Getting to Know Your Digital Camera
AS DIGITAL CAMERAS become more affordable and of higher quality, countless people are turning to the thrilling hobby of photography. And, with so many people expressing an interest by investing their hard-earned dollars in a new digital camera, camera manufacturers are coming out with more and more models and an ever-expanding array of features. The sheer number of digital cameras on the market might make you feel so overwhelmed that you forget to learn what your particular digital camera can and cannot do. That’s why it’s important to get to know your digital camera features inside and out—without further delay. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what all of these camera features do or how they function. The first step is to understand what you have to work with.
To get some morning shots of Castlerigg, a stone circle in England’s beautiful Lake District, I woke up before dawn. My goal was to have both evening and morning photos for comparison and a study of the light. After making several images with a wide-angle lens that encompassed the entire scene, I noticed the mystical, low-lying tulle fog in the distant valley. I focused on just a few of the standing stones so that I could include more of the background, and used a graduated filter to add some color to the pale early-morning sky. The LCD screen helped me place the filter in exactly the right position.
1/2 SEC. AT f/19, ISO 100, 28–105MM LENS AT 30MM
THE ODDS ARE very likely that you either use a digital single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera, a compact digicam, or a cellular camera phone. As these are three very different kinds of cameras, it’s important for you understand the limitations and advantages of each type.
Digital SLR cameras tend to be big and bulky. The three digital SLR features that I most enjoy are: (1) the ability to use a variety of lens; (2) the advantage of a viewfinder that shows exactly what the camera sensor sees; and (3) the ease with which I can change aperture and shutter speed.
This is not to impugn those of you with compact digicams. In addition to usually being less expensive than SLRs, digicams are extremely easy to carry with you—fitting into your shirt pocket or purse. They streamline the picture-taking process by giving you everything you need in one small package and by offering a variety of automatic features. The highest quality digicams can create pictures that are just as good or better than images from some digital SLRs. Most importantly, because they’re much more compact, digicams tend to travel with their owners more often. That’s key—you need to bring your camera everywhere you go because … well … it tends to come in handy when taking pictures.
Cellular camera phones are extremely convenient and are great for those who simply want to have fun and share photos with friends and family. Instead of carrying around two items—a camera and a phone—you get to combine them into one ultracompact accessory. Camera phones have been limited in the past, but as the technology advances, the better models will feature more creative controls and functions.
Whichever digital camera you own, you need to become familiar with its features. So let’s take a look at the controls and functions that will most help you create the best digital photographs you can. To begin, first take the Camera Capabilities Questionnaire; it will give you a sense of how familiar (or unfamiliar) you are with your camera, while showing you what your camera can do.
This is a good example of the kind of image you can conceivably make with just about any camera. This photo is not as much about aperture, shutter speed, and other creative controls as it is about composition. When used in combination with the classic principles of composition, any camera can create eye-catching images.
1/60 SEC. AT f/4.5, ISO 100, 100–400MM LENS AT 100MM
Camera Capabilities Questionnaire
Before you get to the art of taking digital photos, you need to learn about what your camera can and cannot do. Scan the following list and try to first answer each question from memory. Once you’re done, review your list and see how many you knew. This will give you an idea of your current product knowledge.
For the questions you can’t answer, it’s time for a little research. Look in the owner’s manual that came with your camera. If you don’t find the answers you are seeking, I recommend visiting the manufacturer’s Web site and looking at their sales and marketing information. If your camera is fairly new, you might also find brochures and sales literature at a local camera store. The idea here is that if the technical folks who write the manuals are difficult to understand, turn to the people on the marketing team. They often do the best job explaining the features and benefits to the customer. After all, their jobs depend on it.
If you still are uncertain about your camera’s features, check out BetterPhoto.com’s equipment reviews section. It’s full of camera comparisons, explanations of camera features, and technical specs to help you understand which camera does what.
Don’t let yourself feel overwhelmed if some of the terms on this checklist are new to you. After all, that’s why you’re reading this book—to learn what these terms mean and how to use the features in your future photographic endeavors. The intention of this exercise is not to make you feel intimidated. Rather, the idea here is to make you more aware of your camera’s abilities and your own picture-taking interests.
SHOOT IN COLOR
If your camera features the option of taking black-and-white pictures, shoot in the color mode instead of this black-and-white mode. It’s relatively easy to remove color later using software, but you have to be an artist to add color back into a black-and-white image. color back into a black-and-white image.
1 First, what type of camera do you use? A digicam (point-and-shoot), a digital SLR, a cellular camera phone, or some other kind of digital camera?
2 Which features does your camera offer?
_____ Color LCD screen
_____ Playback zoom (the ability to use the LCD screen for zooming in for enlargement/detail views)
_____ The ability to display and change camera settings on the LCD screen
_____ The ability to display histograms on the LCD screen
_____ Tripod mount (to attach the camera to a tripod)
_____ Focus lock (for recomposing scenes after locking focus on a subject)
_____ Aperture priority (the ability to set an aperture of your choosing)
_____ Shutter priority (the ability to set shutter speed of your choosing)
_____ The ability to control ISO *
_____ Spot-meter mode and exposure lock
_____ Exposure compensation
_____ Bulb setting and self-timer or remote control
_____ The ability to shoot in JPEG, TIFF, or raw formats
_____ Compact flash card, SmartMedia, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick, or another storage format
_____ Zoom lens (or interchangeable lenses for SLR users)
_____ Digital zoom as well as optical zoom (for non-SLR users)
_____ Macro mode or macro lens Lens threads to allow the use of filters
_____ The ability to control white-balance settings
_____ EXIF data recording
_____ The ability to view EXIF data via the camera
_____ Black-and-white, sepia, and/or infrared modes
_____ Hot shoe for external flash
_____ PC port for studio lighting sync cord
_____ Mirror lock-up (for SLR users)**
3 What is the maximum resolution (pixel dimension), and what, if any, are your pixel resolution options (e.g., Large, Medium, Small)?
4 What are the quality-setting options for JPEG capture (e.g., SHQ, HQ, S1, S2, Fine, Normal, Standard)?
* Digital SLRs usually have higher ISO options than compact digital cameras, and they generally produce less noise in the upper ISOs. (See more on noise.) However, compact digital cameras often can create cool, surrealistic infrared images, whereas many digital SLRs cannot.
** Mirror lock-up is found only on SLR digital cameras. Photographers who want maximum depth of field use it from time to time to help keep their camera especially still and, thus, their images tack sharp.
When I first learned photography, reading great books by the likes of John Shaw and Bryan Peterson, I often wondered how they remembered the exposure settings that they noted in the captions under each picture. Later, I learned that they usually carried a notebook and jotted down these settings after creating each photograph. Still, that seemed to me to require a great deal of organization and mindfulness. Without noting the data in this way, I would never have remembered the exposure settings and lenses used for these images if not for the EXIF data recording feature found in my digital cameras. In each situation, I was working too fast to stop and take notes. Thanks to the EXIF recording feature, this task was automated and made easy for me. In fact, I retrieved all the camera settings listed in this book from the EXIF data. (See more on EXIF data.)
1/350 SEC. AT f/5.6, ISO 100, 100–400MM LENS AT 250MM
NOW THAT YOU’VE FINISHED the Questionnaire and familiarized yourself with your camera, let’s start in earnest by examining three features in detail: the lens, the LCD screen, and EXIF data recording and viewing. We’ll start with lenses.
Lens selection is discussed more thoroughly in chapter 6, and you can also learn more about this in the Digital Camera Buyer’s Guide. For now, it’s important to know where you stand with the lens on your current digital camera. Once you have this knowledge tucked away, along with the other features from the Camera Capabilities Questionnaire, you can begin taking pictures with more and more success.
Depending on which kind of camera you use, you may or may not have options when it comes to your lens. In traditional 35mm terms, lenses with a focal length of around 28–35mm are considered wide-angle lenses. Lenses in the 50–80mm range are normal or standard. When you get into the 100mm and above range, you’re talking about a telephoto lens.
In addition, there are three different kinds of lenses: fixed focal length lenses, in-camera zoom lenses, and interchangeable lenses. Cameras with more limited features often only have a fixed focal length lens. This means that you have no choice when it comes to lens focal length. All you can do is walk closer to or further from the subject when composing a picture. Due to space limitations, most cellular camera phones feature a fixed lens. Due to cost restrictions, less expensive digital pointand-shoot cameras usually have no more than a fixed lens.
The next three images show what you can do with various focal lengths on your digital camera lens. With a wide-angle lens, you can capture expansive vistas, as in this image of the sky and a line of cowboys.
1/125 SEC. AT f/4.5, ISO 100, 16–35MM LENS AT 35MM
If you bought a digital point-and-shoot that has a zoom lens (in-camera zoom), you can get closer to your subject at the touch of a button. Most of these cameras allow you to get fairly wide-angle pictures but are still somewhat limited on the telephoto end of their range. Zooming in as far as you can go may still not bring you close enough to your subject. If you have both an optical and a digital zoom option, it is generally safest to avoid using the digital zoom; but, having said that, there are times when the digital zoom feature can be useful (see here for more about this).
Interchangeable lenses are found on most digital SLR cameras. These are lenses that you attach to and remove from the camera, exchanging one lens for another instead of just zooming in or out. As each lens can be expensive, this option can end up costing more in the long run but can give you the most flexibility and power when it comes to lens selection. This is the option that I use and recommend to most people. If you greatly enjoy photography and continue to learn and improve, you’ll most likely appreciate a camera with this kind of flexibility.
Many digital point-and-shoot cameras refer to focal length with very small numbers, such as 9mm or 14mm. If you’ve been shooting with a film camera for some time and are used to thinking of 14mm as a super wide angle, you’ll need to learn to translate the focal lengths on your new digital camera. When you see such small numbers, it means that you have a camera with a different focal length scale. Refer to your owner’s manual or to sales information on the manufacturer’s Web site to learn the 35mm focal length equivalents.
I used a telephoto lens here and got fairly close to the subject.
1/750 SEC. AT f/10, ISO 400, 100–300MM LENS AT 300MM
Thanks to a powerful telephoto lens combination and the lens magnification factor found in most digital SLR cameras, I was able to fill the frame with these three motorcyclists, even though they were very far off in the distance. Using a 100–400mm lens at 210mm, with a 2X teleconverter, I was looking through the equivalent of a 700mm lens (in 35mm terms). This extreme magnification allowed me to create a tight composition of the three riders and the road.
Also, telephoto lenses and focal lengths tend to compress the foreground and background elements together. In this case, this compression makes the motorcyclists appear all that much closer to the foreground grasses and the viewer.
Just remember one thing if you shoot at such extreme focal lengths: always use your tripod. Camera shake (moving the camera during exposure) is, by far, the number one reason why beginners walk away with many blurry photos. Shooting at extremely telephoto focal lengths requires a particularly fast shutter speed, a sturdy tripod, or both. Even if your lens features image-stabilization technology, it’s difficult to get crisp photos at telephoto lengths while handholding the camera.
1/180 SEC. AT f/10, ISO 100, 100–400MM LENS AT 210MM, 2X TELECONVERTER
These ferns were actually quite tiny. Using a 100mm macro lens, I placed the camera on a tripod and set it about a foot and a half away from the plant. With the goal of having the distant frond softly echo the foreground one, I selected a small f-stop for shallow depth of field (see chapter 4 for more on exposure and depth of field).
1/90 SEC. AT f/2.8, ISO 100, 100MM MACRO LENS
For this photo, I used what many photographers refer to as their “street zoom” lens, a mid-range 28–105mm zoom. I chose a “normal” focal length of 58mm, got on the ground to take advantage of a low point of view, and took the picture. My goal was to include the tulips as an out-of-focus splash of color.
1/180 SEC. AT f/6.7, ISO 100, 28–105MM LENS AT 58MM
HOW DO YOU KNOW when you’ve captured a successful photo? One way is to make good use of the LCD (liquid crystal display) screen on the back of your camera. Everyone who has seen or used a digital camera knows how exciting it is to be able to view your images right on the spot. In fact, this is one of the greatest things about shooting digitally. Much more than simply giving you the joy of immediate gratification, the LCD screen actually helps you learn how to become a better photographer.
The LCD screen is the little one- to two-inch color monitor usually located on the back of the camera. Some people refer to this as an LCD viewfinder, but I prefer to call it an LCD screen for reasons I’ll discuss in a moment. The LCD screen is the most important feature of shooting digitally. In the old days of film photography, serious students interested in learning photography had to carry little notebooks with them everywhere they photographed, carefully jotting down aperture, shutter speed, frame number, and other notes each time they took a picture. After getting the slides or prints back from the photo lab, photographers would sit down and compare those notes with the results. They went through this tedious process to learn which settings created which effects.
This is what the LCD screen looks like on the back of a digital SLR. If you’re using a digicam, things may look a little different, but the general idea is the same.
Keeping Your LCD Screens Straight
Don’t confuse the LCD screen with the monochrome LCD panel that displays things like shutter speed, aperture, and images remaining on your storage card. On my digital SLR, the monochrome LCD panel sits on the top right side of the camera body, near the shutter button. On some cameras (digital point-and-shoots), the LCD screen also functions as the LCD panel described here. A separate LCD is more common on digital SLRs.
What a cumbersome learning process! Now, with the immediate feedback of the LCD screen, you can get a fair idea of what is happening with your settings—while you’re still on location. So, you get two important advantages when using the LCD screen: (1) you get to learn by immediately seeing the results, and (2) you then have the opportunity to reshoot to correct what wasn’t successful (providing your subject is still cooperating).
As much as I love the LCD screen, I don’t use it as a viewfinder. This eats up battery power like there’s no tomorrow. Also, it can increase the likelihood of taking blurry pictures, since holding the camera away from your face tends to make it less stable. I know what you’re thinking … squinting through the tiny viewfinder can be a pain. But using the optical viewfinder will keep you shooting a lot longer before you need to recharge and will increase your chances of getting tacksharp photos.
If you’re using a digicam, however, there are two exceptions to this. First, when the lens is zoomed out, part of the lens may interfere with the view in the optical viewfinder, necessitating use of the LCD screen as the viewfinder. And second, when doing macro (close-up) photography, you may encounter the parallax problem. Parallax is when you see one thing and your lens sees another (so what you see in your viewfinder does not match the final image exactly). This problem becomes worse the closer you get to your subject. To help you get the composition you want, many cameras will automatically force the LCD to come on when you turn the macro mode on. In these two instances, digicam users might opt to use the LCD screen as the viewfinder.
For those of you with digital SLR cameras, on the other hand, what you see through the viewfinder is what you get. You look though the picture-taking lens and see exactly what the sensor “sees.” With these types of cameras, you never need to use the LCD screen as a viewfinder, even when doing macro photography.
Set up your camera so that your LCD screen immediately displays each photo after you take it so that, when you have the time, you can review each image just after shooting it. As mentioned before, there’s no better way to learn the effects of your various camera settings. When you make adjustments to your camera settings, make a mental note of which settings you changed and what kinds of photos those settings helped create. Then, if necessary, shoot again to create an even better photo.
When the day is done, use your LCD screen again to review your work. You may want to erase the duds, but be careful! The screen only gives you a rough idea of the image, so only erase those images that are really, really bad—i.e., the totally blurry or totally black ones. If you’re unsure, keep the image until you have a chance to view it at 100 percent magnification on your computer monitor or a large TV screen.
Having a Hard Time Seeing the Screen in Sunlight?
If you have difficulty seeing the LCD screen when you’re shooting outdoors, try moving to a spot in the shade. If you still find yourself straining to see your images, try one of the following:
Purchase special accessories designed to block out sunlight so that you can see the LCD screen better.
Use a 4x loupe. Loupes are handheld magnifiers used by film photographers to review slides on a light box. Get a 4x rectangular loupe with a neck strap, cover any clear sides with black tape if you need to, and position it over your LCD screen when reviewing images. You’ll find it both magnifies the image and makes the screen darker—and, thus, easier to view.
When you’re viewing an image in the LCD screen, you need to know what to look for. Here is a brief checklist of things I pay attention to when reviewing my work on the screen:
Brightness. I want to know as soon as possible if I’m exposing the scene too dark or too bright.
Composition. I quickly scan the edges to see if any part of my subject is being cut off. I also look for slanting horizons, an overabundance of negative space, distracting elements, and other compositional faux pas.
Major blur. If I see major, unintentional blur, I know to immediately try the shot again. The second time around, I work harder to ensure that the camera is as stable as it can possibly be.
Minor blur. Many cameras let you zoom in to view one portion of the image. If you’re unsure about the sharpness of a photo—and you have a camera with this zooming LCD feature and have sufficient time between shots to look more closely—use this feature to zoom in on one particular part of the photo and view it on the LCD screen. This will help you get a better idea of overall focus.
The one thing you have to watch out for when viewing images on your screen is what I call LCD distraction. This is when you are so busy reviewing the images you just took that you miss an even better shot. If you decide to review your photos while there’s still a chance for a subsequent photo op, keep one eye on your subject at all times. If you have a friend nearby, you might also ask him or her to watch the subject for you, alerting you when anything interesting begins to happen. This comes in handy when photographing kids, whose attention can drift from time to time, only to return to the camera when you least expect it. Better yet, refrain from closely reviewing your images until later.
1/180 SEC. AT f/8, ISO 100, 28–135MM LENS AT 28MM
In addition to watching my LCD screen for problems with exposure, composition, and sharpness, I also keep an eye out for other kinds of problems. After photographing these three ranchers, I viewed the image in the LCD, and something just seemed wrong. I finally realized that everyone looked too posed. There was no dramatic energy or “story.” The next day, determined to get more involved, I asked the ranchers to act cold, unhappy, and frustrated as they rode in the snow. They ended up having a lot of fun, and the result was much more engaging.
1/125 SEC. AT f/6.7, ISO 400, 28–135MM LENS AT 47MM
THE MOST INTIMIDATING thing about EXIF data is the name—Exchangeable Image File Format—and like many computer acronyms, it leaves something to be desired. It’s not as user-friendly as it could be. Once you get around this poor name though, the topic is more understandable.
EXIF, also called metadata, refers to technical information that is embedded along with an image. On most digital cameras, EXIF automatically records details such as shutter speed, f-stop, ISO, flash mode, file dimensions, file format, camera type (in case you use several different cameras), and more tidbits about how each image was created. You can even see the camera-to-subject distance and the focal length used. It’s a pretty cool feature. In fact, without it, I would not have been able to tell you the technical details of all the images in this book.
The great thing about EXIF is that you don’t ever have to remember things like what shutter speed and aperture you used. Remember the poor film photographer who had to schlep a notepad around and write the image specs in it after every shot? For digital photographers, that is thankfully a thing of the past. With these details being automatically recorded for digital photographers, it becomes that much easier to learn how certain creative choices help, or hinder, when it comes to achieving particular photographic goals.
Now, all you need is to figure out how to view this information. As automatic as the recording of EXIF data may be, viewing it can be slightly tricky. There are a few ways you can get at this stored information. With many digital cameras, EXIF data can be viewed in the LCD screen. Check your owner’s manual to see if you can do this. Or, if you own the most recent version of Photoshop, EXIF data is displayed in the program’s File Browser feature. Or, you can use EXIF Image Viewer, which is a simple image-viewer program that you can download off the Internet for free; there are actually several image-viewer programs, so do a search to find the one you like best.
Familiarize Yourself with Your Camera and Learn How to View EXIF Data
1 If you haven’t already done so, complete the Camera Capabilities Questionnaire. When you’re done, go to the BetterPhoto.com Reviews section, find your camera model, and list your favorite features along with some of your own comments about the camera. The benefits will be twofold: you will reinforce your understanding of how your camera works and you’ll be sharing that knowledge with others.
2 Then, make sure you know how to view EXIF data. Check your owner’s manual, and if you can view the data on your LCD screen, familiarize yourself with how to do it. If you can’t access the data with the LCD, spend a little time investigating image-viewer programs or Photoshop. Develop the habit of viewing this data frequently to learn which setting creates which particular effect.
