Photography Meeting in November:

At the Photography Club meeting in November, we had a speaker, Steve Ongley, from Oceanside Photo and Telescope. He spoke onDigital cameras, equipment and associated topics. Dick Travis took notes:

"Sizes (Relationship of pixels to inches)"

Pixels---640X480 (normal computer screen)---Inches (for good photo's)
3"X5"
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Pixels---1MegX??? (becoming common in computer screens)
Inches---5"X8"
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Pixels---2MegX??? (too big for computer screens)
Inches---8"X 11" and 11"X 14"
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Prices for 640K-----$300
Prices for 1Meg-------600
Prices for 2Meg-------950
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Wide-angle & Telephoto lenses only available on 2meg cameras...
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LCD Viewers are battery challenged but very versatile!!
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Digital Zooming is NOT worth it!!
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Web sites recommended:
dcresources.com
nikonusa.com
minolta.com
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Adobe Photoshop recommended for serious hobbyists!
photoshopuser.com
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Whatever graphics computer program you are using remember not to revise
JPG's, since they loose their compression every time you adjust them.
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Most digital cameras convert their photos to TIFF files, which can then
be adjusted to your liking with your favorite computer program....then
reduced to JPG's to put on the WEB, PRINT or look at on your computer!!!

Note: WEB pictures should usually be less than 50K and not bigger than
3"x 2"!!!
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Stay away from CMOS sensing elements in Digital Cameras unless you are
only looking for WEB or 3"X5" photos..."
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Paper for Printing Photos...

I've been testing out papers for printing photographs. I have the Epson Stylus Photo 750. I'll list the papers that I've been working with in the order in which I prefer them. Obviously, your preferences may be different. These papers are all designed for an Ink Jet printer.

The paper that I prefer above all others is Epson Photo Paper. It's very glossy and takes the ink very nicely, being totally dry when the page is set out. The colors are very vivid. The weight of the paper is 52 pounds. This paper is available in most computer supply stores.

Second in line is Hammermill Jet-Print Ultra Gloss. It has very much the same qualities as the Epson, except that it is lighter in weight, at 38 pounds. It is almost dry when it comes out of the printer, but is completely dry in less than a minute. The only place I have been able to find this paper is in Office Depot - and then not all the branches carry it. They do have it in the O.D. on El Camino Real in Encinitas in that huge shopping center.

Third is Imation. The weight of the paper is not given, but it feels almost the same as the Hammermill. The paper looks very glossy, but it has a slightly gritty feel to it which I don't particularly like. Visually, the finish is a high gloss.

Next is Kodak Inkjet Photographic Quality Paper - Photo Weight. The weight is wonderful at 117 pounds. This paper also has that gritty feel and the finish is not as glossy as the others. It does look pretty good, however. I need it real lossy tho.

And then there's Hewlett Packard paper. I gave it away. It doesn't print at all well with an Epson. It comes out wet and when the ink finally does dry - and it takes forever - the dark colors have pock marks on them. I understand that it's really very good with an HP printer.

The final paper that I tried is Hammermill again - Jet-Print Ultra. Turns out that this is a matte finish and so not what I need for my applications. It's weight is only 24 pounds. If you can use matte paper, it's a very good buy at $8.88 for a box of 100 sheets.

Sorry I don't have the prices on the others for you. All I can tell you is that they aren't cheap.

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Classes in Adobe Photoshop at Mira Costa...

For those of you who don't know - Mira Costa College has excellent on-line computer classes. At present, I'm taking Adobe PhotoShop with them. And it's a great class. The cost is $49 for a six week class. There are two lessons a week - Wednesday and Friday. Very comprehensive. A new session begins just about every month. If you're interested it's Mira Costa Community Services at 757-2121 Ext. 6820.

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