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Sigma has completely renovated its first Art lens – the 35mm f/1.4, launched nine years ago – to suit mirrorless cameras The Art classic reborn
WHAT A STRANGEmonth it has been. Strange, because it felt almost normal. I’ve been out with the camera. I’ve booked some photo shoots, too – a steam railway event, an afternoon in a fox hide and a portrait session. Taking a greater leap of faith, I have even committed to a week away – in this country, of course, and refundable if there’s any problem. I did umand ah about booking an overseas trip, but decided against it. I’mgoing to wait until 2022 and hopemy credit with the airline ( from last year’s cancelled flights) will still be valid. I don’t want to put a curse on things, but as I said, it’s almost normal. The aims for my photography this year are not that ambitious, and I feel baby steps are the way forward. First and foremost, I want to finish a couple of my long-termprojects – on the LondonDocklands Light Railway and the country’s surviving piers. Both projects I started five years ago. They should have been done and dusted by now, but the pandemic came along. As a prelude to concluding these projects, I thought I would take a closer look at my efforts to date and, with lockdown, I had plenty of time. It was interesting. I amhappy with the DLRmaterial, although I haven’t finalised how I’mgoing to process my shots, but I am in a quandary over my pier pictures. I don’t want a painting-the-Forth-Road-Bridge scenario – you know, a never-ending task – but my pictorial approach with the piers has evolved over time, so there’s a big difference between my earlier andmore recent pictures. Annoying and a tad frustrating.
EDITOR’SLETTER WILLCHEUNG
Not only that, but piers have changed in themeantime. Asmy guide, I have been using the National Piers Society website and signed up for its newsletter. I’d decided to concentrate on surviving piers and, when I started, there were 59. Last week, according to the NPS, it was 64. This project was for my own pleasure and, of course, I knew it wouldmean a lot of petrol and hotel bills, but it gaveme a reason to get out and take pictures, with the added benefit of visiting areas of this country I’d never been to. Well, after looking at the thousands of shots, perhaps it’s time to be brutally honest withmyself. I might have to revisit some piers to get a better level of consistency across the project. Well, I trust your life is getting back to some sort of normality, and please let me knowwhat you are planning with your camera. We could give you a shout-out on The PNPodcast! The address is podcast@photographynews.co.uk. See you next month.
SIGMA’S 35MM f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens has been redesigned for L-Mount and Sony E-mount mirrorless systems. Optically, the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens features an advanced construction with 15 elements, including two special low dispersion (SLD) elements and an extraordinary low dispersion (ELD) element in 11 groups. The diaphragm comprises 11 rounded blades to give smooth, round bokeh, and the aperture can be controlled from the body or on the lens. The aperture ring can also be de-clicked. Autofocusing uses a stepping motor and focus is internal, with a focusing lens group of just one element, so autofocusing is swift and very quiet. Manual focusing is smooth and precise, too, and the lens features an AF Lock button as well – this can be customised via the camera menu.
› Five elements in 11 groups. One FLD, one ELD, two SLDs and two aspherical elements › AF stepping motor › Internal focusing › Front element has water- and oil-repellent coating › Super Multi-Layer Coating › AFL button › Supports DMF, AF+MF FEATURES ATAGLANCE
Despite its advanced optics and features set, which includes dust and splash resistance, this lens weighs in at 645g, focuses to just 30cm and accepts 67mm filters. This new lens retails at £749, and the price includes a petal-shaped, locking lens hood. sigma-imaging-uk.com
› Focus mode switch › Aperture de-clicking › 11 diaphragm blades › Brass mount › Made in Japan
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What’s inside 03 News Catch up with the latest gear releases, and there’s the chance to win a Vanguard VEO 3T+ 264CB carbon-fibre travel tripod and ball head worth £330 09 Word search Solve our puzzle in this free-to-enter contest and you could win a Samsung 256GB microSD card! 10 Club news Camera clubs usually start to wind down for the summer holidays about now, but this year is certainly a little different. Members are still active – but in the virtual space
12 Make the Switch: Bill Allsopp Bill Allsopp realised he needed a lighter camera outfit after a significant hill-walk, so he invested in a Fujifilm X Series camera – and the rest is history 17 Buyers’ guide to lighting gear Getting your lighting right, whether in the home studio or on location, is a challenge, but a great start is having the best kit for the job. Check out our recommendations 21 Buyers’ guide to printing There’s nothing more satisfying than showing off your images with beautiful prints and stylish presentation
29 Big test: Canon EOS M50 Mark II Canon’s popular APS-C mirrorless camera enjoyed a tweak, giving it extra appeal to content creators. This new model is user-friendly, but what are the other updates, are they worthwhile – and should you get out your credit card? 32 First tests Our monthly look at some of the latest kit to reach the shelves: l Vanguard VEO 3T+ 264CB l Lowepro Flipside BP 300 AW III & BP 400 AW III l Irix 45mm f/1.4 GFX l Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD l Fujifilm GF80mm f/1.7 R WR
Issue 88 | Photography News 3
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