SLR Cameras - What Is A Single Lens Reflex?

The hottest thing in the digital camera market is undoubtedly the digital SLR, which is better known as a dSLR. While dSLRs are flying off dealer shelves, many new users are confused about the terminology. Most people know that SLR stands for "single lens reflex." Since nearly all SLRs accept interchangeable lenses, it would appear they should be known as multiple lens reflex (MLR) cameras.

If you want to understand how the SLR received it's name, you have to dip into the history of the camera. Early cameras were similar to the view cameras used today. The photographer looked through the lens, focused, composed and then inserted a single film plate behind the optics to make an image. While the entire process was crude by modern standards, the photographer enjoyed great control, since he looked directly through the actual imaging lens to compose the shot.

While this was fine for still life, portraits and landscapes, this process did not lend itself to action photography. These early cameras could only record a single image at a time. Which is why you have never seen a motor-driven view camera.

Realizing the need to offer sequences of exposures, camera makers begin to experiment with various roll-film designs. With a roll of film in the camera, the photographer could fire off numerous images without reloading. Although this improved throughput dramatically, it caused another problem. The roll of film had to pass closely behind the camera's optics, which meant that the photographer could no longer look through the camera lens to compose and focus.

Rangefinder cameras appear to keep things in focus

The lower-end, consumer roll-film cameras generally used an inexpensive "fixed-focus" lens, so a simple viewfinder was sufficient. Better quality optics, however, require the lens to be focused, and since the photographer could not look through the lens with a roll-film camera, this was a major problem. One of the first solutions to this problem was the Rangefinder -- a type of camera that offered a distance measuring scale in the viewfinder. By determining the range from the viewfinder, the photographer could then adjust the focus to match -- usually with very good results.

Twin Lens Reflex cameras offer another solution

While the rangefinder type cameras worked well, the camera industry is always evolving. A second method of allowing the photographer to focus and compose appeared in the "Twin-Lens Reflex" cameras. These cameras used two identical lenses, arranged one on top of the other in the manner of an over-and-under shotgun. The film winds past the lower lens, while the photographer can focus through the upper lens. The twin-lens cameras were fairly bulky, so designers added a mirror and ground glass to the top of the camera, hence the term "reflex.

Now the user could hold the camera at waist level and look down at the ground glass which previewed the image via the mirror behind the upper lens. As the user adjusted the focus on the upper lens, a gear mechanism moved the lower "taking lens" to match.

While both rangefinders and twin-lens reflex cameras offered a credible way to focus and preview a shot, neither allowed the photographer to actually look through the lens. This sometimes made exact composition difficult.

SLRs take cameras another step forward

In their quest to allow users to see through the actual "taking" lens, camera makers turned to the periscope -- a simple device using two mirrors placed at opposite angles to bend the light path. Periscopes are easy to understand -- any kid can construct one from a couple of mirrors and some scrap wood.

In a camera, the lower mirror is placed at a 45 degree angle directly behind the lens. Light striking the mirror is projected upwards to a ground glass. While a second mirror would show the image on the ground glass to the user, it would not appear right, because mirrors tend to reverse things. So camera designers added a prism arrangement that corrects the reversed image. When you peer through the viewfinder on a SLR, you look through a prism, which displays the image on a ground glass, which displays the projected image from the mirror located behind the lens.

There is just one problem. If you have been paying attention, you have no-doubt realized that the lower mirror blocks the light path to the film (or digital sensor as the case may be.) Now the photographer can look though the lens, but the image cannot be projected on to the filmplane.

So the camera designers had to add another wrinkle. They had to move that mirror. Just long enough to make an exposure, since when the mirror moved, the photographer could no longer see anything through the lens. So they designed the "instant-return" mirror. At the instant of exposure, the mirror flies upward, the shutter fires and the mirror snaps back down. It is a incredible feat, when you consider that instant return mirrors have to flip up and back in a heartbeat, over and over for the life of the camera.

Once the instant return mirror was perfected, photographers could once again design their images by looking through the lens. Unlike the twin lens reflex, this new breed of camera needed only one lens to focus and shoot with. So they became known as... you guessed it.... Single-Lens Reflex cameras.

Visit http://alphatracks.com where you can find a large selection of free photography articles. You can also subscribe to the Alphatracks RSS feed.

Tom Bonner provides photography and web design services to clients in the Gastonia, North Carolina area. You can find out more about Tom at http://adventuresindesign.com

Digital Cameras - Should You Go With One?

If you considering buying a camera, the first question you will face is whether to go digital or not. Cameras have undergone a massive evolution over the last ten years and digital is now really the most popular platform in the field.

Why go digital? Well, the modern digital camera is an exercise is convenience and quality. These cameras are point and shoot affairs. This would usually mean they are easy to use, but produce pictures that look like...well, not so hot when it comes to their clarity and sharpness. This isn't the case with most digital cameras. The quality of the photographs is top notch and, if it isn't, there are ways to fix it which leads us to our next point.

The huge advantage to digital cameras is...they are digital! This means no developing and printing. You can simply use memory cards or usb cords to download the images to a computer. You can then use software to edit out blemishes and then just post them online if you like for family and friends to see at their leisure. To get a taste of how popular doing this is, just take a gander of Flickr.

Ah, but what if you prefer traditional photography. You enjoy the framing of the picture or want to shoot unique exposure rates and the like? Well, no worries. The DSLR camera is you choice. This product is a single lens camera like you are used to losing, but with a digital image capture system. I personally prefer these cameras. You get the unique, personal touch of taking the picture, but the easy of a traditional camera in that you can just download the images to your computer. If you love photography, you'll fall in love with DSLR cameras pretty quick.

Should you go with a digital option when making your next camera purchase? I would recommend it.

Thomas Ajava writes about cheap digital underwater cameras [http://www.digitalcamerashowdotheywork.com/digital-camera/cheap-digital-underwater-cameras] and other subjects related to photography and digital cameras for DigitalCamerasHowDoTheyWork.com [http://www.digitalcamerashowdotheywork.com].

EVIL Cameras - A Formidable Foe To The Modern Day DSLRs

Some of you may have already heard about them. For those who haven't, these systems are a new breed of cameras that share similar functionalities to DSLR cameras but are much smaller in physical size. There is a possibility that it may even have more features than the DLSR you currently own. Now that's truly EVIL. One such system is the Sony NEX 5.

EVIL stands for Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens. Unlike the DSLR camera it doesn't have a through the lens optical viewfinder which is probably one of the main reasons why DSLR cameras are so big. Like DSLR cameras, you have the ability to change lenses.

So what's the big deal about these cameras? Aren't DSLR cameras the way to go?

To answer these questions, lets look at some of its pros and cons.

- Depending on the brand and model, the sensor size may be similar to the DSLR counter parts. This is the case for the Sony NEX 3 and NEX 5. Both these systems use an Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) sensor, which are the same as what you will find in the entry level DSLR cameras in the Sony Alpha line. Compared to the sensors in your PnS camera, these sensors are about 9 times larger! This means you can take better pictures in lower lighted environments in comparison to the PnS cameras.

- As the systems are smaller, these systems are extremely portable (fits nicely into your hand bag) and light. This also means that the camera body is too small to place the same number of hard buttons as DSLR cameras. You may have to navigate in a menu to access certain functionalities.

- At this point in time, optical view finders are still preferred by professionals as its easier to see your subject in poorly lighted environments. However, technology may improve in the near future. Who knows, we may have night vision features like what's offered in some Handy cams one day.

- As EVIL cameras are relatively new in the market, they offer some of the latest features that digital cameras can offer. The Sony NEX 3 and NEX 5 have the ability to take HD videos, Sweep Panorama shots, 3D shots, auto HDR and more. None of these features are available with the DSLR camera that I own and use.

- As these systems are quite advanced, they cost as much as entry level DSLR cameras. Sometimes a little more than the cheapest DSLR cameras in the market.

So how do I decide on which type of camera is best for me?

You should get a PnS camera if

- You are on a tight budget.

- High quality pictures and low light capability are not important.

- You want a small digital camera that performs better than your mobile phone.

You should get an EVIL camera if

- You have a higher budget.

- Quality pictures and low light capability is important to you.

- You want your system to be small enough to fit into your handbag or maybe even into your pocket.

- You want the ability to change lens.

- Your main objective for using a digital camera are for casual shoots only e.g. group shots with your friends, travel pictures when you go for a business trip etc.

You should get a DSLR camera if

- You are a serious about photography and wish to explore all it has to offer (e.g. usage of a wide range of accessories to get interesting results).

- the genres of photography that you are interested in require to be able to change your camera settings quickly e.g. weddings.

- You intend to do photography professionally.

There are sensors that are bigger than the APS-C sensor, which offers other benefits. However, these systems are preferred by a totally different group of people with different requirements. I hope what I have written so far would give you a good idea about EVIL cameras and how you might prefer getting one to a DSLR camera. Cheers!

Darren Francis is an Award Winning Photographer from Singapore. He provides a wide range of photography services including wedding photography and is an experienced photography trainer as well.

If you would like to view more of his works and photography tips, kindly visit his website: http://www.darrenf.com.

Cameras For Landscape Photography

I have, quite literally, seen wonderful landscape photographs that were taken with a cookie tin. Yup, a cookie tin, with a pinhole in the front and photographic paper inside.

It can be done, but my goodness, it's hard to pull off. That's one reason why people pay for expensive cameras.

Of course that rather begs the question of which features are worth paying for when you buy a camera. In my opinion, the biggest single improvement you can make on the cookie tin is a light meter. Fortunately, you'd have a hard time finding a camera that doesn't have a built in light meter these days. After that, it gets more complicated.

One important factor is weight.

Plate cameras give superb results if you know how to use them, but there's no denying that they're heavy - some weigh 10 kg/22 lb. And then there's the weight of the plate holders and plates themselves. Plus, it's too heavy to hand-hold, so you'll need a hefty tripod for sure. That's a lot to carry up a mountain.

On the other hand, when used with a slow film, they give you the equivalent of 960 M pixels. That's 80 times as many as a modern 12 Mpixel DSLR.

A compact camera is very light and easy to carry. This is a major advantage on a long hike, especially if you're more enthusiastic than fit (like me!). And you can certainly take a great photo with one - most of the time. But boy are the other times frustrating!

Like many other landscape photographers, I compromise with a DSLR. This isn't just a good compromise between physical weight and image detail. I use a DSLR mostly because it's more flexible. It gives me both convenience and control.

A compact camera will select the focus, aperture, shutter speed and equivalent ISO for me which is quick and easy, but may not give the result I want. A plate camera (or any other manual camera) leaves me to do all that myself. This gives me full control - and plenty of chances to make a mistake. It's also slow, which may mean that the rainbow fades or the eagle files away from the perfect position. My lovely DSLR, on the other hand, will do everything automatically, unless I chose to override. So I can take a quick shot, and then decide that really I want to tweak the setting. For example, I may want to set a very small aperture (to maximize the depth of field). This means I need a slow shutter speed to compensate, but that's OK, because now I have time to put the camera on a tripod (and not all compacts have tripod sockets either.) Alternatively, I might decide that all that snow is going to fool the light meter, and increase the exposure. Of I might decide I want a very slow shutter speed to make the waterfall blur (it looks wetter like that).

There's more. My compact has a 3x optical zoom, but the DSLR has detachable lenses. Between them, they cover a wider range of focal lengths than the compact. More importantly, some have a much, much greater maximum aperture - wonderful for shooting in poor light, or reducing the depth of field. They even have filter threads. True, you can hand hold a filter in front of a compact, but you tend to have to concentrate so hard on juggling the two things that you don't see the coke can in the foreground until you get home.

So a DSLR isn't essential for taking good landscape photographs, but it certainly makes it easier. Why make it hard for yourself?

Let me help you to take great landscape photographs. For more more tips and tricks, click here.

Your SLR Camera's Automatic Diaphragm - The Facts You Need to Know

Many new photographers assume that  the term automatic diaphragm refers to the automatic aperture adjustment offered by their dSLR.

In fact, the term auto diaphragm has nothing to do with automatic exposure. An automatic aperture is designed to remain at its maximum opening for focusing and composing, no matter which f/stop is selected.   The lens only stops down to the desired aperture at the moment the shutter fires.

 

If you have ever used a camera with a manual  diaphragm, you will understand why this is so important. A fully automatic  diaphragm is a delight to use,  particularly  in dim light or when the lens is stopped down to maximize depth of field.

 

The term diaphragm is used to describe the system of blades that create the adjustable aperture. Many photographers use the terms aperture and  diaphragm  interchangeably. They are closely related, but the aperture is actual lens opening, while diaphragm is the collection of  components  that comprise the aperture assembly.

 

Turning the clock back to the early days of photography, you will find that early optics did not have adjustable apertures -- at least not the adjustable openings you and I are used to. When the first adjustable diaphragms appeared, they allowed the photographer to change the lens opening to allow more or less light through the lens. The diaphragm contained a number of preset openings, which became known as f/stops or f/numbers. Smaller f/numbers actually indicate larger lens openings, while the smallest lens openings are represented with higher numerical f/stops. This system continues more or less today.

 

The thing that sets modern lenses apart from the older  adjustable  aperture lenses is that the older units use a  completely  manual  diaphragm. As you change the lens opening from say f/4 to f/11, the amount of light passing through the lens is  reduced  accordingly. That regulates the exposure properly, but it causes problems for focusing and composing. A SLR is designed to show you exactly what the lens sees. If you reduce the lens opening in a manual diaphragm lens, the image in the view finder becomes dimmer. In low light conditions it may be impossible to see anything through the viewfinder. Even in bright sunlight, a lens stopped down to f/22 or smaller is  difficult  to see through.  

 

Camera designers solved this problem by creating an automatic  diaphragm. This design has been more or less standard on SLR cameras for the last fifty years. With an auto diaphragm, the aperture remains wide open, no matter which lens opening is selected. You may select an f/stop of f/16, but the lens will remain  opened  to it's maximum  aperture at all times. This provides the  brightest  possible image in the viewfinder.  

 

When you actually fire the shutter, a  mechanical  or electrical devise rapidly stops the lens down to the chosen aperture, creating the proper exposure. You don't see this happening, because at the same time the camera is stopping down the lens, the viewing mirror is swinging up. As the mirror moves up to allow light to reach the sensor, the viewfinder turns black for an instant. It is during that time that the auto  diaphragm  goes to work and stops the lens down. As soon as the exposure is made, the  diaphragm  springs wide open again, presenting you with a bright viewfinder when the mirror returns.

 

Of course if the selected f/stop  corresponds  to the lens maximum aperture, nothing happens; the lens cannot be stopped down, so it  simply  remains wide open.  

 

Is this just some interesting photography trivia? Not at all. Even though all of your current lenses probably contain an automatic diaphragm, there are several reasons you should  familiarize  yourself with how a manual diaphragm works.  

 

1: Many teleconverters and lens mount adapters do not offer an automatic diaphragm. Thus when you use these adapters, your modern new dSLR reverts to a manual  diaphragm  camera.

 

2: There are numerous manual aperture lenses still on the market. Some of these are new, special purpose lenses, while others are older (but still  usable) optics. You need to understand just what using a manual diaphragm entails before investing in one.

 

3: Many new dSLR's lack a proper depth of field preview option. When you stop a lens down, DOF grows wider, while opening the aperture up causes  DOF to appear shallower. Since an automatic  diaphragm  lens is always wide open, you cannot see  DOF in the viewfinder. Even if you have a lens that will stop down to f/32, you won't see the effect in the viewfinder unless your camera allows you to switch to a manual  diaphragm  preview  mode.  

 

4: If you understand about how an automatic  diaphragm  works, you will understand why a DOF preview is worth having. This could influence your future camera buying decisions.

 

The automatic diaphragm, although it has been around for decades, is just as important to modern SLR  cameras as auto focus, auto exposure and image stabilization. Understanding how it works and why it is needed is crucial to getting the most out of your dLSR.

Visit the basic photography area at Alphatracks.com to see photos and information detailing how the auto diaphragm operates.

Tom Bonner is the author of the Sony Alpha DSLR -A300/A350 Digital Field Guide, published by Wiley Publishing. A photographer for more than three decades, he offers photography and web design services to clients in the Charlotte, NC area.

Digital Cameras - Time to Dump Them?

Digital cameras are changing the world of photography. They are great pieces of technology that are not hard to learn to use. They are attractive and appeal to many consumers because of their availability in a wide range of prices and features. Digital cameras are very popular devices these days with good reason. They offer many advantages when compared to old, film-based cameras.

Cameras are now found in PDAs and cell phones and even in newer vehicles. The advantages include the ability to keep and print only the photos you want. Their extremely small size makes them very easy to carry around. The easy sharing of photo files over the internet and the ability to adjust image output quality to match individual needs makes them almost indispensable for anyone who uses the internet meaningfully.

These cameras are perfect for normal amateur shots of friends, family, landscapes and other general views too. Many photographers get into digital photography because they can print photos from their home printers.

Digital cameras can range in price from less than $50 to more than $4,000. Cameras with less than one megapixel are inexpensive, but they usually lack important features. Digital cameras with resolution in the four to ten megapixel range are capable of producing professional-quality images. These cameras are designed for amateur intermediate and professional photographers with intermediate skills, and will be rich with features that may take you a month of study and practice to discover.

Compact digital cameras are designed to provide a moderate number of features, stylish looks, and often fit easily in your pockets. If you care more about features like interchangeable lenses, flashes, and other accessories, you will most likely have to consider a dSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera which are more expensive but offer outstanding features.

Only the most serious amateur photographer will demand the flexibility of these cameras, and of course, you should expect them to be larger and heavier than compact or standard models. For example, they won't fit in your pocket. You will also need to devote more time and practice to learn how to use them.

Accessories

There are a number of accessories available for digital cameras: battery chargers, underwater housings, slave flashes, tripods,carrying cases, neck straps, conversion lenses, remote controls, and printers to name a few. Each of these accessories will add to the cost of your camera but may be worth it if makes taking good photos easier.

Memory

Most digital cameras include some form of memory, whether it's built into the camera or is part of a separate memory card. When you

purchase one, it is very important to purchase at least a 2 megabyte memory card or more. These memory cards will help you to make the most of the features of the camera. If you enjoy taking short video segments, any extra memory will make that task much easier. It's often better to think of your digital camera the same way you look at a computer; the more memory, the better.

Warranties

Most cameras come with a limited one-year warranty from the manufacturer that covers defects only. If you plan to take your camera on backroad trips , up mountains, on river rafting trips, extended camping trips or to sports events, you would be wise to purchase the extended warranty that is often offered at the register. If, on the other hand, you will only be using it around the home for birthday parties, then you may be able to make do with the standard warranty that comes with the camera. Remember, digital cameras are not very sturdy and are susceptible to the elements.

Good Photography

Many people feel that digital photography has come of age. It is gradually on its way to becoming a mainstream consumer pastime, with the introduction of true photo-quality 8 million pixel cameras, low-cost toy and teen cameras, and high quality, affordable printing. A digital camera will so fundamentally change the way you think about photography that you will wonder how you ever got along without one. Recently, dramatic improvements in single-shot cameras and RAW image file processing have made single shot, CCD-based cameras almost completely dominant in commercial photography and digital photography as a whole.

For many consumers, this is an acceptable trade-off, especially if they are looking for a camera for their kids or want to experiment with digital photos without spending too much money. If you want to spend a thousand dollars, forget the standard digital cameras and go straight to any DSLR.

Digital picture taking is growing quickly because it offers the advantages of immediacy and ease of operation. Blogs on digital photography and how to use digital cameras abound. We're just beginning to realize the potential of what it can do for us. Popular photography magazines are crammed full of ads advertising very low prices for digital cameras. Just remember that digital photography is still photography. With the price of digital camera equipment and accessories dropping, the overall quality is continuing to rise with it. It is no wonder that digital photography is becoming a hobby of choice for many from every walk of life.

Bruce Santucci lives and works in Melbourne, FL. Click Digital Cameras to learn more about the most popular digital cameras and accessories and to get the latest industry news.

All rights to this article are retained by Bruce Santucci. You may reprint this article as is under the condition that you retain the resource box and links as listed in this article.

Should You Buy A Digital SLR Camera? What Are The Benefits Of DSLR Cameras?

Introduction

Prices of digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras have tumbled over the past 3 years. It is now possible to pick up a decent starter kit (body and lens combinations) at prices that are affordable for more people than ever before.

However, today's modern point and shoot digital cameras can do most of the things that SLR cameras are characteristically strong at, such as controlling shutter speed and aperture. This is true especially with some of the higher-end point and shoot cameras, many of which even have a higher mega pixel count than the average digital SLR!

So what exactly are the benefits of digital SLR cameras over point and shoot cameras? Is it worthwhile for the average photo-hobbyist to invest in a digital SLR camera?

There are 3 important benefits of digital SLR cameras over point and shoot cameras.

1) Ease of using advanced features

Point and shoot cameras are designed and optimised for small size, convenience and portability. To access advanced features such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed, users typically have to run through several layers of menu screens.

Digital SLR cameras, however, are physically bigger than point and shoot cameras. This means that there is space for buttons and dials which can provide instant access to these advanced features.

Having these controls handy and easily reachable on the body of the camera can make a real difference when you want to capture the perfect shot in a hurry!

2) Ability to change lenses

The lens on a point and shoot camera is fixed, which means that the user is limited in the range of focus that can be achieved.

With a true SLR camera, users can change the lens to suit the intended shot. For example, the user can select from wide-angle lenses, zoom (telephoto) lenses and macro lenses.

Beware - lenses can be much more expensive than the camera body, so the cost of a photography hobby can quickly escalate!

3) Shallow depth of field

Have you seen photos where the object of interest (subject) is in sharp focus, while the background is blurred? This is called the bokeh effect. Not only does this contrast in focus add to the artistic appeal of the photo, but is also helps frame the shot as it highlights the subject and blurs the distracting background imagery.

To achieve such shots, photographers need cameras with large sensors and lenses with large apertures.

Point and shoot cameras have small sensors and lenses with small apertures. Therefore it is difficult to achieve this effect with a point and shoot camera. However, digital SLR cameras are ideally suited for this purpose, as they have large sensors and lenses with large apertures.

Conclusion

The features included in modern point and shoot cameras have substantially narrowed the performance gap between point and shoot cameras and digital SLR cameras.

However, SLR cameras still retain three important benefits over point and shoot cameras. If these benefits are important to you, a digital SLR camera may well be on your shopping list in the near future!

Mandar Marathe is an amateur photographer. You can see some of Mandar's photos at Flickr.com or at his online photo album.

Shutter Lag in Digital Cameras

If you've ever tried to take photos of your kids whilst they're running about you will probably have experienced this. You wait 'till they are perfectly positioned in the frame, press the shutter, and end up with a shot of the back of their heads leaving the picture. That's shutter lag and most digital cameras have it to some degree or another.

What causes shutter lag?

It's caused by a few things but the main one has to do with the digital camera technology itself. The image recording chip inside the camera is actually producing a moving video picture all the time. This is what you see on the camera's screen or viewfinder. When you press the shutter button you are actually capturing a "freeze frame" of this video.

This is why your camera manual might refer to the picture taking process as "image capture". Whatever it's called, the fact is that it takes quite a lot of processing and therefore can take a significant length of time. Digital cameras, like all digital devices, get more powerful with each generation so you should expect that a newer camera would have less shutter lag than an older one, but there is no guarantee of that.

What can you do about it?

There are three possible approaches to the problem of shutter lag. You can either eliminate it, minimise it or anticipate it. Of course, a fourth option would be to ignore it and, if you only ever take photographs of relatively static scenes, you will probably never even have noticed it. It's only when you're trying to capture a fleeting moment or a moving subject that you'll find this to be a problem.

Eliminating shutter lag.

There is only one sure-fire way to do this and that is by using a semi-professional or professional Dslr type camera. These cameras have an "old fashioned" mechanical shutter that has no lag. However because of that, you don't get a "live" view in the back of the camera so you have to use the eyepiece just like you did with a film camera.

Minimising shutter lag.

The way digital cameras capture images is not the only reason for the delay, some of the settings on your camera can have a profound effect on the amount of lag. The worst culprit by far is an "anti-red eye" flash setting. This will fire your built in flashgun several times before taking the picture.

A friend of mine once took lots of pictures at a party with his new digital camera. He thought his camera was broken because, in all the pictures, he had managed to cut everyone's head off. It only became clear what the problem was once I saw him take a picture.

Basically, he was doing everything right except that the anti-red eye system took ages to fire all the flashes and only the very last one actually takes the photograph. By the time that one fired, he was bringing the camera down and looking for the next group to photograph. Hence the cut off heads. Once he learned to wait for the very last flash to fire, his picture composition improved immensely.

A smaller, but still sometimes significant, delay can be caused by your camera setting the exposure and focus before it takes the picture. Both of these things are done with tiny motors moving parts of the lens about and this will always take a certain amount of time.

You can stop this happening in two ways. One is to set the exposure and focus manually on your camera. Not all cameras will allow you to do this and I suspect that not all that many people will want to "go manual" anyway, but all is not lost. You can usually still minimise the delay whilst leaving all the controls on fully automatic.

The double switch shutter button

Take your camera into a quiet room and very slowly press the shutter button. Before the button has reached the end of its travel you should hear (and possibly feel) the motors in the lens being activated. This is your camera setting its exposure and focussing before it takes the picture. Only when the button reaches the very end of its travel is the photograph actually taken.

The trick (or technique) is to press the button only half way down, and hold it there. Having done all the slow stuff in advance, pushing the button the rest of the way will take the photograph with the absolute minimum of shutter lag. This technique can also be used to "pre-focus". For example, if you wanted to focus on something at the edge of the frame. You would centre on it, push the shutter half way then re-frame, press the shutter right down and take the picture.

Anticipating shutter lag.

As you might expect, this will take a little time, effort and practice on your part but it could make the difference between taking a picture you would want to hang on your wall and one you want to instantly delete.

To find out how much lag your camera actually has you can try the following: Find a scene with a strong vertical line, like a lamp post or end of a wall etc. Pan your camera slowly through about 50 degrees so the line passes the edge of the frame. Do this a few times to get a consistent speed. It might help to slowly count as you are panning.

On one pass, press the shutter as soon as your marker line appears at the edge of your viewfinder - but keep panning, this is important. Your marker should appear in the middle of the frame. How far into the middle will depend on the amount of lag. Repeat this a few times and you should begin to get a feel for the amount of delay on your camera.

Now try anticipating the moment. Panning the camera the other way, try pressing the button when your marker gets to the point it was in the photograph you took and keep panning. This time, your marker should be right at the edge of the frame when the photograph is taken. If it is then you should now have a good sense of just how much shutter lag your camera has.

Keeping the spontaneity

Shutter lag is most annoying if you are trying to take candid, spontaneous photographs. That "perfect moment" is easily lost if you have to wait for the camera. One technique you can try is to start with your subject facing well away from the camera. Ask them to turn and face the camera when you call their name. The trick is to press the shutter as you call their name.

If they are still turning towards the camera when the picture is taken then just ask them not to look so far away from the camera at the start. Most people's facial expression is much more natural if they are doing something at the time (like turning round) rather than just staring at a camera waiting for their picture to be taken.

If all else fails - cheat!

Even if you have a feeling for the lag in your camera, it will still be tricky to capture precisely the perfect moment but there is one last thing you could try. It relies on your camera having a "multi-exposure" setting. However, many of them do. This setting will take several pictures one after the other as quickly as possible. So the technique is simply to take lots and lots of pictures.

This is a perfectly legitimate technique used by professionals all the time in fast moving situations. It's just statistics really, if you take enough pictures then one of them is bound to come out "just right". If it doesn't then you simply haven't taken enough pictures.

This used to be one of those things that separated amateur photographers from professionals because the cost of the film would hinder anyone not being paid for the work. Of course, in the digital world, this has all changed. Anyone can now virtually guarantee getting a good photograph whether their camera has any shutter lag or not.

Colin Aiken is a professional photographer based in the United Kingdom. You can view some of his photographs at: http://www.lovethepictures.co.uk

Digital Photography - Digital Cameras and Its Benefits

Although photography has been in the market for quite some time, some people still ask "how much it's going to cost me?", "what a digital camera can do?" and "why do I need photography?"

Let's look at each of them in detail:

As digital photography is getting more popular, things are going to get cheaper. One of the reasons is that manufacturers are competing for market share and they are more likely to launch cheaper cameras with more functions. Just look at the compact digital camera in the market now, you can get a camera with at least 9 megapixels and 10x optical zoom at the price of less than $300. Even the DSLR cameras nowadays are getting more and more affordable.

Also when competitions are getting stronger, manufacturers will try to make cameras with as many features as possible. It is like an unwritten rule that compact digital cameras nowadays must be able to record video and audio. When you launch a point and shoot camera without this feature, your potential clients might not even want to look at it.

Also some digital cameras nowadays are equipped with sophisticated editing software and touch screen capability. You can now add stars, fog it up or add other wacky stuff on the camera.

Since you can operate your camera with touch screen, you can expect that one day, you will see the LCD screen big enough to occupy the back of your camera. Can you imagine how much fun it is to look at your pictures in such a big screen and it will be more breath taking when the manufacturers throw in wide angle lens together.

Now, when you are going into digital photography, it is only logic that you have a digital camera. Photography is more than a hobby. It is about keeping the memory of that special moment. You want to remind yourself that you were once there at that period. You want to be able to show your child that you were young once and how life was back then. It is a different experience when you look back at your photos 10 years ago. Go have a look at them now.

Do you enjoy taking photos? Do you want more digital photography tips and techniques? Just visit

=> http://www.learn-digitalphotography.blogspot.com

Michael Wong is happy to share his knowledge about digital photography with you and hope you enjoy them.

Digital Photography - DSLR Digital Cameras - Why Get Involved in Modern Photography

As we all know a majority of photographs are images that happen in an instant but are captured by the camera for all time, we share those images with others so that they too can enjoy the great outcome that has been caught in a second of time.

We as a society love to see and in some cases have nice things the way that we generally see them and gain an opinion is from images captured by others using a camera. Once a picture is taken by someone they very soon begin to realise that there is virtually no end to what they have just discovered can take them...

One click is all it takes...

Digital cameras are a great asset to the twenty first century, there are many things that technology and so called progress manages to spoil or even ruin in some cases, but thanks to the advent of DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) and Compact cameras we are able to find, capture, import, and print any image that we discover all within minutes of seeing it.

This technology is so good that even a complete novice can pick up a DSLR digital camera and virtually start taking professional looking pictures within minutes. Gone are the days of cumbersome cameras and slow processing, a modern day camera lets you see exactly what you have just photographed by means of a small LCD screen located on the back.

It is even possible to view in the LCD screen what you are filming or taking a picture of. There are simply too many reasons that stack up to make digital photography such a great media and outlet that some believe it to almost be a therapy for escaping the rigours of everyday life.

Whatever the attraction it is certainly a growing activity and is reflected by the many variations to suit mood, personality, capability, and desire from the camera manufacturers. Hunting and bringing back trophies in the form of pictures using a camera is certainly less harmful on the environment and Mother Nature.

Photography is not just a great hobby and interest that people can enjoy and share with each other, it can be seriously relaxing and in some cases therapeutic. Expressing the many aspects of some great photography is myphotographblog.com.

A blog that allows visitors to explore the many boundaries and wonders of modern day photography with some amazing photographs and links for added enjoyment. So whether you are a professional or a complete novice to photography make your way over to myphotographblog.com and be truly inspired.

Clive Anderson

Digital Cameras - Choosing the Right One

There are three basic types of digital camera, compact, (slr-type or "bridge" camera) and Dslr. The slr-type and Dslr cameras look fairly similar although Dslr's are bigger and heavier. The most obvious difference between them is that you can change the lens on a Dslr. However, there is a great deal more to it than that. The Dslr is fundamentally different and designed to work exactly the same way as a high-end film camera. This makes it extremely versatile and the only type of digital camera that can cope equally well with any genre of photography.

If your budget doesn't run to a Dslr then you need to choose amongst the other types as to which one will suit your favourite type of photography best. The choice between compact and slr is a little more complicated as both are equally suited to many photographic genres. For many people, the choice will come down to convenience. Some will simply prefer a camera they can slip into their pocket rather than one they have to hang around their neck.

It is certainly the case that compact cameras at the top end of the market can produce pictures that are every bit as good as those from slr's. It's not image quality that separates these two forms of camera but rather the ease with which you can adjust the photographic controls on them. Things like exposure compensation or manual focus are usually simple to adjust external controls on an slr but may be buried deep amongst the menus of a compact camera.

Many cameras have "program modes", for example landscape, sports (or action) and portrait etc. And these will set up your camera the best way for those types of photography. However, it's not the case that if your camera does not have one or other of these modes then it cannot do that sort of photography. The only modes that you actually need are shutter priority and aperture priority. As long as your camera has these two, then you can optimise it's settings for most photographic situations.

When choosing between cameras best suited to a particular genre, you need to look a little deeper into their specifications to find the best one for your preferred type of photography. There are four sets of numbers that matter. They are about the lens, the ISO number (defines how light-sensitive your camera is), the aperture and the shutter speed. It is those numbers that really matter when it comes to choosing the right tool for the job.

Portrait photography

This is the simplest case because their are not really any special requirements of a camera for this genre. Most portrait photographers like to use a narrow depth of field (throwing the background out of focus), this requires a large aperture. The size of the aperture is given as an f number and the lower the number, the larger the aperture. Theoretically you want a camera with the lowest f number but in practice but, because there are other factors that affect the depth of field, it is not worth choosing a camera for portraiture on the f number alone. It would be better to choose a camera that you find comfortable to use. Set your camera to aperture priority and use the maximum aperture, which will be the lowest f number.

Landscape photography

Again, there is very little to choose between cameras when it comes to their suitability for shooting landscapes. The overall quality of the image will probably be your main concern. Having said that, a large zoom range (6x or more) is good because it will allow you to take a wider range of shots from the same viewpoint. A wide angle lens is very useful in landscape work but the zoom range number is no help in comparing cameras to find which one has the widest lens. The angle or field of view of a lens is determined by its focal length, measured in millimetres. The smaller the number, the wider the lens. Unfortunately, you can't always compare this number directly between cameras. What you need to find is the 35mm equivalent of the camera's focal length. That is the only number you can use to make a direct comparison. A large depth of field is what most landscapes want, so use aperture priority and set the minimum aperture, which is the biggest f number.

Night photography

You might think that a high maximum ISO number would be useful for night photography but it's not particularly. Much more useful is a long maximum shutter speed. Of course you need a tripod (or some other support) for your camera but setting a high ISO will create "noise" in your pictures. You will usually get a much better result using a normal ISO setting and a long shutter speed. You should look for a longest shutter speed of at least 30 seconds, the longer the better. Set your camera to shutter priority and use the longest shutter speed you have.

Close up (macro) photography

Most digital cameras have a built in macro facility, usually identified by a flower symbol. This allows you to focus on your subject from only a few centimetres away. Even without this, you can still do macro work by fitting a close up lens. This is made easier to do if your camera's lens has a filter thread. Working this close means that you will naturally have an extremely small depth of field. To help with this you should use aperture priority and set the minimum aperture (largest f number).

Sports or action photography

Only Dslr cameras are ideal for this type of photography. That is because all the others have a certain amount of shutter lag so you can never be sure of catching the perfect moment in a fast moving situation. Of the other types, an slr type camera is definitely more practical for this sort of work. Look for a camera with the longest zoom range and the fastest shutter speed. Set your camera to shutter priority, use the fastest shutter speed you can, zoom into the action and start shooting.

There are a few other types of photography, but they don't have any different requirements to the ones mentioned above. For example stage (or band) work has similar requirements to sports photography and architectural photography is similar to shooting landscapes. No matter what type of photography you enjoy, their is definitely a digital camera that is most suitable. It's just a question of choosing the right tool for the job.

Colin Aiken is a professional photographer based in the United Kingdom. You can view his photographs and get more tips at: http://www.lovethepictures.co.uk

Advertising Photography - Digital Cameras vs Film Cameras

Photography is a very popular hobby. But when it comes to choosing photography as a career, especially advertising photography, the road gets a little tough. Interesting but challenging careers like advertising photography does get a bit strenuous and full of hindrances, but one can really pull it off with patience, perseverance, practice and planning. Training is a vital thing you need to make your career in advertising photography. And so is the finance part.

Earlier, when commercial photographers worked with film cameras, the running costs they used to run into was huge. And probably this was intimidating to people who wanted to take up advertising photography but could not due to lack of finances. But now with the advantage of digital cameras, more and more people are getting into this profession. Digital cameras have reduced the cost of staying in this profession by a huge margin. And there are plenty of ways how photographers have been benefited.

One of the main benefits of digital cameras is that there is no need to buy film rolls any more. Digital cameras, do not require films. They need memory cards where the images get stored. One can see the images in the screen provided with some of the DSLRs or Point-and-Shoot cameras. Or you can also transfer the images from the memory card to your computer via Bluetooth technology or the data cable or USB cable. This also saves the cost of getting the photographs developed.

With digital cameras, you can choose the pictures that you want to get developed. You can delete those which you don't like. And hence, you don't have to waste film rolls on unwanted pictures. All this make digital cameras the best tool to practice and sharpen your talent in Advertising photography, which is so important in case of advertising photography.

About The Author: Jack White is a specialist in Advertising photography and other kinds of photography. He has worked in close coordination with many an expert commercial photographer of UK and other countries. In his works he is presenting some of his observation on the role of commercial photographer in advertising photography.