Amateur Photographer-27th August-2024

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7days

There are around 8.1 billion people in the world today, and 7 billion smartphones. These devices, which didn’t exist at the turn of the century, have transformed and democratised the way people take pictures, making photography accessible to everybody. Their ubiquity has killed the point-andshoot camera market, but on the other hand they are a ‘gateway drug’ to a photography addiction, inspiring many smartphone users to upgrade to ‘proper’ cameras. In skilled hands, good smartphones are capable of making great photos but they are not all equal and they have their own quirks and unique features that need to be learned to get the best from them. Almost everyone owns a smartphone, even pro photographers, and this issue is dedicated to helping you to choose the best ones, and then get the best out of them.

Nigel Atherton, Editor

Google Pixel to the power of four

As befits our smartphone photography special, we lead with news of no less than four new Google Pixel phones – the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. All four phones fit into the premium smartphones category, with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL featuring the same updated camera set-up, but with a different screen and battery sizes.

Pro and XL

The Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL offer a 50MP main camera with f/1.68 aperture, along with a 48MP f/1.7 ultra-wide camera with macro AF, a 48MP f/2.8 telephoto camera and a 42MP f/2.2 selfie camera. The Pro phones offer up to 8K video, by upscaling 4K video with a new ‘Video Boost’ feature. The Pro XL has a larger 6.8in screen than the Pro’s 6.3in, plus a larger 5060mAh battery. Both phones have a 0.5x, 1x, and 5x optical zoom, and also offer ‘optical quality’ 2x and 10x zoom, thanks to Google’s Super Resolution Zoom multi-shot feature. Up to 20x zoom can be used in video, and there’s also Night Sight Video on the Pro models. Prices for the Pixel 9 Pro start from £999, and prices

for the Pixel 9 Pro XL start from £1,099. Meanwhile, the entry-level Pixel 9 features a 50MP main camera, with a f/1.68 aperture and 2x ‘optical quality’ zoom; a 48MP f/1.7 ultra-wide camera with macro AF; and a 10.5MP f/2.2 selfie camera with AF. Google claims the 2x ‘optical quality’ is equivalent to having a 2x telephoto camera. You can also record 4K video, and prices start from £799.

Last up is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which packs in a 48MP f/1.7 main camera, a 10.5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide with AF, a 10.8MP f/3.1 telephoto with 5x zoom, and two 10MP f/2.2 selfie cameras. Prices start from £1,749. There’s no sign of a Google Pixel 9a yet, as the budget model in the range, the 8a, was only announced in May.

Abbey Road honours another music legend

Veteran music photographer Jill Furmanovsky has received the ICON Award in the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2024 (MPA). Jill, who also received AP’s lifetime achievement award earlier this year, has a special connection with the world-famous studios, having shot Pink Floyd

recording Wish You Were Here there in 1975, and Oasis laying down the tracks for Be Here Now in 1997.

As a teenager and Beatles fan, she would hover outside Abbey Road in the hope of seeing the Fab Four. Fast forward to 2017, and she was named Abbey Road’s first Photographer in Residence; and joined the judging panel for the inaugural MPA In 2022.

Rankin, who is on the judging panel for this year’s awards, praised Jill as ‘one of my favourite music photographers of all time.. not only is she extraordinary at what she does, but she is extraordinary in the sense that she embeds with the people that she works with and is probably one of the nicest people in the music industry.’

The rest of the winners of this year’s MPA will be announced at an awards ceremony on 3 October. For more details, visit abbeyroadmusicphotographyawards.com

Taylor Wessing shortlist announced

Adam Ferguson’s powerful and evocative shot of a native Australian pastor is amongst the shortlisted images for this year’s prestigious Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize.

The other shortlisted photographers are Jesse Navarre Vos, Tjitske Sluis and Steph Wilson, with the overall winner to be announced on 12 November. An exhibition will then run from 14 November 2024 to 16 February 2025 at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

A range of colours are available, including pink

Jill Furmanovsky has received the ICON award

Pintupi-Luritja Lutheran Pastor

Dixon, part of Adam Ferguson’s shortlisted project

Lightroom in the Frame

Adobe has announced a new beta version of its Frame.io collaboration platform which enables Fujifilm and Panasonic camera owners to send photos directly to Lightroom. ‘By introducing a direct connection with Lightroom through Frame.io, photographers can now instantly access their images, edit them, and deliver them,’ said Adobe. ‘There are no tethers required and no need to remove camera cards.’ Full details at bit.ly/frameiobeta

New Vanguard tripod

Vanguard has released the Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT lightweight travel tripod. Weighing 1,190g and folding down to just 54cm, this aluminium tripod has a levelling base instead of a central column and is designed to be easy to pack away. It also features a VEO PV-12 Arca compatible video head with a 5kg load capacity. The Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT is available now for £269.99. For more information, visit www.vanguardworld.co.uk

Simon

The Vanguard Alta Pro 3VLT travel tripod

Sony widens market lead

Last month we reported how Sony had overtaken Canon in the key Japanese mirrorless camera market, and the gap between the two companies is now even wider, according to the latest monthly data from retail analyst BCN.

Sony enjoyed a 49.7% share of the Japanese mirrorless camera market in July, with Canon a distant second at 20.2%. Back in June, the figures were 33.3% for Sony and 25.7% for Canon, so the gap has widened significantly.

The results are not entirely surprising, as Canon has already reported declining camera sales in Japan for the first half of the year, but this was before the recent release of the EOS R5 Mark II and the EOS R1. Meanwhile, Nikon had

a 12.6% market share in July, with Fujifilm, Panasonic, and OM System pushed down to 5% or less each.

BCN’s latest published data further reveals that the Sony ZV-E10, an entry-level camera aimed at beginner vloggers and smartphone upgraders, was Japan’s mirrorless camera best seller in July 2024.

Worldwide, Canon accounted for nearly half of the global digital camera market in 2023, with Sony second (26%) and Nikon third (12%), according to Statistica.com – so it will be interesting to see if Sony’s success at home transfers internationally. For more BCN data, see bit.ly/bcnjulydata (English translation available).

Black & white winners

Haikun Liang has won this year’s Black and White Photo Awards for a striking image taken during the Spring Festival in China, receiving €1,000 in prize money from storage specialist SanDisk. Now in its third year, the competition attracted entries from nearly 5,000 photographers worldwide.

Cash prizes also went to the various category winners, and the Special Prize for Creativity went to László Tóth for ‘Spiral to the Tower,’ an innovative image which combines multiple superimposed frames of a flock of birds.

You can see the full list of winners at https:// bwphotoawards.com

Don’t miss our videos for the latest kit, tutorials, behind the scenes tours and exclusive interviews with top photographers SOME RECENT VIDEOS

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by Haikun Liang, was the winning image

Sony’s ZV-E10 vlogging camera is going great guns in Japan

Testament ’22 – A Visual Road Diary Through a War Zone

By Byron

Smith

€38, Verlag Kettler, hardcover, 192 pages, ISBN: 9783987411397

Smith’s images

of the Ukraine conflict show the human cost of war, and the country’s spirit, writes Amy Davies

Published to coincide with Ukraine’s Independence Day (24 August), this profoundly affecting book features images by Byron Smith alongside an essay by Kyiv Independent reporter Igor Kossov, who Smith worked with on the frontline. Kossov, who is half Ukranian and half Russian, had been working in Ukraine for three years – when war broke out, he decided to stay to document the events unfolding in front of him.

Smith meanwhile is an experienced conflict photographer based in Athens but originally

from the US. He has covered Iraq, Sudan, and Northern Ireland among others, and has become known for his harrowing yet sensitive coverage of difficult situations. In Ukraine, he made a 10,000-mile journey across the battle-torn country during the first year of the conflict. His work is an intimate look at the people and places affected by the invasion.

Here in Testament ’22, we see shattered communities, grieving parents, those that have made the ultimate sacrifice, and those who show off the fighting and tenacious spirit

of the country’s inhabitants. The title of the book comes from the poem My Testament by the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861), who is an inspiration for Smith.

The book is mostly in black & white, but there are colour images too. The monochrome shots have a timelessness, but they allow us to concentrate on the emotions and brutality of what they show. The colour ones perhaps give us a greater connection to the people depicted – full colour bringing actuality to the fore far more than black & white ever can. The colour images also show a beautiful side to the country, even during the ravages of war.

In recent years, images of conflict – at home and abroad – have become all too familiar on our screens, sadly. There’s a real risk of it being so relentless that it starts to wash over us, but a book like this reminds us why we need to keep paying attention.

Byron Smith’s photos from the Ukraine conflict are haunting, profound and affecting

Simon Frederick: Dualities in Monochrome

Leica Gallery, London Free, until 22 September

This new work from highly regarded photographer Simon Frederick marks a return to the contemporary art world after a hiatus of 12 years.

Frederick has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, with an acclaimed solo show at the National Portrait Gallery in 2018 entitled Black is the New Black. The works from this exhibition were the largest group of African-Caribbean sitters to be acquired by the gallery for its permanent collection.

In Dualities in Monochrome, the removal of colour is intended to reveal moments of vulnerability alongside a perception of strength in the portrait sitters. The work concentrates on the particular experiences of Black men, but, it also speaks to the universal human need for understanding, compassion and regard.

The sitter here is the actor Welket Bungué, who cuts a striking form. All 11 of the works are shown for the first time at the gallery, and all of them are available for sale.

Brutalist Plants

By Olivia Broome

£20, Hoxton Mini Press, hardcover, 208 pages, ISBN: 9781914314483

A successful Instagram account becomes a book, proving beauty can be found in the most mundane of places, says Amy Davies

Greenery and concrete. Not the most natural of bedfellows, you might assume. However, if the success of the @brutalistplants Instagram account –now turned into a book of the same name – is anything to go by, you’d be pretty wrong about that.

Olivia Broome has curated this selection of intriguing juxtapositions. Photographers from across the globe are featured on the account, and they also find their way into this delightful little book, too.

Depending on your outlook, you’ll either find the type of buildings featured here to be an eyesore, prime for the developer’s bulldozer, or you’ll find them strangely charming. Personally I veer

Casa Alférez, Cañada De Alferes, Mexico

between the two depending on the skyline context, time of year (or even day) and possibly even my mood.

Brutalist architecture might not be classically beautiful. However, it certainly seems to be having a bit of a resurgence at the present time, especially when it’s entwined with the glory of nature as we see here. There are harsh right angles, expanses of concrete, and imposing structures –amongst which nature always finds a way. Swathes of grey meet the greens, browns and even the odd pinks or purples of plants.

The project started life in 2018 when Broome was keen to bring together a collection of images that she couldn’t

find elsewhere. She says, ‘The contrast fascinated me. Bringing together these images has done more than satisfy my aesthetic needs. It has unexpectedly and delightfully built a small community of “Brutalist plant” enthusiasts: architects, urban explorers, horticulturalists and creatives.’

Of course, photographers are also included in this list, who Broome says the book is in collaboration with. For us as a reader, it also gives us some inspiration for places to look at next time we might find ourselves in the vicinity of any of the buildings featured, challenging ourselves to create our own beautiful image – maybe one that might even end up on the Instagram account.

Louis Stettner

£50, Thames & Hudson, hardcover, 348 pages, ISBN: 9780500028544

With a career spanning almost 80 years, the Brooklyn-born photographer Louis Stettner was extremely prolific in output.

With 200 photographs comprising the largest retrospective of his work to date, it’s still just a snapshot of what he produced. But it’s an excellent one at that.

After first getting hold of a camera when he was a teenager (like many of us), Stettner became well-known within the famous New York Photo League, forming friendships with the likes of Sid Grossman and Weegee.

He worked as a war photographer during World War II, and moved on to Paris afterwards, forming a relationship with the Hungarian photographer, Brassaï. Inspired throughout his life by the working class, Stettner was a lifelong Marxist. You can see that theme throughout the book, which consistently focuses on ordinary working people.

Accompanying this extraordinary body of work are a set of essays by David Campany, James Iffland, Karl Orend and Sally Martin Katz to place Stettner’s work into chronological context. The book includes monochrome work, as well as later colour imagery and even some of Stettner’s writings.

This may not be a photographer you’re already familiar with, but there are some real gems here so it comes highly recommended.

Commuters, Evening Train, Penn Station, New York, 1958

Cornwall Gardens House, Singapore

Monument to the Revolution, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Les Éoiles d’Ivry, Paris, France

© THAMES & HUDSON

Our favourite photos posted by readers on our social media channels this week

AP picture of the week

Frozen in Flight - Barn Owl at Dusk by David Robertshaw

Nikon Z9, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S, 1/125sec at F6.3 ISO 1000

‘As the light faded just before sunset, I adjusted my shutter speed to 1/125sec to capture the barn owl mid-flight. The result exceeded my expectations – its face is crisp and sharply focused, while the wings have a gorgeous motion blur, perfectly conveying the speed and grace of its flight.’ www.DavidRobertshawPhotography.co.uk Instagram: @yorkshireimages

The AP Pic of the Week winner will receive a beautifully framed print of their winning image worth up to £100. If you Love it, Frame it! ThisPicture.com is an experienced, high-quality framing company with a unique, easy-to-use website. Build single or multi-image frames with a few clicks of your mouse and select from a wide range of frames, window mounts and glazing options. Each frame comes with a three-year guarantee and FREE P&P within the UK. Visit thispicture.co.uk

26 – Paris – 2024

by Tommaso Carrara

iPhone 15 Pro, 1/120sec, f2.8, ISO 32

‘I was at the Stade de France for the men’s 100m final (amongst the others), and could not bring my camera due to the restrictions in place. However, I was able to snap one shot with my phone during another race the same night.’

www.gettons.org

Instagram: @gettons

We also liked...

Want to see your pictures here? Simply share them with our Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook communities using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. Or you can email your best shot to us at ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk. See page 3 for how to find us.

Summer Rain on Agapanthus

by Paula Green

Nikon D5600, 55-300mm, 1/60sec at f/8, ISO 250

‘Every cloud has a silver lining so when I saw the raindrops on my agapanthus collect so nicely during a heavy shower, I quickly set up my camera on a tripod in my living room. I took this photo through the window as I wanted my husband’s black car to be the background. To be honest I was thinking about the macro round of APOY 2024 when I saw the scene in front of me and just reeled off a few shots.’

www.peagreenprints.co.uk

Instagram: @peagreenphotos

Facebook: Pea Green Prints

Let the tech do the heavy lifting

A curated range of PCs for specialists, designed for creators, built for performance.

Calling

the shots

The

smartphone has become another essential tool in the kit bag and the go-to lens of the world. Peter Dench picks out some practitioners and pioneers

In 2011 Libyan civilians orchestrated an uprising against the 42-year reign of Muammar Gaddafi. A full-scale war between rebels and loyalists erupted. Gun and mortar fire was traded across a fluid frontline. Civilians began to document their rebel movement with mobile phones. The world watched in real time. American photojournalist Ben Lowy was adapting to developments on the ground. ‘Back then I was shooting with the iPhone 3G and 3GS, I think? I was using the Hipstamatic [app which applies software filters to photos making the images look like they were taken with a vintage film camera] which at the time took one photo every few seconds, not fast by any means, at least by today’s 120 frames a second rate, but it left me with time to think and plan my shots as well as giving me time to switch to shooting with my SLR.’

Lowy had previously shot with the Hipstamatic app, intrigued by the Polaroid-esque images it produced. The client loved them but baulked when revealed they were shot on an iPhone. Believing in the aesthetic, Lowy adapted his method, approach and mindset. ‘Shooting with two eyes open looking at a view screen was unheard of. We were all still squinting through our SLR viewfinders. That process definitely affected my composition and my visual translation of the scenes in front of me. In terms of content, I think I did try and shoot differently using this gear. Fewer big scenes –

those I saved for my SLR – and more details. The Arab Spring was fuelled by youth communicating on the same device I was using to capture their struggle.’

With no editor or publisher to review the iPhone photographs, Lowy was able to create a socialmedia campaign for one of his clients, to seed a promotion for what was eventually published. ‘I posted the iPhone images to Tumblr and the beginnings of Instagram and my client was okay with that since I wasn’t violating their embargo.’

Phone guidelines

In those developmental years, restrictions on smartphone photography were loose. As technology advances, guidelines – particularly from news agencies –are now in place. Jay Davies, Director of Photography, News EMEA at Getty Images states:

‘Our main guideline for using smartphones is that photographers not use any computational photography features that are common these days. We’ve asked staff that, if they need to take a picture on an iPhone, they should use the raw option. Otherwise, its deep fusion image processor and the auto-enhance feature are essentially always doing some jiggery-pokery.’

Lowy’s images from the Arab Spring, with their fake borders and overly processed aesthetic, could retrospectively be viewed as crude and outdated. They were of a time but at the time, part of the narrative. To dismiss them or re-edit would be unjust. ‘The whole point of what I

have ever done was to create a visual aesthetic unique to each story,’ he says, ‘something to pierce the veil of general public apathy that has been growing year after year – as more and more images flood our daily intake.’

Lowy believed then the iPhone was the future of photojournalism – how about now? ‘100%. Always in our pocket. It has immediate access and connectivity. While it is not the best tool for capturing some things – the Olympics, astrophotography, or something deep underwater – the technology is always getting better. It’s a much more powerful tool with a better processor, lenses, with raw capabilities. Honestly it’s everything we need from a point and shoot. Shooting raw files and uploading as you shoot to the cloud is such a great option when you are on a deadline. The acceptance of iPhone images as just images is the only thing we need.’

a heavy weapon used by soldiers from Zlintan and members of the Libyan Shield

Far right: One of the 1,200-plus texts Mermelstein captured on their phone with his. Over 150 feature in the book #nyc

Above: Omar, 26, sits in the car he drove to the front lines during the Libyan uprising

Right: A dead bush sits in the back of a rebel truck, along with

A more recent global catastrophe produced a different phone-specific project. ‘During Covid my wife and I did a lot of fun projects with our kids just using phones. One was a book we were commissioned to make – A Parent’s Irreverent Guide to Surviving the Covid Lockdown. It was an A-Z book filled with images and limericks.’ See more at www. lowyimages.com/blog2/2020/5/10/ parenting-during-corona.

Making a transition

American Jeff Mermelstein is a modern master of smartphone photography and grand master of street photography. After decades using a Leica he transitioned to an iPhone, with an unexpected effect. ‘I couldn’t have anticipated any camera change – or any change whatsoever in being a photographer or a street photographer – that would have had this much upheaval in the most wonderful, positive ways. I think the word fun, the word

rapidity, spontaneity and perhaps even a new kind of snapshot was enabled and then it fuelled for me a kind of almost, I’ll use the word furious, and I hope, a gentle way, in a passive fury of discovery of a kind of image that I was making with the phone that I hadn’t seen before. It delighted me, excited me and galvanised me and made me make, literally not metaphorically speaking, over a million pictures.’

A fraction made it into his 365page book Hardened (published by MÖREL, 2019). The images capture the day-to-day life of New York and its inhabitants, combining the quirky and bizarre – colourful details of lips, fingernails, food and feet. At the peak of making the work, typical of a prolific photographer, he stumbled across an event that opened the door to another idea. ‘I came upon a woman who was in Manhattan on Eighth Avenue, roughly speaking in the middle 40s, perhaps 46th Street, and

she was on a phone doing a Google search and for no premeditated reason, no pencil-to-paper idea, I decided to take a picture of her screen, kind of like just to see what was there. And what it was was a Google search about a will and it also mentioned something as I recall, that refers to her father leaving no will.’

On 27th Street he photographed a woman on her phone standing outside a Whole Foods Market. Jeff continues, ‘That sent me over the top after I read that text because she was talking about giving away her extra branzino fish, and that meant a lot to me that she wanted to give away her branzino fish, and the other woman that she was offering it to wasn’t sure that she really needed or wanted it because she had already eaten swordfish. That was a big deal to me; that made my day, and that was taking a pill of magic as a photographer.’

Screen revelations Mermelstein was unleashed. He went from standing in front of people to close behind, observing them via their screens and the texts they were writing. From the 1,200-plus texts he captured on their phone with his, over 150 feature in the book #nyc (published by MACK, 2020). The texts are comic and heartbreaking, always revealing. There are no faces or names, nothing

Above and below: Mermelstein captured on his iPhone the quirky, bizarre and day-to-day life of New York and its inhabitants for his book, Hardened

to imply identity beyond a finger, dangling cigarette, frayed cuff or glove. Insights are delivered in the new language of acronym and initialism, truncation, cipher wordplay, the occasional longueur and spatter of emojis.

Sense

of community

Brendan O Sé is a photographer educator from Cork, Ireland, with

over 25 years of experience working in third-level education. He’s also a multi-award-winning mobile phone photographer – including first place Photographer of the Year in the 10th iPhone Photography Awards, first in the 2016 Street Photography category in the annual Mobile Photography Awards, and 2015 winner at the Mira Mobile Photography Prize. He was part of the original 2015 Apple World Gallery of images shot on iPhone 6.

O Sé pinpoints the moment the mobile enveloped his craft. ‘In 2012 I went on a family holiday to Asia and it coincided with my brother being seriously sick at home. The way that I was able to connect with him was each day, sending him photographs using the phone. I was shooting lots of photos and just loved the whole process, the ease of it, and then kind of fell in with the community on Flickr and other places where there were very active photographers embracing smartphone photography. It really got me on an accelerated path photographically.’

The meaning of images

O Sé embraced the jumps in innovation of the pre-iPhone 7 era and the aberrations, blur and abstracts he produced. ‘It doesn’t matter what the image-capture device, a good photograph is a good

photograph. Photographs that people treasure can be tattered and torn and discoloured but they mean everything.’

The in-your-pocket accessibility catapulted O Sé from passive observer to active seeker. Over 15 weekends in 2018, he used his smartphone to capture what hurling means to Irish people through the relationships among fans that form around Ireland’s unique game. When the Kaiser Chiefs headlined an Arts Festival in Ireland last year, pros on the circuit looked askance at O Sé as he bounced around the press pit with his iPhone. Not having a zoom lens along with being physically distanced from the Chiefs forced him to create a different aesthetic to those shooting alongside. ‘So often when people are pinching to zoom on their phone,

‘No matter what the image-capture device, a good photograph is a good photograph’

Young hurling fans by O Sé on an iPhone 7 Plus

The Kaiser Chiefs captured by Brendan O Sé on an iPhone 11 Pro Max

they’re deteriorating the quality of the image. With the fixed lens on it, the great advantage of that is it heightens your awareness of what to leave in and leave out.’

See more at www.brendanose.com.

The way we see the world Photographer and filmmaker Sam Youkilis has 641k+ followers on Instagram. His iPhone photographs and video clips, equally eye-popping. New Yorker Youkilis studied at Bard College under groundbreaking American photographer Stephen Shore, but left the US to live between Italy and Mexico, as well as wandering many places in between.

A 2023 BBC travel report suggested he’s changing the way we see the world. It may be right. The format of his first book Somewhere 2017-2023 (published by Loose Joints) is between the size of a postcard and an iPhone. The framework traces the arc of one day across the planet, opening as dawn breaks across the canals of Xochimilco in Mexico City

Below and right: Men play chess in Budapest, Hungary, and one man and his dog Xochimilco, Ciudad De México from the book

Somewhere by Sam Youkilis, published by Loose Joints

and ending 528 pages later with the ebbing light of Essaouira, Morocco. The book’s images he reveals are ‘… all from videos I’ve made on many generations of iPhone over the past seven years.’

Youkilis travels with two of whatever the newest phone is, one as backup. He says: ’Beautiful things are happening around us all of the time, and my work is often the result of trying to pay attention to these things or waiting for them to happen. I try to travel without expectations, but I also travel to be surprised. A response to the

unfamiliar is how a lot of my work is generated.’ He walks 10-15 miles a day, sensitively harvesting his observations in and around cultures alien to his own, through repetition and sequencing building his ideas and themes into a narrative.

Smartphone photography is or will become the norm, and Youkilis embraces this. He doesn’t seem to seek validation of industry praise, he just does what he does and is doing very well.

Somewhere by Sam Youkilis is published by Loose Joints – visit www.loosejoints.biz

Testbench GENRE CHAMPIONS

The best smartphones for every genre...

If you’re keen on one particular genre, then consider purchasing a smartphone that excels at it. Amy Davies rounds up the options

Pretty much every flagship smartphone you can buy these days will deliver excellent results across a range of genres. But, it’s true to say that some phones particularly excel at certain things, so, if there’s one subject that

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

l 4x back sensors, 200MP, 50MP, 12MP, 10MP

l 4x back lenses, 24mm f/1.7, 13mm f/2, 67mm f/2.4, 111mm f/3.4

l 12MP selfie camera

l Starts from £1,249 l samsung.com

You’ll get pretty good results for landscapes from pretty much any smartphone. This is because the smaller sensors (comparative to mirrorless/DSLR) on smartphones typically perform best in the good light that most landscapes are shot in.

However, if you want something that crams in the most detail possible, then something with a high-resolution sensor makes a lot of sense. Step forward the Samsung S24 Ultra, which has a 200MP main sensor. By default, images are output at 12MP, but you can shoot in the full 200MP if you want to as well.

It’s also got a ver y good 50MP ultra-wide lens, which works well for landscape

photography, too. The two zoom lenses allow you to pick out details in the landscape – while ‘space zoom’ will in theory let you shoot the moon… but results are a bit mixed on that front. Another useful feature of the S24 Ultra is its array of AI tools, which includes the ability to remove unwanted subjects in your landscape shots – for example, a stray tourist wandering

you favour over everything else, it can be worth thinking about your options to capitalise on that. Across the next few pages, I’ll take a look at common genres and how the current flagships handle them, with some

through the frame. You’ll find similar tools with the Pixel 8 Pro if you have less money to spend.

recommendations for each type. At the end, you’ll find my recommendations for the best all-rounder, so if you’re someone who is genre non-monogamous, then that’s where you should head.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

l 3x sensors, 50MP, 48MP, 48MP l 3x lenses, 25mm f/1.7, 12mm f/2.0, 113mm f/2.8

l 10.5MP selfie camera

l from £649 l store.google.com

Most of the flagship smartphones on the market at the moment have some kind of low light or night mode. Usually this will kick in automatically when the phone detects that there isn’t very much light present. It tends to work by shooting multiple exposures and then blending them together for the best result, all automatically and all done in a relatively short time.

Lots of the phones in this group are very good for low light, but I’ve chosen the Pixel 8 Pro as I found that it created beautiful night shots when I reviewed it towards the end of 2023, putting the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung S23 Ultra (the flagship at that time) firmly in their places.

Google calls its low-light mode Night Sight, and as well as being useful for landscape and cityscape-type shots, you can also combine it with portrait mode for low-light people shots. With computational photography Google’s forte, the results are clean and vibrant.

A good alternative here is the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which, with its one-inch sensor, has the largest physical sensor of any in our

group test here. A bigger sensor is usually better equipped for capturing the available light.

Landscape shots are captured well by most smartphones – including the S24 Ultra

Google’s ‘Night Sight’ produces excellent images when light is low

BEST FOR… PORTRAITS

iPhone 15 Pro Max

l 3x back sensors, 48MP, 12MP, 12MP

l 3x lenses, 24mm f/1.7, 13mm f/2.2, 120mm f/2.8

l 12MP selfie camera

l Starts from £1,099

l Apple.com

This is another area where most flagship smartphones do pretty well, as many of them have dedicated portrait modes. One of the key reasons for choosing the iPhone 15 Pro Max however is the automatic portrait

recognition that came with the 15 series. This means that if you point your phone at a human, dog or cat (I’ve found it also works with terrapins but that’s another story), then the phone will recognise that it’s a potential portrait subject. That gives you the option to add (and remove) a shallow-depth-of-field effect later if you like, making it ideal for grabbing quick portraits of unpredictable subjects.

Other than the automatic mode, there is a dedicated Portrait mode too, which gives you a range of ‘lighting’ effects to play with, and you can choose from the different lenses to give your portraits a different angle of view. In this respect, the iPhone is ver y similar to other models, such as the Samsung S24 Ultra

BEST FOR… MACRO

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

l 4x sensors, 50MP, 50MP, 50MP, 50MP l 4x lenses, 23mm f/1.6-4, 12mm f/1.8, 75mm f/1.8, 120mm f/2.5

l 32MP selfie camera

l £1,299

l mi.com

A lot of flagship smartphones have a macro mode. Generally this works by automatically switching to the ultra-wide lens when you get close to the subject. I remember when this first came to iPhone and being

and the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Generally, I also find the iPhone to have very pleasing tones for portraits, showing off a good blend of detail and flattering softness – some phones can have a tendency towards oversharpening which rarely looks good for most people.

Another very interesting option

for portraits is the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which recreates the look of classic Leica lenses for its portrait mode.

Also consider

l Google Pixel 8 Pro l Xiaomi 14 Ultra

For quick shots that you can later turn into ‘Portraits’ the iPhone is great

impressed by the results it was capable of producing.

However, as time has marched on, there’s been some fantastic innovation in smartphone macro over the years, and now some of the best results come from smartphones that use the telephoto lens for macro work – in particular the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. In fact, it uses a ‘floating telephoto’ that has been specifically designed and optimised for macro work. In real-world usage, I found it to deliver some exceptional macro images – certainly the best I’ve seen from a phone. In comparison with the iPhone 15 Pro Max – which also has a macro mode – it’s miles better, so if macro is one of your

preferred genres, it’s certainly worth thinking about.

The Samsung S24 Ultra has a well-performing macro mode, so if you’re drawn more towards the bigger names on the market, don’t necessarily be put off.

Others like the Pixel 8 Pro and Honor Magic 6 Pro have macro

modes, too, but they have similar performances to the iPhone – good, but not great.

Also consider

l Samsung S24 Ultra

The macro performance of the

Testbench GENRE CHAMPIONS

BEST FOR… SELFIES

Honor Magic 6 Pro

l 3x sensors, 50MP, 50MP, 180MP

l 3x lenses, 23mm f/1.4-2.0, 13mm f/2.0, 57.5mm f/2.6

l 50MP selfie camera

l £899.99

l honor.com

You might consider it somewhat narcissistic to buy a smartphone purely on the quality of its selfie camera – but, if you do happen to take a lot of them, you may as well get the best.

Every single smartphone you can buy has a selfie camera

BEST FOR… VIDEO

iPhone 15 Pro Max

l 3x back sensors, 48MP, 12MP, 12MP

these days, but many of them are disappointingly average – and that includes those from bigname flagships. Recently I compared all of the top flagships for this purpose and was shocked to discover that the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Samsung S24 Ultra and the Pixel 8 Pro were actually pretty shoddy when it came to selfies – especially when the light is less than perfect.

I found that it was actually the mid-range devices out there that put in the best performance, a good example of a high price not necessarily equating to being the best. As such, I really like the Honor Magic 6 Pro, which has a 50MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 lens and AF. You might be surprised that many smartphones, even on the

flagships, don’t have AF for the selfie camera. Unsurprisingly, those that do tend to produce better and sharper results.

other subjects as well, so it could be that the quality of the selfie camera only just tips the balance in its favour.

With the Magic 6 Pro, I found that selfies were good in bright light, but also were pretty good in darker conditions too – making it a good all-rounder. I should say that the Magic 6 Pro is good at Also consider

Mid-range phones can be great for selfies

l 3x lenses, 24mm f/1.7, 13mm f/2.2, 120mm f/2.8

l 12MP selfie camera

l Starts from £1,099

l Apple.com

With many content creators and influencers shooting video directly from their smartphone rather than dedicated camera gear, manufacturers have really upped their game when it comes to

video specs just lately.

Some devices – like the Samsung S24 Ultra – let you shoot in an incredible 8K, while pretty much every smartphone goes up to 4K, and usually up to 60p too. Although many smartphones are great for video I’ve chosen the iPhone 15 Pro Max for its simplicity in using, as well as its array of different special modes including Cinematic for creating a shallowdepth-of-field effect, and various slow-motion effects. It’s also great to be able to shoot in the ‘ProRes’ format for those that need more advanced video files.

In general, the video quality is also very good, with smooth transitions between the different zoom lenses, nicely detailed, well

exposed and steady footage. Third-party accessories are widely available and most compatible for iPhone. You can also see fairly similar results from the Samsung S24 Ultra, so actually I’d probably put it as a bit of a tie between these two models if video is your main concern.

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GENRE CHAMPIONS Testbench

BEST FOR… STREET

OnePlus 12

l 3x back sensors, 50MP, 48MP, 64MP

l 3x lenses, 23mm f/1.6, 14mm f/2.2, 70mm f/2.6

l 32MP selfie camera

l £799

l oneplus.com

One of the best genres for smartphone photography is street. With their discreet form factor and ubiquitous nature, barely anybody will give you a second glance if you walk around taking pictures with your smartphone. Do the same thing

with a ‘real’ camera and you’re bound to be noticed – whether that bothers you is another matter, but it can hinder your confidence if you’re not an experienced street shooter.

Many of the phones in this round-up are great for street photography, but I’ve chosen the OnePlus 12 for its good trio of lenses, particularly the main 48MP Sony sensor. With this, you can shoot at 23mm in its default focal length, but you can also use in-sensor cropping for a 46mm equivalent shot, making it very close to 50mm, a favoured focal length for street photography. You’ve also got a 70mm lens too, so between 23mm, 50mm and 70mm, you’ve got a nice trio to work with for street events happening in front of you.

BEST FOR… EVERYTHING

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

l 4 x sensors, 50MP, 50MP, 50MP, 50MP

l 4x lenses, 23mm f/1.6-4, 12mm f/1.8, 75mm f/1.8, 120mm f/2.5

l 32MP selfie camera

l £1,299

l mi.com

You may have noticed by now that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is mentioned throughout this piece. It’s therefore not particularly difficult to recommend it as the best for, well, pretty much everything. With its quadruple 50MP

The lenses have been engineered in collaboration with Hasselblad, and as such, you can also use the Portrait mode to emulate classic Hasselblad lenses, including a 30mm which works well for street photography too. There are also some ‘Master’ digital filters which are designed to look like they were

shot on a Hasselblad film camera. Some of the black & white options will give your street shots a traditional look.

Also consider

A good range of focal lengths is useful for street photography

best all-rounder right now is the Samsung S24 Ultra, which has also been mentioned quite a lot in this piece.

sensors fronted by Leica lenses, it’s a very tough phone to beat and the one I’d recommend to anybody right now. It outshines bigger-name models, but it does come at a high price compared to many of the models out there.

Having all those high-resolution sensors makes it good for landscapes, it’s got a wellperforming portrait mode, macro is exceptional, while selfies, video and street all do well with it too.

That said, not everybody will be convinced to buy a phone –especially at this price – from a manufacturer they’re perhaps not too familiar with. This can also have an impact on resale value when it comes to upgrade time so it’s worth thinking about. I’d therefore say that the second-

For those who like iPhones –and there are a lot of you – the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a great option, and also works well across most genres. Macro is

probably its weakest point, but if you don’t shoot an awful lot of that, then it’ll be less of a bother. iPhones hold their value extremely well, the best of any brand listed here.

Let us know which smartphone you’d choose for your photography!

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the phone to beat at the moment

Testbench SECOND-HAND PHONES

Best used smartphones

Flagship smartphones are expensive – but can you get a bargain by buying used? Amy Davies shows you some options

Top-line smartphone models from the big names can cost £1,000 or more – with some coming in at eye-watering prices. That can be a lot to bear, especially if you’ve already spent a load of money on your ‘real’ camera gear.

What’s worse, smartphones have a much swifter release cycle than cameras. So that top-line model you splashed the cash on will usually only stay current for around 12 months. However, the flipside of that is that if you’re prepared to wait and pick up last year’s phone (or even older), then you can get a much better deal, without having to compromise too much on features.

To save even more money, it pays to look at the second-hand market. You might be

iPhone 14 Pro Max

surprised by the bargains you can find. With lots of people keen to ditch their existing phones as soon as the new one comes out, you’ll often find a flurry of availability close to release dates. On occasion you might even find this year’s current models sold on quickly by those who get bored easily!

For extra reasons to feel smug, by buying second-hand you’re not just saving cash, you’re also helping to save the planet. Well, a bit. Rather than an electronic device lingering in a drawer – or worse, ending up in landfill –keeping them in circulation rather than adding to the billions of brand new models sold can only be a good thing.

Maybe you have your own old gear lying

l Price at launch: £1,099 (256B model) l Typical used prices: £600-£879 (256GB model)

iPhones tend to hold their value much better than Android. You’ll still save a hefty chunk of change compared to the latest model, with second-hand prices of the 2022 iPhone 14 Pro Max being as cheap as £600. You’ll likely also find that you’ll get a decent price for it should you decide to sell it on again at some point. With the iPhone 14 Pro Max,

you get a triple-lens setup, to include an ultra-wide, a standard and a 3x telephoto. The newer 15 Pro Max has a 5x lens – but I found that I preferred the 3x option. Otherwise, much of the spec has remained the same, or only gently upgraded. Image quality is very similar.

If you prefer a smaller phone, the standard-sized iPhone 14 Pro has the same camera spec as its bigger brother, but you’ll get it at an even lower price (£575-£620 typical prices).

The native camera app for the iPhone 14 Pro Max includes features such as Night mode and Portrait mode, and while it doesn’t have the latest automatic portrait-recognition feature as found on the 15 Pro series, it’s still a neat and sensible app to get your head around.

For the cheapest prices, you’ll be looking at something in ‘fair’ condition – which usually means

around waiting to be traded in. You can find second-hand phones via private sellers on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, but we’d always exercise caution there. For more peace of mind, try going directly to the manufacturer, or second-hand retailers such as Music Magpie or Envirofone.

There’s a lot to take in when it comes to choosing the best smartphone, never mind navigating around second-hand too. I’ve selected some of the best older models, but you’ll also find some tips on what to look for when shopping for used models.

Got any bargains you’ve found? Let us know by getting in touch via the usual methods listed on page 3.

that it works perfectly well but it may have some visible wear. Those with more pristine casings will set you back closer to £900, but, considering that’s still a saving of £200 on the latest model, it’s a still a good deal.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max camera quality is very similar to its successor

Samsung S23 Ultra

l Price at launch: £1,249 (256GB model)

l Typical used prices: £540-£750 (256GB model)

The S23 Ultra boasts a quadcamera set-up, with one of them being a whopping 200MP, alongside an ultra-wide and two different zoom lenses – one 3x and another 10x. Other high-end specs include 8K video and a fantastic display. We found it delivered fantastic

Google Pixel 7 Pro

l Price at launch: £850

l Typical used prices:

£263-£350

The Pixel 7 Pro has a triple-lens set-up, including two highresolution (50MP and 48MP) sensors comprising wide, ultra-wide and telephoto. There are also other great features such as a bright and detailed screen, and a macro mode.

The camera app is neat and streamlined, and although there has been some new functionality

image quality and it’s got a nicely comprehensive shooting app.

Low light and portrait shooting is very good, while there’s an array of AI features that make it a fantastic all-rounder – Samsung recently rolled out a firmware upgrade that brings it in line with its current model, so at half the ‘new’ price, it’s a bargain.

The big screen (6.8in) won’t be to everybody’s tastes. If you

prefer something smaller, consider the 6.1in Samsung S23 – it doesn’t have same camera set-up as the S23 Ultra, but it’s both smaller and cheaper.

Also consider

l Samsung S23

l Samsung S22 Ultra

l Samsung S21 Ultra

added to the Pixel 8 Pro, there’s not a huge step change between the two; and the same is true for image quality.

The price of newer Pixel 8 Pro has also dropped dramatically –but if you can get something for under £270 then you’d be doing very well with the 7 Pro. Expect conditions to be on the ‘fair’ side only for that price – but you can get ‘excellent’ condition devices

for as little as £331 too.

If you want something smaller, the standard Pixel 7 has a 6.3in screen, compared to the 6.7in screen of the 7 Pro, but you’ll be sacrificing the telephoto camera.

Also consider

Second-hand vs

refurbished:

are they the same?

It’s important to note that second-hand and refurbished aren’t interchangeable terms. Second-hand generally means buying directly from the previous owner, via online auction websites like eBay. While you can  sometimes find great deals doing this, the risk is greater as you won’t be covered by additional warranties, nor the same legal guarantees as when buying from a reputable firm.

Refurbished phones are still second-hand, but are bought from a manufacturer, retailer or official reseller. These phones will usually have been assessed by an expert before sale, given a condition rating (for example ‘like new’) and often come with an extended warranty. Some refurbished models are restored to the point that you’d never know it had a previous owner. You should also expect to have all the correct accessories supplied with a refurbished phone.

Consumer rights

The trade-off for this is – usually – a higher price. But, as a rule, we’d suggest spending a little more for a better guarantee of a high-quality product. Refurbished phones purchased from a retailer are covered in the UK by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This allows 30 days to return it, if it turns out to be of unsatisfactory quality. Plus, if the phone develops a fault within six months, the retailer must prove it wasn’t there when it was bought. Buying second-hand from private sellers (i.e. individuals on eBay) doesn’t carry the same protection. A listing isn’t allowed to be misleading (for example claiming the phone will switch on when it doesn’t) – but you don’t have the six-month ‘fault’ window. It can also be notoriously difficult to sort out problems that do occur. In either case, the manufacturer warranty (usually 12-24 months) may still apply if the device you have bought is younger than that.

Low-light performance is very strong with the Pixel 7 Pro

Second-hand S23 Ultra’s are still great performers

Testbench SECOND-HAND PHONES

Xiaomi 13 Pro

l Price at launch: £1,099

l Typical used prices: £420-£500

Sometimes lesser-known brands can be picked up very cheaply as they don’t have the same appeal as the bigger brands. By my reckoning, the very best smartphone for photographers at the moment is the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. But, it is a staggering £1,299. If you don’t want to part with that kind of cash, one alternative is the Xiaomi 13 Pro.

Where to find

second-hand smartphones

Take a good look around different options for finding used phones. That way, you can compare prices to ensure you’re getting a good deal. You might find you get a better ‘deal’ from private sellers, but do your homework so you don’t end up with a dud. Take a look (right) at our tips for staying safe when buying, but here are some places you can look at.

l BackMarket

l Amazon

l Mazuma Mobile

l Music Magpie

l Envirofone

l CEX

l Network providers (e.g. EE, o2, Vodafone, Three, Giffgaff)

l Manufacturers (e.g. Apple, Samsung, Google)

l eBay (buyer beware)

l Gumtree (buyer beware)

l Facebook marketplace (buyer beware)

You get a triple-lens set-up, featuring lenses co-engineered with Leica. There’s a wide, ultra-wide and a floating telephoto lens which doubles up to be used for excellent macro performance. You also get a 32MP selfie camera, which is pretty rare even among flagships.

I was impressed with image quality across a range of scenarios, making it a strong competitor for the likes of the iPhones, Pixels and Samsung models also mentioned here. If you can get it for close to £400 then it’s a great deal. If you want to stretch yourself further, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is also available, and is even better yet. You should find those second-hand for around £600 upwards. With that, you get a quad-camera set-up, with all four being 50MP – something that we don’t generally see anywhere else. You also get a 32MP front

Oppo Reno 8 Pro

l Price at launch: £549

l Typical used prices: £225-£280

As you might expect for the price, the Oppo Reno 8 Pro doesn’t have the best camera set-up in this group. There’s a 50MP main camera, joined by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and 2MP macro. The front camera is 32MP, which is pretty good going for a budget device.

camera again. Just like its successor, the 13 Ultra has a 1-inch type sensor, meaning you generally get superior image quality compared with the smaller sensors in the rest of the phones mentioned in this piece.

Co-engineered with Leica, Xiaomi makes very impressive phones

Also consider

As with most Android phones, the native camera app interface is intuitive and easy to use. Specialist modes, such as Night and Portrait, put in a pretty pleasing performance. It’s fair to say however that while the main 50MP camera delivers very good images, the other two don’t quite stack up – but if you’re looking for a total bargain you should be prepared for such compromises.

The selfie camera though puts in an excellent performance – so if that’s something you see yourself shooting a lot of (and why not!) then it could be worth considering for that alone.

Also consider

l Xiaomi 13 Ultra

l Xiaomi 12 Pro

l Oppo Find X5 Pro

l Oppo Reno 11 Pro

The main sensor puts in the best performance here

© ANDY WESTLAKE

Honor Magic 5 Pro

l Price at launch: £949

l Typical used prices: £585-£650

There’s a decent reduction available for the Magic 5 Pro –though the bargain is not quite so great as with some of the other flagships here.

Still, you get a great-performing device for a good chunk off its original price. This is one generation back from the current model, the Magic 6 Pro, but it still boasts some headline specifications to be proud of. That includes a triple-camera array, with all three having 50MP and comprising a wide, ultra-wide and telephoto option. It also has a 6.8in screen, which is what we see elsewhere on the likes of the

Samsung S23/S24 Ultra range and is great for both composing and playing back images.

I think this is also one of the most stylish-looking models in our round-up here, with an attractive and unusual design.

There’s an easy-to-use native camera app, with an array of different shooting modes, while the general image quality I found to be very pleasing on the whole.

Also consider

l Honor Magic 5 Lite

l Honor Magic 4 Pro

Tips for buying second-hand smartphones

l Make sure any model you buy is still supported by the manufacturer. That probably won’t be a problem if you only go back one, or even two, generations, but older smartphones eventually stop being supported. This can leave you prone to security issues, but it can also affect usability if you can’t get the latest operating system. Check the manufacturer’s website.

l Choose ‘unlocked’ models if you can. This means they aren’t tied to a particular network provider, allowing you to use it with your existing contract. Alternatively, you could look for those that are locked to the one you’re already on – sometimes you’ll get a bargain that way.

l Older models which have been very heavily used might have batteries that don’t last very well. You can try to find out if the battery has been replaced – or if it’s possible to replace it yourself if you find it’s not holding charge.

From online marketplaces:

l It’s almost certainly a bad idea to hand over large sums of cash for a second-hand device, especially to strangers. Use PayPal or your credit card for protection from potentially dubious online operators.

l Make sure you’re vigilant when dealing with any private seller. Check the seller rating, examine the listing closely for details about condition, and be sure to ask questions if something doesn’t seem right, or a key piece of information is missing.

l Look closely at a listing’s

picture. Is the seller using ‘generic’ pictures readily available from the manufacturer’s website, or do they look like genuine images? If it’s the former it could indicate a problem with the smartphone – or it could potentially not exist at all. Look for pictures which show the device working (screen switched on too).

l Pay attention to information about any cosmetic damage. It might be fine, but it could be something which affects image quality – such as a scratch across the lens.

l Is the original warranty still in date? If the phone you’re buying isn’t too old – it might be. Also ask the seller if they’ve made any replacements or repairs.

l Is the price too good to be true? Compare any model against other similar models in the same condition. If the one you’ve seen is significantly cheaper and it’s not obvious why, be cautious.

From retailers:

l The condition rating of a device should be noted. Always go for the best you can afford, but cosmetic damage is something that should be considered if it has no effect on the image quality. Anything with a defective battery is worth considering if you can replace it easily or cheaply.

l Can you get an additional guarantee or warranty? This is why it can be wise to spend a bit more money and get something from a specialist retailer, rather than a private seller, as this extra peace of mind can come with what you’re buying.

The overall image quality is great

Reader Portfolio

Spotlight on readers’ excellent images and how they captured them

Raju Alexis, Toronto, Canada

About Raju Raju is a design manager at an IT company in Toronto, and has been a photography enthusiast for over 20 years. He has been published in magazines in India and the Middle East. He is also a member of Toronto Camera Club.

How did you get into photography?

It was very random event for me to pick up a camera. I had a background in drawing and painting while I was young, and so maybe that helped to

enhance my understanding of composition, light and colour.

Favourite subjects

I like long-exposure waterscapes. They are very surreal and I like to explore various light conditions and colours. Both the technical and artistic challenges make me push boundaries and refine my skills.

What do you love about photography?

Photography is a form of selfexpression. Every image I capture of the world around me is a self-portrait in the sense that it reveals something

Lake Louise at Dusk

1 I had this image of Lake Louise in mind when I went to Banff in Calgary. Dusk was the perfect time to capture this awe inspiring location where the mountains cradle the turquoise lake.

Sony A7R III, Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8, 1/3sec at f/11, ISO 50

about me. Composing each frame is important to me because it reflects my perspective or maybe even a memory. As a photographer my attempt would be to connect with my audience on an emotional level.

How and where do you find inspiration?

A place and time. I like to be in nature during the sunrise and sunset hours. That is a transition time when things begin to happen for me with both light and shadow.

What was your first camera?

I bought myself an Olympus

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Lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove

3 I was lucky to get this shot of the famous Peggy’s Cove lighthouse after sunset with a cloudy sky. It had stopped raining and gave a perfect window to stake out a spot amongst the rocks for a vantage point.

Sony A7R III, Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8, 20sec at f/11, ISO 50

Submit your images

See page 3 for details of how to submit. You could see your photos here in a future issue! Please note: the prize is subject to change.

Long Point

2 It was a cloudy morning at Long Point and I found this a very contemplative setting with the bare branches of trees and their reflections on the tranquil waters of Lake Erie.

Sony A7R III, Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8, 13sec at f/16, ISO 50

3

3.2MP point-and-shoot camera in 2003.

Current kit

The Sony A7R III with Tamron 1120mm f/2.8 and Samyang 35-150mm f/2-2.8 lenses.

Favourite lens

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8.

Dream purchase

A digital medium format camera –Hasselblad or Fuji.

What software do you use for editing? Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

Favourite photographers

Galen Rowell is my favourite photographer. His work is very inspirational. I also like the black & white imagery of Michael Kenna.

Favourite photography books

Not a book in particular but I follow painters for inspiration since they use light to guide the viewer’s eye through

an image just like a photographer would. I find inspiration in the landscape paintings of Albert Bierstadt and paintings by Rembrandt and Caravaggio for portraits.

Favourite tips

Explore a lot with various styles when you start out and then try to identify your voice and stay true to that. Take the opinion of others, but follow your own heart.

About your pictures

I like to take long-exposure waterscapes because they transform the ordinary and mundane to a dreamlike ethereal space. It is also a paradoxical combination of motion of the water with the stillness of the elements on land. For me it gives a sense of tranquility and calm.

Scarborough Bluffs

7 The Scarborough Bluffs, Toronto

Sony A7R III, Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8, 1/15sec at f/16, ISO 50

Brook in the Woods

4 I stumbled upon this spot on a hike on Bruce Trail at Waterdown, Ontario. The clear waters were weaving beween moss-covered stones with the autumn foliage in the background.

Sony A7R III, Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8, 30sec at f/16, ISO 100

Bridge at Elora

5 Shot after sunset under the David Street Bridge. It is a graceful arched bridge that stands proud and tall at this gorge in the small town of Elora, Ontario.

Sony A7R III, Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8, 30sec at f/16, ISO 200

Lake Vermilion

6 I got to capture this sublime after-sunset image of Mount Rundle reflecting on the Vermilion Lakes at Banff in Calgary.

Sony A7R III, Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8, 20sec at f/14, ISO 50

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LETTER OF THE WEEK

1936 Olympians

I just came across your Final Analysis from the 1936 Olympics. It’s a really interesting story which I can relate to, as back in 1995 my final project for my HND photography course was to attempt to photograph past British Olympic track athletes who were still living. It wasn’t easy as I only had a few months, so started letter writing. In all I got to photograph 11 athletes and the following Olympic year got a feature in the Observer Magazine

The two athletes still alive from 1936 were Bill Roberts and Godfrey Rampling, 4x400m relay gold medallists. Back in 1936 Bill Roberts worked in a timber yard and Godfrey Rampling was a lieutenant colonel in the Army. Godfrey’s daughter is the actress, Charlotte Rampling. The two

Olympic story

was drawn to read Final Analysis (‘1936 Olympic Long Jump Medal Ceremony’). What an outstanding piece of journalism. Well done, Nigel Atherton! Dr Richard Neale

Priceless treasures

other team members were headmaster Godfrey Brown and commodity broker Freddie Wolff. The USA came second and Germany third. From the published article, similar to your photo, the German athletes are noticeable for the Nazi salute. Anyway…great magazine and very topical! Brian Aldrich

What a great idea, and so beautifully executed, Brian. Thanks for sharing your story.

I sat in bed with my morning cup of tea and opened the news on my

iPad. The news was so depressing but I remembered that Saturday is digital AP day so I

opened the latest edition (6 August). I scanned through to see what was on offer this week and

Seventy years ago, when I was four, my father took some family photos then allowed me take some of my mother with my young brother. After collecting them a week later my mother’s face lit up with a beautiful smile as she studied the little black & white prints. Sadly I lost my father at the age of six and my mother at the age of eight. And nine months after I took a portrait of my brother I lost him due to an illness, at the age of 21.

These and other family photographs adorn my home, giving me beautiful memories every time I look at them. No other medium can match the power of photography. Whenever people suffer a tragedy like a fire or flood they bemoan the loss of family photographs more than any other possession. Photographic prints are priceless treasures.

John Heywood

While I agree about the value of family photographs, they do not have to be prints. Although I too have some prints on my walls, if my house burned down I wouldn’t lose my family archive because it’s mostly now digital and stored in the cloud in multiple places. An album of favourites plays as a screensaver on my TV and computer screen whenever they are left idle for more than five minutes, providing a constant reminder of forgotten moments.

Bill Roberts and Godfrey Rampling won in the 4x400m

Brian’s photo of Bill Roberts in 1995

Godfrey Rampling, taken by Brian in 1995

THIS WEEK WE ASKED...

Peter Kelsall

The best camera will always be the one you have with you. I have several very capable cameras but invariably the best photos, as in the most memorable, are taken with my phone...

Stuart G @Guts_57U_SEUK

DAL - Photography

Images placed on social media are unlikely to be identified as being taken with a £10k body and lens combination as a good image taken on a phone camera. You only have to look at posts by folk saying I took this on my xyz body and it’s worse than a good image on a phone camera.

They have replaced the little old pocket point-and-shoot digi cams for the casual user, and I would say even surpassed them if you combine the cam tech and modern social media. So many more photos/ snapshots are now taken and shared.

Jon Byles

Ask a photographer – they’ll answer, ‘No. Not at all.’

Ask a non-photographer – they’ll answer, ‘They already have.’

Dave Mockford

@DaveMockford

For everyday snapshots probably yes. but yesterday I was trying to make a photo with my phone but it wanted to focus on anything but where I wanted it to. With a ‘real’ camera it wouldn’t have been a problem.

Matthew Grey, Photography of Cornwall, UK

Not likely; regardless of sensor improvement, the lens is always going to be the dividing factor between ‘camera’ and ‘phone’. An Android-powered DSLR could have some uses though? Upload direct to social media from your DSLR? Download open source apps for new functionality on the fly...

Andy Cole @NotTHATAndyCole

Not for me but they already have for a lot of people.

Wildlife Photography | Callie van Huyssteen

@wildlife_van

Point and shoots, yes, but no phone is going to replace a full-frame system with fast glass any time soon.

David Robertshaw Photography

I believe that advancements in AI will likely reduce the gap between smartphone and professional camera photography, making smartphones more capable and appealing to a broader range of users. However, dedicated cameras will remain essential in professional and high-end photography due to their superior hardware, extensive manual controls, and ability to meet the specialised needs of serious photographers.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Agfa Optima

John Wade uncovers unexpected automation from the 1950s

LAUNCHED 1959

PRICE AT LAUNCH £39 2s 3d (about £39.11)

GUIDE PRICE NOW £20-30

This is a 35mm camera which, surprisingly for its year, was the first with programmed exposure automation. It operates mechanically and without the aid of electronics, controlled by a selenium cell meter above the lens and what was referred to as the camera’s ’Magic Lever’. Film speed is set between 10 and 200 ASA (what we now call ISO) on a dial in the top plate. Focus is adjusted by a ring around the lens engraved with three zone focus pictograms for close, middle distance and far distance. Look through the viewfinder and press the ‘Magic Lever’ with a left-hand finger. If a red signal appears in the viewfinder the light level is too low. If a green signal appears, press the shutter button with a right-hand finger. You now have a correctly exposed picture. Here’s how it works. At the start of the operation the aperture is at its widest f/3.9

setting, which remains constant while light levels measured by the meter change shutter speeds between 1/30sec and 1/250sec. If the light level is too high when exposure gets to 1/250sec at f/3.9, then the shutter speed remains at a constant 1/250sec while the apertures begin closing down until they reach f/22. Film is wound by a lever in the usual way, but the frame counter is in an unusual place at the base of the rear of the body.

Below left of the lens there is a tiny milled wheel set to ‘A’ for automatic. Turn the wheel until the ‘A’ is replaced by a flash symbol and three things happen simultaneously: a cap at the top of the faceplate slides aside to

Agfa Optima and Agfa KM bulb flashgun, showing the ‘Magic Lever’ to the right of the lens

reveal a flash sync socket, the magic lever locks and the shutter speed is set to a constant 1/30sec. Rotating a ring around the rear of the lens turns off the automation and allows apertures to be set manually for flash photography.

The Optima series continued with the models I, Ia, II, IIS, III, IIIS and 500S up until 1963, with improvements that included coupled rangefinders.

What’s good Agfa quality and reliability, Apotar S lens was known for its quality.

What’s bad Primitive zone focusing, tiny and difficult-toread aperture settings.

The Optima viewed from the top, with the film speed dial visible beside the shutter button

The strangely placed frame counter at the base of the camera back

Here are the top 10 images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Four, Action, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Amateur Photographer of the Year

Round Four Action

Action is one of the trickier rounds in APOY to judge, perhaps because it has the potential to encompass so many different subjects. In many ways it’s almost an open round in terms of genre, where anything goes – within reason. Everything from sports to wildlife to street photography can make a great action shot, but imbuing the image with imagination and creativity is where the challenge lies. We want to see more than just great panning technique coupled with an ultra-fast shutter speed. As with every round in APOY, we want something memorable that fuses technical skill and originality – be that shooting from an unusual angle, a treatment of a subject that we may not have seen very often, or glorious light that lifts a shot out of the ordinary. Narrowing down the images to create this top ten was no mean feat, but we hope that you enjoy the images as much as we enjoyed judging them.

1

Australia 100pts

DJI FC3582, 6.7mm (equivalent to 24mm), 1/4000sec at f/1.7, ISO 150

Guest judge Amy Shore says:

‘This image, called “Avalanche” is a deserving winner of the action category! The photographer describes their image so perfectly, “Allowing the audience to feel the rush and respect the might of nature” – this image is bound to make sure any viewer feels a spike in their own adrenaline. From a visual point of view, the overwhelming blues and whites of the raging sea pinpricked with the bright yellow of the surfboard really stood out to me. The crashing waves curling into the top left corner of the image balanced beautifully with the lower half of the image, being much calmer and smoother in texture. Drone imagery can often be overused and easily complemented from its alternative perspective to what we are used to, but this image is incredibly strong in its own right and a true worthy winner from colour, composition, the thought process behind the title and description from the photographer.’

f/8, ISO 400

Without the flying pup, this would have been a pleasing intentional camera movement (ICM) image, with soft light and delightful complementary colours. With the silhouetted hound, however, the shot is elevated to something special. The timing is great, capturing all four paws in the air and the perfect reflection below. The letterbox crop suits the subject, and even having the dog so small in the frame is the ideal approach.

3 Sara Jazbar Italy 80pts

Nikon Z 8, 24-70mm at 24mm, 1/25sec at f/22, ISO 64

It can be a challenge to get an original take on a sports image, but Sara has managed it. The top-down angle gives us a sense of drama and dynamism, and converting to B&W removes all the potential distractions from the scene. Her panning technique is spot on, too.

2 Tim Burgess UK 90pts

Sony A7R Mark IV, 24-105mm at 24mm, 1/250sec at

1 Lorenzo Passalacqua

5 Stephanie Chadwick UK 60pts

OM Digital Solutions OM-1, 300mm, 1/160sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

A starling murmuration image with a difference. It’s great to see an image of this spellbinding behaviour in a context other than over the sea. It’s a semi-abstract image that is quite compelling, with the late-evening light highlighting the birds’ outlines and feathers in flecks of gold. The static birds in the background almost look like the outline of a mountain range, and the out-of-focus trees in the background provide enough context for the overall scene. The almost monochromatic tones are stunning, and overall the viewer feels completely submerged in the sheer drama of this natural phenomenon.

4 Kevin Leah UK 70pts

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/6400sec at f/5.6, ISO 1000

We get a lot of motorsports images in this round, and this one by Kevin stood out for all the right reasons. First and foremost, his timing is spot on. We get a full picture of the rider controlling his vehicle while also tackling the corner as fast as possible. If his leg hadn’t been sticking out to balance him, we would never have had the same impression. The flying mud adds to the drama and the processing is excellent.

6 Ian Groves UK 50pts

Sony A7 Mark III, 200-600mm at 400mm, 1/2500sec at f/6.3, ISO 1250

Another hugely dynamic action image that sums up this category beautifully. To get a feeling of movement, the viewer needs to feel part of the moment, and Ian has given us that experience by capturing the rider leaning over at such an acute angle, the line of his body filling much of the frame from bottom left to top right. The gravel spraying up from the bike’s rear tyre again is an excellent reflection of the sheer power of the moment, and the dust it creates provides an excellent backdrop that adds to the scene without being distracting. A great moment captured.

Canon EOS R3, 600mm, 1/2000sec at f/4, ISO

A bird photograph with a difference, capturing a tern on the turn! The judges appreciated the skill required to capture such a moment – especially once you realise just how twisted the bird’s body is. The spray of water, each droplet pin-sharp, adds to the overall success of this memorable shot.

ROUND FOUR WINNER, YOUNG APOY

Antisha

Thakur India

100pts

Camera details unknown

Millions of photographs of the Taj Mahal must be taken every year, so for one of them to stand out in the way Antisha’s does is a huge achievement that should be applauded. The framing is clean and precise, the light is excellent, and there’s just enough detail in the hazy Taj itself. Then, of course, we have the capture of the silhouetted leaping figure, which has been managed superbly well. A very memorable shot to be proud of.

Winning kit from Camera Centre UK

What gear did our top ten photographers use?

In second place, Tim Burgess shot his atmospheric canine shot using the Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS lens. With its impressive resistance to flare and consistently sharp performance at all focal lengths, the FE 24-105 F4 G OSS, with its very useful focal range, is ideal for a variety of subjects from landscapes to por traiture. It features built-in optical stabilisation and weighs 663g. AP’s review said, ‘It’s the best-judged general-purpose zoom Sony has yet made.’ Find it at Camera Centre UK for £929.

Taking fifth place, Stephanie Chadwick shot using the Olympus 300mm f4 M.Zuiko IS PRO Digital ED lens. Equivalent to 600mm, this Micro Four Thirds lens is compact enough to be used handheld and features up to 6 stops of image stabilisation. It’s also compatible with the 1.4x teleconver ter, for even more reach. This lens can be bought at Camera Centre UK for £2,395.

In eighth, Henrik Spranz’s Canon EOS R6 Mark II features rapid continuous shooting, highly effective subject detection AF, impressive image quality in JPEG and raw and an excellent viewfinder and fully articulated screen. The AP review stated, ‘A superb all-rounder that handles well, and its updates and modern features perform incredibly well to make for a very powerful camera indeed.’ It can be found at Camera Centre UK for £1,999.

To see the full range, visit www.cameracentreuk.com

7 John Mihopulos Germany 45pts

6400

8 Henrik Spranz Austria 40pts

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 200mm, 1/2000sec at f/4, ISO 1600

Who doesn’t love a dog-in-full-flight shot? This is a superb example of the genre. Henrik has got down to ground level to capture the enthusiastic hound, and the intent and focus in its eyes has been wonderfully captured. By framing with a patch of out-of-focus grass in the foreground, Henrik has created an effective natural frame that ensures our attention is firmly focused on the dog, so our eye doesn’t stray anywhere else in the frame. And choosing to shoot in such warm, pleasing light means he’s captured that all-important catchlight in the dog’s eye. And, of course, focusing is flawless, too.

9 Paul Nash UK 35pts

Nikon 1 J1, 10-30mm at 12mm, 1/200sec at f/3.8, ISO 100

An excellent example of zoom-burst technique from Paul, with the right-hand train appearing to explode out of the central highlight. The crucial element of the image is the red front of the train, which is pinsharp and placed on the thirds. It gives our eye somewhere to rest and means that the bright central point isn’t overwhelming. There’s an overall dystopian feel to the image that the judges liked very much.

9

8

10 Joseph Beet UK 30pts

Canon EOS R5, 100-500mm at 363mm, 1/1000sec at f/9, ISO 100

If a photograph can convey sound as well as sight, then it’s succeeded – and that’s where this image by Joseph grabs the attention. As well as capturing such dynamic shapes, with the trails creating depth in the scene, we can also almost hear the roar of the aeroplanes as the pilots carry out their astounding tricks. Joseph has done well to capture the speed and drama of the Red Arrows’ display in a split second.

CAMERA CLUB COMPETITION

Neil Grieve

UK 10pts

Sony A7 Mark III, 12-24mm at 12mm, 1/125sec at f/2.8, ISO 640

Neil has earned ten points for himself and for Truro Camera Club with his excellent shot of Cornwall band The Sum Of. He got himself in exactly the right spot, has timed his shot extremely well, resulting in an image that explodes with energy. Converting to black & white is a brave move, but allows us to focus not only on the singer’s facial expression but also the textures and shapes. To earn points for your camera club, simply select it from the drop-down menu when you upload your images.

The 2024 leaderboard s

Round four, and we have the fourth different entrant at the top of the leaderboard, showing just how fluid and changeable it can be. Sara Jazbar, who was in joint eighth place last round, has now jumped to first. Tim Burgess, in joint second, is the highest-scoring camera club member, and earns 90 points for Plymouth Camera Club, which is ahead of second-placed Truro by an impressive 165 points. Will they keep up this successful run? Only time will tell. Young APOY regular Yousef Naser is in first at the moment, but with some excellent photographers close behind.

YOUNG APOY

Round Four: The Best of the Rest

The APOY judges choose their favourite images that didn’t make the top ten of our Action category

Jessica Miller, deputy online editor, chooses The Woodturner by Lynn Fraser, Inverness-shire

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 24-70mm at70mm, 1/1600sec at f/2.8, ISO 1600

Jess says: ‘I can appreciate the craft that goes into the process of creating a beautiful piece of work such as a wooden bowl, a piece of furniture or jewellery; having previously worked in a college that specialised in craft and conservation and regularly seen these kinds of activities firsthand.

‘This image captures the steadiness of the crafter’s hands as a bowl is being turned and with enough shutter speed to capture a range of movement all at the same time: the sharpness of the wood shavings mid-flight, mists of dust and the continuous bowl spinning. For me it evokes the mindfulness of both the observer and the crafter in action. The composition itself is controlled, just like the turner’s hands at work.’

Hollie Latham Hucker, technique editor, chooses The Decisive Moment by Ben Evans, Hampshire

Nikon D600, 24-105mm at 24mm, 1/125sec at f/6.3, ISO 160

Hollie says: ‘I love this documentary action shot, which drew me in immediately. It’s a colourful explosion and feast for the eyes. We know we’re only seeing a small section of the crowd throwing paint but by filling the entire frame from an elevated point of view gives this scene real impact and gets rid of any distant distractions. When you zoom in and move around the scene you start to notice all the wonderful details and facial expressions: the smiles of excitement and surprise, an array of neon sunglasses, splatters of paint, phones being held up to record the exact same moment and multicoloured hands, hair and clothing. This moment was certainly worth waiting for!’

Camera details unknown

Ailsa says: ‘The moment I opened this shot on my screen, every muscle in my body tensed in anticipation of the inevitable belly flop that would have happened moments after the picture was taken. It was a visceral response that made me laugh – as soon as the cringing wore off. I love how Wendy has captured the brave/reckless diver against the sky, with the architecture giving context and the small audience around the edge looking surprisingly disinterested. It’s a chance Wendy wouldn’t have got a second shot at, so she’s done a great job of capturing it with the one chance she was given.’

Amy Davies, features editor, chooses The Bread Winner by Vince Lavender, Hampshire

Canon EOS 90D, 18-135mm at 135mm, 1/1600sec at f/5.6, ISO 250

Amy says: ‘Could there possibly be anything more quintessentially British than a seagull nicking a bit of your lunch?

‘I grew up in the Midlands. Primarily for me, the ear- (and mind-) piercing squawks of gulls remind me of holidays, endlessseeming summers and traipsing around after your family on yet another dull day out. Now I live nearer the coast so the sound is a little more everyday – in fact I can hear it right now as I write this – but still I couldn’t help but pause for a wr y smile when I saw this shot.

‘Catching one of these cheeky scoundrels in the act, with another two birds (or co-conspirators) just a little blurred in the foreground and background to perfectly frame it was either a great stroke of luck or a masterful use of timing.

‘Whatever it was, I love the final result for all the memories it evokes.’

Geoff Harris, deputy editor, chooses Concentration by Davyd Samuels, Worcestershire

Sony A7 Mark IV, 150-500mm at 363mm, 1/1000sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

Geoff says: ‘Being a great motorsports fan and biker, I know how hard it is to totally nail all the elements of a winning shot, but this image achieves it in spades. From the racer’s determined expression to the evocative capture of the perilously wet surface, it all comes together. A real sense of speed and drama is captured by the details on the wet track, and everything is kept nice and sharp – but not so sharp that it looks like the racer is frozen. The composition is great, with plenty of space for the racer to move into. The racer has his knee down at the decisive moment, too – this guy is racing his ass off!’

Ailsa McWhinnie, APOY project manager, chooses Manu Dive Bombing Championships, Wellington NZ by Wendy Davies, London

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Best of Smartphone Pic of the Week

For Smartphone Pic of the Week, readers have been emailing us their smartphone photos or sharing on our social media and we’ve been selecting a winner each week. Over three pages, we present the very best of the winners

Akinola Boluwatife Tecno Camon 30

‘Smartphone photography is more than just a hobby – it’s my way of sharing my perspective, telling stories, and connecting with others. I’m honored to be featured in the smartphone picture of the week and can’t wait to share more of my stunning images with the world. Her beauty, strength, and grace shine through in this stunning image. Her confident gaze is to inspire us to embrace our own unique beauty and power. A true celebration of black womanhood!’

Instagram: @akinolaboluwatife X: @I_am_tife

James Ward

iPhone 13 Pro

‘This image was taken on my iPhone 13 Pro at Gellért Baths in Budapest on a trip there with my wife. It is a fabulous place to visit when in Budapest because of its Art Nouveau architecture and is one of the most historic and famous of Budapest’s thermal baths. I loved the symmetry of the indoor pool, the soft light streaming in through the glass roof and the beautiful blue hue of the waters. Taking a dip in the warm water wasn’t bad either…’

Instagram: @ward_jr

Andy Parker iPhone SE

‘Taken in Saint Mark’s Square in Venice, I used the phone upside down on the ground to get a strong sense of depth and include both foreground and background features. Framing the bell tower though the arch, I waited for people to walk past to create the silhouettes of the figures. It was a bit experimental, but when reviewing the shots, I really liked the resulting shapes of the coat and legs, the angles on the tower, the round light and the archway, but also the abstract reflection on the worn marble, which all give the image lots of interesting visual elements.’ Website: www.monochromevenice.com Instagram: @monochrome.venice @andyparker.photo

Submit your phone images by tagging @ap_magazine on Instagram or X, or by emailing ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Anthony Young Xiaomi 14 Ultra

‘This was taken on my Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It was one of those shots when I thought the cat would move as soon as I took my phone out; but thankfully the cat enjoyed the attention, posing for several shots and didn’t seem at all bothered by my attention.’

Instagram: @Camper vanphotography

Edward Rumble iPhone 13 Pro Max

‘These lovely fishing huts, known as Carrelets, are a common feature off the western coast of France between the estuaries of the Gironde and Loire. I discovered this little grouping near Pornic; the outer two huts, each facing away from the middle, gave a very pleasing balance to the composition. However, gale force winds and rain blowing directly inland from the sea made tripod-mounting a camera totally impossible. Smartphone to the rescue, I was able to brace against the conditions and experiment with the long-exposure feature to capture the image I had in my mind’s eye. Thankfully the digital file was good enough to allow a little judicious dodging and burning in Photoshop to enhance detail and contrast.’ www.edwardrumble.com

Instagram: @edmrumble

Louise Rayner

iPhone 13 Pro Max

‘I use my iPhone 13 Pro Max more and more to take photos as I find the macro setting particularly amazing. I had a couple of white flowers left in a vase and when I placed them on the dark wooden floor, the contrast made the texture and outline of the petal shape so strong. I enjoy slowing down and use photography in a very mindful way which allows me to take images from different angles and appreciate the real beauty of the flowers.’

www.louiseraynerphotography.com

Instagram: @louiseraynerphotography

David Queenan iPhone 15 Pro Max

‘This is my local pier and it’s only a fiveminute walk from my house, which means I can nip over when conditions are good. I recently upgraded my old iPhone 8 to a new iPhone 15 Pro Max and I was keen to put the camera test along with a new app called ReeXpose, which allows you to create a long exposure effect. Although it’s not technically a true “long exposure” as the camera takes a series of short exposures, which are then blended before delivering a final image. Further editing in Photoshop was then done to remove the land on the horizon to give the image a minimalist “fine art’ appearance.’

Website: www.dqphotography.com

Facebook: DavidQueenanPhotography

Instagram: @davidqueenan

Roberta Savi iPhone 13

‘I live in Mantova, Italy, and this was taken with an iPhone 13 in Bardolino, at the lakeside promenade of Lake Garda, last summer, during a sunny day. I usually take analoguw photos with the Nikon FM2 but sometimes I use the phone.’

Instagram: @ro.flug

Technique PIC OF THE WEEK

Anna Frączek

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

‘Mobile photography is something that brings me great joy. The fact that I have photography equipment with me at all times makes it easier to develop this recently discovered passion. Thanks to this, I can capture every moment. This was also the case in Agafay Desert, Morocco. When I saw a caravan in the distance, I took out my phone and used its 10x zoom. I captured the vastness of space and how in this space people are like particles of sand in the desert.’

Instagram: @anna_world_behind_my_glasses

John Crosby

iPhone 15 Pro

‘This photo was taken on my iPhone 15 Pro with the use of RAW Max. I have been challenging myself to take a photo a day and this photo is day number 558. I was at Sasamat Lake, Canada. This particular weekend is traditionally grey and rainy, but today was going to be different. It started with the usual grey skies and low cloud, but as the sun rose, things began to clear up. I love this photo for a few reasons, but mostly the story.’

Instagram: @johncrosby_photo

Steve Redburn

iPhone 11 Pro

‘This photograph was taken with my iPhone 11 Pro on a rainy day at Horizon 22. It’s a public viewing platform on the 58th floor of 22 Bishopsgate, London. Due to the rain and mist obscuring a close-up shot through the windows I stepped back and fortunately got a great sense of space and height. The figures give perspective to the size of the windows and the tip of Shard gives the height and depth. The shot was using the 52mm telephoto lens at f/2. I used Snapseed to edit the picture.’

Instagram: @redders54

Germain Piveteau

iPhone 12 Max

‘I have been passionate about photography for over six years. What fascinates me most is getting back to basics: harnessing the power of today’s phones to create striking images. I firmly believe that photography is not just about sophisticated equipment, but rather about the photographer’s eye and their ability to capture emotion and beauty in every shot. The photo was taken with an iPhone 12 Pro Max, using the amazing ReeXpose app from Reeflex.’

Instagram: @germain.piveteau

Offering the perfect blend of performance and portability this compact standard zoom for crop sensor mirrorless cameras delivers razor-sharp optics, a constant F2.8 aperture, fast AF and a premium build. Available for L-Mount, Sony E-mount, FUJIFILM X Mount and Canon RF Mount.

Contemporary C

18-50mm F2.8 DC DN

Designed exclusively for mirrorless cameras

Petal Hood (LH582-02), Front Cap (LCF-55mm III), Rear Cap (LCR II) supplied.

Available mounts: L Mount, Sony E-mount, Canon RF Mount, FUJIFILM X Mount

L-Mount is a registered trademark of Leica Camera AG.

Other SIGMA APS-C lenses coming to Canon RF Mount this autumn

Boost your iPhone camera

Want to get better shots with your iPhone?

Amy Davies has some tips and tricks to try

Shoot in raw format

Many of the top-end smartphones now offer you the opportunity to shoot in raw resolution. This gives you great scope for editing your shots later down the line to bring out extra detail, particularly in areas of highlight and shadow.

Apple calls its raw format ‘Apple ProRAW’, but it’s a universal DNG format, so you’ll be able to open it on your computer using software like Adobe Photoshop CC, or on your phone with editing apps such as Adobe Lightroom Mobile.

In order to see the raw option when shooting, you’ll need to head into the phone’s main Settings, then select Camera, then Formats. Select ProRAW & Resolution Control and you’ll now see it in the main shooting window. You can also choose a default resolution for your raw images too.

If you want to save space, you can toggle raw format shooting on and off –you probably don’t need to use it for a quick snap of your dinner for example, but for more considered shots, it can be a good choice.

It’s also worth noting in this menu that you can either shoot in ‘most compatible’ or ‘high efficiency’. Most compatible will leave you with JPEG images that can be read by just about everything, while high efficiency means you’ll shoot in HEIF – this is becoming a more and more easily read format, but it’s still not as universal as JPEG.

Although there’s a huge number of different smartphones out there right now, we know that the iPhone is particularly popular, especially here in the UK.

One of the best things about them is their relative simplicity – you can point and shoot and get great pictures. But, if you want to take your shots to the next level, there are lots of different things you can try to get just a bit more out of your device – some of which are a little hidden away.

Most of these tips and tricks can be used with all of the recent iPhone models, so you don’t necessarily need to have the very latest (iPhone 15 series) to take advantage of them – but we’ve marked where a couple are currently unique to the newer models.

So, read on to find out how you can unleash the power of your iPhone camera and get your best smartphone photos yet. And, don’t worry if you’re an Android user. Some of these tricks have similar setups on Android phones, they might just be labelled a bit differently, so it always pays to do a little digging around in the settings to see if you can achieve similar things.

Choose your resolution

If you’ve got an iPhone 15 series phone, then the default output of images taken with the main sensor will be 24MP.

However, you can choose to shoot at a different resolution, depending on your needs. Firstly, you can shoot at the maximum 48MP (in either JPEG or raw format) if you want to shoot something with lots of detail. Alternatively, you can reduce the resolution to 12MP in order to save more space on your device, too. First, head into Settings>Camera>Formats. From here, tap ‘Photo Capture’ and you can reduce the standard output from 24MP to 12MP if you prefer. In the same menu, you can also toggle on ProRAW & Resolution control, and also set a default for the ProRAW setting (JPEG Max (up to 48MP), ProRAW 12MP or ProRAW Max (up to 48MP).

Now, when you go back into the camera app, you should see ‘RAW’ at the top of the screen. A single tap of this will switch raw shooting on or off, while if you hold it down you’ll be able to toggle between the different resolutions available.

Just to note – it says ‘up to 48MP’ in the Settings menu, because if you shoot with other lenses aside from the main one, the resolution will drop to match that sensor.

For some other recent iPhone series models, such as the 13 Pro and the 14 Pro, the default resolution from the main sensor is 12MP and it can’t be increased to 24MP. With the iPhone 14 Pro, you are still able to shoot at the higher resolution, though –which is up to 48MP .

Shooting in the maximum resolution can come in handy in some situations

Toggle ProRAW control on in the settings menu of your iPhone

Choose a 1x lens (iPhone 15 Pro series only)

A fun new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro series is the ability to choose a different ‘1x’ lens from the standard 24mm option.

In the main camera app, tapping the ‘1x’ lens will take you to 1.2x (28mm equivalent) and 1.5x (35mm equivalent) very quickly. Tap again to return to the standard 1x option.

If you find you’re regularly shooting at 1.2x or 1.5x, you can opt to have this as your default option, too. Alternatively, you can switch off any of the two extra ‘lenses’ that you don’t want, which would enable you to jump from 1x to 1.5x, say. Go to Settings>Camera> Main Camera, where you can toggle lenses on and off, and choose a different default too if you prefer.

Note that this is only available for iPhone 15 series phones, for now at least.

Use the slider to increase Night exposures

Extend Night mode exposure time

All the recent iPhone models have had an automatic Night mode, which should kick in when the phone detects that there isn’t much light in the scene.

It’s a shame that the Night mode can’t be manually selected, but you can take some additional control once it does, to potentially get even better pictures. If you swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap on the moon icon (as shown in our picture here), you’ll be able to adjust the shutter speed beyond what the phone has decided is appropriate.

If you’re using a tripod, or you’re balancing the phone on a steady surface, you’ll be able to increase the shutter speed to several seconds (the phone automatically knows when it’s stable).

Tap the 1x lens to move to 1.2x or 1.5x

The same scene at 1.2x (28mm equivalent)

Image shot at 1x (24mm equivalent)

The same scene, at 1.5x (35mm equivalent)

Technique IPHONE TIPS

Switch on macro mode

Macro mode has been a feature of iPhones for several generations now. It works by automatically detecting when you are very close to a subject and switching to the ultra-wide lens.

You should notice that a small flower icon appears when you get close to a subject. If you don’t see this, make sure macro detection is switched on in the main menu (Settings>Camera>Macro Control).

At any time, you can also switch off macro too –this can be useful in some circumstances. As the phone is switching to the ultra-wide lens you lose the ability to shoot in high resolution, while the aperture of this lens is narrower than the 1x lens. If you’re doing some close-up work, but you’re not too close, it can be worth tapping the icon to switch back to the main camera. Try experimenting with how close you can get with that, to see what works best.

The macro mode should automatically activate when you bring it close to a subject

Switch on Portrait detection (iPhone 15 Pro series only)

One of the new introductions of the iPhone 15 series was automatic portrait detection. This works by recognising when a portrait subject is in front of the lens (human, dog or cat - though I have recently seen it work with other animals, too) and capturing all the necessary detail required to create a ‘Portrait’ (shallow-depth-of-field image).

This is great when you’re using the main Photo mode and want to quickly capture a moment without having to switch to the specific shooting mode.

You will notice when a Portrait subject has been recognised by the appearance of a small ‘f’ (to denote aperture) in the corner of the screen. Once you’ve taken the picture, you’ll be able to add or remove the Portrait stylings as you see fit. If you don’t see the f, make sure automatic detection is switched on in the main menu (head to Settings>Camera>Portraits in Photo Mode).

With iOS 17 you can also adjust the focus point for your portraits after the fact – perhaps the phone has focused on your dog’s nose, rather than its eyes, for example. This is a feature that should work with any iPhone from the 13 series onwards, so you don’t need to have the latest 15 models for this part of the tip.

To try it, open a Portrait and tap Edit in the top right-hand corner. Tap anywhere around the screen to change the focus point as you see fit. You can also adjust the level of blur to create a more – or less –pronounced effect too. When you’re happy, click Done to save your changes. You can always revert back to the original version, or remove Portrait styling altogether at any time too.

Portrait detection should automatically recognise a dog

Experiment with Picture Styles

A fun way to change up the look of your photos is to shoot using different Picture Styles.

To access them, swipe up from the bottom of the main camera window and tap on an icon which looks like three squares.

From here, you can swipe to move from the default option (Standard), to Rich Contrast, Vibrant Warm, Warm, and Cool. These are all fairly subtle, but are worth experimenting with – some will suit certain situations better than others.

You can also customise each Style by adjusting Tone and Warmth to get a slightly different look again. If you do that, the names of the styles will change – for example to ‘Vibrant Cool’. You can reset the Styles any time you like.

A couple of things to note about Picture Styles. You can’t remove them after you’ve shot a picture – so make sure to turn them off when you don’t want to use them – if you’ve got one activated you should see an icon at the top of the screen to allow for a quick removal (or change) of the Style. Secondly, you can’t shoot in raw format with Styles activated, but you can shoot Live photos (where a short amount of video is captured with the style).

Adjust aspect ratio

By default, the iPhone will shoot in 4:3 ratio, which works well for many different scenarios.

But you might not be aware that there are other aspect ratios which you can select too. To access them, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap the circle marked 4:3. You’ll now see options to shoot in Square (1:1) or 16:9 ratio.

Remember to change back to your preferred ratio – though if you forget, you’ll be able to access the default (4:3) ratio by tapping Edit, selecting ‘Crop’ and then ‘Original’ too – which is handy to know.

You can shoot in three different aspect ratios by default

An image shot with the ‘Rich Contrast’ Picture Styles activated

The same scene with the ‘Vibrant Warm’ Style

Technique IPHONE TIPS

Try filtersdifferent

If you like the idea of your photos having a different look, but you’re put off by the permanence of Picture Styles, then take a look at Filters.

These can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, swiping along the various options presented here, and tapping the icon that looks like three overlapping circles.

The filters are a lot more dramatic than the Styles, and include monochrome options too. You will see how your picture looks during composition too. The good thing about these is that you can remove or change the filter after you’ve taken the shot by tapping ‘Edit’, and, you can also shoot in raw format with filters switched on too.

You can see straightaway how certain filters will look

An image shot using the ‘Silvertone’ Filter

Switch on the Level and Grid

This is a feature which has been around in cameras (and other types of smartphones) for a long time, and always comes in handy when trying to compose things like landscapes and architecture.

iOS 17 introduced the ability to switch on a level which you can see in your main camera window – it’ll turn yellow if you hold the camera straight.

To switch it on, go to Settings>Camera and toggle ‘Level’ on. Although not a new feature, it can also be worth switching on the Grid too, to help your composition as well (Settings>Camera>Grid).

Preserving your settings is a good way to speed up your shooting process

View outside the frame

This feature is particularly handy for street photography and similar situations.

By enabling ‘View Outside the Frame’ (Settings> Camera>Composition) you can see on either side of the frame what’s about to come into view. This can be helpful for waiting for the opportune moment. It’ll also give you a good idea of how an image will look when shot at a wider focal length, without actually having to adjust the length, too.

The data for this setting comes from the wider camera, so it’ll work when shooting in 1x, 2x, or 3x/5x (depending on your model of iPhone), but you won’t be able to use it with the ultra-wide lens, since that’s already the widest you can go.

Preserve your settings

If you regularly shoot one particular subject, it can be quite frustrating when the settings reset every time you open up the camera app. Happily, there’s a way around this – head to ‘Preserve Settings’ (Settings >Camera>Preserve Settings) and you can toggle on (or off) a number of settings, including Exposure Adjustment, settings you’ve changed with Night Photo, Creative Controls and more. Setting it to ‘Camera Mode’ is a good choice if you’re shooting lots of video in a day – as you won’t have to keep going back to the video mode every time you open the app. There’s an explainer about what each setting does if you’re not sure, which comes in handy.

The Grid and the Level come in handy for composition

With view outside the frame enabled, you can easily see things that are about to enter the shot

Meet the GuruShots winners

AP showcases the very best images sent in by GuruShots users on the theme of Light Capture

GuruShots, the organisers of the world’s greatest photography games and communities, recently challenged its users to send in their best images on the theme of Light Capture. Amateur Photographer is partnering with GuruShots and we are now pleased to publish the 18 highest ranked photographs by those who entered. Also, remember that you can view every single image that made it into the Top 500 at amateurphotographer.com

For more inspiring challenges to improve your photo skills and stay motivated, see gurushots.com

John Santana, Brazil

Eino Evald, Sweden

Erik Enrico Ersson, Sweden

Roy Egloff, Switzerland

thomlutz, United states

bleuxpolaire, France

Nate Riggins, United States

Saša Josip Milec, Croatia (Hrvatska)

christine mogwai, France

Efraín Garcia Argumedo, Mexico

Susana Belenkova, United States

Luis Alberto Rios, Mexico

Hisao Fujimoto, Japan

hermanwaldick, South Africa

Merete Rotevatn, Norway

Paolo Barozzi, Italy

Bob Anderson, United States

David Samuel dos Santos Sousa, Switzerland

Technique PHONE VS CAMERA

Smartphone vs camera... Which is better?

We’re constantly confronting an awkward question … so let’s examine the debate. Amy Davies discusses the pros and cons of each format

Here at AP, we are no snobs about smartphone cameras. We regularly carry reviews of them – and indeed, you are currently reading an entire issue dedicated to these pocket-friendly devices. But of

Sensors

With many smartphones now featuring multiple camera arrays on their backs, none of them has room to be very large, compared to those in interchangeable lens cameras. In real terms, this means, without a doubt, image quality from the average camera is better than the image quality from the average smartphone.

But, smartphone sensors are improving. We’re now seeing larger 1in types in many models, such as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. That said, this is still a significantly smaller sensor than you’d find in any system camera.

Winner: Camera

course we’ll always be a strong advocate for ‘real’ cameras too.

There are many debates raging around the internet over which is better. The boring truth is that neither are – they both have strengths and weaknesses for

Resolution

photography. But, in a bid to help to settle the debate, we present some key points for consideration.

Be sure to let us know what you think via the usual methods found on page 3. For now…. let’s fight!

Autofocus

Lots of smartphones trade on a ridiculously high pixel count, such as the 200MP device found in the Samsung S24 Ultra. The main advantage of these skyrocketing pixel counts is pixel-binning – combining the data from multiple pixels into one, in order to simulate the larger pixels that bigger sensors have, improving performance in low light.

By contrast, digital cameras are usually more conservative, with the 61MP Sony A7R V considered to be very high resolution. This time however you’ll be using all the pixels, rather than binning. With powerful built-in optical stabilisation, a grip-able form factor and superior lenses, they’re likely to have much more luck getting sharp images.

Winner: Camera

Smartphone autofocus has come a long way, especially in recent years with newer phones getting phase-detect on-chip autofocus and tracking in video. However, digital camera autofocus has recently taken an even bigger leap forward with the widespread adoption of a powerful new feature – AIpowered subject-detection autofocus. Combine this with the super-fast phase detection autofocus systems common to practically all contemporary mirrorless cameras, and you’re basically shooting in cheat mode.

Winner: Camera

Connectivity

Almost all modern cameras have in-built Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth, meaning you can connect them up to your smartphone for quick sharing of your images. Some are easy to use, while others are frustratingly fiddly and don’t always work the first time. That’s simply not a problem for the smartphone, which of course has the connection baked right in.

Winner: Smartphone

Handling/Ease of use

Screens on high-end smartphones are incredibly good now, with ultra-high resolutions, brightness and tough construction. By contrast, it’s unlikely you’ll find a camera screen which matches the resolution of even a mid-range smartphone. That said, camera screens are generally much smaller, so it won’t be as noticeable. Many cameras have tilting or articulating

Video

Smartphones are great tools for capturing video, mainly due to their simplicity and with a range of tools readily available to create certain types of video – such as time-lapse and slow-motion. Lots of smartphones even offer video editing in the native app, too. Digital cameras are also excellent for video, but as a rule perhaps require a little bit more specialist knowledge to get the best from them. You will almost certainly need a third-party video editor.

Both smartphones and cameras usually offer 4K as standard, with up to 8K available from some models of both formats.

Winner: Draw

screens, so you can face them forward when photographing or videoing yourself. Most cameras also feature an in-built viewfinder, which many find preferable.

Lots prefer the tactility of a ‘proper’ camera – there’s something to be said for pushing a physical shutter release, and adjusting dials and buttons.

Many smartphones will allow you to use a physical button for the shutter release, but

Lenses

Most high-end smartphones these days feature at least three lenses, with quad-lens arrays currently the standard on flagships.

This usually entails a ‘standard’ lens, an ultrawide, and often at least one telephoto (zoom) lens. This gives a good degree of flexibility to capture images in a variety of different focal lengths.

With interchangeable-lens cameras, dozens of different options are available, from the ordinary to the specialist. It’s of course less convenient than shooting with your phone – but with much higher image quality. Winner: Camera

Price

of course there’s no grip or chunky body to get your hands around – but that’s all the better for fitting in your pocket.

As for manual control, some smartphones have this capability within their native apps, allowing changes to settings such as ISO, shutter speed and so on. Most cameras give you even greater scope to change any setting you want to, though.

Winner: Camera

High-end smartphones can cost in excess of £1,000, but you do of course get more than a camera for your money. By contrast, some digital cameras can be picked up very cheaply (especially second-hand), but it’s also equally true that some cameras can cost many thousands. If you’re buying a smartphone anyway, it might be worth getting the best one for photography. However, it’s also true that you could buy yourself a low-priced smartphone and invest the money you save on better camera gear. Winner: Smartphone

Conclusion

Smartphones are great, so are digital cameras – but the answer to which is better for photography is subjective and will depend on a variety of factors.

It’s safe to say that – for now at least – the digital camera is still king when it comes to image quality. However, there’s no getting around the fact that the smartphone is best for those who don’t want to be weighed down.

Cameras give you more flexibility when it comes to lenses and accessories, but smartphones are much better for quickly sharing your images and video online.

For the average photographer, it’s a fair assumption that a dedicated camera is still what you need. But… why limit yourself to one or the other?

l Quality workshops to top UK and worldwide destinations

l Small groups led by world-leading photographers

l High quality accommodation, daily activities and lectures

l A dedicated tour coordinator from Zoom Photo Tours on every trip

Technique SMARTPHONE CHALLENGE

Studio shoot... on a phone

I

brought two smartphones to a studio portrait photoshoot. Here’s what happened, writes Isabella Ruffatti

When I tell people that I brought two mid-range phones with me to a studio portrait photoshoot, I almost feel like there should be a punchline there, somewhere.

Except I really did bring two mid-range smartphones that I’ve recently reviewed to a photoshoot. They were the Motorola Edge 50 Pro and Honor 200 Pro, both of which have been released with extra goodies for portrait photographers in their respective Portrait modes.

The Motorola Edge 50 Pro gives you the option to shoot in various focal lengths: 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm (equivalents).

The Honor 200 Pro, meanwhile, uses AI and a series of filters developed with the French photo studio, Studio Harcourt (which are meant to replicate the professional studio photography look) that are part of its Harcourt Portrait mode.

The options include Harcourt Classic (for black & white images with very dramatic lighting), Harcourt Colour (similar to Harcourt Classic but in colour) and Harcourt Vibrant.

Here’s what rocking up to a portrait photoshoot in a studio with two phones was like.

Shooting inside the studio

The shoot took place at Studio 101, a south-east London studio that regularly runs themed events for creatives to network and create work for their portfolios. This shoot’s theme was Fitness.

I took my first few photos on a phone tripod that I had brought. There was a white background in the back and studio lights on both sides of the model,

Above: Model, yoga instructor and holistic well-being coach Fiora Touliatou inside the studio. Taken with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro

Left: Photo taken with the Honor 200 Pro

who did some yoga poses for me and the other photographers. I ditched the tripod early on. I mostly use it to film myself unboxing products, but I never quite feel like I’ve got a good handle on a smartphone. Especially phones without curved screens and cases. The tripod annoyingly also ends up obscuring things like the record button.

I’d like to say it wasn’t embarrassing to be furiously snapping away with a phone in hand when everyone around me was holding some sort of camera, but it was. Phones, especially very lightweight ones, feel very different in the hand compared to the feeling of holding a camera, even a compact camera.

I also held them vertically rather than horizontally, which is much easier and more natural to do on a phone as opposed to a camera.

Both the phones did well inside the studio, but it was notable early on that the Motorola lagged behind the Honor phone in terms of processing and I’d be left waiting for several seconds in

Top right: Photo taken with the Honor 200 Pro’s Harcourt Portrait mode, Harcourt Classic option

Top left: Photo taken with the Honor 200 Pro’s Harcourt Portrait mode, Harcourt Colour option

Above: Model and boxer Ancsa. This was taken inside the Commando Temple gym with the Honor 200 Pro

Left: Model Dieter Heitzer outside the gym, taken with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, which came out with some really nice bokeh

Technique SMARTPHONE CHALLENGE

between shots. I hadn’t noticed the lag too much beforehand but if you’re shooting several photographs at a time, and if your subject is moving, this is less than ideal.

Shooting outside the studio and inside a gym

I decided to leave my tripod behind at the studio and went outside with some other photographers. Another model waited for us at Commando Temple, a gym right next to the studio.

There, I got more dynamic shots, moving between outside the gym and inside. I also got more action shots, as the model demonstrated his skills at lifting weights and boulders.

This is where the Motorola phone’s inability to keep up became more of an issue and as a result, I ended up taking more photos on the Honor phone.

That being said, the Motorola phone’s different focal lengths did come in particularly useful for static shots, providing a beautiful bokeh. The 85mm telephoto option is insanely good or frighteningly bad depending on how you feel about seeing every minute detail of your face, but I mostly avoided it as I wanted to get the scenery of the gym in.

Leaving my tripod behind ended up being a good move as I ended up moving quite a bit – the usual getting down on the floor for angles as well as some moving back and forth to avoid relying too much on either phone’s zoom. This was much more than I’d usually move around if using my Fujifilm X-T3, which has an 18-55mm lens.

In general, I found that I had to stand much closer to the models than almost everyone else. The experience reminded me of taking photos with my Olympus Mju-1 fixed-lens compact camera.

I also went into this shoot relatively unprepared in terms of thinking what kind of shots I wanted because I did not know which models would be there, etc. so I had to improvise.

While the Honor 200 Pro’s Harcourt Portrait mode options looked particularly good inside a studio with studio lighting, they also gave me impressivelooking photos outside (as well as inside the gym with no studio lighting).

Conclusion

Below: The Honor 200 Pro

I was happy with my images – so happy I’ve added some to my portrait photography portfolio. Among the advice given to up-and-coming creatives is to use what you’ve got; and with phone cameras getting better and better (and not just the flagships), you can get great photos and videos with your phone. This was quite a unique experience and while I will not be parting ways with my mirrorless camera, as a content creator and photographer building up a portfolio, I won’t be leaving the house without my phone (or Mju-1) in my pocket, just in case.

Above: Photos of Dieter outide Commando Temple gym, taken with the Honor 200 Pro

was a better fit for capturing movement as I could easily take many photos in one go

Shoot raw on your phone

Makers spend millions making smartphone photography foolproof, but as Zach Leon and Geoff Harris explain, sometimes it’s good to bypass the JPEG processing, AI and other clever tech – and simply shoot raw

If you wanted to show a recently landed alien how far we Earthlings had come with photography, you’d whip out your phone at some point. Camera purists may moan, but the most photographs are now taken on a smartphone, and it’s not hard to understand why. As well as ‘always with you’ convenience, it has never been easier to capture perfectly good pictures on handsets, thanks to clever, auto-fix algorithms, AI features that remove background distractions, and a host of other computational photography aids. There’s nothing wrong with all

Zach Leon

Originally from the US but a digital nomad since 2016, Zach is always travelling and relies upon his iPhone to record his insights, passions and adventures. See his website at zachleon.com and @zachtheleon on Instagram.

Take back control

If we wish to carry our photo skills over to our phones, shooting raw is a great way to retain control over our images. Rather than relying on your phone to guess at your individual taste, shooting raw practically guarantees you will express it. For a family photo or casual selfie with friends, the phone’s JPEGs do their job well, but if you’ve left your dedicated camera at home or you’d like to take your mobile shots to the next level, consider shooting raw. With a minimally processed image and exposure controls at your fingertips, you can ensure your creative vision is realised.

this, but as with conventional cameras, it’s useful to know how to shoot raw on your phone (assuming it allows this). When you shoot raw minimal processing is appplied, enabling you to finetune the image as you want, and it makes even more sense now larger, more-sophisticated sensors are appearing in phones. As we’ll reveal, raw phone shooting is not hard, whether you use an iPhone or Android device. Just one word of warning – raw images are usually larger than compressed JPEGs, so bear this in mind if your phone or cloud account is running low on storage space.

Nailing the shot

Shooting raw comes with its benefits, namely extra latitude when you come to edit your images, as no additional processing has been applied by the phone. But what can we do to ensure we’re getting the best results before  taking the shot? Tied for first and second is nailing composition and focus. These two can’t be altered in editing, so it’s important to get them right the first time. My advice regarding composition would be to get in close. I’m a 35mm guy, so I’m not used to the 28mm or wider lens in my phone. I often find myself taking two or three steps closer to get the shot I want. As for focus, tap your screen where you want to set it, or, if it’s a particularly important shot, shift into manual focus to override the phone’s estimation. Third, and finally, set your exposure as you want it. If you want dark shadows, make them dark. Relying on post-processing to fix poor/incorrect exposure can be a pain and could unnecessarily degrade your image.

iPhone 13, 1/5800sec at f/1.6, ISO 32

iPhone 13, f/1.6, 1/5800sec at f/1.6, ISO 32

iPhone 13, 1/2500sec at f/1.6, ISO 32

Tools of the trade

I prefer to use an iPhone 13 – you’ve been able to shoot raw on iPhones since 2016 – but Android phones are fine for shooting raw, too. Simply go to your iPhone Settings> Camera>Formats, then turn on Apple ProRAW or ProRAW & Resolution Control (depending on your model). I’ve found that Lightroom Mobile does the trick for me and I use it for both my shooting and editing. In terms of shooting, I’ve added the Lightroom widget to my home screen, making it only one extra gesture away compared to the Apple camera app. Within the app I can adjust my exposure, white balance, shutter speed and more. After I’ve taken the photo, it appears in the gallery portion of the app, ready to be processed and exported. The beauty of using Lightroom Mobile is that I can easily access and adjust my presets. Ultimately, this seamless set-up encourages me to shoot raw on my phone whenever I go to take a photo, providing me with exactly what I need to reach my mobile photography goals.

You can’t skip editing

When shooting raw on your phone, editing is a necessity. You can end up with a flat, seemingly lifeless image, and it’s up to you to revive it. Personally, I start by applying one of my mobile presets. I use these as a base for the sake of consistency, followed by minor, individual adjustments. Within the presets are general things like tone curve adjustments, tweaks to shadows and highlights, and common colour shifts. Afterward, I’ll make final adjustments to my exposure and white balance, as the presets don’t account for each image’s specific requirements. It may seem an extra burden, but playing around at the editing stage is half the fun. This is where your taste really comes through – where the photo becomes wholly yours, rather than what the phone maker thinks you want.

iPhone 13, f/1.6, 1/1000th sec, ISO 32

Technique RAW SHOOTING

Geoff Harris

Geoff is the deputy editor of Amateur Photographer and a keen travel, documentary and street photographer, both for work and pleasure. He has been taking smartphone pictures for longer than he cares to remember but has only recently started shooting raw, for the extra latitude that it provides. Geoff is also an Android phone user – so when it comes to shooting raw, you shouldn’t feel left out if you don’t have an iPhone.

Shooting raw is easier than you would think

Shooting raw on my current Android phone, the Xiaomi 14, is actually very easy – indeed, ‘Pro’ is the first option you see on the camera app interface and just about every editing app or program can open the raw DNG files it generates. A live histogram makes it simple to adjust exposure settings and Focus Peaking is also available should you want to focus manually – say when trying your hand at macro, for example. As with many Android handsets designed with social media posting in mind, the JPEGs can sometimes look oversaturated and overprocessed, but I don’t have this problem with raw (though there is the option to use the Leica Vibrant filter for images with more ‘kick’). UltraRaw is also available, which supports 14-bit raw format, and there may be similar options on your smartphone.

Adjusting exposure when shooting raw is usually easy on Android phones, depending on your handset

With this image from the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, I was keen to bias the exposure towards the amazing windows, which was easy in raw. Xiaomi 14, 1/800sec at f/2, ISO 565

Whose exposure is it anyway?

While shooting raw might be slower than just firing off a JPEG, sometimes it’s often good to take a more considered approach to your smartphone shooting. With a live histogram reading, you can instantly see how adjusting exposure can be used for different creative effects when shooting raw – something that you might not think about when taking a JPEG because the phone processing is doing the work. With the Xiaomi, I find that slightly underexposing brighter scenes often yields good results when editing or adding app effects, and this can be quicker to achieve when shooting raw via the histogram.

If you are put off from shooting raw by potential editing hassles, don’t be. Most popular editing programs and apps can open DNG raw files (Adobe Camera Raw shown here)

Editing flexibility

As with shooting raw on a camera, you get to tweak the raw file to your own tastes, recovering shadow or highlight detail as needed. Most of the time, optical distortions are corrected automatically in the raw files, too. As raw files from my phone are saved as DNGs it’s easy to process them in Adobe Camera Raw/Lightroom, or my editing apps of choice, namely Snapseed and VSCO – the latter is particularly good for adding film simulations and surprisingly effective infrared effects, but it’s not free.

While this church scene might look a bit ‘flat,’ it is more realistic than an oversaturated JPEG – and the contrast and colours can easily be boosted at editing stage. Xiaomi 14, 1/30sec at f/1.6, ISO 880

More natural-looking images

We mentioned earlier that shooting raw may seem a more laborious process because you’ll nearly always need to edit the raw images, but there is a counter-argument – with some phones, the heavily processed JPEGs can end up looking rather lurid and unnatural, particularly when it comes to skin tones. So you might end up having to edit the JPEGs anyway! When shooting raw, I find colours and skin tones look more natural/neutral. Moreover, the ‘light touch’ in-camera processing of DNG files can sometimes minimise noise, or make it easier to reduce at the editing stage. So why not give raw shooting a go – it’s not going to break your phone, and if it seems too much extra effort or eats too much storage, you can always go back to JPEGs.

Fujifilm’s X-T50: a great all-rounder that slashes your editing time

Compact

and versatile, the 40MP Fujifilm X-T50 is ideal for street and travel images

Street and travel photographers demand a lot from their gear. They need a compact, lightweight and discreet camera that doesn’t compromise on image quality. They also want advanced features and quick, accurate autofocusing –the Fujifilm X-T50 ticks all these boxes and more. Its compact and lightweight design is one of the most compelling reasons the Fujifilm X-T50 appeals for street and travel photography. Weighing just 438g with a battery and memory card, it’s easy to carry around whether you’re wandering through bustling city streets or exploring remote landscapes. Its small size, combined

with its silent electronic shutter option, ensures it won’t draw unnecessary attention. The X-T50 has the same 40.2MP APS-C format X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor as the widely respected Fujifilm X-T5, X-H2 and X100VI. That means that it is capable of delivering stunning image quality with a high level of detail.

That high resolution also means you can make prints a fraction larger than A2 size (594x420mm) at 300ppi or crop in on details without losing significant quality. It makes for a versatile camera, with the cropping being especially useful if you want to avoid lens swapping.

Film Simulation Mode magic

Fujifilm’s Film Simulation Modes are widely considered to produce the best JPEG colours available straight from a camera. They allow you to achieve a specific look or style without having to edit later on the computer, or even having to download the images. This can greatly

Above: A versatile and fine-handling camera

Left: The Fujifilm X-T50 is suitable for shooting a wide range of scenes and there’s a lens for every occasion – this was shot using the new XF1650mmF2.8-4.8 R LM WR

speed up your photography workflow, as you can immediately see the effect of a particular Film Simulation. Often, after a long day’s shooting, the last thing you want is to be tied to your computer editing images during your downtime.

The X-T50 has no less than 20 Film Simulation modes to choose from, including the new REALA ACE profile which delivers natural colour with high contrast, making it a great choice for a wide range of applications – but especially landscape and portrait photography. There are also older favourites like CLASSIC CHROME which produces muted earthy tones that work especially well for street or documentary photography, ASTIA/ SOFT which also produces less saturated colours that are attractive with many natural subjects, and VELVIA/ VIVID which boosts the saturation.

Power of eight

If you’re a fan of black & white photography, then the X-T50 has no fewer than eight monochrome options, including the very popular ACROS Film Simulation mode. ACROS can be used ‘au naturel’ or with a yellow,

Right: The 3in, 1.84m-dot tilting touchscreen greatly adds to the X-T50’s appeal

red or green filter effect to replicate the impact of using traditional coloured filters with black & white film.

Having 20 Film Simulation Modes means there’s always one to suit your subject, mood or the shooting conditions. Also, thanks to the X-T50’s dedicated Film Simulation Mode dial you can switch quickly between

your favourite options so you always capture exactly what you want in-camera. Naturally, there isn’t room for all 20 Film Simulation modes on the dial, but there are dedicated settings for 8 of them (PROVIA, VELVIA, ASTIA, CLASSIC CHROME, REALA ACE, CLASSIC NEG, NOSTALGIC NEG and ACROS), plus three custom settings. These three settings can be customised via the menu to access any that don’t have a dedicated setting but you like to use frequently. In addition, the dial has a ‘C’ setting that allows you to select from the full complement via the Q Menu.

Furthermore, because the X-T50 is a mirrorless camera and has an electronic viewfinder, you can preview your images with the selected Film Simulation Mode applied before you press the shutter button. You can then switch quickly between the various modes until you see one that works well for your scene.

As you’d expect, the X-T50 has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, meaning you can share your images to a connected smartphone to keep friends and family at home up to date with your travels. It also allows you to share images with any portrait subjects you photograph on your travels.

High-resolution sensor

Another great feature of the X-T50 is that it has the same 40.2MP APS-C format X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor as the widely respected Fujifilm X-T5, X-H2 and X100VI cameras. This means it is capable of delivering stunning image quality with the level of detail that’s required for capturing the most important features of street scenes and landscape or travel views. As mentioned, that high resolution also means you can make prints a fraction larger than A2 (594x420mm) at 300ppi or crop in on details without affecting quality. The cropping is

Left: The new REALA ACE profile delivers naturallooking colour with great contrast

Right: For convenience, there are dedicated settings for eight film simulations, including the ever-popular ASTIA

Left: For really punchy-looking colours, the VELVIA simulation is hard to beat

especially useful when you don’t want to carry more than one lens or you don’t have time to swap optics.

Fast shooting capabilities, fast AF

Below: The animal eye detection even works through the grid of a cage, and without the animal looking directly at the camera, making it easier to get sharp images

Bottom: This image was shot handheld at a shutter speed of 1/10sec, blurring the movement of the person but the IBIS has ensured the surroundings are sharp

The X-T50 is a fast performer, too. When the mechanical shutter is in action, it can shoot continuously at up to 8 frames per second, but switch to the electronic shutter and you can shoot at up to 20fps with a 1.29x crop. It means that you can be confident you’ve captured split-second moments that you want to remember for a lifetime. The X-T50’s advanced autofocus system is another feature inherited from cameras further up the Fujifilm range. Its subject detection capability is a major bonus for street and travel photographers. It means the X-T50 can recognise and track a variety of subjects, including people, animals and vehicles so you can be sure that your subject is sharp in fast-action situations or when you don’t have long to compose your shot.

The X-T50’s face and eye detection focus is also perfect for street portraits, ensuring the focus is in the right place without keeping your subject waiting. Meanwhile, in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) is a fantastic feature for photographers who shoot indoors and in low light conditions. It enables you to capture sharp images without the need for a tripod, which is perfect when you need to travel light. In some tourist hot-spots, a tripod isn’t even allowed! The X-T50’s IBIS provides up to 7 stops of shake reduction, which is the difference between 1/250sec and 1/3 sec.

Video capabilities

The Fujifilm X-T50 also has some impressive video credentials. For instance, it supports internal 6.2K 30p recording in 4:2:2 10-bit colour, ideal for capturing a vibrant scene. Alternatively, those who want even more flexibility and scope for colour grading can set the X-T50 to output raw video (ProRes or Blackmagic formats) over HDMI in 4:2:2 12-bit to an external recorder.

But of course, those 20 Film Simulation modes are also available in video mode so you can capture movies that looks great in-camera and match your still images. There’s also a 3.5mm stereo microphone input for high-quality audio capture, which can make a dramatic difference to your footage.

App-solute photo magic

Get creative with your smartphone shots. Matty Graham shares the best editing apps you can get for Android and iPhone

In this guide, I’ll take you through the best photo-editing apps to download now. There’s a wealth of choice out there, both in terms of paid-for apps and free options, and if you want to give your smartphone images a bit more of a high-grade look, this is the way to do it.

With 15 years spent in the magazine industry working as an editor for various publications, and as a professional photographer and videographer specialising in landscape and automotive imagery, I use a range of smartphone apps

Photoshop Express

l Price: Included in Creative Cloud subscription

With ‘Photoshop’ in its name, it comes as no surprise that this photo editor has it all. Features include layer editing, core exposure and colour adjustments as well as healing tools. However, if you want to ramp up your image editing then Photoshop Express has you covered with advanced technology such as Auto Object Selection and Face Contouring

As well as all the advanced tech, there are also more fun features, with an emphasis on creating tools for social media use. From text and graphics to easy-to-use collage tools, so you can merge multiple images together. There are also hundreds of effects and themes to choose from if you are looking for an express edit.

One further set of noteworthy features is Quick Actions, where complex jobs can be completed in one click. Jobs such as adding

to aid me on shoots and edit on the go. But as smartphone app stores are awash with photo-editing apps, I know it can be a real headache to find the ones that are actually worth downloading.

Photography apps can be powerful tools, enabling you to make the most out of your images whether captured and edited on your smartphone or transferred from your camera to your device via Bluetooth when you’re on the road. But how do these mobile photo-editing apps compare with the feature-packed desktop versions when it comes to use?

Denoise to a grainy image, smoothing out skin or even adding digital make-up to our

I’ve tried and tested every app on this list, and regularly update them to ensure that the recommended iOS and Android apps do as they’re supposed to.

However, there is no point in clogging up your smartphone with apps that just don’t cut it. I have rounded up the best photo editing apps that are worth adding to your phone. Some on this list will unlock the door to creative editing, whilst others will help you to capture images in a new and fun way.

In short, all of the apps here are worth hitting the download button for…

Almost all of Photoshop’s power, compressed into a smartphone app – amazing!

subject.

Photoshop Lightroom

l Price: Included in Creative Cloud subscription

Photographers know what Lightroom can do and how it works, so the smartphone version will be instantly familiar to those who have used the software on a desktop. The combination of one-click Presets and easy-to-use sliders makes this a great editing app for photographers who need to quickly edit images on the go. Dig a little deeper and you will be able to access more-advanced features such as being able to quickly remove Chromatic Aberration or enable Lens Corrections. This is particularly useful if you want to correct the effect of wideangle lenses. Remember, you can edit raws as well as JPEGs and there are also plenty of sharing options available, such as the ability to choose the file type you export the image as (JPEG, TIFF, DNG) or the option of uploading straight onto your social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram. Photoshop Lightroom is available for Android and iOS; you can also further edit your images in Photoshop Express.

PicsArt

l Price: Free (with premium subscription)

While PicsArt the app has been around in some form or another for some time, it has more recently rebranded itself with a focus on AI. So, in the marketing copy on the store pages, you can expect to see a lot of references to generating smart backgrounds, and expanding images. However, even if you’re completely uninterested in this stuff, PicsArt is a solid image editor for both Android and iOS. Its interface puts all the usual tools at your fingertips, with cropping and clone tools as well as curves adjustments. There are also plenty of attractive special effects, including film-like filters for a retro look. The app is free to use, though it will nag you to upgrade to a premium subscription, which unlocks most of the smart AI-powered features. PicsArt can also be used for video.

Powerful tools include AI-powered Lens Blur with different bokeh effects

Remove unwanted objects in your image using the clever object remover tool

Snapseed

l Price: Free

Whisper it quietly, but Snapseed (now owned by Google) has been around for over a decade. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for editing your images because this app really does have it all.

Available for both Android and iOS, Snapseed tools range from basic exposure/colour adjustments to more advanced HDR and Mono conversion features. The Head Pose option offers a Liquify-style solution to change the direction of gazes in your portraits, while the Selective options will allow for precise adjustments to both JPEG and raw files. Perspectives can be altered, and distractions can be quickly banished with the Healing tool option. For those feeling more creative, Double Exposures can be created in seconds, and vignettes and borders can be accessed to add the final touches to your images. Photos can be exported as new files, or you can overwrite your original photo to save space on your smartphone. I think you’ll struggle to find a better free photo app, full stop.

For quick one-click edits, Snapseed has a range of presets which are called Looks

BEST PHOTO-EDITING APPS

Instagram

l Price: Free

Instagram has lost its way a little over the years, and now there’s a shift on the platform towards Reels and adverts. That said, you simply can’t deny its power for getting your photos in front of a massive audience. The simple-to-use filter function does allow for a big change and very stylised effects, but obviously, there are more advanced features to correct exposure, enhance colours and ramp up contrast. Detail can be improved via Structure and Sharpening sliders, and finishing touches such as vignettes can be added. Of course, it’s worth remembering that Instagram is a great app for inspiration too. For example, when off to a landscape location, to view what other photographers have captured at the scene, simply tap in #LocationName and you can explore compositional options before you even reach the place. Yes, this app is used by far too many for silly selfies, but at its heart, it’s a fantastic photography resource.

so you can show them off instantly

Google Photos

l Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Google Photos is a thoroughly comprehensive photo app that comes with 15GB of storage for free, and you can pay for additional storage if needed. Think of the app as a home for your photos, as there are a lot of options for storing and quickly finding your imagery. That’s not to say that the app neglects the editing features. Photos can be quickly enhanced with a high degree of precision. If you have a Google Pixel smartphone, you also benefit from extra features, such as Magic Eraser, allowing removal of unwanted objects from your photos. There are additional ‘wizard’ style features such as Auto Enhance Lighting which work well. Lastly, the app makes it very easy to complete the job and forward on edited images to contacts in your phone, which will appeal to those working in creative teams. Google Photos often comes pre-installed to Android phones, but it is also available to download from Google Play. iOS users can download it from the Apple App Store.

Lensa – AI photo editor

l Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

This photo-editing app is available for iOS and Android and is known for creating amazing-looking avatars (profile pictures) which it calls ‘Magic Avatars’. However, it can also be used for a number of other cool effects, and photo edits, including Magic Retouch – for portrait enhancement, with one touch. You can use it to separate your subject and background, as well as carry out photo edits like brightness, contrast and saturation.

When loading it for the first time, it recommends a free trial and purchasing the app. To use the main AI features like Magic Avatars will cost money. For general editing, there are useful features, like being able to adjust the exposure in the sky separately from the foreground. The foreground and background can also be adjusted separately for people and other subjects. It’s the Effects and Art Styles that can really make your images stand out, with lots of options available.

Instagram’s filters offer quick stylised effects

Make use of the Google Lens function to identify plants and animals in your photos

Magic Retouch offers one-tap transformations with additional tools to fine-tune facial features

Technique BEST PHOTO-EDITING APPS

Pixlr

l Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Available for iOS and Android, (and Windows), this free app is packed with easy-to-use features that can completely transform a photo and allow you to add a creative stamp on the frame. Pixlr also offers a highly effective Autofix option, which does a great job at enhancing the image and even balancing the exposure of skies in landscape scenes. There’s also a camera function that adds ‘Picture Style’ filters so that you can get an idea of how your final image will look. The Collage feature showcases multiple images at the same time.

One of the coolest features Pixlr offers, however, is the huge range of creative borders that can be added around the frame with just one click. From grungy looks to modern and clean borders – there is something for everyone.

Pixlr app offers a wide range of effects which is displayed in a grid formation so you can see how each preset looks when applied to your image

1998 Cam

l Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

1998 Cam is, as the title suggests, designed to give you the look of a camera from 1998. In 1998, disposable film cameras were popular, and with this app, you can re-create that retro, nostalgic look without the expense of having to use a film camera. This app lets you edit your existing photos or take new photos with it. You’ve got a variety of film choices including all the favourites from Kodak, Fujifilm and more. Plus, you can add that all-important film grain, and even light leaks. It works with still photos and video too.

Photo Editor Pro (by InShot Inc)

l Price: Free

Now available for iOS too, not just for Android users, Photo Editor Pro has some of the best reviews on the Google Play store and is a great option if you’re looking to edit your photos and create collages on your smartphone. It’s easy to use, with lots of great examples, and has the ability to correct skin blemishes, give images a warmer look, remove backgrounds, or even produce an AI cartoon version of your subject.

Cropping tools come with a number of presets for major social media sites, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest, so you know you’ve got the right settings for each one. You’ll find a whole range of cool filters, including RGB Glitch, and more. There are a range of templates available, great if you want to create something quickly, and the collage feature is so quick and easy to use.

Colorize

l Price: Free trial (paid upgrade available)

If you are curious how your old family photo album would look in full colour, this app transforms black & white and greyscale images into colourful photographs. Scan your B&W photo or upload one from your camera roll and with one tap the app automatically adds colour to your photo. You can try out the app for free and colourise a few images but for unlimited use, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan that offers unlimited black & white colourisation, unlimited saving and sharing as well as photo backup and access on other devices and online. Available via App Store for iOS and Google Store for Android.

The

Give your images a retro look using film presets, light leaks and grain

The collage feature is quick and easy to use

This app produces wonderful results transforming old black & white prints into colour images

With groundbreaking performance in both still and movie recording, the a7 IV is the ideal hybrid, providing breathtaking imagery along with on-the-spot delivery and distribution. The a7 IV is a camera designed to bring to life the artistic visions of today’s creators.

ZV-E10 II Vlogging Camera

With a large APS-C 26.0-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, the latest BIONZ XR image processing engine25, dedicated vlog settings, and interchangeable lenses, the ZV-E10 II offers unprecedented expressive freedom. It’s the ideal choice for vloggers on the go.

F/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD

This compact and portable lens for Sony E mount users is a full-frame lens with a broad zoom range, which features outstanding optics, vibration compensation and high-speed Autofocus.

HASSELBLAD XCD 25V

f/2.5

Embrace the expansive view and eternalise the captivating interplay of light and shadow of this wide-angle lens provides. It integrates the classic V-series design ethos with intuitive, user-friendly functionality, exuding elegance, both in its aesthetic and control.

Dedicated accessories for your smartphone can take your photography and video skills to the next level

Work smarter

The right phone accessory can mean the difference between getting the shot and not. Here we round up the best kit you can get to take your smartphone photography to the next level

Looking to get more professionallooking photos and video from your phone, or just want to make sure you don’t run out of juice? We’ve rounded up the best camera phone accessories for photography and video, including phone tripods, that can give your smartphone content an edge, and help you improve the quality of your photos and video. Smartphone photography has not only become increasingly popular over the past decade; it’s become the predominant format for taking photos. Advancements in technology, the ease of social media and the size and convenience of phones has transformed the ubiquitous smartphone into the everyday camera for the masses. According to a study by Statista, almost 80% of smartphone users around the world take

pictures with their device and share them on social networks.

The widespread popularity of smartphone photography has, of course, also given rise to a new range of accessories you can use with your device to help you take better photos. These include lens filters, stabilisers, mini tripods and more, which can help improve the quality of your images without breaking the bank. As well as being affordable, many smartphone accessories are small and lightweight, making them easy to transport and just as suited for ‘everyday photography’ as your device itself.

In this article we’ll round up our picks for the best smartphone accessories for photography, but first, let’s take a look at the different types of accessories you can buy for your camera phone.

What are the best camera phone accessories for taking photos?

l Smartphone camera lens

A smartphone camera lens is a small accessory that clips onto your phone’s camera and allows you to capture different types of photos. There are many types available, including wideangle, fisheye and telephoto lenses. A wideangle lens is great for landscapes or group shots, while a fisheye lens can create a fun, distorted effect. A telephoto lens is ideal for capturing close-ups of distant subjects, such as wildlife.

l Filters

Just like your interchangeablelens camera, filters can help to enhance or alter the colours and tones in your photos, giving them a unique look. Popular filters for smartphones include polarisers, which reduce reflections and improve contrast and saturation of colours; neutral density filters, which reduce the amount of light entering the lens to allow for longer exposures; and gradient filters, which gradually darken parts of the frame.

l Tripods

A mini tripod is a small and portable phone tripod that, like regular tripods, can be used to stabilise your smartphone while taking photos or filming video. This is especially useful for shooting in low light or at slow shutter speeds, to reduce camera shake and blur. Some mini tripods also have flexible legs, which allow you to wrap them around objects or bend them into different positions for unique angles and shots.

l Stabiliser (and Gimbals)

A stabiliser is a device that helps to steady your smartphone while filming video, providing smoother and more professional-looking footage. There are several types of stabiliser available, including gimbal stabilisers, which use motors and sensors to keep the camera level and stable, and handheld stabilisers, which are designed to be held in your hand and provide a stable base for your smartphone.

l Lighting

An external flash is a small, portable flash unit that can be attached to your smartphone to provide additional light for low-light situations. This can be especially useful for taking portraits or capturing detail in shadowed areas. Most external flashes, are actually continuous LED lighting, which gives you adjustable brightness levels, and some also let you adjust the colour temperature settings, which allow you to customise the light output to suit your needs. Continuous lighting can come in various shapes and sizes, and may use older bulb technology, or more recently LED lighting has become the norm.

l Remote shutter release

A remote shutter release is a small device that allows you to control the camera of your smartphone remotely, without touching the screen. This can be especially useful for taking self-portraits or group shots, as it

allows you to position the camera at a distance and trigger the shutter remotely. Some remote shutter releases also have additional features, such as timer functions and burst mode capabilities.

l Protective case

A protective case is a must-have accessory for anyone who wants to keep their smartphone in good condition while taking photos. A good protective case will provide protection against drops, bumps, and scratches, while also allowing easy access to the camera and other buttons. Some cases also have additional features, such as built-in filters or grips, which can enhance your photography experience. While the most common place to keep your smartphone will probably be your pockets, a camera bag, case or crossbody smartphone bag can come in handy, especially if you’re out shooting video with a mini tripod, lenses and more.

The best camera phone accessories to buy for photos and video

Now that we’ve run through the different types of camera phone accessories available to mobile content creators, these are our picks for the best smartphone accessories that can take your work to the next level

Power bank: Anker Power Bank (Compact, 10,000mAh)

l Price: £22.99

First off, we’ll start with the very basics. Assuming you’ve already got a cable and wall charger, the next thing you need is the essential phone accessory: the humble power bank. Without power, your phone is useless. For power banks, we recommend sticking to trusted brands, and here we’re

recommending Anker, as I’ve used a number of products from Anker, all without any problems. You’ll want to make sure you get one with 10,000mAh or more, which should be good for a couple of charges for main phones. It also comes with an 18-month warranty.

Best case and grip: ShiftCam SnapGrip and Peak Design case (for iPhone)

l Price: £69.99

A phone case is a must-buy for many phone users, but did you know you can also get a grip that makes your phone feel like a camera? That’s where the ShiftCam SnapGrip comes in –it’s a magnetic grip, that also includes a mini power bank. With its MagSafe connector, the SnapGrip fits directly onto most

iPhones since the 12-series. It uses Bluetooth, meaning you can use the shutter button on the grip to take photos, and it works in portrait and horizontal orientation. It’s also compatible with premium cases like the cases from Peak Design.

Testbench SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

Best multi-purpose tripod for phones: Joby RangePod Smart Tripod

l Price: £107

The Joby RangePod Smart Tripod is a well-made product that can be used with full-size cameras, as well as phones, thanks to the included high-quality phone holder. If you’re looking for a sturdy tripod, that doesn’t compromise on build and can be adjusted to a variety of different

heights, then this is a great choice. It’s got a 360-degree head, so you can use it for panning for either panoramic shots, or smooth video pans.

Gimbal: DJI Osmo Mobile 6

l Price: £165

DJI’s Osmo range of gimbal stabilisers revolutionised vlogging for the masses, and this latest iteration adds a slew of new features to make content creation even easier. There’s a new Quick Launch feature and improvements made to DJI’s ActiveTrack technology. This enables users to track subjects even as they turn to the side or spin. The 3-axis gimbal provides

silky-smooth footage despite its small 300g form factor, which can fit in your pocket. The Osmo Mobile 6 also adds a new status panel that lets you quickly switch between modes such as Tilt lock, FPV or SpinShot. Used in conjunction with DJI’s Memo app, you can access modes such as Timelapse, DynamicZoom, Gesture Control, Panorama and Story Mode.

Best continuous lighting: Neewer 18in Ring Light Kit

l Price: £95.99

No guide to phone accessories would be complete without a ring light. Whether you’re taking selfies, recording videos, or taking product shots, additional lighting can be the difference between a great shot, or something that looks like the Blair Witch project. The Neewer

Ring Light Kit, offers an 18in (45cm) ring light that uses dimmable LED lighting, and comes with a stand, a phone holder, and a carry bag, and can be adjusted from 5600K colour temperature to 3200K if needed.

Mini tripod: Joby GripTight ONE GP

l Price: £24.99

Joby offers a range of portable, flexible tripods, with the GorillaPod being the most famous of them all. Here you get a compact, flexible GorillaPod, combined with a neat phone holder. You can push the legs together and use this as a video grip or adjust the legs to attach

to anything handy nearby. At just £25 this is excellent value for money, and makes a great gift, or budget tripod option for those that don’t want to spend too much money.

Shutter Release: CamKix Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote Control

l Price: £8.99

The CamKix Bluetooth remote control is a small dongle that you can slip into your pocket and use to trigger the shutter on your smartphone camera from up to 30ft away. It’s ideal for taking large group shots or wider-angle selfies with more of an environmental context.

The remote control is

compatible with a wide range of iOS and Android devices going back quite a way (iOS 6.0 and Android 4.2.2 up). It is powered by a 3V battery, which comes included in the price along with a lanyard and carabiner hook. The CamKix will fire your camera with a simple click of the button.

Lighting: Joby Beamo Mini

l Price: £39.89

In the age of streaming and endless video calls, the Joby Beamo Mini is perhaps the most useful smartphone accessory you will find on this list. This pocket-size LED light packs a powerful punch of 1000 lumens of light, which you can adjust continuously or across 5 steps using a dedicated button. As well as being waterproof and rugged, the Beamo Mini has a magnetic back so it can be mounted onto many metal objects quickly. It

also has two cold shoe mounts for attaching other accessories such as a second Beamo or a microphone.

The Beamo Mini offers a colour temperature of 5100 Kelvin, and it charges via a USB port. Underneath is a standard 1/4-inch screw thread. This means you can mount it to any mini tripod, full-size tripod or stabilisers like the Manfrotto Twistgrip System.

Buying Guide

Our comprehensive listing of key camera specifications

Cameras

Cameras come in three types: DSLRs with optical viewfinders, mirrorless models with electronic viewing, and compact cameras with non-interchangeable lenses

Controls

Entry-level cameras tend to have simple, easy-to-understand controls, while more expensive models add lots of buttons and dials to give quick access to settings.

Viewfinder

The biggest difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that the latter use electronic, rather than optical viewfinders. Some advanced compact cameras also have built-in electronic viewfinders to complement their rear LCD screens.

Compact cameras

These range from small, pocketable models to large bridge-type cameras with long zoom lenses and SLR-style designs. In this guide, we’re only including those with relatively large sensors for high image quality, raw format recording and manual controls.

Handgrip

DSLRs traditionally have relatively large handgrips, while many mirrorless models have much smaller grips to keep the size down. However, some can accept accessory grips to improve handling with larger lenses.

Lens mount

Each camera brand uses its own lens mount, and mirrorless cameras use different lenses to DSLRs even from the same brand. However, mirrorless models can often use DSLR lenses via a mount adapter.

ALMOST all serious photographers prefer to use cameras with interchangeable lenses, as this gives the greatest degree of creative flexibility. At one time, this meant digital single-lens-reflex (DSLR) cameras, but these have now been joined by mirrorless cameras that use electronic viewfinders. The latest models are true alternatives to DSLRs, offering the same image quality and creative options. Camera

manufacturers offer a range of options, from simple, relatively inexpensive beginner-friendly designs, to sophisticated professional models. In the middle of the range you’ll find enthusiast cameras with more-advanced control layouts. Meanwhile the term ‘compact’ refers to cameras with built-in lenses, regardless of their size. Many offer excellent image quality and full manual control.

Mirrorless cameras

Mirrorless cameras

We’ve tried our hardest to ensure that the information in this guide is as complete and accurate as possible. However, some errors will inevitably have crept in along the way: if you spot one, please let us know by emailing ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk. Unfortunately we don’t have space to list every single product on the market, so we don’t include the most expensive speciality items. Before making a purchase we advise you to check prices, along with any crucial specifications or requirements, with either a reputable retailer or the manufacturer’s website.

Compact cameras

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The world is divided into photographers who plan their pictures down to the last detail and those who head out with nothing much in mind while hoping something worth pointing a camera at will happen. Where these two hemispheres meet is an equalising equator at which we all come home with pictures we hadn’t expected to take. Almost always something compelling comes up and, if we are ready, we take the chance to shoot it. Even on the most organised shoots things occur that weren’t in the plan. If we choose, these occurrences can divert our enterprise down a different, and frequently more attractive, route into the realm of surprise and chance. When you have nothing planned, of course, anything that happens is an unexpected bonus.

Be ready

To make the most of these unforeseen windfalls we need to be ready to see them and to be happy to shift from any set path to take advantage of the moment. Remaining hardnosed and unwavering from a preconceived conception can mean we miss chances to improve our ideas. In my head, opportunism is an integral element in the magic of photography. I love the idea that however much I lay it out in my head I can never predict with accuracy what I’ll come home with.

Seeing the possibilities is half the trick, so we have to learn from experience which unlikely situations deserve our attention for their potential to present a golden opportunity.

Mike Shellim, from Hampstead Photographic Society, is among those whose experience has taught them to sniff out opportunities others walk by without a glance. After visiting the society’s excellent annual exhibition recently I got to chat to Mike about the eye-catching picture here. He told me he instinctively knew there was potential in the striking colour and shape of this hazard tape when he noticed it stuck to the floor of a train station concourse.

‘While waiting for a train my interest was piqued by these strips of tape describing the letter V – somehow it hinted at an unfolding story,’ he told me. ‘I got on my knees, Ricoh GR in hand, and waited for something to happen. As if by magic, a woman in high heels walked by, and I clicked the shutter just as she was stepping forward. All it took was a single exposure.’

There’s more praying than planning involved in this shot and it needed a lot of luck to come together, but luck without an eye for an opportunity is like petrol without a car.

Chance and hope

You can’t plan for this kind of shot before you go out because, when we’re dreaming at home, it’s too hard to imagine such a situation occurring – the tape on the floor is just too random. Once spotted, we can imagine what we want to happen, but all we can do is hope it will be interesting. No one is going to specifically imagine a pair of black Steve Madden Carrie Knee High Boots in a size 5 (UK) coming past at the top of the frame, making a fabulous V shape as they do so.

by Michael Shellim

Final Analysis Damien Demolder considers... ‘Woman in Heels, Waterloo’,

Of course chances, situations and coincidences like this happen all the time, but we will never get to see them if we stay at home or if we walk around with our mind closed. Planning is fine to give us something to

go on, but in the moment we have to keep our picture-radar spinning for the possibilities no one else could concoct. Visit Michael’s Flickr page at flickr.com/photos/rc-soar/ to see more of his pictures.

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