Photography News Issue 58

Photography News | Issue 58 | photographynews.co.uk

48 Competition

H C P V F F H O T I C G M O N O S C L V M Y B C H C O J Z I V D C E D U E K N F F C H L R S E A Z T K E A F B U S T C U O A T R E Q T U A U K N R I L X A C N B D K C Q M L H A I B L T O U H E G S J P U E E E B E A C H G A R T S T S J M I H W D N W N A S E M A R F Y S I U E B K O V E T D D N S R Q G A E B E N N V X C M J Z W O G A U T Y A D I L O H D S O H N O I T O L I A T S V F J W P J S I G Capture life’s magical moments across all devices with the Samsung EVO Plus 128GB microSDXC memory card with SD adapter offering read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds of up to 90MB/s. Samsung’s latest cards are also ultra reliable and are water, temperature, X-ray and magnet proof, so shooting in the most challenging conditions isn’t an issue. We have one 128GB Samsung EVO Plus microSDXC card with SD adapter worth £78.99 for the eagle-eyedwinner. Complete theword search below, and you’ll find oneword in the list that’s not in the grid. Email us on puzzle@photographynews.co.uk with that word in the subject box by 9 September 2018 and the winner will be randomly drawn from all correct entries received. The correct answer toPN56’sword searchwas Ideas and the Samsung 128GB PRO+ cardwas won byDiane Le Count fromHertfordshire. samsung.com/uk/memory-cards A Samsung memory card! WIN!

Editor’s letter Time to go prime?

It is a fact that zoom lenses outsell fixed focal length lenses (or primes) hugely and that has been the case for several decades. Awide range of focal lengths on tap with a twist of the lens barrel makes zooms a compelling purchase for most camera users. The downsides are few: zooms have slower maximum apertures; they can be bulky, notably with wides and standard lenses; and image quality is poorer, although it’s true this particular gap between the two lens types is not that wide nowadays. Suchwas the dominance of zooms that there was hardly any interest inprimes, but there has been a welcome renaissance in recent times. There are any number of reasons for this. It could be that the primes are needed tomake the most of the latest high-resolution cameras. Or it could be a generational thing. Perhaps today’s prime lens shooter grewupwith zooms andhas just realised that primes have serious benefits, but also that getting the best from them means working a little harder – moving your feet – at the point of capture, and this appeals, in the same way that using camera filters does. Or it could be likened to the big interest in instant prints, notably Fujifilm Instax, among younger image makers. They may know little about film photography (and have never heard of Kodak) and grew up with digital but love those little prints where the image appears as if by magic. Experienced photographers who in their time grew up with instant film from Kodak and Polaroid as well as Fujifilm are still in the mindset of ‘instant pictures = expense’ and unappreciative of the joy of instant, analogue images. Going back to the joy of primes, to be honest, I was a very late adopter of zooms and I loved nothing more than shooting with my bag filled with 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 85mm and 200mm lenses. Zooms did arrive in my bag but they never truly won me over. Primes clearly delivered sharper shots and straight lines stayed straight and didn’t go banana-shaped, even though it’s true that issues like lens distortion and chromatic aberration can now solved with a click of a mouse – unless you shoot film. Anyway, what I am endeavouring to say is that my first love is primes; so when I invested in the FujifilmX-system I went for primes first, although that was partly driven by the great deal on the X-Pro1 and lenses at the time. Thus, I love the move among lens brands, especially among the independents, to invest

in primes. Tamron and, much more notably, Sigma are two examples, and while zooms are still their mainstays, the recognition that there is a place for primes at the top table is brilliant. Some long-established brands – Zeiss and Voigtlander – have always been in the prime camp and the newer kids on the block such as Samyang and Laowa are making their names with primes, too The upshot of all this is that we are spoilt for choice, whichever lens type you prefer. Quality and handling aside, what I think is great with primes is what I mentioned earlier: they make you work. I’m not talking working 12-hour shifts in the salt mines type work, but what I do mean is the difference between lazily adjusting the zoom barrel or moving your feet to get better compositions. And before you throwdown your copy of PN indisgust and fireme an angry email or slagme off on social media, of course I am not saying that zoom users are lazy – although a great many are – but it is the case that zooms can make photographers less willing to work on shots, thinking that a twist of the zoom barrel is sufficient. Well, often it isn’t. The moral – if there is one – is use your feet and vary viewpoint regardless of which lens type you are using. Next time you’re out shooting, just take a moment, assuming you have the chance, to double check your composition before pressing the shutter button. With digital you can take your first shot and try anotheroneortwodoingmorethanjustzooming the lens. Perhaps change camera height, take an upright shot or take a step to the left. And if all you use is zooms, how about going prime?

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Editorial Team Editorial director Roger Payne Editor in chief Adam Duckworth Editor Will Cheung FRPS 01223 499469 willcheung@bright-publishing.com Contributing editor Kingsley Singleton kingsleysingleton@bright-publishing.com Digital editor Jemma Dodd jemmadodd@bright-publishing.com Senior sub editor Lisa Clatworthy Sub editors Siobhan Godwood & Felicity Evans

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