Why your Mobile Phone is not as good as a Real Camera

Being the photographer that I am, I get a lot of people asking me what type of camera they should get, and more often in todays climate, why should they even buy a camera at all. Especially when their mobile phone has a camera and it has a massive? 21 mega pixels, where as a DSLR may only have 16 mega pixels.

On the face of it, you may think they are right. Surely having 21 mega pixles or 21 million pixels is better than only having 16 mega pixels or 16 million pixels!!

The answer is a very simple NO!!

The problem is with the two main elements that are the basis of photography and these are light and drawing as in the word itself.

Photo (light) graphy (drawing)

So having a good quality photograph requires that you maximise the elements involved to produce the best results.

Light

In order to get a good photograph you need the right amount of hitting the sensor (more on the sensor in a bit). This means having a lens that allows the most light in so it can create your photo. This is where one of the mistakes people make in comparing mobile phones with actual cameras comes in and that is the F Number of the lens (check out my article about F Numbers).

In most cases in order to maximise the light into the lens you need a large aperture and a fast lens, this usually takes the form of a lens with a low F Number something like an f/2.8 on the new iPhone 6s. So you will be thinking, thats great my new iPhone has the same F Number as a more expensive camera lens, so why do I need to buy a camera.

Simple - Not all lens are the physically the same size.

As you can see from the diagram above, the F Numbers on the mobile phone cameras can be the same as those on a DSLR camera, However as you can clearly see the actual lens opening (aperture)  is different. Put simply the DSLR lens has a larger diameter and as such even set to the same F Number will allow a lot more light in and therefore a lot more lights hits the sensor.

In simple terms fully open the lens on your mobile will be a few millimetres maximum, where as fully open the lens on a DSLR will be a few centimetres. (this is also why some lens can allow more light to enter compared to a faster lens at the lower F Number)

Drawing

The next important element in taking a good photograph is the drawing (graphy) or information stored during exposure.

This leads to one of the biggest mistakes in comparing mobile phone cameras and DSLR cameras, and that is mega pixels.

A mega pixels is simple an area of 1 million pixels that captures the information during exposure of a photography, so generally the more mega pixels the more details and the higher resolution the shot you will take.

This is where it gets interesting, not mega pixel is either the same quality or the same size. The sensors used in most modern mobile phones are way smaller than those used in modern DSLR cameras.

As you can see from the simple diagram above. If we take a 4 mega pixels mobile phone camera and compare it to a 4 mega pixel DSLR you can clearly see the size of each mega pixel is larger and in turn the size of the pixels inside are larger. So we get 4 million larger pixels in our DSLR as opposed to 4 million smaller ones in the mobile phone.

This means that we get more information stored and more detail in the photograph by the DSLR compared with a mobile phone.

In Closing

In modern day mobile phones and DSLR the technology has dramatically improved, this means it is possible to take decent photos on a mobile phone in low light, this is due to additional factors such as the actual sensor type and camera chips used in processing the photos. However, the same rules apply, no matter how much jiggery pokery you get from technology, the DSLR will always produce better photos.

However even the sensors in DSLR cameras are of a difference type and size, but more on that later.

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What does the F Stand for in F Number and F Stop?

The F in F Number, F Ratio or F Stop stands for Focal Length. 

(it should be noted that in terms of F Stop the F can also just be Focal when viewing light not through a lens)

Focal length is simply the size of a lens or a given point on a tele-photo lens such as 50mm, 100mm, 300mm.

What are F Number / F Ratio and F Stop?

Although many people use the these to mean the same thing,  they are in fact different things all together. To put it simply they are.

F Number / F Ratio

F Number / F Ratio is simply the ratio of light entering the lens aperture to the focal length of the lens.

"The diameter of  the lens opening and the amount of light entering, expressed as a fraction of the focal length of the lens" Ansel Adams

For Example

A 300mm lens with an aperture diameter of 75mm has an F Number of  4 or f/4

Or 300mm / 75mm = 4

A 50mm lens with an aperture diameter of 25mm has an F Number of 2 of f/2

Or 50mm / 25mm = 2

So in order to gauge the F Number and the size of the aperture and available light, just divide the open aperture with the focal length of the lens.

As you can see from the diagram above, the larger the F Number the less light allowed to enter the lens and the more depth of field you get (more of the frame will be in focus and less Bokeh).

F Stop

A measurement of light, the current light level in your situation is always classed as 0, reducing the light level is known as stopping down, so if you decrease the amount of light by the same amount of light available, you have stopped the light down by 1.

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Free Lightroom Presets

What are Lightroom Presets?

 As you will already know if you use photo editing software such as lightroom, getting the exact levels right to be able to make a photo look how you want can be tough, this is where presets come in. At the click a button you can make a shot more moody, more cheery, brighter, and any number of things. Here is a sample of some of the stuff you can do with presets.

the above samples show what can be done using presets, removing the guess work from how you want your shots to look.

Lightroom presets are a preset of areas which make your photo look a certain way, they can be anything from a certain exposure, certain levels, certain filters and everything in between.

Lightroom Presets let you make your photos look a certain way without all the trial and error, which in my experience can save you hours and hours, and as time is money, this is important.

Where can I get LightRoom Presets from?

There are tons of online resources for Lightroom Presets, some are paid and some are completely free. One of the best sites around, and where the above example is from, is Cole's Classroom, where you can download a set of Lightroom Presets completely free.

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How to do Timelapse (Time Lapse) Photography and what is an Intervalometer?

You may have heard about Timelapse Photography or you may not have. So I will start by telling you what it is.

What is Timelapse Photography?

Timelapse Photography is a similar technique to HDR photography, expect that rather than changing the exposure setting for each shot you change the time, and take a series of images over a set period of time with a fixed interval in between them. All shots have the same exposure settings, and the only changes are the physical changes to the subject in the shot over a period of time.

Simply put, you taken a set of shots, something like 20 shots and in between each shot you have a set gap anything from less than a second to several seconds. You then end up with a set of shots that depict a section in time for your given subject. This can traffic, streets, clouds or anything else you would like to shoot.

Why use Timelapse and Not Video?

The main difference between shooting video and doing a timelapse sequence is in the name, the lapse in time. As when you shoot using video you get a realtime view of the world, so to show the sunset you have to shoot the whole thing, so you may need to shoot a video which is anything from several minutes to several hours long. By using a timelapse technique you skip parts of the time, and only show an interval of the real thing.

This allows you condense something into a few minutes or seconds, when in realtime it happened over several minutes or even hours.

Timelapse can be done using either video techniques or photography techniques, but both end up with the same effect a video showing time elapsed (timelapsed) in a particular scene.

What do I need to do Timelapse Photography

The first thing you need is your camera, but you knew that already. A Tripod or steady place to put your camera. The next thing you need is a remote shutter release with an intervalometer or timer. Or a camera with a built in intervalometer. (more on this in another post) What is an Intervalometer? An intervalometer is a timer device or built in camera function which takes a fixed set of shots with a given interval in between. For example 20 shots taken at 1 second intervals.

How do I take my first Timelapse?

After you have found a interesting subject to shoot, such as a road, town centre or similar. Ideally for your first timelapse you want something that is fast moving such as people walking in town or cars on a road, as this will let you take a few shots with a small interval between them. For example if shooting a town centre you dont need anymore than 1-3 seconds between your shots.

My advice for your first timelapse is to set the camera to auto focus and let it focus on your chosen subject, once its in focus switch it to manual focus, recheck the focus to make sure its all still in focus. As by setting the focus to manual the camera will not readjust the focus between shots.

Then simply set your timer for the amount of shots you want to take and the interval between then and set the shutter. Remember that a smooth movie is normally shot at 24 frames per second, so for every 24 shots you take, you are in reality only going to get 1 second of timelapse. But give it a try and see how it works.

• Find a good subject for your timelapse, town centre, road etc (a fasting moving subject is best for your first one)
• After setting the exposure, set your camera to AutoFocus. Once its found focus on your chosen subject, switch it to Manual focus, recheck the focus and leave it.
• Set your interval timer to between 1-3 seconds, try 3 seconds to start with if you are shooting town and about 1 second if you are shooting cars. remember a smooth movie is 24 frame per second (24fps) for every 24 shots you get 1 second of timelapse.
• Set the shutter and sit back and wait.

How do I create my Timelapse movie?

You can create your timelapse movie simply by using either a third party piece of software or import your shots into Photoshop and create a movie (more on this in another post)

Happy Shooting.

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Using Polarizing Filters to reduce Reflections when shooting through glass

We are all aware of the use of filters in photography, and mainly in the world of Landscape, Nature or Architectural photography.

But what if I was to say that they also have a place in the world of portrait and fashion.

The main filter I want to tell you about is called a Polarizing filter, if you have not heard about it, its simply removes glare by removing elements from the light spectrum, not going to bore you with all that now :)

If you want to know a bit more about polarizing filters and other filters check out my other post

So What Use is a Circular Polarizing (CPL) Filter to my fashion photography?

We  the issue came to my mind when my fiancee was having some photos taken for a magazine article, although the photographer seemed to know what he was doing and the shots taken looked great. There was a time at the start of the shoot when he had arrived at the house, he thought it would make a nice shot to shoot through our lounge window, with my fiancee looking out. Which sounds like a good idea.

So he set about setting up for this shot, he went into his bag and took out a black sheet. Which he handed to his assistant, and told her to hold it up to blog the reflection on the window. Think what he was forgetting is that he as not blocking a reflection, but just reflecting the black sheet instead.

What he should have done instead was to use a Polarizing Filter, as the purpose of this filter is to not only reduce glare, but reflections too. You can see the effect on the sky in the following shots.

With Polarizing Filter

Without Polarizing Filter

As you can see the filter has removed the glare from the shot and made it clearly, this works the same when shooting through water such as a lake or a river, as well as when shooting a subject through glass.

The main thing to remember is that if you are using a polarizing filter on your DSLR camera, you must use a Circular Polarizing Filter as it will allow your auto focus to work correctly unlike a Linear Polarizing Filter which can have an effect on the auto focus.

So remember, as I do to add a Circular Polarizing Filter to your kit bag.

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Top Cash Back = Free Money

Although I normally keep my posts on the topic of photography, I thought I would share an awesome site with you all. If you have not heard about the site, its called Top Cash Back.

 

So What is it?

It's simple, you register on the website for free, and buy stuff online via the website, and for every purchase you make you get paid. There is everything from Argos to Holidays, TV to tech. Each and every time you buy via the website you earn money back, just the same way you would using your credit card.

So What is so Great about it? 

The thing that is great about top cash back is that you even earn money when signing up for service that offer free trials, or introductory offers, for example at the moment Now TV has an offer on its entertainment bundle at £4.99 per month. Top Cash back will give you £5.25 for signing up, this means that you are actually being paid for signing up with Now TV. Awesome or what.

 So How Do I Sign Up? 

 To sign up its easy

1. Just visit the Top Cash Back Website and register for free
2. Search the Top cash back site for an offer that interests you i.,e Search Now TV
3. Click the link to go the merchants website and just sign up there or buy there as normal. 

Simple, Top Cash Back will take care of all the rest and you get some free money.

So what are you waiting for go check out the Top Cash Back website now

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How to Create Light Trails in Photos aka Light Painting.

You may have seen photos with streaks of light in the frame, such as car tail light trails, star trails, light drawings, etc. This is a form of long exposure photography known as Light Painting or Painting by Light.

So I thought I would write a simple tutorial on how you can achieve this with your camera, and whilst the actual shots look cool the technique is not really all that difficult to do.

What is Light Painting?

You may or may not have heard of the term 'Light Painting' or 'Paint by Light' but it is the technical or posh term for doing long exposure photography that causes light trails or light streaks in photos.

Something like the ones below are done using Light Paint techniques

 

As you can see the effect you get from light painting is the light stays in the frame longer which create a light trail or star, depending on the light source.

So how do you do this?

Prerequisites

There are several things you need to check as prerequisites to your light painting before you can starts, these are

1. Camera - although you don't strictly need a DSLR to start your light painting journey, you do need a camera that has some manual adjustment on it, this normally takes the form of a dial on the top of the camera with settings such as M, TV and AV not to mention others. 
2. Tripod - Although you can do light painting by placing you camera on a stable surface, a tripod makes your life a whole lot easier, and it doesn't have to be a carbon fibre all singing all dancing one, even a small mini tripod will do the trick, as long as it holds the camera at the right height and still it will do the trick.
3. Torch or other light source - this is something to play around with, but for this tutorial you just need some form of light you can move in front of the camera.

Setting your camera up for Light Painting / Long Exposure

Ok assuming you have checked your camera has the necessary settings here is what you need to do to get ready for your light painting.

Note: we are going to do this the easier way possible, as it is possible to use Full Manual mode but we will stick to using a semi auto mode for this tutorial,

1. Turn your camera Dial and select TV mode (although you can select M if you are happy to use full manual)
   
2. Turn the rear dial on the camera until you see 1"0 somewhere on the rear screen, normally at the bottom of the screen. You can do this by turning the dial on the back of your camera, if you look at the rear screen of your camera and turn this dial you will see the numbers on the screen change. They will read something like 1"0 or 1/80. If you don't know the number shown is seconds so the number 1"0 is 1 second and 1/80 is 1 80th of a second, this is the time that the shutter on the camera will remain open after pressing the shutter release button. Basically anything showing lower than about 1/80 such as 1/60 or 1"00 means that the camera should really be on a tripod, but this depends on how steady you can hold the camera. 
3. Set your camera to Auto Focus
4. Put your camera on a tripod or other stable none moving surface such as a wall.

OK thats it you are all set to do some light painting

How to do Light Painting?

The main secret to light painting is to keep the camera still and move the light source, this way most of the frame will be in focus whilst the light appears to move through the frame. So how do you do the actual light painting? I am going to tell you a few simple steps to get you on your way and test your setup and light painting.

1. Set your camera up on the tripod, making sure to allow enough room in front of the camera for you to move the torch around without knocking over the camera.
2. Press the shutter release button on your camera and quickly run in front of your camera into the frame of the shot and swing the torch around in the direction of the camera, of course the torch needs to be switched on. Something like this
   

As you can see the light streaks in the frame, and that my friends is how to light paint.

Note: if you find that you don't have enough time to get into the frame, either get someone else to press the shutter button or simply move the rear camera dial and select a longer shutter time something like 3"0.

So What Next?

Well all you need to do is remember that the secrets to light painting are as follows

1. Make sure your camera is kept still ideally on a tripod.
2. Set your shutter speed using the TV (Time Value) setting on your camera to 1"0 or longer.
3. Press the shutter button and move some light in front of the camera. This can be a torch, traffic, stars or any other light source that moves.

So just go nuts, and have a play around. If you have any questions just let me know.

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