dSLR Education: Full Frame versus Crop Sensor

If you’ve been friends with me or followed this blog for a while now, you’ll know I love photography. If by chance you’re new to these parts, let me tell you now, I love photography. Now you’re up-to-date :).

I bought my first dSLR September of 2009 before I really even knew what a dSLR was. In fact, I had to research it after my first photography class I took because they were talking about it in the class and I didn’t know what dSLR stood for. Sad but true. I feel like I’ve come a long way since then, but I’ll tell you that there is still a ton more to learn.

Photography is one of those things that newbies and oldies can learn something new, if nothing else, a different camera and how it works.

A couple years ago when we were looking to upgrade my Nikon D90 I couldn’t decide between a crop sensor or a full frame sensor. I knew nothing about the difference really. I did some research but I really didn’t know the difference still. Finally I came to the conclusion through my photography, a camera body was more expensive or a lens was more expensive. Other than that…. I didn’t know the difference and couldn’t decide what to do.

After weighing all my options I decided to go on to get another crop sensor camera. I upgraded to the Nikon D7100. I truthfully didn’t feel like I got jipped by going with the crop sensor, really you just compensate for it. I can tell you my D7100 has a crop factor of 1.5. So if I shoot with a 50mm lens, it’s like shooting with an 85mm lens, to get more like a 50, I’d have to back off to a 35 mm lens. I’m still not sure what that 1.5 means, I can just tell you that’s what it is.

So with a full frame, if you shoot with a 50mm lens, it’s like shooting with a 50mm lens. Wow, like that explanation?

So what does all that mean, really? Again, I wasn’t sure. A friend of mine had a Canon Mark 5D Mark II. It is a full frame camera in the Canon series. So I sent her a text asking if I could come play with her dSLR sometime to get the difference. She told me to come on.

Before I made it out there, I actually got to shoot with a Nikon full frame, it is the D610. Upon a little more research, the D610 is extremely similar to my D7100 except well, it’s full frame. So let’s let some pictures tell the story.

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365 – January – Photos 123-153 – Take 2

Oh where oh where did January go? Seriously, how is it February already? I mean didn’t we just celebrate Christmas and New Years? Anyway, I’m still plugging away on my 365 project… although I really should call it 365+1 or 366 since this year is a leap year…. just a thought.

123/365 – This is the way to bring in the new year… SCUBA diving!

124/365 – I now have a teenager on my hands… Yikes! And those boots are only a size 7… don’t be fooled by the picture! Happy Birthday Tbug!

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365 – November – Photos 62-91 – Take 2

62/365 – Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! We love you!

63/365 – The other day our neighbors cows thought it would be fun to romp through our field. Turns out it wasn’t the neighbors cows I thought they were because I heard the neighbor on the other side screaming when they were putting the cows back in.

64/365 – I love beautiful sunsets! Probably cause I’m not a morning person so I don’t see sunrises nearly as often

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My Social Book – Project 365

Last year I started on my Project 365 journey. I felt like I set myself up for failure, but I didn’t fail, I succeeded! Woot Woot. Do people really say Woot Woot…. ha!

Anyway one of my goals was if I completed my Project 365 I either wanted to print all pictures and place in a photo album or I wanted them printed in a book. I didn’t care which but I didn’t want them to go to die on Facebook, my blog, and my computer.

When I completed my project, I went on the hunt to print my pictures. I had the hardest time trying to decide which program/company to use. Then I heard about Social Book.

I hooked them up to my Facebook page, to the exact folder I wanted and bam, my book was ordered! I could have chosen a time frame, etc, but I wanted just my Project 365 printed.

I made mention the other day we were fighting with our mail person… Well, this kind of started it. My dogs eat packages. I’ve mentioned this as well… ugh!

So when my first book showed up in the mail, it was placed where my dogs could find it, and bam, they ate it. Luckily it was insured or something because the wonderful people at Social Book were willing to replace my book and FINALLY it showed up!

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365 – September – Photos 1-30 – Take 2

At the end of my last Project 365 I debated if I would do another one or not. Part of me really wanted to and part of me didn’t. I had a few friends encourage me to continue on. So then came the question, do I take a month or 3 months off (3 months = the first of the year… SCARY!). I continued to take a photo every day so if I chose to back date I could.

Then around the middle of the month I decided to just go for it, so here’s round 2 of my Project 365. Wish me luck, especially this fall because… well you know what’s coming up the 29th of this month…. (hint: comps).

1/365 – Addermeister didn’t want me to forget her while I was at school so she gave me the monkey flashlight to take to school with me.

2/365 – Midweek Pancakes. Um… yes please!

3/365 – This little fish LOVES the water. Now this winter she’ll spend time in the hottub and the bathtub so we can keep this love of water up!

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Tips & Tricks: Help with a 365 Photo – a – day Project

Let’s do a Project 365. Wait, what is a project 365… So glad you asked! It is a challenge to pick your camera up at least once a day, every day for a year.

What kind of camera do I need? Do you have a dSLR? Super! Do you have an iPhone or Android Camera? Great! A Point and shoot camera? Fabulous! That’s all you need!

A year ago I set out on an adventure to do a 365 Photo a day project. Truthfully I didn’t think I’d make it. In previous years I’ve tried to do a 52 week Photo project and while I accomplished this, it was soooooo hard. Then another year I thought maybe, just maybe I could do a 365 project that focused on me. Well turns out I’m not that self centered, or at least that’s how it felt taking that many pictures of myself! Oy! And I’m guilty of taking a lot of selfies. Sometimes that’s the only way people know I exist because no one really ever takes my photo, but that’s another story/rant for another day.

So back to that 365 photo a day project… last September I decided to start it. Most people choose to start their photo journey on January 1st so that they have 1 year and it’s a calendar year, however I decided to start on September 1 because if I was going to do it, I was ready to commit and I needed to get it started.

That’s all it takes. The commitment.

Let’s start off with the Q&A session:
So what’s the purpose of a 365 Photo a day project?

  • It is a way for you to enhance your photography. You have a starting place and an ending place. Hopefully your ending place is better than where you started. And this is an opinion of yours, not of other people. Keep that in mind!

So what do you take pictures of?

  • Anything you want. You can start out and take a photo a day of the exact same thing, choosing something that you will have on you or have access to for 365 days. In fact on flickr there are groups that focus solely on taking a photo of the same thing, ie dog, sunglasses, sky, yourself, (the sky is the limit…).

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365 – August – Photos 335-365

Well folks, I did it. I completed my 365 project. How on earth I’m not sure… and I swear this year, especially this last month has flown by. There were a few times I wasn’t sure if I would make it… but I pushed through. I can tell you, after that first 30 days then it was just habit. Today will either be my first day not to have to take a picture or else it’ll be the start of my next 365. I haven’t decided although I really think I’ll do another one… I haven’t decided if I start today or if I’ll wait until January 1st. Any ideas/thoughts?

In the next few days or maybe sometime next week I have a post I’ve written with how to successfully complete a 365 or at least tips and tricks that worked for me. But for now, I’ll leave you with my last 31 days.

335/365 – Beautiful Day for the Lake! Let’s go scuba diving!

336/365 – Had a fun day hanging out with these two! And what’s great, they love each other!!

337/365 – Am I losing my mind? Watching Christmas movies (favorite holiday… okay) and thinking about snow. I hate snow and I’m kind of dreaming about snow… someone take my temperature because I must be sick!

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How to: Make a Photo Wall

There has been a lot of uncertainty in our life in the last couple of years. Truthfully more than I even want to admit to… I know that God has great plans for everything and everything will work out in the end. I know that all the trials and tribulations help us grow into the people he wants us to develop in to. But I also know sometimes I just want to scream, pack up the bare minimum, move to a place no one knows me (far far away) and start a new life. Whew… uncertainty is very scary to say the least :). But that last part is an extreme.

So with that out of the way… If you know me at all, I take pictures of EVERYTHING. Think I’m kidding, just check my camera/phone/computer/external hard drive. No joke! For a long while I’ve wanted a photo wall, and I had one for a bit, then we took it down, and now we’re putting it back up. It goes with some of that uncertainty….

The initial photo wall was hung up with the Command Strips so that it wouldn’t put holes in the walls or do damage to the wall paper, etc… yeah that didn’t work. Sad but true. I don’t know if my sticky part of the command strips was too old or the wall paper was the wrong texture or what, but after I put them up, they came back down, some quickly (like a few days). It was extremely frustrating! So this time around there are holes in the wall. It was just easier that way…

Now here’s how to do it:

What you’ll need:
Photo frames/Photos (sizes up to you!!)
Paper
Pen
Scissors (just for cutting… ha. see below.)
Tape
Command Strips or Screws
if screws, then you need a drill
A Wall for photos

1. You’ll want to trace your photo frames on to paper. The first time around I used newspaper, this time around I used regular notebook paper, except for my 8×10 frames. Then I went into Tbug’s room and stole some used poster sized paper. Trace the size of your photo frames out onto the paper.

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