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1500 questions
34
votes
4 answers
What factors cause or prevent "generational loss" when JPEGs are recompressed multiple times?
For years, I've believed that recompressing JPEG files multiple times would gradually degrade its quality until they are an unrecognizable mess, the way making photocopies of photocopies does. This intuitively makes sense because JPEG is a lossy…
xiota
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34
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5 answers
(How) should I start with film photography?
I've been toying with the thought of starting analog (film) photography for a while. Buying a film SLR and the equipment to develop and print the photos doesn't seem to be too expensive.
Now my question: Does it make sense to do this? Did anyone of…
eflorico
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34
votes
9 answers
How to capture the scene exactly as my eyes can see?
What settings of my DSLR camera will emulate the scene exactly as I can see through my naked eyes?
I think it's not possible to get the contrast and colors exactly as my eyes can see, and it may vary from person to person. So, I am more interested…
sat
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34
votes
8 answers
What is the advantage to back-button autofocus?
I've heard some advanced photographers talk about using back-button autofocus. As I understand it, this involves changing one of the camera's custom setting to engage the AF when a button on the rear of the camera is pressed (as opposed to…
ahockley
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34
votes
5 answers
How was photo data processed and transferred back to Earth from satellites before digital photography became commonplace?
I am looking at pictures taken by some of the first satellites and landers there were like the Viking Lander on Mars in ~1976 or even the first image of the backside of the Moon in 1959 by Luna 3
I wonder how these photos were processed. Was it…
8192K
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34
votes
13 answers
Should I buy a camera with kit lens, or body plus lens separately?
I am planning to buy a DSLR soon.
Before I zero in on the model, I want to know whether it is advisable to buy a kit (body + 18-55 lens) or not? OR should I go for the camera-body and the lens separately?
Lazer
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34
votes
9 answers
What's the difference between using black and white mode in-camera, and converting in post?
For black and white photography, will there be any quality difference between using the built-in black and white mode, or shooting in color initially and then removing the color later using Photoshop (or similar application)?
I have a high-end…
cryovac
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34
votes
6 answers
How do I use spot metering?
What's the right way to use spot metering? Is it better to use in manual mode than one of the priority modes?
There's a question about when to use spot metering, but none that serves as a tutorial to describe how to use it.
Please address the issue…
Tom
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34
votes
9 answers
Why do people like square photos?
Cameras used to make rectangle photos all the time, but now I see as a trend square photos. Is that because of mobile phone screens, or is it something else?
Kyryl Zotov
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34
votes
3 answers
Why do higher end lenses use USM instead of STM?
Canon has a newer type of motor, called STM, which is introduced in lenses like 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, 40 f/2.8 STM and so on.
STM also provides quick, silent and smooth focusing. Even the focusing is smoother than USM, and this will be better…
rcs
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34
votes
5 answers
How can I calculate what the effect of an extension tube will be?
There must be a mathematical description of the difference that an extension tube makes to a lens -- is it something that can be easily described?
(For example, with teleconverters you can say things like "a 2x teleconverter will turn a Y-mm lens…
Matt Bishop
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34
votes
10 answers
Help motivate me to use my SLR's manual mode
(Was: Help motivate me to go beyond being a point-and-shooter)
I'm aware of the existing 'getting started with photography' questions, but what I'm asking here is slightly different:
I've had SLR cameras for years, but I've taken far more…
Benjol
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34
votes
12 answers
What are good gifts between $50 and $100 for photographers?
(inspired by AJ's question)
It's that time of year: family and friends are starting to ask what we want for the holidays. I usually try to have several suggestions at various price ranges. AJ's question had some great suggestions for under $50, but…
Evan Krall
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34
votes
8 answers
Is there any practical difference between saving at 300ppi or 72ppi?
I often see statements in discussions about web displayed image quality that go something like this: "I only upload pictures at 72 dpi and 1200 pixels on the long edge, so if someone copies and prints the image it won't look as good as if it were…
Michael C
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34
votes
4 answers
How to batch edit a collection of raw files in Darktable?
How do I batch edit a collection of raw files in Darktable? I have tried to research this, but with no luck.
mh00h
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