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ISSUE#13 | CD
Your practical guide to better pictures
Photoshop lighting
How to create radial lighting effects on underwater scenes
PLUS! Mapping realistic shadows onto faces, bodies, objects and more...
SUNSETS
Your complete guide to taking better sunset photos!
MASSIVE 10-PAGE GUIDE How to get richer colours ■ Capture
dramatic clouds ■ Best exposure settings ■ Enhance in Photoshop
landmarks!
Revealed! How to get great photographs of
148 PAGES!
the UK’s top 10 most-loved landmarks
PLUS photo showcase packed with reader shots!
Camera help!
The UK’s biggest Q&A section Get professional depth-of-field effects
with our plain-English guide to your
Expert advice on night shots, digital zooming, drop shadows and glowing halo effects!
digital camera’s aperture settings
IDEAS!
9 771477 172002
NOVEMBER 2003
7 7 7
28 PAGES OF ADVICE TAKE BETTER PICTURES REVIEWS YOU CAN TRUST FOR BETTERP HOTOS
Improve your pics in Paint 31 pages of expert photo We rate all the latest cameras, e: inspirational
8-page pull-out guid
£4.99
Shop Pro and Photoshop! advice, tips and techniques! including the new Pentax SLR! locations for stunning photographs
1 1
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Minolta’s innovative Anti-Shake system marks a revolution for low light and long lens
shooting, with incredible stability for pin sharp shots. Using the new DiMAGE A1, it’ll be far less The essentials of imaging
necessary to turn to your tripod or fumble for your flash.
The secret of Anti-Shake lies in a CCD sensor that shifts two dimensionally along the X
and Y axes compensating for shake during hand-held shooting. Put simply, it delivers the
stability of 1/200th of a second when lighting conditions only permit 1/25th. Never before has the
camera had such control over a single moment - whether it be a simple sunset or staring at the eye
of a tiger.
Like the subject pictured, the DiMAGE A1 has lightning-fast reactions. Autofocusing starts as
rapidly as a fifth of a second, and with all that speed comes agility too – the new Minolta has an extra
wide 11-point Auto Focus area. To optimise any photographic opportunity, the camera
utilises a middle row of seven focusing areas, with three above and one below. Metering
is performed using a high precision algorithm that detects your subject within the
autofocus area.
For added refinement an enhanced stepping motor moves the focus mechanisms ultra-quietly.
As the cat creeps forward, Minolta’s unique 3D AF captures every stealthy step towards the
camera with unprecedented accuracy. That’s because autofocusing starts the very moment you grip
the camera and look through the viewfinder. Even fast moving subjects are kept firmly in
focus. The split second you’re ready to shoot, the predictive focus control accounts for
any time lag between shutter release and image capture, and the shot is yours.
Hi-speed mode enables fast, high resolution continuous shooting. In this mode you can
continuously shoot RAW or TIFF images at full resolution (2,560 x 1,920 pixels). Up to 5 RAW
images can be taken in immediate succession, or if JPEG Fine is selected, you can repeatedly
capture 3 shot sequences.
The new Minolta DiMAGE A1 is the most advanced digital SLR type camera available at under
£1,000. Prominent features include a high resolution 118,000 pixel LCD monitor. This can be
tilted through 110 degrees. So whether you are holding the camera at waist level or above your
head you can see 100% of the field of view.
Optional dedicated accessories include the pictured BP-400 grip. This improves vertical
control and gives a choice of power supplies, including Lithium-ion and AA Ni-MH rechargeable
batteries.
And that’s what the new Minolta DiMAGE A1 is all about - stunning quality with unrivalled
control.
In fact, with a digital system putting you so much in charge of the action, the future for some
systems looks decidedly shaky.
The Dimage A1.
It lives at the sharp end.
*The Dimage A1 £999.99. Camera shown with optional accessory grip/battery pack BP-400. www.dimage.minolta.com
THE OLYMPUS C-750 ULTRAZOOM. CLOSE ENOUGH FOR YOU?
a huge 4.0
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pretty
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pictures.. For det
details
ails freephone
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2 0070
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Welcome
We’ve already had a great response to our Photographer of the Year competition, but
don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to enter – you could be our £1,000 prize winner!
I
can’t tell you how delighted I am with
The photographs we wish the response to our new Digital Camera
Adam Evans
we got our first dozen entries on the first day of sale –
check out page 53 for a sneak preview! As well as being impressed (though not
There’s still
Editor
This is just a fantastic
surprised) by the quality of entries, I was particularly pleased by the number of
you who entered, given that we hadn’t yet released details of the prizes!
plenty of time
image. From the action-
packed sharp silhouette in Your trust in us was well placed, though – I can now reveal that the grand to target that
the foreground to the prize for the overall winner is a whopping £1,000 in Jessops vouchers.
graduated greys of the
people in the background,
Someone, somewhere, will be a very happy snapper in six month’s time! In huge first prize
addition, the winner of each issue’s competition gets £200 of vouchers, with
it’s sheer class. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK OF
two runners-up prizes of £50 each. THIS AND OTHER
SEE THIS GREAT ISSUES ON OUR FORUMS
IMAGE ON PAGE 12 If you’re worried that it’s too late to enter, don’t be – there’s still plenty of
WWW.DCMAG.CO.UK
time to target that huge first prize. We keep track of all your entries and
average your best four in order to calculate your final score. This means that
you only need to enter four stages in order to be in with a shout of £1,000
in vouchers! Meet the team…
Liz Raderecht
Best wishes
Operations Editor
Douglas Kirkland’s striking
portrait of Audrey Hepburn.
Although the hat and glasses
look dated, Kirkland has
captured her elegance and
timeless beauty.
Adam Evans Editor
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or
or
Ed P
editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk
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SHOOT AMAZING
SUNSETS
Your complete guide to taking better sunset photos! STARTS PAGE
MASSIVE 10-PAGE GUIDE How to get richer colours ■ Capture
dramatic clouds ■ Best exposure settings ■ Enhance in Photoshop 20
PC & INTERNET p107 Buyers’ guide
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
SHOPPING AROUND
Getup&go PULL OUT
Photo PAGE 113 Golden autumnal forests, beautiful
buildings and fungi forays
SECTION
FIND IT AFT
Impact 6 Some features and functions are must-haves
for the creative digital photographer. We’ve
trawled our review pages to give you the
PLUS: 4 free tip cards p98
ER
PAGE
Create amazing images and
108 polish your photographs to most comprehensive buyers’ guide to
perfection with this month’s full digital cameras on the market
PAGE
software giveaway – Ulead’s
108 superb PhotoImpact 6!
* UK editi
PAGE
Make your own mini-movies PAGE
Get picture-perfect results: this
110 using your digital camera’s 111 essential web utility searches the
built in video functions! net for the images you need, fast!
PAGE
80
The Pentax *ist D is the SLR that sets new
standards for size, control and capabilities p34
Your photos
PAGE
Take a look at a showcase of
85 your photographs, all cleverly
enhanced in Paint Shop Pro
PAGE
58 Combining images
Photoshop plug-ins Joe Apice helps you paint a scene,
PAGE
76 75
PhotoImpact 6
Everything you need to create
stunning digital images
■ Doesn’t need complex filter settings
■ Extensive image-editing tools
■ Easy to use FULL 01 Kid Kong at the
London Eye
Digital artist, George Cairns, shows you
TUTORIAL how to create a fantasy image of a
ON PAGE toddler causing chaos in London
108!
02 Combine the
three elements
All the elements that you need to
DVD BONUS!Your exclusive extras... create your own terrible toddler are on
the cover CD/DVD.
software to this month’s free guide! WORTH created your image, why not send us
in your efforts?
£49
010 DIGITAL CAMERA MAGAZINE
YOUR COMPLETE ON-DISC CAMERA SERVICE…
EXCLUSIVE PICTURE READER PHOTO ON-DISC
COMPARISONS GALLERY BUYERS’ GUIDE!
View the images from Be inspired! Take a look Check the specifications
each featured camera at the showcase of your and performance for
and compare the photographs, and send every camera we’ve
performance for yourself us your best shots ever reviewed
03
MONTH! misty mornings. Sunrise is my favourite time to shot, especially when there's
mist on the water. I also like to capture waterfowl because they always take
flight when the sun rises. This lakeside setting is near my home, and it offers a
Black & white wide variety of landscape and wildlife pictures, allowing me to showcase the
beauty of nature.”
special issue Nikon Coolpix 990
[e] tt@comcast.net
04
@
NOW SEND US YOURS!
Email us a JPEG (max 500K) of your best shot! Include your
name, the title of the shot and the digital camera you used.
The best photo each month wins a 128MB Crucial memory
card (all types available) and Crucial USB card reader!
gallery.dcm@futurenet.co.uk
05
06
07
With full manual control, a rotating Carl Zeiss lens and 5 x optical zoom,
the Sony DSC-F717 has features that mark it out as a serious camera
for serious photographers. Alas, the ability to use these features to take
a great photo is not one of them, but luckily, you can do that.
32mb Memory Stick supplied. ‘Sony’, ‘Memory Stick’ and ‘Cyber-shot’ are trademarks of the Sony Corporation, Japan.
www.sony-imaging.com
EyeWitness Got a news story? Email editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk
CANON’S NEW
DIGITAL SLR
EOS 300D expected to grow an
unexploited segment of the
digital camera market
ADOBE’S NEW
KILLER SUITE
Adobe has released a design
and publishing one stop
shop with its Creative Suite
BEHIND THE IMAGE:
NUDE PROTEST
Naked anti-globalisation
activists spell out their
message in sunburnt flesh
C
anon has launched the EOS 300D, a camera is fronted with a lens system totally
EOS 300D IS 6.3-megapixel digital SLR aimed squarely compatible with Canon’s renowned EF lenses of
smaller, high-capacity
consumer devices
imperfect images. Kicking off with
DeBlur, why not try cleaning up your slightly blurred
THE BEST at a previously unexploited consumer which there are currently 60. This fact will no in mind. The digital snaps? If noise is more of a problem, one of the
PROOF end of the digital market. Retailing at £1,000 with doubt tempt any analogue snappers making the
MemoryStick Duo
and the Pro Duo
other two functions of AutoFocus may be the ticket:
DeNoise removes the grain, while preserving the edges
CANON CAN a custom-built lens (£900 without the lens), it’s on
sale now.
move to digital, although be aware that the lens
included in the box, the EF-S, has been made
cards suit new-
generation mobiles
of the image; the advanced version of Sharpener works
without creating grain all over your sharpened image.
GIVE TO THE The camera combines high-end technologies, specially and solely for the 300D. as well as digital This powerful new plug-in is selling for $70 from
MARKET such as seven-point high-speed predictive auto- The 6.3-megapixel CMOS sensor on this cameras and come in
sizes from 32MB to
www.humansoftware.com
THAT THE focus, 2.5 frames per second burst rate, 35-zone desirable-looking camera is almost identical to 512MB, with prices
AGE OF metering and Canon’s DIGIC image processor with that found on the award-winning and rather
2
ranging from $34.99.
3
Information
a price point that the imaging giant believes is more high-end EOS 10D, and the 300D supports Go to www.sandisk.
DIGITAL SLR affordable to everyone. Canon’s PictBridge print standard, which lets com for more detail.
supplied by
www.dabs.com
HAS ARRIVED In Europe, Canon owns 40 per cent of the SLR users print directly from camera to printer,
BAG A SAFE Best sellers
market and it expects to see at least 400 per cent eliminating the need for a computer. Using AND STYLISH
growth in the digital SLR segment between 2002 the model’s 1.8-inch LCD screen, you can set CAMERA
CARRIER Top camera in
and 2003. “History will remember the launch of print variables and review the snaps you want the market
Airbag has come up Canon Powershot A70
the EOS 300D as the point in time to send immediately to the printer. And there
with some rugged 3.2MP
when the imaging is an APS-C sized digital sensor on the 300D, bags for fashion- £254.99
market shifted giving the camera 1.6x magnification over 35mm conscious gadget
irrevocably from film format. owners. Urban styling
is mixed with top- Sub-£150
analogue to digital,” The 300D’s DIGIC imaging processor is claimed Kodak Easyshare CX6230
notch protection
The EOS 300D is a lot claims Alessandro to deliver superb image quality and results in 2MP
systems to make sure
Stanzani, Head of faster camera performance, faster AF, faster £129.99
lighter than previous your camera is
digital SLRs, although Marketing for continuous shooting and extended battery life. carried in style and
Canon Consumer DIGIC replaces the process that used to occur in safety. Find out more
it has the same about the range of Sub-£300
quality feel in use Imaging Europe. the analogue darkroom and deals with complex Canon Powershot A70
backpacks and bags
The body functions such as white balance and colour at www.coluco.com 3.2MP
of the rendition. As Hiroshi Komatsuzaki, Head of Canon or bag one for £254.99
new Consumer Imaging Europe says: “Superior lens yourself at PC World.
and sensor technologies ensure the best raw
CAMERA FOR Sub-£500
ingredients. It is what DIGIC does with these that
THE GREAT Sony DSC-V1 Cybershot
gives the EOS 300D the edge.” OUTDOORS 5MP
The black and silver body of the camera Ricoh’s new 300G, £465.99
is well shaped, reminiscent of EOS priced at £349.99,has
been released. This
predecessors but considerably lighter in
beast of a camera is
weight than those that have gone before. best suited to rainy,
Stanzani continues: “The EOS 300D is the Over-£500
sandy and dusty
Canon EOS 300D SLR
best proof Canon can give to the market environments. It can (body only)
that the age of digital SLR has arrived.” We even survive and £879.99
perform at depths of
can’t wait to get our hands on it – look out
1m underwater for
for the review in next month’s issue, on up to 30 minutes!
sale 30th October. www.ricoh.com
Adobe’s creative
one-stop shop is here
New version of Photoshop is bundled with all Adobe’s big-name
creative titles in Creative Suite
Aficionados have been waiting for Adobe is continuing to sell each component palettes. It also PRICING
the release of Photoshop 8.0 for individually, but its pricing structure makes its means that Premium edition
most of the year (it’s expected to strategy crystal clear: its future lies in the suite you can Full version £949
SOFTWARE
arrive this autumn), but Adobe has and it wants to discourage people as much as exchange Upgrade version £565
brought something new to market in the form of possible from buying standalone apps. With the artwork Standard edition
its Creative Suite. A complete design and release of Creative Suite, Adobe has aligned the between Full version £775
publishing solution, Adobe claims its Creative point product releases of all its main creative Illustrator and Upgrade version £409
Suite is more than the sum of its parts. It not products (all versions are called CS now) and Photoshop Educational edition
only includes a new version of Photoshop, but introduced some invaluable new features to all Adobe’s new Creative more easily than ever, and you can Special edition £330
also Illustrator, InDesign, GoLive, Acrobat and a of them. It has also used those products to Suite design package is rely on more intangible shared, yet core
new file management and workflow utility create a one-stop shop for design and publishing out this autumn… technologies like the Adobe Color Engine for
called Version Cue. professionals – and at really reasonable prices. consistency. You can buy the suite this autumn
In the past, Adobe has trumpeted itself as We give pricing information for the suite although exact dates are as yet unconfirmed.
a step ahead of its rivals is the integration below but the upgrade path is more than
between its creative products, and that generous. Adobe’s Mark Hilton says: “90 per cent
integration is the raison d’etre for the new suite, of Adobe’s customers own a copy of Photoshop,
Behindtheimage
with the common interface and toolset, native so making the upgrade path via Photoshop
file format support, shared core technologies, seemed the easiest catch-all solution.”
automated web production and packaging print This means that owners of any version of
pages for the web. Photoshop can upgrade to the Creative Suite for
£500 (Standard Edition lacking Acrobat and
GoLive) or £700 (Premium edition). Even with
the Standard iteration, the bang per buck is huge
when you consider the benefits of integration.
Maybe the launch of Creative Suite marks the
beginning of the ascendancy of Adobe to total
domination of the creative-software market.
Adobe looks set to deliver the tight integration
it promises with this suite, primarily by virtue of
the fact that it has invented and evolved each
component itself. Tight integration means that
you can switch applications without slowing
down, thanks to common commands, tools and
KILLERFEATURES PHOTOSHOPCS
WEB DESIGN FILTER LAYER COMPS ENHANCED FILE 9th September 2003, Cancun, Mexico
USER INTERFACE PREVIEWS Capture multiple BROWSER
Select, group and Use the Filter Gallery in design variations as Customise keyboard A group of naked anti-globalisation activists write in the sand the sentence
manipulate multiple order to browse and individual Layer Comps shortcuts. Search, edit
‘No to the World Trade Organisation (WTO)’. They are demonstrating against
objects using automatic plan stacked effects in a single file, then and customise file
Smart Guides and with a new and quickly output them to metadata. Also features the WTO’s latest global summit.
organise nested object larger preview. provide alternates for on-screen lightbox and
2
groups up to five client review. track edits.
levels deep. SHADOWS/
HIGHLIGHTS TEXT ON MATCH THE
TALKBACK
16-BIT A PATH COLOUR
1
Modify shadows and
All core Photoshop highlights while Create and manipulate Apply the colour
features are now preserving existing fully editable text on scheme of one image
available to 16-bit image midtones and any path, or inside to another, or one layer Tell us what you think! Our website forum at dcmag.co.uk
images, including correcting over- or any shape, for some to another, to easily is just the place. Add your comments, ideas and more and
layers, filters, painting, under-exposed areas in really eye-catching achieve a consistent join the Digital Camera Magazine club!
text and shapes. any image. typographic designs. look between shots.
smelly chemicals and turned into all that much and only has a use VGA picture-capture
colour photos. computer because he writes technology, allowing
words for a living. Reg is an the images to be
“You can’t go on like this,” I old-school journalist, brought converted to 1.3
told him recently over a pint in up in newsrooms filled with megapixels resolution
the Rat and Ferret. “You’ve got ranks of manual typewriters, on the PC for
to go digital.” clouds of cigarette smoke and MOBILE enhanced picture quality.
miserable Scottish subs with SNAPPER Their size and
Reg snorted and screwed up his blue pencils behind their ears. convenience makes the new
face. Reg doesn’t really like Getting Reg to go digital wasn’t products ideal for those on the move who The new Philips mini camera takes the well-
change very much. However, going to be easy. want to transfer picture files to and from exploited idea of USB storage a step further
after some gentle nagging I their computers and digital cameras. Plugging
eventually managed to drag him But we managed it…. eventually. straight into a USB port without the need users on the move can keep the player out of
into a camera shop to see a Once he’d got his head around for drives and no bigger than a pack of harm’s way in a pocket or bag while easily
digital camera in the flesh… so the fact that he wouldn’t need chewing gum, you can attach them to a accessing its functions. All models from Philips run
to speak. to buy or process film any more keyfob or lanyard. on rechargeable batteries that can be charged via
he took to it like a duck to water. Philips doesn’t miss a trick, and ultra- USB although you can also buy an extra clip-on
“Have a look at this one,” I Soon he was firing off photos portable digital cameras are not the only things it pack for AA battery extended life. Prices for the six
FESTIVAL SCENE
urged, passing him a Minolta to the editors of every local It must be love, at has produced from a magician’s hat. These devices models range from around £79 to £119.
DiMAGE 7. newspaper he could find least according to Nick come in the form of solid state MP3 players. For www.thingstodoyourthing.com
an email address for. In fact, Jones and his mobile
“What do I do with it?”
he asked.
the digital bug bit Reg so hard
that he went out and bought
himself a Canon EOS 10D and
Energizer rechargeables
“You take pictures with it. Just several lenses to go with it. A new range of high-tech battery packs and charges from Energizer
like your film camera,” I Now he calls every other night
explained gently. for advice. Digital photography is a no-no Three types of charger unit, used with a series of
unless you get yourself fully loaded adaptor plates, cover the whole photographic
“But where does the film go?” “Do you think I ought to go up with loads of rechargeables and range. The same charger charges camcorder and
for an EZ or EX SpeedLite?” he HARDWARE a charger. Well, an amazingly large digital camera batteries and if you change digital
Aah… poor Reg. It took him a asked me on the phone the THE SHADOWS range of rechargeable batteries and chargers have camera equipment in the future, you need only
little while to grasp the concept other evening. “I thought I’d go Liam Barris took this now been launched by Energizer. buy a new adaptor plate to become compatible.
moody street scene.
of filmless photography, but once for the EX so I can have TTL Nice lens glare, Liam!
The company claims the range includes
I’d explained about CompactFlash metering. What’s your view?” batteries for every digital camera, camcorder and
cards and showed him how easy cordless phone made in the last 15 years – there
it was to transfer photos to his My view… I wish I’d never are over 200 different battery types for digital
computer he began to get the handed Reg that DiMAGE 7. cameras and camcorders alone.
The batteries are made from state-of-the-art
technologies, including Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-
Mark Sparrow is an experienced film Member of the Master Photographers’ Send us your mobile
and digital photographer. Billions of Association. Discuss the column at phone photos and MH) and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) along with Nickel
years ago, when he was 18, he www.dcmag.co.uk/forums or email we’ll print them! Cadmium (Ni-Cd) and Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA).
qualified as the youngest ever mark.sparrow@futurenet.co.uk Email to editor.dcm Energizer also provides an ingenious solution for Energizer’s Managing Director, Arvind Patel,
@futurenet.co.uk promises to clean up his office soon
all camcorder and digital camera charging needs.
hat’s the main difference between is that it’s more likely to be cold and damp. In you’re working in daylight, and you’ve got plenty of
www.photolibrary.com
www.photolibrary.com
Shooting sunsets is easy; shooting excellent sunsets and
sunrises demands a little more care and attention…
T
ABOVE It’s essential to choose a he first question is where to find the best ‘afterglow’ period, the sky is still illuminated, and the the difference between artificial tungsten and natural
location where you have a clear locations to shoot. It goes without saying earth only receives indirect lighting from it. sunset – they’re both the same colour temperature –
view of where the sun will set that you’ll need to have a clear view of Another question to ask yourself is what colour and if you’re not careful the atmospheric colours
where the sun is going to rise or set – and that’s you’d like your sunset to be. If you don’t think about that made you want to take the picture will all be
BELOW RIGHT The ‘afterglow’ difficult, though not impossible, in many built-up areas, it, you may get a shock when you check your pictures removed. So override the system if necessary to
period, once the sun has because of all the clutter in the way. later. Many digital cameras have an auto white-balance ensure the colours are faithfully reproduced.
slipped below the horizon Obvious places to go are the east and west coastlines, system, which automatically compensates for the While nature is wonderful most of the time,
where you’re guaranteed sunrises and sunsets. And casts caused by different light sources, such as sometimes it doesn’t quite deliver. And if a sunrise or
0 EXPERT TIP
there’s little to beat a blaze of colour over a stretch of
water – not least because you often get double value
household lamps Unfortunately, the system can’t tell sunset doesn’t live up to your expectations, you can
www.photolibrary.com
more than the red wavelengths, which is the reason great things about digital photography is that such casts
the sky is blue most of the time. However, during are quickly and easily removed – or enhanced.
sunset and sunrise, the sun’s light has to pass through
a greater thickness of the atmosphere before reaching The warm, soft light produced by a sunset is perfect
the ground, which causes multiple scatterings of blue for capturing buildings, such as this Greek church
www.photolibrary.com
2 Sunsational shots
You can experiment using filters with the camera, or
using the computer once the shot is taken
www.photolibrary.com
a A ‘big sky’ landscape is where digital SLRs really score. Being able to fit an ultra-wide-angle
zoom enables you to open up the perspective enormously
How to shoot
Cloud formations
© Steve Bavister
Cloudy skies needn’t spoil a shot – they can provide a
dramatic touch to a sunset, adding focus and interest
C
louds are often thought of as a problem in High cloud types, such as cirrus, are more delicate
0
ABOVE Stunning colours together with the birds
photography, especially in landscape work. and less defined. Often there are wispy streamers wheeling above give this image a feeling of depth EXPERT TIP
And while you don’t really want heavy, grey threading across the sky. Sometimes these clouds BELOW The dipping sun gives a ‘halo’ to these clouds
overcast clouds, a sky that’s nothing but solid blue add mood, but sometimes they’re just a pain in the STEVE BAVISTER’S
PRO ADVICE
can be rather boring. It’s great if you’re looking to neck – especially when they occupy a sizeable at equal intervals – say one minute. On some cameras
shoot stock images that you’re hoping to sell – proportion of the sky. you will need to time this manually. On others it may THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
Photograph interesting skies when
because that’s what buyers usually want – but if your However, they are good news when it comes to the be possible to set things up so it happens automatically. you see them – you can always
aim is to produce a range of appealing photographs, end of the day, because they’re often still lit up some All being well, the exposure for each shot will be copy them into other images
then more variety is essential. 30 minutes after the sun has actually gone down. This identical. If it’s not, tweak any images that need it in where the sky’s not so good.
Probably the most valuable cloud type is the makes it easier to shoot silhouettes, because the land your image-editing program and then stitch them
cumulus. Sitting low in the sky, these fluffy, cotton wool and everything on it is not directly illuminated, but the together to create your animation.
clouds make most subjects instantly photogenic. Crisp, sky is still bright. Because they’re so much lower,
www.photolibrary.com
white, and with sharp outlines, they’re often luminescent cumulus clouds only remain lit for about 10 minutes
when illuminated by the sun. A great way of making after sunset. Clouds that are above cumulus and below
the most of them is to fit a polarising filter over the lens cirrus, such as altostratus and altocumulus, don’t usually
to deepen the blue of the sky, and so increase the add much to the picture. They tend to clump together,
contrast with the clouds. Or you can produce a similar, and can look greyish and uninviting.
though not identical, effect on the computer.
To make the most of cumulus formations, use a Animations
wide-angle lens and tip the camera back. This will The problem with sunsets is that one image can never
exaggerate the perspective, and make it look as if the begin to capture the sheer majesty of the experience –
clouds are zooming off into the distance. so why settle for just one? Why not shoot a sequence
As cumulus clouds pass over the sun, they also cast of images, and then stitch them together in your
atmospheric shadows on the ground. This ‘dappling’ favourite image-editing program. To make sure they’re
effect makes the landscape a lot more interesting than all taken from exactly the same spot, start by mounting
unfiltered sunlight. the camera on a solid tripod. Then take a series of shots
BELOW It may take many shots to capture the perfect
one when your silhouetted object is on the move!
DCMAG.CO.UK
READER
TIPS
dcmag.co.uk/
sunsets
How to shoot
Silhouettes
www.photolibrary.com
Sunrise and sunset are an ideal time to shoot silhouettes –
you get the richness of colour that helps bring them to life
I
ABOVE People, such as this f you want to photograph successful What’s essential is to choose the right subject. You subjects – a statue, such as the Angel of the North in
fellow photographer, make silhouettes – dark subjects, often in profile, need something with an interesting shape which, Gateshead, a crane on a building site, or the bare
ideal subjects for silhouettes with no detail – you need to start by when reduced to pure black, will produce a dramatic winter branches of a tree. When you notice something
finding a scene in which the background is much and appealing graphic composition. Don’t wait until with potential, you’ll need to check which direction it
BELOW RIGHT If you’ve got brighter than the main subject. Without something there’s a vivid sunset before looking round for faces. When the best angle to shoot from has you
interesting clouds, you can do in the foreground, those early and late shots can something to use as a silhouette, however. As you looking eastwards, you can put a sunrise behind it.
away with the land... easily lack a sense of depth. travel around, keep your eyes peeled for suitable When you’re pointing to the west it’s clearly a sunset.
0 EXPERT TIP
STEVE BAVISTER’S
PRO ADVICE
TOP 3 ESSENTIAL IMAGE-
EDITING TECHNIQUES
Once you’ve taken your sunset shot,
follow these tips for the best result:
2 THE LIGHT FANTASTIC or you can use a simple object such as household fan.
Generally, you won’t have to adjust your meter. The
camera will expose for the background, and your
curves and textures of the earth. And while such
pictures are often successful, there’s another way
of thinking about your scenic work – and that’s
subject be recorded without detail – which is what by concentrating more on the sky element.
you’re after. In addition, the colours of the sunrise
or sunset will be rich and vivid, which is also what
Such ‘big sky’ landscapes often have a sense
of expansiveness that better captures the experience
0 EXPERT TIP
you want. Small errors can be tweaked in the we have when we’re in a place. Because the STEVE BAVISTER’S
computer, but if the exposure is badly out, make panoramic vision of our eyes takes in so much around PRO ADVICE
www.photolibrary.com
adjustments at the time you take the shot. us, the results from even a wide-angle lens can SUNRISE & SUNSET TIMES
When shooting silhouettes, you need to take sometimes be disappointing. There are lots of internet sites that
good care to avoid flare. Because the light is pointing Generally, the land element takes up at least half, allow you to check the sunrise and
sunset times for a specified location.
directly at the camera, it can bounce around inside and often two-thirds of the composition. But simply
Here are a couple worth checking out:
the lens and reduce contrast. To minimise the risk reversing the ratio, so there’s two-thirds sky, changes
of this, fit a good lens hood. the dynamic completely. Of course, you need the http://www.timeanddate.com/
Colour temperature describes thexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx warmth of a scene. While you don’t actually want flare, because it’s right kind of landscape, and there usually has to worldclock/astronomy.html?n=136
Most digital cameras are calibrated at 5,500K, which Nice, straightforward website that
xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
is why colours can sometimes appearxxxxxxxxxxxxx
washed out. difficult to control, the effect can be appealing. Some be something interesting happening in the sky for
gives you sunrise and sunset times
software programs have a ‘flare’ filter, which lets it to work – a sunset or a strong cloud formation. Flat
in the UK.
Kelvin Source you, at the click of a mouse, produce the effect areas, such as The Fens or The Netherlands, offer
10,000K Blue Sky in a controlled way. particularly good potential, but it’s an approach you http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/
7,500K Shade under blue sky can use pretty much anywhere. docs/RS_OneDay.html
7,000K Shade under cloudy sky Big sky landscapes Obviously you’ll need to use your widest lens You can obtain the times of sunrise,
sunset, moonrise, moonset, transits of
6,500K Deep shade in daylight Maybe it’s the ‘land’ in the name – but most setting, and finding a vantage point where you can
the Sun and Moon, and the beginning
6,000K Overcast weather landscape images seem to concentrate on the look down on the subject can also help. and end of civil twilight, along with
5,500K Noon Daylight/Electronic Flash information on the Moon’s phase by
4,500K
4,000K
Afternoon sunlight
Fluorescent tube
Because the panoramic vision of our eyes specifying the date and location.
3,5000k
3,000K
Morning/evening sunlight
Sunset
takes in so much around us, the results from http://www.sunrisesunset.com/
custom_srss_calendar.asp
Does just what it says on the tin.
2,500K Tungsten lighting even a wide-angle lens can be disappointing
028 DIGITAL CAMERA MAGAZINE
Create a magical landscape with the
clever use of filters and just a few
tweaks in a photo-editing program
www.photolibrary.com
a To see more examples of Laryl Hancock’s photography, visit www.laryl.com.
Personal messages can be emailed to Laryl at info@laryl.com
Expert Eye
Laryl Hancock
© Laryl Hancock 2003
Arizona-based pro, Laryl Hancock, began her obsession with sunsets after experiencing her first Mexican
Monsoon. Andrea Thompson finds out why tropical thunderstorms make for such sensational sunsets
L
aryl Hancock runs a successful photography next will be deep golden yellow and orange, and the So you must use Photoshop to enhance your shots?
business in Yuma, a small agricultural town next a deep purple. We even get green sunsets. Yes, I do use Photoshop to apply some basic curves,
located in the Sonoran Desert of South From July through January is the only time to shoot levels and intensity, but that’s because I shoot in RAW
Western Arizona. Renowned for her magnificent sunset sunsets here. In Spring and early Summer there aren’t mode so that the camera isn’t predetermining those
photography, Hancock uses a Nikon D1x with anything any clouds, so the sunsets are kind of boring. things. My saturations and hues are actually done
from a wide-angle 18-35mm up to an 80-200mm zoom. afterwards, so if I want to enhance say, the reds, I’ll
Laryl freely admits that she’s achieved her best results Do you find that pollution helps to create more grab the red channel and intensify or apply a curve
since switching to digital back in 1999, because of the spectacular sunsets? to it, or use a graduated filter on that area.
sheer freedom to shoot and experiment more. I live in a really small town in the middle of nowhere,
and there is no city pollution. If we have a particularly Do you play around with white balance when
What do you think is the key meteorological windy day, the farm fields are being turned over and I shooting sunsets?
ingredient that makes a great sunset? know there’s a lot of dirt in the air, I do expect to get I shoot in RAW mode so it doesn’t really matter – I
For me, it’s the height of the clouds. Unless I’m hiking more intense colours in the sky. can apply the white balance later, but I will change
up in the mountains, if the cloud cover isn’t good then Overall, though, it’s pretty unusual to get any effects the white balance from the cloudy to the fluorescent
I don’t even try. We have very little water here as from pollution, and our skies are normally very clean or incandescent settings to bring out the reds or the
we’re in the desert, so aside from the clouds there’s and clear – it’s just the light and the clouds that are blues, depending on what’s in the sky.
nothing else to reflect the light and create colours, going to give you any colour.
patterns and texture. Because of the air currents here, Do you keep shooting after the sun goes down BELOW This moody sunset
the clouds build and grow, and blow away really fast, How do you overcome the metering problems below the horizon? appears in Hancock’s 2004
sometimes within an hour, so I travel everywhere with caused by shooting into the sun? Usually I’ll wait for the light to totally go through its Sunset Snapshots calendar,
my camera, just in case. If I have a really bright sun that’s not quite down yet cycle, because some of the prettiest light from a sunset which showcases a selection
I’ll spot meter alongside it, or put it slightly off the is well after the sun has gone down, when it will of her best sunset shots from
Did the unique climate extremes in your area fire frame and shoot alongside it. If I can look at the sun bounce and come back up and around and bend over – the last four years. Laryl prints
your interest in sunsets? with my naked eye, then I’ll point the camera at it. totally different colours. I’ll start watching anything up and puts together all the
Yes. I started my real fascination with sunsets when I I never shoot directly into a bright sun unless clouds to two hours before sunset to see what the sky is doing, calendars by hand, using
lived in Tucson, because of the Monsoon season in late thickly veil it, and then I’ll reduce the aperture to really and I won’t leave until nightfall. The sunset itself only Epson’s double-sided matt
summer. Every evening at four o’clock it would bring in filter it down. By doing that, I can also make sure that lasts about a half hour of real prime time, where you white inkjet paper and an
the most amazing cloud formations, which would build I keep as much highlight detail as possible. get the sun on the horizon. Epson 1280 printer
© Laryl Hancock 2003
40 44 48
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REVIEWS 6.1-MEGAPIXEL CAMERA
Pentax *ist D
Pentax enters the digital SLR arena with a camera that sets new standards for size,
controls and capabilities…
T
he digital SLR market is hotting up. Nikon’s
been soldiering on for some time with the The *ist D is aided by a fast and responsive
D100, Fujifilm’s been doing well with the S2
11-point AF system that makes action and
* ON
Pro and Canon’s replaced the D60 with the 10D. OUR
COVERDISC
However, two cameras are poised to upset the apple
cart in spectacular fashion: one is the Canon EOS 300D, candid shots much easier to capture
the first sub-£1,000 digital SLR (see our review next
month); the other is Pentax’s first digital SLR, the *ist D. Digital lenses compared with its rivals and, indeed, Pentax is claiming
The Canon EOS 300D is going to make its own splash It looks like digital SLR makers have settled on the that it’s the world’s smallest, lightest digital SLR body.
because of its price, but the *ist D will do it with a smaller-than-35mm CCD size used in the *ist D, EOS 300 What’s more, its controls are designed to avoid reliance
subtler blend of qualities. and other more affordable SLR models. And digital- on menus during shooting – one of the bugbears of
At £1,400 – or £1,530, including an 18-35mm designed lenses are now appearing from Nikon, Canon compact digital cameras.
zoom providing a sensible focal length range (27-42mm and Pentax that give the wide-angle zooming ranges ZOOM & COMPARE
Check out our brand new image
equivalent) for a 23.7 x 15.6mm CCD – the *ist D that SLR owners have come to expect, without the Old-style build comparison system on the disc!
is certainly very competitively priced. And then astronomical price tags. The *ist D feels solid and ‘dense’, as if it’s been cast out
there’s the build quality – the *ist D gives you The *ist D is, nevertheless, compatible with the of iron rather than screwed together. The controls are
ON OUR
a serious bit of engineering for your money. The feature
set is another major plus point, with Pentax slotting
full Pentax SLR lens range, and it’s available with other
lens bundles. There’s the focal factor (1.5x) to take
solid, positive, devoid of any kind of sloppiness and they
reinforce the impression that you’re handling a real
C WEBSITE
everything but the kitchen sink into this camera into account, but that won’t trouble wildlife or camera, rather than a box full of electronics. OPINIONS & SHOPPING
(we’ll be looking at this in more depth shortly). And sports photographers looking for longer focal lengths, Even the shutter/mirror response sounds ‘right’ – a Post your views, see what other
readers think then buy this camera!
finally, the Pentax rounds off its features with a set of and with the inexpensive 18-35mm in their kit bags, really crisp but well damped action with a metallic edge.
dcmag.co.uk/pentax
dimensions that put the shed-like properties of its older photographers will have a full lens range. Whether it’s a characteristic of the mechanism or it’s
rivals into perspective. We’ve mentioned the compact size of the *ist D been ‘dialled in’ by the engineers, it’s very satisfying.
The *ist D is aided by a fast and responsive 11-point DIGITAL RANGE
AF system that makes action and candid shots much PENTAX
PENTAX *IST D KEY POINTS easier to capture. It really throws the sluggish reactions *IST D
of compact digital cameras into perspective and it’s one Price: £1,400
of the best reasons for upgrading from a compact to a Megapixels: 6
digital SLR. The focus points are highlighted in red in the
OPTIO 550
viewfinder, and they’re selected automatically by the Price: £500
camera or manually by the user. Megapixels: 5
2 2 2
OPTIO S
SIZE AND BUILD QUALITY LENSES CONTROLS but safeguards highlight detail much better.
The size of the *ist D makes you The *ist D is compatible with the Designed like a film camera rather £ Price: £350
5
wonder why its digital rivals are so existing Pentax film SLR lens range than a digital compact, the *ist D If you don’t quite trust the meter reading, there’s Megapixels: 3.2
bulky. The quality of the build and – it’s the digital body Pentax handles brilliantly, and you scarcely plenty that you can do about it. You can switch to the
controls belies its price owners have been waiting for need to access the menu system
during normal shooting
centre-weighted metering option, for example. It sounds REVIEWED! Go to p113
See Buyers’ guide for full rating
cockeyed, swapping from a sophisticated multi-segment
IN FOCUS PERFORMANCE
02
03
[01] EXPOSURE VARIATIONS [04] SHARPNESS AND DEFINITION
Auto-exposure control is good but not The *ist D captures fine detail fairly well,
exceptional – and anyone who tells you but edge definition could be a lot better.
that any SLR, digital or otherwise, is However, you can afford to sharpen up
perfect needs to take more photos. The images still further using the Unsharp
*ist D will underexpose if the shot has Mask in Photoshop before the artefacts
bright areas. A bit of curves adjustment start creeping in.
works wonders, though, as with most
digital shots.
05
pattern to a cruder one, but the point about centre- aperture-priority modes for, while staying within the
weighted metering is that it’s much easier to predict the aperture/shutter speed combinations allowed by the
situations where the camera will be fooled, and to work prevailing light levels.
out what you need to do about it. Failing that, there’s The hyper-manual mode is more interesting. On a
the spot-metering mode for spot-lit performers and basic level, it works as you’d expect. You turn one wheel
other tricky subjects. to change the shutter speed and the other to change
What’s good is that swapping metering modes is very the aperture, all the while watching a bar graph in the
straightforward – you just rotate a collar under the main viewfinder to check when the exposure is ‘correct’. You
mode dial at the far left of the top plate. The mode dial just press a small, green button on the top plate to set a
itself is a masterpiece of simplicity. There are no scene ‘correct’ shutter speed/aperture combination for the
modes to clutter it up, just PASM settings for the light levels, then adjust both manually from there. Hold
program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual down the AE Lock button while you’re in hyper manual
modes. Actually, the program mode and manual mode mode, adjust the shutter speed or aperture, and the
are ‘hyper’ modes (more on these below). Also on the other is adjusted automatically to maintain the current
mode dial is a raised green auto-everything setting. And, exposure. It can take a little while to get your head
separated from the rest, ISO, quality and white-balance around some of these ‘hyper’ operations, but it’s worth
settings. You switch to these, then use the camera’s the effort because they introduce some real flexibility
front-mounted control dial to alter the parameters. and speed of operation to your photography.
7 7
expect, according to the light levels. But if you turn This activates the lamp for the mono LCD panel on the
the front control wheel, you can change these top plate (it switches off again after a short delay), and
LENS combinations towards faster shutter speeds or smaller it stops down the lens to the currently-set aperture for a
The 18-35mm zoom is an
extra but recommended as FLASH HOUSING apertures. This kind of ‘program shift’ function is far depth-of-field preview. Remember those?
a comparatively The built-in flash is from unique and has been a fixture on SLRs for some Other aspects of the Pentax’s control layout are less
inexpensive (on a digital effective, especially in fill-
SLR) wide-angle zoom flash mode. time. It’s worth exploring properly, though, because it convincing. You have to press a small button on the top
does much of what you’d use the shutter-priority and plate repeatedly to cycle through the camera’s various
2 SKIN TONES
7
MODE DIAL
The ISO, white balance and
image quality can be
adjusted quickly via the 1
mode dial
3 2 OUTDOOR SHOTS
7 7
LCD CONTROL WHEEL
3 The *ist D’s LCD is clear
and functional, but
This is paired with one on
5 PRO Vibrant colours, good exposure accuracy and
high levels of sharpness
6
the front to offer quick
displays some sporadic and intuitive control over CON Like other digital SLRs, the Pentax’s weak
point is overcast skies
rippling effects many functions
sharpening in your image editor before edge saturation, too, and generally accurate colour
rendition. It slips up now and again (we’ve got some
effects and artefacts degrade the image greenish-yellow shots), but so do its rivals.
The Canon EOS 10D is prone to heavy, gloomy
results, while the Fujifilm S2 Pro can generate some
‘drive’ modes – single shooting, continuous (2.6fps), locks both. On the *ist D it only locks the focus. To distinctly odd greenish tints. The Nikon D100’s
self-timer and remote. Wouldn’t this be better lock the exposure you need to press the AE Lock images can look on the soft side, too. The Pentax’s
situated on a rotating dial, like the metering button, which actually makes a good deal of sense. shots can definitely hold their own against this
5 PRO The slow flash mode did a great job of
balancing the flash against daylight in this shot
6
patterns? Moreover, the five-way control pad at the Other sensible features include Pentax’s use of AA particular bunch, and does so through a balance of CON The fairly murky f4 aperture means available-
light shots need higher ISO settings
back is extremely clunky and fiddly to use, and not batteries. They might not last as long as lithium cells qualities. The 18-35mm lens no doubt has to take
conducive to quick and easy menu navigation or
selection. The white-balance options seem to get
or have the same reliability, but they’re cheaper and
easier to find in an emergency, and affordable to
some of the credit, though it is a little prone to flare
when shooting into the light – ignore the lenshood 2 IMAGE QUALITY
more prominence than usual, too, with a row of buy as spares, too. The remarkable thing, though, is supplied at your peril.
icons under the LCD on the top plate. These are how energy-efficient this camera is. Pentax quotes a The *ist D is a good buy for two types of
quoted in terms of common conditions (cloud, sun, life expectancy of 450 shots for freshly-charged photographer: owners of Pentax film SLRs will be
tungsten and so on) rather than in degrees Kelvin, NiMH cells, and this goes up to around 1,000 shots over the moon at an opportunity to go digital while
which is the scale usually favoured by pros. with photo-lithium AAs and CR-V3 cells. retaining their existing lenses; and those people
The EV compensation control is easy enough to looking to upgrade from a compact digicam to a
operate – you hold down a button on the back and Image quality digital SLR that’s crammed with features, and fully
rotate the front command dial. The AE/focus-locking All these clever features are fine, but it’s the image equipped for both studio and location work. That
system doesn’t follow the usual pattern, though. In quality that’s going to make or break the *ist D. It said, at this price we’d be inclined to hold fire – just
most cameras, half-pressure on the shutter release does offer fine detail that will stand sharpening in until we road-test the EOS 300D next month… 5 PRO The physically larger size of the CCDs in digital
SLRs makes a big difference to image definition
Sensor 6.1-megapixel, 23.7mm x 15.6mm 6.31MP CCD Other features Flash sync socket, cable release socket
Lens Tested with Pentax 18-35mm f4-5.6 Image storage CompactFlash BUILD 92 1
Focus
Exposure modes
Dependent on lens
Program AE, shutter-priority, aperture-priority,
Batteries
Battery life
4x AA or 2x CRV-3
450 shots (no flash, NiMH cells) design set new VALUE 92 1
‘hyper-manual’ AC adaptor Yes
SLR standards
94%
Metering
Monitor
Matrix, centre-weighted, spot
1.8-inch, 118,000 pixels
Weight
Dimensions
550g body only, without batteries or memory card
129mm(w) x 94.5mm(h) x 60mm(d) FINAL
AE compensation
Flash
+/-3EV in 0.5 (default) or 0.3EV steps
Auto, on, off, SlowSync, red-eye
Transfer
Software
USB
Pentax Photo Lab, Pentax Photo Browsers, RAW
The Pentax *ist D isn’t just a terrific SCORE
Video output PAL or NTSC file converter Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP, Mac
camera to use, it produces very
Movie recording No OS 8.6 or later good results, too. At its price point, only
the Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro is better, and
2
OLYMPUS E-1 NIKON D100 FUJIFILM FINEPIX S2 PRO CANON EOS 10D
WORTH £1,820 £1,350 £1,300 (body only), 6MP £1,250
then only just…
A LOOK (inc lens), 5MP (body only), 6MP (12MP output) (body only), 6MP
F
ujifilm’s F700 is the first camera to use the
* ON OUR
COVERDISC company’s revolutionary ‘HR’ SuperCCD chip. It
uses not one, but two sensors at each
photosite. There’s a main, ‘primary’ sensor for recording
the majority of the image information, and a smaller,
‘secondary’ sensor for capturing extreme highlight detail.
The camera then combines the data to produce an
image with a higher dynamic range and better highlight
rendition than conventional cameras can manage.
ZOOM & COMPARE
Check out our brand new image
Highlight rendition is indeed a problem for all digital
cameras. The longer you spend with them (especially if
2
comparison system on the disc!
you’re an ex-film user), the more you notice their
tendency to produce blanked-out highlights – and no
ON OUR 2
C WEBSITE
amount of Photoshop fiddling can restore detail that
was outside the CCD’s dynamic range in the first place.
OPINIONS & SHOPPING Admittedly, it’s a bit of a surprise to find such
Post your views, see what other revolutionary technology in a compact camera. We
readers think then buy this camera!
might have expected Fujifilm to launch it in a higher-
dcmag.co.uk/fujifilm
end enthusiasts’ camera first.
There’s a possible source of confusion we need to
DIGITAL RANGE clear up, too. Strictly speaking, the HR chip has three 7 7
FUJIFILM million photosites and, in usual Fujifilm fashion, the LENS
FINEPIX F700 SuperCCD data is processed to produce six-million pixel CONTINUOUS AF BUTTON The F700 comes with a Super
Hold down this button and EBC Fujinon 3x zoom, but the
5
Price: £500 files. The confusing part is that the HR CCD really does
the F700 will maintain real star is the new HR
Megapixels: 6 have six-million picture sensing elements. Hence why focus on a moving subject SuperCCD inside
we refer to it in the specs table as a 6-megapixel CCD.
FINEPIX M603
Price: £430 Also, although the F700 might look initially like a
Megapixels: 3.1 high-class point-and-shoot snapshot camera, there’s an The F700 does share one oddity with other current Mean on memory
awful lot more to it than that. Fuji models – the mode dial has a scene setting at one The F700 can store RAW images, capturing the
FINEPIX F410 end, with further icons indicating the scenes available. maximum possible image information for you to process
Price: £330
Megapixels: 3.1 Design and features You can’t turn the mode dial to these settings, they’re manually later. This does highlight another shortcoming
The slick, all-metal exterior of the F700 incorporates the purely illustrative. In fact, you have to set the dial to in this particular bundle – the size of the memory
FINEPIX A303 usual auto-everything exposure options, but adds scene mode, then use the menus to change them. This card supplied.
Price: £250
shutter-priority automation, aperture-priority and full is very confusing. So much so that Fujifilm’s had to add The 16MB xD Picture card supplied with the camera
Megapixels: 3
manual control. That’s not unique among high-end a sticker to the top plate to explain it… is so small as to be almost derisory. It can manage ten
FINEPIX F401 compacts like this one, but while rival cameras offer It’s a minor black mark in an otherwise impressive high-quality JPEGs and no more, and you can forget
£ Price: £230 these features within menus and sub-options, they’re list of qualities. There’s a high-resolution, high-speed about saving RAW files until you’ve invested in a much
5 Megapixels: 2.1 directly accessible via the main mode dial. Like the rest
of the camera’s controls, the mode dial is firm, positive
movie mode (640 x 480 pixels at 30fps) for those
interested in movie clips, a sophisticated and effective
bigger card. Indeed, if you buy this camera, you
shouldn’t even leave the shop without getting one.
REVIEWED! Go to p113 and well-weighted. This camera exudes class and, multi-point AF system and a USB picture cradle for It’s easy to forgive the F700 for flaws like this,
See Buyers’ guide for full rating
despite its small size, it’s easy and efficient to handle. charging the battery and transferring images. because it’s such a nicely designed camera. And the
2 SKIN TONES
7
SCENE MODE
The confusing
labelling of the
scene mode
5
markings has led
1
PRO Saturated tones are pleasing, and The HR
Fujifilm to add a SuperCCD has controlled the contrast very well, too
warning sticker
3 2 OUTDOOR SHOTS
7 7
LCD F BUTTON
5
The F700’s LCD is extremely The ‘F’ (Photo Mode) button
PRO The increased dynamic range of the F700’s
good, both in daylight and dim controls some shooting SuperCCD pays off out of doors
6
indoor lighting. It’s sharp, crisp settings, though others are
CON Sometimes the colour rendition is a little too
and colourful and especially accessed using the menu
enthusiastic – the reds in this shot are luminous
impressive during playback button instead
well beyond the point where rival cameras SuperCCD hangs on to highlight detail well beyond
the point where rival cameras simply give up. Take a
simply give up close look at the front bumper on the model 4x4
shots on the CD. The F700 shows highlight detail and
reflections, where the others don’t.
start-up time (1.2 seconds) is awesome. The AF accessible and both are only active while you’re Elsewhere, the F700 displays an excellent,
system is fast and reliable, too. It takes about half a holding them down. dynamic range, good contrast and very powerful
second to ‘lock on’ to your subject both indoors and
The F700 in use
colour. The colour’s typical of the SuperCCD chips,
5 PRO Ultra-fast start-up time, slim design and easy
operation – the F700 is a take-anywhere camera
6
out at the wide-angle end of the zooming range, and occasionally it’s a bit too much. Reds can be CON Some shots show warmish/pinkish tinge, but
it’s far from objectionable
and no longer than a second at the telephoto end. The navipad’s a bit on the small side but, like the very lurid and lacking in tonal separation, while
The 1.8-inch LCD is larger than most makers
provide these days, and it’s exceptionally bright,
rest of the F700’s controls, very positive. Oddly, the
shooting functions are split between the menu
overcast scenes can take on a bluish hue that’s not
unattractive, but not exactly representative either. 2 IMAGE QUALITY
sharp and colourful. It’s particularly impressive in button (self-timer, WB, focusing mode, bracketing, The detail rendition is extremely good. The
playback mode. The optical viewfinder’s less sharpness, flash compensation) and the blue photo camera’s 6-megapixel files are generated from
impressive. Not only is it a bit small, but for some mode button marked ‘F’ (image quality/size, ISO, 3-megapixel data, but the SuperCCD is designed
reason, you keep finding yourself putting your eye to image effect). There seems no obvious reason why specifically with this in mind. Detail rendition is very
the green LED alongside it instead. these functions should be split like this, but you soon much what you’d expect from a good 4-megapixel
Elsewhere, the F700 has buttons for two functions get used to it. or 5-megapixel camera.
normally consigned to the menus: press one button Even without the HR SuperCCD you’d have to say Frankly, for £500, it’s doubtful you can do better
on the front to activate the continuous focusing the F700 is a nice camera. It incorporates high-end than this. Cheaper, yes, but you’d be sacrificing build
system; and one on the top plate for continuous photographic controls in a user-friendly compact quality, design, image quality or all three. This is a
shooting. It’s quite smart because both are very design, without making them inaccessible or fiddly. very good camera. 5 PRO Highlights are very well controlled, and the
camera captures details that others will miss
Sensor 6-megapixel, 1/1.7-inch 6.2MP SuperCCD SR Other features Docking cradle, HR CCD
Lens Super EBC Fujinon f2.8 3x zoom Image storage xD-Picture Card BUILD 95 1
Focus
Exposure modes
Auto, 9cm in macro mode
Program AE, aperture-priority, shutter priority,
Batteries
Battery life
Lithium ion rechargeable (NP 40)
135/270 shots LCD on/off what it says VALUE 89 1
manual, scene modes AC adaptor Yes
93%
Metering
Monitor
Multi-pattern, average, spot
1.8-inch, 134,000 pixels
Weight
Dimensions
170g (without battery or card)
108mm(w) x 54mm(h) x 28mm(d) FINAL
AE compensation
Flash
+/-2EV in 0.3EV steps
Auto, on, off, slow flash, red-eye
Transfer
Software
USB
FinePix Viewer, ImageMixer VCD, RAW File
SCORE
Video output PAL or NTSC Converter LE
The extended dynamic range isn’t this
Movie recording 640 x 480 at 30fps with sound OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac) S8.6-9.0, OSX camera’s only merit. It’s also an
extremely well made, well designed
2
OLYMPUS CANON MINOLTA SONY
WORTH CAMEDIA C-50 POWERSHOT S50 DIMAGE F300 DSC-P12
camera that’s a pleasure to use
A LOOK £430, 5MP £500, 5MP £380, 5MP £500, 5MP
* ON M
inolta produces some very dainty, and
OUR
COVERDISC very advanced cameras. The F200 and
F300 offer high-end photographic tools in
compact bodies, while the Xt is just about the smallest
and slickest digital camera you can get. And then
there’s this camera.
The S414’s got a big, hefty body and an even
bigger, heftier handgrip on one end of it. It’s not big
in absolute terms – not when compared with traditional 2
ZOOM & COMPARE 35mm film compacts, for example – but it dwarfs most
Check out our brand new image
of its rivals.
comparison system on the disc!
That’s no bad thing. If you’re fed up with trying to 2
press tiny buttons with your big, fat fingertips, the S414
ON OUR
C WEBSITE will be a welcome relief. Not that the buttons are any
bigger, but they do have room to spread out.
OPINIONS & SHOPPING
Post your views, see what other
readers think then buy this camera!
Value for money
You get more than just bulk for your £300 – it’s a pretty
dcmag.co.uk/minolta
good price for a 4-megapixel camera, but it looks even
better when you examine this camera’s specifications.
DIGITAL RANGE
MINOLTA
There’s the lens, for a start. It has a 4x zooming range 7 7
(equivalent to 35-140mm) where its rivals can only DESIGN LENS
DIMAGE F300 manage 3x, and the lens has a fast f3.6 maximum Significantly bulkier than many of The Minolta’s lens offers a 4x zooming
its rivals, the S414’s chunky feel range (which is unusual at this price),
Price: £380 aperture at the telephoto end of the range, so your might be a disadvantage to some, and a fast f3.6 maximum aperture at
Megapixels: 5 sports and action shots come with a far lower risk of but an attraction to others the telephoto end of the range
camera shake.
DIMAGE F200
Price: £350 There’s more sophistication inside the camera. Take
Megapixels: 4 the 270-segment metering system, for example, and Cutting corners? concern. The alkaline AAs supplied with the camera
the 5-point AF system. As well as program AE exposure, Something’s got to give, of course, and the most started to fail even in the early stages of testing – like all
DIMAGE S414 the Minolta also has an aperture-priority mode and a expensive thing to incorporate in any camera is build other cameras that can run on AAs, it’s certain that the
Price: £300
manual mode to go with it. quality. The S414 is chunky and solid, but it’s also S414 will prove much more reliable if fed NiMH
Megapixels: 4
There are limitations, mind. You can only choose from cheap feeling in places. The mode dial is clear and rechargeables instead.
DIMAGE XT two different apertures, so the control’s not as positive, admittedly, but the navipad on the back is The start-up time won’t break any records, either. At
Price: £300 sophisticated as it might be, but it’s better than having very poor. There’s too much movement, it’s too spongy around three seconds, it’s bearable, but not especially
Megapixels: 3.2 no aperture control at all – at least you can arrange and it’s too easy to press it in the wrong direction, quick. The AF system is good but unremarkable, taking
shallow depth of field for portraits, for example, and especially when you’re trying to press it dead centre to around half a second to focus at the wide-angle end of
DIMAGE E223
extra depth of field for landscapes. ‘OK’ an action. the range and a second or so at the telephoto end. The
£ Price: £150
Megapixels: 2.1 The 1.6fps continuous-shooting mode and real-time The battery compartment door is a definite weak zooming action isn’t very fast, but perfectly usable,
histogram add to this camera’s credentials for serious spot. It fits badly and it’s very difficult to get it back on while in playback mode, the image cycling, zooming
5REVIEWED! Go to p113
See Buyers’ guide for full rating
users. For £300 you’re getting a lot of camera, in more
ways than one.
properly. Normally this wouldn’t be a big issue, but the
S414’s appetite for batteries gives some cause for
and panning are all good without being great. The S414
doesn’t feel especially responsive but, to be fair, it
2 SKIN TONES
7
MODE DIAL
The mode dial is big
and clearly labelled. 3
The aperture-priority
mode is limited to
just two aperture
1 3 5 PRO Digital noise and sharpening effects are
barely visible, so skin tones look smooth
settings, though
6 CON A little undersaturated, maybe, and the fine
detail could also be a little crisper
2 OUTDOOR SHOTS
7 7
LCD NAVIPAD
5
Like other Minolta LCD The navipad’s a weak
PRO The Minolta’s metering system seems to
panels, this one has a high spot on the Minolta, as favour shadow and mid-tone areas
6
resolution (122,000 pixels) it is with so many
CON The metering system can be very accurate,
but a slightly ‘woolly’ look other cameras. It’s just
but it can also be a little unpredictable
about it too vague and stodgy
camera, but it looks even better when you tests, where its metering system proved a bit too
susceptible to bright windows and the slow flash in
examine this camera’s specifications night portrait mode was far too weak.
Otherwise, though, it turned in some well-
exposed, sharp shots. The colour rendition’s not as
performs typically for a camera in this price range. The trouble (if you can call it that) starts when punchy as, say, that of current Olympus compacts,
The LCD looks good on paper, both in terms of size you switch to manual mode. Now the menu system but it’s accurate and provides a good basis for any
and resolution. In practice, though, it’s got a slightly expands to include metering mode options (multi- subsequent tweaks in your image editor. Take a look
5 PRO You can take slow sync shots by using the
S414’s night portrait mode
6
flat, soft look that we’ve seen on other Minolta LCDs. segment and spot), autobracketing, colour mode, for yourself, using the new shot-comparison system CON Our test shot revealed a pretty lacklustre
performance, though. The flash power’s too low
It does the job fine, especially when compared with sharpness, white balance, focus mode and more. on our coverdisc.
those fitted to similarly price rivals, but it’s not great. However, at the same time the scene modes are
deactivated – the mode button now just switches
Definition is good, too, and well up with other
4-megapixel cameras. If the Minolta’s not sharp 2 IMAGE QUALITY
Ease of use the camera in and out of macro mode. enough, the next big leap would have to be to a
The Minolta is quite straightforward to use, but you’ll EV compensation is easy to apply – you hold 6-megapixel digital SLR.
have to spend a little time getting your head around down the button and use the navipad – and there’s
the control system early on. In the full auto mode, a drive button for the self-timer, sequence shooting Overall
you can press the mode button to cycle through the and bracketing. Actually, putting the autobracket Minolta has done with the S414 what it does with
camera’s various scene modes (macro, portrait, option here makes it much more accessible than it is other cameras in its range – produced a well
landscape, night portrait and text) but the menu on most cameras (the bracketing option in the specified, well built camera with good performance
options available are limited to image size, image menus simply sets the EV interval). at a low price. However, the S414 has some rough
quality, voice memo, date imprint, digital zoom The key point is image quality. Is the S414 really a edges and, value-wise, it’s not as impressive as the
on/off, instant playback on/off. bargain, or are the results no better than any other (slightly) more expensive F200 and F300 models. 5 PRO Pretty sharp images and, given its price,
you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results
80%
Monitor
AE compensation
1.8-inch, 122,000 pixels
+/-2EV in 0.3EV steps
Dimensions
Transfer
113.5mm(w) x 64.5mm(h) x 58.5mm(d)
USB FINAL
Flash
Video output
Auto, on, off, slow flash, red-eye
PAL or NTSC
Software
OS
DiMAGE Viewer
Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS9.0-9.2.2,
SCORE
Movie recording 320 x 240 at 15fps with sound OSX 10.1.3-10.1.5, OS 10.2.1-10.2.2
A bit crude in places, the S414 takes
Other features None good shots but isn’t especially rapid. A
camera you’d buy on price rather than
2
SAMSUNG MINOLTA KODAK OLYMPUS
WORTH DIGIMAX V4 DIMAGE F200 DX 6440 C-4000
for its innate charm
A LOOK £300, 4MP £350, 4MP £300, 4MP £300, 4MP
O
lympus’ highly-successful mju film cameras
* ON OUR
COVERDISC first appeared in 1991, introducing a new,
compact and stylish camera to the photographic
world. It was only a question of time before the mju
design came to the company’s digital cameras too.
The mju 400 is the 4-megapixel version of the mju
300. Apart from the resolution, the only way to tell
them apart is the gold finish on the front of this camera,
compared to the silver of its 3-megapixel stablemate.
ZOOM & COMPARE
Check out our brand new image
The mju 400 has to appeal on a number of levels,
because its dinky little dimensions are no longer
2
comparison system on the disc!
enough. Tiny though it is, the Pentax Optio S, Casio
Exilim Z3 and Minolta DiMAGE Xt are smaller still. They
ON OUR 2
C WEBSITE don’t have this camera’s resolution, of course, or its
wonderful combination of build quality and practicality.
OPINIONS & SHOPPING The mju 400 is weatherproof, you see. Not waterproof,
Post your views, see what other
but ‘splashproof’. You needn’t worry about taking the
readers think then buy this camera!
odd snap in the rain, but don’t go falling in any rivers.
dcmag.co.uk/olympus
Price: £380
Megapixels: 4 However, it’s just as fast when you set the zoom to its Control layout flash modes and press up to access the camera’s
maximum telephoto setting, (105mm equivalent). The mju’s control system is extremely good, too. This various scene modes. In each case your choice is
µ[MJU:] 300 Zooming speed and control is average – the mju is one area Olympus has been developing constantly, displayed on the LCD.
Price: £270
Megapixels: 3.2 400’s performance is distinctly mid-range, but the design and in the mju 400, the company has designed one These three buttons don’t cover all the options,
and styling is in a higher bracket altogether. The playback of its best compromises yet between simplicity and of course. For these, you’ll need to press the Menu
C-350 mode’s a bit niggly, too. The camera takes about a second accessibility. The back of the camera is notable for its button. Here, Olympus’ clever control layout reveals
Price: £200
to load saved images, and while you can zoom in on ‘bareness’. The controls are four navigational buttons, more smart design. This displays a four-way option
Megapixels: 3.2
saved images and pan around, checking their fine detail, all separate, but arranged in a circle to mimic a ‘wheel’ on the LCD, controlled now by the navipad
C-220 it’s a bit fiddly, because you have to keep clicking the conventional navipad. Because the buttons are buttons. Press left to change the image quality, up
£ Price: £170 buttons to do it – you can’t just keep them held down. separate, they’re much more positive, and you to apply EV compensation, down to adjust the white
5 Megapixels: 2 But there are compensations, and one of these is the
LCD. It’s only 1.5 inches but it’s fantastically sharp, clear
make far fewer mistakes.
These navigational buttons have other functions
balance and right to access the full menu system.
Explained on paper, this probably sounds quite
REVIEWED! Go to p113 and bright. It’s one of the camera’s high spots, whether while you’re shooting photos. You press left to switch complicated. But when you actually use the system, its
See Buyers’ guide for full rating
you’re composing shots or browsing through them later. in and out of macro mode, right to cycle through the multi-layered design proves easy to grasp and quick to
2 SKIN TONES
7
SHUTTER RELEASE
The only thing you’ll
find on the top of
this camera is the
5
shutter release. It’s
1
PRO Taken in overcast lighting, the Olympus turns
neat, clutter-free 3 in a warm-toned, but natural-looking result
and easy to use
6 CON There’s enthusiastic contrast rendition when
your subject’s face is in shadow – try fill-in flash
3 2 OUTDOOR SHOTS
7 7
LCD NAVIGATIONAL BUTTONS
5
Measuring just 1.5 inches What, no navipad? These
PRO The mju 400 gives colourful, contrasted images,
from one corner to another, separate buttons do the same with accurate exposure and a good dynamic range
6
the Olympus’ LCD is job, but much more reliably.
CON Overcast skies can influence the mju 400’s
nevertheless wonderfully Note that the back of this
meter reading a little too much
crisp, bright and saturated camera is uncluttered
functions far more accessible than its rivals foreground to a degree that’s hard to fix – such as
the Pentax *ist D. Some metering systems,
do, using fewer buttons in the process meanwhile, will be a little too clever and expose for
the foreground, leaving the sky to fend for itself –
the Minolta DiMAGE S414 can be guilty of this. The
navigate. The mju 400 contrives to make its opens (you lift a lug at one end), you stand a good mju 400, on the other hand, chose an excellent
numerous functions far more accessible than its chance of breaking a fingernail doing it. It’s an oddly compromise that maintained useful tonal detail in
rivals do, using fewer buttons in the process. crude feature in a camera that’s otherwise built like both exposure and the maximum possible dynamic
5 PRO The straightforward design and ease of use
make it a good indoor snapshot camera
6
This is one of the things that’s hardest to get a little jewel. range. If there are situations that will trip the mju CON You have to use night flash mode to get a
slow sync effect with the mju 400
across in a camera review. The specifications are 400 up, they didn’t crop up in our tests.
incontrovertible, and can easily take over as the
basis for any buying advice. But more intangible
Picture quality
The picture quality is what really stands out with this
It’s a similar story with colour rendition and
saturation. The mju takes colourful, saturated shots, 2 IMAGE QUALITY
aspects of the camera operation can prove just as camera, however. Detail rendition is really crisp and but avoids some of the more lurid tendencies of the
important. Here, the mju 400 is really strong. clear – you won’t find a compact digital camera Fuji F700, for example. The Fuji model doesn’t
It’s strong in other respects, too. Olympus doesn’t much better than this. It does have a tendency produce ‘wrong’ colour, but its does ‘massage’ reds,
quote a life expectancy for the camera’s lithium-ion towards purple fringing around highlights, though. to the point where they can look a little overdone.
cell, but it seems to hold up well during a day’s This is a feature of nearly all digital cameras, but the Yes, you can get cameras with more features
typical snapshotting. More to the point, it’ll recharge Olympus suffered a little more than most in our than the mju 400 for the same money or less. If it’s
in as little as two hours. That’s handy. high-contrast test shots. specs you’re after, you should look elsewhere. This
The camera does have its niggles, mind, and one On the other hand, the exposure system, colour camera’s principally designed for those who want
of the worst of these is its bizarre and fiddly rendition and colour saturation are all bang on. Our style, pocketability, simplicity and top results. And it
card/battery cover. Once you’ve worked out how it outdoor test shots are especially tricky because they achieves those things very well indeed. 5 PRO You might expect to sacrifice definition in a
camera as compact as this, but it doesn’t happen
88%
Monitor
AE compensation
1.5-inch 134,000 pixels
+/-2EV in 0.3EV steps
Dimensions
Transfer
99mm(w) x 56mm(h) x 33.5mm(d)
USB FINAL
Flash
Video output
Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow
PAL or NTSC
Software
OS
Olympus Camedia Master 4.1
Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS9.0 or
SCORE
Movie recording 320 x 240 at 15fps higher, OSX 10.1
In a word, design. It’s small, smooth,
Other features 2 in 1 and panoramic modes and pocketable. It’s robust, practical
and easy to use. What’s more, it’s
2
NIKON COOLPIX MINOLTA SAMSUNG KODAK
WORTH 4300 DIMAGE F200 DIGIMAX V4 DX6440
image quality is very good indeed
A LOOK £380, 4MP £350, 4MP £300, 4MP £300, 4MP
Labtest
HOW WE TEST…
MARK HARRIS
CAMERA AND
PRINTING EXPERT
P
at maximum resolution on the rinting an A4 colour photo used to be a good photo prints as well as crisp text. Beyond this, you’re taken to produce each print. We then rated the features
recommended glossy premium excuse to go and have a cup of tea, but some generally paying for print speed, build quality and that each printer has and combined these figures at an
paper using original inks. The modern printers can now output full-size high features such as built-in card readers, six-colour inks and overall percentage rating for each printer.
second, text page contained resolution images before you’ve even got to the kitchen. bundled software. When looking at the price, bear in Print speed is quoted in pages per minute (ppm) but
different font sizes and styles. This
They’re also becoming cheaper, with six-colour photo mind that if you do any serious quantity of photo never believe manufacturers’ figures – there are no
was printed at standard resolution
inkjets available for under £100. printing, your main expenses will be ink and good reliable standards and the performance you get also
on 80gsm bright, white paper.
But look before you leap. With 4MP CCDs and large quality paper, so buying a budget printer won’t save you depends on your computer. Resolution is important, but
memory cards becoming affordable, it’s never been a huge amount in the long run. even 2,880dpi can give great looking images from large
ON OUR
C WEBSITE more important to choose a printer that can make the
most of your large image files, in terms of both quality The test
files, so don’t worry about it too much, except as a way
of speeding up printing.
OPINIONS & SHOPPING and speed. In our tests, prints were assessed for colour accuracy, All but the Lexmark are capable of printing borderless
Post your views, see what other
readers think!
We’ve rounded up six A4 printers over a wide price sharpness, grain and dithering (how visible the tiny dots prints. This gives a huge range of paper size and printing
dcmag.co.uk/printers range, with a variety of features. All the models on test used to create the image are, which is especially options – the best place to select these is in the printer
claim to be ‘photo quality’, so they should deliver good important in solid blacks). We also measured the time driver. The EPSONs come with roll paper holders for
PPM
Although print speed is quoted in
pages per minute (ppm), most of
the printers take more than a
minute to print photo quality
images that are larger than 6 x 4-
inch. Never trust the
manufacturer’s figures!
PRINT HEAD
Most printers combine the print
head with the ink cartridge,
making for more expensive
Canon’s direct printing i470D arrives in an impressive The more you pay, the less you get. The less gimmicks The 900 is a substantial offering from EPSON, both in
consumables but few printing
package – a smart, cream fascia sprinkled with buttons and flashing lights, that is, for the i950 is unashamedly a terms of features and sheer bulk. It boasts the highest problems. Some (notably Canon)
and a large 9cm (mono) LCD. The lightweight paper tray photo printer. It’s not a card reader, a scanner or a fax vertical resolution of the printers on test: 5,760dpi when have a separate print head –
is the only flimsy note in an otherwise solid, well-built machine. It’s not even much of a text printer, taking a used with official EPSON media. Six-colour printing is this keeps the price of new
unit. The i470D has the widest connectivity of any lethargic 68 seconds over our three-page test file. But managed via two ink tanks and six sets of 48,000 cartridges low.
printer on test, capable of printing images via USB, from what you do get is a 4,800dpi bubble-jet and six-colour nozzles. While it doesn’t offer modern card printing, it
a range of memory cards or even direct from a printing, with a mighty 512 ink nozzles per colour, in a does feature dual ports (USB 1.1 and parallel) for
compatible (Canon) digital camera. tough, metal-clad casing. compatibility with older PCs.
Setting up the 4,800dpi Canon is simple enough, It connects via USB 2.0 and is also the quietest in use, EPSON is keeping up with the times by bundling a
although you do have to perform the print head topping out at 37dBA (noise in use). Thanks to Canon handy CD media tray for printing directly to some (check
alignment manually, via an easy wizard. You can access printers’ separate print heads, the i950 is the cheapest to first!) CD or DVD faces, as well as borderless printing.
simple features (borderless printing, date-marking) run, with black ink around £7 and the coloured tanks There’s also a roll paper holder for easy 6 x 4-inch
when printing from a memory card. For cropping and only a pound more. The i950 was the fastest on test for enprints and panoramic prints. The 900’s size is reflected
editing, a one-touch button opens up the Photo Viewer A4 photo printing, outputting our large test in a zippy 66 in its measured print speed, as it took around 90 seconds
on your PC. Speedwise, the i470D was average, taking seconds, and above average for text printing, too. The for the text test and a sluggish six and three quarter
50 seconds to output our text pages and just under five Canon delivered the best photo print on test, with crisp, minutes for the A4 photo print. Photo print quality was
minutes for the test card. noise-free whites, rich colours and excellent levels of fine above average, and the 900 was particularly good at
Despite being the only four-colour printer on test, the detail. The colour balancing and accuracy was especially reproducing subtle colours and complex detail. We did
i470D held its own against other budget models. The impressive. The only concern was some very faint notice a few noisy pop-ups, though, and some faint
photo page suffered from a fine grain and slight, yellow banding, visible under magnification. Text printing horizontal banding. Text printing was a touch too bold,
tint, but text printing was superb, with solid blacks. produced superbly sharp letters and thick blacks. leading to some smearing at the edges of letters.
Great build quality and connectivity, but An extremely sound choice for anyone A solid and reliable printer with good
four-colour printing might not suit the most serious about photo quality printing. colour accuracy, but it’s over-priced for
demanding users Highly recommended what it offers
1
5
70% 5
88% 5
70%
PRO Easy, direct printing FINAL PRO Low running costs. FINAL PRO Excellent paper- FINAL
and cheap inks SCORE Fast, high-quality printing SCORE handling options SCORE
? EXPLAINED
EPSON Price £305
HP Price £80
LEXMARK Price £80
Manufacturer EPSON Manufacturer HP Manufacturer Lexmark
DPOF 950 Web www.epson.co.uk 5150 Web www.hp.com P707 Web www.lexmark.co.uk
Direct Print Order Form lets you use
your digital camera to select which
(and how many) images to print.
The information is stored alongside
the images on the memory card.
BORDERLESS PRINTING
Some printers can print all the
way to the edge of the paper;
the rest leave a small white
border on all four sides. Borderless
printing always takes longer than
normal printing.
When I first unwrapped the 950, I was sure that EPSON How can HP make a six-colour, 4,800dpi photo printer for Although you can siphon data into your PC or Mac from
had sent me an A3 printer by mistake, so bloated is the just £80? Perhaps using the world’s dullest, grey plastics the Lexmark’s prominent forward-mounted
half-metre long, 7.5kg all-black unit. Adding the roll saved a few pennies, although, to be fair, it does feel CompactFlash, Microdrive, Smart Media, MemoryStick
paper holder and cutter supplied adds another kilogram tough enough to withstand everyday bumps. and Secure Digital/MMC slots, you can’t print directly
and a few more centimetres. The 5150 continues HP’s fascination with front- from the media themselves. Happily, this isn’t a huge
The 950 has seven ink tanks containing five colours feeding paper trays, so allow for access to the front of drawback, and the P707 remains good value, if you
(cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, light yellow) and the machine when you’re measuring up your desktop. It don’t already own an all-in-one reader.
two helpings of black. The 950 has by far the best does keep paper out of sight (and away from dust or Printing is managed with six inks in two tanks,
media management on test, with all you need for spillages), but we can’t help feeling nervous when feeding into 416 nozzles for black and 300 for the other
banner and panoramic prints, CD printing, a dedicated feeding delicate photo quality paper in, face down. The colours. Lexmark has put real thought into ease of use,
6 x 4-inch paper tray, as well as borderless printing on 5150 splits its six inks between just two tanks, although from the automatic print-head alignment and media
the full range of paper up to letter size (216mm). It’s no note that it claims the lowest printing capacities of any sensor, to the bundled printer cable (saving you a tenner
slouch in use, either, delivering the fastest text printing model on test (between 150 and 450 pages). or so). You can swap out the photo tank for black ink if
on test (31 seconds) and a high-quality photo print in A good optional extra at this price is an adaptor that you do a lot of mono printing, and the P707 also ships
just over three minutes. Producing clear, white areas is allows duplex (double-sided) printing. Connection is via a with a basic image editor and solution centre. When our
one of the toughest tests for an inkjet printer and the USB 2.0 port and the 5150 comes with 8MB of internal photo test print eventually emerged (after 24 minutes!),
EPSON 950 passed with flying colours on test, outputting memory. These helped the 5150 have a good print it was a little warm, with dithering and noisy whites.
smooth, noise-free highlights. Colours were spot on, too, speed of 94 seconds for the text pages and just under However, levels of fine detail were as good as any
although a critical eye might notice a sprinkling of fine four and a half minutes for the photo test. Print quality printer on test. Text printing was even and sharp but the
dither. The 950 was heavy-handed when it came to text was average: noisy blacks and patchy detail detracted Lexmark was the slowest on test, taking twice as long as
printing; the extra black caused hesitant edges. from the excellent whites; text was a bit grey and soft. the nearest printer.
A wide range of paper-handling options If you can’t afford any more, the HP is a Great value for the features, but consider
make this high performance monster the sound entry-level choice, but the print carefully whether you’ll be happy with a
0 EXPERT TIP most flexible printer on test quality is average printer that’s this sluggish
MARK HARRIS 1 1 1
5
5
84% 64% 5
54%
PRINT EXPERT PRO Great paper handling; FINAL PRO Sturdy and FINAL PRO Easy to use and a FINAL
high-quality photo printing SCORE reasonably priced SCORE handy built-in card reader SCORE
RESOLVING ISSUES
If you want to create photo quality
images, the minimum resolution 6 CON Big, heavy
and expensive 6 CON Front paper feeder
requires more desk space 6 CON Print speed is
painfully slow
you should look for in a printer is
2,400 x 1,200dpi (dots per inch).
Printers with 4,800dpi+ vertical
resolution will generally only The Canons have a separate print head, which means nearest rival (the EPSON 950) and 20 times faster than images, with crisp whites, plenty of detail and rich
deliver that resolution on the that their cartridges are half the price of others on test. the Lexmark. The other Canon and EPSON took between colours. The EPSON 900 was close on their heels, but
correct media – normally the most All the printers on test are a similar size, but by the five and seven minutes, with the budget HP performing the remainder had minor problems, such as banding or
expensive available – and this is
time you’ve added paper feeders and output trays, they well at four and half minutes. The EPSON 950 was excess dither. All the printers were very competent at
especially the case for the 5,760dpi
can take up a large amount of your desk. The HP’s front quickest at delivering text (30 seconds), closely followed outputting text, but the two Canons delivered especially
figures quoted for the EPSON
printers. It’s worth printing a rough feeding mechanism takes up more space than the by the Canon i470D (50 seconds). The others all took rich, dark blacks.
(draft) copy of A4 photo images on others. Inkjets are noisier than laser printers, with the between 60 and 90 seconds, except the Lexmark, which We couldn’t test lightfastness without waiting 20
plain paper first, just to check the Canon i950 and HP 5150 the quietest on test. All the limped home last in over three minutes. years or so, but current opinion is that if you use the
margins, orientation and colour printers come with driver software for PCs and Macs and All the printers we tested are capable of producing manufacturer’s recommended premium photo paper
balance. It can be extremely at least a basic image editor. good quality images that will do justice to your and inks, inkjet prints should last at least 15 years and
frustrating to waste expensive ink
photographic skills. It’s when you start demanding more probably a lot longer. We found no serious paper
and paper by accidentally printing
your masterpieces in landscape Test results of them – discriminating between similar shades, high- handling problems (tram lines on prints) with any of the
rather than portrait format. Fastest at A4 photo printing was the Canon i950 which, contrast scenes or monochrome prints – that differences printers, although the HP did print our photo test image
at just 66 seconds, was nearly three times faster than its emerge. The Canon i950 and EPSON 950 gave the best at a slight angle.
Inks CMYK CMYK, light magenta, light cyan CMYK, light magenta, light cyan
Ink tanks 2 6 2
Cards accepted CF, MD, SM, MemStick, Secure Digital/MMC None None
Min/max paper size (mm) 90 x 120 to 216 x 594 90 x 120 to 216 x 594 89 x 89 to 216 x 3,275
Interface/cable? USB 2.0, direct print USB 2.0 USB 1.1, parallel
Other PhotoViewer one-press editor Separate print head Roll paper holder, CD face printing
SPECIFICATIONS
AT-A-GLANCE
EPSON HP LEXMARK
950 5150 P707
Price Street inc (ex) VAT £305 £80 £80
Inks CMYK, light magenta, light cyan CMYK, light magenta, light cyan CMYK, light magenta, light cyan
Cards accepted None None CF, MD, SM, MemStick, Sec Dig/MMC 0 EXPERT TIP
Min/max paper size (mm) 89 x 89 to 216 x 3,275 77 x 125 to 216 x 355 76 x127 to 216 x 432 MARK HARRIS
PRINT EXPERT
Memory 256KB 8MB Not stated
CABLE TALK
Interface/cable? USB 1.1, parallel USB 2.0 USB 1.1 For some reason, printers never
come with interface cables – all the
Borderless printing Yes Yes No
models on test need a USB cable.
Weight 7.6 5.4 2.2 Buy a long one (around £10) for
maximum flexibility in placement.
Noise in use (dBA) 45 39 40 Always leave plenty of room
around your printer: if the output
Black cart price £11 £17 £14 path of the paper is blocked, it will
back up inside the unit, damaging
Colour/photo cart price £9.50 to £12 x 5 £29/£21 £26/£32
the print and possibly even fouling
Other Roll paper holder & cutter, CD face printing Optional duplex (double-sided) printing Auto media sensor, optional black tank the feeder.
W
hether they know it or not, every new
0 INFO purchaser of a digital camera is in the market The interface in more detail
for an image editor. And it doesn’t take most
DIGITAL IMAGING SUITE 9.0
Price £69.99
of them long to realise the enormous gulf between the
Manufacturer Microsoft cut-down packages bundled with consumer compacts
3
Tel 0870 6010 100 and the complexity of Photoshop. The version 9 tag on
Website www.microsoft.co.uk Microsoft’s Digital Image Suite reveals that this is not a
4 1
brand-new product, but rather an update of its
✔ Windows consumer-friendly Picture It! series. It sits somewhere 2
above the happy-clicky simplicity of Roxio’s Photosuite
✘ Mac but a long way beneath the flexibility of Paint Shop Pro.
The first thing to note is that the Suite comprises two
distinct programs: Digital Image Library 9 and Digital
Image Pro 9. The Library component is a straightforward
image-management package, with a main browse
6
window, preview pane holding picture data and a
navigation tree on the left-hand side. You can sort this
tree by folder, date or keyword, and Library
automatically populates itself with all the images in your
My Pictures folder. Adding star ratings and keywords to
individual images is easy, and batch adjustments include
file conversion, compression, resizing and renaming.
5
Focus on features
Library also has some fun features not normally found
on consumer packages. Find Similar… trawls through
[01] STACK WINDOW [02] PAN PALETTE [03] QUICK LINKS [04] COMMON TASKS [05] WORK AREA [06] FILE WINDOW
all the indexed images for pictures with a similar
This shows all Click on the hand These icons give Click on the Common Zoom in and out of Import images from
composition or colour theme, which is useful for finding the objects and icon in the top right- instant access to the Tasks button in this pane, using the a camera, scanner,
all your cathedral shots or night-time portraits, for layers in the current hand corner to Smart Eraser and the toolbar and this slider above it or the file or image library
document. Click- call up this useful automatic fixes menu pops up, Photoshop keyboard program, and the
instance. The familiar slideshow function has been and-drag to change navigational aid. for levels, contrast giving access to shortcut (Ctrl +/-). thumbnails will
developed here into a Photo Story wizard (Windows XP their order. and red-eye. dozens of features. appear here.
x KEY FEATURES
seems stable and it’s impossible to do anything drastic
to your images without a warning message flashing up.
■ Minilab A one-stop batch-adjust Online help is good and the 275-page manual has
function that can tweak levels, plenty of hints, but few walkthroughs, and the
contrast, colour and much more. newspaper-quality paper and mono reproduction don’t
■ Digital Image Library A
do the sample photographs any favours. Overall, though,
standalone browser that combines
categorisation and search functions it’s an extremely impressive package for newcomers to
with archiving and output choices. digital photography. If you want
84%
■ Smart Erase Just sketch round an FINAL
something easy to use that does SCORE
offending object and a single click
The Find Similar function in Digital Image Library is Fixing crooked shots is as simple as drawing a line the basics well, you should
eliminates it forever.
fun, and ideal for locating themed images through the picture along the real horizon definitely consider this suite.
02
02 Photographed by: 03 Photographed by:
Matthew Whittingham Colin Minton
Location: Nida, Lithuania Location: Tewin, Hertfordshire
Camera used: Canon EOS 10D Camera used: Canon EOS D60
Trailblazers 03
07
06 Photographed by:
Matthew Whittingham
Location: Vilnius Cathedral,
Lithuania
Camera used: Canon EOS 10D
07 Photographed by:
Johan Moerman 08
Location: Sandworld,
Lubeck/Travemunde,
Germany
2 This month, you have mostly been to…
Camera used: Nikon 5700
08 Photographed by:
05 07302
3
3
Mark West
Location: Santorini , Greece 3 306
Camera used: Olympus 4040 03 3
04 08
3
04
3
04 Photographed by: 01
Stephen Gisborne
Location: Angostura Bridge, Trailblazers
Venezuela
Camera used: Olympus EOS E10
= Get your picture framed!
05 Photographed by:
Send them in and the best gets framed and returned. We’re looking for
Johan Moerman
landmarks, unusual events or just something fabulously composed. Start
Location: Lubeck, Germany
planning that trip away! ■ Email us at gallery.dcm@futurenet.co.uk
Camera used: Nikon 5700 05
>
NOT SO ELEMENTARY
Interact
await the delivery of a new 5-megapixel camera. and all the things that were the key points
Having recently purchased a new PC and a Sony All have been good quality and top of the semi when film was king?
Digital Camera, I was looking for a magazine to professional range. Yet, as we now see adverts David R Lewis, by email
From our online forum help me get the most out of both. Scanning the for the 6-megapixel camera and simulations to
Our website forums offer a wide range of shelves for a suitable guide, your magazine leapt greater figures, there’s a little gremlin in my DCM While we can all get great A4 prints
topics, advice and tips for newcomers and out at me. It wasn’t so much the free CD and head that says “are you wasting your money?”. from 4-megapixel cameras, the increase
experienced photographers alike. This month, software (although this would be a bonus) it was Is all we need 4-megapixel cameras, but a good in resolution is definitely still a benefit.
talk turned to the use of flash... more a case of being able to produce ‘clever’ range of them – waterproof, robust, small, control We’ve got a great example on this month’s
pictures (I refer to the fairies in the book). I spent everything, and so on? Are the higher megapixel disc, in the form of our new test shots
Lee Clayton: I have a D100 with the the evening reading through the pages in cameras really just a selling point? I have a car with comparison system.
24/85 autofocus lens. I have a DX80 anticipation of what I could soon be producing. a claimed to speed of 143mph but I will probably Compare the Pentax *ist D with a lower-res
flash that I have on a tripod pointed into a But no! Being new to the game, I hadn’t never get to two thirds of that, so can I expect the camera on detail and you’ll see that the
umbrella on the same tripod. I have a SC-17 accounted for the need to have a specific piece of same from my new 5-megapixel camera. higher-resolution Pentax has far better detail
cable connecting the flash to my D100 software. I, foolishly perhaps, had interpreted Should we just call it a day at 4 megapixels despite each of the shots being taken from
hotshoe so the D100 flash does not fire. I have Photoshop to be a section within the magazine, and then start concentrating on the lens quality the same place with the same zoom.
the camera set for centre metering and the not a £70 box of software. Despite this. I found
camera and flash are the same distance from the magazine very informative and full of the kind
my portrait subject. However, I am
overexposing the photo every time (I am
of projects I was looking forward to tackling.
Unfortunately, it may be a few months before I
Star letter Shooting children
using Program mode). Anyone have any can buy future editions. as I am now saving to buy
Where do we draw the line between what is permissible and what is
suggestions on how to get a better exposed Adobe Photoshop Elements! I’d like to reply to the Editor’s column in issue not? Should the government step in with official guidelines?
shot? Mark Alden, by email 10, about photographers being unjustly
accused of photographing other people’s
Paul Holden: If the camera cannot talk DCM Luckily for you and everyone saving up for children. I went to the park with my one
to your flash gun then the flash will set Elements or Paint Shop Pro, we’ve got the year old and my camera, intent on taking
itself to maximum power. Try to compensate fantastic full version of Ulead’s PhotoImpact 6 pictures of him having fun in the park.
your flash by setting your camera to on this month’s disc – once you’ve had a When I got there, I felt I couldn’t.
underexpose by 2 f/stops or so (see manual chance to try it out, why not email us your I was the only father there with plenty
under flash compensation or EV results at editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk? of mums, and didn’t want there to be
compensation). Alternatively use a light meter any chance of being accused of being a
and set you camera up manually? RESOLVING THE ISSUES paedophile, so I left my camera in my
This may seem a stupid question but I am not so pocket. What is it coming to, when a
Jonathan Ryan:If the camera cannot sure that it is. Let me explain. Like a lot of ex-35mm father feels guilty about taking a picture
talk to your flash gun then the flash will camera addicts, I have gone from 2.3-megapixel of his own son in a public place, just in
set itself to maximum power. Try to cameras to 3.24-megapixel cameras, and now case there happens to be someone
compensate your flash by setting your camera else’s child in the background?
to underexpose by 2 f/stops or so (see Our free version of Paul Gillard, from the forums
PhotoImpact will help
manual under flash compensation or EV you save your pennies
compensation). Alternatively use a light meter DCM We’re having an extremely interesting discussion about this topic at dcmag.co.uk/deate.
and set you camera up manually? While everyone who has contributed to the topic recognises the need to be safe, there are
serious concerns about the way amateur photographers are being portrayed by the mass
Stan Walker: Oh what needless pain we media. Think of all those happy snaps you have of yourself as a child, taken by a loving
bear. All I do is set the camera to relative – do we really want to deny our own children these precious photographs? Join in
manual, a reasonable speed for sync 1/60 to the debate online and let us know what you think.
1/125. Set the aperture to smallest, then take
a few test shots. If its to dark, open up, try
STAR
LETTER The Star Letter wins an HP Photosmart 935
digital camera, worth £399.99! Sporting a
9 Now it’s your turn! PRIZE superb 5-megapixel resolution and 3x
To join this discussion and others like it, go to optical zoom, it comes complete with a
our website forums at 32MB memory card. Find out more about
www.dcmag.co.uk/forum the Photosmart 935 at www.hp.com.
New competition!
DCM PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Multimedia Card
Two early entries from last
month’s portrait competition 64MB-128MB
Compact Flash
64MB-1GB
£1000
STAR
PRIZE!
Over the next six months, we’ll be running a
ground-breaking competition, giving you the
Secure Digital
opportunity to become the Digital Camera out of 100. The people who score the top 64MB-512MB
Magazine Photographer of the Year. Each issue marks for a particular month are, clearly, the
features a different subject for you to photograph. winners of that issue’s competition. The scores SmartMedia
Each issue’s winner will receive £200 of Jessops from all six individual competitions will then
64MB-128MB
vouchers, and two runners-up will get £50 be added together, and averaged, giving the
worth of vouchers each. The overall winner will final positions. So, by simply entering a photo
receive a staggering £1000 worth of Jessops for each stage, you’re already going to be in
Want to ensure your photos or important files
vouchers to spend as they see fit, plus the with a great chance of snatching the coveted
kudos of being our photographer of the year! DCM Photographer of the Year title!
are stored forever? PNY has developed a cost
And so you can see how you’re doing, effective range of Flash media products to suit
How it works we’ll be printing the leading contenders in all your needs. With Compact Flash cards
To qualify for entry for the grand prize, you the magazine each month, with the full table ranging from 64MB right up to an impressive
need to enter a minimum of four out of the available on www.dcmag.co.uk. For this reason, 1GB, you can store valuable data quickly,
six stages, so don’t worry if you missed out it’s essential to you include your full name and
last month. Every entry will be awarded a mark address with every entry that you send us.
easily and safely.
Send your entries to with the subject line ‘Sunset comp’. A file size of around 1MB is ideal. Only
one photo per email, and a maximum of three entries per person per month. Entries for this
issue’s Sunsets category must be received on or before 1st of November 2003.
You may enter up to three photographs each month but only the best one will count towards your points total. A cash alternative to the prizes is
not available. We reserve the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. The editor’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
Do not send CDs, memory cards, printed materials, etc – this is an email-only competition, and we cannot be held liable for the loss of any materials. www.pcworld.co.uk
By entering the competition, you agree to grant us an exclusive three-month licence to publish your photographs in any manner we see fit, in any
medium, in conjunction with the competition. After three months, this changes to a non-exclusive licence on the same terms. All entries to the
competition must be previously unpublished (exceptions will be made for photographs published on hobbyist websites, where no fee was involved).
Prizes are courtesy of Europe’s leading photographic retailer, Jessops. Visit any of over 240 stores across the UK, call Jessops Direct on 0800 652 6400, Visit www.pny-europe.com for the full range of PNY products
or buy on-line at www.jessops.co.uk.
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Product Showcase
HP's advances in imaging technology have fed directly into its newest products. DCM gets an exclusive first peek at what it’s got in store…
HP Photosmart 945
DIGITAL CAMERA HP’s latest flagship digicam combines a 5.1MP sensor with new image-processing technologies to deliver stunning photo quality
H
P’s Photosmart range just got a whole lot
0 INFO smarter, with the launch of the 5.1MP
Photosmart 945 digital camera. Inside its
HP PHOTOSMART 945 tough, black casing lurk a variety of unique systems
Price £399
Manufacturer HP designed to combine SLR-quality images with the ease
Website www.hp.com/uk/create of use of a compact camera. These include manual 2
controls, a digital flash to improve high-contrast images,
✔ Windows plus optimised white-balance and exposure algorithms
to capture even the most complex scenes perfectly.
✔ Mac At the heart of the camera is an 8x optical zoom lens
(37-300mm equivalent) with a bright f2.8 maximum
aperture. such a long zoom benefits from an electronic
viewfinder to enable accurate framing, and the 945’s
clear microdisplay comes with diopter adjustment. The
main display is a colourful 2-inch LCD with 180,000
pixels, giving almost twice the viewing area of a
standard 1.5-inch screen. The camera can focus down to
10cm in macro mode, although you can always turn off
the TTL system and focus manually instead.
Photo power
The Photosmart 945 offers the full range of creative
photo features, from spot metering and aperture priority,
2
to burst mode and exposure compensation. Digital
I
nkjet printers have always been good at
0 INFO producing punchy colour prints in a fraction of
the time and cost of colour lasers. But where
HP PHOTOSMART 7960 they’ve traditionally been less impressive is in black and
Price £249
Manufacturer HP white printing, suffering from patchy text and weak,
Website www.hp.com/uk/create monochrome images.
The HP Photosmart 7960 photo printer aims to
✔ Windows rewrite the rule book with its unique eight-ink HP
Photoret Pro print technology. HP’s top-of-the-range
✔ Mac inkjet prints at up to 4,800dpi using three cartridges: a
standard tri-colour cartridge, a photo cartridge and a
new, grey photo cartridge that contains light grey,
medium grey and photo-black inks. Together, these can
output an extensive colour gamut of 72 million colours,
from bold primary hues to subtle skin tones and
enhanced shadow accuracy and detail. The grey
cartridge enables true greyscales and rich blacks for true
black and white photography.
As a direct photo printer, the 7960 can work without a
computer connection. Just plug in your compatible HP
camera or insert almost any memory media
(CompactFlash Type I or II, IBM Microdrive, SmartMedia,
Secure Digital/MultiMedia card, Sony Memory
Stick/Duo/Pro and xD-Picture Card) into one of its built-in
slots. Then either preview images on the 6.4-cm colour
x KEY FEATURES
LCD screen or swiftly print out a thumbnail proofsheet.
or 16ppm colour for everyday documents, and as little rendered with the same brilliant colours or subtle
■ Ability to print straight from a Photo editing as 36 seconds for 10 x 15cm colour photos. There’s even gradations of grey found in film prints.
camera’s memory card The HP Photosmart 7960 then lets you edit your images; an ink back-up mode for completing print jobs if the In the past, there has been some concern that inkjet
■ Eight-colour printing gives up to rotating, zooming, cropping and choosing from a library cartridge runs out mid-way through. prints may be prone to fading in sunlight, but you’ll
72 million colours
of frames. If required, an auto red-eye reduction function HP has enhanced its Premium Plus photo paper to have no such worries with the HP Photosmart 7960.
■ Photo-quality images up to A4
■ Use with HP Premium Plus improves flash portraits, and mono, sepia and antique work specifically with its new printers and inks. The When used with HP inks and Premium Plus photo paper,
photo paper for up to 73 years filters are easily applied. paper now offers an increased glossiness, thickness and Wilhelm Imaging Research Inc found that HP’s inkjet
fade resistance The HP Photosmart 7960 is one of the fastest inkjets weight to replicate the look and feel of traditionally printers produce images that can resist fading for up to
on the market, with a print speed of up to 21ppm black processed photos. High-resolution digital images are 73 years.
HP Scanjet 5530
SCANNER Speed up your scanning with this auto-feeding high-resolution model from HP
U
nless you’re a complete newcomer to 5530 scans at up to 2,400 x 4,800dpi resolution and in
0 INFO photography, you’re bound to have a film 48-bit colour to create photo-quality image files with
camera – and prints – gathering dust in a rich, vivid colours and clean, crisp detail.
HP SCANJET 5530
Price £199
cupboard. Sooner or later, you’ll start thinking about the But the HP Scanjet 5530 is as flexible as it is
Manufacturer HP improvements you could make to those images if you powerful, with the ability to scan 35mm slides,
Website www.hp.com/uk/create could just get them into your favourite image editor – transparencies, negatives and even 3D objects.
and this is where the HP Scanjet 5530 Photosmart One-touch controls allow you to scan directly
✔ Windows scanner comes in. As well as scanning prints individually, into digital albums, copy documents and
the HP Scanjet 5530 comes with an automatic photo share your images via email. To complete a
✔ Mac feed (APF) that can scan an entire pack of 24 photos in superb package, a comprehensive software
less than five minutes, at the touch of a single button. bundle includes Adobe Photoshop Elements,
The APF can accept either 9 x 13cm or standard OCR for text recognition and HP Memories Disc
10 x 15cm size prints, with a smooth vacuum feed to Creator to store and share images, with music
keep your originals in perfect condition. The HP Scanjet and titles.
SECTION #02 PHOTOSHOP
PAGE
72
PAGE PAGE
76 66
MORE EXPERT
Photoshop
PHOTOSHOP
TECHNIQUES!
Check out our sister title for
even more expert Photoshop,
Elements and Paint Shop Pro
solutions. In issue 5 (on sale
October 16) we give you 50
Photshop tricks to improve your
photos, plus a special montage
project for family portraits.
Inspirational projects and expert digital darkroom advice
f #
Our aim is to bring you creative ideas, expert tips and image files, and full or trial software so you can try the If you have a comment, suggestion, idea or
quick fixes you can use in your own work. tutorial for yourself, delivering a complete package. submission you would like to make, please
Authoritative A leading professional in his/her field Clear Our large page size means we can add extra email us at editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk Visit
writes every tutorial. Value-added We try to include elements, explanations and detail to each tutorial. our website at www.dcmag.co.uk
PHOTOSHOP CREATIVE PROJECT
VIDEO!
See it done
in video on
your disc!
Toddler terror at
the London Eye
Digital artist, George Cairns, shows you how to blend a variety of photographic elements to create a fantasy image
CONTACT US!
GEORGE
CAIRNS
George@georgecairns.com
B
ooks and films have long been preoccupied unlike many other landmarks, it hasn’t been wrecked in
PROJECT
KEY DETAILS with the fantasy of giants on the rampage – the movies yet. TOOL SCHOOL
think Jack and the Beanstalk, King Kong and This tutorial will get you combining studio-shot
2 ON OUR DISC so on. And what do giants like to do to pass the time? pictures with a location-shot background to create MAGNETIC LASSO TOOL
FIND IT in the toolbar
■ IMAGE FILES They head straight into town to demolish the nearest a photo-realistic image. As the kid in our image is
All the elements you need are USE IT to draw selections around objects
landmark. King Kong couldn’t help monkeying around on after his own Eye Pod, the image will be augmented in your scene.
on your cover CD/DVD in the
the Empire State Building. Even Kitten Kong in The with computer-generated 3D pods for the toddler MASTER IT as the tool creates anchor
‘Kid Kong’ folder
All images on discs for Goodies TV show was compelled to topple over a dodgy to hold. points that automatically stick to the
non-commercial use only model of the Post Office Tower. Once you’ve had a crack at creating the image using outline of your chosen subject…
In whatever media we read or watch, giants usually our components (they are on your cover CD/DVD),
2 SKILL LEVEL mean big trouble. Toddlers can mean trouble, too, so we there’s nothing to stop you photographing your own We want you to send us your attempts at recreating
6 thought we’d combine a kid with the ‘giant on the terrible tot, and making it a star in its own scene of this image. The best one will get printed in a future
rampage wrecks a landmark’ concept to create this movie-style mayhem. Check below for our tips on edition of DCM and we’ll send you £100 in prize money.
2 TIME TO COMPLETE month’s special effects image. shooting the toddler so that he fits in with the other We’ll even frame it and send it back to you so you can
4 HOURS Our landmark of choice was the London Eye because, elements in the scene. enjoy it for years to come…
HOW WE
PHOTOGRAPHED
THE CHILD
PAUL O’CONNOR
8 8
PHOTOGRAPHER
THE KID (KID.PSD) THE LONDON EYE (EYE.PSD) THE PODS (POD01.PSD)
A To control the lighting, we shot our tot in the B We decided to shoot the London Eye at night C To give the terrible tot something to hold,
THANK YOU
TO LIZ MURIAS AND HER SON,
studio. As he needed to match the lighting in to get some attractive interactive lighting we recreated the London Eye’s pod as a
JOE, AND ALSO PAUL HAMES AT the nighttime background, we lit him from the side with a bouncing off the pods and the toddler. The reflections in computer-generated model. We lit the model with
WALCOT STUDIOS, BATH blue-gelled light. The camera’s tripod made a handy the Thames are more attractive at night. blue light to make it fit with the studio and location
London Eye substitute for our kid to lean on. shot elements.
MAGNETIC
LASSO
The Magnetic Lasso
tool is invaluable for
selecting well-
defined but irregular
objects in images
GRADIENT
EFFECTS
The Gradient tool
applies a graduated
colour to an image.
Particularly powerful
when used with
transparent layers
PHOTOSHOP CREATIVE PROJECT
TOP TIP When shooting your model, try to match the lighting to the final image. Don’t forget, however, that the boy is the subject of the piece, so make sure there’s enough detail for us to see him!
STAGE 1 2
CUT OUT THE KID
Let’s kick off by removing our
would-be Goliath from the
unwanted studio background.
0 EXPERT TIP
GEORGE CAIRNS’
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
SPEEDIER SELECTION
The Magnetic Lasso tool acts like
an intelligent version of the
regular Lasso tool. Indeed, it would
be virtually impossible to select
STICK LIKE GLUE
the outline of the child using the
regular Lasso tool. Get used to
05 Click by the kid’s head to start the selection.
using this tool and you should find Using the mouse, follow the edge of the child
it a much faster way to cut out the with the cursor. The Magnetic Lasso tool creates anchor
kid than using the traditional Pen
points that automatically stick to the outline of the child.
tool to create a path.
A path is drawn between these points.
4
USING USING PAINT SH0P Use Paint Shop Pro’s Lasso tool Cutting and pasting is simple in Paint Shop Pro, but
LAYERS IN… PRO TIPS to draw around your model don’t forget to feather the selection when pasting
0 EXPERT TIP
GEORGE CAIRNS’
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
RIGHT CLICK
You can access many of
Photoshop’s tool options by right
clicking on the screen when the
tool is active. This gives you a
handy pop-up menu wherever
your mouse happens to be,
enabling you rapid access to the
menu items without having to go
to the main menu bar.
FEATHER
10 The Magnetic Lasso tool isn’t perfect and will
Normally a selection created by a have missed the odd bit of the boy’s outline.
Lasso tool or path has a sharp, In our example, we’ve chipped off his left thumb. Luckily
jagged edge. Soften this edge by
the Layer Mask is non-destructive so we can edit it, and
typing a value of two or more
pixels into the tool’s feather option tidy up problem areas missed by the Lasso.
in the menu bar. This will give you
softer more effective cutouts.
? EXPLAINED
EDGE CONTRAST
The Magnetic Lasso tool looks at
THUMBS UP
the contrast between the pixels it
has been told to select and the
11 Choose a soft-edged brush from the Brush
surrounding area. Adjusting the pre-set picker. Make it around 13 pixels in
edge contrast makes it more or less
diameter. Set the foreground colour to white. Click on the
sensitive to changes in the image,
helping you choose a selection. Layer Mask thumbnail to select it, then spray on the
missing thumb and watch it magically reappear.
STAGE 2 2
UNLEASH THE TODDLER
Now to let the tot loose by
the banks of the Thames.
We’ll need to do a lot to
anchor him in the image in
a believable way.
ADD THE KID TO THE BACKGROUND SCALE THE GIANT CREATE NEW MASK
13 Open the file Eye.psd from the CD/DVD. Select 14 Select the kid’s layer. Go to Edit8Transform8 15 We’ll need to create a New Layer mask to
the open kid document. Drag the Kid’s layer Scale. Drag the handles on the corner of the make the child’s feet fade into the murky
thumbnail onto the London Eye image. It will add the box to scale the kid down to size. Hold down Shift to waters of the Thames. To keep the transparent effect of
masked kid to the London Eye file as a separate layer. constrain the layer’s shape. Position the child using the the its current mask, go to Layer8Remove Layer
Move Tool [V], with his right hand overlapping the wheel. Mask8Apply.
GRADIENTS
16 Add a new mask to the kid’s layer. Select the
Gradient tool (G) from the tool bar. Make sure
that it is set to a linear gradient by clicking in the relevant
box in the menu bar. Draw a short gradient in the Layer
mask to make the boy’s feet vanish into the water.
FLIP IT
17 Drag the kid’s layer thumbnail onto the Create
New layer icon in the Layers palette to
duplicate it. Go to Edit8Transform8Flip Vertical. Use the
Move Tool to position the ‘reflection’ underneath the boy.
Label the new layer ‘Boy Reflection’.
4
FURTHER site (www.londoneye.com) for more information. Just make sure you take your digital
INFORMATION camera with you to capture the stunning views
STAGE 3 2
SPECIAL EFFECTS
If the kid’s going to play with the
3D pods he’s torn from the Eye,
we need to remove some of the
real pods from one section.
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PHOTOSHOP A-Z OF PHOTOSHOP LAYERS PART 3
W
elcome to part three of the complete guide
PROJECT
KEY DETAILS
to Photoshop layers. Last time around EXPLAINED LAYER SET DIALOG BOXES
we took you on a guided tour of layer There are three basic dialog boxes you’ll encounter frequently when working with layer sets. Here, we’ll show you
2 ON OUR DISC masks, showed you the inner workings of the blending
options, and explained how layer styles work. This time
how they are accessed and what their uses are
■ IMAGE FILES A. New Layer Set B. Layer Set Properties C. Lock All layers In Set
All the elements you need are around we will explore the wonderful world of layer This dialog box is presented when you The layer set properties dialog appears This dialog box is accessed by first
on your cover CD/DVD in the sets, how they are created, what their potential uses choose New Layer Set from the Layers when you select a layer set in the selecting a set in the Layers palette,
‘Learn Photoshop pt 3’ folder palette menu or Layer8New8Layer Set layers palette, and choose Layer Set and either choosing Lock All layers In
are, and how they can be used to create extra layer
from the main menu. You’re prompted Properties from the Layers palette Set from the Layers palette menu or
All images on discs for masks. We’ll also walk you through the intricacies of to name your layer set, adjust the menu. This dialog allows you to name choosing Layer8Lock All layers In Set.
non-commercial use only the merge functions, as well as the concept and opacity, specify a colour, and choose a or re-name your set, and again you The dialog presents you with the four
2 SKILL LEVEL procedure of linking layers. blending mode. When you click on the
Create A New Set button at the bottom
can specify the colour of the layer set
icon. The unique thing in the Layer Set
layer locks available: transparency,
image, position, or lock all. Enabling
6 Layer sets of the layers palette, this dialog is Properties dialog is that you can enable any of these will apply this lock to all
2
bypassed, and a set is created using or disable the blending of individual of the layers within the set.
TIME TO COMPLETE A layer set is essentially a little folder that you can all of the Photoshop default settings. colour channels here .
MERGING LAYERS
Whether you’ve finalised part of the content of your layered image, or simply want to make your file smaller, merging can help you combine and simplify the layers
in your images. Have a look at the layers palette in these before and after images to get an idea of which function will best suit your specific needs The layer and vector masks are exactly the same as
those applied to normal layers and can be edited or
MERGE DOWN deleted in the same manner.
Merge down takes the layer Like many of the other Layer functions in Photoshop,
you’ve currently selected and there’s more than one way to create a layer set. You
merges it with the layer can simply click on the Create a New Set button in
underneath it in the Layers the bottom of the Layers palette. You can also choose
palette. Beware of odd results Layer8New8Layer Set from the menu or from the
if the underlying layer doesn’t Palette menu you can choose New Layer Set.
have a normal blending mode. If you choose either of the menu options for
Also, if the bottom layer has creating a set, you will be prompted to name the
a layer mask, you will be set and specify attributes like name, Blending mode,
prompted by a dialog box to colour and opacity in the resulting dialog box. It is
either preserve or apply it. possible to change the name and colour of a set at
any time by selecting the set and choosing Layer Set
Properties from the Palette menu. Here, you can also
enable or disable the blending of individual channels.
MERGE LINKED By default, when you create a new layer set, the
Merge linked will merge any Blending mode of the layer set is set to Pass Through.
group of linked layers together This is a blending mode that is available only to layer
into a single layer. Again,
beware of odd results if the
bottom layer doesn’t have a Make sure you’re
normal blending mode. Also, any
linked layers that have their
certain that you wish
visibility turned off will not
appear in the final merged layer.
to discard all of your
working layers and
sets before you
MERGE VISIBLE
Merge visible merges all visible
flatten the image
layers in the image into one
layer, leaving untouched any sets, and not to individual layers. Pass Through is
layers that have their visibility essentially a non-existent Blending mode: it allows
switched off. That way, you the Blending modes of layers within the set to interact
can enable the visibility of the with those outside of the set, as if the set weren’t
layers at a later time if you like, there. However, it is possible to change the Blending
since they aren’t discarded. mode of the set to any of the other Blending modes
Blending modes of base layers available, making the group of layers within follow
are less of an issue when using suit. Opacity of the set as a whole can be adjusted
the merge visible option. using the opacity slider in the Layers palette.
or select the set and choose Delete Layer Set from layers are linked. The principle is the same with Flatten the image
the palette menu or, alternitavely, Layer8Delete8Layer layer sets. To unlink layers you simply need to click When you flatten an image, all layers are merged with
Set from the main menu. on the link icons to remove them. the background. All layers that aren’t visible are
discarded, and any remaining transparent areas are filled
Link the layers Merge the layers with white. Make sure you’re certain that you wish to
It’s possible to link two or more layers or layer sets When your layered files are nearing completion or simply discard all of your working layers and sets before you
in Photoshop. Linking enables you to move the becoming too large, merging layers will enable you to flatten. Unless you keep an eye on your history states
contents of the layers and sets together. In addition finalise portions on your image by combining existing while working, there may be no turning back once you
to basic movements, it’s also possible to apply layers. A merged layer combines the content of several flatten. What a lot of users will do is to make a duplicate
transformations to groups of linked layers as well layers into one. Transparent areas of all merged layers of the file and flatten that, while preserving your original
as a number of other functions like merge and align. retain their transparency after intersection. layered file. Although flatten can be useful and efficient
Linking layers is as easy as selecting a layer in the A variety of merge functions are available in the while working, it’s always good to keep a back up copy
Layers palette, then on any layers that you want to Layers menu or the Layers palette menu. Depending on of your image with all of the layers, masks, channels,
link to the active layer, click in the column immediately your combinations of blending modes and specific and sets intact. This is especially important if you a
to the right of the visibility icon for that layer. A link needs, you can choose between: merge down, merge working on a professionally commissioned image. More
icon will appear in that column indicating that the linked, merge visible, or the ever-so-final flatten image. often than not, clients will want to make changes.
DUPLICATE THE CLOUD SET FLATTEN THE IMAGE THE FINISHING TOUCHES
NEXT MONTH 13 Create a new layer set and add all the tower 14 Choose Layer8Flatten Image from the menu 15 Use a large, soft-edged brush to paint with
LAYERS PART 4 layers to it. Select the clouds set in the Layers to flatten all the layers. Duplicate the resulting white on the Layer mask around the outside
Next month we’ll palette and choose Duplicate Layer Set from the Layers layer, select Filter8Blur8Gaussian Blur from the menu edges, revealing the contents of the Multiply layer and
look into the vast and Palette menu. Specify the current file as the destination and enter a radius of 5 pixels. Change the Blending mode making the edges look burned. Create a new layer with a
nebulous world of file and drag the duplicate set to the top of the Layers to multiply, and choose Layer8Add Layer Mask8Hide All Colour Blending mode. Select a grey colour from the Picker,
Adjustment layers
palette. Use the Move tool to position the set. from the menu. Change the blending mode to multiply. and fill the entire layer. Reduce the opacity to 55%.
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W
LIGHT EFFECTS
reveal a little bit more about the image. highlighted areas on the model. for us to use only the dark areas of our source photos,
KEY DETAILS Shadows can give an idea of the environment Traditionally, an effect like this would be achieved in and layer masks make it possible for us to hide any
2 SKILL LEVEL in which the subject is sitting. They can also help
determine what time of day it was, or what sort of light
the studio. There would be a lot of work involved setting
up lighting and placing the shadow objects in front of
areas that we don’t want to appear in the image. Also,
by duplicating layers and using the blur tools we’re
7
sources or other objects were in the immediate area. the lights to cast them on the model. It may even have able to enhance the realism of the shadows.
2 TIME TO COMPLETE In the case of this image, we have cast a shadow been necessary to use multiple exposures to get things The importance of the liquify filter is paramount in an
CREATING THE IMAGE It’s time to cast some convincing shadow effects over our image by making the most of layer
blending modes, layer masks, as well as the powerful Liquify filter controls.
0 EXPERT TIPS
DEREK LEA
PHOTOSHOP EXPERT
0 EXPERT TIP
DEREK LEA
PHOTOSHOP EXPERT
TRANSFORM OPTIONS
When using Free Transform, a quick
way to get to the functions that
aren’t immediately apparent is to
click anywhere within the existing
bounding box while holding down
the control key. When you click
using the control key inside the box,
a pop-up menu will appear,
showing you all of the various
USE THE LIQUIFY FILTER USING THE WARP TOOL PUCKER AND BLOAT
04 Choose Filter8Liquify from the menu. In the 05 In the tool options, set the brush size to 64, 06 Now, use the Pucker tool to pull the shadow
transform functions available.
View Options, enable the visibility of the and set the brush pressure to 20. Using a large inward in areas where it would curl around DUPLICATING LAYERS
backdrop, choose Background from the list of visible brush with a low pressure setting creates a more her arm or her neck. Use the Bloat tool to swell areas Like many functions in Photoshop,
layers, and increase the opacity to 100%. Select the believable result. Paint the shadow using the Warp tool that would be raised, like her shoulder and her hips. Use there’s more than one particular
way to duplicate a layer. The
Warp tool from the toolbar at the side. to make it follow the contour of her body a little more. a variety of size and pressure settings. Click OK. simplest is by selecting a layer
in the Layers palette and choosing
Layer8Duplicate Layer… from
the menu. This same function
can be accessed in the Layers
palette menu too. Alternatively,
you can hold down the control key
and click on Layer Title, and the
duplicate function will appear in this
pop-up menu. Also, you can simply
drag a layer onto the Create New
Layer icon in the Layers palette.
ADD A LAYER MASK ADD THE TREE SHADOW BLUR THE TREE SHADOW
07 Add a layer mask to your liquified layer. Select 08 Open tree.psd and drag it into your file as a new 09 Enter a radius of 5 pixels. Duplicate the layer,
the Brush tool, and use a variety of soft-edged layer. Change the blending mode to Multiply and and choose Filter8Blur8Motion Blur from the CONTACT US!
paint brushes, large and small, with a black foreground reduce the opacity to 15%. Use Free Transform to resize the menu. Enter an angle of –21 and a distance of 60 pixels. DEREK
colour and various opacity settings, to mask out areas of tree, and reposition it so part of the branches cover her back. Now feel free to add a mask to either of the tree layers, LEA
derek@dereklea.com
the shadow that are too drastic, especially around the edges. Choose Filter8Blur8Gaussian Blur from the menu. and mask out any areas that appear overpowering.
A
backlight can add a dynamic feeling to a a person, fish or another type of marine life. And beams Then we’ll make use of adjustment layers and blending
NEXT MONTH stagnant image, and when you break up your of visible light are perfect for the undersea realm, where modes to create light within the selections. Next, we’ll
backlight into beams, it draws the viewer’s light passes through all sorts of microscopic organisms soften the masks to soften the edges of our light beams.
IN PART THREE: eye towards the subject. An underwater scene is the and particles, making it visible. And finally, we’ll add all of the layers to a set, and
Learn how to create
realistic light flares, and perfect place to use an effect like this. When looking up, The beams of backlight are easily achieved in create a layer set mask to control where the effect
how to hand-tint photos
the light will always be behind the subject, whether it’s Photoshop. The first step is to create basic selections. appears within our scene.
RADIAL LIGHT BEAMS Adding beams of backlight adds a dynamic feeling to your image, and draws the viewer’s eye towards the subject.
In Photoshop, it’s easy to create a marine scene with spectacular lighting – just follow the steps below
CREATE THE BEAM SHAPES LIGHTEN AND SOFTEN THE CREATE DUPLICATE LAYERS MASKING THE LIGHT
01 Open the file: diver.psd from the CD. Use 02 BEAMS 03 Duplicate the adjustment layer, and 04 Select the brush tool. Select a black
the polygonal lasso tool to draw a series In the levels dialog box adjust the input change the blending mode of the foreground colour, and choose a large, soft
of triangular selections in the image that points to levels until they read: 0, 1.83, 255. Click on the duplicate layer to Hard Light. Duplicate this layer, and brush. Starting with an opacity of around 50%, paint
the centre. Be sure to vary the thickness of your adjustment layer’s mask icon to select it, then change the blending mode of the new layer to Soft within the mask to soften the outer edges of the light
triangles. With this selection active, choose Layer8 choose Filter8Gaussian Blur from the menu. Enter Light. Create a new layer set, and add the three levels’ beams. Use a smaller brush with a higher opacity
New Adjustment Layer8Levels from the menu. a radius of 50 pixels, and click OK to blur the mask. adjustment layers to it. Add a layer mask to the set. setting to mask the light that overlaps the diver.
f
Book’ project from issue 11. What do you think? Nature’ project in issue 10, I thought you’d like to see my Stuart Monk This photograph was taken with a Fujifilm S304
offering – I would be grateful for any comments! on a summer’s day in Dunfermline Glen. It’s undergone a
few Photoshop manipulations to create a very arty picture – well,
I think it’s cool, anyway! Let me know what you think!
REACTION
PROJECT
KEY DETAILS
2 ON OUR DISC
■ IMAGE FILES
All the elements you need are
on your cover CD/DVD in the
‘Chris Stocker pt 3’ folder
All images on discs for
non-commercial use only
2 SKILL LEVEL
7
2 TIME TO COMPLETE
30 MINUTES
0 EXPERT TIP
CHRIS STOCKER’S
PHOTOSHOP TIPS BEFORE & AFTER
THE CLONE TOOL The darkness beneath the eye has been
Cloning is a very acquired art, and removed, and the slight lumpiness on the
everyone has a slightly different eyelid has been smoothed out. The result
technique. Some people choose is a natural, but enhanced look
to dab areas to avoid patterns;
other people choose longer
strokes – it depends on the area
to be reworked. Where you take
the sample, where you spray, and
the direction in which you spray
with the Clone tool are important:
a professional pre-press operator
will make even the most difficult
areas look easy to achieve. The
key is experimentation…
0 EXPERT TIP
CHRIS STOCKER’S
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
THE CONTEXT-SENSITIVE
OPTION
Check out the Context-sensitive
option on the Mac by clicking
on the screen with Control held
down. PC users will probably be
aware of this already, as its
context-sensitive menus are much
more on the surface. Go through
every tool to see all the short-cuts
are available, and pay special
attention to paths and selections.
APPLY EYESHADOW TO THE EYELID APPLY EYESHADOW TO THE SOCKET APPLY EYELINER
01 First create a new layer in Photoshop, and 02 Double-click the swatch, and change the 03 Click on the Eyedropper tool and select Point NEXT MONTH
choose Colour as the Blending mode. Select magenta to 90%. Create a new layer and Sample, then take a sample from one of the IN PART TWO:
a brush size of 17, and double-click the swatch to change choose Soft Light as the Blending mode. Paint this in quite bottom eyelashes. Create a new layer and change the Learn more professional
the colour. Type 100 into cyan, 50 into magenta and 0 roughly, then choose the Eraser tool with a brush size of Blending mode to Multiply in order to double up on the techniques and tricks to
touch up and enhance
into yellow and black. Start to paint onto the new layer 100 and a hardness of 0. Remove some of the colour darkening effect. Paint with a brush of 17 pixels and eyes even further
around the eyelids. using the edge of the Eraser tool to give a soft gradient. remove the overspill with an Eraser brush of 12 pixels.
ISSUE 03
JANUARY 2003
Get light right! Simple
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SECTION #03 PAINT SHOP PRO
CREATIVE COLOUR
Section highlights…
USE LAYERS TO ADD IN-DEPTH GUIDE
A TOUCH OF COLOUR A-Z OF LAYERS
PAGE
SEE PAGE 80 In the second part of our series, Lori Davis shows you
how to master blend ranges and adjustment layers
80
YOUR PICTURES
SEND IN YOUR BEST SHOTS
Want to improve your photographs? Send them in so PAGE
Adam Evans and Tom Ang can give you their verdict
85
CREATIVE PROJECT
A CHANGE OF SCENERY
Learn how to place a new figure on a background. PAGE
Joe Apice helps you ‘paint’ a different picture
86
PAINTSHOP PRO TUTORIAL
PHOTOSHOP PLUG-INS AND FILTERS PAGE
Discover how to use Photoshop plug-ins and filters in
Paint Shop Pro 8. Chris Schmidt reveals all 88
DIGITAL
PHOTOGRAPHY
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Check out our sister title for
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PAGE PAGE October 16) we give you 50
Photshop tricks to improve your
86 88 photos, plus a special montage
project for family portraits.
f #
Our aim is to bring you creative ideas, expert tips and image files, and full or trial software so you can try the If you have a comment, suggestion, idea or
quick fixes you can use in your own work. tutorial for yourself, delivering a complete package. submission you would like to make, please
Authoritative A leading professional in his/her field Clear Our large page size means we can add extra email us at editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk Visit
writes every tutorial. Value-added We try to include elements, explanations and detail to each tutorial. our website at www.dcmag.co.uk
PAINT SHOP PRO A-Z OF PAINT SHOP PRO LAYERS – PART 2
Paint Shop
Pro Layers Part 2
Blend ranges and adjustment layers might seem arcane, but
Lori Davis shows you how to master them in minutes
I
n the second part of our guide to PSP layers
LAYERS
we’ll look at adjustment layers, which
KEY DETAILS adjust the brightness, contrast and colour of
2 ON OUR DISC a layer or group of layers. We’ll learn about blend
ranges, which you can use to restrict layer blending,
■ IMAGE FILES
Paint Shop Pro plug-ins are based on the brightness values of a layer’s pixels.
available on CD/DVD in the
‘Layers pt 2’ folder
Quick layer review
All images on discs for An image’s layers are stacked one on top of another,
non-commercial use only with transparent areas on upper layers allowing the
‘paint’ on lower layers to show through. To add a new
2 SKILL LEVEL raster layer to your image, click the Add New Raster
5
X Layer on the Layers palette, or choose Layers8New
Raster Layer on Paint Shop Pro’s menu bar.
2 TIME TO COMPLETE An image’s layers are represented on the Layers
THE LAYER TOOLS The Layers palette displays your image’s structure, showing you Adjustment Layers
each layer, and providing controls to manipulate the layers Use adjustment layers to modify an image’s colour,
brightness, or contrast
much of the shadow range is included in the blending showing its Adjustment tab. There, you set the controls
0 EXPERT TIPS and how much is made transparent. The pair on the for the adjustment, previewing the results in the
CURVES
right controls how much of the highlight range is Preview windows or, if you click the Auto Proof button
LORI J. DAVIS included and how much is made transparent. The upper below the preview windows, on the image itself. When Use Curves to adjust the
PSP EXPERT brightness and contrast of
arrows in each pair determine where 100 per cent you’re finished, click the OK button to return to your
SATURATION AND opacity begins, and the lower arrows determine where image, and apply the effect.
an image. Curves
CONTRAST provides much greater
0 per cent opacity begins. The opacity for pixels with Notice that an adjustment layer’s properties dialog has control and better results
When you increase the brightness
values in an image, the colours
brightness values in-between paired arrows gradually two other tabs besides Adjustment. One is labelled than Brightness/Contrast.
tend to become washed out,and increase from 0 to 100 per cent. General, and is just like the General tab on a raster
you'll probably also lose some Setting ranges on the This Layer bar affects the layer’s Properties dialog. The other tab is labelled Overlay.
contrast, making your image look current layer’s opacity, based on the layer’s own You can edit an adjustment layer by painting it with HUE/SATURATION
dull and flat. You can compensate Use Hue/Saturation/
brightness values. Setting ranges on the Underlying black, white, or shades of grey (black removing the
for this by slightly increasing Lightness to adjust any
Layer bar affects the current layer’s opacity, based on effect from certain areas, grey lessening the effect, and combination of the
saturation and contrast.
the brightness values of lower layers. white for the full effect). However, you can’t normally three. You can also
SELECT AREA OF see the data on an adjustment layer, only the layer’s colourise an image
ADJUSTMENT Adjustment Layers effects on lower layers. To see a representation of the with this adjustment.
You can restrict the area affected Unlike a raster layer, an adjustment layer seems to adjustment layer’s data, click the layer’s Overlay button
by an adjustment layer by using a modify the brightness, contrast, or colour of pixels on on the Layers palette. By default, a red overlay is
selection. Before adding the INVERT
lower layers. The word seems is important here. No displayed that is 50 per cent opaque in areas that are
adjustment layer, make a selection. Invert seems to create
pixels on lower layers are changed; it only appears that completely affected, with lowered opacity in areas a negative version of
Add the adjustment layer, then
they are. This is a crucial distinction – it means where the effect is lessened, and complete transparency your image. Black
turn off the selection. Only the area
that was selected shows the effect. adjustment layers enable you to fine tune your where the effect is not applied. Sometimes this overlay becomes white,
adjustment at any time, even in a later editing session. makes it hard to see the image, and in that case you magenta becomes
To add an adjustment layer, choose Layers8New can change the colour and opacity of the overlay on the green, and so on.
Adjustment Layer and choose the adjustment you want. Overlay tab of the adjustment layer’s Property dialog.
There are nine possibilities: Brightness/Contrast, Channel And when you want to turn the overlay off completely, POSTERIZE
Mixer, Color Balance, Curves, Hue/Saturation/Lightness, just click the Overlay button again. Posterize eliminates
Invert, Levels, Posterize, and Threshold. Each is equivalent Whenever you want to change the adjustment some of the colour
to the same-named adjustment in the Adjust menu. But layer’s setting, call up its Property dialog. You do gradations in your
by using an adjustment layer, you have the freedom to this just as you do for a raster layer: double-click image, simulating
what you might get
dynamically tweak the adjustment at any time. the layer’s Layer button, right-click the Layer button
in a colour poster.
Once you choose the adjustment you want, the and choose Properties, or choose Layers8Properties
adjustment layer’s properties dialog box is displayed, from the menu bar.
Next month, we’ll take an in-depth look at adding and
editing layer masks, as well as grouping and merging layers
082 DIGITAL CAMERA MAGAZINE
ONE
*
If you want to bypass the Properties dialog when adding a new raster layer, hold down the Shift key
CLICK while clicking the Add New Raster Layer button on the Layers palette
FIX
COLOURISING A PHOTO Give a black and white photo a nostalgic touch with a sepia tint 0 EXPERT TIP
and hand-coloured effect. It’s simple, using raster layers LORI J. DAVIS
PSP EXPERT
WAYS TO COLOURISE
There are quite a few ways to
colourise black and white photos:
Hue/Saturation/Lightness
adjustment layers set to Colourise;
Blend Mode set to Color;
Adjust8Hue and Saturation8
Colourise; or even Adjust8Color
Balance8Black and White Points.
0 IN DETAIL
LORI J. DAVIS
PSP EXPERT
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS
An adjustment layer is a greyscale
bitmap. That is, its data is stored as
256 shades of grey (including black
and white). This means that any
operation that can be used on a
greyscale image can also be used
on an adjustment layer, including
making selections and adding
ACCESS BLEND RANGES SET THE RANGE GET ADJUSTED
04 Open the black layer’s Properties dialog box 05 Use Blend ranges to restrict the effects of the 06 Make the black layer the active layer by clicking
special effects.
by double-clicking the layer’s Layer button burning to the highlights and lighter midtones. its Layer button on the Layers palette. Add a
on the Layers palette, or by right-clicking its Layer Set the left arrows of the Underlying Layer bar to 150 Hue/Saturation/Lightness adjustment layer by choosing
button and choosing Properties. Alternatively, choose (top arrow) and 33 (bottom arrow). The pixels on the Layers8New Adjustment Layer8Hue/Saturation/Lightness.
Layers8Properties on the menu bar. Now go to the black layer covering the darker areas of the Background Select the Colourise checkbox. Set Hue to 35, Saturation to
Blend Ranges tab. become transparent, and so have no effect. 45, and Lightness to 0. Keep the layer’s Opacity at 100.
DCMAG.C
ADAM The shot has really caught the colour ADAM While this is a good example of O.UK
and the texture of the wings, but the sharpening, Tom makes a good point – the ACTIVE
composition lets the whole thing down. photo itself is pretty uninspiring, isn’t it?
TH READ!
dcmag.c
o
paulidd .uk/
on
PAINT SHOP PRO COMBINING IMAGES
Filling the
generation gap
If you’ve ever wanted to put someone in a different background, and couldn’t
decide what to use, try something different. This tutorial will show you how
W
henever I’m chatting about image-editing together. Paint Shop Pro offers a variety of tools for
software, one of the things I’m usually asked manipulating almost any kind of effect you can imagine.
is, "If I give you a picture of myself, can you You should always pay attention to detail if you want
put me in a different setting?” To those of us familiar the end results to be convincing. In this tutorial, we will
with photo-editing techniques, this may seem like a demonstrate how to combine two images together by
tired old trick, and yet few people can do it convincingly. merging a modern day image of a young girl with a
More often than not, novice users of photo-editing painting of the early 1700s. The girl will first be
software concentrate on object selection and forget extracted from her background. We’ll apply some effects
some of the key elements necessary to combine two or to give her a painted look, then we’ll place her in the
more images together, these being image resolution painting along with the other subjects, as if she was
and lighting. It’s intuitively evident that blending very painted there by the original artist.
high-resolution objects with low-resolution images will
produce less than convincing results. Likewise, putting a EXPLAINED
brightly lit subject in a night scene will produce results
similar to those we achieved in our childhood years
TOOLSCHOOL
A. MOVE TOOL Moves an item around
when we cut out pictures from magazines and pasted
B. MAGIC WAND Makes a selection based on colour,
them together to make a collage. brightness or opacity
When two images differ in resolution, the answer is C. EYEDROPPER Sample a colour from the image with this tool
rather simple. Reduce the higher resolution image in D. LASSO TOOL Create a hand-drawn selection
increments until the eye cannot distinguish between the E. PAINTBRUSH TOOL Paint on to the image using this tool
two images. With lighting, the answer is a little more
complex as there are other issues that may need to be A
looked at, such as the time of day that each photograph B
was taken, the presence of shadows, whether the
C
subject was lit from the front or back, and how the
saturation of the colors in the two images compare. D
This isn’t to say that if the lighting conditions are not E
ideal, you shouldn’t attempt to merge the images
COMBINING IMAGES
KEY DETAILS
2 ON OUR DISC
■ IMAGE FILES
COMBINING IMAGES When combining images, we must first establish a location where the objects will be place, and
then we can choose our subject and make the selection
2 SKILL LEVEL
5
2 TIME TO COMPLETE
20 MINUTES
0 EXPERt TIP
JOE APICE
PSP EXPERT
COLOUR ADVICE
When combining two or more
images together, pay close
attention to the colour saturation
of your subjects. Uneven colour
saturation can also produce less
than convincing results. PSP 7
offers two ways to adjust colour
saturation, manually and
automatically. Use the auto
ADJUST THE LIGHTING SOFTEN THE IMAGE BRINGING OUT THE DETAIL
04 Save the selection to an alpha channel or disc. 05 To soften the image, without losing too much 06 To bring out the highlights and details in the
saturation feature to obtain quick
and easy results and the manual
Now give the subject a painted look to help it detail, we can use the Salt and Pepper filter. girl’s hair and clothing, we’ll use the Clarify saturation adjustment when you
blend into the painting. The first step in applying the effect On the Main menu bar select Effects8Noise8Salt and command. Before we do, we need to clear the selection. want a little more control.
is to adjust the lightness levels slightly. On the Main menu Pepper filter. In the dialog box set the Speck Size and On the Main menu bar, choose Selections8Select None.
bar select Colors8Adjust8Levels and move the Right Input Sensitivity to Specks to 3. Include the Lower Speck size, Then select Effects8Enhance Photo8Clarify. In the Clarify
level slider to the left, until the whites are pure white. and use Aggressive Action. dialog box set the Strength of Effect to 5.
0 EXPLAINED
JOE APICE
SUBJECT PLACEMENT ADD SHADOW DETAIL FINISHING TOUCHES ON PSP TOOLS
10 Using the Edit8Copy and Edit8Paste8As New 11 To add shadow detail we need to paint it 12 Open the image file containing the chair arm. SAMPLING
Layer command, the subject was copied onto manually, because the shadow effect built into Using the Edit8Copy and Edit8Paste8As New The term sample, as used in this
the image of the oil painting. Using the Deformation tool PSP is a three-dimensional effect, and will lift the subject Layer command, paste the arm of the chair back into the tutorial, refers to copying pixel
the subject was resized to fit proportionally into the from the image. A soft round brush with an opacity setting image of the oil painting, and use the move tool to colour from an area of the image
so that it can be replicated in the
painting, and then moved as needed to achieve an of 25 will work well. To select a shadow colour, sample an position it in its original location. Merge all the layers to
colour palette.
acceptable seated position. area near the subject. This produces more natural results. finalise the image. “Hey, how about another Brew-skee!”
2 SKILL LEVEL
35
2 TIME TO COMPLETE 5
20 MINUTES
0 EXPLAINED
CHRIS SCHMIDT’S
PLUG-IN TIPS
P
hotoshop’s long-standing dominance of the Flaming Pear (www.flamingpear.com) and Alien Skin menu and choose the File Location option. Within
image-editing market has led to huge (www.alienskin.com). They can be integrated easily into the dialogue box that appears, choose the Plug-Ins
SYSTEM FILES
You may need to install a couple of developments – not only in the title itself, but Paint Shop Pro 8: whereas installing such components in option to the left and add a new folder location
direct link library files into your also in third-party tools, such as plug-ins and filters that Photoshop would require a copy of the file being placed before browsing through your system to locate the
Windows/system folder, depending have been developed to enhance the functionality of within the plug-in folder before booting the software, file. Once completed, there’s no need to reboot the
on the version and how up to date the software. Paint Shop Pro enables you to store your plug-ins software – your additional filters will become available
your operating system is. For
Although Paint Shop Pro has its fair share of such independently from the title before configuring it so that under the Effects menu, ready to use. It’s a good idea to
detailed troubleshooting advice on
installing filters, check out the third-party support, its developer, Jasc, has had the it recognises where it’s located. create a plug-ins folder into which you can create
Resource Centre pages of the Paint foresight to recognise its position in relation to its more multiple sub-directories to contain your filters, otherwise
Shop Pro User Group at established rival, and improved its support for many Getting filters Paint Shop Pro will have problems determining
www.pspug.org
Photoshop-compatible plug-ins. Some .8BF plug-in files may require you to install them individual effects.
manually; while others will automate the task through As you can see on the opposite page, plug-ins and
Installing extensions an .EXE file that recognises any compatible software and filters can provide some incredible effects. All this
CONTACT US!
Paint Shop Pro 8 now has full support for the .8BF file enables you to choose the title into which you want to at the click of a button, and with many providing
CHRIS format, which is native to Photoshop. This means install the features. comprehensive management of any attributes, the
SCHMIDT
www.dcmag.co.uk
that it’s possible to make use of plug-ins and filters With a .8BF file saved on your computer, you’ll need effect should employ you’ll soon find your creativity
produced by specialist software companies, such as to head to Paint Shop Pro’s Preferences under the Edit reaching new heights...
0 EXPLAINED
CHRIS SCHMIDT’S
FILTER TIPS
LIGHT SOURCE
Whether you’re applying single or
multiple filters to an image, you’ll
need to be aware of any light
sources in the original image. Adjust
those required by the effect,
otherwise things will soon start to
look unnatural if your shadows and
highlights don’t match up between
your original image and the
BALLS AND BUBBLES (JASC) FLOOD (Flaming Pear) TELEVISION (Alien Skin)
rendered effect.
01 The puzzle filter is part of Paint Shop Pro 8. This 02 The Flood filter from Flaming Pear provides full 03 This filter is part of the Alien Skin’s Xenofex 2
one converts an image into a jigsaw-style control over various aspect of the results. The suite and incorporates more than enough
image through a series of bevelled paths. You can view can be controlled by specifying the horizon and options to emulate the effect of TV scan lines. The linea
determine various features, such as the number of perspective; the altitude (which is useful for determining strength and thickness can be determined, plus the vertical
columns used and the connector length and width. There the most appropriate height for the subject); and how the shift for those bad aerial days. Detail is further supported
are further options for randomising the connector shapes. waves are modifyed. with controls for static, ghosting and breakup.
06 IN FOCUS ZOOM
The zoom effect explained
The pluginsite.com provides a range of filters, many of which are compatible with Paint Shop Pro 5
upwards. The zoom effect illustrated here comes as part of the Plugin Galaxy suite of 159 filters
* WEB LINKS
JASC
www.jasc.com
Family of digital imaging products,
including Paint Shop Pro, Photo
Album and Virtual Painter.
FLAMING PEAR
www.flamingpear.com
Plug-ins and filters. MELANCHOLYTRON (Flaming Pear)
05 This filter subdues colour and focus before
ALIEN SKIN applying colour changes and sepia-like effects
www.alienskin.com
Filters for Photoshop, Elements,
to make an image appear moody and nostalgic. The focal
Macromedia Fireworks and PSP. area can be specified, and unusual effects can be created
by damping the saturation and applying sepia controls.
Section highlights…
CAMERA CONTROLS PAGE
APERTURE
Aperture helps you emphasise all the right elements
of your photos. Tim Daly shows you how it all works 92
TOP TEN
LANDMARKS PAGE
George Cairns takes a photographic tour of
the UK and shares his favourite locations 94
PHOTO CLINIC
IMPROVE YOUR PICTURES PAGE
Our resident expert Andrea Thompson helps
you make the most of digital photography 96
YOUR PICTURES
GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT PAGE
CAMERA CONTROLS
APERTURE
SEE PAGE 92
Adam Evans and Tom Ang hand out the verdicts
on your submitted photographs 99
HOME STUDIO
SETTING UP A STUDIO ON A BUDGET PAGE
In the first of a new series, Tim Daly goes through
the equipment you need for your own studio 100
HOTLINE PAGE
YOUR PROBLEMS SOLVED
This month Aidan O’Rourke looks at night
photography, digital zoom, glow, and more… 102
PAGE PAGE
94 100
DIGITAL
Shoot
CAMERA
SHOPPER
Issue five of Digital Camera
Shopper is on sale now for just
£3.99 at all good newsagents.
With 196 pages of the best
photographic advice, a CD
packed with full software, filters
Take better photographs… and everything you need for
cityscape shots, it’s the best
value digital photography mag
around. So if you’re looking for
a second opinion about kit,
come to the experts…
f #
Our aim is to bring you creative ideas, expert tips and image files, and full or trial software so you can try the If you have a comment, suggestion, idea or
quick fixes you can use in your own work. tutorial for yourself, delivering a complete package. submission you would like to make, please
Authoritative A leading professional in his/her field Clear Our large page size means we can add extra email us at editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk Visit
writes every tutorial. Value-added We try to include elements, explanations and detail to each tutorial. our website at www.dcmag.co.uk
Depth of field can be used to get
some creative effects, softening
and emphasising different parts
of an image
Aperture
www.photolibrary.com
By far the most creative camera control, aperture helps you to emphasise all
the right elements of your photographs. Tim Daly shows you how it all works
1 SHOOTING CLOSE-UP SUBJECTS 1 SHOOTING PORTRAIT SUBJECTS 1 SHOOTING LANDSCAPE SUBJECTS * WEB LINKS
DEPTH OF FIELD
Shot with the largest With all subjects With the white tree
aperture value of f2.8, sitting in the same lying close to the lens, CALCULATOR
this image has a plane, this shot was this image was
www.outsight.com/
shallow depth of field captured using an captured using
and little recognisable aperture value of f4 in an aperture of f22, hyperfocal.html
background detail order to render the which makes the A useful site that helps you to
background unsharp background sharp at measure depth of field before
the same time committing to the shot.
Shot with the smallest Faced with the deep An aperture of f22
aperture value of range of subject and a focus point
f22, background detail matter, this image one third of the
3 IN DETAIL
is recognisable was shot using an way in from the
aperture value of 22 foreground was
chosen to maintain
focus throughout
this vista view
TIM DALY’S
ISO TIPS
APERTURE AND
ISO SETTINGS
If you’ve only ever used your
camera on auto exposure mode,
the precise nature of the
U
nlike shooting in the studio, taking lighting conditions, aperture values such as f2.8 and f4 valuable depth of field in front of the object itself, so it’s
interrelationship of shutter speed,
photographs in natural daylight can be a are used to compensate for the lack of light, but in bright better to choose a focus point about a third of a way aperture and ISO will not be
challenging process – due to the varying levels conditions aperture values such as f16 and f22 can be between the foreground and background. In theory this evident. Better digital cameras
of light. Cloud cover, time of day and seasonal employed to limit it. On budget compact cameras, the sounds easy but, in practice, this can be tricky to judge have a variable ISO setting that
differences can all change the amount of light that’s range of aperture values is rarely present – they just have without shooting several versions. calibrates your sensor against a
set range of light, so you can
available for successful photography. To help counteract two or three settings for average shooting situation.
shoot in very bright and very dark
this situation, camera lenses are designed with a variable Aperture and shooting situations conditions. If you’re trying to
opening called an aperture. Aperture and depth of field Different photographic subjects will largely determine the achieve a depth of field effect, with
Found in both conventional film and digital camera Aperture has an impact on the range of sharp focus way depth of field is used to create emphasis. Out a particular aperture and you run to
the end of your available scale,
lenses, the aperture is a circular opening that determines within a photograph, known as depth of field. Depth of on location, most subjects beyond ten metres away
simply increase your ISO value to
the quantity of light that strikes the sensor. Just like the field can be described as the range of sharp focus will be rendered in pin-sharp regardless of the focus reduce the amount of light needed
iris in the human eye, the aperture can be controlled to from the foreground of a photograph receding to the point or aperture used. But between three metres and for a correct exposure.
expand and contract to let in exactly the right amount of background. At aperture values like f22, maximum ten, you will need to pick your focus point carefully.
light in ever-changing shooting situations. In addition to depth of field is achieved, which enables both objects Aperture values like f2.8 will blur out fussy backgrounds,
framing and focusing an image, the photographer also in the foreground and background to be rendered but values such as f16 and f22 can be used to make the
has to work out a balanced quantity of light called sharp at the same time. With this effect your range background sharper.
exposure. By selecting the right combination of shutter of sharp focus could run into many miles. At the The golden rule to remember is that the closer your
speed and aperture values, a perfect exposure showing other end of the scale, aperture values like f2.8 subject is to the camera lens, the smaller the maximum
detail in both bright highlights and darker shadow areas may only create a shallow depth of field, running to a depth of field can be. In fact, when shooting really close
is achieved. matter of centimetres. up in macro mode, your maximum depth of field will
shrink to a couple of centimetres, even when using
Common values Points of focus apertures like f22. For portrait subjects, focus on the
Unlike older film cameras, where aperture values could In addition to your choice of aperture, depth of field is nearest eye and work with a mid-range aperture setting,
be selected by rotating a mechanical ring around the also influenced by your choice of focus point. Surprisingly, such as f8 and f11. If you’re still unsure about which
lens itself, modern cameras control aperture through depth of field doesn’t just occur beyond the focus point setting to use, try shooting three versions of an image
the use of a dial or button on the camera body. All in your image, but in front of it, too. Setting your focus with different aperture values and preview these on your
cameras conform to a universal aperture scale that on the nearest object in your scene will often waste LCD before getting into the shoot.
follows this sequence: f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f11, f16, f22.
Small aperture numbers like 2.8 result in bigger lens NEXT MONTH
openings and allow the most amount of light through Just like the iris in the human eye, the aperture SHUTTER SPEED
your lens. Bigger aperture numbers like f22 make tiny
lens openings and let the least amount of light through can be controlled to expand and contract to let in We show you how to stop
the action – or turn it into an
artistic blur
the lens. These precise quantities of light are common
between different lenses across all manufacturers. In dim exactly the right amount of light
DIGITAL CAMERA MAGAZINE 093
SHOOT TOP 10 LANDMARKS
DCMAG.CO.UK
ACTIVE
THREAD!
dcmag.co.uk/
landmarks
Landmarks
Britain boasts a huge variety of photogenic landmarks that
make superb subjects for creative shots. George Cairns, in
conjunction with our readers, reveals the techniques you
need to capture some digital delights
T
he huge variety of submissions for this delay – by the time the camera clicks, the birds will have
month’s feature prove that British landmarks flown out of your shot!
come in all shapes and sizes. So how do
we approach capturing the perfect shot with such a Post production
diverse subject? In photography, there’s a school of If your camera isn’t fast enough to capture the ideal
thought that says that the secret to taking the perfect moment in time, you can, like many of our readers, use
photo is to press the camera’s shutter at the ‘decisive subtle photo manipulation to fine-tune your landmark
moment’, and this concept can certainly be applied to shots. Ian Perrin’s Angel of the North (above) is a nicely
photographing landmarks. composed shot with two silhouetted figures providing a
YOUR EXPERT You may have framed your shot to obey the rule sense of balance and scale. Ian cloned an additional
GEORGE CAIRNS of thirds, resulting in a decent picture, but if you hold figure out of the shot to achieve this ideal composition.
george@georgecairns.com
your horses and wait for that ‘decisive moment’, you’re While purist photographers may feel that this is cheating,
likely to get a better result. The optimum time to take all that matters to the average viewer of the photo is
NEXT MONTH the picture might come when a flock of birds passes in the finished result. Is it an image that evokes a sense of
TOP TEN front of the landmark, adding an extra sense of scale
UK CASTLES and depth to the shot. To tackle a tall landmark, position yourself to add extra
Find out more at This isn’t always easy to achieve, because of the elements to the frame adjacent to the landmark. This
dcmag.co.uk/castles limitations in technology. On a mid-range digital camera balances the shot and gets rid of empty space. Shoot
we may miss our decisive moment as a result of shutter into the sun to add a dramatic lens flare to the shot
03 Smeaton's Tower
By Paul Scott
The position of the sun behind the
lighthouse creates a sense of the light 04
being on during the day.
04 Canary Wharf
By Richard Harris
Photo clinic
Send us your photos and our technical expert, Andrea Thompson, will tell you what she thinks! The best
submissions each month win a full copy of Adobe Photoshop 7, so what are you waiting for?
THIS MONTH’S
CONTENDERS Logick Lily
Logick from Brian Andrews goes all Harry Cutts attempts to
out to create a magical rescue a portrait of his
Brian Andrews illusion, in this unusual baby daughter with a
homage to 17th Century Photoshop blackout
Lily from Harry Cutts Flemish painting
HOW TO
SUBMIT YOUR
PHOTOS
You can submit up to five
photos each month, but you
must include the following
details with each entry:
1) The make and model of
camera used, plus any lens
attachments and filters.
2) The exposure settings
used (EXIF data).
3) What prompted you to
take the picture.
4) What image-editing
effects and techniques you
applied, and why.
Save photos as high-res JPEGs,
TIFFs or PSD files. Submit your images and FIRST
Email all text and images PRIZE!
to: andrea.thompson@
futurenet.co.uk, including
win a copy of Photoshop 7!
the subject heading Yep, if we like your image, a free copy of Photoshop, worth
‘Photo clinic’.
£595, could be yours!
THE RULES Are you looking for an independent, honest of the professional image-editing suite,
A cash alternative to the prizes is and constructive diagnosis of your images? Adobe Photoshop 7, worth a cool £595!
not available. We reserve the Then why not drop into our friendly Photo Our runner up will win a hardback copy
right to substitute prizes of equal
or greater value. The editor’s
clinic, and pick up some expert technical
advice and essential tips to help you get
of Tom Ang's superb Digital Photographer's
Handbook – an accessible, jargon-free book RUNNER
decision is final. By entering the
competition, you agree to grant
even better results from both your digital
camera, and your image editor.
that covers cameras, computers, peripherals
and image-editing software.
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us an exclusive three-month
license to publish your
Each month the winner of our 'Star
photo' award walks away with a full copy
So what are you waiting for? Get those
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PRIZE!
photographs in any manner
we see fit, in any medium,
in conjunction with the YOU’RE Succeed or fail?
Visit our forums, take a gander at
next month’s Photo clinic entries
We’ll print out the most entertaining,
well-informed, scabrous or helpful
competition. After three months,
this changes to a non-exclusive
THE JURY! We want to know what you think of your
fellow readers’ photos!
and email your thoughts to
andrea.thompson@futurenet.co.uk.
comments in next issue. Head over to
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license on the same terms. www.dcmag.co.uk/photoclinic
01
03
02
Authentic props
After converting the lamp into a soft, overhead light
source, Brian carefully arranged a pile of dusty old
tomes, an inkwell borrowed from a local museum and a
goose quill. These were shot against the same black
backdrop to make it easier to paste them onto the base
of the image, but closer inspection reveals that the join
could do with tidying up. The arrangement of the props
looks somewhat staged, too, but they do play a vital
role in adding historical authenticity and visual interest.
The final stage was to create the illusion of the
glowing orb, which was in Photoshop. First, a new layer
was created and a circular marquee fitted over the curve
of the bowl. This was filled with various colours using a
large, soft brush, the Spherize filter applied and the layer
blurred and lightened. Brian then used the Eraser to
remove the parts of the orb covering the fingers.
Brian derived his original inspiration from studying the Sadly, rough and ready Photoshop work has left some
I
t's easy to conjure up an elaborate visual bowl was lit from within by an ordinary 60-watt lamp, almost every other way.
fantasy in the mind, but translating that and this was the only light source employed. A black constructed is really imaginative.”
fantasy into a 2D reality takes a lot of time, cloth was also draped over the background. Despite Bill Kirbie, Birmingham THE VERDICT
effort, skill and preparation, as this brilliantly staged the ultra-simple lighting equipment used, covering An intriguing, thoughtfully constructed image
YOUR VERDICT? SUCCEED
image sent in by Brian Andrews readily demonstrates. everything but the face and hands in light-absorbent spoilt by slapdash Photoshop work.
01
03
02
UP
totally relaxed and content, and the way her hands are
folded is really cute.
Using direct flash has resulted in harsh shadows and
high-contrast, and shouldn’t be used with babies this
close because it can cause eye damage. It also
YOU’RE THE JURY!
Lily least, as Lily looks as though she’s being drawn into a
black hole. Black is the worst choice of colour for a
baby and should be avoided at all costs. A far simpler Succeed or fail?
intensifies skin redness. You’ll get much softer, more
flattering results if you bathe your baby in diffused
natural light – the kind you get on an overcast day or
Harry Cutts turns to Photoshop to help and more effective solution would be to place Lily on “I don’t like the harsh contrast through a net curtain. Freeze the action with high
rectify compositional problems a light-coloured blanket, and drape a plain, light sheet between the peachy tones of shutter speeds instead of flash, moving to a brighter
the baby’s head and the dense,
over the background. area rather than using faster ISOs (the noise can make a
black background. Perhaps a
Equipment used Fujifilm FinePix 4700Z Minimal patterns and whites or pastel shades reflect baby’s skin look rough). If you must use flash, move
softer, grey background would
the light best and detract less from the subject. have worked better.” back and diffuse or bounce it.
H
arry took this shot of his four-month old Textured and slightly crumpled blankets work best, too, Sophie Mackenzie, Devon
daughter Lily from about four feet away, and can be laid down on carpets, beds and settees or THE VERDICT
whilst lying on the living room carpet, and even over a parent’s shoulder. To blur the background, The baby’s expression is great, but this portrait is
decided to black out the background clutter in maximise the aperture and zoom in from further back YOUR VERDICT? FAIL fraught with problems that Photoshop editing has
Photoshop. The result is rather disconcerting to say the with a longer lens. exacerbated rather than solved.
8
UNFOLD
THIS 8-PAGE
SECTION!
■ Map of sites
■ Top photo tips
■ Places to visit
■ Pocket guide
AUTUMN FOLIAGE
Autumn foliage shoots well
in most weather – be
inspired by the New Forest
FANTASTIC FUNGI
Take a woodland walk and
capture the world of
mushrooms and toadstools
DURHAM CATHEDRAL
Forests of gold
See why Durham Cathedral
was recently voted Britain’s WOODLAND COLOURS
LANDSCAPE The New Forest is the perfect place for autumn
8
utumn is the golden time of year, drawing October generally guarantees good shooting, the sun starts to burn through it; and overcast,
A out photographers to record the passing of and many autumn trails are documented locally drizzly days give deeply saturated, yet soft and
the seasons. For some people it's the light, for and well signposted. muted colours that evoke the mysterious nature
others the misty mornings, but for most it's the Luckily, autumn foliage shoots well in almost of woodland. Although you should forget windy
fabulous technicolour autumn foliage. any weather. When it's bright and sunny, gold days for foliage closeups, wind-blown groups of
Arboretums like Westonbirt in Gloucestershire and russet leaves look vibrant, contrasted against trees can look good at slow shutter speeds.
have spectacular autumn displays of exotic blue skies. Early morning or late afternoon sun is Many of our best forests are a mixture of open
specimens like Japanese maples, but these are perfect around woodland edges. Deeper in the woodland and heathland. Brackens and heathers
FOUR TIPS CARDS incredibly popular, making photography a forests, only the overhead midday light turn a fabulous, golden colour during autumn,
We continue our new crowded experience. Luckily, Britain is still blessed penetrates. Backlit pictures of massed trees are and offer a wider range of habitats and wildlife
series of reference cards for with many ancient deciduous forests, with effective at this time of day, but make sure that than you might expect. In sunny glades and open
you to cut out and collect traditional beech and oak woodlands, such as the you hide the sun, in order to prevent lens flare. heaths of the New Forest, keep an eye out for
New Forest and the Forest of Dean. The end of Fog and mist can be atmospheric, especially as deer and its famous ponies.
Detach this section and take it on your travels!
8 8 8 GET SOME INFORMATION www.the-woodland-trust.org.uk Online magazine and database of woods dedicated to preserving and enjoying our woodland heritage
Getup&go to… THE NEW FOREST HAMPSHIRE
8
GOLDEN
8
BLUE
8
Golden
LESS IS MORE foliage looks great
Keep images simple. When faced with contrasted against deep,
stunning colour, it's tempting to shoot blue skies
every bit you can find, but less is
FERN
8
often more. Examine the scene to see
what makes it so good, and concentrate
BRITAIN
The forest
on this element.
floor has plenty of AIM FOR LYNDHURST
close-up subjects Take the A337 from Junction 1 on the
M27 to Lyndhurst or Brockenhurst.
8
WHAT IS IT?
Sprawling across much of Hampshire,
the New Forest is the largest area of
GOLDEN BROWN lowland forest in Europe and the single
8
Backlight is very effective in woodlands as the afternoon sun largest forest in Britain. Created as a
sinks. Make sure that you keep flare under control, either hunting land by William the Conqueror
with a lens hood or by shading it with your hand in 1079, its 150 square miles are a
mixture of ancient medieval woodland,
heathland and plantations. It’s still
coppiced and grazed, both by deer and
the forest’s famous ponies, and it’s a
popular natural attraction. Bolder Wood
near Lyndhurst and the Rhinefield
ornamental drive near Brockenhurst
have the most outstanding displays of
autumn colour.
LOCATION
The New Forest, Hampshire.
WOODLAND WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES?
GETTING IT RIGHT
8
Getup&go
FOLD ALONG THIS LINE FIRST
.
Getup&go HOW TO SHOOT BUILDINGS
You'd think that a BREAK THE RULES GOOD DAY tripod and long exposure are while streets are illuminated series as the sun drops. So take
church or building
2 Sometimes it’s
5 Blue skies enhance any all you need to photograph with sodium, a difficult source plenty of pictures at different
would be easy to necessary to throw away the building and don’t cause the these, but you’ll need to assess to correct for at the best of times, from about half an hour
photograph – after all, it's not rule book and let those same general background flare the lighting to ensure that its times. Dusk is the best time, before sunset to at least 15
going anywhere and tends to verticals converge. But don’t be and loss of detail that a bright, colour is faithfully recorded. providing a deep, rich blue to minutes after the sun’s sunk
stay still while you take your half-hearted about this – fit a white sky will create. If a sky is Many modern digitals have a the sky to contrast with the beneath the horizon. The
picture. But photographing wide-angle lens, get in close bland and featureless, look for host of white-balance settings subject. Meter off the building afterglow can produce stunning
buildings brings its own set of and let rip. Tall buildings work overhanging trees or a nearby to deal with artificial lights but and bracket around the result. effects, especially if you’re
problems that have to be well for this treatment, doorway or arch to hide it. it’s generally best to use a A good starting point is 2 secs near the sea, so don’t turn
solved if you’re going to especially skyscrapers. Consider basic daylight mode or you run at f5.6 for ISO 100. your back and walk off. And
produce great images. Here are exaggerating the effect by FLOODLIT COLOURS the risk of ‘correcting’ the very remember to re-meter the
our tips for getting better shots tilting the camera or choosing
6 Many public buildings feature that you’re trying to SUNSET scene every couple of minutes.
capture. Generally, buildings
8 A sunset isn’t just one
of architecture… your viewpoint to create a are transformed at night by a
strong, central vanishing point. little artistic floodlighting. A are lit with tungsten lights, picture, but an ever-changing ALL IN THE DETAIL
VERTICAL VERTICALS 9 Details can often be
1 Get close to a building PATTERNS more effective at summing
and look up at it: you’ll notice 3 Buildings are generally RIGHT ANGLE up a building than getting
that the effects of perspective 7 Any building the whole edifice in shot.
regular structures. Enhance this
cause its upper parts to by looking for repetitions and depends on a combination Use the interplay of light
converge. The brain patterns within their facades. of camera position and and shadow to highlight
IMAGE © Mike Kipling 2003
compensates for this, and Long lenses enhance patterns lighting to look its best. gargoyles, intricate carvings
perceives the building as by condensing the various Think of it as a cube and and buttresses on churches
having parallel walls. But the elements into seemingly flatter you’ll realise that it looks or old houses; or highlight
camera has no such planes, producing more more solid when viewed the colour and materials on
compensation, and in your graphical images. from an angle rather than modern buildings.
picture the building will appear straight on, and that a
to fall backwards, particularly USE THAT TRIPOD suitable lighting direction VERTIGINOUS
when shot with a wide-angle 4 Architectural shots can enhance its appearance. 10 VIEWPOINTS
lens. To cure this, you need to demand the use of a tripod As with landscapes, a low When you’ve shot the obvious,
ensure that the camera back is wherever possible, to allow sun can add to a building, look for something different.
vertical at all times, which may longer shutter speeds and thus skimming across and One useful technique that can
mean that you don’t get the smaller apertures for better highlighting the detail. produce a whole new raft of
whole building in shot. front-to-back sharpness. Northern aspects never see creative options is to seek
Assuming that you can’t afford However, it also helps to the sun, so consider other access to the tops of buildings.
a specialist ‘perspective shift’ ensure that verticals are options, such as silhouetting Climb up church towers or take
lens, move back (using a upright and horizons level by this view against the setting a lift to a skyscraper’s viewing
longer lens if necessary) or slowing down the process, sun or shooting at night platform for rooftop cityscapes
look for a higher viewpoint, leaving you time to consider when it may be floodlit. and images looking down the
such as an upstairs window. the image before shooting. building itself.
Getup&go Pocket reference guides 05 Getup&go Pocket reference guides 06
LENS HOODS
All lenses should have one!
HOW TO IMPROVE WHAT IS LENS FLARE? Direct light falling onto many digital cameras, especially those where
DEPTH OF FIELD
Control the zone of sharpness in shots
d
This is the area of sharpness either side of the point of focus.
quare It varies with the focal length of the lens and the aperture in
use: wide angles and small apertures produce a wider zone;
longer lenses and larger apertures produce a narrower one.
It’s also affected by the distance between you and your
subject: closer focusing gives less depth of field.
Getup&go to… DURHAM CATHEDRAL COUNTY DURHAM
8
AIM FOR DURHAM
Follow the A690 into Durham from the
A1(M). There is parking in Palace Green;
and a park and ride along A690.
8
ARCHITECTURE CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS WHAT IS IT?
Regarded as the perfect example of
late Romanesque architecture,
Durham Cathedral was started in
Mike Kipling puts on his walking shoes, for the best shots of Durham Cathedral 1093. Finished in just 40 years, it
stands on the site of an earlier Saxon
ew places are as commanding as NORTH FACE church. For many centuries the abbey
F
8
Durham’s great cathedral, voted Overhanging foliage disguises a bland was home to a community of
sky and prevents flare Benedictine monks, and is now, along
Britain’s favourite building in a recent poll.
with the castle, a World Heritage Site.
Firmly anchored on a large wooded loop in
8
DISTANT SPIRES Much of the interior featured in the
the River Wear, known as the Peninsula, its The cathedral is visible from all over first Harry Potter film.
huge bulk and three massive towers Durham, so get walking!
dominate the city skyline for miles around. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
A donation is requested for the
The secret to photographing this afternoon light. There are interesting shots
cathedral. Tower (10am to 3pm) £2;
Norman masterpiece is to put in the leg in the approach streets, but the quiet Shrine of St Cuthbert (10am to 4pm)
work, timing it to coincide with the cloisters and original monastery beyond adults £2, children 50p.
the cathedral around College Green allow
the most intimate views. Unfortunately, higher ground. Silhouette the cathedral’s LOCATION
Durham, County Durham.
photography is not allowed inside the towers against the sunset from Gilesgate
cathedral itself, though it would be churlish to the east of town, or head west towards WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES?
not to visit the interior, with its superb South Street and the railway station for Undercroft restaurant open 10am to
Romanesque architecture. evening views across the rooftops. 4.30pm daily for snacks and meals.
Returning to the outside, wander down
through the woods to the riverside walk BEST RESULTS
8
The classic Durham photo is even now intrude on the Gothic east face.
better shot in the autumn As the sun sinks, it’s time to relocate to
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk Official cathedral website with opening hours and exhibition costs
METERING MODE The secret is
to select a metering mode to
deal with the shortcomings of
built-in meters. Rather than
expose for the whole scene
with an average reading,
select a centre-weighted or,
better still, a spot-meter mode
and look for a mid tone in the
picture to take a reading from.
If there isn’t one, find a similar
BRIGHT REFLECTIONS
Look out for bright one nearby in the same light –
reflections when fresh, green grass and red brick
shooting into the sun are both about 18% grey in
near water – they can tone. As for the snow scene on
cause lens flare… STOP OVEREXPOSURE
Zoom into fill the the front of this card, you could
frame with the view, meter as normal then
take your reading and compensate for its whiteness
trap it with your
by adding an extra 1.5 to 2
camera’s exposure
IS SUN IN THE FRAME? lock, then reframe stops to your exposure. Set this
Hide the sun behind and take the picture. manually or use your exposure
a tree or other item compensation control.
in the picture to
prevent it striking the
lens directly. TOP TIP Many photographers
use an incident light meter
instead of relying on their
camera’s reflective meter.
Rather than measure the light
reflected from the subject, this
computes the light falling onto
it, so that it’s unaffected by its
SIDELIGHT
tone and gives a true reading.
A combination of a AVERAGE METERING
lens hood and a Measuring the exposure from
The shadow and
convenient tree out of your subject’s position may not highlight tones
shot to prevent strong always be possible, in which balance, making it
afternoon sidelight possible to expose a
case place yourself in a similar
from striking the lens. complex picture
light. And remember to point
with an average
the meter back towards your metering mode.
camera and not at the subject!
Blurring out background detail TELL ME MORE Once all prime lenses
had a depth of field (DOF) scale
etched alongside the focusing ring,
Prevent your main subject getting lost in distracting detail… with aperture settings either side of
a central cursor. You focused on your
subject, then referred to the scale to
tell you how far either side of this
was also sharp. Focusing a 24mm
lens set at f8 to 1.5 metres, for
instance, produced a band of
sharpness that extended from three
metres down to one metre; closing
the aperture to f16 extended this
SHARP FOCUS The
from infinity down to 0.8 metres.
small aperture and
Modern zoom lenses rarely have this wide-angle lens
information printed on them, making enables sharp
SELECT YOUR SUBJECTS SAVE THE SELECTIONS
01 Begin by selecting your main subjects. 02 When you’ve finished, save the selection
it more difficult to employ. focus to be maintained
from foreground
HOW DO I USE IT? Strict control over
Draw a rough loop around one with the and repeat step one for the other subjects. right through to
DOF enhances any picture. Employ a distant background.
Lasso tool and click the Quick Mask button. Choose a Then load in your previous work, choosing the Add To
shallow DOF, and subjects stand out
brush and paint up to the edges – an airbrush gives a Selection option. With your main subjects selected,
from a background. A wide DOF can
soft edge to the selection. click Control + J to paste them into a new layer.
make an entire picture pin-sharp,
which is useful when you’re shooting
in a busy environment where exact
focusing may be difficult. Set a small
aperture of, say, f16 on a wide-angle
lens and it probably won’t matter
where you focus!
DIGITAL DEPTH OF FIELD Due to their
smaller sensor sizes, lenses in most
digital cameras have a larger DOF-to-
aperture ratio than 35mm cameras, INFINITY POINT When
making it more difficult to use DOF all the image lies
USE THE GRADIENT TOOL FINISHING TOUCHES as a creative tool. The upside is that beyond the infinity
03 In the background layer, hit the Quick 04 Draw a line from the centre of the bottom front-to-back focusing is easier to
point on the focus
ring, wider apertures
Mask button again and choose the edge, about one fifth of the way up. achieve, which is perfect for can be used to allow
Gradient tool from the Tool bar (it’s under the Fill Choose Select8Inverse, then Filter8Blur8Gaussian landscape work. If you want to use shorter shutter speeds.
bucket). Pick Foreground To Background in the Option Blur. Input an amount of about 6 and the background DOF creatively, move to an SLR digital
menu’s pull-down list (the top-left option). will blur, leaving your main subjects pin-sharp. system or use image manipulation.
For blurring techniques, go to www.dcmag.co.uk/fixfactory Find expert advice on depth of field at www.dcmag.co.uk/theknowledge
Getup&go... routeplanner
PULLOUT NO.13
An autumn trail
Autumn is a great time of year for a walk in the woods – just don’t forget to take your camera
Y
ou don’t have to drive to the back of beyond to experience the
simple pleasures of a walk in the woods. The beauty of nature
ancient woodlands within easy reach, which are all great for autumn
colour. And what if you don’t live in the great metropolis? Well, visit
2 2 EPPING FOREST
isn’t restricted to wild, faraway places. If you live in our great capital city, them anyway – you’ll have a great day out and take home some
here are four spectacularly colourful and beautiful areas of heath and brilliant pictures to boot!
2 1 BURNHAM BEECHES
Epping Forest is the largest public
open space in London, with nearly
half of its 6,000 acres easily accessible
woodland served by London
Underground. Ancient beeches, oaks
and hornbeam make this a superb
day out to capture the colours of
One of the finest and best known autumn. It’s reckoned that the ancient
tracts of ancient woodland and heaths art of pollarding here has extended
the life of some of the trees in the
left in the south of England, the 2 forest to as much as 1,000 years.
Nature Reserve of Burnham Beeches,
near Slough, may be relatively small WHERE TO GO The A104 runs the
(500 acres) but it attracts half a length of the forest, accessed from
million visitors every year. Even so, it’s Junction 26 of the M25 via the A121.
a tranquil place, with a rich diversity There are plenty of car parks along
of wildlife, and spectacular golden this road.
foliage and forest floors that are at HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Nothing –
their best in late October. 1 it’s free.
HOW TO GET THERE The main car park WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES? Information
is off the A355, a few miles south of centre and Green Tea Hut at High
Beaconsfield at junction 2 of the M40. Beach, off the A104, plus the nearby
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Nothing – Kings Oak Hotel.
it’s free. LOOK OUT FOR The fallow deer that
WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES? There are roam in the forest, and the ghost of
refreshments available in the wood Dick Turpin who once plied his
and the nearby Jolly Woodman serves nefarious trade along the forest roads.
pub lunches and snacks.
LOOK OUT FOR The ancient pollarded
beeches, many over 500 years old, for
which the woods are famous.
2 4 WINKWORTH ARBORETUM
More a 100-acre
woodland garden
than a traditional
arboretum,
Winkworth was
created in 1938
from existing
woodlands where
Gertrude Jekyll played as a child. Now managed by
the National Trust, it’s a beautiful landscape of exotic
trees and shrubs planted on a hillside around a pair of
lakes. Gently winding paths and cobbled steps guide
you around stands of Japanese maples, birch, oaks
and larches that are spectacular in autumn.
HOW TO GET THERE Leave the A3 at Guildford and the
arboretum is two miles south east of Godalming on
3 4 the B2130.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Adults £4.
known as the Devil’s Punchbowl, is awash in autumn with the colours of LOOK OUT FOR: The newly restored boathouse and the
dying brackens and heathers. excellent views over the North Downs.
HOW TO GET THERE The A3 between Godalming and Petersfield cuts
BASED ON ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPPING
8
AIM FOR STIRLING
It’s on the A81 north of Stirling, which lies
just past the junction of the M9 from
Edinburgh and the M80 from Glasgow.
8
ALL IMAGES © Laurie Campbell 2003
8
ungi are nature’s recylers. Neither
F FLY AGARIC
plant nor animal, over 3,500 species
inhabit the UK, many living off the debris
5 The prettiest of mushrooms is also one
of the most toxic, so take care not to
WHAT IS IT?
Known as the gateway to the
and leaf litter of our broadleaf woodlands. touch it while photographing it Trossachs, the village of Aberfoyle lies
Whether your interest is in pictorial within the Lomond and Trossachs
National Park, and is renowned for its
photography or ‘collecting’ every species, TROOPING CRUMBLE
5
busy environment, so it’s important to produced by tightly packed groups or BEST RESULTS WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES?
8
get close to fill the frame. A 50 or 60mm brackets; while macros take you close into Café at the visitor centre in the Forest
macro lens is fine, but take care not to details, such as the texture of gills beneath GETTING IT RIGHT Park. See www.aberfoyle.co.uk for
work in your own light. Many species grow a mushroom’s cap. Light is sparse on the forest floor so details of accommodation, or try the
decent camera support is essential. If Forth Inn in Aberfoyle for rooms and
your tripod won’t go low enough, use a some of the best food in the area.
bean bag or change to the versatile
Benbo system. Cameras with swivelling
LCDs, such as Nikon's Coolpix, can prove
useful. Overcast days or woodland
POST-SHOOT
8
www.agarics.org Online database with pictures to help with fungi identification www.mushroomrecipes.com Great ways to eat your subject matter
THE PANEL YOUR
Adam Evans
The illustrious editor of
Digital Camera Magazine
Tom Ang
Prolific author of many
digital camera books
PICTURES
SEND IN YOUR BEST SHOTS TODAY! SHOOT
TOM A pretty portrait, but the background TOM Why not go further – hairy face, furry
is almost too beautiful, too distracting. Try ears? Hold the camera the other way: the
to avoid over-sharpening. shadow will be less obtrusive.
DCMAG.C
O.UK
ADAM I think that’s nit-picking, Tom! A tighter
crop would help but overall it’s a beautifully
ADAM This is a fun image, but a few extra
seconds of preparation, say to wrap a fake cloak ACTIVE
detailed image. Nice one, Ray. around him, would have made it even better.
TH READ!
dcmag.c
davidgrao.uk/
ham
SHOOT SETTING UP A STUDIO ON A BUDGET PART ONE
Setting up a studio
on a budget If you want to push back the boundaries of your portrait
technique, why not invest in a home studio? Tim Daly looks at
the essential kit and techniques in this new, three-part series
01
02
3 THE STUDIO BASICS
Setting up a studio doesn’t have to be expensive,
03
but your shopping list should include the following
basic items…
U
nlike location photography, shooting in the RIGHT
studio is a certainty. There’s no waiting around The garage studio is an ideal environment for starting 0 EXPERT TIP
for the right kind of light effect or struggling off and you don’t have to pack your kit away
with a wealth of distractions. With a studio setup, you’re between shoots… TIM DALY’S
STUDIO ADVICE
the boss, and you alone can match the character of your
sitter to a photographic style. Moving up from a basic battery-powered pack, limiting the distance. Both are GARAGE STUDIO
camera and portable flash unit kit to a full-blown studio manufactured in different strengths, measured in Joules, The only drawback with setting up
a portrait studio at home is the
setup doesn’t need to be expensive, as there are plenty with a basic 500J head offering enough output for all
amount of space you need to
of budget options to choose from. types of studio portrait. Weaker strengths like 250J need do the task. Portraits are best
to be used closer to the subject and may not allow you shot with a longish telephoto lens,
Flash lighting to shoot using smaller aperture values. used at some distance from the
sitter. In a normal 12 x 12-foot
Unlike portable flashguns, which fire on and off without Throughout shooting, the light unit is connected to second and leave it there. The flash meter detects light
domestic room, full-length head to
a preview, studio lights are fitted with an extra light the camera via a synchronisation cable, attached to the levels through a fixed, white dome called an invercone, toe shots of adults are virtually
bulb, called a modelling lamp. The modelling lamp stays camera at one end, and the PC or X sync socket at the which must not be obstructed. impossible. A alternative option is
on all the time and it can help you judge the quality and other end. For cameras without these sockets, a cheap It’s only necessary to take a reading at the start of the to convert your garage…
atmosphere of your lighting style. adaptor can be inserted into the hotshoe and then shoot, or whenever you change the position of your
Flash units are supplied in two forms: cheaper, connected to the flash synchronisation cable. light or sitter. In use, the flash meter is connected to the
Monobloc lights have their own built-in power supply camera end of the synchronisation cable, where it
and can work independently from other light sources, Flash meter communicates with the flash unit. Positioned as close to
sometimes at a great distance; more expensive At the heart of a studio exposure calculation is the hand- the subject with the invercone pointing at the camera
Powerpack flashlights are plugged into a single mains or held flash meter. Unlike shooting on location with lens rather than the light, the flashmeter triggers the
continuous daylight, the burst of flash and creates an aperture value reading.
camera meter doesn’t
respond to studio flash, so an Backgrounds and reflectors
independent meter is used Professional photographers use a range of paper and
instead. With the camera set fabric backgrounds for portrait and fashion work. A much
to manual exposure mode,
the flash meter determines
better system for home use is the fold-up Lastolite
system. Backgrounds of every shade, colour and paint * WEBLINKS
the aperture value required effect can be bought in a wide range of sizes. Lastolite
for making an accurate backgrounds are lightweight and fold up ingeniously, so ELINCHROM AND
exposure. As all studio you can assemble your studio in seconds. PROLINCA FLASH LIGHTS
www.elinchrom.com
portraits are shot in a blackout Reflectors are designed to absorb photographic
Used by the professionals and
room, there’s no need to take lighting and not produce unwanted visible seams, folds amateurs alike, Elinchrom and its
account of a shutter speed or shiny reflections, a basic Lastolite should be the first budget brother, Prolinca, offer
setting for your camera. Set item on your shopping list. In addition to backgrounds, excellent value for money.
Check out the Style 600 series kit.
your camera to 1/60th Lastolite also makes portable circular reflectors that are
essential for controlling the contrast of your flashlight.
SEKONIC LIGHT METERS
LEFT Held near to the subject, the reflector bounces light back
www.sekonic.com
IMAGE © Lastolite
A reflector should be high onto the face and can help to avoid unflattering Designed to fit all budgets, Sekonic
on your home photo-studio shadows. Better models are two sided, with silver and flash meters offer accuracy and
shopping list… gold for an option between cool and warm tone. ease of use.
CONTROLS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Here’s a simple three-step guide to the important
controls in your basic studio kit
CONTACT US!
TIM DALY
tim@photocollege.co.uk
CHOOSING A LIGHT MODIFIER FLASH HEAD SETTINGS HOLDING A FLASHMETER NEXT MONTH
01 The quality of light from a studio flash unit can 02 Light output is controlled by independent 03 Light levels are detected by the circular white SETTING UP
be modified by the attachment of various stepless sliders for both flashtube and invercone at the top of the unit, giving an A STUDIO
heads, including umbrellas. Umbrellas are made as shoot- modelling light. Basic flash heads have full, half and aperture read-out. Always check that you’re not standing in Next month’s tutorial is on
through or reflector types and can help to soften down the quarter power output options, but much better control can the passage of light when you take a flashmeter reading. light quality
quality of light. be gained with stepless sliders.
HotLine
Welcome to the UK’s complete help service. We’ll tackle any problem – our unique HotLine
Network means no problem is too hard. Email us today at hotline.dcm@futurenet.co.uk
EMAILS
LETTERS
FORUMS
AIDAN 22 years ago with my first film SLR camera. you, and use the exposure compensation to darken the select the right shutter speed. You’ll need to fine tune,
O’ROURKE As for the aperture and shutter speed settings used image if necessary. using the exposure compensation.
HotLine Network
Editor by professional photographers, it depends whether you To optimise the performance of your lens, set the For truly glittering night shots of Manhattan that are
Aidan is a photographer who works are using a compact digital or prosumer SLR camera. aperture to the narrowest value – you can do this as good enough to enlarge as posters, a professional
for the Manchester Evening News
With SLR cameras the technique is to use as small an the A70 has aperture priority – and let the camera camera may well be required! See you in New York!
www.dcmag.co.uk/aidanorourke
BARRY
JACKSON
HotLine Network
Expert
Phantom pixels of the night DCMAG.CO.UK
Barry is a published photographer
Noise caused by over-exposure
ACTIVE
Grainy night pictures THREAD!
and Photoshop artist
www.dcmag.co.uk/barryjackson
NICK dcmag.co.uk/
MERRITT I have taken a couple of photographs at night, anyway. If they are more widespread, then nightshots
HotLine Network
Expert using the self-timer. They are extremely one method in Photoshop would be to set
Nick is an editor, writer and grainy and dark. I’ve tried to brighten and Photoshop Actions to record and carefully
Photoshop expert
despeckle, but it hasn’t helped. Any suggestions? clone out each pixel. You could then re-use
www.dcmag.co.uk/nickmerritt
■ Andrew Davies this on other pictures. But Jonathan Ryan
has an altogether more cunning and
ALL SKILL LEVELS A major drawback of digital cameras is their intelligent solution for this problem – see
WELCOME!
tendency to produce noise at exposures of On The Forums, page 105.
over a second. This is visible as a pattern of If the pictures are grainy and dark, it
dots or hot pixels. The longer the exposure, the more could be that the camera simply isn't up to
BEGINNER MEDIUM ADVANCED
dots are produced, until you have snow – similar to taking night shots. Alternatively, you could
what you seen when a TV isn’t tuned to any channel. find night subjects that are brighter – for
CONTACT US Although the scatter of hot pixels looks random, example, neon signs, illuminated
We’re here to help! Contact HotLine it’s actually identical in every shot. Every camera windows and facades – and see how the
in one of the following ways:
By email help.dcm@futurenet.co.uk produces its own unique signature of ‘phantom camera copes with it. But the chances are that Grainy night pictures can be improved using various methods
By website www.dcmag.co.uk pixels’. If there are just a few here and there, the on a cheaper camera, you won’t be able to in Photoshop, but some digital cameras simply aren’t up to the
By letter HotLine, Digital Camera Magazine, task of taking them in the first place
cloning tool will remove them without any problem. expose for longer than a second or so without
Future Publishing Ltd, 30 Monmouth St,
Bath, BA1 2BW UK In light areas of the picture they’ll be concealed getting a storm of phantom pixels!
?
The frame on the left is created by Extensis
PhotoFrame, and the frame on the right is
created in Photoshop on a separate layer, by
PROFILES
using a combination of brushes and filters to
achieve the same, if not better result! WHERE CAN I GET MORE
INFO ON MAKING
EDGES?
Pages and pages of links to
ingenious techniques for making
edges and frames. See a review of
this excellent website in
Recommended Reading.
the picture on a layer of its own, in ■ www.retouchpro.com/forums/
any colour, and then add Noise. This showthread.php?s=&threadid=3244
has the effect of adding pixels of
many different colours. Use the
Magic Wand to select pixels of one
GIVE YOUR PHOTOS THE EDGE colour plus neighbouring colours,
uneven or jagged edge. Here’s one method: use the and then delete. Use the Gaussian Blur filter to
EDGES AND FRAMES rectangular marquee to select the four edges of the defocus the pixels, giving an uneven edge around
I want to add a frame or edge to my photos – photo. Do this by selecting the inner part of the photo the picture. Now create an inside edge by using the
the black, slightly uneven frames that are often – minus the edges – and invert the selection. Use Magic Wand to select the blank area in the middle.
offered with film printing. I don’t fancy Distort8Wave to create a wavy edge. Select inverse, delete the random pixels and fill the
spending $200 on a program like Extensis Photo-Frame. I Clare McFadden gives a useful link to a website area with black. You now have a rather nice random
just need one type of frame. I use Photoshop 7 for editing. with many tips and tutorials for making frames. The edge. Experiment with different settings.
■ Rafi Bryl example above is taken from there. In my opinion, if you really want the edge to look
There are many different ways of creating Another way you could do it would be to make a authentic, the best way to do it is to make a copy
an edge of this type. One of them is to use rough edge using a random pattern – I often use of an edge taken from a scanned photo. Digital
your image-editing software to make an Filter8Noise8Add Noise. First draw an edge around imaging effects can often look very artificial.
MasterClass
HotLine Network Expert Aidan O’Rourke shows you how to use Glow
COMPRESSION-FREE FORMAT
1
Don’t miss
2
next issue…
In the next Hotline we’ll be looking at
successfully printing your digital images and
3
shooting small, distant subjects in low light.
PLUS The pick of your digital photography
queries answered by our experts, so get in
touch and let us know how we can help!
THREAD!
dcmag.co.uk/
concepts and useful tips,
with plenty of well-composed
images to inspire readers,
animaleyes
though some of the fantasy
composite images tread a fine line
Even in dull daylight, with the animal’s pupils quite small, there is still a reflection from the eyes, in this case a blue-green colour. between beauty and banality.
I removed the red-eye in the usual way by drawing over the glowing area in black
PAGE PAGE
111 110
PC & internet
Expert advice on using hardware, software and the web
f #
Our aim is to bring you creative ideas, expert tips and image files, and full or trial software so you can try the If you have a comment, suggestion, idea or
quick fixes you can use in your own work. tutorial for yourself, delivering a complete package. submission you would like to make, please
Authoritative A leading professional in his/her field Clear Our large page size means we can add extra email us at editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk Visit
writes every tutorial. Value-added We try to include elements, explanations and detail to each tutorial. our website at www.dcmag.co.uk
PC AND INTERNET CD TUTORIAL
PhotoImpact 6.0
Create stunning-looking works of art from your photographs with this easy-to-use
FREE
on this month’s
coverdisc!
2 SKILL LEVEL
3
2 TIME TO COMPLETE
30 MINUTES
BEFORE
The composition’s okay, but
lack of flash means the subject
Your flexible friend
N
is too muted to catch the eye, o one said digital photography was an Gif Animator 4.0 and PhotoImpact Album for taking
even though the backlighting’s inexpensive hobby. For the best equipment, Fortunately, those nice people at Ulead have been kind your web-authoring options into new areas or just to
reduced by the trees the average Joe will need to consider a enough to allow us to give you a fully-functional copy keep tabs of your ever-growing image collection.
small loan for the camera alone. With software like of PhotoImpact 6.0. The software has a very different
Photoshop only adding to the financial burden, you approach to other established titles, but once you’ve Interesting effects
0 EXPLAINED may be forgiven for re-evaluating your new-found
indulgence as you consider whether train-spotting
got into the swing of things, you’ll soon find it flexible
enough to deal with most situations that your images
The walkthrough recreates the image effect above,
bringing out some of the detail in the original photo,
CHRIS SCHMIDT’S may be a more viable option… demand. Extensive image-editing tools provide control which suffers a little, due to lack of fill-in flash. It also
PHOTOIMPACT TIPS However, some impressive results are still possible over your work, while vector graphic-editing support provides a tasteful artistic frame effect, making use of
with some of the lower- to mid-range cameras, and the will ensure you keep your text clarity as you experiment PhotoImpact’s EasyPalette feature to add interesting effects
MASKS
Masks allow you to paint over
range of image-editing software is now diverse enough with variations in your designs and layouts. to your work as you master your new installation.
an image to determine the for you to find the right title at the right price, offering a It also has some novel web tools, allowing you Once you’ve gone through the steps, you’ll no doubt
selection, rather like a template good balance of features for your needs. Photoshop may to take your work to new levels as you distribute be itching to find out what else the title can do, so
might. By creating a mask, you be the reserve of the pros, in terms of cost and your imagery on the internet, with the software why not experiment with your own images, and make
have much more control as you
complexity, and Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop Elements considering that fine balance of image quality against use of the extensive documentation available through
specify complex areas of an
image than might be possible may offer some powerful features, but the cost of even file size that’s essential for your work to be seen reliably the help menu? Next month we’ll be showing you how
through regular selection tools. these budget titles can cause some concern as you find over the media platform. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll to put your work online in the form of a web gallery,
the best image-editing solution for you. come across PhotoImpact’s complementary titles, Ulead courtesy of your free software.
By making careful adjustments to the colour balance and lighting, and 0 EXPLAINED
LIGHTEN UP by making the most of the mask mode, you’ll bring your picture to life
CHRIS SCHMIDT’S
PHOTOIMPACT TIPS
IMAGE ADJUSTMENT
The Format menu contains all the
image adjustment tools which, as
a photographer, you’ll undoubtedly
be making full use of. These
include options to adjust the white
points, levels, hue and saturation
of an image to get the best results
out of an original image that may
not have been captured as well
as you’d hoped.
GET TO KNOW THE INTERFACE THE MAGNIFYING GLASS TOOL SOFTWARE IMAGE ADJUSTMENT TOOLS
01 PhotoImpact takes on a little more identity 02 Select the magnifying glass tool, and you’ll 03 The software image adjustment tools can be
with an image available, so open the notice that the options available at the head found under the Format menu, which contains
muse.jpg image and familiarise yourself with the of the interface adjust accordingly, to provide options to all the expected features, such as colour balance, hue and
interface elements of the tool bar, the floating panels, the current tool. Either use the slider or the drop-down saturation, along with more advanced features. There’s
and so on. To make any changes to the default layout
use the View8Toolbars and Panels option.
options to alter the image magnification to best fit
your screen resolution.
also a range of automatic processes available for one-click
fixes of common problems. * UPGRADE!
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VIEW AVAILABLE OPTIONS INVERT THE MASK REVEAL YOUR FINISHED IMAGE NEXT MONTH
07 With the focal point of our image adjusted, we 08 Drag the Square03 mask onto the image and 09 You can now lose the selection by choosing ONLINE
@ GALLERY
can now enhance the final image through you’ll notice the outline presented. Choose the None from the Selection menu, to reveal your
other methods. If the EasyPalette isn’t visible, activate it resize tool and drag the mask’s bounding box to surround completed image. The EasyPalette provides further creative Discover how to
create an online
through View8Toolbars and Panels, and select Mask Library the subject neatly. Invert the mask through the Selection options, including image, shape and path libraries, so why image library
to view available options in the right-hand preview pane. menu and hit the delete key to soften the image’s edges. not experiment and bring new life to your old images?
* WEB LINKS M
ost digital cameras have basic support
for creating short movies of about a
minute. They enable you to produce
MICROSOFT MOVIE clips of around 320 x 240 pixels at ten frames per
MAKER second, which is roughly half that of a dedicated
www.microsoft.com/
camcorder. Although this isn’t large or smooth
windowsxp/moviemaker
As well as allowing the free enough to play back without pixellation through
download of the software, the site your TV, movie mode might be just the thing to
provides some useful advice for help you bring to life a holiday moment or
new filmmakers.
capture an occasion that might otherwise be
missed. Think of it as an additional bonus to a
IMOVE
still camera.
www.apple.com/imovie
The Apple equivalent is more And, if you want to keep your audience
powerful and aimed at DV content, entertained for longer, you can record a
although the process is similar. sequence of clips that can be easily edited
together to form a more cohesive whole. There
THE ART & CRAFT OF are various software titles around that
MOVIE MAKING will do this for you, from entry-level programs,
www.bbc.co.uk/education/
such as Apple’s iMovie and Microsoft’s Movie
lzone/movie
Learn from the masters and discover Maker (which you’ll probably have installed
some tricks of the trade that will on your system), to dedicated professional
enhance your movies. titles, such as Adobe’s Premiere and Apple’s
Final Cut Pro.
PicaLoader 1.25 SE
Get picture-perfect results every time: this useful web utility helps you search the internet for the images you
need and lets you flick through them at your leisure…
W
hile the internet is a rich
tapestry of information, it
appears to have been
directly from the preview.
Each project can comprise
several tasks – for example,
FREE
on this month’s
crudely stitched together with threads if you are searching for coverdisc!
of sheer uselessness. To help you pictures relating to a
unravel the tangle, it’s handy to have movie, you may wish to
a utility to scour your selected include tasks that search
area, teasing out the little pieces of for the film, its director PICALOADER 1.25 SE
information you require and promptly and its stars. If you KEY DETAILS
disposing of the remains. PicaLoader is want to keep your
a step in the right direction, trawling photo searching to 2 PUBLISHER
VOW Software
the internet for the images you need yourself, the password-
and enabling you to flick through them protection function 2 PRODUCT STATUS
at your leisure. enables you to keep your Full product as sold for £21
Simply choose the area to be
searched (this can be confined to a
search results hidden.
Much easier than
2 CONTACT
www.vowsoft.com
single web page or an entire website scanning through your
and all its links) and begin searching. Temporary Internet Files 2 SERIAL NUMBER INFO
It’s possible to specify what sort folder every five minutes… None required
of images you wish to search for,
using either preset defaults, such as ABOVE
2 SKILL LEVEL
1,024 x 768 wallpaper and thumbnails, Use detailed search 3
or by creating a custom-sized search
criterion. To narrow down the search,
criteria to make sure you
only download what you
2 TIME TO COMPLETE
you can specify keywords to be
included or excluded from images and
really want 15 MINUTES
PICTURE PERFECT Use Picaloader to search for pictures, getting exactly the results you want. And once
you’ve found your pictures, you can quickly download and manage them…
* UPGRADE!
30-DAY TRIAL
Had fun scouring the net for new
pictures? Then consider upgrading to
PicaLoader 1.3, a 30-day trial of
which is included on our disc. Not
only will you enjoy free access to
future versions of the software, but
there’s also unlimited image
downloads, frequent upgrades and
priority email support. There’s also a
queue browser to enable you to
CHOOSE YOUR WEBSITE SPEED LIMIT FILTER UP eliminate URLs while searching and
01 We began by choosing a website of royalty-free 02 Select Followed Links to specify the depth of 03 The Page URL Filter and Picture URL Filter enhanced search capabilities. DCM
images to have a look at, in this case www.free your investigation, by identifying which pages enable you to specify keywords to narrow readers can upgrade at www.reg
soft.net/purchase.php3?productid=5
images.co.uk. Click the New Task button and input the URL are to be searched and to limit linking to the immediate down your search. When you’re all done, click OK and 1241&pc=V6N57 for £18.42, saving
of your chosen site. Also specify the Picture Filter Profile domain or site. Limiting the number of pages to be watch your new task appear in the Project Window. Click £12.30 on the usual price.
you require. We chose the 1,024 x 768 wallpaper. searched can help you get more precise results. the Play button and PicaLoader begins searching for you.
4 KEEP A RECORD
Keep records if you’re paying by credit card over the phone. Print
off web pages after you have entered your details on them. Keep
notes of exact times and the name of the person who took your
order, if you’re paying by phone. Always keep your receipts.
Buyers’guide
Turn the page for in-depth reviews of over 85 top digital cameras
£200 – £300
CANON HP PHOTOSMART 735 KONICA REVIO KD-310Z OLYMPUS C-350Z RICOH CAPLIO G3
POWERSHOT A300 £200 | 3.2 megapixels £250 | 3.2 megapixels £250 | 3.2 megapixels £250 | 3.2 megapixels
£200 | 3.2 megapixels | www.canon.co.uk www.hp.com www.konicaeurope.com www.olympus.co.uk www.ricoh-cameras.co.uk
You can maybe get more for your £200 than this One of the best entry-level cameras on the Other 3-megapixels offer these features but its £250 is a rock-bottom price for a 3-megapixel The Caplio G3 is by no means a bad camera, but
if you shop smartly, but the A300 still represents market right now. It’s solid, well made and construction and build quality is out of the camera, and while it feels a little plasticky, it’s its worst problem is its general lack of appeal
a good performance, quality and value produces really good-looking shots ordinary, and its startup time is breathtaking.FULL solid, easy to use and produces great images when it’s up against some seriously tasty rivals
FULL REVIEW: issue 09 FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 08
Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/2.7-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/1.2.7-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel 1/1.8 inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2 megapixel 1/25-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/2.7-inch 3.3MP CCD
Canon f3.6 fixed focal length lens Focus Auto, 5cm Pentax f2.6-5.0 3x zoom Focus auto, macro Exposure Hexanon Focus auto, 10cm in macro Exposure Olympus f3 1-5.2 3x zoom Focus auto, 20cm Lens Ricoh f2.6-4.7 3x zoom Focus Auto, 1cm in
in macro mode Exposure modes Program AE modes Program AE, Scene modes Metering modes Program AE Metering Centre-weighted, spot macro Exposure modes auto, program, scene macro Exposure modes Program AE, Scene
Metering Evaluative, centre-weighted, spot Monitor Averaged, spot AE compensation +/-2 EV in 0.5EV Monitor 1.5 inch AE compensation +/-1.5EV, 0.3EV modes Metering evaluation and spot Monitor 1.8 modes Metering Multi-pattern, centre-weighted,
1.5-inch 67,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in steps Flash auto, red-eye, on, off, night flash Video increments Flash Auto, on, off, red-eye, night flash inch 85,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV, 0.5EV spot Monitor 1.6-inch 80,000 pixels AE
0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, off, slow, red-eye Video output PAL/NTSC Movie recording with sound Video output No Movie recording 320 x 240 up to steps Flash auto, on, off, slow, red-eye Video compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash Auto,
output No Movie recording 640 x 480 at 15fps (duration depends on card capacity Other features 15fps Other features Dual memory card formats output PAL/NTSC Movie recording 320 x 240 at on, off, slow, red-eye Video output PAL/NTSC
with sound Other features Stitch Assist panoramic Optional camera dock Image storage Internal, Secure Image storage SD card, Memory Stick Batteries 15fps Other features 2 in 1, panoramic modes Movie recording 320 x 240 + sound Features
mode Image storage CompactFlash Batteries 2x AA Digital card Batteries 2xAA AC adaptor No Weight Lithium-ion rechargeable, DR-LB4 Battery life Image storage xD-picture card Batteries not Time-lapse mode Image storage 8MB internal,
Battery life 75/210 shots LCD monitor on/off AC 235g (including batteries) Dimensions 105mm(w) x 100/200 shots LCD monitor on/off AC adaptor Yes quoted Weight 170g Dimensions 108mm (w) x SD card slot Batteries 2x AA Battery life Up to
adaptor No Weight 175g (without battery or card) 46mm(h) x 71mm(d) Transfer USB interface Weight 198g (without battery or card) Dimensions 57.5mm (h) x 40mm (d) Transfer USB Software 350 shots AC adaptor No Weight 170g (without
Dimensions 110mm(w) x 58mm(h) x 36.6mm(d) Software HP Photo & Imaging software, HP 94(w) x 56(h) x 29.5(d) mm Transfer USB Software Olympus Camedia master 4.1 OS 9.0 or higher, battery or card) Dimensions 123.9mm(w) x
Transfer USB Software ImageBrowser EX, Memories Disc OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac Documentation only OS Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, OSX 10.1 56mm(h) x 36.4mm(d) Transfer USB Software
PhotoRecord, PhotoStitch OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 OS9.1, OSX 10.1.5 or later Mac OS 9, 0-9.2, OSX 10 4-10 Image transfer software OS Windows 98/Me,
or XP. Mac OS9.0-9.2, OSX 10.1 or 10.2 2000, XP. Mac OS8.6-9.2.2, OSX 10.1.2 or later
Features 78 1 FINAL SCORE Features 75 1 FINAL SCORE Features 75 1 FINAL SCORE Features 79 1 FINAL SCORE Features 81 1 FINAL SCORE
1
83 % 1
84 % 1
85 % 1
84 % 1
79 %
Images 80 Images 83 Images 80 Images 84 Images 80
NIKON PENTAX OPTIO 33L CASIO EXILUM EX S3 KODAK LS633 CANON POWERSHOT A70
COOLPIX 3100 £280 | 3.2 megapixels £300 | 3.2 megapixels £300 | 3.1 megapixels £300 | 3.2 megapixels
£280 | 3.2 megapixels | www.nikon.co.uk www.pentax.co.uk www.casio.co.uk www.kodak.co.uk www.canon.co.uk
Robust and reliable, with good image quality but A rather ungainly design but it takes very good The Exilim's tiny dimensions bring compromises – There’s a lot to like in the LS633: the build quality, The PowerShot A70 is well made, well designed
if you’re expecting class just because it’s a NIkon, pictures and incorporates more photographic namely, price and versatility – but its charm and punchy images and LCD. It is flawed though, with and easy to use. It’s brimming with functions
you’ll be disappointed features than you’d expect at this price convenience are perfect for taking snapshots awkward controls and pricey tag usually only found on far more expensive cameras
FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 09 FULL REVIEW: issue 09 FULL REVIEW: issue 08
Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/1.27-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel 1/2.7-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 3.4MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.1-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/2.7-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens
Zoom-Nikkor f2.8-4.9 3x zoom Focus auto, 4cm in Pentax f2 6-5 0 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual, 10cm f4.2 fixed focal length Focus Fixed focus, 80cm- Schneider-Kreuznach f2.7-4.6 3x zoom Focus Auto, f2.8-4.8 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual, 5cm (macro)
macro mode Exposure modes Program AE, scene in macro Exposure modes Programmed AE,, scene infinity Exposure modes Program AE Metering 13cm in macro mode Exposure modes Program AE Exposure modes Program AE, manual, Scene modes,
modes Metering multi-pattern Monitor 1.5-inch modes Metering Multi-segment, spot, centre- Multi-pattern Monitor 2.0-inch 85,000 pixels AE Metering Multi-pattern, centre-weighted, centre spot aperture-priority, shutter-priority Metering Evaluative,
110,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV weighted Monitor 1.5 inch AE compensation +/-2EV, compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, Monitor 2.2-inch 114,000 pixels AE compensation centre-weighted, spot Monitor 1.5-inch 118,000
steps Flash auto, on, off, red-eye, Video output 0.3EV increments Flash auto, on, off, red-eye Video off, red-eye Video output No Movie recording 320 x +/-2EV in 0.5EV steps Flash Auto, on, off, red-eye pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash
PAL/NTSC Movie recording 640 x 480 at 15fps output PAL/NTSC Movie recording 320 x 240 240 with sound Other features Docking cradle, world Video output PAL or NTSC Movie recording 320 x Auto, on, off, red-eye Video output PAL/NTSC Movie
Image storage Memory Stick Other features 4 without sound Other features 3D mode Image clock and alarm Image storage 10MB internal, SD 240 at 15fps Other features Optional camera dock recording 320 x 240 + sound Other features Stitch
Scene Assistance modes Batteries 2x AA or CR-V3 storage compact flash Batteries 2 x AA or Lithium CR card slot Batteries Lithium-ion rechargeable, NP-20 Image storage 16MB internal, SD card slot Batteries Assist panoramic mode Image storage CompactFlash
AC adaptor No Weight 150g (without battery or V3 AC adaptor no Weight 180g Dimensions 105(w) Battery life 80 minutes/480 shots (continuous Lithium-ion rechargeable Battery life 180 shots Batteries 4x AAs Battery life 250/800 shots with
card) Dimensions 87.5mm(w) x 65mm(h) x x 63(h) x 41.5 (d) mm Transfer USB Software snapshots) AC adaptor Supplied Weight 61g approx. AC adaptor Supplied Weight 210g (without LCD on/off AC adaptor No Weight 215g (no
38mm(d) Transfer USB Software Nikon View ACDSee, ACD Photostitcher, Photos on CD OS Windows (without battery or card) Dimensions 109mm(w) x battery or card) Dimensions 114mm(w) x 31mm(h) battery/card) Dimensions 101mm (w) x 64mm(h) x
Software OS Windows 98SE/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac 98, Me, 2000, XP, Mac OS 8.6 or higher 38.5mm(h) x 57mm(d) Transfer USB Software x 56mm(d) Transfer USB Software Kodak EasyShare 31.5mm(d) Transfer USB Software ImageBrowser
OS9.0-9.2, OSX 10.1.3 PhotoLoader, PhotoHands OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 software OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS8.6 EX, PhotoRecord, PhotoStitch OS Windows 98/Me,
or XP. Mac OS7.6.1-8.5, 8.6, 9, OSX 10.1 or 10.2 or 9.x, OSX 10.12 or later 2000, XP. Mac OS9.0-9.2, OSX, 10.1 or 10.2
Features 80 1 FINAL SCORE Features 861 FINAL SCORE Features 78 1 FINAL SCORE Features 80 1 FINAL SCORE Features 93 1 FINAL SCORE
1
78 % 1
86 % 1
85 % 1
81 % 1
92 %
Images 88 Images 82 Images 78 Images 79 Images 92
Build 74 1 Build 80 1 Build 97 1 Build 84 1 Build 88 1
Value 71 1 Value 94 1 Value 87 1 Value 80 1 Value 96 1
A bit crude in places, the S414 takes good shots The Praktica brand’s become known for rugged, The Sony DSC-P72 is well made and well The DiMage XT has a ‘folded’ light path to produce Lots of manufacturers are producing beautifully
but isn’t especially rapid. A camera you’d buy on honest value. It’s crude in many areas, but its designed, and it does grow on you. And yet, the slimmest digital camera yet. Results are good, crafted, miniature cameras and the Ixus 400 isn’t
price, rather than for its innate charm results are good… for £300, we think you can do better operation is simple and the price tag modest. the only all-metal, pocket-sized on the market
FULL REVIEW: issue 13 FULL REVIEW: issue 07 FULL REVIEW: issue 09 FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 08
Sensor 4-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 4.1MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/2.7-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/2.7-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 4-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 4.1MP CCD Lens f2.8-
Minolta GT f3.0-3.6 4x zoom Focus Auto, manual, f2.8 3x zoom lens Focus Auto, 7cm in macro mode Sony f2.8-5.6 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual, 10cm in Minolta f2.8-3.6 3x zoom Focus Auto, 15cm to infinity 4.9 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual, 5cm in macro
10cm in macro mode Exposure modes Program AE, Exposure modes Program AE Metering Not quoted macro mode Exposure modes Program AE, scene Exposure modes Program AE Metering multi- Exposure modes Program AE Metering Evaluative,
aperture-priority, manual Metering Multi-segment, Monitor 1.5-inch AE compensation +/-1.5EV in 0.3EV modes Metering Evaluative, spot Monitor 1.5-inch AE segment Monitor 1.5-inch AE compensation +/-2EV centre-weighted, spot Monitor 1.5-inch 118,000
spot Monitor 1.8-inch, 122,000 pixels AE steps Flash Auto, off, fill, red-eye Video output PAL or compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, in 0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, off, night flash, red-eye pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash
compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, NTSC Movie recording No Other features off, slow, red-eye Video output PAL or NTSC Movie Video output PAL/NTSC Movie recording 320 x 240 Auto, on, off, slow, red-eye Video output PAL/NTSC
off, slow flash, red-eye Video output PAL or NTSC Microphone and voice annotations Image storage recording 640 x 480 with sound Other features at 15fps with sound Other features Non-extending Movie recording 320 x 240 + sound Features Stitch
Movie recording 320 x 240 at 15fps with sound CompactFlash Batteries 4x AAs Battery life Not Smart Zoom Image storage Memory Stick Batteries lens Image storage Secure digital card Batteries Assist panoramic mode Image storage CompactFlash
Other features None Image storage CompactFlash quoted AC adaptor Yes Weight 245g Dimensions 2x AA Battery life 300/500 shots LCD monitor on/off Lithium-ion rechargeable, NP200 AC adaptor Yes Batteries Lithium-ion rechargeable, NB-1LH Battery
Batteries 4x AAs Battery life 160 shots using 112mm(w) x 44mm(h) x 77mm(d) Transfer USB AC adaptor Yes Weight 259g (including batteries and Weight 120g (without battery or card) Dimensions life 190/440 shots LCD monitor on/off AC adaptor
1850mAh NiMH cells, LCD on AC adaptor No Weight Software MGI PhotoSuite, DigiMax Viewer 2.0 OS MGI Memory Stick) Dimensions 101.3mm(w) x 85.5mm(w) x 67mm(h) x 20mm(d) Transfer USB Supplied Weight 185g (no battery/card) Dimensions
335g Dimensions 113.5mm(w) x 64.5mm(h) x PhotoSuite III, PhotoVista (both Windows only) 57.7mm(h) x 32.6mm(d) Transfer USB Software Software Minolta DiMAGE Viewer OS Windows 87mm(w) x 57mm(h) x 27.8mm(d) Transfer USB
58.5mm(d) Transfer USB Software DiMAGE Viewer Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS8.6-9.1, OSX Image Mixer OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS9.0-9.2.2, OSX Software ACDSee, Photos on CD OS ImageBrowser EX,
OS8.5.1-9.2, OSX 10.1 or 10.2 10.1.3, 10.2.1
OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS9.0-9.2.2, PhotoRecord, PhotoStitch OS Windows 98/Me, 2000
OSX 10.1.3-10.1.5, OS 10.2.1-10.2.2 or XP. Mac OS9.0-9.2, OSX 10.1 or 10.2
Features 80 1 FINAL SCORE Features 68 1 FINAL SCORE Features 81 1 FINAL SCORE Features 81 1 FINAL SCORE Features 80 1 FINAL SCORE
1
80 % 1
69 % 1
83 % 1
86 % 1
81 %
Images 81 Images 78 Images 83 Images 82 Images 89
Build 74 1 Build 71 1 Build 90 1 Build 89 1 Build 88 1
Value 83 1 Value 60 1 Value 80 1 Value 91 1 Value 67 1
CASIO EXILIM EX-Z3 MINOLTA DIMAGE F200 OLYMPUS µ[MJU:] 300 PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-F1 PENTAX OPTIO S
£350 | 3.2 megapixels £350 | 4 megapixels £350 | 3.2 megapixels £350 | 3.2 megapixels £350 | 3.2 megapixels
www.casio.co.uk www.minolta.co.uk www.olympus.co.uk www.panasonic.co.uk www.pentax.co.uk
There’s a lot to admire in this camera: Its size, If you’re looking for a stylish 4-megapixel camera You can get cheaper 3MP cameras, but we doubt This handles surprisingly well given its small size, Other 3-megapixels with similar specs cost £100
huge LCD, Best Shot mode, speed, ease of use, that offers more than just point-and-shoot you can get a better one. Superb build, controls and the accessibility of the EV compensation and less, but this model is so beautifully made, and so
and even its docking cradle/recharger… photography, the F200 is unbeatable and performance make the µ[mju:] 300 desirable bracketing controls are especially good tiny, that many will be happy to pay the extra
FULL REVIEW: issue 08 FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 07 FULL REVIEW: issue 10 FULL REVIEW: issue 08
Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 4-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 4.1MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2 megapixel, 1/2.5-inch 3.34MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel 1/2.5-inch 3.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 3.2-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch 3.3MP CCD
Pentax f2.6-4.8 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual, 6cm in Minolta GT f2.8-4.7 3x zoom Focus Auto, 14.5cm in Olympus f3.1-5.2 3x lens Focus Auto, 20cm in macro Leica f2 8-4.9 3x zoom Focus auto, 10cm in macro Lens Pentax f2.6-4.8 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual,
macro mode Exposure modes Program AE, Scene macro mode Exposure modes AE, Aperture-priority, mode Exposure modes Program AE, scene modes Exposure modes Program AE, scene modes 6cm in Super macro mode Exposure modes Program
modes Metering Multi-pattern Monitor 2-inch Shutter-priority, Scene modes Metering DMulti- Metering Digital ESP, spot Monitor 1.5-inch 134,000 Metering Multi-pattern, spot Monitor 1.5-inch AE, 'scene' modes Metering Multi-pattern, centre-
85,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps segment, centre-weighted, spot Monitor 1.5-inch, pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash 114,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV, 0.3EV weighted, spot Monitor 1.6-inch AE compensation
Flash Auto, on, off, red-eye Video output PAL or NTSC 110,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow Video output PAL or NTSC increments Flash auto, on, off, slow red eye Movie +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, off, red-eye
Movie recording 320 x 240 without sound Other steps Flash Auto, on, off, red-eye, Video output PAL Movie recording 320 x 240 at 15fps Other features recording 20 x 240 at 10fps Other features Voice Video output PAL or NTSC Movie recording Yes
features Cradle/camera dock Image storage 10MB or NTSC Movie recording 320 x 240 at 15fps with Splash-proof exterior Image storage xD-Picture Card memos in record and playback mode Image storage Other features Panorama Assist and 3D modes
internal, SD card slot Batteries Lithium-ion sound Other features Automatic Digital Subject Batteries Lithium-ion rechargeable, LI-10B Battery SD Batteries Lithium-ion, CGA-S001E Battery life Image storage 11MB internal, SD card slot Batteries
rechargeable, NP-20 Battery life 450 shots Program Selection Image storage SD Card Batteries life Not quoted AC adaptor Supplied Weight 165g 120/150 shots LCD AC adaptor Yes Weight 160g Lithium-ion rechargeable, D-L18 Battery life 160
(continuous snapshots) AC adaptor Yes Weight 126g 2x AA or CR-V3 Battery life 230/140 shots using CR- Dimensions 99mm(w) x 56mm(h) x 33.5mm(d) without battery or card Dimensions 104mm(w) x shots (LCD on) AC adaptor Supplied Weight 98g
(without battery or card) Dimensions 87mm(w) x V3/NiMH cells AC adaptor No Weight 185g Transfer USB Software Olympus Camedia Master 4.1 50.9mm(h) x 32.1mm(d) Transfer USB Software (without battery or card) Dimensions 83mm(w) x
57mm(h) x 22.9mm(d) Transfer USB Software Photo Dimensions 110mm(w)x52.5mm(h) x 32mm(d) OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS9.0 or later, Arcsoft Software Suite, SD viewer OS Windows 52mm(h) x 20mm(d) Transfer USB Software
Loader, Photo Hands OS OS: Windows 98/Me, 2000 Transfer USB Software DiMAGE Viewer OS Windows OSX 10.1 or later 98/Me, 2000, XP ACDSee, Photos on CD OS Windows 98/Me, 2000, XP,
or XP. Mac OS9, 0-9.2, OSX 10.1 98/Me, 2000, XP. Mac OS9.0-9.2.2, OSX 10.1.3, 10.2.1 Mac OS9.x, 10.1 or later
£350 – £550
SAMSUNG DIGIMAX V4 OLYMPUS MJU 400 HP PHOTOSMART 935 SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-P10 KYOCERA FINECAM S5
£350 | 4 megapixels £380 | 4 megapixels £400 | 5.1 megapixels £450 | 5 megapixels £450 | 5 megapixels
www.olympus.co.uk TURN TO www.hp.com/uk/create www.sony.co.uk www.yashica.com
www.samsung.co.uk PAGE 42 FOR
FULL REVIEW
.
With nice build quality, very good performance and In a word, design. It’s small, smooth, and A plain and simple camera that does exactly what It’s neat and nice to use, but it’s not exceptional. Everything about the FineCam S5 is modest: its
great photographic controls, the Digimax tops it all pocketable. It’s robust, practical and easy to use. it sets out to but it’ll need discounting to make it You can get the same performance and price and its dimensions, but also its feature set
off with remarkable value What’s more, it’s image quality is very good indeed more attractive that its premium-brand rivals capabilities elsewhere for less money and ultimate detail rendition
FULL REVIEW: issue 07 FULL REVIEW: issue 13 FULL REVIEW: issue 12 FULL REVIEW: issue 12 FULL REVIEW: issue 07
Sensor 4-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 4.1MP CCD Lens Sensor 4-megapixel, ?.5-inch 4.2MP CCD Sensor 5.1-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 5.3MP CCD Lens Sensor 5-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 5.3MP CCD Lens f2.8- Sensor 4.9-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 5.25MP CCD Lens
Schneider-Kreuznach Varioplan f2.8-5.0 3x lens Focus Lens Olympus f3.1-5.2 3x lens Focus Auto, 20cm in Pentax f2.6-4.8 3x zoom Focus Auto, 14cm in macro 5.6 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual, 10cm in macro Kyocera f2.8-4.8 3x zoom lens Focus Auto, manual,
Auto, manual, 6cm in macro mode Exposure modes macro mode Exposure modes Program AE, scene mode Exposure modes Program AE, aperture-priority mode Exposure modes Program AE, Scene modes 12cm in macro mode Exposure modes Program AE,
Program AE, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual, modes Metering Digital ESP, (multi-pattern), spot Metering Centre-weighted, spot Monitor 1.6-inch, Metering Multi-pattern, spot Monitor 1.5-inch, aperture-priority, long exposure Metering Evaluative,
'My Set', night scene, portrait Metering Multi-pattern, Monitor 1.5-inch 134,000 pixels AE compensation 85,000 pixels AE compensation +/-3EV in 0.5EV 123,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV centre-weighted, spot Monitor 1.6-inch 85,000 pixels
spot Monitor 1.5-inch 117,000 pixels AE +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, off, red-eye, steps Flash Auto, on, off, slow flash, red-eye Video steps Flash Auto, on, off, slow flash, red-eye Video AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV increments Flash
compensation +/-2EV in 0.5EV steps Flash Auto, on, slow Video output PAL or NTSC Movie recording 320 output Via optional docking station Movie recording output PAL or NTSC Movie recording 640 x 480 at Auto, on, off, fill, night flash, red-eye Video output
off, slow, fill-flash, red-eye Video output PAL or NTSC x 240 at 15fps Other features 2 in 1 and panoramic with sound (duration depends on card capacity) 16fps with audio Other features Optional 3:2 aspect PAL or NTSC Movie recording 320 x 240 with sound
Movie recording 288 x 208 at 24fps with sound modes Image storage xD-Picture Card Batteries Other features Optional docking station Image ratio Image storage Memory Stick Batteries Lithium- Other features ‘Day-Fine’ LCD, customisable startup
Other features Voice annotations Image storage SD Lithium-ion rechargeable, LI-10B Battery life Not storage SD card Batteries 2x AA AC adaptor No ion rechargeable, NP-FC11 AC adaptor Yes Weight screen Image storage SD card Batteries Lithium-ion
card Batteries 2x AA or CR-V3 Battery life 280 shots quoted AC adaptor Yes Weight 165g (without Weight 230g (without battery or card) Dimensions 206g (including battery or card) Dimensions rechargeable Battery life 160/200 shots (monitor
AC adaptor No Weight 165g Dimensions battery or card) Dimensions 99mm(w) x 56mm(h) x 97mm(w) x 45mm(h) x 67mm(d) Transfer USB 108mm(w) x 51.5mm(h) x 35.8mm(d) Transfer USB on/off) AC adaptor Supplied Weight 165g
105.5mm(w) x 54.6mm(h) x 38mm(d) Transfer USB 33.5mm(d) Transfer USB Software Olympus Software HP Photo & Imaging software, Memories Software Pixela Image Mixer OS Windows 98/Me, Dimensions 92mm(w) x 57.5mm(h) x 33mm(d)
Software MGI PhotoSuite, DigiMax Viewer 2.0 OS Camedia Master 4.1 OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Disc OS Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS9.1, OSX 2000 or XP. Mac OS 8.5.1, 8.6, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2 Transfer USB Software ImageMixer v1 OS
Windows 98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac OS 9.x or later Mac OS9.0 or higher, OSX 10.1 10.1.5 or later Win98SE/Me, 2000, XP; Mac OS 8.6 or later
Features 80 1 FINAL SCORE Features 78 1 FINAL SCORE Features 72 1 FINAL SCORE Features 78 1 FINAL SCORE Features 75 1 FINAL SCORE
1
88 % 1
88 % 1
78 % 1
79 % 1
82 %
Images 86 Images 90 Images 87 Images 80 Images 80
Build 83 1 Build 1
96 Build 78 1 Build 84 1 Build 80 1
CANON POWERSHOT S50 FUJIFILM FINEPIX F700 MINOLTA DIMAGE F300 SONY DSC-V1 PENTAX OPTIO 550
£499 | 5 megapixels £500 | 6 megapixels £500 | 5 megapixels £550 | 5 megapixels £550 | 5 megapixels |
www.canon.co.uk TURN TO www.sony.co.uk www.pentax.co.uk
www.fujifilm.co.uk PAGE 38 FOR www..minolta.co.uk
FULL REVIEW
.
The PowerShot S50 might be compact, but it’s so A good revamp of an excellent camera – great A good camera but its design and handling make Good value in terms of features and its 5x optical
sophisticated it’s hard to imagine what else could The extended dynamic range isn’t this camera’s
value too, especially with the bundled 64MB SD it more fiddly to use than it should be. Its rivals zoom is tempting but its design and handling
be included. Images are crisp, sharp and colourful only merit. It’s also an extremely well-made,
card. Advanced controls can be slightly fiddly are just too good in comparison don’t match up to that of its closest rivals
well-designed camera that’s a pleasure to use
FULL REVIEW: issue 07 FULL REVIEW: issue 06 FULL REVIEW: issue 12 FULL REVIEW: issue 10
Sensor 5-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 5MP CCD Lens Canon FULL REVIEW: issue 13
Sensor 5.3-megapixel 1/1.8-inch CCD Lens Minolta Sensor 5-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch 5.3MP CCD Lens Carl Sensor 5-megapixel 1/1.8-inch 5.3MP CCD Lens
f2.8-4.9 3x zoom Focus Auto, manual, 10cm in macro Sensor 6-megapixel, 1/1.7-inch 6.2MP SuperCCD SR
GT f2.8-4.7, 3x optical zoom Focus auto, manual, Zeiss Vario Sonnar f2.8-4.0 4x zoom Focus Auto, Pentax f2 8-4.6 5x zoom Focus auto, manual, 15cm
mode Exposure modes Program AE, aperture- Lens Super EBC Fujinon f2.8 3x zoom Focus Auto, 9cm
macro Exposure modes Programmed AE, shutter manual, 10cm in macro mode Exposure modes macro, 2cm super macro mode Exposure modes
priority, shutter-priority, manual, ‘scene’ modes in macro mode Exposure modes Program AE,
priority, aperture priority, manual Metering 256 Program AE, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual, Programmed AE, aperture priority, shutter priority,
Metering Evaluative, centre-weighted, spot Monitor aperture-priority, shutter priority, manual, scene modes
multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot Monitor scene modes Metering Multi-pattern, spot Monitor manual, Scene modes Metering Multi-segment,
1.8-inch 118,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in Metering Multi-pattern, average, spot Monitor 1.8-inch,
1.5inch 110,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV, 1.5-inch, 123,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in centre-weighted, spot Monitor 1.5-inch AE
0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, off, slow, slow 2nd curtain, 134,000 pixels AE compensation +/-2EV in 0.3EV steps
0.3EV increments Flash auto, red-eye, slow, on, off 0.3EV steps Flash Auto, on, off, slow flash, red-eye compensation +/-2EV, 0.3EV steps Flash auto, on, off,
red-eye Video output PAL or NTSC Movie recording Flash Auto, on, off, slow flash, red-eye Video output
Video output PAL/NTSC Movie recording 320 x 240 Video output PAL or NTSC Movie recording 640 x 480 red-eye Video output PAL/NTSC Movie recording
320 x 240 at 15fps with sound Other features PAL or NTSC Movie recording 640 x 480 at 30fps with
at 15 fps with sound Other features automatic at 16fps with sound Other features NightFraming/ 320 x 420 with sound Other features Panoramic and
Panoramic mode Image storage CompactFlash sound Image storage xD-Picture Card Batteries Lithium
digital subject program selection Image storage SD NightShot infrared Image storage Memory Stick 3D modes Image storage SD card slot Batteries
Batteries Lithium-ion rechargeable, NB-2L AC ion rechargeable (NP 40) Battery life 135/270 shots
Batteries 2x AA AC adaptor not supplied Weight Batteries Lithium-ion rechargeable, NP-FC11 AC Lithium-ion rechargeable D-L17 AC adaptor Yes
adaptor Supplied Weight 260g Dimensions LCD on/off AC adaptor Yes Weight 170g (without
185g Dimensions 110mm(w) x 52.5mm(h) x adaptor Yes Weight 298g (inc. battery and card) Weight 205g (without battery and card) Dimensions
112mm(w) x 42mm(h) x 58mm(d) Transfer USB battery or card) Dimensions 108mm(w) x 54mm(h)
32.5mm(d) Transfer USB Software Minolta DiMAGE Dimensions 99mm(w) x 65.2mm(h) x 56.9mm(d) 100mm(w) x 59mm(h) x 39.5mm(d) Transfer USB
Software ImageBrowser EX, PhotoRecord, PhotoStitch x 28mm(d) Transfer USB Software FinePix Viewer,
viewer OS Windows98, Me, 2000, XP. Mac OS8.6- Transfer USB Software Pixela Image Mixer OS Software ACDSee, ACD Photostitcher, Photos on CD
OS Win98/Me/2000 Mac OS 9.0, OSX 10.1 or 10.2 ImageMixer VCD, RAW File Converter LE OS Windows
9.2.2, OS X 10.1.3 or higher Windows 98/Me, 2000, XP. Mac OS 8.5.1, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2 OS Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Mac OS 8.6 or later
98/Me, 2000 or XP. Mac S8.6-9.0, OSX
93
1
87 % 1
86 % 1
82 %
93 90 89 82
Images
Images % Images Images Images
Build 87 1 Build 95 1 Build 81 1 Build 83 1 Build 81 1
Value 81 1 Value 89 1 Value 88 1 Value 80 1 Value 76 1
Features 81 1 FINAL SCORE Features 98 1 FINAL SCORE Features 961 FINAL SCORE Features 81 1 FINAL SCORE
1
75 % 1
94 % 1
96 % 1
79 %
Images 78 Images 90 Images 94 65
Images
Build 901 Build 93 1 Build 991 Build 77 1
Value 52 1 Value 95 1 Value 91 1 Value 94 1
special issue!
Customer services 01458 271 100
The team...
Adam Evans Editor
editor.dcm@futurenet.co.uk
Andrea Thompson Deputy Editor
We show you how andrea.thompson@futurenet.co.uk
to take better black Rob Bowen Art Editor
rob.bowen@futurenet.co.uk
and white shots Kai Wood Deputy Art Editor
kai.wood@futurenet.co.uk
with your digital Elizabeth Raderecht Operations Editor
elizabeth.raderecht@futurenet.co.uk
camera – complete Rachel Harrison Sub-editor
Advertising
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30th
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Next month
020 7317 2427 carol.sIngleton@futurenet.co.uk
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THE BIG PICTURE
Audrey Hepburn
Wearing Courreges Hat
By Douglas Kirkland
Date November 1965
© Douglass Kirkland/Corbis
01
the studio photographer’s art, this wonderful shot
of Hepburn in her prime captures the essence of
the sophisticated, playful 60s.