For those of us who use a compact digital camera for "casual" purposes, we've had the experience of setting up our shot, getting our subjects just where we want them, and then presto; the resulting image shows the top of the head or an arm missing from the scene.
What occurs in these instances is a frustrating phenomenon known as "parallax error". Stated simply, it is the result of the camera having one lens through which the camera focuses and records images and another lens through which the photographer views the scene to be shot. The two views are not identical and thus, the image that results is not always as we envisioned it through the viewfinder. This error is most pronounced when shooting at close range; such as in most "portrait" type shots.
Even those of us who are amateurs can avoid "parallax error" by one of just a few methods.
• Use the correction marks. Many digital cameras provide lines that can be seen through the viewfinder which approximate the border of the image being taken to visualize what the lens is truly seeing. The photographer then needs to adjust the shot as necessary. Reading the owners manual will reveal whether a given camera has this feature.
• Use the LCD to frame the shot. The LCD screen better represents the image that the picture-taking lens is seeing. There are limitations however with this method. First, the LCD screen is sometimes difficult to view in bright, outdoor light making it difficult to use in such situations. Secondly, the LCD screen on many digital cameras displays only 85% of what the lens sees which can result in more of a scene being captured versus less The final drawback is simply the extra energy required to operate the LCD. An electronic viewfinder is another option. An EVF takes the image captured by the lens and electronically transfers it onto a display screen.
• Consider the purchase of a digital camera with a TTL mechanism. The parallax error occurs with any TLR (twin lens) camera but not those with a TTL mechanism (through-the-lens). With TTL, the photographer views a scene through the same lens that records the image and is thus able to frame a scene accurately. SLR (single lens reflex) cameras use TTL. These cameras however, are considerably more expensive, bulky and complicated than a compact or traditional point and shoot type camera although for an avid amateur the additional control they offer to the photographer is a tremendous asset.
For the average consumer, a compact or point-and-shoot camera is the product of choice due to their portability and ease of use. Even with these more basic models, use of the correction marks or the LCD screen to frame shots taken at close range can help to significantly reduce any parallax error. For others who may want more creative control and don't mind a larger and more complicated camera, an SLR camera can eliminate parallax error altogether.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/9907-digitalcameras-.htm
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Back Up Photos From a Digital Camera
A digital camera is a fantastic tool for capturing the images of the important people, places, and events in life. The cost involved in shooting pictures is very reasonable due to the lack of film, the ability to delete unwanted images, and the opportunity to share and enjoy images without printing when desired. The creativity allowed by editing images from a digital camera is also a boon to home photographers. However, there are some harsh realities that need to be considered by those who create and store these digital images.
Hard drives sometimes fail. Viruses can invade and wipe out all traces any files stored on a computer. Fire, flood, and other disasters can destroy the hardware in which precious photos are stored. For anyone who places significant personal or emotional value on the photographs they take with their digital camera, making a second copy of such images is the key to assuring that these memories live on for many years to come.
The hard drive on any computer is limited and files sizes of most digital images are huge so extended storage there is not really possible. Certainly the memory with a digital camera is extremely limited and the portable media often used is important but not often a good choice for long term storage due to their vulnerability to failure. Luckily there are other options that make a better choice for long term storage.
• External hard drives: A good external hard drive will have a significantly larger memory capacity than the hard drive on a computer and should not be exposed to as many risks when used exclusively for the storage of images from a digital camera.
• CD: Storage on a CD is a very affordable option. The discs themselves are inexpensive and most modern computers have a CD burner. The storage capacity of a CD is reasonable at about 700 MB per disc. When stored properly in hard plastic cases, the life of a CD should be a few generations at a minimum. Because these discs are a back-up, it is wise to store them in a separate location; perhaps in a fireproof safe.
• DVD: Storage on DVD is also an affordable option although many computers don't possess a built-in DVD writer. Stand-alone DVD writers are a good option in such instances. The storage capacity of a DVD is significantly greater than that of a CD; approximately 4.7 GB can be held in a single layer format while some offer a multi-layer format with even greater capacity. The drawback to multi-layer format discs is that because more images are stored on a single disc, destruction or failure can result in an even more catastrophic loss.
• Online Server: There are a number of services online that can store photos submitted by users for a very small fee. Obviously, if a fire, tornado or other disaster strikes home, these photographic images will not be affected. Flickr is only one of many such services. A growing number of home photographers now set up websites where they can store and share their photos providing even greater security from physical threats.
All of the above options are good methods for storing images captured with a digital camera. However, it is generally recommended that rather than employing a single strategy, two methods be used so that each is indeed a "back-up".
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/9904-backupphotosfro.htm
Hard drives sometimes fail. Viruses can invade and wipe out all traces any files stored on a computer. Fire, flood, and other disasters can destroy the hardware in which precious photos are stored. For anyone who places significant personal or emotional value on the photographs they take with their digital camera, making a second copy of such images is the key to assuring that these memories live on for many years to come.
The hard drive on any computer is limited and files sizes of most digital images are huge so extended storage there is not really possible. Certainly the memory with a digital camera is extremely limited and the portable media often used is important but not often a good choice for long term storage due to their vulnerability to failure. Luckily there are other options that make a better choice for long term storage.
• External hard drives: A good external hard drive will have a significantly larger memory capacity than the hard drive on a computer and should not be exposed to as many risks when used exclusively for the storage of images from a digital camera.
• CD: Storage on a CD is a very affordable option. The discs themselves are inexpensive and most modern computers have a CD burner. The storage capacity of a CD is reasonable at about 700 MB per disc. When stored properly in hard plastic cases, the life of a CD should be a few generations at a minimum. Because these discs are a back-up, it is wise to store them in a separate location; perhaps in a fireproof safe.
• DVD: Storage on DVD is also an affordable option although many computers don't possess a built-in DVD writer. Stand-alone DVD writers are a good option in such instances. The storage capacity of a DVD is significantly greater than that of a CD; approximately 4.7 GB can be held in a single layer format while some offer a multi-layer format with even greater capacity. The drawback to multi-layer format discs is that because more images are stored on a single disc, destruction or failure can result in an even more catastrophic loss.
• Online Server: There are a number of services online that can store photos submitted by users for a very small fee. Obviously, if a fire, tornado or other disaster strikes home, these photographic images will not be affected. Flickr is only one of many such services. A growing number of home photographers now set up websites where they can store and share their photos providing even greater security from physical threats.
All of the above options are good methods for storing images captured with a digital camera. However, it is generally recommended that rather than employing a single strategy, two methods be used so that each is indeed a "back-up".
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/9904-backupphotosfro.htm
The Right Scanner for Photographs
The majority of consumers now own a digital camera versus a film camera. However, even in these instances, many still possess film, negatives, and prints that they would like to store digitally, edit, and/or print. The security of storing images digitally and the flexibility of being able to alter and improve such images via editing are very attractive options for prized photographs taken some time ago.
A scanner is a simple and reliable way of converting images into digital form. The most common devices available to consumers are flatbed and film scanners. Determining which scanner to purchase can be made simple by thinking through just a few of the options.
What type of work will the user be doing?
Flatbed scanners are designed specifically for use with photographic prints, paper documents, and even three dimensional objects although some offer a transparency hood or adapter to use them with slides and negatives. Flatbed scanners are a good all round scanner.
Film scanners on the other hand are designed specifically for scanning transparencies, film, and negatives. These scanners offer better resolution for film and negatives than a flatbed and thus are a better choice if a high volume of this type of work is expected. They allow users to scan each frame separately, adjusting resolution per frame.
For those wanting to copy from books, flatbed scanners with a sheet feed function should be avoided as only loose sheets can be fed through. Sheet feed devices also create the risk of jamming.
For those consumers who want to be able to scan, print, and copy with a single device there are multi-function scanners available. These can certainly save on desk space.
What size images/documents will be scanned?
The bed size on a flatbed scanner can vary from the standard 8.5" x 11.7" and to 12"x 17" and larger. Obviously, a large size bed would allow multiple images to be scanned on a single page or to scan larger documents and images.
How much image quality is needed?
The quality is determined primarily by color depth/bit depth and resolution. Bit depth is the amount of information each pixel can carry. More is better of course, but certainly 36 to 48 bit is plenty for most uses.
Resolution is measured in pixels per inch (or ppi); sometimes referred to as samples per inch (or spi). For those scanning text documents 300dpi may be sufficient, but for quality photo scanning 1200 dpi would be the minimum, while film/negatives would require at least 2400dpi.
Dynamic range, which determines the bright to dark range that the scanner picks up is a factor with film scanners. For such devices, a dynamic range of 3.2 would be considered the minimum for good quality.
Is scan speed important?
The speed at which a single document or image can be scanned may be important for those with high volume work. Just as with a printer it can be reported in pages per minute (ppm) but can vary quite a bit based on the resolution and other parameters. Generally speaking, 10-20 seconds to scan an average 8 x10" image is better than average speed.
Is the scanner compatible with other hardware?
For all but the older computers, a USB 2.0 or Firewire connection is appropriate. Firewire allows for the fastest data transfer. Consumers should always assure that their new scanner will have compatible connections to their existing hardware.
What functions are needed?
Most scanners will allow images to scan to print, scan to file, fax, or e-mail with the push of a button. They should also come with the software necessary to scan, edit and even take text to a word processing file. For those wanting a flatbed scanner that will also scan film or slides, the scanner will also need an adapter of some type. Consumers should think through what they want to do with their scanned images to assure that the functions they need are included.
With the introduction of the digital camera to consumers on a large scale, the advantages of storing, editing, and printing from the digital form were readily recognized. For those with images that are in the form of prints, negatives, or slides, using a scanner is a convenient and simple way to convert these images and get the advantages that are traditionally associated with those produced by a digital versus film camera.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/9905-rightscannerfor.htm
A scanner is a simple and reliable way of converting images into digital form. The most common devices available to consumers are flatbed and film scanners. Determining which scanner to purchase can be made simple by thinking through just a few of the options.
What type of work will the user be doing?
Flatbed scanners are designed specifically for use with photographic prints, paper documents, and even three dimensional objects although some offer a transparency hood or adapter to use them with slides and negatives. Flatbed scanners are a good all round scanner.
Film scanners on the other hand are designed specifically for scanning transparencies, film, and negatives. These scanners offer better resolution for film and negatives than a flatbed and thus are a better choice if a high volume of this type of work is expected. They allow users to scan each frame separately, adjusting resolution per frame.
For those wanting to copy from books, flatbed scanners with a sheet feed function should be avoided as only loose sheets can be fed through. Sheet feed devices also create the risk of jamming.
For those consumers who want to be able to scan, print, and copy with a single device there are multi-function scanners available. These can certainly save on desk space.
What size images/documents will be scanned?
The bed size on a flatbed scanner can vary from the standard 8.5" x 11.7" and to 12"x 17" and larger. Obviously, a large size bed would allow multiple images to be scanned on a single page or to scan larger documents and images.
How much image quality is needed?
The quality is determined primarily by color depth/bit depth and resolution. Bit depth is the amount of information each pixel can carry. More is better of course, but certainly 36 to 48 bit is plenty for most uses.
Resolution is measured in pixels per inch (or ppi); sometimes referred to as samples per inch (or spi). For those scanning text documents 300dpi may be sufficient, but for quality photo scanning 1200 dpi would be the minimum, while film/negatives would require at least 2400dpi.
Dynamic range, which determines the bright to dark range that the scanner picks up is a factor with film scanners. For such devices, a dynamic range of 3.2 would be considered the minimum for good quality.
Is scan speed important?
The speed at which a single document or image can be scanned may be important for those with high volume work. Just as with a printer it can be reported in pages per minute (ppm) but can vary quite a bit based on the resolution and other parameters. Generally speaking, 10-20 seconds to scan an average 8 x10" image is better than average speed.
Is the scanner compatible with other hardware?
For all but the older computers, a USB 2.0 or Firewire connection is appropriate. Firewire allows for the fastest data transfer. Consumers should always assure that their new scanner will have compatible connections to their existing hardware.
What functions are needed?
Most scanners will allow images to scan to print, scan to file, fax, or e-mail with the push of a button. They should also come with the software necessary to scan, edit and even take text to a word processing file. For those wanting a flatbed scanner that will also scan film or slides, the scanner will also need an adapter of some type. Consumers should think through what they want to do with their scanned images to assure that the functions they need are included.
With the introduction of the digital camera to consumers on a large scale, the advantages of storing, editing, and printing from the digital form were readily recognized. For those with images that are in the form of prints, negatives, or slides, using a scanner is a convenient and simple way to convert these images and get the advantages that are traditionally associated with those produced by a digital versus film camera.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/9905-rightscannerfor.htm
Digital Camera Tips - Beginning Concepts of Picture Composition
There are many great digital cameras on the market that allow users to take control of elements such as focus, exposure, lighting, and so forth. However, for the majority of consumers, a simple point and shoot camera is the device of choice. Although understanding and using appropriate lighting is critical to produce quality shots even with these cameras, basic picture composition must be the first consideration. If the composition of the image captured is poor, then great lighting, perfect exposure, and so forth will not remedy the problem.
There are a number of "rules of composition" that can be studied but understanding and employing just a few basics will allow even less committed amateurs to produce more enviable images.
• Identify your subject. Every picture should have a single point of interest or subject. Trying to capture an entire scene of activity often produces less than desirable results. It is generally better to focus on individual elements so that a viewer's eye will immediately identify the subject of the image. Therefore, getting up close with the camera and capturing an image of a single tuba player often produces better results than standing back to take a picture of an entire marching band and the audience lining the street.
• Simplify the Scene. This will accentuate the single point of interest by eliminating distracting elements from the scene. For instance, it is better to pose children sitting on the lawn with a backdrop being the carpet of shaded green grass versus a busy playground with traffic moving by in the distance. Reducing this clutter can be achieved a number of ways.
o In some instances, a simple background can be selected with subjects posed as described in the example above.
o In other instances, the photographer will need to reposition themselves and their camera to eliminate any distracting elements from the viewfinder of their camera. In a sense, they are cropping the picture as it is being taken. They can step in closer, or zoom in, to cut out the offending background and fill more of the frame with their subject. The photographer can also move their viewing angle by stepping further to the side, higher, lower, or simply turning the camera vertically to cut out some of the clutter.
o Another technique used by more experienced photographers is to reduce the effect of background elements that take attention away from the subject by purposely taking the background out of focus. The blurry background greatly softens the effect of the extraneous elements and focuses attention back on the main subject.
• Draw attention to the subject. There are a number of ways that the human eye can be drawn to a particular subject within a photograph.
o Some extraneous elements are desirable in photographs; particularly when they give it perspective or draw attention to the main point of interest. For instance, objects in the foreground can frame the subject; a woman framed by a doorway or a child framed by a swing. Other elements can provide perspective: a small kitten surrounded by coffee cups to demonstrate its diminutive size or a fence row to demonstrate the distance and size of a far off towering oak.
o It is often good practice to position the subject off center when it does not fill the entire frame of an image. Less distracting elements are then left to fill in any void remaining on the opposite side of the scene. For instance, a kitten on the right one third of a shot may be the subject but the small butterfly it is focused upon can add meaning to the scene and fills the space on the left half of the frame. One of the rules of composition asks that the photographer imagine a tick-tack-toe kind of grid over the scene in the viewfinder of their camera. The subject of the photograph should then be positioned at the intersection of a vertical and horizontal line rather than in the space created at the center of the grid.
o Lines can guide a viewer's eye. A winding path in the foreground can draw attention to the elderly couple standing at the end, a row of trees can pull the eye toward a fountain flowing on the horizon, and so forth. These are other instances where there is a single subject but other elements are used to draw attention toward its direction.
• Outside the rules of composition. There are a few concepts to take to heart that aren't really part of the tried and true rules of composition that are nonetheless important for amateurs.
o Take time picking the shot. Patience is what often creates great photographers. Those who meticulously move about, reframe, and change their angle of view with the camera are the ones who get the shots that create applause.
o Look closely at what is in the viewfinder of the camera. This is part and parcel of taking time to pick the right shot. Be sure to look critically at the background. Be sure there isn't something in the background that will distract viewers from the subject: Bright scenes on a television in the background, tree limbs sprouting from the head, or ten to fifteen children in baseball uniforms can be distracting to the point of being unable to identify an intended subject.
o Take more than one shot. The ability to take multiple shots without the cost of printing is one of the great advantages of a digital camera. If a photographer wants to capture the field of runners at a track and field event, take the shot. Then zoom in with the camera and focus on an individual runner as he concentrates on a quick start or raises his arms in victory. The decision as to which shot better captures the aura of the day can be made later.
Although the "rules of composition" are more extensive than this, the ability to use these basic concepts can be a huge first step for the novice amateur in using their digital camera to create shots that are worth saving and sharing with the world.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/9906-digitalcamertip.htm
There are a number of "rules of composition" that can be studied but understanding and employing just a few basics will allow even less committed amateurs to produce more enviable images.
• Identify your subject. Every picture should have a single point of interest or subject. Trying to capture an entire scene of activity often produces less than desirable results. It is generally better to focus on individual elements so that a viewer's eye will immediately identify the subject of the image. Therefore, getting up close with the camera and capturing an image of a single tuba player often produces better results than standing back to take a picture of an entire marching band and the audience lining the street.
• Simplify the Scene. This will accentuate the single point of interest by eliminating distracting elements from the scene. For instance, it is better to pose children sitting on the lawn with a backdrop being the carpet of shaded green grass versus a busy playground with traffic moving by in the distance. Reducing this clutter can be achieved a number of ways.
o In some instances, a simple background can be selected with subjects posed as described in the example above.
o In other instances, the photographer will need to reposition themselves and their camera to eliminate any distracting elements from the viewfinder of their camera. In a sense, they are cropping the picture as it is being taken. They can step in closer, or zoom in, to cut out the offending background and fill more of the frame with their subject. The photographer can also move their viewing angle by stepping further to the side, higher, lower, or simply turning the camera vertically to cut out some of the clutter.
o Another technique used by more experienced photographers is to reduce the effect of background elements that take attention away from the subject by purposely taking the background out of focus. The blurry background greatly softens the effect of the extraneous elements and focuses attention back on the main subject.
• Draw attention to the subject. There are a number of ways that the human eye can be drawn to a particular subject within a photograph.
o Some extraneous elements are desirable in photographs; particularly when they give it perspective or draw attention to the main point of interest. For instance, objects in the foreground can frame the subject; a woman framed by a doorway or a child framed by a swing. Other elements can provide perspective: a small kitten surrounded by coffee cups to demonstrate its diminutive size or a fence row to demonstrate the distance and size of a far off towering oak.
o It is often good practice to position the subject off center when it does not fill the entire frame of an image. Less distracting elements are then left to fill in any void remaining on the opposite side of the scene. For instance, a kitten on the right one third of a shot may be the subject but the small butterfly it is focused upon can add meaning to the scene and fills the space on the left half of the frame. One of the rules of composition asks that the photographer imagine a tick-tack-toe kind of grid over the scene in the viewfinder of their camera. The subject of the photograph should then be positioned at the intersection of a vertical and horizontal line rather than in the space created at the center of the grid.
o Lines can guide a viewer's eye. A winding path in the foreground can draw attention to the elderly couple standing at the end, a row of trees can pull the eye toward a fountain flowing on the horizon, and so forth. These are other instances where there is a single subject but other elements are used to draw attention toward its direction.
• Outside the rules of composition. There are a few concepts to take to heart that aren't really part of the tried and true rules of composition that are nonetheless important for amateurs.
o Take time picking the shot. Patience is what often creates great photographers. Those who meticulously move about, reframe, and change their angle of view with the camera are the ones who get the shots that create applause.
o Look closely at what is in the viewfinder of the camera. This is part and parcel of taking time to pick the right shot. Be sure to look critically at the background. Be sure there isn't something in the background that will distract viewers from the subject: Bright scenes on a television in the background, tree limbs sprouting from the head, or ten to fifteen children in baseball uniforms can be distracting to the point of being unable to identify an intended subject.
o Take more than one shot. The ability to take multiple shots without the cost of printing is one of the great advantages of a digital camera. If a photographer wants to capture the field of runners at a track and field event, take the shot. Then zoom in with the camera and focus on an individual runner as he concentrates on a quick start or raises his arms in victory. The decision as to which shot better captures the aura of the day can be made later.
Although the "rules of composition" are more extensive than this, the ability to use these basic concepts can be a huge first step for the novice amateur in using their digital camera to create shots that are worth saving and sharing with the world.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/9906-digitalcamertip.htm
Digital Cameras - External Flash Needed?
The built-in flash on a digital camera is compact, simple to use, and often effective in providing the extra illumination needed to assure adequate exposure of a subject when ambient light is insufficient. In some instances, the internal flash is able to soften shadows in harsh light as well. So why then, would the average, non-professional photographer need or want an external flash for their camera?
More illumination is sometimes needed.
The built-in flash on the average digital camera has a useful range of about 13 to 15 feet. An external flash has more power and can illuminate a larger area; their range can be as large as 70 feet. Whether trying to illuminate a large group of people only 15-20 feet away or a single subject 50 feet away, an external flash can provide much better lighting in such situations. An external flash is particularly useful when shooting with a wide angle as many can disperse the flash to fill the width of the scene.
Shadows can be excessively harsh when illuminating a subject directly.
The internal flash on a digital camera shines directly in front of the camera lens onto a subject and can create shadows behind them when it is the primary source of lighting. An external flash offers the user greater versatility with models that tilt, swivel, and many that can be positioned well away from the camera body. An external flash can create lighting from different angles and can be bounced off of a white ceiling or reflector to significantly soften any shadows and reduce any glare. The ability to have the flash moved away from the camera lens also helps to eliminate the red-eye effect as the light is not reflected from the eyes of a subject directly back into the lens.
Slow flash recycling can make it difficult to take shots in rapid succession.
The typical built-in flash on a digital camera can take several seconds to recycle after being triggered during which time additional shots with the flash are not possible. An external flash is often able to recycle in less than a second and thus allows multiple shots to be taken in rapid succession.
As lighting is generally considered the single most crucial factor in the quality of the image captured, using an external flash with a digital camera would seem to be an excellent choice. However, there are instances in which a user might wisely opt to forgo the additional expense and complexity of using an external flash.
Compact size or sleek styling is of primary interest to the user.
An external flash is large, bulky, and certainly does not lend itself to going unnoticed. They cannot be toted around in a pocket and thus are not a good choice for casual use.
Ease of use is critical.
An external flash often requires the user to manually adjust settings. For the most simplicity, a TTL flash (through the lens) is the best choice versus a non-dedicated or slave flash device, as a TTL flash communicates with the camera and triggers automatically. The process of purchasing an external flash can also present some complexity as the buyer must assure that the camera and flash are compatible, that they will communicate or connect (via hot shoe, cold shoe, sync-cord, adapter, and so forth) and that the voltage on any flash device that connects to their camera will not harm their camera circuitry.
Budget constraints.
An external flash, as with any auxiliary or accessory device, adds cost. The average flash will add $140-$500 to the total cost of a camera. In addition to the up front cost of the device, an external flash can also consume a significant amount of battery power adding to the life time cost of the camera.
Use of an external flash with a digital camera can significantly improve the quality of images created by giving the user much greater control over lighting. However, these devices do add another level of complexity as well as cost to the photo taking process. First time buyers merely need to weigh which features are most critical for them to determine whether or not an external flash will be a good investment.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/10277-digitalcameras-.htm
More illumination is sometimes needed.
The built-in flash on the average digital camera has a useful range of about 13 to 15 feet. An external flash has more power and can illuminate a larger area; their range can be as large as 70 feet. Whether trying to illuminate a large group of people only 15-20 feet away or a single subject 50 feet away, an external flash can provide much better lighting in such situations. An external flash is particularly useful when shooting with a wide angle as many can disperse the flash to fill the width of the scene.
Shadows can be excessively harsh when illuminating a subject directly.
The internal flash on a digital camera shines directly in front of the camera lens onto a subject and can create shadows behind them when it is the primary source of lighting. An external flash offers the user greater versatility with models that tilt, swivel, and many that can be positioned well away from the camera body. An external flash can create lighting from different angles and can be bounced off of a white ceiling or reflector to significantly soften any shadows and reduce any glare. The ability to have the flash moved away from the camera lens also helps to eliminate the red-eye effect as the light is not reflected from the eyes of a subject directly back into the lens.
Slow flash recycling can make it difficult to take shots in rapid succession.
The typical built-in flash on a digital camera can take several seconds to recycle after being triggered during which time additional shots with the flash are not possible. An external flash is often able to recycle in less than a second and thus allows multiple shots to be taken in rapid succession.
As lighting is generally considered the single most crucial factor in the quality of the image captured, using an external flash with a digital camera would seem to be an excellent choice. However, there are instances in which a user might wisely opt to forgo the additional expense and complexity of using an external flash.
Compact size or sleek styling is of primary interest to the user.
An external flash is large, bulky, and certainly does not lend itself to going unnoticed. They cannot be toted around in a pocket and thus are not a good choice for casual use.
Ease of use is critical.
An external flash often requires the user to manually adjust settings. For the most simplicity, a TTL flash (through the lens) is the best choice versus a non-dedicated or slave flash device, as a TTL flash communicates with the camera and triggers automatically. The process of purchasing an external flash can also present some complexity as the buyer must assure that the camera and flash are compatible, that they will communicate or connect (via hot shoe, cold shoe, sync-cord, adapter, and so forth) and that the voltage on any flash device that connects to their camera will not harm their camera circuitry.
Budget constraints.
An external flash, as with any auxiliary or accessory device, adds cost. The average flash will add $140-$500 to the total cost of a camera. In addition to the up front cost of the device, an external flash can also consume a significant amount of battery power adding to the life time cost of the camera.
Use of an external flash with a digital camera can significantly improve the quality of images created by giving the user much greater control over lighting. However, these devices do add another level of complexity as well as cost to the photo taking process. First time buyers merely need to weigh which features are most critical for them to determine whether or not an external flash will be a good investment.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/10277-digitalcameras-.htm
The Truth About Pixels, Part 1: Digital Cameras
Most digital cameras today boast of greater resolution and picture quality. What does that mean to the amateur or occasional photographer? You hear of cameras with 3 megapixals up to 6 or 7 megapixals. What is that? The book that comes with the camera explains all the buttons, bells and whistles, but does not explain megapixels. Most people do not like to work with numbers much, but it is necessary to understand pixels. So here's my attempt to explain pixels. I'll try not to involve too many numbers.
To understand pixels, one must first remember the good old days when you took pictures on film and let the development labs worry about pixels. But, they didn't really have to, because the exposed negative just captured the image that was reflected through the lens. It was all there and the only thing that affected quality was the size of the negative. The bigger the negative was, the larger the picture that could be produced. When the world went digital, the pixel was invented. So what is a pixel? If you divided a picture in hundreds of horizontal and vertical lines, you would actually have a large number of little squares that when put together, created the picture. Each square is a pixel. So, when a digital camera says it has 1-megapixel capabilities, it means that the total number of horizontal and vertical squares produced when a picture is taken equals 1 megapixel (1,000,000 pixels).
A 3 megapixel camera produces a picture that has 3 million pixels in its makeup. If all the pictures were the same size in each camera, it would be easy to understand why a camera that produces more pixels would be a better quality camera. Here is where the camera makers are not forthcoming with information. What they don't tell you is that as far as I can tell, every digital camera produces pictures that have 72 pixels per inch per picture both horizontal and vertical. The only difference is that a 3 megapixel camera produces a larger picture than a 1 megapixel camera and a 5 megapixel camera produces an even larger picture yet. The reason I say "as far as I can tell" is that I have not tried all cameras or studied the information on all cameras. There may be some out there different, but they probably are not in the amateur photographer's price range.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/digital_camera_pixels_part1.htm
To understand pixels, one must first remember the good old days when you took pictures on film and let the development labs worry about pixels. But, they didn't really have to, because the exposed negative just captured the image that was reflected through the lens. It was all there and the only thing that affected quality was the size of the negative. The bigger the negative was, the larger the picture that could be produced. When the world went digital, the pixel was invented. So what is a pixel? If you divided a picture in hundreds of horizontal and vertical lines, you would actually have a large number of little squares that when put together, created the picture. Each square is a pixel. So, when a digital camera says it has 1-megapixel capabilities, it means that the total number of horizontal and vertical squares produced when a picture is taken equals 1 megapixel (1,000,000 pixels).
A 3 megapixel camera produces a picture that has 3 million pixels in its makeup. If all the pictures were the same size in each camera, it would be easy to understand why a camera that produces more pixels would be a better quality camera. Here is where the camera makers are not forthcoming with information. What they don't tell you is that as far as I can tell, every digital camera produces pictures that have 72 pixels per inch per picture both horizontal and vertical. The only difference is that a 3 megapixel camera produces a larger picture than a 1 megapixel camera and a 5 megapixel camera produces an even larger picture yet. The reason I say "as far as I can tell" is that I have not tried all cameras or studied the information on all cameras. There may be some out there different, but they probably are not in the amateur photographer's price range.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/digital_camera_pixels_part1.htm
Do I Really Need that Waterproof Digital Camera?
Who can deny the usefulness of cameras? As we all know, cameras are meant to capture our most precious memories on film. Some of those moments, however, happen to take place in less than ideal environments. Hence the camera of choice is required to be more sturdy and versatile then your average or standard camera. As you undoubtedly know, digital cameras have now all but replaced the conventional film cameras we've all grown up with. Since digital cameras rely on sophisticated computer boards and microprocessors that are more prone to damage by the elements such as water, the demand for waterproof digital cameras is very strong indeed.
Many occasions such as weddings, parties, and nightclubs where we want to take pictures are full of events that may endanger your precious camera. Among the more common dangers include spilled drinks, watery foods, swimming pools, toilet bowls, and sinks. These are events where a waterproof camera would be an ideal choice.
Fortunately, most if not all the manufacturers offer a waterproof version of thier most popular cameras for sale. In the event that one is not available, all is not lost. There are many protective cases and coverings, some even custom made for your camera, that you could use to protect your camera.
Of course there is the issue of the cost being higher for a waterproof camera, however, when you compare the small difference in cost, it is really not that large considering the benefits you will receive.
Given the choice between a standard digital camera and it's waterproof counterpart, and assuming all other features are similar, it would seem that the waterproof camera would be a wiser choice. This would insure that your investment is secure and your camera will carry with it, the added peace of mind of knowing that you need not worry about the inevitable perils of water damage.
As always, be sure to check out the many resources available online to assist you in making the right buying decision.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/waterproof_digital_camera.htm
Many occasions such as weddings, parties, and nightclubs where we want to take pictures are full of events that may endanger your precious camera. Among the more common dangers include spilled drinks, watery foods, swimming pools, toilet bowls, and sinks. These are events where a waterproof camera would be an ideal choice.
Fortunately, most if not all the manufacturers offer a waterproof version of thier most popular cameras for sale. In the event that one is not available, all is not lost. There are many protective cases and coverings, some even custom made for your camera, that you could use to protect your camera.
Of course there is the issue of the cost being higher for a waterproof camera, however, when you compare the small difference in cost, it is really not that large considering the benefits you will receive.
Given the choice between a standard digital camera and it's waterproof counterpart, and assuming all other features are similar, it would seem that the waterproof camera would be a wiser choice. This would insure that your investment is secure and your camera will carry with it, the added peace of mind of knowing that you need not worry about the inevitable perils of water damage.
As always, be sure to check out the many resources available online to assist you in making the right buying decision.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/waterproof_digital_camera.htm
Take Better Photographs
People think that with the arrival of the digital camera, it is easy to take good photographs.
What is easy, is for us to delete the bad ones. It is still tricky to take a good photograph.
The best thing you can do is relax and not be in too much of a hurry to take a photograph. Really take time to compose your shot and make sure everything looks right before you press that shutter. Even though it easy to just delete the picture with digital, it is good practice to slow down, otherwise you could end up with 50 quickly taken photos and not a decent shot among them.
There are many ways that even the average snapper, with a few pointers, can take photographs that will actually make them money.
If you are trying to sell your work to magazines or other publications, the following tips will help you with some of the techniques needed to take a photograph that will sell.
1) Always use a tripod or monopod when shooting in bad light or when usinga slow speed. If you haven't room for either, pack a small beanbag to steady the camera.
2) To avoid camera shake, hold the camera in a comfortable position before you take the shot, squeeze the shutter gently and tuck elbows into the body to avoid camera shake.
3) Try and fill the camera frame with your subject for greater impact (unless your photois for a magazine cover in which case you need to leave room at the top for the title).
4) Look ALL AROUND the viewfinder before you press the shutter to avoid any clutter spoiling the photo or any stray branches sticking out of a subjects head!
5) When photographing kids, try to shoot them when playing and having fun for more spontaneous pictures. Don't forget to get down to their level otherwise you will end up with shots of the top of their head.
6) When taking photographs, especially landscapes, always turn around and look BEHIND you.There has been many an instance of the best photo of a shoot lurking there.
I hope these points will help you take better photos. Have fun with your camera.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/759-takebetterphoto.htm
What is easy, is for us to delete the bad ones. It is still tricky to take a good photograph.
The best thing you can do is relax and not be in too much of a hurry to take a photograph. Really take time to compose your shot and make sure everything looks right before you press that shutter. Even though it easy to just delete the picture with digital, it is good practice to slow down, otherwise you could end up with 50 quickly taken photos and not a decent shot among them.
There are many ways that even the average snapper, with a few pointers, can take photographs that will actually make them money.
If you are trying to sell your work to magazines or other publications, the following tips will help you with some of the techniques needed to take a photograph that will sell.
1) Always use a tripod or monopod when shooting in bad light or when usinga slow speed. If you haven't room for either, pack a small beanbag to steady the camera.
2) To avoid camera shake, hold the camera in a comfortable position before you take the shot, squeeze the shutter gently and tuck elbows into the body to avoid camera shake.
3) Try and fill the camera frame with your subject for greater impact (unless your photois for a magazine cover in which case you need to leave room at the top for the title).
4) Look ALL AROUND the viewfinder before you press the shutter to avoid any clutter spoiling the photo or any stray branches sticking out of a subjects head!
5) When photographing kids, try to shoot them when playing and having fun for more spontaneous pictures. Don't forget to get down to their level otherwise you will end up with shots of the top of their head.
6) When taking photographs, especially landscapes, always turn around and look BEHIND you.There has been many an instance of the best photo of a shoot lurking there.
I hope these points will help you take better photos. Have fun with your camera.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/759-takebetterphoto.htm
14 Great Tips for Better Holiday Photos
Do you want better holiday photos? Are your snaps a bit of a let down? Follow my 10 top tips to get photos that will live up to the memories. You'll be amazed how good they'll look and your friends and family will too.
1. To get clear photos avoid camera shake or moving the camera as you take the photo. Squeeze the shutter gently and steady yourself against solid objects.
2. Frame the shot carefully to get well framed photos and keep fingers and other items away from the lens. Obvious but true and yes I have done it.
3. Experiment with compositions. Use roads and paths as strong lead-in lines, use objects in the foreground to add interest and tilt the camera for added drama.
4. Look for details. Often close-up shots of local objects can say as much about a location as scenic panoramas.
5. Take photos in the early morning light or the hour before sunset, know as the 'Golden Hours', for dramatic lighting.
6. Get up early and capture your holiday destination with a different character, empty of tourists and peaceful.
7. Really fill the frame with your subject for extra impact. Get close and then closer still. Move around and take photos from different angles.
8. Ask permission first if you want to take photos of local characters to avoid causing offence on cultural, personal or religious grounds.
9. Take photos on bad weather days. Some great atmospheric shots can be achieved when the weather is bad especially with stormy seas.
10. Frame your subject through doorways or windows to create a frame within a frame. Street entrances or trees can also work.
11. Photograph the old next to the new, modern next to the traditional or poverty in the midst of riches. These statement making photos will really stand out.
12. Look for strong graphic images such as sunset silhouettes or combinations of colour and form.
13. The sky can often be as dramatic as the land. If it is include more sky or even just the sky.
14. If you're shooting digitally check your shots as you go to make sure you get the best ones.
My final words are experiment, get involved, have fun. Don't be too stiff, relax and get into it. With digital cameras you can take as many photos as you want and just keep the good ones.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/392-14greattipsforb.htm
1. To get clear photos avoid camera shake or moving the camera as you take the photo. Squeeze the shutter gently and steady yourself against solid objects.
2. Frame the shot carefully to get well framed photos and keep fingers and other items away from the lens. Obvious but true and yes I have done it.
3. Experiment with compositions. Use roads and paths as strong lead-in lines, use objects in the foreground to add interest and tilt the camera for added drama.
4. Look for details. Often close-up shots of local objects can say as much about a location as scenic panoramas.
5. Take photos in the early morning light or the hour before sunset, know as the 'Golden Hours', for dramatic lighting.
6. Get up early and capture your holiday destination with a different character, empty of tourists and peaceful.
7. Really fill the frame with your subject for extra impact. Get close and then closer still. Move around and take photos from different angles.
8. Ask permission first if you want to take photos of local characters to avoid causing offence on cultural, personal or religious grounds.
9. Take photos on bad weather days. Some great atmospheric shots can be achieved when the weather is bad especially with stormy seas.
10. Frame your subject through doorways or windows to create a frame within a frame. Street entrances or trees can also work.
11. Photograph the old next to the new, modern next to the traditional or poverty in the midst of riches. These statement making photos will really stand out.
12. Look for strong graphic images such as sunset silhouettes or combinations of colour and form.
13. The sky can often be as dramatic as the land. If it is include more sky or even just the sky.
14. If you're shooting digitally check your shots as you go to make sure you get the best ones.
My final words are experiment, get involved, have fun. Don't be too stiff, relax and get into it. With digital cameras you can take as many photos as you want and just keep the good ones.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/392-14greattipsforb.htm
Earn Money Selling Photos on the Internet: Guide to Stock Photography
Got a digital camera? Now you can earn money selling your pictures on the Internet! If you have a good eye and if you are a creative person, you can generate very nice monthly income by selling your pictures on stock photography web sites. Personally, I am receiving checks and PayPal transfers for few hundreds bucks every month and you can do it too. At least, it pays you back for all that nice and expensive photographic gear you have purchased last year.
I truly love online stock photography Internet phenomenon, since it is the first in the world and probably the only business model which allows amateur photographers like you and me to earn some money from they lovely hobby. In fact, if you are a talented photographer and you shoot hundreds of pictures every month you can earn a very significant part of your living by shooting high quality creative pictures for stock photography agencies.
There are many stock photography sites that will be happy to sell your photos and share with you the received revenues. iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, Fotolia, BigStockPhoto and CanStockPhoto are just few stock sites to name. All stock sites allow you to register for free as their submitting photographer and start uploading your work to their banks. However, be aware that many sites will ask you to provide detailed personal information such as a scan of you picture ID or passport. Also, at many sites you will be requested to sign and fax back a signed copy of the site's 'submitter agreement'. These requirements are part of continuous effort of limiting the image fraud on the Internet and protecting both image buyers and image copyright owners from the fraudulent behavior.
In addition to the submitters authentication, many stock photo sites will ask you to pass a professional online test, which should verify that you have all the required photographic skills and that you understand rules of the game on stock photography market. Do not be afraid of that test. If you know the difference between shutter speed and the aperture and if you can explain what is DOF you will pass this test for sure. And the basic stock photography rules are quite simple:
1) Do not submit images that include any copyrighted material Avoid photographing company logos, trademarks, third-party images and brands.
2) Provide a model release for any recognizable person in your image Each site has its own standard model release form that you have to fill in and send along with each image containing a recognizable person. It could be a good idea to keep handly printed copies of model releases for all the sites where you submit your photos. When you shoot a person, do not forget signing her on one or more model releases! Note, that most sites will also ask you for the copy of model's ID, the witness signature and a copy of witness picture ID. Keep all this in your mind when you prepare a stock shooting session
3) Editorial content Some stock photo agencies, e.g. ShutterStock has a separate section / category for editorial images. Different rules set apply for editorial content. Editorial content can be used only in news and therefore editorial images do not require model releases and can include copyrighted material. So, if you have shot a carnival in Brazil do not throw out all your pictures because you do not have model releases for all these people. You still can submit your images as editorial content at some stock photography sites. However, be aware that there are not too much buyers for this type of content and the submitters' competition could be tight.
4) Use appropriate lighting and composition This is common sense, but I will mention it anyway. Your images compete for the buyers attention with images created by highly qualified talented professional photographers which shoot for years, own nice equipment and definitely know how and when use it. You must think creatively in terms of lighting and composition, otherwise your images will never sell.
For instance, if until now you relied on built-in camera flash as a proper source for indoor lighting it is a time to change your mind. Go to the stock sites and take a look how other photographers use light in their work. You will probably need to switch to some more professional sources of lighting for your indoor photography. Again – be creative and you will win the war for the buyers' attention and buyers dollars!
5) Images format must be JPG at most sites, typically starting from 2 megapixels and with max file size of 8-10 MB
6) Properly prepare your images before uploading them to stock photo sites First of all it means digital editing. There are many software applications that can help you to edit your image, starting from the industry standard de-facto Adobe Photoshop tool, followed up by the newest and much cheaper than Photoshop Adobe Lightroom and ending up with Google's Picassa, which is very limited in its editing capabilities, but is available free of charge. Do your best editing your pixels. In many cases some light extra-saturation will help.
However, making your image look gorgeous is still not enough to create a bestselling picture. Think about buyers. Buyers still have to find your image among all the similar pictures in the web image database provided by a stock agency. It means you have to describe your image using appropriative keywords, title and description. It is important to do it before uploading images to a stock photo site, otherwise you will need to add keywords at every stock site, thus multiplying image preparation time.
Fortunately, keywords data can be inserted directly into JPG file, so the image carries its own keywords. This image metadata modification protocol is called IPTC and is implemented by some graphical applications, e.g. Adobe Photoshop. Editing IPTC data and selection of proper descriptive keywords can take significant amount of time, especially if English is not your mother tongue or if you just much better in taking pictures than in describing them in words. Buyers will never find your image if it was loosely keyworded, but the proper keywording and upload to multiple sites can take a while! Additionally, if you wish to keep the control what image was uploaded to which site and when, you might be completely lost after uploading a few tens of images.
Fortunately, there is dedicated stock photography management tool which takes care of all the issues above. ProStockMaster provides significant aid for a stock photographer by streamlining stock photography workflow. The application sports semi-automated images keywording, IPTC data editing, EXIF reading and provides simultaneous images upload to multiple leading stock photography agencies. ProStockMaster is available for free download from the product web site: http://www.prostockmaster.com. The free version is limited to 5 image uploads daily which certainly could be enough for many beginning stock photo submitters, saving them tens of hours of routine image preparation and management work in front of their computers.
7) Prices and payments – what income you can expect Most stock photography agencies pay photographers for each download (a purchase) made by the image buyer. This is a micro-payment model and the prices you get paid start as low as $0.20. However, if you were successful to create a real bestselling image you can easy hit few hundreds downloads a month, so your earning arithmetic can be $0.2 x 300 = $60 monthly for a single image. Shooting 10 bestsellers monthly could generate you $600 monthly income – definitely not a bad return on a few hours investment.
The rule of the thumb says the more images you have online in each and every stock photography agency the more images you sell and the higher monthly income you get. Typically, stock agencies send you a check or a PayPal transfer at the end of every month if you have earned more than a certain amount of cash, typically $100, during that month. Your earnings will be collected by the site until they reach this minimal payment.
Well, that's all folks! Just take your digital camera now and go for a shooting session. Oh, - wait!, wait a second. First, open your web browser and look what other people submit to stock photography agencies. Note the most popular images and agencies suggestions for stock content categories and keep these subjects in mind when you shoot. My personal advice? Avoid flowers close-ups, typical landscapes, city scenes and buildings. Try to materialize business terms and shoot pictures which represent them,e.g. 'success', 'failure', 'partnership'. Be always creative in your work and your pictures will become online bestsellers. Good luck and happy shooting!
Useful URLs: Online stock agencies: www.shutterstock.com, www.istockphoto.com, www.bigstockphoto.com, www.canstockphoto.com, www.fotolia.com,
Free stock photography management tool: www.prostockmaster.com
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/5409-earnmoneysellin.htm
I truly love online stock photography Internet phenomenon, since it is the first in the world and probably the only business model which allows amateur photographers like you and me to earn some money from they lovely hobby. In fact, if you are a talented photographer and you shoot hundreds of pictures every month you can earn a very significant part of your living by shooting high quality creative pictures for stock photography agencies.
There are many stock photography sites that will be happy to sell your photos and share with you the received revenues. iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, Fotolia, BigStockPhoto and CanStockPhoto are just few stock sites to name. All stock sites allow you to register for free as their submitting photographer and start uploading your work to their banks. However, be aware that many sites will ask you to provide detailed personal information such as a scan of you picture ID or passport. Also, at many sites you will be requested to sign and fax back a signed copy of the site's 'submitter agreement'. These requirements are part of continuous effort of limiting the image fraud on the Internet and protecting both image buyers and image copyright owners from the fraudulent behavior.
In addition to the submitters authentication, many stock photo sites will ask you to pass a professional online test, which should verify that you have all the required photographic skills and that you understand rules of the game on stock photography market. Do not be afraid of that test. If you know the difference between shutter speed and the aperture and if you can explain what is DOF you will pass this test for sure. And the basic stock photography rules are quite simple:
1) Do not submit images that include any copyrighted material Avoid photographing company logos, trademarks, third-party images and brands.
2) Provide a model release for any recognizable person in your image Each site has its own standard model release form that you have to fill in and send along with each image containing a recognizable person. It could be a good idea to keep handly printed copies of model releases for all the sites where you submit your photos. When you shoot a person, do not forget signing her on one or more model releases! Note, that most sites will also ask you for the copy of model's ID, the witness signature and a copy of witness picture ID. Keep all this in your mind when you prepare a stock shooting session
3) Editorial content Some stock photo agencies, e.g. ShutterStock has a separate section / category for editorial images. Different rules set apply for editorial content. Editorial content can be used only in news and therefore editorial images do not require model releases and can include copyrighted material. So, if you have shot a carnival in Brazil do not throw out all your pictures because you do not have model releases for all these people. You still can submit your images as editorial content at some stock photography sites. However, be aware that there are not too much buyers for this type of content and the submitters' competition could be tight.
4) Use appropriate lighting and composition This is common sense, but I will mention it anyway. Your images compete for the buyers attention with images created by highly qualified talented professional photographers which shoot for years, own nice equipment and definitely know how and when use it. You must think creatively in terms of lighting and composition, otherwise your images will never sell.
For instance, if until now you relied on built-in camera flash as a proper source for indoor lighting it is a time to change your mind. Go to the stock sites and take a look how other photographers use light in their work. You will probably need to switch to some more professional sources of lighting for your indoor photography. Again – be creative and you will win the war for the buyers' attention and buyers dollars!
5) Images format must be JPG at most sites, typically starting from 2 megapixels and with max file size of 8-10 MB
6) Properly prepare your images before uploading them to stock photo sites First of all it means digital editing. There are many software applications that can help you to edit your image, starting from the industry standard de-facto Adobe Photoshop tool, followed up by the newest and much cheaper than Photoshop Adobe Lightroom and ending up with Google's Picassa, which is very limited in its editing capabilities, but is available free of charge. Do your best editing your pixels. In many cases some light extra-saturation will help.
However, making your image look gorgeous is still not enough to create a bestselling picture. Think about buyers. Buyers still have to find your image among all the similar pictures in the web image database provided by a stock agency. It means you have to describe your image using appropriative keywords, title and description. It is important to do it before uploading images to a stock photo site, otherwise you will need to add keywords at every stock site, thus multiplying image preparation time.
Fortunately, keywords data can be inserted directly into JPG file, so the image carries its own keywords. This image metadata modification protocol is called IPTC and is implemented by some graphical applications, e.g. Adobe Photoshop. Editing IPTC data and selection of proper descriptive keywords can take significant amount of time, especially if English is not your mother tongue or if you just much better in taking pictures than in describing them in words. Buyers will never find your image if it was loosely keyworded, but the proper keywording and upload to multiple sites can take a while! Additionally, if you wish to keep the control what image was uploaded to which site and when, you might be completely lost after uploading a few tens of images.
Fortunately, there is dedicated stock photography management tool which takes care of all the issues above. ProStockMaster provides significant aid for a stock photographer by streamlining stock photography workflow. The application sports semi-automated images keywording, IPTC data editing, EXIF reading and provides simultaneous images upload to multiple leading stock photography agencies. ProStockMaster is available for free download from the product web site: http://www.prostockmaster.com. The free version is limited to 5 image uploads daily which certainly could be enough for many beginning stock photo submitters, saving them tens of hours of routine image preparation and management work in front of their computers.
7) Prices and payments – what income you can expect Most stock photography agencies pay photographers for each download (a purchase) made by the image buyer. This is a micro-payment model and the prices you get paid start as low as $0.20. However, if you were successful to create a real bestselling image you can easy hit few hundreds downloads a month, so your earning arithmetic can be $0.2 x 300 = $60 monthly for a single image. Shooting 10 bestsellers monthly could generate you $600 monthly income – definitely not a bad return on a few hours investment.
The rule of the thumb says the more images you have online in each and every stock photography agency the more images you sell and the higher monthly income you get. Typically, stock agencies send you a check or a PayPal transfer at the end of every month if you have earned more than a certain amount of cash, typically $100, during that month. Your earnings will be collected by the site until they reach this minimal payment.
Well, that's all folks! Just take your digital camera now and go for a shooting session. Oh, - wait!, wait a second. First, open your web browser and look what other people submit to stock photography agencies. Note the most popular images and agencies suggestions for stock content categories and keep these subjects in mind when you shoot. My personal advice? Avoid flowers close-ups, typical landscapes, city scenes and buildings. Try to materialize business terms and shoot pictures which represent them,e.g. 'success', 'failure', 'partnership'. Be always creative in your work and your pictures will become online bestsellers. Good luck and happy shooting!
Useful URLs: Online stock agencies: www.shutterstock.com, www.istockphoto.com, www.bigstockphoto.com, www.canstockphoto.com, www.fotolia.com,
Free stock photography management tool: www.prostockmaster.com
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/5409-earnmoneysellin.htm
Best Digital Prints: Things to Remember
So, you have captured that wonderful moment, a beautiful image in your digital camera!
Now, you are preparing to take a print to make a gift to your dear and near one or for your personal collection!
Now here is the crux!
In the majority of such cases, as our experience tells us, people are not sure what the maximum size can be for a digital print, without that image distorting! Many people think that they can make the image as big as they want, then print without knowing about the "image stitching technique"! And when there is distortion, they blame the printer for low visual quality.
One must remember that what looks the worst from a close distance may look the best if the distance between the image and the viewer is increased (10 to 15 feet or more) in case of larger digital prints.
While taking digital prints, the photographer should consider critically how the image will be displayed for a better, if not the best viewing experience.
There are some digital printers too, who do not know the limit or only who only concentrate on money rather than the quality of the output offered. Sometimes they forget that what is merely a digital photo to them, may be a precious moment to the photographer, which may never be repeated!
The maximum size that a printout of a digital photo can be, depends on various aspects. But the common aspect can be the following if you are thinking of having your photo printed for yourself:
If you are using a commercial 1.2 mega pixel camera, the best digital prints may come as around an 8x10' photo, whereas an 11x14' is almost the limit.
If you are using a commercial 3 mega pixel camera, the best digital prints may come as around an 11x14' photo, whereas a 16x20' is almost the limit.
If you are using a commercial 4 mega pixel camera, the best digital prints may come as around a 20x24' photo, whereas a 30x40' is almost the limit.
Another way of estimating the best possible result before taking digital prints, is calculating PPI (final print resolution). If you divide the width (pixel) by your desired print size (inches) you get PPI. As a general rule, if your final print PPI is around 200 to 400, you get an overall good digital photo.
Having a photo printer at home may save you for in some instances. However buying a printer is not a lasting solution for having quality digital photos. The cost is often too high in comparison to the reasonable prices offered by renowned printers for digital prints.
These days you don't need to go out searching for printers from the high street to produce a good quality digital print! You can find better quality and cheaper digital prints sitting back at home over internet.
Hopefully, getting your quality digital prints will not be so hard next time.
Happy imaging.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/5528-bestdigitalprin.htm
Now, you are preparing to take a print to make a gift to your dear and near one or for your personal collection!
Now here is the crux!
In the majority of such cases, as our experience tells us, people are not sure what the maximum size can be for a digital print, without that image distorting! Many people think that they can make the image as big as they want, then print without knowing about the "image stitching technique"! And when there is distortion, they blame the printer for low visual quality.
One must remember that what looks the worst from a close distance may look the best if the distance between the image and the viewer is increased (10 to 15 feet or more) in case of larger digital prints.
While taking digital prints, the photographer should consider critically how the image will be displayed for a better, if not the best viewing experience.
There are some digital printers too, who do not know the limit or only who only concentrate on money rather than the quality of the output offered. Sometimes they forget that what is merely a digital photo to them, may be a precious moment to the photographer, which may never be repeated!
The maximum size that a printout of a digital photo can be, depends on various aspects. But the common aspect can be the following if you are thinking of having your photo printed for yourself:
If you are using a commercial 1.2 mega pixel camera, the best digital prints may come as around an 8x10' photo, whereas an 11x14' is almost the limit.
If you are using a commercial 3 mega pixel camera, the best digital prints may come as around an 11x14' photo, whereas a 16x20' is almost the limit.
If you are using a commercial 4 mega pixel camera, the best digital prints may come as around a 20x24' photo, whereas a 30x40' is almost the limit.
Another way of estimating the best possible result before taking digital prints, is calculating PPI (final print resolution). If you divide the width (pixel) by your desired print size (inches) you get PPI. As a general rule, if your final print PPI is around 200 to 400, you get an overall good digital photo.
Having a photo printer at home may save you for in some instances. However buying a printer is not a lasting solution for having quality digital photos. The cost is often too high in comparison to the reasonable prices offered by renowned printers for digital prints.
These days you don't need to go out searching for printers from the high street to produce a good quality digital print! You can find better quality and cheaper digital prints sitting back at home over internet.
Hopefully, getting your quality digital prints will not be so hard next time.
Happy imaging.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/5528-bestdigitalprin.htm
Nikon Equipment for Wildlife and Nature Photography
Choosing the Right Digital SLR for Your Nature Photography
It is very true that it doesn't matter what equipment you use -- it's what you do with the camera that matters. However, there is no question that when you're hiking through a thick jungle in the middle of central america you want to pack light. Even though the Nikon D2x has the prestige of being Nikon's premier "PRO" camera, you may not find it's the best fit for your nature work.
One of the first things you need to consider is how you're going to use the pictures. Look up the magazines you want to publish your work. Send in for "submission guidelines" and find out their minimum mega pixel count. The same is true for stock agencies -- browse around and decide which place you'd ultimately like to sell your work. Many organizations have their submission guideliens published on their websites. If you're more interested in learning and doing nature photography for your own pleasure then by all means buy the less expensive models. There's nothing wrong with a camera that takes a 5 or 6 megapixel image. You'll still be able to blow it up to poster size if you want a special print made.
Choosing the Right Lenses
Unfortunately, no one can tell you which lenses to buy or "how to build the perfect SLR system for nature photography." Again, it depends on the kinds of photos you like to take, your personal preference and the market where you want to sell your image.
The great advantage of Nikon cameras is that you can use older lenses on your body. This allows a lot more freedom of choice and means you can get really amazing older lenses at shockingly affordable prices.
I'll give you an example. One of my favorite lenses is a 300mm f4 manual focus prime lens from the 1970s. It cost only $350 CAD (meaning it would be much less expensive in American dollars) and the glass is still ED! Nikon especially developed ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass to provide pricise optical colour correction. This special glass (not available in all Nikon lenses) provides the sharp, clear resolution required for superb photographs. The other advantage (at least for me since I generally hike to find wildlife) is that it weighs less and packs small.
Another example -- the 50mm 1.4 auto focus lens (that's right f1.4!) sells for only $166 CAD (again, much less in American dollars). It's actually an 80mm on your body. That means you have a prime lens at 80mm that can take pictures in the darkest settings. And, because Nikon has been perfecting its 50mm lenses since its inception as a company (Nikon used to include a 50mm on all its bodies until well into the late 1980s), it's one of Nikon's very best lenses. It's cheap because 50mm on a 35mm camera is kind of pooey. But 80mm on a digial camera is marvelous.
Magnification - Use it to your Advantage
For wildlife photographers in particular, the one advantage of shooting with any Nikon digital camera these days is the magnification factor. Rather than create a sensor the same size as one frame of 35mm film, Nikon and most other digital SLR camera manufacturers decided to create a sensor that is smaller than the 24x36mm standard frame of the older film models. Having a smaller sensor means you aren't going to capture all the information on the left and right and top and bottom of the frame. This may sound really bad... but there is no need to worry about what you haven't captured because the viewfinder has been adjusted so that what you see optically is what is captured in the digital file.
The result is that the camera multiplies the magnification of all the lenses. Nikon's magnification (depending on the camera you use) is around 1.5x. That means a 300mm lens is now magnified to 450mm. This is great news for wildlife photographers. The only drawback is that wider angle lenses (like a 17mm wide angle becomes a 25.5mm not-as-wide-angle lens. However, landscape photographers still have some options. I'll get to those in a bit.
Lenses - Pros and Cons
While I can't tell you the right lenses to buy for your particualr needs... I can give you some feedback/impressions about the particular lenses I am using or have used in the past.
Nikkor 10.5mm f2.8 Fisheye: I never thought such a specialized lens could provide me with so much use. For more information, I've written a short article about how to use a fisheye lens in your nature photography athttp://www.naturestocklibrary.com/gallery/2472892
Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom - This lens is all right. I bought it as a kit lens a long time ago and it's served well for the wider range. I wish I had saved pennies and purchased a 2.8 that offered a wider range (like a 12mm to 25mm).
Tamron 17-35mm f2.8: This is a great lens but, alas, I purchased it for a film camera and the magnification on my digital body means that it isn't that useful in my photography right now. I'm planning on selling it (along with my other wide angle) and buying a 2.8 that has a wider range so I can do more with landscape photography.
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D AF - This is the same lens I discussed earlier. It's small, has a low price tag, allows you to shoot in really dark situations and it's an 80mm on a digital camera. You really can't go wrong.
Nikkor Nikon 80-200mm f2.8D ED AF Zoom - This is a fantastic lens that stays at 2.8 no matter if you are shooting at 80 or 200mm. Again, magnification means it's actually a 300mm zoom. Zooms are great because you can adjust your focus distance depending on where your subject is located. Not so great with subjects that are always far away (like the macaws seen here), but really awesome for docile wildlife like deer. It also has a macro function that works beautifully.
Nikkor 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro, or 105 Micro for short - This is probably Nikon's most used macro lens, probably because the lens can serve triple duty. First of all, it is a macro photography lens and it allows you to take photographs at a 1:1 reproduction ratio (on a 35mm body), which means that a 24 by 36 mm subject will fill the entire frame. Second, it makes a very good general purpose short telephoto lens. Third, it is also at least a very reasonable portrait lens (although, with magnification it may be too much of a telephoto on a digital SLR). I really love this lens for macro photography.
Nikkor 300mm f4 manual focus - While a "prime" lens doesn't offer the flexibilty of a zoom... it's still an ideal choice for getting the best results in your work. This is the same lens I discussed earlier and, considering it cost only $350, it's light & the focusing is so smooth, it's one of my favorite lenses. I never leave home without it.
Nikkor 600mm f5.6 manual focus ED Glass - Again, I paid a lot less for this lens (which is actually a hefty 900mm on a digital body and also has the famous Nikon ED glass!!) because it's an older model and it's manual focus. I spent $1,599 USD - but consider that a newer model would go for at least $5,000 to $25,000, depending on the f stop. Some may argue that 5.6 is a bit too narrow of an f stop but I find the compression with telephoto lenses means that I wouldn't want to shoot a 900mm subject with anything wider than 5.6 (2.8 would make the focus far too shallow on such a far away subject). Although... for closer subjects 2.8 is magic!
In the past, I have also used the Sigma 70-300mm 3.5-5.6 and the Tamron 200-400mm 3.5-5.6 and both served well as affordable zooms while I was learning about photography. I have since sold them to pay for the lenses I currently use.
Why I LOVE and Highly Recommend Manual Focus
I used to be terrified of focusing manually. On most auto focus lenses, the focus ring is small and more difficult to use... also there's something really easy about just allowing your camera to do the focusing work for you. I was afraid I couldn't react quickly enough to moving subjects and that I wouldn't be as good as my camera's auto focus. Now I see the errors of my ways.
For wildlife (or people), you want to make sure the main subject's eyes are in perfect focus. You won't be able to sell any image if the eyes aren't in focus. If you shoot a subject 10 feet away at 2.8 and use auto focus, the camera will choose the object closer to the camera (usually the nose, cheek, or eye brow... not the eye itself). A 2.8 aperture means that you will have such a soft depth of field that the eyes will appear out of focus. The older (and more affordable) manual focus lenses have the most beautiful focusing rings you've ever seen. I find it much easier to use manual focus on my 300mm f4 lens from the 1970s than my newer autofocus 80-200mm zoom (using the auto focus feature). Unfortuately, I find the focusing ring on the newer models a little bit pooey... but I did want to make the case for why I think manual focus lenses from the 1970s are the greatest things since sliced bread!
Rule of Thumb for Fast Subjects
You may already be aware that your shutter speed should be at least the same as the distance of your lens. For instance, you need to shoot at least 1/300th of a second if you are using a 300mm lens or hand shake will make your picture look really blurry. And anything larger than 300mm should be put on a tripod (preferably one with a ball head for wildlife work). With magnification, you may be able to get away with shooting a 300mm (a 450mm on your digital) hand-held... at 1/450th of a second or higher...)in a pinch... but investing in a good ball head tripod will really improve your results if your lens is higher than 300mm.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/5828-nikonequipmentf.htm
It is very true that it doesn't matter what equipment you use -- it's what you do with the camera that matters. However, there is no question that when you're hiking through a thick jungle in the middle of central america you want to pack light. Even though the Nikon D2x has the prestige of being Nikon's premier "PRO" camera, you may not find it's the best fit for your nature work.
One of the first things you need to consider is how you're going to use the pictures. Look up the magazines you want to publish your work. Send in for "submission guidelines" and find out their minimum mega pixel count. The same is true for stock agencies -- browse around and decide which place you'd ultimately like to sell your work. Many organizations have their submission guideliens published on their websites. If you're more interested in learning and doing nature photography for your own pleasure then by all means buy the less expensive models. There's nothing wrong with a camera that takes a 5 or 6 megapixel image. You'll still be able to blow it up to poster size if you want a special print made.
Choosing the Right Lenses
Unfortunately, no one can tell you which lenses to buy or "how to build the perfect SLR system for nature photography." Again, it depends on the kinds of photos you like to take, your personal preference and the market where you want to sell your image.
The great advantage of Nikon cameras is that you can use older lenses on your body. This allows a lot more freedom of choice and means you can get really amazing older lenses at shockingly affordable prices.
I'll give you an example. One of my favorite lenses is a 300mm f4 manual focus prime lens from the 1970s. It cost only $350 CAD (meaning it would be much less expensive in American dollars) and the glass is still ED! Nikon especially developed ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass to provide pricise optical colour correction. This special glass (not available in all Nikon lenses) provides the sharp, clear resolution required for superb photographs. The other advantage (at least for me since I generally hike to find wildlife) is that it weighs less and packs small.
Another example -- the 50mm 1.4 auto focus lens (that's right f1.4!) sells for only $166 CAD (again, much less in American dollars). It's actually an 80mm on your body. That means you have a prime lens at 80mm that can take pictures in the darkest settings. And, because Nikon has been perfecting its 50mm lenses since its inception as a company (Nikon used to include a 50mm on all its bodies until well into the late 1980s), it's one of Nikon's very best lenses. It's cheap because 50mm on a 35mm camera is kind of pooey. But 80mm on a digial camera is marvelous.
Magnification - Use it to your Advantage
For wildlife photographers in particular, the one advantage of shooting with any Nikon digital camera these days is the magnification factor. Rather than create a sensor the same size as one frame of 35mm film, Nikon and most other digital SLR camera manufacturers decided to create a sensor that is smaller than the 24x36mm standard frame of the older film models. Having a smaller sensor means you aren't going to capture all the information on the left and right and top and bottom of the frame. This may sound really bad... but there is no need to worry about what you haven't captured because the viewfinder has been adjusted so that what you see optically is what is captured in the digital file.
The result is that the camera multiplies the magnification of all the lenses. Nikon's magnification (depending on the camera you use) is around 1.5x. That means a 300mm lens is now magnified to 450mm. This is great news for wildlife photographers. The only drawback is that wider angle lenses (like a 17mm wide angle becomes a 25.5mm not-as-wide-angle lens. However, landscape photographers still have some options. I'll get to those in a bit.
Lenses - Pros and Cons
While I can't tell you the right lenses to buy for your particualr needs... I can give you some feedback/impressions about the particular lenses I am using or have used in the past.
Nikkor 10.5mm f2.8 Fisheye: I never thought such a specialized lens could provide me with so much use. For more information, I've written a short article about how to use a fisheye lens in your nature photography athttp://www.naturestocklibrary.com/gallery/2472892
Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom - This lens is all right. I bought it as a kit lens a long time ago and it's served well for the wider range. I wish I had saved pennies and purchased a 2.8 that offered a wider range (like a 12mm to 25mm).
Tamron 17-35mm f2.8: This is a great lens but, alas, I purchased it for a film camera and the magnification on my digital body means that it isn't that useful in my photography right now. I'm planning on selling it (along with my other wide angle) and buying a 2.8 that has a wider range so I can do more with landscape photography.
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D AF - This is the same lens I discussed earlier. It's small, has a low price tag, allows you to shoot in really dark situations and it's an 80mm on a digital camera. You really can't go wrong.
Nikkor Nikon 80-200mm f2.8D ED AF Zoom - This is a fantastic lens that stays at 2.8 no matter if you are shooting at 80 or 200mm. Again, magnification means it's actually a 300mm zoom. Zooms are great because you can adjust your focus distance depending on where your subject is located. Not so great with subjects that are always far away (like the macaws seen here), but really awesome for docile wildlife like deer. It also has a macro function that works beautifully.
Nikkor 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro, or 105 Micro for short - This is probably Nikon's most used macro lens, probably because the lens can serve triple duty. First of all, it is a macro photography lens and it allows you to take photographs at a 1:1 reproduction ratio (on a 35mm body), which means that a 24 by 36 mm subject will fill the entire frame. Second, it makes a very good general purpose short telephoto lens. Third, it is also at least a very reasonable portrait lens (although, with magnification it may be too much of a telephoto on a digital SLR). I really love this lens for macro photography.
Nikkor 300mm f4 manual focus - While a "prime" lens doesn't offer the flexibilty of a zoom... it's still an ideal choice for getting the best results in your work. This is the same lens I discussed earlier and, considering it cost only $350, it's light & the focusing is so smooth, it's one of my favorite lenses. I never leave home without it.
Nikkor 600mm f5.6 manual focus ED Glass - Again, I paid a lot less for this lens (which is actually a hefty 900mm on a digital body and also has the famous Nikon ED glass!!) because it's an older model and it's manual focus. I spent $1,599 USD - but consider that a newer model would go for at least $5,000 to $25,000, depending on the f stop. Some may argue that 5.6 is a bit too narrow of an f stop but I find the compression with telephoto lenses means that I wouldn't want to shoot a 900mm subject with anything wider than 5.6 (2.8 would make the focus far too shallow on such a far away subject). Although... for closer subjects 2.8 is magic!
In the past, I have also used the Sigma 70-300mm 3.5-5.6 and the Tamron 200-400mm 3.5-5.6 and both served well as affordable zooms while I was learning about photography. I have since sold them to pay for the lenses I currently use.
Why I LOVE and Highly Recommend Manual Focus
I used to be terrified of focusing manually. On most auto focus lenses, the focus ring is small and more difficult to use... also there's something really easy about just allowing your camera to do the focusing work for you. I was afraid I couldn't react quickly enough to moving subjects and that I wouldn't be as good as my camera's auto focus. Now I see the errors of my ways.
For wildlife (or people), you want to make sure the main subject's eyes are in perfect focus. You won't be able to sell any image if the eyes aren't in focus. If you shoot a subject 10 feet away at 2.8 and use auto focus, the camera will choose the object closer to the camera (usually the nose, cheek, or eye brow... not the eye itself). A 2.8 aperture means that you will have such a soft depth of field that the eyes will appear out of focus. The older (and more affordable) manual focus lenses have the most beautiful focusing rings you've ever seen. I find it much easier to use manual focus on my 300mm f4 lens from the 1970s than my newer autofocus 80-200mm zoom (using the auto focus feature). Unfortuately, I find the focusing ring on the newer models a little bit pooey... but I did want to make the case for why I think manual focus lenses from the 1970s are the greatest things since sliced bread!
Rule of Thumb for Fast Subjects
You may already be aware that your shutter speed should be at least the same as the distance of your lens. For instance, you need to shoot at least 1/300th of a second if you are using a 300mm lens or hand shake will make your picture look really blurry. And anything larger than 300mm should be put on a tripod (preferably one with a ball head for wildlife work). With magnification, you may be able to get away with shooting a 300mm (a 450mm on your digital) hand-held... at 1/450th of a second or higher...)in a pinch... but investing in a good ball head tripod will really improve your results if your lens is higher than 300mm.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/5828-nikonequipmentf.htm
Old Fashioned High Resolution Photo Camera
Tired of trying to keep updated with the highest mega pixel resolution digital camera? Well even if one has tried to do that, most certainly he will soon find out that his few months old digital camera is outdated in terms of mega pixel resolution. It's an ever changing kind of product that has become very hard to keep updated, unless one is willing to spend more money by making purchases every six to twelve months.
If the main intention of purchasing a photo camera is enlarging the image, then mega pixel resolution indeed will become the main factor. In this case one might consider a different option, which will keep his product updated for years to come. I'm talking about a used 4x5" film photo camera, together with a high resolution flat bed film scanner. All of this for less than one thousand US dollars. With all of this, one will get over 100 mega pixels in fine detailed film resolution and fine scanned digital images that can be enlarged up to 30x40" in size with professional quality. These 4x5" film cameras have done a remarkable job in general personal and commercial photography such as wedding, portraiture, product, documentary, advertising and landscape for nearly a hundred years.
Where to find 4x5" used film cameras? Since some of these cameras were mostly used in the past, until the 1960's, it should be no problem in finding them in American auction web sites. Anyway, a good used 4x5" camera with lens can be found for less than four hundred US dollars.
As for the flat bed film scanner, one can find brand new ones for less than five hundred US dollars. Just make sure the scanner is able to scan films.
Whenever purchasing a 4x5" film camera, one should look for the following features: folds into a compact box, flexible bellows, lenses that can be easily interchanged, accepts sheet film, ground glass focusing screen, easily handheld and optical viewfinder accessory.
As for the lenses, there are four main categories: 1 - general purposes; 2 - wide field (mostly used for close up work and landscape); 3 - extreme wide angles lenses; 4 - special effects lenses (telephoto). However, one might use a general purpose 127 or 152mm lens for most of his photograph sessions. In cases where it requires special lenses, such as architecture or macro photography, one will still find lots of them available in auction sites. Used lenses for 4x5" cameras made after World War II have excellent performances comparable to today's modern lenses.
Whenever making a purchase of a 4x5" camera make sure that: 1 - the bellows have no light leaks, 2 - the lens shutter works accurate at all speeds; 4 - the lens elements have no fungus and scratches of any kind; 4 - the focus is working properly between the ground glass and the film.
The option of using a 4x5" film camera, together with a flat bed film scanner, for enlarging images with professional quality is viable and accessible. Cheaper than top digital cameras, the 4x5" film camera offers better image quality and will always be updated in the future, maintaining its original value.
For those who wishes the very most detailed image enlargement, one can always use the 8x10" film camera. Four times the physical film size of the 4x5", this option offers so much film resolution that it is considered by many as the ultimate step for photo image enlargement.
Sometimes analog products deliver better results that its digital counterparts. If you are doing the job of enlarging photo images, you should give it a try with a 4x5" camera. You might just surprise yourself.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/6815-oldfashionedhig.htm
If the main intention of purchasing a photo camera is enlarging the image, then mega pixel resolution indeed will become the main factor. In this case one might consider a different option, which will keep his product updated for years to come. I'm talking about a used 4x5" film photo camera, together with a high resolution flat bed film scanner. All of this for less than one thousand US dollars. With all of this, one will get over 100 mega pixels in fine detailed film resolution and fine scanned digital images that can be enlarged up to 30x40" in size with professional quality. These 4x5" film cameras have done a remarkable job in general personal and commercial photography such as wedding, portraiture, product, documentary, advertising and landscape for nearly a hundred years.
Where to find 4x5" used film cameras? Since some of these cameras were mostly used in the past, until the 1960's, it should be no problem in finding them in American auction web sites. Anyway, a good used 4x5" camera with lens can be found for less than four hundred US dollars.
As for the flat bed film scanner, one can find brand new ones for less than five hundred US dollars. Just make sure the scanner is able to scan films.
Whenever purchasing a 4x5" film camera, one should look for the following features: folds into a compact box, flexible bellows, lenses that can be easily interchanged, accepts sheet film, ground glass focusing screen, easily handheld and optical viewfinder accessory.
As for the lenses, there are four main categories: 1 - general purposes; 2 - wide field (mostly used for close up work and landscape); 3 - extreme wide angles lenses; 4 - special effects lenses (telephoto). However, one might use a general purpose 127 or 152mm lens for most of his photograph sessions. In cases where it requires special lenses, such as architecture or macro photography, one will still find lots of them available in auction sites. Used lenses for 4x5" cameras made after World War II have excellent performances comparable to today's modern lenses.
Whenever making a purchase of a 4x5" camera make sure that: 1 - the bellows have no light leaks, 2 - the lens shutter works accurate at all speeds; 4 - the lens elements have no fungus and scratches of any kind; 4 - the focus is working properly between the ground glass and the film.
The option of using a 4x5" film camera, together with a flat bed film scanner, for enlarging images with professional quality is viable and accessible. Cheaper than top digital cameras, the 4x5" film camera offers better image quality and will always be updated in the future, maintaining its original value.
For those who wishes the very most detailed image enlargement, one can always use the 8x10" film camera. Four times the physical film size of the 4x5", this option offers so much film resolution that it is considered by many as the ultimate step for photo image enlargement.
Sometimes analog products deliver better results that its digital counterparts. If you are doing the job of enlarging photo images, you should give it a try with a 4x5" camera. You might just surprise yourself.
http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/photography/6815-oldfashionedhig.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)