Nikon 24.5 Megapixel DSLR

Whoa! Nikon's come out with a 24.5 megapixel digital SLR that has 51-point autofocus, HDMI output, and 50 MB RAW files that expand out to 140 MB TIFF files - and it can simultaneously record RAW and JPEG images on separate memory cards. Start-up time is 12 milliseconds and shutter lag is 40 milliseconds. It sounds as though it also expands dynamic range but then does some sort of additional image processing to keep shots from looking flat. But the D3x will set you back some $7999 and 2.11 pounds just for the body. That's like hanging a small bag of flour around your neck. Ouch.

Mastering Photo Modes

Most digital SLRs have different programming modes - one for portraits, one for fast action, another to set the shutter speed and have the camera select the proper aperture. Each mode has its own characteristics, and it's a good idea to learn what they are before assuming that you're really get what you want with one.

For example, I was trying to use one of the full programming modes once and learned the hard way that the camera automatically saved all the images in a JPEG format (a compressed image) rather than the RAW files (the image information as it comes off the sensor) I prefer. JPEGs are fine, except that to make the image smaller, software someone throws out data. That means it's harder to enlarge these images or do certain types of retouching or manipulation because you don't have available what the camera originally captured. A given mode can easily affect sharpness and color settings or make decisions that affect how the image will look at the end.

I"m not suggesting to only shoot manual mode, but read through the computer manual and see what decisions you may be making without realizing it.

Manual Focus on DLSRs

I've come to delight in the existence of autofocus. But there are times that the camera can't do what you want. The lighting may be too dim, or there might not be enough contrast in the scene. Or you might just want a couple of shots with varying points of focus, but don't want to wait for the autofocus to kick in between them. Here's how you make manual focus work for you:

1. Set the lens to manual focus.


2. Choose the most important part of your picture. That’s most likely the one you want to be sure is in focus. (Though there are times that deliberately putting the subject out of focus can work.)


3. Hold the camera viewfinder up to your eye and look at the subject.


4. Watch the viewfinder as you turn the lens’s focus ring. Concentrate on the important part of the image. That part will keep getting sharper until it can’t get any better, and then it will start to get fuzzier again. When it does, start the ring back the other way s-l-o-w-l-y until the image again looks sharp.


5. Press the shutter button and take your picture.

If the image doesn’t seem to be getting sharper, you may be turning the ring in the wrong direction, so spin it back the other way. And if you’re using a zoom lens and the image keeps changing sizes, you’ve just grabbed the zoom ring instead.

Especially at first, you may find yourself twisting the ring back and forth, trying to find the point at which the image is in best focus. Chalk it up to learning; as you practice, you’ll find that you can put a scene into focus quickly.