42nd Street Photo

42nd Street Photo is a 40 year experienced camera store located in New York, NY with a knowledgeable staff, great selection and competitive prices.

Shop in store or online at www.42photo.com.

Photographs are an important part of many people's lives because we use them to capture memories, hoping to be able to go back and relive our most precious moments at some time in the future. At 42nd Street Photo, we realize how important these memories are to our customers, and that's why we make every effort to carry the best products available, and to have knowledgeable staff that can answer our customer's questions.

Feel free to contact us at any time if you have a question about a digital camera purchase that you are considering. At 42 Photo, we know how important photos are!

Photography 101: Exploring Depth of Field

If you're a first-time photographer who has become disenchanted with photography because you haven't quickly grasped how to control the look of your images, then read on. Either you can continue shooting the same snapshots over and over in fully automated settings, or you can master your camera's subtle controls manually.

Today's DSLRs have the ability to finely tune aperture, shutter speed, ISO settings, focus, flash and more. They can be programmed to bracket exposures according to precise settings that users control as well as a whole host of pre-production and post-production choices, such as adding filters to enhance color, skin tones, and effects like tilt-shift miniaturization and fish-eye distortions, just to name a few. The most popular cameras also shoot high-definition video with the instant flip of a switch, but just reading the manual can be slightly overwhelming.

Introduce and practice skills one at a time until you are so familiar with your camera's manual settings and how they change exposure that you use them naturally to obtain an anticipated result. The great thing about digital is that you can instantly see exactly how each manual change in setting manipulates the end result.

What Is Depth of Field?
One of the most rewarding methods used by all photographers to alter images successfully is by manipulating depth of field. Depth of field is the distance between the nearest and furthest point from the camera where all the picture elements remain in sharp focus. It sound complicated, but it isn't. Basically, the depth of field in most amateur shots is extremely long. Because their cameras are usually set to fully automated modes, most everything in the shot remains in sharp focus. The photographer isn't really directing the viewer to any one area, and the eye tends to travel right off the page. In a word, these shots can be incredibly boring.

A better, more artistic shot has a much shallower depth of field. To achieve such a shot, use manual aperture (or F-stop) settings to control what you want the viewer to pay attention to while fading less important aspects of the image into a dreamy, painterly background. What was once harsh sunlight is now dappled colored light; what was once a complicated, distracting environment gains visual simplicity. The viewer knows exactly where to direct his or her attention because the photographer successfully delivered his or her message.

To achieve gradient exposures that have a decreasing or increasing depth of field, first decide where and on what do you want to direct the viewer's attention. For instance, go outside and choose a subject. If you have three basic objects or shapes in your frame and want to only focus on the one closest to you, focus on that object. Next, adjust your aperture (F-stop) to shoot three consecutive images, each one a setting apart. This is referred to as bracketing exposures. Try shooting the image at a wide aperture, like F-5.6. Next, while keeping the same focus, try the shot again at F-8 and F-16.

Take a moment to review your images against each other. Do you notice the subtle differences? The photo taken at the lowest-numbered F-stop (and widest lens opening) should have the narrowest/shortest, and therefore most interesting depth of field. If the range of what is in focus is not that different in the contrasting shots, you likely don't have enough distance from your subject. Repeat the same shot sequence with a different set of subjects, preferably ones that have at least a range of 10- to 20-feet from the camera and that consider picture elements across that range.

If you remain unsure about how depth of field works, keep practicing that same method. In most DSLRs, there is also a button that enables you to see the exact depth of field in the viewfinder or LCD screen. Refer to your camera manual to learn how to use this function. It is very handy for getting an idea of your perfect depth of field in an instant. And remember, the closer you get to your subject, the shallower the depth of field becomes. By contrast, if you prefer picture elements in both the foreground and background to remain sharp (with a greater depth of field) reduce your lens aperture (increase your F-stop number).

You may also increase the depth of field by changing lenses. Getting more familiar with depth of field when using a telephoto lens can be simpler and more obvious. A longer lens, such as a 55-300mm (as opposed to a standard 50mm "normal" lens), will enable you to get a distance away from your subject while providing a wide range of interest in your focusing range. Some older lenses (usually those for film cameras) also have a depth-of-field scales printed directly on them to help photographers make accurate estimations in keeping with aperture variations.

Today I'd like to put one of our best new cameras in the spotlight:

The Canon EOS Rebel Digital X Si 450D
The Rebel is on of the best in its class, and can capture images up to 12.2 megapixels, giving stunning detail, clarity, and colors for high resolution digital images and prints every single time. Here are a few of the details:
The EOS Rebel 450D Digital SLR Camera is a single-lens reflex digital camera

· 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor

· 3.0-inch LCD monitor, with 170° wide viewing angle

· 9-point Auto Focus system

· Retractable, auto pop-up flash

· Compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards

· Dust Delete Data Detection

· 4 Focusing Modes: One-Shot AF, AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)

· Integrated EOS Cleaning System

· Compatible with over 60 EF/EF-S Lenses

· Shutter Speeds: 1/4000 sec. to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/200 sec.

· Weighs approx. 16.8 oz./ 475g (body only)