Photo/Travel Blog by Tom Dempsey – What's New

May 30, 2008

Abstract Nature Patterns from Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Filed under: Canada, Montana, Travel Advice — Tom Dempsey @ 4:45 pm

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is a World Heritage Site containing the following two parks:

  1. Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Image gallery of 120 Glacier National Park images from 2007.
  2. Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, CANADA.

These parks not only have spectacular mountains, but also have fantastic and colorful rock patterns at every scale, from inches to miles. (For more abstract patterns from around the world, see My Fine Art Gallery: Abstracts.)  The following images are highlights from “Abstract nature patterns of Waterton-Glacier” on Photoseek.com:
Rock pattern. Glacier National Park, Montana.
Above: Colorful fractured rock pattern, on the hike to Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana. One of my favorite pattern images.

Below right: Smooth exfoliating rock pattern.
02GLA-02-39-Exfoliating.jpg

Glacier National Park, Montana image from photoseek.com

Left: Seabed ripples are fossilized in this blue rock pattern above Logan Pass, in Montana, in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Below right: Cracked rock pattern above Logan Pass.
Glacier National Park, Montana image from photoseek.com
02GLA-15-20-Carthew-Pass.jpg
Left: Hikers crossing Carthew Pass, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada.

     Below right: Red Rock Canyon, in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada.
Red Rock Canyon, Alberta, Canada. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park World Heritage Site

Glacier National Park, Montana image from photoseek.com
Above: My boots and poles stand atop an orange rock and yellow lichen pattern, on the trail from Two Medicine Lake Campground to Cobalt Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana.

Glacier National Park, Montana image from photoseek.com

Rock patterns above Logan Pass, in Montana, in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Glacier National Park, Montana image from photoseek.com
Glacier National Park, Montana image from photoseek.com

Left: Colorful rocks in Cobalt Creek, Montana, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Glacier National Park, Montana image from photoseek.com

  Above: Baring Creek flows over sediment ripples that are fossilized into the red rock.
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May 9, 2008

The Best Travel Cameras: How to Buy a Camera

Filed under: Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Panasonic, Travel Advice, cameras, compare cameras, lenses, photo tips — Tom Dempsey @ 8:26 am

For travellers, I suggest a camera which is compact, lightweight, high-quality and digital (not film). I have researched far and wide, and share my conclusions in my “Table of Best Travel Cameras”. From these I have picked my own equipment to photograph my portfolio shown on photoseek.com.

0606SCO_15-Glacier-Lily.jpg
Image above right: Small digital cameras such as the shirt-pocket-sized Canon SD700 IS can capture great macro shots like this image of a Glacier Lily, in Washington.
     The Canon SD700 IS was upgraded to the Canon SD850 IS (and wide angle sibling SD870 IS). For the same size and weight, you can capture even better quality images from the inexpensive Fujifilm FinePix”F series”: F31fd, F50fd, or F100fd.

Best camera reviewers

  • Table of Best Travel Cameras = lists what I consider as the best lightweight cameras for travel (with detailed specifications).
  • dpreview.com = is my favorite camera review site. Camera features are described in excruciating detail and compared to selected contemporary cameras. For the best summary, read the “Conclusion” on the last page of the Review for each camera, and look for a “Highly Recommended” rating.
  • imaging-resource.com = conveniently compares image quality of two cameras side by side, using 100% pixel view of identical images, one of the best ways to distinguish between cameras. All camera features are described.
  • steves-digicams.com = lists “best cameras” by type. All camera features are described.
  • dcresource.com = compares competing cameras by battery life, camera bulk/volume, and weight. All camera features are described.
  • Consumer Reports (CR) magazine gives concise, well organized reviews of consumer digital cameras, from compact to SLR (but online version requires a fee). For example, in the July 2007 printed edition, the camera tables list relative ratings for the most important camera features: “Picture Quality”, battery life, shutter lag, next shot delay, and price. The tables list which cameras support the following often-desireable features: image stabilization; zoom starting at 28mm wide angle; manual controls; and AA size batteries. Your local library may carry this respected independent magazine that accepts no advertising. Regular updates.

Best Camera Sellers

  • www.Pricegrabber.com =  compares camera & accessory prices across dozens of competing USA companies, along with customer service rankings and user reviews. Describes basic features. This is the best way to comparison shop. I only shop at companies ranked here with a “Seller Rating” of 4 to 5 stars and at least 400 votes. The best prices for accessories (including the cost of shipping) are usually at a company different than the camera seller.
  • B&H Photo = offers excellent camera prices and reliable service, with a huge inventory, with no sales tax if you live outside of New York state.
  • www.butterflyphoto.com = a smaller company which offers excellent camera prices and reliable service, with no sales tax if you live outside of New Jersey.

An Overview of Available Camera Styles

Below, I survey most camera types, starting with best image quality at #1 and ending with most compact camera at #5. Despite the ability of bigger cameras (#1 and #2) to make larger sharper prints, most consumers will be satisfied with 12-inch prints from small cameras (#4 or #5). As an active outdoor photographer who wants big print quality for a reasonable price, I use a DSLR style camera with lightweight body, #3.

Image above right by Carol Dempsey, using the shirt-pocket-sized Canon SD700 IS: This demon is at the bottom of a gilded chedi (or stupa), at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), which is a shining complex of buildings within the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.
  1. Professional Medium & Large Format cameras:  capture the best quality images; but are very expensive and heavy, with slower workflow.
    • Advantages: At poster size (larger than 24 inches, or 61 centimeters), the prints can be noticeably sharper than from the smaller camera types (#2-5 below). “Medium format” digital cameras capture at least twice the light area as digital “full-frame sensor” SLR cameras (#2).
    • Disadvantages: The massive equipment, including a heavy tripod, is difficult to carry on the trail away from a car. Medium/large format film costs dearly to develop and scan. And you will only notice a quality difference versus DSLR style cameras (#2-3 below) when examining the print closer than its longer dimension. You can also skip the film and mount an digital back on your medium or large format camera for quicker workflow, but at great expense. These highly specialized cameras cannot capture movies or record sound.
  2. Full-frame sensor DSLR cameras:  capture excellent quality images with fast workflow; but are very expensive and bulky.
    • “SLR” style cameras have a moveable mirror letting the viewfinder see through the lens. The following are excellent Digital SLR (DSLR) cameras:
    • Advantages: DSLR work flow and feedback are much quicker than for film cameras. Full frame sensors measure about 36 x 24 mm), and gather light in twice the area of APS-C size sensors (below).
    • Disadvantages: This very expensive camera with lens will easily exceed 64 ounces (or 1.8 kilograms) — a heavy commitment to quality. The full frame sensor requires much bigger, heavier & more expensive lenses, versus smaller APS-C cameras (#3 below). DSLR cameras do not capture movies or record sound.
  3. APS-C size sensor DSLR cameras:   take great quality images using lighter weight bodies and faster workflow.
    • As of April 2008, the best value, lightweight DSLR cameras are:
      • Nikon D60 (or earlier Nikon D40X), and
      • Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi (or earlier 400D/XTi).
    • Advantages: These DSLR systems are a great value for travel, backpacking and general use. They can make great poster sized prints that impress most people (see “maximum print size discussion“). A DSLR with an APS-C sized sensor (about 22 x 15 mm) costs less, and supports lighter-weight lenses “designed for digital”, with image stabilization (such as Nikon/Nikkor DX lenses with VR vibration reduction; Canon EF-S lenses with IS image stabilization; or Sigma DC lenses with OS Optical Stabilization).
      • Image stabilization has greatly reduced my tripod use, and jump-started my creativity. My Nikon D40X DSLR system (38 ounces including good 18-200 mm VR lens) captures better quality images than my former Nikon N70 camera system shooting excellent 35-mm Fujichrome Velvia 50 film.
    • Disadvantages: DSLR cameras do not capture movies or record sound. Most consumers consider the above DSLR style cameras as too large and expensive (despite their gain in focus speed and low light performance), and prefer smaller cameras, below. 
  4. Non-SLR style cameras:  take very good images, from bodies cheaper and smaller than DSLR cameras; but usually focus slower, and perform worse in low light.
    • The best non-SLR: 
      • Fujifilm FinePix S100FS camera (new 2/2008) is much cheaper than a DSLR and offers an “all-in-one solution” weighing 34 ounces, with 28-400mm equivalent 14x zoom, with lens-shift image stabilization (improving handheld shooting in 1.3 stops dimmer light); 1 cm focus Super Macro; flip down 2.5 inch LCD; RAW mode; and excellent 2/3-inch Super CCD HR sensor. You can correct its bad chromatic aberrations using third-party software on the RAW files. Otherwise the camera offers impressively sharp images, surprisingly similar up to ISO 800 compared with the Nikon D60 or Canon Rebel XSi DSLR.
    • Advantages: Non-SLR cameras offer a compact, all-in-one photography solution. They can make respectable 18 inch or smaller prints, can capture movies and nice macro shots, and display a live view on the LCD.
    • The “best” 18x superzoom camera: 
      • In compact cameras, an “18x optical zoom” can hurt image quality throughout the zoom versus cameras having smaller zoom ranges such as 12x or 6x.
      • That being said, the Panasonic FZ18 (28-504 mm lens with IS [Image Stabilization]; 15 ounces) is the best 18x superzoom compact camera as of March 2008. The Panasonic FZ18 beats the competing Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd (27-486 mm IS lens; 18 ounces), which in turn beats the Olympus SP-560UZ. Unfortunately, all of these 18x zoom cameras sacrifice quality throughout the zoom range, versus a 6x to 12x zoom camera…
      • Instead of an 18x zoom, consider the 13-ounce Panasonic FZ8, which offers a great value 12x IS zoom lens. The Panasonic FZ8 is not only physically smaller and cheaper than the 18x superzoom cameras, but captures better image quality. Simply crop images to somewhat extend the telephoto range.
      • Also consider the 13-ounce Canon Powershot G9, which has a shorter zoom of 6x with IS, and costs more, but captures significantly better image quality than the Panasonic FZ8, mostly due to a larger sensor. Small cameras generally must trade off image quality to pack a bigger zoom into a given small box. The 13-ounce Canon Powershot G9 wins the quality sweet spot, versus any 6x (or greater) zoom IS camera of up to 18 ounces.
  5. Small cameras from 7 to 13 ounces, fitting into your pocket or purse:  take surprisingly good quality still images, movies and macro.
    • If you can afford the best 13-ounce camera, get the Canon Powershot G9, which can fit in a large pocket; has a 6x zoom with IS, 35-210mm equivalent; RAW mode; good 1/1.7″ CCD sensor. 
      • Or, to save some money, consider the similar quality 13-ounce Canon A650 IS (which adds a handy flip-out LCD; has the same 1/1.7″ sensor & 6x zoom to capture the same JPG quality; but lacks RAW mode).
    • For best absolute image quality in a subcompact size, try the inexpensive 7-ounce Fujifilm FinePix F series: the FinePix F100fd (new 1/2008) has a stabilized 5x zoom 28-140mm “equivalent”; 5 centimeter macro; great 1/1.6-inch Super CCD HR sensor; new wide dynamic range; and image quality rivalling the larger Canon G9.
      • Or consider the earlier Fujifilm FinePix F50fd (with 35-105mm “equivalent” zoom and 1/1.6″ sensor; with image stabilization; equals image quality of Canon G9), or the equally good F31fd earlier version (without stabilization), which rivals the image quality of the larger Canon G7 at a much lower price.
    • For another good price value at 7-ounces, consider the Canon Powershot A720 IS, or earlier A710 IS.
    • For a slimmer camera, also in the 7-ounce class (with slightly lower quality images), consider the Canon Powershot SD850 IS (35-140mm “equivalent” zoom). Or if you want a wider angle zoom, with a 28-105mm “equivalent”, try the sibling camera Canon Powershot SD870 IS (review) or the earlier SD800 IS. 
    • In summary, the best tiny cameras (from 7 to 13 ounces) are in the Fujifilm FinePix F series; or in the Canon Powershot series with Image Stabilization (IS). Also consider any camera reviewed as “Highly Recommended” on www.dpreview.com.
Image Quality and Maximum Print Size
  • Maximum print size:
    • Image quality directly affects maximum print size. Improving image quality depends upon many factors, such as:  shooting with good focus; proper exposure; lower ISO settings to reduce noise; good lens quality; larger total sensor area; larger sensor receptor at each pixel; better sensor noise handling; better RAW optimization (in-camera JPEG conversion versus superior external RAW conversion), and so forth.
    • Buying a camera with more megapixels is not the best way to maximize print size. Instead, pick a camera with a larger diameter lens and physically larger sensor which is better optimized than its competitors, as judged when 100% pixel views are compared (reviewer site), such as at ISO 400 or higher. Beware that exceeding about 6 to 8 megapixels in small cameras (subcompacts less than 10 ounces; as of 2007) usually does not help increase effective print size, due to limitations of lens & sensor.
    • Maximum print size is subjective, depending upon viewing distance and standards. Compare only within a given standard or reviewer.
    • Surprising billboard example:   A 20-foot-wide billboard produced from a good 3 megapixel camera can look great viewed from 40 feet away, but can look fuzzier when viewed closer. Different observers will judge the “fuzziness” differently, subjectively. A typical 3-megapixel image measures 2000 pixels wide x 1500 high. When you print the same image 8 inches wide (at 250 ppi / pixels per inch) and view it 16 inches away, it will look equally sharp as the more distantly viewed billboard. Stand 40 feet from the billboard and hold the print 16 inches from your eye, and they will line up perfectly. Both have the same viewing angle relative to your eye and both have 3 megapixels of information, so they will look equally sharp, theoretically.
  • Maximum print size is unlimited for a good 3+ megapixel or larger camera, as long as you view the print at a distance of at least twice its longer dimension. But when viewed closer, at some point you can define a standard for maximum print size. This rule is subjective.
  • An excellent 8 to 10 megapixel camera (circa 2007) can create printed images perceived as sharp when viewed at a distance equal to the print’s longer dimension (or further away). For example, for most people, a 20×30 inch print from an 8-10 megapixel SLR camera looks sharp viewed at 30 inches. This rule is subjective.
  • For best prints of up to 48 inches on an ink jet printer, resize the file’s resolution in the range of 240 to 300 ppi (pixels per inch), at your desired length and width. Adobe Photoshop’s “bicubic” resizing works great; or use Adobe Lightroom. If more than doubling a dimension, resize in steps, to avoid imperfections. For example, to increase an image from 16 inches to 48 inches high, resize height to 32 inches first, then resize again to 48. Maintain image proportion of height to width. After resizing, sharpen (or Unsharp mask) the image as the last step before printing.
    • Clarification: Setting the file’s resolution to 240 ppi is unrelated to setting the printer’s dpi for laying down ink, which is a different topic — for final prints, simply choose the printer’s “Highest Quality” setting, which will automatically optimize the printer’s dpi.
  • The following subjective viewing distance formula for the human eye is for well-printed images, from any high quality camera of any megapixel size:
    Optimal viewing distance in inches ____ = 3500 divided by ( ____ optimal image file pixels per inch or ppi )

    • Example A: A 240 ppi print can look sharp when viewed at 15 inches or greater, which is about the closest that most people look at prints. (14.6 inches = 3500 / 240 ppi)
    • Example B: The 10 megapixel Nikon D40X captures 3872 x 2592 pixels native size. Take the longer dimension of 3872 pixels, and divide by 240 ppi, which equals a 16 inch print, which should look sharp when viewed at 15 inches or further from your eye. Enlarging this image, doubling its long side to 32 inches, will look sharp when viewed at least 30 inches from your eye (twice as far away).
    • This formula is subjective, meaning your judgment of image sharpness may differ from mine.


http://www.photoseek.com/07NZ-2/bin/images/large/07NZ_5159_cicada_insect.jpg

Above: I photographed this striking cicada insect with my compact Canon Powershot Pro1 camera, on the Queen Charlotte Track in South Island, New Zealand. (Exposed at f/6.3, 1/10th second, 23mm lens / 90mm equivalent.)
     Small cameras can sometimes outclass SLR cameras (for ~10% of my shots). The Pro1’s Super Macro can capture an area as small as 25 x 34 mm (1 x 1.3 inches) at 5 megapixels. An SLR would require the inconvenience & expense of a special lens or diopter filter to achieve the same affect.

For fascinating explanations of digital camera terminology, see dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/

I am independent photographer with no affiliation with any camera or film manufacturer, and all opinions here are mine. I welcome your comments — Tom Dempsey

See my related pages: Digital versus Film ~ Tom’s Photography Equipment History
How to Take Better Pictures: How to Compose an Image , How to Use Fill Flash , How to Optimize Shadows and Highlights

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