Take better pictures with your phone

Many people have already converted to one unit for all their audio and visual communication needs. Cameraphones have improved dramatically over the past couple of years. Companies consistently add cameras with larger megapixels and better lenses to their latest models. I recently saw an image by an amateur astronomer of Jupiter taken with an iPhone. Granted, it is not the most detailed shot, but still a big leap for the capabilities of a cameraphone.

If your phone has also become your camera Photo Industry Reporter has some tips on how to capture better shots.

10 Tips for Taking Better Cameraphone Photos:

Middletown, CT— Wireless Zone reports that cameraphones are increasingly becoming the picture-taking device of choice. According to a recently published study, the company says about 1 in 5 consumers already use a cameraphone as their primary camera.

Mark Asnes, vice president and COO of Wireless Zone (wirelesszone.com), shared some wireless wisdom that can help consumers take better cameraphone pictures.

1. Good lighting is key. The ideal is natural light, but you can still get good results inside by turning on a few lights.

2. Adjust the white balance. Select your setting based on the type of lighting. If the lighting is mixed, stick with the auto setting.

3. Just say no to digital zoom. The picture quality will be reduced drastically. Optical zoom is OK if the phone has it.

4. Get ready for your close-up. In place of digital zoom, get the cameraphone closer to whatever you’re taking a picture of.

5. Stay very, very still. To prevent blurring, hold the cameraphone with both hands and brace your arms against your sides or lean your elbows on a stable object.

6. Get accustomed to the shutter lag. For better timing, get a feel for how long it takes between the moment you press the button and the moment the picture is captured.

7. Don’t get trigger-happy with the delete button. An image that looks grainy on your phone could look just fine on your computer screen.

8. A clean lens takes clean pictures. Use a glasses or lens cleaning cloth to avoid scratching the lens.

9. Turn up the resolution unless the sole purpose is for picture messaging.

10. If at first you don’t succeed . . . just keep experimenting with different angles, lighting and settings.

Get the "big" shot in a big crowd

Unless you are a press photographer with clearance, most likely when attending a sporting event your seats are not front row. Or say a parade, graduation, red carpet, really any situation where you are trying to photograph around something blocking your view. Sure you can use a monopod to elevate your camera above the what is obstructing your shot, but how do you know what you are getting? The Argraph Corporation launched a product called Zigview that can help. It is a real time digital viewfinder for DSLRs that allows for a lot more freedom when shooting. The company also has a site where fans of the product can share their images of once "impossible to get shots" called How Do You Zigview? Now you don't have to miss the "big" shot when stuck in a big crowd.

"Impossible" Becomes Possible with Zigview: Picture Business Magazine May '08 issue

Talk about having fun with a product launch – Argraph Corporation has never stopped having a blast with their unique Zigview product, launched last year. The product, rotating, tilting real-time digital viewfinder for DSLRs, was well received in the imaging industry and the company has run several interesting promos around the p[product since its launch. The most recent marketing commotion is the response Argraph has gotten from asking Zigview users to send in some of the more interesting images the product is allowing to capture. The company claims, “Photos are pouring in from enthusiastic photographers around the world. They’re taking shots they never thought were possible. And they’re posting the incredible results on the “How Do You Zigview?” page of the Argraph Corp. website.”

Studio Lighting in a Flash

While surfing the net in the hopes of finding a solution for getting a custom white balance for a customers digital camera we’ve stumbled upon a company that has developed a portable, lightweight adapter that is designed to replicate the lighting effect produced by those heavy, tethered, powered studio ring flash units.

Whether you’re shooting fashion or portrait on the fly, have you ever wanted that three dimensional shadow – wrapped look that seems to come from around the subject? Well the folks at ExpoImaging have developed the Ray Flash.

The devise relies on the hot-shoe flash to generate its light and automatically takes advantage of your camera’s TTL metering. Because the ring flash light originates from a circle around the lens, it produces a virtually shadowless look on the front of your subject, while producing a soft even shadow around the edges. For you “gonzo” wedding shooters this adapter can be used as either a main or fill in light.

According to Erik Sowder, president of ExpoImaging, “It’s a great accessory tool for your strobe because it enables the photographer to easily achieve a high fashion studio portrait while on location. We here at Mighty Imaging think its cool because it has no electronics, batteries or flash tubes and best of all it does not require any cables.

Holiday digital camera buying guide

The holiday shopping season is upon us. A new digital camera is on many people's wish list. If you are thinking of buying a new camera for yourself or a photo fanatic in your family and are not sure where to start Yahoo! has posted a shopping guide by David Elrich of DigitalTrends that can help. The most sensible advise is to be purchase a camera that most fits your needs. If you plan on making big prints make sure you buy a camera that is 8 megapixels or larger.

Digital Cameras: Buying Made Simple

You've decided to buy a digital camera - or upgrade to a newer, more powerful one. You're not alone.

According to industry experts, close to 30 million digital cameras will be bought this year. And these hefty figures don't include the millions of camera-phone owners who take zillions of snapshots every day.

When you're researching different cameras, manufacturers will state the maximum file (or picture) size you can take. In the case of a 6 megapixel camera, it's 2816 horizontal pixels x 2112 vertical pixels, with 7MP it's 3072 x 2304 and so on. Simply multiply the numbers and you get the effective resolution of the imaging device. We suggest you avoid anything less than 6 or 7MP at this point unless you're looking for an inexpensive camera for the kids.

Pros have access to 21-megapixel imagers in very expensive D-SLRs. You don't have to go this route or spend that much money for great everyday photos, but 6MP should be your minimum. If you plan on making very large prints, such as 13x19s, or you think you might experiment with imaging software, consider 8 or more megapixels. There are no hard-and-fast rules, since so much depends on your final end use.

ASMP presents an evening with Phase One

On Tuesday September 18th the local chapter of the ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) will be hosting a seminar for Capture One software and the line of Phase One capture backs. Chris Benes, Southwestern Area Manager for Phase One, will be leading the event. It will take place at Ken Easley Photography in downtown Phoenix. There will two training sessions starting at 4:30 and going until 8:45 PM, with a break for refreshments in-between. To reserve your spot please register with info@markpeterman.com.

Chris will emphasize how to prepare the RAW file to do less work in Photoshop. Learn "tips and tricks" including B&W shooting directly through Capture One, creating and implementing your own "Styles," using "ColorEditor" for complete control and more.

Working smarter is the goal...Making a better profit is the result!

Chris's presentation will include a section on troubleshooting and, if time allows, will be followed by a brief Q & A for those that have specific needs. Chris will be giving us a peek at Capture One 4.0 which is in beta now.

The door prizes at the end of the evening will include a full version of Capture One Pro software! Come on out and spend the evening with Phase One!

DIY 'Snoot' for your flash

This "snoot" is easy to construct. You just need some gaffers tape and foam paper. Then you can customize it as you need to and get dramatic lighting effects, like this one.

All the steps are posted on Instructables.

Speedlite "Snoot"

Learn how to make a "Snoot" for your speedlite flash with easy to find items you may even have around the house!

Step 1

Get gaffer's tape and foam paper. Look in the craft supply area of Hobby Lobby or Michaels to find the foam paper, and if you have friends at the local theatre (plays not movies) you can often get a bit of Gaffers tape at no charge. Else, check with a camera shop that carries lighting supplies.

Blink of an eye

How would you like a camera that could totally eliminate red eye and even better not need any flash at all? Kodak is working on that. They are developing a sensor that will read not only the color but also the brightness of what you are shooting. The new technology will be implemented in cameras they release in 2008.

Kodak's New Sensor May Eliminate Flash: Dory Devlin for Yahoo Tech

Here's how it would work: The new technology would increase light sensitivity of existing image sensors by two to four times. That means a camera's shutter speed could increase, which would reduce camera shake and blurring problems. If it works, it also would allow photographers to shoot in low light without producing grainy, speckled photos.

The proof is in the pixels. In most digital cameras, each sensor pixel detects either the color red, green, or blue and places them into a pattern named for Bryce Bayer, the Kodak engineer who developed it. With the new high-sensitivity technology, half of the pixels will be panchromatic, or clear, so they will capture only the brightness, not color. That means a 12-megapixel camera would have 6 million panchromatic pixels, 3 million green pixels, 1.5 million red pixels, and 1.5 million blue pixels. In comparison, today's 12-megapixel cameras have 6 million green pixels, 3 million red, and 3 million blue.

Are you ready for your close up?

This week Kodak announced a new line of consumer cameras that are due to come out between now and September. Looks can be deceiving, these small cameras pack a powerful punch. The M753 & M853 models will capture images that are large enough to print 30x40's. Plus they come in pretty colors. Full write up by Digital Photography Review.

Kodak Brings Style within Reach with New M-Series Zoom Digital Cameras

The KODAK EASYSHARE M753 and M853 Zoom Digital Cameras are equipped with 3x optical zoom lenses and 7- and 8-megapixel resolution respectively, which allows consumers to print clear, crisp images up to 30” x 40” in size.

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

The worldwide celebration of pinhole photography is coming up this weekend, April 29th. Time to dust of your SPAMera and get out there and take some funky pinhole images. If you get anything you want to share you can post them to the official Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day website. They have galleries up there from the past 6 years worth of submissions. Better yet, you can get a big print of your favorite image. The eerie quality of these lensless pinhole images is amplified when you enlarge them. Happy shooting!

The lens does make a difference

Here is proof that it is not only the processor in your digital camera, but the optics that shoot the image that make a difference in quality. Contessa Nettel Cocarette adapted an old film camera with a Zeiss lens to attach to her digital SLR. Thanks to Make magazine for the find.

Contessa Nettel Concarette with Carl Zeiss Tessar 105mm f/4.5

This is a 6x9 rollfilm camera made by Contessa Nettel (one of the companies which merged to form Zeiss Ikon in 1926). The lens is a Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 105mm f/4.5, in a dial-set Compur shutter. The camera has rack focusing, meaning that the entire lens assembly moves for focusing. This gives higher image quality than front-element focusing, where only the front element of the lens is moved.

The camera's back doesn't open, but rather the film is first loaded onto an insert that slides into the camera. The back, however, has a small circular door for cleaning the back of the lens.

I removed the circular door from the back of the camera and glued a short (11mm) M42 extension tube in it's place. Now the entire camera can be attached to my DSLR with an M42 adapter, and pictures can be taken through the lens. Thanks to the rack focusing mechanism, infinity focus is possible by not fully extending the bellows. For close-up photography, the bellows work really well for macro extension.

In my initial test shots, the lens has proven to be very sharp.

Based on the serial number of the lens, this camera was probably made in 1923. Certainly before the Zeiss Ikon -merger in 1926.

Be sure to check out her crop comparison of the same image taken with and without the Zeiss adaptation.

Big prints require big files

Now Lexar makes it a little easier to save those big files.

Digital Photography Review: Fremont, Ca., February 13, 2007 – Lexar, a leader in advanced digital media and accessories, today expanded its professional product line with the introduction of a 133x speed-rated Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC™) flash memory card designed for professional and high-end amateur photographers who demand the freedom and flexibility to quickly capture a large number of high-resolution images with SDHC-enabled digital cameras. Delivering a minimum sustained write speed capability of 20MB per second, Lexar Professional SDHC cards allow photographers to capture more images while spending less time changing memory cards.

The trick is making sure your camera is compatible with your brand new shinny 4 GB SDHC card. Cameras that accept SD media will not accept SDHC technology.

HD Photo vs. JPEG

Many other file format opponents have tried to box out the popularity of JPEG. Will the release of Vista do the trick for Window's HD Photo? That remains to be seen. Very interesting read from CNet.

Vista to give HD Photo format more exposure:
Microsoft is looking to supplant the ubiquitous JPEG with an image format of its own--and it's hoping the debut of Windows Vista will help do the job.

In 2006, Microsoft began promoting its own image standard, formerly called Windows Media Photo but renamed HD Photo in November. The company makes no bones about its ambitions: "Our ultimate goal is that it does become the de facto standard people are using for digital photos," said Josh Weisberg, Microsoft's director of digital imaging evangelism.

"HD" doesn't actually stand for "high definition," but it's supposed to connote the better image quality that comes with HD TV. Rico Malvar, a Microsoft Research director who helped develop the format, said that compared with JPEG, HD Photo preserves more subtle details, offers richer colors and takes up half the storage space at the same image quality.

Also check out their compression comparison.

No more megapixels?

This single pixel camera is still under development and not nearly ready for 'prime time' yet. If the technology ever makes it to the market place it could re-revolutionize the digital photography world. The device sounds like it works similar to the DLP technology in HD TV's. It is an interesting concept. We'll see if it ever comes to fruition.

Single-pixel camera takes on digital
Researchers in the US are developing a single-pixel camera to capture high-quality images without the expense of traditional digital photography.

Being developed by a lab at Rice University in Houston, Texas, the single-pixel camera is designed to tackle what its developers see as the "inefficiencies" of modern digital camera.

It currently resembles an old-fashioned pinhole camera and is the size of a suitcase, but assistant professor of electrical engineering Kevin Kelly told BBC World Service's Digital Planet programme that it is only "the beginning of things."

Inefficiencies

The camera was created, according to Dr Kelly and his colleague Richard Baraniuk, because digital cameras are very wasteful. They require expensive microprocessors and massive battery power to capture an image - most of which will not be used in displaying the picture.

This is because the captured image is compressed, to a jpeg file for example, to make the file size smaller and more convenient to store.

"What is so inefficient about this is that we acquire all these numbers - for example 10 megapixels - only to throw away 80-90% when we do the compression process," explained Dr Baraniuk.

Full story courtesy of BBC News/Technology.

3 new cameras from Canon make getting big prints easier

With the announcement today from Canon adding three new models in their PowerShot A range series, it makes getting big prints from an affordable point and shoot camera more accessible to consumers. Canon has these models set to be released in February. They have not released pricing yet for these models, but their previous A series cost less than $150. Files taken in the highest setting on the A550 model will be able to print on the LightJet up to a 20x30 with no file deterioration.

Slotting in at the entry-level, the PowerShot A450 and A460 replace the previous A420 and A430. Both sport 5.0 megapixel sensors and 3.2x / 4x zooms respectively. The A550 meanwhile enters the mid-range to supersede the A530, and offers a little more both in terms of features and control as well as increasing the pixel count to 7.1 million.
Full review provided by Digital Photography Review.