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After a lifetime of taking photographs I think that I can speak with authority on photographic matters.  From day one I have used an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera, in other words "a real camera", starting with a very basic Pentax.  By the way, the name SLR is being misused in many computer magazines.  By SLR I mean a camera with a sensor that works by momentary exposure (like film, you cannot record video on it), has an optical view-finder and a detachable lens.

When buying a digital camera you have to first ask yourself what are you going to use it for?  One problem with this is the same as buying your first computer, until you have used it for some time you have no idea what you really want to do with it.  For buying a camera I give the same advice as buying computers "buy the best one you can afford".  There is only one problem, what is the best one?   This is a bit like "how long is a piece of string?"  There are dozens of brands and thousands of models out there.  I recommend sticking with the major brands.

If you only want to take snap-shots of the family (kids and dog) you only need something like a Canon PowerShot A410 (about $200), Sony Cyber-shot DSCS60 (about $300) or a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS1 (about $300).  If you are the slightest bit interested in nature you will probably want to take some close-up photos (macro photography), in this case FORGET POINT AND SHOOT CAMERAS.  To take a decent macro photograph you need 'depth of field', that is, a good depth of the subject in sharp focus.  To obtain a good depth of field you need a small aperture setting in the lens (large f stop number).  Point and shoot cameras do not have f stops larger than f8.  For macro photography I never use a f stop smaller than about f16 and often round f40 - f57 on my Nikon D70s camera.  Remember, big number, small hole, small hole sharp image.  Another major problem with point-and-shoot cameras is that they do not have a view finder that is good enough to determine if the subject is in sharp focus.  Digital view finders are useless for this as are the lcd screens on the back of the camera.  Only an optical view finder, looking through the lens, can give you the detail needed to focus correctly (or check the focus if you are using auto-focus).  This type of view finder is found only on 'real' SLR cameras (digital or otherwise).  Unless you have an absolute need for it you should not spend more than $500 on a point-and-shoot digital camera.  Beyond this value, save your pennies and get a digital SLR.  The price of digital SLRs has crashed in the past year and will continue to drop.  For $649.00 (from Digital Camera Warehouse) you can buy a Pentax K100D digital SLR camera with a 18-50 mm lens or the PENTAX K10D WITH SIGMA 18-50MM LENS for $1099.00, or the latest K20D with 14.5 M pixels for $1359.00 with 18-50mm lens. All the new Pentax SLRs have anti-shake technology plus sensor cleaning.  See the full range at Digital Camera Warehouse. With the addition of a small clip-on lens  Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro Close Up Lens from bugeyedigital.com you can take superb macro shots.  It comes with a clip-on device so you do not have to screw it on.  The lens costs $US39.95, plus postage.  If Bugeye does not have the Raynox DCR-250 check on Ebay.  A digital SLR camera is light-years ahead of any point-and-shoot camera, no-matter what the price.  All digital SLR cameras have full auto settings so in the beginning you can just point and shoot till you get the hang of it.  But, you cannot use point and shoot for macro work!

In the last 20 years I have used Nikon equipment and could not afford a digital SLR until the  Nikon D100 camera was produced, even then it was very expensive ($4000.00 - body only).  I had been using a Nikon 105 mm macro lens for about ten years and to save spending more on lenses I stuck with Nikon.  The camera performed well and I used it for about three years.  It was when I started to use raw images (raw images are not processed in the camera but are processed by software on your computer, all professional photographers would use raw images) that I found the camera was too slow at saving the images.  I then looked at what models were available and was going to get one of the Nikon professional models when the D70s appeared.  The price? only $1400 (body only).  It was very fast on starting up and saving images, and had more-or-less the same features as the D100.  I purchased this one and have taken many thousands of images with it.  Update - June 2008.  The new Nikon D300 is really a very good camera and I would recommend this to people (especially Nikon users) doing wildlife photography, provided they can afford the lenses.

Early in 2005 I was due to give a talk on buying a digital camera and so wanted to test as many cameras as possible.  I already new about Nikon and managed to get hold of a Canon EOS D10, D20 and a 350D.  Only the Canon 350D is near the price range of the Nikon D70s, the others are much more expensive.  By chance I managed to get hold of a Pentax *istDS and took some test shots with it.  I was amazed at the quality of the images, especially the RAW ones.  They were sharper than the Nikon or Canon images, and the Pentax was (and is) much cheaper than the Big Two.  The K20D now has the highest resolution of any of the mid-priced Digital SLR cameras and is packed with features.  See the full range of lenss for Pentax here.

A couple of months before this I had looked for a top-of-the-line point and shoot camera that I may be able to use to take most of my photographs with as the Nikon equipment (camera, lenses, flash) was rather bulky and difficult to carry on field trips.  I settled for a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 which cost $800.  All the reviews I had read raved about it and it had many fine features.  When I started to take some close-up photos with it I found it was almost useless for macro shots.  I already knew the limitations of point-and-shoot cameras for macro work buy had been duped by the hype.  After testing the Pentax I thought "this is the camera that I really need".  Luckily a friend of mine wanted a very light but high quality point-and-shoot camera and he took it for $700 (so it cost me $100 for the experience).  When I went to purchase the Pentax *istDS I found that it had been replaced (in Australia anyway) with the *istDL.  The main differences are a larger LCD screen and only three, rather than fifteen auto-focus points.  This was not a problem as I only use one focus point (spot focus) to be in total control.  In close up photography the last thing you want is for the camera to be trying to set an average focus.  I got the camera just in time to leave for a conference in Perth (there was no way I was going to lug the Nikon gear around on this trip).  On the trip I took about 1400 botanical images using the standard 18-55 mm lens with the Raynox close up attachment for macro shots.  Out of these I got about 1200 very high quality images and can not recommend the Pentax camera too highly.  Because I did not have my laptop computer I was not able to download images and clear the memory cards.  For this reason I used jpg images instead of raw.  This was another surprise, the jpg images produced by the Pentax are better than the Nikon D70s, though I did use the Nikon software to edit them as it is certainly better than the Pentax software.  One point about Nikon however, you do not get software to edit raw images (unless you buy the soon-to-be-released D200) with the camera, this costs extra!  More about this later.

In recent times I purchased a Canon 30D with the latest 105 mm Macro lens and I must say this would have to be the worst lens that I have ever used.  As soon as I got it I went out and took a few shots of a very small flower at f40, using the inbuilt flash.  I could not believe how bad the images were so in case my lens was a dud I managed to borrow one from a friend - only to find the results were the same.  At f16 it is OK but above f20 this lens is completely useless.  I had a good look around the web and found many complaints.  The whole point of a macro lens is to have crystal clear images at f stops above f20, where the depth of field is at the maximum.  In the meantime I had sold my Nikon 105 mm macro lens, thinking it was out-dated.  This was a very bad move.  Sigma also make a macro lens for Canon, so I got hold of one of these to test.  At f25 the Sigma is about twice as good as the Canon lens but even the Sigma was useless at f40.  So what did I do?  As I could not get a macro lens that worked for the Canon I sold it and purchased a Nikon D200.  I then located a second hand 105 mm macro lens on Ebay and will use that.  I found I can take images with the basic 18-55 mm lens of either Pentax, Canon or Nikon with the Raynox 250 close up attachement and the results are so superior to those from these new lenses that you would not believe it.

What really made me decide to ditch the Canon equipment was when I contacted a professional wildlife photographer who I new used Canon equipment.  I asked him if he had ever used one of thes new macro lenses and his reply was "Yes, and it is the worst lens he had ever purchased".  He got an attachment to use an old Olympus lens in fully manual mode.

I also checked up on the new Nikon macro lens which is similar to the Canon one insomuch as there are no external moving parts and it seems to be even worse.  The resolution figures published in one review for f40 were extremely poor.   At least with Nikon all the old lenses still work perfectly on the new digital cameras.

When I get time I will post some of the images taken with the Canon 105 mm lens.

View sample images here taken with the Pentax.

From the above you will gather that I recommend the Pentax digital SLR as the unit to buy.  This is certainly the case if you do not have a SLR camera at the moment, or you do not have Nikon SLR lenses.  Nikon and Pentax digital SLRs are compatible with older lenses used with film cameras, they go way back and you can use a lens 20 or 30 years old.  The Pentax will even support the old screw-in type if you purchase an adapter (though you will find the quality of these old lenses very low compared with modern ones).  Canon only support more modern lenses and as you cannot buy a decent macro lens to suit, I do not recommend buying this brand.  If you have existing SLR lenses for Nikon then it is logical to stay with that brand and buy body only or as in the case of the Pentax possibly the body with basic lens.

For the best current prices on cameras (or any other item) go to Shopbot and search.  A list of suppliers from the cheapest up will be listed.  Be sure to check out the full deal as some charge much more for shipment and extended warranty than others.

If you are a new buyer you would need a very good reason not to buy Pentax.  The prices at the time of compiling this page from The Camera Farm and other suppliers are:  Go to Digital Camera Warehouse to check out the latest prices.
NIKON:  NIKON SLR D40 BLACK & 18-55mm LENS    $1229;  NIKON SLR D70S & NIKKOR 18-70mm LENS   $1315;
                    NIKON SLR D80     with 18-135mm lens   $1895.  NIKON D200 BODY ONLY  $2190.

CANON:  EOS 30D BODY ONLY  $1745;  EOS 30D WITH 18-55mm LENS $1919;  EOS 400D BODY ONLY $1129;
                 EOS 400D WITH 18-55mm LENS $1309;

PENTAX:   PENTAX K100D WITH SIGMA 18-50MM LENS  $897; WITH SIGMA 18-50MM & 55-200MM LENSES  $1137; 

                 WITH SIGMA 18-125MM LENS  $957; WITH SIGMA 18-200MM LENS  $1247 (this is the ultimate combination)

                PENTAX K10D - BODY ONLY (The new 10.2 Mp with Anti-shake and dust remover).  $1307.
                           
The 18-200mm lens is the latest lens from Sigma that has been specially designed for digital SLR cameras.  It is available for Nikon, Canon and Pentax.  This lens will just about do everything, when combined with the Raynox close-up lens for macro work.  for just $248 more than the body only of the Nikon D70s you get a Pentax k100d with the superb 18-200mm lens.

The new Pentax K100D has anti-shake technology built into it rather than the very expensive way that Canon and Nikon use in building it into the lenses.  The K10D also had dust removal built in and a huge range of new features not seen on other DSLR camera.  With Pentax any lens gets the benefit of the anti-shake technology.

Warranty is often a worry with expensive cameras.  In Australia you can now purchase and extended warranty from Phototechnical (up to four years extra) on digital still cameras and the cost is very reasonable.  You can purchase the warranty anytime while the initial warranty is valid.  Click here for details from the Camera Farm.

Update:  December 2007.
I have now sold all my Nikon equipment and have abandoned the use of a macro lens completely for close up work.  My current configeration is as follows:
Pentax K10D camera, Sigma 18-200mm zoom lens, Sigma 18-55mm zoom lens, Raynox DCR-250 (2.5 x) attachment for use with the 18-55mm lens, Raynox DCR-150 (1.5 x) for use with the 18-200mm lens, Raynox DCR-5320 Pro (2 lens set) for the 18-200mm lens and a Sigma EF-530 DG SUPER flash.  The results with the DCR-5320 attachment on the 18-200mm lens have to be seen to be believed.  In fact I no longer use the 18-55mm lens as it has become redundant.  The EF-530 flash is one of the few flashes around that actually points slightly down, which is essential for close-up photography.  For some reason both Nikon and Metz stopped making such flashes some time ago.  Even though this one only points down 7 degrees, it makes a difference.

The 18-200mm lens with the DCR-5320 Pro attachment allows me to take every type of image from ultra close to very wide without even changing lenses so the whole package I have to carry is much reduced

Update:  June 2008 - I am now using the Pentax K20D and can highly recommend it.

USING YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA:
When you buy a digital camera, whatever the type or brand, you should sit down for a few hours with the instruction book and get to know what all the buttons do and how to change items in the menu.  Once you have done that, practice taking photographs, it costs you nothing!  Take hundreds of them with various settings and see what differences the settings make.

The first setting to set is the image quality.  This should be set to the highest quality.  On some cameras it is called 'fine' on others a number of stars may indicate the value, more stars higher quality.  The setting should never be changed from the highest quality (except to move it to raw).  The value should not be set to RAW until you have had a lot of experience with the camera and with editing images.  You then decide what size images you want to take.  Start with small, options are usually small, medium and large.  Keep in mind, this is not the quality, this is the size of the output file.  The smaller you make the image file, the sharper it looks.  To see how sharp an image is look at it at 1:1 in your editor or viewer.  Even the smallest image that the Pentax can produce (1536x1024 pixels) is big enough to print a 7x5 inch photo after allowing for a couple of hundred of pixels to the cropped off during editing.  Remember, you are using all the information picked up by the sensor to create the image, not just one third of the total pixel count.  The information from three pixels in a full size image is used to produce one pixel in the small image.  The effect is rather like stepping back from an oil painting, it looks much better.  If you want to print full A4 images you will need the mid. setting of 2400x1600.  I use this setting as I can then crop more off the image and end up with the size image that I need.

After spending a year experimenting with raw and jpg images I have decided if, like me, you are taking a very large number of images and they are not for printing in A3 size then using jpg images is the best solution.  The problem with RAW images is that you need very good software to edit them and it takes more than twice as long to edit raw images as no processing has been done with the camera.  If you use jpg imgaes (if you want large imges or need to crop a lot off them you can still use the full size) you can set various settings within the camera to get near perfect images each time.  Experiment with the saturation, brightness, sharpening and contrast settings till you get it just right.  Each model will be different.  I find the *istDL requires different settings from the K100D.  If you use jpg images you also get huge numbers of images on a card.  I have found the very best editing software for jpgs is the Nikon Capture program.  Even when buying a Nikon camera you do not get this program, you have to buy it.  See notes in 'Editing images' for details.

There are two main uses for your digital camera.
    1.  Printing images to keep like you used to do with print film.  You can either print them yourself or take the memory card to a printing service.
    2.  Viewing the images on a computer.  This is what my images are used for, mostly to be used in the 'Australian Tropical Plants' CD Rom.  After editing, my images are resized to 1200 pixels wide.  These shows full screen on a modern 1280 x 1024 LCD (17 or 19 inch) desktop screen.  The resizing gives the appearance of a little more sharpening and at the same time leaves out any small traces of digital noise.  Digital noise shows up as dots or streaks in the background, especially on pale backgrounds.  The higher you set the ISO (virtual film speed) the more noise will be visible.

After you have set the quality and size, set your camera to the P setting (programmed auto mode) and take some shots.  Some cameras have numerous 'auto' settings for various types of photography.  Try all of these and see if there is really much difference.  Rarely is there much!

The next step is to take a bit more control.  Set the metering method to 'Centre-weighted' and the auto focus to 'spot' or 'centre'.  This will mean that what is in the centre of the picture is in focus and correctly exposed.  Some of the cheapest cameras will not have these settings.  All SLR cameras will have an exposure lock button.  If you are taking a scene with white clouds and the centre of your picture is in the white area you must first point the camera lower down, depress the shutter half way to get a reading, then hold down the exposure lock, lift the camera up to recompose the shot and take the picture.  If you do not do this the bottom half of the picture will be almost black as it will be exposed for the white clouds.  Try the multi exposure setting for this type of shot and see if it can cope, usually it cannot.  Whatever you do you will not be able to get the dark lower half and the white clouds correctly exposed in the one image.

Now take even more control.  Set the camera to A (Aperture priority).  On the Pentax this is marked Av.  With the camera set to aperture priority it means that you can then set the apeture and the shutter speed will be automatically adjusted to suit.  This is one way to improve the depth of field by setting a smaller aperture size (larger number).  Check the viewfinder to see what shutter speed you have, if it is below 1/60 of a second you may get a blurry image from camera shake unless you are using a tripod or have the Pentax K100D.

Next try the S (Shutter priority), marked Tv (time value) on the Pentax.  You are now able to set a shutter speed to match the type of image you are taking and the aperture will automatically be adjusted to suit.  If you go too high the camera will not be able to compensate and the image will be dark.

The final test is take full control and set the camera to M (Manual control).  With this setting you can set both the shutter speed and aperture.  This is the only way to take closeup images.  To get very sharp macro images with plenty of depth of field you need the aperture to be set to a very small size, f20 or more.  This is where you run into problems with point and shoot cameras, they are really movie cameras that take snapshots.  They do not have automatic aperture control like SLR cameras, as you close down the aperture in manual mode the viewfinder will go dark and at f8 you will be lucky if you can see to take the picture.  SLR cameras do not close down the aperture till you take the photo so you get the full amount of light through the lens all the time.  
This is what you do.  Turn on the flash (press the button that pops it up), set the shutter to the fastest sync speed (see your manual, 1/180 on Pentax, 1/200 on Canon, 1/500 on Nikon, but 1/250 is usually plenty fast enough) and your aperture to the highest f stop, on the Pentax with 18-50 mm lens this is f38, on the Nikon D70s with the 105 mm macro it is f57, on the Pentax K100D with the Sigma 105 mm macro it is f32.  Get as close as you can to the subject and still be in focus.  Take a picture, check the lcd screen and see how it looks.  If it is too dark drop the aperture down a couple of stops.  In a very short time you will have a good idea of what the best settings are for various distances from the camera.  I call a close up shot one that is less than 1.5 m from the camera.  If you have a Canon EOS 350D you will find that the flash is too bright for even the highest f stop when using the Raynox clip on close up lens.  The Canon flash is much brighter than the Nikon or Pentax.  To fix this problem (and it is only for very close shots) get a piece of thick white plastic and shape it so you can slip it over the front of the flash.   With a bit of experimenting you will be able to reduce the flash output so as to get perfect shots.  You can also go to the menu and set a minus value on the flash exposure, usually -1 to -1.5 will be enough to expose correctly.  You must be aware that the small LCD screen viewer on the back of these cameras often gives you a false indication of the exposure of the shot.  The Nikon screen is extremely bright and I set mine to -2, the Canon is far too dull and needs to be set to about +2, the Pentax is just about right.  On the Nikon the preview images need to look almost over-exposed to be of the correct brightness when you view them on the computer.  All three of these Brands will display over-exposed areas of the shot by blinking them on and off.

Note:  50mm macro lenses are not suitable for macro work with the flash as the subject is too close to the lens, which blocks the output from the flash.  This is a small problem with the Pentax when using the 18 - 50mm lens with the Raynox close-up lens attached, you have to move back a little bit from the very closest point that you can focus on.  As soon as you move to a longer lens this is not a problem.  The ultimate macro setup is to use a Ring Flash but these are very expensive.  They do however take perfect macro shots with no shadow.  There are now cheaper macro flash units available from Hong Kong.  Check out this web site on Ebay   Gadget Infinity.

Believe it or not, I found the small inbuilt flash in these cameras takes a picture almost as good as an expensive ring flash.  This is because the flash is low down.  The standard external mount flash units are much higher and unless you use the diffuser, that they should all have, a dark shadow will appear under the subject, due to the angle of the flash.  For some unknown reason no manufacturer now makes a flash that will sit low down, just over the lens.  Both Metz and Nikon used to make such a unit.  Ring flashes are too bulky, expensive and fragile to use in the field, and if you are changing lenses,  just too much trouble.  I do now use one on my Pentax camers that I purchased some years ago for the Nikon D100, but mostly only in the garden.  It is a Sunpak unit and I was assured by the Maxwell people (Nikon Australia) that it would work on the D100.  When I switched it on the camera froze.  This was due to the TTL control being of the wrong type.  I solved the problem by identifying the TTL wire to the shoe and cutting it.  The unit now works well as a manual flash, which is no problem as it has a number of power settings.  I was very pleased when I found it worked well on the Pentax D-SLRs.

One problem that will eventually crop up when you have a Digital SLR camera is some dust on the sensor.  Nikon charges $80.00 (plus freight to get it there and back) to clean the sensor but you can buy a cleaning  swabs and fluid from  Nulab Professional Imaging.  The swabs cost $88.00 for a box of 12 and the fluid is $25.00, a total of $133.00 (with freight) for 12 cleans.  This would be the cost of one from Nikon if you take freight into account.  You must never use a lens brush to clean the sensor and never use the 'bulb' setting to hold the mirror up while cleaning.  Most sensors have an active filter covering them and the power must be removed from this part of the circuitry for cleaning.  These digital SLRs have a special setting in the menu called 'Mirror up' for cleaning.  Be sure you have a well charged battery as if the mirror drops while you are cleaning the sensor it may be damaged.  It is obvious when you have dust on the sensor as you will see spots on your images, always in the same place.  The more you swap lenses, especially in the field, the more chance of getting dust in the system.

The ultimate combination for SLR cameras is the Sigma 18 - 200 mm lens with the Raynox 1.5x close up lens.  You then never have to change lenses so no dust can get in and you can photograph things from pin-head sized flowers to elephants.

Editing your images:

All images taken with a digital camera need to be edited.  You will always get software with your camera that can do at least basic editing.  The most basic things you may need to are; cropping, brightening, sharpening and resizing.  Top-end editing programs like Adobe Photoshop are very expensive and you would need to be editing large numbers of images to warrant the expense.  The best value for money for a general graphics/image editing program is Paint Shop Pro. This is now owned by Corel (of Corel Draw fame) and is up to about version ten (Paint Shop Pro X).  I still use Paint Shop Pro 7 and the sample images that can be viewed from links on this page were prepared, including the text overlay, with this program.  It produces by far the best jpg images (quality for size), way ahead of Photo Shop and applying text to images, like the ones in the Pentax sample page, is a breeze.

If you use jpg images in your camera I would recommend you buy the Nikon Capture software.  This does not come with a Nikon camera (which is quite pathetic!), you have to purchase it separately.  It costs about $250.00 from Australian stores or $200.00 from Hong Kong (on ebay).  It is an extremely good program for editing jpg images and I use it for all my jpg images, including those taken with the Pentax.  It can also edit Nikon RAW images, though not very well.  If you are working in RAW mode there is a brilliant FREE program called RawShooter Essentials.   There is also a 'pay for' version called RawShooter Premium which sells for $US99.00.  This is the one I use for all my RAW images and it supports the *istDL images.

UPDATE:  (Bad Day At Black Rock).  Adobe has now purchased RawShooter and it will vanish.  A new Adobe program called LightRoom will be produced at a much higher cost and it remains to be seen if it will be as good, the beata version is as slow as a snail with a broken leg.

The Nikon program 'Nikon View' is free and is worth downloading.  With it you can download your jpg images from a memory card reader or camera, view them and if you right click on an image (or images) and select 'edit' the image will be passed on to Nikon Capture (or any other program that you nominate, such as Paint Shop Pro) for editing.  The Nikon Capture software can also pass the imge on to Photo Shop for final adjustments.

There are free editors available, one well known one is The Gimp.  I have found it very complicated (even more so than Photo Shop) and gave it the flick.

There is an alternative, Zoner Photo Studio 8 Professional which costs $US69.99.  If you can get hold of the DVD from the September 2006 PC User you can get a free version of the Home version and a discounted update to the Professional version.  The home version is useless for serious editing as it does not have Curves and Levels adjustment.  One surprising thing about this program is that it can read Canon, Nikon and Pentax RAW images.

Editing using Nikon View and Nikon Capture:

Once you have installed the software (Nikon Capture first) you need to set the preferences.  Start Nikon View and click on ‘Edit’ then ‘Preferences’.  The first tab will be for auto launch.  Click to select ‘Auto launch when connected to a camera or card’.  Click on ‘Thumbnails’ and make sure cache is on, move the cache slider to 100 mb.  Then click on ‘Still Image’.  This is where you tell Nikon View which program to use for editing.  If Nikon Capture is installed this will be selected, if not you can select another program such as Paint Shop Pro.  The other settings can be left at their default values.  For Nikon Capture the default settings are quite OK except if you do not have Photo Shop you should set the options for ‘Open saved images with’ to Paint Shop Pro if you have it or otherwise the software that came with your camera.  You will mainly use this software for resizing the image.    

Simply plug in your camera to the computer or memory card to your card reader and Nikon View will fire up ‘Nikon Transfer’. The first time you use it it will want to save the images in the ‘My Pictures’ folder under ‘My Documents’.  Use this folder if you like or click on the change button to set another folder.  It will remember the settings.  Just click on the zig-zag arrow and the images will be downloaded and Nikon View will open with thumbnails of all the images in view.  You can double click on an image to see it full size or right click and select ‘edit’ to open the file in Nikon Capture for editing.
      

In Nikon Capture I arrange the image window to take up about ¾ of the screen with the tools stacked along the right hand side of the screen in the last ¼.  Before you do any editing you need to sharpen the image with the Unsharp Tool.  If it is a macro shot (close up) set the intensity to 30.  The Halo width should be left on 5 and the threshold on 0.  If you sharpen the image after you have edited the colour and brightness it can introduce noise.  The ‘Curves’ tool is the most important one off all.  The ‘auto’ button is the half black/half white circle second from the top.  Click on it.  Sometimes the picture will then look perfect.  If you have white flowers in the image it does a very good job.  If the flowers are cream and the auto adjustment changed them to white, select the ‘blue’ channel from the ‘rgb’ tab and drag the vertical line to the right by clicking and dragging on the triangle at the bottom of the line, till the colour is correct.  If the image is overexposed after using the auto button select each colour (blue, green, red) and reduce each of them.  In a perfectly exposed image the colour markers in the rgb lines should be (from the left) blue, green, red, about equal spaces from each other.  If your image has yellow flowers with foliage the result will be overdone with blue.  Select the green curve to see where it is and then select the blue one and drag it back towards the green one till the blue haze has gone.  You may then need to nudge the green and red back a bit.  After a bit of practice you will be able to do this in a few seconds. 

Once you have adjusted the image to your liking you can now select the area to be saved (crop it).  Select the ‘Crop’ tool (the dotted square) and click and drag to mark the area of the image that you want to keep.  The image will not be cropped till you save it. If you have Photoshop you then click on the Photoshop icon on the left and it will be transferred to that program.  If you are using another program click on ‘File’, ‘Save As’, type in a name for the file and hit enter.  The file will then be saved and opened in the program you selected in the options.  If you are in Paint Shop Pro select ‘Image’ then ‘Resize’.  I would suggest 1200 pixels wide is a good size.  Make sure ‘Resize all layers’ and ‘Maintain Aspect Ratio’ is selected and ‘Bicubic Resample” is the selected method.  Do not enter a height, this will automatically be selected to maintain the correct aspect ratio.  Click OK.  Just click Save, and the image is finished.  If you are using the software that came with your camera the selections should be almost the same.  With Paint Shop Pro make sure the jpg compression ratio is set to 10, this is 10:1.  At this setting there is no noticeable loss of quality.  20:1 or more will degrade the image.  I then save the image in Nikon Capture by clicking 'Save As' and just adding -e to the file name so it looks like this 'IMGP5624-e.jpg'.  I then have two versions of the file, one as taken and one that is edited.  This enables me to come back at a later time and re-do it from scratch if necessary.  As these are both jpg images the space taken on the hard disk is not great.  I use the 'Good' setting in the Nikon Capture software for saving the jpg.  I pass the image on to Photo Shop for a few final adjustments and for saving as a tif file.  If you do not have Photoshop I suggest saving it as a tif file and using Paint Shop Pro to convert all the tif files (when you are finished the batch) to jpgs at once, using the 'Batch Convert' option.

Another tool in Nikon Capture that often produces good results is the ‘D-Lighting’ tool.  Usually the best results are produced with the ‘Better Quality’ button.  If too much light has been added pull back on the ‘Adjustment’ slider.

Each time you download some images Nikon View creates a new folder for them (named as a number).  I usually add something to the name like ‘Photos 21-2-06-40 Mile’.  You can do this from Nikon View by clicking twice (but not quickly which is a double click) and typing in the new name after the number.  By keeping the number as the beginning of the name the folders will be in the order the images were taken.

View some sample images taken with the Nikon D70s

View some sample images taken with the Nikon D100

View some sample images taken with the Pentax *istDL and the 18 - 200mm lens.

View some sample images at PhotoBase