There are some landscapes where the photo taken from a regular camera is not large enough to take everything in.  Of course there are special cameras which can take a whole 360 degree panoramic view, but if you don’t have one of those then you’d have to be content in stitching the pictures.

 

Of course this could be done with a wide-angle lens.  And in fact some cameras which dub themselves as panoramic are just the same shots, only boxed in with black borders top and bottom.  Though there are problems with wide-angle lenses.  Too wide and the shots start to show barreling, where the straight lines at the sides of the picture are curved.  Fish-eye lenses are natural progression of the barreling effect.

 

The alternative is called stitching.  With manual cameras, stitching is done by taking multiple pictures of a landscape or building.  The pictures are of different parts of a larger picture.  For instance, when taking a picture of a building, you can take portrait oriented (tall) pictures, maybe about nine of pictures, three of the top thirds, another three of the middle third of the building and three more of the bottom thirds.  After developing the film, the nine photos are mounted overlapping each other as a single large picture.

 

Some photo exhibits or nature exhibits do away with stitched photos do away with a rectangular form, and instead mount the photos according to the general shape of the subject.  A stitched photo of a lake may be oval in shape.

 

With today’s digital cameras, there are some, like Canon, which come packaged with photo-stitching software. Alternatively, this could be done manually with Photoshop or most other photo manipulation/editing software.  There are also photo-stitching software which are free and available for download from the web.  

 

The first requirement when doing photo stitching is the set of pictures.  The pictures should overlap a bit when they were shot.  In doing this, it is best if you use markers on the big picture, and to have the neighboring shots include these markers.  For instance, if you were to shoot the other bank of a river, use specific trees or other landmarks as markers, and make sure that succeeding shots include these.  And to minimize any errors, it would help if the overlap were around 25% on each side.  

 

[Note:  The 25% overlap could be less, but not more.  If you used a 25% overlap on each side, each shot would effectively have only a 50% unique area.  All the rest are shared with the neighboring pictures.  If the planned picture were to use more than one plane, each of the shots would only have a unique area of about 25%]

 

The only variables which could not be controlled would be the lighting.  Cloudy weather, with gusts of wind means that the sunshine would vary for the shots.  For the most part, these gradations would have to be cleaned up manually, after the photo stitching.

 

Most photo stitching software I’ve used are fairly automatic.  You load up the pictures, in any order and the software would rearrange the photos (like solving a jigsaw puzzle with rectangular pieces) and stitch the photo with no user intervention.

 

Photo stitching is a fun exercise but it’s not for everyone as it takes a lot more post-production work than the actual photography.

A more common fast shot is that of a moving vehicle.  This, at least needs some preparation:  mainly where to stand.  The rest is a matter of technique or of trust in the camera.

With the recent release of the 21.1MP Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon also released on its website some  pictures taken with the camera.  One of the sample pictures was of a rally car, flying in the air during competition.  This was shot head on (or at least at an angle) as the car was approaching the photographer.  The picture was taken at 1/8000 sec., ISO rating of 1600, f/8.0 aperture value, with a long 600mm lens.

With fast exposure times, high ISO rating, the picture could have been taken as the camera was handheld.  Unfortunately, because of the long lens, the camera had to be mounted on a tripod and the photographer had to wait for that point when the car leaps into the air.  The preparation is in knowing that the car will be at a certain point and you can focus the camera for that shot.  At these speeds, you do not rely on the autofocus.  The aperture value ensured a good depth of field, which is the photographer’s margin of error for this kind of photo.

With the object rushing towards you, the camera has to be steady.  It doesn’t need to be moving.

However, there’s another kind of photo shot where the vehicle is moving in front of you, zipping from left to right (or right to left).  With this, the preparation above would work fine as well, though I usually follow a more technique which gives a more dynamic picture.

Again, taking this shot takes some preparation.  After choosing the spot, composing the shot based on the background and envisioning the car (or bicycle or motorcycle or runner) in the foreground, you can focus for the expected distance from the object when it passes by.  From the moment the object comes into view until it has passed by, follow it with the camera.  When it gets to the point you’ve already prepared for, take the shot.

Again, this needs a high ISO rating and a quick shutter speed.  But the aperture could be medium, an f/8 so that there’s more allowance for the object to be in focus and not blurred.

To explain, what’s going to happen is that the object will be in sharp focus even as the background is a blur because you were moving the camera.  The object will look as if it was at standstill because you were following it with the camera when the picture was taken.  And to ensure that, with a digital camera, you have to use the manual settings for the focus.

Sounds almost too easy.  But it still needs practice.

I’ve been discussing filters for a while now, and I guess I need to go back one step and explain what a filter is and what it can do.  In photography, a filter is a camera accessory consisting of an optical element that can be inserted in the optical or light path. The filter can be a square or rectangle shape mounted in a holder accessory, or, more commonly, a glass or plastic disk with a metal or plastic ring frame, which can be screwed in front of the  lens.

Filters allow added control for the photographer of the images being produced. Sometimes they are used to make only subtle changes to images; other times the image would simply not be possible without them. The selection of the proper filter is actually far more important than any choice of lens or camera. The filter has a large and real effect on your image. Lens brand and sharpness does not.

The negative aspects of using filters, though often negligible, include the possibility of loss of image definition if using dirty or scratched filters, and increased exposure required by the reduction in light transmitted. The former is best avoided by careful use and maintenance of filters, while the latter is a matter of technique; it usually will not be a problem if planned out properly, but in some situations does make filter use impractical.  Worst case is that the light degradation is inevitable and is something I have to live with when using some filters.

Photographers classify filters according to their use. If you are aiming for cleaner, sharper pictures with less haze, photographers would pick up UV Filters which absorbs ultraviolet rays.  In fact, most photographers leave a UV filter on their camera lens at all times to protect the lens from dust, moisture, scratches, and breakage.

There is what are called Sky Filters - which reduce blush tones in outdoor shots.  We do not have to worry because this keeps skin tones natural and free of reflection from nearby objects.  It can also serve as a permanent lens protector.

Protector Filters are filters which protect your lenses from expensive front element damage which could be caused by dirt, knocks or scratches.

And you can choose also polarizer filters.     The circular polarizer and moose filters  are essential for outdoor photography; deepens intensity of blue skies; reduces or eliminates glare.  Circular Polarizing filters are used on auto focus cameras.  When using non-auto focus camera, use linear polarizer filters and linear focus.

The Neutral Density Filters are devised to reduce the amount of light without affecting the color.  This also eliminates overly bright, washed out images. This is also great for video.

One special kind of filter is the HOYA HMC Ultra Thin Filter.  This is a series or set of high end filters designed to avoid vignetting problems which occur with wide angle lenses.

Filters are commonly used in black and white photography to manipulate contrast. For example a yellow filter will enhance the contrast between clouds and sky by darkening the latter. Orange and red filters will have a stronger effect. A deep green filter will darken the sky too but will lighten green foliage and will make it stand out against the sky. Also see diffusion filters, which are used to reduce contrast.

Yes, filters are needed even if you use a digital camera and edit with Photoshop. Polarizers and grad filters need to be used before the lens and are not well, if at all, simulated electronically. Digital cameras are excused from most of the color conversion filters, since you dial these in as white balance settings. I still use a mild warming filter (81A) on all my digital cameras since I prefer the look I get, even with the WB adjusted warm.

Every time Leica releases a new model it becomes an instant classic.  This time it released a new model which was so unexpected that it created a class of its own.

The Leica S2 is a 37-megapixel camera in a body the size of a 35mm DSLR.  It has a 30×45mm CCD sensor, which is about 56% larger than a full-frame DSLR sensor.  It’s a weather-sealed body, with dual-shutter capability and saves to raw, JPEG and DNG.  It has a 3-inch LCD  at the back with a control display at the top of the camera.

And what’s more is that there are nine lenses designed specifically for the S2 which were also announced at the same time.  This indicates that Leica is intent to make this camera the start of a whole new series.

However, contrary to what this looks like, the S2 is not a regular DSLR, but what Leica calls a “middle-format” which is a new platform.  Leica noted that photographers who use medium format cameras also have a second camera, usually a Nikon or a Canon SLR for field work.  And the S2 was designed for that market of professional photographers (with the expected price tag to boot).  It has a sensor the size of medium-format film, in the body of an SLR.  A relatively medium-sized SLR.

Traditionally, large printing was done with transparencies shot with medium-format cameras.  The film size is larger than those for a 35mm SLR.  You can blow up both films, but the optimum blow up size for a 35mm film is considerably smaller than those for a medium-format camera. With the migration to digital format, the analogy is that of more megapixels for larger prints.  If you have a 3-megapixel picture, it’s optimum size would be that of half-A4 size.  When printing a 3MP picture to the size of an A4 page, the resulting print would be showing artifacts and blurs.  You would have been better off with a 5MP or an 8MP file for A4 size printing.

(Another way of looking at it is if you used an 800×600 jpeg file as a desktop background on your 1280×960 screen. Same thing happens, you’ll be getting blurs and artifacts.)

In terms of printing area, a 37MP would be more than enough for printing on a big poster, showing details even when you have your nose up close to it.

My take on it is that the S2’s only compromise is the use of CCD instead of CMOS.  Then again, it would have taken them a little bit more research and development, and a larger budget if they had used CMOS sensors.  On the other hand, the use of CCD means that the this is still slightly slower than DSLRs with CMOS sensors.  Come to think of it, at 37MP, it doesn’t make sense to have CMOS sensors because of the sheer size of the resulting file.  The bottle-neck would just move from the sensor translation to the file saving part of the software.

At a rumored price close to $30,000, the Leica S2 will be available Summer of 2009.

Official website:  Leica.com

Source:  Digital Photo Gadgets Blog

As photo frames go, I have a lots of photo frames for my still pictures.  They are all around the house, in varying sizes and shapes, with single pictures and some holding multiple prints.  I guess that is very much dated now. What with the developments on technology (and Harry Potter novels with the moving images inside the pictures) I guess it would have been a matter of time for a moving image in a photo frame.

My latest photo frame is an 8-inch LCD digital photo frame.  Yup, I thought it was time for a change.  Though I didn’t think that anything smaller than an 8-inch would be worth it.  But it should be noted that there is a significant price difference between a 7-inch digital photo frame and an 8-inch one.  Among other things, my digital photo frame is not battery powered and doesn’t have internal memory.  It comes with a USB port, and slots for SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro/xD type memory cards.  It can run videos but it doesn’t have a sound output jack or built-in speakers.

But, still, the main problem with that model is that it doesn’t run on batteries.  The portability of a photo frame makes it a notch above that of a regular photo frame.  A battery-powered photo frame, can be technically considered a photo viewer.  The first portable photo viewers were only about 3-inch LCD screens and looked like cameras without lenses.  Nowadays, a lot of photo viewers are larger (up to 7-inches) and capable of video and sound.

And recently, Kodak just released the specs for their new digital photo frame.  And it has a 7-inch OLED screen.

The use of the organic light emitting diode (OLED) means that this device would be thinner and use less power.  It also means that for now it would still be a bit more expensive to manufacture.

This will be up for sale November 2008 for $999 from the Kodak.com

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the first accessory I buy for a camera is a UV filter.  This is mainly for the protection of the camera lens.  Even now now with a UV neutralizing factor built-in with today’s digital cameras, rendering a UV filter unnecessary to filter out unwanted UV rays, I still use one for the protection.

Ultraviolet light is something we can’t see. However, your camera can see it. From an optical standpoint, a digital camera is not as vulnerable to ultraviolet light as film, but a UV filter can cut down on “purple fringing” and/or blue hues that occur in film and some digital cameras. Also, the use of an ultraviolet filter can protect your camera lens.
With the ultraviolet filter, we can achieve improved contrast and color saturation when shooting sunny landscapes, marine and mountain scenes. This filter specifically reduces the effect of ultraviolet light and atmospheric dust.

To maximize the use of the ultraviolet filter, experts have provided us seven steps on how to use this high-end.

Step 1.  Write down the diameter of your camera lenses or take your camera and lenses with you to buy the filter.

Step2. Purchase an ultraviolet filter for each of your camera lenses or opt for a filter system. In this case, you buy a filter-holder for the camera and interchangeable rings that fit your lenses. This is good for people who change filters often.

Step3. Screw the ultraviolet filter onto your camera lens.

Step4. Protect your camera lens from breakage, scratches, dust and moisture by leaving an ultraviolet filter on your camera lens whenever you’re not using a different filter, even when storing it.

Step5. Use a blower brush to remove dust and sand from your camera lens and filter.

Step6. Breathe on the filter or lens, and carefully wipe away any fingerprints or smudges with a lens tissue.

Step7. Take your photos as you normally would. The filter blocks the ultraviolet light.

In theory, UV filters add clarity by cutting UV scatter in high UV environments—e.g., at extremely high altitude (well over 10,000′) or in long shots over water, but most digital cameras are too UV-insensitive to benefit here. Post-processing can suppress or sharpen a hazy blue channel to good effect, particularly in B&W work, but an effective UV filter (most like a haze) might allow you to improve clarity while preserving blue channel data in your color images.

Source:  Cameratown.com

Tamron recently announced the development of their newest high power zoom lens in the AF18-270mm Di II VC Ultra High Power Zoom lens.

Tamron of Japan is a third-party manufacturer of lenses for SLR cameras.  One of their most famous innovations came in 1992 with the introduction of a 28-200mm f3.8-5.6 zoom lens which was barely 4 inches in length.  This at a time when zoom lenses were typically at least 6 inches in length.  Effectively, this development made zoom lenses very practical for regular use.

Further development along the years have been to push the envelop towards higher ranges.  With the new model 18-270mm zoom, it is the first effective 15x lens for SLRs.  It is the lens with the longest zoom range specifically designed for digital SLRs with sensors smaller than 24mm x 16mm.

For all of that, it is still the same approximate size as older Tamron models. It’s light, and easy to manipulate when zooming.  There have been several manufacturer’s which have released zoom lenses which approximate it’s size.  But none have gotten close to the performance of being extraordinarily sharp through out it’s zoom range.  For the most part, lenses from other manufacturers with comparable zoom ranges are almost twice the length and weight of Tamron models.

Among it’s features, it has built-in electronics with its Vibration Compensation (VC) which minimizes handheld camera shakes.  This is a great help for handheld photography considering that shake is more noticeable when the lens is zoomed to the max.  A regular user wouldn’t notice that he’s zoomed to the point where handheld shake is evident in the picture.  The mechanism is really a great help.  In terms of philosophy, Canon and Nikon zoom lenses also have the image stabilization mechanism in the lenses rather than in the camera.

The AF18-270mm Di II VC Ultra High Power Zoom lens will be available for Canon and Nikon cameras.

Official Website:  Press Release

Most cameras have flash units.  This is a matter of necessity for the most part as most people are not comfortable shooting in low-light or natural light settings.  In fact, most casual photographers don’t know how to take pictures without the flash, and worse, they don’t realize that a flash is very much important in harsh lighting conditions.  It’s a common enough problem, mainly because the regular casual photographer is not really concerned about the small things, but only about the big picture: did the subject appear in the picture?

A flash is an attachment to the camera to provide much needed focused light on the subject.  Normally this is mounted on top of the camera.  And there lies a story about making the shot better, if only the flash was at the BOTTOM of the camera. I’ll explain this in another post.

The nature of the flash is that it provides an instant of bright light to illuminate the subject.  The light lasts just long enough for the image to appear on film, or to be captured by the scanning element/sensor of the camera.  And since this is focused light from a single source, the shadows would appear emanating outward from it.

There are strategies to make the light more diffused or for it to appear from a different direction.  But as long as you’re using a camera-mounted flash, the light will hit the subject and the shadow would be behind it.

If the subject is too close, usually less than 10 feet, there would be uneven highlights.  It it is too far, usually more than 15 feet, then it would be a bit darker.

[An aside, notice that when in an arena, there are lots of flash from the audience when taking pictures of the performers or sports players?  The cameras are automatically set for flash, usually the picture will turn out fine.  But this is not due to the camera's flash unit.  This is because the subject is already bathed in light and the flash is not needed.]

For the most part, the ideal camera mounting is a ring flash.  This is a ring of flash elements mounted around the lens.  The purpose is to have the center of the picture and the flash one and the same.  There would be no shadows.  However, ring flash elements are expensive.  It’s quite rare to find a ring flash cheaper than $300.  However, these really are great accessories.  A side-effect is that if the background were too near the subject, there would be a halo-effect.  Not an altogether bad side effect.

My cameras all have filters.  That includes the (almost permanent) UV filter, which is always the first thing I buy after getting a camera.  Besides that, one of the most understated filters is the polarizer.  I know lots of guys with expensive gear, but no polarizer.  And is hampered when shooting the cityscape and sunset from his 37th story office.

I remember the old Polaroid sunglasses commercial showing a guy beside the pool looking at the girls swimming around.  The sunglasses clear the glare from the water, and sees crystal clear to the swimmers.  That is the basic principle of a polarizer.  This is a very subtle advantage when taking pictures of landscapes and skycapes.  It is particularly evident when taking pictures of the water or the beach.  To explain further, this all relates to that wonderful organ called the eye.  The human eye adjusts what it sees and translates accordingly.  This happens unconsciously and is an important hidden function of the human body.  It works, and that’s all there is to it.

On the beach we see the clear water, and what else is underwater.  With some automatic pre-processing it is a lot clearer compared to taking a picture of the objects under water.  The light which reflects from the underwater object gets diffused before escaping to the surface.  And there’s a lot light reflecting as it hits the surface of the water.  All of this makes for a murky image.

The polarizer is like a fine filter which only allows light coming in from a certain angle.  This resolves the glare and murky image.  The sky looks a lot more blue, a darker shade of blue, in fact.  Taking a picture of someone beside the glass window would lessen the reflection and show what’s out the window.  However, because it filters out ambient light, the resulting images are darker.  It’s usually not a good idea to use flash to solve this situation.  In which case, the only solution would be a tripod for long exposure times.  In my experience, I can live with it.

Yup, after the UV filter, the third thing I bought was the tripod.

Sources:

Cameratown.com

Digital Photography Review

Casio is, like most Japanese multi-national companies, almost a conglomerate with a whole lot of product lines.  It started out with calculators and watches (thing G-Shock) and now is putting it’s strength into cameras.  In the same way that it put a GPS into a wristwatch and sold at an affordable price, this time the innovation is almost on that scale, and relatively less pricey.  A $700+ 10 megapixel camera with full HD capability, high speed burst speed on stills, and slow motion capture on video.

With the release of the newest model of its Exilim series of cameras, the Casio Exilim Pro Ex-FH20, it’s showing innovation in unexpected ways.  Among other things, this camera is fast.  It has a burst mode of 40 frames per second on 7 megapixels.  It is so fast, it can take a picture even BEFORE you press the shutter button. It stores the images in the camera and you can choose which pictures to save.  This means that even if you missed the picture you can still recover it.

It is so fast, it can capture video at 30fps for full HD quality 1280×720; 210fps at 480×360; 420fps at 224×168; and 1000fps at 224×56.  That is faster than a speeding bullet.  We’re no longer talking about catching a drop of water in the air, but of seeing a bullet pass through a balloon before the balloon bursts.  Well almost.  But you get the drift.

Usually when a camera comes along boasting something extraordinary, most other features would pale in comparison.  Except that this camera also has a 20x optical zoom, equivalent to 26mm to 520mm on a standard SLR.  Casio is serious about this camera.  It uses a CMOS sensor which allows it to capture images faster.  And to round it off, it also has a high-speed anti-shake function, as well as a high-speed night scene setting (a natural result of the anti-shake setting).

Priced at £399 in the UK, it should weigh in at around $700 to $750 in the United States.

Official website:  Casio Press Release

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