Nikon Coolpix 7900

I have a Coolpix 7900 and I am trying to take a picture of an 18″ x 24″ print. I have umbrella lights and I turn all the lights out in the room. I am not using a flash. But the picture I take come out dark. What am I doing wrong? What equipment do I need to make this work? I am trying to do something that this camera will not handle?

Using Meters in the Digital Age - FREE Sekoni...

I received my FREE “Using Meters in the Digital Age with Will Crocket” DVD from Sekonic today and just finished watching it. Although its emphasis is around the top end L-558R, I found it helped reinforce what I learned from online sources. The DVD explores three live photo shoots scenarios starting out with a studio shoot then to an outdoor and “on location” shoot.

The host Will Crocket is very articulate and easy to understand. For a FREE DVD, I am very impressed. I highly recommend it to any photographer who is critical about exposure (who isn’t?!). I was stunned to learn that digital slrs have a exposure tolerance of 8/10ths of a stop (Tolerance as in how much adjustments that can be done in post processing to correct for any mis-exposure). It also talks about film, slides, and transparency expsosure tolerances. Quite an eye opener IMO.

You can visit http://www.sekonic.com/DVD/and sign up for the free DVD. It took about a month before I got mine.

Cheers,

Ivan

Canon Digital Rebel XT vs. Nikon Coolpix 8800

A friend was debating between the Nikon Coolpix 8800 and Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D and asked for some advice, so I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my thoughts. Based on some past experiences with digital cameras, both SLR and P&S (point and shoot), I have to say they both have their pros and cons, so it really depends on what the photographer needs. However, with price and performance taken into consideration, the Digital Rebel Xt is a slightly better valued contender. In the following, I will discuss some key points pertaining to performance features, size, and pricing.

Lets start with the Coolpix 8800. This model was introduced late 2004 and has been the high end digital camera in the Nikon Coolpix line for some quite sometime similar to the G-series for Canons or C-8080 from Olympus. The camera is currently hard to find new as it has been discontinued and no longer stocked at the major retailers. $600-800 was the going range and can be had on Ebay for slightly less used. The camera is 8MP with a 100-400ISO range, 2.3 fps w/ 5 frames, and a 35-350mm zoom range.

In contrast, the Rebel XT was introduced early 2005 and a successor to the Digital Rebel 300D. The Rebel XT was revamped with 8MP, a smaller alloy body, 2.8 fps w/ 14 frames (jpeg), and many other features. Priced at $700-$900 for the body w/lens kit it might intimidate some, but make others think twice at why they paid $700 for their point and shoot (point and shoot as I refer to are cameras without interchangeable lenses). Nevertheless, both cameras can suit one’s purposes quite well.

The Nikon Coolpix 8800 or equivalent model is a good candidate for those who like to have a high performance camera handy (ie. Carry around) while having the flexibility of playing with manual features. With the limited ISO (higher number for poor lit situations) and fps continuous drive, this makes the camera a poor candidate for the sports or indoor photographer, granted flash is not used. One of the definite pluses is the 10X zoom (35-350mm focal length) and battery pack upgrade pack to give the camera a better feel and longer battery life (only a couple high end PS cameras have this option). With the Rebel XT you are getting a state of the art SLR at almost the same cost. With the benefits of higher ISO, fps, it’s a well rounded choice for sports and indoor photographers (sorry to be so vague with “indoor”) and any photographer for that matter. Having a smaller body, it can be a hit and miss with larger hands and with a lens attached definitely not as easy to carry around as the Nikon 8800. The only other debatable con is that with SLRs start saving for those new lenses. To attain the 35-350mm range of the Coolpix be prepared to carry multiple lenses.

Astrophotography: Time Planning

Astrophotography is the most challenging type of all photography. It has the most hurdles to overcome. Photographing celestial objects is dependant on time, tools, weather and location. Time is a key factor for selecting the object that is going to be photographed. Some objects are visible during certain times of the year, while other objects rise and set at a specific time of night. The right type of tools is critical for yielding good results. While the proper equipment is important, the right planning tools are too! These are a must to achieve successful results and keep the astrophotographer’s sanity in tact.

Time Planning
Selecting the subject to photograph is often agonizing to astrophotographers. There is a fine balance between what is wanted to photograph and if it can be scheduled in. Astrophotography can be an all night process when photographing the night skies; it isn’t uncommon to take hundreds of images in one night when the subject lays in deep sky. Astrophotographers usually find themselves either selecting a subject that fits in their open time frame or the other way around; selecting and setting aside a time frame for their subject. In either situation, timing is the key! There are many software program tools available for planning and most of them can be installed on your laptop. The most notable and free software program is Sky Charts - Cartes du Ciel by Astrosurf. You also may find that your telescope came with free software to chart the skies. Sky charting programs are the astrophotographer’s best friend. These will assist in selection of the celestial objects and specify the best time to photograph (not to mention assisting in finding the object through your telescope).

Sky mapping charts are also used in planning for nightscapes and other types of photography as well. When you need to plan for either a full moon or a new moon these tools are a must. Knowing when the moon sets or the time of the new moon is essential for deep sky photography, as it will give optimal darkness. Sky charts will even give you perigee and apogee moon charts for you to achieve the most visually stunning full moon photography! Perhaps, you may find yourself wishing for morning twilight or evening twilight; with these sky maps you can plan for it!

When planning astrophotography shoots, you will soon discover that it is very seasonal. Some constellations and other celestial objects are more prominent in spring while others are more prominent in winter. Other celestial objects such as comets and eclipses occur yearly or even less often than that. Planning the timing for your astrophotography shoot is vital for subject visibility and preparation.

How to mount hot-shoe flash on a light stand ...

It’s quite an open ended question as there are many viable options. However, the two most common ways is to purchase either:

1. Hot-shoe mount with ¼ -20 socket (also sometimes the pc-hotshoe adapter has a reverse side with the ¼ -20 threads)

2. Swivel-Bracket –with Mount for Umbrella, Light and Shoe Flash (that’s how they call it at B&H) - Comes with Male and Female Spigots, Swivel Bracket, and hot-shoe mount with 1/4″ threads.

I personally recommend option #2 as it’s far superior in functionality and cost and you have the option of mounting an umbrella. The swivel bracket comes with both a ¼” and 3/8” threaded spigot which is reversible depending if you need to mount it on a tripod or light stand which usually uses the 3/8” standard.

Tightening Screw on Shoe Mount

The swivel brackets hot-shoe mount that holds that flash uses a tightening screw to the side which helps hold the flash a lot better than the standard hot shoe mount which relies on a flimsy metal spring. Moreover, this hot-shot mount piece is removable and is ¼” threaded. In conclusion, there is almost no point to buy a separate hot-shoe mount when you can get a Swivel Bracket that already comes with a hot-shoe mount and often only a couple dollars more.

The two common “Swivel-Bracket –with Mount for Umbrella, Light and Shoe Flash” are the Impact and SP-Systems which are essentially the same just re-branded. Bogen, Photoflex, Delta, Norman, Hama also carry Umbrella light stands, but for the purpose of mounting the flash to a stand the basic $13.95 brackets will work more than adequate.

Example: Vivitar 285HV Flash Mounted on a Swivel Bracket which is attached on a Bogen Table Top Tripod

Best of Luck,

Ivan
ibwphoto.com

PS. For those who are DIY in nature and want to build one, here are the thread sizes:

1/4″ - 20
3/8″ - 16

Both are common threads and can be found at just about any hardware store.

Why not Shoot RAW? Memory is cheap!

By shooting RAW you are making the most of your camera and bring out the best of your photos via PP(post processing). The myth for some novice SLR photographers is that RAW is big (file size wise) and harder / more time consuming to work with.

Well, let me bust that myth for you. First, the price of flash memory and storage space in general has drop significantly, so the large file sizes should not be an issue. Second, if you are clumsy with WB (white balance) and selecting the perfect exposure setting while shooting, why not have some flexibility to adjust them later? Its added insurance at zero extra cost. Think of raw meat and seasoned meat, raw meat can be flavored to taste where as seasoned meat already has its original flavor and hard to change. Think of RAW file format as the raw meat and JPEG as the seasoned meat. Best of all, Pixmantec offers a very spiffy and FREE RAW program that can perform batch processing. No need to spend an arm and leg on Photoshop CS that your photo buddies swear by. Personally, I have both Photoshop CS2 and Pixmantec Essentials 2006 (will upgrade to premium soon), but use Pixmantec almost 99% of the time due to the ease of use and efficiency. No fear of processing the 5GBs of wedding photos!

I hope that dispelled some the skeptics. Once you shoot RAW you wont go back! I’ll share my RAW workflow in future, but feel free to leave any comments or questions you might have.

Happy Shooting,

Ivan
ibw photography

Vivitar 285HV, 285, 283 Flashes Discontinued ...

Stopped by Kamera Korner in San Jose today and was surprised to learn that the Vivitar 285 (HV), 283s are no longer in production and discontinued by Vivitar. Its suprising since Vivitar’s 285 Model has undoubtly lit more picutres in the last 25 years than any other unit. The Vivitar units were the best bang for the buck with a guide no. of 120 GN and a more than affordable price of $60-80 New and $30-50 Used on flebay.

Well that is going to change as B&H Photo no longer stocks it and fewer and fewer are starting to appear on Ebay. As you all know the law of supply and demand, prices are going to start going up. Even the clerk at Kamera Korner told me he wished they could’ve known the news earlier and stocked up.

I guess my successful hunts/hunting for Vivitar 285HVs on Ebay will soon come to a close and I will have to face the reality that photography is NOT a cheap hobby after all. Yes, I scored two units for less than $40 last year and have shot them exclusively via Pocketwizard Radio Slaves. About a year from now, I would be lucky to see a used and beat unit for $50+. As you all know, people hate change…just think of the number of photographers who still rely on these flagship Vivitar flash units! Regardless, I am going to take my black plastic bars (soon to be gold?!) and continue to use them until they pop no more. Hopefully by then a replacement / clone will be produced. If all else fails, I will have some trusty monolight strobes to do the job.

Best,

Ivan

PS. The 285HV units have a lower triggering voltage of 6V. There are reports of OLDER / NEWER models with higher/lower triggering voltages. For Digital SLR cameras, it is recommended you double check the trigger voltage with a voltmeter since the Digital SLR hot-shoe syncs are rated no where close to the 270V capacity some of the older units use. You surely dont want to have your Canon’s 6V hotshoe fried! Read Strobe Trigger Voltage and Why Photographers should care? if you want to learn more about strobe triggering voltage.

PSS. Attached Vivitar 285HV / 285 and Vivitar 283 Flash User Manuals:
(Please Right Click and “Save Target”)
Download Vivitar 285HV / 285 User Manual
Download Vivitar 283 User Manual

Why pay $5+ for these instructional / Owner manuals on Ebay?! Any Photogtaphy Junky knows better!

How should I pose my subject for portraits?

Having trouble figuring out how to pose your subject/model for the photo shoot? Well fear no more because here is a PDF file showing all the various portrait poses for males, females, and couples (well at least common ones). I havent actually started taking portrait photography and would’nt know how handy it would come in as a printed cheat sheet, but its looks quite comprehensive. Anyway, I attached the file below as well as a screen shot.

File - 4 Meg Filesize -

Screenshot:

Download portrait poses.pdf (please right-click and save target as)

Peace,

Ivan
www.ibwphoto.com

Monolight Strobes vs. Hot Shoe Flash Units

I have been looking to upgrade my hot shoe flashes (Vivitar 285 HV units which I use off-camera via Pocket Wizards) for some time now. The reason is because I already have a Canon 580EX for on board use and the fact that the 285s are limiting in terms of modifiers and light output power. Seldom do these flashes pack enough juice to shoot sports (fast shutter speeds) during the day or throw the light how I want it. I occasionally jerry rig modifiers out of the crafts bin to get the job done, but I think its time to get more professional and use something more reliable and consistent. Hopefully after selling both Vivitars I can reach the half way mark to affording a moonlight strobe and then eventually a battery pack that goes with it. The price difference is quite apparent, but I think it will easily pay for itself.

Knowing how compulsive I am with buying camera gear, I asked the experts at WheelsandWax, a professional alternative sports photography forum, about the benefits of using bare bulb strobes over the typical hot shoe flash unit just to be sure I wasn’t making an excuse to buy new toys.

Pros and Cons of using Strobes vs. Hot Shoe Flash units (Thanks Ian and Mike at W&W for helping me out):

Pros:
- Light modifiers and attachment options (ie softboxes, grids, etc.)
- Light quality is substantially better with the modifiers as opposed to an unmodified flash
- Recycle Time is usually much faster (great since I am using it for sports)
- Light Output / Power is usually much greater (note: W/s and GN are not equal comparisons)

Cons:
- Weight (Battery and unit are substantially heavier)
- Cost is at least 2X more

Given these pros and cons, I think it’s fair to say that strobes do have more positives then negatives. Doing some window shopping and reading reviews on other various photography forums, I decided to compare the Alien Bee 800 and Paterson Stellar 300 as both are well recommended and in my price range, Sub $300 (Alien Bee offers 10% for students). Below is a comparison chart of the two models. I’ll post an update after I decide which route I take.

Cheers,

Ivan

	The Alien Bees B800 Flash Unit	Paterson Interfit Stellars 300 W/S, Mfr#INT408U
W/s	320 w/s	300 w/s
Flash Duration	1/3200 sec.	1/1000 – 1/3000 sec.
Recycle Time	1 sec. @ full power	1-2 sec. @ full power
Weight	2.9 lb ( 1.3 kg)	4.8 lb (2.2 kg)
Size	9 X 7.5 X 5.5”	12.5 X 4.75 X 8.25”
Attachments / Modifiers	Alien Bee Proprietary	Stellar or Bowen Adaptor, more modifier options
Color Balance	5600K	5200K
Warranty	2 years	1 year
Included	7 inch reflector, flash tube, 100 watt modeling lamp, 15-foot sync cord, 15-foot power cord, nylon clips for gels	Flash tube, Modeling light (INT 499), sync cord, Reflector (RS5003), Power Cord
Cost / Street Price:	$279.95 from Alienbee.com	$214.95 from B&H.com

Flash Power Output and Distance

Flash Power Output and Distance
By: Ivan Wong (ibwphotography.com)

I think its time to go beyond referring to the flash guide table and to understand the fundamentals of what the Guide Number (GN) means and also the distance to flash power output relationship. Any photographer using manual flash/strobes should have these general ideas in mind, especially in action sports when adjustments are made on the fly.

The first point to be discussed is the Guide Number or GN, which is a measurement of a flash unit’s light output. For instance, the Canon 580EX has a GN of 191 whereas a Vivitar 285HV has a GN of 120. The higher the guide number, the greater intensity of the flash. So how can I benefit knowing this? Well the guide number comes from this equation (assuming ISO 100 film):

Guide Number = F/stop X Flash-Subject Distance

Guide numbers are usually given for ISO 100 speed film. Faster ISO settings will require less light so you can shoot at a greater distance. For this reason, you need a different guide number for each ISO setting. Increasing the ISO film speed by a factor of 4 will double the guide number. When film speed doubles, the guide number changes by a factor of 1.4X; when film speed is halved, the guide number changes by a factor of 0.7X.

Based on the equation the following can be known:
-To calculate the f/stop needed, divide the guide number by the distance to the subject.
-To calculate the maximum flash range, divide the guide number by the selected or largest f/stop.

So for example, I have a guide number of 160 and a flash-subject distance of 20ft, my aperture will need to be f/8. Move the flash-subject distance to 10ft and the aperture will need to be stopped down to f/16.

Another interesting lighting fundamental is the distance to flash power relationship. This is simply: “Doubling the flash-subject distance will reduce the amount of light on the subject to a quarter of its original amount”. This is due to the inverse square relationship of distance vs. light output, but we wont get into that.

I hope this makes some sense. I will be following up on more lighting discussion as there is much to be discussed and learned.

Best,

Ivan

PS. Feel free to post your comments or own tips, techniques, fundamentals, etc. by registering here. Its quick and simple.

Reconsider Focus then Recompose Technique

Being an avid user of the focus/recompose technique, I am glad I learned about its possible drawbacks early on as the distance of the focus point upon recomposing is no longer the same as the original pre-focused distance. Hence, the focus distance is incorrect and can make for some soft photos.

For those who don’t know what I mean about the focus/recompose technique, it’s a way of focusing on an object and then recomposing/repositioning your camera to properly frame the object. This is also a common technique in sports photography when the action is too quick for the cameras auto-focus and the photographer needs to resort to focusing on an area where he/she anticipates the athlete and then recomposing the shot. I attached a rough diagram below of two scenarios (first time Wacom user, be nice!  )

Example: Portrait – the camera is focused on the subject’s eye (usually the focus point you want). Then the camera is recomposed.
Mountain Biker Jumping – the camera is focused on an area where the photographer anticipates taking the shot of the rider. Then the camera is recomposed.
In both of these examples, the focusing point is skewed once the camera is recomposed as the focus distance has shifted. Just think about planes in geometry and parallel planes.

When the camera is tilted and focused on the eye of the subject, the camera focus distance is on parallel plane A with a distance 6.3ft. When the camera is recomposed the focus distance is now on a different plane say B with distance 6.25ft. The difference between the focus distance and actual shot distance can be the difference between tack sharp, fairly sharp, or horribly soft images. Typically, the further the subject is from the camera the less you have to worry about the focus/recompose issue. However, if you always want to get tack sharp photos plan on spending some time with the AF selection points and taking to account the focus distance shift when using the focus / recompose technique.

Cheers,

Ivan
www.ibwphoto.com

How do I do a Reverse Lens Setup on Canon A-S...

The Canon A-series camera is perfect for taking macro shots. With a relatively cheap setup (under $100), the A-series camera will be ready to handle some truly amazing close-ups. Please feel free to ask specific questions as I have used an A85 with a reverse lens for quite some time. Best, Ivan

Essentially here is what you need for a Macro setup:
Note: all A series cameras can use a similar setup. The only thing different amongst the A60,70,80,90s is the filter adaptor you need to purchase. This will also work with other P&S cameras with front lens threads.

-52mm Filter Adaptor (for A-series)
-Reverse Ring Coupler with 52mm to whatever size your lens is threaded
-A 50mm SLR lens with an aperature of 1.8 or larger such as 1.4 (if
you are using a Canon FD 50mm you will need a special cutout rear cap
to keep the aperture open, just let me know if you need help with that)
- I highly recommend a basic slave flash with flash bracket as much light is lost with the addition of the reverse lens.

Some pics of the setup and a sample shot:

Setup

Sample Shot

————————
The How-to and Pictures that insprired my fascination with Reverse Lens on my A85:

http://megaweb.clubsnap.org/articles/a70_reversed_35mmf2/

Other Useful Links:
http://members.cox.net/mannyfresh/equipment/

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=12423356

————————
Notes from forum posts:

For anyone interested in using a reverse mounted 35mm camera lens to do macro photography on a Canon A series camera with the optional 52mm Canon filter adapter, http://www.thecamerahunter.com has male 52mm to male 55mm (and many other sizes) available for ~$15. You can also check Bhphotovideo.com and search for "Macro Coupler".

The 52-55 I bought from them is a nice thin metal coupler that minimizes the distance from adapter to lens, which can be important to avoid vingnetting. I had excellent results using a Minolta 50mm f1.7. On the other hand, my 28mm had severe vignetting (but gave ~2x magnification over the 50mm). I found that even leaving the UV filter on the 50mm lens caused a little vignetting…so you really don’t want to stack up filter adapters.

With the 50mm lens, there was about a 3x increase in magnification over the A80’s lens. So you can fill the screen with an 18mm wide subject!

A lucky bonus: Since the adapter and lens block so much of the light from the flash, I was surprised to find that flash exposures were actually pretty good.

Hard Light vs. Soft Light

Hard light can be defined as “high contrast” lighting that brings defined shadows, and noticeable and sometimes overblown highlights. Soft light on the otherhand is less contrasting light that reduces hard shadows and is almost always more pleasing to the eye.

So you might ask where do these sources come from? Well, its quite simple. Hard light is from “small” light sources and soft light is from “larger” light sources such as soft-boxes, umbrellas, etc…Technically, standing next to the sun would be the softest light, but since its so far away the effective size of the source is small when viewed from earth, and thus direct sun light is harsh. To better visualize between hard and soft light, see the image below.

Controlling Depth of Field

The topic of depth of field (DOF) tends to give the shakes to many beginning photographers, but the concept is actually very simple. It is the range in a scene, from near to far, that is in sharp focus. The ability to control how much is in focus has an immense effect on your pictures. When shooting a landscape, for example, you’ll want as much of the photograph in sharp focus as possible, so a significant depth of field is required. In other situations, as in taking a portrait, a shallower area of sharp focus will isolate your subject from distracting backgrounds.

Three things control how great the depth of field will be in a photograph: lens focal length, aperture, and distance from the subject. Other things being equal, shorter-focal-length lenses, smaller apertures, and greater lens-to-subject distance all increase the range of sharp focus, while longer lenses, wider apertures, and a shorter distance to your subject shrink depth of field.

When you look through your lens, however, you will not be seeing what’s really sharp and what’s not. With point-and-shoot cameras, this is because you’re not looking through the lens–you’re looking through a separate viewfinder. With SLRs, you’re looking through the lens at its widest aperture; it closes to a smaller f/stop only at the instant you press the shutter button. This is a problem if you’re using a medium telephoto lens to take a portrait of Mom in gay Paree. As you look through the lens, it appears that the traffic and crowds in the background are out of focus. But because you have a small aperture set, when you get the picture back, zingo, Mom is lost in all that junk behind her.

The solution? Many SLRs have a depth-of-field preview button; when you press it, the lens briefly closes to the shooting aperture, showing you the real depth of field. Be aware that when you press this button, the image in the viewfinder will temporarily darken. If too much is in focus, simply open the aperture, put on a longer lens, or move closer. Or all three. If too little is sharp? Well, you can figure that out.

The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is a principle of composition used for centuries by artists and photographers. The underlying principle is really very easy to understand and use.

In photography, using this The Rule of Thirds keeps the main subject off center, away from the middle of the frame. As a result, a photo looks more dynamic and interesting.

The Rule of Thirds envisions two horizontal and two vertical lines trisecting an image with four intersecting points. You place your main subject where the lines intersect rather than centered in the frame. For example, placing the horizon on an upper or lower line helps create a well-composed landscape photo. For portraits, placing person where lines intersect vertically produces a more compelling photo.

A Rule of Thirds grid is built into some digital cameras. It can be turned on and viewed on the LCD. Use it as as a guide when taking a photos. If you don’t achieve this layout just right with a camera, apply the principle when cropping an image.

Nikon Digital SLR Body Comparison Chart

For those who are considering a Nikon Digital SLR, Amando Heredia at Nikonian has a great comparison chart. Click here to see chart

DIY TTL Extension Flash Cable

Why pay $80 bucks for a Paramount extension cord? Build one with your existing Canon Off Camera Cord 2 and some connectors:

DIY TTL Extension Cord

Which lens should I get?

Remember you get what you pay for.? But within the same price range there is always a sharper lens…and every photographer knows the sharper the better.

Check out the lens performace results and the reviews on Fredmiranda.com

This should give you a good idea, but if you are still in doubt ask the folks over at DPreview in the Canon SLR Lens Talk forum.

What is Hyperfocal Distance and Why Should I ...

Whenever you focus your lens there will be an area that is in focus and areas that are out of focus. The in focus area is referred to as the focal plane.

The import thing here is that 1/3rd of the focal plane is ahead of the thing you’re focused on and 2/3rds of the focal plane falls behind what you’re focused on. Focus your lens at infinity and the leading edge of the area that is in focus is the hyperfocal point for that lens. Focus on that point instead of infinity and you’ll have the greatest range of focus from infinity back toward your location.

Read More.

What is Dragging the Shutter?

"Dragging the shutter" refers to using a longer shutter speed to expose
more ambient light (typically to the background) while using a flash to freeze the subject action.? This technique is useful in clubs, or in photos where you want to bring out the ambient as well freeze the subject.?

Read More