Photography pt 1.... Cameras

by Trail Monkey Sun May 25, 2008 11:08 pm

Well.. I guess to get this thread started, I should first and foremost talk about what a camera is. Yeah yeah, I know, you say “you know what a camera is”. Or doooo you… lol. Actually a camera is nothing more than a light tight box. Nothing else, then you start putting bells and whistles on it. In my early years of photography we would both learn and teach on what we called a pin hole camera. This was nothing more than a small box, wood, plastic or cardboard, with a small hole in it. Place a piece of undeveloped negative in it and open the hole. Uh close the hole to stop the exposure, after counting your exposure. This was a simple 1mississippi 2mississipi 3. Then take the negative out and develop it . This was the most basic of the basics. Then you add on all the gadgets. The more gadgets the more $$$$ you pay. Is it any better? Not necessarily.

Now in this digital age we enter into a slightly different world of photography. Different yes, but one that is still bound by many of the same rules. Sure you can take an image and Photoshop most anything into it, but it had better be a good image(s) to start with, or you will end up with a real mess. This means that you should learn the rules no matter what your shooting on, media wise that is.

There are a couple of different types of cameras out there that you should be aware of. The first is a Point and Shoot. This is where you look through your little window and you see the image your about to shoot but you’re not looking through the lens that your shooting with. What this means is that on images where you shooting wide, aka landscapes or people where there is lots of room around them, you will probably never notice. But if you ever tried to use that close up feature on your camera, then you notice that you probably have cut something off or gotten something in the frame that you did not intend. These cameras also generally do not have a manual setting, and has only a automatic mode. Your kind of stuck with what the camera manufacture wants you to have. These can be fun and great for kids and the like. Also these are usually light and cheap. Ok for hiking and the what not.

Next is the SLR or DSLR cameras. Single Lens Reflex or Digital Single Lens Reflex. This means that when you look through the viewfinder you see the image as you would take it. These almost always will have manual settings as well as program modes. These cameras tend to be pricy in comparison to the Point and Shoots though, but they also offer the ability to change lens. Offering a wide range of optics from lens that will shoot your toes while holding it in a normal position.. er this would be like a 8mm fisheye lens, extending out to super telephotos that I have seen mountain ranges on the moon with. These can range from not very expensive to more than most small to mid size houses sell for. I have personally seen lens in the $80 to $90 grand range. These are usually priced according to the type of glass used and the size of the aperture that the lens boosters. I will talk more about this later. These cameras tend to be heavy though and while offering lots of features are not light by any means.

Now in this digital age we have a hybrid camera. These are cameras that offer a digital screen that you can look at to frame the shot. This screen is looking through the lens that is taking the shot. Technically it is a SLR in that respect. You will have to get to a mid range of around $300 or better to get some type of control of your shutter speeds and apertures though. These tend to be light and portable as well, but these color LCDs eat up batteries.

Bottom line for the Backpacker is I recommend a light camera that offers a viewfinder while offering some type of a control setting. I like an aperture priority mode so I can control my depth of field.

This is basically it for cameras. Next issue will be lenses…

Eddie