by Miserere

NOTE: This article was originally published on September 19^th 2010. Since then I have been updating it regularly as new information becomes available. To the best of my knowledge all specs and other information are correct.
Latest updates:

• September 1, 2011^th 2011 The follow up camera in this series, the X10 is introduced. See Fuji X10 Release notes.
• June 29^th 2011 (updated new firmware link specs section; added video of the Fuji X100 manufacturing plant and how it recovered after the earthquake)
• June 20^th 2011 (added link to best cards for the X100 in the specs section)
• June 19^th 2011 (updated Review section; added info on alternative batteries for the X100 in the specs section)
• June 9^th 2011 (updated Review section)
• May 19^th 2011 (updated Review section)
• May 16^th 2011 (updated Video section)
• May 5^th 2011 (updated Review section)
• April 26^th 2011 (updated Review section)
• April 21^st 2011 (added Fuji X100 firmware item to specs list)
• April 15^th 2011 (added Fuji X100 DxO Mark evaluation to Interesting Links; updated Review section)
• April 11^th 2011 (updated Review section)
• April 4^th 2011 (updated Review section)
• March 29^th 2011 (added links to order in Australasia; updated Review section with lots of items; updated shutter speed specs)
• March 19^th 2011 (updated Review section with lots of items)
• March 13^th 2011 (updated Preview section; updated Review section)
• March 9^th 2011 (updated Preview section with 5 new items; added a new video)
• March 7^th 2011 (updated release dates; added preorder link for Amazon UK; added new section: Where Will the British Fuji X100 Cameras Come From?)
• March 6^th 2011 (updated specs with link to Fuji X100 owner’s manual in English; added first X100 review to the Review section)
• March 3^rd 2011 (updated Interesting Links with Q&A session in Taiwan; updated sensor specs)
• March 1^st 2011 (updated Preview section with QueSabesDe preproduction field test; added buffer specs)
• Feb 28^th 2011 (updated Preview section with Flickr gallery by Mio Cade; added video from WhatDigitalCamera.com)
• Feb 25^th 2011 (updated Preview section with DPR samples gallery)
• Feb 22^nd 2011 (updated sync speed; updated lens aperture info; added video by Tyler Stalman)
• Feb 17^th 2011 (added item(s) to videos, previews and links sections; updated shutter speed specs)
• Feb 16^th 2011 (added price and availability in Japan)

Click to order the X100 NOW! (Doing so through our links will help EtL at no extra cost to you.)

Index

Fuji X10 Released
Introduction
Fuji X100 Specs
Fuji X100 Lens
Fuji X100 vs Leica X1
Size Comparisons
My Opinion
Mount and Price Info
My Opinion, Part 2
A Look Through the Optical Viewfinder
Photos of the X100
Videos of the X100
Where Will the British Fuji X100 Cameras Come From?
Previews of the Fuji X100
Full Reviews of the Fuji X100
Interesting Links

Introduction

If there’s such a thing as love at first sight in Photography, I just got hit by it. My oh my oh my…what a beautiful camera this Fuji X100 is. Styled after a classic fixed-lens rangefinder of the 60′s or 70′s, it’s actually a digital camera with an APS-C 12MP CMOS sensor and a fixed 23mm f/2 lens. And see that thing that looks like an optical viewfinder? It’s a hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, which should keep both old- and new-schoolers happy. I had no idea Fuji was working on anything like this and was completely blind-sided a couple hours ago when I spotted the announcement. Given the flurry of activity on the fora and blogsphere, I am not the only one who is smitten with this beauty.

Can you spot the ancestry in the Fujica GW670 and GW690 from the 70′s and 80′s? The kids over at the rangefinderforum.com are very excited and I can imagine many reviewing what gear they can sell to purchase this camera. I have no idea of what the price is going to be, or where in the World it will be distributed, but I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I find out. For now, check out the official X100 website and read the X100 brochure (PDF).

February 8^th 2011: Fuji’s official X100 announcement.

Fuji X100 Specs

Fuji X100 Lens

A great camera with a crappy lens is pointless. I don’t know how good the X100′s lens will be, but it does seem the designers put some serious thought into it. I go into the fixed vs interchangeable issue further down, but I think right now this is a moot point because Fuji decided to go with a fixed lens design and that’s how we’ll have to use and judge the camera. The lens diagram to the right (click to enlarge) shows the location of the 3-stop ND filter, shutter and 9-blade diaphragm, which are all grouped behind the front lens group (light enters lens from the left and sensor is located on the right in this diagram). The advantage of an in-lens shutter such as this versus a focal plane shutter (which is found in DSLRs) is that it can be made smaller, thus lighter and quieter (and allow for higher sync speeds to boot). Together with the lack of a mirror, this should enable the X100 to be a very quiet camera.

Fuji are claiming the lens is optimised for performance in the f/4 – 5.6 range, but that is true of most lenses (i.e., they perform better 2 – 3 stops down from wide open). What they don’t say is how the lens performs wide open, and as a street shooter that is something I care about. I hope they’re not using marketing-speak to tell us it’s very soft wide open!

Learn more about the lens here.

Fuji X100 vs Leica X1

The X100 will be competing against the Leica X1, which lacks a viewfinder, but otherwise shares a similar ethos. Not only does the Fuji provide an optical viewfinder, it also provides the benefits EVFs provide. The X100 also has a faster lens, f/2 versus the f/2.8 of the Leica. Their dimensions are very similar, with the X100 being about 15mm taller. But the one question everyone is asking is…will the Fuji cost $2,000 like the X1, or will it be affordable to mere mortals. Sadly, I expect it to be built in small quantities, be on perpetual backorder, and cost North of US$1,500. I’d love to be wrong, but this isn’t Panasonic, Olympus or Canikon we’re talking about, but Fuji, a small player in the non-P&S digital market.

For those wondering about the size similarities I threw together this composite showing them side by side; click for larger size.

Leica X1 (left) vs Fujifilm FinePix X100 (right), to scale.

Size Comparisons

I thought it might be useful to compare sizes with other cameras in its performance class (though some are not in its price class…I’m looking at you, M9). Left to right the cameras compared are Sigma DP2, Leica X1, Fuji X100, Olympus E-P1, Leica M9, Samsung NX10 and Panasonic G2. All are shown to scale, and you’d do well to click for a larger version.

Fuji X100 & Friends. All cameras shown to scale.

Another size comparison; this time, from left to right, it’s the Epson R-D1s, Fuji X100, Leica M9, Canon 550D/T2i and Nikon D90.

Fuji X100 & Friends. All cameras shown to scale.

My Opinion

In their publicity materials Fuji state they queried photographers to build a camera from the ground up that would meet their needs and desires. Why it’s taken a camera company 10 years to do this is beyond me. And it’s not like this type of research would cost millions of yens, you just have to spend a couple of days reading through wish-list posts on forums and blogs. I myself wrote a post requesting a simple, straightforward compact DSLR from Pentax back in November 2008 (read it here). Really folks, it’s not. That. Difficult! We want small, we want manual controls, we want a good viewfinder.

Fuji have delivered on all these requests, but have made one mistake, which time will tell how big it was: The lens is fixed. I don’t want to condemn this camera just because the lens is fixed, that’s not what I’m saying, but I do want to point out that a fixed lens will limit your pool of potential clients to those who find your chosen focal length adequate for their needs, and use it often enough that a fixed focal length isn’t a big deal. Back in the 60′s and 70′s there were a good number of such rangefinders sold, like the Olympus 35 DC and RD (40mm f/1.7), Konica C35 (38mm f/2.8), Canon Canonet G-III 17 (40mm f/1.7) and others that I can’t remember right now; the point is, they sold pretty well to the enthusiasts who wanted a rangefinder but couldn’t afford an interchangeable lens system like the Leica M. Because there were a number of brands building these cameras the photographer had a choice of focal lengths and speeds to choose from, although (from rough memory) the focal lengths were in the 35-45mm range and the lens speed f/1.7-2.8. Right now we have exactly two APS-C fixed-lens cameras to choose from, and they both have the same focal length (equivalent to 35mm in FF terms). The Fuji does offer a more attractive f/2 vs the Leica’s f/2.8, but we’re missing 2 or 3 other contenders in the field.

But those film fixed-lens rangefinders I speak of are over 30 years old—today we have a different mentality regarding fixed lenses. DSLR have become so affordable that now almost anyone can acquire one and build a lens system. Everyone expects interchangeable lenses. This leads me to think that Fuji will price this camera high because those people who would be willing to pay $700-1,000 (the micro-4/3 crowd) wouldn’t be interested in a fixed lens, while those that appreciate and value the pros of a fixed-lens camera (and have been waiting years for something like this) will pay anything anyway, so why not charge them a premium? Actually, it might not even be a premium—the camera may sell in such low numbers that it will have to be expensive in order to make Fuji a profit.

And price point is one of the mysteries here and a factor that Fuji may be able to exploit to its advantage. You see, right now there is an enormous price gap between MILCs (micro-4/3, Samsung NX and Sony Nex) and digital Leicas. A new rangefinder(ish) camera could happily nestle itself in between both, providing better workmanship than MILCs but also mass-production cost-saving strategies lacking in Leicas.

I get the feeling that Fuji are sniffing out the market with this camera, and if sales and customer satisfaction are positive, they’ll consider either releasing another model with a different focal length or maybe going the full monty and releasing an interchangeable system.

My message to Fuji: You needn’t have been so cautious! Let me give you a recipe for success: Release the X100 as an interchangeable lens body + 23mm f/2 lens kit for $2,000. Announce that within 6 months you will be releasing a 16mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.7 for under $1,000 each and that you “are considering other focal lengths”. One caveat: The body would have to accept M mount lenses via a converter. Do this and I can guarantee you wouldn’t be able to build X100′s fast enough to meet demand. And you’d sell lenses too. Sure, lots of buyers would just want the body to mount their beloved M lenses on it, but so many more would like the benefits of autofocus your lenses would provide, not to mention they’d be APS-C friendly focal lengths with digital coatings.

I’m not saying this camera will not be a success, because I think in its own small way it will. But I’m afraid it’s not going to make Fuji enough money for them to believe they can roll out a full interchangeable lens system based on the concept, which is a shame because that’s exactly what most people would have wanted them to do.

Mount and Price Info from the Horse’s Mouth

Updated Sept 21^st 2010, 07:00.

An e-acquaintance, Falk Lumo, has been at Photokina and had a chat with the guys at the Fuji booth:

I asked why not with a lens mount? Answer: We want see how this one sells first. I asked: but you know that if this version does not sell it may be because it has no mount? Answer: no, is it so…?

I hate being right sometimes. These guys really didn’t know they could have taken the compact camera market by storm? If it’s true they spoke to many photographers when designing this camera, they didn’t speak to the most important one: me. Seriously, I could have explained to them in 5 minutes why they should not release a “test the waters” camera and just jump into the deep end.

As for the price:

Obviously, the X100 was made to compete against the Leica X1. With the optical viewfinder as its bonus. I asked if its cheaper than Leica X1. Answer was hesitant. Eventually they gave me “1000″ as a ballpark number which would be about 2/3 of a Leica X1.

That would be US$1,333, which is a lot better than what I expected. I hope this is true!

My Opinion, Part 2

Updated Sept 21^st 2010, 10:30.

In view of the recently announced price of US$1,000–1,200, I need to change my conclusions. This price puts this camera in a whole ‘nother segment: The affordable luxury segment. $1,000 is pricey for a second camera, but not unethical, and for a main camera (assuming it lives up to its promise), it’s practically affordable, especially if you compare it to similar focal length offerings from the competition (Sigma DP, micro-4/3, etc.). I can see those who appreciate what this camera has to offer buying one as a main camera and then having a MILC for wider and longer focal lengths. If you’re a street shooter who lives at 35mm-equiv., you might never even need anything else. HCB spent most of his career with what was essentially a fixed-lens 50mm camera, so this isn’t as crazy as it seems. And at this price, if Fuji decide to release other focal lengths, I can very well imagine buying two at your preferred fields-of-view and calling it a system.

My only worry concerns the corners Fuji might have had to cut to bring it in at this price. Am I being too pessimistic here? I really don’t mean to—I’m glad this is the price!

How does the X100 compare in price to its competition in the large-sensor compact mirrorless camera segment? Find out here: Is the Fuji X100 Really that Expensive?

A Look Through the Optical Viewfinder

Updated Sept 22^nd 2010

Looking through the Fuji X100's hybrid viewfinder.

Fuji X100 OVF.

As you can see, this is a very elegant design. The central frame delimits the area to be captured by the sensor. To the left, just outside the frameline there is an EV scale telling you how bright/dark the camera thinks your exposure is. Possibly more useful is the simple histogram in the bottom left, whose position I hope can be customised—I’d place it in the top-left most corner of the VF, outside the framelines. At the bottom of the VF we see, from left to right, the shooting mode (Av in this case), shutter speed, aperture (highlighted because we’re in Av) and ISO. Much more interesting is the scale above these settings and just below the frameline: It’s a distance scale! The lens itself focuses by wire making a standard distance scale impossible, so this might be the next best thing. From this image we can see the lens is focused at around 1.5m and I imagine the white bar indicates the DoF (depth-of-field). The only problem is that if you’re focused at 1.5m with an aperture of f/5.6 on a 23mm lens shooting an APS-C camera, your DoF is actually from 1.19m to 2.19m. The DoF indicated in the image would be approximately correct for f/11. I suppose the marketing department took a few artistic liberties here. Dodgy marketing material notwithstanding, I find this a great idea that, once again, photographers have been requesting from camera makers for the better part of the last decade. Just a little tip to Fuji: Add an “m” somewhere so people know straight off the scale is in meters, not in feet. And while you’re at it, allow the option to set it in feet for those North Americans who struggle with SI units.

Completing the VF tour, we note the whitebalance temperature on the outer top-left of the frameline, while to the right is a number that could be the shots remaining on the card, and the ‘L’ and ‘F’ might stand for ‘Love Fuji’. Finally, that white line across the VF is an electronic level! Rotate the camera anticlockwise here to bring the blue line, ahem, in line with the white line and your photo will not have a tilted horizon, to the joy of millions of photocritics the forumsphere over.

From the Fuji brochure we know that some of this on-screen information will be optional, as will be the electronic level. The brightness of the displayed info will be adjusted automatically to fit the prevailing conditions, ensuring that info is always visible no matter how bright our scene is, and also making sure it doesn’t blind us when we’re shooting in darker environments.

Something I’m sure a few of you will be curious about is the FoV of the VF. If the central frame is a 23mm FoV, then the whole VF offers a 16mm FoV, which is 24mm-equiv. Interesting choice…

When switching to EVF mode the OVF is closed up with a little shutter so we can’t have an EVF+OVF view.

You can read more about the viewfinder on Fuji’s site.

Photos of the X100

Here are some photos taken at Photokina of the actual camera (click for larger). All photos are ©Stephen Shankland.

Videos of the Fuji X100

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUCEogfl_Gg

Fuji X100 manufacturing plant recovering after the earthquake.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDXRoKNDYiM

X100 FAQ with the Fuji Guys.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iPNOF8fhhw

Preproduction Fuji X100 at Amateur Photographer.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPsKTp8rdC8

Fuji X100 hands on preview at WhatDigitalCamera.com.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3oyhQGcKYs

Fuji X100 Hands on with Tyler Stalman.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpcq2NjgV0

Unboxing the Fuji X100, by CNET Asia.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az6dt1InIg4

Kayce Baker, Director of Marketing Fujifilm Imaging Division USA, presents the X100 at CES 2011.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOhR2O4C054

Looking through the X100 viewfinder at CES 2011, by Engadget Spain.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SplGYnY67x0

Kayce Baker talks a bit more about the X100 at CES 2011.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUS3gqTBJe8

See and hear the aperture and shutter working (note: shutter sound is electronic and simulated by the camera, but it can be turned off), by the Fuji Guys.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhkaHDMkzTo

Hear the Fuji X100 in “silent mode”, with all electronic sounds turned off, by the Fuji Guys.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntdLuTHckPY

See and hear the dials being turned, by the Fuji Guys.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvJ9C-toynU

Fuji X100 promo video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L1NANQunQg

Fuji X100 promo video #2.

Fujifilm – Press Conference at Photokina 2010 from Olivier Laurent on Vimeo.

British Journal of Photography – Interview with the Fujifilm FinePix X100′s designers from Olivier Laurent on Vimeo.

Fujifilm FinePix X100 – preview by British Journal of Photography from Olivier Laurent on Vimeo.

Fujifilm FinePix X100 prototype hands-on at Photokina 2010 by Engadget.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe98Kyym29Q

The Fuji Guys present the Fuji X100.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbAtc13O-lI

Fuji X100 hands-on with WhatDigitalCamera.com.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW0J2Lp8gxQ

Qik – Fujifilm Finepix X100 first look preview video by Which? Technology.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fUTD1lzWEA

Fujifilm X100. Photokina 2010: Tutti Fotografi magazine.

Fujifilm X100 from Zoom Denmark on Vimeo.

Where Will the British Fuji X100 Cameras Come From?

I received some interesting information from one of our readers in the UK, Julian Evans. He has preordered his X100 and when he contacted his supplier, he had a curious conversation with them about the provenance of their supply of X100 cameras:

Further to this, some interesting comments made [by] the supplier with whom I have my pre-order for the X100 and accessories.

According to them (they’ve asked me not to say who they are as they can’t now guarantee an X100 to any new pre-orders in the first UK batch) Amazon will not be getting X100s direct from Fuji. In fact Fuji won’t supply them to Amazon. My supplier believes that Amazon are buying the cameras in from American dealers. This would explain why the Amazon release date is in April. The UK release date is still in March according to Fuji.

Also, anyone buying an X100 from a Fuji dealer will get superb after sales extras from Fuji. Apparently they will be contacted directly to see how happy they are and answer any questions they may initially have about the camera and then, 11 months later, Fuji will collect the camera and carry out a full ‘health’ check and update software etc at their expense.

They want people to get the message that is a very serious piece of kit that they take great pride in and want every owner to be completely happy with.

We provide this information with no guarantee that it is accurate or correct, but we don’t have any reason to believe Mr Evans is lying either, so digest at your discretion.

Previews of the Fuji X100

Here are some previews of the X100 collected from around the web:

• Digital Photo Review, including a samples gallery from a preproduction unit
• EverythingPhoto.net
• Akam.no (Google English translation)
• Photo Radar
• DC Watch
• QueSabesDe (Google English translation)
• PhotoReview Australia
• Hands on with Tyler Stalman (video)
• Sample photos by Mio Cade on Flickr
• WhatDigitalCamera (video)
• QueSabesDe preproduction field test (Google English translation)
• Fuji X100 at Focus on Imaging by Soundimageplus
• CNET UK
• Amateur Photographer
• BJoP at Focus on Imaging show
• BJoP sample pics with final production camera
• LensTip.com image samples
• Focus Numérique (Google translated)

Full Reviews of the Fuji X100

All the reviews of the Fujifilm X100 that we think are worth reading:

• Ian Wilkinson’s review for Enticing the Light (shooting a wedding with the Fuji X100)
• Ian Wilkinson’s review Part 2 for Enticing the Light (shooting children with the Fuji X100)
• Julian Evans’s review for Enticing the Light
• Serious Compacts
• DP Review
• Pieter Franken shares his impressions after 1 day of shooting with his Fuji X100 in Tokyo.
• DC Watch (Google translated)
• ePhotozine
• PhotoRadar
• DigitalRev
• Photography Blog
• What Digital Camera
• Optyczne.pl, Part 1 and Part 2 (Google translated)
• PhotoRumors
• Pocket-Lint
• Luminous Landscape Part 1 and Part 2
• Chris Bandera at SteveHuffPhoto (the first negative review!)
• Trusted Reviews
• David Pogue at the New York Times
• DC Resource
• Photo District News
• Focus Numérique (Google translated)
• Quesabesde (Google translated)
• Neil van Niekerk shoots a wedding with the X100

Interesting Links

• Official Fuji X100 website
• Fuji X100 brochure (PDF)
• Fuji X100 owner’s Manual in English (PDF)
• Fuji’s official X100 sample image gallery
• Fuji X100 DxO Mark evaluation
• Fuji X100 Flickr group
• X100 Forum
• Fujifilm X100 at Photokina 2010 on QueSabesDe in Spanish (Google English translation) (Sep 21 2010)
• Interview (in Spanish) with Fujifilm engineer Hiroshi Kawahara on QueSabesDe (Google English translation) (Dec 20 2010)
• Fuji X100 at CES 2011 on DigitalCameraReview (Jan 6-9 2011)
• Hands-on impressions from the CP+ Expo floor (Feb 11 2011)
• Q&A session in Taiwan (Google English Translation) (Mar 3 2011)

Related posts:

1. Fujifilm Introduces FinePix X100 Official Specs
2. The Fujifilm X100 Spike: Or Why Everyone Is Interested in this Camera
3. DPR Previews the Fuji X100

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1. Thy Hobby is Photography, and thou shall have no other Hobby before it.
2. Thou shall not speak the name of St Ansel in vain.
3. Remember World Photography Day and keep thy schedule clear for it.
4. Honour thy prime lenses.
5. Thou shall not break anyone’s camera.
6. Thou shall not take photos with another man’s camera or lens (without his permission).
7. Thou shall not steal another man’s camera or lens.
8. Thou shall not bear false Photoshop actions against thy neighbour’s photos.
9. Thou shall not covet thy neighbour’s lens collection.
10. Thou shall not covet anything else that belongs to thy neighbour (like his Nikon D3x or unobtanium tripod).

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Related posts:

1. Top 15 Reasons You Might Be Obsessed with Photography
2. 15 Truths about Photography
3. Photography + Math + Flickr = ?

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Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

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© Miserere for Enticing the Light, 2010. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

Newcomers to Photography, and even seasoned shooters, are often confused as to what it is exactly that makes a Great Photograph. We all know what a pretty, or cute, or moving photograph is, at least at some emotional, non-verbal level, but we find it hard to define in words what separates the Good from the Great.

Fret not my children, Miserere has spent a few minutes thinking hard about this and has it all figured out for you. A Great Photograph is…

A Photograph Taken in an Exotic Location

©Michel & Christine Denis-Huot

Humans are curious creatures who are drawn to adventure—it’s one of the reasons we spread around the Globe after Africa became too much of the same old, same old. But we still miss our old homeland, which is why photos taken in Africa are all Great. Unless you actually live in Africa, in which case they’re just photos of your own back yard. Show the average group of Westeners a photo of elephants majestically traversing the Serengeti and you’ll receive a chorus of “ooohs” and “aaahs”. Show it to one of the local Maasai tribe members, and he’ll let you know exactly what he thinks of those $@#&ing elephants that walk around thinking the plains are all theirs and keep stomping on his vegetable patch. Show this same Maasai warrior a photo of a polar bear on an iceberg, and you’ll get “ooohs” and “aaahs”. Now, show this same photo to an Inuit, and…well, you get the idea.

A Photograph Taken in a Remote Location

© Mars Exploration Rover Mission
(click for huge size)

This category of Great Picture is sometimes confused with the preceding, and indeed, there can be overlap in some cases; but they are different. A remote location is one that is difficult to get to, which makes it rarely visited, and even more rarely photographed. Many exotic locations used to be remote, but since the advent of affordable air travel and vaccinations, almost anyone can visit Africa, Mongolia, Antarctica… Remote locations are becoming more and more difficult to find, but there are still some remaining: Mount Everest, deep caves, oceanic beds, the Moon, Mars… The reason these photos are great is obvious: There are very few of them. Take a look at the photo of Mars illustrating this section; I could call up the guys at the Mars Exploration Rover Mission and tell them how much they suck at stitching photographs (haven’t they heard of Hugin?) and how terrible the photo looks. They would probably say, you think you can do a better job? Then go ahead and get your arse over to Mars to take some pics with your fancy panorama head and tripod. That isn’t going to happen, is it? Like the great philosopher said: When there ain’t no competition, you’re best by definition™.

A Photograph Taken with Old Equipment

©Sally Mann

When Carleton Watkins hauled his mammoth camera into the wilderness, he made Great Pictures of remote locations. Nowadays, he would be making Great Pictures simply by using the camera anywhere. It doesn’t matter what you photograph—as long as you do it with an old camera, it will be a Great Picture. The best part of this category is that greatness increases proportionally with the age of the camera used.

You can even buy a whole book of Great Photographs made recently with old cameras.

A Photograph Taken with Bad Equipment

©Arthur Liou

Maybe the easiest of the Great Photographs that one can take. Just use a broken camera, or better still, a toy one. Point it at something, anything, and voilà, instant greatness. The fact you could have used a perfectly good camera and achieved the same effect with a click of a button in Photoshop is totally irrelevant. If you want to jump start your Great photographic career, get yourself a Holga!

A Photograph Postprocessed into Surrealism

©Jill Greenberg

Nothing says I know what I’m doing like a healthy dose of Photoshop, and if being unique helps a photo become Great, then it’s your duty to separate the image from reality as much as possible. In fact, you shouldn’t settle for surreal, make it unreal! HDR (High Dynamic Range), DHE (Dave Hill Effect), PPE (Plastic People Effect), it doesn’t matter, just use the effect, and make sure you buy the software version that goes up to 11. Then apply it twice, just to be on the safe side.

See that photo above? Is that the real Aaron Eckhart or a photo of his statue at the local wax museum; or is it a painting? It doesn’t matter! (Those were trick questions.) It’s a Great Photo, period.

A Photograph Taken with a Medium or Large Format Camera

©Ansel Adams

This is a double-whammy, because using a medium/large format camera not only produces Great Photographs, but you also get to call them, and sell them as, Fine Art. Fine Art is just like Standard Art, except the prices paid have 3 or 4 extra zeroes added on. For example, had the above image been made with a P&S, nobody would pay more than $6 for a print; but because that photo was taken with either a 4×5 or 8×10 view camera… the print costs $60,000. Of course, it was also taken by somebody famous, which overlaps with, and brings us to, the next category.

A Photograph Taken by a Great Photographer

The most efficient way for you to make your photographs Great is by becoming a Great Photographer. After that, every photograph you take will be Great by definition. This applies to any Art, be it Photography, Painting, Sculpture, Bonsai Growing… There is a catch: In order to become a Great Artist, you first need to make Great Art, but in order to make Great Art you need to be… You get my drift. (Although some artists have managed to become Great by other means…)

A Photograph Containing 3 or More Clichés

Robert Doisneau – Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville

Nothing says Great Photograph like a bunch of clichés thrown together. Take Doisneau’s Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville for example:

Cliche #1:

A street photograph in Paris. How original—nobody ever did any street photography in Paris during the 50′s.

Cliche #2:

A photograph taken from a street café. In Paris.

Cliche #3:

Love. Oh, Love…the ultimate artistic cliché.

Cliche #4:

A couple in love. In Paris. Wouldn’t it be perfect if they were kissing, carefree, in the street, to express their great love for each other?

Cliche #5:

Black and White. You gotta have B&W if it’s a street photo. C’mon! Everyone knows that.

I’m surprised this photograph didn’t make the camera explode the moment it was taken. Just imagine you’re shooting street photography (using B&W film) in Paris. And you’re sitting at an outdoor café, in Paris, when you happen to see two people, in love, in Paris, on the street, kissing. Because they’re in love, in Paris. And you’re there with your B&W-loaded camera. Shooting street photography. In Paris. Just imagine!

The only thing that would make this Great Photograph reach critical cliché mass and annihilate the whole internet is if the photographer had actually posed the photo and not told anyone for decades. Now that would be something…

A Photograph of Somebody Famous

©Dennis Stock

Is this a good photograph of an unknown young man walking in the rain in New York’s Times Square…or is it a Great Photograph of the famous actor James Dean?

A Photograph Everybody Else Considers Great

©William Eggleston

I have one name for you: William Eggleston. Critics, photographers and other beret-wearing artists tell me what a masterpiece of contemporary photography William Eggleston’s Guide is. And yet…I don’t see it. But that lonely tricycle must be a Great Photograph…because everyone tells me it is. The legendary MoMA curator John Szarkowski wrote the introduction to the book, which is certainly saying something about the book. That’s what people tell me, anyway.

A Photograph Within an Important and Larger Body of Work

Robert Frank - The Americans, book cover

If you look at any of Robert Frank’s individual photographs taken in and around the US during the mid-50′s, you wouldn’t necessarily gasp in amazement. Look at them again within the context of his great opus The Americans, and they slowly begin to shine. In fact, Robert Frank’s book is a great example of that worn cliché about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Each photograph within the book is Great by virtue of belonging to this Great Work. And the book itself is Great despite not containing Great Photographs. There’s a bit of Zen in this one…

Wikipedia has a pretty good entry on The Americans.

Conclusion

I hope that with these examples it has now become clear to you what a Great Photograph is. And now that it’s clear, you should be well on your way to making each and every one of your photographs a Great Photograph. Anything less would be an insult to me, who just spent ages writing it all down for you in detail.

Now grab your camera and run off to take some photos—make sure they’re all Great. Don’t let me down!

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.

Related posts:

1. Dear Photograph – A Great Project I Hope will Continue Growing
2. How to Photograph Fireworks Reminder
3. Wind Up to a Pulitzer Photograph

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I bought a piano; nobody called me a pianist.

I climbed a mountain; nobody called me a mountaineer.

I caught a fish; nobody called me a fisherman.

I bought a car; nobody called me a racing pilot.

I started a blog; nobody called me a writer.

I calculated the tip at a restaurant; nobody called me a mathematician.

I made a sandwich; nobody called me a cook.

I cleaned a wound; nobody called me a doctor.

I bought a camera; and suddenly I’m a photographer.

Why?

Related posts:

1. Top 15 Reasons You Might Be Obsessed with Photography

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Let’s face it, DSLRs have made it as far as they need to go in many aspects. Nobody is discussing whether digital is better than film anymore (OK, most people aren’t), nobody complains about having to wait 5 seconds for the photo to be taken after pressing the shutter release, and nobody needs to take out a second mortgage in order to buy a damn good DSLR. Speed, IQ, ergonomics, resolution… The average APS-C, four-thirds and full-frame DSLR has them in spades. Despite the constant complaining typical of our species, the vast majority of photographers now have a DSLR that is as good as they need it to be.

But it can still be made better.

While it is true that DSLRs have come a long way and are better than we are photographers, there are still some problems that camera brands have not tackled, or even acknowledged. What I will write in this article is nothing ground-breaking, and no statues need be erected in my honour. I did not come up with all the ideas, many of which have been whispered amongst digital photographers for years—all I’m trying to do is put everything in one place. I do this with the hope that you will agree with what I’ve written and that when you forward this article to your photographer friends, they also will agree and forward it further, until somewhere down the line an executive of a big camera brand will read it and get his arse into gear. All we need is one brave company to do this, and the rest will follow suit.

I hereby declare it is time to enter a new era in DSLR design. How? I’ll tell you in one word: Modularity.

The Way Things Were

Let me tell you a little story: Once upon a time photographers used to have the ability to change how their photos looked by using different films. If they were going to shoot sports under a cloudy sky, they might pick an ISO800 B&W film; if they were going to shoot landscapes, they might choose an ISO50 Colour film. I know we now have this ability built in to our DSLRs with sensors of varying ISO and post-processing techniques, but in designing sensors that are jacks of all trades, we have sensors that are masters of nothing. I admit that they do a lot of things very well, but many of us wish they could do them even better, without compromises.

There was also a time when high-end cameras had interchangeable viewfinders, plus a whole host of focusing screens and motor drives to suit your particular needs at any given time. The point of these cameras was that they were customisable to suit each photographer’s individual needs. A fashion photographer has very different requirements to a sports photographer, and both have very different requirements to a proud dad or mum snapping away as the kids grow up.

Given today’s economic crisis, I strongly believe the modular approach would save money for both the camera companies and the photographers. On top of that, it would give us better cameras.

Let’s see how this would work.

Sensors

Maybe the most important part of the camera, the sensor is in charge of collecting those valuable photons. Sensor technology has come a long way since the days of 1MP digital cameras, and now is the perfect time to make them modular. Such a sensor would be interchangeable and would go into your camera in a similar way to the battery. But what is the purpose of an interchangeable sensor? The same as the purpose of an interchangeable lens: To adapt your equipment to the subject you are shooting. While sensors such as the latest all-around 12-15MP ones would still be available, there would also be specialised sensors for those with particular needs. Four likely options spring to mind:

• Low Light: This sensor could be 6-8MP for APS-C (12-15MP for full-frame) and offer big pixels with circuitry optimised for low light shooting at high ISO. It would probably have a base ISO of 400 or 800 and be capable of delivering exceptional IQ at ISO12,800, and usable images from there upwards.
• High Resolution: Landscape, fashion and architectural photographers would love one of these sensors. They would probably only go up to ISO800, but on the plus side they would go down to ISO25 or 12. They could also offer 14-18MP for APS-C (25-35MP for full-frame), allowing high-resolution photographs. Needless to say, they would be optimised for extremely low noise and exquisite tonal transitions.
• B&W: Believe it or not, there would be a market for this type of sensor, not to mention an aftermarket of colour filters! A B&W sensor would have the advantage of not needing to mask individual pixels with red, blue, or green filters, therefore doing away with interpolation, which is how current sensors obtain colour information. Such a sensor would need less pixels to obtain the same resolution as a colour sensor, so it would likely perform very well in low light while still delivering great resolution.
• Infrared: Like B&W, the demand might not be huge (although wedding photographers might flock to it), but this could simply be a B&W sensor with an IR filter on it. A firmware module would have to be supplied with it to ensure correct auto- focusing.

Smart camera manufacturers would offer discounted kits with maybe two sensors and one body, or a “professional kit” comprised of the camera body and all the available sensors. Of course, you could buy your camera with just one sensor and buy another sensor later on if you thought you needed it.

Bodies

Because camera bodies would be modular, we would have hardware options to fit every pocket and need. Given that they wouldn’t contain a sensor to make them obsolete within 12 months, they would have to be robustly built to last the long years they would be in service. I imagine each company would have to decide on the sizes of bodies they would offer; maybe small, medium and large for the wealthier companies, while the more modest companies would maybe just offer small and medium. However, it should be possible for each size to be spec’d to the pro level—camera companies need to realise that just because you want a pro-spec’d body doesn’t mean you want to carry a brick in you hands. Likewise, just because you have large hands shouldn’t mean you have to spend extra money to get a larger camera if all you need are entry-level capabilities.

Hardware

Here comes the interesting part, the bits and pieces that you can buy to customise your camera. If you’ve ever bought a computer online directly from a manufacturer (such as Dell or HP) you’ll know exactly what customising means. You don’t buy a computer, you buy the exact computer you need. You pick and choose every component and spec that goes into it, from the processor to the hard-drive speed. This makes sense because a user that just wants to surf the internet and write letters in MS Word has very different needs to a user that wants to play multi-player online games.

Here are some of the hardware pieces that could be available, divided into two groups: those that come pre-installed into the camera body from factory and those that can be changed by the end-user.

Factory installed:

• Shutter: A professional photographer would need a heavy-duty shutter guaranteed to deliver well over 100,000 shutter actuations, while for an amateur 100,000 is probably more than enough and they could do with an average shutter mechanism. Maximum shutter speed is also determined by the type of shutter, as are frames-per-second (fps)—some people require 10fps, some are happy with 3fps.
• Image Processing Engine & Cache Memory: How fast can the camera process images? That would be determined by this component. The speed is also linked to the shutter mechanism, as a shutter capable of 10fps (frames per second) requires a faster image processor.

User installed:

• Sensor: As discussed earlier, this will be the major factor in determining what type of photography you have decided to focus on.
• Focusing Screen: Some current DSLRs allow changing focusing screens, while others don’t. All of them should, as the needs of somebody who shoots mostly in auto-focus are different to those of a wildlife photographer who uses manual focus with very long lenses. Focusing screens should be available for every need.
• Viewfinder: Cameras such as the Pentax LX boasted a wide array of different viewfinders to cater to every photographer’s needs. Let’s bring this approach back!
• GPS: Used to geotag your photos with the geographic coordinates of the place they were taken from. Especially useful for landscape and adventure photographers. It could be added to a grip, or there could be a dedicated space in the camera body for it if using a large body.
• Bluetooth/Wireless: Imagine being able to download your pictures to your computer without the hassle of USB cables or taking the card out of the camera. Imagine being able to upload your photos directly to your website or blog without the need of a computer. How about shooting tethered to a computer…only doing so without a physical tether?
• Wireless Flash: While we’re talking wireless communications here, why not include flashes? The Strobist movement has gathered momentum over the last few years and many amateur photographers are no longer afraid to take their flashes off-camera and link them via 3rd party radio transmitters. Camera brands are missing out on so much revenue by not having proprietary radio controllers. Wouldn’t it be so much better if the radio emitter was inside the camera or additional grip? Wouldn’t it be nice if you bought a flash and the receiver was inside it? I know they have optical communication at the moment, but radio is more advanced and practical for many reasons.
• Grips: Some people want the grips for extra battery life, while others would prefer to insert hardware into it (GPS, Bluetooth/Wireless, etc.). Make both camps happy by offering a grip with an adaptable chamber inside..

Software

The stuff you cannot touch, yet makes your camera work. Up until now there has only been firmware, which is basically your camera’s operating system, and it has always been controlled by the camera companies (except in the case of CHDK, a firmware hack for Canon P&S’s). The time has come for software to also enter the DSLR vernacular.

• Firmware: Camera companies could come up with new and/or improved capabilities they could sell as a firmware upgrade. Remember that much of a camera’s IQ and image “look” depends on the firmware. Firmware development is much cheaper for a camera company than creating a whole new camera, so their return on investment would be very high. Plus, more people would invest in new firmware than in new cameras.
• Applications: If camera companies would allow it, users could build their own applications for their cameras, just like those currently available for the Firefox browser, the iPhone or the BlackBerry. Why do I have to think of obvious things like this? Seriously, the first camera brand to allow users to create and share camera apps will sweep the market. Let me repeat that:The first camera brand to allow users to create and share camera apps will sweep the market.
• Soft Buttons: Each photographer is unique. The same way we all have different shaped hands or favour one eye or the other, we all have preferences as to button positioning on the back of the camera. Because it is not feasible to manufacture camera bodies with different button layouts, there should instead be three or four buttons located close to the right-hand thumb that could be assignable to whatever functions the photographer wants.

Lenses

This element of photography has always been interchangeable, and it’s brought many good things to photography…so why not follow this example and make just about everything else interchangeable?

But…Can It Be Done?

There might be people thinking that the problem with this crazy idea is that camera companies will not make enough money if we, the photographers, are able to keep bodies for so long. I disagree. By making the body semi-perennial they are free to invest more R&D money on more important things…such as sensors and improved firmware, which they would still be selling and making a profit on. In fact, they could make the same profit, while photographers spend the same amount of money, and yet we the photographers would be happier and better equipped because we would have a single camera with various sensors to allow different styles/types of photography.

I believe sensor technology has reached a point where it is improving slower and slower, and photographers are no longer requesting more megapixels, but better megapixels. Like I said above, a lot of what makes those megapixels better is the firmware and image processing engine, so I could imagine sticking with the same physical sensor for a few years while upgrading the firmware to gain improved IQ, processing speed and functionality. I’d rather pay $200 for a firmware upgrade than $1000 for a new camera I don’t really need. Wouldn’t you?

Another money-earner for the camera makers would be lenses. Yes, lenses. With more money in their pockets because the latest upgrade cost $200 (instead of $1000-1500 for a whole new camera), photographers would be much more likely to spend that money on lenses. I predict that the possible (yet unlikely) loss in profits from camera sales that would come about from modularising DSLRs would be offset by the increase in lens sales.

Of course there would be engineering challenges, but challenges always bring about improvements. As it is, I feel the current DSLR market is reaching stagnation and could use a reboot.

But…Should It Be Done?

Yes. This is why: I want a camera that does exactly what I want it to do and doesn’t do the stuff I don’t care about. Some of this stuff is hardware, some of it is firmware. I know I’m not alone. Whenever any brand releases a new camera the forums are inundated with complaints about features left out or included. It is true that you cannot please everyone all the time, but if DSLRs are made modular in hardware and software then the number of people camera brands can please will undoubtedly increase.

If you think this idea makes any sense, and if you have something to add to the list of modular hardware, then leave a comment below expressing your support for such an initiative. I have hopes that maybe one day some influential camera company executive will read this article and think “hmmmm…this guy has a point!”

One can only dream…

Related posts:

1. Time Lapse Photography with Your DSLR
2. Amazon Deal of the Day: Pentax K-7 DSLR for $899!
3. Is It Time to Abandon the ISO Scale?

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Just 1 week ago I was contacted by the New England School of Photography and asked to give the main speech to this year’s graduating class. It seems the important photographer they had scheduled had cancelled unexpectedly and they were pretty desperate to find a substitute. Given the short notice, I had to think quickly about what I would say to these young, hopeful students that could help them in their career and would stay with them forever.

The ceremony took place this past Sunday, and this is what I came up with.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’09,

Use a tripod.

If I could offer you only one tip for your Photography, a tripod would be it. The IQ benefits of the tripod have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the steady hands and clear eyesight of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the steady hands and clear eyesight of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos you took and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how many backup hard drives and slide boxes lay before you and how optimistic you really were. Your JPEGs are not as small as you think.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to shoot Olympic ping pong with a Holga. The real troubles in your Photography are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blind-side you at 4 am on some idle Tuesday night before a deadline.

Photograph one thing every day that scares you.

Strobe.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s photographs. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Clean your sensor.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the internet insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old photographs. Throw away your old camera purchase receipts.

Tuck your elbows in.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what genre you want to shoot. The most interesting photographers I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their photographs. Some of the most interesting 40-year-old photographers I know still don’t. Get plenty of filters. Be kind to your lens hoods. You’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll get an assistant, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll switch to medium format, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll stick with film, maybe you’ll laugh at the old-timers when film is gone and you’re celebrating 20 years of shooting digital. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Half of your pictures are blurry. So are everybody’s else’s.

Enjoy your camera. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Shoot macro, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the instruction manual, even if you don’t follow it.

Do not read Photography magazines. They will only make you feel useless.

Get to know your local camera stores. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best models and the people most likely to let you practice your strobe portrait shooting in the future.

Understand that lenses come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in centre-to-corner sharpness and contrast wide open, because the older you get, the more you need fast lenses that auto-focus well.

Shoot Leica once, but sell it before it makes you condescending. Shoot Holga once, but sell it before it makes you artsy-fartsy.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths. Pixel counts will rise. Explorers of Light will philander with other brands. You, too will buy different systems. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were shooting with another brand, prices were reasonable, lenses were sharp, and customer service never put you on hold.

Use Photoshop.

Don’t expect anyone to buy your prints. Maybe you have unlimited ink from Epson. Maybe you’ll get a big gift voucher for MPix. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your digital files or by the time you’re finished postprocessing that shot of Yosemite it will look like craters on Mars. Be careful whose Photoshop advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Photoshop is a form of cheating. Using it is a way of fishing a crappy photo from the rejection folder, adding layers, modifying the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the tripod.

With thanks to Mary Schmich for her inspiration.

Related posts:

1. Class Portrait of an Idiot Nation
2. Top 15 Reasons You Might Be Obsessed with Photography
3. Top 10 Reasons Ebay Will Drive You Nuts

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1. Your Ebay search folder is maxed out at 100 searches and you just found a new ‘must have’ lens to search for. You don’t know what other ‘must have’ lens search you will delete to save the new one.
2. On your favourite forum, six of you are debating the bokeh smoothness of the three 28mm lenses currently available. The debate lasts for 14 pages over 6 days with each of you deciding to just buy all three to test them yourselves.
3. You now have more camera bags than you can carry at one time.  One for the wide primes, one for the mid primes, one for the….
   
4. You sold your mint condition Vivitar 70-210 Series 1 V3 lens last year and just now bought another one because, 9 weeks ago, you had a perfect opportunity to use only that lens.
5. You haven’t taken a macro shot in 12 months but you have the 2 best macro lenses ever built and there’s another one due to be released in 3 weeks, that you have already researched every specification available and preordered at B&H.
6. Photozone is your home page.
7. Speed dial #1 is B&H, speed dial #2 is Adorama and speed dial #3 is FedEx tracking.
8. The guy at the flower shop knows you by name since you are in there about every three weeks to buy another bouquet of apologies.
9. You’ve moved closer to the city just to have overnight delivery.
10. You see a wonderful photograph and instead of just sitting in awe of the incredible work presented, you want to ask the artist which lens they used to capture the image.

Courtesy of http://whattheduck.net

Let’s hear yours! Go to the contact page and e-mail us your LBA reasons (or just leave a comment to this article).

Cheers and good shooting. – Peter Zack

*LBA: Lens Buyers Addiction (which s often accompanied by GAS- Gear Buyers Syndrome) and the term was coined here.

Related posts:

1. Top 10 Reasons Ebay Will Drive You Nuts
2. Top 10 Reasons You Read Camera and Lens Reviews
3. Graduation Speech to the Class of ’09

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© Miserere for Enticing the Light, 2009. All rights reserved, do not reproduce without permission. | Read article with proper formatting.

It doesn’t matter if you have a new camera, just getting back into photography because the kids finally moved out of the basement or you are fairly experienced. A few reminders to improve your photography can always help.

Here we hope a few tips will improve your shooting. The goal is to have the camera to be an extension of your creative process and not to have to always think about how to use the camera to take the shot. If the camera controls come naturally, you won’t miss that split second opportunity. We won’t detail each point entirely here because each one is an article on it’s own. In the coming sections, each will be described in greater detail.

This shot took split second timing. I got one chance to capture the Fox coming from his burrow. Only one frame was fired and he took off. You need to know your camera to be ready for the right moment.

1. Controls: Learn your camera and it’s controls. Too often we skip the manual and jump right into shooting. I’ve seen countless forums with comments like “my camera under/over exposes the shots. I’m changing brands.” The grass is not greener or better exposed on the other side of the fence. Read forums specific to your brand and model. Learn what other users have learned about their cameras. Read the manual. Understand the metering and settings of your camera. I highly recommend Bryan Peterson’s books on exposure and shutter speeds (I’m not affiliated with him in any way).

2. Features: Don’t try the exotic shooting features first. Your camera can do multi-exposure? Cool. Don’t use it! Not until you’ve mastered good shots with manual or Av settings. Learn the basics first. Learn to shoot in manual mode. Understand why Av (A) is better in some situations than Tv (S) in others. Av for depth of field (DOF) control when shutter speeds are not the primary consideration, like shooting a still life. Sv to control shutter speeds when motion is the primary concern like sports or getting good shots with the kids at play.

3. Exposure: Understand the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO’s. They are completely linked. Changing the ISO increases the sensitivity of the sensor (or switching to higher ISO film) allowing greater DOF if you want a smaller aperture or higher shutter speeds to capture action. Understand the meaning of a 1 stop increase or decrease and how it can allow greater control over the scene you want to capture.

4. The Rules: Understand the “rules” of photography and why you would break them to achieve a better result. The most common is the rule of 3rds. The idea is to avoid having the main subject in the center of all your shots. With the photo above, the rule is broken but the shot works fine that way. With others, a horizon in the center of the image creates a static image that doesn’t invite the viewer to explore the image.

This shot conforms to the rule of thirds. The horizon is in the upper third area and the sun is in the left third. I causes the viewer to explore the grass in the foreground and then look around the scene more.

The lines represent 3 different rules

1) Rule of thirds. 2) Diagonal rule 3) Golden rule. These are a few composition rules that need to be learned and understood and then you can break them when needed. For the Rule of thirds,  have the subject align with the lines on the grid above. Place the primary subject near one of the spots where 4 cubes intersect (black lines).

5. Auto settings: Don’t use the Auto settings on your P&S or SLR. They make you lazy. They are fine for the family gathering at Thanksgiving for quick family snap shots. But avoid getting used to shooting this way. It takes the creative control out of your hands and the camera engineer back in Japan is choosing how your shots will look.  They will look the same as everyone else’s shots. Learn how to shoot in manual mode first.

6. Depth of Field: Understand how DOF affects your images. If you want to isolate a subject from the foreground or background, opening the aperture can cause those areas to go out of focus and blur. Looking at the sunset shot above, I wanted the tall grass to anchor the bottom of the image but not be the subject. By opening up the lens, the grass is blurred, then the horizon and sun are the sharp focus areas of interest. This understanding is very important in macro photography, portraits and many areas of photography.

7. Metering: Have a good understanding of metering modes. Most cameras will have 3 modes. Spot, Center Weighted and Multi-Matrix. Not one mode will work in all situations. Understand how each will help you for a particular scene. I use spot metering 80% of the time but consider a scene, where the subject is dark in an otherwise bright frame and you meter off that dark area. The subject will be correctly exposed and the rest of the image will be blown out. You might want to either use the zone method of metering, or use one of the other 2 settings to get the best balance.

Learn how to use the Meter lock button on you camera. Most models have a method of locking an exposure. I recommend shooting in manual as much as possible but if you are shooting in another mode (like Av), then you should know how to take a reading of a scene and then lock that exposure. Then you can re-compose the shot the way you need to. This helps avoid having the main subject in the middle of the frame because the meter reading changes when you compose differently. Focus lock is also something you should know how to do as well for the same reasons.

8. Software: Some people seem to have an issue with software because they have seen too many altered images. I don’t like too much of that either. It’s a fact of photography that darkroom or computers have been used since the first photographs have been taken to alter and enhance a shot. Learn the software basics, like how to sharpen properly, how to add just the right amount of contrast, levels, curves and shadow recovery.

Don’t over-saturate, over-sharpen or crop too much. Watch those horizons and learn how to straighten them and don’t forget the clone stamp. Dust spots and power lines may need touch ups, just don’t go overboard, it will show. We’ll have a series on software fundamentals coming soon to walk you through the basics and some free programs to do most of this.  Too many great shots have been passed over by the viewer, because the shot was over cooked in some way, or some little things were missed.

9. Histograms: Understand how a Histogram can help but the histogram is not perfect. It is a guide to aid you with better exposures. Use your judgment and the info to guide you. Most cameras have a histogram feature to show you exposure levels. The rear LCD can lie if you just rely on the preview image. They are getting very good and work much better in bright light but that is not the best tool to check exposures. The histogram shows the black and white pixel levels in a given image. Lighter images will show peaks on the right and dark images will peak on the left.

Each scene will be different and what you are trying to see is whether the image is clipping in one area or another. If your camera has a colour histogram, then you will have even more detailed information to work with. We’ll devote an entire section on histograms sometime soon, as this is often misunderstood and confusing. For now you are looking for balance on the middle without large peaks at either end. Look at some of your well exposed shots and see what the histogram tells you. Use that as a guide. Then take some over and under exposed shots and see what it says. You will clearly see how it corresponds to the results.

Below you can see the same scene shot at different EV settings. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.

0 EV	+2 EV	-2 EV

10. Bracketing: Understand how to bracket. Bracketing will assist you to both get the correct exposure and teach you how to better achieve proper exposures in the future. The provided software with your camera should show you the EXIF data for the shots. That gives you all the data you need to evaluate how the shot was taken and how the exposure looks.

Bracketing is the process of taking over and under exposed shots, of the same scene,  in a short period of time. Most cameras have a bracketing feature but if you shoot in manual mode, you can easily do it yourself. Take 5 shots, 1 at what you think is the proper exposure and 2 at lower shutter speeds (over expose) and 2 at higher shutter speeds. Don’t change the aperture if possible because that changes the DOF, thus changing the shot. Go in 1/2 or 1 full stop increments.
Shutter speeds in full stop increments are (seconds): 1,1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250,1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000.

11. Manual Focus: Understand how to use manual focus. Auto focus has made us a bit complacent and we expect that it can do everything. To be fair, today’s viewfinders are not as good for manual focusing as the older film cameras. They lack the brightness (although some come close), the matt screens are not as defined and there are no split screens as standard issue.

With practice you can do as well or better than the AF systems. Maybe not in speed but in accuracy. The reasons for learning this skill are numerous. Macro shooting basically demands it, low light or low contrast scenes may require your input. But maybe you want to limit the DOF of a scene and 2 objects are close together (maybe 2 faces) and you want one face sharp and the other blurred. The AF system might hit the wrong face and then the person moves, you’ve lost that shot forever. If you can correctly manually focus a shot, you nail it accurately and get the shot.

A side benefit of manual focus is better composition. We take our shots too quickly sometimes. No film costs and you are only limited by the number of cards you have. So we fire away hoping a good shot is in there somewhere. With a manual lens, you take your time, you look at what you are shooting and compose better.

12. Tripods: Buy a good tripod. Camera makers claim anywhere from 2-4 stops improvement with the new SR, VR or IS systems. In my opinion, these systems deliver what they claim combined with good shooting technique. But nothing replaces a proper tripod. Get a good quality one that is a little heavier than you think you need. There are a number of considerations for a tripod but a good head that allows freedom of movement and a solid set of legs that can hold things steady.

For a long lens, you need some weight and the ability to add a sandbag or counterweight to the center column is a plus. The tripod should allow you to shoot in a comfortable standing position without using the center column. The center column is a handy feature but will reduce the stability when the column is raised and you will get vibrations in wind. Get a mini pod for your camera bag and consider getting a lightweight travel tripod for hikes and walking.

Monopods can serve you well for this as well. They make a good support and double as a walking stick. Get the same head system for the monopod as the tripod if possible. Manufacturers like Manfotto and Gitzo (and others) have quick release plates that can be used on different heads. So you can leave the plate on the camera or lens and switch supports easily.

13. Subjects: Know your subject. Don’t expect to go for a walk and get 6 great shots of a Blue Jay you just happen to come across. I have a friend that has become obsessed with a woodpecker that has made a home in his backyard. Seems simple. I have a camera and a long lens, just shoot right? Nope this has been going on for a year. He’s been learning the bird’s habits and learning his equipment. Hundreds of test shots, a few good shots but just not the one. A new longer lens has been added. This year the woodpecker hasn’t got a chance but last year the photographer  didn’t. We’ll post the pictures this year when he finally gets that award winner.

Point is, study your equipment and your subject. The photo below is one that took me all summer to get right. There are still things I’d like to improve in it. But the Blue Jays will be back and I’ll be a little more prepared.

Cheers and good shooting –Peter Zack

Related posts:

1. Photography Is a Whole New World – Tips for Those Entering It
2. Free Image and Photo Editing Software Resources
3. Photo.net – Question of the Day

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You might not agree with all or any of these, but they are my truths and they serve me well.

Now tell me, what are your truths?

You might also want to check out 15 Lies about Photography.

Related posts:

1. Justifying 15 Lies about Photography
2. 15 Lies about Photography
3. Top 15 Reasons You Might Be Obsessed with Photography

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Please consider purchasing through our affiliate stores. If you visit one of the stores through the links below and place an order, EtL will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We hope you don't mind these ads; revenue from commissions is how we keep EtL running. Thanks!

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Macro Photography
This is a subject that many people have a great interest in and offers photographic opportunities when other shooting conditions are poor. For example, it’s raining outside and you want to shoot some interesting subjects indoors.

Since there is quite a bit of detail to this subject, I will break it up in 2-3 more manageable sections. The first being equipment and some terminology.

Definitions

• Macro Photography Generally defined as creating a minimum of life sized (1:1) image to 10 or 20 times life sized on the film or sensor. For practical purposes, anything more than 5 times life sized is going to push today’s optics beyond their resolving power and the image will be unsatisfactory.
• Stop down Metering: This is when you manually adjust the exposure settings for the camera and lens. In a fully automatic setup, the camera knows what aperture setting the lens is at and adjusts the exposure settings. When a fully manual setup is used, the lens information is not transmitted to the camera. So in most systems, you set the lens to the desired aperture, and shutter speed, then take a meter reading and lock that setting in the camera. You then would open the aperture to the widest setting for framing and focusing the shot. Stop the lens down again just before the shot. Some digital camera makers do not allow this feature on some models.

Note: Not to disparage today’s lens manufacturers (including the camera makers lens offerings) but many lenses are labeled as having a ‘macro’ setting. In reality, it’s a close focus setting that is generally between 1:4 (25% life sized) to 1:2 (half life sized). There are a few zoom lenses that offer good quality, sharp images at 1:2 and I would consider these an excellent close up tool for several subjects.

Equipment Suggestions:

Some of these suggestions may not work with your particular brand and you may need to investigate the metering and compatibility to your camera brand. I come from the Pentax background which may offer more flexibility with some older equipment. Some of the suggestions below will offer a very inexpensive option to trying macro shooting and should be considered before getting a dedicated lens. Below are several equipment suggestions that require a lens to be attached or an attachment added to a lens. In all cases, a prime lens (one that has a fixed length and does not zoom) is best. The faster (widest possible aperture) the lens is, the easier it will be to focus and compose a shot. With most brands, each will have a good fast (more than f2) 50mm lens is available. This is an excellent lens to start with that is commonly available for most brands and can be adapted for macro shooting with extension tubes and other parts.

Extension tubes. These are a simple, inexpensive, fixed length, hollow tube that mount to the camera and then the lens you will use is mounted to the front of the tube. You can use your existing lenses in most cases with no added expense. To get 1:1 macros, you need an equal extension to the focal length of the lens. IE: using a 50mm lens you need to add 50mm extension to get 1:1 macro. Extension tubes generally come as a kit of 3 or 4 sections. That way if you don’t want to get that close you can just use one section. Also to get even closer, you could get 2 extension tube sets and extend even further. Average sets are about 60mm so 2 (120mm) with a 50mm would give you 2.4 :1 or almost 2.4 times life sized.
One issue with these sets are that you will loose metering on many of them. Some offer electronic coupling between the camera and lens, but most do not. Some allow aperture connection for stop down metering between the lens and camera. So you will have to manually adjust meter settings for the scene. With any device that extends the lens away from the body, there is light loss. Every lens and tube extension will vary but using 50mm of extension with a 50mm lens will cause about 2 stops of light loss. Some of the incoming light is lost or dissipated inside the tube. You will also loose auto focus with extension tubes.

Diopter lenses. There are a number of types and also offer an inexpensive macro option. Canon has a clip on version that will increase the magnification of a given lens to 1:2 or 1:1, it can be added to any brand of lens and the specs can be found here: Canon 500D. Image quality is very good and they can be used on any camera/lens combination. There is very little light loss but slight image quality loss. There is a similar set by Raynox DCR-250 that clips on the front of a lens like a lens cap. Diopter Filters. Another version screws on the front of a lens like a normal filter. They come in various magnifications from +1 to +10 with kits of 3 or 4 filters in each set. They can be stacked one on top of the other to increase the magnification. Again, very little light loss but image quality can suffer especially with more than one filter attached. The Raynox/Canon (pictured) version is of superior quality to the screw on filter version. But the screw type can be found for under $10 used and offers a cheap introduction to close up shooting with little expense.

Macro 2x helical converters. (There are a few 3x versions) These are a type of extension tube. A little less common today but many are still available on the used market. Canon does have the Life-Size Converter EF which will do 1:1 Macros. Some will contain glass elements that help increase the magnification and others will not. The difference from an extension tube is that the converter will extend or retract when you turn the barrel (similar to a focus ring on a lens). This allows you to vary the magnification from about 1:10 to 1:1 and can be more convenient than a fixed extension tube. If the helicoid has glass elements, there will be some image quality loss but the unit will double as a 2 or 3 x converter. With either design, there is light loss just as there is with all extenders. Some of these units offer full camera to lens electronic control, while others will only offer aperture linkage and you will have to do stop down metering.

Macro bellows. Probably one of the oldest designs for macro work. I use one that is nearly 35 years old and it can produce excellent images. Bellows come in various lengths and generally consist of a camera mount on one end that is attached to a set of guide rails which stick out from the camera. Attached to the opposite side of the mount is a Kraft paper, accordion style expandable mid section. On the opposite end is the lens mount that is also attached to the guide rails. Bellows are generally 150mm in length but they can exceed 300mm. Using a 50mm lens, you can get at 3:1 x with 150mm of bellows. But at full extension, a 50mm lens could be as close as 2-5 cms from the subject. The average lens used with a bellows would be 75-135mm. There is light loss but like the extension tubes, no image quality loss.

Reversing rings. This small ring will have a camera mount on one side the same as your lens has and a screw thread on the opposite side. You can then screw a lens on the camera backwards. Take your 50mm or similar length lens and look at your fingertip while holding the lens backwards close to your eye and finger. You can clearly see the grooves in the skin up close. Reversing a lens is probably the cheapest method to try macro photography. Approximate magnification is 1:1 or greater with a reversed 50mm lens. You loose all connections to the cameras electronic controls and there could be some corner softness in the image but the results can be quite good. They are available in many sizes to fit the front filter thread of various lenses. For about $20 you can do some excellent close up shooting using a lens you already own.

Macro lens. (Sometimes called Micro.) These are the lenses that are dedicated to macro photography. They are generally the best way to get the sharpest images with complete connections for metering and other camera controls. Mot modern versions are also auto focus and can be used as a mid length telephoto prime lens. The typical focal lengths are 35mm up to 200mm. Most are quite fast at f2.8 and will stop down to f32 or f45. The main advantage of these lenses are, they don’t suffer image or light loss and they are designed as flat field lenses. That is to say the image should be equally sharp in the corners as it is in the center. Optical engineers have many choices when designing a lens. A typical fixed length lens will be sharper in the center than the extreme corners and a macro lens will be designed to be sharp across the entire frame. Why the difference? A dedicated macro lens is primarily used at distances of 10cms to 30 cms and is designed for this use. They often do not work as well on a subject 30 meters away. Some lenses will have a ‘floating’ element that is added to compensate for telephoto use. This helps the lens to focus more sharply on a distant object as well as take macro images. Whereas a non-macro fixed or zoom lens is primarily designed for subjects greater than 3 meters away from the shooting position. These lenses may have a ‘macro’ setting but it’s generally a compromise that is there for occasional use if you want to take a close up shot once in awhile. To get a sharp image at infinity, these lenses follow certain design parameters that will slightly compromise the edge sharpness for greater center sharpness and better infinity focus.

Other Equipment:

Macro ring lights are a flash or LED constant light that mounts on the front of the lens to add light to the scene. These are very important where light is an issue or you are getting very close to a subject. As mentioned in several notes above, Light loss is an issue. Quite often we need to use a flash or other reflected light source to the subject in order to get a good image. A ring light can make a big difference when shooting macros. The second use is to freeze an insect or other moving subject. A flash has the ability to illuminate the subject at speeds of 1/1000th to more than 1/10,000th of a second and can help to freeze the butterfly approaching your flower.

Focus rails. Originally designed for bellows, these can be used with any macro setup. They are simply a tripod mounted unit that has a set of guide rails on top of the mount. On the top side of the rails is a camera mount. On the guides would be a knob that allows the forward and backward movement of the camera. Some rail units will have a side to side second set of rails. This allows even more precise framing and focusing of a subject. Imagine that you have just spend 2 minutes focusing on the bee and then just as you want to take the shot, he moves to the other side of the sunflower. With the side movement, you can slide the camera sideways while leaving the tripod in one place.

Tripod. This is a critical tool for good macro shooting. Hand held shooting is possible for many stationary subjects but it is difficult to get a full 1:1 shot and stay sharp on the subject. Macro shooting involves very thin depth of field (DOF) ranges. It might mean that you have the lens stopped down to f16 and have an in focus or DOF of 7mm. That is very difficult to hold steady and keep sharp when hand held. A tripod will make sure your camera doesn’t move after you have focused on the subject. There are a few manufactures that make some excellent tripods for general use and have some macro features. One I use allows the center post to be removed and a second head and short post to mount in the head stock. The legs will move out till they are almost flat to the ground. Others have an ‘arm’ to get the camera away from the tripod. The center post can be drawn up and then mounted horizontally to extend the camera out. This allows some reach into the flower garden.

Cable release. Or a wireless remote. Maybe not a must have but vibration is the enemy of good sharp images. Macro is very sensitive to camera shake. So if you can trip the shutter without touching the camera, you will get better results. If your camera has a mirror lockup function, that should be used when the subject permits.

Reflectors. These could be simple pieces of white cardboard, crinkled aluminum foil or even part of those car sun reflectors (used to keep the car cool in summer). The inside of a large potato chip bag could be used. getting light bounced to the area is important much of the time. Make a few simple DIY reflectors that bounce the light in. They make for nice natural light macros instead of the ‘flash look’

Right angle eye piece. These are very handy little add on units that look like a small periscope. When shooting a macro subject you can often find yourself down on the ground or at very odd angle. Getting your eye to the viewfinder can be difficult. They slip on the rear viewfinder and allow you to look down on the camera to line up and compose the shot.

Flash bracket. If you have a regular flash but not a ringlight style, A flash bracket can get your flash in close to the subject. you will most likely want a flash diffuser as well to even out the shadows and make the light less harsh.

In the next section here I will discuss actual shooting macros, exposure and things to look for.
Thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated.

Cheers and good shooting –Peter Zack

Related posts:

1. Shooting Macros Section 3 – The Math
2. Shooting Macros Section 2 – The Small World
3. Shooting Weddings Part 2 – Equipment

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