Making Your Digital Camera Battery Last Longer

Admin
Categories: Best digital buys

With all the features digital cameras have these days, you may find keeping batteries a problem. This could well be your biggest expense, but there are some things you can do to increase the length of time your batteries stay charged. Lets start with the three biggest sources of power drain.
The LCD screen takes up the most power. It is possible to turn this feature off unless you really feel the need for it. Using the cameras viewfinder will conserve power. Another big power drain is the flash. Whenever you can, use natural lighting to take your photos and turn off the flash. This will help save your battery for times when you absolutely need the flash. A third drain on your battery is constantly using your zoom. It takes more power zooming in and out than it does keeping your zoom at a steady place. Try to find a setting you like and sticking with it as much as possible..
Some other things you can do to make your battery last longer are::
* Make sure Power Saving mode is on, or simply switch off your camera when you’re not using it.
*In cold weather, keep your camera and batteries warm in your jacket until you are ready to use them. The cold drains batteries very quickly.
*Store batteries in a cool, dry location away from sunlight and other heat sources.
*Avoid unnecessary playback of your already taken images. Try to decide when you take the picture if it is a keeper or needs deleted and then refrain from reviewing until the pictures are downloaded to your computer.
*Use the AC adapter. Most digital cameras have an adapter that allows you to plug directly into a power point. If you dont plan on moving around a lot and are near an outlet, the AC adapter will increase the life of your batteries.

Needing to buy more or recharge your battery is something you wont be able to avoid completely, but with a few precautions this wont be needed as often.


Dec
12

How Many Mega-Pixels Do I Need?

Admin
Categories: Best digital buys

One of the confusing things in choosing a digital camera is deciding how many mega-pixels you should look for. The answer depends on what you plan on doing with the finished pictures.

First, you need to understand what a pixel is. In terms of digital prints, a pixel simply means a dot of color that makes up the image. A mega-pixel is equal to one million pixels. The more mega-pixels a camera has, the greater the amount of information it records.

The easiest way to decide what to look for is to know what size prints you are likely to print from your camera. A one mega-pixel camera is fine for those who dont plan on printing photos but rather just post them on the internet. A small print, say 4 x 6, will print acceptably from this camera.

A 2 mega-pixel camera will enable you to produce good quality 5 x 7 prints and fair quality 8 x 10 prints. When you reach 4 mega-pixels you can print out excellent quality 8 x 10 prints and acceptable 11 x 17 prints and a 5 mega pixel camera will allow you to print out high quality 11 x 17 prints.

Most families find a camera in the 3.2 Mega-pixel range to be the best choice. The quality of both 5 x & and 8 X 10 prints is very good yet the files on your computer are not so large you need worry about not having enough space.

Any camera over 5 mega-pixels is unnecessary for all but professionals in photography; even then, only those who have need for poster-size prints find that many mega-pixels worth the money. Most freelance photographers find 4 or 5 mega-pixels to be sufficient for excellent-quality prints.

The choice is yours. Look to what you plan on doing with your photos and then decide. In most cases spending the money for increased optical zoom and lower mega-pixels is the best choice.


Sep
9

Digital Zoom Versus Optical Zoom

Admin
Categories: Best digital buys

Many digital cameras offer both digital and optical zoom. These two often confuse the average camera buyer, until you know what youre looking at.

Optical zoom works much like the zoom lens on a 35 mm film camera. It changes the length of your cameras lens and draws the subject closer to you. The optical zoom keeps the quality of the picture. Digital zoom works differently. It simply takes the picture and crops it then enlarges the part that is left. It causes the quality of the photo to be reduced, sometimes greatly.

What this means in terms of output is you may have a larger view of an object with the digital zoom, but chances are your image will become unfocused. Details will become lost. It is actually best to turn off the digital zoom feature of your camera if possible. This will prevent you automatically zooming in too close as the digital zoom is often an extension of the optical.

There are a couple of things you can do if you want a closer view of a subject but want the quality of your picture to still be good. Try moving in closer when you take the picture. Often only a foot or two will do the trick. If this isnt possible, you can set your camera to take a picture at its highest file size. This will result in a photo that can be cropped to include only your desired subject, yet allow for an image that is still clear.

Digital zoom has its place. It can be used if the only destiny of your photo is the internet. Photos online can be a much lower quality in the camera and still appear acceptable when sent through e-mail or posted on a web gallery. If your goal is printing, however, seek a camera that has a greater optical zoom and turn off the digital zoom. Your pictures will be better in the end, even if they are not as close up.


Mar
3

A Guide to Professional Styles and Techniques in the Art

Admin
Categories: Best digital buys

A Guide to Professional Styles and Techniques in the Art of Digital Wedding Photography

When people get sentimental, they usually flip albums and look at the pictures that depict the things that happened in their lives. These pictures are not simply pieces of colored papers with images for they can trigger deeply-seated emotions. Emotions vary depending on the memories attached to these images seen and preserved.

One of the moments that most people would really love to preserve is the tick of events on their wedding day.

For this reason, people even decide to hire professional photographers to capture the important moments of their lives. However, these photographers may not always advise the client to strike a pose. They are expected to wait patiently to be able to catch memorable portraits. Most photographers that are employed for weddings have assistants so that they can maximize their strategy in creating an album that will not regrettable.

What if you would also want to take pictures of a friends wedding?

Here are a few basic techniques and styles for anyone who wants to capture the said event using a digital camera:

1.If you want to take a picture of a couple or any intended target, make sure that the background is good and the environment is not so crowded.
2.If there is a nice background but it is hard to focus on the couple, you may shoot them from shoulder up.
3.If some of the guests are wearing glasses, they can be advised to stand tilt their heads a little down or sideways to avoid the glaring effect that normally appears when the flash is used.
4.If there is a couple or a group that you wish to include in the picture, you should zoom in or out of the picture.
5.You must not shoot a couple or any guest against the light so that dark images will not appear
6.Candid shots are also dramatic. These portraits reveal more than the quality of the picture itself. In fact, many professionals do this to capture intimate and memorable moments.
7. You should be alert at all times since you can seldom ask individuals to pose
again for you.
8. Your digital camera should be equipped with appropriate memory cards or sticks to ensure that no great moment is missed.

In other words, you have to have an extra memory card especially when you want more moments to preserve. The following suggestions should be considered before buying a memory card:

a.for 3 mega pixels a 256 MB memory card
b.for 4 mega pixels a 512 MB memory card
c.for 6 mega pixels 1 gigabyte memory card

9.You are not advised to use low resolutions if the images will be displayed and
hung later.

Just always remember that the higher the resolution utilized, the larger the size of prints that can be made.

10.Keep a copy of your best works so you can use and reuse the techniques that
made your viewers smile and appreciate your creation more.

You can do this by saving albums on your personal computer to free up the space in your memory card. You may also use other software to enhance the quality of the prints to be made.

Photography is truly a wonderful art. Wedding is a wonderful event. The union of these things will trigger emotions and memories in the long run more so if images are captured and preserved well. They all depend on your camera and your love for this art and the couple.


Mar
3