Amateur Photographer

Tuesday 11 October 2022 TESTED WAaftloehyraythl CrIeasenwmonoinsthcthohsotewedirthjutmtohpeSsAos1hnipy

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Top Ten ATuhetaurtmof n

OF EVERYTHING How to create your best ever shots
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The best Canon, Nikon,
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7days
Welcome
Inside this week’s issue We had a great
summer, by UK
3 7 days 32 16 standards, but all
8 It’s good to share 28 70 good things come
13 Inbox to an end. But the
16 Thirty tips for silver lining for
photographers is that we’re now
outstanding entering the most photogenic
autumn images season of the year. So charge those
24 Natural beauty camera batteries, format those
26 Evening class memory cards and read our guide
28 Women at war to making the most of autumn.
32 EISA Maestro Also this week, as we enter the key
photo contest gear buying season, we present our
winners pick of the top 10 cameras and
35 The Top 10 of lenses from every major system in
Everything one of our biggest ever buyer’s
68 Join the club guides. If you’re looking to upgrade
70 Sony Alpha 1 or expand your kit, your next
long-term test purchase is probably within these
77 Oppo Reno8 pages. With Christmas coming I’d
Pro 5G also like to suggest an AP
80 Accessories subscription for the photographer
83 Tech talk in your life – which may well be
85 Buying guide: you. A whole year’s worth of
Mirrorless lenses inspiration delivered to your door!
98 Final analysis Nigel Atherton, Editor

35 COVER PICTURE © ROSS HODDINOTT

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS This week’s cover shot of maple leaves
was taken by pro landscape, wildlife and
TRACY CALDER JON STAPLEY PETER DENCH CALLUM ANDY WESTLAKE MARTIN EVENING macro photographer Ross Hoddinott
Regular contributor Former AP staffer The AP regular MCINERNEY- Technical Editor Photoshop expert
Jon deserves a talks to author Chief reviewer Martin shows you Connect with us
and former AP well-earned rest Kerrie Logan RILEY Andy tests Oppo’s how to use Select @ EMAIL US at [email protected] with your
staffer Tracy has after writing our Hollihan about 40 professional latest mid-range Sky in Lightroom to
expert tips to help mammoth Top Ten shoots on, Callum smartphone, the letters, send us a link to your online gallery, or
you make the most of Everything guide women war assesses the Sony Reno8 Pro 5G improve your attach up to 5MB of low-res sample images
correspondents images
of autumn Alpha 1 JOIN US ONLINE in one of these AP communities:
WEBSITE: www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
FACEBOOK: amateur.photographer.magazine
TWITTER: @AP_Magazine
INSTAGRAM: @AP_Magazine
FLICKR: flickr.com/groups/amateurphotographer

Sony FX30 APS-C
Cinema Line unveiled

SONY has announced the new Cinema Still images can be captured at 26MP
Line FX30 camera, with a 26MP APS-C resolution, which is higher than any of the
sensor and Sony E mount. firm’s existing APS-C mirrorless cameras.
Designed for filmmaking, the camera offers ‘The new FX30 is a great fit for anyone
4K Super 35mm recording oversampled from looking to get started in filmmaking,’ said
6K, using a new back-illuminated APS-C Yann Salmon Legagneur, head of IP&S
Exmor R CMOS sensor. It’s also said to offer Marketing at Sony Europe. ‘It features many
a standard ISO range of 100 to 32,000, with of the professional features of our high-end
14 stops of dynamic range, and a dual Base cameras at a price point that makes it easily
ISO (ISO 800/ISO 2500) in S-Log3 shooting. accessible for filmmakers at any level. This
Video can be recorded in 10-bit 4:2:2 All-intra camera is an excellent starting point to our
at up to 4K 60fps without crop, and up to 4K full line-up of Cinema Line Cameras.’ 
120fps with an additional 1.5x crop. The Sony ILME-FX30 will be available for a
The FX30 shares the same body design as body-only price of £2,100 from late October.
the existing
full-frame Sony
FX3, which
means that it’s
compatible with
all the same
accessories.
It employs fast
hybrid AF with
Real Time Eye
AF for humans,
animals, and
birds. There’s
also 5-axis
in-body image
stabilisation
(IBIS) and
support for © ANDY WESTLAKE
SDXC/SDHC
and CFexpress
Type-A cards. The new Sony FX30 (left) side by side with the full-frame Sony FX3

New Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 is here

TAMRON has confirmed details and produce ‘beautifully soft bokeh’ at its Photo Bath festival
availability of its new 20-40mm F/2.8 Di maximum aperture of f/2.8, which is
III VXD lens. Previously this lens had only constant throughout the zoom range. ‘SUNNING the Buddha’, a stunning
been announced as being ‘in development’, image by travel and documentary
but now the third-party lens maker has Other key features include Tamron’s photographer Chris Roche, is one of the
confirmed that it will be arriving in the UK and Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive (VXD) highlights of the Photo Bath exhibition of
Ireland in October, and will be priced at system that employs a linear motor for fast, Documentary Photography, part of the
£879.99/€1,029.99. silent focusing. wider Photo Bath festival.
The Tamron 20-40mm F/2.8 Di III VXD is a The lens is for Sony full-frame mirrorless bodies Other featured photographers include
compact large-aperture wideangle zoom for Hannah Mentz, Chris Niedenthal, Carlo
Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras Chinca and Matt Stuart.
and is constructed of 12 elements in 11 The exhibition will take place at the
groups. This configuration includes four LD 44AD Artspace on Abbey St, BA1 1NN,
(Low Dispersion) and two GM (Glass Molded from 1-6 November 2022 and entrance is
Aspherical) elements, as well as a single free. See www.photobath.co.uk.
Hybrid Aspherical lens element. According to
Tamron, this construction has been key to
ensuring the lens provides high image quality
while also keeping the size and weight down.
Tamron also says that it should be able to

4

This image, by travel and
documentary photographer

Chris Roche, is included
in the Photo Bath

Documentary exhibition

© CHRIS ROCHE

NiSi’s second lens announced Canon’s
prints
FILTER specialist NiSi has officially announced its second lens, charming
the ultra-wideangle 9mm F2.8. Designed for crop-sensor
mirrorless cameras, it comes in Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Sony E CANON has
and MIcro Four Thirds mounts. The manual focus lens features 14 introduced
elements in 12 groups, with 2 double-sided aspherical elements and two new additions
4 extra-low dispersion (ED) to its compact
glass elements. Weighing in at printer range: the
364g, the lens is 78mm long Selphy CP1500 The Zoemini 2 will be available in three colours
and has a minimum focus for £134.99 and
distance of 0.2m. the Zoemini 2 which will be available to buy from late 2022 for a
The NiSi 9mm f/2.8 lens was price of £119.99. ‘The CP1500 lets users print high-quality photos,
not yet listed on the firm’s UK from postcard and square formats to mini stickers, that will last up
website at the time of writing. to 100 years,’ said the company, adding, ‘At just 177g, the new
However its US price, $459, is Zoemini 2 weighs less than the average smartphone and is
slightly cheaper than the 15mm conveniently pocket-sized.’ See www.canon.co.uk/printers.
F4, which is $479 in the US and
£429 in the UK. 5
The NiSi 9mm f/2.8 prime lens

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

JVoinewBpenoitnlety

The cost of being a film photographer has got
out of hand. Jon ponders on the solution

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE OR KELSEY MEDIA LIMITED S omething needs to be done Production of film has failed to keep up
© JON BENTLEY about the worldwide colour film with demand
shortage. Prices are
stratospheric and some closed film manufacturers like Agfa-
varieties, especially in 35mm format, are Gevaert and Konica and is gradually
practically unobtainable. Enthusiastic getting it all working at a former military
participation in the burgeoning analogue laundry near Berlin. Much of the
revival, at least in colour, is getting equipment was expressly designed to
frighteningly expensive. make film in smaller volumes, often
while developing new emulsions.
The problem seems to be that Kodak
greatly underestimated future film Orwo is another old German film brand
demand when it emerged from Chapter that’s been revived. Wolfen NC500, its
11 bankruptcy protection in 2013. It new, limited edition colour film, is being
closed its plant in Guadalajara, Mexico made alongside two b&w films, on a site
where 35mm film was ‘confectioned’ – a where film has been made since 1910.
delightful term that refers to the
processes of slitting, cutting, edge Elsewhere crowdfunding is paying
marking, perforating and packing it – and dividends. Los Angeles-based Cinestill,
shifted production to the company’s which repackages modified movie film
base in Rochester, New York. into 35mm and 120 formats, has just
funded 400Dynamic, its first film
Only two out of 16 spoolers (expensive especially designed for stills photography
machines crucial to the manufacturing and C-41 processing. In Finland Santa
process) were saved and shipped to 1000 has a plan to repackage aerial
Rochester. Then, demand for film boomed photography and surveillance film into
unexpectedly. Now it needs more low-cost 35mm (recyclable) canisters.
machines but can’t easily recreate them.
Together, all these developments might
It’s no use expecting Fujifilm, the only be just enough to restore a healthy
other firm that makes colour film in balance between demand and supply,
quantity, to make up the shortfall. It, too, and keep analogue colour photography
didn’t anticipate the demand and, all reassuringly accessible and affordable.
too often, its films are also out of stock
or only available at extortionate prices. Jon Bentley is a TV producer and presenter best
known for Top Gear and Channel 5’s The Gadget Show
Analogue stalwart Ilford isn’t in a
position to help either. Its giant black &
white film factory in Cheshire would need
massive investment to convert to colour,
which requires additional coatings the
machinery can’t handle.

Hope for the future

Small scale, grassroots manufacturing
operations are springing up around the
world. In Italy Film Ferrania is creating
the ‘the world’s smallest full-service film
factory’ and has announced its intention
to develop a colour film.

Adox, a relaunched German film brand,
has been stockpiling equipment from

Do you have something you’d like to get off your chest? Send us your thoughts in around
500 words to the email address on page 3 and win a year’s digital subscription to AP.

6 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

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AP picture
of the week

All the Fun of the Fair
by Daniel Sands

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS L,
4 sec at f/20, ISO 50

‘Taken at Weymouth seafront, I’d had the idea to shoot
the carousel for a long time, but had to wait for the
right opportunity. A long exposure was used to blur the
lines, and I opted to shoot during blue hour to introduce
the contrast of yellow and blue in the frame. The long
exposure also helped to blur the figures walking around
the frame to help emphasise the main focal point –
the carousel itself. In post-processing I’ve mirrored
one side of the frame to the other (a technique that
I call “twofold”) to help to exaggerate the symmetry.’ 
www.danielsandsphotography.co.uk 
Twitter: @sndsphotography
Vero: @danielsands
Facebook: facebook.com/danielsandsphotography

#appicoftheweek

Win!

To congratulate the AP Pic of the Week winner, Fujifilm is giving
the winner a £25 voucher* to spend on any photo prints or gifts
at myFUJIFILM.co.uk, so that they can print their image any way
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8

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 9

Subterranean
by Tracy Habenicht

Fujifilm X-T3, 35mm, 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 500
‘I took this photo on a day trip to Wilmington, North
Carolina, during my vacation this past summer. I was
drawn to this spot because of the three diagonal
lights and the red wall. While I was photographing
that scene, two people were talking at the bottom of
the stairs, and one stuck his arm into my frame,
which really made the shot.’
Instagram: @tracy_habenicht
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/tracyhabenicht

We also
liked...

Misty Sunrise by David
Thompson

Nikon Z 7, 24-70mm f/4, 1/8sec at f/14, ISO 64
‘Following an early morning start to Win Green, on
the Wiltshire, North Dorset border, I was blessed
with near-perfect, still conditions at this popular
National Trust location. I had shot this area many
times, but on this occasion my research the night
before using weather apps, had paid off. The
lighting was quite challenging, shooting directly into
the sun, so I opted for a 3-stop, reverse graduated
filter, circular landscape polariser and decided to
bracket the exposure to be certain of a balanced
final result. I like the colour reflections in this
version, combined with the ethereal atmosphere
produced by the sea of mist and low angle of light.
For me early morning landscape photography can
be very rewarding and often full of surprises, seeing
Mother Nature at her very best.’
Instagram: @lone_tree_landscapes
www.lonetreelandscapes.com
Want to see your pictures here? Simply share them with our Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook communities using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. Or alternatively, email your best photograph
to us at [email protected]. See page 3 for how to find us.

10 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

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YOUR LETTERS

Amateur Photographer Inbox How big do you need?

Email [email protected] Few would argue about
the big steps forward in
Editorial camera performances in
Group Editor Nigel Atherton recent years, as well as
Deputy Editor Geoff Harris the shift towards smaller
Technical Editor Andy Westlake and lighter kit. One
Features Editor Amy Davies question that seems to
Technique Editor Hollie Latham Hucker be repeatedly overlooked
Online Editor Joshua Waller is how big do you want
Deputy Online Editor Jessica Miller any prints to be for
Online Writer Isabella Ruffatti whatever purpose?
Production Editor Jacqueline Porter Write to the Editor at [email protected] and include your full postal address. Please don’t send letters in
Design atg-media.com (Calum Booth) the post as there is no one in the office to receive them. Replies are from the Editor unless otherwise stated Among my own circle
Photo-Science Consultant of enthusiasts there’s a
Professor Robert Newman definite move away from
Special thanks to The moderators of the AP actual prints and towards
website: Andrew Robertson, lisadb, image sharing
Nick Roberts, The Fat Controller LETTER OF THE WEEK electronically, and
photobooks under A4
Advertisement sales & production size. One friend still
Head of Market Neil Tillott makes large prints,
Commercial Manager Brian Lynch framed and displayed, but
Ad Production Neil Hepden (01233 220245, Never too late to change your life admits that after a while
[email protected]) they are swapped for
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Management ones do not see the light
Chief Executive Steve Wright of day thereafter.
Chief Operating Officer Phil Weeden
Managing Director Kevin McCormick l have been a keen amateur Now that smartphones
photographer since and compact mirrorless
Subscription Marketing Director Gill Lambert format options are making
Publisher Liz Reid a defined mark, who is it
Retail Director Steve Brown graduating from Hull School that buys bigger, more
Brand Marketing Manager expensive DSLRs, and for
Rochelle Gyer-Smith Of Art in 1989 and have had what real purpose other
many images published over than commercial ones?
Print Production Manager Georgina Harris The reality is that most kit
Print Production Controller Hayley Brown choices these days are
the years. At the beginning of capable of excellent
Subscriptions the first lockdown I suffered a results at the picture sizes
mental breakdown and as that most people require.
51 issues of Amateur Photographer are part of my recovery, l was Steve Mason
published per annum. encouraged to reconnect with
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Europe annual subscription price: €199 I began making work in my
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Rest of World annual subscription price: £225 when restrictions eased, l Atherton for helping me to
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Overseas subscription orderline Chatsworth House and easy to drift into desiring
0044 (0) 1959 543 747 Renishaw Hall. to take chocolate box
Toll free USA subscription orderline I have always posted my John with one of his prints of Renishaw Hall images, but the real joy
1-888-777-0275 and greater success is to
UK customer service team 01959 543 747 pictures on Instagram (@Johiv1) but Of John Piper. The exhibition will run be found in pursuing more
Customer service email [email protected] I hadn’t really got into using until July 2023 and celebrates 80 challenging images. Sorry
Customer service and subscription postal hashtags. So l started to hashtag the years since John Piper first visited I can’t type more – I have
address Amateur Photographer Customer a date with sunbursts and
Service Team, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, spider webs.
Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Peter Kay
Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone,
Kent ME18 6AL Paint.NET
Find current subscription offers on
our website shop.kelsey.co.uk/AMP I’ve used Photoshop
Already a subscriber? Elements for many years
Manage your subscription online at without any problems –
shop.kelsey.co.uk/site/loginForm that is, until I decided to
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Classifieds places l visited. After a while Renishaw Hall. Big mistake. Elements
Renishaw Hall picked up on my I just didn’t realise how much work opens but any attempt to
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Ltd. Calls cost 65p per minute from a BT work as it reminded them of the work of making a show like this. But at the
landline; other networks and mobiles may of the acclaimed painter John Piper. tender age of 55 l couldn’t believe it
vary. Lines open Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm They have the largest private was all happening. I came to realise
Email [email protected] collection of his work in the UK. that it is never too late to change your
Kelsey Classifieds, Kelsey Media, l eventually plucked up the courage path in life.
The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, to ask if they would be interested in I was recently offered redundancy
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Distribution in Great Britain I heard nothing until a month later, take it, in order to follow my lifelong
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www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 13

YOUR LETTERS

make a change results in being used by readers created by, say, a Nikon In next week’s issue © WILL CHEUNG
the program freezing. It aren’t the latest. My D3 with a JPEG file
was only then that I newest camera is a 2015 created by an unedited Printing
learned that it hasn’t been Nikon D4S, and despite conversion in NX Studio.
updated to run on Windows having the latest firmware, I suspect that the latter masterclass
11. I was torn between it doesn’t have the latest would outshine the
reverting to Windows 10 Nikon JPEG conversion camera’s efforts. Will Cheung shares his
or waiting until Adobe software because that Geoff Gale expert guidance to help you
launched a Windows 11 hasn’t been made
compatible version. Then I available. Thus an in- Voice activation get your images into print
spotted a reference to the camera JPEG isn’t the
free Paint.NET program, best conversion available. Geoff Harris’ Viewpoint on Film photographers
and lo and behold I am camera menus raises the
back working on my My older cameras are question of whether there Millie Riley tells us what prompted
planned camera club similarly afflicted, but should be a menu item for her love of film photography
competition entries. obviously the conversion turning voice activation on
Brian Woolgar software is even more out or off. Ceri Brown Film Stars
of date. However, if I use
Paint.NET was our top the most recent version of The Queen John Wade uncovers the Ukrainian
recommendation for Nikon’s NX Studio I can camera history past and present
Windows users in our achieve the same quality I thought I would give you
round-up of free software of JPEG results from any a helping hand with the Sony E PZ 10-20mm F4 G
(AP 19 July). Readers may of my Nikons. The same Queen and photography.
also be interested to hear will be true of cameras We know Her Majesty had Andy Westlake tests Sony’s ultra-wide
that Elements has from other manufacturers. and used a Leica M3. power zoom for APS-C cameras
recently been updated. Princess Anne and the
For anyone fortunate Duke of Edinburgh had a On sale every Tuesday
iTag problems enough to be using a very Gold Minox B each.
recent camera, the JPEGs www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
I have for a long time it delivers will be as good Here is a scan of the
taken the time to tag all as possible; for the rest of original print (i.e. not from
my photos with iTag as it us, the quality of our a book) from 1965
makes finding photos so in-camera JPEGs is limited (pictured below) when the
easy. Although I can still by the camera’s firmware. royal couple visited West
tag them and add new Germany and were
tags, iTag will not now It would be instructive presented with a Minox B.
allow me to make a to compare a JPEG file Paul O’Sullivan
search for a particular tag.
It does not appear I can © MILLIE RILEY
update iTag to make it
work again. Do you have
any suggestions for
a replacement program?

I use Photoshop
Elements 15 and Affinity
Photo as editing
programs. Would either of
these help to do the
required job? Adrian Price

If any of our readers can The Queen and Prince Philip with a Minox B
suggest an alternative,
please write to AP. YOUR FREE APOY ENTRY CODE

Processing JPEGs Enter the code below via Photocrowd to get
one free entry to Round 10 – Action. Go to
Angela Nicholson’s article
on in-camera JPEGs is amateurphotographer.co.uk/apoy2022 to enter
very interesting and well
written but, as is so often APOY86363410
the case these days,
neglects a large
proportion of its audience.
The very latest mirrorless
cameras may well produce
superb JPEG files straight
out of the camera but the
vast majority of cameras

14

© CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ANTOINE WEIS, ANDY WILLIAMS, NGUYEN TAN TUAN, JENNIFER JORDAN, NAWFAL JIRJEES, SEÁN FEEHAN, SIMON_HADLEIGH-SPARKS In association with MPB

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Technique 30 AUTUMN TIPS © ROSS HODDINOTT

Autumn

abundance

From predicting autumn colour to
experimenting with ICM, exposing skeletons
and looking for gold, Tracy Calder has 30
tips for outstanding autumn photography

Tracy Calder

Ex AP-staffer Tracy Calder is a photographer and writer who co-founded
Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) in 2018. Earlier this year she
was awarded a Gold medal from the RHS for her Plant Scars series. Her
work has been exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery, the National
Portrait Gallery and the Saatchi Gallery. To see more, visit Instagram
@tracy_calder_photo and www.cupoty.com

2 Don’t be shy
Some tree species exhibit behaviour known as
‘crown shyness’ where the tops don’t quite touch,
creating photogenic gaps in the canopy – this often
occurs in trees of the same species and has been
observed in black mangroves, Japanese larch and
some species of eucalypt. If you’re lucky enough to
witness this phenomenon, get on your back, point your
camera towards the sky and set to work! If you’re not,
then you can still achieve striking canopy shots by
laying down, looking up and working a scene until the
composition feels right.

© TRACY CALDER

© ROSS HODDINOTT 1 Find order in chaos
When you’re shooting woodland, it can be hard to
make visual sense out of the chaos that surrounds © TRACY CALDER © TRACY CALDER
you. To simplify the scene, look for groups of trees that
are nicely separated, both across the frame and from www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
front to back. Where possible, avoid shooting from
angles that allow trunks to overlap, and choose one
‘hero’ tree around which the rest of the composition
hinges. It can also be helpful to look for recurring
shapes, lines and patterns.

16

5 Experiment with ICM 6 Tell a story
Autumn is a great time to experiment Most of us are familiar with wildlife images that
with ICM (Intentional Camera Movement). communicate a story – squirrels gathering nuts and
Moving the camera while the shutter is open burying their loot underground or starlings creating
can result in beautiful, Impressionistic show-stopping displays above derelict buildings – but if
images that convey a lovely sense of you look closely enough, plants, fungi and other more
location. Try to have an idea of your artistic static subjects also have stories to tell. A large plant
intention before you begin. You can move the leaning towards a smaller one might look like a parent
camera in a variety of ways: you can pan protecting a child, for example. Look for these stories
vertically, horizontally or diagonally, rotate the and use solid technique to draw them out.
camera or perhaps just move it in an irregular
fashion. Obviously, the length of time the 7 Look for skeletons
shutter is open will have a direct impact on Skeletal leaves can be a
the result, so maybe start at 1/2sec and fabulous subject for indoor
build from there. (If you’re shooting in bright photography when the weather
daylight you might need to use an ND filter to turns bad. You might decide to
force a slower shutter speed.) shoot them on a light pad (a
small craft version will do the
job). It can be tricky to find a © TRACY CALDER
perfectly preserved leaf
skeleton in the wild, so
consider ‘making’ one at home
– there are videos on YouTube
that talk you through the
process. You could also try
illuminating other plants with
photogenic structures.

3 Experiment © TRACY CALDER KIT LIST
with
orientation 8 Polariser
Using a polariser when shooting autumn foliage
Over time, many of us can reduce glare on leaves,
develop photographic intensify natural colours and
habits – some of these cut through haze. Simply
can be useful and become rotate this filter until the
part of our personal style, desired amount of
while others can prevent polarisation has been
us from experimenting and obtained.
progressing. One habit is
pairing certain subjects 9 Neutral
with certain camera Density
orientations: fungi as filter
verticals, landscapes as
horizontals etc. While this ND filters reduce the
can often work, it’s amount of light
important to break the reaching your camera’s
habit sometimes and sensor, allowing slower
explore all the options. shutter speeds – this is
ideal for ICM
photography or when
you want to reduce
water to a soft blur.

4 Celebrate the harvest 1 0 Light pad
Apples, blackberries, squash, pears and When the weather is too grim to go outside,
ornamental gourds are all in season in autumn, try shooting translucent subjects on a light pad. I use
so make the most of this bountiful harvest by a crafters
trying your hand at some food or still-life board known
photography. You could visit a local farmer’s as a
market, buy what catches your eye and then CutterPillar
shoot it as a still life, or you could document Glow, which
the process of preparing and eating it. Or, shoot has three
a harvest event such as apple pressing day, different LED
harvest festival, etc. light levels.

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 17

Technique 30 AUTUMN TIPS 1 2 Look for 1 4 Try a
natural portrait
1 1 Check for blemishes frames
If you’re shooting close-ups of We’ve all seen pictures of
autumn foliage, make sure that the With trees reduced to children throwing autumn
specimens you choose are perfect. simple, skeletal forms, leaves into the air and
Inspect them for any tears and trunks, limbs and watching them fall to the
blemishes – what looks like a tiny branches can become ground like confetti. We’ve
mark to the naked eye will appear excellent natural framing also seen pictures of
magnified and hugely distracting in devices. Whether you’re couples walking down
the final picture. Similarly, check the shooting a waterfall, a wide, tree-lined paths
edges of the frame for elements that landscape or a manmade huddled together against
detract from your subject – blades of structure such as a the chilly air. These might
grass, twigs and distracting colours sculpture, framing devices be photographic cliches,
can go unnoticed when you’re can lead the viewer’s eye but with some pre-
concentrating on the main subject. into a picture and create a planning there are plenty
greater sense of depth. of opportunities to create
When you’re using this
compositional tool, it’s
important to make sure
that the framing device
has a natural connection
to the main subject and
does not distract from it.

© BEN HALL 1 3 Ease the
burden

Obtaining a worm’s-eye
view of plants and
detritus can be
uncomfortable, but you
can ease this by using
a foldable sitting mat
and/or waterproof
trousers. Just as wildlife
shots gain greater
impact when you get
down to an animal’s eye
level, it’s a good idea to
imagine plants and
fungi have eyes and do
the same! For shots like
this I like to use a
beanbag, although I’ve
also taken a child’s
swimming armband to
seriously boggy places.

© TRACY CALDER © TRACY CALDER

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

unique portraits that make 1 5 Watch the weather
the most of this season’s Overcast days are great for autumn photography because cloud
attributes. You could try cover reduces contrast and makes leaf colours appear rich and
shooting contre-jour (into saturated. The absence of direct light on foliage also reduces glare.
the light), for example, or (Remember to exclude the sky where possible as this tends to be white
maybe take advantage of and featureless on overcast days.) When the wind speed rises above
directional shafts of light 10mph, leaves and flowers leap about, which makes macro
as they fire between gaps photography quite a challenge, so unless you want to
in the trees. In addition, intentionally include blur in your photographs,
use colour theory to plan check the forecast first. (You’ll also want to
outfits and props – orange pay close attention to the weather if
and green are considered you’re hoping for fog or mist on a
complementary colours, morning shoot.)
for example, so maybe
pair a green jumper with
orange leaves.

© TRACY CALDER

1 6 Do your research
Being able to identify what you’re
photographing has several advantages: firstly, it
helps you to find similar subjects and species in the
future – fly agaric toadstools often thrive under birch
trees, for example, which narrows things down –
secondly, it helps you to label and caption your
images, and thirdly the more you know about a
subject the more it will inform the way that you
photograph it. There are plenty of printed guides out
there, but online apps can be particularly helpful for
identifying subjects in the field.

© TRACY CALDER 1 7 Emphasise texture
Peeling bark, weathered wood and the spiky
cases of horse chestnut seeds make for wonderful © TRACY CALDER
autumnal subjects, but to emphasise their texture
and form you need the right kind of lighting. Strong,
directional light is preferable, so plan your shoot for
early or late in the day when the position of the sun
will result in strong side lighting.

KIT LIST 1 9 Artist’s colour wheel 2 0 Weather app
An artist’s Whether you’re hoping to shoot in
1 8 Beanbag colour wheel can mist, overcast light, low wind or raking light, a
When you’re shooting subjects close help you to plan good weather
to the ground, a beanbag outfits and props app is
can provide great for an autumn invaluable. Try
support. Bags can portrait shoot. AccuWeather,
be purchased filled Orange and green which features
or unfilled, with work well together, up-to-the-
lining or without – as do blue and minute
try Wildlife yellow. reports.
Watching
Supplies. 19

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Technique 30 AUTUMN TIPS © BEN HALL

2 1 Search for wildlife © TRACY CALDER
While many birds fly south during autumn,
whooper swans and many varieties of duck, geese
and wading birds spend the autumn/winter in the
UK. It’s relatively easy to get frame-filling shots of
swans at wetland centres such as Slimbridge
where birds are given food at set times. When it
comes to mammals, red deer are a firm favourite.
You might decide to capture a deer silhouette in
the evening when the sun is low in the sky, or
perhaps a cloud of breath leaving a stag’s mouth
on a chilly morning. (The British Deer Society has
published an excellent Code of Conduct on its
website with advice including using a lens with a
focal length of 300mm or more – www.bds.org.uk.)

2 2 Think in multiples
Many DSLRs now have an in-camera
multiple exposure function. As a result, combining
two or more exposures in one image has never
been easier. You can usually combine a ‘live’ image
with one already stored on your memory card,
which results in plenty of opportunities for getting
creative. Autumn is a great time to experiment with
this technique because you can combine colourful
abstracts with shots of more structural subjects
such as skeletal trees.

2 3 Introduce movement
Reducing running water to a silvery
blur, while surrounding foliage remains sharp and
full of colour, is a nice way to introduce contrast
and order to otherwise chaotic autumn scenes.
In order to do this, you might need an ND filter to
force a slow shutter speed. (If you are shooting
on a dull day or at dawn or dusk you might not
need the filter). Mount your camera on a tripod
and start with one second or longer. You could
also try a similar thing with leaves moving in the
breeze and a static element such as a tree trunk
or rock to create contrast.

20

©ROSS HODDINOTT
© TRACY CALDER
2 4 Mist opportunities
At this time of the year, warm water in the air cools rapidly, causing it 2 7 Arrange a flat lay
to change from gas to tiny visible droplets, in other words, mist. These Shooting objects directly from above can lead
conditions don’t last long, so you will need to check the weather forecast the to refreshing images that tell the story of a location or
night before and head out before the sun rises and it burns off. Scenes season. Chefs say, ‘What grows together, goes
dominated by mist often contain a lot of highlights, so consider adding a stop or together’ and it’s something that can be applied to this
two of exposure compensation to stop the camera from being fooled into type of photography too. If you find some attractive
under-exposing the scene. Look out for layers, bold shapes and objects which berries, for example, look around to see what else is
reveal clear outlines. growing nearby. Are there leaves or brambles that might
look good in the composition? When it comes to
2 5 Get reflective 2 6 Search for gold arranging your treasures, imagine that you are
With leaf colour ranging from Natural light just after completing a jigsaw – choose a ‘hero’ object and place
fiery reds to golden yellows and sunrise and before sunset is ideal for it in the middle then work on the corners and edges
intense oranges, autumn is the perfect autumn shots. During this ‘golden before filling in the gaps with pieces of secondary
time to shoot painterly reflections in hour’ the light is warmer (as measured importance.
rivers, lakes, ponds and puddles. on the Kelvin colour temperature
Autumn colour is triggered by changes spectrum) with plenty of yellows, KIT LIST
in day length and night temperature, oranges and reds. It’s a great time for
so the beginning of this spectacle can shooting landscapes and bringing out 2 8 Telephoto lens
vary from year to year. There are the rich spectrum of colours that we The British Deer Society recommends using a
groups on Facebook that share often encounter at this time of the lens with a focal length
up-to-date information on leaf colour year. To ascertain exactly when the of 300mm or more for
and conditions in specific areas so golden hour will occur you can use an photographing deer. The
check before you travel. app such as The Photographer’s Canon EF 100-400mm
Ephemeris or Helios Magic Hour f/4.5-5.6L II USM lens
Calculator. would be ideal.

2 9 Multiple exposure mode
The Canon EOS R5 has an
impressive in-camera multiple
exposure function. With this
setting you can
automatically combine
between two and nine
different exposures in one
image.

©ROSS HODDINOTT 3 0 Golden hour
app

If you want to determine when
golden hour will fall wherever you
are on Earth, then download an
app such as The Photographer’s
Ephemeris.

21

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PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Nbaetauurtayl
Yolanda Kingdon speaks to Ailsa
McWhinnie about her love of shooting
in a 90s-influenced editorial style
I n her teens, like so many
young women of that age, see the results appearing in
Yolanda Kingdon was very magazines such as Maxim, Zoo and
much into makeup. So much Nuts, and her share of the
so, that she regularly uploaded her commission could see her earning
creations – which often involved a anything from a few hundred to a
lot of feathers, glitter and the like couple of thousand pounds.
– to the social network MySpace
(remember that?). She gained Around the same time, she also did
quite a following, and soon people a lot of makeover shoots, and found
were asking her how much she herself acting not only as
charged for a photo shoot. By the photographer and stylist – using
time she was 18, she was studying vintage clothing and props that her
at college, working in her local father would pick up at car-boot
branch of Topshop, and squeezing sales – but also therapist. ‘Often,
in an increasing number of shoots, these women were coming out of
working from her grandmother’s bad relationships,’ Yolanda reveals.
converted attic and charging ‘Their partner might have been
‘minuscule amounts’. Eventually, violent or their husband had had an
one of her college tutors told her she affair – and the photography session
was taking on too much, and she’d would end up being very emotional.
need to decide between college and
her burgeoning photography career.
Yolanda chose photography.

Her kit in those days consisted of a
Sony Cyber-shot and a couple of
heated lamps her father had picked
up at a car-boot sale. ‘If a
photographer wants to learn
something nowadays, they go to
YouTube,’ she says. ‘But back then
I wasn’t so au fait with it, so
photography for me was trial and
error. I was winging it, but I loved
the experimentation, and people
loved the creative aspect of it.’

The early years of Yolanda’s career
in photography coincided with the
rise of lads’ mags in the UK, and she
was able to ride the wave of this
phenomenon. Having signed up
with a syndication agency, she
would organise studio sessions with
models and submit the images to the
agency. Later, she would regularly

24 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

At first, they would often be unsure expressive, with more depth.’ can really see shadows and
whether they wanted to be there, When shooting in this way, she highlights in black & white, so I’ll
and then they’d leave on a high.’ often use a little oil to highlight the
uses a studio in her house that has cheekbone or collarbone to make
Monochrome magic large bay doors, flooding the room them pop a bit more.’
with natural light. She also uses less
Now a mother to four children, and makeup than the model might wear The best bit about this sort of
with a number of serious health on a typical beauty shoot and keeps photography, she stresses, is that you
problems that required three major the clothing simple. She also does need very little to get started. Too
operations hopefully behind her, very little retouching, to keep things many accessories detract from the
Yolanda increasingly finds herself as natural as possible. ‘When you simplicity of the shot, and as such,
turning to styles that are more photograph in this style, you can she suggests simply a black or white
natural. While a lot of her current relax. You talk to the client, and shirt and a pair of jeans in terms of
work is extremely slick and very watch for transitions in their clothing. ‘Then all you need is to
much in the beauty genre, whenever expression – perhaps a moment smudge a bit of mascara, and keep
she can, she likes to shoot in grainy, where they laugh or get emotional. an eye on how the light is hitting
contrasty black & white – what she It’s a lot more impactful,’ she reveals. your model.’ The only accessory she
calls a ‘fashion editorial’ style. might use is a white – definitely not
But keeping things natural doesn’t a silver – reflector. But even then, a
‘I really resonate with images that mean neglecting detail, however, large sheet of white card from an art
are real,’ she says. ‘With black & and Yolanda will often keep an eye shop is more than adequate.
white, I love to get emotion, on the smaller tweaks that are
expression, scars, freckles… anything required, rather than the overall ‘Ask yourself what the star of
that distinguishes someone. I love pose. ‘The main thing I work on is the show is,’ Yolanda concludes.
the nineties superhero hand placement,’ she explains. ‘Don’t detract from what you’re
photographers like Annie Leibovitz ‘I might ask them to move their trying to do. With the stripped-back
and Peter Lindbergh, and the thumb or even their little finger. And black & white look, the only thing
just-woken-up look. Maybe it’s I’ll look for a highlight on the that’s the star of the show is the
mirroring how I feel – it’s more collarbones to give them depth. You pose and the light.’

Yolanda Kingdon is a Yolanda’s kit
fashion, beauty,
wedding and portrait Yolanda shoots with the Sony A1, A7
photographer who lives Mark III and A7 Mark IV, with 35mm
just outside Cardiff. She f/1.4, 70-200mm, 24-70mm, 90mm
also shoots beauty and 50mm lenses. When shooting in
pageants, and, at the her preferred naturalistic style, she
other end of the scale, tends to use the 24-70mm and 35mm
natural editorial – the latter for full-length shots – and
photography. She often around f/5.6 or f/7.1 for an even
uses moodboards to depth of field. She describes the A7
create her concepts and Mark IV as being ‘fantastic for the
is a Sony Ambassador. beginner and for video, as it’s really
www.yolandakingdon. versatile and lightweight.’
co.uk and Instagram
@yolandakingdon.

25

Evening Class
Imaging editing expert Martin Evening shows how to use Select Sky in Lightroom

Southwold beach huts also wanted to be there before all my fellow tourists descended
upon the beach front. I took this photo using a long telephoto lens
Because of the recent pandemic and this year’s foreign travel that was roughly equivalent to using a 300mm lens on a full-frame
disruption, more of us, myself included, are choosing to spend our camera. I liked the way this compressed the perspective and
holiday time in this country. This summer, my family visited the emphasised the large number of beach huts as well as the wide
beautiful seaside town of Southwold on the Suffolk coast. The variety of colours.
photograph I have selected here was shot one morning just after
sunrise. I wanted to be there to capture the early-morning light, but

BEFORE Martin Evening has a background
in advertising and landscape
photography. He is also well known
for his knowledge of Photoshop
and Lightroom, plus many books
on digital imaging.
www.martinevening.com

Get the book

Martin Evening
is the author of
the worldwide
bestselling series
Adobe Photoshop
for Photographers. First
launched in 1998, the latest
edition is packed with
practical examples of how
to use Camera Raw and
Photoshop to enhance
your photographs. On sale
now priced £45.59.

HOW TO USE SELECT SKY IN LIGHTROOM TO DARKEN THE SKY

1 Crop the image 3 Add Clarity and Vibrance

To begin with I opened the image in the In the Presence Section below, I added more
Lightroom Develop module. I selected the Texture and Clarity. This added more
Crop Overlay tool (R) and dragged the upper definition and midtone contrast to the scene.
crop overlay bounding box handle downwards I also chose to boost the Saturation and
to crop the sky and apply a more cinematic- Vibrance sliders to add more colour intensity
style crop. to the photograph.

2 Apply tone adjustments

I next opened the Basic panel and applied
some tone adjustments to improve the
image tone contrast. For example, I lightened
the Exposure, added more Contrast and
fine-tuned the Shadows and Highlights
sliders to bring out more detail in these
respective areas.

26 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

FINAL

Select Sky AI Feature Subject masking feature, makes use of artificial intelligence/machine
learning to work out how best to select the sky. A selection is made, but
I emphasised the beach huts’ colours by selecting the Adobe Vivid it is made to bleed across the sky/horizon boundary. So when you apply
profile and isolated the sky so I could selectively darken it. This provided a strong adjustment such as the negative Exposure adjustment I did
a richer colour contrast between the huts and the sky, rather like adding here, there is a smooth transition between the horizon and the sky
a pseudo polarising filter effect. The Select Sky masking feature is fairly without a noticeable halo edge. I could have gone to the HSL panel and
new to Lightroom and Camera Raw. This, alongside with the new Select darkened the Blue luminance values. This would have produced a similar
result, but with a faint halo visible between the roofs and the sky.

4 Apply a 5 Select the sky
new profile
Among the New Masking controls in
Lightroom now applies Lightroom is the Select Sky option. To access,
the Adobe Color raw click on the Masking button (Shift+W), click
profile by default when on the Create New mask button and choose
importing new photos Select Sky from the pop-up menu. This
into Lightroom. This is automatically selected the image’s sky area.
a good general-
purpose profile for 6 Darken the Sky
most images. In this
step I opened the With the Sky selection active
Profile Browser from I made sure the Sky 1/Mask 1
the Basic panel and selection was active. In the
selected the Adobe tone and colour list below I
Vivid profile to make dragged the Exposure slider to
the colours in this the left to darken the sky by
scene more vibrant. around two-thirds of a stop.

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 27

WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

Associated Press photographer
Henri Huet captures the last
moments of Dickey Chapelle as
an Army chaplain gives her the
last rites of the Roman Catholic
Church after shrapnel from a
landmine tore open her throat

28 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

and Physics for Kids, His Life and Ideas Women reporters
with 21 Activities (Chicago Review featured on the
Press). When the same publisher cover of Reporting
launched a category about women Under Fire by
of action, they reached out to Kerrie. Kerrie Logan
Hollihan
Women ‘IthoughtrightawayIhadtodo
female journalists because there have
been many over the years that
hadn’t been given their due. That’s
at changed now in many ways. My
mind went harking back to the
women I’d heard on the radio.
When President Kennedy died, as
Air Force One rolled back into
Andrew’s Airforce Base with his
War coffin, it was a woman doing the
commenting on NBC, Nancy

Peter Dench talks to author Kerrie Logan Dickerson. These voices all rang in
my head so I thought, why not go

Hollihan about the research and writing with journalists?’
Kerrie was 12 at the time of

of a book that brings women war Kennedy’s assassination and
correspondents to the front line Reporting Under Fire (RFU) is for
12-years-plus readers. ‘I believe that
M artha Gellhorn is Daring Women War Correspondents in the heart of most people is some
considered one and Photojournalists (Chicago Review little spark within you at the age of
of the great war Press 2014) written by Kerrie Logan 11 or 12. My sentences are distilled,
correspondents of short and sparky to create images in
Hollihan. their mind. I’m trying to use words
to create images, they sing, they

the 20th century and reported on When Kerrie graduated journalism dance – like flash bulbs going off for

virtually every major world conflict school in 1974 she was at a a photographer, instant to create

that took place during her 60-year crossroads. ‘I realised I was too well something in the mind’s eye.’

career. Marguerite Higgins typed behaved to be a really good Women photographers in the

stories while riding in the front journalist. I just didn’t want to get in book include Toni Frissell, of Vogue

seat of an American jeep that was people’s faces and do that kind of and Harper’s Bazaar; the flamboyant

fleeing the North Korean Army, and thing,’ she admits on a Zoom call Lee Miller, also of Vogue; Thérèse

Georgie Anne Geyer had to evade from her home in Blue Ash, Ohio, Bonney (who became a comic book

an assassin sent by the rightwing USA. Kerrie instead chose jobs in a hero) who focused on the plight of

Mano Blanco, seeking revenge for hospital and public relations before children and adults left homeless by Photographer
her reports of their activities during taking time to raise a family. war; and Dickey Chapelle, who was Thérèse Bonney
the Guatemalan civil war. These are Journalism remained a daily hunger. killed in Vietnam while on patrol became a comic
just three American women profiled In 2009 she published her critically with a US Marine platoon after book hero during
in the book Reporting Under Fire: 16 acclaimed first book; Isaac Newton shrapnel from a landmine World War II

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 29

Photographer Helen Johns Kirtland with molten metal. But steel mills were were so angry they brought in 2,000
an exploded marine mine no place for a woman, she was told, Weimar residents and forced them to
and it took weeks before she was look at the piles of bodies stuffed
tripped by a Marine in front of permitted to enter one.’ into sheds, the burnt remains of
her, tore open her throat. A others still in the cremation ovens,
picture in the book by Associated In another eye-catching extract, the mass graves of the dead, and the
Press photographer Henri Huet Kerrie writes: ‘On July 22, 1941, the living skeletons of the men and boys
captures the last moments as an Germans launched air attacks on who had somehow survived.’
Army chaplain gave Dickey the last Moscow. Margaret was the only
rites of the Roman Catholic Church. foreign news photographer in the The back stories in RUF are
city, ready to clinch the scoop of her interesting and necessary clues as to
Standing out life as German bombs rained down why, when war engulfed the 16 war
on Moscow rooftops. correspondents’ lives, they had the
One photographer above all stood acumen to report and compete in a
out for Kerrie as she escalated her ‘But the Russians had issued an male-dominated profession. Across
research on American war ukase – an edict – forbidding use of the decades Kerrie recognised
correspondents from the early 1900s cameras, and civilians were ordered similarities in the women’s character.
to 2014. ‘I found Margaret Bourke- to underground shelters to wait out
White’s images just breathtaking.’ air raids. Margaret figured she could First love
Kerrie’s father was in the industrial work around the ban on cameras,
gas business and travelled a lot, often and she planned to stay above ‘They weren’t going to take no for an
with Kerrie. By the time she was ground during bombings. From her answer, number one. They lived in
three she’d visited around half the hotel balcony stretched Moscow’s the dirt. Like there’s a first love for
states of the USA (she has one to go, most famous view: the Kremlin, the people, there’s also a first war. I think
Vermont), witnessing steel mills and onion-shaped domes of St. Basil’s that experience stayed with them
farm silos connected to her father’s Cathedral, Vladimir Lenin’s tomb, and set the theme for their lives.’
trade. Margaret’s stark, unflinching and Red Square. There Margaret The book introduces the reader to
images for Fortune of dams and radio placed four cameras, set on timed women reporters they may not have
towers resonated. Her photograph of exposure, to capture the streaks of heard of and encourages revisiting
Fort Peck Dam’s spillway was used light that swept to the ground as the those they may already know.
on the cover of the first issue of Life. bombs fell. Russian blackout
Margaret progressed from wardens made frequent checks of ‘These books are hard to write. I
documenting Soviet industry and hotel rooms searching for could have written 40,000 words all
the obliteration of the Dust Bowl to lawbreakers like her, and Margaret on Margaret Bourke-White; it might
becoming the first female war rolled under her bed when she heard have been a lot easier than trying to
correspondent accredited to work in them coming. Bending over her write about 16 women in the course
World War II combat zones. bathtub, she developed her film in of a year. What is on a page is like an
trays and hung the negatives on iceberg: 10% is what you read, all
Kerrie profiles Margaret’s journey cords strung across the bathroom that underneath, that’s on me.’ After
from childhood as a budding pipes and pinned to the edges of researching and writing RUF, women
herpetologist, through awkward towels and curtains. Her negatives photojournalists continue to ping
school years to university, the death found their way into diplomatic bags on Kerrie’s radar. ‘I see Lynsey
of her father, her first love and that travelled from the American Addario’s photography a lot in the
eventual focus on the profession of embassy safely out of Russia and into press. She is someone I could’ve
photography: ‘Margaret started her Life’s New York offices.’ featured but she’s so current I
photography business in the Flats of didn’t quite get to her. I think
Cleveland, a gritty industrial area Death camps horror I could write a book about more
along the Cuyahoga River. She didn’t women photographers.’ I for one
mind the dirt and stench of mills Margaret is arguably best known for hope she does.
and was captivated by “smokestacks her photographs documenting the
on the upper rim of the Flats liberation of the Nazi death camps. Whether you’re 12 or 71, Kerrie
rais[ing] their smoking arms over the She travelled with American General ends the book with some poignant
blast furnaces, where ore meets coke George Patton’s Third Army in advice: ‘You need to look for the
and becomes steel.” She longed to spring 1945 as German resistance truth. Throughout your life, whether
get inside to photograph the fires disintegrated. In one image, you’re in school, at work, or learning
and sparks and giant cauldrons of emaciated survivors stare at their about something for the joy of it, ask
liberators through a wire fence the same questions these women
during the liberation of Buchenwald. asked. What’s real? What’s not?
The pictures aren’t published in RUF Whose information do you trust?
but Kerrie’s words drill the horror Like any honest reporter, you must
into the mind. ‘Patton was so angry question what you read and hear.
when he inspected the camp, where You must question sources who give
more than 56,000 prisoners had you information and take time to
died, that he ordered his military think about their motivations and
police to round up 1,000 German objectives. Good reporters do
men and women who lived in that. So must you.’
nearby Weimar and force them to
see for themselves the unspeakable Kerrie has just completed a middle grade series,
evidence of Nazi brutality. The MPs
Creepy & True. To find out more and about other

titles, visit www.kerriehollihan.com

30 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk US soldiers photographed by
Toni Frissell © Getty Images

31

EISA MAESTRO WINNERS 2022

The EISA Maestro
2022 photo contest
was on the theme of

Jump Joy.APisproudto
showcase the 3rd-
placed International

for joy winnerandthe
Public’s Choice

3rd Happy Mukherjee
India
Happy is a professional freelance travel,
people and documentary photographer
and photography mentor. She has
worked as an economics teacher for
over ten years, which she left to pursue

photography full time.
She says, ‘I have been honoured with AFIP and

AFIAP distinctions. My work has been published
widely, has been awarded and exhibited in more than
60 countries and I have been judged best
photographer in 16 national and international photo
competitions. My photograph won a Lalitkala
National Academy award along with many
competitions like the prestigious World Photographer
Club contest. My image was selected as a finalist in
the Siena Awards Contest and I have also received
the prestigious FIAP Blue Pin from Georgia. 

‘I love to interact with people and capture their
different moods. To me, joyfulness is one of the
greatest expressions of love and it connects people
irrespective of age, caste, race, even with animals. It
spreads love, bonding and eradicates sorrow, agony,
revengefulness and enmity. It brings unity in diversity
too. I love to capture mainly joyful moods as it
spreads love and smiles to viewers. Viewers connect
their good moments of life even in their problems
with the happiness of photographs. They extract
joyfulness from photos and spread positivity
everywhere in their life. My photographs show jovial
relationships between generations, friends, mother
and daughter as well as with pets. These photos
were captured in different provinces of India. As we
know, joy is increased by spreading with others. I
want to spread joy and love to all people around the
world through my work – that is the important reason
behind my series of Joy.’

32

EISA Maestro
Public’s Choice

Conny Müller:
Joy After Tough Times
Germany

For many years, Conny Müller
has had a close connection to
the German travelling circus
Probst. In her daytime job as a
marketing manager, she has
cooperated with this circus on several
occasions in the past. This is how this
67-year-old amateur photographer from
Essen has witnessed this family-run
business closing its doors for one-and-a-half
years, during the German Covid-19 lockdown.
This year, she learned, the circus has taken
up 15 artists from the Ukraine, who fled their
country at the start of the war. Now the
refugees are part of their team, working and
travelling together and performing in front of
Conny Müller’s camera. After all, that smile
you’ll see on their faces, is not just for the
visitors of the show. It’s most of all an
expression of joy, due to the fact that these
artists are finally able to perform again.

33

AP Photo Tours
In association with
● Quality workshops to top UK and worldwide destinations
● Small groups led by world-leading photographers
● High-quality accommodation, daily activities and lectures
● A tour coordinator from Zoom Photo Tours on every trip

Bnooowk!
www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-tours

The Top

Everoyfthing

AP’s experts present the top tens of pretty much everything...
Read on to discover the very best cameras, lenses and

smartphones you can buy right now, from every major brand

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

The top 10
Canon cameras

Canon’s camera portfolio includes compacts, DSLRs and mirrorless models
for every shooter out there. Here are our picks of the ten best…

There’s a Canon camera for everyone. From good old EOS DSLRs, Canon has arguably this incredible catalogue down to the ten
cutting-edge EOS R mirrorless cameras to the most complete camera portfolio in the key cameras that we reckon are the best.
slim vlogger-friendly PowerShot compacts, world of imaging. Our list spans the whole gamut, every
from lightweight EOS M travel cameras to the digital camera type and lens mount.
We’ve had the mammoth task of whittling
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5
l Street price around £5,879
l www.canon.co.uk l Street price around £4,299
l www.canon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.1MP full-frame sensor of 1/64,000sec. The full-frame l 45MP full-frame sensor the R3, is still excellent, with fast
l RF lens mount sensor offers 24MP, which l RF lens mount acquisition and reliable subject
l ISO 100-102,400 sounds low, but is a deliberate l ISO 100-51,200 tracking. Eye-detection is also
choice to give the best balance useful for portraits – of both
(expandable to 50-204,800) between image quality, file size (expandable to 50-102,400) people and animals.
l 30fps continuous shooting and speed. Autofocusing is l 20fps continuous shooting
l 6K video top-notch, with Dual Pixel CMOS l 8K video Videographers may also like
The EOS R3 is Canon’s AF II technology providing 4,779 If you need a workhorse camera, the R5, as it can shoot in 8K,
mirrorless flagship. If speed is focus points, and eye-control AF that can tackle lots of different though the well-publicised
your main concern, you can’t go that allows you to focus by subjects with aplomb, then the overheating issues do curtail
far wrong with the R3 – so long looking, choosing a focus point EOS R5 is a sensible choice. its usefulness here. Otherwise,
as you’ve got the budget. Its with movement of your eye. With a 45MP sensor and 20fps there’s little to dislike – but you
spec includes 30fps shooting Raw shooting, you get both will need a fairly hefty budget.
(using the electronic shutter) and speed and resolution. Focusing,
a world-record top shutter speed though not quite on a par with

Canon EOS R6 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

l Street price around £2,399 l Street price around £2,869
l www.canon.co.uk l www.canon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 20MP full-frame sensor stabilisation and a well- l 30.4MP full-frame sensor image-quality for stills and video,
l RF lens mount performing autofocus system. l EF lens mount though Canon’s DCI 4K video
l ISO 100-102,400 You ‘only’ get 4K video, as l ISO 100-32,000 output from the 5D Mark IV
opposed to 8K or 6K, but unless disappointed many with a
(expandable to 50-204,800) you’re a high-end videographer, (expandable to 50-102,400) whopping 1.74x crop! Still, if you
l 20fps continuous shooting this is a non-issue. If you’re l 7fps continuous shooting can live with this, you get up to
l 4K video somebody who likes to l 4K video 30fps, and Full HD video at up to
Announced at the same time as photograph a range of different The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 60fps. It also has excellent build
the pricier R5, the Canon EOS subjects, and you don’t have the introduced in 2016, was the with a tough weather-sealed body
R6 is an excellent all-rounder super-high-end budget for the R5 fourth entry in the Canon EOS and dual memory card slots.
for enthusiasts. The 20MP or the R3, then the R6 makes a 5D series that revolutionised
sensor offers a good balance huge amount of sense. video. It introduced a new
between image quality and 30.4MP full-frame sensor, with
speed, while other appealing Dual Pixel CMOS-AF technology.
specifications include image It was designed to offer high

36 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Canon EOS R10 Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III

l Street price around £899 l Street price around £1,139
l www.canon.co.uk l www.canon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.2MP APS-C sensor 23fps available for wildlife and l 24.2MP APS-C sensor didn’t see fit to include 4K,
l RF lens mount sports photographers. Its l 24-72mm equivalent lens there’s Full HD video that can get
l ISO 100-32,000 smaller APS-C sensor is ideal for l ISO 100-25,600 up to 60p so it looks silky-
shooting distant subjects without l 9fps continuous shooting smooth. Handling is excellent,
(expandable to 51,200) having to employ super-long l Full HD video with a central viewfinder, fully
l 23fps continuous shooting lenses, again making it a savvy This unique zoom compact articulated touchscreen and
l 4K video choice for wildlife and sports delivers excellent image quality comprehensive external controls
The Canon EOS R10 came out at photographers. You also get 4K by employing the same 24.2MP rounding off a superb little
the same time as the similarly video recording, a single UHS-II APS-C sensor as several of camera for enthusiast
specced EOS R7, but with a SD card slot, a 3in 1.04m-dot Canon’s DSLRs and mirrorless photographers.
slimmed-down spec sheet and a articulating touchscreen and cameras. It can shoot at 9fps
friendlier price tag. It’s the first Dual Pixel CMOS AF. with focus locked, or up to a still
RF camera to bear a three-figure respectable 7fps with autofocus
box price, and its features are between frames. While Canon
none too shabby, with up to

Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III Canon EOS 5DS / 5DS R

l Street price around £699 l Street price around £1,200-£1,300
l www.canon.co.uk l www.canon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 20.1MP 1-inch sensor the 24-100mm (equivalent) l 50.6MP full-frame sensor the 2015 dual launch of the EOS
l 24-100mm equivalent lens stabilised lens. As usual, there’s l EF lens mount 5DS and 5DS R, which were
l ISO 125-12,800 (exp. to 25,600) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity l ISO 100-6400 effectively identical save for the
l 20fps continuous shooting (30fps onboard, but less typically, the ‘R’ model doing without an
G7 X Mark III can live-stream (expandable to 12,800) optical low-pass filter in order to
Raw burst) direct to your YouTube channel. l 5fps continuous shooting maximise sharpness. While
l 4K video All this would count for nothing if l Full HD video discontinued, both cameras can
The PowerShot G7 X Mark II was the camera didn’t give quality Canon’s DSLR range had been still be found for a good price
a surprise success amongst results but thanks to its 20.1MP covering the needs of almost all second-hand.
YouTubers, so for the Mark III, 1in stacked CMOS sensor, it amateur and pro photographers,
Canon made vlogging a key delivers excellent stills and video. except in one area… ultra-high
focus. Consequently, the G7 X resolution, medium format-style
Mark III can shoot 4K video at image quality for commercial,
29.97/25fps without cropping, fine art and landscape
meaning you get the full width of photography. This changed with

Canon EOS M50 Mark II Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

l Street price around £589 l Street price around £6,999
l www.canon.co.uk l www.canon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.1MP APS-C sensor handy for travel and everyday l 20.1MP full-frame sensor at high speeds. Indeed, speed is
l EF-M lens mount photography. With a well- l EF lens mount a watchword with this camera,
l ISO 100-25,600 performing APS-C sensor and a l ISO 100-102,400 and you can shoot at 16fps
decent raft of mid-range specs, through the optical viewfinder, or
(expandable to 51,200) such as 10fps burst, it’s a (expandable to 819,200) up to 20fps in live view. To cope
l 10fps continuous shooting decent all-rounder, particularly for l 20fps continuous shooting with fast action it has a 191-point
l 4K video the price. Like other M-series l 5.5K video AF system, and has Canon’s
A neat little camera which has cameras, it is marred by a lack Canon’s flagship pro DSLR has Deep-Learning AF Algorithm that
proven popular with a variety of of lens choice, but you can use an impressive feature set. Its can recognise faces even when
users, the Canon EOS M50 Mark EF lenses via an adapter. high ISO settings mean poor light they are upside down.
II is the best option on our list won’t stop play, while the
for those on tight budgets. Its advanced sensor, special
video-friendly features make it a Gaussian low pass filter and
good option for vloggers, while DIGIC X processor mean image
its small size and weight are quality is remarkably good even

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 37

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

The top 10
Fujifilm cameras

Anything but full frame! Here are the best Fujifilm cameras to buy, across
the retro-styled range of mirrorless models, compacts and medium format

It’s a fantastic time to be a Fujifilm user. As well as the X-H2 mirrorless camera. Fujifilm APS-C X-mount mirrorless, or medium format
we write this, the Fujifilm X-Summit in New has carved out a distinctive niche, planting a GFX. The reasoning being that full frame is
York is drawing to a close, having given us a foot either side of full frame. If you want a too bulky and expensive for enthusiasts, not
tantalising glimpse at upcoming lenses, as Fujifilm camera, your choices are between high-quality enough for fine-art professionals.

Fujifilm X-H2S Fujifilm X-T4

l Street price around £2,499 l Street price around £1,549
l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en

At a glance At a glance

l 26.1MP APS-C sensor (and 4K up to 120fps), 15fps l 26.1MP APS-C sensor fantastically flexible camera.
l X lens mount continuous shooting (40fps with l X lens mount With rapid continuous shooting,
l ISO 160-12,800 electronic shutter) and AI- l ISO 160-12,800 (expandable to accurate Face/Eye autofocus
assisted autofocus that can and powerful processing, it’s a
(expandable to 80-51,200) recognise subjects like birds, 80-51,200) dab hand with action and wildlife
l 40fps continuous shooting cars and humans by their shape. l 15fps continuous shooting photography, while its sensor
It supports high-speed CFexpress resolves excellent levels of detail
(electronic shutter) Type B cards as well as SD, and (mechanical shutter) and handles noise remarkably
l 6.2K video has an optional fan to combat l 4K video well. Videographers will
Designed to be the premium, overheating, particularly during On release, the X-T4 may have appreciate its ability to shoot 4K
ambitious and enthusiast-friendly video capture. All this adds up to been the best mirrorless APS-C at up to 60fps (though a
APS-C model in the X series, the a formidable piece of hardware camera ever made. Building on headphone socket is missing –
X-H2S offers a new stacked for the most demanding previous X-T models by adding this can be resolved using a
version of the 26.1MP sensor photography and video tasks. 5-axis in-body image stabilisation USB-C to 3.5mm adapter).
seen so often elsewhere, as well and a highly manoeuvrable
as 6K video recording at 30fps side-hinged touchscreen, it’s a

Fujifilm X100V Fujifilm X-S10

l Street price around £1,349 l Street price around £949
l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en

At a glance At a glance

l 26.1MP APS-C sensor optics, it’s a fantastic performer l 26.1MP APS-C sensor and can’t capture 4K video at
l 35mm equivalent f/2 lens in almost all situations (and you l X lens mount 60fps (a more modest 30fps is
l ISO 160-12,800 can use Fujifilm’s optional 0.8x l ISO 160-12,800 available), but it offers a similar
and 1.4x conversion lenses to level of resolution and general
(expandable to 80-51,200) change up the focal length). Its (expandable to 80-51,200) performance thanks to its
l 11fps continuous shooting fast autofocus and shooting l 8fps continuous shooting identical sensor and processor,
speed (30fps with electronic not to mention in-body
(mechanical shutter) shutter), combined with its (mechanical shutter) stabilisation and a similar AF
l 4K video pocketable dimensions make the l 4K video system. The body isn’t weather-
The Fujifilm X100V sports the X100V ideal for street Best looked on as a junior sealed, but its slim weight and
same 26.1MP APS-C sensor and photography. It can be equipped version of the X-T4, the X-S10 is compact size makes it ideal for
X-Processor 4 as many of its with a weather-resistant kit too, significantly smaller, lighter and travel photography and vlogging.
interchangeable-lens making it suitable for outdoor cheaper than its stablemate
stablemates. You can’t remove snapping all year round. while offering a very similar level
its 23mm lens, but with a fast of spec. It’s a little slower when
f/2 aperture and excellent it comes to continuous shooting,

38 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Fujifilm X-T30 II Fujifilm X-E4

l Street price around £799 l Street price around £799
l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en

At a glance At a glance

l 26.1MP APS-C sensor image stabilisation, and its tilting l 26.1MP APS-C sensor X-E4 doesn’t have in-body image
l X lens mount screen can’t face forward, which l X lens mount stabilisation for shooting
l ISO 160-12,800 detracts from vlogging potential, l ISO 160-12,800 handheld. Also, its body shape is
but its autofocus system is fast more akin to a rangefinder
(expandable to 80-51,200) and accurate, and image quality (expandable to 80-51,200) camera than the DSLRs that
l 8fps continuous shooting is on a par with models that l 8fps continuous shooting inspire the X-T4 and X-S10,
share the same hardware. Where meaning handling and controls
(mechanical shutter) the X-S10 has a PASM mode (mechanical shutter) aren’t quite so intuitive either.
l 4K video dial, the X-T30 II uses Fujifilm’s l 4K video
The replacement for the popular signature twin-dial setup, with With the same sensor and That said, it’s a solid performer
X-T30, and yet another camera shutter speed and exposure processor as the X-T4 and for photo and video (it can record
that uses the popular 26.1MP compensation quickly adjustable. X-S10, the Fujifilm X-E4 has a lot 4K at up to 30fps) and feels
X-Trans 4 sensor and X-Processor in common with two significantly pleasingly petite when combined
4, the Fujifilm X-T30 II is an pricier stablemates. So, what with a lightweight lens.
entry-level model with a lot to compromises have been made
offer for its price. It lacks in-body to get the price down? Well, the

Fujifilm X-Pro3 Fujifilm GFX50S II

l Street price around £1,580 l Street price around £3,499
l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en

At a glance At a glance

l 26.1MP APS-C sensor showing vital shooting settings. l 51.4MP medium format sensor significantly easier to own and
l X lens mount Fold this down on the bottom- l GFX lens mount use than the bulky, expensive
l ISO 160-12,800 mounted hinge, and you’ll see a l ISO 100-12,800 alternatives from the likes of
standard 3in LCD on its reverse. Hasselblad and Leica. It’s
(expandable to 80-51,200) It’s Fujifilm’s way of encouraging (expandable to 50-102,400) Fujifilm’s cheapest medium
l 11fps continuous shooting use of the viewfinder – an l 3fps continuous shooting format model too, so it falls
admirable experiment, though it l Full HD video behind its pricier brethren when
(mechanical shutter) can add frustration to the Medium format digital it comes to AF capabilities, video
l 4K video process of changing settings photography was once the options and continuous shooting
With so many cookie-cutter from the main or quick menus. preserve of the well-heeled, but speed. Pair it with a high-quality
cameras in the mirrorless the Fujifilm GFX50S II makes it lens and start taking photos,
marketplace, there’s room for If you can live with the quirks, more accessible than ever. With however, and these niggles feel
oddities like the X-Pro3. Rather the X-Pro3 is a great performer its (relatively) affordable price less weighty.
than a traditional rear screen, that forces you to address and compact size (it’s similar in
the rangerfinder-esque X-Pro3 photography in a different way. bulk to a full-frame DSLR), it’s
has a tiny 1.28in sub-monitor

Fujifilm GFX100S Fujifilm GFX100

l Street price around £5,499 l Street price around £9,999
l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en l www.fujifilm.com/uk/en

At a glance At a glance

l 102MP medium format sensor even when shooting handheld in l 102MP medium format sensor more user-friendly, they are more
l GFX lens mount less-than-perfect lighting, thanks l GFX lens mount accessible for those boarding
l ISO 100-12,800 to the in-body image l ISO 100-12,800 the medium format train.
stabilisation. It can also record
(expandable to 50-102,400) 4K video at 30fps, which puts it (expandable to 50-102,400) That said, the GFX100’s
l 5 fps continuous shooting above the GFX50S II. l 5fps continuous shooting exceptional detail and dynamic
l 4K video l 4K video range make it appealing, and its
Another medium format camera The GFX50S II’s affordability On launch in 2019, the Fujifilm ability to hold two batteries at
in a compact and easy-to-handle means it’s still a better entry- GFX100 was arguably the most once gives it enough juice to
body, the GFX100S costs more point to larger format practical medium format digital take around 800 shots before
than the GFX50S II but ups the photography, but if detail is a camera on the market. Things recharging is needed (the
pixel count to a whopping 102MP. priority, the GFX100S is worth have changed, largely due to GFX100S’s single battery is good
The image quality on offer is the extra outlay. Fujifilm’s newer medium format for around 460 shots).
astonishing, with vast amounts models like the GFX50S II and
of detail and dynamic range, GFX100S. Smaller, cheaper and

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 39

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

The top 10
Nikon cameras

Superzoom compacts, lightning-fast mirrorless and hard-wearing DSLRs –
the Nikon range has it all. Here are the ten best Nikon digital cameras…

There’s a reason that Nikon is one of the has launched excellent cameras year after and beginner-friendly offerings in DSLRs and
best-known names in photography. With year. Selecting the top ten was no small task, compacts. And with the vlogger-focused Z30
decades of history, through the years of film and we’ve done our best to balance cameras soon to be released, Nikon is showing no
and on into the digital transition, the company like the futuristic Z 9 with Nikon’s more niche signs of resting on its laurels…

Nikon Z 9 Nikon Z 6II

l Street price around £5,299 l Street price around £2,099
l www.nikon.co.uk l www.nikon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 45.7MP full-frame sensor JPEG and get 30fps. You can l 24.5MP full-frame sensor
l Z lens mount even get up to 120fps if you’re l Z lens mount
l ISO 64-25,600 happy to take a hit to resolution. l ISO 100-51,200
You get both speed and
(expandable to 32-102,400) resolution with the Z 9, which (expandable to 50-204,800)
l 30fps continuous shooting has a 45.7MP full-frame sensor. l 14fps continuous shooting
Autofocusing is superb, with AI l 4K video
(120fps at 11MP) algorithms to detect the subject
l 8K video and follow it around the frame. If you’re after a solid and reliable so it’s a solid choice for sports
If you’ve got a healthy budget all-rounder – without breaking the and action subjects. With great
and you want the best, then the bank – then the Z 6II is the one handling and useful features
Nikon Z 9 is it. It’s particularly to go for. Resolution is a more including 4K video, IBIS,
good for sports and action staid 24.5MP but this comes eye-detection autofocus, it’s a
shooters; you can shoot at with the advantage of not only lovely camera that works well
20fps in raw format with smaller file sizes, but also the for a variety of different
continuous autofocus, or drop to ability to shoot at up to 14fps, photographers and skill levels.

Nikon D780 Nikon Z fc

l Street price around £2,299 l Street price around £949
l www.nikon.co.uk l www.nikon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.5MP full-frame sensor eliminate moiré and backside- l 20.9MP APS-C sensor camera. Another advantage is the
l F lens mount illuminated structure to l Z lens mount use of a vari-angle screen, which
l ISO 100-12,800 maximise light-gathering l ISO 100-51,200 is a bit more flexible and useful
capabilities across its ISO range, than the tilting version found on
(expandable to 50-204,800) the sensor has 273 on-chip (expandable to 100-204,800) the Z 50. Which one you opt for
l 12fps continuous shooting phase detection pixels to l 11fps continuous shooting may come down to price –
l 4K video enhance its focusing l 4K video sometimes the Z 50 is cheaper,
With focus shifting to mirrorless, performance in Live View. Using the same base sometimes it’s the Z fc – so it’s
Nikon also remained firmly in the specifications as the Z 50, the worth shopping around to make
DSLR camp with the D780. This Z fc should appeal to all of those sure you get the best deal.
succeeded the D750 in the that want something that not
DSLR range and inherited its only performs well, but also
sensor from the original Z 6 looks the part. With its
mirrorless model. As well as attractive retro styling, it’s quite
having a low-pass filter to possibly the best-looking Nikon Z

40 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Nikon Coolpix P950 Nikon Z 5

l Street price around £849 l Street price around £1,349
l www.nikon.co.uk l www.nikon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 16MP 1/2.3-inch sensor The P950 also benefits from l 24.3MP full-frame sensor resolution of the sensor is
l 24-2000mm equivalent lens Optical Vibration Reduction to l Z lens mount similar, the Z 5’s is not backside-
l ISO 100-6400 help keep shots steady – l ISO 160-51,200 illuminated, so it doesn’t perform
l 7fps continuous shooting especially at longer focal lengths quite so well in lower light
l 4K video – and those shooting stills will (expandable to 50-102,400) conditions. It’s also not quite as
Launched in January 2020, the be pleased to hear you can l 4.5fps continuous shooting quick, especially when it comes
P950 is built around a 16MP capture raws as well as JPEGs, l 4K video to frame rates. So if action,
sensor and boasts an 83x affording more potential when If you want a full-frame mirrorless sports or wildlife is your thing, it’s
optical zoom magnification. This using file-editing software. but have a limited budget, you probably not the model for you.
gives a huge equivalent focal could try the Nikon Z 5. With
length of 24-2000mm – yes, you this, you get a well-performing
read that correctly – from a lens full-frame sensor and similar
that features a variable great handling as the more
maximum aperture of f/2.8-6.5. expensive Z 6II, but with some
key compromises. Although the

Nikon D850 Nikon Z 7 II

l Street price around £2,799 l Street price around £3,099
l www.nikon.co.uk l www.nikon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 45.7MP full-frame sensor effectively inherited almost all of l 45.7MP full-frame sensor you’re frequently shooting action,
l F lens mount the AF features of the Nikon D5 l Z lens mount the Z 6II and certainly the Z 9
l ISO 64-25,600 DSLR, but the D850 uses a l ISO 64-25,600 (if you have the cash) are better
backside-illuminated sensor, choices. Other useful
(expandable to 32-102,400) which helps to increase the (expandable to 32-102,400) specifications include 4K video,
l 7fps continuous shooting efficiency of the sensor. The l 10fps continuous shooting IBIS, and eye-detection AF. This is
D850 has no anti-aliasing filter, l 4K video a fantastic all-rounder, especially
(electronic shutter) allowing for finer detail capture. Until the Z 9 made its debut, the for those who don’t have the
l 4K video Z 7 series was Nikon’s flagship. need or budget for the Z 9.
Since its arrival in 2017 the It boasts a high-resolution
Nikon D850 has been seen by sensor that will appeal to anyone
many as the company’s best that craves a serious amount of
camera and, for some, it remains detail. You get up to 10fps
so today. The headline shooting, which while not superb
specification is its 45.7MP for action, isn’t too bad, though if
full-frame sensor. The camera

Nikon Coolpix P1000 Nikon D6

l Street price around £1,049 l Street price around £6,799
l www.nikon.co.uk l www.nikon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 16MP 1/2.3inch sensor with wildlife l 20.8MP full-frame sensor points, Group-Area AF with custom
l 24-3000mm equivalent lens imagery, travel l F lens mount settings for subject tracking and
l ISO 100-1600 photography and l ISO 100-102,400 an eye-focusing priority setting in
l 7fps continuous shooting pretty much everything in Auto-Area AF or 3D tracking. It’s
l 4K video between. Granted, the 16MP (expandable to 50-3,276,800) near-impossible to explain all the
The P1000 can claim the ‘king of sensor isn’t much to shout l 14fps continuous shooting aspects of a pro DSLR in a short
focal lengths’ title, offering an about, but this is a camera for l 4K video paragraph, but the D6 is tailored
incredible 125x optical zoom somebody who prefers focal Nikon’s flagship pro DSLR is the for professional photographers.
that delivers an equivalent focal length over resolution. It also wallet-busting D6. It has a hefty
length of a remarkable 24- benefits from a big, vari-angle price, but hefty specs too. Pro
3000mm. The P1000 opens up 3.2in LCD. photographers want equipment
new creative possibilities as it they can trust to get the shot
can be used to excellent effect every time. To help guarantee
when capturing the moon, along this, the D6 has an AF engine
with 105 (all cross-type) AF

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 41

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

We run through the best
cameras available from

The top 10 OM System, or the Brand
Formerly Known

OM-System/ AsOlympus…
Olympus cameras

Olympus has an interesting history, and has range is now under the jurisdiction of OM Mostly based around the Micro Four Thirds
always been at the forefront of lightweight Digital Solutions Corporation following a sale standard, Olympus cameras are small, stylish
camera design and compact styling. Of of the imaging division in 2021, and will be and versatile, capable of producing high-
course, we shouldn’t really say Olympus, the OM System from here on out. quality images with models for all skill levels.

OM System Olympus OM-1 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

l Street price around £1,999 l Street price around £1,349
l www.olympus.co.uk l www.olympus.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 20MP Four Thirds sensor This impressive flagship model l 20.4MP Four Thirds sensor
l MFT lens mount has a 20MP Four Thirds Stacked l MFT lens mount
l ISO 200-25,600 BSI Live MOS sensor allowing for l ISO 200-6400
high-speed continuous shooting
(expandable to 80-102,400) at 120fps at full-resolution (fixed (expandable to 64-25,600)
l 120fps continuous shooting AF). It also supports ISO settings l 60fps continuous shooting
l 4K video up to 102,400, 5-axis in-body l 4K video
The OM System OM-1 is the best stabilisation (up to 8EV), and can
Micro Four Thirds camera burst-shoot at up 50fps with Released in February 2020, the stops, and a handheld multi-shot
currently available, and exceeds continuous AF. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III mode that outputs 50MP
what you would expect from a debuted a new processor, the images. Other impressive
£2,000 camera. This includes TruePic IX. This allowed for features include 121-point
subject detection AF, high-speed features from the E-M1X (which superfast phase detection AF and
performance, and any number of we’ll look at later on) including incredibly effective 5-axis in-body
useful shooting features. LiveND that mimics the effect of stabilisation. The weather-sealed
neutral density filters up to 5 body lives up to its promise.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV

l Street price around £989 l Street price around £659
l www.olympus.co.uk l www.olympus.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 20.4MP Four Thirds sensor handheld. This means you can l 20MP Four Thirds sensor The image quality produced is
l MFT lens mount reduce the shutter speed in low l ISO 200-6400 generally very good up to around
l ISO 200-6400 light and still get sharp images, ISO 6400, and it handles much
rather than having to push up the (expandable to 80-25,600) better than its predecessor
(expandable to 64-25,600) ISO. If you like the sound of a l 15fps continuous shooting thanks to improvements like a
l 30fps continuous shooting camera that’s small, handles l 4K video flip-down LCD, an improved
l 4K video well and works out as excellent The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark handgrip and built-in Bluetooth.
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III value for money, then the E-M5 IV sits at the entry level of the One of the best value options for
is an AP five-star-gold-award Mark III should certainly be high OM-D range and is ideally suited budding photographers.
camera, with a weather-sealed, on your shortlist. to photographers who are starting
lightweight build. It’s got accurate out and want to build their skill
121-point phase detection set. The camera has plenty to
autofocus, and its effective offer, with an upgraded 20MP
5-axis in-body stabilisation Four Thirds sensor from its 16MP
delivers sharp images when predecessor – the E-M10 Mark III.

42 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Olympus OM-D E-M1X Olympus PEN E-P7

l Street price around £1,499 l Street price around £749
l www.olympus.co.uk l www.olympus.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 20.4MP Four Thirds sensor l 20.3MP Four Thirds sensor
l MFT lens mount l MFT lens mount
l ISO 200-25,600 l ISO 100-25,600
(expandable to 64-25,600) l 15fps continuous shooting
l 60fps continuous shooting l 4K video
l 4K video Like any model from the PEN sensor, 4K video recording, and
system with subject detection collection, the Olympus PEN E-P7 a wealth of manual and
Announced in January 2019, the mode. It puts out excellent JPEGs, is stylish, attractive, lightweight advanced shooting modes. Its
Olympus OM-D E-M1X was well with punchy colours and accurate (337g) and compact. This camera tilting 3in touchscreen can be
received but since then other exposures. On the downside, the was notable for being the first to used as a selfie screen, plus a
Olympus cameras have pushed it lower ISO range compared to its be launched under OM Digital new colour/monochrome profile
down the pecking order. The peers was disappointing, while Solutions Corporation. The E-P7 switch on the front is a nice
E-M1X still delivers the goods, with the bulky, heavy body sticks out includes some impressive specs, touch. A little overpriced
7.5-stop in-body stabilisation and in the pretty tidy Olympus Micro such as its 20MP Four Thirds compared to market rivals, but
an efficient continuous autofocus Four Thirds range. the image quality is excellent.

Olympus PEN E-PL10 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

l Street price around £500 l Street price around £450
l www.olympus.co.uk l www.olympus.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 16 MP Four Thirds sensor movie quality. The E-PL10 is the l 20MP Four Thirds sensor burst mode at full resolution,
l MFT lens mount upgrade to the E-PL9, and there l MFT lens mount which even today is pretty
l ISO 100-25,600 is little to distinguish the two, l ISO 200-25,600 impressive! At full speed the
l 14fps continuous shooting although the image processor focus is fixed, but you can use the
l 4K video has been swapped to the faster (expandable to 64-25,600) 121-point AF system with tracking
The Olympus PEN E-PL10 has TruePic VIII, which is found in l 60fps continuous shooting if you drop down to 18fps. Twin
been designed with the amateur many of Olympus higher-end l 4K video SD card slots and a weather-
photographer in mind. It comes models. If you’re on a budget When the Olympus OM-D E-M1 sealed body, makes it a great
with lots of beginner-friendly and you can find the-now- Mark II was announced in 2016, choice for action photographers.
shooting modes as well as discontinued E-PL9 cheaper, it cost £1,850. Today you can
advanced features like in-body you’ll save yourself a few quid. save yourself well over £1,000
image stabilisation. It also on the second-hand market or by
includes a silent-shooting mode, buying a reconditioned one from
tiltable LCD screen and 4K Olympus. One of its major selling
points at the time was its 60fps

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Olympus Tough TG-6

l Street price around £299 l Street price around £399
l www.olympus.co.uk l www.olympus.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 16MP Four Thirds sensor and is ideal for any shooter l 12MP 1/2.33-inch sensor in 2019. Lightweight and agile,
l MFT lens mount wanting to upgrade from a lower- l 25-100mm equivalent lens the TG-6 is natively waterproof
l ISO 200-25,600 end model. Also available is the l ISO 100-12,800 down to 15m, and additional
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk III S, l 20fps continuous shooting waterproof casing can be
(expandable to 100-25,600) which is essentially the same l 4K video purchased to extend this further.
l 8.6fps continuous shooting camera with a couple of minor The Olympus Tough TG-6 differs With a host of shooting options
l 4K video improvements. These include a somewhat from the rest of the and scene modes, the TG-6 is a
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk III new silent shooting mode and cameras listed here, as it does veritable toy box of a camera for
is the predecessor to the E-M10 new ‘Instant Film’ art filter. not include a Micro Four Thirds travel and holidays. Plus, it can
Mark IV (see left) and it comes sensor and has a fixed lens. capture 4K video.
with a 16.1MP sensor, 5-axis That said, it’s a fantastic
in-body stabilisation and waterproof compact camera, and
4K-video resolution. Despite one that has made a great
being a few years old, this impression since it was launched
camera still delivers great results

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 43

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

The top 10
Panasonic cameras

Do you love your Lumix? Here are the best Panasonic cameras on the
market right now, right across the range, to suit all types of photographers

Panasonic’s Lumix G1 in 2008 was the first models. The firm moved into the full-frame Panasonic cameras have excellent video
mirrorless camera and the company has since market with its Lumix S series cameras, features, with 4K Photo mode producing
secured a reputation for producing highly which use the L lens mount developed by the high-quality stills from 4K footage. Picking
competent and compact Micro Four Thirds Leica, Panasonic and Sigma alliance. just ten of the best was quite a challenge…

Panasonic Lumix S5 Panasonic Lumix GH6

l Street price around £1,549 l Street price around £1,999
l www.panasonic.com/uk l www.panasonic.com/uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.2MP full-frame sensor videographers including HDR, l 25.2MP Four Thirds sensor G series flagship is an
l L lens mount V-Log and S&Q (slow and quick) l MFT lens mount impressive hybrid, offering
l ISO 100-51,200 recording and raw output. That l ISO 100-25,600 pro-level cinema camera features
you get all this in a body that’s and performance at an unrivalled
(expandable to 50-204,800) compact and lightweight feels (expandable to 50-25,600) price. Relatively compact and
l 7 fps continuous shooting like the S5 is Panasonic properly l 75 fps continuous shooting easy to handle, it’s a powerful
l 4K video finding its full-frame feet – and l 5.7K video creative tool for filmmakers, and
The Panasonic Lumix S5 is the hopefully signifies even better With Panasonic’s full-frame S solid for stills photography too.
all-around best full-frame L-mount things to come in the range. range hogging the limelight, Thoughtful design touches make
camera. It’s relatively small and some predicted the company’s the GH6 a joy to use.
has good DSLR-style handling. Lumix G series, which uses
The S5 comes with in-body smaller Micro Four Thirds
stabilisation, a weather-sealed sensors, would fade into
magnesium alloy body and a irrelevance. The Panasonic Lumix
range of options for GH6 banishes such notions; this

Panasonic Lumix S1R Panasonic Lumix G100

l Street price around £2,799 l Street price around £350
l www.panasonic.com/uk l www.panasonic.com/uk

At a glance At a glance

l 47.3MP full-frame sensor high-resolution sensor, which l 20.3MP Four Thirds sensor a camera of this price. The G100
l L lens mount captures beautifully sharp images l MFT lens mount can record 4K footage at up to
l ISO 100-25,600 at its 47.3MP native resolution. l ISO 200-25,600 30fps and stabilise it, although it
The body is rugged and weather- does this electronically rather
(expandable to 50-51,200) sealed, and the 5.76-million-dot (expandable to 100-25,600) than optically, resulting in a
l 9 fps continuous shooting electronic viewfinder is one of the l 10 fps continuous shooting severe 1.8x crop when shooting
l 4K video sharpest of any camera on the l 4K video 4K. There’s also a ten-minute
Along with the S1, the Panasonic market. The in-body stabilisation The G100 is aimed at younger limit for 4K clips. If you can work
Lumix S1R was the vanguard of is effective; the autofocus less photographers and vloggers around such limitations, the
Panasonic’s 2019 arrival in the so, hesitating in low light. upgrading from smartphones. It’s G100 is a solid all-rounder at a
full-frame mirrorless market. This cheap, small and lightweight competitive price.
large and bulky camera is now (345g body only) but still finds
less likeable than the cheaper, room for an electronic viewfinder
more compact S5, but it does which, with a 3.68m-dot
have one major advantage: its resolution, is truly impressive in

44 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Panasonic Lumix LX100 II Panasonic Lumix GX9

l Street price around £749 l Street price around £499
l www.panasonic.com/uk l www.panasonic.com/uk

At a glance At a glance

l 17MP Four Thirds sensor aperture of f/1.7-2.8, allowing it l 20.3MP Four Thirds sensor shoe. Instead there’s a tiny
l 24-75mm equivalent lens to keep shutter speeds fast. Its l MFT lens mount bump for the user’s right hand,
l ISO 200-25,600 standard zoom range can handle l ISO 200-25,600 and the hot shoe and viewfinder
most types of shot, making this are incorporated into the main
(expandable to 100-25,600) a fine choice if you’re travelling (expandable to ISO 100-25,600) body. The viewfinder and screen
l 11 fps continuous shooting and don’t want to cart about a l 9 fps continuous shooting can tilt and there’s room for
l 4K video body and several lenses. It can l 4K video in-body stabilisation. The small
Despite being several years old, also record 4K video (with a While most Panasonic mirrorless size and quiet operation are
the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II slight crop), but the non- models take design cues from useful for street photography.
remains a fantastic premium articulated screen does restrict DSLRs, the company also does a
compact offering mirrorless-level its use as a vlogging tool. small line of rangefinder-style
performance. Compact enough camera bodies. The Lumix GX9
to fit in a jacket pocket and is one, with a slimmer profile, no
weighing just 393g, it has a large large handgrip and no central
sensor and wide maximum ‘bump’ to house its EVF and hot

Panasonic Lumix TZ100 Panasonic Lumix GH5 II

l Street price around £389 l Street price around £1,299
l www.panasonic.com/uk l www.panasonic.com/uk

At a glance At a glance

l 20.1MP 1-inch sensor built-in Wi-Fi. The main drawbacks l 20.3MP Four Thirds sensor resolutions. We think most
l 25-250mm equivalent lens are the rather small electronic l MFT lens mount filmmakers would be better off
l ISO 125-12,800 viewfinder and the fixed nature of l ISO 200-25,600 spending a little extra to get the
the 3in rear LCD. Overall, though, more-powerful GH6, but beyond
(expandable to 80-25,600) this is a likeable camera – you (expandable to 100-25,600) the obvious greater affordability,
l 10 fps continuous shooting get a bit of everything for your l 12 fps continuous shooting the GH5 II does have a couple of
l 4K video cash. Image quality is excellent, l 4K video advantages over its big brother:
Panasonic’s Lumix TZ100 and the pocketable dimensions The long-awaited follow-up to the it supports video live streaming
manages to bridge the gap make the TZ100 appealing as a GH5, the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II and is around 100g lighter.
between premium compacts and travel camera. is, like its predecessor and GH6
superzooms, with its 1-inch successor, a flexible all-rounder
sensor and 10x optical zoom. with plenty for videographers and
Alongside, there’s a rich feature photographers to like. It leans
list which includes 4K video more to video, with its wide
shooting, 10fps shooting and range of codecs, frame rates and

Panasonic Lumix S1 Panasonic Lumix GX80

l Street price around £1,999 l Street price around £260
l www.panasonic.com/uk l www.panasonic.com/uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.2MP full-frame sensor and sensible controls that put l 16MP Four Thirds sensor 12-32mm lens. Its street price is
l L lens mount everything important at your l MFT lens mount considerably discounted from
l ISO 100-51,200 fingertips. It does have some l ISO 200-25,600 launch, and if you’re looking for a
advantages over the S5, in the tiny camera to carry everywhere
(expandable to 50-204,800) form of faster continuous (expandable to 100-25,600) with you, it’s one of the best out
l 9 fps continuous shooting shooting and a sharper EVF. Now l 8 fps continuous shooting there. A quiet shutter also makes
l 4K video that it’s available at a cheaper l 4K video good for street photography. Be
The Panasonic Lumix S1 was price than launch, it’s potentially One of the smallest mirrorless aware that the small size means
one of the first Panasonic a tempting buy over the S5. cameras ever made, the Lumix the absence of features like a
full-frame cameras along with the GX80 can hide amongst compact mic socket for video.
S1R. The arrival of the S5 has cameras and go unnoticed. It
seen its appeal fade, but it’s still has a rectangular rangefinder-like
impressive, with plentiful video design with the viewfinder in the
options, 5-axis in-body left corner of its body, and pairs
stabilisation, solid build quality well with Panasonic’s tiny

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 45

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

The top 10 Pentax
and Ricoh cameras

Welcome to a photographic world of DSLRs and compacts, as we count
off the best cameras made by Pentax and Ricoh

Pentax became a household name in the cameras of all time over its 20-plus years of itself also produces some popular compact
1970s and a decade later more than ten production. The Pentax brand is now owned cameras, so we’ve selected the top ten
million Pentax SLRs had been produced, with by Ricoh Imaging, and the company has Pentax and Ricoh digital cameras, including
the K1000 becoming one of the best-selling iterated its commitment to DSLRs. Ricoh new models and second-hand bargains.

Pentax K-1 II Pentax K-3 III

l Street price around £1,899 l Street price around £1,899
l www.ricoh-imaging.eu l www.ricoh-imaging.eu

At a glance At a glance

l 36.4MP full-frame sensor improvement being the increased l 25.7MP APS-C sensor AF system and, wait for it, 4K
l K lens mount sensitivity to a whopping ISO l K lens mount video! Yes, Pentax can do video,
l ISO 100-819,200 819,200. Otherwise, there’s a l ISO 100-1,600,000 too. This is a solid weather-
l 6.4 fps continuous shooting 36MP full-frame sensor, a large l 12 fps continuous shooting resistant camera weighing 820g.
pentaprism optical viewfinder, l 4K video It has excellent ergonomics, dual
(APS-C mode) sensor shift stabilisation, GPS card slots, a bright and large OVF,
l Full HD video and a unique Astrotracer feature Some were surprised to see a top LCD, though the rear screen
that arguably makes the K-1 II new DSLR in 2021, but the is fixed, which is a shame. The
If you want a full-frame DSLR, the choice for astrophotography. Pentax K-3 III is a mighty fine price is also steep, equivalent to
then the choice is simple. There flagship APS-C format camera, the full-frame K-1 II.
is only one Pentax series of bolstered by a wealth of K-mount
full-frame DSLRs, consisting of APS-C lenses. Highlights include
two cameras. The most recent the back-illuminated sensor with
Pentax K-1 II represented a maximum ISO 1,600,000
modest upgrade from its sensitivity, 12fps with 101-point
predecessor, with a notable
Pentax K-70
Ricoh GR III
l Street price around £690
l Street price around £899 l www.ricoh-imaging.eu
l www.ricoh-imaging.eu

At a glance At a glance

l 24.2MP APS-C sensor the GR III has no viewfinder, and l 24.2MP APS-C sensor view. Here, you have an
l 28mm equivalent lens also has no means of attaching l K lens mount all-purpose camera that is simply
l ISO 100-102,400 one. You have to be comfortable l ISO 100-102,400 a great option to start out with
l 4 fps continuous shooting composing with the rear screen. l 6 fps continuous shooting DSLR photography. It’ll even
l Full HD video Also, its autofocus can l Full HD video provide on-screen prompts as
The Ricoh GR III is a sometimes hunt in low light. If Entry-level DSLRs don’t come you learn the ropes. You simply
photographer’s camera. It’s 28mm is too wide for you, then any better than the Pentax K-70. don’t get these sorts of features
designed for street shooting and also consider the Ricoh GR IIIx. In fact, the K-70 possesses in similarly priced DSLRs. On the
for capturing instantaneous It’s essentially an identical plenty of attributes that even flipside, it is larger and heavier at
moments. It has excellent camera that has a 40mm advanced photographers 688g when compared to other
dynamic range, and its fixed equivalent lens. appreciate, such as a weather- entry-level DSLRs.
28mm equivalent f/2.8 lens is sealed body, comfortable grip,
versatile in a host of situations. and a bright pentaprism optical
One thing to be aware of is that viewfinder with 100% field of

46 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Pentax K-1 Pentax 645Z

l Street price around £899 l Street price around £4,499
l www.ricoh-imaging.eu l www.ricoh-imaging.eu

At a glance At a glance

l 36.4MP full-frame sensor Both cameras offer high levels l 51.4MP medium format sensor 43.8x32.8mm image sensor, and
l K lens mount of sharp detail thanks to a 36MP l 645 AF2 lens mount a tank-like build. It’s a shame that
l ISO 100-204,800 sensor with no anti-aliasing filter l ISO 100-204,800 Pentax seemingly lost interest in
l 6.5 fps continuous shooting (though the stabilisation system l 3 fps continuous shooting medium format DSLRs, never
l Full HD video does enable an anti-aliasing filter l Full HD video introducing a follow-up, nor
simulator). Both cameras are extending the lens line-up. Since
To its credit, there’s not much to comfortable in the hand, albeit The digital medium format the 645Z, Fujifilm launched its
say about the Pentax K-1 that on the heavier side. At less than market was disrupted through GFX range of more cutting-edge
hasn’t already been said about £1,000 second-hand, it’s a the introduction of the Pentax medium format cameras.
the K-1 II. Unless you are a compelling purchase. 645D in 2010. Pentax did away
serious low-light photographer, with the digital back and
then the K-1 offers virtually significantly undercut big players
everything the K-1 II does at a with aggressive pricing. The
significantly lower price (though 2014 successor, the 645Z,
the K-1 is no slouch in low light). sports 51.4MP resolution on a

Pentax K100D Pentax K-x

l Street price around £100 l Street price around £90
l www.ricoh-imaging.eu l www.ricoh-imaging.eu

At a glance At a glance

l 6.1MP APS-C sensor paved the way for still-popular l 12.4MP APS-C sensor – you get a 12.4MP APS-C
l K lens mount features like Astrotracer, Pixel l K lens mount sensor, a decent OVF for the
l ISO 200-3,200 Shift and AA filter simulation. The l ISO 200-6,400 money, sensor-shift stabilisation,
l 2.7 fps continuous shooting K100D has an 11-point AF array l 4.7 fps continuous shooting 4.7fps and, yes, video recording
l No video and optical viewfinder that would l HD video (albeit only in HD, not Full HD).
remain in Pentax APS-C DSLRs
Sensor-shift stabilisation under for many years. Otherwise it We can’t remember a DSLR that Second-hand stock varies, of
the guise of ‘Shake Reduction’ understandably shows its years, has been available in so many course, but make sure you
was introduced in the Pentax with a CCD sensor, modest 6MP colours as the Pentax K-x. The keep an eye on eBay and MPB
K100D and arguably set Pentax resolution, small LCD screen, most memorable has to be the (mpb.com) where you’ll probably
DSLRs apart for some time. 2.7fps drive mode, and no video. Pentax K-x rainbow edition, have little trouble snapping one
Evolved to its current 5-axis form Still, it’s cheap second-hand! though you’ll probably have more up with a basic lens for less
and compatible with a huge luck finding the all-red version. than £100.
number of lenses, this feature
On the inside though, this is a
Pentax K-r pretty solid camera for 2010

l Street price around £90 Ricoh WG-80
l www.ricoh-imaging.eu
l Street price around £349
l www.ricoh-imaging.eu

At a glance At a glance

l 12.4MP APS-C sensor capable shooter, considering its l 20MP 1/2.3-inch sensor white balance modes for
l K lens mount age. With a 12.4MP APS-C l 28-140mm equivalent lens sub-aquatic shooting, as well as
l ISO 200 to 12,800 (100 to 25,600) sensor, extended ISO 100-25,600 l ISO 125-6400 a ring of LED lights around the
l 6 fps continuous shooting range, much improved LCD l Burst rate not specified lens that help make the most of
l HD video screen, 6fps burst and 11-point l Full HD video its macro modes. It’s the newest
We’ve scoured second-hand AF system, the K-r makes If you’re looking for a waterproof in the series, so if it’s too pricey,
stock held by reputable dealers, excellent pictures. Despite its compact to take to the beach, consider seeking out the WG-70
and the best Pentax camera you more premium feel over the K-x, the Ricoh WG-80 is one of the or WG-60, which are basically the
can snag sub-£100 is the Pentax the K-r is not in fact weather- more affordable options out same proposition and can often
K-r, where you’ll get the 18-55mm resistant, although it does pack a there. A tough compact, it’s also be picked up cheap on the
kit lens chucked in. It may have Li-Ion battery rather than AAs. shockproof, and according to second-hand market.
had a short 18-month shelf life, Ricoh, essentially ‘breakproof’.
having been discontinued in Optimised for underwater
2012, but the K-r is a highly shooting, the Ricoh WG-80 has

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 47

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

The top 10
Sony cameras

Here’s the best of the best when it comes to Sony’s formidable line-up of
mirrorless cameras and compacts

There’s so much choice with Sony. It has professional tools in the industry. The focus It hasn’t always been plain sailing, with
done a good job of filling out its range of is on mirrorless, with its flagship full-frame lines like its A-mount DSLRs slowly but surely
digital cameras, from beginner-friendly budget Alpha cameras leading the pack, but the abandoned in favour of mirrorless, but now
models to some of the most sophisticated company makes excellent compacts too. the streamlined range is stronger than ever.

Sony Alpha 1 Sony Alpha 7 IV

l Street price around £6,499 l Street price around £2,399
l www.sony.co.uk l www.sony.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 51MP full-frame sensor basically cheat mode for wildlife l 33MP full-frame sensor market. The Sony Alpha A7 IV is
l E lens mount photography. It can capture 8K l E lens mount the best one yet. This translates
l ISO 100-32,000 30p video and it will do that l ISO 100-51,200 to a revamped 33MP sensor,
internally, with a bit rate of up to with 11fps burst shooting and
(expandable to 50-102,400) 400Mbps. Drop the resolution, (expandable to 50-204,800) super-fast autofocus to play with,
l 30 fps continuous shooting and you’ve got 4K at a maximum l 10 fps continuous shooting as well as a fully articulating
l 8K video frame rate of 120p. The Sony A1 l 4K video LCD screen and a higher-
The Sony Alpha A1 is truly is designed for professionals, resolution viewfinder.
special, and one of the most which is reflected in its price. The Sony A7 cameras are good
technologically advanced for a bit of everything. While the
cameras ever made. Its ability to A7R models focus on resolution,
shoot at 30 frames per second, the A7S models on low-light
maintaining that full 50MP video and the A9 models on
resolution, while adjusting focus speed, the A7 cameras have
and exposure between shots, is developed into some of the best
full-frame all-rounders on the
Sony Alpha 6000
Sony ZV-E10
l Street price around £429
l www.sony.co.uk l Street price around £679
l www.sony.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.3MP sensor point where it’s one of the best l 24.2MP APS-C sensor option to swap out E-mount
l E lens mount budget cameras you can buy. The l E lens mount lenses gives you flexibility. The
l ISO 100-12,800 autofocus system can acquire a l ISO 100-32,000 ZV-E10’s built-in 3-way capsule
subject in 0.06sec and burst microphone gives it better
(expandable to 100-25,600) mode can manage 11fps. The (expandable to 50-51,200) on-board audio recording chops
l 11 fps continuous shooting only area where the A6000 has l 11 fps continuous shooting than most consumer cameras.
l Full HD video started to fall behind is video, as l 4K video While its video capabilities won’t
This fantastic camera has been it pre-dates the 4K boom, and Sony’s ZV series of cameras are match those of flagship cameras
around since 2014, and its doesn’t have a mic jack. designed for vlogging. The Sony like the Sony A7S III, the ZV-E10
specs are still competitive today. ZV-E10 is the first mirrorless works brilliantly for vloggers.
The Sony Alpha A6000 kicked off camera in the series and sports
an entire series of APS-C a 24MP APS-C sensor. It takes a
mirrorless cameras for lot of design cues from the first
enthusiasts, and over the years camera in the series, the Sony
its price has come down to the ZV-1 compact, but having the

48 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Sony RX100 VI Sony Alpha 6400

l Street price around £849 l Street price around £899
l www.sony.co.uk l www.sony.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 20.1MP 1-inch sensor cameras and also packs in plenty l 24.2MP APS-C sensor Time Eye AF technologies in the
l 24-200mm equiv lens of high-end features for a camera l E lens mount autofocus gives you real flexibility
l ISO 125-12,800 in this class. Having 24fps burst l ISO 100-32,000 in all sorts of types of shooting,
l 24 fps continuous shooting shooting with focus and exposure and having the Bionz X processor
l 4K video adjustment, up to a 233-shot (expandable to 100-102,400) means you can continuously
Though this isn’t the most recent JPEG buffer, is no small thing. l 11 fps continuous shooting shoot 116 consecutive JPEG
Sony RX100 compact camera The little Sony RX100 VI is still l 4K video frames before the camera starts
(that title belongs to the Mark pocketable, meaning it’s ideal for The APS-C Sony A6400 debuted to stutter. This is also a good
VII), the price of this sixth taking on city breaks and hikes. an autofocus system so choice for streaming and
iteration has reduced enough sophisticated it would vlogging, with useful features like
since its release that we think subsequently be ported over to a flip-around 16:9 LCD monitor.
it’s a smart buy for travel the flagship full-frame models, so
photographers. It’s got a longer it’s fair to say this camera
built-in lens than previous RX100 punches above its weight. Having
Real Time Tracking and Real

Sony Alpha 7C Sony Alpha 9 II

l Street price around £1,699 l Street price around £4,199
l www.sony.co.uk l www.sony.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 24.2MP full-frame sensor vloggers. It has a fully l 24MP full-frame sensor calculations per
l E lens mount articulating screen, as well as l E lens mount second, and it
l ISO 100-51,200 mic and headphone sockets that l ISO 100-51200 can shoot at
are smartly positioned not to 20fps with the
(expandable to 50-204,800) block the screen when it’s facing (expandable to 50-204,800) electronic shutter, or
l 10 fps continuous shooting forwards. Its 4K 30p footage l 20 fps continuous shooting 10fps with the mechanical. The
l 4K video looks gorgeous, with good l 4K video A9 II burst-shoots with no
Sony loves small cameras, even dynamic range thanks to the Sony shook up sports viewfinder blackout, so you can
when they’ve got big sensors. full-frame sensor. The tiny body photography with its super-fast keep laser-focused on your
The Sony Alpha A7C is a means it pairs best with A9, and the Sony Alpha A9 II is subject. It’s hard to think of many
relatively recent entry to the compact FE-mount prime lenses. even more impressive. It’s other cameras that can match its
full-frame A7 line and feels like designed to capture any subject, ability to really nail the shot.
an attempt to get back to basics, no matter how fast-moving. Its
with a diminutive design and ground-breaking autofocus
simple layout, making it ideal for system makes up to 60 AF

Sony Alpha 7R IV Sony Alpha 7S III

l Street price around £3,199 l Street price around £3,799
l www.sony.co.uk l www.sony.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 61MP full-frame sensor perfect choice for landscape l 12.1MP full-frame sensor position as a
l E lens mount photographers as the A7R IV l E lens mount tool for serious
l ISO 100-32,000 captures images with fine l ISO 80-102,400 filmmakers. The
gradation, and a 15-stop A7S III adds handling upgrades
(expandable to 50-204,800) dynamic range if you use it at the (expandable to 40-409,600) like a side-hinged fully articulated
l 10 fps continuous shooting low end of its ISO scale. l 10 fps continuous shooting LCD, and an overhauled touch-
l 4K video l 4K video sensitive interface. With twin card
With the A7R series, Sony has Pair it with a high-quality, The original Sony A7S really slots and a back-illuminated
continually broken the large-aperture prime lens from changed the game for low-light sensor structure, this camera
boundaries of resolution for E-mount, and the results are video. Its ability to effectively can keep up with even the most
full-frame cameras. The Alpha nothing short of astonishing. shoot in the dark at ISO 409,600 demanding video shoots.
A7R IV is the latest and greatest; redefined what was thought
with a whopping 61 million pixels possible. The A7S II further upped
of resolution, you can capture an the ante by adding internal 4K
astonishing level of detail. It’s a recording, solidifying the series’

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 49

Testbench TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING

The top 10
Canon lenses

We pick our absolute favourite lenses across the Canon range, including
mirrorless and DSLR optics, for all sensor sizes

The best camera isn’t worth much without an EF-S lenses for DSLRs, EF-M glass for APS-C ones that deliver real value for money. We
excellent lens – fortunately, Canon has these mirrorless, and RF lenses for the flagship believe each lens here is worth its price tag.
in spades. We’ve come up with ten of our EOS R cameras. These aren’t just the Note that we haven’t factored in third-party
favourite lenses for Canon systems; EF and optically best lenses – instead, we’ve chosen lenses in these lists, or we’d be here all day!

Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

l Street price around £2,729 l Street price around £129
l www.canon.co.uk l www.canon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 77mm filter thread 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for l 49mm filter thread breaking the bank. It has
l 90x146mm dimensions full-frame cameras – impressive! l 39x69mm dimensions improved build quality over
l 1,070g weight It also offers excellent image l 160g weight Canon’s older EF 50mm f/1.8 II,
l 70cm min. focus distance quality as well as the high-quality l 35cm min. focus distance but produces results of similar
It seems to be the rule that build you’d expect from an L- This small ‘nifty fifty’ improves quality. Stopping down from
every full-frame camera has to series lens. If it’s beyond your upon older designs, incorporating f/1.8 to f/2.8 improves
offer a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, budget, a more affordable option a Stepper Motor (STM) for sharpness and all trace of corner
then a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, would be the RF 70-200mm F4L smoother and quieter AF. It’s shading disappears by f/4. It’s a
and the Canon RF 70-200mm IS USM (£1,699) if you don’t compatible with full-frame and popular choice for those who feel
F2.8L IS USM is Canon’s version mind the slightly slower aperture. APS-C DSLRs, and if you enjoy they’ve outgrown a kit zoom.
for its RF mirrorless system. shooting portraits or any subject
What’s special about this one, where you’d like to create
though, is that when released it attractive background blur, this
was the smallest and lightest lens lets you do it without

Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM

l Street price around £2,979 l Street price around £3,099
l www.canon.co.uk l www.canon.co.uk

At a glance At a glance

l 77mm filter thread get sharp shots even when l No filter thread interior photography, and demand
l 94x208mm dimensions using lots of zoom. Build quality l 132x108mm dimensions a lens that’s not only capable of
l 1,370g weight is very good and includes l 1,180g weight squeezing as much of your
l 90-120cm min. focus distance weather- sealing, and as l 28cm min. focus distance surroundings as possible into
The Canon RF 100-500mm expected, the lens gives Canon and its engineers must the frame, but does so with
F4.5-7.1L IS USM lens offers a excellent image quality. The lens be praised for constructing one exceptional optical performance,
longer telephoto reach than your weighs in at a respectable of their finest L-series lenses, this is one to add to your wish
standard 100-400mm telephoto 1.37kg, making it easier than and for the way they’ve created list. You may also be able to
zoom lens. The lens has optical some other telephotos to take the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L find it second-hand, saving
image stabilisation (IS) that with you when needed. USM lens – one of, if not the you money.
works in combination with the best, rectilinear wideangle zooms
camera body’s in-body image ever made. If you’re a full-frame
stabilisation (IBIS) on the EOS user who specialises in
R5 and R6 cameras to help you landscape, architectural or

50 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk