A couple months ago I was approached by Sigma South Africa to use and review a selection of their Sigma lenses while out in the field. I am a field guide and have been guiding now for just over four years in some of the most prestigious lodges within the Greater Kruger region in South Africa namely the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve and the Timbavati Private Game Reserve. Conducting game drives daily in these spectacular regions allows me to encounter some of the most sort after species on safari… read more →
SIGMA Corporation is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of interchangeable lenses for the Canon EF-M mount digital camera series with APS-C image sensors. SIGMA will gradually introduce the lenses as members of the Contemporary line. The new Canon EF-M mount models will feature a newly and exclusively developed control algorithm that optimizes the autofocus drive and maximizes the data transmission speed. In addition, these lenses will be compatible with Servo AF and lens aberration correction. The lineup will include the Contemporary line set of three prime lenses 16mm, 30mm,… read more →
By Sigma Ambassador Keith Connelly If you missed it, please read Part 1 of this series here. So this post is merely a guideline from my own perspective. I will be using Photoshop and Nik Software as these are the two programs I use mainly in my conversions. Of course there are very effective ways of producing these images in Lightroom as well. So before getting into the detail I want to reiterate some of the points from my last post: Start with a quality raw image Look for Images… read more →
In photography, composition refers to the structure, organization, and visual characteristics of the elements in your photograph. Compositions can be complex, powerful, boring, moody, uplifting, and a plethora of other adjectives. When you hear photographers refer to the composition of a photograph, likely they are talking about things like subject placement, lighting, colour, lines, space, balance, and more. Although composition is one of the most important aspects when it comes to photography it is also one of the most difficult things to master, especially in wildlife photography when your subject… read more →
Personally I have a huge love for monochrome imagery as many people do. Monochrome has the advantage of removing the distraction of colour from an image and allowing you to focus on the content, composition, subjects, tonality and emotion present in that image. When we look at a good monochrome image it draws us into the thought process and mind of the photographer in a much different way than with colour images. We can push our creative boundaries in a myriad of different ways with monochrome photography as opposed to… read more →
In the beginning of most of our photographic journey’s we strive for the best light from over our shoulders that illuminates our subjects in late afternoon golden loveliness. Which it must be said is truly wonderful and makes great images of course. But…the moment I spun that first & last 10 minutes of glorious light on it’s head and had it over my subject shoulder, my photographic journey changed forever! What is not to love about deep rich reds and oranges dancing across a dusty scene creating moody and wonderful… read more →
Often when speaking to people about lenses, especially the bigger telephoto lenses, their first question is “How is the quality?”. Now quality is the most important aspect of a photograph, nobody wants an image that isn’t pin sharp or lacking amazing vibrant colors. If we were to just be satisfied with that then there would be no market for high end camera equipment, especially lenses. As I have discussed previously, lenses are where the magic happens and this is where the new range of Sigma Global Vision lenses stands out… read more →
For many photographers, be they enthusiasts, hobbyists, or amateurs, the inevitable dream, especially with regards to Wildlife Photography is to own a long focal length lens with a large aperture. A trap many end up falling into, is not adjusting their chosen aperture when taking photographs, falsely believing that the larger the aperture, the better the image. To make this totally understandable, in plain simple English, I will keep this post not only short, but use layman’s terms, and speak from personal experience. For years I could only wish for a lens of… read more →
I’ve had the opportunity to shoot exclusively with some of Sigma’s new Global Vision range of lenses over the last few months and I’ve been hugely impressed with every product I’ve used thus far, including the extremely handy Sigma USB Dock. As a working Field Guide at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, my gear gets tested to its limits and the three lenses in my possession, namely the 150-600 Sports (My favorite), the 120-300 f2.8 Sports and the 20mm f1.4 Art, have undergone the same treatment as the rest of… read more →
While many shutterbugs regularly ogle the extreme wide angle lenses available online, most are unaware of the steep learning curve involved in making the transition to using one. A few top tips will be briefly outlined below to help photographers make the transition and truly get the most out of their new wide angle lens from Sigma. The very first thing that many photographers grapple with is the exaggerated perspective. Composition is a lot more complex than it is when using a conventional range lens as the foreground subject matter… read more →