So you brought your point-and-shoot camera to the concert?

This is a shot from the front row of the lower box, level to the stage from around 100 feet away. DSLRS were prohibited so I used a point-and-shoot camera (Leica Digilux I) with manual controls to force the camera to shoot at lowest f/number (f/2.3) at a fast enough shutter speed (1/64s) to avoid blur. I set ISO at 200 to minimize noise. My mindset was to capture the bright strobe lights and hope that would be enough to light the artist. I avoided zooming in to the max and opted for a more normal focal length to get the best optical quality the lens offered. Although I got a decent shot, being not close enough remains a problem. Maybe a bridge will do better next time.

What to do with the Trace tool?

You could trace a head, copy it, paste as new, enlarge, paste back to the original, and make bobbleheads!

Want something better? Swap faces!

All pictures manipulated using Corel PhotoPaint.

Fish Eye Effect

Here is a sample of the Fish Eye Effect using a Pentax K-x dSLR.


Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired, Fish Eye Effect

No effect below for comparison
Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired

Star Burst Effect

Here is a sample of the Star Burst Effect using a Pentax K-x dSLR.


Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired, Star Burst Effect

No effect below for comparison
Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired

Soft Effect

Here is a sample of the Soft Effect using a Pentax K-x dSLR.


Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired, Soft Effect

No effect below for comparison
Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired

Extract Color Effect

Here is a sample of the Extract Color Effect using a Pentax K-x dSLR.


Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired, Extract Color Effect

No effect below for comparison
Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired

High Contrast Effect

Here is a sample of the High Contrast Effect using a Pentax K-x dSLR.


Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired, High Contrast Effect

No effect below for comparison
Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired

Old Camera Effect

Here is a sample of the Retro Effect using a Pentax K-x dSLR.


Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired, Retro Effect

No effect below for comparison
Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired

Toy Camera Effect

Here is a sample of the Toy Camera Effect using a Pentax K-x dSLR.


Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired, Toy Camera Effect

No effect below for comparison
Pentax K-x, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 1600, flash fired

What settings? What mode?

What matters most is what you know about cameras in taking pictures. Since you had to ask, it would be safe to assume you know nothing more than to press the button. Believe us then when we say set to Auto, point, then shoot because frankly speaking, that is the best way for you to get lucky.

Now you know!

Keerok

Disclaimer

Namaste.

I am Keerok, a photographer. I have no formal training with photography. Everything I know, I learned by myself. It took an old Russian Zenit film SLR with a broken meter to get me into the technical and artistic sides of photography. Before that, everything was green light (on lightmeter) and center focus. Little did I knew then that there was more to just clicking.

Herewithin these blog pages are my standard replies to Yahoo! Answers - Cameras category. Some entries wouldn't make sense alone by itself but I assure you, they do with the right question and those type of questions abound in Y! Answers. My goal is to help those also in the path of learning photography and hopefully keep the tradition of shooting with real cameras from disappearing into obsolescence.

Feel free to browse. I assure you, there are serious topics somewhere inside. Please be patient in clicking "Older Post" at the bottom. Comments, suggestions and corrections are welcome.

A lance is a long wooden shaft with a pointed metal end.


The gladiator on the right is holding a lance. The spear is a lance. Hear is another lance.

That's former 7-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. What you meant however is this.

It's called a LENS.

Now you know!

Keerok

What tripod to buy?

March into any photo supply shop and get the biggest and baddest one you can afford. Don't worry. It would be extremely difficult to find one that doesn't fit your camera.

Now you know!

Keerok

How to setup your camera the easiest way.

  1. Get manual. (optional)
  2. Locate mode selector.
  3. Set to Auto.

Now you know!

Keerok

Body vs. lens

I say either way. It's all about getting comfortable with your equipment. If you can shoot comfortably with what you have then you don't need to buy anything.

Lots of people only buy a new dSLR because it's there. They most often regret it saying they want their old camera back because they love using it more. If you are wanting a feature found on a newer model that you think can help you shoot much easier then by all means, get a new body. If not, you would be better off saving for a new lens instead.

As for lenses, you only buy if you find that your existing lenses are giving you difficulty on taking a specific shot. Let's say you only have the 18-55mm kit lens. It's good for almost everything but if you always want to get closer without leaving your spot, get a longer lens, longer than 55mm. If you continuously step back to get more of the scene, get a wider lens, wider than 18mm. If you are finding yourself shooting more frequently in low light conditions, get a faster lens, one that has a lower f/number than 3.5. If your interest is to make small subjects look large then get a macro lens, one that gets as close as you want to your subject.

Different lenses have different uses. You don't have to get them all. Some people actually believe in using just one lens ever!