Photography News 69

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Photography News | Issue 69 | photographynews.co.uk

ISO sensitivity and shutter having their own dials on top. I shoot mostly in manual, so found the access to these three settings really handy, particularly with the little buttons on top of the dials to lock the ISO and shutter speed in place. The shutter dial has a brilliant timemode (T) which, once locked on, enabled me to quickly change the speed using the back command wheel. With a maximum of 15 minutes, it almost makes the bulb setting (B) redundant. White balance, set through the menu, has the usual choices plus some customisable options, but I usually leave it on auto and adjust in post-processing. There

I wanted in a cropped-sensor mirrorless camera. Undoubtedly, weight is one factor, but image quality and the ability to easily continue all my photographic interests would be critically important. Like many people, I am attracted by the lighter weight of mirrorless cameras. Although the Fujifilm X-T3, complete with the XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, lens cap, hood and tripod mount is only 234g lighter than my Canon EOS 6D Mark I with its 24-105mm lens, lens cap, hood and tripod mount, the X-T3 with lens is smaller in all dimensions than my Canon with lens. A camera and lens taking up less space could allowme to carry several additional lenses or even my infrared camera in the same bag. So much for lessening the weight, but less may actually mean more in this case! I enjoy photographing wildlife and other genres, but at heart I am a landscape photographer, finding nothing more exciting than interpreting a stunning scene. In recent years, I have developed a real joy for photographing the night sky, spending hours fiddling in the dark to get just the right balance between shutter speed and ISO to reduce noise and bring out starry detail. I was confident the Fujifilm X-T3 would meet my requirements in terms of image quality for daylight photography, but I wanted to see how far I could push it with night photography. If I am going to make the switch, then the camera must meet my additional needs for low-light photography, with a good viewfinder/LCD resolution, easy magnification for manual focus and a sensor that handles high ISO. I also often findmyself in inclement weather situations, including dusty conditions, so a robust weather-sealed body is definitely a plus point. I find a wide-angle lens with a large maximum aperture useful for star shots, so my first lens choice was the XF16mmF1.4 R WR prime lens. With star shots being very weather and moon-phase dependent, I also wanted a zoom to allow me to play around with low-light landscape shots as an

alternative. Although I had read the XF18- 55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS premium zoom was very good (and smaller), I jumped at the opportunity to try the XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WRprofessional zoom,with its constant f/2.8 aperture, wider focal length and weather- resistant build. Without image stabilisation, a wide aperture seemed a better bet. When I first picked up the X-T3, I liked the feel, the information on the LCD and the view through the electronic viewfinder. With anything new, it takes a while to get used to where things are, and this is true of the X-T3, with aperture choice on the lens and

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