The Gadget Scientist has collaborated with fellow photographers Ian Pack and Paul Noble to create a series of 1 minute Gadget Tip videos.

First-up: photographing kids!

I often recommend digital cameras to friends and family, so in the run-up to Christmas I thought it would be a good time to put all my suggestions together in the one place!

What’s the best budget compact camera to take on holiday and to parties?

There are numerous digital cameras in the £100-£200 ($150-$250) range but I think the best buy in this category is the Canon Ixus (called the Elph or PowerShot in the USA.)

I recently recommended this camera to a good friend who travels regularly and needed something portable, durable and that could take the occasional knock. The price was also important – he could afford a more expensive camera but suspected he might lose it on an adventure – so wanted something he could replace at a reasonable cost.

He’s travelled with it all over Europe and the quality of the images are superb. He took this photo of the Coliseum in Rome using the Ixus (the Elph/PowerShot) – in very low light conditions. I was very impressed with the results.

In your opinion, what’s the best compact digital camera?

My personal recommendation is the Canon G12 (£370 in the UK, and $465 from Adorama in the states.) It’s a beautiful camera that achieves superb results. I owned an earlier version (the Canon G9) and really liked it because it had a lot of DSLR features but still fitted into my pocket.

The G12 has substantial improvements over earlier models, particularly in image quality in low light – which is superb. The flip-out LCD screen on the back of the camera is a definite improvement rather than a gimmick, as are the re-designed dials and buttons.

This camera is a top-of-the-range compact, but well worth the money.

I want a digital camera that takes photos of my kids in action straight away!

A number of friends have had problems capturing their kids in photos: ‘I try and take photos of my kids, but the time between me pressing the button and picture being taken is too long! They’re off and doing something else!’

Almost all cameras will suffer from ’shutter-lag’. On professional cameras this lag is so small it’s not noticeable, but on many compact cameras it can be up to several seconds long. This problem is particularly obvious on cameras 3-4 years old. Some early digital cameras have a shutter lag of about 2 seconds!

I would again recommend the Canon G12 (£370 in the UK, and $465 from Adorama in the States.) It has a very short shutter lag – about 0.4 seconds. That’s not a professional standard, but it’s about half a second faster than many other digital cameras on the market today. Also, because this camera has a higher specification than most, it will take bursts of photos in quick succession – which helps if you’re taking a series of pictures of kids in action. (Camera’s with lower specifications like the Ixus/Elph will take a couple of photos and then stop to record the images onto the memory card. This can be very frustrating if something’s happening!)

What’s the best camera for kids ?

I have several friends with kids under 10 that are thinking about buying them a cheap digital camera this Christmas – if for no other reason to stop their kids dropping their own, more expensive kit!

If you’re thinking along similar lines, then I’d highly recommend the VTECH Kidizoom. (£40 in the UK, and $55 from Amazon in the US)

The things I really like about this camera:

• It has grips on either side of the camera making it easy to hold – even for small hands
• There are some fun in-camera editing options and special effects (lots of added entertainment)
• It’s robust and will survive drops and knocks
• It has the option to take photos and videos

And a couple of bonuses – there’s a pink version for girls and a blue version for boys and the camera also has games to help while-away long car journeys.

What’s the best entry level DSLR?

This is an area of the market which has become crowded over the last couple of years with numerous makes and models of camera in the £450-£650 price range.

The front runners are either the Nikon 3100 or the Canon 550D (called the Rebel T2i in the USA).

These are both superb cameras that also capture HD video. I have friends that own both makes and are very pleased with the results. Personally, I think the Canon has the edge (hence its higher price tag.) The build quality is more robust and it captures a higher number of megapixels.

A couple of key advantages to using entry level DSLRs:

• The shutter lag (delay between pressing the capture button and taking the picture) is so tiny it’s not noticeable. This makes it great for photographing kids and pets in action.
• You can upgrade lenses easily – and you may even be able to use old lenses on a new camera
• These cameras have all the creative options as standard so you can experiment with shutter speed and aperture for special effects

Nikon 3100:

Canon 550D:

What digital camera guide book should I buy with my new camera?

The Gadget Scientist Guide to Using Your Digital Camera! As The Daily Telegraph wrote recently:

“This is the perfect pocket-sized guide for anyone unfamiliar with their digital camera or for those who need help making their snaps just that little bit better. Suitable for all ages and all models of digital camera, it examines both the technical and artistic side of photography, explaining all the features available and offering tips on composition.”

You can buy the book from Amazon in the UK or USA, or Adorama in the USA.

The Gadget Scientist Guide just received a great review on geekstech.co.uk

Be sure to also check out the video review!

The Gadget Scientist was written about on the PMA Newsline website this week:

http://pmanewsline.com/2010/07/08/gadget-scientist-releases-digital-camera-use-guide/

Details of the charity we support were also included: Mibila Village Clinic.

The Gadget Scientist was included in this week’s Product News section of Pixel Magazine.

The full article is available as a PDF here.

Our local newspaper wrote an article about The Gadget Scientist after finding out about our success in the States.

Walthamstow is full of small businesses, and we’re proud to be part of such a dynamic and creative community.

You can read a PDF of the full article here.

This is the second set of Gadget Scientist Holiday tips! This post focuses on what to pack when travelling with your digital camera, and a few practical suggestions when taking photos on holiday.

Batteries:

A lithium ion camera battery

This might seem obvious, but in the middle of packing for a big trip it’s easy to forget something like this! Depending upon where you are travelling you may be able to buy a replacement battery or charger. If you have an older model camera however, these batteries or chargers may no longer be manufactured. If you’re away for a few weeks use online stores, or eBay to find older model chargers, and get it sent to your holiday address.

A friend recently travelled to New York without his camera charger, and found out that they were no longer manufactured. He ended up buying a whole new camera! (and thanks to J&R for helping him choose one!)

Memory cards:

A 2GB memory card

Memory cards are usually easier to buy when on holiday, but remember to buy the format made to fit your camera. Buy a large capacity memory card, for example 2GB or 4GB, so you can store more photos on it.

A 4GB memory card

Memory cards are only intended as temporary storage devices.
If a card fails, all the photos and videos stored on it will be lost, including your precious holiday snaps.

So make sure you keep memory cards protected:

• use a memory card case when they’re not in the camera
• don’t leave them in direct sunlight
• keep them away from water, sand and magnets.

File size:

A low resolution image is blurry and can appear out-of-focus when looked at close-up.

Newlywed friends of ours accidentally took all of their honeymoon photos using the smallest file size on their camera. Although they managed to fit hundreds and hundreds of photos on the memory card, all of them ended up thumbnail size, and couldn’t be printed.

This is because the smallest file size setting on a camera captures photos with limited detail, or low resolution images. Low resolution images have a fuzzy appearance when viewed on a computer, or printed on photo paper.

A high resolution image is crisp and clear

Use the largest file size setting to capture the maximum level of detail and achieve a high resolution image. High resolution images are clear and crisp when viewed on a computer or printed. You might not fit as many onto a memory card, but you won’t need a magnifying glass to see the ones you do take!

And finally, remember to pack your copy of The Gadget Scientist Guide to Using Your Digital Camera! It’s full of advice and answers on common photo problems, and fits easily into your camera bag, handbag or suitcase!

Find out more about the book on The Gadget Scientist website.

Flowers, insects, jewellery and cakes are ideal subjects for close-ups, and it’s the macro feature that makes close-up photography possible.

Without macro turned on close-up photos will be blurry

Point-and-shoot cameras usually have a minimum focusing distance of about 50 centimetres (20 inches). This is why close-up photos look blurry.

Turn macro on for in-focus, close-up photos

  When using macro the cameras minimum focusing distance is reduced to about 15 centimetres (6 inches) and close-up photos will be in focus.

On point and shoot cameras, turn on macro by pushing the ‘flower’ button. Sometimes the button is labelled MF for macro focus. (This can be confusing however, as MF stands for manual focus on some cameras and lenses.)

A flower has become the standard way to represent the macro setting on cameras – presumably because flowers are the traditional close-up subject choice!

On DSLR cameras the ability to take macro shots depends upon the lens. There are specialist macro lenses, but even some standard lenses can take close-up photos. To find out, check your lens and see if there is a flower icon somewhere on it. (Usually it’s a macro switch rather than a button on lenses.)

We hope you enjoyed this Gadget Scientist post based on content from our photo guide book!

If you’re interested in finding out more about The Gadget Scientist Guide to Using Your Digital Camera, take a look at the Gadget Scientist website.

School and summer holidays are fast approaching, and so are photo opportunities! The Gadget Scientist received it’s first holiday photo emergency call this week, so thought it was a good time to point out a few tips when taking your camera on holiday this year. This will be the first in a three-part series, and all the holiday problems are real!

Holiday Tip One:
The first tip is to remember to take your copy of The Gadget Scientist Guide along with you on holiday! It’s pocket-sized and can easily fit in your handbag, camera bag and takes up very little room in your suitcase. You never know when you might have a question about your digital camera, and we hope that The Gadget Scientist can solve most of your problems!

For example this week I received a message from a friend who is on a cruise. A hand symbol was always appearing on the screen on their camera, and they couldn’t work out what it meant.
 
I can only assume my friend’s copy of The Gadget Scientist book had accidentally fallen overboard – because what serious holiday-maker would leave the house without it?! But, nevertheless, I was of course happy to provide the answer (despite being disappointed my friend hadn’t committed every single page of the book to memory….)

Reduce the effect of camera shake by using the image stabilisation setting.

The hand symbol represents the Image Stabilisation feature:
This reduces the effect of blur in low-light conditions due to camera shake. Camera shake happens when the hand holding the camera moves when a photo is being taken. This commonly happens in low-light conditions because the camera needs longer to take a photo.

A red-flashing camera symbol is a warning that your photo will be blurry.

How do you know when to use Image Stabilisation?
If you have a compact camera, then it will probably show a red-flashing camera symbol as a warning that your photo will be blurry. When this happens, turn on the Image Stabilisation and the hand symbol will appear.

If it's too dark the camera shake icon will appear, even when using IS.

The image stabilisation feature (or “IS”) can usually be turned on and off in the MENU. If the red-flashing camera symbol is still showing when using Image Stabilisation then there’s not enough light to take a photo without blur – even with image stabilisation. If this happens, use a tripod or turn on the flash.

Continuous IS:
My friend on the cruise was worried because the hand symbol was permanently showing. This is because their camera was set to continuous image stabilisation and on compact camera’s this is OK. You can leave it on all the time and image stabilisation will kick-in when it’s needed.

DSLRs and Image Stabilisation:
Image stabilisation on DSLRs is a specific feature of certain lenses. For example, I have a Canon 75-300mm lens with image stabilisation. It’s turned on and off using a switch on the side of the camera.

Two important things to know about IS lenses:

• The image stabilisation is made possible by gyroscopes in the lens. Make sure you turn the image stabilisation off when travelling. This locks the gyroscopes and prevent damage in transit.
• Image stabilisation is very power hungry. Only turn it on when you need it, and remember to turn it off afterwards. Otherwise, you’ll eat up battery power very quickly.

We hope you enjoyed the first Gadget Scientist holiday tip – there’s more to follow in the next week or two!

If you’re interested in finding out more about The Gadget Scientist Guide to Using Your Digital Camera, take a look at the Gadget Scientist website.

Mibila Village Clinic was built in 2005 by a team of volunteers from Manchester, and leaders and villagers from Mibila. Mibila is 50km from the nearest town, and in an isolated rural area of northern Zambia. Until the clinic arrived there was no access to primary healthcare.

Mibila Village Clinic. The word Handenu means 'be healed'

In practical terms, a lack of primary healthcare meant that even minor ailments could be life threatening and major illnesses – such as birthing complications – would often end in tragedy. In November 2006 the clinic opened, and now serves over 5,000 people. Already, numerous lives have been saved and child mortality rates have been significantly reduced.

All new pregnancies are monitored and new babies are regularly weighed and immunised. New mothers are also given mosquito nets to prevent malaria. Since 2006 my friends, family and clients have donated over 25% of the clinic’s running costs. And now £1 from every Gadget Scientist book sold on our website is also donated to the clinic.

The borehole in Mibila

A borehole was also sunk next to the clinic. Until its arrival the villagers only water was from a nearby stream, which is contaminated with water-borne diseases. Dignity, the charity behind Mibila Village Clinic has also completed other clean water projects in the region, in partnership with local leaders.

For example, in the nearby region of Ipafu, 15 villages suffered from extreme water shortages. In the dry season, which lasts for six months, their wells dried up and the villagers would have to walk up to 5km to the nearest well (and back) with their water supplies.

New wells were sunk in each village. They were dug by local men who were paid modest salaries to support them while they were away from their farms. Each well was placed in a communal area which meant everyone had joint ownership.

Once the wells were excavated a local builder completed the wells with a concrete platform, and a brick wall was built to make sure children and animals couldn’t fall in.

Bricks for a new school

The new well in the village pictured here meant that the Zambian Government funded the building of a new school. Something completely obvious (that had never occurred to me before) was that you can’t build schools without water – because without water, you can’t mix concrete and make bricks! Now additional initiatives such as this school have become possible, because of the wells.

The Gadget Scientist will continue to support these life-changing projects because they show how powerful local leaders can be when given support, encouragement, and a little bit of capital to transform their communities.