Photography (7)
This Arts & Crafts section contains articles surrounding everything to do with the art of photography. Whether you are looking to purchase a new camera or better your photography skills, this category will surely contain articles to satisfy your need for information.
The Nikon D5000 digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) is a great choice for persons looking at the variety of digital cameras available on the market. While the existing information can seem overwhelming, this one camera features ease of use making it a great choice for beginners and a professional quality that makes it remarkable for advanced photographers or long-term Nikon camera owners. The technology that comes with this camera is featured on its higher end counterparts, but the price point will not break budget with the camera coming in at under $650 in most markets.
It features an in-camera retouch system, built-in automatic flash, seven levels of brightness for adjustment on its full color LCD monitor, rechargeable li-ion EN-EL9a batteries, and allows the consumers to shoot movie clips. The 12.3 mega pixel quality of this camera guarantees crystal clear photos. So, whether the photo is wallet size or poster size it will not lack clarity and depth. The LCD screen is adjustable and can be flipped and angled. This will allow its user to reduce annoying glares or produce a quality self-portrait. The Nikon D5000 also has a 170-degree wide-viewing angle. This assures you will fit more into your picture. This is especially essential for are taking landscape photos or wide shots, especially group photos or those you’re more apt to take on vacation.
Its built-in image sensor cleaning means you have more time to take your photos and spend less time cleaning the lens. It will observe the dust particles your eyes may miss and keep your photos particle free. No lag time between continuous shots (up to four frames per second). Though this may not be an issue if you are shooting a non-moving subject, for persons that cannot or will not sit for portraits or just capturing a moving subject this means your camera will not pause like many digital cameras and you'll be less apt to miss a shot.
The nineteen scene modes seem endless and are quite handy. With the regulars such as portrait, you'll be able to get a clear picture of the nearby subject or with landscape a sharper picture at a wider view. This camera also features scene settings such as food, night landscape, and sports. So whatever your mode or mood, it has you covered.
The Nikon D5000 makes the job of taking pictures no hassle. The automatic features will minimize mistakes. With the numerous capabilities, you won't miss the moments that matter.
The Nikon D3000
Written by Douglas BernardThe Nikon D3000 is an entry-level SLR, especially suited ofr beginner photo enthusiasts, however, it has all the bells and whistles that many of the more higher-priced SLRs would have. Another great aspect of this camera as well as other SLRs is the price, over the last couple of years the prices of these cameras has fallen quite substantially then in years' past when they were all well over a $1000 and more.
One of the greater aspects of this particular kind of camera is that you are not only buing one camera but a whole slew of lenses as well, cause these such cameras allow you to change out lenses on the cameras' body at will, so you are not stuck with just one particular kind of lens but have many to choose from.
The Nikon D3000 comes with a 10.2 megapixel DX-format CCD APS-C image sensor, Active D-Lighting and an AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens for $599 you may be able to find a better deal if you keep shopping around.
Even though this camera is a DSLR, it still comes with many automatic features as well as the famous NIKON Guide which will walk you through setting up the camera all the way to helping you take your very first shot.
Some of the cooler features of the NIKON D3000 are:
The Guide Mode being the most distinctive, it walks any photographer, beginner or advanced, on how to help setup the camerea for any shot that is to be taken, step-by-step.
Some of the other nicer features, 230,000 dot 3in LCD screen, 3 frames per second shooting to catch all those moving shots. D-Lighting to help with shots for shots in both shadows and highlights. ISO from 100-1600 with a HI1 setting that expands the setting to 3200.
The D3000 is made of hard plastic and has the classic NIKON look throughout the body of the camera.
As for the Menus and Modes on the camera:
Playback, Shooting, Setup, Retouch and Recent Settings menus.
If you want to get into the shooting settings quickly simply press the Information Display button which looks like a magnifying glass with a plus sign in the middle of it and by pressing the Info Display button you can change the white balance, metering, AF Mode, flash mode and exposure compensation along with other camera settings.
Here are the shooting modes that the DSLR 3000 offers:
Programmed Auto, Shutter-Priority Auto, Aperture-Priority Auto, Manual, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Close Up, Sports and Night Portrait, these will allow you to get all the shots you could ever possible want or need with this camera.
The Nikon D90
Written by Douglas BernardOf all the cameras that Nikon has made and distributed, the Nikon D90 is one of the best cameras released. The D90 is an inexpensive option for people who are seeking a professional grade camera at a reasonable price. With all of the features of the D90 this camera is a choice selection for those who are looking at starting out in a photography career or even a professional who is already well recognized.
The Nikon D90 shots at 12.3 megapixels utilizing it's CMOS imaging sensor, NIKKOR optics, and Nikon's EXPEED processing to produce high fidelity and beautiful images. Specifications such as this are the quality and performance that are expected from Nikon cameras. The D90 features ISO speeds from 200 to 3200 with low noise, to help with shooting in virtually any setting or lighting. The D90 features a built in flash as well as a port for an external flash. The D90 takes most of Nikon's F mount lens.
The D90's shooting quality is not the only advantage of this camera. It's durable exterior protects the cameras delicate lenses, sensors, other internal components from every day wear and tear, as well as high degrees of stress and damage. Featuring four different manual modes, five scene modes, and two auto modes, shooting an amazing image on the D90 is possible even from the most inexperienced photographer, but allows customization for more control. The D90's 3 inch LCD screens high resolution and brilliance displays saved images in an accurate playback. One of the D90's greatest assets is it's ability to shoot in HD (High Definition) as well as the on camera editing features.
Most DSLRs (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras range in the upper hundreds to the thousands, usually for the body alone. The D90 runs for around $899.95 for the body, which is relatively cheap for a professional grade camera of this caliber. The F mount Nikon lenses running to an average of $100 makes the D90 a good starting camera, that is dependable, durable, and easy to maintain.
Professional, durable, and inexpensive are traits that make the D90 a great camera for both professional and amateur photographic interest. With the D90 sitting on the Nikon lineup between the D60 and the D3000 this camera is one of the best camera for it's price. The Nikon D90 is one of the best DSLRs that have been released from Nikon.
Underwater Digital Photography
Written by janet
We've all seen stunning images taken underwater and perhaps you've wondered if you could take such beautiful pictures yourself. Underwater digital photography is not as hard as you may have imagined with the wide range of waterproof cameras and camera casings available today. There are cheap, disposable waterproof cameras available and a range of specially made underwater cameras, but take care that you do not exceed the maximum depth. Many are only guaranteed for around 10 metres. A number will also take video underwater! Of course, you're not going to take wonderful pictures with a $30 disposable camera but for fun on holiday for the kids they could be a good idea. If you really want to take fantastic pictures underwater you really need to buy a specially made underwater camera or fit your regular digital camera witha waterproof housing.
Image by Hamed Saber
Tips on Taking the Perfect Underwater Picture
Beneath the water light diffuses and the red part of the spectrum is absorbed when you are below three metres. Red will then appear brown in your pictures. Images will turn out darker than they would on land so you need to use the white balance to compensate for this. White balance can be set underwater by using a white tile. Some cameras also have a preset for underwater scenes that adds red to the image to comensate for the blue and green hues. Another option is to take the images and adjust them later using software on your computer.
Pictures taken underwater will also appear bigger with the same zoom effect that you would use on land. Make sure you check in the viewfinder carefully and compensate for this. A built in flash can also be aproblem underwater as the pictures can be blurry with white spots. An external flash does not cause this problem and is preferable for digital underwater photography.
Optional lenses are great for underwater photography. Macro lenses will allow you take images of the sea life from a distance so you don't disturb any of the creatures.
It is a good idea to test out the waterproofing of any casing at home before going to the water even if you've used it before. Submerge it for a few seconds and make sure there are no leaks. Also check that you didn't get any grains of sand stuck in the seals. You could also put some silica gel into the case to prevent any moisture forming and fogging up the viewfinder. After use wash off carefully to remove any salt. If the salt is left to crystallise it can cause leaks.
Underwater digital photgraphy is great fun and not as hard as you might have thought. With some practice you'll soon be taking fantastic underwater pictures!
Image by iMollo
For more information on white balance see Understanding Digital White Balance
Understanding Digital White Balance
Written by janetDigital white balance is an often neglected feature of digital cameras that aims to correct the color of white objects in your photographs. If you have ever taken a photograph and the white objects came out slightly blue or yellow you will know how important this feature can be. Our eyes and brains are very good at interpreting colors in a variety of lighting conditions but this is not so easy for digital cameras. The white balance sensor can adjust the color balance of a scene by analysing the light and making suitable adjustments.
Most digital cameras nowadays have two modes of digital white balance, automatic and manual. In most conditions automatic white balance (AWB) is adequate or you can choose between settings suitable for cloudy, full sun, fluorescent lighting, tungsten lighting etc. One advantage of using the manual setting is that you can adjust the resulting image to make the picture 'warmer'. This is especially helpful for sunsets where setting the white balance for 'cloudy', deepens the colors and gives your sunset images a lovely, glowing quality. You can also 'warm up' portrait shots in the same way.
it is a good idea to practise taking pictures with the white balance on different settings to get a feel for the various effects and see how your images are affected. You will soon have a good feel for the appropriate settings to use in different lighting situations. Although the white balance setting may seem to be a small adjustment it can make a real difference to the quality of your pictures. If you are aiming to take stunning images of sunsets you really need to become familiar with your digital white balance settings!
How to Take Better Digital Photographs
Written by janetDigital cameras are super easy to use and great fun but we don't always take the best pictures, partly because we can snap away without using up expensive film, until we get a decent picture! Taking the time to perfect a few techniques can make all the difference between an average and a brilliant photo. Here are a few tips that will improve your photography enormously.
- One of the most important and often neglected is to to be aware of the background. When you look in the viewfinder you tend to focus on your subject and ignore what's behind them but when you see the picture, a tree growing out of someone's head is hard to ignore! Try not to take pictures where there are moving vehicles behind your subject or objects that will focus the attention away from the subject of your picture.
- When taking pictures of people try not to aim directly at their face but slightly to the side so that you get a three quarter view. If you aim the camera down slightly it will have the effect of slimming the subjects face.
- Remember to adjust your camera for the available light. If you can read a book in the light it will be enough to use your camera without the flash. It's best not to use a flash unless really neccessary as they tend to make people look paler than they are. If you are indoors and it's a little dark move to a window and use the feature on your camera called fill flash. This will force the flash to fire and fill in deep shadowed areas.
- Focus closely on your subject. Make sure the frame is filled so that the subject is the most important part of the picture.
- Always place the subject slightly off centre. if you are taking a crowd picture imagine a line through the centre of the group then aim slightly to one side.
With these few tips in mind next time you aim your camera we hope your photographs will be, if not yet up to professional standards, much better.
Most digital cameras have the options to choose between different types of zoom so which one should you choose and what is the difference between optical and digital zoom? We'll look at how both optical zoom and digital zoom work and see in which circumstances you should choose one or the other.
Optical Zoom
If you are familiar with the zoom facility on a 35mm film camera you will know how optical zoom works. On a digital camera it works in the same way by changing the length of the camera lens so that the subject appears closer. The quality of the picture is maintained and you can easily crop the image for further enlargement with software on your computer without losing any of the quality.
Digital Zoom
A digital zoom works in a different way. The whole of the image seen in the viewfinder is captured then a portion is cropped and expanded in the same way as you would enlarge an image with a program on your computer. This process of magnification uses interpolation to fill in the spaces between the pixels. The image can appear blurry which gets worse as you magnify the image further.
To improve the image quality while using a digital zoom try to take pictures with the highest possible file size. This will result in pictures with more pixels per inch so that you can crop and expand without losing too much of the image quality. Also try to take the picture closer, even moving in twelve inches or so will have a big impact on the quality of the image.
In conclusion then, when choosing between optical and digital zoom, optical zoom is undoubtedly superior for picture quality. Digital zoom does have it's place. If you are taking pictures to post on the net or need quick images without worrying too much about magnifying them afterwards. For higher quality images, especially if you will be printing them, optical zoom is the one to use.
