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August 28, 2007
[ EPSON CX5500 multifunction printer/scanner ]
Price: $100
Frustrating
The low-down: This is one of Epson’s sub $100 units that includes a printer and scanner and functions as a colour copier. The printer uses the Durabrite resin coated pigment inks that promise a print life of 120 years. Claimed resolution of the printer is 5760dpi. The unit comes with a good software suite to control all the functions. Ink is supplied in four separate cartridges which is good news for economy because only the depleted colour needs to be replaced.
Like: The best thing about this unit is the scanner/copier. Scans are reasonably fast and the software controls provide a high level of management of colour, exposure and, most importantly, de-screening of images scanned from magazines and books. Colour copying is surprisingly quick and of acceptable quality for the price.
Dislike: Let’s be realistic. What can we reasonably expect for $100? You get sharp and detailed prints but with dull, under saturated colours. You also get visible banding showing the tracks of the print head. And it is slow. A 10 by 15 cm top quality photo print takes 5.5 minutes to come from the printer. Text printing in black is reasonably fast but the output will never be mistaken for laser. Construction is flimsy and doesn’t bespeak durability.
Verdict: Epson, Canon, Brother, Hewlett Packard and Lexmark all offer these cheap multifunction units that seem irresistible, but we suggest that you think before you buy. Epson’s best domestic printer and scanner together cost over $2000. For that you get fast A3+ format printing, flawless prints, superbly accurate and fast scans and robust construction. It is an act of self-delusion to imagine that can be had for $100. But there are intermediate A4 multi function units costing a few hundred dollars that come close to being comparable with the best. These are the genuinely amazing bargains that will do the job without the frustrations.
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Posted by terry at 01:40 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
[ SNAPPY REFLEXES ]
DIGITAL SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERAS are the big growth area in camera sales. The Camera & Imaging Products Association of Japan reports that while overall digital sales in the first half of this year are up 27 per cent on last year the growth in DSLRs is 75 per cent.
With Pentax and Nikon offering excellent cameras at under $1000 the price argument against buying an SLR no longer holds. Digital SLRs are now comparable in price with the better compacts, and dollar for dollar they offer so much more that it seems perverse to shun them.
Of course they won’t fit in your pocket, so if portability is your principal criterion in judging a camera then that settles the argument. But if you buy a camera to take photographs then picking an SLR is a no-brainer.
You get a real viewfinder. There is nothing comparable with a through-the-lens magnified view of the world. This is the feature that made single lens reflex film cameras popular in the sixties and seventies. Nothing has changed. Not only are you seeing a bright image but you can also check depth of field and see the shutter speed and aperture displayed in the finder.
Then you get a much larger sensor to capture the image. The compact camera sensor has a diagonal measurement of approximately 10 mm. An APS-size sensor in a DSLR measures 45.7 mm across. This means bigger photo receptors more widely spaced and that means cleaner images with less digital noise. Less noise means that the camera can operate at higher ISO speeds, obviating the need for flash.
A DSLR is responsive. It is ready to work as soon as it is turned on and because of the way the shutter works there is no delay. Compacts these days are much more responsive than of yore, but they don’t have the instant snap of a real camera.
Because DSLRs are designed for serious photographers they have more controls over things like saturation, contrast, colour space and so on. This might sound like more information than most people can be bothered with, but you can choose to use them or not. Even as a point-and-shoot, with the mode dial set to P and leaving the camera to make most of the decisions, you will get better pictures than from a compact.
And DSLRs have interchangeable lenses. You are buying into a system that grows as you become more demanding.
After we have had a compact for a week or two for review we are always relieved to get back to the trusty Nikon D80 because it is easier to use. With the compact we must be assiduous in getting everything just right, but for the shot with the SLR we know that we have latitude to correct minor aberrations in exposure and white balance after the event. And following a moving child or animal with a single lens reflex is easy. With a compact it is hard.
You don’t get movie mode with a DSLR, but if we need to take movies we will use a video camera.
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Posted by terry at 01:36 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
August 16, 2007
[REVIEW—TAMRON SPAF 90mm Di Macro lens]
Price: $800
Highly Recommended
The low-down: This 90mm fixed focal length lens is a relatively fast f2.8 optic that can be used as a normal, focus-to-infinity lens, and also as a macro lens capable of 1:1 reproduction. It is well made with a simple push-pull clutch mechanism for changing from auto to manual focus. Manual focus is smooth but should be better damped. The lens barrel extends up to 53mm when it is focussed at its closest point and the extension feels solid with no suggestion of a wobble. There is a limit switch on the barrel that restricts focus search either to the close-up range or the range from 4.5 centimetres to infinity. When mounted on a camera with an APS sized sensor, such as a Nikon or Canon, the effective focal length is 135 mm which is ideal for portraits.
Like: This lens focuses quickly and quietly. The “bokeh” – the out of focus background highlights – is particularly attractive. Images are sharp, with good contrast and neutral colour. Overall the optical quality of the lens is excellent.
Dislike: We found that the rear lens cap would not fit on our other Nikon mount lenses. It is not a calamity but it is annoying not to be able to simply swap rear lens protectors when changing lenses.
Verdict: The Photozone survey of owners shows a high level of satisfaction with the Tamron. It is rated highly for build quality and optical and mechanical performance with no nasty surprises in distortion or chromatic aberration. In its own objective test Photozone rates the Tamron as the optical equal of the more expensive Canon 100 mm macro and we would compare it well with our own Micro Nikkor 60 mm lens on all points except mechanical refinement. All in all this is a fine lens and is highly recommended.
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Posted by terry at 12:38 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
[ A MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY ]
THIS WEEK DPEXPERT TOOK TIME OFF FROM MEGAPIXELS, shutter lag, auto focus, face recognition, image noise and all the other technological marvels and disappointments of digital photography to get back to the basics. We popped into the City Library gallery at 253 Flinders Lane to look at the exhibition “Melbourne:Pinhole”. (Gallery@City Library until 30 August.)
Photographer David Tatnall, working with a grant from the Melbourne City Council, is exhibiting a collection of photographs of the city taken with two pinhole cameras that he has made himself.
Tatnall’s photographs (visit his online gallery for samples of his work) are well known even if his name isn’t. He is the man who has photographed the sacred heart of the old growth forests of East Gippsland to show us what we will be losing if the timber industry has its way. His photographs, taken with a cumbersome and fiendishly expensive Toyoview camera, played a part in persuading the Kirner cabinet to give parts of the forest the protection of national park status.
The Toyoview produces 10 by 12 centimetre images that Tatnall turns into prints of exceptional sharpness, detail and tonal range. So what is this with crude pinhole cameras that set him back less than ten dollars?
“I’d been using pinhole as a teaching aid at the schools where I teach photography as Artist-in-residence. These cameras were simply tin cans or boxes with holes punched in them to show how simple photography really is. And each time I do it the students get excited about the pictures they get from a tin can.
“There was something about the quality of them that made me take the next step to make a large format pinhole camera that combines the techniques from traditional large format photography by using 20 by 25 cm sheet film.”
The two cameras used for the exhibition photographs are made from scrap timber salvaged from a builder’s skip. They are boxes, painted black inside and with a slot at the back to hold the film carriers, of the type used in traditional view cameras.
The pinhole is made with a sewing needle and the aperture has been precisely calculated so that exposure can be determined using a light meter, rather than by lucky guess. One camera has a focal length akin to a wide angle lens and the other has a normal perspective.
The viewfinder is a V on the box top made from electrician’s tape. The shutter is a piece of swivelling plywood and exposures may range from a few seconds to an hour. The film is hand processed and contact printed.
The finished prints have the mysterious beauty of photographs taken in the late 19th century with wet plate cameras. Where many pinhole photographs have an accidental, flukey look to them Tatnall’s look as deliberate and intentional as any picture taken with a conventional camera.
David Tatnall chooses to work with the traditional silver-based photo materials and resists the seductive ease of digital. His methods, materials and photographs are a romantic reminder that the world is analogue, not digital.
According to one chap a 20 by 25 cm sheet of film is a 1.19 gigapixel sensor.
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Posted by terry at 12:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 09, 2007
[ KODAK EASYSHARE Z712 IS digital camera ]
Price: $500
Highly Recommended
The low-down: This 7.1 megapixel camera has a Schneider 36–432mm (film equivalent) zoom lens. The lens is optically image stabilised. Construction is of smooth plastic outer shell and in size, feel and appearance is best described as feminine, consistent with Kodak’s marketing to women. Controls are easy enough to use and there is full manual control for those who want it. Auto focus is fast and accurate, even at the longest zoom extension. The electronic viewfinder is dire and the LCD screen is just acceptable for framing and review.
Like: This camera is really responsive, unlike its Kodak super zoom predecessors. Shutter lag is almost imperceptible and tracking moving subjects is now a doddle. The speed of the auto focus is remarkable. It seems that many of the problems associated with this type of all-in-one super zoom have been solved. The frustrating image freeze when the shutter button is pressed is no longer there.
Dislike: The default settings for colour saturation and sharpness are absurdly high. Left on Normal the camera will produce bleeding reds and yellows with loss of fine detail, and the over-sharpened images will have ugly moire patterns in areas of fine detail such as hair or feathers. It is easy enough to fix the problem – just adjust saturation and sharpness to low – but why create an unnecessary problem in the first place?
Verdict: Once we had cranked down saturation and sharpness we enjoyed using this camera. With 7.4mp on a small sensor we expected noise to be a problem, but at ISO400 the pictures look as though they have been taken with film of the same speed. Noise is tight and more like grain. Resolution of fine detail is excellent and exposures are generally spot on. The macro mode is very good. Point-and-shooters should love this camera but it will also keep a more ambitious photographer happy.
[ There is a small collection of photographs taken with the Kodak EasyShare Z712is in the Gallery ]
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[ PET PROJECT ]
IMAGING’S CAT IS OLD (would you believe twenty years), beautiful and infuriatingly uncooperative when it comes to having her picture taken.
The first rule of pet photography is to get the camera on the level of the animal, which is all very well. As soon as she sees the camera near the ground she comes straight up to it and rubs her cheeks against the lens, presumably marking it as her property. Which means that the best way to get her to pose is to put her up on a place where she can’t move too much, such as the back of a chair.
Even after we have imposed rule number one of pet photography – be on the same level as the animal – we must implement rule number two. Have an assistant. To get any animal to look animated it must be entertained or it will fall into its natural state of torpor if it’s a cat or, in the case of dogs, will lick the lens.
Pet portraits are no different from the human equivalent. You are trying to capture the personality of the Best Friend, so she needs to be alert and perhaps even a little alarmed. At the very least she needs to be offered a peacock feather as a stimulant.
Rule three is to use available light. Turn off the flash. For some reason that animal ophthalmologists can explain dogs and cats are more prone to flash red-eye even than humans. We have seen many a picture of a red-eyed hell hound or an evil witch’s familiar with ruby orbs where her eyes should be.
Filtered light through a window is nice. Or, if outdoors, an overcast day always produces better results than bright sunlight. If the animal sports a full range of tones from black nose to white socks then remember that the dynamic range of the digital sensor is being pushed to its limits. In bright sun the blacks will be inky blobs and the whites will be completely featureless.
Set the camera exposure meter to centre-weighted or spot and auto-expose from the brightest area on the animal’s body. If your best friend is a sulphur crested cockatoo you may need to make an exposure adjustment – usually towards under exposure – in order to preserve the white feather detail.
Consider the background. If your moggie is a miniature tiger with a primitive hunting instinct then she may best be photographed emerging from a backyard jungle, but usually it is easier to get a stand-out pet portrait against a plain or unfussy background. A longer focal length lens will soften or blur the background.
Including the animal’s human in the picture, holding the Best Friend, solves the problem of getting the camera and the subject onto the same level and, when well done, captures the relationship of the two.
Now, the most important rule. Get close. Remember the golden rule of photography – if your pictures are no good you are standing in the wrong place. Focus on the eyes. Set the camera’s autofocus to centre spot so that it coincides with the auto exposure area and then aim at the animal’s eye, half depress the shutter and, if necessary reframe while holding the button halfway down.
How hard is that?
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Posted by terry at 06:06 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 01, 2007
[ RICOH CAPLIO GX100 camera ]
Price: $800 camera, $900 with viewfinder
Highly Recommended
The low-down: This 10 megapixel compact camera has two unusual features – its lens and its viewfinder. The lens has a zoom range of 24 to 72mm (film equivalent) which is wider than other compacts and not as long at the telephoto end. The electronic viewfinder is an optional extra that fits into the flash hot shoe and is hinged so that it can be used from above, very handy for low level shots. It is also the best EVF we have seen with reasonable resolution and definition. The camera body is of aluminium overlaid with rubberised plastic and feels rigid and looks purposeful. Controls and menus are well laid out and there is complete user control for those who want it. Focus, exposure and colour are generally good although reds over saturate and there is some bleeding and loss of detail. Macro mode is so-so and, not surprisingly, there is image noise, but much better controlled than on most 10mp cameras. A rechargeable battery is supplied but the camera will also run on AAA batteries.
Like: The lens is excellent and the resolved detail is exceptional, helped by the sensor-shift image stabilisation. The wide angle end of the zoom is wonderful with very little barrel distortion. RAW images are saved in Adobe’s universal DNG format.
Dislike: Write times to the memory card are a problem, especially in RAW mode. It takes some seconds to write to a standard SD card, during which time the camera is locked and unusable. The RAW image is large – 14.4MB – and the write delay will stop most people using RAW.
Verdict: The Ricoh goes to the top of the list of cameras recommended for travellers to Europe. In fact this is a camera that would be handy in a photographer’s kit alongside a single lens reflex for those occasions when a quick snap with an all-in-one is called for. Highly recommended, and do buy the viewfinder.
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Posted by terry at 11:53 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
[ CAPTURING BOTH THE LIGHT AND THE SHADE ]
THE ESOTERIC BUZZ WORD from photographers on the internet these days is HDR imaging. HDR stands for high dynamic range and it has been big news for fussy photographers since Adobe started incorporating HDR Merge in Photoshop.
The problem HDRI solves is this. The human eye can scan a scene with a huge range of tones from deepest shadow to brightest sky and clouds and we can see detail in both extremes. Film, and now digital sensors, do not come anywhere near the eye in the ability to capture and reproduce this long scale of tones between absolute black and absolute white.
We are all familiar with the problem, where one part of the picture is in shade and another part in bright light. If we expose to capture the most shadow detail then the light parts of the picture will be completely featureless. On the other hand if we underexpose to preserve details in the highlights then the shadows will be inky black.
Digital sensors are a positive medium, not a negative like black and white film, so generally speaking it is best to expose for the highlights because once the bright spots are blown, or “clipped”, there is no picture information in them to be recovered whereas there is often some leeway in the shadows. Shooting RAW and using a converter like Adobe Camera RAW allows for quite a remarkable degree of detail recovery at both ends of the tonal scale. However, sometimes it is not enough. And this is where HDR Merge can help.
Creating a high dynamic range image is a tedious business and you can only really do this with subjects that are not moving because it involves taking several exposures and then overlaying them precisely to create one final image. Use a tripod!
The starting point is to take five or more exposures at intervals of one stop or more. To do this the camera must be set to Manual and one normal exposure taken. Then take two under exposed by increasing the shutter speed (do not vary the aperture) and two over exposed by reducing the shutter speed. The best results are achieved using RAW but JPG will work.
In Photoshop open File/Automate/Merge to HDR, and load the set of images into the dialogue box. Click OK and stand back while a new image file is created and a “Set White Point” histogram displayed. Move the slider to the right until white is white and there is still maximum detail in the highlights.
When the image opens in Photoshop it is in 32 bit form, which means that it has more colour information than either your monitor or printer can handle, so the Image/Mode must be changed to 16 or 8 bit for further fine tuning.
There is a free alternative to Photoshop Merge to HDR called Picturenaut. We found that this produced a high dynamic range image from our input, but the five layers didn’t line up properly, resulting in some fuzzy outlines. However it is a good way to get a feel for the concept of HDR image processing. Give it a try.
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