PHOTOGRAPHY - - Page 2

PAGE 1 INDEX:   1. Introduction  2. 35mm Films 

PAGE 2 INDEX:  3. 35mm Cameras  4. Medium Format  5. APS  6. Digital Cameras  7. Cameras For Sale  8. LINKS

i. Search This Site.

3.  35mm FILM CAMERAS -  (Yes, some folks still use film.) 

A small point and shoot film camera is great when you don't want the extra weight, bulk and time a big camera demands.  Point and shoot cameras is the market camera manufactures are emphasizing.  New technology is showing up in these cameras before they appear in the expensive professional level monsters.  And they take great pictures.  Perfect to slip into your pocket or purse. 

Film Cameras 

4.  MEDIUM FORMAT - FILM - For the amateur and even serious amateur thinking about getting into medium  format photography, let me provide some words of caution.  First, Medium format photography (2 1/4" x 2 1/4" film or larger) is very expensive.  The cameras and lenses are large, heavy and expensive as well as the film.  Getting medium format film developed is slow and hard at best.  Most drug store photo service will simply not take them or will farm them out and you never know what you will get back.  Some Photo stores even have a hard time and usually send them to a professional photofinisher which is a slower, more expensive process.  The end result is not as wonderful as you might expect. If you have small 4x6 or even 5x7 prints made you will hardly notice any difference.  The difference will only be seen in "large" enlargements 8 x 10 or larger.  Many serious amateurs have invested hundreds of dollars into medium format and were disappointed with the final result.  They simply could not see that much difference from photographs taken with good 35mm cameras except for the enormous additional cost involved.  .  So unless you are going into detailed studio, magazine cover, or industrial photography, save your money for fine lenses for your 35mm cameras.  Large format, forget it unless you enjoy spending a lot of money and want to haul around large (no make that HUGH) cameras.  Medium and large format photography are ideal for the magazine cover photographer, advertising photographer making images for billboard use, and the fine arts photographer.  These cameras take a large financial investment and time to learn how to use them properly and careful planning and time to take each image.  Digital medium format cameras do exist but they are very expensive and of interest to only the top professional studios.

Medium Format Cameras

5.  APS - FILM - (ADVANCED PHOTO SYSTEM) 24mm cameras - So, what about APS?  This format is all but dead.  You will be hard pressed to even find any APS cameras anywhere today.  Interestingly most digital camera sensors are of this smaller format allowing for smaller lighter lenses.  Some higher end digital camera sensors are 35mm. 

Well, APS had several nice features but were they worth it?  APS  film is more expensive than 35mm, the cameras are more expensive and so is the processing.  The film size is smaller so the end produce is not quite as good although you won't be able to (hardly) detect it in regular sized prints.  So look at those special features and ask yourself, how often would they be of great concern to me?    

6.  DIGITAL CAMERAS  -  Yeah!  Finally!  

Film-less digital photography is here to stay.  

The prices are coming down and features are going up.  The cameras and photographs are improving.  Some now even have vibration reduction (VR)  shake control built in.  Some day everyone will own a high quality, high resolution digital camera and get away from film altogether.  The fact that you don't have to buy film and you can erase bad shots makes digital photography very attractive.  

Digital retouching with computer software is another real boon.  With the appropriate software you can correct exposure, white balance, sharpness and other parameters of the image.  You can also erase those ugly telephone poles and power lines from otherwise great shots.  Takes a lot of time - but is great fun.

Adobe: Photoshop Elements

If you are taking only a very few family photos a film camera you already have or a throw away one-time camera is still a very inexpensive way to get a few shots of a family event.  Eventually though, you will want a digital camera.

Everyone asks - when buying a digital camera, how many mega pixels do I need.  Well, I would suggest you not purchase one with less than four MP - mega pixels.  Six is better if you plan on doing any cropping and/or printing 8 x 10 inch prints.  Ten mega pixels is great - only if you plan on purchasing poster sized blow-ups or plan on very extensive cropping.  There you have the size of it.  The important point here is that for all practical purposes an image small enough to be sent in an email, for example, will be just as good from a 4 mega pixel camera as one from a 10 mega pixel camera, all other things being equal.  Are there differences between brands?  Yes, but today almost all will serve you well for your family snapshots so look primarily for price, size, type of memory required, battery type, LCD size and handling issues.  You can drive yourself crazy trying to decide which brand and model is best for you so - just get one.  Many stores will let you bring it back for a full refund, if your not happy.  Check the store policy before you make the purchase.  Be sure to keep your receipt, box, and everything that came with the camera.  Make sure you meet the time requirements for a camera return as it is usually shorter than other purchases.  Ten days is fairly normal.   At the beginning of page one we talked about point and shoots versus digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras so go back and read the first section again for more details.  Check this page again later for more information on digital cameras.  If you must, check internet reviews of various cameras but remember they are only one persons opinion and new and better models come out every day it seems.  Just order one and try it out today.

The one book you MUST have.

Digital Cameras