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Review Digital Camera World 08-01-2014

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9 creative photo ideas to try in August
Jul 31st 2014, 23:01, by jmeyer

As part of our ongoing series to help you get more creative with your digital camera, each month we publish some fun, seasonal, creative photo ideas to help inspire your imagination. Along with some amazing images, we've also provided some quick photography tips by both amateur and professional photographers who are experts in these fields.

We’re kicking off August with a new list of exciting projects like shooting a summer garden, black and white travel photography, zen scenes, food preparation and many more.

SEE MORE: 77 photography techniques, tips and tricks for taking pictures of anything

9 creative photo ideas to try in August 2014

Creative photo ideas for August: 01 Shoot a summer garden

With the acuity for which he's famed, Shakespeare once penned the line "And summer's lease hath all too short a date" – so make the most of every opportunity to get great shots of gardens in high summer.

At this time of the year, the light can be harsh on a cloudless sunny day, so make sure you visit the garden early.

There are other important considerations for stand-out summer garden shots.

"The breeze is the garden photographer's worst enemy," notes Duncan Heather, garden photographer, landscape architect and co-founder of MyPhotoSchool.

"If you're hoping to do some close-ups, check the five-day weather forecast, and try to go on a day when the wind strength is low. Also, take a Wimberley Plamp or a similar device to keep the flowers still."

Duncan is a stickler for using a tripod, so use a carbon-fibre travel tripod if you want to keep the weight down.

SEE MORE: Best carbon fibre tripod – 5 top models tested and rated

"Yes, I know tripods are a pain, but they help you slow down and fine-tune your composition for both close-ups and general garden shots," Duncan explains.

"It also allows you to work single-handed, so you can hold a reflector while still taking the photograph.

"You should also only photograph really perfect subjects. Watch out for damaged petals, flowers marked by water, or slug-eaten stems.

"Last but not least, if you intend to sell your images to garden magazines or websites, they will require a range of images – from establishing shots showing the overall site, to mid-range images, down to macro shots.

"It's easy to get carried away with close-ups, so get in some wider garden views as well."

SEE MORE: Garden macro photography: tips for taking stunning pictures at home

Get started today
* Duncan reckons that a couple of zoom lenses, incorporating wide-angle (for establishing shots of the garden) and medium telephoto up to 200mm (for detail shots) will cover general garden views. For close-ups, a 100-to-200mm macro lens is ideal.
* Shoot flowerbeds at an angle when you're using a zoom lens: it will help to compress the border and bring the plants in the background further forward. Try to avoid shooting the borders straight-on.
* A reflector and scrim are handy for close-up photos if the light is bright. A reflector brings light into the shadows, while a scrim softens the light and makes your subjects 'glow'.
* Check your viewfinder before pressing the shutter. Watch out for plant labels, bits of wire, dead leaves or even fence edges spoiling the composition you've carefully set up.
* For wider views, try including some foreground interest to give depth to your photograph – just as you would with any landscape photograph.

READ MORE

How to be a landscape photographer: 10 concepts that guide every image
Golden hour photography – tips for taking magical pictures at dawn
10 summer photography tips to help you get creative in the warmer months
When to use a reflector: how the different colours produce different effects
25 flower photography tips for beginners

Nikon D810 review
Jul 31st 2014, 14:19, by anicholson

Nikon D810 review: this Nikon D800 replacement offers a new sensor and Nikon claims it boasts the best image quality in the company's history. We put it to the test.

Nikon D810: price, specs, release date confirmed

The Nikon D810 comes as the direct replacement to the Nikon D800 and D800E. In her Nikon D810 review video, Angela Nicholson takes a look at what Nikon’s latest has to offer; discussing detail resolution, noise, handling changes, even comparing shutter sounds between the D800 and D810.

SEE MORE: Nikon D810 vs D800 – is it time to upgrade?

Nikon D810 Review Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Angela Nicholson head of testing for Future’s photography portfolio and in this video I’m going to take a look at the Nikon D810, which replaces both the D800 and D800E.

Although the D810 has 36.3 million effective pixels just like the two cameras that it replaces, we are told that the sensor is new and it’s coupled with Nikon’s latest processing engine, EXPEED 4.

Also, although it was widely reported that the D800E had no anti-aliasing or optical low pass filter over its sensor, it now transpires that it actually had some anti-aliasing properties. This has been completely removed from the filter over the Nikon D810′s sensor and it enables it to produce images with just a little more detail.

SEE MORE: Full-frame sensor size explained: how to exploit its advantages and cool effects

Nikon has also given the D810 a new mirror and shutter box and this has a much quieter operation than the D800′s. It makes the camera much more discrete in use and somehow makes it feel higher quality.

Internal vibrations can also be reduced to increase detail capture just a little bit further by using the new electronic front-curtain shutter in Mirror lock-up or Exposure delay mode.

Other improvements brought by the D810 include a non-expansion sensitivity setting of ISO 64, with a native range that goes up to ISO 12,800 and expansion settings stretching this from ISO 32 to ISO 51,200.

In addition, the autofocus system is the same as the D4S’s, which means there are are 51 AF points, 15 of which are cross type, and there’s the new Group-area AF mode as well as the usual 9-,21- and 51-point dynamic-area AF and 3D-tracking.

Group AF mode is designed to help when shooting subjects that are comparatively small and close to a high-contrast or distracting background and it works very well.

The improved AF system is complimented by a 25% increase in the maximum continuous shooting rate for full resolution images. This means that the Nikon D810 can shoot 36 million pixel images at 5 frames per second.

SEE MORE: Nikon D810 vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III – full-frame DSLRs go head to head

What’s more, it can shoot more raw files than the D800 in a single burst. For example it can shoot 47 lossless compressed 12-bit raw files rather than 21, and 23 uncompressed 14-bit raw files instead of 16.

The maximum number of JPEG images that can be recorded in a single burst, however, remains the same at 100 whatever the file size or quality unless exposures longer than 4 seconds are used when the burst depth is only limited by card capacity.

Videographers will also appreciate the zebra display that indicates when areas are approaching overexposure and the new Flat Picture Control mode that makes footage better for post-capture grading. Some may ask where the focus peaking and 4K recording options are though as these are notably absent.

Like the D800, the Nikon D810 has a pretty solid build and thanks to the slightly more pronounced grips it feels a little more secure in your hand. The control layout will seem very familiar to D800 users, but there are a few differences.

The metering switch has gone for example, and the metering options are now accessed via this button which is used in conjunction with the command dial. This was the bracketing button on the D800, and that has been relocated to this new button.

There’s also a new I button which accesses an interactive information screen. This is especially useful in Live View or video mode as it provides a route to access the magnified split-screen view, which is useful for checking sharpness of two areas at the same time.

However, it seems strange to me that this screen is also used for accessing some of the customisation options that aren’t usually required frequently. I think it would be better if it gave access to features such as exposure delay which is more likely to be needed on a shot by shot basis.

SEE MORE: DX format vs FX format – everything you need to know about Nikon’s sensor sizes

The Nikon D810 is capable of resolving a huge amount of detail, but getting the full benefit of all those pixels often requires that the camera is used on a tripod with the optimum aperture selected and the front shutter used.

That’s not to say that it can’t be used handheld and to shoot sport, but you need to make sure that you use a fast shutter speed if you want to avoid any sign of movement when images are viewed at 100%.

The matrix metering and automatic white balance systems also perform very well, delivering correctly exposed images with natural, yet vibrant colour in many situations. Of course that’s not to say that you won’t need to use a little exposure compensation or a custom white balance here and there.

I’ve found that noise is better controlled at the higher sensitivity settings than it is by the D800, which makes the camera a little more low-light friendly. There is still noise visible, in some cases it is more evident, but it generally has a finer texture with less smudging in raw files produced with all noise reduction turned off.

All things considered, I think the D810 is an excellent camera. It may not be worthwhile existing D800 and D800E users upgrading, but it is still a superb replacement to these cameras with some great refinements.

PAGE 1: Nikon D810 Review Video
PAGE 2: Our original Nikon D810 Hands-on Review
PAGE 3: Our original Nikon D810 launch story

READ MORE

Canon vs Nikon – the DSLR comparison you’ve been waiting for!
100 Nikon DSLR tips you really need to know
DX format vs FX format – everything you need to know about Nikon’s sensor sizes
Nikon D4s vs D4: 14 things you need to know about Nikon’s flagship DSLR
Nikon accessories: a complete guide to your DSLR’s ports, sockets and connectors

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