Posted by admin on March 30th, 2008 — Posted in Photo World
The importance and usefulness of a skylight filter cannot be overestimated. Everyone should have at least one. Preferably, they should have one for every lens they own. These should be permanently fixed to the filter thread.
Skylight filters are cheap, freely available and come in various filter thread sizes. This means that everyone can afford one and there will be a filter to fit every lens (or almost).
The primary function of a skylight filter is to cut down excessive UV rays which, in turn, make scenes in the distance appear to have a blue haze. The filter effectively reduces the haze and blue colour cast. Pictures of hills and mountains in the distance look clearer.
The secondary function, and why you should have one on each lens, is that of protection. Like a lens cap, the skylight filter fits over the front of the lens and helps to prevent the ingress of dirt and dust. It also protects the lens from the effects of oily and greasy fingers, stick hands and from accidental knocks. It is much cheaper to replace a skylight than it is to replace a damaged lens.
The filter is very light and has no effect on the exposure value needed for your photography (they do not stop the normal amounts of light getting in).
Eric Hartwell is an experienced photographer and owner of the photography resource website ephotocentral.
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Posted by admin on March 26th, 2008 — Posted in Photo World
The math, of course, never adds up. You go to buy something online, you see a price, you check out and then all of a sudden you get whacked in the head with shipping costs.
Getting digital photos is no different, though slightly more annoying. After all, we are dealing with such small amounts of money usually to begin with and then to find out at the check out line that it’s going to be significantly more expensive simply because of the shipping. [It kind of reminds of me a line from Lethal Weapon 3, when Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Joe Peschi order food from a drive-through. After they pay, they go through the bag and find their order is all wrong, prompting Joe Peschi to blurt out that memorable line that: “They f— you at the drive through!”]
That’s the way I often feel when I shop online that the they “@!##$ at the check out!” It’s like the company knows that we’ve come this far and won’t leave.
For digital prints, many of the companies compete most heavily on the prices for 4×6 and 5×7. And the truth is, price is often where you’ll find the greatest differences. In terms of quality, most companies really do provide beautiful prints, so they have to try to win you over by price. But you can quickly discover that in some cases a 12 cent photo isn’t always less expensive than a 19 cent photo. That’s because of shipping. Determining that online is a real pain as you have to go from one site to another, and often having to order to see what you’re actual price is, i.e. photo plus shipping.
That is, until now. A really smart friend of mine, (much, much smarter then me) devised this really cool, easy-to-use and *free* photo calculator that will actually compare printing costs for 5 different online photo companies, and then show you the cheapest. It’s so simple to use, you just enter the number of 4×6, 5×7, or 8×10 prints. Then you select delivery type - standard, expedited (1-2 days) or overnight, click “Find Best Price” and *Voila* - you’ll get a comparison chart with the winner in red. And the best part is, you can then just click on the company name and order your photos.
It’s awesome… give it a try here:
http://www.PhotoCalc.com
Andrew is a former journalist and like many others in their mid-thirties still trying to figure out what he wants to do when he grows up. At the same time, he loves to capture “moments” and tell stories through photos. He is the creator of http://www.DazzlingDigitalPrints.com - a web site packed with tips, reviews, advice and newsletter all to help you get best digital prints possible.
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