Technical Support

Photographic abbreviations

2010-08-01T17:12:17+10:00

AE	Auto exposure
AF	Auto focus
AI	Automatic index
AI/S	Automatic index/Shutter
AP	Aperture priority
ASA	American Standards Association
ASP	Aspherical lens
AS	Anti shake
ASSY	Assembly
APS	Advanced photo system
AWB	Automatic white balance.
BTL	Behind the lens
BF	Back focus
B&W	Black and White
CA	Chromatic aberration
CCD	Charge-couple device
CD	Compact disc
CMOS	Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor
CMS	Colour management system
DI	Digital imaging
DIA	Diaphragm
DOF	Depth of Field
DRAM	Dynamic Random Access Memory
DZ	Digital zoom
DVD	Digital Versatile Disc
EC	Exposure compensation
EF	Electronic Focus
EOS	Canon EOS - electro-optical system
E-TTL	Evaluative, through-the-lens flash metering (Canon)
EV	Exposure Value
EVF	Electronic view finder
EOS	Canon EOS - electro-optical system
FEB	Focus editing bracketing
FEC	Flash exposure compensation
FF	Full frame
FF	Front focus
FPS	Frames per second
F STOP	Fractional stop
GB	Gigabyte
HD	Hard drive
HS	Hot shoe
HSS	High speed sync
IEEE	Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers high speed serial bus standard or firewire
IR	Infrared
IS	Image stabiliser
ISO	International Organization for Standardization
IQ	Image quality
JPEG	Joint photographic experts group
LCD	Liquid crystal display
LE	Long exposure
LED	Light editing diode
MB	Megabyte
MLU	Mirror lock up
MMC	Multimedia card
MF	Manual focus
MS	Memory stick
NiICd	Nickel Cadmium battery
NiMH	Nickel-Metal Hydride battery
NR	Noise reduction
OS	Optical Stabilisation.
OOF	Out of focus
OVF	Optical view finder
OZ	Optical zoom
PL	Positive lock – lens mount
RAW	Random Access Memory
SD	Secure Digital – card
SLR	Single lens reflex
SP	Shutter priority
SSFDC	Smart media
SRT	Shutter release time
SS	Shutter speed
SWM	Silent wave motor
TIFF	Tag image file format
TFT	Thin Film Transistor
TTL	Through the lens
RAW	Raw Architecture Workstation
USB	Universal Serial Bus
USM	Ultrasonic autofocus motor
UV	Ultra Violet
VR	Vibration Reduction
WB	White Balance

How to set view finder diopter

2010-08-01T16:23:20+10:00

On a digital SLR camera, remove the lens, look through the viewfinder and adjust the diopter dial/lever until the focus/metering brackets appear sharp to your eyes. Diopter adjustment can also be done by looking carefully until the fine surface markings/granules of the focus screen appear sharp to your eye.

On a digital compact camera that has an optical viewfinder, look through the viewfinder and adjust the diopter dial/lever until the focus brackets appear sharp to your eye.

On a digital compact camera that has an electronic (LCD) viewfinder, activate the camera menu display in the viewfinder. While the menu display is on, look through the viewfinder and adjust the diopter dial/lever until the words are sharp to your eye.

Filter quality does make a difference

2010-02-04T12:44:13+11:00

If I use a filter on my lens, will my image quality suffer?

This is a very common question that we get asked, and one that isn't so straight forward to answer! There are two main variables to consider, one is the optical quality of the lens and the other is the optical quality of the filter being used.

The fact is that whenever you place a piece of glass in front of your lens, there is a possibility that your image quality will suffer depending on the optical properties of the glass. However, if you use a quality filter that has better optical properties than that of the lens then the images should be unaffected.

So how do we choose the right filter for our lens?

A simple rule we can all apply when choosing a filter is that of price and brand. In most cases the price is a reasonable reflection of the quality of the filter. So if you're lens is a low end model, then it would be overkill to go out and buy the most expensive filter because the optical properties of the filter would be far superior to that of the lens. Likewise, if you have a high end professional lens then you wouldn't use a $10 filter on it.

By following this "rule of thumb" and you sticking to commonly known brands of filters, you are very unlikely to have a problem.

After you purchase your filter, it is easy to do some comparison shots with and without the filter for your own piece of mind.

Camera Clinic have seen a few cases of varying degrees of softness due to filters with most being very subtle, we have however also seen many severe cases. Below is an example of a severe resolution issue due to a bad filter.

Inferior Filter No Filter

Nikon D5000 service advisory

2010-01-07T14:16:06+11:00

Information from Nikon Australia web-site

Service Advisory for users of Nikon D5000 digital-SLR camera (Update)

To the users of Nikon D5000 digital-SLR camera

Thank you for choosing Nikon for your photography needs.

It has come to our attention that a certain electronic component related to power control in some Nikon D5000 cameras is of substandard quality and may, in rare cases, prevent the camera from powering on.

This announcement is to inform you that we are currently working on measures to resolve this issue, and preparing for repairs to begin at Nikon service facilities after July 27, 2009. Nikon will repair for free any camera that is affected by this issue. There is no time limit to our offer, and you do not need a warranty card to arrange a free repair.

Note: Additional product serial numbers have been added to our list. We recommend that you try the updated search, even if you may have tried it before.

Nikon will continue to take all possible measures to prevent similar issues from occurring again in the future. Therefore, we hope that you will continue to choose Nikon for your photography needs.

We sincerely apologise for any inconveniences this matter may have caused you.

Please see the following for details regarding the indications of this issue.

[ Indications ]

1. The camera cannot be operated when the power switch is turned on even with a fully-charged battery.

2. The camera cannot be operated when the power switch is turned on when connected via the Power Connector EP-5 and AC Adapter EH-5a.

Please verify whether your D5000 kit has been affected by the problem by inputting your camera serial number.

Lens focus - resolution

2009-10-18T15:40:26+11:00

A very common fault/complaint we receive is soft images.

There are many contributing factors to soft focus, the camera, the lens, movement, fungus, dust, settings and alcohol induced photography.

How the lens can cause soft images?

Apart from the above contributing factors to soft focus the two main reasons for soft focus in a lens are:

Point of focus

Resolution

What is the point of focus?

This is the ability of the lens focusing system to stop accurately on a subject. If the point of focus is out you will notice forward or back focusing.

What is resolution?

Resolution is the ability of a lens optics to resolve to it's maximum capabilities. Most lenses are not perfect; as light passes through the lens it degregates to a certain degree. Lenses are one piece of equipment that you really do get what you pay for.

Generally the more expensive the lens, the better the quality of the optics, meaning less degregation of light resulting in better resolution.

Regardless of what quality lens you have, each lens has an optimum resolution. Impact, wear and tear, dust, fungus are all things that will affect the optimum resolution of a lens, resulting in soft images.

How do I know if my lens has a focus or resolution fault or both?

Back and forward focusing will be more evident at a wide open aperture due to the shallow depth of field. Try several lenses because your camera could also be forward or back focusing.

To test the lens, set the aperture to 2.8, 1.4 or 1.8 (depending on your lens) take several images in your normal shooting environment, but try to use a still subject. Take particular note where the focusing point is falling on the subject.

Take careful note of the settings and the lenses you used.

This is the best focus testing for you: there are many variables that will effect the focusing system – lighting, angle of shooting, the type of surface you are focusing on and a moving target.

Review your images on the computer at 100% (1:1) and look for the following:

Is the main subject sharp?

YES	Point of focus ok
NO	If it’s sharper behind the subject – back focusing
NO	If it’s sharper in-front of the subject – forward focusing
If nothing is sharp	It is a resolution problem.

What can be done to correct the focus or resolution?

We have the adjustment software and tooling to adjust most equipment.

For the best results we suggest leaving your camera when you book your lenses in for an adjustment/repair. This allows us to adjust the lenses to perform to their best ability with your camera.

If the lens has a focus or resolution fault due to wear or impact parts will be required to correct the fault.

Please phone ahead we can address your specific case.

Important: If your images are blurred in the view finder but your images are sharp on your P.C – check your diopter setting on the camera. Most of the digital cameras have an in-built diopter. Check your manual for the diopter location and how to change the settings.

Batteries

2009-08-30T02:47:36+10:00

Batteries - The good the bad and the cheap

Every 18 months electronics half in size and double in performance unfortunately batteries take 7 years to do the same, there letting the team down! So it’s important to know which battery will give you optimum performance.

15% of all power problems with digital cameras are simply incorrect batteries (that’s 4 a day in our work shop) I can understand the confusion there are many brands of batteries, each brand has around 5 different ratings for the same battery and none of them explain the difference very well.

Heavy duty, extra heavy duty, long life or rechargeable batteries?

Battery information:

Carbon batteries are inexpensive and simply won’t run a digital camera.

Alkaline batteries present themselves in many different capacity ratings, unfortunately there is no standards to help sort the ratings, the general rule is only the best quality battery will run a digital camera logically they are the most expensive.

Lithium batteries will run a digital camera they are not to expensive however they last longer than alkaline.

Rechargeable batteries are the best option for digital cameras, high current, short recharge long discharge times and hundreds of recharges. The capacity of all batteries are measured in milliamps and displayed on the battery eg: 2700mA

There are many different types of rechargeable batteries Rechargeable Alkaline (don’t use)

Ni-Cd (ok), Ni-MH (best choice), Li-Ion (not available in AA)

They are also better on the environment.

Ni-Cd Nickel cadmium batteries are low capacity compared to other rechargeable, they will run a digital camera however suffer from discharge memory affect (wont charge beyond the lowest discharge level) typically 600mA to 1100mA

Ni-MH Nickel metal hydride batteries high capacity will run a digital camera, quick recharge no memory well priced. Typically up to 2700mA (2000mA capacity and up will run all digital cameras very well). Battery of Choice

Lithium ion batteries used in dedicated battery packs because of there high capacity and long life, they are expensive however they run digital cameras very well.

Firmware

2009-06-17T14:39:12+10:00

Firmware

What is firmware and how do I use it?

The firmware is a set of operating instructions your camera requires to perform any of its functions. It resides in the EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or CPU (Central Processing Unit) on the main circuit in your camera. Mobile phones, DVD players and many other electronic equipment use a firmware instruction set.

A firmware file is unique to each model type and can be updated by uploading a more recent version.

Why would I update the firmware?

Improvements, most camera manufacturers rewrite the firmware to eliminate faults or improve colour and communication to computers and memory cards, some will include new features or change the menu language. These updated versions are available from the Manufactures web-page.

Not all cameras have firmware updates available. Those that do require close attention to the accompanying instructions.

There are two methods used to upload firmware, one: connect the camera to a computer via a USB and run the executable firmware file Two: copy the firmware.bin file to a memory card, insert the card in camera and follow instructions.

You can visit the service and Manufactures Support and Support section on their web-site, you will also find more information on changes relating to you camera.

If you are still unsure call the nearest Manufactures Authorised Service Centre they can do it for you. Check in the camera menu for the firmware version (check the instruction manual each unit is different). You may find you already have the latest firmware.

Vignetting

2009-06-17T14:10:48+10:00

Vignetting

When I use a polarizing filter on my camera at wide-angle shots the corners of the image are dark. What is this?

This is called Vignetting.

Vignetting is the visual darkening (shadow) of an image towards the edge caused by an obstruction in the light path, like a hood or filter. A polarizing filter can be thicker than a standard filter therefore obstructing the wide field of view.

How can I avoid this?

Any screw on attachment thicker than 3mm will intrude on the wide field of view; some polarizing filters are 5mm thick.

Why are polarizing filters thicker than standard filters?

Because the polarizing glass needs to rotate for different effects it’s like two filters screwed together

Raw image from a lens Same image with a hood that infringes

in the field of view (dark edge)

Image capture format (4:3 CCD) Final image appear darker in corners this is Vignetting

Because the lens could be damaged when removing a tight filter.

Most compact digital cameras have a filter thread on the body casing (around the lens) which is fine for fixed a focal length camera because the lens dose not extend, however optical zoom cameras extend past the body casing, so any flat filter will jam the zoom. To avoid this, a special extension tube is needed to position a filter beyond the fully extended lens, it also must not infringe on the field of view when the lens is used at wide focal lengths. Look for a thinner filter or a step up ring 77mm to 82mm and an 82mm filter.

Some cameras use a filter extension tube to attach a filter, the diagram above shows the position of the filter and the size of the filter (77mm) to clear the widest capture angle (field of View).

Old flash on a digital camera

2009-06-17T13:38:10+10:00

Using an old flash unit on a digital camera

Can I use an old flash unit with a digital camera that has an external flash connection?

Yes providing the flash unit dose not have a High trigger voltage.

The reason for this is:

A camera will use the flash trigger voltage to fire the flash at precisely the right time. If the voltage is to high internal electrical damage can occur to the camera.
All flash units manufactures within the last 15 years are ok, if unsure call a camera service center to check.

To check a flash trigger voltage yourself, measure the sync plug or hot shoe. Using a voltmeter on DC, rang set to 200 volts or above, flash unit on and charged (don’t worry its quite safe) expect the flash to trigger while testing.

If the reading is 180 Volts or less the flash can be used

Above 180 Volts don’t use it.

Use blue-tack to steady the plug

Volt meter setup

If your camera has a hot shoe not a sync socket you can still use the flash with a Hot shoe adapter.

Date and Time Reseting

2009-06-17T13:32:45+10:00

The date and time always resets when I change batteries in my camera. This is so frustrating what can be done about it?

All digital cameras have a calendar clock in-built. This generates the time and date that is embedded in every image at capture. In order not to reset this clock power must be maintained at all times to the circuit.

When you remove main batteries a back up battery or capacitor takes over power supply to the clock. Backup power can last 3 minuets to 3 weeks depending on your model. If your backup battery or capacitor is faulty expect about 30 seconds before reset, this part is replaceable however it is internal and can only be done at a qualified service center.

Where convenient use the AC power adaptor when changing batteries this way it won’t reset.

As a general rule internal Batteries and capacitors drop there capacity to hold charge by 12% every 12 months