Cameras

[syed]

Well for anything important I normally shoot RAW, so I end up using Photoshop to process those images (I realize there are better options out there, but I happen to have Photoshop on my Mac). It's basically like shooting film and keeping the negatives, whilst shooting JPEGs loses a lot of the info in-camera and is irretrievable down the line.

However when shooting JPEG for most snapshots, I rarely alter them in Photoshop - maybe a little contrast or sharpness if needed. One of the main uses I have for Photoshop is resizing images for the interwebs. Collages, posters and other Photoshop fun notwithstanding.

[lowrey]

same for me, except I shoot hi-res jpeg for everything, can't be arsed with RAW. I usually just do minor touch ups like colour balance, sharpness and brightness and contrast. sometimes colour levels if I want to achieve some effect, but I try to do that when shooting rather than post processing.

[endersgame]

I've never owned or even used Photoshop in my life...don't really believe in digital post-processing, but I'm hearing that I may eventually have to 'fix things up a bit' if i'm going to make prints...?

don't think of it as post-processing, but you need to know how to operate photoshop so the image you get from the camera that gets edited on a certain computer screen, printed on a certain printer, and on a certain paper stock looks all the same.

maybe you should look into taking a color management/profiling and basic photoshop course at school..

[Fade to Black]

Unfortunately there aren't a whole lot of courses like that offered here, actually there isn't a whole lot to do with photography in general. I will have to self-teach the whole way, as I have been with taking pictures - basically i've enrolled to get some sort of structure with appropriate directional feedback for the work since I wasn't getting it anywhere else, not much in the way of technical instruction. The program's been a bit haphazard and really go-it-yourself as a few of my peers have agreed with this assessment.

On the upside the school is ordering a medium format hasselblad digital camera - obviously can't afford the thing but it will be nice to shoot and make prints with when it gets in.

[wearejuststardust]

DP1s or DP1x?
any thoughts?

[nictan]

alright. i'll be going to an IT fair in Singapore tomorrow to finally get myself (hopefully) a decent camera. judging from popularity and reviews here, i'll most probably get the canon S90/95 depending on price and 'freebies' on offer.

im really a noob with regards to cameras and photography. just want a good point and shoot that can last me for a good ~5 years before i buy a new one. wad are the main notable differences between the 90 and 95? my budget would be about 400 bucks. hopefully lower. at which price-point-difference would it be better to get the other?

thanks for any advice in advance.

[Bubu]

just get the s95.

no need to squeeze with the crowd at the show. get down to Funan and you will find shops offering similar freebies to the show. search in facebook for SLR Revolution for a quote. it's a shop in Funan.

[DmD]

DP1s or DP1x?
any thoughts?

I haven't tried the DP1x yet, but if they have improved the autofocus, as they claim, that would be reason enough for me to get the DP1x. I was not impressed with the autofocus of the DP1s.

[nictan]

just get the s95.

no need to squeeze with the crowd at the show. get down to Funan and you will find shops offering similar freebies to the show. search in facebook for SLR Revolution for a quote. it's a shop in Funan.

thanks! will most probably do just that. hate the crowds there and was looking for a reason not to go. already PMed the shop on facebook

[Faust]

Another proud owner of S95 (in transit). Lowrey should be getting commission from Canon. Now I need a crash course in using it.

[syed]

Easiest thing to do is to start in P mode if you want to start learning. It decides aperture and shutter speed for you, but you have control over Exposure Compensation, ISO, White Balance and other settings. You basically get some sense of action and reaction unlike full Auto.

With the S95 you can set your most used control to the click wheel around the lens, and use the other keys to control everything else. In P mode I'd probably use it for Exposure Compensation, just so you can have that much more control over your photo. But once you go into A/Tv modes, you'll obviously be using it for Aperture/Shutter Speed.

[lowrey]

Another proud owner of S95 (in transit). Lowrey should be getting commission from Canon. Now I need a crash course in using it.

crash course on the different modes:

auto
full auto, will use flash if necessary

P
as syed described, semi-automatic, flash can be selected manually. you can choose the following (by pressing FUNC.SET):

ISO = light sensitivity, roughly put ISO100 for daylight, 400 for well lit inside, 800 and upwards for dim lighting (1600 is already quite grainy)
white balance = auto works in daylight, but in dim lighting tungsten (light bulb) is good (otherwise the image is yellow/orange)

M
full manual, in addition to the above, you can most importantly control aperture and shutter speed.

aperture: controlled by ring around lens by default, changes how much light is let through the lens. lower F number = more light coming in, shorter range of focus. in low light conditions you'd want to use the lowest aperture, if you focus on something close by, the background will be blurred. high F number = wider range of focus.

shutter speed: controlled by the small ring dial next to the screen. slow shutter will let more light in, but anything under 1/20 can be difficult to shoot by hand (shaking blurs image). use lower speed for dim light, higher when there is more light as well as capturing moving objects.



Av

lets you choose aperture, and will adjust shutter automatically. useful if you specifically want short focus range (background blur) etc.


Tv

opposite as AV - lets you choose the shutter speed, and adjusts aperture accordingly. useful if you need a specific shutter speed, for example higher to capture moving objects. personally, I use Av much more often.



there are of course other features, but these are the most essential ones needed for every shot.

[Faust]

/\ Thank you, gents. You know what the saddest part of all of this is - I studied photography for several years when I was a kid, had a fully manual camera and my own dark room. :(

[Fade to Black]

i wish i'd learned the fully manual stuff first, wish i'd gotten into it earlier and wish i figured out Photoshop in high school/college.

That childhood dark room anecdote is poignant.

[syed]

^ It's never too late to learn. If you're interested and enjoy it, no matter what the subject, you gotta give it your best and see what happens!