What Lens Should I Obtain For My Dslr Camera?

One of the most important advantages of DSLR cameras (i.e. semi-professional and professional) is the ability to use different lenses. However deciding on what lens to buy and what lens is suitable for a specific type of photography is a bit difficult. In this article we learn about advantages and main purpose of using specific types of lenses, hoping that we make it easier for you to decide.
Let's have a look at different types of lenses and learn when they are used.
Prime Lenses and Zoom Lenses: A lens with a fixed focal length is being called a prime lens. This is opposite to zoom lenses which have varying focal length. As the focal length is fixed, in order to compose a photo you will need to adjust your distance to the scene to have specific objects or people in the photo. In zoom lenses, you will use the zoom level to compose the photo instead of changing the distance of camera to the scene.
Prime lenses have a more simple build than zoom lenses and they can be designed to have very much better performance, sharpness and quality than zoom lenses. Zoom lenses normally show different types of errors in different focal lengths while prime lenses have the least amount of such errors. Prime lenses are very compact and much smaller than zoom lenses. Their price is also cheaper than zoom lenses in an equal aperture size. You can buy a 50mm f/1.8 lens for a Canon or Nikon camera for around $100 while a zoom lens with the same aperture size might cost above $1000.
Aperture Size: Bigger aperture sizes (i.e. smaller f number) like f/1.4, f/1.8 and f/2 provide more light to the camera sensor and therefore are faster lenses (photo can be taken in a faster shutter time). However zoom lenses with bigger aperture size might be unbelievably expensive. F number is calculated by dividing the focal length to the aperture diameter. As an example if the aperture size (i.e. diaphragm window) of 50mm lens is set to 6.25mm the f number will be 50mm/6.25mm=8 meaning that with this aperture size, lens has been set to f/8.
Normal Prime Lens: A prime lens (i.e. with a fixed focal point) with a focal length of 50mm is called a normal lens. Photos taken with a 50mm lens seem similar to what our eyes see at the scene (perspective, angles etc). Canon, Nikon and some other DSLR brands, as mentioned in previous section, sell normal lenses with f/1.8 aperture size or better (like f/1.4) with a cheap price. An f/1.8 normal lens is suitable for relatively low light conditions and produces sharp and bright photos.
Short Zoom lenses: Zoom lenses which cover the range of up to 50-60mm can be considered in this category. Examples of these lenses are 35-70mm f/3.4-4.5 and 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lenses. Nowadays some Canon and Nikon models are offered with a cheap 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. These lenses can be considered short zoom lenses while they also cover wide and super wide range.
Super zoom lenses: These are the types which cover a super big range. Super zoom lenses like a 18-200mm lens cover wide-angle as well as tele-focal lengths.
However the most important feature of these lenses is their convenience of avoiding lens change. These lenses can offer almost every focal length you need and therefore they are sometimes being called as "walk around lenses". If convenience is not a matter for you, we recommend you to use more than one lens which have a better performance in a smaller focal length range.
Wide-angle and Ultra Wide-angle lenses: Lenses with a focal length of 21mm to 35mm are normally called wide-angle lenses. Lenses with a focal length of less than 21mm are called ultra wide-angle lenses. These lenses can be either prime lenses or varying focal length ones (zoom lenses). Wide-angle prime lenses have better aperture sizes (in the range of f/1.4 to f2.8) than wide-angle zoom lenses (aperture sizes of f/3.5-f/4.5 most of the time). Again the zoom types provide flexibility while prime lenses provide sharper photos, cheaper price and bigger aperture size (i.e. better photos in low light conditions). There are also zoom lenses which just cover wide and super wide ranges. These include 21-35mm, 18-28mm lenses.
The large coverage angle is also one of the benefits of wide and super wide lenses. An ultra wide lens can sometimes capture up to a 90 degrees angle or even more.
Wide and ultra wide lenses normally have perspective distortion. This kind of distortion causes the nearby images to be photographed very much bigger than far away objects. These lenses are suitable for taking photos inside buildings, street photography and so on.
If you mostly shoot inside buildings, a lens covering focal lengths of 28mm or below will be suitable. This kind of lens allows you to capture a considerable angle of a scene without the need to have a big distance with the subject(s). However, if you shoot portraits and nature a longer range lens will be more useful. In these cases a 35-135mm lens is very good.
Long telephoto lenses: Lenses with a focal length of 135mm or above are normally considered as long telephoto lenses. Tele lenses which have varying focal length are called telephoto zoom lenses while those with a fixed focal length are simply called telephoto lenses. You can easily find 55-200mm, 55-250mm, 70-300mm, and similar telephoto zoom lenses for most of the DSLR brands. However because of the big range of the lens and complicated design, different focal lengths of the lenses might show different errors and quality. These lenses normally have a lower performance than short zoom lenses and fixed focal length telephoto lenses. A 200mm telephoto prime lens is an example of non-zoom telephoto lenses.

Medium telephoto lenses: Lenses with focal length of the range 85-135mm are sometimes referred as portrait lenses. This is because their perspective distortion is low and a suitable distance between the subject person and camera can be maintained. Many telephoto zoom lenses can be used in this range, but they are heavier, bigger and their maximum aperture size is smaller than prime lenses. However if you shoot a lot of portraits, you would rather use medium prime telephoto lenses like with a focal length of between 85mm and 105mm maximum aperture size of f/2. Prime medium telephoto lenses have less perspective error and as mentioned earlier their image quality is sharper and brighter and bigger aperture size prime lenses are cheaper than zoom lenses with the same maximum aperture size.
Macro Lenses: Macro lenses are designed to provide very high level of magnification and also very short focusing distances. In normal zoom lenses minimum focus distance (i.e. the distance between lens and the object) is normally larger than 30 cm. This distance is a few centimeters for macro lenses so you can take photos from a shorter distance and have a sharp and very detailed photo of a very small object (like a small flower or a bee).

Determining Which Digital Camera You Should Purchase

Have you been considering starting a photography business for yourself, or do you need to get rid of that old camera that you've been using? The possibilities are endless when it comes to digital cameras and when you want to purchase one you have to determine which one is perfect for you.

You'll find that there are certain things that will persuade your decision to purchase one type of digital camera over the other. Such factors include your budget, your preference for certain features, and even the particular brand that you prefer.

Perhaps the most important factor that you'll have to work with when buying your digital camera is your budget, which if it is small will limit your final buying decision. If you have a lot of money to work with, then you can afford to purchase a camera that has a lot of features and picture taking capabilities.

Digital SLR cameras can provide you with lots of features that help you take wonderful pictures. If you have a larger budget, than chances are you can afford these types of cameras. If you plan on making picture taking your profession, you would be better off pursuing these types of cameras.

So you see, if you want to become a professional, then you're going to have to invest a little more money. If you're not looking to make a career of it, then you can spend a little less and still get a digital camera that takes really good quality pictures.

Digital SLR cameras typically provide a lot more features such as panoramic capability, auto zoom and auto focus, high resolution pictures, and more. Professional photographers typically purchase these types of cameras so that they can produce high quality, detailed portraits and other types of pictures that people will purchase.

The one other factor that you might consider when buying a new digital camera is the brand that you prefer. If you have a certain brand preference, start there, and then decide which type of camera is appropriate based on the other factors that we have mentioned.

What Kind of Camera Should My Wedding Photographer Use?

If you are in the process of looking for a wedding photographer, chances are you will soon here the terms: medium format, 35mm, and digital. Those are the three primary types of camera systems currently used by wedding photographers. We, the wedding photographers, have argued amongst ourselves for years as to which camera system is best. The goal of this article is to share information about these types of camera systems and the possible impact they may have on your wedding photographer decision.

Medium Format

For many years medium format has been the absolute best option. A medium format camera uses film that is 3 times the size of a 35mm negative-- resulting in higher resolution images and beautiful enlargements, however, the cameras and processing costs are very expensive.

Primary advantages: high resolution negatives. Previously, the fact that a person owned a Medium Format camera was almost, in and of itself, a sign that they were a true "wedding photographer" (due to the expense of the system).

Disadvantages: expensive to operate (film costs are so high that some wedding photography books encourage medium format photographers to limit the photos they take); film can be lost or damaged during processing; slower to focus and operate.

35mm

For many years 35mm has had a bad reputation for providing poor quality enlargements -- especially when compared to medium format. However, over the past 10 years the quality of 35mm film has improved tremendously. It is now a common format used by many professional photographers, especially those who use the photojournalistic style and shoot close to a thousand or more images on a wedding day.

Primary advantages to 35mm: fast (easy to quickly focus and shoot during), much improved quality of enlargements (many people would have a hard time telling the difference between a 35mm and medium format 8x10 enlargement).

Disadvantages: processing film is becoming more and more expensive, and film can be damaged or loss during processing.. Many photographers that shoot film are now having the negatives scanned so that the files become a digital file.

Digital

Professional digital wedding photography has been a viable option since about the year 2000 (although some would argue that date). The quality of digital cameras has now reached a point where many photographers feel the quality rivals, or even beats, medium format negatives. In fact, many digital wedding photographers used to shoot medium format.

Primary digital advantages: instant review of images on the back of the camera; no film and processing costs (although the savings is offset by the additional computer time required to process the digital images); more control over the images (i.e., a slight rotation or cropping of an image is quick and easy with digital but requires a custom print from 35mm or medium format).

Disadvantages: technology changes rapidly over time and cameras soon are outdated (although this doesn't necessarily effect you, as the consumer). Memory cards are easier to lose than rolls of film (if your wedding photographer uses a digital camera, ask them how they make sure the photos arrive safely back at the studio).

In summary:

No matter what you have been told - all three formats can be a viable method for wedding photography. Some might be more expensive than others, but they all can produce good results. Many photographers use several of the camera systems. Some might use medium format for the formals but 35mm for the reception and ceremony coverage. Others will primarily shoot digital, but might bring film cameras as backup equipment.

My advice to prospective brides: before signing a contract with a photographer, ask to see sample enlargements that were taken with the same equipment that would be used at your wedding. If you like the quality and color of the images, it doesn't really matter whether 35mm, digital, or a medium format camera was used to record the image!

Christopher Maxwell is a Kansas Wedding Photographer that accepts limited weddings (primarily conservative Christian weddings with modest attire). He is a primarily photojournalistic photographer and has traveled to a number of weddings.

What Lens Should I Choose For Nature and Landscape Photography?

What lens should I choose for nature and landscape photography?

Quite often when you buy your first SLR (single lens reflex) camera, it will come bundled with a lens. Some stores are flexible and will let you choose a different lens (with varying cost) to take with your camera body.

The lens is just as important as the body you choose, and will determine the quality of your images.

The aperture of the lens is important, but in terms of choosing a lens, the lower the number, represents how wide the lens can open, and how fast it can work. This is because the wider a lens can open, the more light can be let in and the faster an image can be taken. The aperture is represented by 'f.' and the lower the number, the wider it gets. So, a lens that is 50mm with an f/2.8 is pretty fast. Why would you want this? It means you can take pictures quickly even when you are handholding the camera.

There are generally three types of lenses you can choose; Standard, Telephoto and Wide Angle. Lenses can also be 'fixed' or 'zoom'.

What does this mean?

Zoom and fixed lens

Well, a zoom lens will have two numbers, say 80 - 200mm. This means that it can take images from 80mm to 200mm (from a standard view to fairly close up). A fixed focal lens or 'prime' lens will not zoom in and out, but just provide one viewpoint. These lenses are often more expensive because although they do not have the flexibility of the zoom lenses, they are of higher quality and can normally take pin sharp images. However, the zoom lenses mean that you can carry one instead of three separate lenses and offers more possibilities to the average photographer.

Standard lens

In film format, a standard or normal lens is around 40mm to 55mm, although 50mm is the closest to how the human eye works. This makes the lens very user friendly and suitable for many situations.

Telephoto lens

The telephoto lens is a widely used choice in wildlife photography. With a telephoto, you can stay a fair distance back from the object you are photographing and close in on it. If you are photographing animals, quite often you do not want to disturb them, or else they will run away. Additionally, if you are on safari, you cannot get to close to dangerous animals - if you are in a zoo, you often have to see animals from afar. Telephotos can be from 85mm up to 1200mm. The recommended lenses for wildlife is 300mm - 400mm for land animals and 600mm for birds (since they are often far away).

With a telephoto lens, especially for wildlife, it can be worth spending more on a fast lens (with a low aperture number) but this can be costly. It is worth looking for a camera with the IS or VR function - 'Image Stabilized' or 'Vibration Reducing' depending on the manufacturer. This means there is less shake when taking a picture hand held (but it is better to use a tripod if you are using a long telephoto).

Wide-angle lens

Then there are wide-angle lenses, perfect for landscape. Because they can fit a lot into the picture, you can capture much of the landscape; foreground, a feature and perhaps the sky. As they tend to have a greater depth of field, it is easier to have sharp pictures. They are also wonderful for building and architecture shots, as you can use the wide angle to give a great sense of space. They can vary from 10mm up to 35mm (but bear in mind the multiplication factor with a digital camera.)

Macro lens

If you want to take close up images, it is a good idea to buy a macro lens. Macro lenses of 90mm to105mm with an aperture of 2.8 are often a good choice. These can be great for pictures of insects or of small wildlife and plants.

Lens accessories

There are different accessories you can purchase in order to get other effects.

There are lens hoods, which attach to the rim of your lens, and provide a shade from the sun. This prevents flare; the yellow dots or beams that sometimes occur when you take a photograph with bright sun.

Filters are an inexpensive and excellent way of adding color or special effects to your images. They also protect your lens from scratches and a lot of photographers will have a clear filter ready (regardless of whether they use digital or film) to put on a lens before they dream of taking it out.

Filters can come with an adaptor, in which you can slot square shaped filters into it, or in a circular form, that you can screw on top of the lens. With digital photography, the use of filters for color and enhancement is less popular because effects can be added later with digital editing software.

With film cameras, the number and types of filters are numerous; polarising for bringing out the sky and clouds, graduated for adding color to the sky, star filters for making stars and lights shine. Companies like Cokin, Hoya and Kood make a wide selection depending on your needs.

What Should You Look for in a New Camera?

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These parameters are discussed at 2 levels:

-Based on degree of functional use of available features

-Based on the type of photography you want to attempt

-->Based on degree of functional use of available features

A person who is happy with his or her camera model usually responds with the following words of praise.

'Incredible ease of use'

'User-friendly controls'

'Intelligently and thoughtfully designed'

'Excellent value for money'

'Light and compact'

These are the kind of terms that you will come across from camera owners who are satisfied with their camera models. These superlatives sum up what people usually look for or could look for at an overall level in their camera. It is a broad evaluation based on design elements, size and affordability.

Before you make a decision to purchase you should explore a little further and study the type of features available to you. Unless you make the attempt to understand the features at your disposal, there is the risk of being stuck with a model that does not suit your particular requirements. Let's take a look at what features you should look for, as well as the features that you should be wary of when you choose a camera system.

-->Features to Look For

1. The lens is by far the most important device in your camera. The quality of the lens ensures the sharpness of your image. The camera lens is described by length (given in mm), known as the focal length of the lens. 50mm is the standard focal length in a lens. A lens of shorter length is known as a wide-angle lens and is used usually by landscape photographers. A lens with focal length greater than 50mm is called a telephoto lens and is especially useful to professional photographers in capturing distant images.

There are also cameras with a zoom lens. A zoom lens can offer various focal lengths, so you have a lens capable of many focal lengths. Simple put, when you use a zoom lens you can make your subject bigger or smaller within the frame.

For instance, a wide-angle zoom can cover a range of focal lengths below 50mm, or a telephoto zoom gives you a range of higher order focal lengths. Some superior zoom lenses can take you from wide angle to standard and through to telephoto ranges. The power of the zoom lens is defined by the extent of magnification from a lower focal length to a higher end and is given as 2x, 3x and so on.

Some lens tips:

--A 50mm or 100mm lens is considered adequate for most non-professional hobby users. The professionals usually go for telephoto lenses of 200mm or more. A lens with higher focal length costs a lot more. Most beginners don't need to invest in a telephoto lens.

--Check if your camera is compatible with the range of lenses that the manufacturer of your model has on offer. Most manufacturers have hundreds of lens options on offer and your requirement for lenses varies as you progress in photography. Your camera has to be compatible with lenses of higher focal length and speed. If you are planning to upgrade your camera by buying another model from the same manufacturer, check for compatibility with older accessories so that you can put to use some of the lenses already available with you and save yourself an additional expense.

2. Depth-of-field preview button

A depth-of-field preview button is a necessity if you want to achieve better focus. It allows you to identify the area that will be in focus in your photograph. This area is referred to as the 'depth of field'. When you adjust the focus in your camera the preview button is a useful tool that can help you vary the focus and depth of field in different shots.

3. Image sensor resolution

In digital cameras, there is no film in use but this is instead replaced by a device called the image sensor. The image sensor renders colors, is sensitive to light and is the device that captures images in small pixels on its surface.

Image resolution is a measure of the sharpness or level of detail in photographic images. Image resolution is expressed as a number and is measured in mega pixels. High-end professional use cameras have an image sensor resolution of around 12 mega pixels and the most advanced professional models go up to almost 14 mega pixels. At the mid range you have camera models with resolution ranging from 2 - 6 mega pixels. To deliver large format prints of superior quality, you should go for models with resolution greater than 3 mega pixels. At the lower end, you have models of 1 mega pixel or less and the sharpness of the photograph is slightly inferior compared to cameras with higher values of image sensor resolution. Lower pixel models are best suited for small format prints.

4. If you have the facility for Auto-bracketing it can be a very useful tool. Auto-bracketing enables the camera to automatically take 3 exposures or in some cameras 5 exposures of the same shot by varying the Exposure Value (EV) to lighten or darken an image. Each of the images will be slightly differently exposed and this is a great tool to ensure that you capture the moment perfectly. You can bank on at least one being a properly exposed picture. This tool comes in handy especially for professional photographers.

5. If tonal quality of the photograph is your top priority when you choose a camera then it is best that you go for a digital camera. Photographic prints of scenes captured on a digital camera have a level of tonal quality that is far superior to best quality traditional prints.

6. There are sophisticated camera models available today that can capture movement and audio-visual images. If you want to go beyond static images and capture the first steps of a child or activities during family get-togethers, then you should look for a camera with these advanced capabilities. It will create a better experience when you go down memory lane. The Kodak Easyshare LS753 Zoom Digital Camera is one such model that offers audio-visual capability.

-->Features to be Wary Of

Some features or the lack of certain functions can prove to be a stumbling block for a photographer. Be careful when you select your camera system and pick those models where such drawbacks are minimized or not present. Being aware of such drawbacks is important if you want to make a smart choice.

1. If you want to go in for a camera model with a zoom lens, look for an optical zoom, not a digital zoom. The optical zoom provides variable focal length whereas a digital zoom merely increases the magnification in the center portion of the picture. If the camera you choose has both optical and digital zoom, then make sure that you can disable digital zoom.

2. Some cameras are not all that effective in low light conditions and dark places, the flash a not powerful enough. Be sure you don't select such a model.

3. The shift between exposure-modes should be a simple one-step process. In some models shifting between 'shutter priority' and 'aperture priority' takes longer since it is a little more complicated, involving more than one step in the process of shifting between modes.

4. In some camera models you run into the problem of dust collecting in the film compartment. Look out for any obvious fine openings that can cause this problem.

5. Slow and noisy Auto Focusing can be irritating. Look for a quieter model.

6. A camera has to have the four key exposure modes: auto, manual, aperture priority and shutter priority. There are models with many more exposure modes but choose such models only if your requirements warrant the confusion that goes along with having a whole host of exposure modes.

-->Based on the Type of Photography Your Want to Attempt

You choice of camera and the functions that you need depend quite a bit on the type of photography that you go in for.

1. If you are into wildlife photography, look for a camera that includes Center-weighted metering.

Center-weighted metering is considered best by wildlife photographers for the flexibility it offers. With the center-weighted meter the attention is on the center of the frame as the meter reads the light reflected from the subject. The sensitivity of the meter is concentrated on the subject located at the center of the picture frame. You can adjust the size of the sensing area to 8mm, 15mm or 20mm based on the size of the subject and its distance from you. Nikon is credited with introduced the world's first Center-Weighted Meter.

2. For landscape photographers, the key features suggested are -a spot meter, a wide angle lens and a memory exposure lock. These three features are considered the perfect tools for landscapes.

The spot meter allows for creative thinking when you compose your shot because the spot meter has a major role to play when you want to meter only a small portion of the scene. The spot meter allows for concentrating the meter's sensitivity on a chosen spot of the scene during exposure. Using a spot meter can be time consuming but its application in executing creative ideas makes the time spent worthwhile. For instance, taking a shot of the sun setting over the sea or capturing the pattern of snow atop a mountain peak can be done with the help of a spot meter. The memory exposure lock is the mechanism with which you can lock the spot meter reading. The camera will use the locked in reading when you click for an exposure.

A wide-angle lens is capable of highlighting objects in the center or foreground. In landscape photography the tendency is to usually have a prominent object like a tree, landmark or person in the foreground to emphasize the scale of the picture against the distant elements in the scenic setting. This feature brings out the depth in the photograph and the wide-angle lens makes this effect possible.

3.Those who indulge in trekking and mountaineering and are looking for functions that is adaptable in contrasting light conditions such as night-time camp fire or early morning at sunrise or at sun-set, should go in for a feature known as 'multi segment metering'. The multi-segment meter divides the frame into several areas and takes into account the different tones of color in the scene.

4. If you are an inveterate traveler then the camera size and weight should probably be a key consideration. Compact, light cameras are ideal during travel or for trekking.

5. Digital cameras are evolving at a rapid pace in their capabilities. Available to you are cameras that can offer 'programmed scene modes' for different types of photography situations and these options are available to you within the same camera model. For instance, the Kodak Easyshare LS753 zoom digital camera has around nineteen automatic scene modes. The mode can be varied depending on the subject and the scene before you, such as - children, snow, beach, backlight, flower or fireworks. This model also has the night mode for night shots and the sport mode that allows you to capture action without the problem of blurring. If your interest in photography is varied but you don't have the technical knowledge to change the settings for different scenes and subjects, then a digital model with automatic programmed scene modes is your best bet.

6. For beginners still learning the ropes of photography, the criteria for selection should be on features that simplify usage rather than those that complicate the process of learning. For instance, some cameras have a feature called the viewfinder LED. This feature allows the camera to determine the shutter speed that is required for a proper exposure. If you don't use the right setting, the LED changes from green to yellow to give a warning that the shutter speed is too slow to get a sharp picture. This is a form of auto-assistance that can be a big help to a new photography enthusiast.

To sum up, it is imperative that you explore all your options before you make a final purchase, no matter how time-consuming this process may be. The Internet is a great way to do some pre-purchase information search. Do your Internet research to shortlist options - most major camera manufacturers have websites with extensive product descriptions and price details. You can also do your cost comparisons online at sites like shopping.com. Shopping.com lists 410 products in Point and Shoot Cameras, 153 products in 35mm SLR Cameras, 1,500 products in Digital Cameras besides other camera types and accessories.

Once you have a shortlist, make a visit to the retail outlets. Check out a few alternatives brands and models based on your requirements. Assess them on size, weight, ease-of-use of controls and features. A beginner usually looks for a user-friendly model with significant simplicity in operation. Camera models with manual dials are considered easier to use and quicker to learn and manage by some beginners. But some prefer the panel of buttons. Choose the type that suits you. Ease of use in placement of buttons has to be checked. You have to be comfortable with the 'layout' of the various buttons when you handle your camera. The placement of the control layout has to be logical.

And then finally, zero in on the camera that you want. Anyone who wants to experiment, learn and enjoy photography should look for a model that is versatile. For example, your ideal camera could be one with a combination of optical zoom lens of 3x magnification (this is a standard level), a depth of field preview button and an image sensor resolution of at least 3 mega-pixels.

If you make the right choice, your camera system can take you on a long fruitful journey of creativity, learning and fun.

Digital Photography and ISO Ratings - What You Should Know!

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Before Digital Cameras ever came to be, most of you probably owned a standard 35mm camera with an attachable flash, like my old Nikon F1, which I foolishly sold on Ebay. If you did own one of those, and you were very adept in photography, you'll recall thatlittle nob at the bottom of the camera with a series of numbers from B1...to 4000 ASA/ISO.Simply put, when you bought film which was rated 400 ASA, as an example, you would adjust the nob to reflect an ASA reading of 400 in the small window pane aligned with a small, usually, red arrow.

The point of all this is the following; when you bring your knew digital camera to any large event, it is totally pointless to be using the built-in flash, although you see it all the time by the 100s of flickering lights. The built-in flash is much to small to have any effect when you're 100s of feet from your subject.

Since cameras list the effectiveness of a flash measured in distance or range (3' - 9' etc.), you really have to be very close to the subject for the flash to be fullyeffective.

The ISO designation you should know, is a measure used for light sensitivity. For example, a film with a rating of ISO1000 (considered fast film) is much more sensitive to light than a film with a rating of ISO100, and therefore is better able to capture images in dark surrounding areas. Actually, if you were really good in the old days, we used this to our advantage in combination with the aperture opening of the lens for some really awesome effects. But we won't go there and stick with digital.

So to be understood, digital camera technology uses the same ISO system, but since no film is used, the variable light sensitivity is accomplished by amplifying the signal.Sound confusing! In electronics, as you amplify a signal, you amplify noise levels, such as in a radio which has a weak signal. So you turn it up only to hear more static in the background.

So it was, when you selected a digital camera with a high ISO rating,because the quality of the image was less than desirable. In the early days of digital cameras, this constituted a real problem.

Today, however, this so called noise has been so controlled, that you can buy a digital camera with a high ISO rating reducing the need for a flash...in other words the capability of taking pics from far distances without a flash. In addition, when you set your camera to 'auto', the camera will automatically set the ISO, the aperture opening of the lens, and shutter speed to create the best picture possible.

For more information on understanding how ISO works, make sure you read your manual or check with the manufacturer of your camera. If you don't yet own a digital camera, here's a tip; make sure you buy the highest megapixel possible. It cost much more but well worth the investment. You won't regret it!

Why Should I Care About My Digital Camera CCD Sensor Size?

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Everybody knows to check how many mega pixels their new camera has. Although more mega pixels does not necessarily mean better photos most people understand why mega pixels are important. One characteristic of digital cameras that many ignore is the sensor size.

Digital cameras capture digital photos. A digital photo is a collection of pixels. Each pixel has its color and intensity. When all these pixels are put together the result is an illusion of a photo. Pixels are captured by the camera using an electronic sensor known as a CCD. The CCD sensor is a silicon chip that is built of many tiny light sensors. When taking a photo each such tiny sensor measures the amount of light also known as intensity and some other attributes such as the color. Each such sensor results in one pixel and all the tiny sensors put together represent one digital photon.

This is very interesting to know - but why should you care? The reason is that there is a relationship between the size of that CCD sensor and the number of mega pixels that it supports. This relationship is important and has practical consequences. It is intuitive that for the same CCD sensor size, the more mega pixels the smaller each CCD tiny sensor is. The same is true if the number of mega pixels is fixed: the bigger the CCD sensor the bigger each tiny sensor is. For each CCD sensor size and number of mega pixel we can calculate the pixel sensor size.

The pixel sensor size is important and influences the characteristic of the digital camera especially in marginal light scenarios. Your digital camera sensitivity to light is directly influenced by the pixel sensor size. The bigger the sensor size the more light it can accumulate in a certain period of time. The result is that bigger pixel sensor sizes allow for faster shutter speeds at lower light conditions. In addition bigger pixel sensor sizes result in less noise captured by each such sensor.

In practical terms if you take two digital cameras with the same number of mega pixels but different CCD sensor sizes - the camera with the larger CCD sensor size will be provide digital photos that are sharper and have less noise. It will also be able to take digital photos in scenes that are too dark for the other camera. In normal light scenes the higher light sensitivity allows more range for changing the aperture and shutter speed and more freedom with getting different focus depths.

Bigger CCD sensors are more expensive. There are many reasons for that one of them is the lower manufacturing yield. For that reason cheaper pocket cameras use smaller sensors than high end digital SLR cameras. CCD sensor size also influences other optical attributes of the camera - for example the aperture needed in a specific scene changes as the CCD size changes. The depth of field is directly influenced by such aperture changes. To normalize optical figures many cameras manufacturers choose to normalize their optical attributes to the good old 35mm film (film can be seen as a sensor too, 35mm in size).

Shopping For a Digital SLR? What You Should Know Before You Begin

Curious about the state of digital SLR cameras today?

This quick review will provide you with the BIG POINTS to keep in mind as you go shopping for a new digital SLR.

MAIN FEATURES

Interchangeable Lenses - you can swap the lens on a digital SLR as much as you like


Optical Viewfinders - what you see through the viewfinder is what you get in the final image


Large Sensors - increased sensor size (vs. compact cameras) allows SLRs to capture high-quality photos in low-light conditions


High Speed - these cameras are FAST, with instant startup times and zero delay between shutter press and image capture

Before I dig into some of these features in more detail, let's review the features that are "missing" from digital SLR cameras, at least when you compare them to their compact cousins.

WHAT'S MISSING

No Movies - digital SLR cameras don't capture movies. They're for still photography ONLY


No LCD Previews - many digital SLRs don't display a preview of the image you're about to take on the LCD (with some notable exceptions)


Not Compact - digital SLRs can't fit into a pocket - even the compact ones are quite large and bulky (the lens can add a lot of size and weight)


EMERGING TRENDS

Now that we've gotten the high level summary out of the way, let's talk more about some of the developing trends in digital SLR camera technology.

I used to recommend caution when buying a 10 megapixel camera, since you only need 10 megapixels if you want to aggressively crop your photos or make gigantic prints. I really can't do that anymore, because the manufacturers are making cameras with anything less obsolete.

While there used to be a hearty crop of 6 megapixel SLRs to choose from (which is PLENTY if you enjoy making 8x10 and 4x6 prints) today there are fewer and fewer and every new camera on the horizon is packed with 10 megapixels.

Another steady trend is the increasing size of the LCD screens, paired with a decrease in the size of the camera body.

While 1.8 inch LCDs used to be standard, the new baseline in LCD size is 2.5 inches. These larger screens help you to review the photo that you just took, and make it easier to change settings on the camera using the menus.

On the flip side, the dimensions of digital SLR cameras continue to decrease. First-generation digital SLRs were huge and heavy, and not the sort of cameras that you wanted to carry on a day hike.

Today, manufactuers are trying to make their SLRs as compact as possible, in order to make them more attractive to consumers who don't want to lug around giant cameras all the time. Pentax started the trend with their small and light line of *ist cameras, and now Canon and Nikon have followed suit (with the Rebel xTi and D40 respectively).

SPECIAL FEATURES

A year ago, digital SLR cameras competed on a variety of standard features: megapixels, camera size, continuous photo speed, LCD size, and the number of different photography modes.

Recently there's been an emergence of three new "extra" features that are included on a limited number of cameras.

Dust Control - dust can get on your camera's sensor when you're chaning a lens, and shows up in every photo you take. Dust control is designed to prevent this.


Image Stabilization - this feature helps you take clear photos in low-light conditions when you can't use a flash


Live View LCD - this shows a preview of the image you're about to take, much like the LCD on every compact digital camera

Olympus pioneered the dust control technology (their name for it is a SuperSonic Wave Filter) and other companies are beginning to adopt it using their own proprietary names.

While image stabilized lenses have been around for years, the addition of image stabilization (IS) to the camera body (which works with ANY lens) is a more recent innovation. The first cameras to use it were the now-obsolete Konica Minolta Maxxum cameras. Konica Minolta sold their operations to Sony, who adopted the IS technology in their Alpha A100 camera.

Now, built-in IS is also included in cameras made by Pentax, Olympus and Samsung.

Live LCD screens are another Olympus innovation, which has not been as readily adopted by other manufacturers. To date, only two other non-Olympus cameras have live view LCDs: the high-end professional Canon 1D Mark III and the fairly expensive Panasonic DMC-L1.

THE PRICES

There was a day when you couldn't get a decent digital SLR camera for anything less than $2,000. I'm happy to say that those days are long gone.

Now many new digital SLR cameras debut with prices under $800, and these prices simply decrease as time goes on (SLR cameras are a lot like cars and computers in that sense).

Let me be clear though: digital SLR cameras are still not competitively priced with many of the compact digital cameras. You cannot find ANY digital SLR camera for less than $400, and the cameras that are less than $600 have limited feature sets.

What's your best bet if you're looking for an inexpensive digital SLR?

Go online and hunt around for models from 2005 and 2006. The manufactuers release several new cameras each year, and while many of the older cameras are still quite capable, you can't find any stores that sell them new.

Many owners of first and second-generation digital SLR cameras are looking to upgrade to the latest and greatest, so you have the opportunity to snatch up their old cameras at bargain-basement prices.