SnapShot Archives - 04/17/2001
SNAPSHOT - PHOTO NEWS FROM BETTERPHOTO.COM
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Welcome to SnapShot, the weekly newsletter on the art
of photography from http://www.betterphoto.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Thursday, May 17, 2001
* SPOTLIGHT: Tired of Do-It-Yourself Digital Editing?
* BETTERPHOTO: BetterPhoto.com Camera Calculator - Enhanced
* BETTERPHOTO: Travel Photography Class at Europe Through the Backdoor
* PHOTO LINK: Great Midday Tips in Recent Issue of Outdoor Photographer
* PHOTO LINK: Pictoral History of Nikon Cameras
* PHOTO TRIVIA QUESTION: What's in a Name? / Family of Man
* THIS WEEK'S TIP: Renting Rather Than Buying
* NEW QUESTION: Film Okay After Sitting in Camera
* NEW QUESTION: Getting a Better Lens for Vacation Abroad
* NEW QUESTION: Entering Medium Format
* NEW QUESTION: Filters for Warm Sunset Photos
* NEW QUESTION: Scanning a Negative vs. a Transparency
* CONTINUING Q&A: Canon Lens
* CONTINUING Q&A: Choosing Between Minolta XG7 and SRT 101
* CONTINUING Q&A: I Need It All!
* CONTINUING Q&A: First Timer: Needs A Lot of Assistance
* CONTINUING Q&A: Flash Photography
* CONTINUING Q&A: JPGs on CD - How to
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT - A WORD FROM THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR
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Tired of Do-It-Yourself Digital Editing?
Image Edit & Art is the place to go when you want affordable high-quality
custom editing for your digital images. Our artists are experts in
retouching, restoration, photo-illustration, digital handcoloring and more.
Our services start at $10 per image and all orders are managed through a
convenient Web-based system. See what we can do for you at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/rdrt.asp?rid=image-edit
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WHAT'S NEW AT BETTERPHOTO.COM
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Travel Photography Class at Europe Through the Backdoor
On June 14th, I will be teaching a free, one-night class at Rick Steves'
headquarters near Edmonds, WA. If you might like to join us, you can learn
more at:
http://www.ricksteves.com/classes/
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WEB NEWS ON PHOTOGRAPHY
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Great Midday Tips in Recent Issue of Outdoor Photographer
You may already know that the general rule of thumb is to put your camera
away between 10am and 2pm; the light is usually so harsh and direct that
pictures tend to look boring or unpleasant. A recent article in Outdoor
Photographer makes a good case for making an exception to this rule. In the
May, 2001 issue of the great magazine, Darrell Gulin shares 10 tips for
getting great shots even in midday sun. Read this article - it is packed
with excellent tips:
http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/content/pastissues/2001/may/tips.html
The print version is even better, including many beautiful example photos.
Subscribe to Outdoor Photographer here:
http://www.betterphoto.com/magazines/photomag.asp
Pictoral History of Nikon Cameras
Very interesting site for Nikon lovers. Pages seem to load slow but, if you
have got the time, it's worth it:
http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/htmls/models/index.htm
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PHOTO TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK
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What's in a Name?
Last week, we asked:
Which of the following is not named after a person: a Kodak camera, the
Eastman House, a silhouette, or a Land Camera?
The correct answer - entered by BetterPhoto member Roland - is:
"KODAK CAMERA!
1. Silhouette is Etinenne de Silhouette, a French finance minister in the
mid-18th century. He retire and practiced stinginess at home by using cheap
black paper cutouts in place of conventional decorations. And he raised
extra money by making portraits with the same technique.
2. Eastman-George Eastman, an American inventor, marketed the first handy
Kodak camera in 1888.
3. Land-Dr. Edwin Land-invented the Polaroid instant developing process and
founder of the first electronic shutter
MY ANSWER: not named after a person? A KODAK CAMERA Eastman chose the name
because it was "short, vigorous, could not be misspelled and, to satisfy
trademark laws, meant nothing"
Have a nice day to all"
For this detailed and enlightening answer, Roland won a snazzy BetterPhoto
Snappy the Turtle T-shirt:
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=925&pCat=MER
And Now... This Week's Question - Family of Man
What was the final photograph in the Family of Man exhibition?
Answer this question online:
http://www.betterphoto.com/forms/trivia.asp
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THIS WEEK'S TIP
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Renting Rather Than Buying
Buying a news lens for your 35mm SLR can get extremely expensive. So can
making the leap from 35mm to medium format photography. You do not, however,
have to break the bank before knowing exactly what you are getting yourself
into. By renting a lens or camera, you can "look before you leap." Many
professional camera stores rent camera equipment; the cost is often only
something like 10% of the sales price of the item. By renting, you can try
the lens or camera out with a few rolls of film to see if you really like
it. Some camera stores even go further by allowing you to apply the cost of
the rental to the purchase price if you decide to buy it. Look around your
area for a camera store with a rentals department; if none in your area
rent, you can often have a distant one mail you the item you'd like to rent.
Top Ten Tips:
http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/tips.asp
More tips:
http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/allTips.asp
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ADVERTISEMENT
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Advertise Your Business Here
Reach over 8000 SnapShot subscribers with news of your product or service.
To set up your ad or learn more about your other options, visit our
advertising department at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/g/advertise.asp
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NEW PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS
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Q. Film Okay After Sitting in Camera
One more quick question on film, when I am shooting my professional slide
film, such as Fuji Velvia, etc, is it ok to leave the film in the camera
body overnight or maybe a couple days, if I can't finish the roll in one
day. Will it affect the film at all? Thanks everyone.
- :D
Fuji Velvia Slide Film:
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=324
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1841
*****
Q. Getting a Better Lens for Vacation Abroad
I am going on an over-sea's vacation on May 28th, so a quick response would
be good. I have a Promaster, AKA Tamron, 28-80mm lens for my landscape
pictures. Should I invest in getting a name brand Canon before I go for
better results. My lens does take good pictures, but I am thinking that the
name brand canon could take sharper images. I also know that Canon has a
fixed focal length 50mm lens 1.8, so its fast. Would that be a good lens for
landscape, it's only around 100 dollars. Or, would it be more suitable for
just flowers or something. I am wondering if its so cheap in price, it won't
be good to use for scenic. Please help.
- :D
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1840
*****
Q. Entering Medium Format
I am ready to enter medium format photography, but don't know brand of
camera to buy. I want to enter medium format photography, and I realize
there is 645, 6x6, 6x7, and 6x9. I do not want to use 645 simply because the
negatives aren't to much bigger than 35mm, and I want a decent sized film
that will be superb for enlargements. So, I have taken into consideration
the Pentax 67 II, Mamiya 7 II, and the Fuji 6x9 rangefinder. All seem
reasonably priced and look efficient and flexible. I will be shooting mainly
landscapes, sunrises, sunsets, architecture, etc. I think that if I intend
of doing close-up work, I can always rely on my Canon Elan 7. I do not want
to use any foreign Russian or Ukraine made cameras. So basically, I need
some help deciding within the brands I mentioned, or maybe with a brand you
think of to be good yet affordable. Please respond, and feel free to give
your opinion on a brand I haven't mentioned. Thanks.
- way_2_buff55
Canon Elan 7 SLR Camera:
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=973
A. I use an M645. I will respectfully disagree with "negatives aren't too
much bigger than 35mm." The negatives are about 3X the area of 35mm, and the
improvement is very significant. It is capable of very large highly resolved
prints up to about 30x40 if you use the finest grained ISO 100 and slower
chromes, take care with focusing, and eliminate camera shake or mirror slap
vibration.
You may know this, but there are many who do not. In general, absolute
resolving power of lenses as measured in lines per millimeter goes down as
the format (image circle required) for the lenses increase. The gain you
make in going from 35mm to medium format to large format is the format area
grows faster than the resolving power reduction.
Since you want to go to the larger end of medium format for even higher
detail, and still keep cost from going through the roof, look at a used RB67
and their pricing. The camera bodies, lenses, inserts and backs are reliable
"workhorses." Even "excellent-plus" condition bodies, backs and lenses are
not that expensive on the used market. The Sekkor lenses for them are
excellent, and the back can rotate from horizontal to vertical without
turning the rest of the camera body. This feature makes using a waist-level
finder feasible. It's the reason RB67's are found in a good number of
studios.
I'm presuming you plan to use a sturdy tripod and head for all of your work.
I don't know of a 6x7 (or larger) that isn't heavy compared to 35mm. They
are also larger and heavier than a 6x6 with larger lenses that are 1/2 to 1
stop slower than 645 and 6x6. The weight is not so much the body and back.
It's the lenses with larger elements in them.
Comparing 6x7 with 6x9:
1. 6x9 lenses are typically more expensive, larger and slower than 6x7
lenses (required image circle size increases). The absolute resolving power
possible from 6x9 lenses is slightly reduced as a result. IMO the single
advantage is in capability to make very large custom print sizes wider than
standard ones.
2. Consider the types of images you intend to make and what they will be
used for. If it's standard print sizes a 6x9 doesn't gain much as its ends
will be cropped in printing. (Similar logic helped make my choice for 645
instead of 6x6; standard large print sizes crop a 6x6 to about the same
usable area as a 645.) On the other hand, if you have your own darkroom or
are willing to pay the very high cost of a pro lab doing custom printing of
custom print sizes, this may not be a consideration.
Hope this helps,
-- John
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1838
*****
Q. Filters for Warm Sunset Photos
I want a filter to bring out the warm colors in a sunset. What do I need?
Thanks.
- Laura
A. Well you have a bunch of options. As far as filters go a warming filter
works nicely. There is also an enhancing filter, but I find these can look
artificial at times. Then there are any number of graduated filters in a
plethora of colors. These too tend to appear artificial to me.
If there are warm colors in the sunset you shouldn't need a bunch of filters
to record them on film. Generally the problem is in metering correctly. If
you are using print film it is also important that the lab prints the shot
correctly. All things to consider.
- Jeff
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1835
*****
Q. Scanning a Negative vs. a Transparency
When scanning a negative vs. scanning a transparency, is there a noticeable
difference in quality with either? Is one way preferred over the other?
Also, when printing the scan via at least a fairly decent photo capable
printer, is there a noticeable difference between the two? Would one be able
to tell the difference?
I'd appreciate comments! Thanks.
- Terry
A. Here are a few quick thoughts:
I find scanning slides easier because they are easier to handle.
However, on some scanners that I have used, negatives seem to scan better.
Slides sometimes seem to scan with too much contrast - the darks are too
dark and the highlights are too light. I prefer, for example, the job that
the Polaroid Sprint film scanners do with negatives.
The quality of the scan often seems to me to have more to do with the
scanner software than with whether I am scanning slides or negatives. For
instance, many scanners feature auto scanning capabilities with a number of
film profiles. If you scanner has your particular film type - whether it be
slides or negatives - on file, it will much more likely produce pleasing
results. Most of the time, however, I have to go in and tweak the colors
anyway.
It all depends upon how sensitive you are to differences in color balance,
sharpness, etc.
And, yes, these results translate to the printed product. If the quality
doesn't please you on screen, it will probably not please you when printed.
- BetterPhoto.com
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1797
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CONTINUING PHOTOGRAPHY Q&A
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Q. Canon Lens
I am buying a Canon Rebel XS SLR. I believe this is an EOS series. It
already has a 35-80mm lens (I think) on it. (It's on its way here) My
question is: What type of lens will fit this camera. There are so many Canon
lens on eBay, that I'm not sure which one I can buy for this camera.
Does a Canon FD, EOS... or well, there's all kinds of lens on eBay and I
wanted to check them out. Which ones will fit my new camera? Thank you.
- Vicki
A. The Rebel XS is one of Canon's EOS autofocus cameras. All EOS cameras use
the Canon EF lens mount which has 100% electrical connections. They cannot
use any other lens mount. Look for Canon EF lenses, or Sigma, Tamron,
Tokina,... lenses made for the EOS or EF mount.
Canon FD mount lenses are manual focus only and have a mechanical link to
the camera. FD mount lenses can only be used with Canon's older lines of
manual focus cameras: F series (Ftb, F-1,...), A series (A-1, AE-1, AE-1
Program,...), and T series (T70, T90,...).
- Jon
A. I agree with Jon! For best results it is desirable to use Canon EF
lenses. You may also subscribe to EOS Magazine published from UK that is
dedicated to EOS cameras. This magazine offers help, tips on all EOS cameras
and a great source of info. May look up eos-magazine.com. But I prefer the
print magazine!
- Anand
EOS magazine:
http://www.eos-magazine.com/
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1810
*****
Q. Choosing Between Minolta XG7 and SRT 101
What's the better choice? Minolta XG7 or Minolta SRT 101? This is for good
quality photography, and I want all the manual features. These two camera
are used and are only $10.00 difference in price (one is $90.00 and the
other $100.00) Any suggestions?
- Roxy
A. The XG-7 has electronic shutter... The SRT does not.
Essentially that's the difference. The SRT will work without batteries
(though the meter does not work).
The SRT is also heavier and older. If this is to be your ONLY camera, I'd
recommend the XG. If it's a second camera, get the SRT for it's brick-like
construction and battery-less operation.
- Don
A. A consideration in choosing between them may be the ambient temperature
you may be shooting in, even if it's only occasional. If you anticipate
making photos outdoors in severe cold (temp. below about +20 deg. F) a
mechanical shutter has some advantages.
Battery voltage output drops off as their temperature falls below freezing.
If it's cold enough and you're out in it long enough, an electronic shutter
will quit or "lock up" when the battery voltage drops too low (been there;
done that). I live in a region where ambient outdoor temperature can be
below zero (F) during part of the winter, do outdoor winter photography, and
have several mechanical shutter camera bodies because of this. My camera
bodies with electronic shutters quit working in less than an hour in
temperatures that cold. There are workarounds to keep batteries warm, but
they are also a royal pain. [The batteries recover when warmed up to room
temperature.]
This will _not_ solve a metering problem in severe cold. It will also be
affected as battery temperature (and voltage) drops. Meter usage may have to
be abandoned and exposure estimated (and/or bracketed), but with a working
shutter working you can still make photographs.
You mention "good quality photography" in your question. Lens choices will
affect this much more than the camera body will. Select the better lenses in
excellent condition as you build your system, even if it means scrimping and
saving for them. As long as the body is in good working condition, lens
quality is the most important part of the hardware.
-- John
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1809
*****
Q. I Need It All!
I have just recently decided to ditch my handy 35 mm camera and attempt to
learn the art of true photography. I purchased a second hand Canon AE-1 and
a Focal DA-2000 lens. I also bought Canon long lens. My main subjects are my
three children and I have lucked up sometimes getting great shots of them
but more often than not they are bad. I am truly a novice and would like the
"layman's" definitions of aperture, shutter speed, WHATEVER it is I need to
know to get great shots of wiggly kids. Your Web site has helped me
tremendously in getting started but I guess I need the very basic
understanding of what I am trying to do and what these things are for
(Remedial Photography 001?) Your response is so greatly appreciated.
- cbstigall
A. Not that I don't want to help. I wouldn't come to this site if I didn't.
But you are asking for a lot to have someone explain all the basics of
photography to you on this forum. I would suggest going out and buying a
good basic photography book. There are tons of them on the market. It would
be simpler to do that and then come here for help with concepts you struggle
with than to look for everything here in one answer. Of course that's just
my opinion. Someone else may have a Reader's Digest version they can give
you.
- Jeff
A. Jeff's right, my initial response came to a novel size before I gave up
and decided not to post it. The only other piece of advice is to buy cheap
film and just shoot shoot shoot. Let the camera's computer do all the work
while you get the artistic side of things down.
Once that happens, get some decent film, and start playing around with some
of the settings. Start asking specific questions - "it looks washed out,
why". "The photo is blurry, what did I do wrong"? "I've seen photos in
magazines where they do X, how do they do it".
Anyway, good luck with your shooting and tell us how you go.
Cheers,
- Ken
A. Jim's Take on Great Starter Books:
Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=539
Focus on Nature " by John Shaw (if you are into the nature thing)
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=538
Photography for Dummies " (if you are using a simple point and shoot camera)
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=621
Basic Techniques of Photography - Book I " (if you see yourself eventually
getting into developing and printing your own film)
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=619
How to Take Great Photographs With Any Camera by Jerry Hughes
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=868
- BetterPhoto.com
A. A good place to look for some great books on the subject would be a used
bookstore on a college campus. Almost everyplace offers Photography 101 and
in lots of schools students take the class to fill the requirement and then
ditch the books. I picked up a great used textbook for $2.50 and it's been
worth its weight in gold! Happy shooting!
- Christine
A. Although, photography can take a lifetime to learn well, there are some
basics that you seem to want to understand. In basic terms, the shutter
blocks light from getting to the film. The shutter speed is the time it is
open, allowing light on the film. The aperture is the amount of light
allowed in while the shutter is open. The idea is to find the right balance
for the conditions. For example, the setting would be drastically different
if you are on the beach versus sitting in front of a fireplace. The best
thing to do is get an external light meter, which is shutter priority and
see what aperture it suggests. Then think about why. Why does it recommend
the apertures that it does. And, yes, read books, talk to other
photographers. Take it seriously, but allow yourself mistakes, because
that's inevitable. In the most basic terms, photography is simply burning an
image into light sensitive film. Where it gets complicated is the fact that
light is one of the most complex elements in the universe. Understanding
photography is understanding light. Einstein studied light and was
astonished at what he saw. The more you understand it, the more you realize
how much you don't understand.
- dnclark
See Sample Photo - "Amber"
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=1980
A. I know I already responded and basically said to go get a book but I just
read DN's response and found it confusing (and I know what he's talking
about). No offense to DN but I didn't want you reading his explanation and
giving up because you aren't Einstein. So I will give you a basic
description of exposure with the best analogy I can think of.
Imagine film being a bucket that you are going to fill up with water. Your
aperture is how much water you let out of the spicket. You can let a trickle
out or turn it on full blast. Your shutter is how long you leave the water
on. Now, I can fill up my bucket with a trickle (a small aperture - larger
f-stop #) and leave it on for a long time (slow shutter) or I can turn it on
full blast (large aperture - smaller f-stop #) and shut it off quickly (fast
shutter). Different ISO speed films are simply different sized buckets.
Higher ISO's are smaller buckets and require less water.
I believe that qualifies as Remedial Photography 001. Now go get a good book
and fill in the specifics.
- Jeff
A. I also started on a reply and found myself with an epic novel. As you
grow in photography you will need additional sources of information. You
won't need these much now, so write them down and when you've worked through
the beginner topics, then look for these.
John's Take on Classic Texts for Intermediate/Advanced Topics:
Ansel Adams' classic trilogy:
_The_Camera_
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=553
_The_Negative_
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=554
_The_Print_
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=555
_The_Complete_Photographer_ by Andreas Feininger
(an older book; often found in larger libraries and used book stores; a
noted Life Magazine photographer)
-- John
A. Well, search the web for "tips on photography" browse the sites, down
load the how to topics and you have all the info you would need to learn to
shoot great pictures!
- Anand
A. 1-Clean Kids
2-Outside in the late afternoon or/and in the shade
3- Use lots of Film
4-Set Camera to auto (a on lens and fastish shutter speed -AE-i is shutter
priority not full auto)
5- focus
6-have fun (let the kids have fun too)
7-Kid wrangler
8-fill flash(advance)
9- repeat
- Tim
A. 1-Clean Kids,[muddy ones are great too]
2-Outside in the late afternoon [or early evening] or/and in the shade,[or a
cloudy day is the best]
3- Use lots of Film,[right on!]
4-Set Camera to auto (a on lens and fastish shutter speed -AE-i is shutter
priority not full auto)[only do this in the beginning. Get a book and start
shooting in manual as soon as possible]
5- focus [not always mandatory. Experiment and have fun]
6-have fun (let the kids have fun too)[that's what I said]
7-Kid wrangler [yeah, with a lasso and a bullwhip]
8-fill flash(advance) [reflectors are easier to use and look more natural in
most cases]
9- repeat[don't forget to lather and rinse first]
- Jeff
A. I started learning the art of photography a year ago, and found a series
of books by Freeman Patterson to be very inspiring and helpful. So far he
has been the best teacher that I've come across. They don't just explain
boring techniques and technical stuff, but he also explains what he did to
create his own stunning images, which I found really neat.
- Ed
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1808
*****
Q. First Timer: Needs A Lot of Assistance
OK, let me start by thanking anyone that is brave enough to tackle this
extremely open-ended question. I'm 14 and the only kind of picture I have
ever "created" is the standard Disney Land experience when some foreigner
that doesn't speech a word of English hands me a disposable camera. This
morning I decided to get into photograph. So I figured I would go straight
to the net in hopes of guidance. I'm really involved in art. Needless to say
that I understand composition, framing, color, and contrast (in an
artistic/non-photographic sense). I'm mostly interested in filming people,
particularly in black and white, and I think I want to work with a
"traditional" type of camera. In the picture quality I would like a
tremendously sharp picture, that shows fine details and texture. I read
though all the questions and answers. For the most part all the technical
terms went right over my head. If you could PLEASE explain to me in lame
man's terms what I need to consider in buy equipment and some questions I
could ask retailers, I would be extremely grateful. THANKS!!!!!
- Lace
A. I would strongly consider buying a used camera with manual capabilities.
When you are starting out you need to keep things as simple and basic as
possible. Hmm, come to think of it now that I've been doing it for 20+ years
and I do it for a living I still like to keep things basic and simple. If
sharpness is your biggest concern then look for a camera with a 50mm lens.
Not only is that the most basic of setups but the standard 50mm lens is
probably the sharpest you will find. Don't spend a lot of money on
equipment.
Use your money for film and developing (and books on technique) and shoot a
lot of film. That's the best way to learn. And if you are really serious,
take notes when you are out shooting so that when you get your pictures back
and they look funny you know what you did and can figure out where you went
wrong.
Read all you can about photography and look at pictures. Once you've read
the basic books on photography go look at as many pictures as you can and
ask yourself why this picture works and that one doesn't. Look at pictures
that follow the rules and look at the ones that don't and ask yourself why
they don't. Basically I am saying that you should learn all the rules and
then learn how, when, and why to break them.
- Jeff
A. I "second" Jeff's suggestions.
Photography is both an "art" and a "science." A person serious about
photography studies both. If you have knowledge about "formal elements" and
composing them from studying other graphic arts, then you have learned some
of the "art." The "science" part is about light and optics, and how film
records light. The photographer uses knowledge about the "science" to create
the desired image in performing the "art."
Three basic principles to remember as you study details about photography:
1. Photography is all about light. It's the only thing film records: light
traveling from the subject material you are photographing to the film.
2. Ask yourself first what it is you are trying to express with a
photograph, and who you are communicating that expression to (the intended
viewers). If you do this, it will help greatly in deciding many things about
the image you make, and how to make it.
3. Instead of "taking" photographs, think of "making" photographs. Visualize
in your mind what you want to "make" first by using the second principle,
then set about doing it.
-- John
A. Hey Lace,
Welcome to the art! I admire your morning resolution.
Take a look at this one page article, Soul Searching for the Perfect Camera, to get a rough start on the questions to ask when buying a camera:
http://www.betterphoto.com/buyers/camChoosing.asp
Enjoy this new avenue of your artistic endeavors!
- BetterPhoto.com
A. Hi Lace - I suggest checking college campuses in your area for used
textbook stores - I picked up a used text from Photog 101 and it's been
worth its weight in gold! I only paid $2.50 for it, so that made the deal
that much sweeter!
Good Luck!
- Christine
A. I would have to agree with Jeff's response. At this particular time you
want to keep it simple. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1-if you
purchase equipment with a bunch of fancy features you will end up
concentrating more on how to play with your new toy rather than learning the
art of photography and good photographic techniques. 2-starting with a
manual camera is probably the most important decision that you will make.
Using a manual camera forces you to learn how to control your camera,
manipulate lighting and exposure, and the effects that your actions cause.
When you understand how proper exposure effects your picture quality and how
your camera settings effect the outcome then you can experiment and learn
how to make adjustments to improve your photographic results. Some of this
may seem vague to you right now. It is a little hard to get all of this
information across in this forum. I hope this helps you out.
- Wayne
A. If you are a beginner, it is best to learn how to set aperture, and
shutter speed, etc. So, when choosing your first camera, I would recommend
you getting a manual camera, because if you were to buy a Canon Rebel 2000
for example, the options to use portrait mode, or landscape mode, etc, may
be more tempting than figuring out what settings you should use for your own
creativity. So, I would recommend getting a Pentax ZX-M. It's a great
beginner camera, and just in case you need to get an emergency shot, it does
have aperture-priority, and shutter priority. For what you will be shooting,
I would recommend getting a 50mm fixed focal lens, or a 28-80mm lens. I
prefer the 28-80, just because you don't have to walk forward and backwards
so much, and its still a good wide and small telephoto lens. And when you go
to buy film, I would recommend using Kodak T-Max 400 black and white film,
or if you want a really grainy look for some artistic purpose, I would
recommend using Kodak Tri-X 400. Ilford HP 400 also makes awesome film, and
is my favorite. It's just a really good film to use, but Kodak is ok too. I
hope this has all helped.
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1801
*****
Q. Flash Photography
I recently used a Stofen diffuser on my flash unit and took photos indoors
(with daylight film) under fluorescent light. When I got the prints back, I
was surprised to see a "green" cast to them. I thought the flash would over-
ride the fluorescent and eliminate the green cast. I also thought the
diffuser would soften the flash when I took close-up shots. What did I do
wrong?
- foutch
A. Hi there,
1) If you are getting prints back, the green cast could be caused by the
processing lab. The whole light balance issue is most important with
shooting slides.
2) When film is "daylight" balanced, that means it is meant to be shot in
white daylight. It doesn't mean it corrects light to daylight color. If you
want a correcting (slide) film, look for something
3) Flash usually does override this problem but only where it hits your
subject. Shadows, for example, will still look greenish. Perhaps using the
Sto-fen diffuser limited the amount of flash and made the scene take on more
of the green colored light.
However, I don't think this is your problem. Again, if you are getting
prints, your photo lab is doing a poor job of color balancing. Go back and
ask for a do-over.
If you are using slides, try Fuji Reala. For shooting slides under
fluorescent light without a flash, use an FL-D filter.
- BetterPhoto.com
A. What color diffuser did you use. There are different color diffusers for
different conditions. For fluorescent light Stofen makes a green colored
diffuser.
- Mark
A. Hi Mark,
I used a white Stofen diffuser. The thing that really bothers me is that a
friend also took pictures under the same conditions and his prints came back
looking good (not green). Could the Stofen diffuser restrict that much
light?
I am going to have a couple of the pictures developed at another store and
see if they too come back green.
- foutch
A. Try looking at the site below. It shows how film records different types
of light. If you notice the picture taken in fluorescent light has a green
tint. The Sto-fen green diffuser is supposed to take out the green tint from
the fluorescent light.
- Mark
Kodak's Guidance on Types of Light:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/education/programs/light/photoProgra
mLightClasPg21.shtml
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1790
*****
Q. JPGs on CD - How to
I have a digital camera and take lots of pictures of my children's sporting
events. When the memory gets full, I download all the photographs to my
computer's hard drive. Then I can safely clear the camera's memory and start
all over.
Some of these pictures I would like to have a hardcopy of. My printer is not
very high quality and I've never been very satisfied printing photographs
using it. I've even tried some very high quality photographic paper. It
still looks like it came off a printer.
So, I did a little research and found out you can take a CD into Walgreens
and you can pick and choose which ones you want made into hardcopies.
"This is great," I thought. I have a CD burner, so I burned all my photos
onto a CD and took it in to my local Walgreens.
Not so fast! As it turns out, you can not use a conventional CD at
Walgreens. The images must be on a Kodak Photo CD ... not just *any* CD.
Bummer!
So, here's my question: How or where can I go with all my JPEG's that reside
on these CD's. You would think that with the proliferation of CD burners and
digital cameras somebody would offer a service where you could come in with
your CD and simply extract the images off the CD an print them into
hardcopies. Is this too hard?
Now, I know I can take my camera in, and they can take the images directly
off the memory card. But that would be inconvenient because once the memory
is full with images, I would immediately have to decide which photos are
worthy of being printed and I'd have to run in and do that immediately, or,
at least before I purge the memory and take any more pictures. I much prefer
downloading them onto my computer for later consideration.
- demerlin
A. Try using Ofoto. They are a web based photo processing center. It is very
easy to upload your pictures. Their quality is fantastic. You can even order
8x10's. I have tried a few others but truly like Ofoto the best. When you
sign up, they give you 25 free 4x6 prints. Turn around time is about a week
... Enjoy
- debfranks
A. I too had to figure it all out, and I have found that Ofoto.com is about
the best solution to get high quality digital photo prints.
The Kodak printers that are at Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Kinko's etc. are just
inkjet printers, they may be a little better output than yours at home, but
they are still just inkjets. As far as getting those machines to recognize
your CD, it's all in the burning process, if you are using "Adaptec's Easy
CD Creator" you have to create a CD for distribution among different types
of computers. I tried this and it worked for me. But, I now use Ofoto.com!
Hope this helps.
Cheers
- Leo
A. The Kodak Picture Maker does not have an ink jet printer. I have been
changing the ribbon on the one at our store for several years. It puts down
three layers of color on a sheet of paper. The machine will take JPEG files
from either a CD or 3 1/2" floppy. There are several sites that will allow
you to upload your images and will then print them on photo paper - Kodak is
one. Wal-Mart's photo site uses a Fuji lab. I know there are others as well.
Some one-hour labs now have the capability of uploading and downloading
digital images for printing. It might take some searching to find one, since
the machines are relatively new.
- jhorwath
Respond to this question:
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnAredirect.asp?threadID=1778
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