Among the most challenging conditions faced by landscape photographers is bright midday light. In this situation you can either go home and try again under better conditions or understand how to make the most of harsh light.

Instructor Andrew Banner isn’t one to give up easily when he’s out in the field and he insists that the experienced photographers know how to make the most of whatever they confront, so that they can adapt and capture beautiful images throughout the day. Harsh, direct light? Boring cloudless skies? Super-bright highlights? No problem.

Banner is a full-time British landscape photographer who regularly posts behind-the-scenes tutorials like this one—demonstrating the secrets to his success. This episode explains how to overcome challenging light by concentrating on shapes, colors, textures, and more. You’ll follow him during an early morning beach walk on the North Norfolk coast, while illustrating how to make bright light your friend.

His unique approach can be described as “finding compelling images within the landscape, that are not necessarily part of the landscape” in the conventional sense. While the cloudless sky in his scene is devoid of interesting details, it is a pretty blue. His introduces the first tip this: “When you have the kind of color contrast that works very well with blue, you can’t ignore it.” He then demonstrates how to use this confluence of conditions as a compelling graphic device.

Banner composed a shot with wooden posts on the shore that weren’t particularly interesting until these elements (and their shadows) were brought to life as the sun rose lit them up. Then he had something compelling to work with. As Banner notes, the newfound impact is the result of “blue sky, blue sea, yellowish brown posts, yellow sand, and reflections in the foreground.”

For this particular opportunity of color and contrast Banner employed a 10-stop ND filter that enabled him to select a longer exposure than would ordinarily be possible under these conditions and thereby “flatten out the water.”

Banner has several other helpful tips for capturing the “simplistic” images that he prefers, including arriving early when photographing from the beach—before bypassers and their footprints intrude into the frame. We suggest taking a look and his instructional YouTube channel where you’ll find more lessons for shooting outdoors.

And be sure to check out a tutorial we posted recently from another accomplished outdoor photographer, explaining the key camera settings to use for capturing the best possible sunset photographs.

Outdoor photographers regularly make Vibrance and Saturation adjustments when editing their images to accentuate colors in a scene. But do you really understand the difference between these tools and how to use them for maximum advantage? Read on.

This tutorial from the popular Photography Course YouTube channel demonstrates everything you need to know to make the most of these common tools to accentuate color while retaining a realistic look. The concept is so easy to grasp that it takes instructor Tara Iv less than three minutes to explain.

Iv is an adept image-editing expert who regularly shares basic editing tutorials that are vary easy to accomplish. She kicks of today’s episode like this: “Saturation and Vibrance may seem similar, but they have very important differences, and if you know that they are you’ll be able to enhance photographs properly.”

Not only do these tools work wonders with all types of subjects, but they do so in much the same way with just about any editing software you use. Iv pulls up a landscape scene with a bunch of neutral colors that really need some work. She begins with Saturation and drags the slider all the way to the right to make the effect as obvious as possible, while recommending that you may want to take a more subtle approach.

As you’ll see, Saturation adjustments accentuate every color in this photo. The Vibrance tool, on the other hand, only boosts certain colors. Iv puts it like this: No matter what the color is, Saturation will intensify it. Vibrance is really different because this tool is selective; it finds colors that are more desaturated than others and will intensify these specific tones while leaving stronger colors alone.

The choice of which tool to use is a subjective decision, depending upon the look you want, so Saturation is often a good choice for enhancing fall colors in photos captured under flat light. Conversely, if your goal is to create a softer effect with pastel colors, then the Vibrance tool may be your best bet.

Iv offers several helpful tips for using Vibrance and Saturation in different types of scenes. She also explains how these adjustment can  be employed to correct a “color imbalance” in an image. You can find more simple editing tips and tricks by paying a visit to her instructional YouTube channel.

And don’t miss the tutorial we posted last week from another expert, with a quick explainer describing the difference between Raw and Jpeg files formats—illustrating which format to use when.

For those of you who are eagerly awaiting my promised article on the recently introduced Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S telephoto lens, I have a little appetizer for you. In the following GIF, you can see both the original uncropped image as well as a 100% crop (click to see it at full size). Not bad, what do you think? But now onto the news that the last week has brought us.

Sigma just began delivering the Fujifilm X mount version of their popular 100-400mm f/5-6.3 zoom. Shutterbug had the chance to field test a sample hands-on for a few weeks to learn whether or not it’s as good as people say. Here are our findings.

Overview & First Impressions
Including the new 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS |Contemporary Zoom, Sigma now offers six lenses for Fujifilm X APS-C cameras. The others are the 16mm f/1.4, 23mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4, 56mm f/1.4 and 18-50mm f/2.8. The equivalent zoom range for the new 100-400mm zoom is 150-600, making it an authentic ultra-telephoto lens.

Decoding Sigma’s nomenclature, the DG in the name signifies that the new 100-400mm is suitable for full-frame cameras; the DN means it’s compatible with mirrorless cameras that have a short flange back distance. Therefore, unlike most lenses intended for APS-C mirrorless models, this zoom was designed to cover full-35mm-frame-size sensors. That’s nearly always a real-world advantage because only the center area of the transmitted light cone is accessed when a full-frame lens is used on an APS-C sensor camera. The diagram below illustrates why this is true.

Key Features of the 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS |Contemporary Zoom
Internal focusing system
600mm equivalent ultra-telephoto range
5-step Optical Stabilization
Lens construction 22 elements in 16 groups (4 SLD, 1 FLD)
Optical design minimizes flare and ghosting
9-blade rounded diaphragm
Minimum focusing distance of 63 inches (160cm) at 400mm
Stepping Motor AF system
Compatible with High-Speed AF, Lens Aberration Correction
Supports DMF and AF+MF
Focus Limiter & AF Function Setting switches
Zoom Lock
Super Multi-Layer Coating
High-precision, durable brass bayonet mount
Mount features dust and splash resistant structure
Weighs 40 ounces (1135g)
Already offered in L-Mount, Sony E-mount
Includes lens hood, protective cover, front and rear caps
Optional Tripod Socket (TS-111)
‘Made in Japan’ craftsmanship
EVERY lens tested via Sigma’s proprietary MTF measuring system
Street price, Fujifilm X mount, $949

Specifications

Exterior Construction: Fit & Finish
Clearly well-made and durable, the 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary appears finely crafted. The lens mount is manufactured from milled brass and features a special sealing to provide weather protection.

Optical Design
The 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS’s construction comprises 22 elements in 16 groups. The design includes four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) and one FLD (Low Dispersion). To assure consistently high quality, every lens is tested using Sigma’s proprietary MTF measuring system.

Mount Conversion Service
As with other Sigma Art, Sports and Contemporary lenses, Sigma can convert L-Mount and Sony E-mount to be compatible with Fujifilm’s X mount, so if you switch to the Fujifilm mirrorless system, you can take your Sigma lenses with you. We don’t know if any other lens brand that offers this. Visit Sigma Mount Conversion Service for details.

Performance Summary
Right out of the gate, the Sigma 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS |Contemporary Zoom delivered crisp, bright images. Colors were true-to-life and aberrations essentially undetectable. While I personally believe that bokeh is highly overrated, this new zoom produced pleasantly-shaped out-of-focus areas characteristic of ultra-telephoto zooms.

The AF system, which utilizes a stepping motor, was fast and accurate when used on a Fujifilm X-T5. We were told that Sigma developed a control algorithm encompassing AF drive and communication speed optimization specifically for Fujifilm X Mount interchangeable lenses. Additionally, the physical switches were optimized for X Mount. The AF Function Setting Switch allows users to select a function when the AF Function Button is pressed.

The Image Stabilization system was sufficiently effective and is said to be equivalent to 5-stops as measured using CIPA guidelines. We had no way to measure it directly, but found it potent and more than satisfactory even when the zoom was fully extended to the full 600mm (equivalent) focal length.

A hefty package at 2.5 pounds, we found the Sigma 100-400 zoom easier to use when coupled with their optional Tripod Socket (TS-111) which sells for around $107 when ordered directly from Sigma but possibly higher elsewhere.

Conclusion
Well suited for bird, sports and wildlife photography, the combination of excellent optical performance and attractive features makes the new 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS |Contemporary Zoom easy to recommend.

Old f/5 is the New f/2.8
As long 100-400mm class zooms go, f/5-f/6.3 is not slow. Furthermore, considering the superb quality of images captured at very high ISO values, you might say “Old f/5 in the new f/2.8.”

Price & Availability
The 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS |Contemporary Zoom is available now and generally priced at $949.

Visit Sigma’s website for more information, and go to this link for more example images shot with the Sigma 100-400 f/5-6.3 DG DN OS using Sony and Sigma camera bodies. Be sure to check out Sigma’s selection of refurbished cameras, lenses, flash units and accessories.

To find an Authorized Sigma Dealer near you, click here. Please support your local photo shop if you’re lucky enough to have one.

 

—Jon Sienkiewicz