Light and Depth of Field

With such a fantastic device as the digital camera for the recreation of magic in arts, a lot of care needs to be taken so as to maintain the perfection of the end product. This perfection is not only obtained by the artistic feeling of the photographer but also with the intricate knowledge of every minute aspect of the medium of creation of art (in this case the digital camera). And these minute aspects play a vast role in defining the ultimate perfection. The digital camera, light and depth of field are one such factor that would come into light in this subsequent discussion. Basically, the depth of field is a measurement of the acceptable sharpness. Yet this is very strictly a personal preference, and varies from person to person. Thus to be more formal, the depth of field can be defined as the area inside an image that demonstrates an ample sharpness that can be considered more or less in focus. So the depth of field is the range of distance, measured along the lens axis, as per which the image is caused to be sufficiently well and sharp in the photograph. The rest is as follows!

The depth of field defines the zone where all elements show clearly from foreground to background. Three factors control the depth of field in an image, they are the distance of the subject, the focal length, and the aperture used to capture the photograph. For people using compact digital cameras, one of the subjects of out of the ordinary interest is the depth of field because depth of field is more easily said than done to control with a compact digital camera than with earlier conventional analog film cameras. The minute imaging sensors of compact cameras need the use of short focal lengths, and this in sequence gives these compact digital cameras an extraordinarily long depth of field when compared to other cameras. Thereby, with intent obtaining a shallow depth of field is more complicated.

Considering a general acceptable fact, the depth of field decreases, as the image gets nearer to the camera. This means that as the focal point reaches closer to the lens, the achievable scope of the depth of field ebbs. On the other side, if the image is far enough distant from the camera, and for digital cameras, this must not be very far, the depth of field approaches out to infinity. Another important point to be noted is that the depth of field is proportional to the lens opening.

Having discussed the above important aspects of the light and depth of field of a digital camera, it is clear that the minute details make such great subjects whose knowledge becomes equally important for making appropriate use of the fantastic device, the digital camera! And the digital camera, light and depth of field comes out to be such important factors that can make all the difference if a photographer remains oblivious about this knowledge. A small factor thus can meal a big divergence!

By Jakob Jelling
http://www.snapjunky.com

Are buying your first digital camera? Well, you must be confused by the bewildering range of models out there. How do you know which model will suit your needs? To make things worse, digital cameras do not come cheap. Choosing a bad camera will easily cost you a few hundred dollars.

In fact, buying a digital camera need not be a difficult task. I'll highlight the key considerations you need to think through before making that purchase decision. Always, always remember to consider these factors when buying a digital camera:

• Battery Life
• Number of Megapixels
• Zoom Lens
• Exposure Control
• User Controls

Battery Life

This has got to be one of the most overlooked features in digital cameras. I know many people who go for the latest and greatest digital cameras which are short in the battery life department. If you want to take good photos, your camera needs to powered for extended periods of time. I've found that cost and battery life don't go together - many cheap cameras have good battery life, while some high-end models drain your battery really fast. Make sure you choose a camera that has good battery life.

Number of Megapixels

The megapixel rating of a digital camera determines how much fine detail you can capture in your shots. Typically, the number of megapixels can range around from 2 megapixels to 8 megapixels. How do you decide how many megapixels you need? As a rule of thumb, if you're only interested in taking small snapshots to send via email or for posting on the Web, you won't need more than 2-megapixels. If you want large print outs of your gorgeous photographs, then you'll probably want to get 5- megapixel cameras and above.

Zoom Lens

You'll definitely want a camera with decent optical zoom. Now the keyword here is optical zoom (as opposed to digital zoom). Optical zoom physically moves the camera lenses to zoom in on a subject. Digital zoom, however, digitally averages and magnifies the image within the camera's microchip - resulting in poor picture quality. Many manufacturers' advertisements talk about digital zoom instead of optical zoom - so do be careful when choosing. I'd recommend getting at least 3x optical zoom in any camera you buy.

Exposure Control

The ability to control exposure settings such as shutter speed and lens opening is critical to professional photographers. Cheaper digital cameras only allow you to shoot photos in automatic mode - just press the shutter release and voila, your picture is taken. More advanced users prefer to tweak the shutter speed and aperture to capture fast moving objects or blur the image background. Choose a camera with good exposure control if you foresee yourself taking on photography as a serious hobby.

User Controls

If you are getting a point-and- shoot camera, make sure you find one that's easy to use. User controls to set resolution, macro mode, flash and exposure should be within easy reach. Of course, if you're a serious photography buff who wants to take the time to tweak all sorts of manual settings, then this many not be so critical. I prefer to try out the camera first in the store - play with the controls and get comfortable with them. Only then will you know whether it's comfortable enough for you.

Conclusion

Well, I do hope this article has helped you understand what factors to consider when buying a digital camera. A general piece of advice I can give is - if you're a total newbie, don't go for the latest digital SLR. It may be tempting to get that Nikon D70 right from the start, but I'd reckon its much better to start off with a cheaper camera first. Learn, experiment and build up your digital photography skills. Once you're more skilled, then proceed to upgrade to a better camera. Good luck and happy shopping!

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on digital photography. Visit his website at http://www.basic-digital-photography.com for tips and tricks on buying digital cameras, as well as shooting great photos.