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Converting 35mm Negatives to Digital Images

If you looking to convert negative slides and films in particular 35mm format to digital images you will probably want to get a negative scanner, a dedicated film scanner that is specifically designed for the job working in a similar way to a traditional scanner but with the ability to transfer negatives to digital images with little fuss.

If time isn't a problem then buying a negative scanner and using it to transfer your 35mm negatives to digital may be the best solution not only from a cost point of view.  Many amateur and professional photographers use the same process to transfer negatives produced by older digital SLR's to digital format.

If you really want the best quality in terms of digital files you will need to get a dedicated film scanner specifically designed to do the job rather than using a traditional flatbed scanner as you will not get the desired results.

Negative scanners used to be pretty expensive and whilst some professional version may cost more than £1000 you can pick up a perfectly reasonable budget version for les than £80.  Be aware though as with many things digital including cameras, the newer the negative scanner, the better the technology and in turn the scanner, modern versions have such features as Digital ICE whereby scans are automatically retouched to remove dust particles and such like.  If your not a perfectionist then you may not see the imperfections but many like to get the optimum results by spending a little extra time on each scan and achieve a better overall result.

Whatever negative scanner you decide to buy you may want to invest in an alternative piece of scanning software to get the most out of your scanner and there are some decent pieces of software available for very little money (some free) which we will cover with a future article.

Seagate Momentus XT Review

The momentus XT is combination of SSD(Solid State Disk) and a plenty of storage space.  It comes with 4GB of Solid state memory and 500GB of Storage on its patters that spins at 7200rpm.  This disk also has an intelligent  learning mechanism that stores frequently accessed files on the SSD memory for speedier access during subsequent runs. This feature accelerates the boot process, program launches and frequently accessed files. After loading Windows on the drive, it took just 40 sec for the first boot and 5 th reboot took only 20sec.

Pros: Accelerates boot time and application loading, Excellent read, write speed.
Cons: None
Overall: Give your laptop a steroidal speed boost with this hybrid drive.
 

Night Photography: Photographing The Moon In The Landscape

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Photographers have been trying to utilize the light of the moon in their landscape photography ever since the photographic process was invented. It was not until World War II, however, that technology had improved enough to make night photography possible.

Today, despite technological advances, knowing the phase of the moon during a nighttime photography shoot is important as it will affect everything from the type of equipment that you'll need to the actual composition of your photos.

When embarking on a night photography trip, there are standard types of equipment that you will need to take with you.


A 35mm camera that will allow you to manually set very long exposure times is a must


A good, sturdy tripod is mandatory


A cable release


A good carrying case or a vest with a lot of pockets for your equipment


Extra batteries for your camera


Many rolls of slow or medium film (60 or 100 ISA--NEVER use 400 ISA even if it's what happens to be in your camera. Your photos will turn out much too grainy to be useful).


Lenses with which you are already comfortable


A stopwatch rather than a wristwatch to record exposure lengths is preferable. Stopwatches are more accurate and will give you more reliable information for future moon photography shoots.


A notebook and several pens for recording exposure times and other important information


A flashlight so that you can easily record your information




Remember that if this is your first attempt at night photography by moonlight, you will largely spend your time experimenting. The resulting photographs and your records will help you plan your next venture more effectively.

The best times for landscape photography without additional light sources, or looking at it in a different manner, away from city lights, is either when the moon is full, the two days before the full moon and the two days after the full moon. Any clouds in the sky will also affect the amount of light available for your night photography, just as they would if you were shooting during the day.

You will have to experiment with your exposure times as so many elements will affect the outcome. The degree of available moonlight; any other light sources; clouds; rain; light reflective surfaces; each of them can make a huge difference to the amount of exposure time needed.

In general, during night photography, one can say that on a night of full moon, with optimum conditions, 8 seconds at f/8 using ISO 100 film will be about right. If there's a crescent moon and conditions are also optimal, you'll need as much as 10 hours on one shot! So you see, experimentation while photographing the moon is really the only way to go.

Repeat your shots with different exposure lengths so that you can get a feel for what your camera will do for you.

A very nice composition for a moonscape might include the moon with beams bouncing off of a river, stream or creek.

As the moon moves through its different phases, you can still enjoy landscape photography at night although you may have to bring some "extras" and move locations.

Different moonscape compositions to experiment with during your moonlight photography shoot include:


A waxing crescent, or a small portion of the moon, hanging in the sky over sparkling city lights.


Bring a flash or a flash unit to your moon photography shoot in order to illuminate an abandoned house, use colored gels to get different color effects and have a muted last quarter moon lurking in the background.


As the moon goes from full to new, you can play with light effects from the stars or allow car lights to streak through your composition.




When photographing the moon, be sure to record not only the length of time that you exposed your film, but also general weather conditions and what phase the moon was in. This will help you to produce better photos in the future.

Night photography becomes easier when you're able to plan properly so knowing how much natural light is likely to be available will help you pick the right time to go out and what kind of equipment to take.

Nighttime landscape photography is a creative, rewarding challenge that every keen photographer should try.

How to Take Pictures of Flowers

Image : http://www.flickr.com

There are tons of books on how to take pictures of flowers.  You've probably heard many of the basic rules about lighting, camera settings, and proper equipment.  Here is something you may not have considered.  Set your mind to what you are looking for before you head out the door.  Don't forget to take your camera with you too, of course.

What does mind set have to do with taking flower pictures? 

I'm glad you asked that question.

Lighting is important.  And so is using a tri-pod or at least something to steady your camera.  Using the right camera adjustments can also come in handy.  But with today's new digital camera's most of the work is done for you.  Set them to automatic and they take care of the rest.

Now if you want to take the time to learn the manual settings on your camera, you can come up with some really nifty effects.  There is one thing that no amount of equipment on earth can give you.  And that is your enthusiasm.

Cameras can take the pictures of flowers but they won't find the flowers for you.  Nor will they see the perfect background, position, or combination of colors.  Put any camera in the hand of a photographer with the right mind set and you have an unbeatable team.

What do I mean by mind set?

Your mind set is your frame of mind.  You know just what you want your pictures of flowers to look like.  It's your thoughts, feelings and emotions that will attract the perfect flower to you and your camera.  For instance, if you start your nature walk with the idea that you want to find some unusual shapes and sizes, that is exactly what you will see on your walk.

It has been proven scientifically that we can only hold our attention on one thing at a time.  So if your attention is on beautiful flowers, they seem to pop out from under leaves with every step you take.  You'll wonder later how you ever found such an abundance of color in one trip to the park.

Did you find them?  Or did they respond to your wondering eye because of your attention? 

I remember once when I was looking for butterflies on flowers to take pictures of.  I had not seen one yet that summer. Just before we ventured to the park I thought to myself, "I wonder if I'll see a butterfly today?"

That afternoon the gardens were full of butterflies on almost every flower.

Everything Else in Your Bag is a Prop

I have to admit that having the right equipment and good lighting does come in handy.  You might consider adding these few props to your bag of tricks:

Tri-pods - Sometimes your camera will show a little hand when you are ready to shoot a picture.  That means either you are shaking or the settings are very sensitive to movement.  This is when a tripod comes in handy.  Or use a part of your body to steady your camera on those occasions when you left with only your camera.

Good Lighting - Okay, this isn't actually a piece of equipment I know.  But there are a few great times for taking pictures of flowers.  Early morning and evening can give you lighting that photographers call the "sweet spot".  Overcast days are also good for bringing out the best flower colors.  And my favorite time to capture flowers with my camera is right after a rain shower.

Filters - It has been said that sunshine can be your worst enemy when it comes to flower picture taking.  That's where inexpensive filters come in handy. 

Batteries - It's always good to carry a few extra batteries with you.  It's no fun when you see that message "replace batteries" as your camera shuts down and you don't have new ones with you.

Memory Card - And finally make sure you have enough memory to take all the pictures of flowers that will present themselves to you.

Just remember; if you leave the house with nothing but your camera and your love of flowers, you will be sure to find the perfect pictures of flowers waiting for you.  

Digital Camera Review- 7MP Compacts

Last week we went on a hike up one of the local trails in Lake Tahoe. I left the SLR at home and brought my compact digital camera along. Half way up the mountain we encountered a bear. I got the camera out and captured a couple of photos before he ran off into the woods.

When I got home, I zoomed in and cropped the picture but the image turned out too pixelated. My 2 year old digicam didn't have enough pixels to go around. The higher your cameras resolution, the more flexibility you have later editing your image. So now I've been shopping for a new compact digicam with at least 7 mega pixels. Here are my 5 top picks.

1) Casio Exilim EP-Z750 Digital Camera Review

The 7.2MP EP-Z750 is the smallest, lightest and thinnest camera in the group. It doesn't look big enough to have 7.2 mega pixels but it does! The back of the camera is almost all LCD screen, 2.5" worth, it's extra large, ideal for composing and viewing your shots. It has a 3x zoom with anti-shake and 30 scene modes compared to the usual 8 or 12 on most digicams, plus you can make up your own too. Being this small you would figure that there couldn't possibly be any manual controls, but you'd be wrong. The EP-Z750 has aperture, shutter priority and full manual settings which are all quick and easy to navigate. You get the hang of it real quickly. The quality of the photos you take with the Casio Exilim are surprisingly excellent with dynamic colors. The Casio Exilim Ep-Z750 view finder is quite small, thank you for the big LCD screen. It's got a quality 640x480 movie mode at 30 frames per second. Weight 4.5 oz.

2) Nikon Coolpix 7900 Digital Camera Review

The 7.1MP Coolpix 7900 is small, light and easy to use and like the Casio camera reviewed above, can be considered an ultra compact. It's large, bright 2" LCD display is perfectly visible outdoors in the sun. Unlike the Casio, it has a bulge where the battery goes forming a grip which makes it easy to hold. But that adds to its overall thickness. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has a 3x optical zoom, a large battery capacity for taking hundreds of pictures, and a good flash. 640x480 movies at a full 30fps and Nikon's new Face Priority autofocus will automatically detect a face in the portrait and focus on it. The Coolpix has D-Lighting that lightens the dark areas. Somehow they also found room to squeeze in vibration reduction. The Nikon 7900 uses scene modes and there's one for almost every occasion, they're easy to use and work very well. The 7900 doesn't have manual control. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 is a small easy to use point and shoot camera with high-resolution. Weight 5.3oz

3) Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital Camera Review

The 7.1MP SD550 is an attractive, lightweight, thin, ultra-compact unit with an extra large 2.5" LCD screen and optical viewfinder. It uses 13 shooting modes including auto and manual. The PowerShot has a 3x zoom, equivalent to 37-111mm. This camera is fast! Shooting 2 photos per second till you use up all your memory. The speed of the auto focus is also significantly improved over earlier ELPH's. Canon has put the new DIGIC II Processor in and its images are excellent. The movie mode is 640x480 at a nice 30 frames per second. Of course it's PictBridge compatible and has a good flash. This is a solid performer with point and shoot ease. The Canon SD500, the SC550's sibling is the same camera for $50 less with a 2" LCD screen. Weight 6.08oz.

4) Olympus C-7000 Zoom Digital Camera Review

The 7.1MP, C-7000 is a very good looking compact digital camera with solid performance. Zoom is in the name, because this beauty has a 5x optical zoom, and a 6x digital zoom with the 35mm camera equivalency of a 39mm-190mm lens. This makes getting candid people shots easier, you don't need to get as close to your subject, just use your zoom to get in. The Olympus C-7000 Zoom has a large 2" LCD that is excellent even outside. You're not going to make a feature length movie with it however, because it takes 20 second clips at 30fps. The pop-up flash works good and easy to read menus make the C-7000 fairly easy to navigate. It has the new Olympus TruePic Turbo Image Processor for fast cycle times and excellent details. The C-7000 Zoom has 11 shooting modes plus manual operation. It's PictBridge Compatible for easy printing without a computer. This little Oly is tough to beat with it's powerful zoom, small size and high resolution. Weight 7.07oz

5) Sony CyberShot DSC-W7 Digital Camera Review

The 7.2 MP DSC-W7 is bigger than the ultra compact Casio Exilim its considered a compact digital camera. In traditional Sony style, this small camera is well thought out and easy to use everyday. Its got a viewfinder and a really big 2.5" LCD display that's nice for viewing and composing your shots. The 3x optical zoom lens is a Carl Zeiss equivalent to a 28-114mm lens. No expensive batteries to buy ever, it comes with 2 AA rechargeable batteries. The Sony CyberShot has an extremely quick start up time and fast recycle time. The DSC-W7 uses the memory stick format and has a an internal memory of 32MB. A manual mode with aperture and shutter speed controls with a photo exposure preview. Your also hooked up with an excellent movie mode with good sound just what you'd expect from Sony. The Sony CyberShot DSC-W7 is a very nice camera that takes good hi-resolution pictures and is easy to use. Weight 6.90 0z.

You will notice that I haven't put any prices here, because they seem to change by the day. Check our site for up-to-date price comparisons. Even pros have circumstances when a compact digicam is appropriate. These digicams are for everybody. Make your choice based on features that fit your shooting style. You will love the photos from all the cameras here. Spend the little bit extra on a 7MP camera and always use the highest resolution setting your camera has, because every picture you take is worth more than money.

Using a Photo Negative Scanner to Preserve Your Old 35mm Negatives

Image : http://www.flickr.com

If you have 35mm negatives, then you probably know that they need to be stored properly otherwise they will start to deteriorate or fade over time. They can also get dust or scratches all over them if they are not placed in an acid free sleeve which can cause the prints to come out fuzzy. The following are just some of the reasons to use a photo negative scanner and why they are so beneficial to have.

If you have a ton of 35mm negatives just lying around, then it can be quite inconvenient having to sort through them all to find the right picture. You would probably have to dig through your closet, garage or even basement to find the picture that you are looking for. While most cameras these days are digital, there are still some that use regular film that need to be processed.

Preserving your old 35mm negatives is absolutely crucial if you want to keep your family history alive and pass them on to the next generation. Using a scanner can easily convert these negatives into digital format so that you can quickly access them to share with your friends and family. In addition to being able to upload the photos to your favorite social media sites but you can also be able to email them.

To do this, you will need to purchase a photo negative scanner that is able to convert the negatives to digital format. Most of these scanners will also come with some type of photo editing software so that you can make some final touches because you make prints. This is hugely beneficial for many reasons as making a photo with high definition that looks like the original is a simple task.

You might think that a slide and negative scanner is pricey but you would be very surprised as to how affordable they really are just by shopping at online retail stores or auction sites. Saving money can really go a long way so refrain from going with local services as these can be quite expensive. If you are comparing between different models, then reading online reviews will help with your decision.