Photography News Issue 30

This issue’s interviews take us from the landscapes of Yorkshire to the plains of America. We put the Olympus PEN-F through its paces alongside a host of First Tests. Lighting Academy gives you high-speed sync advice and you’ll also find some great depth-of-field tips. In addition to all this, Issue 30 delivers a bumper crop of the latest news.

Your FREE newspaper packed with the latest news, views and stories from the world of photography news Photography Produced by Issue 30 14 Mar – 7 Apr News Tests Reviews Interviews Techniques Competitions Exhibitions Clubs FREE 4-PAGE PULL-OUT FLOOR PLAN AND VISITOR GUIDE!

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Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

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A Samsung 64GB Pro memory card Enter the competition on page 116 WIN!

£600 WORTH of Interfit kit up for grabs

& photograph France Win a photographic holiday, page 31 ENTERNOW

The 5th & final round Plus round 4winners revealed on page 32

4 prizes, 4winners, see page 7

Pentax goes full- frame The rumours of a full-frame Pentax DSLR have been around for years. Better late than never, the Pentax K-1 has been announced and will be in the shops mid-April. What’s more, it promises to be well worth the wait! … continue reading on page 5

Canon shows it can Hot on the heels of the EOS-1D X Mark II comes the EOS 80D. Aimed at keen enthusiast photographers, it sports a new sensor, an advanced AF system and a big buffer

Three months into 2016 and Canon has already announced its second and third DSLRs of the year: second is the EOS 80D; third the EOS 1300D. And there’s also a new lens. The EOS 80D is a very different proposition from the EOS-1D X Mark II announced earlier this year, but it will affect far more photographers. It is a 24-megapixel APS-C DSLR with all the features needed for budding creative photographers to expand their

horizons and there’s a performance to match. Autofocus is handled by a new 45 all cross-point system and continuous shooting is possible up to 7fps. Add Wi-Fi, Full HD video, ISO performance up to ISO 25,600 and a vari-angle touchscreen and you have an enthusiast’s camera par excellence for £999.99 body only. The third DSLR is the entry-level, 18-megapixel EOS 1300D, which is set to retail for £289.99 body only.

The new lens is the EF-S 18- 135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS standard zoom priced at £439.99. This is the first Canon lens to use Nano UltraSonic Motor technology for very fast, silent focusing. The EOS 80D, EOS 1300D and 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS will all be available from next month. There’s also a new Power Zoom adaptor; turn to page 6 for more.

canon.co.uk

Advertisement feature 2 Borrow Olympus kit – free! The Olympus Test & Wow service allows you to get your hands on some of the latest Oly gear totally free for up to three days. We caught up with photographer Marianne Coleman for the

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

low-down on this freebie Here’s the scenario: you want a new bit of kit; you’ve spent hours looking at reviews, reading opinions and painstakingly going over spec. Youwant to be sure of your decision before partingwith your hard-earned cash, so maybe you even pop into a camera store to get hands-on. Getting to test kit in a shop is great, but shooting out the front door of a busy high-street shop is not the most inspiring experience. This is where the Olympus Test & Wow service comes in. Test & Wow lets you borrow Olympus cameras, lenses and accessories for up to three days, and test them away from the store, in whatever environment you like! The easy part of looking for new kit is falling in love at first sight with the latest Olympus camera or lens, from the OM-D E-M5 to the vast PEN range, through to the so-beautiful-it-hurts new PEN-F. The hard part? Choosing a piece of kit that’s right for you. With such a diverse range of cameras to choose from and a vast array of lenses that lend themselves to a wide variety of subjects, making up your mind can be a minefield. Test & Wow was introduced last year across Europe, as Olympus wanted to give customers the chance to try before they buy. This simple, but generous service allows you to try kit out in an environment that suits you and your preferred photographic style, so whether you’re fed up with lugging about

your overweight DSLR kit and looking to move to mirrorless, or are a long-time Oly user looking to upgrade your camera body, or perhaps want a new lens for a special event, this service is not to be missed. How to Test & be Wowed So how does it work, and who can make use of it? We caught up with Olympus in-store specialist Clare Harvey-May who showed us in mere minutes how easy and quick the service is to get to grips with. “Pay a visit to wow.olympus.eu/en_GB/ and see what kits are available,” advises Clare. “Each itemhas a description so you can see exactly what it comes with. Once you’ve chosen your kit, simply select a dealer local to you from the drop-down menu and you’ll then be able to choose a convenient date to pick up your gear. You’ll need to fill out some details and accept the terms and conditions, then you’re done, leaving you to plan your shoot.” Sounds too good to be true? Lots of photographers have already been happily using the service, including Marianne Coleman who opted for the OM-D E-M1 PRO kit from her local store, Merchant City Camera in Glasgow. When we caught up with Marianne she explained that she found out about the service after browsing spec of Olympus cameras

online and decided to give it a whirl after the jogwheel on her Pentax DSLRmalfunctioned. Like many, Marianne had also come to the conclusion that there’s no need to lug around a cumbersome DSLR when a mirrorless model can do the job just as well – if not better – and at a fraction of the weight. “One can spend many, many hours researching to find just the right camera,” she explains. “I sat inmy computer chair drooling over pictures of the Olympus OM-D series, but my goodness, it was a big commitment in expenditure. My first-ever DSLR was an Olympus OM-10, so nostalgia took over and I found myself so very, very in love with the about-to-be-released silver E-M5 Mark II. “There’s really no substitute for getting a camera in your hands and trying it out, yet standing in the camera store taking pictures isn’t much of an indicator of how the camera is going to handle in the pouring rain, late at night or buffeted by the salty wind of the seaside. I agonised. I dithered. It was such a lot of money to commit to an unknown, especially Micro Four Thirds – a system I had no experience with and had read mixed reviews of.” Thankfully for Marianne, Test & Wow meant she could try out a Micro Four Thirds camera. While the E-M5 Mark II hadn’t made it into the service at that point, Marianne jumped at the chance to try out an E-M1. “I wanted to know what Micro Four Thirds I was so excited to find out that I could borrow an E-M1 and kit lens for a whole weekend at absolutely zero cost

was like, what having an electronic instead of optical viewfinder was like, and how useable the manual focus assist options were for someone like me with lots of beautiful ZUIKO glass to use frommy sadly deceased OM-10. I was so excited to find out that I could borrow an E-M1 and kit lens for a whole weekend at absolutely zero cost.” It wasn’t just the fact that Test & Wow is free that impressed Marianne, it was also the ease. “It was so simple,” she says. “I filled in the form and I was able to borrow the camera the very next day. I left them my debit card details and I needed to bring my driving licence with me to collect it. The guys in the shop went through the kit with me. They showed me how to activate focus peaking and MF assist, as well as how the 2x2 switchmode worked for changing ISO and white-balance. “You get a full 24 hours with the kit, but because of Merchant City Camera’s opening hours I was able to borrow the camera on Friday and return it on Monday.” Testing &Wowing “I was a bit nervous,” confesses Marianne. “It might be free to try, but if you break anything, you do have to pay. My camera usually comes with me on all sorts of rugged terrain. The shop assistant gave me the whole kit: E-M1, battery grip and 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO kit lens, in a little, leather PEN bag with padded sections for each component. It

Above You won’t be able to achieve shots like this stuck testing kit in store, but thanks to the Olympus Test &Wow service, you can take cameras and lenses away with you and really put them to the test in your own environment – all without spending anything.

Advertisement feature 3

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

seemed durable enough, so off I went to the little island of Hilbre off the coast of West Kirby. You walk in wellington boots across the estuary at low tide to reach it, stepping in little pools of leftover seawater, slipping on seaweed covered rocks and keeping to everyone else’s tracks to avoid the quicksand. To get up onto the island itself it’s fun to climb the sandstone rocks, and so I did with my little E-M1 bag at my back. “It was a beautiful day and I used the E-M1 in manual mode and manual focus for the whole day. The EVF was so easy to use, and the manual focus options were great. Being able to do all my shooting, including rough checking of exposure quality, through the viewfinder was fantastic. It was a bright

sunny day, but I was also able to put the E-M1 through its paces in the shade back at home too, taking photos in a bluebell-littered stand of trees. “I returned the E-M1 unscathed, happy knowing that all I needed to do was wait for the E-M5 Mark II to come out. I’m now the proud owner of one, along with 12mm lens. I’m so pleased with my decision, and now I see the E-M5 Mark II is available on the scheme too! Thank you to Olympus for offering such a great service to nervous camera buyers. It got me off the Internet and out taking photos, which is what I should have been doing! In the near future I plan to use Test & Wow to try out the M.ZUIKO 60mmmacro lens too.”

Above All you need to get you started on your professional journey with Olympus, the OM-D E-M1 PRO kit comes complete with the M.ZUIKO 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens and HLD-7 battery grip.

Marianne Coleman

Above One of the most portable photographic outfits you’ll find, the tiny OM-D E-M10 is small on size, but big on performance. Borrow it along with M.ZUIKO 14-42mm EZ pancake kit lens, a super-slim 45mm f/1.8 and the ECG-1 battery grip.

Packed with the latest news, inspiring interviews, photo project ideas, competitions and much more, Olympus Magazine is the free digital title written by photographers, for photographers. This interactive monthlymagazine features galleries of reader photographs, top tips and tricks from professional Olympus users, and regular behind-the- scenes peeks at pro photographer Damian McGillicuddy shoots, as well as the latest events and workshops to book onto. The March issue puts floral photos in focus and looks at perfecting portraits with prime lenses. As well as an inspiring interview with Olympus pro John Nassari, there’s a chance to win a 45mm f/1.8 lens of your very own. Out every second Wednesday of the month, Olympus Magazine is free to enjoy on your desktop, or on iOS and Android tablets. Free magazine! Download the latest free issue of Olympus Magazine and you could be in with a chance of winning a 45mm f/1.8 portrait lens

WIN a 45mm f/1.8 worth £280

olympusmag.co.uk

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

News

Pentax goes full-frame

Mark Cheetham, Ricoh Imaging

The rumours of a full-frame Pentax DSLRhave beenaround for years and a prototype was shown back in 2014. Now the K-1 is finally here and due in the shops mid-April. Before we get to the camera’s features – and there are plenty – let’s start with the price. Body only it’s £1599.99. That is an attractive number for the features and resolution on offer, so while the K-1 will probably find most favour among existing Pentax users, those uncommitted to a system right now should take note. The K-1 houses a 35.9x24mm full-frame CMOS sensor with a 36.4-megapixel resolution capable of 14-bit Raw capture. For maximum sharpness there is no optical low-pass filter and imageprocessing ishandled by a new PRIME IV processor which claims todeliver superb imagequality with smooth tonal reproduction and top-quality ISO performance of up to 204,800. The K-1 also has an AA Filter Simulator in case of moiré which is adjustable in strength. Like other Pentax DSLRs, the K-1 uses a sensor-based Shake Reduction system, this time a five-axis version, called SR II. This reduces shake caused by roll, yaw and vertical and horizontal shift. It’s said to have a 5EV benefit and the camera auto detects the direction of movement so when panning you get the desired effect without preselecting amode. Astrotracer mode uses this sensor shift technology to track stars during long exposures so you can capture them without trails and there’s also the Pixel Shift Resolution system which has the camera capture four images of the same scene, moving the sensor by one pixel between each shot

and then merging them into a single frame. This captures 67% more light for more truthful colour rendition. Autofocus is handled by a new SAFOX 12 sensor module with 33 AF points across the frame. Of these, the 25 central ones are cross-type while the Real Time Scene Analysis system gives an improved tracking performance on moving subjects. Alliedtothis,thecamera'scontinuous shooting can hit amaximum4.4fps. The K-1 sports a flexible, tilt-type LCD monitor with a 3.2in screen and a 1037K dot resolution. The tilting mechanism, with its four support railsmeans the screencanbe adjusted to lots of angles yet it’s strong enough to dangle the camera complete with lens and grip from it (see below). The monitor itself is an airtight design for improved visibility in bright daylight. And with the help of 87 seals, the K-1 body is dust proof, weather- and cold-resistant to as low as -10°C. An optical viewfinder provides a near 100% view and the bright image should enable easier manual focusing. Key camera information can also be superimposed over the viewfinder image itself to enhance handling. A feature not seen on any camera before is Pentax’s Operation Assist Light function which aids using the K-1 in darkness. LEDs light up parts of the camera helping you see what’s going on without a torch so, for example, the lens mount is lit, letting you change glass without fumbling. Other notable features of the K-1 include Wi-Fi, Full HD video, an integral GPS module, dual SD card slots and an ultrasonic vibration sensor cleaning mechanism. The

“The Pentax K-1 is aimed at the high-end enthusiast market but with its resolution and features it will attract some professionals as well. Existing Pentax users who have been waiting over ten years for it have an important part to play. We promised it in the past but it never arrived and I think existing Pentax users will form the backbone of the user base for it. “Saying that, the K-1 has enough features and benefits over the competition and, especially at the price point, will bring in users from other systems. “The camera is priced to attract users of CSCs because there are benefits of a full-frame sensor. We have also kept in mind where Pentax is right now with its existing APS-C cameras and how they are priced. If the K-1 came out at £2500 body I think it would alienate existing users. £1599.99 for the body is an aggressive price for its feature set but personally I think that is where we need to be to sell volume of the product. “When you look at the feature set, the things that stand out to me are build quality which is superb, the five-axis image stabilisation which is new to us and the high ISO performance. One of things users of the medium-format Pentax 645Z have told us is how easy to use the Raw files from that camera are, how superb the shadows look and how flexible the files are to work with. If the Raws from the K-1, PEFs and DNGs, react in the same way, we know they will be very easy to work with. “One feature that I really like, and is on our other cameras such as the K-3 II. but it sometimes gets forgotten about, is Composition Adjust. In Live View, using this feature you can move up or down and tilt the sensor. So when shooting macro really close up you can adjust composition without moving the camera on its tripod. For landscape, there is a feature in the menu called Auto Horizon Correction that will tilt the sensor to correct the horizon, too. “Astrotracer also uses the moving sensor where you shoot long exposures of the stars, causing them to remain as light sources rather than trails. The camera’s GPS system works out the movement of the Earth and tilts the sensor accordingly to keep the stars as stars.”

K-1 also accepts the optional D-BG6 power grip that takes six AA cells as well as the camera’s li-ion rechargeable battery. This grip boasts the same level of dust and weather- resistant construction as the K-1 body. While the Pentax K-1 doesn’t offer anything truly innovative (bar its LEDs), what it has is impressive and will make it appealing to current Pentax users and those uncommitted to a full-frame system. Its 36.4-megapixel sensor gives enough resolution for most and its promise of a leading high ISOperformance gives extra appeal. We’ll be giving the K-1 a full test as soon as a sample arrives. At the K-1 launch, Pentax also introduced two full-frame/APS-C compatible lenses, the FA 15-30mm f/2.8ED SDM WR and the FA 28-

105mm f/3.5-5.6 ED DC WR, priced at £1499.99 and £549.99 respectively and both available later this spring. The fast aperture FA 15-30mm f/2.8 ED SDMWR has an 18 element in 13 group construction, with three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements to help deliver excellent image sharpness with minimal CA, distortion and coma. AF is handled by a Supersonic Direct-drive Motor (SDM) for near-silent, fast operation. The FA 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6 ED DC WRshouldbeagoodstandardlensfor the K-1. It has an optical construction of 15 elements in 11 groups with two aspherical and one ED. The lens has HD multi-layer coating, a quick-shift focus and is weather-resistant.

ricoh-imaging.co.uk

Hands on

At the Pentax K-1’s launch I got to spend a little time with a pre-production sample, so while I can report on its general handling its actual performance will have to wait. First impressions are very positive. It feels great to hold and the contoured handgrip fitted my paws well. It felt comfortable and secure enough to carry one-handed. The close proximity of the shutter release to the ISO and exposure compensation buttons made changing those settings while the camera was up to the eye very easy. The bright optical viewfinder shows 100% of the image and the information strip across the bottom is excellent. At this early stage and without using the K-1 properly, my favourite control was the speed function dial. It is a firmly click-stopped knob that lets you select a common function without having to go into a menu or use a function button. Here, for example, you can select exposure bracketing, HDR or Wi-Fi very quickly and with just one control. On the left side of the top-plate is the exposure mode dial with the usual PASM options but also modes such as TAv that existing Pentax users will be familiar with.

There are few full-frame DSLRs with articulating monitors and the K-1 joins that exclusive club. Pentax calls the K-1’s a Flex-tilt monitor and it does more than just fold out. The monitor is anchored by four supporting struts so it’s flexible and can be set at 90° for waist-level shooting or just angled for tripod use or low-level shooting. The mounting system is robust and I was dangling the camera

with lens by its monitor with no signs of distress from the fixtures. There’s no reason why you'd do this in reality but it demonstrates the K-1’s build quality. It will be interesting to see how the supporting system handles grit and sand getting into the struts. WC

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

News

Sensational Sigma

Sigma has announced a whole raft of exciting new products including cameras and lenses. There are two interchangeable lens cameras featuring Sigma’s X3 Foveon sensor. The sd Quattro features an APS-C sensor with 39-megapixel resolution, while the sd Quattro H features an APS-H sensor measuring 26.6x17.9mm for a resolution of 51 megapixels. The lens mount on both cameras is Sigma SA for which the company has a very wide range of lenses available. Foveon sensors are different from others on the market. A Foveon sensor has three layers – blue, red, green – of photodiodes so all visible light is captured at every pixel site for the truest colour reproduction. This means the way of determining resolution is different from other sensors. So with the sd Quattro the top layer has 19.5 megapixels and that is equivalent to 39 megapixels in total. With the sd Quattro H, the top layer has 25.5 megapixels, 51 megapixels in total. Sigma’s Dual TRUE III processor is designed to handle the large amount of information coming from the sensor without any data loss. Both cameras have a Super-Fine Detail exposure mode where the camera (on a tripod) makes seven exposures with one push of the shutter button to give an X3I Raw file for maximum information from the scene. Sigma’s dedicated software is needed to process Raws from the Foveon sensor.

Prices and availability of both sd Quattros were not available at the time of writing. Sigma’s additions to its lens range include the 30mm f/1.4 DC DN and the 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM. The 30mm f/1.4 DC DN is a standard lens for Micro Four Thirds and Sony E mount cameras and price is expected to be around £240 when it becomes available later in March. It’s a fast aperture lens with swift and smooth AF and optical quality is said to be comparable to Sigma top-end Art lenses. In the Art range is the 50-100mm f/1.8DCHSM. Full- frame compatible, it offers a constant f/1.8 throughout the zoom range, which is very useful for low-light work and when shallow depth-of-field is desired. With exotic glass used in its construction we would expect optical quality to be very good. It will be available for Canon, Nikon and Sigma. Availability hasn't been announced yet, but the anticipated street price is £780. The Mount Converter MC-11 lets you mount EOS and Sigma SA mount interchangeable lenses onto Sony E camera bodies. Expected street price is £80. The final new product from Sigma is the EF-630 flashgun, a dedicated, highly featured flash unit with TTL flash, autozoom and high-speed sync capability. No price or availability has been announced yet.

sigma-imaging-uk.com

A nice pair fromTamron

David Parry,

Canon UK

“The EOS 80D sits slap bang in the middle of our DSLR line-up. It’s a great step-up from our 650D and 75OD cameras and it’s also a great second body for users of the EOS 7D Mark II, for instance, who want a lighter, smaller body. “This market sector is hugely important not just for Canon but for the whole photographic industry because it is at this stage that people get enthralled in photography and start buying lenses, accessories and getting more creative. The EOS 80D is ideal for those want to expand their photography and push the boundaries of what they shoot, with a great AF system, very good low-light capabilities, using the movie mode and so on. It will encourage people to enjoy their photography. “The AF is one of the camera’s highlights. It has 45 AF points, all cross-type and to have a similar system to the EOS IV of a few years ago on a product of this level is just incredible. “The 24-megapixel sensor is brand new, featuring improved dual pixel CMOS AF sensors which will work with all lenses – previously it was only with lenses after 2009. “The 18-135mm has nano USM technology and sits alongside our USM and STM lenses. Basically it lets you shoot movies very smoothly and is fast enough for high-speed stills shooting too where STM is less good. “Canon will be at this year’s The Photography Show so visitors can get their hands on the EOS 80D as well as its other new DSLR, the EOS-1D X Mark II, please come along and have a look.” Canon will be on stands D141 and E131 at The Photography Show.

Tamron announced two lenses, one a world’s first, the other a classic re-invented. Let’s start with the 30-year old classic, the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro. The latest version has gained Tamron’s proprietary Vibration Compensation (VC) shake reduction system with XY-Shift compensation for hand- holding success with an effective +3.5EV benefit. The USD autofocus motor provides fast, near-silent and accurate focusing for close-up distances as well as at infinity. This lens now sports a moisture- proof and dust-resistant construction. The front element has a fluorine coat to keep the front element condensation free and make it easier to clean. The SP 90mm f/2.8 VC USD is also Tamron’s first lens with user-updateable firmware and

the ability to customise lens preferences via USB. Priced at £580, it is available in Canon and Nikon fittings now; a Sony fit while follow later. Moving onto the world's first, it’s the SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD. It’ll be available in the same three fittings, but there is no guide price as we go to press. The world’s first claim is thanks to the addition of VC, making this optic the first full- frame 85mm lens with some form of shake reduction. Other highlights include the use of low and extra-low dispersion glass elements to minimise colour fringing. It is moisture-resistant and the Tamron USD focus motor gives swift and precise focusing. This lens will be available in the UK from late March.

Canon has had a busy year already and its latest launches include the EOS 80D, a 24.2-megapixel APS-C DSLR with a body price of £999.99. The CMOS sensor is completely new and works alongside the DIGIC 6 processorwith a native ISO range of 100-16,000, expandable to 25,600. Also newis the45 all cross-point autofocusing system,whichoffers individualAF points or points grouped in areas for tracking. With lenses with apertures of f/8, 27 AF points are available. The system also has impressive low-light capability, focusing even in moonlight. Exposure metering is handled by a 7560-pixel RGB+IR sensor, measuring both visible and invisible infrared light, and a Flicker Detection feature helps cope with flickering artificial light sources. The three-inch vari-angle Clear View LCD II touchscreen enables shooting at low level and convenient handling, while Wi-Fi means sharing pictures is quick and easy. Canon has also unveiled a new standard zoom lens, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS priced at £439.99. This lens can be combined with the Power ZoomAdapter PZ-E1, priced at £129.99, for smooth zoom control for movies. The EOS 80D and 18-135mm f/3.5-5-6will be available fromApril and the Power Zoom adapter fromMay. Read more about the EOS 80 and lens, left. Canon also announced the PowerShot G7 X Mark II, the first camera to use the DIGIC 7 processor. It features a 1.0in 20.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and sports a4.2x f/1.8-2.8 optical zoomlens (24-100mmin the 35mmformat). Sharp shooting at slow shutter speeds is assisted by an improved IS system with Dual Sensing technology, while handling is enhanced by the camera’s lens control ring. The G7 XMark II will be available fromApril at £549.99. Canon takes aim at themiddle

tamron.co.uk

canon.co.uk

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

News

Over £600 of Interfit lighting kit to bewon Head to the Photography News stand at The Photography Show for your chance to win one of four great prizes from lighting experts Interfit in our prize draw

If you are visiting The Photography Show (19-22 March) at the NEC, come along to the Photography News stand F153 in the food gallery area behind the Canon stand. We have four great prizes from lighting experts Interfit worth over £600 on offer and to be in with a chance of landing one all you have to do is visit our stand and get your TPS badge scanned. You will automatically be entered into the prize draw which will be randomly drawn on the 11 April 2016. Don’t worry if you miss the show though, you can always enter through absolutephoto.com via the competitions page. First prize is an Interfit Proflash TLi – the winner has the choice of Canon or Nikon compatibility. This flashgun (tested on page 98) is the world’s first with a rechargeable and swappable Li-ion power supply. You get 650 full-power flashes per charge. The unit is highly specified and has great features like high-speed sync and rear-curtain sync. The second name picked will scoop the Interfit F5 Three-Head Fluorescent Lighting Kit with Boom Arm is worth £219.99. This is a cool-running continuous lighting kit that’s ideal for the home studio and suitable

for stills or video. The kit comeswith two lighting stands, a boom armwith stand, softboxes, bulbs and leads. An Interfit Five-in-One 42in Reflector and Arm Kit goes to the thirdprizewinner. Thisprize isworth£106.66 and is agodsend tokeenportrait photographers allowing them to make the most of their flash or continuous light source without the need for an assistant. Last but certainly not least is an Interfit 19in Fluorescent Ring Light worth £85.99. This is a cool- running fluorescent shoot-through light source to give a flat, shadowless lighting and with portraits you will get those lovely ring catchlights in the subject’s eyes. It’ll certainly lift your portraits into a new dimension. So remember, all you have to do to be in with the chance of winning one of these fabulous Interfit prizes is to come along to the Photography News stand and have your name badge scanned or visit absolutephoto.com, sign up to Photography News and then just enter your name and email address to be in with a chance. For full T&Cs visit the website. Good luck.

interfitphotographic.com

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

News

Win a week’s holiday in the Dordogne

French Photographic Holidays is based in the beautiful foothills of the Dordogne and run by Paul and Pam Edmunds. In this issue, we have the chance for you to win a week’s tailor-made photo holiday for two so you can enjoy the scenery and Paul and Pam’s wonderful hospitality for yourself. It’s a prize package worth over £1900 and includes photographic tuition, too. Entering is easy. First you have to answer two questions. Get those right and you will be entered into the contest’s second stage where we will ask

you to send us one of your best landscape images. The winner will be informed by 8 April and the week’s holiday must be taken the week beginning 30 April. Part of the prize is also that we’ll talk to you about your trip, the experiences you enjoyed and the great pictures you took in the Dordogne in a later issue of Photography News . See page 31 for more details on how you can win this clicking holiday to France.

frenchphotographicholidays. com

Profoto updates a classic

Profoto has a new beauty dish for its B1 and B2 Off Camera Flash (OCF) systems. The OCF Beauty Dish is available now at the cost of £144, and for the price you get the dish, deflector plate, diffuser and a carrying bag. The OCF Speedring is bought separately at around £70. The Beauty Dish comes with a choice of white or silver inner; white gives amore even, slightly softer light while if you prefer a more punchy, high-contrast effect the silver option is the one to go for. Profoto has also introduced three different OCF Gel sets for those photographers who are keen to get creative with some coloured filters. The OCF Color Gel Starter kit costs £72 and includes ten popular colours as

well as the OCF Grid and Gel Holder. You also get two attachment pieces that enable you to switch between colours quickly. The OCF Color CorrectionGel pack features 20 filters in different strengths of orange, blue and green that are designed to balance flash with sunlight, moonlight and fluorescent light respectively. The final kit is the OCF Color Effects Gel pack and here you can get to grips with 20 coloured gels including Rose Pink, Gold Amber and Peacock Blue. The gel packs are priced at £48 each.

profoto.com/offcameraflash

Premiumcompacts fromNikon

Not one but three top-end compacts have been introduced by Nikon. The new DL family features fixed Nikon zoom lenses so you pick the option that best suits your needs. There's the DL24-85mm f/1.8- 2.8, the DL18-50mm f/1.8-2.8 and DL24-500mm f/2.8-5.6 priced at £549.99, £679.99 and £749.99 respectively. The quoted focal lengths are equivalents in the 35mm format. Each DL camera sports a 1in CX-format sensor that can give 20.8-megapixel stills in JPEG or Raw and 4K movies at 30p/25p. Lens aside, there are differences between the DL camera bodies; the DL24-500mm f/2.8-5.6 has a 2359k-dot OLED electronic viewfinder and a monitor while the others are monitor only. Focusing is handled by an Advanced Hybrid AF systemwhile the EXPEED 6A processor is capable of shooting at 60fps with focus fixed at the first frame

or 20fps with continuous AF. Image stabilisation is provided by Nikon’s Dual Detect Optical VR system. SnapBridge, a low-powered Bluetooth technology, is featured on all DL cameras and allows constant connection between the camera and smart devices. The DL series will be in the shops later this summer. Nikon also added to its Coolpix range with the B700, A900, B500 and A300 priced at £359.99, £329.99, £219.99 and £129.99 respectively. Stocks will be available from April. The B700 has a 60x optical zoom lens while the A900 has a 35x zoom, and both offer 4K UHD video shooting and 20.3-megapixel still images. The B500 has a 16-megapixel sensor and a 40x optical zoom and the A300 has an 8x optical zoomwith a 20.1-megapixel resolution.

Polaroid’s Panorama EyeBall head can rotate through 360° and lets you shoot panoramas remotely. It is available for £44.99 and is suitable for action cameras, CSCs and even smaller DSLRs. The free-standing mini tripod can be used on its own or mounted to a regular tripod. An infrared remote offers five speeds of rotation and the option of clockwise or anti clockwise travel. Its movement is smooth so it's ideal for shooting video footage, too. On a full charge the EyeBall head can offer three hours of continuous use and is powered by a USB rechargeable battery. Panoramas with Polaroid

nikon.co.uk

polaroid.com

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

News

Nikon goes underground

Over months, Nikon has hosted a series of free #DiscoverDifferent events with the last one in February at a location in central London. We went along to see what they were all about. The location was the defunct Aldwych Tube station off the Strand and there were three separate groups of photographers attending, in the morning, early afternoon and late afternoon. The events were promoted throughNikon’s#DiscoverDifferent website asking for photographers keen to push their creativity further to apply. Attendees were selected randomly due to the huge interest and the limited spaces available. We went along to the mid- afternoon session. Joining instructions were provided well in advance of the day, so we turned up with cameras, cards and batteries ready and suitably attired. It was a dusty location and stout shoes or boots were suggested. Nikon gave everyone a branded warm jacket. The bigger group was divided into three smallermoremanageable groups (five in ours) and these would rotate to each of the three photo opportunities spending around 40 minutes at each one. the past few

After a health & safety briefing from TFL staff it was onto the serious business of the day. Our photographic hosts were experts from the Nikon School team, led by training manager Neil Freeman. Portable flash portraits was in the ticket area, there was light painting on one platform and a location portrait session on a disused Tube train on another. Our first session started with a briefing from Nikon training specialist Mark Higgins on how to set the cameras up to use the Nikon SB-910 Speedlights wirelessly in TTL mode and how to deal with low levels of light. Everyone had different model cameras so this took a few minutes but soon we all took turns shooting our model, Florence. There was plenty of time for everyone to take a variety of shots, not just with the flash but also using available light. The next location was shooting portraits on the platform and the train. Here, Neil went through the details of camera set-up, but as we had just set up for wireless flash our group was more or less ready to start shooting. Plenty of advice was provided, not just on camera and flash set-

up but also where to place lights, dealing with ambient light and advice on composition. Our last session of the day was light painting led byArtur Teixeira, Nikon Professional Services team member and EmilyMudie, training coordinator, using home-made LED light bars. Our group wasn’t experienced in this so camera set- up, using tripods provided, took a few minutes. The idea was that Artur and Emily would walk, with the main lights switched off, down the platform and where the tracks used to be with their LED sticks as we recorded the streaks. It was definitely different standing where trains used to run in almost complete darkness while shooting light trails – but tremendous fun, too. After a couple of tries, the whole group got great images and our light painters tried more compositions and patterns. Soon we headed back upstairs and into the fresh air, where the next group were already gathering. It was a great (free!) experience so well worth attending. Look out for announcements for future events on Nikon’s Facebook page.

Images Nikon’s last #DiscoverDifferent event saw photographers shooting in the closed Aldwych Tube station.

nikon.co.uk

Super Lee

Lens from Laowa Alensbrandnot sowell known in the UK at the moment is Laowa, but awareness will surely build thanks to lenses like the new 105mm f/2 STF lens. STF stands for Smooth Trans Focus, a special optical system designed to give smooth transitions between crisp in-focus areas to creamy defocused foreground and backgrounds This is a manual focus lens featuring 11 elements in 8 groups and a 14 blade iris. It uses an integrated apodisation filter to give superior bokeh, making it well suited to shooting portraits and is full-frame compatible. The 105mm f/2 STF has a guide price of £649.99 and there are fittings in Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony A and Sony E available.

Lee Filters' Big Stopper 10EV ND proved a hugely popular filter among scenic photographers. It was soon joined by the 6EV ND Little Stopper and now we have the Super Stopper, a 15EV extreme ND filter. A straight one- second exposure is turned into 16 minutes with the Big Stopper – and that becomes a staggering 8.5 hours with the Super Stopper. You may wonder why you would need such an extreme ND, but it has huge potential, not just because it allows very long exposures when the light levels are high, but also because it gives you more aperture control. You don’t always want massive depth-of-field so using the Super Stopper means you can avoid the smallest lens apertures where diffraction can also have a significant impact on image quality. The Super Stopper is said to have a very good white-balance even when used with the camera’s auto white-balance feature and any colour cast will be slight and easily removed. The Super Stopper will be available for Lee’s Seven5, 100mm and SW150 systems at £70.45, £103.82 and £132 respectively. The official launch is 19 March, the first day of The Photography Show, so make sure you check it out. See page 95 for a detailed review of the Super Stopper.

venuslens.net

Above The Super Stopper makes shooting long exposures on very bright days easy. This 1/125sec at f/11 scene became a 4mins at f/11 shot. It was done in AWB so the Super Stopper is very neutral too.

leefilters.com

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

News

Outdoor bags fromNest

News in brief

Limited editionPentax Only 500 units of a special

silver edition Pentax K-3 II will be available worldwide. The silver coating has been applied to the magnesium-alloy body to give this limited edition camera a premium appearance. It costs £789.99 body only and is available now. ricoh-imaging.co.uk More action fromRicoh Ricoh's waterproof WG-M2 action camera comes in a shock-resistant body and shoots 4K video with its 204° view lens. It has seven effect modes too, includingmonochrome and bleach bypass so you can add an individual style to your footage. It’s priced at £269.99 and will be on the shelves at the end of March. ricoh-imaging.co.uk

Nest's Diverse 20 backpack costs £149.99 and offers various carrying solutions to suit different needs. The basic bag comeswith two removable inserts – essentially two small separate bags – that can be stowed in the top of the bag or at the base via a zipped trapdoor. So you can have the top insert in to stow your camera and the bottom removed to accommodate your waterproofs and lunch; or if you have lots of kit, both inserts can be used. The inserts can also be used on the Diverse's removable waist- belt or with the supplied shoulder strap. Another option is to buy

the adjustable padded insert for £19.99 which turns the Diverse into a full-on photo backpack. The Diverse 20 is tested in the First Tests section of this edition. Also from Nest, the Hiker series has been expanded with the Hiker 60 and Hiker 80, priced at £69.99 and £79.99 respectively. Both are photo backpacks suitable for taking DSLR-size bodies with extra lenses. The 60 can take three lenses plus an 8in tablet, while the larger 80 will accept four to five lenses and a 14in laptop. Both are available in black or a camouflage design.

nest-style.com

New fromNovo Novo makes a range of ABS hard cases and camera support systems.

Newmono supports from Manfrotto

of the tripods in the range is the Explora 10. This is a four-section, carbon-fibre tripod with twist leg locks, boasting removable spiked feet and extending to 1.7m. It comes with the CBH-40 ball-head at a price of £229.99. The MP-10 monopod is also made from eight-layer carbon fibre and it has a guide price of £54.99.

The cases come under the name of Dura with three carry cases, 100, 200 and 300 on offer and one rolling case, the 400. Prices start from £79.99 and these super-tough cases are completely waterproof down to 5m, air-tight and very lightweight. All come with pre-cut diced foam inserts, too. Meanwhile monopods, tripods and ball- heads come under the Explora brand. One

Six XPRO monopods have been introduced by Manfrotto. There are three models in the Prime range – one carbon fibre and two aluminium – and each states a maximum payload of 10kg. There are also two models – one carbon fibre and one aluminium – in the Over series. These two models offer greater maximum height compared with the Prime models. The final product from this line-up of launches is the Land, a five-section aluminium monopod that folds down to 41.5cm. Prices for these six supports start from £54.95.

novo-photo.com

Special GR II Ricoh Company Ltd celebrates its 80th year in 2016, and to commemorate the occasion the Ricoh GR II Silver Edition has been launched. Its price is £579.99 and stocks will be available at the end of March. Get your order in early though – the camera is limited to just 3200 units worldwide. ricoh-imaging.co.uk

manfrotto.co.uk

Travel supports fromKenro

CollectableOlympus OM-D In a month of limited edition cameras, here’s another, this time fromOlympus. This OM-D E-M10Mark II is finished in a fox brown colouredmetal casing and comes with a premium quality leather strap and a unique lens cap. This edition is limited to 3500 units worldwide and is priced at £699.99. olympus.co.uk

Kenro has introduced a selection of tripod kits, particularly with the travel photographer in mind. Two ranges are offered, Standard and Professional, making a total of four tripods and a monopod. In the Standard range are the KENTR101 andKENTR102 selling at £69.95 and £99.95 respectively. Both are made from magnesium alloy and feature twist lock legs.

They also come complete with a single action ball-head. Both the KENTR201 and KENTR202 sit in the Professional line-up and cost £134.95 and £149.95 respectively. These models are also made from magnesium alloy and feature a space-saving designmaking them idea for travel.

kenro.co.uk

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

News

RPS heads for the stars

The Sony World Photography Awards is an absolutely massive photography contest and this year it sees 21 British photographers short listed from a huge total of 230,103 images entered. Submissions came from 186 countries, and entries from the UK were up by 135%. Short listed images can be seen at London’s Somerset House from 22 April to 8 May. The overall winners will be revealed on 21 April. Well done

If you want to learn about how to take great pictures of the heavens, the RPS is hosting an Introduction to Astrophotography workshop on 3 April at the Marwell Hotel, near Winchester. Lilian Hobbs LRPS, the president of the Southampton Astronomical Society, will give technique and hardware advice on

how you can shoot stars, comets and much more using your DSLR or video camera and a telescope or spotting scope. The cost is £45 to non-members and £30 to RPS members and the day starts at 10am.

rps.org/events

worldphoto.org

Capture the environment Entry to the Environmental Photographer of the Year 2016 contest is now open. Amateur and professional photographers are eligible for the competition which is free to enter, with ten images permitted per person. Pictures must have been taken since 1 January 2015. The overall winner will receive £3000 and the Young (under 25) winner will scoop £1000. The deadline for entries is 18 April 2016.

How to Take Great

Photographs by CliveWoodyear

Published by RLG Publishing, this £9.95 paperback is out now. The contributors to this book read like a who’s who of photography with the likes of Art Wolfe, Harry Borden, Ralph Gibson, Mark Pain and Joe Cornish, with images included. The book is divided in subject sections and each picture is accompanied by an explanation from the photographer about how and why they chose the picture featured. The technique and gear used are explained, too.

epoty.org

RPS calls for entries This year’s RPS International Print Exhibition is now open for entries. This exhibition, now in its 159th year, is the longest-running of its kind in the world and, as well as the prestige of having your work featured, there are cash awards totalling £4250 to be won. The closing date for entries is 31 May 2016.

greatphotographs.co.uk

On the bookshelf

rps.org

Student winners announced

Alex Mustard’s Underwater Photography Masterclass is published by Ammonite Press, costs £19.99, and is out April. With great pictures to inspire and expert advice on how to shoot underwater, this tome could be what you need to make more of your holidays. Gear, light advice and lens choices are all explained by the authorwho is one of the leading underwater photographers.

From nearly 1000 entries, two students scooped first prize

The winners of the Harman Technology UK Student Competition 2015 have been announced. Nearly 1000 entries were received and the Darkroom winner was Olivia Whitfield for her image 'Amelie’s Love', shot on Ilford HP5+ film. Mark Boulton won the Digital category with 'Vesper in the Shower'. Peter Elton, managing director at Harman said, “The image

composition and creativity on show in these entries was tremendously impressive. Not only in the worthy winners, but in many, many others. It’s exciting to see that the current crop of budding photographers has the potential to reach the top.” All the images that made the final judging stage can be seen on the Flickr feed below.

underwaterphotography book.com

goo.gl/LEbgXC

Photography News Issue 30 absolutephoto.com

Advertisement feature

Epson’s award-winner SureColor SC-P800 printer

Using the touchscreen

Among the long list of improvements to the SC‑P800 over its predecessor is the provision of a tilting touchscreen LCD. This more intuitive interface makes it easy to scroll through functions and quickly ascertain the printer’s status. Features at your fingertips include: 1. Paper Size Offering up to 17in, the SC‑P800 offers a huge range of other sizes, too.

The SureColor SC-P800 inkjet has a lot to offer photographers who’re serious about printing their images, and it’s just been rewarded with a Photography News Award

2. Maintenance The printer can be user

maintained without having to call out an engineer – that’s useful extra functionality if time is money. You can keep an eye on the printer’s status and wireless connections through the Setup menu.

3. Media Load Guide The SC-P800 takes paper and board up to 1.5mm thick. Use anything other than the Auto Sheet Feeder and step-by-step instructions for loading appear on the touchscreen LCD.

When was the last time you looked at the prints you put on your wall? Not a cursory glance either, a thorough study of the print quality. There are many high-quality labs around the country that will deliver fantastic results for you, but for real peace of mind and unrivalled quality control you can’t beat printing the images yourself, after all they’ll reflect well on your talent. Epson produces a huge range of inkjet printers and media to cater for every printing need and budget. When it comes to the professional, however, one model in the range stands out as a real workhorse that can sit at the heart of any photographer’s workflow, the SureColor SC‑P800. As a measure of its qualities, it was voted the Best Inkjet Printer by Photography News readers in its 2015 Awards. Outstanding versatility The SureColor SC-P800 replaces the Stylus Pro 3880, the previous pro model in the Epson line-up, and sports a range of new functions. One of the most significant for pro users is the option to use rolls of paper via the optional roll paper unit – perfect if you want to print panoramic images or onto canvas up to 17 inches wide. If you prefer to work on single sheets, the SC-P800 also accepts up to 17in paper width and up to 1.5mm or 850gsm thick stock. Despite this impressive media handling capability, it’s a relatively compact unit. It will comfortably fit into the corner of an office or studio, providing you leave enough space behind it to accommodate the heavier weight media that initially protrudes out of the back on loading. ‘Normal’ papers feed from the top and land in the extendable front tray. The SureColor SC-P800 uses the same Epson UltraChrome HD inks as the company’s large-format printers with nine pigmented inks delivering a huge range of colours and the deepest blacks of anyA2 photo printer currently available. The inks are available in 80ml cartridges – an economical solution. Not only do you get great colour from the UltraChrome HD inks, they’re also designed to offer optimum longevity and reduce effects such as bronzing to keep your clients happy. The three level black ink technology ensures you get great mono results, too.

With the inks in place, the printer driver loaded and the nozzles checked, it’s time to get down to printing. Another notable addition over the 3880 is the wireless connectivity. It makes computer to printer connection remarkably easy. You can use an existing Wi-Fi network, or simply connect directly to the printer making it easy to print from a computer, smartphone or tablet. Epson Connect, Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print services are also possible. High-quality prints in minutes Once connected, a borderless A2 print in impressive quality is yours in minutes. Two printing resolutions are available – 1440dpi and 2880dpi – both are excellent, but if you stick with the lower resolution, those cartridges will last a little longer. You can output your prints through Photoshop, leaving the software to manage the colour accuracy and choose the necessary profiles for the variety of media tested. All compatible profiles are supplied as part of the driver installation process. Third-party media profiles are also supplied but you may need to download additional ones. Producing high-quality prints that you will be delighted with is extremely easy. Just as you would have produced test prints in the darkroom, getting the initial print right may take a few tries and a couple of pieces of paper, but this likelihood is reduced with an accurately (and regularly) calibrated monitor, plus a few minutes spent tweaking the settings. When it comes to servicing the printer, the maintenance tank is user replaceable, which means you won’t have to pay for an engineer. That means less downtime and reduced expense. It’s also easy to keep an eye on printer functions thanks to the tilting touchscreen menu. It’s hard to argue against taking more control of your printing output. Of course there’s the initial outlay for the printer, but doing so opens up a wealth of new opportunities that today’s photographer would be foolish to dismiss.

Inset images The nine pigmented inks are available in 80ml cartridges. This makes the SureColor SC-P800more economical than smaller models. With the optional paper roll holder you can print panoramic images with ease.

epson.co.uk

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