Digital photography for dummies

339 Pages·2012·87.19 MB·English

by  Julie Adair King

Digital
Photography

FOR
DUMmIES‰
7
TH EDITION
by Julie Adair King
Digital Photography For Dummies®, 7th Edition
Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
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Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012933404
ISBN 978-1-118-09203-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-22335-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-23681-9 (ebk);
ISBN 978-1-118-26175-0 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Author
Julie Adair King is the author of many books about digital photography and
imaging, including the best-selling Digital Photography For Dummies. Her most
recent titles include a series of For Dummies guides to Canon, Nikon, and
Olympus digital cameras. When not writing, King teaches digital photography
at such locations as the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. A graduate of
Purdue University, she resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Author’s Acknowledgments
I am extremely grateful to the team of talented professionals at John Wiley
& Sons for all their efforts in putting together this book. Special thanks go to
my awesome project editor, Kim Darosett, who is the type of editor that all
authors hope for but rarely experience: supportive, skilled, and amazingly
calm in the face of any storm, including my not infrequent freakouts.
I also owe much to the rest of the folks in both the editorial and art depart-
ments, especially Heidi Unger, Leah Michael, Rashell Smith, Nikki Gee, Steve
Hayes, and Andy Cummings. Thanks, too, to technical editor Lyle Mannweiler
for his eagle-eyed observations and thoughtful suggestions. This book simply
would not have been possible without each and every one of you.
Finally, thanks to my family and friends for not only putting up with me, but
doing it with humor and grace.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com.
For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,
outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions and Editorial Composition Services
Project Editor: Kim Darosett Project Coordinator: Nikki Gee
Executive Editor: Steven Hayes Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Carl Byers,
Joyce Haughey
Copy Editor: Heidi Unger
Proofreaders: Lauren Mandelbaum,
Technical Editor: Lyle Mannweiler
Shannon Ramsey
Editorial Manager: Leah Michael
Indexer: Estalita Slivoskey
Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham
Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case
Cover Photo: © iStockphoto.com /
Carmen Martinez Banus
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)
Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies
Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher
Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director
Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director
Publishing for Consumer Dummies
Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher
Composition Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Part I: Gearing Up ....................................................... 7
Chapter 1: Choosing Your First (Or Next) Digital Camera ...........................................9
Chapter 2: Extra Goodies for Extra Fun ........................................................................49
Part II: Easy Does It: Taking the Fast Track
to Great Pics ............................................................. 73
Chapter 3: Getting Your Camera Ready to Go .............................................................75
Chapter 4: Easy Does It: Great Photos in Automatic Mode ......................................103
Part III: Moving Beyond Full Auto ............................ 121
Chapter 5: Taking Control of Exposure .......................................................................123
Chapter 6: Manipulating Focus and Color ..................................................................157
Chapter 7: Getting the Shot: How the Pros Do It .......................................................191
Part IV: From Camera to Computer and Beyond .......... 215
Chapter 8: Viewing and Downloading Your Pictures ................................................217
Chapter 9: Printing Your Pictures................................................................................237
Chapter 10: Onscreen, Mr. Sulu! ..................................................................................257
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 283
Chapter 11: Ten Great Online Resources ...................................................................285
Chapter 12: Top Ten Maintenance and Emergency Care Tips .................................289
Appendix: Glossary of Digital Photography Terms ....... 297
Index ...................................................................... 307

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 1
What’s in This Book? .......................................................................................1
Part I: Gearing Up ...................................................................................2
Part II: Easy Does It: Taking the Fast Track to Great Pics .................2
Part III: Moving Beyond Full Auto ........................................................2
Part IV: From Camera to Computer and Beyond ...............................3
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................................................3
Appendix .................................................................................................4
Icons and Other Conventions Used in This Book ........................................4
What Do I Read First? ......................................................................................5
Part I: Gearing Up ........................................................ 7
Chapter 1: Choosing Your First (Or Next) Digital Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Choosing a Basic Camera Type ...................................................................10
dSLRs: Not just for pros anymore ......................................................11
Mirrorless compact system cameras ................................................14
Rangefinders .........................................................................................18
Fixed-lens, point-and-shoot cameras .................................................19
Gadget cams .........................................................................................21
Getting Specific: What Features Do You Need? .........................................23
Understanding resolution ...................................................................23
Assessing sensor size ..........................................................................25
Looking at lenses .................................................................................26
Considering viewfinder options .........................................................30
Finding a low-light performer .............................................................33
Exploring make-it-easy features .........................................................33
Stepping up to advanced features .....................................................37
Getting the speed you need ................................................................40
Evaluating video capabilities..............................................................42
Reviewing a few other fun (and practical) features ........................44
So . . . Is It Time for a New Camera? ............................................................47
Getting More Shopping Guidance ................................................................47
vviiiiii
Digital Photography For Dummies, 7th Edition
Chapter 2: Extra Goodies for Extra Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Buying and Using Memory Cards ................................................................50
Shopping for memory cards ...............................................................50
Care and feeding of memory cards ....................................................52
Protecting Your Camera ...............................................................................53
Steadying Your Camera ................................................................................55
Adding a Few Filters ......................................................................................56
Equipping Your Digital Darkroom ...............................................................58
Tablet computers.................................................................................58
Desktop or laptop computers ............................................................59
Sorting through Software Solutions ............................................................63
Free entry-level, photo-viewing and editing programs ...................63
Advanced photo-editing and browsing programs ...........................64
Grabbing a Few Handy Extras ......................................................................67
Part II: Easy Does It: Taking the Fast Track
to Great Pics .............................................................. 73
Chapter 3: Getting Your Camera Ready to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Juicing Up: Checking the Batteries ..............................................................75
Working with Memory Cards .......................................................................77
Adjusting the Viewfinder to Your Eyesight ................................................78
Looking at a Few Setup Options ..................................................................81
Setting the Resolution and File Type ..........................................................85
Resolution: How many pixels are enough? .......................................85
Pixels and print quality .......................................................................87
Pixels and screen images ....................................................................91
Pixels and file size ................................................................................93
Setting the File Type ......................................................................................94
JPEG .......................................................................................................95
Camera Raw ..........................................................................................98
TIFF ......................................................................................................102
Chapter 4: Easy Does It: Great Photos
in Automatic Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Composing a Stronger Image .....................................................................104
Following the rule of thirds ..............................................................104
Creating movement through the frame...........................................105
Working all the angles .......................................................................107
Editing out the clutter .......................................................................107
Giving them room to move ...............................................................109