To protect it from scratches and help keep it clean, consider using a clear protective filter on your camera lens.

They’re an inexpensive (prices start around $13 depending on lens size) way to protect your lens. A filter also helps keep the lens clean from dust, smudges and the elements when you’re shooting in bad weather. A filter can help prevent damage caused by wind-blown debris, sand or salt spray such as when you’re shooting outdoors at the beach. Furthermore, it’s easier to clean the filter instead of cleaning the lens itself. It’s also less expensive to replace the filter when it’s damaged than a lens.

Now you might be thinking “isn’t that the purpose of a lens cap?” and you’d be correct. The problem with a lens cap, however, is that it’s so easy to lose or misplace it. A filter, unlike the lens cap, is actually attached to the lens so it cannot fall off or become lost. Also, you won’t lose an opportunity of snaping a once in a lifetime photo by fumbling with the camera to remove the lens cap.

Keep in mind as you consider using a filter that if you ask ten photographers whether they use filters, five may say yes and five may say never. In other words, there are many opinions on the value of protective filters. Some believe that a filter is unnecessary and therefore they rarely, if ever, use a protective filter. They may prefer using lens caps, lens hoods or simply handling their cameras very carefully.

Some photographers believe that lenses made today are already protected with special coatings against scratches and dust and, therefore, don’t need any protection from the environment in most normal photography conditions.

Other photographers keep a filter on each lens they use, perhaps taking the filter off during certain types of photography.

You’ll have to decide whether a quality clear filter is best for your shooting situations.

Note: instead of a clear filter, you may also consider an UV filter. It serves the same purpose as a clear protective filter but may be easier to find at your local camera dealer.

 

Written by Scott Slaughter

 

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A New Breed of Camera

I first laid my hands on the Sony Alpha A55 (and the smaller, less expensive Alpha 33) at the PhotoPlus Expo in New York City last September.

What interested me in this new camera was its fixed translucent mirror. In a conventional DSLR, the reflex mirror reflects the image into the viewfinder and then swings out of the way when you press the shutter to send the image to the “film” light sensor. In the Alpha 55, the translucent mirror sends a small portion of the incoming image to the viewfinder and the remainder to the “film” light sensor. This stationary mirror gives the camera several unique features that I’ll describe shortly. This technology isn’t new. In the early 1960′s Canon made a model called the Pellix using a similar scheme with a pellicle mirror. My uncle bought this camera back then, one of the first to have Through The Lens metering (TTL) and it served him well for many years.

The A55’s translucent mirror eliminates the reflex mechanism providing a space, weight and cost savings. Removing this mechanical assembly also allows for a higher frame rate. Next, the electronics measuring the auto exposure remain uninterrupted from frame to frame giving instant responses to varying changes in lighting. Similarly, the auto focus system stays 100% available – a very important consideration for high speed continuous shooting.

(more…)

Having grown up in the late 60s, I was excited to learn that one of my contemporaries – James Taylor – was going to be performing in Grand Rapids on March 8th. I anxiously waited for tickets to go on sale, but they were quickly sold out in less than an hour. Fortunately, I found two available last minute tickets through StubHub so I was still in luck.

Through the years, I’ve done my fair share of event photography. But nowadays when I go to a concert or show, I’m usually attending as a spectator and not as a working photographer with a press pass. Since one of my hobbies is to collecting pictures of celebrities, I continue to take a small camera with me – just in case.

Typically, show venues are a mixture of dark backgrounds with strong spotlights. For effect, the performers are often “creatively lit” (read dimly). This stage lighting makes for a very contrasty scene.

So the challenge is to be able to use the theater’s available light to capture the performers. Flash is a no-no.

 

Wait for the right moment
Although my camera is set for dim lighting (ISO is set to 1600), the dim lighting forces a slow shutter speed – in this case about 1/25 second. Here the performer is moving slightly so I end up with a blurred image. Performer: Arnold McCuller	The solution to the blurred image is to carefully watch the performer and snap when he/she is in a more or less stationary position. With a little practice, you’ll be able to anticipate the times when the performer is positioned like a statue.
Adjust the exposure
Most cameras determine the exposure by averaging the amount of light in a scene. On a dark stage with bright spotlights, the camera is usually “fooled” by the darkness. This overexposure causes the brightly lit faces to be washed out. Performer: James Taylor	To prevent the his face from being washed out, I set the camera to reduce the exposure. For this shot, I used the camera’s exposure compensation to make a -2 (f/stop) adjustment. Although his guitar is darker, his face is now properly exposed.

 

For stage performances, you can use relatively inexpensive equipment. On this occasion I used a Canon SX210 IS point-and-shoot which has a 14X optical lens. Our seats were fairly close – the seventh row – but the lens allowed me to zoom in to grab a decent shot.

Just a quick note about courtesy: The auditorium was filled to the brim. Everyone paid for tickets with their hard-earned money so I go out of my way to keep as unobtrusive as possible when taking photos. I’m careful not to put my camera in front of another spectator and to be silent as I snap (usually a menu selection for “silent mode”). They are there for the performance, not to be disturbed by a rude and noisy picturetaker.

And since my real reason for being at the concert was to hear the performance, I make sure that I get to enjoy the music without being overly preoccupied with my camera. And by the way, the performance was great!

You can see more celebrity photos from my hobby celebrity collection here.

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

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