Learning how to take good photos is not as easy as some thing. It also isn’t as hard. Digital photography training is something that, when followed right, will lead to satisfying pictures that are pleasing to view. This article will guide you into the world of photo taking and attempt to demystify what can be seen as confusing, difficult, and hard to do.

To take good shots you need more than just a good camera, you need a well trained eye. An expensive camera is great but won’t amount to anything if you don’t know how to use it. This article won’t go into camera technical aspects like shutter speed, correcting exposure. Instead, this article is going to show you how to develop your photographic eye.

One of the easiest and most helpful tips I learned was to look at lines. This tip helped me take better shots of nearly everything. To use this tip, simply start to look at the lines in the world around you. Not just when you’re taking photos but all the time. When you’re walking, whether to work or the bathroom, look at the lines. Notice how the hallways lines lead to the end. How desks have interesting lines that can be used to add a dynamic feeling of a man at a desk. When you take shots try to use these lines to your advantage. Make these lines lead to your subject and create a more dynamic composition.

Another useful tip is to try to make things simpler. Many beginners end up with images that are way too complex. This happens because the novice simply takes shots of what he or she sees. Although this can work and result in nice shots, most shots require more composition. By keeping things simple, you allow viewers to understand the picture better. For example, instead of taking a picture of a forest from where you’re standing, try zooming into one particular tree or getting low and shooting from an angle. By shooting from below, for example, you remove many brushes and add more sky to the shot.

The last tip I’ll cover in this article is something you’ve probably heard already: the rule of thirds. A simple rule yet very effective when learning photo skills. If you haven’t heard it, the basic idea is to not take pictures with your subject dead center. Instead, move the subject to one of the other thirds of the picture. The middle third tends to be the most used and as a result it is rather boring. Of course, dead pan shots can work great when used right. However, that’s a whole other technique.

To learn digital photography, check out our recommended guides below.

Guides on How to Learn Digital Photography

	Learn Digital Photography Now LearnDigitalPhotographyNow.com is a site dedicated for beginners to learn how to take high quality professional photos with their digital camera. You will get a FREE copy of "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros" report plus a free online album and image hosting for your digital photos. Join them now!
	Photography Posing Secrets A good resource for posing a model for the camera. Never be stuck for a pose again. This guide will help you to produce a professional standard portraits easily and quickly.
	Digital Photography Success This guide will show you how to take a high quality and professional looking digital photos. It is particularly useful even if you’ve never used a digital camera before and don’t know anything about photography. If you’re a beginner and a photography enthusiast then this is definitely your best choice.
	Digital Photography Secrets This guide is a good resource to learn the tricks and techniques to produce better images with your digital camera. You’ll learn everything the professionals know, but don’t want you to know about using your digital camera to take stunning photos!
	Easy Photography Business » Make Money With Your Digital Camera This guide is about on how to use your digital camera to make extra income working as a freelance photographer. If you are passion about photography and will like to make some extra money, then this is an ideal business opportunity. There are no any specific requirements as long as you possess the basic computer and photographic skills.

Article source originally taken from Ezine Article » Digital Photography Training – Learn to Take Better Shots by Nick Estrada » Digital Photography.

When Panasonic launched the first Micro Four Thirds camera, the DMC-G1, in September last year the lack of a video recording capability was a surprise to consumers and reviewers alike. After all this feature is usually available on even the cheapest digital compact cameras and there was no apparent technological reason for its omission on the G1. Therefore it was hardly a surprise to anyone when Panasonic six months later announced the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 which (apart from a few fairly minor changes) is pretty much what it says on the tin – a G1 with an added HD video mode.

Consequently the GH1’s performance is in almost all areas very similar to its sister model. In most shooting situations the camera produces high image quality out of the box and the camera’s user interface manages to combine the ease-of-use of a digital compact camera with the control, flexibility and speed of a DSLR.

So the ‘only’ really big news on the GH1 is the HD video mode. However, it’s fair to say that this is the best implementation of video on a ‘non-compact camera’ that we’ve seen so far. Since Panasonic’s new G-series has been designed around live view from the beginning the video feature appears much less of an add-on than on the current crop of video-enabled DSLRs and integrates much more seamlessly with the stills photography functions. Most controls work in both modes and there’s a video button to start/stop video recording whatever setting the camera is currently in – easy.

The contrast detect auto focus, especially in combination with the new 14-140mm lens, has been optimized for video operation as well. It’s much quicker than on DSLRs and actually very usable, which makes the GH1 a much better all round video camera than any of the video DSLRs we have seen so far (their contrast detect AF systems are so slow that they are only really usable with static subjects). The interchangeable lenses (although only the 14-140mm kit lens is currently optimized for video), swivel LCD, manual video controls and the optional external microphone will all be very appealing to serious videographers and amateurs alike, and make the GH1 a true video/stills hybrid.

It’s not all sunshine though. Limited lens support is still a bit of a problem for the entire Four Thirds system as there is currently only a very limited number of lenses available for the system, none of which offer really fast apertures; and when using standard four thirds lenses with the adaptor, most don’t autofocus and are somehow out of proportion to the GH1’s small body.

The GH1’s biggest problem though could be its suggested retail price of $1499.95 (including the 14-140mm kit lens) which at first sight makes it look ridiculously overpriced compared to its competitors in the ‘upper entry level’ DSLR segment such as the Canon EOS 500D/T1i or the Nikon D5000. However, there are three reasons why this is not really true, and Panasonic can only hope consumers are aware of them.

Firstly, quite a large proportion of the kit price is spent on the lens, which is much more expensive than the cheapo kit lenses of the DSLR competition. Equip a 500D/T1i with the Canon 18-200mm lens (which would be Canon’s equivalent to the Lumix 14-140mm) instead of the 18-55 kit lens, and this will take you much closer to GH1 territory in price. Secondly, as usual, the suggested retail price will certainly pretty quickly drop into more attractive regions once the GH1 hits the shops in significant numbers, and thirdly and most importantly the GH1 is not only a pretty good stills camera but can also, depending on your requirements, be an adequate alternative for a stand-alone camcorder.

Handling

The GH1 is smaller than even the smallest DSLRs but, thanks to its good sized grip and reassuring weight, always feels solid and stable in your hand. From a user interface point of view the Panasonic offers the best of two worlds. You can use it with your eye to the viewfinder and control the settings via the various external controls. Despite being built around Live view the GH1 will pretty much behave like a DSLR (with the low light limitations of the electronic viewfinder). However, if you stick it on fully automatic, ignore the wealth of options and pages of menus and use the LCD for framing you can shoot with the GH1 as you would with a compact camera.

No matter if you’re coming from a compact or DSLR, the entire user interface including menus has an intuitive and concise design and within a few days of shooting with the GH1 you’ll know your way around the camera very well and will probably have developed your individual ’style of operation’ using a mixture of external and Quick Menu controls.

Image Quality

Like its sister model G1, the GH1 delivers solid image quality in most situations and there aren’t any major image quality issues to report on.

At default settings and at low sensitivities the GH1 produces consistently high quality out-of-cam without a need to alter any of the image parameters. The JPEG output shows natural tones and colors and is free from any kind of processing artifacts. Detail is even slightly better when shooting in RAW.

However, the GH1 is sometimes slightly let down by its 14-140mm kit lens. While it’s not any worse than equivalent lenses such as the Canon or Nikon 18-200mm zooms away from the center it struggles to deliver the resolution that the GH1’s Live-MOS sensor would theoretically be capable of. A 28-280mm equivalent zoom range is extremely useful and the lens has been optimized for shooting video (stepless aperture, silent focusing). Therefore some loss of detail towards the edges of the frame is a price that many users will be happy to pay for the extra flexibility.

In low light and at higher sensitivities the GH1 is not doing a bad job either. The noise that is produced by the Panasonic Four Thirds sensor is fairly effectively counteracted by the imaging engine’s noise reduction algorithms and the GH1 can keep up with the better entry level DSLRs. Its high ISO images show an appealing balance between noise reduction and detail retention. At ISO 1600 noise starts to kick in much more aggressively (especially ‘bands’ of chroma noise in the shadows) but even the ISO 3200 output is still usable for smaller prints or web albums.

The GH1’s metering almost always works in a very reliable manner but the camera’s fairly steep default tone curve results in a tendency to clip highlights a little earlier than most APS-C sensor DSLRs. There’s no need to worry too much about this but it’s useful to be aware of the issue and, where necessary, counteract with a bit of negative exposure compensation.

Verdict’s

The GH1 offers the same ease-of-use and solid image quality as its sister model G1. On top top of that you get the best implementation of a HD video mode that we have yet seen on a large sensor camera. You pay a fairly hefty premium for this feature, but for anyone who is planning to make good use of the camera’s motion picture capabilities, the GH1 has to be highly recommended.

Compare and check out the latest offers on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 from Amazon.co.uk below

Original article taken from Digital Photography Review. Read more in-depth review on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 from Digital Photography Review

Please give your ratings on Fujifilm FinePix F50fd:
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WRITE A REVIEW ON FUJIFILM FINEPIX F50FD DIGITAL CAMERA

Are you a digital photographer looking for a high-class compact digital camera? The ultimate 12-Megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F50fd is probably the way to go. A member of F-series models, the famous award-winning series, the FinePix F50fd is incredibly popular for its spectacular shots backed up by the finest and most advanced feature set. The super-compact camera is your best choice if you wouldn’t settle for anything less than the best.

Armed with a 12-MegaPixel lens, Super CCD (7th Generation), 2.7” high resolution 230.000 pixel wide-angel view LCD and 3.0x optical zoom, the FinePix F50fd is probably the finest creation of Fujifilm, combining all the great features any highly advanced camera should have. You would be glad to learn about its Face Detection Technology along with an Automatic Red Eye Removal Ability as well as the Dual Image Stabilization feature which make it stand apart from all of its competitors. With an ability to confirm to standards of ISO 6400, F50fd is the next step in the world of compact digital cameras making those things a reality which only used to be a part of photographer’s imagination.

The upgraded Face Detection Technology (version 2.0) is the major improvement in this super-compact digital camera by Fujifilm and is enhanced by the camera’s inbuilt automatic ability to remove the infamous Red Eye problem. In just 5/100’s of a second (imagine how small it is), it can detect up to 10 human faces and simultaneously correct white balance, exposure and focus, and that too automatically, regardless of the position of the subjects within the frame. Also, you have the irresistible feature to detect faces at highly extreme angles, something which was never possible before. Obviously, with this wonderful technology, no more head-on shots are required anymore for face detection. You can identify faces at high profiles with a total overall range of 270O (90O in either direction or 135O if you are lying down or leaning in any direction).

Also included is the latest Automatic Red-Eye Removal feature which previously used to be a nightmare for photographers. If a shot is taken with Red Eye, the problem is automatically corrected followed by the saving of both the original and corrected photographs. The Picture Stabilization mode is another magnificent addition in this super-compact digital camera, allowing photographers to take high-quality and blur-free pictures. The highly stabilized CCD sensor with elevated sensitivities of ISO decreases the blur-effect to the bare minimum to makes it disappear entirely. Even if your hand shakes while taking the picture, you will notice that your pictures are still clear and crisply taken.

Dealing with any low-light problems? You don’t have to use flash with this incredibly powerful camera anymore which may just ruin your picture with over-exposed shots. Fujifilm’s highest advent in technology allows FinePix F50fd to beautifully capture pictures even in low-lights without any problem with its ability to see the shot with total clarity and uses the Fujifilm’s powerful Real Photo technology. The 7th general FinePix Super CCD-HR chip and the ultimate RP Processor II enables FinePix F50fd to utilize ISO settings to the maximum extent possible on either side, something which only FinePix F50fd is capable of doing.

Compare and check out the latest offers on Fujifilm FinePix F50fd from Amazon.co.uk below

Olympus has established a tradition of offering very well specified cameras at the entry-level, and was one of the first to offer two cameras in this bracket – the little E-410 and its image-stabilized big brother, the E-510 (later upgraded to the 420 and 520 respectively). Now it has introduced the Olympus E-620, a model that will ’sell alongside’ the E-420 and E-520 (in the sense that we suspect it will eventually replace the E-520) as the company’s attempt at a ‘500D-killer’.

And, even by Olympus’s standards of entry-level generosity, it’s not short on toys – including an articulated screen to make full use of its live view system, which itself is one of the better implementations of this feature (from the company that got there first). It’s also got ‘Art’ modes and the ability to shoot in four different aspect ratios – adapted from the features of the more expensive E-30. There’s also in-body Image Stabilization and a level of configurability that is unparalleled in this class. In fact it’s astonishing how much Olympus has crammed into its small dimensions – it’s nearer to the size of the E-4X0 than the E-5X0 series (due in part to use of the small BLS-1 battery), and the E-420 was famously the smallest DSLR in the world.

Compare and check out the latest offers on Olympus E-620 from Amazon.co.uk below

Original source taken from Digital Photography Review. Read more in-depth review on Olympus E-620 from Digital Photography Review

JVC has recently unveiled its new Everio GZ-X900, known as the JVC Everio X, a hybrid camera that can capture both digital stills and high definition video.

Weighing just 298g, the Everio X is small enough to fit in to a shirt pocket but offers 1920×1080 full HD video capability and 9 megapixel digital still photography.

While most conventional video camcorders shoot digital stills and most digital still cameras shoot video, the secondary capabilities of these cameras normally don’t offer sufficient quality for many users. Everio X solves that problem by providing high quality stills and top quality HD video.

Slow motion video recording is a key Everio X feature. The camera’s high-speed recording function shoots ultra-slow motion video. With this function, approximately 2.8-second bursts of video are recorded that are then played back over a period of up to 28 seconds, a maximum of 10 times longer than normal speed.

Compare and check out the latest offers on JVC Everio X from Amazon.co.uk below

General Imaging has launched its new range of digital cameras for 2009. Now entering the third model year, these latest offerings offer higher resolution and a greater zoom capacity than ever before.

As well as touch screen capability, the cameras carry a number of features, both new to the range and popular legacies from previous models.

Auto Scene Detection will automatically optimise exposure and Optical Image Stabilisation will counter camera shake, to give a clearer sharper image. Pan-Capture Panorama mode creates a composite of three photographs to give a seamless panoramic image.

According to the President of GI Europe, Katsuhiko Watanabe, “GI are launching a fantastic new line-up of cameras, ranging from budget AA-powered models right through to a stunning 3 inches touch screen camera with 5x zoom and great features to match”. All the latest cameras feature Auto Scene Detection and Pan-Capture Panorama – two more great reasons to choose a GE camera.