Canon Blogger

With another Friday coming to an end, I am squeaking this one in under the wire too. After a deluge of rain delayed dinner and a few other odds and ends, I find myself finally sitting down to write the Friday post at 10:47 pm. Thankfully, the details are all worked out in advance so it really requires no additional work on my part.

As promised, my latest web gallery is up and viewable on the photo site directly at this link here: A Day in the Park, but a few previews of the ones I really loved have lightbox versions below:

Also of interest, and just in time for the weekend, the latest installment of the TOP test has been compiled and published. I still have a few questions to finish, and 2 of these I am culling from my image library for samples, so you will have to examine pictures this go around - so it’s real life shots that need evaluation, not just textbook definitions…although there’s plenty of that too. Hopefully this one will be a little more challenging, so take it and share your scores today: Top Test - Advanced Photography Exam

The portal page is also new, and the original exam page has almso moved relative to the folder structure movement from outside CB to inside CB (makes tracking easier)…Enjoy the exams and let me know if you have any ideas (An Expert or Pro level exam is also something I am considering compiling but I really would need some pros help in putting that together).

Until Monday then, here’s your weekly installment of WTD;

Until Monday, then, enjoy the weekend, happy shooting, and watch those apertures!

Jason Moore has a weekly feature on his blog, titled Geographic Composition. I was invited to join in that weekly activity, and am honored to do so. This week, my first in participating, the theme is “Yellow.” Stop over to Jason’s blog to see the entire grouping of shots…

In other news, the TOP test will be officially moving to within the domain for Canon Blogger this evening. With the migration comes a new portal so you can take tests of different difficulties. The Basic Photography test is the one that has been out and in place for about a month now. The next test, nearing completion, is the Intermediate Test. Questions are more difficult, and should challenge you in new ways, including evaluating actual pictures! I am still working on some questions for it, so it’s not completely finished, but I will likely have at least a partial version available for beta testing, so more on that tomorrow once the migration is done (including a link to the new URL).

Finally, the photo shoot from last week has been assembled into a gallery of images and published on my photography site. Stop over there to take a look at the featured pictures. It was a lot of fun and the kids were really great to work with!

Not much other news, so until tomorrow, happy shooting and watch those apertures!

We live in a world of super-sizing everything:

From sodas to coffee, fries, meals, cars, and houses, bigger always seems to be better. This is no different in photography. From larger bodies, to larger bags to more Megapixels, we are constantly in pursuit of something “bigger and better.” The idea behind all of this is that the bigger the camera is, or the more megapixels you have, the larger you can print (or the more you can crop and still get a decent print). This is true for the most part. Higher MP counts translate to higher sensor resolution (note that the sensor size isn’t changing, just the resolution). The higher sensor resolution then ultimately translates to higher print sizes. Serious photo enthusiasts know though, that it’s not in the megapixels, the sensors, the cameras, or even the lenses. Truly great prints come from capturing something unique and wonderful that you see with your own eye. Having said that, we are still obsessed with creating the biggest prints we can - after all, the larger the print, the more we can “wow” our clients, right?

Sensor resolution is, by and large, the single most important determinant of how big you will be able to print a particular image. It’s a simple matter of math, native print size will vary as a function of the number of pixels on the sensor. You may get more noise has MP counts ratchet up on identical sensors, but the more pixels you can fit, the larger you can print.

So, that only makes one wonder - what are the maximum print sizes for various cameras? No one tells you that. You can read all about the Digic III sensor from Canon to Nikon’s CCD sensors, and onto the 4/3rds sensor from Olympus. You can also find out everything from the MP counts to frame rates, lens mounts, and a host of other information, but I have yet to find a vendor that publishes a maximum print size in terms we can understand. Instead, they just give us the sensor resolution. But that doesn’t help. We need to know how that resolution translates into prints! Paper sizes aren’t measured in pixels, they are measured in inches! Well, no fear, I’ve taken care of all the legwork and put together a spec sheet for all the cameras currently listed in Canon’s product line. So, without further ado, here are the current Canon cameras, replete with model, current retail price, MP count, sensor size, and max print size. Enjoy!

Got a camera other than Canon or an older model? Well then, unfortunately it’s a little trickier for you, because you actually need to know 2 things. First, it’s helpful to know that as a general rule of thumb, your maximum print size is proportional to your sensor resolution. Second, you need to know your sensor resolution. To figure out your maximum print size, divide your sensor resolution by 200. For example, the Nikon D80 has a sensor resolution of 3872×2592. So, the max print size would be 3872/200 x 2592/200, or 19″x12″. This is, of course, only taking into account the native resolution of any sensor. Up-sizing programs can adjust for this, but that would no longer be a native measurement.

P.S. I do have this as a worksheet in a larger Excel workbook…other sheets include the Canon lens list, a sunrise/sunset calendar, and bunches of other goodies. If anyone is interested in that, drop me an email! Good stuff in there…

In lieu of a video tutorial today, I’ve recorded an audio podcast. The primary reason for this is because the tip I want to share involves a technique I don’t really have a good sample shot in my library to show you how to apply the technique. So…tune in to this special audio episode for Canon Blogger.

Show notes include information on:

• I will have a new gallery of photos out on my photography gallery site tomorrow.
• Selective Noise Reduction
• A DIY Backlight (how to make your own)
• Not one, but 2 videos on lighting gear from www.prophotolife.com
• Jason Moore is off to France, with kudos on his way out from Photoshop User TV
• Don’t forget to check out Jason’s Geographic Community Composition on Thursday of this week (the 15th)

 

 Noise and Lighting and Links, Oh My! [7:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (236)

You know I had to do it eventually…

Although, this week it could not be more true…I was on the first item of a “honey-do” list yesterday, upgrading the thermostadt, and could not get things reconnected.  Since it was a SUnday at 7pm the odds of getting an HVAC tech out was just not an option.  As the temperature went up throughout the house, it had similar effects on my processing…I actually had to shut dwon after a thermal warning from the main PC.  So, today afer work, I had an HVAC tech out to fix the A?C, and resumed my post processing.  With another 200 or so shots to go through for the shoots that I have CD’s due for tomorrow.  With the evening meal behind me and an early start tomorrow, I really am not going to have time for a regular post  today, so to catch up on the news, stop over to Jason Moore’s site for the latest in the last week.

If the blog links are not your style, some excellent reading fodder can also be found over at The Online Photographer - there actually was an excellent article there over the weekend that talks about the increasing use of advertorials in magazines.  Very similar to the idea I talked about recently that the “fluff” in magazines is starting to out-weight the content.

As always, enjoy the week, and don’t forget to trip that shutter occasionally - happy shooting, watch those apertures, and we’ll see you tomorrow!