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Olympus C-2020 Zoom Photography
This clearly written and easy-to understand short course on your Olympus C-2020 explains step-by-step how, why and when you use your camera's controls for better pictures. This guide is available as a traditional 104 page large-format (8.5 by 11) spiral bound book printed in black and white.
Introduction
New, a Short Courses digital photography book for people who own the Olympus C-2020 digital camera and want to get better pictures. This beautifully written and illustrated guide, drawing on the much more comprehensive information on the ShortCourses Web site,pulls together answers to the questions you might have about using the Olympus C-2020, including the following:
- Taking a Picture in Automatic Mode
- Using Dials and Buttons
- Using Menus
- Reviewing Images Frame by Frame
- Managing the Displayed Image
- Selecting a Quality Mode
- Changing SHQ Compression
- Changing SQ Image Size and Compression
- Changing Exposure Modes
- Selecting a Shutter Speed
- Selecting an Aperture
- Selecting Both Aperture and Shutter Speed
- Using the Selftimer/Remote Control
- Increasing Sensitivity (ISO)
- Increasing Sharpness of Moving Objects
- Using Manual Focus
- Using Focus Lock
- Selecting Image Sharpness
- Increasing Depth of Field
- Using Focus Lock for Maximum Depth of Field
- Using Focus Lock for Minimum Depth of Field
- Decreasing Depth of Field in Automatic Mode
- Conveying Motion
- Changing the Metering Mode
- Using Exposure Compensation
- Using Exposure Lock
- Bracketing Your Shots
- Adjusting White Balance
- Zooming the Lens
- Using Digital Tele
- Using Auto Flash
- Using Red-eye Reducing Flash
- Using Fill-in Flash
- Using Slow Sync
- Turning off the Flash
- Using Extension Flash
- Taking Macro Close-ups
- Increasing Depth of Field in Close-ups
- Taking Panoramas
- Using Sequential Photography
- Taking a Movie
- Playing a Movie
- Using Special Effects
- Erasing All Images
- Formatting a SmartMedia Card
- Changing the All Reset Command
- Adjusting the Beeper
- Changing Record View Setting
- Controlling Filenames
- Adjusting LCD Brightness
- Setting the Date and Time
- Selecting Feet or Meters
- Giving a Slide Show
- Adjusting the Index Display
The book is designed to work with the www.shortcourses.com site. The book explains how to get better pictures but you'll find more on that subject on the site. In addition, there is lots of information on the site about what you can do with your pictures after you've taken them.
Contents
Chapter 1
Camera Controls and Creativity
Automatic All the Way
Using Menus and Buttons
Managing Your Images
What is a Digital Photograph?
How a Digital Camera Works
Choosing Image quality and Size
Changing Exposure Modes
The Shutter Controls Light and Motion
The Aperture Controls Light and Depth of Field
Using Manual Mode
Chapter 2
Controlling Sharpness
Eliminating Camera Movement
Sharpness Isn't Everything
How to Photograph Motion Sharply
Focus and Depth of Field
Controlling Depth of Field
Capturing Maximum Depth of Field
Using Selective Focus
Conveying the Feeling of Motion
Chapter 3
Controlling Exposure
How Your Meter Works
How Exposure Affects Your Images
When Automatic Exposure Works Well
When to Override Automatic Exposure
How to Override Automatic Exposure
Chapter 4
Capturing Light & Color
Where Does Color Come From?
Color Balance
Color Balance and the Time of Day
Sunsets and Sunrises
The Moon
Weather
Color Choices
Photographing at Night
Light: Its Direction
Light: From Direct to Diffuse
Using Light and Color Creatively
Chapter 5
Understanding Lenses
How a Lens Works
Olympus Lens Accessories
Zoom Lenses
Normal Zoom
Wide-Angle Zoom
Telephoto Zoom
Portraits with a Zoom Lens
Perspective: How a Photograph Shows Depth
Chapter 6
Using Automatic Flash
How Automatic Flash Works
Portraits with Flash
Fill Flash
Slow Sync
Using Available Light
Using an Extension Flash
Using Flash Creatively
Chapter 7
Exploring Close-up Photography
Macro Lenses
Focusing and Depth of Field
Exposures and Backgrounds
Arranging Lighting
Using Flash in Close-ups
Chapter 8
Special Features
Panoramic Images
Sequential Photography
Movies
Special Effects
Appendix
The Camera's Controls
Preface
A great photograph begins when you recognize a great scene or subject. But recognizing a great opportunity isn't enough to capture it; you also have to be prepared. A large part of being prepared involves understanding your camera well enough to capture what you see. Getting you prepared to see and capture great photographs is what this book is all about. It doesn't matter if you are taking pictures for business or pleasure, there's a lot here to help you get better results and more satisfaction from your photography.
To get better, and possibly even great photographs, you need to understand both concepts and procedures; the "whys" and "hows" of photography.
- Concepts of photography are the underlying principles that apply regardless of the camera you are using. They include such things as how sharpness and exposure affect your images and the way they are perceived by viewers. Understanding concepts answers the "why" kinds of questions you might have about photography.
- Procedures are those things specific to one kind of camera, and explain step-by-step how you set your camera's controls to capture an image just the way you want to. Understanding procedures gives you the answers to the "how" kinds of questions you might have.
This book is organized around the concepts of digital photography because that's how photographers think. You think about scenes and subjects, highlights and shadows, softness and sharpness, color and tone. The procedures you use with the Olympus C-2020 Zoom camera are integrated throughout the concepts, appearing in those places where they apply. This integrated approach lets you first understand the concepts of photography and then see step by step how to use the Olympus C-2020 Zoom in all kinds of photographic situations.
To get more effective, interesting, and creative photographs, you only need to understand how and when to use a few simple features on your camera such as focus, exposure controls, and flash. If you've previously avoided understanding these features and the profound impact they can have on your images, you'll be pleased to know that you can learn them on a weekend afternoon. You can then spend the rest of your life marveling at how their infinite variety of combinations makes it possible to convey your own personal view of the world. You'll be ready to keep everything in a scene sharp for maximum detail or to blur it all for an impressionistic portrayal. You'll be able to get dramatic close-ups, freeze fast action, create wonderful panoramas, and capture the beauty and wonder of rainbows, sunsets, fireworks, and nighttime scenes.
As you explore your camera, be sure to have fun. There are no "rules" or "best" way to make a picture. Great photographs come from using what you know to experiment and try new approaches. Digital cameras make this especially easy because there are no film costs or delays. Every experiment is free and you see the results immediately so you can learn step by step.
This book assumes you've mastered the mechanics of your camera. It's about getting great pictures, not about installing batteries and connecting your camera to your computer. That information is well presented in the user guides that came with your camera, however it is summarized in the Appendix of this book.
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