Rob-John.com Photography

How to Choose the Right Printer

Rob — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 02:27:22 +0000

So you have your computer and would like to get a printer for home use. There are several printers on the market and you are wondering how to pick the right printer? Here are some tips on getting a printer that will meet your individual printing needs.

Instructions

Step 1

Decide what you want your printer to do. This could be printing documents or photos. This will help you determine whether you need a color or black and white printer. Since color cartridges cost more, this should be included in your decision.

Step 2

Determine if you need quality or quantity. Will you be printing a large amount of product that needs to be done quickly, or will you be able to take it slower?

Step 3

Review the types of printers offered. There are ink jet printers that are the standard for home printers. They are relatively inexpensive and can print photos in a snap. If you want to print documents or text, a laser printer is going to be your best bet. The cartridge is more expensive, but lasts up to three times longer.

Step 4

Consider an all in one. If you need to scan, fax, and print there are several printers on the market that do it all. When compared to buying each product individually, they are a great deal.

Step 5

Figure in your supply cost as well as the cost of the printer. See how much it is to replace the cartridges before making a decision. Also, make sure your computer will support that type of printer. Some new Windows 7 packages require supporting printers only.

By ajmaddox, eHow Member

10 Steps to Choosing the Right DSLR Camera for You

Rob — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:05:53 +0000

I know you’ve been waiting for this article after reading the “5 Reasons to Upgrade to a DSLR Camera”. Since my powers of persuasion are beyond those of the best hypnotists, you’re just itching to buy one! But before you rush to the camera store to purchase your new toy, you need to go through most if not all of these 10 steps to make sure you purchase the right camera for YOU. These steps aren’t in any specific order.

Step 1 – It’s a Question of Feeling: The first thing you need to do IS to rush down to your local photography store! Yup! You gotta take those cameras for a test drive. Ask to see the various models and hold them. Feel them in your hands. Look through the viewfinder, press the buttons, take a few shots, drop them check the build quality. You want to purchase a camera that just feels good in your hands. If not, you won’t be shooting much, trust me on that.

Step 2 – What Will You Use It For?: Do you really need to get a pro body like the Nikon D3 or the Canon 1Ds Mark III? Yes they look great and are the best in class but do you really need that level of technology? Ask yourself what you’ll be using the camera for? Is it just for family photos and holidays? Will you be shooting sport events for your local paper? Will you be shooting weddings and barmitzvas? This will affect which camera you’ll actually need versus what you want.

Step 3 – Lenses: The next thing to look at is the lens system. Remember that your camera body will change as technology gets better but you’ll most likely be keeping your lenses. So look at the lens choice you’ll have with the various companies. I can tell you right now that you’ll get the biggest variety with Nikon or Canon but that doesn’t mean companies like Sony, Sigma or Pentax won’t have all the lenses you need. Also take into consideration that 3rd party companies like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina make lenses for most big brands like Nikon, Canon, Pentax or Olympus.

Step 4- Upgrades: As mentioned before, your camera bodies will change over the years and your shooting objectives might as well. So make sure you choose a company that upgrades their bodies frequently. Also, since your needs might change, you might want to consider a company that has more than one available DSLR body. The more bodies they produce, the more chances you have of choosing the right body for your specific needs.

Step 5 – Can I borrow your 70-200mm pllllllllllease?: Do you have friends or family members that already own a DSLR body? Is your soon to be best buddy neighbor VP of Sales at Nikon? Then you might want to consider buying into the same brand to save you some serious cash. Unless you keep on dropping finding technical problems with their equipment, you can build a nice network of photographers ready to share their equipment. So availability is something to consider.

Step 7 – LCD view: The more recent DSLRs now have a live view option. What this means is that you don’t need to look in the viewfinder to see what your looking at. Like a point and shoot, you just look at your LCD screen to frame your shot. This can be practical in some situations like when you’re flat on your stomach trying to capture the morning due on a blade of grass.

Step 8 – Memory Cards: This might or might not play a part in your decision making but it’s good to know. You have SD cards and CF cards. Most lower end DSLRs use SD cards now just like most P&S cameras. Upper end DSLRs use CF cards. There used to be a big difference in data transfer speed between the two (CF cards being faster) but not so much anymore. So maybe if you have a ton of SD cards from your P&S, it might play a role in your DSLR purchase.

Step 9 – Sensor Cleaning: Since DSLRs have interchangeable lenses, this means that every time you change your lenses you expose your sensor to dust and other goodies. This means you’ll eventually get what is known as sensor dust or sensor spots on all your photos. You can remove them by blowing air directly on the sensor but sometimes that won’t cut it. You might end up having it professionally cleaned with an authorized technician (been there, done that). Most new models now have a self cleaning sensor and it works really well! Before getting my Nikon D300, I had it in my routine to always blow air on my sensor before every shoot. It was a hassle I could have done without. I purchased my D300 in December 2007 and I haven’t seen seen a sensor spot yet! Hourray!

Step 10 – Price: I can’t write this article without mentioning price. Your budget plays a big role in your camera purchase. You have to ask yourself why you’re buying a DSLR. Is it a business investment or for personal use? What is my actual budget? Remember that you’ll have to purchase at lease one lens, a camera bag, an extra battery (strongly recommended) and probably a new memory card so make sure that you budget that in. I would also suggest that you give yourself a yearly budget for camera accessories. Trust me, you’ll want to add to your initial equipment as you get familiar with your camera and want to explore your creativity. You might read an article on how to use neutral density filters or SB-800 off camera flash techniques. You can easily go overboard financially if you don’t set a budget.

How to Choose a Digital SLR Camera Lens

Rob — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:51:08 +0000

When it comes to DSLR photography sometimes things can get a little complicated, this is especially true when it comes to making the first purchase after your kit lens. Do you choose a zoom lens, a wide angle lens, a prime lens or even a fixed aperture lens? Well don’t worry yourself to much because this article is here to help you.

Zoom Vs Prime

A zoom lens will allow the photographer to zoom which isn’t to surprising. The advantage of a zoom lens is the ability to zoom in and out on your subject to create the perfect composition. Zoom lenses are favored by most photographers because of this function, however zoom lenses usually have higher f-stops than prime lenses, and this means that they usually leave less light into a photo which will affect the shutter speed being used.

A prime lens on the other hand doesn’t allow you to zoom at all, your limited to one focal length. You may think this sounds rubbish, however there are many advantages to using a prime lens over a zoom. First of all prime lenses usually have lower aperture values and some of them go right down to f1.2 this means that a lot of light can enter the camera lens this is especially useful for low light situations.

Fixed aperture or non fixed

The f stop numbers were briefly discussed above, but just in case you didn’t understand let me explain in a little more detail. The lower the F-stop the more light can get into your camera while the higher the f stop the least amount of light can enter, both ranges have their uses.

Some lenses for example the canon 70-200mm 2.8 has a fixed value of 2.8 through its entire zoom range, this means that a constant aperture can be achieved through out. This is very useful when shooting studio photography for the simple reason that the aperture controls the power of the flash, if the aperture of the lens was to change for example the canon 18-55mm 3.5 to 5.6 then the strength of the flash would constantly change giving you inconsistent results. If you can afford a lens with a constant aperture get it.

Image Stabilization

Some lenses and some camera bodies such as the Sony Alpha A350 have built in image stabilization. Image stabilization allows you to a certain degree to shoot at lower shutter speeds without motion blur. Image Stabilization is useful in certain situations but it can also be a waste of money. If your shooting fast moving images then chances are you won’t need image stabilization, the same applies if you use a tripod.

Different focal lengths

There are also focal lengths that you will need to take into account when purchasing a new lens. If you shoot nightclub photography or wildlife photography then chances are you will need something wider than 50mm. So below I will explain the best type of lens for different situations.

Wide angle lenses

As discussed above wide angle lenses are mostly used for landscape photography but they can also be used for nightclub photography where there’s not too much room to move around. If money is no object then the Canon 16-35mm 2.8 lens is an excellent choice which retails for around £1200. However if money is an object then the Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 lens is an excellent alternative. The Tamron lacks the build quality of the canon and also the autofocus speed, however I personally own this lens and the image quality is excellent. The Tamron can be picked up online for around £300-£400.

Medium Range lenses

A medium range is not too short and not too long; it’s in the middle, hence the name medium. Medium range lenses are excellent for portraits, model shoots and even wedding photography. The best lens in this range is the Canon 24-70 2.8 which is a favorite lens among many professional photographers. The canon 24-70 is an excellent lens that has an excellent build quality, however the lens is very heavy and is very expensive, however if your thinking of shooting weddings then this is a must have bit of kit.

An excellent alternative is the sigma 24-70 2.8. The sigma offers the same focal length while being a lot cheaper. The image quality one again on the sigma is excellent, however some owners have experienced focusing problems, this can be fixed by sigma but it is worth mentioning just in case you do get this lens.

Telephoto Zooms

If you’re looking to shoot wildlife, sports or even glamour photography then a telephoto lens is something you will want to invest in. Generally these types of lenses are very expensive but when we are talking about photography most things are. If money is no object then you will want to get the canon 70-200mm 2.8 telephoto lens.

The canon 70-200 2.8 is an expensive lens used by most pro photographers, it offers an impressive autofocus system and excellent build quality but once again this lens is pretty heavy. If you don’t need the quickness of the 2.8 then you could go for the canon 70-200mm f4 lens. This lens isn’t as heavy and creates sharper images in my opinion than the 2.8.

If both of the above lenses are too expensive then a good alternative is the sigma 70-200 2.8 lens, it’s a fast lens with excellent image quality and is more affordable than the above two lenses.

Other lenses

There are many other types of lenses which include macro, tilt and shift, fish eye and many more; however as a beginner you will more than likely only be interested in the lens types mentioned above.

Choosing your lens

Overall choosing a lens doesn’t have to be a difficult experience. To help you choose simply think of what you will be using your camera for, will it be for wildlife pictures, sports, portraits or even close up photography, and this can then help you choose the required lens. If you can afford a fixed aperture lens then go for it, I would also recommend getting the lowest aperture that you can afford, not only will this leave in more light but it will also give your images the blurry background effect that you see on most professional photographs.

by Ricky Davies

About the Author
Click Here for more free digital DSLR Tips, Tricks, Techniques and Reviews.

Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures

Rob — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Do you wish you were a better photographer? All it takes is a little know-how and experience. Keep reading for some important picture-taking tips. Then grab your camera and start shooting your way to great pictures.

1.	Look your subject in the eye
2.	Use a plain background
3.	Use flash outdoors
4.	Move in close
5.	Move it from the middle
6.	Lock the focus
7.	Know your flash’s range
8.	Watch the light
9.	Take some vertical pictures
10.	Be a picture director

Look your subject in the eye

Direct eye contact can be as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the person’s eye level to unleash the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For children, that means stooping to their level. And your subject need not always stare at the camera. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls you into the picture.

Too high

Better

Use a plain background

A plain background shows off the subject you are photographing. When you look through the camera viewfinder, force yourself to study the area surrounding your subject. Make sure no poles grow from the head of your favorite niece and that no cars seem to dangle from her ears.

Distracting background

Better

Use flash outdoors

Bright sun can create unattractive deep facial shadows. Eliminate the shadows by using your flash to lighten the face. When taking people pictures on sunny days, turn your flash on. You may have a choice of fill-flash mode or full-flash mode. If the person is within five feet, use the fill-flash mode; beyond five feet, the full-power mode may be required. With a digital camera, use the picture display panel to review the results.

On cloudy days, use the camera’s fill-flash mode if it has one. The flash will brighten up people’s faces and make them stand out. Also take a picture without the flash, because the soft light of overcast days sometimes gives quite pleasing results by itself.

Subject is dark

After

Move in close

If your subject is smaller than a car, take a step or two closer before taking the picture and zoom in on your subject. Your goal is to fill the picture area with the subject you are photographing. Up close you can reveal telling details, like a sprinkle of freckles or an arched eyebrow.

But don’t get too close or your pictures will be blurry. The closest focusing distance for most cameras is about three feet, or about one step away from your camera. If you get closer than the closest focusing distance of your camera (see your manual to be sure), your pictures will be blurry.

Good

Better

Move it from the middle

Center-stage is a great place for a performer to be. However, the middle of your picture is not the best place for your subject. Bring your picture to life by simply moving your subject away from the middle of your picture. Start by playing tick-tack-toe with subject position. Imagine a tick-tack-toe grid in your viewfinder. Now place your important subject at one of the intersections of lines.

You’ll need to lock the focus if you have an auto-focus camera because most of them focus on whatever is in the center of the viewfinder.

Boring

Better

Lock the focus

If your subject is not in the center of the picture, you need to lock the focus to create a sharp picture. Most auto-focus cameras focus on whatever is in the center of the picture. But to improve pictures, you will often want to move the subject away from the center of the picture. If you don’t want a blurred picture, you’ll need to first lock the focus with the subject in the middle and then recompose the picture so the subject is away from the middle.

Usually you can lock the focus in three steps. First, center the subject and press and hold the shutter button halfway down. Second, reposition your camera (while still holding the shutter button) so the subject is away from the center. And third, finish by pressing the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.

Subject not in focus

Better

Know your flash’s range

The number one flash mistake is taking pictures beyond the flash’s range. Why is this a mistake? Because pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too dark. For many cameras, the maximum flash range is less than fifteen feet—about five steps away.

What is your camera’s flash range? Look it up in your camera manual. Can’t find it? Then don’t take a chance. Position yourself so subjects are no farther than ten feet away. Film users can extend the flash range by using Kodak Max versatility or versatility plus film.

Without flash

With flash

Watch the light

Next to the subject, the most important part of every picture is the light. It affects the appearance of everything you photograph. On a great-grandmother, bright sunlight from the side can enhance wrinkles. But the soft light of a cloudy day can subdue those same wrinkles.

Don’t like the light on your subject? Then move yourself or your subject. For landscapes, try to take pictures early or late in the day when the light is orangish and rakes across the land.

Good

Also good

Take some vertical pictures

Is your camera vertically challenged? It is if you never turn it sideways to take a vertical picture. All sorts of things look better in a vertical picture. From a lighthouse near a cliff to the Eiffel Tower to your four-year-old niece jumping in a puddle. So next time out, make a conscious effort to turn your camera sideways and take some vertical pictures.

Good

Better

Be a picture director

Take control of your picture-taking and watch your pictures dramatically improve. Become a picture director, not just a passive picture-taker. A picture director takes charge. A picture director picks the location: “Everybody go outside to the backyard.” A picture director adds props: “Girls, put on your pink sunglasses.” A picture director arranges people: “Now move in close, and lean toward the camera.”

Most pictures won’t be that involved, but you get the idea: Take charge of your pictures and win your own best picture awards.

Boring

Better

Welcome to our Website!

Rob — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:02:47 +0000

Thank you for visiting Rob-John.Com Photography, we’ve worked hard to ensure the website delivers the very best experience to our users and showcases only our most popular shots. Take a look around, and do let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact us. Thank you once again, and do enjoy the site!