Stephen Chinnadorai

You’ll hear at least once in your life someone asking you “How many megapixels does your camera have?”And, of course, if your camera has less megapixels it is considered “worse” than the one with more megapixels. This isn’t the case. So many people have been fooled by the marketing of megapixels — when the truth is: Megapixels mean nothing; at least on point-and-shoot cameras.

Digital SLR cameras are another story. Usually on SLR cameras, the sensor size is large enough for the millions of pixels to actually look good, rather than distorted. This means that full-frame DSLRs, more megapixels are even more effective.

6 megapixels is the ideal resolution for compact point-and-shoots — it’s large enough for print, yet isn’t too large to cause noise. Although there are some top of the range compact cameras like Canon’s PowerShot G9, which could be an exception to this theory; they produce fine, crisp images - even at 12 megapixels.

The next time someone compares a camera purely based on megapixels, educate them that, on point-and-shoot cameras, it really doesn’t matter - and can in fact make your images look worse - whilst wasting valuable megabytes on your memory card.

I’ve asked a lot of people the same question for the past month or so: “Which lens should I upgrade to?”. Most of them responded with the Canon 50mm f/1.8 — a fast, small and affordable lens.

This is the first prime lens I have ever used, so I felt limited to a single focal length, compared to the 18-55mm zoom lens I was previously using. For those of you that don’t know, prime lenses do not have the ability to zoom in or out – they’re fixed to a particular length, in this case: 50mm. Zoom lenses can have different ranges in focal lengths, but are often more expensive, heavier and don’t produce the same quality of image you get from a prime lens.

The 50mm prime is undoubtedly one of Canon and Nikon’s best selling lenses — the price makes it very attractive for newcomers to digital SLRs. I can definitely see why this lens has been recommended. Although I haven’t taken it out much yet, this lens is bringing sharp photos in the darkest situations; and provides beautiful blurred-out backgrounds (bokeh) on portrait photos.

I haven’t had a chance to use the 50mm f/1.4, but it is supposed to be even better than this lens. I highly recommend anyone new to SLR cameras like me to give this lens a try; especially because its cost is low for the photos you get out of it.

I’m a Google guy — like most of us, I have been using Google as my search engine for everything: Information, images, news, and maps; until now.

Microsoft’s previous MSN search was not impressive at all, and their new Live Search is nothing compared to Google. However, their Live Maps feature is quite an improvement over what Google is currently offering. 3-dimensional bird’s eye views are available on Microsoft’s map service. I actually found that, although the interface is not as smooth being web-based, it provided better images of my area than Google Earth.

I also noticed that Google has done a terrific job of “Street Mapping” major cities in the US, but not much else than central London is in street view in the UK. If Google can learn from Microsoft’s bird’s eye view, they would have the perfect service.

Although I still prefer Google’s interface, and compatibility with other browsers like Safari, Microsoft have done a decent job with their new maps feature. I’m still going to be using Google for everything, but I may check back to Live Maps for more detailed bird’s eye views.

Abduzeedo has posted a great tutorial on creating HDR photographs. If you haven’t heard of HDR already, you’re missing out on some amazing photos - you can see some nice ones in the Flickr HDR pool. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and is basically a combination of 3 photos taken at 3 different exposures. Tonal Mapping is the next process done in software like Photoshop or Photomatix - it gives the photo that “surreal” effect that the best HDR photos have.

If you’ve got a Digital SLR camera, you’ve most likely got a feature called “Auto-bracketing”. If not, you’ll have to take the 3 different exposures manually - a tripod is recommended.

All my life I’ve used a regular digital point-and-shoot camera - until last month, when I decided to purchase my first Digital SLR camera: The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi (EOS 400D in Europe). I went for the standard black with the 18-55mm kit lens. A lot of people have recommended I get a 50mm prime lens, too. This will definitely be something I’ll buy some time soon - I’ll either get the f/1.8 or f/1.4 USM.

I chose the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi because I’ve heard excellent reviews of it throughout the internet, it has won several awards in the past. The other camera I considered was the Nikon D40X - the Rebel XTi’s rival. I was also considering a very high-end point-and-shoot camera, the Canon PowerShot G9.

The XTi will soon be replaced by the new XSi, an updated version of Canon’s highly successful beginner SLR. It features a larger 12-megapixel sensor, 18-55mm IS (image stabilisation) lens, Live View and costs approximately $200 more than the XTi. I’m happy with the XTi though, and as Glenn Wolsey mentioned: 12.2 megapixels stuffed into such a small sensor might not be so forgiving on noise at ISO 800 and above.

The Canon Rebel XTi definitely lived up to the expectations I had of it. I’m a first-time SLR user, but I instantly picked up the basics of how to use it. The size of the camera is a lot bigger than my previous compact camera, but this is something you get used to over time. I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with the camera, and you can see the majority of my photos on Flickr.

I hope to improve taking photos with my new camera, and, as Canon say, explore the “digital playground”. If you have any tips, please comment - it’s much appreciated.