Advanced Photography » Equipment

Prime Lens Vs Zoom Lens — 5 Reasons Why Prime Lens Help You Get Better Images

Shivanand Sharma — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:00:32 +0000

While reading through one of the popular posts on DPS, one thing that caught my attention was this nifty little idea — shoot fixed focal lengths for kick starting your photography again. As a matter of fact, this is one thing which helps the professional photographers take better images. Owing to its superior optical quality, speed, lighter weight, smaller bulk and lower cost, prime lens is the number one choice of the professional photographers. This reminds me of Henri Cartier-Bresson who used 50mm prime lens for much of his photographic works.

Even though a prime lens takes away the flexibility offered by the zoom lenses, it definitely helps you in becoming a better photographer. And here are 5 reasons why prime lenses help you in composing and taking great shots.

Prime Lenses Trigger Thoughtful Composition

The zoom lens make you lazy. With zoom lens on, instead of moving back & forth and changing the perspective, we love to play around with the zoom ring to compose and re-compose the vision. Thus end up compromising with the creative element of photography — the visualization. The fixed focal length of the prime lens on the other hand acts as the creativity booster. With fixed focal length lens, you already know your camera’s limits & bounds and thus compose the shots with the limited field-of-view in mind. And as Ken Rockwell says, prime lens puts you in compositional seeing mode; the fixed lens triggers the thoughtful composition.

Freedom by T@L
Prime Lenses Tend To Produce Sharper Images

Prime lenses help you in getting clear, crisp and sharp results. This is so because in comparison to a zoom lens, a prime lens has fewer moving parts which are optimized for one particular focal length. With a less complicated lens construction, prime lenses suffer from minimal optical artifacts like distortions at extreme ends of zoom lens range, chromatic aberration and the like.

Fairy Tale by 'J'
Prime Lenses Allow Action Stopping Shutter Speeds

Prime lenses also referred to as fast lenses usually have a larger maximum aperture than zoom lenses. The wider apertures at lower f-numbers enhance the low-light performance and allow for faster shutter speeds which enable you to master the art of action photography.

H 2 Oh!? by laszlo-photo
Prime Lenses Allow Narrow DOF & Excellent Bokehs

Darren Rowse once mentioned that “I love narrow depth of field shots – bokeh is my friend”. Every photographer, be it a beginner or a pro, simply fall in love with the aperture magic. The lower f-numbers (f/1.2, f/1.4) give you an opportunity of framing outstanding photographs — the photographs with selective focus, blurred backgrounds and beautiful bokehs. If you also love to photograph at lower f-numbers, prime lenses are sure to impress you with the amazing results.

Color For A Black & White Day by Nosha
Prime Lenses Are Lightweight

The lightweight of the prime lens has its own advantages over bulky zoom lenses. With small, fixed lenses you are light and mobile and can go on enjoying your photographic excursion. Andrew Gibson counts on it as one of the factors for enjoying photography. Here’s the excerpt from one of his posts, “Another advantage of 50mm prime lenses is that they are very light. This makes a big difference if you’re walking around all day with your camera gear. I’ve made the mistake of taking too many lenses at one time and then being too tired at the end of the day to enjoy taking photos”.

Professional photographers love to photograph and experiment with prime lenses. One such example is Ecstaticist. Check out his collection called A Thousand Drops of Light for some unique examples achieved by using a reversed 50mm prime lens in front of another camera or lens. And don’t forget to share your thoughts on prime lens.

Prime Lens Vs Zoom Lens — 5 Reasons Why Prime Lens Help You Get Better Images is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Nikon D4 — A Comparison Of What’s Changed From Nikon D3

Shivanand Sharma — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:00:05 +0000

After a long wait, Nikon D4 was finally released (on 6 January 2012) to charm the professional photographers with its higher resolution, updated AF system and better low-light performance. As remarked by Ken Rockwell, “The Nikon D4 is for full-time professional news, sports and action photographers”, this replacement or the upgrade of Nikon D3 is more inclined towards providing better performance with existing set of features. But that’s not the end of story. You can always expect cutting edge solutions from Nikon and here are some distinct features of Nikon D4 which makes it stand out of the crowd.

Nikon D4 is a 16.2 MP FX-format CMOS sensor camera equipped with EXPEED 3 image processor for superior image quality with excellent high-speed performance.

Here’s what’s different in the D4 from D3.

ISO in D4: Nikon D4 provides better low-light performance. With its incredible range of ISO ranging from ISO 50 to ISO 204800, Nikon D4 offers you the flexibility of working with variety of lighting conditons. This though seems like a marketing gimmick.
Resolution in D4: The resolution of the D4 is 16.2MP as compared to that of 12.1MP of the D3. Not much though and the D3x still stands tall with 24.5MP and is suited more for landscapes.
Higher Frame Rates in D4: As compared to the frame rate of D3 which was 9, the frame rate of D4 is 10 per second and 11 when the auto-focus has been locked.
Storage Media in D4: The D3 has dual CF card slots. One of these CF card slots is gone in the D4 and replaced by an XQD slot.
Metering in D4: The meter has been updated from a 1005px RGB matrix to 91,000px RGB matrix.

Nikon D4 — A Comparison Of What’s Changed From Nikon D3 is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Featured Camera — 5 Reasons To Fall In Love With Fujifilm Finepix X10

Shivanand Sharma — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:56:03 +0000

Fujifilm Finepix X10

With Fujifilm Finepix X100 already hitting the chart-busters owing to its amazing picture quality, now it’s time to witness the advanced features and high end performance of the successor in Fujifilm X-series — Fujifilm Finepix X10. Fujifilm Finepix X10 is an advanced compact camera targeted at sincerely promoting the tagline of X-series — Take your passion for photography to the next level. The camera is a refined example of design, style and quality. Fujifilm X10 features 2/3″ 12 MP EXR CMOS sensor powered by EXR processor which renders enhanced sensitivity, minimal noise and high speed performance. This marks the beginning of the story of this modern classical. Here are 5 ultimate reasons (features) to fall in love with this finest example of Fujifilm’s craftsmanship.

High Quality Lens

Fujifilm Finepix X10 comes packed with Fujinon 4x optical zoom with its zooming range varying between 28mm wide to 112mm telephoto. To ensure high image quality, Fujinon has worked really well on providing quality optics. The lens design incorporates an arrangement of aspheric lenses, ED lenses and high-refractive index lenses which are treated with Fujinon’s Super EBC (Electron Beam Coating) to deliver sharp images while eliminating the possibilities of chromatic aberration and other lens flaws.

Fujifilm Finepix X10: Front View
High Precision Viewfinder

The bright viewfinder featured by the camera makes it a pleasure to look at the world through it. It’s optical zoom viewfinder offers superior brightness, a superb field of view and 85% frame coverage which enables you to view and frame every detail of the scene with precision.

Fujifilm Finepix X10: Rear View
Nothing Less Than Perfect Ergonomics

On the design front, Fujifilm Finepix X10 can be classified as the luxury camera with enhanced operability. It can be viewed as the most thought out piece of craft where everything right from the dial control to one-touch control function and RAW button all fall into the place. The intuitive design of X10 makes it an easy to use tool for photographers. It’s precision-milled ring and dials, die-cast magnesium top and base and leather like finish not only renders style. These design elements take the durability of the product to top notch.

Fujifilm Finepix X10
Exciting Shooting Modes

Fujifilm Finepix X10 is a premium compact camera which features exciting shooting modes. Ranging from ready to use auto modes to highly sophisticate manual mode, the camera provides the users with multiple options which simplify the process of taking great photographs. Along with providing auto-modes for photographing the portraits, landscapes, macro-shots, night scenes and sports, Fujifilm Finepix X10 provides the auto-modes for tricky subjects / scenes like fireworks, sunset, snow, beach, flower and underwater as well. Taking of the manual modes, the camera provides the semi-auto modes (Program, Aperture Priority and Shutter priority) and full manual mode as offered by DSLRs. Alongside the the camera also provides the advanced modes for creating 360° panoramas and photographing shallow DOF without having to set the sweet spot manually. The options don’t end up here. The camera also shoots in RAW format and features in-camera RAW processing to truly take your passion of photography to the next level.
Film Simulation Mode

The camera offers a film simulation mode which enables you to simulate the colors and tonal quality of color reversal film types loved by professional photographers. It provides three modes — Provia for natural colors, Velvia for vibrant colors and Astia for soft look; to get creative with color photography and 4 in-built filters for replicating the effects of monochromatic film photography. The classic look of these modes is also achievable through bracketing as well. Along with the specific film simulation modes, the camera also features film simulation bracketing through which a single exposure produces three images of the scene with Provia, Velvia and Asia effect respectively.

All these features together make Fujifilm Finepix X10 a creative tool in the hands of a photographer. Other features which make this camera the talk of the town are:

Amazing low light performance with ISO sensitivity extendible upto 12800.
High speed performance allowing you to capture 10 fps in continuous shooting mode.
Dreamy soft focus effect achievable due to adoption of 7 blade aperture diaphragm.
Electronic horizon leveling guage which makes it easy to align the image with the true horizon.

Power packed with a host of features and the promise of delivering superb picture quality, you can bring home Fujifilm Finepix X10 for $599.65 approx. Get it here!

Featured Camera — 5 Reasons To Fall In Love With Fujifilm Finepix X10 is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Mirrorless Cameras — Top 5 Options For Picking The Best Mirrorless Camera

Shivanand Sharma — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:19:36 +0000

Next Gen Interchangeable Mirrorless Camera

The excitement for the mirror-less cameras is gaining momentum. Making a mark with Panasonic’s DMC-G1in 2008, the trend of offering fast, light and small no-mirror design has surpassed all the major camera manufacturers. These mirrorless designs are categorized as the cameras with relatively larger sensor which shower the benefits of better image quality (even in low light) and high speed capture. While currently there are multiple mirrorless cameras in market, here are top 5 options to help you pick the best one from the basket.

Nikon 1 V1 / J1

Nikon 1 system introduces two new members in the family of mirror-less cameras largely dominated by Olympus PEN series, Sony NEX series, Samsung NX series, etc. With its V1 and J1 models, Nikon has finally entered the market segment targeting the amateur photographers, categorized as Facebook shooters by dpreview. Nikon 1 system is in limelight for introducing the all new CX format (featuring 2.7x crop) with V1 and J1. Both the cameras essentially share same set of features — 10.1 MP CMOS sensor powered by EXPEED 3 image processor, hybrid auto-focus, motion snapshot, smart photo selector and 1 Nikkor interchangeable lenses (specifically designed to work with Nikon 1 system). The cameras however vary on the grounds of design, sophistication (for instance V1 offers electronic as well as mechanical shutter control) and cost. Likely to be available by mid-October, you can grab Nikon 1 J1 for $649.95 approx. and Nikon 1 V1 for $899.95 approx. Get it here.

Nikon1 J1
Samsung NX200

Already in the market for quite some time for the mirrorless implementation, Samsung is now all set to step ahead for offering professional quality in a compact camera. Samsung NX200 amalgamates high performance features in stylized metallic looks. Talking of the specs, the camera features 20.3 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, high speed capture (including 100ms Advanced Auto Focus), wide range ISO (100-12800), Full HD movie recording and Samsung’s unique i-Function lens. The upgraded i-Function 2.0 allows you to control 6 smart filters and intelli-zoom function from the lens itself. The packaged deal of small size of the compacts and high performance features of DSLR costs you around $899.99 approx. Get it here.

Samsung NX200
Sony Alpha NEX 7

After the successful launch of mirrorless cameras around a year back, Sony is now redefining the compacts with the launch of NEX 7. Designed with an attempt to come over the limitations of the NEX series, NEX 7 is targeted at the photography enthusiasts and professionals alike. According to dpreview, this high end APS-C mirrorless camera manages to squeeze vast amounts of the A77′s capabilities into a body barely bigger than the existing NEX models. It packs a 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor and XGA OLED TruFinder 2.4M dot OLED electronic viewfinder into its magnesium alloy body and yet still finds room for a pop-up flash and Alpha hot shoe. Other exciting features include responsive autofocus and world’s fastest (20 ms) release time lag, versatile new TRINAVI control, Full HD Movie with manual focus and 10 fps continuous shooting. Likely to hit the stores in November, Sony’s pro quality compact packed with creative options is priced at $1199.99 approx. Get it here.

Sony Alpha NEX 7
Fujifilm Finepix X100

The retro look and amazing image quality of Fuji X100 makes it the part of this list even after one year of release. This large sensor compact camera features 12 MP APS-CMOS powered by new EXR processor with its ISO range extending upto 12800. These specs help in boosting the low light performance of the camera. In the words of Ken Rockwell, “The X100 has an uncanny ability to make great-looking images under any light”. Unlike other cameras in this list, Fuji X100comes packed with 23mm F2 single focal lens (equivalent to 35mm/135 Format) – no provision for interchangeable lens. Fujifilm is however in news for soon launching mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (likely to be revealed in CES 2012). You will need to pay $1199.95 approx. for this smallest and lightest real camera ever made. Get it here.

Fujifilm Finepix X100
Panasonic Lumix DMC G3

Last but not the least how can we forget Panasonic, the brand that land-marked the mirrorless DSLR to consumers in 2008 with the DMC-G1. In the league of providing the world’s smallest and lightest camera body with stylish design, Panasonic launched Lumix DMC G3 early this year. With certain improvements and refinements over G1 and G2, this Micro Four Thirds system is all set to impress the customers with its 16.7 MP CMOS sensor, GF-2 style touch screen interface, pinpoint AF mode, new live MOS for advanced noise reduction and 3D shooting capability all that for a cost of $699.99 approx. Get it here.

Panasonic Lumix Dmc G3

Take your pick and don’t forget to share your pics with us.

Mirrorless Cameras — Top 5 Options For Picking The Best Mirrorless Camera is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Compact Zoom Cameras — 7 Latest Ultra Zoom Compact Cameras [2011]

Shivanand Sharma — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 12:20:28 +0000

Compact Super Zoom Surprises

The zoom cameras are very popular and most sought out by people starting out with photography Be it Sony, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic or Fujifilm — each one of these is serving the consumers with updated line-ups in terms of extended zooming capabilities in their compact cameras. Sometimes referred to as bridge cameras, these cameras bridge the DSLR gap by providing fancy & advanced features and whooping zooming abilities. In the span of just one year, all the major camera manufacturers have updated their super zoom cameras to uplift the zooming range which traditionally started at 10x zoom lens to 30x and more. Want to grab one such compact camera! Check out this list of 7 ultra zoom compact cameras and pick the one which best suits your needs.

Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon released three compact cameras in the super zoom series this year with Nikon Coolpix L120 featuring 21x optical zoom, S9100 offering 18x optical zoom and P500 breaking the bounds with 36x optical zoom — featuring a massive focal length of 22.5 mm at wide angle to 810 mm for telephoto range. This 12.2 MP camera is being viewed as the refurbished version of P100 (with 26.1x optical zoom). Engadget sums P500 as another dose of what P100 served up — convenience in a compact package. Not too very compact, the camera is power packed with DSLR like features. Focusing on the creativity and the convenience offered by Nikon Coolpix P500, it strikes a fair deal at $376.95. Get it here. [Head on to Photography Blog for a comprehensive review].
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100V

Sony Cybershot HX100V is a 16.2 MP camera featuring an optical zoom which covers 30x zoom with the focal length range equivalent to 27-810 mm. Other than the ultra zoom 30x zoom range, the camera also features GPS, intelligent sweep panorama, full HD 50p movie recording (with zooming ability) and 3D imaging. It also features a manual focus switch on the lens barrel to turn on lens manual focus mode when taking macro shots. With these add-on features Sony Cybershot HX100V stands in stiff competition with Nikon P500 (36x zoom range) and Canon’s SX30 IS 35x optical zoom. For a price of $449.94 approx. You can bring home this long lens camera implementing Exmor R CMOS Sensor and optical steady shot system for optimized the image quality. Get it here.
Olympus SP 810 UZ

Announced on 27 July 2011, Olympus SP 810 UZ is a 14 MP camera featuring 36x optical zoom; with its focal range spanning in the range of 24-864 mm equivalent. While its TruePic III+ Image Processor, dual stabilization, shadow adjustment technology, ISO sensitivity in range of 80-3200 ensures overall good image quality, it lags behind serious DSLR owing to the lack of manual modes. Priced at $329.99, the camera is all set to succeed the prestigious SP-800UZ. Get it here.
Canon SX40 HS

In the ultra zoom league of compact cameras, Canon contributes with its latest camera SX40HS. Canon SX40 HS is primarily an upgrade version of SX30IS featuring same 35x zoom lens powered by DIGIC 5 image processor. This 12.10 MP camera covers the same focal lengths as provided by SX30IS i.e. ranging from 24 mm wide-angle to 840mm equivalent telephoto. Unlike Nikon P500, Canon implements lens-based image stabilization. Priced at $429.99 approx., the camera holds good promise on the fronts of color and noise performance with major improvements in internal design. Get it here.
Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ150

Panasonic announced its latest addition to super zoom series on 26 August with Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ150 featuring 24x optical zoom. This 12 MP camera covers a focal range of 25-600mm equivalent. Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ150 incorporates Nano Surface Coating to enhance the optical quality. One feature which sets Panasonic’s super zoom compacts from the others in the similar range is its ability to shoot RAW. The camera is priced at $499.99. For a comprehensive list of features and specifications refer dpreview’s announcement. Get it here.
Samsung WB750

Samsung WB750 is a new travel zoom camera featuring 18x zoom lens (24-432mm equivalent). This 12.5 MP CMOS sensor camera features a dual capture mode allowing you to take still images even while recording full HD video. Priced at $279.99 WB750 is longest ever zoom in Samsung’s compact camera series. To entice the buyers, the camera also provides a host of panorama features like action panorama, live panorama and 3D panorama. All in all, Samsung WB750 can be viewed as a creative tool for casual photographers. Get it here.
Pentax Optio RZ18

Pentax has recently announced an all new travel zoom camera — Pentax Optio RZ18 featuring 18x optical zoom. This 16 MP CCD sensor with dual shake reduction technology spans in the zoom range of 25-450mm equivalent. Priced at $299.95 approx. with all the bells and whistles, the sleek and slim avatar of super zoom compacts is likely to hit the stores in October. Get it here.

This list presents just the teaser of latest super zoom compacts offered by various camera manufacturers. The options however are unlimited. Just type in super zoom / ultra zoom compact camera in Google search to get an idea about this fast growing market. Btw which super zoom compact suits your budget to accompany you on your next vacation?

Compact Zoom Cameras — 7 Latest Ultra Zoom Compact Cameras [2011] is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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9 Things You Must Consider When Buying A Camera Lens

Shivanand Sharma — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:15:04 +0000

Being a digital photography aspirant, you are like most of us — always looking in for the best equipment and accessories to fit in your photography arsenal. Investing in multiple lenses especially is one of the common quest which gives birth to queries related to buying the camera lens which best suits your needs. Here are 9 things you must consider when buying the camera lenses. This list will definitely help you in understanding the lens terminology or the features offered by lens manufacturers.

Optical Quality

The optical quality of the lens is the first thing to check out. Though in this age almost all D/SLR lenses have excellent optics, some of the lenses manufactured by third-parties may not be have such good optical characteristics. The lens characteristics can introduce color fringing, linear distortion, coma, spherical aberration, falloff, and an endless list of scary photo-jargon. Thus comparing the lens quality in terms of MTF (Modulation Transfer Function), resolution and contrast comes in handy for picking up the best quality at hand. Cambridge color features a useful article on lens quality.
Lens Focal Length

The focal length of the lens determines the angle of view. The narrower the angle of view, more is its focal length resulting in a higher magnification of the lens. And lower the focal length wider the angle of view. In this respect a wide angle lens covers a wider angle of view with less magnification as compared to the telephoto lens which allows for a narrower angle of view and high magnification. Accordingly 28 mm lens will offer a wide angle of view while a 70mm lens will present a magnified version of the scene. So, when deciding to buy the lens, keep an eye on the mm numbers to get the lens you actually want — a wide angle lens for landscape photography and telephoto lens for shooting far off subjects as in the case of wildlife photography.
Lens Speed

You might have come across the terms fast lenses and slow lenses. This does not actually reflect the speed of the lens. The lens speed is influenced by the maximum aperture diameter (or the lens opening). The lens with the smaller minimum f-number (or larger aperture diameter) is referred to as the fast lens because it allows more to light to enter the camera. This capability of the lens allows for faster shutter speeds (which delivers better results for motion photography). The slow lens on the other hand is slow owing to the larger minimum f-number which requires slower shutter speed to gather the light. As such a lens with maximum aperture of f/2.8 or lower is faster than the with an aperture of f/5.6. Other than using fast shutter speed, the fast lenses enable you to shoot in low ambient light without using flash and gives greater control over shallow DOF (depth of field).
Auto Focus vs Manual Focus Lens

The auto focus lens implies an auto-focus motor to enable the camera to automatically focus on the subject. This feature of the lenses come in handy for shooting action photographs where the subject is continuously moving and focusing manually becomes much of a task (unless you are good at manual focus). The manual focus lenses on the other hand provide a focus ring to set the focus manually, however an auto-focus lens also allows for manual focus. If you are beginner, you will definitely need an auto focus lens by all means to get focused images; as also the entry level DSLRs do not feature in-body auto focus motor.
Prime Lens Or Zoom Lens

Prime lens is the fixed focal length lens whilst zoom lens which offers you a range of focal length to play around with. The zoom lenses enable you to comfortably zoom in and out of the scene (barring the distance between the subject), try creative techniques (like the zoom effect) and vary composition and perspective. The prime lens on the other hand outweighs the advantages of zoom lens owing to its cost, weight, speed, superior optical quality and durability. The prime lenses are optimized to work with a particular focal length which ultimately reduces the chances of geometric and optical artifacts like chromatic aberration. Owing to the simpler optics, prime lenses usually have a larger maximum aperture (smaller f-number) than zoom lenses. This makes prime lenses more suitable for indoors (owing to low light advantage), portraits (due to shallower DOF which enables you to compliment the subject with beautiful bokehs) and sports photography (because of faster shutter speed). This however does not conflict with zoom lens which is used as a general purpose lens and produces acceptable results and is handy to carry around for general subjects. The question Prime Lens Or Zoom Lens? entirely depends on the type of photography you pursue.
Image Stabilization

Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Especially when shooting at slow shutter speed or with long focal length the chances of camera shake or blur are high. Image stabilization ensures that either the camera or the lens compensates for the camera shake. The in-camera image stabilization arranges for the sensor-shift which is implemented by some of the camera manufacturers like Olympus introduced image stability feature in its E-510 DSLR body and Sony Alpha line calls it Steady Shot technique. Not all cameras provide this feature. Thus you can go in for a compatible image stabilization lens if your camera doesn’t feature image stabilization. The lens manufacturers however call the lens-based image stabilization by various names — Nikon calls it VR (Vibration Reduction), Sony refers to it as OSS (Optical Steady Shot) and Canon features it as IS (Image Stabilization).
Lens Mount

The lens mount is an interface between the camera body and the lens. In the camera bodies which allow interchangeable lens, the lens mount provides a locking system to connect the lens. Each camera manufacturer has designed specific lens mounts — F-mount is common for Nikon and EF / EF-S in case of Canon. Lens mounts of competing manufacturers (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, etc.) are almost always incompatible. So you are bound to mount Nikkor lenses on Nikon cameras and Canon EF / EF-S lenses with Canon DSLRs. However the lens adapters make it easy to use the lenses of other manufacturers but at the cost of some compatibility (you will need specific adapters for specific lenses) and performance issues (like losing infinity focus).
Camera’s Format

In digital cameras, the camera’s format refers to the size of the image sensor. Accordingly the camera manufacturers offer full-frame and crop sensor cameras with difference in the sensor sizes. While the full frame sensors are equivalent to the size of a 35 mm (36 x 24 mm) film frame, the crop sensor also known as APS-C (Advanced Photo System type-C) has an approximate size 25.1 x 16.7mm. The lens manufacturers offer lenses specifically designed for APS-C cameras to help get optimized results with general use crop sensor cameras. The APS-C lenses are lightweight and cheaper as compared to FX lenses (Nikon’s terminology for full-frame). The choice of lens is influenced by the camera’s format as well. Nikon lenses designed for full-frame cameras work fine on crop sensor cameras but vice-versa is not true (i.e you run the risk of under utilizing the frame-size with crop format lenses on full frame cameras). Also see full frame vs crop sensor cameras.
Brand Of Lenses

Nikkor lenses are good to go with Nikon camera body as Canon lenses are designed to work well on Canon body. It is the general assumption that using the camera body and camera lens of the same brand co-operate well with each other to give fine results. While the lenses of competing companies are often non-compatible owing to specifically designed lens mount, third party lens manufacturers provide various versions of lenses for popular camera brands. But again depending on the budget and especially for beginners it may be economical to go for third-party lenses such as Sigma and Tamaron which give acceptable to excellent image quality.

What do you look for when buying lenses?

9 Things You Must Consider When Buying A Camera Lens is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Featured Camera — Exploring The Features Of Nikon D5100

Shivanand Sharma — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:00:16 +0000

Nikon D5100 18-55mm Front

While the market of rumors is setting stage for the upcoming Nikon release most probably in form of D4 and D800, here we are looking at the features of the newest member in Nikon DSLR lineup — Nikon D5100. The Nikon D5100 is a 16.2 megapixel DX format DSLR F-mount camera announced by Nikon on April 5, 2011. Looking at the technical specs and list of features the camera offers Nikon D5100 seems to hold good promise for photography enthusiasts.

Priced at $899.95 approx., this mid-level DSLR shares the feature-list with Nikon D7000 and improves upon Nikon D5000 with a set of advanced features. Nikon D5100 carries forward the legacy of Nikon D5000 with major improvements in low light performance, HD video capabilities, fully articulated LCD screen and high image quality. As far as the image quality is concerned, Nikon D5100 employs 16.2 MP CMOS sensor and EXPEED 2 image processor (same as that of Nikon D7000) which delivers image quality quite similar to that of Nikon D7000. With that said let’s have a quick look at the key features of Nikon D5100.

Nikon D5100: Front View

Nikon D5100: Rear View

Key Features Of Nikon D5100

Sensor: As mentioned above Nikon D5100 employs 16.2 MP CMOS sensor and EXPEED 2 image processor (same as that of Nikon D7000) which delivers image quality quite similar to that of Nikon D7000.
Lens Compatibility: Like Nikon’s other consumer level DSLRs, D5100 does not have an in-body autofocus motor. Thus, to take advantage of fully automatic autofocus, you will need a lens with an integrated autofocus-motor like the Nikkor AF-S and AF-I type lenses. With any other lens the camera’s electronic rangefinder can be used to manually adjust focus.
Viewfinder And LCD: Similar to D5000, Nikon D5100 features eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder with approximately 95% frame coverage and .78x magnification. As far as the LCD screen is concerned, Nikon D5100 features a 3 inch 921,000-dot horizontal swivel LCD (as opposed to 2.7 inch 230,000 dots vertical swivel introduced in D5000). This fully articulated vari-angle LCD makes it possible to shoot with front-facing camera thus enabling you to photograph self-portraits with ease.

Nikon D5100: Horizontal Swivel LCD
Noise Performance: This can be considered as the major area of improvement of Nikon D5100 over D5000. Nikon D5100 provides a wide ISO sensitivity range — ISO 100 to 6400 that is expandable to Hi 2 (ISO 25600 equivalent). This ensures that the camera produces crisp and sharp images even in low light or at night.
File Formats: If you prefer to shoot in RAW, Nikon D5100 wins over Nikon D5000 as it enables you to shoot 14 bit NEF in compressed form and helps you capture most of the information in the scene including dynamic range of light and color depth.
Special Effects Mode: Nikon D5100 features a special effects mode which allows you to apply the filters and special effects in the camera at the time of shooting itself. Just select the effect you want to apply and the camera will take care of the settings required to create the effects like silhouettes, low key and high key image, miniature effect, color sketch, selective color and night vision.
Built-in HDR Mode: In addition to special effects mode, Nikon D5100 also features a built in HDR mode. In this mode, the camera captures two exposures and merges them to form a single image which reveals a wider dynamic range. But this feature seems to be useless as no one would like to rely on this intelligent machine to process HDRs. Most of the users are already condemning this feature. Want to check out? Head on to Flickr discussion on New Nikon D5100 – Built in HDR mode – Cheating?

Comparison With Nikon D5000 And D7000

Nikon D5100 is being viewed as D5000 replacement. In this respect it preserves all the features of D5000 like providing 11 focus points, supporting 4 frames per second in continuous shooting mode and a shutter speed ranging from 1/4000 sec to 30 sec in steps of 1/3 EV. It however beats Nikon D5000 with fine quality image reproducing ability (by featuring 16.2 MP sensor powered by EXPEED 2 processing engine) and RAW format capable of producing 14 bit NEFs, wide range of ISO and maximum image size up to 4928 x 3264. Apart from this Nikon D5100 also supports SDXC cards for storage which allows you to store upto 2 TB data and features some additional in-camera editing features which makes the camera a creative tool in the hands of beginners.

While Nikon D5100 proves to be superior in performance to Nikon D5000, it still fails to match up with the professional features offered by Nikon D7000 like lossless 14-bit NEF, 100% frame coverage, wireless flash control, 39 point AF system, 6 frames per sec in continuous mode, a fast shutter speed ranging upto 1/8000 sec and an internal auto focus motor. Barring the professional features offered by D7000, the technical image quality of both the cameras is superb.

Overview

As an inference from the above discussion one thing that sets apart Nikon D5100 is its capability to reproduce high resolution images with rich tonal gradation equivalent to those of a higher-class model like D7000. If you are a newbie and your budget allows you invest in a mid-level camera enriched with advanced features, this camera is an ideal equipment to begin with. It’s amazing picture quality and video capabilities will take you by surprise (Check out the hot deals on Adorama for Nikon D5100). But if you are an advanced photographer, there is nothing like Nikon D7000 (the talk of the town for professional photographers).

Featured Camera — Exploring The Features Of Nikon D5100 is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Camera Predictions 2011 — Top 5 Expected Cameras In 2011

Shivanand Sharma — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:09:58 +0000

Which one would you like to hold in your hands?

The latest advancements in the technology have paved way for introducing amazing features in the upcoming cameras. On one hand, the camera manufacturers are competing for delivering better image quality and high performance in low-light. And on the other hand they are striving for providing the features which boost the performance of the camera — speedy data transfer, better auto-focus system, shooting at very high shutter speeds (1/8000 sec or more) and so on. Here are top 5 expected cameras heating the market with rumors, news and stories with the expected specs, features and projected release dates.

Nikon D4

Nikon D4 is already in limelight for being the first DSLR to adopt Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt (originally codenamed Lightpeak) is technology for making data transfer more efficient than before, with speed as high as 10 Gb/s. This will ensures that the bulk transfer of images and videos to PC will be less time consuming. The other expected features of this 18 MP camera are: ISO range varying from 200 to ISO 12800 and extendable up to 102400, full-frame FX format of sensor, Multi-CAM 3500X auto-focus system (incorporated in D3 for first time) and continuous burst mode speed of 16.2mp9 frames per second. With all the above mentioned features and a few surprises you can expect Nikon D4 to be announced by late September.
Nikon D800

Nikon D800 is being considered as the replacement for Nikon D700. Following the Nikon’s release pattern, Nikon D800 was supposed to release in 2009 but as of now July 2011, we are still waiting for this full-frame FX camera. For the time being let’s have a quick look at what Nikon D800 has in store for the shutterbugs. The camera features 24 MP CMOS, 95% frame coverage, 51 points MultiCAM 3500FX auto-focus sensor array (same as D3X), 1/8000 ~ 30 sec shutter speed, two live view modes, support for wireless flash and resolution of 24MP in FX and 10MP in DX. With its expected cost at around $3000-3500, Nikon D800 is likely to release in September 2011.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

While Canon EOS 5D Mark II was the first DSLR to feature 1080p video recording and amazing low-light performance (check out Ken Rockwell’s Canon 5D Mark II at high iso test), Mark III is expected to improvise over the video capabilities while maintaining the ISO range of 100-25600. Canon is planning to deliver better image quality and improved noise reduction by updating its image processor to Digic V. Other expected specs and features of Mark III are: new 19 point auto-focus system, 4.2 fps in continuous shooting mode, a slightly larger LCD coupled with new aspect ratio, video auto-focus technology and compatibility with CompactFlash memory cards. With all these expected features Mark III is supposed to hit the market in October 2011 or by early 2012.
Sony A77

Engadget is closely eying on the upcoming cameras lined up by Sony and reports that Sony is planning to include translucent mirror in all its future Alpha models. The website also features Sony’s A77 and A65 leaked images and expects the official release next month. While there is no official disclosure about the camera’s specs and features, Sony A77 is believed to be an APS-C format camera with a 24 MP EXMOR CMOS sensor, Sony’s proprietary translucent mirror technology, 1080 HD video capture and an articulating LCD, expected to cost you about $1000-1500 for the camera body.
Sony DSLR-A950

Sony A950 camera is rumored to feature 30 MPs with all new Super HAD CCD II sensor and Quad-Bionz processor. As such there are no indications about the name though, Sony A950 is a tentative name for Sony’s next big camera with expected specs as indicated by Marc Williams (a wedding photographer) and reported by sonyalpharumors, “Sony is a late bloomer, and strong rumors indicate mind boggling innovations are on the horizon … notably a 35 meg camera with a top shutter speed of 1/12,000th and a true flash sync speed of 1/1000th”.

Which one of these are you looking forward to?

Camera Predictions 2011 — Top 5 Expected Cameras In 2011 is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Full Frame Vs. Crop Sensor Cameras — Pros And Cons Of Full Frame & Crop Sensor Cameras

Shivanand Sharma — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:23:52 +0000

The Photographer By romainguy

In the realm of photography, photographers keep debating about the superiority of full frame and crop sensor cameras. While some DSLR users would state “Bigger the better” and recommend going for full frame sensor camera, others would prefer the crop sensor camera for its penetration in the market, availability, low price, lightweight and small size. However, both these types of cameras have their own pros and cons. But the very basic difference lies in the difference of their sensor sizes. While the full frame sensors are equivalent to the size of a 35 mm (36 x 24 mm) film frame, the crop sensor, also widely known as APS (Advanced Photo-system Type) sensors approximately equal the size of the classic, age old negatives, i.e 25.1 x 16.7mm. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of cameras.

All digital photographers who are looking to upgrade or are entering the photography world have questions about which one to choose.

Pros Of Full Frame Sensor Cameras

Full frame sensor cameras are the ones with a bigger physical sensor size, less pixel density and hence bigger pixel size. These cameras are known for shooting better quality images, high ISO performance and a wide angle of view. Since the pixel size is big, more photons (light) can be captured, thereby rendering less noisy pictures even in low-lit ambiance. In addition, these cameras can view a wider dynamic range of light. As such, colors come out smoother because tonal details can be captured. Such cameras also provide a wider angle of view than the crop sensor cameras. For example, when using a 24 mm lens for both full frame and crop sensor cameras, a full frame sensor camera provides 84^o angle of view while the the crop sensor camera may provide a mere 62^o angle of view. Therefore, a full frame sensor camera is particularly useful for landscape (given good resolution) and architecture photography but suited for all other types of photography as well.

Camac Dusk 2 By AndyCoulson

Pros Of Crop Sensor Cameras

Crop sensor cameras have a comparatively smaller sensor size with a higher pixel density and are known for their long focal length. The depth of field is also quite high. Thus, more details can be obtained even when shooting far off objects. One interesting feature of a crop sensor camera is that its magnification gets multiplied by (approx.) 1.5 times (check camera manual) the original focal length of the lens. Thus, a 300mm lens will act as a 450 mm lens while using a crop sensor camera. The available lens variety for such cameras is immense and the lenses are quite cheap and lightweight, making crop sensor cameras ideal for hobbyists and amateur photographers (as they are affordable and easy to carry around). In addition, it becomes easier to adjust and set focus on the subject using a crop-sensor camera because of its narrow focus spread (field of view). Crop sensor cameras are often equipped with AF assist lamps. These lamps (located near the lens barrel) illuminate the subject in low light,which is particularly useful if auto-flash fails. Some AF lamps also throw infra-red lights to avoid startling the subject. Crop sensor cameras are useful for shooting small objects, wildlife and sports photography. These cameras fill the frame with the subject because of the magnification factor (an effect of the crop factor).

Vignette Pansies Vignette By wiredknitter

Cons Of Full Frame Sensor Cameras

Full frame sensor cameras are bulky and quite expensive (20 times more than crop sensor cameras). Only good quality, high end lenses are to be used in such cameras. If not, optical flaws like light fall-off might occur at the edges of the photograph. Macro and telephoto lenses also are not suitable to be used with this camera as they might force -crop the image.

Cons Of Crop Sensor Cameras

Crop sensor cameras have the biggest disadvantage of cropping the actual size of an image. This happens because they capture the central part of an image and leave out the periphery. Also, the angle of view is narrow. Since the field view is narrowed, control on the background is decreased. Crop sensor cameras have closely packed pixels in their sensors. As such, light absorption is low and exposure decreases. Thus, for capturing an image in dim light, flash or AF lamps are needed. Also, ultra-wide angle lenses are difficult to find for such sensors.

Bokeh Butterfly By aussiegall

Now that you know the difference between full frame sensor cameras and crop sensor cameras, you can decide what would suit you the best. Summing up, while full frame sensor cameras give a wide angle of view, crop sensor cameras provide a more narrowed and distant reach. The key is Full-frame are going to be the future, they have excellent ISO, noise performance at the cost of magnification and pixel density. If you are upgrading, are willing to invest in new lenses and if your budget allows, by all means opt in for a full-frame. Else opt in for a regular crop-sensor DSLR — they are going to stay and aren’t going anywhere is the foreseeable future.

Full Frame Vs. Crop Sensor Cameras — Pros And Cons Of Full Frame & Crop Sensor Cameras is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Pixel Density — Pixel Density & How Does It Matter

Shivanand Sharma — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:46:44 +0000

Silent Beauty By memphisrhino

As full frame digital cameras become the norm, the digital camera landscape is changing. More and more photographers intend to move to full-frame or plan to in the near future. One aspect of the full-frame sensors in the loss of pixel density. Let’s see what pixel density is, how does it matter and it’s effects and ramifications on photography.

What Is Pixel Density

Pixel density is simply the number of pixels crammed per fixed area of a camera sensor and is measured in pixels per inch. Higher the number of pixels in the same area, more the density.

How To Calculate Pixel Density

I am not going to give a mathematical explanation of calculating pixel density because I know it would make most people yawn . Instead, I shall provide a very simple illustration for you to understand . Consider two camera models – the Sony F828 and Canon 20 D DSLR. Both these cameras have a similar resolution, i.e. 8 MP. But Sony F828 has a comparatively smaller sensor. Thus, using the simple formula, Pixel Density = Number of pixels/Imaging area (of the sensor), we know that the imaging chip of the Sony F828 will be tightly packed with more pixels per unit area, resulting in a high pixel density.

Sony F828 By Saad.Akhtar

Breaking The Myth Of Pixel Density

Pixel density is not measured in terms of pixels-per-fixed-area of the monitor. Pixel density is measured in wrt. the sensor’s area and not the monitor area. For example, the Sony F828 (mentioned above) has a sensor as small as 1/16^th of the full frame size and the pixel density is very high. One thing worth mentioning here is that a sensor of high pixel density needs a sharper lens because of their better sampling. Thus a 35 mm film /sensor might go with the standard 35 mm lens but for a sensor with a higher pixel density, a lens with higher focal length will be required.

Sydney Night Landscape By woonyen77

The Fine Print About Pixel Density

A very important factor that the manufacturers do not tell you is that two cameras with same resolution but with different sensor sizes will have different pixel density. And since pixel density directly impacts the image output, you may end up paying more money for a camera with a more mega-pixel sensor but smaller physical sensor size and hence loss of information in your images. Smaller sensors with more pixel density might give you sharper pictures but they also crop the field of view. Also check out my other article on Bayer Interpolation. A smaller sensor means greater lens magnification (or less wide angle reach – thus requiring very small focal lengths for wide angle coverage).

Baby Dolphin By david.nikonvscanon ( cropped)

Crop Factor Of A Camera

To understand how the smaller physical sensor size affects their photograph the manufacturers provide the camera’s crop factor (also known as focal length conversion factor) in the camera specs. A crop factor simply means that the manufacturer has used a smaller sensor (with a lens adjusted for the size) for his camera as compared to a full-frame camera.

Impact Of Pixel Density On Your Pictures

A small sensor is not always bad. Sometimes, a camera with a small sensor and higher pixel density technically might be useful for shooting smaller objects like birds and insects since the larger crop factor in such a camera gives a greater magnification, narrower field of view and sharper image. (That doesn’t mean you must carry multiple cameras everywhere, your cellphone’s camera will do). To the contrary for professional photographers (and especially the) landscape photographers a camera with a large sensor is a must because of the wider field of view since such sensors capture a greater amount of light, produce less noisy picture and a higher dynamic range and are desirable for all professional photographers because of the larger pixels.

Bird Close Up By lode.rummens

Pixel Density And Dots Per Inch — The Difference

People often refer to pixel density as dots per inch but these two terms are quite different from each other. While pixel density refers to the number of pixels per unit area of the sensor, dots per inch refer to the the number of ink dots per square inch of the printed page (image). Higher the number of dots, more efficient is the printer, better the quality of the printed picture. Therefore, printers are rated as per their efficiency in dots per inch or DPI.

May I Have My Soul Back Please By The Other Dan

A good resolution camera with a large sensor will always give you better quality pictures. But a larger resolution is quite desirable to keep the pixel density high. A total value for your hard earned money, isn’t it?

Pixel Density — Pixel Density & How Does It Matter is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Nikon Compact Cameras — Latest Nikon Coolpix Cameras

Shivanand Sharma — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:56:13 +0000

Nikon Coolpix S4100

Amongst all the digital camera manufacturers of today (Casio, Fuji, Panasonic, Sony, Pentax, Nikon and Canon), Nikon is considered to be a biggie that has been launching cameras in the market for almost 50 years now. Therefore, the reliability upon features and quality of the cameras offered by Nikon are high. In the recent years, the Coolpix range of Nikon created a huge customer demand. The specialty of this range is the world class Nikon “Nikkor” lenses that give great clarity and sharpness to the images. Also, their easy to use features and simple menu enables even inexperienced photographers to take high-quality shots with comfort. Here are the latest Nikon Coolpix range of digital cameras.

Nikon Coolpix L23

Introduced in the market in February 2011, Nikon Coolpix L23 is aimed at the beginners, with very basic features and is quite handy for holidays or outings. The 10.1 megapixel, 5x optical zoom, 2.7 inch LCD monitor and easy to use auto modes makes it a perfect choice for obtaining quality pics without much botheration. The buttons are placed in convenient places which make them easy to click without viewing closely. Instead of a lithium ion battery, Nikon Coolpix L23 uses two A-A size batteries to power itself. Easy and handy, this range comes in 5 stylish colors to choose from- red, black, blue, silver and pink. Features include red eye removal, smart portrait system accompanied with a smile timer, monitor brightness boost, 17 scene modes and electronic vibration reduction. This camera is priced at $94 approx.

Nikon Coolpix L23
Nikon Coolpix L120

Launched in March 2011, this camera is a successor of Nikon L110 from 2010. If you are looking for a compact point and shoot camera with long zoom range, Nikon Coolpix L120 is for you. It contains 21x optical zoom lens that allows you to shoot at broad focal length from 25 mm wide to 125 mm telephoto. So, you can shoot anything from everyday shots to landscapes and distant objects. Also, the macro mode allows you to shoot closeups up to 1 cm. The camera is equipped with a side control lever to smoothly zoom in and out as per your needs. Other features of Nikon Coolpix L120 include a wide 3 inch high resolution LCD screen, 20 scene modes and a HD movie recorder with stereo sound effect. In addition, a sport continuous mode is also provided that lets you shoot upto 20 frames at 15 frames per second giving you the freedom to capture randomly fast moving objects. This range comes in two classic colors of wine red and black and is priced between $249 to$279. Other features are similar to the L23 series. Get it here.

Nikon Coolpix L120
Nikon Coolpix P300

Released in February, Nikon Coolpix P300 is a successor of P7000 released in 2010. This lightweight camera has a 4.2x zoom high refractive index lens that allows you to capture clear images in very bright light. This provides a sharpness to your photos in spite of the contrast. Also, a backside illuminated CMOS sensor helps you to take less noisy photos in dim light. This feature specially comes in handy while shooting indoors and at night. With a 3 inch color monitor, HD movie recording, surround sound, 12 Mp resolution multi—frame ISO, twin control dials and various special effects and filter effects, this camera is designed for a high class shooting experience. The camera has all the four exposure modes found in advanced cameras – the auto mode, shutter priority, aperture priority and the manual mode. Available in a single color black, this camera is priced at $330 approx. Get it here.
Nikon Coolpix P500

This series was also released in March 2011. If zoom capacity is all that matters to you, Nikon Coolpix P500 would be an ideal deal for you. It is the successor of the Nikon Coolpix P100 and has a 36x mega zoom capacity with the aid of a 35 mm lens; helping to shoot distant objects of long focal lengths. Like L120,this model too has a 3 inch LCD screen and a zoom control side-bar. The high- speed 12.1 CMOS illumination sensor placed at the back of the camera enables you to take good quality images even in low-light. Additional features include recording speed adjustments, capturing still images while recording, manual shooting mode and vari-angle monitor. Rest of the features are similar to the Nikon L120 series. Available in two colors of black and red, these cameras cost $400 approx. Get it here.

Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix S2500

Launched in March 2011, Nikon Coolpix S2500 has a regular 12 Megapixel CCD sensor instead of an illuminated CMOS sensor. Alongside, it neither has a touch panel like the other cameras of the Coolpix S series nor does it boast of recording full HD movies. Instead it can record only a VGA footage of 640*480 resolution max. It does not have the option of filter effects either. But it has a good 12 MP sensor for quality photos. It has a 4x zoom lens and 17 screen modes including blink proof and smile timer modes. There are five color options to choose from; black and white, sepia, cynotope, standard and vivid. Nikon Coolpix S2500 is quite lightweight(117g) and comes in four different colors – black, red, silver and pink. Overall, this is an ideal beginner’s point and shoot camera which is quite affordable at a price of $100 only.

Nikon Coolpix S2500
Nikon Coolpix S3100

Launched in March 2011, Nikon Coolpix S3100 is quite similar to the Nikon Coolpix S4100 range. With 5x zoom lens and a 2.7 LCD monitor, 19 scene modes, soft light and HD recorder, the Nikon Coolpix S3100 contains most of the features of S4100. But what sets it apart is its weight and variety of colors. This camera weighs just 118 grams and comes in seven vivid and stylish colors of black, silver, red, blue, pink, purple and citrus yellow. This camera is priced at $150 approx. Get it here.

Nikon Coolpix S3100
Nikon Coolpix S4100

Nikon Coolpix S4100 was launched in the market in March 2011. It is primarily meant for those who love touch operations instead of clicking buttons. This compact camera has 5x optical zoom lens, 3 inch LCD monitor, HD recorder and various scene modes like the other cameras of the coolpix range. But what makes it special is its in-built editing tools which allows you to add special effects to the image. Nikon Coolpix S4100 comes in four vivid colors of black, silver, red and plum with a price setting of $180 approx. Get it here.

Nikon Coolpix S4100
Nikon Coolpix S6100

Released in March 2011, Nikon Coolpix S6100 is an upgrade of the Nikon Coolpix S600 released in 2010. With 7x optical zoom lens and vibration reduction 16 Mp CCD sensor, this camera provides a rich photographic experience. It has an inbuilt “View NX2 package” that helps in the downloading and editing of images superfast (when you hook up your card to your computer). Other features of the Nikon Coolpix S6100 include 3 inch LCD monitor with an angle touch panel, filter and special effects, one touch HD movie recorder with surround sound, red eye reduction, quick retouch, soft focus, different scene modes, etc. It comes in four cool colors; silver, violet, black and red and is priced at $200 approx. Get it here.

Nikon Coolix S6100
Nikon Coolpix S9100

Most of the cameras of the S series in the Coolpix range can be distinguished by their touch panel monitors. Nikon Coolpix S9100 is no exception to this. Released in March 2011, this one is special because of its high sensitive ISO of 6400 that enables capturing clear photos in different lighting conditions. And the one touch option to record high quality HD videos makes it all the more desirable . The zoom control is an enhanced 18x. There is an additional shooting mode called the “Pet Portrait” mode to shoot pets. In addition, some special effects for shooting landscapes at night have been included. Just like the P500 range, this model also has a 3 inch high resolution LCD screen, back illuminated CMOS sensor, auto modes, stereo sound and vibration reduction. This camera comes in three vivid colors, black, pink and silver and is priced at $330 approx. Get it here.

Nikon Coolpix S9100

Nikon Compact Cameras — Latest Nikon Coolpix Cameras is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Camera Mechanics — How Does The Camera Work?

Shivanand Sharma — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:13:56 +0000

She's The Nikon Girl by Hckyso

Look through the camera lens, fine tune the camera settings and click the shutter-release to imprint the reality on the photographic frame. But what happens behind the scene. How does the camera actually record the data in the form of images?

The camera is a compact piece of technology made up of various components — the lens, the aperture, the shutter, etc., which collaborate together to capture the scene. With advancement of technology, the basic structure and composition of the cameras have undergone a lot of change making the camera an intelligent device to work with. While in the days of film you had to manually fine-tune the camera settings, the digital cameras relieve you from the complexities of manual settings. With time, the cameras have become mature but the basic principles and functioning of the cameras, more or less remain the same.

The primary function of the camera is to capture the light. The mechanics of the camera involves several components to allow the light to pass to the image sensor. These components of the camera not only allow the camera to make the exposure, but they also enable the camera to control the light and various effects. Here are the basic parts and controls of the camera:

Viewfinder: Viewfinder is a slot in the camera which allows you to preview the scene.
The Shutter: The shutter covers the sensor (or film in case of a film SLR). The shutter opens up when the shutter-release button is pressed to allow the light to fall on the sensor/film and create a capture. The speed of the shutter can be controlled which determines how long the shutter is open and what amount of the light passes through. The shutter-speed is measured in seconds and varied typically from 30 sec. to 1/4000 sec. The shutter has to be extremely light and thin to move at high speeds (about a few thousandths of a second). A high shutter-speed allows the camera to freeze movements in the scene. A slow- shutter-speed may induce motion-blur in the scene.
The Lens: The lens allows focusing, zooming and the use of an aperture to control the amount of light. The optical qualities of the lens determine the quality of the photographs and the cost of the lens.
The Aperture: The aperture is the opening inside the lens which allows light to pass through. The aperture can be varied and its value is measured in f-stops or f-number. A smaller f-number represents a wider aperture and a larger f-number represents a smaller aperture. The aperture not only controls the amount of light, it also determined the depth-of-field in a scene.

Cross Section Of DSLR

Basic Principle Of The Camera

The basic feature of the camera is to capture what the camera sees. When you press the shutter-release the camera makes an impression on the film (or sensor in digital cameras) to capture the data. The camera sees in terms of light reflected off the subject or the amount of light in the scene. When you point the camera towards the subject or the scene, the reflected light from the scene (or the subject) is passed through the camera lens and as soon as you release the shutter, the camera shutter opens for the fraction of time to expose the film or the camera sensor to the light to capture the impression of light and save it as analog or digital data. In the days of film cameras, a roll of photo-sensitive sheet was placed instead of the digital sensor in digital cameras.

In film cameras the photographs were captured on the film. The exposed film was then rolled forward to prepare the camera make another exposure. In digital cameras, the light striking the image sensor is converted into discrete signals and saved to the internal memory or the buffer from where the data is transferred to the memory cards used by the digital cameras for storage.

While the film used by the film cameras was processed in darkroom to create the final prints, the digital camera offers you the flexibility of transferring the images to your computer, process the images in image-editing software (if required) and printing the selective images and storing the rest of the images on your computer itself.

How Does The Camera Work?

The light reflected off the subject enters the camera through the lens where it passes through the lens aperture. It then reaches a mirror temporarily tilted at 45 degrees which reflects the light at 90 degrees. This light then is reflected by a pentaprism glass and exits through the viewfinder where it reaches the eye of the photographer and makes it possible to preview the scene.

When the photographer is ready to take the shot, the mirror (which was earlier tilted at 45 degrees) moves out of the line and the light passes straight inside. When the photographer presses the shutter release button, the shutter covering the film or the camera sensor opens up and light falls on the sensor or the film thereby forming the photographic impression. The shutter then closes after a brief delay (depending on the shutter speed setting), the mirror moves back into its previous position and the camera is ready for another shot.

Simple, was it?

Camera Mechanics — How Does The Camera Work? is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Top DSLRs — Top 10 Best Selling DSLR Cameras In 2010

Shivanand Sharma — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:30:09 +0000

March Of The Cameras by The Suss Man

The best cameras ultimately top the charts owing to the features, flexibility and the money value they provide to the users. In the present market scenario, each manufacturer be it Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus is ready to serve the end-user not only with better image quality, they are more oriented towards providing competitive features too. All the manufacturers are working on the cutting-edge technology to provide nothing less than the best to the users. Here is a list of top 10 best selling DSLRs this season (majorly dominated by Nikon and Canon).

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon EOS Rebel T2i tops the chart owing to its intuitive design (the trend following the EOS series) which makes it easier for the photographer to use the various features provided by the camera instantly. The other features which contribute in making the camera top the charts are: lightweight DSLR offering 18 megapixels, increased light sensitivity, advanced HD movie mode and auto lighting optimizer; which results in getting brilliant photos and videos effortlessly.
Nikon D90

Nikon D90 remains an all time favorite for the photographers (who prefer Nikon over Canon). It is widely marketed as the camera with stunning image quality offering broad control and is the world’s first digital SLR offering the movie function. The advanced features offered by the camera like in-camera retouch menus including several new retouch options such as distortion control, straighten and fisheye; enable it to top the charts every time.
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D is an enhancement of its sibling Canon EOS 5D MarkII. This 18.1 megapixels camera features CMOS sensor (as is the case with all the latest DSLRs) and Dual DIGIC 4 image processors for high image quality and speed. The camera is designed to cater to the needs of the professionals and to provide creative freedom to semi-professionals. The camera features an intelligent viewfinder which provides approximately 100% frame coverage and displays grid lines on demand, which comes in handy for composing the frames effectively.
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100 provides nothing less than best on the fronts of image quality and ease of use, this 14.2 megapixels camera offers features which enables wireless transfer of images & videos (termed as Eye-fi support) and provides an easy way out for sharing and storing the photographs online with myPicturetown.
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Canon EOS Rebel T1i claims to offer an un-compromised digital performance with power and flexibility right in the palm of your hand. Canon EOS Rebel T1i, like every other camera lined up in Canon EOS series, features CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 image processor and dust deletion feature. This 15.10 effective megapixel camera is relatively easy to use for beginners and provides the underlying Canon benefits to the professional photographers.
Nikon D5000

Nikon D5000 is a 12.3 megapixels camera which features an all new vari-angle monitor providing approximately 100% frame coverage. It is one of the entry level DSLRs from Nikon which features CMOS sensor which makes it a great value for money photo-gear.
Canon Rebel XS

Canon Rebel XS is a nifty Canon surprise for the photography beginners. This 10.1 megapixels camera provides easy to use controls, a compact design, a 2.5-inch LCD monitor and a Live View function; all of which contribute in simplifying the camera usage for the beginner.
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000 is the recent addition in the Nikon family. It is a perfect solution for anyone who is planning to upgrade. Its design and technology is aimed at making photography simple. It offers all the bell & whistles associated with Nikon along with certain enhancements and advancements in the technology. It features all new EXPEED 2 processing engine and newly developed AF system featuring 39 focus points to result in a better image quality and high image processing speed.
Canon Rebel XSi

Canon Rebel XSi is a 12.2 megapixels camera which claims to offer infinite possibilities to the users. Canon Rebel XSi is a DSLR which offers the best of both the worlds — the ease of point and shoot cameras and the advanced features of a high-end camera.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II is an excellent photo-gear for beginners as well as for the professionals. This 21.1 megapixels full-frame camera is favored by the photography enthusiasts over other cameras owing to its super fast processing, extended tonal gradation, outstanding color reproduction and unmatched image quality even in low-ambient light.

Top DSLRs — Top 10 Best Selling DSLR Cameras In 2010 is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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10 Features Of A Great Camera

Shivanand Sharma — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:30:28 +0000

Self Portrait by Ailatan

How do you find a great camera to shoot? There are varied notions surrounding the concept of what makes a great camera viz. — great features, design, speed in frames-per-second. But arguably the greatest camera is the one that aids in your creative adventure and helps you achieve your creative vision. As such the pivotal role of a camera is to get out of your way and help you create great masterpieces. The beauty of any gadget, electronic device and not to forget, the photo-gear, lies in the simplicity of using it. But that is just one aspect of it. There are several other factors also which contribute in making the camera great. Some of the most important ones are enlisted here.

Ease Of Accessing Features

In photography, timing matters the most. The instances do not repeat themselves and so, releasing the shutter with appropriate settings at the right time is of utmost importance. Accordingly, one thing which makes a camera great is the ease with which its features can be accessed to make instant settings and be ready to capture the perfect scene. I prefer my Nikon D80 over my compact Sony DSC-W110. Even though it’s like comparing apples to oranges, but you got the point. Its dials and controls enable me to access the features I use, instantly; the exposure compensation buttons, bracketing button and options for controlling aperture and shutter speed for various scenes and subjects. All these things are easily accessible through dials and controls on the camera itself, without any need to juggle for the settings in hidden menus (the problem I face when I use my compact camera).
Critical Adjustments

According to me the camera which offers all the critical adjustments — auto-focus, aperture mode, shutter speed mode, program auto and the manual mode is worth an investment. It enables you to take the control of equipment and make it the perfect photo-gear for all kinds of photography. One camera alone (of course with various accessories) opens up an entire world of imagination for you. The camera with the above mentioned modes enables you to capture motion effects / freeze the motion, create beautiful bokehs, experiment with splash photography… and thus makes it fit for all the occasions; be it weddings, friend groups, photographing kids or family events.

Skyride by Smcgee
Support And Warranty

What makes the Nikon and the Canon rule the photo-gear market? Apart from good quality and feature rich photo-gears, these two names have created a brand name and brand value for themselves in the market. The customers simply love Nikon / Canon products because of the support and warranty they offer. Ranging from the point & shoots to high-end DSLRs, these brands provide options and services even for the obsolete (out of market) products, thus increasing the lifetime of the photo-gear. This is what matters in making a great camera; greater lifetime = an equipment worth investment = good camera.
Specifications Of The Camera

There are so many options in the camera market, the customers are often misled by the specifications and the features offered by the cameras. Nikon D5000 offers tilt and swivel LCD, Samsung TL225 and TL220 offers the self portrait mode, Nikon D7000 offer full HD support video mode and so on. These features create a hap in the market, but do not essentially contribute in making a great photo-gear. Some of the things which really do matter are:
- Sensor Size: The bigger the size of the digital sensor of the camera, better is the output and better photographs is equivalent to good camera.
- Speed: One of the parameters for ranking a photo-gear is its speed of processing the raw data and writing the data onto the memory. The cameras which take a way too long to get ready for the other shot, are great at missing the opportunities. Speed in terms of frames-per-second makes a difference when you are shooting sports.
- Booting Time: We all hate to wait for the computer to start up. The start-up time of your camera can miss you a perfect shot. So it’s preferable to have a camera which is quick to turn on and ready to shoot within a fraction of a second.
Extensibility

All the DSLRs and a few high-end prosumers offer the flexibility of accessorizing the camera with lenses, external flashes, filters, etc. The photography enthusiasts and hobbyists collect various accessories to extend the capabilities of the camera and shoot a wide variety of scenes and subjects with a professional touch. For example, a single camera body and two lenses, say one zoom lens and the other one be a telephoto lens, enable you to shoot portraits, landscapes, architectures, etc with efficacy.

Helios Lens by DeusXFlorida

On the other hand, going for a camera which lets you use various filters enables you to introduce some special effects in your images. For example, a GND filter helps you in bringing down the dynamic range of the scene and a polarizing filter enables you to enhance color, saturation and contrast in the scene. Such extensible cameras, give way to great photographs and ultimately score over other photo-gears available in the market.
Ability To Shoot In RAW

A good camera is the one which enables you to make great photographs. But having a good command over the camera comes with experience. It is very difficult to control all the settings and generate great results in-camera. According to an APN poll, 80% of the photographers re-touch and fine-tune the photographs. If you belong to this category and favor post-processing adjustments, the option of shooting in RAW is a must when considering the qualities of a good camera. Shooting in RAW enables you to change everything except for light & perspective; you can even change the camera auto-modes with the RAW editor.
Compatibility

Trust by Rogiro

Buying an extensible camera is not the only thing that contributes to making a great camera, but its compatibility with various accessories should also be considered. The compatibility feature is applicable especially when upgrading the camera. If the accessories you already have are not compatible with the new camera you are planning to buy, its better to look for a photo-gear which can efficiently use the accessories with the help of certain extension rings or so.
Your Requirement

The definition of good, great, efficient… changes from person to person. For example, some people like to shoot with high end photo-gear in the market (with all features and bells & whistles), while others prefer using handy compacts or point & shoots. Your liking for the things rests on your preferences, usage and requirements. If you are a casual photographer and love to take snaps of your friends & family, there is no match for a handy compact camera; and if you are a pro and love to photograph a variety of scenes and subjects, any DSLR which offers all the critical adjustments becomes a great camera for you.
The Camera Which Gives You The Desired Results

Photography is an art of capturing the imaginations; which may vary a lot from what exists in the real life. Always getting well saturated, vivid yet accurate colors in the photographs is also an art. Apart from shooting in golden or magic hour, it is your camera also which contributes in getting great colors. It requires you to fine-tune the camera and set it to the desired metering mode, white-balance mode, set the required exposure level (through exposure compensation controls) and saturation settings to get the expected colors and effect in your photographs. The most important thing to note here is that not all cameras make this possible and the one that help you get great colors is ultimately a good camera.

Colorful Shops by Dave Wilson
What You Make Out Of The Camera

If you have the photographer’s quest and power of imagination, photo-gear is not a limitation for you. Any camera is great, if you know how to make the most from it. After all, in photography your camera doesn’t matter, but the things that make the difference are your imagination, vision, creativity and the skills for using the camera.

10 Features Of A Great Camera is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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Tripod Tips — The Beginner’s Guide To Buying A Tripod

Shivanand Sharma — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:07:50 +0000

Tirpod By Norma Desmond

Tripods come real handy when shooting sensitive subjects that have zero tolerance towards shakes. There are times when you go slow on shutter speed and opt to photograph long exposures, in such cases the photos taken with hand held camera get blurred (due to camera shakes). Even a slight shake may ruin the perfect shot due to the lack of sturdy support. Supporting the camera with a tripod can help fix up the problem and achieve sharp results when slowing down the shutter speed.

Even though the tripods perform a very basic function of supporting the camera and providing a sturdy surface to it, they are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, depending upon the composition and the requirement of a photographer. From a beginner’s perspective, here are a few points to keep in mind when selecting a tripod.

Stability of a tripod.
Depending on type of photography you do.
Height of the tripod.
Weight of a Tripod.

Types Of Tripods

Full Sized Tripod: This class of tripod is often the choice of a serious photographer who use variety of cameras and long telephoto lenses for shooting pictures. They are best suited for medium format cameras or large format cameras.

Tripod By Jepirrier

Table Top & Mini Tripod: As the name suggest, these are small and lightweight pods which can be easily accommodated in your bags. Most apt for taking close-up pictures, self-portraits or group shots. You can fix it at the table top or other level surface when needed.
Compact Tripod: A compact tripod is similar to that of a full-sized tripod but comparatively lightweight. Without any difficulty you can fold it so that it can be placed in a valise. All in all, it is lightweight and fold-able.

Which Tripod Suits You The Best?

Basic Tripod: These tripods generally have non-removable heads and have variety of weight limits (3-5 pounds). Most of which have aluminum legs with plastic locks. Extended up to 50-60 inches and this pod can flex itself up to 25 inches. They are well suited for “Sunday drivers”.
Tripod For Pros: For professional photographers such a pod will do it all. These are highly customizable tripods exclusively designed for the photographers who keeps dabbling around with their photographic skills. They are usually sold as legs and head separately. Many tripods have adjustable legs. Tripods under this category weigh 4-12 pounds, extends up-to 60-75 inches and can be wrapped to anywhere from 22-37 inches very conveniently.
Traveler Tripods: Since these are specially designed for the people who travel distant locations, considering their ease they are lightweight and small-enough that they can be easily accommodated with other photography equipments. A traveler tripod is compact and light enough but can be extended to a reasonable height for shooting without requiring you to slouch. Customarily, these pods weigh around 2 ponds, extendable up-to 60 inches and can be folded adequately to around 16 inches.

Carbon Fiber Tripods: Carbon fiber tripods are about 30% lighter and noticeably more rigid than a tripod made up of aluminum. These tripods are very sturdy yet light in weight (3.5-4.5 pounds) and reduces or deaden the vibration to a large extent, contributing to sharper images. Can stretch up-to 55-65 inches and fold-able up-to 20-25 inches very easily. These tripods are wonderful to work with, especially if you have to take them any great distance.

Last thing you need to do is saving your investment. When not in use, store it in a bag or something of a sort to avoid damages.

Manfrotto make sturdy and fantastic tripods and is one of the popular brands. If the jargon confuses you, just stick to a good brand and discuss with the salesperson. Manfrotto 055XDB is a basic tripod which is sturdy, portable and easy to carry. You can get Manfrotto 055XDB here.

Hope all of the above factors will help you in deciding which pod to choose and pick. What other factors do you consider when looking for a tripod?

Tripod Tips — The Beginner’s Guide To Buying A Tripod is written by AdvancedPhotography.Net photography tips.

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