Digital Focus: Essential Tools and Accessories
Memory cards and readers, lenses, batteries, and editing software.Dave Johnson
Feature: Digital Photography Essentials
When I wanted to learn to play guitar back in high school, I thought that all it took to play the axe was a cheap guitar, an old Fender amp, and a cord to connect them. It didn't take me long to find out how naive I was. To become a guitarist, you need those things, for sure. But you also need strings (several varieties to give you more options), picks (thick ones, thin ones, ones shaped like classic cars), new clothes, and a variety of sunglasses. It's all about the accessories.
Digital photography is no different--except that you don't need the sunglasses. So what accessories are essential to the digital process? I'm glad you asked. This week, let's build a digital photo studio that gets the most from that new camera of yours.
Memory Cards
If you bought your digital camera in the last few years, it almost certainly uses removable memory cards to store its pictures. A small 8MB card may have come with your camera, but that could make you feel a little claustrophobic, don't you think?
Now is a good time to splurge on a 64MB, 128MB, or even 256MB memory card. Prices on memory cards of all types have dropped dramatically in the last year. You can generally get better prices online than you can in retail stores, because stores are slower to adjust prices with a falling market.
For example, I found a 256MB CompactFlash card on the PCWorld.com Product Finder for a ridiculously low $94. These prices fluctuate, though, so the card could cost more--or perhaps even less--when you click the link.
With the improved capacity, you'll be able to shoot more pictures before you run out of storage space. And a spare card will let you swap-and-shoot instead of calling it a day when the camera is out of memory.
Memory Card Reader
You know that USB cable that you're supposed to use to transfer image files from the camera to the PC? Throw it away. Well, not literally--you may need it someday. But stop using to transfer those files. A far simpler solution is a USB memory card reader, which you should be able to find for less than $50. Just pop your memory card into one of these gadgets and use the Windows desktop to drag and drop image files from the card to a folder on your hard drive.
There are single-format card readers that handle just one kind of memory card as well as jacks-of-all-trades with slots for Memory Stick, CompactFlash, Secure Digital, and SmartMedia. They're handy if you have more than one kind of device and need to manage multiple memory cards. You can find Dazzle Multimedia's excellent 6-in-1 reader for as little as $35 on our Product Finder.
Extra Lenses
Don't forget to add wide-angle and telephoto adapter lenses to your travel bag. A 3X optical zoom may sound great when you first bring your camera home from the store, but you'll soon find that the lens doesn't have the reach you'd like. Tiffen sells adapter lenses for most digital cameras. These lenses are quite affordable; a 2X telephoto lens costs about $80 and you can get a set of close-up lenses for as little as $40.
Rechargeable Batteries
Invest in a set of nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries; it will pay for itself quickly, especially if you take a lot of photos. I have two sets so one can be charging when I'm out shooting with the other. NiMH batteries available at any computer, electronics, photography, or office-supply store for around $15 per set.
Image Editing Software
The magic of digital media lies in the freedom that comes from editing your pictures any way you like on the PC. Crop them, resize them, remove red eye, add captions--there's no limit. To do all that, though, it helps to have a good image editor. Unfortunately, the image editors that are bundled with many digital cameras are often not very good. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, grab a free program called IrfanView from the PCWorld.com Downloads section.
You might also try an evaluation copy of my personal favorite, Paint Shop Pro, available from Jasc Software.
For more image editing horsepower, you can't beat Paint Shop Pro 7 or Adobe PhotoShop Elements 2.0. I found both of those programs for about $75 to $80 on our Product Finder.
Photo Printer
Don't forget that digital photography means being able to print out your own photos. Your ancient ink jet probably won't cut it, though; look into a modern photo-quality printer. One of my favorites is the Epson Stylus Photo 820, a very affordable model. I found it for about $85 on our Product Finder.
If you're interested in wide-format printing to make oversize prints as large as 13 by 44 inches, then consider the Epson Stylus Photo 1280. I was able to track this printer down for about $350 on our Product Finder.
Dave's Favorites: Digital Photography Review
Looking for an online community that's chock full of information about digital cameras? Check out the Digital Photography Review.
This site stays up-to-date with breaking digital camera news and product announcements, and it provides reviews of new cameras and accessories. One of my favorite features is the site's Timeline, which lets you relive the history of digital photography. The Timeline logs the release of major camera models, listing the camera and basic specifications, and provides a link to reviews, pictures, and more information.
The Digital Photography Review's forums are divided by manufacturer and by topic, so you can get targeted answers to questions about your digital camera from other users and from people taking the same kinds of pictures as you.
When you factor in the digital imaging glossary and some buying guides, you may agree that the Digital Photography Review is an outstanding resource for any digital photographer.
Q&A: Why Are My Pictures Grainy?
I have a Kodak DX3700 3.1 megapixel resolution digital camera. I find that most of my pictures are crisp and clear, while others come out looking really grainy. Most recently, I noticed this in a photo at a concert. What's causing it?
--Tracie S., Matawan, New Jersey
It sounds to me, Tracie, like the camera's ISO setting is causing that graininess. ISO is a measure of your camera's sensitivity to light. When you take pictures at night or in a dark concert hall, your camera may automatically increase the sensitivity to take a better picture.
Unfortunately, higher sensitivity can also cause "noise" and "graininess" in the picture. If the images are too grainy for your taste, one solution is to go into your camera's settings and move the ISO from its "automatic" position. Set it to the camera's lowest position, which is probably around 100.
Of course, no solution is perfect. Setting your camera to a low ISO means that you will need to use a flash to take pictures in the dark--but your pictures will be far less grainy.
Hot Pic of the Week
Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $10 and $100.
A gentle reminder, folks: We disqualify some really wonderful pictures every week because the submissions don't follow the rules. Be sure to include everything we ask for in your e-mail message, including a description of your picture and your complete contact information, or your entry is wasted!
Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering please read the full description of the contest rules and regs.
This week's Hot Pic: "Coliseum," by Bob Taylor, Brighton, Tennessee
Bob says, "I took this photo when I was in Rome back in March of 2001. I took the shot with a Kodak DC4800 and didn't retouch or process the picture."
This picture is well-composed and offers a good balance between the bright blue sky and darker structure. Despite the fact that there's so much sky in the picture, you can still see a lot of detail in the coliseum--making it a great little composition.
We want your feedback! Send your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself to comments@bydavejohnson.com. If you have a question that you'd like to see answered in the weekly Q&A, send it to question@bydavejohnson.com.
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