Photography & the African Safari
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When you go on your African safari, don’t
forget your camera. But which camera or camcorder is best for an
African safari?
A video of your African
safari experience is certainly a great way to keep the memories lasting,
but also take a good camera on your African safari. The small size
and amazing
functionality of cameras today are perfect for African safaris. Below
are a few things to consider when choosing which photographic equipment to bring on your safari.
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TO PAGE 1
(Camera Lenses and Field of View Crop)
(Digital Storage and Digital
ISO)
FLASH
 If
you have a camera which takes an off camera flash, you might want
it for fill
flash in some cases to add
catch-light to an animal's eyes or for evening and night drives.
I really think that the flash thing is a bit overplayed for African
safari
photography at least; taking a truly aesthetically pleasing flash
image of a wild animal is not easy. How
many flash photos do
you
see in the wildlife books you have looked at? Very few. Still,
use the flash if your camera has one, but use it primarily for
fill flash,
especially
for people in shadow and close objects set against a bright background.
To use a flash
for
anything
other than an animal which is very close to the vehicle is futile
- it won't work well. You'll want a fresnel lens flash-extender
for your
flash if you want to throw
the light any distance at all.
One more note on flashes - If you're serious
about using a removable flash, consider purchasing a flash cord (I have
one that stretches to about 3 feet) so that you can avoid having the flash
point directly in line with the lens. Holding the flash at an angle
to the animal's eyes (different than the angle of your camera lens), especially
in low light where reflections from their eyes will be more pronounced, will
help reduce noticeable reflections. Of course, now you'll need a helper to
hold the flash unless you can balance the camera and flash each in one hand
- it's tricky! |
 BINOCULARS
Bring
them! These are, in
my mind, mandatory. Believe me - you will use them. Every person should
really have their own pair, but at a minimum, have a pair between you
and your traveling companion if you have one. A small pair will suffice.
I use a pair of Leica 10x25's and they are great. They are also relatively
small.
What do these
numbers mean?
Binocular size is expressed by two numbers,
for example 8x42. The first number is the magnification (or power); the second
is the aperture, which refers
to the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. Therefore, 8x42 binoculars
provide 8x magnification and have a 42mm objective lens. Remember
that when it comes to binoculars, bigger isn't always better. The higher
the magnification, the heavier the binoculars are and the more hand
movement and the shakier the image will be
- just like with large camera lenses, smaller binoculars are easier to
hand hold effectively.
How much magnification and aperture
do you need? When
you increase binocular magnification you decrease brightness and field of
view. I find that the 10x pair I have are more than sufficient for most
safari situations in Africa. The same rules apply here as with camera
lenses in that carrying a large pair and holding them steady is not so easy
- I find that a compact pair with good optics makes more sense than spending
for and lugging a larger pair with added magnification - rather spend on
a camera lens!As for field of view, the greater the aperture,
the brighter the image will be, but the greater the size, weight and cost.
Again,
the
smaller
compact size of the 25mm pair provide
plenty of view for my taste and these Leica's are extraordinary when it
comes to low light situations - I've even used them effectively in those
last minutes between dusk and darkness.
What is the difference between porro-prism and roof prism binoculars?
Porro-prisms have objective lenses that are spaced farther apart than the eyepieces.
Porro-prisms are bulky but usually perform better and cost less then roof-prisms.
Also, porros yield a better three-dimensional image. Roof-prisms dominate
the consumer market. The objective lenses line up directly with the eyepieces,
resulting in a streamlined, compact and lightweight binocular. But roof-prisms
usually cost more and lose more light to reflection, which is a disadvantage
for astronomers but not for daytime terrestrial viewing.
What about coatings? Coatings
reduce the amount of light reflecting off of the lens and allow more
light to reach your eyes. Without coatings, up to 50% of the light entering
the binoculars is lost to reflections from the many glass surfaces within.
A note
on how they work: A
binocular combines an image seen by both eyes into a single image. Binoculars
are basically two telescopes mounted
side by side. At the front of each telescope is a lens. Each lens gathers
light from the image you're observing. The objective or lens magnifies
the image upside-down. If you're using the most popular type of binoculars,
prism binoculars, a prism in each tube turns the image right-side-up
again. With field binoculars, a second
lens in the tube functions essentially the same way as a prism, and inverts
the image so it appears right-side-up. The light then travels
down the tube and into each
eyepiece
and
you see
the
image. |
 Top
VIDEO PHOTOGRAPHY
 Camcorder: A
video of your African safari experience is also a great way to keep the
memories lasting and more and more guests are bringing their own video
cameras
(or camcorders) on an African safari. The small size and amazing functionality
of today's video cameras makes them a great way to record your African
travels.
There are a few things to consider when choosing a video camera... Like
the world of still photography, video has gone digital as well.
The options are endless and I won't try
to put a full glossary of terms here.
Here are some things to consider:
High Definition (HD): The
latest camcorders now record in high definition. High definition refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard definition (SD). Resolution is typically measured using the number of horizontal lines in the image. Today's HD camcorders record in either 720p (720 lines of resolution) or 1080i (1080 lines of resolution). Each format delivers a 16:9 wide screen aspect ratio. There is some debate over which format is better, but either is better than SD. The "i" in 1080i refers to an interlaced format. Basically, each frame that you see in this format is split into two half-frames of 540 lines that flash an instant before the next 540 lines are seen. This is all done so quickly (usually at 1⁄60 of a second for each half-frame) that the human eye doesn't recognize the two separate fields. The "p" in 720p refers to progressive frames. This is the opposite scenario, where every frame contains all the information at once. Overall, both formats deliver incredibly sharp detail and you will not be able to see any difference between the two.
Storage Medium: There are several options available for data storage for the video. DVD is popular because of its ease and efficiency. It allows instant play back and access to specific scenes. Camcorder DVDs are smaller than computer DVDs and fit in the body of the camcorder (around 3 1⁄4 inches in diameter). Recording times range from 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the recording quality that you choose. Camcorders with hard drives are the latest and the most versatile units available today. These flexible solid-state units have no moving parts like those of tape or disc-based systems. Usually a noiseless medium, these camcorders come with large memories on board, usually around 40 GB. Flash-based HD camcorders are also beginning to gain ground, recording video to flash memory cards that hold up to 8 GB of storage. These cards are plentiful and cheap to purchase.
One thing to remember when purchasing a camcorder is that if you record on DVDs, it doesn't necessarily mean they will work in your DVD player. There are only a handful of DVD players that support the new HD codec AVCHD. Unless you happen to be one of the lucky few to own one, flash media and hard-drive camcorders are a far more attractive choice.
Optical Versus Digital Zoom: Optical zoom
is the best you can get. It means that the camera lenses give
you a true zoom, without
losing
image quality. Digital zoom takes a portion of the optical image
and enlarges from the center electronically, which creates a lower quality
enlargement. A digital camera with a good optical zoom raises the
price.
As a general rule, try to purchase a camera that has at least a 10X
optical zoom.
Use the digital zoom for fun, but don't expect the higher quality
you get with an optical zoom. Optical zoom cameras use more power,
since they have to physically move lenses back and forth (versus
a non-moving
digital zoom camera). The higher the optical zoom (combined with
high resolution) the higher the price. Also, once your camera moves
beyond
its optical zoom limit (and moves into digital magnification), it
becomes extremely difficult to hold the camera steady enough to avoid "camera
shake".
Image Stabilizer: Many manufacturers now include
a stabilizer feature to their camcorders. Image stabilization
corrects camera shake caused by an unsteady hand,
for example.
This image stabilization system makes for smoother and steadier video
even with hand-held shots, at full telephoto, and with shots taken
from a moving car. This feature is a great one to have for an African
safari as you
will have to worry far less about hand holding your camera while
filming. However, do not underestimate that you may get tired of
holding even
a small camera for long periods of time. Consider a small monopod
perhaps.
Color LCD Screen: Most camcorders offer a small color LCD flip-out screen, allowing you to watch what you're shooting. Some models bypass a viewfinder in favor of the screen, but most include both. The screen is more versatile than the eyepiece and usually pivots to allow vision from many angles. However, keep in mind that the larger the screen on the camcorder, the higher the price. The reason for a fold-out screen is
that you
do not want to have to put the camera up to your eye in order to
film. You are likely to miss a lot of action happening around you
if you
are always focusing through a camera lens. With the fold out screen,
you
can position the camcorder at arm's length in front of you and see
what you're filming through the LCD screen. The screen does
suck battery power however, remember to bring lots of batteries.
Also, read my section
above on rechargeable batteries as it holds true for camcorders too.
Video Using a Digital SLR (DSLR) Camera: The emergence of new DSLR cameras which incorporate HD video capability is allowing travelers to leave their camcorder at home but still shoot HD video on a safari in Africa.
Video-capable DSLR's are not full replacements for high-end professional-quality camcorders, but they do offer several features not available on a consumer-level camcorder and they are even being used to record some TV shows and Indie films.
 Advantages of shooting video using a DSLR versus a Camcorder:
1) Your video camera is now built in to your still camera; this saves space in your camera bag and allows for quickly shooting a video clip without putting down your DSLR.
2) DSLR's have larger sensors than all but the highest-end professional camcorders. What this means is better image quality (especially in low light and at higher ISO settings). The larger sensors also provide the ability to shoot video with a much shallower depth of field than a camcorder. This can be used to create a more cinematic look than video shot on a camcorder.
3) DSLR's accept your entire range of lenses. Most camcorders have a single zoom lens attached and it is not removable.
4) You can easily take a high-quality still image any time while shooting video with a DSLR merely by pressing the shutter button (albeit briefly disrupting the video recording).
Drawbacks of shooting video using a DSLR versus a Camcorder:
1) DSLR's were designed as still cameras and aren't as ergonomically suited to video shooting.
2) Camcorders offer smooth and silent power-zooming. This type of zoom action is nearly impossible to replicate on a DSLR (without external equipment).
3) Camcorders offer far better auto-focus capability during recording. In my opinion this is the major downside of video recording on a DSLR. The mirror on a DSLR is locked in the up position during video recording and this means auto focus is only available via contrast-based AF (does not involve actual distance measurement at all and is generally slow). Manually focusing while trying to hold your DSLR and lens steady is not that easy. So essentially one has to lock focus on a subject and then start recording... then if re-focus is needed (i.e. your subject has moved further away or closer to you), you have to stop recording, re-lock your focus and start recording again… not so good! Note however that contrast-based AF on DSLR's is improving (mainly by offering image processors that permit faster contrast-based AF). Also the newer "mirrorless" Compact System Cameras offer full-time auto-fcous during video recording.
4) Sound recording on a DSLR is typically far inferior to that on a camcorder. The built-in microphone on a DSLR will often record sounds inside the camera (like the auto focus motor) and is usually located on the back side of the camera.
5) Camcorders offer built-in neutral density filters, which helps to obtain proper exposures shooting at wide apertures, even in bright sunlight.
All things considered, the video capabilities on today's DSLR's are very good and should continue to improve over the coming years. If your DSLR takes video, I suggest you try using it before you travel so you can get the most out of it while on your trip. |
Top
JAMES'
EQUIPMENT
Quite a few people ask me
about my photography equipment. What do I bring on safari to
Africa?
What lenses do I think they should buy?
As you may already
know, I am, and have always been, a Nikon customer. I would never
enter an argument about whether Nikon optics or cameras are superior
to Canon or the next company, but I do know that Nikon make superb
cameras and optics. That
said, here's what I shoot with currently:
Cameras
Nikon D4 and D3s Digital SLR Cameras. I currently shoot with a D4 and two D3s's. The D4 is just a tad faster than the D3s (1 fps) but most importantly, the D4 image size is 16MP (versus 12MP for the D3s). The D4 also adds full HD video capability (1920x1080) while the D3s video is maxxed out at 1280x720. Both cameras offer superb image quality at high ISO's. Like the D3s, the D4 has two memory card slots but instead of two CF cards, the D4 has one CF slot and one XQD slot. The D4 has some changes in its ergonomics and menu system as well, but essentially, in my opinion after lots of use, the D4 just feels faster all around (I can't believe I am saying that, as the D3s seemed to be unbeatable until I used the D4). Finally, the most notable difference between the D4 and the D3s is that the D4 offers 1/3 more pixels while still retaining (and even slightly improving) the incredibly good image quality at high ISO's (6400 and above).
Lenses
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II. I have
used several variations of this lens over the years and, like the
others, I couldn't live without this lens. Very versatile,
very fast, great optics. If you shoot Nikon, this one should
be in your bag or at least on your wish list.
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED. Since moving to a full-frame sensor with the D3s/D4, I have sold my 17-55mm, as that lens is designed only for DX sensor cameras. This new lens is my workhorse at home with family, but is also great for semi-wide angle work in the field. A great lens for people shots and its zoom range makes this one a great lens for general travel as well.
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED. A great lens for wide angle work, such as landscape and also superb for shots around the camps or in tight spaces. Arguably the finest wide-angle lens ever produced. The front glass is slightly spherical and so this lens does not accept any filters, so take care!.
Nikon
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED. Probably the best all-purpose safari lens available. This lens is big and heavy, but the VR helps and it is the most usable lens I have ever shot from a safari vehicle. Very sharp.
Very fast focusing and silent motor. The close focus range is almost unbelievable at just 6.2 feet.
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 600mm
f/4G ED VR. The big daddy. People
generally duck when I pull it out and attach it to the tripod. A
monster, but great for birds and other super telephoto work. Retains
auto focus with the 1.4x TC. This one is heavy, so do your
arm curls and push-ups if you plan to get this one.
Nikon TC-14E II AF-S Teleconverter. The latest version
of Nikon's teleconverter. I use the 1.4x regularly on my 600mm. I do not use a 1.7x nor 2x TC as I feel that they cause too much image degradation.
Other Photo
Gear
Nikon SB-900 Autofocus Speedlight. Nikon's latest
version of external flash. This one is made for the new
DSLR's. As amazing as those in the past.
Really Right Stuff Camera Plates. Tripod mounting
plates to make quick release a no-brainer. I have them on
all my big lenses, plus on the D3s's and D4. Incredibly precise and
finely engineered. Without peer.
Really Right Stuff TVC-33 Tripod. Carbon Fiber construction. Strong
and super light-weight. I use this with my 600mm
lens primarily. One of the finest pieces of craftsmanship I have ever owned.
Wimberley Version II Tripod Head with Quick Release. This is a precision gimbal-style instrument and is attached to my
tripod at all times. Strong enough for the 600mm. I like it much more than the Arca B-2 Ballhead I used to use. The Wimberley requires Arca-Swiss plates be attached to your lens. I have the Wimberley replacement lens foot for my 600mm and it works perfectly with the quick release function in this head. If you set it up properly, the lens will stay in whichever tilt angle position you move it to and balances perfectly. Amazing construction.
Camera Bags
Here's how I transport my gear when I travel to Africa and also when on
game drive...
Pelican 1620 Watertight Roller Case w/foam. Pelican
make superb hard cases for transporting camera equipment and
I have used this one for many years. Other than some cosmetic
scratches and dings (thanks to luggage handlers I suspect),
this baby is as good as new. I tossed out the middle
foam layers and left in one layer on top and bottom only. My
Gura Gear 30L (see below) fits inside the Pelican
perfectly and I secure the Pelican with some heavy duty key
locks. Note that I usually have to wait while the luggage
screeners search the Pelican before I head to the gate; after
they search it, I make sure they lock both locks before I let
it go on its way. This one stays in the tent once we arrive in a camp and only the Gura Gear bags go onto the game drive vehicle.
Gura Gear Kiboko 30L. I love the Gura Gear line of camera bags. This one opens with a butterfly-type configuration allowing me into both sides quickly and easily. For
flights to Africa, it holds my 600mm f/4 and 200-400mm f/4, plus
other lenses and/or camera bodies and other miscellaneous
items. Once packed, I
put it inside the Pelican and into checked baggage. Note that this bag has been replaced by the newer Bataflae 32L bag.
Gura Gear Chobe 19-24L. This is my carry-on
bag for air travel to Africa. It holds my 70-200mm lens, two camera bodies, portable hard drives,
flash, and many other items as well. It's heavy when loaded
up, but fits into overhead easily. This bag accompanies
me on game drive as well. This is an incredibly durable and well built piece of luggage and I recommend it heartily.
Tenba
LL600 Large Lens Bag. I'm onto my second Tenba bag
now (the first one finally became too beat up after many trips
to Africa). This bag now stays in Johannesburg with my
Gitzo G1548 tripod and I pick it up on my way through Joburg
before I head on safari. I use it to transport my tripod
and other items and then it holds my 600mm f/4 (with lens hood
attached) while on game drive. I place the bag and lens
vertically and it has very effective padding. It is
tied to the vehicle with velcro straps just in case. I have
used this set up for years and find it works the best for me.
Tamrac
Velocity 9x - Pro Sling Pack. I purchased this bag to use as a "walking around" bag for Cape Town or outings to places like bird sanctuaries, etc. The bag has only one shoulder strap, but it can be carried like a sling over one shoulder or with the waist belt attached, in which case it essentially functions like a proper back pack. I typically pack the bag with a D3s/D4, 70-200mm and 24-70mm lenses, and the SB-900 flash.
Binoculars
Leica Trinovid 10 x 25 BC/BCA. A guide let me use
his back in 1996 in Botswana and I couldn't believe how much
better they were than my Nikon's of the same size. These
Leica's are superb, especially in low light situations, but their
biggest advantage is that they fold up and fit into a shirt pocket;
amazing. I will likely purchase the larger Leica Trinovid
10 x 42 at some point, as these are a bit better for their wider
field of view (easier on my eyes - but much heavier!)
Computer Equipment
I use Apple for my personal and professional computer
systems.
Apple Mac Pro 3.33 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon. This is one mean machine and I built it specifically to be a robust Photoshop computer. I bought the most stripped down version available from Apple, then upgraded it with 16 GB's of RAM, a 240-GB Solid State Boot drive (see my discussion of SSD's in the section on my MacBook below), two 2-TB data drives (one for the data and the second one cloned daily as a backup), and a 1-TB backup drive which contains a clone of the SSD boot drive and is backed up weekly. The design of this machine is lovely and adding hard drives, PCI cards and RAM is so easy that a complete novice can do it without much difficulty.
NEC 30-inch MultiSync Monitor. A large monitor like this
makes a significant difference when working in graphics applications and also when working simultaneously in multiple programs. This monitor has an amazing native resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. Another nice feature is the tilt/swivel/pivot/height adjust stand, something that really makes positioning this huge display a charm.
Apple 17-inch MacBook Pro
2.66Ghz Intel Core i7 Laptop. My travel computer. This laptop has 8GB of RAM and a 250-GB Solid State Drive.
Solid State drives utilize flash memory (like memory cards and USB flash drives), so they have no moving parts (unlike traditional hard disc drives) and are therefore more durable and less likely to malfunction due to being bumped or jostled during travel. SSD's are also much more expensive, but considerably faster than HDD's. I use this laptop when I'm traveling and also around the house when I'm not in my office.
Lexar Professional
Firewire CompactFlash Card Readers (2). Supports Firewire
daisy-chaining so that you can connect up to four readers with
a single computer connection. I
bring two, just in case. They're compact in size.
Image Storage
DroboPro. The DroboPro from Data Robotics is a self-managed business class hard drive storage array that uses the revolutionary BeyondRAID™ technology. The DroboPro accommodates up to 8 3.5-inch SATA hard drives (the standard Drobo accepts 4 drives) and offers you a choice of single and dual disk redundancy combined with instant capacity expansion (by either adding another drive to an empty bay or replacing an existing drive with a larger capacity drive). Single disk redundancy means that if one of the drives in the Drobo fails, no files are lost and you simply replace the bad drive with a new drive. If you choose to use the Dual disk redundancy option (as I do), then you are protected against the simultaneous failure of up to two of the hard disks in your Drobo.
Adding or replacing a drive could not be easier, as you simply push down the release and remove the old drive and push in the new drive until it clicks. That's it. Drobo will format the new drive and automatically restore your files to the redundancy option you have selected. The drives can be of any capacity. I use 1-TB Western Digital Caviar Green drives (they have reduced power consumption and run cooler). The Drobo Dashboard software makes managing your data simple and painless. The Drobo can connect to your computer via a choice of three interfaces: iSCSI (utilizes Gigabit Ethernet), FireWire 800 or Hi-Speed USB 2.0.
OWC
Mercury On-the-Go 1TB & 2TB Firewire 800 Portable Hard Drives (4). I
use these portable hard drives when I'm on safari and I save 2 copies
of each image I make. Lots of storage in a very well put together
package. Fast
Firewire 800 data transfer speeds.
Sandisk 32GB and 64GB Extreme Pro Flash Cards. The Extreme Pro CF Cards are fast and I have not yet had any problems. Raw images from the Nikon D3s are about 14MB in size (and 1/3 larger for the D4), so I typically get around 1,400-2,000 images per 32GB card. Since the D3s and D4 both have two card slots, I use a 32GB and 64GB together, providing me 96GB of storage for each camera.
Desktop Slide
Scanner
Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED. I have scanned well
over 5,000 slides to date with this scanner. It scans at
up to 4000 dpi true optical resolution in 16-bit. The scanner
is also quite fast, even at 4000 dpi (which I recommend, but
note that the resultant image file is over 125MB). It has
a USB 2.0 interface and also does a decent job of scanning batches
up to 50 slides with the optional SF210 slide feeder. Note
that the batch scan feature was a life saver with all the slides
I had to scan, but it also locks up due to unknown communication
errors regularly. Still, even with the need to baby sit
the batch feeder, it would have taken me 10 times as long (or
more) to do each scan one at a time.
Top
JAMES'
SOFTWARE
Following is a list and some commentary on the different
software I use in conjunction with my photographic images. As
mentioned above, I am an Apple computer user.
Image Editing
Adobe
Camera Raw. Since
I shoot entirely in Raw mode, I use Adobe's Camera Raw (integrates
with both Bridge and Photoshop) to do all my cropping and adjustments to
exposure, white balance (color temperature and tint), and for noise
removal. Really
a masterful piece of software and it works with all proprietary raw
formats. Camera Raw can perform white balance and tone mapping
adjustments to an image no loss of the original data (the digital
negative) that are not possible using Photoshop. By cropping in Camera Raw, I do not lose any pixels from the original image.
Adobe Photoshop CS6. The
standard image editing program used by nearly all professionals. Adobe
also make a "light" version called Photoshop Elements,
which has most of the tools needed by photographers who don't want
all the extra "bells and whistles". Photoshop Elements
is also priced substantially lower the full version of Photoshop.
Adobe Lightroom 4. This is my secondary image editor and it also utilizes the Adobe Camera Raw engine. I primarily use this software to create web galleries for the Eyes on Africa website, but also to create quick JPEG's for posting to social media websites or sending to friends and family. This is truly the application I would recommend to most photographers who dont want to spend the time learning the complexities of Photoshop, as it offers essentially everything you will need to process your images.
Digital Asset
Management
Adobe Bridge. Part of Adobe's Photoshop CS5 software, this
is my tool for performing all initial edits (ie, deletes) of my images. I
use this software essentially as a combination file browser and virtual
light table for images (it can load and read all types of Raw files
using Adobe Camera Raw). It's
the first stop in my digital workflow.
Bridge is highly configurable
and you can save various different viewing layouts including
thumbnail and preview sizes, metadata views, a multitude of sorting
criteria, background colors, etc. I
use Bridge to strip out throwaways, perform batch processes (such as
renaming my files for easy ID based on the trip or project), and also
to add metadata such as copyright, keywords, descriptions and
my contact information. Certainly one
of the most used software programs on my computer.
Adobe DNG Converter. Adobe's
DNG (Digital Negative) Converter software is used to convert my Nikon
Raw files to Adobe DNG files. I do this format conversion
primarily to provide long-term insurance against file format
obsolescence because, unlike proprietary raw formats, the DNG format
is an open, documented format whose file spec is readily available.
Also, because proprietary raw formats are undocumented,
Adobe treats them as read-only files and adds a sidecar file (XMP
file) or creates a separate database to store each image's metadata,
such as copyright, keywords, etc. Since DNG is a documented
format, it's safe to write the metadata directly into the DNG file
itself, thus simplifying my workflow. I do not use Nikon's software for browsing nor editing of my images, but if you do use your camera's software at all, then DNG is not a good idea for you. The only other downside is that it takes time to do the conversion.
Extensis Portfolio. I
use Portfolio as my true Digital Asset Management (DAM) system. One
difference between a DAM system and file browser systems (like Adobe
Bridge, ACDSee, Lightbox, or the Windows File Browser) is that file
browsers work directly with the source files (in my case, large image
files). In contrast, a DAM system is a database that
contains thumbnail shortcuts to the original files (thus making the
DAM database far less memory intensive).
For finding images, anything is possible
as long as you add the applicable keywords to your image metadata.
For example, if I need to find all my images that have an
elephant or all images taken in Namibia, I do this search in Portfolio
and it brings up thumbnails of each.
Portfolio
can also burn a DVD of my entire image catalog or individual galleries
(with a browser only version of Portfolio
software installed on the DVD). Just like my own Portfolio database,
the DVD will only contain image thumbnails and all my searchable
metadata. I can easily send this DVD to a photo editor, who
can then browse and search my images and call me when they want one. There's
no risk of losing high-res images if the DVD goes missing as it only
contains thumbnail images. I can then FTP a high-res
version of an image if someone wants to use it.
If you have lots of images, a DAM system
is a good investment.
Slide Scanning
Lasersoft Silverfast Ai Studio. Slide scanning software for
use with nearly any desktop scanner (film and flatbed) made (see my
scanner above in my equipment section). I've used Silverfast
for many years and it just keeps getting better. You'll definitely
want to use its calibration software to create scanner profiles for
each film type you scan. To do so, you'll need to purchase calibration
targets. Contact me for my source if interested.
Have more questions? Feel free to call us
and we'll answer all your concerns with regards to cameras, digital
media, computers, software, etc.
GO
TO PAGE 1
(Camera Lenses and Field of View Crop)
(Digital Storage and Digital ISO)
 |
Eyes
on Africa was selected most knowledgeable
Regional Expert for Southern Africa / Safaris by
National Geographic Traveler Magazine,
20th Anniversary Special Issue. |
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