Cameras

Stuck in a bad mode

Terry Lane You know those scene mode settings on your digital camera? Do you ever use them? The portrait mode is supposed to give better separation between face and background.

Black and white photo magic

Terry Lane There are photographers around who still think the black and white image is the real deal while the colour picture is eye candy.

Brushing up those old memories

Terry Lane The postie brought us an unexpected surprise last week. Three photos which were Kodacolor prints from 1965, but as sweet as these photos might be, they were not in good condition.

Nick Ross Australia is a country that's surrounded by sandy beaches and has lots of sand in the middle. Yet a single grain of sand can ruin a camera, whether it's by jamming a focus ring or killing a crucial...

Cover the fridge with happy snaps

Terry Lane When photographing children it is essential to get down on their level and to get in close - either physically close or with a telephoto lens.

Take better party photos in a flash

Terry Lane Taking snaps at a party is not our idea of fun but if the ordeal is inescapable we have a few words of advice. First, if all you have is a compact camera with in-built flash, say no.

Making the right noises

Rod Easdown Surely the most important thing about a sound system is its sound, so it's confusing that so many of them sound so crook.

Snapshots over time

Nic Kocher People talk in reverential tones about the romance of the darkroom, the magical way a print appears in a bath of developer and, in Kodachrome's case, its "legendary longevity".

Figures that speak volumes

Rod Easdown How come I can buy a 200-watt ghetto blaster, complete with radio tuner, CD player and USB, for $199 when a plain old stereo amplifier with 50 watts per channel, or 100 watts total, costs $599?