Art-SX

Sony a100 £550 body only

Sony Alpha 100

Sony's Alpha100 is their first attempt at creating a D-SLR since taking over Konica Minolta. The a100 is not a completely new design, instead they have remained with the minolta lens mount and kept a lot of the styling from the discontinued Dynax 5D. On the design side of things Sony could have tried to learn a few tricks from the other manufacturers. The general appearence and feel of the camera is not all that fantastic but look past the exterior and and you will know you are getting much more camera for your money than meets the eye. The Alpha's specs are really quite good with a built in dust protection system and stabilisation that reduces the chances of your photos being spoilt by camera movement, especially when using larger lens configurations.

The jewel in the Alpha's crown is the image quality, which is superb. This is due to the fact the camera has a 10.2 megapixel resolution, which considerable makes up for it's shortfalls in handling.

Specifications

Format	SLR
Price (street)	UK £550 body only
Also known as
Release Status
Max resolution	3872 x 2592
Low resolution	3896 x 1936, 1920 x 1280
Image ratio w:h	3:2
Effective pixels	10.0 million
Sensor photo detectors	10.8 million
Sensor size	23.6 x 15.8 mm
Sensor type	CCD
Colour filter array	RGB
Sensor manufacturer	Sony
ISO rating	Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Zoom wide (W)	n/a
Zoom tele (T)	n/a
Digital zoom	No
Image stabilization	Yes, Sensor shift
Auto Focus	Yes
Manual Focus	Yes
Auto focus type	Yes, 9 area
Normal focus range	n/a
Macro focus range	n/a
White balance override	7 positions, plus manual
Aperture range	n/a
Min shutter	30 sec + Bulb
Max shutter	1/4000 sec
Built-in Flash	Yes, pop-up
Flash guide no.
External flash	Yes, hot-shoe (Minolta)
Flash modes	Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off
Exposure compensation	-2 to +2 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Metering	40 segment, Center weighted average, Spot
Aperture priority	Yes
Shutter priority	Yes
Focal length multiplier	1.5
Lens thread	Sony Alpha mount, Minolta A-type mount
Continuous Drive	Yes, 3 fps
Movie Clips	No
Remote control	Wire (Optional)
Self-timer	2 or 10 sec
Timelapse recording	No
Orientation sensor	Yes
Storage types	Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Storage included	None
Uncompressed format	RAW
Compressed format	JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
Quality Levels	Fine, Standard
Viewfinder	TTL
LCD	2.5 "
LCD Pixels	230,000
Video out	Yes
USB	Yes, 2.0
Firewire (IEEE 1394)	No
Battery / Charger	Yes
Battery	Lithium-Ion (NP-FM55H) & charger
Weight (inc. batteries)	638 g (22.5 oz)
Dimensions	133 x 95 x 71 mm (5.2 x 3.7 x 2.8 in)
Notes	Sony's first digital SLR

Most of us have a few pieces of art tucked away, waiting for us to find them a proper home. Getting the right effect takes a bit of forethought. Consider balance, mood, color, groupings, and lighting. Oh, and then there’s the hanging itself. To simplify the process, here’s a quick guide to displaying and hanging your art.

Step 1: Have a Plan
Before you poke that first hole in your wall, audition your art posters in various spots. This trial and error process is key to proper placement. The center of your artwork should be at eye level or about 5’6”. Choose art with colors that complement wall color or furniture while considering balance, scale, and mood or theme.

Step 2: Create a Grouping
Hang posters of various sizes as one group - you instantly create a powerful focal point. Lay your grouping on the floor and view it as a single unit. Keep the area between the posters roughly equal. Odd numbered groupings create asymmetry while even numbers can lend balance. Scale is an important consideration for groupings. 18” x 24” and 12” x 16” prints tend to work well in a loft, hallway or stairwell, while smaller sizes of 5”x7” or 8”x10” work well in areas with less wall space or smaller rooms like kitchens or bathrooms.

Step 3: Seek Balance
Is one area too crowded and heavy while another is spare and lackluster? Keep the weight of your composition well-distributed and maintain a general sense of scale and balance. For example, a large horizontal print such as a landscape or panoramic usually works well over a sofa or other large furniture, while smaller prints add the perfect accent above a chair or end table.

Step 4: Take Action
To hang your art at your chosen height, measure how far from the top of the picture the hanging wire will hit when hanging on a nail. If the top of your picture should hang 72" from the floor, and the hanging wire hits 4” below, your nail will have to be 68" from the floor centered with your picture. (Use a light pencil mark on your wall!) Find your art inspiration here, to create a unique look.

Step 5: Add Lighting
Proper lighting works magic, instantly giving your poster art more attention. The best lighting to use is track lighting with 50 watt halogen flood light. Subdued lighting creates the best effect.

Computer Animation Tips

Photographing silhouettes can be both challenging and rewarding. A subject in silhouette is viewed in its most simple and elegant form, and distracting details are eliminated. The difficulty that many photographers face when shooting silhouettes is arriving at the proper exposure. When shooting with the camera set on automatic, the camera's light meter may arrive at an undesirable exposure that underexposes the image. This results when bright horizons give false cues to the light meter.

My technique for shooting silhouettes is to set the camera on manual exposure mode; then using a center-weighted exposure reading, I aim the center of my frame toward the middle tone of the composition. In this photograph, for instance, I took an exposure reading off the sky just in front of the photographer's head.

“In otherwise impossible lighting conditions, you can often look around and find something that is being lit indirectly and get very usable images that way”