Any photo we are to take today is limited in clarity by the pixel count of that photo.
That is to say, a very far object might only appear as one pixel on the picture, rendering it unable to be identified.
But, if we were to take that same photo from the same location but with a strong enough telescope, then the object would be covered by more pixels, increasing its resolution and allowing us to identify what it is.
Then, assuming that there are no obstacles obstructing light, if we had a sufficiently strong telescope, we could clearly resolve an object of any distance when observing from a stationary reference point.
Yet, the distance between the object and our stationary point of observation grows exponentially in while our eye at the telescope remains a fixed cross-sectional area, resulting in a more "pixel dense" image as we increase the strength of our telescope.
This gives rise to the question: Is it possible to resolve an object infinitely far while keeping a set cross sectionary area and stationary point of observation?
In other words, how "pixel dense" is light? How much information could light carry?
Understanding the Exposure Triangle (with f-stop proof)
The exposure triangle is basically three factors that affect exposure: ISO, shutter speed, aperture.
1. ISO
This value is calculated in lumens/area, controlled by the microprocessor that determines how much analog data would be collected by each photosite which corresponds to effective pixel (because some border pixels are used to determine parameters, not for actually capturing the image).
The ISO is also split into native ISO and extended ISO. The native ISO is how light each photosite could actually hold before it spills. For example, if the native ISO goes from 100 to 4000, then each photosite could hold a maximum of 4000 lumens/area. The extended ISO goes much higher into values like 12000, or 208500 lumens/area. This would introduce a great deal of gain because the extended ISO isn't the photosite absorbing more light information, but a manipulation does by the software. I personally never go up that high and I do not recommend it as it would mess up the image.
Finally, if you were to double the ISO, you would get double the exposure. Also, exposure is counted in "stops", one additional stop of exposure is equivalent to doubling the exposure.
2. Shutter Speed
The time duration of exposure of each photosite. If your shutter speed was set at 1/100th of a second, then each photosite would be exposed to light for 1/100th of a second. Usually, the time would be a fraction of a second. Sometimes, for long exposure effects like making waterfalls look silky, you might have a shutter speed that's longer than a second.
On a mechanical shutter, the effect of rolling shutters would occur if the speed isn't fast enough. It's where an object moved while the shutter was scanning from top to bottom. Also, since the shutter scans from top to bottom but the image that comes through the lens is upside down, the lower part of the image is actually older than the top part. However, in a video camera, pixels are read from bottom to top to counteract the effect of the vertical flip from the mirror. So in those cases, the top part of the image is actually older than the bottom part.
If you were to double the shutter speed, say from 1/100th to 1/50th of a second, then you would get one more stop of exposure.
3. Aperture
This is the extremely tricky one. Aperture is measured in f-numbers or f-stops (which is not the same as a stop of exposure, though both do have the word "stop" in them).
If you have an aperture of f4, then to get one more stop of exposure, you would adjust it to f2.8. I know, it's very confusing. Why does the numerical value go down to get more exposure? Why isn't it f5.6 (which is a multiple of 2 of 2.8)? Well, when you do a google search on the internet, they would give you this following chart to reference.
where f is the f-stop, L is the focal length, and D is the diameter of the aperture.
The focal length is the distance from the focus center of the lens to the focal plane (image sensor), but for now, ignore it; it doesn't affect exposure, and for our purposes, it's constant.
The first equation is the definition of f-stop. All remaining steps use F to represent f-stop.
Basically, the idea is that double the area of the aperture, double the exposure. Now, we need to convert that idea into a number for the f-stop.
Thus, the multiple of the f-stop is the inverse square root of the multiple of exposure.
I actually made a calculation error in the example. bf on the last line should be f2.
If I started off shooting at f4, then I would get f2.8 in order to double the exposure.
Anyways, for those starting off with photography or just wanting to understand how exactly f-stops correlated with exposure, I hoped this helped.
If you have an aperture of f4, then to get one more stop of exposure, you would adjust it to f2.8. I know, it's very confusing. Why does the numerical value go down to get more exposure? Why isn't it f5.6 (which is a multiple of 2 of 2.8)? Well, when you do a google search on the internet, they would give you this following chart to reference.
This chart shows two things, the f-stops that you need to get to double exposures and that the smaller f-stops are actually bigger apertures.
What most people couldn't to explain is why.
The equation for f-stop (f) is actually this:
f = L/D
The focal length is the distance from the focus center of the lens to the focal plane (image sensor), but for now, ignore it; it doesn't affect exposure, and for our purposes, it's constant.
The first equation is the definition of f-stop. All remaining steps use F to represent f-stop.
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| How to calculate f-stop in relation to exposure |
Basically, the idea is that double the area of the aperture, double the exposure. Now, we need to convert that idea into a number for the f-stop.
Thus, the multiple of the f-stop is the inverse square root of the multiple of exposure.
I actually made a calculation error in the example. bf on the last line should be f2.
If I started off shooting at f4, then I would get f2.8 in order to double the exposure.
Anyways, for those starting off with photography or just wanting to understand how exactly f-stops correlated with exposure, I hoped this helped.
Physics of Cameras
The last craze I had was card magic which lasted for 4 years and is still latently active today.
Now, with a constant interest in physics, I've revitalized my exploration of optics. The basic concepts are simple. There are concave and convex mirrors and how they distort reality (very useful in magic: phantom lightbulb). Then there's lenses. The concepts of convex and concave lens and aperture size is simple enough, but of greater interest is the interaction between them. What is the resultant image from unique combinations of lens of different focal length and aperture? To better understand, we need to perform experiments.
And that's where cameras come into play.
Any concept is best understood through applying it to the real world. Cameras are one of those examples--an application of the physics of optics. As of today, I'm understanding the three numbers (f-stop, ISO, shutter speed) that make up the triangle of exposure.
And that's where cameras come into play.
Any concept is best understood through applying it to the real world. Cameras are one of those examples--an application of the physics of optics. As of today, I'm understanding the three numbers (f-stop, ISO, shutter speed) that make up the triangle of exposure.
Incentive
The hardest part of most project is starting them--you simply don't have any incentive.
But we all know that once you get going, you'll take it all the way. The urge to finishes something is hardwired into our human brain.
So how do we get started on projects that aren't exactly fun? For me, it's blogging. To write about my life and to jot down feelings gets my brain functioning and ready to shift gears from lazy dull connections to fast-firing high-functioning neurons.
So let's do this, a presentation about knowledge to make and a world to explore.
How to feel "full" in life?
What does it mean to fill fulfilled and satisfied with life?
That's a question I've been asking since my first life crisis.
Everyone has life crises: it might be losing a loved one, a career failure, an event of public humiliation, a goal unmet, etc. But for me, a life crisis is when living feels extra, when my existence (or the lack of it) wouldn't make a difference, at that moment, at all.
It first happened during my visit to an abandoned section of the Great Wall of China. As one of the historical relics of our time, the Great Wall too massive in size for humans to regularly maintain its quality. Thus, the Chinese government picked a few portions, mostly depending on quality and historical significance, to protect and provide maintenance for. After I visited those portions, I was interested in climbing some abandoned and wild portions of the wall. I consulted a few locals and guides, traveled for a few hours by car, another few hours by bike, and finally arrived at the base of an unweeded mountain. By myself and a stick that I found, I trudged up the uneven mountain, occasionally falling into hidden pits (not very deep, fortunately) and almost sliding off the side into a tavern. But after a few hours of hard work, I arrived at the mountaintop where a ruined portion of the Great Wall stood, or rather, collapsed into a heap of bricks resembling a wall. I scaled the side of that heap and as I got to the top, I saw something.
Endless, endless, endless rows of mountains. A pale blue sky loomed above. The farthest edges of the sky were curved, encapsulating the world. I reached above and touched a cloud as it slipped through my hand. There were no civilization in sight--just me and a lonely nature. And I felt truly alone.
The winds were peaceful; there was no sun visible but the sky was lit blue; the land was picturesque, without me. I looked down. It was a long fall, one that I couldn't see the end to. In fact, I would have to fall through a few low floating clouds before I could see the ground. It seemed like a perfect ending to one's story of life.
Vertigo stopped me. I walked back down the mountain and biked back. Along the way, I only had one overwhelming thought: what am I doing here?
Luckily, after a day's sleep, that feeling passed, and I was back to normal. Mysteriously.
This feeling came back the strongest during a fair one recent day. It started off normal, playing some fair games, meeting a few people, but at the end, as the fair ended, everyone packed up, and left me, with empty tents, cold wind by my side, and severe dehydration. I found a soccer ball, tried to kick it into a near by net, but missed badly, causing the ball to fly hundreds of meters away. I was too tired to pick it up. And as the sky turned orange, the thought came back: what am I doing here?
I went home that day, ate some delicious cuisine, played a few games, read a few pages out my favorite book, took a bath, and went to sleep. But the next day, that thought persisted. And it persisted for the following few days, until... my epiphany.
The word is "Purpose". I felt empty because I lacked purpose. I lacked a goal to accomplish. And this answers a fundamental question, why am I still alive. Because I still have stuff to do, places to go, impacts to make.
That day, I set a goal for myself, to teach a stranger a magic trick. True, it's small and easily accomplished, by when I would have to set another goal. But before then, I have the purpose to live on. Before then, death's grasp is rendered null.
To feel "full" is to feel alive and to feel alive is to be pursuing a goal that one sets for oneself. So ask yourself, why do you live on for another day?
That's a question I've been asking since my first life crisis.
Everyone has life crises: it might be losing a loved one, a career failure, an event of public humiliation, a goal unmet, etc. But for me, a life crisis is when living feels extra, when my existence (or the lack of it) wouldn't make a difference, at that moment, at all.
It first happened during my visit to an abandoned section of the Great Wall of China. As one of the historical relics of our time, the Great Wall too massive in size for humans to regularly maintain its quality. Thus, the Chinese government picked a few portions, mostly depending on quality and historical significance, to protect and provide maintenance for. After I visited those portions, I was interested in climbing some abandoned and wild portions of the wall. I consulted a few locals and guides, traveled for a few hours by car, another few hours by bike, and finally arrived at the base of an unweeded mountain. By myself and a stick that I found, I trudged up the uneven mountain, occasionally falling into hidden pits (not very deep, fortunately) and almost sliding off the side into a tavern. But after a few hours of hard work, I arrived at the mountaintop where a ruined portion of the Great Wall stood, or rather, collapsed into a heap of bricks resembling a wall. I scaled the side of that heap and as I got to the top, I saw something.
Endless, endless, endless rows of mountains. A pale blue sky loomed above. The farthest edges of the sky were curved, encapsulating the world. I reached above and touched a cloud as it slipped through my hand. There were no civilization in sight--just me and a lonely nature. And I felt truly alone.
The winds were peaceful; there was no sun visible but the sky was lit blue; the land was picturesque, without me. I looked down. It was a long fall, one that I couldn't see the end to. In fact, I would have to fall through a few low floating clouds before I could see the ground. It seemed like a perfect ending to one's story of life.
Vertigo stopped me. I walked back down the mountain and biked back. Along the way, I only had one overwhelming thought: what am I doing here?
Luckily, after a day's sleep, that feeling passed, and I was back to normal. Mysteriously.
This feeling came back the strongest during a fair one recent day. It started off normal, playing some fair games, meeting a few people, but at the end, as the fair ended, everyone packed up, and left me, with empty tents, cold wind by my side, and severe dehydration. I found a soccer ball, tried to kick it into a near by net, but missed badly, causing the ball to fly hundreds of meters away. I was too tired to pick it up. And as the sky turned orange, the thought came back: what am I doing here?
I went home that day, ate some delicious cuisine, played a few games, read a few pages out my favorite book, took a bath, and went to sleep. But the next day, that thought persisted. And it persisted for the following few days, until... my epiphany.
The word is "Purpose". I felt empty because I lacked purpose. I lacked a goal to accomplish. And this answers a fundamental question, why am I still alive. Because I still have stuff to do, places to go, impacts to make.
That day, I set a goal for myself, to teach a stranger a magic trick. True, it's small and easily accomplished, by when I would have to set another goal. But before then, I have the purpose to live on. Before then, death's grasp is rendered null.
To feel "full" is to feel alive and to feel alive is to be pursuing a goal that one sets for oneself. So ask yourself, why do you live on for another day?
Speaking of My Passions
When the .COM boom first hit, people started making websites all over the place. Back then, I wasn't born yet.
Later, people started making blogs, to share with the world their daily life.
Now, the trend turns to Youtube video blogs (vlogs).
But I prefer typing. The sound of the keyboard and tactile feedback enriches my thoughts and constantly reminds me that I am writing... thinking... sharing... And I immerse myself in that feeling.
Later, people started making blogs, to share with the world their daily life.
Now, the trend turns to Youtube video blogs (vlogs).
But I prefer typing. The sound of the keyboard and tactile feedback enriches my thoughts and constantly reminds me that I am writing... thinking... sharing... And I immerse myself in that feeling.
So here I am, starting to blog again after 8 years since my first blog post.
But this time, it's a bit different. "Speaking of Passions" is the reason I started blogging again. I wish to share with the world some of my passions (magic, web and software development, music, technology, philosophy, business). And I want to hear yours. Here, we share our passions; we indulge in the best part of life.
As humans, our best motivations are our passions, and it's passions that makes us accomplish the impossible. I speak of my passions; you can listen and you can speak of yours. Here, we experience the purest form of happiness.
Follow me. Follow our passions.
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