Nature Photo Magazine 2012/4

winter / 2012/4.

naturephoto magazine

ÂŽ

online photo magazine

travel | wildlife | landscape | people-culture | test

Flash systems | Customer guide Nikon d600 | Field test Csaba DarĂłczi | Interview

Welcome Dear Reader, Welcome to our 2012/4 winter issue: the months go by very quickly and here we are again as the winter arrived.

This is our fourteenth issue and once again I can give account of some progress. We are available in English again under the name of Nature Photo Magazine and you can read all the fourteen issues in English now.

The iPad application of the Hungarian version of Nature Photo Magazine has been completed and is available in the Apple Store and the English version will also be available on iPad soon. Our current online magazine remains free, you only have to complete a simple registration.

A foretaste of our current issue: We tested the first entry-level FX format DSLR Nikon camera in numerous situations. The camera has performed excellently.

In the „Tips and Tricks” column we could check out the NiSi ND 1000 and Vari ND filters and give some advice for the application. Árpád Krivánszky and László Suhayda nature photographers give us precious advices on winter photography both by pictures and writing.

We invited Csaba Daróczi, Nature Photographer of the Year, for a thorough interview and asked him about his workshop secrets and about the guidelines he follows.

In our „Beautiful places” column viewing the pictures of János Szekeres and reading the poems of Lajos Áprily made us realize how many beauties are hidden in winter in the Pilis Mountains near Budapest.

The current article of „Life under the water” column brings us within reach of the sperm whales. We can see fantastic pictures from nature photographer Dániel Selmeczi and diver cameraman Zsolt Sásdi.

People-Cultures-Cities”: In the Glance at India series we continue our article on Raxaul. The pictures, texts and fantastic videos made by Pál Teravágimov make our magazine even more colourful.

We have launched a brand new column titled Customer Guide in which we published a comprehensive article on flash systems to help photographers before shopping.

Please receive our fourteenth issue with love - now in iPad and Android versions as well!

Tamás Imre Editor-in-Chief Photo: © János Szekeres Nikon D100, 18-270mm 1/640sec f/8 ISO 200

Life underwater

58 Within reach of Sperm whales

interesting places - winter in Pilis 6

customer guide - system flashes 16

interview - csaba daróczi

I love winter! In this season I frequently hike the forests of the Pilis. My favourite area is the beautiful beech forest above Pilisszentlélek. The colour of the trunk of the beech tree changes in different lights, often silvery, sometimes it appears in the shades of brown or white. It is worth wandering in the Pilis peak, along the hiking path up to the lookout tower from which you can see a nice panorama of Budapest in clear weather.

I have been thinking a lot about recently on what subject I should give advice to our readers. This time I chose to write about flash systems. In this new column you will not find product tests but entirely subjective opinions about certain products and comprehensive information. Today’s DSLR camera bodies and almost all of the new mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras support external flash systems.

What is the secret of your success?

I have never thought about it, but now it’s time to do so. One thing is sure, I live in a very good place. 90 percent of my pictures was taken around my residence, Soltvadkert or within about 20 miles. I do not have to go too far for good themes.

Another reason can be that I am always seeking for new things and ideas.

22

© Dániel Selmeczi a glance at india - part VI.

72

field test- nikon d600

90

Photo school winter photography tips and tricks

NiSi Vari ND filters

In the previous issues of the Nature Photo Magazine I presented Raxaul and I told the story how we got to this faraway part of the world. Let’s see now how were our days of shooting in the Duncan hospital and around Raxaul. After the first few days of acclimatization I spent every day with making photos and videos. I took about five or six hundred photos and thirty or forty minutes of video on an average day., or sometimes more.

Here comes Nikon D600 too! This year we tested Nikon D4-et and few weeks later Nikon D800, and now Nikon’s newest FX format DSLR camera, Nikon D600 has arrived.

All the three cameras have FX full frame sensors but each of them serve different photographers’ different needs.

Nikon designed D600 for those who have not invested in a full-frame camera so far.

42

50

Interesting places Winter wanderings in the Pilis Mountains

„No more wild geese pulls in the sky, No wind shudders the gloomy fields.

The muted moment silently strains, Look: a snowflake flies. The first one. To the silence it replies.”

The subtle verses of the Hungarian poet Lajos Áprily introduce us to the beauties and wonders of the winter world. It is worth grabbing the camera in winter as well and capture the wonderful and enchanting moments of this season.

Canon EOS D60, EF 2,8/70-200mm L USM 1/350sec f/8 ISO 400

Nikon D100, 18-270mm 1/100sec f/2.8 ISO 200

I love winter! In this season I frequently hike the forests of the Pilis. My favourite area is the beautiful beech forest above Pilisszentlélek. The colour of the trunk of the beech tree changes in different lights, often silvery, sometimes it appears in the shades of brown or white. It is worth wandering in the Pilis peak, along the hiking path up to the lookout tower from which you can see a nice panorama of Budapest in clear weather. One of my favourites is the area around MexikóPuszta. You can photograph forests lined with beautiful old trees there.

The most atmospheric and popular photos of the winter season are taken in fresh snowfall, at such times the snowcovered trees are magically beautiful.

These areas can be accessed easily through the Budapest-Pomáz-Dobogókő route on foot from the Két-bükkfa-nyereg bus stop. Alternatively, you can climb up to Dobogókő and wander around there.

In very cold weather fantastic frosty trees can be captured from the lookout points.

If I can I walk as this way I can contact the land more closely and intimately. It reveals its secrets to me and I can stare at the tiny details in amazement and enjoy the enchanting silence which only the winter forest can provide.

Winter photography has its special techniques. First of all, you have to protect your equipment from humidity and cold - it can be done by a wellisolated photo backpack or bag.

A practical advice: if you want to see your pictures quickly at home, then take the memory cards out of the camera outdoor and place them into a case and put them into your pocket to keep them warm so you could immediately save them to your computer at home as you do not have to wait your equipment to be warmed up.

Nikon D100, 18-270mm 1/200sec f/3.2 ISO 200

Nikon D2H, 18-270 mm f/3.5-6.3 1/1000sec f/6,3 ISO 400

You can take very nice pictures of the winter landscape. Place the camera on a tripod, do not shoot handheld and try to reach the lowest possible ISO rate, ISO 100 is the best choice.

Aperture should be set to medium value and you should use a remote release cord to avoid unwanted shakes. If you do not have any, setting the timed exposure on your camera control is also a good solution. You can also photograph with wideangle lens to capture a wider view of the theme. It is not easy to capture the atmosphere we see, you need to compose precisely and slowly, do not rush with the exposures.

You can also use telephoto lenses to capture a smaller part of the landscape. Try to find characteristic winter motifs. Do not leave your macro lenses at home neither, frosty branches can be your subject as well. If you display the sky in your pictures, I also suggest the usage of polar filters in sunshine.

Have nice shots and beautiful light!

I say goodbye with the verses of Lajos Áprily: „I walked your paths on foot with my students, thousands of them, They refreshed my vision, They turned it young.

In eternal fever I feasted upon your beauty With thousands of eyes.

But to all the thousand eyes A mystery you remained.”

Text and images: János Szekeres

Panasonic DMC-FZ30 1/60sec f/4 ISO 80

Can 1/1

non EOS D60, EF 28-135 mm 15sec f/16 ISO 400

Customer guide flash systems I have been thinking a lot about recently on what subject I should give advice to our readers.

This time I chose to write about flash systems. In this new column you will not find product tests but entirely subjective opinions about certain products and comprehensive information.

Today’s DSLR camera bodies and almost all of the new mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras support external flash systems. We receive plenty of enquiries via e-mail asking about which one is good, which one to choose and what aspects to considered, etc. Now we would like give some guidance about the currently available products and their characteristics.

Among the currently available flashes the most suitable are the through-the-lens (TTL) metering (TTL) flash systems. The best choice is to use the producer’s own flash systems. I am not going to describe all types in detail, now I just focus on the products of Nikon and Canon. However, what I will say about them is true for the flashes of other producers as well. The currently available and well-suited flashes include but are not limited to the following: Canon Speedlite 430 EX II, 580 EX II, 600 EX and EX RT, Nikon SB 700 and SB 910, Olympus FL-50 and FL-36 wireless, Panasonic DMW-FL360, Pentax AF-360 FGZ and Pentax AF-540 FGZ flash, Sony HVL-F60M and HVL-F43AM. These current types can be purchased or ordered at every professional camera shops or stores and are compatible with all the available cameras on the market at present.

What flash do I need? This is the most frequent question. Let’s see first which one is for what.

The inbuilt flashes usually have little power but are still suitable for simple tasks. The point is the performance which is indicated by the so-called guide numbers. The guide number always refers to a certain sensitivity - ISO 100 - and a determined distance. For example at ISO 100 sensitivity a flash with 32 guide number gives good result from 2 meters distance with f/16 aperture in manual mode. Of course, at higher ISO sensitivity and with wider aperture, e.g. f/4, flashes perform well from much longer distance. Getting back to my original thought, with inbuilt flashes with guide numbers of 12 or 14 you can get quite good pictures from even 5 or 6 meters distance.

which one shall i choose?

If you want more, watch for the following. Flash systems can be divided into two groups: there are slave flashes and master flashes. In additions, a master flash can work as a slave flash too. What is it all about? The inbuilt flashes of some cameras are able to flash external flashes wirelessly.

Nikon’s D7000, D90, D300s and Canon’s EOS 600D, 650D, 60D and EOS 7D is suitable for that. If you do own none of them, then you simply mount the flash in the hotshoe and done. If you want to control several flashes, you must buy a master flash which is able to control slave flashes wirelessly.

Besides the control, flashes cooperate with the system, but how? Cameras with curtain shutter have a flash synchronization which limits shutter speed to a certain extent. Flash sync speed is generally between 1/60 and 1/200. Almost every SLR cameras can produce that (the max. sync speed of Olympus and Pentax is 1/180). It is fine, as in case of indoor shootings and at little light flashes can be easily used. The problem starts if you want to use flash in daily light to illuminate the shaded parts. The inbuilt flashes only work with sync timing. If it is not enough for you, then mount an external system flash and set the quick flash sync in the menu and you will get good quality results in daily light without burn-outs or correction.

Here comes the cold shower: producers make difference between the flash compatibility of their cameras. For example, Nikon’s D5100, D5200 and D3200 do not know flash sync.

Canon, Olympus and Pentax leave that for the external flash, so there is no problem with them. Well, I hope I confused everybody.

To summarize: At Nikon’s D3200, D5100, D5200 the inbuilt flash works well in TTL, it controls the slave flash as well but only within sync time. Nikon’s D90, D7000 and D300s can be master flashes and handle the quick flash sync as well. You have to buy a master flash for D3, D3s and D4 cameras as they do not have inbuilt flashes. SB 700 and SB 910 can be both slave and master flashes. As for Canon EOS 1100D, the inbuilt flash works well in TTL, it also controls the mounted external flash and the quick flash sync too. The inbuilt flash of Canon’s EOS 600D, 650D, 60D, 7D can be master flash too, and know quick flash sync as well. 430 EX II can be slave flash too. Canon 5D Mark III and 1Dx have no inbuilt flash, so buying a bigger master flash for them is recommended. Canon 580 EX II and Canon 600 EX are both master and slave flashes.

Olympus FL-36 is only a slave flash, but FL-50 can be a master flash too. At Pentax AF-360 FGZ only a slave flash and AF-540 FGZ is a master flash. In Sony’s palette HVL-F43AM is a slave flash and Sony HVL-F60M is a controller master flash. These flash systems work through infrared and the master flashes have the information which is required for the master flashes to light metering, aperture and length settings.

Attention, here comes a novelty, Canon 600 EX RT! The newest technology represented by the radio controlled flash systems, PocketWizard was a pioneer on this field and it can be compatible with both Canon and Nikon in TTL system. The system is simple: through a two-way radio communication every TTL function can be controlled within 100 meters. Why is it good for us? Because in case of photo themes captured in daily light the infra does not sense the master flash but there are no limitations in radio controlling. They work well even if the receiver and the transmitter is in cover. Wow, this is a really good thing, every photographer’s dream is a set in which the master flash fires in every case and one has to focus only on the composition.

If it is so good, what’s the problem? Why not everyone has it? A transmitter and a receiver cost only HUF 120,000 to 150,000. If you can afford it, buy it for your TTL system.

Canon’s recently introduced 600EX-RT is the newest flagship flash unit, this technology has an inbuilt radio control system and can be both master or slave flash. Moreover, unlimited number of flashes can be connected to it and it will not fire only the controlled ones. It has another huge advantage: in case of hide tent photography the external flash does not have to see the flashing as it receives the values through radio frequency.

This is a very good equipment, but there is some question here too: the system is not infrared flash compatible! I can sell out all my flashes and start to build a new system.

Dear Readers, everyone should decide to what extent he or she wants to develop the system and think twice in what you invest your hard-earned money.

Have a good shopping!

Text: Tamás Imre

Interview with Hungarian nature photographer Csaba Daróczi Dear Csaba, this year you won the Nature Photographer of the Year Award, and in addition you won a prize in Bayer’s nature photography competition. First of all, let me congratulate you on the behalf of the Nature Photo Magazine editorial for your well-deserved success.

Thank you!

What is the secret of your success?

I have never thought about it, but now it’s time to do so. One thing is sure, I live in a very good place. 90 percent of my pictures was taken around my residence, Soltvadkert or within about 20 miles. I do not have to go too far for good themes. Another reason can be that I am always seeking for new things and ideas. If I see a picture which I like, I surely don’t want to do something similar.

And the third one is the most important - I hope it doesn’t sound too arrogant - I feel that I have some inner harmony and I try to show it in my pictures too.

What encourage you to go out to the nature again and again to capture its beauties the way you want to show it?

The experience. The experience of creation.

Sometimes I can be happy to the extent of screaming or raving after I made a picture which I had planned for long or which was presented to me by the nature spontaneously.

Did you study photography or are you a self-taught photographer?

I learned photography from experienced photographers. During my academic years in Szeged I attended Gyula Molnár’s CSEMETE photo club and most of my knowledge comes from there.

Ice drawing

Grey vs

midget

The beginning of life (bact

teria in a drying out pond)

End of s

summer

Variations on reed

What do you think about the importance of talent? Or can anyone be a nature photographer as it is only a matter of persistence?

I think anybody can be a good photographer by perseverance, however, outstanding success requires talent and creativity as well.

Seeing the portfolio of your website I noticed that you also capture portraits and other photo themes.

Do you consider photography your profession or just a hobby you love?

I try to consider photography my hobby and enjoy every single shot. It is a nice way of relaxation after the everyday problems. I don’t want photography be a pressure for me as I guess I would lose the joy of the hobby that way.

Where from do you take your air shots and what do you think how dangerous they are? Do have any stories about them?

I take my aerial photos from a hang glider. It is not without risk, but neither driving or riding a bike is. There’s an interesting story when we went out for a flight in a summer morning but because the visibility was not very good, it turned to be a flightseeing. My friend, Zoli thought that he would show me the county from above and we went up to 3200 m height.

We were rising continuously from Kiskőrös to Kistelek, then he switch off the engine there and we were gliding back to home. He only turned on the engine again a few miles before the airport. It was strange that he did not talked to me during our way back via the radio at all. When we landed he told me why.

Only one deciliter petrol left in the fuel tank...

Cloud

d race

Survi

ivors

Sky pa

ainting

In your nature photos I feel and understand that you emphasise the atmosphere of the lights. How important are for you the wonder of the light and the usage of flashes?

The most important they are! Just like the sculptor works with the stone or the painter with paints, the photographer works with light. The most important for at any theme to work out the appropriate lighting. I use flash frequently as special light effects can be achieved with its help which sometimes astonish the viewer.

Many of your photos was taken at night or in extreme, stormy conditions.

How do you protect your equipment at those times?

Yes, I love to photograph lightnings.

Usually I try to be on the field before the rain but if I can’t for some reason, then I get into my car and photograph lightnings from there with windows pulled off.

What is your message to our readers who are beginning to take photographs?

We got back to the first question, what the secret of my success is. Perhaps it is possible that I learned not to shoot at random as I used to photograph slides for ten years. If I taught someone to photograph, I would not allow him to play back his pictures in the field, only in the evening in front of the computer. This way beginners could learn to photograph consciously and thoughtfully, and could learn from their mistakes. I would suggest thinking instead of trial and error.

Where can we find your pictures on the Internet?

Besides my website I update my Facebook site almost on a daily basis. http://www.facebook.com/daroczi.photography

At Mordor’s gates

Constel

llations

Photo school

Winter photography in town and in nature Winter is an unpleasant photography environment due to the harsh conditions, although it provides diverse and interesting photo themes, some of them cannot be captured in other weather conditions. For instance, when trees lose their foliage they reveal the nice structure of their branches and as a result of less colour the graphical characteristics of the photos intensifies which strengthens the composition. If fog, a quite frequent phenomenon in this season, is accompanied with snow, then special - „white in the white� styled or rich in shades of gray - photos can be taken.

In this season both high-contrasted and soft photos can be taken. Lots of promising themes await the enterprising nature photographer from macro to landscape or wildlife photography. It is worth visiting the nearby, promising fields several times in a season, amidst different weather and light conditions as we can take different picture each time. Winter enchants the urban or rural environment too, it is worth shooting frequently. Off we go to winter photography dressed in layers. As they say: there is no bad weather, only an underdressed photographer.

article sponsor:

Frosty trees If we are lucky, in misty and windless periods thick rime can develop on the branches of the trees and if the weather becomes clear afterwards it can be a beautiful sight. It is advisable to use polar filters in sunshine, especially those types with which polarization can be controlled by rotation and the strongest effect can be experienced at 90 degrees from the direction of the Sun. Make sure you avoid overpolarization as you can get ink-blue or almost black sky as a result. If you use polar filters with extra wide-angle lenses make sure that only a part of the area of the sky in the picture is darkened by the filter (depending on the focal length). A dark spot in the lighter sky is usually unnatural. Blue skies maybe with some decorative, subtle clouds match nicely with the white rime-covered trees.

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM 1/800 sec f/9 ISO 400

lake Sinkár This bigger but shallow artificial lake can be found in Nógrád county, surrounded by hills. As a result of the dammed stream a diverse waterlife developed here which offers numerous photo themes in winter too as these three pictures illustrate it. You should not step on the ice of unknown waters. Even if you are familiar with the lake only step on the ice if it is thick enough to be safe but still be careful as invisible streams or underwater springs can make the ice thin and weak. Never walk on the ice on your own but always with friends. © László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye 1/4000 sec f/10 ISO 800

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM 1/80 sec f/9 ISO 400

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 7D EF 500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x 1/400 sec f/10 ISO 500

If the lake freezes over in clear and windless weather its surface will be covered with beautiful mirror ice. The interesting pattern in the first picture is a result of special weather conditions: the partly frozen and the later melting surface was snowed over, then a severe cold spell came.

The alternation of the snowy and bare ice surfaces resulted in a form reminiscent of a human eye. The curve caused by the usage of extra-wide-angle lens made the picture more interesting.

We can find different interesting subjects on the ice surface or frozen in the ice such as this rimy piece of reed in the second picture which stands out nicely against the background of the ice surface reminiscent of the dark, starry sky. Make sure when you choose the viewpoint and the view angle that the sparkling reflection on the ice surface does not spoil the sight of the main subject.

(You might experiment with a polarizing filter.) However, if the reflection has a nice colour that could strengthen the enchantment of our composition. We can get different atmospheres from different directions and shooting heights. Be careful, as ice crystals work as a miniature mirror in intense light, therefore overexposure can result in burning out and losing details.

The extended water surface attracts the birds. Underwater springs or the movement of big flocks of birds can maintain bigger iceless surfaces where the birds like to stay during the day or for the night. If it is possible to approach such a place from the opposite direction of the rising Sun, then equipped with long focal-length telephoto lenses we can capture nicely coloured, silhouette pictures during sunrise.

Similar ones which can be seen in the third picture. It is worth visiting the place several times as each day can bring different situations depending on the current light conditions, wind, clouds and humidity. Because of the backlight the pictures have to be processed more carefully to set the proper contrast relations experienced on the scene.

photos of Epöl A hilly land can be found about 40 km from Budapest to the north-west, where a village called Epöl is the centre surrounded by agricultural fields, groves and woods. The region hides excellent opportunities for composition since the tops of the hills are not covered by forests so the view is unobstructed in all directions. The photographer can find the ideal viewpoint for taking the picture.

In the first picture which shows the characteristics of the land the formerly fallen snow shrank due to a short warm spell and flattened against the clods of the plough showing all the unevenness in the scanning morning light. In clear weather the warm colour of the Sun disappears soon and the snow surface becomes white on the sunny slopes and takes up the cold, bluish colour of the sky on the shaded sides. Thanks to the higher viewpoint I could leave out the not very nice, undetailed sky. The snow-covered land can delude the light meter and as a result we might see gray snow instead of white. Usually you have to overexpose by 1 or even more light value and check the result by viewing or use a histogram.

In the second photo the grey cattle are grazing the uncovered parts of the grass and the thinner branches of the scrubby bush in the icy cold weather. An intense, contrasted light illuminated the land. I had to be careful not to have a halved cow in the edges and have at least some of them raising their heads during grazing.

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D EF 80-200mm f/2.8L 1/80 sec f/16 ISO 100

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D EF 28-105mm f/3,5-4,5 1/125 sec f/11 ISO 100

The quiet stream running at the bottom of the hills is worth visiting after a longer frosty period for the different ice formations. On the surface of running waters usually more exciting ice formations develop than on lakes, although these are less-lasting as the flowing water transforms them continuously. Many of them so small sized that it is advisable to use macro or telephoto lenses and extension tubes. It is advisable to take the shot perpendicularly to the ice surface or - in case the ice formation looks better if the lens is held at an angle - a wide aperture to be used to achieve sufficient depth of field. My favourites are the formation reminiscent of a human figure or face or some animal like the ice horse in the third picture. © Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D EF 80-200mm f/2.8L + közgyűrű 1/15 sec f/29 ISO 100

Flying buzzard Nature photographers can exploit the low-food season and entice the birds by feeding near the camera. Small songbirds can be enticed by sunflower seeds, birds of prey by chunks of meat. You have to choose a place which birds of prey visit frequently and the building of the hide tent or shack should be finished by the end of autumn so the timid birds could get used to its presence.

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 500mm f/4L IS USM 1/1600 sec f/9 ISO 640

A nice background should be aesthetic and spacious enough.

At least 400-mm telephoto lens is worth trying (in case of glassed hide it can be less) to disturb birds as little as possible and you should also move within the hide very carefully.

Long focal length and open aperture can produce nicer backgrounds. Birds look nicer if you capture their behaviour, motion or action rather than showing them pecking the bait.

I managed to capture the buzzard against a blurred, partly snowy background in a spectacular phase of flight with nice wing position.

tits

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 7D EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM 1/160 sec f/7,1 ISO 400

Near the feeding place small songbirds of different species show up frequently and in great numbers offering good opportunities for bird photography. They tolerate the flashlight well, so there is plenty of opportunity for experimentation. However, flashing should not be too conspicuous. The hide should be oriented the way it offers a nice and calm background. Lenses with longer (300 mm-500 mm) focal length usually are preferred here too. Different actions and motions can be captured but sometimes merely the situation of the birds can provide a nice view, like in the case of these tits. In cloudy weather, in balanced light conditions beautiful photos of birds can be taken. Today’s digital technology makes photography possible in poorer light conditions too, at higher ISO rates. Especially nice atmospheres can be captured in snowfall.

Only a little panic…

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D EF 80-200mm f/2.8L 1/1250 sec f/6,3 ISO 250

In winter a „burnt up” sunflower field - which has not been reaped as it would not have been economically viable - is a real Eldorado for birds. Tens of thousands of birds feed on it, including sparrows, goldfinch, titmouse and greenfinches.

Where there is so much potential prey, birds of prey such as the hawk or falcon cannot be left out either. When one of them shows up the eating birds got into a real panic and flee towards the opposite direction, and soon land on another part of the field. By that time the former relative orderliness falls apart, the birds keep flying on the sunflower heads from various distances and directions. Those birds which fly towards the photographer look exactly like on children’s drawings.

Wellness bath The excess hot water of the Gellért Bath in Budapest flows into the Danube to the great delight of the waterfowl, especially the mallards. It is a real wellness bath for them, the carelessly bathing birds are not bothered about the approaching photographer, particularly when he moves slowly and carefully. Thus for “mass scenes” a smaller telephoto lens will do, the 200 mm or bigger lens have to be used only if you want to capture a smaller group of birds or a couple. The most ideal is the early morning reddish-orange light which along with the floating mist could result in wonderful pictures. The extra bonus for the photographer is one or two fluttering ducks. You can be prepared for that: repeated dives precedes this spectacular action of the bird.

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D EF 28-105mm f/3,5-4,5 1/500 sec f/7,1 ISO 100

Slushy ice The winter sneaks into the villages too, you even do not have to travel for winter themes. In longer cold periods ice starts to develop on the Danube too, on the slower running RáckeveSoroksár branch of the Danube it happens earlier than in the main river. It is not allowed to step on the ice of the rivers, you can photograph the themes from the bank or near the bank only. We can find ice floes drifting or adhering to the bank, the latter can be more interesting. In windy periods or in snowfall the developing ice can be slushy, its surface is like a jagged glass through which the riverbed and sadly some thrown away things show. The colours of the ice formation in the picture were developed by the sludge, water plants and a beer can.

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D EF 80-200mm f/2.8L 3,2 sec f/16 ISO 200

Treetops in the twilight If you do not do backlit pictures, clear weather and intense twilight is also favourable for you. The beautiful, frosty treetops were illuminated by the setting sun in an almost transcendent light. The extra-wide-angle lens had to be positioned upward in a way that the proportion of the dark tree trunks, the rimy branches and the blue sky let be harmonious. The picture is characterized by a high tone and colour contrast. I had to hurry with the composition since the stunning phenomenon lasted for only a few minutes, then the lights quickly “worn out”.

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye 1/250 sec f/8 ISO 800

Avenue in the twilight In winter, it is worth shooting at around sunset or sunrise as well and not just for the colourful sky but for the snow fields dyed by the reddish Sun. It is advisable to go to a familiar, promising scene well before the nicely coloured period to find the best composition. A slightly misty weather is favourable for pictures taken in the backlight as contrasts are more moderate and the sunset lasts longer. In clear weather tonal difference is unfavourably high, usually resulting in useless photographs in the backlight. © János Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM 1/400 sec f/9 ISO 400

Finding the right viewpoint for this photo taken the the twilight the sun disc could be situated proportionately into the perspective lines of the rimy trees.

Winter aconite This elegant, caped yellow flower often emerge from the earth already in mid-February, sometimes from under the snow-covered ground. You can capture them in different lights but perhaps they are the most beautiful in misty sunshine.

They also look nice in slightly cloudy weather, but some parts of the petals can burn out. To avoid this use a white diffuser or an umbrella. A reflector can do a good service o enlighten the shaded parts. For the sake of the nice and calm background choose a relatively wide aperture and 100 mm or more focal-length macro or telephoto lens, the latter with an extension tube.

I chose these two flowers instead of a bigger group as a symbol of being together in the slowly passing winter, they only can rely on each other.

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D EF 80-200mm f/2.8L + közgyűrű 1/80 sec f/5 ISO 100

Text and images: Árpád Krivánszky, László Suhayda

Tips and tricks

NiSi Vari ND and ND 1000 filters Neutral density filters have long been included in the palette of photographic filter producer companies as a technological solution. Neutral density or ND filters are also known as grey filters in the public consciousness of photographers.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM + Nisi Vari ND 4-400

2 sec f/11 ISO 100

what is it all about?

ND filters reduce the intensity of light transmitted through the filter without any change in the original colours.

It results in a longer exposure time depending on the type of the filter.

It makes sense when you photograph landscapes or running waters. For instance, if you photograph a waterfall and the exposure time is 1/125 sec, then placing an ND8 filter on the lens shutter speed will be longer by -3 LV, that is 1/15 sec. There is a chance here that the surface of the waterfall will be blurred, however, you can buy filters with much more density as well.

Such filter is the NiSi Vari ND which can provide a graduated grey scale from ND4-ND400. Vari ND filtering can be advantageous as you can set the desired exposure time by rotating the filter and you do not have to vary with the aperture. What’s in it for us?

Why cannot we change the aperture as long as possible? It is important to know what aperture the subject requires. For instance, to photograph a waterfall the most ideal choice of aperture is f/11. At more quantity of light shutter speed is not that slow even at ISO 100 which could produce sufficiently blurred water mass. In such cases this filter comes in handy as through the filter shading can be adjusted and removes the excess amount of light for us. Vari ND filter is a great invention!

I received a 77 mm filter from StúdióLine Ltd. During the test, I installed the filter in the filter thread of a 24-70 mm wide-angle lens, I got a little bigger surface than without the filter, the front of the filter was exactly 82 mm. I was not very happy with that as I could not use the lens hood and the lens cap.

However, the result of the slowed exposure spoke for itself (I found a trick during use, I’ll share it with you at the end of this article).

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM + Nisi Vari ND 4-400 4sec f/11 ISO 100

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM + Nisi ND 1000 4sec f/11 ISO 100

I checked out Nisi Vari ND 4-400 with several lenses. The result of the tests as follows: It worked perfectly with 24-70 mm wide-angle lens and with ultra wide-angle of 16-35 mm, there were no stains in the pictures and my photos were razor sharp.

However, in the 400 position there were little stains and the edges were a little darkened. It is normal though as in ND 400 position the density of the filter is 9 stop.

Unfortunately using the filter with my 70-200 mm lens the images were not as razor sharp as they were with the wide-angle lens, so I stopped testing the filter with this lens.

The other filter was the NiSi ND1000 which takes off 10 stop light value from the photo subject. The filter is so dark that you cannot see through it. Use the live view function so you can even compose - it worked for me very well. The filter arrived for the testing in a size of 77 mm form Stúdió-Line Ltd. Here I had no problem with using the lens hood and the cap as this filter is not variable but a fixed ND 1000. It is also suitable to photograph subjects which are illuminated in an exciting way, even in intense daily light and not at dawn or at dusk.

What can we expect from this filter?

This filter colours a little too, but the image quality is fantastic! I checked out the producer’s website: the filter is made of Japanese pro glass, its quality speaks for itself.

It is considered to be a professional, high-quality filter which is a good news as there are lots of different producer’s filters out on the market and unfortunately they range from the pro quality to those of poor quality.

The NiSi is definitely belongs to the top range and its price is favourable too. If you have never used these kinds of filters, then take my following tips and you will use them happily and efficiently.

Tips for the usage of the filters: 1. Always use a tripod, otherwise you will got only blurred pictures.

2. Set the composition without a filter, then switch the lens to MF, install the filter and shoot.

Nisi Vari ND 4-400

3. Shoot in aperture (A or Av) preselection mode, do not use the manual mode (M) as in that case the camera will measure the light to the preset aperture even when the filter is on, so you will get slower shutter speed at the same aperture.

4. In case of Vari ND filters the auto focus system works at the ND4 position of the filter, so you do not have to keep taking off the filter, just set the sharpness and turn the filter to the desired extent then you can shoot.

5. Place a CPL polarization or UV filter under the Vari ND filter and it will as far from the lens as the hood can fit in which is very important to prevent the unnecessary light infiltration.

Nisi ND1000

6. Set a timed exposure in the menu so you do not have to push the button at exposure. It is also advisable if you combine it with mirror lockup.

7. Give a nice cleaning to the filter and the front lens before every shot as due to the longer exposure time as the possible dust particles can be seen well in the final picture.

8. Do not use the filters with very narrow aperture, such as f/22-essel as the edges can be darkened badly.

9. Always set the ISO sensitivity to ISO 100, that makes sense if you use a filter and you can achieve the best image quality this way.

Nisi ND1000

10. Do not take all of your pictures with a filter as after a while they will fall flat.

Text and images: Tamรกs Imre

Summary I was pleasantly surprised in Nisi ND 1000 and Vari ND 4-400 filters, they are well-usable and professional products. Unfortunately they did not work for me with telephoto lenses but it might happened only in case of my lens. This product is highly recommended for landscape photography, especially for waterfalls.

Thanks for the test opportunity to StĂşdiĂł-Line Ltd.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM + Nisi ND 1000 2sec f/11 ISO 100

Life underwater Within reach of Sperm whales

I think I dropped into this Sperm-whale adventure quite by chance as usually I travel to different places. But this time a friend of mine Zsolt SĂĄsdi who is a dive filmmaker told me that there would be an interesting opportunity. He came across with the Blue World Association which organizes different programs primarily for whale watching.

One of the members of the association is Zsuzsanna PereszlĂŠnyi marine biologist who also does dolphin research abroad and she leads the scientific projects. They started Sperm whale expeditions on the Azores last year, but at that time they could not get a licence for underwater shooting.

Azores-islands is an island group in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 1500 kilometers far from Lisbon and about 4000 kilometers from North America. This group of nine islands is a very special place as there are sperm whales in its region all year round, however, a lucky weather is also needed to photography. If you cannot sail off the sea due to heavy waves, these giant mammals are around in vain. Other marine mammals can occur here in certain periods of the year, such as the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus).

So we undertook the organization of a two-week expedition. We already had to request a permission to get close to the whales by ship and only qualified divers with teaching licence are allowed to dive here. We also had to indicate the objective, filmmaking or documentation as they do not give licence just because you want to swim with the whales.

Of course, this is not free of charge, in addition, we had to rent a motorboat too as only that is suitable for watching and diving and not a sailing ship. After all these things, we only had to pray for good weather. Weather conditions change rapidly there, you can experience sunshine, rain, stormy wind in one day on a single island.

We walked down to the base every morning by 9 where they told us whether we were allowed to sail off or not. Even if everything went well, there was not too warm as the daily temperature was around 20 degrees celsius and the water was 18 degrees.

In fact, we were constantly on standby.

Whale diving does not take place with device. To my surprise recently it had happened in several places that I only dived with a snorkel, for example in South Africa or not too long ago in Indonesia when we swam with whale sharks.

Bahama

I can say that for me this is a new dimension of both photography and diving. But thanks to my recent experiences i was wellprepared for the challenges. It is interesting that whale watching expeditions are based on that knowledge which was gained by whale hunters in the past. There were watchers on the hilltops who alerted the hunters in the past, and now when whale hunting had been given up the locals who know whales very well switched to whale watching tourism.

Therefore people are still up there on the peaks and watch the sea and navigate the boats via radio. Thus we could get to the spot very quickly. Of course, our work had to be harmonized with the interest of the whale watching ships as if we dive the whales often sank as well so the tourists could not see too much of them. Nevertheless, they tried to organize everything the way that everyone got what he went for - so either we worked a bit later or tried to find our “own” whale.

I was surprised on the number of marine mammals around the Azores and as I learned later their number increases continuously. Experts who work on longterm observations say there are evident signs to prove it. We encountered many Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and they are quite respectable sized, males can be even 20 meters long, so they are considered to be the largest toothed whales on earth.

Sperm whales can be recognized very easily, in spite of the fact that they rarely show up.

The sperm whale’s distinctive shape comes from its very large, block-shaped head, which can be one-quarter to one-third of the animal’s length.The S-shaped blowhole is located very close to the front of the head and shifted to the whale’s left. This gives rise to a distinctive bushy, forwardangled spray. As it spends most of its time hunting for octopuses researchers track it by hydrophone. It is able to remain submerged even up to 90 or 120 minutes and reach a depth of 2000 metres.

Bahama

The maximum depth reached by them is around 3000 metres. At these enormous depths their lungs shrink and they store the oxygen in their muscles and blood and their heartbeat can slow down to its quarter.

Although the average diving period is less than 45 minutes and after surfacing their blows last for about 12-20 seconds.

They are on the surface usually for 3-6 minutes and this is the time when we could capture them. Mostly they swim slowly, eve still, but we had not have that luck to see them like that.

We had to spot them in the moment of surfacing and get closer carefully, then slip into the water silently and take shots - if we had luck. It was a hard job, I remember one day when I get on and off the boat fifty times. The incredible 50-meter underwater visibility help our work a lot. If the waves were stronger, we could spot the animals harder and they disappear in the deep faster.

Besides the Sperm whale we also encountered Short-beaked Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis), Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) as well. However, we only saw the latter once as it is a very rare and timid species and steer away the bouts. But we came across with common dolphins almost every day.

They followed the boat in large flocks, the young ones often swam close to ride the waves made by the boat. It was a great experience when we discovered a Leatherback turtle in the distance.

Leatherback turtles are the largest sea turtles today.

Their body length (from head to tail) ranges between 1.83-2.2 meter and the weight is about 700 kilogram. It is a very rare species, even locals see them sparsely. It is the only species among reptiles which is able to keep its body temperature at high level permanently, it can be even 10 degrees higher than the water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean.

At the end of the two-week expedition we realized that we only had two days when conditions were ideal, the water was flat and there was sunshine and the whales were not that reserved. In fact, all the good photos were taken that time.

We spent six days on the sea, we also dived with device, but there were not that much to see than for example on the Red Sea , so the whales made this tour memorable. Due to the uncertain conditions tourists often spend long time on the shore, therefore I can say that we were lucky as we could take nice pictures. Although we missed the blue shark dive due to bad weather.

It would be worth returning to the Azores as an encounter with the sharks or blue whales could be very exciting and the visibility is as good as we could take proper pictures. It was a good experience for me that you do not need to take diving cylinders to see big animals.

I recommend to every diver to improve their snorkel diving skills as sometimes this is the only way to experience these incredible encounters.

Bahama

Video - © Zsolt Sásdi

Dániel Selmeczi www.selmeczidaniel.com Video: Zsolt Sásdi Expert: Zsuzsanna Pereszlényi

People-Cultures-Cities A glace at India - Part VI.

Our days in Raxaul

Sewing circle

Cutting the forage in the lepers’ village

Medical examination of a pregnant woman

The shootings

Registration at the maternity care clinic

In the previous issues of the Nature Photo Magazine I presented Raxaul and I told the story how we got to this faraway part of the world. Let’s see now how were our days of shooting in the Duncan hospital and around Raxaul. After the first few days of acclimatization I spent every day with making photos and videos. I took about five or six hundred photos and thirty or forty minutes of video on an average day., or sometimes more. Mostly I got up at six in the morning, struggled out of the mosquito net and sneaked out of the bedroom silently and few minutes later I was already walking towards my daily destination. In the mornings the weather is definitely pleasant even in Raxaul, the day is breaking at six but the sun does shine yet and life begins in the nearby villages, so you always find something to photograph. I kept changing the numerous scenes every day: the hospital and its environment, the rice field a bit farther, a nearby Nepalese village, the road to the leprosy colony, Sunderpur and the village itself, the nearness of the hospital’s backdoor, the main road of Raxaul and so on. Even the farthest could be reached in a half an hour walk. Usually I decided on my morning destination the evening before.

When I spotted something interesting I walked there and I tried to guess who is the head of the family or the most respected man. I walked straight to him with a big smile, I greeted him with raising my hand to my forehead (even if I had to do it hundred times a day) and asked for permission to photograph. The answer was always a shake of the head with slowly closed eyes.

After the first couple of occasion I learned that it was the sign of approval. The first photo was always taken of “the local chief” and I showed him the result immediately.

Bed at the clinic

Usually he smiled and the atmosphere became more relaxed and I could start to photograph those whom I actually picked out. I asked everybody before shooting whether I could go on (except of the children) but it was only a formality since after the approval of the head of the family everybody said yes.

Women were a bit more shy but after I showed them the first pictures they usually started to like it and pulled each other in front of the camera. If I wanted to get inside a house I asked for a permission again and I was never refused.

The maternity care clinic

You have to know that Raxaul is not a place where foreign photographers can be seen frequently (even those who work in the hospital do not go out those places I have been to) so for the locals my appearance was at least as exciting and interesting as for me. I took my time if the atmosphere was good I sat with the people and showed the pictures to them, we were chatting and laughing. I had time for everything which was a great advantage compared to that when one only has one or two days in a place so he wants to take good pictures in every case. For instance, I returned to the leprosy colony, Sunderpur six times.

Naturally, there are plenty of children in Raxaul too, they were very nice but they also made my work harder as sometimes it was just not possible to photography because of them.

One time I wanted to take some picture near the hospital but after a half an hour being followed by a noisy, pushy group of about 30 children who always jump in front of me any time I raised the camera, I gave up. I had a similar incident in the leprosy village too.

I was taking photos sitting on the ground when a smaller group of raging children literally fall upon me. The camera hit my nose so hard that it hurt for days.

No secret that I made some little tricks too.

For example, I was in the leper’s village in an afternoon when I noticed someone crossing the little, shallow river which is the border between India and Nepal by bicycle. The biker in the river is quite an interesting subject so I wanted to video him. I ran to the river bank but by the time I got there he had already been out of the water. So I had to ask him to go back.

Baby in Raxaul

He did not really understand at first but he finally he did it and returned to the river and came out again.

But I think that’s fit in. I usually returned from my morning shooting at about 9 or 10. During the day mostly I photographed in the hospital, if I had the mood and energy, then I set off for a short outdoor shooting again in the afternoon. At about 3 o’clock the light became acceptable again but by 5 it got almost totally dark so the afternoons were very short.

Sundarpur I mentioned Sunderpur, the village of the lepers several times, it is about 15 minutes walk from Raxaul. Actually it is a very nice and tidy little village, much nicer than Raxaul so we visited it quite frequently. Sometimes I just went there for an evening walk, sometimes I definitely wanted to take photos. People were very kind to us there too. Hundreds of families live with leprosy in the village, although not everybody infected. They have their own little hospital, school, dairy and chicken farms and a weaving plant as well, these provide a livelihood for them. The local leprosy hospital is the biggest one of its kind in Bihar state. Only patients with ulcers are treated there, the rest only visit the hospital once in a month for medication. All the treatments and medicines are free, the hospital is largely run by private donations. Leprosy is a disease caused by bacteria, so it can be treated quite well with long antibiotic therapy. As a result of the nerve destruction and disruption of sensation caused by the bacteria ulcerative lesions of the extremities is a common complication of leprosy. Contrary to popular belief, leprosy is not very contagious, but close co-existence of several months may lead to infection. Thus chances are good that we are not infected during the few visits.

Community projects In the Duncan Hospital a separate department works on the support of the so-called community development projects. This means that the hospital supports different community initiatives in about 250 nearby villages. These are primarily related to the support of education, small enterprises and healthcare developments. The educational projects do not replace but supplement traditional schools. Adult learning programmes are especially prioritized. There are villages in the region of Raxaul where almost every woman is illiterate.

Regisztráció a kórházban

Patient in the leprosy hospital 1.

Waiting for the antibiotics

Patient in the leprosy hospital 2.

Weaving workshop in Sundarpur

The most important initiative of the hospital is to eliminate illiteracy which prevents any progress.

The Duncan Hospital also operates rural prenatal clinics. I had the chance to visit one of them.

Treatments were conducted in two little huts and in the courtyard. Nurses from the hospital, supplemented by local volunteers once a week conduct the most necessary control tests for pregnant women of the village, as well as provide them with vitamins and painkillers. About 40-50 women attend these medical examinations daily.

Qualified nurses make external examination by palpation such as Leopold’s Maneuvers to determine the size of the uterus or any deformities, the location and vitality of the fetus. Fetal heart sound monitoring is an important part of the examination which is performed by an auditory tube. Due to unhygienic conditions still millions of newborns die around the world as a result of neonatal tetanus. The maternal and neonatal tetanus can be prevented by a vaccine administered during pregnancy, so this is part of the Duncan Hospital prenatal programme too.

Farewell to Raxaul

Adults’ school

The three weeks we spent in Raxaul almost seemed like a moment. The last afternoon passed in the spirit of the farewell. First they said goodbye to us in the delivery room, and then the doctors said goodbye one by one separately. We were sitting in a small room and everyone came and told us why they loved to be with us and how grateful they were and said thank you. We were totally confused, we had never heard so many nice words in our lives and most of them, of course, we did not even deserve. But we were sure that everything was said from the bottom of their heart. So we try to manage this quantity of love as well as possible. The next morning our train set off to Delhi with an amazing punctuality. Lots of experiences and ideas were swirling in our heads along the way. As a summary let me quote Emese’s lines from her travel blog: “May it be a strange way to spend a three-weeks holiday working almost continuously, but did not regret it at all.

I’ve seen, experienced and learned a lot during the three weeks. It broadened my horizon, increased my level of tolerance, and these things are more important to me than to rest. I’m coming back with good feelings. “

Text, images, video: Pál Teravágimov

Field test Nikon d600 Here comes Nikon D600 too! This year we tested Nikon D4-et and few weeks later Nikon D800, and now Nikon’s newest FX format DSLR camera, Nikon D600 has arrived. All the three cameras have FX full frame sensors but each of them serve different photographers’ different needs. Nikon designed D600 for those who have not invested in a full-frame camera so far. Here we go.

Nikon D600, AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

1/60sec f/10 ISO 400

I have been holding a Nikon D600 for a month now, I have been to Italy and Croatia with it and I took it to the Pilis Mountains and several other places.

I have tested its ISO sensitivity not just in nature but in the studio as well. Thus I trust that I have enough experience to write this article. I received a NIKKOR 300mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S telephoto lens and an AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens for the testing.

Appearance I have heard from many photographer friends that the D600 is too small - that’s not true, for those who like the size of the D7000 body it is not a small one, although it is smaller than Nikon D4 but it is not the same category. The body is robust, the nonslip coating of the grip is very useful and provides a comfortable and safe grasp. The control system is exactly the same like of the D7000, except of the FX sensor.

Menu system The camera arrived with a Hungarian menu. It is a fényképezőgép magyar menüvel érkezett. That is positive as this way Hungarian Nikon users can exploit the hidden possibilities of the machine too.

Technological novelties The soul of Nikon D600 is a 24.3-megapixel FX (full frame) format CMOS-sensor. In this price range it is currently the highest resolution FX camera. The camera is able to record our photo themes in poorer even light conditions in outstanding quality thanks to Nikon’s Multi-CAM 4800 39-point AF system.

The AF system provides great freedom, it can be 5, 9, 21 or 39-point and the photographer can set it depending on his theme or customs. Nikon guarantees 150,000 exposures for the shutter but it, of course, can be even more. High dynamic range photography (HDR) function is also available here, just like at its bigger brothers and multi-exposure is also an opportunity. Although it is possible only up to 3 files but that is sufficient for lots of things. I was very glad for these extra functions specifically as they are very needed for creative photography.

the test Upon the arrival of Nikon D600 we took it to Italy for landscape photography.

The body received both hot and cold, it worked in humid and foggy weather too.

It did not resent, just did its job. Since I have used D7000 several times I had no problems with the camera settings, I found all the functions in their usual place. The Hungarian menu was a pleasant surprise but at first it was strange to me, but after one or two days I could use it easily.

I could playback the pictures on the 8 cm (3.2 inch), 921,000-pixel wide viewing angle LCD monitor. I was fully surprised when I magnified the pictures as I could see sharp images even at full size. I thought that it was because of the monitor as Nikon’s body has a monitor brightness control which automatically adaptive to changing circumstances and provides clear and sharp picture in playback.

Then the test came. I uploaded the images and watched them on my computer screen, they were sharp like a razor. Why? The 24-megapixel resolution of the FX sensor is already given at D600 which is just ideal enough to transmit sufficient data for the high-quality sensor. Another great advantage is the 16 bit image processor which offers richer than ever colours and tones. It provides a rich, smooth transition up to the clean white.

I have already written about the HDR function in the D800 test, so I would not explain that this time. You can read that in our 2012/2 Summer issue - you have to do everything exactly the same way as I explained there.

We had another test scene in Croatia where we captured waterfalls and atmospheres by the D600 machine. I could not always use tripod there due to the extreme conditions but I thought it comes handy for a thorough study of the camera’s ISO sensitivity. After my return I tested the camera on a nude shooting between ISO 400 and ISO 3200 as well. (Of course, I cannot publish photos here as it does not meet the profile of our magazine.

Nikon D600, AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

Bahama

1/125sec f/11 ISO 100

Nikon D600, Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S

1/1000sec f/4.5 ISO 400

Results as follows Between ISO 100 and ISO 400, it did not matter which I used, it did not make any difference regarding the pictures. At ISO 800 a tiny little noise came in but after software filtering it has gone.

At ISO 1600 there is some noise but not too much, moreover, the older cameras produced this quality at ISO 200. Oh my God, what a fast technological development, not long ago ISO 1600 was almost useless for digital cameras and now images are quite good. Let’s go on. At ISO 2000 the noise came but it could be remedied. ISO 3200 was OK for nude photography, I worked only in natural lights or one-lamp lighting, that’s why I needed this high ISO sensitivity. I did not test the camera at ISO 6400 as I did not need it.

Flash control in FX frame Nikon D600 is the only full frame camera which has a little built-in flash which can be used as a master flash and a control unit as well. It was a good idea from Nikon as those who have flatter wallets can also build a wireless flash system through the camera.

It is sufficient in DX size as well I mentioned before that it is possible to use DX lenses too, in this case the camera makes smaller 12-megapixel files.

summary Nikon D600 is a pioneer among the entry-level FX cameras. The time has come to exploit the advantages of full-frame cameras, either at work or on an exciting trip. It can be used in nature, studio or for family albums equally well. It is recommended for almost everybody, especially for advanced amateurs who want professionalism at a yet affordable price.

I processed the ready pictures with Nikon Capture NX software and I only adjusted the contrast, sharpness and saturation during the processing, nothing else.

I would like to say thank you to Nikon Ltd for long and thorough test possibility.

Tester: Tamás Imre

editorial Editor in Chief : Tamás Imre Tamás Imre

Anikó Imre

János Szekeres

Béla Szabó

Árpád Krivánszky

László Suhayda

Adrien Imre

Iván Éder

tamas.imre@naturephotomagazine.com

Editors: Anikó Imre

Árpád Krivánszky

Béla Szabó

János Szekeres László Suhayda Associate Editors: Adrien Imre

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Dániel Selmeczi Iván Éder Martin Perhiniak Copy Editor:

Árpád Krivánszky Art Director: Anikó Imre Graphical Design: Martin Perhiniak Web Design:

FX designport Web Product: Thomas Picture Translators: Péter Pál Tóth Advertising: Anikó Imre aniko.imre@naturephotomagazine.com

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