Many of us used film cameras in the past. What's different about a DSLR?
A DSLR is similar in almost all respects to a non-digital SLR except for the fact that a DSLR employs a digital sensor and memory instead of film (and has a host of electronics that non-digital SLRs did not need because they had no sensor).
All digital and non-digital SLRs have:
0) a camera body;
1) a viewfinder;
2) a mount to accept a lens;
3) buttons and dials to change exposure settings and other camera options; and
4) a shutter release button.
Many also have:
5) a flash receptacle to accept an external flash or flash extension cord and/or a small on-camera flash.
The primary difference between DSLRs and non-digital SLRs is the use of a sensor, memory, and associated digital wizardry instead of film. In non-digital SLRs, a film received an image transformed by a lens when the shutter quickly opened and closed. The film would be developed, depending on its type, into negatives (for subsequent printing) or positive slides.
In contrast, a sensor in DSLRs receives the transformed image and converts it to a digital representation. A processor in the camera then processes the digital representation and stores the processed image in memory. The processing can include enhancing the image (e.g., adjusting colors, sharpness, etc.) and converting the format (e.g., from a native "raw" format to a standardized format such as JPEG).
Once the camera has stored (either in raw or in JPEG) the image, the camera can generally display the image in an LCD display. If you want to be really fancy, many DSLRs can enable photographers to see images immediately on a connected computer as soon as the image is stored in memory. In this "tethered" mode, the camera is connected to a computer via a USB or IEEE 1394 ("firewire") cable and software executing on the computer can display every new image immediately.
Newer DLSRs (and almost every point-and-shoot camera made in the last decade) also have a "live view" mode in which the LCD display can display what the sensor "sees" even before the image is stored.
Thus, one of the main advantages of a DSLR is instant gratification. You can view the image as soon as you take it. Although you may not be able to judge some important features of your image accurately (e.g., focus or sharpness), you can check correct exposure, composition, and whether everything you wanted in the image made it in -- things that were impossible to do with film.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Selecting a D-SLR
The de-facto camera today for professionals is a D-SLR. While for a time professionals avoided them, almost every pro today uses one. If you're reading this blog, I assume I don't need to convince you of the advantages.
Debates rage over whether more megapixels is important. I think many people generally agree that the more megapixels you have, the larger your printed enlargement can be. If you're printing a poster, a 12MP camera ought to be sufficient. That's just my opinion. I've printed posters from my 12MP cameras and have not had problems. Do I wish I had 24MP? You bet! I'd love to be able to buy a Nikon D3X, but can't justify it right now.
Why do I use a Nikon? Because I've been using Nikons exclusively for over 20 years and it would be too expensive for me to switch. I sometimes regret not switching to Canon when I moved to digital in 2006. Nikon then caught Canon with its pants down when it introduced the D3. That camera is so good that even sports shooters, who have tended to prefer Canon over the last decade or longer, started switching to Nikon. Canon is now in the process of finalizing its newest cameras that should rival or surpass the D3X. The fact that they leapfrog each other is great for us -- whether professional, prosumer, or amateur! If you're starting fresh, consider the following and additional factors.
Here are some factors to consider:
0) Price. How much can you afford? Between a camera body (and backup?), lenses, memory cards, and accessories, it's easy to spend thousands of dollars.
1) Brand. Do you own or have access to autofocus lenses of a particular major brand? If so, it may be better to stick to a camera body compatible with that brand.
2) Megapixels. How many do you need? Most prosumer DSLRs today exceed 10MP. If you can afford $40,000, the 39 megapixel Hasselblad H3D may be for you! Unfortunately for most of us, the more likely candidates are Canon, Nikon, Pentax, or Sony.
3) FPS. If you shoot sports or moving wildlife, you'll want a high frames-per-second rate (fps). The Nikon D3 is capable of 9 to 11 fps. If you're shooting more stationary objects, 5 fps is plenty.
4) Sensor quality. Some sensors are better than others. During the film/slides days, we used to say that the lens was a more important consideration than the camera body. That's not as true today because the sensor is almost as important as the lens. When we used to place importance on the lens, film was also an important consideration. So, we needed a good lens and a good film. today, we need a good lens and a good sensor. While some sensor problems can be corrected during postprocessing, it's better to capture the best image possible initially. Some sensors are better than others at doing that. For example, the Nikon D3 captures high ISO images with very-low-noise. Earlier Nikons did not have the benefit of Nikon's latest sensor technology.
5) Body materials. If your camera body is going to take abuse (e.g., exposure to elements or lots of travel), then a professional body may be ain important consideration. they use superior materials (e.g., magnesium alloy in the Nikon D3) than the plastic used in more consumer-oriented camera bodies. An advantage to the plastics is that they are much cheaper and lighter. They also are not as fragile as one would think.
There's a huge array of choices from many brands. The good thing is that Moore's law is still in effect and we're being presented with new and better choices more frequently than annually.
Links:
1) Photo.net article: Factors to Consider when Choosing a Digital SLR Camera
2) Consumer Reports magazine/book and online step-by-step guide which is mostly targeted at consumers (not prosumers)
3) What Chase Jarvis, a Seattle-based commercial photographer, thinks of the D3X
Debates rage over whether more megapixels is important. I think many people generally agree that the more megapixels you have, the larger your printed enlargement can be. If you're printing a poster, a 12MP camera ought to be sufficient. That's just my opinion. I've printed posters from my 12MP cameras and have not had problems. Do I wish I had 24MP? You bet! I'd love to be able to buy a Nikon D3X, but can't justify it right now.
Why do I use a Nikon? Because I've been using Nikons exclusively for over 20 years and it would be too expensive for me to switch. I sometimes regret not switching to Canon when I moved to digital in 2006. Nikon then caught Canon with its pants down when it introduced the D3. That camera is so good that even sports shooters, who have tended to prefer Canon over the last decade or longer, started switching to Nikon. Canon is now in the process of finalizing its newest cameras that should rival or surpass the D3X. The fact that they leapfrog each other is great for us -- whether professional, prosumer, or amateur! If you're starting fresh, consider the following and additional factors.
Here are some factors to consider:
0) Price. How much can you afford? Between a camera body (and backup?), lenses, memory cards, and accessories, it's easy to spend thousands of dollars.
1) Brand. Do you own or have access to autofocus lenses of a particular major brand? If so, it may be better to stick to a camera body compatible with that brand.
2) Megapixels. How many do you need? Most prosumer DSLRs today exceed 10MP. If you can afford $40,000, the 39 megapixel Hasselblad H3D may be for you! Unfortunately for most of us, the more likely candidates are Canon, Nikon, Pentax, or Sony.
3) FPS. If you shoot sports or moving wildlife, you'll want a high frames-per-second rate (fps). The Nikon D3 is capable of 9 to 11 fps. If you're shooting more stationary objects, 5 fps is plenty.
4) Sensor quality. Some sensors are better than others. During the film/slides days, we used to say that the lens was a more important consideration than the camera body. That's not as true today because the sensor is almost as important as the lens. When we used to place importance on the lens, film was also an important consideration. So, we needed a good lens and a good film. today, we need a good lens and a good sensor. While some sensor problems can be corrected during postprocessing, it's better to capture the best image possible initially. Some sensors are better than others at doing that. For example, the Nikon D3 captures high ISO images with very-low-noise. Earlier Nikons did not have the benefit of Nikon's latest sensor technology.
5) Body materials. If your camera body is going to take abuse (e.g., exposure to elements or lots of travel), then a professional body may be ain important consideration. they use superior materials (e.g., magnesium alloy in the Nikon D3) than the plastic used in more consumer-oriented camera bodies. An advantage to the plastics is that they are much cheaper and lighter. They also are not as fragile as one would think.
There's a huge array of choices from many brands. The good thing is that Moore's law is still in effect and we're being presented with new and better choices more frequently than annually.
Links:
1) Photo.net article: Factors to Consider when Choosing a Digital SLR Camera
2) Consumer Reports magazine/book and online step-by-step guide which is mostly targeted at consumers (not prosumers)
3) What Chase Jarvis, a Seattle-based commercial photographer, thinks of the D3X
Welcome!
A prosumer is a term that is often applied to photographers who are not professionals, but who nevertheless acquire photographic equipment designed for professionals and advanced amateurs. I am one of very many. Some professional photographers may use that term in a derogatory way, but most prosumers don't see it that way: if the equipment is good enough for the pro's, it's plenty good for us!Many (including you?) are like me. I started taking pictures with a Kodak Instamatic when I was about 10 or 11 years old. My father purchased it for me so that I could take pictures without breaking the Zeiss-Ikon he used (pictured here). His father had bought that Zeiss in Germany -- directly from Carl Zeiss, for all I know.
I used that Zeiss during a high school art/photography class, developed the film myself, and printed myself in the school's darkroom. After seeing my first few prints, I was hooked.
Although the Zeiss produced fantastic results, I wanted a "better" camera. I had to eyeball the exposure using the sunny/16 rule or the camera's built-in "meter," which was surprisingly good. However, in my eyes, it was not as good as my classmates' Canon AE-1s, Minoltas, and Nikons because I had to guess exposure whereas they didn't. I had to set everything manually (even estimate the distance to the subject because the camera was not a true SLR). Sharing my enthusiasm reluctantly, my father bought a Nikon FG for me. I used that camera for about 10 years before buying a Nikon N90s. Another 8 or 9 years later, I moved to digital in 2006 when I purchased my first D-SLR(unless you count a couple of Kodak digital point-and-shoots my wife used earlier).The transition from film/slides to digital has not been easy for me. I haven't been completely happy with the results and am learning postprocessing quite slowly. I have a day job and photography is my hobby. And because I have a family, I am unable to spend as much time on my hobby as I would like (especially because I also have other hobbies). However, just like with everything else in life, I won't be happy until I get as good at it as I can.
I will share as much of my learning during that learning process so that hopefully you can avoid some of my mistakes and frustrations. I hope you'll share your learning experiences with me and others in the comments or in the associated Flickr group, LightTakes.
About me: I'm a patent attorney in Seattle. I've been using SLRs for over 20 years and purchased my first D-SLR about 3 years ago.
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