Nowadays, the small flat compact cameras that most people buy are brilliant so whybother to switch to a heavy, expensive and complicated Single Lens Reflex camera?
Ultimately switch when you are no longer happy with the quality of shots you produce in your little camera.You can take better shots with a dSLR for many reasons.
Firstly, in cameras, size matters. All digital cameras have a sensor in the back but not all sensors are the same. Even if a compact camera’s sensor has 10 megapixels, the chances are that the sensor size will be around five times smaller than a 10 megapixel digital SLR. You simply get sharper images with better colour fidelity and less ‘noise’ from a larger sensor.
Secondly you have far more control over the shots with a digital SLR. Small automatic cameras have to make choices about exposure, aperture and other aspects that are artisitic choices. The automatic software is great for snaps, but if you want to creatively decide on the mood of a photo it is easiest to control aperture, exposure and so on manually.
You can swap lenses. There are hardly any compact cameras with interchangeable lenses. Switching from a telephoto to a macro radically changes the type of shot you can achieve. Yes, your compact camera has a macro function and a ‘10x optical zoom’ sticker on the side, but the inbuilt lens just cannot compete with a good set of lenses. High Quality changeable lenses are really very much better than ‘all purpose lenses’
You can shoot in the RAW which is nothing to do with going out in your birthday suit but everything to do with an absolutely brilliant feature of digital SLR cameras. As the name implies, RAW files are the raw data recorded by the sensor. Jpegs by contrast have already been processed by the camera before saving. However there are many ways of processing a shot and all of them mean the camera has to ditch data, compress files, muck around with colours and generally monkey about with the scene. If you save a file in RAW format you have the luxury of making all the key decisions at your leisure whilst sitting in front of your computer. Only once you are happy with brightness and colour cast do you ‘process’ the image into a jpg file for printing or uploading to the web.
The first time I saw what shooting in RAW format allowed me to achieve I was dumbfounded. I promised myself two things. Firstly never to shoot pictures in JPEG again and secondly to tell everyone I could about just how fantastically happy I am that I switched from a compact digital camera to a digital SLR. So, that is why I wrote this article.
Ok, here is the thing. If you ask and she or he says yes, you will be together for years to come. During those years there will be an opportunity (at least once a year) to be reminded of the time you asked them to marry you.
So, don’t stuff it up or you will pay for it with decades of recriminations and embarassment. Make sure your potential life partner is in agreement with you over what constitutes a romantic moment. If they want violins and roses while you are happy with glam rock on the ipod and a bag of chips, you will suffer my friend.
Make a romantic day of it and make sure you haven’t had an arguement for at least 12 hours before you propose (although this does not mean proposing first thing in the morning is your best option).
Don’t be too hasty to propose on a specific ocassion that you have mentally prepared for. If the time isn’t right, wait.
However, if they are looking happy and the setting is romantic and you aren’t peein g yourself with nerves, go for it.
If you buy bare rooted raspberry canes, don’t leave them hanging around. Plant your raspberries as soon as you can inlate autumn and in spring you will see luscious new growth close to the top of each cane.
Raspberries are mostly grown against supports although some new varieties can grow well without. For traditional canes build a post and wire framework for the canes to grow against. By using straining bolts, which can be tightened with a spanner, you can keep the wires taught and the canes will be easier to cope with.
If your doctor has prescribed Ace Inhibitors to control your blood pressure, you should follow the rules on the packet. Typically this means taking one every day.
There is no particular time of day that is better than any other, but taking the capsule with food or drink ensures it gets into the stomach where the drug can be absorbed properly, rather than having it sit half way down your throat where it won’t do any good at all.
Solar power or photovoltaic (PV) panels have traditionally been quite expensive. but, since the Chinese (hooray for China) went into mass production, their price has dropped to a staggering degree and solar power is now a green solution that everyone can consider.
However there are instances where solar panels do not currently make economic or environmental sense. You really should talk to professional solar panel installers before making a decision, but broadly, here are the basic concerns that will help you decide when to install solar panels.
Firstly if you roof does not have a south facing pitch you should not install panels.
Secondly there are issues in ‘conservation zones’ so check before installing solar panels that you will not be breaking local zoning regulations.
Thirdly if the building is owned by someone else (i.e. you are the leasholder, not the freeholder) you should check with the freeholder before embarking on such a scheme.
Lastly and most importantly check if there are any grants for solar panels available to you. If there are you will probably need to follow some quite specific rules about how you install the panels, so read up. It could be the coolest and greenest thing you ever do.
Too many times we make big decisions based on trust. If the ‘other party’ is a close friend or family member then asking them to sign something can seem mean spirited. However with other people we shouldn’t give it a moment’s thought.
In business the costs of not being able to prove that a colleague has followed procedures can be huge when things go wrong. There is a whole document management industry based around ensuring staff read, understand and sign key documentation.
A bit closer to home the temptation is not to make a fuss. However, most people will be glad to see you making the effort to ensure everything is kept above board.
If things go wrong and you have to prove that what you say is the truth, without evidence to back you up, you are unlikely to win, and even if you do, your legal fees are going to be far far higher.
You wouldn’t buy a television or computer and walk out of the store without a receipt would you? No, of course you wouldn’t. Apply the same logic to any agreements you make in daily life.
Obviously if the value of the agreement is only worth a few pennies then you can afford to lose them without problems and so can afford to ignore this advice. However once you are talking about any sort of agreement that you can stick a decent value on, get it in writing. 99 times out of 100 you will never need to produce the written agreement again, but one time in 100 you will and that is when the rewards will show themselves.
Even if you never need to use the written evidence again, you will gain a priceless reputation for being contientious, honest, trustworthy and someone that others can do business with.
Taking out the trash too early and leaving it on the roadside is an offence in most places. Check the local bylaws by phoning the council and asking to speak to the recycling officer. Alternatively ask your neighbours. If you have solid bins then there isn’t such a problem, but if you just use black plastic sacks then cats, dogs and worst of all vermin can get in. This leaves litter strewn down the roadside and spreads diseases which kids playing in the area may then pick up.
So, if you want to be a good neighbour (and why wouldn’t you?) don’t put your litter out for collection too early.
Of course, much of the stuff we throw away can actually be recycled. Most food waste in particular can be composted, so why not do that and then you will have so little rubbish for the binmen that if you forget to put the bins out for them once in a while it simply will not matter.
A two week holiday is not a right, but if you can afford to take a vacation you should do it. The question of when to go is more pressing when you have kids. School holidays are your only option and during those periods the prices skyrocket. However, if you don’t follow the herd, there will still be cheap vacations to be had in less touristy spots. If everyone else heads south, consider heading north (and visa versa).
For great money saving holiday advice and the latest cheap flights you can look around the internet or ask your travel agent. Be very friendly to your local agent. If they like you they will work harder to find you a great deal.
About 60% of the way through a contract is a great time to ask for an upgrade. A good reason for not signing long contracts is that the company won’t upgrade you so often.
Do remember to be polite when asking for an upgrade and don’t get angry if they say no. Just leave it a few days and politely phone again. Usually on the 5th or 6th call they will upgrade you just to shut you up.
European and American tradition dictates that the tree is actually only decorated on Chritmas Eve and then left for the 12 days of festivities that end on 6th January when the tree and decorations come down.
However during the 20th century many people dropped this idea, probably being influenced by retail stores who saw a correlation between decorations and customer spending. This has led people to put their trees up earlier each year, but the USA has thanksgiving which acts as a natural barrier, so christmas cannot creep any earlier than than the end of November.
The average family now puts up their tree about 12-14 days before christmas.
