Review Digital Camera World 09-08-2014

Digital Camera World

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How to set up your camera for panoramic photography Sep 7th 2014, 23:01, by Mark Hamblin In this panoramic photography tutorial we show you how to set up your camera to capture outstanding widescreen images in just three simple steps. Image by Mark Hamblin A panoramic image closely matches our own view of the world, so it's a very natural way to photograph the landscape. And the good news is that shooting panoramas has never been easier. You can even do it with your smartphone. For a more professional result, though, use your DSLR to take a series of overlapping shots that can be stitched together using Photoshop or other software to create gorgeous panoramas. You can do this hand-held, but using a tripod will give you better control over framing. Try to get the tripod and camera level so that the resulting panorama won't have any gaps along the top and bottom edges. The golden rule for shooting panoramas is to do everything manually. This means using manual exposure, manual white balance and manual focus so that each frame will blend seamlessly with the others. SEE MORE: Panoramic photography tips for making high-resolution images Get creative Shooting in a vertical panoramic format will give you more options with cropping, and help you include more foreground and sky. It also means you can use a longer focal length, which usually gives a better perspective and less distortion. Composing a panorama can be tricky, but a good way to start is to hand-hold the camera and simply twist your body from left to right while looking through the viewfinder to see how it'll look. Try to include interest right across the panorama. One side can be more dominant than the other, but there should be a natural flow from left to right – or vice versa, depending on how you see the world! SEE MORE: Vertorama tutorial – how to make enormous landscapes with loads of impact Best camera settings for panoramic photography Prepare the shot Look for scenes with interest across a wide field of view, with strong features on both sides. Form a panoramic shape with your fingers or swivel your camera to get a feel for how the scene will look. Level your tripod to get everything perfectly square.   Switch to manual Shoot in raw so you can adjust the white balance for each shot during processing. Set the exposure in Manual (M) mode. Switch to manual focus so all the frames are identical. You can use AF to acquire focus, but switch to MF to take the shots. SEE MORE: What your camera captures at every lens’ focal length (free photography cheat sheet) Create the panorama Mount the camera vertically and take a succession of frames with roughly a 30-per-cent overlap to aid stitching. A lens in the range of 35 to 80mm will give the best perspective. In Photoshop, use Photomerge to form the panorama. READ MORE Master your camera’s autofocus – which AF points to use (and when to use them) Full frame sensor size explained: how to exploit its advantages and cool effects Histogram: photography cheat sheets for achieving perfect exposures 44 essential digital camera tips and tricks This Week in Photography – news from 1-7 September Sep 7th 2014, 10:00, by jmeyer Welcome to our new weekly photography news section, with the stories that matter to serious photographers from the week of 1-7 September. Canon marks ‘Kwanon’s’ 80th Ever wondered why Canon is called Canon? It’s nothing do with artillery; the name comes from Kwanon, the Japanese name for Kwan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy (also known as Avalokiteshvara). Anyway, the first ‘Kwanon’ camera, a 35mm focal-plane-shutter device, was released 80 years ago. Devotees of Buddhist trivia – we know you are out there – will also be interested to know that the lens was called Kasyapa, an abbreviation of the name of one of the Buddha’s disciples. "Over the 80 years since the birth of the Kwanon camera prototype, Canon has continuously innovated to fulfil the Company's never-ending ambition to create the world's finest cameras," said Canon’s Masaya Maeda. "Canon will continue contributing to the development of the photographic and video imaging culture through its technologies and products designed to satisfy the expectations of our customers." How well do you know your Canon? Take our Canon quiz and find out! Nissin 'Love Mini’ now available for Four Thirds Nissin’s award-winning i40 compact flashgun, aka the ‘Love Mini,’ is now also compatible for Four Thirds format cameras, according to UK distributor, Kenro. The i40 weighs only 203g but includes a decent flash output of GN40 at 105mm. The head can also be horizontally tilted 180° to right and left, and vertically 90°. It also works on hotshoe-style Sony cameras. See www.kenro.co.uk Sony eyes smartphone market Sony has released a new range of lens-style cameras that can be connected to your smartphone via WiFi. The ILCE-QX1 features a 20.1Mp, APS-C CMOS sensor and a BIONZ X processor and enables you to use E-mount lenses. Sony has also released the DSC-QX30, based around a 30x Sony G lens (the 35mm equivalent of a 24-720mm zoom). The DSC-QX30 and the ILCE-QX1 both cost £249 and will be released at the end of September. See www.sony.co.uk New Zeiss E-Mount lenses announced Two manual aperture, manual-focus prime lenses for Sony E-Mount full frame compact system cameras have been announced by Zeiss. The Zeiss Loxia 2/35 is a 35mm f/2 lens with 9 elements in 6 groups, while the more standard Loxia 2/50 is a 50mm f/2 has 6 elements in 4 groups. The Loxia 2/50 will be available worldwide next month, and the Loxia 2/35 towards Christmas. UK pricing to be confirmed. Goose wins gong at British Wildlife Photography Awards You’d expect the winner of the British Wildlife Photography Awards to be an image of some magnificent, rarely sighted beast in the Scottish Highlands, but this year’s award has been won by a charming shot of a wild Greylag Goose which ended up by the Thames in central London. Amateur photographer Lee Acaster won £5000 for the image, which he described as a "once in a lifetime opportunity." Judge Mark Ward added that "the stormy, brooding backdrop set a dramatic scene, while the orange and pink from the bird bring vibrancy to the monochromatic cityscape. Lee’s stunning photograph proves you do not have to travel far from home to capture the very best of Britain’s wildlife images." READ MORE Canon EOS cameras: 100 things you never knew they could do 77 photography techniques, tips and tricks for taking pictures of anything Breaking bad photo habits: 10 classic blunders and ways to improve 9 creative photo ideas to try in September

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