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by myscrapworks Technical Photography columnist Din Cordero |
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There is a lot to be thankful about with technology most especially its impact to photography. Because of several, and if I may say, huge advances in the field, it is becoming easier and faster for us to concentrate on taking good pictures, that is focusing on the artistic side of things, rather than being boggled down by technical details.
In this regard, I would like to share what I think are the top two camera technologies that I am really thankful for because they reshaped the photography field and made taking excellent pictures a lot easier to accomplish.
Digitization (Advent of Digital Cameras)
By a mile, this for me is the biggest and most groundbreaking breakthrough of them all. From the moment the first digital camera was released to the public, there was no stopping this juggernaut of change. The first professional digital camera, the Kodak DCS-100, was released in 1991 and costs about a whopping US$ 13,000. The first consumer-level digital camera, the Apple QuickTake 100, came out in 1994, costs around US$ 750 and had a resolution of 640x480. Now, the latest digital single-lens reflex cameras such as the Canon 400D, Nikon D80 and Sony Alpha to name a few, have resolutions of 10-megapixels but costs only around or even less than a thousand dollars. In fact, latest camera phones have even more resolution that the Apple QuickTake. |
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| Now, what major advantages digital cameras brought to us? Less cost and a shorter learning curve! There are pundits who would say otherwise but based on my previous experience, film is not cheap. More so if you are learning the various combinations of aperture, shutter and ISO settings plus other variables and you will end with hefty film development bills afterwards notwithstanding the cost of the film itself. |
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| I would not have even fully ventured / immersed myself to photography if not for these digital cameras. Now THAT is a lot to be thankful for. |
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Anti-Shake / Image Stabilizer
Camera shake is a very common problem in film and digital cameras. This occurs when the camera moves during the time the shutter is open which causes blurring on the image. Slow shutter speeds, long focal lenses (telephoto), and/or low light conditions are the most common culprits for camera shake.
Would it be a blessing if we can get shake-free images irregardless of situation (indoor or outdoor) and any lighting conditions? Now, this is where image stabilization comes into the picture. Image stabilizers or “anti-shake” technologies are implemented in two ways. For the first approach, image stabilization is done in the lens. This is the approach followed by Canon (IS: Image Stabilizer), Nikon (VR: Vibration Reduction) and Sigma (OS: Optical Stabilizer) with their lenses. Even with the different names, they follow similar principles in reducing camera shake. A stabilizing mechanism is located inside the lens that compensates for camera shake. This keeps the glass elements inside the lens aligned to the camera sensor making the image as sharp as possible. |
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For the second approach, the image stabilization is done in the camera body. This is solely for digital cameras and the approach made by Sony and Pentax to name a few. The stabilizing mechanism is located in the camera body, most often than not attached to the camera sensor itself. Any shaking made while handling the camera is compensated making the camera sensor properly aligned to the lens ensuring that the image is as sharp as possible. |
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Amidst the techie talk above, what is the clear advantage that can be gained from these image stabilization approaches? For both approaches, the camera shake compensation can be from 3 to 4 shutter stops slower. This means that if a photographer can take sharp pictures with a shutter speed of 1/125, he can take the same sharp picture using image stabilization with a shutter speed of 1/15 (3 steps slower: 1/60 –> 1/30 –> 1/15). From here, you can already see that this is a welcome blessing. If you are taking pictures in low-light conditions using a 100mm telephoto lens, the minimum shutter speed would be 1/100 or 1/125 following the 1/F rule that I discussed in the previous article. But now, with image stabilization, you can take the picture sharply with only a 1/30 or 1/15 shutter speed.
Despite these technologies, camera manufacturers are still looking for more ways on how to improve the camera, most especially digital cameras. This is the effect of competition and the fast pace of technological change. In the end, we as consumers are the ones who benefit the most from this situation. And that is a lot to be thankful for. And rest assured that your friendly photo techie will be here to document these in the future. |
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