Canon 60D reviews round-up

There seemed to be a great deal of consternation when the Canon 60D was released. It didn’t appear to offer a reasonable upgrade for 50D users and what Canon was trying to achieve with it wasn’t necessarily obvious. Now that the dust has settled and people have had the opportunity to play around with it, it’s become clearer that Canon have developed a camera that sits perfectly between the entry-level 550D and the higher-spec 7D. And a rather yummy piece of camera it happens to be, too.

Camera Labs says ‘Ultimately if you forget about its predecessor, the EOS 60D is a successful DSLR which sits comfortably between the models on either side of it and is very enjoyable to use. It fulfils its brief of offering a decent step-up over an entry-level model without the cost, weight or complexity of a semi-pro body, and if you’re into video you’ll love the articulated screen and manual control over audio levels.’ – Read the full review on Camera Labs.

CNET UK says ‘The Canon EOS 60D is a pumped-up powerhouse of a digital SLR. It’s crammed full of class-leading but consumer-friendly features (we’ve only been able to touch on them here), and it may be the only camera that an amateur photography enthusiast will ever need.’ – Read the full review on CNET UK.

DigitalCamerainfo says ‘The Canon EOS 60D represents the middle of Canon’s SLR lineup, but it is a top-notch camera in terms of performance, handling and flexibility. We found that it had excellent color accuracy and took sharp images, although the 18-135mm kit lens that Canon sells with it has some issues.’ – Read the full review on DigitalCamerainfo.

Digital Photography Review says ‘The 60D is probably best understood as a ‘super Rebel’ – it’s a more comfortable, more flexible and faster-to-use version of Canon’s justly popular entry-level DSLRs.’ – Read the full review on Digital Photography Review.

Engadget says ‘Overall the 60D scores highly and easily bests the 50D it replaces, but the real competition is Nikon’s D7000…’ – Read the full review on Engadget.

ePHOTOzine says ‘If you were previously tempted by an upgrade to the EOS 7D but don’t really require the weather sealed magnesium build, faster continuous shooting speeds and better autofocus and certainly can’t justify the cost, the EOS 60D could be the camera for you. Likewise if you feel you’ve reached the limits of your entry-level Canon camera but don’t fancy biting off more than you can chew.’ – Read the full review on ePHOTOzine.

PhotographyBLOG says ‘Ultimately the 60D takes some of the best features of existing EOS models and blends them together to create a DSLR that challenges the likes of the Nikon D90 more directly than the previous 50D did.’ – Read the full review on PhotographyBLOG.

Pixiq says ‘All in all, the EOS 60D offers the best value for serious shooters in the Canon DSLR line. If you’re considering an upgrade, you should be impressed with its versatility, speed, convenience of operation and image quality under most types of conditions.’ – Read the full review on Pixiq.

The Digital Picture says ‘The bottom line is that the Canon EOS 60D turns in very good performance, has great image quality and comes in a very affordable package. It is a camera that many of us will be happy to own.’ – Read the full review on The Digital Picture.

Kuwait bans public use of dSLRs

Taking photos in Kuwait used to be difficult anyway – someone using a dSLR in public could be the recipient of suspicious looks or find themselves part of a nasty scene – but now the Kuwaiti government has managed to go one step further. All dSLRs have been banned from use in public places, including shopping malls, unless for photojournalistic purposes.

There doesn’t appear to be any especially clear rationale behind the move, because although photographing people is generally frowned upon in Islam, compact cameras and camera phones haven’t been subjected to a similar ban. It doesn’t seem to be that the Kuwaiti authorities are making a public bid to save the souls of their citizens. Unless of course, an outright ban is next on the agenda. Who knows?

I’m not sure whether my rant earlier this year about not being able to use a dSLR at a music festival, despite others waving their camera phones all over the shop, or using their compacts and irritating flashes, now seems unpleasantly churlish, or oddly prescient.

More details available from the Kuwaiti Times.

Need another holiday gift idea?

Recently, we gave you some nifty ideas for small holiday gifts. Here’s another that would be a perfect stocking-filler for your fellow photographer friends.

These lens bracelets were created by Adam Elmakias and come in seven different designs. They’re available for only $10 a piece, or get all seven for $50.

And for those of you wondering why you didn’t think of this brilliant idea first, read Adam’s blog to see how he came about the concept for the bracelets and got them manufactured.

Top tips for sports photography

Chances are, there’s some sport that you’re interested in, dear reader. Even if football, rugby and the like isn’t for you, there’s always table tennis, trampolining or tiddlywinks. Even if you’re not much of a sports fan, sports photography can be a lot of fun and can seriously challenge your skills, giving you a chance to improve. We’ve put together a little handful of sporty tips, tricks and techniques to give you the edge.

Technique – Panning

Canter by Daniela Bowker

Panning is a technique that is mostly found in motorsport photography. It involves tracking your subject as it whizzes past you at speed. The desired effect is to keep your subject in focus but allow the background to blur, getting across that sense of fast movement. Essentially, the key is to keep your subject in the same position in the frame for the entire duration of the shot. This keeps your subject sharp. It’s not easy, but it’s worth mastering, as it looks fantastic. You can almost hear the car going “VROOOOOM!”. Maybe.

Technique – Manual Focusing

Ugrás / Jump by Peti_205

You’ll mostly see this technique being used in motorcross, snowboarding and biking – basically anything with a ramp for those braver (and crazier) than you or I to fling themselves off. You’ll see most photographers manually focus on a ramp or a bump in the track. Then they can get their framing and composition right, and just wait for the shot to come to them. It’s a tried an tested technique which can yield brilliant results. So give it a go!

Tip – Become A Clairvoyant

Played On, by Jim Campbell

Don’t worry, you won’t need to buy any dream catchers or crystal balls – I’m talking about learning to predict where the action will be. It helps, of course, if you’re familiar with the sport you’re shooting. If you can work out where the action is going to be, you can get yourself into position before it even happens. Then you wait. the last thing you want is to be fumbling around, missing great moments. Get there first, get there early.

Tip – Don’t Just Go Where The Ball Is

Aggie Women's Tennis - 51 by StuSeeger

Often, it can be a good idea to check out what’s happening around the action, there are some great photos to be had when you nab a shot of a furious footy manager on the sidelines, an ecstatic crowd reaction following a goal, or the jubliant player celebrations. Sometimes, the story isn’t just where the ball is.

Tip – Pay Attention To Faces

Photo by Gareth Dutton

Admittedly, this isn’t much use in motorsport, because you can’t see their faces, but when shooting anything else (alright fine, not fencing either) a good photo (OK, nor Formula One) can be turned into a great photo when you capture an expression in there too. Anxiety, joy, despair – there’s nothing like sport for making grown men cry.

NYU professor to install camera in his head

A New York University professor has decided to surgically install a thumbnail-sized camera into the back of his head for a project titled “The 3rd I.”

Wafaa Bilal, an Iraqi assistant professor of photography at NYU, is creating this project with the help of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, located in Qatar. Once the project begins, the camera on the back of Bilal’s head will snap one still shot per minute for an entire year. The camera will then feed these images to the museum, where visitors can watch his personal activity on several monitors.

However, the project seems to be creating some controversy over the issue of privacy. Students are crying foul about having a camera watching their every move. After some debate among the NYU administrators and faculty, Bilal has agreed to place a black lens cap over the camera while on university property.

It seems odd, though, that these students are putting up such a fuss. After all, he is a photography professor, and these are photography students. If anything, you would think they might be completely supportive of such a project. And what can this tiny camera, snapping one image per minute, actually capture that might incriminate these students? And what the heck are they doing in class that they don’t want anyone else to see anyways?

Maybe it’s just me, but I think this privacy issue is getting a little out of control. While NYU classrooms may technically be considered private property, I think a university campus can also be seen as public space. Personally, I don’t do anything in public that I don’t want any members of the public to actually see. Makes sense to me.

Avoiding the evil of red-eye

You have checked your camera, have extra memory cards and back up batteries, and are ready to shoot. You start blasting away capturing awesome moments with family and friends, only to be shocked by your photos days later. You slowly begin to think that everyone you know are evil aliens! Okay, so that joke is getting old, but I’m referring to red-eye.

Red-eye, in photography terms, is when the pupils of the eyes in people and some animals, appear red in photos. Since ’tis almost the season for many great holidays, and amazing photo opportunities, I thought I’d give you a gift of my own, so here it is, how to avoid this tragedy.

What is red-eye?

For starters, we first need to look at the underlying issue that causes red-eye. Without going into too much graphic detail, red-eye is caused by light from your flash; it enters your subjects’ eyes, reflects off the back of the their eyes (retinas), and then back out the eyes to your camera; all before they can blink! Amazing right?
You might be asking yourself, why the eyes actually appear red, and not white. Well that’s due to the blood that nourishes the insides of our eyes.

Red-eye occurs when light from the flash reflects straight back from the retina into the camera lens

Now that the biology of what causes red-eye is covered, let’s examine the technical side. Red-eye occurs more frequently in cameras the have flashes in close proximity of the lens, such as many compact flash digital cameras. Why? This is due to the fact that the flash and lens are almost on the same parallel plane with the eyes, enabling the light to bounce straight into the eyes and back into the lens.

There a number of editing programs with “red-eye fix” solutions, but don’t rely on that for solving your red eye issues.

What to do?

One of the easiest ways to avoid red-eye is to simply not use a flash, but let’s face it, that is not always an optimal choice. You could always make sure your subject is not looking directly into the camera. Although, this can create some amazing shots, this too may not always be practical or wanted option. If you have to use a flash, and want your subject looking at you, there are a number of ways to help eliminate the red-eye issue.

Red-eye reduction feature

Make the iris smaller and it'll help to reduce red-eye

If you are currently in the market, or recently purchased a camera, many cameras these days offer a feature generally referred to as, red-eye reduction. In most cases, the camera will emit two or more lower output flashes before taking the picture. The idea behind this is the lower output flashes will cause the eyes to constrict thus allowing less light in that could possibly be reflected.

By putting more distance between the flash and the lens, you can stop your victims looking like, ehm, victims.

Pop-up flashes

Another technological advancement are pop-up flashes. Here, the flash pops out of the top of the camera, creating more space between the lens and the flash. This can sometimes be used in conjunction with the red-eye reduction feature. Typically pop-up flashes will be found in higher end digital compact cameras, and lower-high end dSLRs.

Off-camera flashes

The best method, would be to get the flash completely off the camera, by using an off-camera flash. This is a more advanced option, but there are number of great ways to do this, from flash brackets, to stands, and everything in between. This not only allows you to eliminate red-eye issues, but also have better control over your lighting, creating more flattering photos.

Bring on the diffusers

Lastly, diffusing you flash lighting works for all cameras. Some methods may not work with your camera, but a few suggestion are bouncing your flash off walls, bounce cards, flash diffusers, filters, gel inserts, and tons of other professional products, and DIY ideas.

Quick red-eye-free summary

• Red-eye is caused by light from the flash entering the eye, bouncing off the retina and returning to the camera lens.
• It looks red because of the red blood cells in the eye.
• You can avoid red-eye by putting more distance between the camera lens and the flash.
• Diffusing the light from the flash will help, too!

Now go forth and take red-eye-less pictures over the party season!

A different take on urban decay

If you search for ‘urban decay’ on the Flickr-webs you get thousands of photos of dilapidated tower blocks, crumbling tenements, abandoned factories, and shored-up houses. Oh, and a healthy dose of makeup, too. There are some really gorgeous shots amongst them, but then, when I was perusing the BBC news website today – as I am wont to do – I was reminded of the hundreds of abandoned settlements that populate the British countryside.

The majority of these villages and small towns are barely identifiable today; they were depopulated through plague and war and have collapsed into nothingness over time, to be ploughed over and are now just fields. Some have surrendered themselves to the sea owing to coastal erosion or have been flooded to create reservoirs. But there’s also a small selection of villages that were taken over by the army during the Second World War and now serve as time capsules for the fateful day, sometime in the 1940s, when their residents packed whatever they could carry, and left.

Many of these villages remain under army control and are completely inaccessible, but there are a couple that enjoy limited access and they strike me as places that would be wonderful to explore and photograph: Tyneham in Dorset and Imber in Wiltshire. Tynham is open most weekends throughout the year, but access to Imber is more restricted. You could head to Tyneham this weekend, if you fancied, but would have to wait until 17 December to get into Imber.

I’m going to try to plan a visit to one of them soon. I’m intrigued. If you’d like to plan an excusrion, more information is available from Tyneham.org and Forever Imber.

A camera that sees around corners

It’s super-early days, but the super-clever people at MIT have developed a camera that can see around corners. And when I say super-early days, I really do mean it. At the moment, the prototype camera is the size of a room and relies on a femtosecond laser. It’s not exactly technology that Canon or Nikon will be making available next year!

The camera works by firing a beam from a laser that bounces around the scene, and some of the light particles will eventually make their way back to the camera’s sensor, where they will be pieced back together to make an image. It’s a process that needs to be repeated at least 12 times to form a complete, if at the moment somewhat fuzzy, image. In order to protect the sensor from the ultra-strong intensity of the laser, the shutter won’t open immediately, either.

Images are basic right now, but still. (Picture thanks to BBC.)

Professor Ramesh Raskar is heading the team that has developed the camera. They’re envisaging it being used to assist in search-and-rescue missions, and with robot vision, although they are working towards an endoscope right now. And there’s a way to go yet as the camera still gets confused by complex scenes and only works in the lab. But still. Wow!

(Headsup to the BBC.)

G-Technology Driven Creativity exhibition

Last night I meandered off to Brick Lane to see the G-Technology Driven Creativity exhibition. The exhibition features the short-listed entries from the G-Technology Driven Creativity competition, which was run by Hitachi. I was most interested in the photos that were on display, but films were being shown (in the basement) and music was being played (on the ground floor), too. It’s a very creative undertaking, this one, and featured work by both professionals and amateurs.

The professional photography prize went to Iain Weir for his photo of swimmers gathered in the Thames at stupid o’clock in the morning, ready to participate in the Henley Swim.

The Henley Swim, by Iain Weir

The amateur prize went to patty, for her photo Eternal, showing a tree somewhat incongruously in the midst of a timber merchant’s yard.

eternal, by patty

If you’re looking for something to do for an hour before grabbing a curry on Brick Lane or catching a train out of Liverpool Street, then you could do worse than to head to the gallery for a look-see.

The G-Technology Driven Creativity exhibition runs from Tuesday 17 to Monday 22 November 2010 at the Brick Lane Gallery, 196 Brick Lane, London, E1 6SA.

360 degrees of London

An awesome 80 gigapixel (yes, that’s right, 80 billion pixels), 360 degree panorama of London has just been let loose on the intergoogles. The detail on this picture is so fine that you can zoom in close enough to be able to see papers lying on desks, through windows, and people picking their noses whilst they peruse Oxford Street. Astonishing. Google Street View, eat your heart out.

London panorama by Jeffrey Martin, www.360cities.net

The panorama was shot by Jeffrey Martin from the top of the Centre Point building, on the corner of Oxford Street (possibly my most hated street in London, good only for John Lewis, Selfridges, and pickpockets) and Tottenham Court Road (electronics shop heaven). It took three days over the course of summer 2010, and uses 7886 photographs. If you printed this baby at normal resolution, it’d be 35 metres long and 17 metres tall (115 feet x 56 feet for you imperial types).

Inside view of an office, by Jeffrey Martin www.360cities.net

Go take a look for yourself, but I warn you now, it is captivating. I think I’m just going to have to write-off my afternoon to oogling this masterpiece.

80 gigapixel London.

(Thank you, Graeme.)

Fujifilm Student Awards

The nice people at Fujifilm are running a competition to remind UK-based photography students that shooting on film can be a fun and rewarding process. It’s the 2011 Student Awards, with a first prize of £200-worth of film, a trophy, and a professionally designed 15 photo portfolio.

This year’s theme are the five senses. Entrants can submit as many photographs as they’d like, and it won’t cost them anything, either. Of course, all pictures have to have been shot on film, and Fuji film, too.

The competition is now open and runs until 28 February 2011. More information, including The Rules, are available from the competition website. I’m really looking forward to seeing the results of this one.

Seeing double?

Fabulous! You can now record your concentration-skewed face at exactly the same time as you focus on recording your nephew cycling without stabilisers and hoping that he manages to avoid the pigeon that’s just landed in front of him, with Ion’s twin lens video camera. One lens faces forwards, the other points backwards, and it can record audio in both directions, too.

It’s hand-held, rechargeable, has a 3x optical zoom, and is USB-connectable. You can switch between looking at what you’re filming, or admiring your own mush on the LCD screen when you’re recording, but you can’t see both simultaneously. Ah well. Can’t have everything, I suppose.

Available from Amazon UK for £119 and Amazon US for $130.

(Headsup to Geekologie.)

Teaching yourself photography

Imagine, for a second, that you are a young person with a camera. There are other cameras in the world around you, and there are people who use those cameras, too, but nobody really knows what they are doing, nobody can teach you anything you don’t already know, and the only tool you have in the world is the internet. All hope is lost … Or is it?

I was recently speaking to Elisa Longhitano, who found herself in the same situation. As she was telling me about how she was teaching herself photography, I found myself smiling, and wishing I had access to the internet back when I was learning. Either way, Elisa’s story is a lovely reminder of the fact that all you need to do to learn the dark (well, technically, the perfectly gradient) art of photography, is to be curious, and just that little bit inventive… 

“It was during my last year in high school”, Elisa explains “that I decided to surf the web to find useful information about photography. During the search I stumbled across, and ended up contacting, Walter Lo Cascio, an Italian architect who has a powerful passion for photography. We became friends, and he ended up giving me a lot of great advice”, she recalls. The most important piece of advice was to seek inspiration from the outside world. “look at those great pictures that are in books and on the web if you want to learn how to take a good picture”, he told her.

Like many others would, Elisa was worried if it was possible to learn how to take photos without active mentoring. “I thought it was impossible to learn how to take a good picture just looking at others’ works”, she recalls. “Walter would be relentless, however, and started showing me some of his and of others’ best pictures.”

Learning by recreating the work and techniques of others

“I started surfing through photography forums and reading the comments left for the pictures that fascinated me.”, she explains. “Reading the comments has been pretty useful to me because I have been able to learn from others’ mistakes and also because I’ve been able to find some interesting information about topics like ‘lens aperture’, ‘shutter speed’, and other technical aspects of the shot.”

One of the photos which got Elisa inspired is the photo by Adolfo Fabbri, on the right. (Bigger version here) She started experimenting with the very dark, almost Frank Miller-esque low-key photography style, wanting to recreate the effect herself.

She started off trying to use partial back-lighting, arriving at something like this:

Which, despite being a pretty attractive photograph, was nowhere near what she was trying to accomplish. Further experimentation resulted in something which was a little bit more like it:

Which is, well, Elisa is pretty much straight on the money: It’s not a bad shot, but “It is just a meaningless underexposure!”.

Obviously, more experimentation would be necessary to really learn this new technique. She continued experimenting, and eventually happened upon a photo which turned out to be rather beautiful. The only problem? “I didn’t remember exactly what I did to reach this result!” – I’m sure most of us have experienced the same at one point or another…

As a physics student, the fact that she was unable to recreate the shot drove her spare: “I just couldn’t be satisfied because I kept thinking ‘In physics, too, an experiment makes sense only if you can repeat it’”. So she did what any good scientist would do: Set herself a target. “I must be able to repeat this kind of shot”.

So, the experiments continued.

“I started thinking about what I had to do, and I realized that beyond the shutter speed or the lens aperture, it was also important to care about where lights come from, and what is behind the subject”

The further experiments involved a lot of taking photos into the light (or ‘backlighting’, as it tends to be called), as you can see from the photos on the left. “I liked these pictures”, Elisa told me, but still wasn’t quite happy: “Even if they are both taken against the light there were too many details”.

So, Elisa continued experimenting systematically. By taking a photo at one shutter time, evaluating it carefully, and then dialing back the shutter time yet a little bit more, her vision of what she wanted to do with low-key photography started to take form.

“I did nothing special or original”, she claims with just a little bit too much humbleness for my liking: “I only tried to learn and take inspiration from other works, and with a lot of attempts and effort I think to have reached something decent.”

Of course, this wouldn’t be much of a story if it didn’t have a rather stunning end… And it does, in the form of a portrait of her boyfriend Emanuele, titled Against the Darkness:

Lessons learned

1. Use the internet to find photographs you like. With services such as Flickr (in this case, try searching for Low Key and select ‘most interesting’ as the sort order) or DeviantArt (Same, but ‘Low Key’ and ‘Popular’), you can find tons of inspiration.
2. Don’t let anyone tell you what is good or bad. Make up your own mind. Select 5 photos in the genre you are trying to learn something about, and then put them in order of best to worst. What makes the best photo ‘best’? How could you recreate this?
3. First, re-create a photo. This is a purely technical exercise – worry about creativity later.
4. Once you have the technical skills down pat (again, a website like DeviantArt can be incredibly useful in this respect – Tell people what you’re trying to do, ask for feed-back, sit back and be amazed), try to think out a photo where you can use the new technique you’ve learned.
5. Keep trying a new technique for a while, create your own style based on the technique.
6. When you go bored of it, or feel like you’re ready for another challenge… Well, go to step 1!

A huge thank-you to Elisa for contributing so strongly to this article. Check out more of her photos on Flickr!

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Interchangeable sensors from Nikon?

It seems as of the clever bods at Nikon are thinking of introducing an interchangeable sensor somewhere into their arsenal, likely in conjunction with a mirror-less camera. At least, patents have been filed in Japan for an interchangeable or removable sensor that is fitted along guide rails.

A chance to play swapsies with sensors from Nikon?

My little brain is racing to consider the possible uses for a sensor-swapping mechanism. Any thoughts from you guys?

(Headsup to Nikon Rumours, of course.)

Photographers' most wanted

According to a survey conducted by the insurance company Photoguard (which specialises in insurance for photographers, unsurprisingly, and insurance for musicians, golfers, and cyclists, slightly more surprisingly), the most desired portrait subject of the 600 amateur and professional photographers whom they asked, is …drumroll please…

HM The Queen.

Yep. The Queen. Not Cheryl Cole (who seems to be everywhere at the moment) or Kate Moss. They came seventh and ninth respectively.

Perhaps more interestingly, it was Sir David Attenborough who came second, followed by Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, and Lady Gaga.

Who’d be top of your subject wish-list?

(Headsup to Amateur Photographer.)

A lot of dSLR for not-a-lot of money

‘What camera would you recommend?’ It happens to Team Photocritic&Small Aperture quite a bit. Mostly we get it from people who are looking to buy their first dSLR or from very generous types who want to buy one as a gift. (Wouldn’t we all like someone like that in our lives?).

And then we do something really irritating; we answer a question… with a question. It’s not that we don’t want to recommend cameras; we both love talking about them and want people to enjoy taking photos as much as we do. Why do you think that we keep writing about that magical mash-up between technology and artistry that is the mysti-tastical world of Photography?

As with so many other questions in life, there isn’t a hard-and-fast answer. So here is a few different answers for you… 

Why go dSLR?

Usually, there are two reasons that people have for shelling out on a dSLR. If someone’s buying it for herself, it’s because she is frustrated by the limitations of a point-and-shoot and wants all the glorious control and gorgeous creativity that comes with a dSLR. If a fairy-godmother is bestowing a fabulously generous gift on her fairy-godson, she’s normally recognised some photographic talent that she wants to let him explore. The reasons for buying a dSLR are pretty obvious, then. Our question, therefore, is what does someone want out of the camera.

Maybe it’s better low-light capability. Is it for the speed you get when shooting sports? Perhaps it’s wanting to explore macro more. How about wanting to how a go with video? It might be about giving someone a good start in the dSLR world. Or it could be all of these things rolled into one and wrapped up with a ribbon?

Then we ask how much someone has to spend. That’s a pretty significant consideration. Knowing this, we might make a recommendation.

Now that it is coming up to Christmas, we’re getting more people than normal ask us for our words of wisdom. To this end, we’ve been doing some thinking (don’t ask how much it hurt our brains, it was verging on excruciating, we’ve only just recovered). What we’ve done is to come up with some suggestions for cameras that we think offer the best value for money if you’re launching yourself, or someone you love, into the wonderful world of single lens reflex photography.

The contenders

There are six major manufacturers out there who make dSLRs: Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, and Sony. None of them is going to sell you a ‘bad’ dSLR.

Let’s get one thing out of the way before we go any further. The camera body you choose is least important. More important are the lenses attached to the camera. Most important? The person taking the pictures. In general, if you’re just starting out, that’s the order you should be spending money in: Buy a cheap camera body, expensive lenses, and spend a small fortune on learning everything you can. Buy books, go on courses, spend time on Flickr, DeviantArt, and PhotoSig – etc.

However, depending on how the camera is going to be used, which brand you choose becomes more significant.

This means that we’ve thought about this from three perspectives: people who want a bit of everything from their camera, and will probably upgrade in the future; people who know that they’ll probably want to upgrade sometime soon, but can make do without all the bells and whistles available on dSLRs; and people who aren’t necessarily going to want to upgrade, but need a good all-rounder.

I want something that does everything, and I can build on as I get better

If you’re looking for a solid all-round performer that is going to launch the career of a fledgling dSLR photographer, you should be considering cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Pentax. Why? Well, once you’ve bought into a camera brand you’re pretty much stuck with it. Lenses, which are the expensive bit in this photography fandango, are brand-specific. Once you’ve spent several thousand pounds on Nikon glass, you’ll not be wanting to replace it if you suddenly decide to switch to a Pentax body.

Canon, Nikon, and Pentax manufacturers offer the best range of glass and the best progression in bodies; if this is meant to be the start of a long dSLR journey, this is what’s important. It’s not that Panasonic, Olympus, and Sony are bad, but it’s possible that Olympus won’t be making dSLRs forever, Sony has been a bit disappointing recently, and I don’t think that Panasonic has the best range.

The Pentax K-x might not be the newest model, but it offers incredible value for money

So what do the chosen three have to offer for a photographer who wants to get a good all-round experience? From Canon it’s the 550D (or T2i if you’re State-side), from Nikon the D3100, and Pentax delivers the K-x. Yeah, I’ve gone for the K-x here, not the brand-spanking new K-r. If we’re talking about starting out, and value-for-money, then you don’t necessarily need to buy the latest model.

They all offer good low-light performance, video mode, lots of lovely lenses, big screens, and enough megapixels to satisfy a high-street electronics shop camera salesman. (Megapixel-count does seem to be their only sales pitch.)

Not all about price

In terms of price alone, the Pentax K-x wins, hands-down. It’s an older model and available at bargain prices. But, price isn’t all that’s important. How a camera feels in your hands and how you like its interface are critical to your photo-taking enjoyment. If you’re frustrated by your camera’s knobs and levers, or if it’s too heavy or uncomfortable to hold, you’ll probably find yourself resenting using it. That’s counter-productive and a waste of money.

Definitely not all about price

Another few points to consider.

Reviews suggest that the D3100 is a complete peach

The Nikon D3100 has received rave reviews. We’re talking waxing lyrical here. And if you are going to compare it against the newer Pentax K-r, it beats the K-r on price.

I use a Canon, and so do some of my friends. My brother is thinking of getting a camera. Chances are, it’ll be a Canon. He’s already comfortable using mine and, bonus, I’m a generous big sister who’ll lend him bits and pieces of my kit, just as my friends lend me bits of theirs. We’ve these amazing expanding kitbags. You should try one sometime, they’re available from all manufacturers and good friends.

Canon's thoroughly lovely 550D

If you’re interested in using your dSLR to make video, then Canon really is where it’s at. (To quote Philip Bloom, one of the pioneers of dSLR film-making, there’s nothing quite like the Canon 5D mkII.) Whilst at entry level there isn’t heaps to choose from, as you upgrade it’ll become more important.

And finally, one of my friends commented that buying Pentax cameras and kit in the UK is a real pain because it isn’t a widely stocked brand. I already have enough problems finding clothes that fit me; I don’t want buying camera kit to be a similar struggle. It’s also tough finding places that hire out and repair Pentax kit, too. This might not be immediately important, but don’t rule it out from your criteria.

But what about price?

I can’t tell you which to buy, you need to decide that for yourself, but I can tell you that they’re all available on Amazon:
Canon 550D + 18-55mm kit lens £635 from Amazon UK or T2i + 18-55mm kit lens for $835 from Amazon US.
Nikon D3100 + 18-55mm kit lens for £470 from Amazon UK, or $630 from Amazon US.
Pentax K-x + 18-55mm kit lens for £405 from Amazon UK or around $490 from Amazon US.

Ehm, I don’t have quite so much to spend

That’s okay. When I decided that I was in photography for the long-haul and bought my first dSLR, I didn’t have a fortune to spend. It didn’t stop me, though.

When you buy a dSLR you’ll be getting a good camera whatever you buy. We’ve already said that. We’ve already said that spending money on lenses is more important than on the body. So this means that if you’re prepared to fore-go some of the bells and whistles on higher-spec cameras, for example by dropping video capability (it doesn’t bother me) and losing a few megapixels of resolution (which in the grand scheme of things isn’t that significant), you can get yourself some complete bargains in camera-land.

Again, if you buy into Canon, Nikon, or Pentax, you’ll be able to build up a collection of lenses, and then upgrade the body when you feel that you can.

The Canon 1000D is a great first rung on the dSLR ladder

So what’s on offer right now? You know, the best deal is the Canon 1000D (Canon Rebel XS in the US). You get a great sensor and processor, access to heaps of lenses, the opportunity to save up for 60D when you can, and all for under £350 in the UK (Amazon), or $500 in the US (also Amazon), with a kit lens. Of course this’ll mean that you’ve signed up to Canon, but if you like the camera and what it does, it’s all good.

You know, I just want a dSLR

For some people, being able to upgrade bodies and keep pushing themselves photographically isn’t a priority; all they want is the creativity and control afforded by a dSLR. For these people, looking at a Panasonic, an Olympus or a Sony isn’t a bad idea. Neither is looking at a Canon, Nikon, or Pentax, but these others are likely to come in a bit cheaper.

Excellent value for money from the Sony Alpha 290

To be fair, if my Ma suddenly turned around and told me that she wanted a dSLR, I’d probably advise her to buy a Canon 1000D and then use it to photograph the herd of pigs flying past her kitchen window. But I wouldn’t turn up my nose at a Sony Alpha 290, neither. With lots of lenses to choose from in addition to an 18-55 mm kit lens, in-camera image stabilisation, and a 10 megapixel sensor it’d give her everything that she needs for about £315 on Amazon UK or $415 from Amazon US. Right now, this makes the α290 cheaper than its Olympus or Panasonic equivalents, but of course that might not always be the case.

So, no hard-and-fast answer?

No, there’s no hard-and-fast answer. Think about what it is that you want from a camera, both now, in a year’s time, and in several years’ time; consider how much you have to spend; and then go with what feels right. Remember that lenses are more important than camera bodies, and you’re more important than both of those.

If it’s any help at all, I recently contemplated upgrading to a Canon 60D. I decided against it for two primary reasons: first, what I use right now does exactly what I need and I’d rather spend the money on lenses; second, the 60D felt too large and too heavy in my tiny hands. Lenses and feel take priority for me and they really should for you, too.

Whatever you choose, though, enjoy it.

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10 brill black and whites

Black and white prints might do wonders for skin tones and therefore be a godsend for portrait photography, but that, and low-light photography, aren’t all that they’re good for. Back when I still used to shoot on film, I’d often get a roll developed in black and white just because I could. Anyway, I had a poke about the Flickr-verse to see what caught my eye in black and white. These are a few of them.

1 – Black and White Shimmer

Black and White Shimmer, by blently

2 – Cuba Gallery: Black and White

Cuba Gallery: Black and White, by Cuba Gallery

3 – Pencil Crayons Black & White

Pencil Crayons Black & White, by El Struthio

4 -Drinking Flamingo

Drinking Flamingo, by dogwatcher

5 – Sewing in Black and White

Sewing in Black and White, by riverwatcher09

6 – Black and White

Black and White, by Digit_AL

7 – Shell found on the beach

Shell found on the beach, by ianrobins

8 – Coeur de Cygne

Coeur de Cygne, by Visions photographiques

9 – Orchestration (Black and White)

Orchestration (Black and White), by steve xavier

10 – White lotus flower

White lotus flower, by Bahman Farzad

All photos used in this article are used as ‘fair dealing‘. If you have strong reservations against your photos appearing on Small Aperture, please contact us, and we’ll get them taken down. Please support the artists creating these photos by clicking on the photos to take a closer look at their work!

Pennies for pictures at Tailcast

There are probably a few of us who wouldn’t mind making a few extra pennies from our photographs, but possibly in a hands-off, not-really-having-to-deal-with-practicalities kind of way. You know: rather than having to make and mail out greetings cards made from your photos yourself, let someone else make them and send them out. If this sounds appealing, I might have just the website for you.

It’s called tailcast and it allows members to upload images and words that they can then make into greetings cards or wall art, or allow other people to transform them into cards or canvases. If someone uses one of your images to make a card, or a piece of wall art, you get a 20% commission on the piece.

Is 20% a reasonable commission? I don’t know. But if you’ve a few images that you’re happy for other people to make into postcards or to hang in their living rooms, it’s a pretty easy way of making a bit of beer-money.

Check it out at tailcast.com.

15 fabulous photobooks

Whilst I was researching small gifts suitable for photographers, I ran into so many books that would make fabulous presents I decided that they deserved a post of their own. Oh yeah, this is it.

I’ve tried to include books that cut across different styles of photography, as well as suggest technical and coffee table books. Hopefully, there is something here to appeal to everyone, and if you’ve any burning suggestions, then please let us know!

The Art of Black and White Photography, by Torsten Andreas Hoffman

This book begins at the beginning, looking at cameras and equipment, and works right the way through different genres and styles of photography – including portraits, abstracts, and street photography – the technical elements of how to compose a picture, and ends with post-processing. It feels comprehensive but isn’t overwhelming; if you want to refer to one specific section, it’s easy enough to do that. And it is full of lots of lovely pictures.

Currently £22.43 on Amazon UK and $29.67 on Amazon US.

Auto Focus, by Susan Bright

How many different forms can self-portraiture take? Susan Bright looks at series of self-portraits shot by seventy-five photographers from across the world. They cover autobiography, they explore the human body, they consider portraiture as a performance, and they use masks and masquerade. It’s a fascinating exploration of identity and self-expression.

At present £23.80 from Amazon UK and $37.80 from Amazon US.

Decade, by Eamonn McCabe and Terence McNamee

This book charts the first decade of the 21st century in pictures, illustrating everything from pop sensations bouncing on stage to disembodied heads being toted as war trophies in some of the world’s most troubled countries. Sometimes it’s amusing, sometimes it’s shocking, but is a gorgeous retrospective of ten years of world events.

Currently £16.22 on Amazon UK and $26.37 on Amazon US.

The Hotshoe Diaries, by Joe McNally

If photography is all about painting with light, then we need at least one book that looks at lighting. And seeing as we can’t all afford big lighting rigs, this will take you through using SpeedLites to get the most out of your pictures. Maybe with the odd bedsheet or reflector thrown in for good measure. Not only do you get great pictures in this book, you also get diagrams, some of them drawn on napkins!

At the moment: £13 from Amazon UK and $26.39 from Amazon US.

In My Mind’s Eye, by Charlie Waite

This is a gorgeous collection of black and white photographs. Mostly they are landscapes and still lifes, but there are some portraits, too. Definitely something to flick through if you want to escape for a moment or ten.

£12.99 from Amazon UK or £17.96 from Amazon US.

Langford’s Basic Photography, by Michael Langford, Anna Fox, and Richard Sawdon Smith

There are so many ‘complete guides’ or ‘introductions’ to digital photography out there that it is quite overwhelming. If your camera isn’t already confusing you, the number of books telling you what you should be doing will. This book is now on its ninth edition, having first been released in 1965, and has shepherded many budding photographers through their early days. It must be doing something right.

£17.59 from Amazon UK or $28.76 from Amazon US.

Macro Photography Photo Workshop, by Haje Jan Kamps

You might call me biased, but this is the best introduction to macro photography out there. Whatever teeny-tiny things you want to photograph, from droplets to spiders to eyes, this book will take you through the process, giving you examples and exercises along the way.

Currently £10 from Amazon UK or $21.89 from Amazon US.

The New Antiquity, by Tim Davis

I’m a great believer in the value of seemingly mundane photographs: shards or fragments of the prosaic preserved for future generations to use as insights into our lives. This book examines just that: the slivers of our world that will one day form the record of what will then be our ancient existence.

£29.71 from Amazon UK or $30.40 from Amazon US at present.

Norman Parkinson: Portraits in Fashion, by Robin Muir

Ooh this book is full of deliciousness. It’s a retrospective of Parkinson’s work as a fashion photographer, from the 1940s to the 1980s. Every image is the perfect embodiment of its age, from 1960s pillbox hats and swing coats to 1980s loud eye makeup and shoulder pads. Mmm.

£9.74 from Amazon UK or $19.44 via Amazon US.

Photobox, by Roberto Koch

I suppose that the easiest way to describe this book is that it is an encyclopaedia of photographers. It’s divided into different genres, with photographers who practised that art form listed there with a short biography and an example of her or his work. It’s the sort of slightly geeky information-fest that appeals to me, I suppose.

Currently £12.97 from Amazon UK or $19.77 from Amazon US.

The Photographer’s Guide to Landscapes, by John Freeman

I looked at a lot of books that covered landscape photography, but this was the one that I would’ve taken home for myself. It’s divided into three sections. The first looks at the technical elements of landscape photography, from how to compose a picture, which lenses to use, and what sort of ISO and shutterspeed to worry about. Then it looks at actual landscapes, and how best to capture them, whether they feature water, sand, or sky, are urban or rural. Then it takes you through the post-processing malarky. Beginning to end landscapes.

£14.44 from Amazon UK or $19.95 from Amazon US.

Photographing People Like a Pro, by Rod Edwards

If I thought that there were a lot of landscape books out there, then I must’ve looked at them before I almost collapsed under the portraiture guides. Want to know why I rejected most of them? (If you don’t, I’m going to tell you anyway.) I didn’t like the pictures in them. Seriously, if I were to pay for a portrait session that came out like some of the pictures in those books, I’d be deeply unhappy. This book, though, I could get along with. I liked its simple format and its progressive nature. It started with equipment, it moved on to designing an image, then it examined light before looking at how to work with the people you’re photographing, and it finished with post-processing.

Roughly £34 from Amazon UK or $52 from Amazon US.

Simply Beautiful Photographs, by Annie Griffiths

The title says it all: this is 500 pages of beautiful photographs that have been compiled from the National Geographic archives by Annie Griffiths. I defy you not to find an image that will take away your breath.

£11.54 from Amazon UK or $23.10 from Amazon US.

The Visual Dictionary of Photography, by David Präkel

This book is a stroke of genius. Seeing as photography is a visual medium, it explains technical terms from ‘abstract’ to ‘zoom lens’ using pictures as well as words.

£9.72 from Amazon UK or $18.96 from Amazon US.

The Wild Side of Photography, by Cyrill Harnischmacher

Run out of inspiration? (Really?) Fancy trying underwater photography? How about aerial photography? Want to give a time-lapse a go? Ever felt the need to look for unusual print media for your images? This books has it all: written instructions, diagrams, and pictures. You won’t be uninspired for very much longer. Or perhaps you’re just a photographic dare-devil!

£16.09 from Amazon UK or $19.77 from Amazon US.

Now, all the prices were what Amazon was quoting when I wrote this. Of course, I can’t promise that they’ll stay that way.

Bigger gifts for the photographer in your life

We’ve looked at little gifts for photographers, we’ve had a peek at books for photographers, but what sort of thing could you splash out on for a much-beloved photographer if you’ve a little bit more to spend? I’ve come up with some ideas that range from around the £50-mark, to potentially into the £1,000s, and cover those new to photography and more experienced hands, as well. (And yes, if you’re reading, Ma, there are a couple of things here that I wouldn’t mind.)

Lenses

Buying lenses is a hugely personal thing. In fact, unless I were to be taken into a shop and asked, ‘Which lens would you like?’ I think there’s only one person on the planet I’d trust to give me a lens. That said, if your favourite photographer is not in possession of a 50mm prime lens, stop what you are doing right now and go buy her or him one. Really.

Lots of lovely prime lenses available from Amazon UK or Amazon US.

If your photographer is perhaps a bit more experienced and wants to try having some fun, then have a look at a lensbaby and be prepared for tilt-shift-a-go-go.

Lenbabies from, ehm, Lensbaby.

Tripod

Swiftly following a prime lens, comes a tripod on the new photographer’s must-have list. There are quite a few different types out there: little ones, big ones, travel-weight ones, super-expensive ones, and fairly cheap ones. I’ve a Velbon 347. It cost me about £70. It isn’t super-tiny and it isn’t super-light. However, it does fit in my backpack and I can shlep it around. I’d recommend it. You can spend less if you want to, or you can spend more on a Giottos or a Manfrotto. This one’s middle-of-the-road.

Velbon 347 tripod about £60 from Amazon UK or around $130 from Amazon US.

In addition to a tripod, a gorillapod is a genius piece of kit. You can wrap its legs around almost anything to secure it – and your camera – almost anywhere. They don’t weigh very much and they aren’t ludicrously expensive, either. Superb!

Gorillapod for dSLRs, around £30 from Amazon UK or $40-ish from Amazon US.

Camera bag

Sloop camera bag (via Photojojo)

Me, I don’t want my camera bag to look like a camera bag. I’d rather that the dodgy guy sitting opposite me on the Tube didn’t know that my bag contains a few thousand pounds-worth of camera kit. For that reason, I’m rather partial to bags by AHA, Sloop, and Timbuk2. No, they’re not cheap, but my kit is more expensive. (Alright, I admit it, my thing for bags is almost as serious as my thing for shoes, too.)

AHA camera bags from Amazon UK, around £40.
Sloop camera bags from Photojojo for $149.99
Timbuk2 camera bags around $130.

Remote shutter release with timer

Earlier this year, we published a tutorial on making a time-lapse. It’s not something that’s easy to accomplish without a timer, though. Having a remote shutter release (great for self-portraits, too) and timer is a rather nifty addition to the kit collection.

Hähnel Giga T Pro 2.4GHz Wireless Timer Remote for Canon (also covers Pentax and Samsung, according to website), Nikon, Olympus, or Sony, around £60 from Amazon UK.
Hähnel Giga T Pro 300′ Wireless Shutter Release Timer Remote for Canon (also covers Pentax and Samsung, according to website), Nikon, Olympus, or Sony, around $100 from Amazon US.

Editing software

We’ve done a few reviews of editing software here at Small Aperture. For the occasional photographer, using one of the free options is absolutely fine, but for someone who is more serious about her or his photography, it’s worth investing in some software. For Team Small Aperture, it’s all about Adobe Lightroom 3 (but other editing suites are available).

Adobe Lightroom 3 from £232.65 or $299.

Compact camera

SLRs are wonderful, awesome, and amazing. But they’re not exactly pocket-sized. Having something that is pocket-sized is also wonderful, awesome, and amazing. The compact camera market is absolutely flooded right now, but if you want something that truly is pocket-sized and won’t leave a seasoned dSLR-user wanting to scratch out her or his eyes, then the Canon S95 seems to be a good pick.

Canon S95 available from Amazon UK for £302 at the moment, or Amazon US for $389!

Time away

One of the best presents that I’ve been given recently was a long weekend away with my best friend, our cameras, lots of fabulous food, and somewhere new to explore. We came home with awesome memories, fabulous experiences, and beautiful photographs. (And very full tummies, too.)

It’s the sort of present that can be organised for £250, or much, much more. Pick somewhere!

Any other suggestions? Let us know!