Digital SLR Cameras and Photography For Dummies, 5th Edition

Table of contents

1. 1. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Foolish Assumptions
      3. Icons Used in This Book
      4. Beyond the Book
      5. Where to Go from Here
   2. Part I: Getting Started with Digital SLR Cameras and Photography
      1. Chapter 1: The Digital SLR Difference
         1. dSLR: dNext Great Digital Camera
            1. Resolution: Peak or plateau?
            2. Full frame: Is it for you?
         2. Improving Your Photography with a dSLR
            1. Composing shots with a more accurate viewfinder
            2. Flexing the powerful sensor
            3. Reducing noise in your photos
            4. Reclaiming depth-of-field control
            5. Taking photos faster
            6. A dSLR works like a camera
            7. Getting more lens flexibility
            8. Freeing yourself from image editors
         3. Where Did All Those Downsides Go?
            1. Lack or expense of superwide lenses: Vanquished!
            2. Fending off dirt and dust: Automatic!
            3. LCD preview: Live, and in person!
            4. Carrying that weight: Heft not mandatory!
            5. In-camera editing!
      2. Chapter 2: Safari Inside a dSLR
         1. Megapixels and Why dSLRs Have More of Them
            1. Pixelementary, my dear Watson
            2. How many pixels does your camera need? 18 to 24MP and beyond!
            3. Matching pixels to print sizes and printers
            4. Nothing’s super about superfluous pixels
         2. Touring a Digital SLR
            1. Sensorship
            2. Controlling exposure
            3. Taking time out for viewing
            4. Through the looking glass
            5. Storage
            6. Dual memory cards
         3. Overcoming Quirks of the dSLR
            1. Out, out damned spot: Trends in self-cleaning sensors
            2. Multiplication fables: Working around the crop factor
      3. Chapter 3: Tracking the Ideal dSLR
         1. Identifying Features for Now and the Future
         2. Spotting Breadcrumbs on the Upgrade Path
         3. Discovering Your dSLR Type
            1. Basic dSLR cameras
            2. Enthusiast dSLRs
            3. Advanced amateur/semipro dSLRs
            4. Professional dSLR models
            5. Rebirth of mirrorless and EVF alternatives
         4. Checking Out Key Features
            1. Lenses
            2. Sensors and image processors
            3. Exposure systems
            4. Focusing systems
            5. Special features
   3. Part II: Accessorizing Your Digital SLR
      1. Chapter 4: Saving and Archiving Your Photos
         1. Choosing Memory Cards in a Flash
            1. The right write speed
            2. Finding the key to the (capa)city
            3. Perfect pairs
         2. Storing Your Images
      2. Chapter 5: Gearing Up Your dSLR
         1. Filtering Factors
         2. The Tripod: Your Visible Means of Support
            1. Putting a tripod to good use
            2. Choosing a tripod
         3. Connecting to Apps, Wi-Fi, and GPS
            1. Smartphone/Tablet apps
            2. Oh my, Wi-Fi
            3. Gee, P.S.
         4. Other Must-Have (Or Maybe-Have) Gear
            1. A second camera
            2. Sensor cleaning kit
            3. Close-up equipment
            4. Movie-shooting aids
      3. Chapter 6: Mastering the Multi-Lens Reflex
         1. Optical Delusions
            1. Shooting in low light
            2. Improving your shutter speed
            3. Producing sharper images
            4. Taking a step back
            5. Getting closer
            6. Focusing closer
         2. Choosing Your Prime Lens — or Zoom
            1. Prime time
            2. Zoom, zoom, zoom
            3. Special (lens) delivery
         3. Understanding Lens Concepts
            1. Different strokes
            2. Going for bokeh
         4. Using Lenses Creatively
            1. Creative use of wide angles
            2. Creative use of telephotos
         5. Checking Lens Compatibility with Earlier Cameras
      4. Chapter 7: External Flash Lighting
         1. Illuminating Yourself about Electronic Flash Types
            1. Perusing different types of flash units
            2. Triggering an external flash
         2. Making Good Use of an Electronic Flash
         3. Choosing a Dedicated Electronic Flash Unit
   4. Part III: Oh, Shoot!
      1. Chapter 8: Taking Control of Your dSLR
         1. Discovering the Secrets of Exposure
            1. Understanding why exposure is tricky
            2. Getting exposure right with the histogram
         2. Fine-Tuning Exposure with the Metering System
            1. Metering works how?
            2. Choosing a metering scheme
            3. Adding metering options to the mix
         3. The Many Ways to Choose Exposure
            1. Adjusting exposure the easy way
            2. Giving up control (in Program and Scene modes)
            3. Taking control
            4. Exotic ISO settings: Is ISO 409600 for real?
         4. Focus Pocus
            1. Focusing manually
            2. Oughta autofocus
            3. Focusing in Live View
         5. Choosing among Sequencing, Multiple Exposure, and Burst Modes
      2. Chapter 9: Movies and Special Features of dSLRs
         1. Making Movies
            1. Choosing a resolution and frame rate
            2. Using Video OUT in the age of HDTV
         2. Feel the Noize at Night
            1. A fast lens . . . or not?
            2. Taking night shots at short shutter speeds
         3. Noise Reduction Made Easy
         4. Shake, Shake, Shake
            1. Leaving camera-shake myths behind
            2. Testing for tremors
            3. Everyday solutions for shakiness
            4. Image stabilization: The ready-steady-shoot technology
         5. Time Waits for Someone: Creating Time-Lapse Sequences
         6. Better Infrared than Dead
      3. Chapter 10: Action, Flash, and Other Challenges
         1. Kind of a Lag
            1. Comparing point-and-shoot cameras to dSLRs
            2. Understanding the sources of lag
            3. Minimizing shutter lag
            4. Minimizing first-shot delays
            5. Minimizing shot-to-shot delays
            6. Minimizing flash delays
         2. Stopping Action in Its Tracks
            1. Going with the flow (or panning)
            2. Catching peak action
            3. Zapping action with flash
         3. Discovering the Keys to Good Flash Photography
            1. Understanding flash at different distances
            2. That sync-ing feeling: Coordinating flash and shutter
            3. Getting the right exposure
         4. Yo, Trigger! Setting Off an External Flash
         5. Shooting in Sequences
      4. Chapter 11: Composition and dSLRs
         1. Composing a Photo: The Basics
            1. Composing for message and intent
            2. Applying the Rule of Thirds
         2. Posers and Poseurs
            1. Shooting individual portraits
            2. Shooting group photos
         3. Tips for Publicity and PR Photography
         4. Capturing Architecture
            1. Reeg, your perspective is out of control!
            2. Charge of the lighting brigade
            3. You’ve been framed!
         5. Designing Your Landscape Photos
         6. Compositional Ideas That Travel Well
      5. Chapter 12: Applied Techniques
         1. Essentials of Sports
            1. Choosing lenses
            2. . . . is everything! Timing.
         2. People Who Need People
            1. Getting a good look
            2. When you’re having more than one . . .
            3. Before you go
         3. Nature and Landscapes
            1. A broad landscape
            2. Wildlife
         4. Ready for Your Close-Up?
   5. Part IV: Fine-Tuning Your Output
      1. Chapter 13: Working with RAW and Other Formats
         1. So Many Formats, So Little Time
         2. Worth the Fuss: Understanding the Main Formats
            1. Don’t get TIFFed
            2. JPEG o’ my heart
            3. The RAW deal
         3. Choosing a File Format
            1. TIFF enuff
            2. JPEG junkies unite!
            3. JPEG+RAW
            4. Working RAW
         4. Using RAW Files as Digital Negatives
            1. Salvaging images from RAW files
            2. Archiving RAW files
            3. Finding RAW image-editing applications
      2. Chapter 14: Fixing Up Your Images
         1. Editor-ial Comments: Choosing an Image Editor
            1. Adobe Photoshop CS6
            2. Adobe Photoshop Elements
            3. Alternative image editors
         2. Workflow Work-arounds
         3. Fixing Your Photos
            1. Cropping
            2. Fixing murky or contrasty photos
            3. Correcting those colors
            4. Removing spots
            5. Look sharp, be sharp
            6. Blurring for effect
            7. Fixing with filters
      3. Chapter 15: Hard Copies Aren’t Hard
         1. Prints? What Prints?
         2. You Pays Your Money, You Takes Your Choice
            1. Doing it yourself
            2. Live and in person!
         3. Choosing a Printer
   6. Part V: Part of Tens
      1. Chapter 16: Ten Ways to Improve Your dSLR Photography
         1. Does Lighting Ever Strike Twice?
         2. Choosing a Righteous Resolution and Other Settings
            1. Changing environments
            2. Living with limited memory card space
            3. Shooting for a low-resolution destination
            4. Hurrying along
         3. Stop! What’s That Sound?
         4. Working the Right F/Stop
         5. Focus Is a Selective Service
         6. Playing the Angles
         7. Through a Glass Brightly
         8. Feel the Noize
         9. Editing, Retouching, and Compositing Images
         10. Reading the Funny Manual (RTFM)
      2. Chapter 17: Ten Things You Never Thought of Doing with Your Digital SLR
         1. Capturing Hidden Detail with High Dynamic Range Photography
         2. Capturing the Invisible with Infrared Photography
         3. Lighting for All in Tents and Purposes
         4. Turning Your dSLR into a Pinhole Camera
         5. Warping Time with Time-Lapse Photography
         6. Expanding Your Creativity with Slow Shutter Speeds
         7. Capturing an Instant in Time with Fast Shutter Speeds
         8. Making Your Own Effects Filters
         9. Shooting the Works!
         10. Going for Baroque
      3. Chapter 18: Ten Online Showcases for Digital SLR Photography
         1. About Facebook
         2. Google+Ultra
         3. All Your PBase Are Belong to Us
         4. Digital Photography Viewed and Reviewed
         5. Flickr
         6. Getting Your Mug Smug
         7. Pop Goes the Photos!
         8. Adobe Revel-ation
         9. Your Zen Folio
         10. Travel, HDR, and More
   7. About the Author
   8. Cheat Sheet
   9. More Dummies Products