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2007-10-04T08:11:00.000+07:00

Welcome to digicamjinglee !

This is the HOME page of digicamjinglee where titles of

all its articles posted so far in the web log are presented in their order

with the permalink of each article !

1.How to Choose a Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/03/acquire-right-type-of-digital-camera.html

2.Digital Camera Accessories
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/02/essential-digital-camera-accessories-i.html

3.Image Capture with Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/02/digital-camera-your-first-image.html

4.Store Captured Images In PC
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/02/digital-camera-store-captured-images.html

5.Green Mode and Program Mode in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/03/digital-camera-green-mode-and-program.html

6.Comments
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/03/digital-camera-comments-mr_15.html

7.User Mode in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/03/digital-camera-user-mode-user-mode.html

8.Quality Level in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/03/digital-camera-quality-level-and_27.html

9.White Balance in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/03/digital-camera-white-balance-lighting.html

10.Sensitivity and Sharpness in Digital camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/04/digital-camera-sensitivity-sharpness.html

11.Exposure Metering in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/04/automatic-exposure-metering-three.html

12.EV Compensation in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/04/digital-camera-ev-compensation-ev.html

13.Contrast Setting and Fill-in-Flash in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/05/digital-camera-contrast-setting-and.html

14.Colour Mode and Movie Mode in Digital Camera.
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/05/digital-camera-color-mode-and-movie.html

15.Night Scene Mode in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/06/digital-camera-night-scene-mode.html

16.Panorama Mode in Digital Photography
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/06/panorama-mode-in-digital-photography.html

17.Picture Modes and Landscape Mode In Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/06/picture-modes-and-landscape-mode-in.html

18.Macro Modes and Flower Mode in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/06/macro-modes-and-flower-mode-in-digital.html

19.Portrait Modes in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/06/portrait-mode-and-self-portrait-mode.html

20Sunset Mode in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/06/sunset-mode-in-digital-camera-sunset.html

21.Sports Mode in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/07/sports-mode-in-digital-camera-this.html

22.Continuous Shooting Mode in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/07/continuous-shooting-mode-burst-mode-i_24.html

23.Shooting Scenes of fireworks with Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/08/digital-camera-shooting-scenes-of.html

24.Histogram Display in Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/09/digital-camera-histogram-display-what_29.html

25.Histograms of Digital Camera
http://digicamjinglee.blogspot.com/2006/10/digital-camera-histograms.html

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Histograms of Digital Camera

2006-10-01T08:01:00.000+07:00

Histogram Display in Digital Camera

2006-09-29T07:57:00.001+07:00

What is a histogram?
It is the display of a graph in the LCD monitor of your camera to indicate the brightness distribution of the image you want to capture .It gives you an idea as to whether the image gets properly exposed .It helps you to know the
shadows and highlights and leads you to balance the exposure by relocating the subject or camera if possible,
improve lighting if necessary and manually adjust the exposure.
The horizontal axis of the graph is to indicate the brightness distribution and the vertical axis stands for the number
of pixels.
If the image of the subject is too dark, the peak of the graph appears at the far left, descends down and
moves towards the far right.
If the image of the subject is too bright, the peak of the graph appears at the far right, descends down and
moves towards the far left.
When the exposure is well balanced, the peak of the graph gets positioned in the middle, descends down on
both sides more or less uniformly and terminates at either end.
A clear understanding of histogram and adjustments to be made with its guidance will improve your skills
in capturing fine images with digital camera at the field. It will also enrich your editing skills at the
computer desk.

Shooting Scenes of fireworks with Digital Camera

2006-08-14T07:40:00.000+07:00

Taking photos of sparkler fireworks with colorful trails is a fine adventure during a night.
But you have to follow certain guidelines to capture a shot loaded with magical results.
Learn beforehand as to what exact type of scene you are to capture in the moment to arrive.
It may that of a flowerpot radiating sparkles upwards or a hand held wheel radiating
vertical spirals. For either of these situations you may have to position yourself away in front.
If it is a revolving ground wheel you may have to position yourself up above with your
camera poised downwards.
If the explosion and sparkle trail is to take place in the open sky you may have to locate
yourself at a high altitude.
But in all these situations positioning your camera with a tripod is essential. Ensure that
you will have an unobstructed view of the sparkle trail whatever way be its turn or travel.
Study the area and make sure that there are no unwanted structures or stray lights in the
background.
Make sure that you are at right angles to the direction of wind at the specific location.
You should also set your focus in advance and be alert.
The two other most important tips to follow are:
1.The flash should be kept 'off' and if not possible should be covered with a mask.
2.The camera should be set in Continuous Shooting Mode and you should start
shooting a moment before the first flash of sparkle trail appears in the scene.

Then one of your shots is most likely to be a splendid one!

Continuous Shooting Mode in Digital Camera

2006-07-24T07:51:00.000+07:00

I had told you earlier that number of shots should be taken during an exciting event of sports so that any one shot could become by chance a memorable one. You may be asking as to how this shall be done to ensure that shot by all means. The Continuous Shooting Mode otherwise known as Burst Mode comes to your help for this venture.
This is a functional mode normally used with the basic capture mode of the digital camera. You are enabled to take several shots sequentially in succession at a rapid speed with this function when you go on keeping the shutter button fully held down during the critical period of an event. The above speed itself is again a function of the shutter release and image processing system of the camera and indicated as frames per second (fps). Frames per second differ widely in different cameras and models and will vary according to the settings for recorded pixels and quality level.
What exactly happens in this mode? When you continue shooting by pressing the shutter button fully held down over a long stretch of time, the images shot keep on getting stored in a buffer before they are processed and lodged in the memory card. The size of the buffer decides the number of frames that can be taken at a stretch. While some digital cameras specify the number of frames that can be shot in the burst mode, the latest compacts have sufficient buffer capacity that permits you to continue shooting till the memory card is full.

General Guidelines

This mode is not restricted to capture sports events alone. Taking photographs of children is another situation where you may be longing for a wonderful candid shot while they are playing. Burst mode is there to achieve your aim here. Even for taking portraits that you expect to have a candid sparkle, this mode will be helpful. However pre focusing is essential while you shoot in this mode and the battery should be fully charged before you start shooting.Keep a back up battery in readiness if you want to work in this mode for a long session. See that you have another memory card also in reserve if the card in use is not of a high storage capacity,
The manual specific to your camera should guide you for the recommended settings on file size and resolution.

Sports Mode in Digital Camera

2006-07-08T10:26:00.000+07:00

This mode enables you to capture clear images of moving subjects especially those action shots in sports. This is made possible with a high shutter speed. However, number of other constraints is there to be overcome by a photographer before he captures a vital moment of action, which gives life and makes a sports picture fantastic. He has got to be pretty well aware of actions involved and situations of importance distinct to different sports events and the positioning he has to adopt for a specific event.

Equipment

A digicam with 3X optical zoom is fine enough. A tripod or monopod with a pan table is quite essential. A telephoto lens and a flash with high output are optional. For the professional photographer anyway, the needs will be much more and advanced.

Guidelines

Unless you are a press photographer you will not get correct locations close enough for an action shot. You have to plan wisely and decide the apt locations available for you to be as close as possible. This should be your first task.
You should not miss an action. You should be in vigilant watch so that you can correctly expect an event to happen. By keeping the shutter release half way down in a ready mood, you can click at the exact moment of action.
You should keep focus on the player and change it closely following the movement of the player. If the action you expect is on a specific location you can keep the focus there and wait for the player to move to that location.
Keep the camera vertical so that the full height of the player is captured during the moment of action.
You should take a shot of an individual player at any one moment unless two or more players are involved in a special event
A Guide Display should be available in your camera forming a grid of three vertical sections and three horizontal sections. Improve your composition by placing the subject where the grid lines intersect. If the player is moving to the right, place him in the left third line. if he is moving to the right, place him in the right third line.
Keep in mind always that to capture also the face of the player with whatever emotion that gets revealed in his face is most important. Zoom in whenever necessary.
You should make number of shots during an exciting moment of the event. One of the shots may become really memorable and you may not have to worry later that you have missed a good shot!
A bit of experience will really enrich your mettle in sports photography!

Sunset Mode in Digital Camera

2006-06-22T07:29:00.000+07:00

The sunset mode is another picture mode in digital camera, which enables you to capture the beautiful colors of the scene of not only the sunset but also of sunrise. Seasoned photographers sometimes opt for the program mode itself or the night scene mode with fill flash to achieve the results they yearn for in the image of a sunset. Here again one's imagination and creative thought play a major role.
However, you can just follow a few guidelines to help you and easily get very fine results in the sunset mode.
You should keep yourself at a position fairly high enough where you get a good view without other elements of distraction. A total view of the sun may be preferred for sunrise but a view of glitter ten minutes after sunset may make a fine shot. It cannot be just the view of the sunrise or sunset that matters. An apt inclusion of the skyline, an impact of dark clouds, a reflection of sun in water or other reflected effects in the foreground alone shall make that a piece of art. Your lookout should be to capture a dramatic blend of the above image with a rich variety of colors also.
You should then ensure that the sun is down below in the sky to the extent of 10 to 15 degrees above the horizon if the sun is not bright due to a cover of clouds a slightly higher position of the sun in the sky may also be considered for a capture. You should compose the scene to ensure that the sky is highlighted to the greatest extent possible.
Number of shots of the same scene will have to be made at short intervals of time keeping the optical zoom at the maximum zoomed in position. The EV compensation setting should be kept at -1.0.
Every sunrise and sunset offers you a new opportunity and your shot at anyone early moment of sunrise or final moment of sunset may give you very brilliant results.

Portrait Modes in Digital Camera

2006-06-12T07:09:00.000+07:00

Portrait Mode

Digital cameras have a built in portrait mode to capture digital images of people with a sharp focus of the person in the foreground and in contrast a slightly softer view of the background which exactly means that a limited depth of field is effected. Hence, in this mode the camera opts for a wide aperture to minimize the depth of field. The automatic flash of the camera will also get set to' auto + red eye reduction' mode to reduce the phenomena of red eyes caused by the reflected light of flash in the subject's eyes.
An informal photograph of a friend or a member of the family can be created with very high quality in portrait mode if certain guidelines are followed.
For taking a good portrait, indoor light supplemented by your flash may not be sufficient. Choose early morning or evening and then select a location where the sun will be behind and at one side of the subject. This arrangement combined with your flash will be an ideal lighting set up for your portrait mode.
You should keep the optical zoom at maximum position and take a step closer towards the subject if necessary and compose your shot with head and shoulders of the subject emphasizing the subject’s features to the greatest extent .The portrait will appear nice when the composition gets closely packed within the frame.
A candid mood has also to be created with the subject before you take a shot. The person or persons should feel at ease and keep up a natural disposition. You can also start conversing with them with a blend of humor and capture a shot at the opportune moment.

Self-Portrait Mode or Timer Mode

In self- portrait mode as it is generally called, a timer gets involved to see that the picture is taken after a lapse of time when the shutter release button is pressed. The mode enables the subject to set up the focus first and then capture his own image or include himself in a group. The timer gets engaged when the shutter release button is pressed fully and the timer lamp lights up for about seven seconds to display the count down. The subject has to place himself in position during this time interval. The picture is taken approximately three seconds after the timer lamp starts to blink.
Focusing will get disturbed if the camera is moved when the timer has already started functioning.
This mode can be considered as a timer mode for all purposes.

Macro Modes and Flower Mode in Digital Camera

2006-06-10T07:12:00.000+07:00

Macro Modes
Most of the modern digital cameras have a macro mode to capture the image when the distance to the subject is approximately 18 cm. to 50 cm. and a super macro mode to capture the image when the distance is 6 cm. to 20 cm. Two leading manufacturers have specified the macro mode of their latest versions as 1cm.All these cameras have flower icons to indicate the macro mode and super macro mode as focus mode functions in a menu list. This functional mode is generally used to capture images of flowers, coins
butterflies and jewels. These features for close-up photography enables photographers with creative instinct to enlarge their imaginative vision and step up their caliber to produce masterpieces of art. Continuous effort with patience is however required to acquire expertise to lead them towards that end.
Flower Mode
Now a distinct flower mode itself is additionally available as a picture mode in the mode palette with a broad petal flower icon. This mode allows you to change the default settings for EV compensation, saturation, contrast, sharpness and white balance to suit your needs. But, flower photography is still a challenging task since it is difficult to reproduce exactly the beauty of color and intensity of details that give life to that creation of nature.
The photographer to achieve success in this creative pursuit should always keep certain guidelines in mind.
Avoiding direct sunlight is always advised. Use of flash should be after a careful thought. A backlit situation is generally considered to be ideal for translucent petals of flowers. Side lighting in the early morning and late afternoon also can be chosen. But in cloudy days when lighting is more even without shadows you can have ideal shots.
Use of a firmly positioned tripod is a must. Fast shutter speed is also necessary .In case of dark colored flowers a bit of under exposure is advised. Likewise an over exposure should be opted for in the case of white flowers and flowers of light shade. .
Use your imagination and capture the image of the flower at different angles and with different artificial backgrounds. Holding a plain colored or grained surface plastic sheet or anything else of your choice can create an enchanting background. You can also wait till a humming bee or a colorful butterfly sits over the flower and spreads its wings. Well thought out composition with shadows and reflections may bring forth a great capture
In a pitch-dark night also, you can capture the image of a flower with flash and the results may be stunning!

Picture Modes and LandscapeMode In Digital Camera

2006-06-07T07:31:00.000+07:00

Picture Modes

The green mode of the camera may serve you well in many situations by automatically focusing on a distant landscape scene.
When you want better results you can select the program mode or the basic capture mode and select infinity or infinity-landscape in the focus functional menu. But every landscape situation is unique. Cameras sometimes find it difficult to focus distant objects and in low levels of light. To ensure fail-safe sharpness in such situations modern digital cameras offer you a landscape mode itself in the mode palette.
This mode is one among those exclusively classified as picture modes. Other picture modes generally offered are flower mode, portrait mode, self- portrait mode, sunset mode, food mode, pet mode, text mode, sports mode and surf snow mode. The default settings on EV compensation, saturation, contrast, sharpness, and white balance on anyone of the above picture modes can be changed by you to suit your needs. You should refer to the manual specific to your camera for the provisions available.

Landscape Mode

The landscape mode provides support to capture the natural colors of scenery in parks, waterfalls, mountains and many things, that abound in nature. Any time of the day can be your choice for landscape photography except noon on a bright sunny day. But fine captures can be ensured between 9 A.M and 3 P.M. It should be the pursuit of the photographer to spot out locations where cloudy shadows and streaks of sunshine intrude and provide elements of lavish beauty in the complex blend of nature. Multiple shots tried with different angles will you give you unexpected results. It is a general practice to include clouds at the backdrop or a person in the foreground. That enables the scene to reveal the magnitude of what is seen.
Use of tripod is generally preferred for landscape photography. Use of wide angle in zoom lens may bring in more elements of the scene in your capture. But, it still depends on what exactly are the details of your search for.
You may also have to utilize all the potential available in the editing software to create dramatic effects in whatever you have captured in the landscape mode.

Panorama Mode in Digital Photography

2006-06-04T08:01:00.000+07:00

Modern digital cameras have made taking panoramas nearly an easy task. Dedicated panorama cameras are very costly but every digital camera has a panorama mode that lets you take multiple wide images with overlap and these images are joined precisely to form a single panorama picture using the specific software supplied along with the camera. The process of joining is generally referred to as "stitching".

A tripod with a panning head is required for the camera when panorama mode is selected. How shots should be stitched is also to be selected. It could be from right to left or top to bottom or the other way. When you start shooting it should be from the far left or right or from far top or bottom corresponding to the selection.
You should keep the camera at level and at the same spot till you complete the entire sequence of shots.

After you capture the first section of the image you should lock the white balance and exposure settings to ensure that the same settings are used for the subsequent shots. You should then turn the camera by 30 to 40 degrees in the selected direction for each subsequent shot till the entire scene is captured. The minimum over lap of each image in the sequence is 30% and the vertical alignment should be kept at less than 10%. If a distinct object were included in every overlapping section, it would be easier for the editing software to precisely identify the section to be joined

Night Scene Mode in Digital Camera

2006-06-01T07:13:00.000+07:00

Photography after sunset is no longer a challenging task. Neon signs or street lamps and brightly illuminated buildings or areas under focus lights form fine targets to capture during night. Modern digital cameras have a distinct night scene mode to capture such scenes and other rare moments in life with dramatic results by choosing appropriate settings. The dominant guiding factor here is long exposure and use of a firm tripod. But certain technical limitations do exist which can be overcome by proper understanding of number of other factors that lead the photographer to experiment and gain experience.

Imagine that you capture a night scene in green mode. The flash will light up only the objects in the fore ground and provide a good exposure for them. But the distant background will be shady and dark. The night scene mode adopts an exposure taking into account whatever illumination is available in the background leaving the flash to take care of the foreground. Fine captures can also be obtained when you use night scene mode at dawn or dusk.

Still you may get some poor results. High levels of noise and lack of details and depth may cause frustration. Planning well earlier after a study of the distinct conditions of a scene is a must. Different combinations of length of exposure and increased aperture may have to be chosen for the relevant condition. Number of shots with an exposure for each combination may have to be patiently taken.
The fact that increase in exposure time reduces noise and increment in aperture results in higher depth of field will have to be borne in mind during this stage.

A full moon day is an advantage for night scene photography. It helps to reduce the exposure time. The depth of field may also get extended. On other days the degree of intensity of light available on a particular day has to be considered. The length and nature of shadows cast on objects by moon in different positions are to be studied since they may affect the exposure and produce harsh results.

You should always remember that histogram could never guide you in night scene mode. Use of optical zoom should also be avoided in this mode since it could cause camera shakes.

Colour Mode and Movie Mode in Digital Camera

2006-05-22T07:05:00.000+07:00

Color Mode
.
You know that black and white pictures were ruling the field of fine arts for decades and decades. Even now the fact that black and white images need not be compressed as much as color images is an advantage. Their image quality is also higher. They offer scope to create moods and contrast.
Even color digital cameras have a provision to capture images in ’Black and White’ or ‘Sepia’.
In a pull down menu of the camera, the color mode is set to ’ Full Color’ or ’ B&W’ or ‘Sepia’.
The default setting of this functional mode in other normal capture modes is Full Color.

Movie Mode

Many digital cameras come with a movie mode. But they can never be considered equal to camcorders.
However, you can create short movie clips with certain limitations in quality by following the guidelines in the manual of your camera. The latest models provide a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, which is just fine for displaying the movies in a TV. Sound also gets recorded in most of the cameras and you can create music videos. In a standard camera you can take a movie in 640 x 480 format for approximately 2.5 minutes when using a 64 MB SD memory card.
There may be a time limit for continuous shooting, the usual range being 30 to 240 seconds. If there is no limit
you are free to shoot till the memory card is full.
Time - Lapse movie mode is additionally available in some cameras. This mode enables you to take movies at a delayed frame rate so that when you play the movie back, the action appears speeded up. Settings of x2, x5, x10, and x20 may be available for you to choose. When you set at x2, the frame rate is reduced to half and if you set it at x5, the frame rate is brought down to one fifth. In the former setting, the play back will appear to be at twice the normal speed and in the latter setting it will appear to be at five times the normal speed. Sound will not get recorded at time-lapse movie mode.
The movies are made in AVI or MPEG4 mode at a frame rate of approximately 30fps.Provision for editing the movies will be available in the software supplied with the camera. This software may also have certain limitations. You may need additional encoder software to transfer the movie clips to your PC.
Flash is not available in movie mode and you have to choose a brightly lit area and ensure a good composition. You have to use a table or a tripod and capture shots in close up range at different angles. Different positions of camera may also help to provide a live change in effect.
Movie mode certainly helps to capture and keep alive the happy moments in a holiday!

Contrast Setting and Fill-in-Flash in Digital Camera

2006-05-09T06:54:00.000+07:00

Contrast

When you shoot in a cloudy day, or slightly before dawn, at dawn, slightly after dawn or an hour before sunset the light is soft and warm in color and you get excellent results in green mode itself. Here, default normal setting itself controls contrast automatically.
But, in conditions of extremely bright sunlight, the digital images show a very high contrast. Image editing software can correct this to some extent. Total correction is nearly impossible and texture and details are generally lost. The contrast level adjustment control helps in such cases. By slightly lowering the setting, very bright highlights and dark shadow areas can be minimized. Images can then be further edited in the relevant software.
On just a bright sunny day, changing position will help to overcome undesired contrast. If images of people are to be captured, they can be moved to a shady area and fill-in flash can be used to light up their faces to remove shadows and add sparkle to their eyes.

Fill-In Flash

This function, as its name suggests, serves to fill in light where it is deficient, though it may be called by different names by different camera manufacturers.
If the subject is backlit, the bright background will misguide the camera and the faces of the subjects will become dark. Fill-In flash will remedy such situations. Even when the background is not backlit, if shadows are cast over the subject, you should resort to fill-in flash.
The fill-in flash function ensures that a regulated and reduced amount of light is added to the normal outdoor light, to fill up light over shadows and reduce contrast. It enables image capture to be metered and exposed in a diligent manner.
Fill-In flash has to be selected to be ‘on’ or ‘off’ in menu list.

EV Compensation in Digital Camera

2006-04-30T08:39:00.000+07:00

The light meters of cameras cannot see color. The automatic exposure system renders the values in every scene to balance to an 18% neutral gray and determines the exposure accordingly. In most of the situations, this would work well. But in difficult lighting conditions exposure value compensation setting has to be used to over ride the camera’s automatic exposure setting. EV Compensation will be much helpful in scenes such as ‘ a white cottage surrounded by snow’ or ‘a black cat in a dark background’. Adjusting the setting in such conditions will help you capture the image the way it looks. By increasing the compensation the distinct brightness of the white object in a white background gets restored. When compensation is decreased, the distinct tones of the black image get highlighted in a black background.
A contrast problem may crop up when the difference between the most dark and the rest or the most white and the rest exceeds the range of the camera. In such conditions you should choose the area, which needs detailed capture. You may have to increase compensation to increase detail in shadows or decrease compensation to increase detail in highlights. In certain cases, additional lighting may improve the situation.

Setting
The default setting for EV Compensation is ± 0. Digital Cameras normally have provision to compensate the exposure by 1 to 2 EV plus or minus by increments of 1/3.The following guidelines may help you to experiment and gain experience,
1.When the subject to be captured is backlit with very bright light, the setting can be +0.7 or +1.0
2.When bright sunlight from behind you makes the subject very bright, the setting can be –0.3 or –0.7
3.For a scene with a normal sunlight and/or backlighting the range of 0.0 to +2 should be considered; so also in a beach or for conditions of dimly lit night sky or snow.
4. For capturing sea view or landscape just prior to dusk a setting of –2/3 may give good results.
5.When you have to capture dark objects placed in similar surroundings, a setting from –1 1/3 to –2 /3
may be adopted.
6. To have a close up capture of light colored flowers or similar objects, choose a setting in the range of +1/3 to 1 2/3
EV compensation gets reset to its default value when camera is turned off.

Effecting change of mood

You may like to alter the mood of the scenes sometimes, by making it brighter or darker than what it really looks. EV Compensation is an effective tool to achieve this.
To brighten your photograph being taken on a dull day, you can increase the setting and bring about an artistic tone. By decreasing the exposure value, a sober effect on an otherwise bright scene can be created or the effect of thoughtful look in an individual can be made more impressive.
Automatic settings may overexpose twilight scenes. The real life in the dark areas may get lost. Suitable decrease in exposure value will enrich the life of the scene captured.

Exposure Metering in Digital Camera

2006-04-11T07:37:00.000+07:00

The three different settings provided for AE Metering, enables you to choose the part of the image the camera should use for measuring brightness and contrast to determine the exposure.

Multi-Segment

Samples from all parts of the image in the entire screen are reckoned to determine the exposure when this setting is selected.

Center – Weighted

This setting measures brightness and contrast in the central region of the image and decides the exposure.
This works well when the subject image falls in the center of the frame.

Spot

A small area only in the center of the screen is reckoned. The subject is to be centered in a spot in the center of the viewfinder. This setting is useful in backlit scenes or when the subject is very dark or light compared to the rest of the scene.
The default setting for Green Mode is Multi-segment Metering.

Sensitivity and Sharpness in Digital camera

2006-04-01T07:16:00.000+07:00

Sensitivity

You know that there are specific ISO settings in film cameras corresponding to different slow and fast speed of films or sensitivity of films. Slow speed films are used for bright light conditions and fast films for
conditions of low level lighting. You may also know that provision for automatic change of ISO setting on recognizing the sensitivity of the film loaded is also available in many cameras.
In digital cameras the sensitivity of the CCD is automatically adjusted. If you increase the sensitivity the images captured are likely to be overridden by noise.
The CCD sensitivity setting may range from ISO25to ISO 1600.Manual setting is also normally provided.
The need for manual setting may arise in low-level light conditions. Use of tripod is essential in such cases.
The working range of flash is normally reckoned with standard output sensitivity of ISO 200. Increasing ISO range also increases the working range of flash.
In case of a close up of, say a flower moving along the wind breeze, if you have made the aperture small to ensure maximum depth of field, the resulting slow shutter speed may result in a blurred image. If you increase the ISO setting now, the aperture and shutter speed will increase and capturing the image in a moment of freeze becomes possible.
In most of the situations, it is always desirable to keep a standard lower sitting and auto option ‘on’ in the camera’s menu.
Certain broad guidelines for ISO setting are given below.
Auto ISO is ideal for most of the situations.
ISO 80 may be chosen in bright light conditions for close ups, portraits and landscapes. Detailed and fine image quality can be expected.
ISO 100 may give a little less of image quality.
ISO 200 may be chosen for cloudy days. Image quality will be good.
ISO 400 and above will be the choice for in door photography and sports photography. High noise levels are to be expected.

Sharpness

The sharpness setting helps you to shift from a normal position to a sharp or soft setting when you want to have sharper outlines with increased contrast on the edges of the image or softer outlines. The sharp setting may be chosen in the case of edge of a building against the sky. The soft setting, which softens the edges, is chosen to create an ideal soft focus effect in portraits.
A normal setting is generally desired.

Saturation

A saturation setting is intended to add vibrancy to all colors. A normal setting keeps up balanced saturation with natural looking colors. Setting enables an increase or decrease in saturation.

How to Choose a Digital Camera

2006-03-30T19:36:00.000+07:00

You are either an amateur directly entering the field of
digital photography or an experienced photographer
who is shifting over from the field of film camera!
Anyway you are one for whom moments of thrill and
achievements are in store in the days ahead!
Here are some guidelines to enable you to put forward
to the camera dealer the optimum specifications for
the camera you need and also the most essential accessories
you want along with the camera.

Types of Camera Design

You have
1.Digicam with fixed lens (mostly plastic lens)
This is just a starter camera for budding young amateurs.
2.Digital SLR with interchangeable lens
Very Expensive – Intended only for a serious amateur
Not for you anyway at this moment!
3.Digicam with fixed zoom lens
May offer over 12x zoom but design would be bulkier
and controls may be complicated. To be avoided at this stage!
4.Digicam with retractable lens that extends when the camera is on
and retracts into its body when it is off.
This compact digicam (with number of zoom ranges for your choice)
is an ideal one to start with!

Lens

Zoom lens enables you to zoom in and out to capture different situations.
Zooming out gives you a wide angle of view and helps you capture a wide expanse
of the scene. Zooming in gives a narrow angle of view to enable objects appear enlarged.
Look for an Optical Zoom and don’t get lured by the high level digital zoom
factors.
Optical Zoom works with moving parts like the zoom in a traditional camera
and lets you choose any focal length in the range for which it is designed.
Digital Zoom has no moving parts and it uses its electronic brain to take a
part of the image falling in the sensor and enlarge it to fill the sensor.It just
crops away information in the image and resizes it to give you an end product of
lower quality .
Whatever you want to do in a digital zoom can be done by cropping the image in a
photo editing program such as ACDSee . A CD for such software comes along with
the camera.
Optical Zoom is measured by its magnification factor 2x.3x.4x and so on. Here
again a 2x Zoom could mean 28mm-56mm zoom,35mm-70mm zoom or
50mm-100mm zoom.They will have different properties. In a specification for a
3x Zoom, it may be indicated as “ Focal length 5,8mm-17.4mm equivalent to
35.6mm-107mm in 35mm format.
You can do research on this technical aspects much later!
If you can opt for a 4x Zoom now, you need not have any worry on this issue!
It will be a fine option.If budget constraints are there, you can compromise
for 3x and nothing less than that.
You may ask about the quality of the lens. If you are going for a standard brand
such as Pentax, Nikon, Canon etc; you can be rest assured that you are getting a
a top class lens.

Resolution

Resolution is a very important factor which refers to the clarity and quality of an
Image.It is measured in mega pixels. A mega pixel denotes a million picture elements.
If an image has more pixels it is sharper.
If you do not need prints above the size of 4”x6” and if you do not desire to crop
and edit your captured images, 2 mega pixels is all that you need. If you want to enlarge
your prints to 5”x7”,8”x10” or to a still larger format you need 3,4 or 5 mega pixels.
If you are to be in tune with the trends of the day, your option for effective pixels
should be 5 mega pixels. Many latest Compacts come with 6.0 mega pixels!

Viewfinder

LCD Viewfinder is to be opted for. It is easy to use and with its monitor you can have
a frame coverage of approximately 100% and can review the captured images. Ensure that
you get at least a 2.0-inch TFT color LCD with 110 kilo pixels monitor.

Shutter

Be assured that the electronic/mechanical shutter speed is at least 1/2000 sec – 4 sec.

Memory

The storage medium for the camera will be a built-in memory and a memory card.
Compact Flash, Smart Media and Secure Digital are some of the types of memory cards.
Some cameras are compatible for more than one type. But, generally when you get a
Digicam you are committed to work with one type of card only.
Ensure that a built-in memory around 9.0MB is available and get to know the type of
card specific to the camera.

Power Supply

The electronic image sensor, LCD monitor (Viewfinder), image processor and flash
of the camera consume lot of power. Power is also consumed when it is required to
play back or review captured images. Batteries are the source of power.
Certain old versions of cameras use AA batteries or camera specific battery packs.
Your choice now should be a camera designed for use with a specified rechargeable
Lithium-ion battery.

A camera with the above indicated specifications will have innumerous other built-in
features such as quality levels, digital filters, white balance, self-timer along with number
of exposure modes and controls. Reputed manufacturers of cameras are competing with
each other, day in and day out, to introduce new models with more refinement in controls
and performance.

Choice is yours!

Next:Digital Camera Accessories

White Balance in Digital Camera

2006-03-29T08:29:00.000+07:00

Lighting

Sunlight or light from an incandescent or fluorescent lamp contains a mixture of all colors in different proportions. We can’t see the subtle difference. But the color of the image we capture is affected by the color composition of the light source.
The temperature of color corresponds to the exact color of the light source. The color temperature scale ranges from the lower color temperature of reddish light to the higher color temperature of bluish light. Based on this, a system known as white balance has been evolved to effect balancing of image sensors to match light of a particular color temperature. The relative sensitivity of the sensor to different colors is adjusted automatically or manually to match the colorcast of the light (image) it has to record.

White Balance Settings

Pictures in natural colors can be taken by selecting the white balance specific to the conditions of light at the time of shooting. For indoor photography with flash in well lit rooms with very little natural light or for out door photography in sunlight or a cloudy or overcast condition, you have to select the correct white balance setting as detailed in the manual of your camera.
An Auto white balance setting in your camera adjusts the white balance automatically. Distinct settings are
provided for you to take pictures outdoors in sunlight or under cloudy sky or in a shady place. For indoor photography, separate settings for taking pictures under the light of tungsten light or white fluorescent lamps
or daylight fluorescent lamps are provided. A manual white balance setting enables you to make the required adjustment manually. An icon indicates each setting.

.

Quality Level in Digital Camera

2006-03-27T08:09:00.000+07:00

Resolution

Quality Levels and recorded pixels are related to resolution. Resolution on
a specified quality level refers to the number of pixels or dots per inch in an
image. Digital files of photographs (also video and sound files) are a collection
of pixels. In a digital image, transition from one color to another color is formed
by a series of very small blocks of dots.
Digital Camera Resolution is measured in mega pixels.

Quality Levels

The image compression ratio decides the quality level. In the format with lower
compression, a maximum amount of image forming elements is saved to ensure
color fidelity and clarity. In higher compression format some image forming
information is lost while the file size is shrunk.
You choose the image compression ratio while you choose the quality level
The BEST quality level which is normally indicated by a 3 Star icon, has the lowest compression
ratio. This level is suitable for large A4 size prints.
The BETTER quality level which is normally indicated by a 2 Star icon, has a standard compression
ratio. This is suitable for photo prints or for viewing images in a computer screen.
The GOOD quality level which is normally indicated by a single star icon, has the highest compression
ratio. This is suitable for attaching images to e-mails or creating web sites.

Recorded Pixels

You can choose the number of recorded pixels also. As you know already, the more
pixels there are, the larger the image and bigger the file size.
For printing post card size prints 1024 pixels in 1024 x 768 format is sufficient. 2 mega pixels
in 1600 x 1200 format and 3 mega pixels in 2048 x 1536 format will give a finer image.
For use in web sites and e - mails 640 pixels in 640 x 480 format will be the choice.
But, you require 4 mega pixels in 2304 x 1728 format for printing A4 size or larger prints
and for editing and processing images.
If you have to print images with high-resolution settings, 5 mega pixels in 2560 x 1920 format
should be the choice.
Keep in mind that higher quality levels and larger number of recorded pixels produce
clearer and finer images for printing but results in increase in data volume and
decrease in number of pictures that can be taken.

User Mode in Digital Camera

2006-03-15T07:17:00.000+07:00

User Mode
After learning to use Green Mode and Program Mode, you have to experiment with USER mode and gain
experience. In this mode, settings for the functions detailed here are set to default. [The name of the mode refers to the one adopted in a particular standard camera taken as an example; It may be called by a different name in an equally standard camera of your choice. You may have to identify.]
Default Settings
1. Flash Mode- Auto
2. Drive mode- Single Image
3. Focus Mode- Auto
4. Manual Focus Position- Infinity
5. Changing the focus area- Center
6. Focusing Area- Multiple (Normal Range)
7. Zoom Position- Wide Angle
8. Display Mode- Normal
9, Recorded Pixels- 5 Mega pixels (Maximum for the reference camera)
10. Quality Level- Better
11. White Balance- AWB (Auto)
12. AE (Metering)- Multi segment
13. Sensitivity- Auto
14. Sharpness- Normal
15. Saturation- Normal
16. Contrast- Normal
17. EV Compensation- ± 0.0
18, Aux. AF Light- ON
19. Color Mode- Full Color
You can register your own settings for the different functions in the USER mode for being kept in memory and start shooting.
The settings will be retained till you reset them to default.
It is time now that the nature of the above functions and the different settings open to you in each function for choice are learnt.
Functional Modes
Flash modes and Focus modes have been discussed already.
Drive mode stands for to choose between single image shooting and continuous shooting operation.
In zoom, the tele mode enables you to shoot a bigger image of the subject whereas in wide angle mode the area covered becomes larger and the subject image becomes smaller.
In the manual mode focus position, the control button is operated to set the focus position for distant focus or closer focus, while watching the indicator in LCD screen.
In the normal display mode, icons indicating the program mode, flash mode, drive mode, focus mode, focus frame, memory card/built in memory, battery indicator, remaining number of recordable images, date and time, aperture and shutter speed get displayed in the LCD monitor.
When the histogram display is set the graph that reveals the brightness distribution of the image is also displayed. The horizontal axis of this graph shows the brightness and the vertical axis shows the number of pixels.
A grid consisting of three blocks horizontally and three vertical blocks is formed in the monitor when guide display is selected. The grid sections enable you to improve composition.

Comments

2006-03-15T07:09:00.000+07:00

Dasarathram M Reddy [Arcadia. California] has written to me from dasramreddy@yahoo.com.
He has given valuable information on the features of a camera of the right choice and also
advised me on corrections to my observations.
To Mr.Reddy
Thank You! My dear brother!
I am reproducing here all your observations and comments for the benefit of the readers of my
blogs.
Appoothy

Mr.Reddy’s Comments

“I have again gone through your Digital Camera Blog, and noted some points for correction. It looks that most of your jottings refer to a specific Camera used by you. You have stated that alkaline batteries are in use in most recent cameras; this is also not true. You have not mentioned about Ni-Mh batteries which are rechargeable and can also be used in place of alkaline batteries. Ni-Mh batteries last longer than alkaline batteries. However initial costs are 5 to 6 times more than alkaline batteries. Using the LCD monitor viewfinder causes a severe drain on any battery. To make the batteries last longer use of the optical (eye) viewfinder of the camera would be a good suggestion. Most of the Lithium ion Batteries are Proprietary items for the respective camera manufacturers and not a standard item like an alkaline battery which is available in any market place notwithstanding the fact that rechargeable Ni-Mh (AA, C or D) type batteries or sold generally in specialty stores. There is not much information available on the use of Ni- Cd batteries in spite of their fast recovery time compared to normal Alkaline batteries perhaps because of their individual voltage level being 1.2 volts whereas Alkaline and Ni-Mh batteries have individual higher voltage level of 1.5 volts.
AV cable is a standard item included in a package by any digital camera manufacturer and not an optional item as you have stated. About Power supply, Flash, Functional modes, Focus mode, Flash and Fill flash against backlit subjects and lighting I will discuss in my next letters. You have stated that reputed manufacturers like Pentax, Nikon and some others use quality lenses. Avoid use of specific manufacturers names. In fact Panasonic uses Leica lenses and Kodak uses Schneider lenses in most of their cameras and these lenses have a higher brand name reputation in the world like Zeiss Icon lenses”

Green Mode and Program Mode in Digital Camera

2006-03-08T07:32:00.000+07:00

Green Mode
Different modes are provided in a digicam to freeze the life's enchanting moments in time as photographs. A mode palette shows the icons relating to the modes the camera offer. The simplest mode to capture images quickly is what is generally known as Green Mode, which may not find place in the palette, but its green rectangle icon appears prominently in the monitor as soon as the camera is switched on and the button for the mode is pressed down. This is a fully automatic mode, which enables you to just point towards the subject, frame the image and press the shutter. Settings for all functions including the shutter speed and aperture, flash and continuous shooting are set to a standard combination with the exception of optical zoom. You can change the size of the subject by zooming in or out. You can also switch over to the green mode at any stage of operation from other capture modes
Program Mode
This is the basic capture mode. Generally, the camera automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture but you can select other functions such as flash mode, continuous shooting mode, and the focus mode. The arrangement may differ from one camera to the other and the ultimate guide shall be the manual provided with your camera.
The icon for the mode will be a capital P displayed in the first position in mode palette.
Functional Modes
The icon corresponding to particular set function will remain displayed in the monitor screen after the setting is selected.
Flash Mode
In the 'flash on' mode the flash discharges regardless of the brightness and does not discharge at all in the 'Flash off' mode. It will discharge automatically depending upon the light conditions in the’ auto mode', Red eyes caused by the light from the flash getting reflected in the subject’s eyes is reduced by two flash modes, one for the ‘auto’ position and the other for the ‘on’ position.
Continuous Shooting Mode
When this mode is selected pictures are taken continuously as long as the shutter release button is kept pressed.
Shooting stops as soon as you take your finger off. You can continue shooting till your memory card gets filled. The flash will not discharge in this mode.
Focus Mode
Apart from Auto Focus mode, which should be used when the distance to the subject is more than about 16 inches, you have Macro mode, Super Macro mode, Pan Focus mode, Infinity Landscape mode, Manual Focus mode and Focusing Area mode.
The macro mode is chosen when the distance of the subject is about 7 inches to20 inches and the super macro mode when it is from 2.4 inches to 8 inches.
The pan focus mode is used when the distance of the subject is approximately more than 5 feet at wide angle and more than 16.5 feet at tele angle.
The infinity-landscape mode is chosen when you have to shoot distant objects.
The manual focus mode is for adjusting the focus manually with control button.
The focusing area mode is for changing the auto focus area. A normal range and a spot range (reduced range) are available for selection.

Store Captured Images In PC

2006-02-27T07:31:00.000+07:00

You should have already installed the software provided along with the camera. I have a Pentax OptioS5nDigital Camera. ACDSee software for Pentax is installed in my PC. The software installed by you in your PC should be equally good. However I am giving you the broad guide lines based on ACDSee. The step- by-step approach should be the same for other software also. Go thro’ the PC Connection Manual given to you.
Setting up the USB connection mode of your camera to PC
1.Press the menu button in the camera and have the setting menu displayed in monitor.
2There will be two options for USB connection. One will be for PC and another for PictBridge. Select PC andpress ‘OK’. The setting will stay on. (Need for the option for PictBridge is to enable you to print images directly from the camera without using a PC. i.e. by connecting the camera to a printer that supports PictBridge using the USB cable specific to the camera.)
The camera should not be connected to the PC in PictBridge mode and should not also be connected to the printer in PC mode.
Transferring images to a PC
1.Turn your PC - ‘ON’
2.Keep your camera turned ‘OFF’ and connect it to your PC with USB cable.
3.Turn your camera ‘ON’
4.Device Detector screen appears automatically. Confirm ‘Acquire images from the device’ is checked and click OK.
5.Click ‘Next’ and select the images to be copied. Click ‘Next’
6.Specify name and save destination of the images and click ‘Next’. The images are copied to the PC.
7.Click ‘Finish’ and close the application of software.
Disconnecting the camera from your PC
1.A ’Safely Remove Hardware’ icon in the case of Windows XP or an ‘Unplug or Eject Hardware’ icon in the case of Windows 2000/Me will be there in the task bar. Double click the icon.
2.The ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ screen will appear. Select ‘ USB Mass Storage Device’ and click ‘Stop’.
3.The ‘Stop a Hardware device’ screen will appear. Select ‘USB Mass Storage Device’ and click ‘OK’.
4.A message ‘Safe to Remove Hardware’ appears.
5.Now disconnect the USB cable from the PC and the camera.

Image Capture with Digital Camera

2006-02-24T07:46:00.000+07:00

You have got your camera! You have studied the manual! You have also charged the battery pack and formatted the memory card! You are now ready to shoot! Before you start shooting, I shall give some tips (a few for the present) for you to bear in mind!
The camera has number of modes for operation. Each manufacturer gives a list of modes available with distinct names. Automatic, Landscape, Portrait and Night Scene may be common among them.
To start with it would be ideal to choose the Fully Automatic Mode .By what exact name it is called in your camera is to be identified. It maybe called Green Mode in one camera and Program mode in another.
An User Mode may also be there with default settings for functions such as flash, focus
mode, position of focus, recorded pixels, quality level, white balance, sharpness, saturation contrast, EV compensation, color mode etc; You can change these settings to suit your custom needs for a particular situation. Your settings will be kept in separate memory and when your need is over you can reset for default. You can shift to this mode later.
In the automatic mode, the camera chooses a preset shutter speed-aperture combination corresponding to a particular situation after the main sensor (which acts as the light meter also) measures the available light at the scene. In advanced camera versions, the focal length is also reckoned and a higher shutter speed is chosen to effect image stabilization.
But you have to keep in mind the fact that the choice made by the camera in automatic mode is all right for most of the situations but it may not be all right for each and every situation.
Anyway, for you as a learner getting into the groove, this mode should be the first step.
Learn about Lighting
You get the best outdoor lighting at twilight i.e. at dawn and dusk. Sony’s Cyber-Shot W-Series cameras have a twilight mode and a twilight portrait mode. A desirable warm glow effect is created in the shots taken in twilight. When you are taking photographs in an outdoor setting, you should ensure that the sun is always behind your back and also see that shadows are not affecting the captured images. Always try to capture images away from the sun. Sunlight over powers the colors.
In an indoor setting keep light sources at lower angles. Move the light sources around and compare images captured at different arrangements.
Study the Background and Compose the Image
Study the background around the subject. An electric cable dangling loose on the wall should not appear in your shot as climbing up from the ear of the subject or a window frame should not appear as resting over the shoulder of a subject. The background around the subject should be plain or
homogeneous. Compose the image in the LCD Monitor and ensure that the image you want to be the sharpest is getting into the focus area in the center of the monitor. Position your subjects in the way you want giving them clear directions in order that the shot gets well composed, Ensure that some interesting element fills up at the rear of the subject but not totally distracting.
Move Closer
Move closer to the subject as far as possible to get better results. The aim should be to fill 85 percent of the frame with the subject and only 15 percent of the frame with background content. You can adjust the optical zoom and arrive at a compromised position to capture whatever you have in mind.
If you take a picture beyond the flash range of the camera, the result will be very dark. In most of the digital cameras, the flash range is approximately 0.2m - 3.5m in wide mode and 0.2m - 2.0m in tele mode. So it will be always better to position yourself at a distance of less than 10 feet from the subjects.
Capture
Now you keep the camera in automatic mode and hold it at the subject’s eye level. See that the subject or subjects do not stare or squint. Everything is to be candid.
Study and compose the image in the LCD monitor.
Press the shutter release button halfway down to enable the camera to set focus, exposure and white balance.
Press the shutter release button fully. The image appears in the LCD monitor for a second and then gets recorded in the memory card.
Take as many shots as you need of that scene itself at different angles and at different zoom settings.
Turn your camera sideways and take some vertical shots. If the results of any one shot were not all right you can just erase it after analyzing a bit as to what would have gone wrong. Possibility to erase the captured images is a great advantage in digital cameras. Exploit that provision to the fullest extent.
Now, let me share with you a ‘Quote’ that I had read somewhere.
Q: What makes a good photograph - or makes a photograph good?
A: A good photographer.