Quick Compact Camera Tips

I'm really enjoying using my new Canon powershot SX110 compact "superzoom" camera. The image quality is nowhere near as good as the Rebel T1i, but it's a great portable camera that I can take with me everywhere for any photographic opportunity that may pop up. Like the title of one of my favorite photography books says, the best camera is the one you have with you.

I have my compact camera settings dialed in so I can quickly pull out the camera and shoot at a moment's notice. I'm not afraid to dive into all the camera's options because I'm used to dealing with all the settings on the T1i. I'm also an engineer and a nerd, so complicated electronics don't scare me. But most people just aren't like that and usually use their camera on fully automatic because it takes too long to change camera settings. Even then, compact cameras can be slow to use.

If you'd like to speed up the operation of your compact camera, the following hints might help. I've found using these particular settings really speeds up my compact camera and chances are they'll speed up yours too.

1. Turn off picture review. When the camera shows the picture you just took on the LCD screen for review, the camera slows down because the camera is busy displaying the picture. Turning off picture review ensures the camera will be ready to take another picture immediately after you lift your finger off the shutter button. When you want to see the pictures you took, use the play button instead, which most cameras have.

2. Turn off any start up pictures. When you turn your camera on, it usually shows some kind of image on the LCD screen (usually the manufacturer's logo or name). Go into your camera's menus and turn this image off. When you turn on your camera, it will be ready to take a picture sooner than if it had to show the start up image.

3. Turn off all sound effects. Playing sound effects uses processor power, which can theoretically slow down your camera. Turning off all the sound effects ensures the processor doesn't waste any time accessing the sound files required for the sound effects. And a side benefit of turning off the sounds effects is that you can more easily take pictures of people without them knowing it (unless the flash fires).

4. Turn off the flash whenever you can. It takes time for the camera to recharge the flash, sometimes a long time if the flash fires at full brightness. If there's enough light in your environment, turn off the flash.

5. Use continuous shooting (or burst) mode whenever you can. If you're trying to photograph a pet, a kid, or a sports event, set your camera to the sports/action preset, then set the camera to continue shooting when the shutter button is held down. Your camera will operate at its top speed.

6. Lastly, have fun experimenting. There's really no better way to learn to use your camera quickly than by experimenting.

Subtle Differences Between DSLR's and Point-and-Shoots

I've purchased a new point and shoot camera: a canon powershot sx110is. I was getting frustrated with the lack of zoom range of my powershot 590is, so I decided to upgrade to canon's lowest "high end" point-and-shoot camera. A G11 would have been nice, or for that matter, one of the new micro 4/3 cameras, but I don't have the money right now to get one. And I don't need a powerful point-and-shoot anyway, just one that's small enough to be portable but has a zoom range that makes it flexible while still having manual controls. The sx110is fit the bill.

I was looking through some Flickr photos taken by users of the sx110is and there were some comments about the camera that I found interesting. A lot of the users said the sx110is was the closest camera they've come to having a DSLR. And others said they decided on the sx110is as an alternative to a DSLR.

I used to think this way. Before I got my Canon Rebel XT, I was considering a "super-zoom" camera because I thought they could as much as a DSLR. Boy was I wrong! Having switched to a DSLR, there is a world of difference in capabilities between the high-end super-zooms and full DSLR cameras. BUT, great photographers can take great pictures with ANY camera, it's just a matter of what you're trying to achieve and what equipment you need to get there.

So I thought about the differences between super-zoom cameras and DSLR's and, aside from the obvious differences (fixed vs. interchangeable lenses, LCD viewfinder vs. through-the-lens optical viewfinder, etc.), I have come up with some subtle differences that aren't immediately obvious. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Low-light performance with a DSLR is much better than a super-zoom. I can set my Rebel T1i at 1600 ISO and have usable no-flash pictures, while point-and-shoot photos are totally un-usable above 400 ISO. This is a side affect of the tiny sensor in point-and-shots. To take low-light photos with point-and-shoots, a flash and/or tripod must be used.

2. Because of the tiny sensor in point-and-shoot, shallow depth of field is hard to achieve compared to DSLR's. Depending on your subject matter, this is either an advantage or disadvantage. But, since the depth of field for point-and-shoots is so much bigger, image composition becomes more important. It's too easy to have cluttered photos with point-and-shoots because everything tends to be in focus. I find using my point-and-shoot a great exercise in composition. Unfortunately, composition is the last thing most point-and-shoot users think of.

3. Since point-and-shoot cameras are physically much smaller than DSLR's, they can take pictures that physically aren't possible with DSLR's. You can place a point-and-shoot in your refrigerator, in the corner of a desk full of stuff, in a drawer, and in all kinds of tight places. Try putting your point-and-shoot in a tight spot and see what pictures you can get. It's fun.

4. Related to #2, macro shots with point-and-shoots have more of the picture in focus compared to DSLR's. With DSLR's, you need a special macro lens, lots of light, and a small aperture to get a deeper depth of field for macros. With point-and-shoots, you just need to set the camera to macro mode and shoot.

5. Lastly, point-and-shoot cameras are a lot less noticeable than DSLR's. You can sneak pictures of people, places, or things with a point-and-shoot. It's hard to do that with a big DSLR with a big lens.

What the Constitution REALLY Says, Pt. 1

Remember the Constitution? It's that document that created the nation I (and you) live in and it's a wonderful, divinely inspired document. Unfortunately, it has been abused and stomped on over the years and our nation presently finds itself in an identity crisis. What the USA used to stand for was true freedom as revealed in natural law. But now the USA is at the brink of becoming a socialist nation, slowly falling under ruler's law. One of the weapons liberals, socialists, and communists use to achieve this change is misinformation and ignorance . . . misinformation about what the Constitution and our founding fathers said and keeping the people ignorant of the true meaning and intentions of the Constitution and our founding fathers.

I (and I venture to guess most people) believe the founding fathers had the right idea about our nation. I believe the original intentions of the Constitution are what made (and make) this country great. And I, like so many people, forgot what the Constitution and what our founding fathers had written in creating this great nation of the USA. Well, after taking a short refresher course about the Constitution, I would like to write this short series of blog posts about what the Constitution actually says about the 3 branches of government and the powers allotted to them by the Constitution (and more importantly, we the people).

The President
Article II of the Constitution creates the Executive branch of the government and spells out the responsibilities of the president. There are only 6 areas the president is responsible for, and those are as follows:
1. Chief of state
2. Commander in chief over the military
3. Chief executive office of the executive branch of government
4. Chief diplomat in handling foreign relations
5. Chief architect for needed legislation
6. Conscience of the nation in granting pardons or reprieves where he feels justice requires them

That's it. Anything else the president does is outside the original responsibilities assigned to him by the original Constitution. So what happened? How did the president become what he is today, seeming to be able to create legislation, offices (like the Czars), and orders at will?

It was Theodore Roosevelt who said he was authorized to do anything unless the constitution specifically prohibited him from doing it. However, this is a direct violation of the 10th amendment to the Constitution, which states that "powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." In other words, any powers not specifically given to the US government are reserved for the states or the people.

It's All About Control

I was talking with one of the owners of the guitar shop I teach at and we got onto the subject of photography because I gave him one of my business cards (acephtgrphy.shutterfly.com). He was still using his Nikon D60 in automatic mode and I was telling him he should read the manual and learn to use P mode. DSLR's are meant to be used in the more manual settings rather than the automatic settings. Here's a great website for all you DSLR owners who still use it in automatic mode:
http://www.photoaficionado.com/situationroom/manual.html

This started me thinking. With the prices of DSLR's constantly dropping and with more and more consumers able to buy them, the sheer photographic possibilities available to everyone have exponentially increased. Heck, I wouldn't have been able to afford a DSLR even 5 years ago, but now the cameras, lenses, and equipment are at a very reasonable price. So this makes me ask the question: why are there still so many people who aren't taking advantage of what their camera can do?

I think one of the main factors is that cameras have a horrible user interface. There are so many menus and buttons on a camera, even on consumer point-and-shoot cameras, that most people don't ever learn what their camera is capable of. Reading the instructions is the main remedy for this, but as the owner of the guitar shop told me, most people want to just start taking pictures. If camera manufacturers were as concerned with user interface as Apple is with their computers, then for sure cameras would be a lot easier to use and more people would take advantage of their capabilities. Unfortunately, no camera manufacturer is working on user interface, so we're stuck with all the buttons and menus . . . at least for now. The iPhone may change things in the future.

Another factor is that people upgrading from a point-and-shoot to a DSLR are still thinking in point-and-shoot mode. In other words, taking pictures was just about pointing the camera and pressing the button. However, taking this approach will only result in pictures that look the same as if a point-and-shoot camera was used. Taking good pictures with a DSLR requires a MINDSET change. The tutorial website I linked to above has a great analogy of cooking and I would like to extend the analogy to DSLR cameras.

Using a DSLR camera is like becoming a cook. With a DSLR, you have control over all the ingredients that makes a great recipe (e.g. picture). If you were a great cook, would you have another cook make all your recipes and food for you? This is exactly what is happening when you use a DSLR in automatic mode. The camera makes all your decisions for you, so the quality of your pictures is left up to the camera. But to take better pictures, or to be a better cook, you need to study how the ingredients affect the end results. You need to experiment with the ingredients/settings and see what happens. You need to learn about aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, white balance, lens focal lengths, and lighting. Sound like a lot of stuff? Cooking is more complicated than learning a DSLR camera . . . trust me, I'm learning to cook (and I'm still learning photography too, but I digress).

I think once people make this mindset change and start thinking of a DSLR camera as cooking, then it won't seem so complicated. Today's cameras are so much better than cameras 10 years ago. Even point-and-shoot cameras have more power than my dad's old 35mm SLR camera did. So why not learn how to harness all that power? And once you learn what you're doing with a DSLR camera, the skills you learn transfer to point-and-shoot cameras. Your pictures will start looking better even with less capable cameras. So get out there with your DSLR, take it out of automatic mode, and start cooking some great photos.

The Beat Goes On

I've started taking piano lessons from my mother-in-law and I'm looking forward to improving my piano-tickling skills. But she told me something interesting, and that is to NOT use a metronome. Being a bass player and a part of the rhythm section in numerous bands over the past 8 years, I found it strange that I should practice without some kind of beat. I enjoy music without a rhythm section and without a beat, don't get me wrong. I just found it interesting that she made it a point not to use the metronome.

And I also found it interesting that there is so much controversy over using a metronome. I won't bore you with what I've found, just Google "metronome" for yourself. There seems to be a lot of people out there, both past and present, that really hate the metronome. Why? What's the big deal with something that gives you a beat?

I think a musician's view of the metronome must be colored by the type of music they play. Classical music does have a beat, but composers and classical musicians like to play with the beat and tempo of a song to add drama to the music. A tempo is usually specified at the start of a classical piece to reference the tempo the composer had in mind for the piece. But the conductor or players of the piece may slow down or speed up the piece to meet their artistic interpretation. They may even choose to change the tempo slightly during the performance for dramatic effect. Thus, a metronome is only a tempo reference.

However, if the musician plays in a more rhythm instrument based style of music (jazz, rock, pop, hip-hop, etc.), the metronome can be a valuable tool for developing a good sense of the beat. This is especially true for drummers, bass players, rhythm guitarists, and other musicians intimately involved with keeping the beat of the music. And having a developed sense of the beat is essential if a musician is to play with a rhythm section, whose primary job is to keep (and embellish) the beat of the music. Truth is, very few musicians out there have a perfect sense of the beat and are able to keep the tempo constant. But if a musician can develop their rhythmic sense to a high level, then they will be able to follow any beat or rhythmic change in the music.

I had a professor in college who taught jazz history and music theory. This professor was also a composer and a saxophone player who was classically trained, but loved jazz. He was a very good musician and knew all kinds of theory, but whenever we listened to jazz, he would sometimes lose the beat. Why? I think playing with a rhythm section wasn't part of his musical training, so he wasn't use to keeping a constant awareness of where the beat was.

At the same time, I've heard musicians playing solos that were perfectly in the beat, which turned out to be truly boring. Why? Sometimes a person can be trapped by the beat and lose all sense of rhythmic drama by keeping a constant beat. You could say they played too "metronomically". And I think this is why some musicians have a fear of the metronome: they're afraid of being trapped into playing with the beat.

For me, the metronome is just a tool and, if used correctly, it can be a very fun tool to use. Someone can develop a good sense of jazz swing by using the metronome to tap on beats 2 and 4. You can develop a good sense of funk by having the metronome tap 1 and 3. You can use the metronome to substitute for a drummer during practice and, who knows, you might develop a better sense of the beat than a drummer. Then you'll be in the same place as those who hate the metronome: playing with the beat.

It's All About the Sound

I've been teaching guitar lessons at a guitar shop for about a month now and it's been a great experience. Teaching students really tries your patience, but it's also very rewarding to see them learn and figure things out.

But this post isn't about teaching, it's about the guitar. I play a Yamaha FG-332-1 acoustic guitar in the lessons I'm currently teaching. It's a wonderful sounding guitar and it was my dad's before. It has a nice full, round sound and the action is a bit high, but I play bass normally, so the action isn't really that high to me. The shop where I teach guitar sells Chinese made guitars and I won't tell you how much they are, but let's just say that they're less than big name brand guitars. A LOT less. And the sound quality of the guitars? Let's just say that they're worth the price that the shop owner pays for them, NOT the cost that he sells them (which is almost 10 times what he pays for them).

What really gets me is that the shop owner (let's call him B) makes a big deal about how good the guitars sound and that the guitars are made of solid wood. My guitar, on the other hand, B said was made form plywood. This bothered me, so I looked up the Yamaha FG-332-1 on the the Internet and it is NOT made of plywood. Rather, it is made of laminated wood, which means that the exterior wood that one sees is only a thin layer of wood that is glued to the body, which is made of a cheaper type of wood. The guitar is solid on the inside, but the outside is only a thin aesthetic veil. Plywood is multiple layers of wood glued and pressed together. So I think B had his terminology mixed up.

In B's mind, "plywood" guitars are inferior to solid guitars, but he could plainly hear my guitar sounded really good. So what gives? Well, it's obvious that there's more to a guitar than whether it's solid or laminated. There are lots of other factors to consider in making a guitar sound good, including the bracing design, quality of the woods used, and age of the wood.

But in the end, it's all about the SOUND of a guitar. The guitars that B sells in his store are fine for beginners who haven't yet developed an ear for hearing good guitar tone, but anyone who has developed somewhat of an ear can plainly hear the differences between a decent guitar and a guitar not worth the wood it's made of.

Of course, this emphasis on sound can be taken too far. There was a guy in the shop who was looking at the guitars and I was talking to him about taking lessons because he was a beginner. He didn't want to start lessons until he had a guitar that sounded great and he knew the guitars in B's shop weren't worth buying. The guy was looking for perfection. But what did he expect? Did he think he'd learn quicker if he had a sweet sounding guitar? Did he think that his wrong notes and badly tuned strings would somehow sound better if his guitar had perfect tone?

A professional musician can make even a cheap instrument sound good, while a beginner can make even the best sounding instrument sound terrible. Realistically, musicians have to balance their skills with their instrument. But in the end, don't judge an instrument from what it's made of (I've heard a cardboard bass sound fantastic). To put it simply, the only thing that matters is the sound.

Ten Traits of Modern Technology Not to Hate

My mother-in-law gave me the article Ten Traits of Modern Technology I Hate by Michael J. Rayes and I read it mostly out of curiosity. Here's a link to the article. While I agree with some points in Mr. Rayes's article, I disagree with many of them. I'm probably about 10 years younger than Mr. Rayes (judging from his website and short biography) and I grew up at the tail end of Generation X. Although Mr. Rayes is well versed in technology, I believe I have a different, more positive view of technology because I grew up with it as an integral part of my life in the consumer sense.

So, without further ado, here are my 10 responses to Mr. Rayes's Ten Traits:

10. Technology has always created an "artificial" generation gap
Every generation in the 20th century has had some kind of technology that separates generations. When the car was invented, I'm sure the grandparents and parents who were used to horse-and-buggies had no clue how to drive them. Were their kids impatient with them? Probably. There was a generation gap. How about the first TV? Or how about the first radio? I'm sure kids were impatient with their parents who had to keep asking them how to turn on the device or change the channel (this still happens to this day, BTW). Kids will always be impatient with their parents or grandparents who don't know how to use modern technology. I don't think this is a generation gap that was artificially created by technology, I think it's a gap that has always been there and it will always be there.

9. Technology is easier for youth to learn
It's a fact that kids can learn better than adults do. This is not to say that adults can't have a well developed learning skill, and many do, but kids neurologically have an advantage. Because kids nowadays grow up with technology, they naturally can learn it better than adults do. This doesn't mean they're smarter, of course. But I believe it would be easier for a kid to learn hacking than a fully grown adult.

8. Technology is being treated better by corporate
Corporate personnel are constantly improving their relations with IT. I don't have IT experience with a big corporation, but the companies I've been with have been very favorable towards their IT personnel. Because technology is still a huge growth market and more companies are in need of good technology, corporate personnel are warming up more towards IT people. And it's up to IT people to stand strong for what they believe is needed.

7. Everybody must keep up with changing technology
Technology is constantly changing. IT people need to constantly keep up with more up-to-date technology and information. Is this any different from other professional careers? All professionals must keep up their education so they can perform their jobs more effectively. With the internet, keeping up-to-date with modern technology and information is much quicker and more accessible than ever. Yes, the tech sector changes more quickly than any other sector, but as long as the IT personnel like their job and have a desire to keep learning, they will keep up.

6. A casual workplace is just another workplace
When you're a programmer or technology worker who sits in his or her cubicle all day and doesn't have any meetings except with your manager, does dressing up really matter? It depends. Apple computer is one of the most innovative technology companies in existence and they have a casual workplace, and the CEO Steve Jobs has presentations in his jeans and turtleneck. Microsoft presents a more "professional" image with their CEO Steve Ballmer dressing in the traditional slacks, collared shirt, and tie. Both companies are innovative and professional. The way they dress in the workplace is not a factor in their work ethic.

5. Technology isn't broken, but it needs better quality control
Technology is improving all the time and companies are trying harder now than before to make technology more accessible for more people. The mouse is a perfect example. Sure, it's bad for the wrist, but more people use the mouse as their main interface with the computer rather than the keyboard. Technology companies are taking a cue from Apple and are now emphasizing usability and well thought out design . . . just look at how the cell phone industry has changed since the iPhone came out. Technology is still in its infancy and it will become more and more transparent as time goes on.

4. Using a computer is as social as using any other means of communication
Using email, instant messenging, chat rooms, and social networking sites (Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter come to mind) is real communication. Like the telephone for early 20th century people, the internet is just another means of communication. And I don't think hand writing a letter is really any more social than typing an email on a keyboard. Communicating on the computer is just another method of communication.

3. Addiction is a product of the person, not the object
Yes, it is easy to get carried away with technology. There's no arguing that. But addiction is a whole other subject. If someone gets so addicted to something that they exhibit the same symptoms of an alcoholic, then there's something wrong with the person, not the object of addiction. Not everyone becomes addicted to alcohol, and those that do become addicted have an addiction problem. The same is true of narcotics, food, and computers.

2. Technology isn't as expensive as it used to be, and it gets cheaper all the time

Technology and computers are constantly dropping in price. Netbooks are low cost laptops as low as $250. A complete desktop system can be bought for as little as $399 now. You can get a free cell phone with a service plan. And there's a huge used and refurbished market out there where older technology can be bought for much cheaper than the new price. Yes, technology is another fairly big expense. However, unlike other big expenses (like a new car), technology is constantly improving and today's $399 computers have more power than a $2,000 computer did a couple years ago.

1. Technology can connect people to God like nothing else before it

Cars help people get to church all the time, helping people come to Church to connect with God. Cars are man made from elements directly from the earth. Are cars less God's creation compared to horses pulling a buggy? Technology can't be made without elements from the earth, which was created by God, so to say a computer is less God's creation than linen (which is also man made) is absurd.

And there are many, many resources on the internet which can help anybody to connect more to God. There are websites about saints, there's a Catholic encyclopedia website, there are many websites on apologetics, and even the Vatican has its own website and YouTube channel. Technology makes it possible to connect with the Church and with God more now than at any other time in history. Like so many other times that God calls to His people, you need only seek Him in the right places.