How To Get Maximum Image Quality From Any Digital Camera: Part 1

The LCD screen gives all shooting information at a glance.

 About "How To Get Maximum Image Quality From Any Digital Camera"

"How To Get Maximum Image Quality From Any Digital Camera" is a three part series. In Part 1 we will look at setting up the camera body, using the built in menu settings, to get as much information into each image file as the camera is capable of capturing. Part 2 looks at how our choice of lens and lens settings affect image quality. Shooting technique and camera handling make up Part 3 of this series.

What Is Maximum Image Quality?

My definition of maximum image quality is the file that will allow the largest possible photographic quality print from any given camera and lens combination. This will vary from camera to camera and from lens to lens. It might mean a 8"x12" or 13"x19" print from a 6 megapixel sensor or a 16"x24" or 24"x36" print from a 12-18 megapixel camera. Maximum image quality requires capturing the maximum amount and maximum quality of visual information possible for each camera and lens when the shutter is tripped. Getting the most information into each camera image file involves a combination of camera capture settings, lens settings and shooting techniques to take best advantage of both.

The Most Important Camera Settings For Best Quality

*File Recording Format

File recording quality/format screen

All DSLR's and many compact "point & shoot" cameras offer the choice to save image files as either .jpg or RAW format files. For maximum image quality, choose the RAW file format. This file type saves all of the information recorded by the image sensor in the camera. It offers greater bit depth than .jpg files(often 12, 14 or 16 bit depth instead of 8 for .jpg). RAW files also offer more and less destructive options for optimizing the image, similar to "developing" a film image, than are available for .jpg files. After "developing" in a RAW file editor such as Adobe Camera RAW or whatever came packaged with your camera, save the files in the native software format or as .tif files to retain maximum bit depth and information content. Be sure to also save the original RAW file to retain the option of going back at a later time to "develop" it in a different way.

*Color Recording Format

Color recording format/color space screen

Most cameras offer a variety of formats for recording the color information in a photo file. When available, AdobeRGB has the largest usable amount of color information and should be used. The next best option is usually standard RGB format, with a few other options having smaller and more restricted color spaces sometimes offered.

*Show The Exposure Histogram

Histogram screen set to display Red, Green & Blue histograms

All digital cameras offer the choice to show an exposure histogram on the LCD display on the back of the camera body. If possible, choose the histogram that shows individual graphs for red, blue and green. On these graphs, most exposure is on the right and least exposure is on the left. Try to keep each frame within the boundaries of the graph to avoid black areas with no detail and blank white areas. Frames without a full range should be biased as much as possible towards the right, as more exposure equals more information.

*About Image Stabilization

Image stabilization is turned OFF when on a tripod

Some camera systems have image stabilization built into the camera body in the form of a moveable sensor. Other camera systems incorporate image stabilization into individual lenses. Either way, if you mount your camera on a solid tripod the stabilization feature should be turned off. Stabilization should always be turned on whenever hand-holding the camera: all of the current types of image stabilization work quite well and there is no reason to ignore it when there is any possibility of camera movement during an exposure.

*ISO Speed

The lowest possible ISO speed should always be set for any exposure unless there are special reasons(such as wanting a noisy/grainy look) to use a higher speed. When the camera is tripod mounted this means an ISO that gives a shutter speed just fast enough to stop any subject movement during exposure. For hand-held work, the shutter speed must be fast enough to eliminate both camera and subject movement during exposure. Slower ISO speeds equate to more detail and sharpness and less noise/grain. This is especially true for smaller sensors in compact "point & shoot" cameras. Even in the very latest cameras, files shot at ISO 800 cannot equal the resolution and detail of files shot at ISO 200.

Following the above recommendations for  camera set-up will ensure that your camera is giving you the best photo files it is capable of producing. Of course there will be times when a faster per-second frame rate is needed and .jpg files are necessary or when ISO 1600 is the only possible way to get the shot. I am certainly not saying don't do that and miss the shot, just understand that those files may not be of the same quality and will not print to as large a size. This is especially true if major color correction or other types of editing need to done on the file. Greater bit depth allows more image manipulation without ill effect on the file.

Sunday gear round-up 10/17/2010

*Look for much higher resolution images from cell phone cameras soon. Sony is now making 16.4-mega-pixel and 8.1 mega-pixel “Exmor R” back-illuminated CMOS sensor chips. Sony has also designed the world’s smallest and lightest high performance auto-focus lens modules to match the new sensors. The pixels on the 16MP chips are only 1.12 microns across. Sony claims high sensitivity and low noise by using a unique formation of photo diodes.

*Timbuk2 now has a “stealth” camera bag that looks like an ordinary messenger bag. It is designed for smaller SLR/DSLR cameras and accessories. The bag also has a slot for a small laptop computer. It will be offered in two sizes and three colors starting at around $130. Timbuk2 calls the new bag the “Snoop”.

*Fujifilm will begin selling a totally new “professional” quality compact digital camera early next year. The new camera will be called the “Finepix X-100” and is aimed at pros wanting a small and light back-up to a DSLR or a high quality travel camera. It will have a 12 mega-pixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor exclusive to this model. The fixed lens will be 23mm(35mm equivalent) with a maximum aperture of f/2. The lens uses aspherical elements, a nine blade diaphragm and can focus down to 10 centimeters. The camera will also have HD video capability. The closest competition will be Sigma’s “DP” models. This is the type of camera I like to take along on casual walks or errands in town when the SLR is too much but top quality is still required.

*Lensbaby has two new products on the market. The “Scout” is the company’s first lens without any tilt movements and comes standard with the 12mm fish-eye optic installed. It is also fully compatible with all of the other optic modules(double glass, single glass, etc…). The lens lists for $250.

Maybe even more interesting is Lensbaby’s new “Tilt Transformer” adapter. Currently available only for Micro-four-thirds and Sony alpha-NEX mounts, the Tilt Transformer gives any Nikon-mount lens tilt capability. I would really like to see this adapter is a Canon APS mount to accept Canon full-frame lenses.

*The social/art network Deviant Art is teaming up with the Fotolia stock-sales site. Deviant Art members will be able to sell their work through Fotolia and license Fotolia works for their own use. The partnership is being compared to the Getty Images/Yahoo partnership.

The types of digital cameras

The most basic digital cameras are those built into cell phone. Many do not even think about their phone being a camera, but some of the newer phones actually produce quite good image quality at five mega-pixels or more. The biggest problem with phone-cameras from a photography standpoint is the total lack of control. ISO speed, color balance, lens aperture and shutter speed settings, file format of the image file and amount of compression used on the image file are all handled by the phone with no input from the photographer. For quick record shots to immediately send to a friend by e-mail or to post to Facebook or Flickr, they are adequate and obviously much better than nothing. For more serious photography they can also produce quite good images as long as their limits are known and worked within.

Next up the image-quality scale are the compact digital cameras. This type of camera has a built-in lens, often a zoom, a small image sensor with correspondingly tiny individual pixels and often lacks an optical viewfinder. Compact cameras cover a very wide range, from barely above cell-phone functional to nearly DSLR quality. The huge majority are in the middle of this range. They offer zoom lenses in the 3x to 6x range, some exposure control(compensation and/or aperture priority but often not full manual settings), often a choice of ISO speeds and usually include some sort of anti-shake mechanism. The best of the compacts also offer a hot shoe for more powerful flash, near DSLR-like control of settings and the choice of saving image files in RAW format for better image quality.

Compact cameras should produce image quality more than adequate for any on-line use and print publication at up to full page sizes. Careful attention to shooting techniques minimizing noise/grain and maximizing sharpness/detail will really pay quality dividends with these cameras. Images taken with my personal compact camera are used regularly to illustrate my on-line real estate column and web sites.

A new type of camera occupies the next rung of the ladder. A real name has not yet been decided but they are being called “compact interchangeable lens”, “micro four-thirds” or “electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens” cameras. They use a sensor much larger than most compacts but about half the size of most DSLR’s. Lacking optical viewfinders, they rely on built-in or accessory electronic viewfinders or just on the camera-back LCD. Because there is no prism or reflex-mirror housing and a smaller sensor, these camera bodies can be made nearly as small as a compact camera with small, light-weight lenses to match. Because the sensors are much larger than those in compact cameras image quality can come close to matching that from DSLR’s. My feeling is this class of camera will really catch on with the public.

DSLR’s are the traditional 35mm film camera in digital form. Sensor sizes range from APS-C to full-frame 35mm, giving large individual pixels for optimum image quality even at higher ISO values. Bright, sharp optical viewfinders occupy the top of the cameras, with some also offering “live view” on the camera-back LCD(emulating compact cameras). All of the functions offered on traditional 35mm film cameras plus many more are available on almost every model. The result is a comparatively large and heavy camera body and accompanying lenses. In practical use, this type of camera is still the most versatile, offers the greatest choice of lenses, flashes and other accessories, and produces adequate image quality for up to 16”x20” prints or even larger.

The final type of digital camera is the “medium” format. Again, these are digital versions of the former film cameras. They are generally considered professional-only because of the high price of the bodies and lenses. Much larger and heavier than DSLR’s, usually only those needing extremely large prints or the ultimate of image quality even consider them.

My personal choice is a combination of camera types. I have a cell phone with a 5MP camera which works fine for a quick snap of a restaurant dish for an on-line review, to record dings/scratches on a rental car or to remember a house for sale. I use a compact camera for on-line illustration shots and whenever a DSLR is too conspicuous or just in the way. My DSLR is still the workhorse because of its versatility and image quality. But I always have at least one of them with me and I will use whatever camera is handy to make the best shot possible.