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Digital Cameras
Many people are now using digital cameras
which are good under normal photographic conditions.
Just set to auto and let the camera do the work: and
correct afterwards!
Well if things were that simple we would
all be brilliant photographers. Experience counts for a
lot and understanding how a camera works and the
relationship between aperture and shutter speed etc is
just as important with digital than film.
Resolution
Most digital cameras of 5 mega pixels or
more can produce a decent A4 10x8" or even an A3 15x11"
print. if you use the full resolution. Memory cards are
getting cheaper all the time. If you use low resolution
say 3 megapixels or less then you will get a decent 7x5"
print but might get pixilation for anything much
larger
Beware of digital zooms; they work by
enlarging the centre part of a picture; without
increasing resolution this means that if you zoom
digitally to 200% you effectively cut your 5 megapixel
image to 2.5 megapixels. you may as well just let the
lens zoom and crop it on your computer when you get
home.
Exposure problems with
digital
A lot of people new to digital end up
with washed out skies and white highlights even on what
appear to be ideal days in tropical areas. Most people
(and that includes me as well) underestimate the
intensity of the sun here.
If you use print film,
exposure is a lot less critical; but if you use slide
film or digital; both media are not very forgiving or
tolerant of over exposure.
Exposure Compensation
The simplest method of controlling
exposure is to underexpose by at around 1 F-stop in
bright sunny
conditions. SLRs and some Compacts have this as a
button . Its easy to use and can make a
huge difference once you understand how an when to use
it!
Exposure compensation is even more important under trees;
where the dark shadows and bright highlights are
difficult to control. Underexposure saturates colours
and increases detail in clouds.
The downside is that it can
increase image noise in shadow areas and black out
shadows on slide film. I would rather have dark shadows
than washed out skies; as the shadow detail can be
improved using photo editing software.
The use of filters
on SLRs or more advanced prosumer digital cameras, will
greatly improve your image.
A polarizer is
effective at reducing over exposure in highlights. and can make skies dramatic. No
Photoshop filter can ever bring back lost detail. You
can lighten the shadow areas a little in Photoshop
before image noise sets in. A graduated grey
or neutral density filter can reduce over exposure
in highlights and the sky.
RAW or JPEG there are
many practical reasons for either format.
JPEGs are good for
storage as they are relatively small files. Virtually
every camera has that option. The main disadvantage is
that JPEG files lose quality every time they are edited
and saved. Always save a backup copy before any editing
as even rotating the image in windows can reduce image
quality.
RAW files are much
bigger; require more time to process; but give higher
quality and dynamic range than JPEGs. You can rotate,
crop, change colour balance without degrading the
original image.
You will need the specialist
software to view them; as the images can not usually be
viewed on Windows explorer.
Some cameras have the option
of saving RAW plus a preview JPEG. This is can be a good best
compromise for general use.
Consumer processing
labs will not be able to read RAW files; so you will
need to convert to JPEG before printing.
Image editing
For those fortunate enough to have access
to Photoshop CS2 the Highlight/shadow detail tool is a
very useful and quick and controllable way of
compensating for the dark shadows when you underexpose.
The curves control in earlier Photoshop versions and
Paint shop Pro is effective. I am always willing to give
you a demo of how to enhance your Photoshop techniques.
Equipment
Most of the big and better known camera
manufacturers are producing decent kit nowadays. The
camera brand is probably less important than what one
sees through the lens. Usability is probably the most
important factor and whether you are comfortable using
it .
Compact digital cameras are sometimes over complex with a bewildering array of
picture taking modes. There basic functions are often
hidden within menus and sub menus.
SLR style Cameras are often more user
friendly; as they resemble film cameras and have more
space for logical control layout.
There are a few main controls which
should be easily available.
-
Shutter button /on off switch
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Aperture and shutter speed selection
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Mode selection dial Program, Auto,
Shutter priority; Aperture Priority, Manual
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Exposure compensation button
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Optical Viewfinder (mostly better
than LCD Electronics)
Memory Cards these
are now relatively cheap; $25 for 1gb CF card in Siem
Reap (Dec 07) .
My own gear
Firstly I will state that I am not a gear fanatic; but a photographer who believes that the most
important thing is SUBJECT, COMPOSITION and the EYE of the
photographer.
Don't think you have to
spend a fortune on kit to take decent photos. Most of my
earlier photography has been done
on fairly modest kit; and some of my best work has been
done on a lens so cheap that I am still amazed at the
quality.
Cameras
Fuji S5
pro SLR The new S5Pro was developed from Nikons D200
SLR. Fuji's best Pro portrait camera to date, has
great colours, extended dynamic range and exceptionally good
performance at High ISOs.
Fuji
S2 Pro SLR Bought in 2003. Designed for
professional portrait and studio photographers; it works
well in the field too. It has stunning image
quality, colour and resolution even though it is a 5
year old design.
Fuji
S7000 Great colours; close ups and video with sound
from this compact SLR style model (now superseded by
more advanced S9500) .
Lenses
Nikon
17-55 F2.8 A fast professional wide angle zoom
lens; built without compromise. Its the lens I use
most nowadays.
Nikon
18-200 VR F3.5-5.6 Lightweight general purpose lens
with wide zoom range and image stabilization (VR). It
has some shortcomings; in particular distortion;
but its sharp; fast to focus and versatile.
Nikon
70-200 F2.8 VR Nikons finest mid range
tele zoom lens, has image stabilization and fast
aperture. The image quality is dazzling, with superb
color, sharpness and contrast.
Sigma
12- 24 F4.5 - 5.6 Extra wide zoom; great for
architecture as little distortion. It needs a tripod and careful use of
aperture and composition to get the best out of it.
Sigma
10-20 F4-5.6 Sigma's new extra wide
zoom for digital APS DX size sensors has a unrivaled field
of view with comparatively little distortion and better
low light performance than the older 12-24.
Nikon
70-300 G Focusing is slow and noisy; its made
of plastic; yet image quality for my particular
lens was surprising for
price. Most of my favourite lake shots and many
portraits up to 2006 have been done using this lens.
For more info
on equipment and a brief photo history
All images and text © Dave Perkes 2007
www.peaceofangkor.com
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Peace of Angkor Villa 0133
Slorkram Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia
PO Box 93125 ( 855 (0)63 760 475
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