Having just read the TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) annual awards list I was happy to see that Canon has scooped awards in 2 DSLR categories. EOS-1Ds Mark II was voted best professional SLR whilst the EOS 350D won for the Best Entry-level SLR. The Fuji FinePix S3 Pro won Best Mid-range D-SLR. I was also pleased at Epsons win with the Epson Perfection 4990 Photo for the Best Flatbed Photo Scanner. I am puzzled at the concept of awarding New products and software but you can't really fault the TIPA for their choices. For more detail on the awards please visit their website:
TIPA, 2005
Pics, Pixels and People - Covering photography, photographers, imaging, technology, tidbits, news and reviews...
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Monday, April 25, 2005
OpenRaw Launches New Initiative
This bit of news came from a visit to DPReview (one of my favourite sites) ... It seems that whole RAW encryption issue has struck a nerve with more folks. The result of which is the launch of a website from The OpenRAW Working Group. The site at www.OpenRAW.org is dedicated to obtaining complete documentation of manufacturers' RAW file formats. "The OpenRAW group wants manufacturers to publicly document past, present and future RAW image file formats. wants camera manufacturers to publicly document all of their RAW image file formats: past, present, and future. By doing so, manufacturers will provide photographers with a maximum set of processing choices and the best guarantee of future image decoding." All I have to say is bravo...
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Wacom announce new bluetooth tablet.
Wacom Europe released their first pen tablet to use bluetooth based wireless technology. The Graphire Bluetooth is a tablet with an active area of 6x8 inches and which retails for £189.99 inclusive of VAT. It comes bundled with software such as Corel Painter Essentials 2, the US version should also include Adobe Photoshop Elements 2 and Color Efex Pro™ 2 GE by nik multimedia, Inc. I'm hoping this is not just a US only bundle. This follows on the heels of the announcement by Wacom Japan of an A5 Bluetooth pen tablet, called FAVO. These tablets are aimed at consumers and enthusiasts rather than the professional, which begs to answer, what pray tell do they have planned for professionals... I'd like to see a wireless cintiq.
Art, Craft II - Overcoming the Wow Factor
I've been involved in digital imaging and graphics since the early 80's and have seen the trends and technologies from their earliest days. A lot of what I see in the way of "crimes" is based upon the "play" factor. Folks get a new toy and really want to have a little fun with it. They make several basic assumptions and start to throw features at their Photos till they in essence kill the image ... Call it a Cool or Wow factor. Hopefully as time goes by they temper that Wow response and start to actually learn something about the reason behind the existence of some of the features they are playing with and can refine their technique.
Think back to the early days of DTP when people started playing with hundreds of fonts on their pages. Talk about visual clutter ... some horrible Typographic crimes were committed in the name of DTP. Time eventually helped temper that impulse too, that and the fact that some people actually realized that having the tools didn't make you a designer.
I feel that with digital photography, the toys themselves provide an immediacy which classical photography doesn't reaaly have. It is this immediacy which betrays the art. In order for the user to learn they have to overcome the "wow" response and actually learn about the art itself. The art's history and traditions are something which these digital photographers will have to explore. This is as much true for photography as it was for the digital artist to learn how to draw and paint before they worked on a computer. It's not the tools that are important ... its the reasoning behind the use of the tools. Once this reasoning can be applied judiciously then the photographer will learn to appreciate the full scope of all the new options they have at their command. They can in effect capture, edit and output their images and do some justice to them.
You have to, in essence, show them the difference ... once they see the difference it opens up a whole new world to them and there's the rub, most folks really don't understand that vital difference the Art vs Craft. Learning the craft is difficult by itself and is a real journey in itself. The Art can really only be explored once you have enough of the craft under your belt to appreciate the possibilities. The Art is found in the expression and the application of the craft.
Photography as Art is about mastering the craft and creating images which match closely what is in your minds eye. Ansel Adams preached the concept of "Previsualisation" and it is as much about understanding your medium as it is about context.
Think back to the early days of DTP when people started playing with hundreds of fonts on their pages. Talk about visual clutter ... some horrible Typographic crimes were committed in the name of DTP. Time eventually helped temper that impulse too, that and the fact that some people actually realized that having the tools didn't make you a designer.
I feel that with digital photography, the toys themselves provide an immediacy which classical photography doesn't reaaly have. It is this immediacy which betrays the art. In order for the user to learn they have to overcome the "wow" response and actually learn about the art itself. The art's history and traditions are something which these digital photographers will have to explore. This is as much true for photography as it was for the digital artist to learn how to draw and paint before they worked on a computer. It's not the tools that are important ... its the reasoning behind the use of the tools. Once this reasoning can be applied judiciously then the photographer will learn to appreciate the full scope of all the new options they have at their command. They can in effect capture, edit and output their images and do some justice to them.
You have to, in essence, show them the difference ... once they see the difference it opens up a whole new world to them and there's the rub, most folks really don't understand that vital difference the Art vs Craft. Learning the craft is difficult by itself and is a real journey in itself. The Art can really only be explored once you have enough of the craft under your belt to appreciate the possibilities. The Art is found in the expression and the application of the craft.
Photography as Art is about mastering the craft and creating images which match closely what is in your minds eye. Ansel Adams preached the concept of "Previsualisation" and it is as much about understanding your medium as it is about context.
Lovely Article on Contax at Luminous Landscape Website
I talked a couple of weeks back about the death of Contax and just tonight I read a lovely article by Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape website. Michaels article covers some interesting facts about Contax and the exact nature of Kyoceras relationship to the name. I enjoyed the history lesson and hope he is right and that someone does step forward and continue the Brand. While there you might also want to read some of Michaels other articles too. I've been a regular visitor of the website for a few years now and have enjoyed reading his reviews and insights. Luminous Landscape
Developers respond
It seems that at least a couple of developers of applications which read Nikon RAW files have reverse engineered the encoded sections for use in their applications ... This deserves comment. Many developers love a challenge, but in this case the developers feel, and so do many users, that the company in question is letting their people make ill advised and short sighted decisions. Yes, I can understand why companies want to protect their products, and also their intellectual property, but, in this case, the digital files are not your property, they are the property of the photographer or the company he/she works for. Give people the choice, let them pick the "lab" they will use to "develop/print" their pictures. By playing games all you are doing is alienating your clients/customers. In my opinion it's time for larger companies to grow up, and time to become more client compliant and friendly ... stop trying to screw people over ... let them make their choices free of the constraints that the legal eagles would have you believe will make your company more secure. It's all rubbish, as are the current implementations of the patent approval process and the copyright laws. We need more tech savvy people in government and more open standards for things like file formats to prevent the Patent Privateers from screwing all development into the ground.
Nikon respond to white balance questions ...
This is obviously an attempt to allay the fear that Nikon might at one point sue developers for reverse engineering their RAW data ... they have clarified things as the press release talks about the use of their Free SDK, albeit under approval (we'll see how convoluted the approval process is soon enough, hopefully it's really straight forward) and all about the SDKs benefits ... time will tell. I really hope this is not another test of the DCMA. If Nikon are serious about working with developers and keeping a healthy market for their products, then Bravo. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Nikon encrypts their white balance data
If Nikon have really decided to encrypt the white balance info in their RAW format, then they are doing their customers a real disservice. It's really silly that Nikon should even think of doing such a thing. Many film users would worry about what film to use in their cameras but always had a favourite, it is much the same with RAW converters. Give you customers the choice to decide, don't get into the whole game of taking choice away from them because, and pay attention now Nikon ... You'll Lose, both in customers and in Goodwill. Follow this story in more detail at PhotoshopNews.com
Adobe Aquires Macromedia
Truly momentous, for a while now Adobe have been worrying themselves over how to deal with Dreamweaver, Flash and all the other excellent tools that Macromedia own. So it appears that in a stock based deal worth approximately US$ 3.4 billion they have managed to secure a great collection of software and creative tools as well as an inroads to future mobile markets. I hope that they continue Golive for the time being but that they transfer much of the good stuff into a new hybrid application which takes Dreamweaver to the next level (I always liked the name Dreamweaver). Only time will tell ... but integration of the web publishing suite into CS and the addition of support for Version Cue and all the other CS goodies will make this a designers dream. Talk about a partnership made to make Quark Quake ... sorry I couldn't help myself. :)
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Kyocera kills Contax brand
This is one bit of news that I was not impressed with, and one which my mind sees as reflecting the lack of imagination in many of todays corporations. Too many long standing brands are being killed off these days because the marketing geniuses and boardroom cowboys out there lack the capability to capitalize on a brands quality, longevity and history. Kyocera is a digital photography brand I can personally do without, however Contax has long been known for the quality of its products. Obviously someone screwed up ... any marketing type who can't capitalize on the long and illustrious history Contax has had in photography is an idiot, and obviously can’t live up to a challenge which should really be a no-brainer.
Maybe the mistake lies in the fact that too many companies are now in the game of spending more on advertising than they should. That, and the problem we face of short term thinking in business planning. Let’s fly by the seat of our pant's and react to our quarterly results rather than be driven by an actual plan which takes long term goals into consideration.
I may be jumping the gun, but I guess it’s a reflection of many a corporations philosophy that the bottom line is more important than any long term goals. Let’s cut our throats by letting valuable properties and personnel go today, in order to save money now and look good this quarter, rather than realize that we are going to need those resources in the next six months or year. Once Contax is dead who is going to seriously consider investing in the brand again ... Come on Nikon, Canon or Sony, step up and buy the F'in brand off Kyocera and do something with it … come to think of it ... Sony need to look at a high end product Digital Photography and here it is...
Maybe the mistake lies in the fact that too many companies are now in the game of spending more on advertising than they should. That, and the problem we face of short term thinking in business planning. Let’s fly by the seat of our pant's and react to our quarterly results rather than be driven by an actual plan which takes long term goals into consideration.
I may be jumping the gun, but I guess it’s a reflection of many a corporations philosophy that the bottom line is more important than any long term goals. Let’s cut our throats by letting valuable properties and personnel go today, in order to save money now and look good this quarter, rather than realize that we are going to need those resources in the next six months or year. Once Contax is dead who is going to seriously consider investing in the brand again ... Come on Nikon, Canon or Sony, step up and buy the F'in brand off Kyocera and do something with it … come to think of it ... Sony need to look at a high end product Digital Photography and here it is...
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Christian Aid uses Extensis Portfolio NetPublish Server to help promote its work
I received a press release today from Extensis talking about Christian Aids use of Portfolio and Portfolio NetPublish Server to handle their digital media assets. The Charity uses Portfolio to handle its tens of thousands of images and to make the archive accessible across their whole organization. Some of the best features in Portfolio are its cross platform compatibility and the capability to publish the catalog to the Web for easy access. This ease has enabled Christian Aid and its staff to make more effective use of their assets. This initiative has also facilitated better handling of requests from the media and journalists - one thing which is very important to any charity is getting good media coverage and anything which make this easier is a boon.
The use of Portfolio to enable this ease of access is something which all charities should take a serious look at. Imagine that you are part of the media staff and that you get a call from a reporter wanting to do a feature but looking for photos, whilst you are on the phone you find several relevant images and then ask for the reporters email address, at which point you send the images to the reporter ... by the time you've finished the conversation with them, the photos are in their inbox . How good is that?
The use of Portfolio to enable this ease of access is something which all charities should take a serious look at. Imagine that you are part of the media staff and that you get a call from a reporter wanting to do a feature but looking for photos, whilst you are on the phone you find several relevant images and then ask for the reporters email address, at which point you send the images to the reporter ... by the time you've finished the conversation with them, the photos are in their inbox . How good is that?
Monday, April 11, 2005
The scourge of Spam ...
Like it or not, email is a necessary part of what we do as imageers and designers. If you use a computer, it's kind of hard to escape it. One thing we could all do without is Spam ... I hate it and I know that you do too. I get over 120 emails a day and percentage wise (Mailwasher Pro tells me) 72% is spam. I think it's a lot higher, but I get the feeling that it is just a perception based on the annoyance factor. My friend and associate Howard Carson over at Kickstartnews.com has written a nice article over at the kickstartnews blog. This was written after having lunch with another good friend of mine; Julius Oklamcak. Julius, in my mind, is one of the most insightful folks I've met to this date, he has a knack of cutting right through all the crap and gets to the heart of the issue each time. If you're reading this, "Allo mate." So pop on over and have a read, the post is well written and quite educational: e-mail spam
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Nikon UK announce two new D-SLRs
There has been much speculation around many of the online photo sites and boards about a successor to the D70 and and the new D50?. Nikon UK confirmed with a press release last Friday that the cameras were real but have yet to confirm their names. This should be good news to many who have seen Nikon chasing Canon with their DSLR releases. The D50 looks to be the bridge for many point and shoot users up to the world of DSLRs. I applaud this product as I feel the whole prosumer line of Digital Cameras is a waste of time and that if were thinking of buying something like the Nikon Coolpix 8800 you should really be spending your money on a DSLR...
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Art, Craft or happenstance
I was following a thread in a forum a few years ago, its subject matter was "a quick and spontaneous snap." There are many photographs which happen as a result of a reflex shot, where a "photographer" takes a quick shot of an event or situ as it happens and creates a piece of "Art." Many great images have been captured in this way. But how many of these are "happy" accidents and how many are feted through the selection process that an artist applies in filtering through their images? I feel that through working in the craft, you can create the image you wish to capture through the use of a combination of using ones "eye", timing, patience and selectivity.
The exercise is akin to developing any skill ... I liken it to the samurai pursuit of the perfect cut. They would practice 1000 cuts or so every day, do it enough times and there will come a moment when you achieve a level of mechanical fluidity and perfection, where you are no longer thinking about the cut, but doing it. In its most extreme form, the art takes place when you can transcend the mechanical movement and become the cut.
As a photographer pursuing your craft/art you need to become almost instinctively familiar with all aspects of your tools and skill so that when the moment presents itself you take the photo naturally and with no hesitation almost as second nature ... In my book the Fine Art of photography really doesn't occur until one has mastered or come to a good understanding of the craft.
The Fine Art of Photography is in essence the creative application of Craft ... the components of the Phrase relate as follows: Art relating to the Craft of photography and Fine defined in this case as a refined or precise example of the craft...
The exercise is akin to developing any skill ... I liken it to the samurai pursuit of the perfect cut. They would practice 1000 cuts or so every day, do it enough times and there will come a moment when you achieve a level of mechanical fluidity and perfection, where you are no longer thinking about the cut, but doing it. In its most extreme form, the art takes place when you can transcend the mechanical movement and become the cut.
As a photographer pursuing your craft/art you need to become almost instinctively familiar with all aspects of your tools and skill so that when the moment presents itself you take the photo naturally and with no hesitation almost as second nature ... In my book the Fine Art of photography really doesn't occur until one has mastered or come to a good understanding of the craft.
The Fine Art of Photography is in essence the creative application of Craft ... the components of the Phrase relate as follows: Art relating to the Craft of photography and Fine defined in this case as a refined or precise example of the craft...
Friday, April 08, 2005
PD Pro from Dan Ritchie updated
PD Pro has been updated to version 3.1. About a year ago I reviewed version 1.6 of Project Dogwaffle for Kickstartnews.com and was greatly impressed by it. PD Pro is an updated version of Project Dogwaffle, which feature some very powerful and unique drawing tools. With support for tablets, behavioural brush routines and animation it has impressed a great many users of graphical tools. It is kind of a hybrid of Photoshop, Painter and illustrator with some animation features thrown in. The Brushes in this application are extremely well thought out. PD Pro is well worth a look. Keep an eye open for my review of version 3.1 later this month at kickstartnews.com. PD Pro is available at http://www.squirreldome.com/cyberop.htm
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Photoshop CS2 Annnounced
Every 18 months or so the digital imaging community gets a new version of the flagship application from Adobe to play with. Adobe have announced the second version of its design, publishing and image editing environment, Creative Suite 2. With CS2, Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign have all received upgrades. Photoshop's new tools include 'vanishing point', advanced noise reduction, optical lens correction (correcting barrel and pincushion distortion), 32-bit HDR, One-Click Red Eye Correction, Animation, Image Warp, Smart Sharpen and enhanced 16-bit editing. Other new features include Video Preview, All-New PDF Engine and Smart Objects - Which allows for non-destructive editing and transformation of Illustrator files. Another new feature, multi-image camera raw, allows you to process several raw images while you continue to work. Adobe Photoshop CS2 should begin shipping in the late spring and retail for around $599. Licensed users of any previous version of Photoshop can upgrade for $149. I'm looking forward to playing with this one...
Sunday, April 03, 2005
What Resolution do I scan at?
Today's scanners have many features, some of which are very confusing this article attempts to clarify the features found in your scanner and simplify the decision making process when scanning your photos, art and other items.
Dots versus pixels Scanners and monitors use pixels as their base unit whereas printers use dots. Scanner resolutions vary greatly hence the pixel per inch or dot per inch value. For this article we will be referring to pixels per inch (ppi).
Scanning modes
Scanners support several modes; typical modes are line art, halftone, grayscale, and color. Each of these modes has features which allow you to customize the effect or result of your final scan.
Line art is used for when the item being scanned contains solid areas of black and white. This mode is ideal for scanning text, pen-and-ink illustrations and black and white logos. Do not use this mode for Black and white photos.
The halftones setting is used when you need to scan something from printed materials. These materials include sources like books, newspapers, and magazines. Printed images tend to have a dot pattern which will create an undesirable effect if you use one of the other modes. This effect called a moiré will detract from your image. Some scanners and software will have a feature called de-screening which can reduce or eliminate this effect.
For scanning colour or black-and-white photos, it is best to use the color and grayscale modes respectively. Scanning quality in colour or greyscale can also be affected by the bits per channel you select. Most scanners support either 8 or 16 bits per channel, most RGB images are 8 bit per channel yielding a 24bit image. A 48 bit image will yield more detail and colour acuity but bear in mind most imaging or photo applications may not support more that 24 bit.
How should I use my Scanner?
One of the features that confuse users is resolution. You have a photo you want to scan so that you can look at it, email it or print it. What resolution and settings should you use for your photo? My basic rule of thumb is to scan for size as, at 300 pixels per inch or ppi. This size as rule allows me to optimize my images depending on the final application. A 6x4 photo can be scanned to generate a 12x8 by doubling the 300 ppi setting and using 600 ppi. So why do I use 300ppi? This resolution is a throwback to when scanners first started being used for generating files for graphics studios. The graphics studios scanned all photos for a 150 line screen or LPI.
Line screen values relate directly to the halftone dot patterns mentioned above. This setting of 150 LPI was equivalent to what would be used for a high quality magazine or art book. The optimal setting for scanning for any line screen was usually a ratio of 2 to 1, so for a 150 line screen you would scan 300 ppi, for lower lpi values you would typically down sample or resize the scanned photo. This LPI value has very little to do with the DPI of your desktop printer. If you wish for your image to be used only on your screen you may scan at lower resolutions. I prefer to scan my photos so that they generate a 12x8 image at 300 ppi.
Transparency vs. Reflective.
Some scanners have the capacity to support transparency scanning. When scanning transparencies your scanner should support much higher resolutions. The active image area in a 35mm slide is approximately 1.5" by 1", in order for it to be 12"x8" at 300ppi it needs to be scanned at a minimum resolution of 2400ppi. This setting should be an optical resolution and not interpolated. Interpolation allows you to add additional pixels to an image in order to increase the resolution. When scanning you should avoid interpolation as this will increase your image and file size without really giving you any increase in detail.
If my scanner supports 3200 ppi should I use it all the time?
The simple answer is, no, 3200 ppi is overkill for the vast majority of scans. If you were to scan a 5"x4" inch photo at 3200ppi it would yield a 614.4mb file. This large file could of course be reduced substantially if you saved it as a jpg file, but would still be approximately 50mb and would soon eat up all your storage if used for every scan. A 600ppi scan of the same 5"x4" image would yield a file size of approximately 21.6mb. In this case the lower resolution is ideal and the 600ppi setting will still yield a file that can used for a 10"x8" at 300ppi and produce a sharp, clean image on your photo quality printer.
Other Factors.
One very important feature to consider when buying a scanner is its Dynamic Range. This feature relates directly to the scanners ability to detect brightness variations. This feature is very important, a scanners dynamic range can be measured based on a scale of 0.0 to 4.0. 0.0 represents perfect white, while 4.0 represents perfect black. Everything in between represents graduated levels of gray. Reflective scanners should typically support a dynamic range of about 2.7 whereas a transparency scanner should support a dynamic range of at least 3.2.
What file format should I save my images and photos to?
The file format you select for your image can greatly affect the quality of your image. The most common image file formats on the internet are jpg and gif, although great for small file sizes these file format have many problems, both use a lossy compression system. Lossy means that you will lose detail through compression and colour reduction. Lossy compression also introduces artifacts into your images which further degrade quality. The ideal file types to use are file types which use lossless compression. TIFF or Tagged image file format is one of my preferences along with PSD which is the native file format of Adobe Photoshop. Tiff files support lzw based file compression which allow for files to be reduced to about 10% of their full size.
Things to consider, when buying a scanner.
Your scanner should have a good optical resolution ideally it should be anywhere from 75ppi up to 1200ppi for reflectives, 2400ppi if you'll need to scan transparencies. The scanner should also have a good dynamic range, this is also essential if you are scanning transparencies. Look for a scanner that supports multiple interfaces, most scanners these days support usb or firewire, the better units support both.
Writing this article brought one of the most fundamental rules into my thoughts. In order to do any job correctly you have to understand what it is you're trying to achieve. Once you know, it's important to get the right tool for the job. When buying a scanner don't skimp and buy the cheapest, do your research and chose wisely because you will most likely be using the scanner you buy to record your memories or to produce content for your work.
Also remember that to minimise clean up of your images after scanning clean your prints and negatives. When cleaning please ensure you use methods which are non destructive.
Good luck and happy scanning.
Dots versus pixels Scanners and monitors use pixels as their base unit whereas printers use dots. Scanner resolutions vary greatly hence the pixel per inch or dot per inch value. For this article we will be referring to pixels per inch (ppi).
Scanning modes
Scanners support several modes; typical modes are line art, halftone, grayscale, and color. Each of these modes has features which allow you to customize the effect or result of your final scan.
Line art is used for when the item being scanned contains solid areas of black and white. This mode is ideal for scanning text, pen-and-ink illustrations and black and white logos. Do not use this mode for Black and white photos.
The halftones setting is used when you need to scan something from printed materials. These materials include sources like books, newspapers, and magazines. Printed images tend to have a dot pattern which will create an undesirable effect if you use one of the other modes. This effect called a moiré will detract from your image. Some scanners and software will have a feature called de-screening which can reduce or eliminate this effect.
For scanning colour or black-and-white photos, it is best to use the color and grayscale modes respectively. Scanning quality in colour or greyscale can also be affected by the bits per channel you select. Most scanners support either 8 or 16 bits per channel, most RGB images are 8 bit per channel yielding a 24bit image. A 48 bit image will yield more detail and colour acuity but bear in mind most imaging or photo applications may not support more that 24 bit.
How should I use my Scanner?
One of the features that confuse users is resolution. You have a photo you want to scan so that you can look at it, email it or print it. What resolution and settings should you use for your photo? My basic rule of thumb is to scan for size as, at 300 pixels per inch or ppi. This size as rule allows me to optimize my images depending on the final application. A 6x4 photo can be scanned to generate a 12x8 by doubling the 300 ppi setting and using 600 ppi. So why do I use 300ppi? This resolution is a throwback to when scanners first started being used for generating files for graphics studios. The graphics studios scanned all photos for a 150 line screen or LPI.
Line screen values relate directly to the halftone dot patterns mentioned above. This setting of 150 LPI was equivalent to what would be used for a high quality magazine or art book. The optimal setting for scanning for any line screen was usually a ratio of 2 to 1, so for a 150 line screen you would scan 300 ppi, for lower lpi values you would typically down sample or resize the scanned photo. This LPI value has very little to do with the DPI of your desktop printer. If you wish for your image to be used only on your screen you may scan at lower resolutions. I prefer to scan my photos so that they generate a 12x8 image at 300 ppi.
Transparency vs. Reflective.
Some scanners have the capacity to support transparency scanning. When scanning transparencies your scanner should support much higher resolutions. The active image area in a 35mm slide is approximately 1.5" by 1", in order for it to be 12"x8" at 300ppi it needs to be scanned at a minimum resolution of 2400ppi. This setting should be an optical resolution and not interpolated. Interpolation allows you to add additional pixels to an image in order to increase the resolution. When scanning you should avoid interpolation as this will increase your image and file size without really giving you any increase in detail.
If my scanner supports 3200 ppi should I use it all the time?
The simple answer is, no, 3200 ppi is overkill for the vast majority of scans. If you were to scan a 5"x4" inch photo at 3200ppi it would yield a 614.4mb file. This large file could of course be reduced substantially if you saved it as a jpg file, but would still be approximately 50mb and would soon eat up all your storage if used for every scan. A 600ppi scan of the same 5"x4" image would yield a file size of approximately 21.6mb. In this case the lower resolution is ideal and the 600ppi setting will still yield a file that can used for a 10"x8" at 300ppi and produce a sharp, clean image on your photo quality printer.
Other Factors.
One very important feature to consider when buying a scanner is its Dynamic Range. This feature relates directly to the scanners ability to detect brightness variations. This feature is very important, a scanners dynamic range can be measured based on a scale of 0.0 to 4.0. 0.0 represents perfect white, while 4.0 represents perfect black. Everything in between represents graduated levels of gray. Reflective scanners should typically support a dynamic range of about 2.7 whereas a transparency scanner should support a dynamic range of at least 3.2.
What file format should I save my images and photos to?
The file format you select for your image can greatly affect the quality of your image. The most common image file formats on the internet are jpg and gif, although great for small file sizes these file format have many problems, both use a lossy compression system. Lossy means that you will lose detail through compression and colour reduction. Lossy compression also introduces artifacts into your images which further degrade quality. The ideal file types to use are file types which use lossless compression. TIFF or Tagged image file format is one of my preferences along with PSD which is the native file format of Adobe Photoshop. Tiff files support lzw based file compression which allow for files to be reduced to about 10% of their full size.
Things to consider, when buying a scanner.
Your scanner should have a good optical resolution ideally it should be anywhere from 75ppi up to 1200ppi for reflectives, 2400ppi if you'll need to scan transparencies. The scanner should also have a good dynamic range, this is also essential if you are scanning transparencies. Look for a scanner that supports multiple interfaces, most scanners these days support usb or firewire, the better units support both.
Writing this article brought one of the most fundamental rules into my thoughts. In order to do any job correctly you have to understand what it is you're trying to achieve. Once you know, it's important to get the right tool for the job. When buying a scanner don't skimp and buy the cheapest, do your research and chose wisely because you will most likely be using the scanner you buy to record your memories or to produce content for your work.
Also remember that to minimise clean up of your images after scanning clean your prints and negatives. When cleaning please ensure you use methods which are non destructive.
Good luck and happy scanning.
Friday, April 01, 2005
SLR or Point & Shoot?
One of the issues with buying a decent digital camera is what type to buy. Now as a Photo enthusiast and Professional Imageer I tend to lean more towards the Digital SLR than to the many variations of Point & Shoot (P&S) that are available on the market today.
Why Buy a P&S?
The most obvious reason for getting a P&S is convenience, they tend to be quite small, easy to use, feature rich and the latest models have plenty of resolution (Not true really because resolution has nothing to do with megapixels and more to do with the density of pixels or dots to a given area). The newest models from Canon, Sony and Nikon boast 7 megapixel plus sensors and support decent storage capacities and transfer features. The beauty of many of these new models is their compactness; some of them are even thinner than a pack of cigarettes.
Many of the newer models are also being boosted by the manufacturers focus on improving the optics and connectivity. Ok, 7 megapixels may be overkill for most peoples' use at the moment, but believe me when I say future users of Digital Photography will need more. Think of what kind of files Ultra High Resolution Displays will require.
Why buy a Digital SLR
Ok, the Digital SLR may seem bulky and a bit of overkill when it comes to the consumers requirements even some of the prosumer models which have fixed lenses can seem that way too. and that is as it should be, the SLR is not the domain of the casual photographer, it is where the Professional and the enthusiast can really explore the world of "writing with light." The SLR which features interchangeable lenses is a boon to the Photographer because it offers the photographer the chance to play with how the world around them is captured.
The SLR also offers the photographer the chance to see just what is being captured. Now notice that I didn't say exactly, and there is a reason for that ... many viewfinders only show a portion of what is actually being captured and many of them require some trickery to force the viewfinder to show the exposure levels and focus with any degree of accuracy (think Depth of Field). Having said, their viewfinder is vastly superior to the ones on P&S cameras because of something called “parallax error” (which occurs because you are not viewing your capture field through the same lens that you are capturing it through). With an SLR you're actually looking at what you are going to capture and therefore are more able to frame and compose rather than snap your image and hope it comes out for the best. SLR cameras quite simply allow you more control over the medium and with the range of accessories available for your SLR you'll be a happy snapper.
Which SLR?
If you already have an SLR film camera like a Canon or Nikon then buy the best equivalent you can afford at the time ... I use a Canon based SLR and that made my choice appear to be fairly straight forward. However when it came to buying my Digital SLR, I found myself deeply frustrated by something called a Focal Length Multiplier (FLM). The FLM is a pain in the arse. I have used film SLR's for years and I’m used to my focal lengths on my lenses. With most digital SLR's a 50mm lens is no longer 50mm on the lower level Canon's it is equivalent to 80mm, on most Nikon's it is equivalent to 75mm. The Canon EOS 1Ds is the only 35mm based SLR body in which there is no FLM, but at just over US$ 8,000, it is a little on the pricey side. Grumble Grumble ... Confused? Don't worry it's quite understandable ...
So, why buy an SLR? It's the choice really, with an SLR you can play a lot more with the medium because you have more control.
Quite Simply ... P&S = convenience - SLR = Control.
Footnote – Confused over which P&S to buy, wait a little and you’ll then have to juggle between camera and camera/mobile phone. Samsung will be releasing the V770 which is a 7 megapixel Cameraphone …
Why Buy a P&S?
The most obvious reason for getting a P&S is convenience, they tend to be quite small, easy to use, feature rich and the latest models have plenty of resolution (Not true really because resolution has nothing to do with megapixels and more to do with the density of pixels or dots to a given area). The newest models from Canon, Sony and Nikon boast 7 megapixel plus sensors and support decent storage capacities and transfer features. The beauty of many of these new models is their compactness; some of them are even thinner than a pack of cigarettes.
Many of the newer models are also being boosted by the manufacturers focus on improving the optics and connectivity. Ok, 7 megapixels may be overkill for most peoples' use at the moment, but believe me when I say future users of Digital Photography will need more. Think of what kind of files Ultra High Resolution Displays will require.
Why buy a Digital SLR
Ok, the Digital SLR may seem bulky and a bit of overkill when it comes to the consumers requirements even some of the prosumer models which have fixed lenses can seem that way too. and that is as it should be, the SLR is not the domain of the casual photographer, it is where the Professional and the enthusiast can really explore the world of "writing with light." The SLR which features interchangeable lenses is a boon to the Photographer because it offers the photographer the chance to play with how the world around them is captured.
The SLR also offers the photographer the chance to see just what is being captured. Now notice that I didn't say exactly, and there is a reason for that ... many viewfinders only show a portion of what is actually being captured and many of them require some trickery to force the viewfinder to show the exposure levels and focus with any degree of accuracy (think Depth of Field). Having said, their viewfinder is vastly superior to the ones on P&S cameras because of something called “parallax error” (which occurs because you are not viewing your capture field through the same lens that you are capturing it through). With an SLR you're actually looking at what you are going to capture and therefore are more able to frame and compose rather than snap your image and hope it comes out for the best. SLR cameras quite simply allow you more control over the medium and with the range of accessories available for your SLR you'll be a happy snapper.
Which SLR?
If you already have an SLR film camera like a Canon or Nikon then buy the best equivalent you can afford at the time ... I use a Canon based SLR and that made my choice appear to be fairly straight forward. However when it came to buying my Digital SLR, I found myself deeply frustrated by something called a Focal Length Multiplier (FLM). The FLM is a pain in the arse. I have used film SLR's for years and I’m used to my focal lengths on my lenses. With most digital SLR's a 50mm lens is no longer 50mm on the lower level Canon's it is equivalent to 80mm, on most Nikon's it is equivalent to 75mm. The Canon EOS 1Ds is the only 35mm based SLR body in which there is no FLM, but at just over US$ 8,000, it is a little on the pricey side. Grumble Grumble ... Confused? Don't worry it's quite understandable ...
So, why buy an SLR? It's the choice really, with an SLR you can play a lot more with the medium because you have more control.
Quite Simply ... P&S = convenience - SLR = Control.
Footnote – Confused over which P&S to buy, wait a little and you’ll then have to juggle between camera and camera/mobile phone. Samsung will be releasing the V770 which is a 7 megapixel Cameraphone …
55mm Version 5
About 8 months ago, I wrote a review of Digital Film Tools, 55mm Version 4 plug-in and although I was largely impressed ... I felt they could improve some of the filters. Yesterday I received an email informing me that they (DFT) had an upgrade ready ... Version 5. and it looks like they have added a few very nice features and improved some of the existing filters. I'm looking forward to playing with this upgrade some time in the next few months. I'll post an update when I've had a chance to play with it. http://www.digitalfilmtools.com/55mm/
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