New Section: Photography Tools

[McQ]

There's a new section of the website:

Photography Tools

It provides various tools for understanding how different camera settings will impact your photos. The goal is to make it easier to develop an intuition for otherwise complicated camera topics — without the need for charts, tables and graphs. Eventually these will be combined into an all-in-one photo tools app...

To provide context, many of the links lead to calculators embedded within the tutorials pages, although others have their own dedicated page. Several of the calculators have also been reworked to fit a new style, and to support an advanced mode toggle (such as this one).

As usual, please let me know if you feel anything is unclear, if you notice any typos, or just want to add something from your own experience.

Many thanks!

PS: a "TOOLS" link has been added to the top menu on the main site, replacing the "GALLERY" link (which has been moved to the footer).

[Donald]

There's a new section of the website:

Photography Tools

Excellent, Sean.

[xpatUSA]

Hello Sean,

would it be possible for anyone to submit a tool they may have developed i.e. as a spreadsheet or in JavaScript. Or make a suggestion for a particular tool?

Ted

[McQ]

would it be possible for anyone to submit a tool they may have developed i.e. as a spreadsheet or in JavaScript. Or make a suggestion for a particular tool?

Hi Ted -- yes, I am always open to suggestions. What do you have in mind? If you have a javascript or excel file please feel free to share that via email. Thanks!

[Ken MT]

Could I suggest that with the tools especially DOF etc that the fields be black on white, rather than grey an white which is more difficult to read and looks that the input line is disabled

[McQ]

Could I suggest that with the tools especially DOF etc that the fields be black on white, rather than grey an white which is more difficult to read and looks that the input line is disabled

Hi Ken, I just increased the contrast of the input fields a few notches. Hopefully this will improve readability at your end.

[xpatUSA]

Hi Ted -- yes, I am always open to suggestions. What do you have in mind? If you have a javascript or excel file please feel free to share that via email. Thanks!

Thanks Sean,

I've noticed that discussion and tools for figuring the "limiting" f/number, DOF, CoC seem to assume infinite focus thereby leaving close-up shooters out in the cold. For example, with my early model Sigma 50mm macro lens at 1:1, the Airy disk is double the size of that given by many calculators because of the lens extension.

So, I'm working on a spread sheet that takes pixel pitch, magnification ratio, wavelength and a fudge factor to give a "critical" f/number. "Critical" is a word coined by Doug Kerr to relate the Airy disk dimension to the sensor's geometric resolution. Quite useful on Foveon-sensors that use pixel-binning for LO resolution and thereby have two pixel pitches, one for HI and one for LO!

best regards,

Ted

[krispix]

Hi Sean,
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the 'Sunrise/Sunset' calculator tells me that Sunset in London (UK) will be at 6:04pm on 15 June 2012
Doesn't look right to me!

[McQ]

Hi Sean,
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the 'Sunrise/Sunset' calculator tells me that Sunset in London (UK) will be at 6:04pm on 15 June 2012
Doesn't look right to me!

Hi Chris, thanks for pointing this out. Can you send a screenshot of this to my email? (see the about/contact portion of the main site)

I just gave it a try and I am getting 9:20pm. See below.



Hope we get to the bottom of this...

[McQ]

So, I'm working on a spread sheet that takes pixel pitch, magnification ratio, wavelength and a fudge factor to give a "critical" f/number. "Critical" is a word coined by Doug Kerr to relate the Airy disk dimension to the sensor's geometric resolution. Quite useful on Foveon-sensors that use pixel-binning for LO resolution and thereby have two pixel pitches, one for HI and one for LO!

Sounds like I need to combine the macro photography calculator with the diffraction calculator. I should be able to incorporate this soon. The diffraction calculator still needs to be overhauled with the new style and a collapsible advanced mode option.

That reminds me though -- I haven't included any of the macro tools on the "photography tools" page yet! Completely forgot about those. They will be there by the weekend...

[rpcrowe]

Sean,

Thanks again for all your hard work.

The sunrise/set charts are quite valuable. I once had a link to a sunrise/set chart that also included the compass coordinate/direction from which the sun rises or at which it sets.

This was quite handy for planning from where to shoot sunrises and sunsets.

[McQ]

I've noticed that discussion and tools for figuring the "limiting" f/number, DOF, CoC seem to assume infinite focus thereby leaving close-up shooters out in the cold. For example, with my early model Sigma 50mm macro lens at 1:1, the Airy disk is double the size of that given by many calculators because of the lens extension.

Take a look at the last calculator in the Macro Lenses Tutorial. It calculates diffraction and also takes into account magnification and effective f-stop. I forgot about this one earlier...

PS: there is now also a "Macro & Close-up" section within the photo tools page

[Ken MT]

Is it only me, when I go into DOF I cannot see any of the entry options, appears that the writing is white on white. Using PC with windows 7

[xpatUSA]

Take a look at the last calculator in the Macro Lenses Tutorial. It calculates diffraction and also takes into account magnification and effective f-stop. I forgot about this one earlier...

Thanks Sean, I just now took a look at it. Unfortunately, the site appeared to down earlier and I had already sent in a spreadsheet before I read the above. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any comments.

Some questions on the Macro Diffraction Limit Calculator:

what is the criterion for the limit in terms of pixels per Airy disk diameter?

is it possible to "fudge" inputs entries for a Foveon sensor (crop factor 1.7 and indeterminate MP's)?

best regards,

Ted

[fidj0421]

I hope someone makes this into an ios app! It's is a great tool, much better than the apps that are available. The only problem that i see is our inability to use them in remore areas (like my town!). An all-in-one app would be terrific!

[waha]

I am dazzled by the array of new tools, and awed by the dedication and expertise someone must be spending to bring all this to us. I am referring not only to the new items, but also to the time-consuming task of keeping this high-class site running smoothly.

I'd like to thank somebody for creating, maintaining, and updating this astounding site, but I don't know whom. Will the persons responsible please come out of the closet and take a bow?

[Colin Southern]

I am dazzled by the array of new tools, and awed by the dedication and expertise someone must be spending to bring all this to us. I am referring not only to the new items, but also to the time-consuming task of keeping this high-class site running smoothly.

I'd like to thank somebody for creating, maintaining, and updating this astounding site, but I don't know whom. Will the persons responsible please come out of the closet and take a bow?

OK - me first ...

It's Sean, Dave, and Donald!

[drjuice]

My tests with local area locations in Southern California seem to work okay. I particularly appreciate your angle to expect the sun to show up; that you've made it graphical is especially good.

It would be nice to have a feature that allows us to add whether the locale we're looking at honors daylight savings time. In the US, at least, some local areas do or don't follow their states' decision to have or not have daylight savings time. Thanks for an otherwise excellent tool.

For those people who forget to figure out sunrise and sunset and, if you have a 'Droid, you might want to take a look in the Android Market for the SunMoon app which will use your cell's GPS on which to base the calculations. It does NOT have a graphical direction "finder" that I commented on in the first paragraph, but I think I'll (and you'll) be able to figure it out. 8~)

Thanks.

v