Search results for: photography tips solutions understanding focal length what it means how use it
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by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Despite what you might have seen on the internet, you don’t need all the money and time in the world to photograph wildlife. Sure, an African safari would be nice, but it is by no means the only way to capture stunning images of wild animals. In fact, regardless of where you live, odds are there’s a vast ecosystem that likely goes unnoticed. If you have trees in your neighborhood, you’re off to a great start.
What You Need to Photograph Wildlife
While gear plays a crucial role in our ability to photograph wildlife, it isn’t everything. In this
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
As you begin to research cameras, you’ll likely hear some technical jargon about sensors. While it’s easy to ignore some elements of any devices, there’s no way to work around sensors. But what is a sensor and what does it do? In this guide, we’re diving into the often confusing world of imaging sensors. By time we’re done, you’ll have a better understanding of the most significant component in our digital camera.
About Sensors
What Is an Imaging Sensor?
At the heart of our digital cameras sits an imaging sensor, which serves as the digital
by John Harris · Posted
There is no wildlife or bird photography without a camera and lens, but I am here to tell you not to buy another piece of gear. It is not the camera or lens that will make you a better photographer; rather, the three things that will improve your wildlife photography are: to know your subject better, to know your gear better, and to know yourself better.
Subject
Of these three, I think the first to address is to know your subject better. And that means research—reading, tutorials, conversations—and time in the field, with or without your
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Specular out-of-focus highlights have appeared in photographs since the first photos were taken through lenses. In 1997, Photo Techniques magazine introduced the word “bokeh” to the photography world’s vernacular and the out-of-focus areas of photographs have been scrutinized ever since. Before the term, there was certainly discussion about the aesthetics of the out-of-focus specular highlights of a photograph, but until 1997, there wasn’t a good word in the English language to describe the phenomenon. Credit goes to Mike Johnston, article
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
So, you just bought a shiny, new, and maybe expensive, lens for your camera, and being the savvy consumer, you did your homework. You pored over customer reviews on the B&H Photo website, read online reviews splattered all over the Internet, grabbed a copy of every photo magazine that reviewed the lens, bookmarked dozens of websites, and now have the lens’s MTF curve charts burned into your retinas.
Now, your lens is here and it is time to go out shooting.
by Bjorn Petersen · Posted
Despite photography taking mainly a digital form nowadays, there is still immense value in the tactile side of photography, especially in regard to teaching photography. With education being based more in the home at the moment, it can be the perfect time to introduce someone to photography using the simplest and most basic tools. Pinholes are of the most primitive examples of photography but are also some of the most perfect tools with which to teach the basics of exposure without needing to complicate it using abstract modes, shutter speeds
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Aperture is the size of the opening in the lens. Some lenses have fixed apertures, but most photographic lenses have variable apertures to control the amount of light entering the lens. This aperture is regulated by a diaphragm made of overlapping blades that can be adjusted to vary the size of the opening through which light passes. The size of the opening also has a secondary effect on the photograph, as the diaphragm also changes the angle at which the light passes through the lens. We will discuss two "side effects" of changing the
by Allan Weitz · Posted
Sometimes, the phrases, acronyms and strings of numbers or number-letter combinations used to identify photographic hardware or techniques can be daunting to the uninitiated neophyte photographer.
We've prepared a list of the basic terms. Have we left any out that you think should be added? Please let us know!
0-9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
by Bjorn Petersen · Posted
If you spend much time perusing the Lenses section of the B&H website, or follow along with the latest announcements of new glass, you're likely to run into a range of phrases that are not inherently known to those with less than a keen, honed understanding of photographic and optical geekery. Scientific-sounding words like aspherical elements, chromatic aberration, coma, low dispersion, and high refractive index to the layman often lead to imprecise thoughts
by Steven Gladstone · Posted
I have been using filters ever since I first shot Super 8 film with a little Kodak M-22 camera. Just press the funny-looking piece of metal into the top of the camera to drop in (or remove—I can't remember which it was) the Wratten 85 filter that allowed you to use tungsten-balanced film in daylight, and achieve the correct color balance. Over the years, my filter experience has pretty much stayed the same—I use filters to achieve a
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Depth of field (DOF) is defined as the area in a projected image, forward and aft of the focal plane, which also appears to be in focus in the image. When you pass light through a lens and focus that light to form an image on a piece of film, digital sensor, projection screen, etc., the area of the image that is in true focus is razor thin—the focal plane. Everything else is out of focus, to some degree. However, because of the subtlety of the out-of focus regions, we do not notice the softness of the image until, as objects are located
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
There is a great deal of confusion surrounding crop factor, and it is particularly difficult to explain, but let’s give it a try, shall we?
Before we dive in, let me dispel two vicious rumors related to crop factor that are circulating through the photography (Internet) world today:
Crop factor does NOT affect a lens’s focal length.
Crop factor does NOT affect a lens’s aperture.
Before you scroll to the bottom of the screen to leave a comment to the contrary, let me explain why I am stating these facts…
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
The primary measurement of a lens is its focal length. The focal length of a lens, expressed in millimeters, is the distance from the lens’s optical center (or nodal point) to the image plane in the camera (often illustrated by a "Φ" on the top plate of a camera body) when the lens is focused at infinity. The image plane in the camera is where you will find your digital sensor or film plate. If you are an optical engineer, this is important
by John Harris · Posted
So, you just bought your first DSLR camera and you are interested in joining the ranks of image-makers everywhere who find pleasure and creativity in documenting the world as they see it. What are you gonna do now? Do you know how to set your aperture? Or what ISO is? Did you know that DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex? It doesn’t matter: what you do know is that you’re ready to step up from your point-and-shoot camera and create images over which you have more control.
A digital SLR camera is a great machine that allows you to