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“My philosophy of life is “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”

Without the support of my family, I wouldn’t be able to compose this excellent eBook for all to enjoy. The effort made to create this eBook. I’ve traveled each individual destination. The dozens of dive sites dove and photographed. Thousands of photographs accumulated. The Thousands of dives; dove to captures the best possible shot under the conditions. All worth it! Motivation is my passion.

Thanks to my family;

My Mother Barb;

My Brothers Guy and Roni;

My Father Momi;

Learn Digital Photography Traditional & Underwater

Equipment & Fundamentals

Published at Smashwords

Images are the property of their respective copyright holders

Author

Shai S Bitton

M.B.A., BA.Sc, BA. Phil., LLB.

Instructor

Underwater & Traditional Photographer

Artwork and Illustration By:

Shai S. Bitton

Research By:

Shai S. Bitton

Course Director - Instructor

Shai S Bitton

Technical Editing

Shai S Bitton

Learn Digital Photography Traditional & Underwater

Equipment & Fundamentals

PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT & FUNDAMENTALS

Introduction

In this eBook there are over 80 pages of Digital Photography and information. 100+ Illustrated Colorful Photos composed by over 18,000 words.

This EBook is composed in the perception of two forms. It’s designed to suite readers that are interested in knowing about Digital photography; traditional or underwater. With the rapid technology in cameras today many have issues on the technical part of the cameras as well as the terminology used to explain how to use your camera? What type of camera to buy? Which brand, price range? Do I need a Digicam, a Semi Professional or a Professional? What type of equipment will I need to start? Where is the best place to buy? What type of Photography should be pursued? Be acknowledged as to the equipment you’ll need if you’re an amateur: vacations and hobby or a semi professional; to the level of a professional. Get access to information that you need for traditional and underwater photography. Start your journey into the world of photography from here!

You’ll acquire hands on techniques on how to;

Learn Digital Photography by purchasing Learn Digital Photography Traditional and Underwater eBook today!

Attain knowledge on Digital Photography Equipment and Fundamentals discussed under that heading.

Attain knowledge on Underwater Photography covered and in depths techniques; (Get certified by enrolling in the online course)

Attain knowledge on Traditional Photography (Get Certified by enrolling in the online course)

Master your knowledge on Editing, by selecting the perfect Computer system or laptop.

Master your knowledge on the Software and Hardware that’s a prerequisite for tailoring perfect work. To publish, market and sell your work over the internet.

Get guidance on how to make money online.

Get information on purchasing Photography Equipment at wholesale prices (Only for online enrolled students)

Get linked with top Photography Sources and information. (Only for online enrolled students)

Establish connects with the top Professional Photographers in different types of photography fields. (Only for online enrolled students)

How to use this eBook

Windows version 2003 and older!

How to navigate through this eBook I’ve created hyperlink to direct you to the any title by simply pressing the CTRL + Click on the “Title” to be direct

To go back to the “Table Of Contents” from any of the titles by; Pressing the CTRL + Click on the “Title“ that will take you to the Sub title. Click again to get to Table of Contents. Or Click where available the “Back to Table of Contents” link.

Windows version 2007 and above including other devices.

Windows, MAC, IPAD, and other handheld devices. Just click on the hyperlink to be direct to link. Click on that title again to get to the Table of Contents. Or Click where available the “Back to Table of Contents” link.

Digital Photography Course Overview

Introduction to Photography

Digital Camera Terminology ABC’s

Adobe RGB

Developed by Adobe Systems in 1998, this color space was designed to encompass most of the colors achievable on CMYK color printers, but by using RGB primary colors on a device such as a computer monitor. The Adobe RGB color space encompasses roughly 50% of the visible colors specified by the Lab color space, improving upon the gamut of the sRGB color space primarily in cyan-greens

Ambient Light

Is referred t to available (non natural light) a External flash or non artificial (Underwater strobe) light.

Aperture

Aperture is the unit of measurement that defines the size of the opening in the lens that controls the amount of light reaching the digital sensor. The size of the opening is controlled by an adjustable diaphragm of overlapping blades similar to the pupils of our eyes. Aperture is expressed in units called f-stops. Aperture affects exposure and depth of field.

Aperture Priority

An exposure mode that lets you select the desired aperture while the camera sets the shutter speed for proper exposure automatically. You can blur the background focus on the object.

Backscatter

Particles in the water column, that appears as grains of dust on your images. By placing strobes on articulated arms extended away from the camera (1-3ft) you achieve even and soft lighting with limited shadows and reduces backscatter.

Barrel Distortion

Barrel distortion is a lens effect which causes straight lines to appear curved, particularly near the edges of the image. Barrel distortion is associated with fisheye lenses and at the wide end of a zoom lens.

Battery Pack

A digital camera consumes power while in use. To provide them with power required operating for hours; the invention of a special compound Lithium-Ion has been introduced to serve this purpose. Composed of one or more “AA” batteries that is rechargeable for many times. Depending on how you take care of them. Avoid charging a battery that is not empty. Charge a battery when it’s near empty. A recommendation applied to preserve the battery life expectancy. A good practice is to always carry backup “battery pack” The battery pack is formed into a “pack”, multiple batteries to form a compact size battery that powers the camera. Rechargeable batteries are in general included in cameras that are over a $100. May be included in those expensive; However! the quality of their life expectancy varies. With the purchase of a new camera refer to the manufacturer the required first charge for an out of the box camera. A new Camera!!!

Buffer

While the image data is being processed in the camera and written to the storage card, a buffer of RAM memory temporarily holds the image information before it is written out to storage card allowing the camera to continue shooting during this time.

Chromatic Aberration

Manifested as "color fringing" around the edges of your subjects, chromatic aberration is caused by the camera lens (or port) not focusing different wavelengths of light onto the exact same focal plane and/or by the lens magnifying different wavelengths differently. In reference to the image below notice the red highlighted line

Color Gamut

Refers to the entire range of; colors available within a particular color space. When a color is "out of gamut," it cannot be properly converted to the target device, whether a monitor or more often a printer.

Color Management

To achieve consistent color between your monitor and any output, you'll want to use color management software to calibrate your monitor.

Color Space

Due to technical limitations, monitors and printers are unable to reproduce all the colors we can see with our eyes, also called the "LAB" color space. The group of colors an average computer monitor can replicate is called the (additive) sRGB color space. The group of colors a printer can generate is called the (subtractive) CMYk color space. Higher-end digital cameras allow you to shoot in Adobe RGB (1998), which is larger than sRGB and CMYk. This will allow for prints with a wider range of colors. However, most monitors are only able to display colors within sRGB.

Color Temperature

Different light sources emit light at different color temperatures, expressed in degrees Kelvin, which can create a color cast in your images. White light is comprised of a combination of all visible colors, which exist in various proportions in any lighting situation. Midday sunlight has a color temperature of approximately 5500 Kelvin. Higher color temperatures are "cooler" light (blue - green), while lower color temperatures are "warmer" light (yellow - red)

Composition

An element and its relationship arranged to one another, within an image. Although there are some basic accepted elements of composition, there is no "right" way to compose an image.

Cropped Sensor

Traditional 35mm film cameras use 36mm x 24mm sized film (see "full frame"), like the Nikon FX or Canon EF format. Most DSLRs use smaller (roughly 24mm x 16mm) "cropped" image sensors (Nikon DX or Canon EF-S formats). Canon cameras have a 1.6X crop factor; Nikon cameras have a 1.5X crop factor. The crop factor describes the sensor's width ratio to a full-frame 35 mm sensor. For example, a 50 mm lens used on a sensor with a 1.6X crop factor would produce the field of view of an 80 mm lens (1.6 x 50) on a full frame sensor.

Depth of Field

The range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp. Technically the human eyes cannot distinguish very small degrees of unsharpness; some subjects that are in front of and behind sharply focused subjects can still appear sharp and are considered within the depth of field. Focus is on the subject where the depth of field stands out, meanwhile the background is out of focus. Observe image below.

Digital Workflow

The process from shooting an image, on to capturing, onto the final output, result. Every photographer will eventually develop a workflow that works for them, but generally workflow has 6 steps. 1) Capture 2) Download/Import 3) Catalog & Keyword 4) Edit 5) Backup 6) Output

Diopter

A diopter is a magnifying element that screws on to the front of your lens. They come in multiple sizes and strengths. For macro photography, diopters can decrease the focal length for super macro images. For wide angle zoom lenses, often diopters help to compensate for minimal diffraction to create sharper images. High quality diopters are the ones with two lens elements - single element diopters should be avoided.

Diopters are added to the camera for magnification effect

Diopters are added to the camera for a magnification effect. A dome port is a concentric glass or acrylic lens used for wide angle underwater photography and does not have the same refraction issues as a flat port, allowing for the same degree of coverage as the lens itself. A dome port creates a "virtual image", which is projected in front of the dome port and forces your lens to focus on the virtual image rather than the actual image. Dome ports come in various diameters, which must be matched to the specific lens used, sometimes requiring an extension ring that sits between the housing and the dome port.

Dome Port

A dome port is a concentric glass or acrylic lens used for wide angle underwater photography and does not have the same refraction issues as a flat port, allowing for the same degree of coverage as the lens itself. A dome port creates a "virtual image", which is projected in front of the dome port and forces your lens to focus on the virtual image rather than the actual image. Dome ports come in various diameters, which must be matched to the specific lens used, sometimes requiring an extension ring that sits between the housing and the dome port.

DSLR

Digital single-lens reflex camera; An SLR differs from compact point & shoot cameras where you can see through the camera's lens as you look in the viewfinder. There is also a legible shutter lag on DSLR cameras.

Dynamic Range

The ratio; between the minimum and maximum intensities of light which can be captured by your sensor. Cameras with a large dynamic range are able to capture shadow detail and highlight detail at the same time. The human eye has a very high dynamic range far beyond that which a digital camera can capture.

EV Compensation

A setting that adjusts the exposure levels in non-Manual modes (Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Program Exposure)

EXIF

Beyond the image data itself, most cameras store additional information (see "metadata") such as a time/date stamp, camera settings such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lens focal length and other settings. EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) is a standard for storing information to encourage interoperability between imaging devices and software.

Exposure

Defines the amount of light received, by the camera's sensor. This is determined by how wide you open the lens aperture and how long you keep the sensor exposed (shutterspeed), as well as the sensitivity of the sensor (ISO).

F-Stop

Refer to Wide Aperture In the Camera Feature.

Filters

a “filter” is an accessory add on to the lens of your camera. The concept of the filter is to offer enhancement to the color of the scene (background). They are available in many different colors.

Firmware

This is the software that controls your camera's sensor, buffer, LCD, autofocus, and other controls. This software is stored in the Read Only Memory of the camera. And in many models can be upgraded in order to enhance performance or add new features.

Fisheye Lens

An ultra wide-angle lens (left) that takes in a hemispherical image. Although fisheye lenses can create a distorted appearance near the corners from "barrel distortion" (straight lines appearing curved), they are very commonly used in underwater photography. Fisheye lenses allow an underwater photographer to get very close to your subject, limiting the amount of water between the camera and subject and maximizing the lighting possibilities, creating more pleasing images.

Underwater Housing with Flat Port Lens (left) Flat Port Lens only (right)

Flat Port

Flat ports are used for macro photography..A flat port reduces the angle of coverage the lens due to the difference between the indexes of light refraction in air and water, but allows for accurate focusing.

Focal Length

The focal length of a lens is defined as the distance in millimeters from the lens' optical center to the focal point (once always the film plane, and now more commonly the digital sensor). Wide-angle lenses have short focal lengths, provide a wide angle of view and a greater depth of field, while telephoto and macro lenses have longer focal lengths and compress perspective. Example reference link: Visualization of Crop Factor

Full Frame

Is a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), with an image sensor that is the same size as a 35 mm (36x24 mm); equivalent film frame.

Guide Number

Technically the Guide Number = f/stop x distance (specified in meters or feet) and is ordinarily expressed at ISO 100. So a guide number of 22 (ISO 100/meters) can expose a subject 1 meter from the camera at f/22, or 2 meters at f/11. These are guidelines and rated for shooting in air versus water, which of course yields a significantly lower effective underwater guide number due to absorption.

1Histogram

The histogram is a graph that allows you to judge the exposure and how light is distributed across the tonal range of your image.. There are 256 tones in a histogram, from black (0) to white (255). Blank spaces in your histogram equate to missing tones. The histogram can be used while shooting to identify when your images are being underexposed, overexposed, or suffer from a lack of or excessive amount of contrast.

ISO (International Standards)

Setting that denotes the sensitivity of the camera sensor to the light hitting it. Further reference to Light Sensitivity

Internal Memory

Refers to the built in memory fixed inside the camera. An Internal non removable memory usually is small in size under 100MB. The internal memory varies between digital cameras' types, models, professional and non professional.

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Learn Digital Photography Traditional & Underwater

Revision 13 February 02, 2012

Photography Equipment & Fundamentals

Published by Shai S. Bitton at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Shai S. Bitton - Scubadiveilat.com

“My philosophy of life is “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”

Thanks to my family;

My Mother Barb;

My Brothers Guy and Roni;

My Father Momi;