Photo Questions and Answers On this page we will answer readers questions. We don't claim to be experts in every photographic subject, so feedback from visitors is welcome, if you disagree with our answer email us with your opinion. DSLR cameras are usually listed with a lens or body only. Why would anyone want a camera without a lens? K. Masterton The main reason for wanting a DSLR body only is to get a lens other than the kit lens usually supplied with the camera. This is not to say that kit lenses are poor, indeed Nikon, Canon, Olympus have all recently improved their standard zooms on consumer DSLRs. But the cost of these lenses averages only £50 so they cannot be expected to have the highest optical quality. All manufacturers have superior standard zooms available usually costing a minimum of £200 extra, so you will have to decide whether it's a worthwhile purchase. From what I have read the bigger the sensor the better the picture? Could you tell me if one can buy a compact with a large sensor? Roy Davison The only compact camera with a large sensor is the Sigma DP1, but it's overall performance is far from ideal. If you are really interested in picture quality the web site "Imaging Resource" (see our camera reviews for link) has a page called "Compare sample images", this enables you to view full size photographs from any two cameras you select. In a book I read that to get maximum depth of field I should use an aperture of f/16 or f/22. When I looked at my camera which is a Canon Powershot S5 the apertures only go to f/8, why haven't I got the smaller apertures? Laurence Short Cameras with small sensors don't have the smaller apertures because they aren't required. If you set your camera to a focal length equivalent of 50mm and use an aperture of f/8, when focused on 1½ feet you will get a sharp picture from 8½" to infinity. Compact and long zoom cameras have extensive depth of field because of the very short focal length of their lenses. The book you were reading was obviously referring to DSLR cameras. I want to get a spare battery for my new DSLR but the cost of the manufacturer's battery is very high. It's tempting to purchase a compatible battery as they are considerably cheaper but the camera's guarantee states that if a battery other than the manufacturers is used and it causes a problem the guarantee will be void. What would you advise me to do? M. Seaman Compatible batteries are up to two thirds cheaper than manufacturer's products, so major savings can be made. The decision has to be yours, but if you buy a third party battery from a shop or web site you trust, you may feel you are taking less of a risk. Why do the colours in my landscape photographs look washed out when I compare them to similar shots in magazines and web sites? J.F. The majority landscape photographs have the saturation increased to give that Velvia look of exaggerated colour. Setting the camera to vivid/chrome will have the effect of increasing colour strength. The problem with doing it this way is you have no control of the quantity of colour boost. Our recommended procedure is to use the normal setting in your camera. When you get home open your photograph in a photo editing program and increase the saturation to suit your taste. Don't forget to "save as" a different name so that you don't overwrite your original file, just in case you change your mind. I lent my camera to my brother and since he returned it to me the flash hasn't worked. Yesterday I tried to take some photos for ebay, the flash didn't work and the photos were very dark. He says he hasn't done anything to damage the camera. What do you think? M. Brett It sounds as though your brother has inadvertently changed the flash setting to suppressed, this has the effect of turning the flash off so it never fires. The majority of cameras have the flash setting on the back of the camera via the four way controller. In one direction there will be a symbol that looks like a lightning flash, press the control in this direction and choose "auto" on the flash menu. The camera should now return to normal with the flash firing when required. In Photoshop Elements on a Mac OSX 10.5, I have occasional trouble with the clone tool. It doesn't always pick up the pattern with option-click but instead deposits a pale blue spot. I am working on black and white photos and this is a problem. The colour change doesn't happen with magic wand. Any idea how to solve this? Clare Smith We have to admit to being beginners as far as Photoshop is concerned, so unfortunately we're unable to answer your question. Maybe one of our readers can help? A quick look on Google came up with a couple of Photoshop specialist web sites with forums for questions they're: www.photoshopforums.com and www.devppl.com, they could possibly come up with an answer. Please email your questions and opinions to:
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