Ring flash adapters cost over $200. And those are just the adapters that reflect light from your flash. An actual ring flash can cost over $1000. I recently built a home made ring flash adapter for my camera and I thought I would share the progress pictures to show you how I did it.

I won’t take all the credit since I used a few different tutorials from other people. I made my own version and it was fairly easy to make. The best part is that it was less than $20 for the material.

Material

- Salad bowl. I used a metal bowl because I wanted the interior to reflect the light. I ended up putting aluminum tape on the inside because it reflects even better. So it doesn’t really matter if it’s metal or plastic.
- 5″ to 4″ vent reducer. I found this at Home Depot in the air vent section.
- Light diffuser tile. I found this at Home Depot in the tile ceiling section.
- Aluminum tape.
- Steel flat bar. I got a perforated bar because I don’t have a press drill to make holes.
- Nuts and bolts. Got the standard camera fitting size (I believe the size is 1/4-20). I got a couple wing nuts too to make it easier to attach the camera and flash.
- Flat black spray paint.
- Zip ties
- Goop. All purpose glue.

I used the 4″ end of the vent reducer to draw a circle to cut a hole in the salad bowl. Be very careful with the cut metal as it is razor sharp. Start by drilling a hole in the middle and proceed with a sheet cutter. Try to cut close to the guide line but not directly on the line.

With a rotary sander for my power drill, I sanded the edge down to the guide line to perfectly match the size of the vent reducer. This can take some time and it makes a lot of metal dust. Be sure to wear eye protection.

It may seem like the vent reducer material is already pretty reflective. However, you will get much more light power by using some aluminum tape to cover the whole interior of your ring light. So before inserting the vent reducer in the cutout hole of the salad bowl, cover it with aluminum tape.

Then to make sure the pieces will hold together permanently, I cut the extra length of the vent reducer down to 1/2 inch and bent it over the salad bowl using pliers and a hammer. I then used all purpose goop to make it hold together. Note that goop takes about 24 hours to dry but you can keep working on the project if you’re careful.

I used the salad bowl (I will call it the ring flash from now on) to draw a guide line on the plastic light tile. This is the piece that will diffuse the light around the lens in front of the ring. At first I was going to use scissors to cut it out but the plastic was cracking and breaking. So I had to use a dremel tool.

Ok now for the hard part; Bending the steel bar. I’m not going to get into details with measurements because everybody’s equipment is different and cameras and flashes come in different shapes and sizes. You might have to adjust the bents a few times before you get it right. See the picture below to get an idea where to start. I used a vice and a hammer to bend the bar where I needed. I don’t have pictures of that but you can use your imagination. Here’s the result:

From the picture above, you can tell how I was able to guide where the hole needed to be on the ring for the flash to go it. So I tried to get as close as possible and find the right spot to make that hole. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first try because you can always re-bend the bar to adjust to perfection. I could have used sheet metal scissors to make the hole but I love my dremel tool and I use it every chance I get

Before putting everything together I thought I would paint it to make it look better. Flat paint works well to avoid dripping. And it dries really fast. I was able to put it all together only 2 hours after paint.

I used zip ties to hold the ring diffuser on the inside of the ring so I had to drill small holes on the vent reducer. The outer edge of the salad bowl had a small “lip” so I was able to put goop on it to hold the outer edge of the diffuser:

With a couple pieces of foam and hockey tape I made a grip to hold the camera sturdy while shooting. Make no mistake, when it’s all mounted together with the camera and flash it’s a pretty heavy piece of equipment to carry around. I attached the ring to the steel bar using a single bolt and nut. It holds pretty good with a washer inside the ring but if you can manage to add a second bolt, it would be even better.

Using wing nuts to attach the camera and the flash on the steel bracket makes it easier to mount and remove without any tools. Notice that I mounted the flash on a hotshoe adapter. This is to allow me to use a wireless trigger to set off the flash. I could also use a corded trigger but with a wireless trigger I have the option to trigger other off camera lights.

Alas! The final product!

Here’s a couple pictures I took using the ring flash adapter:

In Digital Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The same principles apply as in film photography – the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) – however the cost is noisier shots. I’ll illustrate this below with two elargements of shots that I just took – the one on the left is taken at 100 ISO and the one of the right at 3200 ISO (click to enlarge to see the full effect).

(you can see larger sized images of both shots here for the 100 ISO and here for the 3200 ISO)

100 ISO is generally accepted as ‘normal’ and will give you lovely crisp shots (little noise/grain).

Most people tend to keep their digital cameras in ‘Auto Mode’ where the camera selects the appropriate ISO setting depending upon the conditions you’re shooting in (it will try to keep it as low as possible) but most cameras also give you the opportunity to select your own ISO also.

When you do override your camera and choose a specific ISO you’ll notice that it impacts the aperture and shutter speed needed for a well exposed shot. For example – if you bumped your ISO up from 100 to 400 you’ll notice that you can shoot at higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures.

When choosing the ISO setting I generally ask myself the following four questions:

1. Light – Is the subject well lit?
2. Grain – Do I want a grainy shot or one without noise?
3. Tripod – Am I use a tripod?
4. Moving Subject – Is my subject moving or stationary?

If there is plenty of light, I want little grain, I’m using a tripod and my subject is stationary I will generally use a pretty low ISO rating.

However if it’s dark, I purposely want grain, I don’t have a tripod and/or my subject is moving I might consider increasing the ISO as it will enable me to shoot with a faster shutter speed and still expose the shot well.

Of course the trade off of this increase in ISO will be noisier shots.

Situations where you might need to push ISO to higher settings include:

• Indoor Sports Events – where your subject is moving fast yet you may have limited light available.
• Concerts – also low in light and often ‘no-flash’ zones
• Art Galleries, Churches etc- many galleries have rules against using a flash and of course being indoors are not well lit.
• Birthday Parties – blowing out the candles in a dark room can give you a nice moody shot which would be ruined by a bright flash. Increasing the ISO can help capture the scene.

ISO is an important aspect of digital photography to have an understanding of if you want to gain more control of your digital camera. Experiment with different settings and how they impact your images today.

Digital SLR cameras offer many advantages over their point and shoot brethren. They are designed to capture fast action, work well in low light environments, offer numerous lens choices and give the user as much control as desired. Their drawback is they are expensive compared to point and shoots and do have a learning curve. Once mastered, using a DSLR will be your first choice for creating incredible photos.

So today’s top ten DSLRs will be ranked using the scoring system from the main site, TestFreaks.com.

The FreakScore or the TestFreaks Score is our overall product score based on a combination of all expert and user reviews we have collected for a product.

You can read more about our ratings system HERE.

Canon EOS 7D

First Seen: 11 January 2009

Freakscore: 10/10

The Canon EOS 7D is the top dog according to the Freakscore ratings system. This digital SLR camera features eight frames per second (fps) shooting, new Zone AF mode focusing and 24p Full HD video recording. The unit features EOS advancements including a 19-point Autofocus system, a Canon iFCL Metering System (Intelligent Focus, Color, Luminance) and an Intelligent Viewfinder. An 18-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processors powers the EOS 7D’s 14-bit A/D data conversion and its ability to freeze fast motion in high-resolution with eight fps continuous shooting up to 126 Large JPEGS using a UDMA CF card, positioning this camera for the studio as well as the sideline. The EOS 7D supports from 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800) ISO settings that allows users to capture low-light images with or without a flash. It also features Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution with selectable frame rates of 24p, 25p or 30p. Native 24p recording.

“Very fast performance; excellent photo quality; flexible autofocus system; big, bright viewfinder; streamlined interface; wireless flash control.” – CNET

“We have no reservations about giving the Canon EOS 7D an Editor’s Choice designation – it’s a great DSLR that just so happens to record high-definition videos. The big question, though: Is the camera worth its steep asking price? Happily, the answer is yes, since it’s an investment that will pay you back for years to come in terms of great photos. Moreover, for those who enjoy a challenge, it will take some time to learn all of the device’s capabilities. (Canon doesn’t supply an almost 300-page manual just for laughs.) Fortunately, this is one book we wouldn’t mind studying for a long time to learn its intricacies – suffice it to say there’s plenty to absorb between the covers. “- Digitaltrends

Pros: raw jpeg button, another great camera, big viewfinder with graphics, big buffer, fast shutter speed

Cons: white balance performance average, single card slot, several interface oddities, at least not yet, many menu layers

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Pentax K-7

First Seen: 12 march 2009

Freakscore: 9.9/10

Coming in at a near perfect Freakscore of 9.9 is the Pentax K-7. This prosumer level camera has oodles of features at a lower price point than competitors with similar specs. It has numerous customization options, superbly built and designed with ergonomics in mind.

“Speedy 5.2 frames per second. Super sturdy construction. Lots of pro features at a prosumer price. Improved battery life and 100 percent field-of-view viewfinder. Faster, more robust processor. Live View with contrast focus and face detection. Shoots 5.2 frames-per-second with shutter speed up to 1/8000. The 77-segment metering system and 11-point AF system are quick and spot on. Internal mechanical shake reduction.” – Wired

“The bottom line is that the Pentax K-7 is an excellent camera which has almost every feature available to a DSLR. It brings flexibility and superb image quality to a variety of subjects in a compact and well thought-out design.” – Neocamera

Pros: compact and lightweight, good noise performance, good build, fast autofocus, faster frame rate

Cons: portrait underexposed slightly, no full hd video, inconsistent hd video quality, slow continuous focus, occasional overexposure

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Canon EOS 500D / Rebel T1i

First Seen: 7 February 2009

Freakscore: 9.8/10

“The Canon EOS Rebel T1i is a solid mid-range DSLR with the added spice of HD video recording. We have no squawks on the camera section, other than noise becoming readily apparent beyond ISO 800. It’s responsive, and you’ll be more than happy with the prints, whether you making 4×6s or 13×19s. The HD videos are a mixed bag, with decent full HD results, but nothing you’d compare with a top-flight camcorder such as the Canon HF S10 or Sony XR500V.” – Digitaltrends

“Overall, Canon’s Rebel T1i is a feature-packed DSLR that offers a number of improvements over its predecessor, the best-selling Rebel XSi. The Rebel T1i also inherits a number of features from Canon’s higher-end models, but packages them into a smaller, lighter and more affordable form factor.  In fact, we like this camera so much, we’re giving it our coveted Editor’s Choice award for product excellence” – HotHardware

Pros: full manual controls, image quality, great image quality, bright lcd, big lcd

Cons: exposed lcd, no microphone input, contrasty conditions, short battery life, slow focus

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 / DMC-FZ38

First Seen: 27 July 2009

Freakscore: 9.8/10

While not exactly a DSLR, this is also beyond any point and shoot with its DSLR like body and features. If you want 720P HD video and are looking for an affordable alternative to the more expensive DSLR cameras on the market then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38/FZ35 may be right for you.

“A better-than-average megazoom choice, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 delivers standout video capabilities and an excellent manual feature set. Still, it suffers from a lot of the same drawbacks as its competitors, including weak photo quality”. – cnet

“Buy the FZ38 / FZ35 and you’ll get a compact, lightweight super-zoom camera with 12 Megapixel resolution, a flexible 18x zoom with excellent stabilisation and very quick autofocus, 720p HD video with the choice of encoding formats, support for RAW files, a medium-sized but good-looking 2.7in screen, manual controls, HDMI output and one of the best fully automatic modes on the market. It continues to be a highly compelling proposition.” – cameralabs.com

Pros: excellent image stabilization, fast focusing, ease of raw conversion, hd video, fast start u

Cons: operator s manual, mediocre optical viewfinder, warm white balancing indoors, user manual on cd, glossy screen

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Nikon D300s

First Seen: 11 March 2009

Freakscore: 9.7/10

“Keeping technology advancements under wraps is hard enough with the speed information travels today, so Nikon have really managed to surprise the industry when introducing the D300s as a result. Keeping their ergonomic design of previous models and packing this new model full of next gen features such as HD recording really shows their commitment to producing a high quality camera that satisfies consumer need. Expect other manufacturers to try and match what Nikon has done here.” – Electronics Made Easy

“Here’s the thing about the D300s: It’s a great camera, no doubt. The problem is two-fold: At $1800, it costs the exact same as the D300 did when it was released two years ago, but beyond video, delivers no major advancements. There’s no new pixel-squeezing camera tech here. The other part is that the very shortly forthcoming 7D from Canon is their first direct competitor to Nikon’s D_00 semi-pro cameras, and it may make the value proposition look even less fantastic with what appears to be the most advanced video features of any DSLR yet. As it stands, the D300s is a tough purchase call (you can pick up a D300 for $150 less if you don’t need video), and certainly not a necessary upgrade. But we hope to head-to-head the 7D and D300s very soon to figure out the best camera you can buy for about $1800.” – Gizmodo

Pros: excellent photo quality, durable body, amazing af system, 720p video recording, virtual horizon feature

Cons: short battery life, a little expensive, mediocre battery life, mono sound, no liveview histogram

Nikon D5000

First Seen: 6 January 2009

Freakscore: 9.7/10

The Nikon D5000 is an upper entry level DSLR camera. Some of its features include 12.3 MP CMOS Sensor, live view, 720p movies and a 2.7 inch, 180 degree Tilt/Swivel LCD. It also includes features such as EXPEED high speed image processing, GPS compatibility, automatic built in pop up flash. Some of its additional features include Picture Control settings, D-movie, and Live view suited for video recording. Some of its additional specifications include 12.3 million effective pixels, supporting high ISO sensitivities and utilizes the Nikon DX format sized CMOS Sensor.

“Nikon’s D5000 is a good means to introduce former amateurs into the DSLR market. Easy enough for tyros to master, and capable enough to be thrown into backup duty by a serious hobbyist or professional, it is a well-built camera that can take almost any photo that someone likely to want this camera would want to take.” – MacNN

“The Nikon D5000 proceeded to kick ass in every category we tested it in, so it was no mystery that this was the entry-level DSLR to beat for 2009 after our journey. We loved the D5000’s advanced interface and external controls were plentiful. This is a DSLR that has a little something for every shooter, though the heavy artillery was there when we wanted to pull out the big guns. The flip-down LCD was a major help in tight shooting environments, though the camera was a bit bulky. Image quality was top notch, and even the Pentax K2000 couldn’t keep up with the D5000 on that front. HD video recording was okay, but the D5000’s overall RAW performance made us forget the camera was even capable of shooting video. The D5000 is also offered in two different lens kits available at B&H, so there’s no excuse not to buy this camera. If you’re serious about photography but can’t justify the financial long jump to a D300, get this camera. If the Nikon D5000 is too much, then go for a Pentax K2000. That’s the bottom line and we’re sticking to it.” – infoSync World

Pros: full manual controls, image quality, great image quality, bright lcd, high iso performance

Cons: short battery life, slow focus, nothing yet, nothing significant, video quality

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Pentax K-x

First Seen: 17 september 2009

Freakscore: 9.5/10

The Pentax K-X is a 12.4 megapixel CMOS sensor digital SLR that features sensor-shift Shake Reduction for stabilized image and video capture up to 4 stops max. It has a 2.7 inch LCD with Live View and Face Detection with contrast, phase difference, and Face Detection autofocus (up to 16 faces), records 720p HD Video in resolutions of 1280×720 at 24 FPS cinematic frame rate, using any PENTAX 35mm lens; and features Auto Picture and Scene Modes, creative processing and filter modes that provides user with ability to explore artistic freedom through unique special effects, true HDR image capture that blends 3 bracketed images into a single picture with optimal shadow, highlight, and midrange detail and a 4.7 Frames per Second capture speed and 1/6000 second maximum shutter speeds. The K-X also features the PRIME II image processing engine with 11 point SAFOX VIII autofocus system that tracks moving subjects, and is powered by AA batteries that allow users to capture up to 1900 shots.

“The K-x is a very capable little camera indeed. Pentax has managed to squeeze what is, for this class of camera, an impressive feature set into the camera’s minuscule, rather inconspicuous, body and the image quality, especially in low light, is the best we have seen so far in the entry-level bracket of the DSLR market. To put some icing on the cake, all of this comes at a currently, compared to the closest rivals, very attractive price point. To us the lack of visible AF points is the camera’s only real drawback but if you can live with this omission you can’t go wrong with the Pentax K-x”. – DP Review

Pros: reliable flash exposure, user definable auto iso, extensive white balance options, in camera raw conversion, lcd color fine tunable

Cons: no hdmi connector

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Nikon D3s

First Seen: 12 February 2009

Freakscore: 9.3/10

The Nikon D3s has a full frame CMOS image sensor. It is a 12.1-megapixel DSLR camera that can shoot at the speed of 9 fps (frames per second). The LCD measures 3 inches and it features 921K (VGA) for its LCD dots. Auto-focus points are 51-point and it can capture videos (720p24) as well as audio for it features a built-mono. There’s a 3.5mm stereo for audio input purposes and for video input, there’s the HDMI slot. It also comes with improved AF-On and multi-dial controls. Also featured are ISO 200 – 12800 (ISO 100 – 102,400 in Boost mode); it can achieve eleven frames per second in continuous and DX mode; a larger buffer for 48 RAW frames in one burst; multi-CAM3500FX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage); in-camera RAW processing; a 14-bit A/D conversion, 12 channel readout; auto-focus tracking by color; it has kevlar/carbon fibre composite shutter with 300,000 exposure durability; auto-focus tracking by color; auto-focus calibration and it features Scene Recognition System. It also supports DX lenses and a viewfinder automatically masks. It features Nikon’s EXPEED image processor. It has the startup time of 12 ms, shutter lag 41 ms and black-out 74 ms. There are dual compact flash cards and it supports compact flash UDMA. Its 3.0-inch features 922,000 pixels.

“This ain’t the same as the 12 megapixels on your CyberShot. Or frankly, our Nikon D90s. We would have loved to seen more features (a stretch, we know) in the follow-up to Nikon’s beloved D3, but this is a beast nonetheless. For those of you who could care less about video in your cameras, you can probably start picking up used D3ses on the cheap… sorta. “- Gear Patrol

“Typically an “S” update to a Nikon camera (e.g. N8008 to N8008s, D70 to D70s, D2X to D2Xs) represents only minor improvements and small feature updates to a popular camera. The D3s has the very much expected additions of the movie mode and sensor cleaning. However, the extra stop in its high-ISO performance should be very welcome by news, sports, and wedding photographers”. – photo.net

Pros: live view lcd

Cons: a little pricey, be patient, professional size and weight, 5000 price tag, try after the holidays

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Nikon D3000

First Seen: 10 July 2009

Freakscore: 9.1/10

“The bottom line: Its feature set is basic even by entry-level standards, but the Nikon D3000 delivers the photo quality and performance you expect when stepping up to a dSLR, with an optional interface that’s very beginner friendly.” – CNET

“Overall, though, the Nikon D3000 did well enough that it would serve a consumer who would usually confine his printed output to 8×10, as they’ll likely like the brightly saturated color and seldom encounter the more pronounced noise at higher ISOs. Watch your focus, though, and make sure that you don’t move the AF point accidentally.” – Imaging Resource

Pros: simple unintimidating camera layout, innovative guide shooting mode, programmable fn button, extensive flash mode controls, simplified exterior

Cons: no rubberized grip, all plastic body, few scene modes, poor color accuracy scores, no video cable provided

Olympus E-450

First Seen: 3 February 2009

Freakscore: 9.1/10

The E-450 digital SLR is built on the E-420 model, with the additional “art filter” modes which first appeared on the prosumer-oriented Olympus E-30. The in-camera editing feature like “pop art”, “soft focus” and “pin hole” is enabled by the camera’s TruePic III+ image processor, eliminating the need for editing on a computer. The Olympus E-450 has an effective resolution of ten megapixels from a Live MOS image sensor, and accepts Four Thirds-mount lenses. ISO sensitivity ranges from 100-1600 equivalents, with exposure modes including Program Auto (with program shift capability), as well as both Aperture- and Shutter-priority and a fully Manual mode. It also features 18 scene modes and Scene Program AE mode that operates on a subset of five common scenes. The camera has 49-point Digital ESP multi-pattern metering, with center-weighted. The E-450 has a 2% spot option, three-point Phase Detection, as well as 11-point contrast detection using information from the camera’s image sensor when in Live View mode.

“With the Olympus E-450, the superior quality of E-System D-SLRs and ease-of-use of compact cameras are fused in a model that brings out the artist in anyone. Indeed, the successor to the renowned E-420 is packed with features that encourage novices to explore their creative potential and create masterpieces. Three in-camera Art Filters, for example, apply stylish effects to any image at the touch of a button. Meanwhile, image composition is simplified thanks to Live View depictions on the bright LCD. This latest addition to the Olympus E-System range is not only one of the smallest and lightest models on the market, it also boasts all the benefits of the Four Thirds Standard at an affordable price. And, of course, the E-450 has a full range of Olympus’ innovative E-System technology on board.” – PhotoReview

“It might come at a budget price with a smaller sensor than the competition, but Olympus’s E-450 gives you plenty of control and is a joy to use with its limited but brilliantly implemented set of features” – PhotoRadar

“Olympus keep releasing cameras that are competing really well with Canon and Nikon. The menus are easy to use and they sport features that comparable cameras from the other manufacturers don’t have. In this case it’s the Art Filters and exposure compensation giving that extra bit of freedom to expand your creativity.” ePhotoZine

Pros: Lots of features for the newcomer to try, Standard menu system for back-up camera, Good color reproduction ,Excellent noise control, No loss of screen when focusing in live view

Cons: Too many buttons, ISO levels too low, Only three Art modes

You can find a few thousand more DSLR Camera reviews HERE on our main site.

There are many other modes available on your DSLR (portrait, night, action, landscape, etc) but if you’re going to use those, you might as well sell your DSLR and get a cheaper, much easier to use, point-and-shoot camera. So let’s talk about the modes that give you more creative freedom and allow YOU to be the photographer. Not the camera.

P (Program Mode)

The P mode is great for beginners who are trying to get the hang of their camera. This mode automatically attempts to set the right aperture and shutter speed according to the available light to get the right exposure. It sounds like the automatic mode, except the P mode allows you to manually set a few other settings like the flash, ISO, white balance and focus points.

The P mode is also very useful when you want to use the M mode in a difficult environment like low light or fast action subjects for example. You can take a couple shots in P mode, check the aperture and shutter speed that the camera chose, and use those settings as a starting point in M (Manual mode). I use this technique when shooting night time images. The P mode gives me a good idea where to start when I’m shooting night shots in Manual.

Tv (Shutter Priority Mode)

The shutter priority mode allows the photographer to choose the shutter speed and the camera will attempt to adjust the aperture accordingly to get a proper exposure. This is particularly useful when shooting moving objects.

For example, sometimes it’s nice to go with a slow shutter speed to capture movement. In the pictures of the waterfall shown, a shutter speed of 1/4 second (yes, in shutter world this is slow) creates a nice flowing movement in the water. This picture wouldn’t be so appealing if it was taken at 1/100 second.

In other situations it’s nice to “freeze” the action and you can do it with a faster shutter speed. Subject like sport athletes, moving cars, etc are fun to freeze with a fast shutter speed. By accelerating the shutter speed, the aperture (eye of the lens) needs to be widened to let more light in for a proper exposure. This is when the Tv mode is useful because it’s not easy to determine the right shutter speed/aperture combination. Besides, you don’t always have enough time to figure it out.

So the easiest and fastest way to change the shutter speed without worrying about proper exposure is to use the Tv mode. This allows you to have control on the result, and the camera helps you by doing half the work.

Av (Aperture Priority Mode)

Av mode is the opposite of Tv mode. It allows you to set the aperture and the camera attempts to tune the shutter speed for a correct exposure. Think of the aperture as the eye of the lens. The wider it’s open, the more light comes in (brighter picture). This is what you control by setting the aperture in Av mode. The unit for aperture is f-stop. The lower the number is, the wider the aperture is open.

Another factor to consider when adjusting the aperture is the depth of field. The depth of field is the range of focus distance. A wide aperture (low f-stop number) will provide a shallow depth of field. This is usually good for portraits because it makes your subject stand out from the blurry background. A small aperture (high f-stop number) will give you a large range of focus. This is good for landscape pictures where you want most of the frame (close and far distance) to be in focus.

M (Manual Mode)

The manual mode is where you, as the photographer, have complete control of your camera. No setting is automatically set by the camera and you have to choose the aperture, the shutter speed, ISO (which I usually leave at 100 or 200), etc.

I usually use the manual mode when shooting in a dark environment, trying a special effect, or when I use multiple light sources. It takes quite a bit of practice to get used to this mode but it’s not impossible. A good way to start using the M mode is to take a couple picture in the P mode, remember the aperture and shutter speed chosen by the camera and then try it in M mode. Use that as a starting point and then play around with the settings. Keep in mind that if you lower the aperture, you’ll probably need to slow down the shutter speed and vice versa.

This mode probably isn’t the best if you are in a hurry and need to take multiple shots in a constantly changing environment. There is no absolute best setting for each picture you’re going to take. Sometimes different settings will give you the same result. But the only way to know what settings to choose is to practice.

Post Pictures in the Comments

I’d like to see other people’s pictures. Tell me what modes you like to use and why. Feel free to post your pictures in the comments below.

Cheers!

So I’m going to talk about a couple basic functions that people should know about their DSLR cameras. I’m will try to explain it in plain English without getting too technical because learning should be fun. Not difficult.

Focusing

Camera technology is so advanced that focusing has become really fast and easy. Most people will use the auto focus function over the manual mode. And why wouldn’t they? Manual focus can be really hard and very slow. There really isn’t any reason to use the manual focus mode unless you’re going for a very specific result and assuming that time is not a factor. So let’s go ahead and switch the focus mode to “AF” (auto focus) on your lens and we’ll talk more about auto focusing.

If you look through the view finder you’ll notice a bunch of dots around a center dot. These are called “focus points”. The number of focus points depends on the camera model you have. Don’t let anyone hurt your ego by saying they have more focus points than you because they are useless. Focus points are the like the crosshair of a gun that helps you point at the target you want to shoot. And like a gun, you really only need one focus point; the middle one. Of course the other focus points exist for a reason, but again, we’re only talking about learning the basics here.

Setting The Focus Points

First of all this only works in the camera modes (P, Tv, Av and M) and we’ll talk about those modes later. Instead of having multiple focus points focus on multiple subjects, I find it a lot easier to only use the middle focus point and use it to focus on the main subject. This allows you have full control on the auto focus and YOU decide what part of the picture is in focus. I use this technique on 95% of my pictures. Here’s how you do it.

All DSLR cameras allow you to choose which focus points (little dots in the view finder) are active. Press the “AF Point” button ( ·:· ). Use the dial button to change the focus points until only the middle dot is red. That’s it! Now every time you focus on a target, your lens will only try to focus on whatever the middle dot is pointed at.

Composition

Now let me tell you about “composing” the picture frame between focusing and taking the picture. Focusing and taking the picture should never be done in one step like a lot of people do. Always 1) focus, 2) compose and 3) take the picture.

1) Focus; With only the center focus point being active in the view finder, you can easily point the camera straight on the main subject you want in focus. Press the shutter half way to auto focus on that subject. Most cameras will make a beep sound to indicate that focus has been achieved.

2) Compose; Wait! Don’t press the shutter button yet! This is where your artistic talents come in play. Keep your finger pressed halfway on the shutter button to keep your subject in focus. Now you want compose your frame. Think about the background, surroundings, where do you want your subject in the picture, etc. While looking through the view finder, move the camera around until you find an interesting composition you like.

3) Take the picture; Still got your subject in focus? Found a composition you like? Now press the shutter button all the way to take the picture. It’s ok to not always have you subject in the middle of your picture. Actually it is often more interesting to have it off set a little bit. There’s more about that in this article about the rule of thirds.

Exercise

So now you know the secret about focusing like the pros. There is a lot of focusing techniques but I would dare say this is how most photogs focus 95% of their pictures. Now get out there and practice. See if you can find a subject that would look nice in a picture without being in the center of the picture. Remember; focus, compose, take the picture. Post your pictures in the comment below (pictures are best viewed with a maximum size of 600 pixels).

On DSLR Basics – Part II we’ll talk about exposure and manual camera modes (P, Av, Tv and M).

1. A good pair of shoes

I use the same pair of shoes for every single one of my photowalks. They’re an old pair of hiking boots from Lands End. They’re ugly as all get-out, but they have amazing traction, support my feet in all kinds of crazy angles, and yet still remain incredibly comfortable after all these years. All three of those are so important when photowalking. I’ve had to make my way across rivers on wet walks (thank you traction!), and I’ve taken photos crouched down on the ground while looking up at a tree on a very steep hill (thank you support for crazy angles!) and over the course of just under a year, I’ve put so many miles on those shoes and while I’ve come home with tired feet, I’ve never had a blister (thank you comfy shoes!)

2. An extra memory card

I have two memory cards. One large one that typically holds all of the photos I’ll take on a walk (with room to spare). But I always carry a second, smaller card with me. For one thing, if I ever DID fill up that one memory card, well, that wouldn’t be fun, now would it? In addition, maybe I’m paranoid, but I like having the second card just in case something happens to the first while I’m using it. I’ve never had that happen, but maybe one day it will, and that second memory card takes up so little space in my bag, it doesn’t hurt to bring it along just in case.
3. An extra battery

Do you know how frustrating it is to run out of battery power in the middle of a walk? I do, because it happened to me once. So frustrating, in fact, that I bought a second battery just so that could never happen again. And it has come in handy on more than one occasion!

4. A good bag

I’m not going to tell you which camera bag you should use, because I think a camera bag is a personal decision, and everyone is going to look for the things that are important to them. For me, I wanted a slingbag so that I could easy pull my camera out, take a few photos, and then swish the camera back around to my back. I do a lot of my photowalking along hiking trails, so when I’m not taking photos, I need something that’s going to stay secure on my back. You also want to make sure that your bag is big enough to hold the gear you’re going to bring with you. This may or may not be all your gear – chances are, you’re not doing portrait photography on your photowalks, so you might not bring everything with you that you would to a photo shoot. You’re going to do a lot of walking, so you want to travel as light as possible, and that includes not having a large bag that you’re only using 1/4 of.
If you’re curious, I use (and love) the Lowepro Slingshot 200. And while I’ve (luckily) never had a reason to use it, one of my favorite features was the fact that i came with an all-weather cover, just in case I get stuck out in the rain halfway through a 5 mile hike!

5. A notebook/pen

I don’t use this on every walk, but I’ve found that I’m grateful for it whenever I do use it. Sometimes when I’m out, I’ll see someplace else that I’d like to explore some other time – this happens a lot when I’m doing more urban photowalks. I don’t have the time to explore every part of downtown on any given day, but I’ll often see something that I’ll want to come back to, so I’ll write that down. Other times I just want to make a note of the name of the trail I’m on or whatever body of water I’m walking by if such a thing exists. Sometimes I’m lucky and find signs for these things and I can just take a photo of the sign, but I’m not always that lucky.

6. A flashlight

My favorite time to take photos – and a favorite time of many of you, I’m sure – is right before/during sunset. Needless to say, I’ve found myself stuck a few miles away from my car when it starts getting dark. This is another one that’s probably a bit more important when doing nature hikes, because there’s no streetlights around to guide me home – and it gets darker in the woods sooner than it does out in the open.

7. Other people!

And I don’t just mean other photographers. I’ve done photowalks by myself, I’ve done photowalks with other photographers, and I’ve done photowalks with friends and family who don’t even own a point & shoot. Honestly, I find it most refreshing to go with the non-photographers. I often feel pressure when with other photographers, wondering if they’re watching what I’m doing and judging me, or wondering if they’re getting a better shot than I am. Once I start relaxing, there are some definite benefits of knowledge sharing when walking with other photographers, but it’s there’s something to be said for the company of a non-photographer. I’ve found they’re much more likely to get excited about helping you find the perfect shot. Non-photographers are there to help you get the shot, not to try and find the shot themselves. Plus, they’re really good at holding your lens cap/bag/extra lenses for you!

8. Your business cards

I’m not a professional photographer, but I’ve still had some business cards printed up that have the address of my photoblog and flickr account on the back. When you have a professional looking camera and you look like you know what you’re doing, you just might be approached by other people. This has happened to me a number of times, and this is when I’ll pull out the cards. It’s nice because I can tell the person where my photos will eventually be posted so that they can see the results of that day’s outing, but also nice because it can help politely end the conversation if they’re distracting me too much from what I’m trying to do.

Let me start by explaining what HDR is. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. The purpose of the HDR technique is to make all exposure range of a photo become visible. Because the human eye is more advance than any camera, it is easy for humans to look at a subject and instantly adjust the eye to see shaded areas or really bright spots like a white dress under sun light. Cameras however can only settle for a small range of exposure and darker areas become almost black, and brighter areas become almost white.

The HDR technique is to combine multiple photos of the same subject with different exposures and blend them together for a wider “dynamic range”. That means you can blend a low exposed bright area such as the sky with a high exposed dark area like the shaded side of a building. Not only do you get a high dynamic range, but you also get a greater number of colors to manipulate. This is what a lot of people get carried away with.

Bad HDR

Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion and I don’t judge other people’s artistic taste. I’m just going with my own view on how HDR photography should be used to enhance photos.Take this photo for example:

The image really stands out and the details shown are pretty attractive. But what about the subject? In this case, the Beetle. Does it stand out? I find that the HDR is a little over done and it brought out too much details in the background which collide with the subject. I lost interest so for me, it’s a failure.

In this one:

The subject really stands out and that’s nice. I like the composition, etc, but we’re talking about HDR here. The HDR brought out some powerful colors but I find that the artist over did the saturation of those colors making a nice picture look like a painting. This is a common thing in HDR galleries and again, I’m not judging the artistic value and a lot of people actually like the fact that it looks like a painting. What I’m saying is that the HDR technique wasn’t used for it’s true purpose.

Good HDR

What I like to see in HDR photography is to be able to see the details and colors you wouldn’t normally see in a regular photo. It’s easy and probably tempting to go overboard when creating HDR pictures but when it’s done properly they really stand out and they really are “eye candies”. Here’s a few examples that I find outstanding:

The “Dave Hill” Effect

If you like was you see, let me introduce you to Dave Hill. Dave uses some of the techniques shown above but that’s only a fraction of it. This guy took HDR and brought it to another level. He literally turned it into his own style. A lot of photographers refer to it as the “Dave Hill effect”. Here are some of his recent work, but you should also check out his site at davehillphoto.com.

By Patrick Arseneau

Let’s see what we can do to make your landscape pictures a little more interesting.

Composition

Before you take a picture, think about what you want in your picture. There should be one or two main subjects; i.e. a mountain, a tree, the sun. Then ask yourself what makes that subject so interesting and why do you want to take a picture of it? Why do you find a certain tree interesting enough to take a picture of it? Is it because it’s bigger than the other trees that surround it? If that’s the case, you should include the other trees in the frame to put its size into perspective.

If you come upon a really nice mountain view that takes your breath away, you’re gonna take a picture of it. Most people will instinctively frame the highest mountain top and maybe even zoom in on it to get a closer shot. That’s a mistake that will make them say “you had to be there to really appreciate it”. What makes the mountain so beautiful is it’s size and natural position among the rest of the natural beauties (trees, water, sky, clouds). To get a good capture of a mountain you should get as much of the surroundings as possible. Usually it’s best at the widest lens angle or even multiple wide angle shots (multiple panoramic shots stitched together).

Not good:

Good:

Foreground

Now for the real magic. Once you learn how to properly compose landscape pictures, you can also add a little bit of spice to it and make the picture a little more interesting. Adding a foreground subject to a landscape picture adds perspective and life. The best way to explain it is to show you a picture with and without a foreground subject.

This is a nice picture of the morning sun over the Varadero beach in Cuba. The composition is ok but there’s nothing special about the picture:

By putting a foreground subject in the same environment, the same picture becomes much more interesting:

Adding a foreground subject to your landscape pictures will make them stand out and make people say “WOW”. Try it! It’s not as hard as it sounds. Good composition is the key.

What is the Rule of Thirds?

The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. As follows.

As you’re taking an image you would have done this in your mind through your viewfinder or in the LCD display that you use to frame your shot.

With this grid in mind the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image.

Not only this – but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your photo.

The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.

In addition to the above picture of the bee where the bee’s eye becomes the point of focus here are some of examples:

In this image I’ve purposely placed the head of my subject on one of the intersecting points – especially his eyes which are a natural point of focus for a portrait. His tie and flower also take up a secondary point of interest.

In this shot I’ve placed the subject along a whole line which means she is considerably off center and therefore creating an additional point of interest. Placing her right in the center of the frame could have resulted in an ‘awkward’ shot.

In a similar way a good technique for landscape shots is to position horizons along one of the horizontal lines also as I’ve done with the following shot (I’ll let you imagine the lines).

Using the Rule of Thirds comes naturally to some photographers but for many of us takes a little time and practice for it to become second nature.

In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to break it) the most important questions to be asking of yourself are:

• What are the points of interest in this shot?
• Where am I intentionally placing them?

Once again – remember that breaking the rule can result in some striking shots – so once you’ve learnt it experiment with purposely breaking it to see what you discover.

Lastly – keep the rule of thirds in mind as you edit your photos later on. Post production editing tools today have good tools for cropping and reframing images so that they fit within the rules. Experiment with some of your old shots to see what impact it might have on your photos.

One method of delving into macro photography is to use adapter rings.

These rings have threads on both sides, one end is screwed onto your present camera lens like any filter and a second lens is attached in reverse onto the other end of the ring. So two lenses can be attached front to front using the adapter rings filter threads. You can buy these adapters or you can make them yourself by taking filters matching the thread sizes of the lenses being used and removing the glass and epoxying the rings together with the threads sticking out on both ends.

Don’t destroy any of your valued filters, however. You may find filters in the clearance bins at some of the larger photography stores. I have, and sometimes for as little as one dollar. For those who would like to make their own adapters the instructions with accompanying photo’s follow.

Please be careful and wear eye protection and gloves.

The Tools

1) plastic bag, 2) safety glasses, 3) gloves, 4) pliers, 5) file, 6) hammer, 7) epoxy and mixing materials, 2 filters

Removing The Glass

Put the filters in a heavy plastic bag and, wearing safety glasses, tap
the class in both filters with the hammer until it is free from the
filters. Then remove the filters from the bag and clean any excess
glass from the inside of the filters using a file or pliers.

Be careful
not to damage the filter threads. It would be a good idea to inspect
the filters thoroughly before proceeding.

Assembling The Rings

The rings shown back to back and being prepared for the epoxy. I used a
5 minute epoxy however I thought it might be wise to let the epoxy
settle over night so the adapter would be able to hold the weight of
the reversed lens.

Sample rings Three adapter rings made by the author:

The Final Product

The final product used to join the two lenses:

Some good news is that the lens mounted as the reversed lens doesn’t have to match the camera body being used; it can be for a completely different manufacturer of camera.

The only thing that has to match are the filter sizes. This leaves you the flexibility of using any lens you might have lying around or you may be able to buy one for very little!

The magnification attained will be relative to the ratio of the focal length of the two lenses being used. The magnification (X) is equal to the focal length of the forward lens divided by the focal length of the reversed lens, X=focal length of the forward lens/focal length of the reversed lens. So we can achieve:

• 0.5X=50mm (forward lens) / 100mm (reversed lens)
• 1X=50mm (forward lens) / 50mm (reversed lens)
• 2X=100mm (forward lens) / 50mm (reversed lens)
• 4X=200mm (forward lens) / 50mm (reversed lens) and so on.

Now some would argue that anything less than life size, 1:1 is not macro but no matter what you call it we can experiment, learn and have fun!/