n-photo sampler

WITH FREE VIDEO DISC WATCH & LEARN WITH NIKON SKILLS

ISSUE 07 JUNE 2012 £4.99 PRINTED IN THE UK

CRACKING THE CODENIKOPEDIA

How an SLR processes light into a digital image p76

LEARN NEWSLR SKILLSLEARN NEWLEARN NEWLEARN NEW

Issue 10 • Summer 2012£4.99 • www.nphotomag.com

OLYMPIC CHAMPION?

Our Apprentice goes to Yorkshireto learn documentary photography

The camera manual you wish you’d got in the box!Menu tips + RAW options + Hidden gems p30

NIKON D4NIKOPEDIA

NIKONThe camera manual you wish you’d got in the box!The camera manual you wish you’d got in the box!

ISSUE 10 SUMMER 2012 £4.99 PRINTED IN THE UKSELF PORTRAITSWhy one reader can’t stoptaking pictures of herself p70

DRESS TO IMPRESS!Could you do with more pockets?Six photographers’ jackets tested p118

THREELEGGED

RACE!

ULTIMATE D SLR TIPS GUIDE!

p118p118

The worst thing about being alandscape photographer is the summer…My alarm went off at 3am this morning!Jeremy Walker, Landscape Photographer p88

8 tripods do battle. Who’ll bethe last man standing? p104

Sports and wildlife pros put Nikon’sfastest-ever D-SLR to the test! p100

www.nphotomag.com4 Summer 2012

ISSUE 10 SUMMER 2012

Nikon Skills EssentialsNikopedia46 Get perfect colours indoors

Forget the presets and set your ownWhite Balance for accurately coloured shots

50 Copy old prints and slidesBring all your treasured photos into

the digital era the quick and easy way

52 Straighten your treesCorrect converging verticals with

Photoshop CS6’s Adaptive Wide Angle filter

55 What is Auto FP?Shoot portraits with fill-in flash and

get beautiful bokeh using this mode

56 Lighting made perfectDiscover how auto ISO can give you

creative control in changing light conditions

58 Make a montageCombine images and text to create

an eye-catching postcard-style collage

60 Shoot stunning studio portraitsLearn the basics of professional

portrait lighting with four studio setups

20 LightboxBe inspired by the best in Nikon

photography from around the world

42 UK subscriptions offerIf you live in the UK, you can get a

free camera bag !

65 Next issueCan’t wait for issue 11? Here’s a sneak

peak at what’s coming up next month

66 COVER FEATURE Over To You…Three Photo Stories, a reader’s top

Nikon kit, plus all your rants and raves!

87 International subscriptionsIf you live outside the UK you can

make a big saving on the cover price here

88 COVER FEATURE The N-Photo InterviewJeremy Walker reveals the secrets

behind his incredible panoramic images

130 IkonsVisit Tokyo’s legendary Nikon store,

and camera spotting in Superman Returns

88The panorama specialist talks to us aboutwalking on frozen seas, listening to cricket,and watching strangers stripping off

COVER FEATURE

INTERVIEW WITHJEREMY WALKER

76 COVER FEATURE Nikon Know-howFind out what goes on inside your

Nikon with our complete guide to in-cameraprocessing, plus Picture Controls explained

81 System SpotlightDiscover how

to get the shot in thetightest situation witha right-angle finder

82 Nikon SoftwareConvert your colour

photos into dramaticmonochrome usingCapture NX 2

84 Ask ChrisAll your

Nikon questionsanswered, plus fiveways to get more fromyour D40

86 The Nikopedia Photo QuizGive your grey matter a workout as

we put your Nikon knowledge to the test

81

42 free camera bag !

65peak at what’s coming up next month

66Nikon kit, plus all your rants and raves!

87 make a big saving on the cover price here

88

System Spotlight Discover how

to get the shot in thetightest situation with

nder a right-angle fi

Nikon Software Convert your colour

photos into dramatic monochrome using

ve answered, plus fi ways to get more from

81

Essentials100

20

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THE VIDEOS AND INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THIS DISC ARE 100% INDEPENDENT AND NOTENDORSED OR SPONSORED BY NIKON CORPORATION OR ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED

EIGHT WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY!

READ THE TUTORIALS, THEN WATCH OUR EXPERT VIDEOS!

EXPERT HANDS ON VIDEO GUIDES

Test Team

Wherever you seethis logo, look forthe extra contenton the video disc

LOOK OUT FOR THIS!

100 COVER FEATURE Nikon D4Get our verdict on Nikon’s

groundbreaking pro-level D4 SLR

104 COVER FEATURE Big testThe best travel tripods on test

114 New gearAll the latest gear compatible

with Nikons previewed and reviewed

117 Pro picksEditorial photographer Rick Senley

reveals the essentials he always packs

118 COVER FEATURE Mini-testPhoto vests and jackets tested

120 Long-term TestsThe N-Photo team rate their kit

+ Camera skills+ Photoshop guides+ Nikon software

01 Set a custom WhiteBalance to capture

perfect colours indoors

04 Master Auto FPmode for portraits

with great depth of field

03 Use Photoshop CS6to fix converging

verticals in your images

06 Combine imagesand text to create a

postcard-style montage

02 Use your NikonD-SLR to update all

your old prints and slides

05 Get creative controlin changing light

thanks to Auto ISO mode

08 How toconvert to

monochrome inCapture NX 2

07 Shoot superb studioportraits using our

four pro lighting setups

WHAT’SON THISMONTH’SFREE DISC?FREE DISC?FREE DISC?

THE VIDEOS AND INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THIS DISC ARE 100% INDEPENDENT AND NOT

Wherever you seeLOOK OUT FOR THIS!

5Summer 2012

101 NikonCOVER FEATURE Unlock your SLR’spotential with this ultimate guide

112

120118

104

READ THE TUTORIALS, THEN WATCH OUR EXPERT VIDEOS!

Capture NX 2

30

08

The best travel tripods on test

All the latest gear compatible

The best travel tripods on test

120118

Unlock your SLR’s

120120120


Wherever you see this logo, look for the extra content

on the video disc

LOOK OUT FOR THIS!LOOK OUT FOR THIS!

All the latest gear compatiblewith Nikons previewed and reviewed

Editorial photographer Rick Senleyreveals the essentials he always packs

Photo vests and jackets tested

team rate their kit

reveals the essentials he always packs

All the latest gear compatiblewith Nikons previewed and reviewed


with Nikons previewed and reviewed



Wherever you see this logo, look for the extra content

on the video disc

LOOK OUT FOR THIS!

112104

THE


Each issuewegive thechance foronereadertospendadaywithatopNikonpro learningthetricksof their trade.This is thestoryofthisexclusiveone-on-onemasterclass...

Documentary masterclass

www.nphotomag.com 9Summer 2012

NAME Kym BeestonCAMERA Nikon D3100

■KymisanAustralianlawyerlivinginLondon.She’sbeenworkingintheUKforfiveyears,andisstudyingforanMAinHumanRights.Shetoldusshewantedtolearnmoreaboutdocumentaryphotographyandabouttakingshotsofpeopleatwork.WetookhertoHawesintheheartoftheYorkshireDalestolearnthekeyskillsfromaseasonedpro...

NAME Paul HarrisCAMERA Nikon D700

■Agraduateoftheworld-renowneddocumentaryphotographycourseatNewport,Paultravelstheworldtakingpicturesforcommercialandeditorialclients(seewww.paulharrisphotography.com).Aged53,helivesinYorkshire,andsuggestedthatdocumentingadayinthelifeofalocalmarkettownwouldbeagreatwaytoteachKymtheessentialsoftellingastorythroughaportfolioofpictures.

NIKON SKILLS Ingenious recipes for creative shots


Copy old prints and slides

NEXT ISSUE…Capture flowers usinga long telephoto lens

Photographing your prints isn’t much more complicated thansticking them on the wall and then shooting them using a tripod– all you have to do is find an evenly lit spot in your home

THE MISSION■CopyoldprintsandslideswithyourD-SLR

TIME NEEDED■4hours

SKILL LEVEL■Anyonecandoit■Sometrickyaspects■Advancedtechnique

KIT NEEDED■D-SLR■Tack■Macro lens■Tripod■Lightbox

Most of usmay have saidgoodbye to filmwhen it comes

to taking photos, butmany of ourmost cherishedmemories arestill locked in the pre-digital era.Whether you have drawers full offading prints or boxes full of prizedtransparencies, you probably wish youcould get the best of these shots ontoa computer so they could be sharedwith awider audience.Butwhat’s the best way of getting

your old pictures onto Facebook,Flickr or your family website? Themost obvious answer is to use a

scanner. Flatbed scanners for printsare built intomany desktop printersnowadays. Film scanners aremorespecialist, but can still be boughtwithout breaking the bank.The quality of these scanners

varies, but this isn’t an issue formostof us, who just want to get picturesinto the digital domain. The real issuewithmost scanners is that thewholeprocess is a time-consuming affair,involving lots of patience as you scanone line at a time.But there’s an alternative. Rather

thanmaking dowith a cut-price digital

sensor, why not use the high-qualityone that you have built into your NikonD-SLR? Photographing your printsisn’tmuchmore complicated thansticking themon thewall and thenshooting themusing a tripod. All youhave to do is find the right evenly-litspot in your home.Re-photographing your slides

is a bitmore complicated becauseyou need a lightbox – a backlightingdevice that photographers used touse to look at their pictures. As fewpeople use slides anymore, these arerelatively cheap to buy second-hand.The one other bit of gear you’ll

need to re-shoot your prized photosis amacro lens, whichwill enableyou to focus close enough to the24x36cmpositive images.

Copy old prints and slidesPROJECT TWO GEAR SKILLS

Doyouhaveboxes full ofold transparenciesandprints lyingaround?Bring themallbackto life in thedigitalworldusingChrisGeorge’s quickanddirtypatentedcopying tricks!

Copy old prints and slides

51www.nphotomag.com Summer 2012

01 Stick it to the wallTo re-photograph old prints, stick them on a flat wallor cupboard at chest height using blobs of Blu Tac. Avoida surface too close to a window or in direct sunlight –you need even, diffuse lighting. You don’t need brightlight because you can use long exposures with a tripod.

02 Square up to the targetSet your camera on a tripod and extend the legs so thatthe centre of the lens is at the same height as the centreof the print. Use Live View to frame the picture so you’reas square on as you possibly can be. Use autofocus tomake sure that the detail is sharp.

03 Choose your settingsUse Aperture Priority (A) mode and set an aperture of f/8– this is usually the setting that gives the best resolutionfrom a lens. Now set a low ISO, at or near 100. Fire theshutter using a cable release or remote control, or, if youdon’t have either of those, use the self-timer.

04 Give it a positive twistThe general shooting technique for slides is the sameas prints. As transparencies need to be backlit, use alightbox (see below). You’ll need a tripod that can beangled to shoot directly down, and you’ll need amacro lens to be able to get close enough.

Forgetexpensiveandtime-consumingflatbedscanners– tryour low-techreproductiontechniques!

DON’T FRAMETOO TIGHTLY■ReviewyourcopiesonthescreenofyourNikon forexposureandsharpness.Butdon’tworry toomuchaboutcropping– it’s easiertodo this inPhotoshoponceyouhave thedigitised imageonyourcomputer.You’llprobablywant toedit yourimagesanyway–adjustingcolourbalance, removingblemishes, and tweaking thecontrastandsaturation.

Here’ssomeof thekit youcanusetocopyyour treasuredmemories

01 Flatbed scannerPrint scanners now comebuilt intomany desktopprinters. Amulti-functioninkjet can create digitalfiles of your prints.

04 LightboxLightboxes for looking at orcopying slides can be boughtnew, but look for bargains oneBay. They’re a great lightsource for still lifes too!

02 Film scannerYou need a special devicefor scanning slides andfilm. Basic low-quality1,800 dots-per-inchmodelscost from £50 ($70).

03Ohnar slide copierSlide copiers (£140, $200)attach to your SLR using aNikon-fit T2mount (£8, $12).Somemodels are forfull-frame cameras only.

05 Cleaning solutionClean slides and negativesbefore you copy them.Werecommend using PEC-12solution with PEC Pads(from £23, $25).

TOP TIPS Getting reproduction right

STEP BY STEP The low-tech way to digitise the family album

Q I K T P! To sf lig is ve

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90°. Its shad wssh l b r ug ly

mm tr c nno too di ti

OVER TO YOU…


Second that emotionTaking self-portraits might not be the easiest thing to do,but it’s certainly a lot of fun, as Gina Vasquez explains…

portraiture is that I can’t makedecisions behind the camera forthe entirety of the shoot.

Compromising positionsMost of my portraits aretaken in public places, so I’veexperienced many funny andawkward moments. My momassists me on my shoots, andwe find that we’re alwaysrunning into people at awkwardtimes, such as when we’re tyinglight bulbs to trees, gluingleaves to my face, or when I’mupside down on a ladder! Howcan you possibly explain topeople what you’re doing?Dogs come and eat my props

too. In fact, there isn’t

my emotions across from bothbehind and in front ofthe camera.Every picture I take has

a story or emotion behindit, but at the same time I’mstill very much learning andexperimenting. Every time Igo out and shoot, I find myselflearning something new.To take the pictures, I use

my camera’s 10-second timer,and I’ve recently bought acamera remote, which makesself-portraits so much easier!The only downside to self-

I began experimentingwith self-portraits in

February 2011. I started to feelthat taking pictures of peoplewas the most interesting thingabout photography because ofthe emotions they experience.I used myself as a modelbecause I was the only modelI had at the time! However,I soon found that creatingself-portraits turned intosomething that I really enjoyed.Shooting self-portraits was

especially difficult at first, butafter a while I learnt how to get

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Second that emotion

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MISSIONPROJECT INFO

WE WANT YOUR PHOTO STORIES! Every Photo Story we feature in the magazine wins £50, so get in touch today!

01 LEVITATIONNikon D3000, Nikon 18-55mmVR

AF-S DX, 1/160 sec, f/6.3 , ISO100

01

Your stories, your photos, your letters


a shoot that happens withoutan adventure!I’d advise anyone to take

self-portraits – it has certainlyhelped me learn more aboutportraying emotion, and aboutwho I am as a person. It has alsogiven me a different perspectivewhen it comes to shooting otherpeople’s portraits.I make a point to take self-

portraits regularly. I’m alwayshappier when I’m takingphotographs! I recently finisheda 52-week photography projectand am currently in the middleof a 30-day project. Photographyis a part of my everyday life.The ‘Levitation’ shot [01] is

the first photo of its kind that I

did, after becoming intriguedby levitation photos that othershad created. In this photograph,I wanted to portray the upliftingqualities of music.

Shooting yourselfI have always loved theinteractions between humansand their surroundings inconceptual portraiture, and forthe photo entitled ‘The Art ofCamouflage’ [02], I wanted toportray the connection betweenthe two. Humans and naturecan have similarities that maynot always be obvious.By contrast, through the

cold, frozen atmosphere of‘Frostbite’ [03], I wanted to

04 ART OF CAMOUFLAGENikon D3000, Nikon 50mm f/1.8G,

AF-S, 1/1000 sec, f/1.8, ISO100

02MY PAST CAME BACK…Nikon D3000, Nikon 50mm f/1.8G

AF-S, 1/40 sec, f/3.2, ISO200

03 FROSTBITENikon D3000, Nikon 60mm f/2.8D,

1/15 sec, f/1.8, ISO100

05

HOW TO SHOOTSELF PORTRAITS

Rod’sto t ps…Rod ’s

• N�ko�’s £20 M�-L3r�mo�� is �erf�� - b� ��h�� ’s comp� t�bl�w� �� ur c�mer�.• Y�� may n�e� topr�-��cus m�nu��ly.

To enter your Photo Story, just email a brief synopsis and three of your best JPEG images to [email protected]

portray a feeling of entrapmentand isolation.The ‘My Past Came Back

To Haunt Me’ [04] imagerepresents how certainmemories can come back andhaunt your mind, even afterthey’re long gone.Working in the photography

industry is my goal. I lovephotography so much that I can’tthink of anything better thantaking photographs for a living!I’ll be studying photographyat the Fashion Institute ofTechnology this year. I wasreally excited to be accepted,and I hope it will bring me manynew opportunities. I can’t waitto see what the future brings!

03

02

04

Your digital camera does alotmorework to turnwhat

you see in the viewfinder into afinished image than you probablygive it credit for.Understanding alittle of what goes on deep insideyour Nikon’s circuitry will helpyou understand some of themanyoptions that you have to playwith.Perhaps themost important thing

to appreciate is that your imageis only converted into digital formwell after it has left the sensor.The sensor itself is an analoguecomponent, creating an old-

fashioned electrical signal that canbe tweaked by electronic circuitryto increase the ISO, for instance,amplifying the signal inmuch thesameway as you crank up thevolume on your radio.

HowsensorsworkThe sensor ismade up ofmillions oflight-sensitive units, often referredto as pixels, but at this stagemoreaccurately called photosites. Thesecanmeasure as little as 0.004mmacross (around 1/16th of thewidthof a single human hair). Each one

creates its own electrical signal inproportion to the brightness of thepart of the image that it covers.But these individual photosites

can’t see colour – only luminance.To produce a full-colour image, eachphotosite has aminiature colouredfilter, either red, green or blue. Apixel with a green filter will onlysee colours that have some greenlight in them. But as practically allcolours can bemade bymixing red,green and blue light together, thisstill provides valuable information.The clever bit is how the pixels work

together to assign accurate coloursto each pixel in the final image.The green-filtered photosite can

effectively ‘see’ red light by usinginformation fromneighbouring red-and blue-filtered photosites. Knownas ‘demosaicing’, this interpolationprocessmakes an informed guessabout the colour of each and everysquare thatmakes up the image.

JPEGsandRAWfilesWith JPEG pictures, each photositecan register 8 bits of data, whichequates to 256 different shades of

YourD-SLRmight look likeafilmcamera,but inside is theequivalentofadigitalprocessing lab


DIGITALPROCESSINGEXPLAINEDNIKON KNOW HOW

76 Nikon Know-howDiscoverthecomplexdigitalprocessingtechniquesusedineveryshotbyyourcamera

81 System SpotlightCoverall theangleswithadedicatedright-anglefinderforyourNikonD-SLR

82 Capture NX 2Createmoodyanddramaticmonochromeconversions inNikon’sCaptureNX2

84 Ask Chris…N-PhotoEditorChrisGeorgeanswersyourquestionsaboutall thingsNikon

86 Photo QuizFindouthowmuchofthisissue’sNikopediahassunkinwithourfiendishquiz!

INDIVIDUAL PIXELS

ORIGINAL IMAGE

Adigital image ismade up ofmillions ofindividual pixels, and each of these is theresult of some extremely clever digitalprocessing inside yourNikonD-SLR

SaveasJPEGsBy default, your Nikon D-SLR shootsready-to-use JPEGfiles in one ofthree quality settings: Fine, Normaland Basic. The Fine option is visiblehere on this D3100’s Shootingmenuunder ImageQuality.

ShootRAWNikon D-SLRs can also shoot RAWor ‘NEF’ files. RAWfiles need tobe converted on a computer, butthey give youmore control overthe appearance of the image, andpotentially better quality.

12-bitor 14-bitSimpler Nikon D-SLRs save RAWfiles using 12 bits of data per pixel.This is a big improvement on the8 bits used for JPEGs, but somemodels, such as the D3s, offer a 14-bit NEF format for higher quality.

CompressionoptionsSomeNikons offer differentcompression options for NEF files,including compressed, losslesscompressed or uncompressedNEFs. Compression reduces thefile size of the saved image.

CAMERA SETUP

HOWMUCHPROCESSINGDOYOUWANT?Your camera offers awealth of options that enable you to change the amount of processingused

METERING MODES


NIKON KNOW HOW Digital processing

TURNINGLIGHT INTOADIGITALFILEHowyourNikonD-SLRconvertscaptured light into imagepixels

Light reflected off thesubject is captured andfocused by the lens

The A/D converter turns theanalogue electrical signal intodigital data, using the samebinary language as computers

Nikon D-SLRs use Nikon’sExpeed image processingsystems to help crunch thehuge amount of digitaldata created for everyimage you shoot

ThecolourfilterarrayThe ‘photosites’ on the sensor onlymeasure the brightness of the light, notits colour. So that colour informationis gathered, each photosite has a red,green or blue filter. These are arranged inamosaic known as a Bayer pattern, after the boffin thatcame upwith it. He found that by using twice asmany green filters asblue or red, you got a sharper image. A demosaicing process turns thisraw data into the full-colour grid of pixels in the recorded images.

R

G

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BG

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BR

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Buffer

Image storage

Digital imageprocessing

Image sensor

Mosaic filter

Lens

Subject

Analogue/digital converter

Analogueelectronics

Summer 2012 www.nphotomag.com88

JeremyWalker is one of fewlandscape photographersthat have truly masteredthe panoramic image.This man for all seasonstells KeithWilsonwhy heprefers this format, and howhe learnt to create digitalpanoramas after manyyears of shooting on film…

C L O S E - U P

any professionals willidentify closely withJeremy Walker’s trainingas a photographer: an artcollege graduate, he movedto London to work as anassistant, then ran a studio

for five years before going freelance. Butrather than establishing his own studio,Jeremy prefers the windswept locations ofIceland, the Scottish Highlands, Snowdoniaand the Canadian Rockies…

Did you always want to be a photographer?Yes, absolutely. I was really thick at school.Academically, I was hopeless at everything,

and it wasn’t until I picked up a camera – aYashica FX-3 – that I found something I wasinterested in. I would talk photography allthrough maths class with another pupil whowas keen, and he went on to become aneditor of a photography magazine!

What were the key things you learntduring your four years as an assistant?I assisted various photographers, but I hatedLondon: so many people working crazyhours, so expensive, and I had hardly anymoney. But being an assistant was a greatexperience and I learnt a lot. You learn allabout photography at college, but workingas an assistant you learn how to deal with

www.nphotomag.com 89Summer 2012

PINE FOREST IN MIST,DORSET, ENGLAND

Nikon D3x, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8,1/15 sec, f/11, ISO100

people, how to handle the clients, and howto behave professionally.

What made you decide to leave andbecome a full-time photographer?I think you know when the time is right toleave, and at the time I thought I couldn’tlearn any more. So I left and joinedGrosvenor, a commercial print, design andphotography business in Northampton. Itwas a brilliant set-up. They did everythingfrom photography to the design andprinting. There were about 40 employeesand I was the head of the photo side. Weshot everything from Formula 1 engines tofashion and shoes, and bespoke brochures.

So why did you give up working in asuccessful commercial studio to become afreelance photographer?My father thought I was mad to give it up!I was five years at Grosvenor, and I wasearning good money, had a house, car,holidays. It was a good job. But the clientswere saying they kept coming to Grosvenorfor my photography. They said whether Iwas here or elsewhere they would keepcoming to me. So I thought, now was thetime to set up on my own. And that’s whatI did. I had a list of 37 clients, approachedten, and within a month six gave me work.Also, I didn’t want to get to age 65 or 70and think back, “What if…?” Jeremy Walker Landscape Photographer

The panorama format suitsthe way I see the world. I don’t goin for wide-angle landscapeswith a rock in the foreground

Panoramas have become your signatureformat. When did you first becomeinterested in them?I tend to see the world in a letter-box shape.Not long after arriving in London I saw oneof the advertising photographers shoot in

TRAVEL TRIPODSLooking for something compact and light that still offers sturdy support?Matt Richards hunts out the last man standing in our three-legged race…

The world’s toughest testsTEST TEAM

Summer 2012 www.nphotomag.com104

3

4

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1

T R I P O D S

The world’s toughest testsTEST TEAM

1 HamaTravellerCompactPro (004214)£40,$60

2 ManfrottoCompactPhoto-MovieKit (MKC3-H01)£50,$60

3 SlikSprintPro IIGM£70,$90

4 JessopsMajorCarbonFibre (5145152)£85,$135

5 VanguardNivelo245BK£120,$150

6 BenroFlatTraveller2 (BRA1192TB0)£210,$295

7 VelbonGEOE-530£220,$320

8 GiottosVitruvian (VGRN8255-5400-652)£300,$400

THE CONTENDERS

105Summer 2012www.nphotomag.com

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Travel tripodsTravel tripods

www.nphotomag.com Summer 2012 117

5 GLASSES (£50, $80)■What are they for?Seeing! I’m short-sightedbut never buy anythinguntil essential. Driving overmountain roads in Italy, afriend popped his glassesonme and suddenly I couldsee. I nowwear themwhenshooting in low light.■ Plus points Less risk offalling off a cliff and beingpunched at boxing shows. Ican also see dogs.■Minusmarks I have to takethemoffwhen focusing, andwhen it’s raining there’s anextra bit of glass towipe.

3 SIGMA 30mm F/1.4LENS (£377, $489)■What’s it for? Portraitsin low light and streetphotography, plus handheldshots of cities at night. I’vegrown to love this lens.■ Plus points Quick, f/1.4,very sharp, lightweight andit has a nice shape.■Minusmarks Theautofocusing can beproblematic – it oftenfocuses slightly in front ofthe subject. It’s fine onceyou realise this, but it doestake an extra bit of thinkingabout when you’re shooting.

4 B+W 110ND FILTER(£70, $125)■What’s it for? Longexposures in daylight: I cansoften the sea on a packedbeach, ghost people andstreakmidsummer clouds.It makes everyday scenesvirtually unrecognisable.■ Plus points It can turnan ordinary scene intosomething special.■Minusmarks Once it’son the camera you can’t seethrough the viewfinder, socompose before screwingit on and be careful not toaccidentally lose focus.

1 NIKON D7000(BODY £800, $1200)■What’s it for? Everything– long-exposure landscapeson snowy nights, climbingaround the boxing ring, evenportraits in brothels. I’vealways used Nikon and I ranmy D300 into the ground,but this is a replacementthat I’mwarming to.■ Plus points Light, fast,brilliant focusing, room fortwomemory cards and ithas a quiet shutter.■Minusmarks A bit toolight and fragile, and I’m notkeen on flimsy SD cards.

2 NIKON V1 WITH 10mmLENS (£649, $1147)■What’s it for? Carryingaround inmy pocket whenmy back’s too sore. It’slike a compact, but withfull D-SLR control and aviewfinder. It’s tiny andfeelslike a toy somypictures aremore playful.■ Plus points Video – I’venever used it before. Filmquality is incredibly sharpand the sound is great.■Minusmarks Thecontrols aremore fiddlythan a D-SLR, and thesetupfeels a bit awkward.

www.nphotomag.com

Rick Senley PRO PICKS

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RICK SENLEYEDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHEREssential Nikon kit to cope witheverything from a boxing matchto the rainy season in Thailand

Rick’s clients includeFootprint Travel Guides,The Italian TouristBoard, and UNICEF

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