Originally uploaded by Lori F
Shot with a Nikon D200 at 30mm and ISO 320, 1/160s and f/3.5. Processed in Adobe Photoshop CS3.
[tags]photo of the day, nikon, d200, girl, candy, apple[/tags]
Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
By Eric Reagan
Originally uploaded by Lori F
Shot with a Nikon D200 at 30mm and ISO 320, 1/160s and f/3.5. Processed in Adobe Photoshop CS3.
[tags]photo of the day, nikon, d200, girl, candy, apple[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
Photography Blog has posted a review of the Canon PowerShot G9:
The Canon Powershot G9 is the kind of camera that not only makes you feel like a better photographer, but helps you become one too, mixing both comprehensive and happily reliable hand-holding features with a plethora of real photographic controls that, along with build quality, at times exceeds that offered by many – if not most – budget DSLRs.
Check out all the Canon G9 news and reviews on this page.
[tags]canon, g9, powershot, review[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
Photo.net has posted a review of the Canon 40D:
The Canon 40D is the best digital SLR body for budget-conscious wildlife photographers. Within the Canon system, the 40D makes sense for people who leave the house on a specifically photographic mission and don’t mind carrying the extra weight and bulk in exchange for the ruggedness and two-wheel user interface.
Follow the latest Canon 40D news and reviews on this page.
[tags]canon, 40d, review[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
Photo Review has posted a new review of the Canon Powershot G9:
Robustly built, comprehensively feature-packed and small enough to slip into a jacket pocket, the PowerShot G9 has a lot in its favour. Because it offers many of the same shooting controls and supports raw file capture, it would make an excellent compact back-up camera for DSLR users. It would also provide some useful features that are not provided in DSLRs. You get good range of video formats (including widescreen) and facilities for adding sound bites to pictures or making audio recordings.
Check out all the Canon G9 news and reviews on this page.
[tags]canon, g9, powershot, review[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
Digital Camera Info has posted a full review of the Canon 1D Mark III:
The focus problem is a tragic flaw worthy of Sophocles. We used the Mark III with a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm zoom. Those lenses should not challenge the 45-spot autofocus system, but the problem was bad enough to show up with it. After the firmware fix, we couldn’t reproduce the problem, but that’s really not good enough. It doesn’t prove the problem is fixed for more challenging conditions. Canon is in the difficult position of proving a negative: that the focus problem no longer exists.
Stay tuned to all the Canon 1D Mark III news and reviews on this page.
[tags]canon, 1d, mark iii, review[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
Originally uploaded by finteo
Originally uploaded by finteo
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Originally uploaded by finteo
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Originally uploaded by finteo
Follow the discussion and the artists story in the DPReview.com forums. See more Nikon D3 resources.
[tags]nikon, d3, batman[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
PENTAX INTRODUCES OPTIO A40 WITH 12 MEGAPIXELS AND SUPER-SLIM OPTIO V10 WITH 3 INCH MONITOR
GOLDEN, CO. (October 1, 2007)…PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the PENTAX Optio A40, the latest model in the Optio A series of advanced compact digital cameras with superior image quality and performance. Featuring 12 megapixels, this latest Optio features three types of Shake Reduction including mechanical, digital and movie. [Read more…]
By Eric Reagan
GOLDEN, CO. (October 1, 2007)…PENTAX Imaging Company is pleased to announce the smc PENTAX DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3ED AL [IF] interchangeable zoom lens designed for exclusive use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras. With an approximate 14X zoom ratio covering from wide-angle to super-telephoto ranges, this versatile lens handles a great variety of applications from wide-angle landscapes to close-up sporting events and wildlife photography. [Read more…]
By Eric Reagan
Dave Einsel has several high ISO photos with info on his Nikon D3 test page. Thanks Dave!
[tags]nikon, d3, high, iso, image, pic, photo, test, sample[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
This is my son’s first year playing soccer. It’s been an entertaining couple of weeks. I’m fired up about the next month or so of soccer matches for a couple of reasons: (1) seeing my son experience team sports for the first time; and (2) great photo opportunities. It’s the latter reason that inspired this post.
So, are you getting great photos at your kid’s soccer games? If not, you should be. We’re going to look into some of the problems that could be keeping you from getting those memorable photos from every game.
Your Gear
First, let’s evaluate the camera and other gear that you’re using. If you’re you’ve got a point & shoot camera (I’ll call it a “P&S” for the sake of brevity), then you may be dealing with shutter lag, which can cause you to miss the moment. Shutter lag is the term used to describe the delay between the moment you press the shutter and the moment the camera captures the image.
If you’re using a SLR, then you know that when you press the shutter, the camera captures the image practically instantaneous. If you’re not familiar with these terms, a SLR (or DSLR) is a digital camera that uses an automatic mirror system placed between the lens and the image sensor to direct the image from the lens through the viewfinder where it can be viewed by the photographer. (Read more about it on Wikipedia); and a P&S camera is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most of them use autofocus or focus free lenses for focusing and automatic systems for exposure as well. (Again, Wikipedia)
Whatever the camera is that you’re using, you can make it work for you on the sidelines. Obviously, a DSLR camera is going to make your job easier, but you can make a P&S camera work too (we’ll talk about technique here in a minute). A DSLR allows you to avail yourself to a variety of lenses that are more tailored to your specific subjects – in our case, little 2-legged monsters chasing after a ball. If you’re in shopping mode, consider the following options:
If you’re using a P&S, then there are some things that you could be doing to capture the action that you really wanted instead of a not-so-exciting image a few seconds later. I could tell you all about it; however, I’ll direct your attention to Ken Rockwell’s article that should get you up to speed on Preventing Shutter Lag.
Your Camera Settings
Moving on camera settings, let’s look at Sports Photography 101: Shutter Priority. Shutter Priority is a setting on your camera. You’ll find it on all DSLRs and on almost all P&S cameras now. The Shutter Priority setting allows you to take control of one variable that goes into the exposure and the camera will take care of the rest. On a nice sunny day, set your shutter priority to 1/500s (that’s 1/500 of a second). This is a relatively fast shutter speed – usually enough to “freeze” the action in a kids soccer game. If you’re shooting bigger kids or adults, you might want to bump that up to 1/800 or 1/1000 if you get some motion blur at 1/500s. Motion blur can be aesthetically pleasing in some circumstances too, so you have to make the call here.
If you’re having trouble figuring this setting out, then it’s time to dig out your manual and figure it out. Go ahead. Most manuals are fairly well written nowadays and, chances are, you can open up the table of contents and figure this out in 2 or 3 steps. Still have trouble? Ok, try turning the settings wheel to the symbol of the guy running . . . that’s “Sports Mode” (read: fast shutter speed) and will suffice if you need it to.
Your Technique
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Now that we’ve got the camera set to a high shutter speed, let’s look at technique. This is where great photos are made. Follow these three points and your photos will be better the next game:
Put #1, #2 and #3 together and you’re holding the camera up to your eye, with both hands, and following the action through the viewfinder only. Now when that great action moment arises, you’re anticipating it through the viewfinder and you aren’t rushing to get your camera out and snapping at who-knows-what. You end up with a great shot of your little soccer star because you knew how to use your camera and you exercised proper technique in capturing the moment.
Your Location on the Field
Setup locations are also important. As spectators, we are almost always on the sidelines with all of the parents. I have found that moving around the field can be very effective at getting different shots.
Seriously, there are only so many angles that you can get from a single seat. So, get up! Move behind the goal that your kid’s team in shooting at. Better yet, move behind the goal that your kid’s team is practicing at before the game. Everybody gets to take a shot at the goal before the game. And that’s the shot we all want anyway . . . right? I like sitting on the ground off to the side and behind the goal for a couple of reasons:
1. Staying low doesn’t draw as much attention as a goofy-looking dad standing where no other parents are at; and
2. Shooting from a point lower than your kid’s eye level, keeps the shots interesting and reveals features and expressions that you wouldn’t otherwise see on your kid’s face.
Additionally, look at what’s going on when stuff isn’t going on. Sometimes a lull in the action or a kid that’s not really “into” the game make for the best photo opportunities.
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Ok, that’s all I’ve got for now. Now go get some great photos and share them with the rest of us. Post’em on flickr, Zooomr or wherever and email me the link. If you do, I’ll feature some here on Photography Bay.
Extra Credit
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Finally, if all of this photography jargon still seems foreign to you, consider purchasing a good book for beginners like Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Bryan is an excellent teacher. He’s great at breaking down intimidating concepts for the novice and explaining them on your level. The book breaks up exposure into the three fundamental elements that go into properly exposing a photo: aperture; shutter speed; and ISO (or, film speed). This is the book to buy for those who have only ever used a point and shoot camera or who always shoot their SLR on full auto mode (the little green rectangle setting). Simply reading this book will make you a better photographer overnight if you fall into these categories.
If you’ve got a basic handle on these concepts but not sure you really grasp the significance of one or all of them then you should consider adding this book to your library as well. Aside from the technical basics, Bryan teaches you how to look at a scene and capture a creative photo in addition to a properly exposed one.
Before you buy another camera, lens, flash, or any other gear, buy this book. It’ll be the best $15 you ever spend on your photography gear.
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[tags]photography, sports, soccer, diy, learn, how to, technique[/tags]