Guest Post by Rich Harrington - Follow Rich on Twitter
Rich offers a tutorial on cropping within the latest version of Adobe ACR
DISCLAIMER: This post isn’t intended to be definitive – we’re not claiming this is the ONLY way or even the BEST way to accomplish this task in Photoshop, Aperture, iPhoto or any other post-prodcessing program. We’re merely offering it as A way you might accomplish this task. These tips are free, offered only because they might be helpful to someone.
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What Camera Should I Buy? UPDATED VERSION – May 2012
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This post is an updated compilation of several shorter posts I wrote in the past trying to answer the question, “What camera should I buy?”
It’s still the most popular question I am asked. “What camera should I buy?” Lately there’s a new twist to the question…”Is this brand camera better than that brand camera?”
No matter how hard I try to tell people that there’s no perfect answer, they keep asking. So since I can’t convince anyone otherwise, at least know the answers to THESE questions before you ask me YOUR question.
1 ) What subject(s) will you photograph most often? Weddings, portraits, wildlife, sports, landscapes, still lifes, food, fashion, etc.
2 ) What gear (if any) do you now own?
3 ) If you had to choose between ease of use and power, which would you select?
4 ) Do you want a compact pocket-sized camera (point and shoot) or a DSLR?
5 ) On a scale of 1-10 (10 being a working pro and 1 being someone who usually shoots with a disposable camera) how would you rate your skill?
6 ) What is the MOST money you’d be willing to spend on a camera?
7 ) How long do you think you might keep the camera?
8 ) What do your friends use?
9 ) Do you have a local camera store that can offer you support?
If you have thought carefully about these questions and have the answers – you should then be closer to knowing what the perfect camera for you might be.
Hopefully, your interest in photography is strong enough that you’ll read this entire article. That will give you the best chance of making the right decision. If you’re just not that interested, scroll all the way to the bottom to see some of the popular cameras that I recommend.
For those who stuck with me:
I know that beginners especially want this question answered. They are more likely to think that it’s the camera that takes the picture, not the photographer. Unfortunately for them, that’s not the case. And there’s no secret, magic or special camera that will make you into Ansel Adams.
Let’s start with goals. What goals do you have with your photography? Photographing the kids is much easier and less expensive than photographing wildlife. Making studio portraits will require a different kind of camera than that used by sports photographers. Do you want to turn pro or just make pictures you’ll share with your immediate family? Understand this simple truth: There is no perfect camera. And not all cameras are designed for all types of photography. Many photographers have more than one camera, depending on how many photographic pursuits they are engaged in at one time.
You’ll need to take into account a wide variety of factors when selecting a camera, and the first is budget.
This post continues below….
Do You See?
Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons
Do you see how to make something complicated look simple? Do you see the hidden potential in each of your subjects? Do you see the promise of something important in everyday things, places and people? Do you relish in making the difficult look easy? Do you want to protect moments in time for future generations? Do you want the deepest, darkest secrets of the human soul to be revealed to anyone who cares to look? Do you want to find beauty where others have not? Do you want to share the special things that happen around you with others?
Are you willing to risk ridicule in return for keeping memories alive? Are you willing to face rejection when others don’t see things the way you do? Are you willing to deal with the frustration of spending months or even years making an image that everyone else seems to dismiss?
And most importantly -
Do you want to make sure that when you are gone, you did something that mattered?
Then you just might be a photographer.
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Macro Photography – Guest Post by Robert O’Toole
Guest post by My Robert O’Toole – Follow Robert on Twitter
Thanks to Scott Bourne for giving me the chance to share my latest macro set up images with you. I hope this post inspires you to get out and try some macro photography. I am a professional nature photographer based in Los Angeles. Over the last month I put together a simple lightweight low cost macro flash system for the very highest image quality and performance with my new D800E.
Honey bee hovering over a Calandrinia flower. The 180mm macro’s small angle of view
makes it my favorite lens for clean smooth backgrounds.
Nikon D800E, Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX APO Macro HSM lens, single Nikon SB-R200 flash with diffuser 1:8 power, handheld, Manual mode 1/250th sec, f8, ISO 500.
Geranium flower close up. Tech details same as above.
Daisy full frame close up. Focus was critical since depth of field at this magnification ratio is paper thin.
Tech details same as above except for f5.6 and ISO 100.
Daisy close up image crop at 100% view or actual pixel view in Photoshop. Hard to believe this image was made handheld with a single flash.
Calandrinia flower close up. The 180′s long working distance makes lighting much easier than shorter focal lengths. Tech details same as above except for ISO 250.
Calandrinia close upimage crop at 100% view or actual pixel view in Photoshop. This level of image detail in this image is amazing but when you consider that is was made handheld it is almost unbelievable.
Macro photography tips
1. Shoot handheld or with a monopod for the best flexibility and speed.
2. Photograph early, late or on cloudy days, use a diffuser if you have to shoot in bright sun.
3. Use flash for the best sharpness and most detail possible and always diffuse the flash.
4. Balance daylight and flash power for natural looking images and to avoid dark backgrounds.
5. Use the longest lens possible for clean backgrounds and the most working distance.
6. Improve your skills, vision and use the best techniques, do not get caught up buying expensive complicated equipment, keep it simple.
My equipment list:
Nikon D800E, MB-D12 with EN-EL18 battery and BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover
Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX APO Macro HSM lens
Nikon SB-R200 Wireless Remote Speedlight diffused
Nikon SX-1 Attachment Ring for SB-R200
Nikon SY-1-72 72mm Adapter Ring
Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece
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Warning – tongue in cheek – rant coming your way – but not THAT tongue in cheek.
I don’t know if it’s just that I’m getting old, but it sure seems like there are a bunch of whiners out there lately. Here are five things that I constantly hear from photographers that drive me crazy.
1. My new camera is broken. It back focuses.
No it most likely doesn’t – YOU back focused. 99% of all cameras are better than 100% of all photographers. Don’t blame the camera. Learn how to focus. (For those of you who are about to e-mail me swearing on your mother’s grave that YOUR camera really did back focus – no need. I know that it does actually happen – only it actually happens 1% of the time.)
2. I’ll never buy (BRAND X) backup drive again. Mine crashed!
ALL drives fail eventually. All of them. Each and every one. Period. Everything man made has an MTBF *Mean Time Between Failure.* EVERYTHING! Even man fails eventually. Get over it. Every brand will fail at some time or another. As long as it’s a name-brand drive it was probably a safe bet when you bought it and would be again. Then again – YOU could do some drive maintenance once in a while – or would that be too much to ask?
3. I can’t believe that (BRAND X) just updated their camera bodies. I just bought a brand new one yesterday. I’ve been ripped off!
Ripped off? Should the manufacturers never update their camera bodies just to make sure YOURS is the most recent? Is there a chance that you could use some common sense and not buy a body that’s been out three years in a Photokina year? Or should they call you to make sure that it’s okay first?
4. Did you see the picture that won that contest? I could have taken that.
Yeah maybe – but you didn’t. And if you did, you didn’t enter. So stop whining. And start shooting. PROVE you could have taken that picture.
5. I won’t be buying the new (BRAND X) camera because my sister knows a guy, who’s cousin is a mailman, and he walked by a bookstore that looked like it had a bad review in one of the photo magazines that he delivered.
PLEASE – if you want to waste time formulating opinions about cameras you’ve never seen, touched, used, or even been in the same room with – go for it. But spare us from hearing those opinions. If you’ve never used the camera, touched the camera, seen the camera or even looked at images it made *with your own eyes* then your opinion doesn’t count. Sorry – your mom lied when she told you that you were special. You need to have actual experience (of some sort) to be able to accurately formulate an opinion about a camera.
Folks it’s simple. As photographers we spend too much time grousing and complaining and not enough time shooting. So in honor of making that point I stopped this list at five when it was originally going to be 10 things. So I can go shoot now.
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Free Video Tutorial – Equalize Command in CS 6.0
Guest Post by Rich Harrington - Follow Rich on Twitter
Rich offers a tutorial on using the Equalize Command in Photoshop 6.0.
DISCLAIMER: This post isn’t intended to be definitive – we’re not claiming this is the ONLY way or even the BEST way to accomplish this task in Photoshop, Aperture, iPhoto or any other post-prodcessing program. We’re merely offering it as A way you might accomplish this task. These tips are free, offered only because they might be helpful to someone.
_______
This Post Sponsored by:
Viewbug - Fun Photo Contests
Kelby Training - Use code KTSBA12 to save $20
BorrowLenses.com - Renting Canon, Nikon, Olympus & Sony, bodies, lenses, etc.
SmugMug - Professional Photo Sharing
Digital SLR Store - Cameras, lenses, accessories and everything else.
As promised, we have selected the first semi-finalists in our Viewbug/Photofocus Winner Takes All Photo Contest – More than $10,000 worth of prizes are on the line. There’s still plenty of time to enter – Get entry information at Viewbug.com.
Here are links to the semi-finalists so far. Congratulations to all.
http://www.viewbug.com/contests/photofocus-contest/1833002
http://www.viewbug.com/contests/photofocus-contest/1834739
http://www.viewbug.com/contests/photofocus-contest/1832075
http://www.viewbug.com/contests/photofocus-contest/1832846
