Photoshop or not?

Some might think that an image which had undergo photoshop (PS) treatment is not a "real" photograph. And there's even a small portion which will say that film is the only true and "non-processed" image. However they forgot that from developing of negative to print out, certain degree of touch-up (lightness/contrast/saturation) had already being applied during the process. B/W developing involving dodging and burning which are also part of "processing". Same goes for digital jpeg images.

Photoshop-ing is more essential for digital images as CCD/CMOS sensor does not have the same dynamic range as silver halide prints yet (newer full-frame DSLR have better DR).

One best solution will be to shoot RAW as that will ensure all information to be intact and can be further tweak to own liking. What matters most is to present one very own interpretation of their final piece be it whether the image had undergone PS treatment or not.

Digital processing is also part of photography fun and I totally dig it!

Hong Kong © dzignous

Hong Kong © dzignous

Shutter Counts

© dzignous

When buying 2nd hand cams, one major consideration to look out for is always the shutter count (like mileage on cars) apart from cosmetic condition.
Note: Even brand new cams may have already over hundred shutter counts due to factory/customer testing.

However major brands do not allow you to check that unless you go all the way down to their respective service centres.

Nevertheless, with the help of some very useful (and FREE!) softwares, you can easily get those numbers out from your cams.

NIKON/PENTAX
a) Opanda IExif - Based on image file and also able to display full exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) as well.

b) My Shuttercount - Check your shutter counts online.

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CANON
EOSInfo - Connect the camera to your computer. Works on Canon DIGIC III/IV DSLRs (Check the site for actual supported models).

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SONY
No software created so far for Sony Alpha.

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OLYMPUS*
Require some finger workout on cam itself.

1. Turn on the power switch
2. Open CF card door
3. Press "menu" + "OK" buttons simultaneously
4. Press the menu nav arrow arrow buttons in the following sequence:
   - WB (Up)
   - ISO (Down)
   - Metering Icon (Left)
   - AF (Right)
5. Press the shutter release
6. Press menu nav button AF (Right) again

The following will appear:
Page 1:
L - lens code
F - flash code

Page 2:
R - number of shutter activations
S - number of times a flash was fired.
C - number of times the mirror has been locked up (in cleaning mode).
U - number of times the camera has been turned on (ultrasonic wave cleaner activated).
V - counts two operations:
   [1] number of times the mirror has been locked up in Live View, and
   [2] number of times the AEL button has been used to auto focus while in Live View

Page 3:
CS - camera serial number

MCS - Is the same as the "Internal Serial Number" recorded in the EXIF data of pictures recorded with the camera. The 16-digit number contains a variety of information. Here is what we understand so far:
Digits 1-4 represent the camera model:
4001 = E-1, 4007 = E-300, 4011 = E-500, 4016 = E-330, and 4046 = E-510.
Digit 5 is the year of manufacture. E.g. "3" represent year 2003.
Digits 6-7 represent the manufacturing month. E.g. "06" equals June.
(*original source:-http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40288)

Camera Shutter Life

D2X Sensor

Nowadays DSLR rarely fails but if it does, main major repair needed will be failed/roasted sensor (which can amount to a price of a new cam) and next will be replacing shutter (most probably a few hundreds replacement cost).

D3 Shutter Unit

To check how long cam shutter can last, check out here. If your model is not listed there, then a quick Google search should provide you with an answer very quickly.

However, one shouldn't get too anal about shutter life. e.g. Nikon D300 has an estimated 150,000 shutter life which ≤ to:

100 shots/day
3000 shots/mth
36,500 shots/yr x 4yrs = 146,000 shots

A whopping 4 whole years to even hit that amount and I bet by that time you would have gotten a new one! Start shooting and stop worrying!!!