I also took a couple pictures of Common House Geckos, and the camera nailed the exposure (I like the images :-)).
The unedited 100% crop from the original OOC JPEG is below.
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Cane toad
The cane toads, Bufo marinus, one of the most famous pest species in Australia. Shot at close range with Fuji X10 using tiny build-in flash. Tech: iso 100, F4.0, 1/60 sec, macro mode, max focal length, handheld, distance to the animal is about half of meter. I am pleasantly surprised with the image quality. The shot was made in complete darkness, the camera used AF assist lamp and locked the focus very fast. The original image was cropped and resized. Photo: January 3, 2012.
I also took a couple pictures of Common House Geckos, and the camera nailed the exposure (I like the images :-)).
The unedited 100% crop from the original OOC JPEG is below.
I also took a couple pictures of Common House Geckos, and the camera nailed the exposure (I like the images :-)).
The unedited 100% crop from the original OOC JPEG is below.
Monday, 2 January 2012
Grumbling
More than ten years ago I bought a small tripod for my first digital camera. The tripod had ~10 sections, extended to ~1 meter or even a little bit longer in a couple seconds, folded to ~20cm, and was very light. I can carry it in my pocket (jacket pocket of cause) or keep it in my bag. The thing cost about 20 Swiss franks, or even less, and I used it for many years. Obviously it was shaky, but my camera had an infrared remote and no mirror, so I had no problem with stability of the camera. Also, the camera had a timer, and it was possible to shoot on the tripod even without infrared remote. The camera have fallen on grass a couple time under strong wind, and I kicked it off accidentally, but despite all these shortcomings it was very handy and very useful.
I have not used compact digital cameras for years and don't have this tripod anymore. But now we got Fuji X10. So, I searched for a similar tripod on ebay today. And guess what? Essentially nothing! The only similar tripod I found is in US, with the cost of shipping to Oz over 60 US$.
Table tripods are way too short for me. I have "a digital" tripod that can be used with small DSLR camera. I can put it in my backpack but then I will look like a Hunchback of Notre-Dame. And it is heavy, over one kilo, and big. Yes, it is stable and safe, but it mostly stays at home.
Why such tripods have disappeared? The only explanation I came with was following: a few years ago the high-end compacts were big and heavy (Olympus C8080, Minolta Dimage A2, Canon Pro1), and a flimsy tripod was not good much for such cameras. People with less advanced models probably would not use tripods at all. This generation of high end compacts were replaced with even more heavy entry-level DSLR cameras. The small portable tripods have extincted because the disappearance of their pray, small advanced cameras :-)
However, in last couple years the high-end compact cameras got a fresh start with appearance of such models as Panasonic LX3 or current models (Samsung TL500, Olympus XZ-1, Fujifilm X10 and others). These cameras are not heavy, and very often were bought by people who do use tripods. So, I expect that soon we will see re-emergence of such small expendable tripods.
I have not used compact digital cameras for years and don't have this tripod anymore. But now we got Fuji X10. So, I searched for a similar tripod on ebay today. And guess what? Essentially nothing! The only similar tripod I found is in US, with the cost of shipping to Oz over 60 US$.
Table tripods are way too short for me. I have "a digital" tripod that can be used with small DSLR camera. I can put it in my backpack but then I will look like a Hunchback of Notre-Dame. And it is heavy, over one kilo, and big. Yes, it is stable and safe, but it mostly stays at home.
Why such tripods have disappeared? The only explanation I came with was following: a few years ago the high-end compacts were big and heavy (Olympus C8080, Minolta Dimage A2, Canon Pro1), and a flimsy tripod was not good much for such cameras. People with less advanced models probably would not use tripods at all. This generation of high end compacts were replaced with even more heavy entry-level DSLR cameras. The small portable tripods have extincted because the disappearance of their pray, small advanced cameras :-)
However, in last couple years the high-end compact cameras got a fresh start with appearance of such models as Panasonic LX3 or current models (Samsung TL500, Olympus XZ-1, Fujifilm X10 and others). These cameras are not heavy, and very often were bought by people who do use tripods. So, I expect that soon we will see re-emergence of such small expendable tripods.
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Macro with point-and-shoot cameras
Sometimes people ask me why their macro shots are not sharp, and I would go on my usual talk on aperture, depth of field and high iso for a quite a while. So, I decided to write a small post on macro for newbies, aimed for people who use point-and-shoot cameras mainly in Auto mode but not happy with their close-up photos of flowers or bugs taken in local park.
Shaky camera/object and shallow depth of field are two major problems for macro photography. The former gives you blurry pictures, and the latter results in just part of the object being sharp. In addition, the light is very important factor.
Let's start with the light issue. Personally I try not to shoot under the direct sun because the shiny and glossy objects such as leaves will be overexposed (completely white), and the shady areas will be black. Cloudy weather is the best choice for macro. Flowers in the shade of a house or tree are also good for shooting. If you have a (white) umbrella you can try to use it over the object of the interest.
Even slightest camera movement during macro shooting will produce blurry images. On DSLR this can be addressed by increase of iso (sensitivity) and hence very short exposure but this will produce high amount of noise in compact cameras, with some exceptions. For example, on Fuji X10 I routinely use iso 400 for macro, and very happy with the results. The best solution is a tripod. Even a cheap tripod is better than nothing. Don't forget to disable image stabilization and activate timer mode unless the camera has an infrared remote control. You need a timer to eliminate a camera shake from pressing the release button.
The object also should be immobile. Do not shoot on windy day.
Second, learn how to control the aperture on your camera. The aperture affects depth of field, and the close the object to the lens the smaller the depth of field at the same aperture value. It seems that in auto mode many compact cameras use apertures nearly entirely open (in combination with very short exposure time). With this settings camera produces sharp images but with very narrow depth of field. You want to have aperture closed to some extend. Generally with Fuji X10 I use aperture from about 4 to 7. Be aware that at big aperture values the diffraction may be an issue. Closing the aperture reduces amount of light entering camera and results in longer exposure - another reason to use a tripod.
Also keep in mind that many cameras in supermacro mode can take pictures at very short distance, and occasionally the lens may touch the object, so it is good idea to use a protective UV filter.
Shaky camera/object and shallow depth of field are two major problems for macro photography. The former gives you blurry pictures, and the latter results in just part of the object being sharp. In addition, the light is very important factor.
Let's start with the light issue. Personally I try not to shoot under the direct sun because the shiny and glossy objects such as leaves will be overexposed (completely white), and the shady areas will be black. Cloudy weather is the best choice for macro. Flowers in the shade of a house or tree are also good for shooting. If you have a (white) umbrella you can try to use it over the object of the interest.
Even slightest camera movement during macro shooting will produce blurry images. On DSLR this can be addressed by increase of iso (sensitivity) and hence very short exposure but this will produce high amount of noise in compact cameras, with some exceptions. For example, on Fuji X10 I routinely use iso 400 for macro, and very happy with the results. The best solution is a tripod. Even a cheap tripod is better than nothing. Don't forget to disable image stabilization and activate timer mode unless the camera has an infrared remote control. You need a timer to eliminate a camera shake from pressing the release button.
The object also should be immobile. Do not shoot on windy day.
Second, learn how to control the aperture on your camera. The aperture affects depth of field, and the close the object to the lens the smaller the depth of field at the same aperture value. It seems that in auto mode many compact cameras use apertures nearly entirely open (in combination with very short exposure time). With this settings camera produces sharp images but with very narrow depth of field. You want to have aperture closed to some extend. Generally with Fuji X10 I use aperture from about 4 to 7. Be aware that at big aperture values the diffraction may be an issue. Closing the aperture reduces amount of light entering camera and results in longer exposure - another reason to use a tripod.
Also keep in mind that many cameras in supermacro mode can take pictures at very short distance, and occasionally the lens may touch the object, so it is good idea to use a protective UV filter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)