Photography 101: Lens Characteristics

For those of you considering a lens purchase in the near future, the following lens characteristics are important to understand and consider when researching the best buy for you. The terminology and concepts are used to sell better-quality lenses, so study the list below, and be on the lookout for what counts!

Internal Focusing (IF)
Characteristics: The movement of the lens for focusing purposes is internal to the lens body, so no lens ring will cause the lens to twist out and interfere with the orientation of any filters. (Some filters, such as linear polarizers or graduated neutral-density filters require stationary positioning in order to deliver predictable results.) This internal movement also allows the lens weight to stay balanced, which helps the balancing of heavier lenses on a tripod. Image quality of newer IF lenses is slightly better than non-IF lenses due to technological advances made that correct some aberrations.

Image Stabilization (IS) or Vibration Reduction (VR)
Characteristics: Most types of lenses above come in two flavours: either with image stabilization, or without. Built-in stabilization allows you to get sharp hand-held images when lighting conditions are poor, or you're shooting from a moving vehicle. On the lenses that offer this capability, there is usually a switch that lets you turn the feature off, thus saving batteries when using a tripod. Beware the cost of these lenses, though: you can expect to pay 2-4 times as much for a lens with image stabilization than the same lens without.
=> Uses: hand-held photography (i.e. no tripod)

Constant vs Variable Aperture
Characteristics: Variable aperture accounts for the majority of zoom lenses, and causes the maximum aperture to decrease as you zoom from wider focal lengths to telephoto focal lengths. The advantage of variable aperture zoom lenses is that they're cheaper to maufacture and are typically lighter and more compact than contact aperture lenses.

Constant aperture lenses provide a static maximum aperture regardless of the focal length you're zoomed to. This better enables you to achieve narrow depth of field so as to isolate your subject from your background. These lenses typically let more light in, which lets you shoot sharp photos in dimmer lighting conditions.

Macro Focusing
Characteristics: Macro lenses allow the camera to be very close to its subject and still focus sharply. Macro lenses are ideal for close-up shots of flowers, leaves or insects, and sometimes double as portrait lenses. They typically have a reproduction ratio of 1:4 or better, which means the image sensor will capture the subject at 1/4 its original size or larger. => Uses: macro photography

Low-Dispersion Glass
Characteristics: Some lenses are made with high-quality glass specially manufactured to more accurately transmit the full visible colour spectrum, called low-dispersion glass. You may also hear of ED (extra-low dispersion), SLD (super-low dispersion) or UD (ultra-low dispersion), which really just means truer colours.

Apochromatic Lenses (APO)
Characteristics: Apochromatic lenses have high colour fidelity and sharpness and should be used by anyone obsessed with getting to the most accurate colours possible.

Aspherical Elements (ASP)
Characteristics: Aspherical lenses are made with a different curvature than traditional spherical lenses to correct for distortions at the edge of the image. They are particularly useful in wide-angle lenses where vignetting or distortion can be seen in the corners of the image.

Tripod Mounts for Long Lenses
Characteristics: Lenses that are bigger and heavier than your camera body should have a tripod mount built-in. By attaching the lens to the tripod instead of the camera, you will remove tension on the camera-to-lens mount joint, and you will improve tripod balancing in the field. In fact, without a tripod mount, some larger lenses will cause the tripod to topple, thus making tripod use impossible without a lens mount. It is possible to purchase a separate adapter bracket from some manufacturers if the lens itself does not have one.

Plastic Material vs Alloys
Characteristics: Plastic lenses built recently typically use high-tech materials that are very durable and much lighter than metal alloy lenses. So although it used to be said that plastic lenses are cheap and unreliable, that is no longer true today.

Size
Characteristics: Zoom and telephoto lenses are getting smaller and lighter each year. In general, the larger the focal length of the lens, the larger the lens will be physically.

Weight
Characteristics: The heaviness of a lens may be prohibitive to you, depending on your physical fitness level and how long you'll be away from home. Plastic lenses are quite durable and are definitely lighter than equivalent metal lenses, although ultra-lightweight metal alloys are reasonable as well.

Price
Characteristics: In general, no matter which lens you're looking at, prices vary dramatically based on lens quality. Professional lenses will cost you thousands of dollars, while a compact modest starter zoom lens will be only a hundred dollars. You'll pay extra for some of the characteristics discussed in this article, such as fast constant apertures, high quality glass, image stabilization, and quick auto-focus. Remember, though, that lens price is a large investment: lenses will long outlast your camera body, and is largely responsible for the quality of your images (much more so than the camera body itself)!

Teleconverters
Characteristics: Teleconverters are a cheaper alternative to zoom lenses. They're also a lot lighter and smaller to carry around, but then you get what you pay for. Teleconverters force you to have more available light for any particular aperture setting, and image quality will decrease (edge softening and lens fault magnification).

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source: About.com

Valentine's Day Photo Tips: Take a Heart Felt Portrait for the One You Love!

For Valentine's Day, what better way to show your affection than to take a heart felt portrait for the one you love? Here are five tips to help you do it right.

1. You want the focus of attention in your photo to be your subject's face and expression. Suggest clothing that will not take attention away from the subject- avoid checked patterns, stripes and big patterns, unless such outfits are your subject's trademark. The subject's face should stand out, not the clothing!

2. Come in close and fill the frame with your subject. Generally, you'll be better off with a "head-and-shoulders" shot in which the hands don't show.

3. If the hands do show, give them something to hold - gloves, a small bouquet, a hat - anything that's appropriate.

4. Use a relatively fast shutter speed - outdoors ISO 100-200, indoors ISO 400, depending on lighting. Shoot some pictures with flash, some without. Even outdoors you can use your flash to help with shadows, etc.

5. When using flash, keep your subject a few feet from the background to minimize dark wall shadows.

Of course, when you get the photos loaded onto the computer, examine them carefully. Then take the best photo and have it printed to a size you are happy with, and put in a tasteful frame for a great Valentine's Day present!

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Cold Weather Photography

Cold weather photography presents numerous challenges to photographers and their equipment. From drained batteries to frostbit fingers, cold weather photography is a completely different prospect than hot weather shooting. While there are some simple solutions to most cold weather photography problems, these solutions may not be the ones you would first think about.


Equipment Problems
Condensation

What is Condensation?
Condensation is a photographer's nightmare. Just like a pair of eyeglasses fogging up when changing temperatures rapidly, a camera lens (and the inside of the camera) can fog up with condensation. Condensation is water forming on surfaces that are significantly colder or warmer than the air surrounding it. Technically, this means that if your camera goes into an area where the air is warm condensation will form if the camera is colder than the dew point. The opposite is also true. If your camera goes into a cold air area and the camera is warmer than the dew point then condensation can form.


How to Avoid Condensation?
The basic way to avoid condensation is to gradually bring your camera through these extreme temperature changes by sealing it inside a bag containing air the same temperature as the camera is acclimatized to. This way, any condensation forms on the bag instead of the camera as the air and camera gradually equalize to the new environment. In practice, this usually results in the photographer freezing in his/her car because he/she doesn't want to wait for the camera to cool off when he/she gets to the photo location.


Hidden Condensation Cause
Another source of condensation is the photographer. If you breathe on your camera you risk fogging it. The heat from your eye could also cause problems on the viewfinder. If your viewfinder fogs due to photographer body heat it is almost always only an inconvenience that does not affect the rest of the camera. You should, however, refrain from putting your camera in your coat as this could raise the temperature of the camera and lens itself enough to create problematic condensation.
Remember that condensation can form inside the camera as well. Beyond the moisture not agreeing with any electronic parts, the moisture could freeze in very cold conditions and completely ruin the camera.

Drained Batteries
Batteries lose their charge more quickly in cold weather. When shooting in cold weather it is essential to carry spare batteries for all of your equipment. Lithium batteries are a good choice as they are better at holding a charge than the older chemical compositions to begin with. You can also keep the spare batteries in your coat pocket or other relatively warm spot. However, be extremely careful not to let the batteries be too warm as this could cause condensation when they are placed back into the cold equipment.


Photographer Problems
Exposed Skin

What is in Danger?
We all know to wear a coat when we go outside in the cold, but we often forget about our hands and faces. For your face, consider a ski mask to reduce the amount of skin exposed to the wind and cold. This can also help reduce the amount of water vapor you breathe onto your camera. A photographer's fingers and face are the most endangered in cold weather shooting. Often a photographer will take off his/her gloves while shooting in order to better handle the camera. This exposes your fingers not only to the cold but also the wind. Even if the ambient air temperature is not below freezing, the wind chill may be cold enough to cause frostbite.


Protecting Your Fingers
Fingers cause a bit more problems for photographers. Fear of dropping the camera and difficulty in managing the controls with heavy gloves often leads photographers to forgo gloves altogether. This leads to quickly numb fingers and is a fast track to frostbite. Depending on how cold the conditions are, you may even be at risk for your fingers freezing to the metal on the camera. Layering your gloves is an excellent solution to frozen fingers. Wear silk or other fine mesh gloves first (even women's nylons with a few extra seams make great first layer gloves). Over these gloves add a pair of fingerless crafter's gloves. These not only add warmth, but can also help cut down on hand fatigue. The final layer are your normal cold-weather heavy gloves. These will be removed whenever you are shooting so a cord to hang them around your neck is needed to prevent losing them. Your fingers will still get cold with the crafter's gloves and under gloves (but more slowly). Try keeping a hunter's chemical heat pack in your coat pocket for quick reheating of your hands in between frames.


Wet Feet
Even when wearing very well insulated boots, your feet can become damp from perspiration or a poorly placed step that puts you in snow higher than your boot tops. Wet skin is in major danger of damage from cold. Keep extra socks with you at all times for emergency changes. Keeping a couple of kitchen dish towels with you will also allow you to dry off your feet before changing socks.


Slipping
In cold conditions, almost any surface can be covered in ice. Photographers are notorious for not paying attention to their surroundings while they are focusing on a subject. Be sure to pay attention to where you are stepping and wear footgear with good traction in order to avoid a nasty fall.




Big D Photo
Source: About.com

Which Lens Do You Like Best?

There have been a few times when I get asked “which lens do you like best?” Well, there is one lens that is at the top of my list.... The Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens.

This lens works great in low light, but is very responsive as well. It gives a very shallow "depth of field", is highly recommended for taking portrait pictures, while giving a large and nice bokeh. The best thing about this lens is that it has a very large aperture, and all photos are very sharp!

For me, this is a must have lens. My cameras have a cropped sensor, what this means is that the 50mm lens is equivalent to an 80mm lens. It is very fast with great control.

If you are looking for a great, affordable carry around lens...this should be your choice! You will not be let down!



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The Beauty Of Large Aperture In Digital Photography

In digital photography there is one thing that, for crisp images, you simply must know about. And that’s the proper use of your aperture. When you use your aperture the right way in your digital photography you can really influence a lot of creative factors.

What I am about to tell you will help your digital photography a lot, because you’ll be discovering a professional digital photography technique.

In digital photography there are measurements of light control called ISO, Shutter speed, E/V and Aperture. The most important thing to start with in digital photography is to “get your head around” aperture and how it controls many creative aspects of digital photography.

Morning Glory - BigDPhoto.com

As you know digital photography images depend on just the right amount of light falling on to the sensor. An aperture, measured in F stops, is a crucial aspect to how much light the camera gets. A large aperture allows a lot more light to fall onto the sensor, and when this happens you have the freedom of using a faster shutter speed. This is especially handy in situations of low light and fast movement, such as indoor sports or a water fall at the end of the day. That’s why larger apertures and fast action shots indoors need to go hand in hand. By widening your aperture you have a better chance of the movement being ‘frozen’ in time and the camera won’t have time to think about camera shake. If done right, you’ll find good sharp images of freeze frame shots without any blur at all.

In your digital photography you should also know that also a large aperture can give you a crisp depth of field. It gives you the opportunity to have your background out of focus giving you clearer focus for the subject close up. (You should always use macro lenses for very, very short depth of field because you get more clarity and sharpness. You can get in closer too, without the subject blurring as it would have without the macro lens.) Portrait photography works well this way.

On the other hand, a small aperture in your digital photography gives you the opportunity to get a slower shutter speed because once light is reduced onto the sensor, the shutter speed will respond.

A smaller aperture in digital photography increases the depth of field because it influences the focal length. When you have an increased depth of field you will notice much sharper images in long distance shots such as landscapes and cityscapes. So if you are having any challenges with lighting and movement then try this digital photography tip!

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Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Different Digital Camera Modes -- Shutter Or Aperture Priority And More

Digital cameras can be put in different photo shooting modes. The most used mode is automatic – the only thing you need to do is point and shoot. However understanding and using the other options will allow you to get better photos in certain scenarios. Here is how.

Some modes might not be available on your camera. You can set the mode either by using the camera menus on its LCD in which case you can read and choose the mode by its name or you can set it by rotating a dial in which case you choose the mode by its visual icon. Spend some time learning the icons your camera dial uses - some are simple to remember (like ‘A’ for Aperture priority and ‘S’ for Shutter priority) others can be confusing.


•Automatic mode – This is the simplest mode and is also sometimes known as Program Shooting. In this mode the camera does everything for you – it sets the shutter speed, aperture, focus and fires the flash if needed. This mode is the easiest to use and is good if you have to capture an event and have no time to play with the settings. It is also a good starting point for amateurs and a good choice if you just want to capture a moment or an experience and do not care so much about the fine photographic qualities of the photo.


•Aperture priority – in this mode you manually set the aperture value. The camera automatically takes care of everything else for you – for example setting the optimal shutter speed for the aperture you chose. There are physical limitations and not every aperture value that you choose can be accompanied by other settings that will result in a good photo. The camera will let you know by flashing a green LED or in another way if it found the optimal settings that work with your chosen aperture value. One of the most common usages of this mode is when you need a narrow depth of field. By decreasing the aperture f-number the depth of field gets narrower. A narrow depth of field results in a photo that is focused on a specific object at a specific distance while the background is blurred. This is commonly used for example when taking portrait photos.


•Shutter priority – in this mode you manually set the shutter speed. The camera automatically takes care of everything else for you – for example setting the optimal aperture value for the shutter speed you chose. There are physical limitations and not every shutter speed that you choose can be accompanied by other settings that will result in a good photo. The camera will let you know by flashing a green LED or in another way if it found the optimal settings that work with your chosen shutter speed. Using this mode is useful if you need to capture fast moving object or want to freeze the scene by setting the shutter to high speed. In other scenarios if you want to capture the feeling of motion in the photo a slow shutter speed would do the trick. For example when taking photos of water setting the shutter to relatively slow speed blurs the water and captures its movement making the photo more alive.


•Manual mode – In this mode you can set both the aperture and the shutter speed to whatever value you want. It gives you the most flexibility in shooting the photo but it is also harder to use. Although the camera does not set the values for you most cameras will still let you know if the values you chose are good or not for the photo you are shooting


•Portrait mode – This mode optimizes the camera settings for portrait photos. The camera sets the aperture to a low f-number and the shutter to high speed in order to shoot with a narrow depth of field resulting in a focused object and blurred background. Portrait mode should be used in a well lit environment such as outdoor daylight or a well lit studio. It is better not to use this mode with a flash.


•Landscape mode – This mode optimizes the camera settings for landscape photos. White balance is set for natural sun light and the depth of field is deep allowing to capture objects at great distances.


•Macro mode – This mode is used when taking extreme close-up photos. How close you can get to the object depends on the lenses you use.


•Sport mode – In this mode you can take photos of high speed object such as runners or cars in a car race. The shutter is set to high speed to capture the object without blurring it and the auto focus is usually set to continuous to allow focusing on the moving object.


•Night mode – The camera optimizes the settings for night photos. Usually when taking night photos in other modes the result is a black photo and some scattered dots of light. In night mode the photo will include more details of less lit objects. Since night mode uses very slow shutter speeds the camera needs to be stabilized either on a stable surface or using a tripod.

In conclusion take advantage of the fact that taking extra digital photos is free. There is no added cost in taking more photos. Experiment with different photo shooting modes and learn which one works best in which scenario. You will quickly find yourself naturally changing the camera modes to accommodate different conditions.


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