Table of contents for Compact System Camera Guide 1st Edition in Compact System Camera Guide

Although DSLR cameras have long been promoted as providing the best image quality, many people see them as too big, too heavy and too complex. But the latest ‘mirrorless’ Compact System Cameras (CSCs) are seriously challenging most of these perceived performance advantages and providing some quantifiable benefits of their own. Today, the differences in performance between CSCs and DSLRs are largely irrelevant. A resolution of more than 16 megapixels from a Micro Four Thirds or larger sensor is of little importance to anyone who doesn’t make gallerysized prints. In most situations, CSCs will reproduce fine detall and deliver colour accuracy that’s as good as – and sometimes better than – a typical DSLR. Weight-wise, most CSC systems would be a better choice than a DSLR, particularly if you’re travelling or…

Aside from lenses, there are plenty of other accessories to build up your CSC kit. The options available for different cameras vary widely with different manufacturers. Viewfinders While electronic viewfinders (EVFs) are usually built into high-end CSCs, users of entry- and mid-level models have to rely on the monitor for both shot composition and adjusting shooting parameters. But even if you prefer framing shots on the camera's LCD, in bright outdoor lighting monitor screens aren't bright enough for you to discern any details in a scene. A viewfinder eliminates this problem. It's generally better to have the viewfinder built Into the camera body. Add-on 'finders inaeese the camera's body size, compromise its sleek design and can make it tricky to get the camera into and out of a bag or…

Photographers who use the P, A, S and M shooting modes can control two key image parameters, which are blocked when the auto and scene pre-set modes are used: sensitivity and colour adjustments. These adjustments can Influence the appearance of Images quite dramatically. The ISO settings adjust the sensor's sensitivity to light by tweaking the signal gain. This affects the ratio of signal image data) to the inevitable electronic noise that is recorded with the image. In normal daylight, most cameras can produce images with no visible noise at settings up to ISO 800 and many remain almost noise-free up to ISO 3200. Thereafter, granularity becomes increasingly visible as ISO is increased. Each photographer should determine how much noise is tolerable for individual images, depending upon how they will be…

Although most entry-level CSCs require their LCD monitors to do double duty for framing shots, higher-featured cameras almost always include dedicated viewfinders. We've covered viewfinders in Chapter 3, so we'll begin this chapter by looking at how to use monitors to frame and evaluate photographs. We’ll then move on to cover viewfinders in more detail, then outline some popular framing aids and provide some tips on shot composition. Live View Shooting Using the monitor for shot composition Qivev iew shooting) has some significant advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side live view shooting provides: 1. Communication with subjects. For portraiture, live view shooting allows you to maintain eye contact with your subject. This can be useful when photographing babies and young children. 2. You are more aware of activities happening…

Almost all CSCs can record Full HD video movies. But whereas in DLSR cameras it's only available in Live View mode, electronic viewfinders make it possible to shoot movies while holding the camera to your eye. This can have important advantages. In bright outdoor lighting, shooting with the monitor is extremely difficult. Even with the brightness set to maximum, it can be difficult to make out where the edges of the frame are and, often, where the main subject is located. Using an EVF has the double advantages of isolating the scene from potentially distracting surroundings and showing photographers what will be recorded as it is captured. EVFs also enable users to superimpose grids to assist with shot composition, and they display icons indicating camera settings and histogram overlays showing…