Perceiving Light-The Difference Between The Human Eye And Camera Sensors

A very important concept to understand in photography is that the way you see something exposed is not the same way a camera does.

You may see a beautiful morning scene, trees illuminated softly with sun's light and a sky full of colorful clouds.

You want to take a picture of such moment, and if you don't understand this concept, you will find yourself in one of these scenarios:

• Your shot comes out underexposed since you didn't use a slow shutter speed, you thought light was enough for 1/40 and it turns out you needed a 5 seconds exposure.
• The trees come out properly exposed but the sky is blow out.
• The sky came out properly exposed but the trees are underexposed.

By the time you get it right, sun has come out completely and the clouds are white now or gone.

The crucial difference

The subject of why what your eye sees is not what your camera sees is not exactly a simple one, there is a lot of science in between, however, I will give you the facts you need to know to understand it.

In a simple statement, the main difference between the human eye and a camera sensor is that the human eye can perceive a wider range of light than a camera sensor does.

Difference explained

So what does that mean?

Your eyes can perceive light in a way that you can see details even when your subject is illuminated from behind, or in scenarios where both the front and back planes are illuminated, your eyes can see both planes properly.

A camera sensor can not do this. If you took a picture of someone while being back lit, you would need to add light to the picture so the camera shows the person's face, in this case you would need to use a flash.

In the example of the first section, either you have to pick between the trees or the sky, but you can't get both.

Another good example would be while you're indoors. Usually you can see your way around inside a building pretty well, but a camera can't, in practical terms, it would be blind.

If you took a picture from inside a house at noon, you either properly expose the inside and have a blown out, practically white outside OR you get a properly exposed outside while the indoors look like a cave.

Ranges

For explaining purposes, lets imagine a scale from 0 to 100. 0 would be really REALLY dark and 100 would be really REALLY bright.

0-----10-----20-----30-----40-----50-----60-----70-----80-----90-----100

In that scale, a human eye could perceive from around 20 to 80/85, while a camera sensor could perceive from 40 to 70/75.

It's not exactly a scientific scale but it gives you a notion of how much difference there is.

Mr. Gary L. Friedman explains this concept in his books for the Alpha DSLRs in stops. A stop would mean a factor of 2 in light intensity.

He uses the following examples:

Photographic paper: 6.5 stops

Digital sensors: 8 stops in JPEG, 10 in RAW

Color negative film: 12 stops

Human eye: 30 stops

Source: The Complete Guide To Sony's Alpha 700 Digital SLR Camera And The Alpha Mount System by Gary L. Friedman

This explains it in photographic terms, the human eye can sense a lot more light and shadows than a camera can. When a camera sensor goes beyond its range either for shadows or light, the data is lost, you can't recover it with post processing. In a histogram, this would show up as clipped lines on either sides.

So why do I need to know this?

Knowing and understanding the fact that a camera sensor doesn't see a scene as your eyes do is a critical thing for any photographer to know.

If know about it, you can know how much your sensor can really see and what things (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc.) you will need to set so the photo comes out as you want.

If you control this fact, you can create artistic pictures or unique looking photos, but if you don't, you will be facing constant frustration as you will be exceeding the sensor's range to perceive light, and your shots will be coming either underexposed or totally overexposed.

Now you understand why you need to add flash to portraits even when shooting outdoors with sunlight? Or why you need slow shutter speeds/high ISOs or really wide apertures to get shots indoors? Why if you get a properly exposed plane, the other one may be dark or over exposed? Why if you go out at night you can see properly but your camera can't?

Your eyes may see those situations properly exposed with no problem (unless its REALLY dark or REALLY bright) but your camera can't. That's because the range in which they can see light is completely different

Advices and closure

Here are some advices to overcome the limited brightness range of your sensor:

• Buy a light meter
• Use your camera's metering function
• Use wide aperture lenses (In the Alpha line, the fastest lens available are the 50mm f 1.4 and the 35mm f 1.4 G)
• Use high ISOs
• Practice shooting in low light or in full light (like at outdoors at noon) to understand what settings you need to use in order to get a properly exposed shot
• Always remember that what YOU see is not what your camera sees
• Learn to see as your camera does

Now that you know the main difference between the human eye and a camera sensor, you should understand why such things as ISO, shutter speed, aperture work with each other to create a properly exposed picture.

This difference between your eye and the sensor regarding brightness range can be used for all sorts of purposes, but if you don't know how to handle it or know about it at all, it may affect your pictures in a bad way.

If you ever wondered why you couldnt get that shot of the trees and the sky properly illuminated in both planes, now you know why. In that case there is no other thing to do but to pick which plane you want to get...or you can try High Dynamic Range photography.

The limited range of a sensor may be a nuisance, since you can't capture photos the exact same way the human eye does, but it's overcoming such limitations like this one that make a great photographer and create great pictures.

A700's High ISO Capabilities-My Personal Experience Going Beyond ISO 1600

Yesterday evening I went to a demonstration of capoeria. I was invited by a friend who practices it as part of a workshop where he studies.

I have been looking for an opportunity to practice shooting under low light with people moving around. This because I sometimes take photographs of my brothers' band performing and most of the the time, I had to use flash because there was really no lightning rigs.

Ever since I got my A700, Ive been looking for an opportunity to shoot under low light with no flash, and today I finally got it.

The purpose of this entry is to describe my experience with high ISOs.

First of all, let me establish something, my A700 arrived to me 2 days before Firmware V4 was leaked on Sony's Japanese website. When it was leaked, I installed the upgrade right away, so all my shots taken so far, are taken with V4.

When I shoot with my H1, I tend not to go beyond ISO 100 unless its really necessary, then I go to ISO 200 or 400, depending on how low light is. I usually avoid ISO 400 due to how noisy the pictures are, but if there is no other choice, I use it.

This kind of thinking remained after I got my A700.

Admittedly, a picture looks much better with no noise in it, and the safe rule always is to stick to the lowest ISO possible.

One of the main reasons why I switched to DSLR, was the immense need of higher ISOs to work with. Not always you can shoot with enough light or flash light and slow shutter speeds sometimes just don't work to get the pictures you need/want.

Having read a lot of threads in DPR's Sony SLR Forum, I got used to the idea of not using an ISO higher than 1600. This fell into the same idea of not going beyond ISO 100 in my H1.

However, this past month I experienced how much difference there is between how the human eye and a camera sensor perceive light (I know I owe you an article on that, I'm working on it). I took pictures at two birthdays indoors with the Sony 28mm f2.8 and high ISOS (around 2000 or so) and the pictures came out perfectly with little noise to be seen.

However, tonight was a completely different game.

I arrived late to the event, but luckily I didn't miss my friend's performance. When I arrived, there was a group of musicians playing, so I decided to use that chance to set the camera properly for my friend's turn.

The gear I used was: A700, Vertical Grip, 18-200mm.

Since I knew that my lens wasn't exactly a fast one (f 3.5-5.6), I knew I was going to be playing with ISO instead of aperture this time around. The goal was to get properly lit pictures without resorting to flash.

I first started at ISO 1600 and it wasn't good enough, mainly because I needed a shutter speed around 1/40-1/60 to freeze movement as much as possible. The pictures came out a bit underexposed.

I bumped it to ISO 2000 and it worked just fine. The noise was somewhat visible, but that was because NR was set to Low and not to Normal, so I switched it to Normal.

When my friend came on stage, the lightning conditions had changed completely because they turned off all lights in the auditorium and when they turned them on again, they turned just the scenario ones, which were weak. The band playing before was using those lights and the auditorium's lights which helped to increase light conditions.

This posed a problem, my ISO 2000 just didn't cut it, nor any other ISO after that; except 6400.

Yeah, you read right, ISO 6400.

So the question here was: should I go with it and get noisy pictures or should I go down to ISO 1000 and open the shutter?

Answer: Go with it and get noisy pictures

Why? Simple, a great photographer called Marc Mantha once said in a course I read from him that its better to get noisy pictures than no pictures at all. And that is so true. I managed to get a load of great shots with ISO 6400.

I could have reduced the ISO and open the shutter, but then I would have got all the subjects blurry in movement. This time I was aiming for subjects well in focus but with movement, in other words, pictures where you could tell who is who while having their movements recorded to some degree.

Besides, you can always use noise removing software to improve the quality of the image, but you cant undo the blurry movement of your subject.

So what's the big fuzz about ISO 6400?

Personally, I don't know. The noise is something you can't eliminate completely from a shot, unless you manage to take photos with no light... You can suppress it, but can't get rid of it for good.

I've come to think that pixel-peepers have successfully inserted the idea in the photographer community that high ISOs are a thing from the devil. They want pictures with no noise, perfect focus and no artifacts all the time, pixel by pixel. That's an utopia, that's technical perfection, and that doesn't exist.

Of course ISO 6400 is far more noisy than ISO 200, so what? That means it shouldn't be used? If you take a look at old pictures, specially war and newspaper pictures, all those used ASA 400 or higher. They look grainy, but if you're looking at the grain and not the shot, then you're missing the whole point.

The shots I got tonight sure are noisy, but I can take care of that once I get a noise removal software (and a new computer...). However, they are not THAT noisy as some people make it sound: "OH MY GOD, THAT SHOT IS IN ISO 6400, IT'S SO HORRIBLY NOISY MY EYES ARE GOING TO POP OUT OF THEIR HOLES!"

On top of that, I used DRO Level 3 as well and the shots came out as I wanted them to.

The best scenario in this case would have been to use a long lens with a big aperture, say f 2.8, in order to reduce the ISO and increase the shutter speed even more but right now I'm working with what Ive got.

One thing I noticed about ISO 6400 is that I could go to speeds as high as 1/600 and I still could get properly lit shots, which shows just how sensible the EXMOR sensor can be...

My advice to you this time is:

Don't be afraid of going to ISO 6400 or the top ISO number of your camera. It's better to get a noisy shot than NO shot at all. And you can always remove the noise to a bigger or lesser degree with software. Sometimes, when you print, the noise isn't even noticeable. This has happened to me frequently...

If you can stick to low ISOs, that's great, but if you need more light, don't be afraid to raise the ISO.

Sure, high ISOs are noisy, but that's one trade off you got to accept if you want to be a photographer. You can work around it anyway. You can't work around not having a picture, sometimes you may get another chance, but if it's a once in a lifetime event, no software in the world can help you.

Your Alpha DSLR goes up to ISO 3200 or ISO 6400? GOOD! USE IT!

Gary L. Friedman's Complete Guides To All Sony Alpha DSLRs And The Alpha Mount

Hello Alpha Sight readers.

I've noticed lately that some of you have been looking for articles or links related to the guides for Sony Alpha DSLRs written by Gary L. Friedman. I posted a while ago an article about his guide for the A700 and my experience with it and then another one mentioning his update of that book with information about the camera's behavior with V4.

However, those two articles were mostly related to the A700. I did include links to his other books in the first article I mention, but I think that people who don't own a A700 but another Alpha DSLR didn't read it. Therefore I'm writing this entry so you have all the links handy without having to dive into a specific camera model article.

Gary L. Friedman's Complete Guides To All Sony Alpha DSLRs And The Alpha Mount.

Alpha 100

Alpha 200

Alpha 300/350

Alpha 700

A900 (Click here to sign up and be notified when the book is released in January 2009)

There you have it, whenever you're looking for a link to any of those e-books, you can look for this article.

P.D. Please vote in the current poll: Would you like Alpha Sight to have articles about basic photography topics such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc.?

I would like to know if there are people out there who need a hand understanding basic (and not so basic) photography topics, if you are one of them, vote yes and Alpha Sight will start having articles discussing them.

PictBridge-Print Your Photos With No Computer

Have you ever wanted or needed to print a picture quickly but you just had the printer and your Alpha DSLR but no computer?

It's frustrating when it happens, you cant do it unless you got a computer...

But guess what? Your Alpha DSLR has a way that can help you get around that problem.

That way is called PictBridge.

PictBridge?

PictBridge is an industry standard that allows you to print pictures directly from the camera with a compatible printer without the need to hook both to a computer. For the technical stuff, click here or here.

But this doesnt just work with any camera or printer, it has to be compatible. You need to look for this symbol:

If your camera (usually you find that symbol in the box or the manual) or printer have this symbol, it means you can use hook each other up to print.

The good thing is that it works with an USB cable, it doesnt require a special cable like HDMI.

So how does it work? (Short version)

PictBridge is pretty simple to use. You plug your USB cable provided in the camera's box (or a similar cable that fits both ends) to your camera and to the printer.

You turn it both devices on and once the printer recognizes the camera, the camera will prompt a menu on the screen where you can select what picture you want to print and in what size, once you select those two, you hit Print and voila! Youre done and now you got a photo printed with no additional hassle.

That is the nutshell version, now it comes the step by step process.

How does it work? (Step by Step)

For this procedure you will need the following items:

1. A Sony Alpha DSLR (All Alphas are PictBridge compatible)
2. Printer that's PictBridge compatible (Check your manual or look for a USB slot with the symbol I showed you above)
3. USB Cable
4. Fully charged battery or AC adaptor charger
5. Paper on your printer (photographic is the recommended but if you dont have, you can test with a normal kind of paper)

Stage 1: Setting the camera

You first need to set the camera to be recognized as a PictBridge device, otherwise the printer won't be able to communicate with your camera.

To do so in the:

A100: Menu->Setup (wrench icon) Page 1->Transfer Mode->Select PTP

A200/300/350: Menu->Setup (wrench icon) Page 2->USB Connection->PTP

A700/900: Menu->Setup (wrench icon) Page 2->USB Connection->PTP

PTP = Picture Transfer Protocol

The manual recommends that you turn off the camera and then insert the memory card that contains the image you want to print, if the memory card in the camera is the one you will be printing from, you can set the camera to PTP and then plug it to the computer. You dont need to turn the camera off if youre not changing cards but you do need to set the camera to PTP BEFORE plugging the camera to the printer.


Stage 2: Connecting your camera to the printer

Plug your USB cable to the proper terminals: Small end to the camera, big end to the printer.

If you had to switch the camera off, now you can turn it on.

Once the camera and printer start talking to each other, a screen will appear on your camera's LCD screen with the pictures you can print. An icon of how many pictures you have selected for printing will appear on the lower left corner, that icon is called DPOF or Digital Print Order Format (in other words, it tells the printer that these shots have been selected for printing), this icon will appear in the middle of the screen in every shot youve selected for printing, but it wont appear in the print of course.

Stage 3: Printing

Now it comes the fun part.

1.- With the controller/multi selector browse through the pictures in your memory card and press the center of the controller/multi selector to select that picture for printing. To unselect the picture, press the controller/multi selector again.

2.- If you want to print more pictures, repeat step 1.

3.- Press the Menu button and select the paramaters for each shot (Parameters discussed in the next section)

4.- Select "Print" in the Menu by pressing the center of the controller/multi selector.

The pictures you selected will now be printed. Once the process is done, a screen telling you the printing was successful will appear, to move past it, press the center of the controller/multi selector.

To cancel the process during printing, press the center of the controller/multi selector (yeah I know, too repetitive but thats how it is). If you cancel the printing, you will need to remove the USB cable or turn off the camera. To start over follow stages 1 through 3 again.

Keep in mind that you cant print RAW files with PictBridge.


PictBridge Menu and how to set your printing paramaters

When your camera is plugged to a printer and youre in PictBridge mode, pressing the Menu button will display the following options:

Page 1:

Print: Pressing on this option will print your selected pictures.

Set print q'ty (abbrev. for quantity): Here you select how many prints of a picture you want. You can select a maximum of 20 prints. The manual mentions this as well: The same number of prints is specified on all the selected images. This means you can set a specific picture to be printed 2, 4 or more times.

Paper size: Here you select what size of paper you will be loading the printer with for printing. These are your options:

Auto-Printer setup (This is the camera default option)

9x13cm/3.5"x5": 89 x 127mm

Hakagi: 100 x 147mm

10 x 15cm

4" x 6": 101.6 x 152.4mm

A6/4.1" x 5.8": 105 x 148.5mm

13 x 18cm/5" x 7": 127 x 178mm

Letter: 216 x 279.4mm

A4/8.3" x 11.7": 210 x 297mm

A3/11.7" X 16.5": 297 x 420mm

Layout:

Auto-Printer Setup (Default Option)

1-up/Borderless: Borderless, 1 image per sheet

1 up: 1 image per sheet

2 up: 2 images per sheet

3 up: 3 images per sheet

4up: 4 images per sheet

Note: The manuals of the A200 and the A700 list an option of 8up, which would print 8 pictures per sheet, however, the printing menus of the A200 and the A700 do not contain the 8up option.

Date imprint:

Day and time: Attaches the date and time on the picture (default option)

Date: Only the date is attached

Off: Doesnt attach the date

Page 2:

Unmark All: With this option you remove the DPOF icon of the shots you selected while youre not printing. A message saying: "Cancel All?" will appear, press the center of your controller/multi selector to say yes.

Print All/Folder Print: With this option you can print all the shots in the selected folder of your memory card (if you have more than one) or the whole memory card if you have just 1 folder. In the A100/200/300/350 its called Print All and in the A700/900 its called Folder Print.

Select the desired folder to print with the controller/multi selector, press the center of it and a message saying "Print images?" will appear, press the center of your controller/multi selector again and the printing will start.

Bonus option for the A700/900

If you possess a A700/900, you got a bonus option you can exploit and save time.

If youre watching your pictures on a HDTV using the HDMI cable, you can print your pictures at the same time!

How? With the wireless remote commander!

Heres how:

1. Plug your camera to a HDTV using a HDMI cable
2. Plug your camera to a PictBridge compatible printer
3. On the TV, display the image you want to print
4. On the Remote Commander press PRINT and Voila!

It's possible that the paramaters for the camera are fixed as follows:

Number of sheets: 1

Paper size/layout: Auto

Date imprint: Off

*Important note: If you connect your camera to a TV or HDTV with the video cable (the one with a yellow jack), the PRINT button is disabled. This function only works with a HDTV connected with a HDMI cable.


Closure

PictBridge is a function in Alpha DSLRs that allows you to print pictures for your friends or family in a fast and easy way. If you dont have a computer or dont want to start it up, you dont have to if you got a printer thats PictBridge compatible and your Alpha DSLR.

Learn to use it and get the most out of it!

A700 With $300 Discount In SonyStyle US

Are you a Sony lover and you want to make the jump from P&S to DSLR?

Are you a Sony Alpha DSLR user and you want to upgrade or get a second body?

Are you with another system and you want to jump to the Alpha mount?

Are you in the look for a camera to being your journey in DSLR water?

Were you waiting for prices to drop so you get a new A700?

Are you looking for a great Christmas gift?

Well, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!

SonyStyle US is currently selling all the Alpha 700 kits or just the body with 300 dollars off the original price.

The A700 body now costs $999.999 instead of the original $1299.99.

The A700 with the 18-70mm lens now costs $1,099.99 instead of the original $1,399.99.

The A700 with the 18-200mm lens now costs $1,999.99 instead of the original $1,499.99.

The A700 with the 16-105mm lens now costs $1,499.99 instead of the original $1,799.99.

These discounts are good until December 24, so buy NOW!

Updated Version For Gary L Friedman's Complete Guide To Sony's A700

Back in October I mentioned a book that really helped me to get a good understanding of what the A700 can do, Gary L. Friedman's Complete Guide To Sony's A700 Digital SLR Camera And The Alpha Mount System.

Sony released Version 4 of the A700's firmware in September, and the upgrades in that firmware version changed the way the camera behaves. Mr. Friedman's book back then was based on firmware's Version 3.

Well, he has now updated his book to include the changes the A700 experienced with V4 among other things.

From an email he sent:

What's new with version 3.0?

• More detail about Firmware Version 4, including some unexpected behaviors
• A few more DRO examples added
• The Manual White Balance setting to use for Compact Florescent lighting.
• More on Zone Matching and the "Agorabosta method"
• Too many small formatting and typographical corrections to document

So if you bought his book already, you should be getting an email from him with a link to get the newest version of his book.

If you havent bought his guide because you were waiting for him to include information about V4 or because you just havent, now is the time to buy it. Read my post on his book clicking on the link above.

Keep in mind that buying a book from Mr. Friedman gives you access to free updates for life, so the investment you do when purchasing it pays for itself once you grasp all your A700 can do.

Go now to his online store to purchase his updated A700's guide .

*For those of you who purchased his book already and plan to get the update, please wait a few days if possible to download it so his main servers wont be overloaded with simultaneous downloads.

Recommended Accesory: Vertical Grip

One item that can improve your photography is the use of a vertical grip.

A vertical grip is a device that its attached to your Alpha DSLR and lets you control the camera in a vertical way while reducing the strain on your wrists.

But why is it recommended?

A bit of history

Back in the days of film, you had to move a lever next to a dial that controlled shutter speed in order to make film move forward after you took a picture. This lever was manually operated and required you to move it every time you took a picture.

If you've seen films where someone with a camera moves it down and then raises it again its because they were moving the film with the lever.

This operation was annoying for some people or they just couldnt move the lever fast enough to keep with the action. The ability to shoot fast with no lag was something that a lot of professional photographers required, especially when shooting sports events, so camera makers resolved it by creating a mechanical device that would move the film forward without the intervention of the photographer, increasing the frames per second speed.

And thats how vertical grips were born for SLRs.

Since a lot of professional photographers used this device, whenever someone saw a camera with a vertical grip, it was assumed by default that he/she was a pro. So if you didnt use a vertical grip, you just werent a pro. And that thinking still remains today.

Back to the digital age

In modern days, the vertical grip no longer moves the film in a DSLR because there isnt any film in it (duh), but it has found other uses.

In these days, vertical grips increase the time you can take pictures by storing more than one battery, in some cases it increases the fps speed of your camera and lets you control the camera in a vertical orientation without having to bend your wrists, especially when shooting portraits.

The most advertised use for vertical grips, is the ability to shoot portraits vertically.

Sony Alpha DSLR Vertical Grips

With the exception of the A100, all Sony Alpha DSLRs can use vertical grips made by Sony. The A100 requires a third party one.

The A200/300/350 use the VG-B30AM Vertical Grip.

The A700 uses the VG-C70AM Vertical Grip.

The A900 uses the VG-C90AM Vertical Grip.

Why is it recommended?

DSLRs are designed to be used horizontally, but photography can also be vertical.

If you've ever shot a portrait of someone vertically but you screwed up when pressing buttons, you will see the need for this item.

The vertical grip isn't just designed to take portraits in a vertical way, its designed for any photography that requires vertical orientation.

Taking pictures vertically without this item is possible, but eventually it takes a toll on your wrists, hands and fingers, especially if you shoot for long periods of time.

These are the advantages of using a vertical grip:

• Increase of camera space to grab
• Increase of the amount of shots you can take
• Allows you to shoot vertically without forcing your wrists, hands or fingers
• You can control the camera the same as if you were holding it horizontally
• The camera's stability when shooting vertically is increased

Some people do not like to use vertical grips because they dont see the use of it, they dont like the handle of it, etc. That is respectable, not all people need this item. Whether you do or not depends on your shooting style and if youre comfortable or not without it.

My personal experience

I bought the VG for my A700 when I purchased my camera. I wasnt really sure if I needed it, but I thought to give it a shot since I have delicate wrists and I didnt want to strain them while using my A700.

Once I used the VG, I fell in love with it.

Since I have big hands, I need space to grab to, and the VG offers it when I use it vertically. The buttons are perfectly placed and they are a exact replica of the front and back of my A700. I dont need to take my eyes off the viewfinder to see what button to press since its the same arrangement vertical or horizontal.

I have shot vertical pictures without it and Ive found my fingers to be sore after a while due to the extra strength I got to apply to grab the camera vertically, this doesnt happen when I use the VG.

Ive read a lot of comments from people for and against the VG, I personally would recommend getting one if you shoot vertically frequently and you need a good grip over your camera. If you do mostly horizontal shots, then probably this item isnt for you.

Notes of use and closure

Here are some details about the VG you should know:

• Using a vertical grip doesnt make you a professional photographer, your work does.
• The vertical grips require 2 NP-FM500H batteries, you can not use AA batteries or such.
• If you run out of power with one battery, the grip will automatically move on to the next battery
• The grip will always start using the battery with less power available regardless if you placed it in the first or second place in the battery cradle.
• The A700's VG had an error that it stopped responding while in use and required you to remove the batteries and reinsert them. This error has been fixed with the Firmware upgrade Version 4 for the A700
• The A700's and A900's vertical grip look identical, but they are not the same size, do not attempt to use any other VG that the appropiate one for your Alpha DSLR.
• The tripod mount in the VG doesnt fit on all tripods, so the use of this item may be a problem if your tripod's head cant attach to it,
• The Sony VG's are one of the most complete grips in the market, usually a VG is just made of battery space, shutter, dial and thats it. Sony made the VGs' controls as exact as in the actual camera as they could.
• Unfortunately the use of VGs in the Alpha line wont increase you fps speed.
• You can attach a Belt Grip to the Vertical Grip
• The VG-B30AM requires you to remove the battery compartment door, this is not needed with the VG-C70 and C90 grips
• The VG-C70AM grip has the grip sensor found in the A700's body

A vertical grip can be an useful tool if you take vertical shots frequently, not just portraits; landscapes, snap shots, etc. apply. If you feel comfortable shooting without it, then maybe you dont need this item.

A good tip to determine whether you need it or not is to try it out before purchasing it and see how you feel with it. Maybe you need it and you dont know it.

The use of this item certainly reduces the stress on your hands, fingers and wrists. Those parts are essential for you to take pictures, take care of them.

Because of my experience with it and how useful it's been, the vertical grip is an Alpha Sight Recommended Accesory.

Human Grease-A Camera's Worst Friend

If Alpha DSLRs were capable of dreaming, one nightmare that all of them would have, would be of being chased by a human hand trying to touch it in places not designed to be touched.

A bad friend

Human contact is mandatory in order to operate a DSLR. Sure, you can shoot in tethered mode and not touch the camera, but that wont give you much options for angles, and either way, you got to touch the lens to select the focal length.

DSLR bodies are designed to endure the abuse of human contact, but other parts are not.

One of the things that any DSLR or P&S camera fear a lot (if not the most) is the grease from human hands.

Enemy profile

Human skin secretes oils to keep the hands lubricated, some people secrete more oils than others, but everyone does it.

Human skin also removes waste from the body, around a 30% of all the waste a human body can generate. That means that the oils can also contain whatever your body is getting rid off through the skin.

These oils can taint or smudge a lot of surfaces. Usually you can clean them easily, like if you press your hand against a glass, a wipe with a cleaning product and a rag leave no trace of it.

But the same can't be said of photographic equipment.

Stay away!

If there are surfaces sensitive to human grease, those are surfaces of photographic equipment.

Due to the fact that you need to use your hands and fingers to control the camera, inevitably at one point or another you will touch your lens surface or something even more delicate, leaving your mark on them.

Unfortunately, cleaning these parts is not as simple as cleaning a window, since they are delicate, if you use the wrong product, you can need a replacement of that part or you can ruin your equipment. LITERALLY.

These are the parts of a camera that you should NEVER touch with your greasy fingers:

• Camera sensor
• Lens front or rear glass ends
• Focusing screen
• Mirror chamber
• Lens contacts (in the mount and in the lens)
• Built in flash
• Viewfinder
• LCD Screen

These parts are the most sensible to skin oils, most of these can be cleaned, but they require careful procedures, because if you dont do them correctly, like sensor cleaning, you can ruin it for good. Focusing screens for example, can be replaced, but you got to send it to an authorized Sony repair center. If you have an A900, you can do it yourself, but be careful.

Advice

If you clean your camera, even if its on the outside, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use latex gloves, like the ones doctors and surgeons use. They are sold in stores like Wal-Mart in the house cleaning section or in a store that sells medical supplies. These gloves will prevent your oils to touch delicate parts if for some reason you make a mistake or your hand slips or whatever.

A method Ive read about with no complaints so far is the use of the
LensPen system. In few words, its a brush that you gently move around your lens and will clean your fingerprints and other contamination without leaving trace. They have also a brush called SensorKlear thats design to clear sensors as well (CCD and CMOS) in the same fashion. Ive ordered one of each of them, but I havent received them yet. But all the research I made didnt yield reasons not to get them. They offer producs for cleaning lenses, sensors, cellphone cameras, LCD screens and TV screens as well as monitors. I suggest you check that site.

If you stain one of the parts I listed and you do NOT know what to do, DO NOT NOT NOT attempt to clean it with what you would normally clean skin oil stains like water. Research thoroughly first and determine whats the best course of action, if the cleaning procedure seems too complicated or you dont feel up for it, DO NOT proceed with it, look for a professional service such as offered by Adorama or Calumet Photographic.

Never send your equipment to unauthorized repair centers, the procedure done there may void your warranty and increase the problems your camera has, and the manufacturer may not want to repair your camera or it may be too expensive to repair.

Buy a LCD screen protector. Sony offers one for every Alpha model in the current lineup, and you can find third party solutions as well. The protector will keep your LCD screen safe from scratches and smudges. It's easier and cheaper to replace a protector than the whole screen.

If you attempt to clean your mess yourself, make sure the products you will use are compatible with your camera. This applies especially to sensor wet cleaning method. The only liquid solution approved by Sony for sensor cleaning in the Alpha line is the Eclipse E2 Solution. Use of another solution may corrode or stain your sensor filter.

Closure

You may have suspected it, but now you know it for good, human skin isnt the best friend of your photographic gear.

If you are careful about your gear, you shouldnt run intro trouble, but if you do, there are options to clean the mess or repair it.

It's better to be cautious and safe than being sorry, I recommend you follow the guidelines laid out in this article.

And again, if you stain something and you don't know what to do, do NOT think of "brilliant and original" solutions. There are a 1,000,000 ways to do it wrong and a few ways to do it right, if you don't know what to do, don't act impulsively, instead follow this sequence:

STOP->CALM DOWN->ANALYZE THE PROBLEM->RESEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS IN THE INTERNET OR IN PHOTOGRAPHY FORUMS->EVALUATE PROS AND CONS->DECIDE AND EXECUTE THE SOLUTION YOU CHOSE

Your gear is delicate and precise equipment, therefore it requires proper care.

Take care of it and don't lay your greasy fingers on sensitive parts.

Control Dial Setup-Pick Your Own Setting

The Sony Alpha DSLR cameras offer a great deal of customization so the user can use it the way he/she wants it to. Customizing the camera to your preference can result in a faster operation.

One function that allows customization is the Control Dial Setup.

Dial Or Dials?

The purpose of the dial(s) in your Alpha DSLR is/are to change either shutter speed or aperture number.

Depending on what model you've got, you may have 1 or 2 dials:

A100/200/300/350: 1 dial
A700/900: 2 dials

For the cameras with 1 dial, you can move one setting with it, with cameras with 2 dials, you control each setting with each dial.

But the good news is, if you got 1 dial, you can pick which setting to move, and if you got 2 dials, you can chose where you want the settings.

Choosing your weapon of choice

You may wonder: "Why do I need to change the setting on the dial or the order they are arranged?"

The answer is: Customization

Customizing something means that its designed or set in a particular way thats not usually the normal way.

If you change the steering wheel of your car for a sports steering wheel, that would be one example of customization. You're making the item more comfortable for YOUR use, and the more comfortable you're with an item while using it, your control and performance increases.

And this is what you're aiming at with a camera.

There are photographers who like to use the shutter speed more than aperture (like sports photographers) and viceversa(like portrait photographers). Or they use both but they give preference to aperture and they need it more handy than shutter speed.

If you got 1 dial in your Alpha DSLR, you will have to pick which setting you use or will use the most: shutter speed or aperture. The default setting is shutter speed.

If you got 2 dials, you can select to have shutter speed in the front and aperture in the back dial or viceversa.

To have these two important settings the way you want them to will give you a faster access to them when you're shooting.

Invoking the Control Dial Setup.

To set which value to change or in what order the values are arranged, you need to do the following:

A100: Menu->Custom (clockwork icon) Menu Page 2->Ctrl Dial Set->Shutter Speed or Aperture

A200/300/350: Menu->Custom (clockwork icon) Menu Page 1->Ctrl Dial Set->Shutter Speed or Aperture (These cameras have just one page for the Custom Menu, so you can't miss it)

A700/900: Menu->Custom (clockwork icon) Menu Page 2->Ctrl Dial Set->Front SS/Rear F/no or Front F/no/Rear SS

SS= Shutter Speed
F/no= F number

Notes Of Use.

In the Alpha 100/200/300/350 to use the other setting the dial doesn't immediately control, you need to press the Exposure Compensation button (the one with the square with the plus and minus icons).

Example:

You chose Shutter speed to be controlled by the dial, which means you will need to press the Exposure Compensation button and move the dial to control the aperture. If you set aperture to be controlled by the dial, you will need to press the Exposure Compensation button and move the dial to control shutter speed. You need to keep the button pressed while moving the dial.


In Alpha 700/900 its best to control the rear dial with your thumb, since is the finger closest to that dial, moving another finger may require you to pay attention to what youre doing, and what you want is seamless control while shooting. Although if you feel more comfortable using another finger, go ahead :)

Closure.

Learning to use your camera is utterly important, but just as important is that you set it the way you feel most comfortable with it in order to improve your response time and performance while using it.

The Sony Alpha DSLRs give you plenty of customization, that means you got options to chose from, USE THEM!