Monopod

A monopod, also called a unipod, is a pole used to help support cameras (or, less frequently, binocular). It allows a still camera to be held steadier, allowing the photographer to take sharp pictures at slower shutter speeds, and/or with longer focal length lenses. When used by itself, it eliminates camera shake in the vertical plane. When used in combination with leaning against a large object, a bipod is formed; this can also eliminate horizontal motion.
Monopods are usually made to fold, or "telescope," when not in use, allowing them to be transported and stored more easily.
Unlike a tripod , monopods cannot support a camera independently, limiting the shutter speed that can be used. They still allow lower shutter speeds than hand holding, and are easier to carry and use than a tripod.
Many monopods can also be used as a "chestpod," or "beltpod," meaning that the foot of the monopod (sometimes with a special adapter) can rest on the belt, waist, or chest, of the photographer. The result is that the camera is held more steadily than by hand alone (though not as steadily as when the foot is planted on the ground), and the camera/monopod is completely mobile, travelling with the photographer's movements. This is similar to a finnstick.
In terms of mobility vs. stability, generally if stability increases, mobility decreases. From most stable/least mobile to least stable/most mobile: tripod/tablepod/resting on surface of some sort, monopod, chestpod, handheld

Tripod

what is tripod?....Tripod, a three-legged stand for a camera, used to stabilize and elevate the camera. There are several different types of tripod. The least expensive, generally made of aluminum tubing and costing less than RM500, is used primarily for consumer still and video cameras; these generally come with an attached head and rubber feet. The head is very basic, and often not entirely suitable for smooth panning of a camcoder. A common feature, mostly designed for still cameras, allows the head to flip sideways 90 degrees to allow the camera to take pictures in portrait format rather than landscape. Often included is a small pin on front of the mounting screw that is used to stabilize camscoder. This is not found on the more expensive photographic tripods.

More expensive tripods come with swappable heads and optional spiked feet for rough ground, and usually feature "fluid" heads, which are designed to move more smoothly than the basic heads on inexpensive tripods. The most expensive of all are wooden tripods designed for use with film-based movie cameras and studio still cameras.There are also expensive carbon fiber tripods, used for applications where the tripod needs to be lightweight, such as news-gathering.

Many tripods, even some relatively inexpensive ones, also include leveling indicators for the legs of the tripod and the head.

Many of the more expensive tripods have additional features, such as a reversible center post so that the camera may be mounted between the legs, allowing for shots from low positions, and legs that can open to several different angles

In addition, some professional photographers use a one-legged telescoping stand called a monopod for convenience in setup and breakdown. A monopod requires the photographer to hold the camera in place, but because the photographer no longer has to support the full weight of the camera, it can provide many of the same stabilization advantages as a tripod.

Nikon D40x

The D40x is an entry-level nikon digital slr, announced on 2007-03-06 Nikon introduced the D40x as a sister camera to the D40. While identical in external design to the D40, it differentiates itself by the inclusion of a 10.2-megapixel CCD sensor, 3 frames per second continuous shooting, expanded sensitivity down to ISO 100, and a longer battery life.
The launch was accompanied by the introduction of a new consumer-level telephoto zoom with vibration reduction, the AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED..



Nikon D40X key features
10 megapixel DX format CCD (1.5x FOV crop)
Nikon Image processing engine (as D80 / D200)
3D Color Matrix Metering II, 420 pixel sensor (as D80 / D50)
New Multi-CAM530 three area AF sensor
ISO sensitivity range 100 - 1600 plus HI 1 (3200 equiv.)
3.0 fps continuous shooting, unlimited in JPEG
No status LCD, new LCD monitor based status / settings screens
Help suggestions on LCD monitor (eg. scene too dark, try using flash)
Large 2.5" 230,000 pixel LCD monitor
Bigger viewfinder view (x0.8 magnification, 95% coverage)
Short shutter lag and viewfinder blackout
Support for SDHC (SD cards over 2 GB in capacity)
In-camera retouching
D-Lighting (shadow / highlight enhancement)
Red-eye reduction
Trimming
Monochrome
Filter effects
Small picture
Image overlay
USB 2.0 with PTP and Mass Storage device support
Very compact, light body (smaller, lighter than D50)
Improved menu user interface (as D80 / D200)
New EN-EL9 Lithium-Ion battery (7.2V, 1000 mAh)
New 'Version II' AF-S DX 18-55 mm kit lens
Differences compared to the D40
10 megapixel sensor
Lower base sensitivity (ISO 100 vs ISO 200)
Auto ISO option includes ISO 200
Faster continuous shooting (3 fps vs. 2.5 fps)*

* Slower with noise reduction enabled

Nikon D40

The D40 is the least expensive member of nikon's entry-level digital-slr range, announced 2006-11-16. To reduce the cost, some features of the nikon D50 have been simplified to give a US$600 MRSP with the 18-55mm G-II kit lens. On 2007-03-06, the D40X was released, with a 10 megapixel maximum resolution, up from 6 megapixels of the D40.
Its market is specific, being less expensive and less specified than the Canon EOS 400D, the Pentax K110D, and the Olympus E-400 , but competitively priced against high-end bridge camera. It was launched accompanied by a new small kit lens, the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II; and a new small Speedlight, the i-TTL SB-400 featuring a 21 m guide number and a vertically tilting head.


Key features
6 megapixel DX format CCD (1.5x FOV crop, as D50)
Nikon Image processing engine (as D80 / D200)
3D Color Matrix Metering II, 420 pixel sensor (as D80 / D50)
New Multi-CAM530 three area AF sensor
ISO sensitivity range 200 - 1600 plus HI 1 (3200 equiv.)
Custom Auto ISO (selectable maximum ISO, minimum shutter speed)
2.5 fps continuous shooting (as D50), unlimited in JPEG
No status LCD, new LCD monitor based status / settings screens
Help suggestions on LCD monitor (eg. scene too dark, try using flash)
Large 2.5" 230,000 pixel LCD monitor
Bigger viewfinder view (x0.8 magnification, 95% coverage)
Short shutter lag and viewfinder blackout
Support for SDHC (SD cards over 2 GB in capacity)
In-camera retouching
D-Lighting (shadow / highlight enhancement)
Red-eye reduction
Trimming
Monochrome
Filter effects
Small picture
Image overlay
USB 2.0 with PTP and Mass Storage device support
Very compact, light body (smaller, lighter than D50)
Improved menu user interface (as D80 / D200)
New EN-EL9 Lithium-Ion battery (7.2V, 1000 mAh)
New 'Version II' AF-S DX 18-55 mm kit lens

Sony Alpha DSLR-A100

Sony Alpha DSLR-A100, a compact, ten megapixel (CCD) digital SLR with a (Konica) Minolta lens mount, Anti-Shake (now Super SteadyShot) and a definite cross-breed jointly develop digital SLR cameras by Konica Minolta and Sony in 2005.

Some of the key features and technologies for the SLR were;
*Sony Alpha lens mount - Identical to the Minolta A-type bayonet mount, enabling the use of a large back catalogue of existing Minolta and third party lenses as well
*10 megapixel APS-C CCD
*Anti-Blur
*Anti-Dust
*Bionz Image Processor
*Eye Start AF
*Continuous shooting until media full
*40 segment honeycomb pattern metering
*2.5" 230,000 pixel 'Clear Photo LCD Plus' monitor
*Lithium-Ion battery

Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Specifications;

Body material - Plastic
Sensor
• 23.6 x 15.8 mm CCD sensor• RGB Color Filter Array• Interline interlaced CCD• Built-in fixed low-pass filter• 10.8 million total pixels• 10.2 million effective pixels • 12-bit ADC
Image sizes
• 3872 x 2592 (L) • 2896 x 1936 (M) • 1920 x 1280 (S)
File qualities / formats
• RAW (12-bit,.ARW format, approx. 9.1 MB per image) • RAW + JPEG Fine• JPEG Fine • JPEG Standard
Dust reduction
• Static-resistant anti-dust coating• CCD-shift dust reduction mechanism
Lenses
• Sony Alpha lenses(also compatible with Minolta A-type bayonet mount lenses)
FOV crop
1.5x
Super SteadyShot
• CCD-Shift 'Super SteadyShot' system• Five level LED shake indicator in viewfinder• Anti-shake effect: Equivalent to 2 – 3.5 steps in shutter speed
Auto Focus
• TTL CCD line sensors (9-points, 8 lines with center cross-hair sensor) • EV -1 to 18 (ISO 100) detection range• Predictive focus control for moving subjects• Auto-tracking focus point display
AF area selection
• Wide AF area• Spot AF area (center) • Focus area selection (any of 9)
Focus modes
• Single-shot AF • Direct Manual Focus • Continuous AF • Automatic AF• Manual focus
AF assist illuminator
• Via internal flash, must be raised• 1.0 - 5.0 m range
Eye-start AF
Yes, selectable from menu
Shooting modes
• Auto • Programmed AE (with shift) • Aperture priority AE• Shutter priority AE• Manual• Scene modes (below)
Scene modes
• Portrait• Landscape• Macro• Sports• Sunset • Night portrait
Sensitivity
• Auto (100 - 800) • ISO 100• ISO 200• ISO 400• ISO 800• ISO 1600• Lo80 (ISO 80, Low key) • Hi200 (ISO 200, High key)
Metering modes
• Multi-segment (40 segment Honeycomb pattern)• Center-weighted• Spot
Metering range
• EV 1 to 20 (Multi-segment / Center-weighted) • EV 4 to 20 (Spot metering)(at ISO 100 with F1.4 lens)
AE Lock
• AEL button• Half-press shutter release
AE Bracketing
• 3 frames• 0.3 or 0.7 EV steps
Exposure compen.
• -2.0 to +2.0 EV• 0.3 EV steps
Shutter
Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane Shutter
Shutter Speed
• 30 to 1/4000 sec• Bulb
Flash X-sync
• 1/160 sec• 1/125 sec (with Super SteadyShot on)
Aperture values
Depends on lens, 0.3 EV steps
DOF preview
Yes, dedicated button
White balance
• Auto• Daylight• Shade• Cloudy• Tungsten• Fluorescent• Flash • Color temperature (2500 - 9900 K)• Manual (Custom)
White balance fine tuning
• Auto (none)• Preset WB: -3 to +3 • Fluorescent WB: -2 to +4 • Color temperature WB: -9 to +9(Magenta to Green)
White balance bracketing
• 3 frames• Hi or Lo steps
Dynamic range optimizer
• Off• Standard• Advanced
Color space
• sRGB• Adobe RGB
Color modes
• Standard • Vivid• Portrait• Landscape• Sunset• Night view• B&W• Adobe RGB
Image parameters
• Contrast (-2 to +2)• Saturation (-2 to +2)• Sharpness (-2 to +2)(Available in all color modes)
Noise reduction
• Long exposure for exposures longer than 1 second • User controllable: On / Off
Viewfinder
• Eye-level fixed pentamirror • Spherical Acute Matte focusing screen (not changeable) • Magnification approx. x0.83• 95% frame coverage• Diotric adjustment (-2.5 to +1.0) • Eye-relief 20 mm from eyepiece, 16 mm from frame • Eyepiece cup removable• Viewfinder info bar
LCD monitor
• 2.5" TFT LCD ('Clear Photo LCD Plus') • 230,000 pixels• Anti-reflective coating• Auto dimmed by viewfinder eye sensor
Flash
• Built-in pop-up flash (manual release) • Metering: ADI, Pre-flash TTL, Manual flash control• Guide number 12 (ISO 100/m)• Angle of coverage 24 mm (35 mm equiv.) • Flash sync 1/160 sec, 1/125 sec (SteadyShot on)
Flash modes
• Auto• Fill Flash• Red-eye Reduction (pre-flash)• Wireless/Remote Off-camera Flash• Rear Flash Sync.• High Speed Sync.• Slow Sync with AE Lock
Flash compensation
-2.0 to +2.0 EV in 0.3 EV steps
External flash (optional)
• Sony HVL-F56M (guide no. 56)• Sony HVL-F36M (guide no. 36)• Macro Twin Flash Kit HVL-MT24AM
Drive modes
• Single-frame• Continuous• Self-timer (10 or 2 sec) • Continuous bracket• Single-frame bracket• White balance bracket
Continuous shooting
• RAW: 3 fps, up to 6 frames• RAW+JPEG: 3 fps, up to 3 frames• JPEG: 3fps, unlimited
Self-timer
• 10 sec• 2 sec
Orientation sensor
Yes, for shooting, playback and control panel display
Connectivity
• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mass storage or PTP) • Video out (NTSC or PAL) • DC-IN• Remote terminal
Video out
Selectable NTSC or PAL
Storage
• Compact Flash Type I/II• Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo via CF adapter• Supports FAT16 / FAT32
Power
• NP-FM55H Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (1600 mAh) • Battery charger included• Optional AC adapter
Vertical grip
Not available
Dimensions
133 x 95 x 71 mm (5.2 x 3.7 x 2.8 in)
Weight (body)
• No battery: 545 g (1.2 lb)• With battery: 638 g (1.4 lb)

SLR Function

Portrait mode selects a wide aperture to blur the background of the subject. The pop-up flash is automatically controlled, while the Drive mode is set to Continuous shooting, the AF mode to One Shot, and the metering to Evaluative metering.

Landscape mode selects small apertures to maximize depth of field. This mode prevents the release of the flash, sets the camera to Single shooting and uses Evaluative metering. This mode can also be used to shoot a night scene as it offers a maximum 8-second exposure time.

Close-up mode works to balance the depth of field and the shutter speed, but with an overall preference for a shallow depth of field. This mode also controls the release of the pop-up flash, and uses Single shooting.

Sports mode optimizes the shutter speed so as to freeze action. The pop-up flash cannot be released, the Continuous shooting mode is activated, as is the AI Servo mode which allows the camera to track the subject and maintain focus using all 9 AF points

Night Portrait mode uses a longer exposure and flash to capture a well-lit foreground and a visible background. The flash is automatically opened and only the Single or Self-timer/Remote control drive modes are available. The mode automatically uses Evaluative metering, Single shooting and One Shot AF.

Flash Off mode prevents the flash from being opened automatically and can be used for interior shots, or long exposures (5-second maximum exposure time, controlled by the camera).

The Program mode chooses the most appropriate combination of shutter speed and aperture, and displays it in the viewfinder's display. Program Shift is also available, and another combination of aperture/shutter speed can be selected using the Main Dial .

Shutter Priority mode, Tv, provides access to the full shutter speed range of the EOS 30D: from 1/8000 sec to 30 seconds with the Main Dial , while the camera sets the aperture.
Aperture Priority mode, Av, allows selecting the aperture, using the Main Dial while the camera matches the selection to a shutter speed. The range depends on the lens in use. Depth of field preview is available by pressing on a button located on the lower left side of the lens mount of the body, beneath the larger lens release button.

Manual mode provides control over the shutter speed using Main Dial , and the aperture using the Quick Control Dial . The aperture range depends on the lens in use, the shutter speed range covers from 1/8000 second to 30 seconds, and adds a Bulb mode that is unlimited, and which can be used in conjunction with mirror lock-up, and a Long Exposure Noise Reduction option (see the Characteristics section of the review).

Automatic Depth of Field AE works much like the Program mode, but serves to obtain a wide depth of field between a near and a far subject, and is effective for group photos and landscape shots. The camera uses all 9 focusing points to determine the nearest and the farthest points in the frame and sets the aperture accordingly.

Canon dust reduction

Dust occurs in the mirror / shutter chamber from many sources, but mostly; fragments released from the moving components inside the camera, dust introduced from the body cap, lens changes and from some of the more 'affordable' lenses which have a more push-pull movement which can draw air in. In the past the only way to clean this dust out of your camera was to use some kind of blower (which sometimes worked), clean it using a swab (dangerous or take it back to Canon (with a cost).

So here's what Canon has done to address this:
-Used materials in the mirror box and shutter chamber which are less likely to generate dust
-Improved the body cap, again to not generate dust
-Used anti-static coating on the sensor surface
-Created a new separated anti-alias filter which vibrates to shake off dust
-Added a Dust Delete Data feature which can map stubborn dust to be removed in software