Digital Photography Pocket Guide

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Camera makers have packed amazing capability into today's digital picture takers. The camera that you have in your hands, or the one that you're considering buying, probably has more ability than you realize. The trick is, how do you discover that hidden potential?

The first steps are to become familiar with your camera's components, and then to learn exactly what they do. This chapter helps you do just that. It explains the important components and features that will set you on the path to mastering your digital camera.

If you're just getting started with digital photography, this information can also help you pick the right model. I like to divide digital cameras into four broad categories: compact, advanced amateur, professional, and hybrid. As you progress through the first three categories, you'll find that the tools become more sophisticated. The fourth category, hybrid, is an example of how digital imaging is converging with other technologies. These devices can be quite useful, but they won't usually serve as your primary camera.

We'll begin with an overview of the features and components that are commonly found in compact digital cameras. I spend more time on the compact because it is the camera that I think every photographer—from first-time beginner to seasoned pro—should have in his or her bag of tricks, regardless of what other tools you use. In many ways, the compact camera defines digital photography itself. It is powerful, yet easy to use.

Later in the chapter, we'll spend some time with the more advanced camera categories. This is where I discuss image sensors, lens specifications, and other components. If you enjoy technical talk, then you'll like the latter half of the chapter. If not, read the compact camera section and jump to Chapter 2. No matter what your level of interest is, I have lots here for you to explore.

In many ways, cameras are as varied and unique as the people who use them (Figure 1-1).

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In many ways, cameras are as varied and unique as the people who use them (Figure 1-1).

Figure 1-1: Today's digital cameras are as varied as the people who use them

But in order to help you decide which models are potentially a good fit for you, I've grouped them into four basic categories. Here's a quick summary of each one:

Compact Compact cameras are perfect companions for vacationers, parents, and photographers constantly on the go. Because compacts fit easily into purses, backpacks, diaper bags, briefcases, and even shirt pockets, the odds are good that you'll have a camera on hand as life unfolds before you. That's why I recommend that all photographers should pack a compact, regardless of any other cameras they have in their arsenals.

These pint-sized wonders do have their trade-offs. The zoom lens typically tops out at 3x magnification, so your ability to "zoom in" tightly on distant subjects is limited. It's also more difficult to add accessories to compacts, such as filters, auxiliary lenses, and external flashes.

Happily, though, megapixel power is no longer a trade-off for portability. Most compacts these days provide at least a 3-megapixel sensor, and 5-megapixel models have become commonplace. This is more than enough resolution for snapshots and moderate enlargements. Compacts usually cost less than $400.

Advanced amateur For photographers who want professional capabilities but aren't ready to commit to the costs and bulk that come with camera bags brimming with expensive gear, advanced amateur models are a satisfying compromise. These cameras are typically more compact than digital SLRs (see the description of professional cameras, next), yet often provide a variety of camera modes, powerful zoom lenses (up to 10 x), hefty image sensors (8 megapixels or more), and the capacity to accept a variety of accessories, including filters, auxiliary lenses, and external flashes.

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Even the simplest digital camera has more features than you realize, some of which you may actually want to use. I'll start this section with a tour of a typical compact camera, highlighting useful components on the front, back, sides, and inside.

More detailed discussions about image sensors and lenses follow, in the "Advanced Amateur Cameras" and "Professional Cameras" sections.

Form factor is a primary consideration when shopping for a compact camera. Is it small enough to accompany you during your daily life? You've wasted your money if your point-and-shoot is at home on the dresser when your child takes his first steps at grandma's house. These devices are intended to fit in our purses, backpacks, briefcases, jacket pockets, and bike bags—make sure the camera you want fits in your typical carryall.

Next, consider how you're going to view your pictures. If your primary method of sharing is via the computer—email attachments, slide shows, and web pages—your camera of choice should be compatible with the computer you already have. Ideally, you should be able to connect your camera and let the software you use recognize the camera and offer to upload the pictures.

Many photographers prefer prints and aren't as interested in digital manipulation. If you feel the same way, look for a compact camera that makes it easy to connect directly to a printer and produce 4" x 6" prints (or larger, if you prefer). You don't need a computer to enjoy digital photography, and there are some great compact printers out there.

Pocket cameras have also become quite adept at capturing video. You may not be using this function right now, but I hope to inspire you to capture movies as well as still photographs. Sometimes a video clip is worth a thousand pictures— isn't that how the saying goes? When the best man gives that perfect toast, you want to have your digicam in movie mode. But video capabilities vary greatly from model to model, so this is something to add to your checklist of features to compare.

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Now that you're familiar with the features of your digital camera, how do you use them to take great pictures? In the next chapter, What Does It Do?, you'll learn helpful techniques such as how to master the focus lock, how to choose the right flash setting, and how to use "burst mode" to capture action shots—plus lots more. Great pictures are only a chapter away.

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Taking Control of Buttons, Dials, and Menus

Now that you're familiar with your camera's basic components, you can concentrate on how to unlock its picture-taking magic. For example, you probably understand that a simple flash menu button (

) allows you to cycle through a series of versatile lighting controls. But what do they mean, and which one should you choose?

In this chapter, you'll learn how to use those deceptively simple buttons and dials to tap into the incredible picture-taking capacity hidden within your digital camera.

This chapter covers camera controls alphabetically from A to Z, or more specifically, from Aperture Value Mode to Zooming. New terms are listed in italic. If you're not sure where to find any of these settings on your particular camera, double-check the owner's manual, or refer to Chapter 1 of this guide.

Many intermediate and advanced cameras allow you to choose the aperture setting, and the camera sets the proper corresponding shutter speed. This setting is sometimes denoted as Av, which stands for aperture value. (Some cameras just go with a simple "A" for aperture priority.) You can typically access this setting via the mode dial or as a menu option.

Choose the aperture priority mode when you want to control depth of field. In other words, how much of your picture, from front to back, do you want in focus? Shallow depth of field is often used for portraits—your subject is in focus, but everything else is a little soft. Choose an aperture value of 2.0, 2.8, or 4 for this type of shooting situation. The lower the value, the shallower the depth of field will be, and less of the image will be in focus (see Table 2-1 for specific depth of field settings).

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This chapter covers camera controls alphabetically from A to Z, or more specifically, from Aperture Value Mode to Zooming. New terms are listed in italic. If you're not sure where to find any of these settings on your particular camera, double-check the owner's manual, or refer to Chapter 1 of this guide.

Many intermediate and advanced cameras allow you to choose the aperture setting, and the camera sets the proper corresponding shutter speed. This setting is sometimes denoted as Av, which stands for aperture value. (Some cameras just go with a simple "A" for aperture priority.) You can typically access this setting via the mode dial or as a menu option.

Choose the aperture priority mode when you want to control depth of field. In other words, how much of your picture, from front to back, do you want in focus? Shallow depth of field is often used for portraits—your subject is in focus, but everything else is a little soft. Choose an aperture value of 2.0, 2.8, or 4 for this type of shooting situation. The lower the value, the shallower the depth of field will be, and less of the image will be in focus (see Table 2-1 for specific depth of field settings).

Table 2-1: Depth of field settings
f-stop	Diameter of aperture	Depth of field	Background looks
f-2

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By now you've committed everything you learned in this chapter to memory, right? Well, probably not. That's why this book is a pocket guide and not a desktop reference. Keep it in your camera bag, backpack, or back pocket so you can refer to it over and over again.

As you continue to get comfortable with this information, you'll begin to use many of these functions in combination with one another to achieve the effect you want. For example, you may use both the white balance and exposure compensation adjustments to create a dark, moody indoor portrait. The next day, you may use the fill flash mode and aperture priority to shoot stunning bridal portraits at a wedding.

One of the great advantages of digital photography is that you can experiment with these settings, and it doesn't cost you a penny. Plus, you get immediate feedback from your efforts.

In Chapter 3, you'll start putting your camera knowledge to use as you learn many of the techniques that pros use to create great images. So recharge those lithiums, and let's get to it.

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By now, you and your digital camera have become fast friends and are working together to make great images. But as with the art of cooking, and life, there's always more to learn.

This chapter is more conversational than the previous two. The earlier sections of the book were designed for quick reference—to use while standing on the battlefield of photography and trying to survive. (Question: "Should I turn the flash on or off for my daughter's outdoor birthday party?" Answer: Flash on.)

But now the discussion becomes more free flowing, like a conversation between two photographers trying to decide the best approach for a given situation. The topics in this chapter focus on both shooting and sharing pictures—after all, what good is a great shot if you can't show it to others?

So grab a fresh memory card and a charged set of batteries, and prepare for the next stage of your journey.

How do I…? Those are the first three words in any photography question, aren't they? Most of the time you know what you want to do: capture that sunset, take a pretty portrait, preserve the memory of that monument. The trick is making the camera see your subject the way you do.

That's what you're going to learn here: the "how to" of photography. Not every situation is covered in this chapter, but if you master these techniques, there won't be too many pictures that get by your camera. And when your friends mutter out loud something like "How do I shoot that object inside the glass case?", you can reply, "Oh that's easy. Just put the edge of the lens barrel against the glass to minimize reflections, then turn off the flash."

When most folks think of portrait photography, they envision studio lighting, canvas backdrops, and a camera perched upon a tripod. But many photographers don't have access to lavish professional studios, and honestly, it's not necessary for dynamite portraits.

All you really need is a willing subject, a decent outdoor setting (preferably with trees), and your digital camera, and you can be on your way to creating outstanding images.

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How do I…? Those are the first three words in any photography question, aren't they? Most of the time you know what you want to do: capture that sunset, take a pretty portrait, preserve the memory of that monument. The trick is making the camera see your subject the way you do.

That's what you're going to learn here: the "how to" of photography. Not every situation is covered in this chapter, but if you master these techniques, there won't be too many pictures that get by your camera. And when your friends mutter out loud something like "How do I shoot that object inside the glass case?", you can reply, "Oh that's easy. Just put the edge of the lens barrel against the glass to minimize reflections, then turn off the flash."

When most folks think of portrait photography, they envision studio lighting, canvas backdrops, and a camera perched upon a tripod. But many photographers don't have access to lavish professional studios, and honestly, it's not necessary for dynamite portraits.

All you really need is a willing subject, a decent outdoor setting (preferably with trees), and your digital camera, and you can be on your way to creating outstanding images.

First, start with the magic rules for great outdoor portraits:

Section 3.1.1.1: Try adding supplemental light from the flash or a reflector.

Turning on the flash outdoors is a trick that wedding photographers have been using for years. If you really want to impress your subjects, position them in the open shade (such as under a tree) with a nice background in the distance. Then turn on the fill flash and make sure you're standing within 10 feet (so the flash can reach the subject). The camera will balance the amount of light from the flash with the natural background illumination, resulting in an evenly exposed portrait (see Figure 3-1). A variation on this technique is to turn off the flash and use a reflector to "bounce" the light back toward the model's face. The advantage here is that the reflected light is softer than that from a fill flash (see Figures 2-1 and 2-15 for more examples of portraits using fill flash).

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You've just returned from a great two-week vacation, and your memory cards are bursting at the seams with photos and digital movies. Now what do you do?

Before you spam every friend and relative you know with mega-megapixel masters, take a few minutes to learn about sampling down images so they have smaller file sizes. You'll also want to archive your pictures so you can find them again months later, when you want to relive the great memories. And what about those video snippets you have on your memory card? With a little editing, you can turn them into short movies.

In other words, this section will help you keep your friends happy and your pictures organized, and show you how to transform your video clips into real movies.

One of the first things that new digital camera owners love to do is send a batch of images to family members or friends. As you may have already discovered yourself, the warmth of reception is inversely proportional to the size of the images that land in your recipients' inboxes.

All too often, budding photographers send full-sized 2-, 4-, or even 6-megapixel pictures as email attachments. Unfortunately, these files take forever to download on all but the fastest Internet connections and are too large to view comfortably on a computer monitor.

Indeed, you should shoot at your camera's highest resolution, but remember not to send those full-sized images to others. All parties concerned will be much happier if you create much smaller "email versions" of your pictures and send those along. This technique is called sampling down. Here'show it works:

Use your image editor to resize a copy of the image for easier handling. To do so, use the "Save As…" command in your image editor. The largest size you should send as an email attachment is 800 x 600 pixels, and 640 x 480 pixels will usually do the job.
If you're lucky enough to have Photoshop (or Photo shop Elements) as your image editor, use the

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Now it's time to shoot. The best thing about digital cameras is that you can take picture after picture without worrying about film processing costs—and the best way to learn the art and science of photography is to take lots of pictures.

Keep your eyes open, keep your camera steady, and, most importantly, enjoy!

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Use the following tables as a quick-reference guide for a variety of camera settings. For more detailed explanations of the data listed here, see Chapters 2 and 3.

Table A-1: Exposure compensation reference guide
Lighting situation	Recommended exposure compensation (via the scale setting)
Subject against a bright sky background (high clouds on sunny day)	Overexpose by 2 (+2.0); use fill flash if within 10 feet
Light object (white color), front lit	Overexpose by 1.5 (+1.5)
Subject against white sand or snow (e.g., person skiing)	Overexpose by 1.5 (+1.5)
Landscape scene dominated by bright, hazy sky	Overexpose by 1 (+1.0)
Fair-skinned subjects with bright front lighting	Overexpose by .5 (+.5)
Subject against green foliage in open sun (e.g., outdoor portrait with background trees and shrubs)	No compensation
Dark-skinned subjects with bright front lighting	Underexpose by .5 (–.5)
Brightly lit subject against dark background (e.g., theater lighting)	Underexpose by 1 (–1.0)
Dark object (black color), front lit	Underexpose by 1.5 (–1.5)

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Table of Contents

Section 3.1.1.1: Try adding supplemental light from the flash or a reflector.