Now My Dillema Is Over

After a few months of reading reviews and waiting for new models to be released by famous camera manufacturers here in the Philippines, I found a camera that was released last 2007 by Fujifilm the Finepix F200 EXR.

Now I can totally say that my dillema is over.Why? This is the only camera that was built that so far has the edge among any model of Sony, Canon, Olympus, Nikon, Panasonic, Casio, Kodak, and etc at an affordable price with resolutions higher than 10 megapixels (MP).

The first edge is the sensor type. Fujifilm applied their patented sensor design that was beneficial when taking dark or bright scenes. Please read more about it here: Fujifilm Super CCD

The second edge is the sensor size. Compact cameras nowadays offer more than 10 megapixels at the expense of having the same or smaller sensor sizes. Thus, exceeding the 10 MP mark most compact cameras are at an equal feild because picture detail are the same for futher increase already gives image noise that decreases picture detail because the sensor is over worked to satisfy the promised resolution (with the exception of Leica and some Ricoh models where there sensor size is about the size of a regular film at 33mm or bigger).

Fujifilm’s Finepix F200 EXR is eqipped with bigger sensors than its competitors. It has a 7.78 x 5.83 mm sensor size at 25 MP/cm² density while others are at 33 MP/cm².

The third edge is for me the manual settings.  Fujifilm’s Finepix F200 EXR offers its users to manually set the aperture size and shutter speed in the same manner as an SLR. For me it gives a formal introduction to the SLR world being able to cook a good shot. To learn about the role of aperture size and shutter speed, please refer to this article: Photography Composition Basics

Though Fujifilm’s Finepix F200 EXR also has its cons like the maximum aperture size it offers is smaller at f3.3 while others offer at f2.7 or f2.8 and not the fastest camera it offers a fraction of a second speed while others offer a per secon, I’d still pick this because of its value for money.The only problem I encountered is that it is difficult to find Fujifilm cameras for the only distributor in the Philippines is YKL Color that has limited branches accross the country.

A credible review found here: Fujifilm Finepix F200 EXR Review, April 2009 by Richard Butler

-Xycris

Photography Composition Basics

Let me just briefly go through a photography tutorial explaining some terms and purpose of the technicalities of photography namely the ISO, shutter speed, aperture size and image sensors for digital cameras.

The ISO of the digital camera is the same as the ISO of a film based meaning how sensitive is the camera’s sensor to receive light and convert it into image where the higher the number the more sensitive it gets to light. The shutter speed is the speed where the cover that blocks the light from entering to the camera’s sensor will open and then close to let light in and the whole numbers are seconds, shutter is opened longer, while the fractions are fraction of a second, shutters closes fast. And last is the aperture size that is the amount of light the camera’s lens can allow to enter and reach the camera’s sensor where the measurements are in fraction of an inch.

I know what you are thinking, you are still puzzled. Just imagine you are taking a scene photo on a sunny day along the beach’s shore. You don’t need a flash to get this shot because of the natural brightness you get from the sun.So you will have to do a proper mixture of the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture size. Since it is very bright, you need to get your ISO to 200 or lower, if available because those are not so sensitive to light. Then you have to adjust the shutter speed to a fast one to avoid over exposure because the shutter stayed open for a long time. Then comes the aperture, this one is a bit tricky, keeping it too small means there is lesser light to reach the sensor so you will have to slow the speed of the shutter a bit to avoid under exposure and the outcome of this is a full detailed image from foreground to background. However, if you set the aperture size to the maximum size it has then you will have to increase the speed of the shutter a bit to avoid over exposure and the outcome of this is that the image’s main subject will be clear while the other parts of the image is blurred. If you still did not get it, I don’t know how to make it simpler, sorry.

Let us define ISO deeper. You might have seen images with grains or pixels in the image with various brightness or color information evident on dark areas or objects whose colours are close to black such as hairs! Yes, the ISO affects this where the more sensitive it gets the higher the tendencies to get more noise in your image.

So, you might be wondering how are you going to shoot in dark areas or images with black on it? It is simple, you just have to lower the resolution! I have tried with a Sony DSC-W220 model whose highest resolution is 12mp by capturing the night sky to visibly see the stars of the constellation Orion (tip: the stars are brighter in rural areas for there are fewer artificial lights). I had the camera’s settings at ISO 3200 and resolution at 5mp where it gave a fairly good image with almost no image noise. For a DSLR at 12mp, you might just need to bring it to 8mp or even not at all.

You might be wondering again why DSLRs need not to lower the resolution when capturing dark areas? The factors that yeilds this are the camera’s sensor’s sensitivity, the ISO level, and the sensor’s size plays a factor. Many small digital cameras today offer higher resolutions at cheaper prices because they have a small sensor size no bigger than the nail of your pinky finger, mind you, a bigger sensor means it is more expensive that explains a DSLR’s price. Simply put, the sensor of a small digital camera needs to work hard to produce a 12mp picture compared to DSLR’s sensor at 12mp whose sensor size might be half the size of a regular 35mm film or even bigger!

Image processors nowadays also play a vital role in reducing image noise. Some small cameras who are comparable to say Sony’s DSC-W220 might not be able to produce the same clear image at ISO 800 with 12mp resolution due to the processor’s low noise reducing capability. However, they might offer other features to compensate this such as LCDs at the front or Photoshop like editing features.

That is the end, if you have suggestions or corrections, please mail them to me.

 -Xycris

Unified stored ticket system in LRT

I just had a new find recently, well, I don’t know about the others if they know this, it is just about the stored tickets of LRT Line 1 (LRT1) and LRT Line 2 (LRT2) working for both lines. Yes, you read that correctly!

I heard from my officemate who accidentally used her LRT1 stored ticket in LRT2 that the machine accepted and displayed the proper amount the card contained. I have verified this with LRT1 and LRT2 and they both said yes the cards will work either way but not on MRT Line 3, I have tried and proven it (hehehe).

This new find is very convenient for me becuase I live in Cubao and I usually visit my girl friend who lives near 5th Ave. Station of LRT1. I can just ride the trains with only one stored value ticket instead of being trapped in a jammed traffic in EDSA from SM North to Monumento because of the on going construction of the LRT1’s North Extension Project.

Enjoy travelling with this new convenience.

-Xycris

Which camera is right for me?

Time and time I really am tempted to buy a new camera to replace my damaged one the Sony DSC-W150 but thanks to my lack of funds I can’t afford to buy one.

Considering the passing time of yearning for a good camera, I have thought over buying a DSLR already or just buying a new lens for the film based SLR (Nikon FM-10) I have at home. But, something kept me from really focusing away on SLR or DSLR cameras in the mean time and that is being handy and and affordable.

I have made my research at DPReview.com and loads of other sites that review cameras has been a big help for me and an eye opener. I learned what makes a camera really produce a good quality image by features and of course the techniques of composition and capturing the image. Simply put: a camera is a tool and it is only as smart as its user no matter how great its features are.

So I equiped myself with loads of information on the different models of DSLRs and techniques by observing photographers and looking at end result pictures. I was amazed at the results of a DSLR but as I watched DSLR owners some were capturing dark or out of focus images, some were walking cautiously along Aurora Blvd., Cubao, some were having a hard time to fit in tight areas or carry their cameras using one hand.

As I continue to load myself with such information, a certain pro photographer (pardon me for I forgot his name) mentioned to me that I do not need a bulky SLR or DSLR to really capture good images. He showed me his first photography adventures with a digital camera using the old Canon Powershot S40 that has a 4mp resolution and to my surprise the image was at par with a DSLR!

He revealed to me the techniques, the Canon Powershot S40 has a manual setting where you can change the camera’s ISO, shutter speed, and aperture size manually. You might be wondering what those are for I too had that puzzled look that time. Please read this article of mine to learn a bit more: (Photography Composition Basics)

The images he showed me were really great but somehow the camera has bad noise reduction when shooting at environments with darker spots or even black or close to black objects such as black hair! Furthermore, noise is also evident in higher ISO sensitivity.

Going to the end of 2009, a number of cameras has already been released since Canon’s Powershot S40. DSLRs are always ahead in providing huge images with minimal noise but a number of new small digital camera models now can compete at a more affordable price though the manual setting is limited to only a few models.

Satisfying my yearning, I have continued to search and found the Sony DSC-W300 to have the features I needed for an entry level photography with high resolution at 13.6mp, good image processor offering vibrant and crisp images, manual settings, very handy, and the price, well, forget about the price (you can read why here: Next Camera Dilemma).

So, as of this moment, I am waiting for Sony’s DSC-W300 to drop in price or there might be a better model when 2010 comes probably not from Sony. I am already saving!

Define: Full Frame

I have been fascinated in the world of photgraphy being too technical and pricey yet once a picture is taken it can bring a story of its own.

Photography today has been made available to everyone where you can easily buy a camera, take a shot, and have it stored or printed. You can either opt for the film based or the digital based and have the point-and-shoot ones or the highly sophisticated ones, it is your choice as what people say, “tools are only as intelligent/ wise as the one who uses them.”

Many people today would prefer to have the digital cameras because of the ease in previewing the photo even right after the shot, can be printed or stored, readily editable, and very portable. However, film based cameras will still be in the market today because it still do provide a different feel for some photographers and more inmportantly the shots are not easily editable, it is very useful in crime scene shots or to show off you are good photographer because your shots are not edited. As for me, I want to have both as learning is a good experience.

The term “full frame” is one part of my learning experience in photogrphy. I have been searching for the definition of “full frame” camera and somehow I ended up with the 35 mm film, the standard size of the film in both still and motion pictures. Full frame simply refers to the usage of the the entire width and height of the film and the 35 mm film size became the standard size and was internationally recognised in 1909, since it bacame highly popular after its introduction in 1892 by William Dickson and Thomas Edison.

The standard size of a full frame film is 24 mm × 36 mm, so how does it apply to the digital cameras? Digital cameras have sensors to receive the light and record it as an image. The mixture of sensor size and pixel detail, the dots in the digital image, of the camera greatly affects the quality of the image where the closer the sensor size is to the full frame size the greater the detail in the image it provides per pixel output. Simply put the more pixel placed per sensor size the more quality in the image is lost. Putting it in practice, a 1/1.8″ sensor is 7.18 mm × 5.32 mm offers lesser detail at 12 megapixels resolution compared to a 24 mm × 36 mm sensor size of a Leica M9 or many full frame DSLRs at 12 megapixels.

However, there is a catch to the sensor size. The bigger your cameras’s sensor is, the more expensive it gets. Furthermore, in the compact camera world, the optical zoom and sensor size is inversely proportional because of the lens design limit. Meaning, the higher the optical zoom it provides the smaller the sensor size is!

So, if you plan on buying a camera, better opt for the one with the best value for your money. Know the technical details of the models you are choosing from especially when it comes to the compact digital cameras where many now offers high optical zoom sacrificing the size of the sensor. Still, the cheapest full frame camera is the film based considering you get all that in a simple point-and-shoot film camera and for Kodak it was named instamatic series.