Australian , Matched Image Camera Hire, will be among the first to be able to offer Australia the ARRI ALEXA digital cinema camera. Built on the technical expertise of the ARRIFLEX D-21, ARRI has launched the new ARRI camera the ALEXA part of a new generation of digital motion picture cameras. Like the D-21, ALEXA creates rich, organic images, with the look and feel of 35 mm film.

The ARRI ALEXA is designed to be used with 35 mm accessories and lenses, so will fit into established working practices and minimise production delays. Matched Image are providing the new digital cinema ARRI ALEXA camera with and without lenses, in lightweight and full production packages. Now taking bookings for this exciting and much anticipated digital camera, Matched Image have a full suite of products on offer to support your ALEXA hire including audio equipment rentals, lighting rental, grip equipment rental, edit suite rental, crew hire, production van hire and all camera accessories.

The essence of the ARRI ALEXA camera system is ARRIs own 3.5K Super 35mm format ALEV-III CMOS Bayer sensor. Through extended research and experimentation with sensor and pixel technologies ARRI made some important discoveries and applied these to the production of the ALEXA. Top-quality image quality is achieved through a fine balance between detail, colour reproduction and sensitivity. While some competitors strive to improve camera statistics on paper by cramming more and more pixels into a 35mm frame, ARRI used a proof is in the pudding approach with the ALEXA digital camera maintaining that optimum image quality is attained through slightly fewer, yet larger, pixels filling the available space on a 35mm sensor.

Ahead of buying, you must consider the kind of photos you are hoping to click and under what circumstances. If you are a casual photographer who always prefers to have a camera, then features like dimensions, ease usability along with battery life ought to be much more elemental. Conversely, in case you are considering this as a pro, your necessities will comprise of picture lucidity, zoom alternatives, etc.

View the rare Kodak C182 Digital Camera

Also think about the:
* Olympus FE4010
* Casio Exillim EXH10
* Casio Exilim EXFC100
* Nikon P90
* Nikon D3S

You should get acquainted with some technological language which illustrate the functioning of these cameras. The most talked about feature is the megapixels the camera boasts of. This would essentially denote how fine the ensuing pictures would be. Each pixel is a singular dot in the photo. These aren’t limited to digital photos, and the same are also found in computer monitors.

If you propose on transferring your photos to the computer then printing them out as 8×10″ photos, a 5 megapixel camera ought to be satisfactory. For people expecting to showing the photographs on a digital screen or a computer screen, a 3.2 MP camera should suffice. The newest cameras present upto 15.1 megapixels, and even the most basic cameras come with eight, ten or twelve megapixels!

This is the second part of My Photos Aren’t Sharp. You may have thought there was only one page of possibilities for unsharp photos, but there are more.

Environmental Conditions

I took a roadtrip with some friends to Las Vegas back in 2002, in February. We traveled through parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho. Seeing this country during the months just before spring is absolutely the way to go. Everything is clear, crisp, but of course, the temperatures are very cool.

One of the obstacles in taking a few particular shots, was the wind factor. Regardless of trying to take images handheld in between bursts of wind, I noticed when I got home to review the images, they were not as sharp as I had thought they were. My images looked like I was taking shots from a moving car. Wind is one of nature’s elements which can become a pain to deal with if you are not aware of it or think you can manage it on your own. A tripod definitely helps.

Rain is another obstacle. Most of you may not have to deal with it as much as those who are photojournalists (”PJs”) or who just like to live life on the wild side, but if you do shoot in the rain, you will need to have knowledge of the Shooting Trinity: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and Depth Of Field. Sometimes you may get visible rain drops in your image when you don’t want them, and sometimes you may want them when you don’t have them in your image. In addition, a nice little rain drop may decide to take a rest right on the front element of your lens, which can distort an image at particular settings. The amount of rain is also something to think about. Be sure to monitor the rain and its behavior when you’re shooting in it. It can change drastically, and render an image that would have been just a 15 seconds ago, useless.

Wind and rain can also be a great addition to your creativity and expression of images, so they are not necessarily unwelcome. Shoot with nature. Not against it.

Quality Of Your Tripod

Not all tripods are built the same. Yes, this is true to some extent. However, you can still find a tripod for around $50-$200 that will perform just as well as a $500…and even a $3,000 tripod. Some people don’t want to admit this, but hey, it’s their money–not mine. In any case, regardless of the money spent on your tripod, make sure the tripod can accept the weight of your camera and lenses on it. Observe if the tripod is having difficulty remaining still when a gust of wind whips up. Depending on your equipment, you may need a tripod that can handle heavier equipment.

You And Your Tripod

This is sort of like the above, but looking at it from a different angle. Be aware of your stance when using a tripod and your camera equipment. I’ve seen photographers bump their tripods when shooting, accidentally trip over their tripods (I’ve done this a few times myself). Don’t lean into the tripod. Extend yourself OUT to the tripod, and begin shooting. If you just have to have the tripod in your face, read the following…

Your And Your Feet

Suffice it to say, make sure your feet are firmly planted when you shoot. Handheld or with a tripod. The system is only as strong as its weakest link, and yes, photographers themselves are usually the weakest link. Be aware of what you do when you shoot. I’ve noticed in some cases I actually sway back and forth if I am stationary for a particular time. What I do is gather myself again, and create a new stance. Some photographers have the physical capabilities of having the movement of a stone, and some have the behaviors of a long blade of grass, just waiting to be swayed back and forth.

The Camera Diopter

Most DSLRs have a built-in diopter to match your eyesight requirements. Also, you can buy attachments which have more of a precise and accomodation to your particular eyesight needs. Be sure to adjust the diopter on your camera, regardless if you think you need it or not. You might be surprised.

Your Eyesight

Yes, I had to mention it. If your eyesight is not particularly accurate, this could be a problem for your images appearing blurred. Be aware of Presbyopia, where one eye could be more affected than the other. This condition is progressive, and you may need adjustments every year. Eyesight issues are generally progressive in nature which could be the explanation for your images looking fine one season, and this season they are just as good as they could be. So, be sure to have your eyesight prescriptions up to date.

Final Thoughts

We’ve covered several possibilities for your images not coming out the way you are wanting them to. Overall, if you haven’t noticed, the key to eliminating a lot of these possibilities, is being aware of your own behavior, and aware of your equipment. In another articles, we will discuss image processing to reduce (or even eliminate) the effects of unsharp images.

©2005 by Jason Busch (DigitalDingus)

My Photos Aren’t Sharp (Part 2)

A part of the The DigitalDingus Guide To Photography series.

Anyone with the ability to use a camera correctly has the potential to sell their images. Picture agencies handle images of every subject and are always looking for emerging talent.

Pictures libraries and stock agencies are in the business of selling images. The don’t give you advice on how to take better images. Their purpose is business - they sell images to magazines, book publishers, the travel industry and many other industries that use images.

Many photographers look upon agencies as a last resort to sell their work; if you have been unable to sell any of your images, the chances are that most agencies won’t accept them.

If you are interested in an agency selling your images, you must be able to produce high quality images which are suited to the agencies market. Check out their website to view samples that are currently in use.
If you feel your work meets their standards and suits their customers - then approach them by e-mail or by standard mail.

But, before placing your work at an agency make a short-list of the agencies that seem to suit your work. Contact each agency outlining your work and which magazines have already published your images. If an agency is then interested they will ask you to send them samples.

If an agency accepts your work, don’t take this as a guarantee that your images will sell.

Don’t approach an agency until you have a large collection of images. Minimum first submissions can consist of anything from 50 images to 500 and regular submissions are normally required thereafter. Most agencies work on a commission basis - 50 % being the standard rate. If an image sells for two hundred euro - the photographer receives a one hundred euro fee.

When an agency takes on a photographer’s work, they normally require a four or five year retention period. Agencies normally sell the reproduction rights of a pictures - the image being licensed to a buyer for a specified purpose.

It may take as long as six months before an agency sells a picture belonging to you. First they need to scan your images if they are submitted by film; then they need to contact their clients and let them know that there is new material available - all of this takes time, so you must look at supplying a picture agency as a long term investment. It is only when you have several hundred images placed in a library that you’ll start to see regular sales.

Remember: agencies can’t sell images if there isn’t a market for them and placing images at an agency does not guarantee you sales.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer. If you are looking for some photo tips visit the photography directory he frequently writes for: www.goldprints.com To view some of his images visit his on line gallery @ www.goldenirishlight.com

What is zoom?

Sometimes when you take a photo you need to focus on one area in the picture frame. For example when you take a portrait photo you want to make sure the object’s face fills the photo frame while when you take a group photo you want to make sure everybody is in the photo frame.

In to focus on that one area in the photo frame you can either physically move closer to the objects or use the camera’s zoom feature. When using the zoom feature the camera (mechanically when applying an optical zoon or electronically when applying a digital zoom) enlarges that area to fit the full picture frame.

There are two types of zoom - optical and digital (in older film cameras the only zoom option was optical). We will try to explain the differences between the two.

How does optical zoon work?

Optical zoom works by physically moving the camera’s lenses and changing the focal length. By changing the focal length you can make objects appear bigger and fit the full photo frame.

When satisfied with the zoom position you can shoot the photo by simply applying the shutter button.

How does digital zoom work?

With digital zoom you actually use built-in software in the camera to define a portion of the photo which you are interested in. Once chosen the software crops the rest of the photo and enlarges the area you chose to fit the complete photo frame.

The process of enlarging the zoomed area is also known as extrapolation. The camera software needs to calculate new values for the pixels that were cropped in order to result in a full frame photo. The downside of this digital process is that the enlarged photo quality is lower than the original photo taken.

It is easy to understand the quality loss using an example. Lets assume that you have a 2MP (2 megapixels) camera. You point the camera and decide that you want to zoom in 2X. You run the digital zoom software and choose a 2X zoom. To accomplish this zoom the camera crops half of the photo and enlarges the other half to create a 2X zoom effect. In the process a 1MP area is discarded (the half that is cropped). The other 1MP area is enlarged in a process that copies every pixel once to generate a 2MP photo. Although the new photo seems to include 2MP it really includes only 1MP of information that was copied once. The result is a photo with a quality equivalent to a 1MP photo.

If you have used a 4X digital zoom in this example the result would have been a photo with an equivalent quality of a 0.5MP camera (the zoom area is 1/4 of the frame - 3/4 of the frame would be discarded and the rest 1/4 would be copied three times to fill the frame).

Digital zoom significantly reduces the quality of the photo. If your camera does not include digital zoom you can always shoot the photo without zooming and then use a PC photo editing software to crop a portion of it and enlarge the rest. In fact using PC software is always the preferred method to built-in digital zoom since it allows you to try different zoom sizes, different zoom areas and different zoom algorithms while not losing the original photo.

So which one is better?

Optical zoom is superior to digital zoom. In fact from a practical point of view digital zoom should not be considered zoom at all. It is always better to apply digital zoom on a PC at a later time rather then when taking the photo using the camera’s built-in digital zoom. When using a PC different sizes can be used and different zoom algorithms that can result in better qualities.

Know your camera’s zoom

Some manufacturers claim the maximum zoom figure their cameras support without specifying if it is optical or digital zoom. This information is confusing as many consumers do not understand the difference between the two. For example if a camera supports a 5X optical zoom and 10X digital zoom advertising the camera as a “10X zoom camera” is confusing - 10X digital zoom can be done with any camera using simple PC software.

When buying a camera always make sure that you know what the optical zoom figure is and that it meets your needs. Ignore the digital zoom figure as it does not mean much and can not compensate for a camera with poor optical zoom.

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information about photo album printing and photography in general on http://www.printrates.com - a site dedicated to photo printing

You can get some great images using your camera underwater. Think about the following to ensure you don’t miss that important shot:

Get an underwater housing - most cameras can be fitted with a specialised, waterproof underwater housing. These are available from specialised retailers or from online auction sites.

Think about an underwater camera - this is specifically designed to be moisture-proof and sustain the rigors of immersion in water

Having the sun overhead (that is around either side of midday) gives the best results underwater

The surface of the water will give more light - if you are underwater, try and angle your camera upwards

Conversely, the depths are darker and may give you exposure problems - deep water makes everything look murkier

Most things look closer in water especially if you are looking through goggles or a mask - get closer to your subject to compensate for this illusion

Experiment! - shoot into the sun for backlit silhouettes, look around for interesting subjects - include the human element in your fun shots

Come up to the surface and see what images would be like with the camera only partly immersed

Ensure your background is free from clutter - a tidy background will give your subject more “punch”

Look for powerful colors and shapes - these add more impact

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com

Digital photography printing has opened a completely new world for amateur and professional photographers alike.

For most photographers, the backup of digital photography printing offers unprecedented freedom to get the best digital shots. No more worrying about that precious piece of film running out too soon - all without you knowing for sure that anything worthwhile is on it!

However, when it comes to getting the actual digital photography printing done, there are some things to keep in mind to prevent wasting too much of your quality photo paper - not to mention your costly printing ink.

With digital photography printing in mind, the first thing to look at is to ensure that you download the pictures at their full resolution. If you end up with 72dpi (dots per inch) pictures, your print quality will be useless. A 72dpi resolution is only good for viewing on your computer screen, but 200 - 300dpi will give a good quality 8×10 print.

Large prints are usually viewed from a greater distance, therefore for a 13×19 inch print 200 pixels per inch is probably enough, whereas for a 5×7 inch print you might need around 300 pixels per inch.

By looking at the file size you will quickly learn to be an expert judge on quality. A picture of 100kb (kilobytes) or less, is most probably too low-resolution for good quality digital photography printing. Once you get up to a minimum of 400kb, you are working with a more useful resolution for an 8×10 print.

When doing digital photography printing, you will mostly work with the JPEG file format. Keep in mind that every time you open and save a JPEG file, you lose some of the image information. You’ll therefore want to do all your changes in one sitting, and then save them only once.

If you’re proud enough of your photographic effort - or if you want those family shots to be available for the next generation - you’ll want your prints to be done on decent paper, just like you were used to in the ‘old days’ of photographic paper! In the end, your digital photography printing will be only as good as the paper you are using.

There are many new coated papers available specifically for this purpose, and you should look at what is recommended for the printer you are using.

These digital photography printing papers don’t come cheap, so plan carefully. Print only after final cropping, or on completion of other changes, such as adding a border with your imaging software.

The longest-lasting paper is acid free, usually called archival paper in the world of inkjet printing.

Regular color inkjet and laser printers are good for text and charts, but not always great for digital photography printing. Printers which are PictBridge-enabled, allow you to do digital photography printing directly from the camera. Portable printers, such as the HP Photosmart 320 series, allow you to take a snap and print out 4×6 digital photography pictures anywhere on the move.

Incidentally, for smaller 4×6 inch prints, dye-sublimation printers give excellent quality prints, and they are usually waterproof - like the film prints you were used to! However, the materials for such digital photography printing do not come cheap!

If you can’t get good enough results with your own digital photography printing, especially if you’re printing larger than 8×10, you may want to try one of the brick-and-mortar, or even online photo labs which make use of dedicated photo printers with excellent results.

Photo labs can handle digital files directly from your memory card. Take your homemade CD, your digital camera, or your memory card along for professional quality digital photography printing.

For more information visit Best-Digital-Photography.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.