I feel, after visiting so many websites and reading so much advice, and also by frequently visiting photography forums, that I have to speak on this subject.
For the majority of the buying public, there are 2 categories that we fall into when getting started or upgrading in digital photography, the "Absolute Beginner" or the "Amateur" (or serious amateur sometimes labelled as semi pro).
Now for the beginner, or someone getting started in photography itself (not just digital), the choice of cameras nowadays is quite overwhelming! Everywhere you look there are cameras, not just in camera shops like the good old days. You even get given a cheap digital camera as a gift for buying something else in some places. There are reasonably powerful digital cameras in the more expensive mobile phones now and they come in all shapes and sizes.
So where do you possibly start and how do you make that choice for buying a camera for yourself or someone else. Really it is quite simple and there are 3 criteria you should look at:
1.Quality - If you want the camera to last at least a few years and not get bothered by a bit of bashing about, go for quality. A titanium body, not plastic, something that is fairly heavy and robust in your hands, you can feel quality!
2.Features - Do you want quality video capabilities? How big do you want to print the pictures that come from the cameras files (how many mega pixels)? Do you want to have at least some manual features so you can get a bit creative? Or do you just want a "Point-and-shoot" digital camera?
3.Price - You will have a budget in mind of how much you want to spend. Get the best camera and memory you can for your budget, worry about extras later! Don't be cheap; if you want reasonably good quality prints, by spending too little on a very cheap camera, you will waste paper, printer ink and/or good money at your local lab. Get a good make and model of digital camera now and it will outlast a cheapie 4 or 5 times.
DO NOT be swayed by digital cameras that have "Non-Photographic" features, gadgets and gizmos. Any of these unnecessary features added means that some quality has been sacrificed elsewhere. Buy a camera to be a camera, and nothing else. I would also suggest buying one of the top brands such as Canon, Nikon, Konica-Minolta, Olympus etc., they may cost a little more, but the difference in quality is worth it. They all make cheaper end cameras too.
Look for decent features such as a good optical zoom, NOT digital zoom. Digital zoom is an unnecessary marketing tool; it is the same as zooming in on the photo once you get it onto your PC. 10-20X digital zoom is acceptable but I have seen video cameras with 1000X digital zoom, have you ever tried holding the camera steady at these kind of magnifications, even with a tripod?!!
Basically, write down exactly what you want and need from the camera, go to a reputable dealer and buy a good branded camera that has what you need for your requirements and budget, don't be swayed by the salesperson into buying more than you need.
Now, the Amateur or Semi Pro. When you start to look at Semi professional Digital SLR's or Advanced digital compact cameras, the choice is a little less but no less confusing. The same advice goes here as in the previous section, think about what you need the camera for, how you think you may progress in this hobby and your budget.
The "prosumer" advanced digital compact cameras available today are steadily encroaching on the quality of the DSLR, although in my opinion, they will never catch them. The optical zooms are fantastic, the sensors, albeit smaller than the DSLR are powerful and produce stunning images, and some even have "built-in" image stabilisers…Great!
Again, my advice would be to go for quality. These cameras are more expensive anyway and you want one that will last and put up with a bit of knocking from your "getting creative in photography" moments! Once you have your advanced digital compact, don’t be swayed by the latest upgrades, updates or releases. Get to know what you have, learn how to use it effectively and learn the photography side of photography, not the technical side.
Once you are happy with your progression and feel that you want to move on, be more in control and maybe even start to earn from photography, only then should you splash out and upgrade to a Digital SLR.
The Semi Professional Digital SLR or consumer DSLR is a fantastic thing in photography. Many of the "die-hard" film photographers are seeing the light and going digital. Many aspects of film are still widely used and will do for some time, as large format film photography produces the absolute finest detail I have seen (at the time of writing. In 2020, who knows?).
However, the latest batch of Digital SLR's have now reached the point where they match or out perform 35mm film. It is predicted that next year (2006) will be "boom time" for the sales of DSLR's as the quality increases and the prices come down. There has never been a better or cheaper way to get into 35mm photography!
The BIGGEST thing to consider when buying a DSLR kit is to choose your brand loyalty. Look at Canon, Nikon, Konica-Minolta, Olympus, Kodak etc., and make your choice, why? As you progress and become more enthusiastic or serious, you will want to add more lenses to your kit. Wide angle, telephoto, zoom, macro, standard….there is a massive choice.
With the way technology is going, you are much more likely to upgrade your camera than you are your lenses and it will be a lot cheaper to do so once you really get into this hobby, believe me! One decent lens in my kit cost €2,000 (£1400) alone. A decent lens will, with care, last you a lifetime. There is only a certain level of quality of the glass you can obtain with optics so remember this point when buying your camera.
My choice? Canon. I used to work for Nikon and had a preference towards them, but nowadays all my kit is Canon. I feel they are one step ahead with technology and the lenses (especially the nice white ones) are amazing! Just look at the next major sporting event on TV, how many "White" lenses you see. Only Canon makes white lenses.
Again, once you have made your choice, BUY the camera, ENJOY it and LEARN from it! If the sensor (i.e. 8MP of bigger) produces LARGE, high quality prints, why be swayed by the newer, latest upgrades? Photography is about "learning" and enjoyment, DO NOT be intimidated by technological gobbeldy gook, as long as your camera has the features that you need, quality to match and you build a nice set of lenses over time, who cares if the latest model has 0.1% better white balance control, or flashing lights?
If you are new to Digital SLR'sFree Reprint Articles, I have a section on my website that explains all the bits and buttons…
Digital SLR Newbie?
All the best and enjoy yourselves!
Nick Stubbs
All Things Photography
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Professional photographer with more than 20 years experience. Started at 13 by building own darkroom, progressed to become an apprentice at 16 and have not looked back since.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Using Light in Photography Techniques
The use of light in a photograph can be the deciding factor of whether that picture will be spectacular or terrible. When you use your camera to automatically choose aperture and shutter speed, what your camera is actually doing is using the built in light meter and measuring how much light is being reflected to the camera.
But that doesn't mean that’s all there is to it. You should also think about the angle of the light entering the frame, what kind of shadows you want, and whether you want to use fill-in-flash (using flash to light the subject if you have a really bright background). If you are shooting at night you can create all sorts of cool effects like lights in motion, pictures with moonlight, or silhouettes. The following are just some examples of all the possibilities.
Angle of Light
The angle of light should be taken into careful consideration whenever you feel like you want to create a specific effect. Shadows can be very powerful when cast over half of someone's face. When you are deciding which angle you would prefer to have the light coming from you are indirectly deciding where the shadows will be cast. The angle of light can be used to show texture if it is coming from the side because the shadows create the effect of more depth. It can add detail and mystery to someone’s face if you choose to keep half of their face in the shadows. The most common light usage mistake that people make when they are taking portrait pictures is having the light coming directly from the back when they don’t intend to create a silhouette. This usually results in having the subject’s face just very dark and the background overexposed.
Light Rays Effect
The effect of rays of light indoors and outdoors can be very spectacular. A brilliant part of some great photographs is the ability to actually see rays of light in a photo. Whether it is in the setting of a brilliant sunset, light pouring through a window or light from artificial lights almost all kinds have the potential to look amazing. Usually the only way to obtain something like this is a narrow aperture (high f/stop) and a very slow shutter speed. I have found rays of light to be very nice in architectural photography in the form of light streaming through windows or spaces.
Silhouettes
Silhouettes are another interesting example of strategic light use. The way to create a silhouette is to have significantly brighter light coming from behind the subject. In doing this it is important to take your camera light reading off of the background instead of the subject in order for the camera to adjust for an exposure based on the backlight. If you do this the subject will be successfully underexposed and the background should hopefully have a well-balanced exposure. You can do this for any kind of subject including people, animals, landscapes and impressive cityscapes.
Scarce Light in the Darkness
Photography at night is completely different than photography in the day. At night there is most likely not enough light to handhold the camera if you are going to take a well-exposed photo (without flash). A tripod is very necessary and I always use a tripod when I am shooting at night to take away the risk of blur from hand shakiness. If you keep experimenting with different ways of using light you will find that you can get very interesting results. One favorite location of night photographers is on the roadside of a busy street. With a long shutter speed the photographer can use the car lights to make streams of light across the frame. The longer the exposure, the more fascinating the results with light most of the time.
Try This Technique to Make a Copy of Someone
Set the shutter speed for somewhere around 30 seconds, set the camera on a tripod and set the self-timer so you do not have to press the shutter button. Someone needs to stand next to the camera with a flashlight and someone else needs to be the subject of the photo in front of the camera. The subject then stands in one place while the flashlight is pointed at him and moved in an up and down motion. After around 15 seconds the flashlight is turned off and the subject is told to move to his left. Then the flashlight is pointed at him again and moved up and down until the camera finishes the exposure. If you do this successfully you can create the same person twice in one frame.
Conclusion
The use of light is a very essential practice to master if you are going to be a successful photographer. When a digital camera takes a photo its sensor is essentially just collecting all the light from the scene that is reflected in through the lens. It is your job simply to figure out where you would like the light to be coming from and how long the sensor should be exposed to the light in order to create a sufficient exposure.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Schneider is a digital photography enthusiast and founder of PictureCorrect Photography Tips which offers tips and news about digital photography, digital camera reviews, and photoshop tutorials. Please also visit the Free Wallpaper Gallery where there is free high resolution desktop wallpaper available
But that doesn't mean that’s all there is to it. You should also think about the angle of the light entering the frame, what kind of shadows you want, and whether you want to use fill-in-flash (using flash to light the subject if you have a really bright background). If you are shooting at night you can create all sorts of cool effects like lights in motion, pictures with moonlight, or silhouettes. The following are just some examples of all the possibilities.
Angle of Light
The angle of light should be taken into careful consideration whenever you feel like you want to create a specific effect. Shadows can be very powerful when cast over half of someone's face. When you are deciding which angle you would prefer to have the light coming from you are indirectly deciding where the shadows will be cast. The angle of light can be used to show texture if it is coming from the side because the shadows create the effect of more depth. It can add detail and mystery to someone’s face if you choose to keep half of their face in the shadows. The most common light usage mistake that people make when they are taking portrait pictures is having the light coming directly from the back when they don’t intend to create a silhouette. This usually results in having the subject’s face just very dark and the background overexposed.
Light Rays Effect
The effect of rays of light indoors and outdoors can be very spectacular. A brilliant part of some great photographs is the ability to actually see rays of light in a photo. Whether it is in the setting of a brilliant sunset, light pouring through a window or light from artificial lights almost all kinds have the potential to look amazing. Usually the only way to obtain something like this is a narrow aperture (high f/stop) and a very slow shutter speed. I have found rays of light to be very nice in architectural photography in the form of light streaming through windows or spaces.
Silhouettes
Silhouettes are another interesting example of strategic light use. The way to create a silhouette is to have significantly brighter light coming from behind the subject. In doing this it is important to take your camera light reading off of the background instead of the subject in order for the camera to adjust for an exposure based on the backlight. If you do this the subject will be successfully underexposed and the background should hopefully have a well-balanced exposure. You can do this for any kind of subject including people, animals, landscapes and impressive cityscapes.
Scarce Light in the Darkness
Photography at night is completely different than photography in the day. At night there is most likely not enough light to handhold the camera if you are going to take a well-exposed photo (without flash). A tripod is very necessary and I always use a tripod when I am shooting at night to take away the risk of blur from hand shakiness. If you keep experimenting with different ways of using light you will find that you can get very interesting results. One favorite location of night photographers is on the roadside of a busy street. With a long shutter speed the photographer can use the car lights to make streams of light across the frame. The longer the exposure, the more fascinating the results with light most of the time.
Try This Technique to Make a Copy of Someone
Set the shutter speed for somewhere around 30 seconds, set the camera on a tripod and set the self-timer so you do not have to press the shutter button. Someone needs to stand next to the camera with a flashlight and someone else needs to be the subject of the photo in front of the camera. The subject then stands in one place while the flashlight is pointed at him and moved in an up and down motion. After around 15 seconds the flashlight is turned off and the subject is told to move to his left. Then the flashlight is pointed at him again and moved up and down until the camera finishes the exposure. If you do this successfully you can create the same person twice in one frame.
Conclusion
The use of light is a very essential practice to master if you are going to be a successful photographer. When a digital camera takes a photo its sensor is essentially just collecting all the light from the scene that is reflected in through the lens. It is your job simply to figure out where you would like the light to be coming from and how long the sensor should be exposed to the light in order to create a sufficient exposure.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Schneider is a digital photography enthusiast and founder of PictureCorrect Photography Tips which offers tips and news about digital photography, digital camera reviews, and photoshop tutorials. Please also visit the Free Wallpaper Gallery where there is free high resolution desktop wallpaper available
Advantages and Drawbacks of Digital Cameras
Whether you’re professional photographer or a tourist looking to record a few good memories, the first step to great photographs is a finding a decent camera.
Whether you’re professional photographer or a tourist looking to record a few good memories, the first step to great photographs is a finding a decent camera.
One of the first decisions you need to make is whether to go with a quick and convenient digital camera, or stick with trusty old film.
The main benefit of going digital include the ability to see pictures instantly on an LCD screen, saving the ones you like and erasing the ones you don’t. Another advantage is the versatility of being able to edit and perfect your photos on a computer, using a program like PhotoShop.
There are also immense economic advantages to using a digital camera. Being able to review each picture you take, and print only the ones you really like saves a lot of money that would have gone into buying film and developing poor-quality pictures.
Despite these tempting benefits, however, there is still a case for sticking with good old fashioned film photography.
The image resolution, for example, is generally better with a cheap traditional camera than a mid-range digital camera. In order to achieve true film-quality resolution on a digital camera, one must pay several hundred dollars for a 7+ megapixel device.
Another advantage of film is its distance from the world of computing technology; even a person who is totally computer-illiterate should be able to use a traditional camera to its full potential with no problems whatsoever. Furthermore, many photographers prefer the simple challenge of taking a good picture on film to the much less artistic process of “cheating,” and editing pictures on a computer.
Overall, the right type of camera depends almost entirely upon the photographer. Each person must choose for themselves which kind of photography they like better.
Another option, of course, is to buy both digital and film camerasFeature Articles, and alternate depending on situation. This is often the best choice for a serious photographer who can afford the additional expense.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeremy Maddock is a well-known technology blogger, and owner of Camera Reviews.ca.
Whether you’re professional photographer or a tourist looking to record a few good memories, the first step to great photographs is a finding a decent camera.
One of the first decisions you need to make is whether to go with a quick and convenient digital camera, or stick with trusty old film.
The main benefit of going digital include the ability to see pictures instantly on an LCD screen, saving the ones you like and erasing the ones you don’t. Another advantage is the versatility of being able to edit and perfect your photos on a computer, using a program like PhotoShop.
There are also immense economic advantages to using a digital camera. Being able to review each picture you take, and print only the ones you really like saves a lot of money that would have gone into buying film and developing poor-quality pictures.
Despite these tempting benefits, however, there is still a case for sticking with good old fashioned film photography.
The image resolution, for example, is generally better with a cheap traditional camera than a mid-range digital camera. In order to achieve true film-quality resolution on a digital camera, one must pay several hundred dollars for a 7+ megapixel device.
Another advantage of film is its distance from the world of computing technology; even a person who is totally computer-illiterate should be able to use a traditional camera to its full potential with no problems whatsoever. Furthermore, many photographers prefer the simple challenge of taking a good picture on film to the much less artistic process of “cheating,” and editing pictures on a computer.
Overall, the right type of camera depends almost entirely upon the photographer. Each person must choose for themselves which kind of photography they like better.
Another option, of course, is to buy both digital and film camerasFeature Articles, and alternate depending on situation. This is often the best choice for a serious photographer who can afford the additional expense.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeremy Maddock is a well-known technology blogger, and owner of Camera Reviews.ca.
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