Capture the Moment (November 2020)

We’ve rounded up the cameras to choose and the camera settings used to help you take great photos even when the weather is bad this winter.

With fewer hours of daylight and lower visibility, photo opportunities might seem more limited in the autumn and winter. But with the right perspective, the colder seasons can present opportunities to capture more striking and atmospheric images than are possible on cloudless summer days. We know that the appeal of getting outside with your camera can drop as the warm, sunny days dwindle, but getting out and about for some (socially distanced) fresh air and exercise has never been more important.

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To properly capture this, pay attention to your surroundings and what will looks good in a photo. For example, when the evening draws in early, there are often synthetic blue and orange hues in the city, which make for a dynamic contrast. Because orange and blue are opposite each other in the colour wheel, together they please our natural affinity for contrasts.

In the same vein, if the weather’s snowy, then there are unique conditions to capture. The white of the snow helps to create an image that’s gentle to the eye and it makes splashes of colour pop in contrast – for example, by making a red winter berry or an orange sunset look resplendent.

One of the best things about autumn and winter photography is that these seasons introduce new colour palettes to play with. Whether it’s the excitement of the city’s bright neon reflecting in roadside puddles, the soft hues of a snowy day or the vibrant reds and golds of autumn, there are new colours to capture in the environment and new moods to create. Even a grey, foggy day can become a moody, mysterious image with the right framing.

Getting the perfect shot might mean you need different camera settings to those you’d use on a bright, sunny day and not any alternate weather conditions. Or else, the utmost you can do is to reduce the shutter speed for an artistic blur, or increase the shutter speed to crystalise rain drops on a cold rainy day, invest in a camera with a good stabilisation, consider a macro lens to capture small details in full-sized glory, or consider a black and white filter that would help you in paying closer attention to shapes and create great dramatic shots with intricate details and photos on those days where the natural colours are decidedly sludgy.

If you want a good camera, you’re spoiled for choice in 2020. There are plenty of great models from brands, including Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony and more.

Here, we’ve pulled out the key features of a couple of popular models as a starting point – a high-end mirrorless camera and a more affordable compact camera. Click through to our expert reviews to find out if they will deliver sensational shots whatever the weather.

Nikon Z 50 mirrorless camera

As a high-end camera for less than £1,000, the Z 50 is a tempting proposition. It’s an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera with the specs to serve you well in pretty much any scenario, including low-light winter conditions. One of the main advantages that any DSLR or mirrorless camera has over compact alternatives is the larger sensors. This means they can take in more light, which is vital on gloomier days. They also tend to come with large ISO ranges to brighten images.

Price: ₹91,023

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX15 compact camera

With a single, fixed lens, compact cameras typically can’t produce the exceptional quality of the best high-end DSLR or mirrorless cameras. That said, modern compact cameras have become very good at offering control to their users. Although they boast smaller sensors and fewer lens options, they are still capable of taking great snaps given the chance. The DMC-LX15 is one of the cheaper cameras you can buy. Billed as an enthusiast’s compact, this small camera can be easily popped into a jacket pocket. It has a 20Mp 1-inch sized sensor, up to 3x optical zoom, and can take 4K video and stills. It also has image stabilisation features that could come in handy during cold snaps. One disadvantage is that it lacks a viewfinder, which some may find an annoying omission.

Price: ₹38,328

From the November 2020 issue of FHM India.