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Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category

I’ve talked to quite a few people who have the new iPhone 4 and do not even know about the HDR functionality build into the camera.  The acronym HDR often makes people think that it has something to do with High Definition or something similar, but this is not the case.  HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and it is a trick that pro photographers have been using for years that is now built in to the iPhone.   It is worth mentioning that this feature is NOT built into the 4th generation iTouch.

Dynamic Range is an indicator of the range of brightness a person (or camera) is capable of processing.  The human eye has a much higher dynamic range than a camera does.  This is what allows us to stand in a dimly lit room and be able to clearly see indoor areas that are in shadow as well as brightly lit outdoor areas.  Cameras, with their limited range have to ‘expose’ for one or the other.  If you set your exposure to produce a clear image of the outdoors, the shadows will be black.  If you expose for the shadows, the bright outdoors will be ‘blow out’ and devoid of any detail.  The HDR feature on the iPhone addresses this limitation.

Here is how HDR works.  When you have HDR enabled on your iPhone, the camera actually takes 3 pictures in rapid succession.  It then uses an internal algorithm to combine the three images into a single image, using the properly exposed areas of each to make a final image with a higher dynamic range than any of the originals.  Photographers often use ‘bracketing’ to take multiple shots of a scene with high contrast and then combine them later in PhotoShop.  The iPhone does it on its own.

Here are a couple of sample images to demonstrate the difference.  I just snapped these off right from my reading room so cut me some slack.  They aren’t high quality photos or anything — they just demonstrate the HDR.  Actually, they are both a little dark

This first image from my iPhone shows the shot without HDR. Notice how the room is basically black and the detail outside is blow out beyond recognition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this second was taken with HDR turned on. In this image, you can see some of the detail in the room and can clearly see the trees outside. Pretty cool hunh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One caveat to be aware of with HDR however is this.  Since it is taking 3 pictures in ‘rapid’ succession, if you subject is moving, you will get at best a blurry image and, at worst, an extra eye, nose or mouth on their face

-john

Get Web Graphics Wherever

Just bought a new Kodak Zi8.  I’ll post some sample videos later.  In the meantime, here is some good info about why I picked this model.

The Kodak Zi8 is the greatest pocket video camera I have seen to date. It hits all of the angles and hits them nicely. The Kodak Zi8 includes a 5 MP sensor, a substantial jump from the competition, which only offered 1.6 MP sensors. The Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera features a 6.3 mm, fixed focus lens with not one but two focus modes: normal and macro. The Kodak Zi8 has obviously been made with a focus towards ease-of-use, and it shows both in the camera’s design and the way it interacts with software. Macintosh users will experience a fast and easy video clip editing and import process.

The Kodak Zi8 sets the standard for all pocket video cameras. And not only by a little bit, but by a huge margin. The Kodak Zi8 weighs about 3.9 ounces (110g) without a battery. The battery weighs in at about .63 ounces (17.5g). The Kodak Zi8 takes a mid-range approach to memory, coming with just enough to shoot a couple of test shots. Nevertheless, this memory isn’t enough to shoot any amount of video which would permit the buyer to avoid having to purchase an SDHC card .

The Kodak Zi8 supports up to 5.3-megapixel (16:9 wide screen) JPEG image capture. The Zi8 also includes a monaural built-in microphone, I/O interface including USB 2. (high speed), AV out, HDMI, DC in plus an external stereo microphone jack.  It has a standard 1/4 inch tripod mount and is powered with a KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Camera Battery KLIC-7004. The Kodak Zi8 approaches a $500.00 high definition video camera in terms of quality. The Kodak Zi8 produces a great image that rivals any pocket HD camera available on the market, however buyers will need to endure some annoyances which could sway them to other camera options. The lack of flash memory requires users to buy an SDHC card (preferably a class 6 8GB or higher card) so that they can comfortably film and transfer files.

The Kodak Zi8 uses removable SD/SDHC media cards, which Kodak says can store as much as 10 hours of video on a 32GB card. The Kodak Zi8 is available in many colors including metallic black, blue, and burgundy.

I went for the burgundy model myself.  It does not come with a case, so you’ll want to get one.  Another suggested accessory would be a tripod, or at least a monopod which will really help improve panning quality.  Kodak also offers a remote control for the Zi8 which is available for under $15.00.  This is perfect for shooting video of yourself.

January 2012 zi8 web graphics update.

I’ve been using this hand held video camera for months now.  I just wanted to report that I’ve been very happy with the results.  The 720 dpi 60fps works great for catching the grand kids in action.  With double the standard 30fps, slow motion looks really nice.  I’ve also used it for 5 Mega Pixel stills and, of course, I’ve shot a bunch of 1280 dpi video.

The hand held stuff looks good, but if you can manage it, I’ll reiterate the fact that it’s even better if you use a monopod.  I wouldn’t buy a large tri-pod for this little guy for a couple of reasons.  One, you are no longer portable, which is kind of the point right?  Two,  the mount pads on most full sized tripods cover the USB latch, so you have to take it off just to get your videos.

That does lead me to one little design flaw which I’ve identified.  The bottom of this portable video camera is rounded, so it won’t stand on end on its own.  For that reason, you may want a small desktop tri-pod to allow you to shoot video of yourself.    By the way, I did pick up the remote on Ebay and I like it very much.  It was only about $12.00.   All in all, I handy little tool that I can easily take anywhere which makes it easy to get whatever web graphics I need, both photo and video.  Happy shooting…

john

The Drudgery of Film

Back in2000, I finally traded in my film camera for digital.  My film camera had been a Minolta SLR, for which I had purchased an after market flash and a  couple of lenses of varying focal lengths.  It was somewhat laborious trying to teach myself to take good photos with a film camera.  I had to take notes of the conditions and camera settings for each frame and them compare those notes to the finished product after I had the film processed.  Needless to say, this did not produce much fruit.  There are so many variables involved in creating good photographs that, even with my notes, I didn’t learn a lot about improving my photos.  For the most part, I resigned myself to taking snapshots under good light or with a flash, and left the creative photography to the professional photographers.

Digital Saves the Day

Then came that fateful day, I think it was my birthday in the summer of 2001 when I sold my film camera to an aspiring photography student and purchased my first digital camera, a Toshiba PDR-M70 for $799.  This was a nice little camera for it’s day as the review in that link will tell you.  After installing the downloaded firmware upgrade, it was even capable of shooting in full manual mode.  It was 3.3 MegaPixel camera with an aluminum body and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.  This latter feature was a big deal when most of the digital cameras available at the time used AA’s which they went through at an alarming rate.  I looked into getting a spare, but never ended up needing to.  I didn’t use the camera super heavily, so the original battery pretty much lasted me through the four years during which I used it.  The camera itself held up nicely; it still works, with the exception of the 4-way control button on the back which, as is customary among consumer electronics, broke (no lie) 6 days after my four year extended warranty expired.  Alas, it had served me well, but it’s day had finally come.  The most important benefit I gained from going to a digital camera was the ability to experiment and instantly see the results of that experiment.  This allowed me to really see the effects of different lighting, angles, apertures and shutter speeds on the shots I was taking.  It also gave me the freedom to ‘fire away’ knowing that I could just delete bad pictures.  Of course at 3.3 Megapixels, my 16MB smartmedia card only held about 27 photos.  Fortunately, however, I was able to pick up a spare 32MB card on sale for about $65 at the now defunct Circuit City.  I probably still have that too.

Modern Digital Cameras

Fast Forward a couple of years and I’ve got an itch for a new camera again; maybe two. I won’t begin again the age old debate about Canon vs. Nikon.  I had no bias originally, I just tried to do my due diligence and ended up selecting a Nikon D80 with the 18-135mm kit lens along with an SB-600 flash.  Ken Rockwell may have had something to do with my decision.  He has a great site if you are interested in a highly opinionated, yet largely accurate review of Nikon (mostly) and Canon hardware.  As you may know, my D80 is already several models behind the times, but it’s a far cry from my old Toshiba and a lot better, in many ways than the latest model point and shoots.  I’m not going to get into reviewing specific models or comparing brands.   Each brand carries similar levels of cameras.  To keep things simple, I’ll just discuss the Nikons with which I am familiar since they have a broad range of models (Kodak fore example doesn’t have a high end SLR).

Available Camera Types

For the purpose of this discussion, which is regarding non-pro consumer / amateur photographic equipment, there are three types of cameras.

Compact digital cameras, which are typically the size of a deck of cards and quite capable of taking descent still images in good light.  This cateogry  includes cameras like the Coolpix L22 or the higher end S8000.  These cameras have lenses which collapse inside of themselves.

Handheld cameras that are SLR-Like, like the coolpix P90 offer more features, better performance, but with a reasonable price, in a slightly larger package.  These cameras have what appears to be an external lens, which contains better optics than the compact cameras, however the lens is fixed and cannot be replaced.

True SLR cameras like the D90 and D700 offer the most flexibility and power at a range of prices which are a good deal above the previously mentioned compacts and handhelds, but for good reason.  We’ve discussed that electronics get old and obsolete.   The same is true for Digital SLR bodies.  The replaceable lenses, however, if well cared for can last a lifetime.  Nikon has done a great job of ensuring that newer camera bodies are compatible with older lenses.  It is the flexibility of replaceable lenses which, more than any other feature makes the SLR stand out from among the other types of cameras available today.

Hopefully, I’ve provided a brief introduction to the benefits of going digital and an even more brief look into what your options are when selecting a digital camera.  Watch for the next installment, where I’ll go into a good deal more detail on at least one of the above camera types.  If you have any specific questions in the meantime, please feel free to comment on this post and I’ll do my best to answer.  Until next time… Keep pointing, keep shooting.

john