Review Digital Camera World 10-27-2013

Digital Camera World

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6 flash modifiers every photographer should try once Oct 26th 2013, 23:01, by jmeyer Using flashguns can be daunting enough that many photographers might be put off from experimenting further with lighting. But there are a number flash modifiers that are quite simple to use and can produce a wide range of creative effects. Below we’ve rounded up six of the best flash modifiers you can use to soften your flash, add a dash of colour and other tricks. Best flash modifiers: 01 Wide-angle diffuser Most flashguns come with a flip-out wide-angle diffuser – a plastic panel moulded with prism shapes that sits immediately in front of the flash head. The prisms spread the flash to lighten up a wider area for shooting at wide-angle focal lengths. Best flash modifiers: 02 Bounce-and-swivel head Many flashguns have a bounce-and-swivel head, enabling you to reflect the flash from nearby walls and ceilings for a wider spread – and thus more diffused light. Light-coloured surfaces are best – ideally white – as otherwise the light will be tinged with a colour cast from the reflected surface. Best flash modifiers: 03 Catchlight panel Many high-end flashguns have a catchlight panel to provide an attractive catchlight in your subject's eyes to bring portraits to life. You can use this when bouncing flash as the pull-out panel aims a small proportion of light forwards; and also when using your flashgun to light your subjects face-on. Best flash modifiers: 04 Diffusers All manner of flash diffusers are available, and while the designs differ wildly – from the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce and Gary Fong Lightsphere to the Lastolite Ezy-Box – they essentially place a semi-opaque layer in front of the flash, effectively enlarging its area and so softening and diffusing it. Best flash modifiers: 05 Gels Shooting indoors can cause white balance issues as the colour of the flash competes with tungsten lighting, for instance. A gel in front of the flash head can alter its output to match the ambient light – or can be used creatively to give a deliberately colourful burst of flash similar to stage lighting. Best flash modifiers: 06 Ring flash adaptor Ring flash is a specialised type of flash that surrounds the lens so that the subject is lit from all around, thus eliminating shadows. It's often used in medical or forensic photography, but works great for portraits, giving a shadowless look and attractive doughnut-shaped catchlights in the eyes. READ MORE High-speed photography ideas: how to capture water balloons as they explode Best camera flash for portrait photography: 6 top models tested and rated What is flash sync? Your flash modes and when to use them (free cheat sheet) Flash photography tips: external flash techniques anyone can understand Sky-Watcher AllView Mount review: best camera mount for night photography? Oct 26th 2013, 12:00, by jmeyer The Sky-Watcher AllView Mount lets you shoot for the stars or create astronomical panoramas with its computerised mount. Is this the perfect camera mount for night photography? Find out in our Sky-Watcher AllView Mount review. Space, the final frontier… of photography. Apart from photographing the moon, it's hard enough track down celestial objects of choice, let alone photograph them. At least now you don't have to visually trek for stars: this motorised platform directs itself to any one of over 42,990 pre-programmed points of celestial interest. The system just requires you to enter some location, time and alignment parameters before it sets off on a planetary pursuit. Of course, this is only a self-guided platform. You'll still require a telescope, as well as a T-adapter to connect it to your camera. But with a little patience, you can be snapping shots that are out of this world. If you'd rather keep things more down to earth, this versatile mount can also be used for automatically capturing multi-image panoramas. It'll take some time to set this up, but the results are worth it. Huge multi-shot panoramas with total pixel counts heading toward the gigapixel mark (1,000 megapixels) are possible, albeit with the aid of additional stitching software and a powerful computer. Even factoring the cost of extra software, the Sky-Watcher set-up costs significantly less than an equivalent GigaPan Epic Pro panorama mount. That said, its rugged tripod legs do make it considerably heavier, tipping the scales at a hefty 9.5kg. Combine it with Sky-Watcher's optional Power Tank rechargeable battery pack and the bulk is only increased, but the mount can also be powered by 10 AA cells. Price: £325 Buy it: www.opticalvision.co.uk Score: 4/5 READ MORE Night Photography: set up your camera to shoot anything Night Photography Tips: 9 essential steps for beginners 12 common errors of night photography (and how to fix them) Free night photography cheat sheet: how to shoot popular low-light scenes

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