19-04-2012, 11:46 AM
ULTIMATE FIELD GUIDE TO PHOTO GRAPHY
ULTIMATE FIELD GUIDE TO PHOTO GRAPHY.pdf (Size: 471.84 KB / Downloads: 32)
Basic Rules
eras. They are the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide
Semiconductor) and the CCD (Charge Coupled Device).
Both sensors have their particular idiosyncrasies, and
they have various characteristics that should be taken
into account when purchasing. So it’s important to look
at some example files and research the characteristics of
the system you intend to purchase.
When professional photographers are choosing and
purchasing a camera system, they like to shoot some
comparison test shots with the cameras they’re considering.
Where possible, emulate this practice. Check the
files in the image-editing software on your computer.
Make sure both cameras are tested with all in-camera
sharpening turned off to allow for a fair comparison. A
camera technician at your local store can show you how
to do this.
Some sensor/camera combinations are particularly
good for low light when using a sensor sensitivity of 400
ISO or higher, while others are fantastic in full natural
light and terrible when used with a high ISO sensor sensitivity.
Check the amount of “noise” or “grain” at a higher
ISO. Do your research well and choose a suitable sensor
for the type of photography you’re most interested in.
Whereas in the era of film you would have bought
your camera and decided on the type of film required at
a later stage, now you have to make this important decision
at the outset. It’s not just about the file size your
intended camera is capable of. For instance, if the sensor
is less sharp than the alternative camera, or the color
characteristics less favorable, you could be unhappy with
your choice. Some D-SLRs have in-camera sharpening
to compensate for anti-aliasing filters, the main source
of “unsharpness.”
Initially you wouldn’t think that the physical size of
the image sensor would be a factor to consider, since
the quality of the file would seem to be the governing
factor. However, the smallest sensors on a D-SLR are
18mm x 13.5mm, compared to the format of a traditional
35mm film camera, which is 24mm x 36mm. In
this case, a 50mm lens, which on a film camera would
constitute a standard lens, becomes a 100mm short
telephoto.
This initially may seem to be an advantage, since you
won’t need long telephotos. But there is an issue with
wide angles. A 15mm is an extreme wide angle with a
35mm film camera. With a small sensor, this is only a
slightly wide angle, equivalent to a 30mm lens on a 35mm
film camera in some digital cameras. Some manufacturers
are addressing this and are beginning to produce
special lenses specifically for digital bodies, such as the
extraordinary Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/4.0.
What type of lens do I need?
Now that you’ve bought your new D-SLR camera and are
starting to come to terms with its operation, you might
well be thinking about buying another lens.
When you purchased the camera it more than likely
came with a zoom lens; something like a 28-80mm is the
usual offering with new cameras, and this is a good lens
with which to start.
But if you feel like you need something different, what
do you look for? There are many types of lenses available,
and to know which lens you should buy you need to
TIP:
Here are a few places where you can visit many different camera
manufacturers to learn about their cameras and equipment
when you are researching sensors:
• Your local camera shop
• Photo Plus Expo, NYC, in October
• B & H Photo, NYC
• Photo Marketing Association Sneak Peek, in Florida in
February
• www.dpreview.com
know what you want to photograph with it. Lenses come
in all shapes and sizes—a bit like a family—and they all
have specific characteristics. Here is a breakdown of the
different lens types and some of their applications.
There are three basic types of lenses:
• wide-angle
• standard
• telephoto
A lens belongs in a particular category based on its focal
length.
• 50mm is the traditional focal length for a standard lens.
• Less than 50mm is considered a wide-angle lens.
• Greater than 50mm is considered to be a telephoto lens.
• Lenses beyond about 300mm are known as super telephoto
Standard Lenses
The standard lens (50mm) gives an angle of view of
between 45 and 55 degrees, which is approximately the
same as that of the human eye. Because of this it produces
an image with a natural look; it photographs things in
a manner that is as near as possible to the way we would
see the same subject.
Because these lenses photograph subjects in the same
way as we see things, they produce pictures that tend to
look “normal” and, thus, have a wide application as a
general-purpose lens.
Wide-Angle Lenses
With so many wide-angle lenses available ranging in focal
lengths from 8mm to 35mm, the choice is huge and can
be quite confusing. Basically, the wider the lens, the more
specialized its use.
Super-wide lenses can distort the image and have a limited,
if valuable, use. I would suggest that either a 24mm or
a 28mm lens—the more common types of wide-angle—
would be a good choice to purchase as a starter lens.
The 35mm wide-angle lens is often used as a standard
lens because although the focal length is slightly less
than the 50mm of the standard lens, the difference is
not huge. It can give the photographer the advantage of
extra depth of field, a real benefit for news photographers,
who shoot where space is often limited and for whom the
more of the picture in focus, the better.
Because the angle of view of the wide-angle lens is much
greater than that of the telephoto or standard lens, it’s
obviously the lens to use where there’s limited space or
the subject is large. Taking the family picture at Christmas
when 30 of your relatives have arrived at your place would
be impossible unless you lived in a very large house—or
you had a wide-angle lens to take the shot.
Landscape photography is another area where wideangle
lenses are very useful. Using a wide-angle offers the
ability to get close to your main subject to make it more
prominent in the frame while keeping as much of the
background in focus as you want.