If you want to take photos...

This time I’ll write about something more practical ;) What do you need if you want to make photos by yourself?

First of all you have to choose the camera that will best suit your needs. It’s important to define your needs before buying anything. It’s important not only because of costs, but also because of comfort of usage.
Like I wrote in my previous post, there are two main types of cameras: smart(compact) and SLR.

Smart camera is usually called point and shot (P&S). That means you have only to point the camera and trip the shutter. All necessary calculations are made automatically. Once this type cameras had fixed lens, fixed aperture and fixed shutter speed, and they of course used a film. Today’s P&S cameras can do a lot more- they have variable aperture and shutter speed and sometimes simple zoom lens (optical zoom, don’t mix up with digital zoom). They have also automatic focus and preset controls for taking pictures of landscapes or at night. They’re usually digital, but some still are film cameras (for example one time use cameras). Notice that in this type of camera if it doesn’t have ttl (through the lens) viewfinder, you don’t see exactly what you capture on film – it’s because of the parallax phenomenon and the construction of a viewfinder.




P&S cameras are usually small and fit into a pocket. They are best used for casual picture taking where capturing the memory is most important.

But P&S cameras can be also a good choice for more demanding photographers. If you don’t have a lot of money and you are a beginner, you can choose advanced p&s camera model. Also if you are a professional, it’s sometimes necessary to have a smaller camera which you can take everywhere.



SLR, as you already know, stands for single lens reflex. DSLR stands for digital single lens reflex. This types of camera use a semi-automatic moving mirror system which permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured on the photo (in ttl mode or with pentaprism located over the mirror and in front of the viewfinder) . The most important feature is that they have interchangeable lenses and provide full control of shutter speed, aperture, focus and focus point. However most of these cameras can act in a fully automatic mode just like a P&S. They also support add-on flashes.



These cameras allow for great control over the photography process and allow the photographer to take images not always possible with a P&S. They usually differ from each other with matrix size and type, speed of mirror rising mechanism, software and processor.

When buying an SLR or DSLR camera you always get body and lenses separately. Lenses are more important than body, so if you have limited budget, it’s better to spend more on lenses. Note that if you change the body, you won’t have to buy new lenses.



Like you already know, lenses differ from each other with focal length and with aperture values. The lower bottom aperture value lens has, the more it’s expensive. They can also have additional features, like stabilizer. Most photographers carry at least two lenses. A good range of lenses to carry for general-purpose photography is a 28-80mm lens and a 70-300mm lens.

Body with lens or camera with built-in lens is all you need to make photo. But there is a lot of additional equipment available. Are these things really useful? Yes, sometimes they’re essential. Which of them should you have? The short answer is it depends on where you are going and what pictures you want to take. However, there are some basic items you can take to cover most situations.

Filters – first of all they protect your lens from scratches (it’s always cheaper to change a filter than a lens), but they can also reduce bad effects from uv light, filter out polarized light, correct colors, add some special effects to the image, and more.



Tripod- it’s used for both still and motion photography to prevent camera movement. It is necessary when shutter speed is slow, or when telephoto lens is used. It is also helpful in achieving precise framing of the image, or when more than one image is being made of the same scene.



Flash- most cameras have a built in flash but those flashes are limited in power. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light.



Additional battery pack- very useful when you don’t have the opportunity to charge batteries for a longer time.

Camera bag- it holds camera, lenses, flash, memory cards, and other accessories. The bag helps protect the equipment from breakage, rain, and even quickly fluctuating temperatures.




Last important matter to think of is choosing between SLR and DSLR. DSLR is surely more comfortable, but SLR is...hmm... more sophisticated? ;) Digital images can be processed in computer programs (most popular is Photoshop), but still it will be only a simulation of effects that you can get when developing the film.

Well, that’s all for this week :)

What camera and what equipment do you have, if any? Do you put your photos in internet galleries? Do you think it’s necessary to know a lot about photography to make good photos?