wide-ranging
lighting conditions. Particular
attention was paid to the
accuracy of autofocus,
metering systems and auto
white balance, checking the
ability of the cameras to
deliver good overall image
quality even in the most
demanding situations.
To assess how each camera
handles, we looked for intuitive
control of basic shooting
modes, as well as how easy it
is to access each cameras
more advanced shooting
parameters. Another vital
aspect of handling was to
check that sculpted finger and
thumb grips enabled a secure
hold of the camera during
operation. This can be an issue
with small, lightweight bodies.
Along with real-world tests,
we ran a series of lab tests
under controlled lighting
conditions. These involved
shooting a variety of test
charts to obtain quantifiable
results for colour accuracy,
dynamic range and signal-
to-noise performance,
through a wide range of ISO
sensitivity settings.
Images were processed
with the diagnostic tools
Imatest Master and DxO
Analyser. The overall results
are shown after our individual
reviews on the following pages.
Shop smart Filter frenzy
W
ere lucky
living where
we do. This
planet has
some of the
most vivid
and colourful scenery in the known
universe. And yet, despite all its
millions of miles of roads and an
unfeasibly enormous collection of
motor vehicles, many of its nest
photo opportunities can only be
reached on foot.
Consider Alfred Wainwright and
his legendary Lake District walks for
a moment. If the great man had been
burdened with a heavy bag of cameras,
lenses and other photographic
paraphernalia strapped to his back,
those walks would have been a lot
shorter, missing out on some of the
most gorgeous aspects.
Reduce your equipment to a single
lightweight camera and kit lens, and
you can really broaden your horizons.
Its a weight of your mind and a load
of your back. So in this group test,
were looking at cameras that balance
excellent picture quality with a high
level of portability.
A daypack thats already stufed
with daily essentials should still be
easily able to accommodate any of the
cameras and lenses in this group, even
if youre trekking or climbing into the
most challenging terrain.
COMPACT CAMERAS
The conventional tool of choice for
most landscape photographers is a
trusty SLR. Compared with many
compact system cameras or CSCs,
they have physically larger image
sensors that are able to deliver greater
image resolution. This has the
potential of capturing more ne detail
the reduction in size and weight. In a
body-for-body comparison, all of the
CSCs in this group are only about half
the depth of the SLRs. With no
viewnder up top, the height is also
considerably reduced.
Taking the camera and lens as a
whole, size reduction is even more
obvious. This is especially true in the
case of the Olympus E-PM2 and
Panasonic GF6 cameras, which use
the Micro Four Thirds lens mount.
Due to the comparatively small size of
the image sensor, these lenses have a
2.0x focal length multiplier, or crop
factor, and are much smaller than SLR
lenses that give a similar efective
zoom range. The Sony NEX-3N
actually uses an APS-C format image
sensor the same size as the SLRs in
the group and has a more typical
1.5x crop factor. Even so, its 16-50mm
power zoom kit lens retracts to about
half its working length when the
camera is switched of, and is
impressively small.
COVER ALL THE ANGLES
One thing that a viewnder certainly
isnt good for is shooting from very
high up or low down. You may nd
you want to do this in landscape
photography for example holding
the camera above your head for
shooting over walls and hedges, or
shooting from ground level to give
a diferent perspective. If the sun is
behind you and youre not shielding
the camera, light entering the
viewnder can play havoc with
exposure metering. And if you need
to lie on the oor for low-angle shots,
you may end up covered in mud.
Live View shooting mode, as
featured on all of the D-SLRs in this
125
KITZONE
EQUIPMENT KNOW-HOW
FEATURES TO LOOK OUT FOR
The main ingredients of your ideal landscape camera
group, comes to the rescue. By using
this, you can compose images using
the cameras LCD screen instead of
the viewnder, in exactly the same
way as on CSCs.
Three of the cameras in this group
add even greater convenience for
shooting from odd angles. The Nikon
D5200 features a fully articulated
LCD screen, while the Panasonic GF6
has a tilting mechanism on its screen,
which hinges out vertically for
high-level or low-level shooting. The
Sony NEX-3N also has a tilting
screen, but it can only tilt upwards, so
is most ideal for low-level shots.
Another plus point is that the
screens in both the GF6 and NEX-3N
can tilt upwards through a full 180
degrees, and the D5200s screen
rotates sideways through 180 degrees.
LCD screen
The Nikon, Panasonic and Sony
cameras feature articulated or
tilting screens. Touchscreens
are fitted to the Canon,
Olympus and Panasonic
cameras, which make for
easy menu navigation.
Control buttons
A conventional four-way
thumb pad often also gives
direct access to functions like
drive mode, white balance and
ISO although not in the case
of the Canon and Nikon
cameras in this group.
T
ripods are cumbersome to
carry when youre hiking, but a
sturdy monopod can be useful off
the beaten track. Not only can you
use it to support your camera when
shooting, but it can also serve as a
walking aid. Some monopods are
designed with this in mind.
One popular example is the
TrekPod Go! Pro from Trek-Tech
(www.trek-tech.com) although its
currently tricky to get hold of in the
UK. Hama also makes an Alpenpod
walking stick and monopod,
although this is much less sturdy,
as reflected in its typical street
price of around 12.
Under the hood
Monopod support
The biggest attraction of not
having a viewfinder or reflex
mirror is the reduction in size
Kit lens
Its usually more cost-effective
to buy any of these cameras
with a kit zoom lens. The filter
threads of lenses for CSCs may
be as small as 37mm, so you
might need step-up rings for
using popular filters.
Shooting modes
The Canon, Nikon, Panasonic
and Pentax cameras all have a
shooting mode dial, for quick
selection of modes like PASM.
The Olympus and Sony
cameras use a less convenient
menu selection system.
Pop-up flash
Its unlikely youll use a pop-up
flash for landscapes, but its
handy anyway. The Olympus
has a separate clip-on
mini-flash. The Panasonic and
Sony cameras lack a hotshoe
for a proper flashgun.
Shutter button
The shutter button is often
surrounded by other buttons
for important shooting
functions. In the Nikon D5200
(pictured), you have access to
exposure compensation, video
start/stop and info display.
Its neat for when you want to take
self-portraits in a landscape setting,
as you can accurately frame yourself
on the screen.
Naturally, theres no point in
shaving of size and weight from your
camera and lens if you need to lug a
heavy tripod about with you. To guard
against camera-shake, the kit lenses
of all but the Olympus and Pentax
cameras in this group have optical
image stabilizers. The Olympus and
Pentax buck the trend by featuring
sensor-shift stabilization, built into
the camera bodies.
Thumb grip
As well as a sculpted finger grip
around the front, a rubberized
thumb grip area at the back of
the camera helps to enable a
stable hold on the camera. The
Pentax is a bit slippery in the
hand in this respect.
Viewfinder
Only the SLRs have optical
viewfinders, and only the
Pentax features a pentaprism
unit with 100 per cent frame
coverage. An optional clip-on
electronic viewfinder is
available for the Olympus.
126
KITZONE
Digital Camera May 2013
SLR GROUP TEST
Canon EOS 100D
18-55mm 580
C
anons smallest and most
lightweight SLR to date,
the 100D is still quite a big
hitter. Its 18Mp pixel
count is only beaten by the Nikon
D5200 (opposite) in this group. It also
boasts a powerful Digic 5 image
processor, iFCL (intelligent Focus
Colour Luminance) metering and
nine-point phase detection autofocus.
Marketed as a beginners camera,
the 100D packs plenty of helpful
features. An intelligent scene auto
Canons smallest and most
lightweight SLR to date, the
100D is still quite a big hitter
mode analyses your compositions in
real time and serves up the optimum
shooting parameters, with a good
success rate. When you want to
control the ner points of shooting
functions, the touchscreen Quick
menu is speedy and intuitive.
As with most other entry-level and
mid-range Canon SLRs, shooting
modes are divided into basic zone and
creative zone options. Extended scene
modes include handheld night scene
and HDR (High Dynamic Range)
options, but Canons familiar A-DEP
mode is absent. (Its a shame: this
auto depth-of-eld mode is useful for
landscapes.) One welcome addition
here that was missing on the older
1100D is a mirror lockup custom
function. This works well with the
two-second self-timer delay to avoid
blurred images from mirror bounce.
The updated 18-55mm kit lens is
now an STM (Stepping Motor) lens
that delivers silent autofocus. Canons
older version had a four-stop image
stabilizer, but with this lens, the front
element doesnt rotate while focusing.
PERFORMANCE
For landscape photography, the
100Ds metering often works better
in centre-weighted mode, where
metering isnt biased to the active
focus point. Used in conjunction
with the Auto Lighting Optimizer,
exposures are generally consistent,
but can be a bit on the bright side.
Auto white balance works well under
wide-ranging lighting conditions.
1
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
Top This dial has an intelligent auto setting
as well as extra scene modes via SCN
Above The four-way pad doesnt give
access to shooting parameters
A pint-sized SLR with consistent image quality
Around the back... Canon EOS 100D
The control layout makes the most of the available space
Viewfinder
The pentamirror
viewfinder
gives 0.87x
magnification
and 95%
coverage of the
image frame
LCD
The 1040k-pixel
touchscreen
LCD is highly
detailed and has
excellent image
display quality
Exposure lock
Options for
autofocus lock
and exposure
lock can be
selected in
the Custom
Functions menu
AF selection
Choose from nine
AF points. Theres
also hybrid CMOS
autofocus for
faster Live View
127
KITZONE
This chunky camera is packed with features
Nikon D5200
18-55mm 630
S
ix millimetres deeper than
the Pentax K-30 (page
126), the D5200 body is
the biggest in the group,
but still fairly light at 555g. It also
goes large on pixel count, with
a class-leading 24.1Mp. Other big
numbers include a 39-point autofocus
system, of which nine points are
cross-type (able to resolve detail in
both vertical and horizontal planes),
and an expanded sensitivity range of
up to ISO 25600.
Theres plenty of shooting
information on the LCD, which is
easily viewable from any angle
About 50 more to buy than Canons
100D (opposite), the D5200 takes a
step up the features ladder. Like the
Canon, it has scene analysis in its
auto shooting mode, but adds more
scene modes and shooting efects.
The most useful for landscape
photography include beach/snow,
sunset, and autumn colours. Theres
also an auto HDR shooting mode, but
its only available in JPEG rather than
raw quality settings. Theres plenty
of shooting information on the LCD
screen, which is easily viewable from
any angle thanks to its fully pivoting
mount. However, it lacks the Canons
touchscreen facility, and making
adjustments to shooting parameters
isnt quite as slick as with Canons
Quick menu.
PERFORMANCE
Nikon claims the D5200s Expeed 3
image processor delivers excellent
colour reproduction, but thats not
always the case in landscape shots.
Colour rendition is often cool using
auto or preset manual white balance
settings. It accentuates blue skies, but
can give images a chilly look. The kit
lenss autofocus is a bit slow, but that
doesnt afect landscape photography.
The rotating front element is more of
a problem when using circular
polarizer or ND grad lters.
In other respects, performance is
good. Active D-Lighting reigns in
highlights while boosting dark
shadows, metering is pretty foolproof,
and the autofocus system is accurate.
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
Top Surrounding the shutter button are
three more handy controls
Above The mode dial gives access to a
wealth of scene modes and filter effects
2
Around the back Nikon D5200
An arrangement thats simple but mostly effective
Viewfinder
The pentamirror
viewfinder
matches that of
the Canon 100D
with 95 per cent
frame coverage
LCD screen
Fully articulated,
the LCD swings
out horizontally
by 180 degrees
and tilts through
270 degrees
+/- button
The +/- buttons
give various
magnification
options when
reviewing images
i button
Direct access
buttons are few,
but the i button
enables easy
changing of the
most important
shooting settings
128
KITZONE
CAMERA GROUP TEST
Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2
14-42mm 400
L
ove at rst sight is on the
cards when people clap
eyes on the beautifully
crafted E-PM2. Its easy to
get to grips with as well, thanks to a
smart auto shooting mode with an
unerring ability to analyse scenes,
plus a Live Guide to help you venture
into advanced settings.
The small, slimline body feels
natural in use, and is well-balanced
with Micro Four Thirds lenses. The
overall package, with a 14-42mm kit
The slimline body feels natural
in use, and is well-balanced with
Micro Four Thirds lenses
lens, feels a perfect combination. The
lens retracts when not in use.
The 16Mp sensor and processor
come straight from the acclaimed
OM-D. Around the back, the LCD is a
touchscreen that not only eases menu
navigation and selecting shooting
parameters, but is also great for
picking autofocus points on the y.
The resolution of the screen is an
underwhelming 460k pixels, but
image quality is good, and the LCD is
comfortable to view even with direct
sunlight beating down on it.
Unlike the Panasonic (opposite)
and Sony (page 127) Compact system
cameras in the group, this Olympus
model features a hotshoe for tting a
proper ashgun, and comes with a
small clip-on ash. The hotshoe and
communication port also accept the
optional VF-3 electronic viewnder,
which costs about 150. Scene modes
and art lters are plentiful.
PERFORMANCE
Theres a slight but attractive warmth
in colour balance, which gives a rich
yet natural look to landscape shots.
The built-in sensor-shift stabilization
system fends of camera-shake well.
Its an important factor: this can an
issue when you hold a CSC at arms
length to enable composition on the
cameras LCD. Autofocus is quick and
accurate, while metering and auto
white balance are reliable.
Released too late for this group
test, the PEN E-P5 is even better: see
page 100 for our in-depth review.
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
Top The Live Guide is like a built-in
photography course, full of useful tips
Above All the shooting modes are easily
available via the Menu button
3
A compact model that makes images full of warmth
Around the back Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2
Its all neat and tidy, with a great touchscreen LCD
Hotshoe
The hotshoe
enables fitment
of a small flash
(supplied), a
flashgun, or
an electronic
viewfinder
LCD
Its not high-res
and is fixed in
place, but the
touchscreen is
great, and image
quality is superb
Four-way pad
Quick access
to exposure
compensation,
flash, drive mode
and autofocus
area selection
Info button
Varying amounts
of shooting info
are available. The
live histogram
works well for
setting exposure
compensation
129
KITZONE
A high-tech model with touch-based autofocus
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6
14-42mm 480
T
his revamp of the GF5
boosts image resolution
from 12.1Mp to 16Mp and
adds a Venus processing
engine. Its only a millimetre chunkier
than the GF5, but the GF6 adds a
shooting mode dial on top and
a tilting touchscreen at the back
both of which enhance handling.
Like most cameras, theres an
intelligent auto shooting mode but,
unusually, theres a direct access
button for it. Its neat that you can
Autofocus works well with the
touchscreen... Simply touch an
area of the screen to focus there
switch to iA mode and back to your
previous shooting mode (as set on the
mode dial) with the simple press of a
button. Other options available from
the mode dial include 23 scene modes
and 19 artistic lter efects, as well as
two custom shooting settings.
The GF6 boasts a built-in Wi-Fi
system as well as NFC (Near Field
Communication). The latter enables
you to simply place the camera next
to compatible smartphones, tablets
and other devices for easy sharing
photos and videos.
One retrograde step is that, unlike
the power zoom kit lens option for
the GF5, the GF6 comes with a new
manual zoom lens. That makes the
camera bodys zoom lever around the
shutter button a little superuous
although you can assign its function
to exposure control, and its useful for
magnifying images in playback mode.
You can buy Panasonics pancake
14-42mm power zoom lens separately,
but its pricey at around 280. Other
omissions from the design include a
hotshoe or communication port for
an optional ashgun or viewnder.
The built-in pop-up ash is tiny.
PERFORMANCE
Autofocus is fast, accurate and works
well with the touchscreen. As with
the Olympus E-PM2 (opposite), you
simply touch an area of the screen to
focus there. Image quality is good,
but quite noisy under low lighting
conditions, which can be an issue for
twilight landscape photography.
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
Top The pop-up flash is tiny, and theres no
hotshoe for attaching a proper flashgun
Above The mode dial is a new and welcome
addition, compared with the GF5
4
Around the back Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6
A big touchscreen means other controls are squeezed together
Disp
Shoot info can be
toggled on or off,
with options for
displaying a live
histogram and
exposure values
Wi-Fi
A variety of
Wi-Fi options is
available here,
although direct
upload to the
web is poorly
implemented
LCD screen
Taking up most
of the camera
back is a great
3-inch, 1040k
resolution
touchscreen
Multi-controller
Direct access to
exposure
compensation,
white balance,
drive mode and
autofocus areas
130
KITZONE
CAMERA GROUP TEST
Pentax K-30
18-55mm 530
T
he weather is one thing
no photographer has any
control over. Water and
electronics dont make a
good mix, so shooting in the rain is
always a worry. The Pentax K-30
boosts condence: both the body and
its 18-55mm WR kit lens are better
weather-sealed than most competing
cameras. Indeed, its marketed as an
outdoor SLR with a weather-resistant
and dustproof construction. The lens
is similarly weather-proofed, with a
Both the body and its kit lens
are better weather-sealed than
most competing cameras
rubber sealing ring on its mounting
plate, and also features a Super
Protection coating on its front
element that repels water and dust.
Other attractions include an
up-market pentaprism viewnder,
which gives full 100 per cent frame
coverage; an 11-point autofocus
system, of which nine points are
cross-type; and a sensor-shift image
stabilizer that works with any
attached lens. The maximum burst
rate of 6fps is impressive too handy
if your landscape session suddenly
turns into a wildlife shoot. The
maximum shutter speed is also
unusually fast, at 1/6000th of a
second. Meanwhile, landscape-
friendly scene modes include sunset,
blue skies, forest and an HDR mode.
Build quality feels robust, although
the main body shell is polycarbonate
rather than alloy. Even so, the K-30 is
the heaviest body in this test at 650g.
Thats quite a lot considering that the
Sony NEX-3N CSC (opposite) is less
than a third of the weight. Uniquely in
the group, Pentax ofers an optional
battery holder so you can run the
K-30 from four standard AA batteries,
but this adds extra weight.
PERFORMANCE
Colour rendition is a bit cool, but
metering is accurate and consistent.
Under good lighting, autofocus is fast
using the kit lens, but it struggles to
lock onto targets in gloom. Autofocus
is also noisy compared with the other
cameras and lenses in this group.
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
Top The shutter button is flanked by
exposure compensation and reset buttons
Above Shooting modes include Time
Aperture value, which adjusts sensitivity
5
Water-resistant surfaces mean rain wont stop play
Around the back Pentax K-30
A very conventional layout for this robust camera
LCD screen
Theres no tilt,
articulation or
touchscreen
control, but
the 921k pixel
display has good
image quality
Rear command
dial control
The K-30 has
dual command
dials: the other
is in front of the
shutter button
Four-way pad
ISO, drive mode,
white balance,
flash and AF
point selection
are available
Viewfinder
The best optical
viewfinder in the
group is this
pentaprism unit
with full 100 per
cent frame
coverage
131
KITZONE
The lightest body on test, but with a big sensor
Sony Alpha NEX-3N
16-50mm 330
T
he NEX-3N squeezes a
relatively large APS-C
format image sensor into
its slimline body. Its
actually the lightest body in the group
at just 210g; and with a depth of
35mm, its even slimmer than the
older Sony NEX-F3. Better still, while
the older camera was dwarfed by its
kit lens, the retracting 16-50mm
power zoom supplied here is more in
keeping with the scale of the body.
Power zoom can be operated by a
The NEX-3N squeezes a large
APS-C format image sensor
into its slimline body
two-way switch on the lens barrel, or
via a zoom lever around the shutter.
Theres a ring on the lens for manual
zoom adjustments, which changes to
focusing in manual focus mode.
Like the Panasonic GF6 (page 125),
this Sony camera features a tilting
LCD that can ip up through 180
degrees, automatically putting it
into self-portrait mode. Unlike the
Panasonic model, however, the screen
cant be tilted downwards, so its less
useful for shooting with the camera
above your head. Its also not a
touchscreen, putting the emphasis on
control buttons for menu navigation.
The menu system itself is based
on a main control button, two
context-sensitive soft buttons and
a directional pad that doubles up as
a rotary command dial. Its less
intuitive than the menu systems of
most competing cameras. Theres also
no shooting mode dial, which would
have made for faster operation. There
are two intelligent auto shooting
modes, a sweep panorama mode and
various scene modes, of which
landscape, sunset and handheld
twilight suit scenic photography.
PERFORMANCE
Autofocus speed is the most sluggish
in this group, but this shouldnt be
much of an issue for landscape
photography. The same applies to the
relatively slow 2.5fps continuous
drive rate. Image quality is good, but
landscapes often look less vibrant
than with competing cameras.
Overall
FEATURES
IMAGE QUALITY
BUILD/HANDLING
VALUE
Top The tiny pop-up flash wont get you
very far in landscape shooting
Above A zoom lever is fitted around the
shutter button to control the powered lens
6
Around the back Sony Alpha NEX-3N
Theres a bit of a learning curve in store with this camera
LCD screen
The LCD is
quite low-res
at 461k pixels
and isnt a
touchscreen,
but theres a
tilt facility
Soft buttons
The two upper
and lower
buttons are
context-
sensitive, but
you can alter
their defaults
Movie start/
stop button
As with many
new cameras,
theres a movie
button rather
than using the
shutter button
Four-way
controller
Get access to
display mode,
ISO, exposure
compensation
and drive mode
132
KITZONE
CAMERA GROUP TEST
KITZONE
132
CANON EOS 100D NIKON D5200 OLYMPUS PEN E-PM2 PANASONIC DMC-GF6
O
U
T
D
O
O
R
R
E
S
O
L
U
T
I
O
N
N
O
I
S
E
C
O
L
O
U
R

E
R
R
O
R
The 100D has a sunny disposition
that delivers bright images, although
highlights can sometimes look a
little washed out and desaturated.
Auto white balance mode is a little
lacking in accuracy and consistency,
often giving a cool colour cast to
sunny-day landscape shots.
Theres an attractive, slight touch of
warmth to images, but the E-PM2 is
very consistent and gives beautiful
landscape images.
Images look very natural, but colours
can tend to be a little desaturated
and lacking in vibrancy even
in the scenery photo style.
Its not a standout performer in
terms of resolution, level-pegging
the Micro Four Thirds cameras
throughout most of the ISO range.
The Nikon makes the most of its
class-leading 24.1Mp image sensor to
deliver excellent sharpness, which
is maintained at high ISO settings.
Its very good, and an exact match for
the Panasonic camera at low ISO
settings, but is marginally less sharp at
medium to high ISO settings.
Very good overall, the Panasonic
retains plenty of sharpness
throughout most of its sensitivity
range, right up to ISO 6400.
Colour balance can often be on
the warm side in real-world
shooting, borne out by the test
score of our lab tests.
Its a bit of a moveable feast, with
auto white balance often giving
different results in consecutive
shots, under identical lighting.
When it comes to accuracy, wed have
to say that colour balance is
marginally on the warm side but
images simply look great.
Colour rendition isnt quite as
accurate as with the Olympus, but its
pretty close, although saturation
can sometimes be a little muted.
IMAGE TEST VERDICT
Image quality isnt quite
as punchy as with some
competing cameras in this
group, but the Canon 100D
acquits itself very well overall.
IMAGE QUALITY IN FOCUS
IMAGE TEST VERDICT
Images are highly detailed
and well exposed, but
inconsistency in colour
rendition can be frustrating
in landscape photography.
IMAGE TEST VERDICT
Landscapes shot on the
Olympus E-PM2 look gorgeous
and full of life, even
when lighting conditions
are less than ideal.
IMAGE TEST VERDICT
Images sometimes look less
lively than those from other
cameras, but overall quality
is very good apart from
extremely low-lit scenes.
24 28 24 26
ISO200 ISO200 ISO200 ISO200
ISO200
ISO200 ISO200 ISO200 ISO200
ISO6400 ISO6400
ISO3200
ISO200 ISO200 ISO200
ISO3200
ISO200
Under very low lighting, noise is
much more pronounced than with
the Olympus E-PM2, even at
fairly low ISO settings.
For a camera with a relatively small
image sensor, the Olympus does
astonishingly well at keeping noise to
a minimum at high ISO settings.
Theres a little more retention of fine
detail than with the Canon 100D,
although high ISO image noise
is slightly more noticeable.
Under dull lighting conditions, the
Canon gives exceptionally low image
noise at high ISO settings, while
retaining a good level of fine detail.
ISO3200 ISO3200
133
KITZONE
ISO3200
ISO200
SONY ALPHA NEX-3N
The Sony goes to the dark side a bit,
with relatively little low-light detail
in its shots even when using the
auto dynamic range optimizer.
Sharpness is less impressive at its
base ISO setting than with other
cameras in the group, but it does
well at higher sensitivities.
Accurate on the whole, colours can
nevertheless look a little dull in
landscape images, lacking the vitality
of some competing cameras.
IMAGE TEST VERDICT
Theres a similar lack of
vibrancy as in the Pentax
images, and slight
underexposure errors can
make for gloomy landscapes.
22
ISO200
ISO200
ISO3200
ISO200
Disappointing for a camera with an
APS-C sensor: its low-light noise
performance is only slightly better
than the Panasonic GF6.
CAMERA BENCHMARKS
How the models perform in our tests
WHATS
THIS?
Find out how
we test on
page 98
CanonEOS100D NikonD5200
Pentax K30 Sony NEX-3N
Olympus E-PM2
Panasonic GF6
KEY
C
onsidering theyre both
Micro Four Thirds cameras,
theres a big difference in lab
results from the Olympus E-PM2
and Panasonic GF6. This is
especially true in raw quality
mode, where the Olympus gives
some of the best results in the
group, whereas the Panasonic is
poor for dynamic range and
signal-to-noise ratio. The Pentax
K-30 scores highly for colour
accuracy, but in real-world tests,
saturation is often quite muted.
8
RAW COLOUR ERROR Closest to zero is best
COLOUR ERROR RESULT: The Pentax K-30 has the least colour error of
those tested, but the Olympus colour rendition looks the most appealing.
-6 0 2 4 6
CanonEOS100D
NikonD5200
Olympus E-PM2
Panasonic DMC-GF6
Pentax K30
Sony NEX-3N
6.1
5.4
-4 -2
-1.42
-2.63
16
20
24
28
32
36
40
44
RAW SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO (AFTER CONVERSION TO TIFF)
S
I
G
N
A
L
-
T
O
-
N
O
I
S
E
R
A
T
I
O
(
D
B
)
ISOSENSITIVITY
400 200 800 1600 3200
NOISE RESULT: The Panasonic produces the most image noise at high
sensitivity settings, but noise is quite pronounced in the pictures.
14
15
11
9
12
10
7
8
RAW DYNAMIC RANGE (AFTER CONVERSION TO TIFF)
D
Y
N
A
M
I
C
R
A
N
G
E
(
E
V
)
SENSITIVITY
DYNAMIC RANGE RESULT: The Olympus E-PM2 is a real high-flyer at high
ISO settings, while the Panasonic GF6 comes bottom of the group.
400 200 800 1600 3200
13
-4.10
PENTAX K-30
The K-30 has a slight tendency to
under-expose, and images can look
a little dull and lifeless compared
with most other cameras.
For sharpness, theres practically
nothing to choose between the
Pentax and Canon cameras, although
the Canon is slightly better at ISO 100.
The K-30 scores close to perfection
for colour accuracy, but a bit of
a boost in saturation would be
good in landscape shooting.
IMAGE TEST VERDICT
Colour saturation and contrast
are disappointing compared
with other cameras in the
group, giving landscape
images a flat look.
24
ISO200
Its not a match for the Canon or Sony
SLRs, but the K-30 does better to
contain image noise than older
Pentax cameras that weve used.
ISO200
-3.55
134
KITZONE
CAMERA GROUP TEST
F
or the absolute ultimate
in image quality, you just
cant beat a really high-
resolution, full-frame
SLR with similarly big, heavy lenses.
But many nd them unsuitable for
trekking into the hills, so there has to
be a compromise when it comes to
size and weight.
As shown in the results of this
group test, downsizing is more of a
compromise with some cameras than
with others. Despite being one of the
smallest and lightest cameras in the
group, the Olympus E-PM2 is a
THE DIGITAL CAMERA VERDICT
OLYMPUS RULES
FOR LANDSCAPES
From the tiny slimline body of the
E-PM2 comes great landscapes
delight to use and delivers stunning
image quality in most outdoor
conditions, from twilight handheld
shooting to full-on bright sunshine.
The Canon 100D runs a close
second to the Olympus. Its naturally
a fair bit larger, but its still amazingly
compact and light to carry for an SLR.
The Canon has more of the look, feel
and handling qualities of a proper
camera, but overall we still prefer the
E-PM2s image quality.
Third place goes to the Panasonic
GF6, which is a major upgrade to the
older GF5, in terms of both handling
and image quality. Again, though, its
not quite a match for the Olympus.
The Sony lags behind in both respects
but its still a good buy if youre on a
tighter budget.
Of the remaining two SLRs,
the Nikon D5200 is rather more
accomplished than the Pentax K-30.
Our only real bugbear with the Nikon
is that its auto white balance is very
inconsistent, giving pronounced
diferences in colour rendition
between successive shots of exactly
the same scene, under exactly the
same lighting.
HOW THE
CAMERAS
COMPARE
Canon EOS 100D Nikon D5200 Olympus PEN E-PM2 Panasonic DMC-GF6 Pentax K-30 Sony Alpha NEX-3N
Website www.canon.co.uk www.europe-nikon.com www.olympus.co.uk www.panasonic.co.uk www.pentax.co.uk www.sony.co.uk
Street price(body only) 580 630 400 480 530 330
Body type D-SLR D-SLR CSC CSC D-SLR CSC
Sensor (size) 18.0MpCMOS(22.3x14.9mm) 24.1MpCMOS(23.5x15.6mm) 16.1MpLive MOS(17.3x13.0mm) 16.0MpLive MOS(17.3x13.0mm) 16.3MpCMOS(23.7x15.7mm) 16.1MpCMOS(23.5x15.6mm)
Lens mount (cropfactor) Canon EF-S (1.6x) Nikon DX (1.5x) Micro 4/3 (2.0x) Micro 4/3 (2.0x) Pentax KAF2 (1.5x) Sony E (1.5x)
Memory SD/HC/XC SD/HC/XC SD/HC/XC SD/HC/XC SD/HC/XC Memory Stick, SD/HC/XC
Viewfinder Pentamirror, 0.87x, 95% Pentamirror, 0.78x, 95% Optional VF-3 (150) None Pentaprism, 0.92x, 100% None
Imagestabilization Via lens Via lens Built-in sensor-shift Via lens Built-in sensor-shift Via lens
Max videoresolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
ISOrange(expanded) ISO 100-6400 (12800) ISO 100-6400 (25600) ISO 200-5000 (25600) ISO 160-12800 (25600) ISO 100-12800 (25600) ISO 200-16000
Autofocus points 9-point (1 cross-type) 39-point (9 cross-type) Contrast detection Contrast detection 11-point (9 cross-type) Contrast AF
Shutter speeds 30-1/4000 sec, Bulb 30-1/4000 sec, Bulb 60-1/4000 sec, Bulb 60-1/4000 sec 30-1/6000 sec, Bulb 30-1/4000 sec, Bulb
Max burst rate 4.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second 8.0 frames per second 4.2 frames per second 6.0 frames per second 2.5 frames per second
X-Sync speed 1/200 sec 1/200 sec 1/250 sec 1/160 sec 1/180 sec 1/160 sec
Flash Pop-up Pop-up Plug-in Pop-up Pop-up Pop-up
LCDscreen 3.0-inch, 1040k, fixed, touch 3.0-inch, 921k, pivot 3-inch, 460k, fixed, touch 3.0-inch, 1040k, tilt, touch 3.0-inch, 921k, fixed 3.0-inch, 461k, tilt
Body (WxHxD), weight 117 x 91 x 70mm, 407g 129 x 98 x 78mm, 555g 110 x 64 x 34mm, 265g 111 x 67 x 38mm, 322g 129 x 97 x 72mm, 650g 110 x 62 x 35mm, 210g
Battery life(CIPA) 380 shots 500 shots 360 shots 330 shots 410 shots 480 shots
FEATURES

BUILD QUALITY

IMAGE QUALITY

VALUE

OVERALL
Above The capable
and good-looking
Olympus E-PM2
takes the landscape
group test crown
135
KITZONE
OUTDOORS
TEST
RANKINGS
The definitive view
on the best new
cameras for shooting
great landscapes
1st OLYMPUS PEN E-PM2
Its not often a compact system camera can
stick it to an SLR, but the Olympus delivers
exceptional image quality from a package
thats small and light enough to take anywhere.
Whats good: Impeccable image quality; very
fast autofocus; smart touchscreen.
Whats bad: Fairly low-resolution LCD screen,
which is fixed rather than being articulated.
Our verdict: An ideal blend of superior image
quality and downsized proportions makes this
a great go-anywhere camera.
2nd CANON EOS 100D
Whats good: Refreshingly small and light for
an SLR; the new kit lens is a big improvement.
Whats bad: Images can look overly bright
and slightly lacking in contrast.
Our verdict: Currently the best landscape
SLR on the market in its price bracket.
4th NIKON D5200
Whats good: Advanced features; plenty of
scene modes and effects; articulated LCD.
Whats bad: White balance errors and
inconsistencies spoil image quality.
Our verdict: A very good SLR overall, but
image quality is variable.
3rd PANASONIC DMC-GF6
Whats good: Slimline design includes tilting
LCD and shooting mode dial.
Whats bad: No hotshoe or communications
port for optional flashgun or viewfinder.
Our verdict: Very good overall, but its
outgunned by the more inexpensive Olympus.
6th PENTAX K-30
Whats good: Weather-resistant body and
lens; advanced all-round specifications.
Whats bad: Image quality lacks vibrancy;
theres a tendency towards underexposure.
Our verdict: Specs are impressive on paper,
but lose a little in translation.
5th SONY ALPHA NEX-3N
Whats good: Extremely light and compact;
new retractable power zoom lens.
Whats bad: No hotshoe; menu system is
long-winded; images can lack vibrancy.
Our verdict: Not quite on a par with the other
CSCs on test, but very good value for money.
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Our verdict: Atempt|ng pr|ce ondeos,-to-use eotures shou|dp|eose beg|nners. 1he quo||t, ot h|gh sens|t|v|t|es mo, o|sooppeo| tomore odvonced
photogrophers |oo||ng or o decent ||ghtwe|ght secondbod,.
CanonO56OOD 489 A5-C, CHO5, 18Hp www.canon.co.uk, O1737 22OOOO Issue111
Our verdict: 1he600l|s o we||-spec||edcomero thot's |deo| or those wont|ng toe|evote the|r photogroph, tothe next |eve|. vhen the ort|cu|otedscreen,
w|re|ess |osh copob|||t, ondnumerous other |mprovements ore cons|dered, the prem|umover the 550lstorts tosoundqu|te reosonob|e.
CanonO565OD 579 A5-C, CHO5, 18Hp www.canon.co.uk, O1737 22OOOO Issue129
Our verdict: v|th|ts touchscreen, l,br|dAl ondother user-r|end|, unct|ons, the 650ltronsorms the wo, ,ou use on Sllondto|e p|ctures.
1here's o|sop|ent, o contro| ond|mpress|ve |moge quo||t,, mo||ng |t o goodcho|ce or nov|ce users ondexper|encedphotogrophers o|||e.
CanonO57OD 1,O8O A5-C, CHO5, 2O.2Hp www.canon.co.uk, O1737 22OOOO Issue141
Our verdict: 1hesuccessor tothe popu|or 60l, th|s comero sports o w|re|ess |osh contro| ondo !,040,000-dot ort|cu|otedtouchscreen. lns|de, Son, hos |no||,
upgrodedtoo 20.2 m||||on eect|ve p|xe| sensor, ond|ts newprocessor o||ows o cont|nuous shoot|ng rote o 7ps.
CanonO57D 1,O69 A5-C, CHO5, 18Hp www.canon.co.uk, O1737 22OOOO Issue93j1O5
Our verdict: 1he7l|s |ncred|b|e. l|cture quo||t, |s exce||ent ondthe ocus |s shorpondspeed,, o|though thot's noguorontee thot o|| ,our oct|on shots w|||
be shorp. 1he techno|og, |s greot, but or mon, non-prousers the poc|oge mo, oer toomon, cho|ces ondbe just o b|t over-eng|neered.
CanonO56D 1,599 fu||-frame, CHO5, 2O.2Hp www.canon.co.uk, O1737 22OOOO Issue135
Our verdict: v|th some proeotures str|pped, the |ne|,-tuned6lrepresents on exce||ent cho|ce or the enthus|ost |oo||ng or o u||-rome Sll. lt mo, to|e o wh||e
toget togr|ps w|th the subt|et|es o the comero's Al s,stemondthe |lCl meter|ng s,stem|n h|gh controst cond|t|ons, but ,ou w||| opprec|ote the endresu|ts
CanonO55DHark III 2,175 fu||-frame, CHO5, 22.3Hp www.canon.co.uk, O1737 22OOOO Issue126
Our verdict: lesp|te on|, o smo|| |ncreose |n reso|ut|on over the 5llor| ll, don't be oo|ed |ntoth|n||ng thot th|s |s on|, o m|nor upgrode. 1he outoocus
s,stem|n port|cu|or oers s|gn||cont|, better perormonce. 1hese |mprovements docome ot o pr|ce though.
NlkON
N|konD31OO 32O A5-C, CHO5, 14.2Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue1O7
Our verdict: leodondshou|ders obove the compet|t|on, th|s mojor upgrode tothe best-se|||ng l3000boosts ontost|c |moge quo||t,, !080pv|deo
copture ondon |nnovot|ve Gu|de mode thot octs os on|n-comero tutor|o|. lt's st||| qu|te expens|ve, but | pr|ces stort todropo b|t |t w||| be o reo| borgo|n.
N|konD32OO 41O A5-C, CHO5, 24.2Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue127
Our verdict: v|th o 24-m||||on-p|xe| reso|ut|on, N||on's |nnovot|ve Gu|de lode ondp|ent, o exposure opt|ons, th|s |s o|most the perect beg|nners' Sll. 1here
ore n|gg|es w|th the co|our occuroc, o the reor lCl, ondth|s screen not be|ng ort|cu|oted, but these ore m|nor |ssue
N|konD52OO 699 A5-C, CHO5, 24.1Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue136
Our verdict: v|th o jumpo 7.9m||||on p|xe|s, the l5200produces |moges thot ore s|gn||cont|, |orger thon the l5!00. lt o|sohos h|gher spec||cot|on Al ond
meter|ng s,stems, ondde||vers |moges w|th we||-contro||edno|se ondp|ent, o deto||, o|be|t w|th s||ght bond|ng |n some |moges to|en ot lSO3200ondobove.
N|konD9O 42O A5-C, CHO5, 12.3Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue79
Our verdict: lor th|s ||ndo mone, ,ou con get comeros w|th pro|eve|s o bu||dquo||t,, eotures ondreso|ut|on. Lut wh||e |t's not the best |n ever, respect,
the l90b||tzes the rest overo||, port|, becouse o |ts huge ||st o eotures ondport|, becouse |t's socons|stent|, goodot ever,th|ng |t does.
N|konD3OO5 999 A5-C, CHO5, 12.3Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue92
Our verdict: St|||s perormonce |s outstond|ng - |t's qu|te hordtoto|e o bodp|cture w|th th|s comero. 1he comero |s ost, smort ondbu||t to|ost, w|th |mpress|ve
perormonce ot h|gher lSOs. lt's o shome the v|deoperormonce |s |ogg|ng beh|nd, but | ,ou wont toshoot mo|n|, st|||s, th|s |s o greot bu,.
N|konD7OOO 642 A5-C, CHO5, 16.2Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue1O7
Our verdict: An exce||ent comero copob|e o coptur|ng o h|gh |eve| o deto|| ocross the u|| sens|t|v|t, ronge. lt's poc|edw|th we||-|ntegrotedeotures ond|s
eos, touse, but the superbAl s,stemneeds o pro-|eve| |ens toperormto|ts potent|o|, ond|t's o shome the lClscreen |sn't ort|cu|oted.
N|konD71OO 1O99 A5-C, CHO5, 24.1Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue138
Our verdict: An honest comero thot de||vers shorp|moges w|th bogs o deto||, but some |ne-gro|nedno|se romsens|t|v|t|es os |owos lSO400. Some o th|s mo,
be |n port down to|ts |nnovot|ve |oc| o on ont|-o||os|ng ||ter. St|||, |t's o greot cho|ce or |ondscope, st||| ||e ondmocroenthus|osts.
N|konD6OO 1,365 fu||-frame, CHO5, 24.3Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue131
Our verdict: v|thsuperb-quo||t, resu|ts rom|ts 24lpsensor, extens|ve eotures ondcompoct s|ze, the l600|s on except|ono||, user-r|end|, u||-rome
comero. 1he u||-rome sensor comes ot o pr|ce though, ondthe outoocus po|nts don't cover o |orge oreo o the rome.
N|konD8OO 1,929 fu||-frame, CHO5, 36.3Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue125
Our verdict: 1hel800de||vers |moges thot compore we|| w|th pr|c|er ond|orger-ormot comeros. lt exce|s ot |owsens|t|v|t|es, but the b|ggest surpr|se |s
thot the no|se |s o|sowe|| contro||edot h|gher sens|t|v|t|es. lt's o greot cho|ce or |ondscope, portro|t, st|||-||e ondmocrophotogrophers o|||e.
N|konD4 4,249 fu||-frame, CHO5, 16.2Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue127
Our verdict: 1hel4|s oso||dwor|horseo ocomerothot proess|ono|s condependontode||ver goodresu|ts even|n|ow-||ght cond|t|ons. 1heoutoocus,
meter|ng ondromerotes hoveo|| been|mprovedromthel3S, ondthev|deoeotures oreomojor upgrodeover theprev|ous mode|.
lLN1AX
enta k-3O 459 A5-C, CHO5, 16.3Hp www.penta.co.uk, O87O7368299 Issue131
Our verdict: 1he k-30produces h|gh-quo||t, resu|ts, |s eos, touse ondhos p|ent, o eotures, but |t's the weotherproo|ng thot mo|es |t stondout romthe other
entr,-|eve| Slls. lowever, toto|e u|| odvontoge o th|s ,ou doneedtouseone o lentox's vl(veother les|stont) |enses.
enta k-5 569 A5-C, CHO5, 16.3Hp www.penta.co.uk, O87O7368299 Issue 1O9
Our verdict: 1he lentox k-5 morr|es o we||-roundedspec||cot|on ||st, |nc|ud|ng 7ps shoot|ng ondllv|deo, w|th ste||or perormonce, ondstonds os on |deo|
upgrode tolentox's prev|ous Slls once the pr|ce drops o ||tt|e. lts h|gh-lSOperormonce |s port|cu|or|, |mpress|ve, w|th we||-contro||edno|se uptolSO!2800.
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SlGlA
5|ma 5D1 Herr||| 1,496 A5-C, foveonX3CHO5, 46Hp www.s|ma-|ma|n-uk.com, O17O7 329999 Issue134
Our verdict: 1he Sl! |s a m|x o the exce||ent andrustrat|ng. 1he |mages at |owlSOsett|ngs are superb, espec|a||, |n raw, but at lSO800andabove the, |ag
beh|ndthe compet|t|on. 1he wr|te t|mes are a|sos|owand|t |ac|s eatures such as l|ve v|ewandv|deo, but or photograph, |n good||ght at |owlSOs |t's terr||c.
SONY
5ony 5L1-A57 468 A5-C, CHO5, 16.1Hp www.sony.co.uk, O87OO1O41O7 Issue127
Our verdict: v|tha robust bod,, an access|b|e contro| |a,out anda h|gh-reso|ut|on art|cu|atedlClscreen, there |s much to|||e about the A57. 1here's a|sop|ent,
o d|verse exposure andscene modes, |nc|ud|ng l|cture Lects, 3lshoot|ng capab|||t, anda respectab|e range o automat|c andmanua| exposure modes
5ony 5L1-A58 399 A5-C, CHO5, 12O.1Hp www.sony.co.uk, O87OO1O41O7 Issue141
Our verdict: 1he A58represents great va|ue or mone,, and|s a worthwh||e purchase or an,bod, |oo||ng or the|r |rst Sl1st,|e camera. lt's a ver, n|ce upgrade,
but not a terr||c departure rom|ts dua| predecessors, soA37[A57 owners m|ght want tocons|der st|c||ng w|th what the,'ve got.
5ony 5L1-A65 649 A5-C, 24.3HpHDCHO5 www.sony.co.uk, O87OO1O41O7 Issue122
Our verdict: 1he A65 matches or exceeds |ts r|va|s' eature sets |n man, respects. lt's pr|c|er, but the |mpress|ve stac| o h|gh-endeatures that th|s
camera has tooer more than outwe|ghs |ts cost.
5ony 5L1-A77 72O A5-C, 24.3HpHDCHO5 www.sony.co.uk, O87OO1O41O7 Issue121
Our verdict: 1here's a |ot to|ove about the A77. |t |oo|s, ee|s andhand|es just |||e a sem|-proess|ona| Sllandcomes equ|ppedw|th a comprehens|ve eature
set that compares avourab|, tor|va|s' oer|ngs.
COllAC1SYS1LlCAlLlAS
CANON
CanonO5H 529 A5-C, CHO5, 18Hp www.canon.co.uk, O1737 22OOOO Issue133
Our verdict: Canon's |rst compact s,stemcamera eatures the same !8lpsensor as the LOS 650landoers superb|mage qua||t,. 1he contro| |a,out
|s a|soexce||ent, but the camera has an unba|ancedee| w|th the !8-55mm|ens attachedandthe autoocus |s s|ower than some o the compet|t|on.
lUJlllll
fuj|f||mX-1 949 X-1rans CHO5sensor, 16.3Hp www.fuj|f||m.eujuk Issue135
Our verdict: Comb|n|ng the antast|c techno|og, o the Xlro! w|th a more consumer-r|end|, pr|ce, anda sma||er, more stream||nedCSCbod, w||| ensure that the
X-L! w||| appea| toa w|de range o peop|e. 1he |mprovedautoocus speeds that luj|'s new|rmware br|ngs ma|e th|s a camera toeas||, ta|e on |ts Sllr|va|s.
fuj|f||mX-ro1 1,O99 X-1rans CHO5sensor, 16.3Hp www.fuj|f||m.eujuk Issue125
Our verdict: l ,ou want a camera that |s enjo,ab|e touse, has trad|t|ona| contro|s andproduces great |mages, then the luj|||mX-lro! |sn't ar o perect|on.
1h|s comb|nat|on doesn't come cheapthough, andthe h,br|dv|ew|nder |sn't |dea| or manua| ocus|ng.
NlkON
N|kon1 V2 8OO| | CX, CHO5, 14.2Hp www.europe-n|kon.com, O8OO23O22O Issue137
Our verdict: N||on has c|ear|, thought |ong andhardabout the secondvers|on o |ts topN||on ! compact s,stemcamera, a|m|ng |t much more c|ear|, at
enthus|asts. 1he v2 |s |ndeeda great ||tt|e camera, a|be|t w|th some drawbac|s |n terms o the eatures |t oers andthe pr|ce.
OlYllUS
O|ympus NH|n| -H2 475 H|crofour 1h|rds, L|veHO5, 16.1Hp www.o|ympus.co.uk, O8OO111 4777 Issue136
Our verdict: A|though |t s|ts at the bottomo the current O|,mpus CSC||ne-up, th|s t|tch, camera eatures the same !6.!lpsensor and1ruel|c vl processor as the
h|gh-endO|,mpus Ol-l. lts touchscreen |s both a b|ess|ng anda curse, but there's ||tt|e toau|t |n |ts p|cture qua||t,, |mages have bags o deta|| andr|ch co|ours.
O|ympus N-3 593 H|crofour 1h|rds, L|veHO5, 12.3Hp www.o|ympus.co.uk, O8OO111 4777 Issue116
Our verdict: O|,mpus's best compact s,stemcamera todate, the L-l3 has just about ever,th|ng ,ou cou|dwant roma CSC. 1he manuacturer's |rst
touchscreen has been we||-|mp|emented, andw|th|n |ts nat|ve lSOrange the L-l3 produces superb|mages.
O|ympus NL|te-L5 575 H|crofour 1h|rds, L|veHO5, 16.1Hp www.o|ympus.co.uk, O8OO111 4777 Issue133
Our verdict: v|ththe !6.!lpsensor romthe Ol-lL-5 prov|d|ng exce||ent |mage qua||t,, th|s |s a antast|c add|t|on tothe lLNrange. 1he L-ll5 a|sooers
a w|de range o eatures, |nc|ud|ng Art l||ters that can be app||edwhen shoot|ng |n sem|-automat|c andmanua| modes.
O|ympus OH-D-H5 979 H|crofour 1h|rds, L|veHO5, 16.1Hp www.o|ympus.co.uk, O8448443852 Issue126
Our verdict: 1he Ol-lL-l5 puts |n a great a||-roundperormer w|th a st,||sh des|gn andan |mpress|ve amount o advancedeatures. lt's an exc|t|ng camera,
wh|ch a|ong w|th other h|gh-endCSCs has the potent|a| tobe a rea| game-changer.
lANASONlC
anason|c Lum| DHC-G5 5OO H|crofour 1h|rds, L|veHO5, 16Hp www.panason|c.co.uk, O8448443852 Issue132
Our verdict: 1he |mage qua||t, andhand||ng o the G5 are more than a match or r|va|s suchas the O|,mpus Ol-lL-5, but oers better va|ue.
1he |nnovat|ve 1ouch ladAl unct|on, wh|ch a||ows ,ou tomove the Al po|nt romthe rear screen (even when us|ng the v|ew|nder) |s a useu| add|t|on.
anason|c Lum| DHC-Gf5 459 H|crofour 1h|rds, L|veHO5, 12.1Hp www.panason|c.co.uk, O8448443852 Issue128
Our verdict: 1he Gl5 oers one o the best comprom|ses between compact s|ze andh|gh |mage qua||t, on the mar|et. lt's tru|, poc|etab|e, wh||e st||| manag|ng
tooer antast|c |mage qua||t, anda so||deature set.
anason|c Lum| DHC-GX1 499 H|crofour 1h|rds, L|veHO5, 16Hp www.panason|c.co.uk, O8448443852 Issue122
Our verdict: An exc|t|ng newd|rect|on or lanason|c, brea||ng awa, romthe mass-mar|et Gl-ser|es andprov|d|ng a prem|umopt|on that advancedenthus|asts
shou|dde|n|te|, cons|der.
SONY
5ony NX-f3 349 A5-C, CHO5, 16.1Hp www.sony.co.uk, O87OO1O41O7 Issue13O
Our verdict: 1heNLX-l3 |s pac|edw|th enough eatures tosat|s, both nov|ces andadvanced photographers a|||e. 1he s||ght|, bu|||er bod, andhand-gr|phave
|mprovedthe hand||ng over the prev|ous NLX-C3, wh||e the |mage qua||t, (espec|a||, at h|gh sens|t|v|t|es) |s |mpress|ve.
5ony NX-6 6OO A5-C, CHO5, 16.1Hp www.sony.co.uk, O87OO1O41O7 Issue134
Our verdict: l ,ou want deta||ed, co|ouru| |mages, a|ong w|th a host o h|-tech eatures such as v|-l| andappcompat|b|||t,, the NLX-6|s a great camera.
1he on|, rea| d|sappo|ntment |s that the rear lClscreen on|, t||ts, rather than be|ng u||, art|cu|ated.
5ony NX-7 769 A5-C, CHO5, 24.3Hp www.sony.co.uk, O87OO1O41O7 Issue12O
Our verdict: 1he Son, NLX-7 |s h|gh|, spec||ed, and|s a|medat ser|ous photographers that requ|re h|gh-qua||t, |mages andeas, access toexposure contro|s.
lts ||ghtwe|ght, compact bod, ma, appea| tothose who|nd|ugg|ng the we|ght o an Slla pa|n, but wont comprom|se on |mage qua||t,.
ODUC1 IC 5N5O1Y CON1AC1 VIwD
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lncludes J4-42mmkit lens lncludes J8-55mmkit lens lncludes J0-30mmkit lens |lncludes 8.5mmkit lens ||lncludes J0-30mmkit lens
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PARTING SHOT
THE SHOT I wish Id taken
Top pros share images that have inspired them. Mugur Varzariu chooses Civilians
arrive in Tyre after eeing their villages in southern Lebanon by Paolo Pellegrin
Mugur Varzariu says There are few images out there that
are talking as clearly as this one about the impact of war on
children. The image looks as though it was taken through the
window of a bus or a car, and you can see clouds and palm
trees reflecting on the glass. That dramatic combination
between the darkness of the trees and the white of the
clouds creates the impression that the little girl is about to
be engulfed in the turmoil created by the war.
The girls mother is next to her but barely seen, suggesting
that she can no longer do much to protect her daughter.
The mothers eyes are in the dark, a testimony of what she
has seen. Her mouth, covered in the image by the white
cloud, is all she has to comfort the little girl, but her words
are contradicted by what they see around them. When I look
into the little girls mature eyes, I feel tears coming into mine.
This image was taken by the Italian photographer Paolo
Pellegrin in the city of Tyre in Lebanon in 2006, and he
considers it to be the best shot hes ever taken.
SeeMugarsownphotographyatwww.mugurvarzariu.com.
InDigital Camera139, MugarVarzariupresentsimagesfrom
hisportfolio, anddiscusseshisamazingcareerchangefrom
marketingintophotojournalism. Youcanorderthisissueas
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SLOW WATER SETTINGS BLURRING SETTINGS
HOW TO FREEZE FAST
MOVING ACTION SCENES
USE THESE SETTINGS FOR
MAGICAL MOTION BLUR
KEEP YOUR SUBJECT SHARP
BUT BLUR THE BACKGROUND
SUGGESTED SETTINGS FOR
THE CLASSIC MILKY EFFECT
Free with issue 142 of Digital Camera
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FREEZING SETTINGS PANNING SETTINGS
WALLET CARDS
WALLET CARDS
#1 #2
#4 #3
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WALLET CARDS
TIPS TO PRINT, CUT
OUT AND KEEP IN
YOUR WALLET!
WALLET CARDS
WALLET CARDS
Exposure mode S, Tv or Manual
Focus mode Servo or Continuous
Shutter speed 1/125 sec to start
Aperture Set by camera
ISO 100-200
Lens 18mm to 200mm
Drive mode Continuous
White balance Auto
TOP TIP Get your subject (eg, a car) in
the correct position early, then follow it
with your AF point over it. Fire a burst of
shots in the middle of the panning.
Panning, where your subject is sharp but
the background is blurred, gives a sense
of speed. To track subjects that move
towards you, use AI Servo or Continuous
autofocus, and put the AF point where
your subject needs to be sharp.
PANNING SHOTS
Key settings for
Focus mode Manual
Shutter speed 1/15 sec or slower
Aperture f/16 or f/22
ISO 100
Lens 18mm to 24mm
Drive mode Single shot
White balance Sunny or Cloudy
TOP TIP To turn water into smooth glass,
slow down to 1/2 sec. You may also need
a strong ND lter or polariser to reduce
the light, especially on a sunny day.
Focus mode Manual
Shutter speed 1/4 sec
Aperture f/16 or f/22
ISO 100
Lens 18mm to 35mm
Drive mode Single shot
White balance Sunny or Cloudy
TOP TIP Youre using a slow shutter
speed to blur people, so use a tripod or
similar support. Use a shutter release
cable (or the self timer) to avoid shake.
Focus mode Servo or Continuous
Shutter speed At least 1/500 sec
Aperture Set by camera
ISO 400 or higher
Lens 50mm to 200mm
Drive mode Continuous
White balance Auto
FREEZING ACTION
By using the S or Tv mode on your
top dial, you can pick a higher shutter
speed for freezing fast-moving vehicles
or animals. A speed of 1/1000 sec will
freeze a speeding car, while 1/8000th
sec will stop anything visible to the eye.
Key settings for
BLURRING PEOPLE
Another good way to convey movement
is to blur people as they walk (or ride)
past you. The effect is more dramatic
if you keep other elements sharp, such
as another person or the background. A
variable ND lter also helps in bright light.
Key settings for
SLOWING WATER
To get the classic milky effect on
fast-moving water such as waterfalls,
you need to slow down to at least 1/15
sec. A tripod or similar support will be
needed, and make sure you choose a low
ISO to keep the shutter speed down.
Key settings for
TOP TIP Higher ISOs will give a faster
shutter speed and help in low light.
A burst of ash can help to freeze action
too, as it lasts for 1/1000 sec or less.
N
E
W
!
WALLET CARDS
KEY SETTINGS FOR
CREATIVE SHOTS TO
TREASURE FOREVER
PORTRAITS
made easy!
Learn the skills
you need to get
stunning portraits,
Family portrait basics
Posing and ash essentials
Photoshop retouching tips

PRESENTS
THE BEST-SELLING MAGAZINE FOR CANON D-SLR OWNERS
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3
From the makers of Digital Camera magazine
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
FIND OUT
12
14
14
04 24
36 40 42
Photo fashions come
and go, but people will
always be a popular
subject. The human
face (and body) is as
fascinating to us in the
digital age as it was in the 1840s. To
help you get the most from your
people shots, weve put together a
great PDF guide this issue that has
all the skills you need for memorable
portraits. Discover how to take
great outdoor people shots or
portraits of kids, and learn how to
make the most of the powerful
features on modern cameras to
make your portraits really stand out.
We kick things off with an
introductory feature that explains all
the key concepts and camera
settings you will need, before
moving on to more specialised
areas. Of course, post-shoot editing
is really important with portraits, so
this guide also covers some of the
key skills, from basic Photoshop
tweaks, to the striking effects you
can get with Bleach Bypass effects
and mono conversion. As always, Id
love to see any portraits this guide
has inspired you to take!
Welcome
Contents
04
40 Tips for Perfect
Portraits
Capture great people pictures
every time with our great guide
14
Outdoor Portraits
Simple advice to get
guaranteed stunning shots
24
Shooting Kids
Creative tips to take
great shots of your children
36
Adjustment Layers
Edit colour and tone
in a non-destructive way
40
Bleach Bypass
Give your portraits
a cool modern makeover
42
Mono Effects
Use adjustment layers
to create a moody B&W image
Geoff Harris, Editor
geoff.harris@futurenet.com
40 tips for
perfect portraits
Learn how to capture great people pictures every time
with our 40-point plan, packed with SLR skills and tips
M
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A
lthough many photographers upgrade
to a decent SLR to take portraits
of friends and family, getting
great shots of people is always a
challenge. The diference between amateur and
professional portraits can be vast. So weve
compiled this 40-point plan to help you improve
the quality of the pictures you take.
Well start of with the basics on aperture,
shutter speed and lens choice, then move on to
focusing and composition techniques, before
showing you how to use natural light and
reectors to dramatically improve your results.
Well then discuss the benets of using
ashguns and other accessories when shooting
portraits, rounding things of with how to
approach studio photography, which home
studio lighting kits to consider, and the best
ways to photograph children and families.
So whether youre taking portraits of
your friends or youve been commissioned
to photograph a family, and whether youre
shooting in a pristine studio or outside in your
local park, the following pages are packed with
helpful advice that will help you become a better
portrait photographer.
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
4
40 PORTRAIT TIPS
5
6
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
6
CAMERA SKILLS
01
WHEN TO USE EXPOSURE
COMPENSATION
A common problem when photographing people with light
skin tones is under-exposed portraits. Youll notice this
more when shooting full-face photos or when theres lots
of white in the scene brides at weddings are a prime
example. To brighten up subjects when using Aperture
Priority mode (see Tip 2), you can try using Exposure
Compensation. Try dialling in up to +1 stop of positive
Exposure Compensation to lighten up peoples faces. A
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NO EV +1 EV
The basics
7
40 PORTRAIT TIPS
09 SHUTTER SPEED SETTINGS
11
LENS CHOICE
Your choice of lens has a big impact on
your portrait photos. A wide-angle (around
18mm) lens captures a wider angle of view,
so more of your subjects surroundings will
be in shot. A telephoto (over 70mm) lens
captures a narrower angle of view, and less
of your subjects surroundings will appear in
frame. Focal length also afects depth of eld
(DoF). A wide-angle lens will capture more
depth of eld compared to a telephoto lens.
This is why telephoto lenses are favoured
over wide-angle lenses for portraits, as they
further knock backgrounds out of focus to
make people more prominent in the scene.
10
INCREASE ISO
People move around a lot
as theyre photographed, not to
mention blink and constantly change
their facial expressions and theres
nothing worse than a photo of
somebody half-blinking or gurning
instead of smiling! To avoid these
problems, and to prevent motion
blur appearing, youll need to use
a fast shutter speed.
This will also help to ensure sharp shots and avoid camera-shake because
more often than not youll be shooting portraits handheld. While in Aperture
Priority mode and maintaining a wide aperture, to increase your shutter speed
simply increase your ISO (from ISO100 to ISO400, say). In low light (indoors
and outside), you may need to increase it to ISO800, 1600 or even 3200.
A little grain is innitely better than a blurry, useless photo.
W
hen setting shutter speed,
factor in your lenss focal length
otherwise camera-shake (and blurred
results) will become an issue. As a
general rule, make sure your shutter
speed is higher than your effective
focal length. For example, at 200mm
use a 1/250 sec shutter speed or
faster. This also means you can get
away with slower shutter speeds when
using a wide-angle lens such as 1/20
sec with an 18mm focal length.
55mm 100mm 200mm

03 Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G, 295
04 Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, 285
05 Nikon 85mm f/1.8D, 305
06 Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM, 380
07 Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR
Di II VC, 345
08 Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG
OS HSM, 980
SIX PERFECT
PORTRAIT LENSES
02
APERTURE ADVICE
When shooting portraits, its best to set
a wide aperture (around f/2.8-f/5.6) to capture a
shallow depth of eld, so the background behind
your subject is nicely blurred, making them stand
out better. Shoot in Aperture Priority mode to
control depth of eld; in this mode your SLR
will helpfully set the shutter speed for a correct
exposure. Specialist portrait lenses tend to have
even wider maximum apertures (from f/1.4 to
f/2.8) in order to blur backgrounds further.
Exposure 1/125 sec at f/4; ISO800
Lens 70-200mm f/2.8
8
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
Focusing & framing
19
CREATIVE COMPOSITIONS
Dont be lazy with your compositions. Too often
photographers stand back, thinking its best to include all,
or at least the top half, of their subject. Zoom in instead to
ll the frame for a more inspired composition. Positioning
your subject to one side of the frame, with space to look
into is a great technique to master, as is experimenting
with wide apertures to capture a very shallow depth of
eld. But remember to make sure your focusing is as
precise as possible with our example, shot at f/2.8,
we focused on the models left eye, which has thrown her
right eye nicely out of focus.
A quick and afordable way to brighten up your portraits and to give them
a professional look is to use a reector. Use them indoors (near windows)
or outdoors to bounce light back onto your subjects to ll in unwanted
shadows. Many reectors come double-sided or with detachable covers,
so you get a choice of white, silver and gold reective surfaces. The white
surfaces of reectors can also double up as difusers to soften strong direct
sunshine. If youre really strapped for cash, you can make a reector by
simply using a large sheet of white cardboard which you can also cover
with tin foil for a silver efect and it should still work a treat!
Shot without a reflector too dark
Shot with a gold reflector warmed up
Shot with a white reflector neutral
Shot with a silver reflector bright
12
FOCUSING TIPS
When using wide apertures
(especially f/2.8 or faster), your depth
of eld decreases dramatically, so
its crucial your focusing is bang on,
otherwise you could end up with
out-of-focus facial features; the
persons nose may be sharp but the
eyes soft. With tightly composed
photos, focus on the eyes; with wider
compositions, focus on the head. To
help with pinpoint focusing, manually
select a single autofocus (AF) point.
A good technique is to set the central
AF point, half-press the shutter
button to focus on the eyes/head,
then recompose to position your
subject of to one side before fully
pressing the button this is often a
much faster way of shooting than
ddling with AF points. Alternatively,
set AF points in the top corners and
place them over your subjects eyes to
take your shot. Either option will help
you position your subject of-centre
for a more balanced composition.
CONVENTIONAL

14 Try to connect with your subjects
its essential for great portraits.
15 Try to have fun when taking
portraits keep the mood upbeat.
16 If you smile, your subjects will
smile too!
17 Show your subjects your shots
to reassure them they look good.
18 Dont be afraid to give plenty of
direction, telling your models how
to look and pose.
FIVE WAYS TO
BUILD RAPPORT
13 GET PROFESSIONAL-LOOKING
PORTRAITS WITH A REFLECTOR
9
40 PORTRAIT TIPS
20
POSING FOR
PORTRAITS
How your subject stands, poses and
looks will have a dramatic efect on
your results. A slight change in facial
expression such as whether they
smile or not can radically change
the entire feeling of the photograph.
When shooting, try and capture a
range of expressions so you can pick
which you prefer when editing them
back home on the computer. Also
consider setting up portrait shots
where your subject looks of-camera,
up or down, or to one side. Play
around and see what works.
Exposure 1/320 sec at f/2.8; ISO100
Lens 85mm f/1.2
CREATIVE
10
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
Using flash
21
GET ARTISTIC WITH FLASH LIGHTING
Equipped with a ashgun, remote triggers and a good-sized
difuser, you open up the possibility of a vast array of clever and cool
lighting set-ups. Light your subjects from the side to add drama to
your portraits, and get creative by under-exposing the sky or
background, dialling in -2 stops of Exposure Compensation to
capture a moody backdrop behind your subjects.
A
lthough your SLRs pop-up
flash can be handy and helpful,
there are many reasons to invest in
a hotshoe flashgun. An off-camera
flash is much more powerful, which
means a brighter burst of light,
enabling you to set smaller
apertures to capture more depth of
field, or to light up a group of people.
You also have more control over its
settings, and you can angle it up or
sideways to bounce the light off
ceilings and walls.
Use strong colours
and side lighting for
moody portraits
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23
STAND BY ME
Consider investing in a
ashgun stand, such as
the Manfrotto 5001B
Nano stand (45), plus
a Manfrotto
026 Lite Tite Swivel
Umbrella Adapter
head (29). A stand
not only acts as a
second pair of hands,
it also enables you
to position your
ash up high or
down low, pointing
the head exactly
where you want the
light to hit.
22 WIRED AND
WIRELESS FLASH
TRIGGERS
11
40 PORTRAIT TIPS
TWO FLASHGUNS OFF-CAMERA FLASHGUN OFF-CAMERA FLASHGUN AND SOFTBOX
A
flashgun is detachable and can be fired
via a cable, or wirelessly using a remote
control attached to your hotshoe (some of
the latest SLRs can even fire flashguns
remotely, without the need for an additional
trigger). You can also use two flashes in unison
for more complex lighting set-ups. Using a
remote trigger will enable you to fire one flash,
to act at the master, which in turn will fire the
second slave flash unit at the same time.
Attach diffusers and softboxes for a bigger,
softer and more flattering spread of light.
29
USING FILL FLASH
ON SUNNY DAYS
Although it may seem odd to use
ash when the suns out, thats
precisely the time when you should
use it! The sun can cause all sorts of
problems for portrait photographers:
harsh shadows across faces,
unbalanced exposures and burnt-out
highlights. Use a bit of ll ash and
youll instantly improve your
portraits; your camera will capture
a much more balanced exposure,
because your ash will light up
your subject while the camera
exposes for the background.

FIVE FLASH
UPGRADES
& ADD-ONS
24 A hotshoe flashgun (or two).
Check out the Nissin Di866, 200.
25 Flashgun diffuser. The functional
Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce is a good
option, 18.
26 Flashgun softbox. LumiQuest
Softbox flash attachments come in a
range of sizes, from 25.
27 A remote flash cable, such as the
Canon OC-E3 Off-Camera Shoe Cord
or Nikon TTL Remote Cord SC 28.
28 Wireless flash triggers, such as
Hhnels Combi TF Remote Control
and Flash Trigger, 50.
Lens 70-200mm f/4
WITH FILL FLASH
WITHOUT FLASH
NO FLASH POP-UP FLASH HOTSHOE FLASHGUN
30 THE BENEFITS OF OFF-CAMERA FLASHGUNS
12
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
31
FAMILY
PORTRAITS
Shooting any group of people is
challenging, but photographing
families can test even the most
experienced professionals. You
need to take control and be
authoritative and clear about
what you want everyone to do,
giving you the best chance of
getting everybody looking your
way and smiling. Take multiple
shots to give you the widest
possible choice of images
somebody will always be
blinking or half-smiling/
half-grimacing.
To inject some energy
and fun into proceedings,
encourage your subjects to
move around and interact with
each other. The ash lights will
freeze them in action, so youll still
get sharp shots. Alternatively, split
families up into pairs, to capture
more intimate portraits.
33
HIRING A STUDIO
Booking studio space is a
good opportunity to take some great
portraits in a controlled environment.
But ask about ceiling height, or you
may struggle to put light stands up
high enough to position softboxes.
Can you use the studios lights and
cables? What backdrops are available?
Will somebody be on hand to assist?
And if you only need a few hours of
studio time, ask if they do a half-day
or hourly rate, or share the cost.
Whether at home or hiring,
a good studio set-up is the
place to capture consistent
pro-level portraits
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Home studio set-up
32 HOME STUDIO
LIGHTING KITS
C
ontrary to popular belief, you
dont need to spend thousands
of pounds to get a decent studio
lighting set-up. Shop around
carefully and you can find yourself
some pretty good deals.
Elinchrom do some pretty good
lighting kits for around 500, while
Interfit and Lastolite have studio
lighting kits that start at around 220
and 300 respectively. All come with
two heads plus softboxes or
umbrellas, so you can bounce and
soften your light for more flattering
and professional-looking portraits.
Once youve bought your lights,
the next step is to invest in
backdrops; youll need a few rolls
of different coloured paper, plus
two stands and a roller holder.
13
40 PORTRAIT TIPS
40
BASIC
LIGHTING
SET-UP CHEATS
If you dont want a studio set-up,
you can also achieve professional-
looking portraits with a pair of
modern ashguns and attachments.
Our example portraits were taken
using a small portable background
and two of-camera ashguns, red
through white brollies.
34
PHOTOGRAPHING
CHILDREN
Kids get bored easily, so turn your photo shoot into
playtime bring along favourite toys for them to
hold and play with. This occupies them, keeping
them still for a few seconds, plus youll get some
interesting expressions on the little angels faces.
Its also essential that mum or dad is on hand so
the kids feel comfortable get them to stand
behind you and attract their childrens attention
(with silly faces, dancing whatever it takes!) so
theyre looking in your direction.
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Lens 24-105mm f/4

35 Shoot in Manual mode a good
starting exposure is 1/200 sec at f/9
and ISO200.
36 Your studio lights dictate how
bright or dark your subjects are.
Increase or decrease light power to
brighten or darken them.
37 Aperture controls depth of field,
as well as how much the flash lights
your subject. Wider apertures lighten
subjects, while narrower apertures
make them darker.
38 Your shutter speed controls
ambient light. Set it higher to darken
backgrounds, lower to brighten them.
Maximum flash sync speeds are
1/200 or 1/250 sec, depending on
your camera.
39 ISO controls how far the flash light
spreads pump up ISO if subjects
(such as groups of people) are far
away, or if you want to brighten up
backgrounds further.
FIVE TIPS FOR
STUDIO SHOOTS
14
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
Take perfect
Even if you cant guarantee wall-to-
wall sunshine, summer is the perfect
time to shoot outdoor portraits. There
are long hours of daylight that allow
you to shoot from dawn until dusk,
its usually warm enough for both you
and your model to spend plenty of
time outside, and most people are
generally just that bit happier in the
summer compared to the depths of
winter, which makes getting natural,
attering portraits a little easier.
Capturing great portraits takes a
little more than just a sunny day and
a willing model, though. So heres
our straightforward guide to all the
shooting and lighting techniques youll
need to master. From controlling
natural light and mastering depth
of eld to balancing exposure and
ne-tuning ash, weve got it covered.
Nows the perfect
time to head outside
and shoot your
best-ever portraits.
Just follow
Chris Rutters simple
advice for stunning
shots guaranteed
WHAT YOULL NEED
You dont need masses of costly
equipment to get great outdoor
portraits. Here are some basic items
that youll need to get started:
Standard zoom lens
Flashgun
Reector
USEFUL EXTRAS
Want to take your portraits to the next
level? This additional kit will extend
your lighting options, and help to give
your photos a more professional look:
Fast prime lens (such
as a 50mm f/1.8)
Telephoto zoom lens
Wireless ash trigger
Flash difuser
Outdoor
portraits
NAIL YOUR TECHNIQUE
15
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16
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
Before you delve
into more advanced
techniques, you
need to master the
basics. Heres how
to get started
Master
portrait basics
LOCATION
One of the great things about
portrait photography is that you
can shoot almost anywhere, from
your back garden to a glorious
tropical beach. But its important
to know how to get the most out
of any location you choose.
There are few hard and fast
rules when it comes to working
a location. If the location adds to
your portrait, you can include the
background, but if the location
isnt particularly photogenic,
try using limited depth of eld
or tight framing to concentrate
attention on your subject.
For the most striking portraits,
its often best to keep things
simple, so try to shoot against
uncluttered backgrounds such
as the sky, a wall or foliage. This
will help your subject stand out.
However, like most rules, there
are times when its best to break
them particularly when youre
shooting environmental portraits
where you want to show the
surroundings almost as much
as the subject itself.
COMPOSITION
AND FRAMING
Try to position either your
subjects face (on a half or
full-length portrait) or eyes (on
a head-and-shoulders or close-
up shot) using the rule of thirds.
This gives a much more balanced
composition than if they are in
the centre of the frame.
When shooting closer than
full length, youll need to think
carefully about framing. A good
rule of thumb is to avoid cropping
the portrait so that any joints
such as knees or elbows come too
close to the edges of the frame.
17
NAIL YOUR TECHNIQUE
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF NATURAL LIGHT
Above Facing away from the sun is a good start,
but you need to keep an eye on exposure
Above Using a white reflector to the right of the
camera has lightened the shadows on her face
Above The brighter light from a silver-coloured
reflector has caused the model to squint a little
Bright summer sunshine might seem like
the perfect light for shooting portraits,
but these conditions can also produce the
least successful results. With the sun high
in the sky, ugly shadows will appear under
your subjects nose, chin and eye sockets.
Its also worth remembering that
looking into bright sunlight will
make your model squint, resulting in
unattering shots. Use these simple tips
to get the most from the light
Find yourself
some shade
A simple solution is to position
your model in a shady area.
Dont forget to watch the white balance
setting though. If the background is still
in bright sunlight it can make your models
skin look too blue, because it will choose
a daylight white balance, rather than shade.
Wait for
some cloud

If you cant nd any shade, and
there are some clouds in the sky,
you can try waiting for the sun to disappear
behind cloud for a natural difused efect.
Shooting in changing light means that
youll need to work quickly to get your
shots though, and you also need to watch
the exposure. Make sure that you set the
exposure for the model, rather than a
bright or dark background.
Diffuse
the light
If there arent any clouds to
difuse harsh light, you can get a
similar efect by holding a difuser
between the subject and the sun. The
difuser can be as simple as a piece of
translucent white cloth or one made
specically for the purpose. This
works very well for head-and-shoulders
portraits, but it can be impossible to nd
a big enough difuser to difuse the light
for a half- or full-length shot. Even for
head-and-shoulders shots youll nd it
much easier if you have a willing assistant
to hold the difuser in position.
Shoot into
the light
For a diferent look, try
getting your model to face
away from the sun, and shoot
into the light. Youll need to avoid under-
exposure, because the bright background
will fool your cameras meter. Try using +1
or +2 stops of Exposure Compensation.
Reflectors
If you nd that there are shadows
on your models face, or its
simply a bit too dark, using a
reector is one of the simplest
ways to add some light. These
come with white, silver or gold
surfaces, which reect light in diferent
ways for slightly diferent efects.
A white reector gives the subtlest
results of the three, while silver reects
more direct light back onto the subject.
Gold is similar to silver, but produces a
warmer efect thats perfect for portraits.
Simply position the reector on the
opposite side to the light source to lighten
the darker areas of your subject, banishing
ugly shadows in order to achieve a more
professional nish.
Shooting in changing
light means that youll
need to work quickly
to get your shots
NO REFLECTOR WHITE REFLECTOR SILVER REFLECTOR
18
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
depth of
field
Whether you
choose to blur it
or keep it sharp,
an attractive
background is
key to a successful
portrait. Heres
how to take
control
T
he amount of an image
that appears sharp from
the front to the back is
key to its look and feel.
Using a shallow depth of eld,
where only a small part of a
portrait is in focus, concentrates
most of the viewers attention
on the sharp areas, while
deliberately keeping more of the
scene sharp makes the subjects
surroundings more visible.
As there are three things that
determine the depth of eld in
your shots aperture, focal
length and your distance
from the subject it
can take practice to get
the efect you want.
Heres how these
key factors
afect your
shots
Control
19
NAIL YOUR TECHNIQUE
Shooting
distance
The nal thing governing
the depth of eld of your
shots is how far you are
standing from the subject. The
further you are from your subject,
the more of the shot will be in focus
from front to back, while the closer
you are the less of it will be sharp.
This means youll nd it easier to
get shallow depth of eld by getting
as close as you can. How far you are
from the subject will be governed by
the focal length of the lens you are
using, and how much of the subject
you want to include. Its much easier
to get shallow depth of eld efects
when shooting head-and-shoulder
(or close-up) images than it is if
youre taking full-length portraits.
But remember that its also easier
to get shallow depth of eld with a
longer focal length lens, and youll
also produce unattering distortion
if you get too close to the subject.
Above Using an 85mm lens and an aperture of f/2
has produced shallow depth of field in this portrait
Above With the same lens and aperture settings,
simply getting closer has reduced the depth of field
Aperture
One of the easiest ways to
control the depth of eld is to
change the aperture that you
use. For shallow depth of
field, choose a wide aperture (small
f-number) such as f/2.8 or f/4. To
capture more of the scene in sharp
focus, use a smaller aperture (larger
f-number), such as f/11 or f/16.
Prime lenses ofering wide
apertures (such as a 50mm f/1.8)
produce a really shallow depth of
eld, which makes them the perfect
lens for portraits.
Focal
length
If the other settings stay the
same, a longer focal length
lens will blur the background more
than a shorter one. Try selecting a
focal length of around 55-70mm to
throw backgrounds out of focus.
Try selecting a focal length of
around 55-70mm in order to
throw backgrounds out of focus
Get some
distance
If youre
struggling to blur
the background of
your portrait by
using the longest
focal length and
widest aperture
available on your
lens, try to find
a position where
your model can
stand further from
the background.
The greater the
difference
between your
distance to the
model and the
distance to the
background, the
more blurred the
background will
be in your shots.
TOP
TIPS
FOCUS MODES
W
ith most portraits, its
essential that at least
one of the eyes is
sharp, and when using shallow
depth of eld its critical that you
focus accurately on this area.
As long as the subject is
static, you can use either manual
or automatic focus modes to good
efect. Using autofocus you should
select single or one-shot mode,
so that you can lock the setting
by half-pressing the shutter release
to focus on the eyes.
For moving subjects, you
should set the camera to servo or
continuous autofocus. Then the
camera can track the subject,
although when combined with
a shallow depth of eld it can be
difcult to get pin-sharp focus on
a moving subject (see page 62).
For the best results, select the
focus point you want to use, so
that it corresponds to where the
subjects eyes are in the frame. This
will save you time compared to
using the central focusing point
and reframing your shot.
20
PORTRAIT SPECIAL PORTRAIT SPECIAL
lens
From wide-angle
to telephoto, the
lens you use has
a huge impact
on the way your
portraits look.
Find out which
lens you need to
use when...
Y
oull often hear
people talk about
lenses altering
perspective, but thats
not strictly true. Changes in
perspective are caused by the
distance that you are shooting
from; the lens just governs how
much of the scene is included.
The idea that lenses afect
perspective comes from the
simple fact that to get the subject
the same size in your shot you
will be much further away if you
use a long focal length lens than
if you use a shorter one. So
shooting from a distance with a
longer lens will make the subject
appear closer to the background
than if you shoot closer in with
a shorter focal length.
The right
for the job
Classic
lenses
The classic lens for
portraits is a short
telephoto. These are lenses
with a focal length of around
40mm to 70mm on an APS-C
camera or 60mm to 105mm
on full-frame cameras.
These lenses are great for
shooting head-and-shoulders
portraits from a reasonable
distance away. This means
theres little distortion of the
subjects features.
PROS
The shooting distances
mean that you get a attering
perspective in your shots.
Fixed focal length versions
of these lenses ofer wide
maximum apertures, so are
good for getting shallow
depth of field.
CONS
Because its a classic
choice, its hard to make your
shots look creative, as youll
always be the same sort of
distance from the subject,
and get a similar perspective.
21
NAIL YOUR TECHNIQUE
Telephoto
lenses
Shooting from a long
distance from your subject
with a long focal length lens can
produce some striking results. It
will make the background (and any
objects in the foreground) appear
to be much closer to the subject,
giving a far more enclosed and
almost claustrophobic efect.
This is easy to do when shooting
head-and-shoulders portraits or
close-ups, but to get the whole gure
in the frame youll need plenty of
space. So think about this when
choosing the location for your shoot.
PROS
Its very easy to get attractive
shallow depth of field efects.
Shooting from a long distance
makes the background and foreground
appear much closer to your subject.
CONS
You can end up standing a long way
from your model, making it difcult
to communicate with them.
Youll need plenty of room to shoot
anything wider than a head-and-
shoulders portrait.
Wide-angle
lenses
Lenses with a focal length
of 18mm or less on an APS-C
camera (or 28mm on a full-frame
camera) are often overlooked when
shooting portraits. But they are excellent
when you want to include the
background as part of the image,
or if you have limited space
to include the whole gure.
Watch out for distortion
when you get too close though,
because its easy for legs or arms
that are close to the camera to
appear much larger than the
rest of the subject.
Youll need to nd a good-
humoured and understanding
model if you use a very
short focal length lens, because youll have
to get very close, and the distorted features
that this can create can be unattering.
PROS
Its easier to include more of the
background with a wide-angle lens than
it is with a longer one.
You can shoot full-length shots
without having to stand miles away
from your subject.
CONS
Get too close when
taking a head-and-shoulders
shot, for example and
youll distort your subjects
features (although this efect
can also be used deliberately).
Its pretty difcult to get
shallow depth of eld with
a wide-angle lens.
22
M
any amateur
photographers dismiss
ash because of the
harsh, direct light it can
produce, but neither of these need to
be the case. Dont be scared of ash,
because with a few simple techniques
and a bit of practice, it can totally
transform your outdoor portraits.
There are two efective
approaches. The rst is to use
something to soften the light, such as
a softbox or umbrella. These make
the light source much bigger, reducing
the harsh shadows produced by direct
ash. The downside, however, is that
they will reduce the amount of light
reaching the subject. This can become
an issue when shooting outside,
because the ash may not be bright
enough to light the subject efectively.
The second approach is to embrace
the harsh light and use it to your
advantage. This works best when
you take the ash of the top of the
camera so that the light isnt coming
from the same position as the camera.
Using this technique you can even
position the ash to mimic the efects
of early morning or late evening sun,
for dramatic results.
Use
for pro results
Flash is the portrait
photographers best friend,
you just need to master it...
U
sing manual exposure and manual
ash may seem like a black art
to some, but getting it right is just
a case of changing one setting at a time, and
in the right order. With your camera set to
Manual and the lowest ISO, rst you need
to set your camera for the ambient light. In
bright conditions, choose the fastest shutter
speed that your camera can use with ash
(usually 1/200 sec), then adjust the aperture
to give your shot a slightly under-exposed
background. Take a test shot.
With the aperture now set, you can adjust
the power and position of the ash. Most
manual ashguns will have a dial or digital
readout to indicate what distance will give
the correct exposure at each aperture and
power setting. Using this information, you
should manually select a power setting that
gives a distance suitable for your subject and
framing, which will usually be between full to
1/4 power in bright conditions.
Position your ash at the distance
indicated from the subject and take a test
shot. If the subject is too bright, either move
the ashgun a little further away or use a
lower power setting. If its too dark, move
the ash closer or increase the power.
BALANCING
THE EXPOSURE
Most automatic TTL (through
the lens) systems will try to
balance the ash exposure with
the ambient light automatically,
although you can often adjust
the ash exposure using your
cameras ash exposure
compensation feature.
If the subject is too bright,
you need to set ash exposure
compensation to -1; if its too
dark try +1. The only thing
to remember is that there is
usually a maximum shutter
speed that will work with ash
(usually around 1/200 sec),
so dont set the shutter speed
any faster than this if youre
shooting in Shutter Priority
or Manual exposure mode.
Flash
HOW TO SET THE EXPOSURE IN MANUAL
NO FLASH
WITH FLASH
With a few simple
techniques and a bit
of practice, ash can
transform portraits
23
40 PORTRAIT TIPS
Essential
techniques
Flash
Fill-in flash
Attaching a ashgun to the
hotshoe of your camera, or
even using the built-in unit,
is the easiest and most
convenient way to use ash. This
doesnt produce the most attering
light as the main light source though.
However, it is ideal for a technique
known as ll-in ash, where you use
the light from the ash to throw light
into the shadows produced by harsh
overhead sunlight
Off-
camera
flash
Its easy to think that using of-
camera ash is only for pros, but with
instant review to see the results and
more options than ever to trigger the
ash, theres no reason to be scared
by a technique that can transform
your portraits in an instant. Moving
the ash away from the camera allows
you to create more interesting and
attering lighting, or you can even
use two or more ashguns.
Here are two easy but effective
ways to use flash to transform
your outdoor portraits
S
hooting on location you dont want
loads of leads or wires trailing around,
so there are three main wireless options
to choose from, depending on your camera,
ashgun and (to some extent) budget.
BUILT-IN WIRELESS FLASH
Many camera manufacturers ofer a system
that res and controls ashguns of camera.
This option ofers many of the same
functions as a hotshoe ash. To re the
of-camera ash youll either need a camera
such as the Canon EOS 600D or Nikon
D7000, which has a built-in ash that can
act as the transmitter; or, if your camera
doesnt ofer this feature, youll need to
attach a ash or a dedicated transmitter unit
(usually called the master unit or controller).
To use any of these options youll also
need to use a compatible ashgun, which
usually means one made by the same
manufacturer as your camera.
The main disadvantages of this system are
that it can struggle to communicate if the
ash is more than about ten metres (or less
in bright sunlight) from the camera, and there
needs to be a direct line of sight between the
camera and ash.
BASIC RADIO TRIGGERS
As long as youre happy setting the exposure
manually, these are the simplest and cheapest
way to operate wireless of-camera ash.
They will work with almost any ashgun, as
long as you can set the power manually, and
will work over much greater distances than
the built-in wireless systems.
They also dont need a line of sight
between the transmitter and receiver, so you
can position your ash behind a wall or tree
to hide them, unlike the built-in wireless
systems. These simple triggers are also pretty
cheap, starting from 30 for a transmitter
and receiver such as the Yongnuo RF-602.
TTL RADIO TRIGGERS
These combine the long working distance
of the basic radio triggers with the TTL
(through the lens) automatic exposure of
the in-camera systems, but youll need to
use a ashgun that ofers this facility.
The automatic exposure means that
they are slightly easier to use than the fully
manual basic radio triggers, but this comes
at a price, with a transmitter and receiver
set costing around 300 from either
PocketWizard or Phottix.
HOW TO FIRE YOUR FLASH OFF CAMERA
DIRECT FLASH
24
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
43-year-old Debbie has a
15-month-old toddler, Kieran, who
she loves to photograph. However,
she nds it hard to capture images
of him and would love some advice
on how to give her portraits a more
professional look.
Name: Debbie Moylan
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
THE APPRENTICE
25
CHILDRENS PORTRAITS
Sheryl, 28, is a full-time baby and
child photographer based in
Tintern. She was a nalist in the
2004 BPPA Master Photographer
of the Year competition and won an
award of excellence in the Mother
and Baby category. She works on
location using natural light to
create images that capture a childs
personality and create a story.
Her work can be viewed at
www.sheryl-long.com.
Name: Sheryl Long
Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk II
Photographing
kids is childs play
Capturing beautiful shots of your
children neednt be complicated.
Even a simple outdoor setup can
produce stunning results
THE PRO
26
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
Is Debbie all set up to shoot?
Before the rst picture was taken, Sheryl talked Debbie through the key settings
she should use on her SLR to get the best results
DEPTH OF FIELD
LET ISO DETERMINE
THE SHUTTER SPEED
KILLER KIT
I always carry this Lastolite reector,
says Sheryl. If you nd there are lots of
shadows on one side of the subjects face,
you can use a reector to control and
direct the light. This one has two sides
to it gold and silver. I prefer to use the
gold side, which warms up skin tones and
makes children look angelic! Ill prop it
against a wall or tripod, or hold it myself.
Debbie should shoot in Aperture
Priority (Av) mode and keep the aperture
set at f/2.8 or f/4, advises Sheryl.
Once I select my aperture, Ill rarely
move away from it, as shooting at a wide
aperture enables you to focus on your
subject and it throws the background
out of focus. Your camera will then
determine the shutter speed for you.
Once youve set your aperture, the
shutter speed will vary according to
the available light. If I nd my shutter
speed is too slow and camera shake is
a problem Ill increase my ISO, moving
through the ISO settings until I get a
shutter speed Im happy with. I love a bit
of noise particularly grainy noise as
it adds something to an image.
SHOOT IN AV MODE
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ISO
27
CHILDRENS PORTRAITS
DEBBIES COMMENT
To nd out how the light will fall on your subjects face, take
a piece of plain white paper and fold it in half, says Sheryl.
You can then imagine that the folded paper is two sides of a
face. If you hold it in the area you want to shoot youll be able
to choose the best place for the light and shadow to fall. Using
this piece of paper, I can see where to position the subject and
myself in order to get the best possible light.
Exposure: 1/85 sec at f/5.6; ISO800
Lens: 17-85mm f/4-5.6
Sheryl talked a lot about how to see the light and how to
use a piece of folded white paper to assess exactly where the
shadows and light would fall on my subject Sheryl suggested
that I should photograph Kieran against this stony backdrop
in an alcove, so that there was directional light coming in
from the right to light up his face. We then used a Lastolite
reector to balance the light on the left. This was my rst
attempt and Im pleased with the result because he moved
around a lot during the shoot!
Working with
light and shadow
PHOTO FIX #01
Always
focus on
the eyes
Babies and
children move
around very
quickly, so its
almost impossible
to try and focus
manually, says
Sheryl. I set my
cameras
autofocus (AF)
mode to AI Servo.
That way, the
camera will
automatically
adjust as the
focusing distance
changes. Always
make sure
you focus on the
eyes this is the
key to
a good portrait.
TOP
TIPS
P
H
O
T
O

F
IX
E
D
!
KILLER KIT
My Crumpler is a fun and modern bag I nd all
the pockets useful and the exibility of
being able to interchange the interior
separators is an added bonus, because
I can mix and match the
layout depending on what
kit I have, says Sheryl. Its
also bright red, making it easy
to spot on location.
CHILDRENS PORTRAITS
29
DEBBIES COMMENT
Sheryl asked me to visualise how Id use the space in
this alcove to compose my shot. I decided to place Kieran
in the corner and use the alcove to frame him. I like how
its something diferent, rather than a happy smiley shot.
It looks as if hes reaching out to something beyond the
frame, creating a story. We converted the shot to black and
white in post-production to give it more impact.
CONVERGING LINES
Kieran is sat at the convergence point
of the three strong graphic lines, created
by the shape of the alcove. These lines
pull the viewer into the image.
THE RULE OF THIRDS
Debbie has instinctively positioned
Kieran so that hes sat roughly a third of
the way into the frame, which makes for
a nicely balanced and interesting image.
MIRRORED SHAPES
Theres a triangle-shaped area of light
stone on the back wall that mimics
the shape of Kierans pose. His light-
coloured clothes add balance to the shot,
and the fact that hes looking out of the
image gives extra depth and interest.
Sheryl advised Debbie to look for areas with a neutral background, but with lots of texture
and detail. It was important she thought about composition and where to place herself, as
good framing can make a shot. The composition rules she followed are explained below.
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/5; ISO400
Lens: 17-85mm f/4-5.6
The importance of composition
How to approach
child photography
PHOTO FIX #02
M
y style of photography is very interpretive: its
all about capturing an emotion and building up
a rapport. I tend to look for images that arent
obvious, such as the moments when a small child is caught
unawares. I only shoot with natural light on location as it
gives images a much softer, more emotive feel. Be prepared
to move quickly, making sure youre watching for little
moments all the time.
WORK AROUND YOUR CHILD
Sheryl told me that when it comes to baby and child
photography, the most important thing to remember is
that your child is your priority. Youve got to let them get
accustomed to the location. Youve also got to be incredibly
exible and just go with what the child wants to do.
P
H
O
T
O

F
IX
E
D
!
30
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
KILLER KIT
A small toy that squeaks
is an essential piece of kit,
as Sheryl explains: This
toy is compact to carry and
it produces a short, sharp
noise that grabs a childs
attention. Its also small
enough to hold in my hand
and place above my camera
if I want them to gaze
straight into the lens.
PHOTO FIX #03
TOP
TRASH THE FLASH
How to capture
TIPS
Sheryl never uses ash, because she feels that the efect can
be articial, producing unattractive harsh shadows that dont
a childs attention
sit well with the soft curves of a childs face. I also dont like
the reaction that children have to a ashgun, she says. Fire
W
Shoot in
a ash in their face and they get startled then they arent
hen youre photographing somebody elses child,
RAW for
ready for the next shot. Youve also got to wait for a recycle
then Sheryl believes its important that just one
quality
time, so you might end up missing shots because children and
person tries to get the childs attention during I shoot babies change expressions and move quickly. Youll get much
the shot. If there are lots of people surrounding a baby or
everything using
better results if you use natural light and then control it with
the raw quality
toddler then their eyes will be darting all over the place. Make reectors and difusers.
setting, but only
sure that only one person is capturing the childs attention as
because of how
you take your photographs be it the photographer or their I present my
mum or dad or anybody else. That way youll have their eyes,
images, says
Sheryl. Working
and their interest, focused in one place, which makes it much
DEBBIES COMMENT
in a commercial
easier for you to nail your shot. Sheryl propped a reector against the wall at another part of
environment Im
sometimes
Tintern Abbey, with the idea that I would photograph Kieran
GET DOWN LOW asked to make as he walked down the steps. However, Kieran decided that
Always bear in mind the height of the child that youre
30x40-inch
he was going to go up the steps instead, and so this shot was
canvases and
photographing, says Sheryl. For the best results, get captured. I like how this image illustrates another element of
I know RAW will
down and shoot from their level, and look at whats in the
retain the detail to
Kierans personality. Sheryl also suggested converting this
background from their height. Be prepared to get mucky by allow for that kind shot to black and white, because the green on the steps and the
lying or kneeling on the oor for the shoot.
of enlargement.
tufts of grass were distracting.
Exposure: 1/60 sec at f/5.6, ISO400
Lens: 17-85mm f/4-5.6
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/5.6; ISO400
Lens: 17-85mm f/4-5.6
P
H
O
T
O

F
IX
E
D
!
32
PORTRAIT SPECIAL
We went to a part of the Abbey that was undercover, blocking
out any harsh directional light. Kieran was crying a lot and
many of the photos here had him with tears in his eyes. We
nailed this shot by capturing his attention with mobile phone
ringtones! I love how Ive captured his true character. He also
looks like a dude with his hand in his pocket! I learned that
you dont need to have a perfect background to get a good shot
its all about how to use natural light creatively.
This is a great photograph. The light is beautiful and the
composition is interesting and three-dimensional. Debbie has
captured a brilliant expression and pose from Kieran, which
wasnt easy because he moved very quickly! I think this shot
sums up everything we talked about during the day. Shes put
all those bits of information together and showed that she
quickly understood how to see, use and feel light, and has used
that new knowledge to make a fabulous piece of art.
SHERYLS VERDICT DEBBIES COMMENT
33
40 PORTRAIT TIPS
Exposure: 1/125 sec at f/5.6, ISO400
Lens: 17-85mm f/4-5.6
P
H
O
T
O

F
IX
E
D
!
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RE E DISC!
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h
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s
ons
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t h!
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35
PhotoshopSchool
35
presents
Photoshop
School
36 40 42
The Adobe
Photoshop
guide for photographers
36 Adjustment layers
Edit colour and tone in a
non-destructive way to
fine-tune your shots
40 Bleach bypass
How to skew contrast,
subdue and enhance
detail to cool effect
42 Dramatic mono portraits
Use Adjustment Layers
to create a moody
monochrome image
THIS MONTH
Download our iPad
app from the App Store
36
B
e
n
B
r
a
i
n
(
F
u
t
u
r
e
)
AFTER
BEFORE
37
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS EXPLAINED
PhotoshopSchool
M
ost photos benet from a little
editing at the processing stage to help
improve colour and tone. Our start
image, for example, is under-exposed
and the colour temperature is a tad
too warm, leading to orange-looking skin. The
contrast is a bit at and the hair has lost its shine.
To create a more striking looking portrait we can
increase the contrast to produce darker shadows
and brighter highlights, and cool down the colour
cast to produce more natural looking skin tones.
Photoshops main menu is full of commands
that you can use to improve a shots colours and
tones. However, these commands only let you edit
the shot in a linear, step-by-step fashion. If you
use main menu commands to cool the colour and
then increase the contrast, youll have to undo the
contrast change before you can step back through
the editing history to tweak the colour, and then
re-do the contrast change from scratch.
NON-DESTRUCTIVE EDITING
But there is an easier way. Adjustment Layers let
you edit colour and tone in a non-linear fashion.
You can tweak a colour Adjustment Layer without
altering a tone-changing one (and vice versa).
Unlike Photoshops standard menu commands,
Adjustment Layers are non-destructive. You can
turn them on and of to see before-and-after
versions of the shot, and re-edit their settings at
any time to ne-tune your photos look. Read on
to nd out how its done
Edit colour and tone in a non-destructive way,
so you can fine-tune your shots with ease
Get better quality with
Adjustment Layers
WHAT YOULL NEED
Photoshop Elements 6 or
Photoshop CS, or above
WHAT YOULL LEARN
How to improve a shots colour
and tone using Adjustment Layers
IT ONLY TAKES 15 minutes
HOW TO Edit shots the professional way
Create an Adjustment Layer
1
Download the image from http://goo.gl/amR7t.
Open the Layers palette (Window>Layers), then
click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon at the
bottom of the palette and choose Levels from the
menu. This shot is slightly under-exposed, but you
can boost its weak highlights to make them stronger.
Brighten the highlights
2
Drag the white Highlights slider left so that it rests
below the histograms graph at a level of 232. This
takes the weak highlights and gives them a brighter
value. A photos brightest highlights should have a
value of 255. The shots highlights only reached 232,
but youve now remapped them to a brighter 255.
STEP BY STEP
38
Portrait Special
PHOTOSHOP BASICS
Before and after
3
To see before-and-after versions of the photo,
click on the little eye icon next to the Levels
Adjustment Layer in the Layers palette. This turns
the Adjustment Layer on and off, giving you a better
idea of how its changing the tones. You can tweak the
settings at any time to fine-tune it.
Adjust brightness and contrast
4
The hair can be enhanced to bring out texture
and detail lost in the shadows. Create a new
Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer. Set Brightness
to 31 and Contrast to -10. This enhances the hair
texture, but blows out detail on the arms. Luckily, we
can restrict the Adjustment Layer to just the hair.
Disable the Adjustment Layer
5
Each Adjustment Layer has a mask. By default
the mask is white, which means the Adjustment
Layer will alter the entire photo. Click on the
Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layers white mask.
Press Ctrl+I to invert the white mask and turn it black.
The Adjustment Layer has now been masked out
Set up a brush
6
Grab the Brush tool from the Tools palette.
Pick a soft round brush, 300 pixels in diameter,
from the Brush preset picker in the top options bar.
Click on the black mask. Set the foreground colour
to white. Youre going to paint white on the mask to
make a selective adjustment.
Create shinier hair
7
Spray the white brush over the girls hair. The
white strokes will allow the Brightness/Contrast
adjustments to brighten the painted area, adding a
healthier looking shine to her hair. Dont worry about
lightening the shoulder-length strands of hair, as we
want to preserve their rich, dark brown colour.
View the mask
8
To get a better idea of how the mask works,
Alt-click on its thumbnail. You can now see
the greyscale version of the mask in more detail.
The white areas let the Adjustment Layer alter the
corresponding parts of the photo. The black areas
preserve the shots original colours and tones.
Learn the lingo
Non-linear
N
ormally, we make
adjustments one
after another, in a linear
order. Adjustment Layers
can be stacked in any order,
turned on and off, and
re-edited at any point. This
gives you much greater
freedom to tweak any
adjustment at any time
without altering the other
adjustments youve made.
Press the X key to
toggle between the
white and black
foreground colours
and change which
areas are being
affected by the
brush strokes on
the Adjustment
Layers mask.
George Cairns, Photoshop expert
39
PhotoshopSchool
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS EXPLAINED
Did you know?
Working with masks
W
hen developing
prints in a traditional
darkroom, photographers
could make selective tonal
adjustments by holding bits
of card over parts of their
shot while the photo paper
was being exposed by the
enlarger. This was a hit or
miss technique, but thanks
to Photoshops Adjustment
Layers you can fine-tune
selective adjustments until
theyre 100% perfect.
Restore skin detail
10
Weve boosted the shots highlights, but now
the subjects lower arms are a little blown-out.
To fix this, grab the Brush tool and click on the white
Levels1 mask. Set the foreground colour to black. Set
the Opacity to 50%, then spray grey strokes over the
arm highlights to darken them a little.
Fine-tune adjustments
9
The beauty of Adjustment Layers lies in their
ability to be fine-tuned. Click back on the Levels1
layer. To enhance the rich browns of our subjects
hair, drag the black Shadows slider to 5. Slide the grey
Midtones slider to 1.16 to lighten the midtones and
reveal more hair detail.
Cool down skin tones
11
You can create more natural (less orange) looking
skin tones by adding a Photo Filter Adjustment
Layer to the mix. Choose a Cooling Filter (80) from
the Photo Filter Adjustment Layers drop-down
menu. A gentle Density of 29% should do the trick,
because we dont want to make her look too cold.
Save it!
12
Go to File>SaveAs. If you save a photo as a
JPEG, the Adjustment Layers will be applied
and flattened into a single un-editable layer. However,
save the file as a layered Photoshop document (.PSD)
and youll be able to re-open the photo at any time
and continue tweaking the Adjustment Layers.
Highlights
1
The shot was under-exposed,
and suffered from having
too little contrast. To improve
the image, we began by using
a Levels Adjustment Layer to
boost the weak highlights.
Contrast
2
Our next step was to use
a Brightness/Contrast
Adjustment Layer in order to
increase the spread of shadows,
midtones and highlights, creating
a more striking looking portrait
in the process.
Selective
adjustments
3
By applying white brush
strokes to a Brightness/
Contrast Adjustment Layers
mask, we were able to
emphasise the hairs shine, while
preserving its rich brown colour.
Skin tones
4
The original shots tones
were too warm and orange.
A Photo Filter Adjustment Layer
helped us cool things down and
create a more natural look for
the subjects skin.
How we adjusted our shot in Photoshop
Learn the lingo
Non-destructive
B
y painting on an
Adjustment Layers
mask you can apply or
remove adjustments from
any part of your photo.
Painting black on a mask
protects the corresponding
parts from being adjusted.
If you apply grey strokes
then youll reduce the
strength of the adjustment
in those areas by 50%.
R
1
3
2
4
40
Portrait Special
From the makers of Digital Camera magazine Fro From t m he makers of Digital Camera magazine
40
GET THE LOOK
PhotoshopSchool
P
hotographic styles and digital darkroom
efects certainly arent immune to the
whims of fashion and changing tastes.
Whether its trendy cross-processing,
HDR (High Dynamic Range) tweaks or
shooting contre-jour (into the light), ick through
the editorial and ad pages of any glossy magazine
and youll see whats currently in vogue.
The muted colours, exaggerated contrast and
super-detailed characteristics of what is known
as the bleach bypass efect are very popular at the
moment. Not only can we see the treatment in
many of todays magazines think grumpy, gnarly
chefs its also been used in big-budget, block-
busting lms such as Saving Private Ryan.
The efect originates from a traditional darkroom
process but, like many cool photo treatments, its
now much easier and less messy to replicate using
image-editing software such as Photoshop
Elements or Photoshop CS. You simply use a
combination of Adjustment Layers, layer Blending
Modes and the Shadows/Highlights tool.
Here, well show you how easy it is to get the
look, so you can transform portraits of your own.
Discover how to skew contrast, subdue
colours and enhance detail to cool effect
WHAT YOULL NEED
Photoshop Elements 8 or
Photoshop CS, or above
WHAT YOULL LEARN
How to use Adjustment Layers
and the Shadows/Highlights tool
to give portraits a modern finish
IT ONLY TAKES
10 minutes
Give portraits a
modern makeover
STEP BY STEP
AFTER
BEFORE
B
e
n
B
r
a
i
n
(
F
u
t
u
r
e
)
41
PhotoshopSchool
CREATE DYNAMIC PORTRAITS
Did you know?
Darkroom effects
T
he bleach bypass
technique originates
from the traditional film
darkroom. During the
processing of colour film the
bleaching step was skipped.
Put simply, this would result
in a black-and-white image
over the colour one. The
resulting prints would have
muted colours, increased
contrast and more grain.
Finishing touches
6
To finish your image, select the Dodge and Burn
tools from the Tools palette and use each tool
in turn to selectively darken and lighten specific parts
of the final image. By subtly burning areas at the four
corners and edges of the image with a large brush
you can draw the viewers eye into the frame.
Enhance the detail
5
Make a flattened version of the image as a new
layer at the top of the layer stack by pressing
Ctrl+Alt+Shift and the letter E simultaneously. Now
go to Enhance>EnhanceLighting>Shadows/Highlights
and set Lighten Shadows to 10%, Darken Highlights to
15% and Midtone Contrast to 15%.
Remove the colour
3
Create another Adjustment Layer, but this time
choose Hue/Saturation from the list of options.
Reduce the Saturation slider to -100 to make the
image black and white. Now change the Blending
Mode to Soft Light. This will increase the contrast
further and some of the colour will also return.
Alter the opacity
4
To remove even more colour, create a second
Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and again set
the Saturation slider to -100. This time, keep the
Blending Mode set to Normal and then set the
Opacity slider to 60%. This will introduce more subtle
hues into your black and white image.
Boost the contrast
2
Go to Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Levels and
increase the contrast by moving the left and right
sliders a little towards the middle of the histogram
and the middle slider a little to the left. Press the Ctrl
key while youre doing this to avoid losing detail by
clipping the highlights or shadows.
Be bold with the crop
1
Download the start file from http://goo.gl/oVEWS
and open in Photoshop. For a cool, contemporary
crop, select the Crop tool from the Tools palette and
choose No Restriction from the drop-down menu. Be
bold and confident with your crop and dont be afraid
to make a radical cut into your subjects head.
This is a great
technique thats sure
to give your portraits
a cool, modern look.
However, its worth
considering your
subject matter before
you start its not a
attering effect. While
it has a certain grizzled
charm and draws out
the character of a
Ramsay or Alan Sugar,
it might not go down
quite so well with your
partner or kids!
42
Portrait Special
From the makers of Digital Camera magazine Fro From t m he makers of Digital Camera magazine
42
ADVANCED SKILLS
PhotoshopSchool
B
e
n
B
r
a
i
n
(
F
u
t
u
r
e
)
AFTER
BEFORE
43
PhotoshopSchool
DRAMATIC MONO PORTRAITS
M
any portrait photographers make their
subject stand out from the crowd by
printing the shot in black and white.
By portraying the subject using
varying greyscale tones, photographers
can emphasise contrasting features, such as dark
eyes and light skin, to create prints with impact.
Thanks to Photoshops Adjustment Layers, you
can take your mono conversions a step further and
produce high-contrast shots with added drama,
evoking moods and feelings that would be harder
to achieve with a standard greyscale image.
GET CREATIVE WITH LIGHT
To create a more dramatic-looking monochrome
print, avoid shooting the subject with a
camera-mounted ash. This direct light source
will ll in all the shadows on their face and create
a high-key at-lit portrait. By popping the ash
to the side of the subject, you can plunge part of
the face into darkness, creating a more striking
monochrome shot, as features such as the eyes and
mouth emerge from the darkness.
To convert a portrait to black and white, youll
need to do more than simply throw away all the
colour information, or youll end up with a bland
wash of greys. Photoshops powerful Black &
White Adjustment Layer lets you lighten and
darken specic areas with precision, so you can
emphasise some features and hide others. Well
also look at adjusting Levels to darken midtone
details and enhance our shots sense of mystery.
Discover how to use Adjustment Layers to take control of
your conversions and create a moody monochrome image
Create dramatic
mono portraits
WHAT YOULL NEED
Photoshop CS3 or above
WHAT YOULL LEARN
How to target and adjust specific
areas using a Black & White
Adjustment Layer
IT ONLY TAKES
15 minutes
HOW TO Get more from your mono conversions
STEP BY STEP
Desaturate the shot
1
Download the image from http://goo.gl/amR7t. Try
removing colour the quick way by choosing Image>
Adjustments>Desaturate. The resulting black-and-
white image looks OK, but lacks the high-contrast
impact of our final version. Youll also see too many
shadow details, which diminish the impact. Choose
Edit>StepBackward to restore the colour.
Crop it
2
Before you start tweaking tones, it makes sense
to crop the shot, because theres no point in
adjusting areas that youre going to remove. By
cropping the shot, you can zoom in on the model
and make her more dominant in the frame. This adds
more drama and impact to the image. Grab the Crop
tool, use it to reframe the image, then hit Return.
Learn the lingo
Greyscale
E
very black-and-white
image is made up of
a series of tones, ranging
from black for the darkest
shadows through to white
for the brightest highlights.
All tones that fall between
these two extremes are
called greyscale. Absolute
black has a Level value of
0, while pure white has a
Level value of 255.
44
Portrait Special
ADVANCED SKILLS
Create an Adjustment Layer
3
Go to Window>Layers to open the Layers palette.
For more control over the tones in the greyscale
conversion, choose Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer>
Black&White. Click OK in the New Layer command
box to add the Black & White 1 Adjustment Layer to
the Layers palette.
Powerful presets
4
Initially, the Adjustment Layer creates a similar
result to the Desaturate command, but you
now have more control over which areas you lighten
or darken. Set the drop-down preset menu to High
Contrast Blue Filter. This reduces the value of the
Reds and Yellows sliders, darkening skin tones.
Selective adjustments
5
Go back to the Default setting. To lighten the
highlights in the face, drag Reds up to 128 and
Yellows to 105. Enhance the white of the subjects left
eye by pushing Cyans up to 272. Pop Blues up to 121
to make the delicate blue tint in her eyes stand out
more, drawing the viewers attention to this area.
Moody midtones
6
Make more of the models face fade further
into the darkness by selectively adjusting the
midtones. Go to Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Levels.
Slide the grey Midtone input level slider to a value of
0.74. This leaves the highlights untouched, but tips
the grey midtones towards the black shadows.
Burn the shadows
7
Click on the Background layer to target it. Grab
the Burn tool, then set Range to Midtones and
Exposure to 20%, so you can make incremental tonal
adjustments using just a few strokes. Set Size to 700.
Gently spray over the midtone details on the shaded
side of the face to darken them even more.
Dodge the highlights
8
To emphasise the models hair, select the Dodge
tool. Set Range to Highlights, Size to 200 and
Exposure to 25%. Spray over the hair to make the
shiny highlights stand out. To create a border, choose
Select>All, then Edit>Stroke. Set Width to 40 pixels,
Colour to Black, Location to Inside and click OK.
Learn the lingo
Dodge and burn
P
hotographers working
in traditional darkrooms
could hold bits of card in
front of the image to vary
the amount of light hitting
the photo paper during the
development process. This
enabled them to lighten
(dodge) or darken (burn)
parts of the shot. You can
do this in Photoshop using
the Dodge and Burn tools.
When you create
the Black & White
Adjustment Layer
in step 3, the
Adjustments palette
will pop open in the
Palette bin. To make
your interface less
cluttered, drag the
Adjustments palette
to the bottom of the
Layers palette. Both
palettes will dock
together, enabling
you to minimise the
Palette bin to hide the
remaining unwanted
palette icons.
45
PhotoshopSchool
DRAMATIC MONO PORTRAITS
Default
1
Lightens all colours a little,
resulting in a low-contrast wash
of shadows and midtones.
Infrared
6
Creates light-coloured foliage
in mono landscapes by
lightening greens and yellows.
Blue
2
This black-and-white preset
setting lightens the blues,
greens and magentas in your shot.
Darker
3
This preset reduces the value
of the Default presets slider
settings by a value of 10.
Green
4
This preset lightens reds,
greens and yellows in a
black-and-white conversion.
High Contrast Red
5
This is good for enhancing
portraits because it targets
and lightens skin tones.
Lighter
7
Boosts the strength of the
Default black-and-white
preset settings by a value of 10.
Maximum Black
8
Drops all the sliders to 0, so
that no colours are lightened
after being desaturated.
Maximum White
9
Boosts all of the sliders to
100 to lighten every colours
tones in a uniform way.
Yellow
10
This does what you would
expect, lightening yellows
and reds to brighten skin tones.
Selective adjustments
1
We used a Black & White
Adjustment Layer to desaturate the
shot, then lightened the flash-lit skin
by boosting the value of the Reds and
Yellows sliders. By increasing the
strength of the Blues slider, we were
able to lighten the reflection in the
eyes, giving them more impact.
Levels
2
By adjusting the Levels
commands Midtone input level
slider, we tipped the neutral grey
midtones into the black to create a
more moody, high-contrast image.
Dodge and Burn
3
We used the Burn tool to darken
the remaining details in the
shaded part of the face, which made
these areas more dramatic and
mysterious. The Dodge tool helped
to bring out the highlights in the
subjects hair, which enhanced its
shiny texture and added more tonal
variety to the mono conversion.

Crop
4
By cropping the shot, we made
the subject appear more
important and gave her more impact
because she filled the frame.
How we created our image
The mono
presets in action
From Default to Yellow, see how the
different mono presets available on
your Black & White Adjustment
Layer could affect your image
ck ite
t R d
2
1
3
4
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72 Quick photo fixes

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