So what's inside an SD memory card?

I dissected an old SD memory card to show everybody what's inside.

There's a front housing cover, and a real housing cover. What's inside is simply a thin wafer containing the flash memory. The 3-shot shows all the components after the card has been opened, and the single image shows a slight detail of the memory itself.

These little cards are easy to open with a sharp knife, but it appears that the plastic is welded during the manufacturing process, and it doesn't just snap open. So don't expect to get the little guy back together again.

Digital vs. 35mm film

Many photographers wonder how much of a difference there is between the 'old' 24x36mm film format and the 'new' digital formats. I did some research and here's what I found:

An Eastman Kodak film scientist was quoted to say that, in a scientific magazine, the upper limits of 35mm film in use today by consumers is about ~25.8MP. Thus, consumer digicams have a far ways to go before even matching the resolution and detail in film in prints.

It seems that whatever the general public perceives becomes reality.
As long as they're happy with the final 4x6 inch print of their Johnny swinging a bat at a ball -- that's all that matters.

In fact, color, focus, saturation, contrast and lighting can go to hell, as long as Johnny's face is 'sorta clear in the pitcher'...

The craft, science and art of photography have been stepped on by all the wonderful technology involving auto focus, program mode, face recognition, and auto ISO.

I wonder if anyone can still pick up a Pentax K1000 with a roll of Tri-X loaded and manage to shoot a roll of good pictures...

Distortion in digital cameras

I have a number of cameras - from standard 35mm SLRs to 2¼ format to a couple of view cameras - and a few digitals.

Having used the Nikons and Mamiyas as well as my 4x5 Horseman for a lot of client work, I know how they handle, and what quality of image the lenses deliver.

I'm noticing a certain amount of distortion in a number of the consumer digital cams. I recently picked up a Fuji S700 as a quickshooter and have noticed that shooting a square or rectangle head on (in both wide angle and 'telephoto' mode) results in a pincushion.

If there are any pros out there - or anyone shooting for publication, would you let me know what camera(s) you're using and what type of optical distortion you might have encountered?

These quick shoot digital cameras are great, but my question is - are they great enough for a picky art director who might wonder why you didn't shoot his assignment with a Nikon F using a 105mm / 2.5 instead of the digital...

Comments?

On the topic of April Fools Day...

I'm always busy. Writing, photographing, shooting and editing video, researching, and trying to keep my FTA system up and running. My personal contribution to the spectrum of April Fools pranks was simply to shut down and relax. My appointments and meetings went into postpone mode, and I was able to ignore most urgent phone calls.

I call days like that 'self psychology' events - to keep from going crazy from information overload.

My hope is that more people can take advantage of personally designated days like that. Self psychology. Cheaper than seeing a shrink, and more relaxing than sleep itself.

But now - I'm back up and running at full speed.

Just how many digital images can I take?

NUMBER OF IMAGES STORED ON A DIGITAL CARD EXPLAINED:

The number of pictures you can take varies depending on your camera model and complexity of the scene being photographed. To calculate how many pictures your card can hold, divide the capacity of your card by the average file size of your images. For example, if you have a 256MB card, and use a camera that has an average file size of 1.2MB, then 256 divided by 1.2 gives you approximately 213 pictures. As you change modes on your camera, the number of images will increase if you shoot in a lower resolution mode, and decrease if you shoot in a higher resolution mode.

OPTICAL AND DIGITAL ZOOM:

If you shoot pictures of sports or anything where the action isn’t right in front of you, you will need a camera with a decent zoom telephoto function. A camera with a fairly high (10-12X) optical zoom is most favorable and will yield the best quality photograph. Optical zoom simply means that the camera is using its optics (lenses) to perform the magnification of the subject and enlarging it to create a good image of the subject.

Digital zoom sounds high-tech, but it will yield a lower quality image. For those impressed by numbers, a camera with a 10X optical zoom and a 64X digital zoom is only as good as the optical zoom – if you want a quality image. Digital zoom is created by the software in the camera, and adds pixels to the image to be able to artificially enlarge the subject. This adding of pixels reduces the quality of the image and only give the illusion that it is enlarged.

The basic rules still apply:

• Get as close to your subject as you can
  
• Use the capabilities of the camera to create the image

Don’t shoot images you know can’t be reproduced at high quality or printed

Take the time to REALLY learn your camera and lenses - and all the capabilities and functions involved.