Review Digital Camera World 12-12-2013

Digital Camera World

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Kit lens: why your 18-55mm standard lens is better than you think for landscapes Dec 12th 2013, 00:01, by jmeyer You don’t need expensive lenses to capture great images. In this tutorial we’ll show you how you can take stunning landscape photography with the simple 18-55mm kit lens that came with your DSLR. When most of us bought our first DSLR we opted to pay a bit extra for the 'standard zoom' kit lens bundle. A kit lens is a great starter lens for beginners, as it's light, inexpensive, and has a versatile zoom range of 18-55mm, which is great for portraits, landscapes and as a general 'walkabout' lens. Although you'll start to find yourself limited by your kit lens as your photography skills improve, it can still produce some cracking shots when used the right way, and that's exactly what we're going to demonstrate in this tutorial. In the first of what will be a new series we’ll show you how you can use your kit lens to get fantastic results in a range of photographic genres, starting with landscapes. DON’T MISS: 10 common landscape photography mistakes every photographer makes How to shoot stunning landscapes with your kit lens 01 Skies for landscapes Check the weather forecast before you head out; blue skies aren't necessarily the best skies for landscapes, and on the day of our shoot there were heavy storm clouds interspersed with bursts of bright sunshine, which added interest to the sky and atmosphere to the scene, and created contrast in our images. Mount your camera on a tripod.   02 Manual mode Set your camera to Manual mode so that you have full control over the exposure. As there's moving water in our scene we're going to use relatively long exposures to blur it a little, so we're setting our aperture to f/32 to give us slower shutter speeds. Keep the ISO at 100 for maximum image quality – this also helps to deliver slower shutter speeds.   03 Picture Style Set the Picture Style to Landscape to saturate the greens. If you're shooting JPEGs this style will be applied to the images; if you're shooting Raw, keep in mind that the setting will only be applied to the Raw image if you open it in Canon Digital Photo Professional, and not in Photoshop CS/CC or Elements.   04 Focusing Switch to Live View mode to compose and focus the shot. Switch the lens to Manual, zoom in on the LCD screen and navigate to the main subject in your scene – in our case the church spire. Twist the focus ring until the subject is at optimum sharpness, then zoom back out.   05 High-contrast scenes As we're shooting in the middle of the day there's strong contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of the scene, so we're going to take three shots at varying shutter speeds to expose for the highlights, midtones and shadows. To ensure sharp shots when your camera's on a tripod, use a remote shutter release so that you don't touch the camera at the start of the exposure.   06 Bracketing exposures Adjust the shutter speed so the exposure marker is in the middle of the exposure level indicator, and take your first shot. Now rotate the main dial clockwise until the marker moves to +1 stop, and take another shot to expose for the shadows. Finally, rotate the dial anti-clockwise until the marker is at -1 stop, and take a third shot to expose for the highlights. SEE MORE: Bracketing explained – what you need to know about maximising detail in your photos Final Tip Under the Quality setting on your DSLR you have the option to shoot Raw files, JPEGs or both. If you don't want to spend time processing images, and want them 'ready to go' straight from the camera, it's best to shoot JPEGs, as a Raw file out of the camera can appear a bit 'flat'. However, Raw files contain much more brightness and colour information than a JPEG, enabling you to pull out more shadow and highlight detail at the editing stage. If you have space on your memory card, shooting both Raws and JPEGs gives you the option to process the Raw file if shadows or highlights are clipped in the JPEG image. READ MORE 10 quick landscape photography tips The 10 Commandments of Landscape Photography (and how to break them) 14 photo editing tips and tricks every landscape photographer must know How to photograph anything: best camera settings for landscape photography How to use a monopod correctly… and when you should actually use one Dec 11th 2013, 10:46, by jmeyer In this quick tutorial we demystify this specialist form of support for your camera and explain how to use a monopod correctly. Most people think of the monopod as a one-legged alternative to a tripod. But the monopod is a very specialist form of support that is more useful in some situations than others. The first thing to realise is that monopods only give your camera a minimal amount of support. You can't use them for slow-shutter speed seascapes, or for shooting cityscapes at night. At best, a monopod allows you to use a shutter speed that is one or two stops, slower than you could manage with a handheld camera. It's no use for long exposures. But there are places where even this small amount of support can minimise camera shake. In low light or when using a particularly long lens, they come into their own – but only when using a tripod is impractical or impossible. One reason they are favoured by sports photographers is that they can be used in crowded places where there is not enough space for a tripod, or in venues where tripods are banned. They also fold up small, and let you move around quickly to follow your subject. Monopods come into their own with big heavy lenses. They are not primarily for stabilising your camera kit when taking shots. It's more about giving your arms a rest in between shots, with the monopod taking the weight as you wait for the action. SEE MORE: Best monopod for DSLR photography: 6 top models tested and rated How to use a monopod correctly 01 A collar is better than a head Most monopods come without a head, as they are mostly used with big lenses that have built-in tripod collars. You screw the monopod into this rather than the SLR base. You can then quickly switch from upright to horizontal-format shots.   Classic stance Archer stance 02 Are you an archer? The classic stance [top] is to place the monopod just ahead of you, with your feet slightly apart. On hard surfaces, where it may slip, try the archer stance [bottom]. Stand side on to the subject, resting the monopod base against your back foot.   03 Reach for a better view Monopods can be used to get unusual viewpoints. Hold them above your head for a bird's eye view, or to shoot over fences. You can't see through the viewfinder and fire the shutter with the self-timer, intervalometer or wireless remote. READ MORE Best budget tripod: 6 top models tested and rated Best tripod under £150: 6 top models tested and rated 4 tips for sharper shots when using a tripod Camera shake: the ultimate cheat sheet for using tripods, monopods and shooting handheld

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