Posts Tagged ‘camera’

This article is part of a series on the various different types of cameras available today.

DSLRs

DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. The 'Single Lens' part of the name refers to the fact that the viewfinder looks through the same lens that is used to take the photo (as opposed to a TLR).

The 'Reflex' part of the name meanwhile, refers to the mirror that is used to reflect the light up into the camera's viewfinder. (Actually, the light is reflected up into a pentaprism, which then reflects the light into the viewfinder - the pentaprism is what causes the viewfinder hump on DSLR bodies).

Normally the mirror is in front of the camera's sensor, but when you press the shutter button the mirror flips up out of the way, so that the sensor can be exposed. When this happens, no light can be reflected into the viewfinder, which is known as viewfinder blackout.

A question that most people would ask when packing for a vacation is "how much gear should I bring?". If you bring too little, you may fear you'll miss out on a photo opportunity. On the other hand, you would not want to lug 6kg of photo gear during a vacation (that's the amount of gear I carry for 10 hours at a wedding). Over the years, I have tried out many different variations in my quest for lighter loads during a vacation. This is especially crucial when you not only have to carry your camera gear, but a baby and shopping bags as well. All the parents out there will know what I mean.

Would you be interested if I told you there was simple technique that could literally transform your photography? Take your work to a completely new level. This may sound far fetched but it does exist. The problem is that it's so deceptively simple most people ignore it. Here's how you can use this technique for yourself.

A Broader View by ~Minnea~ on flickr (licensed CC-BY-SA)

In the good old days of film photography the only way to achieve many effects on your photos was with the use of specialized glass (or plastic) filters, fitted to the front (or in some cases slotted into the rear) of camera lenses prior to taking the photo. Fortunately in the modern digital world some of these filters are still used and while many of the old effects can be reproduced in a digital darkroom, others still require the photographer to do the work prior to post processing.