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1500 questions
63
votes
3 answers
What should I pay attention to when choosing a tripod?
I am a novice in photography and my current camera (Sony alpha 230 kit) which I recently have bought is the first DSLR of mine. Soon I'd like to buy a tripod for it.
Please advise me what should I take into consideration when choosing a tripod? At…
rem
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62
votes
15 answers
Aren't all digital images ultimately just pixel values between 0 - 255?
I have a few incredibly basic (stupid?) questions about images; specifically, image formats and pixel values.
Forgive me, I'm not a photographer. I'm just someone that works with images, and to me, they are just rows and columns of numbers.
My…
Monica Heddneck
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62
votes
22 answers
What's a good strategy for choosing which photos to keep?
Each time I upgrade my camera, the bigger file sizes (especially shooting RAW), my bigger memory cards and happier trigger finger mean that my new photos are consuming way more space.
I even have a 3TB primary drive and a 2TB backup drive - and they…
thomasrutter
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62
votes
8 answers
Why do light sources appear as stars sometimes?
See for example this photo:
From my experience, the longer the exposure the stronger can this effect be observed. Is this correct? Are there any other factors that influence the creation of these stars (is there a better word for it, by the way?)…
eflorico
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62
votes
15 answers
What tools are available for RAW image processing in Linux?
I have been taking photographs with RAW format.
What tools are available for working with RAW under Linux?
Jack
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62
votes
5 answers
Is there development in the world of lenses?
Now, I'm not an expert, so if this post makes you laugh, you're welcome. Still, as far as I know there are basically two components that determine the potential quality of a camera's photos:
Sensor
Lens(es)
I know that sensor technology is still…
Bart van Heukelom
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- 6
62
votes
1 answer
Are "Windows Photo Viewer" rotations lossless?
Can I rotate lossily compressed photos that I view in Windows Photo Viewer without worrying about losing even more information to compression?
user5306
62
votes
7 answers
Why don't most cameras support PNG format?
I prefer PNG format to JPG, because JPG uses lossy compression.
When I capture a screen in my PC or scan a picture or document in my scanner, I always save them as PNG format.
If a camera could save its data as PNG format, I'd use the feature even…
Benjamin
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61
votes
4 answers
What is moiré? How can we avoid it?
What is the image defect called "moiré"? What causes it, and how can we avoid or reduce it? Is it related to "false color"?
coneslayer
- 7,406
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61
votes
6 answers
What makes this interior photo look unrealistic?
I have a photo that was taken by a third-party photographer (i.e. I was not the one who postprocessed it). I've been told by a number of people that this photo looks unrealistic, more like a computer-generated render than a photo of a real-life…
The Obscure Question
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60
votes
4 answers
What's the difference between saturation and vibrance in Lightroom?
Both options affect colors in a similar way, but I can't figure out the difference.
Andres
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60
votes
4 answers
What is Ansel Adams' "Zone System"?
I've heard much of Ansel Adams' Zone system, but I've never quite understood it. What is it, how and where is it used, and is it still useful with modern (digital) cameras? Thanks!
PearsonArtPhoto
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60
votes
8 answers
What does "expanded ISO" mean?
The ISO specification for the Canon EOS 7D reads as follows:
High ISO
For handheld shooting in low light, the EOS 7D offers ISO
speeds of up to 6400. Expandable to
ISO 12800, for low light scenes where
using flash is undesirable.
Why is…
Winston Smith
- 2,404
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59
votes
4 answers
Who, or what, is an "Uncle Bob"?
I've heard people complaining about "Uncle Bob" taking pictures at events. From context, it sounds like Uncle Bob is an annoying guy with a camera?
What is an "Uncle Bob"? What is the background of the term "Uncle Bob"? Is he based on an actual…
scottbb
- 32,685
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59
votes
17 answers
What are the first few photography books someone should read?
The books that helped me most initially were the Bryan Peterson books and more recently the Joe McNally books.
Both of these working photographers give a lot of honest and helpful examples. These books don't lose their appeal once you've finished…
Michael McCarty
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