Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board photo software and other recommendations

Time for a new computer and a new camera

1) what photo software should I get?

2) Since photography (and Word & Excel) are the only things I do on the computer what requirements are minimum for the comnputer (say to producing an outstandingly clear 11 x 14 suitable for framing)

3) what minimum camera requirements (say 8 or 12 megapixel)

thanks - Tony B.

This will probably be a lively discussion, but I'll jump in feet-first...

Software? Probably Photoshop Elements unless you're enough of a computer geek to like greater controls at the cost of simplicity in which case I'd recommend GIMP. (It's freeware, by the way.)

Camera? First, forget about megapixels. Our ability to create features on silicon has far surpassed our ability to produce affordable optics. You can buy a 12-megapixel camera with a cheap lens and it won't do any better than the 2-megapixel camera in your cell phone. Do some research and pick a camera with a larger imager, not more megapixels. If you're not willing to lug a digital SLR, look into some of the newer DX-sensor cameras like the Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 models. I've seen a couple of others like that lately but don't recall the manufacturer.

My logic goes something like this: My Nikon D200 is a 10-megapixel camera, roughly 4000x2500 pixels on a 24mm x 16mm sensor. The best Nikon glass (prime, not zoom) would lay down about 100 line pairs per millimeter. In rough terms, you need two pixels per line pair, so a 24x16 imager and 100 LP/mm lens would THEORETICALLY give you something like 4800x3200 pixels. That, of course, is ONLY if you put the camera on a tripod, shoot at the optimum aperture for the lens and have a subject with sufficient clarity to need that many pixels. My wife's Nikon L120 point'n'shoot has 12 megapixels crammed into a sensor about half the size of my D200. No way her camera can produce the same image quality even though it has 25% more pixels, because the glass is way fuzzier than that.

In practical terms, getting a decent 11x14 out of any digital camera is tough. Even when I was shooting 35mm film (Kodachrome 64), that was about the limit because you were blowing up a regular 35mm negative 11x to cover 11x14. For a DX sensor (like the D200), you have to blow it up more like 14x and any camera motion or lack of sharpness in the original subject (like haze in the mountains) will be the limiting factor.

Donning my Nomex suit...fire away with competing opinions!!

Hi,

I've been a professional photographer since 1980 and I started in darkroom photography shooting film and developing images myself back in the 1970's. I have some strong opinions regarding cameras and software, but they don't revolve around one brand or another.

With out a doubt you should consider software such as Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, or perhaps Capture One or DXO Optics Pro. None of the software that comes from the major camera companies is quite as robust as offerings from these software-specific providers.

That is assuming you have purchased a camera that shoots in "raw" mode. What that means is the camera can record an image that can be saved to memory card without conversion to JPEG or TIFF. Point and shoot cameras usually save a JPEG image which is not suitable for further manipulation. I can't emphasize enough the importance of having the opportunity to make the photographic choices yourself.

You should examine cameras from Nikon, Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax, Fuji, and the like, and see which ones fit your budget and seem the most intuitive to you.

No one manufacture has a lock on image quality or features. Also, there is a direct correlation between cost and performance. Just as importantly, lens quality makes a huge difference. So called "kit" lenses, the ones offered on discount specials, usually perform more poorly than manufacturers top-of-the-line lenses.

And the most important part of the photographic equation is you. No camera can take the picture. That is up to you. The amount of engagement you bring to the photographic process determines the final result. If you aren't willing to lug a heavy camera with a good lens around and lift it to your eye when you see something that speaks to you, then you won't take a picture worth remembering.

You can use any computer you like to accomplish these tasks, but the more hard drive space, the faster processor speeds, and better monitor you have, the more enjoyable the experience will be for you.

Camera megapixel size is a moving target. Bigger can be better, but not always. Try and find a camera that meets your budget requirements that is 12 megapixels or more. You will be able to print larger images with higher quality at 12 megapixels or higher. There are other parameters such as full frame or "APC" sensor size that come into play, but the other factors I've talked about are more important.

Good Luck!

bjammin