Review Digital Camera World 04-05-2014

Digital Camera World

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A layman's guide to ND filters Apr 4th 2014, 23:01, by jmeyer What is an ND filter used for – and how should you use it? If you’re new to photography you might understandably have a few questions about some of the equipment. There are a number of things you need to consider when buying an ND filter and using it for the first time. In our latest layman’s guide to fundamental gear we answer some of the most common questions photographers have. What are ND filters? Conventionally, these are neutral grey filters that effectively reduce the amount of light entering the lens. Unlike graduated neutral-density filters, the light-stopping effect is theoretically equal across the entire image frame. How do ND filters work? The most common type of ND filter is made from resin or glass, and is available in a variety of strengths. Typically, these equate to anything from a single f/stop to 10 f/stops; denser filters enable increasingly longer exposures. Variable ND filters are also available, which are based on a pair of polarised elements. When rotated, the effective strength can be increased or decreased as required. SEE MORE: Using filters – the only cheat sheet you’ll ever need to get beautifully balanced exposures Who makes ND filters? There's a wide range of manufacturers to choose from, including B+W, Cokin, Formatt, Hoya, Kenko, Lee, Polaroid, SRB Griturn and Tiffen. Regular screw-in ND filters cost between about £20 and £150, depending on size and quality. Variable or so-called 'fader' ND filters start at about £30, but you can expect to pay around £150 for a good one. When should I use ND filters? They're useful for enabling wide apertures under sunny lighting conditions, when you want to reduce the depth of field. Higher-density filters are great for enabling long exposures under bright lighting, therefore creating motion blur in weirs and waterfalls, or for clearing busy street scenes of people walking about. SEE MORE: What is the best filter to have in your camera bag? How do I attach ND filters to my SLR? They're available either as circular, screw-in filters that attach directly to the lens's attachment thread, or as square or rectangular filters that mount in a filter holder. READ MORE Urban photography: how to blur people in busy city scenes How and when to use ND filters (and what the numbers mean) 6 top filters for landscape photography tested and rated Best graduated neutral density filters: 6 top models tested and rated Camera filters: the only cheat sheet you’ll ever need to get beautifully balanced exposures 8 reasons why cheap kit lenses are the perfect lens Apr 4th 2014, 23:01, by jmeyer The low-cost kit lenses you get with digital SLRs or compact system cameras don't have much of a reputation, but is that fair? They might be cheap, they might be light, they might not have earth-shattering specifications, but they do have some qualities and advantages that are all too easily overlooked. In their latest guest blog post the photo management and Canon Project1709 experts at Photoventure  counted eight reasons why cheap kit lenses are the perfect lens. Benefits of Cheap Kit Lenses: 01. Four classic focal lengths in one Your camera’s kit lens might not seem particularly versatile or exciting compare to the more exotic lenses out there, but it covers the four ‘classic’ focal lengths most used by old-school photographers. It can act as a classic 28mm wideangle lens, the 35mm moderate wide-angle favoured by documentary and street photographers and the 50mm ‘standard’ lens that used to be fitted to all 35mm film SLRs. And at the long end of the zoom range you get the perfect ‘portrait’ focal length of 85mm. Kit lenses don’t offer the same maximum aperture as individual prime lenses, but it’s still like getting four lenses in one! DON’T MISS: Discover how Canon’s free Project1709 platform can simplify your photo management Benefits of Cheap Kit Lenses: 02. Lighter and smaller The regular 18-55mm kit lens supplied with most D-SLRs and compact system cameras might seem the low rent option, but it’s also low weight! The Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens is 70mm long and weighs just 200g. The pro-spec Canon 17-55mm f/2.8, however, is 110.6mm long and weighs a massive 645g. That could be a real pain in then neck – literally – if you're carrying the camera on you shoulder all day, and it’s enough to seriously mess with the balance of Canon’s smaller DSLR bodies. It’s the same story with Nikon’s low-cost 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens versus its high-end 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. READ MORE 10 camera settings you don’t use (but probably should) 55 reasons your photos aren’t working (and what you can do about it) 8 bad photography habits (and how to fix them) 77 photography techniques, tips and tricks for taking pictures of everything 6 ways professional photographers use their cameras Canon EOS 1200D review Apr 4th 2014, 15:00, by jmeyer Canon EOS 1200D review: Canon has upgraded its entry-level DSLR along with a new iOS and Android app for guiding you through the process of using it. Canon EOS 1200D Review: Features The new Canon EOS 1200D is the successor to the EOS 1100D and situs just below the 100D as the first camera in the line-up. The Canon EOS 1200D isn’t a huge upgrade over its predecessor, the 1100D. One of its key selling points is a new app for iOS and Android, which is aimed at beginner photographers. The Canon EOS 1200D app walks photographers through the camera’s key functions, providing tips and short tutorials that explain how to use them. The app also incorporates tutorials aimed at inspiring photographers to try different types of pictures. SEE MORE: Canon 1200D vs Nikon D3300 vs Pentax K-500 – which is the best entry-level DSLR? In terms of specifications, it seems like Canon has played it relatively safe with the EOS 1200D. The camera features an 18-megapixel sensor and a Digic 4 image processor, which although it is not Canon’s most recent imaging engine, it has proven to be a decent performer in previous Canon cameras we have tested. The Canon EOS 1200D is aimed at beginner photographers I the entry-level market, and as such the camera offers several automatic modes, including Scene Recognition Auto and some Creative modes to give images a different look. Canon has offered this before with the EOS 100D, but the difference here is that on the EOS 1200D these creative filters can only be added after you’ve taken a picture. The Canon EOS 1200D also features a 3in, 460k-dot LCD screen on the back, which unfortunately isn’t neither touch-sensitive. Nor does it tilt or articulate. This is joined by an optical viewfinder offering a 95% field of view. Other features include full HD video recording, with the added bonus of having full manual control during the recording – something rare for an entry-level DSLR. The camera’s native sensitivity range runs from ISO 100 to 6400, which is expandable up to ISO 12800. Like the EOS 1100D, the Canon 1200D offers 9 AF points, with just the central point being cross-type for extra sensitivity. What’s more, the camera can shoot at up to 3fps, which doesn’t compare particularly well with the Nikon D3300, which can capture 5fps. SEE MORE: Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: which camera should you choose? One feature we would have liked to see on the Canon 1200D is built-in Wi-Fi or NFC connectivity, but the camera is compatible with Eye-Fi cards. The EOS 1200D uses Canon’s EF/EF-S lens mount, which is compatible with hundreds of different lenses. The size of the sensor (APS-C), makes for a 1.6x crop factor. What’s more, the Canon 1200D comes with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens, offering an equivalent 28.8 – 88mm. Canon claims the 1200D’s battery lasts up to 500 shots, which falls a little short of the Nikon D3300′s 700 shots per charge. That said, the Canon 1200D has one important advantage over the Nikon D3300: it is much cheaper. Canon EOS 1200D Review Video Canon EOS 1200D Review Video Transcript Hi I’m Amy Davies from Future Publishing’s Photography Testing team and today I’m going to take a look at the Canon EOS 1200D. The 1200D sits at the bottom of Canon’s line-up of DSLR cameras, and is aimed at beginners. Canon has given the camera an improved look and feel in comparison with its predecessor, the 1100D, bringing it more in line with the 700D, which sits ahead of it in the line up. This deep grip and textured coasting give it a feel of quality, but also make it easy to hold, even if you want to use it one-handed. As there is no touchscreen on the 1200D, unlike some of the other DSLRs in Canon’s range, including the 100D and the 700D, every element of camera control is via the physical buttons. Despite it being an entry-level model, there’s still a decent level of direct control via the buttons here on the back of the camera, including dedicated buttons for white balance and sensitivity. By pressing this Q button, you can quickly scroll through twleve different settings, which are displayed on the screen. You change them using this scrolling dial. So, for instance, you can navigate to the metering setting, then scroll with the dial to change from general purpose to spot metering. To change the autofocus point – of which there are nine available – you need to press this dedicated button here and then use these buttons to navigate around to the point you need. As there aren’t dozens of points, this is a pretty quick process. Pressing this central set button returns to the central AF point, which is more sensitive. This dial here controls aperture or shutter speed, depending on the mode you’re shooting in. This button here controls exposure compensation, which needs to be held down while using the scrolling dial. If you’re shooting in manual mode, hold down the button to switch between aperture and shutter speed. On top of the camera is a mode dial, which allows you to quickly switch between the different shooting modes available, including automatic, scene modes, semi-automatic and program automatic modes. As the 1200D is a DSLR, it has an optical viewfinder. Unfortunately, while it is pretty bright and clear, it only offers a 95% field of view, which means that occasionally the final image will have artefacts that you didn’t notice in composition. Canon has played it pretty safe with the 1200D’s screen. It’s just 460k dots, and it isn’t touch sensitive. It’s also fixed, rather than tilting or articulating, but that probably helps to keep the price of the camera down. On the plus side, it doesn’t suffer too badly from glare or reflections, while this button here switches off the display if you’re finding it distracting while using the viewfinder. To activate Live View mode, press this button here. This also doubles up as the movie record button when you’re in movie mode. As you can see focusing while in Live View is fairly slow – much slower than while shooting through the viewfinder. The 1200D feels like more of an incremental upgrade from the 1100D than anything revolutionary, and while images are great, the camera itself isn’t offering anything truly exciting. When you compare it to some of its rivals, such as the Nikon D3300, which features a higher resolution sensor and no anti-aliasing filter, the 1200D begins to look less competitive – it is, for the moment at least, significantly cheaper however. Canon EOS 1200D review: Features and Video Review Canon EOS 1200D review: Our original announcement story READ MORE Canon EOS cameras: 100 things you never knew they could do How to set up a camera for the first time: 11 things you need to do first Photography for beginners: 6 reasons you’re smarter than your camera 49 seriously good Canon DSLR tips, tricks, shortcuts and time-savers

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