Camera Basics

Art Production

Table of Contents

• Types of CamerasTypes of Cameras• Research before buyingResearch before buying• ComponentsComponents• FeaturesFeatures

Types of Cameras

• Average userAverage user – compact, ultra-light, auto everything, permanent lens, range-finder

• Semi-professional or EnthusiastSemi-professional or Enthusiast – compact to full size, auto and manual settings, sometimes removable lens, video and audio capability, Range-Finder or Single-Lens Reflex, special effects

• Professional Professional – SLR, high-burst, hi-res, best of everything

Range-Finder vs Single Lens Reflex

• Range-finder eye view is not the same as the lens view

• SLR eye view is directly through the lens

Things to consider when buying

• Ratings – Do Your Research First!!!!!!– www.pcmag.com – www.epinions.com– www.shopper.com

PC Magazine

Epinions

• Epinions gives consumer ratings for just about everything

• http://www.epinions.com/Digital_Cameras/search_string_~camera%20lenses/previous_search_string_~digital%20camera%20lenses/adv_search_~1

Things to consider: LENSLENS

• Lens – Permanent or changeable?

• Zoom range – optical & digital zoom?– Ex: 10X Zoom (might be 6x optical & 4x digital)

• The quality of the lens is perhaps the most important consideration in buying a camera

• Pay the extra for the best lens

• High-resolution implies a better lens

• (Carl Zeiss)

Things to consider: LENSLENS

• Cheap lenses can cause the edges of the picture to be blurry, cause purple fringing (Chromatic Aberration), poor auto-focus, poor detail, often are plastic not glass, easy to scratch, tiny in size, flimsy design, fragile in zoom mode

Things to consider: LENSLENS• Range considerations• 50mm is the average camera lens range (45

degrees)

– Smaller than 50mm = wide-angle (common in digital)– larger than 50mm = telephoto or zoom

50mm lens

108mm Telephoto

28mm Wide-Angle Lens

10 to 17mmFisheye

Lens

16-35 mm Wide-angle & standard zoom combo lens

File Formats• JPEGJPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

– Automatically does lossy compression– The camera embeds all special settings into the image -- focus,

contrast, saturation, white balance, etc. Ready to publish– Exports to computer at 8-bit mode– 256 brightness levels

• Cheap cameras compress 8:1 to 25:1• Quality cameras compress 2.7:1 to 8:1

• RAW – The camera captures the image as is, uncompressed. All camera

settings are embedded in a header tag, but not applied to the RAW photo. This allows more editing freedom with Photoshop, etc. RAW requires necessary editing software and conversion before publishing

– Exports to computer TIFF or PSD format in 16-bit mode– 65,536 brightness levels

Batteries

• lithiumlithium ion rechargeableion rechargeable – smaller, recharge faster, short life span, pricey, camera specific

• nickelnickel hydridehydride – rechargeable AA; cheaper; available everywhere

• nickelnickel cadmiumcadmium – Disposable; cheap, not recommended. Wears out fast

• alkalinealkaline – Disposable batteries; easy to swap out in the field

• lithiumlithium – Disposable, last 7x longer

Memory Card Types

USB Connector

ImageMate™ & SecureMate™ www.sandisk.com

Easy connections to computer

Variety of Flash Card IDE ports

Special Features

• Silent moviesSilent movies• Sound moviesSound movies• Voice-overVoice-over• Attach to phone Attach to phone

or PDAor PDA• Digital zoomDigital zoom• WirelessWireless• Color optionsColor options

• Time lapseTime lapse• PanoramaPanorama• AutobracketingAutobracketing• Playback optionsPlayback options

– thumbnailthumbnail– slideshowslideshow

Special Features

• AutoAuto• PP – Auto with manual

over-ride

• Tv (or S)Tv (or S) – Shutter-speed control

• Av (or A)Av (or A) – Aperturecontrol

• MM – fully manual

Included Software

• Adobe Photoshop CS over $600

• Corel’s Photo-Paint $549

• Adobe Photoshop Elements $99

• Paintshop Pro $99

• Microsoft PictureIt! $54

• Ulead Photo Express $49

• ACDSee $49

Camera Use Basics

Section 2

Table of Contents

• ResolutionResolution• ExposureExposure• ApertureAperture – F-StopF-Stop – controls depth

of focus

• ShutterShutter speedspeed – controls light

• ASA/ISOASA/ISO – Film speed or sensitivity

Things to consider:

ResolutionResolutionIt’s not just about mega-pixels!

• 3 mega-pixels3 mega-pixels will print out 8x10 in fairly good quality (current popular range is 5 – 8 mp5 – 8 mp)

• Superior lensSuperior lens• Large Image SensorsLarge Image Sensors in CCD (charge-

coupled device) or CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) = high resolution

• ADC ADC (Analog-to-digital converter) 8-bit is common, 12-bit or higher = superior

Resolutions Compressions

• 2,592X1,944 LARGE

• 2,048X1,536 M1

• 1,600 1,200 M2

• 640x480 SMALL

• SUPERFINE = Minimal compression, as low as 2:1

• FINE = Medium compression, 6, 8, or more:1

• NORMAL = Maximum compression, as high as and higher than 30:1

SuperfineSuperfine LARGELARGE 3,885 KB3,885 KB2,592 x 1,9442,592 x 1,944

SuperfineSuperfine M1M1 2,5152,515 KBKB2,048 x 1,5362,048 x 1,536

SuperfineSuperfine M2M2 1,7391,739 KBKB1,600 x 1,2001,600 x 1,200

SuperfineSuperfine SMALLSMALL 337337 KBKB640 x 480 640 x 480

SuperfineSuperfine LARGELARGE 3,8853,885 KBKB2,592 x 1,9442,592 x 1,944

SuperfineSuperfine M1M1 2,5152,515 KBKB2,048 x 1,5362,048 x 1,536

SuperfineSuperfine M2M2 1,7391,739 KBKB1,600 x 1,2001,600 x 1,200

SuperfineSuperfine SMALLSMALL 337337 KBKB640 x 480 640 x 480

FineFine LARGELARGE 2,5542,554 KBKB2,592 x 1,9442,592 x 1,944

FineFine LARGELARGE 2,5542,554 KBKB2,592 x 1,9442,592 x 1,944

FineFine M1M1 1,6491,649 KBKB2,048 x 1,5362,048 x 1,536

FineFine M1M1 1,6491,649 KBKB2,048 x 1,5362,048 x 1,536

FineFine M2M2 1,1821,182 KBKB1,600 x 1,2001,600 x 1,200

FineFine M2M2 1,1821,182 KBKB1,600 x 1,2001,600 x 1,200

FineFine SMALLSMALL 234234 KBKB640 x 480 640 x 480

FineFine SMALLSMALL 234234 KBKB640 x 480 640 x 480

NormalNormal LARGELARGE 1,3771,377 KBKB2,592 x 1,9442,592 x 1,944

NormalNormal LARGELARGE 1,3771,377 KBKB2,592 x 1,9442,592 x 1,944

NormalNormal M1M1 888888 KBKB2,048 x 1,5362,048 x 1,536

NormalNormal M1M1 888888 KBKB2,048 x 1,5362,048 x 1,536

NormalNormal M2M2 659659 KBKB1,600 x 1,2001,600 x 1,200

NormalNormal M2M2 659659 KBKB1,600 x 1,2001,600 x 1,200

NormalNormal SMALLSMALL 135135 KBKB640 x 480 640 x 480

NormalNormal SMALLSMALL 135135 KBKB640 x 480 640 x 480

Advise on setting resolution and compression

• Use the highest settings your memory card can handle without filling up during a shoot

• Resize down later on the computer using graphics-editing software like Windows PowerToy – Image Resizer

• http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

What is an Exposure ?

• The quantity of light allowed to act on a photographic material; a product of the

• intensity (controlled by the lens opening apertureaperture) and the

• duration (controlled by the shutter shutter speedspeed or enlarging time) of light striking the film

Aperture aka F-Stop

• F-stop – or focus-stop: Determines how much light gets in

LOW F-Stop

Wide-open aperture allows photos in dim lighting, creates a narrow depth of focus

Low F-Stop allows you to raise your shutter speed to 1/125 of second or faster, eliminating the need for a tripod. Photos taken with slower shutter speeds, such as 1/60, need a tripod or steady hand

F-Stop

High F-Stop requires bright lights for fast shutter speed. It allows an infinite depth of focus

F-Stop Focus Range – Depth of Field

F-Stop & Shutter Speed

F-Stop Focus Range – Shallow

Depth of Field

F-Stop Focus Range – Medium Depth of Field

Infinite Depth of field

Shutter SpeedShutter Speed

Shutter Speed

• The more light, the faster the shutter speed 1/125 is lower limit without tripod

• The less light, the slower the shutter speed

• The lower the F-stop, the faster the shutter speed

• The higher the F-stop, the slower the shutter speed

Shutter Speed• A slow shutter speed

(125 range) allows all available light in and is preferred whenever possible. This can greatly improve the quality of a photograph by allowing the receptors plenty of time to absorb the image

A slower shutter speed often spells “blurry pictures” unless a tripod is used. Do not shoot below 1/125 without a tripod – (Notice the 60 is in RED)A high shutter speed may be grainy, but less blurry in low light, and captures action

ASA is now ISOASA is now ISO

• Abbreviation for American Standards Association, replaced by ISO (International Organization for Standardization). Used with a number to define film speed and sensitivity

• ISO 100ISO 100 high resolution medium speed for everyday outdoor use

• ISO 200 and 400ISO 200 and 400 grainer, but faster; used for indoor, limited light, or capturing action; allows faster shutter speed and eliminates tripod

• Specialty filmSpecialty film can go very low ISO 6ISO 6 and lower – super-sensitive, used for capturing maximum resolution, blowing pictures up to poster or billboard size

• Specialty filmSpecialty film can go very high ISO 6400ISO 6400 for capturing bullets, arrows, and other super-high speed actions

• Digital cameras have ISO equivalents

End