Full Frame vs. Full Image
One of the reasons people are sometimes disappointed by prints made from digital camera files is usually not the quality of photograph but what’s missing. What’s missing might be Uncle Bernie who was on the edge of the group photograph you made at last year’s family reunion. It’s not that you don’t like Bernie— when you look at the file on a computer he appears in the image—it’s just that he’s a victim of a difference in aspect ratio...
Why I Like Battery Grips
I get to test new cameras for Shutterbug, this blog and Mirrorless Photo Tips but regular readers know when it comes to my personal cameras I tend to be thrifty. I may get to shoot with high-end expensive cameras but contrary to what many think, after the review they’re returned to the manufacturer. All of my personal gear is funded out of my wallet. Over time, I evolved a simply philosophy and even wrote a post (“How...
Optimizing and Balancing ISO and Noise
It’s no secret that all lenses have a “sweet spot” aperture that produces maximum image quality. I like Sean McHugh’s take on this: A lens’ “sweet spot” increases for successively narrower apertures, reaching maximum for intermediate apertures, and declines for very narrow apertures. Depending on the lens, this is typically between f/8 and f/16 on a full frame or APS-C sized sensor but is independent of the number of megapixels. There...
Macro Photography with Extension Tubes
Look for a related post on using Close-Up Filters next month on Learning Digital Photography. Want to get closer than close-up filter will allow? Stage II up the macro-focusing ladder is accomplished by adding an extension tube (or two) to your existing lens. Extension tubes provide the additional separation between your lens and imaging chip that’s required for close-up photography. You might think of it as an alternative to the more...
Dealing with Shutter Lag
Sometimes when making a candid photograph your subject stays right where you hoped they would be but occasionally something or someone steps into the scene blocking your chance of capturing the moment, all because of shutter lag. Shutter lag occurs with all kinds of cameras, including film or digital, but can be more of a problem with digicams because of the delay resulting from the charging the imaging chip and then transmission of...
What’s the Best Camera?
A day does not go buy without me receiving an e-mail, Tweet or Facebook post asking what camera the writer should buy? That can be a tough question to answer because for openers there’s the budget aspect that’s part of any purchasing decision and then there’s whole “what kind of pictures do you (want to) make question too. It’s similar to asking what kind of car someone should buy? For some the answer might be a Jaguar or a Corvette...
2011 Camera of the Year
As digital imaging goes mainstream, digital cameras have become more homogenous, with manufacturers slavishly copying others more innovative ideas. During 2011 I got to test many different SLRs and mirrorless interchangeable cameras and some of them were quite good, especially the Nikon J1. For those companies who’ve taken the extra step of producing clever and exiting cameras, I would like to present the “Ernie” award for digital...
