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Digital Photography For What It's Worth

Carson Spur, Sierra Nevada, California; R72 IR filter, Lab mode grayscale conversion. Click to see 800x600. [C-2000Z]

Marks content from authoritative sources or confirmed by my own personal experience Checklistsstaying out of trouble with my Oly C-series rangefinders

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Last updated October 30, 2004

The Devil's in the Details

The author drowning in gear [C-2000Z]
Too much stuff to keep track of

When details count, as they nearly always do in photography, my memory becomes a immanent threat to success.

I compiled the checklists below to keep myself out of trouble. To keep the lists simple, accurate and experience-based, I've cast them strictly in terms of my own current cameras (the Oly C-5050Z and C-2020Z), my own accessories and my own style. To keep them short, I've cross-linked them heavily to pertinent details presented elsewhere on dpFWIW.

Perhaps you'll find them a helpful starting point for your own lists.  I'll be adding more as time and experience permit. Your mileage will probably vary.

Page Index | Topic Index

Baseline Shooting

Painted Wall, north rim, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado  [C-2020Z]
Painted Wall, north rim, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

This baseline list reflects the fact that I do most of my shooting outdoors. My main camera is now an Oly C-5050Z. My older C-2020Z is used almost exclusively for IR and UV photography these days.

I set my C-2020Z to retain settings from power-down to the next power-up. Most of the time, that works just fine, but occasionally it's been disastrous — like the time I shot San Francisco Bay from atop the Marin Headlands on an absolutely gorgeous day with manual focus set at 1 m — a hold-over from a hyperfocal test the day before! The C-5050Z allows me to set up a custom power-up profile, which pretty much obviates the need for a baseline settings checklist.

Baseline Checklist — C-5050Z or C-2020Z

Chk 

Gear

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Camera with armor 

Check for NiMH AAs, memory card
  Memory  256MB CF cards for 5050, 128MB SM card for 2020
 

Small camera bag

Check for everything listed here
 

Clean lens cloth

In small bag or trousers pocket
 

Monopod

 
 

Optional

B-300 teleconverter; WCON-07 wide-angle converter

Chk

Settings & Tasks 

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Color mode

Full color 
 

Resolution

Full (2560 x 1920 for 5050, 1600 x 1200 for 2020)
 

Recording

Least (SHQ) JPEG compression
 

ISO

100 (fixed)
 

Sharpening/Saturation/Contrast 

-5/0/-4 for 5050, off ("soft")/-/- for 2020
 

White balance

Auto
 

Focus

Auto (double-check!)
 

Exposure mode

Program
 

Flash

Off (internal and external)
 

Spot meter

Off
 

Macro focus

Off (double-check!)
 

Check at scene 

Composition, tonality, and the corners and edges of all frames before shooting
Page Index | Topic Index

External Flash Work

Dennis tearing up the piano again; external bounced flash [C-2020Z]
Dennis tearing up the piano again; external bounced flash

There are lots of ways to screw up with external flash. I've tried them all. Explicitly listed items represent absolute requirements or departures from the baseline list.

External Flash (EF) Checklist

Chk 

Gear

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Baseline gear

Confirm
 

External flash unit, sync cable

 
  Flash bracket, quick release  
 

Bounce card, rubber band

 
 

Extra NiMH AAs

For the EF unit
 

Tripod?

If a monopod won't do

Chk

Settings & Tasks

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Baseline settings

Restore
 

Confirm exposure mode

Aperture-priority or manual
 

External flash mode

On (fixes shutter speed)
 

Internal flash

Off
 

Manual white balance

Sunny or Overcast to taste
 

EF unit

Connect, turn on, test 
  EF power, bounce head Set for conditions at hand
 

Aperture

Set for EF power setting
 

Pre-test

Flash, exposure, shadows 
Page Index | Topic Index

Hyperfocal Work

Handheld C-2020Z/R72 in the camera's native false color scheme; looking south from the crest of the Dakota Hogback west of Denver [C-2020Z]
Looking north from the crest of the Lyons hogback at Roxborough State Park long the Rocky Mountain front southwest of Denver, Colorado

Remembering to zoom all the way out first has been my biggest pitfall with hyperfocal work. Accurate manual focus using the LCD remains a challenge. Digital zoom isn't good for much, but it does help to confirm good manual focus. BTW, the photo at right has nothing to do with hyperfocal technique.

Hyperfocal Checklist

Chk 

Gear

Actions, Settings, Notes

  Baseline gear Confirm
 

Tape measure

 
 

Tripod

If a monopod won't do

Chk

Settings & Tasks

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Baseline settings 

Restore
 

Zoom

Full wide-angle (EFL = 35 mm)
 

Aperture-priority

f/4.0
 

Manual focus

1.14 m (3.74 ft) for both C-2020Z and C-5050Z
 

Place camera

~0.6 m (2 ft) from nearest foreground object to be in focus
 

Check at scene

Near and far focus using LCD with digital zoom
Page Index | Topic Index

Infrared and UV Work

Handheld C-2020Z/R72 in the camera's native false color scheme; looking south from the crest of the Dakota Hogback west of Denver [C-2020Z]
Looking south from the crest of the Dakota Hogback along the Rocky Mountain front west of Denver, Colorado; R72 IR filter

Infrared (IR) digital photography is tons of fun. Ultraviolet (UV) digital photography is an aquired taste, and by far the more challenging out-of-spectrum experience of the two. Since multisecond exposures are common in UV work, even in bright sunlight, consult the low-light checklist as well. Since the C-2020Z beats the socks off the C-5050Z at IR and UV work, the latter's hardly worth bothering with here.

IR/UV Checklist — C-2020Z only

Chk 

Gear

Actions, Settings, Notes

  Baseline gear Confirm
 

Tripod 

Definitely for UV work, but a monopod will often suffice for IR
 

Filters

R72 and 87 for IR; 18A and hot mirror for UV 

Chk

Settings & Tasks

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Baseline settings

Restore
 

Recording

Color (convert to grayscale in post-processing as desired)
 

Max out depth of field 

Especially important for UV focus
 

Check at scene

Steadiness; exposure times (use low-light checklist for multisecond exposures)
Page Index | Topic Index

Low-Light Work

Handheld C-2020Z/R72 in the camera's native false color scheme; looking south from the crest of the Dakota Hogback west of Denver [C-2020Z]
Still bewildered after all these years

dvance planning is key in low-light work of any kind, including IR and especially UV work, particularly when dark-field subtraction and imaging averaging are in the offing. This list supercedes the IR and UV checklist when multisecond exposures come into play. My C-5050Z will perform an in-camera dark field subtraction for exposures greater than or equal to 1 second when noise reduction is enabled; for this purpose, it stores a pixel map which can be remapped from time to time by the user as the CCD ages.

Low-Light Checklist

Chk 

Gear

Actions, Settings, Notes

  Baseline gear Confirm
 

Tripod w/ suitable head

 
 

Proper attire 

Check ambient temperature
 

Plastic bag (condensation shield)

If cold outside
 

Optional

Moon exposure table, star chart, IR filters, UV filters

Chk

Settings & Tasks

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Baseline settings

Restore
 

Equilibrate camera to ambient temperature

If cold
 

Warm up spare batteries in pockets

If cold
 

Recording

TIFF — a must for subtractions and averages
 

Sharpening

Off ("soft") — also a must for subtractions and averages
 

White balance

Suitable preset — another must for subtractions and averages; no auto
 

IR remote triggering

On
  Exposure mode Manual or shutter-priority
 

Take dark or redundant frames

As needed
 

Check at scene

Exposure times
 

Cover camera with plastic bag before bringing indoors

If cold outside—especially if humid indoors
Page Index | Topic Index

Travel

September color at Mount Sopris, central Colorado Rockies [C-2020Z]
September color at Mount Sopris, central Colorado Rockies

This list derives in large part from the dpFWIW article Backcountry digital photography. My main travel camera is now a 5MP Oly C-5050Z. At full 2560x1920 resolution and minimum (SHQ) JPEG compression, its image files run 3-5MB each. That means carrying every byte of memory I own:

  • 5 x 256MB CF cards

  • 1 x 128MB SM card

  • 4 x 32MB SM cards

  • 1 x 32MB xD card (came with camera; used as an emergency reserve hidden in camera bag)

The C-5050Z's ability to use CF, SM and xD cards and to move images among them without a fuss is a great boon. Thankfully, it's amazingly easy on batteries, even with the LCD on most of the time. One fresh set of 2300 mAh AAs will cover even the most shutter-happy of days.

When the C-2020Z comes along, it does so as an IR or UV ,camera, at which point the IR/UV checklist comes into play.

How much memory and battery capacity to take along are recurring questions, but with two fast chargers and several extra AA battery sets along, I no longer carry an AC adapter for the camera, even for TV slide shows.

Travel Checklist — C-5050Z only

Chk 

Gear

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Baseline gear 

Confirm
  Extra memory 256MB per day is usually enough
  Extra NiMH AAs At least 5 sets of AAs > 1600 mAh
  Extra battery wallets Double as nanobags
  Oly BU-100 charger For hotel room
 

Maha C-204F charger

For car and room
  12V car adapter For C-204F charger
  Solar AA charger If away from power source for 5+ days
 

B-300 teleconverter

 
  WCON-07 wide-angle converter  
  Video cable For TV slide shows back at the hotel
  Tripod? If possible
 

Medium camera bag

Miscellaneous items
 

Optional

 

Chk

Settings & Tasks 

Actions, Settings, Notes

  Baseline settings Restore
  Top off batteries In car or just before departure
  Empty all memory cards   
  Triple-check all gear  
Page Index | Topic Index

Medium Camera Bag Checklist

Besides the gear listed explicitly above, my medium bag carries the items listed below.

Medium Bag Checklist

Chk 

Gear

Actions, Settings, Notes

 

Manuals 

Camera, Kodak PhotoGuide 
  Kodak Q-60 color target   
  Close-up lenses  
  Uncoated UV filter For salt spray protection
  Cokin GNDs and holder   
 

Mini-tripod 

 
  Lens-cleaners  Brush, cloth, solution
 

Spare IR remote

 
  Spare remote battery  
  LCD hood  
  Emergency AA set Lithium disposables (4)
  Plastic bag To cover medium bag
 

Flashlight

 
Page Index | Topic Index

References and Links

(Please see the home page links.)

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Unless explicitly attributed to another contributor, all content on this site © Jeremy McCreary

Comments and corrections to Jeremy McCreary at dpFWIW@cliffshade.com, but please see here first.


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