Learn the art of photography

with a DSLR camera

Comprehensive techniques,
tips and examples
shown in full color
AUTHORS
Andrew Chan
Karlo N.B. Samson

PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ron Yue
Julian W
Andrew Chan
Karlo N.B. Samson
Jereme Wong
Chris Lau

ART DIRECTOR
Tan Li Yong

DESIGNER
Michelle Rinosa

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS
Katrina Santiano
Rachel Limjoco

PUBLISHED BY Hardware Zone Pte. Ltd. CEO/PUBLISHER Dr. Jackie Lee

MANAGING DIRECTOR Eugene Low EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dr. Jimmy Tang
HWM PRODUCT MANAGER Terence Ang Cover Photo by: Chris Lau

Hardware Zone Pte Ltd 20 Ayer Rajah Crescent Technopreneur Centre #09-04/05/11/12/14
Singapore 139964 Tel: (65) 6 8722725 Fax: (65) 6 8722724 www.hardwarezone.com®

Printed by UIC Printing & Packaging Pte Ltd

Copyright © 2006, Hardware Zone Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced in any form without the
written consent from the Publisher.
 ANDREW CHAN

KARLO N.B. SAMSON

EDITORIAL 7
8 Empower Yourself Photographically

THE DSLR DIFFERENCE 11

12 What is a DSLR?
13 DSLR Advantages
15 The Alpha Advantage
21 Accessories

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS 25
26 Lenses
32 The Aperture
35 Focusing
37 Depth of Field
39 Hyperfocal Distance
40 AE, AF & FE Lock
41 Shutter Speed
44 ISO and Light Sensitivity
47 White Balance
50 Flash Usage
54 Exposure Metering
 Photo by: Chris Lau

55 Exposure Value
58 Camera Modes and Presets

FRAMING AND COMPOSITION 63

64 Subject Placement
68 Leading Lines
70 Perspective

GALLERY 73
74 Portraits
84 Landscape
94 Action and Sports
98 Low Light and Night
106 Nature and Wildlife
109 Macro

POST PROCESSING 113

114 File Formats
115 Sony Image Data Converter
116 Basic Operation
Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia
 EDITORIAL
77 EDITORIAL
 ANDREW CHAN KARLO N.B. SAMSON
EDITORIAL

EMPOWER YOURSELF PHOTOGRAPHICALLY

Photography is power. Not only the power to preserve
moments in time pictorially, but also to express your
creativity and thoughts. And with the advent of afordable yet powerful digital
SLR (DSLR) cameras like the Sony ฀100, learning the art of photography has
88

never been easier, more afordable or instantly gratifying.

In spite of all the speed, power and convenience that digital technology afords, photography still remains an art of
expression. Subjects can still be rendered in a myriad of interpretations depending on the camera settings chosen, lenses
and accessories used, composition techniques applied; and of course, the skill of the photographer. Photography becomes
an art when the photographer controls the camera to produce the portrayal of the scene he wants, rather than leaving the
work to the random, uncontrolled interpretation of a camera’s auto mode.

However, to learn this art of control and control of the art that is photography, one has to be prepared to study at least a
little about the rigorous optical physics and mathematics, as well as the composition techniques involved. Ultimately, this
knowledge will help you master your tool: the camera, so as to produce the diferent renditions of a certain scene that
photography can aford.
A COMMON OBJECTIVE
This guide to DSLR photography was developed by
HWM in cooperation with Sony. When we irst met to
collaborate on this project, we found that we had the
very same primary objective: we both wanted to promote
the art of photography by providing learners with an
afordable, yet high quality publication that taught the
basic fundamentals of photography as comprehensively
as possible. And the result is now in your hands.
A secondary goal of this guide is to showcase the
capability of Sony’s new ฀100 DSLR camera and how
its technologies can help both learners and seasoned
photographers achieve gratifying results. Although the
฀100 is Sony’s irst DSLR camera model and one of the
newest around, it was based on technologies that were
developed from the rich SLR heritage of Konica-Minolta
whose DSLR division was acquired by Sony in early 2006.
And this potent combination of Konica-Minolta DSLR
experience with Sony’s cutting edge technologies shows
in the ฀100’s performance.

THE ALPHA COMMITMENT

The ฀100’s arrival in June 2006 also marked Sony’s
entry into the world of DSLR cameras after over a
decade of producing some of the best ixed lens
digital camera models. And the company has
demonstrated its commitment to the DSLR camera
market and its customers: A few months prior to the
oicial launch of the ฀100, Sony established a new
division called the “AMC Department” (AMC for Alpha
Mount Camera – named after the camera’s mount
system) that is dedicated solely for the development
and marketing of the company’s DSLR cameras and
its related lenses and accessories. Toru Katsumoto, the
division’s Senior GM has expressed an “unwavering”
commitment to the development of the range of
lenses and accessories for the ฀100 and future Sony
DSLRs.

“Entering the SLR camera market entails a long-term commitment to customers, and our resolve
here is unwavering. Our division is fully committed to expanding and developing our range of lenses
and accessories. Moreover, throughout Sony, we are fostering a new generation of SLR camera
enthusiasts who are eager to further improve on our success.”

EDITORIAL
- Toru Katsumoto, Senior General Manager, AMC Department, Sony

TOOLS OF EMPOWERMENT
We hope you will be inspired to understand and learn about photography at a deeper artistic and technical level. To this
end, we have already suggested a tool of choice: the Sony ฀100 DSLR camera, and we have also provided you an afordable
way to start learning: this guidebook. So what are you waiting for?

Empower yourself.

ANDREW CHAN KARLO N.B. SAMSON

Editor and Photographer, HWM Senior Writer and Photographer, HWM
99

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Andrew Chan is the Editor of leading South East Asian technology
magazine, HWM. He is also a semi-professional photographer and
copywriter. In the course of his work, Andrew has reviewed a large
number of digital cameras across all classes, as well as supporting
products like photo printers and imaging software. He has also authored
numerous articles, guides and a book about digital photography.
His articles and photographs have appeared in HWM, corporate
publications, advertisements, as well as Singapore’s leading newspaper:
the Straits Times.
Karlo N.B. Samson is also from HWM and is the publication’s Senior
Writer and photographer. He has had a relatively long experience with
regard to photography, having developed his art since 1985 at the
tender age of 13 when he started out with a ilm SLR. He subsequently
picked up digital photography in 1996 when the technology was
in its infancy in the consumer market. Over the years, Karlo has also
reviewed dozens of cameras, both ilm and digital. Karlo is also a travel
photographer and journalist. His articles and photographs have been
published in the Philippines’ leading travel magazine PILMAP Travel &
Leisure as well as numerous travel websites.
Having both personal interests and vocational obligations with regard
to digital photography, Andrew and Karlo are well-versed with the latest
trends and technologies relating to the topic and are well known among
camera, display and printer vendors and technology professionals.
Photo by: Chris Lau
 DSLR THE
DIFFERENCE
1111 THE DSLR DIFFERENCE
 WHAT IS A
DSLR?
The term “DSLR” stands for Digital
Single Lens Relex. Before digital
technology was introduced to photography,
ilm-based versions of such cameras were simply
known as “SLR” cameras. SLR cameras allow for diferent lenses
to be attached to their bodies to achieve diferent image
results. An SLR camera derives its name from a movable mirror that is
used to relect the image coming through the lens to a pentaprism at top
of the body which then relects the image out to the viewinder. In this
way, a user sees the image as it would be captured, regardless of the lens
attached to the camera.
THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

PARTS OF 11
A DSLR
10
5
6 12
3 4 13
2 9
1212

1
7

8

It’s the ability of the
DSLR to provide the
user with absolute
control as well as
numerous lens and
accessory options,
that make it the
system of choice
for professionals
and advanced
amateurs alike.
(1) Handgrip – Usually enlarged and rubber coated so as to
provide better handling for the photographer
(2) Command Dial – Used to vary settings for a chosen
shooting parameter or to switch between items in a menu.
(3) Shutter Button – All cameras, ilm or digital, have a shutter
button that executes the shooting of the photograph. Typically,
pressing it halfway will cause the autofocus system to focus on a
subject, while a full press is used to actually take the photo.
(4) Integrated Flash – Most entry to mid range DSLR cameras
feature an integrated lash that saves the user the trouble of
bringing an additional lash unit about. However they are
typically much weaker and provide less coverage compared to
dedicated lash units.
(5) Flash Hotshoe – All DSLRs sport a “hotshoe” that is used
to accommodate dedicated, external lash units that can deliver
better performance than the integrated lash.
(6) Pentaprism (Inside) – The pentaprism receives the light
and relected image coming from the mirror and relects it out to
the viewinder.
(7) Mirror – This mirror relects the image to the pentaprism
DSLR
ADVANTAGES
DSLR cameras are designed to accommodate a wide
range of lenses and accessories.
Professional photographers refer to SLR cameras as
“systems” because an SLR camera is really a platform
for diferent lenses, lashes and other accessories to
be mounted onto its body. Only with an SLR can one
switch between lenses ranging from a wide angle one
to capture a broad landscape to one with a high zoom
to shoot subjects like animals and sports persons from
long range.
DSLR cameras provide users absolute
control
Besides the lenses, an SLR camera provides a user with
absolute control over how a picture will turn out. Their
manual controls over aperture size and shutter speed
allow users to create photos with diferent creative
interpretations. In addition, SLR cameras also let users
THE DSLR DIFFERENCE
which then relects the image out to the viewinder. It moves
out of the way when the shutter button is pressed to take a shot,
allowing the light to pass to the sensor located behind it.
(8) Lens Mount – The lens mount is where the lenses are
attached. Diferent brands of DSLRs use diferent proprietary lens
mounts.
(9) LCD Monitor – All DSLRs have an LCD monitor that is used
to review photographs that have been shot. Some models like
the Sony ฀100 also use it to display shot settings and information.
(10) Optical Viewinder – The viewinder is used to frame
photographs. All DSLRs feature an optical viewinder.
1313
(11) Mode Dial – Virtually all DSLRs have a mode dial as the
mechanism that allows users to switch between diferent
shooting or playback modes.
(12) Memory Card Compartment – In place of ilm, a modern
DSLR camera uses memory cards to store photographs.
(13) Navigator Buttons – Another common feature on DSLRs,
navigation buttons allow for the easy navigation and selection of
items in the interface menus displayed on the LCD monitor.
 DSLR cameras are fast and uncompromising

The DSLR goes beyond Unlike compact cameras, DSLRs employ a primarily
mechanical operation system. This results in an image
the capabilities of capture process that is signiicantly faster than even
the best electronic systems in standard digital cameras
any point-and-shoot as a DSLR does not have to deal with electronic and
processing lag. Also, DSLRs are not constricted by size
camera in terms of and are dedicated for uncompromised performance in
tasks ranging from auto-focus point selection to image
image quality, speed processing, to noise suppression, to image writing;
making them much faster in operation compared to
and control. A DSLR other types of cameras.

may not it in your DSLRs have much larger sensors

shirt pocket but it Where digital cameras are concerned, the larger the
sensor, the higher quality its image will be. Many
will let you take your compact camera users are ignorant of the fact that
their cameras actually use sensors that are smaller
photography higher. than the nail of their little inger. On the other hand,
DSLR cameras like the Sony ฀100 have sensors that
are about 10 times the size of those found in typical
adjust other image parameter settings from precise color compact cameras. Larger sensors not only allow for
temperature settings in Kelvins, to white balance tweaks, higher resolutions, they also react much faster and are
empowering them to dictate what they want to see in less prone to generating image noise as compared to
their photos. smaller ones.
THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

PROSUMER AND COMPACT CAMERA SENSORS

Sensor Type Dimensions Examples
1/2.5” (7.182mm) 5.760 x 4.290mm Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 (7.2MP)
Casio Exilim EX-Z770 (7.1MP)
Nikon Coolpix S10

1/1.8” (8.933mm) 7.176 x 5.319mm Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 (10.1MP)

Canon IXUS 900 Ti (10.0MP)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 (10.0MP)

DSLR SENSORS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Sensor Type Dimensions Examples
Four Thirds 18.0 x 13.5mm Olympus E-500 (8.2MP)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 (7.5MP)
14
14

APS-C 23.6 x 15.8mm

35mm Full Frame 36.0 x 24.0mm Canon EOS 1Ds Mark 11 (16.7MP)

Four Thirds APS-C 35mm Full Frame

These boxes illustrate the actual sizes

<< of the sensors in typical cameras. As

you can see, DSLRs have signiicantly
larger ones than ixed lens, compact or
advanced models.
 THE ALPHA
ADVANTAGE
The ฀100 DSLR is the
irst DSLR camera from
Sony. However, it combines
the respected history and
heritage of Konica Minolta’s Dynax
SLR system with Sony’s very own
cutting-edge imaging technologies. The
result is a DSLR camera that allows even
beginners to capture professional looking
The successful photographs with superb ease while

integration of Sony providing seasoned photographers an

and Konica Minolta extremely high degree of control and

number of shooting options.
technologies have

THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

resulted in a brand In this section, we take a closer look
new camera with a at the new ฀100 to show you how its
respected history and unique features can help you take better
cutting edge tech. photographs.

ALPHA MOUNT
AND LENSES
1515

The Sony ฀100 uses the famed Minolta Alpha mount.

First introduced in 1985 by Minolta, the Alpha mount was

initially designed for 35mm ilm-based SLR cameras. The
mount has now been adapted for use in the Sony ฀100.
Because of the long history of the Alpha mount, there are
now an estimated 16 million compatible lenses in circulation
in the market today, giving ฀100 owners a vast number of
lens options to chose from for diferent imaging requirements.
 In addition, the ฀100 was introduced with 21 new lenses (including two teleconverters). The new range also includes three
lenses from revered optics specialists, Carl Zeiss. The new Carl Zeiss “ZA” (zoom lens) and “FA” (ixed focal length lens) lenses
have been designed with an uncompromising emphasis on digital imaging performance for outstanding clarity.

The Sony ฀100 with its 21 newly

launched lenses (including two
<<
teleconverters)

The new Carl Zeiss lenses: (from left)

DT16-80mm, F3.5-4.5 ZA; 135mm, F1.8
FA; 85mm, F1.4 FA.
<<

BIONZ ENGINE
One often-overlooked aspect of a digital camera is its computer processor. The processor
THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

is responsible for both controlling the operation speed of the camera as well as for image
processing.

Light captured by CCD image The Sony ฀100 features a new and extremely powerful processor called the Bionz engine which
sensor turns the image signals captured into beautiful photographs. Using a proprietary Sony algorithm,
the Bionz engine also reduces image noise without lowering resolution and delivers vibrant
colors with rich tonal gradations. Sharpness is also well balanced so as to create images of beauty
A/D Conversion and depth that appear just as the human eye
perceives them. And because the ฀100’s lenses, 10.2-
megapixel CCD, and Bionz engine are all developed
in-house, they ofer highly integrated and optimized
performance that assures outstanding image quality.

Data processing
When the shutter opens, light entering the camera
16
16

through the lens strikes the CCD and is transformed

into an analog electronic signal. A high-precision
Data compression
A/D converter then converts the signal into 12-bit
digital data that is sent to the Bionz image engine. There, proprietary algorithms are applied to
reduce noise, adjust sharpness and white balance, and optimize the dynamic range and color
matrix. The image is then compressed as JPEG data and exported to the bufer memory, where
the memory controller writes the data to the memory card. Thanks to the high eiciency of the
Bionz engine, the entire process is virtually instantaneous.

Data storage on memory card This enables the Bionz engine to capture pictures at a high-speed burst shooting rate of up to
three frames per second continuously, at its full 10.2-megapixel resolution and at the inest JPEG
compression.
D-RANGE
OPTIMIZER
The new Dynamic Range Optimizer or, “D-Range” Optimizer function in the Sony ฀100 is designed to help users make the
most of the CCD’s wide dynamic range and ability to capture both shadows and highlights. The D-Range Optimizer works
by automatically analyzing the scene and then optimizing the exposure and contrast settings to create a more natural and
realistic looking image.

The D-Range Optimizer has two modes: a faster Standard mode, and a slightly slower Advanced mode. In Standard mode,
the overall brightness and contrast are optimized in real-time. In Advanced mode, tonal gradations and color reproduction
are optimized for each part of the frame separately and requires a processing time of about 0.5 seconds.

Shooting with a backlight is tricky. D-Range Optimizer of. The shadowed buildings on D-Range Optimizer on. With the D-Range Optimizer,
OPTIMIZER
D-RANGE

If you choose to expose the subject the right side and pavement are underexposed. the right side buildings and pavement become
better exposed and their details are more apparent.
OFF

properly, the background will become

overexposed. Or, if you choose to expose
the background correctly, the subject will
become underexposed, as in this case.
And sometimes, using a ill lash to try
ANTI-DUST
to resolve the problem may make the
subject look unnatural.
PROTECTION

THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

When you change the lenses on a DSLR camera, there is always a risk
of dust particles entering the camera’s body and settling on the sensor.
Should this happen, the dust will appear as dark spots or blotches on the
photograph.

To prevent this from happening, the ฀100 tackles this problem from two
fronts. First, the ฀100 reduces such worries with an Anti-Dust Coating on
the lowpass ilter in front of the CCD sensor that suppresses the formation
With the default Standard setting, of static electricity that will attract dust. Secondly, the ฀100 has an Anti-
OPTIMIZER
STANDARD
D-RANGE

contrast and exposure are automatically

adjusted so that the subject’s face is
easier to see.
Dust Vibration system that shakes of dust particles by vibrating the CCD
every time the camera is switched of. Even if dust particles do adhere to
the CCD, the Anti-Dust Coating makes it easier to dislodge them with a
blower.
1717

With the Advanced setting, not only is the This dark smudge is the kind
OPTIMIZER
ADVANCED
D-RANGE

subject’s face more visible, but the colors of blemish you’ll see if there is
dust on the CCD.
of the sky and trees are more vibrant.
 SUPER
STEADYSHOT
When shooting with low shutter speeds in low
light environments or when using high focal range
lenses, camera shake will often result in the blurring 1
of photographs. The ฀100 counters this problem
with its Super SteadyShot stabilization technology.
The Super SteadyShot system is able to detect
movements caused by the hand using a gyroscopic
sensor, and shift the movable CCD module in the
exact opposite direction and magnitude of the shake
to prevent blurring of photos caused by the hand 2
movement.

Super SteadyShot 1 As Super SteadyShot was used

for this photo, the subject’s face

allows you to remains sharp in spite of the low

shutter speed used.
2 Also because of the low shutter

shoot at up to 3.5 speed used, the movement of

the lady’s skirt being blown by
the wind, and the rolling waves

stops slower than during the exposure are captured

as artistically blurred images,
giving a sense of dynamism to

otherwise possible. Without the Super SteadyShot the entire frame is

severely blurred.
the photo.
THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

1/3 sec, lash of, Super

SteadyShot of. In this photo, a
1/60 sec, lash on. This photo was low shutter speed was used. As
shot with a lash. Because of the a result, the background is well
high shutter speed, the background exposed and the scene is naturally
is underexposed while the lash lit. However, hand movement
“washes out” the subject. during the exposure caused the
photograph to turn out blur.

1/3 sec, lash of, Super SteadyShot 1/60 sec, Super SteadyShot on. This
on. Again, in this photo, a low portrait was taken from long range
shutter speed was used, but this (about 15 meters) using a 70-200mm
time, the SuperSteadyShot system zoom lens. Although the camera was
was turned on. The low shutter hand held, the image appears sharp as
speed exposes the background well the Super SteadyShot system was acti-
and renders the scene naturally vated. This sharpness would have been
18

while the Super Steady Shot system virtually impossible to achieve without
18

counters handshake to produce a an optical stabilization system.

sharp photograph.
 Unlike competing stabilization
technologies that are built into lens
systems, the Super SteadyShot stabilizer
is built into the ฀100’s body, so users
do not need to spend money buying
expensive optically stabilized lenses.

When camera shake is detected, the Super SteadyShot system prevents blurring by
shifting the CCD to compensate for camera movement.
Any lens used on the ฀100 will beneit from this feature.
Although the stabilization efect varies according to lens,
shooting conditions, and how you hold the camera, it is
generally efective enough to allow shooting at shutter
speeds up to 3.5 steps slower than would otherwise
be possible. In addition to reducing blurring on normal
shots, it enables handheld shooting in situations where
you would normally need a tripod or lash. Furthermore,
a ive-step scale in the viewinder keeps you informed
of camera shake levels and alerts you when they exceed
correctable levels.

THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

Long range Low light / night photography: Macro photography: Macro/
telephoto shot Even when using standard lenses close up photography involves
stabilization: and focal lengths, low light and shooting extremely small
For long range night photography poses a subjects or items at very short
photography, any challenge as the lower shutter distances. Therefore, like in long
movement of the camera will be magniied speeds involved tend to cause photo blurring. range photography, any small movement of
many times, causing blurring if an extremely Super SteadyShot gives as much as a 3.5 stop the camera will be ampliied to cause blur in the
high shutter speed is not used. However, with advantage to the photographer, allowing him resulting photo. Once again, Super SteadyShot
Super SteadyShot engaged, lower shutter to adopt slower shutter speeds. alleviates this problem by dampening hand
speeds can still be used. shake.

1919

<<
The ฀ 100’s Super SteadyShot
reacts to hand movement
by instantaneously moving
the sensor module in the
exact opposite direction and
Super SteadyShot can be
magnitude of the shake detected
turned on quickly by this
to produce sharp photos.
switch on the ฀100.
 Eye-Start helps you capture
the moment by bringing
the subject in focus as soon
EYE-START
as you aim the camera.
SYSTEM
It takes more than autofocus speed and
continuous shooting performance to respond to
every photo opportunity. The ฀100 starts up fast,
and its Eye-Start system gives you a head start
by automatically activating the autofocus when
An infrared sensor Eye-Start
detects when you can be
you put your eye to the viewinder. So focusing
look through the disabled via is usually complete by the time you touch the
viewinder, and the Function
automatically menu to suit shutter button, and you get more of the shots you
switches of the LCD your situation
monitor and activates or shooting want.
the AF system style.
Eye-start Sensors

2.5 INCH CLEAR PHOTO

LCD PLUS MONITOR
One of the advantages of digital photography is being able to
view your images right after you take them. The ฀100 features
a large, bright, 230,000-pixel, 2.5-inch Clear Photo LCD monitor
that displays colors faithfully, with excellent clarity and tonal
detail. A wide viewing angle makes it easier to read shooting
information and function menus, and to share your images with
others. The screen also features an anti-relective coating and
One-touch enlargement
Clear Processing technology that enhance visibility in bright of the focus frame. When
THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

outdoor light. you press Enlarge button after

taking a spot-focus shot, the
focus frame is automatically
Essential settings and shooting information can be displayed enlarged. And because the
same area remains enlarged
on the monitor in a simpliied format with large, easy-to-read when you scroll to another
text, or in the standard format with more detailed information. image, it’s easy to compare
focus on similar shots.
The display automatically switches to a vertical format when
you rotate the camera for vertical shooting, and, if Eye-Start is Playback image enlargement

enabled, it switches of when you put your eye to the viewinder. Image Size L: 10 MP M: 5.6 MP S: 2.5 MP

There’s no need to even touch the shutter button. Magniication Range* 1.1 - 12x 1.1 - 9x 1.1 - 6x

Versatile multi-frame
index. Index display
lets you view 4, 9 or 16
frames at a time, so it’s
easier to ind a speciic
photo. Simply press
20

the Display button and

20

use the Controller keys

to select the display
format you prefer.
Standard Display
Shows EV scale and more detailed info

Fas, convenient
tabbed browsing.
When dealing with
large numbers of
images you can
organize them into
folders by date or
other criteria for easy
Enlarged Display browsing.
Provided essential information at a glance
Vertical Display
Automatic, whenever camera
is rotated
 ACCESSORIES
Camera accessories that are itted to a
DSLR camera are important in enabling
photographers to be better prepared for shooting
diferent subjects or in environments that often have
varying requirements. Other accessories help to do secondary tasks
like photo storage or clean the camera. In this section, we present the
wide range of accessories available for the ฀100 and explain how they can
help you as a photographer.

FLASH UNITS
Although most entry to mid-range DSLR cameras like
the ฀100 come with integrated lashes, they are often
not powerful enough to illuminate distant subjects over
ten meters away, or are unable to be difused, resulting
in overly harsh exposure for subjects that are too
close to the lash. Therefore many manufacturers ofer
separate lash units as accessories. Sony is of course not
an exception. Sony’s lash units also enable of-camera
lashing, and can support multi-lash shooting with up to
three units. An external adapter can be used to shorten
lash cycling time and provide power for extended lash
shooting. You can learn more about the proper ways of
employing a lash in Section 3.

THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

The HVL-F56AM has a lash head that can
be angled up by 90 degrees, or down 10
degrees, or left by 90 degrees, or right by
180 degrees to provide a versatile range of

>>
bounce lash shooting options.

>>
Two general purpose lashes are currently
available for the A100. The HVL-F36AM with
a guide number of 36, and the larger HVL-
External Flash External Flash
HVL-F56AM HVL-F36AM F56AM that has a higher guide number of 56.
2121

Flash Accessories
External Flash External Flash External Flash Pre-oriented lash units are built to meet the demands
HVL-F56AM HVL-F56AM HVL-F56AM
of heavy studio use. In addition to enabling of-camera
lash, they support mulit-lash shooting with up to
three units. An external adapter can be used to shorten
lash cycling time and provide power for extended
lash shooting.
External Flash External Flash External Flash
HVL-F56AM HVL-F56AM HVL-F56AM
 The 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters
TELECONVERTERS
shown here can extend the focal
range of any lens used on the Teleconverters are extensions itted between the
฀100’s mount and the lens to achieve a greater
>>
A100 by, as their model numbers
imply, 1.4 or 2.0 times.
zoom so as to magnify subjects that are further away.
Three ฀100 telephoto lenses can accommodate
teleconverters: the 70-200mm f/2.8, 300mm f/2.8, and
the STF 135mm f/2.8. Teleconverters are typically
labeled with their magniication factors and are
most efective when used with telephoto lenses. For
example, when a 2x teleconverter is used with the
70-200mm lens, the lens will be able to achieve an
amazing new focal range of 140-400mm!

VIEWFINDER ACCESSORIES
Angle inders let you look into the viewinder at a
Angle Finder Magniier
90-degree angle, and are a great aid to low-angle FDA-A1AM FDA-M1AM
shooting. A magniier that ofers central area
magniication of 2.3x is also available.

MSX-M1GS MSX-M2GS MEMORY

THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

Memory Stick Duo cards can be inserted in the Compact Flash card
slot by using the included adapter. In addition, regular Compact
Flash and Micro Drive media are also supported by the ฀100.
MSX-M256S MSX-M512X

BATTERIES AND CHARGERS

It is always wise to keep a few extra batteries in your bag for your DSLR cameras as their lithium-ion batteries are
proprietary and cannot be found in typical convenience stores. The ฀100’s NP-FM55H lithium ion batteries have a high
750-shot CIPA rating, but if you are a heavy shooter, you may also consider getting a quick, multi-battery charger like the
AC-VQ900AM that can fully charge two NP-FM55H batteries in about 70 minutes. This will ensure that you are never caught
without battery power on an important shoot.
22
22

>>
The NP-FM55H is the standard
lithium ion battery that comes
with the ฀100. It has been rated
for 750 shots by CIPA testing
<<
The AC-VQ900AM can charge two NP-FM55H batteries fully in
about 70 minutes. It even has an LCD display to show battery
and charging status.
DRYBOX/CABINETS
Cameras and lenses are very sensitive to humidity.
Once mold starts to grow, it may erode deep into
your lenses, and make them unusable. Most molds
grow at a humidity level above 60% RH. To keep this
level in check, the use of a dry box or an electrically-
powered dry cabinet is recommended. They are
also useful for protecting ilm as well as CD and DVD
media.

TRIPODS
Tripods are not only for self-portraits, but more
importantly, for controlled studio shots as well as for
keeping mounted cameras absolutely motionless
for slow shutter photography. Tripods come in many
varieties, ranging from tiny US$7 types that are meant to
be used on raised surfaces like tables, to high-end ones
made of carbon iber costing several hundreds of dollars.

Other than durability and ease of use, an important

selection criterion is to make sure that the tripod is able
to support at least the weight of your heaviest camera-
lens combination. It will be better if it can support a
heavier weight, so that you need not worry when you

THE DSLR DIFFERENCE

upgrade to a heavier lens in the future.

Sony GPS Unit (GPS-CS1)

The Sony GPS-CS1 is an interesting must-have
accessory for traveling photographers. The device
is actually a GPS satellite receiver that is able to
tag photos with time and location information.
2323

From there, you can identify where any photo was

taken and use it for future reference or forward the
information to friends to visit. Even if a photo is shot
when there is no satellite signal available, such as
when underground or indoors, the software guesses
the position by an estimation based on the two
nearest location logs.

The GPS location information in the GPS-CS1 is software. Furthermore, by activating the Picture
tagged to your photographs when the device is Motion Browser software that comes with the ฀100,
hooked up to your PC and synchronized with your photos can be pegged to a Google online map using
photographs using the supplied GPS Image Tracker virtual push pins.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS 24
24
 FUNDAMENTALS
TECHNICAL

2525 TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

 Although many compact digital camera
models in the market these days have a very
competent automatic “point-and-shoot” mode, their users
have little or no control over how they choose to portray
a scene. The fact is, a certain scene usually has many ways it can be interpreted
– for example, capturing a waterfall at a high shutter speed to give an illusion of
the water being “frozen”; or at low shutter speed to give it a surreal, artistic blur. This section
will guide you though the basic fundamentals involved in understanding and manipulating a DSLR
camera’s manual modes in order to produce the diferent efects desired. Most of these principles and techniques are
universally applicable to both ilm and digital photography, and they have never been easier to learn and master than by
using digital cameras as they provide instant feedback with regard to your camera settings.

This is in contrast to the days of ilm where photographers had to expend and develop an entire roll of ilm before
they could discover if their settings were correct and learn from their mistakes. Even then, a ilm-developed photo
cannot provide information regarding the camera settings that were used to take it whereas a digital photo can. So, the
understanding and practice of these techniques will mean the diference between mediocre photographs that are subject
to your camera’s interpretation, and great ones that are expressions of your creativity.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

LENSES
To begin understanding the technical fundamentals
of photography, let us start with the element that
channels light into the camera: the lens. If you
remember your high school physics lessons, lenses are
curved pieces of high-density transparent materials
that refract light onto a point on an imaging surface.
Because light rays travel slower through denser
materials than through air, they bend or refract when
they strike the surface of such materials at an angle.
This is why a ish’s true position underwater is probably
not as you see it from above at an angle. The denser
the material, the better it is able to refract light. The
26
26

curved shape of a lens surface helps to precisely focus

light onto a point on the imaging surface.

However, in camera terminology, a “lens” also refers

to the entire optical system used to focus light, and
this system is usually an assembly of several pieces
of secondary lenses known as “elements”. The use
of several elements is to correct aberrations (optical
defects) caused by light dispersion, distortion etc.
that are typical of single-element lenses. Camera lens
elements are typically constructed of high-density
glass and/or plastics of extreme optical purity so
as to prevent any impurity afecting the camera’s image
quality. The surfaces of the elements are also often coated to
minimize relections. The amount and quality of the materials
used in a lens directly determines a camera’s image quality,
which is a reason why two lenses of the same variable focal
length manufactured by the same maker can vary greatly in
prices.
THE LENS MOUNT While most cameras have a ixed lens system, DSLR
cameras are able to have an array of detachable lenses
itted for diferent shooting requirements. The interface
of the lens and the camera is known as a lens mount,
and diferent manufacturers have their own proprietary
mounts. The Sony ฀100 uses a lens mount system
known as the Alpha or ฀ mount that was irst introduced
by Minolta in 1985. Because of the long history of
this mount system, there are many lens units in the
market that are compatible with the ฀100. In fact, Sony
estimates the number to be about 16 million.

The Sony ฀100 sports an ฀ mount that has some 16 million compatible units
>> currently in circulation.

FOCAL LENGTH
The focal length of a lens is the distance from its optical center to the focal point on the ilm or sensor of a camera where
the image is reproduced. Focal lengths are measured in millimeters and determine the ield of view and magniication that
a lens can achieve.

Many DSLR camera lenses have variable focal lengths. Such lenses are referred to as “zoom lenses”, and the diference

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
between a zoom lens’ minimum and maximum focal lengths is known as its focal range. For example, a zoom lens with a
focal range of 35 to 105mm is said to have “3x optical zoom” as 105mm divided by 35mm equals 3x.

2727

FOV CROPS
A Field of View (FOV) basically refers to the width of the
area that can be captured by a ilm or sensor for a given
lens (refer to diagram on next page). Digital camera
sensors are typically much smaller than the 35 x 24mm
imaging surface of traditional ilm, and with the same lens
and focal length, smaller digital sensors cannot achieve
as wide an FOV as ilm. As a result, an image projected
onto digital sensors will have varying degrees of sections
at the edges cropped out compared to what is able to
be captured by ilm given the same camera lens. This
reduction in the area of coverage, compared to what a
35mm ilm is capable of is known as an FOV crop, and
the magnitude as to how much the area of coverage is
cropped out is known as an “FOV crop factor”. Visually, the
 resulting image will look like it has been magniied, which is the reason why the FOV crop factor is also often referred to as a
“magniication factor.” In the case of the ฀100, it has an FOV crop factor of 1.5x. For example, if an ฀100 camera uses a 50mm
lens, the resulting photo would look like a 75mm (1.5 X 50mm) lens used on a 35mm ilm SLR.

For the same focal length, a smaller sensor would have a narrower ield of view than a larger one.

THE 35mm EQUIVALENT

So, now you know that diferent sensor sizes will result
in diferent FOVs. This gives rise to the “35mm equivalent
reference.” When browsing through your digital camera’s
lens speciications, you may have come across phrases
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
are familiar with focal lengths of 35mm-based lenses,
manufacturers thus decided to state the focal lengths of
their digital cameras by referencing them to focal lengths
that have similar ield of views on a 35mm camera. Take

such as “35 to105mm (35mm equivalent) focal length”, “6.1
to 36.6mm (35mm [135] format equivalent to 37-222mm)”,
and the like. What do they mean by equivalent focal
length? And how can a focal length be 6.1mm and 37mm
at the same time?
As explained earlier, the sensors on digital cameras are
usually smaller than the imaging area of 35mm ilm.
Compact digital cameras have sensors that are especially
small. To avoid confusion, and since most photographers
for example a digital sensor that measures 5.76 by 4.29mm.
It will have a diagonal length of 7.182mm. Then, it has a
lens that at a focal length of 8.24mm would produce ield
of view of 46 degrees, which is similar to that of a 50mm
lens on a 35mm camera. Therefore, we can say that for
this camera, an 8.24mm lens has a 35mm equivalent focal
length of 50mm. In essence, the true focal length may be
at 8.24mm, but it is “equivalent” to what a 50mm lens will
give on a 35mm ilm camera.

35mm Film
Camera Digital Camera
28
28

In this example, a digital camera with a 25mm lens focal length can achieve the same ield of view as a 35mm ilm camera with a 50mm lens. Therefore, the 25mm focal length of the digital
camera’s lens is said to have a “35mm ilm equivalent” focal length of 50mm.
 PRIMARY TYPES
OF LENSES
1200mm 2°
Based on the 35mm
traditional ilm format or
600mm 4° 35mm equivalent for digital
cameras, lenses can be
divided into three broad
400mm groups depending on their
6°
focal lengths:

Super Telephoto
300mm
• Wide-angle lenses
8°
• Normal/Standard lenses
• Telephoto lenses

200mm 12 °

135mm
18 °

Telephoto
105mm 23 °

80mm 28 °

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
46 °
50mm

Normal
62 °
35mm

28mm 74 °

18mm 100 °
2929

Wide Angle

8mm 180 °

6mm 220 °

Fish Eye
 SUPER TELEPHOTO LENSES
These are lenses of extremely long focal lengths that typically
range from 400mm all the way to 2000mm. Lenses of such high
focal lengths are used almost exclusively by professionals, and are
usually extremely expensive and large. Due to their immense weight,
they are diicult to handhold and require a tripod (or monopod)
for support most of the time. These lenses have a shallower depth
of ield and a relatively smaller maximum aperture than lenses of
shorter focal lengths.

TELEPHOTO LENSES
Lenses with focal lengths from 60mm onwards can be considered
as telephoto lenses. Usually in the range of 70 to 300mm, telephoto
lenses are favorites for photographers who wish to zoom in to a
subject to magnify it and ill the frame up with it without moving
physically; or those that need to maintain a discreet distance
between themselves and their subjects, like sports or wildlife
photographers. As the focal length gets longer, the angle of view
gets smaller. As opposed to wide-angle lenses, telephoto lenses
tend to make subjects at varying distances look closer, thus causing
a more compressed perspective. They also have a much shallower
depth of ield than wide-angle lenses. Telephoto attachments are
also widely available for such lenses to increase their magniication.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

NORMAL / STANDARD LENSES

Using the 35mm ilm format as a reference, the focal length of 50mm
is regarded as “normal” because it has about the same angle of view
as the human eye: 46 degrees. At this focal length, the beams of light
entering the camera are not much further diverged or converged
(if at all) onto the imaging device; and so, a 50mm lens produces a
photograph with a perspective that is most distortion free and similar
to that of the original scene compared to other types of lenses. The
resulting image thus looks natural and does not exhibit as much
distortion as if taken by wide-angle lenses. Due to these factors, a
50mm lens is always a staple in any SLR photographer’s kit.

WIDE-ANGLE LENSES
30
30

Lenses with focal lengths below that of a normal lens (50mm) can be
considered “wide-angle.” As focal length decreases, the angle of view
increases – thus allowing more elements to be included in a photo.
Also, with wide-angle lenses, depth of ield at all aperture settings is
extensive. However, do take note of exaggerated perspectives that
wide-angle lenses may cause as subjects positioned nearer to the
lens will look seemingly larger, and those at a distance will seem
further away than they actually are. Also, poor quality wide-angle
lenses may exhibit heavy barrel distortion near the edges of the
image.
ULTRA WIDE-ANGLE/FISHEYE LENSES
So named because of their obvious hemispherical bulge, these are
ultra wide-angle lenses that have angles of view close to or even at
180 degrees (and some are even wider!). This means that they can
capture subjects that are 90 degrees to the left and right of where the
camera is pointing! Usually used for creative purposes, they typically
range from 6 to 16mm in focal length, though there are adapters
that can be used on a wide-angle lens to simulate the isheye efect.
The resulting images from such lenses are the most recognizable:
They are highly distorted, with a full-frame isheye lens producing an
image with curving lines near the edges, while a circular isheye lens
produces a rounded image.

TELECONVERTERS
If you cannot aford fast telephoto lenses, you can opt for a
teleconverter. They are usually available in “1.4x” and “2x” variants. For
example, when used on a 200mm f/4 lens, a 1.4x converter will make
it a 280mm f/5.6, giving you extra reach at a fraction of the price of
a new telephoto lens. But take note of the loss of one stop of light
with the 1.4x teleconverter (and two stops for the 2x teleconverter)
as this will mean you will need a longer shutter speed. When using
teleconverters, never pair a cheap converter with a poor quality
lens as the results will be awful. Also, do note that even the best
teleconverter on a good lens to achieve a longer focal length will still

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
result in a slight loss in contrast and sharpness compared to using a
lens of the resulting focal length.

MACRO LENSES
“Macro” refers to a lens’ ability to magnify close up
subjects. For high magniication, a true macro lens
that is capable of focusing close enough for a 1:1
reproduction ratio is needed. Commonly found at
ixed focal lengths such as 60, 100, and 200mm, macro
lenses can also double up as lenses for shooting distant
subjects.
3131
 THE APERTURE
WHAT IS AN
APERTURE?
An aperture is the variable opening in a lens that allows
light through. If you were to hold up a lens from an
SLR camera and look through it from the rear, you
would see the aperture situated midway between the
front and rear lens elements. A series of overlapping
metal blades called an iris diaphragm allows the size
of the aperture to vary from nearly the full diameter
of the lens to just a small hole. This variable opening
determines the amount of light that falls on the ilm
or sensor. For SLR lenses, this aperture size can be
changed via the aperture ring on the lens or via the
dials on the camera, with the latter the method most
commonly found on consumer-level digital cameras
with ixed lenses.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
Iris
Diaphragm
32
32
At f/4.0, the depth of ield is quite shallow. Only the lower is in focus, while the
leaves int he background are softly blurred.
WHY DO LENSES
HAVE VARIABLE
APERTURES?
The key reasons for having a variable aperture are: 1) to
vary the amount of light passing through the lens so as
to achieve the desired exposure when using diferent
shutter speeds to shoot photos, and 2) to afect the depth
of ield (explained later) in the resulting image.
“EXPRESSING”
APERTURE
Although, apertures are variable circles, they are not
measured by the length of their diameters or radii. What
is more important to a photographer is how a change
in the size of the aperture will afect the amount of light
being allowed to pass through the lens. However, this not
only depends on the size of the aperture, but also on the
focal length of the lens. A lens with a large aperture size
and a long focal length allows the same amount of light
to pass through as one with a small aperture size but
short focal length.
In other words, aperture settings are expressed as the
ratio of the aperture diameter to the focal length of
the lens. These ratios are represented by relative values
known as f-numbers that also indicate the amount of
light being allowed to pass through the lens.
Here, the depth of ield extends beyond the lower to include the leaves in focus. This
is due to the larger f/16 aperture opening.
THE F-NUMBER A TYPICAL SERIES OF F-NUMBERS
SYSTEM WILL THEREFORE RUN LIKE THIS:
The f-number system is a universally agreed standard for
expressing the amount of light that a lens allows through
for any given aperture diameter in relation to its focal
length. This means that a lens set at a particular aperture
setting, say f/2.8, will let the same amount of light through
and produce a matching brightness to another lens also
f/1.4 f/8.0
at f/2.8, irrespective of their diferences in focal length or
manufacturer.

As f-numbers express the diameter of the aperture in

terms of the efective focal length of the lens, they are
simply calculated by dividing a lens’ aperture diameter by
its focal length. f/2.0 f/11

Let us use this example to demonstrate:

A lens that has an aperture diameter of 20mm and a

focal length of 160mm will have a matching brightness
as another lens with an aperture diameter of 10mm and
a focal length of 80mm. This is because in both cases,
f/2.8 f/16
dividing the aperture diameter by the focal length will
give you 0.125, or 1/8.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
However, expressing this ratio as the fraction rather than
the decimal number is more convenient and causes less
confusion.

As f-numbers are expressed as fractions of focal lengths, f/4.0 f/22

the f-number for the aperture settings of the lenses in
the example above can be written as f/8 or F8. Because
f-numbers are relative fractions, the smaller the aperture
diameter for a ixed focal length, the higher the numerical
value of the f-number will be.

f/5.6 f/32
HOW TO CALCULATE
F-NUMBERS:
Focus Ring
F-number = 1 / (aperture diameter / focal
3333

length)

Examples:
20mm aperture diameter, 160mm focal length:
f-number = 1 / (20/160) 1/0.125 = 8 : f/8.0
Distance
10mm aperture diameter, 80mm focal length: Scale
f-number = 1 / (1/80) = 1/0.125 = 8 : f/8.0
Depth
of Field
20mm aperture diameter, 80mm focal length: Scale
f-number = 1 / (20/80) = 1/0.25 = 4 : f/4.0

10mm aperture diameter, 160mm focal length:

f-number = 1 / (10/160) = 1/0.625 = 16 : f/16.0
 In camera speak, the term “f-number” is interchangeable
with the term “f-stop,” and each aperture setting is also
known as a “stop”. However, today the term “stop” is also
used to express any change in the aperture and/or shutter
speed that will afect the amount of light received during
an exposure. This is why you will hear photographers
using the word “stop” when talking about exposure
compensation and exposure value (EV). We will talk about
EV in greater detail in a later section of this guide.
Like consecutive shutter speeds (see next section),
consecutive aperture settings will either halve or double
the amount of light being let through. For example, an
aperture setting of f/2.8 allows half the amount of light
through the lens that f/2.0 does.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
To halve the amount of incoming light from each
f-number to the next, the aperture surface area has to
be halved as well. This is achieved by the diaphragm
reducing the relative aperture diameter by a factor
of 1.4 (which is the square root of 2). Also, note that
the values of the ratios are rounded of so as to make
them easier to write down (e.g f/8.0 is actually f/5.6 X
1.4 = f/7.84).
Also notice how the alternate f-numbers always
double? (e.g. f/2.0, f/4.0, f/8.0 and so on) With
each alternate stop (or every two stops), the
aperture surface area is reduced by four times, and
consequently allows four times less light to pass
through.

When shooting in low light, you will often need to set your aperture wide open (in this
case, f/1.8), to achieve a faster shutter speed resulting in a shallow depth of ield.

LENS “SPEED”
You may have read in magazines or
heard of photographers talk about the
34
34

“speed” of a lens, and whether it is “fast”

or “slow”. They all refer to the maximum
relative aperture of a lens. A lens with
a wide maximum relative aperture like
f/1.4 is considered to be “fast” because it
is able to let in more light, and enables
the photographer to use a faster shutter
speed to achieve the desired exposure,
compared to a “slow” lens like one that has
Keeping your lens aperture at a comfortable f/5.6 to f/7.1 is ideal for most situations
a maximum relative aperture of f/5.6.
when you don’t need to isolate your subject from the background or to shoot pin-sharp
landscapes.
FOCUSING
In order to achieve focus, a camera lens must have some means of adjusting the position of its lens elements. For example,
when the focus ring on the barrel of a DSLR lens is rotated, its internal elements will shift forward or backward to achieve
focus. Just about all cameras these days have autofocus lens systems, but most advanced models and DSLRs still provide
manual focusing as an option. Despite the advancement of auto-focusing (AF) technologies, manual focusing by hand still
remains a more sensible choice in speciic situations such as during low light and macro photography.

The Sony ฀100’s

auto-focusing
system can
operate in one
of three modes:
1 - Wide Area
AF, 2 - Spot AF
Area or 3 – Focus
The high-performance auto-focus system in the Sony ฀100 ofers exceptional speed, accuracy and
convenience. Nine separate AF sensors for wide-area coverage give the user greater freedom to compose Area Selection.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
photos with conidence. Once focus has been set, the appropriate sensor turns red for easy veriication.

The Sony ฀100’s focus system can also be set to operate in three modes: (1) Wide Area AF – where the camera
automatically chooses the focus sensor to use for the current subject, (2) Spot AF Area – where the camera uses only the
focus point in the center of the frame, and (3) Focus Area Selection – where the camera allows the user to choose the
speciic sensor.

Wide AF Area Spot AF Area Focus Area

Automatically Fixes the focus Selection
selects the point on the Lets you choose a
optimum focus focus sensor in sensor by pressing
sensor to use the center of the the Controller
for the current frame. keys and the Spot
subject. AF button. 3535

PASSIVE AF AND
ACTIVE AF
There are two types of AF systems: passive and active. A passive AF system is based on the principles of contrast and
optically measures and calculates the subject distance, while an active AF system sends out beams of light (e.g. infrared)
to determine the distance. Passive AF systems are common in advanced digital camera models and DSLR cameras like the
Sony ฀100; and Active systems mostly used in compact models. Both systems have their downsides though: passive AF
systems often struggle under low lighting conditions, while an active one is usually efective only up to ive meters.
 FOCUSING MODES
In most DSLR cameras, including the Sony ฀100, you
will ind two main AF modes: Single-Shot AF and
Continuous AF. In Single-Shot AF, the process of focusing
is executed when the shutter release button is pressed
down halfway, and the shutter cannot be released (by
pressing down fully on the shutter release button) unless
focus is achieved. However in Continuous AF, the lens
mechanism will shift continuously to maintain focus on a
moving subject, and the shutter can be released whether
or not subject focus is achieved. Single-Shot AF mode is
best used for still subjects while Continuous AF mode is
designed for tracking moving subjects. Some advanced
camera models like the Sony ฀100 also ofer a predictive
continuous focus mode that automatically calculates
shutter lag and corrects the focus point to ensure
accurate focus when tracking and shooting fast moving
subjects.

SPECIAL FOCUS
MODES
In addition, the Sony ฀100 has an AF Mode Auto Select
that senses if the subject is stationary or moving and
automatically switches between single-Shot AF or
Continuous AF. Lastly, the Sony ฀100 also features a
Direct Manual Focus mode that disengages the AF drive
after autofocus is achieved to allow the user to manually
ine-tune focus using the lens’ focusing ring. This mode is
good for macro shot situations.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

Single-Shot AF
An ideal mode for use with
stationary subjects. After
focusing with AF, the focus
stays ixed at that position
until you half-press the shutter
button again.

Direct Manual Focus

A handy mode for macro
photography and other
Continuous AF tracks your subject, keeping it in focus until you take the shot.
shooting situations where
you want to ine-tune the
focus. After autofocus is
achieved, the AF drive
disengages to allow manual
rotation of the focusing ring.

AF Mode Auto Select

Great for children and pets,
this mode senses whether
36
36

the subject is stationary or

moving, and automatically
switches between single-shot
and continuous AF operation
as needed.

Continuous AF
In this mode, the AF system
continuously refocuses
as long as you hold the
shutter button half-pressed.
It’s perfect for fast moving
subjects like sports, and has a
predictive autofocus function
In low light situations where a camera may have trouble focusing using Wide Area
for enhanced accuracy.
AF, the photographer can try to manually select a focus point using Spot AF Area
or Focus Area Selection mode to achieve auto-focus more easily. If these fail, he can
resort to manual focus.
DEPTH OF FIELD
Say you are taking a portrait of your baby. You focus on his face and take the photograph at the widest aperture (e.g.
f/2.8) of your lens. The face will appear sharp but the surrounding objects like the furniture in the room will not. But when
you stop down to f/11 to retake the photograph again, you should notice that everything from the foreground to the
background appears signiicantly sharper. This changing zone of acceptable sharp focus on either side of the subject
that you have focused is known as depth of ield (DoF). DoF can also be deinied as the distance from the furthest to the
closest points in a photograph that are in focus. Photographs where both foreground subjects and background elements
remain in sharp focus are said to have a large (or deep) depth of ield. Conversely, photographs that have a shallow depth
of ield are those where either background or foreground subjects are sharp, but all other elements are blur.

Three factors determine the depth of ield in a photograph:

APERTURE SUBJECT DISTANCE FOCAL LENGTH

The factor that has the most direct
impact on depth of ield, and also the
easiest to manipulate is the aperture. A
wide aperture (small f-number) gives
shallower depth of ield while a small
aperture (high f-number) creates a
deeper depth of ield, assuming that
focus distance and focal length remain
constant.
The second factor is the distance
between the camera and the focus
point. The closer you are to the
subject, the lesser depth of ield you
have to play around with. For macro
shooters whose lenses are often mere
centimeters away from their subjects,
the shallow depth of ield available can
make camera positioning and focusing
a real challenge.
The last factor is the focal length
of the lens. The longer it is, the less
depth of ield it gives, even with the
same aperture and subject distance.
For instance, a 20mm lens at f/5.6 will
produce images with a greater depth
of ield than a 105mm lens at the same
aperture. This is due to the increase in
image magniication at higher focal
lengths.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
Using a narrow aperture of f/16. depth of ield is deep as Focusing on the section of the fence nearest to us, the At a focal length of 200mm and at f/5.6, everything
the rose is sharply in focus, and the distant iller lowers depth of ield is quite shallow. Notice how the fence in the photo is in focus. Depth of ield is wide in this case.
appear quite sharp too. becomes blurred towards the end.

3737

Here. a wider aperture of f/9 is used instead. Notice the Retaining the same 70mm focal length and f/4.5 At 300mm and retaining the same aperture, you can see
decrease in depth of ield as the iller lowers start to aperture, we then focused on the middle section of the that the elements behind the subject are not as sharp
become blurred. fence. The DoF has now increased. as before.

At f/3.2, depth of ield is shallow You can see that only With the same setup, we now focus on the tail section When the focal length is at 500mm, depth of ield
the rose is sharp, while the distant lowers have become of the fence. As a result the depth of ield extends yet is minimized. Now, we almost cannot make out the
an undistinguishable blur. again. background elements.
 DOF: A CREATIVE
TOOL
The control of depth of ield can be a very powerful
creative technique. For example, you can choose
a shallow depth of ield to isolate a particular
subject from others. This will draw the viewers’
attention to what you want them to see, rather
than distracting them with unnecessary details.
Examples of photographs that beneit from the use
of shallow depth of ield include portraits and lower
photography.

Of course, maximizing depth of ield is often needed

if you are shooting landscapes or architecture. But
to compensate for the dimmer images as a result of
increasing apertures, longer shutter speeds are often
needed, which calls for the use of tripods. Also, do not
focus on the horizon or on an item at the foreground
when shooting landscapes. As a guide, focus on a
subject a third inside the total depth of ield you need.
For digital camera users, you can check your LCD
monitor to see the efects. And for DSLR users, be sure
to make full use of the depth of ield preview function
on your camera. That said, for a more sureire way,
have your camera focused at the hyperfocal distance
(see box article on the next page).
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
38
38
HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE
The hyperfocal distance is the distance at which to focus a lens so as to make elements in the scene from
half the hyperfocal distance to ininity appear acceptably sharp. Most often used by landscape shooters, the
technique of calculating the hyperfocal distance requires a lens with a depth of ield scale. First, set the lens to
focus at ininity and note the nearest objects that remain acceptably sharp (i.e. still within the depth of ield)
for the aperture you are using (note the f-number). Then refocus the lens for this hyperfocal distance. If your
lens does not have a depth of ield scale, you can still calculate hyperfocal distance using various charts and
calculator programs available on the Internet.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
3939
 AE, AF & FE LOCK
AUTO EXPOSURE LOCK
Automatic Exposure lock (AE Lock) is the ability to lock
exposure settings (aperture and shutter speed) for a
period of time over a series of images, and is extremely
useful in high contrast situations (such as a backlit subject).
For example, you are capturing a scene that consists of
a bright light source in one corner (such as the sun). The
camera’s automatic exposure system may be tricked into
giving you a wrong exposure. What you can do is to shift
the frame slightly to exclude the light source and meter
on the subjects you wish to lock the exposure settings.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
40
40
The easiest way to ensure that your subject placed at the edge of
the frame will remain in sharp focus is to the focus lock technique.
First place the center AF area over your subject. Next, press and hold
the shutter button down halfaway so hat the camera focuses on the
subject. Then, recompose the shot without removing your inger from
the button. When you are happy with the subject placement, press the
shutter button down fully.
Next, press the AEL button and recompose the shot to
now include the light source, and then press the shutter
button. Because the exposure settings are already locked,
your camera’s AE system will not be afected by the bright
light source. This AE Lock function can also be used when
you are taking multiple images for panorama use since
having the same exposure for each image will make your
stitching process easier, and the resulting panorama more
natural-looking.
AUTOFOCUS LOCK
Focus lock is useful when you want to put your subject at the
edge of the frame. Simply focus on your subject irst by half-
pressing your shutter button; and while keep the shutter button
half-pressed, shift the composition so that your subject now
appear at the edge of the frame, and then press the shutter
button down fully. However, a camera’s autofocus system is
not foolproof. If it fails, you can resort to the camera’s AF Lock
function. All you need to do is to focus on something the same
distance away from your camera as your main subject and press
the AF Lock button, while still keeping the shutter button half-
pressed. Without removing your inger, recompose the scene
and press the shutter button down fully.
On many cameras, the AE Lock and AF Lock button is the same.
However, we recommend that both functions should not be
linked to the same button. This is because in most cases, the
point that you meter of may not be the same point you wish to
focus on. So dig into your camera’s custom settings and change
the button to function as either an AE Lock or an AF Lock, and
not both. The function that you choose to associate this button
with should depend on your shooting style. If you only shoot in
single-frame and single-servo modes, then using the button as
an AE Lock will make more sense, as you can still achieve focus
lock by half-pressing the shutter button.
FLASH EXPOSURE LOCK
Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock) works pretty much like AE Lock
and is essentially the lash version of it. FE Lock allows you to
lock the lash exposure settings for a short period of time (or
until it is being reset or turned of ) via a press of the FEL button
on the camera or lash unit. This function is also particularly
useful for eliminating exposure errors caused by unwanted
relections from highly relective surfaces, such as windows
and mirrors.
SHUTTER SPEED
THE SHUTTER
In ilm and DSLR cameras, the shutter is the device that
opens and closes to control the time that light is allowed
to pass through the aperture to the ilm. However, unlike
ilm or DSLR cameras, compact digital cameras do not
actually use a physical shutter to control exposure time.
Rather, they employ an electronic switch that tells the
camera how long to turn the image sensor on for. Some
DSLRs use a combination of physical as well as electronic
shutters. Shutter speeds can usually be changed via the
dials on the camera.
Shutter speeds are measured in seconds. In most cameras
with manually adjustable shutter settings, shutter speeds
typically vary from 1/2000 of a second to 15 seconds, with
some able to have the shutter held open indeinitely. DSLR
cameras boast very fast maximum shutter speeds of about
1/4000 second, and almost all can have their shutters held
open indeinitely using their “bulb” mode.

WHY HAVE VARIABLE

SHUTTER SPEEDS?
The main reasons for having variable shutter speeds are
1) to achieve the desired exposure for diferent aperture
settings and 2) afect the way moving subjects appear in
the resulting photos.
Just like the way that aperture settings have been
standardized so that each interval exactly halves or
shutter speed steps such that opening up the aperture
by one stop and reducing the shutter speed by one
major step will result in the same brightness, or identical
exposure. The agreed standard for major shutter speed
steps is:
1/4000 sec, 1/2000 sec, 1/1000 sec, 1/500 sec, 1/250 sec,

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
doubles the amount of light passing through the lens, 1/125 sec, 1/60 sec, 1/30 sec, 1/15 sec, 1/8 sec, 1/4 sec, 1/2
a standardized 2:1 scale has been adopted for “major” sec, 1 sec, bulb – shutter opens indeinitely

= same exposure* as:

*but not the same in other
aspects like depth of ield

f/5.6 @ 1/1000 sec f/4.0 @ 1/2000 sec

That being said, most manufacturers provide many extra steps in between these major shutter steps so as to provide
photographers more lexibility. So, a typical camera may have the following shutter speeds:
4141

1/4000 sec, 1/3200 sec, 1/2500 sec, 1/2000 sec, 1/1600 sec, 1/1250 sec, 1/1000 sec, 1/800 sec, 1/640 sec, 1/500 sec, 1/400 sec, 1/320 sec,
1/250 sec, 1/200 sec, 1/160 sec, 1/125 sec, 1/100 sec, 1/80 sec, 1/60 sec, 1/50 sec, 1/40 sec, 1/30 sec, 1/25 sec, 1/20 sec, 1/15 sec, 1/13
sec, 1/10 sec, 1/8 sec, 1/6 sec, 1/5 sec, 1/4 sec, 1/3 sec, 1/2.5 sec, 1/2 sec, 1/1.6 sec, 1/1.3 sec, 1 sec, 1.3sec, 1.6 sec, 2 sec, 2.5 sec, 3 sec, 4
sec, 5 sec, 6 sec, 8 sec, 10 sec, 13 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, , bulb

* “Typical” shutter speed steps found in digital cameras are in bold

These speed intervals were taken of the Sony ฀100 DSLR the photographer the lexibility of tuning the exposure
camera and are common for other digital camera models (brightness) up or down by the equivalent of a third of a
as well. Notice that there are two even intervals between stop in shutter speed instead of changing aperture sizes so
every major shutter speed step? These are to provide as to preserve depth of ield.
 EFFECTS OF SHUTTER
SPEEDS
The longer the shutter is left open/on, two things happen: 1) the brightness of the scene becomes increasingly ampliied
and 2) the more the movement of objects during the exposure shows up in the resulting photograph.
The irst waterfall sequence was shot on a
very sunny day. As you can see, the faster
the shutter speed, the more water seems
“frozen” in time, but as the shutter speed
decrease, the water motion blurs and the
picture becomes more and more exposed
and turns out over bright as it receives too
much incoming light.

1/1000s 1/500s 1/250s

>>
The second series was shot on a very dark
overcast late afternoon. As the shutter
speed decrease further, the water’s motion
is captured and becomes increasingly
blurred to a nice artistic efect – and again,
the camera’s sensor receives an increasing
amount of light from the scene as exposed
time increases until a point where it
becomes overexposed. To get a proper
exposure, a mere shutter speed adjustment
is insuicient, aperture has to be factored
in as well.

>>
1/125s 1/60s 1/30s
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

1/8s 1/4s 1/2s 1s

FAST SHUTTER
SPEEDS
Fast shutter speeds are ideal for freezing motion. Situations
that require high shutter speeds include sports, wildlife or
child photography because the subjects are constantly on
the move. Extremely high shutter speeds are sometimes
combined with a rapid sequential shooting of photos in a
professional camera’s Burst or Continuous Shooting mode
that will produce a sequence of shots of the subject in
42
42

motion. This is commonly used in sports photography to

enable a selection of shots to choose from, for example, a
basketballer taking a shot; or to see the details of a golfer’s
swing to detect errors in technique. Also bear in mind that
as shutter speeds increase, more light is needed to create
proper exposure for the picture. You can achieve this simply
by adjusting the aperture. If it’s not possible to adjust the
aperture (because you wish to maintain a certain depth
of ield), you can try to ill up the scene with more light
through the use of a lash. Increasing the camera’s ISO
sensitivity is another alternative, but do look out for noise
(grain) when doing so. Using a fast 1/500 sec shutter speed, this rugby player is “caught” in mid-stride by

this photograph.
 Photo by: Chris Lau

This kiteboarder was “frozen” in action with a shutter speed 1/1000 sec at f/5.6.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
SLOW SHUTTER
SPEEDS
It is not a strict rule, but some photographers refer to
speeds below 1/30 second as “slow” as below that, it
is diicult for human hands to hold a camera without
causing some degree of moment that will show up as
blurring in the photo.

However, using the Super SteadyShot technology in the

Sony ฀100, a photographer who can typically achieve
sharp shots at the slowest speed of 1/30 second will have
up to a three-stop advantage. Meaning that with Super A slow shutter speed of 1.6 seconds was used to shoot this scene of the famous Shibuya
junction in Tokyo, Japan. The movement of the pedestrians in the scene during the 1.6-
SteadyShot engaged, he can now take sharp photos with
4343

second exposure is captured as blurred images that convey a sense of motion.

a shutter speed as low as 1/4 second! (1/30 sec > 1/15 sec
> 1/8 sec > 1/4 sec = three stops)

Slow shutter speeds are commonly used for situations
where the photographer wants to capture and convey
the efect of a subject in motion on a still photograph, or
for night photography where the sensor requires more
time to record the scene due to the lack of light. When
very small apertures are used to create a wider depth of
ield, slow shutter speeds are also needed to compensate
for the decreased amount of light entering through the
lens. Slow shutter speeds also allow more natural-looking
ambient light to illuminate a subject instead of having a
lash render the scene unnaturally in some cases. However,
for slow shutter shots, the camera must be ired from a
stable, immovable platform to prevent unwanted blurring
of elements in the photograph that are meant to be still. To
prevent overexposure in daytime shots with slow shutter
speeds, photographers can use special light reduction ilters
to reduce the amount of light passing through the lens,
allowing any motion to be captured as artistic blurs.
 ISO AND LIGHT
SENSITIVITY
In ilm photography, diferent ilms have diferent degrees of light
sensitivity that afect their speeds of reaction when exposed to
light. The “faster” a ilm is, the quicker it reacts to light, and therefore
requires less time to properly expose. On the other hand, a “slow”
ilm is less sensitive to light, and thus reacts slower and needs more
time to expose correctly. The speed of how ilm reacts to light is
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
measured by what is known as an ISO sensitivity rating.
ISO AND
SPEED
ISO ratings are typically staggered by doubling up. For
example: ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400 and ISO 800. Changing
an ISO 100 ilm to an ISO 200 one will double the ilm’s
sensitivity to light. In other words, you now only need half
the amount of light than before to properly expose the
image. Changing the ilm from ISO 200 to ISO 400 will
again double the sensitivity. So for example, if you need a
shutter speed of 1/60 second and an aperture setting of
f/2.8 at ISO 100 to get a well-exposed image, when you
44
44
change to ISO 200, you can now use a faster shutter speed
of 1/125 second (with aperture remaining at f/2.8). And
when you change to ISO 400, this shutter speed is further
increased to 1/250 second.
The sensor in a digital camera reacts to light as well, and
this sensitivity is rated using the same ISO scale as ilm.
However, digital sensors have only a true ISO rating of up
to ISO 200. So in order to simulate higher ISO equivalents,
the signal output of the sensor has to be ampliied. You
can imagine the process being similar to turning up
the volume knob of a radio. Thus, sensitivities of digital
ISO 100, 25-second exposure.
This photo was shot using
a low ISO 100 setting and
needed a long 25-second
exposure to achieve.
>>
ISO 400, 6-second exposure. With
the ISO rating increased to ISO
>>
400, an exposure time of only six
seconds was required to achieve
the same exposure result, but
with a bit more image noise.
cameras can be increased to ISO equivalents of 200, 400,
800, and 1600. This convenience of on-the-ly changing
of sensor sensitivity is yet another great advantage that
digital cameras have over traditional ilm ones, where
photographers have to change to a diferent roll of ilm in
order to achieve a diferent ISO rating.
The key beneit of using a higher ISO setting is to enable
the sensor to generate an exposure faster or with less light,
and hence a higher shutter speed or a smaller aperture
setting can be used. As a result of the increase in shutter
speed, the chance of handshake causing image blurring
in slow shutter shots is reduced and shots requiring a
high shutter speed can be even faster. Therefore, High ISO
levels are especially helpful in situations requiring slow
shutter speeds like night photography, shooting with small
apertures (for greater DoF), or macro photography. Most
compact digital cameras have a maximum ISO setting of
400 and most advanced, ixed lens compact digital camera
models, as well as some entry and midrange DSLRs are
capable of reaching ISO 800. However, several DSLR
 cameras like the Sony ฀100 are capable of a high ISO 1600 setting. The advantage of a DSLR camera is that at high ISO
levels, it almost always produces less noise than compact digital camera models at the same ISO values. This is due to the
larger sensor size typical of DSLRs, and the better noise reduction technologies they have incorporated.

High ISO levels are also useful when the use of a lash or a tripod is not really appropriate or prohibited, such as in museums
and certain tourist attractions. And why spoilt the scene with a glaring lash if you can better retain the mood by a mere
increase in ISO? Low light photography especially beneits from having high ISO settings to choose from. You may have
come across a situation (e.g. during a concert) whereby after having your aperture set to its widest setting of f/2.8, you are
still getting an underexposed image. Worse of all, you are already at your limit for a handshake-free shutter speed. Upping
the ISO level is the solution to this problem.

ISO 200 ISO 400

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

ISO 800 ISO 1600

4545

THE ISO
TRADEOFF
Unfortunately, there are various disadvantages to using
high ISO levels. The by-product of signal ampliication
is “noise” or “grain” which is the grainy, sandy texture or
the dots and speckles that you see in a high ISO image.
Noise is usually most visible in shadow areas as well as
in sections consisting of a uniform color such as a blue
sky. Loss in ine details and poorer color reproduction are
two other common problems faced when using high ISO
values. The higher the ISO level used, the more noise there
will be in an image. Still, there are some genres that lend
well to a grainy-looking image, such as ine art, black and
white, and reportage photography.
Among the classes of digital cameras, the compact and
the ultra-compacts are the ones that exhibit the most
noise, even when a seemingly low ISO 200 is used. Their
tiny sensors typically have poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR),
making them more prone to electronic interference. The
 poor circuitry implementation in some of the low-end
cameras from non-reputable makers doesn’t help either.
IMAGE NOISE
All digital cameras will come with an Auto ISO feature
PROCESSING
that basically allows the camera to choose an appropriate
ISO level for you. This may work well during daytime
or in scenes with suicient lighting, as the camera will
select a low ISO for you; but when lighting conditions
are not favorable, it will automatically use fast ISO values
– which will cause more image noise as well. Therefore, if
you already understand the concepts of shutter speed
and aperture, and know how these two combined with
ISO can afect exposure, it is recommended that you
manually control your camera’s ISO setting instead. Always
play around with diferent shutter speed and aperture
combinations irst before contemplating to increase ISO.
If an increase in ISO value is inevitable, you can minimize
the efect of noise by lowering or even turning of the
in-camera image sharpening. Try to shoot in RAW format
too, as JPEG compression can make matters worse by
accentuating the noise in your images.
In any digital camera, one of the image processor’s
jobs is noise removal. It does so by analyzing the photo
and trying to reduce the noise generated by high ISO
settings. However, diferent processors generate diferent
results. Some image processors, especially those in
compact cameras, have little efect as they do not have
the power of the processors in DSLR cameras, rendering
a post-processed image that is almost as poor as the pre-
processed one.
However, in DSLR cameras that have much more
powerful and faster processors like the Sony ฀100’s Bionz
engine, noise is reduced much more eiciently. This, in
combination with a DSLR camera’s larger sensor that
already produces less noise compared to a compact
camera’s, is the reason why DSLR cameras are so much
better at taking low light photographs compared to
compacts.

SPECIAL ISO
MODES
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

In additional to the usual ISO values, the ฀100 has an extra two “zone matching” ISO settings: “Lo80” and “Hi200.” Lo80 is
meant for shooting “low key,” predominantly dark scenes (i.e: with high contrast and with mostly shadowed elements and
little highlights), and keeps the photo from becoming too underexposed and loosing details as a result. Conversely, Hi200
keeps the image from being overexposed in “high key” scenes (high contrast with mostly highlights and little shadow detail),
and ought to prevent highlights from washing out details.
Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia
46
46

Photo by: Chris Lau

When the Lo80 ISO setting is used in a scene like this with a
substantial area of darkness and shadows, it prevents details
from underexposing. Notice the ine gradations on her cheek
and headdress.
When the Hi200 ISO setting is used for this scene, it prevents
the details of the human subjects, the lower hull of the boat,
the hill and boat shadow in the shallow water from being
washed out by the inluence of the very bright sky, rear
portion of the boat and the water.
WHITE BALANCE
A camera is unable to interpret and discern colors as accurately and naturally as a human eye. And when color errors
occur, they result in photos like those shot in environments that were lighted by incandescent bulbs that turn out way too
yellowish, or those that were shot in luorescent-lit rooms show up overly blue. This is because a camera’s image sensing
device, be it ilm or a digital sensor, can be fooled into misinterpreting colors in such confusing environments as they
cannot automatically compensate for and interpret colors illuminated by diferent lighting as well as our eyes can.

White balancing can be loosely described as the process
by which digital cameras calibrate their sensors for
accurate color rendering in diferent lighting conditions.
A photo with correctly interpreted colors is said to have
good white balance, while those with misinterpreted
colors that have one or more colors overemphasized is
said to have a “color cast” and has incorrect white balance.
Why the process is called “white balancing” is because a
camera must irst identify what to interpret as white in a
scene so as to calibrate how other colors should appear.
In the old world of ilm-based cameras, photographers often
used ilters or ilms with special color biasness to correct
for color interpretation errors caused by diferent lighting.
In digital photography, this process is largely done away
with, thanks to the Auto White Balance (AWB) function
that is available in all digital cameras. But depending on
manufacturer, the efectiveness of AWB varies from model to
model. And to understand what white balance really is and
how it afects your photographs, we must irst understand
another concept: color temperature.

In white balancing, a camera must irst identify what

to interpret as white in a scene in order to calibrate
how other colors should appear.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
COLOR TEMPERATURE The Sony ฀100
also allows users to
set speciic color
temperatures in
“White light” is supposed to have a continuous spectrum and a Kelvin, from 2500K to
9900K.
mixture of all colors, but in most situations the distribution is not
even. Color temperature is a way of deining the color of a light
source and is measured in the unit Kelvin (K). In describing color
temperature, photographers intuitively refer to reddish/yellowish
colors and tones as “warm” as they are the colors of ire, and blue
hues as “cool” as they are usually associated with water.

COLOR TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT

4747

Although photographers instinctively refer to reddish
hues as “warm” and bluish hues as “cool,” in actual color
temperature measurement, it is the total opposite: The
color temperature of a light is measured by gradually
heating a standard, black metal object scientiically
termed as a “black body radiator” to extreme temperatures.
As the temperature rises, the surface of the radiator
changes from black, to red, to yellow to blue as it starts
emitting light because of the heat – like in a blacksmith’s
furnace. When the surface color matches that of the
light; the physical temperature of the heated object in
Kelvins at that point in time is considered to be the color
temperature of the light source. This is why in describing
color temperature, photographers sometime use a more
technically accurate term: “correlated color temperature”,
since the color of the light source is compared to the
appearance of the black body at that temperature.
Reddish hues appear at a lower physical temperature
(in Kelvins) and bluer hues appear only at higher actual
temperatures as the object turns from red hot to white
hot.
 WHITE BALANCE
PRESETS
Using the auto white balance function of your digital
camera is one way of getting rid of unwanted colorcasts
in a photo. However, AWB systems often operate within
a limited range and AWB systems in diferent cameras
behave diferently as well. In most cases, AWB systems work
well under natural, bright daylight, but are erratic under
tungsten, luorescent, and mixed lightings.

Thankfully in most digital cameras nowadays,

manufacturers have packed in some common white
balance presets that are optimized for speciic lighting
The Sony ฀100 allows users to choose from six preset white balance settings, each
environments. In the Sony ฀100, you will ind presets +/-3 levels of bias tunings.
for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash
lighting situations, each with the ability to have its bias
ined tuned between +/- 3 to increase or decrease the
compensation efect. So if you know the kind of light you degrees Kelvin) speciied for their white balance settings.
are shooting under, using the appropriate preset should Then again, “correct” white balance is a subjective issue.
give you a correct white balance most of the time. There is no hard and fast rule that you need to have a
Some professional DSLR cameras, including the Sony “correct” WB. Sometimes, in order to retain or portray a
฀100 can even have precise color temperatures (in certain mood, it is better to use the “wrong” WB.
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

CANDLELIGHT SUNLIGHT/SUNSET (CLEAR SKY)

1000-2000 K 3000-4000 K

2500-3500 K 4500-5000 K
48
48

TUNGSTEN LIGHT (HOUSEHOLD BULBS) FLOURESCENT LAMPS

 MANUAL WHITE
BALANCE
If none of the white balance presets for a certain lighting environment works for you, then you may have to resort to
setting your white balance manually. This is often done by engaging the camera’s manual WB setting, pointing it at a white
(or gray) card or object, illing the frame with it completely, and taking a shot of it. The camera will calculate the diference
between this reference white point and the existing colors and shift the WB accordingly.

Take special care when setting white balance for indoor shots under artiicial light. If you Sometimes, incorrect white balance can enhance a scene’s atmosphere by adding a
want your colors to appear natural, match your white balance setting to the lighting moody color cast. This is where you can be creative with your white balance settings as
conditions, in this case, incandescent. well.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
ELECTRONIC FLASH LIGHT OVERCAST SKY
5000-5500 K 65000-80000 K

5000-6500 K 9000-10000 K
4949

NOON DAYLIGHT, DIRECT SUN SHADE OR HEAVILY OVERCAST SKY

 FLASH USAGE
The camera’s lash is an often-misunderstood accessory that is built into just about every camera model. Beginners often
make the mistake of assuming that it is a cure-all for every kind of poor or inappropriate lighting condition without
considering the fact that proper employment of the camera’s lash involves diferent techniques for various situations.
Because of these nuances in proper lash use, photographers do not always employ the use of a lash correctly – even if left
to the mercy of an automatic camera’s discretion.

A camera’s lash is not the miracle solution

to every lighting problem. It has its uses
but understand that it also has limitations.

FLASH DEPTH
Flash depth can be considered as the optimal
range of distances a subject should be from a
camera for its lash to illuminate properly. Pictures
taken using the lash that are any nearer than
the optimal depth tend to be over exposed and
appear overpowered by the lash’s light; conversely,
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

pictures taken at a distance greater than the lash

depth tend to be under exposed. Flashes generally
have a ixed range (depth) of coverage, but many
models now sport variable power lashes that
enable a wider range of lash depths. Basically, the
point is that a photographer ought to familiarize
himself with the optimal depth of his camera’s
lash – or the depths that are related to each of the
variable power levels if he has a model that has
diferent lash power levels.

GUIDE NUMBER (GN)

50
50

A variable guide number (GN) is used for indicating the illuminating power of a lash unit, and is in relation to
ISO sensitivity (typically ISO 100), and is represented in either meters or feet. The higher the number, the more
powerful the lash is.
GN = f-number x lash-to-subject distance
So using the equation above, using a lash with a GN of 36 as an example, you set should
f/8 for a subject that is 4.5m from the lash. Similarly, to determine the maximum lash range, divide the guide
number by the selected or largest f/stop value of your lens. However, be careful of the unit of measurements
used since guide numbers can be given in both feet and meters. For example, a GN of 10 in meters is the same
as a GN of 33 in feet.
FRONT FILL-FLASH
CURTAIN SYNC
In this mode, the lash ires when the shutter irst reaches Do you know that
its peak opening (i.e. at the start of the exposure). Front using a lash even
curtain sync (also known as daylight or normal sync) under a bright
is used whenever you want to freeze motion at the afternoon sun
beginning of the exposure. It is also commonly used to can actually make
ill-in shadows caused by harsh back or top lightings. your photographs
However, using this lash mode when shooting moving better? A very harsh
subjects using a slow shutter speed can give odd efects light source like
– you will get light trails or streaks in front of the subject, the midday sun is
giving a false impression that the subject is moving bound to created
backwards. In such cases, it is better to use rear curtain unwanted and
sync (as explained below) instead. unlattering shadows
and silhouettes.
And, if you were to
set the exposure to
optimally capture the If a ill lash was not used to shoot this
subject, he would have turned out
shadowed details, underexposed because of the bright
backlighting.
the brighter areas
(highlights) in the
photo will become
overexposed. With a ill lash, you can add illumination
to the foreground and balance the light levels of your
subject and the shadow areas. It is also extremely useful

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
for backlit subjects.

1/4 sec exposure, front curtain sync lash engaged. A front curtain sync lash “froze”
the cyclist when it ired while the long exposure time caused the moving lights in the
scene to be captured as streaks.

SLOW SYNC FLASH

Standard Flash Slow sync Flash
Very often, photographers want to capture
subjects standing against an attractive
night scene involving glittering lights in
the background – typically cityscapes and
/ or other forms of artiicial light sources.
Unfortunately, a common mistake is the use of
a conventional lash timing that produces well-
5151

exposed foreground subjects against a black

or dark background. To appropriately capture
the background lighting, many cameras have a
“slow sync” lash option that works in tandem
with a slower shutter timing. Using this lash
technique, background lights are captured
A straightforward lash shot will rarely Using slow sync lash, the camera is able
illuminate a distant dark background well. In to expose properly for both subject and during the long shutter exposure and the lash
this case, only the subject is illuminated. background, resulting in a better photo.
illuminates the foreground subjects. However,
the prerequisites for such a photograph are 1) the camera must be operated from a irm, immovable base like a tripod to
prevent blurring caused by camera movement during the longer exposure and 2) the subjects must remain still during
the exposure time.
 REAR CURTAIN SYNC
When shooting a moving subject in the dark, you’ll want to keep your subject
at the front of any motion blurs caused by slow shutter speed. Rear curtain sync
solves this challenge.
Unlike the front curtain sync, rear curtain sync will ire at
the end of the peak shutter opening (or just before the
shutter closes) Instead. Coupled with a slow shutter speed,
this will result in a blurring efect or streaks from ambient
lights that trail behind the moving subject that is now
“frozen” at the end of the light trails. This is certainly more
natural looking than having the light streaks in front of
the subject which is what you will get if you were to use
front curtain sync. That said, using lash with a slow shutter
speed could give you many unexpected results. Try to
play around with the diferent modes; and with a bit of
creativity, you can capture very interesting motion trails that
make your photos stand out.

RED EYE REDUCTION FLASH

Human and animal subjects shot at night with a lash often show up in the photograph as having red eyes. This efect is
caused by the relection of the lash of the subjects’ enlarged retinas. Thankfully, almost all modern cameras have a red eye
reduction lash function (typically symbolized by a lash icon besides an eye) that actually ires an initial lash that contracts the
subjects’ pupils so as to reduce retina exposure, before the main illumination lash goes of.

X-SYNC SPEED
A camera’s lash sync (lash synchronization) limit is the fastest shutter speed setting that can be used with the camera’s
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

lash. If a camera takes a photograph at a shutter speed that is faster than the lash sync limit, the lash will ire when the
shutter is closing resulting in photos with varying portions of the frame in dark shadows. For SLRs and DSLRs, this lash sync
limit can range from 1/125s (maybe lower) to 1/500s. However, this issue does not afect compact and advanced model
digital cameras as they use electronic shutters instead of physical ones. Nevertheless, if you are a studio photographer
using an SLR and foresee yourself syncing at high speeds, look out for a camera with a high lash sync (also known as x-
sync) speed.

DIFFUSING
AND
BOUNCING
FLASHES
Shooting with a lash facing
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directly toward your subject

often results in an unnatural
looking photograph where the
subject is illuminated too harshly,
resulting in overexposure; or
unevenly, leading to a mix of
overly illuminated or shadowed
areas in the photo. To prevent
this, professional photographers
Direct lash often illuminates your subject A bounced lash gives your subject a more
try to even (difuse) the lash too harshly. natural look.
illumination via bouncing or
difusing attachments.
 EFFECTS OF BOUNCED FLASH
DiREcT FlASH OFF-cAmERA FlASH

Avoid using the Taking the lash

lash head-on. On- of the camera will
camera lash often help to reduce the
results in harsh and shadows. The angle
ugly shadows that it is held at will also
are diicult even to determine the depth
remove in an image of the shadow. In
editor. It also runs a order to further
higher risk of planting reduce the harshness
hotspots on your of the shadow, add a
subject’s face as well difusion dome to the
as red-eye. lash.

BOUNcED FlASH BOUNcED cARD FlASH

WiTH WA DiFFUSER
By tilting the Putting the wide-
lash head at a 60 angle difuser over
degree angle, and the lash, and then
then bouncing bounced the light
the lash of the straight up onto the
ceiling, you achieve ceiling will give a

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
a better difusing very soft light with
efect. Shadows are minimal shadows.
signiicantly reduced. This, combined with
For an even better the built-in bounce
result, snap a difuser card, will create a
to the lash. catchlight for the
subject’s eyes.

BOUNciNG DiFFUSiNG ATTAcHmENTS

5353

Flash units usually have Most external lash units

heads that can be swiveled can have a difusing cap or
and pivoted. Using these integral panel attached
pivots, they can be pointed to them to even out the
toward walls or ceilings to have illumination.
the illuminating light “bounced” or
relected toward the subject. This
results in a more even spread of the
illumination (and therefore better “ill-in”
results), rather than the concentrated
output from the lash unit. Attaching a
protruding white card can also help to
relect lashes toward the subject. FVL F36AM
with diffusing
panel flipped out
FVL F36AM
with card
 EXPOSURE METERING
To capture an image, a camera irst “meters” or measures the lighting level in the scene to calculate the proper exposure
for the resulting photograph. Often, lighting in diferent situations may afect the exposure for your subject negatively.
For example, bright environments may confuse the camera into under exposing your subject standing in a shaded or
darker area; or less seldom, but still possible, over expose a well lit subject in a dark environment. Therefore, it is sometimes
important to speciically choose the use of one of these common metering techniques:

Off-Subject Metering
If you were to use any metering technique/method described
here to shoot overly dark or light colored subjects that ill a
large portion of the center of the frame, they may fool the meter
into trying to expose them properly but under or overexpose
the background around it. To overcome this, take a spot meter
reading of something that is neutral gray to calibrate your shot.
In this example, the white roofs of the Sydney Opera House
were bathed in bright sunlight and camera would have been
fooled into underexposing to compensate for the bright roofs if
we did not apply this method.

MULTI-SEGMENT METERING
Also known as multi-zone, matrix, or evaluative metering, this technique divides the entire frame into a
matrix (grid) and samples the light from all the areas of the matrix. The camera then selects the exposure
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

that best captures both the darker, shadowed; as well as the brightly lit portions of the scene. Multi-
segment metering is the most sophisticated among all the metering systems, with diferent
companies employing diferent algorithms and technologies to dertermine what to provide
as the best result from this metering method. The Sony ฀100 employs a new 40-segment
honeycomb pattern for its metering sensors which ensures more accurate light measurement
in a wide range of conditions. As multi-segment metering takes light readings from the whole
frame, it is appropriate for most situations, especially landscape photography.

CENTER-WEIGHTED SPOT METERING

This method measures the light
METERING only from a small spot at the center
This technique measures the light area of the frame. This is helpful in
from the entire frame but assigns high contrast scenes
more importance or weighting to the like subjects in a
center area of the frame. spotlight or with a
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This method is best very strong backlight.

when the photographer It is particularly useful
is more concerned in determining the
about subjects in the exposure within a very
center rather than speciic, and small
elements along the subject area. You do
edges of the picture, have to be very precise
making it useful for with placement though
portrait photography, - otherwise you will get
or subjects that are inaccurate readings. Many professional DSLR cameras
evenly toned. like the Sony ฀100 that sport multi-area AF allow
their diferent AF areas to be linked to spot metering.
EXPOSURE
VALUE
Photographers are often buried under tons of f-numbers and shutter speeds, and sometimes it is much easier to represent
the level of exposure with a single number. This is where exposure values (EV) come in. Simply put, each EV represents a
particular amount of exposure, or the amount of light reaching the imager during an exposure. This value is dependent
on the pairing of the shutter speed and aperture, as well as the ISO value. Therefore each value also expresses a series of
shutter speed and aperture combinations that give the same amount of exposure.

Table Of Exposure Values (At Iso 100)

APERTURE

SHUTTER SPEED 1.0 1.4 2.0 2.8 4.0 5.6 8.0 11 16 22 32 45 64

60 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
30 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1/2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1/4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1/8 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1/15 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
1/30 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
1/60 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
1/125 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
1/250 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
1/500 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1/1000 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
1/2000 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
1/4000 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
1/8000 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Looking from the table above, we can see that at ISO 100, with a shutter speed and aperture pairing of 1/8 sec and f/2.8, the resulting EV of 6 is the same as a shutter speed and aperture
pairing of 1 sec and f/8. Similarly, at ISO 100, EV15 can be 1/250 sec at f/11, 1/125 sec at f/16, 1/60 sec at f/22, or any other suitable combination. You may also have noticed that an
increase in the EV by one halves the amount of light passing through, while a decrease doubles the amount of light reaching the imager.

EV COMPENSATION
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The modern day camera is now so sophisticated that its
light meter will determine the correct exposure for you.
But no matter how intelligent a camera’s metering system
is, there are times when it can be fooled into giving you
a less than satisfactory exposure. In this case, help arrives
in the form of EV Compensation (EVC), which is almost a
staple function in digital cameras nowadays. Essentially,
EV Compensation gives photographers the ability to
override the camera’s metered exposure. Depending on
camera, it is normally in the range of -2 to +2 EV or –5 to
+5 EV in 0.3 EV or 0.5 EV steps.
Perhaps in an attempt to make it seem logical to users,
the way exposure compensation is scaled on a camera
is diferent to the theory we have learnt above. As
mentioned earlier, an increase in the EV by one means
a lesser amount of light passing through to the imager.
In this way, a photographer who is well versed in the EV
scale will naturally dial in +1 EV if he wants to darken the
image. However, the exact opposite happens in a camera’s
exposure compensation system. Dialing for an increase in
EV in a camera’s exposure compensation system increases
the exposure, and a negative EV decreases the exposure.
 BRACKETING YOUR EXPOSURES
Bracketing is the technique of taking several shots of the
same subject using diferent settings so as to generate
a series of shots from which you can choose the best for
keeping. “Bracketing” can refer to taking the series with
diferent shutter speeds, aperture values, ISO values or
other variable settings to generate the efect desired, but
when the term is used without qualiication, it refers to
exposure bracketing – i.e. taking the series with diferent
exposure values. This is especially important for diicult
lighting conditions. You can do this manually by taking
the same scene three times: with one an exposure setting
recommended by the camera’s metering system, one at a
slightly higher exposure, and another slightly lower than
the original exposure. There are many photographers who
take as many as ive to seven varying exposures just to play
safe. This is especially so among slide ilm shooters who
need to ensure that at least one of the exposures turns
out perfect. Some cameras even have an auto bracketing
function that tells the camera to change the exposure
compensation (in the order of steps and the number of
frames which you have chosen) automatically when you
press the shutter release button.

-1.0

+0.5
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

+1.0

If you come across very diicult scenes such as one with extremely bright backlighting (likely to cause overexposure), or one that has a dark
subject shrouded in deep shadows (likely to cause underexposure), remember to use smaller EV increments and/or take more bracketed
shots.

FLASH EXPOSURE COMPENSATION

For those that have not guessed it, lash exposure changing the shutter speed and/or aperture. Just
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compensation (FEC) is a function that can be
found on a camera’s built-in lash, and most
certainly on an external lash unit. It enables
you to increase or decrease the total lash
output. This Some even sport a lash exposure
bracketing function that automatically brackets
exposures at varied lash output levels without
a word of caution: Remember to set any form
of exposure compensation back to neutral (0)
after each outing. When both EVC and FEC are
used, the efect is cumulative. Check if you have
reset the values before assuming your camera
is spoilt when you are getting grossly under or
overexposed images.
 THE HISTOGRAM SCALE
HISTOGRAMS
Many digital cameras these days feature on-screen

No. of Pixels
histograms to indicate the exposure of a photograph. If you
have learnt statistical mathematics in school, histograms
are basically charts give a graphical display of tabulated
frequencies. A picture is composed of pixels that each have
a value of 0 to 255 which represents their brightness. This
0 to 255 scale forms the horizontal (bottom) scale of the
histogram, and the vertical scale represents how many times
pixels of every value on the x-axis occur in the photo.
0 Brightness 255

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
UNDEREXPOSED PROPERLY EXPOSED OVEREXPOSED

5757

Because of the substantial amount of dark sky and shadows The bright beach background of this photo causes its histogram to
in this night scene, its histogram is skewed to the left, but as a be skewed to the right, but again, it is all right.
night photograph, it is ine.

Therefore, a histogram with a skew toward the left indicates that a photo is under exposed and appears dark, while one
with a skew to the right indicates overexposure and appears overly bright. As a general rule, photos with an even, mound-
shaped histogram are properly exposed.

Although histograms are useful in gauging the level of exposure, there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” histogram.
Some photos like the ones shown below will have histograms that are heavily skewed to one side, but as you can see,
they are perfectly ine in terms of overall composition, and the key subjects are well deined.
 CAMERA MODES
AND PRESETS
Now that you have learnt the principles and relationships
of aperture and shutter speed, let us look at some
common camera modes that control these factors in a
typical DSLR camera:
DSLR cameras are usually diferentiated by the availability
of these creative controls that allow the photographer
to manually select speciic shutter speeds or aperture
sizes. In spite of all the technology ofered by modern
digital cameras, taking photographs of scenes or subjects
in the many diferent ways that they can be interpreted and
presented still requires one of these modes to be used.
The basic understanding of the technical fundamentals of
photography and the application of these modes that they
are based on will empower any photographer to express
himself artistically with any camera that features them.

MANUAL
SHOOTING MODES

SHUTTER PRIORITY
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

The shutter priority mode is usually represented by an “S” icon on a camera’s mode dial where it
can be selected. In this mode, the photographer sets the shutter speed that is desired while the
camera automatically chooses an aperture setting to generate a proper exposure for the selected
shutter speed.

The shutter priority mode is useful when you know the rough shutter speed to use and cannot
aford the time to determine the appropriate aperture setting to employ.
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58
 APERTURE PRIORITY

A camera’s aperture priority mode is often symbolized as an “A” icon on its

mode dial. In this mode, the photographer is allowed to choose the aperture
setting that is needed, and the camera automatically sets the shutter speed to
compensate for the chosen aperture size to generate a proper exposure.

Aperture priority is great for bracketing diferent depths of ield by manually

changing the aperture while letting the camera decide on what it thinks is the
best shutter speed to use for each aperture setting the photographer sets.
Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

auto exposure bracketing among others. This mode is

PROGRAM MODE recommended for snapshots and other situations where
the photographer wishes to take the shot rapidly and
In Program mode, represented by a “P” icon on the leave the camera in charge of the settings.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
dial, the camera optimizes exposure to suit the subject
automatically by adjusting both shutter speed and
aperture according to its in-built program, much like
a compact camera’s Auto mode. Even in this mode,
If you want to
diferent combinations of shutter and aperture settings
can be selected by turning a dial of the camera; and
master your camera,
each combination will produce the same exposure as
calculated by the camera.
it is in these manual
However, there is one distinct diference that sets this
modes where
mode apart from a camera’s Auto mode: it allows the
user to change all the other exposure controls, including
you can lex your
white balance, metering, ISO, EV compensation, and creative muscles. 5959

automatic selection of an aperture setting in a camera’s

MANUAL MODE
In manual mode, one has full control over both shutter
speed and aperture settings. This mode is usually
represented by an “M” icon on a camera’s dial. This
absolute control is provided as photographers are
often dissatisied with the shutter speed selected when
aperture priority is chosen: it may not portray movement
in the way the photographer wants. In the same way, the
shutter priority mode takes the control over depth of
ield away from them.
Although the camera tries to balance the exposure
level in shutter or priority aperture mode, it may not
have interpreted the scene in the way desired. Also,
the photographer may even wish to purposely over or
underexpose a scene for artistic efect.
 PRESET
SCENE MODES
The Sony ฀100 also comes with six preset scene modes. Usually found in compact camera models, these preset scene
modes help beginners optimize the camera to shoot diferent subjects and/or in diferent environments.

LANDSCAPE

Landscape shots typically require every element in the entire

frame to remain in sharp focus. Therefore, when this mode is
chosen, the camera tries to generate as deep a depth of ield
as possible by setting the aperture as small as possible and
compensating with a slightly slower shutter speed. Focus in this
mode is also set to ininity. Blues and greens are also enhanced
so as to make the scene more vibrant looking. When using this
mode, try to zoom the lens out as widely as possible so as to
achieve as wide a coverage of the landscape as possible and
generate a shallow depth of ield.

PORTRAIT
TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS

The portrait mode sets for a wide aperture so as to create a

shallow depth of ield. In this way, the area in sharp focus will
be the subject’s face while background elements are blurred
to accentuate it. Some cameras also place more emphasis in
warming the color temperature through the white balancing
system so that skin tones are properly rendered. This mode
is best used with telephoto lenses and those that have wide
maximum aperture settings (small F-numbers).

NIGHT PORTRAIT
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The night portrait mode is similar to the portrait mode as it

also sets a wide aperture to create a shallow depth of ield to
emphasize the subject’s face. However, this mode also captures
the night lighting behind the subject as well. To do this, the
camera engages a slow shutter speed coupled with a red-eye
reduction prelash before the exposure and slow sync lash
during the exposure. As slow shutter speeds are involved with
this mode, the use of a tripod is recommended to prevent blur
photos.
 SPORTS

A camera’s sports mode tries to achieve the fastest shutter

speed possible so as to capture and “freeze” fast moving
subjects. To do this, the camera usually selects the widest
aperture setting, coupled with a higher ISO setting.

Preset modes are an excellent starting step

for budding photographers, helping them
optimize the camera to shoot diferent
subjects in diferent environments.

TECHNICAL FUNDAMENTALS
MACRO

The macro mode of a camera optimizes it for shooting

subjects close up. In this mode the camera allows the
photographer to shoot subjects close up while exposure
is automatically adjusted to ensure smooth background
defousing. This mode and style of shooting causes subjects
to appear magniied in the resulting photograph. The Macro
mode is most efective when used with specially designed
macro lenses.
6161

SUNSET

The sunset mode is similar to the landscape mode as it also

tries to generate a deep depth of ield by setting the aperture
as small as possible and compensating with a slightly slower
shutter speed. However, the diference is that in this mode,
yellow, orange and red hues are enhanced to make a sunset
scene look more dramatic. This mode can also be applied to
dawn scenes as well.
Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia
 FRAMINGAND
COMPOSITION
6363 FRAMING AND COMPOSITION
 Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

SUBJECT PLACEMENT
FRAMING AND COMPOSITION

The most common method of subject placement is “classic balancing” or center positioning. That is, the subject(s) is placed
smack in the middle of the composed picture. There is nothing inherently wrong with this method; in fact, it is the de-facto
technique for taking portrait shots of people. Examples include photos of individuals and groups of people that are neatly
arranged and staggered in perfect formation like in school or organization photographs. However, for less contrived
situations, this method can often produce a bland, uninteresting picture that could be improved with a simple shift of the
subject and background. This is where an old picture composition guide known as the “rule of thirds” (or the Golden Mean)
comes in. Even in classic balancing, the rule of thirds still applies in lining up key symmetrical elements of the picture.

RULE OF THIRDS
In spite of its name, the rule of thirds is not a rule, 1/3 1/3 1/3
but rather a guide to picture composition. It basically
involves dividing a frame into nine equal rectangular
sections by drawing two lines at the 1/3 and 2/3 1/3
marks of both the length and height of the frame:
1/3 1/3 1/3
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64

1/3

1/3

1/3

In this classic
balancing picture, the
1/3 carving’s crown aligns
1/3 with the top third
line while its face is
centered between the
two vertical thirds.

Notice that the main subject aligns with the left third line.
The rule of thirds advocates placing subjects, horizons and other points of focus / attention where the sections meet – that is:
around or along the areas where the lines and their intersection points are. This is because the human eye is naturally drawn to
these areas of focus / attention in a frame. The basic idea is simply to create an engaging asymmetry, and one does not have
to strictly place subjects precisely at the prescribed positions mentioned.

Many cameras can be set to have their viewinders overlaid with the rule of thirds gridlines for guiding photographers during
framing. Consider the following scene:

FRAMING AND COMPOSITION

From this scene, we extracted the following two photographs:

6565

Classical balance / center positioning Rule of Thirds applied

It is apparent that the picture on the right has more dynamism and captures the viewer’s interest to a greater degree than
the irst by simply shifting of the subject within the frame. On the next page are more examples of the rule of thirds at work.
 It’s easy to tell where this lad is going from the
composition.
FRAMING AND COMPOSITION

In games like croquet and golf, form is important. By keeping Composing with the Rule of Thirds lets you delineate a
the ball in the middle of the picture, you let the player foreground, midground and background.
assume a natural position on a vertical third.

>>
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The Rule of Thirds

combined with The Rule of Thirds
leading lines makes applies equally well
this picture of an to portrait shots. If
elegant wedding your subject’s eyes
gown all the more are looking left,
efective. make room to the
left.
>>
HORIZON PLACEMENT
When taking a shot of a landscape, the rule of thirds can also be applied to horizon placement to enhance the resulting
picture. Consider the following:

FRAMING AND COMPOSITION

This irst shot has the horizon (and the skyline as the subject) placed in the middle, causing a mediocre result that seems bland. Shifting the horizon up or down
greatly enhances the scene as these following two shots depict:

Consider the
Rule of Thirds as
The expanded ocean area draws
attention to the subject (the
skyline), accentuated by the
a guide to good
relections in the water..

composition,
6767

rather than a
steadfast rule.
Use it only when
Now in this instance, the sky
does what the ocean did in the
previous picture: draw attention
it makes sense.
to the skyline.
 LEADING LINES
This composition method attempts to make a picture more engaging by subtly encouraging a certain degree of viewer
interaction. Lines in a photograph draw (lead) the viewer’s eye through the image from one spot to the next, sometimes
in a single direction, and sometimes all around the frame. The lines may be straight or curved; they may be tangible,
visible lines, or simply elements that are arranged in such a way as to “direct” the viewer’s eyes around. The lines may either
complement or lead to the main subject or even be the subject themselves. Leading lines can be (and usually are) framed
using the rule of thirds to produce the best efect.
FRAMING AND COMPOSITION
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Photo by: Julian W

You can’t get more obvious than an arrow pointing down the street.
>>

Rivers, canals and other waterways are always

interesting subjects for composition due to
their directional nature.

>>

FRAMING AND COMPOSITION

A tree-lined path calmly leads the
viewer’s eyes deeper into the picture
as the lines converge on the horizon.

Towers, spires, buildings and other tall objects draw one’s eyes upward naturally. Using diagonal lines also conveys a sense of
movement, which adds a bit of drama and dynamism to your photo.

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FRAMING AND COMPOSITION

Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

PERSPECTIVE
Budding photographers often try to pursue a perceived “perfect” shot in which they attempt to capture the full image of
the subject by illing the frame with it, so much so they fail to recognize details or “the bigger picture” (pardon the pun) that
may result in much more interesting shots. When framing a photograph for shooting, a simple change in shooting position
or movement toward or away from the subject may render very interesting perspectives that can change the mood of a
photo drastically. Allow us to illustrate:

SCALING OUT
Often, traveling photographers sufer from the “I-want-
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my-face-seen-clearly” syndrome to show that they’ve

been somewhere and sadly, fail to take a step back
and appreciate the majesty in the scale or beauty of
the environments that they are in. Ron Yue’s gorgeous
landscape photo above demonstrates the dramatic
efects that taking that “step back” can achieve (though
you might have to step back more than a few paces for
something like this).

>> You can’t see their faces, but this family foraging for shellish seems
all the more isolated when compared to the vastness of the beach.
CLOSING IN
The devil is in the details, or so the old
adage goes. Often, one can unravel a
diferent feel in a photograph just by
closing / zooming in on the subject.
This is especially true when dealing
with ones that have elaborate texture.
Sometimes, there is no choice but to
shoot certain subjects close up using
the macro mode on the camera.

>>
A close up of the this peacock’s plumage
makes for a pleasing abstract shot.

DIFFERENT ANGLES

FRAMING AND COMPOSITION

Changing your angle of shooting can refresh an otherwise trite looking scene. Try kneeling, simply looking upwards,
climbing for a vantage point, or even putting the camera on the ground to get a unique angle. Sony’s Angle Finder FDA-
A1AM should be ideal for situations like this. You will ind that changing angles can provide fresh perspectives, and make
more dramatic photographs.

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Photo by: Julian W

The upward perspective emphasizes the feeling A pedestrian’s view of the Eifel Tower from its base gives Photographing pets well often involves getting down to
of grandeur and awe that you get standing in this a fresh take on this French monument. their eye level and letting them take up most of the photo.
cathedral-like mall.
Photo by: Chris Lau
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PORTRAITS
Human portraiture is the most common
genre of photography. Depending on your
(or the subject’s) requirements, portraits can
be either serious and formal, or fun and ca-
sual. Whether you are shooting in a studio or
out on the streets; be it a head-to-shoulders
format or a body length type, one important
thing you have to remember is that you
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are shooting a human being. A successful

portrait is one that captures the personal-
ity of the subject, and sometimes a greater
emphasis is placed on this than the photo’s
technical aspects.

Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

 TIPS
1. Get to know you subject
Get to know the subject beforehand so that both of you can
feel more at ease during the actual shoot. Chitchat about the
latest TV shows, ask them to talk about their hobbies, or even
crack some jokes. The key is to create a relaxed atmosphere.
This is also the time to get to know more about the concerns
and expectations of the subject. Some may be uncomfortable
with certain parts of their features and do not want them to
be emphasized in the photos. This is the best time for you to
observe and determine the kind of mood or personality you
wish to portray in the later shoots.

2. Develop a “story” for your subject

In the process of interacting with the subject, you should pick
up certain personality aspects, and how such traits can be
further magniied in order for you to capture on the camera.
For example, if your subject a happy go-lucky person that
brings laughter to all those around him or her, take note of
his facial expressions and body language that best bring out
this joyful personality that you are trying to portray. All these
will directly your choice of cameras and lenses, locations, and
even lightings.
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If taking a group portrait, it is important to control your depth of ield so as to render all members of the group in sharp focus.
3. Focus on the eyes
The area that most people would be drawn to when they look at a portrait would be the subject’s eyes. More often than
not, the eyes are the elements that convey the subject’s feelings, and set the mood of the whole portrait. So it is not
an exaggeration to say that the eyes determine the success of the portrait. Whatever type of portrait you are shooting,
remember to keep the eyes in sharp focus.

Photos by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

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4. Background
Selection is Key
If you are shooting a formal
portrait in a studio setting,
it is common sense to make
sure that the background is as
uncluttered as possible. After
all, the viewer is supposed to be
drawn to the subject’s face, and
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not that bottle of wine behind

him or her. And remember to
match the color scheme of
the backdrop with the mood
you are trying to capture. For
example, it is inappropriate to
have a cheery color such as
yellow when you are doing a
solemn portrait. If your shoot is
going to take place on-location,
These portraits of the tribal ladies of the Sapa Valley area in Vietnam by Ron Yue demonstrate that side lighting is a good way to it is wise to scout the possible
heighten the drama in a photo and accentuate the features of the subjects. However, try to experiment from diferent sides and
vary your angles to see what works best. locations beforehand too.
GALLERY

5. Control depth of field to your

requirements
A typical portrait is one where the depth of ield
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is extremely shallow, resulting in the subject’s face

being in sharp focus whereas background objects
are indistinguishably blurred to accentuate the
subject. However, there are other situations where
you may want to create a deep depth of ield so
that background elements related to the subject
can be seen clearly. For example, shooting a teacher
against a classroom backdrop with chairs, desks and
a chalkboard, or a doctor in his oice full of medical
equipment, or a child in his favorite playground. Such
backgrounds add context to your subject and help to
“tell their story” for such “environmental” portraits
6. Pose your subject
Posing is less of a problem in the head-to-shoulders kind of portraits.
However, it can be a major problem when doing full-body length portrait
shots. Unless your subjects have modeling experience, they will probably
need your guidance on how to pose. If you are new, a good way to start
is to seive through magazines and take note on how professional models
pose. For a more candid approach, you can talk to your subject throughout
the process, and simply capture the natural poses he or she makes. Avoid
unnatural poses or those that require the subject to “freeze” for a period of
time. When the subject feels uncomfortable, the resulting image will prob-
ably not turn out good. Keeping the subject’s limbs at an angle (or forming
a triangular shape) rather than locking them up or placed aimlessly will
result in a more natural look too.

Carl Zeiss 85mm f/1.4

A good portrait lens like the Carl Zeiss

85mm, f/1.4 lens can create an extremely
shallow depth of ield that accentuates
your portrait. But be careful not to use
too large a relative aperture or parts
around the area that you want relatively
sharp as well (for example – the bass
of the portrait on the left) may go out
of focus.

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70-200mm f/2.8 G
Telephoto lenses also make great portrait lenses as
they too can create a shallow depth of ield by their
long focal lengths.
To prevent overexposure for heavily shaded or dark
subjects like the little girl on the left, meter the cam-
era on neutrally lit portions using spot metering, in
this case, the top area of her cheek.
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7. Avoid direct head-on flash use to prevent
“hot spots”
Soft and even (and preferably of-camera) lighting is ideal for shooting portraits.
But such favorable lighting is not possible in all scenarios. Especially when a
lash unit is used, many a time you will see hot spots (or glaring patches) on
your subject’s face. This is made worse if you have no control over the light such
as the sun during an outdoor shoot. However, there are still a few ways to work
around this problem. For one, if the situation permits, move yourself physically.
Pick a diferent spot or shoot from a diferent angle. Relectors work well too. If
it is imperative to shoot at that speciic time and location, a packet of tissue and
some face powder can work wonders.
GALLERY

50mm f/2.8 Macro

Interestingly, macro lenses also double up

as good portrait lenses because of their
typically long focal lengths and large rela-
tive apertures. This baby was photographed
using a 50mm, f/2.8 macro lens, and as you
can see, the results are just as pleasing.

8. Avoid wide-angle lenses

For a head-on, head-to-shoulders shot, the part
of the face that is nearest to you will be the nose.
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Unless you are shooting a clown, avoid using a

wide-angle lens when shooting portraits. Wide-
angle lenses are prone to distortion and as result,
make your subject’s facial features unlattering.
Common portrait lenses are short telephoto
lenses between 80 and 135mm in focal length
(35mm format). Distortion will not be a problem
with such lenses. Furthermore, these lenses al-
low you to stand further away from your subjects
so that they don’t feel intimidated. Remember:
your task is to make your subjects look good, so
choose your portrait lenses wisely.

RECOMMENDED
LENSES
Typical portraits look more lattering when there is a
shallow depth of ield as the blurred background will
draw attention to the subject. Therefore, lenses that
can achieve this either by having a long focal length
or small f-number aperture setting (meaning larger
aperture size relative to focal length) should make
good portrait lenses. Such lenses include telephoto
lenses and “fast” lenses that can achieve low f-number
settings like f/1.8 or f/1.4. Out of convenience, some
photographers also use macro lenses for portraiture
as they typically have long focal lengths coupled with
large relative maximum apertures.
However, for environmental portraits where it is
desirable for background elements to remain in
reasonably sharp focus, normal lenses can be used
too. But try not to go under a “natural” ield of view of
about 45 degrees, otherwise you run the slight risk of
distorting the subject’s features – especially if you shoot
close up. So try to avoid using wide-angle lenses for
portraiture.
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Perhaps the most perfect lens for
portraiture, this Carl Zeiss Planar
T, 85mm f/1.4 lens can create an
extremely shallow depth of ield with
its comparatively long focal length of
85mm and its extremely large maxi-
mum relative aperture setting of f/1.4
Typically used for long range shooting,
the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 “G” lens
is also able to take excellent portraits
because of its long focal range and
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large relative aperture. However, the
drawback would be that the photog-
rapher would have to stand quite a
distance away from the subject.
This Sony 500mm f/8.0 is a highly
specialized lens known a “relex” lens.
Although it has an extremely long focal
length of 500mm, it is small compared
to other super telephoto lenses. This
is because it relects light entering it
back and forth within its body using a
series of mirrors mounted at the rear
and behind the front. When used for
portraiture, light spots from the scene
appear as artistically blurred rings in
the background.
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LANDSCAPES
A landscape photo can be thought of as a portrait
of a certain location. As with human portraiture,
landscape photographers either try to capture
and convey the essence and “feel” of the subject
through their photos, or portray it in an abstract
fashion that may evoke diferent thoughts and
feelings from the viewer. Landscape photos
are also the most commonly shot by traveling
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photographers. Though they may seem simple

to accomplish compared to other genres of
photography, there are some iner points that
you should take note of so as to improve your
landscape shots:

Photo by: Chris Lau

GALLERY
TIPS
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86
1. Shooting panoramas
Panoramic photographs are extremely wide and are
usually composed of overlapping photographs of a scene
that have been shot from one end to the other. These can
easily be achieved by stitching such photos together using
imaging software to form a panoramic picture.
There are however certain guidelines to follow when
taking the elemental photographs that will compose a
panoramic picture. First, the camera must be shot from
the same level. When panning the camera to shoot the
next photo in the series, try to ensure that it maintains
the same height so that the series does not start to
slant. Next, ensure that a small portion of the new frame
overlaps from the old shot so that there is enough detail
for the software to determine where to stitch the photos
together. Lastly, the photographer must not change the
focal length of the lens (i.e. zoom in or out) during the
shooting of the series. The photos that will make up a
panoramic picture are best shot from a tripod as it helps
the photographer pan the camera from frame to frame
evenly without the fear of altering the shot height.
 GALLERY
Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

To cover broad landscapes like this Hong Kong

harbor night scene from as close a distance to
the landscape subjects as possible, wide angle
lenses like this Sony 28mm, f/2.8 unit are best as
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they have very wide angles of coverage.

28mm f/2.8
 2. Use multi-segment metering
For landscapes that have subjects of rather even contrast,
it is best to shoot them using your camera’s multi-segment
(or matrix) metering mode that considers all segments
of the frame to determine the appropriate tering behave
the same way, so do feel free to switch to other metering
modes when necessary, or shoot bracketed shots using
diferent metering modes.
3. Have filters handy
Filters can reduce glare and saturate colors and are
invaluable accessories for any dedicated landscape
photographer as they can dramatically change the way
a landscape looks. For example, the use of a neutral
density ilter can allow the photographer to employ a
slower shutter speed so that movement in the landscape
– like the stream of a waterfall, can be captured as an
artistic blur. Another handy ilter is the polarizig ilter that
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88
88
saturates colors in a scene. This ilter can make an otherwise
bland-looking landscape appear much more vibrant. Learn
to use ilters appropriately, and you will be rewarded with
much better looking landscape photos.
4. Compose with imaging planes in
mind
Landscape photos usually show a great deal of depth, and
so, a photographer ought to experiment by manipulating
elements in their diferent imaging planes to generate
an engaging photo. However, a main subject (or several
subjects) should be chosen from a single plane, with
elements in the others supporting it (them). Some
landscapes, especially bland ones, can beneit from the
inclusion of supplemental foreground elements that
add depth to the scene as well as draw attention to the
landscape. However, such supporting elements should
complement, and not clash with the overall theme of the
landscape shot.
18-70mm f/3.5-5.6
When composing landscape shots, try
to deine a foreground, mid ground
and background. In this case, the stone
pagodas (foreground), the side temple
(mid ground) and the rear tower temple
(background).
 GALLERY
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To achieve silhouette photographs of

interesting shapes, buildings or other
subjects, always meter on the area of
moderate brightness (in this case the sky)
and set your exposure accordingly; but
maintain focus on the subject itself.
18-70mm f/3.5-5.6
GALLERY

Using the Sony CS1 GPS satellite receiver, the photographer

can conveniently and automatically tag location information to
each photo taken, plot them on an interactive map in Google
Maps and use them for personal remembrance or for sharing.
In this example, the photographer has used the CS1 to photo-
graphically trace his journey around the New York harbor via an
online Google Map.
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90

5. Master DoF and Hyperfocal Distance

The ability to control depth of ield is one attribute that separates a good landscape photographer from a great one. Good
depth is essential if you are going to blow up your landscape photos, as any blurriness will be easily detected. You can use the
hyperfocal distance technique to ensure that everything from ininity to half the hyperfocal distance will lie within the depth
of ield. A general rule of thumb is to focus about one third into the way of the scene. If your camera sports a depth of ield
preview function, use it to check and make sure you are satisied with what you are seeing before shooting. You can refer to
our earlier chapters for an in depth explanation of this technique as well as depth of ield.
 A polarizing ilter can really saturate colors in a photo
and enliven an otherwise bland-looking scene. A
polarizing ilter has a rotation ring at its edge that you
can twist to vary the degree of the polarization efect.
Polarizing ilters are most efective for side lit scenes
where the sun is about 90 degrees to the left or right
of the photographer. Compare these two photos of
New York’s Central Park. The one above was taken with
the polarizing ilter and shows much deeper color

GALLERY
saturation. The shadows also indicate where the sun
was in relation to the photographer’s position – about
90 degrees to the left. That is why the polarizing efect
is so great.

6. Keep in mind horizon placement 7. Time of Day and Season

and the rule of thirds
Avoid shooting landscapes at midday where the sun is
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Most landscape shots include a horizon. As a general
guideline, do not position the horizon smack in the center
of the frame, but apply the rule of thirds as advocated in
the previous section on Subject Placement.
To produce a landscape photo with a perfectly level
horizon, the photographer can use a bubble level
to ensure that the camera is perfectly level before
shooting. In spite of this guideline, many photographers
like to purposely tilt their cameras to shoot landscape
photographs for a more interesting perspective.
directly above as its overly strong lighting will result in
very harsh shadows and bland looking colors. Evenings
and mornings are better for landscape shots, and many
photographers claim that the best photos are taken during
the time just before sunrise or after sunset, where the skies
are more colorful as compared to other times of the day.
The thing is, a landscape can look very diferent at diferent
times of the day, and it is best for a photographer to re-visit
a scene several times a day to determine what he likes
best. In temperate countries, landscapes display the most
drastic diferences over the diferent seasons.
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92
Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

RECOMMENDED LENSES

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As photographers usually want both good coverage of a
scene and for every element in a landscape photo to be
sharp, they must try to achieve as deep a depth of ield
as possible. Wide-angle lenses are naturally preferred
for such traditional landscape photographs of scenic
venues because their short focal lengths are able to
cover a wider angle of view and achieve a deep depth of
This 20mm f/2.8 lens would make a great landscape lens because of
ield. Wide-angles lenses are usually set with very small its very short focal length of 20mm that gives it a wide ield of view.
aperture settings so as to maximize the depth of ield.
With that being said, telephoto lenses are also useful in
helping the photographer zoom in on particular subjects
9393

in the landscape that result in photographs that are still

considered under this same genre.

Although small apertures ought to be used for landscape

shots, they come at the compromise of requiring a
longer shutter speed to achieve the same exposure as
compared to using larger aperture settings. Therefore, to
prevent handshake causing blur images during longer
This 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens also provides a very short focal
exposures, a tripod or a camera with a stabilization range that varies between 11 to 18mm, making it excellent for
technology like the Sony ฀100 ought to be used when
landscapes too.

shooting landscapes.
GALLERY

ACTION
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AND SPORTS
Action subjects like vehicles and sportspeople
are challenging to photograph, as most are fast
moving and unpredictable. Because of this, the
photographer has very much less freedom and
time to frame and capture the shot desired.
However, do not worry. In this section, we
have presented some tips for the avid sports
shutterbug.
 TIPS
1. Do not disturb
It is inevitable that in sports and action photography, the photographer is
often unable to get near the subject. To zoom in on the action, a telephoto
lens is a prerequisite for any sports photographer. This is all the more
important for those who do not have a press pass to stay near the ield in
oicial events.

2. Capture the atmosphere

Other than capturing the subject, do remember that sports and action
photography is also about recording the atmosphere around you. For
example, the cheering crowds, the weeping fans, the hardworking ball
boys and the colorful stadium of a football match are all good subjects too,
especially for candid shots. In such cases, it is wise to have a backup camera
that is ixed with a wide-angle lens.

3. Smart prefocus
If you ind you camera’s AF unable to lock onto the targets fast enough,
you can try this: Choose a spot or an area where action is expected to take
place, and pre-focus on it irst. For athletics or motorsports, the inishing
lines, the bends and corners, and even the advertisement boards are good
spots to point your camera towards. Half-press your shutter release button

POST PROCESSING
to get the focus locked, or use your camera’s focus lock button.

9595

70-200mm f/2.8

When at a sports match, it is essential

that you keep alert for any moment that
is worth capture. Following the ball is
one method of making sure you stay
where the action is.
 Photo by: John Cosgrove

To shoot great sports photographs, it is

essential that you use a long, fast lens.
This gets you up close to your subjects
without your having to step foot on the
pitch. Remember to bring a tripod or
monopod for support.
300mm f/2.8
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4. Master the panning technique
Panning is not the easiest of techniques – but learn it
well, and you will be duly rewarded. Panning involves
focusing the camera on the subject, moving the camera
to maintain the subject within the same position in the
frame and shooting it while it is on the move. The resulting
photograph should have the subject in reasonably sharp
focus while the background is blur due to the motion,
giving it a dynamic feel. The key is to pan as smoothly as
possible and to maintain the same speed as the moving
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96
certain efects that aid in telling your story. Remember
the slow sync and rear-curtain lash sync modes covered
earlier in this guide? With a slower shutter speed, the
former lets you freeze the action in the foreground with
the lash, but still captures details in the background; while
the latter can add some light trails for a more convincing
action shot. However, be careful not to distract your
subjects with a poorly timed lash.
6. Use fast lenses, high ISO

subject. Try to remain parallel with the target too, failing

which will result in parts of the photo not being sharp.
For those using image-stabilizing lenses, make sure their
systems are not afecting your panning shots (or simply
switch them of ).
5. Remember your flash
A lash can come in handy too when the lighting
conditions are not favorable. You can also use it to create
Having a fast lens (say with a widest aperture of f/2.8) is
not a must, but we cannot deny its usefulness. If you have
to freeze someone in motion (e.g. a high-jumper in mid-
air), you will have a better chance of doing so by using a
fast shutter speed with an f/2.8 lens than an f/4 one. Of
course, if your subject is very far away, it is possible to use
a slower shutter speed. To quicken your shutter speeds
even more, you should also choose as high an ISO setting
as possible. Just remember to keep a lookout for noise.
 7. Stabilize your lenses
As good sports lenses are usually telephoto types, any
movement you make will be ampliied at long range and
show up as blurring in the photo. To prevent this from
happening, switch on your camera’s optical stabilization
system (like the ฀100’s Super SteadyShot) if available.
When shooting from a ixed position, a tripod or monopod
is recommended not only for stabilizing the lens but also
for supporting it.
9. Play safe – shoot in RAW
Shooting sports or action-related events is a busy (read:
tiring) afair, so anything that can be taken of your mind
is welcomed. The advantages of shooting in RAW are well
documented in this guide. With unpredictable lightings in
a stadium, the ability to change white balance for a RAW
ile is well worth the extra megabytes of space.

8. Fast action needs fast gear

Due to the random movement in sports and action
scenes, a good continuous shooting mode is highly
valued in a camera. For the Sony ฀100, it can shoot
indeinitely at full resolution and inest JPEG compression
level at its fastest continuous shooting rate of 3FPS.
However, it is equally important to ensure that you have
fast and reliable memory cards to do the job of storing
the photos rapidly. This is even more so for those who
are shooting in RAW. Nothing is more disappointing than
missing a golden photographic opportunity because the
card is not storing photos fast enough.

RECOMMENDED LENSES

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Action and sports photography is notorious for requiring the most demanding and expensive photographic equipment
which you can see surrounding an important football match or at the bends of a rally car race. However, investing in such
equipment can reap you the beneit of producing some of the most dynamic and interesting shots of any photographic
genre.

Due to the fact that you probably have to be positioned far away from fast moving subjects, action and sports photography
requires fast lenses with high telephoto zoom. These are typically 200mm and above. If such telephoto lenses are beyond
your budget, a cheap alternative is to use teleconverters that can extend the range of your lens by their multiplication
factors. However, the results will not be as perfect as compared to using an actual telephoto lens.

This Sony DT 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom

This Sony 300mm f/2.8 is a prime lens has an extremely lexible zoom range
lens with a long ixed focal length that stretches from a wide-angle focal length
9797

of 300mm. As its focal length is of 18mm (27mm in 35mm eq.) to a good

ixed, it is perfectly tuned to ofer
extremely accurate, distortion-free
photos. Its large relative aperture
of f/2.8 also makes it a fast lens and
good for capturing action and sports
photographs.
For more lexibility but slightly less soom
magniication, this Sony 70-200mm
f/2.8 ofers a 70-200mm zoom that is
useful for shooting a sports event where
there is a lot of long distance movement,
for example, a football game where the
subjects can be as near as a few meters in
front of the photographer, to as far away
as 100 meters. It too has a large relative
aperture of f/2.8, making it a rather fast
lens.
telephoto focal length of 200mm (300mm
in 35mm eq.)! With this lens, you can cover
anything from landscapes to action sports.
However, for action or sports shooting, it is
somewhat limited by its maximum relative
aperture of f/6.3 at full telephoto zoom. So if
you use this lens for fast moving subjects, it is
recommended that you need to set a higher
ISO level or shoot on a rather sunny day to
increase shutter speeds and prevent blurring.
An alternative to buying expensive telephoto
lenses for action or sports photography
is to get one of these teleconverters that
can increase your lens’ focal length by their
multiplication factor; but to slightly poorer
results compared to dedicated telephoto
lenses.
GALLERY
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LOW LIGHT AND NIGHT

Considering that photography is all about light, low light and night photography often pose more of a challenge than
daytime photography. Due to the reduced amount of light in such scenarios, the photographer is forced to compensate by
adopting the tips we have presented in this section. However, low light and night scenes provide a great opportunity for a
photographer to “play around” with the light sources in the scene. When done right, the photos that result from shooting in
such environments can be among the most stunning, interesting and surreal that a photographer can shoot.
TIPS
1. Stabilize your camera
For the serious night photographer, a tripod is an essential
accessory. Mounted on one, a camera can shoot at any
shutter speed, no matter how slow, without the fear of
having hand movements cause image blurring. Even if you
do not have a tripod, you can easily place the camera on
a stable platform like a ledge, chair, or table from which to
take the picture. Some professional photographers also have
a beanbag or small pillow handy at all times to place the
camera on for slow shutter speed shooting.

2. Use the self-timer

Even if your camera is mounted on a stable surface like a
tripod, the slight shake caused by pressing the shutter button
to take a slow shutter speed shot may also cause blurring in
the resulting photo. To prevent this, you can simply set your
camera’s self timer to take the shot instead.

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Photo by: Julian W

 3. Use high ISO settings
Shutter speeds can also be further increased by the
use of higher the ISO levels. The higher the ISO level,
the more sensitive the camera’s sensor is to light as the
previous section has explained. However, this comes
at the compromise of increased image noise. This is
exacerbated by the use of longer shutter speeds. As
a general rule, when shooting in low light situations
while handholding your camera, an ISO level of 400 or
above is recommended. But if you are shooting from
a tripod, set the ISO as low as possible so as to reduce
image noise and use a longer shutter speed with a
smaller aperture setting to compensate for the lower
sensor sensitivity.

4. Know Your Flashing Techniques

Using a lash at night is often the only way to
illuminate your subject. However, before you start
taking photos using your camera’s lash, make sure
you know the diferent lashing techniques (presented
earlier) it is capable of and understand how they will
afect the resulting photo. For night photography, it is
better to employ specialized lashing techniques like
front/rear curtain or slow sync lashing that always
render better results than if you leave the camera on
its auto lash mode.
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Photo by: Julian W

The long exposure time in this shot has given this scene a rather pleasing directional blur in the clouds, complemented by the absolute stillness of the buildings.
 GALLERY
101101

5. Achieving blur effects

The motion of night subjects can be portrayed by shooting their trails or the
streaking of their lighting on a slow shutter speed. Prime subjects for such
11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
efects are vehicles, or pedestrians. Although we have advocated shooting
When shooting long exposure shots in high wind,
a camera from a stable base when using slow shutter speeds, many such as from atop a building, make sure to keep your
camera stable, by securing the strap, weighing down
interesting light trail and motion efects can be achieved by deliberately your tripod or even shielding your camera from wind.
moving the camera or adjusting the zoom ring during exposure. However, Also, from this vantage point, you can compose your
shot with well-lit roads as leading lines.
this is often a case of trial and error and you should take many shots to
experiment until you get the one you want.
GALLERY

20mm f/2.8

At a shutter speed of
1.3 seconds, headlights
become lovely streaks of
light conveying the feeling
of urgent movement.
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18-70mm f/3.5-5.6

Stopping down your

aperture gives streetlights
and other light sources a Photo by: Julian W
multi-pointed “star” efect.
6. Take Control of Your Camera
Dim and high contrast lighting often occur in night scenes and can either cause
a camera to focus slowly or not at all, or fool a camera’s exposure meter into over
or underexposing the shot.

It is often better to do the focusing yourself if you ind your camera showing
such focusing problems. However, do consider if your focusing issues are being
caused by shooting at an improper focal range irst. As for exposure issues, it is
a good practice to bracket exposures for low light photography. By manually
bracketing your shots or using the camera’s auto bracket function, you should
end up with at least one ideal shot from the series to keep.

Vario-Sonnar T
DT 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 ZA

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 7. Explore Bulb Photography
“Bulb” refers to a low light photographic technique
where the camera shutter is left open for indeinite
periods of time. Available on almost all DSLR
cameras, the bulb mode of a camera allows the
photographer to open the shutter with a irst press
of the shutter button, and close it again at his own
time when he releases the shutter button. Bulb
photography is used to shoot either subjects that
give of extremely little light, or are poorly lit, or are
unpredictable. For example, a photographer can
set up a camera in a pitch dark open ield, point
it towards the sky and use the long exposure to
photograph the stars or trace their streaks as they
move during the exposure time. Examples of
unpredictable subjects that can only be caught by
bulb photography are meteor showers and lightning.
To photograph a lightning bolt, a photographer
must leave the camera’s shutter open on bulb mode
and wait for it while pointing the camera towards
a likely striking point like a lone tree in a ield. For
bulb photography, photographers usually set their
cameras on an extremely small aperture setting and
the lowest ISO setting possible to compensate for
the extremely long shutter speeds.
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Photo by: Ron Yue © National Geographic Channel Asia

 While a prime lens would

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be ideal for a low light
photo of the Sydney Opera
RECOMMENDED House, a zoom lens can
give you the versatility

LENSES you need especially when

traveling. 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6

“Fast” lenses that are able to have a

relatively wide aperture setting at
their maximum zoom are preferred for
night photography as they allow the
photographer to use higher shutter speeds
and thus lessen the chance of incurring
camera shake that will blur the resulting
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photos. For example if a 400mm, f/5.6 lens

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requires a shutter speed of 1/60 sec for a

night shot, a 400mm, f/4 will let you shoot
at 1/125 sec, and a 400mm, f/2.8 will allow
for an even faster 1/250 sec shutter speed.
The increase in shutter speed aforded by a
fast lens can mean the diference between
a sharp photo and a blurred one.

This surreal looking beach scene was shot on

a camera’s bulb mode in almost total darkness.
The photographer left the shutter open for over
a minute with the tiny f/16.0 aperture on a full
moon night. No ilters were used.
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NATURE & WILDLIFE

75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Have you ever found yourself wanting to take photographs of birds or animals when you
visit places of interests like national parks, forests and coastal regions, zoos, or even the
wildlife in your own backyard? What should you gear up with and know with regard to
photographing natural subjects? Here, we will provide a few key pointers to improve your
natural (pun intended) photographic skills.
TIPS
1. Use Long Range Lenses with Fast Zoom
Many animal subjects are shy and easily frightened. Birds are especially challenging as they can approach and leave
extremely rapidly. Therefore, photographing them from long range is usually inevitable. For this, you will need a lens with
as long a focal range as possible. If you are not using a DSLR that has a zoom ring, a camera with a high-speed zoom is also
advantageous for rapid shot framing as they move about. Long zoom lenses also have the added beneit of decreasing
the depth of ield in a photo and making the subject really stand out sharply from a blurred background. This is especially
important for cluttered natural environments that will distract the viewer from the subject. For creative shots, you can try
zooming in on sections of an animal rather than trying to ill the frame with its body. This way, interesting textures can be
accentuated and make for a more engaging portrait.

2. Use fast lenses

Fast lenses that allow for a large aperture when extended
to their maximum zoom are also preferred as they will let
more light pass through to the sensor and consequently,
allow for a faster shutter speed to be used to capture
the image. Using high shutter speeds is essential for
photographing restless animals. Though large apertures
may also make the edges of photographs look slightly
“softer”, this is a far better compromise than using slower
shutter speeds and smaller apertures that will make the
idgety subjects look blur because of their movement..

Photo by: Chris Lau

3. Use a high ISO setting
To further minimize blur in your photographs, use a high
ISO setting (ISO 400 and above) to achieve a higher shutter

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speed, especially when shooting restless animals or those in
shaded areas. Of course, if you are shooting in bright sunlit
environments, use a lower ISO setting to reduce noise as
long as the shutter speed is fast enough.

4. Have a tripod handy

Camera stability is essential when taking long-range shots.
This is because even a slight movement of the camera
will be magniied by the long zoom lens and cause the
resulting photo to be blur. Even a few millimeters of shake
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will show up as a few feet of distortion when framing a shot 5. Camping for a shot
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of a subject that is about 30 meters away. Blurring in photos

is also exacerbated by slow shutter speeds when shooting
in low light. To maintain stability, tripods are indispensable
accessories for the serious nature photographer. They also
come in useful for shooting in low-light environments
where slow shutter speeds are needed, and also serve to
support the camera if you are dedicated enough to spend
hours waiting at a ixed position for a subject to appear.
Cameras or removable lenses with image stabilizing
technologies like the Sony ฀100’s Super SteadyShot are
also beneicial for shooting subjects at long ranges or in
low light conditions.
For wildlife subjects, it is more often a case of having them
come to you rather than you going to them. Don’t bother
attempting to stalk especially wary birds or animals – they’ll
detect your presence and lee long before you may even
see them. Set up a tent in the wild, or park your car in a
safari and wait for your subject instead. The key is to remain
concealed for long enough so that the animals feel safe to
approach. Some documentary production professionals
irst leave tents in natural environments for days so as to let
their subjects grow accustomed to seeing the tents before
they occupy them and start shooting.
 6. Use bait
Some wild animals have no real fear of humans, but neither
do they have any motivation to approach us. Therefore,
some food bait may be helpful in luring them over. Of
course, do check with authorities if it is legal to feed the
animals – even though it may be a tiny amount for a
snapshot.

7. Shoot small and tame animals

on macro
There are some wild animals that are exceptionally tame
and curious like Australian kangaroos and lorikeets
(colorful medium sized parrots), and they do not hesitate
in approaching humans. In such cases you can shoot them
not only at standard to long ranges, but also at macro
ranges that may result in some interesting portraits.
8. Observe and time animal
behavior
Animals are usually most active just after dawn or at dusk.
It is also at those times when the sunlight is not as harsh as
it is in the afternoon, and technically best for photography.
However, if the environment is shaded, and if the animals
are lethargic but still awake, then afternoon could be a
great time for shooting as well. The point is, know what you
want to shoot and time your visit optimally.
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However, the best wildlife shots are usually of animals
doing their usual activities. To capture such moments, the
photographer must cultivate the patience and experience
to anticipate such events. For example, visiting a tiger
on a hot, late afternoon for a higher chance of seeing it
swimming, or getting ready for a dramatic sparring session
when two male stags pause and start to look at each other
eye to eye.
9. Be mindful of metering
If your animal subject is very dark (like a black bear), and
ills a large portion of the frame, your camera’s meter will
tend to overexpose. Conversely, if your subject is light (like
a polar bear), the meter will probably underexpose. To
overcome this, take a meter reading of something that is
neutral gray to calibrate your shot.

RECOMMENDED LENSES
This Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 ofers a 70-200mm
zoom that is useful for shooting natural subjects.
Its large relative aperture of f/2.8, makes it a rather
fast lens too, allowing for faster shutter speeds to
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An alternative to buying expensive telephoto
lenses is to get one of these teleconverters that
can increase your lens’ focal length by their
multiplication factor; but to slightly poorer results
Animal subjects are highly similar
to sports and action ones in that
they are also constantly on the
move and the photographer
usually needs to maintain a discreet
distance from them. Therefore, the
lenses recommended for nature
and wildlife shots are very similar
to the ones for action and sports

be used. compared to dedicated telephoto lenses. photography. Again, fast lenses with
long telephoto focal lengths are
This Sony DT 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens has an
extremely lexible zoom range that stretches from a preferred. However, telephoto lenses
wide-angle focal length of 18mm (27mm in 35mm
eq.) to a good telephoto focal length of 200mm
with variable zoom are preferred
(300mm in 35mm eq.)! With this lens, you can close as wildlife movement, unlike
in on animals as near as a few meters to you to those
tens of meters away. Furthermore, it is only 118mm that of sports subjects, is highly
long, and very compact, making it easy to bring about
on treks. The reason why it is so compact is because
unpredictable. Macro lenses are also
of its weakness. It is has a maximum relative aperture excellent for shooting more docile
of a rather slow f/6.3 at full telephoto zoom; therefore
it can be constructed much smaller than lenses that natural subjects up close.
have large maximum apertures at that focal length. So if you use this lens for fast moving wildlife subjects, it
is recommended that you need to set a higher ISO level or shoot on a rather sunny day to increase shutter
speeds and prevent blurring.
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MACRO
Macro photography simply refers to shooting objects
close up. “Macro” is derived from the Greek word “makros”
that actually means “large”. The reason why this word is
50mm f/2.8 Macro used to describe such photography is because at such
close ranges, the subjects in the resulting photo are
enlarged by a 1:1 or larger magniication. The great thing
about macro photography is that if you have a keen eye,
almost anything can be a subject of interest.
 TIPS
1. Start small
If you are new close-up photography, a recommended irst attempt is to shoot simple still life, non-animated objects. Things
such as coins, stamps, or even your favorite toys and igurines are good examples to start your exploration. Just place them on a
lat surface with a decent, non-cluttered background, and you will be on your way. But remember, since you are shooting them at
close range, every little detail including any dust, dirt and grime on the subjects or surface will be very visible. And removing them
in post-processing would often mean sacriicing intricate details. So make sure to clean your items irst and make sure you are in a
relatively dust-free room with no fan blowing directly at the items.

Much like product photography, lighting can be a problem if you are shooting items that are relective, such as coins,
glass, jewelry etc. Try to place them under difused lighting, and not hit them straight on with your lash. If all attempts
to eliminate relections (or shadows) fail, you may need to get a light tent instead. Shaped much like a tent or a cone, it
envelops your subject and helps to soften the light and reduce relections. If you want to make a light tent yourself, white
curtains or pillowcases are common household items that you can improvise as building materials.

2. Shooting bugs 4. Focus techniques

Insects and butterlies are popular subjects for macro
photography . When shooting them, we have only two key
words of advice: research and patience. Whatever insects
you intend to photograph, know where and when they
are most likely to appear, and ind out from fellow like-
minded photographers about some of their favorite haunts.
Patience is a necessary ingredient too. You may wait for hours
before a suitable subject appears. The idea is to set up your
equipment at a particular spot, and wait for the subjects to
come instead of going on a wild goose chase. If you have to
approach your subjects, move in on them carefully. Do not
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Although a camera may be able to achieve auto-focus
rapidly in normal situations, it may take much longer
for macro photography because of the extremely short
distances involved. If you ind that your camera’s AF is
encountering diiculty focusing, do not hesitate to switch
to manual focusing instead. Often, moving the camera back
and forth physically will be easier to achieve focus.
5. Depth of field control
Remember our earlier section on depth of ield? The closer

make unnecessary movements (or noises) that may scare you are to the subject, the lesser depth ield you will have.
them away, and be careful not to cast any shadows on them. Therefore, to maximize depth of ield, shoot at as small an
aperture setting as possible. However, this will inevitably
3. Lighting is key require you to use a slower shutter speed, which may induce
camera shake if you were to handhold the camera. Even a
Lighting is always an important factor in photography, and slight camera shake may render the image blur in macro
it is no diferent for macro shots. Even in bright daylight, photography. Therefore, always bring a tripod with you.
a lash can also be used to ill-in shadows and to increase
saturation. If your camera supports it, a dedicated external
lashgun is recommended. Built-in lashes are generally
okay but there are many instances when at close distances,
the lens barrel of the camera will block the light and cause
shadows in the photos.
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 6. Know your magnification ratios
When referring to specialized DSLR macro lenses, are
you stumped by what the “magniication ratios” on their
speciications mean? For example, when one says “one-tenth
life size”, it means that a subject that is 10cm high will show
up as 1cm high on the ilm or sensor. This can be written as
a magniication of 0.1x or expressed in a ratio of 1:10. So a 1x
magniication is the same as a ratio of 1:1,which means that
the subject will be the same size on the ilm or sensor as it
is physically. Similarly, a 0.5x magniication (half-life size) will
have a ratio of 1:2, and a 2x (twice-life size) magniication a
ratio of 2:1. Photography using lenses that have at least a 1x
magniication ratio is technically called “close-up” photography.
Photographing anything larger than life size is termed as
Photo by: Julian W

RECOMMENDED LENSES

This Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens’ long focal range
allows a photographer to stand at a discreet distance
from this subject, lessening the change of him scaring it
away (if it is an insect or animal).
This Sony HVL-RLAM ring light is mounted at the
end of a camera’s lens and provides excellent close-up
lighting for macro photography.
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Like the ring light, this Sony HVL-MT24AM macro twin
lash kit is mounted at the end of a camera’s lens. The
two lashes can be independently positioned anywhere
around the ring and can be tilted forwards or backwards.
They can even be set to ire at diferent intensities and
can be itted with difusers and ilters. Therefore, this
unit gives a macro photographer a whole repertoire of
creative lashing and lighting options.

For beginner DSLR photographers, a fast and easy way to increase magniication is to use a close-up lens, which is an
attachment that goes over the camera’s lens that looks like a ilter. Some manufacturers sell this as an optional attachment. In
any case, if you are buying the screw-on types, make sure you get the correct attachment size that its your lens. The beauty of
such lenses is that they are fairly inexpensive, and light to carry about.

Close-up lenses come in various magniications that typically range between +1 to +10 “diopters” that indicate their
magniication ability. You can stack two close-up lenses together to increase magniication power (stacking a +1 to a +3 will
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give you a +4 magniication), but ideally you should not use more than two since there is always the danger of vignetting.
Also, image quality may take a hit if too many lenses are used in combination.

For greater lexibility, a macro lens is the best option. Such lenses are also available in various focal lengths ranges such as
50/55/100mm and provide a magniication of at least 0.5x (1:2 reproduction ratio) to 1x (1:1 reproduction ratio). The advantage
of the longer focal length macro lenses is that they allow the photographer to be positioned further away from the subjects,
thus minimizing the possibility of scaring the subjects away. Apart from their macro capability, these lenses can be used just
like any other lenses and many users even use their macro lenses for portraits.

For the serious macro enthusiast, ring lights and twin lash kits are excellent for providing the best close up lighting for macro
subjects. Ring lights and twin lash units are mounted at the end of a camera’s lens and are able to illuminate macro subjects
evenly without the photographer, camera or any other obstructing object causing shadows.
Photo by: Chris Lau
 POST
PROCESSING

113113 POST PROCESSING

 In traditional ilm photography, the
darkroom is the place where ilm is developed
and transformed into prints for everyone to view, share
and enjoy. These days, more people are seriously taking up
photography, due in large part to the increased afordability and
accessibility to DSLR cameras. Their “darkroom” however, isn’t a small, dimly lit
chamber illed with luids and apparatus. The place where the magic happens is in
the realm of software, on their desktops or notebooks.

FILE FORMATS
The Sony ฀100 DSLR camera gives you much more imaging power than compact or prosumer cameras. Not only does it
hand you more control over your images while shooting, it also gives you the option to save your photos to either RAW
format or JPEG; or both simultaneously.

RAW shoot photos in three diferent compression sizes of JPEG:

Considered the “digital negative,” a RAW ile is an S, M and L. The smaller your ile size, the lower the image
unprocessed, uncompressed still image ile captured from quality. If you want the best of both worlds, and have a
the image sensor of your camera. It contains both “pure” generous supply of CF cards or Memory Sticks, then you
POST PROCESSING

image data as well as image processing data and camera
information, such as exposure settings and focal length
when you took the photo. The image quality of RAW iles
is uncompromised, and a lot of professionals shoot in RAW
exclusively. These make RAW iles much easier to post-
process in a computer compared to other ile formats. The
tradeof is in ile size – RAW iles are considerably larger
than that other common digital image iles like JPEG. RAW
iles also take longer to store into your camera’s memory,
so lengthy continuous shooting might be problematic.
Each manufacturer has its own standard of RAW ile and
Sony is no exception. RAW iles shot using the Sony ฀100
will have the ile extension .ARW. When you “develop”
.ARW iles using Sony’s bundled Image Data Converter
software, your iles can be saved as .SR2, .TIFF or .JPG.
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might want to shoot in RAW and JPEG simultaneously.
TIFF
Using the Image Data Converter, you have the option
to save your RAW iles as TIFFs. Like JPEG, TIFF (tagged
image ile format) is a popular ile format for images. The
main diference, however, is that, while JPEGs use lossy
compression, TIFF is what is known as a “lossless” format
(though you do have the option to use compression).
When in uncompressed form, TIFF iles are ideal as image
storage, because you can edit these iles and save without
losing image data.
LOSSLESS AND LOSSY

JPEG Lossless and lossy are terms that indicate if an image

This popular ile format lets you shoot to your heart’s
content, being relatively small in ile size as compared to
a RAW ile. A JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is
viewable straight out of the camera, even web browsers
can display them. Though JPEGs are convenient and
economical in terms of memory storage, they do lack the
image quality found in RAW. JPEGs use what is known as
“lossy” compression, meaning not all of the image data is
stored onto the memory medium. The Sony ฀100 lets you
(or audio or video) ile has compressed details that can
be recovered. Lossless ile formats like TIFF enable every
single bit of data that was originally in the ile to be
retrieved when the ile is uncompressed for viewing or
processing. On the other hand, lossy ile formats like the
popular JPG use algorithms to discard a lot of image
information and details (which cannot be retrieved) to
create a smaller ile. A human eye cannot discern the
absence of the information that has been discarded.
However, if a ile is overly compressed, the degradation
in quality will start to become obvious.
SONY IMAGE
DATA CONVERTER
In order for you to fully enjoy digital photos shot in RAW, you irst must convert them with Sony’s bundled Image Data
Converter, which comes with the ฀100. This application is your digital darkroom. It allows you to view and edit your RAW
camera iles, convert them to JPEG, TIFF or SR2, make adjustments to exposure, white balance, sharpness and much more.

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Master
Menu Bar Palette File Browser Palettes
Window
Tool Bar

BASIC INTERFACE
The Image Data Converter is fairly straightforward to use. Those 4. Document Window (not shown). This is where your
who are familiar with imaging applications such as Adobe image ile is displayed. Any edits or adjustments made
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Photoshop CS2 will have no trouble using this software. The
basic parts are these:
1. Menu Bar. This provides access to the File, Edit, View, Browser,
Tools, Palettes, Window and Help menus.
2. Tool Bar. This contains your basic set of imaging tools.
Clicking on any of these basic functions executes an operation.
3. Master Palette. Your control center. Through the Master
Palette, you have access to the arsenal of imaging tools that the
Image Data Converter has to ofer.
using the palettes will show here. Pressing CTRL+D
opens a double view, showing both the original ile
and the edit in progress.
5. File Browser Window. Functions like a contact print
sheet. This lets you have ingertip access to your image
iles.
6. Palettes. Each palette represents a speciic editing
control or tool like White Balance or Saturation for
example. Pressing the TAB button hides all palettes
including the Master Palette.
 BASIC OPERATION
Some of the tools found on the Image Data Converter are ones you’ll ind quite useful time and again. To give you an idea
on how to use them, we’ve compiled this short list of how-tos to get you started on your digital darkroom.

ADJUSTING
WHITE BALACE
One of the most common errors in digital
photography is setting your white balance wrong.
This happens when your lighting conditions change,
for example, when you go indoors following an
outdoor shoot, or when the sun disappears suddenly
behind cloud. If you are lucky, this error will be
barely noticeable. More often however, the wrong
white balance setting will introduce unwanted
colorcasts into your photographs that are inaccurate,
disappointing and unappealing. When you shoot in
JPEG, readjusting inaccurate white balance takes a
bit of an efort using Photoshop CS2 or some other
imaging software. However, when you shoot in RAW,
readjusting white balance is easy. Here’s how:
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1. Open up the ile in question. Incorrect white balance is quite

easy to spot. The colors in the photo will appear unnatural, heavy
on the yellow side or way too blue. Using the Image Data Converter,
open the ile you want to correct, then select White Balance on
the Master palette to bring up the White Balance palette.

2. Select Correct White Balance. The White Balance palette gives

you four options for adjusting white balance: camera setting, preset,
color temperature, or specify gray point. Camera setting will display
the photo in the original white balance setting you used when
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you shot it. The other three options let you adjust your settings
accordingly.

3. Further Adjust Using Color Correction. The Color Correction

slider lets you tweak your image’s color across the Green-Magenta
scale. You can use either the slider or the +/- buttons. The further
away from the center you go, the more extreme the color shift, so
use this according to taste.
Using Presets to Adjust Your White Balance
The easiest way to adjust your white balance is to use the preset menu, mainly because each of the presets corresponds
to a certain lighting condition, which you can readily identify. The Image Data Converter gives you nine presets, which you
select from the drop-down list. You can ine-tune this further by raising or lowering the color temperature using the slider
or +/- buttons.

CAMERA SETTING DAYLIGHT CLOUDY SHADE DAY LIGHT FLOURESCENT

DAY WHITE FLUORESCENT COOL WHITE FLUORESCENT WARM WHITE FLUORESCENT INCANDESCENT FLASH

Using Color Temperature to

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Adjust Your Color Balance
You can also choose to adjust
your white balance manually
using the Color Temperature
controls on the White Balance
palette. Think of the white
balance presets as a rough
guide and color temperature
as the actual thing. It’s more
challenging, but ultimately more 2100 K 6000 K 9900 K
precise. 117117

Adjusting White Balance by

Specifying Gray Point

White balance is all about calibration. A third method you can

use to adjust your white balance is to specify a gray point. Using
either the dropper tool or area selection tool, select a point or area
that you want the software to interpret as gray and using that as a
reference, for calibrating the other colors. The clicked point becomes
achromatic gray, and the rest of the colors will fall in line. This
method takes a little getting used to, but is worth the practice.
 ADJUSTING
IMAGE EXPOSURE
One of the fundamentals of photography is proper exposure. Using the Image Data Converter, you can examine each of
your photographs and determine whether they are underexposed, overexposed, or exposed just right.

Displaying Image Color Status

You can easily determine if your image has tonal values beyond the range
of the camera’s sensor to capture. When this happens, due to under or
overexposure, these areas are clipped. The Image Data Converter can display
clipped shadows and clipped highlights, as well as display out-of-gamut
colors. You can access these commands through the VIEW menu or the
following shortcuts:
Ctrl+1: Display Clipped Shadows
Ctrl+2: Display Clipped Highlights
Ctrl+3: Display Out-of-gamut Colors

Adjusting Exposure Value

Perhaps the major reason why camera enthusiasts upgrade to a DSLR camera from a point-and-shoot is the
creative control that you get from a more advanced imaging system. You will ind yourself able to make creative
and technical decisions you never could with a point-and-shoot. Chief among these decisions is exposure. To get a
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proper exposure, you generally have to balance aperture with shutter speed following the advice of your in-camera
meter. However, there are times, when you have to override the camera meter, and experience will play a good part
in learning how to judge when to do this. Even if getting correct exposures is not yet second nature to you, you can
still remedy your improperly exposed photos using the EV or Exposure Value Adjustment found in the Image Data
Converter. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the ile in Image Data Converter. Adjust EV on

photographs where you feel exposure is slightly of or when
you want to make creative adjustments. From the master
Palette, select EV Adjustment.

2. Check Exposure. You can ind out whether the image is

underexposed or overexposed and by how much by using
either the Histogram or the color Status views discussed
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earlier.

3. Adjust Exposure Value. The image Data converter

allows you to adjust EV from –2 to +2 stops. You can use
either the horizontal slider or the +/- buttons. Using the
buttons will adjust the value by 1/3 stop.
When is Exposure“Correct”?
While there are times when one can easily determine whether a photo is overexposed or underexposed, there are photos
in between those extremes where “good” exposure is largely subjective. In the following six photos, the top left and bottom
right photos are obviously lawed. The other four photos leave much room for opinion, each with its own merits.

ADJUSTING
CONTRAST
You can use the Contrast Palette to make adjustments in the
diference in brightness and darkness levels of your image.
Dragging the slider to the right causes a sharper contrast, while

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dragging to the left produces a softer image.

BATCH
PROCESSING
When you have a great number of digital negatives to develop, you
can edit, adjust and save multiple iles automatically in a method called
Batch Processing. This works for simple conversions from RAW to JPEG,
for example, but also performs well for more complex, multi-stage
adjustments. Batch Processing will allow you to output to a new target
folder, rename your iles to follow a certain standard, and generally
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makes the tedious parts of digital developing easy.

ADJUSTING
SATURATION
When your images seem a bit dull, you can try making
adjustments to the color saturation. Shifting the slider to the
right makes your photo’s colors deeper and more vivid. Shifting
the slider to the left will make the colors more muted.