|
Making a good photograph is a combination of understanding how to use your tools (camera, lights, enlarger and/or computer) and using your imagination. Here is some information that I hope will be of some help. Please note that the following material is copyrighted and that my rights to this intellectual property will be vigorously enforced.
For a much more detailed text on the basics of photography see
http://photography.about.com
This is one of the finest texts I have ever seen on the basics of photography.
|
|
|
|
Choosing a camera
All cameras are made up of two components - a lens and a body. With some cameras the lens and body can be separated and reconfigured with other bodies and lenses.
Buying a digital camera is the cheapest way to get started in photography. Digital cameras are priced by how many megapixels the camera has. If you don't plan to make prints most cameras are suitable for your needs, although it is advisable that you check out the user rating on one or more of the online consumer rating sites before finalizing your choice. If you wish to make prints that are 8"x11.5" or larger and are of exhibit quality, choose your camera carefully. Until recently digital cameras offered many of the features seen on medium priced 35mm SLRs but did not offer the resolution available with film. Resolution is measured in megapixcls. 8 megapixels is equivalent to 35mm film, 20 megapixels is equivalent to 120 film, 108 megapixels is equivalent to 4x5 film. It is difficult to see a difference between a photograph made with a 5 megapixal digital camera and one made with a 35mm film based camera. Here is a list of recommended basic cameras
Canon Powershot Pro1
Nikon Coolpix 8800
Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras are very exciting, but even the most basic models are slightly over a thousand dollars. I recommend
Canon Rebel Digital
Nikon D70
The Canon Rebel Digital looks like it is a lower price with the packaged lens than the Nikon. This is a lower quality lens and should be avoided. Buy the body separately and get the good lens instead. Do not use old film camera lenses. These are lower quality than digital lenses. These are not professional cameras. They are very basic SLRs.
For a more detailed list of the best digital cameras see
http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html
Film-based photography has become a secondary method of making photographs. Film is not for everyone, but might be worth a try. For the price of a very basic digital camera you can buy a Canon EOS Rebel or a Nikon N55 that uses film. These cameras let you explore working with manual aperture and shutter speeds for 1/4 the price of the digital Canon Rebel or Nikon D70, the digital equivalents.
There are cameras that shoot film larger than 35mm. These can be divided into two groups-medium format and large format. These cameras cost more. If possible, budget at least $2000, when shopping for these types of cameras. Used cameras are less, but it will take a lot of hunting to find a camera for less than $500. Medium format digital cameras are about $20, 000 making them impractical for most people.
Medium format cameras have some similarities to 35mm cameras. Some of these cameras look like oversized 35mm cameras. Like 35mm cameras, these cameras use a roll of film. Film is available in two lengths-120 and 220. A frame of film from a medium format camera is 4 times larger than a frame of film from a 35mm camera. This means that an 8''x10'' print from a 120 frame of film will have the same print quality as a 4''x6'' print from a 35mm frame of film. There are also an increasing number of cameras that have reshaped the frame. The size of these is referred to in centimeters making a traditional 2 1/4'' x 2 1/4'' frame of film into 6cm x 6cm or simply 6x6. Popular alternative frame sizes include 6x4.5, 6x7 and 6x17.
Large format cameras, also referred to as view cameras, are quite different than 35mm cameras. They use sheets of film instead of rolls. Each sheet can only be used for one exposure. The sheets of film come in many different sizes. Two of the most popular sizes are 4''x 5'' and 8''x10''.
Each film size requires a separate camera designed to shoot only one size sheet of film. Almost all large format cameras require the use of a tripod. A sheet of film from a 4x5 view camera is 4 times larger than a frame of film from a medium format camera. This means that an 16''x20'' print from a 4x5 sheet of film will have the same print quality as a 4''x6'' print from a 35mm frame of film. A sheet of film from an 8x10 view camera is 4 times larger than a sheet of film from a 4x5 view camera . This means that an 32''x40'' print from a 8x10 sheet of film will have the same print quality as a 4''x6'' print from a 35mm frame of film.
View cameras are generally cheaper than medium format cameras, but medium format cameras can be easily used in a wider variety of shooting situations than view cameras.
|
|
|