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Beware Of The Sun?


A Burning Question • What’s A Pro Camera? • Prints From The Dark Side • When Things Get Wet



Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Beware Of The Sun?Q I recently “went digital” with a Nikon D90. While exploring the user’s manual, I was surprised to read a warning to keep the sun well out of the frame when shooting backlit subjects. It stated on page XIV in the “For Your Safety” section, “Keep the sun well out of the frame when shooting backlit subjects. Sunlight focused into the camera when the sun is in or close to the frame could cause a fire.”
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Just A Little Background Information


Blurry Backgrounds • A New-Sized Sensor? • Brighter Nights • Sharing CF Cards • Wishing On A Starburst



Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Just A Little Background InformationI want to take wildflower images with the background thrown completely out of focus. The problem is that my telephoto lens (75-300mm) is an ƒ/5.6 lens, and I fear that it won’t do an acceptable job of making the background nothing more than color. Do I need a faster ƒ/2.8 telephoto to accomplish this technique?
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Close And Personal


Close-Up Sharpness • Water, Sky And Time • Blue Sky Blues • Fine-Art Prints



Thursday, January 1, 2009

Close And Personal Is there a fundamental problem with using close-up filters on zoom lenses?
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Keeping Gear Safe


ATV Camera Transport • Not All JPEGs Are Equal • Out, Darned Spot! • Worn-Out Imaging



Monday, December 1, 2008

Keeping Gear SafeI live in southern Utah where there’s an extensive ATV trail system and the possibility for some unique photographs.
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Time For Your Close-Up


More Macro • Matching Backups • Image Card Rescue The Best ƒ-Stop • Glass Beads Vs. Matte • Live View New



Saturday, November 1, 2008

Time For Your Close-UpI have a 180mm macro and extension tubes, and I’m considering purchasing a 65mm macro. What kind of benefit would it really offer in terms of improved magnification and/or quality?
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Getting The Most Out Of Fall Color


Autumn Color • Bracket, Bracket, Bracket • Edit, Edit, Edit • Finding The Problem



Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Getting The Most Out Of Fall ColorFall is here, and my past experience is that I never come back with the brilliant leaf colors that were before my camera. Do I need special filters on my lenses, or is it all done in Photoshop?
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Scan In 16- Or 8-Bit?


Monday, September 29, 2008

Scan In 16- Or 8-Bit?I've been scanning slide film on the Nikon Coolscan V ED in 16-bit mode, but this yields a big 130 MB file, which further enlarges during Photoshop CS3 editing. The large file won’t open in Photoshop Bridge. If I scan in 8-bit, will my file quality suffer?
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Pan Or Ball?


Monday, September 22, 2008

Pan Or Ball?Recently I went shopping for a new tripod/head combo. At one store the salesperson told me that I should get a pan head because it gave greater control. At another store the salesperson said that the ball head is the only way to go because it’s quicker. What is your opinion of the two head styles, and how do they compare in stability, or is it just a matter of personal preference?
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Crop Or Magnify?


Monday, September 15, 2008

Crop Or Magnify?In the quest for magnification and image resolution, is it better to crop an image in the computer rather than resorting to the use of teleconverters (1.4x – 2x) in the field? I am aware that there will be a pixel reduction with the former as against more glass with the latter and the possibility of a poor optical match.

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