14 BONUS GIFTS!

RADIANT
PHOTO
SOFTWAR
OFFER! E

9 PHOTO TIPS CARDS • 15 ACTIONS, PRESETS & PROFILES • 40 MINS OF VIDEO • & MORE

TAKE
BETTER
PHOTOS
TODAY

Issue 264 February 2023 www.digitalcameraworld.com

GET CREATIVE THIS WINTER!

PAINTING
WITH LIGHT
Light trails

Fire spins

Light orbs

PC & Mac

& more!
G RO U P TE S T

8 of the best
photo printers

TE S TE D

Canon EOS
R6 Mark II
Mirrorless with
added magic!

H OT S H OT S

The year’s best
weather photos

FREE! WITH THIS ISSUE
4

MINU0
OF VI TES
DEO

New presets for
Lightroom & Photoshop

9 All-new photo
tips cards

40 mins of expert
video tutorials

290-page
Buyer’s Guide

RADIANT PHOTO
Software offer

Editorial
Editor Niall Hampton niall.hampton@futurenet.com
Contributing editors Marcus Hawkins & Claire Gillo
Technique editor Alistair Campbell alistair.campbell@futurenet.com
Art editor Roddy Llewellyn richard.llewellyn@futurenet.com
Group production editor Steve Wright steve.wright@futurenet.com
Reviews editor Gareth Bevan gareth.bevan@futurenet.com
Imaging labs manager Ben Andrews ben.andrews@futurenet.com
Contributors
James Abbott, Ben Brain, Jon Devo, Andrew James, Rod Lawton, Sean
McCormack, Dan Mold, James Paterson, Matthew Richards
Cover image Getty
Photography Bath Photo Studio
All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected
Advertising
Commercial director Clare Dove clare.dove@futurenet.com
Advertising sales manager Michael Pyatt
michael.pyatt@futurenet.com
Account director Matt Bailey matt.bailey@futurenet.com
Account director George Lucas george.lucas@futurenet.com
Media packs are available on request
Licensing & Syndication
Digital Camera is available for licensing and syndication. To find
out more, contact us at licensing@futurenet.com or view our
available content at www.futurecontenthub.com
Head of print licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com
Subscriptions
New orders: www.magazinesdirect.com
Phone: 0330 333 1113. Email: help@magazinesdirect.com
Renewals/queries: www.mymagazine.co.uk
Phone: 0330 333 4333. Email: help@mymagazine.co.uk
Overseas new orders: help@magazinesdirect.com
Overseas renewals/queries: help@mymagazine.co.uk
Magazines marketing director Sharon Todd
Circulation
Head of newstrade Tim Mathers
Production
Head of production US & UK Mark Constance
Production project manager Clare Scott
Senior advertising production manager Jo Crosby
Digital editions controller Jason Hudson
Production manager Vivienne Calvert
Management
Managing director Stuart Williams
Content director Chris George chris.george@futurenet.com
Group art director Warren Brown
Chief revenue officer Zack Sullivan
Printed by
William Gibbons on behalf of Future
Distributed by
Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU
www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 020 3787 9001
Subscription delays
We rely on various delivery companies
to get your magazine to you – many of whom
continue to be impacted by Covid-19. We kindly
ask that you allow up to seven days before
contacting us about a late delivery,
via: help@magazinesdirect.com

Welcome
appy New Year to all Digital Camera readers!
The days might be short, but this doesn’t have
to stunt your creativity – now is the ideal time
to master painting with light. Our cover feature
(p50) will walk you through how to get started, with a series
of tutorials that will take your photography in completely
new directions – learn how to capture light trails, fire spins,
light orbs and more! Also this month, there’s another stellar
set of projects in Photo Active (p16), and you won’t fail to be
inspired by Lucy Rose Tindall and her stunning creative
still-life images (p8). Other highlights in our February
issue include the launch of the latest
Remembering Wildlife conservation
book (p86) and an interview with two
of its contributors (p120). Plus, we put
eight leading photo printers through
real-world testing, so you can keep
busy on those indoor evenings.
SUBSCRIBE AND
Enjoy the issue.
GET 3 ISSUES

H

FOR £/$/€3!

Niall Hampton, editor
niall.hampton@futurenet.com

Get Digital Camera delivered
to your door and save money
on the newstand price
Page 40

Follow
us or get
in touch…
www.facebook.com/
Digitalcameraworld
Keep up to date
on social media

Instagram:
@digitalcameramag
Another way
to follow us

Future plc is a public
company quoted on the
London Stock Exchange
(symbol: FUTR)
www.futureplc.com

Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne
Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford
Chief Financial and Strategy Officer Penny Ladkin-Brand

Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

Email: digitalcamera
@futurenet.com
Please mark the
subject clearly

Scan this to
get our daily
newsletter!

Contents
PAINTING
WITH LIGHT

Photo skills
8 One to One

See how pro product photographer
Lucy Rose Tindall approaches creative
still-life shooting in her home studio

Fresh inspiration on every page –
choose from 10 all-new projects
across a variety of popular genres

Painting with light
50	

Short days means long nights – it’s
the perfect time to master low-light
photography. Dan Mold is your guide

Practical Photoshop
Tutorials for Lightroom, Photoshop
and Camera Raw, plus your latest
batch of bonus software extras

80 Radiant Photo

New sponsored tutorial series explores
the power of this editing software

88 Photo Answers

Our expert answers your questions,
plus Tech Check and Image Rescue

4

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

42

Hotshots_ The winning images
from the Weather Photographer
of the Year 2022 competition

73

Practical Photoshop _ Get the
most out of Lightroom, Photoshop
and Camera Raw with our tutorials

Regulars
The Art of Seeing
39	

Marcel Duchamp inspires Ben Brain

Hotshots
42	

Weather Photographer of the Year

Photo Active
16	

73

50

Jamie Russell / Weather Photographer
of the Year 2022

HOW TO MASTER

ISSUE 264
FEBRUARY 2023

62 Reader Gallery

Presenting the month’s best images

72 Shot of the Month

‘Ranchland’ by Anouk Masson Krantz

86

Remembering

Leopards competition
Submit your best leopard shot!

92

In Focus

94

Jon Devo column

The latest camera kit and accessories

Our tech-spert’s latest musings

120	Interview

Tristan Dicks and Will Burrard-Lucas

132	What the f-stop!

FEBRUARY 2023

Test your photography knowledge

Gear & tests
96 Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Brand’s latest enthusiast mirrorless

100	Sony Alpha 7R V

61MP monster with AI-aided autofocus

104	Affinity Photo 2

Update for super-capable image editor

107	Nikkor Z 17-28mm f/2.8
New ‘trinity’ fast wide-angle

roup Test:
108	GPhoto
printers
We put the best-buy A4 and A3/A3+
models through real-world testing

Contents

Subscribe & save
3 issues for £/$/€3!
Page 40
HURRY!
LIMITED
TIME
OFFER

This
month’s
contributors
Tristan Dicks
Wildlife photographer

Will Burrard-Lucas

Remembering Leopards
contributor Tristan has devoted
his life to the wildernesses and
wildlife of Southern Africa. Find
out more on page 120

Will Burrard-Lucas
Wildlife photographer

120

Interview _ As the Remembering Wildlife series of conservation books
launches its latest title, we speak to two of its contributors to find out
why they love photographing the elusive but bewitching leopard

Will returns to Digital Camera
to tell us why he has been so
entranced by leopards, as we
preview the eighth book from
Remembering Wildlife. Page 120

Lucy Rose Tindall
Product photographer
Fresh from her most recent
appearance in Photo Active, Lucy
takes us behind the scenes of
one of her home studio still-life
shoots, in One to One. Page 8

Jon Devo
Photographer & writer

8

Our resident tech columnist
enjoys considering the latest
developments in digital imaging
and photography. Read his latest
musings on page 94

One to One _ Discover how Lucy Rose Tindall shoots mesmerising still-life
images at home, using everyday props and a lighting setup that draws on
coloured gels and backgrounds to create a distinctive aesthetic

Bea Lubas

16

Food photographer

Photo Active _ 10 things to shoot, edit or create this month. Learn how to
shoot light streaks in city streets, get creative with oil and water at home,
photograph purrfect pets and choose from a brace of outdoor projects

The author of How to Photograph
Food is also an ambassador for
Adobe Lightroom. Bea walks you
through her editing steps to make
a food flat lay more tasty. Page 26

Carl Hare
Commercial photographer
Specialising in landscapes, travel
and documentary, Carl loves
shooting in the Arctic. He shares
his insights for capturing the
aurora borealis on page 34



FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

5

Your gifts

Download your gifts via digitalcameraworld.com/dc264

9 PHOTO
TIPS CARDS
TO TAKE ON
LOCATION!

RADIANT PHOTO
READER OFFER
This issue, we’re
launching a tutorial
series for this new
image editing
program – turn to
page 80 to find out
how to get a copy
of the software

Our latest selection of tips
cards offers wallet-sized advice
on popular genres including
landscapes, action, wildlife,
macro and black and white.

Transform your images
instantly with our latest
set of bonus actions,
profiles and a preset

S
15 BONU E
R
A
W
T
SOF
!
EXTRAS
Turn to
page 84

We’ve curated a great selection of
software extras to complement this
issue’s tutorials and give your shots a
professional look. You can find them
with this issue’s other bonus digital
gifts – see the instructions below.

HOW TO GET YOUR DIGITAL GIFTS
STEP 1

www.digitalcamera
world.com/dc264

Enter the URL www.digitalcameraworld.
com/dc264 into the destination bar of your
internet browser – we’re using Google
Chrome, but other browsers work
in a similar way. Please do not enter it
in any search field or search bar. This
will take you to a page on our website.
D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Over 280
pages of
camera and
lens reviews,
plus buying
advice for
accessories!
See the Gifts
folder in your
download.

STEP 3

STEP 2

ENTER THIS URL

6

Buyer’s Guide ebook

JANUARY 2022
FEBRUARY
2023

ACCESS YOUR FILES
JUST CLICK THE
HIGHLIGHTED LINK
Click on the link labelled ‘Download the
disc for Digital Camera 264’ and your
download will start, delivered from our
own server. Please override any browser
warnings about downloading from a
non-secure source – our server is safe!

Open the .zip

In your Downloads folder, or wherever you
chose to download your files to, double-click
the dc264-disc.zip file icon. Then when it
expands, double-click Digital Camera 264
Files. The download content will display like
this (above), clearly arranged in sub-folders.
Keep Digital Camera 264 Files and delete
dc264-disc.zip. Enjoy your digital gifts!

www.digitalcameraworld.com

one
to
one

Queen of the
crystal skulls

Alistair Campbell joins Lucy Rose Tindall as she instils new
life into inanimate objects by finely crafting light, shape
and colour in the comfort of her home studio

Lucy Rose Tindall

Creative still-life with Lucy Rose Tindall

Lucy Rose Tindall
Product photographer

After graduating with a photography
degree, Lucy is now a full-time
photographer and retoucher. Her
style is prominent, sometimes
minimalist, but always experimental.
www.lucyrosetindall.com

oday we’re in
Shirehampton, a
small town on the
outskirts of Bristol
that lies beside the
River Avon. More
importantly, it’s home to Lucy
Rose Tindall, the queen of colour.
Lucy spends most of her time
shooting product photography
for vibrant clients who sell unique
items, from bespoke jewellery
and plant pots to tarot cards
and phone cases.
Lucy first discovered her
passion for photography by
shooting fashion on location, but
more lately has found her groove
while working from her dedicated
home studio. As some coffee
brews in the kitchen, we head
through into the studio.
“This was always meant to
become my dining room, but the
need to have a creative space just
took over,” jokes Lucy. “It’s not
huge, but it’s got everything I
need within reaching distance,
which I see as a small victory.”
Lucy has obviously had some
time to prepare the room a little
before I arrive. Three distinct
areas are set up side by side: one
pale pink with crystals, one dark

T

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

with a ram’s skull, and the third a
light brown setup with old books.
Lucy decides to start with the
pink backdrop and begins to
make a random arrangement
of crystals from her bowlful of
choices. Is there an end goal,
I ask – how do you know
when you’re ready to shoot?
“Everything I do is
experimental. I place things and
then move them. I have loads of
beaten-up old coloured gels that
I change every few minutes until
I see something I like, and that’s
why I also like shooting with a
zoom lens – I can change the
shot size constantly, which is
probably the main factor to my
experimentation. I do have a
couple of prime lenses and
although they are optically better,
I don’t feel as creative when I use
them. Today I’m shooting with a
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II; I
have often thought about getting
a macro lens, but this one always
seems to get me close enough.”
Lucy has three Godox
DP600III heads in her studio and
uses two of them at a traditional
45º angle (one to the left, and one
to the right) of her pink backdrop.
Her reliable roll of

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

one
to
one

Finding the right
power and colour
“In a smaller space (often when shooting
from home), lights can sometimes feel
quite powerful, and it can also be difficult
to move them physically further away
from your subjects. To compensate for
this, I usually set my ISO to L50, then
typically shoot with a power output of
1/32 or 1/64. For the crystal setup, I set
strobe A to 1/32, as it was a little further
away, and strobe B to 1/64, which gave
a pretty even and consistent light across
the image. For me, colours are purely
experimental – certain combinations will
always work well, like red and green, or a
cool and warm tone mixed together, such
as blue and orange. Sometimes I’ll even
layer a couple of gels together to see
what happens; I try not to feel restricted
by finding the perfect match.”
The power settings of Lucy’s lighting
are as experimental as her colours.

Having everything to hand means that Lucy can quickly and efficiently work through multiple
colour choices, change the backgrounds or lighting setups, and in turn get to the final result
quicker while offering her clients plenty of options when processing the images afterwards.

sticky tape not only holds the backdrops up,
but also comes in handy for hanging coloured
gels to the lights. Lucy turns on the modelling
light on the Godox and offers up two or three
randomly chosen colours before finally
settling on red: “I find that it’s a good idea to
look at a few options with the modelling light
on first, then I’ll turn it off to shoot. I found
out the hard way that these gels melt easily
if they’re left under constant light.”
As Lucy begins photographing the crystal
formation, I ask her about her settings and
how she came up with her exposure triangle.
“I always shoot with my ISO set to L50; I
realise that might sound a bit unusual, but it
works for me. Then I’ll always use 1/125 sec
for my shutter speed and finally tweak my
aperture, but that will typically stay at around
f/5.6-f/7. I understand that a lot of people like
to shoot with faster apertures like f/2.8, but

with products and smaller items, that just
leaves far too much of the image blurry.”
As Lucy continues to work, I can now see
why she leaves her settings alone while
shooting: to fully immerse herself in finding
the right framing and composition.
Kneeling down to get low, then shooting
from above, zooming in and out and
physically moving forward and backwards,
it’s almost like a finely choreographed
dance as the shimmer and sparkles
begin to bounce into the camera.
“With the crystals, I find it great to move
them around just to find out which kind of
angle I’m approaching them from – it could
be structure, depth or just colour.
The full-frame Sony A7R IV’s 61MP
resolution allows Lucy to shoot wider and
have the ability to crop into the frame later.

Lucy leaves her
settings alone while
shooting, to immerse
herself in framing
and composition
10

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Creative still-life with Lucy Rose Tindall
11.43am

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/6.3, ISO L50

11.51am

11.49am

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/6.3, ISO L50

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/6.3, ISO L50

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

11

one
to
one
5

2

3

1
4

Lucy’s still-life shooting setup
Top tips for capturing small objects in a big way

1

Godox DP 600III

“An advanced version of its predecessor, this 600W
studio light has a colour temperature of 5600K
and a fast one-second recycle time to full power.”

2

Godox X-Pro-S transmitter

3

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

“This is a versatile trigger for controlling Godox
portable flashes and studio flash heads with the
built-in Wireless X system.”

“This award-winning standard zoom lens is designed
specifically for Sony’s full-frame system cameras and
comes with a constant and bright f/2.8 aperture.”

4 Sony A7R IV

“The latest version of this full-frame hybrid camera
packs cutting-edge technology in a new body design.”

5

Unbranded Coloured gels

“ You can pick up a wide variety of coloured gels easily
online, with variations of density or colour shade. You
can even double them up and experiment.”

Moving them around and placing them
together definitely helps to achieve different
looks and outcomes – when I shoot I tend to
move them around often! Crystals are magical
to photograph because they come in all shapes
and sizes, are unpredictable, and with their
small details within are also a part of nature.”
Lucy’s instinct to be experimental kicks in
again as she takes the tape off that’s holding
up the pre-prepared green backdrop intended
for the skull, and gently slides it across to
overlay it with the pink backdrop from the
crystals, creating a new half-and-half space.
Carefully placing the skull on the centre line
and surrounding it with the dried foliage, Lucy
identifies some brighter flowers and some
duller colours, separates them into two piles
and places them on the corresponding
backdrop – this is true creative freedom.
“That was fun, I didn’t expect to shoot that,”
she says. “I have had this skull for many years,
but I’m going to put it back onto the darker area
now.” Back to her tried-and-tested system of
offering up gels to the light and going with a
warm and cool mix, Lucy opts for a more
minimalistic approach this time.

Crystals are magical
to shoot because
they come in all
shapes and sizes
12

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

By using a combination
of cool blue gels and
a White Balance range
between 2700K5500K, Lucy has full
control over the colour
temperature of her
images. Shooting raw
files means that you
can tweak things later,
but Lucy recommends
always trying to get
things right in-camera.

Creative still-life with Lucy Rose Tindall
12.25pm

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/7.1, ISO L50

Bring some style to
your still-life shots

12.33pm

Understanding colour can be the key to success
“Try to understand
which colours mix
well together – look at
a colour wheel and try
to mix opposite or
adjacent colours.”

1

“Use dark
backgrounds.
I picked up this
deep green card from
Hobbycraft, and it makes
the skull stand out.”

2

“Try shooting with a
mid-range aperture
on your lens. A setting
such as f/8 is a sweet
spot for many optics and
will give beautiful detail
across the image.”

3

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

“Shoot handheld
– this will give you
the most flexibility for
finding the perfect angle
for your subject. A tripod
will only offer one
perspective at a time.”

4

5 “Keep your ISO low.

This will give fine
detail when you come to
edit your images later on,
especially in the darker
areas of your photo.”

6 “Good photographs

start with strong
composition – tweak
the position of all your
elements as you go until
they are perfect.”

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/7.1, ISO L50

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

13

one
to
one

The versatile Godox DP600III heads allow modifiers to be changed with ease – here,
Lucy changes to a reflective umbrella to have a softer light fall onto the old books.

Five ways to shoot pro still-life at home
Lucy explains how to get the most perfect shots from your home studio equipment

Having plenty of coloured backgrounds
to choose from means that you can tailor
them to complement any product.

“Photographing the skull has been a constant
thing for me – it’s a still-life prop that has
some history attached and I can always find
complementary ways to capture it,” Lucy
adds. “I’ve have a soft spot for the macabre,
so I guess this is my way of celebrating that.”
For the final setup of the day, Lucy swaps to
a reflective umbrella, with the strobe facing
away and towards the ceiling. Here, the idea
is to create a softer drop-down lighting style.
“I do love shooting darker images, but for
product photography you need to be able
to make something look natural and light –
as people need to see in full detail what
they might be buying, it is the best way
for a client to present its products.”
Lucy’s house is a characterful treasure
trove of quirky items. She begins to shoot with
just the books and dried flowers, but feels
something is missing. Grabbing a candelabra
from the hallway, she places it at the rear of
the scene: “There we go – that works!”
It’s clear to me that Lucy could play in her
dining room-cum-home studio for hours yet,
but your correspondent’s time is up, so this
magical mystery tour of close-up detail and
vibrant colour must come to an end.
14

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

1

“Photograph any objects you can find and see if it works – you’d be surprised
to see which objects contribute to a good still-life photograph.”

2

“Don’t be shy – move the lighting around until you feel like you’re getting
the results in camera that you feel comfortable with.”

3

“Work with gels – adding a bit of colour can really alter the mood of the entire
photograph. Try experimenting with them and layering them up for different results.”

4

“Move around, changing your height from a low perspective to a high perspective.
This will provide a variety of results that you can play with when editing.”

5

“Crop in – smaller subjects can be brought more to life by doing this, bringing
forward more of the detail that we wouldn’t normally get to see.”

Go wireless for maximum lighting control
Off-camera flash allows you to quickly and
easily create professional-looking lighting
– as opposed to on-camera flash, which
can often create very bright and flatlooking images. With the Godox X-Pro
transmitter, you can adjust the power of
your lights from your shooting position.
Shooting in a small studio space is not so
much of an issue, because the lights are
usually within touching distance. But when
shooting in larger spaces, you will lose
valuable shooting time by having to
regularly walk over to your lights and then
back to your main shooting position.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Creative still-life with Lucy Rose Tindall
Camera

Sony A7R IV

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/5, ISO L50

13.01pm

13.07pm

13.08pm
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/5, ISO L50

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Camera

Sony A7R IV

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Lens

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/5, ISO L50

Exposure

1/125 sec at f/5, ISO L50

13.09pm

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

15

10 things you can shoot,
edit or create this month,
from purrfect pets, starry
skies and vibrant vistas

30
secs

f/8

ISO
160

1 | CREATIVE

Get streaks ahead
Alistair Campbell makes good use
of the darker nights by shooting long
exposure techniques in busy bus lanes
here are many creative
ways to use light trails.
Cityscapes, landscapes
and even portraits can
benefit from light trails,
creating a sense of energy and motion
and adding streaks of colour to an
otherwise dreary scene.
Light trails create a sense of speed
and energy in an image. A viewer
inherently knows that the light trail
was created by a moving object, so they
perceive it as motion across the frame.
By shooting long exposures, you are able
to slow down time and view the world in a
whole new way: one that only cameras
can see. It’s also a fantastic means of

T

16

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

increasing your understanding of the
exposure triangle: aperture, shutter
speed and ISO. If you haven’t tried long
exposures before, it can be an instantly
rewarding technique and act as another
string to your creative bow. The short
midwinter days mean that you don’t
have to wait until nearly midnight
to shoot this kind of photography.
I headed into Bristol city centre at
around 5pm, and half an hour later
was able to start shooting 30-second
exposures. This shot was taken looking
towards Park Street – one of the
steepest shopping streets in Europe,
with a 15% incline, making it an ideal
spot for capturing light trails.

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

TIP CARD
Take it on location

With a kit list, go-to settings
and a technique summary, our
dedicated photo tip card will
get you up and running on
this project in no time!

No built-in ND option on your
camera? Use a physical filter

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

Alistair Campbell

Although this image was shot using a camera’s built-in
ND filter, you can achieve the same effect with a physical
filter system, using the same settings and technique and
shooting from a tripod. Shooting with a physical system
offers a range of benefits, including having a variety
of different-strength filters to call on. These are
designed to suit particular shooting scenarios,
like a graduated filter for taming bright skies.

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

17

1

Use a tripod

2

 nless you’re looking to capture
U
intentional camera movement
(ICM) images, you can’t shoot long
exposures without a firm base to
rest the camera on. A tripod is the
favoured option here, as you can
frame up and then make micro
adjustments to your composition.
As you may have to walk around
to find the perfect spot, try to
source a strong, light tripod.

Limit camera shake

I t’s important not to hold onto your
tripod while your camera is taking
the photo. Some think holding on will
make the camera shake less, but it’s
more likely that your hands will move
and cause the image to blur, so keep
your hands off and let the tripod take
care of matters. It’s not always a good
idea to use the centre column for extra
height, as this is the weakest part of
the tripod and might rock in the wind.

3

Activate your
shutter hands-free

 ry using a shutter release cable –
T
that way, you don’t have to touch
the camera at all. Alternatively, set
the self-timer to 2 or 5 secs, which
will allow you to get your hands
away from the camera before
starting the exposure. On more
modern cameras, you might be
able to fire the shutter via an
app on your smartphone.

Reduce the noise in
your night photos
How to work smart when shooting light trails
Here, I’m shooting with a Fujifilm X100V. With
a built-in four-stop ND filter and a reasonably
wide focal length (23mm), it is perfect for long
exposures. Your shooting position is important
– in the image on the previous page, a bus stop
halfway up the street caused the traffic to halt,
and a pelican crossing just out of shot to the right
caused the light trails to stop. With my ND filter
activated and my ISO set to a base level of 160,
I set my shutter speed to 30 secs and finally found

18

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

a mid-range aperture of f/8. Try not to only look in
the direction the moving lights might come from,
but also think about the street lights, as they can
all add to the overall vibe. Although it wasn’t
necessary on the night, I removed the camera’s
strap, which could have caused some unwanted
image blur if it was windy. This shot took seven or
eight attempts to get right, so remember that this
technique is all about experimentation – don’t
expect to create perfect images every time.

FEBRUARY 2023

This is personal preference (and not all
cameras have the option), but you could
try enabling the Long Exposure Noise
Reduction feature. This is a camera
setting that takes two photos, one
after the other, and the second photo
is known as a ‘dark frame’ because
the camera’s shutter is closed during
the exposure. Dark-frame exposures
contain image noise and hot pixels;
your camera then automatically
subtracts the second image from
the first, reducing noise and especially
hot pixels in your primary shot.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

2 | ASTRO

The wonders
of dark skies

Hanna Baguley describes how
she creates her otherworldly
images of north Wales
am an astro, portrait and landscape
photographer from the beautiful Isle
of Anglesey, which is off the coast
of north Wales. For me, the creation
of art is the process of capturing an image that
represents a moment in time. I have been
enchanted by the wonders of my homeland
from a young age, from the most incredible dark
skies and landscapes to the myths, legends and
stories threaded through countless generations.
I take great inspiration from these, and
especially from astrophotography, which takes
me to different places that can feel otherworldly
in darkness. As the weather can be unpredictable
at the best of times, the right gear is essential
– waterproofs, walking boots, base layers and
thermals! For me, it’s essential to picture and
plan my compositions beforehand. When
possible, I tend to do a daytime recce with
friends to scope out my foregrounds.
I have spent many a cold night waiting for the
Milky Way to align with my foreground, watching
bioluminescent shores sparkle in the moonlight,
and capturing meteor showers soaring through
the sky. Most of all, I have gained confidence in
myself and my work, so keep practising, keep
socialising, and keep peering upwards.
www.hannabaguley.com

30
secs

f/1.8

ISO
6400

Top tips for becoming
an astro superstar
When shooting astrophotography using
a tripod setup that doesn’t track the
sky, the ‘500 Rule’ is among the most
successful tactics for beginners to
capture sharp stars. As a general rule of
thumb, you need to take the number 500
and divide it by the focal length of your
lens. This will give you the longest exposure
time before stars start to trail or blur.
For example, if taking a shot with a
16mm lens on a full-frame camera,
500 ÷ 16 = 31.25 seconds.

20

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Hanna Baguley

I

Cwyfan

Talybont

et’s try to create
a setup that will
produce bright
and colourful
images, but
without having to go to much
expense. One established
favourite is oil and water –
whether you’re just looking
to have some fun with the
grandchildren or are a veteran
of macro photography, this is a
great project for anyone to try.

L

3 | MACRO

Close-up colours
Shoot some creative projects from
the comfort of home this winter

f/13

ISO
500

James Sheppard

1/1000
sec

In the cold winter months, it’s
important to keep your creativity
flowing, and having a project to
shoot at home is ideal. Setting
this project up is easy and will
give you plenty of photographic
opportunities with minimum
fuss. To keep your project
flowing, try finding other objects
around your home to shoot,
like feathers and leaves that are
full of texture, before you need to
start packing everything away.

For more detail, close
down your aperture
Narrowing your aperture to
around f/10 will eliminate blurry
sections in the image. You should
shoot from a tripod and increase
your ISO to get a balanced
exposure across the photo.

22

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023
2018

Try using flash

Find your focal length

You can use a flash unit placed on
top of the camera, or place it to one
side to create more dramatic tones
and contrast, firing it with a remote
trigger. This will also allow you to
reach a deeper aperture without
having to use high ISO settings.

For the majority of scenarios, you
might want to find a lens within a
60mm-105mm focal range. This
won’t leave you too close or too far
away from your intended subjects.
The longer the focal length, the
more difficult it will be to use.

www.digitalcameraworld.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com

4 | PETS

A purrfect
portrait

Elke Vogelsang describes
how she captures cats and
dogs in action in the studio
ats are so much harder to photograph
than dogs. If they can’t be bothered,
then they won’t play ball just for the
sake of our creative needs. Young cats
are still more playful than older ones, and sessions
with cats are usually shorter than with dogs.
Playful cats can be engaged in a play with a long
feather or little plush toy, or even only some strings
of wool. I make sure the cats have a great time
chasing the ‘prey’ and try to capture images of them
attempting to catch it. For this, I press the shutter
during that fraction of the second the toy is out of
sight for the camera, but the cat is still trying to
catch it. For these kind of action shots, a fast
shutter speed is necessary (around 1/1000 sec).
To make sure the cat is not too bothered by flash,
I use a continuous light source as a modelling
light and put the strobe on low power. Switching
off camera or flash beeps is also highly
recommended, as they might irritate the cat.
Now that I have a separate continuous light
source, I have to use a fast shutter speed of around
1/1000 sec to freeze the action, so I need a strobe
supporting High Speed Sync. Using the continuous
focusing method is advisable. Pet eye autofocus can
be handy, but if your camera doesn’t have it, try to
keep a single focus point on the cat’s face. To get
more depth of field, shoot with a small aperture.
www.elkevogelsang.com

Elke Vogelsang

C

1/250
sec

f/10

ISO
100

Elke’s tips for a succesful
pet portrait session
Whether it’s dogs or cats, I put my models
on a safe platform so I can photograph
them easily. Cats can be placed on a table,
while dogs need a lower platform to make
sure they don’t hurt themselves jumping
off. As you will have a treat or a toy in your
hand most of the time, a battery grip will
come in handy for holding your camera
comfortably in portrait and in landscape
orientation. To make sure you don’t bore
your model while trying out settings,
take some test shots with a dummy.

24

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

For better eye-level portrait
photos, put your model on a table

FEBRUARY 2023

Use a battery grip for comfortable
horizontal and portrait shooting

www.digitalcameraworld.com

26

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023
2018

www.digitalcameraworld.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com

5 | LIGHTROOM

Edible editing
Lightroom ambassador
Beata Lubas explains how
she uses post-production to
create her appetising images

eata Lupas, the author of How to
Photograph Food, has been using the
power of Adobe Lightroom for years
to finesse her food photography to
a professional standard. Here,
she shares some top insights as she walks us
through her standard post-processing workflow.
“The well-known saying, ‘We eat with our eyes’,
is especially important in food photography,
where there is no smell or taste to help evoke
the senses,” says Beata.
“We can only capture our viewer’s attention
through their eyes, and colour is a powerful
visual detail that can help us show how delicious
the recipe is. Over the years, colour has always
been one of my favourite topics to explore.
“I believe the secret to appetising food images
lies in powerful colour editing, and I’m excited
to share my favourite Lightroom tools, tips and
tricks. Whether you’re new to Lightroom or a
dab hand at it, we’ll look at some powerful but
simple ways to improve your edits with a little light
seasoning of colour and exposure controls, and
some fine tuning of highlight and shadows.
www.beatalubas.com

B

1/15
sec

f/9

ISO
500

Bea Lubas

Bea’s five good reasons
to use Adobe Lightroom

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

1

 nlimited undos: Lightroom will remember
U
the entire history of your edits, while
Photoshop will only offer 20.

2

F ile management: You can store all your
photos in easy-to-find categories so
you can always find images easily.

3

 ase of use: With its slider-based controls,
E
Lightroom is easy to learn, as well as being
intuitive and slick for easy editing.

4

 aw file conversions: Lightroom uses the
R
same raw processing as Adobe Camera
Raw, and most cameras are supported.

5

L ogical workflow: From import to export,
editing panels are designed to take you
right through the editing process.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

27

Before editing

1

2

28

After editing

Have a clear vision

 he goal here is to create a soft, warm and cosy vibe to emphasise the soft texture
T
of these baked pears and their delicate flavour, and also to embrace the season during
which this recipe would be enjoyed. Editing can be subtle, and you really don’t want
to over-egg it with extreme HDR (high dynamic range) or contrast, but instead
create a natural look that enhances what’s already in the original image.

Turn the heat up

 nder the Basic panel, you can bring a
U
warm tone to your image by adjusting
the Temperature slider, which can
heavily influence the overall mood of
your photo. Moving the temperature
slider slightly to the right (yellow/
orange) side creates a beautiful,
warm and cosy atmosphere as
a base to build your image on.

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

3

Colour grading your
highlights and shadows

 he Color Grading panel allows you to add
T
colour to the shadows, midtones and/or
highlight areas of the image. Here, I added
orange to the Shadows to warm the image
even more and a complementary blue
colour to the Highlights to make sure
the plate doesn’t look too yellow.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Photo Active

4

5

Fine tune your colours

 he Color Mixer is a great place to
T
adjust colours with precision. There are
three adjustments under each colour:
Hue alters the colour; Saturation affects
the intensity of colour, and Luminance
makes the colour brighter or darker.
Here, I adjusted the Yellow Hue slightly
towards the left and brightened the
Yellows with the Luminance slider.

Create some selective editing adjustments

 elect Object allows you to mask an object by either brushing over it or drawing
S
a box around it. Here, I brushed over the two pears on the right to select them, then
moved the Temperature slider to the right to make these two pears slightly warmer and
match their colour with the rest of the fruits. This created a more balanced photograph.

Select Object

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

29

6 | LANDSCAPES

Go with
the flow

Dave Wilson explains
how you can look
beyond bleak weather
for free-flowing results
hotographers generally
have a pretty good eye
for what will make a good
picture, but there are
times when locations
or conditions are less than perfect,
which can leave us feeling somewhat
underwhelmed and unmotivated to
even bother setting up a tripod.
But these conditions are actually a
perfect opportunity to push yourself
further and really test your waters as
a passionate photographer by shooting
from a different angle or trying out
creative techniques.
Here, I’m using a Gobe ND64 filter.
I particularly like this brand, as its filters
are affordable, give pretty good results,
and a tree is planted for each product
purchased. This stream, at Porth
Nanven in Cornwall, was not the most
spectacular of subjects, but by getting
down low on a more interesting part of
the stream and using a longer shutter
speed, I was able to come away with
far more satisfying results than had
I shot from waist height on a
conventionally positioned tripod.
www.tuggwilsonphotography.co.uk
Fujifilm X-S10

Dave Wilson

P

0.6
sec

ISO
160

f/8

Get your photos flowing with Dave’s tips
Shot on a Fujifilm X-S10 and Fujinon 10-24mm (at 10mm), I captured
this image at Osmington Mills in Dorset. It’s one of my personal
favourites, but on this occasion the conditions were awful. I used
my Gobe ND8 for a 0.6-sec exposure, which was just enough to take
this image to a better level. I love the dark, moody style produced
by exposing for the brightest part of the image correctly – in this
case, the water – which provided a great tonal range and contrast.

0.6
sec

30

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2018

f/8

ISO
160

www.digitalcameraworld.com

DISCOVER THE UNIVERSE
w w w.spaceanswers .com

Available
from all good
newsagents and
supermarkets

DISCOVER THE UN

w w w.spaceanswers .c

New issue on sale now!
EXPLORATION

SOLAR SYSTEM

DEEP SPACE

FUTURE TECH

ASTRONOMY

Print and digital subscriptions available at

www.magazinesdirect.com/know3for3
/AllAboutSpaceMagazine

New issue on sal

@spaceanswers

space@spaceanswers.com

7 | LANDSCAPES

Purple haze

There’s no better time than winter for capturing
beautifully vibrant sunsets, says Alistair Campbell
n winter, the sun is lower
in the sky for much longer
than in the summer months,
so the sunsets and sunrise
colours have much more time to build.
Coupled with some decent cloud
coverage (but not too much) and the
right type of clouds (in this case, cirrus),
you could be lighting up your social
media platforms with eye-catching
sunset images in no time at all.
During this period of the year, the
sun sets at a lower angle to the horizon,
making the light pass through more of
the atmosphere. You can really see the

I

3
secs

f/20

ISO
200

1

32

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

difference to summer sunsets if the
clouds are in the right place, near the
horizon with gaps for the striking colours
to reflect off and fill your camera with
images you can feel proud of shooting.
It might not be a classic beauty spot,
but I travelled to Weston-super-Mare’s
long and open seafront to capture the
setting sun, armed with a Fujifilm X-T2
and a Fujinon 16-55mm f/2.8 R, a lens
that allowed me to get a wide shot of the
scene. With sunsets, you only get around
15 minutes to get it right, so it’s a good
idea to have a vision of what you want
to achieve before you set off to shoot.

Invest in a mini tripod

I don’t like to carry too much kit, but you will
need a strong foundation to shoot from. To
capture this image, I used a Manfrotto Pixi
mini tripod. With the legs closed, it’s about
18cm in length, so I can leave it attached to
the camera and move around easily. Then
I’m ready and able to shoot within about 10
seconds, so no valuable time is lost setting up.

FEBRUARY 2023

2

Expose for the highlights
 etaining detail in your images is a
R
key aspect of photography. I find that
underexposing slightly, then pulling
the highlights down and raising the
shadows in editing, is far better
than having a bright capture with
unrecoverable blown-out highlights
that contain no data.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

3

Use a narrow aperture
 e all love a shallow focus with
W
beautifully blurred backgrounds,
but for landscapes and sunsets, it’s
better to use apertures of around
f/10-20. This will create a deeper
front-to-back focus in your image.

4

 urist photographers often want to get the
P
colours close to how they saw them at the time,
but you can also experiment with your camera’s
white balance. Not only can you go between
warmer (7000K) and cooler (3000K) settings,
but tints from green to purple can be used
to make colours more vibrant.

Shoot during the blue
hour and golden hour

 lue hour occurs in the morning, just
B
before golden hour at the beginning of
civil twilight, which is around 30 minutes
before the sun rises. In the evening, blue
hour occurs at the end of the civil twilight,
just after golden hour, and starts roughly
10 to 15 minutes after the sun has set.
Alistair Campbell

5

Experiment with white balance

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

33

20
secs

f/4

ISO
2000
8 | ASTRO

A winter
wonderland

Carl Hare explains how
to capture the aurora borealis,
mother nature’s greatest light
show, from Svalbard in Norway
34

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

am a commercial
landscape, travel
and documentary
photographer based
in the UK. I’ve been
fascinated with the Arctic for many
years now. My bucket list locations
are in the High Arctic, mainly an
archipelago called Svalbard, which is
situated 500 miles north of mainland
Norway and 600 miles south of the
North Pole. I travelled there on a work
trip and fell in love with the place; it
is just mesmerising and a location
that you’ll never forget. The Arctic
certainly throws up some amazing
photographic opportunities and
some rather unique challenges.

I

Two of the three main seasons are
Polar Summer (from May to October
with the midnight sun – this is where
Svalbard comes alive with wildlife
such as walruses, whales and the
king of the Arctic, the polar bear)
and the Northern Lights Winter
(from October to March and within
that, the Polar Winter, where the sun
never rises – Svalbard is the only
permanently inhabited place on
earth where you can experience the
aurora borealis during daytime).
My personal favourite time to visit
is Sunny Winter, from March to May.
With beautiful soft Arctic light, the
pink and blue hues are plentiful, and
are often called Pastel Winter for a
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Photo Active
Carl’s top tips for photographing the High Arctic

1

2

Carl Hare

3

good reason. Snow-covered
mountains stretch up to meet
the blue sky for as far as the eye
can see. You have a few hours
of daylight, but you also have
deep and rich night – perfect
for aurora hunting.
This image is the ring of
aurora above Sarkofagen
mountain, shot with a
Fujifilm GFX 50S and a
Fujinon GF23mm f4 R
LM WR, supported
by a 3LT Winston
2.0 tripod.
www.carlhare
photography.
com
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

4

Recce your location

I always use Google Maps to
scout out various shooting
locations before I even set foot
at my destination. I generally
look for somewhere interesting
with something unique to shoot.
This could be a fishing hut, a log
cabin, a mountain and so on. I
also drop pins onto the map
and use the 360° viewer to previsualise what will be around me.

Stay versatile

I like my equipment to have
flexibility, so I shoot with zoom
lenses. That way I don’t have to
be thinking of changing between
different prime lenses. Two
camera bodies, one with a
wide zoom lens and one with
a telephoto zoom lens, is my
preference. This way, I’m as
flexible as I can be for anything
the aurora throws my way.

Take your time

I like to think about my
composition during the day.
Then, with the location set,
I walk around the scene for
10 minutes. So don’t just set
up your camera and tripod –
look to the left and right of
your subject and get down
on the ground. You could find
an interesting angle that no
one has shot before.

Camera settings

I usually start with a 5-second shutter speed at f/2.8 or f/4, ISO 1600, then I just
tweak the ISO and shutter speed to taste. However, I don’t want to use a very long
shutter speed (30 secs plus), otherwise I’ll miss a lot of movement in the lights and
they’ll become a blur: 20 secs is generally the longest shutter speed I’ll shoot with.

SPRING 2022

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

35

9 | LANDSCAPES

Moving
mountains

180
secs

f/13

ISO
100

Thomas Müller explains how
to capture a beautiful scene
as autumn changes to winter

1

2

3

4

5

36

Find your scene

Autumn in the long high Alpine valley region
of Engadin, Switzerland, is a true paradise
for landscape photographers. When the
largest adjacent larch forests in the Alps
turn golden, it is a firework of nature – a
final explosion of colour before the winter
takes over. The changes of the season are
always a prime time to get your camera out.

Frame up your shot

The focus here is clearly in the foreground
with the beautiful house, which is framed
by the wonderfully coloured larches. An
imposing mountain can be seen in the
background. The cold hue of the sugared
mountain peaks contrast with the
discoloured larches, bringing together
warm and cold tones across the image.

Choose your lens

The picture was shot with my Sony A1 and
a Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS lens. Next
to my Sigma 14-24mm F2.8, this is my most
important optic. It offers great sharpness,
has a large zoom range and is relatively
small and light. To achieve long exposure
times, a tripod is also essential.

Use a polarising filter
for more vibrant colours

Landscape photography can’t do without
filters. I use ND filters, ND grad filters and
a polariser – the polariser saturates the
colours and makes unwanted reflections
disappear. I use the ND filters to darken the
picture enough to achieve a long exposure.

Get a perfect exposure

Here, I opted for a long exposure to make
the fog drifting over the mountains more
dynamic. I used a polarising filter, an ND
3.0 (10 stops) and a GND 0.9 soft gradient
filter. I stopped the aperture down to f/13
to achieve an exposure time of about three
minutes, avoiding narrower apertures in
order to eliminate the chance of diffraction.

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023
2018

www.digitalcameraworld.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Thomas Müller

Photo Active

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY
FEBRUARY 2023
2018

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

37

Louisa Tucker

10 | OUTDOOR

1/25
sec

f/11

ISO
500

Walk this way

Louisa’s advice for fabulous photo walks
1

Louisa Tucker develops her camera
skills in the local woodlands
am lucky enough to
have lived near the
River Thames, and
near the countryside,
for different landscapes and
opportunities to develop different
camera skills. I find autumn and
winter such a beautiful time to
get out and photograph, because
there are constant changes in
colour – from the colour of the
leaves and varying weathers
to the sunshine from later
sunrises and early sunsets.
It means that you can go to one
location several different times
and seemingly find a million
options to photograph! I recently
switched from a Nikon D5600
DSLR to a Z 50 mirrorless, which
has been incredibly helpful in
developing my skills. For these
woodland photos in the New
Forest, I opted for a 18-300mm
lens, as I am always hoping to see
a deer passing by. It’s also great
to be able to frame photographs

I

38

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

differently, closing in on areas
I want to be in the shot, and
ignoring parts that I want to
exclude. Being able to focus on
pieces of the landscape which
are slightly further away, I can
also experiment with different
focus lengths. Although the
weather was temperamental,
it was quite a bright day, so I was
able to keep my ISO at 100.
My river photo (above) was
taken using an 18-55mm zoom at
55mm – I chose this lens as I own
a suitable ND filter. I knew I would
be shooting a few frames directly
towards the sun, and by using the
filter I was able to keep as much
detail in the sky as possible. This
is one of my favourite bits of kit,
because I also enjoy shooting
long exposures!
Unfortunately, I didn’t have
a tripod with me on the day, so
I had to keep my shutter speed
quick enough at 1/25 second.
@louisatuckersphotos
FEBRUARY 2023
2018

2

3

4

 ook for textures
L
Our cameras are rammed
with megapixels these days,
so try to find highly detailed
textures on your winter walks.
Leaves, bark and pine cones
all offer up plenty of photo
opportunities to capture.
 earch for strong lines
S
Strong lines in photography
can lead you through an
image or hold your viewer’s
attention at a specific focal
point. Try to capture and
compose an image featuring
straight, strong shapes.
 hoot at a shallow aperture
S
Open up your aperture as
wide as your camera will allow.
Many will let you shoot at f/1.8
to around f/4, which will give
you a blurry background that
is often associated with a
more beautiful style of image.
F rame up your photo
for the rule of thirds
Rules are made to be broken,
but first you must understand
them. A fail-safe technique,
the rule of thirds means
composing your shot into
three distinct sections.

www.digitalcameraworld.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com

The art
of seeing

Benedict Brain kindles an obsession with
covered motorbikes as unlikely street art
ometimes, even I am
surprised at what catches
my eye. Photographing the
less obvious aspects of
the world is something I’m
inherently drawn to. Regular
readers of this column will no doubt recognise
that I’m more likely to be photographically
‘happy’ working in suburban scrubland
on the outskirts of a semi-industrial
port than in some classical photogenic
chocolate-box landscape.
During my travels in 2022, I became partly
obsessed with covered motorbikes. At first,
I didn’t realise it was happening. However,
I noticed when looking through my files that
I’d taken several almost without consciously
thinking about what I was doing. Having
acknowledged that I found these covered
bikes a photographic curiosity my eyes
became untuned to noticing them more

S

Benedict Brain
www.benedictbrain.com

Camera: Fujifilm GFX 50R
Lens: GF45mm F2.8 R WR (equivalent to 36mm)
Settings: Various exposures, but always aiming
for 1/125 sec at f/8, ISO 100

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

Covered motorbikes as ‘art’, inspired by French
artist Marcel Duchamp’s ‘readymades’.

intently. Through the act of looking, I saw
more and more to the extent that it became
borderline obsessive. I only have half a dozen
or so from various countries in the world that
I’m happy with, but I plan to keep my eyes
open for more until I have a decent body
of work. These four were taken in Greece,
Costa Rica, Turkey and Israel respectively
(clockwise from the top left).
I’m trying to process the origins of my
interest in these covered bikes, not to mention
myriad other minor photo-obsessions… which
got me thinking, perhaps the answer lies, in
part, with French artist Marcel Duchamp
(1887-1968). I’ve always been drawn to
ideas around Duchamp’s ‘readymades’ and
find the basic concept deeply appealing. A
‘readymade’ is an artistic approach most
famously illustrated by Duchamp’s “Fountain”
– the urinal that he signed and hung on a
gallery wall. The basic idea is that by
acknowledging something, anything, as art
you can elevate it to that status. Maybe it’s
something along these lines that’s happening
here, with these covered motorbikes. I sense
that I respond to the bikes as if they were
beautiful street sculptures and delight in the
fact that for the most part, I’d assume they’re
largely ignored and slip unnoticed into the
background visual noise of a street scene.
Apart from anything, it’s an interesting
way to engage with the world from a new
perspective. Find your “thing’ and give it a go
– you never know where it might lead you.
FEBRUARY
SPRING 2023
2018

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

39

UK subscription offer

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

AND GET 3 ISSUES FOR £/$/€3!
Don’t miss out on our brilliant introductory offer*
“Subscribe to Digital
Camera and get the
world’s favourite photo
magazine delivered to
your door each month.”

Niall Hampton
Editor, Digital Camera

SAVE UP*
%
TO 9vi2
:
ng 85%)

(Digital sa
ving: 82%)
(Print-only sa
ng: 92%)
(Bundle savi

40

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

JANUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

UK subscription offer

Print, digital and
bundle options

Top reasons to
subscribe now!
Save up to 92% on
the newsstand price
This terrific subscription offer
is a big saving on the cover price
– less than £/$/€1 per issue!
Learn from expert
photographers
Leading professionals write our
tutorials, photo projects and
technique features
Video lessons support
our editing tutorials
You can download and view
them on your computer,
tablet or smartphone
Downloadable gifts
Every issue comes with
software extras and a free
ebook that you can keep
No-hassle home delivery!
13 issues delivered direct to
your door every four weeks!
(Print edition)

INSTANT
IOS
ACCESS VIA
ID
OR ANDRO
DEVICES

VIDEOS!

View our tutorials
on any computer
or smart device

Get this offer by subscribing today at:

www.magazinesdirect.com/DCM3for3
or call 0330 333 1113 and quote ‘B24K’
Make sure you use this URL or quote the code on the phone:
other offers are available that do not include this pricing

*Offer closes 1st March 2023. Offer open to new subscribers only. After your first 3 issues, your subscription will continue at £13.75 (digital only), £13.75 (print only) or £17.50 (print + digital)
quarterly by Direct Debit. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery of your first subscription issue. The full subscription rate is for 12 months (13 issues) and includes postage and packaging. If
the magazine ordered changes frequency per annum, we will honour the number of issues paid for, not the term of the subscription. For full terms and conditions, visit www.magazinesdirect.
com/terms. For enquiries and overseas rates please call: +44 (0) 330 333 1113. Lines are open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-7pm, and Saturday, 10am-3pm UK time or e-mail:help@
magazinesdirect.com. Calls to 0330 numbers will be charged at no more than a national landline call, and may be included in your phone provider’s call bundle.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

41

Hotshots

Jamie Russell / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

Highlights from the winning and shortlisted entries
of the Weather Photographer of the Year Awards 2022

PUBLIC WINNER ‘Departing Storm Over Bembridge Lifeboat Station’ Jamie Russell
After chasing storms and showers west to east across the Isle of Wight to capture some incredible rainbows, Jamie reached
Bembridge as the final shower left. “In a panic, I waded into the waist-deep water, fully dressed, just to compose this scene.”
Rainbows are optical phenomena that occur when sunlight shines through raindrops. The light is refracted as it enters the
raindrop, then reflected off the back of the droplet and then refracted again as it exits and travels towards our eyes. This causes the
sunlight to split into different colours. The sun needs to be behind the viewer and needs to be low in the sky. The lower the sun in the
sky, the more of an arc of a rainbow the viewer will see. Also, the rain, fog or other source of water droplets must be in front of the
viewer. The angle at which the light is scattered is different for everyone, which means that every rainbow is unique to the observer.
Double rainbows form when sunlight is reflected twice within a raindrop. They are relatively common, especially when the sun
is low in the sky, such as in the early morning and late afternoon. The second rainbow is fainter, and more ‘pastel’ in tone. A key
feature of a double rainbow is that the colour sequence in the second rainbow is reversed.

42

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Hugo Healy

Emili Vilamala Benito / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

RUNNER-UP ‘Frozen’ Zhenhuan Zhou
This photo shows parts of Niagara Falls
covered in ice, with the icicles that have
formed around the building and on the rock
face shown in intricate detail. During cold
weather, the mist and spray can freeze into
ice over the top of the rushing waterfall, giving
the appearance that the Falls have frozen
while the water continues to flow underneath
the sheets of ice. The photograph offers
intricate detail of the icicles that have formed
around the building and on the rock face.
Icicles are hanging tapering pieces of ice that
form when the temperature is below freezing.
As water drips off the roof or rock, it freezes
and becomes suspended in the shape of a
droplet. As more water droplets flow over the
surface, they freeze on the way down, and the
process continues until an icicle is formed.

44

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Zhenhuan Zhou / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

THIRD PLACE ‘Ghost Under the Cliff’
Emili Vilamala Benito
On the cliff of Tavertet in Barcelona, Spain,
with the sun low behind and the valley of Sau
covered with fog, Emili waited until a Brocken
spectre appeared. “In this geographical
area, you can see these phenomena due to
morning fog, and when it fades, it is possible
to see this spectacular optical phenomenon.”
A Brocken spectre is a shadow of an
observer cast onto a cloud or mist. When a
person stands on a hill partially covered in
mist or cloud, their shadow can be projected
onto it. An optical illusion then makes the
shadow appear gigantic and at a considerable
distance from them. The shadow can also fall
onto water drops, which distorts perception
and can make the shadow appear to move.

Christopher Ison / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

OVERALL WINNER ‘Storm Eunice’ Christopher Ison
After checking the time Storm Eunice would hit, as well as the
high tides times, Christopher discovered that the storm would hit
Newhaven, East Sussex, at almost exactly high tide. When taking
his photo, Christopher decided to head to high ground and stand
slightly further away from the harbour wall with his back to the
weather, and was rewarded with a fantastic set of images.
“When the storm was predicted, and that it was carrying the
first ever red warning for the south coast, I knew I had to find
a spot to record it – this was going to be big!”
Storm Eunice was a deep area of low pressure that hit the UK
in February 2022. It was particularly disruptive as it underwent
explosive cyclogenesis when a low-pressure system rapidly
deepens. Low-pressure systems can bring heavy rain/snow
and strong winds, and the deeper the area of low pressure relative
to the surrounding pressure, the stronger the winds will be.

Vince Campbell / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

MOBILE PHONE RUNNER-UP ‘Scotch Mist’ Vince Campbell
An overnight stop in Tarbet, in Scotland’s Loch Lomond, and an early morning trek with dogs Oscar and Ollie up Cruach Tairbeirt revealed this
beautiful misty scene to Vince: “The woods, the hills, the loch and Ben Lomond were bathed in ‘Scotch mist’. This shot was taken just before
the sun put in an appearance.” Mist, like fog, is formed by a low cloud or small water droplets suspended in the air, close to the ground. The
relative humidity in mist and fog is more than 95%, but the difference between the two phenomena is all down to visibility. If you can see
more than 1,000 metres, it is called mist, but if it is thicker and the visibility drops below 1,000 metres, it is called fog. Mist is typically
dissipated quicker than fog and can rapidly disappear with even a light wind.

46

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Aung Chan Thar / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

MOBILE PHONE WINNER
‘Sunset’ Aung Chan Thar
Following an overcast and rainy evening,
the sun appeared through the clouds and
mist just in time for Aung to capture this
beautiful sunset photo. “Due to the sun,
the pagoda became brighter.”
The sky appears red or orange at
sunset or sunrise because of Rayleigh
scattering. The sun is very low in the sky
at sunset or sunrise, so the sunlight has
to travel further through the atmosphere.
As a result, the blue light, which has a
shorter wavelength than red light, is
scattered more strongly by the
atmosphere and is deflected away before
we see it. Therefore, the orange and red
light, which is scattered less, is left for
us to see during sunrise and sunset.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Thomas Chitsom / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

‘Solar Halo making an appearance over Adelaide Island, Antarctica’ Thomas Chitson
While out Nordic skiing from the Rothera research station in Antarctica, Thomas captured this
beautiful sun halo. “Good weather was rare on the icy continent, but when the sun was shining,
solar haloes were a common phenomena during my three months spent researching the
weather and climate in Antarctica.”
Haloes around the sun or moon occur when the light is refracted or reflected by ice crystals,
normally found in high cirrus or cirrostratus clouds or free-falling ice crystals. Typically, sunlight
or moonlight is reflected by ice crystals producing a white halo either around the sun or moon.
However, if the light rays strike the ice crystals at a particular angle, some light may be refracted,
giving the halo a faint colouration.

48

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’
Rossi Fang
On the most beautiful mountain
in Taiwan, Rossi captured this
photo of the warm sun melting
the frozen mountain world of the
night before. “The crystal-clear
ice gleams with the sunlight this
morning, making the entire
alpine world warm.”
Ice is simply water in a solid
form, which occurs in the
atmosphere and on the Earth’s
surface when the temperature
falls below 0°C. It can take many
forms, such as snow, hoar frost,
rime, glaze, hail and ice pellets.

F Dilek Uyar

Andrew McCaren / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

‘Dam Wet’
Andrew McCaren
Days of heavy rain in the UK led
to water cascading down the dam
wall of Wet Sleddale reservoir in
Cumbria. Andrew captured this
photo to illustrate the heavy rain
and strong winds brought to the UK
by Storm Dennis in February 2020.
“Wet Sleddale more often than
not doesn’t overflow, but when it
does, it’s an amazing site, and
the noise is deafening.”
Storm Dennis impacted the UK
on 15-16 February 2020, bringing
high rainfall and causing flooding in
parts of south Wales and England.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Enric Navarrete Bachs / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

Hotshots

Rossi Fang / Weather Photographer Of The Year 2022

‘Dreaming of Lightning’ Enric Navarrete Bachs
On a full moon night, with a storm moving away and one last lightning strike, was what
photographer Enric called ‘dream lightning’. Thunderstorms are common on Earth,
and it is estimated that a lightning strike hits somewhere on the planet’s surface
approximately 44 times every second. Thunderstorms are most common in tropical
areas where the weather is hot and humid, with places such as Lake Maracaibo
in Venezuela receiving the most lightning strikes.
The rapid expansion and heating of air caused by lightning is what produces the
accompanying loud clap of thunder. Since light travels faster than sound, you can
tell how far a thunderstorm is away by counting the number of seconds between
the flash of lightning and the sound of the thunder that follows. If you divide this
number by five, it will tell you how many miles away the storm is from you (or
you can divide by three for the distance in kilometres).



About the Weather Photographer Of The Year
Now in its seventh year, The Royal Meteorological Society Weather Photographer
of the Year competition in association with AccuWeather provides a platform for
the world’s very best weather photography, depicting weather in its widest sense.
www.rmets.org

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

49

HOW TO MASTER

PAINTING
WITH LIGHT

Head out after dark and bring
the world to life with your
camera, a few torches and
a good dose of imagination.
Dan Mold shows you how…
ranslating from the Greek words
‘phos’ (light) and graphê (draw), the
word ‘photography’ means to draw
with light. Whatever you use, your
modern digital camera or old film
camera will have light-sensitive media such as a
piece of film or a digital sensor that when exposed
to light creates the contrast in your images.
‘Painting with light’ is a genre of photography
where you shoot at night or in a dimly lit room
and introduce your own light source. You can use
anything from torches to flashguns, LED panels
to fibre optics – and everything in between –
to bring your light painting to life. Drag torches
through the frame to create fine lines or text,
wave light wands to create wonderful swooshes of
colour or even fire a powerful burst of flash from a
strobe to illuminate large structures and buildings.
In this 12-page masterclass, we’re going to cover
everything you need to know to get started with
painting with light, from core and more desirable
kit you’ll want to stock your kit bag with, to a range
of projects exploring simple light graffiti to more
advanced techniques such as creating light orbs
or fantastic fire spins. Many painting-with-light
techniques are brought to life in Photoshop by
retouching or combining images, so we’ll cover
everything from the in-camera setup to bringing
it all together in editing. So here’s what you need
to know to start your light-painting journey…

T

50

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

AUGUST 2018
FEBRUARY
2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

MASTER PAINTING WITH LIGHT

WHAT’S IN
THIS FEATURE?

Getting the right gear page 52

PART 3

PART 4

Light up your scenery page 56 Light orbs
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

page 58

PART 2

Painting with light

PART 5

Play with fire
AUGUST 2018

page 54

page 60

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Getty

PART 1

51

MASTER PAINTING WITH LIGHT

1

GET THE
RIGHT GEAR

Get started with our kit bag essentials
for painting-with-light photography

he great thing about creating
painting-with-light images
is that you are likely to have
most of the kit you need. For
simple light paintings, all you
require for your core kit is a camera with a
PASM dial, a kit lens and a sturdy tripod.
Additional accessories and torches can all
be picked up relatively cheaply if you need
them, too. Stock up on a decent assortment

T

of torches, flashlights and LEDs to create
your light graffiti, and get some dark
clothing so that you don’t appear in your
photos. You can always upgrade your
equipment as you go, adding flashguns,
coloured gels, more powerful lights and
additional lenses. Start experimenting with
light painting and low-light photography,
and you’ll soon discover which bits of
your kit bag are holding you back.

PRO KIT LIGHT WANDS
A light wand is a large, cylindrical light that you can wave
around like a wand to create interesting light patterns in
the dark. The Westcott ICE Light 2 is a light wand that runs
off bright LEDs, has a removable Lithium-Ion battery for
an hour of runtime and is designed to be flicker free in
long exposures. If you want to get creative with your
light painting, add a light wand to your arsenal.

52

PRO TRIPOD
FROM £100/$115

CREATIVE CAMERA
FROM £300/$350

TORCHES AND LED
LIGHTS FROM £3/$3

When shooting at night a tripod is essential.
Set up your camera on a sturdy tripod to
lock off your composition while you move
around the scene to create your light
paintings. Professional photography tripods
are robust and have adjustable leg angles
for getting more creative compositions.
Avoid using the centre column, though –
it is the wobbliest part of any tripod.

Even budget-friendly DSLRs and mirrorless
cameras are fantastic for painting with light
photography, though if you can afford a
more enthusiast-friendly or professional
model, you can be rewarded with larger
full-frame sensors, better image quality,
less noise in low light and better
autofocusing in dimly lit environments,
making it easier to create light paintings.

This is a style of photography where you
can use torches – available in all shapes
and sizes, from super-cheap to higher-end,
more powerful models – to create your art.
Even the light from a smartphone can be
used. It’s worth building up a good selection
of handtorches, LED panels, string lights
and fibre optics to give you more options for
the size and spread of the light you paint.

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

PRO TIP
DARK CLOTHING
Painting-with-light photography
is best undertaken when dressed
in dark clothing like a ninja – you
don’t want to appear in the final
images. Any light you cast from
torches or flashes will illuminate
you if the light hits you, so make
sure you’re wearing dark trousers,
a jacket, shoes, gloves and even a
black hat or balaclava. Avoid any
clothing with high-visibility stripes
on it, such as tracksuit bottoms
or shoelaces. If shooting on cold
winter nights, it’s also worth
wearing thermals underneath your
clothing to fend off the cold, so you
can keep warm on frosty evenings
and take photos for longer.

ACCESSORIES FOR
PAINTING WITH LIGHT
L-WIRE FROM £5/$5
L-wire, also called EL-wire, is a thin, illuminated wire
that can be handy for light painting. It comes in
different colours, creating a fantastic mist effect.

HEAD TORCH FROM £5/$4
A head torch is absolutely essential when taking
photos at night, as it frees up your hands to use the
camera and allows you to see where you’re walking
in the dark. Make sure you get one with a red filter
so that it doesn’t affect your night vision too much.

SHUTTER RELEASE FROM £5/$5

LOW-LIGHT LENSES
FROM £350/$499
Kit lenses like an 18-55mm (APS-C) or a
24-70mm (full-frame) are a good start for light
painting, but if you want to get better shots, add
an ultra wide-angle prime with a fast maximum
aperture like f/2.8 or faster to suck in more light.
The Samyang/Rokinon MF 14mm f/2.8 (above)
costs £350 and is a good choice, and will be even
cheaper pre-owned. Ensure that any purchase
features the correct lens mount for your system.
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

A shutter release allows you to fire the camera remotely.
You can even get wireless ones so you can fire the
camera when you’re in position, rather than standing
next to it. A shutter release allows you to use Bulb
mode to keep the shutter open for as long as the shutter
is locked down, and also stops camera-shake from
occurring when pressing the camera’s shutter button.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER FROM £16/$16
While you should endeavour to only use fire for light painting
in locations where it’s safe to do so, such as by the coast,
you’ll want to keep a fire extinguisher nearby for worst case
scenarios. A bucket of water or sand is also worth having.
FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

53

2

PAINTING WITH LIGHT:
FOUR QUICK IDEAS TO TRY
Try these four light-graffiti techniques to kickstart your painting-with-light portfolio

WRITE SOME WORDS
DRAW VIBRANT WORDS WITH A TORCH OR
USE SPARKLERS FOR A FIERY FLOURISH
This is a fantastic technique to try when starting out,
as it’s quick and easy to pull off eye-catching images.

1

Shoot from a tripod

2

Focus on a friend

3

Start the exposure

 et up your tripod and attach your camera.
S
Go into Manual mode and set the aperture to
f/8, shutter speed to 10 secs and ISO to 100.
This should be long enough to write your text.

 ave your friend stand in the scene ready
H
to start writing with their torch or sparkler.
For pin-sharp shots, ask them to shine a
torch on themselves so that you can achieve
autofocus, then lock it off in manual focus.

Dan Mold

 egin the exposure and ask your friend to
B
start writing. They’ll need to write their text
backwards so that it’s the right way around
in-camera. We shot the letters individually
then merged them together in Photoshop.

LIGHT UP STILL LIFE
ADD ELECTRIFYING LIGHTING TO YOUR
STILL LIFE SCENES AT HOME
Get creative with items around the house and
transform them into incredible low-light photos.

50
54

1

Set the scene

2

Dial in the settings

3

Start painting with light

 lace your shoes on the floor and set up your
P
camera on a tripod. Compose to fill the frame
then focus on the shoes. Use manual focus
mode to lock the focus settings.

 o into Manual mode and set the aperture
G
to f/11, the shutter speed to 30 secs and the
ISO to 100. Turn the lights off and take a test
shot – this should come out totally black.

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

AUGUST
FEBRUARY
2018
2023

Dan Mold

 torch with a candle mode, revealing the bare
A
bulb, is ideal for ‘painting in’ the shoe laces.
Position the bare torch bulb on the first shoe’s
laces, then start the exposure and begin
drawing the laces. You can then do a separate
exposure for the other shoe’s laces so you
don’t get a line joining the two together. You
can blend them both together during editing.
www.digitalcameraworld.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com

MASTER PAINTING WITH LIGHT

PAINT A STICK FIGURE
PAINTING A STICK FIGURE WITH A HUMBLE
TORCH IS SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE
Drawing simplistic figures and flowers around
your frame is a fantastic way to get creative
and bring the scene to life. All you need is
a basic torch and an imagination.

1

Envision the scene
F
 irst, take a look at your scene and work out

what characters or objects you’d like to paint
in, how large they’ll need to be and figure out
how you’d like your figure to ‘pose’.

2

Set up on a tripod
S
 et your camera up on a tripod, pointing

towards where the figure will be. Drawing a
person sat on a park bench is an easy one to
get started. Focus on the bench and set the
camera to Manual mode with an aperture of
f/13, a shutter speed of 30 secs and ISO 100.

Dan Mold

3

Start painting with light
B
 egin the exposure and get into position,

then switch your light on and carefully begin
painting in your stick figure. Make sure you’re
facing the camera so the light is recorded
as a bright trail. You can even build up your
figure in several parts and merge the
exposures together in editing software.

GEOMETRIC SPIRALS
CREATE FANTASTIC ABSTRACT SHAPES AT HOME
Here’s a brilliant low-light technique you can try
from the comfort of your own home – just wait
for it to get dark and turn off the lights.

your torch to a light
1 Tether
T
 ie string to a torch with a keyring attachment

and tether the other end to a sturdy ceiling light
or beam. A torch with a candle mode is ideal
for creating super-crisp geometric shapes.

up your camera underneath
2 Set
P
 lace your camera on a tripod looking directly

up at the light, adjust the leg angles so you can
get low to the ground and use a wide-angle lens
so you can capture the whole shape without
any areas being clipped off. Focus on the light
and go into manual focus to lock the focus.

Dan Mold

settings
3 Camera
Enter Manual mode and set the aperture to

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

f/13, the shutter speed to 30 secs and the ISO
to 100, then throw the torch to start it spinning
and begin the exposure. If you need more time
to capture the shape, go into Bulb mode and
use a shutter release.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

55

MASTER PAINTING WITH LIGHT

3

LIGHT UP
YOUR SCENES

Top tips for illuminating your images

Before

In the original scene, the building was a stark silhouette
against the starry backdrop. Adding a little ‘fill’ light from
a hand torch or flashgun reveals the shadow detail.
f/4

8
secs

ISO
12,800

Paint with flash

Reveal detail in low-light scenes

sing a flash or a torch is a great
way to reveal detail in low-light
scenes, but the light from the
bulb alone can look a bit plain.
Don’t worry, though; you can change the
colour of your lights as you see fit! Add flash
gels – little strips of coloured plastic – in front
of the flashgun so the flash light takes on the
colour, meaning you can paint areas of your
scene with vibrant reds, greens, blues and
so on. You can do the same with your torch,
and if you’re on a tight budget, semitranslucent sweet wrappers work a treat!

Dan Mold

U

52
56

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

AUGUST
FEBRUARY
2018
2023

Shine a bright torch on your landscape
so that you can see the scene and get the
framing you want on a tripod, then lock off
the framing and focus. Set your flashgun
to its Manual mode and 1/16th power. Start
your camera’s long exposure and use the
test button on your flash to manually fire it
off-camera and flash every part of the frame
to get good coverage. Once the exposure
has finished, play it back. If it’s still too
dark, you’ll need to either increase the
flash power or fire the flash more
times throughout the exposure.

OFF-CAMERA FLASH
To fire the camera when it isn’t
on the camera’s hotshoe, you can
press the ‘test’ button on the flash
to fire it off-camera. You may need
to press this button several times
to build up the effect or do multiple
exposures, flashing different parts
of the scene in each frame, and
then merge them together
afterwards in the edit.

www.digitalcameraworld.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com

dding spooky mist to your
shots is simple and costeffective with L-wire (also
called EL-wire). You can buy
it online from retailers like
Amazon and eBay, with prices starting at
about £5/$5. They come in different colour
variations, and as they’re very affordable it’s
worth picking up a few different colours to
experiment with. You get a long, thin strip
of plastic that lights up and is powered by
a battery pack (ours took two AA batteries).
You can then spread out and throw the wire
across the floor of your scene during a long
exposure to build up the ghostly ‘mist’ effect.
Here’s how we set up to build up the electric
fog effect on the path leading to Normanton
Church in Rutland Water after dark.

A

f/10

15
secs

ISO
400

Dan Mold

It took many exposures to cover the
entire pathway with the blue L-wire
that creates an ethereal mist.

Add some ethereal mist
Use L-wire to inject some spooky colourful fog

1

Set up and focus

As you’ll want to shoot a long
exposure to give you enough time to paint
with the L-wire, the first thing to do is place
your camera on a tripod. Compose the shot,
then focus on your focal point – in this case
the church – and go into Manual Focus
mode to lock the focus setting.
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

2

Dial in the exposure

In Manual exposure mode, dial in an
aperture of f/10, a shutter speed of 15 secs
and an ISO of 400. Then set continuous
drive mode and attach a shutter release
cable. Lock the shutter on the cable release
down in the firing position so that it will
continually take 15-second exposures.

3

Paint with your L-wire

Wear dark clothing to minimise how
much you will show up in the exposures,
then switch on your L-wire and throw the
wire across the foreground until you’ve
covered it all. Now stack your exposures
with Layers in Photoshop and blend them
together with the Lighten Blend mode.
FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

57

MASTER PAINTING WITH LIGHT

4

f/2.8

CREATE A
MYSTERIOUS
ORB OF LIGHT
Create the illusion of spherical orbs looming ominously
in the landscape with this fun light-painting technique
he beauty of painting
with light is that you
don’t have to photograph
reality; you can use the
light from a torch to
specifically paint in strokes of light to
illuminate parts of your scene. Light
orbs are a fantastically abstract form
of light painting, where you strap a
long piece of string to a torch and swing
it around to craft a sphere of light in
your scene, then carefully turn while

T

you swing the torch to create the
head-turning sphere of light.
It can take some time to finesse the
art of swinging your torch the correct
way to create a perfect orb, and it
certainly helps to have a friend to help
do the light painting as you operate the
camera. This makes shooting in the dark
safer and more fun, too, so it’s a good
idea to find a fellow photographer so
that you can alternate between taking
the pictures and light painting.

30
secs

ISO
200

PRO SHOT

Under the bridge

Shooting under an abandoned railway bridge,
the train tracks worked well as lead-in lines
to pull the eye towards the orb which is neatly
framed by the bridge’s arch. A flash with a
green colour gel was also used to light up the
arch and provide an additional pop of colour.

PRO ADVICE

Pivot around the centre

Place a rock or coin on the ground where
you want to create your orb. When you start
spinning, move around this object and make
sure your torch swings over it every time
to create a perfectly spherical light orb.

PRO TIP
USE FLASH GELS
Add an extra pop of colour to your
flash with a flash gel. These come in
different colours, although we used
a green gel to bring out the detail
and graffiti under this bridge and
give it a colourful green tint.

HOW TO CREATE A LIGHT ORB

TETHER YOUR TORCH

1

Torches with a keyring attachment at the base are ideal, as
you need to secure a metre of string to it so you can swing
it around. Taping or gluing a ping pong ball to the end of the
torch will give it a larger area to be picked up by the camera.

58

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

DIAL IN THE SETTINGS

2

Place your camera up on a tripod and set it to Manual mode
with a shutter speed of 30 seconds and an ISO of 100. Set
your aperture to a middle value like f/8 for decent sharpness.
Focus on the area where you plan to spin your torch.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

TIP CARD
Take it on location

Dan Mold

With a kit list, go-to settings
and a technique summary, our
dedicated photo tip card will
get you up and running on
this project in no time!

PRO ADVICE TIDY UP YOUR
ORBS IN PHOTOSHOP

SPIN TO CREATE YOUR ‘ORB’

3

Ask a friend to start spinning or set a self-timer to
give you time to get in position. Set the camera to take
continuous exposures – this will let you have multiple attempts
and inspect the rear LCD to see what needs changing.
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

It’s worth shooting a ‘base’ exposure of your scene before you
take any images with your light orbs in them. You can then stack
the two layers together in Photoshop, select your orb with the
Elliptical Marquee tool and get a precise selection of the orb
with Select >
Transform
Selection and pull
the bounding box
of the selection to
perfectly outline
your orb. Click the
Add Layer Mask
icon to mask it
off and stop any
‘scrappy’ parts
of the orb from
appearing.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

59

5

PLAY WITH FIRE!

Red-hot sparks and embers dramatically bring your low-light scenes to life.
Here are two low-cost ideas for you to try, using sparklers and steel wool…

his project is all about
having a creative
spark – literally!
Sparklers look
fantastic in low
light and dramatically illuminate
your subject as you trace around the
outline of your subject. We’ve chosen
a bike, as its kickstand allows it to
conveniently stay upright, and you
can also see through the spokes.
Having a friend to help you do the
light-painting while you operate the
camera is ideal, though not essential.
If you’re flying solo, be sure to set a
long self-timer to give yourself enough
time to get into position and light the
sparkler once you’ve set up the shot
and pressed the shutter button.
Safety is paramount, of course, so
wear protective clothing and gloves,
carry a bucket of water, sand or a
fire extinguisher if you have one,
and never bring a sparkler close to
flammable sources. This means the
technique is not safe for motorcycles
or cars, as sparks and petrol or oil are
not a good combination. Here’s how…

T

30
secs

ISO
100

Dan Mold

f/8

Paint with sparklers

Create fantastic eye-catching low-light scenes

1

Set up the shot

Prop up your bike on its kickstand
and, from a tripod, frame your composition
of the bike. Go into Manual mode and shine
a light on the bike so that your camera can
autofocus on it, then lock the focus setting
in manual focus mode. Set the exposure to
30 secs at an aperture of f/8, and ISO 100.

60

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

2

Paint with your sparkler

Enable the camera’s 10-second
self-timer and move into position in front
of the bike with your sparkler lit and ready
to go. When you hear the exposure start,
you can commence tracing around the
bike and make sure that you’ve gone
around all of it within a single exposure.

FEBRUARY 2023

3

Finish off in Photoshop

To get a clean, distraction-free
background, you’ll need to remove your
face if it appears in the final image. In
Photoshop, grab the Clone Stamp tool, hold
Alt and click on a bit of clean background to
source it, then paint over areas to darken
them down and clean up the shot.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

f/16

20
secs

ISO
100

In fire spin photos you shower your
scene with incredible sparks – all
you need is a camera, a tripod, steel
wool, a whisk and a creative spark!

Getty Images
Getty

Try a fire spin
Add a cascading shower of sparks to your low-light scenes
efore contemplating a fire
spin, be sure to find a suitable
location that isn’t near any
flammable sources – we did
ours on a wet, sandy beach to minimise
any risk of fire. It’s also worth having a fire
extinguisher to hand for worst-case
scenarios. Ideally, you’ll have a friend to spin
the steel wool while you take the photos.
Make sure they’re wearing dark, longsleeved clothing and trousers and a hat
to protect them, too – although if done
correctly the majority of the sparks will be
flying away from them. When it comes to
camera settings, we recommend going into
Manual mode and setting the aperture to
around f/16 and ISO to 100. Set the shutter
speed to 30 secs to begin with and set a
continuous burst mode so you can take
shots back-to-back throughout the spin.

B

Manual exposure mode will give you more
control over how you utilise factors like
the shutter speed and aperture.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

PRO ADVICE
FIRE SPIN SAFETY

To set up, you’ll need to get some
#0000 or #00 steel wool, or experiment
with a mixture of the two. Fold your steel
wool into a rectangular shape that you
can squeeze snugly into a metal balloon
whisk. You’ll need to make sure your
whisk has a loop on the end of the
handle, as you’re going to attach a dog
lead onto this. A black or darkly coloured
dog lead is preferred to stop it showing
up in your final fire spin shot. Have a
friend stand in frame where you want
them – it will need to be blue hour or
night-time for this to work, so have them
shine a torch on themselves so your
camera can autofocus on them, then go
into Manual Focus mode to lock it off.
Set the framing fairly wide to capture
all the sparks as they fly off – you can
always crop in later. When you’re ready
to capture the firespin, ignite the steel
A fire spin can be achieved with the aid of a
wool with a 9V battery or a lighter, get
battery and some steel wool – just make sure
you follow the correct safety procedures.
your friend to start spinning it around in
a circular motion with the dog lead then
start the exposure. Take multiple exposures back-to-back until the sparks have
stopped, check your exposure and work out if you need a longer or shorter shutter
speed. Bring plenty of steel wool to experiment with and fine-tune your settings.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

61

62

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Digital Camera readers show how they’ve been getting
creative, submitting images across a range of genres

Reader gallery
1

‘Mach Loop’ by
Alex Roebuck

“After an eight-hour wait
perched on the hills of Bwlch
within the Mach Loop low-fly
area in Wales, this F15-E
Strike Eagle from 492nd FS,
based at RAF Lakenheath,
roared into the valleys as
part of a two-ship flight.”

Digital Camera says:
Well worth the wait, Alex.
An image as sharp as the
jet itself. Very well done.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

63

2

‘Duaflex’ by Kate Parmaku

“A self-portrait of me holding a
vintage Kodak Duaflex – I love the style of old
cameras. I took this shot with a black and white
conversion in mind, and softened the blacks
a little in Lightroom for a more vintage feel.”

Digital Camera says: We love the overall
tones here. It’s well thought out, beautifully
but subtly lit and has a strong central and
up-front composition. Well done, Kate.

3

‘A Triumvirate of Lights’
by Jason Reid

“Street lights in Barcelona’s carrer de ferran
[Gothic quarter]. I was intrigued by the style
of the lights and how beautiful they looked.
I underexposed the photo and set it to
monochrome to get the look I was after.”

Digital Camera says: A wise choice

to underexpose the shot, Jason. Doing so
has retained more detail in the lights while
creating a perfect monochrome atmosphere.

64

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

5

‘Homeward Bound’
by Gary Rogers

“Behind India’s Taj Mahal is
a park separated from the
monument by a river. Having
taken lots of pictures, some
goat herders wandered
across our view as we
started to pack up.”

Digital Camera says: A

second appearance in our
gallery for Gary. We love how
you’ve incorporated some of
the everyday life that goes on
around this iconic landmark.

READER SHOT
OF THE MONTH
Gary Rogers wins a year’s
subscription to Digital
Camera for this image.
Well done, Gary!

66

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Reader gallery



FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

67

6

‘Tranquil Fernworthy’
by Palabrica

“Taken at Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor in Devon,
on a calm autumn day which highlighted the beautiful
colours in the trees. The reflection in the water gave
the whole scene a surreal tranquillity as we walked
completely alone around the reservoir.”

Digital Camera says: We always enjoy seeing a

wide crop to landscape images. Toning down the brighter
greens slightly would enable the viewer to take in more
of the scene without being drawn to the foreground.

‘New Forest
Beauties’
by Christine
Cheesewright

7

“These pretty little
milkwort flowers grow
with the grass on the
heathlands of the New
Forest in Hampshire,
despite being nibbled
and trodden on by the
ponies that live there.”

Digital Camera says:

Beautifully laid out,
Christine. It’s good to see
you thought about the
backdrop and placement
of the flowers, enabling
the viewer to take in their
beauty. Perfectly done.

68

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

8

‘Rivals’ by Paul Sorrell

“A pair of silvereyes competes for
access to the nectar feeder in my back
garden. Taken on my new Canon EOS R7
and my old EF 400mm f/5.6L lens.”

Digital Camera says: You’ve perfected
the focus here, Paul. Very sharp image
and strong composition. A tiny crop to the
left-hand side would see these silvereyes
positioned bang on the rule of thirds.

SEND US
YOUR IMAGES!

Want to feature in our gallery? Please
email a high-res image (at least 2.5MB)
marked ‘Reader Images’, and including
a title and brief description, to:

digitalcamera@futurenet.com



FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

69

Shot of
the month

An astonishing image by Andrea Peruzzi
shines a light on the Orthodox faith in Ethiopia
he ViewSonic ColorPro
Award is a relative newcomer
to the roster of international
photography competitions.
Initially launched in 2020, it is
now in its third year, and the
latest edition, themed ‘Breakthrough’,
attracted 11,165 artworks – across
photography and a new sub-category
of digital art – from 139 countries.
Taking third place in the photography
competition was ‘The Priest’ by Andrea
Peruzzi from Italy, an image captured
near an Orthodox church in northern
Ethiopia. Illuminated by the sun’s
golden light, an elderly priest stops on
the narrow and dangerous path that,
overlooking the valley and along the
rocky wall of the mountain, leads to the
12th-century rock church, of which he

T

Andrea Peruzzi
Photographer

Title: ‘The Priest’
Location: Ethiopia
Date: 2021

www.andreaperuzzi-ph19.com
72

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

SPRING 2018
FEBRUARY
2023

Andrea Peruzzi

Shot of the month

A priest on his way to a 12th-century
Orthodox rock church in northern
Ethiopia. After nearly two years of
civil war in Tigray province, some
churches have been damaged or
destroyed – but initiatives are
already under way to restore these
places to their former splendour.

has been the guardian for 60 years.
Carved into the rock atop a mountain,
the church houses frescoes of biblical
stories and ancient relics that have
been handed down to the present day.
Andrea collected his award at a
gallery show in London, which then
transferred to Taipei in Taiwan –
ViewSonic hails from California, but it
also has a large Asia-Pacific operation.
The ColorPro Award was created by
ViewSonic, a leading global provider
of visual solutions, “to unite the
creative community and ignite more
possibilities.” As the world recovers
from the pandemic, ‘Breakthrough’
represents overcoming an obstacle
and permission for further progress.

Visit the online
gallery to see the
full list of winning
artworks: www.bit.
ly/dcmcolorpro22
www.digitalcameraworld.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com

10 GOLDEN RULES OF SUMMER

FILE & VIDEO
www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc264

Fundamentals:
Make your drone
photography take off
Learn how to enhance
aerial captures with
the help of Lightroom
74

76
78

Get the Look:
Do more with
black and white
The Black & White
Adjustment Layer
is a powerful tool
for a range of mono
and colour effects

74

This month…
Tool School: Master raw retouching
Who needs Photoshop? Remove objects and tidy messy
areas of your photos in Camera Raw and Lightroom

ACTIONS
& PROFI
LES
P
age 84

Software extras:
Actions, profiles and
a preset for Photoshop,
Lightroom & Camera Raw

4
MINU0
OF VI TES
DEO
The issue 264 download includes video lessons that

VIDEO TRAINING

build on our tutorials, plus bonus videos with extra tips!
www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc264

RADIANT PHOTO –
NEW TUTORIAL SERIES
LIGHTROOM & CAMERA RAW

Remove objects and tidy messy areas

LIGHTROOM

PHOTOSHOP

Get your copy of this new
image editing software

PHOTOSHOP

PHOTOSHOP

CAMERA RAW

Enhance your drone captures

Experiment with mono & colour effects

Page 80

Download
40 minutes
of video

FILE & VIDEO

training

www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc264

for Lightroom
and Photoshop.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

Colour grade your images

Create super sunny portraits

Build up local adjustments

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

73

TOOL SCHOOL

BONUS
WINTER
PROFILES

WATCH THE
VIDEO!

Turn to page 84 to
find out more!

FILE & VIDEO
www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc264

Before

After

Photoshop isn’t the
only game in town
Now you can tidy up messy areas of your
images in Camera Raw and Lightroom
any of us who’ve been using Adobe
editing tools for years find that
there’s less and less reason to
open our images in Photoshop.
Instead, Camera Raw and
Lightroom offer almost everything we need.
But for precise retouching work, Photoshop
has always been better – until now. The latest
updates to Camera Raw and Lightroom include a
healing feature that could be a gamechanger for
your raw editing workflow, because now we can
use Content-Aware Fill with our raw photos.
Content-Aware Fill lets you target an object,
then watch as Photoshop removes it. Now, we
can use it with the Healing brush in Camera
Raw, as well as with the near-identical tools in
Lightroom’s Develop Module. So if there’s a
distracting object or detail that you want to be rid
of, you can simply paint over it. Of course, it’s not
going to be perfect every time. But with the other
features in the Healing tool, you can usually tidy
up. Once done, you can finish the image with
one of our 10 free winter-themed profiles…

M

James
Paterson
With over a decade as a
writer and photographer
behind him, James knows
exactly which Photoshop
and Lightroom tools and
techniques matter most.

74

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Use your
free winter profiles
We’ve supplied 10 wintery profiles among
the project files. You can import them into
Camera Raw or Lightroom and use them to
add colour treatments. In Camera Raw, go
to the Basic panel, click the Profile Browser
grid, click the 3-dot icon and choose Import
Profiles and Presets. The profiles will sync
to Lightroom when you open it.
This feature is handy when the image
has sensor spots. Check the box (or hit Y
in Camera Raw/A in Lightroom) and you’ll
see a black and white overlay. This seeks out
edge details by dividing the image into highfrequency (white) and low-frequency (black)
areas. The slider lets you fine-tune the
divide. The overlay makes it easier to detect
sensor marks – all you have to do is paint
with the healing brush to remove them.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Sequence shown is for clarity – follow the numbered steps rather than reading from left to right

TOOL SCHOOL

5

Useful shortcuts

Use the right mouse
button and drag to
resize the brush tip,
or tap the ] and [ keys. Hold Shift
and use ] or [ to change feather
size. To heal in a straight line, click
on one spot, hold Shift, then click
another to make a line. Tap V (H in
Lightroom) to toggle the overlay.
Highlight a spot and hit Delete to
remove it, or hold Alt and drag
a box to remove several points.
Hold Shift and tap the arrows
to nudge a source point.

6

Visualise spots

This turns on an overlay
that makes it easier to
see sensor spots,
especially in areas like skies. The
slider lets you fine-tune the edge
details to see spots more clearly.
Once you’ve fixed a photo, you
can sync the edit to remove
recurring spots from others. Open
the entire set in Camera Raw,
right-click and ‘Sync Settings’.
In the sync options, make sure
only Spot Removal is checked.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

3

Clone and Heal

Alongside ContentAware Fill, you’ll find
older but equally useful
Heal and Clone modes. Clone
works by copying pixels from the
source area to the target area.
Heal attempts to adjust colours
and tones in the source area to
match the target area. Both will
create a Source point each time
you target an area, although you
can hold Cmd/Ctrl and drag when
laying down the point, or drag the
source point to a different spot.

2

Source areas

After filling an area with
the Content-Aware Fill
tool, you may find that
the first attempt isn’t right. Hit
Refresh to make the tool try again,
or tap the / key. If this doesn’t give
you the results you want, hold
Cmd/Ctrl and drag to make a
rectangular box over part of
the photo. This lets you target
a specific area for the fill, which
can be handy when there isn’t a
large, clean area to sample from.

1

Content
Aware Fill

Open an image in
Camera Raw (or in
Lightroom, import the image and
go to the Develop Module). You’ll
find the Healing Brush in the
toolbar, or you can hit B. With
Content-Aware mode selected,
paint over objects to remove
them. It analyses the content and
generates new pixels to fill the
area, based on the surrounding
details. Here, it lets us remove
tourists around the waterfall.

4

Brush settings

The brush sliders here
let you set the size,
opacity and feather for
your brush tip. The feather setting
determines how soft-edged the
brush is. In general, it’s best to
use a high feather when cloning
and a slightly harder feather when
healing. A low opacity can be
useful for cloning, especially when
tidying up slightly messy fill areas,
as it lets you gradually blend
pixels using a clean area nearby.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

75

FUNDAMENTALS

Before

WATCH THE
VIDEO!

FILE & VIDEO
www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc264

BONUS
DRONE
PRESET

After

Turn to page 84 to
find out more!

Make your drone
photography take off
Learn how Lightroom Classic can help
to enhance your aerial captures
hen drones come to mind, you often think of cool
shots following rivers or cars at high speeds, or
whizzing through windows or doors. This FPV (first
person view) drone video is exciting, but probably
not the best path for beginner pilots. While newer
FPV drones like the DJI Avata are more crash-resistant, it’s
probably best to learn to fly a normal drone first.
Getting a drone is among the lowest barriers to entry for
photography: you get a camera with a lens that can stay in place
wherever you put it. But why buy one? First, for an alternative
perspective – there’s just something about aerial views that
fascinates people. The second reason is to get shots from a
location with limited access. It might be that the best composition
is 10 feet over a cliff edge, or from the middle of that deep river.
Lightroom recently added Adobe profiles for DJI drones, so
you’re not limited to a single colour or monochrome profile. Let’s
build on this to get settings you can use as a preset for better
drone photos quickly. Onwards and literally upwards…

W

Sean
McCormack
Sean McCormack is
a photographer and
writer, based in Galway.
He’s the author of The
Indispensable Guide
to Lightroom CC.

76

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Before you start
To use a drone, you must
abide by your country’s drone
laws. In the UK users of most
types of drone must pass a
theory test and register for
an operator ID with the Civil
Aviation Authority: find out
more at https://registerdrones.caa.co.uk. An internet
search will show the drone
laws for your country.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

FUNDAMENTALS

1

3

Pick a profile

By default, you now have Adobe
Color as the profile for drone
photos on Import. The others are
available in the Profile dropdown menu in the Basic panel. Choose
Adobe Vivid to increase both saturation and contrast. Normally,
Adobe Color looks good, but it’s still flat on these files.

Adjust Whites

Given the underexposure, you’d think that the Exposure slider is
the fix, but in this case it’s the Whites that makes the difference.
This will be different for each photo, but +38 is perfect here. To
avoid clipping the highlights, keep an eye on the Histogram.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

2

4

Adjust Shadows
and Highlights

You can increase the apparent
dynamic range by increasing the
Shadows and reducing the Highlights. Try the extremes first:
Shadows of +100 and Highlights of -100. This can look fake, but
in this example it shows that the photo is a little underexposed.

The final touches

Your next enhancement will introduce depth. Increase Dehaze
to 35: this raises contrast and saturation but darkens the photo.
Increase Exposure to 0.35 to give a sense of detail and dimension.
It can interact with Whites, so balance them if required.
FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

77

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Before

NEW
SERIES!
Part 1 of 3

After

Make your photos Radiant
Achieve incredible results effortlessly using Radiant Photo

How to get
your copy
of Radiant
Photo

P

Digital Camera readers can take advantage
of a free three-month trial (extended from two
weeks and worth £30/$30) by registering at:
www.bit.ly/dcmradiant-trial
Instructions for downloading Radiant Photo
and obtaining a licence key valid for three
months will then be sent via email.
If Digital Camera readers wish to purchase
the software when their trial period ends, they
can get £30/$30 off a Radiant Photo software
bundle (the standalone and plugin versions)
which normally retails for £159/$159, by
visiting: www.bit.ly/dcmradiant-offer

80

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

hoto editing can be a
repetitive task where
you easily spend
several minutes
processing every
single image using similar settings
and processes. Radiant Photo is a
new photo editing program, made by
photographers for photographers,
that can improve both your edited
and unedited images using the power
of artificial intelligence alongside
manual controls. This allows you to
take as much or as little control over
image enhancements as you’d like.
The result is always greatly improved
images with beautiful colour
rendition and enhanced detail.
Radiant Photo is primarily a
standalone application, but with
plugins available for both Photoshop
and Lightroom, you can seamlessly
move between your existing editing

FEBRUARY 2023

software and Radiant Photo. So
whether you’re working on a single
photo or need to batch process a
series of images from a shoot,
Radiant Photo will help you make
light work of editing – with fantastic
results. What’s more, the software
never overwrites your originals,
so you can maintain a clean and
logical non-destructive workflow.
This innovative software can be
used by enthusiasts and pros alike.
But whether you shoot in RAW or
JPEG, Radiant Photo isn’t designed
to replace your current software
and workflow for specific tasks.
The software is intuitive and very
easy to use, but to illustrate just how
simple yet powerful Radiant Photo
is, we’re going to show you how to
take advantage of Smart Presets
and Quick Edit to improve your
images in the blink of an eye.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

L

IA T
EC N
SP IA
D
A
R

SE

1

Import your image

When the image opens, the
software will select the relevant
preset. You can choose from
Radiant Photo Subtle for edited images or Pro for
unedited images. Adjustments will be automatically
applied, and you can use this as a result or apply
some basic manual adjustments.

3

Make adjustments

This image was reset to the recommended
settings and Light Diffusion increased to
soften the light in the image, while Depth was
increased to boost clarity intelligently in Contrast mode.
Strength and Color were left at the default levels, but
Strength controls the overall strength of the adjustments
and Color controls vibrancy and tint correction.

5

2

O
S
IE T
R O
H
P

How to use Smart Presets and Quick Edit to instantly improve your shots
Take advantage of the intelligent tools in Radiant Photo

Try a preset

There are 40 useful presets
below the smart presets that
can be applied to your shots.
Simply click on the desired preset and the settings will
be automatically applied to the Smart Editing controls.
To reset the image to the original recommended settings,
click on the Reset icon above the Smart Editing controls.

4

Boost vibrancy

Not all images require a saturation boost, but
if you would like more saturated colours in your
landscapes, for instance, the Vibrancy slider
allows you to do just that. For this image, Vibrancy was
increased to 10, because this is a slider where lower
values produce the most realistic results, while
others can be increased a lot more.

Save your images

Images can be saved to JPEG,
TIFF or PNG with a file extension
to avoid overwriting the
original image. When importing images
from Photoshop using the Radiant
Photo filter, you’re taken back to
Photoshop, and with Lightroom
you can save the Radiant Photo
edited images back into your
Lightroom catalogue.

Find out
more at:
radiant
imaging
labs.com

Radiant Photo is constantly being updated, so the user interface may change with future updates.
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

81

ADVERTISING FEATURE
1

2

6
4
3

5

The Radiant Photo interface explained
Enjoy intuitive software with powerful results
he Radiant Photo
interface is simply laid
out with three main
sections: Quick Edit,
Detailed Edit and Color Grade. Quick
Edit allows for fast and simple edits;
Detailed Edit provides a wealth of
editing control, and Color Grade
offers preset-based colour grading
with refined control over effects.

T

1

Top Toolbar

The Top toolbar is where
you can adjust the zoom setting, and
select the View Mode, Edit Modes,
Undo and Redo buttons, Reset
and Save buttons.

2

Smart Presets

Below the Navigator, you’ll
find the smart presets – these are
at the heart of Radiant Photo’s
AI-powered image processing, where
the software detects the subject.

3

Presets

The Presets are subject-specific
presets that can be applied to images,
and adjust settings in the Smart Editing
panel to be used as a result or a starting
point for further editing.

4

Image window

The Image Window shows the
image you’re working on with a before

and after slider by default. There are
three View Modes that can be selected
on the Top toolbar.

5

Filmstrip

6

Smart Editing

The Filmstrip allows you to
see the images that are loaded into
the software, in addition to switching
between them and syncing settings.
This can be hidden like the side panels.

The Smart Editing controls
allow you to adjust and expand upon
the settings automatically applied by
the software, based on the subject
matter of the photos.

2

The Radiant Manager is a
handy tool that’s installed
alongside the main software.
It conveniently allows you to update
Radiant Photo, access the community,
purchase Looks for use in the Color
Grade section and much more.

Don’t miss
these 5 great
Radiant Tools

1

Smart Presets

Smart Presets are
automatically applied
to images, but you can
select Subtle or Pro depending
on whether an image has been
previously edited, or is one that
requires a stronger application
of adjustments.

82

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Radiant Manager

FEBRUARY 2023

L

IA T
EC N
SP IA
D
A
R

SE

O
S
IE T
R O
H
P

Three images greatly improved using Radiant Photo
Take a great shot and make it even better with minimal effort
This portrait was imported directly
into Radiant Photo and the software
easily identified the subject. The
Balanced Portrait preset was selected
to even the skin tones, while Exposure
was increased manually to make the
portrait punchier overall with a greater
effect on the hair than the skin. From
importing to saving a new copy of
the file, improving this image took
just 30 seconds.

James Abbott

Portrait

Before

After

This macro shot of a frost-encrusted
fern was loaded into Radiant Photo
after creating a copy of the
Background layer in Photoshop
and converting it for Smart Filters.
The software identified it as a
Landscape – Winter, which was
easily changed to Flowers & Plants
before making manual adjustments
to Color, Exposure, Light
Diffusion and Depth.

James Abbott

Nature

Before

After

Before

After

Imported from Lightroom as a
copy, this image was manually set
to the Landscape – Night Smart
preset, and all automatic settings
were used except for an Exposure
increase to lighten the foreground.
Once saved, the image was then
available in the Lightroom
catalogue, where it could be
viewed and exported in the
desired file format.

James Abbott

Landscape

5

Get your free
3-month trial
of Radiant Photo
via: www.bit.ly/
dcmradiant-trial
Exclusive offer for
Digital Camera
readers

Light Diffusion
and Depth

Light Diffusion softens the
light in images, while Depth
is used to boost clarity intelligently.
Depth offers a Definition mode for more
shadow and highlight detail alongside
better Exposure on faces.

3

Strength

The Strength slider affects the
tone and contrast of images,
with the ability to recover
highlights alongside improving clarity
and sharpness. For portraits, it also
improves facial contours, depth
and tones for more faithful results.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

4

Exposure

Exposure is a little different to
its counterpart in other image
editors, in that it maintains
the white and black points of images
while smoothly and naturally brightening
images. There are also three Exposure
presets for faster adjustments.

83

ACTIONS & PRESETS

THIS MONTH’S BONUS SOFTWARE EXTRAS

Improve your shots with
our Actions and Presets

FILES & PDFs
www.digital
cameraworld
.com/dc264

As seen in this month’s tutorials, you’ll be able
to transform your photos in just a few clicks
his month, we have
curated a collection
of actions, profiles
and a preset to help
transform your images. Actions,
presets and profiles can make a
big impact on your photos in a
matter of seconds. Once they
have been installed in Lightroom
or Photoshop, they are on hand
for whenever you need them.
You can build up your own

T

library of software extras by
collecting the ones we are
releasing with our tutorials.
One of the main advantages
of using these digital shortcuts
is that they save time – rather
than having to manually adjust
a photo to give it a certain look,
actions, presets and profiles will
get you there in a few clicks. Use
this issue’s collection to give
your photos a little bit extra…

10 WINTER
PROFILES
Software: Camera Raw
and Lightroom

Profiles can be used to add colour
treatments to your photos in Adobe
Camera Raw and Lightroom. We have
included 10 wonderfully wintery profiles
for you: Orange Teal, Winter Beach, Dark
& Moody, Soft & Dreamy, Faded Blue,
Punchy Cool, Soft Lilac, Matte Cool,
Red Fader and Desaturated Purple.

How to use your
software extras

Once you have downloaded the
‘dcm264-files.zip’ file to your
computer, extract it and put
the Actions, Profiles and
Preset folders where you can
easily access them. These
folders contain the files, PDFs
and installation instructions.

DRONE
PRESET
Software: Lightroom

Presets are saved settings that can be
applied to RAW or JPEG files. When
importing DJI drone images into
Lightroom Classic, users can now
choose from Adobe profiles other than
colour or monochome. We’re using this
as a start point to build a drone-specific
preset to help the quality of your aerial
images soar to new heights!

Instruction PDFs
can be found in
the Gifts folder
of the issue’s
download file

4 B&W ADJUSTMENT
ACTIONS
Software: Photoshop

This Black & White Adjustment Layers
Actions kit can be applied to your images
in Photoshop in just a few seconds.
The Actions included in this set are:
Quick Fix, Colour Brightness, Add a Tint
in Seconds, and Increase Clarity. With
the help of these, you will be able to
almost instantly improve the black
and white tones in your photos.

Download all three packs from: www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc264
84

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

SPONSORED BY

Reader challenge results

Reader challenge Creative flash

In issue 262, we challenged our readers to shoot their best image taken from dusk to dawn. Here are our
two runners-up and the overall winner – next month, we’ll reveal the Christmas spirit challenge results
Enter your best shot to win a copy of Affinity Photo for Windows or macOS worth £49/$50

Well done
to Ainars!
Ain

ars wins
of Affinity P a copy
worth £59/hoto 2
$69

And the winner of
the Dusk to Dawn
challenge is…

affinity.serif.
com/photo

Ainars Zvejnieks

This image shows the sun rising
over the Greek island of Kos, shot
at a focal length of 32mm, with an
exposure of 1/30 sec at f/11, ISO 100.
Digital Camera says: Many strong
sunrise and sunset shots were
entered this month, but this one by
Ainars just pipped the others to the
post for its strength of tones and the
leading lines towards the mountain.
Managing to capture the dramatic
sky created by the rising sun, which
has lit up the sea below in a very
pleasing way, this is a stunning
shot. Great work, Ainars!

3rd place: Barbara Lansdell

Titled ‘Welcome Home’, Barbara has made good use of street lighting to
capture a quaint residential scene in her country village. A clever use of
leading lines draws the eye from right to left, and the lighting is spot-on.

2nd place: Clive Davies

In this minimal sunset shot of Hampton Court’s Long Water, the central
composition and reflections in the water along the treeline really make
this image stand out from the crowd for its simplicity and tones.

Join us on Facebook!

We’ll reveal the winner of issue 263’s Christmas
spirit challenge in a live stream on 5 January at
5.35pm GMT: facebook.com/digitalcameraworld

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

85

THE
JUDGES
Meet the
competition’s
expert panel

2

Will Burrard-Lucas

Wildlife photographer,
creator of BeetleCam and
founder of Camtraptions

3

4

Tristan Dicks

Wildlife photographer,
private guide & TV presenter

Niall Hampton

5

Editor, Digital Camera
magazine

6

How to enter

You’ll need to sign up and upload your pictures at the
Remembering Leopards competition page (https://
rememberingwildlife. awardsplatform.com/), where
you can also find full terms and conditions.
The entry fee for the first image you submit is £10,
with each subsequent entry costing £5. All funds raised
after costs will go to conservation projects. The deadline
for submitting entries is Sunday 5 March 2023.

Margot Raggett

Wildlife photographer
and founder of
Remembering Wildlife

The prizes
The 20 best photographs in the opinion of the judging
panel (pictured, right) will be printed in the Remembering
Leopards book, alongside shots from some of the
world’s best wildlife photographers.
The images will also be printed in issue 268 (May
2023) of Digital Camera. Each winner will receive a
copy of Remembering Leopards and an invitation to
the launch event at the Royal Geographical Society,
Kensington Gore, London, in October 2023.

7
2 Wistful leopard cub
in the Sabi Sands
by Tristan Dicks.
3 Leopard and cub
bonding in the
Maasai Mara
by Margot Raggett.

4 Leopard descending 6 A leopard emerges
a tree in the Maasai
from tall grasses in
Mara by Margot Raggett.
the Maasai Mara
by Margot Raggett.
5 A leopard
investigates
7 A young male known
a remote camera
as ShaSha at sunset
by Will Burrard-Lucas.
by Tristan Dicks.

ENTER TODAY AT
rememberingwildlife.
awardsplatform.com
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

Lorna Dockerill

Editor,
Remembering Leopards

Eddie Ephraums

Photographer,
publisher and mentor

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

87

Photo Answers
Crazed by CMOS? Mixed up over memory cards?
Send your technique and camera questions
to digitalcamera@futurenet.com

Andrew
James
Andrew is a highly
experienced writer
and photographer –
if you have a problem,
he is here to help.

A graduated ND filter
allows you to make the
sky darker while retaining
visibility in the foreground.

Before

Balancing scenic shots

Should I expose
Q for the land or
the sky when
shooting landscapes?
Jeremy Davies
Generally speaking, the sky is
usually around 2 stops brighter
than the land in a typical scenic
shot, so if you want to get a
‘perfect’ exposure, you need to find a way
to bring them into harmony and balance
the overall scene to reduce the difference in

A

88

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

brightness. If you expose for the highlights
in the sky, your land will be underexposed,
while if you expose for the land, your sky
may be very pale or even bleached out.
This problem isn’t new; landscapers have
faced this for generations. The traditional
way to address it is to make the sky darker
using a graduated Neutral Density filter (or
ND Grad). I like this approach, as it means
everything is addressed in-camera, and
once the filter is in place – effectively
darkening the sky – you can expose
for the highlights and see everything fall
into line when you check the screen.
The downside is that it takes more time
to set up the shot, and if the light is fleeting,

FEBRUARY 2023

you might miss the perfect opportunity
when the light’s at its best. For this reason,
the more modern approach is to shoot
raw files and fix the exposure difference
in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw. You
still expose for the sky – because blown
highlights cannot be retrieved – but boost
the exposure on the land in software to
balance up. There’s a chance that you will
increase noise in the underexposed area,
but it’s rarely problematic, especially if
the shot has been taken at a low ISO setting.
There’s a Graduated Filter tool in Lightroom
and Adobe Camera Raw for this purpose,
and once you get used to it, it’s very
quick and easy to apply.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Andrew James

Af ter

Tech Check
Bokeh
Is the meaning of bokeh a bit of a blur?
Let’s remove some of the fuzziness…
What is bokeh?
It’s a Japanese word that has no
direct translation, but very loosely
means ‘fuzziness’. It’s used to
describe the quality of the out-offocus areas in a photograph,
in particular the shape of the
defocused highlights, which
reveal the shape of the lens
employed to take the picture.
What is ‘good’ bokeh?
Good bokeh has a circular shape,
so any lens that is wide open at its
maximum aperture will produce
this, as the aperture blades that

A filter too far?

What’s the
Q purpose of
the Camera
Raw filter in Adobe
Photoshop? Surely
if you’ve converted
a raw file, you won’t
need the filter in
Photoshop as you’ll
be using features
like Layers?
Lauren Peters
You’ll find this
tool under the
Filter menu in
Photoshop. At
first glance it may seem like
a superfluous ‘extra’, but you
have to remember that the
creative features of the Camera
Raw plugin are vast, and to
have access to these directly
from the regular Photoshop
interface is a real benefit.
For starters, because the
ACR layout and feature set
is shared with Lightroom’s

A

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

open and close to allow more or
less light through to the sensor will
be out of the light path when open.
What is ‘bad’ bokeh?
A partially closed aperture will
show the shape of the blades in
the diaphragm, so one with seven
blades will show as a seven-sided
shape in defocused highlights.
Some blades are straight and some
are curved to give a more circular
shape, so the ‘worst’ bokeh would
be from a five-blade diaphragm
with straight-edged blades, found
on the least expensive lenses.

Develop module, it offers an
easy way to make changes.
Rather than scrambling around
with Photoshop’s array of
menus and functions, you can
just make adjustments using
a method you already know.
Secondly, ACR and
Lightroom allow certain tasks
to be performed more quickly
than in Photoshop. If you want
to add a vignette, for example,
apply a graduated filter over
the sky and warm up the colour
temperature, do it in one go
with the Camera Raw filter.
Thirdly, if you’re working on
a jpeg, you can treat it like a
raw file and make raw-style
adjustments to it direct from
Photoshop, even though it’s
not a raw file. Add these
advantages together, and you
have a versatile tool that offers
an alternative way of working on
an image – maybe one you’re
more accustomed to – or a way
of doing multiple tasks fast.
The downside is it will make
all the changes in one layer, so
you can’t go back and re-edit
or adjust the changes you’ve
made, but that’s a small price
to pay for the added versatility.

But ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are very much
in the eye of the beholder; ‘good’
can be achieved with any lens
if it’s wide open.
How do I create bokeh?
The easiest way is to use a fast
prime lens (like a 50mm f/1.8) and
open it all the way to f/1.8. Focus
on something close to the lens
and any pinpoints of light in the
background will generate circular
bokeh shapes. Fairy lights are
a great background choice and
make it simple to create pleasing
pictures with obvious bokeh.

‘Good’ bokeh has a circular shape,
and is produced by a lens wide
open at its aperture (top), while
‘bad’ bokeh appears to look
more like a pentagon (bottom).

Using the versatile
Camera Raw filter
in Photoshop can
save you time.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

89



Photo Answers
increases your creative options, especially
if you fit it with a snoot or barn doors to
focus the output on a small area. This lets
you add backlighting to your subject’s hair
and create separation between them and
the background. The standard approach
for studio portraiture is 3-point lighting (key
light, fill light and back light), but with the
reflector acting as the fill light, you get
three light sources for the price of two!
If you’re going to go for it in one fell
swoop, then a two-head kit is a sound
investment – especially if it includes
softboxes or brollies. But if the outlay is
too great, keep an eye on auction sites and
embrace the idea of building up one light
at a time, as this will help you develop
your style and knowledge of what
each single light source can do.

My flypast shots are fuzzy

When it comes to shooting portrait
photography at home, you can use
anything between one and three lights.

Two heads better than one?

I’m thinking of
Q setting up a home
studio for portraits.
How many flash heads do
I need for good results?

I’ve tried to shoot
Q birds in flight but
all my photos are
blurred. I have a Nikon
D500 and 70-300mm AF-P.
So is it me, the camera or
the lens that’s the problem?
Brian Lawless
The D500 has an excellent
pro-grade autofocus system,
and with a fast-focusing lens
like the 70-300mm AF-P,
getting sharp shots of fast-moving subjects
is well within your kit’s capabilities. So
assuming everything is working properly,
the issue is likely being caused by your
technique or the AF settings.

A

First, set your AF/M switch on the camera
body to AF and then depress the AF button
and select AF-C (continuous) using the rear
command dial. Now, depress the button
again and dial in a group of ‘d25’ using the
front command dial. This sets the AF target
to a wider area that uses 25 AF points rather
than one. Make sure the lens is set to AF,
and switch the VR setting to Sport. Use
Aperture Priority mode (A) and set the
aperture to around f/8 to give a bit more
depth of field. You’ll need a fast shutter
speed of around 1/1000 sec, so be
prepared to increase the ISO setting until
you achieve this in the light you have. You’ll
now be set up for a moving target, so all
you have to do is nail your technique.
When the bird is in the frame, keep it
centred and half-depress the shutter button
to engage the AF. Don’t shoot immediately,
but track the subject – ideally for about 1
sec – before depressing it fully to capture
your shots. It pays to set your drive mode
to CH (high speed continuous) so you can
capture a brace of shots in quick succession
as you keep the bird within the target area.
Once the flypast is over, check the shots
on screen, zooming right in on the eyes of
the subject to see if they’re sharp. It takes
a bit of practice to bring everything together
(and not to panic!), but persevere and
you’ll soon nail a sharp one.

The Nikon 70-300mm AF-P has a pulse motor
which brings subjects into focus extra quickly.
Pay more for a VR lens and you will avoid
vibration and camera shake in your shots.

David Henderson
On a recent commercial
portrait shoot, I arrived at the
client’s offices with five flash
heads in the boot of the car.
But for the shoot itself, only one – and a
reflector – was needed to produce the look
and style they wanted. With this in mind, a
good approach to creating a home studio
is to keep things as simple as possible, then
grow your kit in line with the kind of work
you want to do. One light with a shoot-thru
umbrella or softbox plus a reflector is
perfect for getting great-quality shots. The
reflector is vital, as it turns one light into two
for very little cost. You will need someone
to hold it in the right place, though you can
fashion a reflector stand from a tripod so
a willing assistant isn’t always essential!
As you progress, you’ll find that adding a
second light behind and above the subject
90

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Spending some time setting up
your AF points to a wider range
can help you achieve fantastic
results in wildlife photography.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Andrew James

A

Image Rescue

3

Adobe Camera Raw makes light of the exposure issues in this shot

Normal mask

Mask inverted

Screen decluttering help

When I’m polishing
Q an image in
Photoshop, I spend
too much time shutting
down palettes to get a clean
look at the image, and then
spend more time opening
them up again. Is there a
quick way to do this?
Toby Morris
To declutter the screen and
see your image without any
palettes at all, hit the Tab key
(to the left of ‘Q’). If you just
want to leave the Toolbox up but clear
everything else, hit Shift+Tab. To reverse
the process and bring the palettes back,
just repeat the same command. Another
option, if your system allows, is to plug
in a separate monitor and drag all your
palettes onto the other screen, leaving
your image alone on your main monitor.

A

Unmasking a mask

In Photoshop, can
Q I turn the black
parts of a layer
mask to white quickly?

Rachel Heron
A common problem when
creating layer masks in
Photoshop is painting in the
area we intended to paint out.
When you do this, you arrive at the end of
the mask-making process only to discover
that you’ve selected all the areas that you
wanted not to select! If this happens, you
don’t need to delete the mask and start
from scratch. Instead, make sure the mask
is active by clicking on it in the Layers panel,
then hit Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on a Mac). This will
invert the mask – turning black to white
and white to black – and reverse the
way it is applied to the image.

Use the Tab key to quickly declutter
your screen in Photoshop.

A

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

2

with a good foreground but
a sky that’s overly bright.
This state of affairs is
calling out for a grad filter
to be dragged over the sky
to reduce brightness and
reveal detail and warmth. 3
To apply these changes,
we’ll use a Mask (Linear
Gradient) and drag down a
graduated filter to cover it.
To finish, we’ll reduce the
Exposure and boost the
Mask’s Temperature to give
the image a sunset vibe.

Normal

With Tab button pressed

Andrew James

and reducing the highlights
to balance the contrast. 1
In the Basic panel, we’ll give
Shadows a boost and pull
back Highlights to bring out
the detail; while we’re there
we’ll increase Exposure by
a stop to brighten things up.
Now we need to fix the
blue colour cast. To do
this, we’ll increase the
Temperature slider to add
warmth and boost Texture
for more detail in the fur. 2
These steps have left us

Jon Adams

This shot of a pair of
eastern kiangs was taken
in fast-fading light, though
there was just enough
sun left to produce some
attractive backlighting. But
the bright sky has resulted
in underexposed subjects
and a cool blue colour cast.
Fortunately, we have the
raw file so we can work on
it to balance the image
and brighten the kiangs.
Let’s start by increasing
the exposure and shadows

1

The latest low-noise camera sensors mean you
don’t need a tripod for good shots at high ISOs.

Three legs better than none?

My new Canon EOS
Q R6 gives amazingly
clean results at high
ISOs, so is it time to ditch
my tripod for good?
Barry Mitchell
The benefits of low-noise
sensors have been a gamechanger for many
photographers, but the ability
to shoot in the near-dark doesn’t kill the
utility of your three-legged friend. From
ethereal waterfalls to silky-smooth seas,
and scudding clouds to light paintings,
there are many shots where recording
blurred motion is the creative goal. For
these, you need a stable platform to hold
the camera still and lots of time for the
exposure to be recorded. Think of your
tripod as a creative tool in its own right,
as it opens up photographic possibilities
like nothing else. Unless these kinds
of shots are of no interest, don’t go
ditching it any time soon!

A

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

91

The latest photography news from around the globe

1

MORE AFFORDABLE
THAN DJI MINI 3 PRO
The Mini 3 does without
collision sensors or
DJI’s pilot assist.
Last orders for Pink
Lady Food PotY 2023
Submissions close on
Sunday 5 February, so
enter now to be in with a
chance of winning. A new
category, ‘Moments of
Joy’, celebrates the joy
of growing, preparing or
cooking food. For more
information and to view
the T&Cs, go to:
www.bit.ly/dc246food

1

2

2

CAMERA
SPECIFICATION
Mini 3’s camera has a
1/1.3in CMOS 48MP
4-in-1 sensor, with
an f/1.7 aperture.

3

 OMPACT AND
C
LIGHTWEIGHT
The sub-249g Mini 3
folds down neatly
to be slightly larger
than palm-size.

3
4

4

DJI RC
Remote controller with integrated
screen is an optional extra, or is
bundled in the Fly More Combo.

DJI launches Mini 3
New ultralight 4K drone is feature-light, but a lot more affordable than its Pro sibling
arket leader DJI has dispatched another
product into the burgeoning sub-249g
or ‘ultralight’ drone category. The Mini 3
shares a similar body design to the Mini 3 Pro,
but unlike its more expensive forebear, which was
launched back in May 2022, the new Mini 3 doesn’t
feature collision sensors or DJI’s pilot assist.
This new 4K drone still offers the ability to
remotely rotate the camera between portrait and
landscape modes for full-resolution social-friendly
photography, making it potentially tempting for
budget- or regulation-conscious creatives. The
drone’s camera has a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor

M

92

Rounding up
what’s new
and exciting

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

and f/1.7 aperture, just like the Mini 3 Pro, but will
only be able to shoot at up to 4K 30fps (the Pro can
do 4K 60fps) or 12MP stills. Like its sibling, the Mini
3 will be able to capture footage in HDR at 30fps
and will be compatible with the new DJI-RC and
RC-N1 controllers. The drone has a 38-minute
maximum battery life and can cope in wind up
to 10.7m/s, also known as Level 5 (24mph).
The DJI Mini 3 folds to a tidy 148 x 90 x 62mm,
and outside Europe it will also accept the extended
batteries available for the Mini 3 Pro.
www.dji.com; £519/$559 (including the
standard RC-N1 controller)

Tamron Lens Utility
Mobile for Android
A mobile version of
the dedicated Tamron
Lens Utility computer
software, which enables
customisation of various
functions of selected
Tamron lenses, is now
available for tablets and
smartphones running
the Android OS.
play.google.com; free
Zhiyun Smooth 5S
smartphone gimbal
A more advanced version
of the Smooth 5, the 5S
boasts a wider clamp for
bigger handsets and has
more space between its
axes, for faster switching
between landscape and
portrait shooting modes.
store.zhiyun-tech.com;
£159/$169

© Debdatta Chakraborty/ Pink Lady
Food Photographer of the Year 2022

In Focus

Focal point

In Focus

Go to www.digitalcameraworld.com for the latest news, reviews & techniques

For fast filter switching, get on the Kase
Wolverine Magnetic Circular Revolution filters boast colour-coded rings for ease of use in the field
eading filters maker Kase
recently released a revised
version of its Wolverine
magnetic circular filters. The new
Revolution range incorporates Kase’s

L

well-regarded Wolverine glass, which
the brand says is renowned for its clarity,
toughness and excellent colour control,
but takes ease of use to the next level.
This is achieved by adopting coloured
identifying rings for easier filter
selection and new adapter rings
to help reduce vignetting on
awkward lenses. The colour

coding system is easy to follow: white
(polariser); blue (3-stop ND); yellow
(6-stop ND); and red (10-stop ND).
The new filters are available in 77mm
and 82mm sizes, and are backwards
compatible with existing Kase magnetic
circular filters, magnetic circular
adapters, step-up rings and
magnetic lens hoods.
www.kasefilters.com; from
£230/$230 (77mm Entry kit).

Canon Speedlite EL-5
New wireless flashgun offers some of the best
features from the flagship EL-1, in a smaller package
ompatible with the Multi Function Shoe that features on
the latest EOS R mirrorless bodies, the new Speedlite
EL-5 has a guide number of 60, a built-in modelling light
and rechargeable Li-Ion battery (LP-EL) pack. This allows it to
shoot up to 85 flashes continuously at full power, claims Canon,
or 350 flashes in a single charge. The EL-5 is also said to have a
fast recycle time of between 0.1 sec and 1.2 secs depending on
the power setting. Other features include wireless radio control
and a pair of white LEDs, which can also be used as a modelling
lamp – an impressive addition for a portable flashgun.
www.canon.co.uk; £499/$399

C

Fujis get a grip
The TG-BT1 can be used as a
handheld grip and a sturdy tripod
nabling not only table-top and still
shooting, but also making it much
easier to capture group selfies
as well as tricky lower-angle shots, the
TG-BT1 pairs via Bluetooth to a compatible
camera. It allows users to adjust and tilt the
camera angle to 180º vertically and 360º
horizontally, making it ideal as a perfect
selfie grip when rotated and used
horizontally at 180º. Also, by expanding
its tripod legs, the TG-BT1 can be
transformed into a sturdy mini tripod.
www.fujifilm.com; £169/$199

E

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

The EL-5 has
a rechargeable
battery and a
modelling lamp.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

93

Jon Devo

instagram.com/gadgetsjon
Jon is a professional photographer,
videographer and technology journalist.

Scanning
ahead…

Jon Devo

Imtiaz’s Camera Market in Chiyoda
City, Tokyo, was bursting at the seams
with vintage cameras and lenses.

This month, Jon Devo takes a rare look back
at the joys of vintage cameras and lenses
n inevitable new wave
of camera releases
awaits us in 2023,
but is the seemingly
endless onslaught of
updated photography
hardware something to celebrate? Or
should we be more conscious about
the incessant production of difficultto-dispose-of electronic products?
On a recent trip to Tokyo, I stumbled
across my personal idea of heaven:
a small corner shop filled with
generations of digital and film
cameras, lenses and accessories. The
gentleman who ran the store said he’d
started collecting used camera gear
six years ago, and in that time had

A

“Expecting people
to buy a new camera
body every year or
so is harmful and
unrealistic”
94

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

acquired thousands of cameras. Each
major camera brand had a wall to itself,
with corresponding lenses. From the
iconic Rolleiflex T to the world’s first
digital stills camera, the Sony Mavica,
this guy had some true gems. Given
the current strength of the pound
against the Yen, I was tempted to fill a
bag with some unique vintage pieces.
But then something struck me – the
majority of the cameras in the room
were my age or older. They were built
to last, if not functionally, then
materially. Bodies made of tough
polycarbonate and magnesium
alloy frames do not wither away and
disintegrate over time; they endure.
Were it not for people’s love of vintage
cameras and lenses, they would be
in landfill. Given the complex
construction of cameras and lenses,
they’re incredibly difficult to recycle
or repurpose, even without taking into
account the level of carbon generated
by a single product’s lifecycle.
In Canon’s 2021 sustainability
report, it highlighted that the lifecycle
CO2 emissions per product was
7,723,000 tonnes in 2020-2021 –

a 41.3% improvement over its 2008
figures. For context, the average
person in the UK has a carbon footprint
in the region of 10 tonnes of CO2 per
year, according to carbonindependent.
org. As many companies and
governments are acknowledging and
embracing the need to embrace more
sustainable practices, surely camera
production and packaging are areas
where we must see improvements?
Iterative and cynical camera updates
are something I’ve taken issue with
for a number of years now. Thanks
to declining sales, semiconductor
shortages and Covid-related factory/
production issues, there has been
a welcome reduction, even if it is
unintentional. But in prior years,
camera companies were getting away
with releasing a number of products
featuring marginal updates, some
of which were intentionally hobbled
to protect existing camera models
or give them something to entice
us with in the future.
Expecting people to buy a new
camera body every year or so is
harmful and unrealistic. Technology
doesn’t advance that rapidly, and if
companies want people to invest in
their systems, they should be putting
out the best possible bodies they can
make right now and holding nothing
back. When a new camera comes
along, it should be an event, not an
annual affair. I still use the Hasselblad
X1D and Lumix S1 for work, and those
cameras are eight and five years old
respectively. I will use them until the
buttons fall off, and even then I’ll
probably stick them back on with
gaffer tape and carry on. We want
cameras that last, just like the
cameras I found in that amazing
vintage camera store in Tokyo; we
just don’t need so many of them.
One final thing: can we also stop
wrapping everything in the camera and
lens boxes in plastic? I look forward to
opening a camera box to discover its
contents wrapped in recycled paper.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

100

Sony Alpha 7R V _ New autofocus
technology tops the spec sheet

Affinity Photo 2 _ A major update
for this serious rival to Photoshop

108

Photo printers _ Our best-buy
options from across the market

s it already a couple of years
since Canon released the
EOS R6? Not resting on its
laurels, the market leader
has pushed out a new
iteration of this enthusiast camera. The R6
Mark II gets a bump in resolution to 24.4MP,
improvements to autofocus tracking, and a
boost to its maximum burst rate. This will
certainly endear the model to users who
want to bag the maximum number of
keepers from their action, sports and wildlife
shooting, and the R6 Mark II may well tempt
anyone looking to retire their EOS 6D DSLR.

I

Also this month, we preview the Sony A7R V,
the latest version of the brand’s resolution
king. While the sensor stays at 61MP, there
are major updates to the autofocus system,
which draws on artificial intelligence to serve
up incredible subject tracking performance.
If you’re the kind of person who would
rather hunker down indoors in the winter,
then printing out the year’s best photos is
a great idea. Need a new printer? Then find
out which one bests our eight-way test.
Plus, we give our verdict on Affinity Photo Plus
2 image editing software, and test a new
107 Nikkor Z 17-28mm
fast trinity zoom from Nikon. Niall Hampton f/2.8

The awards bestowed by the Digital Camera lab…
Given to the top
product in a
group test

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

For products
that receive five
stars overall

KitZone

104

Canon EOS R6 Mark II _ Latest
version of full-frame mirrorless

New gear, buying tips and the world’s toughest tests

96

Given to products
that offer superb
value for money

Ratings explained
Best in class
Excellent
Good
So-so
Poor

FEBRUARY 2023

All products reviewed
in KitZone are tested
independently by
photographers with years
of experience, using lab
and real-world testing

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

95

KitZone

Mirrorless Canon EOS R6 Mark II

1

1

The EOS R6 Mark II
boasts a maximum
burst rate of 40fps
(electronic shutter).
2
2

It is built around a
new 24.2MP full-frame
sensor – a step up from
20.1MP on the the R6.
3

3

The handgrip houses
an LP-E6NH battery,
which is CIPA rated
for at least 580 shots.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II
£2,779/$2,499 (body only)
This 40fps speed demon makes mincemeat of other hybrids
w w w.c anon .co.uk

Specifications
Sensor: 24.2MP full-frame CMOS
Mount: Canon RF
Image processor: Digic X
AF points: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
Image stabilisation: 5-axis IBIS, up to 8 stops
ISO range: 100-102,400 (exp 50-204,800)
Max image size: 6000 x 4000 pixels
Max video resolution: 4K HQ 60p, 1080p 180p
Viewfinder: 3.69m dot OLED, 0.5 inch,
100% coverage, 120fps refresh
Memory card: 2x SD UHS-II
LCD: 3-inch, 1.62m dot, vari-angle touchscreen
Shutter speeds: 1/16,000-30s
Max burst: 12fps mechanical shutter,
40fps electronic
Connectivity: USB-C, wireless LAN,
Bluetooth, HDMI micro out (Type D)
Size: 138.4 x 98.4 x 88.4mm
Weight: 670g (incl battery and memory card)

96

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

f the Canon EOS R6
Mark II was an animal,
it would pack teeth like
switchblades, razorsharp talons, a venom
sac and the footspeed to chase
down anything foolish enough
to draw its attention.
Indeed, while the Canon EOS R6
Mark II is almost a top-to-bottom
specs improvement over the original
Canon EOS R6, in terms of that last
point it manages to outpace even the
mighty Canon EOS R3 – boasting an
amazing 40fps continuous shooting
speed. This actually outguns both
the Sony A1 and Nikon Z 9, too, unless
you count the Z 9 cheating by
shooting 11MP images.
Still, the Canon EOS R6 Mark II is
about more than just sheer speed.
From its full-width, 6K-oversampled
video to the brand-new 24.2MP sensor
to the ability to pre-record both stills

I

and video, so you don’t miss a
microsecond of the action, this is
the most fully loaded mid-range
camera on the market.

Key features

As noted, the Canon EOS R6 Mark II is
a step up from the R6 in a great many
ways. Chief among these is in terms
of resolution, with a brand-new image
sensor boasting 24.2MP (compared
to the 20.1MP of the original).
The maximum continuous shooting
speed has doubled, from 20fps to
40fps (when using the electronic
shutter; mechanically it still sits
at 12fps), which records both
JPG and RAW images.
The new sensor enables the camera
to capture full-width 4K 60p video
(including 4K 60p HQ, downsampled
from 6K), as well as 1080p footage
at up to 180p – an increase from its
predecessor’s 120p recording. If
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless
4
4

The viewfinder is
a 0.5-inch 3.69m
dot OLED with
100% coverage.
5
6

5

The fully articulating
touchscreen enables a
wide range of different
shooting scenarios.
6

Stills and video are
captured to a UHS-II
SD/SDHC/SDXC card;
two slots are provided.

7

This new dual selector
switch flips the
camera between stills
and video modes.
8

The R6 Mark II is the
latest model to receive
Canon’s new Multi
Function Shoe.
9

Unlike its predecessor,
the camera’s power
switch is on the right
of the top plate.

9

8
7

you want to use the R6 Mark II as a
webcam for livestreaming and video
conferencing, you can now simply
plug and play via USB – no need
for additional drivers or software.
Both stills and video possess a
pre-recording feature, which enable
the camera to start capturing photos
or footage even before you depress
the shutter (0.5 seconds for stills,
three or five seconds for video),
ensuring that you don’t miss
a moment even if you’re slow
with your trigger finger.
The ferocious autofocus is now
even better than before, too, taking
the Dual Pixel AF II algorithms from
the R3 and combining it with even
more deep learning. The net result
is that tracking now extends to two
subject types: horses and aircraft
(in addition to birds, dogs, cats,
cars, motorcycles and trains).
Like other recent EOS R system
bodies, such as the R7 and R10, the
R6 Mark II takes the Multi Function
Shoe from the R3. It also imports
the Panoramic photo mode from
its APS-C siblings and introduces
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

a new (and very welcome!) focus
breathing correction function.

Build and handling

The Mark II is almost identical in size,
weight and proportion to the original
– and it retains the same degree
of weather-sealing, too. However,
some key changes are worth noting.
Firstly, the power switch: it’s gone.
Well, not completely – it’s just gone
from its old position on the left
shoulder, replaced instead by a
dedicated stills/video switch that’s
a big nod towards this camera’s overt
focus on hybrid shooters. The power
switch now sits instead on the right
shoulder, beneath the rear exposure
dial – which should please street
shooters who like to arm their
cameras one-handed.
The other change is to the joystick,
where the familiar R5 and R6 input has
been replaced with a newly designed
one (which is also customisable). It
lacks the knurled edges at the top-left,
top-right and centre-bottom of the
stick, so if you’re familiar with
the previous design, you

Shot on a pre-production Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Canon
RF 28-70mm f/2L lens: 1/1000 sec at f/2, ISO 2000.

“The Canon EOS R6
Mark II is the most
fully loaded mid-range
camera on the market”
FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

97

KitZone

Mirrorless Canon EOS R6 Mark II

Taken on a pre-production Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L lens: 1/1000 sec at f/2, ISO 2000.

might find your thumb sliding off
without the tactile notification that
you’re at the edge of the disc.
Canon has also made some useful
tweaks to the menus. For us, the
coolest is having a set of hotkey-like
shortcuts to three ISO settings, so
you can quickly tap the ISO menu and
jump between them without having to
scroll the wheel or swipe the screen.
The new Q2 menu is also much
appreciated; operating much like
the original Q menu, this gives you

a dedicated quick-menu to adjust your
video settings (the Q1 menu remains
dedicated to photo settings). Again,
this camera really is geared up to cater
for hybrid shooters, rather than feeling
like a photography-first device that
just happens to record video as well.

Performance

While we didn’t get to test out the new
AF subject tracking modes, since
there were no horses or planes
available while we had the camera,
The EOS R6 Mark II is also available in a kit
with an RF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens, which
nudges the price up to £3,999/$3,599.

Rival cameras

Nikon Z 6 II
£1,999/$1,999
This light refresh of
the Z 6 is a very capable
camera; twin image
processors boost the
shooting burst rates.
Reviewed: issue 237

98

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Panasonic Lumix S1
£1,999/$2,499
The S1 has higher
resolution and better
video, but its AF isn’t as
advanced and its max
burst is much slower.
Reviewed: issue 218

FEBRUARY 2023

Sony Alpha 7 IV
£2,399/$2,498
A stills and video
powerhouse – like a
mini-Sony A1 that’s
good at everything but is
less than half the price.
Reviewed: issue 249

it does an incredible job finding and
locking onto human subjects.
We were photographing a troupe
of dancers, and no matter how they
turned, twirled, leapt or pirouetted,
the EOS R6 Mark II never failed to keep
them in focus. Once again, like the
original R6, this delivers the best AF
performance that money can buy.
That extends to video shooting,
along with a new Face Only AF mode
that comes direct from the Cinema
EOS line. With this selected, if a face
is tracked and exits the frame, the AF
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless
Lab tests

Top: Photographed on a pre-production Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L
lens – 1/30 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1000. Above: Same camera and lens: 1/30 sec at f/2.8, ISO 800.

will not shift focus to the background;
it will maintain focus where it is, until
the face re-enters the frame, upon
which it resumes tracking as before.
Speaking of video, everything has
been upped on the Mark II. Not only
do you get full-width 4K, you can also
record 6K 60p ProRes RAW via HDMI
(3.7K ProRes RAW in crop), the 29:59
recording limit is no more, and the
circuitry has been redesigned to
enable the capture of 40 minutes of
oversampled 4K 60p or six hours of
4K 30p. There are also new exposure
tools, such as false colour to ensure
your footage is the correct brightness.
The magic performance isn’t limited
to video. That 40fps burst is absolutely
ridiculous, with a buffer depth of 190
JPEG/ 75 RAW images. When not
shooting at the top speed, the buffer
seem limitless; we held down the
shutter for 10, 20 and 30 seconds,
and it didn’t even take a breath.
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

There are other welcome creative
additions, too, such as in-camera
focus bracketing – which, unlike
other Canon cameras, actually
does the compositing in-camera
rather than requiring you to do
it manually in external software.
Thanks to the improved stabilisation,
which is good for up to eight stops
depending on your lens choice, you
can do it without a tripod. We did
a 100-shot stack, handheld, and
the results were perfect.
James Artaius

“The camera
never failed to
keep our troupe of
dancers in focus”

Digital Camera verdict

4.5
Features

Outstanding

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

This hybrid packs an obscene amount of firepower,
with 6K video and 24.2MP stills at 40 frames per
second. Flitting between the two mediums has
seldom been easier. This is Canon’s finest 6-series
camera, and a brilliant younger brother to the
EOS R5 for those who don’t need ultimate
resolution but demand premium performance.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

99

KitZone

Mirrorless Sony A7R V

1

A new hand grip design
will offer users more
control when shooting
with telephoto lenses.
2

The A7R V continues
with a 61MP full-frame
sensor – the highestresolution available…

3

3
1

2

… but incorporates a
bespoke AI processing
unit to deliver boosted
autofocus capabilities.
4

The rear touchscreen is
fully articulating, and it
can also be pulled away
from the camera body.

HANDS-ON
PREVIEW

Sony Alpha 7R V
£3,999/$3,898 (body only)

Will the new features leave other Sony models quaking?
w w w. s o ny. c o . u k

Specifications
Sensor: 61MP full-frame
back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS
Image processor: BIONZ XR + AI unit
Mount: Sony FE
ISO range: 100-32,000
Shutter speeds: 1/8000-30 sec
Image stabilisation: 5-axis IBIS,
Active mode, up to 8 stops
Max image size: 9,504 × 6336 pixels
Max video resolution: 8K 24p
Continuous shooting: 10fps
Viewfinder: 9,444k dot EVF,
0.9x magnification
LCD: Tilting/vari-angle touchscreen,
3.1-inch, 2,095k dot
Memory cards: 2x SD UHS-II/
CFexpress Type A
Size: 131.3 x 96.9 x 82.4 mm
( 5 1/4 x 3 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches)
Weight: 723 g (incl battery and
memory card)

100

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

he Sony A7R V is Sony’s
‘resolution’ specialist,
though its 8K video
capability, improved
burst capacity and new
AI autofocus are bound to drive a big
wedge into the sports/action – and
perhaps video – markets, too.
This won’t make the Sony range any
less confusing. The Sony A1 remains
the powerhouse of the Sony range,
though the A7R V beats it for
resolution, and the Sony A9 II remains
the sports specialist, despite being
overtaken for speed by the A1 and by
the A7R V for autofocus technologies.
The Sony A7S III is still the low-light
video specialist, though its 12MP
sensor effectively rules it out for stills
photography, while the Sony A7 IV is
cheaper than the A7R V and perhaps
better for hybrid stills/video work.
The Sony A7R V is clearly one of the
best Sony cameras, not to mention

T

one of the best cameras for
professionals and even one of the best
cameras for sport, though Sony seems
to be aiming more at the wildlife/
nature/wedding market.
Sony’s habit of packing more power
into its new cameras and pushing the
envelope in every direction at once is
great for headlines, but potentially
baffling for buyers. But let’s forget
the rest and get back to the Sony A7R.

Key features

This camera has the highestresolution sensor available for fullframe cameras. It’s matched by the
Sigma fp L and Leica M11, but there’s
nothing that offers more megapixels in
this format. Some will have hoped for
yet more from Sony’s resolution
specialist, but 61MP is arguably
enough – especially with Sony’s
improved 240MP Pixel Shift
Multi Shooting mode.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Sony A7R V Mirrorless

5

6

7
8

4

Build and handling

The A7R V feels like a thick and sturdy
camera with a decent grip, just like
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

the A7R IV before it, and the new
multi-pivot screen doesn’t feel as if it’s
made it any thicker. The two cameras
are remarkably similar, in fact, though
the EV compensation dial on the old
model has been swapped for an
unmarked multi-function dial.
What Sony’s A7 bodies have in
common is a relatively low body
height. This means you can only ever
get three fingers around the grip and
your smallest is left dangling under
the baseplate – unless you move your
grip upwards and leave your index
finger hovering on or near the shutter
release in a shooting position.
Sony still hasn’t opted for a
top-mounted status LCD, even though
it looks like there would be room for
one if the mode dial was swapped
over to the left side. But one of the
characteristics of Sony’s cameras is
that while the internal technologies
are updated with each new version, the
exteriors remain largely frozen in time.
The rear screen, however, works
brilliantly. The vari-angle pivot is
very welcome, but you can still tilt the
screen if you want to and have it stay
on the lens’s optical axis. The EVF,
which has the highest resolution
currently available, is excellent.
The A7R V, like other Sony cameras,
relies heavily on custom buttons
rather than physical controls adapted
to each camera’s strengths, so the top
plate still has an old-school mode dial
(with a green ‘auto’ button – on an
expensive pro camera?). Underneath
is a lever for stills, movie and S&Q
modes, which is welcome,

5

On the collar of the PASM
dial, a new lever allows
quick switches between
stills and video modes.
6

A new multi-function dial
replaces the A7R IV’s EV
compensation dial, and
has a locking mechanism.

7

To make the most of its
capabilities, the A7R V
accepts CFexpress Type A
cards as well as SD UHS-II.
8

Connectivity includes
USB-C, HDMI, Bluetooth
and wireless LAN, plus
mic and headphone ports.

Rod Lawton

The bigger news is Sony’s new
AI-powered AF system, driven by its
own bespoke AI processing unit. This
increases the range of subjects the
camera can recognise and track to
include insects, cars, trains and
aeroplanes. The A7R V now has
animal/bird head and body
recognition, not just eye detection,
and perhaps most important of all,
it can now recognise human subjects
by their shapes, limbs and poses,
not just their faces and eyes.
This sounds more like the province
of dedicated sports cameras, though
it’s easy to see the benefit of enhanced
subject and human recognition for
wedding/event or wildlife
photographers – two key areas for
this camera. The massively increased
burst depth means the A7R V can
capture up to 8x more raw files in a
burst than its predecessor, so this in
conjunction with the AI AF is bound
to interest sports shooters, too.
We’re mentioning the 8K video last
because it’s perhaps not the A7R V’s
strongest feature. The frame rate tops
out at 24p and comes with a 1.2x crop.
You can capture full-width video, but
only at 4K, and it’s not clear yet
whether this is oversampled or not –
if you want 4K 60p, you’re back to the
1.2x crop of 8K video. It might lead
with that magic ‘8K’ headline, but
the A7R V does not look by any
means a video specialist.

The animal AI worked brilliantly when chasing after dogs
on the beach, and 10fps shooting with a big buffer capacity
is perfect with erratic and unpredictable subjects.

“The A7R V can capture
up to 8x more raw
files in a burst than
its predecessor”
FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

101

Rod Lawton

KitZone

Mirrorless Sony A7R V

Motorcycle racing proved no problem for the tracking system. There’s no dedicated ‘motorcycle’ recognition model, but that didn’t seem to matter.

Performance

Our sample images show all the
resolution and quality we’d expect,
having used the A7R IV before

In our brief tests, the A7R V showed all the resolution and dynamic range we’ve come to expect
from its predecessor. For outright image quality, this has to be the best Sony camera right now.

102

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Rod Lawton

capture best-quality oversampled
4K video, that’s in Super35 crop
mode. Like previous A7R models,
this one seems designed to shoot
video when you need it, but not
designed for video, per se.

Rod Lawton

but why not add continuous mode,
too? It is one of this camera’s
selling points, after all.
Just behind the shutter release
on the top of the camera is the movie
record button. You might have to shift
your grip to reach it with your index
finger, which doesn’t seem ideal. There
are mic and headphone ports on the
side, and full-size HDMI under the flap
alongside. However, if you want to

Thanks to the new pivot, you can face
the screen forward for solo shooting.

this. We didn’t have the camera
for long enough to test its video
features, nor its improved image
stabilisation. We also look forward
to testing the continuous shooting
buffer capacity when we get a
review sample.
We did, however, try out the AI
autofocus on a number of different
subjects. The human AI is very good
at picking up human shapes in the
frame – even people in the middle
distance with their backs to you.
The animal detection was similarly
impressive, though we got better
tracking with a black and white dog
than a golden retriever – more
testing is needed, perhaps. The A7R V
excelled at tracking wheeling gulls
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Rod Lawton

Sony A7R V Mirrorless

against a blue sky, even with its
regular tracking AF and not the bird
detection mode. However, it seemed
to struggle with a crow pecking at
the ground – in fact, the AF stopped
working a couple of times after giving
up, then came back when the camera
was powered down and then back
on again. Which was very odd.
The subject recognition isn’t always
convenient, though. In our tests we
were photographing people and
scenes at a motocross event, and
(to use an example) sometimes we
wanted to focus on a motorcycle
and not someone standing nearby.
No doubt you can customise a
button to switch the human
recognition on and off, but when
you’re photographing a mix of
subjects like this, it might just get
in the way. This is the trouble with
artificial intelligence – it can feel
like you’ve got two people working
the camera, rather than one.

Early verdict

Technically overwhelming, physically
underwhelming – that’s how the A7R
V feels. The camera body feels too
small – or not tall enough in the body
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

– for the big pro lenses you’ll be using
with it, and the controls follow a
generic layout rather than being
adapted to this camera’s strengths.
You can customise the buttons
endlessly to suit the way you work,
but that takes time and also a good
memory for which button you’ve
customised to do what.
Technically, the A7R V is
stunning. The new AI subject
recognition AF is remarkable, both for
its rapid identification and acquisition
and its very sticky ‘tracking’. The
image quality is every bit as good
as that of the A7R IV before it (Sony
says it’s better), and the bigger buffer
makes the A7R V much more effective
for prolonged burst shooting.
Rod Lawton

“The human AI
excels at picking
up human shapes
in the frame”

The A7R V has dual CFexpress Type A/SD UHS-II
card slots, a useful combination, though CFexpress
Type B cards are both faster and cheaper.

Digital Camera early verdict
More power! More speed! More everything! The Sony
A7R V is like an episode of TV’s Top Gear. But while
Sony pitches this camera as a resolution specialist,
it blurs the video and sports boundaries, too, making
it harder than ever to choose the ‘right’ Sony camera.
It is an amazing technological achievement, but is it
heading in the right direction – or any direction at all?

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

103

KitZone

Software Affinity Photo 2
1

1

Affinity Photo has a
single interface, which
is split into Personas.

2

2

3

The Tool panel is
located on the left, with
Layers on the right.
3

Advanced controls,
including Adjustment
Layers and Filters,
are available.

Affinity Photo 2
£59.99/$69.99
Budget software doesn’t have to mean
compromise – or a monthly subscription
h t t p s : //a f f i n i t y. s e r i f. c o m /p h o t o

Specifications
Licence: Perpetual
Platforms: Windows.
macOS and iPad
System requirements: Windows 10
(May 2020)/macOS 10.5/
iPadOS 15 and above
RAM: 8GB recommended
Display: 1280x768 or larger

104

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

ho would have thought
that photo editing
software released as
a Mac-only version in
2015 could take on the
software behemoth Adobe? Well, that’s
exactly what Serif has achieved with its
Affinity products, where Affinity Photo
has undoubtedly become Adobe
Photoshop’s main rival. With some
revolutionary new features alongside
an inexpensive perpetual license, the
latest Affinity Photo 2 provides an even
more compelling alternative to the
market leader’s subscription-based
photo editing software.
Affinity Photo 2 is pixel-based photo
editing software available for Mac,

W

Windows and iPad, and it offers most
of the functionality of Photoshop CC
alongside its own unique features. The
software uses a single interface split
into ‘Personas’ that are used for
performing specific editing tasks,
such as Raw processing or image
adjustments/manipulation, etc. It’s
highly capable, and indeed powerful
software, that’s only let down by the
lack of Raw image cataloguing or
some kind of image browser for
viewing and managing images.
A feature of this kind would elevate
Affinity Photo 2 even higher, and make
its workflow much more seamless. But
at just £59.99/$69.99 for the desktop
version or £17.99/$19.99 for the iPad
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Affinity Photo 2 Software

James Abbott

Non-Destructive Raw allows Raw images to be
reprocessed after layers have been created.

Using the Luminosity Range Mask to target adjustments – an advanced feature that allows
you to mask specific brightness ranges to apply precise adjustments with speed and ease.

version, Affinity Photo 2 is incredibly
good value for money. What’s more, if
you also use design software, you can
get the full suite of Affinity software,
which includes Affinity Photo 2, Affinity
Designer 2 and Affinity Publisher 2, for
£144.99/$169.99. These are perpetual
licenses, so no monthly or annual
subscription is required.

Key features

Many of the new features are aimed
more towards designers using the
software, but there are plenty that
are aimed at photographers, with
one in particular being both unique
and revolutionary when it comes
to Raw processing and image
editing: Non-Destructive Raw.
This useful new feature allows you
to link to or embed the original Raw
file once it’s been processed in the
Develop Persona, so after creating
Adjustment and Filter Layers in the
Photo Persona, you can go back to the
Develop Persona by double-clicking on
the Raw file icon on the Layers panel.
Once there, you can view the image
with or without Adjustment and Filter
Layers visually active, and make
further Raw adjustments.
The only downside to this is that
if you have performed any cloning,
healing or other similar work during
which you’ve created new pixel-based
layers, adjusting the underlying Raw
file doesn’t apply to the cloning or
other pixel Layers. If you’re taking
advantage of Non-Destructive Raw,
any cloning work should only be
performed once you’re 100%
happy with the Raw processing.
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

In terms of advanced features,
Hue Range allows you to generate
masks based on specific colours and
colour ranges. Working in a similar
manner is Luminosity, which allows
you to mask specific brightness ranges
to apply precise adjustments with
speed and ease. Plus, there are
Compound Masks that allow you to
combine multiple masked layers
non-destructively using add, intersect,
subtract and XOR operations.
Other new features for
photographers include Band-Pass,
which provides an easy way to work
with frequency layers for advanced
retouching and creating creative
effects. Saved Layer States lets you
save a variety of visible/invisible layer
states based on different criteria to
make viewing different versions of
images quick and easy, and Live
Mesh Warp makes it possible to match
an image or layer to the surface/
contours of the underlying layer.

Interface and design

Affinity Photo offers a single interface
that is split into five ‘Personas’, which
are workspaces designed to perform
specific tasks within the software.
This makes editing clear-cut in
many respects, because everything
is performed within a single
intuitive interface.
The interface itself is fairly simplelooking, but don’t let this fool you
into thinking that the software lacks
features and functionality. Affinity
Photo 2 has received a redesign
but maintains the look and feel
that current users are used to,

For easier identification, Adjustment Layers
have now been given their own icons.

but Adjustment and Filters Layers now
have icons rather than using bracketed
text, and hovering over the icons
shows the Layer (type) name.
With the Personas, Develop is
where you process Raw files, and
Photo is for standard image processing
adjustments using Layers and so on.
Liquify is for manipulating pixels, Tone
Mapping is for achieving HDR effects
with a single image or set of bracketed
exposures and Export is for exporting
images to other file types or creating
new versions of the same file type.
The biggest letdown of Affinity Photo
2 is that there’s still no image browser
for viewing and cataloguing Raw files,
which means that you’ll need to use
other software for this. The inclusion of
this feature would make Affinity Photo
a much more rounded editing software
option overall, with a more fluid
workflow that doesn’t rely on the
use of additional software.

“Affinity Photo 2 offers
most of the functionality
of Photoshop CC,
alongside its own
unique features”
FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

105

James Abbott

KitZone

Software Affinity Photo 2

Affinity Photo 2 uses a single interface that’s split into different ‘Personas’, which are used for performing different editing tasks. Here, the Tone Mapping
Persona is being used to recover detail from a single exposure to create an HDR look, but you can also blend bracketed exposures to create true HDR images.

Quality of results

When it comes to results, Affinity
Photo 2 is capable of being used within
a professional or enthusiast workflow.
Results are excellent overall and the
range of tools and features available
allows you to achieve almost any
result you’re aiming for regardless
of the subjects you shoot.
However, there are some quirks
that haven’t been ironed out since the
previous version. These include clunky
batch processing of Raw files, where
you have to save adjustments as
Presets that can then be applied to
subsequent images you process, and
localised adjustments aren’t included
here, so have to be applied manually
for every image in a batch.

So while Affinity Photo can’t be
faulted in terms of the overall features
available, especially when considering
the cost of the software, the workflow
remains unintuitive in some areas.
It’s certainly not a deal breaker,
but something to be aware of.
James Abbott

The Develop Persona display, with the Basic
editing controls laid out on the right side.

Digital Camera verdict

4.5

Affinity Universal Licence
If you use design software alongside your photo
editor, the full Affinity suite is a great-value
option. Here, you can save £35/$45 with the
Affinity V2 Universal Licence. This costs just
£144.99/$169.99 for Affinity Photo 2, Affinity
Designer 2 and Affinity Publisher 2, rather than
£60/$70 for each standalone program.
What’s more, this cost is for a perpetual
licence, so there’s no need to pay for a monthly
or yearly subscription. The Affinity V2 Universal

106

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Licence provides a cost-effective alternative
to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Pricing

If you only require Affinity Photo 2 for your
photo editing, then the standalone version
costs just £59.99/$69.99. This is powerful
software that can be used by enthusiasts
and professionals alike, so you can enjoy
full editing control on a budget.

FEBRUARY 2023

Outstanding

4.0

5.0

4.5

5.0

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

In some ways, Affinity Photo is better and more
intuitive than Photoshop, although in others it’s the
opposite. Photoshop arguably has more finesse
when it comes to the workspace and performance.
However, the low cost of the perpetual licence means
Affinity Photo 2 represents excellent value. There’s
no denying that Affinity Photo has long been the best
Photoshop alternative, and Affinity Photo 2 is Serif’s
most impressive version of the software. Moreover,
the new features are remarkable, so if you’re looking
for an Adobe alternative, look no further than this.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Nikkor Z 17-28mm f/2.8 Wide-angle zoom
Specifications
Mount: Nikon Z
Full-frame: Yes
Lens construction: 13 elements in 11 groups
Angle of view: 104 to 75º
Autofocus: Yes
Image stabilisation: No
Diaphragm blades: 9
Max aperture: f/2.8
Min aperture: f/22
Min focus distance: 0.19m (W) 0.26m (T)
Max magnification ratio: 0.19x
Filter size: 67mm
Dimensions (L x D): 101 x 75mm
Weight: 450g

3

1
2

GOLD
AWARD

Nikkor Z 17-28mm f/2.8
£1,099/$1,197
A wide-angle trinity zoom with
a difference, not least in price
w w w. nikon .co.uk
he Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8 picks up the baton from its
Z 28-75mm f/2.8 sibling, with a seamless handover in
focal lengths. Like the preceding standard zoom, this
wide-angle lens was originally developed by Tamron
to suit Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Its standout feature is the fast and constant f/2.8 aperture. For
shooting in low light, this can make a big difference to shutter
speeds. Moreover, the 17-28mm has a shorter minimum focus
distance than the other two Nikon Z-mount wide-angle zooms.
It’s just 0.19m at the shortest focal length, stretching to 0.26m at
the long end. What’s more, the f/2.8 aperture lets you throw the
background out of focus with a tight depth of field in close-ups.
The compact design will be a plus point for many, a further
bonus being that the overall length of the lens doesn’t extend at any
zoom setting. That said, it does have an inner barrel which extends
towards the front of the outer casing when decreasing the focal
length from 24mm down to 17mm. The lens is supplied complete
with a bayonet-fit, petal-shaped hood and a soft carrying pouch.

T

1

The front element has
a moisture/greaseresistant coating.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

Sharpness in the centre is spectacular, although
there’s a drop-off at 28mm with f/2.8. Sharpness
is also impressive out to the edges and corners.

2

The focus ring is
customisable for other
functions as well as AF.
3

The omission of a third
control ring keeps the
size and weight down.

Fringing

Short 0.13 Long 0.1

Colour fringing is negligible, even without taking
in-camera correction into account – and that’s
right out to the corners of the frame.

Distortion

Short -1.05 Long 2

Even uncorrected in-camera, there’s only minor barrel
distortion at 17mm, and slight pincushion at 20mm.
Distortion is more noticeable in the 24-28mm sector.

Verdict

5.0

Performance

The autofocus system is snappy for stills, while also delivering
smooth transitions for video capture, along with negligible focus
breathing and virtually silent operation. There’s no optical VR
(Vibration Reduction), but the lens takes full advantage of in-body
stabilisation. Sadly though, you’ll lose out on stabilisation if you use
the lens with DX (APS-C format) Z system cameras, which lack IBIS.
As a wide-angle zoom, the Nikon does well to retain sharpness
right out to the edges and corners. That’s especially true in the
shorter half of the zoom range. Colour fringing is also negligible
across the whole image frame.
There’s only a little barrel distortion at 17mm, and a slightly
more noticeable amount of pincushion in the 24-28mm sector
of the zoom range. Vignetting can be noticeable when shooting
at f/2.8, but in-camera correction is available. All in all, image
quality and performance are excellent. Matthew Richards

Sharpness

The lens works well
on both focused and
out-of-focus shots.

A best-in-class product

4.0

4.5

5.0

4.5

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

So-called ‘trinity’ zoom lenses with a relatively
fast and constant f/2.8 aperture tend to be big,
clunky affairs that are somewhat at odds with
slimline mirrorless camera bodies. Following in
the very capable footsteps of the Nikkor Z 28-75mm
f/2.8 standard zoom, this wide-angle counterpart
is comparatively compact, lightweight and
affordable, yet delivers excellent image quality
and all-round performance. Bargain!

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

107

KitZone

Photo finish

Printers for photographic output come in many
shapes and sizes. Discover the perfect match
for your requirements from these best buys

I

t’s that time of year
when the further north
you are, the colder,
longer and darker the
nights are. Hardy souls
might make their way
outdoors for some frigid
winter night shots. Those of us who
like our creature comforts might
prefer to stay indoors and create
prints of the shots we took during
more clement seasons.
Erring on the side of comfort, we’re
focusing on some pretty epic photo
printers. We’ll kick off with the more
modest options and work our way
through to large-format models that
can output prints of a suitable size for
hanging on your wall, or submitting to
galleries and exhibitions.
First, we’ll cover three A4/8.5-inch
models that are suitable for mono and

colour documents, while also working
well as photo printers for outputting
bordered or borderless glossy prints
in popular sizes, including 4x6-inch,
5x7-inch, A4 and 8.5x11-inch. For
many, they represent the perfect
compromise, enabling a raft of
home-office duties while delivering
impressive photo-quality output.
Upsizing to A3/11x17-inch, the
Epson XP-970 ‘small-in-one’ printer
enables larger-format printing while
retaining a compact build and
office-friendly features. Larger still at
A3+/13x19-inch, there’s the Epson
EcoTank ET-8550 printer and Canon’s
PIXMA PRO-200 and imagePROGRAF
PRO-300 models, which use
dye-based and pigment-based inks
respectively. Largest of all is the
Epson SureColor P900 for A2/17x22inch photo prints. Matthew Richards

The contenders
A3/A3+ PRINTERS

A4 PRINTERS

Canon PIXMA
G650/G620
£255/$329
108

Canon PIXMA
TS6350/6320
£135/$100

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Canon PIXMA
TS8350/8320
£180/$200
FEBRUARY 2023

Canon PIXMA
PRO-200
£449/$599

Canon
imagePROGRAF
PRO-300
£699/$899

Epson EcoTank
ET-8550
£730/$800

Epson
Expression
Photo XP-970
£235/$300

Epson
SureColor P900
£1,080/$1,249

Getty

Invest in a good printer
and make your best
photos something
to treasure forever.

KitZone

Group test Photo printers

Canon
PIXMA G650/G620

3

1

£255/$329

This dye-based, six-ink Canon
MegaTank printer is aimed squarely
at high-volume photo printing
ike other Canon MegaTank
inkjet printers, the G650 (G620
in the USA) is a cartridge-free
machine that has relatively
high-volume ink tanks, topped up by 60ml
bottles of ink, working out at about an
eighth of the cost of most cartridge-based
printers. The printer itself is refreshingly
affordable for a MegaTank machine.
The photo-friendly line-up of six
dye-based inks includes CMYK plus red
and grey inks, aiming for a wide colour
space and enhanced mono photo quality.

L

Tech focus
Print size: A4/8.5-inch
Resolution: 4800x1200dpi
Inks: Dye cyan, magenta, yellow, black, red, grey
Interface: USB 2.0, Wi-Fi

PRINT SPEED

Minutes

4

3

2

1

0
6x4in
(std quality)

A4
(std quality)

A4
(best quality)

The individually keyed, squeeze-free
bottles ensure simple, mess-free top-ups
and make it impossible to pour ink
into the wrong tank.
There are no internal paper feed
cassettes; just an upright input tray
at the rear, which makes it easy to
swap between different sizes of plain
or photo paper. There’s also no colour
touchscreen, but the small mono LCD
enables an intuitive pushbutton interface.
It makes short work of creating mono
or colour photocopies courtesy of the
built-in scanner. Connectivity is good, too,
with USB and Wi-Fi, the latter enabling
PIXMA Cloud Link for smartphones and
tablets, Apple AirPrint, Mopria for
Android and Wireless Direct.

Performance

A set of ink bottles is sufficient for 3,800
6x4-inch photos, or around 3,700 mono
documents or 8,000 colour documents.
Despite lacking pigment-based black ink,
mono text is rich and crisp. Print speeds
are slower than with the other PIXMA
printers on test, but a borderless A4 photo
print only takes a couple of minutes in
standard photo quality mode. Colour
rendition is impressively accurate, tonal
range is very good and the printer makes
a good stab at black and white photo
printing. In the long run, it’s great value
for a highly capable photo printer.

2

1

2

3

 he 600x1200dpi scanner that is built
T
into the lid enables the printing of goodquality full-colour photocopies.
 ransparent windows in the front panel
T
make it easy to keep a visual check on
ink levels.
 ased around a 1.5-inch LCD mono
B
screen, the pushbutton interface
proves to be basic but intuitive.

Digital Camera verdict
This six-ink dye-based MegaTank model
is our printer of choice for high-volume
photographic output at sizes of up to A4.

4.5

Outstanding

4.5

4.5

4.5

5.0

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

HOW WE TEST

Here’s how we put photo printers through their paces

efore we begin, we install the latest
versions of drivers for each printer
and run nozzle check routines and,
if required, cleaning cycles. We then carry out
print head alignment procedures for optimum
accuracy; manufacturer own-brand inks and
papers are used through the testing process.
We create test prints from a wide range of
digital photos. Prints are made using standard

B

110

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

colour modes, as well as optional enhancement
features. We also use our own test chart to
reveal each printer’s accuracy in terms of
colour reproduction, tonal range and smooth
graduations between subtle colour variations.
For output speed, we measure the time taken
to make borderless 6x4-inch, A4, A3 and A3+
prints at various quality settings. The results are
shown in each review and the comparison table.

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

3

Canon
PIXMA TS6350/6320
£135/$100

A compact yet capable printer
that works equally well for
documents and photos

Tech focus
Print size: A4/8.5-inch
Resolution: 4800x1200dpi
Inks: Pigment black; dye cyan, magenta, yellow, black
Interface: USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, BT

PRINT SPEED

Minutes

4

3

2

1

0
6x4in
(std quality)

A4
(std quality)

A4
(best quality)

Performance

Print speeds are impressively quick,
exactly matching those of the pricier
PIXMA TS8350/8320. Naturally,
considering that photo printing isn’t
cheap, the quality of the output is of
greater concern. As with other Canon
five-ink printers in the past, this model
produces very realistic photo output,
with vibrant yet vivid colour rendition
for landscapes and pleasantly warm,
flattering skin tones. However, black
and white photo printing is relatively
lacklustre when compared with the
A3+ and A2 printers on test.

RUNNING COSTS
How do ink cartridges compare?

nk cartridges are the headline cost of any printer, but of
course, you need to factor in the price of high-quality paper
as well when creating photo prints. Some inkjet printers come
with options for standard, XL and even XXL cartridges; opting for the
higher-capacity option will generally reduce the cost, and you won’t
have to replace cartridges so often, but they’re naturally more
expensive. Canon MegaTank and Epson EcoTank printers have larger ink
tanks, which are replenished from bottles. This can work out cheaper
for ink, but there’s a bigger up-front cost, which we will come to.

I

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

1

2

3

 he QR code button works in conjunction
T
with the OLED screen for hooking into
the internet.
 he grey strip above the paper output
T
tray is a scrolling LED light that shows
when printing is in progress.

 he upright feeder at the rear is ideal
T
for photo paper, with plain paper being
loaded into the lower front cassette.

Digital Camera verdict
Good value for money at the price, this is
a fast and capable dual-purpose printer
for both document and photo output.

4.5

A4

Outstanding

4.0

4.0

4.5

4.5

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

A3/A3+

Cost per ml (£)
Cost per ml ($)

3.00

2.25

1.50

0.75

0.00

Ca
no
nG
65
0
Ca
no
nT
S6
35
0
Ca
no
nT
S8
35
Ca
0
no
nP
RO
-2
00
Ca
no
nP
RO
-3
00
Ep
so
nE
T-8
55
0
Ep
so
nX
P97
0
Ep
so
nP
90
0

L

space-saving design. The built-in scanner
enables simple photocopying, driven by
onboard controls that include physical
pushbuttons clustered around
a small 1.44-inch OLED display. However,
there’s no memory card slot, nor a
facility to print direct onto white-faced
CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
Neat touches include an LED status
bar at the front, which lights up in a
scrolling action to show that printing
is in progress. It also has a QR code
button for hooking into the internet via
a smartphone or tablet. Replacement
cartridges are available in standard, XL
and XXL options, the last of which gives
the best economy, although a full set
costs around £100/$125.

Ink cost per ml (£/$)

ike some of Canon’s cameras,
this printer has different
model names depending on
the region. In the USA it’s the
TS6320, while in the UK it’s the TS6350
or TS6351, finished in black or white
respectively. Typical of Canon five-ink
printers from down the years, it has an
oversized pigment-based black cartridge
for crisp, rich black text, while photo
printing is based on cyan, magenta,
yellow and black dye-based inks.Some
are useful features shoehorned into the

1
2

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

111

KitZone

Group test Photo printers

Canon
PIXMA TS8350/8320

3

£180/$200

A six-ink printer, but it’s
not the usual mix that you
might imagine it will be
oing literally one up on the
PIXMA TS6350/6320 fiveink printer also on test, this
up-market model features
an additional dye-based ink in ‘photo blue’
flavour. The idea is to extend the colour
space, as well as enabling smoother
graduations in the likes of blue skies
within photo prints. The printer itself
is available in black, white or racy red, going
by the UK model numbers of TS8350,
TS8351 and TS8352 respectively.

G

Tech focus
Print size: A4/8.5-inch
Resolution: 4800x1200dpi
Inks: Pigment black; dye cyan, magenta,
yellow, black, blue
Interface: USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

5

Minutes

4

3

2

1

0
A4
(std quality)

2

Other enhancements over its more
budget-friendly sibling include a 4.3-inch
colour touchscreen instead of a small OLED
screen, a higher-resolution 2400x4800dpi
scanner, an SD/HC/XC memory card slot
for standalone photo printing, and a tray
for printing directly onto white-faced
CD/DVD/Blu-ray discs.
A similarity is that both printers have
a motorised output tray that extends
automatically when printing is initiated.
The TS8350/8320 adds a slanting front
panel, which tilts up to accommodate
the extending output tray. The range
of standard, XL and XXL ink cartridges
is identical, apart from the additional
photo blue cartridge.

Performance

PRINT SPEED

6x4in
(std quality)

1

A4
(best quality)

In our tests, print speeds proved identical
to those of the TS6350/6320, impressively
fast for both document and photo printing.
The addition of the photo blue ink cartridge
makes this more attractive to serious
photographers.
Print quality in terms of colour rendition,
tonal range and retention of fine detail is
excellent. There’s plenty of vibrancy to
do justice to rich landscape colours,
while skin tones look very natural.
Even so, the enhancement in blue
skies and other graduated blue areas
is often quite negligible, compared
with the five-ink model.

1

2

3

 ompared with the TS6350/6320, this
C
model replaces the small OLED screen
with a 4.3-inch colour touchscreen.
 t the bottom front left of the printer there’s
A
an SD/HC/XC memory card slot, which is
ideal for standalone photo printing.
 he lower paper feed cassette is perfect
T
for plain paper, leaving the upright rear
feeder for photo paper.

Digital Camera verdict
With its refined handling and excellent
build quality, this is a superb multi-function
A4/8.5-inch printer that’s easy to live with.

4.5

Outstanding

4.5

5.0

4.5

4.5

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

POCKET PRINTERS

When printing on the go, there are some neat mobile models

or creating prints anywhere, there’s
a range of pocket-sized and slightly
larger mobile printers. The batterypowered Canon SELPHY Square QX10 is a
good example, outputting 2.7x2.7-inch square
prints with a peelable, self-adhesive backing.
Unlike inkjet printers, it uses dye-sublimation
technology, so there’s no liquid. For prints with
a more regular aspect ratio, there’s also the

F

112

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Polaroid Hi·Print 2x3 Pocket Photo Printer, which
again is dye-sub based and outputs 2x3-inch
prints. Both have companion apps, making it
easy to create prints from smart devices.
For up to 6x4-inch postcard size, there’s the
larger Canon SELPHY CP1500 dye-sub printer,
which supports Wi-Fi printing direct from smart
devices, as well as having a USB-C port for
attaching a camera and an SD memory card slot.

The Selphy CP1500 is mains-powered,
but a rechargeable battery pack is
available as an optional extra.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Canon
PIXMA PRO-200
£449/$599

1

2

This A3+/13-inch dye-based photo
printer is epic for photo quality
output on glossy and lustre papers
anon’s PIXMA PRO-100S
had long been our favourite
A3+/13-inch pro-grade printer
for creating photo prints on
glossy and lustre papers. Running on eight
dye-based inks, including black, grey and
light grey, it delivered sumptuously smooth
glossy prints with immaculate colour
rendition and very good tonal expression
for black and white photographic images.
The replacement PRO-200 brings some

C

Tech focus
Print size: A3+/13-inch
Resolution: 4800x2400dpi
Inks: Dye cyan, photo cyan, magenta, photo magenta,
yellow, black, grey, light grey
Interface: USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi

PRINT SPEED
24

Minutes

20
16
12
8
4
0
6x4in
(std quality)

A4
(best quality)

A3+
(best quality)

improvements and enhancements, similar
to those of the imagePROGRAF PRO-300
compared with the older PIXMA PRO-10S
pigment-based model.
A headline upgrade is that the PRO-200
has a new and improved range of inks that
deliver a greater colour space, superior
vibrancy and deeper reds, blues and
blacks. Paper handling is intuitive, as in
the PRO-300, with an upright rear feeder
and a secondary manual feeder that
enables custom print lengths of up to 39
inches (99.1cm). Other similarities with the
PRO-300 are a 3-inch colour LCD screen
and compatibility with Canon’s Professional
Print & Layout software, available as a free
download. They are also fully compatible
with a range of top-quality fine art media
from the likes of Canson and Hahnemühle.

Performance

As you’d expect, print speeds from this
dye-based printer are faster than from the
pigment-based PRO-300 model. As is often
the case these days, the difference in print
quality between standard and highest
quality modes can look fairly negligible,
unless you’re viewing photo prints with a
high-magnification loupe. Even in standard
mode, the PRO-200 delivers fabulous
photo print quality and is simply the best in
the group for glossy photo paper, although
the PRO-300 has the edge for black and
white images, especially on matte media.

3

1

2

3

 espite being a PIXMA rather than
D
imagePROGRAF printer, it looks
virtually identical to the PRO-300.
 he 3-inch colour LCD screen and
T
menu buttons were absent in the
previous PRO-100S model.
 he ink cartridges have a slightly lower
T
capacity than for the PRO-300, but
are a little pricier to buy.

Digital Camera verdict
It’s simply the best in the group for printing
on glossy photo paper, and a sizeable
upgrade over the older PRO-100S model.

5.0

A best-in-class product

5.0

5.0

5.0

5.0

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

BOTTLING IT UP

Bottled ink doesn’t necessarily work out cheaper

nk for Canon MegaTank and Epson EcoTank
printers is much cheaper than for models
which run on replaceable cartridges. The
Canon PIXMA G650 on test is comparatively
inexpensive to buy for a bottled ink printer – not so
the Epson ET-8500 A4 sized counterpart. Moreover,
while the Canon printer is replenished by 60ml
bottles (compared with the Epson’s 70ml bottles),
it uses all six inks for photo printing, rather than

I

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

just five. The net result is that a full set of bottles
is sufficient for 3,800 6x4-inch colour photo prints,
compared with the Epson’s 2,300 prints.
Ultimately, the Epson ET-8500 is very expensive
to buy, compared with the likes of the Canon TS6350.
You’d need to create a huge quantity of prints before
you start to see any savings, as well as having to pay
much more for the Epson printer and its ink up front,
instead of over a period of months or years.
FEBRUARY 2023

You need to balance the cost
of replenishing inks against the
up-front cost of a photo printer.
D I G I TA L C A M E R A

113

KitZone

Group test Photo printers

1

Canon imagePROGRAF
PRO-300
£699/$899

2

Canon takes A3+ photo printing to a new
level with its latest imagePROGRAF printer
lthough it’s a pigment-based
printer, the PRO-300 delivers
superb-looking output on
glossy as well as matte and fine
art media. Like the older PIXMA PRO-10S
and larger, A2 format imagePROGRAF
PRO-1000, it features a ‘Chroma Optimizer’
cartridge. This smooths out the finish
when printing on glossy photo paper so
that there’s no difference in the reflectivity
of different colours and tones.

A

Tech focus
Print size: A3+/13-inch
Resolution: 4800x2400dpi
Inks: Pigment cyan, photo cyan, magenta, photo
magenta, yellow, matte black, photo black, grey,
red, chroma optimizer
Interface: USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi

PRINT SPEED
24

Minutes

20
16

The ink range itself is very comprehensive,
with 10 separate cartridges in total. They’re
all from Canon’s latest LUCIA PRO line-up,
giving the potential for a wide gamut (colour
space) with rich, vivid colour rendition,
as well as high-fidelity black and white
photo printing. The 14ml cartridge capacity
should prove sufficient for around 30 to
60 A3+ prints (depending on colour),
although quantities naturally vary
depending on the prominent colours
and density within images.
Media handling is very good, with a
rear-mounted upright paper feeder and
a horizontal manual feeder – more ideal
for fine art and thicker media. The latter
also enables oversized printing for
panoramic and banner output up
to almost a metre in length.
A 3-inch colour LCD screen is
another handling bonus, although not
a touchscreen. Unlike Canon’s pigmentbased printers and as with the PRO-200,
the PRO-300 enables borderless output
on matte and fine art media, instead of just
glossy, semi-gloss and lustre photo papers.

Performance

12
8
4
0
6x4in
(std quality)

A4
(best quality)

A3+
(best quality)

Image quality is spectacular for both
colour and mono prints. A highlight is
its sumptuous and richly detailed blacks,
which add real depth to print quality. It’s
speedy for a pigment-based printer as
well, even in its highest quality mode.

3

 here are both upright and secondary
T
manual media input trays, the latter
enabling prints of up to almost a
metre in length.

1

 he 3in colour LCD screen and
T
menu buttons enable onboard
control over settings.

2

 uild quality is particularly good, with a
B
particularly sturdy, solid and pro-grade feel.

3

Digital Camera verdict
Incredibly versatile, output looks superb on
glassy and matte media, and it edges ahead
of the PRO-200 for black and white quality.

5.0

A best-in-class product

5.0

5.0

5.0

5.0

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

RAPID RESULTS

Go-faster printers can save time if you’ve got many photos to output

hen you’re creating a prized photo print
to last a lifetime, it might seem a bit
inconsequential whether a printer takes
a matter of seconds or a few minutes to complete
the job. It’s even less of a concern when you
consider that you’re creating the print right on
your desktop, without the delay of uploading it to
an online lab and then waiting days for it to arrive
in the post. However, if you need to print several

W

114

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

or even dozens of prints, the time soon adds up
and, with slower print speeds, it can feel like
you’re literally watching paint dry.
As a rule, dye-based printers are a lot faster than
pigment-based printers, with the added advantage
that prints tend to be touch-dry as soon as they
land in the output tray. To see how the print speeds
of each printer compare, check out the graphs in
each review, or refer to our comparison table.

Apart from the Canon PIXMA
G650/G620, all the dye-based
printers on test output standardquality borderless A4 photo prints
in around a minute or less.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Epson
EcoTank ET-8550
£730/$800

3

1

This is the upsized A3+ version
of Epson’s ET-8500 A4 EcoTank
bottle-fed multi-function printer
2

or those who feel that an A4
print size is sufficient, Epson’s
ET-8500 retails for around
£630/$700. The A3+ ET-8550
doesn’t cost much more to buy and is
better value, being fed by the same set
of 70ml ink bottles. These comprise a
pigment-based black ink for delivering
crisp mono text, and five dye-based inks
for photo output, including CMYK plus a
grey ink to enhance the colour space and
provide better fidelity for black and white

F

Tech focus
Print size: A3+/13-inch
Resolution: 5760x1440dpi
Inks: Pigment black; dye cyan, magenta,
yellow, black, grey
Interface: USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi

PRINT SPEED
24

1

2

3

16
12
8
4
0
6x4in
(std quality)

A4
(best quality)

A3+
(best quality)

 he scanner isn’t full A3+ in size, but
T
at 8.5x14-inches, it’s larger than most.
 s usual with EcoTank printers, the
A
tanks have transparent panels for
keeping a check on ink levels.
 here are three input trays, plus
T
a flat paper feed, and CD/DVD
printing is also supported.

Digital Camera verdict
Auto ‘enhancements’ are best avoided for
the sake of accuracy, but this is a smart
buy for high-volume A3+ printing.

Performance

20

Minutes

photo printing. A full set of bottles should
be sufficient for 2,300 6x4-inch photos.
As a printer that’s well suited to both
document and photo printing, it features
multiple input cassettes for loading
different types and sizes of paper, auto
duplex printing and a large-format
8.5x14-inch scanner. Everything is brought
together by a 10.9cm colour touchscreen
with an intuitive interface and, for remote
operation via a smartphone or tablet,
there’s the ‘Epson Smart Panel’ app.
Connectivity options include USB,
Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and there’s also
an SD card slot and PictBridge port.
For printing on larger-format paper up to
A3+/13x17-inch, there’s an upright feeder
that pulls up from the back of the printer,
plus a horizontal feeder for printing banners
and panoramic photos up to 2m in length,
as well as allowing for specialist media
up to 1.3mm thick.

Print speeds are pretty rapid in all but
the highest-quality photo mode. Photo
quality is very convincing. Inkjet printers
traditionally struggle to produce bold,
bright reds, but despite lacking the
additional red ink of the Canon PIXMA
G650, and not even featuring light
cyan and light magenta inks, the
Epson produces rich, bright and
vibrant colour rendition.

4.0

Excellent

4.0

4.0

Features

Build &
handling

4.0
Performance

4.0
Value

BIG IS BEAUTIFUL

Print size is a big issue when choosing a home printer

any of us will be content with an
A4/8.5-inch printer that can create
6x4-inch, 7x5-inch, 10-8-inch and
full A4/8.5x11-inch photo prints, complete with
borderless options. For others, the bigger size of
an A3 print is more appealing, and worth the extra
cost and house room for a physically larger printer.
A3 prints are the same size as two sheets of
A4 paper laid next to each other, measuring

M

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

8.27×11.69 inches (210×297mm). It’s a more
impressive size, especially if you want to hang
photo prints on the wall, but the aspect ratio
still isn’t ideal for the format of images from
Canon’s interchangeable lens cameras.
A3+ is both larger and a better fit, measuring
13x19 inches (329x483mm). A2 paper measures
16.5x23.4 inches (420x594mm), equivalent
to two sheets of A3.
FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

115

KitZone

3

Group test Photo printers

Epson Expression
Photo XP-970

2

£235/$300

Go large without piling on
the pounds thanks to Epson’s
‘small-in-one’ printer
f twice as big is twice as good,
this Epson A3/11-inch photo
printer beats smaller A4/8.5inch models. It delivers double
the maximum print area but remains
reasonably compact, lightweight and
easily manageable. All of the multifunction attractions of most smaller
printers are retained but, when you
see A3 and A4 photo prints side
by side, bigger really is better.

I

Tech focus
Print size: A3/11-inch
Resolution: 5700x1400dpi
Inks: Dye cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta,
yellow, black
Interface: USB 2.0, Wi-Fi

Performance

PRINT SPEED
24

Minutes

20
16
12
8
4
0
6x4in
(std quality)

A4
(best quality)

Like the Epson EcoTank ET-8550 on test,
this more conventional cartridge-based
printer packs a built-in scanner, SD card
slot and a PictBridge port, all brought
together by a 4.3-inch touchscreen. That
said, the scanner is A4/8.5-inch rather
than A3/11-inch, so you can’t scan or
photocopy large-format prints.
The printer runs on six Claria Photo
HD dye-based inks, with a conventional
‘photo’ line-up of CMYK plus light cyan
and light magenta. As such, it can’t match
the colour space of the more specialist
large-format photo printers on test,
which employ between eight and 10
ink cartridges, as well as having multiple
grey inks for improved black & white
photo printing. Even the optional XL
cartridges have a relatively small
capacity, averaging out to around 9ml.

A3
(best quality)

Photo print quality is very good for colour
images. The smoothness of graduations
in blue skies and the quality of skin tones
are very good. The ‘photo enhance’
option is best avoided if you’re
after good colour accuracy.
As with any dye-based printer, the
XP-970 is best suited to glossy, semi-gloss
or lustre output, but it still works pretty
well with matte media. Black and white
photo output tends to look relatively
lacking in richness and drama.

1

 here’s a motorised output tray and
T
hinged front panel, along with a
4.3-inch touchscreen.

1

 wo internal paper feed cassettes are
T
for 100 sheets of plain paper and 20
smaller photo pages.

2

 3 paper is fed from an upright paper
A
input tray at the rear of the printer.

3

Digital Camera verdict
This is a good option if you want a multifunction, dual-purpose document and photo
printer that can generate larger-scale output.

4.0

Excellent

4.0

4.0

4.0

4.0

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

DYE OR PIGMENT INK?

Dye-based and pigment-based inks have strengths and weaknesses

he molecules of dye that make up the
colour in dye-based inks are incredibly
small, fully dissolved in the ink fluid and
sink beneath the outer, protective layer of glossy
photo paper. This makes them unbeatable for giving
a smooth, uniform finish on glossy photo paper.
They’re also cheaper than pigment-based inks.
Pigment-based inks have larger molecules, the
pigment being carried by the fluid ink rather than

T

116

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

dissolved into it. More durable and with better
archival quality than dye-based ink, pigment is
generally preferred for printing on matte and fine
art media, especially when creating prints to go on
display rather than being stored. However, pigmentbased inks can be prone to ‘bronzing’ on glossy
paper, where the pigment settles on top of the outer
layer rather than sinking beneath it, so light doesn’t
reflect evenly from different colours and tones.

The pigment-based Canon
imagePROGRAF PRO-300
includes a Chroma Optimizer
cartridge to enable a smoother
finish on glossy photo paper.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Epson
SureColor P900
£1,080/$1,249

2
1

Supersize your photo prints with
Epson’s latest and surprisingly
compact A2/17-inch printer
he Epson SureColor
P700 A3+/13-inch printer
(£679/$829) might seem
an obvious fit for this group
test, competing against the Canon
PRO-200 and PRO-300 models. However,
while the A2/17-inch P900 is more
expensive to buy, it gives relatively
supersized output from a printer that’s
only about the same size and weight as the
Canon A3+/13-inch models, and its 50ml

T

Tech focus
Print size: A2/17-inch
Resolution: 5760x1440dpi
Inks: Pigment cyan, light cyan, vivid magenta, vivid
light magenta, yellow, matte black, photo black,
grey, light grey, violet
Interface: USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi

PRINT SPEED
24

1

2

3

16
12
8
4
0
6x4in
(std quality)

A4
(best quality)

A3+
(best quality)

 he 4.3-inch full colour touchscreen
T
makes for simple onboard controls.
 he top panel is translucent and LED
T
illumination is available so you can
check printing in progress.
 he set-up cartridges start running
T
low after seven or so A2 photo prints,
and a full set costs £340/$440.

Digital Camera verdict
The P900 is much improved over its P800
forebear, with separate ink channels for
both photo black and matte black inks.

Performance

20

Minutes

cartridges have twice the capacity of
the Epson P700’s cartridges, resulting
in significant savings for ink costs.
In previous large-format Epson printers,
the photo black and matte black inks
shared a common channel in the print
head. You’d therefore need to purge and
refill the ink in the channel every time
you swapped between glossy and matte
media, wasting time and money. The
P700 and P900 put that to rights, with
dedicated channels for all 10 inks.
Handling is excellent, with an additional
pull-out feeder at the front, ideal for fine art
media and relatively thick poster board. It
also allows for extra-long cut-sheet media,
while a roll paper feeder is available as an
optional extra. As well as a useful colour
touchscreen, the printer features a
translucent top panel and interior LED
lighting, so you can keep a check on
your prints as they’re being made.

There are up to five quality settings, but
the highest are very slow and give a virtually
imperceptible increase in print quality for
most images and papers.
Print quality is excellent for both colour
and mono output, although the Canon
PRO-300 has the edge for deep blacks
and, without a ‘Chroma Optimizer’
cartridge, the Epson’s output on glossy
paper looks less smooth.

4.5

INKS GALORE

Outstanding

5.0

4.5

4.5

4.5

Features

Build &
handling

Performance

Value

3

A greater number of cartridges generally bumps up the print

4-size photo printers tend to have six
inks at most, while the A3+ and A2
printers on test have eight or more.
For example, the Epson SureColor P900 runs
on no less than 10 inks, including photo black,
matte black, grey, light grey, cyan, light cyan,
yellow, vivid magenta, vivid light magenta and
violet. This enables a very wide ‘gamut’ or colour
space for colour printing, as well as an excellent

A

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

tonal range for black and white photo printing,
with the promise of superb neutrality without
any unwanted colour casts. Photo black and
matte black are included for printing on glossy
and matte media respectively. It’s only natural
to think that a greater number of inks will
result in higher running costs, but the
flipside is that you’ll tend to use less of
each separate ink when creating prints.

The Epson SureColor P900 includes
a huge range of 10 pigment inks, all
contained in individual 50ml cartridges.

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

117

KitZone

Group test Photo printers

THE WINNER IS...
Canon imagePROGRAF
PRO-300
…but there’s something for everyone
or top-quality photo output, the
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300
wins. Its Chroma Optimizer
enables smooth output on glossy
paper, while the Canon PIXMA PRO-200
dye-based printer delivers on glossy paper.

F

A3/A3+ PRINTERS

A4 PRINTERS
How the
printers
compare

Canon PIXMA
G650/G620

Canon PIXMA
TS6350/6320

Canon PIXMA
TS8350/8320

£255/$329

£135/$100

£180/$200

Contact
Target price

A3/11-inch Epson Expression Photo XP-970
is a versatile multi-function printer.
For A4/8.5-inch, our bet is the Canon PIXMA
TS8350/8320. The Canon PIXMA G650/
G620 MegaTank printer is best for high-volume
printing at the same range of sizes.

For A2/17-inch printers, the pigment-based
Epson SureColor P900 is excellent for both
colour and mono prints, but less convincing
than the Canon PRO-300 on glossy. For
high-volume, large-format printing, the
Epson ET-8500 is more ideal. The smaller

Canon PIXMA
PRO-200

Canon
imagePROGRAF
PRO-300

Epson EcoTank
ET-8550

Epson Expression
Photo XP-970

£449/$599

£699/$899

£730/$800

£235/$300

www.canon.co.uk

Epson SureColor
P900

www.epson.co.uk
£1,080/$1,249

Number of inks

6 inks

5 inks

6 inks

8 inks

10 inks

6 inks

6 inks

10 inks

Photo ink type

6x Dye

4x Dye

5x Dye

8x Dye

9x Pigment + CO

1x pigment,
5x Dye

6x Dye

10x Pigment

Max print size

A4/8.5-inch

A4/8.5-inch

A4/8.5-inch

A3+/13-inch

A3+/13-inch

A3+/13-inch

A3/11-inch

A2/17-inch

Max print resolution

4800x1200dpi

4800x1200dpi

4800x1200dpi

4800x2400dpi

4800x2400dpi

5760x1440dpi

5760x1440dpi

5760x1440dpi

Input trays

1x rear

1x cassette,
1x rear

1x cassette,
1x rear

1x rear, 1x manual

1x rear, 1x manual

2x cassette,
1x rear

2x cassette,
1x rear

1x rear, 1x front

6x4 photo speed
(std quality)

46s

19s

19s

33s

1m 03s

22s

15s

1m 22s

A4 photo speed
(std quality)

2m 0s

51s

51s

1m 10s

3m 22s

1m 0s

1m 02s

3m 30s

Photo speed
(best quality)

4m 42s (A4)

1m 57s (A4)

1m 57s (A4)

4m 15s (A3+)

9m 34s (A3+)

9m 22s (A3+)

4m 35s (A3)

18m 45s (A3+)

Photo cartridge/
bottle capacity

60ml

11.7ml (XXL)

11.7ml (XXL)

12.6ml

14ml

70ml

9ml (XL)

50ml

Cost per photo
cartridge/bottle

£13/$15

£21/$27 (XXL)

£21/$27 (XXL)

£15/$14

£15/$13

£16/$17.50

£16, $17 (XL)

£34, $44

Photo ink cost
per ml

£0.22/$0.25

£1.79/$2.31
(XXL)

£1.79/$2.31
(XXL)

£1.20/$1.11

£1.07/$0.93

£0.23/$0.25

£1.78, $1.89 (XL)

£0.68, $0.88

Interfaces

USB 2.0, Wi-Fi

USB 2.0, Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth

USB 2.0, Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth

USB 2.0,
Ethernet, Wi-Fi

USB 2.0,
Ethernet, Wi-Fi

USB 2.0,
Ethernet, Wi-Fi

USB 2.0,
Ethernet, Wi-Fi

USB 2.0,
Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Memory card slots

None

None

SD/HC/XC

None

None

SD/HC/XC

SD/HC/XC, MS

None

LCD display

1.5-inch LCD

1.44-inch OLED

4.3-inch colour
touchscreen

3-inch colour LCD

3-inch colour LCD

4.3-inch colour
touchscreen

4.3-inch colour
touchscreen

4.3-inch colour
touchscreen

CD/DVD printing

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Built-in scanner

600x1200dpi

1200x2400dpi

2400x4800dpi

No

No

1200x4800dpi

1200x2400dpi

No

Dimensions
(W x D x H)

445x340x167mm

376x359x141mm

373x319x141mm

639x379x200mm

639x379x200mm

523x379x169mm

479x356x148mm

615x368x199mm

Weight

6.6kg

6.3kg

6.6kg

14.1kg

14.4kg

11.1kg

8.7kg

14.8kg

Features
Build & handling
Performance
Value
OVERALL
Overall

118

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Right: Leopardess
descending a tree
in the Kruger
National Park, by
Tristan Dicks.

INTERVIEW

Tristan Dicks

Wildlife photographer
South Africa-born Tristan has
had a passion for the African
bush since a very young age
and developed his guiding skills
at the Singita game reserve.
He has since worked at the
Sabi Sand Game Reserve and
Kruger National Park, enriching
his experience of the Southern
Africa’s wilderness. An
internationally renowned wildlife
photographer, Tristan is also a
private guide and since 2017 has
also been a presenter (nickname
Leopard Whisperer) on WildEarth
tv’s #safariLIVE show.
https://wandering
thru.com

Will BurrardLucas

Wildlife photographer
Will’s work has appeared in The
New York Times, The Guardian,
National Geographic and more.
He has been recognised with
awards in GDT European Wildlife
Photographer of the Year, the
Sony World Photography
Awards and Travel Photographer
of the Year. His books include
Land of Giants, The Ethiopian
Wolf and The Black Leopard.
Will also created the BeetleCam,
a remote-control camera buggy,
and founded the Camtraptions
remote and camera trap brand.
https://willbl.com/

120

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Tristan Dicks
& Will
Burrard-Lucas
To mark the launch of the conservation
book Remembering Leopards, we sit
down with two of its contributors
s seen on page 86,
the eighth book in
the Remembering
Wildlife series will
be published on
9 October.
Remembering
Leopards will feature stunning images
donated by many of the world’s leading
wildlife photographers, including
Marsel van Oosten, Art Wolfe,
Greg du Toit and many more.
Between them, the Remembering
Wildlife books have raised more than
£1 million/US$1.2 million for 60
conservation projects across 25
countries, and founder Margot Raggett
is hoping for another successful round
of fundraising to support conservation
efforts for the nine species of leopard.

A

FEBRUARY 2023

To mark the launch of Remembering
Leopards, we caught up with two of its
contributors, wildlife photographers
Tristan Dicks and Will Burrard-Lucas,
to find out why leopards are so close
to their hearts – and for any wildlife
photographers keen to hear some
expert tips and insights, how to
successfully photograph leopards…
Why do you think wildlife
photographers love photographing
leopards in particular?
Tristan: I think it’s a combination of
things. Leopards generally occur in
exotic locations that many people dream
about visiting – such as Africa, India
and Sri Lanka – and this adds a sense
of adventure. And the shyness of the
animal and the elusive nature of this

www.digitalcameraworld.com

© Tristan Dicks
www.digitalcameraworld.com 

OCTOBER 2022

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

119

© Will Burrard-Lucas

Tristan Dicks & Will Burrard-Lucas

Above: Camera trap photo
taken in Suyian, Laikipia,
by Will Burrard-Lucas.

iconic big cat, combined with its incredible beauty,
makes it something that everybody wants to have
in their photography portfolio.
Will: I think there are two reasons: the most obvious
is the fact that few subjects are as graceful and
beautiful as a leopard… they are simply breath-taking
to behold and extremely photogenic.
The second is that these are amongst the most
elusive of the big cats, which means it can be a
real challenge to find them and to get close enough
for a decent photograph. As a result, many
photographers develop an unhealthy obsession
with them, and this makes it all the more satisfying
when a decent photograph is achieved!
Can you describe your favourite photographic
moment with a leopard and why it was so special?
Tristan: Having to work in some very difficult
conditions, it was not so great from a photographic

“Few subjects are as graceful and
beautiful… leopards are breath-taking
to behold and extremely photogenic”
122

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

point of view, but following a female leopard in the
morning and then realising that she was heavily
pregnant and searching for dens, to come back a
few hours later in the afternoon to find her with a
tiny, tiny, tiny little cub that had been born during
the course of the day, was possibly the most
incredible experience I’ve ever had and
something that will always stay with me.
Will: Every encounter with a leopard is special and
I cherish them all. If I had to pick just one, it would
be the first time I photographed the black leopard
in Laikipia, Kenya.
I had travelled to the area following a rather
speculative lead and did not expect to actually
achieve my goal of photographing the near-mythical
creature. Nevertheless, I had to try, so with the help
of some locals, I identified some likely spots and
set up my camera traps. After several fruitless days,
glimpsing the black leopard on the back of one of
my cameras was a moment that will be hard to beat.
What are your top recommendations
for photographing leopards?
Tristan: Firstly, doing careful research into where you
are going to go is important, as there are some places
that are definitely better for photographing leopards

www.digitalcameraworld.com

© Tristan Dicks

Tristan Dicks & Will Burrard-Lucas

than others. Secondly, having a good guide who
understands leopard behaviour is essential.
Leopards are very much creatures of habit, which
enables experts to anticipate to some extent what
they’re going to do, from climbing a tree with a kill to
going to water to drink. If your guide can anticipate
what they’ll do next, they can try to get you in the
best position for shooting photos.
Next, you need to be aware that leopards are
crepuscular – this means they move mainly around
dawn and dusk hours, which just so happens to
offer the best golden hour light as well.

Above: Young male
leopard in a rocky
area of Kruger, by
Tristan Dicks.
Right: A young male
known as ShaSha at
sunset, by Tristan Dicks.

Which photographic equipment do you use?
Tristan: My main body is a Nikon Z 9 and the choice
of lens really depends on where I’m going to be,
and the environment. If you are in places

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

© Tristan Dicks

Will: Leopards are most active at night but often
move around at dawn and dusk. Therefore, I
recommend an early start and foregoing those
“sundowner” drinks. When you do find a leopard,
don’t impose yourself on it; these are shy and
sensitive wild animals.
Be respectful, give the cat time and space, and
you will be rewarded with more natural behaviour
and relaxed portraits.

OCTOBER 2022

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

121

Above (top): Female known
as Xidulu in the Sabi Sands,
by Tristan Dicks.
Above: BeetleCam photo
taken in South Luangwa,
Zambia: Will Burrard-Lucas.

like the Sabi Sands in South Africa then generally
you’re going to be a lot closer to animals because you
can go off-road and you have guides who are able to
track into the bush areas. In such thick bush you need
something like a 70-200mm or a fixed 400mm lens.
But if you are going to be somewhere like eastern

“There’s no point in taking wildlife
photographs and never using
them for the benefit of species”
124

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

© Tristan Dicks

© Will Burrard-Lucas

© Tristan Dicks

Tristan Dicks & Will Burrard-Lucas

Africa, then a slightly longer lens, anything from
400mm to 600mm, will be a good range.
Will: My best leopard photographs have all been
taken with my Camtraptions system [also an
entrepreneur, Will founded the Camtraptions
remote and camera trap brand – find out
more by visiting www.camtraptions.com].
Camera traps are perfect for photographing
elusive creatures because you can set up many
and leave them for a long time to improve your odds.
I believe that camera traps are also the best way
to photograph nocturnal creatures because you
can really work on perfecting the lighting.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Tristan Dicks & Will Burrard-Lucas

What are you looking forward to when judging the
competition and what will you be looking out for?
Tristan: Seeing a diverse amount of images taken
across multiple countries – the African leopard gets
a huge amount of exposure so it’ll be good to also
see leopards from other parts of the world. I’ll be
watching for images that are a bit different, that catch
behaviour and different environments. There are
many different and epic backdrops where leopards
can be found, so I’ll definitely be looking out for
something with unique, beautiful scenery. I also really
hope we see images of rare leopards such as black
leopards, and some of the particularly endangered
subspecies such as those found in China and Russia.

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

Will: I expect the standard will be very high so
I’ll be looking for something a bit different, too –
whether that be a moment of action, a beautiful
setting or a creative composition. I can’t wait
to see what’s in store!

Above: Tlalamba the
leopardess resting in
a tree in the Sabi Sands,
by Tristan Dicks.

Why did you both get involved with
Remembering Wildlife?
Tristan: As a photographer and somebody who
spends a huge amount of time in the field, I owe it to
the wildlife I ‘take’ so much from to give something
back. There’s no point in taking photographs and
never using them for the benefit of species. I love
the Remembering Wildlife concept of having

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

125

© Will Burrard-Lucas

Tristan Dicks & Will Burrard-Lucas

multiple photographers donating work in order to
create something tactile that is beautiful and amazing
and which also gives people a sense of what would be
missing should these animals no longer be around,
and then also raises funds. I’m proud to be part of it.

Above: Stalking Leopard
by Will Burrard-Lucas.
Right: A leopard cub
honing its climbing skills,
by Tristan Dicks.

Will: I have been involved since the very beginning
and am proud to have done so. I have always felt that
there is little point photographing wildlife unless the
resulting images are put to work, and raising money
for relevant conservation organisations is one of
the best ways to achieve that.

Will: They are all beautiful but I would say the wild dog
book because they are one of my favourite animals,
yet a species that is often overlooked. Having said
that, I suspect that Remembering Leopards is
going to give it a run for its money!

126

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

FEBRUARY 2023

Remembering
Leopards by Wildlife
Photographers United,
featuring images
donated by Marsel
van Oosten, Art Wolfe,
Greg du Toit and Will
Burrard-Lucas, goes
on sale on 9 October,
priced at £45/$65.
www.remembering
wildlife.com

© Tristan Dicks

Do you have a favourite Remembering
Wildlife book so far and if so, why?
Tristan: They are all great but I think if I had to
choose, it would have to be Remembering Lions as
there were a lot of incredible photographs in it. I did,
however, also really enjoy the Remembering Bears
book – for someone based in Africa, it was very
different and I found the images fascinating.

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Next month
LS!
IMPROVE YOUR PHOTO SKIL

FILTERS
SPECIAL

Transform your scenics with our in-depth masterclass
Polarisers NDs & ND Grads Filter systems & more!

O N TE S T

Group test:
Editing software
Tamron 28-75mm
F/2.8 Di III RXD G2
Google Pixel Pro 7
PLUS!

Getty

10 all-new
photo projects
One to One pro
masterclass
Expert image
editing tutorials

ON SALE Friday 3 February
Contents subject to change

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

127

Back issues

Download our digital editions, or buy in print while stocks last

Available on

The digital advantage
Digital magazines can travel with you – even if you delete them,
they’re free to download again later. Subscribe today by visiting:
www.magazinesdirect.com/categories/photography-and‑design

Available on the following:
Apple iOS devices

Android, PC or Mac Other options

Get the free Digital Camera app for
your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch at:
www.bit.ly/app_DCM (UK) or
www.bit.ly/app_DCW (outside UK)
Then browse through our back
issues or buy a subscription (see
page 40 for offers) using the app.

Zinio
www.bit.ly/DCW_Zinio
Pocket Mags
www.pocketmags.com

Printed back issues

Print issue binders

Prefer print? We also
sell a limited selection
of recent back issues
– issues 263-258 are
currently available. Each
issue costs £5.80, plus postage.
Overseas dispatch costs $13.80 plus postage.
To browse the contents of each issue, please
see the listings on the opposite page.

Keep your magazines together with our binder,
which neatly holds a year’s worth of issues.

www.bit.ly/dcmback
or visit magazinesdirect.com and click
Single Issues in the top toolbar

130

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

Digital Camera is available for Kobo,
Kindle, Nook and more (see above).
It can also be found on the all-youcan read Readly magazine app:
https://gb.readly.com/

FEBRUARY 2023

www.magazines direct.com/merchandise/
categories/binders

Back issues

Print & Digital

Print & Digital

Print & Digital

Print & Digital

Print & Digital

Issue 263

Issue 262

Issue 261

Issue 260

Issue 259

Jan 2023
Top tips for 2023: Start
planning your best-ever
photo year / 5 best-buy SD
UHS-II cards / Fujifilm X-T5
hands-on and OM System
OM-5 review / Create your
own photobooks / Michael
Freeman interview

Dec 2022
Master Raw: 10 essential
editing steps for
transforming your captures
/ Gift guide: Photo products
for all budgets / iPhone 14
Pro Max hands-on /
Low-light photography guide
/ Neil Aldridge interview

Nov 2022
Capture the great outdoors:
43 pages of expert
techniques and kit advice /
Two decades of digital
imaging / Fujifilm X-H2
hands-on / Autumn
photography guide / Jo
Bradford interview

Oct 2022
12 ways to shoot autumn:
Creative ways to capture
golden season glory /
Winning images from HIPA
2021-2022 / Nikon Z 30
hands-on / Mono
photography guide / Anne
Morin on Vivian Maier

Sept 2022
Make cash with your camera:
How to earn money from
your images / The world’s
best portrait photos / Canon
EOS R10 hands-on / Product
photography guide / The
month’s best kit / Cristina
Mittermeier interview

Print & Digital

Digital only

Issue 258

Issue 257

Aug 2022
Macro on a budget: Create
amazing photos with basic
camera kit and household
items / World’s best
underwater photos / Canon
EOS R7 hands-on / Scenics
photography guide / Yelena
Yemchuk interview

July 2022
Shoot your sharpest-ever
shots: Capture amazing
detail in every frame / SWPP
Photographer of the Year /
DJI Mini 3 Pro hands-on /
Summer photography guide
/ Sturdy carbon tripods on
test / Chris Fraikin interview

Digital only

Issue 253
Apr 2022
How to shoot creative
photos: Level up your
camera skills / World’s best
panoramas / Get to grips
with Flash / Leica M11 and
Canon RF hands-on / Lenses
for DSLRs on test / Daryl
Balfour interview

Digital only

Digital only

Issue 256
June 2022
Wildlife special: Shoot your
best creature captures / The
year’s best food photos /
Ricoh Theta X hands-on /
Flowers photography
guide / Super-telephoto
zooms on test / Vincent
Munier interview

Digital only

Digital only

Digital only

Issue 255

Issue 254

May 2022
Get it right in camera: How to
shoot faster and save editing
time / Savour the world’s
best landscape photos /
Leica Q2 Reporter hands-on
/ Urban photography guide /
CFexpress Type B cards on
test / Craig Easton interview

Spring 2022
How to shoot spring:
Capture the wonders of
the new season / Shooting
black-and-white street
candids / Olympus OM-1
and Panasonic Lumix
GH6 hands-on / Gerd
Ludwig interview

Digital only

Digital only

Issue 252

Issue 251

Mar 2022
40 landscape tips & tricks:
Outdoor photo masterclass
/ Long-exposure secrets /
Google Pixel 6 Pro review /
Nikkor Z DX 18-140mm
hands-on / Budget lenses
for mirrorless cameras on
test / Matt Black interview

Issue 250

Issue 249

Feb 2022
Fresh photo ideas: Creative
tutorials for mastering
still-life, landscapes, and
more / Fujifilm X-T30 II
review / Close-up photo
masterclass / Image-editing
software on test / Julia
Fullerton-Batten interview

Jan 2022
Our 250 best-ever photo
tips, including landscapes,
nature and action / Low-light
and after-dark photography
masterclass / Nikon Z 9
hands-on / Lighting kits on
test / Art Wolfe interview /
Winter landscape guide

Dec 2021
LANDSCAPE SPECIAL •
Shoot classic landscapes /
Best wide-angle lenses for
landscapes / Gallery from
Landscape Photographer of
the Year / Chris Burkard and
Suzi Estzerhas interviews /
Autumn photo masterclass

www.digitalcameraworld.com 

FEBRUARY 2023

D I G I TA L C A M E R A

131

ISSUE 264 COLLECT YOUR EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL CAMERA TIP CARDS EVERY MONTH
LANDSCAPES

ACTION

MACRO

GET CREATIVE

BLACK AND WHITE

WILDLIFE

PORTRAITS

ARCHITECTURE

CAMERA KNOW-HOW

MISTY SCENICS

LIGHT ORBS

PEOPLE AT WORK

LIGHT TRAILS

MOODY LANDSCAPES

LO-FI LENSES

FLORA

LONG TELEPHOTO

HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE
NEAR LIMIT OF
DEPTH OF FIELD
(half the hyperfocal
distance)
INFINITY
(far limit of
depth of field)

Subjects placed
between the near
limit and infinity
appear sharp

Head to www.digitalcameraworld.com for more photography tips

.

HOW TO SHOOT…
ACTION

KIT & SETTINGS CHECKLIST…
Use a telephoto lens with a focal range
of 100-300mm, focus manually and dial
in f/8 or f/16 for image sharpness
Pack the right kit
To avoid camera shake, use a sturdy
tripod and a remote shutter release.

KIT & SETTINGS CHECKLIST…
Tripod, shutter release, manual exposure
FOR YOUR SHOTS, TRY...

Future

 onsider the focal length of your macro
C
lens: with insects, for example, you want
a longer range so you don’t disturb them.

f/8

ISO
160
Alistair Campbell

30
secs

TIPS FOR GETTING A GREAT SHOT…
When focusing manually on your
shot, using Live View and magnifying
the important details will help.

TIPS FOR GETTING A GREAT SHOT…
Use a 35mm focal length for a wide
view and an ND filter to enable longer
exposures using mid-range apertures.

I f you don’t have a shutter release,
reduce camera movement by setting the
camera’s self-timer to 2 or 5 seconds.

When shooting close-up, close down the
aperture, as the DoF will be very shallow.
Consider the image ratio aspect.
A 1:1 ‘true’ macro lens means the
subject will be captured at lifesize.

Use exposure compensation
As mist can cause under-exposure,
over‑expose by a stop or two.
Consider the time of day
Shoot on still, calm mornings: these are
most likely to create the misty conditions
that you are seeking to capture.

To reduce unwanted movement
if the wind is blowing, remove the
strap from your camera (if fitted).

HOW TO SHOOT…
BLACK AND WHITE

HOW TO SHOOT…
WILDLIFE

LONG TELEPHOTO

Look for features visible in the mist,
such as trees, buildings or rocky
outcrops, to use as focal points.

HOW TO SHOOT…
GET CREATIVE

MOODY LANDSCAPES

SETTINGS CHECKLIST…
Shutter Priority at 1/200 sec or faster,
with a focal length of 200mm or more
Shoot from a stable platform
Use a tripod or a beanbag for support.

KIT & SETTINGS CHECKLIST…
For your first attempt, shoot from a tripod,
set your camera to Manual/Bulb and try
a 60-second exposure at f/8, ISO 200
Paint with light
Use a Maglite torch, an LED light or a bike
lamp with the bulb exposed. Attach it to a
piece of string that’s about a metre long.
Create shapes
Swing the torch in a full circle, moving
your body through 360° as you do so.
Future

Future

Keep reviewing your captures
Don’t be drawn to any strong colours –
look for textures and tone instead.

To increase the effective focal
length, use a teleconverter
between the camera and lens.

Take your shot
Using a lockable remote shutter release
cable, try a test exposure of one minute.
Wear dark clothing and keep
your body moving so that it’s not
recorded. Take plenty of shots.

For minimal monos that will really
stand out, use 3-, 6- and 10-stop
ND filters for a creative effect.

HOW TO SHOOT…
ARCHITECTURE

CAMERA KNOW-HOW
HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE

HOW TO SHOOT…
PORTRAITS

LO-FI LENSES

HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE
What does this term mean?
Hyperfocal distance is the distance that
you focus on so that the image will be sharp
from the far distance (infinity) to a distance
halfway between the camera and the
distance you have focused.
What affects hyperfocal distance?
The main settings that affect it are the
focal length and aperture of the lens,
but the sensor size of your camera
will also affect the distance.
How to calculate hyperfocal distance
Check the table available via this link:
http://bit.ly/dcm-hyper. It gives the
hyperfocal distances for different camera
focal lengths, apertures and sensor sizes.
Alternatively, you can use an app such
as HyperFocal Pro or Field Tools.

LIGHT ORBS

SETTINGS CHECKLIST…
Aperture Priority at f/11-f/16, shutter
speed set by the camera, ISO 100
Capture a wide range of tones
Ensure there’s lots of detail in the sky
and landscape so that a wide range of
tonal adjustments can be made later.
Shoot with a neutral density filter
Use an ND graduated filter or blend
two separate exposures during editing.

Be prepared
As a general rule of thumb when shooting
handheld, ensure that the shutter speed
is equivalent to or faster than the focal
length – so shoot at 1/500 sec or faster
when using a 500mm lens.

PEOPLE AT WORK

Get creative with architectural shots and shoot
images outside the box by following these fun
lens suggestions. As a general rule, you should
shoot in Manual mode when using these optics
Try a lo-fi optic such as a Lensbaby to
achieve distorted and quirky results.
Tilt-and-shift lenses are primarily used
to correct converging verticals, but they
double up to make the ‘Toytown’ effect.
‘Free-lensing’ is when you hold the lens in
front of the camera rather than attaching
it. With a bit of trial and error, this can be
used to great effect.

Make a pinhole lens with a lens cap
and a drill – this has the equivalent
of an aperture setting of f/150.

APERTURE

Future

KIT & SETTINGS CHECKLIST…
Using a tripod, set your camera to manual
exposure and focus using a 100mm macro
lens. For your first shot, try f/11 with a
shutter speed of around 1 sec or slower

Make your subject larger in the frame
For extra reach, use a camera with a
sensor that’s smaller than full-frame.

MISTY SCENICS

LIGHT TRAILS

Future

FLORA

HOW TO SHOOT…
LANDSCAPES

ISO

SHUTTER SPEED

KIT & SETTINGS CHECKLIST…
Wide-angle lens, manual exposure mode
FOR YOUR SHOTS, TRY...
M

f/8

ISO
400

TIPS FOR GETTING A GREAT SHOT…
Use a wide-angle lens to capture the
professional in their workspace.
For a more dynamic result, use offcamera flash. Try positioning the flash to
the side of your model to create shadows.
Sync the shutter speed with
the flash (around 1/200 sec) to
balance the aperture and ISO.

Getty

HOW TO SHOOT…
MACRO

Future

9027

9000

COLLECT YOUR EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL CAMERA TIP CARDS EVERY MONTH