The root of your problem lies in the fact that you are trying to take a picture with a phone. In case you didn't notice yet, what you have is not a camera.
If you want better pictures, get a real camera.
Now you know!
Keerok
What's wrong with your camera?
The root of your problem lies in the fact that you are trying to take a picture with a multi-function device. In case you didn't notice yet, what you have is not a camera.
If you want better pictures, get a real camera.
Now you know!
Keerok
Where, what, when, how, why, how?
Indulge yourself by using the Search box at the top of Yahoo's page to seek the information you are looking for.
And then you shall know!
Keerok
Software for contact print / thumbnails
Irfanview is free. You can download it at http://www.irfanview.com/.
At IrfanView, File-Thumbnails. Then at Thumbnails, select pictures you want to include in the contact print (Ctrl+Click), File-Create contact sheet from selected files.
Now you know!
Keerok
Date stamp
The date stamp is relic of the old film days. In this digital age, it's considered as an ugly mark on the picture. All digital pictures saved in JPEG format will have the date included in the EXIF data embedded in the file itself. You can use most capable graphics programs to view that information.
A few old compact cameras still have it. There should be a menu item buried somewhere in the camera's menu system to enable the date stamp. If there is none, you can put the date there yourself using this.
Now you know!
Keerok
Software to rotate picture
Irfanview is free. You can download it at http://www.irfanview.com/.
Use Image-Rotate Left, Rotate Right or Custom/Fine Rotation.
Now you know!
Keerok
How to buy a secondhand dSLR.
- Scour the ads for a camera near you. You will arrange for a meetup later so make sure you can go to the camera's location if needed. Don't limit yourself to one particular model only. At the least, choose a brand then perhaps megapixel count or a range of years or a model level lineup. Don't get one without a lens unless you have a fully compatible lens for it lying around your house.
- Watch out for seller feedback. Check negative feedback. Any hint that the seller is wrong, avoid.
- Scrutinize the description. If the seller says he knows nothing about cameras, avoid.
- Always ask a question by email, by phone or message even if the description is very thorough. You are going to see personally how to deal with the seller. Points you can ask if not in the description are:
- What is the shutter actuation count?
- Do all the buttons, wheels, and rings work as they should?
- Are all the glass clean and clear? No scratches, dirt or fungi?
- Are the LCD screens scratch-free?
- Does the flash work?
- Does manual focus work?
- Has the camera ever been serviced?
- Most sellers mention a brief "perfect working condition" or something to the tune of that in their description.
- If he does not know shutter actuation count, avoid. If the count is less the 5,000, grab the camera. Anything above 20,000 is old and overused.
- If the seller says at least one of the buttons, wheels and rings don't work properly, turn down. It will need repair.
- Scratch on the lens is permanent, avoid. Dirt if few can be ignored. Fungi spreads, avoid. Light cleaning marks (technically scratches) are acceptable.
- A scratched LCD screen is up to you. It doesn't affect the picture or the picture-taking ability of the camera. The bigger the scratch on the LCD, the more you can bargain on the price if you can live with the scratch.
- Don't get if the flash won't work.
- Servicing is just one item most sellers has been serviced, ask the seller what was serviced. If the camera dropped, avoid.
- If you're satisified with the camera, arrange for a meetup. If you're getting from eBay, ask the seller beforehand (before the auction ends) if he agrees on a meetup when the auction is done. Choose a public place to do meetup like the mall or a park. What's important is that lots of people should be there so time it at lunchtime or so. If the camera does not use AA batteries, ask the seller to charge the battery completely for the meetup. If it uses AA's, bring 4 pieces of Energizer Lithium. Ask also for a memory card. If none, bring your own. Ask what type exactly.
- During the meetup, inspect the camera thoroughly. Take note of any detail about the camera's history the seller may be mentioning. Take your time. If you don't know how to test a dSLR, ask someone you trust to go with you. If the seller seems to be in a rush, drop the deal at once.
- Inspect the camera's physical appearance.
- Take a shot in every mode available PSAM or Auto, TV, Av, M. You may not get a good picture in M if you don't know how but it's worth testing anyway.
- Take a shot in Auto mode with EV at 0, +2 and -2. 0 should be correct, +2 should be bright and -2 should be dark.
- Take a shot in Auto mode using the highest ISO. Ask the seller to help if you can't figure out the ISO control.
- Take a shot in Auto mode with forced flash. Never mind if it's scorching hot during mid-day. Just take one and see if the flash works.
- Try focusing in manual mode. The switch is in front. Just swing it away from AF to M. The focusing ring is the thin one near the front tip of the lens (behind the hood if there is one).
- If you're a kid, bring your mom, dad or both with you. You'll never know when mom's bargaining powers can come in handy. If won at eBay, you shouldn't bargain though. If the ad says price is fixed, you shouldn't bargain anymore. Then again, dad's mighty convincing power may punch in.
- Only hand over your precious cash if you are completely satisfied. Shake hands to finalize the deal and beg off to enjoy your new old camera.
- Test on the way home and give feedback to the seller on the online site where you found the ad if applicable.
Get it right in-camera.
Even if you intend to manipulate the picture in the computer, you still have to get the best possible quality in-camera. Computer manipulation can only do so much.
Now you know!
Keerok
What lens to buy next?
You probably already have the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. It should be enough for most shooting conditions but admittedly, it's not enough for some rare moments.
If you find yourself backing up more often because you want to get more then get a wide angle lens, wider than 18mm. If you constantly yearn to get closer to your subject but can't, get a telephoto lens, longer than 55mm. If you are hoping to get more out of relatively low light or are wanting to blur backgrounds more easily when doing portraits, get a faster lens with an f/number lower than f/3.5 like the 50mm f/1.8. If you want to make small objects seem big then get a macro lens. It's all about what you want to do that your existing lens or lenses keep holding you back on.
Here's how to look at lenses properly.
Now you know!
Keerok
Camera does not work?
What you have there, my dear, is an excellent paperweight.
Now you know!
Keerok
The fallacy of a semi-SLR.
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An SLR camera is defined by the presence of a Reflex Mirror and a Pentaprism (or Pentamirror). They work in tandem. Take away one and it's no longer an SLR camera. It is exactly the same in both film and digital versions. Which means there couldn't possibly be a semi-SLR or semi-dSLR camera.
What there are however are hybrid cameras which lack both of those parts. Examples are the Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera (MILC), Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens camera (EVIL), Single Lens Translucent mirror camera (SLT) and Compact System Camera (CSC). All of them have at least an APS-C sized sensor and a replaceable lens much like those used in a real dSLR. The ones that use a smaller sensor and don't have an interchangeable lens system are called bridge cameras. They resemble miniature dSLR's in form but are actually dressed-up point-and-shoot cameras. Bridge cameras however have the distinction of having the most zoom in the world of photography. Now you know! Keerok |
SLR camera
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What are the specs for...
Shame on you! Yahoo is primarily a search utility. Use the Search box or click on the image below.
You didn't know?
Keerok
Fugi is a musician.
He does not make film or cameras.
Fuji is the world-reknown mountain in Japan. A brand of film was named after it, Fujifilm. The company has since expanded to making cameras.
Fujifilm makes excellent quality slide film but their digital point-and-shoot cameras, although easy to use, don't last very long. Their dSLR's are great though but they have already discontinued making them years ago.
Now you know!
Keerok
What is the best camera for pictures and video?
None.
Although both still and video cameras seemingly share the same parts, a still camera is set up to take just one clear picture while a camcorder is optimized to shoot continuously. If forced to do the job of the other, controls will be different and lacking and results won't be as ideal as it should be.
This is how the best camera for picture taking looks like.
A great camcorder for taking videos looks like this.
Click on the pictures to see a list of cameras under that category.
Now you know!
Keerok
How to change the background.
If you don't have a powerful graphics program like Photoshop or Corel, get Gimp. Gimp is completely free.
- Open the picture.
- Use the Path Tool to outline the subject you want to preserve.
- On the menu, click on Select-From Path.
- On the menu again, click on Select-Invert.
- Use the Erase Tool to delete the background.
- Open the new background picture.
- Select all the new background.
- Paste Into the blank background of the first picture.
- Use the Move Tool to position the background correctly.
- Use the Heal Tool to blend the edges of the subject to the background a bit.
Now you know!
Keerok
What is the best lens for portraits?
The best would be a normal/standard angle of view lens. That would be 35mm for APS-C dSLR's and 50mm for full frame. Personal preference though depends on how close or how far you want to be from your subject.
The range of focal lengths then goes from normal/standard to short telephoto. For APS-C dSLR's that would be 35mm to around 55mm. In full frame it goes from 50mm to 80mm. Some photographers still want to go further so it's not unlikely to see 100mm used in portraits.
How much of the subject will be in the photograph is also considered. For whole body portraits, a shorter focal length lens is better. For close-ups, a longer focal length is used.
Wide angle lenses are avoided because of the distortion levels they bring.
So where does the 18-55mm kit lens stand in terms of portraits? Almost perfect. It has 35mm to 55mm. If you know exactly how to use it, you can get great portraits with the kit lens.
For blurring the background, see this.
Now you know!
Keerok
Why does Sports mode not work?
Sports mode should work under lots of good light. If it doesn't and you have an adjustable camera, try setting it to aperture-priority mode, ISO 1600 and the lowest f/number. This will assure you get the fastest shutter speed for that given light and ISO. Take a shot. To reduce blur further, adjust ISO upwards. Be warned that the higher the ISO, the more noise or grain the picture will have. Below is a picture shot at ISO 12800.
Now you know!
Keerok
Picture looks great in camera but terrible in the computer?
The computer is more accurate. It's still exactly the same picture. Nothing has changed. The camera's LCD is so small it tends to hide errors. Even huge errors like some blurred shots show up nicely in the camera. If you want a better idea of how the picture really looks like in the camera, zoom in during preview.
Now you know!
Keerok
You don't need to buy and buy lenses.
The kit lens is enough for most common shooting conditions. Not convinced? Look here.
Now you know!
Keerok
If it's too good to be true, it's not.
Don't buy even if complete strangers tell you to do so. There's a reason the cheapest isn't the best all the time. Peace of mind has a price.
Compare the price with what B&H offers. They are a very trustworthy store that has been around for the longest time. Their prices are considered competitive and definitely not suspiciously low or ridiculously high.
Now you know!
Keerok
What is a battery-grip?
It's an additional battery compartment for longer lasting shooting power.
It's shaped as a grip (handle) to orient the camera sideways for shooting portraits. A second shutter release button is found on the grip.
Here is a battery grip installed at the bottom of the dSLR.
Now you know!
Keerok
What is format?
It ERASES everything in the memory card. Permanently!
Formatting is important to organize the file system of your storage device. If not performed, your files (pictures, videos, etc.) will get corrupted and won't be saved or copied completely. You will lose them. There is no recovery method for those.
You can format using the device or in the computer. When formatting 2GB and up, set to FAT32 first (even with Mac's).
Now you know!
Keerok
It's not the camera.
Even if handed a $45,000 medium format digital single lens reflex camera, a person who knows nothing about the basic principles of photography will get crappy pictures. It's what you know that matters. The camera is only a tool. All cameras have the capability to take good pictures. You have to know what to do with them to do so.
So the next time you want to blame the camera for a terrible shot, don't curse it. It's you. It's all you.
Now you know!
Keerok
Why upgrade?
You do realize there is no such thing as upgrade with cameras. You buy a new one and then decide what to do with the old one. Keep in the attic, back-up or sell. There are no user-replaceable parts in the body itself like in the case of computers and cars. That means if you want something from the newer model that you can't live without that's not in your old camera then by all means, get that new model. You have to know exactly what it is or else it will just be a huge waste of money.
If you thought that by replacing your old camera with a new one, you'll get better picture quality then there's where most people go wrong. Image quality depends mostly on the photographer's skill. The camera is only a tool.
The real upgrade in dSLR terms is to buy more lenses. That way you increase your flexibility as a photographer. More varied lens focal lengths will allow you to use the best lens possible for each shot you make.
Dropped camera.
Now it doesn't work. What part of drop don't you understand? It doesn't matter how low or how high. A dropped camera is broken. Throw it away and go buy a new one. Repairs are more expensive.
It still works? Okay, lucky you. Let's see how long that statement will hold true.
Now you know!
Keerok
Learn photography.
It's quite possible to learn for free. You don't need to buy a book anymore. You don't have to attend classes. No more wait-and-see with film. This is the digital age. Get a dSLR then scour the internet for sites that teach you for free. Here's one and here's another one that specializes in film. You can ignore all topics about film except the one that discusses grain. Here's one that dives into the guts of photography itself instantly. Here's one about composition which you can learn even with just a point-and-shoot camera. There are lots of sites out there. You just have to be patient on looking for one you can understand.
Now you know!
Keerok
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