Digital Slr Photography

1

What is a Digital SLR Camera and How Does it Compare With a Digital Compact Camera?

The term digital SLR stands for single lens reflex. It is so called because the SLR cameras use a mirror that is placed behind the lens.

Although SLR cameras for capturing still images have been in use for quite some time, the ones that could capture both the stills and the videos were introduced in 2008.

Earlier the SLRs were used only by the professionals. They were not very common and were costly as well. The good news is that the digital SLRs are becoming cheaper as the time passes and coming within the easy reach of even the amateur photographers. You can buy an SLR at the price of a high end digital compact camera.

How does the digital SLR work?

When the light enters through the lens, it falls upon the mirror. The mirror, in turn, reflects (throws) the light upon the focusing screen. The light passing through the focusing screen falls upon a block of glass called pentaprism, which reflects the image  that  can be seen  on the viewfinder. When you take a photo, the mirror flips up opening the shutter which exposes the digital sensor to light.

What- you- see- is- what- you- get photos

 The SLR uses the viewfinder to compose the photo and adjust the focus. You can, thus, get the photo of the original as you see it on the lens.

SLR camera allows for a wide range of lenses with different focal lengths.  You can change the lens whenever you like. This is what makes the SLR ideal for serious photography. Moreover, the image sensors of the digital SLRs are large and produce high quality photos.

Lightness and compactness vs. versatility and image quality

An attractive feature of the digital compact cameras is that they are cheap, light, compact and easily portable. You can just pop in the compact camera in your purse or pocket.

The SLRs are weighty and voluminous. Some of them are tank-sized  for professionals. But they provide the invaluable advantage of accommodating a large range of lenses and accessories that were originally designed for film SLR cameras.

Of late, new generation light weight ultra compact DSLRs have also been introduced in the market. They have small lens and  weigh around 20 oz / 0.5 Kg.

While the  crispness and sharpness  of the photos taken with the digital compact camera and SLR camera in broad day is by and large same, the SLR scores over the compact camera when you have to shoot in dim light or capture the fast running scenes of actions. This is because the SLRs have high sensitivity larger sensors.

Anti shake/vibration designs

The photos shot with non-SLR cameras in dim light or with long telephoto lenses may be blurred. The reason is that the camera gets shaken during the exposure. The SLRs are equipped with Image Stabilization (IS) systems that protect them from the impact of motion during exposure. Therefore, the photos shot with SLRs even in dim light or at long focal lengths  are sharp and excellent.

Speed

What makes the SLR much superior to the compact camera is its speed in taking pictures, which makes it ideal for action photography as there is a zero lag time.   Even the entry level SLRs shoot faster than the best compact cameras. So you can easily shoot both a sleeping and a running tiger with this camera.

Dust Removal mechanism

If you have to shoot in arid, dusty or even in humid and damp conditions, no camera can   beat an SLR. They have inbuilt dust removal systems that keep the sensor clean. They have weatherproof seals and solid magnesium alloy cases.

High Definition (HD) videos for HDTVs

This is another advantage of SLRs over the compact cameras. They can shoot High Definition videos. They come equipped with HDMI ports which allow the camera to be directly connected to the TVs.  You can view your videos on the TV.

So which camera should you buy?

It all depends upon your needs. If you want speed, exquisite professional looking photos even in dim light and more control  over the photos and are not bothered about weight and volume, go for an SLR. If you are just an occasional photographer wishing to carry the camera in your pant pocket, you can buy a compact camera.

Please read my Best Digital Cameras Guide for more information on digital cameras and photography.

About the Author

I am an affiliate marketet and I do not recommend any product without having a thorough knowledge about it

Digital SLR Photography, Mark Duehmig, Show Me How Videos


digital slr photography5
digital slr photography5
digital slr photography5

Digital Slr Photography Lessons

English: The Nikon D7000 is a 16.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Photography Lessons For Buying Professional Digital Cameras Online

As we move onto the concept of digital photography and digital cameras, we come across categorizations such as professional digital cameras and amateur digital cameras. As the name suggests, the professional cameras are meant for the professional photographers and advanced camera users. On the other hand amateur digital cameras are for people who need cameras for general usage and are not experienced photographers. In this photography lesson we would focus on professional digital cameras, their types and their features. So keep reading.



Professional cameras, whether digital or analogue, come under the category of SLR cameras. As we are dealing with digital cameras, so let's talk about digital SLR cameras which are meant for professional usage.



The term digital SLR cameras refer to digital single reflex cameras. These cameras are basically and optimally meant for professional photography. These are called single lens reflex because these cameras employ a mirror behind the lens of the camera to direct the light towards the viewfinder, when you focus or compose a picture. When the shutter is released, the mirror gets away from the path of the light, allowing it to travel straight into the sensor and blacking the viewfinder momentarily. There is a prism incorporated in an SLR viewfinder. This prism flips the incoming image and makes it bounce to the focusing screen where it seems visible to you.



In fact the major benefit of an SLR camera is that you view and take the photograph via the same lens. It eliminates the usage of matching the angle of the viewing lens with that of the taking lens. One more reason that SLR cameras are considered best for photography is their ability to accommodate a wide range of lens focal length.



Now that you know the mechanism of an SLR digital camera, let us take a look at some of the types of digital SLR cameras which are used for professional photography.



Interchangeable-Lens Full System Digital SLR



As the name suggests, these cameras are built in such a way that different lenses can be inserted and removed. This feature of the SLR cameras makes them a favorite amongst the professional photographers. The lens can be interchanged like from super telephoto to ultra wide angle lens or again the normal lens. These digital SLR interchangeable lens cameras are available in majority in the market as these have the highest demand.



Fixed-Lens Digital SLR



Another type of digital SLR camera is known as fixed lens SLR. The lenses of these cameras cannot be interchanged as they are fixed. This inability of the camera to change lenses restricts its versatility and usage. However these lenses are also used for professional purposes by many photographers. Some of the best cameras under this category employ a non moving semi transparent mirror. This mirror lets most of the light pass via sensor, but bounces some of the light to the viewfinder. As a result the LCD's of these cameras can be used for composing photographs.



SLR-Like or SLR-Style



This third category of digital SLR cameras is somewhat different to the other two SLR cameras. These cameras are the standard DigiCams which employ an electronic viewfinder in them. This means they have an electronic viewfinder instead of the prism or a point and shoot mechanism. As a result these cameras are not considered true SLR cameras, moreover the quality of images produced by these cameras is not as good as SLR cameras with mirror. These cameras are also known as ZLR cameras.



Well, considering these types of professional digital cameras, as a professional photographer it would become quite easier for you to choose the one which suits your requirements.

About the Author

Did you like this online photography lesson? Would you like to find out more about the Dan Feildman Online Photography Lessons ? Download This FREE Digital Photography Report. Don't miss our FREE weekly online photography lessons!!!


Macro Photography: Digital SLR Know-How with Tamron--Episode 5 (201)

Digital Slr Photography Lessons

1

Learn How to Succeed With the Most Difficult Task in Jewelry Photography

Managing the challenge of narrow depth of field in highly reflective surface environment


By Avi Roth


In the field of commercial photography, be it in motion or static, every category presents a challenge of its own. With jewelry photography, an object of highly reflective surface (HRS), the challenge is amplified due to its relatively small size captured mostly in close-up environment with shallow depth of field, surface complexity (specular), and limited ways of lighting due to space restriction between the lens and the object. Jewelry photography demands knowledge and experience to overcome the compounded difficulty of controlling reflections and limited depth-of-field (perceived sharpness) in close-up jewelry photography.


In addition to the problems mentioned above, the success of reproducing and obtaining a high quality digital image of jewelry will depend on the equipment used in the reproduction process. There are basically three types of camera systems one can employ:


a. Digital SLRs like Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sigma with good sensor resolution (6-14 MP)


b. Medium format cameras like Hassleblad, Rollei or Mamiya with a larger sensor digital back (11-39 MP)


c. Large format view cameras like Sinar or Toyo with live video studio solution (11-39 MP)


The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the principal challenges posed by the complexities of reflective surface reproduction, particularly in digital close-up photography. Below I will present some solution to these challenges from the lessons learned and experienced in my daily practice and from my own research as to what is the best, fastest, and simplest solution to an otherwise complex assignment of jewelry photography.


Jewelry surface (HRS)

The most difficult task of all HRS digital captures is jewelry. In essence all jewelry objects are built with reflective qualities of various degrees and can be compared to mirrors. Mirrors are objects with good specular or diffused reflection; that is, image forming qualities. Imagine pointing your lens towards a mirror at a close distance. What will you see? Exactly, yourself holding a camera and your surrounding area. Jewelry objects in essence embody three kinds of mirrors: flat, convex and concave determined at random by the jewelry’s very shape. Curved mirrors magnify or shrink images therefore distort the reflected image. Most jewelry objects typify spherical mirrors structured in an interesting relationship of concave and convex surfaces.


Solutions:

Understanding the basic reflective properties of mirrors can be helpful in solving some basic problems related to jewelry photography because of their common reflective properties.


a. Jewelry reflection has no physical existence. Conceal the camera or choose a shooting angle for the jewelry to reflect a controlled surface such as a white board or soft box.


b. The location of the camera/lens matters in terms of how and what will the jewelry reflect. Use longer lenses to extend the working space between object and lens.


c. When light strikes the jewelry surface the angle of reflection equals the angle of in incidence. Place your light source indirectly to the angle of reflectance.


d. The reflection on the jewelry is half the size of the reflected image - the jewelry is always halfway between the reflected image and the reflection. Creating and placing the jewelry inside a large soft tent enables the application of various light sources to minimize and control unwanted reflections.


e. If the jewelry surface is flat and perfectly shiny, specular reflection will result. If the surface is rough, diffused or distorted reflection will result (bending) Place the jewelry in a light zone of several loosely arranged large white panels, and by modifying their position relevant to the object will enable the control of light source there by controlling unwanted reflection.


Overall Sharpness:

A narrow depth-of-field (DOF) can create spectacular effects when photographing insects, flowers, etc., but in jewelry photography if the entire image does not appear in full focus, the image becomes an unusable one. Unusable in the sense that some parts of a ring or bracelet needed to provide useful data for the purpose of presentation will be unacceptably less sharp than other parts. For example, the front part of a bracelet (focal plane of the lens) is in sharp focus; but as we move towards the back region the loss of sharpness becomes unacceptable (blurred). DOF and image sharpness changes with sensor size. Smaller digital sensors obtain maximum sharpness at wider apertures (f:8-f:11) while larger ones at (f:11-f:22). Capturing small objects like jewelry via close-up photography presents a problem since only a very narrow portion of the object relative to the focal plane will be acceptably in focus. One way to extend depth of field would be to take images using a narrow lens aperture. This solution has a serious disadvantage. Small apertures bring more light diffraction, degrading the image resolution. This is one reason why many consumer digital cameras (with very small sensors) won't let you stop down past f:8, while studio solution sensors are often stopped down to f:32 and beyond.


Solution:

The application of double exposure solution or photo stitching in jewelry photography partially solves the limitations of shallow depth-of-field. The technique known as "focus stacking" is another. Using double exposure when limited depth-of-field is available is a powerful technique to help photograph and present jewelry.


Depth-of-field determines what part of the jewelry has the sharpest focus and its amount. Unfortunately, at larger apertures depth of field limits attention to a particular focal points i.e. the top of a ring, while minimizing details at the shank. A greater depth-of-field would presents all the elements of a ring sharp at once, relatively equally. Depth-of-field is determined by the following: lens aperture (ƒ-stop), lens focal length and your distance from the focal point. In jewelry photography, of these three the aperture has the most influence and the least modifiable. Therefore to increase depth-of-field and achieve total sharpness over the entire image, move farther away from the jewelry by using a longer lens.


1. Capture two images, first focus slightly below the ring top, then a second focused lower at the center.


2. Bring both images into two separate layers in Photoshop to combine the two into one sharp image.


There are of course other solutions such as the Helicon Focus. This program is designed to manage the shallow depth-of-field problem in close-up imaging. It also aligns the images that change their size and position from shot to shot. This function is especially important with close–up jewelry photography.


However, the most pragmatic answer to the depth-of-field challenge is the large format studio camera. These cameras such as Arca Swiss, Linhof, Sinar, Fuji, Calumet or Toyo have expandable bellows, tilt and swing capabilities, and are allowing the capture of high-quality images with extended depth-of-field beyond the optical limitations of the lens.

About the Author

Avi Roth is an internationally recognized jewelry photographer and the founder of Digital Jeweller: Digital Jewelry Photography Solutions.For more jewelry photography tips and info go to www.jewelryphotographyonly.com

Photography using a Digital SLR Camera Part - 1


digital slr photography lessons5
digital slr photography lessons5