The "New" Avatar

After a brief pause, You Can Click! is back in its new Avatar.. Arjun Suri is now joined by Akshay Sharma, two amateurs with similar ideas to bring peace and knowledge to this world (not literally!!).. They call their humble venture, The Guild.
The Guild literally means "a group of artisans with a similar interests". This is not exclusive and limited to us, it involves all of you reading this page and interested in this venture. Please feel free to contact. For more on who we are and what we do, have a look on the About Us page.
Keep clicking and keep posting.. And do keep an eye on YouCanClick.Com for some new stuff coming up..

Arjun and Akshay
The Guild

The Art of Composition

The art of composition or putting the picture together in the viewfinder can make the difference between a good picture and a bad one! It is a visual process of organizing the elements and individual details of a scene into a balanced and pleasing arrangement. Because what one person finds pleasing, someone else will not, composition is largely a matter of personal taste.

There is no right or wrong composition in photography. A composition that conveys a photographers intended meaning is an effective one. A composition that does not or that confuses the viewer is not.

There are certain rules of composition that most photographers agree will make the best pictures. However, the word rules is used loosely here as they are intended to simply be guidelines to take great pictures.

They are based on recreating similarities in the make-up of many different images that many people have found to be esthetically-pleasing. A rule of composition or a design concept should not be taken as a hard and fast rule that must be observed.

In fact, some renowned photographs violate all the rules of composition and are still excellent pictures. This does not mean that the rules are without value. They are tremendously valuable. They are time-proven, and provide great guidelines for photographers at any level.

These rules are great guidelines to start out with. But if you feel you want to break one of these rules, by all means go right ahead. Photography is not about perfection. Its about capturing images that will be pleasing to you and those you want to share the pictures with.

Here are some of those rules:

1. Choose a primary point of interest before taking the picture. Determine which area is of the most importance to you and compose the picture around that area.

2. Be sure that only the things you want the viewer to see appear in the picture. If there are numerous objects cluttering up the background, your message will be lost. If you can not find an angle or framing to isolate your subject, consider using depth of field control on your camera, if it has one, to keep the background out of focus.

3. Give your picture contrast. A light subject will have more impact if placed against a dark background and vice versa. Contrasting colors may be used for emphasis, but can become distracting if not considered carefully.

4. Consider the balance of what you are shooting. Generally, asymmetric or informal balance is considered more pleasing in a photograph than symmetric (formal) balance. In other words, placing the main subject off-center and balancing the weight with other objects (smaller or lower impact) will be more effective than placing the subject in the center.

5. Frame your picture. A frame in a photograph is something in the foreground that leads you into the picture or gives you a sense of where the viewer is. For example, a branch and some leaves framing a shot of rolling hills and a valley, or the edge of an imposing rock face leading into a shot of a canyon. Framing can usually improve a picture. The frame does not need to be sharply focused. In fact if it is too sharply detailed, it could be a distraction.

6. Be sure the viewpoint is pleasing. You can often change a picture dramatically by moving the camera up or down or, stepping to one side. One of the best ways to come up with a prize-winning photograph is to find an unusual point of view.

7. When the subject is capable of movement, such as an animal or person, it is best to leave space in front of the subject so it appears to be moving into, rather than out of, the photograph.

8. Linear elements such as roads, waterways, and fences placed diagonally are generally perceived as more dynamic than horizontals.

9. Use the rule of thirds. This is a principle taught in graphic design and photography and is based on the theory that the eye goes naturally to a point about two-thirds up the page. Read more about this here.

Also, by visually dividing the image into thirds (either vertically or horizontally) you achieve the informal or asymmetric balance mentioned above.

Although there are many ways a photograph can be composed effectively by basing it on the use of thirds, the most common example is the placement of the horizon line in landscape photography. If the area of interest is land or water, the horizon line will usually be two-thirds up from the bottom. On the other hand, if the sky is the area of emphasis, the horizon line may be one-third up from the bottom, leaving the sky to occupy the top two-thirds.

Flash Photography

There is probably no type of photography that is more disappointing to the beginner than flash photography. Unlike natural-light photography, where what you see can often be what you get, it is difficult to visualize what the effects of using flash will be. Flash is shut off until the moment of exposure, and then its illumination is too brief to visually evaluate what it does to your picture.

The real learning process occurs over time, with trial and error. You should not expect to become an instant expert at flash photography, but persistence and observation (constantly comparing your pictures with earlier ones, and identifying not only the problems to overcome, but the successes you have achieved) will give you the experience you need to control flash and produce consistently-good flash pictures.

Generally, poor lighting conditions results in poor pictures. Usually you do not need flash for normal daytime outdoor shots unless its very gloomy. Keep in mind that flash has a very limited range so it should only be used when the subject is fairly close. Use fill flash to help lighten up a subject which in deep shadow.

It is best to avoid using flash indoors unless absolutely necessary: it tends to burn out subjects and can create harsh shadows. A better choice is to bounce the flash off the ceiling if your camera and flash support this option.

Another option is to let as much daylight in as possible and, turn on all of the lights. You have the option of using fill flash when theres enough light in the scene but your subject is not well lit.

Under certain circumstances you might want to turn the flash off and let the camera deal with the low light condition by increasing exposure. This will not work in very dim conditions, but can give better results than flash. Be sure to guard against camera shake.

Digital cameras are less sensitive to light than traditional film cameras. If you are shooting indoors or in a low-light situation, even with the flash, you should move close enough to the subject for the flash to be effective (no more than 10 feet away). If this is a concern, some digital cameras allow you to use accessory flashes or studio-type lighting.

If you set your digital camera on Auto, the camera will attempt to determine the need for flash based on the lighting conditions, but you still should use the manual setting when appropriate such as using the flash in bright sunlight to reduce intense shadows.

In typical indoor situations there will probably not be enough light to take a normal hand-held well-exposed photo. There are many indoor flash photo opportunities you may be faced with. You may want to cast light on a group of people for a portrait photo. You may want to throw light into a room for an architectural photo. Or you may just want to cast light on certain objects in a lighted room that appears too dark for an exposure.

If your cameras auto-exposure settings say that the photo would require a shutter speed slower than 1/60 of a second then you probably should not hand-hold the camera or the photo would come out blurry. The reason it would come out blurry is because the shutter would be open long enough for any minor hand shake to distort the composition. The use of a tripod or faster film will probably be needed but many of us do not regularly carry a tripod. Most photographers simply use their flash bulb when they are inside.

In order to take effective indoor flash photos there are some techniques you should keep in mind. When using the flash do not point it directly at a mirror or glass that will create a lens flare or just ruin the photo. Stand close enough to your subjects so the flash is actually effective (four to ten feet). Try to make sure your main subjects are about the same distance away from the flash as each other or some that are closer to the flash will appear brighter than ones that are farther away.

Fill flash fills in the areas of a photo that would normally appear too dark. Fill flash can be used for sunny day portraits for shadows on a subjects face or to fill any shaded area that is out of the sunlight. Fill flash can also be used to cast light into a room where there are no windows. Fill in flash is ideal for back-lit and side-lit situations.

In a backlit situation there will be a lot of light in the background but no or little light cast on the front of the subject. This would normally create somewhat of a silhouette effect, but with a fill flash it would balance the photo nicely. But in order for this technique to work, you must be careful to stay in flash range which is usually around four to ten feet. With common cameras in order to add fill flash to a photo just toggle the flash to go off when it normally would not be needed.

Many photographers also choose to bounce the flash off a wall or ceiling to get a softer diffused kind of light commonly sought after for portraits. This kind of flash technique requires a flash that can be aimed in a direction that the camera is not pointed. It takes practice to refine this technique and only a small percentage of photographers actually use it.

Practice using flash in your photos even when it is not necessarily needed and pay attention to your results. The best way to become better at flash photography is to analyze your photos and try to figure out what you could have done differently in order to create a better flash-filled exposure.

Outdoor Photography: A few tips!

What takes an outdoor photo from an ordinary snapshot to a stunning work of art?

"For nature photography it's dramatic light that turns an ordinary subject into the extraordinary," said Don Paulson of Seabeck, who's been exploring nature and making photographs for more than 30 years. In nature photography the three most important things are "lighting, lighting, location.' Getting a truly great photo that can win a photo contest usually means going to the next level of effort. Once you have scouted out great location, unless you are extraordinarily lucky, you will have to wait for the right light."

A hiker in front of Comet Falls, Mount Rainier National Park: First Prize - People in the Wild, 2004 Northwest Exposure Contest, By Dave Schiefelbein

Dave Schiefelbein's outdoor photography is guided by his long-term fascination and attraction to wild places. His stunning photos have graced the pages of Sunset and Backpacker magazines. Schiefelbein says a key skill is the ability to capture wilderness not only in its glorious splendor, but also in its quiet moments and subtle details.

Good light can help bring out those details. "The best times to take outdoor landscape photos are early morning or late in the day," said Schiefelbein of Seattle. "The sun is at a lower angle in the sky, the light is lovely, and the shadows are not as harsh as when the sun is overhead." Schiefelbein often rises at 4:30a.m. on camping trips hoping for good morning light, though he notes that time of day is not necessarily a hard and fast rule. "Quite often, breaking light in changing weather is equally dramatic."

Don Paulson agrees. "Some of my favorite photographs have been taken in inclement weather of some sort. When the storm clouds part just before the sun sets spotlighting a mountain peak with pink alpine glow – that's when you are going to get a great photo. When the rainforest is shrouded in fog and mist – that's the time to be there with your camera. Sometimes, it takes bad weather to make great photos."

Alan Bauer of Fall City specializes in capturing the natural history of the Pacific Northwest on camera, and encourages amateur nature photographers to improve their photography with a sense of purpose. "One of the greatest values of photographic art is using it as a tool of communication to better educate people about the beauty surrounding us," says Bauer. "Many hikers enjoy photography to recall and communicate what they felt and experienced on their trip."

Here are more tips from the experts on taking better outdoor photographs:

• The frame game: Know what your subject is, be it a mountain, animal, flower or person. Its placement in your frame should be deliberate. Try setting the main subject off center, with something of secondary interest opposite the main subject.
• Get a little closer: Experiment with letting your subject nearly fill the frame. Details are often more interesting than a wide view.
• Watch your borders: Check the edges of your picture before you click to make sure something is not cut off or distracting. A picture should start and end gracefully.
• Work with the light: It should flatter your subject. Take advantage of interesting light in the morning and evening. Overcast skies help bring out contrast in forests, waterfalls.
• Watch out for distractions: When taking a picture of a loved one outdoors, make sure a tree isn't sticking out of his or her head in the background.
• Don't forget that you can take a vertical shot. It's natural to take horizontal pictures because that's the way we see things. But a lot of times, your best viewpoint is vertical.
• Invest in a good tripod: This results in sharper pictures. Taller and heavier is better, if you can tolerate carrying it on hiking trips. In a pinch you can steady your camera with your backpack, or use your body by leaning against a tree or propping yourself on your elbows. A tripod is helpful for crisp shots of moving water, to blur the motion of the water while keeping everything else in the frame sharp.
• Bend at the knees: Don't just stand there and push buttons. Crouch down to get a different angle of that bird on a limb. Try to see the subject for several different angles to see what works best.
• Respect your subject: Don't endanger your subject or cause a distraction among wildlife. Remember, a camera doesn't give you a license to disturb nature.
• Take your time: Study the composition. Every detail should be important, or it may not belong in your photo.
• Learn to be quick on the click. Some subjects (particularly small, furry ones) may not wait for you. Practice taking quick photos so that you can pull this off when the situation demands it.
• Practice all of these tips and techniques in your own yard or city park to sharpen you skills---it will show in the quality of your trail photographs, guaranteed.

Happy Clicking!

Tomorrow: Great tips for the MOST dreaded kind of all: Flash Photography

Sports Photography

I think probably the biggest tip I can offer you when it comes to sports photography is to take lots and lots of pictures. You are using a digital camera, right? Use the digital technology to your advantage. You are not shooting through rolls of film, so go ahead and take extra digital photos at a sporting event.

First off, it helps in that the more practice you have, theoretically the better you will get at taking future photos. Second, with the split-second nature of a sporting event, it is hard, if not impossible, to record every single moment perfectly. Taking more photos increases the chance of getting that one great photo you will want to show.

Get plenty of sleep the day before the event so you bring your A game to the venue. You do not want to be dozing off when your kid hits a home run. Also, get to know the layout of where you will be. You can pick out the best area to get the best pictures before you show up and save some valuable time!

Everyone wants to record the occurrence of a great play - the contact between bat and ball as it is hurled towards the outfield, the fine release of a basketball as it gracefully begins its arc towards the basket, or the forward motion of a quarterback tossing a football towards a wide receiver just as he is about to get blindsided by a defensive lineman.

While these photos are great, you should also look at capturing the emotion after a great play has occurred. Take snapshots of the jubilation, smiles, and high-fives, and do not forget the look of bewilderment on the other teams face after something special has occurred. Photos are supposed to tell a story, and capturing human reaction to an event may be more telling than capturing the event itself.

Zoom is absolutely necessary. A long telephoto zoom is practically essential at sporting events. Unless you are a professional and commissioned to take photos at an event, allowing you sideline or bleacher access, you probably will not be seated as close to the action as you would like.

A long 7+ or higher zoom can make the difference between a photograph looking like a bunch of dots moving around versus one telling a story with detailed players facial expressions.

You will also need a fast shutter speed. Set your digital cameras shutter speed as fast as possible to handle photographs with the available light. This reduces the chance of camera shake if you are unable to use a tripod.

Also, actions occur in the blink of an eye and you do not want your photograph to be so blurry that you cannot recognize the players or movement. Granted, selective blurring can result in intriguing photos, but you also want the ability to take fast, crisp, clean shots.

Study your digital camera manual for assistance in changing the shutter speed. Then at the event, practice a few shots before the game starts to ensure you have enough lighting to support faster shutter speeds.

You do not want your photographs looking all washed out. The more available light, the faster you should be able to shoot with your digital camera. And, of course, correct use of flash can also allow you to use faster shutter speeds.

Remember that there will still be shutter lag. When you press down on your digital cameras shutter, it may take a few milliseconds before it is pressed down firmly before a photo is recorded. You should practice taking photos with your digital camera before going to a sporting event to learn and be able to anticipate this shutter lag time.

Note that lag time also increases during the cameras auto focus process. You can decrease this added lag time by setting your camera to manual focus mode or by keeping the shutter button halfway down, already auto-focused on a particular area.

If your digital camera has a burst, or rapid shot mode, it may prove beneficial to your sports photography. During a fast-paced event, it is almost impossible to time every shot perfectly. Burst mode lets you set up your exposure, shutter speed, and other options as you anticipate a play, and, just as you expect a play is about to happen (such as a penalty kick), you can take several photographs in rapid succession.

When purchasing a digital camera that you plan on using for sports photography, see if it has burst mode. You should check to see how many photographs the camera can take in succession. How long will the burst mode work? Does it take 10 photos in 2 seconds, etc.

Also find out what resolutions are supported by the burst mode. Some digital cameras may support 8 megapixels at RAW quality for normal photos but only 5 megapixels at JPG quality in burst mode, for example. Find out, too, if the camera requires high-speed memory to take burst mode shots.

Experimentation, though rare, is possible even with sports photography!
Happy Clicking!

Basics: Black and White Photography

(Photos and article by Brian Auer)

Black & white photography, for me, is one of the most interesting and inspiring aspects of this art form we call our hobby and passion. It’s raw & refined, natural & unusual, bold & subtle, mysterious & open, emotional & impassive, simple & complex, black & white & everything in between. The monochromatic image has been with photography since the beginning, but what began as the only way to capture images has turned into something much deeper.

Want more great projects, amazing photos, Photoshop tips, and articles on photography? Subscribe to YouCanClick today (free!) so you don’t miss a thing.

Interested in stepping-up your black & white game? Here are five tips to get you going in the right direction.

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

An experienced black & white photographer can see the world without color. They’ve trained their mind to pick up contrast and tone while blocking the distraction of colors. This isn’t a skill that you can pick up in a short amount of time; it’s something that comes naturally in time. I can’t say that I’m gifted enough to have monochrome vision, but I have been able to notice certain scenes and subjects that would lend themselves to black & white.

One way to help train your brain is to make a conscious effort — in other words, practice. Trevor carpenter gave us the perfect example when he started his October Challenge. Basically, he decided to limit his photography to black & white for an entire month. This gave him a chance to experiment with the medium and learn from his own work, and in his project recap he states “I have found, especially in recent days, that as I’m shooting and conceiving a shot, I see the potential impact of the composition in black & white.”

FOCUS ON CONTRAST

Black & white photography is about the black, the white, and all the tones in between. The human eye is built to pick up two things: light intensity and color. When you remove the color, your eyes become more sensitive to the light intensity. We naturally pick out areas of contrast — it’s how we distinguish one thing from another. As a black & white photographer, your main objective is to make your point with shades of gray. Use contrast to show your onlookers what’s important and what’s not. Seek out scenes that naturally show signs of high contrast, and your black & white photos will be more compelling right from the start.

When post-processing a black & white image, the use of Photoshop Techiques like levels, curves, and layer blends give you a wide variety of output options. In addition to these things, burning and dodging are highly effective methods of improving contrast. They work so well because they allow you to focus the edit on a localized portion of the image without affecting the surrounding areas.

FOCUS ON TEXTURE

Texture is really just a form of contrast, but it is perceived quite differently. If you think about it, texture is the regular or irregular pattern of shadows and highlights at various intensities. Black & white photos really lend themselves to texture because color generally add another layer of complexity, thus masking most subtle textures. Look for areas of interesting texture that can be photographed by zeroing in on specific surfaces and examining them for signs of patterned contrast.

The choices you make in post-processing can really make a difference in the texture too. During the black & white conversion, you can usually pull texture out of otherwise smooth surfaces based on your choice of conversion methods. In digital photos, blues and reds generally contain more noise than greens, so tools like the channel mixer and the black & white adjustment layer in Photoshop can really accentuate those embedded textures.

CAPTURE IN COLOR

This is mainly aimed at digital photographers… If your camera gives you the option of shooting in color or black & white, NEVER shoot in black & white. The camera is really capturing color, then converting to black & white. Photo editing software can do a much better job at the conversion, and you’ll have more flexibility on the output of the final image. It’s really amazing how different a photo can look solely based on the post-processing, so it’s best not to limit yourself before the photo even makes it out of the camera.

The one exception to this rule is if you wanted to use the black & white capture to give you a preview of what the scene might look like as a monochrome image. It may help you identify good black & white scenes more immediately, but once you find your shot switch back over to color capture and shoot it again.

USE COLOR FILTERS

Black & white film photographers make use of color filters to change the captured tones in their photographs. Ever see those monochrome images with dark skies and puffy white clouds? That’s not natural; it requires the use of color filtering to produce the desired effect.

Using an actual color filter with a digital camera is perfectly acceptable and it has its merits, but it’s not completely necessary. Software like Photoshop has the ability to apply non-destructive color filters. It also has the ability to produce the same results as a color filter during the black & white conversion. For those of you using Photoshop CS3, you’ll see that the black & white adjustment dialog has several preset filters that can be applied and modified to suit the photo.

Happy Clicking!

Basics: Depth of Field

Depth of field is the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp.

A lot of photography is all about what’s in focus and what isn’t. While a casual photographer may get upset that not everything in the picture is in focus, an artist and professional will use that fact to their advantage.

In photography it is important to understand that the distance between the subject and the lens is critical. A lens doesn’t care what the subject is or how it’s composed; all it cares about is how far away it is. When the lens is focused to that distance then anything at that distance will be focused. That doesn’t mean to say, however, that nothing else will be focused.

To examine that idea closer we’ll have to understand the different fields of view. Most scenes can be easily broken up into a foreground, middle ground and background. The foreground is comprised of the subjects closer to the camera with the background being those things that are farthest away. If the photographer were to focus on something in the middle ground, it is possible that things in the background and foreground will still be clear.

The measure of how much distance is actually in focus is called depth of field. The wide depth of field occurs when the focus covers a large distance while a narrow depth of field is when the focus is at a very specific distance.

When taking a picture of a flower for example a photographer may choose to create a narrow depth of field. This will result in the flower showing up crisp and sharp but everything behind it is a blur.

When taking a shot of a landscape a wider depth of field is often preferred. This will result in a photo where the trees in the rocks in the foreground, for instance, are in focus as well as the trees in the background and everything in between.

The depth of field can be controlled by adjusting the camera’s aperture settings, or “F-stop.” The higher the F-stop is, the smaller the aperture gets. The smaller the aperture is, the more depth of field the photo gets.

This can be a tricky thing but is worth paying attention to even when a camera is set on automatic. If a camera’s automated system decides to use a small F-stop but you were hoping to have a lot of things in focus then it’s time to override the camera’s settings. All of a sudden that manual feature looks appealing.

The depth of field often haunts people who are just learning how to use their camera’s manual settings. In a brightly lit setting it can be tempting to use an ultra quick shutter speed. The problems is that that results in having to use a low F-stop. Now there is a very shallow depth of field being created. It is possible in these cases to wind up with a picture with such a shallow depth of field that someone’s nose is in focus but the rest of their face is not.

Get used to being aware of the possible depths of field and your pictures will soon benefit.

Basics: Aperture

Aperture is one of those words that scares a lot of people. It’s something that a lot of us know is there but don’t want to deal with. After all, that’s why we bought an automatic camera. But aperture is something that every photographer should be aware of, amateur or not. It is one of the cameras functions that set out limitations for every photo we take.

The aperture in a camera is a function of the lens. It works the same way that the iris of our eye works. If you haven’t already experienced this phenomenon in science class then grab a flash light and go to a mirror. First turn out all the lights and wait for a few seconds. Turn the lights back on and look into the mirror. Your pupils should be wide open. Now, quickly, shine the flashlight right into your eyes. The pupils will close up pretty quick. This is because your eye is monitoring how much light it lets in, taking only what it needs.

This is the exact primary function of a lens’s aperture. An automatic camera will have a light sensor that measures how much light is entering the lens. In a situation where there is a lot of light it will close the aperture to a finer point because it doesn’t want to over expose the picture. For photos taken in doors or even at night, the aperture will be opened up.



This function of the aperture works hand in hand with the camera’s shutter. Imagine that the camera has an option to keep the shutter open—thereby exposing the film or CCD to light—for anywhere from a hundredth of a second to an entire second. That means the shutter can open and close really fast or really slowly. If too much light enters the camera during any one of these scenarios the picture would be exposed too much. Now let’s get back to the aperture. If the camera’s aperture is opened wide then a lot of light can get in and the shutter won’t have to be open as long. Conversely, if the aperture is closed to a fine point then not as much light gets in and the shutter will have to be open longer.

Before the days of automatic exposures a photographer had to do a bit of math to determine the best way to balance these things. These days the camera does most of the work for you. But it isn’t always right! Why? Because the aperture also affects the focus.

Imagine a billion rays of light racing into a lens. The narrower the opening, the more focused those rays will become. In practical terms this means if you took a picture of a person with a wide open aperture then the person may be in focus, but everything in front of them and behind them may be blurry. The more the aperture is closed, the finer the light entering the camera becomes and, in turn, more things get focused. All of a sudden the person is sharp as is the fence behind them and the tree, etc.

The aperture, therefore, acts as both a technical means of taking a photo and a way of adjusting the pictures aesthetics.

Note as well that in photography the aperture is represented by numbers known as F-stops. The higher the F-stop is, the more the aperture is closed!

Go try it out!

Happy Clicking,
YouCanClick.com

Choosing a DSLR Camera

The newcomer to the world of Digital SLR cameras is presented with a bewildering array of options. It’s hard to keep track of exactly who is currently making DSLRs and how many models each have, but as of summer 2008 there were at least 9 manufacturers (Canon, Fuji, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung and Sony) and between them there were something like 34 different models.

How do you choose which one to buy, and in what ways are they different? With so many different cameras available and new models being announced every few months it’s not really possible to make specific recommendations on which one is "best". The term "best" will depend on many factors unique to the user. However, I will attempt to outline the various factors that you might want to take into account when deciding which one to purchase.

Lens Compatibility

Bob Atkins

If you already own any SLR lenses, that may influence your decision on which brand of DLSR to buy. In the case of Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony (Minolta), their DSLRs are fully compatible with lenses used on their autofocus film based SLRs. The Olympus 4/3 system is new and earlier Olympus lenses require an adapter to mount on Olympus Four-Thirds DSLRs. Most Nikon manual focus lenses will mount on most Nikon DSLRs and most Pentax bayonet mount lenses will mount on Pentax DSLRs, so for those systems there is good compatibility with older lenses. Mounting old FD lenses on Canon DLSRs or old Minolta MD lenses on Minolta DLSRs requires the use of an optical adapter, which lowers image quality, so that route is not really recommended. You can also mount many older manual focus lenses on Canon DLSRs with mechanical adapters, including Nikon, Pentax screw mount, Leica R, Contax and Olympus OM lenses.

If you are considering using 3rd party lenses such as those made by Sigma, Tamron and Tokina, make sure that the lenses you are interested in are available for the camera you are considering. Just about all such 3rd party lenses are available in mounts for Nikon and Canon DLSRs, but not all are available in Sony and Pentax mounts and few are available in the Olympus Four-Thirds mount. So, for example, if you really like the Tamron SP AF200-500/5-6.3 Di lens, you should be aware of the fact that it’s not currently available in a Pentax (or Olympus) lens mount, but it is available for Canon, Nikon and Sony DSLRs.

System Expandability

Bob Atkins

The question of system expandability and support comes up if you intend to get really serious about photography and need (and can afford) exotic lenses or very high performance camera bodies. In that case you’re certainly better off looking at Canon and Nikon cameras. For example, both have 400mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4 and 600mm f/4 lenses (with stabilization), while Sony, Pentax and Olympus do not. If you intended to eventually pursue photography as a profession, both Nikon and Canon have active professional user groups, which are supported by the manufacturers, while Pentax, Sony and Olympus have a much smaller professional support network. Right now Canon, Nikon, and Sony offer a line of full frame DSLRs. In the future it’s possible that Pentax will also do so, but Olympus is committed to the Four-Thirds format. When buying a DLSR, you may need to consider what you’ll want in the future as well as what you want today. Of course, if you’re an enthusiastic amateur who will never buy an $5000 full frame DSLR or an $8000 600/4 lens, then you don’t have to worry about system expandability.

For more information on the individual systems, including camera bodies, lenses, flashes and accessories for the different digital camera brands, take a look at the following articles on Photo.net:

• Canon EOS Digital SLR System
• Nikon Digital SLR System
• Pentax Digital SLR System
• Sony Digital SLR System
• Olympus Digital SLR System

Price

Price is obviously a major factor in any camera purchase decision. Currently prices range from a low of around $400: Nikon D40, 18-55mm kit (review), Canon Digital Rebel XT (review), to a high of almost $8000: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (review). One thing to bear in mind is that most photographers end up spending a lot more on lenses than they do on a camera body (and indeed that’s the way it should be). It would be silly to purchase a $2000 DSLR and then only use a $150 "kit" zoom lens with it. You should balance your budget between the camera and lenses.

Format Size

There are currently four different "35mm" DSLR formats (there are medium format DSLRs too, but I’m not going to deal with them here):

1. Full Frame—DSLRs with a sensor which is the same size as 35mm film, i.e. 36mm x 24mm. These tend to be higher end cameras, costing somewhere between $2000: Canon EOS 5D (review) and $8000: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (review). It’s pretty unlikely any of these cameras will be the choice of a first time buyer. Nikon calls their full frame sensor, such as the one used in the Nikon D3, the “FX” format. Sony doesn’t have a specific name for their full-frame model’s sensor, the A900.
2. APS-H—There aren’t many cameras with this format, which corresponds approximately to the H- format of APS film. The Canon EOS 1D MkIII is one, and the sensor is 18.7×28.7mm. The Leica digital module R (for R8 and R9 bodies) had a similarly sized 26.4×17.6 mm sensor.
3. APS-C—DSLRs with a sensor roughly the frame size of the old “APS C-format” film, i.e around 15mm x 22.5mm for Canon and around 15.6mm x 23.7mm for Nikon and the others. Most of the consumer and prosumer DSLRs from manufacturers other than Olympus use an APS-C size sensor. Nikon refers to the APS-C sensor size as their “DX” format.
4. Four-Thirds—Olympus (and Panasonic) chose to design their DLSR systems around the “Four-Thirds” format, which uses a 13.5mm x 18mm sensor. Note that not only is this sensor smaller than the others, but it also has a different aspect ratio (3:4 vs. 2:3).

Hannah Thiem

Which format is best? That’s a question which is almost impossible to answer. All else being equal, a larger format will yield a higher quality image, but all is rarely equal. In truth, for most amateur applications, all these formats are capable of yielding excellent images up to at least 11×14", and that’s about as large a print as most amateur photographers will ever make.

Since most first-time buyers will be looking at cameras priced under $2000 (and probably under $1000), the choice is really between APS-C and Four-Thirds. Strictly from the point of view of format size, there’s not a huge amount of difference here. APS-C is a little larger, which all else being equal might yield a higher image quality, but as I said earlier, all else is rarely equal. From an average user’s point of view, there’s really not a huge difference between the image quality of these two formats, and the decision on which to buy should be made on other factors than just format size.

Note also that some lenses are designed only to cover the APS-C format, and so if mounted on a full frame camera will result in images with dark corners and low edge quality. Of course the image can be cropped, and indeed the full frame Nikon cameras, Nikon D3 (review) and Nikon D700 (review), have a “DX crop” mode for use when using lenses designed for APS-C format cameras in which only the center part of the sensor corresponding to an APS-C size frame is used. The Canon APS-C format lenses are designated “EF-S” (rather then “EF” which is the designation for full frame lenses). In the Canon system EF-S lenses cannot physically be mounted on any full frame body, which gets around the problem of dark corners in a different (and frankly less useful) way. EF-S lenses would interfere with the mirror mechanism of full frame cameras since they protrude deeper into the camera (by design). Thus EF-S lenses are not usable on Canon full frame (or APS-H) format bodies. Third party APS-C coverage lenses can be used on Canon full frame bodies, and the images manually cropped to to the APS-C format to eliminate vignetting, though you have to “guesstimate” composition since the viewfinder does not have markings to show what will be within an APS-C sized frame.

For more information on this topic, Bob Atkins’ article on Size Matters discusses pixel count and sensor size.

Image Stabilization

Bob Atkins

One factor, which may be the biggest difference between basic DSLRs is the image stabilization system used. Both Nikon and Canon decided that they would achieve optical image stabilization by building lenses which have internal gyros and moving optical groups. The gyros sense movement and move the optical group in such a way as to keep it stationary on the sensor. Pentax, Sony and Olympus all decided to go a different route and put the stabilization system in the body. Again, gyros are used to sense camera movement, but in this case image stabilization is achieved by moving the sensor around to compensate for any movement of the image. This is sometimes called "sensor shift" stabilization".

Both systems are quite effective and can stabilize an image to the extent that you can photograph hand held at shutter speeds 2-3 stops slower than you could without stabilization. Some (notably Nikon and Canon) claim that lens-based stabilization is more effective, especially for long lenses. Others really don’t see a lot of difference between the two systems, at least not for lenses of 300mm and less. My experience has been that the difference between the two systems for typical zoom lenses isn’t very large. The lens-based stabilization is nicer to use because it stabilizes the viewfinder image, which is somewhat reassuring and if you’re good you may be able to time your shots based on when the image is moving least. On the other hand, the obvious advantage of a stabilization system in the camera body is that you only have to pay for it once, and it stabilizes every lens you attach to the camera. With the lens-based system you have to pay for it in each lens, and if the lens doesn’t have stabilization, then you’re out of luck. For example, no fast prime lenses under 200mm from either Nikon or Canon has stabilization. In contrast, any fast prime under (or over) 200mm becomes part of a stabilized system when mounted on a Pentax, Sony or Olympus body with built-in stabilization. If you want a system with a stabilized fast 24, 35, 50 or 85mm prime lens, you’ll need to look at body-based stabilization since Nikon and Canon have no such stabilized lenses.

Size and Weight

Size, weight and price tend to go hand-in-hand, with the smallest and lightest cameras also being among the least expensive. If weight and size are both important, then the Olympus four-Thirds DSLRs would lead the pack. For example, the 10MP Olympus Evolt E-420 (review), is 130mm x 91mm x 53mm and weighs just 440g. However, 10MP APS-C models from Nikon and Canon aren’t that much larger or heavier. For example, the Nikon D40x (review), measures 124mm x 94mm x 64mm and weights 522g, while the Canon Digital Rebel XSi (review), measures 126mm x 98mm x 65 mm and weighs 502g.

Whether size and weight are important depends on your application. No DSLR (with lens) is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, so small differences in size and weight may not be a big issue if you’re carrying around a camera bag anyway.

Pixel Count

Hannah Thiem

The pixel count of currently available DSLRs ranges from about 6MP: Nikon D40, 18-55mm kit, $423 (review) to 22MP: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, $6899 (review). How many pixels do you need? One way to look at this is to compare the size of the largest print you can make from each camera. For this calculation I’ll assume that the print is made using 240 ppi (pixels per inch), which is generally regarded as a good number to use for a high-quality print. If the image is viewed from up close you might need 300 ppi, or if it’s viewed from a slightly greater distance you might not see any real difference at 180 dpi, but 240 ppi is a good number for a high quality print viewed from a normal viewing distance.

MP Count	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22
Print size (240dpi)	8.3" x 12.5"	9.6" x 14.4"	10.7" x 16.1"	11.8" x 17.7"	12.7" x 19.1"	13.6" x 20.4"	14.4" x 21.7"	15.2" x 22.8"	16" x 24"

As you can see, even a 6MP camera can make an excellent quality 8×10 image, which is actually as large as most people ever print and 10MP is enough give you a very high quality 11×14 print.

It’s important to note that these are pretty conservative numbers. Many users report excellent 16×20 prints from 8MP cameras like the Canon EOS 30D, $599 (review), especially if the images are optimized for large printing using software like Adobe Photoshop CS4 [Mac], $640, Genuine Fractals 5, or Nik Sharpener. The bottom line here is that unless you are trying to make a living by selling high quality 24×36 art prints, any of the current DSLRs should be capable of yielding prints, which are large enough and of high enough quality to satisfy the needs of the average photographer. While pixel count is a factor you might certainly want to consider when choosing a DSLR, it’s not the only—or even the most important—factor.

ISO Settings

DSLRs currently span the range from ISO 50 to ISO 25,600. If you are interested in low light work you may want to look for a camera which allows a high ISO setting. Most entry level DSLRs offer a range from around ISO 100 to ISO 1600. Mid level DSLRs, such as the Canon EOS 50D (review), now offer a range of ISO 100 to 6400 and some higher end DSLRs, such as the Nikon D3 (review), and Canon EOS 5D Mark II (review), have ISO settings up to 25,600, as well as a low setting of ISO 50, or the Sony Alpha A900 (review), another higher end DSLR has ISO settings from 200-6400 with boost.

High ISO settings come with some problems, such as noise and occasionally some patterning (lines) in the image. Maintaining image quality at very high ISO settings is difficult. While at lower ISO settings (100-800) most cameras yield low noise images, differences start to get greater at higher ISO settings. Noise can be reduced via digital noise reduction techniques, but those techniques can also reduce image detail along with noise. If high ISO operation is important to you, try to look at some sample images from the cameras you are considering and see how they compare. Not all cameras are equal.

Noise

Hannah Thiem

All digital images have noise. Though an imperfect analogy, you can think of it as being like film grain. The lower the ISO setting, the lower the noise, just as lower ISO films have finer grain. Noise comes from a number of sources including the digital sensor itself and the electronics associated with collecting the (analog) signal from the sensor and converting it into digital form. All else being equal (which it rarely is), larger pixels generate less noise. This can quite clearly be seen when comparing images from DLSRs with those from P&S digicams. Typically the pixels of the DSLR sensor have 10x to 20x the area of the pixels of a small digicam sensor and the DSLR images show much lower noise.

Among DSLRs there isn’t a huge difference in pixel size. It ranges from about 5×5 microns (1 micron is 1/1000mm) for cameras like the Olympus Evolt E-520 (review), to around 8×8 microns for cameras like the Canon EOS 5D (review), so the pixel area varies by a factor of about 2.5x or less.

All DSLRs apply some sort of noise filtering and all will yield low noise images at ISO settings up to 800. It’s really only at ISO settings above 800 where you may find differences between models. The differences are due both to the intrinsic noise level of the sensor and electronics and the amount of noise reduction applied to the images. The more noise reduction the lower the noise, but the softer the images. If you intend to use high ISO settings, it’s worth finding reviews of the cameras you are interested in and looking closely at any comments they make about image quality at settings over ISO 800. If you don’t do much high ISO low light photography, you’d be unlikely to notice much difference between DSLRs in normal prints.

Metering

All DSLRs have several metering modes. These normally include some form of muti-segment metering where the image is split up into multiple segments, each one is metered seperately, and the camera uses an internal “smart” algorithm to analyze the data and decide on the optimum exposure. Canon calls this “evaluative” metering, while Nikon calls it “matrix” metering. When it comes to multi segment metering, most systems do a good job whether they have 16 zones like the Pentax K20D (review), or 63 zones like the Nikon D3 (review). While more zones may be theoretically better, the extra zones may only make a difference for a small percentage of shots and/or captures under difficult lighting conditions. In addition, there may be center-weighted and averaging meter modes, as well as partial and spot metering modes.

Center-weighted and averaging modes use a much simpler algorithm than multi-segment modes and most people won’t use them very often. They are somewhat more predictable than multi-segment metering and so they may be useful if you are an “old school” photographer who likes to use exposure compensation for scenes where you know a center-weighted or average reading will be wrong. Compensating multi-segment metering can be more difficult since you can never be quite sure what “smart” corrections the camera has already made!

Partial and spot metering take a reading from a small area of the image. The only real difference is that the spot mode takes its reading from a smaller area. Spot metering can be useful when it’s critical that one particular part of the image gets the correct exposure, even if other areas have to suffer. A typical partial meter might use the center 8% to 10% of the frame, while a typical spot meter might only use 1% or 2% of the total frame area.

Autofocus

Bob Atkins

Autofocus is a very complex subject and it’s not really possible to predict how well an AF system will work by just looking at the specifications. Just about all current DSLRs can achieve good focus on a high contrast static subject in bright light, but they may differ in performance when trying to get a focus lock or tracking focus on a moving low contrast subject in dim light.

DSLRs also vary in the number of AF zones as well as their performance. For example, the Nikon D3 (review), has 51 AF zones, while the Olympus Evolt E-520 (review), has only 3 (when not in LiveView mode). In general, more is better, though for many applications even those cameras with only a few AF and metering zones do a perfectly good job. I’d say that well over 90% of the time I only use the center AF zone myself, since it tends to be the most accurate/fastest on many DSLRs. If I want the subject off-center I focus and recompose. Of course, that’s just my personal shooting style. For those photographers who like to select an off-center composition without recomposition, a camera with more AF zones distributed as widely as possible across the image maybe more useful. Note however that most cameras, even those with multiple AF zones, concentrate them around the center of the frame.

AF zones come in at least two types, cross and linear. The cross type are better since they can focus on both horizontal and vertical detail. Linear AF zones can only focus on detail in one direction. Some work on horizontal detail, some work on vertical detail. Most DSLRs use a cross type AF zone in the center of the frame, but some only use linear sensors for the other zones.

On some cameras (e.g. certain Canon EOS models) some of the AF zones may be high precision, which means that with fast lenses (usually f/2.8 or faster), they are capable of higher focus accuracy than with slower lenses.

Continuous Capture Rate and Buffer Size

If you photograph a lot of sports or other action subjects, the continuous shooting rate and buffer size might be important to you. The buffer size determines the number of consecutive shots you can take at the maximum rate before the camera has to slow down. Current DSLRs range between 2.5 frames/sec (fps)—Sony Alpha A350 (review), Nikon D40, 18-55mm kit (review),—to 10 fps—Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (review). Unless you are shooting action sequences, 2.5 fps is probably fast enough for the needs of most amateurs. Some mid-level cameras offer significantly faster rates without breaking the bank, for example the Canon EOS 40D has 6.5 fps and can shoot up to 75 JPEGs before slowing down.

A large buffer is only really required by those shooting action sequences. Many of the slower frame rate cameras, such as the Sony Alpha A350 (review), and Nikon D40, 18-55mm kit (review), can shoot JPEGs at their maximum frame rate (2.5 fps) until the memory card fills up. However, if you shoot RAW images you may only get a few images before the frame rate slows down. For example, with the Nikon 40D you can shoot around 6 RAW images before the buffer fills, though even after that happens you can keep shooting at a slower rate (just under 2 fps in the case of the D40).

Live View

"Live View" is the name given to the capability of some DSLRs to display a live image on the rear LCD. While all digicams have this feature, not all DSLRs do. The utility of Live View is somewhat questionable in my opinion. It can be useful in some circumstances, and on the few DSLRs with a fold out LCD display it can be useful for high and low level shooting. In general, the optical viewfinder is more useful on DSLRs. There are two focusing methods in the Live View mode. One, used for example on the Canon EOS 40D (review), requires the reflex mirror to drop causing the LCD display to blank out. The normal DSLR AF system is then used to achieve focus, the mirror goes up and the Live View display reappears. Other cameras use a contrast detection scheme based on an analysis of the live image. This may be less accurate than the normal AF system, but doesn’t require the reflex mirror to be raised and lowered. Both systems usually result in somewhat slower AF than is possible with normal reflex viewing. On some cameras there’s also a significant delay after pressing the shutter before the exposure is taken when in Live View mode. Live View mode also uses significantly more battery power than the normal SLR mode, so battery life is shortened. If Live View is important to you, be sure to check out exactly what capabilities it has or doesn’t have on the particular DSLR you are considering.

Video

For the first time, two new DSLRs are also capable of capturing HD video. The Nikon D90 (review), has limited video capability and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (review), has somewhat more extensive video features. I would expect that in 2009 and beyond, video will become a standard feature on DSLRs, just as Live View is now something that most new DSLRs feature.

Viewfinder Size

Bob Atkins

A larger viewfinder usually gives you a clearer view and is more desirable, but how can you tell how large the viewfinder image is? Most manufacturers give viewfinder size specified by two numbers, coverage and magnification. Coverage is how much of the image the viewfinder shows. Typical consumer DSLRs have an optical viewfinder with around 95% coverage. This is linear coverage not area coverage despite what you might read on some other web sites. It would show 95% of the frame width and 95% of the frame height. Magnification is the magnification you would get with a 50mm lens. If you held the camera up to one eye and kept the other eye open, with a 1x magnification both eyes would see an object at the same size. However, there’s another factor involved in determining how large the viewfinder image looks—the format size. Let’s look at three cameras:

• Canon EOS 5D (review): 96% coverage, 0.71x magnification
• Canon EOS 40D (review): 95% coverage, 0.95x magnification
• Olympus Evolt E-410: 95% coverage, 0.92x magnification

Which one do you think would have the largest viewfinder image? Would you expect much difference between the 40D (95/.95x) and the E-410 (95/.02x)? It may not be at all obvious from the manufacturer’s specifications.

To find the relative viewfinder size you have to multiply the coverage by the magnification and then divide by the digital multiplier factor for the format size. If we do this we get:

• Canon EOS 5D: (0.96×0.71)/ 1 = 0.682
• Canon EOS 40D: (0.95×0.95)/1.6 = 0.564
• Olympus E-410: (0.95×0.92)/2 = 0.437 (approx)

The EOS 5D viewfinder is 21% larger than the EOS 40D viewfinder, which is in turn 29% larger than the Olympus E-410 viewfinder (though note that the Four-Thirds format has a different aspect ration from the APS-C and full frame formats, which means the numbers are approximate). Again these are linear differences (i.e differences in height and width), not differences in area. In fact, the Olympus E-410 viewfinder area is about 41% of that of the EOS 5D. The EOS 40D viewfinder area is 68% of that of the EOS 5D.

Flash Systems

Hannah Thiem

If you intend to do a lot of flash photography you should look at the available flash accessories and multiple flash systems. Some manufacturers, like Nikon and Sony, make DLSRs with a built-in flash, which can act as a wireless controller for an off-camera flash. In the case of Canon, you need a shoe mount flash or flash controller to do this, which means added expense. If you intend to do a lot of macro flash work, both Nikon and Canon offer special flash systems designed for just that purpose.

Other features

Most DSLRs are crammed with features that you may or may not ever use or notice. For example, some use 12-bit A/D converters while others use 14-bit A/D converters. In principle 14-bits are better than 12-bits, but in practice I haven’t noticed a significant difference (and I do shoot with both 12-bit and 14-bit A/D cameras).

Most DSLRs have user selectable custom functions, which allow you to do things like select exposure settings or ISO settings in 1 stop, 1/2 stop or 1/3 stop steps, choose the order in which bracketed shots are taken, change the function of the control buttons and dials on the camera, etc. There are far too many such custom functions to go into any detail about them here. Just be sure to check the DSLR you’re interested in if there’s something important you want to do. Don’t assume all cameras have all functions. For example, on the Canon EOS 40D you can set ISO in 1 stop or 1/3 stop steps. On the EOS 5D you can only set the ISO in 1/3 stop steps. Not really a big deal for me, but it could be for you!

The Bottom Line

Bob Atkins

DSLRs are a maturing technology. Just about any DSLR you chose will be capable of yielding excellent images over an ISO 100/200 to 800 range up to a size of 11” x 14”. That’s all most people will ask of them too, so it’s difficult to make a wrong choice if your needs are simple. Bigger differences can be found when you want to move outside the “normal” range and shoot at high ISO settings, or at fast frame rates with AF tracking, or if you want to make prints of 24” x 36” and larger. In that case the decision on which DSLR to chose is more difficult and more important. Specific recommendations are impossible to make and the technology is still changing, so what’s “best” today may well be “second best” next week or next month (and certainly next year!). All you can do is carefully read the camera specifications to make sure it has the features you need, and then look for reviews on the web to see what actual users of the camera have to say.

(Article Courtesy- photo.net)