Now-a-days most people related with photo journalism choose Canon SX40HS as their Camera and there are so many reasons behind it why they choose it . If you look at its specifications , you will easily understand the reasons .

Canon PowerShot-SX40-HS

First of all , the info I should share is that it is a 12.1 Megapixels cam having 600 g. Weight. Dimensions are 122.9 x 92.4 x 107.7mm  .  LCD size is 2.7-inch . LCD Image Resolution Display is 230,000 dots  and LCD Video Resolution Display is 4000 x 2248  Pixels.

The cam supports  Optical Zoom up to 30x  and  Digital Zoom up to 4x  . Sometimes , journalists need to capture snaps form a distance from the subjects and no doubt , the high zooming ability The camera is built in with a CMOS sensor . The total aperture range for the camera is  f/2.7 (W), f/5.8 (T)  . It supports USB 2.0 . Total shutter speed range for Canon SX40HS is 1-1/3200 sec. 15-1/3200 sec.

Have a look at its FOCUS Range ;

Focus Range : Auto 0 in. (0 cm) – infinity (W), 4.6 ft. – infinity (T) Normal: 2 in. (5 cm) – infinity (W), 4.6 ft. (1.4 m) – infinity (T)
Macro: 0 in. (0 cm) -1.6 ft. (50 cm) (W)
Auto Focus System : Contrast Detect (sensor), Multi-Area, Selective Single-Point, Single, Continuous, Face Detection, Live View
Manual Focus : Yes
Metering Mode : Multi, Center-Weighted, Spot

MEMORY
Card Type : SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, Eye-Fi

FILE FORMAT s that it supports ;

Image Format : Exif. 2.3 (JPEG)
Audio Format : Stereo
Video Format : MPEG4
HD Video : Yes

FLASH  Features ;

Built in Flash : Yes  (Pop-up)
Flash Range : 1.6 – 23 ft. (W), 4.6 – 9.8 ft. (T), (50 cm – 7.0 m (W), 1.4 – 3.0 m (T)
Flash Modes : Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in
External Flash : Yes (hot-shoe)
Self Timer  : Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom)

OTHER FEATURES  of the Camera ;

Viewfinder : Electronic
Image Processor : DIGIC 5

The camera , Canon SX40HS supports so many languages such as English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish,  Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Ukrainian, Farsi , Hindi etc. .

Exposure Control Method : AE Lock

Exposure Compensation : +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments

ISO features for the camera is so nice .It supports ISO rating up to 3200  .So taking images when there is not enough light is a bit easier and customers reviews say that this cam adds lower noise with higher ISO rating .

Canon SX40HS supports some presets of white balance such as Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash .However , white balance can beset manually .It supports face detection  , Optical Image Stabilizer

Canon SX40HS comes with Lithium-Ion NB-10L Rechargeable Battery & Charger  .

*** Disclaimer : For more details please visit the official website of Canon .We can’t guarantee about the information transmitted through the digital media

When I was a newbie for using the firmware upgrade in my Canon SX 130 IS , I found so many problems while developing the RAW files. I had no problem with Macro shots or normal shots.But I faced a lot of problem with zoomed shots .

Whenever , I used to take zoomed shots in raw mode, it was fine but when I used to develop them , I faced image distortion problem .I tried to check tall the settings in the CHDK virtual menu to solve the issue .But i didn’t find any solution .

However , RAW files come with different extensions and I use .CR2 extension. To develop a RAW file, it is required to take one shot which will develop the Raw file and compress it to a JPG file . However , one person has no problem with normal shooting or shooting with macro mode . But there is a problem with zoomed shot and the main problem is the developed image file gets distorted .

Is there any way to solve the issue ? Yes, there is a solution . However , you won’t get any solution Neither from the CHDK virtual menu or from the default camera settings . I solved it myself and I just did a trick.

And the solution is here . An image file taken with zoom must be developed with the same zoom .So here you need to remember the actual zoom you used to take a snap because when you are going to develop the Raw file , you need to take the snap with the same amount of zoom to avoid the image distortion problem .

So …… You don’t know what is a RAW file is and why you need it . Ok . Listen – In this part , we will discuss about the possibilities with JPEG file extension and Then we will discuss about why shooting RAW images .

Whenever , we take an image , the image is generally saved with JPEG extension .

When we take an image with JPEG extension , our cameras write the whole information on the SD Cards for once.

We are able to change the color information such as converting the color photo into blank & white photo from our PCs or doing any things like changing the Tint or Color Temperature etc using any photo editor like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP Shop or5 other photo editors.

But with JPEG shooting we have less capabilities and possibilities . Why ? We can not avail all the features if we shoot images only with JPEG file extension .

Let me tell you with an example . Suppose ,we have a subject to shoot and we have very low time .We just want to take the snap in different modes such as Normal Mode, Black & White , Sepia Mode , Color Accent Mode etc. or taking the snap emphasizing the Blue Tone or Green Tone or Red Tone Or setting the white balance manually .So what to do ? Can all these things be set at once ?. Your answer is NO when your subject is constantly moving .

Here is the why RAW shooting is really required . A RAW file is the file which is not processed at first and which carries all the information . A RAW file is larger in size than normal JPEG file . Different Cameras produces different sizes of RAW files .

A  RAW file may be 18.7 Mbs in size or a bit less or more and a JPEG file may be 3 – 4 Mbs in size or a bit less or more . So some more information is there in the RAW file and that’s why the file size is larger the JPEG file.

If you Shoot one RAW image with normal mode , you can produce more snaps in your Cam with different settings and different modes from the snap .You just don’t need to take the various shots with different modes and settings at that time . This thing can be done later .

Suppose , you took a snap with RAW extension and you took the snap in normal mode .You have just followed that your subject is wearing a red dress and you want to keep the red color in the snap and change the rest of the colors into black and white .Can you do this ? If you ask me , my answer is yes . Not only me , everyone can do this with the help of RAW image shooting .

This is the main reason why professional photographers like the features of RAW Image Shooting .

This RAW files are developed in the Camera . Even this is possible to change the Exif or Meta Data data in a snap .

It’s a kind of digital Negative which enables you to produce different snaps with different modes or settings from the same shot.Whenever a RAW file is developed it produces a JPEG image file .But the RAW file remains intact and you can avail more variations from a same shot .

To explain it with a better view , We are going to watch some snaps .All the snaps have been generated from a single shot and the shot was taken in RAW mode .

Image with Normal Mode

Image with Color Accent Mode

Image with Color Accent Mode

All the images have been produced from a RAW image file and the images have been developed in the camera  .

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS is a nice digicam and almost it deserves so many features such as high-end cams provide  .But it can’t shoot RAW images .But , shooting RAW images is possible with upgrading its firmware .Now , here , I need to say something about the firmware .

In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices.

Most digital cameras process and compress the snaps you take immediately after capturing the snap. This can be helpful, as it keeps the file sizes low as it uses the JPEG format to process the snap and takes care of colour correction, including white-balance, tint, and exposure and everything .

However, so many people, such as professional photographers and other photographers , prefer to take snaps with more control and that’s why many high-end cameras have the ability to shoot images in RAW mode. This mode does not compress the images at all and leaves them completely unprocessed but they can be processed or developed later on the cam .

However , the Canon PowerShot SX130 IS doesn’t come with the feature that enables you to take snaps in RAW image mode .But , Upgrading the Firmware , you can get all the features as a high-end cam provides you .

To do this , you just need to place a small script on the root of your Cam’s SD card. But , if you are using USB cable to transfer data between your cam and your pc , you can’t do this .Why ? Because , through USB , data can be imported onto your PC but you can’t transfer your data from your PC to Cam .So, to do so , you just need a card reader to place the small application on the root of your SD card .

However , according to the developer , the application has been licensed as GPL so you have the right to use the application freely and even , you can freely distribute it considering the terms and conditions of the application developers ( be sure to read the terms and conditions before using or distributing the application ) .

This is also called as CHDK hack .the way that  you are going to upgrade the firmware of your cam is not going to change it permanently because each time you need to run the script , you have to start it manually .

What is CHDK ?  CHDK is a firmware enhancement that operates on a number of Canon Cameras. CHDK gets loaded into your camera’s memory upon bootup (either manually or automatically). It provides additional functionality beyond that currently provided by the native camera firmware.

However , CHDK is not a permanent firmware upgrade: you decide how it is loaded  and this is easy to you to remove the script from your cam when you want .

The additional functionality , you are going to get is just amazing in a word .

Main features that you are going to get if you use the script :

* Save images in RAW format
* Ability to run “Scripts” to automate the camera
* Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel)
* Zebra mode (blinking highlights and shadows to show over/under exposed areas)
* An “always on” full range Battery indicator
* Ability to turn off automatic dark-frame subtraction
* a higher compression movie mode, and double the maximum video file size
* exposure times as long as 65 seconds
* exposure times as little as 1/10,000 of a second
* ability to use the USB port for a remote trigger input

Additional features:

* a depth-of-field (DOF)-calculator
* File browser
* Text reader
* Calendar
* Some fun tools and games
* To get Raw file capability on cameras that don’t have that ability
* To get the ability to use scripts  and you will be able to know the battery status at all times

Download the script for your Canon PowerShot SX130 IS from here ..Click to Download

However , this formula works on so many cameras .here , I am giving a link to a web page . Check here whether your cam supports the script and whether you can use the script . You can get the scripts there also . Click here to visit the link.

In the next article , I’ll give the details about how to run the script and how to use it practically .

Simply put, taking a picture where the subject is your surroundings is the prominent point of landscape photography. Animals and people are not always found in a landscape shot. Some landscape photographers do use people to help balance out a landscape. However, more often than not, it is just a view of the outside.

Many photographers say that if the picture incorporates buildings or the ocean then it is not a reflection of true landscape photography. Many argue that a picture consisting of buildings or a city constitutes a cityscape and a photo of the sea or ocean reflects a seascape. A landscape photo requires that the prominent subject be of natural terrain and land.

Landscape photography consists of three main styles: abstract, representation, and impressionistic.

Representational – This is landscape photography as seen by the human eye. There is no artificial manipulation or artifice added to the landscape. The landscape seen in the photo is the same as the viewer would see it.

Impressionistic – Unlike representational, this category capitalizes on techniques that amplify the elusive or vague properties in the landscape. This kind of landscape retains the quality of what makes a landscape while at the same time giving an impression rather than a clear tone or representation.

Abstract – The photographer uses the elements of the landscape as components to be manipulated to produce greater effect. Components are juxtaposed and moved to create a design rather than a real picture of what is actually represented.

Here are some landscape photography tips for taking better pictures.

Foreground – Look for natural framing objects in the foreground such as overhanging tree branches, or window openings. A natural frame helps bring more attention and interest to the subject. Be sure to have a point of interest for the viewer’s eye to land on. A vast grassy field my be pretty but it will be overlooked quickly.

So How Big Was It? – Often the size of the landscape is lost due to scale of the shot; the problem is easy to overcome. One easy way or scaling the shot is to add people to the scene, but be careful to have it look natural.

Lighting – Lighting will make or break any photograph. Clarity, shadows, and mood are all effected by the light source so always be mindful of it.

Tripod – Use a tripod to ensure sharpness in capturing the scene, especially in low light situations. The blur caused by a moving or shaking camera can ruin a landscape shot.

Composition is Key – Poor composition can ruin any picture. Keep the viewfinder clear of anything you do not want in the shot. The foreground should draw the viewer in, not distract them. If the distractions cannot be moved then try finding a different perspective of the landscape that is clear.

Don’t Fear the Weather – Weather can bring emotional effects to landscapes so don’t let it stop you from going out. The dramatic effect that weather causes can really enhance a shot. Landscapes are often softened and make more peaceful by the rain.

Infinite Depth of Field – This is done by choosing a small aperture setting to deepen the focus of the picture. Remember, this will restrict the amount of light that reaches your film or sensor, forcing other adjustments to compensate.

Lead in Lines – Lead in lines can be used to guide your viewer’s eyes through the photo. These can be natural lines that go from foreground to background or from foreground to a prominent focal point. This can also help give scale and depth to the shot.

Horizons – There are two common considerations with the horizon a: where is it in the frame and is it straight? A common composition rule (rule of thirds) divides the scene into nine equal parts like a tic-tac-toe board, placing horizons on the horizontal lines off center. Trying working in these areas rather than always locating the main points of interest in the center of the frame.

Viewpoint – If you cannot seem to capture a scene the way you want, change your viewpoint or perspective view of the scene. Changing the point of view adds drama to an uninteresting or routine scene. Use a wide angle lens from a low position to give dramatic effect to the foreground. Have fun with it.

I hope you have learned something from these landscape photography tips.

Tips on Making Black and White Photography by Using Lighting Techniques

Author: David Y Moore

Black and white photography has a different lighting than color photography. Black and white will bring out contrasts in pictures. It focuses on texture, shadows, and also framing than color. These aspects should be emphasized on focusing the lighting. Black and white photography expresses a timeless and mysterious quality. This is the reason why it is favored by wedding photographers, artist, and even journalist.

Simple Ways To Improve Your Photography

Author: Jon Brown

Photography is a common interest which can be easily and cheaply done by any individual. It’s just a matter of a click and you can produce a picture. However, taking images must be put into practice until you learn the best way to create good pictures. Discussed below are few tips you need to learn and follow to improve your skills in capturing photographs.

Beginning Photography Tips

Author: Jennifer Geary

As a beginning photographer, it is easy to get discouraged when your pictures come out too dark or constantly blurry. It’s easy for the beginning photographer to quickly become overwhelmed; especially when professionals are spouting off terms like shutter speed and aperture. However, with a little more understanding, and a little practice applying those terms, the beginning photographer can quickly and easily be on their way to capturing that perfect picture. Here are the most common photography terms and some helpful hints for applying them in your photography.