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DIGITAL CAMERA WORKSHOP MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY MORRO BAY 23rd AUGUST 2008. MISSION STATEMENT. DIGITAL CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES ARE IMPROVING SO FAST IN BOTH PRICE AND EQUIPMENT THAT WHAT I SAY TODAY MAY BE OBSOLETE TODAY OR TOMORROW. INTRODUCTION.
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DIGITAL CAMERA WORKSHOPMUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY MORRO BAY23rd AUGUST 2008
MISSION STATEMENT DIGITAL CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES ARE IMPROVING SO FAST IN BOTH PRICE AND EQUIPMENT THAT WHAT I SAY TODAY MAY BE OBSOLETE TODAY OR TOMORROW
INTRODUCTION • KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS DIGITAL CAMERA WORKSHOP IS A BASIC EXPLANATION HOW THE DIGITAL CAMERA FUNCTIONS AND HOW TO RECORD DIGITAL CAMERA IMAGES • THIS WORKSHOP MAIN FUNCTION IS TO FOCUS ON YOU GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA ADVENTURE • THE BEST TO WAY LEARN ABOUT YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA IS PRACTICE TAKING PICTURES - IT DOESN’T COST A THING AFTER THE DIGITAL CAMERA PURCHASE
DIGITAL CAMERA PRESENTATIONOUTLINE • SETTING DATE AND TIME • DEFINE POINT & SHOOT VS SINGLE LENS REFLEX (SLR) • DEFINE SENSOR / PIXELS • DIGITAL DUST (SLR) • MEMORY CARDS • BATTERIES (TYPE OF BATTERY IN YOUR CAMERA) • CHOOSING THE RIGHT CAMERA SETTINGS, EXPOSURE, ETC … • MODE SETTINGS: • ISO SETTINGS (100, 200, ETC.) • CAMPENSATIONS - EXPOSURE (EV +/-) • WHITE BALANCE (COLOR CORRECTION) • FILTER SETTINGS • HISTOGRAMS • RESOLUTION (SHARPNESS) • CHANGING PIXEL SETTINGS • MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY GENERAL TIPS • GUIDELINES BUYING A DIGITAL CAMERA
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POINT & SHOOT (P&S) AND SINGLE LENS REFLEX (SLR) DIGITAL CAMERASPOINT & SHOOT SINGLE LENS REFLEX • THE ADVANCEMENT IN DIGITAL CAMERA TECHNOLOGY MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO CATEGORIZE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO TYPES OF CAMERAS • MANUFACTURES HAVE CREATED A GREAT DIVERSITY OF POINT & SHOOTAND SLR DIGITAL CAMERA TYPES • CLASSIFYING DIGITAL CAMERA TYPES BOTH ARE SPECFIC AND HAVE DIFFERENT DESIGNS • IMPORTANT DECISION TO MAKE IS WHAT STYLE OF CAMERA YOU WANT TO PURCHASE AND BEING COMFORTABLE WITH THE RIGHT CAMERA MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE
POINT & SHOOT vs SLR DIGITAL CAMERAS SHUTTER DELAY FACTOR MOST POINT & SHOOT DIGITAL CAMERAS HAVE A SHUTTER LAG TIME BETWEEN THE TIME THE SHUTTER BUTTON IS RELEASED AND DOWNLOADED TO THE MEMORY CARD SLR DIGITAL CAMERAS DOES NOT HAVE THE SHUTTER LAG TIME BECAUSE THE LARGER SIZE SENSOR (BUFFER) ALLOWS DOWNLOADING TO THE MEMORY CARD FASTER
SENSOR INSIDE THE DIGITAL CAMERA • THE POINT & SHOOT, SINGLE LENS RELEX, AND CELL PHONE CAMERAS THE SENSORS / PIXELS ARE ALL TECHNICALLY THE SAME EXCEPT FOR THE DIFFERENCES IN SENSOR AND PIXEL SIZE • THE SLR SENSOR HAS A SHARPER IMAGE DUE TO THE LARGER SENSOR / PIXEL SIZE
FILM vs SENSOR • FILM, DIGITAL, AND CELL PHONE CAMERAS HAVE THE SAME THREE COLOR LAYERS (BLUE, GREEN, AND RED LAYERS) THAT PRODUCES THE DIGITAL IMAGE • WHEN THE SHUTTER BUTTON IS RELEASED, THE IMAGE IS EXPOSED ON THE SENSOR EXPOSING MILLIONS OF PIXELS AND THEN THE IMAGE IS TRANSFERED TO A MEMORY CARD ELECTRONCALLY
TECHNOLOGY - SENSOR THERE ARE ONLY TWO TYPES OF SENSORS: CCD - CHARGE COUPLED DEVICE CMOS - COMPLEMENTARY METAL-OXIDE SEMI-CONDUCTOR DIGITAL SENSOR SIZE : POINT & SHOOT - 8.86mm X 6.64mm SLR - 22.50mm x 15.mm (NEWER SLRs ARE 35MM AND DO NOT HAVE MAGNICATION PROBLEM - 1 TO 1) BOTH TYPE OF SENSORS FOR THE POINT & SHOOT AND SLR D-CAMERAS CAN HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MEGAPIXELS, BUT THE SLR HAS BETTER RESOLUTION BECAUSE EACH PIXEL SIZE IS LARGER
DIGITAL DUSTCONTAMINATES THE SENSOR(FOUND ONLY ON THE SLRs) • STATIC CHARGE ON THE SENSOR COLLECTS PATICLES (LIKE ON A TV SCREEN) • YOU CAN CLEAN THE SENSOR BUT USE EXTREME CAUTION OR HAVE A PROFESSIONAL CLEAN IT • TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF THE SENSOR CLEAN YOUR CAMEA BAG, LENSES, AND CAMERA REGUARLY • TURN OFF THE CAMERA BEFORE CHANGING LENSES
FIVE TYPES OF MEMORY CARDS • COMPACT FLASH (CF) - Highest capacities - less expensive permegabyte AND MOST WIDELY USED - TYPE I AND II • SECURE DIGITAL (SD) - FASTER THEN THE CF • SMART MEDIA - SMALLER THEN THE CF - THIN AS CREDIT CARD • MEMORY STICK - DIGITAL AND VIDEO CAMERAS • xD - MOST COMPACT CARDS • MICRODRIVE - MINIATURE HARD DRIVE- HAS MOVING INTERNAL PARTS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE
MEMORY CARD TIPS NEW MEMORY CARD ALWAYS FORMAT ASAP NEVER BUY A NEW CARD BEFORE A TRIP- MAYBE A BAD CARD BUY A WELL KNOWN BRAND ALWAYS FORMAT YOUR CARD AFTER DOWN LOADING - THIS CLEANS UP THE FILE STRUCTURE NEVER LET YOUR BATTIES GO COMPETELY DOWN - YOUR MAY HARM THE CARD WHILE DOWNLOADING TRY USING A “IMAGE RESCUE SOFTWARE” IF YOUR CARD FAILS WITH YOUR PHOTOS ON IT
MEMORY CARD CAPACITY TO THE TYPE OF DIGITAL CAMERA (highest setting not RAW)
BATTERY CHARGES & TYPES VERY IMPORTANT TO READ YOUR MANUAL FOR THE BEST TYPE OF BATTERY TO USE * NiCd BATTERY - THEY WORK FOR POWER TOOLS, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE BEST CHOICE FOR PHOTO EQUIPMENT - SOME DIGITAL CAMERAS CANNOT USE THEM AT ALL * NiMH BATTERY - THIS TYPE OF BATTERY CAN STORE 40 PER CENT MORE POWER THEN THE NiCds - THEY DO NOT SUFFER FROM MEMORY PROBLEMS - CAN BE RECHARGED WITHOUT HAVING TO DRAIN THEM ALL THE WAY FIRST - LIKE ALL RECHARGEABLES THEY MAY LOSE 1 TO 2 PERCENT OF THE CHARGE DAILY - RECHARGE UP TO 500 TIMES
BATTERY TYPES & CHARGES * Li-ion BATTERY • FREE OF MEMORY PROBLEMS • CAN RECHARGE UP TO 1000 TIMES • REQUIRE A DEDICATED CHARGER • * CHARGING BATTERIES • TOP OFF YOUR BATTERIES AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH OR LEAVE THEM ON A BATTERY CHARGER UNTIL USE • MODERN CHARGES HAS A THREE STAGE SYSTEM TO PREVENT OVER CHARGING • FAST / OVER CHARGING BATTERIES GENERATES LOTS OF HEAT THAT SHORTENS THE LIFE OF THE BATTERY • NiMHs & Li-ion - PREVENT THEM FROM DEEPLY DISCHARGING (INTERNAL DAMAGE MAY OCCUR) • BUT, IT IS BEST TO DISCHARGE THEM ALL THE WAY THE FIRST THREE TIMES - THEN RECHARGE THEM ANY TIME
MODE SETTINGS • DIGITAL CAMERAS CAN HAVE MANY MODE SETTINGS: AUTO, PROGRAM, PRIORITY, MANUAL, SCENE, ETC • MODES ARE FUNCTIONS FOR A SPECIFIC SHOOTING SITUATION • MODES ARE DESIGNED TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHY MORE ENJOYABLE • VERY IMPORTANT TO READ THE MANUAL AND EXPERIMENT WITH EACH MODE • PREPARE YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA FOR WHAT KIND OF PICTURES YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE: INDOORS / OUTDOORS, SPORTS, WEDDING, ISO SETTINGS, NIGHT, ETC. • DOESN’T COST ANYTHING TO EXPERIMENT WITH THE MODE SETTINGS - TAKE PICTURES IN YOUR BACKYARD • NOTE: DO NOT EXPERIMENT WITH IMAGES YOU WANT TO SAVE
MODES SETTINGS(each digital camera settings are defined differently)
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CAMERA SETTINGS, EXPOSURE, & FOCUS • MODES • APERTURE / SHUTTER / MANUAL PRIORITY • ISO SETTINGS • EXPOSURE COMPENSATIONS (plus / minus) • WHITE BALANCE SETTINGS • HISTOGRAM • RESOLUTION (SHARPNESS / FOCUS) • NOTE: BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE ABOVE IS THE FIRST STEP TO IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BEGINNING DIGITAL CAMERA USERS
APERTURE & SHUTTER PRIORITIES • YOU CAN CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT THAT REACHES THE SENOR BY ADJUSTING THE APERTURE AND CONTROLLING THE SPEED BY ADJUSTING THE SHUTTER PRIORITY : • APERTURE PRIORITY MODE IS FOR: * SMALL f-STOP FOR DEPTH OF FIELD * LARGE f-STOP OUT OF FOCUS BACKGROUND * SHUTTER PRIORITY MODE IS FOR: * FASTER SHUTTER SPEED * MANUAL ALLOWS YOU TO: * SET BOTH SHUTTER & APERTURE SETTINGS MANUALLY
LARGE APERTURE (f Stop) OPENING BACKGROUND IS OUT OF FOCUS SMALL APERTURE (f Stop) OPENING FOREGROUND TOINFINITE IS IN FOCUS APERTURE OPENING
ISO ADJUSTMENT SETTING ISO SETTINGS CAN RANGE FROM 50 TO 3200 (DEPENDS ON THE CAMERA) THE HIGHER THE ISO NUMBER THE NOISE (MULTICOLORED SPECKLES) WILL APPEAR IN THE MIDTONES AND SHADOWS (LIKEGRAIN IN FILM) THE BENEFIT OF ADJUSTING THE ISO SETTINGS IS WHEN LIGHTING CONDITION CHANGES AND THE NEED FOR FASTER SPEED TO CAPTURE THE IMAGE ISO SETTINGS IS LIKE HAVING SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF ISO FILMS IN YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA SLRs HAS LESS NOISE THEN POINT & SHOOT DIGITAL CAMERAS AT THE HIGHER ISO NUMBERS BECAUSE THE SENSOR AND PIXEL SIZE ARE LARGER UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS (LESS NOICE) FOR TAKING ISO PHOTOS WOULD BE AROUND 100 TO 200 ISO SETTING * * NOTE: P&S CAMERAS GO UP TO 500 AND SLRs CAN GO UP TO 3200
EXAMPLE - FAST SHUTTER SPEED (SLR) POINT & CAMERA VERY HARD (delay factor problem)
EXPOSURE COMPENSATIONS - EXPOSURE VALUE (EV) • CAMERA TO CAMERA CAN HAVE DIFFERENT RANGES OF EV OPTIONS TO CHANGE THE VALUE OF YOUR IMAGE • SHOOTING EITHER AUTOMATIC MODE OR SHUTTER - APERTURE PRIORITY MODE, YOU CAN ALWAYS ADJUST THE EXPOSURE VALUE (EV) OF YOUR IMAGE EITHER DARKER OR BRIGHTER • EV SETTINGS VARIES BETWEEN CAMERAS BUT GENERALLY +3 to0.0 to -3 AND SO ON • REMEMBER THE EV ADJUSTMENTS ALWAYS WORKS: TO BRIGHTEN IMAGE, (+) RAISE THE EV VALUE AND TO ( -) DARKEN THE IMAGE LOWER THE EV VALUE
WHITE-BALANCE SETTINGS • WHITE BALANCE SETTINGS ARE FOUND ON MOST DIGITAL CAMERAS • IT IS LIKE LOADING A DIGITAL CAMERA WITH BOTH DAYLIGHT AND TUNGSTEN FILM • WHITE BALANCE SETTINGS CAN BE A CHALLENGE BUT THE RESULTS CAN BE VERY REWARDING • THE SETTINGS HELP COMPENSATE FOR UNWANTED COLOR CASTS UNDER DIFFERENT LIGHTING CONDITIONS • SUN / CLOUDY SETTING GIVES A WARMER IMAGE (LIKE A WARM FILTER) • CHECK YOUR MANUAL FOR ADJUSTMENT SETTINGS
WHITE BALANCE OPTIONS FOLLOWING EXAMPLES FOR WHITE BALANCE SETTINGS: • DUSK OR NIGHT APPEARANCE (BLUE CAST) - TUNGSTEN SETTING (Like a 80A FILTER) • KELVIN JUSTMENT SETTINGS: • KELVIN SETTING 2000 - 3000 BLUE CAST • KELVIN SETTING 5000-6000 - ORANGE CAST • UV FILTER - BOOST COLOR IN REDS AND GREENS
WHITE BALANCE SETTINGS • OUTDOOR SETTING SHOOTING INDOOR (NOTE: YELLOWISH TONE BECAUSE OF OUT DOOR FILTER)
DIGITAL NOISE • CAUSES AND HOW TO REDUCE DIGITAL NOISE FOUND IN YOUR PHOTOS: • DIGITAL NOISE MAY APPEAR WHEN NOT ENOUGH LIGHT REACHES THE IMAGE SENSOR / PIXELS • IMAGE DIGITAL NOISE (SENSORS) MAY VARY FROM CAMERA TO CAMERA • HIGHER ISO SETTINGS MAY CAUSE DIGITAL NOISE: - NOISE MAY INCREASE ABOVE ISO 400 - SAFEST RANGE IS UNDER ISO 200 • REDUCE DIGITAL NOISE BY GETTING THE EXPOSURE CORRECT IN LOW LIGHT • SOME NEWER CAMERAS MAY HAVE SOME TYPE OF DIGITAL NOISE REDUCTION SYSTEM • THERE ARE COMPUTER SOFTWARE REMEDIES THAT SPECIALIZE IN NOISE-REDUCTION
* MOST DIGITAL CAMERAS HAVE HISTOGRAM SETTINGS * HISTOGRAM MAKES IT EASIER TO JUDGE THE RIGHT EXPOSURE IN TAKING GOOD QUALITY PHOTOS * HISTOGRAM SHOWS A BAR GRAPH OF PIXELS THAT RANGE FROM PURE DARK (LIFT SIZE) TO PURE WHITE (RIGHT SIDE) * BAR GRAPH SHOWS IF THE HIGHLIGHTS, MIDTONES, AND SHADOWS ARE EXPOSED PROPERLY * USE THE HISTOGRAM AS A GUIDE BUT DON’T LET IT BECOME YOU SOLE FOCUS * LET YOU EYE BECOME THE FINAL JUDGE HISTOGRAM CORRECTLY EXPOSED IMAGE EXCELLENT EXPOSURE AND NO CLIPPING ON EITHER SIDE UNDEREXPOSED IMAGE CLIPPED SHADOWS - SOME BLACK SHADOW PIXELS ARE LOST OVER EXPOSED IMAGE CLIPPED HIGHLIGHTS - SOME WHITE PIXELS ARE LOST- LACK OF DETAIL IN THE WHITES
RESOLUTION / FOCUS • THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR IMAGES IS TO UNDERSTAND RESOLUTION • QUALITY / RESOLUTION OF MOST DIGITAL CAMERAS HAVE BEEN MET BY THE MFG’S. • TO PURCHASE A DIGITAL CAMERA ONE FACTOR DEPENDS ON THE PRINT SIZE DEFINED AS RESOLUTION OR SHARPNESS: • 3 - 5 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA 8X10 PRINT SIZE • 6 - 8 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA 11X14 PRINT SIZE
DIGITAL CAMERA FORMATS MAINLY FOUND ON THE HIGH END POINT & SHOOT AND SLRs DIGITAL CAMERAS: • JPEG (JOINT PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERTS GROUPS) • TIFF (TAGGED IMAGE FILE FORMAT) • RAW • LOTS OF LITERATURE OUT THERE TO READ ON THIS SUBJECT
CHANGING THE PIXEL SETTINGS ON DIGITAL CAMERA • MOST DIGITAL CAMERAS MAY HAVE AN ADJUSTMENT RANGE FOR PIXEL SETTINGS • YOU MAY NOT NEED TO TAKE A PICTURE AT THE HIGHER PIXEL SETTING (DEPENDS OF THE PRINT SIZE) • A SMALLER PIXEL SETTING WILL TAKE UP LESS PIXEL SPACE ON THE DIGITAL MEMORY CARD • A SMALLER PIXEL SETTING WILL DOWN LOAD IMAGES FASTER TO THE CAMERA / COMPUTER • YOU DON’T NEED A HIGH PIXEL SETTING FOR E-MAILING - JPEG MODE (photo dpi ranges from 72 to 300 - publishers / newspapers generally need 300 dpi -JPEG setting)
PIXELS RELATED TO PICTURE SIZE • TOP PHOTO - MONARCH BUTTERFLY AT 3 MEGAPIXELS • BOTTOM PHOTO - SHOWS THE SAME 3 MEGAPIXEL PICTURE ENLARGED TO A 16X20 PRINT PRINT SIZE • THE 2 PHOTOS: THE TOP PHOTO SHOWS THE SHARPNESS OF A 5X7 PHOTO THEN ENLARGING THE SAME PHOTO TO 16X20 (LOOK HOW THE PHOTO HAS PIXALATED DUE TO LACK OF PIXELS)
EXAMPLE OF CAMERA PIXEL SETTINGS(PIXEL SETTINGS SHOULD BE FOUND IN YOUR MANUAL) DISPLAYDESCRIPTION 1440 x 960 PIXELS 1.38 MEGAPIXELS 2304x 1538 PIXELS 3.53 MEGAPIXELS 3024 x 2016 PIXELS 6.12 MEGAPIXELS 4256 x 2848 PIXELS 12.12 MEGAPIXELS
MACRO PHOTOGRAPHYGENERAL TIPS YOUR MANUAL SHOULD GIVE YOU THE CLOSE-UP FOCUS DISTANCE • TURN THE DIAL TO FLOWER ICON OR MACRO MODE (LARGER f-Stop - MAKES THE BACKGROUND OUT OF FOCUS) • STACKING CLOSE-UP LENSES NO MORE THEN TWO AT A TIME • FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT PART OF THE SUBJECT • KEEP THE BACKGROUND SIMPLE AND BE CAREFUL OF HOTSPOTS IN THE BACKGROUND • USE A TRIPOD WHEN YOU CAN TO AVOID IMAGE BLUR
LARGE APERTURE (f Stop) OPENING BACKGROUND IS OUT OF FOCUS SMALL APERTURE (f Stop) OPENING FOREGROUND TOINFINITE IS IN FOCUS APERTURE OPENING
GUIDELINESBUYING A DIGITAL CAMERA • CHOOSING A DIGITAL CAMERA (DC) IS A PERSONAL DECISION • BEFORE PURCHASING A DIGITAL CAMERA DECIDE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO USE THE CAMERA • VACATION / FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY A SMALL CAMERA IS IDEAL • POINT & SHOOT DC’S HAVE FEWER CONTROLS / MODES AS THE SLRs BUT ARE GAINING IN PIXEL SIZE AND MODES • SEE THE WORK SHEET IN BACK
GUIDELINES BUYING A DIGITAL CAMERA • FAST ACTION- SPORTS, ETC (SHUTTER LAG CONSIDERATION) • WHAT PRINT SIZE DO YOU WANT • SIZE MONITOR FOR VIEWING (LCD) • SIZE OF THE POINT & SHOOT- POCKET SIZE OR LARGER • SHOOTING MODES - SPORTS, CLOSE-UPS, ETC. (VERY IMPORTANT) • CHECK THE MEMORY CARD SIZE (FIVE SIZES)