For those of you who are looking for an easy to use, little camera for family snapshots I’d recommend the Sony WX5.  When it comes to point and shoot cameras there is one feature/problem that, in my opinion, is the most frustrating–shutter lag.  Shutter lag is the time difference between pressing the button to take the picture and when the camera actually takes the picture.  Of all of the downsides little point and shoots shutter lag is the worst.  I simply don’t care to have an image of Winfield’s backside standing in front of Harriet because the camera took too long to take the picture.  I also don’t like saying, “okay hold that pose a little longer kid.”  or “Harriet, could you do that cute thing again? I didn’t get the picture.”  It kinda kills the mood.  And it makes kids hate cameras, which is something that I work very hard to prevent in my children.  This little camera is pretty impressive in it’s responsiveness.  I’ve played around with it a bit and found the shutter lag tolerable.  It does delay a bit, but it’s really quick, even in low light.  It also has a bunch of other fun features, and takes great pictures for a little camera.  If I were in the market for a new point and shoot I’d consider this one.

Now on to the heftier stuff.  The SLR…aahh :-)  The technology on these things has been advancing at an extreme rate.  The entry-level cameras that they are making today are amazing.  My personal favorite is Canon.  If you are looking to buy your first digital SLR buy the the Canon T1i.It’s a stellar camera.  But you also need a lens.  SLR cameras are big, bulky and obnoxious.  The reason to put up with all of that weight and size is so that you can put better lenses on your camera and ultimately have better pictures.  I would highly recommend buying the 50mm 1.8 lens to go with this camera.  Even if that’s the only lens that you have, it’s better than having only the kit lens.  If you’re watching your budget, buy this camera body with the 50mm lens and you are all set.  If you have an extra $55 in your Christmas budget this year, then get the camera with the kit lens and the 50mm 1.8.

In my opinion the differences in the T1i and its newer sister, the T2i, don’t warrant the additional cost.  It’s got some additional capabilities in the video mode and a more advanced metering system.  For an entry-level camera these aren’t things that you’ll miss.  I also wouldn’t recommend the other 2 lower end Canon SLRs because they don’t have a video mode.  Most people who ask me about cameras are parents.  I really like taking video with my SLR, I would think that that’s a feature that’s worth springing for.

I hope that this is helpful.  I didn’t write much on each of these cameras.  Feel free to comment if you have questions!

Dirty lenses get in the way of clean images.  They smudge up the image, they block light and your camera has to turn up the ISO, lower the shutter speed and open the aperture–all things that can make your images blurry, out of focus, grainy and blah color.

Here are 2 pictures that are straight out of my little camera.  I set my camera on auto, I took a picture before I cleaned my lens and that again after.  Can you tell which is which?

Before you drop a couple of hundred on a new camera try this.  Get out a clean, dry, soft cloth.   Spray the cloth with a little windex.  Then clean the lens, don’t push too hard.  Just gently wipe with the damp part of the cloth and then again with a dry part.  Treat that little lens like you would treat your eyeglasses.  If you are out and about just clean it with a clean part of your shirt.  Don’t be too scared.  You can scratch the lens, but it is more difficult than you think.  It is well worth the risk if you can get sharper, more colorful, nicer pictures from your existing camera.

Now that I own this wide angle goodness I can begin shamelessly copying photographers like Nate and Jaclyn, Max and Sean.  Warning, if you click on the these links you’ll soon discover the total awesomeness to ultra talented photographers.  I’m pretty certain that these guys were born with cameras in their hands and never discard a single picture.

Thankfully yesterday was beautiful.  The kids and I went to the park and we all played.

I recommend 3 things for anyone buying an SLR. Here are a couple of links to a Canon and a Nikon setup with these 3 things plus one extra that is optional.

1. First is a camera body. At the consumer level most camera bodies come with a kit lens that is 18-55mm 3.5-5.6. The first numbers refer to how wide or far the lens will zoom (18mm-55mm). The second set of numbers tell you how fuzzy the out of focus area can be–the lower the number the fuzzier the background. 3.5 is the fuzziest that this lens can be when the lens is at 18mm and 5.6 is the fuzziest it can be at 55mm. These kit lenses aren’t fantastic, but they get the job done. Images from these lenses are comparable to a high quality point and shoot camera. Anyone buying an SLR and buying only the kit lens would be better off getting a high-quality P&S. They are much less expensive and much easier to pack/carry etc… I have a p&S that I love! I can slip it in my pocket and take great pictures easily. With these SLRs to get the camera body you have to buy this kit lens. And it’s a decent lens to have anyway, it’s just the weakest link in this setup. The camera will really shine with a more appropriate lens.

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Second, because of the capability of SLRs to change lenses I recommend buying a 50mm 1.8 lens. This is by far that best lens for the price anywhere. It’s a great lens for taking pictures of kids. It’s going to be able to give you that out of focus background that make pictures look so nice. It is also good at taking pictures in lower light without a flash. If I could have only one lens it would be this one.

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Third, but probably most importantly, I recommend these videos. They are fantastic. They are designed to teach non-photographers the basics of how to use an SLR. They also go into fun composition and techniques for getting great images. Often people tell me that they don’t like their pictures and want to buy a new camera. I always recommend these first. So often they can really improve pictures with changes in the photographer (which are more affordable) than with a new camera :-) The first video is helpful for any parent with any camera. The second simply and clearly describes the mechanics of an SLR and how to use it. Again, without something like this I would recommend sticking with a point and shoot.

The last thing is an extra on these lists. It’s a lens that would be fun to have. It’s totally optional and you could pick it up at any time. I just threw it in for you to consider. IF I were looking for an relatively inexpensive setup to photograph my family, it would be the next thing that I would purchase after the camera, 50mm and videos.

Canon Basic Setup–$644
Videos-$50
Rebel SX camera with 18-55 lens-$507
Canon 50mm 1.8 lens-$87
Sigma 55-200-$114 (totally optional lens that’s affordable and would be fun)

Nikon Setup–$711
Videos-$50
Nikon D60 camera with 18-55 lens-$529 (Body only-$458)
Nikon 50mm 1.8-$132 (This lens is a must have for anyone with an SLR. If I could have only one lens it would be this one.)
Sigma 55-200-$138 (totally optional lens that’s affordable and would be fun)

Nikon D40 camera with 18-55 lens-$409 (This is a less expensive body that’s still available. I do not think that it is worth the $110 savings between the D60 and the D40. The D60 is a MUCH better camera.)

This next image isn’t quite as self-explanatory. The important thing in this image is the wallpapered wall behind the kids. The reason that it’s important is that it isn’t there anymore. It disappeared in a remodeling project long before I ever entered my in-laws house. It’s a little record of the way things used to be.What I’m trying to say is, take pictures of REALLY boring things. The things that you think you’ll never care about or forget. Cuz’ you’ll likely forget them and having a picture can be really fun. When Jared and I first got married we lived in a little 3 room apartment. I mean three rooms-not three bedrooms. We have a small collection of images from that time but only from 2 rooms. The third just never got photographed. The other day I was asking Jared some basic questions about the layout, colors of the room, etc… I can’t remember many simple things about it. I wish I’d just taken a picture of the room at some time. Just a simple snap for my own memory.

Go around your house and take a really boring picture of each room. In 15 years you won’t regret it. When you see your kids doing something that seems really boring and dated, photograph it. Believe it or not but images of people playing Wii are someday going to be called “retro” and you’ll be glad that you have ‘em.

I’ll have more technical photography tips shortly.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4K

This baby has some really amazing features for a point and shoot. RAW images, 2.0 min aperture, high ISO and 3:2 aspect ratio. If you don’t want to learn what these mean, this camera will just be a waste of money. If you are interested in learning about photography and want a point and shoot that you can really play with. This is a great buy.

Panasonic DMC-LX3S

This is great example of how the dynamic range of a camera is much smaller than the human eye. When I shot these pictures I could see plenty of things on our living room. The light was dim, but I could see. WInfield was really close to the light so he was really bright. The camera can only see either him or the living room, but not both at the same time. My eyes could see both. When taking pictures avoid high contrast situations (unless you know what you are doing). This is one of the reasons that shade is much easier to take pictures in than sun is.

The other evening Winfield was standing on the seat of his trike. He looked a little like an elephant on top of a stool. Wanting to get a picture of it I grabbed my camera. At first this is what I shot. I took a picture of his entire body, all of the trike and some of the neighbors house. Thinking that I wanted to get the image of his whole body standing on top of the trike I took this far away image. As I was shooting I knew that it wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t capturing his precarious perch up there. The image was boring.

So I asked myself, “What is the MOST important part of this image?” The answer was his feet on the trike. I got closer and focused on his feet, making sure to leave enough trike in the frame to tell the story. This image does a much better job of communicating the emotion of perching on top of a tricycle. Even though his body isn’t showing I feel like I have a much more of a sense of his situation.

Less is more.

K.I.S.S.

Leave a little to the imagination.

At times the hose would turn on him!

After we finished watering the plants he began watering himself.  I guess that’s why he’s so tall!

Photography tip:

I can still remember the first time that I saw a photograph from a digital camera.  The print was being passed around as everyone was exclaiming, “Look at that!  You can’t even tell that it’s digital.”  In order to be socially appropriate I agreed with something like, “Amazing!”  But inwardly I was thinking, “Something about that image looks really fake and flat.  I don’t think that I’ll ever buy a digital camera.”  hmm…

As you know, I did buy a digital camera, a pretty expensive one too.  I love digital photos, as do most professionals.  Now that I know why that image looked so fake and how to avoid it I LOVE the upsides of digital photography.

If you are having a problem with your images looking too “digitally” it’s ok, there is a solution.  And you probably won’t need to buy a new camera.   Digitally looking pictures are the result of over-sharpening.  Sharpening is something that most cameras do to images to give them a sharp, focuses look.  The problem is that when images are over-sharpened they start to look really fake.   Sharpening is a good thing, but like seasoning in cooking, you only want just the right amount.

Here are some samples.

Over-sharpened image:

Properly sharpened image:

Do you see the difference?  It’s subtle, but it’s the difference between realistic and fake.  If you can’t see the difference look at his eyelashes.  That’s where I see it most.

Most cameras allow you to adjust the level of sharpening that they do to your images.  If you are noticing this problem fuss around in the menu of your camera and look for anything that addresses sharpening.  Turn it down.  When in doubt less sharpening is better.  I have the sharpening turned all of the way off in my camera.

Back to photography.  Her comments inspired me to give a few winter tips.

1. First, get you camera out.  Have a place in your living room or kitchen that your camera lives.  Mine lives on a bookshelf.  Also, always store your camera with an memory card in it.  It’s much easier to take pictures if your camera is out and loaded.  Digging through a drawer, taking it out of a case and then looking for the memory card, which is undoubtedly somewhere near the computer, all add just enough steps that pictures don’t get taken.

2. Go outside.  All of the white snow and the overcast skies make great photography conditions.

3. Since it’s currently 16 degrees and the above mentioned technique isn’t the most kind, use windows.  Open those shades, rearrange your living room, do what ever it takes to have lots of nice window light flooding in.  It’ll feel good even when you don’t have your camera out.   Arrange your toy area near big windows.  Your kids will easily gravitate toward the well lit areas and it will be more natural to grab the camera and get some nice images.  When using window light it’s important to have you back or shoulder to the window (you don’t want to see the window in the picture) but make sure not to cast a shadow on your kids.  Overcast days are the easiest.  If the sun is out, make sure to avoid those spots where the sun makes a square on the floor.  That’s called direct light and it’s too hard.  You are looking for soft indirect light.  I’d create some examples but the sun isn’t out today and it might be March before we see it again (Welcome to Michigan!  The land of indirect light).

4. All of the above is well and good but sometimes your kid does something really cute away from a window, or at 4:30 when it is already dark out, etc…  In those moments using your flash is the only option.  The best way to use your flash is to step away from your kid and zoom in real close.  Get close by getting far.  The light from the flash will look much better and the effect of focal length (zoom) will be much nicer.  See this post about focal length for an explanation of this.

These images are straight out of my point and shoot, using a flash in a dark corner of our kitchen–bad camera, bad conditions, no adjustments.

In this picture my feet were close to Win and my camera was zoomed short.  I used the flash on my point and shoot.  Do you see how his hand looks like a glowing torch at the end of a 12 foot arm?

In this picture my feet were further away but I used the camera to zoom long across the room.  His face is the same size as the picture above.  Do you see how his hand and his face are lit much more evenly?  His arm looks much more proportional too.

Store your camera in plain view.  Go outside or use windows.  If you can’t, then stand back, zoom close and turn on that flash.  Life doesn’t always happen near a window.