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Inexpensive Macro Setup

Filed under: Photography — Tony March 21, 2007 @ 10:05 am
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I had a friend ask me what to buy for an inexpensive macro setup so he could close-up pictures of the products they make for work. He wanted to be able to get within 1-6 inches of the product, which doesn’t really tell me the magnification he needs, but it gives me some idea that he wants to get closer than most cameras will allow.

I have a very expensive macro setup for my Canon 5d–a Sigma 150mm lens with a Canon ring-flash. That whole setup would run about $4k-$5k, and would be way out of his price range.

The hardest part of macro photography is the lighting, and you really need a ring flash mounted to the front of the lens if you’re not going to setup an entire macro studio. So, I started with the lighting, and found the Nikon Macro Cool Light SL-1 for their CoolPix series of consumer cameras. The best camera that was compatible with that flash is the Nikon Coolpix 5000. To connect the camera to the flash, you’ll need the Nikon UR-E6 adapter. Oh, and you’ll need a CF card for the camera.

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Understanding DPI (dots per inch)

Filed under: Photography — Tony March 20, 2007 @ 7:25 am
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I sell digital photos on my home page, and the most common question I get is, “Are these pictures 300 DPI?” Unfortunately, I usually can’t answer definitively, because they don’t tell me the size they’re going to print at.

DPI (dots-per-inch) depends on two factors: the resolution of the picture (“dots”) and the size of the image as you will print it (“per inch”). My website shows the resolution for every picture at the top of the page, as part of the pictures description.
For example, this picture has a resolution of 3072 x 2048:

If you wanted to print it at 3×5, it would be 614.4DPI (3072/5=614.4). Vertically, it would be 682.6DPI (2048/3), but you’d need to crop it vertically to get the 3×5 proportions, so the DPI will be the same once it’s cropped.

Reader Question: Adding extra pixels

Filed under: Photography, Reader Questions — Tony March 19, 2007 @ 11:12 am
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Question:

Can I add extra pixels in a picture saved im my computer by Photoshop or something else for enlarge or resize it??

Lauro

Brasil

Answer:

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Reader Question: Digital Cameras and Software

Filed under: Photography, Reader Questions — Tony March 18, 2007 @ 9:10 am
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Question:

Hi Tony!

I’m going to try to make this simple. Retired,love my back yard birds of which some species I had to work on attracting them after reading (Back Yard Birds), Woodpeckers,Finches etc. I got good at this and was flabbergasted when I finally got to see my first woodpecker. This was a big event for me and now I want a camera to go along with this great media center windows xp computer with 20” wide screen monitor. I would like to purchased a middle of the road digital camera that is fairly user friendly and yet has some step up settings for defined photos. With so much software out there which would you advise for me in the type/brand of camera and the softwhere that makes things more simple. I also have the printer that can handle this,a ( all in one photo printer ),pic bridge.plenty ram,photo ink & paper,and a wide variety of supported memory cards of different cameras. It would greatly appreciated if you could help me on this subject about which camera and software.

This is a windows xp media center computer and the monitor & photo printer was in mind with this kind of computer. One more thing, a external hard drive. Would it be wise to have one for photo backup or what would be appropriate and gig size. I liked your simple kitchen photos since I also garden peppers of all colors for my homemade salsa. I also would like to be able to make 8×10 portraits-Pixels ?

Sincerely,JDEME

Print a photograph from a memory card Printing tasks Scanning/Copying/Faxing tasks Troubleshooting

Most digital cameras use a media card to store photos. The Dell Photo AIO Printer 964 supports the following digital media and USB keys:

CompactFlash Type I and II

Memory Stick

Memory Stick PRO

SmartMedia

Secure Digital

MultiMediaCard

xD-Picture Card (up to 512 MB)

DELL - 256 MB High Speed USB 2.0 Memory Key, Part Number 311-4341

DELL - 128 MB High Speed USB 2.0 Memory Key, Part Number 311-4340

DELL - 64 MB High Speed USB 2.0 Memory Key, Part Number 311-4339

Answer:

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Reader Question: Camera Equipment Recommendation

Filed under: Photography, Reader Questions — Tony March 16, 2007 @ 6:35 am
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Question:

Tony,
Moved to Hilton Head SC, which allows for all types of pictures. I was 35mm guy for years. now I am looking at a Canon D30 with a 17-85 lens for walking around and an additional 75-300 for the long shots. do you think I’m on the right track. Used to work up in Cambridge for a few years great subjects, and I really like your pictures.
Regrds
Hank

Answer:

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