Digital Photography - Practical Tips and Traps

As the world of photography shifts from chemical to digital, new possibilities and problems arise for the photographer.

Consumer grade (< US $1,000) digital cameras are getting more of the control features that allow photographers that allow photographers to achieve creative images. A quick review of the latest features includes some visual results. Accessories expand creative possibilities and add convenience. Some are matched to the camera while others come from ingenious photographers. The ability to digitally manipulate images makes photos less useful for evidentiary purposes, but image editing is time and labor intensive. Printers optimized for photo printing provide realistic prints that are practically indistinguishable from wet process printing, but dyes may fade or shift with time. Archival storage of photos and digital images may be problematic when CD/ROMs are no longer supported.

This session concludes with a question and answer session and encourages participants to share their own discoveries.

As things change, much is the same. . .

• Digital Photography is still writing with light (photo = light; graphy = writing or drawing).
• Images are stored as files on electronic media rather than on photosensitive film.
• The principles of optics have not changed - we still use lenses and mirrors.
• The quality of the lens systems is still important.
• Filters still modify light in the same way.
• The elements of photography - composition, texture, light quality, angle, etc. - all still apply.
• You need not relearn photography.
• You have opportunities that did not exist in the venerable world of chemical photography.

New Opportunities for Photographers. . .

• Review photo instantly on site!
• Reshoot immediately for different perspective, framing, exposures, focus, depth of field.
• Flash-fill versus natural light.
• Check focus - reshoot for critical detail and depth of field adjustment.
• Lower cost of imaging compared to chemical photography.
• Ability to delete misteaks prior to printing or storing.
• Ability to shoot, display a slide show almost immediately, and simultaneously print on site.
• Ability to easily modify images. A photo is no longer necessarily useful for evidence.

New Problems for Photographers. . .

• Getting prints onto paper. . .
• Job isn't over until it's over. . . Photographer may need to take on jobs that would previously have been be handled by photolabs.
• Digital editing is labor intensive and time consuming process.
• What to do with chemical darkroom equipment. . .
• Unfamiliar look and feel of "new and improved" cameras.
• Need for "bonding" with new technology. . .
• It wasn't broken. . .It still works. . .  Safety net of familiar technology. . .
• Price seems a bit much. . .
• Concerns about adequacy compared to legacy technology. . .

Batteries. . . Chargers. . . AC Operation?

• Digital cameras live on battery power. It is used for the computer, zooming and focusing lenses,  memory, LCD displays and storage.
• Digital cameras have high demands for power.
• Cost of using non-rechargeable batteries (carbon zinc, alkaline, lithium) can be staggering.
• Nickle Metal-Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries offer a high power to size ratio, are available inexpensively, and deliver reliable power. They may be recharged 500+ times and do not have the charge memory problems of Nickle-Cadmium (NiCd) rechargeables, and are less expensive than Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries.
• Some cameras feature the use of proprietary battery packs, while others use AA-sized batteries, usually four at a time.
• NiMH Battery chargers vary considerably in charge cycle times. I carry two Maha MHC204F chargers that can operate either from mains current or from an auto accessory plug. They will fast-charge a set of four AA batteries in about 1.5 hours, and have the ability to perform a conditioning discharge of the batteries.
• While AC adapters are available (usually at an extra cost), their usefulness seems to be in a studio situation or when transferring images to a computer via serial or USB connection.

It's not your Father's Film anymore. . .

Digital cameras store images as files on removable storage media. There are many types used by different manufacturers. The speed with which they store files is important, as often one must wait for an image to be recorded before taking the next shot.

• Floppy Diskette - Sony has sold many "Mavicas" that stored images on floppy disk. This is familiar to the consumer, but the storage available is inadequate for high resolution images. It also causes the camera to be large enough to accommodate the floppy drive.
• SuperDrive (LS-120) high capacity (120 MB) floppy disks. Panasonic introduced the obvious step up from floppies, but the somewhat negative reviews seem to have killed the product.
• Compact Flash - A venerable industry standard, available in capacities of  2 to 640 MB. Controller circuitry is built into the card, so a device that was made for a 2 MB compact flash card can be equally at home with the newest 640 MB cards. Single speed is 150 KB per second, but vendors make 4x, 8x, 10x, and 12x devices.
• Smart Media - A Panasonic introduction. Available in sizes between 2 and 128 MB. Contacts are exposed, and controller circuitry must be designed into the using device. Writing speed varies similarly to Compact Flash media.
• Memory Stick - A Sony introduction. Sized a bit smaller than a stick of chewing gum, has exposed contacts, and is available in sizes from 8 to 64 MB. Sony wants to standardize on this type of storage across many of their products.
• MicroDrive - A technological miracle, these miniature hard drives are the size of a quarter with storage capacities between 170 MB to 1 GB. While of the same interface as Compact Flash, they require Compact Flash Type II slots (5 mm rather than 3 mm) and thus will not fit in many Compact Flash Cameras. They also require more power than flash memory.
• CR/RW - Sony has pioneered use of 3.5" CD/RW drives with a capacity of 135MB on a higher end camera. The media is not readily available at low cost (yet).
• Current pricing of 12x 64 MB Compact Flash or 15x Smart Media is about US $59 at Sam's Club.
• ISO ratings apply to the imaging devices, not the storage media as with film.

Getting Images into Computers. . .

• Most cameras come with some sort of serial or USB connection cable to download images from the camera to a computer.
• RS232/422 Serial transfer can be painfully slow when moving large images across.
• USB transfer of images is almost tolerable.
• Both approaches require that there be charged batteries or external power supply from main current for reliable transfers.
• Use of removable storage media with a computer adapter makes it easy to copy files directly to a computer as if it were on a tiny removable hard disk.
• Media adapters are made for PCMCIA (PC Card) ports, parallel ports, and USB connectors. There are adapters for Compact Flash, Smart Media, and Sony's Memory Sticks. I travel with a notebook computer, use Compact flash, and plug it into the PCMCIA port to transfer images to the computer.
• Removable media can also be used to transfer other types of files between computers.

Taking Pictures - Viewfinder or LCD Display?

Some cameras are equipped with rangefinders, fixed or lens-coupled. Many have a color Liquid Crystal Diode (LCD) display. Some have both.

• LCD displays wash out horribly in bright sunlight, such that they are useless. A glass rangefinder is excellent in this situation.
• While lens-coupled rangefinders are nice, they cannot show the images that are created with accessory lenses.
• Lens hoods or magnifiers affixed to the camera are a big help when using the LCD display.
• There are some image splitting SLR digital cameras, but these are usually on cameras that cost more than US $1,000.

Flashes, built-in and otherwise. . .

Most digital cameras have a small strobe flash built into them. It consumes a fair amount of battery power, but is relatively weak.

• Determine the useful distance for your flash. It may vary between 10 - 20 feet with most. You cannot take pictures without enough light.
• Placement of the built-in flash may be problematic. They may either be fixed or pop-up.
• Many low end cameras have no provision for any sort of external flash. You may obtain "slave" flash units that are triggered by the camera flash. Prices range from US $20 up, and they vary in light output.
• Other cameras have flash attachment provisions like hot shoes or cable attachments.
• Some allow for use of high end flashes with TTL monitoring.
• Some flash attachments require extra accessory brackets and cable kits.

Camera and Image Resolution. . .

• Image resolution is expressed numerically in terms of Picture Elements (pixels). A pixel is one dot, which may require 8, 16, 24, 30, or more bits of storage depending on the number of colors that the dot may be.
• Digital camera and image resolution is expressed backwards as compared to picture size. Rather than thinking in terms of 3"x5", 4"x6", 5"x7", or 8"x10", digital image resolution will be expressed in terms like 320x240, 640x480, 800x600, 1280x960, 1600x1200, 2048x1536, 3000x2000, etc.
  • 320x240 is pretty much useless.
  • 640x480 is good for web use, and prints to a reasonable 4"x6" photo.
  • 1280x960 prints a reasonable 8"x10" photo.
  • 2600x1200 prints a nice 8"x10" photo, and a good 11"x17" photo.
  • 2048x1536 prints nice 11"x17" photos, works in most magazines, and can make a credible poster sized print.
• The number of pixels is determined by the imaging device design, and in turn, determines the size of the image files.
• Cameras have limitations due to the design of the imaging device. Cameras may also capture and store images in various user-selectable resolutions.
• While you may easily coerce a picture to a lower resolution, you may not add detail that was not recorded.

To Zoom, or not to Zoom. . .

• Fixed focus cameras are still incredibly useful. Composition involves much to-ing and fro-ing, though.
• Zoom lenses allow easier composition without so much to-ing and fro-ing.
• Digital Zoom is basically pixel interpolation. The camera estimates what would probably be there, and can result in a fuzzy image rather than clearly focused detail.
• Design of good zoom lenses is difficult, and building them is expensive. 3x and 4x lenses work pretty well, but the 10x lenses often have soft focus ranges.
• Test your camera's lenses over their useful range for distortion.
• Better yet, look at the acuity tests that are available on the web BEFORE you purchase.

When the light level is low. . .

You cannot photograph without light. OTOH, CCD pickups can be incredibly sensitive, and noisy.

• Use the built-in flash.
• Use an external accessory flash.
• Use a tripod.
• Steady the camera on a still object.
• Steady your body by leaning against an immobile object, sitting, or lying prone. Kneeling has not worked well for me.
• Hold your breath, when depressing the shutter.
• Pray to whatsoever deity/mystical force may be appropriate. . .

Image Storing and Archiving. . .

Yes, Virginia, the digital images may be really large. Ask Santa for a larger hard drive, and a CD/ROM recorder, or CD/RW drive.

• High quality digital images may be 12 - 20 MB uncompressed. I routinely use JPEG 1:4 compression, and my images run between 1.0 to 1.6 MB in size.
• CD/ROM's hold 640 MB or more. They have a projected useful life that is longer than mine.
• CD/ROMS can be damaged. Do not make only one copy. Store safely in more than one place.
• DVD/ROMS may become the storage media of choice in the future. They are pricey now, and there are standards issues still being worked out.
• Fixed disks are getting cheap. The images are far more valuable than the media.
• Make archival copies of your original "fresh from the camera" images BEFORE you work them over in the digital darkroom.

Digital Darkroom for Image Modification. . .

• You have at your fingertips the power through software to change the visual world. Use it wisely.
• The digital darkroom can be a pleasant place to play, but it operates in a time warp.
• Always save your original pristine image!
• Many compression techniques are somewhat lossy. Iteratively reapplying them may result in an image that is hopelessly lacking in detail. It will, however, be a smaller file.
• Image quality can degrade as you iteratively modify it or resize it.

Accessories and Add-ons. . .

• Many digital cameras make no provisions for accessory lenses or external flashes. Some make no provision for tripod mount. This can dramatically reduce the amount of money you spend on accessories and simplify your life considerably.
• Check the camera you are planning to buy to see if it has threads on the lens to accept accessory lenses.
• If so, check to see what accessory lenses are available and whether they meet your needs.
• Determine what arrangements (if any) the camera has made for a flash, built-in or external.
• If you are interested in macro (closeup) photography, determine how near the camera will focus.
• Some cameras that do not have threaded lenses may still have add-on lenses by using brackets, velcro, tape, and other doo-dahs and gee-gaws.
• You may be able to hand-hold a loupe or monocular in front of the lens.
• Buy the accessories that you actually need.
• I find the normal 38 - 110 mm lens on my camera to be adequate for most things. Since it will focus to 0.78", it is excellent for macro photography. I use a wide angle adapter and a set of filters frequently. I rarely use my 2x, 3x, or 8x teleconverters. I use my add-on macro lens even less. Only rarely do I mount the camera on the 36x zoom spotting scope.

Whoever said "Size doesn't count". . .

• Some cameras will fit in a shirt pocket.
• Others never will.
• I am willing to lug around a 2 pound camera. Your mileage may vary. . .
• I lost a really tiny digital camera for over a year once. . . It was under the sofa.
• Meet your own needs. I will do likewise.
• Life is a series of compromises. Life is good!

Putting Pictures on Paper. . .

Some things you just gotta do yourself. Someday,  what's left of our photography infrastructure will be able to handle digital media in a rapid and inexpensive fashion. One-Hour Photo labs may someday advertise "20 Minute Digital Prints". . .

OTOH, some things should be done in the privacy of one's home. . .

• Fusible toner color printers produce mostly opaque, reflective pigmentation.
• Dye-Sublimation printers produce beautiful prints, but the consumables are very dear.
• Color Ink Jet printers print with mostly translucent dyes, and the reflectiveness of the paper is important.
• Some color ink has dyes that fade rapidly. The acidity of the paper can accelerate this process.
• Some printer manufacturers now make "Archival Ink Cartridges" available.
• "Archival" acid-free coated paper is becoming more widely available and less expensive.
• Some printers can directly print from "digital film" without intervention of any other computer.
• Some printers have multiple interfaces, often USB, Parallel, IR, Smart Media, and Compact Flash. Some have a PCMCIA card slot. In the near future, some will be equipped with a wireless interface. Most may be networked.

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