C T Digital Photography

I've been hooked on this magazine since issue #1. Here's why:

No other photography magazine offers "how-to" articles in as much depth as those articles printed in C't Digital Photography. While other magazines touch on a topic with only enough information to whet the appetite, how-to articles in C't Digital Photography go into painstaking detail on a range of photography topics. Though I am new to DSLR photography (which makes the timing of this magazine's introduction to the states perfect), I really believe that C't Digital Photography offers an incredibly well thought-out variety of articles to satisfy beginner and pro alike. The cover price is a bit of a shocker at first, but when you consider the hours of learning to be had from a single issue (it's a little like National Geographic, in that it begs to be read from cover to cover), its amortized cost is cheap.

An example of the type of article I'm referring to comes from issue #4. The article, Manual Lens Adapters for DSLRs, explained in fascinating detail the ins-and-outs of adapting older SLR lenses to modern digital cameras, and offered countless images detailing an array of combinations of cameras/adapters/lenses.

C't Digital Photography is a wonderful photography magazine; when my new issue arrives I shove away all other reading material in favor of devouring the latest information uninterrupted.

For a great many years now i have been purchasing photographic magzines and books, to satiate my interest in this burgeoning new technology of digital photography. Although i subbed to a few Americal issue like Popular Photography and Shutterbug, i was always drawn to Photo mags from the UK. My favorites being Digital Photographer, and Amateur Photographer, and the more eclectic ones like B&W and Digital photo Pro. For the most part i was happy with those, and they helped me to develop my knowledge and skills as we went along on our ride together. And then came C't Digital Photography Magazine, published by Heise and renowned Photography book publisher Rocky Nook Inc, responsible for books like Alan Briot's "Marketing Fine art Photography" and Stephen Laskevitch's "Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3 A Photographer's Handbook" as well as many other indispensible photography guides.

To say i was imapacted by this magazine, is a tremendous understatement. I found it on the shelf of my local Barnes & Noble, and spent a hour reading issue 4 (the current issue at that time) in the Cafe'. $14.95 is a lot to pay for a magazine normally, but this one was such a breath of fresh air, that i didnt take long to convince my self it was worth it (keep in mind i am Scottish, and spending money is anathema to me). Not only did i decide to purchase the mag at the Store, I logged on to my laptop and ordered all the back issues available, which excluded issue 2 as they were out of stock on that. So to get the missing issue, i went to Ebay, and ordered it from a seller there...all before leaving the Store with my initial magazine.

So what makes this magazine worth all that effort? One, its a European magazine, and because of the differences in paper stock there, the magazine is physically bigger (and everyting bigger is better in the USA). So whats the content like? Well most of the other mags i had been used to covered that same ground, ie photographic techniques, Hardware reviews, etc but i was always left feeling unfulfilled, and had to go to the web to complete the knowledge i was being fed in these mags, It was a little like the soundbites you get on American News stations...just enough to hook your interest..then on to the next item..not so with C't Digital Photography. The articles are indepth, technically complete and entertaining. The use of charts, Tables and photographs help to illustrate the information being offered, but more to the point the articles are PAGES long. Issue one has a Manual Lens Article looking at manual V's Autofocus lenses and the practice of using Lens ring adapter on older, high quality manufacturers such as Leica, Ziess and even Canon..for use with modern digital cameras. The article is 22 pages long, and includes lens tests, detailed info on the hardware used and samples to illustrate the differences between focal lengths,aperture settings, image sharpness across the whole image...Incredible. This is a textbook quality article in a Magazine. Each magazine starts with a Portfolio, a snapshot of the work and philosophy of an innovator in the world of photography, and how he or she became an inspiration to others. Issue one is an interview with Enno Kapitza, renowned Japanese photographer, and abstract photographer Maak Roberts appears in issue 5.

There are Software tutorials, and guides..issue one covers Photoshop CS5 and Elements 8 while Issue 2 has a GIMP Master class, a series of workshops covering techniques useful to the beginner to advanced user, of this wonderful Free and incredibly powerful software package. There are articles that cover how to get great Bokeh (blur) on your images, to using DSLR Cameras for Video. Issue 5 has a huge article on 3D Photography, its development, and current techniques for taking your own 3D images. Theres an article that looks at the various photo Apps available for iPhone and Android, with tests and comparisons. Issue 4 covers Macro photography in detail and Issue 3 takes us into the world of GPS tagging and travel photography. Attached to each issue is a DVD full of useful software, plugins, video guides and tutorials..with links to downloads and discounts from many major software producers.

Perhaps the reason the articles and tests are so indepth and detailed is this magazine is a quarterly issue. Perhaps because they are not rushing to meet weekly or monthly deadlines, the editorial staff and contributors can take some pride in producing a magazine unlike any other availabile in quality and content, in todays over populated photographic media circus. I say Congratulations and THANK YOU for fulfilling my expectations every issue. If you never buy another photo magazine in your ilfe, SUBSCRIBE to this one...you will not regret it.

Clive W

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