Manual Exposure Challenge!

Spring has sprung!  The birds are chirping, the snow is melting, it's time to dust off that camera gear that has been sitting in your closet, and start getting it ready for the BBQ season and those family days by the lake!

To help us all brush up on our skills, I'd like to propose a challenge!  One of the best ways to improve your skills is to learn how to use your camera in anything other than its automatic mode or any of the auto subsets.

Let's take a look at the image above, which was taken of a Canon Rebel.  The green box indicates that you are letting the camera choose everything for you.  All of the modes below this setting are simply subsets of auto, for example "portrait" or "action."  All these subsets do is tell the camera that it can still choose everything for you, but it will lean towards a certain shutter speed or aperture setting.  Even P (Program mode) and A-DEP (Auto Depth of Field) gives exposure control to the camera.

As a serious photographer, out of all of these settings, there are only three modes that we should care about.  They are Shutter Priority (Tv on Canon, S on Nikon), Aperture Priority (Av on Canon, A on Nikon), and Manual (M).

CHALLENGE!  Everyone reading this should take their camera out, put it in Manual mode, and challenge themselves to get as many perfectly exposed pictures as they can in 1 hour.  Don't cheat by using auto ISO, either!

By the end of this article, you should have enough tips to at least get you started on shooting entirely in manual mode.  You may just surprise yourself at how easy it can be.


Elements of Exposure

Before I continue, let me step back and briefly cover a very important topic.  In photography, there are three elements of exposure.

1. Shutter Speed is the length of time the shutter stays open.  The longer the shutter stays open, the more light is allowed to reach the camera's sensor.  Typically, with action shots we want a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.  But there are also times when we want to slow down the shutter to add a bit of motion blur, for example with waterfalls.

2. Aperture is how wide the opening of the lens is during the exposure.  The wider the opening, the more light is allowed to enter.  Aperture is what controls the "depth of field" in your shot.  That is, how much will be in focus.  The wider the opening, the narrower your depth of field will be.  This is measured by the f value on the lens.  The smaller the f-value, the wider the opening on the lens.  The bigger the f-value, the smaller the opening on the lens.  This may seem backwards at first, but the way it is measured is simple:

f-value = (focal length of the lens) / (diameter of the opening)

For example, if you have a 100mm lens, and the opening of the lens is 25mm, you will be at f/4.  However, if you zoom in to 200mm and keep the opening the same size, you will now be at f/8.

3. ISO or previously referred to as ASA, is the sensitivity of your film or sensor to light.  It will take more light at a low ISO to properly expose an image than it will at a higher ISO.  However, higher ISOs are more prone to noise (or grain if you are using film).


All three of these values mix together to get a specific exposure value.  Any time we want to adjust one of these elements, we need to compensate by adjusting one of the others.  For example, let's say we know that we are getting the correct exposure with the following settings:
Shutter speed: 1/100 sec
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 400

Now let's say that we want to increase our shutter speed to 1/200 sec, but we don't want to change the exposure.  In this case, we must compensate by also adjusting one (or both) of the other two settings.  One example, would be to simply double the ISO.  Since we are letting in half as much light by the shutter speed staying open half the time, we can make the sensor twice as sensitive to the light it is getting.  So one solution would be as follows:

Shutter speed: 1/200 sec
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 800

These two settings will result in exactly the same exposure value, except with a faster shutter speed.  Since this isn't a lesson on exposure (exposure is a huge topic on it's own) let's move on...


Sunny 16 Rule

For someone starting out learning to shoot in manual, this is the greatest tip you will ever hear.  When you are outdoors, on a sunny day, if you put your camera at an aperture of f/16, your exposure will be correct if your shutter speed is the inverse of your ISO.  For example...
Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100


Shutter speed: 1/200
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200

Shutter speed: 1/400
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 400

All of these settings will produce the perfect exposure value for a sunny day.  I said it was easy, right?

Now what if we want to use a different aperture?  Well, this is where math comes in again.  Any change in aperture will require compensation from one of the other values.  But, since this isn't a lesson on calculating exposure, these calculations are out of scope.

What if it isn't sunny?  Are there other rules?

Yes!  We can include the following as well:

• Snowy/Sandy f/22 rule
• Overcast f/8 rule
• "Slightly" Overcast f/11 rule
• "Heavy" Overcast f/5.6 rule
• Sunset f/4 rule

For each of these conditions, the same principle applies.  As long as the shutter speed and ISO are inverses of each other, using the aperture defined in the appropriate rule above will get you a pretty good starting point for getting the right exposure.

Conclusion ... and your challenge!

You now have the tools you need to put your camera in manual mode and get some great shots!  So here is your challenge.  Take an hour, put your camera in manual, get outside.  In that hour, try to get at least 20 pictures worth sharing.  I would be happy to see them!

How to Isolate and Remove a Green Background in Photoshop

Compositing is a great way to expand possibilities in your photography.  One of the most important techniques in creating a composite is by removing your subject from the background.  Petro Vlahos, the creator of the blue screening (same technique used for green screens), which enabled everything from the delivery of weather forecasts on TV, to dancing penguins in Mary Poppins, died this month at the age of 96. With this in mind, I thought I would share a great technique in how to isolate a high key background (blue or green) so that it can be removed, leaving only your subject standing in front.


Get a High Key Monochrome Backdrop

Green and blue both work well.  Any fabric will do, but typically people will use either seamless paper (a large roll of paper) or a muslin.  The benefit of the seamless paper is that, as the name suggests, there are no wrinkles.  Paper is great for portrait shots, but because the paper can rip easily, it is considered to be disposable.  Muslins on the other hand, are very durable.  They can be easily washed and reused for a long time, making them cheaper long term.  However, they show wrinkles.  Which can be a good thing, or not, depending on the look you are going for.

Personally, I use muslins.  Especially for composites, the wrinkles won't matter, so a muslin will end up being cheaper than seamless paper.  But, painted plywood or bedsheets will work as well, if you can get the right size and color.

I'm not going to discuss the details of setting up and shooting the picture in this article, so let's start from the point where we already have a picture loaded up in Photoshop.

Convert to LAB Color Mode

First thing you want to do, is convert the color mode to LAB.  This is done by going into the "Image" menu, then going to "Mode" and finally select "Lab Color"

What is LAB Color Mode?

By default, the image will be loaded up in RGB mode, or Red Green Blue.  This is essentially how your screen will display the image, all colors are made up by varying the intensity of the red, green, and blue channels.

LAB mode however, works differently.  According to Wikipedia, LAB color mode is "a color opponent space with dimension L for lightness, and an A and B for the color opponent dimensions  based on non-linearly compressed color space coordinates."  If that doesn't make sense, don't worry, it's not really that important.  All we need in this mode is to duplicate the A channel, which depicts the position of the colors between red and green, and we're done here!  So let's continue.


Once you are in LAB color mode, you will see the L/A/B channels in your channels tab.

Since in this case we are working with green, we want to duplicate the A channel (which as mentioned above, is based on the intensity of red vs. green).  To do this, simply drag the A channel down to the "New Channel" icon at the bottom of the window.  You will end up with this...

Now that that is done, we no longer need to be in LAB mode, so we can switch back to RGB mode.
(Image menu -> Mode -> RGB)

Isolating the Green

This is where the magic happens.  Photoshop has a blend mode called "Overlay," which I end up using a lot. What overlay is, is a combination of the "Multiply" blend mode, and the "Screen" blend mode.  Multiply will darken the darker parts of the image, while Screen will lighten the brighter parts of the image.  By combining these two blend modes, we are quickly able to isolate the green on the A channel we duplicated from our LAB color mode.

Step 1: Ensure that the a copy channel is highlighted.  Your image will look something like this:

Step 2: Fill with white, using overlay.  From your edit menu, select Fill.  Then make sure you are filling with white, with a blend mode of Overlay and an opacity of 100%.

You will get an image that looks something like this:

Step3: Fill with black, using an overlay blend mode and 100% opacity.

You will get a result similar to this:

Step 4: Fill with black again.  :)  Same as step 3 above.  Below is a sample result:

Step 5: Fill with white again!  Same as step 2 above.  Below is a sample result:

Note that you must do the fills in this order!  White, black, black, white.  If you do it in a different order, the results will not be as clean.


Step 6: At this point, with the exception of a few blemishes  you will notice that the background is pure black, and the subject is pure white.  You will probably want to zoom in and fix the areas that didn't result in pure white on the subject using the regular methods.  Remember, our goal here is to get pure white on pure black.


Step 7: Hold down Control (Command on the Mac) and click the "a copy" channel.  This will make the channel you just created the active selection.

Step 8: Enable the RGB channel again, and then go back to the layers tab.  Also, make sure the layer is NOT a background layer (if it is, drag the lock on the layer to the trash bin).

Step 9: Apply the layer mask by clicking on the layer mask icon at the lower corner.  The result will be similar to this:

And you're done!  You are now free drop on any background you choose.

Conclusion

With a few simple steps, steps that can even be recorded into a custom action and automated, we can quickly strip out a high key monochrome background, making compositing very easy!

If you've found this article helpful, please visit my Facebook Page!

How to Get Closer Macro Shots Without Breaking the Bank

A charging fly.

Macro Photography.

How else can you walk around a dump and come back with 100 extremely unique pictures worthy of printing?  This is a style of photography that opens the door to an infinite list of possibilities.  The most boring of scenes can be made interesting.  But what if that standard macro lens just doesn't get you quite close enough?  Well, there might be a solution to consider.

Tip of a ball point pen.

What is a macro lens and what is so special about it?

A lot of camera lenses these days have the word "macro" on them somewhere, which doesn't really mean anything at all.  All it is telling the user (or buyer) is how close you can place the lens to a subject, and still be able to focus.  That is, your minimum working distance between the camera's sensor and the subject.  But this doesn't make it a true macro lens.

So what is a macro lens?  Well, it is a lens that let's you focus close enough to the subject so that the image being captured on the sensor is at least life size.  Let me explain...

Take an old roll of film, and hold it against your computer screen in front of you.  If you are shooting with film, or have a full frame sensor in your digital camera, whatever is enclosed inside that 35mm film frame will be the entire picture taken with a 1x macro lens and its minimum focusing distance.  So really, you could take a picture of an old negative with a macro lens, and it will take up the entire frame.

Another way to think of it is, if take a picture of a page in a book with a film camera, have the film developed, and then put the negative from that picture directly on the book where you took the picture, the image on the negative and the original page in the book will be exactly the same size.

Most macro lenses on the market today are 1x life size lenses.  They are probably the most common "specialty" lens you can buy.  However, they can only get so close.  What if you want to take a picture of an ant?  Or a mosquito?  Or a flake of snow?  You could crop the picture down and hope your camera captured enough detail, which is usually okay for posting on the internet, but probably not good enough to print out.

You could buy specialty lenses like Canon's MP-e 65mm 1x-5x lens that will focus up to 5 times life size!  But then you are stuck with a very expensive lens that you will use once or twice, otherwise it will just be making your bag heavier.  So what else can you do?


Extending the 1x Macro Lens

First, let's talk about how a macro lens works.  The reason it can focus so close to a subject is that the element closest to the camera body is suppressed deep within the lens.  The greater the distance between the lens element and the camera's sensor, the closer you can get to your subject.  So, what happens if you make this distance even greater? 


Step 1: Extension Tubes (Spacers for your Lens!)

Extension tubes are simple devices that simply act as spacers between your camera body and the lens.  There is no glass inside, they are just hollow tubes (except for the leads that allow the camera and lens to communicate).  Extension tubes allow any lens (typically over 50mm) to be turned into a macro lens for close up shots.  They sacrifice the ability to focus on things far away, but let you tighten up your working distance.  These are generally available for relatively cheap, and there is nothing stopping you from putting them on what is already a macro lens, thus letting you get even closer than 1x life size!


Step 2: Extenders (AKA Teleconverters)

An extender is effectively a zoom multiplier.  There are two standard sizes for most brands.  A 1.4x extender, and a 2x extender.  The biggest downside to using these devices is that you lose light.  The 1.4x extender will lose 1 stop of light (therefore an f/2.8 lens will become an f/4 lens) and the 2x extender will lose 2 stops of light (an f/2.8 lens will become an f/5.6 lens).  But realistically, for macro shots, you would likely be using an aperture smaller than f/11 or even f/16 in order to control your depth of field, so this really isn't much of a downside at all.  But it will increase the magnification of your lens, getting you even closer to your subject!

Note: Most extenders state that you can't use them with macro lenses due to the position of the elements, but by putting extension tubes between the extender and the lens, this is no longer a problem.


My current setup

So here it is.  My current set-up for extreme close ups:



My current set-up

• Canon 5D Mk3
• Canon 2x Extender
• Promaster extension tubes (come in a set of 12mm + 20mm + 36mm = 68mm)
• Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS
• Basic LED ring light (to keep the shutter speed down)

Results?

These are the results.  All of these pictures are un-cropped (just re-sized) taken straight from the full frame camera.


Just the lens at 2:1 (half) life-size

Just the lens at 1.5:1 life-size

Just the lens at 1:1 life-size

Lens + extension tubes at maximum magnification.
Achieves roughly 1.68x magnification.

Lens + extension tubes + 2x extender at maximum magnification.
Achieves roughly 3.38x magnification.

Summary

As you can see, if you already have a 1x macro lens and want to get even closer, you don't have buy a rare and expensive speciality lens to achieve these results.  By simply adding an inexpensive extension tube to your kit, and possibly an extender as well for even more impact, you can increase your maximum magnification by a very noticeable amount.  Although I wasn't able to quite reach the 5x magnification of Canon's MP-e lens, I was able to get similar results for a whole lot less money.

Do you REALLY need that fancy new camera to get the best photos?

Picture by Mark Bass.  Find me on Google+

A recent conversation I had sparked me to think about the actual value of expensive camera gear for the average person.  It's not a surprise that after a big event in a person's life like, for example, having their first child, it is pretty common to have the urge to rush out and buy high end cameras and gear to capture those first valuable memories of life.  But will taking out a second mortgage on your home to finance the best camera gear result in better pictures?

In short ... no.

I have heard several times in the past, people say "that is a great picture, you must have a really nice camera!"  Every time I hear this, I think of a quote by professional photographer Scott Bourne: "Thanks, I got my camera at the same place Shakespeare got his pen."  I admit that yes, I do have a fairly nice camera.  But that is largely because I am a gadget head, and I like control over the process.  But outside of creating artistic images, I am beginning to use it less and less to simply capture memories.  The reason for this is simple.  You can create images that are just as impressive with virtually any camera, including basic point and shoot cameras, and yes, even that camera in your phone.


Myth 1: A good camera makes a good picture...

Here's a secret ... a camera doesn't make the picture.  The photographer makes the picture.  A good picture comes from composition and experience.

Picture taken by Lisa Bettany using an iPhone 4.  Check out more of her work at http://mostlylisa.com/

Although it is easy to say "I would be better if I had better gear," but in most cases this simply is not true.  Even the cheapest camera today is better than anything the great photographers like Ansel Adams had in their day.  I have even heard of professional wedding photographers trying to prove a point by trading their top-of-the-line professional cameras for an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera for an event, just to show that they can still do better work than most without all the fancy gear.

Picture taken by Trey Ratcliff using a Samsung Galaxy Nexus.  Check out more of his work on Google+

Myth 2: More megapixels is better...

Here's the thing about megapixels ... the more pixels you cram on a sensor, all other things equal, the worse your pictures will look.

At the most basic level, photography is about capturing light.  There is really not much more to it than that.  In the film days, the light would have to be burned into the film in order to capture the picture.  Digital sensors aren't much different in that regard.  What people have trouble understanding is that the more pixels on the sensor, the smaller the each pixel is going to be on the camera's sensor.  The smaller surface area for an individual pixel means that less light will hit that pixel, which also means that it will be less sensitive to light.  The less light it is able to record, the more the camera will need to amplify the light signal in order to compensate.

Think of a stereo.  The more you turn up your amplifier, the more noise you will get from the speakers.  The amplifiers used in cameras suffer from the same affliction.  Except in this case, the noise is visual, and will appear similar to the grain that we used to get when we used high ASA film.  So, keeping all other things equal, increasing the pixel count will result in noiser, lower quality pictures.


But don't I need more pixels if I want to print out the picture?

How big do you want to blow up the picture?  Have you ever had a problem with not being able to blow up a picture big enough when captured on film?

Film is comprised of vertical and horizontal fibers.  When blowing up the picture, these fibers have the same effect of digital pixels.  If you blow it up enough, you will eventually get pixelation, just like with a digital picture.  Standard film is equivalent to 10-12 megapixels in the digital world.  Therefore, if you have a 12+ megapixel camera, you have already surpassed film's ability to print your pictures onto wall sized posters.

Also consider this ... a 1080p HD TV has a resolution of 1080 x 1920. 

1080 x 1920 = 2,073,600 pixels.

A high definition TV is about 2 megapixels.  I have a 1080p projector in my basement, projecting onto a 106 inch screen, and the pixels are barely noticable from a foot away.  If a 2 megapixel image looks good blown up to 106 inches, imagine how big you could blow up a 10 megapixel image...

Don't let megapixels fool you.  They are meaningless.


Okay, so what is the advantage of an SLR then?

Yes, SLRs have the potential of caturing sharper images with less aberations.  This is true.  But the question is how noticable will this be to you, and how much is the very small improvement worth to you?

The real advantage of an SLR is control.  But to take advantage of this control, you need to understand the technical side of photography.  You need to understand light, you need to understand all elements of exposure, and you need to know how all adjustments relate to each other.

If you buy an SLR, and put it in automatic mode, you are throwing your money away.  You should have just bought a point-and-shoot for a fraction of the price.  However, if you want the control, and are willing to screw up every now and then, then an SLR is a great choice.


What is the best camera for me?

As the saying goes: "The best camera is the one you have with you."  These days, you can take excellent pictures with the camera in your phone, and this truely is something you have with you.  And the apps that are available for your camera phones now adds a lot of appeal.  Two things to watch out for though, is the delay (amount of time between pressing the shutter button and the actual image capture), and the shutter speed (amount of time the shutter stays open).  Too much delay will risk missing that moment, and slow of a shutter speed will result in motion blur and will make your images appear out of focus.  Neither of these are desirable.

However, if you like control, have an artistic mind, and also like learning about the technical side of how things work (and are also willing to drop far too much money), then an SLR may be for you.

Just don't let the marketting fool you into thinking more is always better...

All Wheel Drive ... Good or Bad?

Winter has finally hit up here in the cold white north.  Cold temperatures, snow, and yes ... bad roads.  This last week the talk among commuters around the water cooler has been how long it's taken them to get to work and all the cars in the ditches.  And yes, many comments like "I'm so glad I have All Wheel Drive" or "I really wish I had All Wheel Drive" are heard from afar.  But really, is AWD really what it's cracked up to be?  Should you trade in your Front Wheel Drive for a new 4x4 to get through this winter?  This article will discuss if AWD is really going to make you safer on the roads.

I have two vehicles.  I have a Front Wheel Drive Mazda 6 with a 5-speed manual transmission, and an All Whee Drive Lexus RX330 with an automatic transmission.  Both cars are equipped with winter tires in the cold months of the year.  Now, when asked, most people would expect me to say that I would rather drive the AWD SUV through the winter.  They are often surprised to learn that I strongly favor the Front Wheel Drive car in almost all conditions.


But why would this be?  First, let's explore what AWD does well.

All Wheel Drive is great in deep snow.  If you live in the country and have a long driveway, or you live in a subdivision that doesn't get plowed, then AWD is an asset for the few days after a deep snowfall, or until the snow gets packed down.  The morning after a heavy snowfall, having the confidence to drive through the fresh powder is definitely a benefit.

All Wheel Drive is also a benefit when accelerating.  This means that AWD is definitely more fun to drive in the winter.  And if beating everyone else off the line when the light turns green is your thing, AWD is for you.


However, none of this makes your car any safer.  As soon as you get out of your unplowed subdivision and onto the plowed roads, there are many more drawbacks that are often overlooked.  Now, let's explore what AWD does poorly

First, braking and cornering...  "But wait, I thought AWD handles better!"  This is a misconception.  The ONLY time AWD handles better is when your foot is on the gas.  It has zero impact when you are braking, and if you are trying to accelerate around a corner when you are already skidding, you need to go back to driving school.  Consider the "Friction Circle."  If you aren't familiar with the Friction Circle, you can read about it here.  Basically, if you start to skid, you need to reduce the load on your tires by either straightening your wheels, or braking/accelerating less.  Getting out of a skid by relying on AWD doesn't work in most cases.

In fact, a few years ago I took a Subaru Impreza for a test drive on an empty icy road.  I was expecting the AWD system in that car to impress me.  It didn't.  In a Front Wheel Drive car, when the wheels start to spin, you expect the car to understeer.  You can instinctively react to compensate.  With a Rear Wheel Drive car, you expect the car to oversteer.  You can instinctively react to compensate.  But with that AWD car that day, the car was spiratic.  When the wheels started to spin, sometimes it would oversteer, sometimes it would understeer, and sometimes the car would literally just go sideways as all four wheels fought to get traction.  In an emergency driving situation, this unpredictability is a huge concern.

Next, let's compare two identical vehicles, one with AWD and one without, since many cars and SUVs are available as a 2 or 4 wheel drive variant.  An AWD system is heavy and adds a lot of weight to the car.  So, the vehicle with AWD will be considerably heavier than the one without.  On slippery roads, weight matters.  As we've all learned in high school physics, the heavier the object, the more momentum it has, and the more force required to effect its speed or direction.  When you have to stop fast, you want the car with the least momentum.  When you have to react fast to avoid a collision, you want the car with the least momentum that needs to be overcome.  Period.

Next let's discuss the psychological side.  AWD gives you a false sense of confidence on the roads.  Many drivers get it into their heads that, if the car can accelerate faster, then it can brake faster too.  This is a huge problem, especially on highways.  Just because you can get up to highway speeds faster on an AWD vehicle, drivers often also feel they can switch lanes faster and hold higher speeds as well.  This is absolutely not true, and the reason why there are more AWD and 4x4 vehicles in the ditches along major highways than 2WD cars.  This false sense of confidence catches people off guard all the time.  All Wheel Drive causes more accidents than it prevents.


So what is the alternative?  What is better than AWD?  Simple.  A good set of winter tires...

Here is the problem with today's cars.  More and more cars are coming with "Performance All-Season Tires".  People typically see the "Performance" part and buy into the marketing thinking it means better.  When in reality, these tires are nearly as terrible as summer tires when the temperature drops below freezing.

Performance All-Season tires are designed to withstand high speeds, and are manufactured using a harder rubber compound.  When the temperature drops, this hard rubber no longer holds the road and makes driving in the winter dangerous.  Winter tires are designed with a much softer rubber compound that still sticks to the road when the temperature drops.  If you are still running all-seasons on your vehicle, especially "performance" all-seasons and you are concerned about your safety in the winter ... go buy winter tires.  Now.  The investment in your safety and your family's safety, as well as the safety of everyone else on the road, is well worth the expense.


Conclusion ... Although AWD is nice to have and is a lot of fun to drive on bad roads (if you like driving on bad roads), it does NOT make you any safer and it is NOT a replacement for a good set of winter tires.  So know your car, and don't fall into the trap of thinking that AWD is a necessary part of winter driving.

Fixing the Samsung LCD TV power-cycle problem.

If you bought a Samsung LCD TV in the 2007-2009 era, you may be experiencing a very frustrating problem with your TV.  Power cycling.  If you have a TV that is experiencing this problem, when you try to turn on your TV, you will hear your TV click on and off (and make the power-on notification chime if enabled) in repetition. Depending on the stage of your problem, your TV may or may not eventually turn on and stay on of you wait long enough (ours was taking several minutes before it would stay on), otherwise it will just stay in this cycle of powering on and powering off.  Very frustrating!

Now before I get started let me be clear, I like Samsung products.  They have some duds (Bell's version of the Samsung Galaxy S phone is horrid) which makes me wonder what they are doing at times, but for the most part their products, especially their TVs, are top notch.  As long as you do your research, despite a few screens that have this problem, I would still recommend Samsung TVs.

What causes this problem?  Simple.  Samsung wanted to save money on components, and cheaped out on some of the internal parts.  In this case, instead of putting in properly spec'd capacitors, they put in under-powered (less expensive) capacitors.  Eventually, these capacitors will blow, which usually happens right after the warranty expires.

If you were to get a repair man in to fix the problem, it would likely cost a couple hundred dollars.  Replace the TV?  At least $1000.

The good news however, is that with a little electronics know-how, and a little change from your pocket, this problem can be easily fixed.  The purpose of this article is to explain to anyone who may be unlucky enough to be experiencing this problem, how they can fix the problem themselves.  Please keep in mind that I did this fix on a Samsung 46" LCD, model number LNT4661FX.  Depending on the model, the components required may be slightly different.  In other words, I will not be liable if something goes wrong. :-)



Parts needed -

Before beginning, you will need to buy three new capacitors to replace the cheap ones in the TV.  All three of them are 1000uF at 10V.  You will want to replace these with three new ones with the rating 1000uF at 16V.  Any good electronics store will have these, I simply picked mine up at MRO Electronic Supply for 85 cents a piece.  Total cost including tax: $2.68.


Also, make sure you have a good soldering iron (at least 30-45 Watt), solder wick to clean off the old solder, and plenty of fresh solder to put the new components back on.  If not, pick these up at your local electronics shop as well.  $20 should get you everything you need.

Now, we're ready to proceed.



Doing the Repair -

First, find a clean, flat, staticless surface to lay your TV on, and lay it screen down.  Make sure there is nothing that might scratch or damage the screen.  Then proceed to remove all the the screws to remove the back panel of the TV.  On my model, there were 18 screws.  Then very gently remove the back of the TV to expose the electronics.  This is how it looks:

Back panel removed.

I'm always shocked when I see this much empty space.  I always expect to see a cluster of endless electronics jammed into the case, but I guess this comes from working with small electronics that are always getting smaller and smaller, yet we still want big screen TVs.

Notice the metal shield just to the right of center on this picture.  The electronics we want to get to are under this shield, so we need to remove it.  There are 7 screws holding this shield in place, remove them and the shield will pull off.

Board shield removed.

The next step is to carefully unplug all the ribbon connectors that are running onto the board.  There are 6 connectors, each will simply pull out.  Do this carefully to avoid damaging the connections.  You can see the ribbons running into the board in the images below.

Board with ribbons still connected.

TV compartment with board removed and loose ribbons.

Then the main board will need to be removed.  There are 6 screws around the sides of the board.  Remove them all, and the board will simply lift out.

Again, place the board on a clean flat table that you can use as a good work bench.  You will see the cluster of capacitors on one of the corners (bottom right in the image above).  You will probably see the offending capacitor(s) right away.  In the image below, you will see the blown capacitor that was causing the problem in my TV (it's the one that is oozing out electrolyte).  The capacitor next to it looks like it is about to pop as well.

Blown capacitor with oozing electrolyte.

Using your soldering iron and solder wick, remove the offending capacitors.  While you're in there, you might as well replace all three of the same specs, which is why I suggested buying three capacitors earlier in this article.  Make sure you know which solder connections on the back of the board are the ones that correspond to the capacitors you want to remove.

Back of board showing solder connections.

The following image shows which capacitors I removed.  Each of the circles on the board represent where a capacitor was.

Old 1000uF 10V capacitors removed.

Now it's time to put the new capacitors on.  Simply slide the new capacitors in, noting that the thick black line on the edge of the circle signifies the negative side of the capacitor.  Make sure that the new capacitors are not put on backwards.  Solder the components onto the board, and clip off the excess wire from the back of the board.  The image below shows the new capacitors mounted on the board after soldering.

New 1000uF 16V capacitors soldered on.

Now it's time to reassemble your TV!

-Slide the board back into place on the TV and replace all the screws.
-Reconnect all ribbons to the board.
-Slide the shield back into place and replace all screws.
-Replace the back cover of the TV.

Plug in the TV and test it out.  Make sure everything works.  And we're done!


It's as simple as that.  Very frustrating problem (one that really should have never happened) that can be fixed with no more than the cost of a morning cup of coffee and a little confidence with a soldering iron.

Good luck!

My thoughts on eReaders

Amazon Kindle (eInk), Chapters Kobo Touch (eInk), and Nexus S (LCD ... which is actually turned on) in direct sunlight.

Have you ever considered getting an eReader, but weren't sure what was the best choice for you?  There are lots of choices out there, so the decision can be overwhelming.  You like the idea of not having shelves and shelves of books taking up space, or maybe you like the idea of borrowing books from the library without leaving your home?  Maybe you just want to cut down on the weight of your carry on luggage for your next flight?


I have spend a lot of time with several different eReaders over the last few weeks and have noted the benefits and drawbacks of each one.  it is important to understand that there is no single eReader that is perfect for everyone.  The purpose of this article is to help you decide if an eReader is right for you, and if so which one to spend your money on.


The first thing to consider when looking for an eReader is the type of display that best suits your needs.  There are two completely different screens that are very different under the hood.  These screens are the traditional LCD displays, and the less traditional eInk displays.  I will get to the differences between these two screens, but to better understand why they are different, let’s first discuss the difference between the color spaces they use.

Color Spaces –

Have you ever wondered why the primary colors in a TV or computer monitor are different than the primary colors we all learned in grade school art class?  Maybe you didn't even know that!  Well the answer is simple really.  They use two completely different color spaces!

In a subtractive color space, like paint or a pen and paper, we start with a base of white.  In other words, we start with all light being reflected.  And then to adjust the color, we add a light absorbing substance (i.e. paint) until the the colors we don't want are absorbed, eventually resulting in black.  This color space relies on an external light source like artificial light or the sun so that it has something to reflect.  The primary colors in this color space, as we all learned in school, are red yellow and blue.

In an additive color space however, like an LCD screen, the complete opposite is true.  We start with black (think about a TV when it is turned off), and we begin emitting light, until all colors have been introduced and we get white.  Devices that use this color space typically require an internal light source such as a florescent light or a series of LEDs.  The primary colors in an additive color space are red, GREEN, and blue.

LCD Displays –

LCD displays use an additive color space, which means that they require an internal light source. This additional light means that it uses a great deal of power, and has a battery life of only a number of hours. It also means that using a display like this in direct sunlight is nearly impossible, since the light emitted by the device needs to be bright enough to overpower the ambient light that is hitting it (in this case the sun). Also, the glossy screen often causes glare that makes the display even that much more difficult to read. Take a look at the picture above, the LCD screen in the picture is actually turned on, yet it looks black.


The advantages of LCD Displays though, is their bright vibrant colors, ability to redraw the page (typically 60 times per second) so animation is possible, and they are also easily readable in low light. These displays are great for reading magazines indoors.

eInk Displays –

eInk uses a subtractive color space, which means that they rely on an external light source (just like a paperback does). The lack of an internal light means that the battery life for these devices is measured in weeks, not hours. It also means that, since the screen simply reflects or absorbs light, they work as well in direct sunlight as a regular paper book or newspaper. These displays are great for reading novels or newspapers both indoors or outdoors, and are generally easier on your eyes than a back-lit LCD display


However, although color eInk screens exist, they are not good enough for most manufacturers to use in their flagship devices. Therefore, as of the time of this article, all good eInk displays are grey-tone. Also, if you plan to read in low light, just like a regular book, you will need a lamp to light up the page.

Color eReaders –

That said, if color is important to you, multi-day battery life is not a concern, and you do not plan on using it outdoors, you have choices.  If money is a concern, your best choice currently is the Barnes & Noble Nook Color.  For $250, you get a color tablet with a stripped down version of Google's Android operating system, and gives you full access to the Barnes & Noble book store.  The advantages of the B&N Nook Color is it has a vibrant color LCD screen which makes it great for reading magazines, allows animation which is great for some children's books and newspapers, and even lets you play many of the same games you would expect to see on smartphones.  Plus, it is very easy to root the device and install a full version of Android, making it the cheapest Android powered tablet you can buy, which would then include the Amazon, Kobo, and other book store apps as well (not just Barnes & Noble).  Or, if you wanted to spend more, any modern tablet will have the ability to be used as a great color eReader, but most are double the price of the Nook Color.

eInk eReaders –

If the majority of what you want to use the device for is for reading novels and newspapers, you don’t want to worry about your battery life, you have problems with eye strain reading off of a computer screen, or you often read outdoors, then an eInk screen is likely your best choice.

There are a number of choices in this category, including the Amazon Kindle, the Chapters Kobo Touch, the Barnes & Noble Nook (eInk version, not the color version), and the Sony Reader.  The new Nook has been given excellent reviews, but unfortunately the Barnes & Noble's store does not have a very strong selection of eBooks available to Canadian customers due to copyright restrictions, making it difficult to recommend it north of the border.  And the Sony Reader is very expensive and does not provide enough value.  

From this point on in this article, I will only be comparing the Kindle 3 and the Kobo Touch.

Amazon Kindle vs. Chapters Kobo Touch –

So if you've decided that eInk is best for your purposes.  Now, how do you know which device you should buy?  At the time of this article, the Kindle 3 is the current model, although the Kindle 4 has been announced and should be out by the end of this year.  Since it isn't yet available, I will only be discussing the currently available model.

The Amazon Kindle has long been the leader for eReaders.  Amazon's store is very well established, and offers a large selection of books, newspapers, and some magazines.  The refresh rate on the Kindle is very good, and the contrast is excellent.  Amazon also offers a feature that no other company offers ... free 3G!  This comes in handy when you are traveling, and you want to keep receiving your magazine and newspaper subscriptions.  No matter where you are, you can enjoy your morning coffee with a fresh copy of your local newspaper waiting for you at no additional cost!  This is a huge bonus for the Kindle, especially if you are often in locations without reliable access to free access to WiFi.

The biggest, and really the only complaint I have about the Kindle is that it lacks ePub support.  Kindle uses Amazon's proprietary format called MOBI.  They have not yet opened up the device to other formats because they want to keep all Kindle owners buying their books from Amazon.  The concept is much the same as game consoles like the Xbox or the PlayStation.  The manufacturers will subsidize the cost of the device, often selling it for less than it costs to make, so that they can make money off of the games.  Amazon sells the Kindle for a very good price, expecting that they will make their money back from book sales.  However, most other eBooks from stores like Chapters, or most libraries that lend out eBooks, use a format called ePub.  Kindle's lack of ePub support is disappointing.

Up until now, the Kobo has been a terrible device.  Chapters is still selling the old Kobo eReader ... do not buy it!  However, the new Kobo Touch is a completely different device.  The 6" screen is virtually identical to the Kindle's screen, and it's speed and battery life have been greatly improved.  A bonus is that the Kobo allows you to reduce the number of complete page refreshes.  This means that, if configured, instead of flushing the entire page before redrawing the new page, it will only flush out the lines that need to be cleared.  The entire page will only be flushed every 6 pages (to make sure no ghost text is left behind), further improving battery life.

The biggest noticeable change with the Kobo is the infrared touchscreen.  Since everything uses a touchscreen interface, there is no need for any physical buttons and therefore it is much smaller.  This can be both good and bad. The smaller size means that it is more portable and looks much more elegant, but some people will find it harder to hold with one hand.  The extra real estate on the Kindle from the keyboard may be more comfortable after reading for a long period, especially if you hold it over your head while laying down.  It is also worth noting that the touchscreen makes the Kobo much more intuitive to use in this world of gesture based user interfaces.

Also, some people may complain about the page turns on the Kobo.  The touchscreen sometimes doesn't pick up gestures as cleanly as some other touchscreen gadgets like smartphones, and sometimes changes two pages at once.  This is a minor inconvenience, but depending on what you prefer, the physical buttons on the Kindle seem more solid.  So, if you like touchscreen interfaces, the Kobo Touch is great, but if you prefer physical buttons, the Kindle may still be a better choice.  This is something that really needs to be experienced first hand before you can decide.

Initial Setup, Navigation, and Additional Features - 

There was a big difference between getting the Kobo and the Kindle set up after taking them out of the box.  The Kindle is shipped to you already tied to your Amazon account.  This means that, if you get the 3G version, the Kindle is ready to use the first time you turn it on.  If you get the WiFi-only version, then the only setup required is to connect to your personal WiFi network.  No computer is required, which makes this task very easy.

The Kobo on the other hand was not as straight forward. Before it could be used, you have to download Kobo management software onto your computer, install it, plug in the Kobo, and configure it to your account.  If you already have a chapters account, this really is only a 5-10 minute process, but it is an additional non-intuitive step that might discourage some less-technical customers.

However, once the devices are setup, then the Kobo is far more user friendly.  The touchscreen make the device very simple to browse through the online store, find books within your library, and make changes to the appearance of the text (i.e. font, size, line spacing, margins, etc.).  The Kindle can do all of this, but you are forced to browse through a list of options using a 5-way joystick.

Both devices have a web browser (WiFi only), but neither are anything special.  The touchscreen makes the Kobo's web browser much easier to use, but this would really only be used in a pinch.

Also, both devices have built-in dictionaries, which is surprisingly useful.

However,  the Kindle has one big feature that the Kobo is missing.  Audio with text-to-speech.  On a Kindle, you can listen to Audible books, which is a nice touch for those of you who like listening to books being read to you while you are working or in a car.  The Kindle also has text-to-speech, which means it will take a standard eBook and literally read it to you (in a very dull monotone voice).  This is a nice feature.

Access to Books - 

Book access is a big consideration.   You want to be sure that the books you want to read will be available on the device you buy.  Generally, as discussed earlier, you can only buy books for the Kindle from the Amazon store, although the Kindle will also support non-DRM (un-copywrited) PDFs as well.  It does not support books borrowed from the library because library books use the ePub format and Adobe's ADEPT DRM licensing encryption.

The Kobo supports Adobe's DRM ePub format, so borrowing books from libraries is completely supported.  Plus, you are free to purchase books from the Chapters Kobo Store as well.

Although both Amazon and Chapters have very good selections, there are titles that are available from one store, but not the other, so unless you want to jump through hoops, it is worth looking through each store to see which has the higher percentage of books that you would likely want to read.  As publishers become more open to eBooks, selections will become much stronger.  In fact, there are already cases where books are being published electronically and are never printed.

That said, there are workarounds.  I hate being in a situation where I am invested in a single brand.  What happens if I buy a library of books from Amazon, and want to switch to a different device?  I also ran into a situation where there was a book I wanted that was only available on the Kobo store, but I wanted to read it on my Kindle.  In addition, I wanted to borrow books from the library and read them on my Kindle.  This sparked some experimentation.  I will not go into details on how it is done in this article, but I will simply say that yes, if you are a tech savvy user, it is in fact possible to convert an ePub book from the Kobo store or your local library to a MOBI format for use on the Kindle, and it is also possible to make a Kindle book and convert it for use on the Kobo.  

Conclusion - 

So what should you buy?  Here is a brief summary:

If you don't read outdoors, you like color screens, and battery life isn't a concern, buy a color eReader like the Barnes & Noble Nook Color.

If you like touchscreen interfaces, and feel that borrowing books from the library is an important feature, buy a Kobo Touch from Chapters.

If you like physical buttons for turning pages, and do a lot of traveling where you may not have access to free WiFi, get an Amazon Kindle.